Fallout Equestria: Commonwealth

by Crazyperson

Rating: mature
Tags: Sex, Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Crossover, Breezies, Death, Main 6, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Romance
Length: 1722923

FOE story mixed with FO4, meet the Sole Survivor of Stable 111 Fast Times, a colt from before the great war who's spent 90% of the time since in cryo sleep. But something goes wrong on his last time in the freezer...

The Trotson Commonwealth, even eight years after the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows, it remains wild wasteland of intrique and mystery. A veritable tempest in a teapot, the Commonwealth seems to reject the outside world with a will of its own. The strange storms and other dangers have repelled the great powers of post war Equestria, The Goddess, Redeye, the Steel Rangers, the Grand Pegasus Enclave, the New Canterlot Republic, the Lunar Commonwealth, none have managed to claim the area in all these years. Even the fantastic magic of Gardens of Equestria was unable to penetrate the shroud cloaking the ruined metropolis. Those who live there and the few who have visited over the centuries all whisper the same thing as the cause, the Institute...

More than two centuries after the balefire bombs fell, a prewar repair-pony colt and native son of Trotson awakens in Stable 111 to find a very different Commonwealth than the one he escaped. Having spent 90% of his time in stasis, Fast Times left the old world behind and grew up in the safety of the Stable. When he wakes from going back into the freezer this time however, things are terribly wrong. The Stable's empty, his family and friends have been ponynapped, and Fast is the sole survivor waking up decades after the shadowy Institute took everything from him.

Venturing out to the surface and the wasteland waiting above, Fast soon meets those who live in a world so far removed from his foalhood memories of the surface, and he finds how they make it a world worth living in too. New friends, family and even Princesses wait for him out in the world above, setting the awkward repair-pony down a path to find his family, unravel the plots of the mysterious mad scientists in the Institute, and 'fix' his new home in the wasteland. If he survives it.

Published 2016-07-04 04:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-03-10 20:09:27 UTC

Ch. 2 -- Welcome Home

Emergency Protocol I-3902
Pod #101 Status:
External Power Supply: Disconnected
Internal Power Reserves: 3%
Spell Matrix: Operational
Spell Talismans: 57% efficiency
Flux Reserves: 12%
External Integrity: 97%
Stasis Integrity: 100%
Outside Environment: Stable
.............................
.............................
Initiate Automated Purge of Subject: Fast Times- Male-Unicorn
Subject Status: Nominal
...........................
Beginning Automated Release Procedure...
Duration of Stasis: 83.7 years
Thank you for using Stable-Tec!

Please Stand By.
..............................

The first real thought that went through my mind was, "Owwwww..."

After that, things started coming back slowly. I thought "Ow" because I was in a great deal of pain. I felt a great deal of pain because I seemed to have fallen and was lying on the floor. I had fallen out of the large bulk behind me that was acting as the only light source, while also blaring a rather annoying alarm. The bright, noisy thing I had fallen out of was a stasis pod, pod #101.

Why was I on the floor? I should have woken up like normal, like I did every ten years on the dot. Why was nopony helping me? Why did I feel so awful? Waking up from stasis was a little jarring to the system, I was usually a little stiff and logy, but it passed quick enough and I was used to it. This however was orders of magnitude worse...

My muscles were on fire, my head was pounding and I was having trouble focusing on anything. When I looked at pod #101, the emergency lights were blinding even though I knew they weren't this bright, I installed the damn things after all. The alarm amplified my headache with each pulse, I tried covering my ears and turning away from the hateful machine and looked out to a room full of darkness, nice soothing darkness.

After trying not to move or think as long as possible, I decided to do something about that blasted alarm. I reached out with my magic to my pip-buck, I had all the backdoor controls and should still be connected to the pod. The room brightened by a tiny bit as my horn glowed blue before fizzling out, great I was either right at the edge of, or into magical burnout. Groaning, I fumbled at the pip-buck with my hoof, trying to key in the right sequence of commands. It took far too long, but finally the klaxon stopped blaring and I was left in silence. With a sigh of sweet relief I closed my eyes for just a moment...

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I awoke with a start and winced, guess I fell asleep there for a minute. Moving hurt, but I wasn't in nearly the horrible shape I had been last I remembered, I was also hungry and thirsty. Hmmm... perhaps I nodded off for more than a minute there. I was still in a dark room alone, lying in front of that hateful pod #101 which spread a pool of light over me feebly. Light that had grown slightly dimmer than what it should be.

Well, first things first, stand up. I grunted and pushed my way up to a sitting position on the floor slowly, yes... sit up..., that's what I meant. Catching my breath and marshaling my energy for the upcoming attempt at standing I took a look at my pip-buck, still synced to pod #101 and started reading the data it was putting out.

My brain was in slightly better shape than my body at least but I still couldn't comprehend the data I was looking at. How had pod #101's condition gone down from near perfect to what it was reporting now in so little time? Something had to be wrong... Initiating an automated purge? That was risky, why'd that happen? Did the damn thing just wait for me to get in it to fall to pieces?

I shook my head carefully, whining at the stiffness in my neck as muscles spasmed at the mild activity. I finally remembered the pip-buck had a light so I reached over to toggle it on then froze when it complied. I was in storeroom 3 still! Did Sprockets just forget about moving me back out where I belonged on the Icebox floor? That jerk! Leaving me to wake up in an empty, powered down storeroom in the dark, all alone, how could he!

Wait why would he? Sprockets wouldn't do that, he took his job seriously, so what happened? Maybe he died suddenly and didn't have a chance to tell anyone #101 needed to be moved? Though if that was the case wouldn't mom or dad or Sunset come and get me when they woke up?

I paused in thought while glancing around slowly in the dim light of the pod and my pip-buck, something was different in here... I raised my pip-buck hoof as high as I could manage and looked around slowly, from what I could see it looked like cleaning had suffered a serious lapse. I know this was just a storeroom but the amount of dust and grime was a little extreme. Things had been knocked to the floor, a patch of rust went up the seam of one of the walls I could make out, even #101 was grimy and dingy now that I got a better look at it.

Alright, whether my body felt like it or not time to move, with a grunt of effort I got to my hooves and swayed slightly hoping my balance would come back. After a brief bout of dizziness I felt like I'd be ok and took a lurching step forward. I needed all four hooves to make any kind of progress here so I shuffled forward a step or two then raised the pip-buck light to look around again, not much improvement though.

I had made it to the edge of the recessed repair bay pod #101 sat in, the double rows of spare pods stood in the center of the larger room stretching to my left towards the door. To the right the wall I could see stretched off to the corner, meeting the far wall I could barely make out.

The workbench to the right had a different assortment of parts than when Sprockets and I left, though they also looked dusty and worn. The poster above the workbench was more worrying. The Ministry of Arcane Sciences' Ministry Mare Twilight Sparkle was displayed wearing a fetching lab coat, surrounded by magical and technological tools and materials. A menacing Steel Ranger stood behind her like an armored bodyguard and the legend on the old propaganda poster read: "Brains AND Brawn- Together we'll win the fight!"

I had admired the Ministry Mare while Sprocket introduced me to beer and it had been lovingly preserved down here, but now... Now the poster I had just seen was faded, ripped and a little moldy here and there. Something was seriously wrong in here, but my battered brain still couldn't make much sense of it. I would cry out for help but no one would hear me in here and I only had so much energy.

With a sigh I shuffled forward again, past the double row of pods and left toward the door. I stumbled and nearly fell but recovered and waited for another wave of dizziness to pass. I could see the door out now, or the shape of it anyway. The console to the left of the door was dimly lit, there was a squarish shape next to it that was probably the door and then there was a heap of...clothes? junk? Something was to the left of the door leaning against the wall beneath the console.

About halfway across the room to the door, I started getting details from my light and stopped with a shiver, my eyes starting to widen as I started putting together what I was looking at beside the door. "No..." I whispered, drawing another couple steps closer but yes.. yes it was. A pony, a dead pony sat leaning against the wall, a skeleton wrapped in rotting rags that were once clothes.

I felt panic brush me lightly with its wings, preparing to take off and fly baby. The rush of adrenaline forced my brain into something approaching first gear, I swung my pip-buck to my face so hard I nearly bashed my muzzle with it but I didn't care. I frantically fumbled at the controls with my hoof, how did Grizz do this! Come on... back to the pod status screen, faster you hunk of junk! There! Duration of Stasis, I never paid attention to that line since it always read "10.0 years" but that's not what it said. Not at all...

"E-eighty... eighty t-three point seven?" I croaked and felt panic really get ready to soar. This can't be, it just cant! 83.7 years!!! "This can't be right!!!" I screeched in my raspy voice, I was just about to really get going when I heard something. "H-hello?" I quavered looking around desperately, there it was again, a clicking, scratching sound from... the corpse?

Oh no, hell no! Dead pony was bad enough, undead pony was worse! I shook as my eyes widened and my pupils shrank looking at the skeletal remains shifting in front of me. Suddenly a giant insect squirmed its way out of the rotting clothes holding the bones together and skittered towards me quickly.

Not as bad as an undead pony, but my mind still refused to engage productively as it approached, clicking and snapping. A foot long roach with a slight glowing, greenish tint, skittering right for me... what the hell was going on! It hissed as it closed distance and snapped at my foreleg, leaving a nasty scratch that oozed blood.

My brain may not be able to cope with what was going on but the pain had prompted my body to take over. I tried to scramble away from the attacking monster, stamping at it, pushing myself back across the floor, anything to make this stop as it snapped and darted for me. Finally I brought my pip-buck down on its' carapace with a satisfying crunch and slumped down looking at it.

Panting and shaking all over, covered in a sickly sweat and dribbling a little blood from my forelegs, I kept staring at the attacker, a roach had pushed me to exhaustion... Granted a giant roach somehow, but a big bug nonetheless. I looked back to the skeletal pony at the door and shuddered, eighty years... I didn't want to believe it, but that body had been here a long time and things had changed drastically.

Tears trembled in my eyes as I started moving forward again, giving the giant roach a wide berth and trudging on towards the door. I didn't want to confirm my fears about that poor dead pony, but I had to and had a pretty good idea what inspection would tell me. Sure enough, once I got in range for my pip-buck light to brighten the room around the door my fears were confirmed.

Not a skeleton held together by rags, but a skeleton held together with a rotting light blue and yellow stable barding, a dusty pip-buck clamped around its' bony foreleg. I whimpered and the tears started spilling down my cheeks, blurring my view of the scene but not enough.

The pony was slumped against the wall, a black stain pooled around them and stained their barding too, blood... old blood. A connector cable was snaking down from the console above the skull of the pony and down to their pip-buck. A dusty brown bottle sat near the skeleton's other hoof, please no...

I carefully shuffled forward, fighting revulsion as I bit the edge of the pip buck and gingerly tried to extract it from the corpse, being as respectful to the remains as I could. It came free without disturbing the bleached leg bone too much, it fell to the ground in basically the same position it had been at least. I blew off the dusty device in my hooves and wiped tears from my eyes to get a good look at the screen. An audio file was loaded and blinking, waiting for input to start playback, I sniffled and pushed the select button with dread.

"Ugh... Hey there F-Fast.." Sprockets' voice croaked out of the pip-buck before being interrupted by some wet, rattling sounding coughs and retches, I looked back at all the black blood stains and shivered. "I hope ya...get t-this. Did... all I c-could," more coughs and groans came from the tiny speaker and the tears started flowing more freely, Sprockets was dying when he made this message for me... "A-as ya can see... couldn't 'zactly r-reach #101 from h-here... lock- locked out the door though... Oh sweet Celestia that hurts!" he said, bridging the years in his pain. I could hear shuffling so he must have tried to move. "C-cut.. cut.. the power in here... only way you'd get..o-out... dunno when though.. S-sorry bout... that. Takin' the other pods... don't know about #101 though... n-never logged it.. should... should.. be safe kid.. Help them... p-please... and h-have... have a drink on me... gonna.. n-need.... it..." The recording clicked off and the pip-buck dumped out of the file and directly to the patched console controls.

I set the pip-buck down and looked over to Sprockets, sobbing, something bad had happened, something very bad. Sprockets had managed to do all he could for me as his final act and it had cost him a lot of pain from the sound of it. I only saw the old stallion once a year and yesterday was the most we had ever talked... not yesterday... eighty years ago. How much force of will had it taken to hang on, hack the door control to lock it out and cut the power here, then record a message for me while dying and in pain.

The old technician was right too, unable to reach my pod the only thing he could do was cut the power and force it to fall back on the internal power supply. At least it would eventually run out much sooner than the Stable's massive arcano-tech generator system below us. Eighty years was bad, but it could have been two hundred or more. The backup power was rated for a maximum of a century of isolated operation, 83.7 years was pretty good.. we had done our work together well...

I wept and gently touched Sprockets' skull, recalling his aged purple face and stern orange eyes. "T-thanks old buck... You... you were a good pony, I wish I knew you b-better.." I jerked with a pang of panic at that last word, Better.. my brother, my family! I had to find them! I turned away from Sprockets' remains and back to his pip-buck desperately, awkwardly hoofing my way through the controls until I found the power control and reconnected to the Stable power system.

The lights buzzed harshly as they warmed up and started flickering back to life. None of that sounded good to my repair-pony ears, half the fluorescent tubes were burned out and those that remained gave a grimier, yellowish light when they finally came back to life. With light I could see just how poorly the room had fared, dirt and rust prevailed where before all was polished steel.

Turning back to the controls, I tripped the door lockout and tried to open it but got nothing, not good. I was desperate to get out of here and find my friends and family. I rounded on the open panel Sprockets' pip-buck was wired into and gave it a quick appraisal. The connectors leading to the door mechanism were corroded, stopping the signal from reaching. No problem, a quick fix with my tools... my tools that were still in storage back in pod #101. All the way across the room again...

I shouldered the door angrily before sliding down it and sitting next to Sprockets in exhaustion, curling into a ball and sobbing into my hooves. I was so tired and hurt, my stomach grumbled and my throat burned, my heart was pounding in my temples, the injuries that bug gave me stung and bled, my magic was gone, or so weak it didn't matter and I was alone. No pony had been in stasis as long as I had. The effects were annoying for a ten year trip, eighty years was so much worse. Dad would know why and what to do for my battered body, Mom or Sunset would soothe my aching heart and soul, Grizz would calm my racing mind with a joke, but there was no one.

I wept until I was out of tears, refusing to look up at the now lit room. Eventually though, blocking it out wasn't enough. I looked up over my hooves and spotted the brown bottle between Sprockets and myself, his bony foreleg pointed towards it like he was passing it over with a smile. With a sniffle I gave my magic another try and was rewarded with a very weak blue telekinesis field that slowly wobbled the bottle up to me.

My magic wasn't even strong enough to twist the cap, so I had to bite it and twist with my hooves, but it opened with a sad hiss finally. It had gone flat, I hoped beer didn't go bad in a way that could poison you and briefly paused. But my throat and mind cried out for it and Sprockets would know how long that beer may sit there, he wouldn't have left it if it was dangerous. I trusted the old stallion and took a drink, then tipped the bottle towards his remains.

"Here's to you Sprockets... T-thank you."

The beer was bad, while at the same time being ambrosial, at this point anything wet would taste like heaven for my poor throat. I sat against the door that stood between me and my family and slowly drank it down, it had retained its' alcoholic properties at least and slowly helped numb my aching body slightly. With grim determination, I sat the empty bottle down where I had got it and pushed myself back to my hooves with a grunt of effort, ready for the long trek back to #101.

Weaving slightly, but more steady on my hooves, I trudged forward. Past the dusty, empty spare pods, past the dead monster bug, rounding the corner and passing the cluttered workbench and Ministry Mare poster as pod #101 loomed before me. Its' lights had brightened back to full now that power was restored and I could see the faded kiss print on the hatch. Looking at it my cheek tingled as I remembered my prize and I felt a surge of determination. I had to find her, to find Sunset and the others I needed out of this room, so I was getting out, now.

The storage bay on the pod opened with a hiss and I grunted with effort, pulling out my saddlebags and trying to wiggle into them with my hooves. There was no way my magic could handle the tool laden packs. Progress was agonizingly slow but I managed. My pip-buck chimed with updated inventory and I quickly scrolled through the waiting lists, searching for anything to eat while my stomach rumbled. 1 Fancy Buck snack cake jumped out at me from the list and I selected it. I weakly floated it from my pack and peeled the wrapper, munching the carroty cake with gusto, sitting against the cursed pod.

After the short break I felt a little better, my eyes burned from all the crying and I kept sniffling up snot, but my stomach had quieted down and my headache started to ease off, low blood sugar I guessed. The third trek across the room was the best so far as I started being able to move like a functional pony again. I reached the door and pulled out my screwdriver and wire brush, disconnected the corroded leads, cleaned them and reattached them to the door control mechanism.

I reached out with my slowly improving magic and tripped the control again, this time rewarded with a low whine as the door slowly slid open to reveal darkness beyond. I looked back to my savior, I'd have to come back and do something for his remains. He had saved me the only way he could before he died, I owed him that.

"Goodbye Sprockets, I'll come back I promise." I whispered down to the noble repair ponys' remains before I stepped out of the storage room and into the Icebox.

My hoofsteps echoed in the cavernous dark room, I could only see as far as my pip-buck light, which didn't reveal much. I kept moving forward from memory, the motion sensors should pick me up shortly and bring up the lights. I stopped when I heard the rough click and hum of the system responding, capacitors needed replacing up there but they still worked, Stables were made to last.

Instead of the instant response and click of lights properly coming on, I looked up to see the working bulbs slowly start glimmering to life in the darkness. Bars of dim light far above me, gaining strength and slowly piercing the blackness. I looked back down to the Icebox floor and strained to see anything as the weak lights began to push back the dark, but my heart sunk lower and lower as they illuminated nothing... Just me, standing in the vast warehouse sized room alone, all around me I saw the empty slots and power connections for 1000 stasis pods that were simply gone.

I screamed in frustration, my eyes darting over what I could make out. Desperate to see at least one familiar white pod or somepony alive in here. "Hello! Somepony!? Anypony?!! Is anyone there!!!" I shouted and listened to my voice echoing back to me as I charged up the empty aisles where the Shift 3 pods should be. Panic tinged my voice as I passed the empty slots where pod #44 should be "SUNSET!?", where #53 should sit "GRIZZ!?", I skidded to a halt at the end of the aisle where #40 and #41 should be "MOM!?! DAD!!? BETTER!!!" I collapsed to the floor shaking from the exertion and fear, sobbing and looking at the last two empty slots where my family was just a couple hours ago to me as my cries echoed back to me in the gloom.

I laid there for awhile, shivering and crying. Staring at the empty slots and disconnected power lines, trying to will them back where they belonged. As I slowly got myself under control I realized why Shift Change was handled the way it was. It wasn't just to mark the passage of time. All the ceremony and happy goodbyes were there for this, in case something bad happened.

I played back my recent (to me) memories. Mom's hoof against the glass, repeating 'I love you' out at us while Better snuggled with her in the pod. Dad ruffling my mane and saying he was proud of me. Grizz waving me off as his parents fussed over him with emotional goodbyes. Sunset... kissing my cheek and waving through the glass with a broad smile. We said goodbye on Shift Change day just in case it really was goodbye...

Slowly despair started being replaced with something else, a small ember flared within me, anger... Somepony did this, Somepony took the pods, Somepony killed Sprockets, Somepony stole my Stable, my friends, my family, my life... and somepony was going to pay...

The pods were gone, but they weren't still here and dead with skeletal occupants like Sprockets. His pip-buck recording mentioned "them taking the pods". They may not be here, but even disconnected the internal power should last as long as mine. They should be alive, even if they had been stolen, they had to be! and I was going to find them, somehow...

With new resolve, I dragged myself up and started walking towards the stairs to the catwalk and the exit above. I scowled at the rust on the railings and metal stairs, thinking of the maintenance work needed down here. When I reached the catwalks I noticed the exit had been barricaded. Metal boxes were stacked haphazardly in front of it and more skeletal ponies were strewn about, along with a number of pink piles of ash and dried green puddles, magical energy weapons...

The corpses wore security barding as well as Stable barding. More black stains surrounded each skeleton, from their positions they had fought to the last. The wounds I noticed were caused by something much more significant than the 10mm pistols and batons they had to fight back with though. Still, they had tried to protect us and gave everything to do so.

I fought back the tears and started levitating the pistols still locked in their mouths or on the ground nearby and pulled out what little ammo I could find, they had used as much as they could before the end. My pip-buck chimed with the additional inventory, inspecting their condition and assigning a value to each, I wondered how it knew what they were worth. Scrolling through the new acquisitions, I selected the pistol in the best shape and floated it out. I had 23 rounds of ammo to work with, whoever came and took my Stable had come heavy, the gun made me feel a little better.

I trotted forward and surveyed the scene, they fought their way in from above, presumably from the main entrance. But they didn't take the pods back out this way, the barricade was still in place. I walked back to the railing and looked down at the desolate, empty floor below, it had been a long time but there had to be clues.

Looking from above I could see some scratches, trails of ponies moving large things around. We had hover lifters to move pods around with so they weren't dragged across the floor, but moving 1000 of the things out of here had to leave some sign. Taking it all in I managed to discern the pattern of what was left, there was a faint trail and I trotted back down the stairs to follow it.

My hoofsteps echoed as I walked the barely perceptible trail, the pistol held in my magic to my side just in case. This place was creepy without the hum and odd beeps of the pods. Eventually the trail stopped at the farthest point from the entrance in the west corner. I stared blankly at the wall, this can't be right.. they brought them all here and just disappeared?

In frustration I wheeled around and bucked the wall, a resounding bong echoing out into the void of the room, wait 'bong'? I spun back to face the offending wall and scrutinized it carefully, that didn't sound right, on closer inspection it didn't look right either.

If a pony hadn't spent their life maintaining walls and passageways in this stable, they'd never know the difference, but this wasn't standard Stable-Tec wall paneling. I probed and prodded it with my magic and my hooves, feeling the slightly off surface of it until I finally found a catch. I had to stand on my hind legs and stretch for all I was worth to put a hoof on the mechanism at the top of the panel, but I managed. I enveloped it in a field of blue magic and triggered the switch.

With a squeal the whole panel started to slide away, knocking me from my precarious position and down to the floor. I looked up in wonder as the secret passage opened revealing a short hallway beyond. This shouldn't be here, I've seen the blueprints of this place, crawled every inch of this Stable myself, or so I thought anyway, and this was not part of the Stable I knew. I cautiously walked in and confirmed my thoughts, the materials used here were different, not Stable-Tec standard issue. I walked to the end of the short hallway, picking up more signs the pods had passed this way with a grimace and ended up in a medium sized dead end chamber.

The only object in the room was a round platform, surrounded by a series of pillars with coils around them. Wires snaked everywhere through the chamber, all leading to the platform and a control console rose from the floor in front of it. I lowered my pistol and looked around, no one seemed to be in this mystery chamber either so it seemed safe... wait!

I face-hoofed and started running through my pip-buck settings, activating the Eyes Forward Sparkle system and HUD. I never had any use for these features before and had shut them off like basically everyone in the Stable but security. The E.F.S. system identified other beings in the vicinity and displayed them as either green or red dashes on the compass that had sprung up at the bottom of my vision, green was good, red was bad. I really should have remembered and activated this before wandering around the scene of a massacre, but I was distracted.

E.F.S. showed nothing, but good to know and have it running. With a shaky sigh I turned back to the strange machine. The control console in front of it had a panel off and closer inspection showed several components had been removed at some point, making it inoperable. Ok, so some heavily armed group came into the Stable from above ground presumably. Fought their way down through Shift 4 ponies. Moved all the stasis pods down this secret tunnel to this weird machine, then disappeared apparently, but not before disabling it.

Working through it, there was only one answer. I had read things about teleportation pads, mostly theory about them being possible and rumors the Ministries actually used the top secret technology in some of their installations, but I never thought I'd see one. I wish I had more time with it, figure out how it works, but that was unimportant. What mattered was this is where they went, this is how they made off with 1000 stasis pods with 900 ponies and my first real lead so far.

I tried to jack my pip-buck to the console but got no response, one of the parts removed must govern power. Unable to poke around the code of the interface, I stuck my muzzle in the open panel and inspected everything carefully. Nothing too out of the ordinary for what I expected this was, spell matrices wired in interesting ways to highly advanced targeting talismans and a number of bits and bobs I didn't recognize. Nothing useful.

I stamped a hoof in frustration, knocking over the removed panel with a bang that startled me and I scowled down at it. It lay face down now, my pip buck light illuminated it and I noticed engravings on its' surface. I quickly floated it up and wiped it with my hoof trying to make it out. A strange emblem decorated the top, a circle with the image of a pony spread eagle, each limb pointing to a corner of the panel with the head pointed towards the top. Below this sigil were two lines of engraved text.

C.I.A.T.
Transport Station #4982-47

Alright, a clue at least and some confirmation of running theories. That emblem wasn't the familiar gear shaped logo of Stable-Tec, somehow this hidden portion of the Stable was built by this C.I.A.T. whoever they were. If I could make this thing work somehow maybe I could follow them, eighty years late of course. Alright then, having something to go out and work towards anyway, I plugged the pip-buck back in to the machine and started running through some of my repair programs. It may not have power, but I could run some basic diagnostics and mapping programs, including a few bits I had tinkered with myself. The pip-buck's powerful little processor went to work and ten minutes later gave a ding and displayed basic schematics of the device, minus the missing components. It was well beyond me but it was something.

I was reluctant to leave the teleporter. It was like being stopped from following my loved ones by a locked door, but this one would take a lot more than a bobby pin and a screwdriver to coax open. Unfortunately there was nothing I could do here, I walked back down the strange hallway and into the Stable proper, trotting back to the exit and past the fallen defenders of Stable 111.

I'd do something for them too somehow, honor their sacrifice, but right now I had work to do. With one last look back at the empty slots that should contain my family and friends, I walked past the barricade and headed up to the maintenance level and Atrium beyond.

The maintenance level was in poor shape. Yellow warning lights flashed on the narrow walls, pipes dribbled or outright spewed water contributing to rust and more decay, panels sparked and shorted out. Even in a hurry I couldn't help turning shut off valves and switching over to redundant systems as I walked, seeing it like this bothered me deeply. I was following a trail of more Stable dweller corpses, goo puddles and ash piles. It had been a running fight down to the Icebox but I had yet to see the remains of whoever the invaders were, unless they were the ash and goo piles but the Stable didn't have magical energy weapons.

I made my way up to the main level of the Stable and entered the Atrium, looking around in horror. Pony skeletons in Stable barding were scattered everywhere, pony ash drifted through the stale air and green goop dripped from the catwalks above. A trail of death lead toward the living quarters wing, I wanted to go to my family's quarters, remembering my time together with my family before we went under. I was late and that precious time was cut shorter than normal. I could go back to our quarters but they weren't ours anymore, they belonged to the late Shift 4 family that occupied them during the slaughter and I didn't want to see what had happened.

I looked up to the circular window above me of the Overstallion's office, a long black streak stained the window, leading down to a skeletal hoof. Overstallion Rocky Shores had died in in his office it seemed. I didn't want to see that either but I knew I'd need to go up there, the Overseer's office held the most control and information in the Stable so it may hold some clue. At the thought a mission objective marker flashed in my E.F.S. and text scrolled before my vision from my pip-buck;

Mission: Welcome Home-
Primary Objective-
Escape the Stable
Secondary Objectives-
Search for clues
Investigate Overseer's office.

That was odd... I used the pip-buck every day, kept notes and to do lists on it. I knew how to use S.A.T.S. and E.F.S., how to use the health and inventory management, holotape player, interface link and so on. I had read up on and fiddled with the radio and map functions but they were useless down here in 111. No radio got through the Stable walls if there was any up there on the surface to pick up, though you could get the Stable broadcast if you wanted. I knew my way around the Stable like the back of my hoof so I didn't need the map, I could actually get to places the map didn't recognize when I was a colt and had played with the function.

In all these years though, a mission like this had never appeared. Shame really, would have saved me making lists and trying to remember things I had to do. The odd little device was an enigma, it had placed a marker on my E.F.S. pointing right at the circular window above, and a second in the direction of the great gear shaped door that led out of the Stable, seemingly on its own.

I shrugged and looked around again. There were three objectives total but it had only put markers up for two of them, the Overstallion's office and the exit, searching for clues was up to me it seemed. As I scanned the room my eyes came to rest on the diner entrance. There was a pile of corpses in the gloom I could see from here but my stomach gave a rumble thinking of Mrs. Ladle's food. I didn't want to see what had happened in there. but I needed food and drink, not just right now but for who knows how long, I hung my head and trotted forward to the door.

As I got close my E.F.S. lit up with 3 red dashes in front of me and I heard clicks and chittering, more bugs... fantastic. They hadn't seemed to have noticed me yet so I thought for a minute before proceeding, watching their little red hash marks move on my compass. I killed the first when I was in the worst shape of my life so I wasn't too worried, but they were disturbing and the scratches I got still hurt. Reminded of them. I thought I should go search the medical ward for healing potions or some bandages. At the thought more activity scrolled in my vision from my pip-buck.

Secondary Objective Added-
--Search for supplies

Three new markers popped up on my compass, I spun slowly on the spot to see where they pointed. One indicated the Medical Ward across the Atrium, one pointed right in front of me placed in the middle of the three red hash marks in the diner beyond, the third.. was in the same direction as the exit. What was that? Confused, I started flipping through menus and brought up the seldom used map, a diagram of the Stable appeared and the objective markers showed up in the proper rooms. I scrolled over and found the third new marker in the room marked Security near the exit.

Hmm, this thing wasn't smarter than I am was it? I hadn't thought to check the Security room too but it had somehow. I stared at my constant companion for the last 12... 200 years on my foreleg dubiously and gave it an affectionate pat. "Good idea" I told it, wondering if it heard somehow.

While I had it up I scrolled back to the inventory sorter, first things first, the red hash marks in front of me had to go. The pistol seemed like overkill from my experience with the first bug, but I didn't want to try to go stomp them with my bare hooves. Scrolling through my options, I selected my pipe wrench from my tools and levitated it out, hefting its' weight in front of me in my magic. Yes this would do nicely.

I cautiously stepped forward into the diner and looked around sickened. Skeletons slumped over their long rotten meals, black stains covered the tables and booths. The pile of corpses at the door seemed to have fled to the diner before being gunned down, some trying to hold the door for the surprised diners, some just trying to escape. More stains covered the counter between the dining area and the kitchen. I scanned the room for the bugs, their red dashes pointing towards the walk in freezer in the kitchen. I carefully wove my way through the bodies, trying not to disturb them and passed the counter into the kitchen.

I stopped and took in the scene before me, a skeleton with a chef's toque and a very long, somehow still gleaming and sharp knife clamped in its teeth was spread out in front of the door to the walk in. It looked like it had been in front of the door and shoved aside to open it. This had to be Hearty Forks, from his personality I expected him to have run or hid, not stay in his kitchen. Curious, I levitated the knife carefully from his grip to add to my inventory, a sharp knife may be handy after all and it was shiny.

Forks' cutie mark, a three tined fork over a chef's hat was scratched into the handle, etched into the blade was a large single word I sounded out to myself quietly, "Saturnite.." Below in smaller print was 'Limited Edition 88/100'. I shrugged and tossed it into my saddlebags, fancy knife for the fancy cook, made sense. My pip-buck assigned an astronomically high value to it for some reason.

Readying my nice, hefty pipe wrench, I pushed the partially closed freezer door open and stepped inside, ready to exterminate some pests. When I took in the scene inside however I froze. Three of the giant roaches crawled along the walls and floor of the room turning my direction at my entrance, they weren't the problem. The problem was what they were casually crawling over. The bones of what must be a half a dozen foals crowded the rear of the freezer, frozen in poses of terror trying to get away from what had killed them.

The roaches scuttled towards me but I still didn't move, the two scenes inside and outside of the freezer resolved in my mind and clicked together, Forks hadn't run because the foals had hidden in the freezer, he had fought and died like Sprockets, trying to protect others. Whoever killed him shoved him aside casually, walked in the freezer and murdered a crowd of terrified foals...

Rage like I have never felt surged through me, I knew so little of what had happened to me and my Stable, but I knew I wanted to kill whoever did this and I was disturbed to find a dark part of myself that didn't want to do so quickly. For now these roaches would do and I screamed as I pounded away with the pipe wrench, smashing them to paste while they bit and scratched and I felt nothing. I kept hefting the wrench and slamming it down into the remains of the bugs over and over until I finally broke down and slumped to the floor blubbering.

Collecting myself took awhile, but eventually I numbly started picking through what little supplies remained in the freezer and adding them to my saddlebags. Several bottles of water, one of which I downed immediately and a few more Fancy Buck snack cakes. I smiled remembering Forks tossing them around the kitchen, he had been a pompous ass like Mrs. Ladle said, but he was a good pony.

Finally I stood and faced the pile of skeletons again, looking down at all the Shift 4 foals who had died in terror. "I'm sorry... I-I'm so, so sorry.. I'll find who did this... somehow. I promise..." I croaked down at them feebly, I added them to the list of ponies I had to come back and lay to rest somehow, along with Forks. For some reason my pip-buck didn't keep track of this list for me while it removed the objective marker for the kitchen. That was alright, I wanted to remember this to do list myself, not have the device on my leg do it for me.

The Medical Ward turned out to be less horrible, there were a couple nurse skeletons and some poor soul who had been in for treatment had died on one of the medical beds in the side room. This place seemed strange seeing it in its' Shift 4 state, dad worked here so I spent plenty of time in this room sick or not over the years.

The main room was essentially unchanged and a quick search of the yellow boxes stamped with the three pink butterflies of the Ministry of Peace turned up a couple purple healing potions I stuffed in my bags, along with a few vials of Med-X and half a dozen packs of magical bandages. I opened one of last and applied it to my minor wounds from the roaches. This haul seemed to satisfy my pip-buck and it removed another objective marker, but I thought I'd keep looking. Best not to rely too much on this thing.

The Shift 4 Chief Physician had made her office her own, crystals of various shapes and sizes adorned the desk, along with charred sticks of incense, strange zebra fetishes and masks hung on the walls, potions and exotic dried plants and other ingredients cluttered a small table along with a mortar and pestle. An ornate rug sat on the floor in front of the desk, occupied by the skeletal remains of a pony sitting in a strange position at death. She hadn't tried to run or fight, just sat there.

I knew the head Doctor was a she simply by virtue of seeing her and dad exchange duties during Shift Change through the years. She was odd from what I remembered, very mellow and ethereal. The nameplate that adorned her desk (standard issue is the only reason I can see this pony putting something so ordinary there) read Chief Physician - Dr. Tree Hugger and was pushed to the corner away from the eccentric decorations. I hadn't found anything in the desk or on the terminal also pushed to the edge of the desk and the crystals weren't that interesting. Poor quality for use in arcano-tech devices. My eyes caught on something interesting though.

Sitting on top of the terminal case was an odd little statue of a light yellow filly with a long, light pink mane, looking up shyly. A young version of the Ministry Mare on the posters adorning the walls of the medical wing, Fluttershy. I'm not sure why but somehow surrounded by all the death I had been walking through in the Stable, this small statue was the most alive thing I had run across. Strangely, it was untouched by the grime and dust that coated everything else. It sat in its' place of honor nearly shining with its own light, immune from the entropy that gripped the Stable.

It was sad it sat alone and forgotten in this tomb, so I picked it up in my magic, reading the inscription on the base. "Be Kind" I croaked, tearing up a little. I felt a sudden rush of empathy and hope for the best in ponies then. Whoever had done this was a monster, but they had to go through a lot of brave ponies who sacrificed for others and fought to the bitter end to protect the Stable and the ponynapped sleepers. My anger cooled just a bit, I was still determined to get revenge somehow but... enjoying it was wrong.

Mostly...

The Overstallion's office was the next stop and it was an interesting scene, puddles of green goo flooded the hallway leading up to the open door. File cabinets had been pushed as a makeshift barricade in front of the door that I had to crawl over to enter the office proper.

The circular desk directly in front of the entryway had been covered in ammo boxes, yellow and pink medical boxes and a double barrelled shotgun. Shell casings and the remains of two defense turrets from the ceiling littered the floor around the desk. Black blood stains coated the surface in drips and splashes across the desk, the floor and a fan shaped splash on the wall behind the desk. Below the fan of dried blood was a large pooling black stain, that led into a trail of streaked bloodstains, making its way across the office and to the circular window and the Overstallion.

Rocky Shores' corpse was wearing a sturdy chest plate marked with the Steel Rangers insignia, a sword with wings over a apple shape with three gears. I would think about taking the armor, but it had been demolished. Angry looking burns crossed it, bullets dimpled the surface or punched through entirely. He was slumped below the window, one hoof stretched up to the circle of glass above him, a black bloody hoof print streaking down leading to his remains. A large hole had been punched through his skull, exiting the back of his head behind the eye.

Alright, taking it all in Overstallion Shores dug in here and extracted a high price from whoever came. All the green goo at the doorway must be the remains of the attackers who came to dig him out. But there were no plasma based magic energy weapons in the Stable and Shores had been using a combination of 10mm pistols and my new shotgun. Why would his victims dissolve into goop?

Anyway, putting things together the Overstallion took a lot of damage but gave it as well. Then came the shot that made that fan of blood behind the desk and blew that whole in his skull I assumed. The damage didn't match everything else I had seen, so some heavy hitter had to deal with him maybe? Shores fell below the fan and was there awhile making the pool of blood, then somehow crawled across the floor to look out at his Stable as it fell.

I looked down at the old soldier and gave a salute, "Dismissed sir... you..you did all you could" I whispered to him.

I turned to his desk and started rifling through the ammo and medical boxes, I didn't expect much after the last stand he had put up, but managed to find a few 10mm rounds and shotgun shells, another pack of bandages and some Buck. Of more interest was the terminal still glowing beneath the desk, moved to avoid damage and make way for supplies it would seem. I crouched down and started keying the system with my magic.

Password protected... well that shouldn't pose a problem. A little keyboard surfing and I was through the security with ease, an audio file waited at the top level of the system, what the Overstallion had been running before his death. It was dated a little under a month after Shift Change, I tapped the key and let it play.

"Overstallion Rocky Shores reporting! BLAM! We're under attack, unknown enemy has bypassed the Stable door.. ZZZT! Unknown model robots firing magic energy weapons, ponies in strange armor with standard firearms, big bald cyber-buck leading the attack...BLAM! Don't know how they got through the Stable door, just hacked right through it like butter from what Sprockets tells me... ZZZT! Ungh.. Dammit! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! fzzzt! fzzt! Tech told me he was doing his best but they hacked circles around him.. sent him down to the Icebox, prepare a final line of defense.. ordering remaining security to make them pay for every inch in the fallback.. not.. not looking good here..have to keep up a front for the others but... Whoever finds this.. avenge my Stable, these were good ponies, they didn't deserve this Celestia damn it! BLAM! Get back! We.. YOU! BLAM! BLAM!.. BOOM! b-bas..bastard..."
.....
"Good grief, piss poor tin cans couldn't dig him out? Come on, down to the fridge, he's done."

.......

.......

.......

Shuffle..."ungh..." shuffle... "g-g-good..." shuffle... "po..ponies...." shuffle...

.......

I turned it off. I didn't want to listen to his rasping breath or slurred words anymore, for whatever time he had left at the window before the system went into standby again.

So, invaders that bypassed the door security protocols and Sprockets trying to counter them. With robots a Steel Ranger didn't recognize and pony support, with a cyber-pony leader, who weren't interested in anything but the pods in the Icebox, which they knew about coming in. Technically skilled and advanced attackers that killed every single pony awake at the time, and took every pod but mine that hadn't been logged as changed. This was not painting a pretty picture, but at least I had some more clues to follow. They came in from above ground and at least one left the same way, after disabling the hidden teleporter made by this C.I.A.T.

Just to be safe I jacked my pip-buck into the terminal and downloaded everything I could get to read or listen to later. A quick perusal of the files didn't turn up anything more relevant at first glance than that last recording. Another objective marker vanished from my E.F.S. leaving just the Security station and finally the exit.

I trudged up the last set of stairs leading to the exit hall deep in thought. I had leads and a goal, I gave decent odds on the pods being intact if they went through so much to get them, though I worried about the ponies inside considering how they slaughtered those who were awake, but pushed that thought away. They were alive, I'd find them, somehow... The world above was obviously survivable and at least some of those above held on to advanced technology, which required a certain level of civilization, so maybe I could find help.

I looked up and gave a shudder as I entered the chamber containing the gear shaped Stable door with the big 111 printed on the center. The place was a war zone, dead security ponies and puddles of goo scattered about. I would express the pain, anger and sadness I felt it stir vaguely, but after working my way up here I was just numb.

I stuck my head in the Security office with a dead expression and saw basically what I had figured, totally cleared out. Everything in here that was left I had picked up on my way, following the back trail of the running battle that started here. The only point of interest was a case mounted in the wall of the armory cage surrounded by a glowing pink field of energy, but I knew I couldn't get through that. The next to last objective marker blinked away leaving only one, the door.

Shuffling back to the door chamber, I looked up at the huge gear then back towards the Stable that had been my home so long. The tattered banner still hung above the entryway to the Stable halls, a faded sunny yellow field with light blue letters. "Welcome to Stable 111" it sadly proclaimed still. I remembered when we first entered the Stable and I read that, it was crowded and scary after running here just ahead of the bombs. Mom had flown up to it and pointed it out to distract me, fluttered below each word as I sounded it out then swooped in for a hug when I got through it, telling me I was her smart little foal. Turns out I did still have some tears left...

Wiping my eyes, I approached the control console and connected my pip-buck, text scrolled across the screen as the two devices communicated, relaying I was a Stable 111 resident and authorized for this. Satisfied with my credentials and outside conditions, the screen arrived at the prompt I had dreamed of for years.

Release Magnetic Locks? Y/N

"Yes..." I intoned, hitting the prompt as the barely perceptible hum in the chamber coming from the door died.

Finally, I looked down at the button on the console. THE button, the real shiny button Sunset imagined she was pressing anytime she had the opportunity to press a big shiny button. It was red, of course... and engraved with a single word. OPEN.

"This is for you Sunset, I wish you were here to do it but I'll do my best," I said softly as I jumped off my hooves in my best Sunset Mist impression and slammed both forehooves down on the button.

Flashing yellow lights lit up and started circling, throwing shadows around the room as an alarm blared and gears ground. A large actuator came down from the ceiling and locked into the door, spinning internal gears, before locking in place and pulling the massive door back into the chamber and rolling it to the side. A soft gust of fresher air sighed into the chamber and I looked at the elevator I last saw the day the world ended.

With a gulp, I crossed the threshold and walked out of Stable 111, looking all around with trepidation. I forced myself not to look back but to walk over to the external console, the panel had been pulled but it was still in working order. Whatever they did didn't damage it, just bypassed it. I sighed and hit the close button after going through the security procedure again from this side. I couldn't do anything for the ponies inside now but keep them safe, the Stable would have to serve as their tomb for now until I could lay them to rest, and I had to move forward.

The metal gates leading to the large circular elevator squalled when I pulled them open with my magic, I walked through them onto the lift and activated the elevator controls, looking up just in time to see the Stable door slam back into place and the alarms to die.

"Goodbye everypony... I'm going home," I said as the elevator slowly began to rise and I left, sole survivor of Stable 111.

----------Level Up!------------

New Perk Added!--------

Action Colt-
You know your targeting spell like the back of your hoof, making you about 20% cooler in combat. You gain +15 Action Points in S.A.T.S. and the spell charge now recharges faster for you, so hurry up!

Quest Perk Added!-----

Sole Survivor-
You escaped the Stable and are now on a mission from the goddesses, let no pony stand in your way. Grants unique dialogue options and +5% chance for speech checks.

Be Kind! ---------
The gentle soul of Fluttershy makes you more likable! Shy ponies have to stick together right? Grants +1 Charisma

Author's Note

Thanks as always to Kkat for creating Fallout Equestria, hope this is a positive addition to something I've greatly enjoyed and I hope others enjoy it in turn.

Ch. 3 Where the Heart Is

Ch. 3 Where the Heart Is

"What really makes home feel like home isn't what it looks like. It's the memories you make when you're there."

G-good morning everypony, that was Sweetie Belle singing about civilization... which was good... Er anyway, on to the n-news, bad news that is. The Gunners look like they've cemented their hold on the captured settlement of Whinny, um reports here to mem or t-to the station I mean, have said a handful of refugees from the town have been making their way north trying to escape pursuit, but have been targeted by raiders once they passed out of Gunner territory. S-some stories say they're being led on a pilgrimage by the last Minutemare, or travel with a zebra witch, but most agree they're in trouble. Anyway here's umm... Dion Trails with The Wanderer for them, we wish them the best, or I do I mean, I'm Traveling Miles for Diamond City Radio, soo enjoy the music... right.

The elevator ride was long and slow. I kept my ears up and flicking around, listening for any mechanical failure, but it was actually smooth for being two hundred years old, like me. I looked up at the approaching sky and shuddered, I could hardly remember the sky and there it was again.

I wished mom was here, she'd already be up the shaft and doing loops and dives, with enough room to really stretch her wings. The last memory I had of her was locking her in a tiny box deep underground, it was so unfair... She hated being buried down here, she should be here to fly free again under that approaching sky.

I could see light blue and tinges of pink as I got closer to the top, morning sky? It looked that way in the morning right? Or was that sunset sky? That would be ironic, to finally escape Stable 111 and see the actual sunset, without my childhood friend Sunset Mist being there to share in her namesake.

I checked my pip-buck's clock, if it was still accurate, then yes, that had to be morning sky up there. I wondered how that worked with no Celestia to guide the sun anymore. With a grind of gears and squeal of rotors, the elevator crested the lip and locked in place, leaving me no longer caring about the answer.

The sun rose above the horizon in front of me with no Princess Celestia accompanying it, flooding the world with light and color. I squinted and held a hoof up, not wanting to block the glorious sight, but so used to the artificial lights of the Stable I was overwhelmed by the real thing.

I blinked tears away and looked around as my eyes adjusted to being back in the real world. I was sitting in the middle of the large circular lift on top of a hill. The world that sunrise illuminated was a wasteland, but it was the world again, not the grey walls I had been staring at for the last twelve years. Brown might have replaced grey as the predominant color, charred and sickly trees reached toward the sky like skeletal hooves calling to the heavens for Celestia and Luna, but it was different. Even somehow beautiful.

Down the hill, I could make out the ruins of my old neighborhood. We had run from our home to the Stable when the alarms sounded and the footage from Canterlot was broadcast, so it wasn't that far. I had always wondered what happened to our little house, it looked like it hadn't been obliterated anyway, so that was something. I had dreamed of going home for years and now it was in sight again.

Text flashed across my vision from my pip-buck with a fanfare, interrupting my view for a moment.

Mission Complete!- Welcome Home
Primary Objective-
---~~Escape the Stable~~

Discovered Location- Stable 111

Mission Added: Where the Heart Is
Primary Objective-
--Return Home

That was getting weird, but I accepted it for now. I could always disable those functions on the pip-buck if I wanted, but it had been handy leaving the Stable. I just wish I knew how it did some of the things it did on its' own.

I sat there quite awhile, watching the sunrise and thinking. The warm light burned away the worst of the feelings still plaguing me after waking up alone in the dark, deep in Stable 111, then walking out through a massacre that took place eighty years ago. I was still alone, had no idea what to do to find my friends and family that had been ponynapped, with very few clues to search for them. But I was alive, I had a chance.

With a tired sigh, I got up and turned away, walking towards the gate checkpoint we had to pass to get to the Stable years ago, grimacing at the pile of skeletons waiting there. The guards had checked our IDs and let us through the crowd, these ponies weren't so lucky and died when the balefire bombs hit.

The trail down the hill was so different from when we took it up a lifetime ago. The now barren trees were vibrant and full of life and colors, the memory was a little fuzzy though. I was just a foal and I made the trip up carried the whole way by mom, who blew by anypony in her way in a blue and purple streak, flying low beneath the branches that had... leaves? Yes, leaves that made like a roof... My pegasus mom had rocketed under the canopy at full speed, landing in front of the Equestrian Army guards at the gate, while dad ran up behind us. Now I was going down the hard way, like dad had climbed up.

There was a little creek with a small hoofbridge that had been just a blur the first time I had to navigate. The poor wooden bridge was rotten and falling apart, so I considered just trotting through the shallow ribbon of water, until I approached and my pip-buck started clicking gently.

It never made that noise before... a quick glance at the device showed it was the Geiger counter, warning about radiation. Of course, we had been taught about the widget in the Stable, but I had never heard it working. That's kind of what the Stables were designed to prevent.

My body's rad count was still far in the blue-green end of the rainbow coded gauge and the water was only mildly radioactive, but I gave the bridge a try anyway, no reason to suck up rads when I didn't have to. Surprisingly, the bridge held and I crossed to the trail leading back to my old home, Sanctuary Hills. The barren trees started to fall away and I cautiously trotted out of the woods, towards the street that ran the length of the small island defined by the river parting around it.

Discovered Location- Sanctuary My pip-buck informed helpfully...

'Well, things could be better' I thought, as I stood on the cracked and broken sidewalk and looked over the destruction. Most of the houses still stood at least, that was something, only half a dozen or so had collapsed completely that I could see. The remaining homes were rusty, weathered skeletons of their former selves.

Large holes showed in every roof and wall, shingles and siding panels were strewn about and everywhere was silence. E.F.S. confirmed my solitude for me, along with the fact I had discovered Sanctuary Hills. Wait... a single green hash mark showed on my compass, partially obscured by my objective marker. Interesting.

The sidewalk made my hoofsteps ring out in the silence as I trotted towards both markers at the bottom of my vision. The pip-buck said they were friendly, so I didn't want to startle them. As my old house came into view, I was floored by bitter nostalgia, the small teal and white house was faded and battered but it still stood.

Clicks and clanks drew my attention to the present however, I turned to take a good look at the friendly mark on my Eyes Forward Sparkle. In the front yard, a familiar floating ball with multiple arms puttered in the dead flowerbeds, beneath the large living room window in the front yard of my house.

Dredging up the memory of the robot's name was hard, it had been so long, finally it came back to me, "Cogsworth?" I asked quietly.

The Mr. Handy stopped pretending to work on the non-existent flowers and turned slowly, a slight hitch caused him to bob down a moment, before he leveled off and faced me. Well, he pointed the front of his body and aligned two of his working eyes on me. One seemed to have pretty slow focus control but the other started looking me up and down, the third just hung there limp. The protective covering of the best eye narrowed suspiciously before a wide red scanning laser took stock of me, causing the eye covers to retract in surprise. "Master Fast?" the old robot squawked with a hiss of static.

"Um.. yeah. Hi Cogsworth, long time no see I guess," I replied to the Robronco Mr. Handy helper robot my parents bought when I was a toddler and things were getting hectic for them both.

We had spent a good deal of time together; he always kept one of his three eyes on me, made me lunch sometimes, watched while hovering nearby when I first started going out into the neighborhood, guarded me from the evil changeling in the closet all night if I asked. Somehow he was still here, though much worse for wear.

"Master Fast! It IS you, oh how wonderful! How utterly joyous to see you again, my how you've grown! Though you are looking quite young for your age, I believe your 213th birthday is in 67 days, congratulations sir!" Cogsworth gushed, flailing his multiple limbs and bobbing happily, except for the odd jerk or drop.

I suddenly realized how happy I was to see him, to have someone to talk to. I liked being alone, but I had a pretty traumatic day full of loneliness. "I-It's good to see you too Cogsworth, how... how have you been?" I looked around at the wreckage around me and guessed it couldn't be good.

"Oh fine young master!" he chuckled artificially, "A little in need of service perhaps, but still hard at work! Have you seen this years daisies? They're doing quite well so far!" he gestured proudly to the flowerbed and the sickly plants struggling in it, I supposed that did constitute doing well out here... "Where are your parents young sir? I assume they're not far behind? I shall prepare a celebratory breakfast when they arrive and you can all regale me with your doings for the last 208.7 years, perhaps young miss Sunset will join us after her and her father return as well" Cogsworth asked hopefully, a hint of longing in his voice processor.

That brought a stab of pain to the heart, if only Cogsworth's reality was true. "T-they're gone Cogsworth, they were taken away... but I'm going to get them back" I answered the optimistic robot sadly.

"Of course sir! Why I imagine they're just having a bit of fun, a little hide and seek I imagine, just like old times what? Come, come, let's not keep them waiting, I take it we're IT, yes young master? Then we're off! Ready or not here we come!" he replied and immediately turned and began bobbing down the street, his two working eyes swiveling around rapidly.

"Wait Cogsworth! They're not..." I shouted, galloping after him, watching as his sensors identified something nearby just as my E.F.S. did and painted it red. If Cogsworth had that function he was ignoring it, since he turned and bolted right for it. "No! Cogsworth that's not anyone friendly!" I shouted, drawing one of the 10mm pistols I had brought out of the Stable.

The demented robot was undeterred and floated into one of the more ruined standing houses, "I see you in here! Oh my!" he called after entering, followed by the sound of his buzz saw weakly powering up and a screech.

"Cogsworth!" I screamed, charging into the building and coming into view of the odd robot fighting with... a parasprite? It looked sort of like one from the pictures I'd seen, round, puffy body, four wings, six legs, fuzz, but it was twisted and wrong somehow, bloated and sickly. Hungry as well, since it snapped at Cogsworth with its fangs, before it noticed me and turned. I seemed to be more appetizing... I didn't think parasprites ate ponies, but I didn't feel like finding out. I dove to the side to get clear of Cogsworth before triggering S.A.T.S.

Time froze and I could take in every detail of the pastel colored beast snarling at me, while unable to move out of the way. Using this in combat was different than the safety of the Icebox with my friends shooting at cans, I was already trying to hold still then, so this odd sense of disconnection from my body wasn't as jarring. S.A.T.S. had targeted the... Bloatsprite? That's what it said this was anyway.

The pip-buck identified the creature and divided its strange anatomy into a number of various targets, each displaying a percentage change to hit. I stuck with the highest chance and selected three shots to the body. The HUD showed the spell power cost of the action I requested, about a third of what was available, then went to work when I accepted the command.

I felt my aim adjusted automatically as time returned to normal, the pistol zeroing in on the creature and unloading three rounds center body mass. The nasty thing was practically vaporized, the remains spattering the floor with a sickening splat.

Cogsworth wobbled a moment, looking down at the remains before turning back to me. "Nasty little pests, have to call an exterminator I suspect. Good show young master, I do hope Mistress Bright knows about that dangerous pop gun of yours however. Now, not who we were seeking was it? We'll just have to try harder!" with that he flew off out the back door, seeking ponies that weren't there. At least not in the range of his game.

This process was repeated 3 more times in different homes or yards, Bloatsprites usually got drawn out, but a swarm of 'Radroaches', as they were called according to the pip-buck, came crawling out from under the porch of Sunset's house and attacked this time. Each time I charged after Cogsworth and blasted whatever he had stirred up, but I didn't have a lot of ammo to spare on games anymore and those radroaches brought back bad memories.

Standing on my hindlegs, I reached up with my forehooves and pinned the manic machine, "Cogsworth! They are not here, they are gone! Someone took them! I have to find them and I need help, I'm all alone here and I need you with me!" I screamed at him. My breath came out in ragged gasps from trying to keep up with the robot, who stilled finally and hovered in a most dejected manner.

I let him go and fell back to my rump, trying not to cry in frustration. I looked around focusing on something other than my family's deranged Mr. Handy, focusing on the Red Racer scooter rusting a few feet away. If only Sunset had grabbed that and brought it to the Stable...

A few long moments later, that I spent trying to roll the poor rusted scooter on seized wheels, Cogsworth finally spoke up again, this time much softer and less manic. "I'm sorry sir...these last couple of centuries have been.... difficult. I spent my time trying to adhere to my last command from Mistress Bright, along with my regular duties, but things have taken a downward turn the last 62.1 years or so."

Last command from mom? I tried to remember.... the news interrupted cartoons, showing Canterlot in a big pink bubble, talking about the Princesses trapped inside, protecting those outside. The alarms sounded and mom scooped me up off the floor, lots of tense talking with dad as he grabbed our stuff.. Then mom fluttered up to the robot, kissed the round body between the eyestalks and said...

"Take care of yourself sweetheart..." I muttered sadly.

"Yes indeed Master Fast, I tried to adhere to the order, but the Robronco service truck hasn't come through the neighborhood in 208.9 years, so proper maintenance has been a challenge. I thought I'd never see another pony that was friendly, let alone one of my family units. I... I was excited to see you and dared to think your parents may be about. Forgive a foolish old robot sir," he answered pitifully. Great, now I felt worse.

"It's ok Cogsworth, you've had it rough. Look, I don't think we'll find mom and dad anywhere nearby, so we can't do anything about that right now. But we can do something about that maintenance, since I happen to be a repair-pony now, how would that be?" I sighed, pushing the scooter aside and standing up to touch the round body with a hoof, looking up at his crooked eyestalks.

"That.. would be wonderful sir, thank you," he answered gratefully.

I gave him a pat on his casing and started walking back home next door, absently grabbing the scooter back in my magic to take with me. Maybe I'd fix it up sometime so I could give it back to Sunset. Cogsworth bobbed behind me as I turned to the garage door of my house, opening it with a screech of rust and walking in.

Between the parts and components I had on me in my saddlebags, plus junk I could salvage from the garage, I had actually made some decent progress on Cogsworth. He was currently suspended from the old hoist that was mounted to the back wall of the garage, powered down while I had my muzzle stuck in his rear access panel and tinkered with his spell matrix and logic talismans.

I had let him stay powered up to chat while I did the mechanical repairs I could manage with him active, but this was sensitive work and I didn't want to electrocute myself. So he was shut down at the moment, limbs and eye stalks hanging limply. Doing the repairs helped center me and let me go over all I had been through lately. It felt right to be doing maintenance, not running around, fighting, figuring out mysteries.

I whistled to myself and checked the progress of the defragmentation of his memory storage on my pip-buck that was wired into his innards, everything looked good. I gave him another once over and ran through the list in my mind before rebooting him; his eye stalks were repaired, levitation talisman had been cleaned and realigned, limbs lubricated and tightened, his buzz saw serviced and his attached flamer refilled (why a robot designed as a butler had a flamethrower I'll never know, but it worked again), the worst of the rust had been scraped free and now his internals were as good as I was going to get with what I had.

"Alright buddy, here goes nothing," I said, hitting the reboot command and disconnecting my pipbuck. I latched the access panel as Cogsworth hummed back to life, sounding much better if I do say so myself.

"Oh my, that is wonderful.." Cogsworth whispered as he came back online, experimentally moving his limbs and eyestalks. I listened carefully as he went through calibrating his sensors, each eye whining softly as he focused in and out. "Ahh, proper vision again! I simply don't see how you fine ponies manage with only two," he burbled, swinging his limbs about smoothly, activating the buzz saw then puffing out a short burst of fire from the flamer.

"Easy Cogs! Careful with the fire!" I yelped, ducking back. Maybe I shouldn't have repaired that, but it needed fixing and I had the feeling he may need it.

"Terribly sorry Master Fast, no worries though. Simply getting used to operating near acceptable standards again! I do thank you so much, you have grown into a fine repair-pony! May I disentangle myself and test my movement?" the odd robot asked politely.

I started disconnecting the chains holding him up and nodded, "Of course Cogs, give it a whirl."

I stepped back and watched carefully as the old robot tentatively lifted up and bobbed forward, moved forward and back, left and right, spun clockwise and counterclockwise, lifted up and lowered towards the ground. Finally he gave a jubilant spin, flailing his limbs and hovering back to bob happily in front of me, patting my head with his clawed limb.

"Truly impressive young Fast Times, jolly good! I despaired of ever operating at these levels again, I am so delighted you have come home!" he cheered happily. I was actually a little happy too, I had helped him and I wasn't alone anymore, it was good to be home.

Now that I was sure he didn't have a figurative or literal screw loose, I thought it was time for a little more in depth conversation with my new companion. "Cogsworth, I told you earlier someone took mom and dad and my little brother remember? Someone would have shown up outside the Stable about eighty three years ago, there would have been a lot of them with ponies and robots, advanced tech and firepower, along with a bad attitude. Did you see anyone like that come through?"

Cogsworth whirred and hummed to himself carefully, tapping his manipulator claw on his case thoughtfully, "I'm afraid not young sir, not that I noticed, or remember noticing rather. I feel much more clear headed thanks to your kindly ministrations, but I have been not quite right it would seem." I sighed and slumped, they didn't have to come through here to get to the Stable, but I had hoped. Cogsworth tried to be positive and console me, "I'm sorry sir, I wish I had something to tell you. Though from your description they don't sound like the usual lot of ponies I've grown accustomed to around here."

"Other ponies? So you've seen others around?" I asked curiously, looking out the garage door to the silent, empty neighborhood.

"Oh yes sir! I have on many occasions through the years, though they're usually of a most unsavory sort. Dreadful clothes, crude manners and very rowdy, not proper, civilized ponies like yourself at all if I do say so. I have taken to concerning myself with chores inside or in the back yard when those types have stuck their muzzles in around here. Though there have been somewhat better sorts here and there. There were some in Poncord that only threw sticks and rocks at me when I went on a bit of a hover about town once. I was hoping to find that blasted Robronco service truck..."

Nodding thoughtfully, I started walking toward the door into the house from the garage. So there were other ponies alive around here that weren't the ones who invaded the Stable. Beyond just having some flesh and blood ponies to talk to, there was the chance someone would know something about what had happened, or at least give me some information about the state of things up here.

Cogsworth was eager to help but he hadn't ventured far or kept up to speed on the state of the wasteland around him, so he could only tell me so much. I'd have to go out there and find someone, hopefully not one of those rough customers Cogs had described. I had the feeling he was understating or misremembering just how rowdy they may be. As the door into the kitchen swung open, my pipbuck chimed.

Mission: Where the Heart Is
Objective Completed-
--~~Return Home~~

Objective Added-
--Search for Survivors

I was glad I had taken the time to work on Cogsworth and relax myself before coming inside. Even calm and feeling a little better, walking back into what was left of my childhood home was like a buck to the gut. Dirt, grime, mold and chaos reigned, but enough was still there for my faded memories to keep trying to impose themselves over the present.

The cracked counters and falling cabinets surrounding the rusting stove I would watch mom cook at, humming a tune and fluttering around the kitchen above my head. Rotting scraps of notes, pictures, a Ministry Mares Calendar open to October, displaying a faded picture of Princess Luna and my last report card from Miss Patience adorned the fading hulk of the refrigerator.

I shakily approached the big pink box and held a hoof out to one of the photos on the door held in place with a Wonderbolts magnet, it was faded and corroded but I could still make it out. Me in front of a huge cake mom had spent all day on with me prancing around her, my eyes closed and cheeks puffed out as I blew out the candles. Mom hovering above me, pulling dad and a very young Sunset into a hug to be in the picture Cogsworth had taken. I smiled and carefully removed it, tearing up as I looked at the past, I flipped it over and read mom's looping script written across the back,

"Fast's fifth b'day! He asked a friend to come, I'm so proud!"

Cogsworth had floated up behind me and pointed his newly repaired eyestalks down to the photo, "That was a good day sir, you were all quite happy."

I floated the photo to my saddlebags and sniffled, "Yeah, it was..."

Having the photo felt good, I wanted to keep a reminder of what I was looking for. Rubbing my eyes, I looked back to the refrigerator and pulled it open with a sticky, tearing sound and a squeal of hinges. Whatever abomination the food in here had turned into thankfully wasn't bad after the initial cloud of stench. I coughed and gasped a moment and looked back inside, a couple Sparkle Colas sat inside that I levitated out before shutting the door again. I opened one and stored the other, taking a long drink.

"Cogsworth? Kind of a shot in the dark, but you know of any food around here? I have some snack cakes on me, but that's it and if there's nothing else I should stretch them out, any ideas buddy?" I asked hopefully.

The robot rose up and shuddered, "Snack cakes! Heaven forbid, I admit it's been some time since I last went to market, but I am fully equipped to provide something more nutritious than that with what we have on hoof in the vicinity young sir. I feel aghast for neglecting breakfast while you generously serviced me, you take your time taking stock in here. I shall return in two shakes and begin lunch immediately!" With that he hovered back outside and set to his task, I decided not to think too hard on where he was going to find something for now.

The rest of the house was a series of similar moments triggered by different things, like a nostalgia parade. The living room we had run from after watching the fate of Canterlot on the television, now sitting dead with a crack down its screen. Dad's office upstairs where he sat at his desk beneath the crowded bookshelves, that now held rotting husks of books, while I played on the floor behind him. Mom and dad's room I'd tiptoe into when I had a bad dream to sleep between them. They'd reassure me, telling me bad dreams were just Princess Luna checking up on me, teaching me not to be afraid.

Finally my little bedroom, where just in the spot I had obsessed over for years sat my Shrouded Stallion figure, waiting for me to come back for it, it took awhile but I reclaimed it at long last. I smiled at the dark stallion in the black coat and hat. A glance around where I got it rewarded me with his action sub-machine gun I floated up and pushed into his grip. A lot of ponies liked the Mysterious Mare Do Well more, including Sunset. We'd often have her Mare Do Well figure alternate between fighting or teaming up with my Shrouded Stallion.

I listened to all the Shroud's radio shows and got every comic I could with my allowance. I had begged mom and dad to get me a Shroud costume for Nightmare Night since I already looked like him a little with my dark coat. I knew I had nearly driven everypony I knew bonkers talking about him and his adventures. When they announced the Shrouded Stallion TV show coming soon I had nearly passed out from joy, crossing off the days on the kitchen calendar waiting for it. Unfortunately it had been permanently canceled, along with the old world. I tipped the tiny hat on the figure and chuckled with inspiration, drawing out the odd Ministry Mare statuette I had acquired in the Stable and floating her up next to the Shroud.

"Oh no! The Mad Mechanamare is after me! Please can't someone save me?!" I said in a horrible impression.

"Not to worry Ministry Mare! From the Shadows arrives... The Shrouded Stallion! That dastardly villain won't lay a hoof on such a paragon of kindness and beauty, even if it costs me my life!" A much better and well practiced Shroud impression intoned, the figure swooping in to bob in the air next to the statuette.

"But Shroud, that would be horrible... you're already hurt, let me heal you!" The Fluttershy figure gasped.

"Tis but a flesh wound my lady! His corrupted, clanking, clattering, contraptions of crime can't hurt me! When the fiend shows himself he'll get some of the same!" The Shroud replied fiercely, turning swiftly back and forth, pointing his silver sub-machine gun in all directions.

"But Shroud... umm.. the, the Mechanamare is a real pony underneath not a robot.. I don't think you should hurt her, even if she does bad things.. Maybe she just needs a friend, y-yes I bet that's just so, you should be kind..." Fluttershy whispered back tentatively, but with conviction.

I cocked an eyebrow and looked at the figure, that was weird... I had planned for a pretty standard Shroud adventure, save the pretty girl, beat up the bad guy, save the day, that kind of thing. Just fooling around fulfilling promises I made myself if I ever found my toy. Instead that had kind of taken on a life of its own there at the end... and my horrible impression based off very little had drastically improved. The little yellow pegasus statue had gone from being the damsel in distress stand in to... well, to Fluttershy from what I had heard of the Ministry Mare.

Weird...

With a dubious shrug, I floated both figures to my saddlebags and flopped over onto my small bed, rolling onto my back. I tried to ignore the musty smell and just enjoy being there again, staring at the water-stained ceiling. I heard Cogsworth come back in and start working on whatever he was preparing in the kitchen. Thunder of an early fall storm rumbled in the far distance, idly I wondered how dry I was likely to stay. Some repairs were needed if I was going to stay here and I needed a base of operations anyway, this was my house after all.

Long term, I'd have to keep an eye towards fixing up what I could here to have somewhere warm and dry to store food and drink, keep out the elements and wildlife and base my search out of. Luckily, I was the greatest repair-pony I had met in the world so far after leaving the Stable, so I could do the work. For now, the garage had been the most intact room in the house so far and where I'd have to spearhead my advance from. It had no windows to let in the wind and rain, and was built of sturdy brick with a tin roof that was easy to repair.

The burst of Cogsworth's flamer coming from the broken windows broke me out of my thoughts and I leapt up, crunching over the long shattered glass and sticking my head outside. Instead of attacking Bloatsprites, Radroaches or some new wasteland horror, I just saw Cogsworth hovering in the middle of the street. He had gathered a pile of wood from the blackened shrubbery and demolished houses and started a small fire, a large pot hung by its' handle in his claw, which he swiveled over to rest directly above the quickening flames. Ok, I guess there were some valid reasons to equip a butler with a flamethrower after all, still seemed like overkill though.

My robot friend turned an eyestalk my way and waved the limb with the weapon in question merrily, "Not too long Master Fast, I shall alert you as soon as it is ready! Please go back to your most entertaining adventures!"

I flushed a little in embarrassment and waved back feebly, "R-right... Thanks Cogs. I was just.. um.. thinking, yeah that's the ticket.." I answered, slinking back into the bedroom. I shouldn't have repaired his audio pick ups quite so well...

I managed a short nap waiting for Cogsworth to finish his work, waking to a heavenly smell wafting into the bedroom. I trotted down the hall back to the kitchen and found him serving the delicious smelling stew he had concocted somehow while I finally got some decent rest. After downing half a bowl sitting at the grimy kitchen table in my old seat, I felt better than I had since before entering pod #101 eighty years ago.

My pip-buck clicked lazily as I ate, marking the meal as lightly radioactive, but it was totally worth it and really it was unavoidable up here. It could have been radioactive and tasted bad instead. "Oh wow Cogsworth, I don't know how you managed it, but this is great! Thank you so much, I really needed this pal, what is it anyway?"

Cogsworth wobbled with pride in the air nearby, watching me slurp the stew down. "Just a trifle sir, a few local herbs and spices, tatos, carrots and seared bloatsprite meat," he answered happily.

I froze with a huge mouthful of the ...Bloatsprite stew... Cogsworth continued watching, waving with his manipulator to go on. I did leave him to his own devices when he said there were ingredients nearby to make something with... and it was delicious. Even fighting the urge to spew it out, I had to admit that. I eventually managed to clench my eyes shut and swallow it all down, looking back to the expectant chef with a sickly smile.

"R-really... I never would have guessed... seriously. Thanks a lot Cogs, that hit the spot alright," I answered honestly.

Cogsworth bobbed on the spot in a nod and gestured for the still steaming pot, "How wonderful to hear sir, I was so hoping you'd enjoy it! Would you care for seconds?"

I jumped up from my seat and waved him off nervously, "No, no, couldn't eat another bite! Really filling and tasty, I was just thinking I'd go take a walk and look around! Let it digest and all, ahhahaha..." I stumbled, heading for the door.

Cogsworth didn't seem to notice anything wrong though, simply picking up the remaining stew. "Of course sir, glad to be of service! Enjoy your stroll, I shall clean up here, unless you need me?"

Licking my lips subconsciously, I marveled again at how good it was, especially considering the ingredients... "N-no I should be ok, just a quick canter around the neighborhood. It was really good..." I sighed faced with reality up here, "I'll finish it off for supper, ok?"

The robot bobbed and swung the pot around, "Yes of course! I shall set it back to simmer, it will be even better when you are ready to dine. I think I shall do some cleaning, I hadn't noticed how terribly ramshackle things had become inside before your wonderful repairs and fear I have been lacking in my duties. Enjoy yourself sir!" he waved.

Returning the gesture, I walked out and felt a cool wind pick up from the north. It was pleasant right now, but with rain on the way I was concerned it might get chilly tonight. I should do some searching around the other houses in the neighborhood for anything I could use like blankets before it got dark. I trotted over to the still open garage door and dumped all my extra junk I had been hoarding off, keeping only the bare essentials of; my tools, the best 10mm pistol, Fork's funny knife that had been labeled 'Best Served' for some reason in my pip-buck inventory, the two healing potions and the bandages I had found and other consumables, and my personal treasures.

At the sidewalk I looked left and right, deciding on starting the neighbor to the right and working towards the larger wooden bridge over the river that headed towards Poncord. I didn't want to go looting our other neighbors house to the left yet, that one belonged to Sunset and her father, the stuff in there was theirs.

Mr. Hawthorne had been a naughty pony... No wonder dad didn't want me or Sunset playing near his house and mom always watched him with barely restrained violence gleaming in her crimson eyes. The wrecked remains of the house nexr door didn't offer much at first glance, until I reached his "office" in the back. A decent chemical lab had been set up next to a desk holding his terminal and a floor safe beneath it. I had once read the basics of picking a lock, but I had no bobby pins with which to test the theory. Thankfully that proved not to be a problem after breezing through the simple security on the terminal and finding a command to unlock the safe.

Inside was a pile of golden bits, another 10mm pistol with more ammo and a cornucopia of drugs. Dash, Buck, Mentats and a different flavor of the same called Party Time Mentats, Med-X, Hydra, Fixer and a couple more purple healing potions. I whistled at the stash I had uncovered, scooping them up in my magic, before turning to the terminal to scroll through the entries logged within out of curiosity.

Entry-1
"Finally got this thing working, decided to invest some of my profits into the business so to speak. Who would'a thought getting kicked out of the M.O.P could have turned out so lucrative huh? Glad I thought ahead before they caught on and downloaded those recipes, the PTMs especially have given me damn near a monopoly. Buying this place was more than worth it too, last couple years it's turned into a goldmine, less competition than back in Willowville too. Lots of veteran ponies around this area, with habits they picked up fighting the stripes and eggheads with a taste for mentats. Keeping a low profile, making connections with the neighbors and spreading out into Poncord, don't want to shit where I eat after all."

Entry-2
Fucking bitch! Had a visit from one of the neighbors. Pegasus cunt was all smiles, tray full of cookies in hoof, brat playing with that creepy robot of theirs out on the sidewalk. Said she was the welcome wagon round here and breezed right in the door like she owned the place, 'just setting these down in the kitchen' she says, but shuts the door behind her. Thought she might be a customer, heard that one was ex-military too from some of my other clients who mentioned she might have some experience with Dash. Those pegasi love the stuff if they get a taste for it, left the brat with the robot outside so mommy could make a little purchase I figured, so I didn't say anything.

Alright, kinda hoped maybe she had something else in mind too way she sauntered in, all fluttering eyelashes and sweetness. Oh how wrong I was.. Soon as that door shut, bitch bucked me down the hall, bounced off the ceiling and put me in a choke hold before I could see straight. Thought she was gonna tear my head off and barely made a noise doing it. Leaned in real close and starts whispering in my ear, knows what I'm doing she says, doesn't like it, doesn't want it around her brat, doesn't care 'bout the cops I pay off. Says that just makes things easier, tells me I go near her stupid foal or any foal for that matter, they'll never find the body... Makes me believe it. Makes sure I remember too, fucking dislocated both forelegs in a flash before shaking her flanks down the hall. Then she's back to sunshine and rainbows again. Tosses the phone down the hall and tells me to call a doctor, I seemed to have suffered an accident she says, all concerned good mommy again. Thought about going after the gun instead, teach the cunt some respect.

Then I look in those red eyes of hers and see Tartarus waiting. Her face looks all nice and sweet but those eyes... Celestia and Luna could be standing in her way and that mare would still tear me apart, put me back together and do it again if she felt like it. I've met vets like that before, best to just stay far, far away and try not to get on their shit list. Just nodded at her and started crawling for the phone like a good little pony. Tells me to enjoy the cookies and remember our "lovely little chat", then just trots on out and I hear her babbling to her brat about how much I liked the cookies they made together.

That psycho mare is scary..."

I gave a sad chuckle reading that entry, Mr. Hawthorne had gotten a peek at former Lt. Bright Skies-Times I had never seen, but knew had to be there. I had seen those eyes used on others on a couple occasions, during her work as head of Shift 3 Security. Every pony who had been the actual focus of that look stopped whatever they were doing and backed away, very slowly.

That bit about Dash was concerning, mom couldn't have ever used that stuff, right? I looked over the handful of red inhalers I had taken from the safe with a frown. I had overheard bits of conversations between my parents I wasn't supposed to over the years. Things she had done in the war they talked around, even just between the two of them. She never said anything about those years to me, no matter how much I asked for war stories as a colt. Said she didn't have any good stories from that time for me, that there was nothing good about war and no reason to talk about it. 'War never changes' she said.

I rifled through the rest of the files, nothing else nearly so interesting though. Complaints about deals gone bad, cops on the take shaking him down for more, records about customers and their habits, dirty secrets to use for blackmail, about what I'd expect. With a sigh, I downloaded his stolen recipes then deleted them from the terminal. Like any knowledge, it wasn't good or bad by itself, but no reason to leave it lying around where just anypony could find it.

I walked back out of the drug den and nearly ran right into another bloatsprite just hovering at the threshold. I jumped back with a yelp and went for my pistol, triggering S.A.T.S. out of reflex. With time paused, I did a double take at the pip-buck readouts and got a good look at the little winged ball, winged metal ball...? "Sprite-bot" was displayed on the targeting system.

I remembered these things now, they'd hover through the neighborhood occasionally, cheerful music blaring from their speakers. With a sigh, I canceled S.A.T.S. and stared at the weird little robot as it just hovered there, then there was a hiss of static issuing from the speaker and a staticky voice came out.

"Well, hello there. 111 huh?" it spoke, bobbing towards the yellow numbers on my barding, "Never run into one of you before, welcome to the wasteland, you still look new," it spoke with a hint of sadness, mixed with hope.

"Er... hello? I didn't think you guys did anything but play music," I replied dubiously, looking over the little flying robot bobbing up and down before me.

"Oh, these have always done more than that, I'm just using this one for the moment. Call me Watcher, and you are?" it... he? answered with a chortle.

"Fast Times," I said, sticking a hoof out, then blanching when I realized it couldn't exactly return the gesture. "Watcher? So you watch through these things? Where are you? I.. I need help, please... something bad happened in my Stable and I don't know what to do. If you watch things, maybe you saw whoever attacked us and stole the ponies in 111, eighty years ago or so? Er... though I guess that was a long time ago." I asked hopefully. Whoever this was they had been polite and were presumably a living pony somewhere on the other end. The first I had spoken to on the surface, even if it was through this intermediary, please let him be a good pony, I could use a break.

"Eighty years? Then how are you... you know what nevermind. I swear some of the crackpot ideas those Crusaders tossed out there... let's leave it for later. I'm not sure about any attack, I knew there was a Stable around here somewhere, but that's it. I could look into my records here, but I don't have much time, these things are flaky and I have a limited window in the Commonwealth."

"You just left your Stable, right? You're awful clean and well mannered anyway, so let me give you some advice, watch yourself out here. Things are getting better, but the Commonwealth is its own beast that will eat you alive if you let it. I've had bigger problems closer to home until recently, so I've left it alone mostly. You're in better shape than certain other ponies fresh out of the Stable, but it looks like you've been very lucky so far. Make yourself some friends and help each other, nopony can go it alone up here."

"If I may make a suggestion, you may want to start south, there are things that can help you in Poncord. Best of luck Fast Times, I'll be watching," the sprite-bot gushed, on the last word there was a squawk of static and machine language, before the cheerful oompa music I remembered started playing. The little robot did an about face, floating off down the street as the first drops of rain began to fall.

"One of those annoying little drones spoke to you Master Fast? Are you sure? I have tried interfacing with them from time to time, very single minded and simple things. Though my attempts to probe them for information were rebuffed in expert fashion from some outside source, so I suppose you must be right. What did it say sir?" Cogsworth asked with disdain for the sprite-bot that hovered out of Sanctuary Hills, back the way it had come after making its' circuit of the island, blaring its' cheerful music in the steadily increasing rain.

Cogs had helped me drag the couch from the living room into the garage, where it was mostly dry and covered with what blankets and pillows I had found that could still be called such. I sat back, watching it go through the open garage door an gave a confused reply. "It said things are dangerous out here, to find friends and stick with them, and it suggested trying to the south. This Watcher sounded like I wasn't the first Stable pony he had run into, maybe there are others that have opened properly..."

I mused, thinking it would be nice to meet ponies from other Stables, shared experiences and all that, even if they weren't from my Stable. If they had functioned properly and opened back up, then I bet they were bastions of civilization out here in the wasteland. Then I was struck by the dark thought that maybe they also had secret passages, hidden teleporters secreted somewhere in their depths that didn't belong there, one more reason to try to find them.

"There's a thought sir, I am certain it is a worthy line of investigation at any rate. What about this heading south business? Do you think whoever is using that... runt... can be trusted?" Cogsworth asked as he continued working away in the dripping living room, shoving broken and battered furniture aside and clearing the worst of the destruction. As he spoke my pip-buck gave a new message;

Mission: Buried Secrets
Objective-
-- Investigate Other Stables

I hoped it would assign some map markers and give me a lead, but like most of its "Investigate" objectives, this was left up to me to figure out. I wasn't particularly surprised though, the location of Stables were guarded secrets. Even 111 had an illusion spell cloaking the large, obvious elevator on the hilltop, anyone without a pip-buck or other way to bypass it would just see nothing much. You'd have to stumble into one basically to find it if you weren't supposed to.

Daunted by another thing to do I had no idea how to accomplish, I fiddled with the strange arcano-tech device on my foreleg. Most of its functions had been wasted living in the safe and secure Stable. I flipped through the menus idly... Health was rarely an issue and was handled by dad or the other shift's doctors. Inventory was handy but usually you weren't carrying so much it was difficult to keep track of down there. S.A.T.S. and E.F.S. were designed around combat, so me and my friends probably had more experience than most using it in the Stable just through our yearly shooting tournament. The map wasn't really needed since you couldn't go too far at all in a Stable, though ponies did manage to get lost rarely. Finally the strange mission tracking function had never been active until I woke up from pod #101. Oh, I forgot, the radio was useless too, nothing to pick up but the Stable P.A. system I groused, clicking it on just to check the functionality.

To my shock, sound started pouring out of the device on my leg, low, somber music filled the garage and the lulls between the thunder of the storm outside. I had no idea what kind of instrument made sounds like that, but it was beautiful. It soothed my heart and let me stop thinking for once and just live in the moment. I walked to the overhang the open garage door created to stand and look out at the world I now found myself in. Anywhere that created and shared something like this couldn't be all bad. I looked up to the cloudy skies and thanked the Goddesses for a world with such ponies in it.

As lightning etched across the sky, I saw a flicker of movement up there illuminated in the flash and gasped, a pegasus!? In shock I ran out into the street, shielding my eyes and straining to see in the pouring rain. Yes, a blue pony shape was up there! It was flying erratically southwest, lurching and dropping with none of mom's grace or speed, losing altitude quickly. After the thunder from the last flash of lighting rolled away, I realized I heard pops and bangs to the east and watched the pegasus jerk and shudder with the sounds, gunfire? Someone was shooting at them!

I didn't think, seeing a blue pegasus above me, even if it was too dark to be mom, just drove all rational thought from my mind. I pounded down the cracked street through the pouring rain, chasing after the weaving, rapidly descending shape.

"T-that was Octavia, live from Canterlot folks always a er.. classic. Any-anyway here's something new from Manehatten, courtesy of DJ Pon3, a rare duet from Velvet Remedy and... her husband C-Calamity, here's um.. 'Right Behind You Baby' so enjoy," the radio spoke up, completely ignored as I charged towards the bridge to the south leading out of Sanctuary Hills. My eyes locked on the pegasus definitely in the middle of a barely managed crash landing while under fire.

"You run like a rabbit
Fly like a bee
No matter what you do you'll never get away from me
'Cause I'm right behind you baaby
Right behind you baaaaby..."

The upbeat music blasted from my hoof as I crossed the bridge. I could see the roof of a building around the bend, with a large red rocketship peeking up that seemed to be the pegasus' landing zone. Even as ragged as their flying had become, I was sure they were going to make it, despite the harassing ground fire picking up as they lost altitude. Then a bolt of lightning split the sky, streaking for the tall red rocket and striking the pegasus as they approached it. The pegasus hung there in the sky for a bare moment, smoking from the strike, before plummeting to slam into the large rocketship with a hollow BONG! and bouncing off to the roof of the building, hitting with a resounding crash.

I screamed and put everything I had into more speed, tearing into the lot of the brick building they had fallen to, a sky carriage station. Looking around desperately for a way to climb up, I angrily shook my head to clear the annoying message my pip-buck volunteered;

Discovered Location- Red Rocket

A dumpster behind the station was the closest to a path up I could find and I growled in frustration, grabbing everything I could spot to start stacking on it to reach the roof; old tires, boxes, scraps of rusting sky carriages, cinder blocks. Everything I could see was snatched up in a field of blue magic and stacked frantically, as I scrambled up my makeshift ladder as it formed. With a desperate leap I hooked my forelegs to the red edge of the roof as the pile collapsed under me. I scrambled with my hind legs against the brick wall below me, grunting and shoving myself up.

With a final push, I fell face first into a huge puddle on the roof as the rain poured down, before pushing off and stumbling forward to the prone blue form, shouting worriedly. "HEY! Hey please be ok! Don't worry, I'm..." and then I froze in awe, my eyes widening as my mouth fell open in shock.

There, right in front of me, breathing shallowly and still sizzling from the lightning strike, lying in a pool of rainwater as it sheeted off the now dented and leaning rocketship above her, was a goddess. I don't mean a figurative goddess (though part of me noted with awe she was that beautiful) I mean a real, actual-factual goddess, as in a wings and a horn...

I rushed forward and looked her over carefully, I supposed since she was alive she wasn't a real goddess, but a princess, maybe she was related to Luna? The medium blue color seemed to fit with the princess of the night anyway. Her bluish white mane hung limply around her in the rain, her left wing was bent at an alarming angle and her horn was blackened and sparking at the tip. She wore a yellowing white lab coat and had saddle bags made from yellow and pink medical boxes. Both of which were stained with blood from a number of wounds, that seeped and mixed with the rushing rainwater.

I frantically pulled out every potion, magical bandage and vial of Med-X I had on me, dumping them out on the roof. Shivering in the cold and from the terror I felt for her life, I was unsure where to begin when her eyes fluttered for a moment.

One cool blue eye weakly opened and looked up at me, before closing again and passing into unconsciousness. One look was enough, my brain stopped working entirely looking into that deep blue pool. My heart stopped, I couldn't breathe... if the radio hadn't piped up I may never have moved again.

"T-that was Velvet Remedy and Calamity with Right Behind You Baby on Diamond City Radio, now here's the Four Stars with 'Balefire Bomb Baby'..."

---------------Level Up!------------------

New Perk Added!---

Gunslinger-
Fancy shooting there deadeye! You gain +25% accuracy in S.A.T.S. while using a pistol or similar short weapons.

Quest Perks Added!---

Alicorn Lover-
There's no denying it, you've fallen in love at first sight. You gain unique dialogue options with Alicorns and have improved reputation with any you meet.

The Shrouded Stallion-
Hey, it may not be a Ministry Mare statuette but you've been reunited with a piece of your own soul! You gain +5% sneak and +5% sneak attack damage!

Author's Note

Thanks as always to Kkat and all the other great authors I've read here, hope others enjoy my contribution for what it's worth. Have been greatly enjoying making this so far.

Ch. 4 -- As you wish

Ch. 4 -- As you wish

"Come on! You're gonna be her hero! In fairy tales, the knight in shining armor always gets the girl."

-----------

"Got a doll, baby, I love her so
Nothing else like her anywhere you go
Man, she's anything but calm
A regular pint sized balefire bomb

Balefire bomb baby, little balefire bomb
I want her in my wigwam
She's just the way I want her to be
A million times hotter than TNT

Balefire bomb baby loaded with power
Radioactive as a TV tower
Arcano-Flux fission in her soul
Loves with talisman magic control"

The radio kept trumpeting the odd song awhile before I got ahold of myself, shut off the radio and went to work. Falling for a princess from the sky would be pointless if she died right in front of me and that looked to be a distinct possibility. I grabbed a purple healing potion I had pulled out from my inventory, along with basically every other medical item I had collected, and shoved it down her cute little muzzle, no... stop it, focus!

I raised her head and forced the fluid down her throat, watching carefully for signs it was working. Some of the worst wounds I noticed were indeed starting to knit together again, but slowly, much too slowly. A second potion followed the first down the hatch.

I snatched the next potion up and started pouring it directly on the wounds I found, pulling off her medical box saddlebags and lifting her lab coat away to inspect for more damage on her perfect flanks...stop that! Huh... that was odd, a blank flank? How was that possible? She was bigger than me! Like... a lot bigger, this filly would tower over even Grizz if she was on her hooves. She was between Luna's and Celestia's proportions, but still... Had she just never found her special talent? Could that happen? I felt like it would take forever for mine to appear before I got it, but this was extreme.

Whatever, didn't matter right now, or ever as far as I was concerned. Pulling back the lab coat revealed more angry wounds from small arms, high caliber rounds, shrapnel from explosives and magical energy weapon burns... Luna's mercy, what happened to her? More potion got splashed liberally on her hide, causing them to slowly start healing over, why wasn't this working better?! I fixed machines, not ponies dammit!

Frantically, I started ripping open packages of magical bandages and wrapping her wounds clumsily, "S-s-sorry about this Princess, just... bare with m-me here.." I nervously rambled while I mummified the incredible mare that fell from the sky. I checked her breathing and heartbeat, which were weak but steady, she moaned softly in her sleep with my ear to her chest and I shuddered.

Sitting back up over her, I looked over her large wings. I knew what needed to be done for the one bent at the horrible angle, but didn't want to, but I couldn't leave it like that with two healing potions in her either. Even working so slowly, they'd restore it in that position eventually and a break would heal poorly, possibly putting her in danger of a bone shard traveling to her heart later. I looked down at the medical supplies I had scattered haphazardly around me and picked out the one I needed but didn't like having to resort to. Dad warned me about this stuff but I couldn't see any alternative.

"I'm glad you're not awake for this... forgive me ok?" I begged, grabbing the damaged wing in my teeth firmly, planting my hooves on her side under the wing while levitating the plunger of hydra over her flank.

With a sharp tug I set the wing back in position, feeling her shift and whine under me, but I couldn't stop now. With a grunt I jammed the hydra into her and braced myself. Unconscious or not this was going to hurt and she was going to struggle. Quite frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if she tossed me like a rag doll, but I had to try to keep her still. I braced, clenching my eyes shut waiting for the nasty drug to take effect.... and waiting... and.. she sighed in relief?

What? I opened my eyes in terror and checked to be sure I hadn't just killed her. No... she had stabilized? As I watched, the worst of her wounds started to close much faster than the potions had managed, but this wasn't right... Dad taught me all about this stuff, Hydra was very nasty medicine. It could save lives and restore incredible damage used properly yes, granting the regeneration of the beast it was named after to the user, even able to regrow limbs. But it was made with flux and hydra venom. The results could be unpredictable, even causing a flux mutation with a bad roll of the dice. Plus no matter what, even when it worked perfectly, it was agony while it did its' work.

Yet here it had restored the mangled wing and she had hardly whimpered. Her other wounds that the potions were only minimally effective on were improved too, which was unusual, well... maybe the rules were different for Princesses. She was still in bad shape, but it wasn't life threatening anymore and she looked peaceful, serene... magnificent...

I was startled out of sitting there in the rain staring at her, by noises below us. That's right, some pony had been shooting at her causing all this damage in the first place, they must have caught up! I flattened out on the roof beside her and started to creep towards the noise cautiously. I drew my 10mm pistol, crawling toward the sound of voices in the lot below us as red marks started showing up on my Eyes Forward Sparkle, seething at anypony that would dare shoot a Princess.

"Fan out dipshits! She went down somewhere around here! We're havin' Alicorn for dinner tonight!" a maniacal voice shouted as movements and laughter surrounded us.

Dinner? DINNER?! They were joking about eating her!?!? I felt that rage that had consumed me in the diner of Stable 111, when I found the corpses of a dozen foals murdered in cold blood. Struggling in fury to stay quiet, I reached the edge of the roof and peeked over carefully to get a look at the ponies that were going to pay...

A motley crew of four ponies dressed in strange leather armor were milling about. They saw her go down here, but hadn't seen her hit the roof at least, with luck maybe they wouldn't think of it. They were dirty and ragged, their manes filthy and arranged in spikes and bloody braids, all of them carried crude weapons; a spiked baseball bat, a machete and a pretty rough homemade looking firearm.

The one apparently in charge had a battle saddle equipped with a rifle and was wearing even stranger armor than the others. It had an odd, multicolored, patchwork appearance I couldn't make out very well. A flash of lightning gave me a better view and my stomach lurched as I threw myself back down from the edge.

The armor was made of patchwork pieces of leather, each a different color and each with a design on them. That pony was wearing the cutie marks of a dozen or more ponies as armor... The Alicorn dinner comment suddenly wasn't a crude joke, they were serious. I was torn between terror and all consuming hatred. I wanted to stand up and just start unloading on them all, starting with that one, niggling voice in my mind whispering "Be Kind..." or not. But the princess was up here too and badly hurt. I couldn't risk it...

"We can't find her Chopper! You sure she went down here?" one of the ponies called from behind me.

"Open your eyes and look around dumbass! Lookit the rocket! Didn't have that big dent or lean like that before, did it? Get up there and take a look before I waste you myself!" the leader called back. Way to treat your friends jerk, I wished he had investigated himself, so I could blow his head off when it popped up here.

A moment later, I heard shuffling and scraping back where I had climbed up using the dumpster behind the building. Great, it would take only a minute or two for them to follow. If I shot the first one up, the other three would know I was here. I had the high ground but they could wait me out.

I dug through my bags and found Hearty Fork's Saturnite knife, it was long, sharp and best of all quiet. I held it in my mouth so the glow of my horn didn't give me away and crept over to the part of the roof I had climbed up earlier. Honestly, I didn't know if I could do this, deciding to kill in cold blood, attacking before giving them the chance to surrender... 'Be Kind...'

I looked back to the princess under the rocket and pushed my doubts aside. They were trying to kill and eat her, the leader advertised how little he thought of pony life on his sleeve, literally. I might not like this, but I wasn't going to entertain wishful thinking or alternatives. This is what Watcher had tried to tell me about, this was the wasteland and I had been very lucky so far to have not been put in this position. It was kill or die, I couldn't die yet, simple as that.

A muddy orange earth pony with a pink mane that was falling out in patches popped their head over the edge of the roof right above where I was hiding, his yellow eyes focused on the princess. "Hey boss! I got..." he started to call before I swung the knife up in a vicious arc, aiming for his neck.

I had been trying for a lucky strike to the jugular to hopefully drop him quickly, what I got was... better than I expected, or worse... The long saturnite knife sliced through the pony's neck like butter, all the way back to his spine. The cruel looking pony gurgled, reaching for his neck as he started to tumble backwards. On the way down I had to see as his head flopped backwards, I had turned him into a pez dispenser... bile rose up in my throat... Sweet Celestia this thing was sharp! A fan of blood sprayed over me as the body tumbled back and fell with a bang into the dumpster, where it belonged.

"Oh shit! Boss! Better take a look at this, she ventilated Slasher! Luna fuck me she damn near took his head off! Get over here and..." The second pony was hysterical and distracted. but they knew the princess was up here. They thought she had done it. which was ridiculous, but now they were on guard, couldn't do this quiet and sneaky anymore.

I popped up from behind my hiding place and levitated the pistol out, firing half a dozen rounds on reflex at the crazed voice below, before diving down again. I heard a scream and a couple meaty thuds below, just before a line of searing pain stitched across my side, accompanied by the crack of a rifle. Dammit that hurt! I could feel spreading warmth on that side of my Stable barding in the cold rain.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Who in Tartarus is that!? Aw dammit my knee! Chopper gimme a potion!" the one I had fired at screamed below me, firing up with some kind of pipe pistol.

"Kill that little shit and I'll think about it Banger! Crusher! Other side!" super, the leader was smart enough to spread his forces out and surround me and I had only managed to wound one. I levitated the pistol up and fired down three rounds blind where I heard him barking orders and E.F.S. showed his red line, along with three where the wounded one had been emptying the clip.

I faintly heard a soft 'fwoosh' below the roof then a flaming amber bottle was arcing up over the edge and crashed with a 'FWOOMP!" and tinkling glass, a cloud of fire blossomed to my left and I jumped away, hissing at the line of pain bleeding away on my side. Molotovs... at least the rain was putting the puddle of fire nearby out slowly, but if they had enough of those it wouldn't matter, they could just firebomb the roof.

Reloading the pistol, I checked the Eyes Forward Sparkle, two red marks were moving around to either side, a third was solid where the wounded pony was. Another fwoosh of a molotov being lit put me on guard and I just caught sight of the bottle as it arced through the air. I managed to catch it in a field of magic and tossed it back down before it could burst, hearing a furious screeching reward my efforts, while that red mark danced wildly around on my compass.

Ok, the leader, take out that psychotic bastard and maybe the others would give up. I leapt up to my hooves, triggering S.A.T.S. as I crested the roof line. With time frozen I was disturbed to find the grinning face of the leader illuminated by the flash of his rifle pointed right at me... That shot was coming one way or the other, once I ended S.A.T.S. it was going to continue on its path and I couldn't do anything about it. Hoping I would get lucky and the leader wouldn't, I queued up 5 shots divided between his chest and head, the percentage chance to hit was below 30%, but it was the best I could do.

I approved the action and let time resume, watching as two rounds to the chest hit. One a glancing blow and the second solid, but both were mitigated by the disgusting armor he wore. He staggered from the solid shot, while I felt the round of his rifle punch through my shoulder. I wailed and rolled on the roof. That really hurt and I didn't get much out of it.

Groaning, I checked E.F.S., only two red marks remained. The wounded pony had apparently bled out at some point in that exchange. This was going bad... what was I doing, I was just a repair-pony dammit! Another molotov whizzed through the air and I made a grab for it with my magic, but wasn't quick enough. Flame blossomed across the roof again, this time far too close to the Princess and I saw red.

Bad shoulder or no, I ran towards the red mark of the one opposite the leader. I held the insanely sharp knife in my mouth again and floated the pistol along with me. This was such a bad idea... never breaking my wobbly stride, I leapt off the roof and hoped I guessed the distance right.

I did... I landed in a flying tackle that would have made mom... well, it was too ugly to say proud really, but satisfied anyway. We rolled in a ball across the parking lot, the heavier pony winding up on top. I swung my head around wildly, lunging at the smoking green unicorn mare I had slammed into. She bucked and bashed me in the side with the spiked bat floating in her own magic, puncturing my barding. The series of deep slashes across the mare's neck and chest from the saturnite knife made her very interested in getting away. As soon as she pulled back, I shoved the pistol still levitating nearby under her bleeding chin and fired three rounds to the head, leaving her a quivering lump partially crushing me.

I grunted with effort, trying to get out from under the corpse as I heard the leader approaching. "Oh you have been quite the nuisance you little bastard, I'm going to enjoy adding you to my collection you son of a bitch," I could hear him reloading the rifle as he trotted across the lot, steps splashing in the puddles he waded through.

My mind raced frantically, I had to do something quick, but I was pinned and couldn't see him, the dead mare on top of me too heavy for me to move fast enough. I couldn't die here, this bastard would go up there after the princess! I'd never find my family or the others. I wouldn't even get to die trying to get justice for all those killed back in the Stable, just killed by some psychotic cannibal pony in a dirty lot alone. The rain washed away my tears as I waited for the end, hoping he'd make some mistake and give me a chance.

The gloom of the storm was suddenly brilliantly lit up in orange flames and I could hear the leader screaming, there was shuffling, then the sound of a power saw spinning up to full speed and tearing into the bastard with a wet crunch. Then there was silence, followed by a familiar voice.

"Master Fast my goodness! Are you alright!? No of course not, allow me to help please!" Cogsworth gushed, floating up to where I lay pinned and grabbing the corpse, dragging it off me.

I gasped for air and coughed as Cogsworth clucked and fretted looking over my injuries, "C-Cogs... po-potions on the... roof. Next..to Princess..." I stammered, trying not to pass out.

"Right away sir! Don't move!" the robot cried out and flew up and out of sight.

With one of my remaining potions and the last pack of bandages, I was feeling like one of the living again. Cogsworth bobbed around me worriedly, as I got up and walked out of the Red Rocket sky carriage recharging station he had dragged me into. I walked to the back again, crawling up on the dumpster with a wince.

"Cogsworth, I need you to go up there, carefully drag the Princess over here and lower her down, we can't stay here in case more are coming alright?" I asked my robotic savior wearily.

"Yes sir, of course. Though if you mean the lovely filly on the roof above, well... my etiquette protocols make this a bit uncouth but, she seems to be rather...substantial... I am afraid I am unable to lift her completely sir," he answered awkwardly.

"It's ok Cogs, just get her to the edge so I can see her, I'll help lower her down with my magic ok?" I tried not to whine, but she had been up there in the rain alone and hurt, it was all I could do not to start scrambling back up there myself, injured or no.

"Right away sir!" Cogsworth answered smartly and hovered away up to the roof. Minutes felt like hours as I listened to him struggling above, finally he reappeared, straining with her delicate forehoof in his manipulator claw. "Here we are young sir, safe and sound!"

I sighed in relief and grabbed her with my magic, "Nnngh... ok Cogs, get a good hold and lower her down.. I got most of the weight now..." I strained and added a layer of overglow to my magic.

Cogsworth wasted no time, letting go of her hoof and hovering back towards her unseen body. Once he had maneuvered her over the edge, I hopped off the dumpster and together we lowered her to it. The trip back home was pretty daunting at this rate. I didn't like it, but I couldn't see much other choice and dug in my bags for one of Mr. Hawthorne's tablets of Buck. I crunched on the bitter pill reluctantly and sidled up next to the dumpster, feeling a surge of strength and energy rush through me. Between that boost, my magic and Cogsworth, we gently moved her down from the bin and lowered her to my back.

She practically blanketed me, her head hanging down by my chest and her hooves and wingtips brushing the ground lightly. My knees wobbled a moment, but I took a trudging step forward, wrapping her in my magic to lighten the load, while Cogsworth tried to add his levitation power to my efforts. We made an odd picture trudging back across the bridge to Sanctuary Hills.

Grunting, I tried to talk to keep my mind off both the effort and the feeling of her breathing softly above me. "H-how... did you... find me... Cogsworth?" I asked over the course of a few short steps.

"Oh, well you ran off in such a hurry without saying anything, I was unsure what to do sir, you hadn't requested my aid. After a short time, I began hearing gunshots and feared the worst. Thankfully, since you did such excellent work repairing me, when you interfaced with me via your pip-buck, I acquired your locator tag and simply followed it. It was a good thing you did so sir." he answered happily.

I had to agree there, if I hadn't taken the time or had the ability to help Cogsworth, he wouldn't have been able to help me and I'd be one dead pony. He could hear the shots, think clearly about what to do, fly fast and use his weapons to maximum effect, all of which were essential to saving my flanks. Sometimes being a repair-pony was pretty damn useful.

"Thank.... You... Cogs... Worth... Nnngh... Owe... You... My.... Life... and.... Princess'... Life..." I grunted, walking down the street towards my house.

"No thanks necessary sir! Though next time you should take me along to begin with I think. That Sprite-bot fellow seems to have been right, quite dangerous out here isn't it?" he replied with a hint of pride.

"Yes...Very...Oooof...Danger... ous....had... to... go... though.... sorry.... didn't... think.... just.... ran.... she.... was.... dying...." I answered, every step felt like fire as I finally made it to the driveway and turned up to the garage.

Cogsworth chortled and turned an eyestalk towards my passenger, "Yes, so I see young master, well it is nice to have company isn't it? Will the filly be alright?"

"Think.... so..... was..... bad.... ugh c'mon....." I strained and at long last reached my dry little couch, drenched in rain and sweat, bloody and bruised but alive. Carefully, I walked up and lined up with the seat to my side, considering how to do this when either the Buck wore off, or my body just refused to do more. I fell sideways, landing the princess on the couch comfortably, while I wound up going with her instead of just sliding her off me as everything went dark.

I came back to consciousness slowly, blinking heavily lidded eyes in confusion. Groaning, I shut them again and tried to bury myself back in the soft, warm, heavy blanket covering me. The blanket murmured and shifted over me in return......what?

My eyes popped open fully and I got a better look at my situation, I was on the couch facing the open garage door looking out at the drizzling rain still coming down as night fell. The "blanket" covering me was warm and heavy, and breathed slowly, rustling my mane above my eyes... Carefully I moved my head to look, I was still under the sleeping form of the Princess. Her hooves wrapped around me and her wings furled around us, her head rested against the armrest of the couch over my own. I froze, wide eyed as I grasped my compromising position and could feel myself turning red furiously.

Cogsworth was hovering near the large garage door, tending a small fire he had moved under the overhanging door at the edge of the driveway. The pot of stew simmered on a makeshift stand above it and he turned an eyestalk towards me when he noticed me wake, "There you are sir! I..." he began, before I gasped and wiggled a hoof free to press to my muzzle frantically.

"Ssssh!" I hissed, looking up at her head above mine as she kept sleeping, Cogsworth complied and watched expectantly.

Very carefully, I started trying to extricate myself from the heavenly embrace, lowering my hind legs to the floor while trying not to move above the waist. I managed to get myself in the awkward position of laying twisted on my back, my back hooves touching the floor and I started sliding towards them, trying to slip free of her forelegs and wings.

I inched lower, my neck and head pulling away from hers, when she whinnied softly and tightened her hold in her sleep, squeezing my neck enough to make breathing a little harder. She lowered her head to the seat cushion my head had vacated, nuzzling against my mane. Oh I'd never be able to explain this to a Princess if she woke up now, it was completely improper for royalty.

Ok... now I was stuck half off the couch, bent backwards and changing from a charcoal pony to one as red as Big MacIntosh. Cogsworth watched, waggling his eyestalks with what I was sure had to be a smirk, but remaining quiet as asked. I looked around desperately and settled on the largest pillow I had recovered exploring the neighborhood, picking it up in a field of my blue magic and floating it over my head.

"Cogsworth..." I whispered up to the watching robot, "I want you to very.. very.. slowly lift her hoof, gently..." Cogs floated forward obediently and carefully did as asked, while I slid free as quickly as I could, floating the pillow to take my place and extracting myself with relief and more than a little regret. "Phew.... good work pal," I whispered, plopping down to sit in front of the couch as the Princess squeezed the pillow to herself with a whine.

"Of course sir," he answered quietly, "I had considered waking you earlier, but you were quite injured and the filly friend looked to be warm. I thought it for the best to let you both rest, apologies if that was incorrect sir," he replied happily.

"No, it's fine Cogs, sorry, guess I was a little worn out is all," I answered absently, inspecting the Princess closely. Her wounds were still bad, the bandages I had applied had absorbed blood still oozing from them. Her wing was healed at least and she didn't seem to be in immediate danger. I was glad dad made me learn what he had managed to drill into me about medicine, including pegasus related care for mom.

Drawn by the smell of the stew and a rumbling stomach, I walked over to the fire and floated up one of two bowls Cogsworth had set nearby, dipping it in the pot and turning back to the beautiful blue alicorn sleeping on the couch. For once I simply didn't think, my normally racing mind quiet and peaceful as I just looked at her happily. I had saved a Princess! That was some Shrouded Stallion level heroics right there, even though the Shroud would have been a little more suave and sure in the rescue and less awkward in the aftermath.

I decided to try the radio again, adjusting the volume down low before powering it up and greeted with the sound of Sweetie Belle singing softly about not wanting to set the world on fire, mixing with the sounds of the rain. I sat there munching on the stew, listening to music and just watching her, torn between anxiety and happiness. Wanting her to wake up, but enjoying her sleeping. I don't know how long, several songs played from my pip-buck while I was there, so it was awhile, more than that I couldn't say.

Eventually I noticed she was clenching her eyes, her brow furrowed as she whined and sweat stood out on her brow. I trotted forward in concern, when her blue eyes popped open with a gasp and she was staring straight up at me, causing my brain to stop working again. She groaned weakly, trying to lift her head and not doing well in the attempt. "W-who..." she whispered hoarsely, her voice better than all the music I had heard coming out of the radio.

She kept looking up expectantly through lidded eyes and I realized I had to make...word.. things... "H-h-hi... um.... er, me Fast," I stammered weakly, pointing a hoof at myself, giving a shaky smile and blushing. She looked up in confusion, kicking her legs slowly and trying to raise her head again, before falling back.

"Fast?" she asked in confusion, her voice rasping before she started coughing. Panicking, I rooted through my bags desperately, pulling out my remaining Sparkle Cola. The red Sparkle Cola Rad flavor that had just come out, before it was left in the fridge for a couple centuries. Nearly dropping it, I popped the top and tried to clean the mouth before offering it to her. 200 year old soda hardly seemed appropriate fare for a Princess, but it was the best I had. Getting the coughs under control, she looked from the bottle to me dubiously, finally turning towards it slightly before her horn sparked and fizzled.

"Oh! Um... here let me... er.. just.. here you go, easy," I stuttered and gently lowered the bottle towards her muzzle, helping her take a drink without moving. She sighed softly after taking a few sips, closing her eyes and looking like she may go back to sleep, before they snapped open again and her legs resumed struggling to get up.

"Hey, don't try to move umm... please? You're hurt, just rest, here.. w-we have stew..." I paused, considering what kind of stew it was to offer to a Princess, but she had to eat something. I moved to run back to the fire and grab a bowl for her, when her wing reached out and touched my shoulder and I froze, shivering.

"H-have to go... they need help... P-Ponies in Poncord...my mission," she grunted feebly, trying to get up again and go. Of course, she was a Princess and was thinking of these other ponies who needed help before herself, but I couldn't have it. She was in no condition to help anypony, gently I pushed her back to the couch and shook my head.

"You can't go anywhere! You just got hit by lightning! Y-you were so hurt.. I thought you were going to die! You can't help them like this, please Princess!" I said, as stern as I could manage.

She kept weakly trying to move a moment before looking up in confusion, "P-princess? no... Jade... h-have to go, have to... do better... save.. save them..." she groaned and resumed trying to get up.

I sighed sadly and leaned in a little to her face, my heart hammering as I blocked her view. "I-I know Princess Jade, but you can't. Please forgive me," I begged as I injected a vial of Med-X into her flank and watched her fall back into a fitful sleep. I stroked her mane and stepped back, furrowing my brow in determination for the stupid idea I had. "Cogsworth, stay here and watch her, don't let her leave. I'll be back..." I called over my shoulder at the robot hovering behind me.

"Sir? Are you sure this is wise? If I follow your thinking..." he asked slowly with concern in his voice.

Looking down on her sleeping form, I was sure and pulled my 10mm pistol out, reloading it. "I'm sure Cogsworth. You heard her, there are ponies who need help waiting for her and she can't. I can't let her go and I can't leave them to just sit there, this is like a royal mission or something," I sighed and turned towards the drizzly night as my pip-buck flashed text;

Mission: As You Wish

Objective-
--Rescue the ponies of Poncord

This time a new objective marker popped up on my compass, pointing south. I wondered if this was something Watcher had been trying to point me towards when he mentioned heading south. Not that it mattered, Watcher had suggested going that way. The Princess had begged to go there to help ponies herself, she couldn't but... well, every Princess should have a Knight right? I would have to do.

"Protect her Cogsworth! I'll be back!" I shouted as I charged off into the night.

I slowed and approached the Red Rocket station cautiously, if there were more of those bad ponies after the Princess, they may be there waiting. Peeking through the bushes near the drive to the station's lot, I could see the bodies of her attackers, but no one else, so I came out of my cover and surveyed the scene.

Four dead ponies... I had killed three, ended their lives...I felt sick thinking about it now, but... I had to, right? The one I had actually wanted to kill had been taken down by Cogsworth in the nick of time. I trotted over to that one, the leader wearing the armor made of skinned cutie marks. I kicked the charred and bloody corpse. Inspecting the battle saddle it wore, I disconnected the rifle attached to it and checked it over. It was quite a bit heftier than the old Red Ryder BB gun I was used to when it came to long guns, but was in decent shape. I tossed it in my saddlebag, the container somehow able to accommodate the weapon, then turned back and started rifling through the other possessions on the body.

Looting the long dead already gave me pause, pawing over a freshly dead pony was worse, even if I didn't feel bad about this particular one. I remembered one of his group screaming for a healing potion from him after I blew his knee off and he bled out on the ground. My stomach fought with the bowl of stew while I found the potions he had been asking for. If this jerk had cared about his friend and helped him, there would have been a third pony harassing me and things might have gone different. They ended up close enough as it was without him. Watcher had been right, nopony can go it alone up here, you had to have friends and help them.

A few .308 rounds for the rifle floated up out of the dead pony's packs and into mine, along with a vial of Rage, a couple magical bandages and two bottles of amber liquid with rags stuffed in their necks. The molotovs they had been tossing up to the roof... Checking the other bodies yielded another couple bottles and some .38 rounds for the pipe pistol the pony with the ruined knee had carried. The weapon itself was pitiful and I left it.

Looking around, I walked under the overhanging roof of the station and through the front door, making a pass through the building on my way to the back. There wasn't much of immediate use, though the repair-pony part of me started taking notes of things of interest for later. A variety of tools in decent shape were littered about the garage, there was a small bed in the back office by a terminal that was in better repair than anything in Sanctuary. Boxes of parts were stocked on some of the shelves of the storefront. Opening the register on the counter yielded some bits I floated out and pocketed. Of most interest to me though, was a small arcano-tech generator in a service closet. It was dark and dead, but cursory inspection showed it should be a simple fix, with a little work I could have power.

All of this was nice information to have, but useless to me for now. I lifted the garage door open with my magic and walked out again, heading for the back after grabbing a ladder I spotted hung on the wall that would have been useful earlier... Floating it out, I braced it against the back wall of the building on top of the dumpster and climbed back to the roof, walking over to the red rocketship I had first laid eyes on Princess Jade under. I scanned the area, grabbing her lab coat and medical box saddlebags. I felt a little shamefaced opening them and rooting through her possessions, but they were medical boxes and this had been her mission. Maybe there was something important for it in there.

Inside one was a collection of holotapes, privacy dictated I leave these alone along with the glowing memory orb next to them. The other box had a variety of medicine, potions, med-x, antiseptic, bandages, scalpels, etc. There were also a couple health potions with an odd green tint and bottles of water labeled "Aqua Pura" which made my pip-buck tic lazily. Radioactive potions? Why keep them? With a shrug, I closed up the boxes and stashed it all in my own saddlebags, she'd be happy to have her things back when I returned hopefully. Maybe enough to not be too mad at me for sedating her.

Before climbing back down, I looked towards the marker on my compass from the rooftop and peered intently towards Poncord through the drizzle. It was dark down there, lit with an occasional flash of gunfire and a beam from a magic energy weapon centered around a large building in the center of the small town. The museum if I remembered right, dad took me there sometimes. Thinking to myself, I had a basic plan, though it was reckless. Sighing, I started pulling off my light blue Stable barding, stashing it in my bags and pulling out 'Best Served' as my pip-buck called it, Fork's crazy sharp knife.

The battle below my perch had demonstrated clearly my best results so far came when the enemy didn't know I was there before I attacked. I wasn't a big, tough pony like these savages rotting below me, I was small and sneaky, so I should play to my strengths here. Without the blue barding on anymore, I was now a black and grey colored shadow in the darkness. I gave up some protection, but the barding wouldn't stop a lot anyway if I got caught in a straight out fight. I really wished I could cobble together a suppressor for the rifle or pistol I carried, so I could start from a distance and work my way closer, but there was no time to waste tinkering.

Set on my course of action, I climbed down from the roof and trotted into Poncord. I slipped off into the back alleys as I approached the source of what light and noise was in the town. My E.F.S. started showing red as I closed in. Four red marks moved lazily around the museum beyond the alley choked with debris I hid in. I also noticed a green mark centered on the building itself, where the flashes of the energy weapon came from. So they were under siege, the ones out here were just harassing them and keeping them pinned down in there.

A red mark approaching from just beyond the alley got my attention, as I heard their hoofsteps and readied the knife in my mouth, unwilling to use magic and give away my position with the blue glow. A dingy white earth pony in leather armor passed by me, unaware, holding a pipe pistol in his mouth. I steeled myself, putting aside distaste at being the aggressor and slipping out of the alley behind him. He had just started to turn to go back to his patrol in front of the museum when I slashed his throat. The gleaming blade slid right through hide, muscle, tendon and windpipe with a whisper, splashing me with arterial spray, as the light in the pony's eyes died in shock and I dashed back to the dark alley.

That would be noticed eventually, so I had to move quick. Sneaking through the alleys and broken building toward the next red mark in a diner ahead. I slipped in the back quietly and crawled across the floor below the counter, toward the pony sitting in an empty booth with a .22 rifle braced against one of the gaping, broken windows. I anxiously crept out from my hiding spot and crossed the tiled floor toward him, the purplish stallion was absorbed focusing on the museum as I prepared to strike. Unfortunately, he chose that moment to turn back to the table of the booth over his shoulder, to grab a beer sitting there I hadn't noticed. We locked eyes with only a couple feet between us.

We moved together, I let go of the knife with my mouth and grabbed it in my magic, sending it flying at him like a missile. He didn't bother trying to turn and instead bucked me in the chest, sending me flying backwards to slam into the counter with a shout that was cut off after the first syllable. I jerked upright and prepared to fight, then relaxed spotting the handle of the knife jutting from his eye. I grabbed it with my magic and jumped back over the counter to slip out the back, as I heard shouts and saw the red marks of E.F.S. start moving erratically approaching.

I managed to make it out the backdoor, just as two of the attacking ponies reached the front, "What the fuck! Popgun! Somebody took him out, everypony fan out, we're not alone out here!" one of the two shouted down the street.

I took stock quickly, the one giving orders must still think the first of his crew I took out was patrolling, since he shouted in that direction. Actually it was two down and the last two were just on the other side of the door I hid behind, grouped together. They were on alert so taking them out like the first two was unlikely. With a grunt, I put the knife away and pulled out the pistol, gripping it and the door handle in my magic as I worked up my nerve.

With a jerk, the door flew open and I dashed in throwing myself for the counter and triggering S.A.T.S., taking stock as time froze. One blue-green mare in leather armor, carrying a fireaxe, inspected the dead pony in the booth with a grimace of hate. The second was a grey stallion in rusty metal barding, with a sawed off shotgun at the front doorway but not quite inside. I selected 3 headshots with an 80% chance for the mare, and four to the body of the stallion outside with a 60% chance, since the headshot indicator was below 30%. I triggered the sequence and watched time resume its flow.

The first shot blew the mare's ear off, the second sent part of her head after it and the third drilled through her chin and out the top of her skull as she fell back. I felt the system spin my pistol in my grip to bear on the stallion, as my chest was peppered with buckshot. I winced, but S.A.T.S. had no problems continuing. Two shots impacted the metal armor and drove him back, a third went through his fetlock in a bloody spray, making him jump back further in pain, out into the street.

The earth pony gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, swinging the shotgun to bear as S.A.T.S. ended and I was open. He was far enough away this probably wouldn't be lethal, but it was gonna hurt. I dove to the side then totally missed my footing, as I saw a pink beam lance out and turn the pony to ash before he could pull the trigger. I landed in a heap on the dirty floor, panting, that went well...

"Hello out there?!" somepony shouted from towards the museum, "If you're friendly reveal yourself! We could use a hoof in here!"

I crept toward the front door and peeked around the corner, waving a hoof out the door, "Friendly! Definitely friendly! Don't shoot!" I shouted back, staring at the drifting pile of ash in the street, gulping to myself.

More ash piles surrounded a charred and smoking cart and the double doors to the large brick museum building. Colorful bunting and banners hung on the face of it, framing a balcony over the doors, where a light green earth pony with a dark green mane, wearing a strange outfit, sat holding a magical energy rifle. He had it braced on the railing, pointing down at the street, but not directly at me at least. The pony had been wounded repeatedly, bandages of varying ages wound around his limbs and neck, his brown overcoat and jaunty hat were stained and scorched. He looked at me wearily, with an expression of mixed surprise, hope, skepticism and just plain exhaustion in his brown eyes.

"I don't know who you are stranger, but thank you... I know you don't have any reason to help, but there are ponies in here that need it, foals and elderly. Those raiders breached the building already and are pushing us back, we can't hold on long. Please... we're in a bad way stranger, we need help," the tired pony implored wearily.

Even if I wasn't on a mission from a Princess, that would have been enough. He asked for help, there were foals and old ponies in there being attacked by these.. 'raiders' he said. Yes, that described this kind of pony well. I thought back to the heap of foal skeletons in the diner of 111 and felt that ember flare again, stepping out into the street.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help, Princess Jade sent me!" I shouted up and started galloping for the doors and reloading the pistol, "I'll be right there, just hang on!"

The stallion cocked an eyebrow and looked me over for a moment, "Who..." he started, before snapping his head back to the door behind him, hearing something back inside. "Nevermind, we'll do all we can in here, just hurry please and... thank you stranger, no matter what happens, thank you."

I nodded up and threw the doors open, rolling into the room beyond with righteous fury burning in me.

The museum was a wreck, but familiar enough I recognized the layout. The museum had been celebrating Nightmare Night coming up a week after the bombs fell and was still decorated for the occasion. Banners showing the mare in the moon fluttered sadly on the walls. A few dead ponies were strewn about the entryway, beyond the counter to the right where you paid for entry. One was dressed similar to the stallion on the balcony, a buck dressed in dirty prewar rags and several raiders. Luckily, the room was unoccupied otherwise, all the action was happening in the upper levels, where I could hear movement and talking.

I slipped forward, giving the combatant corpses a quick once over for ammo since one of them had another 10mm pistol. I quietly added the rounds and stood to the side of the doorway leading to the main hall and peeked out. The main floor had collapsed down into the basement, where a small lake had formed from the leaks of steady rain all afternoon. Down in the pit, a cracked and molding statue of Princess Luna rose from the water sadly, her horn and left wing broken and part of the detritus below. Emergency lighting flickered on the walls, lighting the place enough to see by.

The second floor of the main room was surrounded by ruined walkways. Parts of the floor and railing had fallen away to the basement, but it seemed solid enough since there were... five red marks on E.F.S. milling around, some of which I could hear up there. A few more were scattered around the building and a clump of five or six green friendly marks were practically on top of me, the Eyes Forward Sparkle could be clearer on elevation of targets...

From my position, I could see a clump of three red marks to the right. They were clustered around a heavy door on the upper level, leading to the front of the second level where the balcony was. One pounded away at an attached terminal, while another was wiring together a series of metal apples? Explosives... great... that security door wouldn't hold them back for long one way or the other, and I wouldn't have time to get there. I levitated the newly acquired rifle out of my bags and checked it over. I was sure I could take two out before they knew what was happening, the third I wasn't sure of and it would only take one to use that makeshift bomb. Better if it went off now, while they were working on it at a desk away from the door. That wasn't a bad thought actually...

I floated out two of the molotovs I had taken from the raiders at the Red Rocket. Using firebombs in a ruined old building didn't seem like the best idea... But the place was musty and saturated from the storm, it probably wouldn't burn down around me... probably. I brought the bottles up to my face and concentrated. I wasn't the most magically adept pony out there but I did have some magic other than telekinesis to pull out. The simple spark spell I normally used for repairs and charging spark batteries flickered out, igniting the rags coming from the bottlenecks. I floated them out with me through the door, tossing them in an arc towards the clump of raiders on the second floor and dashing for the stairs.

I heard a fwoosh! of flame and screams as I slipped upstairs, followed by a resounding boom that shook the building. Crouching up the stairs as they turned and led up to the second level, I looked across the void of the great room below. Most of the security door room was a smoking wreck, but the place hadn't burst into flames. Two raiders had started running towards the damage, looking for the ponies that were shredded in the explosion, I readied the rifle as they came into view...

S.A.T.S. gave me good odds even at this distance with the rifle, I used half the charge for one shot center mass each for the two raiders I could see and I gave approval for the sequence. The first shot was perfect, right through the orange raider's leather armor and side, slamming him into the wall of the hallway he was running down. The next drilled into the flank of the second raider, causing them to stumble and roll to the ground, before firing wildly in my direction with the pipe pistol held in their red magic.

The distance was too great and the weapon too poor for anything but a lucky shot, so I steadied the rifle and lined up a headshot manually. I barely caught sight of the round blowing a hole through his jaw, when a tire iron bashed into my muzzle, sending me reeling and stumbling back down the stairs, tasting blood.

The raider who had slipped out of the rooms to my left followed up ferociously, leaping from the top of the stairs after me. My reflexes were just good enough to let me roll out of the way as he sailed past. Skidding to a halt, he spun back to me, the tire iron still in his mouth ready to follow up. I fired the last round in the rifle from the flank, no time to line up a shot properly. The .308 round punched through his neck and he stumbled against the wall of the landing, splashing it with his blood before clamping a hoof to it.

He was still up though and went to advance on me, I could hear more coming from upstairs behind me and went with the safer direction. Leaping from my perch halfway up the stairs, I swung the rifle in a flat arc and connected with the pink stallion's temple, dropping him like a sack of apples.

I dropped the rifle immediately and pulled the 10mm, diving for the turn in the stairs as two more raiders charged after me. The first was too enraged to exercise any caution and at his range I didn't need S.A.T.S. Three rounds stitched their way up from his chest, through his neck and ending with the last round puncturing his skull right below his horn.

The second was smarter, a metal apple came bouncing down the stairs and as I scrambled to get away, the world disappeared in a roar. I was sent flying through the main room, landing in the flooded basement with a splash. My right flank burned and bled with shrapnel as I pushed up from the water desperately, gasping as I broke the surface. Looming over me was the dark stone statue of Princess Luna, looking down sadly at me. Stains dripped down her muzzle like tears. The grenade tossing raider was charging down the stairs, while I flopped onto a broken slab of floor at a good enough angle to climb out.

The pistol had flown from my magical grip with the explosion, so I floated Best Served out and gripped it in my mouth. Fighting through the pain, holding on to the memory of the dead of Stable 111 to keep that internal fire burning, I charged up the ramp. The raider fired wildly as I ducked and dodged after scrambling back up to the ground floor. I felt a couple .38 rounds stitch my side as I darted to the right, then spun and closed the remaining distance, running by him in one motion. The blade ripped through his side in a fan of blood and gore, where the hell did Fork's get this thing?! I stopped just past him and bucked behind me for all I was worth, sending him for a swim in the basement and grabbing my pistol back in my magic, finding where it had landed nearby.

Rearmed, I darted to a nearby open door, away from suppressing fire from above and dodged to the right once past the doorway. Skidding to a halt, I floated out a healing potion, chugging it down and panting from exertion as it mended the damage I was racking up. I was fast enough to do some serious damage myself, but I didn't have the endurance to keep it up long. I tugged on the door with my magic, slamming it shut just as another grenade bounced off its surface and back into the main room.It exploded with a resounding boom that knocked dust from the rafters, followed by screams and shouts. The raiders were at least reluctant to keep pushing now and were regrouping, but that wasn't so good as I looked around the room with only one exit...

The walls were adorned with posters of the Ministry of Morale head, Ministry Mare Pinkie Pie. A large, slightly disturbing poster of the pink mare with the poofy pink mane peeking down in delight with big blue eyes, from behind the legend; "Pinkie Pie is Watching You- Forever!" hung as the primary decoration. Creepy... I remembered Pinkie was my favorite Ministry Mare as a foal, she seemed so happy and was always throwing parties for good little fillies and colts. She ran a whole ministry of parties for Luna's sake! Looking at this room as an adult though... I felt sad for Pinkie Pie.

Faded and limp balloons of all colors hung from the ceiling, tattered bunting and streamers stretched across the ceiling and down the corners, rotting confetti covered the floor. Pictures and news clippings of Minister Pinkie Pie from a filly in Ponyville, to the slightly manic looking older mare I remembered hung all around the room. A display stand in the center of the room held a replica of her Element of Harmony in the place of honor in the center. Two other stands to either end of the room held a Sprite-Bot and a large, brightly colored tube on wheels.

Gasping while the healing potion did what it could, I listened to the raiders shuffling around in the great room behind me through the hole filled wall. I remembered this exhibit now... I wanted to see it, for Nightmare Night they told the whole story of Nightmare Moon. The center room outside was supposed to be for the Luna exhibit, while the side rooms were to hold exhibits on the Ministry Mares who defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Princess Luna.

I crept forward painfully towards the sprite-bot stand, whispering to it. "Watcher! Watcher! Come on... don't tell me this thing's just a replica! Dammit I need some help here!" the metal ball sat silently on its' stand, no help at all. I turned away and walked to the weird tube thing, looking for anything I could use somehow, I read the plaque on the stand that held it. "Party Cannon" I made out, the rest was covered in green corrosion. A cannon that shoots parties? Well... the operative word here was "cannon". I looked over the strange device in desperation, as I heard the raiders regroup and prepare to come after me.

A machine is a machine. Even one that seems to completely defy the rules of reality like this could be tinkered with, my repair-pony skills were all I had to fall back on right now. I pulled my tools and crawled under the bulky thing, fiddling with its' strange candy colored components, while the apparent leader of the raiders shouted from the main room outside.

"Alright in there, I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but you have done considerable damage little pony! You are gonna pay in blood you hear me!? Why'd you stick your fucking muzzle into our business anyway? I'm curious before I kill you! Who in the name of Celestia's twat are you anyway!?" he yelled from the other side of the door in fury.

A clump of four remaining red dashes milled in front of the door and I smiled, thinking of my little Shrouded Stallion figure in my bag. "Me? Why I'm the Shrouded Stallion evildoer! I have come to punish you wicked ponies for your despicable ways!" I shouted from beneath the cannon. I figured out the bizarre internals of the party cannon and made some adjustments, turning an unobtrusive knob all the way to a handwritten number "11" past the normal printed range of the gauge.

There was a raucous laughter from the other side of the door as I wheeled the party cannon around to face it, "Is that so? The Shroud himself? Come on, you've been listening to that radio nonsense too long, he's some kinda nut boys!" the raider leader laughed outside.

I grinned sitting behind the cannon and shouted back with my best Shroud impression. "No, I'm a shadow of justice rising from the night! Luna's champion bringing blood and retribution to you dastardly fools. I have laid your followers low with fire and steel and I am coming for you. Look below you, you presume to defile this place! You DARE behave this way in front of her holy image!!! REPENT NOW OR FACE THE FURY OF THE NIGHT PRINCESS!" I roared, wow, that was pretty good, I believed it myself.

It had the desired effect anyway, I heard them murmuring to themselves in concern. Either I was a nut who just went through a goodly number of their friends for no reason, or I was some kind of supernatural killer from the past. Either way they paused a moment while I waited, catching my breath.

Finally, the leader tried to exert some control over the situation. "Shut up all of you! He's some fucking lunatic who listened to too much radio! Shroud ain't real, just some story from before the war! That's one pony in there, trapped in a room by himself!" he screamed.

"If that's all I am evildoer, by all means you should have no fears facing me..." I added, flicking his pride and playing up their doubts.

"Oh that is it! Prepare to die you little shit! Come on move!!" the leader screeched and all four charged the door, bucking it open and into splinters, then freezing in place as they spotted me.

I smiled from behind the party cannon, "Surprise!" I shouted and yanked on the candy cane striped lever on the side of the device.

The room exploded in a fanfare of trumpets and a flurry of confetti and balloons, a shockwave of cakes and presents blasted all four ponies in the doorway, across the great room outside and plastered them to the far wall. I ducked out from behind the smoldering remains of the cannon, drawing the 10mm and casually lining up my shots, as they groaned senselessly. I fired one point blank headshot for each, stopping at the last... The colt was dirty and bloody, bedraggled white mane over a raw and scratched purple coat, he had a cutie mark of a steaming apple pie of all things and it couldn't have been on his flank long. His pink eyes looked up in terror, at me... terror of me... I don't know how he ended up with these monsters, but I couldn't kill him like the others.

"The Shroud offers you another chance kid, I suggest you take it and leave. Be better than... this," I intoned darkly, looming over him and staring him in the eye, pulling his short combat knife away and tossing it aside. Gibbering, he extracted himself from a Pinkie Pie party turned up to eleven and bolted for the door, wailing into the night. I looked down to the broken statue of Luna and nodded. "Watch over him Goddess Luna, help him be a better pony, please.." I prayed fervently.

I looked around carefully, checking my Eyes Forward Sparkle. Five green dashes and nothing else... good. I dragged myself back to the stairs and started climbing slowly, everything hurt, but I had made it. I trudged around the walkway upstairs, rifling through the fallen raider's possessions, collecting ammo as I went. Finally, I shuffled through the smoldering room before the security door, standing in front of it and knocking passively.

A click of locking relays later, the big steel door creaked open and I was staring at the brown eyes of the stallion from the balcony looking out in awe, "Holy hell kid... Where'd you come from?" he asked in a whisper.

I sighed and held out a hoof, "I'm from here... I've just been gone awhile. You wouldn't believe me. Hi there, I'm Fast Times, Princess Jade sent me to help so... here I am."

He just shook his head and tipped his funny tan hat up, "Preston Gardens, last of the Minutemares. Pleased to meet you Fast. Now who's this Princess?"

-------------------Level Up!----------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------

A Little Dash-
--Play to your strengths! While wearing light armor or no armor, you run 20% faster. As an added bonus you gain +5% bonus to sneak in dark conditions when wearing no armor thanks to your colors.

Reputation Change--------

Minutemares- Neutral
You've met the last Minutemare and pulled him out of the fire, he's not sure what to think yet but owes you a debt of gratitude.

Followers of the Apocalypse- Neutral
You've met a Follower of the Apocalypse, even if you don't know it. It may have been a short conversation, but you made an impression anyway!

Author's Note

Thanks as always to Kkat and the community around FOE, amazed at the wealth of wonderful stories available.

Ch. 5-- Knight of Shadows

Ch. 5-- Knight of Shadows

"It has protected Legion heroes for generations. And today, I can't think of a worthier flank for Netitus to protect."

"Um g-good evening out there this is Diamond City Radio here with a news update. It seems the refugees from Whinny just can't catch a break, er I'm sure we all know how that f-feels right? After escaping the Gunners who overran their home, they've been hunted at every turn. We have reports that after passing into northern raider territory they've been hounded by the Thundega raiders. From what we've been told um... yeah they're really determined to catch the small band, wonder why? A-anyway things don't sound good, we're hearing of some kind of fight in Poncord, lot's of raiders heading that way. Let's hope they're... that they come out ok huh? Here's Octavia to soothe their souls."

The light green stallion stared around the ruins of the museum, taking stock of the carnage and looking back down at me, his green mane spilling out from under his funny hat, brown eyes wide under its' brim. "You did all this? Really?" he stared out over the railing following the trail of destruction, an errant balloon from the party cannon downstairs drifted by.

I wobbled on my hooves in exhaustion with no desire to take another look, just nodding at him. "You needed help... The Princess should have come, but she couldn't so... I did," I answered simply.

Preston whistled and turned back, noticing my condition and trotting back, leaning against me to help me into the room beyond the security door. "Well if you did all this as a fill in, I'd hate to see what would have happened if this Princess had showed up. Here, come on and take a seat, meet the others," he chuckled. We walked into the dim room full of ponies and my pip-buck suddenly chimed with a fanfare in my ear, text scrolling away in my vision;

Mission Completed!: Where the Heart Is

Objective Completed-
--~~Return Home~~
--~~Search for Survivors~~

Mission: As You Wish

Objective Completed-
--~~Rescue the ponies of Poncord~~

Objectives Added-
-- Defend the Whinny Refugees
-- Lead the Whinny Refugees to Safety

They must have been trapped here awhile by the smell, a handful of ragged ponies looked up with a mix of fear and hope as we walked in. Preston led me to a chair by a battered old desk with a softly playing radio and I flopped down gratefully, looking over the bedraggled group of ponies... Wait, not all ponies...an elderly zebra sat across from me in a battered armchair, smiling with a knowing look as I stared. I had never seen a zebra. I knew they were the enemies in the great war, but mom and dad always tried to tell me they weren't all bad. They were mostly just trying to live their lives like us, though they told me not to say that to just anypony. Still, to see a real live zebra here was a shock.

Preston turned to the rest of the group, waving his hooves for quiet as they started to cautiously approach and murmur at my arrival. "Alright folks calm down, this here is Mr. Fast Times and you have him to thank for dealing with those raiders outside," he spoke to the group soothingly.

"What about that group on the radio! Those Thundega goons are on their way! He gonna take them all out too? Looks dead on his hooves Preston!" a sallow yellow unicorn mare with an blue and green mane spoke up angrily. Another group? I didn't like her attitude, but had to agree, I couldn't do that again.

A skinny, red and brown maned tan stallion holding a young orange colt with a frizzy red mane touched a hoof to the mare's shoulder. "Now there dear, let's be grateful for one miracle at a time eh? Thank you for your help sir," he nodded to me gratefully, his Colt staring in wide eyed wonder from his legs.

The colt struggled loose, while his father consoled his mother and trotted up, his green eyes wide and sparkling. "Are you really him?... The Shrouded Stallion?" he asked in barely restrained glee.

I blinked looking down at him, "How'd you hear.." I started to ask as a brown earth pony wearing faded blue mechanics overalls trotted up and mussed the colts mane, before running his hoof over his own pompadour styled black mane.

"Security system's up here, defenses are down o' course, but we could hear the festivities pal. Good work down there "Shroud"... Damn fine to meet you, name's Sturges Circuits" he snickered and stuck a hoof out that I reached out for automatically.

I blushed furiously and looked back to the colt, whose eyes had somehow gotten wider, while his mouth hung open in a huge grin, "OMIGOSH! You really are him! Where's your coat and hat!? How'd you know to find us!? Did Luna really send you?!? How'd you beat all those bad guys? Where's your silver gun? Are you gonna take us to the place Mama Xara talked about?!" the colt blurted out in a rush, prancing around me and finally jumping on me directly, making my injuries give a friendly reminder as he bounced up and down.

"Short Stack! Leave the nice pony alone, he's hurt," the colt's father rushed forward, pulling him off with a struggle. "Sorry sir, he's been cooped up here a couple days now and after all that... I'm Long Jump, that's my wife Cloudy Sun, happy to meet you," he smiled, holding the wiggling colt still trying to break free.

I shuffled in embarrassment a little and mustered up a little of the character, brushing my sweaty grey mane out of my eyes, "Well Short I.. I've been gone from the Commonwealth a long time, so I lost my coat, hat and gun, sorry. A Princess sent me to bring those villains to justice and Goddess Luna was definitely with me. I'm here to help, if that means helping you get somewhere, that's what I'll do, right?"

The foal squealed in joy and wriggled harder in his father's grip. A million fresh questions pouring out of him, only cut short when I reached into my bags and floated out my precious Shrouded Stallion action figure. His green eyes locked on it and he ceased his struggles, staring transfixed. "If you promise to be careful with it and return it, I'll let you see my... self portrait.. sculpture.. toy," I finished lamely. Short merely nodded reverently, taking the offered toy in his own magic like it was made of crystal.

Buying myself a moment, I leaned back and caught my breath, trying to focus and think, closing my eyes. I was roused by a friendly chuckle nearby and a pat on the knee, "Very kind of you little pony, that is very precious to you. Not often a pony offers a piece of their soul to another to bring them happiness. I knew you'd live up to expectations kid," the elderly voice said kindly.

I opened my eyes to get a good look at the zebra mare looking at me with a knowing smile, making little wrinkles at her old orange eyes. She was about my size, hunched with age, the black on her hide graying slightly. She wore a blue scarf on her head and a string of beads around her neck, marked with zebra glyphs similar to the one on her flank. "Mama Xara I presume?" I asked hesitantly, relieved when she smiled broadly and nodded. "Sorry, I don't mean to stare, I've never met a zebra before and... hold on... expectations? But the Princess should have been the one who..."

The Zebra mare snorted and waved her hooves. "Nope, it was always you I saw. The Stallion Out of Time, the Sole Survivor, Luna's Sword and Shield, The Knight of the Shadows... I told them you would come and here you are young one," she grinned and settled back into her armchair enigmatically.

I stared at the old mare as she just looked back, beaming. Those titles were... disturbingly accurate... How could this old zebra know any of that? The first two were related to Stable 111 and no one should know enough to come that close except Cogsworth. The Luna's Sword bit I could see if she heard me downstairs messing with those raiders, or looked at my cutie mark which featured a sword and shield, but the last one... I only thought of that to myself, I hadn't shared that private fantasy of being Princess Jade's knight with anyone... "H-how?" I croaked, staring at her.

Mama Xara smiled back at me with a twinkle in her eye, "I have the star sight little pony, always have. I saw you the first time when I was your age and have been waiting ever since. I'm sorry... for everything you've been through and everything you will yet. You just hang in there ok? I'm so happy you are who I saw, living in the wasteland, I started to doubt you could possibly be real. But here you are," she answered softly.

"Star Sight? What's that, are you saying you see the future? But that's impossible," I tried to reason it out, but if it wasn't true how could she possibly know?

She simply shrugged, "Anything is possible little pony, I believe you ponies call your version Pinkie Sense. Even your Twilight Sparkle was forced to acknowledge it, despite her preconceptions. I merely know what the stars show me, and they showed me you. You are marked by the stars, you even carry a piece of one with you now. Now here, drink, you'll need your strength soon. More are coming, but they're not the problem, it's what they'll wake up that's the danger," she answered cryptically and handed over an earthen jar with a strong smelling brew. I took a drink to be polite and felt renewed energy surge through me, my wounds and aches were soothed by the foul smelling drink, zebra potions were strong!

Preston stepped forward while I goggled at the zebra, "Come on Mama, leave off the star sight for now, the raiders are bad enough and if you and the radio are right, we can't get out of here in time. We have to come up with a plan and do something while we can," he spoke not just to Mama Xara, but the tired and frightened ponies crammed into the office.

"Preston, what's going on here? Why are these raiders after you, why are you even here? You look like you've been through tartarus and I want to help, but I need more information, who are you guys?" I asked the stallion in charge, hoping for something I could make sense of.

With a sigh, he turned and seemed to collect his thoughts, "Well, short version since we're on a time limit here... These are the ponies of the settlement of Whinny, they've been... recently evicted by Gunners and we had to flee. We started with over twenty, now it's just us. First it was the Gunners trailing us all the way out of their territory, then it was the raiders soon as we came north. The ones coming here now according to the radio are particularly focused on capturing us. I've done my best by these ponies, but... I'm the last Minutemare."

"Minutemare? buuuuut... you're not a mare..." I tried puzzling it out, I guessed the jaunty tan hat and coat was some kind of uniform that meant 'Minutemare' up here, but I had no idea what that meant.

Short Stack laughed at that, playing with my Shroud figure on the floor, seeming to re-enact his version of the fight downstairs, mouthing my little speech to the raiders nearly verbatim followed by a huge "BOOM!" as he threw his hooves into the air and tittered.

Preston just looked chagrined, "Yeah I get that a lot, thanks for noticing. The Minutemares aren't a group just for mares you know, we're supposed to be protectors of the Commonwealth, ready at a minutes notice. Why we... we were anyway, now it's just me," he finished sadly, shaking himself and renewing his resolve. "Anyway, that's besides the point, we have a world of hurt coming down on us and better get ready."

Cloudy Sun snorted and crossed her hooves, sitting on the floor near her colt playing with my toy, "Get ready for what Preston, to be finished off finally? Caught and sold into slavery? Killed and eaten? What's this runty little colt going to do, other than share our fate?" she grumbled. I was beginning to get annoyed with that mare...

Sturges trotted forward and interrupted the whining, "Well, with our new friend here and his pip-buck, there's always that thing on the roof... ought'a even the odds I reckon?"

Preston spun on him with new hope clear on his face, "Will that work Sturges? I thought you said you couldn't fix it," he asked wide eyed.

"Ayup, I can't fix it, he can though," Sturges answered laconically, pointing at my pip-buck thoughtfully, "Advanced model you have there Fast, couldn't help but notice."

My ears had perked up at the talk of fixing something and I regarded Sturges as more of a comrade in arms, a fellow repair-pony, "I do happen to be pretty handy at fixing things, what are we talking about here?" I asked as Sturges and Preston both smiled, I glanced at Mama Xara who nodded sagely and gestured to a door in the rear of the office marked 'Roof Access'"

Sturges and Preston had led me up to the roof of the museum and I stared in shock, hidden from view from the street below, a Vertibuck was crashed into the air conditioning units of the building, it's nose buried in rubble. Just outside the vehicle sat an amazing sight, an intact suit of Steel Ranger power armor stood like a rusting sentinel looking out into the drizzly night, a minigun mounted on its' right at the saddle, with ammo bins on the opposite side for balance..

"Been sitting here since the war seems like, listened to the audio logs in the vertibuck transport when I came up here before. Got hit with some kind of pulse weapon, knocked out the Vertibuck hover systems and the armor's spell matrix. Tinkered with her, but couldn't do anything bout the spell matrix without one of those," he said, gesturing to my pip-buck.

I trotted around the magnificent piece of tech drooling, wishing I had gotten to do the service Sturges had already put into it, I always dreamed of fooling around with one of these beauties. Completing my circuit, I pulled my pip-buck's interface cable and jacked into the port on the back, watching avidly as the two devices interfaced and the command controls flashed on the pip-buck screen. I tapped 'Initiate Spell Matrix Reboot' and listened as the pip-buck and armor chattered back and forth, before the armor started coming back online with a hum.

"Actually, I've read about being able to do it with a standard terminal and a hotwired interface... tricky though. This is a lot easier," I answered, watching the progress and status reports flashing across the screen.

"Oh-ho, a fellow tech head eh?" Sturges laughed and hoofed me on the shoulder, "Finally, somepony to talk to about the important things in life!"

I nickered, pulling the interface cable free and watching as the power armor started opening, panels sliding out of place and unfurling like flower petals. Turning towards Preston, I gestured to the armor, "Here you go Preston, I'll back you up."

Preston blanched and stepped back, "I can't, no idea how to use that thing, don't have one of those things on my leg either. Plus I'm the last Minutemare, make a tempting and known target. If I'm not out front, they'll know something's up."

I turned to Sturges, but he simply shook his head and shrugged, "It's an enhanced model, unicorn compatible..." he muttered. Looking back and forth between them I gasped, "Me?! I don't know how to use it either! I'm not a heavy armor kinda pony anyway!" I struggled to make them understand, how could they want me to use this thing, repair it yes, but use it?!

Preston reached out and touched my shoulder, looking grim and raising his chin to the west where torches and movement could be seen down the road. "No time to argue, you're the best chance we have Fast. You know how it works and how to fight, just put the two together, please," he pleaded, visibly paling as he stared past me, looking at the two dozen or more angry raiders marching on Poncord.

I could feel panic welling up in my chest, sure, just hop into a set of Steel Ranger armor and take on an army... I couldn't do this, I just couldn't! Frantically, I looked around, trying to find some escape from this situation. Yesterday my life was normal, boring and a little lonely maybe, but normal! Now I was out in this wasteland and had wound up with a couple dozen sadistic raider ponies marching down on my head. How did I even wind up here?!

In my panicked search for a way out, my eyes lighted on a red shape in the distance through the rain, the Red Rocket station... I felt the rising panic calm slightly, I was here because I made the decision to come. I took on Princess Jade's mission and this was it, if getting in this tin soldier was what was required... I'd do it for her. Sighing, I stepped forward into the armor and shuddered as it started folding shut around me. I suddenly knew why mom didn't like getting in the stasis pods...

Preston stood in front of me and watched as the armor finished closing. There was one heart stopping moment when I was locked in darkness, then the system booted up and I could see again. I tested the armor, experimentally moving my hooves and craning my head around, as a rush of text and diagrams flashed through the visual system.

"This is weird.." I said, startled hearing my amplified and distorted voice from the helmet speaker.

Preston put a hoof on my shoulder and nodded, "You'll be fine Fast, I gotta get back down to the balcony, make a nice juicy target. Look... in case we don't make it through this... thanks again. I was ready to give up, getting this far and losing so many... I started to think there weren't any good ponies out here. No matter what happens I'm glad I met you, we make it through this I am bowing down and kissing this Princess of yours hooves for sending you."

I shuffled in the armor, glad for the helmet hiding my face. Ok so maybe she hadn't sent me per se... but it was the thought that counts. I shook off the fears that had threatened to overwhelm me for a minute there, I was glad I came now too. "Preston, here take these," I stopped him before he trotted back to the door down, looking back expectantly. I blanked trying to figure out how to access my inventory from here.

At the thought, there were whirs and beeps in my ears and a modified version of my normal pip-buck interface sprang up. It was overlaid above the still scrolling messages and calibration sequences the power armor was going through. A hatch at my sides hissed open, allowing me to float out the remaining molotovs I had taken from the Red Rocket raiders and pass them over to the Minutemare. Preston plucked them out of the air in his mouth and stashed them in his own leather packs with a nod before heading back downstairs.

Sturges stayed with me, pulling out a heavily modified hunting rifle and looking about for a place to set up here on the roof. "How's it going in there? Ought to be close to finished adjusting for a new user now," he asked curiously.

Suddenly I felt the odd sensation of the armor moving around me, it had felt pretty roomy when I got in, but now moving parts were adjusting the fit until they came into contact with my hide. A message flashed in front of me, MINIMUM FIT ADJUSTMENT REACHED hmm, I still had some wiggle room in here. Ok, apparently these suits weren't usually worn by ponies of my stature... shut up. I might be a little short for a knight, but I felt like one in the heavy armor. I tried moving awkwardly, expecting to have to trudge under the heavy weight and nearly falling flat on my face, my hoof flying in front of me.

"Easy there, it's power armor, it amplifies your strength and compensates for the weight automatically. Just try not to think about it, let your subconscious and the armor work it out ok? Just nod! Can't have that speaker blasting out your position now. I gotta get set up, I can hear 'em down in the streets. Hey, one repair-pony to another, you got this, it's just a fancy machine," Sturges winked and slunk across the roof, crawling up to the edge on the opposite corner and readying his fancy rifle.

Alright, don't talk, don't move yet... I started flicking through the menus and systems of the armori familiarizing myself with it as much as I could. Sturges was right, it was a machine and I knew machines. The modular battle saddle system listed the attached minigun and 892 rounds of 5mm ammoi along with two other ammo categories for the attached ammo boxes, 127 rounds 5mm AP and 28 rounds 5mm EX. Hmm... alright, wouldn't mess with those unless I had to find out what they were the hard way.

The armor had synced with my pip-buck entirely now, the HUD shifting from the amber color it had been when I got ini to my normal green. My entire inventory flashed by on the screen, the on board medical talisman integrating what I had with its' own medical reserves. Another message towards the bottom scrolled past quickly, ENHANCED E.F.S. SYSTEM ONLINE and I gasped as the compass filled with red. This thing had a wider range than my pip-buck for detecting threats and the incoming raiders had crossed into it.

I didn't want to give myself away by going to the edge and taking a look but watched with dread as the horde of red hash marks spread out in front of the museum. A handful continuing around the back to cut off any escape. A rough shout floated up from in front of the double doors to the museum. "Minutemare! It's over! Send the zebra out and maybe we'll let you live, Crankcase just wants her!" the raider spokesman shouted up at Preston.

The zebra? They wanted Mama Xara? Faced with odds like this, I wondered what he'd do with an offer like that on the table. Not that I believed it for a second after seeing how these raiders had behaved so far. But staring at an armed pony for every one of those red marks I was looking at.... it had to be tempting.

"Not happening!" Preston shouted back and I cheered inside, "Go back and tell your boss to give it up, two days of killing you fools now and I'm getting bored of it. Talk some sense into him! The Zebra's just an old mare, not some witch! Your boss is crazy, take a look around, you wanna join the others he's sent after us so far?"

A laugh rolled through the crowd of ponies below and I could hear a variety of clicks as weapons were readied. "Last chance Minutemare! You really think you can stop us? Your order is dead, give it up and walk away!" the raider chuckled back. He sounded like he didn't care either way.

"BOSS!!! ON THE RO..." a shout rang out ahead of me cut short by a blast from Sturges' rifle. I looked up just in time to see the raider on the third floor of the wrecked building across the street tumble to the pavement. The fellow repair-pony swung the rifle around to the crowd and shouted "NOW!" over to me, opening up on the raiders.

He was right, so much for surprise at this point. Trying not to think about walking I clanked forward to the edge of the roof and stared down at a sea of ponies. I went to trigger the minigun, fumbling at the mouth bit in the helmet. I realized I had no idea how to operate the controls, I was a unicorn and used magic for this kind of thing... At the thought a loud whir came from my right as the minigun started spinning rapidly, Sturges did say it was unicorn compatible, but no bullets came out? I barely caught a frantic scream of "Power Armor!!!" before the whir was supplemented by a long ripping noise that drowned everything else out. I could feel myself being shoved to the right by the recoil trying to spin me in a circle, but text flashed by my eyes in response, RECOIL COMPENSATION CALIBRATED and the force lessened.

Wherever I looked ponies were shredded, the spinning engine of death tracking my HUD targeting reticule. The raiders scattered screaming, taking cover from the rain of death from above. They charged into ruined buildings and behind rusting hulks of wagons and sky chariots. The tinkling of glass followed by flames closed off the street running west to east in front of the museum. The molotovs I gave Preston left the long road heading north as a shooting gallery.

Stray shots started seeking me out on the edge of the roof and plinked harmlessly off the armor. I now understood the allure of being a big heavy armor pony, this was like cheating. The only issue I could see at the moment was how fast the ammo counter on the HUD was scrolling through available ammo. Numbers spun away faster than I could count, this thing was an bullet hog.

With the crowd dispersed and under cover I tried to slow the gluttonous gun down. It was tricky but I started finding a balance of keeping it spinning right at the edge of firing, only spinning it up to firing speed when I spotted a target. Letting it spin down safely away from that firing point, I risked a glance at Preston and Sturges. Both were selecting their shots at the remaining raiders taking cover from my assault. Unfortunately, more of the raiders were getting the idea those two were better targets and fire started converging on them. As I watched Preston's flank was grazed in a bloody spray, but he just grunted and returned fire with his magical energy rifle.

Alright, had to get them to focus on me again or give them something new to worry about. They knew where the deluge of lead was coming from now and were moving with me in mind. E.F.S. reported about half the number of red marks than we started with moving around erratically. I looked down to the street and gulped, backing up quickly. Armor or not I was three stories up... I knew the specs on the hydraulics, but knowing and doing are two different things. Gritting my teeth, I charged towards the edge of the roof, my metal hoofsteps pounding forward. Oh this was a bad idea...such a bad idea. I clenched my eyes shut and jumped out into space, feeling wind rushing in my ears even though I was sealed up.

I hit the hulk of a rusting carriage like a bomb, knocking the raiders taking cover behind it back in the shockwave. Despite everything my terrified mind had told me, I hadn't broken all four legs. I barely felt a thing actually. I spun the minigun up again and laid down a line of fire, swinging from one side of the street to the other. A lucky shot apparently hit a spark battery on a wrecked sky carriage up the street as it went up in a huge fireball, sending more raiders flying. I had succeeded in getting their attention again as round after round sparked off the armor, the HUD flashing damage reports and armor condition. A flicker of movement caught my attention and I glanced down to see two grenades roll across the pavement at my hooves, then the world exploded.

There was the brief sensation of flight again, followed by a hard impact and a crunch before I hit the ground. Groaning, I looked up at the hole I had made through the brick wall of a laundromat. The medical and repair systems were flashing angrily at me, the healing potion reserves were drained slightly as it injected me above my heart with a pinch. The concussion of the grenades had done some damage, even if I hadn't been turned to a red smear by that blast. I winced and coughed up something wet, struggling back to my hooves. I looked over in idle fascination at the crumpled washing machine I had been thrown against. A field of what looked like my magic had reached out to the metal hulk and was stripping it away as the armor repaired itself, that was handy...

Being thrown into dusty building put me out of the fire for a moment and I checked E.F.S., maybe a quarter of the raiders remained. A couple disappeared as they passed out of even the extended range, making their escape. Others were moving on the museum again, believing me out of the fight. The ammo counter flashed 238 rounds remaining in the minigun, I crawled up over the pile of bricks my entrance had made, heading to the street again. Just as I poked my head out, I heard a horrible roar and the ground shook under my steel clad hooves. I could feel that even through the armor...

The raiders heard and felt it to, the gunshots outside stopped and the ones I could see were looking around frantically at the pavement. Terror was etched on all of their faces, what was going on? Suddenly I remembered Mama Xara saying something, 'the real danger wasn't the raiders... it was what they woke up'.

I could target several of them, but held off, joining the bizarre cease fire. Then as I watched the raider across the street, the ground opened up beneath him and some... thing... came roaring up from the pits of tartarus. I made out a huge shape, red eyes, claws, fangs... then blood, lots of blood. The raider was turned into confetti in front of my eyes with one blur of movement, the others screamed, running and firing at it. From the museum I could hear Preston screaming, "HELLHOUND!" and flashes of his magical energy rifle speared out at the furry monster.

That was all I needed, raiders and Preston were both focusing on the new threat and not each other. I spun the minigun back up and hammered away at the giant dog looking thing as it charged forward on its hind legs. It grabbed another raider in its claws and ripped her throat out with a snap of its jaws, shaking its head in a spray of gore. The minigun spun dry, every remaining round had peppered the beast and it barely noticed...

Not that it didn't notice of course...

The hellhound lunged across the street as I frantically approved of loading the next available ammo type at the armor's questioning. The first shots barely started to fly as it closed the distance. The ammo marked AP penetrated the things hide at least, but they didn't seem to phase it. A flash of claws shot out at me as I screamed and dodged back into the hole in the wall, feeling lines of fire bloom down my side. It slashed right through the power armor?! Sweet Celestia it could have taken my head off!

The wall didn't seem to serve as any kind of obstacle for the monster either, glancing back over my shoulder, I saw another flash of claws obliterate the heavy brick wall and I ran for all I was worth. The armor was throwing up a long litany of warnings and alerts, dumping most of the healing reserves into me. It added a charge of Med-X, but the surge of adrenaline I felt made both it and the pain it was meant to soothe distant and irrelevant. I caught it trying to reach out and pull in more materials to repair the armor, as I bolted down the row of washing machines and out the back.

I kept running for my life, charging right through two raiders standing in the side street and jumping through a broken window of a bakery with a crash. I spun, getting the minigun up to speed as I hit the rubble strewn floor and lined back up on the thing in time to see it rip one raider in half and snap at the second. More of the AP rounds tore into the creature and it howled, but didn't seem overly concerned, biting the second raiders head off.

The hairy killing machine suddenly dove into the ground and disappeared as the minigun spun dry again. It just dove underground like diving into a pool. I frantically accepted loading the handful of rounds marked EX and shivered in the armor. Unless these were 28 magical Bullets of Hellhound-Slaying, I was screwed, nothing had made a dent so far and it could move through the ground. It could be...

With a scream I dove for the side window as one of those wicked claws ripped out of the floor and slashed my flank, tearing chunks from the armor. If I hadn't realized the implications in time... Absolute terror drove me on, running back towards the museum and dashing for the alleyways I had traveled on my way into this cursed town. My mind raced and I could hear it out in the streets, playing with the remaining raiders.

What in Luna's name was I supposed to do now!? I was starting to think nothing short of a balefire bomb would take this thing out, not that I was packing one of those around... With that, a horrible idea came to mind, but I couldn't think of anything else. Desperate, I started flicking through the armors interface while I ran and started making some adjustments to the power system.

A bloodcurdling scream from across Poncord let me know this was my best chance, fast as it was, that was as far as I could ever hope for. I skidded to a halt, facing the main street from the alley and tripping the armor release. I was practically bouncing on my hooves waiting for the suffocating thing to open up enough to get out. I leapt free with my ears flicking in every direction and one eye on the ground, praying for all I was worth as I floated out my tools.

"Come on repair-pony powers, don't fail me now," I whispered manically, closing the armor back up and tearing the panel off the minigun firing mechanism. I frantically wired it to the rerouted circuit I had set up in the armor. Stupid thing had fought me at every turn and I had to override every safety I found, warning me against the very dire cascading system failure I could ...accidentally... cause if I wasn't a trained technician.

A growl from the street made me sure that was good enough and I ducked around the corner of the alley, just as a large shadow cut off the light of the fires burning out in the street. The power armor stood facing it, minigun aimed forward to the alley entrance and the approaching beast. With a glow of magic, I spun up the minigun from the outside and it roared, explosions sounding off rapidly for a bare moment before it ran dry again. So that's what the EX meant... wish I had more of those to begin with. The thing in the alley howled in pain, it didn't like that. The crude wire running from the gun to the armor's back sparked and I could faintly hear alarms wailing inside it as I dashed away, hoping I could make enough distance.

The monster charged down the alley and slammed into the vacant armor as I sprinted away. I kept glancing over my shoulder, hoping I faded away in the shadows enough to escape immediate notice. The hellhound shredded the armor with satisfaction, tearing into it and shaking it like a chew toy. It seemed I had annoyed it anyway, good. It was enjoying itself as I caught the sight of the casing holding the spark generator glowing orange and hissing under its claws. I poured on every last bit of speed I had left and jumped for the open dumpster at the end of the alley, cresting the lip of it as the rainy night turned to day.

I woke up surrounded by 200 year old garbage, my pip-buck ticked steadily at me and I felt like I had just been on a ride through the industrial dryer in the Stable laundry. In the distance, I could hear people shouting my name moving around. Groaning weakly, I struggled up and pushed the dumpster lid open, which was now to the side instead of above me for some reason.

Everything was fuzzy and spinning.... hmm... no wonder I felt like a freshly laundered Stable barding, I followed the trail the dumpster had followed. A series of impact points and broken walls through a ruined house, led towards a smoking crater to the west side of Poncord. I had been thrown in the dumpster as it tumbled away from the blast and must have hit every side of it judging by all the blood splashed on every side... wow... lots of blood...

I took a couple weaving steps as Preston came galloping into the backyard the dumpster had come to rest in. An expression of relief wiped away by concern. I raised a hoof and stumbled woozily in a wave of dizziness, "H-hey... did.. did we win?" I slurred and fell face first into the mud.

----------------Level Up!------------------

New Perk Added!----------------

Foal at Heart-
--I know you are but what am I! So what if you like foal's stuff like the Shrouded Stallion, This perk greatly improves your interactions with children, granting unique dialogue options with foals and other foals at heart.

Reputation Change---------------

Minutemares- Liked-
So there's only one left, after fighting their side Preston and his crew trust you.

Thundega Raiders- Vilified!
Ok, you weren't going to be friends anyway. These raiders now have a grudge against you in particular. On the plus side, you are viewed as their own personal grim reaper pony and may be able to intimidate some of them.

Author's Note

Thanks as always to Kkat for creating FOE along with all the other authors adding to it. Also thanks to Aeluna for the constructive criticism, been a long time since I felt like writing and I'm pretty rusty. Tend to get all stream of consciousness and editing has never been my forte so friendly reminders always help!

Ch. 6-- Begin Again

Ch. 6-- Begin Again

"I'm gonna ask you a very personal question, and I want you to answer honestly. Do you... have a crush on..."

--------------

Crawl out through the fallout, baby
You know what I mean
Crawl out through the fallout
'Cause balefire ain't clean
If you cannot find the way
Just listen for my song
I'll love you all your life
Although that may not be too long

I woke with a groan, why was my bed so hard and thumping around like that? Wincing at another jolt, my eyes opened and focused on... the Shrouded Stallion?

"Mama Xara!! He's awake!" a young voice screeched, driving a spike of pain through my head. Slowly focusing past the Shroud toy sitting right in front of my muzzle, I looked up to see the young colt Short Stack holding it there.

"I see that little pony, I am sure your vigil was very helpful. Now let me see to him alright?" the old zebra mare spoke up to my side as everything thumped again.

Short nodded and leaned back to me whispering, "I knew the Shrouded Stallion wouldn't die from that! Um... here, I took care of it for you," he held up the toy and moved it back to rest against my side, before hopping down out of... where was I? He dropped off a fuzzy edge in front of me and I could see him peeking over it, walking along as cracked roadway receded in front of me.

"Easy little pony, here, drink," Xara spoke softly, pushing a foul smelling zebra potion in front of me. I swilled some of it down and looked up at her questioningly. "You came close there, visions or no, I was concerned your stars had changed. We are finally free of that dark place thanks to you, but I'd rather it not be at the expense of your life," the zebra said as I sputtered on the brew.

"W-Where?" I asked, pulling away from the jar she still held out, feeling the world come into somewhat better focus.

"Look out the cart and see, the smoke still hasn't quite cleared yet," she gestured out where Short Stack had jumped off the... cart? Ow... yes, another bump sending a wave of pain through me confirmed I was in a cart. Following her hoof, I saw Poncord over Short's head behind us, falling away in the clearing night. A thin ribbon of smoke etched the night sky, trailing across the moon peeking out from behind the retreating clouds.

Slowly, I raised my head and tried looking around, the old mare and myself were in a charred wooden cart clopping down the road. I had been wrapped in bandages in several places and covered in a ratty blanket. Craning my head back, I could make out Preston's funny hat at the front of the cart pulling us and a red rocketship off the road ahead. "Where.. where are we going?" I asked feebly. This was the direction I wanted right now anyway, but I had to get back.

"To your home of course. Where your shadow comes from, I've seen it in my visions before little pony. A sanctuary for us all," she nodded cryptically. Ok that was getting really bizarre, she knew where I came from? Using the word "Sanctuary" no less. I forced another drink of the potion she held out and felt marginally better.

"Wouldn't happen to be 'hills' in this sanctuary, would there Xara?" I asked, determined to not be outdone on vague comments.

She chuckled merrily and nodded, "It is called so on the map Sturges has shown me, I simply know that's where to go. Where we were trying to reach before we were trapped in that terrible place. Now hush, rest and eat, you lost quite a bit of blood and probably have a concussion. Here, you should take pony medicine as well," she answered and pushed a packet of Rad-Away to my face distastefully.

I slurped on the nasty orange flavored goop with a grumble as she rooted around in the cart, bringing out some kind of dried meat I looked at dubiously. Cooking meat in Cogsworth's stew was one thing, it was pretty tasty and easy not to think about it being meat. Gnawing on a hunk of dried flesh though... ugh... I supposed it was just taken for granted up here, a pony had to eat and farming didn't look like enough from what I had seen of the wasteland so far. With a grumble, I nibbled at the offered food and watched the Red Rocket pass by anxiously, we'd be back soon and I could get back to the Princess...

Sturges had noticed the conversation in the cart and trotted back to walk beside Short, giving an appreciative nod. "WoooooWHEEEE! That was one hell of a fireworks show back there Fast! Quick thinkin' setting up an overload like that, shame about the armor though. Still, bet that Hellhound never saw it coming!" he said happily.

I groaned and went back to working on the meat, my one experience with power armor had been more than enough for me. I could go the rest of my life without seeing another of those giant monster things again too. "What was that thing? It was horrible..." I answered with a shudder.

"Oh yeah, Stable-dweller, guess you wouldn't know. That back there was a Hellhound, big, nasty, mutated Diamond Dog with a bad attitude. Must have made its den under Poncord, all the fighting must'a woke it up. Right territorial those things are," Sturges answered sagely. Wait I hadn't told them I was a Stable pony had I? I looked up at him in confusion. "Oh... No worries, just had to go through your stuff for medical supplies, saw the barding in there. Never heard of 111 though, just open?" The fellow repair-pony answered quickly.

"Um... sort of... it's a long story," I answered sadly. Though he sounded familiar with Stables anyway and spoke like one opening wasn't terribly shocking. That was good, maybe they could answer some questions for me. "You know about other Stables Sturges? Other ones opening? Where are they?"

"Sure! All kinds of great salvage and tech comes out of those things when one shows up. Fairly nice settlement made outta one that opened a couple decades ago too, Stable 81. Kinda snobby ponies, but they'll deal with the outside at least. So you really do come from one? Didn't just find the barding huh? Explains a lot," he rattled off.

Preston turned his head back to the cart as I heard the asphalt give way to wood beneath his hooves, "Heads up folks, we're here. Looks like we got company too, some kinda robot coming up. Not blasting us already anyway..." he said tensely.

"It's ok, I know him," I croaked up at him, getting a surprised look in return as we crossed into Sanctuary Hills.

"I say, make your intentions known there. I am armed and have been charged with protection of the premises," my robot pal spoke up, floating into range. Grunting with effort, I sat up and looked over to him, catching his attention easily. "Master Fast! Thank goodness! So good to see you safe, oh but you look a fright! Did these ponies do this to you?" he asked sternly, his weapons coming up threateningly.

"Cogs it's ok! They're who the Princess was supposed to go after, they helped me get back, they're friends buddy," I soothed the agitated robot and tried crawling out of the cart. Cogsworth hovered up to my side, his eyestalks going all over me taking in the damage and placing his claw on my shoulder to steady me. "Cogsworth... is she ok?"

The loyal Mr. Handy bobbed up and saluted with his buzz saw limb smartly, "Of course sir! As requested I have attended to our guest with utmost care. She slumbers peacefully where you left her, nary a feather out of place."

The refugees of Whinny watched with interest after seeing the robot wasn't a threat and started following my trudging progress up the street. Preston unhitched himself, leaving the cart at the bridge and Mama Xara hopped out of the cart behind me, the two of them walking to either side of me to help me along. Long Jump and Cloudy Sun brought up the rear with Sturges, their foal Short Stack trotting along looking at Cogsworth and my ruined neighborhood curiously. Up ahead, a small fire was still burning at the entrance to my house's garage, keeping the chill at bay and providing a little light. As we approached, my pip-buck flashed text and trumpeted in my ear;

Mission Completed!: As You Wish

Objective Completed-
-- ~~Lead the Whinny Refugees to Safety~~

"So, we finally get to meet this Princess of yours Fast? Well, I told you I'd kiss her hooves for sending you if we got out of that mess, have to keep my word," Preston nickered to my left. The Minutemare looked even worse for wear than when I met him, fresh bandages wrapped on top of old ones. The damage painting a picture of the long, hard road this group had traveled to get here, at Mama Xara's direction apparently.

"Well... She's was hurt badly, I don't wanna wake her if she's sleeping just for that Preston, you can pay up later ok? We can take a peek in on her though, I was worried leaving her here alone-" Cogsworth clucked testily, "-er, not alone of course Cogsworth, just...with me... not here," I tried to soothe any injured electronic pride.

"Yes of course young sir. I do believe Celestia herself would have been a grudging substitute for staying yourself as well," the robot teased.

I flushed, but had to admit he was right, I hadn't wanted to leave her with anyone, Cogsworth was the best possible anyone I knew here though. I trotted as quickly as I could manage as we turned up the driveway and reached the open door. I sighed in relief and happiness seeing the blue alicorn stretched across the couch I had left her on, sleeping peacefully.

I turned to whisper back to the others proudly, "See, there she is. Meet Princess Jade everypony, I'm sure she'll wanna talk to you all when she wakes up," I beamed.

"WHAT IS THAT DOING HERE?!" Cloudy Sun shouted with a grimace of hate, pulling her foal back to her and shaking a hoof at the princess. The others wore looks of surprise and concern looking in on her and I blinked in confusion at the mare's reaction, then felt a stab of annoyance at her.

"Sssh! Quiet! I said she's sleeping, what's wrong?!" I asked in confusion, the others were looking from her to me with a variety of expressions, none held the recognition or gratitude I had expected.

Sturges whistled and rubbed his hoof through his pompadour, embarrassed. Preston was surprised, but that faded to something approaching acceptance. Long Jump was trying to calm his wife with concern. Short Stack wriggled in his mother's grip looking around at everyone with the confusion I felt on my own face. Only Mama Xara seemed unperturbed in any way, of course the zebra said she saw the future, so I supposed she wasn't unprepared in the slightest, actually she looked at me sweetly and shrugged.

"What's wrong? What's wrong is we come all the way here because that stripe says it's safe and there's a fucking monster waiting on us!!" Cloudy screeched, snarling at Mama Xara and me in turn. Suddenly she pushed Short Stack back out of the garage and floated a rusty knife from her ratty dress, moving towards the couch, "She's hurt? Good! We should kill the bitch before she wakes up!"

My pistol appeared in front of her face before I had the slightest clue I was going to do it, "STAY AWAY FROM HER!" I bellowed. I could practically feel my eyes burning in fury and the yellow mare froze instantly. I moved to take up as much of the door as possible and started advancing on her, seething.

Preston quickly jumped between us, "Whoa! Hold on there! Everypony be cool! Fast, it's alright, she's not going to do a Celestia damned thing!" He shouted, turning back to the yellow unicorn, "Cloudy, drop that thing right now! What are you thinking!?"

The knife dropped from her green field of magic to the floor, but she glared around Preston fuming, "What am I thinking?! I just told you, I'm thinking we should kill that thing before it wakes up! Don't look at me like that you damn fool! Quit coddling that lovestruck Stable-pony that doesn't know a damn thing! She's a monster, none of you know! You didn't see those things in Fillydelphia! You've never seen what her kind really are, the things they did! I'VE SEEN IT! Those monsters ripping ponies to pieces! Tearing foals from their mothers! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE IS!!!" Cloudy screamed, tears streaming from eyes narrowed in rage and pain, as she shook and pointed at the alicorn on the couch.

I racked the slide on the pistol, ejecting a cartridge just to be sure it was loaded and make my point. "SHE IS A PRINCESS!" I boomed back at her, "You're right, I don't know much, I have no idea what you're talking about! I DO know you would be dead as Discord without her though! I know SHE sent me to save you! I know you owe her your miserable LIFE! and I know if you hurt her, I. WILL. END. YOU!" I roared at her, forcing her back down the driveway through sheer will.

Now I knew what it felt like when mom got that look in her eye... the reaction I saw on their faces was the same she could create. They had all backed away slowly, their eyes shrinking to pinpricks before the storm raging in front of them. I knew I meant it too, right or wrong I'd do it and be unable to stop myself before it was over. Looking past her, I saw her foal Short staring past the others in terror and suddenly the fire I felt in my head eased off. I lowered the pistol and sat down with a thump.

Mama Xara broke the silence, the only one largely undisturbed by the whole exchange. "That is enough I think. Everypony is tired, bodies and souls. Cloudy, I know why you feel as you do, but this filly is not those you knew. Fast, no one doubts your word on this matter. If she sent you to us, she has our gratitude, no one would think of hurting her," Cloudy sputtered and Xara snapped her head to her, silencing the mare with a momentarily furious look, before turning back kindly.

"I think this is best left for the light of Celestia's dawn. With your permission Fast, I think I would be quite comfortable in your lovely home. I will sleep in the living room and grant you your privacy, but if she awakens I hope to help her injuries and should continue to treat your own. There are many other nearby homes for everyone else to spread out to, yes?" she asked calmly.

I relaxed with her soothing voice and nodded, eyeing Cloudy a moment before answering. "The house next door to the left is off limits. It belongs to a friend of mine. Anywhere else is fine." I stowed the pistol away again and dragged myself back to the couch, pulling one of the blankets nearby down to the floor in front of it and flopping down, staring out at the door with my head resting on my hooves.

The others relaxed and gave their awkward nods goodnight before filing out. Long Jump put a hoof around his wife's shoulder and guided her away, giving their foal Short a nudge to follow. He looked upset and glanced back as they walked away, I sighed and waved as he went. "Sorry Short..." I called softly to him, he gulped and looked conflicted, but nodded before following his parents out.

Mama Xara gestured to the blankets I had stacked near the couch and I waved her on. I expected her to try to talk or defuse things, but she was true to what she said about saving it for the day, merely nodding thanks and taking several of the blankets out of the garage to the others as they started looking about for a place to sleep.

"Cogsworth..." I called out to the door and waited as the robot bobbed forward from where he hid beside the doorway. As soon as I had the gun on Cloudy, he had moved and readied his weapons, if it had gone bad I had no doubt he would have incinerated all of them if needed. "Could you stay out there and keep an eye out?" I asked softly.

"Of course sir, rest easy, only the zebra will be permitted to approach," he answered quietly and turned back to his hiding spot. Good robot.

I huffed and stared out at the night sky, looking at the moon framed in the doorway. I laid there in front of the couch with my head buzzing angrily, I couldn't think productively about anything that had happened, I was just angry. As I fumed, I felt a light touch on my shoulder and heard a soft whisper drift down,

"S-she was right you know..."

I practically sprained my neck spinning back over my shoulder and looked up into two blue pools half covered by weary lids, a blue wing had reached out and gingerly touched me... I was no longer angry... or able to think.

"P-P-Princess Jade!" I stammered and tried to get my legs to work right so I could get up and get Mama Xara. Before I could manage, she stretched the wing down and stilled my legs as they flailed.

"Just Jade. I tried to tell you... A-Are you alright? How did you get so hurt Fast?" She whispered gently, a tear glimmering on her cheek as she looked me up and down wearily, "Oh... oh mother... you went didn't you? T-Those were the ponies in Poncord?" she asked putting things together.

I nodded slowly, staring up into those beautiful eyes... "You couldn't. S-Said they needed help, I had to."

She sighed sadly and stroked my bandaged side, tracing the wounds I wore, "You foalish... y-you could have died. What were you thinking?"

"......duh......."

"F-Fast?" she asked in concern, raising her wing up again. Thinking... yes, I could do that. Really.

"You couldn't Prin... umm... J-Jade..."You almost did die... I had to help. I... I..." I didn't have a good answer that didn't seem wrong with her so concerned and upset at my actions, but looking in those eyes I couldn't lie either. Fine, the truth then. "Because when I heard how much you wanted to save them, even when you were so hurt yourself... I thought to myself... I-I'd do anything for a filly like that, I wanted to."

I risked a glance up to see her looking down with wide, confused eyes that shone wetly, crap...

"I'm butchering this, why can't I talk to fillies without utterly screwing it up? I-I know that's wrong to say to a P-Princess! Sorry! But... I thought maybe I could be like... like your knight and at least help you?" I finished lamely, blushing and hiding under my hooves.

Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, softening with a sad smile. "Fast... It is just Jade. I- I am no princess. You... you know nothing, do you? A-About my kind?"

I shook my head slowly, "Your kind? You're a pony. Alicorn ponies are still ponies like anypony else, just Princesses too... I mean, I never saw another besides Celestia and Luna before you anyway, so I assume... Maybe the world was destroyed and there aren't any kingdoms anymore, but a Princess is still a Princess."

Her smile grew brighter and she sniffled, "Thank you Fast, you are one of few to say I was a pony like any other, even though I am like this... That mare was right though, there are things you do not know... There are many other alicorns out there and we... we did bad things in the past. I-I am sure she has a reason to hate my kind so much. I will try to explain it all to you... tomorrow..." she yawned wearily and laid her head back down on the couch over me, looking down through heavily lidded eyes before closing them. "We should both rest, just... I am no princess Fast, I wish I were."

I set my head back down, going back to looking out at the moon and muttering quietly, "You are to me..." shutting my eyes.

I heard a rustle and my eyes snapped open as her wing reached down and covered me in warm feathers. She murmured softly as she drifted off to sleep, "Then I suppose... you can be be... my knight... if you still.... want..." her soft voice drifting off to gentle breathing as she slept.

I laid there for some time, wide eyed and red faced. She was the first living pony I had met up here. Maybe I latched on to her a little after losing everypony in the Stable and finding myself all alone out here. Maybe I didn't know anything about the world up here and little about her. Finding out there were lots of alicorns instead of just the two I knew about forced me to try to change my world view and was confusing... But I didn't care, when I first looked into those shimmering blue eyes, I was a lost cause, and it wasn't because I thought she was a Princess.

Besides, if it weren't for her, the refugees from Whinny would be dead, I only saved them because of her. I didn't care about anything Cloudy said these other alicorns did, or what anypony said for that matter. She cared about those in need of help above herself. She put her life on the line to do something about it. She made me want to be a better pony. If that wasn't a good Princess, what was?

Eventually the warm winged blanket proved too comfortable and I drifted off to sleep, happy.

Warm sunlight stung trying to needle in past my eyelids and I blinked awake slowly. Everything hurt too much to try moving, so I just let my eyes try to focus laying on the floor.

"I do not know much about treating your kind little... hmm big pony I suppose... my brews should help a bit however. If I can... ngh... get through all these bandages the little pony wrapped you up in. My, how many did he use?" Mama Xara was nickering in front of me with Prin... with Jade, standing framed by the garage door and the morning sun behind them.

"All of them," I groaned, looking up at the two as they turned to look down at me. Mama Xara was walking on her hind legs, moving about in some strange zebra way as she circled Jade, pulling bandages away from her battered hide.

The elderly zebra was in the middle of tugging a long strip away from her flank and Jade flushed, lowering a wing to cover the blank expanse she had revealed. "F-Fast! You are awake, good! You did not move when Mama Xara here came to get me. I was concerned, your wounds look even worse in the daylight..." she gasped and turned quickly, nearly knocking Xara aside.

With a grunt, I tried to push myself to sit up, masking the pain, "Oh no, I'm fine see! Why this is noth..." I tried to answer nonchalantly and started to fall as a wave of dizziness ran through me. A small gasp came from the alicorn and I was suddenly stopped a couple inches from cracking my head on the hard concrete floor, surrounded by a field of pale bluish white magic. I looked up to see her graceful horn glowing above her wide blue eyes, "Hey... got your magic back huh?" I asked, trying to play off the near faint.

"Y-Yes, the drink you left and some rest have helped a great deal," she gestured to the empty Sparkle Cola Rad bottle by the couch as she floated me up and set me down on the couch. A soda helped? "I only wish I had not lost my belongings, I did have supplies for myself that would be more effective," Jade said wistfully.

Whoops... I gave an embarrassed smile, scratching my mane and looking up sheepishly. "Uh... sorry... I forgot, I went and got them for you. Here! Hang on, sorry!" I stammered nervously and started rooting in my saddlebags frantically. The zebra and alicorn watched with amusement as I started throwing things out of the way in haste.

I realized I could have already found them had I used my pip-buck inventory to begin with, just as I finally found what I was after. I yanked the bloodstained yellowing lab coat free, along with the yellow and pink medical box saddlebags with a flourish and presented them.

Jade dashed forward and grabbed me in a crushing hug, floating her belongings up in her magic. "You got them! Oh thank goodness! Thank you Fast!" she beamed as I froze in her grip, changing colors rapidly from black to red then to blue. She released her grip and turned to the medical boxes happily as I gasped for air, "I was afraid they were gone forever! I could not lose it, is it still... yes!" she squealed with delight, opening the box with all the holotapes and the pinkish glowing memory orb.

Assured the contents of that side were still there, she opened the other box and floated out one of the radioactive healing potions and popped it open, "Wait those are no good!" I tried to warn as she drank down the green tinted potion and gave a little whinny and shudder.

As I watched, the wounds Mama Xara had revealed beneath the bandages she had managed to remove started healing properly. Unlike under the effects of the three normal purple potions I had used. Wha?

Xara held up the other potion in the box and looked it over appreciatively, "I see... I have known ghouls who have made adjustments like this to normal medicine. I believe I can alter my own recipes to serve your needs in the future big pony," she nodded and returned the potion.

"How come that worked and mine didn't? It was radioactive! I didn't throw it away 'cause it was yours but... it was bad wasn't it? And what's a ghoul?" I asked in confusion. I was a little frustrated too, I threw every bit of medical knowledge dad ever made me absorb at her when I was terrified she was going to die. Just that one bad potion was better than most of my meager supplies at the time?

Jade smiled and shuffled her hooves a bit, "I told you... there is a lot you do not know about my kind Fast. R-Radiation heals us..." she whispered with a hint of embarrassment.

Healed by radiation? Huh.. that was pretty impressive actually. Must be convenient with the world like this, some kind of special magic or something? I looked down at the empty Sparkle Cola-Rad bottle, well that explained why a bottle of soda helped her. Thinking on it now, deliberately adding "the refreshing taste of radiation" to a radish flavored soda seemed pretty bizarre. I just remembered begging for it in the Super Duper Mart with mom and finally getting a small case to placate me.

"Oh... sorry, I didn't know about that, I could have helped you a lot sooner if I had..." I replied, drooping in my seat and looking down. I felt horrible now, she had been struck by lightning and suffered under my fumbling care until now. When she had potions that would have worked properly the whole time I just forgot to return to her.

"Do not be silly Fast.. you did not know!" she shook her head and patted my head, before trotting back to Mama Xara to continue removing my clumsy bandages. "Xara and Cogsworth tell me you are a Stable-dweller? You could not have possibly known, besides I only have the two... one now. Even using both of them, I do not believe they would have been enough to heal me this much!"

That made me feel a little better anyway, I had done the best I knew how. The rules were simply different for alicorns apparently.

"That's pretty neat though Jade, getting healed by radiation I mean. I guess that's why the Hydra I had to use didn't bother you the way I expected either huh?" I shrugged up at her, curious now.

"Neat? You're not... bothered by that?" She asked in surprise and I shook my head. "Er.. yes Fast, we were born from the holy liquid found in Hydra, the taint in it doesn't harm us. Most ponies find those aspects of our biology frightening though," she answered slowly, like she was expecting the same from me any second.

"That's stupid, there's lot's of radiation around right? Being healed by it must be useful," I looked up to give a reassuring smile and noticed Preston at the end of the driveway looking in, being blocked by Cogsworth still on guard duty.

"I'm sorry sir, Master Fast has asked me to insure no one may approach Miss Jade except Miss Xara, you will have to wait," he informed the Minutemare who kept trying to peer around the floating round robot.

"So you've said all morning robot, come on, he's awake now, ask him!" Preston answered in frustration, clearly Cogsworth had been taking his task seriously.

"It's alright Cogs, let him through, you don't have to guard the door any more ok? Thanks pal," I called from the couch to him. The faithful Mr. Handy turned an eyestalk back to me and saluted, bobbing out of Preston's way and gesturing for him to pass.

"Of course sir! If you have no need of me I shall begin preparing a hearty brunch for you and our guests," he burbled and floated off.

"Finally, that robot of yours doesn't leave any room for debate Fast. I've been trying to check on you all morning and he wouldn't budge. So, feeling alright? Mama Xara said you should be ok since she was allowed to come and go as she pleased anyway," the last Minutemare walked up and ran his eyes over my wounds.

"I've felt better Preston. Look... sorry about last night, I didn't mean to lose it there just... I don't like ponies threatening my friends," I answered, feeling my expression harden for a moment thinking about Cloudy Sun pulling that knife and moving towards Jade.

Preston's face softened and he shook his head, "Don't worry about it, it's a good quality. You can be pretty scary when you want bud. Besides, Cloudy crossed the line, no matter how she feels about alicorns, she had no business pulling that, my apologies ma'am," he nodded to Jade, who looked pleasantly surprised, giving a little nod and smile. "That reminds me, I made Fast a promise and I aim to keep it, if you'll pardon me..."

With that, he trotted over to the filly and dropped to the ground, puckering up and planting a big, wet sounding kiss on first one hoof, then the next, before starting again. Jade's eyes widened blushing down at him, "W-What?" she stammered as Preston kept going with a smirk.

"I swore (smack) if we made it out of there (smack) I'd kiss the hooves of the Princess (smack) who sent young Fast there to save us missy, a Minutemare (smack) keeps his word after all," he smiled up at her between her hooves.

Jade looked from me to Preston in confusion before pulling the next hoof away, shaking her head at him. "I-I did not send him, he went on his own! Please, that is enough, you do not owe me a-anything!" she exclaimed as Preston stood back up and tipped his hat at her. "You said you are a Minutemare? You are who I was sent to find! I was trying to reach you when I heard your band had been trapped in Poncord on the radio, Fast rescued me and took up my mission without even knowing anything about it. Here! This is for the General of the Minutemares, all the way from Manehatten," she gushed happily and reached into her medical boxes, pulling the glowing memory orb out in her mouth and leaning down to present it to Preston.

A sad look passed Preston's face as he took the offered magical ball in his hooves, looking up to Jade as she sat expectantly in front of him, beaming. "I thank you ma'am, but I'm afraid the General's gone... I'm all that's left and I can't do anything with this, no horn. Don't suppose you have something a little more earth pony friendly?"

Crestfallen, Jade looked around desperately, "But.. we were told the General was a unicorn... that there were many of you still? I-I heard the reports on the radio and knew things were bad but... you are really the last? Oh no... no...." hearing the despair in her voice was like a knife through the heart, prompting me to raise a hoof from the couch and cough for attention.

"Umm... I'm a unicorn... I could look at it, if you wanted anyway... Then I could tell Preston what's on it, even if he's the last, you'd be delivering the message right? So long as he trusts me to tell him what's on it that is," I said quietly. After last night's show, I was clearly biased when it came to Jade, but I could promise to tell the truth and watch the memory for him.

Preston laughed at that, trotting over and dropping the orb on the couch beside me. "Oh sure, because you're such an untrustworthy sort there Fast. By all means, take a look, I'm curious about a message from so far away."

Mama Xara had finished freeing Jade from all the bandages and they both walked over as well, Jade sat in the floor in front of me, watching anxiously while Xara nodded and pushed me to my side, "That seems a fine idea little pony, if you are lost in dreams for a bit, I can tend to your wounds without you feeling anything and complaining, yes?"

I would have things to complain about? That sounded pleasant...

"Right! Off I go then!" I touched the glowing orb with my magic and the world swirled away.

Dad had told me about memory orbs, he often used them in his work and even knew the memory magic involved in their creation. I'd frequently get to play in his office as a foal without bothering him, because he was dead to the world with a glowing orb in his hooves, reclining in a soft chair he kept for the purpose.

They were clever bits of magic, able to allow one to experience the recorded memories of another pony as a kind of passenger. While you were inside the orb, your body was just kinda... vacant, so you had to plan out when and where to use them. Though you could speed up the process with the right magic, it was draining, so he'd be unconscious while I played at edge of his chair.

Another interesting effect was you felt like you inhabited the body the memory belonged to, it was a recording of all their sensory input after all. You didn't find out what the pony was thinking or feeling really, but say the pony was missing a leg, you'd feel like you were too. I had never experienced being in a memory orb myself though, thus it was rather alarming for a moment, feeling certain bits of anatomy missing...

I only panicked for a moment at least, being in some other pony's memory was a bit like being in S.A.T.S., you were conscious, but disconnected from your body. The only difference was everything wasn't frozen.

So I found myself in a mare, a horn was where it should be, so that was familiar at least. Although there was something additional too... wings? An alicorn? I was in the memory of an alicorn, interesting. I wasn't in Jade's memory was I?! Riding around as a passenger in her beautiful body was a complicated thought...

I was staring at what looked like a school, for a second I thought it was the old world it looked so idyllic. Clear sunny skies, the first green grass I had seen in 200 years, smiling ponies...and zebras, and griffons, Luna save me was that a cyborg Hellhound?, and alicorns... lot's of alicorns...

Jade wasn't kidding. There were blue ones, purple ones, green ones, blue ones, purple ones... hmm... not a lot of color variety was there? I only saw mares too, very lacking in variety. I did note with some happiness that while there were lots of other alicorns, none of them made me all... senseless... like Jade did. That was reassuring, it wasn't just because of how she looked that my brain disengaged anyway. There were plenty of very pretty blue ones roaming about in view I just thought of as other ponies, or more specifically as "Not Jade".

The view panned around, taking in the schoolyard and looking over the windows, opened for the warm summer day, not just empty frames with broken glass. Desks were arranged in the aged but clean rooms and students of all kinds sat attentively learning from instructors. Suddenly the view lifted and I was flying, soaring about the school, taking it all in. It was in a ruined city, but full of life, leaning and shattered skyscrapers lined the horizon, one was in nearly perfect condition though. This must be Manehatten, I saw pictures before the war, though I guessed it could be a number of places in the wasteland.

The flying tour of the school wound down, the mare I was viewing things through swept through the air by a flagpole near the walled entrance of the campus, a yellow flag with three pink butterflies fluttered on the breeze. After making a loop around the flag, the flier fluttered to the ground in front of a light tan unicorn mare with a styled red and orange mane.

The unicorn stood in front of a new looking statue of a unicorn mare with a flowing mane and a nightingale cutie mark carved on the stone flanks. She wore a pair of half moon glasses on her snout and a lab coat and medical box saddlebags like Jade, though much cleaner. The mare smiled up at the alicorn I was watching from kindly, wow... so this was what it was like to be tall...

"Greetings! I am Tender Smarts and this is the Manehatten campus of the Followers of the Apocalypse!" she waved expansively around her.

"This is a memory being recorded by my good friend Umber, the alicorn you're inhabiting, for the General of the Minutemares in the Commonwealth. So pleased to meet you!"

I could feel a smile on Umber's face, "Technically you are not meeting anyone but me Tender," I felt her say, that was weird...

"Yes, yes, I know Umber. Try to think of the pony receiving this though, hmm? Anyway, Umber graciously volunteered so we could show you all we have accomplished here, you gave a good show right?" the view nodded up and down, "Great! Now, I'm showing you all this and sending it as a memory orb due to difficulties we've had communicating effectively with you ponies in the Commonwealth.

We don't know why and I'm sure you must be aware of the issue from your side as well. It's nothing easy to pinpoint like geography, megaspell effects, or other dangers that divide our world. Rather, the Commonwealth has always seemed to... conspire against contact with the outside. Not in dribs and drabs of course, travelers make the trip and return with all kinds of fascinating information and salvage. But every concerted effort by large groups to come in from the outside has met with failure for one reason or another. The Grand Pegasus Enclave couldn't rule the skies there at their height. Umber tells us that the goddess was largely rebuffed when she tried to extend her influence in that corner of the world when she lived. Even today, the Lightbringer is largely cut off, most of the information we have comes through a friend with a clever trick using sprite-bots.

Before the war, the Commonwealth and the city of Trotson were a jewel in the crown of Equestria. The Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology was a place of learning that produced many great minds that worked in the various Ministries. Many of Equestria's war weary veterans retired there or worked in the private sector. There was contact is what I'm getting at, since the war however... it has largely been left to its own devices.

Since the day of Sunshine and Rainbows, the Followers of the Apocalypse have made it our mission to improve the lives those in the wasteland. The school you see here is just one result of our efforts, though we're quite proud. We believe in helping everyone regardless of what they look like or where they come from. We have set up hospitals and send aid out into the wasteland, built other schools like this one and orphanages, we try to do better, to be better than we were, make the world a better place.

From what our watching friend tells us, the Minutemare's are a group with similar goals. There to 'defend the ponies of the Commonwealth at a minutes notice' I believe you say? We know how difficult the road you travel is and want to help, from our information the Minutemare's represent a real hope for the Commonwealth and we would foster it. As such, we are sending this message along with a wing of our alicorn friends here, who have volunteered to travel there and be our representatives. They are all well trained, exemplifying our values, suited to the rigors of traveling to the Commonwealth alone and have vowed to do all they can to help.

Now I know many don't trust the alicorns, they have a dark past that isn't their fault and they have struggled since the goddess fell. Many are still confused to this day, trying to find themselves or continuing with their bad behavior as it's all they know. Many have fled Equestria entirely, forming their own societies or turning into powerful raiders. We don't know the situation there but beg you give them a chance.

We know we can make this a better world together and hope to help the Commonwealth, re-establishing ties with Equestria so together, we can do better."

I rubbed my flank painfully, sitting out under the warm sunshine and munching on the bloatsprite omelette and canned applesauce Cogsworth had managed to put together. I wished that memory orb had been just a few minutes longer, waking up to a zebra digging shrapnel out of your side was an experience I could have done without... Though having Jade heal me with her restored magic had been nice.

Preston sat in front of me, muttering to himself sadly, going over the message I had relayed with some difficulty. I could repeat what the friendly mare had said, but there were quite a few gaps I didn't actually understand. She spoke of a goddess of the alicorns, singular, not the Goddesses, plural. A Grand Pegasus Enclave, whatever that was? Somepony with the impressive title of Lightbringer and a day of Sunshine and Rainbows, like either of those things were amazingly unique for some reason. Finally she seemed to have referred to Watcher?

"I'm sorry to disappoint ma'am but you're too late now. The Minutemares are finished, I'm the last one and I'm no general. We're lucky to be alive at this point, can't help rebuild the Commonwealth when we can barely help ourselves. There are other settlements around I'm sure could use your help Miss Jade, I can help point you in the right direction I suppose. Damn shame, what Fast there described seemed like just what we need around here," Preston finally said, looking over to the blue alicorn sitting beside me.

She had managed to clean and repair her lab coat and sat nibbling at the food close by, she even fixed all the punctures and slashes in my Stable barding and I wore it again in the cool fall morning air gratefully. She frowned slightly, looking over to Preston and shaking her head, her wavy light blue mane shaking around her beautifully, I don't care how many alicorns I saw in that orb, this one was a Princess.

"B-But... I was sent for the Minutemares, the other settlements we know of are only concerned with themselves! You were supposed to be a real chance for the Commonwealth, what happened?" she cried in frustration and stamped her hoof.

Preston shrugged in resignation, "It all just fell apart with Whinny ma'am. I thought the same thing you did, that we could really make a difference, that everypony felt like I did, but... Ponies don't change, when we got called to protect Whinny, the General came and put out the call to the rest to take a stand and they... didn't." With a sigh, he pushed his plate away half eaten, "The others either just took care of themselves or died doing what we could alone. General Cake ordered me to escape with the refugees before the end, what you see here is all that I managed to save..."

Sturges hoofed him on the shoulder, trying to cheer the Minutemare, "I for one am pretty happy about that Preston ol' boy, er.. not the ones we lost on the way of course... more the being alive bit. You did your best in a bad position, I figured we were done for more than once."

"Yes Preston, we owe you our lives many times over. The others might not have held true to your beliefs in our hour of need, but your General and comrades in Whinny did and gave all they had for them. The Minutemares are not dead, so long as you hold onto those values," Mama Xara reached a hoof around his shoulders and gave him a comforting squeeze.

"I... Now what do I do? This was my mission, my sisters died to reach you and it was all for nothing? The Destroyer's lightning may as well have finished me..." Jade wailed and drooped beside me, utterly defeated.

Seeing her like that hurt... that little ember in me flared again. At the Minutemare's for falling apart and being selfish, at these Gunners for killing all the good ones left but Preston, at the raiders who had tried to finish the job, most of all at the wasteland the world had become where hope so casually died. These things hurt my Princess, they should pay...

I stood up and stamped my hooves, bringing only a little wince now. "NO! Don't say that! You... you can't give up like that Prin... Jade... Mama Xara's right, the Minutemares aren't dead, just broken! We just have to... to fix it!" I shouted, staring out at them. Even Short Stack and his parents sitting apart from us, keeping their distance from me..., looked up at that. "I don't know much about things up here, but I remember the world before the war, ponies working together can do amazing things! I saw it again in that memory! If things are broken, then you fix it! I'm just a repair-pony but I know that..."

Jade looked up at me and sniffled, putting on a sad smile while the others stared at the outburst. I didn't care what it took, if it made her happy I'd find some way to fix it, I was good at fixing things after all. If she expected the Minutemares to be a force for good in the Commonwealth, to reach out and help others and bring whatever was out there together, then that's what they needed to be again.

Spreading out and joining ponies together out here could only help me find out what happened to my Stable too. The thought of 900 stasis pods out there slowly running out of power still drove me forward. I had to believe I had time to find them, that they had spent the last 80 years working like my own, and could keep working long enough for me to save them.

Preston stared at me, a flicker of guarded, desperate hope in his brown eyes. "Fast... where would we even start? A hoofful of ponies alone in a ruined neighborhood with nothing? What the Minutemares were supposed to be, you'd need a real settlement as a base, safety, security, more ponies... the right kind of ponies... we have nothing."

I stood up frowning and started trotting away, toward the bridge out of Sanctuary. Preston called to my back as I stomped forward, "Fast! What are you doing?!"

Turning over my shoulder to look at the huddled group of miserable ponies, I glared back, "Fixing it! If that's what we need then that's what I'll do! Cogsworth! Come on!" I shouted and turned back, trotting to the cart that had carried me home, passing out of view of the others.

"Good show sir! Right away!" Cogsworth floated up behind me as I started attaching myself to the cart and straining to pull it. Pointing myself to the Red Rocket shining in the sunlight in the distance.

I had latched on to the only really productive idea I had at the moment. I just had to do something, anything, so I went with what I knew. I had taken a quick inventory of the Red Rocket, idly thinking of things I could salvage and improve my home up here before, now there was a more pressing reason to follow up. If I was going to make things better here, give some kind of start to work with, I'd need tools.

I tossed parts and tools from the sky carriage garage to the battered cart I had managed to park outside with a grumble. The place had definitely been looted over the years, but most of the equipment had been untouched. Survival related things like the yellow medical box in the restroom had been important, not scrap and equipment to build and fix things. They just sat here going to waste, well not anymore.

Floating a Horse & Horse Tools welder up, I huffed and tossed it in the cart on top of the rest Cogsworth and I had stripped from the place. My assistant was currently floating out under the overhanging roof in front of the building, pulling the lighting and capacitors I couldn't reach. I took a look out the front window and waved at him, turning back to the small utility closet behind me and the arcano-tech generator I had found yesterday, pulling my tools from my saddlebags.

Sitting on the dusty floor disconnecting the dead generator, I sighed, working listlessly. This was stupid, but the only thing I could think of. I could improve Sanctuary, make it somewhere good to live, at least dry and warm. Rebuilding a group like the Minutemares wasn't like rebuilding the generator in front of me though...

"What am I doing? Goddesses help me, she must think I'm such an idiot..." I grumbled to myself in the dark closet.

"N-No you are not... I do not think so Fast..." a meek voice spoke up behind me.

I thought I was going to hit the ceiling jumping in surprise, I spun around and stared up into a pair of kind blue eyes. Jade was filling the small doorway behind me, ears drooping and shuffling shamefacedly.

"Gah! J- Jade! Don't sneak up on me like that!" I shouted, heart hammering. I was used to being the sneaky pony, not being snuck up on.

"Oh! I am sorry, I was standing here a few minutes, I did not want to interrupt. I do not think you are an idiot though..." she spoke softly, sitting down in front of me.

Sighing, I sat facing her and scratched my mane apologetically, "Er... sorry. For that back there.. I didn't mean to blow up at everyone. I don't know what I'm even doing, saying just fix it... that's just all I know. I thought fixing up Sanctuary would make it like a real settlement and then... stuff would happen... then... I don't know."

Jade shook her head and smiled, "No, I think it is a fine idea. I have seen what kind of difference giving ponies a place to be safe and try to make things better from can make. You saw the school right? That was a ruin just a few years ago. A-Are you alright Fast? You can be very sweet, but sometimes you get a look in your eye... I am ashamed to admit I do not know much about you, when you have done so much for me and the others, but I know you are hurting."

I considered lying, just playing it off like it was nothing but... Those patient blue eyes of hers though, I couldn't do it. I could feel my own red ones welling with restrained tears and gave up, wailing in the closet. "N-No.. I wanna go home! I miss my f-family, my friends, everypony! Everything was fine just two days ago! W-well two days for me... Everything I knew is gone! I don't know what I'm doing! I-I'm all alone and... and..."

I broke down and only froze a moment when she rushed forward and hugged me, wrapping me in her wings and cooing, "Ssssh... it is alright... you are not alone, It is ok... just let it out." It was suddenly easy to do as she said and I sobbed into her chest, letting go of the last day that seemed to hold a lifetime of horror.

I thought of mom and dad and Better, Sunset and Grizz, Sprockets, Mrs. Ladle, Overstallion Shores, even Hearty Forks, of all the Shift 3 ponies I didn't know that well but had grown up around, of the mountain of skeletons of so many Shift 4 ponies, of the faces of every pony I had killed in such a short time since coming back to the surface. It may have been necessary, but the thought of the ease I had just... taken to wholesale slaughter like that...

The wasteland had barely touched me and already I had done such horrible things to survive, with hardly a second thought... so much blood... I thought of how my pistol just magically appeared pointed at a foals mother right in front of him, before I knew what was happening. That red, burning rage I never knew was there in the Stable taking over more than once up here. I was a bad pony, wasn't I?

"Ssshh, no you are not Fast... you are a good pony, do not be silly," Jade murmured down to me, apparently I had been pouring all of that out loud, sniveling in her blue hide. I looked up at her mortified, but she just closed her eyes and rocked in place. "I know all about being bad Fast, you are not it. Not even close..."

"D-d-don't say things like... like better the lightning killed y-you Jade... Y-you're the only reason I was hanging on... i-if you had died..." I shook under her. That was what had set me off, hearing her just give up like that. It wasn't fair to put that on her, but it was the truth.

She didn't balk at the weight I shoved on her though, "I know... I am sorry Fast. I guess we are both a bit of a mess hmm?" she whispered softly. "Why not tell me about where you come from and I will tell you, I told you I would explain did I not? I want you to know... and I want to know about you, you talked about before the war like you were there..." She sat back a bit and looked down softly, while I sniffled and wiped my muzzle, noting with embarrassment I had made a snotty mess of her chest.

"O-ok... I'll tell you Jade. It all started eighty three years ago..."

The sun climbed the sky, no Princess Celestia guided it, but it made its way nearly directly overhead as we talked, sitting on a stool at the counter of the Red Rocket. Cogsworth floated in occasionally checking on us, on his last trip he had returned with a handful of bottles of Sparkle Cola, after sawing his way into the machine outside adorned with the picture of an ecstatic Flutershy.

Jade sipped her Sparkle Cola-Rad and looked at me warmly, "So, not just a Stable-dweller, you really are from before the war... You are even more of a Stable-dweller than normal. No wonder..."

"What?" I asked, confused by what that meant.

"Well.. Stable-dwellers show up in the wasteland sometimes Fast. Some are good, some are bad, some do things that change the wasteland itself. One of Equestria's greatest heroes and one of its worst villains were both from a Stable. I have a book in my holotapes you should read..."

"What I mean though, is Stable ponies are different, they are often strange in the wasteland because they're closer to the way things were, growing up in safety. They are also often a little odd, depending on what kind of Stable it was, the wasteland can corrupt anything, even ponies hidden deep underground. Ideas meant to make things better, even virtues become twisted."

"You though... you are a pony from before the war. A pony who was a foal and remembers the world as it was through the eyes of a foal, through the best lens possible... It is a unique viewpoint in the wasteland, I understand certain things about you now. I can see why you thought I was a Princess for example"

She giggled a bit at the last and booped my nose. I didn't think it was that funny, I still privately thought she was a Princess. But not simply because of her alicorn status anymore at least. I took another drink and looked out at Cogsworth bobbing along, dragging the mattress from the small bed in the office with him, thinking.

I had been processing her story while I told my own, it was a lot to take in but I was getting there. This goddess that created the alicorns had done terrible things, but in a twisted kind of way she was trying to help. She had to be stopped, but I felt bad for Jade, telling the story, it was clear that losing her mother hurt her as much as losing mine did, more probably. The goddess forced the transformation into what she was now on her, and had dominated her like Watcher taking over the sprite bots. But in the end she had protected her children and they were left alone in the wasteland to fend for themselves, I could relate to that.

Being some kind of huge, hive mind amalgamation of thousands of souls had left her children confused and the filly before me now had gone through a lot to become what she was. No wonder so much of herself was wrapped up in these Followers of the Apocalypse, in her mission, in things she chose for herself as her own pony. She had to work hard to get here.

"Jade... do you remember? Who... who you were before?" I asked, curious. Was she the pony I knew now then? Would I feel the same way about her, or was she something different?

The blue alicorn sighed and looked up at the rotting ceiling tiles wistfully, "I get flashes, little bits and pieces. There are parts of lots of different ponies in me though, I think they mixed together and made something new. Though I feel certain things stronger than others. When I look at you for example, I think 'Oh, another pony my age' even though technically this body is only a few years old physically. Mostly I do not think about the past, I cannot do anything about it, but I can choose what to do now and in the future. I can be better, that is what the Followers are all about."

She paused and looked at me closely, anxiety crossing her face as she pressed her forehooves together nervously, "So, now that you know the truth, why Cloudy Sun hates my kind... what I am... D-do you... you are not scared of me too, are you?"

I nearly fell off my stool and shook my head vigorously, "No! I don't see any of those bad things you were forced to do, I just see Jade. I don't feel any different than when I met you. You're... you.. that's all that matters to me."

That rewarded me with a broad smile crossing her face with a slight blush, her eyes sparkled and she leaned down to nuzzle me happily, brain... no.... thinky... gud....

"Thank you Fast! Seeing how you looked at me made me so happy, feel normal for once... I wanted to be the princess you thought I was so badly to live up to that.. I was afraid once you knew the truth, that look would go away and no one would see me like that again. It is better seeing it in your eyes for just me though, I am glad I told you," she gushed happily.

"Ah to be young..." a voice called from the doorway and I fell off my seat with a crash as Jade gave a little "Eep!" and fluttered to the ceiling.

"Aww you ruined it Preston, I was waiting for his head to explode," Sturges nickered from the doorway.

Perfect timing guys, thanks a lot....

An hour or so later we walked back to Sanctuary together, Preston pulled the heavily laden cart with earth pony ease. It was a good thing they had come to check on us, I don't think I could have managed, even with magic and Cogsworth to help. I hadn't really thought things through that far when I came out here.

Sturges had helped pull the old arcano-tech generator and we chatted back and forth about repairs and where to start in Sanctuary. The fellow repair-pony had taken to the idea with gusto and was anxious to get to work, fixing things always felt good. We could improve things in our new home, have light and heat in the face of the dark, cool, fall evenings, have a roof over our heads to keep out the rains, do something productive.

Already he had moved past just the basic goals I had thought of working towards, optimistically looking much further ahead. Talking about turning the island suburb into a real settlement, building walls, growing food, meeting the needs of a population far beyond just the hoofful of us. Sturges would have made a good city planner or even a mayor back before the war, he seemed quite taken with the idea and was filled with renewed hope and energy that was infectious.

I guessed it wasn't such a bad idea after all, even if I hadn't thought it through very well. Turning back to what prompted it, I decided the whole plan was still worth following through on. I would help Preston rebuild the Minutemares, become the force for good in the Commonwealth Jade had expected to find and use them to search for what happened in my Stable. They were supposed to be known far and wide and held in high regard, having a group like that helping me search would probably open a lot of doors, and I had precious little to go on right now.

Fixing the broken Minutemares would require a lot more than some salvage from a sky chariot station, but I knew where to start. I simply hadn't thought of it because I was reluctant to face what it required. Jade was right though, I couldn't do anything about the past, I could choose what to do now and in the future.

As we crossed the wooden bridge back to Sanctuary, I called out to Preston to stop, "Preston, you said it would take a lot to try to fix the Minutemares and you're right, but I still think it's the right thing to do. You were right about us needing a lot and that it will be hard too. But you were wrong about one thing, you said we have nothing right?"

The last Minutemare looked over with interest and nodded, "So I did Fast, sorry I was feeling sorry for myself. Thanks for the buck in the rump, we have to find a way to fix it. So what do we have instead of nothing?"

I looked back with determination and gave up the past.

"We have a Stable..."

--------------------------------Level Up!----------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------

Quickdraw--
-Your weapons fly to your side practically without your knowledge! Makes weapon equipping and holstering 50% faster

Ch. 7-- The First Step

Ch. 7-- The First Step

"Biting off more than you can chew is just what I'm afraid of."

-------

"G-good evening everypony, that was the great um.. Sweetie Belle and I'm Traveling Miles. Well we have some good news tonight, for once.. er.. I think anyway. Reports are sketchy, but that big fight brewing in Poncord is all over but the crying. We don't know what happened, but traders coming into Diamond City this morning reported... where was it.. um , "lots of gunfire and a huge explosion lighting up the night." By the time the caravan got close enough to scout it out, there was just a lot of dead raiders and a big new crater in Poncord, no sign of the refugees from Whinny. Here's hoping they're ok wherever they are now, I guess the last Minutemare reported to be with the group was tougher than they thought, I hope... B-but I bet the Thundega raiders aren't too happy about whatever happened huh? Anyway this is Diamond City Radio and coming up we have... a hit from Velvet Remedy live from Tenpony Tower."

"Alright, ready out here Fast, give it a go!" Sturges shouted from outside the small shed I was sitting in, my pip-buck light spilling out of the open door into the early evening gloom.

"Ok!" I called over my shoulder and focused on the arcano-tech generator we had managed to finish installing before full dark. A spark flickered down my horn and a thin stream of lightning arced out to the spark chamber. Lights glowed to life and the device gave a shudder before dying again, dammit. "Nothing!" I called out to the fellow repair-pony.

"Here lemme take a look," The brown earth pony edged past Jade, who sat outside the door watching with interest, squeezing in next to me in the small shed and looking over the machine critically. "Hmmm... Looks good... I think I know the problem. Repairs out here aren't like working in a nice clean Stable Fast. Sometimes they need a little... persuasion!" he said, turning around in the cramped space and giving the generator a hard buck. "Ok try it now."

I looked over at him dubiously, but he was the expert out here. My eyes clenched shut as I summoned up another bolt of lightning, channeling it into the spark chamber. When the ancient piece of tech gave another rattle and hummed to life with a clatter, we both gave a whoop and stuck our heads out the door.

Lights were springing to life in the gathering darkness in the three houses we had connected to the power supply, a couple of sparks and a blown capacitor somewhere sounded out, but nothing burst into flames. That went better than expected.

Jade clapped her forehooves together with a smile, as the gathered ponies behind her gave an appreciative cheer, "Wonderful both of you!"

Sturges and I had spent the afternoon cobbling together the now functional electrical system, we were both filthy and tired, but seeing a repair done always felt good. We bumped hooves and walked out, taking a bow as the others whistled and cheered happily.

"Yes excellent work Master Fast, jolly good! I expected no less. Now both of you should sit and eat, you have been entirely too fixated on finishing your work at the expense of your health," Cogsworth lectured and started ladling stew from the large kettle he had set up over a popping fire outside. My stomach grumbled at the smell now that we had finished and I trotted over to sit at the mostly intact picnic table that had been dragged nearby.

I sat at the end, tucking into the food ravenously as Jade floated a bowl over and sat at the corner beside me. Mama Xara sat across from her, with Preston, Sturges and Long Jump filling the sides, Cloudy Sun sat on the opposite side from me eyeing the alicorn next to me with thinly veiled scorn, but thankfully kept quiet. Her foal Short Stack was even allowed out of her reach to prance about looking at the electric lights and other devices that had power restored to them. He stared in fascination at a tv through a window that now displayed a test pattern.

She may have managed to hold her tongue where Jade was concerned for the time being, but that mare had a permanent bad attitude and couldn't resist saying something that got under my skin. "Don't see why you two bothered, colt says he has a Stable just sitting out there. Why not just go there, I assume it has power already right?"

"You don't want to sleep there..." I answered through gritted teeth. I had let them know about Stable 111, but the place was still a tomb filled with the dead of Shift 4. Certain things were going to be done before I let anyone just wander around in there.

Preston nodded and took over for me quickly. Cloudy and I weren't going to get along so long as those waves of hate for all alicorns poured off her, making the beautiful blue one next to me keep her glance away from that end of the table nervously. "Fast's right, besides don't think we would even with it cleaned out again. Place like that is a good fall back position and fortress to try to rebuild the Minutemares out of, don't think I'd want to stay there all the time though. Plus we want to build a place up here in the wasteland to attract other ponies, Stables are not exactly easy to find."

"Besides dear, you remember some of the stories we've heard about Stables before. No offense to Fast, but I'd be too on edge actually going into one of those death traps to ever relax," Cloudy's husband Long Jump shuddered thinking about it.

"Death trap? But it was fine! Well, before it was invaded... but that was from the outside, the Stable worked perfectly," I couldn't help but be a little defensive, that Stable was my baby, I kept it running right along with Grizz and Sprockets and the rest of maintenance.

Mama Xara shook her head sadly, "Then you were a very lucky little pony. I've traveled far in my years and seen much. One constant has been Stables are dangerous places. All different in their madness but most deadly, I would not wish to live in such a place buried underground,"

Ok so I hadn't really liked the being buried bit either, but dangerous? deadly? madness? The Crusaders wouldn't have done anything like that! The founders of Stable-Tec were trying to save ponies. Hearing Scootaloo's sad, tired voice explaining our Stable when we entered had helped me feel less scared as a foal in a strange place.

She said they were trying to find ways not to repeat what led us to such ruin, ways to be better ponies. She said sleeping 90% of the time would mean we would survive much longer and each shift was like its' own small town, like Ponyville where she grew up.

How could other Stables be so bad? Looking around the table I didn't see any doubt on the others faces though, they totally believed what they were saying, even Jade looked at me kindly and nodded.

"Alright... I guess I'll bow to greater experience here. But 111 isn't... wasn't bad. Just don't judge it on what's left now..." I frowned and went back to my food.

We sat together in the small pool of light shining in the darkness, eating, laughing, telling stories, it was nice being together with other ponies. I never appreciated the simple pleasure of company when I had been surrounded by the others on Shift 3. Other ponies still made me anxious, but winding up in the wasteland totally alone made each of my new friends precious. I guess I had taken everyone in the Stable for granted, having them taken away made me change my attitude a little.

Eventually we all said our good nights and split up between the three powered houses, Mama Xara and Jade accompanied me back to my own house. I had let the old zebra take the one good mattress we had scavenged so far in the living room and sat down on my blanket in front of the couch in the garage again, tinkering with a small heater now that I could power it up.

Jade stood in front of me, shifting uncomfortably looking from where I sat on the floor to the couch behind me, "You should go to sleep Fast, I am sure you are tired and you need your rest to heal."

"Mmm-hmm, I will soon. Go ahead, I'll be quiet," I muttered fiddling with the thermostat and gestured over my shoulder to the vacant couch.

"I meant you should sleep on your couch..." she said softly stepping closer.

I looked up in surprise, "Huh? No I'm fine, the couch is yours, I couldn't!"

She was looking down with a smile and her eye twitched, "No, you are hurt still. I thank you for taking care of me and letting me sleep there, but it is your turn now, doctor's orders."

I could see her point, but this wasn't happening. I wasn't going to have her sleep on the floor while I lounged on the comfy couch. Besides, I really wasn't tired anyway, "Nope, I'm busy, be at this for awhile. I... I like the floor anyway! G-Good for my back..." I still couldn't lie looking into those eyes, but I could make a lame attempt.

Suddenly I was wrapped in a field of light blue-white magic and started hovering off the floor toward the couch. No fair! I hugged the heavy heater to myself, which threw off my balance enough to float upside down, but didn't seem to bother her in the slightest otherwise. Flailing, I hooked the underside of the couch with my forelegs and braced against the back with my hindlegs, "Nnnngh! No! Not... gonna... take... it..." I grunted as her horn flared.

The blue alicorn furrowed her brow watching me struggle, "You are exasperatingly stubborn Fast," she sighed while I gritted my teeth, eyes clenching and struggling madly to avoid making contact with the soft couch. "Fine! You win," she rolled her eyes and the telekinetic field popped like a soap bubble.

Of course I had been putting enough into fighting against her magic, as soon as it was suddenly gone I flew forward and rolled out of the garage, landing headfirst in the driveway.

"F-Fast?" I heard her squeak behind me as I watched the stars above me spinning.

Frost glittered on the hillside in the morning light as we climbed the path up to Stable 111 and passed through the gate checkpoint. The others were looking around curiously, but didn't seem to see anything out of the ordinary. Looking ahead to the large circular metal elevator ahead, I had to hand it to Stable-Tec again.

The illusions cast on the hilltop made the whole place look like nothing special to them, while my pip-buck granted me immunity to the spell. If they were some random wasteland pony, they wouldn't know anything was here unless they happened to walk across the elevator itself and noticed the change beneath their hooves. Stables were not made to be easy to find alright.

Once I stood on the metal surface, my pip-buck dinged and elevator controls flashed on the screen. I hoofed at them to prime the system and the illusion fell. The others gasped as it seemingly appeared beneath me and yellow warning lights around the circumference flashed.

Short Stack leapt into the air and looked around in wonder between his parents, "There really is something here!" he yelped and pranced around the metal disc marked with a large yellow 111.

"I told you Short, it's just hidden is all. Now before you ask again, you can't go in right now, sorry. It's... not safe yet, ok?" I called to him as he bolted all around the hilltop.

"But!" the foal started to whine as his father Long Jump collected him and nudged him back towards his mother by the cart with a shovel in his magical grip.

"You heard him son, maybe later alright? The Shrouded Stallion wouldn't lie right?" The unicorn stallion winked at me as they cleared the elevator.

I flushed a little, but it did serve to make me a pony to be listened to as far as the foal was concerned. "Right... Besides, I need you to help your parents and Cogsworth for me while we're in there. I need a strong colt like you helping to dig those holes we talked about ok? They're... very important to me, like a special mission."

Short's eyes widened and his expression grew serious as he saluted smartly, "You got it Shroud!" He shouted and floated his own shovel out of the cart Preston unhooked himself from.

"Do a good job and I'll bring you a present, how about that?" I asked and shook my pip-buck leg at him. He seemed to get the implication and squealed with joy, beginning to dig frantically. "Cogsworth, keep them safe ok bud?" I asked the robot floating behind them with Mama Xara.

"Of course sir! You may attend your work without concern, their safety shall be my primary consideration," the Mr. Handy bobbed in the air in a nod and waggled his eyestalks.

Jade, Preston and Sturges had joined me on the elevator and nodded they were ready. I wished I was...

"Alright, we'll be back soon with the first load... T-Thanks for doing this everyone," I said to the ponies remaining behind as they spread out and got to work.

I expected some kind of snide comment from Cloudy Sun, but the mare simply started digging without complaint. She hadn't balked when I asked for help with this, she wasn't all bad really, her normally dour expression had even softened a bit as she hummed a sweet, somber melody.

I hoofed the pip-buck controls and the alarms sounded as I felt the locking mechanisms beneath our hooves release and the elevator started to descend back to Stable 111. I could see Short peering over the edge for quite awhile, his small head in front of the receding sky, framed by a circle of blackness.

The trip down passed in silence, my stomach was upset, my heart was beating too fast, sweat stood out on my brow... I didn't feel like talking and the others left me be. Finally we reached the bottom, I walked out past the chain link gates and up to the huge gear shaped door on shaking hooves. Standing in front of the control console, I stared up at the big 111 printed on the center of it, shivering.

A large blue wing folded over me from the side and I started, brought back to the present by the alicorn standing next to me looking at me sweetly. "Fast.. it is ok. We are here, you are not alone."

I gulped, looking from those big blue eyes to Preston and Sturges waiting patiently. "R-Right... sorry..."

I patched my pip-buck into the console and waited for it to convince the system I was authorized. Moments later the cavern filled with the flashing lights and klaxon alarm as the gear slid back into the stable with a screech and rolled to the side, waiting on the other side was that sad banner. 'Welcome to Stable 111'.

I felt Jade stiffen next to me, while Sturges gave a long, low whistle at the carnage left sitting here for the last eighty years from whoever invaded the Stable. "What happened in here Fast?" the repair-pony asked quietly.

"Something bad..." I replied mournfully, shaking my head and moving past the threshold into the Stable. At the first set of skeletons I floated up a dusty pip-buck from the first bony leg and checked the data, as Jade unfurled a rotting cloth next to me. "Winter Flake" I said softly as I floated up the skeleton and wrapped the bones carefully. Jade nodded and brought out a piece of charcoal, scratching the name into the cloth.

The pip-bucks were too incredibly useful to just rot down here, my brief time in the wasteland had proven that to me. Even now, they were performing one last service for their previous owners, allowing me to identify each of the Shift 4 ponies who had died and honor them properly. One down, 99 or so to go...

Wiping the device down with the next cloth laid out, I rooted around in my tool kit for an orange handled, square key. In a normal Stable I had heard there was a dedicated Pip-buck Technician job for this, but with only 100 of us up at a time, those duties were part of maintenance and rolled into my own.

With a click the pip-buck opened and I turned to Jade as she laid out more cloths by each skeleton. "You're first Jade," I called and she trotted over, holding a hoof out daintily.

I adjusted the wrist cuff out and snapped it on her hoof gently, these things would automatically adjust their fit but I wasn't going to squeeze her slender leg into it. With a series of beeps the arcano-tech device booted up and narrowed itself perfectly.

I had to get distractingly close to the alicorn to run through the pip-buck's new user sequence, but went through it quickly as she watched. The home screen displaying health of the user flickered a moment, adjusting for the unknown biology of its new bearer, before the cartoon picture of an earth pony was altered into an alicorn. It had images for a horn or wings for unicorn or pegasus users, it simply used both and displayed status for all areas of the body it could. I noticed with interest the rainbow colored radiation counter immediately went from green, to yellow, to orange, normally that would be cause for alarm.

Jade blinked and shook her head softly, the H.U.D. and E.F.S. systems must be working, on a whim I adjusted the coloration to a light blue and she smiled.

"Ok, I-I'll show you everything in more detail later if you want. It's pretty simple. Health, inventory, status, map and radio, holotapes slide in here, this is the connector if you need it to patch into things, everything alright?" I asked, gazing up at her as she looked it over and nodded.

"Oh... umm... if it starts putting up a bunch of weird messages about things like 'Missions' lemme know ok? No idea how that works..."

We went back to work from there, two more pip-bucks (Sea Foam and Brick Breaker) were opened and found new homes on Preston and Sturges. Soon half a dozen bundles of bones marked with names were sitting on the elevator, waiting to go up and we walked into the Stable.

Now that the others had their own pip-bucks and knew the basics of using them, everyone could check names before bundling more remains further inside. Eventually every pony would leave this place, I promised, for now best to show them around where other tasks waited.

Entering the silent atrium, the others looked around quietly. This place felt like a tomb, everyone treated it as such. I risked a glance over to the diner and winced... I had to do this myself. "Sturges, Preston, bring up your maps. I'm going to put in markers for the Water Talisman system. There's two down there on the maintenance level, primary and back up, just pull one for now ok? Sturges, you shouldn't have any problem figuring things out. I tried to shut down the biggest problems on the way out, but take a look around," I flipped through my own map and broadcast the markers to the two of them, you had to be close, but they could talk wirelessly to each other at least.

"Sure thing Fast, glad there's two of us though... right creepy down here. No offense," Sturges ran a hoof through his dark pompadour mane looking around what had been the heart of the Stable.

"It wasn't always. Shout if you need anything ok? I'll be up here for a bit," I replied sadly glancing to the diner with a shudder.

"Right, don't push too hard though Fast. I can't imagine what this is like for you," Preston tipped his jaunty hat and followed Sturges to the stairs down to the maintenance level, leaving me and Jade standing alone in the large chamber.

I shuffled and looked up at her as she watched me silently, "Um.. the medical bay is over there, I went through it for supplies the other day, but I'm sure there's things I didn't know to get and you and Mama Xara will want. The chief physician liked zebra stuff so I bet she'll want some of it. I-I have something I have to do in the diner..."

I turned to trudge away and stopped, hearing hoofsteps behind me. I looked back slowly and saw her standing right behind me, still watching with wide eyes. I took another step and so did she... "Um... It's over there..." I nodded to the medical facility.

"I know," she answered and continued standing there watching.

"The diner is this way..." I said, trying hard not to let my voice quaver as I took another shaky step.

"I know," she took another step behind me.

"Er... I-I'm o-ok... really... J-Jade.. I.." I really couldn't lie to her... how annoying under certain circumstances.

She stamped her hoof and looked down at me softly, "Go on. I am not going anywhere, so just forget about it Fast. You are not very good at lying or hiding things from me, something in there hurts you greatly. I am not leaving you alone."

She noticed, great. So much for even trying to lie from now on.

Sighing, I hung my head, ears drooping and walked to the diner slowly, listening to her hoofsteps behind mine. "You won't like it either..." I muttered to the floor.

She took in the scene at the diner as we entered and I crossed into the kitchen. I sat in front of the lone skeleton guarding the freezer door and floated out 'Best Served', "Hi Forks... I told you I'd come back. I wanted to thank you, I don't know where you got this thing, and I guess you might freak out if someone else was touching your fancy cooking knife normally but... It's saved me more than once, I hope you don't mind. I swear if I get the chance I'm gonna use it on whoever did this. You were a good pony Forks, I never knew how much 'till I saw... saw what you did here. I'll find a way to get them back for you so... you just rest easy ok?" I spoke softly to the bones lying beneath me, removing his pip-buck and wrapping him up, writing 'Hearty Forks' on the cloth.

With Forks relieved of his doomed guard of the freezer, I pulled the door open and walked in, stopping in the same place I froze just the other day. Jade had walked in behind me and I heard a sharp gasp. I looked back to see tears spilling down her cheeks as she took in the skeletons of the foals that died in pain and terror. I tried to keep her away...

"I-I owe you guys too... It doesn't make it better at all, but... thinking of you guys has saved me out there... B-bad ponies have paid for what happened to you already, even if they didn't know it. The one who did this though... they're going to know your names...I swear it. I wish I could do more for you."

I could feel that red fire in my head, baking the inside of my skull just looking at them. I started floating up pip-bucks and memorizing names. I was going to carve them into somepony with Forks' knife... that seemed fitting. Pulling their little bones apart from the heap they made was hard, everything was all blurry... Still, I put together one bundle after another, searing each name in my mind; "Spring Shower, Wispy Water, Neon Glitter, Mocha Mug, Radish Sprout..."

I was startled out of it by Jade hugging me tightly from behind and sobbing in my mane, "P-Please stop Fast... Please... Please do not say their names like that... not here!" she wailed and took the last bundle away from me in her own magic.

"W-wha? What's wrong, I have to say their names Jade.." I answered, trying to look up at her as I felt tears soaking me.

"Not like t-that... N-not when your eyes l-look like that... p-please! It-it is wrong... it hurts.." she blubbered behind me and wrapped her wings around my chest, shaking.

The roaring fire in my head disappeared all at once and I slumped, "I'm sorry Jade... I'll stop..."

I felt bad knowing I had hurt her. I almost heard a faint whisper in her breath as she held me, 'Be Kind...' and I wanted to. Some darker little pony in me though just stared silently from the shadows at the crying blue alicorn and that whispery voice. It wouldn't let them see if it could avoid it but nothing changed that parts' mind.

Somepony was going to pay, and pay, and pay...

After we had collected ourselves, we moved on together. Jade still refused to leave me on my own in here, so I went with her to the medical wing. She brightened considerably in there, pulling out medical supplies and equipment of various types and stacking them outside the door in a pile.

After going in the recovery room and bundling the unfortunate pony who had been in one of the medical beds, she wheeled one of the others out and lifted the whole pile of salvage on top of it. She was putting together enough for her own doctor's office if she wanted...

In Tree Hugger's office, all the zebra herbs and knick-knacks got added to the pile. Eye charts and Ministry of Peace posters with Fluttershy were pulled from the walls, the mostly unused terminal was lifted out as well, I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Well... having a terminal for doctor's records is important. Besides... it makes ponies feel at ease, looks professional..." she shrugged with a slight blush. I thought it was a valid point and watching her try to justify it was cute, I didn't care why she wanted it, it was hers.

There wasn't much more to grab right off the atrium at the moment, the hydroponics and Stable orchard would take more time to mess with than I wanted to spend right now. I wanted to go to my old room and grab my bed at some point, the pony occupying it on Shift 4 may be different, but the bed didn't change. The trail of death leading to the living quarters made me put it off for now though.

I'd go back for the Overstallion on the way back up, right now we were getting close to needing a trip back to the surface and I had one last thing I wanted to make sure I did first.

We met Sturges and Preston down on the maintenance level, Sturges had pulled one of the water talismans already and had accumulated his own pile of treasures to take back stacked by the stairs. Judging from all the components he had taken apart and added to it, we'd be busy back in Sanctuary for awhile. I asked the two of them to come down to the icebox with me and they followed along without complaint.

Preston looked around the last stand at the entrance to the Icebox with an appraising eye, "They really went down swinging didn't they?" he asked reverently. I supposed the last Minutemare felt a kind of professional kinship with these security ponies, he had been in a similar situation himself not long ago and knew all about fighting a losing battle.

With a toss of his head, he flipped his funny hat up and held it to his chest, bowing his chin and whispering a prayer to the goddesses. Then he and Sturges started bundling the bones, taking care to extract not just the pip-bucks here, but the security barding still in good condition. While they worked, I walked down to the floor of the Icebox and started trotting to storage room 3.

Jade flapped overhead and gave the room a quick lap, making me smile and think of mom, only room in the Stable worth a damn to fly in... She landed next to me as I stood in front of the door to the storage room and waited patiently.

The door slid open and I waited for the lights to flicker to life again, able to see where pod #101 sat in the darkness. I walked in and turned back to the console to the left of the door, sitting down in front of the skeleton of Sprockets.

I took his pip-buck from where it had been wired into the door and set it aside in my bags, along with others I had been separating on our way down; Sprockets, Forks, Tree Hugger, one of the foals, I'd add the Overstallion's soon. I wanted to ask the others to let me exchange the first ones we grabbed on entering with these special ones, I hoped Sturges would wear Sprocket's...

Putting his pip-buck aside, I reached in my inventory and pulled out two Canterlot Pale Ale beers, putting the dusty empty by Sprocket's outstretched hoof aside and replacing it with a fresh one. I had to ask around to get these, Sturges eventually gave them up after teasing me about being too young. Jade watched and gave a disapproving 'tsk' as I popped the second open and took a long drink.

"I woke up here... right over there in that box with the number 101 on it," I waved vaguely behind me and took another drink. "Sprockets here saved me... if it weren't for him I'd still be in that coffin."

Jade looked where I gestured curiously, then back to Sprockets, taking in the scene while I continued. "He died doing it... saving me. I hardly knew him at all, we only saw each other once a year... He drank my first one of these with me the last time I saw him," I took another pull on the beer with a grimace, finishing it and gently bundling Sprockets up, opening his beer to drink for him since he couldn't.

Floating the bundle along with me, I weaved along the torturous path I had taken from the door back to pod #101 and stared up at it, taking another drink and tipping the bottle up at it. "You did it Sprockets, I made it out. It took awhile but you did it, thank you."

Jade sat beside me as I took another drink staring at the stasis pod, "He sounds very nice. I am glad he saved you Fast. It must have been hard... you woke up here and walked out through all that? I'm sorry..." she floated the half empty bottle away from me with a disapproving whinny. "I think that's enough though, leave the rest for him."

I goggled back at her, feeling a nice, warm, fuzziness in my head. I really liked her, "You're pretty!" I smiled goofily.

The alicorn blushed a little and smirked, "T-thank you... Did you know alcohol is more effective on smaller ponies Fast, especially those that don't drink?"

What'd that have to do with anything? "Nooo... I mean it though, I should say that more often. You're pretty Jade! I like you!"

The blush spread a little as she shook her head and smiled, that just made her prettier! I should say so. I looked over to follow up on that thought, seeing her cocking her head with a funny look at pod #101.

"Fast, this was where you slept?" she asked quietly.

"Yush!"

"No one else used this pod of yours?" she was staring up rather intently.

"Noooo"

"What is that up there on the lid?" she gestured with her hoof, then reached over to turn my head since I was uninterested in looking at that blasted box, I liked looking at her more. Groaning, I looked up at it where she pointed. Hmm... something red...

"It looks quite a bit like a kiss mark in lipstick does it not?" she asked, looming over me with one eye arched.

"Ummm...."

Trying to explain my prize from Sunset that adorned pod #101 was quite helpful in sobering up. It took awhile and by the end I was mostly able to string together a coherent thought again.

"So you grew up with this Sunset Mist pony?" Jade asked dubiously as I walked the echoing floor of the icebox and she fluttered beside me just above the cold ground.

"Yes! She lived next door, the house I won't let anyone use. She's like a sister!" I repeated, I had been trying to convince her of this for a little while now.

"And she liked this other friend of yours? This Grizz pony?" she asked again.

"Yes!" I nodded my head rapidly.

"And she put a kiss on each of your stasis pods? As some kind of bonus prize to this contest of yours? Because you tied?" she continued.

"Y...yes...."

"Fast...." she looked down at me, drawing out my name. Dammit... forgot I can't lie... yes that was going to be a problem.

"She did yes! Just... I won actually...." I answered sheepishly.

"But you said you did not see if you had or not. Now you say you won?" she asked silkily.

"Er... yes... She saw, I didn't know until she... told me," skirting into dangerous waters here...

"She told you? But the winner was to receive this prize of hers, yes? A prize I assume you wanted since you won? Under what circumstances did she tell you this Fast?" she followed the chain of logic she had been dragging out of me all too well.

"Um..." I rubbed my cheek thinking desperately, "When she closed my pod..."

Jade narrowed her eyes and hovered down to my face, "This filly kissed you right where you are rubbing, did she not Fast?" there we go...

I winced and hung my head, "Yes..."

"I see, very friendly for a sister, hmm? She seemed to know how to motivate you quite well. From what you tell me she seems quite affectionate... for a sister, yes? I want to see her," Jade demanded, leaving me stunned.

"Er... so do I actually, she's gone though remember? Her pod should be sitting right over there.." I gestured off to where #44 should be sitting right now.

The big blue alicorn swooped down and landed in front of me, "I want to see her Fast. Now."

How did she do that? Sighing, I flipped through my inventory and pulled out the faded picture I had pulled from my refrigerator back home showing me, mom, dad and Sunset at my fifth birthday party and floated it up. With a snort she snatched the picture up in her own magic and stared at it closely. She smiled sweetly looking at me blowing out my candles, looked with interest from mom grabbing us all in a hug and dad smiling to the left, then narrowed her eyes at the bright yellow unicorn filly with the fiery mane to the right.

"Hmmm.... She is one of those bouncy ponies that likes smothering others with affection, isn't she? She is very bright and small..." Jade huffed, looking down at her own blue hide and sticking her nose up.

"We were five..." I answered.

"She is still bright and small, is she not?" this was going so well...

"The last I saw... yes. Comparatively small anyway, she was a little taller than me."

Jade waved that aside, apparently her being taller than me was never in question... "She liked teasing you and your friend with such a prize? Rewarded you after pretending it was a tie?"

"Yes, she liked messing with me..." I replied hoping to get through this.

"I do not like her." she intoned with finality. An imperious tone crept into her voice, I could just imagine it came from her mother from what she had explained about the goddess to me.

"What? You've never met her! Look she really was just a foalhood friend, she was always like that from all the way back when that picture was taken. She's really nice, I bet you'd like her Jade," I stammered up at her as she continued fluttering along with lidded eyes.

"No. I do want to see her now though. You will find a more recent picture. That will do until we find what happened to her, then I wish to talk to her." Jade floated the picture in front of her and kept staring at it.

Well that sounded ominous... though at least we shared the goal of finding her eventually. I was curious about her interest now though. "All the photos would be packed up in long term storage now, we only kept personal effects in our pods with us, why do you want to see her?" I asked, foolishly extending this line of conversation.

"Because I do, that is why. You will find these pictures, I want to see more of you like this as well, and your family," she gestured to the faded photo, pointedly blocking Sunset with her wingtip.

For some insane reason my pip-buck decided to chime in, flashing text at me along with a map marker;

Mission- Because I Said So
Objective-
--Find Photos

Why the hell was it doing that? Was mine the only one? No one had said anything about getting weird messages from their new pip-bucks so far.

A strange, foreign thought slowly started to get processed in my still alcohol soaked brain, "Jade... you're not jeal..."

"NO"

Now that was a voice I could see coming from the goddess she told me about...

I blinked as she kept fluttering along and looking at the photo. Ok.... This had seriously never occurred to me, my interactions with fillies had never progressed to the point where this minefield came up. Jealousy would mean that; 1- A filly liked me and 2- viewed a second liking me as a possibility. Neither of those conditions had ever seemed remotely possible before.

"Because that would be silly... if you were that is... Sunset's just a friend it would be crazy to be je..."

"I AM NOT" her words rolled across the vast room.

"And I really like you... so... there'd be no reason.. if you were that is... which you're not... obviously.. Can I have my picture back?" I asked quietly.

"No, I like seeing you like this. Find me others and maybe, I will hold onto this one for now," she answered smartly.

Sturges' voice called down from the catwalks above us, smirking, "Lover's spat?"

We both jumped, Jade actually hit the ceiling far above and hung there, but I felt a little relief. He seemed to delight in messing with us, but he had effectively short circuited this conversation. Besides, we were nearing the secret passage I wanted Sturges to come look at anyway.

"No! Come here a minute Sturges, there's something I need you to see..." I called up and trotted off to the still open hidden door.

Sturges sat munching apple chips thoughtfully on the hillside by the elevator, hoofing at Sprocket's pip-buck I had exchanged for the first he had wore. The earth pony scratched his head, going over the schematics of the machine in the secret chamber of Stable 111, before turning to look at the panel with the strange logo we had taken with us.

"I think you're right Fast, it's a teleporter. Can't do anything with what's there unfortunately, I'm more concerned with this panel personally," he nodded to circular logo of a pony spread out to each corner of the square of metal.

I looked up from trying to get Short Stack to hold still, the colt was shaking with excitement too much to allow me to attach the pip-buck I held. Fortunately, he had been distracted by Sturges' proclamation as well and I snapped the device in place quickly. It was one of the ones I had brought up from the diner's freezer, at least some part of those foals deserved to be up in the sunshine.

"You know what that means Sturges? That C.I.A.T. on there?" I asked trying to hold back my excitement.

"Ayup, from before the war, Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technologies. Folks round the Commonwealth just know them as The Institute now..." he answered, wiping his hooves on his mechanic's coveralls and sighing.

Preston paused from loading up some of the salvage we had brought up from the Stable with a stricken look, the Overstallion's pip-buck resting on his leg. "The Institute... you think they were responsible for this?"

Sturges shook his head, "Not saying that, just saying they made that machine down there. Don't look good though..."

I looked back and forth between them frantically, they knew something! Their expressions weren't very encouraging, but anything was better than what I had so far. "Who are they?! What's wrong? Are they bad? Where are they...." The shadowy little pony in my head perked up with interest, someone to blame... excellent...

The two stallions looked to each other and shuffled uncomfortably, trying to decide what to say and who would say it. Mama Xara interrupted however, looking up from the fence pickets she and Short had been carving the names written on nearby bundles into. "The Institute is a boogeyman in the Commonwealth Fast. A group of survivors from the old C.I.A.T. university outside of Trotson, no one knows much about them. There are stories however... a group of mad scientist ponies, still running their bizarre experiments on the residents of the Commonwealth. Prewar insanity, killer robots, terrible medical abominations, abductions..."

I stood up and stamped my hooves, I could feel my eyes burning again as I scowled... abductions... that was the key word. "WHERE?" I managed to not quite shout, but there was no mistaking the force of the demand.

Jade looked over from where she lowered another bundle of bones into a freshly dug grave with concern, floating the small marker to the front. "Fast... calm down. It is alright," she soothed, making the fire in my head back off a little.

"I wish I could say little pony, when I say no one knows I mean no one. The old C.I.A.T. campus has been picked over for 200 years with a fine toothed comb, yet no one has ever found a trace of them. The only times the ponies of the wasteland are made aware of their existence is when they decide to allow it, usually to the sorrow of many," the elderly zebra mare answered softly.

Cloudy Sun glanced to me from examining Short's pip-buck he now held out proudly, her own newly resting on her hoof, "Tell him about the night of the broken mask." The normally dour unicorn looked up at me sadly and returned her attention to her foal.

"I was just going to yes," Mama Xara nodded back, "Nearly fifty years ago, another group like the Minutemares before their fall rose to prominence in the Commonwealth. They spoke of many of the same things, rebuilding and becoming strong again, though they went about it through different means. They planned an empire built on slaves and force, but they did meet with some success. Eventually, they managed to collect leaders from the disparate groups of the Commonwealth and hold a meeting, attempting to forge an alliance. My father was invited as the leader of our tribe and I was allowed to travel with him to Diamond City for the meeting."

The zebra looked sad, closing her eyes and bringing back the memory. I glared with a good idea where this was headed, "I'm guessing it didn't go well?"

"No, indeed not little pony. The meeting was closed, so I wandered the city, taking in the strange sights. I was young and it was all new to me... Suddenly there was a great commotion, shouts and gunfire... I ran to the places of power the meeting took place in, pushing past the crowds that gathered and saw a scene of horror. The gathered leaders were all dead, my father among them. Most of the attackers had turned to puddles on their deaths, but one was still... alive... if you could call it that."

"A pony, one of the guards of the city there to protect the gathered representatives, was held down by his comrades. He had suffered great wounds, I could see my fathers' hoof on him and that should have been enough to insure his death. His arms were twisted at horrible angles, his chest was caved in, his neck twisted nearly backwards... and yet still it bucked and fought under the guards. Half his face had been torn away by the griffon representative, Grimclaw, and beneath his hide... metal..."

Xara shook remembering the sight, she wasn't telling tales to the Stable-pony, she saw this herself and it still scared her.

"Metal? Like... like a cyper-pony?" I asked slowly, I had read articles in the Big Book of Arcane Science before that discussed such things, and Overstallion Shore's last message mentioned one...

"No, that idea was brought up but quickly discounted. The ...pony... kept struggling and trying to kill, everyone was in shock and yelling, somepony said just what you did. Grimclaw ended the debate.. Even bleeding from a dozen wounds, the mercenary limped forward, grabbed the creatures' head in his claws and ripped it off. What was inside that... thing... was never a pony. A robot's innards lay beneath what looked like flesh but wasn't. A synthetic pony..." she told the tale and stared straight at me, dead serious.

That was too fantastic for me to hold onto my anger, "A robot? A robot that could pass for a pony?" I asked incredulously.

Mama Xara nodded, "Just so, in the mayhem that followed I gleaned a few things. Guards or assistants from each of the gathered groups had suddenly attacked, each of them believed to be like the one that remained, synths. What terrified everyone there however, was these were not ponies that came from nowhere and infiltrated. The attackers were long time confidants, guards, assistants, friends, lovers... Either they had been robots from childhood, which seemed unlikely, or they had replaced trusted allies so perfectly they weren't found out until they chose to act."

"You can imagine the effect it had. The leaders of Diamond City moved to cover it up, but the truth was already being whispered. How could anyone trust another, when they could be a robot in disguise? A perfect mimic waiting to strike. The idea that anypony could just be abducted in the night and replaced with one of these things sowed fear and mistrust. Any chance of gathering the Commonwealth together died that night."

"Grimclaw tossed the head away and it rolled to my feet at the edge of the meeting and I screamed, the vision I had seen on our way there stared back at me. I-I hadn't told my father because it was too impossible, but there it was. A pony's head, with a gleaming, silvery skull showing through half of it from torn hide. A red eye that slowly dimmed and buzzed, engraved on its metal skull I saw that symbol... the Institute."

The old zebra shuddered and pointed at the panel with the strange sigil, a tear slipped from her wrinkled eyes.

I stood on shaking hooves, looking down at Xara in shock. What she described was... I wanted to say impossible, the repair-pony part of me insisted it was impossible. Robots could not be that advanced, robots were things like Cogsworth, they couldn't pretend to be ponies and fool anyone, could they?

It was true the war had created some amazing technology, and my friends had filled me in on some of the advances made I hadn't been aware of... The blue alicorn watching me closely was proof things had gone much farther than I could have dreamed but... synthetic ponies? My mind reeled.

"If this Institute has technology like that... why haven't they just taken over the Commonwealth themselves? Or all of Equestria for that matter? What could stop them?" I asked everyone around me in a whisper, this was my prime suspect now? How was I supposed to find everypony from the Stable if this Institute was responsible?

Preston trotted over and sat down by Mama Xara, looking back thoughtfully, "The most popular theory is basically they either don't want to, or they're busy with internal problems. Synths are something that keep the Commonwealth turned on itself and afraid, but they're not the only thing out of a bad prewar sci-fi story out here. The Institute seems the most likely source for all of them, but they're all different and can work at cross purposes. If they're the ones who stole your Stable though... I don't envy you Fast. Nopony fights the Institute..."

I sat down hard and slumped. I had a lead at least, but it seemed to lead nowhere. Like the faint trail I had followed to the secret chamber where 1000 stasis pods just disappeared into thin air in the Stable below. What clues that were there were hard to find and lead to nothing...

Jade came up and sat beside me, leaning against me and waiting quietly. Not trying to console or cheer, just there for me to lean on.

"Well I'm going to.." I finally said to my new friends. "I don't know how, but if they're responsible then I am going to fight back. These ponies deserve it," I waved to the forest of graves that was slowly sprouting around the entrance to the Stable thanks to our work. "I wish I had more to go on, but Mama Xara's story told me one thing. They don't want ponies coming together out here, so that's something I do want. It's one more reason rebuilding the Minutemares is the right thing to do for now, so that's what I'm doing."

The next few days passed in a flurry of activity around Sanctuary and Stable 111. Having things to fix helped keep my mind off obsessing over the Institute, there was simply no more information to be had about them. The best I could do to console myself right now was keep busy.

A day spent crawling through the sewers of the island Sanctuary was built on and under various houses, had seen the backup water talisman from the Stable installed, supplying fresh water to the four houses we were now focusing on. More repairs beyond certain shut off valves would bring more of the water system back online when we needed to spread out, and we had clean water to drink in the meantime.

The power system had been improved as well, making our way around beneath the island, we found a power relay station. With some work Sturges and I were pretty sure we could cobble together a more substantial power source than the small generator from the Red Rocket with parts from the Stable.

For now a handful of street lights worked again, pushing the darkness of the nights back even further than the glow from our four houses. Heaters glowed cheerily in each home and kept everypony warm during the autumn nights, and the sound of music drifted through the neighborhood from radios that now worked. All tuned to the nervous sounding DJ Traveling Miles on Diamond City Radio, an odd, post war station that played a limited number of songs, interspersed with news that slowly filled in my picture of the wasteland.

Completely wrecked homes were being disassembled slowly, their parts used to repair the ones standing and their scrap stacked haphazardly, forming makeshift walls between the homes in a small area. The roofs of my house, the one Sturges and Preston occupied and the one Short Stack's family had taken residence in all kept the rain out now. Without being drenched regularly, they were all starting to dry out and lose that musty smell. Newly repaired walls kept the winds at bay and the heat in better than their swiss cheese forms had before.

We had been clearing Mr. Hawthorne's house next door lately for Mama Xara. On seeing the drug lab, the old zebra had made herself quite at home and strange smells drifted from the half repaired home at all hours. Zebra brews and potions were being stockpiled and Jade spent quite a bit of time with her over there, as the two of them were building a sort of apothecary / doctor's office together.

The blue alicorn filly had been quite happy in her own work, this was her mission as a Follower of the Apocalypse after all. She was disappointed the only foal around was not allowed to attend classes she wanted to teach, but Short Stack's mother still wanted nothing to do with alicorns.

I tried to cheer her by volunteering to be a practice student and spent time each night reading some of the holotape books she carried with her. The Book of the Lightbringer and The Wasteland Survival Guide were amazing and helped me understand a lot of things that had been confusing me about the world I found myself in. It still annoyed me she wasn't able to teach Short Stack. Knowing she was being shunned like that by anypony stung, but I couldn't force the sour faced Cloudy Sun to be pleasant.

I could however do whatever I could think of to make her happy otherwise and did so in my free time. I was ecstatic she still chose to stay in my house, even though there were more options every day now and did what I could to show she was welcome and make it a home.

I had made her take the master bedroom, it was the largest in the house and more fitting her stature, letting her take mine would have left her a little cramped. Some modifications while we were fixing the roof left her with a covered exit to fly in and out of if she wanted that she seemed pleased with too.

I had also retrieved the photos from the Stable storage she wanted for whatever reason. I expected that weird mission to clear once I completed the strange objective and it did cross that off, but the mission itself stayed there. She busied herself in the evenings while I read going through my old family photos with a smile, putting ones she liked up on the walls.

Seeing my baby brother Better and myself as a foal had made her happiest and these she put up in places of honor. Pictures of mom while she had been pregnant also held her interest greatly and she looked at them almost wistfully, hanging a number of them up in her own room.

I asked her why she was so fascinated by all the old photos and she explained she liked seeing memories. Her own were jumbled and faded scraps from an unknown number of different ponies, so she didn't have a past like the ones in the photos.

It didn't quite explain her fixation on foals and having them, but I figured she'd explain that when she wanted. Maybe I'd understand better when I got to the end of the vast story of Little Pip. I still couldn't reconcile the terrifying alicorns that I had just reached mention of in the story, with the gentle blue one in front of me.

I also wasn't very clear on why she had insisted on seeing pictures of Sunset closer to her current age. She got a funny look on her face when she ran across these. It didn't help that anytime Sunset was photographed, she usually had me in some crushing hug or embarrassing pose for the camera, each instance of which I had been questioned about. One of the most difficult had been from my 11th birthday.

"She is licking your face..." she glowered at the photo.

"Yes, there's cake on it see? She pushed me into that cake actually..." I had tried to tell her.

"I fail to see how it was necessary to lick it off..." she said in a very goddess-y kind of voice.

I had found it a good idea to make myself scarce if she had photos like those out. I knew she'd actually like Sunset if she met her, she was kind and caring like her and a good friend. She just wasn't getting a good view of the fellow Stable pony from all these pictures, Sunset's sense of humor simply didn't help. I didn't think I'd ever figure out the convoluted reasoning she had for simultaneously disliking the bright filly and continuing to look at the pictures, until that evening.

Living with a filly my own age had been difficult to get used to. Mama Xara acted as a kind of chaperone while she stayed in the house, but with her own home mostly fixed it was just the two of us. Well, plus Cogsworth, but he kept to the kitchen and living room mainly. I had given him free reign to improve his areas as he liked and he had been putting together quite the collection of cooking implements and improvements for the living room.

My own domain of the garage was a regular workshop now and I spent a lot of time out there tinkering. Today had been a long day and I had wound down taking apart the half dozen 10mm pistols I had taken from the Stable when I left. I had combined the parts into two in perfect condition, one even had a suppressor I had cobbled together. Stowing them both in my bags, I walked through the living room with a yawn. Sturges and I had fixed the hot water heaters today and I was looking forward to a hot shower for the first time in eighty years.

"Finished for the evening sir? Dinner shall be ready shortly!" Cogsworth chirped from his kitchen, floating between half a dozen items spread out on the counters and repaired stove.

I waved with another yawn, "Thanks Cogsworth, smells good. I'll be out in a few minutes, can't wait to try this out," I nodded down the hall towards the waiting shower through heavily lidded eyes.

Cogsworth said something back, but I was at the door and really had nothing else on my mind but hot water. Crawling around in the sewer and electrical service tunnels under the island the last few days made a hot shower my biggest priority. I reached the door and nudged it open, not noticing the ribbon of steam coming from under the door.

Staring into the steamy bathroom I swore I could hear a fuse in my brain just completely fry, I could actually smell the whiff of ozone. Jade was standing there, steaming water dripping off her, as she looked in the full length mirror and posed fetchingly.

A towel and brush floated nearby, along with a photo she glanced at before fluffing her wings and looking at herself critically. She turned and posed seductively, her expression drooping when her eyes crossed her blank flank, which looked perfect to me.

Work brain... come on work! Do something! Don't just stand here like an idiot! Move! Shut the door! Bad Fast! My stupid brain refused to cooperate and I stood there like a statue that was turning a bright red. Come on, do anything brain!

"...wow..."

Anything but that! The least helpful thing my smoking head could have done is what it volunteered.

Jade turned to me quickly, eyes widening, while her face matched my crimson color. She gave a short "Eeep!" then she vanished...

What? She just vanished... poof! Did she know how to teleport? No, there wasn't a flash of magic, she was just gone... like a wisp of smoke. Of course, I was hallucinating the whole thing, phew! That would have been embarrassing...

"O-o-out F-Fast!" the room squeaked at me as I was pushed back by a field of blue-white magic and the door slammed shut in front of me. Huh??

I stared at the door for a few minutes...

Slowly, my hooves turned me around after getting no response from the brain and I walked back down the hall to the kitchen. Cogsworth said something I didn't hear as I walked through to the living room.

"Put the pancakes in the flag jar..." I muttered and walked out to the porch, my mouth was apparently on its own too.

I flopped down to my rump on the porch and stared at the moon. I must have been out there awhile, I wasn't quite sure, time stopped meaning anything. It must have passed though, Jade walked out behind me in her clean lab coat and sat down after awhile.

"Umm... the s-shower is free Fast..." she said nervously.

With an internal grinding of gears, my brain finally re-engaged, "Jade! I'm sorry! A-accident!"

The alicorn blushed and nodded, "I- I assumed... it is ok, we will need a sign I suppose, now that we have a working shower...D-did you see?"

I saw a lot actually... internal circuits started overheating again and I shook my head, "Wha-What?"

She sighed in embarrassment and floated a picture out of her coat pocket, Sunset posing for the camera fluttering her eyelashes over her shoulder, as she sauntered away. Slowly, I started being able to think, very carefully... over what I actually saw. Jade looked at the picture... looked at herself...looked at her flanks...easy there....posed in a similar manner to the picture...didn't look happy... hrrrr...

"Do... do you... not like how you look Jade?" I asked, slowly working it out.

The blue beauty sagged and nodded her head, closing her eyes in a pained expression. "I am...I am not a normal pony...I do not even have a cutie mark. I see these pictures with this Sunset and you and think... I should be a pony like that..."

I nearly fell over trying to wrap my mind around what she was saying, "But! But you're p-perfect! Why would you think that!? I like you the way you are!"

Jade smiled and scooted over to lean against me looking out off the porch, "Thank you Fast. It is just... sometimes I wish I were normal, there are things about being like this I do not like. Being different...I cannot help but compare myself and think it would be so much easier if I were normal. You really mean that though, don't you? You are the first pony I have met that... that looks at me the way you do... l-like I am just another mare. You really do like me, even though I look this way?"

I nodded enough to make myself dizzy, stopping only when she leaned her head over and sighed happily into my mane. We sat together looking out at the night sky for awhile as I tried to process things.

"Jade... if you don't mind me asking, w-why don't you have a cutie mark? Not that it matters to me but... it bothers you huh?" I asked quietly, hoping not to upset her, but still curious.

"We do not know Fast. None of the alicorns I have met possess one. Since the mother died, some have wondered if we ever will, while others repeat rumors of those who have regained them. I like to believe the latter view, that we have to find them again, that being remade into... this... means our special talent changed and we will eventually get a new cutie mark. I do hope so. Every time I see that blank flank, I feel like the monster Cloudy thinks I am and worry I will always be this way. Plus there are... other things... about being like this that concern us all I fear will never change. That I will never get to.. well... that I will always be different in that way..." she answered sadly, her eyes shimmered and she looked down at herself, absently rubbing a hoof over her stomach.

I turned to look at her seriously and took in the sight of her bathed in the moonlight, how could she be self conscious about her appearance of all things? "I think you're right, I bet you'll get your cutie mark in no time and we'll have a big party, like I did when I got mine! I don't know how you feel, the things that happened to you... but you're not a monster Jade. Don't say that, don't even think it. You're... y-you're still a princess to me, you shouldn't compare yourself to other ponies like that. You get your cutie mark for finding what makes you special right? So you have to be yourself, not somepony else."

Her eyes widened a bit as she considered what I said and smiled warmly, "You are right Fast, I had not thought of it that way, thank you..." She shifted, pulling me into a huge alicorn hug and nuzzling me happily, life wasn't so bad.

BLAM!

My eyes shot open as the alicorn stiffened above me, as I watched a stream of blood ran down from her shoulder from a small hole right next to my head. If she hadn't grabbed me...

I stared, transfixed on the blood marring her blue hide as more shots rang out in Sanctuary and I could feel that red rage burning in my head. Things had been nice, we were all making a home together here, playing house...

Red marks sprang up on my Eyes Forward Sparkle, the wasteland had come knocking...

-----------------------Level Up!-----------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------------

Extra Special - Endurance--
You've been busy since leaving the Stable, all the work and exercise has done you good. Your experiences in the Wasteland have allowed you to add one to your endurance.

Quest Perk Added!----------------

Undertaker--
-You kept your word and the dead of Stable 111 have been laid to rest. The spirits of the Shift 4 ponies watch over you, reducing damage by 4%

Reputation Change-----------------

Minutemares-- Liked
- Dedicating yourself to rebuilding the Minutemares has put you in high esteem with this group, they'll do what they can to help you and have your back!

Followers of the Apocalypse- Idolized
- There's may only be one member of the Commonwealth branch, but she completely trusts you! As this group grows you'll have a lot of pull with them.

The Institute- ???
- No one knows enough about this group for you to have any idea how they feel about you, but you know how you feel about them...

Ch. 8-- Butcher's Bill

Ch. 8-- Butcher's Bill

"This seems like one of those moments where we need a plan."

"H-Hi everypony.. er good evening I mean.. This is- I'm Traveling Miles and that was Octavia at the Trotson Philharmonic... sounds even better knowing she played here huh? I mean... it always sounds good, n-nevermind. Anyway, bit of news tonight, rumors are going around about a new settlement up north, caravans say they've seen new lights up that way. There's some talk among the traders staying at the Dugout Inn about adding a leg to their next run out that way, so maybe we'll have more soon? If there is somepony out that way we hope they're not just some new band of raiders... friendly towns in the wasteland are- are few and far between right? So l-let's all hope for the best and that they're still around if they get company soon... too many ponies have tried to build something, just to have raiders knock it down. Here's Buck Crosby with 'Way Back Home' let's hope those ponies are...umm the happiest and not the crappiest as Buck would say."

I tackled Jade to the porch as more bullets dimpled the siding of the front of my house, one drew a searing line across my rump as we dove. Suddenly we were surrounded in a blue bubble and I could see more shots bouncing off it harmlessly. Jade winced at the wound in her shoulder, as her horn glowed and she stood to start retreating back into the house through the front door. The round shield moved with her, nudging me along as she backpedaled, she was making it?

Once we were back in the living room behind cover, the shield disappeared. She looked me over closely, checking for injuries as I frantically looked over E.F.S., maybe a dozen red marks were moving around. Cogsworth floated toward us from the open kitchen quickly, his weapons raised, "Sir! Are you and Miss Jade alright?! We seem to be..." he yelped while my eyes caught a flicker of red behind him.

In a flash, both of the 10mm pistols I had repaired before our shower misadventure were out of my saddlebags, pointed at the lavender raider jumping through the kitchen window behind him. The bedraggled mare with a spiky, reddish purple mane was holding a rusty double barreled shotgun in her mouth, her eyes widening when she found herself staring at both barrels of my pistols trained on her. She started to desperately swing her aim around in midair as I fired, the shots alternating from a soft 'pfft!' of the silenced pistol, to the loud blast of the unsilenced one. Four shots tore through her, blowing her half out the window she had been entering.

Cogsworth turned an eyestalk behind him and took in the twitching legs hanging off the window frame just behind him, "I say sir, excellent shooting. We appear to be under attack, what are your orders Master Fast?" the Mr. Handy floated in front of me, ready to defend his home.

More shots were still peppering the front of the house behind us, "Out the back Cogsworth! Take them out!" I shouted at him, turning to check on Jade and her wound. The suffocating fear I felt seeing her blood was allayed when I took in the wound that was knitting itself together, "A-Are you ok?!" I yelled above the racket of gunfire.

She nodded, her eyes set in a line of determination as she looked all around, seeing the same red marks on E.F.S. that I did now that she wore her own pip-buck. "My bags! I have to get them, potions! Stay here!" she said sternly and flew down the hall to her room. I had the feeling we'd definitely need the yellow medical box saddlebags and the healing supplies she always kept inside. I wasn't waiting here however.

I bolted to the garage door and my workshop, floating out 'Best Served' as I went. The long knife glittered under the fluorescent lights I had fixed as I grabbed it in my mouth and hovered the pistols along with me. Spinning on the spot, I bucked the small door to the side yard open and dashed out into the night, frantically searching through all the red marks for the friendly green ones.

A burst of flame from the back yard marked Cogsworth getting to work, one of two red marks disappeared as I glanced that direction. The bulk of the rest were in the direction of the front, along with two green marks I could make out, that's where I was heading then.

I sprinted out into the brightly lit front, zig-zagging for all I was worth as bullets sparked on the cracked asphalt all around me. The street lights we had spent time fixing to brighten the night, now served to reveal me to the attackers while they shot from the gloom beyond them.

I caught the muzzle flash of one of the attackers and fired five rounds at it from the unsilenced pistol. The red mark didn't go anywhere, but the shots from that direction stopped as I pressed on. I could see a blazing pink line of a magical energy weapon burn across the evening gloom ahead of me and heard shouts. Preston was up ahead behind the house he and Sturges had been staying in.

Rounding the corner, a series of small caliber pistol rounds stitched my side, slowed by my Stable barding enough to feel like being bucked repeatedly and I could feel blood ooze, but not gush at least. I fired three rounds from the silenced pistol blindly where the shots had come from, before a train ran me over.

Pain bloomed in my muzzle as I heard something crunch. The train in the shape of a huge, muscular stallion wearing heavy metal shoes on his forehooves rained blows down on me from where he landed after he slammed into me. I swung my head frantically as he brought down another blow meant to crush my throat. The wickedly sharp Saturnite knife whickered through the air and I heard a soft thump on the ground nearby as I was splashed with warm, wet liquid.

The stallion on top of me started screaming and I looked up through streaming eyes from the vicious blows. He was staring at a stump where his foreleg should be that was pouring blood. Hearty Fork's knife never disappointed. I swung my head back from the blind swipe that had taken his leg and punctured his chest to the hilt. With a gurgling groan the raider slumped to the ground, sliding off me.

As I pulled myself free of the bulky raider, I heard a yell and looked up to see another charging at me out of the darkness, a fire axe gripped in his mouth and a crazed look in his eye. I went to bring the floating pistols back up as a pink beam lanced out to my right and the raider turned to a cloud of pink ash.

Sturges ran from the back door of the house and bucked the raider the rest of the way off me, giving me a hoof up before spinning his head and firing two shots from his modified rifle into the night. We both dove back for cover behind the house and the fellow repair-pony gave me a nudge as he reloaded the rifle. "Gotta hand it to you Fast, these pip-bucks are damn handy in this kinda situation," good, I was guessing he figured out S.A.T.S..

Taking the opportunity to reload my pistols, I scanned all around us quickly, only a few more red marks remained but something was wrong. Doing a quick count I realized there were two green marks missing, terror gripped me, were two of my friends dead? Panicking, I charged towards the house Long Jump, Cloudy Sun and Short Stack had taken, chasing down two more red marks with a single green.

I skidded sideways into the open back door of the home the small family had made and saw Long Jump, backed into a corner by two raiders in their living room. The stallion swung a wooden bat in his magic back and forth desperately as one of the raiders slashed at him with a machete, the second stood aside with a pipe pistol, firing around his hooves and laughing, they were playing with him...

I slid into S.A.T.S.and I could feel the shadowy little pony in my head at the controls, I used up most of the spell charge and accepted my choice without a second thought. Both pistols started firing rapidly, eight shots, four knees on each pony... The sadistic raiders fell to the ground screaming as I ran to Long Jump.

The unicorn looked shaken and was bleeding from several shallow slashes, his green eyes shrunk to pinpricks, watching the raiders that had been tormenting him squeal and roll on the ground. I floated their weapons away from them and over to Long as I ran through to the front and the last green and red marks, let him decide what to do about them, I wasn't feeling merciful.

Bursting out the front door, my eyes locked on a yellow unicorn mare lying on the sidewalk in a pool of blood, a deep gash in her side. She crawled weakly away from the cackling raider mare wielding a long, jagged blade fashioned from a carriage bumper in a field of sickly green magic.

The weapon was raised and ready to strike, my heart sank as I took in my chances of stopping this. S.A.T.S. was still recharging, why had I used up so much of the spell for those two tormenting Long!? I was at the outside range of being precise with the pistols and risked hitting the bleeding Cloudy. Two shots rang out behind me, silencing the screaming raiders I left behind, please don't let Long Jump come out and see his wife die... I poured on every bit of speed I had, praying to Luna for help.

Suddenly the raider froze, the crude weapon clattered to the ground just before its wielder fell limply next to it. A shimmer behind where the raider had stood resolved into the blue form of Jade, her horn glowing. She leapt over the frozen raider mare and knelt before Cloudy Sun as she visibly paled and her ragged breathing weakened.

Long Jump and I slid to a halt in front of the pair, Jade's horn was blazing as she poured healing magic into Cloudy, she looked to the yellow mare's husband with fear in her eyes. "Bandages in my bags! Put pressure on the wound, give her a potion too! Oh she has lost a lot of blood... Fast! Watch that raider, she is only paralyzed!" The alicorn was clearly shaken, but was taking charge with a life hanging on her skills.

I looked down at the raider who had done this to Cloudy, the dirty red mare was rolling her eyes back and forth between us, but really couldn't move otherwise. Her terrified yellow gaze fixed on the gleaming knife I floated over her throat...

"Fast NO!" Jade's blue eyes bored into my red ones from beneath her shining horn. Her face was set in determination, she refused to allow me to finish the raider that had nearly killed the unicorn she was desperately trying to save.

I looked back to the raider, the knife was inches away from her throat and the vile mare still laid there like a lump. The dark little pony in my head raged against those blue eyes, this bitch deserved to die it, screamed at me. Now. A whispery voice floated up in my mind and joined the blue alicorn's plea, fighting against that shadowy little pony as I looked back to Jade, "Be Kind..."

"Please Fast, do not..." she begged before turning back to Cloudy's care.

That darkness was pushed back hearing her, it was simply no match for my princess. With a final roar of hate and fire in my head I raised 'Best Served' and brought it down in a flashing arc. The red unicorn raider's horn was neatly separated from her head and flew off into the street.

Tears welled up in the raiders eyes as she stared up at me, still frozen. I hoped she was just frozen and not numb, I wanted her to feel that. Though it was probably a medical spell to numb the body and keep her from feeling pain. I leaned into her gaze as a tear rolled down her muzzle, "You're alive because of her... remember it," I growled at her. That dark little pony in my head was going to have to be satisfied with that, Jade said not to kill her so I wasn't going to, she should know why. Frowning, I floated out a roll of duct tape from my tools and bound the mare tightly.

Cloudy Sun groaned and shuddered under Jade and her husband, "S-Short... t-t-took...Short... X-Xara..." she was staring at me, clinging to consciousness through sheer will, making me understand, begging me while the alicorn she hated saved her life. I felt my stomach drop, my eyes widened and I scrambled for my pip-buck, terrified.

Pulling up the locator tags for Short Stack and Mama Xara's pip-bucks, I shook making the map jitter on my leg, both tags were moving away rapidly. They were already nearly to Poncord and heading southwest, Cloudy was right, they were taken away... I wheeled on the raider as Cogsworth, Preston and Sturges joined us, each bearing their own wounds.

"You are going to answer some questions, mainly... WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS GOING!?" I roared down at her as she clenched her eyes shut.

"Fast.. we know where they're going..." Preston limped close and put a hoof on my shoulder, "These are the same group from Poncord, Thundega raiders.. They're taking them to their base, the old Thundega Assembly Plant."

My pip-buck chimed flashing text in front of my eyes and a map marker sprang up on my E.F.S. as I stared down at our captive;

Mission- Stolen Sight

Mission Objectives-
--Rescue Short Stack
--Rescue Mama Xara

Jade and Mama Xara had been busy alright, I floated half a dozen potions from the cabinets they had set up in their shared medical house and more remained.

"Fast it's crazy, you can't storm that place it's a fortress!" Preston followed my progress around the room from the seat he had been told to occupy. On getting no response, he tried to stand and go after me, his heavily bandaged hindleg giving out on him again, dumping him back to the chair. He had insisted Jade focus on Cloudy Sun first, so he was weak from blood loss and the vial of Med-X she had injected him with.

Speaking of which, I grabbed a few vials of the painkiller myself, along with a variety of other drugs. I didn't like using them, but I didn't have any illusions about holding on to personal distaste right now.

"You should listen to the pony Fast..." Sturges called from the doorway, he had volunteered to care for Cogsworth who had suffered his own wounds in the battle. The faithful Mr. Handy had fought bravely though, his mangled flamer arm was spread out on the floor under the fellow repair-pony. He watched me storm around the house with one of his eyestalks giving loud clicks and jerks, I felt bad about that. I remembered how happy he had been when I repaired it and he had three working again. I'd find a way to do something about that if Sturges couldn't.

Taking tight control of myself, I walked over to our guest. The red raider mare was strapped down to one of the medical beds from the Stable and glared at me. Her blackened, oil soaked leather armor sat beside it and I floated it up to me, pulling out 'Best Served', I started removing the emblem of a hammer with a thunderbolt for a handle that adorned it.

Her horn had been reattached by Jade's care and wrapped in bandages, she wouldn't be using her magic anytime soon, but she probably would again. If Fork's knife wasn't so disturbingly sharp, the injury wouldn't have been nearly so easy to mend. The blue alicorn's compassion was wasted on her as far as I was concerned, but I respected it.

Moving the knife deliberately to show how easily it separated the raider symbol from the armor, I scowled at her, "How many?" I could feel my eyes burning at her and got the desired result.

She might be staring back at me with equal loathing, but she didn't dare do anything but answer. "Thirty, more or less. You're going to die little pony..."

I shrugged out of my blue Stable barding and put the blackened armor on, it matched my hide and made me a pony shaped shadow standing in the bright room. "Maybe so. But so are a lot of your friends," I answered, matching her tone.

The raider snorted at that, "Friends? Ha! Don't think I care you little lunatic, what good are friends? We use each other, nothing more."

I had to pause at that, it got through the red rage pounding in my head for a moment. "Then I feel sorry for you. Those two you took are my friends, your gang is about to learn what friends are good for. You should consider it, since you get to keep your life thanks to another one of mine."

The door to the bedroom opened and the alicorn filly in question walked out. Her normally clean lab coat was stained with blood and she looked tired. Everyone but the raider turned to look at her expectantly. "She will recover... she is resting. Long Jump is caring for her," Jade sighed and walked to the still open cabinets, frowning a moment at the amount I had removed, before floating several out herself and stowing them in her yellow medical box saddlebags with the pink butterflies.

After grabbing another four or five purple healing potions and assorted supplies, she brought a small key out from her pocket and opened a locked drawer below the cabinet doors. From this she removed three more potions, these tinted green, along with a crude metal box she floated over to her desk in the corner. She sat behind the desk with its own glowing terminal and the crude placard I made for her reading 'Dr. Jade'. She opened the box on the desk before her, as soon as the lid was open my pip-buck began clicking steadily. She gave a little shudder of pleasure and spread her wings over the open box, absorbing all the radiation from it she could, blocking it from the rest of us.

She sat like that a moment, her eyes closed and a small smile on her beautiful face, giving a little whinny or shiver occasionally, before she finally looked up at me through lidded eyes. She already looked quite a bit better, energized by the radioactive metal we had found cleaning Sanctuary she had stowed in the lead box. "What are you doing Fast?" she asked, peering at me with those big blue eyes.

I had hoped to be on my way before she finished, she couldn't try to stop me if I was gone already. I had been worried about Cloudy however and was glad to at least know she was alright before I left. I stared back at her and consciously fought against being soothed by her gaze, I was not changing my mind. "I'm going after them."

Preston struggled in his chair again and yelped at her, "You have to stop him Miss! It's suicide! The buck's crazy, but he'll listen to you!"

Steeling myself for her disapproval, I looked to her and waited, she glanced at Preston curiously and back to me with a nod. "Of course you are, I meant what are you doing trying to leave without me?" That was unexpected...

Preston threw his hooves up, "Of course! You're both crazy, you're perfect for each other!" he shouted in exasperation.

"Er... You can't, you have to help Cloudy!" I stammered, trying to adjust to this course of events. Honestly I didn't want her going period. Preston and the raider were right, it was probably suicide, she could get hurt or die. The shadowy pony in my head with his hooves waiting at the wheel also didn't want her there, it didn't want her to see the things it was planning, or to interfere...

Jade simply shook her head and closed the lead box in front of her with a click. "I have done all I can for her, her husband knows how to care for her now, the best thing for her recovery is getting her foal back. This place is some distance from here, yes Miss Blade? I assume you had assistance taking our friends away so quickly?" she glanced at the raider staring up at her from under her dirty pink mane.

Only Jade would take the time to learn the raiders name, Cleaving Blade stared at the alicorn with a mixture of fear and confusion. Even though she had just spent a great deal of magic fixing the damage done to Cloudy by the raider's namesake, she still regarded the raider kindly. It was thanks to her that she'd ever use magic again, if it was up to me she would stay a newly minted earth pony.

The raider's face screwed up in a complex expression before finally responding, "Yes... Crankcase hired a merc, Griffon bitch wouldn't help with the assault, said we didn't have enough. Charged a a ton of caps just for transporting that fucking zebra."

With that Jade stood and nodded like it settled everything, "There we are, if we wish to waste no more time we have to follow as quickly. I am the only one who can fly. Our friends may need medical attention. I see you appear to be planning on being stealthy Fast," she glanced down at the blackened armor on my bare hide, "As you have seen I can be equally sneaky when I choose to do so."

Watching her trot up and stare down at me, I had to give her that, I had no idea she could actually turn invisible like that before tonight. She was making all kinds of well reasoned, logical, strategic points I couldn't really argue with. I still didn't want her there. I looked up into her patient gaze and tried to think of something to keep her away. "B-but.." was all I came up with.

"I am not leaving you alone Fast. Preston is hurt too badly to make the trip, Cloudy and Long are not going anywhere, Sturges is helping Cogsworth who was hurt protecting us, I am going," she answered coolly, she wasn't going to budge on this.

Soaring through the air from between a pair beating wings on the back of a pony, was not a position I ever expected to be in again. Once I got too big for ponyback rides from mom, being up the skies was closed off to me, I hadn't realized how much I missed it.

It was pretty distracting clinging to the big blue alicorn's back as she pushed on confidently, feeling her breath puffing in and out, her feathers brushing me on each stroke, the smell of her blue-white mane fluttering in my face... Holding on to the anger I had for the ponies at our destination was hard.

Not impossible of course, but hard.

I really wished I could just enjoy it though, we were flying at the edge of the grey clouds that were building in the night sky, another fall storm was rumbling in the distance. Far below, I could see the wasteland laid out in front of us, the river was to our left with the great city of Trotson on the far shore. Skyscrapers of all kinds and shapes stretched up along the horizon, many shattered and leaning, but still making their own artificial mountain range in the distance.

Beyond the heart of the city, a huge white spire stretched up into the sky, far past the buildings around it. Craning my neck I could see its' mushroom shaped top partially obscured by clouds. Twinkling in the city itself, I could see lights of settlements large enough to make out even at this distance, there was civilization out here still hanging on.

Jade brought me back to the present, turning over her shoulder and nodding ahead, "Fast, I think that is it..." her voice rose above the wind.

I leaned around her graceful neck and looked where she indicated, yep that's where the arrow on my Eyes Forward Sparkle was pointing. I had asked if she had a similar marker guiding her, but she had told me she had gotten no message like I had from her new pip-buck. Apparently I really was the only one whose pip-buck had decided to take an active role in things. That was getting strange...

Preston had been right, the old Thundega Assembly Plant was a fortress, there just wasn't any other word that summed it up so perfectly. It was huge, a giant edifice of concrete and steel squatting on the river like a Ursa Major going fishing. It towered above the surrounding countryside, perched on a hill at the river's bank. Sub-levels with giant discharge pipes leaning over the water lead up to a rectangular main building several stories tall. Walkways and metal shacks festooned the outside of the facility, leading to upper floors and the roof where three dead smokestacks reached up into the sky.

A winding road led up the hill to the main entrance, concrete embankments, chain link fences, barricades, spot lights, sandbag firing positions... all said 'Go Away' loud and clear. If all that wasn't enough, the message was punctuated by grisly displays, pony heads on rusty spikes, flayed bodies nailed to the walls... I felt sick looking at it. Ponies patrolled the outside of the fortress watching for any intrusion, and circling the smokestacks a winged form glided through the skies with us.

Looking at it I bucked myself for being so naive, we had worked hard in Sanctuary, but I still hadn't really understood working lights and water were useless without a way to defend it. I had been focused on making things the way they were, making a home like I remembered life being like up here. If I had not been so stupid, the attack that took Short Stack and Mama Xara would have never met with the success it did.

As I spotted the griffon Jade suddenly faded away beneath me, leaving me flying through the air with nothing under me, wait I wasn't there either?! Ok, being invisible was reeeeally weird... I couldn't see myself or Jade, the landscape just flew by with no reference at all. My grip on her warm neck tightened and I was a little reassured, I could feel her under me at least.

"It is alright Fast! I am still here, I have you! We do not want to be spotted by that griffon up here!" I heard her voice call out in front of me and relaxed. I looked back to the smokestacks as the griffon in question perched on the shattered top of the middle one, yeah... I didn't want to get in a fight with a griffon in midair, whilst clinging to the alicorn beneath me.

Mom had a lot of griffon friends back before the Stable, they'd come visit and drink funny drinks while I played around them. They were nice as I remembered, pretty and very fierce. I never thought much of them at the time, since mom fit right in with them. Auntie Broom, one of my favorites I could recall, used to joke mom was part griffon. Being on the wrong side of one of them, was equal to being on the target of mom's worst glare as far as I was concerned, it wasn't something I ever wanted to experience personally.

Even invisible, Jade kept her distance and circled the facility, taking it all in. The front door was right out, even if we set up far away and I used Sturges' rifle he had given me for this mission, eventually even the silenced shots would draw a horde down on us. I'd rather avoid the roof as well, that griffon was more than ample discouragement, the large number of ponies patrolling the catwalks with their own heavy rifles was just a bonus.

We were sweeping over the river now and I looked down at the large discharge pipes over the water, rainbow colored goop drizzled down to the foul bank below. The pipes hung out quite far from the surface and the building, they didn't seem to be guarded. I pointed them out to Jade then face-hoofed, realizing my pointing was useless when we were both invisible, this was going to take some getting used to...

"The pipes!" I shouted ahead of me and was rewarded by a smooth, sharp bank towards the potential entrance. She stopped just below the largest, fluttering in the air and carefully moving into the dark cylinder, as we closed in I saw this must be a tight fit for her.

My head thumped on the top of the pipe a few times, as she navigated her way up past the bend pointing toward the river and landed on the horizontal surface. With a sigh we reappeared in the blackness and I turned on my pip-buck light, filling the tunnel with the dim glow. The pipe stretched forward ahead of us, I swung free from Jade's back and was stopped short, hovering in a field of her magic.

"Do not get down Fast, look at the bottom of the pipe," she spoke softly, below my floating hooves, a thin, goopy stream of rainbow colored liquid oozed in the pipe. Crusty dried layers of the sludge coated the bottom and I looked back at her, puzzled as she put me on her back again. "It is Taint, Fast... Flux, you should not touch it..." she answered my questioning look.

Flux, I knew that word, Ditzy Doo's wonderful book she gave me called it Taint too though. She was right, it was very dangerous, I looked over her side with alarm, seeing her hooves covered in the stuff. "I shouldn't? You're wading in it! Quick get out! This is a bad idea!" I rambled in fear at her, my voice rising.

My alicorn princess shook her head and smiled, shushing me with a wing, "I told you Fast, it does not affect me. This is what created us, I could roll around in it and be fine. You on the other hoof, should avoid even minimal contact, it is... unpredictable... on normal ponies." She explained softly as she walked forward into the darkness. That's right, she did tell me the flux in Hydra didn't hurt her. That idea still hadn't sunk in very well, this stuff could mutate a pony into a pile of tentacles or some other abomination, seeing her casually strolling through it was jarring.

Ahead of us, light filtered into the pipe from a large break in the surface, I turned off my light as we approached straining my ears for any noise. We peeked around the jagged edge together and saw a small dusty room, barrels lined the walls, some leaking flux on the floor. Across the room a stairwell led up to the rest of the building, dim light filtered down and I could hear voices up there faintly.

Jade floated me off her back and into the room, before squeezing out of the opening and landing in the layer of what she called taint that coated the floor. Looking around cautiously, she set me down on the lowest of the stairs, safe from any contact with the rainbow goop.

E.F.S. showed three red marks, one basically right in front of us so probably up the stairs, the other two were off to the sides. As I looked around and floated out the silenced pistol and 'Best Served', Jade gave a little whinny for attention. "Fast... You should know while I can use that invisibility spell it is draining, especially for both of us. If there were a significant source of radiation around for me to absorb awhile I could use it freely, though that would present.... other problems... in terms of being sneaky. As it is, we can use it in limited spurts, much longer if it is only me, but if you were thinking of simply walking about invisible and dealing with these raiders, I am afraid that will not work."

She shuffled a bit and looked disappointed at her inability to let us just totally cheat our way through this. Ok, maybe I had entertained the thought of slipping through this place like a ghost and slashing these raiders to ribbons, but it was already going better than I had planned. We were inside and they didn't know it after all.

I idly wondered about letting her absorb lots of radiation like she said, she looked embarrassed at the thought for some reason, I wondered what she meant by 'other problems'. From what I had seen, it seemed like exposure to radiation felt really good to her. I thought back to that small smile and the little shivers of pleasure when she had her lead lined box open in front of her. How it healed and restored her easily. What could be so bad about that?

"It's ok Jade, we'll figure out another way, you've already done plenty," I whispered back to her and started climbing the stairs slowly, approaching the sounds above. The blue alicorn fluttered silently behind me and we turned the corner, creeping forward, I could stick my head above the top step and look out the doorway, to the pony humming in the room beyond.

My eyes widened while my stomach revolted, it was a.... kitchen... An old break room for the workers of the factory, counters, a sink, an oven with a fire burning in it with rusty pots and pans on the surface. Smoke clouded the room from the small fire below a large cauldron that bubbled slowly.

Through the haze I could see the back of a large unicorn pony with angry burn scars on his dirty orange hide, he had a heavy leather apron tied at his waist and was humming a tune poorly, as a corroded cleaver floated beside him. The dull instrument came down to the table with a heavy thunk, floating back up again in a field of dingy purple magic with a spray of blood.

I crouched in the stairwell, staring at the charnel house before me, paralyzed.

(thunk!)

The heavyset cook blocked most of the scarred wood table he worked at, not enough of it though. I was looking right into the dead eyes of a bruised white filly, lank silver hair soaked in blood fell around her head limply.

(thunk!)

As I watched a fly landed on her empty gaze, crawling across the pink eye that stared at me, through me...

(thunk!)

Every time that cleaver came down, her little body shuddered. The cook paused and floated...meat... over to the pot, still humming to himself. A voice called from the left, past the door where a red mark showed on E.F.S. "Hey Cookie! How long before soup's on?"

I heard a soft gasp behind me... Jade touched my shoulder gently as I shook. I flinched from the normally welcome touch.

(thunk!)

That noise broke something in me. The shadowy pony in my head leapt at its chance and grabbed the controls. There wasn't any burning this time, everything was just cold and clear as I stood up, stealth was forgotten. I walked forward unhurriedly, a pistol and my knife floated out by my side, it was the silenced one at least.

(thunk!)

I heard Jade start to move as I crossed the threshold, my magic reached out and grabbed the heavy steel door, slamming it behind me in front of her frightened blue eyes. The cook turned around, his sickly yellow-green eyes started to widen. Hearty Fork's long shimmering blade floated ahead of me and started to spin horizontally.

(thunk!)
The cleaver was floating in the cook's grip, but I heard that noise anyway.

The spinning blade shot forward low across the tiled floor, with barely a whisper it went through all four of the fat cook's legs, leaving him a torso falling to the floor in a spray of gore and floating back to my side. I felt disgusted dirtying the knife of a real cook on this pathetic thing in front of me. It started to screech as the first inkling of what happened reached his brain. The first sounds cut off quickly as I glanced at an ugly, bruised apple and grabbed it in my magic, shoving it down his throat.

Muffled screams came from the thing rolling around on the floor, motion showed up to my left as the two ponies nearby reacted to the door and strange sounds. A green mark on the compass behind me jittered frantically behind the door. I snapped the pistol towards the open door as the first raider thumped down the stairs and froze, taking in the fat cook rolling around in a pool of his own blood.

Three rounds traced their way up his neck with a soft 'pfft!' through the silencer, throwing the raider back out the door. The one behind him fired a shotgun blindly as he charged past the first, buckshot dug into the leather armor I wore and my neck, but I barely felt it. Four more soft 'pfft!' sounds dropped that one to a heap in the doorway. The metal door behind me thumped in its' frame... not much time left.. My weapons floated back to me and were stowed away, I didn't need them. I turned back to the cook.

He was drifting away, losing too much blood, only had a few seconds left. I turned to the cauldron of pony soup, lining up facing away from it. The metal door thumped again, the frame buckling. The shadowy pony in my head knew it was running out of time, but that was ok, just had to do one more thing.

I bucked the cauldron off its' stand, dumping the boiling soup in a flood on his head. He might have been close to peacefully slipping away, but not anymore, he was going to spend his last seconds in agony. Good... The door burst open and that dark pony in my head retreated again.

Jade stood filling the doorway, her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the room, it had been bad before, now... The scalded thing at my hooves rolled around, splashing in the horrible soup as the puddle spread to the doorway and stopped. My hooves burned a little, my neck stung too, I looked up at the alicorn as tears welled in her eyes looking down at me. I wobbled, looking back with a sickly smile, my face felt wet for some reason, everything was spinning...

"I-I-I'm s-sorry..." I croaked. Sounds were drifting from upstairs, that shotgun had drawn some attention.

Jade shook her head and furrowed her brow, she ran forward, grabbing me in her magic, depositing me on her back again and disappearing. We ran out up the stairs and through darkened hallways invisible, gracefully dodging raider ponies making their way towards the kitchen in the tight quarters.

Things blurred away, it was nice being carried away from that horror.

"Fast! Fast! Please Fast, snap out of it! C-come back to me please!" Jade's gentle voice drifted in and I did as she asked, I'd do whatever she asked.

We were in a dark room, there were lots of desks and broken terminals, an office? I was wedged under one of the old metal desks, staring at two deep blue pools looking at me in concern. I went somewhere there for awhile, I wondered what happened? I tried to remember and a series of images flashed in my head, my stomach lurched and I bolted past the alicorn taking up my vision, vomiting as quietly as I could.

She didn't flinch or look disgusted as I finished, she just grabbed me tightly and wrapped her wings around me. "Sssh, it is alright... please be ok Fast, talk to me please."

I shuddered in her grip and sobbed, "I-I'm sorry... I'm so s-s-sorry... He-He was... that f-filly...and... oh Luna... I-I did...I..."

Jade cooed and soothed, sitting me back up and wiping my mouth and tears, "It is ok Fast. I know, It is ok. Thank goodness, I was so s-scared. You were just out of it, I healed you and... and you were not coming back... D-Do not do that again!"

I looked back at her pathetically. She saw... saw what I did to that pony, but she wasn't scared or mad, just worried. "J-Jade... I'm sorry, really. I-I lost it, it's like... like there's a bad, shadowy pony in my head and... when I saw that room...what he did.. it just took over."

Her gaze steadied and she looked down at me seriously, "Fast... The wasteland corrupts things, twists ponies, even virtues. You have not been part of it long and it is already working on you, it will tear you down, break you if it can. There are even worse things out there you will see I am sure, you cannot let it win. You just cannot, I have been afraid for you for awhile, that look you get... I can see it wearing you down. That shadowy pony in your head as you call it, that is how ponies end up like... these..."

"How do you think the ponies of the world you knew before the war wound up this way? That the war started to begin with? Everypony has one Fast, you can control it, or let it control you. What you did back there.. that was letting it control you. The goddess, my kind.. let it control us, that is why I do not want to hurt anyone anymore, I am trying to make up for letting it win. You cannot let it. You can control it, even use it to do good things... but I cannot stand to see the good in you get twisted like that, ok? Please.. please stay with me, do not change..."

She folded me back into an embrace and nuzzled me gently, that dark.. me... hiding in the shadowy parts of my mind faded slowly in her grip. Slowly, my breathing calmed and I felt like myself again. Jade leaned down and kissed a tear from my cheek and the last bits of that horrible part of me were silenced as I stiffened.

She sniffled and smiled, pulling back and looking me over carefully. "There... that is better. I will simply have to- to take care of you, make sure the good in you stays safe."

I nodded up to her and wiped my nose, looking around in the dusty office she had brought me to. Broken windows were on the long walls to the left and right, the ones on the left let rain blow in as it drummed against the remaining frosted glass and thunder rumbled outside.

The windows to the right seemed to look out into a big room beyond, I couldn't see from my hiding spot under the desk, but E.F.S. showed a lot of ponies that way. Red marks moved about with purpose and a clump of green was that direction as well. "Where are we Jade?" I asked, taking in our situation and feeling guilty leaving her to deal with what had happened.

"I found an office that seems unused, the floor outside in the hall fell in, so you would have to fly to get in here. It was the best I could think of to hide in, it has not been long, but I was getting worried. I stuck you under there just in case someone came and.. if you had not come back soon, I wanted you somewhere safe so I could go out and figure out what to do," she brought me up to speed quickly, without a hint of blame in her voice.

Wincing on my freshly healed burned hooves, I pulled myself out from under the heavy desk and crept closer to the interior windows, wiping a grimy pane with my hoof and peering out towards all the marks on my compass. The office Jade had found was perched above the factory floor, below was a vast room full of conveyor belts, huge machines with rusting arms ending with claws and other strange attachments.

Hulks of sky carriages in various states of assembly were on a large track towards one end, smaller parts of all types littered the belts snaking their way around the room elsewhere. Cylinder shaped booths lined the walls here and there, recharging stations for dark ponitrons that sat silently behind the metal and glass enclosures.

Raiders roamed all over the room, obviously on guard and checking around them carefully, travelling in pairs. Hoofsteps rang out on the metal catwalk above my smudged viewpoint, holding my breath, I listened to their tense conversation;

"...turned him into a pony sausage... I mean did you see?" a buck asked in a shaky voice.

"Shut up Fender, I saw it same as you, we're gonna find whoever did it and pay 'em back like Crankcase said," a mare beside him answered as they paused overhead.

"But... I mean someone just got in and took 'em out like that, like... like a ghost... What if it's what that colt was saying the other day?" the stallion asked.

"Oh come on, you're scared by that foal's story?! Yeah sure... the Shrouded Stallion is coming for us, woooooo...." she replied, snorting derisively.

"You didn't see him Spark! That colt was freaked right the fuck out, heard he ran away that night. What if... what if it's true? Somepony that could just slip in, do that and vanish?" the first asked nervously.

"Sure, some foal's stuff comic book character from before the war is hiding in the shadows, come to bring punishment to all us bad ponies. Get your shit together and come on, we're getting that bonus for finding the nut who did that and they ain't no Shroud." The two continued on their way without another word.

That was interesting, the colt from the museum in Poncord told the story, better yet he left this place. I hoped he decided not to be a raider like this anymore, maybe I had managed something good. I turned back to the factory floor and kept trying to take in the impossible task in front of us. Dead turrets were in the corners of the room, their barrels pointing down, at least we didn't have to worry about them.

On the opposite side of the factory from us, another office was perched above the factory floor, the glass facing the assembly floor was cleaner and lights glowed from within. A dirty blue-green mare with a ratty yellow mane sat behind a desk facing out at us, as I watched she leaned forward and grabbed something in her yellow magic. A piercing whine of feedback echoed through the building and a voice rang out from speakers scattered about, one in the office with us.

"Keep looking you twats! Crankcase wants that pony found! If the 200 caps isn't enough incentive maybe hungry bellies will be, no more Cookie so don't count on much to eat tonight!" the mouth of the mare in the office moved, matching the words screeching out of the PA system.

Looking away from her, my eyes caught on a large roll up door below that office, metal sheets and sky carriage parts were stacked forming walls to narrow the entrance down to one pony wide. Bars had been welded between the more solid metal bits and a chain link gate was hung at the small entrance. Through the gaps I could see a huddled mass of dirty, miserable ponies that matched the clump of green marks on E.F.S.. Prisoners...

I couldn't make out enough to tell if Mama Xara and Short Stack were there, but I had to find a way to get there regardless. Looking at them down there and thinking of the kitchen below, knowing what at least some of them were used for... a shadowy whisper floated up in my head.

I slumped away from the window, shaking my head and holding my temples in my hooves, no! I had to deal with this before doing anything or I couldn't trust myself, not after what that dark part of me had done so easily. Jade was right, I had to... had to find a way to control it, use it to save those ponies but not let it control me. The alicorn noticed my distress and was sitting in front of me on the floor, watching carefully.

I closed my eyes and imagined that part of myself, not some outsider like the kind little voice that spoke up sometimes felt like, I had to admit that this was me. I could picture it, a dark, rippling, shadowy pony shape with burning red eyes, flames burned behind it but didn't illuminate it and it glared in hatred. How could I use something like that?

If only it was better, thinking back to the raiders on the catwalk outside and their conversation I thought of the Shrouded Stallion figure I carried with me. Yeah, something like the Shroud... he was dark and scary but only to bad guys. He did things that would be considered bad. The police ponies in the Shroud stories were always after him along with the bad guys, because he was a vigilante, he broke the law and hurt ponies...

Concentrating on the toy Shroud in my bags, I could see that angry dark shape in my head ripple and change. Yeah... the Shroud could be bad, but he had rules... he did bad things for the right reasons and didn't break his code. The shadowy pony in my head took on the Shroud's appearance, his long black cloak unfurling and flapping around its hooves. Those red eyes burned still, but from under the brim of the Shroud's hat, less with hate and more with justice. This was something I could use.

I opened my eyes to see Jade inches away, eyes wide in concern and waiting, "Are you alright Fast?" she asked softly.

I nodded and sat back up, touching her cheek before turning back to the window. "Yeah.. sorry about that, just following your advice princess. Ok, lemme think..."

I had a few vague, plan like ideas rattling around now and felt in control. Looking more closely this time I started giving the room a repair-pony's appraisal, following lines from the control room across from us as they snaked around the factory floor.

I still had a pretty incomplete picture of things though, I knew what I needed, but didn't like the idea. "Jade... you said you can stay invisible a long time by yourself right?" I asked, turning back to her.

The blue alicorn filly nodded with a determined expression, "Yes, if it is just me it takes a lot less. What do you need Fast?"

I frowned at the thought of sending her in harms way, but she had handled this fiasco better than I had so far. "Information mostly. I need to know the entrances to the factory below us, where raiders will come from if they think something's happening in there. How to get into that control room. How to get those prisoners free and somewhere to take them to get out. If Mama Xara and Short are down there... Anything else we can use, can you... I don't like asking but can you scout around?"

Jade smiled broadly and gave a crushing alicorn hug as she faded away around me. "Of course! Stay here and be safe, I will be right back!" the warm nothing around me went away and her voice receded toward the door out of the office and the rotten floor around it.

Left alone in the dark office, I looked around, one of the terminals in the room was still operational somehow. With nothing else to do while I waited, I crept over and worked on unlocking it.

Entry 1-
I don't know if I recognize this place anymore, things were so much better when we were still Thundercloud motors. I moved out of Fillydelphia to get away from the war, now it's followed us here. Mr. Thundercloud keeps talking about how great it is having all the money coming in from military contracts, saying his new partner Mr. Vega and his little "interns" are saving the company, but at what cost? Maybe I should start looking for another job? But where would I go? The Crystal Empire? Caledonia? It doesn't seem like there's anywhere far enough to escape the war, damn stripes won't stop till every pony is dead.

Entry 2-
Another round of layoffs. They keep bringing in more and more of those creepy robots to take real ponies' jobs. We used to build things here by hoof with care and love, now those mechanical monsters and clanking machines on the line work all day and night. At least they haven't come up with robots that can do advertising work, unless they figure out a way to stick a brain in one of those tin cans my job is safe I guess. Still, I had a lot of friends who are getting their last paychecks this week. Mr. Thundercloud says not to worry, there's plenty of work out there, there's a war on after all he says. Yeah, like we didn't notice. That sounds like another gem from Mr. Vega.

Entry 3-
More security measures in this month's company meeting. For just being a "minor military contractor" this place is becoming like a fortress. They added auto turrets the other day, not just outside in case of attack by the zebras, but in here with us! They keep telling us it's for our safety, that they won't do anything to anyone authorized, perfectly ok, no worries. Yeah right. Even those damn Ponitrons down there on the floor are packing! I had no idea, was just looking out the window thinking, when one of them wheels around after dropping off a load of parts in storage and blasts a rat that ran out to dust. Why do assembly robots need magic energy weapons? Standard equipment my ass. I do know I'm not going anywhere without my ID, that company memo was one thing, but seeing what they can do if you get on their bad side is another.

I read over the the terminal slowly, I had to keep re-reading the same sentences over again, looking up every few seconds hoping Jade was back, or sure I heard some sound that meant she was in trouble out there. Finally, I felt a soft gust and snapped my head to the door as she reappeared and trotted over to me at the desk. I shot up from the chair and looked her over carefully, making sure she was still alright, while she raised an eye at my examination and smirked.

"I am fine Fast, I told you I can be sneaky if I want," she laughed quietly as I frowned and settled down. I didn't like sending her out in a death fortress of cannibal raider ponies alone, so kill me.

Still smiling, she looked around and floated a poster off the wall nearby, a picture of a zebra in a trenchcoat and a hat tucked low mostly hid the stripes and sneering expression it wore, "See something? Say Something! Stripe Espionage Affects Everypony!" it proclaimed. She floated the dusty propaganda to the desk and put it face down, pulling a pencil from one of the open drawers and scratching on the blank surface.

It took some back filling and checking her pip-buck map frequently. She'd wrinkle her nose and look up to the ceiling cutely as she filled in details at my questioning, but before long we had a fairly detailed map sitting before us. I stared down at it and thought carefully, my plan becoming more... plan like... sort of... It still relied on a great many assumptions, but she had supported everything I had explained so far. Looking over the map yet again, something caught my eye.

"What's the little room with the... seven?" I asked, puzzling out the odd glyph, she had put little doodles here and there to mark things she found of interest.

"It's a little gun Fast!" she huffed, her dubious artistic skills insulted.

I squinted at it, ok... I could see it. "The gun then, what's that room?"

"Their armory, they have quite a stockpile in there," she answered with a frown, obviously she hadn't liked what she saw in there. The idea piqued my interest though, it wasn't too far from the control room I wanted to get to first, and I only had a limited number of rounds for my pistols and Sturges' rifle.

"Alright, we'll take a look on our way then. If nothing else, finding a way to take it away from them can't hurt if we can," I replied and stood up, this was as close to a plan as we were going to get here.

Xara and Short weren't with the other prisoners and everything beyond a stairway marked 'Executive Offices' was a mystery. The guards stationed at the door had made a roadblock she couldn't sneak around. So some important bits were just up in the air for right now, but we'd have to deal with that after what was in front of us. With any luck there was going to be a lot less raiders to deal with anyway.

We carefully snuck over to the broken floor of the hallway exiting the office and peered over the edge, nopony was below us in the gloom and that put us close to where we needed to go. It was the riskier but shorter path and I needed to get a closer look at a few things down on the assembly floor on our way. With a glow, I was picked up in alicorn magic and we both drifted down to the lower floor.

Once safely down, Jade turned over her shoulder to look at me expectantly and flicked her tail in my face. This was a rather nerve wracking part of the plan, but I couldn't ride on her back and inspect what I needed to. With a gulp, I reached out and took her swishing tail in my mouth as we both vanished, 'she tastes like strawberries...' I thought randomly. With a slight pull, she was moving and I started following the invisible tail I held as we made our way out to the factory.

Making our way across the huge industrial building was painstakingly slow, the patrols followed a basic pattern and we managed to stay out of the way, but there were a few close calls. We passed by one of the larger assembly machines, a forest of giant versions of Cogsworth's limbs stuck out at crazy angles.

Once we reached the dimly glowing console on the side of it, I gave a gentle tug on her tail and we stopped. I glanced around furtively and risked using a burst of magic to tap my way through a few menus, reading fast. Satisfied, I gave two quick tugs and we set off again to the next, so far so good.

The next stop was a series of welders on large independent arms, stationed above the large looping track that led to the partially assembled carriages across the room. The console controlling the line reported what I hoped for the most part, but a series of alerts meant stopping at a few of the individual arms for minor repairs. Trying to fix things while you can't see your own hooves, let alone your tools, was a challenge, made more difficult by having to keep in contact with Jade or risk losing her position.

I managed, but it involved a lot of fumbling around, feeling out with a hoof to touch her when I had to stretch and manipulate something with my mouth. I nearly poked myself in the eye several times, trying to grasp invisible screwdrivers and pliers.

From the varied reports I got from my hooves and responding whinnies and gasps I heard groping around for an invisible filly, I was glad I couldn't see what I was up to. This was quite difficult enough already, imagining what shapes I was coming into contact with on the gorgeous alicorn wasn't helping things. Finally we had worked our way through the last of the repairs in here without getting caught and headed for the exit once I had her tail again.

I had my eyes up, following the power and communication lines and didn't notice the burly raiders that came out of the blind intersection before the door ahead of us. I was just suddenly stopped by something soft and round in my face, barely hearing a tiny "eep!" in front of me. The scarred grey raider stallion just a few feet away froze and narrowed his eyes.

"You hear somethin'?" he asked the smaller buck next to him, craning his head around, staring right at us. I didn't dare move.

"What? Whatcha hear Spikes? There's nothin' there," the smaller tan raider asked excitedly.

I tried to hold my breath, it was puffing against the warm tail and invisible springiness I was buried in, that I had no problem figuring out. Very slowly, I leaned my head back, I was going to pass out if this kept up.

"Guess it was nothin'" the larger raider grunted and stared at us, unconvinced as they finally moved on, continuing their patrol down the aisle.

We didn't move for a moment as I took a careful step back and mumbled around Jade's tail in my mouth with a whisper, "Mmmssrry..." There was a little shiver I felt through the the tail I held, followed by a gentle pull leading me forward again. That wasn't my fault, really... I started mentally preparing for when we could actually speak again.

She led me to the right down the hallway, off the far side of the factory, cracked tiles and concrete walls led toward a doorway with 'Employee Locker Area' stenciled above it. We slipped in the room beyond carefully and my jaw dropped, nearly losing the fluffy invisible tail. Half of the room was divided by a chain link cage, a grizzled, older pink pony with a patchy white mane sat behind a square opening at a counter. Behind him, locked in the cage, was more guns than I had ever seen.

It was like the toy aisle in Fallon's department store, a veritable wonderland of firearms. The selection was a bit limited, but there were a lot... A dozen 10mm pistols, too many crude pipe weapons to count, shotguns, both double barreled and pump action, hunting rifles, some even with scopes, three or four battle saddles in various states of repair, boxes on boxes of ammo. A tarp so stained with oil and blood it was nearly black, covered an oil drum full of melee weapons and two large boxes, one full of grenades and the other of metal discs.

I could feel Jade's tail getting soaked with drool...

A light orange mare was shrugging into leather barding at one of the lockers to the right. Carefully, I let go of Jade's tail and brushed by her on the left, heading toward the cage and letting her know which side I was going to deal with. I got a gentle nudge in return and felt her move away as I dug the silenced pistol from my bags in my mouth. I wasn't as good at using guns like an earth pony, but point blank range was doable.

I paused aiming up at the bored looking stallion in the cage, I felt a little bad just shooting him like this, when you put a gun right in a pony's face, they should react. A flash of the horrible kitchen made me forget my reservations though, I unloaded two rounds in his head.

Almost as the shots sounded out, there was a flash of magic and the mare at the locker keeled over in a lump, that anesthetic spell of Jade's was as good as my knife at taking care of ponies quietly. It left the uncomfortable question of what to do with the numb victims it left behind, but I didn't think that was going to be an issue. Judging by the raider mare back in Sanctuary, it would last more than long enough.

With the armory cleared, the heavy door swung shut behind me and the lock clicked as we both reappeared. Sweat stood out on Jade's brow and she puffed quietly, making it this far had taken quite a bit out of her to keep us both invisible. "You ok?" I whispered over to her. She gave a tired little nod and sat in front of the door, inspecting her tail with a wry, flushed smile. Yeah, I was going to hear about that eventually...

I coughed nervously and turned to the gate, a large lock stared back at me and I blanched, looking over to the dead stallion behind it. I assumed he must have the key on him somewhere, rummaging through his bags from here and floating it out would take awhile though. This would be much easier if I could just pick the lock.

Looking over the chain link that made up the cage, I floated out 'Best Served'. The crazy blade had no problem slicing through flesh and bone with frightening ease, why not? I floated it up and brought it down in a vertical flash, the metal wire parted like butter in a long line to my relief. Two more quick horizontal slashes and I made my own little gate into the cage.

It was Hearth Warming day, I started unwrapping my gifts with glee, going through all the weaponry and throwing everything I could carry in my bags. However saddlebags were able to stretch and take whatever you tossed in them, I was reaching my own meager limits of weight capacity. I floated over a green military bag in the corner and started stashing more in there, Jade was a lot stronger than I was, she could carry some I hoped.

Now rounds for my pistols and Sturges' rifle weren't going to be a problem anytime soon. I also kept a pump action shotgun I pulled off the armory attendant my pip-buck labeled as "The Terrible Shotgun", unlike the other weapons of identical make for some reason, along with plenty of shells for it. I dumped all the grenades in my inventory and floated one of the metal discs up to my face curiously. As I turned it over and inspected it, I heard Jade give a little cough.

"It is a mine Fast," she whispered and mimicked putting a hoof down to the floor, followed by an explosion of hooves spread up to the ceiling.

Reeeeeally... checking over the device, I could see how it was meant to be armed, now that I had an idea what it was I could see the small proximity sensor. This would work very well... I put a couple in the cage then dragged the old stallion's corpse over to the gate as I backed out, arming a third mine and sliding it under him carefully.

There were enough weapons left behind in the armory for bait, whoever came running in here looking to arm themselves was in for a surprise. On a whim, I floated the blackened tarp to myself and over my shoulders, a little theatrics would help for the rest of this plan.

Trotting back to Jade at the door, I looked her over carefully, passing over the bag of weapons. She gazed back wearily but stood, lifting the bag to her back with a nod, ready to continue. I checked E.F.S. and it looked fairly clear, "Save it Jade, it's not far right? I think we're ok," I told her quietly and unlocked the door slipping back into the empty hall.

She followed silently and we remained visible, the stairwell to the upstairs hallway was just to the right, before we headed to it I floated several mines out. Arming them all, I started setting them out, first at the door to the factory then spread through the hall. I wanted any raider coming this way to be very discouraged from following us.

More mines were set out on the stairs as we climbed, plus more out to either side of the upper hallway we crossed to the door with 'Main Control Room' stenciled above it. The door was cracked open and the PA system crackled to life just as I reached it and peered inside cautiously, watching the blue-green mare who screeched into the microphone before her.

"Dammit you Celestia damned cunts, find them! I'm not going up to Crankcase and telling him some fucking ghost came in here and killed Cookie! You know how pissed he is already?! That fucking zebra has been a royal pain in the ass, the assault team STILL isn't back, that feather brained griffon is still here waiting on her pay, and I'm not adding on top of this world of shit!" she slammed a hoof down on the button glowing on the panel in front of her and the PA cut out.

I nudged the door open as she finished and sent the knife flying at her, skewering her through the ratty wheeled chair she sat on. Moving quickly, I ran in and stood aside for Jade to follow me into the cramped room. I slid the knife free carefully, leaving her propped up in the chair and sat down on the floor behind the panel, glancing around at all the equipment as I jacked my pip-buck into the main console. This was the first real unknown and I was filled with relief watching the data flash up on the screen as I was granted access to the facility.

The raider in the chair beside me had apparently figured out enough to make the PA work, which was simple enough, but that didn't make her any kind of computer whiz pony. I had assumed if these raiders knew half of what they had at their hooves, this whole adventure would have been infinitely more difficult. I had gambled on most systems actually being operational and the current tenants just being too ignorant to use them. Flicking through the systems I now had control over, I smiled and turned to the keyboard behind me on the panel, my magic enveloped the keys and started tapping away rapidly.

This was going to take a little creative coding, but the pip-buck helped speed the process. I tied the security system to my E.F.S. with ease, now whatever showed up as hostile for me was hostile for it, ponies I deemed friendly were treated likewise. That made sure both Jade and the prisoners would be safe at least, the next system required more direct instruction. I was telling it to do things it was most definitely not designed to do, unlike the security system.

Jade watched patiently as I tapped away, finally the naughty program was ready to run and I nodded up to her and back to the factory. She looked back with concern, but bowed her head with a frown and faded away again. "Be careful Fast" whispered down to me and I felt an invisible kiss light on my horn with a shudder, before the door opened and shut again. She hadn't liked this part of the... plan like thing... but those prisoners would need help and this was the best idea I had to do so.

I gave her a moment to get in position and pulled Sturges' rifle, bracing it on the console and looking down on the factory floor for the raider Jade had described through the windows. It took a moment, but I found the pony I wanted, the one she knew held a key to the makeshift prison below me.

Just like picking off cans down in Stable 111, a silenced shot through a broken windowpane took the raider's head off and I hoofed the transmit button on console beside me. I floated the microphone up with me as I jumped on top of the console before the windows, kicking the previous user out of her chair on the way.

"Greetings evil doers..." I growled through the PA system, hearing my best Shroud impression echo through the building around me.

Already I could hear shouts below, "Your cook has been judged by Luna. You have all earned her holy wrath for the vile deeds you have committed, one who would slaughter and cook the innocent simply earned special attention. None of those who would consume such fare are deserving of mercy from the Shrouded Stallion however..."

"OH WHAT THE FUCK!?" a raider patrolling on one of the catwalks in front of me screamed, the mare I heard earlier who gave me this idea.

The stallion beside her didn't share her look of fury at me as I stood on the console glaring at them, the blackened tarp I wore around my shoulders fluttered behind me. It wasn't the Shroud's coat and hat, but it seemed to be giving the right impression from a distance with the black armor and my own colors. As I watched I saw him mouth "I knew it.." silently.

I went into S.A.T.S. and queued up 2 shots to the head, she dropped as a blast from her shotgun sent cracks across the glass in front of me when time resumed. The buck next to her was still frozen, I wanted him alive still, he was reacting helpfully so far. I turned back to the microphone as I watched red marks on E.F.S. going crazy around me, converging on the factory, they knew where this was coming from.

"I gave you time for my message to be received, I had hoped some of you pitiful ponies would reconsider your actions in this den of evil and flee. You have the child of the goddess herself to thank for this mercy, I offer it for the final time, against my better judgement. Take your miserable hides and escape this place with the lives my princess has granted you. Those that remain, that serve this villain Crankcase whose fate is sealed already, are all going to die... YOU HAVE SINNED AGAINST LUNA, FACE THE SHROUD AND BEG FORGIVENESS IN THE AFTERLIFE!"

My speech boomed through the speakers scattered around the facility. As I watched, one across the large room below me exploded in a shower of sparks, unable to handle the volume. That was a nice touch I thought, as ponies began pouring into the room from the entrances Jade had pointed out. Bullets started flying, shattering the glass as I jumped off the console and crouched behind the console. The lower half was heavy gauge steel, so the electronics I needed and my own hide were safe for the moment at least.

Shouts were floating up to me, punctuated by the first explosions below as the fastest thinkers were running into mines waiting on the path to reach this room. The swarm of red marks was concentrating in the factory nicely.

"Get him! He's in Stormy's booth!"

"It's him, it's the fucking Shrouded Stallion! I told you!"

"It's a nutty pony in a rag trapped in a glass room!"

BOOM!

"Mines! He's trapped the way up!"

"Get to the armory! Tell Jack to give over every fucking grenade in there! We'll blast the little bastard out!!"

KA-BOOM!

"What the fuck was that!?"

"Celestia stick me on her horn and spin, I think that was the fucking armory!!!"

"Who in the everliving fuck is that!?"

"The Shroud! It's the SHROUD!"

"Somepony shut Fender up, he's losing it! Get in here and take that little shit out!!!"

Ok, there was a good amount of chaos now, any of them nearby were coming down on this part of the plant in force. I hoped Jade was ok and watching out for the prisoners below me. Gulping nervously, I hoofed the waiting command on my pip-buck and waited as the complex program ran.

I could look up toward the ceiling outside without getting my head blown off by the stream of bullets pouring in. I smiled as the turrets I could see suddenly sprang to life and raised their barrels, waggling a moment in the incredibly target rich environment, before opening up in a series of ripping noises.

"Those fucking things work!?! Down everypo- gah!" a scream drifted up and was cut short by the rain of fire the turrets were laying down.

A notification flashed on the pip-buck as the next command to the security system was accepted. I could barely hear it above the din, as 15 recharging stations opened and the Ponitrons contained inside activated and were taken over by security protocols. They were armed after all, as the advertising pony writing in the office terminal had been surprised to learn. Flashes of magic energy weapons joined the madness below as toneless robot voices echoed out,

"INTRUDERS DETECTED! INITIATING SECURITY ACTION!"

The amount of gunfire pouring in the windows suddenly slacked off considerably, the screams from the raiders were too chaotic to make out individually as they panicked at the new threat clanking out toward them. A horde of green marks on my compass indicated my Ponitron army as it attacked the rapidly diminishing red marks. The final stage of the program ran next, the bit I had to cobble together. I peeked over the console down into the floor below, I had to see if this part worked, professional curiosity...

The assembly line hummed to life, the industrial machines lighting up as lights flashed red, painting the room below in dancing shadows. The automated machines were not assembling sky carriages though. Each of the giant arms and tools were reaching for the nearest hostile marked pony and.. disassembling them.

I stood back up on the console and stared down into the room below, it had been turned into hell. Fires burned from searing energy weapons, Ponitrons stomped through the smoke and incinerated targets, not bothered by the lack of visibility. Monstrous looking robotic arms ending in claws and welding torches ripped ponies to pieces. Turrets sketched bright lines of tracers down from the ceiling into the haze below, explosions rang out beneath me and screams wailed up.

That shadowy Shroud part of me was satisfied, but I hadn't lost myself to it, though it did insist on laughing maniacally into the microphone, adding to the horror for the raiders. "MWAHAHAHA! This is Luna's punishment for eating other ponies fools! THIS IS THE PRICE YOU PAY!" the Shroud's voice boomed through the building. Still, Jade was right, I could control it, use it to help others and not be controlled by it.

I risked leaning out to look below me and saw a shimmering blue shield in the holding cell before a line of fire seared my neck, I leapt back from the stray bullets and ran out of the room. Both pistols floated alongside me as I ran for the stairwell and Jade below. With my robotic minions regarding me and everything I found friendly as off limits, it was as safe as it was going to get. The thought of her down there protecting those prisoners spurred me down the halls as fast as my legs could take me.

-----------------------------------Level Up!---------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------------

Bloody Mess--
--Your dark side is disturbingly creative coming up with gruesome ways to punish ponies that deserve it... +5% overall damage and chance for spectacular deaths to your foes, fun! Just don't let it get away from you.

Quest Perk Added!---------------------

Shadowy Shroud--
--You've found a way to control the shadowy pony in your head. Your alter ego's sense of theatrics functions like the Terrifying Presence! perk, allowing unique dialogue that can intimidate foes and send them running. These speech checks are only available when speaking as the Shroud, and only against evildoers with with negative reputation and knowledge of the Shrouded Stallion.

Companion Perk Added!---------------

Stealth Filly--
--Alicorn invisibility is almost cheating! Jade is practically a Stealth-buck on demand, your relationship allows you to take advantage of her powers, as well as doubling stealth-buck duration and granting sneak attack criticals +10% damage

Author's Note

Thanks as always to Kkat for Fallout Equestria. Rare for something to captivate me and instill the desire to make my own contribution, especially when so many others have made so much great work. Happy to pay back my enjoyment and glad for anyone who likes my addition to this wonderful niche.

Ch. 10-- Spoils of War

Ch. 10-- Spoils of War

"Turns out that when you're with folks you care about, you don't have to do much to make that time memorable."

Ice cream...

It was a rare treat in the Stable, but here was a giant pink ice cream cone bigger than me in front of my eyes. Mrs. Ladle passed it over with a flourish, though for some reason she was wearing a snorkel and flippers...

Still, ice cream! I licked at the huge pink ball atop the giant waffle cone grasped in my legs and tasted strawberries. It felt wonderful on my throat and tasted like heaven. The massive cone was heavy and pushed me down into dad's old armchair he'd sleep in his office upstairs on, now sitting in the middle of the Stable diner. I kept licking at it, I'd just have to eat enough to lighten this thing, that was fine.

Oddly it wasn't cold, but warm, it wasn't melting at least. Actually it was... giggling?

My eyes opened and the pink was replaced by a lot of blue, I still tasted strawberries though... I gave another experimental lick.

A sweet sounding giggle came again, my eyes started to focus and the blue resolved into the graceful neck my tongue was stuck to. A cloud of bluish-white surrounded me and everything shifted slightly.

Jade's head was stretched up over me, my tongue was sticking out and pressed against her neck, just below her jaw. My eyes widened and I slowly pulled my tongue back mid lick. She giggled again and moved over me in response, pressing her neck against my muzzle, as she rubbed her own up and down against my ear. She pulled me closer, squeezing me in her forelegs and ruffling her wings over my chest in her sleep.

Trying not to shudder or move, I looked around in confusion and mounting panic. I was in Jade's bed... The big blue alicorn took up a good deal of the two small mattresses bound together, though it wasn't cramped since she held me tightly. An IV was hung to one side and a clear tube ran from it down to my foreleg, I was wrapped in bandages, a good deal of them on my lower half. Being frozen in place was probably pretty good right now, dull aches from everywhere told me moving would be a mistake on a number of levels.

"Mmmnnnn..." Jade whined over me, nuzzling against me and rubbing her neck in my face. I could see her closed eyes furrow a little and she pulled closer, pressing down on top of me.

Ow.. ok, oww... ribs... ribs still hurt from Crankcase's giant hammer. I didn't want to wake her up, for multiple reasons... but she kept insistently nuzzling and rolling on top of me, her neck pressing to my muzzle firmly. Whatever dream she was still having, she didn't like the interruption.

She tossed slightly in bed and hitched a hindleg over my flanks, pressing down more, "Mmmnnn!" she whined as a vertical 'I want' line appeared in her brow and I bit my lip, whimpering quietly. If this didn't stop she was going to crawl right on top of me...

My flanks burned as soon as she had put a leg over them, those legs were crippled and scorched last night and still unhappy with me. Desperate, I stuck my tongue out again and was rewarded with a sighing giggle, as she stretched her neck languidly above me.

Alright... think... my battered brain wasn't in any condition to do so to begin with, the current situation just made it impossible. I couldn't slip out of the embrace, the alicorn's heavy body was pressing me down into the mattress and held me too tightly to move. She nuzzled over me again and got another lick to keep her happy, whatever she was dreaming about, she reeeeally liked that spot on her neck. Sighing happily, she started nibbling at my ear and I stopped even trying to think.

"Little early in the mornin' ain't it boss?" A shaggy, red feathered head popped into the doorway, blinking purple eyes sleepily and looking down in amusement, "Hell she ain't even doin' it right! I expected ta walk in on somethin' a lot better than this! What's wrong with you Blue!?" The griffon mercenary Valkyrie woke the rest of the way up on taking in the situation and quickly resolved it.

Jade's eyes snapped open in the middle of demanding she get another lick and wheeled on the griffon in the door, "W-What?! What are you doing in here? It was very rude to wake me, I was... having a lovely dream," she hissed at Val, annoyance clear in her glare.

Val laughed uproariously, "Oh I know! I can tell ya were big stuff, bout to squeeze the life outta the boss there, but ya sounded like ya were enjoyin' yerself alright!" she hooted, leaning against the door frame and pointing over Jade's shoulder at me.

Jade turned back slowly, looking down at me under her on the bed. Her eyes got very big and her face turned a bright red, as she touched her neck with her hoof with dawning comprehension.

"Um... m-morning..." I wheezed weakly up at her, nearly matching her glowing crimson coloration.

Her gaze traveled down from my face, to the rest of me being smothered in her embrace sinking into the mattress and she leapt up into the air, flapping over the bed and sputtering, "F-F-Fast! Omigosh! A-are you alright!? I... I.. was just..."

Valkyrie had slid down the doorframe and tears were streaming from her eyes, "You were just what? Just what was that 'lovely dream' of yers Blue? I gotta know, c'mon spill it!"

"N-None of your business! You.. you get out of my room! I have to take care of Fast!" her eyes blazed down at the griffon.

Val laughed even harder, standing up and catching her breath, "Oh 'take care of him' huh? Do tell!"

I was starting to think she was trying to give the alicorn an aneurism, Jade shook in the air and her eye was twitching. "N-n-not like that! You are very l-lewd! Leave! F-Fast is still hurt and needs m-medical care!"

The griffon's cheeks puffed out, barely restraining another burst of laughter, "Ah well, I'll just leave ya to play doctor then! Hey boss, lemme know if you wanna second opinion! I'm a specialist!" she howled and sauntered toward me, swishing her tail.

A blur of blue slammed down to the mattress and I was bounced up in the air, Jade's wings spread wide and formed a wall between me and the griffon, as I thumped back to the sheets. "OUT! NOW!" her goddess voice boomed and Val was pushed out of the room in her magic.

"Wait! Wait! One more! Call if'n ya want me ta assist in the operation boss!" The bright griffon clung to the door frame by her charcoal claws, her purple eyes dancing with glee, "N-no, I got another, I'll be back for yer post-op sponge bath boss!" the door slammed in her face and I could hear her still laughing hysterically as she went down the hall.

Jade lowered her wings, panting and scowling at the door, while I tried to push myself up from where I landed. She turned on me with her eyes still burning and a furious blush lighting her cheeks. "I do not like that griffon! You will properly explain why..." she stopped short and her expression immediately softened watching me struggling back up. If everything didn't hurt so much, this whole morning would have been much more enjoyable.

I was gently surrounded by her magic, along with several pillows fluffing and stacking themselves against the wall, before I got propped against them. Her anger at the griffon evaporated and she pushed her forehooves together nervously, "Oh... Oh I am sorry Fast, I keep hurting you again. Your injuries... umm... a-are your ribs.. ok? I was... er... Oh, I am a big clumsy fool... I should not have, but you were hurt... a-and there was plenty of room... I just w-wanted..."

She was slumping lower and lower on the bed beside me, her hooves kept tapping together closer to her ducking muzzle. I couldn't stand seeing that, besides, I didn't want her discouraged about the morning. If I felt like a living pony again, this would have been a fantastic day already, actually it was anyway. Pain or no, I braced myself and leaned over to her quickly, planting a weak kiss on that spot on her neck before she could react. I fell backwards into the pillows immediately, even that had taken a lot and hurt like hell. The small gasp and shiver running from her tail to her mane it brought was worth it though.

"That.. was the best way... to wake up.. ever..." I groaned over to her with a breathless grin.

She rubbed her hooves in front of her anxiously and smiled back with sparkling eyes, scootching across the bed and sitting next to me, wiggling happily. "I-I am glad then... umm... It was alright? T-to sleep here...I did not hurt you? You were asleep when I came back and did not wake up while I treated you. I merely wanted to be close if you woke up, o-or needed m-medical care, that griffon's suggestions... she was w-wrong.. yes... r-r-ridiculous..."

That would sting, if she wasn't rubbing her neck absently and blushing.

Val's teasing must be infectious, I couldn't stop myself from smirking over to her. "Too bad... some were good... be fun..." I replied casually.

Jade turned an amusing red all over, shutting her eyes and shaking her head with a whinny. "F-F-Fast!" she squeaked and her hoof shot out to shove me, sending me sailing off the bed.

Jade's slender horn led her fluffy mane and big blue eyes, peering over the edge of the bed at me, past a circle of tiny laughing griffons around my head. "Oh dear...Fast?"

Jade's room was boring without her in it...

I was not allowed out of bed, left here by myself after she had changed my IV bag and forced me to drink a nasty zebra potion. She was very cross when she dragged the medically relevant parts of what happened after she left the Thundega factory last night. The recap of; big explosion, Hydra, Med-X, Dash and lightning bolt sent her into fits, stamping her hooves as she drew blood from me a lot less gently than I'd expect normally.

I tried to work my way to the edge of the bed and stand as she went to leave, but got floated right back to the pillows with a frown.

"No. You stay right there, you are obviously not to be trusted left to your own devices. You should be d-dead... You are going to sit there and rest, while I see what kind of damage you have done to yourself Fast. Stay still or I will make you," she lectured sternly and her horn glowed with that numbing anesthetic spell of hers to illustrate her point.

That was some time ago, I could hear Sanctuary coming awake and bustling to life outside the curtained windows, but was grounded here alone. Cogsworth bobbed in a few times to check on me and bring me what I wanted, if it was allowed apparently. The alicorn princess had already gotten to him.

"Just help me up... and to the porch Cogs!... I'll keep still, just outside... where I can see stuff!... C'mon buddy..." I whined at him.

"Absolutely not sir. I am afraid Miss Jade has ordered me against such action specifically." he replied, setting a bowl of Apple Sugar Bombs on a tray beside me.

Cogsworth took orders from her now? "Yeah but.. you're my robot! er... I mean, we're friends first just... your programing shouldn't mean... you have to follow her... orders right? Especially over... mine? C'mon, I'll tell her... I just overrode her asking you!"

The Mr. Handy waggled his eyestalks, "No Master Fast. You are correct you could normally order me to ignore her wishes, however she is a recognized medical authority. She has explained your convalescence is medically necessary for your well being. Your health takes priority over your boredom. Though I must say I agree with her regardless, I am glad you consider me a friend before property however sir. Could I help in some other way? Bring you something to read? Send for visitors?"

"Open the curtains?" I asked hopefully.

Cogsworth's limbs drooped, "I am afraid Miss Jade has told me not to do that. She seemed to think if you could see outside, you would be further inclined towards disobeying her orders."

I hissed in frustration, "Bring me my tools and... stuff from the workshop?"

"That would be working, which she also prohibited sir," dammit she had covered all the bases.

I kicked my legs on the bed in a tantrum, forgetting the stabs of pain that was going to bring, this wasn't fair! "Can you at least tell me... what's going on... out there?!" There were a lot of sounds and movements past the curtains, voices calling back and forth across the neighborhood, tools being put to work repairing things...

"That was listed along with opening the curtains as unacceptable for the same reasons sir, I'm sorry... I could Bring Miss Jade or Miss Xara here for you to petition, or ask for another acceptable visitor," Cogs looked disappointed he was being forced to deny everything I asked for.

If she got to Cogsworth, she probably got to anyone I could ask for too and they'd be unlikely to do anything he couldn't. I had a sneaky, rebellious thought though... "Go get me Val... Cogsworth. The big red... griffon lady?"

The robot drifted towards the door, bobbing anxiously, "She was explicitly listed as strictly off limits, in no uncertain terms sir. Though the griffon in question has also informed me she is to live here and I should obey her as if her words were your own? I wanted to confer with you about that claim. She has stopped in several times demanding I let her pass, Miss Jade ordered me to tell her you were sleeping however. I do believe the filly does not care for the griffon at all..."

I threw my hooves up with a wince, "Ugh! Fine! I'll just sit here... like a lump! If anyone... allowed to visit comes, send them... in please Cogs."

With a salute Cogsworth bobbed out the door and down the hall, leaving me to stew and pout alone.

I filled the time as best I could, managing a short nap for awhile, but soon enough I was sitting up staring at the curtained windows again. I crossed my hooves and huffed, then turned to my pip-buck to have something to do. The health reports were still unhappy with me in general, listing my multitude of injuries and showing a cartoon unicorn that looked half dead. My inventory was gone, it didn't even show anything under clothing since I was only covered in a mile of bandages. All my other items had been taken away, so I couldn't even amuse myself sorting out the junk.

The "Missions" tab had been changed slightly, however that part of the pip-buck worked it had been active while I wasn't. The mission "Stolen Sight" to rescue Mama Xara and Short Stack had been completed and crossed off the list.

That really strange one listed as "Because I Said So" was still there, as it had been since Jade asked me to get my family photos from Stable 111. For the last several days since I had completed the only objective it listed, it had just sat there. The photos hanging on the walls around me proved I had done as it asked, along with the crossed out objective, but the mission remained. Now it had a new objective added at some point;

Mission- Because I Said So

Objectives-
--~~Find Photos~~
--Stay In Bed

The entire missions thing was bizarre enough, but this one didn't even follow the normal rules the others did. Apparently, this particular mission just listed whatever Jade had demanded of me, which were few enough it would wait for the next one after the previous had been done. Ok...

I turned the radio on, having exhausted the options the pip-buck offered besides a random assortment of files taken from terminals I had run across. I could go through those, but so far most things I pulled off ancient terminals were just sad. If I was going to sit here and read I'd rather have something a little more enjoyable, a comic book maybe.

There was a bookshelf in the corner Jade had been collecting still intact pre-war books she found interesting. I searched the shelves for the thinnest spine possible and tried to reach out with my magic for it. Ow! Still a mistake, an arc of electricity ran down my horn, sparking and fizzling in the attempt. I winced and rubbed it, hissing, having a bolt of lightning blast right into your horn was not a good idea...

"Umm..."

A tiny voice sounded from the doorway and I turned, somepony else! Cogsworth had left the door cracked open and a big pink eye was staring up at me from the hall. A soft voice called out nervously, as the white muzzle it came from nudged open the door.

"I... I could get one for you..."

The little filly pointed over to the shelf from the door, how long had she been there? I smiled sadly at the foal, Platinum Glitter, her dirty silver hair fell lankly in front of her pink eyes and she inched her way in the room. Looking at her, it was hard not getting flashes of her twin on the chopping block in that hellish kitchen back in Thundega.

"Sure, please... pick something good..." I croaked and waved a hoof, inviting her in.

She nodded her head vigorously and trotted over the shelf, running her head back and forth along the shelves before selecting something and pulling it free in her mouth. She turned and showed it to me, I didn't have the heart to say the Canterlot Journal of Internal Medicine was probably pretty boring... At my nod, she ran over and scrambled up the foot of the bed, tossing it up toward me.

Wanting to be grateful, I fumbled at the book with my hooves and finally propped it up in my lap. Yes this was incredibly boring, nevermind I was just looking at the foreword. I knew. I smiled over the top of it at her and tried to look interested, making little hums, ooohs and ahhhs of comprehension.

The filly just sat there watching me. Her eyes were red from crying and dried snot coated the dirty rags she was wearing, her ribs showed through the coarse material and she was filthy. I tried to focus on the book, looking at her and remembering her twin made that dark Shrouded little pony in my head start grumbling about punishment and retribution. Blood and fire...

"Y-you took his legs off and cooked him in his own s-s-soup, huh Mr. Fast?" the filly whispered from behind the book.

The dry tome dropped from my hooves and I stared at her, her pink eyes were shining wetly, but set in a determined line. "H-how did you hear..." Jade wouldn't have told her that, and she was the only one who saw what I did to the cook butchering her sister.

"Those raider ponies, they talked to each other... I heard. They were scared... W-was... was T-Twinkle in the s-soup that killed him?" Her voice was low and cracked from crying, there was real need in that question, but I wasn't sure how to answer. She was just a foal, but she grew up out here, there was an edge to her voice that spoke of things she had seen.

"I- I shouldn't say... you shouldn't... think about it... sweetie. It's done," I finally wheezed out, looking down at the book in my lap, away from those pink eyes.

"I hope she was. I hope she helped kill him. He was a bad pony... he took momma too...I'm glad you did what you did Mr. Fast," she spoke with barely contained anguish and rage warring in her. I knew where that led now though, that was the dark voice in my head talking, hearing it from such a young filly hurt. Tears dribbled down her muzzle, but didn't touch her voice.

I shoved the book aside and patted the mattress next to me, "It's just Fast... My dad was Mr. Times but... I'm just Fast... Sorry... not fast enough..."

She looked up at me anxiously for a moment before edging forward and sitting down next to me, her eyes staring straight ahead and her back rigid. She was still leaking tears, but seemed determined not to actually cry.

"It's ok, you came. You saved us. You made them all pay. I wish I could'a helped... When we left an' I saw all of those bad ponies, what you did to them, I was glad... Miss Jade tried to make me not look, but I did. I was glad," she hissed, staring at her hooves.

"I wasn't... wish I didn't have to... ponies weren't always like that... S-sorry for mom and sister... dad?" long conversation was just right out with my ribs burning on every breath.

The filly shook her bedraggled silver mane, sending little sparkles of tears out, "Don't know him. Momma never said, we was scavengers, moved around a lot. Dunno what I'll do now.. all alone..."

"I was too... everypony I knew... gone... taken... shouldn't be alone... stay here, safe..." I reached a tentative hoof out around her shoulder and she only stiffened for a moment. I couldn't do anything for her family and she didn't have anypony else, I could make sure she lived the life her twin couldn't.

She looked up slowly, her lip quivered and her face screwed up. "C-c-can I? S-s-stay? O-others are talkin' bout moving in here.. b-but they're grownups... I c-can't do much to pay... b-but I'll work hard!"

I shook my head, hurt that a filly had thought things through that far and assumed she had to pay. That she'd just be kicked out because she wasn't useful enough, had she been watching from the door for me to need something she could get? "No pay, work if... want... stay..."

That broke the dam, she wailed and started sobbing, burying herself in my side and grabbing around my chest, ow... She hitched and sniveled and cried herself dry, while I sat there gritting my teeth under the tight little hooves and head digging into my battered ribs.

"Pssst! Boss!"

I opened my eyes, groggily looking around the dim room. Sunlight dappled the bed, streaming in around the curtains, afternoon? I must have nodded off again, looking around for what woke me, I heard it again.

"Psst! Up here boss!" Val's voice called out quietly above me.

Her dark claws were hanging on the lip of the hinged door in the roof I had helped put in this room, for Jade to fly in and out if she wanted. Her fluffy red and white head was sticking in under the edge of the door, while I could see the shadow of her tail flicking in front of the window below.

"Wha?" I felt a little better than I last remembered, sleep and whatever was in the IV nearby had been helping at least.

"Boy you're a regular lady killer, ain't ya boss, every time I come in here some new pony is in here with ya," the griffon mercenary chuckled and pointed a claw to my left.

Following her gesture, I looked down at the foal still clutching my side murmuring awake at the noise. I guessed she cried herself asleep here. Glitter yawned and rubbed her eyes letting me go, blinking around at where she was before spotting the griffon and gasping. She scrambled up and buried herself in the pillows propping me up with a squeak.

I tried to look back to find her but she was pretty good at hiding, "Hey, it's ok... Val's a friend, right?" I looked up to the purple eyes questioningly. I still wasn't 100% on her status, despite how friendly and at home the griffon was making herself.

"Of course boss! Don't you worry kiddo. Now c'mon, I'm bored, get up!" Val nodded and started slipping into the room, "That big blue filly has been keeping you on lockdown with the goofy robot butler as her guard, first time she's gotten distracted enough to stage a jailbreak!"

The filly poked her head out of the pillows and whispered up to me, "She worked for the raiders!"

Val had dropped to the floor with a soft thump and gave her a wounded look, "Well, now I work for the boss, gots me an open contract. I didn't help 'em out with the sick shit they got up to either girly, just did transport once, an' hadn't planned on repeat business with that crew. Glad the boss laid that place to waste actually, but caps is caps."

Cautiously, Glitter crawled out further, still keeping me between herself and the griffon. "D-does she? Work for you Fast? Is she safe?"

"Good questions, I had a few along those lines myself Val. But yeah I think she's... safe-ish Glitter, calm down," I replied and looked up to the she-griffon, we still needed to have a discussion about some things.

Sticking her beak in the air she hopped on the bed and looked down through lidded eyes, "Hey what's that s'posed to mean? You offer me the contract and act like it's in question? No idea how you knew about that, but I'm pretty satisfied so far, lots of potential here, you kill ponies good, gots me a room full of loot, no backing out now boss!"

I had the feeling I hadn't really understood what I had invited by saying that oath Auntie Broom taught me when I was a foal, but I was desperate at the time. So far Val had been acting as if I were her contract holder and been perfectly pleasant, but other than what she had taken herself I hadn't paid her. I knew griffons were funny about things like money and honor, that if they thought you were the boss then you were. Usually it involved payment though, it was weird for one to not be so concerned with money. She had left Crankcase on his own, even took his hostages away, mainly because he hadn't paid her.

"Er.. I wasn't going to... Just curious about some things, about that contract. W-What's it mean exactly?" I scratched my mane and looked up at her.

For a moment I thought her eyes would pop out of her head, she goggled down at me incredulously for a long moment. Then she started howling laughter and flopped to the bed beside me on her back, literally rolling. "Y-y-you don't know wh-what it means!?! Bwahahaha! Oh I knew it, y-you are hilarious boss! H-how the hell did you even know to s-say it!?!"

She didn't have to make me sound like quite such an idiot... "Auntie Broom taught it to me. Umm.. Brunhilde Steelfeather, a griffon friend of my mom's when I was little." I had to speak up, grumbling over the raucous laughter while the griffon rolled next to me, bouncing me around on the bed.

"So some griffon t-taught you that?! As a k-kid!!! Stop please! Yer k-killin' me boss!" This was getting insulting...

"Yeah, so? I told her I wanted to hire her so she wouldn't have to work for somepony she didn't want to... I just didn't have enough money..." I crossed my hooves and pouted, it wasn't that funny...

"D-Don't tell me... she w-wouldn't take yer widdle piggybank?" Val asked, trying to get her breath back.

"No... I offered all my toys too..."

The griffon sputtered and exploded in fresh gales, clutching her sides and smacking me with her wildly lashing tail, "ALL YOUR TOYS!! BWHAHAHAHAHA!!! S-Stop! I c-can't b-b-breathe!"

Glitter had crawled out from behind me and was watching the griffon spasming on the bed with a frown, "So? What's so funny! Stop makin' fun!" she huffed and started pushing the mercenary angrily.

Finally Val got herself under control, wiping her eyes and ruffling the little earth pony's mane, "I'm not makin' fun kid... ok a little... You ponies just don't understand, what kinda griffon would teach a foal that oath?! It's hilarious, I gotta meet her! Worked out for me anyway!" she tittered and rolled over, resting her head in her claws.

I cocked an eyebrow at her, annoyed. She better not be making fun of Auntie Broom, I liked her.

"Fine I'll explain! Quit givin' me the stink eye boss! I hope you know 'bout griffons takin' contracts, it's important to us right? We decide to work for somebody and so long as we get paid, we do the job, to the letter right? Client gets exactly what they pay for, nothin' more, nothin' less. An open contract is different, not about the pay or specifics beforehand. More... an investment basically."

"Somebody offers one, it's not for what they can pay, it's for what they're worth, you are the payment. Means you gotta be worth somethin', or will be, an' it leaves both sides open in ways a regular contract don't. You're still the boss and could order me to do anything really, but I can take what pay I want, equal shares. Whoever this Brunhilde is, she must'a thought you were valuable or she wouldn'tve taught you that oath. Pretty much you just offered yourself up to me for my services." her voice evened out as she went through the explanation, despite her amusement, this was serious to the griffon.

Ok, that explained a few things, she wasn't hanging around waiting for payment of the pip-buck I promised her. She had decided the pip-buck was the first payment she wanted for right now... "Soooo... You're hired based on me paying you with... me?"

Val smirked and pushed Glitter down the bed with a wing, crawling up to my face and fluttering her eyelashes. "'Zactly so boss, I could ask for anything I want outta you... or you could ask for anything you wanted..." she cooed and traced a claw over my bandaged chest, err.... I gulped, she was getting very close. ..

Just as I was getting nervous, her lavender eyes sparkled with laughter and she hopped up, crouching over me, "An' right now I'm bored, I want you to get up, go get me my pip-buck thing! Take a walk outside, you been in here all day an' all those ponies out there are all skittish. They'll listen to you, security in this place is pitiful an' I don't want my new home invaded on a daily basis. Weekly is fine, boring otherwise, but every day is too much. Can't stash our loot here if it's not secure."

Wiping sweat off my forehead, I looked up at the crazy griffon bouncing lightly on the bed over me, "T-there's a lockbox in my room..."

"Our room!"

"R-right... our room, go get it. Kept a dozen pip-bucks in there where I could get to them, locked the rest up better. Need my tools too," I answered shakily and gestured out the door.

She bounded off the bed and stuck her head out the cracked door cautiously, whispering over her shoulder, "Where's that robot... aha, be right back boss!" and she was gone with a swish of her tail through the door.

Glitter sat at the foot of the bed, listening with me to the clatters and thumps from across the hall, "That griffon lady is silly," she snorted with a small smile, at least she could smile again. That was good.

Moments later Val had returned, setting the heavy trunk down and tossing my saddlebags on the bed. She was looking over the lock on the trunk as I hoofed at my bags, "Key's in here somewhere, hang on..."

"Key? Who needs a key boss?" Val grinned and brought one of her black claws to the lock, her tongue stuck out of her beak as she scraped at it and nudged it around with her thumb. In just a few seconds the lock clicked, popping the trunk open, revealing the dusty pip-bucks stashed inside. That was impressive... "What'd I tell you 'bout security, pretty dinky lock boss. Gotta find somewhere better to stash these. You know what we could get sellin just one of these things?"

The griffon held one she selected up and stared at it avidly, greed flashing in her eyes. I could see how a pip-buck was pretty valuable and would probably sell for a lot, but... these weren't for sale. I dug the orange handled pip-buck tool from my bags in my mouth and gestured for the one Val held.

"Glitter, pick one out too and bring it here," the filly's eyes widened and she dashed to the open trunk, sticking her head in and rooting around excitedly.

A couple clicks later and Valkyrie wore her own pip-buck on her claw, she held it out and looked it over with a broad smile, lowering it back down to me to finish setting it up. The new user sequence went through some additional pages of text I had never seen, then the health status home screen flickered. I always wondered about this, but the pip-buck recognized griffons without issue, the cartoon earth pony was quickly replaced by a cartoon griffon.

"It's pretty simple, health is..." I started to give the brief tutorial, only to be waved off as Val clicked buttons rapidly with her claws.

"I got it, I got it... Lemme figure it out." she said distractedly, absorbed in her new toy.

Glitter had crawled back up and held her own pip-buck in her mouth, dropping it in front of me, she looked up in awe, "I can really have it?" she asked quietly.

Nodding, I unlocked it and slapped the arcano-tech device to her hoof, watching it power up and adjust to fit her slender leg. The filly at least let me give my spiel on how it worked... Though as soon as I was done she hugged it to herself with glee and bounded around the room. While they were both here, I made sure to grab both locator tags from the newly reassigned pip-bucks, their names added to the list on my own. I could now find both of them so long as they functioned, that was reassuring.

A snort of confusion was followed by Val plopping down next to me, she shoved the pip-buck to my face and pulled me in with a wing. "Alright, questions... gimme the boring tutorial boss," she groaned, rolling her eyes. Glitter stopped her bouncing and dashed up to join us, squeezing in between the two of us to stare at the screen.

"You could have let me to begin with... I'm guessing Val's questions are more combat related too Glitter," the griffon nodded happily, yes that was what she was interested in. "You shouldn't have to learn this stuff, so it's just for the sake of knowing it, not using ok?" The young filly bobbed her head and held her own pip-buck up below Val's.

I took a moment to hoof through the menus and changed the color to pink and purple to match their eyes, that got a gasp of wonder from the little filly as she looked around through her adjusted HUD, while Val seemed mildly impressed at least. "Ok, you need to know a little about pip-bucks..." I started just as the door swung open behind us.

"Fast, I brought you lunch! You have been good, so I thought we could eat outside, are you awake in..." Jade filled the doorway, floating a tray of puny Stable apples and two bottles of Sparkle Cola, one the red Rad! variety. On taking in the crowd gathered around me on the bed, her eye twitched, her glare locked on the griffon snuggled up against me to fiddle with her new pip-buck on her wrist. "WHAT IS THIS!?" yup... there was the goddess voice.

I threw my hooves up into the air in surrender, smiling up at her nervously, "I haven't gotten out of bed! I behaved, this isn't my fault! Don't hurt me!"

Once she had chased the griffon away and dragged an explanation out of me, Jade relented and floated me out to the porch to eat a late lunch. We sat together, watching Platinum Glitter playing with Short Stack in the front yard. Well, on the patchy ground in front of the house, I couldn't really call it a yard anymore.

The blue alicorn was munching on an apple and glaring at Valkyrie flapping around haranguing Preston, who was barking orders at three ponies in some kind of drills or speech. The influx of newly freed prisoners left the last Minutemare no longer the last it seemed, he was whipping his new recruits into shape in a rusted playground towards the center of the island.

"So, she is staying here?" Jade asked between bites, clearly annoyed.

"Umm... yeah... We do have a contract it seems. She explained it to me," I answered nervously.

"Yes, young Glitter explained as well... This open contract thing, she can just take what she wants?" yeah, she was mad.

"S-sorta? We're like... partners or something? I'm the boss though apparently, but yeah, she can ask for whatever payment she wants," how much had the little filly explained? Jade was very good with foals...

She huffed and narrowed her blue eyes at the griffon looping in the sky, "So I understand. She said you paid for this contract with yourself? That she could ask for anything... or the reverse was true? The implication I was given was the griffon had a broad definition of anything Fast..."

I gulped, "S-She was teasing me... I-I think it's more... um... whatever she wanted to be paid with, li-like the pip-buck!" yeah that's the ticket.

Jade's blue eyes loomed in front of me, inches away, "She views your room as hers? She refuses to move?"

"Er... well... f-for now I guess? We'll clear out some of the upstairs so she has her own space, I-I'm sure she'll take her own room, m-maybe her own house if she wants it?" Yeah, giving the idea of the griffon moving into a separate house was good, nevermind it seemed unlikely.

Her eyes narrowed down at me now, "That seems unlikely..." were alicorns able to read minds along with turning invisible?

Ok, ace in the hole time, she was right in front of my face after all. I leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on that magic spot on her neck. Darting back, I watched her close her eyes and smile with a little shudder, before shaking her head and trying to put a scowl back on.

"Th-That is not fair Fast... I wish to be upset with you..." she gasped.

"Sorry! V-Val's really not bad, she helped save Mama Xara and Short..." I nodded to the colt tumbling around the dirty yard with Glitter. "I didn't know what else to do at the time, if she hadn't taken them away from Crankcase, I dunno if we could have gotten out of that. Auntie Broom taught me that because I wanted to hire her with no money, it just popped out. Besides, she's right about some stuff, if security was better here they wouldn't have been taken to begin with. I think it's good to have her around, she's actually pretty nice..."

A blue nose rose imperiously to the air and snorted, "I do not like her. She is crass and lewd and teases... If she refuses to vacate your room, you are not allowed to stay there. You will stay where you are, she has no claim on my room, yes?"

I got to stay in Jade's room... I could feel my face heating up and shuffled, trying not to look completely ecstatic. "I guess not? It's yours, so I can't give it to her..."

Jade nodded and took a drink of her radiation flavored beverage, "Then that is where you will remain. You will simply have to find a way to... m-make up for your foalish decisions," she kept nose held up and eyes closed in a haughty expression, but leaned sideways, slowly putting her neck in my face. Well, the filly knew what she liked, I planted another quick kiss she fully enjoyed without trying to hang on to being mad. She gave a little giggle involuntarily and looked over from the corner of her eye, "Yes, that is a start."

"So, what's going on out here? You made sure I didn't get to find out how everypony was doing or help..." I grumbled.

My complaint was roundly ignored, "Those in the worst condition have been cared for, luckily their worst wounds paled in comparison to yours Fast..." she was still unhappy with me over that. "Many are planning on returning to their homes tomorrow, after another night of rest and regaining their strength. Several have requested to stay and join the settlement however."

"You see those who have opted to join Preston's Minutemares, he can be quite inspiring when he wishes and they are concerning themselves with securing Sanctuary as well, without the griffon's pestering... Sturges has organized the others who wish to stay into work details, already they have cleared out two more homes well enough to provide housing. Though he has said he is waiting for you to feel well enough to join him in the more complicated repairs and work, despite my informing him he would have to wait some time. Many have brought their own skills to contribute and wish to make a place for themselves, Sturges has expressed concerns about financial considerations though."

"Cogsworth has been most helpful feeding these starving ponies, thankfully we have a good surplus of food from the Stable, but feeding a settlement will be a cause for concern eventually. He has also proven adept at manipulating the remaining Ponitrons that made the trip from Thundega with us. He is able to think circles around them and has cornered them with logic into acting as guards patrolling the island. We sent a couple volunteers to follow our trail here and collect the ones that fell on the way for parts, Cogsworth seems to be waiting on you as well to provide more permanent repairs and reprogramming on them."

"Ponies are looking to you as a leader now, I have been quite busy shooing away visitors. I believe you are on your way to your goal of bringing ponies together, building something better in the face of the Institute's desire to keep them apart. This is a good first step, I have seen such things succeed back in Equestria since the day of sunshine and rainbows. I am proud of you Fast."

Keeping up with her summation of how things were going was made more difficult by my pip-buck. As always, it was paying attention and offering its opinion on what I should be doing. This time it was a litany of objectives following along with the points Jade was making. It doing this weird nonsense on its own was strange enough, it could at least follow some kind of internal logic and be consistent though. Instead of multiple new missions it started flashing just a list of objectives under one heading;

Mission- Miscellaneous

Objectives--
--Get to know new settlers
--Speak to Preston about the Minutemares
--Speak to Sturges About Repairs
--Speak to Sturges About Finances
--Deal with Robots

She smiled sweetly and furled a wing around me, sighing happily as I shook my head trying to clear all the text. It wasn't the Stable, but I was happy, there were ponies around that needed help fixing things and I was a repair-pony, fixing things was what I was good at. Being able to help felt good, having friends was good, making a home was good, all of it was worth anything I had to pay in a place like the now abandoned Thundega Factory.

Thinking of that dark place, I looked over to Glitter chasing Short in a game of tag, Jade followed my gaze and looked over sadly. "I wish I could help her, she has not spoken to me much, but she does not seem to have any family. I had hoped to take her to relatives waiting for her somewhere. She is so young to be on her own, she would not leave the house, so I left her with Cogsworth to rest. I am glad she talked to you, she seems much happier..."

"Her mom died too, doesn't know her dad. She wanted to stay, but was scared since she couldn't pay... I asked her to stay." I had no idea how she'd take this, but I made the decision already.

She was staring down at me with a funny look in her blue eyes, "Y-you did?"

I shuffled and looked down to my hooves, "Yeah.. um... I dunno what to do really, she said she'd work hard, but I told her I didn't care about that. M-maybe she can stay with Short's family I guess, if we can't take care of her? I could ask anyway, I probably should have thought about it first, but she doesn't have anypony and... I couldn't leave her alone like that. I should have talked to you to see if you had any ideas..."

"S-she can stay with us? We... we can keep her?" Jades eyes were getting big and sparkly.

"Yeah? I mean of course, I wanted to anyway. Cloudy and Long were the only other idea I had, though I haven't met any of the new ponies staying. I couldn't just stick her out in some empty house alone, she'd be safe here, but... being alone like that's no good. Is it ok with..." I tried to answer, but was tackled to the porch in a heap.

Ribs creaked under a large blue alicorn smothering me with nuzzling attention, she was laughing and sniffling on top of me, "Of course! I w-wanted to! I did not know how to ask and she seemed so sad! She would not talk! I have been worried about her all day, the others we rescued were all taken care of, she was the last and you...I told Cogsworth not to let you work on anything, but y-you fixed something anyway!"

"Ugh... g-glad your happy..." I wheezed under her.

She leapt off me and picked me back up quickly, "Oh! Oh no! I did it again! I-I am sorry Fast!" wings were brushing me off and she was inspecting me with concern. I really wished I was in better shape to stand up to alicorn affection, the ticket was costly, but I liked the ride.

As my reward, I was allowed to stay on the porch instead of going back to the dark bedroom. Well, that was part of my reward, as far as I was concerned the real reward wasn't just getting to sit out here, but all the pretty alicorn attention. Jade was kept busy by all our guests needing care, but she returned as soon as she could each time. Plus every time she left or came back, I got nuzzled or hugged, so I was ok with the frequent demands on her time.

The ratty old lawn chair I was in was deemed insufficient and the armchair from the living room was floated out for me, a train of pillows and a blanket followed and I was fretted over, making sure I stayed warm and comfortable out in the fall air. Sitting outside was nice, I got to wave at ponies as they passed and chat with guests I was now allowed.

Many of the prisoners we had freed from the raiders came up in twos and threes to offer personal thanks. I still wasn't good with strange ponies and had to stumble awkwardly through social niceties, but Jade was always nearby and would often come to take over.

A great many viewed her as the Princess I did and I had to think about it from their perspective to get it. Besides being an alicorn, she had protected them in the cells when I unleashed hell on the factory, she healed the injured and had a crazy dark pony who brought all the death to the raiders call her Princess in front of them, she led them to freedom protected by her own retinue of robot guardians, and she went back after they made it here to get me and the others back.

She was completely adored as far as I could tell, the ponies who came to see me were full of respect and admiration too, but I could see a tiny spark of fear in their eyes. Glitter told me the raiders talked around them about the gruesome things I did to their cook, I lured the raiders into a trap by playing the Shrouded Stallion talking about divine punishment for their crimes, then I followed up on it by turning the factory into a killing floor. I had been brought back looking like a dead pony and had been off limits all day.

My visitors were all nice and grateful, but I was watched carefully like I could spring up from the bandages and blankets mummifying me and just start slaughtering ponies randomly any second. Of course having a large griffon bodyguard perched nearby probably added to that image... Val was personable and laughed easily, but she watched anypony who came close with carefully hidden suspicion, and sharp claws, and lots of weapons...

At least my friends didn't look at me that way. Mama Xara came and sat on the porch with me in the abandoned lawn chair, forcing me to drink one of her zebra brews. This one she had been making all day just for me apparently, she said it would help heal some of the more severe damage I had done to myself and hopefully speed up recovering my magic. I really hoped so, I was pretty clumsy only with my hooves and mouth, every time I tried my horn I got another jolt from the lightning.

As the afternoon wore on towards evening, Preston and Sturges made their way to the porch and the two stallions started dragging tables out to the yard in front of me, insisting the evening meal be made a party I could attend. They had been busy all day and put off celebrating while I was locked up. A blast from Cogsworth's flamer ignited a bonfire out in the street and several ponies joined him in cooking a practical feast, the smells wafted up set my stomach rumbling.

Jade had come up and whispered in my ear for a bit, glancing down at the foal Glitter playing in the dirt around the gathering ponies with Short Stack and the other younger ponies being watched by their families. All the excitement and company had been good for her and for the time being at least she had recovered from her ordeal well, able to smile and play. I caught her attention after Jade finished explaining to me what she wanted, and the small filly dashed up the steps to the porch, eager to help. I hoped she wasn't still thinking she had to make herself useful to have a place here.

"Yes Fast? What'cha need?" she bounced in front of me, hugging her new pip-buck that had made her the envy of some of the other colts and fillies.

I smiled down at her from my chair and nodded to Jade watching anxiously behind me, "You know Miss Jade right? I told her I wanted you to stay with us."

The filly glanced up at the blue alicorn and nodded, "Y-Yes'm I won't be any trouble... me and... I-I'm used to bein' out scavenging, so I'll find somewhere to stay out of the way..."

"No! I- We... Fast means we want you to stay here, not just in Sanctuary, but this house, w-with us... if you want..." Jade stammered at the foal acting afraid of being kicked out if she didn't keep herself out from under hoof.

"R-really? I can? Yes! I mean... I'd like that a lot miss..." she yelped happily before reigning in her evident joy.

"Of course! We would like that very much as well Glitter. There is something you need to do though." Jade replied with mock seriousness.

The little filly put on a determined look, ready to perform whatever task asked of her and nodding sternly. "Ok! W-what?"

Jade snatched her up in a field of blue-white telekinesis and intoned her sentence, "You are very dirty, even before you went rolling around in the mud with the others. Fast and Sturges have repaired the hot water here, you need to be cleaned."

That look of determination disappeared and Glitter started struggling madly in the air, "Nooooo! No baths! Lemme go! Fast help!" she squealed as Jade dragged her inexorably to the door.

"Sorry sweetie, you're on your own," I gestured down to the armchair I was stuffed into, I was still not allowed to move.

Jade smirked back at the two of us as she entered the house, "Do not worry about Fast, he is next. Not only is he filthy as well, his bandages must be changed and his wounds cleaned. A little shower is nothing compared to what he has coming so count your blessings from Celestia and Luna."

Wait what? I started struggling weakly against the blanket pinning me to the chair.

"Do not try it! Cogsworth, keep him there!" the alicorn filly called from the house, above the squalls as the shower turned on. My traitor Mr. Handy saluted and hovered nearby.

Val's shaggy head popped down from the porch roof above, grinning, "Want me to bust you out boss? Or just want a shower buddy? You didn't say you had HOT water, I want one."

I frowned up at her and sighed, I may as well accept this, it wasn't worth the fight. Thinking about the tattered rags Glitter was wearing though, I did have a job for the griffon mercenary. "No... You can get me something though, it's... in the house next door."

That piqued the griffon's interest and she landed with a thump in front of me, "What, the one no one is allowed in? Sturges and your robot been waving people away from that one all day, what's in it? Loot?" she rubbed her claws together greedily.

"Sorry, it's just an old friend's house. There shouldn't be anything in there of any interest really, I was just hoping you'd go up there for me. The filly that lived there was right around Glitter's age at the time, there's probably something nicer she can wear up in her room. Mmmm... up the stairs, down the hall, second door on the right. I'd go but..." I gestured down again, walking over to Sunset's house was out, let alone going upstairs and back again.

Val cocked her head, "You know a lot about it, looks like that place ain't been touched since the war. How you know what'll be in there? What old friend?"

"It's a long story, I promise I'll get you all caught up, just trust me for now. The filly that lived there liked pretty dresses, hopefully there's something left," I shrugged up at her, I would have to explain some things to the mercenary. Maybe she'd even have some insight into what happened to the Stable and The Institute.

Val grumbled with such a mundane task, "Yer sure there's no loot in there? Gems? Gold? Guns? Nothin'?"

"We can go explore it when I feel better if you want, I never paid a lot of attention to the grownup stuff at the time. It's off limits because it belongs to a friend of mine, that's all. She's... she's out there somewhere, I wanted it to be the same when she got back, but I don't think she'll mind this." I shrugged to the fiery griffon.

Satisfied with the explanation, Val spread her wings and shrugged back, "Ok, whatever you say boss. I won't toss the place, I am gonna take a quick peek around though, just in case. Be right back boss!" With a gust of flapping wings she flew over to Sunset's house, pausing only a moment to run her claw through the lock before strolling through the door.

Jade came to collect me after a lot of thumping and shouts from the bathroom before Val had returned. I was a little disappointed, I hoped to have something to give the young filly to wear other than her rags when she got out of the shower. She wasn't dressed back in the filthy clothes at least, as I was levitated through the living room, I spotted her pouting on the couch, a large towel wrapped around her now brilliantly white coat and another in a turban perched on her head.

"Do not move Glitter, stay there and dry off until I return. If you get dirty again you will just go back in..." Jade called over to her as we passed, she scrunched her face up and stuck her tongue out at me bobbing in the air.

Jade was very wet, she was wearing a dripping Stable bathrobe and her mane and tail were hanging limply around her. If she hadn't been directly in the shower with the filly it sure looked like it. We headed down the hallway, drifting through the air in lazy circles I was staring at the alicorns rump sashaying in front of me, the too small robe was very fetching plastered to her like that.

When she turned and brought me into the bathroom I looked around blankly, I had expected Cogsworth or even Preston or Sturges in here to help me out. Instead I was met with a scrub brush and an open medical box dispensing alcohol and peroxide floating up to join me. A gleaming pair of scissors bobbed over as well once I floated above the shower floor and started clipping away at the bandages wrapped around me.

"Umm... Jade... isn't Cogsworth coming?" I asked slowly.

The beautiful blue filly hummed and snipped, absently looking up. "Hmm? Why would he?"

"Preston? Sturges?" I ventured.

She paused and looked up quizzically, "No... why do you expect someone else to join us?"

"Er... s-shower? Right?" I was having a hard time figuring this out, I had accidentally walked in on Jade coming out of the shower the other day and she reacted as I'd expect, turning herself invisible for the first time I had seen and pushing me out, embarrassed. At the moment however, she was simply humming while I twisted lazily in the air, pulling stained bandages off me and inspecting the wounds underneath with disapproving noises.

"Yes, you are still covered in filth and gore from that awful den of raiders. I have only had the chance to give you the most cursory of cleaning to dress your wounds and keep them clean. Do not feel insulted, but as pleasant as having you nearby is, you stink. You may not sleep in my bed again with such an odor. Oh, your poor tail is singed horribly too..." the scissors moved from the nearby bandages and started clipping frazzled, scorched hair.

"Exactly, so shower...you... me... shouldn't somepony else help me out here if you insist I can't on my own? N-not that I mind the thought!" I asked, trying to figure out what I was missing.

Jade cocked an eyebrow and smiled, "This is part of your medical care Fast, not... shower f-fun time... you have been spending too much time with that griffon... Trust me, this will not be pleasant..." she punctuated that last by floating the very stiff bristled brush up and peeling away the last of the bandages painfully. "Your wounds must be debrided, close your eyes..." she ordered as the water came on at her magical direction.

"W-what? Wait if this isn't a fun shower then why?" this didn't sound good, but I was still missing something.

The cinch around the waist of her robe came undone in a glow of magic and moved toward my head, "Because I am going to have to be in there as well. I am able to be a professional and tend your wounds without distraction, you are... plainly not. I do not have to blindfold you, do I Fast?"

I tried to struggle feebly as I was dunked under the water and my wounds screamed at me, what kind of double standard was this! She got to do as she pleased in the shower, but I had to close my eyes? I had been consoling myself that the pain surely waiting for me would be countered by who was giving it and where. Her robe started to flap open and she stared down at me, waiting patiently.

"This isn't fair..." I grumbled, clenching my eyes tightly.

"Yes, yes, I know... If it makes you feel better, this merely makes us even, you did come waltzing in on me. Besides, as I said this won't be...pleasant!" she spoke softly over me until the last word, when the brush made contact with my oozing wounds and scrubbed vigorously.

"WAAAAAUUUUGHHH!!!! DISCORD FUCK ME WITH A PURPLE POLKA DOTTED PEACOCK!!!!" having a very stiff brush viciously scrubbing dead tissue away from the burns and wounds the grenades had shredded my flanks with was as bad as getting them to begin with.

"Fast! Language! Glitter is just down the hall and I believe the entire island of Sanctuary can hear you!" I heard Jade gasp, but the scrubbing didn't even pause. How could such a gentle, caring filly be such a sadist!? Keeping my eyes shut wasn't difficult though. Clenching my eyes shut to blackness was a natural reaction, I did manage to change my screams up to a random string of nonsense instead of one long unending curse at least.

I heard the door crash open, but couldn't open my eyes even if I wanted as the scouring just kept going, "What the fuck is going on in here boss! You ok!?! You... wow Blue, didn't know ya were into that kinda thing... as you were then..." Val had burst in to the bathroom and quietly let herself right back out. Traitor...

A wet snort sounded behind me, "That griffon has a one track mind, she knows perfectly well what I am doing Fast, do not let her tease. She appeared quite green at the sight." Jade muttered while continuing to flay me, unphased.

An eternity later the torture stopped, leaving me a gibbering puddle on the wet floor, "There, that wasn't so bad was it? This will all be much nicer in comparison now Fast," a much softer, sudsy brush started gently scrubbing my coat once I was floated free of the hot water again.

Jade was humming cheerily, far too pleased with herself. The soapy brush left, but I heard it continue scrubbing behind me as she sang melodiously in the shower. I felt her hooves in my mane raising a lather that dripped over my face, she was making sure I didn't open my eyes now that I could...

The gentle ministrations moved down to clean my scorched tail and I twitched, listening to her singing slow down and fade to distracted humming, it sure didn't sound like professional detachment anymore.... "You're enjoying yourself now! I'm opening my eyes, this isn't fair!" I yelped.

I barely heard a quiet "eep!" before I was hovered under the stream of water and rinsed off, sputtering in the steaming torrent. "I am sorry, what was that Fast? Just hold on, nearly done!"

Finally the water shut off, I moved through the air and was set down on the tiled floor, an old Stable towel wrapped around me and started energetically shaking as she called out over the flapping noise, "Alright, you may open your eyes again."

Jade was sitting before me, wrapped in towels in an identical fashion as Glitter in the living room, turning her head critically while the towel continued drying me. Several packs of bandages floated over, unrolling in the air and winding around me after any given area was splashed with peroxide, followed by purple healing potion dribbled liberally that slaked the horrible stinging.

I wanted to flop to the floor and just curl up in a ball, this was the most I had been allowed on my own hooves today though and if just fell over I'd never be allowed to move around on my own. I managed to keep my forelegs under me shakily, while the bandages finished turning me into a mummy again and a brush floated through my mane yanking my head back, Jade was humming with an appraising eye tugging the grey mess one way then another.

"Not fun..." I grumbled under the attention.

Sniffing delicately, Jade floated me up and out the door, "Helping others heal is so fun Fast. Honestly, you whine more than the foal outside, you both smell much better though. You may attempt to walk down the hall while I finish up, I know you have disliked being bedridden. You should not force yourself though, stop if you tire, we will decide what to do based on how you feel." She smiled under the towel wrapped around her head and turned back, shutting the door, leaving me to finally try walking under my own steam.

I sat in front of the door a moment trying to brace myself, every experiment with my hind legs had been painful so far just sitting around doing nothing. I had been crazy to get up and move all day, but the pain helped reinforce Jade's strict orders I not do so. She had also made it clear she would paralyze me and strap me to one of the medical beds if needed, but other hurt ponies were using them in the clinic, so if I insisted on being selfish I'd be putting somepony else out. The alicorn knew how to really lay on the guilt if she felt like it...

Now that I finally could move, it was daunting, I looked down the mile long hallway and could hear Val and Glitter talking that way. I also realized when the humming and shuffling behind the door stopped, I wouldn't get another chance for awhile if I was just siting here without moving at all. I had to make some kind of distance, the further the better.

Hoping for quiet, I shoved myself forward and just tried getting up on all fours over with in one go, that was stupid... As soon as my back legs were asked to take weight, they shrieked at me and I started falling forward, I scrambled with my forelegs so I didn't land on my face at least. A series of weaving stumbles thumped me against the wall, three steps forward and nearly sideways right into the other wall. I decided to take that as a win and slid down the wall, biting my lower lip to stifle a whimper.

"Are you alright out there Fast?" Jade called from behind the door.

One eye clenched, I looked toward the door shaking and tried to sound normal, "F-fine!" I yelped, yeah... smooth... the sounds in there picked up. Three steps, I'd be stuck doing nothing another day if I didn't manage better than this.

A mad lunge propelled me down the hall again, this time I managed five steps before I tripped on the threadbare, ratty carpet and went pinwheeling forward. Back to the first wall, I bounced off it like a pinball and skidded to a halt on my stomach near the halfway point.

I could see the griffon Val leaning off the couch in the living room, peering at me and waving to the explosion of color around her that Glitter was rooting through. Hoping for compassionate concern was too much to hope for from the mercenary, she looked amused and called down to me, never shifting from her seat. "I found some! Just brought everything boss! C'mon, are you a pony or a radroach!? Quit crawlin' around down there!"

Crawling sounded good, I could manage that, maybe a nice trudge... I better make it to the living room at least, I couldn't have much longer and not even making that goal would be pitiful. This time I opted for slow and steady, wincing up again and dragging my hooves along the ground carefully. One step at a time. My legs had worked well enough when I had a stew of drugs running through me, the delayed cost for that little tactic was pretty annoying though.

The gleaming white filly bounded down the hall and up to my side. Glitter's now clean silvery mane bouncing and she had a simple pink play dress on that matched her eyes. Val had apparently found something she liked at least. "Lemme help! Um... here keep goin'!" she settled on leaning against me anxiously, leaving less space between me and the wall to weave around in. I was almost there, just another couple steps and I'd technically be in the living room.

I brought my hoof down for that last step, about to make contact with the change in carpeting, but it kept going well past where the floor should be. I was lifted away from it inches away, come on! Jade trotted up briskly behind me in her clean lab coat and looked me over, taking in my shaking legs and sweaty brow.

"Hmm... not bad I suppose. You may enjoy the party, If you could not reach the couch without help, you need another full day of rest however," she announced, finality tolling in her prescription. The couch!? All the way across the room I made it to? That filly was insane, now I was faced with another day? I hung limply in her telekinesis and whined.

-----------------------------------Level Up!-----------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------

Local Leader--
--As a leader everyone turns to, you are building a settlement that can actually be something, well... it's being built around you anyway... Trade lines can now be established from Sanctuary to the rest of the Commonwealth.

Ch. 11-- Pillar of the Community

The roads are the dustiest
The winds are the gustiest
The gates are the rustiest
The pies are the crustiest
The songs The songs the lustiest
The friends
The friends the trustiest
Way back home

The trees are the sappiest
The days are the nappiest
The dogs are the yappiest
The kids are the scrappiest
The jokes The jokes the snappiest
And the folks
The folks the happiest
Way back home

I don't know why I left the homestead
I really must confess
I'm just a weary exile
Singing my song of loneliness

I was never good at parties, too many ponies, too much noise, social interaction I couldn't follow, they just never were high on my list. I liked them a little, at least if I could kind of float around the edges of one like usual, make short forays in and retreat again with cake or punch or something to occupy myself. Being confined entirely to the armchair on the porch that a party had grown around was very uncomfortable.

I wasn't set up on the edges, but right in the middle. I wasn't allowed to retreat, I couldn't go get what I wanted from the variety of food spread on the tables in the yard below. No, I just had to sit there, bundled in a thick blanket that helped pin me to the chair.

I was well attended to at least, Jade was quite popular and mingled about with all the ponies who wanted her ear. I watched tensely as Long Jump and a heavily bandaged Cloudy Sun limped up to speak with her at one point. The yellow mare still had a sour look, but it warred with a tinge of guilt looking over to her also freshly cleaned colt.

Yeah, that's right, she saved you and your foal, be nice... The conversation seemed to go well anyway and I relaxed. Jade returned frequently to make sure I hadn't decided to try escaping, the attention I got from her was always wonderful, but when she was at my side it came with all the attention of the strange ponies below.

Val also kept a close eye out, no matter where she was getting into trouble, the supply of alcohol she had liberated from the raider fortress did nothing to dull her instincts as a bodyguard. She even snuck me one of her beers, which I had to keep concealed if Jade was nearby, the warm fuzziness dulled my aches and made me a bit more sociable.

My constant companion was the foal in the pink dress sitting beside my chair, munching on a plate of Fancy Buck snack cakes happily. If I wanted anything Glitter would sprint down and get it, beating out even Cogsworth as a butler, constantly watching to see if there was anything she thought I wanted that she could get. I finally had to wave the robot off to attend to our guests, the little filly seemed to actively view him as competition.

That bothered me a little, I kept trying to tell her she should go enjoy herself and I'd be fine, but she was determined to be useful. Despite any reassurances, I guessed it would take awhile for her to accept she was welcome and didn't have to prove her value to be allowed to stay, whatever kind of life she had lived so far seemed based on 'those who don't work, don't eat.'

Watching her scarf a plate of the sugary cakes down, I chuckled at her, "You're going to make yourself sick Glitter, there are other things to eat, why not try something a little healthier?"

Orange crumbs coated her stuffed muzzle as she looked up, "Nnnmoo mmm wwhnnnt!" she clenched her eyes and swallowed the mouthful down forcefully before trying again. "No I won't! One time we found a whole box and we had a contest, I finished eight but Twinkle... won with nine..." she slowed as the happy memory was intruded on by harsh reality. Her twin was gone, no more cake eating contests...

Reaching down to her was a strain, but I managed to put a hoof out and stroke her mane lightly, "Sorry... Go ahead then, you should enjoy them for both of you. Here, let me have one too ok?"

Only a single tear dribbled down before she shook herself and nodded, grabbing a cake and hoofing it over. She was a tough little filly. Watching me fumble at it trying to tear open the packaging, she hopped up in the chair and snatched it back, tearing the wrapper off in her teeth with a quick, smooth motion. "You're really clumsy without your horn Fast, lemme do it. I used ta be jealous of you unicorns with how easy that magic makes stuff, but if it goes away you have a really hard time huh?"

Ok, I was lazy and clumsy without my horn, so sue me. I had only burnt my magic out a couple times before, mainly trying to learn new spells when I was her age. The med lab in the Stable had a kind of test dad gave me, that could tell you what kind of spells a unicorn was suited towards, but I swear that thing lied. It said I could learn lots of different ones, similar to the readout it gave for dad when he showed me how it worked, but most of my efforts met with disaster.

I turned a Stable barding into swiss cheese with reversed colors trying to alter it with a clothing altering spell Sunset tried to show me, turned a papercut into a blue polka dotted rash down one side in an attempt to heal it like dad could, completely silenced myself for a week trying a voice spell to sound like the Shrouded Stallion, forgot my name a couple days with a wildly inadvisable foray with memory magic, the list went on... Most had been racked up while I was trying to get my cutie mark, which came with no relation to magic at all eventually.

I only managed to have a high degree of fine control with telekinesis and a knack for machines and spell matrices, along with the weak spark spell that had burned me out this time. It was technically supposed to be lightning on its own, not the thin stream I could generate normally, thankfully most repairs I used it on didn't need much more. Experimentally I looked down at one of the closer tables and focused on a spindly looking carrot. A flicker of electricity ran down my horn making me jitter in place for my efforts, though maybe it twitched a little?

"I'll get it!" Glitter yelped noticing what I had tried for and hopped down before I could stop her, she bolted back with the offending carrot and dropped it in my lap.

"Glitter, you don't have to keep doing that... I told you I don't expect you to work to be able to stay with us. I want you to, Jade definitely wants you to, this is home if you want it whether you do anything or not. Go have fun, you don't have to keep such a close eye out trying to make me happy like you're waiting for the other hoof to drop," I tried explaining it again with a sigh, eventually this was going to get through...

Not this time apparently though, she looked up with big pink puppy eyes and frowned. "B-but... I want to! Miss Jade's busy an' the griffon lady's sillier than normal drinking. I like helping... don't you want me to? A-aren't I doing a good job?"

Ugh, that look with the quivering lower lip was weaponized cuteness, I suddenly felt bad for every time I had employed it as a foal. Still I tried to press on, "Of course you are, that's not what I said. Besides, there's Cogsworth... he is a robot butler, it's like his job..."

The Mr. Handy turned an eyestalk at the mention of his name questioningly, he did have really good hearing now. I waved and shook my head as Glitter huffed at him, "I'm better than some robot. Look, he's busy with all those ponies down there, I'm just worried 'bout one."

"Cogsworth was alone for a long time, I think he likes the company and I told him to. If I asked he'd come right here and do whatever I wanted... for the most part... if Jade says it's ok I guess..." I had to qualify that remembering how effectively the alicorn had convinced my loyal robot pal to follow her orders over mine to keep me in bed all day.

Glitter hooked herself over the armrest of the chair and fished out my nearly empty beer from where I had it hidden, "Exactly! He wouldn't get you another of these would he? 'Cause Miss Jade told him not to, but I can!" She ran off and snaked through the crowd toward Val who was having an animated conversation with Preston. Thankfully she tossed the empty bottle on the way and Val at least didn't just hand her a fresh one, if Jade caught her with either...

"Heya boss! Your filly says you wanna 'nother? Here, drink up I wanna see you drunk!" the griffon padded up the porch and tossed one of her beers at me grinning broadly with Glitter and Preston in tow.

Things were already at that pleasantly fuzzy point from the one I had been nursing for quite some time, sneaking sips in when Jade wasn't around. "I didn't really ask for it..." Glitter looked back sheepishly, "er.. I probably shouldn't..."

"Oh no! I wanna see you drunk, it's important! Have to know what kinda drinkin' buddy you are boss, vital to the relationship, now drink! I want it! Pay me wit' drinkin'!" A flick of her dark claws popped the top and shoved the bottle down my muzzle before I could react. Sputtering I somehow doubted this fell under her contract to take what pay she wanted. "Theeeere we goooo, good boss! Now, tell this goofy Minutemare he oughta listen to me, gots his priorities all screwed up, no wonder those goody goods fell apart!"

Finally relenting I choked as she pulled the bottle away and set it down on the armrest, wait had she poured almost all of it down my throat? I sneezed feeling suds in my nose and looked at Preston behind her, he looked a little insulted but also like his confidence had taken a hit. Still he held to whatever his side in their ongoing debate had been and argued back at the griffon determined.

"I was simply saying we should start making contact with settlements nearby, offering help, fostering trade..." he grumbled at Val.

She shook her shaggy red head making the white plumage flap around her, "An' I tried to explain worryin' bout every other poor sod out in the wasteland while yer own asses are still hangin' out is a good way to make sure it gets burned. You got pretty lights out here that make you a nice target but none pointin' out that way at those that'll come take what you got. You managed to get some robots patrollin' now but didn't when those raiders came the first time an' robots ain't great without somebody with brains ridin' herd on em!"

Preston furrowed his brow and shot back, "Only caring about ourselves will never bring the Commonwealth together, the Minutemares are supposed to protect everypony. If we just look out for ourselves first we won't be any better than Diamond City, hiding behind their walls and living the good life while ponies suffer around them!"

"They do live a pretty cushy life because they got those walls, and guards, and guns, and caps... You don't like what they do with it that's one thing but don't deny they got it and we ain't. What could you and yer Minutemares do with their resources huh?" Val scowled leaning over him, looking down her beak and flicking his funny hat.

He pushed right back, now they were glaring nose to beak at each other right in front of my chair. "Yeah we could do a lot of good, but we can't abandon our principles to get them just promising ourselves we'll do good later! How do you think they wound up that way, Diamond City wasn't always the way it is now!"

They growled face to face and spun on me...

"Tell this mercenary we're trying to be something better!" Preston demanded

"Tell this bleeding heart I'm right boss!" Val countered.

Me? Why were they both staring at me? I'm not in charge.. alright the griffon considered me the boss, but I just said I'd help rebuild the Minutemares, not lead them. Yeah Sanctuary was my home and I wanted to fix it but I wasn't in charge, my house is what I considered mine, not the whole island.

I had figured on Sturges as the de facto mayor, he dealt with all the new ponies well and was hard at work expanding the livable houses for the influx of residents. Hell the new ponies here regarded Jade so kindly since she saved them they acted as if she really was a princess, which was just fine by me since I agreed. She'd be a good pony in charge, she was kind and cared about others, stern when she needed to be, let her really be one. I fixed things, though fixing things had seemed to mutate into including a lot of killing lately up here on the surface... Dealing with ponies and settling disputes was not in my wheelhouse.

They kept staring at me... "Er... why are you asking me?" I asked confused, the beer I got shoved down my throat was making keeping up harder.

"Yer the boss!" Val grumbled and opened another beer.

"I respect your opinion Fast, this is your home, what do you think?" Preston replied.

Ugh... Thinking... Everything was getting nice and fuzzy at the edges. Though it did make me less nervous and I thought about the actual question with lowered inhibitions about offending who asked, just my honest opinion as I could manage it.

"You're both right," I nodded and smiled happily. That was the truth and should make everyone happy.

It did not...

"We can't both be right Fast! That griffon is too self centered and greedy to ever be a proper Minutemare!" his silly hat shook on his head as Preston shouted.

Valkyrie laughed with derision at him, "Good thing I ain't one then isn't it! C'mon boss you know better now, you saw Thundega. Sittin' around thinkin' happy thoughts won't do a damn thing against ponies like that! Here drink!"

She didn't pour the whole thing in me this time at least, letting me take the bottle and sip at it slowly. "I meant... er... you are both right. You're jush worried 'bout two sides of the same bit... umm... cap? What's a cap anyway?"

Val rolled her eyes and groaned in exasperation, "Jeez boss yer embarassin' me. This! Bottlecap! MONEY! You have to know this, caps are important!"

"Bottlecaps...." I goggled.

Yes, that was a bottlecap in her claws. A plain old bottlecap from a bottle of Sparkle Cola... Bottlecaps were money?! How many had I tossed after drinking them since coming out here? The twitching expression the she-griffon wore staring at me with the little scrap of metal in my face impressed that yes, bottlecaps were indeed money. Where had we got started on this... oh yeah...

"Ok cap, two sides of da same cap... doesn't work as well though... caps are shaped all different-y on each side... Anyways, we hafta be strong so ponies like those raiders can't jush come in an... raid us.. huh name makes sense... An' we gotta have stuff like money an stuff..." Val smirked and patted my head, sticking her tongue out at Preston. "But! We gotta do good stuff with all that, we need to be strong sos we can protect ponies that need it. We need money an stuff so we can use it fer good things. You're both right... you should work together, cover each others weak sides."

Neither of them looked very happy staring at each other dubiously, I was distracted watching text flash in my vision,

Mission- Miscellaneous
--~~Speak to Preston About the Minutemares~~

I took another drink and stared at the words sounding them out, so my mental state didn't seem to bother the pip-buck in the slightest... Finally the Minutemare and the griffon grumbled at each other and relented, walking back to the party and arguing between each other about what to do. Compromise between those two seemed unlikely, but they accepted the criticism anyway.

"That was very good Fast," Jade smiled up as she passed them on her way to the porch, frowning as she noticed the bottle I was trying to tuck in the crack in the cushion beside me. "Where did you get that?"

Glitter started hiding behind the other side of the chair guiltily, well she only went and asked for the first one. This wasn't really her fault, more Val, then me since I kept right on going with minimal encouragement. Sprockets had been right, drinking was fun. Best to just take the hit now, "I asked-ed Val for it...feels good, legs hurt better," I ventured smiling at her.

The bottle got tugged away from me in alicorn magic and she sniffed at it sighing, "Alcohol is a blood thinner Fast.. it is not good for your recovery. That griffon is a bad influence on you, I've already told you this affects smaller ponies more quickly."

I grinned at her goofily, I liked looking at Jade, even that cute little frown of hers was nice. I should probably be saying something but looking was more fun. She kept staring back waiting for some kind of reaction but I really couldn't argue with anything she was saying. Her stern blue eyes widened spotting Glitter hiding on the other side of the chair.

"In front of a foal! You are very bad Fast, what kind of example is that? Glitter come out from there, Fast is in trouble you shouldn't be hanging around with him right now. Go out and play with the other.." she started to lecture but had leaned across the chair to look down at the small filly.

Her graceful neck was stretched in front of me, the light blue white mane a clean smelling cloud drifting in front of my eyes. I knew what would make her happy! I didn't even have to lean far to give a sloppy lick behind her jaw. Her eyes glazed as a shudder ran through her right in the middle of directing Glitter out of hiding. I gave the small filly a quick shooing gesture, if she was going to make a break for it she should do it now. I didn't have to convince her, she bolted as Jade gasped and came back to herself.

"F-Fast... you are c-cheating... stop that!" The blue alicorn's eyes widened darting around at the ponies milling about nearby. Convinced no one had noticed she tried to pull away but my forelegs shot out on their own and wrapped around her neck as I gave a wet kiss in the magic spot.

"Buuuut you like it right? You wuz reeally insissst inssss... pretty clear bout it dis mornin..." I slurred up to her giving another and feeling that shiver run through her neck in my legs. It was nice holding her like this, she was warm and soft and pretty, especially when she turned all red like that...

A field of her magic yanked me out of the chair and with her, still clinging to her neck as she trotted back inside quickly, "Fast! Sssh! I- I was just d-d-dreaming! You... oh my... shouldn't.. You have had quite enough! I will... mmm... I will excuse your absence to the others. G-go to bed and... hnnn.... stop that! G-get your rest!" Trying to sound stern while being constantly interrupted with kisses and licks that made her smile and blank was just not working for her at all, totally undermined the effect.

With a final whinny and shake of her head she managed to dislodge me and I was dropped to the bed in her room with a gentle thump. I could feel the drunken grin plastered on my face as i tried to hold my gaze steady on the beautiful mare framed in the doorway of the dark room, light from the hall lit her mane up in a halo. "Yurr pretty Jade! I luv you! C'mere!" I rolled toward her waving my hooves in the air feebly at her.

Even with the light behind her hiding her face in shadows I could see that pretty blush deepen, she bit her lip and leaned back and forth shuffling on the spot. "Y-y-you are incorrigible... w-we... I.. Oooh! Just stay there and b-behave! I... I w-will be b-back..." she shook her head closing her eyes and retreated quickly down the hall, shutting the door behind her and leaving me in darkness.

I fell back to the bed and watched the ceiling spin in the soft glow from the light outside filtering through the curtains. I could hear a heated exchange between Jade and Val's voices drifting in but couldn't make any of it out. Oh well, she did say she'd be back, I'd just rest my eyes for a little bit till things stopped being all loopy.

..............................

.............................

When I opened them again it was quiet, I still felt pleasantly warm and fuzzy but not full on drunk anymore. Jade was right, any more than just cautiously nursing a beer over an hour or so and it hit me quickly. I felt better than I had all day anyway, blood thinner or not it knocked the edge off the pain still clinging to me and I wasn't allowed any Med-X except the minor amount mixed with the IV I had worn earlier.

Whimpering mumbles made me turn and take in my situation, Jade had come back at some point while I was passed out and was curled at the edge of the bed. A sad expression marred her face as her legs twitched in front of her, a bad dream? She sighed and struggled fitfully, "Nnnn... nooo... mmm nnnot..." she whined.

Not? Not what? Whatever it was she was dreaming about was no good, I gave a moment before waking her hoping she'd get through it to something better.

"nnnoot... not mmonsterr... sorrry... please... lonnnely... no more voices... all alone..." she cried pitifully reaching out with her hooves and shaking her head. I wondered what was hurting her like that but was going to put a stop to it, hearing that pain in her cries was unacceptable. I started trying to shift over to reach her and one of her struggling forelegs made contact with my own stretched out to her.

As soon as she felt it I was suddenly grabbed and pulled into her embrace, curling against me and furling her wings over me. She didn't wake but her whimpers trailed off and her shaky breathing calmed, her muzzle buried in my mane sniffed and she smiled, "Faaasst..." she muttered happily and settled into even sleep.

Well, this must be how I wound up in this position before, my own dream just melded into it while we slept and it went from peaceful contentment to active enjoyment. I had to keep reminding myself there was a lot I didn't understand about alicorns in the wasteland, a history everypony else took for granted. Whatever it was had left its scars on the blue one clinging to me.

She had tried to explain what she called unity once but I didn't really get it, being part of some hive mind of so many ponies was too foreign a concept. Thinking on it now though if that was where she started, a sea of voices in her head that was just gone at some point... it must have been lonely yes...

Lying with her wrapped around me breathing softly was exciting, but she squeezed me tightly as somepony to push back that awful loneliness, not for other fun things. For now I hoped... alcohol and a lot of gorgeous blue filly around me wouldn't let me abandon certain lines of thought entirely. Sighing I stroked her side and whispered up to her yawning, "Sssh, it's ok Jade... you're not a monster, not alone... I'm here ok? Not going anywhere..." I meant that figuratively but it was also literally true, she snuggled closer and pinned me effectively in place, she did smile sweetly and snored into untroubled slumber. It took awhile but I did manage to follow along shortly thereafter.

Waking up this morning wasn't nearly as fun as yesterday, though it wasn't as painful either so mixed bag I guess. Jade had woken before me today and I was being nudged awake by a pair of small hooves shoving me insistently, "C'mon Fast wake up. Miss Jade says you gotta eat an' let her check you..." Glitter kept pushing my back while I grumbled and tried to bury myself under the covers.

"Nnnn... five more minutes..." I groaned from under the pillows.

The foal yelped down the hall before quieting to a conspiratorial whisper, "Miss Jade he's up! You should really get up Fast... you should be ready for what's coming..." there was a hint of distaste in her voice.

A clatter rose from down the hall and the alicorn filly called back, "No, no, no! Don't burn! Umm... j-just a second!"

I pulled the pillows off my head and rolled an eye back quizzically at Glitter.

"She wanted to cook you breakfast... she made me taste it... sorry Fast, don't die..." the little earth pony looked back sticking her tongue out at the thought. Come to think of it Jade had never cooked, Cogsworth handled all that... hmmm, Glitter's warning didn't sound like a ringing endorsement.

Still, Jade was cooking, for me! It couldn't be that bad, I had the feeling anything that was not Fancy Buck snack cakes was already dubious in the foals opinion. I pushed myself out from where I had been trying to burrow and sat up excited, "It can't be that bad Glitter."

Just a frown and a slow shake of her head replied. Come on really?

I could hear more noises from the kitchen and the alicorn's approach down the hall, thinking quickly I turned to Glitter to enlist her help. I didn't feel that bad today really, "Glitter, I need your help with something..."

Her pink eyes got huge and she nodded in glee, she was eager to help no matter what. "Sure! What'cha need!? I-I'm not eatin' any more of that though..." ok eager almost no matter what, it couldn't be that bad could it?

"No, not that. Jade's still not gonna let me do anything today but I feel fine... fine-ish anyway. Help me convince her to let me outta here, I can't stand another day cooped up doing nothing. You can help me around the house if nothing else, we can set up a room for you so you don't have to sleep in the living room, you'd like that right?" I whispered keeping an eye on the door.

Awe filled the foal's face, "I can have a room? Of... of my own?"

I nodded, we hadn't really touched the upstairs yet and Val needed her own space too, if I could convince her to abandon my room. There wasn't much in the attic besides storage and dad's office, but it was big and had wide windows in the gables. The griffon would probably be happier being able to fly in and out as she pleased of her own roost up there. My room if I could clear it was a foals room so it would be just right for Glitter. We were a little full beyond that but there was my workshop with the ratty couch once I was healed enough to not be bedridden and fussed over. Sleeping here was bliss but it was Jade's room not mine, I didn't just expect to be allowed here forever.

"That's right but you gotta help me with Jade right? She'll listen if we gang up on her I think, just do the thing with the puppy eyes and lip quiver, that's gold," I rushed out in a whisper just before the blue alicorn filled the door.

She looked a little frazzled and singed, a spattered apron tied around her and a tray hovered ahead of her into the room that was smoking. Hovering it down she looked on anxiously as I got a good look at the charred... char? There wasn't a lot to identify what this started as, still those big hopeful blue eyes gave me only one course to follow anyway.

"I w-wanted to try making you something... I'm afraid it might be a little burnt though... Y-you don't have to.." she started but I already snatched up one of the chunks and started chewing thoughtfully.

How could it be burned and cold in the middle? Sweet and salty? What were the soft chunks? Glitter watched me crunching it with a horrified expression fighting amazement I hadn't just keeled over frothing. With a determined gulp I swallowed it and smiled up crookedly, "Mmmm... good..."

Seeing that wide smile of pride and happiness was worth it, Jade whinnied and puffed up closing her eyes happily before glancing over to Glitter, "See! I told you it wasn't that bad, you were just exaggerating!"

The little filly was just staring up flabbergasted, "You really love Miss Jade huh Fast... h-how are you not dead?" she finally whispered.

Jade flushed before frowning back, "S-stop making fun Glitter, he likes it... see he's eating more! He wouldn't if it wasn't good! I'll have you know I learned that recipe from a nice mare from the east that loved my cooking!"

I forced myself to start crunching on a second chunk, this was something else originally... a faint hint of apples was in there somewhere with a fatty, meaty taste before being torched into whatever it was now. Glitter kept looking on like she was watching a train wreck, "Oh Celestia please, make him stop Miss Jade! I can't watch!" yet somehow she did just that, mesmerized.

Shoving it to one side of my mouth I whispered out of the freed corner, "Quiet... not helping... room.." I reminded her.

She gave one last disgusted look before turning back to the alicorn watching happily, "Umm.. right... j-just kidding.. urk! Miss Jade can Fast get up today? He said I could have my own room! He's feelin' better right? H-has a good a-appetite...ugh..."

That got a frown but it was conflicted, she'd have to say no to the foal getting something that would make her happy, I am an evil genius.

"He should not... he is still injured and needs rest..." she answered doubtfully.

Out came the puppy eyes, it was almost unfair really.

"Fast c-can't be trusted not to injure himself again... he will push too hard... You don't want him to be hurt do you?" she tried to rally but the lip quiver followed up before she got her steam back. I decided to add the coup de grace and joined Glitter with my best version of the expression making it a two pronged assault.

Watching the big blue alicorn crumble was a sight, "Oh... s-stop that, both of you... it is most unfair... I only want to make sure he is healthy... Fine! You win, Fast may move about, inside the house only and you must not let him do anything strenuous, understand Glitter? I will not aid in this foalishness, you are on your own...."

Squealing with delight Glitter bounced in the air and hugged Jade's long legs, completely obliterating any shreds of resistance left, "Oh thank you Miss Jade, thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Despite being outmaneuvered Jade looked far too happy to hold on to her complaints, "Yes you are welcome, I have other matters to attend to outside but you come and get me if needed, promise me?"

We both nodded vigorously as she trotted down the hall looking back to us over her shoulder repeatedly. Finally she left the house and I started groaning my way to the floor. Nosing through my bags by the bed I found my Stable barding and shrugged into it, pulling the light blue and yellow garment over my bandages. I really did feel better, really... I didn't need the little filly helping me out the door honest, though I was glad for that famous earth pony strength, she propped me up nicely. Making my way to the hall I heard a woodchipper coming from Val's room, peeking in I saw the griffon lounged over the bed limbs and wings akimbo and snoring out a drool covered beak, she must have enjoyed the party.

We made our slow way to the stairs off the kitchen that had been off limits so far, Cogsworth was diligently cleaning his domain from Jade's experiments which looked like a sloppy bomb had gone off. All of his carefully scavenged cooking instruments were used at one point or another and clogged the sink. "Good morning Master Fast, Miss Glitter, wonderful to see you up and about sir. Just putting things back in order, Miss Jade offered but... she is quite busy yes... I think it best I attend the cleaning. And the cooking in the future..." I didn't know a robot could sound so offended.

"Sure Cogs, I'll let her know... diplomatically... Probably be some stuff to help out with up here shortly too if you want," I answered as we passed through, the Mr. Handy bobbed happily at the assurance. At last here were the dreaded stairs, I sat catching my breath at the bottom and stared up. "Glitter... go get Val, she can wake up for this and help," at my request the foal streaked down the hall and I heard the commotion of her seemingly landing on the snoring griffon like a bomb. I managed to get to the third step by the time they returned.

Yawning widely and rubbing her lavender eyes with her claws the griffon padded up behind me, "Sup boss? Filly says you're allowed to actually move around an' had a project? Whatd'ya want?" The mercenary asked but took stock of the situation and grabbed my by the scruff, sailing up the stairs with a flap of her wings and dropping me at the landing before I could answer.

"T-thanks... Now, how would you like a bigger room?" I panted watching her looking around the still untouched attic. The greedy look she turned on me with was answer enough.

"So you're what... like 200 years old or somethin'?" The big red and orange griffon looked me over like I was trying to play a joke on her and tossed a rotten pile of scrap that had been a bookshelf out the window.

Sighing I kept trying to repair the power line to the office with very weak and clumsy magic, but it was somewhat working again. I had been filling Valkyrie in over the morning while we worked, or they did mostly... We had gone through it all up to when I met her and she was now going through the second time trying to find the gag. "Something like that yeah, technically. I'm as old as I look, I just spent the rest of the time asleep."

"An' you got a whole empty Stable just sittin' out there?" that greedy glint was in her eyes again.

Sparks shot out of the junction in front of me and the lights came on, "Ha, only took three times longer than it should've... Yes, Stable 111, not far from here," She had probably flown over it several times before getting her new pip-buck and only saw a graveyard. One of Jade's variety of errands the last day since we had gotten back from Thundega had been to add to it. At least Glitter's sister Twinkle had a grave now and the foal could go visit her when we showed her. She hadn't seemed too concerned about her remains, beyond hoping they were used in the soup that sent the cook that butchered her out of this world in agony. I really hoped that didn't say more than I knew about how ponies lived up here.

"We have a Stable? A whole friggin Stable?! Of our own! Wooo boss you're turning out to be a better and better investment, glad I took the contract! Where is it? Lemme see!" she was bouncing on her claws tossing junk behind her rapid fire.

I had misgivings about spreading where the Stable was in general, the graveyard up there gave a handy excuse to go wander up the hill if we needed to without raising questions. Anypony without a pip-buck wouldn't see anything else, Val's shone or her dark claw at me, she had found red paint to decorate it somewhere... If she had one she was in the club, besides I could trust her I thought, she just made me nervous when things of high value were involved and an intact Stable was pretty valuable.

"Up the hill to the north, there's a graveyard now. You'll see it, can't miss it since you have a pip-buck now," I answered and shakily floated my tools back to my bags, pausing to jitter a second, I kept getting little jolts from my horn even if it was cooperating again.

Val didn't hesitate at all, with a gust of cobwebs and trash swirling through the room she leapt from the big rear gable window and was soaring outside. I watched her climb and circle the hill behind the house a few times before she streaked back and slammed through the window, grabbing me up in her claws.

"It's really there!! I've been in this neck of the woods plenty and that was never there! Big friggin metal disc on the ground with a 111 painted on it big as day! How'd you manage that?!" She was spinning on the spot dancing in glee, making me queasy.

"Magic... illusion... have to have... pip-buck... urk..." yeah this had to stop, my stomach was already engaged in all out war with breakfast, the division of labor just wasn't going to be tolerated.

Thankfully she stopped and released me skidding across the floor to Glitter, sweeping the loose junk up and watching the spectacle. "So you really mean it? You're from before the war!? You lived up there, all that stuff you said happened in there really did? They're... oh yeah... they're all gone huh? Sorry boss... the Institute huh?"

Well now she believed me at least, but she came right to the roadblock in my way. The Institute, a group nopony knew anything about period, and I had to track them down. "Seems that way, I want to have a talk with them... but no idea what I can do about it," I looked up at the mercenary hopefully, she got around the Commonwealth apparently, maybe she'd know something.

She did look at the ceiling scratching her head slowly, that was encouraging... "Hmmm.... well, that is a problem alright. Maaaaybe I know a guy... sorta..."

That got my undivided attention, "Really!? Who! Where!?"

Her charcoal claws came up defensively waving me back, hurt legs or no I crossed the room and was right in front of her in a flash. "Whoa, whoa boss! Easy! I said maybe, an' sorta you heard me. I know a guy that's kinda connected to the Institute in a weird way but I can tell you now he can't tell you how to find 'em, but maybe he could help. He's good at findin' missing ponies, a detective."

Val had being vague down to an art form, I glared waiting for some kind of expansion on this weird thought of hers.

"Look you wouldn't believe me if I just told ya, kinda has to be seen to be believed, just trust me. Nick Hearts n' Hooves, has an office in Diamond City across the river past Hexington and he is good at what he does. If he takes the case he'll help, pretty smart guy, classy. Now relax boss, ain't goin' anywhere and I saw company comin' to the bridge when I was outside."

Company? So far that had not been good out here, I turned to stumble to the window but Glitter had beat me there, "She's right Fast look! Traders!"

I walked up slowly but my legs were getting more sure under me, that initial surge of worry at unidentified strangers got me moving. Sure enough looking down to the wooden bridge that lead south out of Sanctuary there were a few carts and a gaggle of ponies coming. I noticed quite a few armed guards among them but nopony looked like crazed raiders and they had been effectively stopped by a couple patrolling Ponitron robots.

I still hadn't been allowed out to work on them so I had no idea how they'd react to actually having their patrol of the island interrupted, though Preston was down there greeting the strangers. Looking from my window perch all the way down the street and around the bend where the group was gathered I sighed, I could take all day getting there or... "Val, can you give me a lift real quick? I'll walk back honest."

Zooming out the window I had to give it to Val, if I actually asked something of the merc she was quick to make it happen without question. I had the feeling if I had asked her to just wipe out the whole clump of ponies down there she would have just as quickly, probably faster as it would be something fun for her instead of taxi service. With a flourish she dumped me right in front of the growing excitement at the entrance to the settlement, looking about with interest at goods for trade. She did have a lot of loot she had been collecting lately cluttering my room, I think that's why she was so keen to have the attic office cleared, more storage space for her booty.

The clump of ponies turned to the dramatic entrance, Preston looked relieved and trotted up. "Fast, good! Was just going to have to see about getting you, we have a caravan! Isn't that great? Er.. but your guards here don't seem to want to let them pass, if you could do something?"

I peered around, three pony drawn carts and a dozen ponies milled about on the bridge looking nervously at the robots pointing blazing death at them. They seemed to be reasonable folk anyway, and the carts were loaded down with goods. As I approached the Ponitrons turned and looked at me expectantly, well I was wearing the pip-buck that reprogrammed them and they were keyed to. My E.F.S. informed them what were valid targets and what wasn't, only Jade's would have given equal rights over them. However Cogsworth had convinced them to take up patrolling they still recognized my authority, that made things easier.

"ORDERS?" the lead robot asked, the shiny clear dome head was turned to me but the weapons were still locked on the bridge.

"Um... stand down? It's ok, traders are alright to let in, I think? Back to patrolling ok?" I answered the cold voice and the three robots immediately powered their magic energy weapons down and turned to resume their circuit of the island. I really was going to have to do something about them, they were in poor shape even with repair talismans functioning and their programming left something to be desired. I was already out of the house now so may as well just completely forget my orders to take it easy.

The tan earth pony hitched to the lead cart smiled and gave a curt bow, "Much obliged there young buck, heard a new settlement had just sprung up here but the welcome wagon was a surprise. Name's Dusty Hooves, now since we took the chance coming out this way perhaps we could lean on your hospitality a bit, do a little trading? Seem to have a good little community here and I'm hoping we're the first to make the run."

"Um..." Why did ponies keep assuming I was in charge of anything? The robots listened to me, repair-pony... not leader pony. Worse yet both the strange traders now crossing the bridge behind Dusty, along with the settlers who had joined Sanctuary recently were all staring at me. I was expected to respond somehow wasn't I? "Fast... I am I mean.. Fast Times that is, not just fast in general... it's my name... Er.. yes trading! That's good? I guess?"

Thankfully Sturges and Preston decided to take up the slack and moved up to start directing all the traders and guards walking by, they could have jumped in a little sooner there...

"Right this way folks, you can set up over here, nice spot we got cleared. Got a clinic up the way if any you folks need it, hoping it wasn't too rough a trip" Sturges took charge smoothly leading the carts to a concrete foundation of demolished house that had been torn down for scrap in the previous week.

Watching the carts pull up and circle the flat expanse, unhitching pullers and spreading out their gear and wares efficiently I had to marvel. These were ponies that did this for a living, traveling the Commonwealth with a heavy load weighing them down making them big targets, even the retinue of guards seemed insufficient to the task. I noticed quite a few limping or wound in bandages, yeah Jade and Xara's little clinic would have more visitors soon.

Preston had slid up beside me and addressed Dusty Hooves, taking over so I could look him over. His hooves were dusty, that definitely fit, of course so was the rest of him. Dirty dark brown mane hid under a battered old ballcap with dust covered goggles, he wore a patchwork barding with a loooot of pockets, several of which jingled drawing Val's eye. I could just make out a horseshoe cutie mark with a bottlecap in the arch.

"Glad to have you here Mr. Hooves, Preston Gardens, Minutemares. Been hoping we might see a caravan out our way. Let me give you the tour, get your crew up to speed on the rules around here." We had rules? Preston seemed to have some to list off anyway and the two trotted off down the street together.

Val was stretching up to peer over ponies milling around the traders quickly setting up shop, "Hey boss, you ok? Gots us some loot to sell, looks like they got some stuff worth a barter over..." she had her lavender eyes locked on one cart in particular that was unloading a variety of weaponry and ammo.

Looking past her I could see Glitter charging down the street, she hadn't gotten the express trip like I had. Not far behind her was a big blue alicorn swooping low to the ground in her wake, her lab coat flapping as she bore down on me... Oh yeah... I was outside... Her blue eyes were blazing with a little frown on her muzzle, that was one unhappy filly.

Thinking fast I pointed a hoof at some of the guards walking near the point she was streaking by next to Preston and Dusty, "Hurt ponies! They need help!" I yelped and watched with relief as she skidded to a halt snapping her head to where I indicated. She glared back conflicted before deciding on those who were untreated, Glitter risked a glance back as she pounded ahead of her.

"This is not inside Fast! I told you to keep him from pushing himself Glitter! You are both in trouble!" she called trotting over to one of the limping guards, her horn already glowing with healing magic. The foal dashed behind me, her silver mane flying and winced along with me.

Preston paused in his conversation with the trader pony Dusty, "Now Miss Jade we did need him when company came calling, I... sent for him to deal with our robot guards, those injured ponies there would still be stuck on the bridge if he hadn't come quick." Oh thank you Preston, just replacing 'was going to send for' with 'sent for' got both of us out of that. I could see her huff as she helped the guard toward her clinic and look back but her expression had softened.

Wasteland trading was a mystery to me, we didn't really buy and sell things in the Stable that often. Ponies would trade each other for trinkets and things they wanted or could make, but generally everything you needed was taken care of already so finance was just not a concern. What commerce there was involved a lot of charisma and dealing with ponies, wheeling and dealing, not anything I was comfortable with. I once watched Sunset start with little more than a pretty picture she drew and end up with a new dress through a convoluted series of trades, one of few in the Stable.

The makeshift market that had just magically sprung up near the bridge to Sanctuary was mind boggling to me. I knew a lot of the ponies we rescued from the raiders that stayed here had come with almost nothing, yet still a brisk trade was going on. Items salvaged working on the ruins of houses were traded for things the traders had salvaged from who knows where. Mama Xara had come down from the clinic and was haggling over herbs and medical supplies with her finished brews and healing potions.

Val put everyone to shame, it took even the powerful griffon three trips to bring in all her captured treasure to trade, she just kept dumping them at my hooves and blasting back to get more. Once she had it all down here she set about haranguing the traders at their stalls and blankets holding their wares, extracting as much as she could for as little as possible. Dozens of weapons and bloody suits of leather barding from the Thundega raiders were turned into piles of caps while I watched.

After one such exchange she padded over and looked me up and down critically, "Hmm... yeah, probably work. Ok boss, here take these and have a look around, working on some other deals so lemme know if anything boring catches your fancy." With a jingle she tossed me a large bag of caps, huh... I figured all the money she was hoarding was for herself. She really meant equal shares though, she had just taken over everything related to profit from our partnership, which was probably a good idea as she had to explain bottlecaps were used for money to me.

With funds on me the market stopped being something to just watch with interest and I started actually looking around at what was available. Off in the corner was a cart loaded with parts... woooo.... I crossed the concrete expanse and was staring at the wares with interest. Spark batteries, a small box of minor talismans, electronics, robotic parts! This pony had all kinds of interesting bits and bobs, I looked up to tell him so and nearly jumped out of my skin.

The pony watching me drooling over his wares was dead.

"See you have an eye for fine scrap and electronics there laddie buck, high quality robronco class six manipulator that is..." a mouth of yellowed teeth that showed through torn lips spoke with a soft patter. The zombie, that was what it was, a zombie... The zombie had a mottled hide, it was once purple but had blackened in several places and simply sloughed off in others. A wispy mane that was probably once blue had fallen out in large clumps and milky eyes were staring at me.

I started gibbering and backing away slowly, if the dead pony speaking hadn't sounded so friendly I think I would have pulled a weapon from my bags and just started blasting away at it. Somepony who spoke with such knowledge about the equipment laid out in front of him was just hard to kill though, dead or not. Still... my mind reeled.

"Are you ok?" Glitter looked up from my side where she had been following along as we perused all the goods. She was just sitting there in front of the undead pony without a care in the world, she actually looked confused at what was wrong.

"D-d-d-dead..." I stammered.

The little filly cocked her head quizzically, suddenly comprehension lit her pink eyes, "OH! Oh yeah, you was sayin' you came from... you wouldn't know.. It's ok, he's a ghoul. Sorry sir, he's never seen one of you before." She nodded to the zombie who smiled sadly and patted her head, holding a hoof out to me.

"S'alright young filly, first time for everyone isn't there? Though usually comes a lot sooner doesn't it? Pleased to meet you Mr. Fast, Rusty Clank at your service," I reached out automatically and only shuddered a little at the leathery touch. "Well you are a polite one I'll give you that son," he chuckled in a gravelly voice.

"W-what... H-h-how?" I managed to sputter out, my eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

Jade had finished with her new patients it seemed, I jumped feeling her touch my shoulder and walk up beside me. "Ghouls are a result of the war Fast, Balefire... The bombs are filled with necromantic energies and radiation, they can cause this effect in some cases. Though most often the result is a zombie, not a ghoul... a mindless killer pony, their brains rotted away to insanity. Ones like Mr. Clank here are rarer but frequent enough you should always be sure, they are still ponies like any other." She smiled and nodded sweetly to the ghoul then to me, an anxious look in her eye. I guess she'd sympathize with a pony many would consider a monster.

Having a doctor alicorn to give an explanation in such a soothing voice got me over the worst of the shock. Not a monster, just like Jade wasn't, just different... very different... The war had done this? Ponies and Zebras had made a world where this was considered ho-hum? The foal next to the zombie was perfectly ok with this while my brain had just tried to shut down entirely. Grunting I hit my head a couple times trying to get it over the hump, Jade was not a monster, neither was he.

"S-sorry sir... umm... b-bit of a shock... Er... you have lots of interesting stuff though.. can I take a closer look?" I forced myself forward, just a pony, Glitter and Jade were fine with him, so was I, really...

For his part the ghoul grinned and spread his hooves, "By all means! Finest parts and scrap from Hexington. All in the best condition!"

That was debatable, but he was a salespony... salesghoul.. he sold things. I expected some exageration and he did have some things I'd like to use around Sanctuary, the robot parts especially held my interest but spark batteries were always useful. If they held a charge anyway. I started going over things and setting parts aside, I wanted to get them but had no idea about the actual buying part.

"Um, how much for this stuff?" I asked cautiously, I had a bag of caps but no real idea the value of anything involved.

Rusty Clank stared over the pile appraisingly, scratching his chin and making flakes of skin drift down... "Hmm.. some of my better merchandise... 200 caps."

Checking my inventory on the pip-buck I was surprised to find not only did it list the bottlecaps but it had recognized them as currency and was keeping a running tab of them separate from the rest where bits would normally go. Odd, but yes, I had 200 of them available. I started to try floating them out but was interrupted by Glitter scoffing loudly.

"200! For that pile of junk? Come on Mr. Clank, that's 100 caps worth tops, don't take advantage of him like that! What kinda greedy ol' ghoul are you?" I goggled down at her.

The ghoul pony didn't sound insulted, actually he warmed right up to the foal. "Me taking advantage, now look her little filly that's high quality salvage from Watt's in Hexington. You know many other regular ponies who can go scavenging there and know what's worth a damn and what isn't? 175 caps just because you're cute tryin' ta defend your... daddy?"

That got a reaction from all three of us. Jade giggled slightly and held a hoof up to her muzzle, I simply blanched a moment, I wasn't old enough to be the foal's father! Glitter gasped but shook herself quickly and bore down on the ghoul taking up the barter again only losing focus a moment.

"125 caps an I'm being nice Mr. Clank, Butterin' me up won't work. F-Fast can get that stuff from plenty other traders for less who don't know what they got and fix it better than new!" Glitter was standing firm, puffing her chest out, she was really good at this whole bartering thing.

Thinking a moment and doing a rough estimate based on the maximum the foal was willing to pay for what was there I leaned forward to whisper to her, she jumped slightly when I did but listened intently after settling down before wheeling back to the trader. "Throw in all the spark batteries and I'll give 150 caps, just cause my daddy loves this junk an' it's his birthday soon..." She used her ace giving big round puppy eyes that was slightly undercut by the smirk she wore.

Wait what? "Sold!" the ghoul accepted happily while I was trying to catch up, even as a sales tactic that was frying circuits in my head.

The trader pony's celebration was short lived though when the foal paused before accepting. "25 for the batteries IF they work that is, daddy didn't raise me to be stupid." If he was falling for this I couldn't see how, I was not old enough to be anypony's father, still she had spotted his weakness and exploited it. Just a loving daughter dealing with a foalish father, he grumbled but relented.

"Alright, alright, fine. But your problem telling the difference you little highway raider, I can't charge em so don't ask," Rusty croaked and shoved the small pile of batteries to the pile.

Glitter looked back expectantly and Jade started moving toward them, I stepped forward in front of her though. This was something I wanted and I had to try to get my horn working right again. The simple charge spell shouldn't be that hard based on my weak telekinesis returning, it kept shocking me anyway, causing it to happen intentionally shouldn't be that hard. I floated the first out away from the pile to a clear spot off to the side away from everypony else, I didn't really trust my aim that much.

Jade watched with an anxious little frown but didn't stop me, she was willing to let me try at least. I stared at the first spark battery and focused on the weak little trickle of electricity I could make. If the gauge on the battery rose it was still good and could hold more than what it had retained, which was only a tiny charge. I felt another of those jittery arcs run down my horn but got nothing...

Come on! Jade was watching with an eye to my recovery, if I couldn't manage to make progress she'd keep trying to make me take it easy. I had new parts here I wanted to play with. I scowled down at the battery and focused harder, sweat springing up on my brow. I've done this a million times, even if it was weaker like my telekinesis it should work easily enough. Just. Make. Lightning!

KRAKA-THOOM!

What the hell!? I was sailing backwards through the air across the street somehow, twitching as I flew and streaming a trail of smoke. I hit the asphalt and rolled backwards, winding up sitting against a lamp post and jittering as magic arced down my horn.

"FAST!" Jade screamed and flew across the road, landing in front of me and frantically inspecting me.

"Wha?" I answered groggily and looked back to where I had been near the ghoul's stall. The battery was... gone? No.. there was a blackened scorch on the ground where it was before. The ghoul and Glitter both stared over at me wide eyed, along with most ponies in the market... huh?"

Jade and Xara's clinic was crowded... I much preferred getting house calls. I also didn't like being strapped down to the bed... I called over to the light pink stallion tending to the other patients from the caravan down the hall. Jade had found a nurse among the prisoners from Thundega it seemed.

"Hey... you don't have to keep me tied down like this... How about unbuckling me here buddy?" I called over to him pleading.

A worried expression turned to me, eyes darting around the clinic, "I can't do that Mr. Fast, Dr. Jade's orders... she was very insistent..." He shrugged and turned back to the caravan guards undergoing treatment.

Ugh! I figured on that, the leads attached to my horn itched and kept sparking. I was hooked up to a familiar piece of equipment from Stable 111's medical lab and watched the readouts blinking. I wasn't really hurt from that fiasco in the market, a little frazzled... but I felt fine. Blasting myself through the air had just confirmed to Jade I could not be trusted though, so I was strapped here while the test ran and she attended her patients in the recovery rooms down the hall. The little lab I was in was previously Mr. Hawthorne's drug lab, the chemistry lab had been augmented with zebra brewing equipment and a variety of fancy medical gear from the Stable took up the side I was on.

I hadn't been totally disallowed visitors at least, Glitter and the ghoul pony Rusty had come by carrying my purchase that had been interrupted. Getting over talking to a dead pony was hard but Rusty Clank had an appreciation for technical salvage. I had to ask where he had gotten some of the parts I bought, they were very advanced and in good shape. For his part he seemed to enjoy having someone else who shared his area of interest.

"Got em in Hexington, place called Watt's Consumer Electronics. Lot more in there but it's dangerous even for me, wouldn't mind a good run at the place though. You seem to know your stuff an how to use the junk still there, bet we could work out a deal eh?" he mused. I was slightly distracted by my pip-buck informing me it had added map markers...

Glitter stamped her hooves and jumped up to the foot of the bed between us, "Quit tryin' to deal with him directly, he's not makin the deals, he's no good at it." She had me there, in just one exchange the little filly had demonstrated how utterly inadequate I was at bartering.

The ghoul waved his rotting hooves at her, "Right, right, forgot... C'mon can't blame a pony for tryin' I am serious though, I'm even willin' to work through you 'stead of your daddy alright?"

She crossed her hooves and tossed her head, making her curly silver mane shake. I was still bothered she was trying to take on some kind of work to pay her way here, though she was much better than I was at dealing with the salvage merchant. She said she was a scavenger with her mother and sister, she must know her stuff. Though anything related to weaponry and armor she left to Valkyrie who was still haggling outside. I couldn't help but notice she hadn't corrected the ghoul's misconception either.

"What kind of stuff is there Rusty?" I was very interested in this place, I had Cogsworth and half a dozen robot guards here and not much to use to service them. Sanctuary needed security and the scene at the bridge proved even the rusty Ponitrons were pretty good in the role.

A gap toothed grin replied, "Oh the works! Place is a gold mine, well... would be if I could get to all of it. The stuff up front is basically what I sold you, it's the stuff in the back where the real caps are but nopony can get to it. There's a full robot service center back there, crated robots, parts, service equipment, talismans, everything!"

Hmm... something wasn't adding up, "If there's so much there how come no one's taken it? Why didn't you?"

Rusty shuffled and scratched his wispy mane, "Well... the front was for customers, it's ok. Been milkin' that place for years just knowing how it works, pay enough prewar bits and tell the robot clerk what you want and they fetch it. Try to walk back to the service area though... well that's for employees only and whatever's back there takes that seriously. No pony who's ever tried to scavenge the place has come back."

Well that didn't sound good. Still... all that equipment... I could do a lot with that stuff, upgrade the Ponitrons and Cogsworth, start making some real repairs to Sanctuary to handle the influx of ponies, apparently money was important up here too so there was that. At the line of thought my pip-buck flashed at me.

Mission Updated- Miscellaneous
--~~Deal with the Robots~~

Mission Added- Quality Assurance
Objective-
--Investigate Watt's Consumer Electronics

Ok... It was right though, I wanted that stuff. I didn't have Val's level of greed but a streak woke up at the thought of all that tech. I had to have it. "You'll have to deal with my filly Mr. Clank but I think maybe we can come up with some arrangement, I am definitely interested," the old ghoul smiled and bowed at the prospect, nodding to Glitter who was staring back at me happily. I had given her a job, that always made her happy despite how I felt about it.

"R-right! I'll see what he wants outta it an' get back to you Mr. Clank, now go on we gotta talk business stuff," she puffed up proudly and waved the ghoul away. With a wave he walked out, passing Jade in the hallway. Finally I could get out of here!

Or not... She looked very worried and upset, "Glitter please leave us alone, go find the griffon and keep her out of trouble," This didn't sound great... Once the foal ran out Jade wheeled on me frowning with teary eyes, "I told you to take it easy! You scared me!! DO NOT DO THAT AGAIN!" the goddess voice was made far less effective with the tears and quivering lip.

"Hey... hey.. I'm sorry... Really, I didn't know that would happen Jade, it's ok. I.. I didn't mean to scare you, I won't... I'll try not to again," Reaching out to comfort her I was stopped short by the straps. I wanted to tell her whatever she wanted to hear but I couldn't lie either, it just didn't work on the alicorn princess. I couldn't say something wouldn't happen that would get me hurt again, even my limited exposure to the wasteland proved that. "So... any idea what happened? I feel fine but I just meant to give a little trickle, honestly I've never been able to make magic like that before."

She sniffled and turned to the machine I was attached to, glanced over to the terminal nearby and tapped away at it with her magic. "I have your medical records from the Stable Fast, you have taken this aptitude test before yes? Ah here it is, now... look at the difference," she nodded to the screen as it displayed two sets of squiggly lines.

Jigs and jags ran across a representation of the spectrum of magical abilities, looking at it they were basically the same except for a couple spikes that had grown significantly more pronounced. "Umm... they're spikier?" I ventured.

Jade snorted and smiled, "Yes Fast they are spikier... For the most part they are unchanged, you actually have a good aptitude for a variety of magic, I don't know why I haven't seen you use much else before. No horn for healing at all though. The differences here are the range of the spectrum associated with lightning magic obviously as well as teleportation and some other more esoteric areas of magic."

Nodding at the lines on the screen I tried to follow along, "Ok... neat? Dad gave me that test and said I should be able to do lots of magic before too, I can't though. Never been good at it, except when it comes to machines and arcano-tech stuff. Maybe the lightning's still.. stuck in my horn? Probably just have to get it out of my system right?"

That worried look crossed her face again, "No Fast, it doesn't work that way. I-I hope the lightning merely... knocked something loose? You have an aptitude for magic but haven't demonstrated it, the strike may have simply helped unlock your potential. I am very concerned though... Directly before you had a bolt of lightning channeled into your horn you had taken a great many dangerous drugs together, including Hydra... it all may have combined into a form of taint mutation...

I want to run better tests and get another opinion, the spell to purge taint is very difficult and beyond my abilities as well, if it is needed I know of only one place to go. I wish for you to travel to Diamond City with me, though I am concerned about how to manage it. The others inform me they have excellent treatment available there but they charge caps we do not have and are selective about who they allow inside."

That made two reasons to go to this Diamond City now, Val's detective and my own treatment. I felt a little rise of panic at the thought of something like a taint mutation, but I felt fine really, no extra hooves sprouting up anywhere. I was determined to believe her first thought was right, having a bolt of lightning blasted right into your head was sure to scramble things up there. My magic had just felt overwhelmed and shaky, but it was basically working... better than normal in some areas actually.

"Ok Jade, we'll figure something out. Maybe I can come up with money to pay, Val is making a lot out there I think. Preston was talking to that trader about opening regular caravans too, we have to figure out a way to make money right? Not just for me but for everypony, I'll think about it. Can... can I get up now? I have to ask around to come up with something..."

She frowned a moment but finally her blue eyes softened and she gave me a smothering embrace on the bed while her magic undid the straps. "Very well, you need to get your strength back to be ready to travel. Do not use that spell again Fast, we may try it again if I am with you and try to get some control over it. You may not do so on your own though, you promise not to scare me again yes? I do not want anything to happen to you.." Smiling she stretched up and gave me a kiss on my sparking horn, pulling the leads attached to it away and squeezed the breath out of me before letting me up.

Hopping down to the floor only brought a little wince and I could feel myself blushing under her, "Right, whatever you say princess. I'll try not to scare you anymore, I really am sorry. Just... I'll have to do things that could get me hurt again you know? Like in Thundega? We helped a lot of ponies there, it was worth getting hurt. If I saw something like that again... I'd do the same thing even knowing. I'd have to, but I can do it knowing you're there to help me get back up again after. So... I can't promise I won't end up scaring you no matter how much I don't want to. You can't keep me that safe."

A conflicted expression crossed her face, "Y-yes I can... I.. alright, I suppose you are correct Fast. I do not like it though, you are to try your best not to get hurt." She finally relented and walked with me to the door, "I need to check my other patients but will be along shortly, stay out of trouble Fast."

I nodded trying to reassure her and walked back out into all the activity still going on in Sanctuary. I had some things to do now.

Val practically tackled me when I came in range of the market again, ponies were still doing a brisk trade and Preston and Sturges were deep in conversation with Dusty Hooves. A single bag of purchases was slung on her back and Glitter trailed behind her as asked, "Holy hell boss that was awesome! I've never seen any unicorn make lightning like that, you been holdin' out on me?!"

"I have never been able to do that Val, that was something new sorry," I answered getting a momentary look of disappointment. Apparently my ability to blast things to cinders with what should be a simple charging spell raised my value in her estimation.

She shook it off quickly though, I couldn't before but I could now, that was what she found important. "We gotta go try it out then! There's raiders out in the woods somewheres nearby, I been makin' little trips and wipin' em out when I got bored but I think there's still some out there. C'mon! I gotta see that shit used on a real target, would it cook em or just blast em to ash? Oh here, speakin' of which I got you some stuff!"

She bought me things? I figured she had been clearing out the weapon and ammo vendors of what she wanted, not shopping for me as well. I watched with interest as she stuck her head in the heavy pack she carried and started shuffling things around, thinking on what else she had said I had to curtail her enthusiasm a little. "I can't go out and pick a fight right now Val. But I think we need to take a trip soon, I'm sure there'll be plenty of chances to test it out if you're that interested."

The shaggy red and white feathered head popped out of the sack pouting, "Awww, but look! See, I got you better gear, from what you were using back in Thundega anyway I made some guesses. Don'tcha want to try it out? What trip though? Wanna see my detective pony? I wouldn't mind a trip to Diamond City, got a lot of caps to spend now." She rambled but got over her disappointment at the thought of traveling, though the foal behind her got a strange look at the news. From her sack she had started dumping her purchases in front of me.

Well she had made some good guesses, a new suit of black barding was the biggest and I inspected it carefully. It was reinforced but still light and had a strange texture, definitely superior to the now scrapped oil stained leather raider armor I had worn at the fortress we met at. There was also a thick black piece of cloth, a cloak? Well I was wearing a ratty tarp before that had come in handy but it was mainly just to freak out the raiders. Val had seemed to decide I should have another, this looked warm at least and it was crisp outside in the fall air. Finally included in her purchases were boxes of 10mm ammo that each had a different colored stripe on them and two varieties of shotgun shells along with a number of parts for both weapons.

Slowly I floated each to my saddlebags watching my pip-buck catalog and sort them all, "Thanks Val, this all looks great I think we'll get to test it out soon. Jade wants to go to Diamond City too yes so I think we'll head that way, maybe we can stop at this Hexington place on the way too, there's some stuff I want there."

"Stuff? Loot?!" she bounced in front of me.

"Parts..." that got a roll of the eyes and bored snort. "Um.. probably worth caps too, there's a trader who told me about it talking about a deal for salvage..."

As soon as the possibility of profit came back in I had her attention, "Really! Kinda a grim place but there is lots of salvage, not really my thing but if you say there's caps then ok! Well then off to Hexington!"

"Hexington you say? Was just coming to talk to you about that Fast..." Preston, Sturges and the trader pony Dusty had wandered up and joined us, Sturges looked pleased with himself as he continued. "Been talkin' with Dusty here about getting regular caravans up here, starting a little trade. Right now our biggest resource is water, we're the only source for fresh and clean thanks to the water talisman, Dusty here thinks he can broker a deal to start making shipments to Hexington, non radiated water is a big concern down that way."

Preston stepped forward to add to the conversation, I was starting to think they had planned this out and were just waiting for me. Why did ponies keep thinking I was in charge of anything? "Dusty also told us about the difficulties getting regular caravans up here. Seems they had to take the long route from Diamond City over to Bunker Hill before crossing the river and heading over to Hex. There's a bridge right there that would open a fast route right to Diamond City and to the rest of the Commonwealth, but it's a toll now, raiders have control over it. I was just saying the Minutemares should offer their help, go a long way towards putting us back on the map and helping Sanctuary, maybe even get Hexington as an ally."

Why was he giving me that hopeful look? Wait... by Minutemares he meant me... I should go help. A safe route to this Diamond City place did sound good though, it was my eventual destination, from what I had heard it was the center for everything in the Commonwealth at large. The thought of a group of raiders holding a bridge and extorting ponies to use it rankled too, they didn't build it, they had no right to just bully anypony wanting to use it. If it still stood that was miracle enough, it should be for everypony to use... A flurry of activity on my pip-buck distracted me while I thought;

Mission Updated- Miscellaneous

--~~Speak to Sturges about finances~~

Mission Added- Troubled Waters
-Objective
--Broker deal for water shipments with Hexington

Mission Added- Diamond City Blues
-Objectives
--Reach Diamond City
--Find Nick Hearts n' Hooves
-Optional Objective
--Clear the bridge to Diamond City

The pip-buck seemed to agree with everypony else deciding what I should be doing... I couldn't fault either the ponies or the device really, I agreed after all, but the feeling of being pushed along whether I liked it or not was grating. Still, I was doing each of the things it had suggested, I had decided that much. I hoped the pip-buck at least just acted based on my already set course of action in my head, instead of deciding things on its own.

"Fine, I'll look into all of it. Where are these places?" I grumbled realizing I was talking about going to abstract locations, I didn't know where they were or how to get there other than just following the arrows on the compass at the bottom of my vision. I brought up the pip-buck map to see while they conferred, alright Hexington was to the southeast near the river, almost due south of that across the river was a large marker for Diamond City.

Dusty Hooves was the one to answer, "Not far at all to Hex, Diamond City's close too if the bridge were open... We'll be moving on tomorrow, you can join up if you like. Safety in numbers and all, to be perfectly honest we'd probably gain more than you from it, your griffon bodyguard would really help get us back safe. You lookin' for work there honey? Would love to have one of you on contract for the company."

Val snorted and pushed me in front of her clutching my shoulders with her dark claws, "Nope, gots me a contract already, perfectly happy. If boss says so guess I can watch yer asses on the way down to Hex. Plenty other mercs to hire out there not already happily employed."

I was glad she was on my side, I nodded down to Glitter standing at the edge of the conversation with that funny expression still on her face and pulled myself free. If they were all making these decisions on their own they didn't need me for it, I had other things to do. Walking down the street toward the bridge Glitter fell in behind me looking at the ground and I headed for the nearest patrolling Ponitron. If I was leaving I wanted them in the best shape possible to defend this place until I could come back.

It was starting to dim down towards evening outside my workshop garage, the last Ponitron was powered down and standing under the hoist I had used for Cogsworth, these robots stood on their own four metal hooves even without power anyway. I really didn't have much to get them in shape, even with the parts I had bought from the ghoul Rusty Clank it just wasn't enough. Recalibrating their repair talismans had helped but I really did need those parts from this Hexington place.

Frowning at the internals on this one I pulled my head out of the case and glanced over at the filly in the pink dress watching me silently. "Glitter, get me that capacitor please, over there... the roundish.. thingy with the wires, yes that!" She had been an excellent assistant through the whole process but the normally fairly boisterous filly had been very quiet and reserved for some reason.

She brought the part over and sat down watching with her big pink eyes, I turned back to put it to use and heard her small voice finally speak up outside the open console on the Ponitron. "Y-you're leaving?"

The part clicked in place and I turned back to her, that pink gaze was shining wetly and very sad... "Just for a little while Glitter, we have to do some things. Um... I'll see if you can spend a few nights with Short Stack and his family, that will be fun right? Or Cogsworth can watch you if you prefer, get you settled in your new room?"

None of that looked like it sounded fun to her, tears started welling up and she wailed, "You're.. y-you're leaving me alone? B-but I thought you wanted me! T-that... that I could stay with you... isn't that what you said? Did I do something wrong? I'll do better! Please... don't leave me d-daddy!"

What? Nevermind, she was hurting, I sidled out from behind the robot and gave her a hug, letting her cry into my chest. "Easy... It's not like that, this is still your home, you didn't do anything wrong. It's dangerous out there, I'd rather you stay here where it's safe until we come back is all..."

She just kept sniffling against me, "I- I know w-what it's like out there! I... I probably know more than you! I c-can help! I don't wanna stay behind, I'll be good! Please! Please don't leave me, everypony leaves me..."

This was hard... we were just going to two settlements as part of a large, guarded caravan, civilized places in the wasteland like Sanctuary right? Maybe it'd be ok? She was so resilient it was hard remembering everything she had been through, she had lost everypony she cared about... I knew the feeling, if latching on to us was what was keeping her together wouldn't leaving her here be crueler than letting her come?

I had to change tactics, I couldn't say no to what she was asking, it just felt wrong. I stroked her mane and let her keep sniveling, "Sssh... it's ok, I'm not leaving you. I- I'm not your daddy though Glitter, I'm not that old and I'm not a good pony, you know that right?"

Her head came up and she sniffled up at me with those big puppy eyes, "I k-know... but Mr. Clank said that.. and I thought.. I n-never knew my dad, me an'... T-Twinkle use'ta imagine what one was like... an...an... w-when he said that I started thinkin'... I was pretendin' for him at first but... I w-wish you were my dad! You saved me! You let me stay! Y-you care... right? B-bein' here with you an' Miss Jade, an' Miss Val, an' even the robot... it's so nice... c-couldn't you be? I-if you wanted?"

Alright changing topics wasn't a good idea. I was still unable to refuse the foal clutching me. Age aside... she needed somepony that cared about her, I had taken on the responsibility willingly already. I promised to make sure she lived the life taken from her twin, told her I wanted her to live here, I wanted to take care of her, what difference did a title make... I was already doing it all but in name.

I sighed softly and gave up, she needed this, she'd probably get over it eventually after spending enough time around me to figure out I was not a good dad candidate. She had been through so much so fast, lost her entire family. I had too but at least I was an adult, if I were her age and totally alone in the world, I'd be desperate for somepony that cared. I had been myself actually, I had found a princess, she had found a father. I had the feeling she'd think of me that way no matter what I said, just as I privately thought of Jade as a princess regardless of reality. If letting her call me that helped her for now... what was the harm? "Glitter... I'm not a dad, I don't know how to be one. I told you I wanted to take care of you and I meant it though... If it helps you then you can call me that, I... can try to be one. Just don't expect too much, I'm not a good choice."

My ribs had mostly healed now but they still creaked under the crushing hug, earth ponies were strong... "Yes you are! Thank you! I'm s-so happy!" That was a lot of blubbering for being happy... actually that was too much blubbering? I looked around and saw Jade standing in the doorway to the kitchen, she had been adding to it... how long had she been standing there?

"Er...." was this good or bad crying?

The foal looked up and noticed the blue alicorn watching us, she finally let me go and bounded over to her. Prancing around her long legs and still weeping with a huge smile, this was confusing... "Miss Jade! D-did you hear?! Fast said I... t-that he could be my daddy! Isn't that g-great?! I a-always wanted a dad an' now I got one! S-so I can go with you all right? You won't leave me r-right!?"

Jade gave her a nuzzle before trotting over to me with the foal on her heels, "Y-yes, I heard. That is wonderful, I am very happy for you Glitter. I do not know if bringing you with us is very safe...." she glanced at me with a cocked eyebrow, "..but I suppose that is up to your father now? I do agree with you though, Fast is an excellent choice for the position." She smiled, her blue eyes sparkling and gave me a nuzzle whispering in my ear, "You are very sweet Fast, just take the job seriously..."

I nodded solemnly as she stood back watching me carefully, I wasn't accepting just on a lark. I was a pretty poor replacement for the family she had lost, but I was here and could be what she needed I thought, as long as she needed it. The little filly was still looking at me expectantly, getting her way on this still wasn't getting her way on being left alone here while we left Sanctuary for who knows how long.

The world was dangerous period, just slightly less so here at the moment. Now that I felt the weight of the title on my shoulders... I really didn't like the thought of leaving her alone. I trusted a good number of the ponies here, but leaving her by herself? Where anything could happen and I wasn't there to protect her personally? No... no I didn't like the idea of it at all. I had a good idea what I had already decided but had to hedge my bets a little anyway, Jade probably wouldn't like it. "We'll see, let me sleep on it ok?"

Glitter frowned but slowly seemed to accept getting that much, maybe she could tell she already won. Probably not a good idea to be so easily figured out as a pushover... "Ok! Sleep on it, just lemme go please! I can help, I been to Hex before! An' you are not good and barterin' Fast, umm... d-dad, you need me around to do that! I gotta go tell Miss Val, an' Short, an' Preston, an' Sturges, an' Xara, an'... I gotta go!" Grinning broadly she bolted out the open garage door leaving me flustered with Jade watching her go.

Sitting there in the floor watching her sprint around down the street I was suddenly enveloped by a lot of blue alicorn around me from behind. Long legs drew me into the strong embrace and soft feathery wings furled around me, her cloudy blue-white mane drifted around my head while she nuzzled and cooed happily. "You made her very happy, you made me very happy as well... you have a habit of doing that and you wonder why I wish to keep you safe? I should simply keep you right here... I like you just where you are," ok that soft breath puffing in my ear was going to drive me crazy... "But I suppose I cannot keep you to myself, entirely... I will begin gathering supplies for tomorrow. I do not think it is safe to take her with us, but the world is not safe either... I can tell what you are thinking already, we will protect her if you insist on allowing her along."

She gave a final squeeze that took my breath away before turning back to the house to start packing. I sat where I was, catching my breath and watching Sanctuary around me out the garage door. Ponies walked the streets with happy expressions, many turned to nod or wave at me sitting in the doorway. Lights were coming on in more houses as well as new spotlights that pointed out away from the little island of light watching for dangers outside. Newly repaired Ponitrons glinted in the gloom when they crossed into the beams, they had been given better instructions and had mixed up their patrols instead of endlessly circling predictably and they were working with Preston's new recruits.

Good smells wafted through the autumn air to me, some from Cogsworth in the kitchen of my own house. As I watched Valkyrie swooped through the air, tossing Glitter up and catching her before diving through the open upstairs window with her sack of treasure, I heard them land and pound around up there. Music drifted through the air, a soft stallion singing about how great home was. He was right, listening to all the activity in the house around me I smiled, I had a home, I had family. The rest of my family was still out there somewhere, but I had found one out here too that would help me find them. I wasn't alone... that was nice.

The wasteland sat out there in the dark beyond my home, I was going out into it again and hoped it didn't start trying to corrupt me as it had on every encounter so far. I had to remind myself the world beyond this small island was different, dangerous, twisted and wrong, but I was going and I really wasn't alone. I had friends to help me and somehow a daughter to protect, whatever was out there we'd deal with it together at least. Beaming with contentment I turned back to the last Ponitron and turned it on, sending it out to join its' fellows before walking back in the kitchen and being greeted by all the activity turning the ramshackle old house into a home again. My home.

----------------------------Level Up!------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------------

Robotics Expert!------------------
-- Machines will always serve ponies, at least if you have anything to say about it. Fiddling with a cadre of Ponitron guards has given you the ability to hack any robot to some degree.

Quest Perk Added!--------------------------

Jigawhat?------------------
-- A bolt of lightning to the horn has rattled some things around in there, you hope that's it anyway. You now have access to a powerful lightning spell and potentially other magic! It's a little uncontrollable at the moment though.

Ch. 12-- Taking Point

"Something's rotten in... whatever the name of this village is that we're in right now!"

--------------------

Hey everypony out there.. t-this is Traveling Miles at Diamond City Radio with the news, and there's a lot of it today. Um... lemme find it again... r-right Ok, we've gotten more reports about that rumored settlement up north and it is there, so here's hoping our trader friends found it safe. We got the story along with a lot more news that gets harder to believe s-so.. bear with me here.. I'm just the messenger right? I got it from a c-certain reporter pony who had been doing some digging around D.C. in the local bars and she-they! said they got it from a first hoof source so... a-anyway...

F-first thing that we can verify, the new place called Sanctuary seems to be responsible for rescuing a lot of ponies from the Thundega Raiders. That would be enough, but it keeps going, not only were these prisoners rescued, but the Thundega crew is gone... wiped out... t-totally. Many don't believe it, but I saw myself, the old Thundega plant is dark and empty, the raiders gone and whispers about it being cursed... N-now here's where it starts getting really weird... the seedier sources for our reporter say it wasn't an army that destroyed the place, but one pony... if they are a pony... See... c-can't believe I'm saying this, but it's not the first report we've gotten... some of those bad ponies out there in the wastes are scared folks... there are rumors floating around about...umm... The Shrouded Stallion...

N-not the one on the old radio shows out of Goodneighbor or ancient comics, no... a real Shroud... real enough to lay waste to a lot of raiders anyway. What little information to be had matches though... dark pony, black cloak... punishment from Luna... the whole bit... I don't know what to think, I'm just saying what we've heard. If there really is a Shroud, maybe that's good? They saved a lot of ponies from a pretty horrible fate from what I hear, many of whom were taken to this new Sanctuary place to recover.

If these stories about a real Shroud weren't enough there's also lots about... well, about a... p-princess in this Sanctuary place. We don't know if she rules it or just lives there but... yeah... an alicorn. There have been other sightings of alicorns before of course, and stories from the rest of Equestria, but every source from the freed prisoners don't say just an alicorn, no... alicorn Princess, they call her that folks not me. Taking the two together, a Princess and a Shrouded Stallion bringing down her wrath... well it's getting to be a popular story...

Hopefully when the caravan that went up that way to investigate comes back, we'll have some real info for all of you, and us... That may be awhile though with the western bridge to Hex still out though. Until then er... take all this with a grain of salt. For now here's Sapphire Shores for you think on it over...

"Boss there's a clump of the little buggers up there, c'mon do it again, do it again!" Valkyrie was dancing in the air above me, pointing out another swarm of bloatsprites and waiting with glee. She really liked this too much, it was draining.

We were traveling down cracked and broken roads through skeletal woods, at the moment I was sitting in the back of Rusty Clank's mostly empty cart as we made our way towards this place called Hexington. I didn't know the name, so it must be something that had grown up after the world ended.

I got to ride in the cart under doctor's orders to rest frequently, plus Rusty was willing to keep me happy, the old ghoul and I had reached an agreement we were on our way to look into among other things. The blue alicorn physician in question fluttered along one side of the cart, watching with an annoyed huff at the griffon still begging to see the trick again.

"Fast should not do that often, he is unable to control it and it takes a lot of magic out of him. Have you not seen it enough Valkyrie?" Jade glared to the griffon flapping along beside her.

Val waved her away, looping lazily around desiccated tree trunks, "Bah! How else is he 'posed to get better at it? Practice makes perfect, I wanna see it again! Pay me boss!"

I was preparing to argue the point with her when Platinum Glitter hopped up in the cart with me, bouncing on her hooves, a faded red jacket had been added to her pink dress for the chill fall air, "Yeah do it please! C'mon daddy, it's neat!"

Being called that was going to take some getting used to, it was disturbing, but I also couldn't really refuse both of them now. The rest of the caravan we were traveling with seemed to know exactly where this was heading as soon as the foal asked, the guards and other carts started backing away to the side away from the group of Bloatsprites down the hill.

Rusty called back over his shoulder pulling the cart, "Aw come on, not again. Let me brace myself this time, and don't tear anything up back there!" The ghoul pony grumbled and leaned to the side facing the nasty little creatures just noticing our presence.

There were four of them on my Eyes Forward Sparkle, little red dashes in a clump starting to move away from the scummy, rainbow sheen covered puddle they congregated around. I sat up and shifted my new cloak out of the way, revealing my Stable barding under the new leather armor Val had got me and leaned over the cart towards them. I made sure Glitter was well backed away before turning back and focusing on the center of the group. I really wanted to get a handle on this, but just one try drained me for awhile, Val and Glitter had been amusing themselves asking me to do it at every opportunity over the last day on the road. Alright, focus... control it, don't just open up full blast, I looked at the lead bloatsprite and focused on making lightning.

KRACKA-THOOM!

Even with my legs hooked on the side and my hind legs braced in the cart for everything I was worth, I was still thrown backwards from the force of the blast. I managed not to just fly across the cart and slam into the side behind me, so that was better at least. Instead, the entire ramshackle cart leaned for a moment while I clung to the edge with my hindlegs scrambling. This was like having the party cannon go off out of my horn every time.

Val and Glitter both cheered and whooped watching the cluster of bloatsprites just get evaporated by a crackling bolt of lightning, Jade was less pleased however, "You are trying to reduce the intensity Fast?"

I groaned feeling a good chunk of magic drained away, once every several hours was the best I could manage with this. There was no range on it, I could never use this to charge spark batteries or make repairs, there was just off or full blast, no in between. "Yes... I'm trying Jade, it ain't happening though," Grumbling, I hopped back off the cart, when I got to rest I got pestered into giving it another go, a few hours walking helped get the last kinks out of my legs and let me recover.

The danger of electric death now passed, the caravan moved back together, guard ponies taking up their positions again. It was an interesting crew of folks and they had told stories about the Commonwealth I listened to with rapt attention the previous night. Most made the runs from Diamond City to the north, stopping at Bunker Hill and Hexington, along with a handful of smaller settlements. I had it explained to me that for the most part, trading routes to the north were underdeveloped but safer, they called the area Sanctuary was located in 'the edge' which took some back filling for me.

Apparently, whatever kept the Commonwealth separated from the rest of Equestria and the world at large was a large circle, centered on the huge white spire I could make out in the distance, beyond the broken towers of Trotson. Places at the edge of the circle were the least dangerous, but also least profitable, so I had been lucky Stable 111 and Sanctuary were located where they were. Now that we were going south towards the city, things got progressively more dangerous, though I hadn't noticed a significant difference yet.

We were climbing to the top of a medium hill where the dead forest was starting to thin. I was basically back to full health again, at least according to my pip-buck and Jade, so walking was no longer torture, climbing the slow grade still made me ache though. Glitter had bounded down from the cart and was shadowing me like normal, "That is so cool! um.. pop?" she kept trying out different terms for dad, tasting how they felt on her tongue.

I thought she mainly just liked the concept of a dad, she didn't have any real idea what one was. Still, it made her happy and gave her a term to use for the pony that cared enough to take care of her, hearing myself called each new name still made me twitch though. "What other magic can you do? I bet if you can make lighting like that you're as good as that purple mare from all the posters dad!"

I rolled my eyes at that, "No Glitter, I am no Twilight Sparkle. That is pretty much all I can do and it shouldn't be like that to begin with." Really, the Ministry Mare of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences was a magical genius, she could use practically any spell and even make new ones.

Dad once had me listen to a speech she gave on holotape talking about magic and the joy of learning it, trying to foster my education on the subject. She sounded nice, but had quickly gotten far too advanced for me to follow along, I was not a magically adept pony and that was that. Or it had been anyway... A panicky part of my mind kept whispering "taint mutation..." to me. I still clung to the belief that was not the case, but it was one of the reasons to head for Diamond City.

"Heads up folks, we're here! Settle in, gotta wait for them to clear the way!" Dusty Hooves called down from his position at the head of the caravan on top of the hill. I joined several ponies trotting forward to take a look, I had a vague description of this Hexington place, but wanted to see where we were going.

Cresting the hill, I looked down to a grim site, the ruins of the outskirts of Trotson on this side of the river were blasted and crumbling, a maze of shattered buildings and choked streets. In the distance the morning sky was lit with a greenish glow from a huge crater everything in the ruins bowed away from, a balefire bomb detonation. With the city in sight, my pip-buck gave a lazy warning click even at this distance, radiation drifted away from the devastation even 200 years later.

Midway between us and the crater, the destruction was a little more orderly, walls of rubble blocked streets mostly cleared on one side of the barrier and specks moved about, that must be Hexington. Beyond the settlement in the far distance, a bridge crossed the river, or it would if it were down, at the moment the two halves were pointed up to the sky. Originally that would be to allow a ship to pass by below on the river, but considering there wasn't any real water traffic I could see or expected, the only point right now was to take away the ability to use it to cross into the city. Yeah, I didn't like that at all...

I was somewhat confused why were were just sitting here looking down on it from our position on the hilltop, we were out in the open and easy to spot. I could see specks moving around leaving the protected settlement, they had seen us, so I hoped they were trustworthy.... A couple of sudden bursts down below wasn't helping my opinion of sitting here, flares? Yes, flares were drifting through the sky to either side of the settlement, floating away from it. I looked over to Dusty questioningly.

"Have to clear a path to Hex, they send ghouls out and draw em away, give us a fairly safe route in. They ain't got no robot guards for defense like you folks, but a wall of zombies does just as well, even if not as manageable," he explained and I had to consider for a moment. Zombies... they were ponies like Mr. Clank but... not, right? Jade said they were crazy, they'd attack anything at all.

Watching below, I did see a lot of erratic movement through the streets, a practical swarm of specks was following the flares and the dots that had set them off at the head of each group. If all those specks were bloodthirsty zombie ponies... yes, that would be a good defense... "H-how do they survive? The ones who set off the flares and lead them away?" At the rate the horde was moving I couldn't see one or two ponies escaping, but the two clumps were basically just following along.

The ghoul Rusty Clank had pulled his cart up to watch and called over, "Zombies won't attack ghouls, less you give 'em reason to. Makes salvaging down there a lot safer for me than you smooth coats. The guards are other ghouls, they go out, ride herd on the zombies, then head back. A pony here or there can make it through to Hex ok if they're careful, but big group like this here caravan would draw 'em all down on their head."

Several of the caravan guards were readying weapons and battle saddles, looking down with distaste, one added to the exchange. "Yeah, they get rid of most of them, make a safer path, not safe. There's always stragglers, keep your eyes open heading down there..."

Zombie ponies were everything old horror movies from before the war I snuck peeks at before being caught promised, and then some. Even with most of their numbers drawn away, even with a large number of well armed guards and a griffon bodyguard, the first time I saw a clump of them scrambling up from ruined buildings I nearly lost it.

My first impulse on seeing a writhing mass of half a dozen undead ponies scrambling out of the ruins with murder in their eyes was to simply unload the uncontrollable lightning spell, magic reserves be damned. Incinerate those poor, wretched creatures before they got too close. Watching them just lurch back up from what should be mortal wounds from the guard's weapons just added to the desire. Apparently horror movies were mostly right, only a headshot was guaranteed to work. They were incorrect about their speed however, what should be shambling, shuffling undead monsters were fast... way, way too fast.

We were attacked several times on the way to Hex, each time a gaggle of zombies surged at us, Jade snatched Glitter away to her side and brought up the blue bubble of her shield, making the two effectively invulnerable from their attacks, so they were safe at least. Val seemed to enjoy herself quite a bit, whatever the large belt fed gun under her wing was, she refrained from using it, but both her huge pistol and the tri-barrelled magic energy weapon nailed one zombie head after another, she had figured out S.A.T.S. it would seem. I was pretty thankful for it as well, every shot from my rebuilt 10mm pistol was either a headshot or a rare miss, being selective against the targets was easier with it guiding my aim.

Finally, we pulled up to the rough rubble walls of Hexington, as we passed through the heavy metal gates into the settlement, I noticed crude graffiti to one side of the path. On a large chunk of wall out in the middle of a no pony's land in front of the gates filled with rotting zombie corpses, crudely spray painted words waited for any passing by "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here". Was that for those entering or leaving Hex?

Taking in the community, I couldn't be sure... It was a dark, grim place, my pip-buck gave an occasional click reminding me of the heightened radiation levels even if the ponies who lived here didn't. Many bore seeping sores and other marks of radiation sickness, desperation practically oozed from the ground like the slightly glowing puddles in the gutters. A great number of ghouls made up the population and were really setting me on edge after the trip into the city.

I had mostly gotten used to our escort Rusty Clank, a whole town full of undead ponies was something else. Not that they were the only residents, beyond them and the sickly ponies there were also zebras... That was surprising, a small band that kept to themselves down a side street I noticed decorated with their own style. From what I had been told, Hex was a place for the unwanted and damned, zebras were just as welcome as anyone else here.

Just beyond the gates was what must be the center of the town, an intersection of the main streets of the enclosed area with a statue of Ministry Mare Applejack that had seen better days. This area had once been an industrial center, hence all the good salvage, and the head of the Ministry of Wartime Technology was like a saint here. Ancient storefronts had been cleared and advertised current businesses located within, along with small stalls out in the town square and what looked like seedy ponies making more shadowy deals in alleys, guards patrolled regularly.

Our own group of caravan guards seemed to disperse now that we were here, off to collect their pay or use it up I guessed. A small group of ponies were listening to one wearing a hooded green cloak giving some kind of speech under the statue, they stood on a wooden crate above the stragglers they had manged to attract and... preached?

Yes, that's what it sounded like, some kind of religious pony? Whatever the sermon was, it didn't sound like singing the praises of Celestia and Luna to me, what I could see of the preacher pony was a radiation sick zealot, stridently praising whatever they believed. They were really getting worked up whatever it was about, but suddenly stopped at our approach, their hooded head swinging right at us.

Following their gaze I couldn't help but notice it wasn't necessarily at us, so much as at one of us, the blue alicorn trotting along with me. Well, Jade was unusual, I supposed she couldn't help but attract attention... still, I put myself between the stranger and Jade, glaring back. If it was a bad stare they'd have to go through me, if it was a good stare... well I didn't like that so much either, depending on the intent.

Dusty Hooves had turned back after directing the stallion pulling his cart now loaded with fresh water from Sanctuary to a large town hall looking building beyond the statue square. He ambled up to us and followed my stare, "Ah, those nuts... Children of the Balefire, religious cult, worship the bombs that ended the world one way or another. Lot's of ghouls on their way to becoming feral, ponies dying of radiation sickness looking for a way out, mutant ponies who actually thrive on the stuff too. Creepy, but harmless from everything I've seen."

"So Fast, was going to head to the mayor's office and sell this load of water, start talking up the deal we discussed working out with your town for regular shipments. Ought'a have some time to look around and find some lodging if you like, I'd suggest the Dreary Inn, mainly because it's the only place in town. See you there alright?"

I nodded and watched the trader pony canter off toward the mayor's office, before turning to the inn he had mentioned. Just down the road leading north from the square was a battered hotel, whatever sign once hung out front had been replaced with a crude wooden board reading "Dreary Inn". Well, that was the first stop then, we'd need somewhere to stay while here, I turned to catch Rusty Clank as he clopped by leading his empty cart to the south.

The ghoul trader waved and pointed over to one of the dilapidated storefronts, this one with a metal sign composed of letters from a number of old signs reading "Rusty's Salvage Emporium", this must be Mr. Clank's storefront here in Hex. A ghoulish mare was manning the counter inside and waved happily to Rusty on spotting him through the window. "Well there's the missus folks, goin' to go drop off the cart and make up for bein' apart a bit... You drop by once you're settled and done with your dealin', we'll discuss our little venture, best to head out once it gets dark."

Glitter jumped forward, waving with a stern look, "Bye Mr. Clank, see you later. No tryin' to change the terms though, they're set!"

Rusty just gave a chuckle over his shoulder, "Right, right, I know little filly. Lucky yer a cute one, yer gettin' the better end of this deal by far... well, if yer daddy survives it."

Looking to the rest of my small band, I noticed Jade staring avidly at what appeared to be a doctors office, advertising rates for various healing services and drugs on a chalkboard out front. Val was flitting from one store to another, taking in the wares available before swooping over and landing next to me.

"Alright, why don't you guys look around a little? I'll go see about getting us somewhere to stay and head to see this mayor pony. We can meet back at the hotel place ok?" I asked the others, seeing immediate agreement from the griffon and alicorn, though Glitter didn't move.

Jade gave the clinic another glance, "Yes, that sounds excellent. I would like to speak with the resident physician about the level of care available here, perhaps sharing supplies and efforts, even joining the Followers!" she seemed quite happy at the prospect and sauntered that way.

"Sure thing boss, don't seem like much worthwhile to shop for here, but you never know what you'll find. Scavvers dig up all kinds of stuff, sometimes somethin' worthwhile shows up," with a grin the fiery griffon flapped over to the largest storefront and barged in.

That left me and my foal, who didn't seem to have any inclination towards looking around. She had said she was here before, I guessed she had seen it all already. With a shrug I started walking to the Dreary Inn, hearing her fall in behind me, we walked into the dusty building together and headed for the obvious counter in front of the door. It had been the check in counter for a moderately nice hotel before, moldy wood panels lined the walls and a fairly well kept stone floor made our hoofsteps resound through the room. The counter was more of a bar now, stools lined it and tables were strewn about the lobby nearby, a few ponies sat here and there drinking and eating whatever fare was served here. Bottles lined the desks behind the counter and stuck out of the little cubbyholes for mail labeled for each of the rooms.

A staircase off to the right led up to the open upper floors, most of the first floor looked to be taken up by the bar/restaurant, the kitchen presumably behind it that supplied it and rooms for the staff. The staff I could pick out was the strange looking ghoul in a brown suit behind the counter, an attractive unicorn mare in a very fetching if skimpy outfit floating a tray around to the customers at their tables, and a strong looking zebra stallion in a black suit jacket and tie watching everything warily behind a dark pair of sunglasses, including us.

We approached the counter together and I coughed for attention from the earth pony ghoul serving shots of whisky down the counter. Finishing up, he trotted over and looked us up and down before giving a curt, "What?"

That was friendly service... "Um, we need some rooms? There's four of us so... er..."

Thankfully, Glitter snorted and pushed me aside, she had been anticipating this I guessed. "We need two twin rooms, one night, maybe two. We'll probably eat here too if it's any good. Can't be more than 10 caps right?" She was a lot better than I was at dealing with ponies like this, bartering just wasn't one of my skills.

The ghoul scoffed, he had a weird, melty appearance somehow and a pinkish tint that covered what used to be a... grey hide? Hard to tell. "25 caps, plus meals and 10 cap deposit," he growled down at her with a raspy voice.

"Deposit! For what?! Afraid we'll tear up such a fancy place?" Glitter rolled her eyes, waving around to the dingy building, "C'mon Daddy, forget it, 25 caps is already ridiculous!" With that she simply turned on her heel and started trotting away toward the door. I was confused... Dusty said this was the only place to stay...

"Bah! Fine, 20 caps, no deposit. Meals are separate... take it or leave it." The ghoul called over the counter to her, I had been disregarded as the focus of this transaction I now realized. Ohhhh.... she had walked away as a tactic... clever, I believed it anyway.

The foal stopped short and turned back, eyeing the ghoul over her shoulder for a moment before turning back to slowly return with her nose in the air, "I guess that will do. If there were anywhere else around here, you'd have to do better than that." She huffed and sat down next to me, nose still in the air and eyes closed, her hoof stuck out waiting for something.

The ghoul got the message and turned back behind the counter, rooting around the drawers with a jingle before dropping a pair of keys on the counter and glaring at me. "Rooms 208 and 209, 20 caps..." he grumbled, oh yeah... I had the money... I floated the funds out to the counter to be quickly scooped up and grabbed the keys, making a hasty retreat toward the stairs.

As we walked upstairs I ruffled Glitter's silver mane, "Jeez, glad you're here. I would have just gave him what he wanted and gotten out of there. Good work Glitter, thanks!"

That got a snort but also a beaming smile, "I know you woulda, ain'tcha glad you let me come now poppa?!" She really had to find one she liked and settle on it, every new version of dad startled me.

We found the rooms overlooking the bar below and checked each, making sure the keys worked and they did in fact have two beds each, which was technically true. They were both musty, tattered wallpaper peeled off the walls and two dirty mattresses were in each room, one on each side of the small chambers, that was pretty much it. Well, it would be somewhere to sleep, that was what was needed, the comforts of home were back in Sanctuary. I'd leave figuring out who went where for later, locking each room back up and walking back out to head to the Mayor's office.

The old brick government building didn't seem a lot like a place for a mayor to me, it was dilapidated like everywhere else in Hex, but also seemed more of a hangout for the rough looking guards of the town. The minutiae of running a settlement just happened to be handled where those on top around here enjoyed themselves, at the expense of those they ruled. Guard ponies in old offices drank and a variety of drug containers were strewn about, a pool table in one larger meeting room kept the ponies within occupied, only one harried looking light green mare who greeted us at the front desk seemed to be doing any actual work.

"Yes? You are Mr. Hooves' associate? Mr. Times? Go ahead, up the stairs, can't miss him. Go on, far too much to deal with rather than hold your hoof!" she groused up from behind the desk distractedly, ponies around here were not all that friendly...

Making a quick retreat before the frazzled unicorn mare got any more annoyed, I headed to the stairs she indicated, the guards wandering about watched us from the corner of their eyes, but didn't interrupt their fun. The upstairs wasn't in much better shape, but bore the marks of a lot more partying, the really fun stuff was for the mayor it seemed. Fancy furniture decorated the room, a large, soft looking bed took up most of one corner, overstuffed couches littered with pillows and burn marks filled the center and empty bottles, Dash and Med-X containers littered every surface.

I also couldn't help but immediately focus on the ponies occupying all this comfortable furniture... a host of bedraggled mares lounged about, either wearing very suggestive clothing or nothing at all. Considering ponies walking about with nothing wasn't that big of a deal, the skimpy lingerie was more titillating actually, only a couple guards were in this room and they were... otherwise engaged. I reached a hoof back to cover Glitter's wide pink eyes peering around, as a very attractive pink earth pony mare sashayed her way over. Well, attractive so long as you overlooked the reddish marks from repeated Med-X injections on her forelegs, the sleepily seductive bloodshot eyes and the slight slur to her silky voice.

"Oooh... a new visitor? Aren't you a cutie hmm? The mayor must be expecting you, but after your meeting we could have a little fun hmm?" she cooed and flipped her purple mane up, fluttering her green eyes.

Vision blocked or not, Glitter immediately shook me off and bolted in between us angrily, "NO! Daddy already has a special somepony! An'... an' she's prettier than you! Even if they don't do that... stuff..." her eyes started drifting back over to the couches as she finished, where the guards and other mares were having the kind of fun this one was suggesting.

The mare didn't seem bothered in the slightest being put in her place by a foal however, as I grabbed Glitter and covered her eyes again she just came closer, wiggling her rump and whispering in my ear, "Oh? Everypony does that stuff... don't they? Why don't you send the foal away, if you're not being taken care of properly I can help with that... we can come to some arrangement can't we? A few caps, maybe a little Med-X... I could show you a very good time little pony..."

I gulped and shook my head, pulling away, no! bad thoughts! My traitorous body might respond, but I wanted nothing to do with her, ponies paid for that up here? The baser part of me marveled at the concept and had already volunteered my inventory of caps and drugs faster than my pip-buck could have managed. If it was Jade I would have just melted on the spot, but this sad drug addled mare would never come anywhere close to the alicorn I cared about. The unbidden thought of Jade's blue body stuffed into the mare's outfit though...

I smacked my head with my hoof to clear the mind melting image and managed to stammer out a reply, finally finding the door out of this pleasure pit to the mayor, "N-n-no... thanks... Um... J-just here to see the m-mayor..." I dragged Glitter with me and made a hasty escape, watching her smirk and lick her lips at me while we retreated.

In the small office, Dusty was engaged in combative conversation with the stallion siting behind the big desk that took up most of the center of the space. An even more opulent bed was in one corner, with two more mares lounging lazily watching the conversation, these even prettier than the others outside, the mayors private stock I guessed with distaste. Dusty turned at our entrance with a pensive expression and the mayor followed his gaze.

The pony in charge of Hexington was a grizzled and graying stallion, scars marked his orange coat and his brown mane was dirty and greased back. He wore a tattered blue suit reinforced with leather pads and straps and a wet cigar was clamped in his mouth, bobbing up and down as he took us in. "These are them Dusty? Look like a couple soft foals waiting for slaughter the both of them. Hooves here already explained your deal little pony, I may buy some of his water, but ain't in no position to set up regular shipments with your piddly little settlement up north. Caps are tight enough as it is with the bridge shut off, so just forget it! 'Sides, from the looks of you I could always just go take this water or yours when I want it..."

That dark Shroud pony in my head woke up, having remained quiet over the last several days of peace. He hadn't gone anywhere though, guard in the corner or no, my silenced pistol was out before the mayor blinked and I could feel my eyes blazing at him, "Try it..." I growled.

The beefy earth pony guard was just starting to react, but the Terrible Shotgun had followed the pistol and tracked his motion towards his own gun. I reached out with a hindleg slowly and pushed Glitter behind me, already plotting the positions of the guards in the previous room and preparing to go take care of them if this went poorly. I had honestly thought this would just be a simple, civilized negotiation with professional civil servants, otherwise I would have never allowed her in this awful place.

This mayor pony took having the pistol in his face well though, only a momentary widening of the eyes at the speed it had appeared betrayed any concern. He had held up a hoof for quiet to his guard behind him and the mares just figuring out something was happening, and a tense few moments passed. Dusty had frozen on the spot and was simply watching us carefully, relaxing only when the mayor finally started laughing heartily.

"Well, well, little bark on you after all eh? Easy there young buck, had to test you after all. We're all reasonable ponies here right? Mayor Lash at your service, now let's all just relax and discuss this proposal of yours eh?" His voice was even and unconcerned, staring down the barrel of a gun was obviously not something new for him. His suggestion at just taking what he wanted didn't strike me as a test either, except to test how likely that was to succeed. Hopefully he got the idea that 'not at all' was the answer.

Scowling, I floated my weapons back to my side and sat down in front of Glitter, watching the others for any twitch. The guard also relaxed visibly and went back to his now much more alert vigil, the mares simply looked slightly confused, while the Mayor Lash leaned back in his leather chair.

"There now, that's better right? Now, as I was saying to Mr. Hooves here, I'll take some of his water, but I can't even manage to buy the whole shipment. Setting up a deal for regular shipments with you folks is just out of the question for now. If the bridge were clear and we had reliable trade from Diamond City, that might be a different matter, as it is though you'll just have to go through the caravans based on what they want to run here." The mayor nodded curtly as if that settled the matter.

Looking around at all the comforts surrounding the mayor up here, I couldn't help but think there seemed to be plenty of caps for drink, drugs and mares. Meanwhile the poor ponies in the streets below had things a lot rougher, from all the radiation around here, fresh water seemed like a much more important use of this place's funds. The Shroud in my head volunteered a dark but succinct thought on the matter, this pony should not be mayor... and it wanted to do something about it.

Fighting back that impulse to just pass judgement on this entire place I hissed at him, "And if the bridge were clear, that would be different?"

Grinning back at me, Mayor Lash reached out to his desk and took a swig from a nearby bottle of whiskey, "Oh sure, we'd have something to talk about then, those fancy pants from the city love a lot of the salvage we come up with here, caps flow like the river in the way now. If the crossing were clear again..." he spread his hooves wide in a 'what can you do' gesture.

I frowned at him a moment before answering and turning to leave, "Then we'll see again if that happens. Mr. Hooves, thanks for your help, sorry it didn't work out better. C'mon Glitter, we're leaving, now."

My foal didn't say a word, just joined me as we exited the room and darted out of the party outside before attracting anymore unwanted attention. We slowed once we reached the ground floor again, she seemed a little disappointed she hadn't been able to put her bartering skills to use, hammering out a deal for water, making caps for Sanctuary and saving the day. I gave her a pat on the head, I didn't want to deal with that mayor anyway and certainly didn't want her to, caps or no. Once we reached the lobby again, I paused behind the only mare doing some actual work around here, watching her frantically shuffling papers about, writing figures on spreadsheets and counting out bags of caps from a nearby safe.

Finally noticing my attention, the mare looked up from her fairly clean curly blue mane and pushed her cracked glasses down her muzzle, "Yes? Did your meeting with the mayor go well? I hope so, we need that water..."

That dark idea in my head got another mark in its favor, this mare had her priorities straight at least. "No, sorry... the mayor said there's not enough caps to set up regular shipments, Dusty Hooves sold him some of what we brought though," I shrugged at her, watching for her reaction.

Blazing anger and frustration was exactly what I was hoping for, "What!? I told him I have set aside a minimum budget for just such an opportunity if one came!" she slammed a hoof down on her ledger to illustrate her point. "We need that water! Ponies get sicker here every day, mainly because they're forced to drink what we have available, which is slime! If our residents are too sick to salvage, where does he expect to get what little money we have coming in?!"

"He said if the bridge were clear it would be different, but didn't seem that bothered. If things change I may come back and see about it then, though I don't care for the idea of dealing with a mayor who has caps enough for the stuff up there, but not water for those he's in charge of," I lowered my voice and leaned casually against the mare's desk, "What's your name?"

She looked at me suspiciously for a moment with her amber eyes above her glasses, "Oblige Heart, you are..." a quick glance at her notes gave her the answer, "Mr. Times yes? I wouldn't count on the bridge situation changing anytime soon, so it's of no concern anyway. The mayor's proclivities are not my concern either, I just try to keep things running around here, he's in charge though."

Leaning closer to her, I spoke softly, still trying to be casual, "And if he wasn't? Hypothetically speaking, if somepony else was instead, maybe somepony like you? Would a new mayor like that be more interested in getting regular, clean, fresh water for the ponies here than drugs and mares?"

Oblige looked a bit flustered, darting her eyes around the room at the distracted guards. "Well... hypothetically... I'd have to say yes. Though personally I appreciate a mare here or there... or a stallion... not that I ever have time for such things. Not that it matters either, as I said, Mayor Lash is in charge, I merely do the best I can with what I have."

I nodded at her and grabbed a hoof before she set it back to work, giving it a light kiss and a bow, "Thank you Miss Oblige, you've been very helpful. I can tell you work hard and care about the ponies of Hexington, you're underappreciated and should hear that from somepony. Who knows, maybe things will change for both of us."

I caught just a slight blush before turning to leave with Glitter huffing beside me, ok I pushed a little. I didn't understand much about dealing with ponies, but maybe I really was spending too much time with Val, a little harmless flirting greased the wheels. Plus it made anything I said seem more innocuous, I was just saying she'd make a better mayor to get in her bed, not because some dark part of myself was already making plans to have it happen... Acknowledging that line of thought my pip-buck flashed;

Mission Updated- Troubled Waters
-Objective
--Broker deal for water shipments with Hexington
Optional Objectives--
--Reopen the bridge to Diamond City
--Replace Mayor Lash
------Make Oblige Heart Mayor
------Find other candidates for Mayor

Once we were outside again Glitter cocked an eyebrow at me, "You are having bad thoughts daddy... Miss Jade..."

"No I'm not! Er... not the ones you think anyway. You were right, Miss Jade's my special somepony, whether we do things like... that stuff... or not! Just... don't let her know about that place for now, huh? I don't think she'd like it," I stammered down to the filly eyeing me carefully.

"You liked it. Or what they were wearing anyway, you should buy Miss Jade some of..." she started before I shoved a hoof in her mouth, blushing furiously.

"No! Bad! It's not like that! J-just come on! Let's go find the others, no more talking about that place and especially about those mares!" She smirked at me, but at least stayed quiet, letting me retreat from the town hall with my eyes cast down in silence. I was trying very hard not to listen to the voice in my head wondering whether they made clothes like that in alicorn sizes and where they could be purchased...

The image of a lot of blue princess crammed into very little lace was at least replaced at the sight of the real thing, Jade was scowling at an older grey unicorn stallion in a blood spattered apron in her face at the door to the Hex's doctors clinic. Her attempt at spreading the message of the Followers of the Apocalypse was not going well from the looks of things.

"I merely wish to help! There are many sick ponies and zebras here that need assistance, I am able to render aid, how could you refuse!?" Jade was drawing dangerously close to her goddess voice in her confrontation with the local doctor.

"Yer kinda help is anythin' but ya big filly! Say you come in here all sweetness and heal all the poor souls o' Hex, where's that leave me? I don't make caps, I don't stay in business, me and mine starve and hafta move on! That leaves Hex without a doctor pony o' any kind don't it?! Less'n yer plannin' on takin' up my practice after forcin' me out! Considerin' yer so clueless ta how things actually work, I'm guessin' that ain't the case is it? Nah, you'll just go on yer merry way spreadin' happiness an' healin' out yer big blue rump! Nary a thought ta what ya leave in yer wake!" Whatever point the doctor had was completely lost on me, he punctuated each point with a hoof to her chest and nobody thought of that big blue rump but me...

I pushed my way between the two medical ponies with some difficulty, "Hey! Easy! Everypony just calm down, and you! Back! Off!" Once I squeezed in the middle of them, I rounded on the Hex doctor, pushing him back with a hoof to the chest of my own.

Jade visibly calmed at least, though she still glared at the other medic while addressing me. "Fast! Tell this... this... charlatan I am correct! The Followers help everypony without expecting payment. We certainly do not sell drugs to ponies like this pusher does either!" she jabbed a hoof over to the sandwich board sign near the door that did in fact list a number of different drugs for sale and prices. For just a moment my eyes lingered on "Dash- 20 caps" before turning back to the continuing argument.

"Course I do! Customers want 'em! If you still ain't figured out the whole 'need caps to give treatment' bit yet honey, you can chew on whether you want em buyin' clean stuff from me, or any ol' trash in the street! I also treat the addiction they're gonna end up with, and fer a lot less than I should!" The old stallion's wispy white mane and beard shook as he shouted up to my alicorn filly, who looked aghast.

"So you can sell them more drugs again! Treat them for addiction again! I am sure it is QUITE PROFITABLE!" She was really getting worked up now, her goddess voice boomed at last, standing up to her full height instead of her more meek normal posture, wings flared out and practically radiating disdain down at the old medic. For his part, he at least had the sense to look somewhat cowed and backed away. She was attracting quite a bit of attention now, including the religious ponies still in the square.

This was not going to go anywhere productive, the old unicorn had sensibly calmed, but still glared back at her, "Aye there it is, heard bout yer kind before, don't get yer way you get the idea you can just force it! Don't need yer help and don't want it! You take yer filly friend outta here young buck!" He grunted and turned back to his clinic, slamming the door in our faces.

Jade continued trying to burn a hole through the door with her blue eyes, panting in frustration. Looking around at all the stares we attracted, I decided he was probably right, I wrapped my forelegs around her neck and started trying to push her from the scene. Completely ineffective as she was an alicorn shaped rock, but it did catch her attention and she seemed to come back to herself, eyes darting around and shrinking down to her normal bearing. "Oh.. oh dear. Perhaps he is right... I...oh no... I lost my temper...H-he..he is not right... I w-was not..."

All that anger was quickly turning to worried looks at me and Glitter, like we had seen something she didn't want us to. I went to soothe her while Glitter just looked up with awe, unfortunately Val had been among those watching and landed on the awning of the doctors office, grinning. "Woooo! Now I like that side of ya blue! Go on in there and stomp the old fool flat! I gotta see this!"

Watching her wince those blue pools and shrink away, I wheeled on the griffon watching us, "Val! NOT HELPING!" she waved a claw at me and turned away whistling innocently, as I looked back to see Jade practically curling in on herself, trying to make herself as small as possible and hiding behind her wings. I reached a tentative hoof up to her cheek trying to slip below her blue feathers, "Hey, it's ok. He's wrong, whatever point he was trying to make he. is. wrong. You are not like that, you just want to help right? We'll figure out some way to help the ponies here that will work, that's what Followers do right? Help everyone no matter what? Even if they don't like it. Or deserve it..." I glowered back at the door on the last, the dark Shroud in my head wanted a talk with that doctor....

Well, that got her to peek out a little and sniffle, "Y-yes... that is what we are supposed to do... y-you are not bothered? A-at my behavior?" She was glancing nervously at both Glitter and myself, as if she expected us to bolt at the display.

"There's basically nothing you could do that would bother me like that Jade, so just don't worry about it. I am on your side, period. Ok? And Glitter..." I looked back to the foal who leapt to my side.

"No way Miss Jade! That doctor is a mean ol' pony anyway! When me an... m-mom and Twinkle were here, he wouldn't help when mom got sick till we scrounged together enough caps for it. W-we had to take care of her and keep looking for something worth enough for two whole days 'cause of him. You're a much better doctor Miss Jade, I like you, I don't like him at all." I ruffled her bouncy silver mane, she said just the right thing to the worried alicorn, getting her to stand and shake herself of the worry she was wearing.

Val at least tried to make up for her teasing, hanging upside down from the awning and tearing it with her claws, wearing a satisfied smirk. "Just makin' fun blue, your little conversation and what the little filly just said though is enough for me. I'll go in there an' rough him up if ya want, just for fun. Seen good folks end up dead cause docs like him wouldn't lift a hoof till they had their money. Not that I entirely disagree... but dead folks can't pay, it's a waste."

Jade looked up with a dubious smile at the griffon swinging from the awning flicking her tail, they didn't get along very well, but they were on the same side, basically... "T-thank you... all of you, I am sorry for my outburst. Perhaps we should get off the street for a bit? Did you find lodging Fast?" She asked while nervously glancing around at the activity starting to resume around us. She didn't like being the center of attention, made sense she could turn herself invisible, it looked like she wanted to now.

Considering I liked her visible, I jumped at the suggestion, "Sure did, they even have food. I bet everyone's hungry? Why don't we get some lunch and we can talk about what all we've found out."

I got a bright smile and quick hug as my reward and led everyone towards the Dreary Inn, tossing Val one of the two room keys she caught flying down from the now tattered awning. Business in the inn's lobby restaurant hadn't picked up, so finding a table was easy and the waitress trotted over soon enough, her revealing uniform swishing around her in a cloud of perfume. Now that the idea had wormed its way into my head, I couldn't help applying what she was wearing to the beautiful blue alicorn next to me, the mental image almost as appealing as what the mayor's mares had on.

I blanked out and missed the waitress asking for my order, having to stammer and hit my head to focus and ask for a plate of fried cram and some apple chips, and a beer... just one... despite the disapproving nicker I got from Jade. Val was having one, she considered it an insult to drink alone, I didn't plan on any more than just nursing this one along and I trusted it much further than the water here.

Jade watched carefully as the waitress brought our order and my eyes lingered on that pastel blue skirt, "What are you looking at Fast?"

"N-nothing! Just... um...." come on brain, get rid of that image and think of something... quick!

"He likes her clothes Miss Jade, though he liked the other ones more. I told him he should buy you some since he liked 'em so much, I don't get it though, her dress over there is pretty, but there really wasn't much at all to those other..." My traitorous foal was happily blabbering around a mouthful of Fancy Buck cakes, only pausing as I spewed beer across the table and lunged for her, cramming another cake in her mouth.

Seeing those blue eyes narrow in suspicion, I started panicking, not helped by Val smirking and leaning back in her chair to watch the show. "Ahahahhaah, f-funny! Very funny Glitter! W-we were talking about... b-buying you a present! That's all! I..." dammit why couldn't I learn to lie to her... better to just stuff my face too so I couldn't talk any more.

Thankfully, she simply gave a little sniff and returned to her food, her outburst in the street seemed to make her a little more forgiving towards my own dalliances. Though she continued giving me a suspicious cocked eye brow, "I see... well, I enjoy presents... So, did the two of you have more luck than I did with the mayor? Perhaps there is some good news anyway?"

Gulping down the mouthful of food, I groaned leaning back in my chair, "No, the mayor is a..." hmm foal at the table... "is not a very nice pony... He has lots of caps for his own entertainment, but none for water to go to the ponies and zebras actually living here. If the bridge gets cleared he may come around, or... well, I might think of something."

I didn't want to just start announcing my idea of regime change here, who knew who was listening or what they may say. Plus I seriously doubted Jade would appreciate the easiest course of action the Shroud in my head had immediately volunteered, I could almost feel the kind little outsider voice engaged in desperate battle with it, trying to find an alternative.

"Hmmf, he seems as bad as that so called doctor then. I do not like this place."

I didn't care for a lot of what I had seen so far either really, but there were some good ponies to be found. The current mayor's assistant for example, the ghoul Rusty Clank and I imagined his wife for another. Where there were some, there were bound to be others, this could be a better place, certain things just needed to change. To be fixed...

"Glitter, you were here before when your mom was hurt and couldn't pay, you'd probably know where others are who might be in a similar situation right? If they can't pay anyway, then it's not hurting the only doctor here, it's not much, but it's something. At least until we can come up with a better solution, you can help ponies Jade." I hoped giving her a way to help a little would get rid of that hurt tone to her voice.

"Oh, yeah! I know places ponies like that would hide in, an' the zebras always get treated bad, but they was nice, they helped us. They don't have magic like Miss Jade's an' that doctor don't like 'em, charges more than normal. You could help there!"

"Really? Without causing harm unintentionally as that... doctor suggested? Could you show me?" Jade did brighten quite a bit at that.

"Sure!" Glitter hopped up, putting her hooves on the table, "Lots of em won't be around till later, need the light to scavenge mostly, so they're gonna be out working. But when they come back there'll be some who got hurt and some who were already. If they don't go to the mean doctor, they can't pay."

Finishing her Sparkle Cola, Jade stood and nodded happily, having a course of action now. "Yes, we will do that then! Thank you Glitter, if you could show me those in need of my assistance I would be very grateful. I suggest we all get some rest if we are to be active at night, I assume you and Valkyrie still insist on going with Mr. Clank to this robot place Fast?"

"Umm, yeah, parts..." I replied weakly, it sounded a lot less noble than helping the injured.

Val had no moral issues however, "Hells yes we are, caps! With what the boss can do with that stuff, we'll be rich! Have an army of killer robots! Rule with an iron claw!" ok, little too far there Val...

Jade huffed and turned towards the stairs, the rest of us following along in her wake to the two rooms we had rented for the night. Standing together in a clump on the landing above the lobby, we all looked at the two doors and four of us.

"Well, me and Val are going out together, and so are you and Glitter, we can split up now so we don't disturb each other if one group leaves early?" I ventured, that seemed like the best plan.

"No." Alright, apparently the rule about me not being allowed in the same room as the griffon held out here too.

"Glitter and I can take one room and you two can take..."

"No!" overlapped with "Hell nah!"

Val accepted the inevitable quickly, grabbing Glitter by her scruff and taking her to room 209 with her, using the given key with distaste. Keys were for those unable to pick locks with their claws, using one was an insult to her prodigious skills she explained. The foal and the griffon got along well together anyway, that left me and Jade with room 208. Using the key with no problems personally, I opened the door to the dingy room and trotted over to kick at the mattress on the left, allowing Jade the one on the right, which looked maaaaybe somewhat better.

The single window in the room faced a brick wall so there was no view to be had outside, and a flickering bare bulb shed little light on nothing worth viewing inside at the flick of the switch. With a sigh, I started shrugging out of my cloak, saddlebags and armor, pausing briefly at the blue Stable barding beneath. We were going out at night to sneak through the ruins, I wouldn't be wearing it when we left anyway, no reason to keep it on either.

I gave myself a quick once over, my black coat had a variety of scars now that were mostly healed, thanks to all the top notch medical care. One of the things I had most worried about while recovering, had been whether my cutie mark survived the explosion that crippled me for awhile, but the weird winged clock over a sword and shield was still intact on both flanks, that was a comfort. I turned on my pip-buck radio down low to have something to listen to, grabbed my heavy cloak in my mouth as a blanket and flopped down to the mattress, catching sight of Jade staring from across the room. I had assumed she was going through the same motions, not watching me shed all my layers.

Caught, she shook her head and turned in place on the small mattress a few times, curling up and looking over at me with a blush, "I... was admiring your cutie mark Fast, I did not mean to stare."

"Oh! That's fine Jade, I don't mind whatever the reason. I guess I am the only one out of us with one huh?" Glitter's still had not shown up and Val being a griffon didn't have one, though she did have that strange remnant of a series of numbers and letters on her flank that had been crossed out with scars. I hadn't really asked her about that and idly wondered about it.

"How... how did you get it? I-If you do not mind my asking?"

I guessed I hadn't told Jade about it, telling your story was just one of those things you forgot about until a new friend asked. New friends didn't really happen to me in the Stable, so I just didn't think about it. "It's boring..."

Jade raised her head from the mattress across from me and shook it, making her mane wave around her, "No! No I am sure it is not. I wish to know, please?"

"Sure if you want, but you've been warned. I got it because I was late..." Everypony I knew had a decent story for their mark, this was essentially all mine came down to.

"Late?"

"I wasn't supposed to be there. I was running late for school, until we got our cutie mark, the foals in 111 attended classes, different ponies would come in and teach about their jobs and talents, hoping something would stick. I was one of the last and it just didn't seem worth going when I was the oldest there out of three of us left." Admitting you were one of the last of your peers to get your mark was always embarrassing.

"So it took a long time for you as well?" she asked with a hint of longing.

"Yeah, so I wouldn't worry so much Jade, I'm sure yours will show up eventually. Anyway, I was late, so I was running in the halls. When I got to the atrium I just happened to see a colt who had just gotten their mark a few months ago on his job, he was up on the second level near the Overmare's office and tripped trying to carry too much. He fell... basically right on top of me. I'd like to say I dashed across the room and saved him intentionally, I mean I was sorta trying for it once I realized what was going on... but honestly, I just happened to be there because I was late. When they pulled him off and were checking me, there it was. No fancy magic sparkles or big fanfare, just there like it always was. Because I was late... Pretty boring huh?"

Another shake of the head, "I do not think so. You were in the right place at the right time, yes?"

"I guess?"

"Like being in the wrong stasis pod thing?"

"Nnnn" that was an unpleasant thought, right place and time was debatable.

"Like you were when you saved me?" her blue eyes were wide and sparkly at the memory.

"Sorta? I saw you flying... I was just looking out the door of my garage, all alone, and there you were."

"Like when you saved Glitter?"

"I wasn't in time to save her sister... or her mom..." again, right time was debatable here.

"Like meeting that griffon... knowing what to say?"

Ugh, I never put nearly so much thought into my cutie mark in all the years since I got it, as Jade had in just a few minutes. It was always just a boring story to me, everypony else always had a great story about how when they got theirs it spoke to them, showed them what made them special. Mine was just being late and landed on. The alicorn's interpretation was nice though. "Ok, I see your point. I just never thought about it, umm... thanks Jade."

I got a sweet smile and nod before she returned her head to the lumpy mattress and we listened to the radio together for awhile. She was right, I should get some rest from the travel here to Hex for the expedition tonight. Every time I started to nod off though, I kept waking back up hearing her grumble and shift on the bed across the small room. She rolled on her back and wiggled, flopped on one side then another, flipped positions of her head and feet. Whatever was wrong, she wasn't getting any rest and neither was I. Hearing her huff and sit up, I barely opened one red eye lazily and looked over to her, watching her shuffle and shift on her hooves looking over at me.

"Fast? A-are you awake?" she whispered.

"Hmmm?"

Looking around the empty room, she finally stood and trotted over, sitting in front of me and tapping her forehooves together in front of her face. "M-may I... sleep here? I am still bothered by that foul doctor and what he said, I have grown to enjoy having you nearby... it is soothing... if not it is..."

I cut her off shifting over and holding the black cloak/blanket up, really, she didn't need more than just to ask. I had kept an eye on her sleeping on the road with Glitter and Val nearby. Her bad dreams came back sure enough, being near enough to lay a hoof on her hind leg had been enough to quiet them, though she had reached out several times. Giving a little whiny, she quickly curled up under the cloak and I got to fall asleep smelling her mane in front of me, she wasn't the only one who found the company soothing.

Once the light outside the window started to dim, Val crept in the room. As usual the lock on the door didn't stand in her way. She had a sleeping Glitter in her claws and gently placed her on the vacant mattress while I slipped free of Jade's embrace, only getting a few soft moans of negation. Let them get as much rest as they could, they'd stay safe here behind the walls of Hex and with Jade's shield I didn't think anything could harm either of them here. My griffon mercenary and I slipped out and headed for Rusty's Salvage Emporium, meeting the old ghoul outside his well it shop.

Peering through the dusty windows, I wanted to go in and look around, the stock inside wasn't quite as good as what I had bought from his cart in Sanctuary, but there was a loooot of it. Rusty's wife Copper Coil had come out to see us off, getting over her ghoul status was made easier by her pleasant demeanor and the obvious love the married couple shared. The risks were a lot lower for Rusty, but she still fretted over him and expressed concern for our safety as well. Before being turned into a ghoul I could tell her mane was indeed a brilliant coppery color, a great deal of which remained atop her mottled, lighter colored coat.

We talked awhile while Rusty went over his wagon and gear, my vague thoughts on the mayor still needed fleshing out and I wanted a ghoul's opinion, since they seemed to make up so much of the population here. Copper was very nice, but she darkened on the subject of Mayor Lash.

"Damn slaver is what he is. Worked his way up and took over the job couple years ago, things been downhill since. Not surprised your dealings went so poorly Mr. Times, us ghouls don't need non-radiated water, but can't see him parting with any caps he can keep just for those that do," she grumbled, staring up at the mayor's office across the way.

"How does he treat the ghoul population?" I was secretly glad to hear her speak with such venom, the less who liked Lash, the less who would be bothered if he had an... accident.

"Like indentured servants! This place wouldn't function without us, need us to lead the ferals away, show smooth hides the way through to Hex or take them clear through the horde. We can go the most irradiated hell holes and salvage where livin' ponies never could. Could treat us a damn sight better for all that, but doesn't, we're basically even with the stripes in his view."

Interesting... "Who would you want to be in charge around here? If you had a choice Miss Copper?"

"Oh well that's easy! My Rusty heart of course, he's a fine stallion, uses his profits to help the other ghouls where he can. Helps arrange what work we can take, he's a good pony, much better than that bastard."

Rusty looked over and blew her a kiss, "Like I'd want the job honey, big hassle, you've seen that poor assistant of his. She keeps things running, barely... thanks to her boss, but she's gonna turn grey quick at the rate she's burnin' the candle at both ends like that. I always love the vote of confidence though dear."

Copper trotted over and nuzzled her husband, their rotting flesh flaking during the affection, sort of ruining it for me. Still, they had a point, there were a lot of ghouls here and Mayor Lash didn't care about them any more than the rest of his subjects, probably less. For all they did to make this place work for what it was worth, didn't the ghouls deserve a lot more? Shouldn't they have a say in how things were run? Mulling it over caused my pip-buck to update;

Mission Updated- Troubled Waters
-Objective
--Broker deal for water shipments with Hexington
Optional Objectives--
--Reopen the bridge to Diamond City
--Replace Mayor Lash
------Make Oblige Heart Mayor
------Make Rusty Clank Mayor
------Find other candidates for Mayor

There was a thought, if Copper jumped immediately to him for more reasons than simply being her husband, that was a ringing endorsement. Thinking on it, I had to agree, I hadn't spent a lot of time with him, but he was a good pony. I liked him, he helped me get over the shock of the concept of ghouls with his kind and patient bearing. Following the line of thought, I realized there was a third group I hadn't interacted with yet, the zebras. If they were a part of the community, they deserved equal consideration, I'd have to talk to them when I got back. Hopefully Jade and Glitter's charity work would help out there while we were gone.

"Alright Fast, in you go, that black armor and cloak help plenty, but no reason to take chances. Hide in the back and let me take care of getting us there, long as they don't know you're there, the zombies out there should just let us by. Figure yer griffon won't have any trouble following along eh?" Rusty explained, pointing out the camouflage he had prepared for the trip, pulling back a heavy tarp over his cart and waving me to it.

Val chuckled and gave her wings an experimental flap, preparing to take off into the autumn night. No, she wouldn't have any problem going where she liked, unless there were ghoul pegasi. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen a single pegasus, living or dead, since coming to the surface... I hadn't thought a lot about it since mom had been the only one in the Stable, but I had expected to see others out here now that I thought about it.

"Now you take care of each other out there, my Rusty is too overconfident heading off to this place for so long. He's always had the good sense not to mess about with the back though. I don't like it at all, but know better than to try to change his fool mind. I'm counting on you two to keep him safe, and he knows to do the same don't you dear?" Copper nuzzled her husband, happily berating him for our trip.

That made me smile, life couldn't be easy for either of them, yet they found each other even in undeath and were obviously a couple of ponies deeply in love with each other for a long time. They had carved out a life together in this nasty place, if we succeeded tonight that place would get a little better for them. If I had anything to say about it this entire town would get better for not just them, but everyone else calling it home if I could manage, but one goal at a time. We waved our goodbyes and I hid in the cart, watching Val soar off and circle above, able to scout and safe from the dangers crawling the ground with me.

Once we left Hexington, staying hidden became a great deal more difficult. I kept my head down and under cover, but I could hear crowds of zombie ponies shambling around as the cart made its way through the rubble strewn streets. As if that wasn't bad enough, I also had to know exactly how many of the creatures were nearby at any given moment thanks to the sea of red on my Eyes Forward Sparkle. It didn't care about the tarp covering my eyes, just about the hordes of hostile zombies that would crash down on me if I so much as sneezed back here. Watching it nervously, I was starting to curse being able to tell exactly how many were close enough to rip my throat out, when they started moving and thinning out.

Rusty's gravelly voice drifted back from the front of the cart, "Nearly there, sounds like something's got their attention. Oughta be safe enough to take a peek, comin' up the drive now."

E.F.S. agreed with him, only a couple red marks were nearby and they were moving away. As I stuck my head out from under the tarp carefully, my pip-buck informed me what a huge, somehow still working electric sign before my eyes did as well, Discovered Location- Watt's Consumer Electronics. We were crossing the small lot in front of the huge edifice, the rusting hulks of carts and skycarriages were here and there, along with the Robronco Service Cart Cogsworth had waited more than 200 years for.

The store itself was a pool of light in the dark ruins, spotlights roved around and the neon sign flashed, pointing out the entrance. It was made of thick concrete and steel, cracks ran along the faded golden-orange surface of the storefront, which jutted out from the huge bulk of the rest of the building, the warehouse and service center. Taking a final glance around to be sure we were alone, I hopped out of the cart to look around and approach the entrance. Posters and advertisements for the products within were rotten and tattered, but I could make some out. I could spot the faded image of Ministry Mare Applejack here and there, recruitment posters for the Ministry of Wartime Technologies, they would want technically minded ponies.

Staring up greedily at the flashing red and blue neon, I heard Val land on one of the rusting streetlights in the lot and call down, "Hey boss... think we might have a problem..."

That was odd, Val sounded concerned... the griffon normally didn't sound too bothered by anything. Looking up to her perch and following her gaze into the ruins, I started noticing sounds of violence approaching, gunfire and the sizzling bolts of magical energy weapons. As I listened I also made out a low rumble that didn't sound good at all, the thunder of a lot of hooves coming this way...

"What?" I started as Val landed nearby and readied her weapons, interrupted on spotting the source rounding a choked intersection down the street. A wall of zombies was surging towards us... I noticed with an extra touch of horror that yes, there were such things as pegasi ghouls, and yes they could fly, even on shriveled, featherless wings... two dozen, three, four? A lot.. a lot of red on E.F.S. was coming, along with two green marks?

"Inside NOW!" Rusty had already climbed the stairs to the store and was holding the heavy steel double doors open, light spilling out on the landing. Yes that sounded like a great idea, I bolted up the steps, but turned back at the doors, there were two friendlies at the head of all that death...

Straining, I could just barely make them out, one big, one small, both staggering towards us in a terrified chase with the zombies nipping at their hooves. They were plainly trying to make it here and it wasn't going to happen... "Val! Help them!"

She cocked an eye at me, grumbling, "I can... gonna attract a lot more attention though boss."

"Do it! Please!" If we did nothing they were going down, we had to try anyway. Weapons floated out, but I was still out of range for the pistol and shotgun combo.

I finally got to see what the big belt fed gun Val wore was, she glided across the lot and opened up with it. A series of soft thumps was followed by an equal number of resounding explosions in the center of the screaming crowd of zombies, scattering them and giving the targets of the chase a second wind as they spotted us. I started waving frantically at them, gesturing to the open doors.

Now that they were closing in on the lot I could make them out a bit better, I could tell that one was in a heavy suit of power armor at least. The crowd had thinned behind them, but more were going to be coming, attracted by the explosions and noise. I ran inside the building, calling for Val and waiting at the door opposite Rusty, holding it open and urging them onward.

They were close enough now I could start laying down some fire and picking off the zombies that nearly caught the unarmored one. I wasn't fast enough to catch one that leapt and clung to the power armor, biting uselessly at the steel hide before being bucked off. A few more flashes of Val's red energy weapon lanced down, before she streaked through the doors just ahead of the two strangers, helping Rusty and I slam them shut and throw the bolts inside. The security doors shuddered in their frame, but held and the noise died down, if those creatures were smarter they could batter their way through, but with no target in sight anymore they seemed to lose interest, their red marks milling around outside.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned back to the two ponies gasping on the floor in front of the doors, the bulky suit of power armor was a mid range model, the emblem of the Steel Rangers on the flanks and trimmed with red. That seemed different from what I remembered off all the posters and news. The small mare next to the armored pony was wearing light blue engineer's barding and an armored reddish vest over her buttery yellow hide, a short, light brown mane spilled out from her red cap. Panting, she rolled one pale green eye over her shoulder at us. Over her shoulder and wing? Yes, it was heavily bandaged, but that was a wing covering a wrench and quill cutie mark, a pegasus! They were still out here, I was about to remark on it, when I noticed the distasteful expressions my companions wore staring at her.

Val glared at the pegasus alone, growling a single word loaded with scorn, "Enclave..."

-------------------------Level Up!---------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------------------

Filly Killer----
---You've been hanging out with a flirty griffon too long. You're charming... and dangerous. Females suffer -10% damage in combat, and are easier to persuade in dialogue or intimidate, granting you new speech options with the fairer sex.

Companion Perk Added!---------------

Daddy's Little Girl----
--As bad as you are at haggling, you're lucky you have a certain little filly watching out for you. You enjoy 20% better prices from all vendors when Glitter is in your party. Additionally, her weaponized cuteness can convince vendors to sell that little bit they'd normally hold back. Increases available cap limit and stock of vendors, along with unlocking unique items at certain stores!

Reputation Change!----------------------------

Hexington--

--Mixed-
Your reputation as a goody-good pony precedes you, making you tolerated but viewed by the residents of Hex with suspicion or an eye towards taking advantage of you. There may be friends to be found to improve things, but for right now watch your step in this dark place.

Ch. 13-- Variable Removal

Ch. 13-- Variable Removal

"Not so fast! No way no how that machine matches up with the care we put in our cider!"

Whatever the Enclave was, neither of my companions were very happy...

Sitting in the tiled lobby of Watt's Consumer Electronics, surrounded by a horde of zombies outside, but both Val and Rusty were much more concerned with the pegasus mare in front of us. I was missing something here... While I was trying to catch up, the pony in the Steel Ranger power armor stood and got between them and the pegasus. With a hiss, his helmet released and folded back over his back, revealing a strong looking pale grey stallion, with a close cropped dark mane.

"Not Enclave, Brotherhood. I appreciate your help strangers, but I'll thank you not to regard my scribe with such malice," his deep voice tolled out in the ruined lobby as the mare behind him struggled to her hooves.

"She's a military pegasus with a cutie mark eh? Enclave... bastards..." Wow, Val reeeeally didn't like this Enclave thing.

"Um... what the what? Enclave? Brotherhood? I'm a little lost here... Hi! I'm Fast, nice to meet you, you're the first pegasus I've seen out here." I tried to put myself in the middle of the confrontation and stuck a hoof out to the mare looking at me incredulously. She did return the gesture though, sidling around her armored companion and bumping hooves.

"Summer Wind... Scribe of the Brotherhood, this is Paladin Steel Dance, umm... thanks? Really, thanks a lot, thought we were done out there."

Well, that got the strangers to relax a little, though Val and Rusty just kept glaring. I found myself dragged backwards by the griffon's dark claws and she started whispering in my ear, "Boss... there are things you don't know... Things about pegasi and what they did. You ain't finished that book Blue gave you, have ya?"

"Noooo....." It was a long book... I was busy... I did read up a little further though.

"Well, how bout you trust me here? Nobody likes pegasi, they cut off the sky for 200 freaking years, came down here to make war and got their asses handed to 'em. There are some good ones, and some not so good ones living out in the wasteland, quite a few in Diamond City, but generally ones what still got their cutie mark and are military are bastards."

"My mom was a pegasus..." I didn't like the level of hate baking off her towards the entire subset of ponies I was related to.

"Yeah well, she sounds fun though, an' she was from before the war. One of the good ones. These... Enclave assholes..." Val hadn't been trying that hard to whisper, getting progressively louder and making the pegasus mare wince and her companion glower.

The big armored stallion stamped his metal hoof and interrupted, "NOT. ENCLAVE. There are those that recognized the error of their ways you know, just as the Steel Rangers were forced to do..." he pointed out the red trim on his armor for some reason... "Our chapter of Applejack's Rangers and a group of Enclave remnants have formed a Brotherhood, to redeem their deeds along with our own. I will thank you not to call her that again."

"He's right Val, that's enough. I don't know what the deal is here, I know you're mad though and I do trust you. But they needed help, we helped them. She doesn't seem so bad to me and we're stuck together for awhile, so let's just try to get along?" I nodded to the heavy steel doors behind us and the swarm on red marks of my Eyes Forward Sparkle, I knew they showed up in the griffon's vision as well.

Val sat down and crossed her claws in front of her chest, pouting, "Fine... Just, let's get to what we came here for, we helped em, they're fine on their own now."

That seemed to satisfy everyone involved, Dance and Summer retreated to a set of rusting benches across the entryway to tend their wounds and check their gear. Though the stallion gave me a nod and the filly waved gratefully. I had to get caught up on certain things it seemed... Rusty led us out the door to the side and into the storefront area, I quickly forgot all about the strange ponies we had rescued.

This place had been a wonderland... I could feel my jaw drop just staring at the remains, shelves lined most of the walls with rotting boxes for a variety of parts and products I would love to have. Posters and sales signs for appliances and gadgets festooned the sales floor, tvs, radios, kitchen appliances Cogsworth would love... Bins in the middle of the room held more scraps and junk, all that remained of the bounty that once filled them.

Most impressive to me, was the series of cardboard cutouts on one wall though... Life size representations of robots available for purchase or just to show off the Robronco line, I walked down the display slowly gazing up at each lovingly. Sprite-bot... Mr. Handy... Mr. Gutsy... Ponitron.... Securitron... Sentinel.... Ultra Sentinel woooo.... (that one wasn't life size, but showed the brilliant Rainbow Dash paint job), Brainbot? that was a new one... it said limited availability, hmm... The one at the end made me stop with disappointment though, it was another cutout but no picture, just black with a big question mark and large letters announcing "Coming Soon! Assaultron Model! Order Yours Today!" That must have been one that was due out after the world ended, leaving me with only the vaguely feminine shape of the cutout and my imagination to ponder what it could have been like, not even any specs listed in small print somewhere.

"Boss, stop drooling and come over here, got a real robot to deal with." Hmm? Well that was something, I considered bringing that cutout with me though, maybe I could try to draw in the outline and figure it out.

I turned to where Val called from, to see her and Rusty standing at the service counter across the room. A Mr. Handy painted a mostly intact white bobbed behind the counter, waiting patiently, hearing a female voice come out of the body I associated with Cogsworth was jarring.

"Greetings Valued Customer, Welcome to Watt's! How may I help you today?" the cheery robot gushed to Rusty.

The old ghoul turned to me to make sure I was paying attention, I had wanted to see how he had milked this place for years safely. "Yes, I'd like a class 2 repair talisman if you please," he politely asked the clerk robot, who provided a price of 127 bits. Digging in his bags, Rusty brought out an ancient purse and counted out the golden currency I was more familiar with. As soon as the proper amount was provided the Mr. - hmmm Miss Handy? The robot scooped them up, opened the rusting register on the counter to deposit them and hovering out from behind the counter, toward a set of swinging doors to the right of the counter.

There wasn't any lock, no console or card reader barring access, the doors swung freely as the robot bobbed through the doors labeled "Service Center" above them. I marveled at the lack of security, though I supposed this was a place where ponies brought their stuff in themselves to be fixed. Getting a glance through the doors as they swung open, I saw that whether the doors were locked or not, there was security...

A number of corpses were visible through the portal, these were not prewar ponies either, they were definitely... fresher... Once they stopped swinging, I noticed the Steel Ranger, Dance, watching along with his.. scribe? Summer watching avidly from the lobby.

Rusty hummed a little tune waiting at the counter, a few minutes passed and the Miss Handy floated back through the doors. I tried for a better look through the doors for whatever had killed those who had tried to pass, the most I could make out were most were facing the doors, like they were trying to escape. Not encouraging... Easy as you please, the robot placed a dusty box on the counter, along with a receipt no less. Rusty grabbed the purchase and took a bow to us, I had to applaud.

"There ya have it, hafta tell it what you want specifically, but it'll go get it if you got the bits. Bits ain't worth what they were, so if you can pick em up out scavenging or from other scavvers cheap enough, it becomes pretty profitable. Most everyone who tries for this place never bothers with the clerk, it don't attack and just treats em like customers, they want the big score in the back. Course I do too... but that's yer job right?"

That's what I wanted alright... seeing the results other greedy ponies got was discouraging, but I still wanted it. I doubted many of them had my skill with machines from what I had seen up here, and I didn't see any pip-bucks on the corpses beyond the door. I was considering making my own request of the clerk with the bits I had on me still, when Dance and Summer walked up to beat me to it.

"Um... One deep range transmitter relay please?" The smaller pegasus asked, she was around my height. I must get it from mom...

The robot bobbed in place and clicked, searching its memory before replying to the request. "I apologize valued customer, that particular item is out of stock. Only one remains, on reserve for Arc-Dash industries, they are 208.6 years late on their pickup but have not rescinded it yet. You may leave your name and number, if the order is rescinded you will be first to be notified."

The pair grunted and winced respectively, so they were here for something, not just a random escape from the zombies outside... Dance set his eyes in a determined line and patted the pegasus' shoulder, "It's alright Scribe Wind, I can't imagine we have the bits required anyway. At least we know it's back there."

"Yeah, I guess it was too easy. At least we know so we're not wasting our time sir," Summer replied sadly.

Watching the exchange, I pondered what the deal was. The part they wanted was an esoteric bit of tech, used in communication systems for high powered burst communication through heavy interference. They wanted to talk to somepony that wasn't easy to reach... They also still seemed determined to get that part, which meant we were headed in the same direction.

Ignoring Val's glare, I walked up to the pair, "Excuse me Summer, Dance, I couldn't help but overhear, you need that part? Pretty rare piece of equipment you want, trying to talk to somepony out in space?"

Dance grumbled and moved in my face, looming over me in his heavy armor, "That is none of your concern, Brotherhood business."

"Wait sir... er.. Paladin Dance, may I..." The pegasus filly worked her way around the wall of armor to stand next to me, green eyes bright. "You know what that is? The transmitter relay? I didn't expect any wasteland ponies to... er... not to be insulting just... You know this stuff?"

Well, the impression I had been getting from the wasteland was reinforced here, it seemed my repair-pony skills were in short supply on the surface. I had them because I came from below, unless I missed my guess this mare had them because she came from above. So we had something in common besides our goal behind the swinging doors.

"I know a thing or two yeah, we were hoping to head to the back as well. Salvage, I mainly want robot parts and equipment back there. No interest in any transmitter, for whatever reason you want it..." I scratched my mane and looked up at Dance suspiciously. "Since we both want to get to the same place, and it seems pretty dangerous... Maybe we could join forces for a bit? No reason to go it alone if we're not really at odds is there? I notice your friend is packing some heavy ordinance, and you see what Val has on her there. I know tech, you know tech, two heads are better than one and all. What do you think Miss Summer?" I could tell if I was going to make any headway it was with the pretty pegasus, not the stern stallion next to her.

She shuffled nervously and turned to her companion, leaning up to whisper back and forth for a moment. I could hear Val grumbling behind me, but she kept saying I was the boss, her distaste aside I didn't see any reason not to work together here. Finally the two turned back, Summer smiled, but Dance took the lead, he was in charge on that side then.

"That may be acceptable, we only want the transmitter. We do appreciate your help and are... understaffed at the moment, I believe we can join our fortunes in this mission and share the risk."

Nodding happily, I waved Val over to the doors, no time like the present, as the four of us gathered in front of them my pip-buck updated before my eyes;

Mission Updated- Quality Assurance

Objective-
--~~Investigate Watt's Consumer Electronics~~
--Gain access to the service center

Optional Objective-
--Find a Deep Range Transmitter Relay for the Brotherhood

Rusty waved from the counter and took a seat, "Welp, you folks be careful. I'll be waitin' here till you come back, or don't... Sorry but your part is the risky bit of this venture, make it through and I'll hold up mine."

I didn't hold anything against the ghoul, he had a good thing going here as it was. We made this deal on the understanding that going for the whole treasure trove was on us, he'd help us deal with it when we succeeded. He had his wife and his store to return to and the zombies outside didn't hold him here.

Making sure everyone was ready I floated out my pistol and the Terrible Shotgun, watching Val draw her giant pistol. The Steel Ranger powered up his minigun and... was that a giant rifle? The pegasus Summer pulled a small, boxy magical energy weapon from her holster and held it ready in her mouth. We were doing this, I pushed open the swinging doors and walked into the hallway beyond.

Instant death didn't wait on the other side of the doors, so that was good. Now that I could, I took a closer look at the corpses nearby, they were indeed all facing towards the doors, trying to escape whatever killed them. Whatever had done it wasn't quite what I expected, a few magical energy weapon burns, but mainly these ponies had been ripped to shreds. So far there was no clue what had done this though, a modular steel hallway stretched away in front of us, fairly clean and in good repair.

Two sliding doors on each side of the hall were spaced evenly, before the hallway ended at a T intersection with two arrow signs pointing left and right, each door was labeled "Repair Bay" followed by a letter. As we walked cautiously forward, I hoofed the panel on the first and stuck my head into the room beyond, inside I saw several things that immediately caught my interest, first and foremost was most of a Sentinel bot sitting in the gloom...

The giant tank like robot was dark, panels open and one of its four thick, wheeled limbs detached. It sat in the center of the room, held in place by the second item I really wanted, a complete robot work station. Braces and hoists held the huge machine in place within the circular platform, automated manipulator arms were paused in their work, one holding the detached leg just away from where it should go. Other mechanical appendages held welders, paint sprayers, multi tool arms... it was a thing of beauty. The rest of the room was filled with workbenches, tools, spare parts, and a prewar skeleton in a tattered mechanic's jumpsuit near the work station control console.

Marking this particular bounty for later, I trotted ahead to the other repair bays, each had a similar layout, one had a Ponitron being serviced instead, the other bays were empty. Still meeting no resistance, we kept going forward, coming to the intersection, I stopped to read the signs. To the left read "Storage/Offices", to the right was "Testing Center/Control Room", while I was debating between the two, an automated voice crackled from a Sprite-bot that had somehow silently hovered up behind us.

"Greetings valued customer. While we here at Watt's appreciate your interest in our highly rated repair services, we regret to inform you our service center is closed due to a state of emergency. We hope to reopen as soon as possible. Unfortunately until such time, we must ask you to vacate the service center. You have ten seconds to comply..."

That sounded somewhat threatening, even coming from the little Sprite-bot floating in the hall. I looked around nervously, noting the others doing the same. Nothing seemed to back up the implied threat, but I still didn't like it.

"You have five seconds to comply, failure to comply will be met with lethal force. Five, Four, Three, Two..."

Val simply grabbed the little ball and smashed it into the nearest wall repeatedly, just as I caught a glimpse of its' small energy weapons glowing pink. The robot crumbled to pieces under the assault and Val ground her claw into it on the floor. "Boring conversation anyway boss," she growled.

The Sprite-bot was simply the messenger though, at what would have been zero alarm lights started flashing through the halls and a siren wailed. I was spinning in every direction, looking for some threat, but still only had a bare second to spot the horde of red on E.F.S. before panels slid open up and down the hallways and an army of robots lumbered out. What the hell?!

It was mostly Ponitrons, but a few Mr. Gutsys were thrown in, their Equestrian army green paint jobs marking them as different from Cogsworth, along with the addition of plasma weapons on one of their extra appendages. While I was still trying to comprehend being suddenly surrounded, Paladin Dance's minigun roared down the hallway leading to Storage/Offices. He had his goal and was following it like he had his own little arrow on E.F.S. guiding him, storage was where his part would be, nothing else mattered.

"Move! This way! Out of this blasted deathtrap!" his distorted voice boomed from the speaker in his helmet.

As the first pink bolts of Ponitron weaponry and balls of green plasma started converging on us, I decided on following his lead, any direction where the army of robots was being torn to shreds was fine by me. There was no cover to take and nowhere to dodge in the small hallway, we had to get out of here fast, the burning weapons were already zeroing in on us, scorching my armor in several places.

"Val! That way!" I gestured down the hall Dance was clearing and brought up S.A.T.S., normally headshots would be preferable, but with the robots headed for us I knew the actual weak spots, though I wished I could be more specific than 'torso', I knew where the control talismans were. Four shots blasted from my upgraded shotgun, the slugs Val had got me punched satisfying holes into four Ponitron bodies, dropping them to the floor and creating a blockade. The crowded hall worked against them here, only the Mr. Gutsy models would be able to get by easily and as they clumped up only the ones in front could fire effectively. Unfortunately, I could make out the distinctive magic of repair talismans at work on three of the fallen robots, they'd be back up soon...

Between Val's high speed magical energy weapon and Dance's minigun, our retreat route was being being cleared nicely and we were falling back without taking too much damage. Summer joined me in holding the rear, her small M.E.W. lancing out with the same selective care I was taking with my shots, she knew where to hit too. Despite being caught so easily, I thought we might get out of this.

Then I saw it.

Down the long hallway, all the way towards the door for the testing area, stood a shining copper mare... no... a robot. A sleek, feminine robot of polished copper and gold plates. It had a swept back head with a single glowing red eye, bizarrely topped off with a tattered brown hat. Taking in the sight I realized, this is what an Assaultron looked like... the curvy shape matched the cutout...

"Val!! Dance!! Switch sides! Bigger problem!" I don't know why, maybe just a subconscious repair-pony appraisal of the elegant death machine, but that thing scared the hell out of me. I hoped enough panic came out in my voice to convey the need to blast it with the heavy weapons we had on our side, every other robot just paled in comparison in my mind.

"What the fuck is that thing?!" Val shouted, taking my place and pushing me back to deal with the retreat, my fear must have gotten through as she opened up with a stream of red beams that... bounced off the gleaming hide!?! Several other robots between us were taken down, but nothing that touched the Assaultron did any damage.

"Paladin Dance! Do as he says! It's an Assaultron!!!" Ok, Summer was more panicked than I was, she seemed to know just what that robot was and viewed it as the biggest threat. This was not comforting. Dance's minigun focused in on the target that was still simply standing there, that red eye glowing brighter each second. The armor piercing rounds that had been turning every other robot to swiss cheese barely made a dent.

Frantic, I turned to the door we were in front of, not storage but offices, anywhere not in this blasted hallway. It didn't open at a touch, so I patched my pip-buck in and started burning through the security lockout, I wanted away from that thing, right now! Panels slid aside on the sleek head and that red eye was glowing brighter and brighter...

"Everypony DOWN!" The scribe Summer screeched, throwing herself on top of me while I desperately searched for the password to the door.

Val heeded the warning even coming from a pegasus and thumped on top of me as well, making cracking this damn door much harder, Dance wasn't so fast though. Suddenly the entire hallway was bathed in blinding crimson light, a massive, crackling beam of energy was blasting out of the Assaultron's head, taking up nearly the entire top half of the hallway and slamming right into Dance's armored chest piece. Squinting against the glare, I could actually see it melting... Luna save us, it was packing weapons like that!?

The beam cut off before just melting the Steel Ranger right in half, his armor was glowing orange and I could hear his cries in the armor as he staggered and leaned against the wall by the door. Hopefully his health and repair talismans were working still or he was in serious trouble.

"Holy hell! That's it! Collateral damage be damned, I'm smoking that thing right now!" Val leapt back up and the grenade machinegun started thumping rounds down the hall at the robot.

I glanced away from the screen just long enough to watch things get worse, it decided to move... Most of the other, normal robots had been cleared just by the rain of fire already sent at this one, unlike the Ponitrons however, this did not serve as any kind of a barrier. I had hoped for something like their clattering movement, I certainly did not expect the brief glimpse I got of greased lightning streaking towards us down the long hall. It dodged every grenade round, the explosions going off behind it, it leapt over every obstacle smoothly. Long blades slid out of its' forelegs as it closed the distance, the floppy hat on its head must be bolted on to keep up. Come on, find the freaking password!

Finally! The door slid open just as the coppery blur blasted past us, I heard Summer scream and Val grunt with pain, a long screech sounded from Dance's armor as the Assaultron's blades cut a swath down the hall and it turned back to us. "Inside! Get away from that thing!" I yelled in terror and dragged a bleeding pegasus through the door, Dance was staggering to the doorway while Val was thumping more grenades down the much shorter hallway towards the storage area. One of the griffon's wings hung limp at her side and she was coated in blood too, this had to stop now.

"Oh you shiny metal bitch! Hold Still!" Val growled and kept firing away at it.

Once I got Summer into the room, I joined Val and started unloading the new drum magazine on the shotgun at the sleek killing machine, then things somehow got worse, the thing faded away from view before my eyes... only a rippling distortion in the air was visible and it was closing in.

"Val! Let's go!" I screamed and tugged at the mercenary toward the open door, no matter how much she liked a good fight and didn't want to back down, this was enough.

We both caught the sudden flicker of motion and she finally grabbed me with her claws and dove for the door, reaching out with my magic I slammed the controls and lockout as we passed. The door slid down smoothly and I heard a resounding clang as the thing hit the other side, we all watched for several tense moments, but it didn't follow. Despite everything else it could magically do, at least it couldn't bypass the lock...

Val woozily thumped to the floor and dug out a healing potion, downing it in one gulp and inspecting her limp wing carefully. I ran up behind her to survey the damage better, never wishing I was able to use healing magic more. "It's... It's ok Val, still attached, it sliced tendons on your back I think just... let the potion work ok! Hold still!"

"R-right.. boss... wow, NEVER ran into anything like that before. Y-yer a fun boss...take me on such lovely dates.."

She sounded faint, but if she could joke she'd be ok for right now, I threw my forelegs around her fluffy neck in a brief hug, grateful she was alive before I ran over to Summer and Dance, checking them over next. Dance's armor was repairing itself and his breathing was shaky but starting to even out, his health systems should take care of him much better than I could. That left the pegasus who was in a spreading pool of blood, a long gash down her side and flank. I snatched one of my own healing potions out and poured it down her throat, before pulling out some magical bandages and trying to apply them to the deep cut. She was shuddering and weak, but the wound started closing again, she'd probably live.

As if to make up for my last excursion I was practically untouched, my cloak had several smoking holes in it and a number of angry burns I hadn't noticed during that horror show were now stinging painfully. I hadn't been sliced to ribbons however, Val and Summer throwing me down to keep working on the door had kept me off that thing's radar apparently.

"W-well... now we know what kills everypony that tries to salvage this place I guess..." I fell back against the wall next to Val, my wounds burned, but I wasn't using a potion just for them right now, not with that thing still out there.

The alarms were still blaring and more red marks were reappearing on E.F.S. outside, robots self repairing and returning to duty trying to kill us, stopped only by the door. That murder machine out there didn't even appear on my compass though if it didn't want to, its invisibility wasn't perfect like Jade's, but it kept it off my Eyes Forward Sparkle.

It could be anywhere...

The offices we were now locked in were only for a hoofful of executive ponies, four rooms lead off the open general office we landed in, two on each side and a fifth, larger office stood locked behind a heavy dark wood door. There was a tattered waiting couch to one side I helped Summer up to so she could recover from the deep gash and blood loss. Dance stood sentinel near her, a worried frown on his face as he stared at the door out and let his armor patch him together again.

Val had winced her way to a cushy wheeled office chair and sat back with a groan behind the receptionist desk, pulling out a bottle of whiskey and taking a slug shakily. I pulled up a nearby chair and sat with her, waving off the offered bottle.

"Alright, somebody explain exactly what the hell that was? I've fought lots of robots before, but nothing like that. That robot bitch was gonna take us apart...." Val admitting just how close we came was disturbing.

The pegasus mare Summer groaned from her couch, "Assaultron... very rare, some of the first shipments went to the Commonwealth for some reason, not many made before the end. Never heard of one quite like that though... modified... Meant to go wade into zebra fighters, keep up with their best masters, very fast, very deadly."

"Yeah I noticed... So now what boss? I want another crack at that bitch but uh... maybe with more of a plan or better odds. Get me somewhere I can fly again and we'll see who wins then, crammed into these halls though... You come up with somethin' boss."

What a vote of confidence, I was the "come up with something" pony when unrestrained violence failed. She had a point, if she had room to maneuver and get off the ground I'd give her a much better chance against that thing. In here though... no. A rematch did not look good and I didn't want Val dying just to satisfy her urge to put the machine in its place. I stood back up and looked around behind her, checking her back and wing carefully. It looked like it would be ok, but I wanted Jade here very badly.

"I don't know Val, just rest for now and lemme think about it, ok? You worried me there for a minute, you're definitely right, we can't fight that thing on its terms, I'm glad you're alright." I glanced around the offices, hoping for some magic 'turn off killer robots' button, but nothing jumped out at me.

The fiery griffon smirked at me, fluttering her eyelashes, "So glad you care boss, I'll be fine. Gimme a few minutes with my old friend here and I'll be right as rain." she shook her whiskey bottle to illustrate her point.

Dance and Summer were down for a little while, so I let them recover in private while I poked around the office. My search didn't turn up much however, though one of the employees seemed to like Mint-als quite a bit, I found half a dozen in their desk along with a number of caps in desks and filing cabinets for some reason. Digging around in the working consoles turned up a couple interesting files though;

Inter Office Mail #8902

Are you kidding me? Have you seen the expense reports for Mr. Watt's special project? Just what's on the books is bad enough, who knows what he's hiding elsewhere. I bought the excuses buying one of the first models available as a demo, I mean it is impressive as hell. But all the funds he's poured into it after it arrived? How much time he's spent with the techs modifying it? Making it look like that?! All the posters and knick knacks are one thing, but this is getting out of hoof Cinnamon. Have you seen the way he looks at it?

Inter Office Mail #8923

Don't get me started Ruby, you don't know the half of it ok? The work being put in is most definitely off the books and he's doing a lot of it himself too, won't trust anyone else with the programming. Wants "her to be perfect" he says. Total refit with custom armor, enhanced specs across the board, and the hat... I heard it's one of the real ones. Not a replica.

I'd laugh, but I believe it, heard some stories from his assistant over enough drinks that would curl your mane. Those knick knacks and posters in his office, just those are a LOT more expensive than you would believe, all authentic, that stallion's obsessed. And his little toy he carries with him everywhere? Let's just say that is not an item that is for sale, ever.... Don't know how he got it and don't want to, but I can tell you he paid more for that than this whole damn building and everything in it is worth.

What's more he's still not satisfied, says it's a good first attempt. Keeps running off to the school to talk with the eggheads, wants a better version, advance the field of robotics my rump, I know what he wants it for. Pours even more money from his private funds into research, going to spend himself into the poor house for absolute lunacy.

I puzzled over them and looked to the locked fancy office at the end of the room. Expensive things in there? "Hey Val, mind picking a lock for me?"

Valkyrie required little more than that and a direction, she kicked off the desk and rolled across the room in the wheeled office chair, spinning her way over to the big office door and getting to work. It took a lot longer than normal for her, fumbling and cursing under her breath as her claws raked the tumblers of the heavy duty lock. Finally it clicked open and she spun in her chair on the spot, throwing her claws up and taking a mock bow.

Sketching a low bow in praise of her skills, I walked into the opened office with her wheeling behind me and we both simply stopped. The large, well preserved room was a shrine to Ministry Mare Applejack.

This wasn't a joke like how the ponies in this industrial area of the Trotson area seemed hold her up as a saint, like with the statue in Hexington and all the Ministry of Wartime Technologies posters. No, this was a literal shrine to the earth pony mare... Her green eyes stared down from every surface, posters, pictures, collectibles, even photos of her as a filly in Ponyville.

Applejack in fancy dresses, Applejack bucking apples on her farm, Applejack in a smart suit with a green stallion that was crossed or cut out of each picture. Newspaper clippings of her exploits, the accident that nearly killed her marked with angry red marker, her recovery, unveiling the first suit of power armor. Applejack bobbleheads, Applejack stuffed toys, Applejack T-shirts. Rooting through the desk, I even found a folder full of pictures and sketches of the Ministry Mare that made me blush. Ok, Mr. Watts was truly obsessed.

Looking down at the stallion in question, I had to wonder just what could have driven a pony to these levels of crazy. His bleached bones sat in the overstuffed chair behind the desk, still clutched in his hooves was a small orange object that practically shone with it's own light. I had seen something like this before...

Pulling the object from his jealous grasp, I floated it up and examined it carefully, reading the legend inscribed on the base, "Be Strong..."

As soon as the words ran through my mind, I felt a surge of energy looking at the younger version of the Ministry Mare I knew, forelegs planted and hind legs extended mid buck, brilliant smile on her tiny face, blond mane flying under her floppy hat. Smiling, I floated out the matching statue of Ministry Mare Fluttershy from my bags and admired seeing them together, it was... right. This did not belong here, locked up as part of some insane collection with a dead lunatic. I returned both of the statues to my bags to rest with my Shrouded Stallion figure.

"New toy boss?" Val snickered, but quieted soon enough at the look she got returned.

"It's not a toy. I'm taking this out of here, it shouldn't... belong to anyone, most especially not him," I bucked the huge chair, rewarded with a much better result than I would normally expect. The chair and bones fell to the floor with a clatter, floating the now empty seat back up, I sat down at the desk and moved to the working terminal. I wasn't looking forward to what might be on this thing, but it could be useful.

Entry 1--
It's mine! It's finally mine! Had to pay so many ponies, highest class... asset acquirement specialists... available out there, keep it all hush hush from the pinks, but it was worth every bit. She's with me now, always, she'll never leave my side. If only she were a bit bigger... A new goal now that this one has been fulfilled.

Entry 2--
Took some wheeling and dealing with those Robronco fools, had to convince them I wanted it for promotional purposes, upped their profit margin at the outlets, but they sent it finally. It is glorious, truly a sight to behold, when these things roll off the line in regular production the stripes are done for. Gently suggested they were overlooking a large potential market too, they don't have to be combat oriented to fly off the shelves, lot of ponies would buy one of these over a Mr. Handy any day of the week. Now to just get to the upgrades.

Entry 3--
She's coming together nicely, custom armor finally fabricated and shipped, head tech is about halfway through replacing the plating now. What's done is perfect, gives just the right look. Dipped into my collection for the hat, it will be the perfect topper, bring it all together. Been working day and night on the programming, easiest doing it here, spend so much time here and surrounded by her here in my office. Much better than home.

She'll be perfect... well, for what she is. Closer we get to completion though. the more I think it could be so much better, it doesn't need to be a combat robot. If the focus was different, I'm sure we could make much greater strides going a different direction. Going to talk to my friends over at C.I.A.T. Being an alum and major contributor gives me some clout, ought to use it. Set those students of theirs on a project. The next version will be even better, for now focusing on what I have before me, can use the programming on future versions too. Tech didn't care for some of the enhancements I requested, but told him to shut up and get to work, if it's going to perfect it has to be perfect in all ways. This one anyway was designed for combat, has to be better than any other when they start seeing major production.

Entry 4--

Head's still buzzing from the meetings with Professor's Klein and Borous over the last week, brainstorming with those geniuses has led us both down some very exciting paths. An improved model of the Assaultron is just the tip of the iceberg, my wildest dreams may yet see the light of day thanks to those two. We discussed the... benefits... to making more appealing, less combat oriented versions, one thing led to another and they both seemed to really take to the idea. They leapt right to espionage, inflitration, the usual focus with the war on, but a little gentle nudging and we understood each other.

A robot that looks more like a pony... that feels more like a pony... it's a license to print money! I'd never keep them in stock, they'd fly out the warehouse! Not just my own particular tastes are up for grabs here, imagine a Rarity! Better yet the whole line of Ministry Mares! Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! Even Luna and Celestia!! Well... maybe that's a bit too far... but still... Customized models for rich ponies! Anything! We've been meeting every night at the school, hammering out ideas and how to make it work, they come back with notes from their more advanced and trusted students. Brought a copy of the file we've been working together on so I can add notes and ideas as they come here in my haven. My Assaultron is one thing, proof of concept at this point, but someday... soon... I will have everything I ever wanted!

I stared at the screen in shock, the Institute... he was talking about the Institute, the school it had sprang from. Robots that could pass for ponies... they got the idea from THIS? This nutbag? HE was the inspiration for the terrible story Mama Xara told of the night of the broken mask? For robots that infiltrated and replaced living ponies perfectly? All because of his obsession!? I could feel the dark Shroud in my head start to burn, I wished the bones on the floor would magically reform into this loon so I could start hurting him. His randiness was responsible for terrible things and he should suffer.

The whispery outsider that fought that part of me murmuring "Be Kind" was now joined by a second... "Be Strong!", it was getting crowded up there. Still, I calmed my breathing, they were right, he was gone and couldn't have intended what happened. What he wanted was distasteful, but not nearly so evil as what the Institute had done with the result. Most of all, we had bigger problems than some foalish dead pony from 200 years ago, we had to get out of here.

Backing out of the mad journal entries, I dug around and pulled up two saved files. One seemed to be the plans for all the upgrades made and programming for the Assaultron outside somewhere he had been writing, I'd have to go through that and clean it up unless I missed my guess, but it may be usable. The second was much more interesting, very rough and note riddled schematics for their proposed prototype. The basic framework seemed built on the Assaultron, but had been rebuilt from the ground up, no weapons, plastic panels for the hide, Synthetic mane, better voice synthesizer, more processing power and better programming. Concerns were written in at the complexity required of the programing to more perfectly mimic a living pony... This may come in handy.

I downloaded both files to my pip-buck and flopped back in the chair with a groan. The terminal held some valuable information, but wasn't tied into the security system to shut down the army of robots. I idly spun in the chair looking around the room, when my eyes fell on the Applejack stuffed toy I floated it up to join the little statue, this was a toy and it should be used as such, Glitter would like it I bet, if we got back to her.

"Anything boss?" Val looked up with only a hint of concern as I spun around facing her, before continuing making circles in the chair and swinging around again.

"Nothing useful at the moment no... I hoped I could shut it down from here, but I think we have to get to the control room."

"Like... on the other end of the hall outside? Where that thing came from? Ouch... Hey, maybe you could blast it with that lightning of yours! Robots don't like that right?" she huffed and scratched her head.

I stopped spinning and face-hoofed, yes... that would have probably been a good idea when there was a hallway crowded with robots to unleash it on. It just never occurred to me in the heat of the moment, I wasn't used to actually thinking of my magic for combat, this was going to take some adjustment. That thing was fast though, if I could get it to hold still long enough I could probably shut it down, but I didn't think it would give me the chance.

"Ugh... that is a very good idea Val, I didn't even think of it... sorry..."

She padded over behind the desk and sat next to me, "Hey no worries boss, I forgot too, more concerned with not getting blasted or shredded. Just take the shot if you get another huh? Hey, I can point you like a pony shaped cannon so you don't go flyin', that'll work! A boss and a weapon in one, I like it!"

I sighed and stared at the ceiling, at least her spirits never dipped that low even in such a bad situation. I brought my pip-buck up and started going over the map, the end with the control room was still lost in fog, but memory was more than enough to tell me how long that hall was, I'd never make it. Everywhere we had been was mostly filled in, I followed our trail on the map back to the doors to the sales floor, all those corpses showed how unlikely that was. We needed a way to either hold that Assaultron down, or keep it busy long enough to make it to the control room, get by whatever fresh horror waited there potentially, and hopefully shut down security. But just opening the door to the office already seemed like a death sentence.

Lost in thought staring up to the drop ceiling in the office, I slowly noticed the large air conditioning vent above the desk... a small pony could fit in there... Not a solution for Val and Dance, but a way out, bringing up the map again I hoped it would display the ducts as well, but no luck. What I knew of air exchange from the Stable though, much as I desperately wanted I doubted there would be a clear path from here to the control room in the warehouse section of the building. The offices and repair bays were probably tied into the single floor front section, I could probably get far, but not far enough. Getting out to Rusty in the sales floor wouldn't help, unless I wanted to tuck my tail between my legs and abandon Val and the others, which wasn't happening. Thinking on it, I did see one potentially useful location though...

"Alright Val, I have a plan... sorta... basically... mostly..."

I really didn't expect this level of resistance after I explained my idea to the griffon, she seemed to like my crazy ideas usually, especially if violence was involved. She quite enjoyed the aftermath at Thundega, this wasn't that far removed really. Her shouts actually drew Dance and Summer to Mr. Watt's office, while she clutched the chair I sat in and bore down on me.

"NO! Unacceptable boss! I can't bodyguard if you stick that body somewhere I can't follow! You are not just crawling around out there on your own with that metal bitch running loose! Think of something else!"

"What is the prob... sweet Celestia... the founder!?" Dance had charged through the door, but stopped short seeing the shrine to the creator of his armor surrounding him.

His scribe Summer followed in his wake, moving around much better after the potions did their work, "What? Oh... oh my... this is odd. Er, w-what's wrong?"

Val wheeled on both of them, still looming over the chair so I couldn't go anywhere, "I'll tell ya what's wrong! This lunatic wants to go crawlin' round the ducts up there, ALONE... to get to that big hunk of junk near the exit and fight fire with fire!" She pointed a claw up to the vent to illustrate her point and scowled at me.

Thoughtful consideration was not what she wanted to see on the other two ponies, Dance followed her gesture and rubbed his chin, Summer actually made things worse for herself in terms of how the griffon felt about her by actually agreeing, "Hmmm... yes.. that could work..." she was giving the vent an appraising eye as well.

"You SHUT UP, this ain't happening. I will go out there and take that thing on right now before I let you..."

I reached a hoof up to her shuddering shoulders to try to calm her down, Val did not act like this, something was wrong. "It's the best I can come up with Val, it can work and get us all out of this You wanted me to come up with something, this is it. What... what's the problem? It's not like there's any safe way through?"

"You have a foal waiting on you! That big blue filly would stomp me flat if I let you do this too, but Glitter... you know what it'll do to her if you die!? She thinks you hung the fucking moon boss, not Luna, you! We talk ok! I like her, she couldn't sleep for a long time 'fore we left. She... she c-contracted me... gave her last cap askin' me to bring you back safe... I intend to do it..."

Val actually wilted over me as she went, there were deeper realms of emotion behind those usually gleeful purple eyes, now I felt bad... I hadn't changed my mind, I intended to get back too and this was the best course I could think of to do it, still it hurt seeing what those choices inflicted on others. I reached up to hug her feathery neck, feeling her stiffen only a moment, touchy feely stuff was not high on her list, but she slowly relaxed and returned it.

"Val... I have to. I have to do it to get back to her, to Jade, for you to come with me. It's the only way to fill that contract. You are not allowed to get yourself killed just trying to keep me safe, you're important too ok? I care about you too, I want us all to get out of here, let me do this."

"S'not fair... I don't like it."

The small pegasus Summer Wind coughed shyly for attention, getting an annoyed roll of the eye from Val. "Er... it seems like a good plan to me as well. He doesn't have to go alone though... I can fit... and help fix it if we get there, it will go faster."

Paladin Dance and Val both glowered down at her, neither liked the idea, but for differing reasons.

"You are a non combatant Scribe Wind, essential to our mission here. You cannot go out and put yourself in that kind of danger." Dance ordered.

"That's even worse boss! Bad enough I can't fit, sending you with... her... Nope, nope, nope." Val grumbled at me angrily.

I didn't necessarily like the idea either, I was planning on being stealthy, I didn't know how sneaky Summer could be. Granted if the ducts led where I wanted it wouldn't take that much, but alone was probably better, another tech would speed up repairs though... I left the two Brotherhood ponies to work it out, stood on the desk and floated out my screwdriver, removing the vent cover and staring up at it and to Val.

"Don't... Like... It.." she glowered, getting what I wanted.

"He is right sir! Our mission will fail if we fall here, this is the best course of action. I am sorry but I'm going!" Summer shoved against the armored Dance's chest and weakly fluttered her bandaged wings, making a zig zagging course up to the open vent and disappearing before he could stop her.

I watched her go and glanced back at Val, "Well? You don't want to leave it up to her right?"

"Ugh! FINE! You watch yer ass boss! I hear a peep out in the hall and I'm goin' got it?!" huffing in frustration, the griffon grabbed me in her claws and stuffed me in the vent behind the pegasus.

I stuck my head down to the office, making her stop pouting and look back at me, "I'm counting on it. If this works you'll know when to move Val, you and Dance try to get along ok? Come save me when I need it, I trust you." That actually got a small flush out of the tough griffon and a half smile she was trying to hide, she waved a dark claw at me and flopped down to the big chair behind the desk.

Turning back to the cramped duct, I crawled forward and turned on my pip-buck light, illuminating a perky yellow rump and brown tail in my path. Summer wiggled and turned back to me, embarrassed, "Er... I- I take it you have a map as well as the light? I should have let you go first... I just wanted to get in before Paladin Dance could stop me. P-perhaps you should, um..." she shuffled and tried to squeeze out of the way, revealing the long, dark duct stretching away in front of her."

Yes, this wouldn't be an issue if I had just been allowed to go alone, or first at least. Better to get it out of the way here above the safe office rooms anyway, I sighed and started crawling forward. This was all kinds of awkward, there was barely enough room for us to pass each other, only with a lot of difficulty and pawing at each other. I'd feel bad about all the squeaks I was eliciting from the pegasus filly, if I weren't adding my own, she was hoofing some tender areas in the struggle. Finally I popped free and in front, glancing back at her and seeing my embarrassed expression mirrored.

"C-come on... quietly..." She nodded quickly in response and we started inching our way forward.

Like the cart ride here to begin with, seeing all the red on my E.F.S. so close and separated by so little made me nervous, if the duct gave out we'd be dumped into a world of pain. I could see them milling around below us on my compass and tried not to breathe, remembering just how good Cogsworth's hearing was. These robots hadn't received the same level of care any time recently though, hopefully our painstakingly slow progress was quiet enough. Following my map, I took a right toward the repair rooms, relieved to see four branches ahead, one for each room.

Long minutes passed while we crawled to the one furthest back on the left and angled down the short passage, coming to the vent cover looking down on the Sentinel still dark and silent in the gloom. Good, it hadn't tried to activate, wasn't part of the building's systems, the room hadn't been opened since I shut it and no red showed up below us. The grate in the way presented a minor obstacle, but while I might not be able to lift a lot with my telekinetic magic I did have good fine control, grabbing hold of the four screws and slowly backing them out wasn't that hard, even without a screwdriver. I caught the grate before it could hit the ground and stuck my head down, checking again just in case, clear...

"Ok... going down, let me sneak over to the door and lock it out. They're not in there, but I don't want any visitors while we're doing this..."

Summer nodded staring back with frightened green eyes, she really must be a non-combatant like Dance said, another repair-pony, just without my tendency for all the death and destruction, I missed being like that. I looked around in the dark workshop again and jumped down from the vent, lightly bouncing off the bulky robot below and hitting the floor, my cloak flapping around me. I landed in a crouch listening carefully. Robot death didn't materialize from the shadows or barge in the door, so I started crawling forward, reaching the console and plugging my pip-buck in, locking the large steel door with a sigh of relief. Safe. Safe-ish...

I hit the lights and whispered up, "Alright, come on down, let's get to work"

I started grabbing parts and tools scattered on the work benches and floated them over to the robot workstation, taking in the state of the huge beast and what it would need as the yellow pegasus flapped down painfully. If I powered up the workstation this would go faster, but it would also make a lot more noise, we could manage manually with the two of us. Summer already had her tools out and was pushing the detached leg back in position, thanking her silently, I crawled up the angled rear legs and up to the back of the compact torso, sticking my head in the open panel before attaching my pip-buck. I wanted the programming overridden first and foremost, just in case this thing woke up somehow.

"D-do you really not know about the Enclave?" a soft whisper floated up to me.

"No... does it matter?" I replied just as low, flicking through the code rapidly.

"Not really... just... everypony does. They all hate us... you're the first surface pony I've met that.. that just treated me like normal right off the bat."

Satisfied it would obey if we got it running, I moved on to repairing the internals while I was up here. "My mom was a pegasus, I really don't know what the deal is. Want to fill me in? I... well, kinda missed out on the last 200 years or so."

I heard her stop her work at that, but didn't pause, it was a long story I didn't want to get into. If talking helped her then fine, I could listen, not talk and work at once.

"Er... well, if that's so... um... Ok, The Enclave did bad things... when the bombs fell the pegasi just ran and hid in the sky, we turned on the cloudmakers and locked them that way. Your griffon was right, we closed off the sky for 200 years and left everyone down here to rot. We didn't all know... those of us that wanted to help were... were kicked out."

Wait, Val wasn't being figurative? They covered the sky in clouds for 200 years? Blocked off the sun and moon? Celestia and Luna?! Suddenly the term "Lightbringer" was starting to make more sense... I kept quiet and working, letting her continue while I thought.

"When we did come down again, we were told there were bad surface ponies that wanted to attack us, take away our food and let us starve... We were just fighting back, or that's what we were told... They had us attack innocent ponies though, towns, foals... it was nothing like they said! They told us everypony down here were crazed, bloodthirsty raiders, not just folks trying to survive. Everything started to fall apart and... and it needed to, we deserved it. The Lightbringer took over the S.P.P. and opened the sky again, I was mad for awhile but... I'm glad she did."

"S.P.P.?" There was plenty in there I'd have to ask about later, but had to ask on this, I liked acronyms, they were usually something technical and interesting like E.F.S. or S.A.T.S.

"Single Pegasus Project, those big white towers? They control the weather now at the direction of the Lightbringer, we aren't trusted to do it again, we probably never will be. Though the one here in the Commonwealth isn't part of the rest of the grid somehow, we could never do anything with it either. They sent troops to take it several times, but they were always turned back by vicious storms that just sprang up. I think it works, but it's unique. When we... we still covered the skies it never did anything to really turn back the clouds though, so the Commonwealth was blocked off with Equestria. It only did anything if we tried to interfere. Something here in the Commonwealth just wants to be left alone... that's why we're.. Oh! Um... sorry... I s-shouldn't say more..."

I knew plenty of repair-ponies back in the Stable at work that liked talking while they worked, helped them focus. It did the opposite for me, but being around one could be useful like this, she almost went too far being so caught up in her work. Now I was starting to get interested in a number of things I hadn't understood about the world I found myself in. I really had to finish that book Jade let me have.

Leaning over from the back of the rolling tank, I took stock of how much Summer had done, between her work below and mine inside, I thought it should be ready. I checked the code on my pip-buck one more time, before looking over and floating two large metal boxes to the back of the robot and the waiting open ports. I hadn't wanted to arm this thing till I was damn sure it would do what I wanted, but here we were.

I looked down at my hoof again triple checking and glanced to Summer. "Maaaaybe you should get back in the vent... in case this goes horribly wrong..."

I saw fear in those light green eyes, but her expression screwed up and she stamped her hoof, "I- I'm fine! L-let's do this Mr. Times..."

Smiling, I gave her a wink, "It's just Fast. Now... hold on to yer butt, here we go!" I hit the command and rebooted the hulking Sentinel bot, praying to Luna for the best.

Feeling the giant machine hum to life under me was disconcerting, I didn't want to disconnect the pip-buck in case I had to do an emergency shut down, but hanging on to the back of the thing while it powered up and rose to its full, intimidating height was scary. I hung over the boxy body and looked down into the small armored head as the red eyes glowed to life.

"SENTINEL BOT ONLINE- RECOGNIZING NEW COMMANDER.... ORDERS?"

That deep, booming robot voice was going to get some attention fast. We had to get moving, now. I pulled the pip-buck patch cable and slammed the panel shut, jumping down to face the deadly machine. "Protection! There are a number of enemy robots outside, primary target is an Assaultron model. Terminate with extreme prejudice!"

"CONFIRMED...."

The Sentinel clicked and whirred as weapon pods flipped open and a whole lot of destruction powered up, it rolled free of the workstation and to the door just behind me. I paused at the lock and looked up at it one more time, "If I tell you to pin it, I want you to grab that Assaultron and pin it down ok? Keep it in one place for me, you... might have to eat a lightning bolt, but I'll reboot you when it's over, alright?"

"CONFIRMED"

Well, he wasn't as personable as Cogsworth, but I got the distinct impression he was good at what he did. I hoofed the lock and the door opened, lances of pink energy bolts crackled through the open door before the Sentinel sped forward and its own minigun started roaring in return. I nodded over to Summer and followed it out, floating my weapons beside me and adding to the rain of fire the Sentinel bot was laying down ahead of it, as it advanced down the hallway slowly. A dozen sparking Ponitrons and Mr. Gutsys were so much scrap in its path already, then the Assaultron came streaking down the hall from the offices, it had been waiting...

"PRIMARY TARGET IDENTIFIED! ADVANCED MODEL DETECTED! TERMINATING!!"

I had to throw Summer to the floor this time, returning the favor to avoid the backblast from the Sentinel's missile launcher. It took me seriously when I said "extreme prejudice", explosions shook the building as the intersection was consumed. Through the fire and haze, I could still see the terrifying robot standing on the other side of my Sentinel, power faced speed, what was it going to take!?

A brightly glowing red eye stared back from the smoke, it was charging that damn laser again! I tried to yell over the roar of the Sentinel's minigun and was totally drowned out when a second joined it from down the hall, hammering into the Assaultron's side and pushing it off target. Red lines of energy and more explosions added to the cacophony from the hall to the offices, Val and Dance had sprung out and were joining in, pinning it down in a turkey shoot. The copper robot was taking damage at last, but I could see the effects of a high class repair talisman already at work, trying to keep up with the assault and not falling far behind.

"PIN THAT THING!" I screamed and charged after the Sentinel as it tore down the hallway, lowering it's body and spreading its wheeled legs out for maximum speed. The Assaultron leapt nimbly down the hall towards the control room, but the Sentinel took up too much of the hall to let it get around. All the feminine robot's acrobatics did was let it give up ground gracefully as the Sentinel spun at the intersection and continued the chase, all of its weapons blazing out at it.

Val and Dance ran up behind us and did their best to help keep it busy, laying down fire around the Sentinel as it streaked at the Assaultron and slammed it into the wall, it's thick forelegs came together with a crunch and pinned the robot mare in place, squealing against it as it pushed back, trying to get free.

"VAL! HERE GOES!" I yelled to the griffon still blasting away and started focusing on the pair of robots at the end of the hall. Feeling her claws grab my flanks from behind, I poured everything into my horn, I wasn't trying for control this time. I wanted that thing down, now.

KRAAKA-THOOOOM!

Even with the muscular griffon bracing me, we skidded backwards a few feet down the hall as the lightning spell overwhelmed all the noise. Lights flickered in the ceiling, downed robots sparked and jittered on the floor and the Sentinel and Assaultron tangling with each other were utterly consumed. I was trying to focus on just the Assaultron as much as possible, but the Sentinel was going to take this hit one way or the other. Summer ducked behind Dance, screaming and covering her ears as the Paladin's armor sparked just being in proximity of this onslaught.

Once the spell tapered off, I stumbled woozily, almost all my magic went into that and my horn still sparked, not burnout at least but I couldn't do that again. Looking up cautiously as Val helped steady me, I saw a tangle of metal that was completely dark, finally... that shut it down along with my Sentinel. I started down the hall towards them carefully, I wasn't taking anything for granted with that thing anymore. Val walked with me, still aiming her weapons at it as Dance and Summer joined us.

"What the hell was that?!" Dance was flabbergasted.

"L-Lightning... forgot about it earlier... it's new..." I groaned back, eyeing the pile of metal warily.

"Unicorns can't... Twilight Sparkle maybe... or Star Swirl the Bearded... but... Fast, how did you-" Summer was cut off by a shudder down the hall, no...

I shook off Val and charged down the hall, no, no, no! Stay down!! A single red eye was slowly starting to glow again, whining servos were pushing against the hulking dark mass of Sentinel holding it in place. I had only one idea left and it was completely mad, dashing forward I jumped, landing on the mechanical mare's back and grabbing at it with my weakened magic. I read the schematics on this thing now, there was an access point behind the swept back head.

"BOSS!" Valkyrie screeched and blasted down the hallway after me, taking in what I was doing, she at least didn't yank me away, but started pushing against the Sentinel, trying to keep it in place.

The Assaultron was getting the idea too, it bucked crazily under me, smashing me against the wall behind us. I grabbed the floppy hat in my mouth to get a better angle on the access panel hidden under it, I could barely breathe, it just kept crunching me against the wall and I held on for dear life, "Be Strong!" echoed in my head. Right, I wasn't going to let this thing continue as it was in Applejack's image, it was wrong. This thing had to be stopped. My vision blurred as it cracked my head against the steel surface, but I kept going, floating the pip-buck cable to the port in the now open panel. Come on, focus!

I could barely make out the wall of text in my vision, the Assaultron operating system recognized Mr. Watts' custom reprogramming and asked if I wanted to load it. Another bone crunching thump followed by those foreleg blades clicking in place and slashing at my sides made that a great idea. I accepted and tried to focus on the progress bar slowly filling in my vision.

"Quit fighting and accept it you bitch!" I screamed trying to hang on, almost in response to the command the machine finally stopped and slumped, whirring and clicking to itself as the program ran.

Panting and feeling blood running down my mane and sides, I kept my hold on the killer robot's neck, waiting. Finally it hummed back to life and didn't immediately try to kill me again... that was better?

"Tarnation! That was a real knock down slobber knocker wasn't it Master? Right sorry 'bout that, feelin' much better now!"

Ooooook.... It spoke like Applejack... of course it did...

"Mind if'n I get free o' this mess here Master? Don't mind you hangin on me, but this here fella's a little too friendly." The Assaultron... AssaultJack... asked politely, pointing at the Sentinel still being pushed against her by Val and Dance.

"Ummm... ok? I guess? N-not going to try to kill anyone, right?"

"Shoot! Don't be silly Master, less'n you wanted I s'pose! Ah aim to make you happy, tearin' yer pals to itty bitty bits prolly wouldn't though, right?" I really hoped that wasn't a hint of longing at the prospect of doing just that...

Slowly, I let go of the robotic neck and nodded to the others, "It's ok, you can let go." I said shakily.

"Yer sure about that boss? Just let it loose again? Absolutely positive?" Val looked at me dubiously, staring at the AssaultJack reaching up to adjust its hat.

I checked my pip-buck one more time, yes whatever this program was, it had taken control and recognized the one delivering it as the new owner, master... Oh Celestia, I forgot who wrote this and why, I'd have to start cleaning out this code as soon as I could. "Y-Yeah, it should be fine now Val, perhaps overly friendly..." I retreated over to Val and drank a healing potion, trying to recover from riding a dervish of death.

As soon as Val and Dance released their hold, the copper and gold robot simply stood on its hindlegs and pushed, rolling the tank like Sentinel out of the way and dropping back to all fours, sauntering back to me. "Thank ya Master, was a mite bit uncomfortable down there. Now then, what's yer name, gotta have proper introductions an all!"

"F-Fast..."

"Alrighty then! Master Fast! Now how can ah make you happy today Fast? Ah am well programmed with a variety of skills to bring uh smile to yer face!" Yes... immediate reprogramming... as soon as possible. Having the deadliest robot I had ever seen trying to be seductive was terrifying, what did Mr. Watts expect to do with this?

I backed towards Valkyrie slowly, watching it match me step for step with a wiggle. "Umm... nothing like that ok? Er... we need to shut down security, it's still on and targeting us."

"Ahhh, nothin' fun fer right now then? Well, if'n you want to shut down the alert it's right through that door, hafta talk with that pale feller at the controls. Had me work harder than apple buckin' season keepin' this place clear for the last 123.8 years. Not rightly the friendly type neither. Ah could take care o' that fer yah!" Wait, there was a pony running the security? For over a century? A ghoul maybe? Jade said they lived... er... lasted a long time.

Mulling it over, I patched into the Sentinel again and rebooted it as promised, he did just what I wanted. Plus I wanted it up in case this was just temporary, I had no desire to try fighting this thing again. As the bulky robot powered back up, I had to put myself in between it and the AssaultJack as weapons powered up and pointed at it.

"PRIMARY TARGET IDENTIFIED!"

"WHOA! Easy!! No longer primary target, friendly! Ally! Until further notice anyway, ok?"

"CONFIRMED, RESUMING MISSION ON SECONDARY TARGETS"

With that the Sentinel wheeled around toward the door to the control room/testing area and waited. Suddenly anything left in this place was small potatoes, between the rolling tank and the speed demon, any remaining robots were trivial unless they had a Ultra Sentinel hidden somewhere. That thought made me shudder, but I seriously doubted it, Mr. Watts wasn't enamored with Rainbow Dash. Thinking on it now that we weren't in such imminent danger of painful death, I remembered why we were here.

"Um.. Listen both of you, I want these robots... intact. Or as close as we can manage ok? I want to just shut them down if we can, so I can reprogram them and use them elsewhere. Maybe try to... not completely obliterate them so much?" I gestured to the trail of destruction littering the hall.

"NON-LETHAL HOSTILE SUPPRESSION PROTOCOLS ENGAGED. MISSION UPDATED. PRIMARY GOAL, CONTROL CONSOLE."

"Alright Master Fast, if'n that's how you want it, ah aim ta please. Can disable 'em easy peasy. Though what'cha wanna do bout that bot in charge? Not yer standard issue..." AssaultJack answered with that tinge of disappointment again.

"Wait, it's a robot in charge? You said pale feller.. er... person?"

"Ayep, odd duck that one. You can try talkin' if'n you like Fast, not very friendly though. One track mind, been at this here job for a long time..." This was getting confusing, was it a pony or a robot? Either way, why was it directing the security in this place to slaughter anyone who came back here?

"Whoever this is, I want to talk to them ok? Deal with anything else trying to keep them usable for later, let us handle this pale guy in charge unless I call for you, right?"

"CONFIRMED"

"You got it Master Fast."

I turned to the others to see if my plan was ok and didn't see any disagreement, the Brotherhood ponies were staring at me like I had pulled a dragon out of my cloak, Val was grinning widely and grabbed me in a crushing hug. "You are the fucking stallion boss! I can't believe you did that! Deadliest robotic bitch I ever seen and you got her eatin' outta yer hoof! You know what we could do with that thing!?"

"W-what we came for..." I wheezed weakly in her claws.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, that too... We'll think of other stuff later. Let's get this done and get rich!" she was happy with me again at least. Val rubbed her claws together after releasing me, looking over the two robots, "I can't wait to be on the same side as these two..."

Watching the AssaultJack and Sentinel burst into the testing area, I had to agree, being on the same side as these two was an entirely different experience.

A dozen or more robots of varying makes and states of repair were waiting in the large warehouse room. The space was filled with various bits of equipment and tools, along with a strange obstacle course and simulation rooms, totally open partitioned areas made to look like the inside of a prewar house or offices. On the far side of the room, a stairway led up to a catwalk and an enclosed glass booth overlooking it all. A pale pony did indeed sit behind the controls, was it a pony? It looked wrong even from this distance...

"Intruders detected! Security agents subverted! Eliminate!" a toneless voice echoed through the room and all the robots started attacking. This would be worrisome, except for our own robots who immediately went to work, the AssaultJack faded away to a blurry shadow and robot attackers just started dropping to the floor, the Sentinel took the more direct approach.

"CLEARING PATH TO TARGET"

The minigun started tearing through the legs or hover systems of anything between us and the stairs, as the huge robot just plowed forward, bulldozing robots out of its way. Following its tactics, we stayed close behind its bulk, picking off anything nearby that wasn't mysteriously disabled in a blur and closing in on the control booth.

Now that we were closer, I could tell that wasn't a pony... it was a robot? A robot like Mr. Watts wrote about, I could see the similarities to the rough designs in his computer. Modular white plastic panels covered it and yellow on black eyes tracked our progress. It wore thick white armor that didn't look like metal, a composite material probably. Emblazoned on the chest was a round red emblem, I couldn't make out the details from here, but it was familiar enough... The Institute...

I bolted past the Sentinel and up the stairs, meeting Val perched on the railing of the catwalk by the door. A console flickered next to the reinforced glass door between me and this Institute robot, scowling at it as it watched, I slammed the pip-buck patch cable in and started ripping through the security lock.

"Position under imminent threat. Unable to hold post. Sending notification..." the weird pale robot pony was talking to itself, or someone I wanted to talk to.

"Hey! You start talking! I want to see the Institute, you took my Stable! YOU TOOK MY FAMILY! I WANT THEM BACK!!!" I screamed and pounded on the glass, flicking through the door codes and growing more and more frustrated. 2 inches of glass, that's all that was between us, it was standing right there!

"Orders received, abandoning position. Initiating self destruct..."

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!!!!" the door finally released and I lunged through it for the robot, Val grabbed my mane and yanked me back, as a sudden green flash filled the room and the robot pony melted into a puddle in the floor... Gone...

I raged and struggled in Val's grip, pounding my hooves against her armored chest, "IT WAS RIGHT THERE!!! THE INSTITUTE! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Val held me to her chest and let the fire burn out while the others joined us at the door, looking down at the melted robot curiously. I didn't want the pegasus and the Ranger to see me cry, so I buried my face in Val's feathers. Right there... it was right... there...

"S'alright boss... closest I've ever seen anyone get to the Institute. We'll find 'em ok? Stop yer blubberin' alright, makin' us look bad here," I had never heard Val speak so softly or with such care, let alone hug and stroke my mane, she was still teasing of course, but she really cared.

That helped quite a bit, she was right we had other things to do, and I had come close, gotten some information at least. I sniffled and pulled away, trudging into the control room and stepping over the green puddle to reach the console. A few quick commands and the flashing alarm lights finally faded, all the remaining robots powered down, there weren't many left in this room actually, but all of them in the complex should have followed. Below me in the middle of the testing area, a blurry shape resolved back into AssaultJack, looking up at me with that one... green eye? It had changed it?

"Whoooo Weeee! Now that was some fun Master Fast, though ya look a might down yerself. Ah can cheer ya right up though! Just gimme the word!" That had to stop, Mr. Watts was insane...

"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. AWAITING ORDERS." the Sentinel powered down its weapons and waited at the stairs. My pip-buck agreed with the hulking robot, scrolling text at me;

Mission Updated- Quality Assurance

Objective-
--~~Investigate Watt's Consumer Electronics~~
--~~Gain access to the service center~~
--Investigate Loot
--Return to Rusty Clank

Optional Objective-
--Find a Deep Range Transmitter Relay for the Brotherhood

Steel Dance and Summer Wind were watching pensively as I stood away from the controls. Well, there was nothing stopping them from getting their part now. Their help had been appreciated, without the power armored stallion or the fellow repair-pony, things would have been a lot harder. After a hard stare for a few moments, Dance broke into a grin.

"I have to say it, that was some Grade-A work there soldier. You should consider joining the Brotherhood! We need ponies like you, especially here in the Commonwealth. I couldn't help but notice you seem to have something against this Institute? You are not necessarily alone in that.." Ow, having a steel clad hoof slap you happily on the back hurt...

"Y-Yes! Paladin Dance is right, we need someone like you! Things have been rough on this expedition, now that we can get that part we can at least... er... s-sorry Paladin... But thank you Fast, Valkyrie, we would have been in real trouble without you both..." Summer peeked from behind Dance, smiling nervously up to the griffon and myself.

Dance cocked an eyebrow at his scribe before turning back with a wry smile still on his face, "That's alright Scribe Wind, understandable slip to make and I think our new friend is trustworthy. With the part we hope to acquire, we can regain contact with our brothers outside the Commonwealth, hopefully we'll have support soon and can do some real good here. That's exactly why we need folks like yourself Fast, and you Miss Valkyrie, you have both conducted yourselves incredibly well under enormously bad odds. I hope you both consider the offer. Now then, if everything is under control again, let's go see if our part really is here and you may check your spoils from this venture eh?"

"Right.. let's go then," I slumped out of the control booth and towards the stairs, Val shadowing me. I looked down at the devastation below, AssaultJack had been true to her orders, most of those robots were disabled but fixable, especially with the parts I expected to find and gear we had already seen. Despite everything we now owned Watt's. A few more ideas started clicking into place taking in our new resources, I needed to get back to Hexington.

Right or wrong, I thought I could "fix" that place, whether the current Mayor liked it or not...

---------------------Level Up!------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------

Strong Back-----------
---What are you part pack mule? You gain +25 to carry weight, useful for hauling all your newfound treasure away, Applejack would be proud!

Quest Perk Added!-------------------

Be Strong!-----------
--- The determined spirit of Applejack fills you with earth pony strength! Unicorns can be tough when they have to be too! Grants +1 Strength!

Reputation Change!------------------

The Brotherhood of Friendship- Neutral
--- You're no raider or simple scavver. The ponies of the Brotherhood between the Steel Rangers and former Enclave respect you and your skills and have even extended an invitation to join them! You only know the two though, so perhaps you should get to know them first...

Ch. 14-- Left My Heart

Ch. 14-- Left My Heart

"They took Fluttershy? Where?...."

----------------------

From the look on his ghoulish face, I didn't think Rusty Clank ever expected to see any of us again. He did break out in a wide grin as all of us walked back out of the swinging doors from the service department, into the sales floor of Watt's Consumer Electronics. As soon as I spotted him running up, my pip-buck gave a fanfare in my ear;

Mission Completed!- Quality Assurance

Objective-
--~~Investigate Watt's Consumer Electronics~~
--~~Gain access to the service center~~
--~~Investigate Loot~~
--~~Return to Rusty Clank~~

Optional Objective-
--~~Find a Deep Range Transmitter Relay for the Brotherhood~~

At his approach, I saw Rusty's eyes widen as he noticed our new companions, the Assaultron modified to look like Ministry Mare Applejack sauntered behind me and a huge Sentinel Bot rolled through the double doors bringing up the rear. "Sweet Celestia! What in the hell is that thing?!" he yelped, scrambling back from AssaultJack and pointing a shaking hoof at it... her?

"Well Ah never! Ah'm not a thing ya know! Well not so much anyhoo, AssaultJack at yer service, Mr. Clank Ah'm guessin'?" The strange copper and gold robot answered back, her voice a mimic of the Ministry Mare she was modeled on.

"It's a long story Mr. Clank, the short version is we did it... We now own this place and there is all the treasure you could hope for back there," I tried to calm the old ghoul.

We had come here as part of a deal with him for salvage, money for Sanctuary, trade to help my home grow along with trying to bring the ponies of the Commonwealth together. We had actually managed our part, so now it was the trader pony's job.

Rusty blanked a moment taking it all in, his milky eyes even teared up and he wiped it away. "You did it... you actually did it? Everything back there? It's all still there then?"

I nodded at the memory of a storage warehouse full of boxed parts, components, appliances, robots... it would take weeks to even sort through it all. The shining AssaultJack following me had guarded this place so perfectly, that Rusty was basically the only scavenger to take anything all these years, and only because he paid the clerk up front. Now that the robot mare was on my side, all the booty within was up for grabs.

"Sure is! Take a look for yerself if you want Rusty! We are gonna be rolling in caps, it's amazing back there! Never seen so much prewar junk in one place before!" Val bounced in place, rubbing her claws together, even her greed wasn't a match for what actually just sat back there.

We had gone back to inspect the warehouse and find the part for Steel Dance and Summer Wind before returning. The two Brotherhood ponies were looking quite happy at their acquisition, bundling it up carefully and stowing it in Dance's armored storage.

Rusty brightened and practically leapt forward, "I can?! I-it's safe?"

"Safer than outside that's for sure," now that we were up front I noticed the large number of red marks on my E.F.S. still outside the front doors.

The horde of zombies that had chased Dance and Summer here were milling around aimlessly out there. That made getting out again a little difficult, though I had a thought on that. Needing no further encouragement Rusty dashed forward, pausing a moment at the swinging doors before crossing the barrier with a gulp and trotting down the hall.

Exhausted, I slumped against the counter and dug around in my inventory for a Sparkle Cola, looking up to Val padding along to join me. She frowned at the carroty beverage and snatched it away before I could open it, replacing it with one of two beers she pulled from her own bags.

"No boss, you don't celebrate with that nasty orange stuff, do it right," she thumped down beside me and popped the top on her own, taking a long drink happily. Personally I just wanted something wet, beer was fine too, as long as I took it easy. I had some more repair-pony work ahead of me.

I glanced over to the two Brotherhood ponies by the exit, they plainly wanted out, but a cautious peek out the door showed them how unlikely that was at the moment. I took a drink and looked over to AssaultJack standing idly in the salesroom, I needed to clean up the weird programming Mr. Watt's had wrote for her too. No time like the present, I wanted to get back to Jade and Glitter as soon as possible.

"If you two can wait, I think I can help clear the way a bit," I called over to the Brotherhood duo.

Dance turned back with interest, glancing at the robots awaiting orders, "Yes I imagine you could... between the two of them they could easily clear a swath out."

"No. Sorry but... the folks in Hex count on those zombies for protection, if I let these too off the chain they'd start wiping them out alright, but probably put a significant dent in the population too. I can't weaken a whole town just because it's convenient, without something to replace them."

Dance sputtered in indignation, "They're zombies! Ferals! It would be a mercy! Such abominations need to be cleansed to atone for the mistakes that birthed them!"

Considering the ghoul we had traveled with currently taking stock of the inventory in back, I didn't like that sentiment. Undead ponies were hard to get over and yes the feral ones outside probably were best laid to rest... But not at the expense of others and not all undead ponies were the same.

"I have an alternative. You don't like it, feel free to figure something out on your own, or wait till we leave."

The Steel Ranger huffed and sat near the door with a clank against the tiled floor, his scribe Summer Wind at least looked a bit embarrassed. Well, let him stew awhile. I took another sip and stood, patting Val on the shoulder. "Get some rest ok? I have some boring robot stuff to do in the service rooms. Keep an eye out here for me?"

She smiled and raised her bottle in salute, "Aye, aye boss! Don't take too long."

Crossing the room back to the swinging doors, I paused at AssaultJack and the Sentinel, "Ok, Sentinel... hmm have to come up with a name for you huh? Anyway, for now just guard right here ok? AssaultJack, come on, I need to tinker around in your head for a bit."

"CONFIRMED, GUARDING..."

"Wooo, Yessir Master Fast, gettin yer' hooves on mah chassis sounds pert nice!" Yes... had to clear that up now. She followed along loyally at least as I headed to Repair Bay- A, where I had found the Sentinel bot.

Some time later, the robotic mare was much less seductive. It took some digging around in Mr. Watts' code but I eventually tracked down most of his more... exotic... additions and managed to shut them all down. I was reeeeally glad I hadn't even asked out of curiosity, Mr. Watts had pretty bizarre tastes and most of the subroutines seemed terrifying or painful if they were carried out by the sleek killing machine.

Most of the nastier bits had been piled on top of the core programming though, the simulation of Ministry Mare Applejack's personality. Considering she already looked that way, I didn't see any harm leaving that much, it made her unique and more approachable than something like the Sentinel, more like Cogsworth.

With the rewrite completed she simply sat in the repair room with me quietly, while I worked on my first withdrawal from the storage warehouse in the back. A half dozen practically brand new Sprite-bots were on the workbench before me, their faded boxes littering the floor around me. I was going down the line and reprogramming each one to do what I wanted, their default blaring oompa music should make a nice distraction. I'd send them out, let them draw the ghouls away and follow the route I programmed, before going silent and returning here. I had made some adjustments to the security in the control room as well, making sure this place stayed secure when we left, it was going to take a lot of trips to clear it out.

Concentrating on the code before me, I didn't notice one of the round metal bots float up until a voice crackled out of its speaker. "Well, well... I see a bunch of new bots show up on the network and who do I find? Hello again 111, Fast.."

I didn't jump completely out of my skin, the cable attached to the current Sprite-bot held me down... "Watcher!?"

"Who else? No, strike that, a pony here or there has been known to pull this trick before too I guess. Yeah it's me. So... how are things in the Commonwealth? I've noticed a shiny new town spring up where we met, you've been busy."

"Sorta yeah. I followed your advice, found some friends."

"That's always a good thing Fast, friendship is magic after all. I have a lot of pans in a lot of fires and breaking through to the Commonwealth isn't exactly easy, heavy interference and all, but I do keep an eye out, if I disappear don't take it personal ok? I did some digging though, have access to Stable-Tec archives nowadays, so 111... stasis Stable... You're from before the war huh?" Was that a wistful twist to the toneless voice? It was hard to tell.

"Yeah, I was just a foal though."

"So, how has the adjustment been? I've seen it over a long time, curious what it's like hitting you all at once. You getting caught up? There are things that happened you should probably be aware of... that filly friend of yours for example..."

Jade... even without any inflection, I didn't like how he said that. "I've been managing. What about her? She's the reason I went and did what I'm wondering if you didn't try to trick me into in Poncord. I care about her, I still had some questions about that for you."

The floating robot hovered back and gave a static filled sigh, "Yeah I know, old habits are hard to break. They needed help, I didn't know what you'd do alright? If I told you..."

"I would have helped them."

"So I believe now, maybe you would have joined the raiders after them though... maybe you would have done nothing even knowing... I didn't know. Instead I watched, was happily surprised. Though it took you running across that blue one..."

I could feel anger start burning in my eyes, he had something against Jade alright, toneless voice or not. "If you have a problem with Jade you've got one with me Watcher! I guess I can accept your reasoning, I don't like it but I get it after being out here. I will not accept speaking ill of her though, got it?!"

Watcher bobbed back and forth a moment before continuing, "Right... sorry... She's a Follower, I know... they've been doing good. It's just... I have personal issues with them ok? Blue ones in particular... tricksy Trix-... nevermind, sorry ok?"

AssaultJack had silently slid behind the Sprite-bot as soon as my voice rose, she beat even it at sneaking up on others. "Ya'll want me to scrap this floatin' hunka junk Fast?"

The winged ball spun on the spot and zipped backwards, bobbing crazily, "A-A-Applejack?!? No... what the hell is this!?"

"Why's everypony keep on sayin' that? Ah'm AssaultJack twerp, mind if'n I buck it ta bits Master Fast? Don't like these little critters..."

Watcher spun and floated right in my face, "What is the meaning of this!? Applejack was a friend of mine! I don't appreciate this- this thing! Looking like her, talking like her! Is this your doing Fast!?"

I held my hooves up in the face of the furious little robot, a friend of Applejack? Who was Watcher anyway? Little Pip's book mentioned him early and more than once so far, maybe she found out, really had to work on finishing that somehow. "I didn't have anything to do with it Watcher. The pony that owned this place, Mr. Watts did it. I just took control and stopped it from killing everyone that came in here, that was worse right? Besides, I just finished cleaning up the code, you reeeeally wouldn't have liked it before."

"Watts.... that stalker pony... no wonder. If I knew he had done this... if Applesnack had! Ugh... don't suppose he's a ghoul or anything so I can hurt him a little? Be worth a trip out and through to the Commonwealth if I can manage it..." Even without any inflection, I could practically feel the anger baking off the little robot. Well, I understood, considering what Mr. Watts' obsession led to from what I had found, I wouldn't mind a little time with him either.

That reminded me, while I had the weird connection open I had to ask. "Sorry, he's gone. AssaultJack isn't the worst of what he wanted, I think he helped make something much worse that is making things bad in the Commonwealth. Watcher, what do you know about the Institute?"

"The Institute? You mean the school or... what I hear whispers about? Guessing the second huh? Sorry, not much, one story about... Wait... you mean Watts...." the robot looked back and forth from me to the modified Assaultron, slowly getting it. "He... he wanted? He helped!? HE MADE THOSE THINGS?!?"

"Robots that look, and most important to him, feel like real ponies? Yes. He inspired them, I think anyway."

"Oh that son of a... GRRRAHHH!!!" hearing a Sprite-bot try to roar was almost funny... a few moments passed while Watcher calmed down. "Sorry... I can guess what he wanted out of it, at least he didn't get to take advantage of his efforts I guess. So that's how it got started... well, you've given me something to chew on Fast, I should return the favor best I can. The Institute was a school once, there was a lot of back and forth with the Ministries though, O.I.A. dealt with them.... that's usually not a good thing."

"Whatever they turned into I don't know, but I do know the kind of things they got up to during the war. They came up with great... or horrible ideas, depending on who you asked. Twilight would go out there often to speak with the professors or give lectures. The things they worked on were beyond cutting edge, theory mostly, they didn't produce a lot, but they thought it up. You could kinda think of them as a darker version of the Ministries, no Ministry Mares holding them back at all, but similar areas of focus. Students from there were funneled into the Ministries when they graduated."

"I know that whatever they've become is responsible for a lot of the way the Commonwealth is now, but ponies living there don't know anything about them, I can't get much more info than them. I know the different departments had deals with local businesses and facilities scattered around the Commonwealth, Watts' was one such place they dealt with, now I know what came of it. One of the worst rumors from before the end was that they used those contacts to... experiment on ponies, secretly... Lots of weird occurrences and product recalls following accidents in the papers I could just see them being behind. From what I know now, they've gotten worse."

"They're crazy Fast. If something caught their interest they'd just start playing with it, no sense of whether it was right or wrong, whether they should or not, only if it was interesting. There are things in the Commonwealth that don't exist elsewhere that bear their hoof I'm sure. Just keep in mind, anypony you see, any creature, any town or city, any ruin, if they think it's interesting to experiment on they'll meddle with it, and not for reasons that make any real sense to anyone else."

"Look, this window is closing... I have to think, talk to some friends here. Your little town is closer to the edge than you are now, it's easier to communicate there. I'll try to be in---" with a squawk the Sprite-bot cut out and hovered silently, waiting to be told to go on the mission I assigned it.

AssaultJack tilted her head and adjusted her floppy hat, puzzling over the now quiet robot, "That was right peculiar. Seemed a touch offended at me, didn't he? Friend o' mine? Applejack's ah mean... funny. Welp, ya'll 'bout done Master Fast? Been coolin' mah hooves here a long time, lookin' forward to stretchin' out a bit."

I sighed looking at the Sprite-bot, still not much to help out, a little more info than what I had. I returned to finishing up the last bit of reprogramming and disconnected my pip-buck, Watcher tried anyway, it was just that like most things, the Commonwealth was on its own. No rebuilt Equestrian Army was going to come marching in and save the day, let alone find what happened to my Stable. That was on me.

With my new parade of Sprite-bots and AssaultJack bringing up the rear, I walked back to the salesroom and toward the exit, catching Dance and Summer scrambling up anxiously. Nodding to them, I crept up and cracked the door enough for the round robots to hover through and out into the lot, hearing the loud music start up as I shut it back again.

"There, give them a little while and they should lead the zombies away, ok? Sorry I can't do more than that, but for the time being this is the best I can manage. I hope you make it back wherever your going with your part safe." I really did, for the most part I liked the pair. Accepting their offer to join them was out for now since I didn't know anything about them really, but maybe we'd meet again.

Steel Dance seemed to think along the same lines, "No, thank you Fast, Miss Valkyrie. Scribe Wind has convinced me your assessment is correct, this seems the wisest course of action right now and I believe we can return safely. I meant what I said about joining the Brotherhood, we have our mission to think of right now but the Institute... we are aware of them as well and share your apparent disdain. I hope we can work together towards that end in the future, for now we'll be returning to Manebridge, come visit us in the old police station there if you are out that way and we can talk more, alright?"

The heavy helmet of his armor slid back up, covering his pale grey head with a hiss as it locked back in place and he turned to the door, presumably watching the armor's E.F.S. system track the zombie's red marks dispersing outside. His scribe Summer Wind shuffled forward and looked up with her light green eyes from under the brim of her red cap, "T-Thank you again Fast, I'm glad we met! I hope you visit, Paladin Dance is a good pony but... having another repair-pony to talk with is nice, he doesn't understand machines like us..." she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and giggled at the last.

She glanced around a moment before tossing her short brown mane and reaching to her holster, drawing the boxy magical energy weapon she carried. "H-here... a memento in case we don't... meet again... I have other weapons, don't worry! I-I'd just like you to have it ok? Come see us in Manebridge!"

Turning down a well offered gift seemed wrong, so I picked it up from where she placed it on the ground in front of her, cocking an eyebrow at her curiously, but just getting a blush and nod. I didn't have the heart to say I was totally unfamiliar with magical energy weapons, guns were fine, these were different. Well, I'd hold onto it as what she said, a memento of the first pegasus I had seen on the surface, easy to remember as I saw my pip-buck label it "Righteous Authority" in my inventory. I was glad it was such a nice one I met, pretty helped too, though she wasn't Jade.

Dance peeked out the door again and turned down to his scribe, "Alright, that's enough fraternizing Scribe Wind... looks clear enough now, we need to get back and you have to get this installed. Fast, Valkyrie, Mr. Clank... pleasure to meet you all, hope to see you again." With that he gently pushed the door open and slipped out, Summer gave a final wave following in his wake and we were left alone again.

"Oh I have to tell Blue about this boss... I think you have a thing for feathers!" Val hooted, waving her drink around happily.

"Wha?" where did that come from?

Val narrowed her violet gaze at me a moment before it widened gleefully, "Ha! You don't even know! That Enclave... alright former Enclave... the feathery filly likes you boss!"

"What!? We just met, we've known each other a couple hours, most of which was under threat of death... She's not Jade. You're teasing me again Val."

That just got fresh gales, "Oh come on, you really are clueless aren't you? Jeez boss, life and death situations been known to get folks frisky ya know. I figured you were doin' stuff like this on purpose, had you pegged as a smoooooth operator, hell was considerin' takin' a ride myself! Still may actually... hafta get over the disappointment that you're just blundering your way through it on accident though. I mean if you're not tryin' then gotta reevaluate a little... wait... the whole innocent thing ain't a bit is it..."

"C-Conversation over Val. Come on Rusty, l-let's get back to Hexington huh?" I looked for the quickest retreat and had to put up with Mr. Clank's ghoulish smirk as he started gathering the small first load of salvage we intended to take with us.

"Oh my Gawd! You haven't..." Val was goggling at me, before she got a strange predatory expression and started prowling torwards me.

"I HAVE KILLER ROBOTS!" No, we weren't getting into this. The embarrassment did clear up all the morose thoughts from coming so close to the Institute and just being left with nothing much, but I could think of better ways to do that, beer for example, getting back to Glitter and Jade for another.

Both the Sentinel and AssaultJack snapped to attention at the mention, I was joking but humor was lost on them. If I said so whatever was the target would quickly just cease to be. Val did look mollified for a moment and raised her claws in surrender, "Oh fine... fine... sure thing boss. We'll pick this up later... Totally unrelated but virgins are valuable right? I mean they are the go to sacrifice an' all, vampires want their blood most in old stories right? Gotta be valuable...."

"I-I'm going to go hide in the cart... come get me when it's time to go. Robots, let's move out, escort duty right?"

I could feel myself turning red as I stomped out, I wasn't getting into my experience or lack thereof here, it wasn't my fault. There was only a dozen or so mares near my age in the Stable on my shift and I only got along with Sunset, just not that way. Charismatic stallions like Grizz could 'make the rounds' as he explained once, that kind of thing wasn't for me though. Thinking on it, I guessed it wasn't that way up here, ponies lived short lives filled with danger, if Val wasn't completely teasing and danger stirred ponies up like that...

I remembered the mares selling themselves in the Mayor of Hexington's office too, a complete revelation to me at the time but treated as totally common. This was apparently a major blind spot for me. I experimented with flirting with the Mayor's assistant Oblige Heart, but mainly towards my own goals that didn't include bedding her, more killing her boss. Could I have? Or with Summer? No... it couldn't be that easy, could it? Jade was a different matter, I did think about that with her privately, but hadn't been in any rush. She had her own issues, while I was used to just not thinking about it for the most part out of necessity.

Things worked differently up here though, I'd have to start trying to think of this stuff I guessed, or I was going to get in trouble somewhere. At least I understood robots, nothing nearly so complicated to them, they didn't tease like Val as they followed me out the doors and over to the cart cautiously.

Watching the bulky Sentinel rattle down the stairs, I considered the trip ahead, "Sentinel... we're trying to be quiet on the way back to the town we're going to. No big explosions or miniguns if we can avoid it ok... Just nod!" That booming voice was the last thing we needed, it obeyed and nodded back, powering down its primary weapons and rolling over to the cart as silently as it could manage. I didn't think I needed to say anything to AssaultJack, silent death was her whole thing already.

Reaching the battered cart, I climbed in the back under the old tarp and buried myself in the back. The trip back would let me think anyway, and being silent to avoid a horde of undeath at least left me free of any further teasing, for now... Ugh... Val was going to be unbearable.

Spotlights and some tense shouts over the huge Sentinel rolling up to the gates of Hexington greeted me when we arrived and I climbed out of the cart. AssaultJack was nowhere visible, so they couldn't complain about her yet at least, Rusty's status in the community finally opened the way and we entered the town together.

As we rolled into the town square I noticed something seemed off. The bedraggled residents seemed tense and watched us carefully, clearing the way mostly. Some of the guards bore fresh looking wounds and kept a close eye on us as well, a now visible AssaultJack and the Sentinel probably contributed to that, but it still didn't seem right.

Val landed beside me swishing her tail, "Alright boss... hotel... I want my pay, now! Thought about it an' I'm takin' it before Blue does, let's go!"

And so it begins... I groaned as she kept bumping into me, fluttering her eyelashes, keeping my head down and hoping my dark coloration hid some of the blush as we walked towards the statue of Applejack in the square. We headed for Rusty's shop to find a burly zebra outside the door, the guard from the Dreary Inn, he looked to be waiting for us since he called into the store at our approach.

I had a moment to be confused at the situation, before Rusty's wife Copper Coil came running out, a white filly charging behind her, her silver hair, pink dress and red coat, along with a lot of tears, streaming behind her as she screamed, "DADDY!!" Both robots tracked the foal as she tackled me, making sure it wasn't an attack given the speed she hit me with.

"What?! Glitter, what's wrong? Are you ok!?!" If something here hurt her... I had two death machines at my beck and call, I'd raze this entire town to the ground if needed, the dark Shroud in my head was readying the order as she sobbed into me.

"T-They took her! M-M-Miss J-Jade! They t-took her!"

What...

"B-Bad ponies! They t-took her! I-I-I tried daddy! I tried but they took her awaaaaaaay!" she dissolved into tears, burying herself in my cloak.

Copper caught up along with the zebra stallion, gasping when she got a look at my face. I was holding one hoof to Glitter to try to comfort her absently. The other was shaking too much, I was staring straight ahead, feeling my red eyes blazing at no target yet. Somepony was about to suffer, the poor ghoul and zebra approaching just happened to be in the way.

The dark Shroud in my head took over as the rest of me was completely numb, whispery voices up there were shoved aside. I lifted my free hoof up and started clicking through the pip-buck, bringing up Jade's locator tag, there it was... not far, right in the center of the balefire bomb crater. Well... that place was already destroyed in fire once, another time wouldn't hurt...

"Be Kind..."

shut up...

"Be Strong!..."

SHUT UP!

"Be Dark..."

Yes....

Val seemed to notice something wrong, she was no longer playful but got right in my face, taking the glare. "Boss! C'mon boss.... calm down! Yer gettin' kinda scary there, take it easy ok? Gotta be cool so we can get her back right?"

Glitter peeked up from her sobs and for a moment looked stricken with fear, like she suddenly found herself hugging a Hellhound. Maybe she thought I blamed her... That was enough to get myself back under control at least, I shook my head and gave her a real hug back. "It's ok, I know you tried. It's not your fault alright? Don't think that, we're going to get her back and go home and everything will be fine. Here... I got you something while I was gone..."

Floating the stuffed Applejack toy to her broke that pained expression for a moment, she clutched it to her side as she resumed crying into me softly. "T-t-thank you dad... I'm ok... j-just get her b-back, please..."

"I will."

Looking up, I saw Rusty comforting his wife and whispering back and forth quietly, the zebra still stood there, stern expression set in stone. I turned to Copper, she had been watching Glitter, she knew what happened, I wanted answers. Now.

"Who?"

Copper broke away from her husband and looked bad kindly, "Those religious nuts... she was in the zebra section of town, helping... A group of those robed bastards walked up, talked to her and did something to her, what I hear she passed out or something. They grabbed her and ran for the gates. Your foal there or Mr. Zed her can tell you better, I just got it second hoof. I'm sorry Fast, we'll do whatever we can."

The zebra stallion finally stepped forward to speak. Looking him up and down, he was intimidating. Not big and bulky, but strong looking, lean and muscular. His jacket and tie were abandoned now that he wasn't working it seemed, instead he wore strange bangles around his forelegs, made of some heavy looking green material, a thick necklace of bone and various types of metal was draped around his neck, over a brown leather chest piece.

"You should come with me, the elder wishes to speak with you little pony," he had a deep sonorous voice and waited patiently.

"I don't care, I want answers, then I'm leaving."

"If you want answers you should come with me. We have one of them..." Alright, that got my attention.

"Let's go."

I stood and started walking towards the dark side street the zebras inhabited, the strange stallion pulling ahead and leading the way. Glitter huddled at my side and Val brought up the rear, with both robots following. Walking through the entrance to the small section of town, I looked up to a ramshackle sign crossing the street above in an arch reading; "Little Roam"

This part of town was somehow even more depressing than the rest, candles flickered in windows, power wasn't run here except in a few rare spots I could make out. A couple of strangely decorated shops were down this way, but they did little business. Smaller versions of the shops out in the square catering to zebras, somewhere they could barter among themselves fairly I guessed. This 'Zed', as Copper called him, was leading us towards a ruined post office down at the end of the street.

I tried not to pay attention to the numerous zebras huddled together around fires on the sidewalks, sharing meager food and watching distrustfully while we walked by, a pony in their midst, along with two deadly robots made specifically to kill their kind. Hard to blame them for the concerned glances really. Several of them looked sick from significant radiation poisoning and were being cared for as best as they could manage.

Even with Jade the primary concern, the darker part of me was taking notes, I didn't like any of this. Jade had been trying to help these zebras because of the miserable conditions they suffered under. I briefly considered giving AssaultJack a description of Oblige as the only non target, then just sending it off to the mayors office to clear it out. First things first though.

Inside the crumbling post office were quite a few zebras of varying ages, several carried spears and other melee weapons, a few held assault rifles and other guns, acting as guards for the aging stallion sitting in front of a low fire in the lobby. This one had decorations similar to Zed's, but much more ornate. At our approach he nodded sadly and gestured to sit down, I stood waiting.

"You are the friend of the one who helps? The alicorn? I am sorry for what happened, please sit, let us speak. I am Elder Zin, we wish to help and repay the doctor."

None of the zebras moved, simply waiting for me to take the offered seat. I didn't have time for this, I needed to go now, to do something! Grumbling, I finally forced myself to sit, holding Glitter in front of me as she focused on her new doll.

"Talk fast..."

The older zebra nodded and started speaking in his low voice, commanding the attention of everyone around him. "Your filly friend was here, offering her healing freely and tending the sick. I am ashamed to admit we were reluctant to accept the help at first, but she is not like most of the ponies here, she is kind. She had attracted several patients when they came, the Children of Balefire... They preach their strange religion here occasionally and rarely entice one of our kind to their ranks.

We do not like them, but they have been harmless, those that choose to join them are free to do so, but we encourage the Children not to come to Little Roam anymore. This group was different, larger than normal and not here to preach. They were led by a large pony under a more ornate green cloak than they usually wear. This leader walked up to the doctor, they spoke a bit, she seemed surprised but not fearful. Suddenly she simply fell to the street, whether a faint or an attack I do not know, though Zed has said he spotted a glow of magic under the hood."

"As soon as she fell, the Children grabbed her and started to leave. Your foal stood in their way to stop them and was shoved aside. She is very brave. Many of those who had received treatment came to her defense, including Zed here. Things escalated quickly, the confrontation turned violent... they used strange magic weapons of your kind and normal guns, fighting their way out and through the guards who were alerted by the gunfire. Once it was clear they were leaving however, they let them go, clearing the streets of violence and returning order, while the Children left with the doctor."

So Mayor Lash's guards just let them go, only getting involved when things spilled outside of the zebra section and not giving chase or locking the gates down. We were going to have a talk very soon... The religious ponies too... I bucked myself internally, I saw them stare at her but merely thought it was because she was so striking, not because they were marking her. I knew where Jade was, I had to guess this was where the strange group was based out of.

"Where's your prisoner?"

Elder Zin sighed and waved to the left, alerting a spear wielding guard to retrieve his charge. He dragged a weakly struggling stallion in a tattered green cloak, bound tightly. "I am afraid you are unlikely to get much of sense from this one though, whether mad to begin with or after Zed's attack we do not know. We tried a truth potion on them, but their answers remained insane."

Val had already crossed the room, gesturing to me to stay right where I was holding Glitter, one dark claw shot out and grabbed the cultist by their robe at the neck, drawing them up to her view. "Start talkin' ugly or I start peeling bits off..."

"I fear not pain! I have been touched by the holy glow of balefire! I shall be reborn in the image of the mother! You fools meddle where you should not! We merely returned the blue back to her proper place!! We---" the mad raving cut off when the yellowing eyes of the sick pony fell on me. "DESTROYER! NO! Keep him away from me!! Don't let him take my place from me!!!"

Well... that was easy, he was already scared of me. I kept my place, but floated out Best Served and watched it drift lazily toward the cultist, his eyes growing wider at its' approach. His hood fell away in his struggles, but Val wasn't letting him go anywhere, now that I could see I could tell this was a very sick pony. Oozing sores covered his exposed pale green hide, wisps of his purple mane were all that remained, the rest having fallen out. He was dying of radiation sickness, yet somehow even his presumably rotting brain viewed me as a threat.

The gleaming knife stopped in front of his face and bobbed back and forth, his eyes tracking it as he shook. The zebras in the room were all also locked on the blade, shocked expressions on their faces and some were backing away, I absently heard one whisper "star-" star something? Didn't matter. I checked Glitter and was reassured she was focusing intently on her toy, she knew enough not to watch.

"You took my friend... I don't like when that happens, bad things result... or are going to. I want to know why, and about where exactly besides the bomb crater. I don't know why you're scared of me, but I'm not above taking advantage of it. I will take your place from you, whatever that means, if you don't start telling me what I want to hear."

The mad pony struggled and whined before gibbering an answer, "We rescued her from you! You are a disciple of the Destroyer!! You came to this place wearing her vile garb! We could not leave a member of the family in your company! We took her to the church to be returned to the fold, brought back to us through the holy glow of bale! You will never reach her, my brothers and sisters will never allow it!"

Destroyer disciple? Garb? When I last saw these religious nuts, what was I wearing? Pretty much everything I had on now, except for my blue Stable barding... that's what was setting him off? Ooook.... didn't matter, the main points I took away were there was a church somewhere near this crater, and the occupants were not going to be friendly. Much as I wanted to just take this ones head on the spot with the knife floating in his face, Glitter was here, plus it wouldn't help and would probably spook the zebras watching avidly. They had tried to help and given me more information than I had, I'd rather not repay that by eviscerating the cultist in their home. I satisfied myself by yanking his ratty green hooded cloak off, revealing the very sick body beneath. It may come in useful.

I floated my knife back and gave Glitter a nudge as I stood, waving Val off, she tossed the shaking cultist to the corner and returned to my side. I turned back to Elder Zin, noticing he, along with every other zebra, following the progress of Best Served until it disappeared into my packs. "Thanks for your help, I appreciate it. Do whatever you want with him, I'm going to get her back. I'm sure she'll come see you again once I do and keep trying to help, I will too... in my own way."

"We would do more... or one of us would. Zed..." at the Elder's nod, the tough zebra stepped forward and joined us. What?

He just stood there, looking at me passively before finally deigning to speak again, "I have my own reasons and dislike of the Children of Balefire. I will accompany you, I know their church and defenses. What they have done here calls for retribution."

Alright.... now I had a zebra as part of my growing entourage? "Er... you don't have to do that, I'm sure we can..."

"I am going little pony. Accept it."

Even with the kind of destruction I could bring down on this place right now, having those icy grey eyes glare down at me was intimidating. Whatever, he wanted to come, let him come. I shrugged and turned to leave, barely glancing back as he just silently fell in line with the others. I wanted to spend more time to get to know the zebra community when I came back, this hadn't been the best meeting though.

I did get some initial impressions anyway, I liked the Elder, he said they liked Jade which was a major check in their favor. He was doing the best he could with a bad situation, being marginalized and taken advantage of. Something else to fix... My pip-buck agreed, offering its' opinion;

Mission Updated- Troubled Waters
-Objective
--Broker deal for water shipments with Hexington
Optional Objectives--
--Reopen the bridge to Diamond City
--Replace Mayor Lash
------Make Oblige Heart Mayor
------Make Rusty Clank Mayor
------Make Elder Zin Mayor

Three groups living here, three options. Something to think about for later. Busy now.

Heading back to the square, I started trying to think constructively. We were going to the site of a balefire bomb detonation, the radiation would be extreme... So, Glitter was staying right here and we'd need anti-radiation medicine. Considering Jade held most of our medical stores... that left us sorely lacking, she made all of us carry a couple Rad-Aways at all times, along with a tablet of Rad-X, but I had the feeling that wasn't nearly enough. I assumed there was only one place to get more too.

"Val, please go to that doctor pony's office, we need radiation drugs. All of them. Pay for them, or don't, but we are getting them, right? You may want to impress on him that things are going to change around here, better he gets in on the ground floor."

The griffon merc gave a wicked grin, "Got it boss! I'm gonna enjoy this," and with that she flew over to the tattered awning over the doctor's office and barged in.

Ahead of us Rusty and Copper were still outside, Rusty was unloading his cart, but Copper merely waited, watching us approach. I didn't want to impose, but Rusty and I were partners now, Copper had already cared for my foal, hopefully she wouldn't mind doing so a little longer. I wasn't sending her back to our room in the hotel, even properly guarded as she was about to be, she needed more than just physical support right now.

"Copper, Rusty, I'm sorry to ask, but can you please watch Glitter for me, I'll be back soon." Both ghouls started to reply, nodding before being interrupted by the foal in question.

"NO! I wanna go!! I wanna help get Miss Jade back!!! D-don't leave me again!! Please d-daddy!!"

I softened a bit looking at her wailing to go, but it wasn't happening. "Glitter, going there will make you sick. It's worse for foals than adults. It's going to be too dangerous too. I am getting her back, but it won't be pretty ok? If it's alright with them, I want you to stay with Rusty and Copper, I'm not leaving you alone though ok? AssaultJack!"

The gleaming robotic mare trotted up at my call, "Yessir Master Fast? What can ah do fer yah!"

"I want you to stay here with Glitter, guard her, do what she asks. If anyone tries to hurt her, eliminate them by whatever means necessary."

AssaultJack practically quivered at the prospect, "You got it Fast, Why it'll be like watchin' Applebloom! Ah can handle it no problem! We'll have lots o' fun little filly, pleased ta' meetcha!"

Eyeing the gleaming robot dubiously, Glitter looked back to me, trying the puppy eyes trick. Good, but not enough right now. "No. I'm sorry Glitter, but no. You stay here, you'll be safe and I'll be back as fast as I can, with Jade. Here... I- I have another present for you, but you have to promise me to be careful with it, alright?"

Hearing how the small foal had tried to protect Jade and was rudely shoved aside had made me accept some hard truths about the wasteland. Seeing the bruise on her blank flank decided me, even if I didn't like it. Going unarmed out here just wasn't safe, even for foals. Until I could get her back to Sanctuary safely, I wanted to be sure she could protect herself in an emergency. I floated out Righteous Authority from my bags and down to her. From what I knew of energy weapons they didn't have any recoil, which would help if she had to use it. It was made to be small and mouth operated too, so the earth pony foal shouldn't have a problem. I hoped Summer wouldn't be too upset I gave away her gift, but it was for a good reason.

"This is not a toy Glitter. This is dangerous. You are not to play with it, you are only to use it if you absolutely have to. That shouldn't come up with AssaultJack guarding you, but I want you to have it. Promise me you'll treat it for what it is, deadly. Understand? Promise."

She sniffled, but finally seemed to accept it reluctantly. With a nod, she took it from my magic and stashed it in her faded red jacket. "O-ok.. I promise. B-but you hafta promise you'll come back! With Miss Jade, right?"

"Right, I promise. Be good ok?"

Copper and Rusty came up slowly and the ghoulish mare gave the foal a hug, "Don't worry Fast, we'll take good care of her. Treat her like our own, always wanted foals of our own just... we can't really now." She gestured to herself and Rusty, I supposed being dead put a crimp in having children together.

As a last ditch attempt at making her feel better, I showed her how to bring up locator tags in her pip-buck. She could track exactly where Jade, Val and I were on her map. She couldn't go with us, but she could see where we were and when we got to Jade, rather than just wait here unknowing and worried. That seemed to make her feel a little better and she hoofed at the device absently, staring at the screen.

I gave her one last comforting hug and watched AssaultJack take up her position at the foal's side. After fighting the modified Assaultron, I almost felt bad for anyone who even tried to hurt Glitter in any way. Ruffling her mane, I pulled away and tried not to look back. This must be awful for her, but she was as safe as I could make her and I had to go.

My mind was screaming to get moving, to do something! Anything! Getting a rein on those thoughts, I walked over to the doctor's office with the Sentinel and now Zed still following. I closed in just in time to see Val burst out, a handful of orange packets and a small bottle of pills in her claws and the doctor screeching behind her.

"You come back here! You didn't pay my price for all that!! Those are premium items, you know what they're worth here!?!" The old doctor was raging as she sauntered away, ignoring his fit.

"You're chargin' waaaaaay too much, takin' advantage of all the folks that need this stuff. I paid fair price, don't like it, talk to the boss." she stowed the new acquisitions away and pointed a dark claw to me and the tank rolling behind me.

"You!!! What, yer filly friend runnin' around healin' the stripes wasn't bad enough? You gotta send yer griffon in to rob me!?"

Fighting the impulse to float a weapon out to his face, I just unloaded the worst of my burning scowl on him, making him stop sputtering a moment so I could quietly reply. "Doctor, I understand your position and have considered what you said to Jade earlier. I don't wish to drive you out of business, I see you have to make caps in order to provide your services and I guarantee you will not go poor. I will make sure you continue making caps and have all the support you need, we can even revisit this purchase when I get back."

"However.... taking advantage of the residents here is going to stop. Charging the zebras more for the same services is going to stop. Extorting the people here for these radiation drugs, when they need them desperately is going to stop. Profiting off of suffering in general is going to STOP! Things are going to change around here doctor, do we understand each other?"

He scowled and sputtered, but finally choked down all the responses whirling in his head. He hated me, but I had a Sentinel and griffon looming over him. We had attracted some attention from the residents as well, I saw whispers and darting glances, but no one came to his defense. It seemed he wasn't so popular around here and was just now realizing it.

"I... You!... Gah!! Yer gonna settle up when you come back! G-Get outta here!" he huffed and gulped down all his indignation, trying to make a respectable retreat back to his office under the watching eyes of the residents of Hex.

We walked to the metal gates and the guards paused, unsure what to do. A good glare got them moving again and we passed out into the ruins surrounding Hexington, the marker at the bottom of my vision showing me just where Jade was. I was coming for her.

Creeping through the ruined streets from one bit of cover to the next was slow going. Maddeningly slow considering I had to hold myself back from just running flat out toward the arrow I was following on my compass. Still, we had managed to avoid most entanglements with the zombies in the area pretty well. A good deal of the reason was the brusque zebra leading the way.

Once we left the gates, Zed had pulled out an earthen pot of some foul zebra brew from his own strangely decorated saddlebags, smearing the dark goop on himself liberally before turning to me. Some kind of potion that made us much less attractive to the zombies, he did explain that it was zebra magic that created them, they understood certain aspects of the zombies very well. Smell apparently was a big thing for them, the smell of living pony flesh. With the gagging concoction applied to my armor, they weren't sniffing us out at least.

Trying to engage him in whispered conversation hadn't been going well though, whatever his reasons were for insisting on going to this Church of the Balefire place were his own and were staying that way so far. Just watching him as we moved through the ruins, I learned a thing or two about being sneaky, he put me to shame. Watching him come out of his latest hiding spot and waving me forward, I made another attempt, anything to keep my mind off Jade.

"So... Zed, you're really good at this sneaking around..." I ventured quietly.

"Easier when not talking.."

"Er... yeah... but still, you do this a lot?"

He glared back at me for a moment near a rusted carriage he could duck behind, "We are not free to roam like the ghouls. If we wish to make a living here, we must be cautious. We must work harder under more difficult conditions to survive. We are better at it."

"Makes sense... umm... I don't think that's very fair though, I'd like to do something about it if I can, after we get Jade back."

That hard expression of his twisted for just a moment, rejection then caution. "You are friends with the alicorn who tried to help. Perhaps you mean that pony, experience says not. We will see."

"I do! So, come on, why are you coming with us? It'd help to know something..."

Zed groaned softly moving up the street again, looking back at the Sentinel trailing far behind as quietly as it could. "My brother."

"Your brother? You have one?"

"Yes. He was sick, we could not afford medicines to help him enough. I took up work at that hotel place to try to earn it, but it was never enough, he grew sicker each day. He started listening to the Children of Balefire and their blasphemy, desperate for a cure. Over time he began to believe as they do, then he joined them..."

Zed's brother was one of the ponies... cultists, we were going towards? I could see the brightening glow ahead, we weren't far from the crater now. If he was there, I had to update my plans, indiscriminate slaughter was out... for now. "You want to get him back?"

"I have tried, many times. I know this church and their defenses from my repeated visits. On my last visit I was told he was gone, taken somewhere for his ascension they said, his cure. I have not seen him since and have been barred from looking for him there. If they are lying and he is there or has died, they will pay. If he is not there, they will tell me where he is, then they will pay. If he is there and he was part of this, he will pay."

Wow... the dark Shroud in my head loved this zebra. Though personally the part about making his own brother pay was a bridge too far for me, could Better do anything that would make me feel that way? Thinking about my baby brother hurt, more so in the face of having one more pony I cared about taken away. I could find this one though. I'd get her back, then I'd find a way to get Better back, and mom and dad, and everyone. I tried to search through my thoughts about my own brother and express them to the zebra, but he hushed me before I started.

"We are here, the rim is ahead, beyond those ruins. We are near enough to see the church without being spotted, if you are careful. Stop your robot."

Right, I didn't feel like being subtle so I brought the tank like Sentinel bot instead of AssaultJack, but no reason to play my hoof to early. I held a hoof up for it to stop and it complied, waiting down the street, powering up its weapons. Zed and I crawled forward into the shattered face of a multi story factory, only this one wall remained, but it gave cover to hide behind and look down into the huge crater beyond. As I peeked up through a gaping window, Val landed quietly behind us.

"Don't look good boss, you can see her though..." she whispered and I nearly lunged through the window frame.

My pip-buck was chattering angrily at me this close to the hellish crater, my personal radiation count was moving away from the blue and green end of the rainbow colored gauge, edging into yellow and orange beyond. I swallowed a Rad-X tablet to slow the rate I was absorbing the radiation and sipped a foul tasting orange Rad-Away, looking down on the crater.

It was a huge bowl shaped depression in the city that still burned with scattered green balefires. Brackish green water collected in the bottom and an army of ghouls roamed about, soaking in all the radiation. Right in the center, a walled enclosure made of scrap and junk was built in a circle, enclosing the point of detonation and leading away in a long avenue towards the edge.

As the walled path hit the steeper incline, a series of stairs and platforms with rusty shacks made their way up, to the open back of a ruined church building. Somehow half of the building had survived, the entryway and tall steeple facing away from the crater leaned quite a bit, but were reinforced and enclosed as well. Such places were to offer thanks to the Princesses Celestia and Luna, the Goddesses now... they were not meant to be in such a state, the sun and moon decoration on the top of the steeple was charred and bent.

What caught my immediate attention though was the center of the pit. A large tent had been put up, but its tattered form only partially hid what was underneath. Some kind of shrine? A large structure of yellow barrels stacked atop each other forming angled walls of a sort, some kind of decorations were on the the main face ponies would worship at. Right in the center of it all was the sleeping blue form of Jade...

She seemed fine from what I could make out at least, I could see nothing wrong with her other than being unconscious. Being right in the heart of all that radiation was actually good for her, she had to be in perfect health from what I understood. Half a dozen small foals were in front of her and the shrine in a semi circle, bowing and praying? They had to be ghouls to be able to just sit right in the middle of all that radiation, ghoul foals? What a horrible thought...

Seeing her right in front of me though... I was glad Val had grabbed my tail and held me in place. My first impulse was to just leap down the steep slope and start running right at her. I forced myself to calm down and took stock of the complex. It was big, well defended by all the presumably feral ghouls outside the walls, some glowing brightly green for some reason. There were more shacks and tents all down the walled path from the ruined church to the pit as well, there were a lot of them down there then. Some of the hooded shapes moved with purpose, patrolling guards. The wall had walkways and the odd guard tower down the length of it here and there. The direct approach wouldn't work then.

Zed seemed to grasp what was going through my head, "You cannot simply charge ahead blindly, despite what you see. You will not make it. The only path is through the entrance at the edge, the church building. It is defended as well, they are generally not aggressive, but I no longer trust that after tonight."

Dammit... the long way then. Unless... "Val! Can you just swoop in and grab her?"

"Er... no boss... no way I can lift that much pony. Stripes is right, from what I saw above, the only way through is the front, walled up there too, gunner's nests and sniper in the steeple. They don't want company."

Alright... some way to get in. E.F.S. showed nothing but green looking their way, but that could change. Based on the reaction of the one I talked to, it probably would, they didn't like me in particular. I had taken that ones hooded cloak though... "Can you get me over the wall Val? Without them noticing?"

She grumbled and fluffed up, but considered it, "Probably, you won't stay undiscovered long though. Don't like putting you in there alone either."

I pulled the green cloak out and put it on over my heavy black one, a bit bulky, but I didn't want it touching me directly. Pulling the dark hood down, I looked to Val. "This will probably help, right?"

"I guess... don't like it though boss." She had filled her contract to Glitter already, making sure I returned safe to her, her reservations now had to be her own, which was a warming thought.

"Neither do I, but if I can sneak in I can get to Jade. It doesn't look like she's chained down or anything, just asleep. If I can wake her up, we can just fly out."

"An' if you can't? If she won't wake up? If you don't even get close?" her violet eyes were narrowed, she didn't like this plan either. Best to give her something to do she'd like.

"If things go wrong, if you hear anything at all, then you're the cavalry. You come in guns blazing with the Sentinel, lay waste to the whole place. I leave it to you. Sentinel! This is Valkyrie Bloodtail, my.... lieutenant. In my absence you obey her, got it?"

"CONFIRMED, CHAIN OF COMMAND ESTABLISHED" it lowered the volume at least, but the tone was unchanged.

She was still grousing to herself, but looked satisfied at the prospect of being in command of the hulking robot and getting the chance for mass destruction. "Alright, alright... fine. I'll get you in, I think anything's fishy though, I'm goin', got it?"

"Right Val, counting on it."

Zed had been watching the exchange, coughing for attention. "I am going in as well."

"But..." I didn't have another of these green hoods to hide him under.

"I will not be seen. I will not interfere with your attempt. I have my own areas to investigate and will remain unnoticed. If things go poorly I will be there to assist. I will make my own way in, without your griffon. I am not asking."

If he insisted I couldn't really stop him I guessed. Having someone else in there with me in case things went bad was good too. Alright, this was the best we were going to get and I was going in one way or another. We'd try subtle first, if that failed, the Sentinel and Val were waiting.

Roaming through the compound of the Children of Balefire, I tried to keep my head down, letting the tattered green hood hide my unblemished features. The bulk of wearing it over my own black cloak helped give the impression there were things wrong with my body it was hiding, but I was in the minority for having a clear face...

Val had blasted down from high above and deposited me in the camp in a flash, my stomach lurched at the insane dive and sudden stop, but she got me in unnoticed and got away again. She was out there now, watching carefully I was sure, it was a comforting thought now that I was down here and surrounded.

As soon as my hooves touched the ground inside the perimeter, my pip-buck gave an informative flash; Discovered Location- Church of Balefire in case I didn't know... As I walked, a hooded mare nodded to me, her glowing eyes shining under her own hood. "Blessings of the Balefire too you brother."

That seemed to be the go to phrase around here, parroting it here and there let me go freely as I approached the front of the church. More tents and shacks were up here in the walled area around the front of the old edifice and I had to weave around ponies roaming around with purpose, they were worked up about something alright. Zed had made his own way in and I didn't know where he was, though I swore I could see the odd blur of black and white out of the corner of my eye sometimes.

Walking toward the church entrance, I joined a growing crowd of hooded ponies, all making their way to the rotten wooden doors. As I fell under the shadow of the steeple, I risked looking up to take it all in, a strange symbol had been painted just below the bell tower where a sniper rested now. Yellow paint had stenciled it on from the look of it, drips ran down the stone walls from the three crescents overlapping each other from three directions, their points facing out. I tried to mark it for future reference, the symbol of the Children of Balefire.

Swept along with the throng, we entered the double doors and walked into a vast chamber, open all the way up to the roof and looking out to the crater ahead. A couple small rooms were to either side of the entrance, and doors led off the main chamber to the sides. The left room here at the doors had stairs leading down to a basement I assumed, while the right led up. Either side of the large space ahead had walkways at the second floor and hooded ponies stood up there as well, looking down on the gathering crowd.

The main draw was here on the ground floor though, the moldy hardwood floors were covered with rows of pews still, all facing the pulpit ahead, framed by the open back half of the church looking down on the pit below. I had to admit, even if I didn't like it, that was a good set up to preach from. The blasted hellscape beyond bled green light into the chamber, backlighting the hooded figures on the raised platform. Two ponies stood there, the one behind the lecturn watching the crowd file in was tall and lean, a fancy version of the normal robes embroidered in golden symbols like on the church itself covered their features completely. Behind that one and to the left was a massive bulk covered in green robes, it stood unmoving at the first's side.

Things were quieting down as everyone found a seat on the pews ahead, not wishing to draw attention, I joined them. I wanted through this room to the open pit beyond the preacher pony, but this was a lot of bodies to go through to reach it. Taking my seat, I consoled myself, maybe I'd learn a thing or two about these nuts, I could at least look around inconspicuously, trying to memorize the layout and look for points of interest, who was armed, where to start...

While I was making plans the tall... mare, yes mare from the commanding voice floating down from the pulpit, from the shape of her hood she must be a unicorn as well. "Welcome, welcome children, please be seated and quiet yourselves!" How could that sound gentle yet menacing at the same time?

The gathered crowd did as she commanded immediately, you could hear a pin drop in the church now. Joining the others in their devoted attention, I had to hold a gasp in, was that blur of stripes up on the rafters above? I had to learn from Zed when I got the chance, he was a practical ninja.

"This is a joyous night children! We have liberated one of our family, even now she dreams of our grand mission, she sees the memories that led us here. When she soon awakens, filled with the holy glow, she will be one of us! She will see the purity and truth of our goals and abandon the foalish ways of these... Followers... We must rejoice and greet her with open hooves! We will honor the sacrifice of those who fell freeing her from her false life and the grasp of the disciple of the Destroyer..."

Keep it together... the Shroud in my head was blazing, she was talking about Jade, about brainwashing her? Making her give up everything she cared so much about to join them? That would never happen. All the cheers and fervent prayers didn't help things, I wanted to pull out Forks' knife and send it spinning right at that pulpit, to just back slowly to the door and unleash my lightning spell, burn this whole place down... No! Jade! With a real effort I turned back to the sermon in front of me.

"Yes, praise to the mother! Such a wonderful night for us all. One day soon, all may be lifted to her status as well, all may be healed and ascend! We grow closer and stronger every day, when she sees our great works there could be no argument. However... I would not have such a happy occasion marred..."

A whisper ran through the crowd, this was off script and loaded with menace. I felt a cold sweat spring up, but I was still undiscovered, just another worshiper here in the crowd. Whatever the mare up front was mad about still sent a chill through the room. The gathered zealots murmured to themselves, waiting to be told what was throwing off their celebration and to end it...

"That is correct, marred! stained! tainted, to use the unbelievers misused term for the holy blood. Even now I feel it, it grates at me, seething from within our midst! A disbeliever! An outsider within our sacred haven! The thoughts of a disciple of the Destroyer burn up to me from this gathered sea of such good ponies, ghouls and zebras alike."

Wait.... thoughts? Could she...

"Yes... I can Destroyer acolyte. I see you."

That hooded gaze fell right on me... shit. I went to bolt from the pew, but was enveloped in a field of green magic and lifted easily into the air, struggling weakly against the incredibly strong grip. She could read minds?!? That was cheating! I could do nothing but bob helplessly through the air, above the angry glares of the gathered flock, straight up to the pulpit and the mare in charge.

Hovering directly before her, I could see her green eyes glaring from the fancy hood, she shook her beautiful head free of the garment and waved her dark mane around her, her long horn glowing brightly. Unlike her worshipers, she was completely unblemished, in perfect health, practically glowing with life and power. Her magic grabbed at me and yanked the tattered robes away, revealing my black cloak and armor to a gasp from the crowd, whispers of "Destroyer" ran through the crowd and my E.F.S. was rapidly changing from green to red dashes all around me.

Scowling with those glowing green eyes, she hissed up to me. "I would not see one of my sisters in such company, I have freed her and you will not enslave her again Destroyer..."

Sisters? As if in answer to the thought, which was actually pretty likely... She puffed herself up, sticking her chest out and standing to her full height. Dark green wings unfurled from beneath her robes and stretched to either side of her in an impressive display.

Another alicorn....

-----------------------------------Level Up!------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------------

Blessed by Luna-----------
---You are a creature of the night, fitting for the Shrouded Stallion! You now gain +2 intelligence and perception between the hours of 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM.

Reputation Change!--------------------------------

The Brotherhood- Liked
--After working together successfully and making a good impression, especially on a certain scribe it seems... You are now liked by the brotherhood between the Steel Rangers and the former Grand Pegasus Enclave. You know where they went and they hope to see you again, they are much more likely to offer aid if you need it and hope you'll join their cause.

Hexington- Good Natured Rascal
---You're starting to be noticed by the residents and powers that be in Hex. The residents look on you better after your outburst and actions so far and you have made contact with all three groups that make up the town. Many don't know what to think for sure but the attention you've attracted will get to the Mayor eventually. You may find lower prices in certain shops and more sympathetic folks willing to help, though you may also run across just the opposite.

The Children of Balefire- Hated
---Whatever this church is about they really don't like you for some reason, something to do with your Stable barding apparently.... They are likely to attack on sight and unlikely to listen to anything you say. Luckily right now the feeling's mutual.

Ch. 16 My Kind of Town

Ch. 16 My Kind of Town

"G-Good morning Commonwealth! Er... This is Travelling Miles at Diamond City Radio... well you know that I guess. Anyway, welcome to another day in the wasteland, I um.. h-hope everyone made it through another night. In a bit of news though that seems kinda unlikely... There's reports of a lot of explosions and gunfire coming from the balefire crater outside Hexington last night. Contact with the folks in Hex has been spotty with the bridge closed, last we heard here there was some kinda church? Um... one sec... yeah, Church of Balefire, that's weird huh?

I think I remember seeing one of their members preachin', outside the gates to D.C. of course... Those types are p-pretty unwelcome round here, w-whether you agree with it or not. Anyway... er... yeah, something happened where their little church in this neck of the woods is... was? Dunno, lots of smoke still in sky this morning from that direction so... make your own guesses. M-maybe the goddesses didn't appreciate the competition huh? All the talk about.. er... Luna's wrath... the S-Shroud running around out there in the wastes, maybe not so crazy as it sounds? We'll let you know when we do folks, meantime how bout a little music to start the day?"

Gliding into the town of Hexington invisible let us avoid a lot of bothersome questions at the gates, the guards were actually pretty alert today and there was a buzz in the air even this early in the morning. Ponies and zebras ate meager meals around small fires in barrels and prepared for another day of scavenging, trying to use every last bit of daylight to scrape out as much as they could. We touched down in an alley and I heard conversation from a nearby crowd outside the narrow lane.

"Saw it myself! Goddess herself just plopped right down in tha middle of town!"

"Sure, sure... all the whiskey had nothin to do with it right Sour?"

"Yeah, can't even get yer facts straight either, Goddess Luna was blue alright but her mane was dark and all... sparkly... an' long. Not short an' pale!"

"I seen what I seen! Was to pale! How you even know what she looked like huh?"

"Really... yer really asking me that..."

"Oh... yeah... sorry, ferget the whole you bein' around back then thing sometimes Muffin... but still I seen it!"

The gravelly voice of a ghoul chortled and the group moved on, fading away as I walked visibly to the exit and looked back, Jade was still not there though. Don't tell me she ran off again! "JADE!"

"Sssssh! I- I am here Fast..." her voice whispered right behind me, still just invisible then.

"So... why not where I can see you? I like seeing you."

"You heard them... I seem to have c-caused quite a scene. Could we not just go to the others this way? Please?"

I sighed and relented, she didn't like attention and was bound to attract it after the display she put on, even in the dead of night. One tends not to forget a giant alicorn landing right in the center of town and taking off again. "You have to be seen eventually though... you want to help everyone here right? Can't do that if you hide Jade."

"I know... just let things get a little less crowded? Is that not ok?" I would continue, but feeling thin air nuzzle against you while walking up the street was distracting, I veered in surprise and ran into a rusting streetlight. "F-Fast! Oh dear..."

I scrambled back up darting glances around, hoping no one saw that seemingly unmotivated display of grace... of course I caught a few stares. Sure, I randomly ran into blunt objects for fun, that's it. Beating a hasty retreat, I trotted to Rusty's Salvage Emporium, trying to sneak by the doctor's office on the way, the owner wasn't happy with me right now.

Once we got there, I was heartened to see the dark Sentinel bot humming outside the doors, damaged but still whole. I had hoped it made it back, be a shame to just lose the rolling tank, though it would need some repairs. Seemingly at the thought, the Sentinel noticed me and turned.

COMMANDER RETURNS. UNIT REQUIRES SERVICE AND RELOADING

A gasp sounded from Jade at the booming robot, "This is the robot you spoke of Fast? It... obeys?"

"Yeah this is one of them, this is the standard one though, not the weird one. He listens really well, nothing to worry about Jade. Um, I'll get to fixing you as soon as I can ok Sentinel? I dunno about the reloading thing, have to find ammo you can use somewhere, so just sit tight."

CONFIRMED

My inspection of what I'd need to fix up the trusty tank was interrupted by a small white blur slamming into me and knocking me to the ground. Little hooves were pounding against my sides as I gasped up to see Glitter frowning at me, "Daddy! Where have you been!?! Why'd you leave again! How come you didn't wake me! Where's Miss Jade!!!"

"Ow! G-Glitter! She's right..."

"Ahem..." Jade's nervous cough from the door to Rusty's caught the foal's attention sparing me from the assault. She was peeking out from inside the doorway, looking down at the both of us. "Hello Glitter, I am here. A-Are you alright? When they took me you must have been..."

Whatever she was going to say was cut short, Glitter leapt from me and Jade got a chance to be tackled this time. Though I noted with a grumble even her best wasn't enough to knock the alicorn to the ground.

"Miss Jade! You're ok! I was worried! Did they hurt you? I... I tried to stop them!"

Surprised blue eyes softened at the silver maned filly clutching her legs, Glitter had been scared when the Children of Balefire kidnapped Jade alright. I felt bad having to leave her here, but was very grateful to Rusty and Copper for watching her and keeping her away from that horrible place.

"I am fine little one, they did not harm me, see? I was more concerned for you, but Fast informed me you were safe once he came for me. I am sorry that happened, you were very brave from what I hear. T-Thank you very much dear,"

Joining the two inside, I ruffled the foals mane and sat beside them, noticing AssaultJack watching silently from the corner, still guarding the Glitter. "See, promised I'd bring her back right? Couldn't wake you up just to say I hadn't now could I?"

She eyed me dubiously for a moment, but I did get a hug instead of more pounding hooves, so that was an improvement. "You should'a! I fell asleep watchin' you on the map, when I woke up you two were somewheres else an' Auntie Val told me you left me alone again! Bad poppa!" I only got a small frown before she turned on Jade with wide eyes, "Were you really all great big Miss Jade? You look fine now, Val wasn't makin' stories up, was she?"

Jade flushed a bit, looking to me before answering in embarrassment, "Er... y-yes, I was... the griffon was telling the truth. That can happen to me sometimes. I... did not wish you to see me that way though."

"Awwww! Why not!? I bet it was really cool!"

The alicorn filly's discomfort was only added to by Rusty speaking up from behind the counter, with his wife Copper coming down the stairs behind him. "Oh aye, was one hell of a sight little filly. Like seein' one of the goddesses come down to Hex. Very impressive there Miss Jade, caused quite the buzz around town, everyone's talkin' bout it."

Watching the Jade shrink and hide behind her wings was almost comical, her wide blue eyes peeked up to the ghoul, mortified. "T-They are? Oh no... e-everyone?"

I hugged her cringing shoulders before she got the idea of just vanishing again. Glitter prancing around in excitement wasn't helping, but it also wasn't the fear I was sure some part of her was worried about. "But I missed it! No fair! Do it again Miss Jade! Pleeeeeease!!! I wanna see! Could you like, smash a building? Ooooh or step on the mean doctor! He wouldn't shut up bout the medicine dad took for hours!"

That got her attention and she looked between us quizzically, "I... cannot do it again just when I wish Glitter. If it happens again I... I will consider letting you see, I will not smash things or step on ponies however. Now what is this about taking medicine Fast?"

Crap.

"Ummm.... you had most of the healing stuff.... we were going to the crater and had to have it. Val said he was overcharging for it, so she just paid fair price, but I told her to. I don't like that doctor, I maaaaay have kinda... sorta... threatened him... a little... I told him we could talk about it when I got back though!"

Well she stopped trying to disappear anyway, a disappointed frown crossed her face now that her wings folded back again. "That was bad Fast, you must make amends and pay the doctor."

"But... he's a jerk! He's overcharging for meds the ponies here need badly! I had to have them to go after you!"

"And what kind of example is that?" Jade huffed and nodded to Glitter watching the exchange, "That might makes right? Are you no more than a bully or raider Fast? Why bother paying anything then, you took things against his wishes, yes? Stealing is still stealing, whether you paid some of his price or not. We will go together."

"But you don't like him either! The way he treated you... he deserved it!"

"No, I do not like him. I disagree with that doctor quite a bit, but he is a fellow medical pony, he does help others. I would hope to work with him somehow still. Doing wrong is not ok just because the other party is rude and unlikable." She stood and stamped her hoof, she was getting her way on this... dammit.

"Fine.... ugh..." I didn't want to deal with the pissy doctor, I wanted to go to sleep actually, with the sun up I was tired from everything last night. "Rusty, Copper, thanks a lot for watching Glitter for me, we'll get out of your mane now."

The ghoulish couple smiled and Copper Coil shook her head, "Not at all Fast. Was a delight to have her, glad you got your mare back as well. Good to see you back among us Miss Jade. You could collect your griffon though, good thing we ghouls don't really need sleep, not sure how your foal managed though with a buzzsaw at her bed."

That's what that noise from upstairs was... I had assumed it must be some of Rusty's industrial equipment...

With a yawn I started trudging to the stairs and the source of the racket looking to Rusty, "Sorry about that, I'll get her. Once I've had a chance to get some rest I have some things to talk with you about Rusty, if you two are free for lunch maybe?"

"Oh we'll clear our busy schedule Fast. Got a few parts out for that robot of yours out front too when you like, already planning a run back to Watt's to pull out some more stock. Hafta keep it quiet though, don't want just anyone finding out that place is open now."

More to think about.... bah. I was glad the ghoul was handling all the details of making caps from our adventure, beyond surviving and taking control of the place, I had no idea what to do about it. I nodded gratefully to both of them and walked up to wake a sleeping griffon, before she rattled the junk from the walls.

I think I ground my teeth enough to cause sparks as I sat and listened to the old doctor rail at me... I guess I sort of had it coming, but I really didn't like him. Having Jade and Glitter to either side of me in his dingy office helped me keep my temper though.

"Just come in and intimidate me! Send yer griffon to take what'cha want! Common thief pushin' me around, see if I ever help you if'n you need it. Don't s'pose you even brought any of it back did ya? I charge a lot for that stuff cause there ain't much of it! Course we need it here, but you didn't think of that did ya? Went and got yer big blue filly back so yer happy, who cares bout ol' Doc Scalpel eh? Take yer sorry and stuff it! Where's the balance of what you owe?"

Val had sensibly stayed outside, but glared through the window, hanging upside down from the now completely shredded awning. She held most of our funds and refused to contribute to paying this nasty doctor, unlike Jade she had no moral qualms with what we did. I put what allowance I was given from the griffon along with a lone packet of Rad-Away and a few tablets of Rad-X on the counter sheepishly, hoping it was enough.

It wasn't... "This is it!? Come in here and rob me some more!"

Glitter at least wasn't held back by the patient blue gaze to my right, she jumped up, thumping her hooves on the counter and scowling at the doctor. "That's fair! You should be happy he's tryin'!"

"Excuse me... perhaps we could work out a trade doctor..." Jade cut the oncoming battle between the foal and old pony short, stepping forward and floating Glitter back to me. "I fear we have gotten off on the wrong hoof Dr. Scalpel, you are correct there are certain things I may be... naive about, and you have a great deal of experience I would learn from. I suggest I work off Fast's remaining debt here today, I am quite sure my magic reserves far surpass your own at the moment. This would give us a chance to talk and should be fair yes?"

Doc Scalpel grumbled and stroked his wispy beard, glaring at me, but considering the alicorn in front of him carefully. Finally he relented and leaned around Jade to grouse at me, "Fine, yer lucky yer filly friend here is coverin' for you young buck. Considered goin' to the Mayor an' havin' you arrested! Not that it's all that likely to get him to do anything worth a damn..."

Even the nasty doctor didn't like the Mayor huh? Interesting... "Look, doctor... I am sorry, I was panicked and I don't like certain things about Hexington, including Mayor Lash. I plan on opening the bridge to Diamond City back up, which should increase trade and business, so that will help right? I may be coming into some caps soon too, give Jade and her ideas for the Followers a chance, I'll try to find a way to make them work so you can make caps and help everyone. We should both try to be better ponies don't you think? I'm trying right now, very hard..."

The old stallion grumbled and stared, but didn't automatically slip back into insults and screeching. "We'll see, not likely to happen, but the bridge bein' clear would help things. I'll give yer filly a listen, happy?"

Glancing behind him I did have one thing to add, "Sure sir, one more thing though. If Jade's going to be working with you today she should look the part right? I notice you have an old lab coat hanging back there... Could she have it? Er... add it to my tab?"

Scalpel turned back to the garment and looked back between Jade and I groaning, "Tab! I don't run tabs... Whatever, don't wear the thing myself anymore, everypony here knows I'm the doc. Yer payin' for it though, not her. Guessin' that's how you want it anyway? Not much of a gift if'n she's workin' it off."

"Umm... yeah, please. I'll pay, thank you doctor." he huffed and rolled his eyes as I got rewarded with a kiss on the cheek from Jade for my poor bartering skills.

"Thank you Fast, that is very sweet. I do miss my coat..." the quick glance back to her blank flank told me why too, the fall air didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. "You stay out of trouble, alright? I will see you all soon, you mentioned lunch? That would be lovely, make him get some rest for me Glitter, he has been awake all night."

Glitter nodded happily and gave her long legs a hug before bounding off to follow me out. Val landed softly as we left and the AssaultJack robot followed from her post at the doorway. Walking up the street in the bright morning sunshine just made me sleepy and Val yawning beside me didn't help, she at least got some sleep... Glitter was leading the way towards the Dreary Inn watching all of us over her shoulder.

"C'mon pop, you heard Miss Jade, bedtime. Get some sleep so you can tell me everything that happened!"

Valkyrie blinked drowsily over and smirked, "Yeah boss, interested in that myself. You were gone quite awhile... Blue seems awful lovely dovey this mornin' too, what did you two get up to? Givin' away my pay?"

"N-No! er... none of your business! We... talked, it took awhile for her to get back to normal ok?! S-Stop teasing Val, I'm tired an' we have stuff to do here yet."

"Oh? Fun stuff boss? I can see the wheels turnin' in yer head, what are you up to?"

"You'll probably like it yeah... just... stuff right now. I need to talk to a few folks when I get up, hopefully over lunch if I can get them all together. We'll need somewhere kinda private to talk too, don't want to be overheard just yet. I have to go talk to the mayor's assistant and the zebras, at least Rusty already agreed." Thinking was hard right now, but muddled plans were sort of coming together. I had to have a conversation with all of them at once somehow. Tempting as just taking the mayor out of the picture was, Jade had been right, I wasn't a common raider right? The Shroud was supposed to have a code, to be better, I should try.

"I can go ask em while you sleep daddy! I'm not tired an' I have AssaultJack with me, right? Can I help? There's a dining room in the hotel too! Lemme do it pleeeeease!" Glitter pouted prancing in front of me. I didn't really like the idea of her roaming around by herself while I passed out, but she was right too. She dealt with ponies better than I ever could, and now had the deadliest robot I could imagine shadowing her. She wasn't defenseless either, she wanted to help and would be bored waiting in the hotel with us. Ugh...

"Alright.... if you're very careful I'll let you handle this ok? Oblige Heart and Elder Zin, they both know you're my daughter so they should listen. Get us that room for lunch from the hotel ghoul, invite them both to come, tell them it's important. When you're done come back to the hotel alright? I know it's boring, but it's safer, I don't like you being out here by yourself, even with AssaultJack."

That got a wide smile and a hug before she trotted over to the gleaming robot, "We'll be fine daddy, isn't that right AssaultJack?"

"Shore is little filly! We'll be jus' fine Master Fast, ain't nothin' gonna harm a hair on her head a'tall while Ah'm on the job!" Hearing Applejack's voice I vaguely remembered from TV coming out of the killing machine was still jarring, but she had a point. I still shuddered remembering just what this robot could do when it wanted.

"Alright, sounds like a...." a wide yawn interrupted me as we entered the hotel, "...plan... right. Be careful ok?"

"Right! We will, thank you dad! I'll do a good job!" with that she bolted off on her mission. I smiled watching her go and trudged up the stairs, Val had simply flown up to the second floor through the open area above the lobby and opened her door as I reached her. She tromped in and flopped to the bed as I followed. I had a key to the other one somewhere, but we were the only ones sleeping and I really didn't feel like digging it up. I shut the door and stumbled to the vacant mattress, collapsing on it in a heap still wearing my armor, cloak and bags.

"What, I don't get a little pony to cuddle boss?" Val muttered half asleep across from me.

"Nnnn... not moving... come over here if you want, sleeping..." I was too tired to even rise to her ribbing at this point, we had been through a lot between Watt's and the Church of Balefire, it had all come crashing down at once now that we were all together and safe.

"Bah... may take you up on that boss... when I don't feel like brahmim dung... Rad meds work pretty good but they still take it out of ya huh? Least we ain't spewin' from both ends though, right?"

Yes, considering we had charged right to the heart of a balefire bomb detonation and weren't shedding hair and feathers along with teeth and skin, the medicine I... borrowed... had done its job well. I felt a bit bad for taking it, but it had been necessary. Jade was paying that cost now though, which is the main reason I felt bad, not because I did it or who I took it from.

"Thank you Valkyrie, for going with me to do that, for everything. I'm glad I met you." I was already slipping to sleep. but that needed to be said, I had really grown to rely on the fiery griffon.

"K-Knock it off boss... no fair... be cute later, too tired right now..." the red griffon could get a little redder after all,. Well, only fair considering how much she enjoyed messing with me.

"I'm serious Val, I don't know enough about you, don't know why you took the contract with me, but I really count on you. Least I could do is tell you so, I'm happy we're friends."

She ruffled a bit before turning a violet eye on me softly, "That's why I like you boss, you don't know nothin'. Treat me like anybody else... Maybe I'll tell you stuff about me sometime, just... for now... Look, I was down to takin' contracts from raiders when I met you, think I liked workin' for Crank? The shit they got up to there? Was seriously evaluatin' where I was, waitin' on him to pay me for kidnappin' folks in the rain, when you just show up outta nowhere, offerin' an open contract of all things. Sorta thought... what the hell, gotta be better than this, right? Glad I did now, yer fun boss. Now hush up an' lemme sleep, fore I come over there an' make ya."

At that she just huffed and rolled over, putting her back to me and grumbling. Val masked everything with her normal joking and playing around so it was hard to think what she might be hiding with it. I made a mental note to keep working on her, she had become family out here.

"Thanks Val, I love you too," I muttered over to her, but just got met with loud snores, though I'd swear they sounded a tad fake. Either way, they weren't enough to keep me awake.

A few hours sleep did wonders, I woke feeling much better to find Glitter siting at the end of my mattress, playing with the stuffed Applejack from Mr. Watt's insane collection and Val still snoring across the room. As soon as I shifted the foal spun on me happily, leaping up to stand in front of my face as I rubbed my eyes.

"Daddy! Bout time! I been sittin' here waitin' and waitin' for you to wake up, I went an' talked to everybody you asked for!" her boisterous greeting interrupted Val's snores and she snorted on her bed.

"Good job Glitter, what did they say?"

"They both said okie dokie! The mayor's assistant said she was busy, but I told her you asked for her an' said it was important, then she said she'd make time. The zebras wanted to talk to you anyway, so they said they'd come, they asked me to tell the one workin' downstairs an' he said he'd get us the dining room for noon. Didn't I do a good job?"

A pat of the head made her beam ecstatically, I had to find some way to break her of always wanting to earn her way, but she was usually right. "Yes Glitter, great job, thank you very much. You haven't been too bored have you?"

"No! Umm... m-maybe a little... but it's ok! I got this new toy now so I was just playin', thank you pop!"

Val groaned and cut my reply off, tossing the ratty pillow across the room, nailing me right in the face. "Nnnnn! Sleeping room! Go be a good dad somewhere else boss, wake me when there's actually somethin' to do."

We both decided to heed the warning before she found something else to throw and escaped the room, hearing fresh snores start up as the door shut. I checked my pip-buck for the time, still an hour left to putter around... Well, the Sentinel still needed work and I'd want it back in top condition. Flipping through the menus. I arrived back at the current mission I was still mulling over;

Mission- Troubled Waters

-Objective
--Broker deal for water shipments with Hexington

Optional Objectives--
--Reopen the bridge to Diamond City
--Replace Mayor Lash
------Make Oblige Heart Mayor
------Make Rusty Clank Mayor
------Make Elder Zin Mayor

Three choices are what the arcano-tech device had volunteered. I still had no idea how it came up with this weird system that tracked what I did or should do, but I was curious how flexible it was now. Getting all three of them together and discussing things would help me decide what course of action to actually take.

"Glitter, want to help me fix the big robot? Learn a little about being a repair-pony maybe?"

"Umm... o-ok... that stuff's kinda... boooring though dad...I'll help though!" I should expect as much, but part of me wanted to share what I knew with her, teach what skills I could pass on. Judging by her reaction though, I doubted her cutie mark would suddenly appear as we worked on the Sentinel together.

"You don't have to, just wanted to do something together I guess. I forget not everypony likes this stuff like I do is all."

"Oh I wanna do stuff with you! Just... c-could I make it pretty instead? It's awful big, an' dark, an' ugly...

A short chat with Rusty later got not only the needed parts, but some spare paint Glitter set to applying to the robot happily while I worked. Checking on her progress as I pulled my head out of the bulky robot's chassis after doing what I could, I noticed the Sentinel now had flames painted up each thick leg. She had moved on to painting a copy of my own cutie mark on the side of its' torso, hanging off the legs to reach the brush in her mouth up to the surface. Apparently the flames were to make it go faster according to Glitter, seeing my own mark on the tank was odd, but she insisted.

Hopping down from the Sentinel, I shot another glance across the square. Doc Scalpel's clinic had attracted quite a crowd. Word must have spread the alicorn everyone was talking about was working there today, Jade had to be terribly uncomfortable. While I watched the gathering of ponies and ghouls, the doctor himself pushed his way through the door, shooing them away gruffly.

"Go on, get! She's not here, come back later, bring caps ya lookie loos!" he shouted down the disappointed crowd as they started to disperse.

I kept waiting for Jade to exit the building, he said she was gone and it was nearly lunch, so where was she? While I stared a quiet cough interrupted my concern and I turned to see the mare in question hiding in the doorway to Rusty's again. She had found a floppy hat and sunglasses somewhere and was trying very hard to be inconspicuous, hiding her wings under her coat, though it wasn't working well. Seeing her in the getup I had to ask about it.

"I... borrowed these from Copper, I thought perhaps I would blend in more? The doctor's office quickly became swamped with ponies wanting to... see me... He was quite upset, but eventually put me in the back and started charging for er... h-he said 'personal care from the g-goddess'... Though he does seem satisfied about your debt Fast, it was very disagreeable but I seem to have brought in quite a bit of business."

The thought of putting Jade up as a premium service, taking advantage of everyone wanting to get a look... I really didn't like that doctor... She must have noticed my scowl towards the old stallion still clearing folks away though, she slunk out of the door and joined me, drawing my gaze away from him.

"I-It is alright Fast, I do not mind and we did speak some. I do not think he will join the Followers anytime soon, but we may be able to work out some compromise. I taught him how to make potions for my kind, which are effective on ghouls as well, and I tried to work on his bias against zebras. Telling him of Mama Xara's potions and their efficacy seemed to catch his attention. Try not to be too cross with him, he has led a long life filled with seeing a lot of pain and suffering, trying to do something about it and only seeing more. He is jaded and cynical, but still a good pony underneath."

Getting a nuzzle to go along with her soft words helped, but I wasn't going to like him anytime soon. "Alright Jade, if you say so. I'm sorry you had to do that because of me, thank you for that."

"Think nothing of it, though I do hope you will refrain from bullying and stealing in the future Fast... Now then, Rusty and Copper mentioned meeting others for lunch? I thought it would be just us, what are you up to?"

"Umm... yeah... I invited a few extra guests, sorry... Er, there's a reason though. M-maybe we should head that way and I can tell you with everyone?" Being unable to lie to her was annoying at times and I really didn't think she'd like my thoughts on the mayor here. I had backed away from just removing him from the equation the easy way at least, at her urging to do better, but this probably wouldn't be peaceful either.

Glitter spared me from the curious frown, "Yeah Miss Jade, I went an' invited everyone! I made him sleep like you said, so don't worry! See how I made the robot better?"

That distracted her while she took in the new paintjob and praised the foal's artistic skills. She kept darting dubious looks to me, but Rusty and Copper exiting their shop pushed her questions further back. The pair were actually dressed up, Rusty had a ratty suit and Copper wore a fairly nice yellow prewar dress that complimented her remaining coat and mane well.

"We don't zactly get invited out for lunch with folks often, thought we'd make a production of it a bit..." Rusty scratched at his wispy mane and shuffled, it was a little sad a simple lunch was a big deal for them. I felt a little underdressed now too, I had my Stable barding back on under my cloak, which was admittedly a little better than my battered armor, but not fancy.

Together we walked down the street towards the Dreary Inn. Even with Jade's silly looking disguise and her slinking as low as she could beside me, she was attracting attention. At least it was only wide eyed looks and whispers, no one was charging up to her when she was obviously trying to hide and surrounded. She really had made an impression on the residents here, as she passed the dour and depressed expressions I had grown used to in Hex brightened in her wake.

That made me think of my plans to open the bridge tomorrow, using the whispers about the Shrouded Stallion to try to scare the raiders into being better. Image... image could be useful. I was using a negative image, but maybe I could use a positive one too, though Jade reeeeeally wouldn't like it. Watching her dash into the hotel gratefully I was sure of that, but if it was to find a peaceful way to change things? I filed the idea away for the meeting we were heading towards.

The private dining area looked to once be a meeting hall before the war, somewhere for guests of the hotel to hold private functions and conferences. The wood paneling had held up well and even the plush blue carpet wasn't that ratty, a long table took up the bulk of the room, facing a raised platform at one end with a tattered projection screen. Unfortunately I didn't have slides or charts for this meeting, just a few vague ideas.

Once Glitter had retrieved Val and all of our guests arrived eyeing each other cautiously, the waitress from the lobby took our orders and returned shortly with the meal. Jade sat next to me at the head of the table, with Glitter happily munching snack cakes and avoiding the canned carrots I made her order. Val stood near the door on guard sipping at the drink which was all she ordered. Elder Zin and Zed sat stoic on one side of the long table across from Rusty and Copper, while Oblige Heart had taken a seat across from Glitter with a confused but polite expression. It was an awkward meal, minor attempts at small talk fell flat mostly and they were all waiting on me... I hated talking...

"A-Alright... I guess you're all wondering why I asked you all here," best to get this thing over with.

"Was a might bit curious bout that Fast, wasn't expecting such a varied guest list." Rusty smiled down the table while his wife nodded her agreement.

"We wished to speak with you regardless little pony, though now I am curious what you have on your mind. We are all glad you were able to bring your filly friend back, we thank you for your help and care Miss Jade and are happy to see you safe." The Elder of the zebras nodded sagely to Jade, getting a happy smile in return.

"Er, yes I was curious Mr. Times. When your foal asked me to a meal with you I expected something a bit more... private," Oblige glanced around the room anxiously, before looking back to be pinned under Jade's suspicious gaze.

"Right, sorry about that. I wanted you all together at once to talk to you about something important," I took a breath, here we go, the room was closed and AssaultJack guarded the door. I was taking a chance on the gathered guests here, trusting them all. "I want to remove Mayor Lash."

I didn't get immediate rejection and no one tried to bolt from the room to alert the mayor, so that was good. There were some thoughtful and worried looks, Jade looked the most shocked and was staring at me, while Val just grinned from her post. Oblige sputtered and was the only one to speak for now though.

"R-Remove! Fast are you crazy? Do you know what will happen if he found out what you just said!? H-he's the Mayor here!"

I put my hooves on the table and leaned forward, trying to adopt a little of the Shroud to get through this. "Well he shouldn't be! He doesn't care about the residents of Hexington. He has plenty of caps for things he wants, but not enough for clean water that you all need! He treats the ghouls and zebras like dirt! I plan on opening the bridge to Diamond City tomorrow, but I don't want to open it with him in charge. It will just give him more caps and power. I want him gone."

"Fast... how do you plan to do so? What did I say about bullying and acting as a raider would?" Jade was concerned and just yesterday she had good reason to be, but I was trying now.

"If you remove him, who takes his place Fast? You?" Rusty looked as though he was carefully considering the idea while his wife Copper seemed to like it, she really didn't care for Mayor Lash.

"Me?! NO! no, no, no, no! I don't want the job, I wouldn't know what to do. No, that's why I asked all of you here. I... er... I get suggestions on what I should do from my pip-buck for some reason, right now it says all three of you would be a good mayor and I agree." Ok, the looks I got at that, like I was a crazy pony raving at them, wasn't helping... I didn't say I heard voices telling me to bray at the moon, just that my pip-buck told me things... damn...

Best to move on to more sane reasons quickly. "Oblige does all the work to keep this place running with no help from the Mayor, and cares enough to sacrifice herself working so hard for the residents here. Rusty takes care of the ghouls here, using his own profits to help them, buys their salvage and hammers out deals to get them work. Elder Zin does all he can for his people who are pushed aside and discriminated against, they have to work harder for less and that's not right. Any of you would be a good mayor, my pip-buck thinks I should pick one of you, but... I don't think it's that simple."

"I don't know why it does the things it does, but things are more complicated here than what it's offering. Hexington is a place of ponies, ghouls and zebras, as good as any one of you would be, none of you represent everyone and there'd be resentment. I think there's a different option, you should be a... like a council? All of you should be in charge, cover for each others weak points, help each other and everyone in Hex."

The three parties in question considered each other carefully for a few tense minutes. I laid it all out, any of them could bring the mayor down on me now. There was some muttered conversation between Rusty and Copper, the same between Elder Zin and Zed, Oblige sat silently thinking while I waited.

Finally Copper broke the silence thankfully, "Well I for one think it's a fine idea, never liked having a damn former slaver for a mayor and things have gone from bad to worse since he took over. My Rusty's partnership with Fast has worked out well so far, no reason not to give him a chance here too." I really hoped slaver didn't mean what it sounded like...

"If... and I mean if we were to agree to this... I agree with your friend there Mr. Times, how do you intend to remove the mayor from power? Most of the guards are loyal to him, they will not take kindly to having their meal ticket taken away. Things are most comfortable for his inner circle, which is how he remains in place. Would you use force? Bring violence to our streets?" Oblige asked cautiously, she didn't reject it out of hoof anyway and her concerns were in the right place.

"Er... well I'd like to avoid that yeah. I was hoping for some thoughts from all of you about to do it peacefully. I had an idea... sorta... If all the citizens here were to rebel against him, demand he be removed, wouldn't that help?" Here was the hard part, with the robots I still had command over I could do this the nasty way, but Jade was watching me carefully, I had to try.

Oblige sipped at her ordered wine thoughtfully, adjusting her cracked glasses before answering. "If enough of the residents joined together then it would put them in a tough position. I think many on the fringes would give up and go with the change, those closest to him though... Not to mention Lash himself, he will not go peacefully. I would not have the residents put in danger, plus you'd play hell getting them all to call for him to step down. No one likes him but... most here just want to live another day, they don't dare hope for better. It would be hard to get them to believe such a thing was possible."

"She's right there Fast, tryin' to give these folks hope? Tall order, if ya got em stirred up like that then I can see it workin to a point, like Miss Oblige said. The ghouls are none to happy with the way things are that's for sure, they'd be behind a change and they make up half the guards outside." Rusty spoke up giving me a little encouragement, that left the zebras and I looked to them, curious which way they'd go.

Elder Zin and Zed conferred quietly a few moments, back and forth between each other in whispers before the old zebra finally nodded to his guard and spoke. "My people are unhappy as well, our position is precarious here, so speaking up about it has always been viewed as a danger. Zed tells me the little pony is trustworthy enough, his mare tried to help us, we will take a risk on them. If we can improve things for my kind, work together instead of being shoved aside... it is worth a try. So long as we do not stand alone."

Phew... so everyone basically agreed. Still a lot of details in the air they started working out between themselves, each promising to talk to the groups they represented and spread the idea things needed to change. That would go a long way, but eventually they got back around to the sticking point, how did I plan to give them something to rally around and take a chance for something more? A spark...

Gulping. I looked to Jade watching everything with interest. Once I caught her attention, I leaned up and kissed her cheek to whisper in her ear. "Sorry... You're reeeeally not going to like this..."

I watched the sun sinking lower from the windows in Rusty's Salvage Emporium, sitting outside Rusty and Copper's restroom waiting patiently as time was ticking away. If we were going to do this we had to when the streets were getting crowded with salvagers returning from another hard day of work.

Glitter and the ghoul mare came in and out repeatedly over the last hour or so, dashing out to grab accessories or make purchases before running back in, but I was exiled to the hall to wait. Finally the pair came out with a satisfied look and nodded to me, but it was still just the two of them. I cocked a questioning eyebrow at them, waiting for the guest of honor.

Copper smiled and gestured to the closed door, "All done, she might take a bit of convincing though..."

"She looks really pretty daddy! Dunno why she won't come out!" Glitter was happy with their work, so that was a good sign.

Looking between the two for confirmation, I walked up to the door and knocked gently, "Jade? Umm... all set in there? Getting kinda close outside..."

A soft whimper answered through the door, "F-Fast... I do not like this plan... C-Can we not do something else?"

"It's the best I can think of Jade, you want to do this with as little bloodshed as possible right? Mayor Lash should not be in charge, he's causing suffering here, things could be better. You want to help, right?"

"Y-Yes.. but why me?"

I knew she'd hate this plan, it revolved around making her the center of attention. "Because, better or worse everyone's talking about you, you saw what happened at the doctor's place. They want to see you, you give them hope I think. I'll try to keep you out of it as much as possible, you just have to stand there and look pretty, no talking ok?"

"I- I look silly..."

I seriously doubted that, I waved the others off and went to open the door just to see for myself. "I'm coming in Jade, I'm sure you're just being..." once I entered the small room however, whatever I was going to say died on my tongue at the sight of her.

She most definitely did not look silly. Copper and Glitter had spent a good deal of time styling her mane and tail, finding just the right dress and accessories, I stood in the presence of perfection and my brain shut off for a moment. Copper's largest, most flowing white dress was a bit tight here and there on her in a most appealing way. They had taken apart some silken white shoes and strapped them to her hooves with white ribbons laced up her long legs. The small tiara from a nightmare night costume in her carefully coifed mane was a bit tarnished, but the effect came together perfectly. Even with her trying to hide behind her wings again, she was stunning, I only regained speech to cut off that concerned look she was getting watching me sit there slack jawed.

"P-p-perfect..." I managed to squeak out.

She blushed brightly, but her wings went back down as she took another critical look in the mirror, "It... it looks a-alright? It will work?"

When she turned back I couldn't help lunging forward for a long kiss, which did relax her as an added bonus. "I don't care if it works or not, you look perfect to me. Really, absolutely amazing Jade. It will work though, I can't see how it wouldn't. You look like a princess for real."

"T-thank you Fast, I am still nervous about this plan of yours though..." I wished I had more time for the warm embrace and to reassure her, but I could hear the crowds growing outside, this was the best we'd get.

"It's ok, you'll be fine. I'll do the talking and you know how much I hate that, right? I'll see you out there alright?"

She gave a determined nod and disappeared, heading to her spot in this little production. If the residents of Hex needed something to motivate them to hope for something better, I was going to give it to them. My own part was simpler playing opposite the glorious alicorn, but I'd have to do some public speaking, not my strong point. Thankfully, it was playing a character I knew well, being the Shroud in public wasn't nearly as daunting as being me. I hugged Glitter on the way out, she wasn't happy, but understood she was to stay inside and off the street for this. I did have to allow her to watch the opening act from the windows to get her to agree though.

Copper and Rusty followed me out and slipped away into the crowd, meeting other ghouls coming in or waiting already. As I approached the statue in the town square, I spotted Oblige speaking with a cluster of ponies and the zebras filing out of Little Roam. Making a final adjustment to my cloak, I climbed on top of the soapbox the Children of Balefire had vacated and went to give my own sermon to the gathered mob.

"EXCUSE ME EVERYONE!" That got a moment of attention from most of those in the square, had to use it before they decided I was just another nut. "Everyone's talking about what happened here last night, about one of the goddesses coming to Hex! I know it's on a lot of minds and many went to see her today at Doc Scalpel's, but I want to give everyone the chance to be introduced!"

Now I had some real interest, folks making their tired way back home dejectedly stopped and paid attention to the dark pony at the statue. With a flourish, I bowed and gestured to the top of the Applejack statue behind me, grinning with my head down as I heard the crowd gasp. I couldn't resist a quick peek back to see Jade now that she had become visible atop the statue, wings spread and white gown fluttering around her.

"Sweet Celestia ya weren't lyin!"

"A goddess? Fer real?!"

"Thought you said she was bigger?!"

"Look, it's her!"

An excited wave ran through the town, the crowd pressed together excitedly below my perch looking up to the alicorn above them smiling radiantly. I could tell the expression was forced and she trembled just a bit, but held her ground well. Best to move this along quickly before Jade lost her nerve.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts, ghouls and zebras of Hexington alike, if I may introduce Princess Jade of Sanctuary!" Oohs and aahs rang out at the mention of 'princess'. Checking the crowd, I saw plenty of wide eyed, reverent stares, along with the skepticism. Oblige Heart caught my eye and nodded, things were going ok so far.

"That's right! The humble princess has tried to keep a low profile and help here in Hexington. I'm just her simple knight and have come in her service and at the behest of the Minutemares. You see the Princess' home of Sanctuary came here hoping to help you fine folks, we have clean water to alleviate the sickness so many of you suffer from. The Princess herself is a powerful healer and wishes to cure all those in need. In her service I have worked with Rusty Clank, who many of you know and hold in high regard, to bring caps to our home and yours. The Princess asked me to open the bridge to Diamond City again too, and come tomorrow that will be done as well!"

Heartened cheers and mutters ran through the crowd, taking another look back at Jade trembling up on her perch, I spotted just who I wanted, Mayor Lash looking out his window for the source of the excitement below.

"However! The Princess' kind offer of the water you so desperately need was turned away! Caps is what rules this place, and apparently there's not enough for water for you folks, but plenty for drugs, alcohol and mares for the pony on top! Mayor Lash sent me, her emissary, away! Saying there's not enough to care for his subjects, after I had to walk through his den of inequity to offer! I found it so hard to believe, I spoke to the only pony there that really seemed to care and work for you all, Miss Oblige Heart, who told me that was not true! That in her diligence, she had set aside funds for just such a chance, caps that the mayor would keep for himself instead!"

Angry grumbles rolled through the crowd and Oblige spoke up at just the right point, stamping her hoof and straightening up under the attention. "T-That's right! I have kept caps on hand to pay for water specifically! If the mayor turned down such an offer, it wasn't because we couldn't pay!" Good... now the hostile muttering intensified.

"Disheartened, the Princess offered her healing services, but they were unwanted, since she would give them away instead of charge for them! Instead, she went to the zebras who suffer the most, not caring who they were, but only wishing to help! Her efforts were interrupted by the cultists of the Church of Balefire who kidnapped her, as I'm sure many of you saw yesterday. Did Mayor Lash make any effort to stop their attack in the zebra part of town? Did he lock the gates to keep them from getting away? Did he chase them after they attacked your home and spirited away my princess? No! He let them go without lifting a hoof! Only thanks to the help of those same zebras, was I able to rescue her and return her here!"

Now it was Elder Zin's turn and he didn't disappoint, surrounded by his guards, the old zebra's deep voice rang out over the growing ire of the gathering. "Yes, we repaid the pony who helped when others would not. Several of my kind suffered from the attack that took her, but only the... Princess' 'knight' there did anything, the guards left us to suffer."

Alright, here came the real sticking point, they were worked up but I wasn't sure how this would play out now. "That's right! The zebras live in miserable conditions thanks to the mayor, but they helped when I needed it! Their potions and knowledge could help all of you here if you'd just work together, but the mayor keeps you apart! Listen to me you fine people, I don't live here, this isn't my home, it's yours. It's not my place to say this, but I feel I must, a mayor that cares only for himself is no leader at all!"

"You don't have the good fortune to have a princess like I do, but you have good ponies and zebras here that would do a much better job! If it were up to me, I would just remove Mayor Lash and put someone else in his place, but that's not for me to do for you, it's for you to do for yourselves! Things can be better, we can be better together. If you rise up and demand a change, I will do all I can to make it happen! You can be allies with the Princess' kingdom, trade between us and Diamond City will flow, life can be more than this! All you have to do is stand up for it and we'll stand with you!"

The guards nearby looked nervous at the roaring cheer that rang out. The sight of a shining princess above them and the right words had got them to hope again, now to make sure it didn't die once more. Mayor Lash's hoarse shout from his window threatened to do just that, but his wrath was focused on me, not them. Just as it should be.

"What the fuck is all this then! Who're you to get my subjects all worked up little pony!" Even the anger didn't entirely mask the fear hiding behind his shout from above, good...

I walked around the raised edge of the statue unhurriedly to face the town hall and Lash, giving my best glare up to his window. "Me? Why... I'm the Shrouded Stallion... and your time is done you corrupt evildoer. Goddess Luna has passed her judgement on you, step down now and this need not be violent. The residents of Hexington deserve better."

The buzz that ran through the town square at that was the kicker, a lot of shocked glances turned my way as Lash fumed and pulled a large revolver out, pointing it my way. "KILL THAT LITTLE BASTARD!"

Lash and many of his guards fired down on me and the crowd indiscriminately, the suddenly blazing blue shield covering the gathering stopped them all short though, and further awed the crowd looking up to the blue alicorn providing it. Scowling up at him, I floated my weapons out and gave a hard smile, "That... was a mistake."

Not all of the guards had opened fire at Lash's order at least. A good number had looked confused and unwilling, so they were spared. Every one that had shot at a crowd of innocents to hit me however, just started dropping to the ground squalling as they were sliced to ribbons by a passing blur. AssaultJack had been more than willing for this part of the plan, waiting at the edges of the mob, hidden and waiting.

Anything red on my E.F.S. right now was fair game to the deadly machine and was being dispatched to growing horror among the guards loyal to Lash. This was only worsened when they saw the Sentinel roll out from Rusty's and start bulldozing his way through them. I hadn't found ammo for him yet, but just as well, his weapons were kind of overkill and dangerous in the crowded square.

Lash himself kept firing against the shield, trying to shout down more orders before a stream of red magic energy bolts streaked down and forced him to leap away from the window. Val blasted through the air raining fire on the window before it closed with a slam, the best target taken away she joined AssaultJack in taking down the guards out here but many in the crowd had beat her to it. They were standing up for themselves...

I hopped down from the statue and started towards town hall, a cluster of red on my E.F.S. waited within, but they were too spooked to charge out and attack the crowd. Gathering them all together for the speech had let Jade's shield protect everyone, she'd have to stay with them to keep them safe, but Val landed beside me at the doors. Time to clear out the mayor's nest and change things here. I gave him the chance for this to be peaceful and he fired first, now I was free to do what the Shroud in my head wanted.

Bursting through the doors to the town hall, a horde of guards waited for us on the other side. Val and I had to dash forward to Oblige's desk to take cover from the amount of fire already coming in. The main thing that saved us from just being taken apart as soon as we entered was the fun times these guards were engaged in when we interrupted, drunken, drug addled shots weren't all that accurate...

Peeking above the desk to match the marks on E.F.S. to where the guards were actually taking cover, I had enough sense to be a little concerned my first thought went to the last vial of Dash in my bags... I knew perfectly well how dangerous the stuff was medically, but the urge to just take it and zip through all of them was there making me itch. No... that last vial was for an emergency, this was an inconvenience. Besides, even without it, I was plenty quick enough and had a griffon merc to back me. I nodded to the left of the desk, letting her take the right and dashing out as Val laid down cover with her red M.E.W.

Three S.A.T.S. guided shots from my pistol harassed the ponies who popped up hoping to catch me sprinting towards a side office, dropping one on the spot while Val took the rest reeling from the hits or near misses. The burly guard in the room I was entering was quick enough his sawed off shotgun managed to pepper my side with buckshot, stinging through the armor, but not slowing me enough.

Best Served flashed as I dove in the room and ripped through his side, leather armor was no match for the crazy knife. Rolling to the side, I took up the guard's lost cover and floated the Terrible Shotgun out. Heavy slugs started chewing through the desks and thin walls of the partitioned offices, while Val moved forward under my cover.

As I watched her advance, a guard in heavier armor at the stairs tossed a grenade towards her, apparently she was the bigger threat in their eyes. Grabbing it out of the air in my magic was a lot easier when it wasn't coming right at me. I hoped to avoid tearing this place to shreds completely, but tossed it back to the stairs, it was already done anyway. The resounding crash shook the building, but gave me cover to move again, jumping a desk to deliver a shotgun blast to the mare hiding behind it before throwing myself flat in her place.

Eyes Forward Sparkle showed several more red dashes right on top of us, but the boom of Val's pistol put down the last I saw on this floor. I really wished it was a little more clear on elevation, the others must be above us with the mayor with the scattered green marks. His mares up there... damn, I hoped they'd run or hide once the shooting started. They were clumped up here and there at least, so hopefully they were taking cover. Val and I moved to either side of the stairwell and I looked over to her, a little blood ran down her leg staining her dark claw, but she wasn't complaining.

"Val, there are mares up there, er... entertainers... We gotta be careful, let me go first and draw their fire on me."

She scowled at me, not liking the idea. "Not how bodyguarding usually works boss... lettin' you go make yerself a target an' all."

"I've been up there before right? I know where stuff's at." I was wringing my brain trying to actually recall the layout now that I said it, but she didn't need to know that.

Val still didn't like it but rolled her eyes and shooed me forward up the stairs, she started grumbling at how slow and careful I was being though. Let her, I learned my lesson about just blinding trotting up stairwells, I was practically bug-eyed looking for a shimmer of tripwires now. Fool me once... These ponies weren't as clever as the raiders in Thundega at least, no booby traps waited to blast me into uselessness for several days.

Cautiously looking over the last step reminded me of the setup in the party room well enough, couches served as cover and the green on E.F.S. matched the bed in the corner. I looked back to Val for one last unhappy glower before dashing in the room, luckily the guards up here were even more inebriated. They should have had me no problem as soon as I hit the narrow doorway, but they weren't ready for me to just run right in. Their surprised scramble let me trigger S.A.T.S. and have a wealth of targets. I had to use most of the spell charge, but the pistol put down nearly all of the surprised guards in a flurry of silenced shots, Val following behind me finished the remainder.

The mares were hiding behind the large mattress and slowly sticking their heads up to take in the slaughter. Even through the Med-X haze. the pink earth pony that had tried propositioning me earlier looked shocked at me standing among all the dead. I raised a hoof silently to the gaggle of scantily clad mares, turning to Val and the door to the mayor just as it burst open. The burly personal guard behind it opened up with a submachine gun, spraying the room. Diving for the mares and their limited cover behind the bed didn't spare me a random round just below the ribs, landing on this many attractive fillies would be more exciting if we weren't all bleeding and under fire.

The shot to my side burned horribly as I scrambled out of the pile of mares to aim my shotgun, but Val had beat me to it. A stream of red magical energy beams scorched the guard to a pile of ash before I could fire. Hissing, I downed a healing potion still behind the awkward cover and passed another couple out to the most wounded of the mares, they'd need care soon but should be ok for now. E.F.S. showed only one more red mark among two greens, Mayor Lash hiding in his office, his last defender drifting through the air of the doorway.

"Celestia's rainbow ass! Thank you sweetie!" The shaky pink mare swore up at me, some common wasteland expressions struck me as a bit blasphemous, but I could hardly blame her at the moment.

"All of you stay put, keep down. This is almost over, ok?"

A young looking grey unicorn in very little red lace clutched at me before I could leave, "Wait! What about Sugar and Tart! They're in there with him! P-please, don't..."

"I'm not here to hurt any of you, I'll save them ok? Just take care of yourselves, help is coming soon." The filly was bleeding from her hindleg as the potion slowly closed the wound, but still showed concern for the others. There were good ponies even up here at the heart of Lash's empire.

I had to pull myself free of the frightened mares to join Val at the door, we nodded to each other and stormed in for Lash to find him waiting behind his desk. An open safe behind the desk and the strewn caps around it showed what was weighing his saddlebags down. The stallion's greasy mane fell lankly in front of his crazed eyes, his heavy revolver pointed at the head of a terrified teal mare struggling in his grip. A pale blue earth pony mare cowered behind his fancy bed behind him, her amber eyes wide as we skidded to a halt.

"You little son of a bitch! Come in my town, wreck my racket! Turn my subjects on me! Goody goods like you are all the same though, now back off or I'm redecoratin' my office with this bitch's brains!"

I had to wave Val off from just vaporizing him on the spot, I couldn't see a way to take the shot without killing the hostage. As my weapons floated back to my bags, he started slowly coming out from behind the desk and angling for the door out.

"Alright Lash, this doesn't have to go this way... just let her go and you can leave. I wanted to do this peacefully anyway, you're not in charge here anymore, but nopony has to die here."

The former mayor sneered around the grip of his revolver, "Oh you'll die, take my town from me!? This isn't over, I'm walkin' outta here with this cunt, but I'll be back twerp! Now just keep backin away if you want her in one piece!"

He meant it, I could see the hammer of the large revolver quivering, only a hair more pressure would set it off. My mind was racing, I had to find some kind of way to save the mare, she might have been part of Lash's entourage, but she was an innocent still... mostly. Any move seemed likely to make him fire though, my eyes locked on that trembling hammer, it would fall and her head would just explode before I could do anything.

Wait... the hammer... guns were just simple machines. I had good fine control, especially with machines... I kept staring at the hammer, mentally cataloging it, seeing how it worked in my mind and trying to gesture to Val inconspicuously. This would happen fast. Hoping she got the idea, I focused my telekinetic field of magic on the weapon in a sudden burst, feeling it fight my grip as soon as the glow appeared, but unable to move while I held it.

"NOW VA..."

BLAM!

The griffin's pistol blew a S.A.T.S. assisted round right between Lash's eyes before I even finished, she was quick on the uptake thank Luna. The mare lunged away as Lash's body fell in a heap and we were left with silence. Shivering from the adrenaline and risky gambit, I walked over to the recent hostage shaking on the floor to make sure she really was ok, while the other watched from her hiding spot.

"H-hey... sorry about that, are you alright?" It worked out, but I had to put her life at risk, I was mentally preparing for her to rage at me for such a foalish move.

I certainly wasn't prepared for her to tackle me in a shaky embrace as she sobbed, her styled green mane covering my face. I awkwardly tried to pat her back to comfort the terrified pony, then my situation got worse when the other mares decided things were safe and all crowded around to do the same. I really hoped it was just the terror of being in the middle of a firefight and not trying to get in good with the new boss. Either way, being suddenly enveloped in that much pony flesh was a shock.

"Er... I-it's ok... really! J-just umm... y-you're welcome... t-thanks... can I just... er... get loose here? I..." I could feel how red I was turning trying to pull myself free from the grateful ponies, I turned to Val for help but she just smirked. Her expression hardened suddenly as I felt a cold pressure slip between my ribs and her pistol was out and roared, while I tried to figure out what happened.

After all that to save her, the teal mare who was Lash's hostage got her head blown off anyway... The others scattered, screaming from the furious griffon as she yanked me away and shoved a healing potion in my muzzle, never taking her eyes off the dead mare in the floor.

"What the fuck is that?" Val still had her weapon pointed at her, even though she didn't seem much of a threat without a head. Looking up from my inspection of the deep wound knitting itself together that was making breathing really hard, I followed her gaze, getting a good look at the mare.

A blade was... attached? near? somehow a long blade was right at her foreleg, but it wasn't held down with straps or any attachment. The longer I looked at the line of matching length bleeding on her leg, the more it looked like the weapon just... sprouted out of her leg? Actually it looked rather like AssaultJack's bladed weapons now that I really got a good look...

Wheezing, I stumbled forward to the body, the potion was doing its best but I could feel a wet rattle in my chest on every breath. Val tried to grab me, but I shoved her claws away weakly, I had to see this. Weaving right up to the ruins of the mare's head, breathing got even harder, where brains should be was... parts... really advanced looking parts, but parts all the same. This was a synth... a synth just tried to kill me and came damn close...

I sat down heavily, feeling the room spinning around me. I hoped it was just shock at seeing the Institute's work here and not from the now burning wound. I pointed a hoof at the remains and looked to Val woozily.

"I-Institute... need to... see it..."

Val didn't share my priorities here though, with a worried look, she snatched me up and took off straight at the window, "Shut up boss! Stupid... lettin' em get close like that! Just hang on! BLUE!" Glass shattered in the frames as the window was thrown open in her path, I could see it tinkling down to the street below.

Things looked like they had settled down outside anyway, I saw Jade turn a worried look up as we flew through the air towards her and everything got fuzzy... Hello darkness my old friend.

----------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------------------

Reaper Pony's Gallop------------------
---Death becomes you! If you kill a target while using the Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting System, 25% of the spell charge is restored after dropping the spell. This will usually refresh your targeting spell enough to use it again immediately for at least one more attack.

Quest Perk Added!--------------------------------------

Shadowy Shroud-Rank 2---------
----Learning to use the image of your alter ego and its' penchant for theatrics has granted you the ability to use it positively as well as negatively. When playing the Shroud you gain +2 Charisma and +10 speech, making speech checks easier. Only applies when playing the role to the hilt, i.e. in costume and in character, and only with ponies who know of the Shroud's reputation.

Reputation Change!---------------------------------

Hexington--Idolized
---Bringing together the residents of Hex and giving them hope, plus removing the corrupt Mayor Lash, has made you liked by all groups calling Hexington home. Your little production to do so made an impression too, the story of the Princess of Sanctuary and her knight the Shrouded Stallion will only spread. The darker elements of town may not like you for rocking the boat but they're no longer in the majority and you're friends with the new rulers of Hex. Hexington is now available as an ally settlement and you can set up trade routes with it.

Ch. 17 High Times

Ch. 17 High Times

Grizzled old Doc Scalpel is not the medical pony I hoped to wake up to... The elderly stallion noticed me shift on the uncomfortable cot and took his time getting up from the ancient desk across the room, stashing a bottle of clear alcohol of some kind after taking another swig.

"Ah, awake are ya? Good, can get outta my mane, other patients to take care of who pay. Go on, get up, let's see ya breathe."

I felt a stitch in my side gasping in when I moved, but I no longer felt like my lungs were stuffed with cotton candy, so that was better than my last memories. I slowly crawled off the cot to the dirty tiled floor, looking around the small back room of his clinic presumably. It was surprising it was just the two of us, I had kind of expected Jade to be taking care of me with Val and Glitter nearby. The old doctor and I didn't really get along but he was the one who was managing my recovery?

"T-thought you said you wouldn't help me if I needed it? Being a thief and all..."

Scalpel rolled his eyes and walked over to a small side door, opening it to stare at the dark room beyond with a scowl. "Ayup, what I said alright... reconsidered, thank yer mare, she begged an' yer wound was a tad above her skillset. Also figured anypony the Institute wants dead ain't all bad, hate them bastards more than you."

"You know about them?" I was sore moving around but this conversation was suddenly taking my mind off my body as I stretched out.

"Course I do, been 'round awhile ya know, think I don't know nothin'? Just cause I don't care 'bout much outside my little corner o' the Commonwealth don't mean I'm ignorant bout what they do to the rest of it... Seen shit that would turn yer mane white young'un, their... experiments... Evil bastards the lot of em."

And I thought Scalpel didn't like me, the seething fury in his voice totally adjusted the scale. "If you hate them maybe you can help me? Tell me what you know? I'm going to do something about them doctor, anything you can tell me..."

My attempt at prying for information was cut short by a snort as he shut the door and turned, narrowing his tired green eyes. "Seen ponies like you too in my years, why I didn't like ya soon as I saw ya, know yer kinda trouble. Think yer the first to say that?! Oh sure, we'll just join together our merry band o' fools an go fight the big, bad Institute! They been up to their nasty business 200 years but it'll be different now that you're here right? Horseapples!"

"Alright... maybe you have a point... But I still have to try. Things will never change if no one does anything and I have... reasons..." I replied through gritted teeth but got through it. This was the first time I wanted to extend conversation with the old medic, I wasn't going to lose my temper.

"Sure you do! You dimwits always got reasons! Followed one o' yer kind around when I was a buck myself, all fulla high minded ideas too. Makin' Hex better, bringin' folks together, improvin' the Commonwealth... I'm all that's left o' that nonsense an' ya see how I ended up don'cha?

"As a bitter old stallion pushing everypony away?! Yeah I got the idea." Alright... I tried not to lose my temper anyway...

"That's right, mean ol' Doc Scalpel! What's he know? Other than how to save yer ass, an' plenty other ponies since long 'fore you were in diapers!" I seriously doubted that as I had at least a century on the elderly doctor technically.

"You believed enough to follow somepony like me once, what would they think?"

Scalpel looked like I slapped him and the wind went out of his sails, a wet glimmer in his eye actually made me feel bad about that last exchange. Finally he sighed and answered without the fuming, combative tone, "Probably not much o' me now... He was a good pony, cared... made even me care. Went on adventures with em, always needed healin' he did, how you think I got so good? Savin' a damn fool what got skewered by a manticore tends ta sharpen yer skills." He actually chuckled wistfully lost in the memory of his old friend.

"S-sorry... Sounds like you two were good friends, you must miss him. What... what happened? If you don't mind me asking doctor."

"The Institute is what. Stayed with that idjit all the way to Diamond City... then they killed em."

That hard look on the old stallion's face returned but I had a good idea what was behind it, "The night of the broken mask?"

"Just so. Mare we all trusted, part o' our crew for years, she was with him at the meetin' and she tore his heart out, literally." The doctor walked up to me with his horn glowing and a stony expression. I felt his magic probe at my side painfully causing me to hiss before it stopped and he shoved me into walking a few steps.

"Ow... Sorry... you really cared about him a lot huh?"

He glowered at me, finally sighing and showing a hint of real emotion in there. "Damn fool. Toasty was the only one fer me and he gets himself killed by those fuckers... Anything to stick it to em now is worth it to me, even helpin' you out. Know yer just gonna repeat the whole damn tragedy again though, leave yer mare to turn into me. Ya survived this time, how bout you stop pokin' the dragon son?"

"I can't... they took my family, I want them back. Everything else I've found out about them is just more reason to hate them on top of that, including what they did to your friend Toasty. I'm going to find them and make them pay."

Scalpel grunted and waved a hoof dismissively, like he expected no less. "Gotta admit, they've gotten even better at makin' their damn synth copies since then. Lash's bitch is damn near a work o' art," he gestured to the room behind him absently.

"It's here?! You saw it?"

"Took a peek, yer griffon brought it in not long after you, said you'd want it. Back in my day they were just fake hide, plastic flesh under, looked right on top but not if you cut em. That thing though... bleeds, has muscle on top o' metal bones, real organics, be hard pressed to tell what it was even if I knew. Damn handy with that blade too, knew just where to hit ya, lucky you didn't drown on yer own blood fore they brought you in."

Real proof of the Institute... it hadn't melted away, it was right there in the other room... I started shuffling towards the doorway immediately, "I have to see it."

Scalpel shoved me back with no effort, I'm not the toughest pony around but it shouldn't be that easy should it? I must be weaker than I thought, I had to admit he was a good doctor since I didn't feel terrible. "Nope. It ain't goin' anywhere, yer marefriend seemed to think it would just get ya worked up an that's the last thing ya need. Go on, get, promised yer 'princess' out there I'd keep an eye on ya an I have. They're all waitin' on ya, she's handlin' my other patients while I wasted the last couple'a hours on you, makin' a big damn crowd too. Folks wanna party with the 'Princess o' Sanctuary' they can go do it further away from my damn clinic, plenty o' wounded to deal with. Do hafta admit not near as many as there coulda been though, s'pose you didn't do that bad a job, never liked Lash anyway. Now shoo! Out!"

With that the old medic opened the door to the rest of the clinic and shoved me out in a field of magic, dumping me in the main room with a crowd waiting and slamming the door behind me, drawing all the attention in the room...

"Fast!"

"Daddy!"

"Boss!"

Getting tackled by an alicorn, a foal and a griffon all at once threatened to take my hard won breath away again. The tight hug from Glitter and smothering kisses from Jade were kind of mitigated by Val repeatedly punching me in the shoulder though.

"Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again. Boss!" Each word got punctuated by another curled claw bashing me just enough to sting.

"Ow, ow, ow, ok Val... hadn't planned on it..."

Once they all backed off enough for me to see and breathe again I could take in the scene out here, Scalpel was right, there was a crowd. Jade was still in her princess costume, a beautiful sight despite her looking a bit frazzled. There were several ponies under her care out in the clinic's main room but they all looked healthy. Several were the mares from Lash's office who eyed Val warily but did look happy to see me out and about again.

Jade glanced at their smiling faces and turned a glare on them making them all wilt under its intensity. "You were very hurt Fast, we were all worried. You should not have allowed those... associates of the mayor's so close. I am most disappointed, you may not permit any other mares near you again. Do you understand me?"

"R-right... sorry Jade, got it." I certainly got the impression fear of attack wasn't her only motivation here. She may have been healing the former mayor's harem this whole time, but the scowl she sent their way threatened just the opposite.

Glitter was at least happy with me without any recriminations, since we had met while I was recovering from being blown up I supposed a simple stab wound wasn't enough to worry her that much. "It's about time pop! You're missin' the party! Everypony's been askin' bout you!"

Beyond the doors to the doctor's business a crowd indeed filled the streets, a fairly happy crowd in Hex for once which was an odd sight. Just from my vantage point I could see drinks being shared, food being cooked over fire barrels and handed out to ponies, ghouls and zebras alike. All three groups mingling and actually celebrating with their meager means in this town, hard to put on a real party with so little but somehow they were managing. I heard somepony outside shout I was ok over the music drifting in and a cheer ran through the crowd, rippling away from the clinic into the streets of Hex.

Before I could say more than a word to the only ones I really wanted to talk to a drunken crowd barged in and grabbed me, hoisting me on their backs and trotting outside over Jade's protests. Her medical opinion I should not be dragged out into the streets was ignored in favor of doing just that, to make the princess come out and celebrate as she had been promising while waiting for me, from what I gathered based on slurred shouts. Being roughly handled by a mob of happy ponies was pretty anxiety producing but it did what they wanted, Jade flew out after with Glitter following in her wake, but was cut short by Val slamming to the ground in front of us.

"Put 'im down, right now..." she had her pistol out... that got even the revelers attention.

"S-sure Miss... meant no harm..." the poor earth pony stallion in the lead slapped his fellows into dropping me gently to the ground.

"Val it's ok, they're just happy I think?"

I got dragged away from the group trying to apologize and offer drinks, "Lettin' random fools get all close like that is what got ya hurt boss. Any one of them could be one of those... things... Not happenin' again got it?" A determined frown was on her face while she hissed down at me, she was really upset at what happened in Lash's office.

Considering her point I had to admit she was right, the synth had been able to just walk right up to me and stab me with no resistance. Any of these happy looking ponies could be another alright, still... I pushed past her and apologized back to the worried looking party goers, taking one of the offered drinks and raising it to their health, only sipping it though as they cheered and returned to their celebrating.

"I know Val, it's a risk we have to take though. If we treat everypony like they're an enemy... like they could be one of them... If we're suspicious and try to stay apart because we're afraid, then the Institute wins. That's what they want."

"But!"

"Val there's a party going on and you're all grumpy, what's wrong?" I expected her to be out here enjoying herself.

The normally cheery griffon's face screwed up and she huffed angrily, "What's wrong? What's wrong is I'm 'posed ta guard ya and that thing just walked right up an... it coulda... I... I totally screwed up boss... Thought it was funny seein' ya squirm with those fillies huggin' on ya. Didn't even think... What kinda bodyguard am I if I let ya get skewered right in front of me?"

Watching her droop as she poured it all out was just wrong, she had been holding on to this the whole time I was out? "Val... It's not your fault ok? You're a great bodyguard, nobody could predict something like that, kinda the whole point to making synths far as I can tell. You took it down so fast it didn't even melt like that robot though, you got me out to a healer and saved me, you brought the body for me so I can look at it... when I'm allowed.... Don't blame yourself like this, celebrate a job well done! Have fun! Please?"

She looked like she was struggling with a retort but taking a page from Glitter's book and using the puppy eyes trick on her started breaking through. "S-stop it boss... quit with the cuteness... ya coulda died. Yer not funny..."

Having the true master of the ploy I was using come up and join me side by side was almost unfair. Glitter took up the role perfectly adding her own glistening stare up to the mercenary trying desperately not to burst out laughing. "Please Auntie Val... I don't like ya grouchy either, dad's right! You're great!"

"Pfffft! A-alright! Stop! Jeez... embarassin' me both of ya, cut it out! I'm still keepin' a close eye on ya boss, but fine you win, knock it off!" Hearing her snicker through her protestations was much better. Rolling her eyes she turned back to the poor group she had scared half to death and took up the largest offered drink, downing it in one long gulp to laughter and cheers.

"Alright! Lemme show you little ponies how drinkin's done!"

Jade had to push her way through the well wishers and politely decline all the drinks a princess warranted to nuzzle me as we walked, floating my cloak out and around my shoulders to keep back the chill. "That was good Fast, I was a bit concerned for her. She didn't move from the doctors door this whole time. I much prefer the Valkyrie I have grown accustomed to, crude as she may be."

Anything that got me Jade's praise made me grin, plus the happy atmosphere was infectious. These were folks who had lived under a cloud for a long time and just now saw a light peeking through. If the metaphor held true I wondered what it was like when the actual Lightbringer cleared the skies and brought back the sun and moon for real. I sipped at the drink I had shoved in my muzzle slowly despite her slightly annoyed tsks, it would be rude not to join in at all right? The fact I just had to hold up under her watchful eye instead of having it taken from me must mean she agreed.

As we made our slow way through the crowd I spotted Oblige Heart near the steps to the town hall where some tables had been set up, waving to us. This had to be the least overworked and burnt out I had ever seen the mare, she really was pretty without the weight of a town on her shoulders. She had several guards near her along with a few more of the mares from the mayor's office, including the grey unicorn in red whose concern had been for her friends in the middle of a gunfight. The pink earth pony I had met previously was there too and came trotting over, a lot more clear eyed than I had seen her.

"Sweetie! You're ok! The gals and I were worried, shame to not get to celebrate with you, deserve a heroes reward don't ya?"

Her playful flirting was immediately cut off by a big blue wall of alicorn standing between us, furling one wing over me. "Fast is fine now, I am caring for him, he should not overexert himself Miss Satin."

Jade must have treated her too, I never got her name in our limited... interactions. Satin eyed the two of us coyly, "Ooooh, so the good doctor is your special somepony sweetie? Well, well, she taking care of you right? Better be careful doc, tempting to snatch a cutie like this away..."

Watching her sputter and blush was cute but I should cut this off now before Jade blew a gasket, "Sorry, not up for grabs Miss Satin, this is the only mare for me. Glad you're ok, you seem better than the last couple times I saw you."

Satin rubbed the healing marks on her forelegs and shuffled, "Yeah... your kindly filly there and Oblige gave a lot of us a good talking too about our... lifestyle. Being off the Med-X is like waking up from a long dream but least thanks to the doctor here I'm not crawling up the walls from withdrawal. Lot of us were worried bout what we'd do now but Oblige over there has been talking up working for her now. Always thought she was an uptight little bookworm but... well she's a good pony huh? Says there's lots of real work to do and she could use our help to run this place, ain't that something sweetie? Me helping run this place with the mayor.. er- council... instead of just being... you know."

"That sounds great Satin, I'm really happy for you all. I knew Oblige cared about everypony here, with some actual help who knows what you can accomplish now. It sounds like much better work, I'm sure you'll do great!" Putting the mares to real work and giving them purpose sounded like a brilliant idea to me, I had never even thought about what would come next for them but Oblige already had.

The former pleasure mare gave a genuine smile and nodded, not the falsely seductive ones I had seen before, it looked much better. "Thank you sweetie! Be less fun work but more rewarding that's for sure. We owe you both a lot. You know... if your filly friend is as innocent as you are we could have a little fun as a last hurrah... have to make sure she knows how to keep her honey happy right?"

Her stifled giggles along with the guffaws of the nearby crowd made both of us turn red, though Jade tightened her wing around me and moved back stammering at her. "T-t-that is n-not n-necessary!"

Wiping a tear from her eye Satin managed to stop nickering, "Sorry doc, just kidding! Mostly... Why don't you two go talk to the new boss mare? She's been waiting on you, the gals and I will be around if you change your mind!"

Jade groused at her teasing, keeping herself between us as we walked on to Oblige waiting for us eagerly, with Jade continuing to shoot glances back to make sure the pink mare hadn't followed. We greeted one of the new rulers of Hexington gratefully as she gestured to empty seats at a nearby table. We had to wait a few moments as Obige kept giving instructions or greeting her new constituents, but eventually she got a free moment and gave me a warm hug.

"Mr. Times! Excellent to see you're alright, the other council members and I were quite concerned. Horrible to have all you worked for tainted by you not being here to see it."

"Thanks Miss Obige, looks even better than I hoped. Satin told us you offered all of her friends work, that's really smart. Knew you were the mare for the job." Bringing a flushed smile to the formerly harried face felt good, she really was a lot better than her old boss at this, in only a few hours on the job no less.

"Yes well, we will see. Hardly fair to judge based on tonight's festivities, the real test will be the days to come. If all you said about help from the Minutemares and your... forgive me, the Princess' kingdom of Sanctuary, is true then I am hopeful. The ladies have taken to the idea of a new line of work, why young Misty Breeze here has already been proving herself a wonderful assistant. Have to see about getting her more proper attire though.

The lacy red outfit seemed fine for the festivities but the grey unicorn flushed a bit, remembering her concern for the mare who turned out to be a synth I had a couple questions for her despite her sudden shyness. Jade and Oblige had found aspects of the running of Hexington related to her hopes of spreading the Followers of the Apocalypse through the Commonwealth, giving me a chance to talk to the unicorn filly quietly.

"Misty, I'm glad you're doing so well, er... sorry about all that up in the mayor's office, is your leg ok?"

She turned to show the limb in question and I could barely tell where the wound had been, "Oh yes! T-thank you Mr. Times, if you hadn't thrown us all down..."

"Don't worry about it, and it's Fast please. I kinda caused all the shooting to begin with so I can't take credit for sparing you more than just the one wound, shouldn't have gotten that much. Umm... if you don't mind I was hoping to ask you some questions, you asked me to go after the two in Lash's office by name, did you know them well?"

Comprehension lit her eyes and she edged away from the others a bit closer to me, leaning over to whisper fearfully. "Y-you mean Tart... the... the s-synth? She really was one?"

Judging by her hushed tone it was like I was asking her to talk about Nightmare Moon, in a graveyard, at midnight, on Nightmare Night... "Yes I'm sorry. We did save her from Lash but then she tried to kill me, there wasn't any doubt she really was a synth. Knowing that is there anything you can tell me about her? Anything strange or that stands out?"

"N-not really, she was nice. I was new and she was like a big sister, showed me the ropes. She spent all her time with the mayor exclusively, had a lot of special privileges, she seemed really smart. Always had suggestions and the mayor's ear, n-never told him what to do or anything! She'd just say things to make him think I guess? Had a way of putting things so he thought they were his idea, used it to help all of us out more than once."

I patted the frightened mare's shoulder drawing a distracted glance from Jade still deep in conversation. "Thanks, that helps Misty. I really am sorry, she sounds like she was nice to you. Don't let this sour you on making friends like her, there's no way you could have known right?"

She gave a shaky nod back but looked reassured, that was good. The Institute seemed to thrive on sowing fear and driving ponies apart, making this mare afraid to make friends on the unlikely chance they could be another synth was just what they'd want. I didn't expect much from my questioning but she did confirm what I had been thinking and that was plenty. Oblige calling for her drove the last of her self doubt away as she trotted over to get back to work.

"Glitter why don't you go find Fast something to eat? He should try to regain his strength, we will sit right here and wait for you alright?" Jade pointed the foal towards a makeshift cooking area shared by a gaggle of ponies, zebras and ghouls. The little filly took no further encouragement, sprinting off through the crowd towards the smells of interesting foods. With her gone I got a blue eyed stare that made me sweat for a few moments, "You seem quite popular with those mares Fast..."

"Huh?! N-no! I was just asking her a couple questions."

"What kind of questions...."

"About the synth that attacked me, that's all! Really, Misty there knew her, asked me to save her. I thought she may know her pretty well, wanted to see if there was ever any clue about what she was."

That satisfied the watchful look I was getting and she scooted closer happily, she was still drawing a lot of attention from all the passing revelers but having a moment to ourselves was nice. "And did she know anything helpful? I had a passing look at the remains Valkyrie brought to the doctor's, such a perfect mimic is quite disturbing."

"Not so much as far as figuring out it was a synth no. But unless I miss my guess I'd bet that synth was... like a bug in Lash's ear? Feeding him ideas, stroking his ego, helping to keep things the way they were here. Something like that can't be easy to make, you'd want to use them the best ways possible, places they wouldn't be discovered. It wouldn't be the primary target if things went wrong and could keep going even if Lash was taken down. I really want to examine it..."

"Yes I am sure you do Fast. You were seriously injured though, you need food and rest. Things having to do with the Institute get you too upset, it will wait until the morning. You just lectured Valkyrie about enjoying herself, take your own lesson and try to relax please. If not for yourself then for me? There are more pleasant things to do than just throw yourself right back at fresh problems." A nervous glance around the busy square was followed by her throwing her wings up, hiding a passionate kiss to reinforce her point from the gathering.

Why yes, turns out she did have a good point and I suddenly felt much less focused on the Institute and their shenanigans. The sight of her blushing in the carefully crafted princess costume, the gentle curls of her styled mane hiding her blue eyes in shadow as she cringed at the whistles and hoots from those nearby. That reminded me there were much better things to think about than a bunch of evil ponies out there.

There were way too many prying eyes for more than just the quick reminder but sitting together was plenty, Glitter returned with food to share between us and Val stayed close by, stopping in for a bite here and there before finding some fresh amusement. The bright griffon seemed more herself now but true to her word she was keeping a close eye on me. Her violet gaze locking on anyone who got too close, which had to be tiring considering the traffic flowing up to our table. The shadowy blur of AssaultJack lurking nearby helped give her a bit of a break anyway.

Ponies brought drinks that had to be declined regretfully, food cooked with pride to be sampled and praised, gifts that were mostly turned away tactfully since the residents of Hex had so little they should keep what they could. Setting Jade up as a real princess had worked to bring a little hope to the dark town and get them to take a chance for something better, almost too well now though. Everypony wanted to speak with the princess making her visibly nervous at each interaction.

A spontaneous looking band at the Applejack statue made up of a ghoul hoofing at a piano wheeled out from the Dreary Inn, a zebra playing an odd looking stringed instrument of some kind, and a talented unicorn filly making magical music from her horn and singing upbeat tunes made an interesting show nearby while we ate.

The long line of stallions and more than a few mares trying every possible approach to get Jade to come and dance was pretty annoying though. Having a big blue alicorn curled next to me seemed to keep a few fillies shuffling nearby from asking me I guessed, though the same didn't hold true in reverse. She politely let each down gently while I scowled at them all when her attention was diverted, making sure they got the idea this was my princess first.

As much as I disliked the public spectacle of dancing in general the beauty beside me made me actually want to for the first time now that I thought about it. If anypony got to dance with Jade it was going to be me, maybe the repeated attempts would cut off if I made that clear. I hopped from my seat with only a small wince, ruffling Glitter's mane while she munched her favorite food and knelt before Jade, snatching her hoof with an eyebrow cocked up to her.

"May I have this dance Princess?"

Her flustered look held a sweet smile when I gestured out to the street near the band, "T-that would be lovely Fast thank you. I... I have never done so before though..."

"Don't worry, the only times I ever have were when I got forced to by Sunset, I never wanted to before right now." The unthinking mention of my foalhood friend seemed to decide her and she fluttered up, dragging me along to the rest of the dancers.

"I would do so too then, teach me."

That determined little furrow to her brow was so cute I blanked trying to remember the awkward moves I had been forced through last for such lively music. Just as I was starting to recall enough to work with however the music changed on us. The quick tune shifted to a slow melody and all the other couples near us drew close for the now slow, romantic dance.

Noticing the crowd quieting and a few looks we now had focused on us had Jade and I both darting glances around in embarrassment. "Umm... t-this kinda bit me in the rump... sorry Jade..."

Despite her unease her blue gaze softened as she watched the couples nearby moving together, "That is alright Fast, I think I can manage this much easier than the other kind of dancing I saw. It seems more enjoyable."

It certainly was for me, having her nuzzle close and move gracefully with me took my mind off the looks and quiet ooohs and aaahs distracting us. Her billowing white dress swished around her as she gained confidence, her clean mane and tarnished tiara sparkled in the moonlight and I could understand the attention she had focused on her easily.

"This is the first time I ever liked doing this, they can keep playing forever as far as I'm concerned."

Jade whinnied and murmured back softly, "Yes... this is very nice. It is better than your... previous experiences?"

"Worlds apart, doing it cause you got dragged out to a Stable party is nothing like dancing with the mare you love. You make everything infinitely better Jade."

The long, breathless kiss I got for that went on long minutes before the music ended with resounding cheers, hoots, whistles and catcalls from the crowd I had totally forgotten about. Everyone wanted to see the princess dance apparently, an island of space had opened up around us, further reinforcing the feeling I had gotten during the music that we were the only two ponies in the wasteland. Both of us were shocked out of our reverie and shuffled under all the attention, we gave a nervous bow and curtsy before beating a hasty retreat to Glitter watching with wide eyes from her seat.

"WOW! You was really pretty Miss Jade! That was great poppa! Everypony was watchin' an' sayin all kinds of nice stuff!" The foal slurped at her brahmim milk and clapped her hooves together beaming at us, making us slump lower in our seats at her report of just how much attention that got we were unaware of.

The ghoulish couple of Rusty and Copper making their way from the dance just piled it on too, grinning at the two of us and applauding. Rusty chortled in his gravelly voice as they took the offered seats across from us, "That was good as seein' the Canterlot Ball you two, mighty fine hoofin! Put on quite a show don'cha there Fast!"

His wife at least knocked his nudging elbow from my sore ribs and admonished him with a kiss to his leathery cheek, "Quit your teasing Rusty! Seeing such an adorable young couple reminds me of our own courtship before the war. Don't you listen either of you, Rusty stepped all over my hooves tryin' to dance and soaked his suit right through sweatin' up a storm before we did a thing Fast. And I only wish I wore that dress near as well Miss Jade, you keep it for me, brought a tear to my eye seeing it twirlin' out there!"

"T-thank you Copper, if you are sure I will accept gratefully. Fast seems to like it and I fear he may make me play this role again..."

Scratching my mane I had to concede that, "Ummm maybe... though I think I'd come up with reasons to see you in it again regardless. Thanks for giving me the chance to come up with excuses later Copper."

The ghoul mare smiled and nodded primly to her husband, "See there dear, your partner can be that sweet you can remember a bit more often as well can't you?"

"Aww I do all the time love, hardly fair to compare an old stallion like me to a lovestruck young buck! Makin' me look bad there Fast, get me in dutch with the missus an' our business together suffers. Already gonna be plenty busy doin' some real repair work around Hex." Rusty nickered giving me a playful shove and nuzzled his wife, staying together 200 years seemed a better accomplishment to me than some easy compliments.

"Really? I had thought of offering my skills, there's a lot around here that doesn't seem that hard to get in better shape, running power to Little Roam for example?"

"Aye, that's on top o' the list alright. Lot of stuff like that the former mayor was just against, nothin' stoppin' me now that I'm one o' the bosses in town an' we got more parts than we can shake a stick at. Right interested in those holotapes Miss Jade showed us too, a generator what runs on radiation, who would'a thought o' such a thing! Practically unlimited power round here, even if'n it takes a couple years to cobble together." Rusty had been as interested as I was at those blueprints.

Jade nodded to the both of us confirming one more time they really did work, "Yes, they have become less useful in Equestria since radioactive fuel for them has gotten much scarcer, with a balefire crater next door you should have no problems here though. The more good that comes from them the better, anything to balance where they came from."

"That's long term stuff though, don't ya worry Fast ain't forgotten our more pressin' concerns. Got yer list o' stuff you want from Watt's an' have ghouls lining up to help move it out o' there and back to Sanctuary for ya. Once the bridge is open be all set to head up to Diamond City with ya too. Not zactly welcome in the gates myself but have good contacts there to introduce ya to, convinced Dusty's caravan to hold off a day too hopin' fer the shortcut home. Sure ya can get the bridge cleared again tomorrow?"

"Compared to Watt's and all this it should be a piece of cake right Rusty?" Really what was a bridge of raiders next to a robot death factory...

His rough chuckle agreed, "True, true, jus' interested how you'll pull yer next trick off now. Oh! Have a present fer the princess 'fore I ferget again. Asked a couple scavver friends out that way to poke around that blasted church out at the crater, er... what's left of it rather. Them Children o' Balefire done cleared out already but a little diggin' where ya said turned this up fer ya Miss Jade."

Grinning to her Rusty pulled Jade's yellow and pink medical box saddlebags from his coat and set them before her on the table, eliciting a happy gasp from Jade who assumed them gone forever. "Mr. Clank thank you! Fast asked you to? I thought they were lost, I hadn't even dared to go look!"

Copper smirked at her husband being crushed by an alicorn sized hug and nodded to her when she let him go, "Can't imagine you wanted to go back to that place either, weren't sure if they were still about or not but glad to be rid of them myself. Fast just mentioned it, afraid your old coat was ripped to tatters somehow though, odd hmm?" The old mare nickered at Jade's discomfort but patted her hoof soothingly.

Sipping my drink I caught Rusty's eye and nodded out to the Sentinel-bot standing guard in the street, "Have a gift in return for that Rusty, he's out of ammo right now but was thinking of leaving it here to help protect Hex, put him under control of you council members equally. Little loud to go out and stir up the zombies but should help you all keep the peace in town right?"

The old ghoul's shocked look was slowly overtaken by a beaming, gap toothed smile as he grabbed my hoof and practically shook me out of my chair. "Think that would discourage any rougher types who might feel a bit froggy yeah Fast. Hate seein' ya leave here partner, really hit the jackpot runnin' into you, yer a good friend to everybody here in Hex, me an' the missus especially!"

"Thanks partner, feel the same way here. I'm glad you're the first ghoul I met, it was a shock but it being you made all the difference." Seeing his milky eyes mist up was gratefully covered by Val barging over and grabbing me from the table by my cloak, letting Copper hug her touched husband.

"C'mon boss! Blue got a dance, I want one! Pay me!" I didn't get the chance to answer one way or the other, just flown out and tossed around by an enthusiatic, tipsy griffon to the fast music and cheering dancers for awhile.

Thankfully this didn't require any real skill on my part, I just got spun and flipped through the air as the frenetic dance changed to involve everyone, swinging and changing partners and drawing more in. Rusty and Copper dragged Jade along with an excited Glitter in as most of the town got in on the act. When the music finally reached a climax and everyone cheered I escaped again, wheezing and sweating back to my seat.

It was good what had been such a depressing town was having a grand old time but I could only take so much and saw Jade doing the same. Val snatched Glitter up and had a partner to match her energy levels for the next song as I collapsed back to my chair and took a much needed drink.

Elder Zin and Zed eventually made their way over and sat with us, Zed must be carved of granite to show no visible enjoyment in the middle of the party, but the elder looked fairly happy. One of those few areas where Pinkie Pie's Ministry made sense, a good party did wonders to bring ponies together and was helping to bury old prejudices between the zebras and the rest of Hexington as I watched. There'd still be a long road ahead once everypony was sober, but seeing them all celebrate together was heartening.

"It is good to see you recovering little pony. I have been asking for you, we were so busy with your plans we never got to discuss things we had intended before. Recent events have just added more questions, if now is acceptable?" Zin's rumbling voice drifted across the table and I nodded, Glitter said they had wanted to talk to me before but we had gotten a bit distracted.

"Sure Elder, things have been a little busy but I hadn't totally forgotten. Everything ok?"

"In regards to the changes here? Yes certainly, Zed was correct, you are a trustworthy pony. The other council members and I have already been working to improve things for the zebras here, we are hopeful for the future now thank you. We had wished to discuss other things with you however, about the Children of Balefire..."

The zebras had helped me deal with the cult and rescue Jade, anything they had to say was worth listening to. "Of course, about Zed's brother? They said he was taken to some Cathedral or somewhere? Can I help with anything?"

"That is part of the issue yes. When Xelo went to the Children he took something to them as well. Something dangerous that has been in my keeping for a long time. Zed went to retrieve both along with your mare, but you know the result." The elderly zebra shrugged, we got one out of three apparently, I did remember Zed yelling at Virescent about stealing something now that I thought of it.

"Sorry, what was it they stole? Maybe I can try to get it back somehow? I... don't think I'm quite done with them yet." That made Jade look anxious but it was the truth, even if I wanted to let it go I was pretty sure they wouldn't.

Elder Zin and Zed exchanged a loaded look before turning back, "It is... something dark, not something I would speak of. We wished to speak to you concerning it mainly since you seem likely to have more dealings with this Church? Their priestess was like the doctor?"

"She was one of my sisters yes Elder Zin... I apologize..." Jade shrank in her seat at the thought but held the old zebra's quiet gaze.

He at least waved her concerns off and smiled to her, "The sins of ones sibling are not your own, do not worry. We do not blame you nor think you the same."

"We'll probably have to do something about them eventually yes sir, besides Virescent being an alicorn like Jade they have a connection to the Institute too. They're... experimenting on the members of the church, hurting everyone they get their hooves on, meddling around with things for their own amusement. I can't leave it be, so I may have a chance to find Zed's brother and this... whatever it is they took? Whatever it is I can keep a secret, I'll try to help if I can." It was hard to promise to get something back if I didn't know what I was looking for.

Stroking his chin the elder considered a moment before continuing, "Your trustworthiness is not really the issue and we would offer help, not ask for it. We zebra know of this Institute as well as others, some of the darkness they play with is of particular concern to us. The knowledge it is them behind the church makes sense and only strengthens our resolve. Zed has asked to join you to seek out his brother and our property, I would ask you do us the favor of allowing him."

"You want... wha? Zed? Er... I don't know, it could be a long time or maybe never... I say I want to go after the Institute but plenty of folks keep telling me that doesn't mean it'll actually happen."

Zed himself surprised me by bowing his head and holding his hooves up together, "Please. Allow me to do this, I am aware of the chances and risks."

"Umm... s-sure Zed I guess, I appreciate the help and all... just letting you know, kinda playing it by ear really so... If you want it's fine with me I mean." The last time he joined us he just said that's what he was doing and did it, seeing the stony zebra actually ask permission was... odd.

As soon as he was sure I acquiesced he turned to the elder and bowed, "I will prepare, do not worry grandfather I will succeed."

Zed nodded to us and left, weaving his way gracefully through the cramped streets leaving me to look to the elder questioningly. "Grandfather? Zed and his brother are yours?"

"Yes, I ask you take care of my grandson little pony. He is strong and very brave, the things you have accomplished here remind me of the areas he has yet to grow before becoming a good leader however. Traveling with you will be good for him, try to be a friend to him please."

"Of course Zin, I'll er... do my best. Thank you for the vote of confidence." Satisfied, the old zebra bowed and left to rejoin the festivities, leaving Jade and I alone at the table.

"That was interesting... I suppose we have a new companion then Fast. Perhaps we should tell the others and retire for the evening? Tomorrow looks to be a busy day yes?"

Pulling Val and Glitter away from their prancing at the band didn't look easy but Jade was right, yawning at the thought I got up and started working towards the pair. Getting their attention once we pushed our way there was difficult, especially when they both seemed to get suddenly hard of hearing at the mention of bed.

"Awwww, c'mon dad, everypony else is stayin' up! I'm not tired! Don't wanna go back to the dark ol' hotel room!" Glitter kept dancing happily before realizing she was floating up in Jade's magic already.

"It is already past time for one so young to go to bed Glitter, you will tire once removed from all this excitement and it is only one last night here. Tomorrow we will go to Diamond City, the accommodations are sure to be more to your liking." The foal struggled madly in the field of blue-white magic but wasn't going anywhere.

The ghoul playing the piano nearby looked up from the keys to chuckle at her predicament, now that I got a better look at him it was the distinctive melty looking stallion from the Dreary Inn himself... "Er... sorry... didn't mean to complain, the rooms have been... fine, r-really!"

"Bah! Don't gimme that, I know they're crap, why ya think I went down to 20 caps? Course won't do to have a princess an' big damn heroes stayin' in my worst rat traps now will it?" A droopy grin stretched across the ghoul's twisted face at my stammering, he was honest about his hotel at least. "Squall Surge at yer service young uns. Tell ya what, in the spirit of all the fun I'll upgrade yer rooms to make up for it. Free o' charge, provided I get to advertise 'Princess o' Sanctuary stays at the Dreary Inn when in Hex'"

Val had started paying attention at 'Free of charge' and joined us, "Free!? What's free, gimme!"

Without even slowing at his playing the innkeeper pulled a couple fancier keys than we had gotten before from his suit jacket in his mouth, dropping one to Val's waiting claw and giving me the other with a wink. "Was just waitin' on you lot to look tuckered out, my own thanks fer the town. Enjoy an' stay again, promise to be a bit friendlier to start with next time."

"Wooo, better digs, sweet boss. Here Blue, I got her, c'mon kiddo bet they gots real beds to jump on!" Val knew how to appease the pouting foal floating nearby, snatching her from Jade's magic with a squeal and soaring off to the hotel ahead of us.

The two of us had to struggle our way through a minefield of well wishers trying to get us to stay for just one more dance, one more drink, one more local taste treat. Despite their protests I really doubted the celebration would end just because we left, but they certainly tried their best to convince us that was the case. The Dreary Inn itself was totally empty, the bar had no reason to stay open with everyone drinking it up outside, most of the bottles behind the check in counter had disappeared to fuel the party as well.

Heading up the stairs I floated the new key out to see where to go, 301... the room better be worth going up an extra flight... Jade could simply fly up if she wanted, but she kept pace with me which always made me happy. Though those long legs gave her an advantage over me even on the ground.

I turned the key over in my magic marveling at how much nicer just it was over the crude tin keys for the rooms on the second floor we just passed were. This was gold and looked to date back to before the war when this was probably a pretty fancy place, the end even had a little red crystal and was heart shaped, snazzy.

Walking down the hall following the descending door numbers I held it up for Jade as we came to a stop, "Look, pretty spiffy huh? Wonder if the room's half as nice as the key, why you think it's shaped like that?"

"Umm... I... h-have an idea Fast..." Eh? Why'd she have that funny look on her face? This was it right? I checked for the number, yep there was 301 in polished gilt numbers, right over "Honeymoon Suite" Oh...

Gulping I slid the ornate key home and opened the door, goggling at the room beyond. This had to be one of the best kept up rooms in the building, I supposed there'd always be ponies willing to pay to use it for a night. It wasn't what I'd think of as four star or anything but I remembered things from before the war, even 200 years hadn't dimmed this place that much though. Shaggy pink carpet covered the floor beyond the threshold except in a decently sized room to the side, a bathroom in the room itself, that was a step up over the other rooms. The centerpiece was most certainly the large heart shaped bed with threadbare silken sheets though.

The two of us stood peering into the room together, wide eyed and unmoving, no wonder Mr. Surge had the sly grin and wink... I managed to peek over to Jade staring at the big, comfy looking bed with a flustered smile. Seeing her there, still radiant in her costume, all done up to really look like the princess I saw all the time... that was a roomy bed in there. The white dress along with the word 'Honeymoon' was a little nerve wracking, though actually a pleasant thought after the initial panic.

"Er... Don't think I can carry you over the threshold Jade. I'll figure something out if it's umm... f-for real someday though..."

Her eyes got wide and sparkly and she shook nervously on the spot, fluffing her wings before beaming at me and floating me up in her magic, "Then I will simply have to do the honors for now yes? You really should not overexert yourself with your recent injuries... but I believe I will allow an e-exception when you say such sweet things Fast..."

Her magic yanked me in the room behind her and locked the door with a click. The huge bed may not have been designed with large alicorns in mind but it was perfect for the job, a lot softer than a concrete warehouse floor too...

The late morning sun made the lone cart squeaking its' way towards the raised drawbridge easy to spot at a distance. The rough looking ponies had plenty of time to take up their positions, pointing a variety of weapons towards the pony in the ragged coat and hat pulling to a stop before them. A scarred orange stallion wearing a combat shotgun / assault rifle battle saddle strolled forward menacingly, shouting over to the silent mare.

"Toll bridge honey, gotta pay to cross or move on!" A few mean chuckles followed his thinly veiled threat but a couple of his crew were less enthusiastic.

"Boss... what if this is... er.. you know, it's posed ta be today..."

"Aw are you scaredy foals still goin' on about that!? Shut up! It ain't real!"

"Y-yeah but... somethin' ain't right..."

"QUIET! So come on, what's it gonna be sweetness? Payin caps? Can take a share off the cart if yer short, or maybe you wanna work out other arrangements eh? Gotta pay to play." The toll master was trying to get back on track, his normally fearless crew had been giving him shit all morning. Scared of some nut making vague threats, really...

"Ain't got no caps ta pay, only gots a load o' scrap fer Diamond City. Cain't ya'll just lemme by? Need ta try ta barter fer medicine, sick folk waitin' back home fer help..." The mare at the cart answered pitiably but wasn't going to find any sympathy here. A few of the raider crew had already ran off scared of some ghost story, the ones left had it beat into them there was no such thing as divine retribution.

"Poor you, well no caps and nothin' we want in the cart, guess you still got one way to pay, or you can just..." The leader's refusal was suddenly cut short by an earsplitting screech and squall of gears grinding beneath them as the bridge started lowering to span the river. "WHAT THE FUCK! Did I tell you to lower the goddess damned bridge Nails!"

"N-No! It ain't me boss!! Damn thing just started up on its own!!!" The sallow yellow mare in the bridge control booth looked terrified, bashing the disobedient controls with a rusty hammer but not getting any cooperation.

"Boss this is all wrong... h-how bout we just let this one go fer free?"

"Cause that ain't how fuckin' toll bridges work!! She pays or she don't go! Let one cross then we'll be swarmed with cheapskates wantin' a free ride too, you gonna pay fer all of them!? Nails fix that shit, bridge don't just go down on its' own!!!" Actually it wasn't, the frantic mare in the booth just didn't know there was a override control system down by the mechanisms that made it work below...

The pony at the cart pointed a hoof across the now open bridge and interrupted the increasingly angry raider, "Ya'll sure ah cain't just go ahead an cross? It bein' down an all already... Why, ah prayed ta Celestia fer uh safe trip 'fore ah left an' that there seems almost like uh blessin' from the goddesses don't it?"

"S-she's right boss... t-that's it, I'm out!"

"Me too! This is gettin' too crazy fer me. Hear that Celestia! I'm not stoppin' her! I'm done bein a bad pony, honest!"

The leader raged at the pair turning tail and galloping away down the bridge, all this from some lunatic!? It was all a coincidence! Fuming he tromped up to the mare causing all this nonsense, rearing back and slamming a hoof to her face. Knocking this bitch down would establish some order around here!

CLANG!

"OW! What the fuck!?!" Hissing and holding his stinging hoof out the raider barely noticed the strange mare shrugging out of the harness holding her to the cart.

"Welp! That there was yer last chance ah reckon! S'ok to get rid'a them now right Master Fast?!"

At least a couple raiders took the warning to heart, I did give them a chance... I stood up from my vantage point on top of an abandoned apartment building overlooking the bridge, bundling my dark cloak around me in the cool morning breeze off the river and shouted down to the raiders following her gaze.

"Yeah go ahead AssaultJack! I did warn you all didn't I?! Told you, it wouldn't be me!"

Letting her coat fall to the ground away from her gleaming metal hide, AssaultJack tipped her hat at the stammering leader before fading away to surprised shouts up and down the bridge.

Then the screaming started...

-------------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------

Party Colt!--------------
-----Nopony has a good time like you! It may hit smaller ponies like you faster but there's no chance you will become addicted to alcohol. You also gain +2 luck while under the effects of alcohol.

Ch. 18-- The Great Green Jewel

Ch. 18-- The Great Green Jewel

Without the raiders holding the nearby bridge this area was actually a pretty nice part of town. Sitting here at what was a pretty tasteful riverfront diner with the caravan waiting to cross the river, enjoying a pleasant lunch with Jade and Glitter at a fairly intact outdoor dining table, I could almost imagine it was still before the war. The occasional scream or explosion from the far side of the bridge kind of ruined the illusion, but it was still nice.

The slightly sticky set of components I kept turning to under the table and fiddling with definitely didn't belong either, they intruded on the enjoyable little fantasy where the three of us were just having a nice family lunch together, I couldn't keep my mind off them though. I had been allowed to view the synth that attacked me back in Hexington this morning before we left and brought what I could carry that wouldn't rot.

The whole process had been pretty grisly, robots shouldn't need to have a doctor like Jade on hoof to help me with but this one did. The alicorn medic had deftly sliced the organic components of the synth away to let me get to the machine underneath. Even knowing it was a very fancy robot I had fought with my breakfast while she worked, it was very realistic...

"Fast, stop playing with that horrible thing under the table..." Jade's admonishment made me jump and sit up straight, getting a giggle from Glitter around a mouthful of cake.

"S-sorry... can't help it... Putting it away now." She glowered at me until I had the components wrapped back in the cloth I took them from and stashed in my bags again. Disgusting as it was the parts I had been examining were so advanced it was crazy, I had pulled both a healing and repair talisman from the torso that were generations ahead of even the absolute best I ever read about in the Big Book of Arcane Science.

"And have you learned anything useful yet? I must admit I am curious, the biological part of it was most interesting, does the robot part compare?"

"Yeah, it's almost too much for me to figure out but some things still look the same. What really bothered me though was its flanks..." The alicorn mare shifted uncomfortably darting an unconscious glance at her own blank flank hidden beneath her coat. "Sorry! Didn't mean... just... I know she had a cutie mark before, it would be noticeable if she didn't trying to blend in right? How could she not now? I expected it to be like a decal or something, not just... gone..."

"She did have one before dad, it was a dessert, I remember seein' it in the mayor's office!" Her name had been Tart, leave it to Glitter to have memorized the sweet based cutie mark.

"I knew it, thank you Glitter. See, she had one before but now it's gone... That mare from the memories Virescent showed you said something about researching cutie marks Jade, I think the one it had was... real? Something more than just a sticker anyway. It's weird, I don't like it."

Our new zebra companion Zed looked down from his strange pose, perfectly balanced on his hindlegs on the railing above the river, watching ominous looking hulks floating by just beneath the surface. "Certain dark magic can remove a glyph mark... one of your cutie marks, it is possible that is what happened. With no tether such a captured mark would return to its origin or fade away."

Could you put a real cutie mark on a robot? The whole idea was disturbing. My musing was cut short by Val swooping back from across the bridge and landing next to us, dumping a heavy sack of loot to the ground and flopping into a free chair, popping open a beer with her claws. She had been clearing the last of the raiders with AssaultJack and insisted on checking the entire span for mines and other booby traps, so we had taken lunch waiting for her to finish.

"Alright boss, all clear. Somethin' you ougth'a see though," I raised an eyebrow to the griffon questioningly but she just pointed to the bridge. "Other side, we can take a look together, all good into town now, left the robot with her."

"Her?"

Groaning Val took a long pull on her beer, "Don't freak out ok, she's been there awhile, figured she'd wait. The robot's right there after all."

"Val... is there something I need to know..."

"Ugh! Fine, they had a prisoner ok? Wasn't gonna just let em loose till I talked to ya, not like she's goin' anywhere! You guys got a break!" Huffing at me leaping up she finished her drink and flapped out of her seat, shoving the rest of the caravan up and into moving.

I ran ahead while everyone else got ready again, grumbling at her flying along beside me. "They had a prisoner and you just left them there?! Why!?"

"Well... they could be one of those synth things... an' she's locked in a cage..."

"Val! You pick locks!"

"She's kinda annoying too though... mouthy..."

I could see the boxy cage hanging from the bridge archway on the side of the river I was approaching. A pony was indeed up there, hindlegs dangling through the bars above the gleaming AssaultJack robot. "Valkyrie! Go get her out of there! Please!"

"Fiiiiiine..." She didn't sound happy but did swoop ahead of me and clung to the cage, raking at the lock with her dark claws. The rusty cage swung open as I skidded to a halt below, sending the mare inside tumbling out to land right on me. "Whoops... good catch boss!"

"Owww.... y-you alright Miss?" Whoever this was she wasn't a pegasus unfortunately, she was rubbing her rump but not getting off my back...

"Ouch, sure I'm great, thanks pal. That griffon a friend of yours? Her and that robot ruined my story, told her if I wanted out like that I could'a just..." Whatever she could have done was cut off with a surprised "eep!" as Jade caught up and yanked her off me in a field of her magic, leaving me groaning on the pavement.

"Fast! What are you doing? What did I say about allowing other mares close?" Her narrowed blue gaze pinned the newly freed prisoner as they both hovered in the air above me.

I could at least get a look now. A unicorn mare winced down at me with one deep brown eye open, a small dark cap topped her warm black mane. She wore a red leather coat over her pale pink hide and had a cutie mark of a... a newspaper? Were there such things anymore?

"Hey easy Blue, your buck there just caught me is all. I was just sayin' if I.... wait... Blue... wings... horn..." she struggled in the air to spin on me, getting a better wide eyed look, "Black... cloak... Stable barding... it's you!"

"Ummm... me?"

"You! Both of you! The Princess and the Shroud! Ha! Been hanging up there all night waiting, these fools were totally spooked, saying the Shrouded Stallion said to open the bridge, that he'd be back today. Sorta let em catch me with the idea they could get ransom from Diamond City, like they'd pay to get me back, pfft! Worth it though, you two are real!?" She sounded completely unconcerned with the raiders that were only recently removed from the bridge.

"Er, yeah, last I checked we're real. Are you? You're saying you let them take you hostage?"

The strange mare drifted lazily through the air as Jade landed beside me, rolling her eyes and laughing. "Sure! The whole hanging the cage up thing was kinda annoying but I coulda picked the lock any time I wanted. The chance to get the story though? Been waitin' on Luna's avenger all this time, though you're kinda... short, for a mythical bringer of divine wrath and all..."

The blue-white field of magic around her popped like a bubble, dropping her to the street at Jade's hooves as she glowered down at her, "Fast is just fine as he is. If you need no assistance we will be on our way." She huffed and stuck her nose up in the air, trotting over to me and nudging me away from the odd mare with her wing.

"Awww hold on, wait! Sorry! No offense really! Just not what I expected is all, that's why I'm out here though, to get to the truth behind the fiction! Though you... you er... measure up completely, don't you there Princess?"

Furling a wing around me Jade picked up the pace, heading towards the caravan crossing the bridge towards us as she whispered in my ear. "T-this mare is quite rude Fast. We should not engage her prattling, I do not like her..."

"Don't let it get to you, you're fine the way you are too Jade. Weird to let herself be caught though isn't it?"

Val had been fluttering overhead near enough to hear and eyed the unicorn still tailing us, "Told ya boss, why I left her in there. Like I said... mouthy."

"For once Valkyrie and I are in perfect agreement. Just ignore her Fast." Trying to keep up with the long legged filly was tiring and the stream of questions following us was getting distracting.

"Please, just hang on! Are you really a princess Blue? Your little buck friend your knight? How many other alicorns are in the Commonwealth? The Shroud there really take out all of the Thundega raiders single hoofed at your command? Did you turn into a giant fire breathing monster and smash the Church of Balefire? Where's this kingdom of Sanctuary?" Oh thank Luna, Dusty and the caravan were just ahead, Jade was shifting gears up to a full gallop shoving me along breathlessly.

Ducking behind the carts only made the curious mare pause long enough to greet Dusty with familiarity, "Dusty! Glad to see your crew can take the short route again! Have some questions for you once I'm done with this lot!"

"Piper Penmare! Be careful, don't want to mess with these folks, regular royalty they are. Awful lucrative for me and Rusty too, have to take their side if you make yourself a nuisance girl!" The trader chuckled but let her by with a wave, dammit.

Jade was counting on this Piper being held up by the caravan and paused, shifting on her hooves indecisively looking for some escape. That gave Piper enough time to charge forward and tackle me, pinning me to the ground. The angry gasp that got from the alicorn just made her grin slyly and wiggle on top of me.

"Oh? You don't like this Princess? Care to answer some questions then?"

"N-no! Get off of Fast this instant!" Her magic sprang up around her and pulled at the unicorn but she was ready now, wrapping all four legs around me and dragging me along with her to Jade's frustration.

"Come on Blue! I'll give him back for just a few minutes of your time!"

Val had her pistol out and aimed but the slippery mare kept me between them making the griffon scowl at her, "Give the word boss!"

I had to shake my head as wheezing out an answer around the mare's grip seemed like it would only make things worse. The caravan ponies looked like they found this whole exchange hilarious and knew the strange unicorn well enough, she was pushy but didn't seem dangerous. Though whatever look she was giving Jade behind me was making her furious.

"If you don't want to spare just a moment of your busy day I can ask him instead Blue! Lots of questions for both of you, I bet he's a lot more cooperative hmm?" Whatever she was doing her breath was right in my ear making me flush.

"ENOUGH!"

The booming goddess voice shocked even the crass mare into loosening her grip, as soon as she flinched I was yanked away and this Piper remained where she was. I had to duck under Jade's outstretched wings to take in her twitching glare at the unicorn floating helplessly above her. A gentle touch to her shoulder calmed her panting while I waved Val off from unleashing explosive death. Even Glitter scowled up at weird unicorn mare once she charged up with Zed following along in her wake.

Rusty Clank angled his heavily loaded cart around the others in the caravan and managed to defuse the situation thankfully, "Easy there everypony. Miss Jade try to forgive Piper here, no social graces whatsoever but she's a good pony. Filly's just news crazy, looking at Diamond City's number one reporter mare there. She's one of my few contacts in that town, appreciate it if you could cut her some slack fer me?"

Rusty asking her was enough to calm Jade down, mostly. She floated Piper far away from us and lowered her none to gently to the ground again, shifting between us and nodding to Val who was watching closely this time. I really doubted this reporter mare was a synth, but the experience was fresh enough Val was as leery as the alicorn when it came to letting anypony just come running up.

"I do not wish to answer questions, especially of a reporter. Do not grab Fast again Miss, I do not like it."

She was being watched too close for surprise to work again so Piper merely pouted and started prattling on again from a distance. "Come on, we just got off on the wrong hoof. Sorry, I was just playing around a little, anything for the story right? The public has a right to know! Just a few questions!"

I had to try to consider the situation calmly as the others didn't seem inclined to, except for Zed, but he wasn't speaking up one way or the other. Rusty vouched for her along with the others in the caravan, she was pushy but so far had been solely focused on her story, she really was a reporter? Like reporters before the war? She went so far as to be captured intentionally and wait here for us, because of all the rumors in the Commonwealth now thanks to my theatrics... If she was willing to go this far for her story I kinda doubted she'd stop, hell she probably couldn't stop herself if she wanted.

If our experience in Hexington taught me anything it was knowing locals in a new town was worth it, Diamond City was the center of the Commonwealth and a complete unknown to me. What better source of information could you ask for than a reporter? What's more her questions so far showed she was pretty good at getting information, even if they hadn't been entirely accurate she knew a lot of what we had been up to. Somepony that good at digging up dirt on just us was a pony I wanted to talk to about the Institute...

"Alright Piper, Jade's kinda shy but I'm willing to talk..." A pen and notepad floated out from the mare's coat before I could even continue the thought. "Whoa! Easy, I was thinking more of a quid pro quo type of thing, you get a question, I get a question. We were all heading to Diamond City, you live there right? We could use a friend in the town and there's things I'd like to know, does that sound fair?"

Her happy nodding sent her mane flying around her as she cantered forward under Jade and Val's dubious stares. "An exclusive interview with the Shrouded Stallion? Sure! Bet you'll need help getting in though, I want two questions for each of yours, I am a reporter after all so I'm bound to have more right?"

I groaned but agreed, it would keep her from pestering Jade for now and according to my pip-buck we still had a decent walk ahead of us to Diamond City. I could already see a lot of uncomfortable talking ahead but it would fill the time.

As soon as we put the river behind us the city of Trotson proper started closing in around us, making me keep glancing around nervously. Piper and the caravan members all explained this route was kept fairly safe by Diamond City guards but the narrow streets and progressively taller ruined buildings made for a lot of hiding places. Even with E.F.S. the thought of hordes of zombie ponies or wasteland monsters in the tight quarters was enough to make me anxious.

Most buildings were old three and four story brick affairs, stacked together so tightly in twisting patterns that even the balefire bombs hadn't knocked them down. Rusting hulks of carriages had been cleared at the tightest spots in our way as we walked south so it was fairly smooth going, glances down side streets and alleys we passed showed just how much of a maze it would be if we weren't traveling a known trade route though.

My brain felt wrung dry by the mare nattering in my ear the whole way, not only did she never run out of questions but they were smart. As soon as she had one answer to work off of she launched more from her initial foray. She also hadn't stuck to the rules, asking so many branching questions I had only gotten a few basic ones out about Diamond City.

Jade looked annoyed at the mare walking at my side but refused to get close to the manic reporter. Instead she had sent Glitter forward with instructions to keep between us, which the foal followed like a mission from Celestia. I was grateful for the help, the little filly was much better at all this talking business and her boisterous interjections let me think.

"Alright, just so I'm totally sure here... you're really from before the war?! You were alive back then?" Once Piper had gotten around to asking about my Stable barding one thing had led to another and she found her new sticking point.

"I was Glitter's age but yes, I was around back then."

"And this Stable... 111, you weren't the only one? There's a whole Stable worth of prewar ponies!? That's what this Sanctuary place is?!"

"No, I'm the only one. The others were taken... I'm trying to find out what happened to them and get them back. My turn, what do you know about the Institute Piper? They took my Stable, my family, I want them back."

"Yeah! An' they tried ta' kill dad for gettin' rid of the mean mayor! They're bad so we're gonna get em!" Glitter stamped her hooves and scowled, my hatred of the Institute was hers as far as she was concerned.

Piper's eyes lit up at the mention of the shadowy group that spread such misery everywhere I encountered them. "The Institute! Reeeeally! That just happens to be a pet project of mine Fast, I've probably got more info on them than anypony you're likely to run into. Three whole file cabinets of stuff back home, prewar records, first hand stories, recordings, everything! Buy any of it up I can and crawled all over the old C.I.A.T. campus back across the river myself more than once."

"Back across the river? It was back there?" Don't tell me we walked right by without ever knowing, I had wanted to investigate the place.

"Sure was, don't you know? Why things get so fancy and nice over on that end, campus was a few blocks off in Manebridge. For wanting to find em you don't know much do you? Lucky you ran into me, preeminent expert on the Institute at your service. Guess I can let you see my stuff, you didn't miss much at the school anyway, wherever they are now it ain't there."

My pip-buck map could have been a little more informative, letting me know names once I actually found a place was useful but a simple marker would have pointed me in the right direction. At the thought and Piper's explanation an alert crossed my vision, Map Marker Added... better late than never... Manebridge was where the two Brotherhood ponies Val and I had met at Watt's said they were, checking the map showed the marker for Manebridge Police H.Q. fairly near the new one for the Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology. Well, we'd go that way to get back to Sanctuary eventually, next time we were that way I had a couple places to visit now.

"So why are you so interested in the Institute Piper? Other than the obvious I guess."

"Because they're the boogeyman of the Commonwealth! Everything bad out there has ponies whispering about the Institute! They have their hooves in everything, hell synths run Diamond City!"

"They do!?"

"Ok... maybe I can't prove that one, but still! Ponies go missing all the time and the Governor doesn't do a thing. Sweeps it all under the rug and says there's nothing to worry about, no such thing as the Institute or synths when anypony knows that's not true! Like the night of the broken mask didn't happen in our own city! Mark my words, the ponies in charge of Diamond City aren't ponies at all, they're all synths!"

That seemed like a pretty outrageous claim but Piper looked like she completely believed it. Just from what I knew unfortunately I couldn't discount it either, if Diamond City was the capital of the Commonwealth wasteland the Institute would be meddling with it. The reporter pony's personality may be a little abrasive but running into her was probably a good thing.

"Daddy look! Is that it Miss Piper?!" Glitter's excited shout roused me from my thoughts and I followed her pointing hoof up the street.

Piper nodded and gave the little filly a wink, "Sure is kid, Diamond City, great green jewel of the Commonwealth. You guys take in the sight, I'll go ahead and work on getting you in. No running off now! Still not done and plan on getting an interview with the princess back there too!"

We had come around yet another bend in the winding streets and now had a straight view of a huge, squat brick structure. More than one floor or so up the walls we could see transitioned to green metal and the corner entryway that had come into view was built of the same. Tattered banners fluttered from the high walls, evenly spaced just within view and each showing three blue diamonds. Directly in front of the angled entry was a large light green copper statue of a very attractive unicorn mare posed coquettishly, her frozen curled mane and tail cascading around her and a carved cutie mark that matched all the banners.

The street ahead around the entrance was crowded with a wide variety of what looked like other caravans and travelers, ponies, ghouls, zebras, griffons, even a couple buffalo could be spotted milling around from here. A large number of guards mixed in the crowd as well, easy to make out in their baseball uniforms and pads, each carried a bat around like a sword on their back along with their other more lethal weaponry.

Rusty told us he wasn't welcome inside the city, apparently ghouls and other 'undesirables' like himself did a lot of business just outside the gates here. He hadn't been all that clear why he wasn't welcome, other than the general impression the residents were a bit stuck up. I didn't like the idea though, Rusty was a good pony, why shouldn't he be allowed in?

With Piper moved away Jade trotted up and joined me in trying to hold Glitter back from simply bolting off towards all the excitement. The gates had a definite flea market mixed with carnival atmosphere that was irresistible for the foal and she goggled at all the sights as we approached, stopping to stare up at the grand statue looming over us.

"Who's this dad? She's really pretty isn't she!" Her pink eyes were wide taking in the fetching representation.

Jade raised an eyebrow at me cooly, "Answer her Fast, do you think so as well?"

Oh no, I wasn't going to be tripped up that easily at the forced casualness of her question. "This is Ministry Mare Rarity, yeah she is. I used to think she was the prettiest mare in all of Equestria Glitter, now I'd have to say second prettiest though." A kiss up to the alicorn's cheek made her whinny happily as Glitter rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out.

"Eww... She's a Ministry Mare? Like the other ones from all the posters? How come I never seen her picture like them?"

Come to think of it that was a good question, I knew Rarity from before the war, everypony knew her back then. Just going off the evidence left behind 200 years later though she didn't show up all over the place like the others. "I don't know Glitter, hers was the Ministry of Image, you'd think she'd have lots of posters too with a name like that and her as the Ministry Mare in charge. Funny for this to be here too, this place was a ball field if I remember right."

Rusty had caught up to us staring and chuckled in his gravelly voice, "Weren't a big sports pony were you Fast? Trotson Red Hooves played here, Rarity was like their unofficial mascot, designed their uniforms every year for em. Poor bastards never won but they looked good doin' it. Fans were loyal as all get out too, if the team loved the Ministry Mare then they all did too, lots o' fashion and culture in this part o' town fer her visits, even a branch o' her own boutique."

Zed had managed to seemingly appear from nowhere at my back, gazing up at the statue and startling me when he actually decided to speak. "This Ministry Mare of yours did things that would surprise all of you. I must admit my respect for her, image is exactly all you know, the truth is much more. The strength to remain uncorrupted by things she was exposed to is indeed rare."

The quiet zebra stallion liked a pony mare? Granted if you were going to pick just one I could see it being this one. It didn't sound like Zed just found her physically attractive though, he seemed to know things that made Rarity something special in his view. I tried to get him to elaborate but just got met with a mysterious look before he wandered off silently, making friends with the stony zebra was not going to be easy...

"You folks take care of yourselves ya' hear? Never felt that bad bout not being allowed in this place, can be dangerous. Got a few standin' orders to fill with some contacts out here an' some more dickering to do for our stock. Might take a bit but you should be able to do the town up right with a good amount o' caps in yer pockets, I'll make sure yer cut gets to ya." The old ghoul clapped me on the back and stuck a hoof out.

Returning the gesture I smiled at him, back in the Stable I would never have thought I'd be friends with a dead pony but I really liked Rusty. Parting like this was surprisingly painful, "Thanks Rusty, for everything really. We'll see each other again soon right?"

"Ya better! Missus was already makin' plans fer yer next visit! Hopin' ta watch yer filly again too! You be good little one, take care o' yer daddy fer us right? Bunch'a greedy snobs round here, he'll need ya ta keep 'im from goin' broke!"

Glitter gave him a squishy hug and waved excitedly as he headed off to do his trading, "I will Rusty! Don't worry! Say hi to Copper for me!"

Catching sight of Piper waving at us by a guard in a fancier uniform at the gate cut short any ideas about looking around, if she could get us in the city we should go ahead while the getting was good. If Diamond City was so selective about who they let in I had to wonder how our strange group would fare, an alicorn, a griffon, a zebra, a killer robot and two plain old ponies... it sounded like the setup for a bizarre joke... As we approached I was glad we had the hyperactive reporter on our side.

"See there, just like I told you Mat! A princess, big as day! You know delegations from other towns are welcome and they got me vouching for them, let's move it, chop, chop!" Piper was slick alright.

The guard eyed us dubiously a moment, "A zebra Piper? Not against the rules but..."

"Hey, you wanna argue with royalty be my guest! I'm sure all those noble snobs will understand you turning away a real princess seeing how you don't approve of who she keeps as part of her retinue. You are the expert after all, I'll write an article so everypony knows your good reasons, don't worry!"

"Alright! Jeez Piper you win! Welcome to Diamond City folks, you got your own know it all guide so explaining the rules is on her. Keep out of trouble and enjoy your stay Princess."

Jade flushed nervously under the attention but a gentle nudge got her to go along with it, "Oh! Y-yes... umm... t-thank you sir, we will!" She skittered past the guard huddling next to me and whispered in my ear once we were past. "I do not like perpetuating your story Fast... a-all the attention... I am not..."

"You are one now, Princess of Sanctuary. I know you don't like being in the pubic eye like that, but it works. I told you, you were always a princess to me, this is just letting others see what I do. I'm right here with you ok?" She muttered nervously but contented herself nuzzling me as we walked through the wide doors into the dark interior of the building, a light at the end of a long tunnel marked Diamond City waiting for us.

Exiting the tunnel left me blinking in the bright afternoon sun at the spectacle in front of us and the text in my vision;

Mission Updated- Diamond City Blues

-Objectives
--~~Reach Diamond City~~
--Find Nick Hearts n' Hooves

-Optional Objective
--~~Clear the bridge to Diamond City~~

A whole city had grown up in the old ball field. The tunnel exited midway up the stands behind where home plate used to be, the stairs lead down from our perch to the field which was filled with a variety of shops and stands. An eatery of some kind occupied the center of the field over the pitcher's mound, the bulk of it looked like a huge Sparkle Cola bottle taken from a billboard and shoppers could sit at the counter letting the market flow around them.

Beyond the obvious storefronts the field was filled with alleys of ramshackle homes and buildings, these stretched up to other stairways like this one up into the stands. The outfield was a makeshift farm, just what I could see through the buildings was covered in crops and had ponies working out there. A tall metal tower peeked up from far right field too, neon letters currently dark in the sunshine spelled out D.C.R. with the three diamond logo below. Fancier homes were built up into the stands themselves overlooking the field below and walkways stretched off from our current vantage to either side leading to these.

The truly jaw dropping sight however was above even these luxurious homes, ramps from the upper decks led directly above the field where there was a small cloud town... Mom had taken me to one before when I was Glitter's age to visit my grandparents so it was familiar at least, seeing the graceful architecture hanging above us here was a shock though. The sky was actually crowded with pegasi flying about, up to the fluffy homes or around the city itself. I hadn't realized how I had grown used to no longer seeing them around anymore until I was faced with a view closer to the world before the war, as many pegasi as earth ponies and unicorns.

Glitter actually gave voice to the thoughts running through my head while I stared, "Pegasuses! Lookit all of em dad! There's buildings made of clouds up there!!"

"Pegasi Glitter, the plural is Pegasi. Would you like to see?" Jade smiled down to the wide eyed foal and floated Glitter to her back at her enthusiastic nodding, "We will be right back Fast, I will merely take a short trip around."

I waved numbly at them as the little filly squealed from the alicorn's back, zooming up to inspect the cloud structures. Val gave a nudge and bolted up after them, pulling agile loops around Jade's slow, stately progress and scattering the local pegasi residents out of her way ahead of them.

Piper and Zed were standing with me watching the spectacle, the reporter mare grinned over and shut my gaping mouth for me. "Quite a sight huh? Friends tell me there's all kinds of abandoned cloud ruins up there in the sky, old Grand Pegasus Enclave had strict population controls so they had more buildings than ponies. Locals managed to guide some of the smaller ones down here once the sky opened up. Only good for pegasus residents of course, but helped smooth the transition, all the new pegasus folk weren't taking up valuable real estate down here."

"It... It's been a long time since I saw any... Val said there were pegasi here she didn't mind, thought most ponies didn't like them though?"

"Well these aren't really Enclave ponies, most of them up there never knew what the world was like here on the surface so they're not too bad. Once they found out and the skies opened up lots came down and started living together with us again. Though their position here now has a lot to do with just a few Dashites over the years the sky was closed." Piper explained sagely as we walked down the stairs to the field but I had to ask about that word.

"Dashites? Er... wow that takes some getting used to, you really have some weird blind spots don't you Fast? Dashites are from before the Lightbringer, the Enclave stayed up there behind the clouds telling the pegasi everything was shit down here. Any of them that dared question that or suggest they come down and help during those 200 years... they got exiled, branded with the mark of Rainbow Dash, hence Dashites.

During all that time seeing a pegasus down here was pretty damn rare, they could never go back home but being able to fly and all gave em some advantages living down here. One pretty smart Dashite bout 60 years ago or so started a successful business as a courier, made a bunch of caps, bought himself a cushy spot here in Diamond City back when it was coming up. His family kept up the racket and have become pillars of the community, even helped mend fences when the sky opened and all the newbie pegasi came down. Made a tidy profit opening trade with the sky too, more powerful than ever nowadays."

Having a local reporter as a guide was definitely informative, I was still just marveling at seeing so many pegasi again after such a long absence but there seemed to be quite a bit of history there. We had made our way down to the cola bottle eatery I now saw was run by a Ponitron in a chef's toque for some reason, at our approach the robot had turned to speak to us.

"Nani Shimasu Ka?" Wha? Whatever that was it wasn't what I expected the synthetic voice to rattle off.

"Just say yes or no, that's all he says." Piper didn't seem to find the robot odd anyway.

"Umm... I can probably fix that..."

What?! No! Takahashi is a local fixture, he's tradition! Everypony knows what he means, you'd never hear the end of it if you actually fixed it."

I'd never been asked to leave something broken before... trying to comprehend the logic involved was at least interrupted before I blew a fuse by Jade, Val and Glitter landing nearby. The happy little filly pranced around us ecstatic from her tour, "Daddy did you see! We did a loop! There was stores up there too, I wanted to go in but Miss Jade said no, can't I?!"

"I am sorry Glitter, it is not a matter of being disallowed. You cannot stand on those structures without sinking through them." Jade gave a concise explanation to the disappointed earth pony but I could actually help here for once.

"Actually one of the very few spells I know can let you walk up there Glitter, we can try it later if you want."

"Really!?"

Even the alicorn looked impressed at that, she had me beat in magic across the board normally. "Really, I think I could only manage the cloud walking spell cause mom's a pegasus, in my blood already. Er... long as it still works I guess, haven't tried it since the whole... lightning... thing..."

Reminded of one of the reasons we had come here Jade frowned and spotted the clinic nearby, "All the more reason to get you checked as soon as possible Fast, playing around with complicated spells is inadvisable when your magic is still unpredictable. I will speak with the local doctor and schedule an appointment for you."

I wasn't looking forward to that, as long as I didn't know one way or the other why my magic had gotten so uncontrollable I could keep believing it wasn't because I had suffered some strange mutation. I wasn't going to get to argue however, Jade had already trotted off to do as promised, finding out was becoming inevitable...

I could try to take my mind off it as long as possible though, this was a busy city to explore. I had to promise Piper we'd stop by her nearby home to continue her precious interview but she seemed satisfied. She even tempted Glitter with meeting her sister, a pale lavender filly she pointed out near the entrance stairs advertising papers.

Zed had managed to disappear again somehow, I had to put a bell around his neck or something... Glancing around the market I spotted him walking off down a dark side alley with a number of signs, one of which looked sort of like the squiggly mark on his flank, zebra writing? Well he always showed back up when he felt like it, I really doubted he needed a babysitter, I just wished he was a little friendlier.

A neon sign above the painted zebra mark pointed to the same alley, reading "Hearts n' Hooves Detective Agency", that was somewhere I wanted to go. Following my gaze Val nodded, "Oh yeah, Nick! Hafta go give him a talking to boss, wanna go or..."

The invitation was unfortunately interrupted by Jade returning happily and nudging me up, "This doctor is much nicer than Scalpel, she will see you immediately Fast. Isn't that wonderful? Come along, I wish to return to our conversation and see to your health."

"But... Detective..." Anything to put this off, I looked to Val for help but she just smirked and scooted Glitter to her.

"We can handle talkin' to Nick boss. You heard yer mare, yer health is important an' all that. C'mon kiddo you'll like this guy, he's neat!" The foal and traitorous griffon wandered off with AssaultJack following behind, leaving me alone to try to come up with some excuse.

"Umm... d-don't you wanna look around a little Jade? They got a lot of cool shops! Er... look is that a sign for a school? I bet you wanna talk to them about the Followers right? You want to start a school in Sanctuary..."

She did glance at the arrow shaped sign with temptation for a moment, but quickly saw through the ruse and simply picked me up in her magic. "Perhaps later. We should not keep the good doctor waiting Fast. You are going. Now."

The Diamond City Surgery Center was nice enough I could almost forget it wasn't a prewar doctor's office. We had passed through an open exam area off the market for simple purchases and healing into a very clean and well kept back room. I had been left on one of the recovery beds, my horn hooked up to a fancier version of the machine back in Jade's clinic in Sanctuary while the two doctors conferred.

I wasn't alone back here but the other ponies under treatment weren't very good at conversation, two giggled and even spontaneously broke into song with each other, having a grand old time despite being strapped down to their beds. A third was technically awake but it was hard to tell, they lay drooping on their bed, rolling an eye back to the other patients when they got especially silly with a lazy grin on their face.

I really hated doctors visits, having Jade take care of me was one thing but being poked and prodded by anypony else wasn't worth it. The two medical ponies finally came back in through a curtained room in the back, still chatting happily back and forth about doctor type things I guess. The light yellow unicorn mare wore a lab coat even cleaner than Jade's and pulled a pencil from her styled light brown mane, scribbling on a clipboard floating nearby as she looked over the machine I was hooked to. Jade stayed at her side looking concerned but confident as the mare's magic probed at me.

"Right then, Mr. Times, I'm Doctor Cotton Swab, we've been having problems with our magic yes? Your marefriend has filled me in on your condition and provided excellent records, I rarely have so much to work with you know. Stable ponies are infrequent, you appear to be in excellent health despite all the signs of recent trauma. I would thank a talented doctor who obviously cares a great deal about you hmm?" The praise from the older mare made Jade flush and whinny, pleased with herself.

"I thank the goddesses for her every day doc. So... what's the deal, let's get this over with I guess..."

Dr. Swab smiled and started pulling the leads off my horn gently, "Now, now, no reason to be so glum. As I said, you are in excellent health, Dr. Jade here was right to be concerned with possible mutation but I see no signs of such really. Your physiology is a tad interesting, exposure to strange magic over a very long period, she told me of your... unique Stable however. I would be quite interested in examining one of these stasis pods of yours, could be medically useful like my auto-doc back there if it was working properly."

She gestured to the rear of the treatment area and a large booth that did in fact look somewhat similar to the stasis pods back in the Stable. I had been looking it over while they were gone and itching to tinker with it, the mention that it wasn't working right made me really interested now. "I could probably do something about that doc..."

"Yes, one of the topics of conversation we were discussing. You know him quite well don't you Dr. Jade?"

The alicorn doctor smiled and puffed up with pride, "I like to think so yes, he is predictable on certain subjects."

"Just as you said, well Mr. Times your mare here has already worked out a deal for your services in that regard, accurately guessing your behavior. Consider the treatment free provided you can repair it. This includes purging what taint is in your system, very minor contamination don't worry. I'd venture you did more damage to yourself using Hydra than all of your exposure to the wasteland."

Both of them stepped back letting me hop down from the bed eyeing the piece of tech waiting for me. "Umm... that's great? What about my magic though?"

Cotton glanced over her clipboard again and nodded reassured, "From everything Jade has explained and your records here I would guess it is simply a unique combination of factors. Traumatic events like having a lightning strike channeled directly into your horn have been known to awaken latent potential before. I'm personally interested in seeing if the effect is as dramatic as your doctor has described, but there is little I can do for the problem."

Opening the rear of the auto-doc I sighed with relief, no mutation, good. That had been hanging over my head since leaving Sanctuary, I was still stuck with a cannon in my head but it could be worse. "Thanks doc, guess I'll learn to live with it, that's a weight off my shoulders anyway."

"I said I couldn't do much Mr. Times, not that there was nothing to be done. You have a magical problem, not a medical one. Diamond City has an extensive magic shop, Rare Magic, the wizard pony Corona there can help you much better than I can. I have written a note explaining the situation attached to your aptitude chart, I believe you'll find a visit there most useful." Dr. Swab floated the papers up from her clipboard and over to Jade as I tinkered with the machine, they had worked this out already apparently.

Jade took the note and pulled me out of the panel for a hug, "See, nothing to worry about. I will find the others and share the good news. Continue your work Fast, the doctor recommended a place to stay I will inquire about. Perhaps you two can find other subjects to discuss while I am away." She nodded pointedly to the senseless ponies on the other beds nearby before trotting out humming to herself.

Pulling the fried healing talisman from the auto-doc I wondered about that, Jade and the other doctor seemed to get along well, what else had they been discussing? A questioning stare at the doctor around the bulky contraption for a few moments made her shuffle and sigh.

"Your mare tells me you are... good at fixing problems Mr. Times..."

I cocked an eyebrow at her watching her checking her other patients kindly, "So I've been told, it's just Fast please Doctor. I take it you have a problem?"

"Yes... er... Then call me Cotton please. I am taking a bit of a risk asking you but the current situation is unacceptable, and Dr. Jade said you were trustworthy... What would you say is wrong with these ponies?" She gestured to the two giggling fools who tracked her waving hoof slowly.

"Umm... I'm not a medical pony, if I had to guess I'd say drugs?" It seemed a safe bet, they weren't in their right mind that was certain.

"Just so. There is a certain black market in Diamond City trafficking in such things. Normally I would not stick my snout in, ponies will do what they want to regardless of my opinion. This however is something new, two previously unknown drugs have started showing up and dealing with them is taxing my resources. I have complained to the authorities to no avail, those profiting from this epidemic are well protected it would seem." A distasteful frown crossed her face as she crossed over to the third comatose pony.

"New drugs?" Maybe Diamond City wasn't so squeaky clean as the initial impression suggested...

"Dawn and Dusk, both cause intense euphoria and suggestibility, they are highly addictive as well. They aren't your typical wasteland party favors either, very pure, very complicated. As their name suggests one is a stimulant, the other a depressant."

Considering the problem I dug around in the parts I had in my bags, healing talismans were hard to come by but I did have the advanced one I took out of the synth corpse, maybe it would work... It fit the slot anyway and the machine seemed to accept it, I walked around to the console and patched my pip-buck in turning to the doctor. "You want me to what? Stop these new drugs from coming in?"

Cotton nodded enthusiastically, "Optimally yes, though I don't know where they're coming from... Drugs like these would be from a major manufacturer though, a big operation. Just exposing them or finding evidence of who's behind it would help but Jade was of the opinion you tend to solve issues like this more... permanently..."

The alicorn's vote of confidence was always nice, she must really like the doctor to put the idea to her though. If these new drugs were such a problem I would want to do something about it, a greedy griffon in my head had to pipe up though. "Not that I necessarily disagree doctor, or am looking for a reward, but why should I help? Like you said, ponies do what they want to, I can't make them not want to take drugs."

"No, there will always be those who do such things and I deal with the problems left by it. I am having to spend a lot of time and resources dealing with this new wave though, my normal treatments for addiction are not very effective. If I weren't wasting so much on this I would have more to use elsewhere, say with helping your mare's ideas about these Followers of the Apocalypse perhaps? Donating medical care and supplies to Hexington for another? If profit was a motive then the kind of facility and ingredients needed to make these drugs would be valuable and useful in making real medicine instead if they were to be... liberated..."

Oh she was clever alright... she knew just what to dangle in front of me. I doubted this line of conversation had come from Jade either, she was too trusting of fellow healers to have considered things like profit. If doing this helped with Jade's hopes for the Followers in the Commonwealth though... plus the ponies in Hex did need medical help with radiation always being a concern.

Checking my pip-buck's readout on the auto-doc displayed it was now working at... 172% efficiency?! Wow... this synth healing talisman was more advanced than I thought. I disconnected the patch cable and shut the panel in the back, "Alright Doctor, I'll see what I can do about your problem. I do expect if I can help you'll do the same in return though."

"Of course Fast, happy to hear it!" My view of her smiling face was partially obscured by new text in my vision;

Mission Added- Benign Intervention

Objective-
---Discover the source of Dawn and Dusk

I didn't get to wander far outside the Surgery Center before Jade landed next to me, she had found the others quickly enough and sent them on to the lodging, letting Glitter handle the room rental and check in since she demonstrated such skill in that regard already. As we walked she brought a jingling pouch out of her medical box saddlebags and held it out to me, my share of the caps Rusty had promised. Whistling at the large sum now displayed in my pip-buck inventory I took another look around the market with fresh funds burning a hole in my bags.

There were a lot of luxury stores here that Hexington had no time for, only the basics of food, medicine, weapons and armor were really available there. Diamond City on the other hand had so many stores it was dizzying, just strolling along we passed a clothing store with pretty fancy wares on display and a hair salon where I could see a regal looking older mare having her hooves done.

The local weapon and armor merchants both had a large amount of high class goods out to be viewed I looked over idly while we walked, seeing a missile launcher just sitting out behind the counter was a little jarring. They even had a second weapon shop that looked to focus exclusively on magical energy weapons with a pegasus behind the counter, not really my cup of tea but I did still have Glitter's small M.E.W. Righteous Authority to think of. Having spare ammo and parts for it would let us have a practice session with it, Val knew magical weapons so she could teach her how to use it properly if the need ever arose.

Up ahead a dark, star and diamond spangled tent and drapes marked the magic shop. The sign above the entry was magical, brightly lit even in the afternoon sun, the words "Rare Magic" in dancing purple letters was ringed my marching blue diamonds. Personally I found the shop next door more interesting, a simple painted sign with seven circles read "Absolutely Everything" and actually seemed accurate given the mountain of junk visible near the pegasus at the counter, but Jade swept me along to the magic shop first.

We ducked in through the heavy drapes together into the dim room completely crammed with books and scrolls, what little available space not taken up by spells was decorated by both Ministry Mare Twilight like I'd expect in a magic shop, but also Ministry Mare Rarity. The mare at the counter was a dressed in flowing dark blue robes speckled with lighter blue diamonds over her white coat and had a short orange mane. Looking up from the thick tome in front of her she adjusted his glasses and spoke up excitedly, "Customers! Welcome to Rare Magic! I'm Corona Light, how can I help you two today?"

Considering my lifetime of bad experiences with learning magic I wasn't too enthusiastic about trying again as an adult. Jade pushed past me while I grumbled and turned over the note from the doctor, letting the wizard pony read it before answering. "As you can see there my friend needs help getting control over his magic, Dr. Swab seemed sure you could help?"

Corona mouthed silently reading the note again and held up the aptitude chart in a field of red-orange magic, her pale blue-green eyes widening as she took in the spikes and jags that made no sense to me. "Oh my, fascinating... Yes I believe I understand the problem, one moment!"

Trotting out from behind the counter a flurry of books started flying off the shelves and stacking themselves near her while she muttered to herself, some of those looked suspiciously like books for unicorn foals... I glowered up at one of the first posters of Rarity I had ever seen in the wasteland and tried to ignore all the activity.

"Look at all the books Fast, aren't you excited?" Jade touched me with her wing lightly drawing my attention to the growing stack.

"They're beginners books... cantrips for foals..."

The wizard pony turned and shook her head, "Oh no! Well... yes... but all magic is good! Besides from what I see here this is just the thing, you have never been good at magic Mr. Times?"

"No..."

"Thus you need to start with the basics! There's nothing to be embarassed about, I've read of this kind of thing happening before. Most unicorns have to work and study over many years, strengthening their magic as they go. In cases like this however, you have suddenly had a great deal of power unlocked at once, but have none of the practice needed to control it, that's all! Simple exercises young unicorns go through should help you get a handle on it over time. I also offer lessons in magic, judging by your chart here and Cotton's notes I would be interested in having you as a student if you like, at your convenience of course!"

The colorful basic books were bad enough, personal lessons though? I just wasn't good at magic, I went through this as a foal already and gave up. I muttered noncommittally but Jade nodded and accepted on my behalf as we left the tent, dammit...

Jade led the way towards the local hotel called the Dugout Inn, the name wasn't that clever considering it really was built in the dugout for the field. Val and Glitter were waiting for us at one of the tables sitting outside with Zed who had found the two of them while we were busy. The three were eating along with a few other patrons out here so we joined them, not having to wait long for the young earth pony waitress to take our orders.

Glitter prodded the objectionable vegetables on her plate and cheerfully told us all of the interesting things she had seen thus far in town, Val had been fairly silent however forcing me to ask about her detective friend, startling her from her woolgathering. "Huh? Oh... yeah about that boss... Er, got kinda a favor to ask..."

"Favor? Is everything ok?" Val usually didn't ask for things, either simply said what she was doing or took what she wanted.

"Well I went to see Nick but he's gone... like really gone. His secretary was pretty worried about him, said he's been missing way too long on a case. Look boss... they're good folks, they helped me out when I really needed it. I know it's not really our problem but... could we...."

"Let's go find him Val." By now I'd think the griffon wouldn't look quite so surprised, if her friend needed help of course that's what we should do.

"Don't ya wanna know stuff? Like where? Or if it'll be dangerous or nothin?"

"You asked, that's enough for me Val."

The softening gaze I got was just added to by Jade nodding primly beside me, "I agree, if this friend of yours needs help we should do so Valkyrie."

"I go where the dark pony goes." Zed wasn't raring to go or anything but stated his intentions in a matter of fact tone.

Glitter gulped a mouthful of food down and bounced up in her seat, "Yeah Auntie Val, let's go save your friend!"

Dark claws ruffled the foals mane as Val smiled and shoved her back down to her seat, "Sorry squirt, little too dangerous for you I think. 'Preciate the offer though, means a lot... er from all of ya. You do probably wanna know a little about this though ok?" I nodded for her to go on and started scarfing down the friend apple dish the waitress brought out.

"Alright, so Nick got hired to go look for some noble brat wantin' to be a big shot, fell in with the wrong crowd. Gang called the Trigger Jewels, been makin' a name fer themselves lately. Should'a been an easy job but they got some kinda base out in the old metro tunnels outside of town. Been movin' up in the world from what I hear, were just some piddly little gaggle of raiders last time I was around here. Prolly won't be that easy if they got Nick boss, ya sure...."

I had to choke down the rest of my meal quickly to answer but this was obviously important to the mercenary, we were going as soon as possible. As I swallowed the last bite to answer my pip-buck updated matching my own resolve;

Mission Updated- Diamond City Blues

Objectives-
---Track down the Trigger Jewels
---Find Nick Hearts n' Hooves

Glitter hadn't been happy at being left at the inn but showing her where we were headed on the map appeased her and she had AssaultJack as a babysitter, letting her look around Diamond City safely. The entrance to the Trotson subway system the arrow on my E.F.S. pointed towards wasn't all that far from the city, with luck we wouldn't be gone long. It had barely gotten fully dark by the time we arrived, sneaking a look out from an alley towards the desiccated park with the stairs heading underground.

The few members of the Trigger Jewels gang we had run into so far were an odd bunch, not the raiders I had gotten used to seeing out here who were vicious and savage ponies, these were more of a criminal bent. Crime kind of required a degree of civilization, you had to have laws to break and care about doing so, I still wasn't sure if the difference made them better or worse.

They were better equipped, the favored weapons so far were shotguns, machine guns and revolvers in much better repair than the crude pipe weapons and other firearms raiders typically used. Strangely enough they were snazzy dressers too... every one of the gang we ran into doing patrols in their territory wore fairly clean suits or dresses and hats under their varied armor. For all the trappings of society however they were just as violent as any raider, attacking on sight and ruining any hopes I had of talking first. Worse yet they worked together better than raiders, employing actual tactics and covering each other.

Spotting a break in the patrols around the stairwell Zed and I dashed out from our cover and silently dispatched two guards each, leaving the entrance to the subway open. Val was anxious to join in and go after the ponies who held her friend the detective but so far Zed and I were making our way with no fuss. I was amazed again at how the zebra could take ponies apart with his bare hooves while I relied on the silenced pistol.

No more red showed up on my Eyes Forward Sparkle so I waved the others out of hiding, walking down the decaying stone stairs cautiously as they crossed the street to join us. Zed stopped and turned to me before they caught up with a flat expression.

"This cannot be how you do things normally?"

"Huh? Er... how do you mean, going well so far right?" He picked odd times to speak up.

"I mean just wandering about and getting involved in things, I had assumed you must have some plan and wished to follow you after the Church of Balefire. So far you have simply let things come as they may and now we are here after some stranger."

"I don't do long term planning well ok? Stuff just... happens... I have vague ideas and make it up as I go. And we're not after some stranger, it's a friend of Val's that needs help. He's a detective too, he can probably help find your brother maybe..."

The stern zebra glowered at me silently as the others joined us and I headed down the stairs to escape. Having my lack of leadership pointed out was a real confidence destroyer, I had plans... sort of... I wasn't totally focused on Zed's one area of interest that's all, considering I was after a mysterious organization that was all over the Commonwealth I thought my random approach was doing pretty well...

The gaggle of gang members playing cards by the wreck of a subway train distracted the dour line of thought and Val got her chance to take the direct approach, blasting the game to pieces before they had a chance to dive for their nearby weapons. The noise caught the attention of more of them down here though, red marks were jittering all around on my E.F.S. making me dive for cover from a heavyset stallion in a blue suit spraying the platform with machinegun fire.

Several gang members were hiding in a platform diner across the tracks and jumping up to send shots our way over the counter. They never saw Zed slip through the door leading to the back area they were in though and the amount of lead in the air started dropping dramatically as he mowed through them. Val was sending blazing red lines of magic throughout the station picking off any that moved, letting me dart from my cover behind a cracked, tile covered pillar and turn my attention to the large clump of red down the tracks.

A hole in the side of the subway tunnel was illuminated by flickering emergency lights and another half dozen gang members were spilling from it into the partially flooded tunnel towards the sounds of fighting. They were bunched up and down a narrow approach running up the tracks... I was supposed to practice to get this under control... Taking advantage of the situation I focused down the tunnel and unloaded the lightning spell, throwing myself back several feet.

KRAKA-THOOM!

The water dribbling from the pipes above and pooling at their hooves made the crackling spell impossible to miss, the entire group jittered on the spot before falling to the puddles below them smoking. That only took a little more than half my magic this time, maybe the wizard Corona was right and I could get a handle on this eventually. Val dropped the last enemy with her pistol, catching them gaping from the window of the rusty subway car at their friends sudden electric death.

"Nice shot boss! I love when you do that!" Val swooped over to me struggling back up to my hooves and looked all around for more threats, E.F.S. showed nothing nearby though and I knew she saw the same.

Jade trotted over and checked us all for injuries but things were going pretty smooth so far with all three of us wading into them, her horn glowed only briefly at an oozing wound on Val's flank closing it quickly. "I had hoped you would practice with the books we purchased Fast... not with that spell. Though you did seem to control it somewhat better, congratulations."

Zed looked totally untouched even though he had been right up in their faces, most of the advantages of ranged weapons disappeared with the zebra closing distance so easily. He was unperturbed as usual but his raised eyebrow as he crossed the tracks could practically be slack jawed amazement on anyone else. "You did not use that at the church..."

Trotting forward past Val as she looted the bodies I stuck my head in the hole the gang members had poured out of, calling to the zebra over my shoulder. "It's kinda difficult to use, in case you didn't notice. Don't count on it for anything alright?"

I clicked my pip-buck light on to head down the gently sloping tunnel, this didn't look like part of the subway system, the sides were rough and earthen. I had assumed the Trigger Jewels just made their hideout in the subway itself, it seemed defensible enough, though I guess you could travel the rail lines if they were open enough to get here. This side tunnel on the other hoof was something else entirely.

Coming around a bend in the tunnel to a large open chamber I froze and had my answer... This would account for everything bothering me about this gang. The fancy clothes and weaponry and the caps required for such, the sudden rise in power and fame from what Val said had been an unremarkable gang before...

There was a large gear shaped hole in the rock and concrete wall ahead of me, a huge metal door was rolled mostly to the side beyond the entryway but I could see the numbers printed on it from its position.

Stable 114.

---------------------------Level Up!-----------------------------------

New Perk Added!--------------------------

Jury Rigging-------------
--- You posses the amazing ability to repair any item with a roughly similar item. Fix an anti materiel rifle with a hunting rifle, a magical energy weapon with a flashlight and some jewels, even power armor with metal armor and duct tape. How does it work? Nopony knows... except you.

Reputation Change!---------------------

Diamond City-- Neutral
----You've made it to the great green jewel of the Commonwealth and been allowed entry. The big city has a lot to take in and ponies to meet so you're an unknown now, the ponies you've met so far and have agreed to help will probably change that soon though. For now you're just another rube from the boonies.

Ch. 19-- Dazed and Confused

Ch. 19-- Dazed and Confused

G-Good evening Commonwealth from Diamond City, I'm Traveling Miles with D.C. Radio. So... the gossip mill here in Diamond City has been pretty a-active today huh? For those of you not with us in the great green jewel it's been a busy day, first off umm... well of interest to everypony up north it seems like the bridge to Hexington is open again, that's good right? We heard some rumors it was going to happen today, that the raiders who have been charging to cross were warned by the um... the S-Shrouded Stallion, guess the story may be true huh?

On a related note, w-what's really got ponies here in D.C. buzzing is stories about some of the new arrivals that came in with the first caravan to cross the reopened bridge. A friend of the station even hinted on an exclusive, but there's lots of folks talking about seeing a real princess in town today. W-we've been trying to track this visiting dignitary from that new settlement up north down, but er... s-sorry folks, I can't find her anywhere tonight. Though I did see a pretty weird robot roaming around, er... if you see it j-just umm... don't mess with the little filly it's following. If you do spot a big blue alicorn out in the market, run to the station and let us know ok? H-here's a little Sapphire Shores to search by, keep an eye out for us.

Discovered Location- Stable 114

My pip-buck gave an entirely unnecessary update as I stared at the gaping entryway, beyond the gear shaped hole in the wall a banner identical to the one back home announced the same, "Welcome to Stable 114" in blue text on a faded yellow field. Another Stable... everyone told me others were out in the Commonwealth and some had opened, my friends seemed unaware of this one though so I wasn't the only one surprised.

Zed actually broke the silence surprisingly, following my gaze up to the ancient banner and reading with distaste on his stern features. "One of these tombs... of course."

Val shook herself and turned on the zebra, glancing over to me still frozen on the spot. "Hey! They're not... Just watch it Stripes, the boss is from one of these alright!"

A large blue wing curled over me and Jade whispered to me softly, "Are you alright Fast? You do not look well... this must be difficult for you."

"F-Fine...I'm o-ok Jade... really..." I really wished I could lie to her better, her concerned hug helped though.

"Boss I didn't know... you sure about this? I can go myself..." Val was watching me, torn between her worry for her detective friend somewhere inside and me shivering in front of her.

The fact she was displaying such care decided me though, I shook my head and pushed past the open threshold of the Stable. "I'm fine Val, we came here to help your friend, that's what I'm going to do. Come on, this isn't my Stable, I'll be alright."

I had to keep reminding myself this wasn't 111, the entrance was identical. I wasn't hopeful for what was inside either, somehow a gang of criminals was in charge of this place now, not the Stable ponies that should be. I really hoped Zed's appraisal wasn't right but just entering the echoing chamber made me afraid this was a tomb.

A stack of boxes near the door control console gave me something to focus on anyway, I walked over and opened one on top with my magic, peering inside. The steel storage container was full of what looked like Dash inhalers, except these were painted blue with a silver crescent moon design printed on each instead of red like Dash. Pulling the lid off another next to it revealed a similar bounty inside but painted white with a bright yellow sun instead. I floated one of each out and looked them over closely, letting my pip-buck identify them for me to confirm my suspicions. My inventory displayed each as Celestia's Dawn x1, Luna's Dusk x1 and assigned a value of 50 caps each before flashing an update;

Mission Updated- Benign Intervention

Objectives-
---~~Discover the source of Dawn and Dusk~~
---Investigate Stable 114
---Uncover the drug dealers

Mission Updated- Buried Secrets

Objectives
---Investigate Other Stables
------Explore Stable 114

Jade came up beside me and floated one of the inhalers out as well, frowning at the drugs waiting to be shipped out of here apparently. "These are the new narcotics Dr. Swab was so concerned about in Diamond City Fast. They are very dangerous, what are they doing here?"

"I'm interested to find that out myself, this and the Stable look like the reason why this gang has become so powerful so quickly. I'm not sure how they're related though."

I left the blue alicorn glowering at the large shipment and trotted over to the nearby security office. The small room looked to have been occupied by the gang members who had come charging up the tunnel out into the subway when they heard us. Three mattresses had been moved into the office and the weapon lockers were fairly well stocked with ammo for the Trigger Jewels favored weapons, an active terminal was glowing on the desk original to the Stable now littered with cards and empty liquor bottles.

I approached with interest and started tapping through the password, the gang members didn't look to have had either the skill or interest to unlock the terminal. Val had entered the room behind me and was busy looting the ammo stockpile, darting glances over to me while I worked.

"Anything interesting boss?" The griffon wasn't big on boring technical things like this, her interest seemed more like small talk to keep me occupied but it was appreciated.

"A map for one which is what I was hoping for. This place is bigger than my Stable, it had a full compliment of ponies up at one time. Lots of entries here too but not a lot of information, more basic logs and stuff. It says the door was opened from the inside about six months ago. What was this gang like then?"

She scratched her beak thinking a moment, "Not much more than raiders really boss. Can't think of much going on around here at the time, sure never heard of no Stable opening up. Wasn't really in the area at the time but news like that travels."

Flipping through my pip-buck I brought up the newly downloaded map of the Stable and started examining it. 111 was a special case since it was only supposed to accommodate 100 of us awake at one time, the layout of this more standard Stable was quite a bit different. I did notice certain common points though, mostly the same elements were here just larger than I was used to. There was an Atrium like back home that looked to be the center of the Stable like it was in 111, living quarters, medical, maintenance, kitchens and dining area, Overmare's office and administration, security, orchard and hydroponics, everything was here just a lot bigger.

This was a lot of territory to cover with no idea where they'd keep Val's friend if he was alive, security seemed the best bet as they'd have cells to hold prisoners in. The Overmare's office was high on my list too, it would have the most information at the very least and I was curious about this Stable and where the Stable dwellers of 114 were.

Walking back out to the entryway I floated a couple of mines from my bags, arming both and stashing them in the boxes of drugs. These looked to be waiting to leave, if anyone came up behind us or messed with them they'd get a surprise. Jade gave a little 'tsk' noise but returned the samples of the drugs she had been examining and replaced the lids. The harm these did seemed to override her distaste at the trap, explosives would effectively dispose of them.

"Alright, we'll go to the Atrium first, the Security room is right off it and Val's friend comes first. Depending on what we find I want to explore this place as much as possible too once he's safe." The others all nodded their agreement and followed along quietly as I led the way towards the stairs exiting the door chamber.

The familiar Stable-Tec hallways bore signs of violence not long ago as we went. I wasn't the slaughterhouse 111 ended up like, but I did see odd splashes of blood and marks of weapon fire occasionally, at least there weren't bodies so far. Zed joined me in front as we crept forward, our tactics getting here had worked well, we'd try to keep this silent as much as possible. I wasn't sure how many of these Trigger Jewel ponies had taken up residence in the Stable, best to whittle away at their numbers.

"You lived in one of these places?" Zed whispered over, it was strange for him to initiate conversation sneaking around like this, he didn't have a pip-buck letting him know things were clear nearby, though he seemed as good as E.F.S. at telling regardless.

"I grew up in one yeah, why?"

The zebra stallion gave me an appraising look and shrugged, "They are bad places. No wonder darkness hangs around you."

I had heard other's opinions about Stables before but this was a little more personal. "What's that supposed to mean Zed? Mine wasn't bad, well... until recently... relatively. But there were good ponies there, my family was there with me, I had friends there. I'm not so bad am I?"

He gave a soft sigh and muttered back, "I did not say you were bad. I said darkness surrounds you. It is possible to be exposed to such and not be corrupted by it. Its' presence is a fact however. You wield star metal, you carry fragments of souls with you, I have seen what hides in your eyes when your mare was taken."

What? I stopped in the hall and stared at him, I had no idea what he was talking about for the most part but none of it sounded good, "Star metal? Souls? What are you talking about?"

"Your knife, it is made of star metal."

"It says Saturnite, I got it from a cook who was a good pony."

Zed gave a flat expression and simply repeated, "Star metal. The stars are cold and can be cruel, they give gifts to allow us to destroy ourselves better with them. What have you done with this cooking instrument?"

"Er..." mainly I had marveled and just how good it was at slicing through ponies with ease... "O-ok... I don't carry souls around with me though."

"Soul jars, you have three with you, I can sense them. They are small objects that contain a fragment of a soul in your left saddelbag. Such things are unique, they would shine with the impression of the soul they contain and are essentially indestructible."

I goggled at him and looked into the bag he pointed out, slowly pulling out the statues of Ministry Mares Applejack and Fluttershy and floating them in front of his stern face, watching as he recoiled away from the little sculptures. "These?"

"Yes, those. You have another but it is... different. Put them away, they are the product of dark magic."

I did as asked, confused by the explanation, I only had the two of these statues. They were odd and seemed to have strange effects on me since I found them, but souls? Pieces of souls in statuettes of the Ministry Mares?

Val snorted behind us, "Your toys boss? Didn't know you had another sides the orange one we found, that's what Stripes is going on about?"

"I did not know you had those Fast. You have not finished the book I gave you, have you?" Jade spoke up behind us, she had been watching the exchange and spoke softly but glared at the zebra.

"No, the Lightbringer found one like the Applejack last I read. I thought it was neat, am I missing something?"

"I... I will explain for you later. They are not bad, I actually feel it is appropriate for you to have them, they are in good hooves with you. You are most certainly not dark or evil..." The alicorn scowled at Zed as she spoke daring him to contradict her.

Zed shrugged at her, unbothered at the intimidating alicorn mare, "Again, I did not say he was. Do not blame me for his fate, I would even agree with you as far as his keeping them. The strength to create one on his own speaks to his character, your Ministry Mare Rarity was able to do so and remain uncorrupted."

"Create one?! I haven't..."

"The third with you is a piece of your own soul, such things can very rarely come into existence naturally." His deep voice was still even and matter of fact, like he was discussing the weather.

"How do you know so much about this stuff Stripey? Don't 'preciate you runnin' yer mouth about the boss like that..." Val had joined Jade's defense, glaring at the zebra beside me.

Pausing a moment Zed seemed to consider what to say, "I have... rare knowledge on the subject. The magic behind those soul jars you hold is of zebra origin, I have been trained to recognize it. I meant no offense." Despite both Jade and now Val seething at him Zed explained quietly and simply moved ahead when he finished, drawing my attention to the signs for the approaching Atrium.

A piece of my own soul? I didn't have anything like that, I definitely hadn't made one of these... soul jar things. It sounded like weird zebra hoodoo to me but Jade recognized the Ministry Mare statues as something special. Zed seemed to know quite a bit about pretty dark stuff himself actually, he knew of a spell that removed cutie marks, these soul jars, potions that worked against undead ponies... Still he couldn't be right, could he? Jade's blue eyes narrowed as she watched him move up silently before coming up to nuzzle at me soothingly.

"Do not listen Fast. That zebra is most disagreeable and wrong about you, you are sweet and kind, I see no darkness in you." Having her warm affection was comforting, pushing the bizarre exchange to the back of my mind for now, though it was still there and worrying.

Val walked up to my other side opposite Jade and bumped against me, "Yeah boss, zebra mumbo jumbo, all a crock. They're spooked by the craziest things, afraid of stars! Pfft! Maaaaybe you can be a little scary sometimes, when folks deserve it, but I like that about ya boss! I seen real evil before, yer basically the exact opposite, practically a cuddly little stuffed pony." Having her dark claws pinch my cheeks stung but helped.

The support of these two I now considered family beside me let me put it out of mind, we had more important things to deal with. The zebra had some strange ideas is all, making friends with him was going to be a real struggle but I had promised Elder Zin I'd try. I stood on my hindlegs to hug both of their necks gratefully, enjoying seeing them both flush and wriggle being brought together so close to one another. They might disagree on a lot but slowly they were getting to like each other, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

Sneaking forward to the doorway with Zed I took in the Atrium and all the red marks ahead of us on E.F.S., a dozen armed gang members waited out there. They were spread out through the huge chamber, a small group by the entrance to the Stable diner eating familiar looking fare, a few more at the door to Security.

The disturbing part of the scene was the small number of green marks on my compass matching dirty and numb looking ponies, wearing blue and yellow Stable barding marked with 114. A couple were serving food out of the diner to the well dressed gang, others swept or served the other gang members, following whatever orders they were given by their jeering overseers. They all had vacant expressions and bore the signs of abuse, they just did what they were told with no signs of rebellion, anger, fear, anything...

As I watched an orange mare in a sparkly red dress and matching hat by the Security office floated a baton out and tripped a large, tough looking Stable stallion walking by loaded with boxes. He spilled to the ground in front of her, dumping the boxes of empty inhalers to uproarious laughter all around. The Stable pony looked like he could knock her head off with one well placed buck but simply shuffled up to his hooves with an absent grin and started gathering his lost load again while the mare nickered.

"That's right big guy, you pick all of that up like a good little colt, then you go to my room right? Getting bored putting this shipment together, need a break don't we?" The gang mare smacked his flank as he stood again and nodded to her slowly, moving off carefully to do as she told him.

The Shroud in my head blazed awake, seeing a gang member from the wasteland abusing a Stable pony here in such familiar surroundings... it was like seeing them abusing my friends and family back home. The thought of these cruel bastards running roughshod in my Stable drove any considerations for stealth out of my head and I dashed forward into the room, floating my weapons out and triggering S.A.T.S.

I used most of the spell charge, divided between half a dozen targets here on the ground floor with me. The mare in the red dress was first, three pistol rounds to the head, the rest were split between the pistol for range and the Terrible Shotgun for clumps of gang members nearby. Once I accepted shots started ringing out, the still laughing mare had that hateful smile wiped off her face by two 10mm rounds that found their mark.

As the rest of the sequence played out causing panic among the gang I caught sight of Val soaring above me to the second floor, looping past the circular window to the Overmare's office and raining magical energy bolts down with precision. The Stable ponies numb behavior helped out a great deal, they didn't run or duck, just stood stock still watching the fireworks going off around them. The filly serving a tray of food to the crowd scrambling at the diner was actually splashed with gore as half of their number had shotgun slugs tear through them, she just put the tray down in front of the stallion with a large hole suddenly in his chest.

Their oblivious behavior was starting to be a liability too though, a couple of the gang ponies got the bright idea of diving behind them for cover, using them as living shields. I hissed pulling away from the shot I had nearly taken which would have blown a hole right through a stallion's empty eyes as he was shoved in the way. I sprinted forward with my knife out but Zed had already beat me, rolling across the ground through a hail of gunfire and sweeping all four hooves out from one of the hostage takers. The follow up strike to the gang pony on the ground was messy but the hostage was never touched.

Taking stock of the room I was surprised by the sudden clatter behind me, spinning to see a stallion in a grey suit falling limply from the walkway above, Jade appeared flapping in the air above the numb pony. That was the last mark in my vision, luckily Stable rooms were fairly soundproof, any others nearby didn't hear the gunfire so we had the Atrium to ourselves. I nodded up to the alicorn princess gratefully and ran over to the nearest Stable pony, the filly at the diner covered in blood staring around blankly.

"Are you ok! Hey! What happened here!?" I was shouting right in her face but she barely reacted, her orange eyes meeting mine slowly.

"Wow... they all fell down..." The young earth pony's voice wasn't slurred or flat from shock, just disinterested in all the sudden death.

Val had grabbed the large blue stallion that had been tripped, slapping his muzzle with her claws repeatedly and screeching right in his ear. "HEY! Anybody home!? Snap out of it buddy!" His ears flicked at the noise but he stood there passively taking the abuse, the griffon snorted and let him go, looking over to me and shrugging. "Dunno what the deal is with these ponies boss, but they ain't quite right..."

Landing lightly by one of the other Stable dwellers Jade's horn glowed as she inspected the mare carefully, holding their foreleg up and giving their knee a tap, waiting several long moments for a reflex response. She gave a little frown and moved on to another nearby, glancing over as she walked. "They appear to be under the effects of the drugs near the entrance, euphoria and suggestibility... I cannot do anything for it Fast, normal treatments are not effective."

Great, so they were basically useless... Suggestible meant they'd listen and not freak out anyway, I trotted out to the center of the room and shouted trying to command their attention. "All of you Stable ponies! Go... umm... go sit in the diner and wait! No more working alright!?" They seemed to find the idea agreeable and started trudging towards the diner entrance without complaint. It wasn't help or answers but they'd be somewhere safe and out of the way, we'd have to figure out some way to deal with them eventually.

Val swooped over and watched them go beside me, "That is damn creepy boss..."

"Yeah... They're alive though, that's good. If these Trigger Jewels kept them then the chances are good for your friend, though he may be drugged too."

She waved my point off unconcerned, "Oh I doubt that. Wouldn't work. Though yer right, if they kept these ponies around I feel better for Nick's odds."

Wouldn't work? Was he a ghoul or something? Well with any luck maybe we'd find out directly, the door to the Security room was just across the Atrium. I gave the fiery griffon a nudge and crept over, if he was in there I'd rather sneak up and not give any guards a chance to execute their prisoner. Pressing the control gently the door silently slid open and I carefully walked forward into the short hallway beyond. I could hear a voice speaking ahead and one red mark had appeared on E.F.S. along with two green ones. I held a hoof up to my muzzle at the others and slid against the wall, moving toward the turn and the room ahead.

"You will answer prototype unit. You have been allowed free all this time but the Public Relations Division will not overlook this opportunity. How did you escape the Institute?" A stallion's voice drifted to me catching my complete attention on that last word.

"Told ya I don't know mac. Gettin' tired of this whole song and dance, your boss don't know what you are does he?" The male voice that answered was slightly distorted somehow and had an odd accent.

"Irrelevant. He will not learn, he has been a most useful agent during this experiment. Neither of you will inform him and ruin what has just now come to fruition, you will both suffer an accident before he returns."

"No! Please! I don't know anything! I won't say a word!" A mares voice sobbed and I risked peeking around the corner.

Two of three iron barred cells were occupied in the Security room across from me. One by a young purple unicorn mare cowering in her cell wearing a Stable barding, the other by a heap in a corner partially obscured from my vantage point. One of the gang members stood facing away from me, into the cells. He turned away from his conversation with the cell he was blocking my view into to look in at the mare curiously.

"You have overheard too much. I apologize but you will have to be terminated as well, it will be relatively painless." The red earth pony stallion was in a clean black suit and even sounded conciliatory informing the mare his intention to murder her.

The burning fury that brought out was enough to decide me, if I had my way I'd want to ask him some questions since he was talking about the Institute like he worked for them, but it was too risky. The dual machine gun battle saddle he wore could chew through both cells too easily before I could stop him. I floated out my apparently evil star metal knife and started it spinning, glancing back around the corner once it was going fast enough and shooting it straight at the stallion's neck.

The pony never knew what hit him, Best Served flashed right through his neck and separated his head instantly, dropping his corpse to the floor spraying blood from the stump. His head hit a bare second after, rolling across the floor to the bars of the mare's cell, sending her into hysterics before it melted into a puddle of green goop.

I ran out from behind the wall hearing the others following, glancing at the puddle and the corpse left behind, a synth... I could see the gleam of metal through the blood oozing from the neck, a synth had infiltrated this gang for some reason. The mare's sobbing helped me shake off the thought as I reached the door to her cell and called out soothingly.

"It's ok, calm down, it's gone now. We're here to help, just wait one second and we'll get you out of there ok? Nick!?" I turned to the other cell hoping this was the pony we were after and froze getting a good look in the corner.

"That's me pal, thanks for the assist. I'd shake your hoof but eh... little hard right now...." The heap in the corner chuckled as I gaped at it. A robot... an early synth like the one in Watt's was looking back at me with yellow on black eyes. Ragged and torn plastic hide covered the metal parts beneath, it whirred and clicked on the floor but had been torn to pieces and was bundled in brown rags or clothes of some kind. A battered fedora sat on its' hat and it smiled an artificial grin up to me. While my mind reeled my pip-buck updated in confirmation;

Mission Updated- Diamond City Blues

Objectives-
---~~Track down the Trigger Jewels~~
---~~Find Nick Hearts n' Hooves~~
---Return Nick to Diamond City

"Boss is he... Nick! There you are! Phew, had me worried there buddy, you look like shit though." Val had charged in the room and calmed when she joined me in looking down at the robot in the corner, raking her claws in the lock to open the cell.

"Valkyrie Bloodtail, well fancy meeting you here doll. Don't tell me Ellie sent you after me, had everything under control, nothin' to worry about." The robot... Nick... smiled up and his mostly severed hooves slid around on the floor attempting to gesture somehow, it was kind of lost though.

I reached out and grabbed the griffon's shoulder before she could just walk in to the now open cell, stammering at her questioning look. "Val... w-what is that? T-that's Nick?"

Jade had entered the room with Zed and gasped taking in the sight, at least I wasn't the only one surprised here. Seeing how he wasn't really much of a threat she shook and turned to the gibbering mare, her horn glowing with healing magic as she glanced up to Val. "Valkyrie could you please open this one as well before greeting your... friend..."

A blank expression only crossed her face for a moment before Val figured out the problem, holding up a claw to Nick to wait while she did as asked and grinned sheepishly at me. "Oh yeah... sorry boss, surprise... I uh... kinda figured you'd meet him back in Diamond City an' just forgot since I was worried bout him. This is Nick Hearts n' Hooves, I told ya he was kinda connected to the Institute. Don't freak out ok? He's a good pony, er... maybe you could help him out a little? Please boss?"

She turned back to the lock, leaving me with the robot pony before me. For his part Nick seemed friendly enough, giving a wink and sighing. "She sorta buried the lead on you didn't she pal? Told her before all her jokes would bite her in the tail. So you're Val's boss? You finally found somebody worth workin' for sweetheart?"

"Sure did! Boss is great, never been happier, worth all the crap before. He's pretty smart too, once his brain starts workin' again he can probably fix ya, right boss?" Her long tail swished out as she opened the other lock, the fluff on the end smacking me in the face forcing me to sputter and try to come to grips with this.

"Uh... r-right... sure... I'm Fast, n-nice to meet you Nick. Any friend of Val's I guess... y-you're not what I was expecting. You're not with the Institute?" Considering the advanced synth in the floor behind me had been talking about killing... destroying him I guess he wasn't on their team. I still wanted some assurances before I thought about repairing this thing though.

"Nope, they don't like me much, case you can't tell Fast. I'm a bit of a unique case, not like that palooka on the floor." He spoke like a real pony anyway, none of the toneless drone of the other robot I had seen like him, more like the mimic behind me.

Well, I trusted Val. No matter what. I walked in the cell cautiously and started floating my tools out, trying to take stock of where to begin. Serious damage had been done to the robot, all four limbs were either completely or mostly severed and large chunks of the plastic hide was torn away. His head and power supply were intact obviously or we wouldn't be talking, one scorched hole through his... overcoat? yes that was a tan overcoat he was bundled in, the hole must have taken out his repair talisman.

Glancing over at the dead synth in the floor I knew what I needed, it would be nasty though. I floated my knife out again and sent it over towards Jade, coughing for her attention. "Er.. Jade... I need parts, that thing should be compatible... if you could handle the um... icky parts..."

The alicorn turned her attention from the mare crying below her and took in the corpse, really noticing it this time and seeing what it was. She soothed the hysterical mare and looked conflicted a moment before taking the knife from my magic. "Please look after her for a moment and I will Fast. She is healthy, just frightened. Talk to her while I work, just talk..." She pried the unicorn clinging to her away whispering to her before leaving the cell, picking the headless corpse up and taking it further into the office.

Hang on a minute Nick, we'll get you sorted out alright?" I trotted over to the other cell, grateful for a moment to process things before actually working on the robot detective.

"Not going anywhere here mac, no hurry. Give me and Val a chance to catch up eh featherhead?"

Val padded over and flopped on the empty cot in the cell, grabbing a detached hoof and using it as a backscratcher. "Watch it tin can, gots me an open contract with boss there, I can ask him to make you into my own personal massager instead of fix ya!"

They sounded like old friends alright, that put me at ease a little. I walked up to the purple mare still crying and tried to talk to her while I waited, this was the first 114 pony I had seen that looked capable of stringing a coherent thought together. "Hey there, I'm Fast, I'm actually from Stable 111 so another Stable pony here. Are you alright, can you tell me what happened here? Why is this gang here and in charge?"

The mention of 111 seemed to sink in and get her attention, her dirty blond mane fell in her eyes as she looked up and sniffled. "A-another Stable? You have to help, please! The... the Overmare... she went crazy... l-let them in, the others are slaves... p-please!"

"Your Overmare did this?! What!? Where is she..." The very idea of the pony charged with protecting all the others in the Stable inviting this in... my Overmare would never do anything like this, it was wrong.

"I don't know... she leaves a lot now, c-comes back. I've been in here for months now, they haven't needed me for awhile b-but keep me around just in case, I know things..." She was still shaky but was being evasive now too, something was fishy with this whole Stable and I didn't like any of it.

"I can't help you if you don't talk to me Miss...?"

"C-Crystal Petal..."

"Crystal, tell me everything. Why would your Overmare do this? Why are all the others drugged and what with? Why are you locked up and still sober, what do you know?" Frightened or not I let a little of the Shroud leak out into my voice, I had no time for games with this mare.

She shuddered and sniffled a moment before staring at the floor and whispering, "I make the drugs... or I did. Dawn and Dusk, t-the Overmare and I are two of the only ones not affected, it's supposed to be a secret... it... it's what we were supposed to do, to make things better..."

I knew that phrase from back home... "Crystal, in my Stable we had these stasis pods, when I first went there we all heard a recording from Vice President Scootaloo, telling us to use them to sleep most of the time so only 100 of us were up at one time. So it would be a small Stable, like a small town, a way to save a lot of us but... make things better. What did you do in this Stable Crystal?"

She looked up with sad yellow eyes and slumped, "Our recording was different... We grew a special flower in our orchard, something from the crystal mountains. When refined into a drug it... makes ponies happy... Reduces violent tendencies, makes everything better and nicer. We were told to grow the flower, make the drugs, two formulas; one for day and one for night, we put it in the air handlers... "

Jade had returned with the grisly torso taken out of the synth and floated over to Nick's cell, joining me and staring at Crystal with wide blue eyes. "You drugged your own Stable!? This is a very dangerous compound in those inhalers! How could you!?"

The Stable pony flinched at the alicorn's ire but continued in a rush, trying to defend her home. "It worked though! Everything was nice, everypony got along, it was only a very small amount and the Stable worked for 200 years of happiness even being buried down here. I... I know the side effects but at the levels we used they weren't an issue! We were supposed to..."

I touched Jade's shoulder and gently pushed her back as she shook, staring down at the pitiful mare. This was something that was hard to understand if you weren't from a Stable. "I know Crystal, it was to fix things, to not do what led to the war to begin with right? So what happened?"

"The Overmare... s-she was new, had taken over the job a year ago. Certain jobs in the Stable had to be immune, the chief medical pony like me, heads of security, maintenance, the Overmare... when we took our jobs we had to have a shot... It- it made the drug not work on us anymore, a sacrifice for the good of the Stable. Usually we get weaned off it over time before taking our job and getting the shot, but the old Overmare died suddenly. Fancy didn't like it, when the drug stopped working for her she got mean... mad she had to be unhappy while everypony else wasn't. She got meaner and meaner, made me mess with the drug, try to make it stronger or give her more so it would work again. I tried! B-but it wouldn't work."

The Shroud in my head had followed the inevitable logic that came from what she told me and was looking forward to finding this Overmare. "She opened the Stable didn't she?"

Crystal sniffled and nodded sadly, "Y-yes... she opened the Stable, said if she couldn't be happy here anymore she'd find somewhere she could be. Started going outside, then one day she brought those bad ponies back with her and they took over. They k-k-killed a lot, tested the stronger drugs on the others and made them work. Fancy started coming back with clothes and food and drinks from outside, expensive things, trying to make herself happy... It's never enough though."

"You have an antidote for it then? It will work on ponies that have taken the stronger stuff in the inhalers they're selling now?" She nodded silently and I patted her shoulder, "It'll be ok then. This is all over alright? We'll save the others and make the bad ponies pay, including the Overmare. Why don't you talk to my friend Jade now ok? She's a doctor too and I bet she's very interested in lots you have to say. She's also a princess, see?"

Jade flushed and grumbled at me for that but it got Crystal to stare up at her with wide eyes, noticing the wings this time. She wiped her tears away and settled down, nervously trying to fix her dirty mane and smiled at Jade with wonder. "A p-princess... there are princesses up in the world?"

"S-So Fast likes to say... the world above has changed quite a bit, you should see for yourself when all this is over doctor. Please just call me Jade alright?"

"I'm sorry, d-don't be mad please Princess Jade, we were supposed to do it.. b-but I'll help fix it your highness!" Crystal pulled herself together well in the presence of royalty and tentatively grabbed a blue hoof in hers, shaking it vigorously.

I got smacked in the back of the head by her wing as I passed out of the cell again but Jade looked to the mare kindly and sat with her, "It is alright... I understand, please just call me Jade, not Princess... Now let us discuss this drug of yours." I knew she didn't like the attention but it was effective, she should really have anticipated the reaction too. This was another Stable pony like me, as far as we were concerned fresh from the Stable, alicorn = princess, period.

Picking up the dripping pile of metal from the floor I walked back over to the other cell and got to work, "Ok, let's see what we can do about you now Nick."

Working on a robot that kept engaging me in friendly conversation was pretty distracting, he sounded enough like a pony it was as if Jade was performing surgery on someone while they chattered away. The components from the advanced synth were close enough to work on Nick, you could definitely tell their common ancestry. I had his limbs back on and functioning well enough to move and gesture as he spoke making the repairs a little more difficult, normally I didn't care for conversation while working but the robot had interesting things to say at minimal prodding.

"So you're... a real pony? From before the war? I'm not sure I understand, you are definitely a robot Nick..." I was still trying to puzzle this out.

"Oh I know I am, kinda hard to argue that with your hooves halfway in my chest. I got memories though, there was a real Nick Hearts n' Hooves before the war and that's what's in my head. Trust me pal, it ain't any easier to understand from my side."

Val was watching closely from the cot in the cell as I worked, laughing as I tried to work it out one more time. "Yeah boss, Nick's real, sorta. Don't think I'd be friends with some boring robot do you? Get ta know him, he talks, thinks, feels, the whole bit just like a livin' pony. Was a cop of all things!"

"A policeman? You were really a detective Nick?" That helped explain the tattered getup I had to peel away to work on him, he looked like detectives from old movies dad liked.

"Once upon a time yeah, Trotson was a nasty place to work even back then though. When I... woke up in the wasteland and 200 years had passed I sorta fell back into the work eventually. Not a lot of real detectives around anymore and the skillset has come in useful." He shrugged and I heard a click at his elbow, minor stuff like that should be taken care of when I replaced the repair talisman though.

"So... you're not a synth like that thing... but you're not like the other robot I ran across that looked like you do..." I started cracking open the sealed case at the heart of the synth torso to get to the talismans shielded inside, raising an eyebrow questioningly to the robot.

"You ran into one of those boring clods? Jeez sorry, no wonder you had a bad first impression pal. Yeah, figure I'm something in between, your headless buddy called me prototype unit, not the first time I've heard that. I got the ugly plastic body of those Gen 1s, but a real brain and memories of those Gen 3s, plus my mark."

"Mark? You... you have a cutie mark?" I looked to his flanks but the plastic hide was shredded, though I thought I saw color besides white plastic at the ragged edge.

Nick followed my stare and groaned, "Well I did... hopefully it ain't gone anywhere, guess we'll find out when you put that thing in huh?"

I had pulled the super advanced repair talisman from the case and floated it towards the waiting slot in Nick's chest. If this worked as well as the healing talisman from another synth I had used in an auto-doc it should do the trick. I still had the repair talisman from the synth mare in Hexington that nearly killed me and now a new healing talisman from this one. As high class as these were I was taking them any time I could get them. I wanted Nick back as close to the shape he should be in before I used it, since I wasn't sure how it would react and it would need the material to work with, but he was ready now and we were on the clock.

The diamond talisman clicked in place with a hum and the bright, distinctive glow of repair magic enveloped the robot sitting in the floor as I stood back. Val hopped off the cot and was bouncing on the spot, grabbing my shoulder and shaking me excitedly. The eldritch field around Nick reached out and started stripping the plastic covered bunk and the pile of leftover parts on the floor as he was mended in front of us.

As I watched the plastic on his flank stitched itself back together, he really did have a cutie mark that reappeared with a glow, a magnifying glass sparkled back at me. The repair talisman was apparently so good once it had finished with the robot it kept going, knitting his ragged and torn clothing around him, the long trenchcoat covered the mark again and his fedora puffed out back into its proper shape as the glow disappeared.

Nick stared down at himself in wide eyed surprise, reaching a hoof up to pat himself all over and gingerly touching his face. Shocked, he trotted over to the steel mirror above the metal sink at the wall and goggled at himself a moment before turning back to Val. "Wow... you weren't kidding doll, your boss there really knows his stuff. I ain't been this pretty in ages..."

The griffon squeezed my breath out against her side and ruffled my grey mane grinning, "See, I toldya, boss is awesome! He's like some kinda repair wizard or somethin', knew he could help ya out! Good work boss, thanks!"

The loud smack of a sloppy griffon kiss to the cheek made Jade huff and mutter from the other cell, but she seemed to accept it as just Val being herself. "G-Glad I could help... Val... need... air..." She dropped me to the ground pouting and I gasped in a blessedly cool breath, looking up to Nick smiling at me.

"Well Nick, I think we have more to do here yet. If you're ok now the way out should be clear if you want, I was hoping to talk to you about a case when we get back to Diamond City if that's ok?"

The robot stallion helped me up and shook his head, "What, think I'm just gonna leave you all in the lurch after you saving my flanks? My case here ended up a dead end anyway, found the little bastard but he's here willingly. Don't care for what I found out about this place either, you folks sound like you aim to do something about it, I'm in. Whatever your case is consider me on it once we get back to D.C. too, least I can do."

While I tried to thank him Nick crossed the room to a locker in the armory cage, opening it and removing leather saddlebags bearing his own mark and a large, gleaming revolver, flipping open the cylinder and nodding at what he saw. We had some more help for now then and I had hired a detective apparently. Jade joined us outside the cells, nudging the Stable doctor Crystal along with her wing who kept eyeing Zed near the door warily. Zebras were the bad guys in the war, a Stable pony would be a little shocked to see one with us, she kept her mouth shut anyway.

"Fast the doctor here has informed me what we need to help the other Stable ponies, there are drugs in the medical lab that will treat the effects they're under, as well as the addiction issues for those in Diamond City. We will need time to work and start treating those you instructed to wait in the diner." The alicorn medic looked ready to start immediately.

Crystal looked terrified speaking up but stammered out a worried point, "W-we can treat them but... it's like the shot, if we use it on them then the drug won't work anymore... Things won't go back to normal..."

"Crystal I know this is hard but normal was wrong, you can't just seal this place back up and go back to how things were when we go. This Stable did its job, it kept you safe all this time but now it's time to rejoin the world outside. It's scary but there are good ponies up there too. You're going to need help, but the Princess' kingdom of Sanctuary will be there for you ok?"

The Stable mare was obviously anxious with the hope of her old life returning taken away, a glance to the beautiful blue alicorn nodding next to her calmed her down though. "A-alright... if you say so. Most of the others should be in the orchard. T-they've been working everypony to death growing the flowers, they take a lot of attention."

I pulled up the map on my pip-buck and shared it with Jade and Val, "Alright, the medical lab is just off the Atrium too, I sorta doubt these gang members are keeping it staffed so it should be clear. Zed if you could stay with Jade and Crystal while they work the rest of us can go to the orchard for the other Stable ponies."

"I am not your griffon bodyguard little pony... do not presume to give me orders as well." The zebra glowered at me making Crystal flinch under his grey eyes.

I had to cut Val off to reach the burly zebra at the door before she did. "I didn't order you Zed, I asked. You wanted to come with me, you're following me around on your own. I'm just doing what I think is best, if you got a better idea by all means speak up for once. I am going to help find your brother and this... whatever it is you want back, but I do get involved in things like this sometimes, stuff happens alright?! I need your help here, I want to be friends with you Zed but you don't make it easy! If I'm such a dark, evil pony you have such problems with then just get going, these ponies need help and that's what we're doing, got it?!"

I wound up right in his face, scowling up at his stony expression and thumping his chest with my hoof. Probably not the best idea since I knew just what he could do to me at this range, but that darker part of me demanded no less. I had told his grandfather I'd try but we were getting some things straight right now.

Thankfully he didn't reach out and break the offending foreleg tapping him, "Very well. If you are asking I will agree to guard your mare. I... apologize..."

"Thank you Zed."

I pushed my way past him and opened the door back out into the atrium, looking back as the others followed me out. Jade had her nose in the air as she passed him, staring at him cooly and standing between Crystal and the zebra. "I am sure I do not need your protection," she huffed and trotted out to join me.

Val outright hissed at him as she passed, smacking him with her long tail and Nick followed in her wake with a shrug. I ducked over to the medical lab and opened the door, it was empty and dark as I expected though and Crystal slipped in gratefully. It looked like she felt better out of the cell and back in her element, turning on the lights and opening a safe in the wall with her magic, floating several sealed containers out.

Zed walked over and stood at the door silently while Jade crossed the large chamber to the diner, calling out for the attention of the numb ponies sitting in the booths blankly. I waved to her before heading off to the living quarters hallway, rewarded with a sweet smile and determined look as she ushered the first drug addled Stable dweller out into the atrium and towards the medical lab.

Living quarters for the number of ponies this place was designed for ended up being a sprawling maze, scattered with gang members in their own plundered rooms or engaged in other pursuits... There were a couple clumps of green on Eyes Forward Sparkle I was following as we made our way through and the first we reached bothered me enough to no longer care about being sneaky.

Two family quarters had a number of attractive Stable mares and stallions kept within, judging by the pip-bucks anyway, no blue and yellow barding in here... They were being used for the gang to take advantage of as they liked. At least they were so drugged and suggestible they didn't care at the horrible treatment, but I did. We opened the door the mares were kept in first and my shock at the scene inside was quickly replaced by the Shroud in my head taking over, floating Best Served out and being very... selective... about my targets on the gang stallions enjoying themselves inside. S.A.T.S. didn't really offer that as a target on their anatomy but they were caught pretty off guard, I left them screaming and bleeding out and moved on.

Val moved ahead of me in the room with the stallions and her and Nick's pistols rang out putting a stop to that as well. The Stable ponies of 114 in both rooms were unconcerned at least, we'd have to come back and direct them out but their prison was comfortable anyway. The same wasn't true at the next green clump on my compass, this was fairly close to the orchard and looked to be where those not deemed up to snuff for other... duties were kept.

They weren't even guarded, I supposed it was pretty unnecessary and they had been up to this for several months now. The small lodgings were crammed full of ponies in Stable barding, they were filthy and bruised, malnourished and obviously exhausted. These were the ones Crystal had said were being worked to death and they looked the part, given only enough care to keep going and supplied with enough drugs to keep them passive. I forced myself to check them over, stumbling through the room trying to find room to set a hoof down without stepping on them. They'd need help but there was little I could do right now, other than make the ones who did this pay.

As we closed in on the orchard ahead and the scattered red and green marks in my vision I noticed the temperature had been steadily dropping. By the time I peeked out into the huge chamber I could see my breath in front of my muzzle, the fire inside kept the chill away though. More than half of the warehouse sized room was taken up by a field of glittering white flowers and worn down foals and elderly carefully tending them. The other half was what I thought of as a proper orchard but was in the process of being taken apart, guards directed mindless Stable stallions into pulling up the wilted, brown apple trees to make more room for flowers in the process of being planted further back.

The delicate blooms being harvested were taken in baskets to another room full of vats and equipment to refine them down into Dusk and Dawn. More boxes filled with the blue and white inhalers were being stacked near the exit of this area by tired looking mares wearing paper smocks and boots on their hooves, nets on their manes and tails and masks on their muzzles. The process must be sensitive, even coming up with these narcotics looked to require some level of skill, those at the work were carefully watched.

Val ruffled her feathers and rubbed her shoulders, "Cold... that mare said these flowers were from the Crystal Mountains right? Must have to keep it like this to grow em boss. So what's the plan?"

Plan was asking for a lot... seeing how the Overmare of 114 had treated her ponies had me barely holding back. There wasn't many clever ideas in my head at the moment, just a dark rage telling me to hurt the stallion who I watched kick a foal for nicking one of the flowers the wrong way. What was I supposed to come up with anyway? It was a giant chamber used to grow food, a field built under ground, no way to be sneaky once we left the doors. I never worked on the orchard back in 111 very often, it had irrigation systems and the lights but that was about it. Could I use either of those here?

Forcing my brain into something more productive than violence was hard but helped along by those quiet voices in there, "Be kind.." and "Be Strong!" those weren't really pieces of the Ministry Mare's souls were they? If they were I was grateful to them anyway, they tried to help where they could and weren't overridden by that darker voice sharing the same space.

They got me to calm down this time, I stared up to the lights thinking. Magical artificial sun lights... if things were similar enough here to 111 then there should be... there! I floated my tools out and crept over to an access panel down the hall, Val watched with a grin and nudged Nick beside her.

"Watch... he's got that look again, I love it when boss does this stuff."

Nick looked back at the orchard dubiously and followed my progress as I crawled into the open panel, looking for the junction that should be down here. "Er... You never cared much for technical stuff before sweetheart, am I missing something here? Those folks need help."

"Sssh! Quiet Nick! I don't like borin' stuff like this, the boss doin' it is different though. Saw him turn a sky chariot plant into a murder factory once..."

Patching my pip-buck in I stuck my head back out of the duct to see the mercenary waiting with gleeful anticipation. "Nothing so dramatic Val. Just cover your eyes a second, it's about to get really bright in there. When I yell go in and start taking them out."

Nick whistled low in appreciation as comprehension crossed his face, "The lights... you're setting off a flash bang... Pretty smart pal."

"I have my moments... here we go, eyes shut!" I ducked back in the vent and hit the command on my pip-buck, squinting at the brightening glare filling the hall behind me and showing every detail in the formerly dark access duct. I had to cover my eyes even down here but the sound of sparks and a capacitor blowing nearby above all the shouts out in the orchard told me it was over. "NOW! GO!"

I scrambled out of the duct and the other two were already in the room. Val had some real room to fly in here and was taking advantage of it, raining red magical energy down on blinking, confused gang members. Nick followed along behind her, selecting his shots with the booming revolver carefully, each blast obliterated a head under some fancy hat of a Trigger Jewel. They were starting to figure out something had gone very wrong, firing wildly at indistinct shapes around them, shaking their heads and rubbing their eyes.

I floated all of my weapons out and ran straight for where the crystalline flowers were tended by the foals and old ponies unsuited to other work. I noticed with satisfaction the sudden flare of light and heat from the dimly glowing magical lamps above had wilted the entire crop, I had hoped they were as sensitive as they looked. The panicked guards waving deadly weapons around near the tortured slaves was worrying me though, S.A.T.S. guided rounds put down any near the foals before they could get unlucky enough to take a hit.

A heavy blast of a shotgun slammed right into my chestpiece, knocking me across the ground groaning. The trick with the lights had worked on the stunned guards out here, but those in the refinement area had recovered a lot sooner. Several of them were spilling out and taking aim at me. A machinegun roared and started chewing up the dirt in front of me, tracing its way towards me too quickly to dodge. I was sure I was about to be in some serious pain but Nick charged across the field of dying flowers and landed in front of me, several rounds perforating him before his pistol crashed and silenced them.

The strange robot reached a pale hoof down to help me up and tipped his hat, the repair talisman already undoing the damage he had suffered. I took it gratefully, stumbling back up in time to send half a dozen pistol rounds at the last pair I saw on E.F.S. near the refining area. Trusting an Institute robot wasn't easy but that went a long way, if he wanted me dead he had plenty of opportunities so far.

"Thanks Nick, appreciate it."

The pale stallion glanced down to one of the last wounds on his leg sealing back up and his coat knitting back together, "No problem mac, haven't had a proper repair talisman for years, nice being able to take advantage of it again."

Val landed nearby and started rifling through the dead gang members, an obvious sign there wasn't anyone else to kill here for her. I took a moment to trot over and get a better look at the refinement area. Dr. Swab back in Diamond City was right, if this place could make Dusk and Dawn they definitely looked to have the equipment and supplies to make real medicine too.

I filed that away for future use, Stable 114 would need something to make their way as part of the Commonwealth, I had more experience with what would likely come up for them now. With any luck all this stuff could do a lot of good, help Jade's hopes for the Followers of the Apocalypse and provide medicine to Hexington that was really needed.

That just left the confused looking Stable ponies down here, many were continuing their work but those left with a wilted and useless crop were at a loss for what to do. I shouted out to the echoing chamber for their attention, "Hey! All you Stable dwellers! I want you to stop working! Just... get some rest alright! We'll come back for you soon!" Like the others they accepted the suggestion with no complaint, some flopping to the ground on the spot and falling directly to sleep.

We'd have to do a more through sweep of the Stable, but once some of the residents were in their right minds again they could help out with that. There was plenty of weapons laying around now just waiting for new owners... For now I was ready to get back to the others, Zed guarding them aside I didn't like leaving them alone in this place.

By the time we got back to the atrium a crowd of very confused looking ponies were milling about, rubbing their heads and talking to each other quietly. They actually acknowledged our presence now, watching as we crossed to the medical lab fearfully. As I approached the zebra guarding the door to the lab Jade led a new Stable dweller out in front of me, guiding them gently with her wing towards the others who all watched her with awe glimmering in their eyes.

"There we are, right this way to your friends. The headache should get better with time, you should eat to help with that. Try to stay calm and... oh Fast! E-excuse me a moment dear." The alicorn gave a final nudge in the right direction to the baffled looking older mare and trotted over, checking Val and I over carefully before giving a relieved hug. "Is everything alright? Did you find the others?"

"Yeah, they're... ok. The ones working the orchard are going to need a lot of help, the others we found... They're probably going to need different kinds of help. H-how much will they remember?"

She gave a concerned look to the ponies watching us, "I do not know Fast. They seem to be coming out of their fugue state well enough but their memories are fuzzy so far, they may return later or they may not. Why?"

Thinking back to the treatment some had suffered I shuddered and nuzzled at her, whispering to her ear, "I hope they don't... There are things they don't want to remember down there."

"We will have to see what happens then. If you think so perhaps it would be best if they do not, but there is little we can do either way. If it is safe we can send those in the best shape to collect their fellows and treat them as well." Jade gave me a worried look and returned the affection, I didn't want to tell her what was waiting down there but she seemed to take my meaning.

Val plopped a heavily laden bag down interrupting us and grinning, "Even lettin' these fools have some of the guns this is a great haul boss. These gang assholes were loaded, hell bet I could even strip the less bloody clothes off and sell it, fancy stuff."

"I think we're doing good enough on caps to not go quite that far Val, can't imagine there are many that aren't ruined anyway."

"We are never doin' good enough on caps boss... Just lemme an' yer kid handle all that stuff, you got no head fer business." She tousled my mane with her dark claws and smiled, obviously pleased with herself. A strange high pitched noise floating through the atrium made the expression die on her face, replaced with sudden fear and anger. "Boss down!"

The heavy griffon shoved Jade and I both down as the weird noise peaked and culminated with a flat crack sound. I barely saw a blurry streak puncture right through the griffon's thick combat armor and exit her shoulder with a wince. I rolled back up noticing the stream of blood seeping from under her green breastplate and looked around for the source of whatever that just was. Such a weird sound was hard to track down in the echoing room but the marks appearing on my E.F.S. along with Val's scowl helped.

At the far end of the atrium, back at the hall leading up to the exit were a number of red marks in my vision, just showing up within range now. From the shadows of the doorway a large snowy white griffon walked out smirking, she held a strange weapon in her claws, long as a rifle but lined with round capacitors and electronics, with a lightning talisman glowing near the stock. Grinning she waggled the barrel of the weapon in our direction as I pulled my own and Val downed a healing potion. The Stable dwellers had enough sense back to run and hide now at least.

"Val... what a surprise running into you here. Must be my lucky day traitor." She had icy blue accents on her wings and the fan of plumage at her rump but was mostly pure white, wearing combat armor similar to Val's but painted to match her blue accents and icy eyes. A pair of heavy weapons rested under her wings like Val, though hers were different and the weirdly whining rifle was what was pointed our way. I did notice the series of numbers and letters on her flank wasn't scratched out with scars like Val's.

"Freya... fantastic. What are you doing here, try to find the nastiest shit hole contract you could and wound up with this?" Val seethed back at the pale griffon as several gang members poured into the room behind her, all loaded for bear.

This was not looking good, I darted glances around the large chamber preparing for this to go south quickly. Jade had ushered the last frightened Stable ponies into the medical lab and blocked the door with her bulk, prepared to throw a shield up in a second. Zed should be right by her but had disappeared again, a black and white blur out of the corner of my vision made me hopeful that really was him up on the second level, but I didn't dare draw attention to him if it was. Nick had taken cover in the diner doorway where a number of the Stable dwellers had hidden as well.

I focused on the enemy griffon as she replied to Valkyrie. "Something like that yeah Val. Rich client bought my contract, appreciates the finer things and wanted the best protection out there. Glad I signed on now, killing you is going to be a nice bonus. Heard you say boss at my little warning shot there. Don't tell me you actually found someone to take a contract with you?"

The fiery griffon edged her way in front of me protectively and smirked back at the other, "Gots me an open contract with the boss here, better than any two bit punk yer workin' for too."

This Freya as Val had called her goggled at me and narrowed her pale eyes at Val, "An open contract!? With this runt?! Well, well, that is something isn't it? Doesn't look like much though does he, ratty rag over armor that's seen some action, not rolling in caps is he? Willing to put my boss up against yours there Val, ain't that right hon?" Her gaze never left us but she nodded back over her shoulder at the pony entering the room behind her.

A white unicorn mare around my age, wearing a shimmering violet dress and matching hat on her carefully styled golden mane. walked in the atrium imperiously. She hissed taking in the room, scowling over to me in particular once she spotted me next to Val still covering me. Her necklaces and earrings glittered in the lights but the accessory I was most interested in was on her foreleg, it had been adorned with jewels but that was a pip-buck alright.

On spotting it I felt my eyes blazing at her, locking on her green eyed glare back. "Overmare of 114 I presume... I was hoping to have a talk with you..."

--------------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------------------

Shotgun Surgeon-----
---With this perk, your precision with a scattergun is something to behold. When using shotguns, regardless of ammunition used, you ignore 10% of a target's damage resistance.

Ch. 20-- Why Can't We Be Friends

Ch. 20-- Why Can't We Be Friends

"What are you doing in my Stable! What have you done!?" The hateful unicorn mare glaring at me shouted and shook like a spoiled filly, I suppose if she came in following the trail of death we left coming into this place she may be a little concerned. Good...

"What have I done! What have you done! You're supposed to be the Overmare, to protect all these ponies! You let all this in, turned them into slaves to build your little drug empire! What in Luna's name is wrong with you!?!" I really just wanted to put a bullet between those green eyes scowling at me, but part of me honestly had to know. How could this have happened?

She stamped her hoof and fumed over to me, covered by the large white griffon acting as her bodyguard and the dozen gang members who had filled that side of the atrium. "That's right, I'm the Overmare! It's MINE! I can do what I want with it!"

A nervous looking unicorn stallion around the same age had entered and hid at the doorway up to the entrance behind her, even from here I could see the dapper blue suit he wore over his pale coat was a cut above the regular gang members. He glanced around at all the drawn weapons and whispered to the mare throwing the temper tantrum. "Umm.. Fancy dear, what is going on? I thought we were just picking up a shipment and returning to proper civilization."

In what looked like a supreme effort of will the crazed Overmare twisted her furious grimace into a sweet smile as she turned back to him. "Nothing to worry about Neighson sweetie. Just some unwanted guests, Freya will take care of them for us, won't you hon?" As soon as she said his name my pip-buck distracted me with a notification;

Mission Updated- Benign Intervention

Objectives-
---~~Discover the source of Dawn and Dusk~~
---~~Investigate Stable 114~~
---~~Uncover the drug dealers~~
--- Return to Dr. Swab

The pale griffon's sneering reply was cut off by a muffled crash from behind them, drifting down the stairs and halls leading up to the entrance of Stable 114. The stallion in the doorway yelped and wheeled around, staring up the stairs. "W-What was that!?"

"That... was probably your latest shipment going kaboom..." I grinned over at the couple, watching with great satisfaction as the Overmare practically blew her top. It had been worth the time to set mines in those containers of drugs, whatever gang members she had up there to collect it weren't going to be coming down to reinforce her.

Several of the Trigger Jewels looked over at her wide eyed, darting glances to each other and to the door. One managed to speak up with a grimace, "The boss was up there Miss Fancy... is he..."

If looks could kill the gang stallion would have dropped on the spot, she scowled at him and threw a full on fit. "It doesn't matter! You work for ME! KILL THAT BASTARD FREYA!!!"

The snowy griffon needed no more than that, she streaked into the air of the tall atrium and zoomed right at me, that whining rifle ratcheting up in pitch. Val blasted into the air next to me and met her above us in the middle of the room, red lances of M.E.W. fire etching the air and slamming into the griffon's blue combat armor. The flat crack of that weird rifle preceded another shot going right through Val's own green armor in a spray of blood. Whatever that thing was it punched holes straight through anything, and she was a dead shot.

I left the griffons to their aerial battle and dashed across the open atrium floor towards all the red on my E.F.S. There were enough there to stop me before I got close but I was counting on some help and a little luck. A couple of the fastest to fire found their mark and I grunted feeling a machine gun stitch my side, slowed by the armor I wore enough to keep going. The amount of incoming fire was cut short by Nick Hearts n' Hooves blasting away with his gleaming revolver from the diner.

Zed only added to the chaos on that end of the room when he sprang from the walkway above and behind the gang members, dropping right in the middle of them and proceeding to tear them apart with his bare hooves. Even sprinting towards the battle, I had to marvel as I watched the zebra actually deflect what would have been a lethal pistol shot with the heavy looking green bangles on his forelegs.

"Boss! Dodge left!!" Val's shout was enough for me to obey immediately, barely evading a streaming cloud of white mist that chilled the air next to me.

I looked over my shoulder to see a rime of frost all over my cloak on that side and a large patch of ice where I had just vacated. Freya was focused on obeying her orders to take me out specifically, even with my own griffon mercenary right on her tail. The weird, wide barreled blue weapon under her wing sprayed a flume of freezing white mist like a flamethrower. I had to scramble to the side before Val caught her and dug her claws into her fluffy white neck, causing them both to veer away.

Freya managed to slam Val into the railing of the walkways above and looped back at me, the light machine gun under her other wing opening up and pinging off the floor in front of me. I skidded and tried to adjust my course, the frost coating the ground in wide swaths was conspiring against me though. Even when it missed that freezing weapon was making things difficult.

"BOSS NO!" Val screamed and launched herself off the rails, diving right into the path of fire zeroing in on me. I caught a glimpse of her shuddering in the air as a number of rounds hammered into her as she returned fire with her M.E.W. and pistol, I was past the two of them and back on floor with traction again then.

Val couldn't use her grenade launcher in this enclosed space with the rest of us around and the fight wasn't going well, the initial shot from that rifle had slowed her down just from what I could see. If things kept up like this she may be in real trouble fighting another griffon with the weapons this one had, I knew of one way to make the mercenary stop though.

Focusing on the raging unicorn mare ahead I poured on the speed and brought up S.A.T.S. as soon as I was in range. She was covered by the gang members surrounding her and I could see the stallion with her running back up the stairs behind her to escape. I took advantage of the frozen time to check on Val, things were bad up there. Both griffons were bleeding profusely from a number of claw marks and bullet wounds, Val was in the process of diving out of a white cloud from Freya's freezing weapon as the snowy griffon lined up that rifle of hers.

Nick was ducking out of the diner doorway to fire again, I was heartened to see a couple of the Stable ponies behind him had taken up weapons and were trying to help. Jade had a bright blue shield covering the doorway to the medical lab and the rest of the Stable dwellers within so they were safe. Zed was to my right just ahead, delivering a spinning blow with his foreleg that looked like it was going to break the neck of the gang member receiving it when time resumed.

It would take most of the spell charge and the entire clip on my pistol, but I queued up two headshots each for six nearby gangsters in my path and accepted the sequence. As my pistol started adjusting its' aim and firing rapidly I heard Freya's rifle crack again and Val screech, three gang members were dropped so far. I had avoided shooting near Zed so the ones on that end were his to deal with. The pistol kept blazing away as both griffons crashed to the ground nearby in a tangle.

I turned from the last shots taking out two more ponies to see a frost covered Val cough up an alarming amount of blood under the white griffon, that rifle was making the high pitched whine again and Freya gave a wicked bloodstained smile. Only one gang member stood between me and the Overmare now, I dove forward with my knife in my mouth, flashing out and tearing a bloody gash as I passed, trying to beat the gloating white mercenary.

Tackling the mare too busy throwing a hissy fit to realize she was in danger, I floated Best Served to her neck and shouted to Freya just as she was aiming the weird weapon at Val's head. "Freeze! Hurt her and your boss loses her head!"

"You can't! I'm the Over..." The former Overmare screeched as I grappled her by the neck between me and her panting bodyguard.

I let the insanely sharp knife draw a long line at her neck with only the lightest touch and hissed in her ear, "You're not anymore... Call her off or die, right here, right now."

Actually figuring out her own precious hide was in danger made the unicorn in my grip start gibbering, her guard glared at me woozily without moving. "Kill her and the traitor dies, then you without her around to protect your puny ass."

Even in her condition Val laughed at the other griffon, spattering her face with blood. "Boss won't go down that easy bitch. Take a better look around... you ain't leavin' here alive if he don't want it."

"I- I- I demand you l-let me go! Freya make him let me go! I order you!!" The unicorn in my grip tried to struggle for a moment before the deeper cut reminded her what a bad idea that was.

Really, if she kept moving it would be harder not to kill her than it would to let the knife do it. Zed seemed to think it was evil and wanted to kill ponies, the care I had to exercise keeping it close to the mare without severing something important almost supported his strange belief. She might be completely out of touch with reality but her bodyguard wasn't at least, she had taken stock of all my friends and her definite lack of support and not liked what she came up with.

"Say I do back off, you'll let my employer go like she wants?" Freya obviously didn't like this but there weren't many options, if she was like Val her duty was to her boss first.

"Toss the rifle, take your boss and go. Promise not to return here, you're an honorable griffon right? Hold to the contract? Give your word, you'll take this crazy pony, leave and never come back here."

Former Overmare Fancy screeched in my grip and nearly got herself killed again, "NO! This is MY Stable! I won't..."

"Not anymore Fancy! You did all this to us, you're not in charge here anymore!" The Stable doctor Crystal led a small cluster of ponies in blue and yellow barding holding captured weapons, cautiously entering the atrium behind Jade to face their tormentor. None of them looked too happy with their old Overmare now that they weren't under the spell of the drugs she had been forcing on them.

I enjoyed whispering in her ear before calling to her guard, "See... like they said, not anymore... Feel lucky there's a way for you to get out of this alive period, I really would like to kill you after what I've seen here. Be grateful I care about my friend more, tick tock Freya, she needs help now and I'm getting impatient. If Val bleeds out this is going to get messy for both of you."

Freya shook and hissed down at Val bleeding on the floor under her, "Your boss will honor this deal? We're free to go if I take her now?"

"Kaff! U-unlike that bitch... b-boss is a good pony, helluva better boss than you got... you two.. deserve each other..." Jade was getting anxious watching Val growing faint, her horn already glowing with healing magic and shifting nervously on her hooves waiting to get to her.

The bloodied and burnt white griffon groaned and tossed the weird rifle away with a clatter, flapping weakly over as I shoved Fancy into the stairs leading out of the Stable. As soon as she moved the alicorn medic sped over and started pouring healing magic into Val, worrying over the thick frost coating her.

Freya paused at the door for a moment, eyeing me with an appraising look before snatching her employer up and storming up the stairs. I could hear the spoiled unicorn yelling at her to kill us all and take back her Stable, but she didn't know much about her bodyguard and griffon honor. We had a deal, Freya was going to stick to it. If she insisted on returning it would be without her muscle.

I listened staring up the stairs for a minute before rushing over to Val on the ground, she looked weak but the blood flow was slowing. She groaned and rolled a lidded violet eye up to my worried expression. "I could'a taken her... should'a c-cut that bitch's head off boss..."

Grabbing her frosty neck probably wasn't smart but I couldn't resist the urge to embrace the griffon, sniffing back a tear. "You're more important. S-Shut up and let Jade heal you, that's... that's an o-order right?" She came way too close for comfort for me, I couldn't help thinking she probably could have taken the other griffon in a straight up fight, but she had been protecting me the whole time.

Val grumbled but stroked my mane as her eyes slid shut peacefully, "Y-yeah... yeah... yer the boss... g-glad you are..."

Jade gently pushed me aside and lifted the griffon in her magic, her horn glowing brightly as she trotted towards the medical lab. "She will be fine Fast, give her time to rest. I am concerned for her as well." She stroked my cheek reassuringly with her wing as I trailed them and nodded, leading Val into the medical facilities to care for her.

With the rest out of my hooves I sat down with a thump and dug out a healing potion for my own wounds, staring around at the carnage and frightened ponies in the Stable atrium. Now to deal with the mess the old Overmare had left behind...

"Ugh... which one is this again? Right... 114, jeez can't believe we're takin' suggestions from that rabbit... Sorry, greetings Overmare and department heads of Stable 114, this is Vice President Scootaloo of Stable-Tec, forgive me, I've done a lot of these now. As you know your Stable is meant to be a bastion for ponies to survive if the worst happens and the bombs do fall. They're also a way for us to try to figure out what went wrong and make sure we don't repeat the same mistakes though. To that end each Stable has an experiment to try to make things better, to be better than we were that led to all of... this...

I'm sure you've noticed the extra large orchard and attached facilities along with the seeds and samples waiting. Those pretty flowers are called.... here we are... 'Crystalline Dream Flowers' an... outside consultant... discovered they can be refined to a compound that acts as a mood elevator and reduces violent tendencies, something I'm sure you'll agree ended up being kinda a big problem for us. Now you ponies in charge will need to be inoculated so you don't fall under the effects and can act as a control, we haven't had time for long term studies on this stuff so if anything goes wrong knock it off right away, got it?

For the rest of the Stable though there are detailed instructions on growing and processing the flowers into two variants of the drug and distribution systems in the air handlers. We've had some real concerns about what living underground for generations may do to the mental state of you folks, from our tests with this stuff it should alleviate a lot of those worries. You'll have to be the odd ponies out while those you care for remain pretty happy, but it's a sacrifice worth making don't you think?"

Back home I never would have dreamed of actually sitting at the Overmare's circular desk, but here I was listening to the Stable 114 version of Scootaloo's recording. I felt a little guilty being in here like this, worried someone would barge in any second and start lecturing me for daring to sit here, tell me to go back down to my room or my job in maintenance... back home.

I had the office to myself though, I tinkered with Freya's strange rifle on the desk in front of me and flipped through more entries on the Overmare's terminal. My pip-buck had identified the weapon as "The Last Minute" but a little prodding revealed it was a gauss rifle, kind of a cross between a regular gun and a magical energy weapon. It used magic to magnetically accelerate metal slugs to near sonic rainboom speeds. I usually wasn't any good with M.E.Ws but this was close enough to a regular rifle I thought I could manage. It was devastatingly effective, and it was pretty fancy and technical, I liked that.

Leaning up in the cushy chair I could see through the round window out into the atrium, it was becoming crowded with ponies who had undergone treatment and were now free from the effects of the drugs that kept them in a daze for months. Thankfully none of them were all that clear on details of what had happened to them, some were pretty upset and remembered enough to scar them, many were suffering a number of physical ailments that would need treatment.

Jade was being kept pretty busy over the last few hours so I hadn't got to see her much. I had spent time down there in medical with her and Val but apparently I got underhoof too much, eventually being shooed out gently. Zed had made himself scarce after the fighting, guarding the exit, refusing to stay inside the Stable when he didn't have to. Despite her dislike of the zebra Jade had insisted on checking him but he didn't have a scratch. I still wanted to try to find some way to be friends with him somehow, but at the moment I was fine with him doing whatever he wanted, I was just too exhausted to deal with his attitude.

I wandered around a little while, trying to luck into finding a secret passage somewhere in 114 like I found back home in 111, this place was way too big though. If I had weeks to search and the same intimate knowledge of this Stable as I did of 111, maaaaybe I could find it, if there was one here, as it was it seemed hopeless. I had mentioned it to Crystal though who was basically the de facto new Overmare, the other department heads who had been immune to the drugs were all killed when Fancy took over. She did promise to look for anything like I described, maybe they'd have luck over enough time.

The Stable doctor had pointed me up here to wait and I took her up on it, taking the opportunity to go through the Overmare's terminal. The first thing I did was lock Fancy's pip-buck out of the system, if the Stable door was shut she couldn't open it again and come back to cause mischief. Even if her griffon wouldn't come back with her she could still be a nuisance I'd rather avoid. After that I had amused myself going through the files and rummaging around up here.

Unfortunately reading the descent into madness detailed in the latest entries on the terminal quickly became too frustrating to occupy me. A spoiled brat of a mare, forced into stepping up to do an important job, and throwing a fit the world didn't revolve around her to make her happy when the drugs stopped working. Maybe Val was right and I should have killed her on the spot.

In some ways reading what she had raved about here was like reading an opposite version of my experiences after leaving the Stable. She had all the ponies she grew up with here and rejected them, I lost all of mine and was trying to get them back. She was apparently pretty charismatic and sweet talked her way into getting what she wanted, cajoling and convincing the gang in this area into working with her. I still had problems with the most basic of interactions with other ponies when I met them, though I liked to think I was getting somewhat better. She did one of the things Watcher said he worried about when trying to trick me into helping out in Poncord, joining raiders instead of fighting them. She purchased her griffon bodyguard's services where I had a partner and friend.

Going over it all just upset me more so I gave it up. I did manage to unlock the safe in here, uncovering a small fortune in caps, but they belonged to the Stable and they'd need them if they were going to rejoin the world. Going through them it didn't seem like nearly enough either, based on what records she had kept on incoming funds and outgoing drugs. She must have stashed the rest elsewhere, living it up outside the Stable, Crystal said she came and went often.

I was down to spinning around in the leather chair idly, staring at the ceiling and thinking of what to do about this place now. I really needed Preston and his Minutemares to help them, we had to get back to Diamond City and Glitter who was waiting on us, I couldn't handle all this stuff myself. I'd also need to talk to Oblige and the others in Hexington, on some subtle questioning Crystal said they could make anti radiation and other medicines here with little help. My musing was interrupted by a knock on the door and Nick walking in, taking a seat across the round desk from me. Now I really felt like an imposter, taking visitors at the Overmare's desk like I belonged here.

"How's it going pal? Ain't seen you down with the others for awhile, Val asked me to check in on you." For some reason the robot lit a cigarette as he settled in the chair, must be something the original Nick Hearts n' Hooves did.

"I'm alright, thinking is all. I was just wishing the phones still worked... or there were mail ponies around at the very least."

Nick chuckled and propped his legs up, "Need to get ahold of somepony? Well, things ain't quite as easy as back in the old days, but there is the Red Rocket Courier Service."

"Red Rocket? Like... the sky chariot stations?"

"Just the same, those things are all over the Commonwealth. Pretty smart Dashite years back got the bright idea of starting a courier service, was a fast flier and not many pegasi around back then. Had a built in chain of locations and ads for himself by taking the name. Hub is back in Diamond City, you wanna send a message it's not much depending where you want it and how fast. Hiring em out to ferry folks around in one of their sky chariots is more expensive."

That was interesting, Piper had said a pegasus several decades ago had made a place for himself in the city when we arrived, this must be the same pony. The Red Rocket station back by Sanctuary was empty, but until recently my neck of the Commonwealth had been pretty barren. That helped a great deal anyway, I opened one of the drawers in the desk and pulled out Stable 114 stationary and a pencil, scribbling out a letter and thanking Nick.

"No problem, you're a good boss for Val, good to see her doing so well. Glad I could help." He replied while I jotted away, thinking of what all I needed.

"You guys known each other a long time? She was pretty worried about you and you seem like good friends Nick."

The pale robot sighed and leaned back, blowing lazy smoke rings above him. "Yeah, she's a doll alright. Met her a few years back when she was... in a bad way. Hired her for a few cases I needed her kinda help with, told her I'd hire her on full time if I could afford it, but detective work is a fickle line. Specially when you end up not taking much from folks that need help, she always bitched at me for that."

"Yeah, she does the same thing to me, I just let her handle all that stuff. I uh... don't know as much about her as I'd like, she seems happy but doesn't talk about herself much. Anything you can share?" My first letter done I folded it over and started on a fresh sheet, looking up to the detective.

He gave a thoughtful frown and shook his head, "Sorry Fast, not my place. She'll tell ya stuff if she wants to, just... be patient with her. Kid really deserves better than she's gotten so far, warms the ol' mechanical heart to see her with you, good for her. Now, how about this case of yours? Want to get started giving me the details while we wait?"

I groaned and checked my pip-buck for the time, stretching up again to look in on all the activity in the atrium below. I was hoping to make it back by midnight at least, any later than that and Glitter would be getting worried. We still had awhile to cool our hooves and I had to fill the time somehow.

"Alright Nick, it's kind of a cold case now though. It all started 83 years ago..."

We ran a little later than I was hoping for and I felt drained telling the story to Nick, but he helped by leading us down the subway lines, taking a shortcut back to Diamond City. He even helped carry the bags of loot Val insisted on taking as she wasn't allowed to carry her normal horde. I had been concerned about leaving the same way we entered, Fancy and Freya could easily be out there waiting for us, staying underground and popping back out elsewhere was a good idea. Val was better but still weak, flying back was too much to try right now so the slow walk was a better option.

The Stable ponies of 114 saw us off anxiously as I sealed the great gear door again, I promised we'd be back soon with help and they needed a little privacy to get themselves together. Jade had exhausted herself healing all she could, they needed rest and time now. The beautiful alicorn mare leaned against me gently as we walked up the stone stairs of the next station on the eastbound line, not far from Diamond City at all.

I think using all the magic wasn't the only thing that drained her, a whole Stable of ponies watching her every move reverently had made her nervous and she sighed with relief when the door closed on them, leaving us back down to our small group. I knew she didn't like the attention, but I had managed to convince her of the good she had done just by letting them think a princess had saved them. A lot of praise and affection helped there, she didn't care for attention from strangers but always brightened at mine which felt good.

While we walked I managed to wrangle Zed into discussing his brother and the Church of Balefire with Nick. The zebra was pretty dubious talking to a robot but eventually opened up a little, describing his sibling Xelo and what he did know. The robot detective listened attentively, jotting down notes in a pad he took from his trenchcoat and nodding along. When they were done Nick agreed to look into the case as part of my own, saying he had a few leads on the church and their activities from his travels in the Commonwealth. That seemed to appease even the dour zebra, he bowed gratefully and scouted ahead of us as we traveled the remaining blocks to the city.

On entering the city Nick pointed over to Piper's home she had showed me earlier, a multi story shack near the stairs out with a small newstand and a sign reading "Publik Occurrences". "That's who I was talking about before Fast, you're looking into the Institute she's the mare to see. I can meet you there tomorrow if you like and we can get to work, imagine you all need some rest right now."

I yawned at the thought but was interrupted by Val giving me a squeeze, "Oh no, I need a drink after all that, need my lil' drinkin' buddy right boss?" She limped slightly as we neared the cola bottle eatery in the center of the market, the walk had taken it out of her.

Jade huffed and glowered at both of us, but seemed to relent and allow it. "Very well, if you do so at the inn we are staying at. I do not want either of you wandering about getting into trouble. You wished to mail a letter first Fast?"

Reminded I pulled the two notes out from my saddlebags and looked to Nick, "Oh yeah, where is this place Nick? I'd like to get these out as soon as possible if they're open."

"Ah, right by my office actually. Not a business that really needs prime storefront real estate out here, come on, I'll show you." He gestured to the alley bearing the neon sign for his detective agency and trotted off, leading the way.

The side street was pretty dim this late but the neon helped, another of Nick's signs pointed to an unobtrusive door just ahead of a storefront that did have the red metal light up letters from a Red Rocket station. On the way towards both Zed stopped at a strange hut marked with zebra writing below a sign I could read, "Arx's Apothecary".

I gave him a questioning look as he paused at the door and actually waved to us, "I have made my own lodging arrangements, though I thank you for the offer earlier. I will see you tomorrow."

The others grumbled at him but I was determined to try with the gruff zebra, "Ok Zed, if that's where you want to stay. I'll come look for you tomorrow if you don't find us first alright?"

He waved absently over his shoulder and entered the straw roofed hut, leaving us to part with Nick at his door. As soon as he reached his own doorway my pip-buck gave a fanfare in my ear and flashed text at me;

Mission Completed- Diamond City Blues

Objectives-
---~~Track down the Trigger Jewels~~
---~~Find Nick Hearts n' Hooves~~
---~~Return Nick to Diamond City~~

We continued on to the Red Rocket sign, finding sleepy looking red stallion was propped up on his hoof at the counter drooling, snorting awake when I rang the little bell for service. I handed both letters over and gave exact instructions to the pegasus for who they should go to and where they should be found.

The young buck actually named Rocket slapped himself several times and chugged a bottle of Sparkle Cola, taking both and stashing them in his messenger bag, adjusting his battered postal cap. He guaranteed overnight delivery and was quite interested in there being a new settlement all the way up north. I had to ask about the name before I answered though.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it all the time. Rocket... and I'm red... Rocket the second actually, grandpa loved the free advertising, said we owed a lot to those old stations. Any of us unlucky enough to have a red coat gets named Rocket... funny right?" He rolled his eyes but didn't look too put out.

"Sorry, just... it is pretty funny, in a good way. There's actually another one of those stations near my home of Sanctuary, it's abandoned though."

That got his attention and he paused, stretching his wings out and bringing a pair of goggles down from his cap, preparing to take off. "Really? Think I know the one, never took it cause there's nothing really up that way. You say this is a pretty good settlement this one letter's going to up there? Have to take a look, tell grandpa if it seems worth expanding up that way."

Having a courier right near home would be useful, I gave him a good sized tip hoping to entice him into doing just that. If they got the message by morning it should only take a couple days for them to come if they could, or I may get a letter back at least. I left my name and where we were staying as he hovered up to leave. Now that he was out from behind the counter he got a good look at Jade and his eyes widened a moment, but he was professional and merely tipped his hat before streaking off into the night sky at an appreciable speed.

Inside the entry of the Dugout Inn waited an odd but cute scene, Glitter had taken one of the armchairs off to the side and fallen asleep waiting for us. A bottle of cola propped between her legs as she snored quietly in the midst of the bar patrons, the gleaming robot sitting beside her kept everypony in the bar eyeing the pair nervously at a distance.

AssaultJack snapped to attention as I walked over to nudge her awake, getting a sleepy mumble in response. "Lil' filly's plum tuckered out Master Fast, done explored all over this here town waitin' on y'all."

I floated her up limply from the chair to whisper in her ear, "Psst, hey Glitter, we're back. Come on, time to go to bed."

The little filly surprised me by reaching out weakly to hug my neck, her eyes furrowing as she grumbled half asleep, "Mmmm... dad... bout time..."

Jade pulled the foal away in her magic and yawned, leaning over to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. "I will take her to bed and do the same Fast. Enjoy your fun with Valkyrie, but come to bed soon yourself yes?"

I returned the gesture and waved them off as Val rolled her eyes, limping over to the scruffy grey earth pony stallion tending bar and started ordering. I didn't plan on staying up much longer myself but Val had worried me, I did want to spend some time with her. We had things to do tomorrow, and the more I thought about it the more likely it seemed we'd need to stay around Diamond City for awhile.

Once she had a tray full of bottles Val grabbed me by the cloak and dragged me over to a booth, flopping down on the wide bench with a grateful sigh. Her claws flicked the tops off two bottles of beer while I eyed the larger whiskey bottle dubiously, I hoped that was just for her. Now that the strange robot was no longer intimidating the bar the atmosphere had lightened, even this late quite a few ponies came in and out, enjoying the big city.

A waitress in a pink dress and blue jacket looked harried dealing with them all, there were a few rough looking ponies here and there along with obvious locals. As I watched a light tan pegasus stallion slunk in and rushed over to the bar, what drew my attention was the scars covering his flanks, a scorched brand in the shape of Rainbow Dash's own mark. That must be a Dashite, the pegasi did that to their own?

My anxious census of all the ponies crowding this place was interrupted by Val shoving a bottle in my muzzle and pouring it down my throat. "C'mon boss, drink! drink! drink! I'm sore an' tired an' I don't like drinkin' alone, pay me!"

I sputtered and wheezed when she took it away, that burned instead of the mild sudsy beer I expected, looking over I saw her still holding the large whiskey bottle and upending it in her beak. I quickly grabbed one of the smaller beer bottles just so I'd have something in the way of that again, I never had whiskey before, it was like drinking liquid fire.

"D-Don't do that Val... jeez that stuff is awful!"

She slammed the bottle down on the table and laughed at me, "Bah! Yer a lightweight boss, have to get you trained up proper!"

"I'll stick with these thanks. Are you ok Val? You were pretty hurt, that other griffon..."

Her violet eyes narrowed a moment and she shook her head, tipping my beer bottle up when I just wanted a sip. "Hush! I'm fine, my friend Wild Pegasus here will fix me right up, ya got no taste boss. Drinkin' first, no thinkin' bout that bitch Freya."

"Umm... okies... So your friend Nick was a surprise... Ya could've told me about that..." I ventured as an alternative.

"Whoops! Sorry bout that boss, I really did ferget. You just kinda stop thinkin' bout it when ya spend enough time with 'im. Figured I'd let ya find out in his office, ya don't zactly like them synth types. He really is just a regular pony though, good guy. Helped me out when I.... when I needed it..."

I watched her curiously as she took another drink and shuffled in her seat, Val seemed uncomfortable and kept opening her mouth to say something before closing it again silently. If she didn't want to talk about the other griffon we ran into I was at a bit of a loss, whiskey worked a lot faster, I had to shake my head to try to clear it. I was momentarily distracted watching a couple of tough looking stallions deliberately bump into the lanky, tan Dashite pegasus at the bar, spilling his drink and laughing uproariously. Bullies... I hated bullies...

I tried a few other benign topics, my jumbled thoughts on things we'd need to do tomorrow and in the future. She seemed ok with having to stick around Diamond City, plenty of things to amuse herself with here she explained, I had to wonder about that. She insisted on going shopping at the weapon and armor merchants in town soon, my leather armor was looking pretty battered and scorched now and her own had several gaping holes drilled through it. I'd also need ammo for the rifle that did that, I only had what was in the clip at the moment.

Val still seemed distracted and bothered by something, finally she huffed, popping another beer and slugging it down. "Grrr... ain'tcha gonna ask nothin boss?"

"Ask? Wha should I ask now?"

"About stuff! Like that pale griffon bitch, how I knew her, why we had the same stuff on our flanks? I know ya don't know nothin' boss, c'mon!" The bright griffon pouted and kicked at me under the table.

"Er.... you said not ta... umm didn't you? Did you? I thought ya didn't want ta talk about her?" I was confused, she did say that right?

"Yer posed ta ask anyway boss... I don't wanna just volunteer stuff, I'ma lady, all mysterious an' junk. Ask anyway."

Oooook... probably best to just agree at this point... "Who was dat other griffon Val, how'd ya know each other, what's da stuff on your flanks an' everything? Oh, why'd she call ya traitor?"

Val groaned and leaned back in the booth, "Good 'nuff I guess, be a lil' smoother boss. Ok look, I used'ta be a... a Gunner ok?"

"Gunner? You do use guns..." I gave her a confused look and sipped at my drink, surprised when she hopped up in her seat and shoved her rump across the table, scattering empty bottles.

"Ugh, ya really don't know nothin', Gunner boss, see the thingy on my flank?" Considering it was right in my face wiggling it was hard to miss. I leaned forward at her pointing anyway, it was only polite.

"Numbers an' stuff? It's all scratchy. Does this mean something? Not that I don't enjoy da view or nothin'" She gave a pleased look at that and smacked me with her tail before flopping back down to her seat.

"Cute boss... It's means Gunners, a merc outfit down south. Meanest, toughest company in the Commonwealth. Me an Freya used'ta work together, Fire an' Frost they called us, we was real good at what we did too."

Well I assumed they knew each other fairly well, being old friends was strange though, they both looked more than ready to kill each other. "Sooo wha happened?"

Val shuffled and grumbled in her seat thinking uncomfortably, this was a sore point for her but she obviously wanted to get something off her chest. I gave her a moment, sipping my drink and staring out at the bar. Those bullies were at it again, dumping another drink the pegasus in the red and white school jacket just got from the friendly bartender.

My view was suddenly blocked by Val bounding over the table and landing in the seat beside me, curling a wing around me and squeezing me against her side. I stiffened and sputtered but she shoved a drink in my mouth and spoke up, staring at the table with a flush. "Shaddup boss, I wanna lil' pony ta cuddle sometimes too. Helps get through this... Look... Gunners did some bad stuff ok? I... I did some bad stuff. Assassinations... Burnt places down... lots of killin', whatever the contract was right? Even if I didn't like it. Those guys that kicked all yer friends in Sanctuary outta their home in Whinny... that was Gunners, not me though! Past my time, they got worse after I left..."

That's why the name rang a bell. If the thing on her flank meant this mercenary company no wonder the ponies back home had been skittish around her. I wriggled in her grip but relaxed, it helped her with something clearly painful and I had gotten used to her teasing affection for the most part. I gave the confession some serious thought, roused only at her anxious glances down.

"Umm... Jade said she did bad stuff too... I don't care Val. Like ya said, I don't know nothin' anyway. All I know is the Val I know, I like her."

She got a wide grin and ruffled my mane happily, "Yeah I know, I like that ya don't know nothin' boss. I just thought ya should know this much. I left cause bad stuff happened... ta me in particular. I wish just the kinda jobs we started taking was enough fer me ta quit, bet it would'a been fer you, but I didn't till it got.. personal... Fer awhile there I was pretty bad off, hit the bottom of the barrel hard. Ol' Nick helped me up when I didn't have nothin' left.

I was just gettin' by when I met you though, yer a great boss. Seein' that little bitch Freya's workin for... really made me happy I found ya, that we're... ya know... friends and stuff. Takin' the contract with you was the best thing I done in a long time, I'm really happy! Like for real happy, not fake. So... ya know... thanks."

The wet griffon kiss to the cheek made me blush with a goofy grin, "Yur welcome Val! Thanks, I'm glad I met yu too, yur family to me sos I luv you!"

Val ruffled and hopped up from the seat, managing to turn a little redder than normal. "A-Alright, enough mushy stuff boss. G-Gotta go hit the can, go get me another round. Can't believe I agree with Blue but get yerself some chips or somethin' too, think you've had enough. Gonna get me in trouble."

I watched her saunter away darting glances back until she disappeared and struggled down from my seat, making my weaving way through the other patrons to the bar near the pegasus I noticed earlier. The heavyset bartender was wiping up the latest spill in front of him when I waved dizzily leaning against the bar.

"Hey! My griffon friend wants mooore drinks! Pwease! Oh, an' lemme order one fer him too!" I pointed to the surprised pegasus hiding his stare under a long, lank brown mane.

The bartender took my caps with a smile and boomed in a funny accent, grabbing my hoof and shaking it, threatening to spill me over. "Ahha, yes is good little pony yes! You see Miles, not all bad, be more of the confident, you make more friends da?" He finally let me go struggling to grab hold of the bar and turned back to fetch my order.

The pegasus turned to me nervously but held a shaky hoof out, "T-Thanks... umm really, those jerks keep spilling mine. N-nice meeting somepony who's not so mean."

I grabbed his offered hoof woozily and shook it with a grin, "I saw, had plenty of ponies do dat ta me too, no fun. Hey he talks funny huh?" I nodded over to the bartender loading beer bottles on a tray and the pegasus... did the bartender say Miles? Yeah, Miles, that was it. Miles smiled and nodded back.

"Mr. Bobrov's family was from Stalliongrad, it is umm... kinda funny sounding... but he's really nice. Main r-reason I come back here every night." The sidelong glance at the pretty pink unicorn waitress gave me a decent idea of the other and I bobbed my head sagely.

"She's a good reason too huh?" I waved a hoof widely across the room in her general direction, making him flush and cringe at the bar. "You should talk to her an' stuff, she's pretty. An' don't let those bullies push ya around like dat, s'not right, don't like it..."

The bartender Mr. Bobrov came back with Miles' drink and set it down, clapping me on the back making me fight for balance again. As I struggled I saw the rough looking stallions in question get up from their seats again, snickering to each other. "So I tells him, every night I say Miles! Stand up for yourself, is good! But no, you listen to new friend maybe, da?"

"I- I know Mr. Bobrov... j-just... I can't... can't win against them! T-they'll beat me up, they're big, tough earth ponies an I'm... me..." Miles slumped in his stool and his ears drooped, wincing at the pair drawing closer.

I laid more caps on the counter and floated a bottle from behind the bar up in wobbly magic out of view, stumbling down from the bar and giving the pegasus a shake on the shoulder. "Hey, my mom wuz a pegasus like you an' she was da toughest pony I ever saw. Sides, sometimes ya gotta do somethin' or they won't ever stop, like this..." With a sloppy smile I tipped the bottle over their heads, splashing both liberally with very strong smelling alcohol of some kind.

"What the fuck! Oh you little shit!" The larger of the two, a light green stallion with a yellow mohawk, sputtered and stomped over, glowering down at me as Miles looked on horrified.

"What!? I thought it was funny right? Spillin' drinks an' all. Don't cha like it anymore?" I wove over to the pair and thumped my hoof against his leather jacket.

The stallion's eye twitched and I could see a vein pop out on his forehead before his hoof smashed into my muzzle, knocking me back several feet limply. Miles gasped and jumped down from his stool, waving a foreleg in front of my face. "Why'd you do that! L-look at em, they're b-bigger and stronger than you too!"

Groaning I stumbled back up and shook my head, the whole painkiller part of alcohol was actually pretty nice, I tasted blood but it didn't really hurt. "First, cause dat's da worst they can do, don't matter if I get back up. They can't make me sorry or shut up, so even if they can beat me up I can still call em a couple cowardly, two bit, pathetic, jackasses!"

I spun on the spot, making myself dizzy as hell but managing to buck the fuming one who hit me right in the chest with both legs, knocking him back with a grimace. His orange partner shouted and charged at me, making me a little concerned before Miles actually flew forward and slammed into him bodily, knocking them both to the ground in a tangle. Following his lead I charged at the surprised green pony and launched myself at him, thumping my hooves against him ineffectually. I wasn't really good at hoof to hoof fighting but that was hardly the point, we were both tossed back in short order but I smiled and nudged Miles beside me.

"Oh yeah... an' second is cause if ya gots friends it don't matter if they is bigger an' stronger..."

Val grabbed both ponies by their manes and slammed their heads together laughing maniacally, "Hells yeah! Leave ya alone for just a minute an' ya got just the thing I needed waitin' boss! No better way to limber back up than a good ol' bar fight!"

The rest of the bar patrons sensibly grabbed their drinks and backed away as the fiery griffon started pummeling both of them. She could easily tear them to shreds, but that would be escalating beyond a simple brawl and there was no need. After they had taken enough of a beating the bartender slammed his hoof down, breaking it up with a shout. "Alright! Is enough! I tells you two I no like your funny business, now you break rules, attack guest of inn, you banned! Go before I let griffon finish!"

Val shoved them on their way scampering out of the bar and picked both of us up, dusting me off with her wing. "Good job boss! That hit the spot, who's yer new friend?"

"Umm... Miles right? Hi, I'm Fast, dis is Val, nice ta meetcha!" Properly introduced I held a hoof out again and Val snatched the return up as soon as he was done.

The pegasus had a bloody lip and looked like a decent black eye was on its way, but he gave a surprised grin. "T-thanks, er... both of you. You're right Fast, that wasn't so bad, definitely not as bad as letting them keep picking on me. Nice to meet you both, I'm Traveling Miles."

I frowned and rubbed my head, why did that name sound familiar? Val at least could think and supplied the answer immediately, "Hey wow! Yer the pony from the radio! Sweet boss, celebrity an' stuff."

Ohhhhh... that's why he sounded like somepony I knew, that was the voice on Diamond City Radio alright. I always wondered why such a reticent sounding pony would get on the airwaves and talk to everyone, though I admired it. He sounded as bad as I did trying to talk to others but got on there anyway and tried. I gave a goofy grin and went to tell him as much, interrupted by the strange wide eyed look he was giving over my shoulder.

"Fast... what are you up to out here? It is very noisy and... oh my goodness, what has happened! Valkyrie! I asked you to stay out of trouble!" Jade was standing behind me and stamped her hooves angrily on seeing my bloody muzzle and bruises, her horn immediately lighting up and healing us on the spot.

"Hey, I didn't start it, he did Blue. I just finished it, don't blame me!" Val sacrificed me without a second thought...

Those big blue eyes narrowed as she fretted over me, ignoring the pegasus stammering at my side. "Is this true? What have I told you about acting as a bully would Fast, I am most disappointed. You plainly cannot be trusted playing with your griffon friend on your own, I demand you come along to bed and..."

"P-P-Princess!!" Miles actually saved me, managing to shout and point at the alicorn dragging me away. The attention of all the bar patrons made her pause long enough for him to get himself together. "W-Wait! He didn't! He... he helped me! They were the bullies! Holy Luna you're real! I've been looking all over town for you! Fast you know a princess!?"

She flinched under the sudden stares, edging backwards towards the room she had come from. I wasn't going to give her the chance here though, seeing her all pretty and sleepy without her coat was irresistible in my current state. I lunged for her, wrapping my forelegs around her neck and planting a long kiss on her before she could disappear. "Jade! Yay! Dis is da guy from da radio! Miles, Jade, Jade, Miles." I waved towards the wide eyed pegasus and nuzzled at her neck happily.

Jade turned a bright red, shivering at the public affection and pulling me along with her to retreat to her room again, nervously trying to remain somewhat polite. "P-pleased to meet you Miles... I... Thank you for correcting me, I am g-glad Fast helped you. Perhaps we can speak l-later, I am afraid we both need our r-rest..."

"No wait! Er... p-please! Let me buy you a drink? Something to eat? A-anything! Just a few minutes, everypony in Diamond City's been talking about an princess in town today! My listeners... umm... r-really let me thank Fast and just talk a few minutes?" Miles goggled at me hanging off the blue alicorn in front of him and dropped to his knees, holding his forelegs up to beg.

She looked desperate to escape, I wanted her with me though and to get used to the attention I thought she deserved. "Yeah, pweeease Jade! You never come ta drink with us, don'tcha like hanging out with me? Miles is nice, can't yuz talk to him with us fer juuust a minute? They is talkin' bout you anyway, you could like... say good Followers stuff for the radio!"

Mentioning her hopes for the Followers of the Apocalypse in the Commonwealth made her stop, conflicted. She looked at me softly and pouted seeing me giving her the puppy eyes, my pointing towards our corner booth gave her somewhere to hide at least since I wasn't letting go. With a nervous whinny she skittered over, dragging me along and ducking into the seat, slouching down and pulling me to her side for reassurance.

"I do not join you in your libations because alcohol does not affect my kind to nearly the same degree, I... s-suppose if they have the radiation tinged version of Sparkle Cola I would enjoy that. I will sit with you and your new friend, you know I like spending time with you. For just one drink, you may not have any more either, and must promise to come to bed when I am done. I am quite tired from healing so many ponies and wish to sleep, I... c-cannot do so well without you however." Her blushing whisper made Miles' eyes widen further and grin at her concession.

I agreed happily, nodding up to her and wiggling under her wing. Val jumped to the seat across the table and waved Miles on to go get his promised purchase. The young pegasus scrambled off immediately, prancing on the spot waiting for his order and sprinting back, passing over a red bottle of Jade's favored beverage in awe. He had brought a bowl of some kind of nuts too so I munched on the salty snacks while the others drank.

"S-So... I have to ask... are you really a princess umm... Jade?" Miles was smart enough to let her sip her drink and get more comfortable, but had been barely restraining all the questions he obviously had.

"Yush!" I held a hoof up high and bobbed my head energetically.

"Fast... N-no... not really Miles... There are many other alicorns in the world." Jade gave me a sidelong look answering the radio pony.

"Yush she is! She's my princess! Princess o' Sanctuary. She's juuust shy..."

"No I..."

"Yush!"

Val interrupted the back and forth, tittering to herself and holding a claw up to whisper slyly to Miles, "Boss is right, don't let her fool you. Regular descendant of Luna right there, just likes slummin' it with us commoners."

"Valkyrie! I e-expect it from Fast but really!" Jade looked completely aghast shaking her head at Miles' stare.

The radio DJ seemed a little confused but continued on soothingly, "Er... I know there are other alicorns Miss, I've even seen a few flying around in the Commonwealth before. I umm... I kinda got kicked out from the sky when I was pretty young, dipping down to listen to DJ Pon3, so I heard the stories." He shrugged in embarrassment and gestured to his scarred flank below the table. I still couldn't believe this Grand Pegasus Enclave, whatever it was, would do something like that.

A relieved look crossed Jade's face, "Oh good, then you know better. Fast simply insists on referring to me as such, I am not..."

She was stopped by Miles holding up his hooves and shaking his head, "No, I mean I know you're not one just because you're an alicorn. But... well t-there are a lot of stories... I talked to traders down from Hex that came in today and other travellers, a pony I trust who escaped from the Thundega plant... T-There are a lot of folks all sayin' the same thing, not just an alicorn but a real princess. If you're shy I understand but... it... it really makes ponies happy. Just in the city today there's been a buzz in the air, everypony's been friendly and excited. They... they have real hope for once, I just thought..."

I nodded with satisfaction as Jade whimpered and curled up next to me, "See! Like I said, princess! Sanctuary's just a small settlement now, but we gots a princess an she goes out an' helps ponies, an' I looooove her!"

The sloppy kiss got her to stop trying to hide behind her wings and she just grumbled sullenly, "I-If it helps ponies... Oooooh, l-let them think what they wish. I would much rather speak of the Followers of the Apocalypse however."

"Sure! Anything you want to talk about! All my listeners would love to hear it! M-maybe I could convince you to record something to play? I umm... see you have a pip-buck there, you could say whatever you want and drop it off at the station." Miles looked down to the arcano-tech device on her hoof hopefully.

Convincing Jade to actually allow her melodic voice to be broadcast all over the Commonwealth was a tall order. I liked the idea though, when she was talking about things she was passionate about she could be very convincing. Just hearing her talk always soothed me, if I could figure out a way to get her to talk about helping others her hopes for the Followers here would get a real boost. Her terrified look at the idea as she closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, told me just how difficult it was going to be though.

"No! Oh no... no, no, no.. I c-couldn't! I... I w-want to spread the Follower's message b-but... I.... It was lovely meeting you Miles, I am a-afraid we really do need some rest though. P-Perhaps we could speak again later, you could talk to Fast! H-He is very good at theatrics when he wants to be, yes that would be best. He should have a stallion friend his own age here as well, Valkyrie is a horrible influence. Right now I insist he comes along, g-good night!"

In a rush she swallowed the rest of her drink and fled, yanking me from the booth in her magic and dashing back to our room with a whinny. Only once safely behind the door and under the covers, wrapped around me and nuzzling for comfort, did she calm down. Pinned against her I helped her along, smothering her with affection until her breathing slowed and she giggled happily.

"You see what your stories have done Fast? I do not like all the attention, I wanted to spread the Followers here by healing and helping ponies, not pretending to be a princess." She tried to look cross but it was spoiled by the little shivers she gave at each kiss.

"I know, sorry. But s'not pretending, you really are a princess Jade. My princess. An' Princess of Sanctuary, you're what a good princess should be. You inspire ponies, make them feel good and hope, make 'em wanna be better, make me wanna be a better stallion. I can share the idea of a princess since it helps everypony, but I love you an' am keepin' the rest of you for myself."

The large alicorn cuddled closer and nibbled at my ears sleepily, "I suppose I can understand that, I am forced to share the part of you that continues to put yourself in danger for others, though I do not like it. I refuse to share any more either however, the rest is mine. Now as much as I wish to stay up with you... these walls are quite thin and I am truly tired. Hush your silliness and sleep, I will consider your ideas in the morning."

Feeling her drift off to a deep slumber, untroubled by her bad dreams, always made me feel positive and I could tell I was following right behind. Drinking in the smell of her and fuzzily thinking of all the things to do now that we had made it to Diamond City. If my letters made it through we'd have some help in a few days, Stable 114 was out there recovering from their exposure to the wasteland and would need it. If we were staying here awhile we should try to make ourselves at home, the city was closer to the heart of Trotson and made a good place to venture into the city from. Anywhere with Jade was wonderful but I already missed Sanctuary, getting acclimated to the big city would help.

There were plenty of negative things waiting too I tried to turn away from to just enjoy the warm embrace. They were still in the back of my mind though, the Institute I now knew had been involved with another Stable and a mind control drug. A new enemy as if the shadowy group of insane scientists weren't enough, Fancy and Freya were still out there and very pissed. The Church of Balefire and their hidden Cathedral Zed was determined to find and locate his brother. The zebra had a point complaining about how things tended to happen, for every step forward I took it seemed like more madness just piled on top, trying to drag me down.

The gentle and gorgeous filly beside me helped push all that away though, despite everything that happened since i woke up back in Stable 111 there were things that made it all worthwhile. There was Jade and Glitter and Val, everypony back in Sanctuary I hoped to hear from soon along with our friends in Hexington, maybe even new ones here in this place. I missed my old life that being in 114 had reminded me of painfully, but I wouldn't trade it for my new one.

----------------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------------------

Clever Prancer----------
---You're one slippery little pony! Through agility and reflexes, you have become deft at striking where it hurts while preventing your enemies from doing the same. You gain an additional 5% chance to score a critical hit; your enemies suffer a 25% penalty to their chance to critically hit you. This perk is only effective when wearing light or no armor.

Reputation Change!-------------------------------

Diamond City- Accepted
---You've made a few friends in town and are planning on sticking around the big city for a little while. Being accepted means less hassle at the gates and you won't be cheated quite so badly, though it's still best if you don't handle the buying and selling.

Stable 114- Liked
--- As a fellow Stable pony the newly freed residents of 114 are more trusting of you and counting on your help. You know what it's like leaving the Stable and joining the world above, they're looking to you to share the lessons you've learned.

Trigger Jewels- Vilified
--- Their base has been taken, their source of income removed and their old boss killed, all thanks to your meddling. Whatever remnants of this gang are left definitely don't like you, and are out there with Fancy and Freya somewhere...

Ch. 21-- Painting the Town

Ch. 21-- Painting the Town

Good morning Diamond City! Traveling Miles here with D.C. Radio hoping everyone else had a good night, I did myself and thought I'd tell you all about it a bit. Met a new friend in Mr. Bobrov's fine establishment the Dugout Inn, a pony who helped me figure out it's ok to get knocked down as long as you get back up again, so that's what I'm trying to do now. More exciting for all my listeners out there though is my friend's special somepony... that's right the Princess everyone's talking about, I finally did find her.

Now let me tell you all right off she's a wonderful mare but shy, so even if you want to, try not to go mobbing her in the market if you spot her huh? I know all about feeling like that and it's no fun even if you mean well, try to treat her like anypony else, just a favor for old Miles alright? That said she's real, she's very nice, and does come from that new settlement up north called Sanctuary, where I was told she's their Princess and lives. When she's not roaming around the Commonwealth, spreading good will from her group from Equestria called the Followers of the Apocalypse, that is. The stories about the big changes over in Hexington are looking to be true too and at least partially thanks to her visit to that formerly grim place, I'll cover all that in more detail as I get them so stay tuned.

From what my new friends were saying they may be in D.C. for awhile so try being friendly with anypony you meet, you never know if they're with her, and it's just good manners anyway right? Now I'm hoping to get an interview with the mare herself to play for all of you, it may take some doing but you'll be the first to know when I do. With all that in mind, a princess in our own big city well... Ain't that a kick in the head? I think so and my buddy Dean agrees, let's have him sing it to start the day.

I woke up to a dull headache pounding in my temples and my stomach doing lazy flips. The sweet sound of Jade humming and floating her lab coat on was actually making it worse somehow.... "Owww.... Why do I feel horrible..."

I groaned and buried my head under the pillow as the pretty alicorn nickered at me. "That is what is known as a hangover Fast. It is what you get for overindulging with Valkyrie, perhaps you will not do so in the future."

"Ugh... make it stop... please..." Having an doctor as your special somepony had to help here, she could do anything.

Instead of fixing it with a wave of her horn she just smirked down at me and stuck her nose up, "Maybe I could do so. It will be better for you to learn this lesson properly though. I suggest drinking water Fast, and listening to me concerning your enjoyment of alcohol."

Oh that wasn't fair... she could fix it but was just letting me suffer on purpose. Alright, so I might deserve it, but drinking whiskey had not been my idea or choice. Val needed someone to talk to and finally opened up just a little, I had to be there for her right? I struggled to get my battered brain into giving me some way to convince the blue mare watching me with amusement. I had things to do today here in Diamond City and no desire to go anywhere not under this pillow like this. One of my thoughts I had been kicking around rolled to the front slowly, I had something that would work on her.

"I promise I will... you're always right Jade, I'm a bad pony. Can't you forgive me this time? Is it early? I wanted to go look at that school we saw in town... take Glitter there maybe... all the loud kids though..."

Jade's blue eyes widened and she shook her head, torn between teaching me and the opportunity to see a school. Plus make Glitter go and learn, something she had been trying to do in our free time to little success. "Y-You are not being fair Fast... I could take her myself..."

"She wouldn't like it, I'm her dad right? I get to do stuff like that, you wouldn't take that away from both of us. I remember my first day of school, both my parents went...we should go together..." Yes I am a devious bastard, this hangover thing felt horrible though. Never again... I meant what I promised, just these few minutes were enough to teach the lesson.

Jade grumbled and looked highly conflicted before finally sighing and leaning down, her horn glowed brightly and the worst of my symptoms eased off quite a bit. "There, you still need to drink water and eat. I cannot eliminate the effects entirely, if you end up in this state again you are on your own as well. Agreed? We... we may go?"

Her obvious excitement and anticipation would have been enough to get me moving even without the blessed relief, despite what I said. I crawled up from under the pillow and gave her a grateful kiss, "Of course, I wanted you to go with me when I saw the school sign yesterday. If we're going to stay around Diamond City awhile she should go to a real school with other foals. I know she can read a little, but I don't think she's ever had much education, too busy trying to survive. Let's go break it to her."

That made her pleased and she waited impatiently while I got dressed and tossed my bags on. I put on my Stable barding and cloak for the chill fall morning, my armor seemed unnecessary in the city and Val had been right, it was pretty battered. Ready for the day I followed behind her as the big alicorn practically bounded out the room, spotting Glitter munching away at a bowl of Apple Sugar Bombs sitting at a table in the bar lounge area of the Dugout Inn. The gleaming AssaultJack robot sat behind her watching the few patrons about this early, I didn't see Val up but the ear rattling snores from the room next to ours let me know just where she was.

"Daddy! I was hopin' you'd get up soon! C'mon, eat so I can take you to see all the neat stuff I found waitin' on you guys, this place is huge!" The little filly spotted us coming and yelped across the room, scarfing down her breakfast faster so she could give us the tour.

Following doctors orders I spoke with the daytime bartender, a relative of Mr. Bobrov by the shared accent, getting a bottle of water and some apple chips before sitting with Jade and Glitter. "I did want to go somewhere with you Glitter. Did you see a lot of other fillies and colts your age while you were exploring yesterday?"

"Uh-huh! There's lots here, we played till they had to go home. They asked me if I wanted to today too, but I hafta wait till they're done with something they all had to do during the day. That's ok, I can spend time with you while I wait though!" She nodded happily having already decided on her schedule for the day.

Jade spoke up with interest, "Do you know what it is they all had to do during the day dear?"

"It sounded boring..." Glitter narrowed her pink eyes not trusting the mare's excitement.

I had to interrupt before Jade dug herself too deep with the foal, her attempts at getting her excited about learning had not gone well thus far and Glitter knew that tone now. "They have to go to School Glitter, somewhere to learn and spend time with other foals. If they'll let you I want you to go too while we're here and can take advantage of it."

"But!" She balked immediately but I cut her off.

"No buts. I went to school, it might be a little boring... but it's good for you and you'll get to go with your new little friends. You have to try to learn a lot if you want to get your cutie mark, how can you find your special talent if you don't try new things?" Jade nodded and patted her hoof soothingly but the little filly didn't look happy.

"Awww no fair! You was gone all night an' left me alone! I wanna stay with you, not go to some dumb school..." She huffed and crossed her small hooves in front of her, pouting.

Finishing my food I floated her from her seat and with me to the door, "I know, but I'm going to be doing lots of boring things today and you need to give it a try. We're going to see about getting you in, you'll probably even like it and we can do stuff when you're done alright?"

She struggled uselessly as we walked out into the busy morning of the city, finally drooping limply and giving up. I set her down and patted her head as the three of us followed by her robotic babysitter made our way towards the sign I had spotted the other day. Following it today led to a tall green metal building near where third base used to be when this was a ball field, a scrap sign read simply "Schoolhouse" and I opened the door to walk in.

Faced with the place she tried to dig her heels in, but the big blue alicorn behind her gave her no escape, shoving her along through the door to a waiting Diamond City guard. That was reassuring, that they'd have a guard posted in the schoolhouse to protect all the kids here made me feel better about leaving her here, though her much deadlier AssaultJack robot was sticking with her. On taking in all of us the guard smiled and nodded up the nearby stairs, towards the sounds of a number of fillies and colts reciting multiplication tables.

Sticking my head up the stairs revealed the familiar scene of a class in session, a dozen small school desks were arranged facing the end of the room in front of me. The teacher leading the current lesson was a bit surprising, a Mr.. no this was a Miss Handy, painted a rich reddish pink with a series of small pink flowers on its case, was leading the class in a pleasing synthetic voice. An older pale grey stallion in a ratty sweater sat behind a large teachers desk to the other side of the chalkboard, so there was a living pony teacher too then.

All eyes turned on me when I crested the stairs and the robot stopped her lesson, hovering over with interest. "Visitors! How lovely, can I help you sir?"

"Er... yeah, I have a foal here I was hoping to have attend your classes? I don't know the deal around here, is it only for residents or does it cost? Are you the teacher here?"

The Miss Handy bobbed in affirmation and waved expansively to the class and the other teacher, "Of course! Every filly and colt in Diamond City is welcome to attend, free of charge. Mr. Zwicky and I share teaching duties, not to worry I am Miss Cyberlee, a Ministry of Image approved teaching unit. And who do we have joining our class today?" The pleasant robot's eyestalks moved to peek around me at the silver maned filly being floated up behind me.

"This is my daughter, Platinum Glitter, she's never been to school before and isn't very excited about it..." I waved to her floating up the stairs but the sudden gasps in the room cut off any further questions.

Jade had followed carrying the grumpy filly ahead of her and stopped short at the sudden attention of everyone in the class. Both the pony and robot teacher tried unsuccessfully for some kind of order as every foal vacated their desks with a screech and rushed forward, crowding around the alicorn suddenly in their midst.

"Wow! The Princess!"

"She's really real!"

"Nuh-uh! My dad says there's others like her around, all... aly... allee"

"Alicorns stupid! But this one's posed ta be a princess, not like the others! I heard on the radio!"

"Hey is this your mom!? Your mom's a princess!?"

Glitter had been set down beside me when Jade was overwhelmed by the sudden crowd and gave a confused and unsure expression at the light green colt asking the last question. She looked back to me and Jade whose eyes softened at the thought but looked equally bewildered, I just shrugged at her and nodded. Whatever they wanted, this was between the two of them, I let her call me dad after all and tried to live up to it, but I took on the job myself.

"Umm... she... s-she's my dad's special somepony so... er... s-sorta?" Glitter looked to simultaneously like the idea and be torn at the thought. I guessed I could understand, she never knew her father so I was just filling a role she didn't know anyway. She had a mother though and missed her along with her sister. I was sure as much as she might be considering the thought now, she didn't want to feel like she was replacing her real mother.

Just admitting that much seemed to satisfy the crowd though, they ooohed and aahed at the both of them flushing and glancing at each other nervously. A young pegasus filly Glitter appeared to have met last night ran up to her and squealed in delight, prancing between the pair, "Glitter why didn't you say you knew the Princess!?"

She was saved by the robot instructor shooing them all back to their seats and guiding Glitter to an empty desk, "Now, now, that's enough of that everypony. We have a new student we must welcome to the class, though it is rare we have such an interesting guest isn't it? Perhaps if we all ask nicely she would be willing to speak to us for a few minutes before we resume the lesson?"

Jade looked nervous but actually came along at the teacher's urging, she was much better around foals than grown ponies and her interest in teaching was too great to resist. She sat in front of the chalkboard between the other teachers and looked anxiously towards me, unsure what to do now.

Struck with a bit of inspiration I flicked through my pip-buck subtly and set it to record an audio file before waving to her supportively, "Why don't you tell them about the Followers? Why you're in the Commonwealth and all? That's interesting."

"Oh! Yes, thank you Fast! I am a member of a group founded by one of the Lightbringer's friends in Equestria, called the Followers of the Apocalyse. Our founder Velvet Remedy was known by my kind as the pony who helps, she is a skilled healer and used her abilities to help everyone she met equally. From good little ponies like all of you to bad ones like slavers and raiders, even hellhounds, zebras, griffons, ghouls, and my own kind, everyone was treated the same.

The group she founded tries to do the same, we help everyone no matter who they are. We do things like healing and making medicine, starting orphanages and even schools like this one, which is just darling by the way. I was sent here to try to spread our beliefs and message to the Commonwealth which is largely cut off from Equestria. It has been very hard, but I try my very best to be better than I was and help others do the same.

We wish to make the world as it was before the horrible war, that means we all have to try to be better. Not doing anything has let the wasteland stay as it was for 200 years. Trying is difficult and can be frustrating, but things will never change if we do not try. Since I have come to the Commonwealth I have seen how bad things are here, but I have also seen good and have tried to help where I could. I have met friends that help and even taught me things about myself I did not know before, I am very grateful to them..."

Jade blushed and gave me a coy smile at that, warming to the subject and looking out at all the raised hooves waiting to ask questions. She carefully considered them all before pointing out a young unicorn filly jumping in her seat.

"You really help ghouls? Aren't they scary monsters?" she shuddered at the thought and waited with wide eyes.

"Yes we help ghouls too. They are not monsters, they may look scary at first but they are ponies like any others. There is a difference between ghouls and feral zombie ponies. Glitter and I have two very good friends from Hexington that are ghouls."

A dubious looking pegasus colt was next to be called and asked his question with a snort, "But they're all gross! An' what about zebras an griffons? Weren't the stripes the bad guys in the war?"

"What they look like does not matter. Zebras were indeed the enemy in the war but that was a long time ago, it is over now and they deserve the same treatment as anyone else. Griffons are the same as well, they all have their own... attitudes about things, but a friend of mine with me in town is a griffon. Besides, variety is a good thing isn't it? If everypony were the same it would be boring wouldn't it, that's why everypony has their own cutie mark showing what makes them special and unique."

"What's Equestria like now? Did all that stuff in the Lightbringer's book really happen?" A small earth pony colt looked disbelieving at the possibility when called on.

"Equestria is doing much better now, the New Canterlot Republic has made great strides since the day of sunshine and rainbows. The things in the book really did happen and the Lightbringer is still up there watching over us, controlling the weather and keeping the sky clear. Things were going so well I was sent on this mission to try to help you all here and spread our good fortune, the Commonwealth is an oddity being cut off as it is. Things here are much closer to how things were before in Equestria."

"A-are you really a princess Miss?" A shy pegasus filly asked the big question, getting the attention of everyone in the class waiting expectantly.

I better butt in here, Jade stammered and wasn't sure what to say at all the glowing, happy faces in front of her. I stepped up with her smoothly and bowed, "Of course she is! She's the Princess of my home Sanctuary, a new town to the north. She's come down to Diamond city to try to bring towns and settlements together, help those who need it and spread her message. Isn't that just what a good princess would do?"

The robot teacher Miss Cyberlee thankfully cut off any other questions as the class nodded along with my assessment reverently, "Excellent point isn't it everypony? On that note we should let our guests go, so their new addition to our class can get used to being with us. Why don't we turn to history and learn about Princesses Celestia and Luna, since the topic is of such interest to everypony here hmm?"

A chorus of groans replied but they all waved us off happily, except for Glitter who watched us leave pouting as I led Jade out gratefully. The guard downstairs looked a little disturbed by AssaultJack taking up her own post nearby, but she wasn't going anywhere. I confirmed her orders to guard Glitter and do as she asked just to put him at ease before we left, walking out into the bright morning sunshine.

"That was most enjoyable Fast, I hope to start a school much like that one someday. Though I still do not like your stories..." Jade glanced around the crowded market nervously, noticing the looks she was attracting as we walked.

I gave her a reassuring nuzzle as we headed towards the Diamond City Surgery Center, seeing Dr. Swab was next on the list. "Aww, you didn't want to disappoint all those foals right? You saw their little faces, it made them happy. You deserve to be treated like a princess anyway."

"Such treatment from you is enough for me Fast... I see your point though, they did seem to like it. I still cannot imagine recording something for that radio station however." She shuddered at the thought making me feel a little guilty.

"Er... about that... I kinda umm recorded what you were saying to them... About the Followers and all..."

"Fast!" she stopped on the spot outside the doctor's office and stared at me incredulously.

I held my hooves up in surrender and smiled up to her, "You talk really well when you're comfortable like you were with all of them, I just thought explaining it to a classroom would be as good as explaining it to anyone over the radio. I don't have to do anything with it if you don't want! It sounded really good though, anyone who heard that would know what you want to spread about the Followers and you weren't nervous at all. Won't you at least listen to it?"

She grumbled at me as we walked in the clinic but seemed to consider it anyway, that was a start. Dr. Swab and her patients distracted us both from the topic when we entered. The three patients back here were victims of the new drugs Dusk and Dawn that had become an epidemic in Diamond City lately. Where they had all been sedate and under the influence before, they were now obviously going through withdrawal. All three sweated and shivered, straining against the straps holding them to the medical cots as the doctor dashed between them trying to care for them and get them through it.

On taking it in Jade immediately floated out the antidote she had taken from Stable 114 and ran over to begin administering it. The doctor watched with interest and gave me a questioning look, not wanting to interfere with Jade's work. "A treatment? This will work?"

"Yeah, we found where it was coming from and put a stop to it, they had a treatment for the effects we brought back. What you were hoping for Cotton?" I handled the talking while Jade worked, noting my pip-buck giving a fanfare;

Mission Completed- Benign Intervention

Objectives-
---~~Discover the source of Dawn and Dusk~~
---~~Investigate Stable 114~~
---~~Uncover the drug dealers~~
--- ~~Return to Dr. Swab~~

The doctor grinned and grabbed my hoof, shaking it vigorously, "Yes! More than I hoped, thank you Fast! Dr Jade! If you don't mind me asking where did you come up with this? What was the source of these two drugs? Did you find out who was selling it?"

Here was a sticky point, I didn't share Jade's automatic trust of other healers, but we did need help and Cotton seemed like a good pony. She sent us to put a stop to this after exhausting her options with local law, she acted as if even asking us had put her at risk too. I didn't know much about the big city but there was apparently corruption and shady deals under the bright surface of the place. If she trusted us at her own peril I would give her the benefit of the doubt and do the same.

"Cotton, I need your help and it's kinda a secret for right now. This stuff and the drugs came from a Stable not far from here. They were taken over when their door was opened and forced to manufacture this stuff, we freed them and they gave us the antidote for it. They've been slaves for months though and have suffered a lot, they need help to try to rejoin the world and get over their ordeal. I sent for some I trust to assist them, but they need medical care too. You promised if I solved your problem you'd help with things, like Jade's hopes for the Followers? Well this is a Follower type of thing, so I'm calling you on your promise."

The wide eyed wonder on her face was a good sign, "A Stable? An unopened Stable near the city? Wow... O-Of course, if they need help I'd be willing anyway, and I did mean what I promised. I've liked everything Dr. Jade explained about her group, now that I don't have to worry about all the addicts in town as much I'd be proud to join and assist in whatever way I can."

With three IVs set up and feeding the antidote to the patients Jade trotted over and gave me a warm hug, "Thank you Fast. I will explain what we found there and the assistance they will need, we have much to discuss. I may take her there later to check on them if that is alright?"

I didn't particularly care for the idea of Jade taking the doctor off on her own, the former Overmare and her guard were still out there. Though Jade could fly and turn them both invisible, there were few better ways to get to 114 safely. "Ok... just be careful. Take Val if you need to, don't put yourselves at risk just cause you're in a hurry to help."

"We will be fine, I promise. Now run along, your friends the detective and the... reporter... are waiting on you are they not?"

My beautiful mare gave a quick peck on the cheek and shooed me off to my next stop, returning her attention to her colleague as I left. As I headed over towards the green shack with the Publik Occurrences sign I noticed Piper's sister in front of their newstand again. A newspaper bag on her flank and an unfurled paper floating by her as she shouted, "Hot off the presses folks! Read it here, Shrouded Stallion opens the bridge to Hex!"

Groaning I gave over a couple caps for a copy before entering the building, it wasn't like Jade was the only one I was using an image of to try to help things. I was reluctant to even read it at the moment, but forced myself before heading inside to meet my best source of information on the Institute so far.

Shrouded Stallion Reopens Bridge to Hexington

The rumors have been making the rounds here in Diamond City and the Commonwealth at large, that the old character from the comics and radio shows is really out there running around. A dark specter of the past bringing down Luna's vengeance on all those bad ponies who've earned a little retribution but have gone unpunished all this time. So what's the truth? Is it really a ghost from the past or just some crazy pony messing with our heads?

This intrepid reporter once again put herself in harms way to bring you all the truth. On hearing the latest whispers from my sources among those less savory types, I heard the bridge to Hex that has been closed for weeks was given a warning by the Shroud himself. Those forcing anypony wishing to use the bridge to pay a toll were given an ultimatum, open the bridge and change their ways or die. They were given a full day to think on it, told they'd be watched by both goddesses once, then that a pony would come and it would be best for them to let this traveler pass.

Believe it or not the warning actually scared a few of them into abandoning their place, I was present during the night and morning it was due to come true and saw some pretty nervous raiders. Sure enough the next morning I heard a lot of excitement when somepony approached the other side, unfortunately I didn't have a good view even when the bridge lowered seemingly by itself. After that all I can say is the warning turned out true, every raider on that bridge died horribly, torn to shreds by a ghostly blur.

I did meet an interesting couple who made the first crossing with a caravan I hope to do a follow up interview with, big stories coming so keep buying those papers folks! As for if the Shroud is real or not? Hard to say... There is a dark pony out there doing things in his name, and they are a real piece of the past come to life, I can say that much. Real or not it's a nice story for those of us who don't have anything to fear from a pony bringing Luna's wrath, and it is keeping those raider types awake at night, so this reporter is ok with it either way.

Piper definitely had a lot of information on the Institute, which based on my experience thus far was defined by being more than none at all. Over the years she had collected records and newspaper clippings from before the war concerning the school it sprang from, the three of us were going through slowly. We started at her earliest information that was the most verifiable, everything after the war was in the last filing cabinet and a lot sketchier. I apparently had a few pieces of information she was lacking from my limited exposure to them thus far and we were putting together a rudimentary picture.

Running across a battered picture of a familiar mare I paused in my rifling, cream colored unicorn, rose colored mane clipped up, thick black glasses... I thought I saw her before, in the memory Virescent shared with Jade. The representative of the Institute that came to tempt the alicorns in the Commonwealth, only the caption read "Dr. Dancer appointed new head of C.I.A.T. Biosciences department." When I saw her in the memory she spoke like she was working for a Dr. Dala, maybe this was an ancestor?

There were differences, that mare didn't wear glasses, but they could practically be twins. This picture looked younger than the mare I saw and messier. Tape sloppily repaired her thick framed glasses, her wild purple streaked rose mane was held back absently with a clip and no attempt at style or appearance. She wore a thick dark sweater under her lab coat, and didn't look to be paying any attention to the photographer who had taken the picture of her surrounded by books in a library.

Explaining it to Piper just got a snort of derision, "One more mystery for the pile Fast, better get used to it. More I've looked into these nuts over the years the weirder it's gotten. Though that is interesting, if one department head is still running around looking the same then maybe the others are, have one of all six, here lemme find it..."

A tornado of papers floated around the small office of her self published paper as she dug through her bizarre filing system, eventually a large glossy black and white photo zipped over to me. Six ponies were shown in front of a fountain with graceful statues of Celestia and Luna, the fountain looked to be a centerpiece of a large carefully tended campus for the huge white edifice behind them. Five were dressed in clean white lab coats, the sixth in an expensive looking suit. One of the ponies in lab coats was Dr. Dancer looking much the same as the previous picture though older, grey tinged that streak in her mane.

Flipping the photo over rewarded me with a list of those pictured from left to right I started matching with the photo. A pale earth pony stallion in the suit on the left was a Dr. Vega, next to him a tall earth pony stallion was Dr. Klein, a striking pale unicorn mare with a streaked mane was listed as Dr. Gleam, then came Dr. Dala? Dancer? It was the same mare but now the name was changed to Dr. Dala... odd. Besides this older version of her was a strange looking dark earth pony stallion, he had a spiky mane and swirling marks to his coat and was listed appropriately as Dr. Swirl. Finally towards the end was an old pegasus stallion, pale coat and wild bushy darker mane, thick cola bottle glasses masked an absent minded expression and he was mostly obscured by the piles of papers and books he carried. Even through the black and white photo he looked oddly familiar but there wasn't enough to go on, the name Dr. Mobius didn't ring any bells.

"Piper, why does this picture say Dr. Dancer and this one say Dr. Dala?" I held both photos to her curiously, it was pretty strange as it was the same mare just separated by years.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, one more thing that makes it hard to track down info on them. They seem to have changed their names over the course of the war, security and such I guess. Was lucky to find that one name, rotting scrap of an old school paper I found in a desk once at the campus. I'd doubt any of those names listed on the photo of all six are real."

Nick looked up from his own pile of papers and shrugged, "Yeah, not a lot of prewar records to go off of to begin with, what's left looks to have been scrubbed pretty well. You might see those fake names here and there, but never the real ones."

Looking over the photo I pulled out a piece of paper from Piper's magic powered printing press and started scribbling, trying to put together what I knew so far. First came what I was sure of based on Watcher's explanations and what I had run across;

Dr. Klein = Advanced Systems = Ministry of Wartime Technologies (Robots)
Dr. Dala/Dancer= Biosciences = Ministry of Peace? (Alicorns)
Dr. ??? = Public Relations = Ministry of Morale? (Drugs/gang)

That left three unknowns for three more Ministries, Image, Magic and Awesome, and a random pick of who belonged to this Public Relations Division the synth in 114 mentioned. It wasn't much but it was more than Piper had apparently, she didn't know about divisions among the Institute and had simply been putting everything she could find together. With the new knowledge she seemed to be resorting her information, splitting things up into six sections to correspond with things the Ministries would be involved in.

Her files on things after the war got a lot looser and more like ghost stories, rumors and gossip she collected from travelers. Reading through these started adding map markers in my pip-buck I figured I'd have to follow up on. Scary tales of a cursed dig site everypony stayed away from called Sandwich Borers, a place to the far north east. An old high school those passing by thought was somehow still operating, ringing bells and shadows in the windows but no one came back from exploring, southeast from Diamond City. The Trotson Public Library was listed as bad luck, any who attempted to settle it over the years were wiped out mysteriously.

The latest grabbed my interest, stories of actual ghosts in a store called Hubris Comics & Entertainment... Hubris made the Shrouded Stallion comics and radio show, they were making a tv show too, they were involved with the Institute? It wasn't all that far away to the east too, I'd have to take a look sometime.

Noticing what I had singled out Piper nickered and shoved a copy of her latest edition in my face. "Read the paper today Fast? Like the story? Thinking of going there, maybe dressing the part a bit better?"

"It was... good. I notice you were kinda vague, thought you were after the truth? Not that I mind, prefer it actually."

"Yeah well that was always part of those old comics and stuff right? Gotta have a secret identity or you'd have them all coming down on you and your pretty mare and foal. Have to protect my sources and all, I did only say the truth. Plus no offense but you're not quite the legend, when the legend becomes fact you print the legend, that's what ponies want." The reporter mare nodded sagely at her own wisdom.

I was a little conflicted there, I did do all this stuff to try to use an image to make things better, image was frequently not the truth. I had to wonder what somepony like Applejack who bore the Element of Honesty would have to say about my ideas though, was letting ponies believe a lie better than telling the whole truth? If it were for a good reason? Jade had once told me the wasteland corrupted everything, even virtues, would this be a form of twisted honesty then? Piper really seemed to care about her readers and telling the truth though, the whole question made me uncomfortable.

Thankfully Nick interrupted my thoughts, "Alright, been at this a good while now. Not that I need to but you two should eat something. None of this stuff is going anywhere, we'll keep working at it Fast, you said you were sticking around town for awhile? Interested in that cyber-buck you mentioned invading your Stable, tickles the old memory crystals up here. I'll follow up on some other leads on that and your zebra pal's Church problem. Now go on, I don't need rest, you do."

I grumbled at the robot shooing us out but had to agree, my stomach rumbled and my pip-buck had been scanning everything I looked at so far, I could peruse it at my leisure later. Shoved out of the office I looked around the market and spotted Val at the giant Sparkle Cola food stand, squawking at the robot angrily.

"No! Not noodles! Why is that the only damn thing you say!" When she spotted me sitting on a stool next to her she grabbed my cloak and shoved me over the counter. "Fix this thing boss! All it says is that nani whatever nonsense and keeps giving me noodles!"

"Er... I was told they like it that way here and not to fix it Val," I was still confused about that but Piper took a seat nearby and saved me.

"Takahashi's always been that way, say yes then tell it what you want. We keep a menu up there behind him after all. He's a local fixture, watch Yes! Carrot Ramen please my good robot." At her request the weird ponitron put together a noodle dish with some spindly cooked carrots and gave it over, waiting for payment.

Val looked disgusted at the whole process, "Local fixture my rump, it's broken is what it is. Boss can fix it. Whatever, Yes, beer an' a bacon sammich... now."

The robot complied again and I just floated one of the orders of noodles it had unsuccessfully been trying to give Val, asking for a regular Sparkle Cola and paying for both. Leaving it broken like that rankled but if that's how the locals liked it oh well, I couldn't afford to tick everypony off just because it was sitting there... broken... taunting me....

Munching away at her meal Val nudged me and pointed out to the market, "Eat fast boss, gots shoppin' to do. Embarrassed wearin' this hunk a' junk now but feel naked without it." She gestured down to her green combat armor, several patches of her bright red-orange hide showing through all the large holes.

I sped up my noodle slurping and nodded, answering her impatient chewing between mouthfuls. "Alright, we can do that for awhile. Jade made me promise to go... umm... go take magic lessons though..."

The griffon's cheeks puffed at that and I thought she was going to lose her hard won beer, sputtering when she managed to swallow. "Magic lessons! Ha! Like some unicorn foal or somethin'? Thought you guys learned all that stuff early, you can do magic boss? Like besides the whole kaboom trick?"

"Supposedly... I'm supposed to learn to try to control that, maybe I can learn other stuff, dunno. It is for foals though... annoying. But I promised, besides Glitter had to go to school, I guess it's fair I do too."

"That's where the kid is? Figured she was with Blue, bummer, gotta be bored ta tears. Hmm... you learnin' other magic... that could be useful. Definitely makes you more valuable, I'm for it, long as I get to watch and make fun." Val nodded to herself, pleased with her upcoming entertainment and shoved me into hurrying up.

I really wasn't looking forward to remedial magic lessons...

Having a laughing griffon watching from the stands really didn't help getting through the beginner's class on magic. Corona was patient and nice enough, the opening lessons involving a bit of clay and basic exercises changing the shape of it which was easy enough, moving on to trying to change the color or substance with transformation magic quickly went south though. After exploding the third lump to uproarious hoots from the peanut gallery she thankfully moved on.

I surprised myself managing to actually get a bottlecap to teleport in a sparking flash of magic two inches across the table to my tutor's praise. Whatever else the lightning did though it seemed to have seeped into my attempts, I caught the flickering arc during the teleport and when I admitted I could once do the cloudwalking spell it showed up there as well. Corona insisted on trying it out again, trotting up the stairs and ramps to the cloud section of Diamond City and waiting at the end of the metal ramp for me to make the attempt.

It took awhile to remember it but when I managed there was the familiar glow around my hooves again, though it now arced with electricity for some reason. That got a puzzled look from my teacher but she waved me on to the cloud to try it, as soon as my foreleg made contact with the spongy surface I knew something wasn't right though. It did offer resistance instead of sinking straight through, however the cloud under my hoof immediately darkened and rumbled at the touch and I yanked the offending limb back nervously.

Walking around with it active on the ramp I did feel exceptionally light on my hooves, it should work right anyway and I was curious what it would be like running in this state. Every attempt for plain old cloudwalking ended with the same result though, finally convincing Corona getting the lightning spell under control was probably the best first step. I tried to warn her when she asked for a demonstration, settling on moving as far into the outfield stands as possible and having Val clear the sky away from the city before unleashing it.

Walking back down to the market later I felt bad seeing all the pegasi nervously peeking out of their cloud homes above, and all the ponies on the ground looking up at the skies in confusion, expecting rain and seeing clear skies. Corona had a better appreciation for what I had been dealing with though, actually excited by the demonstration and promising to research and adjust her curriculum.

Afterwards I shopped with Val for a bit, she settled for splitting up perusing the market for what we needed over time since we'd be here awhile, as it helped get the best deals. For today I did get some 2mm EC ammo for Freya's old gauss rifle, along with ammo for everything else and watched patiently as she went over armors debating her replacement, eventually paying more than she wanted for a set of darker green heavy riot armor that she assured me was an improvement.

I kept an eye out for Zed but didn't spot the surly zebra anywhere in town, giving up I returned to Piper's office and was surprised to see him talking with Nick. Once he got over his reservations about dealing with a robot Zed seemed to enjoy their discussion and the two had several leads to follow. Nick agreed to take him out of the city with him on his investigations into the subject, starting with local churches in Trotson nearby. I did extract a promise from both of them to only scout around and to let me know if they found anything on their trips.

I went back to going through Piper's files with her as she sorted them, slowly adding more map markers to investigate eventually. The work was slow and tedious so Val left quickly, off to find her own amusements until Glitter's classes were over. When the time came around I left to go get her, meeting Jade leaving the doctor's office after returning from their excursion to 114 as she left to do the same. The happy foal saying goodbye to her new friends was practically unrecognizable from the pouting one we left there.

The three of us walked about for a bit, letting her go over her day and show us the sights she found interesting in the city, or her friends told her about, before she spotted a gaggle of them asking her to play. With the lethal robot following her, in what at least appeared to be a safe bastion of civilization, I felt comfortable enough letting her go on the promise of coming back when AssaultJack's internal clock said to return to the Inn for dinner.

Val found us at the Inn and when Glitter returned we shared a meal before both her and I were forced to our respective homework at Jade's urging and Val's tittering. I'd much rather be doing the work the little filly was happily scribbling at on the table, rather than sitting in my room going over cantrip primers for unicorn foals and trying not to blow things up. After enough of that for both of us Glitter was sent to bed and I got to spend a little time with Miles when he came in on an evening break, he seemed more sure of himself and even nervously spoke to the pretty waitress. Apparently if I could manage to wrangle a princess as my special somepony he was willing to take a chance, he explained when I went to join her for bed.

That basically became the routine for awhile, it was almost prewar in its serenity and predictability. I could see the allure to living here if you had the caps for it, no wonder Preston had complained about how complacent the citizens here were about the rest of the wasteland around them. Behind the towering walls and guards it was a little piece of the old world almost.

On the third day when I was beginning to wonder about my letters Preston and some of his new Minutemares showed up at the Dugout Inn early in the morning, adjusting the routine a little. He had brought what I asked for from Sanctuary and filled us in on how things were going up there, all of my first shipment of parts, robots and the robot workstation were waiting for me in my workshop, making me anxious to get back sometime soon.

He also informed us of how the community was growing by leaps and bounds, wasteland ponies drawn by stories of a safe haven in the north with a real life princess had been trickling in steadily. That made Jade whine in embarrassment, but went a long way towards convincing her to let me give Miles the recording I had made of her. She listened to it critically every night and kept finding something wrong, but I was wearing her down, the Minutemare's glowing approval helped immensely when he gave it a listen.

As far as Preston was concerned he wholeheartedly endorsed the idea and had already been using it, informing everypony who asked that yes, there was a real princess that lived in Sanctuary and she was the patron of the reformed Minutemares. I smiled a bit watching her shrink in her seat at the news, until Preston went on to explain how he had been using stories of the Shroud too. The princess' knight protector who was a free agent and high ranking Minutemare. I joined in Jade's flush at the attention from the gaggle of ponies wearing blue and tan Minutemare uniforms watching us speak with awe.

Looking for a way out I led the way to the gates to meet the others Preston had brought, Rusty had traveled with them from Hex along with Oblige who waited impatiently. She had made the trip out from her city because I asked, but was still a busy mare, the gift of a pip-buck for each of them helped soothe her desire to return immediately. I had requested one be left with Elder Zin in Hex for me to put on him the next time we were that way, at least one of the town's new leaders should remain there, he seemed uninterested in the device however. Once we got on our way out from Diamond City and towards Stable 114, giving me a chance to explain what I hoped for by bringing her to the Stable ponies, she brightened considerably.

The question of the ingredients required to begin making medicine in the Stable instead of drugs was added to by Preston, 111's stores and what the ponies in Sanctuary could hunt or grow would only go so far, so food was going to be an issue soon. He had made contact with a few local farms in need of assistance that were added to my growing list of map markers. One of which, not far from Sanctuary called Sunshine and Rainbows Co-op piqued my interest, mainly because he said they had industrial farming equipment needing repairs standing in the way of joining our growing network of communities.

One more thing on my to do list then, we wouldn't be able to live a comfortable life here in the big city forever, Val was rapidly growing bored if nothing else. The trip to the Stable had her flitting about looking for raiders or zombies to explode with her new ammo and test her new armor on. I had settled on a slightly better version of my old armor, better crafted and reinforced but basically the same so I left her to her experiments. I did put in a little practice with the "Last Minute" gauss rifle, though not a lot as the rounds for the weapon were hard to come by and expensive.

We were on guard when we approached the park entrance to the subway and the Stable beyond, but Jade told us she had seen no signs of ambush or the Trigger Jewels in the area on her forays to the Stable with Dr. Swab. I didn't doubt Fancy and Freya were out there somewhere but they looked to have abandoned their claim on the Stable. I felt bad having to tell Rusty to stay back before I opened the great gear door but I wanted them to be exposed to the idea of ghouls in a controlled manner, I remembered what I felt like on seeing my first one.

Oblige and Preston were very personable with the new Overmare Crystal Petal, relaxing the Stable dwellers about their fears over rejoining the world. Preston's recruits mingled with the dwellers and told stories of the outside, eliciting fearful gasps along with excited whispers. The Minutemare's promised their support for securing the new community from outside threats and training for the Stable ponies with their captured gang weapons, some of the dwellers even seemed taken with the idea of joining the Minutemares at some point. Oblige was a shrewd negotiator but fair, Jade and Cotton's work here over the last few days made them prepared for the questions she asked and they hammered out a good deal for radiation medications in return for caps and parts.

After a lot of preparation and cajoling I cautiously brought Crystal out from the doorway as we left and introduced her to Rusty. She managed to handle it pretty well considering, she at least had the benefit of foreknowledge I hadn't, still being faced with the existence of undead ponies up here was a shock for Stable ponies. That was a major reason I wanted Rusty to come, he had been my first and a wonderful stallion to start with. He wasn't insulted when I explained my reasoning and asked him to wait, and was patient with the frightened mare. It would be up to her to try to prepare her ponies in 114 for the same shock and she took her job seriously, forcing herself to put aside his appearance at Jade and my own urging and deal with him normally.

Preston and his recruits were staying in the Stable while Rusty and Oblige needed to return to Hexington, now a much shorter trip they were both thankful for. A small group of Minutemares had been stationed at the bridge to make sure it didn't revert to its former state, following my advice I tried to give the raiders that guarding and helping those making the crossing would be as rewarded as trying to extort caps.

Looking at my pip-buck map I was surprised to find a new setting showing travel and trade lines between the places I had been now. A jagged line ran from Sanctuary in the northwest, down to Hexington, across the bridge to Diamond City and now east from there to Stable 114. I really had to figure out how it did some of the things it managed someday, it was eerie, though this new function made me a little proud. It showed my path since leaving Stable 111 and things I had managed to accomplish out here, I hadn't made any real progress towards finding my family yet, but I had done something worthwhile.

When we got back to Diamond City it was nearing time for Glitter to leave school so all of us headed that direction, as we closed on the schoolhouse and the swarm of foals being released, I was distracted by a shout from above and a red streak landing nearby. The courier Rocket from the Red Rocket service had been looking for us apparently, rummaging in his messenger bag as Glitter ran up to join us.

"Dunno why those hoity toity types hired me to deliver this, you're right here in town Fast, Princess. They like fancy nonsense though. Oh thanks for the tip, talked to grandpa about it and we're expanding up by your kingdom! Got a crew up that way now refitting the place so stop by next time your around. Now where was it.. aha here we go!" Now that he was totally awake Rocket spoke quickly while he found the gilded envelope addressed to "Princess of Sanctuary and/or Her Knight"

His delivery completed he sped off with a wave leaving me to puzzle over the expensive looking message, I looked to Jade as it was technically addressed to her first but she shook her head and nudged me on into opening it. Inside was equally expensive looking stationary with flowing script and gilt edges.

"To the Princess of Sanctuary, her Knight or retinue,

We hope you have enjoyed our hospitality in our fine city and have not wished to intrude on your visit. Now that you have become acclimated however as a visiting dignitary we would like to take this opportunity to invite you to a gala in your honor. We noble ponies of Diamond City are most interested in having an elegant evening with a Princess as our guest in the beautiful upper decks.

This event will be held in two days, to allow adequate time necessary to prepare for such a formal affair. The Diamond City Carousel and the Mane Event both eagerly anticipate your patronage and have offered a significant discount to aid in your preparation to attend. Please simply present this invitation at the lift to the upper decks, near the main entrance to our fair city in the evening two days hence. We look forward to your attendance and R.S.V.P.

Sincerely,
Governor Slim McDonut & The Nobility of Diamond City"

Jade immediately shrank behind her wings as I read the letter, only encouraged back out at Glitter's eager prancing at the prospect of shopping for pretty dresses with her and Val and attending a fancy party. Val herself looked to have a mixed reaction, 'significant discount' got her attention but 'nobility' turned her right off.

"Buncha fancy, stuck up, know nothings living it up in their gilded cage.... still free stuff..." She grumbled and pointed a claw up to the glass enclosed upper decks, brightly lit and definitely of higher quality than the housing down here.

"Yay! Fancy party! We can all go shoppin' together, I wanna see Auntie Val in a dress! She always wears that ugly armor! Oh an we can make Miss Jade all pretty again, an daddy, you never wear anything nice..." Glitter was not conflicted at all at least.

Her reaction and that last point actually got the blue alicorn to seem to consider it seriously, "Hmm... you are correct Glitter, Fast never wears anything but his Stable barding or armor, and that ratty cloak of his. I would like to see him wearing something different, I imagine it would be quite handsome, we will do that." I started to protest at the thought of getting some stuffy suit but she leaned over to whisper low in my ear before I could start. "I could also purchase different attire... things you may like yes? Such thoughts you have... I have not forgotten..."

"R-Right! We'll do that, whatever Jade says! I was thinking we'd need to leave soon anyway, we can wait for this party thing before we do. Seems like a good h-high point to leave on." I stammered out in a rush feeling my face heat up.

The thin walls and cramped quarters of the Dugout Inn hadn't left a lot of room for more fun leisure activities with Jade. If that demure look she was giving me was any indication she felt the absence too. Imagining what she had gotten from Virescent showing her what I thought about on the subject was enough to make me not complain about clothes shopping.

A couple days gave us time to wrap up our doings in the city, for me to plan my next course of action and for us to leave after a fun night. It all seemed good to me. The peaceful life of the city was nice and somewhat reminded me of home, but maybe too much of the wasteland had rubbed off on me, even I was feeling a bit bored with the routine. There were new places to go and leads to follow, I still had missions to accomplish as my pip-buck reminded me at every opportunity. Just the amount of map markers and miscellaneous objectives waiting in its list would fill a lot of time and traveling.

--------------------Level Up!----------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------

Local Leader Rank 2--
---Establishing trade lines and a network of communities has fostered commerce in the area. Trade routes are safer to travel and you can now attract and build new businesses in Sanctuary. You also have a higher chance of success when it comes to convincing new settlements into joining your collective effort.

Quest Perk Added!---------------------

Jigawhat? Rank 2--
--All the remedial lessons might be annoying but they are helping. Your magic is still sort of wonky, but you have access to new spells and abilities that will only improve with time. Though everything seems to have been tinged with that lightning bolt's influence.

Reputation Change!-----------------

Minutemares- Idolized
---You are essentially a legend among the new crop of Minutemares thanks to Preston and your own exploits. Any Minutemare you run across will defer to you as a higher authority if they know who you are or you can convince them you're the real deal.

Diamond City- Liked
---You've been making friends and accomplishing goals for the residents of Diamond City. You now get better prices at merchants in the market and treated as a local.

Diamond City Nobility- Neutral
--- The nobility of the city has been an unknown to you before now, but you've attracted their attention. The invitation to their fancy party will serve as your introduction to this group ruling the great green jewel of the Commonwealth.

Red Rocket Courier Service- Accepted
--- Rocket and his family appreciated the tip and have expanded their operation into your neck of the woods. Now you have a local port for the courier service near Sanctuary.

Ch. 22-- Unfriendly Persuasion

"How's it going today Diamond City? This is Traveling Miles hoping everyone's doing good and looking forward to the festivities tonight. That's right for all of us not invited to the big shindig there's a fancy ball all the nobles up in the upper decks are throwing. Normally we wouldn't bother reporting on what the nobility of D.C. gets up to, but this is actually of interest to us poor commoners too for once. This is the ponies in charge wanting a little time with the Princess of Sanctuary after all, I know lots of you out there always want to hear about her right?

I have it on good authority that this will be her last night in Diamond City for awhile and I'd like to thank all my listeners for giving the blue alicorn her space while she's been here. I've heard plenty from those of you who've talked to her over this last week and I've only heard good things. Everypony seems to agree, she's skittish but if you just go slow she's always ready to lend an ear and quick to help. A real noble pony who's actually, you know... noble... what a concept huh?

We'll all miss the common pony's princess when she leaves along with her friends, but don't feel too down! Turns out I can finally deliver on that promised recording for all of my listeners who aren't lucky enough to catch her out in the D.C. market! That's right, hot in my little hooves is a holotape of Princess Jade speaking to the foals at our own school, talking about the group she's part of back in Equestria and her thoughts. I think the kids did a good job asking some great questions for her too, buncha little reporters in the making down there. It's not an interview of course, but I wouldn't hold your breath for that. So here we go folks, enjoy!"

"Why don't you tell them about the Followers? Why you're in the Commonwealth and all? That's interesting."

"Oh! Yes, thank you Fast! I am a member of a group founded by one of the Lightbringer's friends in Equestria, called the Followers of the Apocalyse..."

Listening to the recording playing through my pip-buck in Piper's office I had to smile to myself, it had taken a lot of cajoling but I had finally managed to convince Jade to let Miles broadcast it. Thankfully I had enough backup after letting a few select ponies listen to it, and it was made easier as tonight was our last night in the city. Jade's anxiety over letting it play was alleviated by the promise of not being around for the response, and she was currently being kept busy preparing for the big to do this evening.

Two days ended up being just enough time, out of necessity her dress and other purchases from the Diamond City Carousel had to be custom tailored, alicorn sizes weren't in high demand after all. The hefty discount promised turned out to be pretty useful too, I shuddered to think what it would all cost without the boon granted by the leaders of the city and store proprietors. The clothing shop was quite expensive, designed to look and measure up to Rarity's own chain of boutiques from before the war. Even my own simple black suit and tie outfit had been pricey and it was off the rack.

The dealing with the local high end shops was actually aided by the reporter mare listening to my radio attentively with me, Piper's threats of bad reviews and knowledge of the locals sped things along nicely. Of course this was on the condition of being allowed access to the ball with the rest of us as one of our guests, apparently getting access to the ponies in charge was hard even for Piper.

She did also offer to handle navigating the complicated web of Diamond City politics, which was enough for Jade to get over her reservations concerning the odd mare. Piper had been trying to educate me on the subject, remembering which families owned or supplied what in the city and who disliked who was too much for me to keep track of though, I was grateful she was going.

Making one final perusal of her files was adding to my list of map markers and things to investigate, we had gone through most of it and reorganized it, but it was still chasing shadows. I could only try to organize things into some kind of rational travel pattern and see what came up at this point. Nick and Zed returning from another one of their trips interrupted us and added a few new bits of information.

Both seemed tired and dirty but had apparently been working together well, investigating churches in the area hoping if the Church of Balefire used one place of worship then they'd use the same trick again. It wasn't going as well as the zebra obviously hoped, but his attitude had mellowed a bit since he had gotten to make some progress. Watching them take a seat I asked how the latest trip went, curious if there was anything new.

"No. The robot has suggested inquiring among those they would most want to attract as... what you called test subjects? Most likely in irradiated areas, there is a large church in Monstallion Plaza and a very old one far to the east called simply the Old North Church I would like to investigate when we leave. Both are closer to the town of Goodneighbor, a place that has a significant ghoul population like Hexington. I would... appreciate heading that direction when possible, though I understand your erratic nature better now and believe Nick has found something to draw you elsewhere." Well Zed still wasn't cheery, he was improving though and I had been trying to spend time with him when he was in town, making slow progress.

"We'll try to go that way as soon as we can then Zed. Sure you won't go with us to this party thing?" I didn't expect much here, but had been asking since we got the invite.

The bored, flat expression he gave me was answer enough, he did choose to elaborate today though. "Certain ponies such as yourself are... not so bad. The ones inviting you to this farce however, nobility... they have no use for my kind nor I for theirs. I thank you for the consideration however."

"Alright if you're sure, so what's this you found to tempt me today Nick?"

The synth detective brightened and rooted around in his trenchcoat, pulling a tattered piece of paper and holding it out for me. "Finally tracked it down, secondhand description's not much to go on but 'big bald cyberbuck' is kinda unique. Wanted poster from my old files, take a look."

Hearing him mention the pony that led the assault into my Stable did grab my attention, I had only had Overstallion Shore's description and a short clip of his voice. I snatched the offered poster up in my magic, eager to get a look at a suspect. It was a sketch rather than a photo, pictures were hard to come up with out in the wasteland, but it was well done. A realistic image of a gruff looking earth pony stared back at me, a burned scar on one cheek, shaved mane and his front left and rear right legs were cybernetic. "Wanted: Krispy Kellog- Former Gunner Mercenary- breach of contract. Reward- 10,000 caps."

Noting the amount of caps offered I gave a low whistle, either whoever put this up reeeeally wanted him dead, or he was so dangerous no one would try without that kind of reward. Based on what I saw of his skills in the Stable, if this was him, I had to guess the latter. I burned the image in my mind, having something to focus on finally, though probably for nothing. "Thanks Nick, it's nice to have a face but it was a long time ago. A pony like this, he'd be long gone right?"

Nick lit a cigarette and shook his head slowly, "You'd think so, but look at the date. That poster was put up 20 years ago, down south. Once I found it and had the name again I went digging, he's a bit of a ghost story all on his own. Legendary Gunner, practically a founder of those mercs 100 years ago, one bad pony Fast. Ticked em off around 90 years back or so, before he was a cyberpony. They put up new posters anytime he's spotted somewhere, or just every few decades fishing for a lead. Like they're trying to be subtle, but it's always the same buck."

I goggled at the robot nodding back at me, "100 years? He looks the same, he's still around?"

"You got it pal, just the cybernetics you see there probably ain't all he's got. Imagine it's the stuff you don't see that's kept him going eh?"

With new appreciation I stared down at the image before stashing it in my own bags, if he was still around I might get to keep a promise to myself after all, there was enough natural hide shown to carve some names into him. Legendary Gunner or not I had despaired of ever finding the one who did the deed in Stable 111 since it was so long ago, if he was still around though... Val said she used to be a Gunner, maybe she'd know something about this contract for one of the founders of the group.

Piper suddenly started and looked down at her hoof, a new pip-buck informing her of the time. "Oh, have to get going fellas! Meeting your gals at the Mane Event to get dolled up and all. Love the discount Fast, never get to pamper myself on my own caps! I'll see ya soon alright!"

I had asked Preston to bring me the box containing several of the devices I kept out of the Stable back home and had been gifting them to select friends. I wished I had a broadcaster to be able to communicate with them, but experience had already shown how useful they were just to be able to track a wearer down. Along with Piper, Nick and Miles now had one of their own as well, I also had one for Zed but had been surprised he knew something about them I didn't.

Buried deep in the code was a nasty little subroutine built around a zebra wearing one specifically, I had watched with interest to see what would happen when both Jade as an alicorn and Val, a griffon, had put their own on to see how it would respond. I hadn't thought about what it would do with a zebra. Self destruct seemed to be the answer...

After he had declined the gift initially I had been tinkering with the one I still had on me, I finally had it cracked and made another attempt with Zed, pulling it out from my saddlebags. "I got it now Zed, it's safe so won't you try it on?"

He stared at it warily as I floated it in front of his face, "I told you what would happen. Those things were not made for my kind, I see little use for it."

"Aw come on, they're all kinds of useful. Just the locator tags would be enough, even if you seem to be able to match S.A.T.S. and E.F.S. on your own already. Trust me, I've been hacking through this thing since you told me, I wouldn't try it if it wasn't safe! Turns out there was a backdoor around that trap, weird password though... Zecora? Sounds kinda zebra like doesn't it?"

On hearing the word Zed's eyes widened barely, reading his expressions was never easy but this was definitely recognition and shock. He seemed to think to himself carefully a moment, torn between his distrust of the arcano-tech device and whatever the password meant to him. Finally he groaned and stood on his hindlegs, extending one out to me while balancing on the other.

"I would not replace my bracers with that... thing... If you insist and they are as useful as you say though... here." He looked away and winced as I cautiously placed it on the offered limb and waited.

I kept the key in place just in case it started beeping or flashing in an... explodey... kind of way, but thankfully it did just what it should. The new accessory softly adjusted its fit and ran through the startup sequence, quickly showing a picture of a zebra instead of an earth pony on the health screen. As the HUD filled his vision Zed released a held in breath and sat to start fiddling with it, listening patiently to my basic introduction. It wasn't a bell around his neck but now I could tell where he disappeared to when he decided to do so, and he could find me as he liked.

Satisfied with my tutorial he held a hoof up to stop me, "I have done something you wanted, now I wish for you to do the same. I have discussed certain... oddities about you with my host in this city. He is interested in meeting you and inspecting your soul jars, it will not take long."

Zed had been staying at the only zebra establishment in Diamond City, a place called Arx's Apothecary, I hadn't gone in or met the owner though. He hadn't really invited any of us in to do so and I generally just gave him his space, the reason for the visit was a little disconcerting but if he wanted me to meet his friend that was fine with me.

Waving goodbye to Nick as he continued going through his own notes, I joined the zebra stallion and headed for the alley Arx's was located in. Wearing a pip-buck on a hindleg seemed strange the more I looked at it as he led the way, but he had put it on and it was working. We walked into the odd little hut decorated with zebra masks and fetishes to a dim potion shop. A thin, elderly zebra stallion was waiting behind the counter going over a book full of zebra squiggles and looked to be expecting us.

"Aha, Zed, so this is the dark little pony you speak of? Interesting... I am Arx, pleased to meet you at last." He bowed graciously and took me by surprise with his open manner.

"Er.. Hi, I'm Fast, nice to meet you too. Zed never asked so I didn't want to intrude, you're a lot friendlier than I've gotten used to with him. You wanted to see me?"

The old zebra chuckled and shifted in his heavy green robe, "Well to be able to work my way to having a shop here in this city I have had to become adept at social niceties. Zed is a good zebra, just inexperienced with such realities. I was looking forward to meeting you, may I see your soul jars?"

Jade had given me the cliff notes version of the book of the Lightbringer concerning the Ministry Mare statues I had with me. The whole story seemed unbelievable, a black book, Rarity cutting her own soul into 43 pieces, making the resulting objects radiate with the purest essence of her friends from Ponyville... she assured me it was all true though. Knowing what I did now I floated the two little figures out reverently and set them before the old zebra on the counter. "Ok... they really are?"

Arx squinted at the pair and nodded, "Oh yes, these are genuine, Zed is well versed concerning objects like this. Interesting to actually see a pair of them myself, though I am far more intrigued by the third if I may see it as well?"

"Uh... These are all I have... Zed said I have another but it's one I... made? But I never cut my soul up or anything so..." This was still confusing and Jade had been no help here, she knew about the Ministry Mare figures only.

Zed groaned and gestured to my left saddlebag I had pulled the Applejack and Fluttershy figures from, "May I?"

Well he asked anyway, I nodded in acceptance and Zed immediately started rooting through the cramped bag, finally pulling his muzzle out holding my Shrouded Stallion figure. What? My toy? He seemed sure and set it down next to the first two, for some reason he didn't seem nearly as put out touching it as he was with the other two just being near.

Arx's eyes widened appreciably and he turned the action figure over in his hooves, inspecting it carefully. "Ahhhh... very rare indeed. This is an object you cherish?"

"Y-yeah... you're saying my toy is one of these soul jar things? Come on, that's crazy, my parents bought that for me from a store for a few bits. I lost it for 200 years."

Neither zebra was perturbed in the slightest, Zed rolled his eyes while Arx raised an eyebrow and put it back down by the others. "You lost it for 200 years yet it is still in such condition? That didn't strike you as strange?"

"W-well..." Ok maybe it was kind of odd it was still just sitting there where I left it in my room when I finally returned, but...

"Not to worry little pony, it is strange but not inherently dark like the origin of the other two. These Ministry Mare soul jars were made via the black book, a very evil tome that corrupted nearly all who ever looked within its pages. Your Rarity managed to survive it, along with the Lightbringer, but the source of the magic was very dark and dangerous. Your toy here however is a different matter, I have read of this happening very, very, rarely.

Soul jars can naturally be created, in such cases it is always a beloved object that... absorbs a bit of the owner's essence over time. Things like the brush of a master painter, a sword carried by a great warrior their whole career, objects that tend to become the focus of legends and regarded as magical in nature. These things are often weak soul jars, this one is a bit unique even among them however, it was not in your direct possession for such a long period?"

"Nooooo... I left it behind when I was a foal... I thought about it a lot, wished I hadn't forgot it all that time, but I didn't have it." I stared at the figure warily, it was bizarrely pristine for sitting in my ruined house through the end of the world, now that I really thought about it...

"When you were a foal? From what Zed has explained to me... that would be the bulk of those 200 years then yes? Very strange... "

"R-Right... well if that's all you wanted to see? It's nice meeting you but Zed waited till I was pretty busy to ask, can I help you with anything else before I get going?"

Arx shook his head kindly as I returned my items to my bags, "No, I thank you for indulging my curiosity. Zed was right, you are interesting. Perhaps I could do something for you though, you are to go see the rulers of this place tonight yes? Allow me to advise caution, there is darkness in this city among those that lead it, I have lived here quite awhile and felt its presence."

"So I've heard, and wondered myself. Thanks Mr. Arx, I'll be careful." The elderly stallion waved me off with a smile as I left, that was an weird encounter all around but he was pretty nice. The warning I took to heart too, I had gotten the feeling more went on behind the scenes here in the city since I got here, but it was carefully hidden. Hearing someone else express the same made me more sure of my suspicions.

I managed to weasel out of most of the primping involved before the event, convincing Jade that while I could go to the local barber, my mane was going to do what it wanted regardless of their skills. While the others were all getting ready I took my last lesson with the local wizard pony, Corona, who was sad to see me going. I had been surprised at the progress she had been able to coach me into making with what most would consider pretty basic magical skill, but it was well beyond what I had before.

She managed to sell me a couple more spell books, these were thankfully not for foals at least but for slightly more advanced students. What she called entrance primers for Celestia's school back before the war, what a young unicorn would study when preparing to apply to the princess' own academy of magic. I had to promise to practice and study, along with stop back again and keep her informed of my progress when I could, before she let me go. The whole process had been embarrassing but I did like the young wizard mare, she had worked wonders in such a short time so I would almost miss my daily lessons.

Afterwards I returned to Piper's office to get ready, I would have been fine heading back to the Dugout Inn, but since we were going together Val had insisted on leaving our gear here. The very idea of not wearing her new armor or bringing her heavy weapons rankled with the griffon, leaving them unattended was completely out of the question. Nick promised to be on site, going through the files in Piper's office anyway, so that was where I was to change and leave my stuff.

By the time I was ready and left the newspaper office the rusty stadium lights were just coming on, lighting the market and field effectively even with only half the proper number of working bulbs as they should have. I walked up to the city entrance in the stands and took a left today to a part of the city I hadn't gone before, the stands were for the higher end housing and a single expensive tavern Val had refused to visit.

Walking that way now I saw the elevator up to the upper decks the invitation in my suit jacket directed us to go to. A rather snobby looking stallion in a tuxedo operated the lift, eyeing me with disdain as I approached until his eyes tracked over my shoulder and widened a bit. Following his glance rewarded me with quite a sight, Glitter bounded up the ramp behind me, leading Piper, Val and Jade meekly hiding in the back.

"Dad! Look! Ain't we all pretty!? I helped pick stuff out see!" The little filly was beside herself prancing in front of me, a very frilly pink and silver dress swooshing around her as she moved. I was surprised she had accepted having to get cleaned up to go, her mane was pristine and held up in a silver clasp.

Val picked at her sheer black dress and grumbled, "Yeah, could'a picked something with room to hide some weapons in kiddo. Had to buy this silly purse thing just to have a place fer my pistol. Hey boss, what... w-what'cha lookin' at me like that for..." I knew I was wearing a slack jawed expression, but seeing Val all dressed up was that surprising.

The silky black dress complimented her fiery colors well, without her armor I could see a few more scars on her bright hide but they didn't detract from the image. Her small purse did look pretty bulky, but she refused to go completely unarmed. Her dark claws were finely polished and gleamed under the lights, her feathers were carefully cleaned and preened, her white plumage styled gracefully. It was quite a difference from the crude mercenary I was used to.

Watching her narrow her violet eyes at me I managed to answer before she got the wrong idea, "Nothing! Just... wow, you look really nice Val. I've never seen you dressed up is all, it's good, don't worry."

She managed to turn a little redder and waved a claw at me, shoving back at Piper when the reporter mare gave her a friendly nudge. "See, told ya, looks good!" Piper was wearing a simple red gown, reminding me of her normal leather coat. She had elected not to wear her battered cap for once, in favor of her dark mane's swooping curls carefully swept up in its place.

"Yes, Glitter helped you make an excellent choice Valkyrie. I am still u-unsure of my own however..." The blue alicorn princess trailing the others put everything else I had ever seen to shame.

The owner of the Diamond City Carousel had made such a production of getting to design a dress for Jade that Glitter had not been allowed input on it, much to her annoyance. I had heard secondhoof the amount of complaining the tailor pony had done at only having two days to work in, I couldn't see the issue now though. Jade's dress was a masterwork of shimmering pale blue silk and gossamer material, perfectly fitted to her large frame and accented with shining white stones and a borrowed pearl necklace. It was cut to amazingly accentuate her form, her back bare to allow her wings freedom, a long slit up the train at the back leading up to her flanks. She wore dainty white shoes with lacy stockings and even her pip-buck had been painted a matching white with silver accents, she had refused to part with it so the tailor had compromised there.

The stylists at the Mane Event had been as enthusiastic as the tailor too, her soft mane and tail sparkled under the lights like Luna's own. Both were meticulously primped and styled in wide, cascading curls reminiscent of everypony's favorite Ministry Mare around here, Rarity. Her blue eyes widened taking me in as I stammered and tried to get my brain to function again, blushing she seemed to get over her initial automatic reaction something must be wrong about her appearance though.

"I... take it you like it Fast? I-It seems a bit much for me, I do enjoy seeing your reaction however so I will defer to your judgement. You look very handsome as well, just as I expected."

"Duh...."

The elevator attendant interrupted as Jade gave a little whiny of pleasure watching me taking in the whole picture. "Ah, the guest of honor. Mostly a formality madame but invitation please?" That gave me something to pull myself together with and I pulled the gilded letter from my jacket to present to the snooty stallion. "Of course, there we are. If this is your entire party I shall take you up to the upper decks post haste."

He gave Piper a thinly veiled look of disgust, but kept his mouth shut thankfully as we all boarded the small, caged platform. At the hoof of a button the entire contraption was winched up towards the brightly lit, glass enclosed upper decks above home plate. As the lift settled at a waiting open window and we disembarked Piper gave a low whisper to us all, "Watch yourselves up here, real pit of vipers..."

Well it was a pretty opulent snake den, a grand open chamber sparkled with electric lights and chandeliers, heavy red drapes covered the walls and the polished stone floors gleamed mellowly under our hooves. Clean white tablecloths covered long tables loaded with food and a small wooden bar was doing brisk business in the corner. The entire chamber was full of well dressed ponies engaged in polite conversation as serving ponies drifted through the crowd carrying trays of food and drinks. A four piece band of ponies gathered around a grand piano played soft music that resounded through the room.

Everypony in the room turned in our direction when a heavyset light orange stallion in a dark plum suit trotted up with a grin. "Here we are! The Princess of Sanctuary at last! How wonderful to finally meet you, I am Govenor Slim McDonut at your service!"

Slim was really a misnomer... The portly pony practically jiggled and quivered like his bushy mustache as he came up and took a stiff bow to the applause of the room. A banquet full of ponies staring at her was already too much for Jade and she was shakily backing up towards the window in the face of it.

Piper beat me to intervening here though, earning her brownie points with the nervous alicorn. "Governor McDonut! What a treat getting to see you up close like this, I was starting to think you were never in town at all! What with your never returning my letters and your secretary always saying you're out of the office and all..."

"Miss Penmare... how... surprising to see you here... You are a guest of the Princess?" The Governor looked pretty put out at her mere presence, thoroughly distracting everypony before Jade got the idea of simply turning invisible.

"That's right Slim! Real common pony's princess you invited up here to your fancy shindig, associates with us low types all the time. Crazy I know, I'm sure you'll do your best to teach her the proper attitude nobility is supposed to have huh? Till then though, here I am! How bout that interview?"

The reporter mare seemed to be taking great delight tweaking the Governor of Diamond City, making his chubby features redden as he grumbled and turned away from her. "Yes, well... so you are. A simple mistake those who don't know what a mischief maker you are could be forgiven for making. Please Princess, take a moment to mingle and sample our feast! Allow me to go alert some dear friends of your presence."

As he hustled away Piper grinned back at us and gestured to his wide rump retreating to the crowd, "That was the current figurehead in charge around here guys, Governor McDonut. Think he just likes being a big shot, fulla hot air and himself mostly. It's the ponies that give him his orders that are really running this show and wanting to meet you, he's off to report like a good little lackey. Now, let's see..."

She led us through the crowd, floating an appetizer from a passing tray and munched while she scanned the crowd, pointing out a series of middle aged to elderly noble ponies. The common trait seemed to be they or their family all started one of the primary businesses in the market long ago, armor, weapons, potions and drugs, bars, etc. Using their grandfathered status they moved up in the world, opening fancier shops and other business ventures, cementing their hold over the living city below them now.

The names and relationships still wouldn't stick so I'd just have to keep Piper around if we dealt with any of these ponies. I did see someone I was interested in meeting, a grizzled old pegasus stallion was at the bar, he wore a nice suit but made no effort to hide the Rainbow Dash scars on his flanks. This must be the founder of the Red Rocket Couriers, he seemed to keep apart from most of the nobility and they from him.

Since we had all reached the food table I excused myself for a moment, snickering at Val and Glitter stuffing their faces together from all the high class, free food. Jade anxiously trailed me as I weaved my way through the crowd to the old pegasus and coughed for his attention.

"Um.. excuse me sir, I'm Fast and if I'm not wrong, are you the head of Red Rocket?"

The reddish tan old pony squinted at the two of us and nodded, "Ayup, that'd be me, Burning Jet at yer service, call me Burny. Fast eh? Ah yeah, yer the one Rocket Jr. was talkin' bout, with the princess here an all. Hafta thank ya fer the tip, fine new location ya told Jr. about up that way."

"Oh your welcome sir, thank you for opening it up. Your service is pretty useful, glad to have a branch near Sanctuary." I nudged the watching alicorn mare behind me, she was supposed to be the community's representative now after all.

"Y-Yes! Thank you very much er... Burny. W-We appreciate having your business open up by our home." She got through it ok with only a gentle prod, hopefully she'd warm up to this pony and be able to handle the others sure to follow.

Burny cocked an eyebrow at her and smiled slyly, "Yer welcome there 'Princess'. So tell me, ya don't seem to comfortable in the role, not yer idea eh? Don't worry, it's a good one, surprised none o' yer friends in the city thought of it."

"F-Friends? In the city?"

"Ayup, them other alicorns flittin' about Trinity Tower, course they keep to themselves so guess they'd have no reason to come up with the whole Princess bit. Still it's pretty sharp, got all these fools right interested."

Having the production immediately called out by the old pony was a little discouraging, but he didn't seem like all the other high society ponies up here. I actually liked his straightforward manner and he did say something interesting, I didn't know where the other alicorns in the Commonwealth I saw in a memory were, he did apparently. The casual mention made my pip-buck flash with a new map marker and an update;

Mission Added: Here There Be Alicorns

Objective-
-Investigate Trinity Tower

"Um, yeah it was my idea Burny, not hers. You're not bothered I set her up as the princess of our town? Claimed the title and all?"

The old pegasus outright laughed and took a drink, wiping his grinning muzzle and waving to the crowd. "Pfft! Course not! You think any o' these fools are actual nobility? Their families claimed the title themselves, set themselves up here in the beginning. Been at it so long they believe their own nonsense now, not a one can trace their lineage to real nobility in Equestria. They just like sayin' they're better than everypony else, none o' them could take the princess title though, lack the necessary equipment eh? Yer mare there's got it in spades though don't she, yer a fine lookin' filly miss, why if I were younger I'd give this buck a run fer his caps!"

Blushing at the compliment Jade sidled closer to me, "You would not win, but thank you sir. Calling me a princess has always been Fast's idea, I am uncomfortable in the role..."

"Bah! Nonsense, ya make a good one, lot better than these self centered jackasses. What I hear you actually spend time with regular folks? Heard yer radio thing too, mighty fine ideals. A town can call their leader what they want, havin a princess runnin' about what actually acts like one is good for everypony. They tolerate me cause o' all the caps I make an' my negotiatin' with the pegasus population, but I ain't zactly liked up here. Gonna make a bad impression talkin with ol' Burny too long, so go find out fer yerselves."

Tipping his nearly empty drink across the room Burny pointed out the Governor returning down a set of stairs with a number of ponies in tow. I thanked the elderly stallion and led the way back to Piper and the others, if we were meeting Diamond City's leaders I wanted the reporter who seemed to have dirt on everypony. It took a moment to distract her from questioning anypony who came to the table for food, but she perked right up at the approaching group.

Before they got here I better lay some ground rules, who knew what she'd do on her own. I whispered to her as they drew near, "Piper, try not to tear into them right off please? I need you as like... an advisor, tell me what I need to know quietly. When we're done you can do whatever you want, but I don't want to burn any bridges I don't have to."

She grumbled and gave a flat, disappointed look before sighing and agreeing to my request. Jade gulped nervously and wiped the sweat springing up on her brow away with a wing quickly at their approach. She was trembling but determined, Burny's encouragement had helped a bit it seemed. That was good as this was the real test, the Governor waved expansively as he trotted up with his bosses.

"Here we are! Sorry for the delay, busy ponies here but they're all interested in meeting you Princess. Now let's see, first is this fine young mare, Countess Couture, she actually owns the D.C. Carousel and Mane Event that we're happy to see you visited." The portly Governor bowed to an elderly pink unicorn mare in an incredibly elaborate violet dress, with a feathered cap and a lot of jewelery.

Jade took the old pony's hoof in her own shaky one and bowed in return as Piper whispered in my ear, "Also runs the biggest armor shop in town. Used to have a partner before D.C. ran a campaign to get rid of all the 'undesirables', quite the coup for her and several others."

"Pleasure to meet you Princess Jade, I see my tailor did an adequate job on your attire. Much better than that simple lab coat you were wearing dear, really those of us above the rabble must look the part, however will they know their place otherwise hmm? You simply must meet some of my grandstallions, they're quite looking forward to a dance." The elderly mare's condescending tone was a real put off, I didn't like what Piper said about a former partner who got pushed out either.

Jade managed to maintain a polite tone though, "Er.. y-yes I thank your employees for all their hard work, I know tailoring clothing for my kind is difficult, they did excellent work. I like my coat though, I... I am a doctor after all, as you say I should look the part yes?"

The Countess didn't look convinced, but was thankfully cut off my Governor McDonut moving on to a stern looking, middle aged stallion. He was tall and muscular, he must have been terrifying when he was younger. Now he war a dress military uniform from the Equestrian army, a dark green sharply cut suit with army badges and epaulets over his pale green coat. His blond mane was graying at the sides and cut in a short buzz and his bristly mustache was perfectly trimmed, all adding to the image of an old world military pony.

"Next is the General of our city guard, Stalwart Stone. He's been curious about your security and these stories about the Minutemares coming back, they were looking to be quite the military force before their unfortunate fall."

General Stone gave a sharp salute and nod before following up in a crisp, commanding tone. "Yes ma'am, I'm given to understand you have robotic security up in this Sanctuary place along with the new headquarters of the Minutemares. I'd be interested in what your capabilities in that regard are, robots are difficult to maintain and use effectively. Also the Minutemares had a policy of non interference with unallied towns before, we always appreciated their efforts out in the Commonwealth but I assure you Diamond City is well defended already. I would like to know what you can tell me about the others of your kind in Trinity Tower as well, we have had minimal contact with them since their settlement sprang up. They're not going to be an issue in the future are they?"

As Jade gave a low bow and struggled with the questions Piper gave me the lowdown again, "Former adventurer, kinda like you, not a raider but good in a fight. Found quite a haul in the old Equestrian Guard Training Center back in the day, used it to outfit his own company, worked his way up to being in charge of security here. Not a bad pony really, but really focused on his job and any potential threats to D.C."

"Um.. you'd have to talk to Fast about our robots... I am afraid I do not understand them very well, they are more his domain, he is very good with them though. T-The Minutemares should be unchanged, Preston Gardens runs them now and has vowed to rebuild them as they were before. As for the other alicorns here in the Commonwealth.. I do not know anything about them, I only just learned they are in this Trinity Tower place? I w-would be interested in meeting with them though, I can bring your concerns to them when I do sir." Jade was really doing well for being on the spot like this, I was proud of her.

The Governor introduced another waiting pony, this one a middle aged dark blue earth pony in a matching suit, his dark mane was slicked back and he had a very seedy vibe. This was reinforced by Piper's quick summation of Bullet Bishop while he gave his name to Jade.

"Gun runner, former gang leader way back. Got enough caps and guns together to go legit, not above using his old tactics though. Runs the biggest weapons shop in town and makes sure he doesn't have any competition. Has his hooves in businesses that cater to sleazier customers too, kept quiet or outside the city."

He certainly had a criminal bent that put me on guard. Bending down and giving Jade's hoof a slimy kiss didn't help my opinion either. "Ah, the famous Princess pony from up north, you live up to the stories sweetheart, rare beauty indeed. If you end up talkin' to those other alicorns I'd love to speak with them if they all look like you. Maybe we can do a little negotiatin' too, everypony always needs weapons and ammo right?"

"I.. will keep your concerns in mind sir. I do not deal in weapons however, y-you could talk to our... umm... C-Captain of the Guard, Valkyrie... she is always interested in such things." Jade stumbled a minute but recovered well, Val did always want more guns and had an eye towards security, the role was a good fit.

An older earth pony mare was introduced as Silver Seed, for being the source of much of Diamond City's food via her plantations she seemed overdressed and snobby. Of course my idea of earth pony farmers was based on Ministry Mare Applejack, a pony who did the work herself and was down to earth, nothing like the mare in the poofy, frilly dress before me.

Piper didn't help my opinion of her either, "Nasty piece of work Fast, runs a few farms outside the city, but produces all that food with slave labor. Not only that but controls the market, selling cheaper than anypony else who tries since she's not paying for labor, then raises the prices and cuts supply as it suits her when they're gone. She could supply your town with food alright, but not a source you wanna get it from I imagine."

So there really was slavery up here... I heard offhoofed mentions of slavers before but didn't want to believe it. That was something I found unacceptable and the dark Shroud in my head grumbled at the thought, if I ran into such a thing in the Commonwealth... I'd probably end up doing something stupid.

The last noble pony in line looked the slickest and most regal, a pale unicorn with a carefully groomed graying pink mane. His tuxedo was immaculate and obviously custom tailored and he wore a pair of gold framed spectacles on his muzzle. This one the Governor announced as Haycom Svengallop, his manners and speech were smooth but I didn't trust that smile of his.

Piper again confirmed my initial impression, "This one you wanna watch out for, old family, been in D.C. since the beginning. Has his hooves in a lot of businesses here and outside the city, the big ones everypony knows about are the Chem-I-Care drug store and a share in the Surgery Center, but there's a lot more that's kept quiet."

"So wonderful to meet you Princess Jade, I've heard of your medical work here in our fine city, most admirable. I actually deal in medicine and pharmaceuticals myself, perhaps we could discuss dealing with your new town to provide affordable care across the Commonwealth. I'd love to introduce you to my son, a dashing you buck who needs to settle down with a mare of proper standing." Yeah, I definitely didn't like this stallion, this was the second to talk about setting Jade up like I wasn't here.

Jade warmed to the topic of medicine immediately, trusting to a fault when it came to healing. "Oh that would be very nice, I am most interested in healing all I can, though the Followers do not charge for such services. However I have been somewhat educated in the necessity of finance to effectively provide care to those who need it, I am sure we can work together to help others. I... I would be happy to meet your son as well, I have found my own special somepony however." Her furling a wing over me for a gentle hug was a nice reassurance.

Haycom was undeterred though, scanning the crowd and pointing across the room. "Still a shame my dear, there he is right across the way, quite a handsome stallion wouldn't you agree?"

The pale unicorn he pointed out mingling with the crowd made me scowl across the room, I recognized the light blue maned buck in the well cut suit... "We've met actually sir... Somewhere not far from here, he was involved in a deal for certain pharmaceuticals himself at the time..."

I didn't want to come right out and start yelling about the pony I was looking at, last seen buying Dusk and Dawn from the gang in charge at Stable 114, in the middle of the high society party, but that was him. Alright I did want to, but it probably wasn't a good idea. Haycom took my meaning but remained composed, taking me aside as the others crowded Jade to chat with the guest of honor.

"Yes, that was most unfortunate, the vagaries of youth. Please forgive my foalish son, perhaps we could discuss this matter in private Fast? I would be most generous if we could keep this whole nasty business quiet hmm? I am sure we can come to some kind of arrangement, something that benefits your marefriend's hopes for these Followers perhaps?"

He was slick alright, speaking low, away from the others and tempting me with good bait to stay quiet. I wanted to to trot over and start hurting his son for his involvement in what happened back in Stable 114, making a scene here would hurt Jade and Sanctuary though. I could keep my temper in check weighing the positives that could come from it.

Gritting my teeth I replied quietly, watching Piper and Jade deal with the others. "Your son was more than foalish, he was involved in some very bad business I am still pretty unhappy about. If it helps Jade though... we can discuss what it would take for me to not do anything about him..."

My simmering anger didn't bother the older stallion in the slightest, "Of course, so happy you're willing to be reasonable. I am expected to mingle a bit but perhaps we could meet in my office, say in an hour or so. Simply ask one of the servants and they'll take you right there, enjoy the festivities in the meantime."

I felt slimy just compromising this much as he trotted off into the crowd with a smug smile, Piper had been careful to impress on me this was not like the wasteland though. There were consequences to my actions with the complex political machinations of the big city, even the pushy mare had warned me about going off half cocked.

Seeing Jade being mobbed and close to panic calmed me down at least, I had to rescue her from the situation I created. Pushing through the crowd was helped by Val who noticed my distress and casually shoved her way through, clearing a path. Once I reached her and offered an escape to the open dance floor she fled gratefully, nuzzling for reassurance as we moved slowly to the soft music.

"You're doing really great Jade, I'm sorry it's so much to deal with but I'm proud of how well you're handling it." I whispered up to her ear as her slight shivering subsided.

"S-So much attention... Blue alicorns such as myself were made not to be seen Fast, t-this is against my nature. I am trying... but I am very glad you are here, y-you must continue to do this. If I can escape and be close with you... I can tolerate all this, for the good your story can do only. I must say I do not care for many of these 'noble' ponies however."

"Yeah, me either... I haven't liked much of what Piper was telling me about them either, just your impressions without knowing all that are good. I really wouldn't trust that one talking about medical stuff either, no matter how much you want to, he's bad." I glared at the stallion in question, whispering to his rotten son and darting glances at us.

The elegant alicorn pressed against me sighed softly, "I had hoped some arrangement could be made with him... if he deals in medicine and healing, though I did feel uneasy around him."

"Don't worry about it, I may be able to still work something out, but it won't be because of his generous nature. Turns out I have some leverage on him, I'll try to help what you want for the Followers when I meet with him later."

She gave a questioning look at that, but probably best she didn't know about under the table deals with Haycom. She seemed more nervous than curious when she spoke, "You will leave me here? A-Alone..."

A quick peck on the cheek calmed her a little as I replied, "Not for an hour, and not long. I'd never leave you alone either, you're stuck with me. Glitter and Piper will be with you when I'm away, I think Val won't let me meet with one of these shady ponies alone though."

Her reply was rudely cut off by a stallion slightly older than me, shoving his way forward as the music changed to a new song. "Excuse me Princess, if I may cut in? Can't have your... guard? monopolize all your time can we?"

Part of me seethed with anger and jealousy, nopony else got to dance with Jade... Her reluctant but determined look soothed it a bit though, this kind of thing was part of the show, it didn't mean anything... really... "Fast is my... knight and special somepony, not a guard. I- I am sure I can agree to a change of partners for a single dance though."

Choking back the urge to smash that smarmy face in as he pushed his way up to taking my place, I gave Jade my best supportive, totally not jealous look. She was trying hard and obviously had no desire to dance with the pale stallion, she was doing all this because of my playing around with image, I had to swallow the results. Walking back to the others watching her moving gracefully with some other pony was still torture.

The next hour didn't improve, I tried to distract myself staying with Glitter as she took in all the sights and giving the little filly her own dance she enjoyed. Nopony was worth talking to except Burny or the servants who she happily chatted with, and Val had gone immediately to the high class bar where I didn't dare follow right now. Let off the chain Piper was zipping around the room, asking questions and causing a lot of sour faces, which I was pretty ok with at this point. I kept returning to reassure Jade and kept getting pushed right back out again by the long line of stallions trying to woo the princess. As the time for my meeting drew closer I went in again, determined to have one more dance before leaving her even for a short while.

As I approached I caught the end of another murmured conversation all the suitors had been attempting to her increasing visible annoyance, hearing just this much I felt the same way. The pale pink unicorn buck had a self assured look and was obviously pressing his point now, too self absorbed to notice that very goddess-y look the alicorn was getting.

"...surely you can see the benefits Princess! The running of your little community can be left to your servants, join me here in Diamond City and enjoy the life befitting one of your standing. Our courtship will be the talk of the town, we can have a grand wedding for all the peasants to marvel at. It will be..."

Jade finally had enough at 'wedding' and stamped her hooves, noticing me and bearing down on the stuck up stallion. "NO! All of you have said the same thing and my answer remains unchanged, I have a pony I love and have no interest in your proposals!"

She trotted over and drew close to illustrate her point, leaving the bratty grandstallion of Count Couture by his pink color flabbergasted looking between us. "This... this commoner? You must jest Princess, somepony so far below your standing is not fitting for a true Princess. You gain nothing being with this nobody, while you gain the great green jewel of the Commonwealth with me!"

Me being insulted actually further infuriated her, Jade never got mad when anyone was cruel to her but I was a different matter apparently. "This 'commoner' is worth 100 of you 'noble' ponies here in this city! He loves me for who I am, not some silly title you all put too much stock in! As a matter of fact you all seem to have the wrong idea of what a princess or nobility are supposed to be! If... if I am to be a princess I would be one for the common ponies you put yourselves above, not one who looks down on them as servants to raise them up. Nobility has an obligation to those relying on them to lift them up and inspire them, to help! I will never be the type of princess you want, but i-if I have to I will be the kind those common ponies deserve!"

The angry alicorn's outburst had stilled the room completely as everypony stared, the noble guests in their fancy attire gaped while the servants were looking on with awe in their eyes. I spotted Burny at the bar giggling in barely restrained glee.

What really drew my attention however was the slit running up the back of Jade's dress, she had stepped forward during her rant, making the target of her ire back down. Now she stood at her full height, wings flared and panting lightly in agitation, her rear was right beside me and there was a glow showing through that slit in her dress...

"J-Jade..." I squeaked staring at her flank, breaking the silence.

"Yes Fast? W-What is wrong... oh... oh no... I lost my temper again... I-I am sorry if I r-ruined your..." She was shrinking to her normal posture rapidly, but I could care less about what these ponies thought at this point.

"Y-Your.. your flank... ummm... c-check it..."

She gave me a confused look for a moment and turned to do as asked, "Why? Is there something wrong with... my... m-my..." Her blue eyes widened slowly as she moved the fabric away a bit further, taking in the fading glow of the image that now adorned her magnificent flank. A large red heart had appeared with a delicate golden crown overlaid on it, she had a cutie mark...

Murmurs of agitated conversation had started building in the room, these were completely outdone by Glitter's earsplitting screech. "Miss Jade! You got your mark!!!"

Jade stared at the new image for a minute, taking it in slowly before snapping her head back to me. Her eyes were huge and sparkling, shimmering wetly with tears and she beamed radiantly. "I... I h-have a mark... Fast look! I have a cutie mark! J-Just like any other pony! I... I am not a mons... I am... look!"

I looked one more time, giving it an affectionate pat before leaning up for a long kiss, staring into those blue pools when I broke off. "I see, I knew you would. You're a pony, not anything else, but you're not like any other, now you have a cutie mark to prove it. I always knew though, there's only one Jade and that's the mare I love."

Getting tackled and covered in affection by a large sniffling filly in a lot of dress was a little surprising in the crowd, it effectively got the message through to the seething stallion still watching though. Jade simultaneously sobbed and laughed, kissing me all over and ignoring the rising rabble of the gathered nobles. "Thank you Fast! T-Thank you! I have a mark! I actually have a mark! I was afraid I never would, but.. but there it is!"

Glitter had charged across the room to join in the embrace and congratulate her, even Val followed lazily with an expensive looking bottle from the bar and held it up in salute. "Way to go Blue! Now that was a good cutie mark story, you put these snobs in their place!"

Her blue face turned red, realizing what all she had done that led to the magical event and the agitated audience. I tipped her muzzle up before it could lower and hide. "We'll have to have a real party for you, something much better than this farce huh? Ready to get out of here?" At her happy nod I turned to the onlookers with a grin, "Well everypony, we thank you for your gracious hospitality but I'm afraid the Princess has had just about enough for one evening! I'm afraid she's going to retire for the night to our humble lodging below, we'll be out of your manes in the morning, please carry on and have a wonderful time."

We all gathered together and made our way to the open window leading to the lift down, Piper furiously scribbling in her notebook to recall every word. Jade was positively glowing as I saw her on the lift, only mildly put out when I explained I still had to go see Haycom. "Do not take long, I wish to celebrate with you and have you near. Tend to your business and return quickly, I... I do have other a-attire I purchased to show you later..."

So that was a bit of lace I saw when she moved her dress to inspect her new mark... interesting... Well one more reason to get all this over with quickly, I liked the part of Diamond City we had stayed in for the last week, but minimal exposure to those up here was more than enough for me too. We shared a parting kiss before the lift lowered and Val and I turned back to the darting glares of the ball awkwardly trying to resume, asking the nearest serving pony the way to Haycoms office.

The pretty earth pony mare in the maid outfit led us quickly down a side hallway past a number of doors and stairwells patrolled by Diamond City guards, nervously speaking up when we were far enough away from the gathering. "D-Did the Princess really mean that sir? She'd be... n-not like our nobles? A real princess for all of us?"

"Yes, she really did, a mark only appears when you're true to yourself right? She meant every word, Jade's what a princess should be, she really cares about everypony, not just herself."

The maid looked amazed and considered what I said, pointing out the proper door ahead and turning back to return to her duties. We might have burned a few bridges here with these ponies, but I'd be willing to bet the 'common' ponies would be talking about this for awhile. They were the ones who really mattered anyway.

She skittered off as we approached the office door, "Mr. Svengallop" was embossed on a gold plate adorning the heavy wood door. I had explained my purpose here to Val while waiting and angrily watching all the ponies dancing with Jade, she had insisted on coming as I expected and still looked dubious now that we were here.

"Yer sure about this boss? Dealin' with that little shit's old man to save his hide?"

"I don't like it Val, but I think he's who Nick was sent to find in that place. Maybe he really did just fall in with the wrong crowd, Fancy could be pretty convincing from what I read. He deals in medicine along with drugs, he can help Jade. We pissed enough of these ponies off, having one we can use is something worth overlooking the son." Honestly I hated this, just being in Haycom's presence raised my hackles before, but sometimes we have to do what we don't like.

I pushed open the door and the two of us entered a opulent office of polished wood and gold, books and scrolls filled the walls along with numerous pictures and knick knacks. A perfectly preserved, expensive looking red prewar rug stretched across the floor, heavy drapes covered the windows looking down on the city, overstuffed leather couches and chairs were arranged facing the huge desk backed by a fireplace. The desk itself was a dark wood topped with black marble polished to a mirror sheen, papers were carefully arranged near an ink bottle and quill and a working terminal glowed to one side.

Shutting the door I walked up to the desk, facing the large chair behind it turned towards the fireplace and away from us. I could see Haycom's hoof resting on the chair from here but he hadn't even bothered to turn and face us when we entered. Smug, overconfident, dismissive old stallion that he was, he just continued staring at the fire not acknowledging us at all.

"Alright Haycom, I'm here, let's talk about your son and the types of drugs he was dealing in. Oh and what I want to stay quiet, so long as he stays on the straight and narrow from now on."

I expected some kind of response to that, but he kept facing the fireplace and remained silent. Was he trying to play some kind of mind games with me? I wasn't great at dealing with other ponies but ignoring me wasn't improving my mood.

"Haycom! You told me to come here and deal with this, let's get it over with, I have better places to be right now. Really all I want is some kind of discount for the Followers of the Apocalypse in the Commonwealth, it can be for medicine only, no interest in your other products. That's fair right, keep your brat in line and be a little generous."

Val was peering around the room and clutching her pistol containing purse, "Don't like this boss, screw this jerk, let's get outta here..."

I agreed with her there, if Haycom wanted to be a prick let him. I knew a reporter mare who'd be very interested in what his son had been up to, I did want to tell him to his face before we left though. I grabbed the expensive office chair in my magic and spun it forcefully away from the fire, forcing him to look at me.

When the chair stopped suddenly as my magic was completely abandoned Val grunted while I froze, Haycom was sitting there alright, but he was dead... His face a rictus of pain, dead blue eyes staring right at me. A long, shiny and familiar looking knife was driven right through his heart and pinned him to the chair, blood soaked his suit and the seat below him.

"W-What..."

My griffon bodyguard was coping much better than I was, "Oh this is fucked, c'mon boss let's go already, like now!"

She was right, but I had to take a step forward and see something, that knife... Just from what I could see sticking out of it, that was my knife... No.. it didn't have Hearty Fork's mark engraved on the handle, it was identical though... why would another one be here? Val was definitely right, something was very wrong here... I turned to agree with her and leave to an piercing scream from the now open doorway.

"Help! Murder!! They killed Mr. Svengallop!!!" A mare shouted in a terrified voice from the hall, it didn't match her smug expression though... A white unicorn with a gleaming golden mane, dressed for the party in a pale lavender dress. She sneered as she screamed again, turning to the approaching guards from the hall. Former Overmare Fancy...

"YOU!" I roared at her and went to charge at her, even without my weapons I could blast her to cinders with my lightning, the first impulse the Shroud in my head had however was to simply start bucking her into the floor. Val saved me from making a serious mistake, grabbing my tail and holding me back as I heard a click from the hall beyond the evil mare, her own griffon waiting in the shadows had a pistol like Val's cocked and waiting for me.

Guards filled the hall behind them and started pushing their way in at her now convincingly hysterical sobbing and pointing, taking in the scene and the two of us in it... A guard with a somewhat fancier baseball uniform and armor shoved past them as they covered us with their weapons. The gruff looking tan earth pony stared at the body, then at us, nodding his head and moving forward confidently.

"You are under arrest under charges of murder. You may surrender and be detained in Diamond City's jail to await your trial, or this can get messy... Your choice."

There was a window here, they were all clumped up... I could just blast them all and have Val fly us out... she just waited for the word... The dark Shroud occupying my mind tempted and cooed, struggling against the voices of the two Ministry Mares. They were right again though, these were mostly just regular guard ponies, doing their job, nothing more. If I killed all of them to escape this trap I really would be a murderer... more so than I already was anyway. I had made peace with being forced to kill, but this was different than raiders out in the wasteland, I only had one choice.

"Alright. We surrender, arrest us."

--------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------

New Perk Added!--------------------------------------

Extra Special-Charisma
----Spending time making new friends and working with public opinion in the city has improved your skills in dealing with others! Your experiences in the Wasteland have allowed you to add one to your Charisma.

Reputation Change!----------------

Diamond City Nobility- Sneering Punk
---Jade's outburst and your own sudden problem have made you very unpopular with this group. They'll go out of their way to punish you if they're able and have turned the guards of Diamond City against you, making you no longer welcome in the city on threat of death. Provided you escape the Diamond City jail that is...

Diamond City- Dark Hero
--- You've made enough of an impression many of the common ponies in town still want to believe the best of you. Nopony liked Haycom down there anyway, but the goodwill you've managed is now countered with the thought of you being a cold blooded killer. Expect a mixed reaction from the citizens of the city, if you could deal with them without the guards.

Ch. 23-- I Fought the Law

Sitting in the Diamond City Security office and jail was oddly familiar... Considering it was the visitors dugout, and we had been staying in the Dugout Inn all week it was hard not to compare them. The familiarity wasn't all that comforting, but it was something to distract from staring at the bars of our cell.

"We could'a got out boss, hell still can if you want. Dunno why you just gave up, hate bein' caged up like this." Val grumbled on the small cot with me, glaring out the bars at the three guards milling about the office. She could probably get through the lock and take out the guards, though her slinky dress wasn't her normal armor.

"Because they're just doing their job, getting out would have involved killing them. I don't want to hurt the guards, I want to hurt Fancy." The image of the sneering former Overmare kept replaying in my mind, she was in this city right now, probably hamming it up giving her story of how I killed Haycom Svengallop.

Val groaned and flopped back, "Good luck with that boss, wouldn't mind a piece of that bitch and Freya myself. Not likely to happen if she's in with those noble types up top though, she played us good huh?"

Framing me for murder was pretty clever alright, though it still didn't entirely make sense to me. Fancy seemed more the type to take immediate and direct revenge, not use a convoluted plot to set me up and have me executed. Say she was involved with Haycom's son as it seemed in Stable 114, would Neighson be in on it? Was it all her idea and he didn't know?

"Yes she did... I don't like it either, it feels off."

My brooding was interrupted by the head of the D.C. guard Stalwart Stone storming in the room, stopping at the bars and scowling at us. He was still in his dress uniform and looked harried and very angry, "We show you our hospitality and you not only throw it in our faces but commit a murder!? Do you have any idea the amount of shit I've had to listen to from a whole gaggle of frightened, pissed off, noble ponies for the last hour? If you have anything to say in your defense spit it out."

"Umm... I didn't do it?"

General Stone glared and pulled out a small, worn notepad from his jacket, "You were the last seen entering that office, a maid testified she led you there at your request. You are known to use a knife identical to the murder weapon. You were found at the scene of the crime by a witness. Why would I believe you?"

"Because I really didn't do it. The witness you have has a personal grudge against me. I was invited to Haycom's office to discuss his son, who was involved with that same mare in the recent drug epidemic Dr. Swab came to you security ponies to complain about and was ignored... That knife wasn't mine, my knife has a mark engraved on the handle of a fork and chef's hat and is numbered 88/100. I'm betting that one has a different number?"

"You know it well enough to be aware it is numbered, lying about the number and some mark isn't much of a stretch. The Doctor's complaints about the recent problem were... mishandled, but if the family was involved that could be another potential motive for murder. You will be held until a trial can be convened, if found guilty you will be executed. Right now I'm more interested in finding your mare and foal, where has Princess Jade gone?" He looked pretty dubious, but not completely convinced of my guilt right off anyway.

Questioning where Jade and Glitter were was a load off my mind too, the only thing keeping me from raging non stop about Fancy was my worry for the two. If the guards couldn't find them they got enough warning to know something happened. Between an alicorn who could turn invisible and a foal with a deadly robot guardian that could do the same nearly as well, they should be safe.

That still left Val and I though, now that I could worry less about them our own problems became more pressing. "You really think we'll get a fair trial? Let me guess who'll be in charge of it, the nobility?"

Stone gave a curt nod, "Of course, they are the rulers of the city. I enforce the laws, they make them and administer justice. Any trial will be above board and interested only in the facts."

Val snorted and threw her claws up, "Wow, you are a real buck scout aren't you? You think anything in this town is straight up and fair you're livin' in a dream world buddy. They're gonna railroad us, hell just Blue pissin' em off like that would be enough, framed for murder is a bonus."

The General turned red and huffed at the griffon, but I had to agree. "She's right Stone. You seem like a good pony, but the ones in charge here get up to some nasty business under the table. This won't be a trial, it will be a show before the execution. If this was back before the war I'd share your faith in justice, but it's not. I am innocent but I won't sit around and wait to die, sorry if that makes things hard for you. I'll find a way to prove my innocence though."

"You're admitting you plan to escape? You are a bold one aren't you? You are unarmed and... underdressed to take on my guards, three of which will be with you at all times. I'm not too concerned so no apology is necessary." Stone smiled like he enjoyed the honesty, giving a salute and turning to leave.

I sat and twiddled my hooves waiting while Val snickered beside me, "Oh you're great boss, funny stuff. Just tell him we're leavin' when we feel like it. Not that it wasn't my plan to do it anyway, but coming out and saying it? Gold boss, pure gold. So when we goin'?"

"Soon, I'm just thinking right now. Not like getting out is going to be easy and we'll have to leave the city, plus we have to find Jade, Glitter and Zed." At least the zebra wasn't with us at the party, he had been right about dealing with the nobility here. They shouldn't go after him as we didn't spend a great deal of time together despite my efforts.

There were a lot of uncomfortable questions about how this would affect our other friends in the city though, would the guards go after Piper since she was our guest? Nick? Miles? Anypony I had been spending any time with over the last week? What would they think when they heard, would they believe I really killed a pony in cold blood? I liked to think not, but I had kind of cultivated a menacing image on purpose, it may bite me in the tail.

Plus what about when it spread beyond Diamond City? Would all the effort I had put in trying to bring others together be undone by getting framed for a crime I didn't commit? Now that I thought of it that was what was bothering me the most, framing me wasn't Fancy's kind of revenge from what I knew reading her terminal. It was however a good way of damaging the work I had been doing, tearing down the hope I had been trying to foster in the Commonwealth. That was more of an Institute type of thing...

That felt right, the Institute had been involved in Stable 114 one way or another, they knew enough and definitely would have noticed me by now. Maybe I was getting too obsessed with the conspiracies woven through the Commonwealth around the shadowy group, seeing things that weren't there, but part of me insisted this was their work.

I was snapped out of my dark thoughts by one of the guards dropping limply to the ground suddenly, a second ran over in concern fearing his comrade had passed out and promptly hit the dirt as well. The third was on guard, peering around the room frantically for whatever was happening to his friends, pointing the 9mm pistol in his mouth everywhere. His caution wasn't enough, after a few tense moments he too fell over in a heap and a gorgeous blue alicorn appeared above him, still in her dress and looking quite concerned.

"Fast! There you are, I have been so worried! What has happened? Why are they saying you have murdered a pony, you would not do so!" Her absolute faith was just what I needed to dispel my fears, she didn't think I did it, that's all that mattered.

I ran to the bars separating us as Val sprang from the cot and started on the lock with a grin, "Great work Blue! Never knew what hit em! We're outta here!"

Jade's wide eyes were too worried to acknowledge the compliment, she stood on the other side of the metal cage prancing back and forth waiting for the door to open while I tried to soothe her. "It's ok Jade, I got framed by Fancy, she's in the city. We're gonna have to leave a little earlier than I hoped. Is Glitter ok? Zed?"

"T-They are fine, young Glitter was determined to see you free. I had to convince her not to send that robot in to simply kill anypony in its way, she was very frightened. Zed is looking after her outside the city."

Val fussed at the lock before it finally clicked open, "There! What about our stuff Blue? Needs my gear in case that bitch shows up."

The big alicorn mare shoved her way into the cell as soon as it was open, hurriedly answering on her way to embrace me tightly. "It is all waiting, you were right to store it elsewhere, our room seems to have been broken into... Now Fast! Y-You scared me again! You are not to do so! W-We will leave this place immediately and go somewhere you will be safe, n-nothing may happen to you!"

We needed to get going quickly but the shuddering filly crushing me needed some comfort. "Sssh... it's ok, you're right we're getting out of here, we still have to celebrate you getting your mark right? It'll be ok, now are you alright to make us invisible after knocking them all out?"

She gave a determined nod and looked to Val who was picking the lock to the armory and snatching up a riot shotgun and ammo, along with her purse with her pistol, uncomfortable being unarmed. "Y-Yes, I will be fine, I found a toxic site not far from here and absorbed radiation before coming. We must still be quick and stay close together Valkyrie."

She had thought things through well, charging herself up before attempting this jailbreak. No wonder her elegant dress looked appealingly tight on her, if she still had enough rads to look noticeably different she should be able to make all three of us invisible long enough to get out easily. Val cocked her new shotgun and fell in with us as Jade floated me to her back, making us all vanish in a wisp of her magic and charging down the hall out.

Soaring through the air above the city I could see a lot of activity down on the field, ponies milling about and talking about the scandal. Looking down on it all as Jade steadily climbed and put Diamond City behind us I felt bad, those I was seeing down on the field were good ponies, I had enjoyed my time with them. Who knows what they'd think of us now, all because of their rulers living above them in their gilded cage. And the Institute if I wasn't wrong... always the Institute...

Once we were a few blocks away from the glow of Diamond City Jade made us visible with a sigh, she didn't seem tired in the least so she must still be charged up well. We banked to the east and it quickly became clear her destination was Stable 114, that was a good spot to fall back to. Preston and his Minutemares were still there, it was a secure underground bunker full of friendly ponies too, Jade really had it together.

The Minutemare recruits down in the subway all gave respectful salutes as we passed, they had cleaned the station out and set up defenses leading to the Stable tunnel which was comforting. The gear shaped door was open when we arrived and Preston and Overmare Crystal were waiting, along with Zed, AssaultJack, Nick, Piper and a pink and white blur that slammed into me.

"Daddy! Y-You're ok! What happened!? W-Why did they take you away!? I w-was s-s-so s-scared... I... w-wanted..." I sat in the heap she had tackled me to and let her sob into my suit, having ponies she cared about taken away was a touchy issue for the little filly. I can only imagine what she would have done without Jade and with a killer robot at her command.

"It's ok Glitter, Sssh... it's ok, I'm fine. I'm sorry you were scared but it's alright now. I guess we can't go back to your school or little friends for awhile though, sorry..."

She kept blubbering and looked up with wide, watery pink eyes, "I don't c-care! I only care y-you're safe, w-we can never go back, it don't matter!"

I gave her a hug and stroked her mane, letting her get it out of her system and shrugged up at the others watching the display with warm patience. Piper finally couldn't hold it in anymore, floating her pad and pencil out and trotting up with unrestrained curiosity. "So come on, spill it. I gotta ask for the press, did you do it Fast?"

Val had immediately ran into the entryway and our waiting packs, pulling out her gear and armoring herself on the spot, giving a snort as she shrugged into her new armor. Most of the others gave similar noises of negation but Nick answered for me, "Not likely sweetheart, this was a frame job. Unless the murder weapon magically zipped out of the bag right in front of me, killed Svengallop and came right back, this is your knife right Fast? Had to confirm myself, but it never left my sight."

The long blade he pulled from his trenchcoat was mine alright, I could see the small carved mark on the handle from where I sat. "Yeah, that's mine alright. I was surprised to see one almost identical in his chest though, it's more than enough to hang me on for those noble ponies though, even if I showed them the real one. And no Piper, I didn't do it. I was there to talk to him about something you'd be pretty interested in."

The reporter mare laughed and waved to the Stable waiting behind her, "Oh I know! You shoulda told me Fast! Little miffed about that, a whole Stable opening and you don't give me the scoop? Helluva story too! The bitch that ran this place before, hope she gets hers eventually out there."

"That may be a problem, the former Overmare is the one who set me up, though I have doubts it was her idea. She was with Haycom's son here before and acting like they were together, she probably still is and has set herself up in Diamond City. It.. it may not be safe for you or Nick there anymore, I'm really sorry if I caused you any problems..."

Neither of the city friends gathered looked bothered at all, rather they seemed supportive and unconcerned with Piper's answer. "Bah! I've been ticking those snobby ponies up top off for years, they don't dare mess with the freedom of the press. I might have to lay low awhile... but as long as I keep spreading the word it will all work out. You gotta give me the whole story though, this old Overmare was there, I wanna know all about it."

"Don't worry bout it pal, I got a pretty good relationship with the D.C. guard and was nowhere near the festivities. Oughta be in the clear, same as your buddy Miles, but I'll check on him when I head back." Nick's reassurance eased my mind, Miles wasn't here and I hoped he'd be left alone. He had just gained a little confidence, I hated to think how he'd react to what happened.

Overmare Crystal had been listening and had a very sour face at the news, "She's still out there huh? Still causing trouble too... I'm sorry Fast, our problem has become yours and looks to have cost you. Don't worry, we all believe you, we know exactly what she's like. You can stay here as long as you like, any time you like, as our welcome guest. Everypony's doing much better and have wanted to meet you now that they're in their right minds again, please come in and rest."

I had to nudge Glitter off of me and wipe her eyes, pushing her chin up to look at me. "She's right, it's not all bad huh? We still have to celebrate somepony getting their cutie mark don't we? Cheer up sweetie, we'll have a real party, not that overdone nonsense in the city."

That got her to brighten a bit and get up, huddling close as I walked into the Stable. With the Stable dwellers up and in charge again this time it felt a lot more like coming home, a bitter-sweet feeling but I'd focus on the good for now. We were free and together, we were leaving the city anyway, and Jade's new mark peeked out of her dress proudly. Something good outweighing anything bad that had happened tonight, it had been a major concern for her I knew, she must feel wonderful finally having one. Ruining such a big thing for the blue beauty was out of the question, everything else could wait.

Crystal was telling the truth about the Stable ponies she now led, they were all very nice and happy to see us. Lot's of offered hooves and claps to the back, hugs, small gifts and treats to everyone and an amazingly rapid blur of work to set the diner up for a cute-cenera at the mere mention of the idea. The checkerboard tiled room was quickly festooned with balloons and streamers, the Stable cook hurriedly whipped together a cake, fretting over the rapidly applied icing. Jade looked both red faced in embarrassment and supremely happy, wearing a tiny foal's party hat on her large, carefully coifed mane and surrounded by well wishers.

"Sorry, all our supplies for cutie mark parties are for... er... younger guests of honor. Still everypony deserves one right?" Crystal apologized as Jade blew out her cake to uproarious applause and Glitter waited impatiently for the first piece. Hearing the apology she stopped shrinking under all the attention and shook her head rapidly.

"Oh no! No it is all wonderful, just what I always imagined. I never thought I would get to experience it, the younger decorations are actually very nice, now I get to have the same kind of party everypony else remembers, even if I am a bit big." She shuffled a bit in her tight dress, illustrating her point, squeezed into the small diner booth and surrounded by foals clamoring for cake.

Sipping a bit of familiar tasting, Stable-Tec imitation fruit punch from concentrate, I tipped a glass to her and smiled. "Just like the party I had, though you have a lot more guests than I did. I told you we'd have one like I did when you finally got your mark, it just took awhile is all."

She beamed at me before being distracted by the next colt waiting for cake, letting me mingle a bit and talk with Preston. I apologized for any harm my being framed was apt to cause the Minutemares but he waved those concerns away. "Not to worry Fast, Diamond City's control doesn't extend far and they aren't all that liked by a lot in the Commonwealth. It may make dealing with them a little sticky for awhile, but they can't ignore us or push us around, things have been going well with the rebuilding. Actually I was planning on heading back to Sanctuary, this garrison is set up and running well, more recruits to train show up every day back home. You could all travel with me, I'm sure everyone there would love to congratulate Miss Jade as well and have you home for a bit."

Home did sound good about now, it had been quite awhile since we left and I wanted to see how things had been progressing. I still had my list of objectives in and around the city, but a trip back was worth considering. "I don't know, let me think about it, I'd like to go home Preston. There's also Piper to think about, if she does have to lay low I want her to have a place in Sanctuary, we could use a paper right?"

Chuckling Preston nodded, "Sure, we got enough residents for it now, not a lot of news to report but anything like that would be welcome. Plus she can ship it out now thanks to your help I gather? Our own Red Rocket service, that will help out a lot Fast, good work. Now, I'll go talk to the mare herself, you enjoy our Princess' party."

Zed hovered at the edges of the gathering, deigning to stay within the Stable itself for awhile. As I approached to thank him he gave an almost smug expression and shrugged, "You were warned about those 'noble' ponies. I am glad you have escaped unharmed from their clutches."

"Yeah, I know, I had to try though. Thanks, glad you didn't get caught up in all that. I'm still trying to figure out our next move now, but I have the list of all the places you want to check out. We'll definitely get some work done there soon, I did find out where the other alicorns in the Commonwealth are, they may know something since it was one of them that started the Church.

"That does sound worthwhile. Do not worry, I have learned some patience with the robot detective over the last few days. The path your stars have set for you is interesting, I will follow it with... minimal complaint. Go where you will." The zebra had mellowed a bit since he and Nick had been exploring together, he was definitely an asset to so I was glad he was being friendlier.

The rest of the party passed to everyone's enjoyment, I got a chance to talk to more of the Stable ponies which was interesting. Talking shop with the maintenance crew was nostalgic, it also gave me a chance to give them more info on the teleporter I hoped was hidden somewhere in the Stable. They listened attentively and vowed to search every inch of the Stable for such an unwelcome addition that didn't belong, feeling the same way I had about it.

Eventually things wound down and Crystal led us down to the cleaned up living quarters level. Sadly thanks to Fancy there were a lot of vacant rooms, giving all of us plenty of space. Our group parted to our own rooms, tired from all the activity and with thoughts of tomorrow. I put Glitter to bed in her own small room in the family quarters we were given for the night, having to reassure her and sit with her and her robot guardian until she finally fell asleep.

Once I pulled myself free from her unconscious grip I slid the metal door to her room shut and trotted down the hall to what would have been my parents room back in 111, the design was nearly identical. When I opened the door to the chamber I was treated to quite a sight, Jade had removed her elegant dress and sat on the small bed staring at her flank happily. I would have done the same but the skimpy, lacy lingerie she had apparently had tailored back in the city along with the dress was rather distracting.

Looking up proudly from her new cutie mark and spotting me gawking senselessly she giggled and grabbed me in her magic, pulling my suit and bags off and setting me beside her, snuggling close. "I told you I had made other purchases to show you, I assume you approve?"

"Ohhhhh yeah... v-very much. It looks r-really good Jade, shows off your mark well too. I'm so happy for you, I knew you could do it."

She stopped her tender affections for a moment and looked back again, staring at the heart and crown image lovingly. "Thank you Fast, I am very pleased. If we speak with these other alicorns here or communicate with Equestria I hope to show them we can regain our marks, that it is possible. I feel I have you to thank for it, along with many other things."

"Me? It's your mark, you got it yourself. I didn't do anything..."

Booping my nose she laughed and shook her head, "Yes you did. It appeared when I accepted the role you had given me, you thought of me as a princess from the moment we met. My mark finally came when I became determined to be one, to live up to how you think of me and use it to help others. Without you I would never had done such a thing, I would never had been in such a situation and been exposed to the misguided idea of nobility here.

I also would not know love, something I now think is very important. Without such knowledge, my desire to help others would still be... less personal, more professional and detached. Done simply because that is what the Followers taught me is the right thing to do. My relationship with you has opened many doors I never knew of, let me care about others in a way I had not before but wished to. I love you Fast, and through that love I now love others as well. I have you to thank for many things you see? Now... l-let me thank you..."

Well I certainly wasn't going to argue with the big blue mare on her cutie mark day, we could celebrate however she liked, as long as she liked. A nice, soundproof Stable room helped put this long day behind us in a very pleasant way.

Waking up when the Stable lights clicked on and staring at the metal ceiling was so hauntingly familiar for a moment I thought I was back home, that nothing had ever happened and I needed to get ready for work down in maintenance. All the alicorn curled around me quickly brought me back to the present though, the thought of Jade sleeping with me in my old room back home, living in the Stable with me... it would have been so much nicer. She was what I was looking for and I never would have found her if I stayed there, if only losing everypony else hadn't been part of that...

That thought stuck with me, making me a bit morose eating breakfast in the Stable diner, again like another day back in 111. This was a good place to escape to from Diamond City, but I didn't think I could stand being here long and was anxious to leave. Maybe going back to Sanctuary would dispel the shadows of home haunting me here, my new home was waiting out there. We bid Crystal and the Stable dwellers a heartfelt goodbye and headed back up to the subway station and exit beyond.

Preston, Piper and Nick accompanied us up the stairs to the park outside, chatting about where they planned to head off to when we split up as we climbed. The exit ahead showed a drizzly, chilly fall morning and I pulled my tattered cloak tighter, it was going to be a wet walk home apparently which didn't improve my mood. I pulled ahead of the others and crested the steps, looking out on a grey day in the Commonwealth ruins.

I turned back to the others coming up behind me with a sigh, "Alright, guess we're getting a little..."

BLAM!

The loud crack of a rifle came with a sudden blinding pain in my neck, it probably would have been my head if I hadn't looked to the others. I slapped a hoof to the offending pain, pulling it back covered in blood as Val grabbed my tail and yanked me back down the stairs, narrowly avoiding the next shot.

Everyone was immediately on guard and pulled back, drawing their weapons as I stumbled woozily on the steps and Jade rushed over, her horn glowing to heal the wound. Her eyes were wide and frightened, but set in a determined line as she went to work filling me with relief. "Fast! Hold still! I-It is alright, just a moment!"

Val had crept forward to the exit and peeked out, grimacing as she peered into the gloom. "Fucking sniper... not good boss, this is more professional, doubt he's all there is out..."

Her appraisal was cut off by a shout out in the street, Eyes Forward Sparkle hadn't shown the sniper anywhere but it lit up with a cluster of red now matching the direction of the voice that was spreading out. "Oy! You in there! We want the dark one and the traitor, send em out and you're free to go! Otherwise we're takin' em and wastin' anybody else!"

At the word 'traitor' Val hissed, "Gunners... great, looks like we got trouble boss."

Groaning I stood back up under Jade's care and took stock, a dozen out there at least plus the sniper... Preston was shouting down for the Minutemare's below from his cover near the exit, Nick had his revolver out, Piper had fallen back with Glitter leaving AssaultJack free and awaiting orders and Zed stretched staring out at the exit.

"A-Alright... Piper, Nick.. don't go up there, stay under cover, if they're just after us then we'll keep their attention. Jade, can you make me and Val invisible for just a few seconds? Enough to get out of the exit?"

Still fretting over my wound Jade nodded, obviously not liking it. "For a few moments, it will not last when you get too far away."

"That's plenty, we'll just be quick. AssaultJack, follow us and have at it, Glitter you stay back with the others while she's working."

"Yee Haw! Been itchin' fer ah bit o' action Master Fast, ah'm on it! Ya'll stay safe lil' filly, ah'll be back directly!" The killer robot had taken to being Glitter's babysitter well, her first concern was ordered to always be the wide eyed foal behind her.

Drawing my weapons I actually thought of my magic for once, all the lessons must have helped if I was considering my skills for combat. I had one spell I had been curious to try out that may be useful, the lightning tinged cloudwalking spell. It hadn't been any good for cloudwalking but all the tries had left me feeling light on my hooves and imbued with a sense of speed, it was worth a shot in this situation anyway. A moment's focus brought the electric arcing sparkle to my hooves and I nodded to Jade, vanishing as her horn glowed above a worried look.

Sprinting out into the drizzle I could definitely tell a difference, at the speed I was running now I'd be a difficult target when I reappeared anyway. Though a part of me itched comparing it to the euphoric blur using Dash gave, I was technically moving faster but without everything else slowed down it fell short. I felt Val blow by me invisibly and into the air above the crumbling city streets, hopefully to track down that sniper before he got a chance to do any more damage.

Here on the ground a clump of four tough looking ponies were scrambling from the cover of a rusting carriage, towards a broken storefront, unaware I was up here with them. They had a variety of higher class weaponry than I was used to with raiders or gangs, assault rifles, combat shotguns, sniper rifles and bandoliers of grenades. All wore matching light green combat armor and had a series of numbers and letters under their cutie marks.

I dashed towards the clump, as far as I assumed Jade's magic could reach before triggering S.A.T.S. and queuing up a series of headshots with a high chance at this range. They were worried about fire coming from the subway entrance across the street, not the invisible pony right in front of them. Four blasts from the Terrible Shotgun when time resumed did a terrific amount of damage, requiring only a few pistol rounds as I dove to their abandoned cover to finish the job.

A series of explosions above me echoed through the streets, engulfing the roof of a four story office in flames while another clump of red on E.F.S. jittered around in my vision towards the nearest intersection. The four way crossing of city streets was choked with wreckage and rusting hulks and the bulk of these Gunners seemed to be that way judging by the sudden shouts.

"They're out! Fuck!"

"HOW!? Deadeye had that exit covered!"

"Not no more he don't! Maybe they used another..."

Whatever the burly grey stallion was about to offer was cut off with the pair of griffons engaged in a firefight zooming by overhead, Val especially wasn't being too careful with the fire from her magical energy weapon raining down on any bystanders. Just from the blur I caught it wasn't Freya she was chasing but a brownish colored griffon, I had been unsure if Gunners were all griffons or not, but the mix present looked like they took anybody.

While they were all distracted by the aerial battle I grabbed the bandolier of grenades, pulling the pins and launching all of them in their general direction. I gave a two count to myself silently and sped out from behind my cover, hearing excited shouts at the movement before the crashing detonations drowned it all out. I wasn't great at tossing bombs and hadn't expected accuracy, but the concussion did rattle them and let me close the distance between us at an appreciable rate. Using my weird version of cloudwalking like this was pretty worthwhile, I was distracted to notice the arcing trail of electricity in my hoofsteps though.

Charging right at the shaken Gunners I started laying down fire with my pistol, it was no match for their combat armor but was keeping them off balance and a few lucky shots were finding tender targets. My zigzagging course saved me from taking a stream of assault weapon fire from the right, risking a glance that way showed another group on E.F.S. that had gone around to flank us from the park.

They moved in twos, dodging from the safety of desicated trees and rusty playground equipment, a couple with better aim covering their fellow's advance clipped my shoulder and dug into my armor. These guys were a lot more troublesome than raiders, Val was still occupied above and I couldn't stop my advance. Thankfully I caught a flash of black and white jumping among the trees and a distorted blur racing across the ground. Zed and AssaultJack had gotten out while we had their attention and were moving among them silently.

Nick's revolver boomed behind me aiding my attack and I was just closing in enough to put the Terrible Shotgun back to work when a large green earth pony clambered on top of a turned over bus and bore down on me, the minigun on his battle saddle spinning up to fire. Feeling a cold sweat spring up at the sight I skidded to a halt and dashed left, firing on the Gunners below the bus and frantically rushing towards a shattered storefront, diving through the vacant windows just ahead of a ripping stream of bullets tearing up the pavement.

Panting I crawled across the dirty tiled floor while the minigun tore the front of the building to shreds, sending splinters of wood and shrapnel flying around me, stinging my hide where they found it and lodged in bleeding wounds. I spotted a rickety set of stairs and headed that way, drinking down a healing potion while I climbed, the minigun was still roaring outside so nopony would be following right away.

The second floor was a maze of rotting desks leading to the windows up front I scampered through or over, drawing my new gauss rifle, The Last Minute, and creeping up to the furthest window frame to the right. Peering up above the windowsill I spotted the Gunner still blazing away with the minigun, laughing maniacally as he poured lead into the building below me. There was no way he could hear himself, let alone the high pitched whine of my rifle as I held the trigger to charge it to full power.

For the first time using it against a real target the Last Minute lived up to expectations, sending a blurry streak through the air and vaporizing the heavy weapon pony's head messily. With the noise cut to a sudden stop I heard a series of screams outside and caught AssaultJack ripping through the remaining Gunners below.

That left the griffon and scanning the skies I spotted Val chasing her my direction, she must have spotted me as she was keeping them pinned at the second story level. When they rocketed past I triggered S.A.T.S. quickly, catching them frozen in time just outside my window perch and selecting two shots to the body, the best odds I had for a target moving so fast. The rapid whine and crack of the rifle drilled through the griffon's light green armor and sent them tumbling to the street, slamming into a sky carriage wreck and snapping their neck.

I stared out the window at the street below and park beyond, E.F.S. showed nothing now and Val landed at the griffon's corpse, rifling through their possessions immediately. That was a good enough sign for me to abandon my position, running back downstairs and to the subway entrance, worried for Jade and Glitter.

Preston and his Minutemares had taken up posts at the entrance and were fanning out to secure the area at his direction, giving me a sharp salute as I passed. Nick lit a cigarette and reloaded his revolver, nodding back down the stairs accurately guessing my primary concern. Jade, Glitter and Piper were all at the landing of the stairs before it turned down to the station below, safely covered by the alicorn's blue shield.

I embraced the two worried fillies I cared about and showed I was alright except for a little blood and some damage to my new armor. "Ok, stay here just a minute and let me make sure it's alright. I think that's all of them but we probably shouldn't stay here long."

"You should let me properly treat your wounds Fast, please hurry and return." Jade fretted over what damage I had taken, it would have been a lot worse without her invisibility trick getting us out of being pinned down though.

Glitter wasn't nearly as concerned once I returned to reassure her, poking a hoof at my own and getting a little zap that made her laugh. "That was so cool dad! Your hooves are all sparkly!"

It was a nifty trick now that I had tried it, though the light show made sneaking with it a tricky proposition. I dismissed the spell and ruffled her now frizzy mane before heading back up, catching Val rooting through the bodies and pulling intact weapons, armor and ammo from each. She looked over at my approach and tossed a satchel I had seen her take from the griffon over with a grim look.

"Take a look boss, we both got a price on our heads now. That little witch back in the city is gonna fight us with caps instead of bullets, gonna be a pain the ass..."

Opening the leather bag revealed a tattered notebook and a binder full of papers along with stray ammo and caps. My own face stared back at me from the paper on top in the binder, a wanted poster... Another showing Val was right below it, both had photos somehow when I had never posed for one, I wondered where they got them. We were apparently worth 5,000 caps each and the folder contained even more troubling information, a map showing Sanctuary and my house specifically, a list of known associates back home, in Hexington and in Diamond City. Even the location of the subway where were standing was marked as a priority target, however they got all this they knew everywhere I went and everypony I knew...

"We... we can't go home can we Val?"

The griffon mercenary hurriedly moved on to the next body as grunted back at me, "Not a good idea boss... This is just a crew tryin' to catch us fast, others will be out there setting up and watchin' anywhere we're likely to go. Home would be top o' that list... Matter of fact we need to put some distance between us at this place right quick, get off the streets for awhile. Find somewhere to lay low, they're gonna be sweepin' the whole area when this bunch don't report back."

Being a wanted pony put a whole different spin on things, I really should have thought of it but the idea of putting a bounty out on somepony you wanted dead was a foreign concept to me. I thought once we were clear of Diamond City and out of the jurisdiction of its guards we were safe... the wasteland found new ways to catch me by surprise all the time.

"What about our friends? Will they attack Sanctuary or Hex to try to get to us? What do we do?!" Now that I was adjusting to the idea it brought up all kinds of negative follow up thoughts.

"Chill out boss, it's alright. Gunners stick to the contract, or did. Home is too defended from what the Preston was tellin' me, they won't attack it if we ain't there. Same for Hex, can't screw themselves out of places for work in the Commonwealth. They're only in trouble if we show up there, as fer what we do... good question. You can figure it out later when we gots time to talk, need to hustle now." She didn't seem worried but was all business right now, convincing me to follow her lead.

Hanging my head I trudged back to the subway entrance to break the news to the others. Preston, Piper and Nick needed to travel without us and stay away to be safe, the rest of us were on our own and home was closed off to us...

The drizzle kept up and increased after we split up and wandered the city streets, heading north towards the river at Val's direction. It was slow going, moving from ruined building to building and dealing with raiders or zombies taking up residence in the shopping district. We also had to dodge a few more Gunner squads roaming the area.

They behaved exactly as Val had advised, spreading out from Stable 114 in a spiraling pattern searching for us. Each was composed of at least ten Gunner members, often led by a griffon searching from the skies. Thanks to our own griffon's knowledge of their tactics we managed to stay ahead of them, with only a few close calls as we hid in ruined buildings waiting for them to pass.

Val and Zed scouted ahead and kept returning urging us forward when it was safe, I stayed with Jade and Glitter guarding them and trying not to let my dark thoughts weigh me down.

Huddling together in an open window display for what once was an upscale home decor store, I was startled out of my woolgathering by Jade nuzzling for attention softly. "You are upset Fast, I do not like seeing you so. What is wrong? You should talk to me about it, not worry silently."

Her soft blue eyes waited patiently and I sighed giving in, "This is all my fault, we're on the run and being hunted by these Gunner ponies now because of me. I never should have gone to Haycom's office, I shouldn't have tried dealing with him, I should have just called his rotten brat out right on the spot. Now we can't go home, you and Glitter are stuck out here with me and I don't know what to do. I'm sorry..."

Jade snorted and furled a wing around me, "Nonsense. We are not stuck with you, I would not be anywhere else regardless. Besides, you tried to compromise with that noble pony for my benefit yes? Because he dealt in medicine? You did what you thought best on my behalf, trying to help me. I agree you should not deal with such ponies that way in the future, but I could never be upset for what you attempted. We may not be able to go home for now, but we are together, that is all that matters."

"Yeah dad, don't worry! I'm used'ta livin' out here like this, it don't matter to me! Long as you don't try to leave me alone again it's fine!" Glitter bounded over and squeezed between us, making me feel a little better before she gave a tiny sneeze.

"We should get you out of the rain, before you get sick. I think we're almost to the river now, I'll go ahead with the others and find somewhere to hide out for a little while and get you warm Glitter." Letting the foal catch a cold because we were on the run would just add salt to the wound, I could do something about this if nothing else.

I caught Val on her way back and explained the need to find somewhere to stop, surprised by her response. "Yeah, the zebra found somewhere he wants to go that oughta work, just have to do a little clearing it looks like."

"Zed did? Somewhere he wants to stop at?"

Val nodded her soaked and shaggy head as we crept down the sloped street towards the sound of the river, "Yep, I think it's right up your alley anyway boss, you like old world stuff. Well, not so much old world for you, but you know. Here, right around the corner on the riverfront."

Following her direction led to the highway following the course of the river, a high walled embankment of weathered stone led up to a row of fancy shops. In front of an odd, round building with a striped tent top pattern to the roof was Zed, standing at the top of a set of stairs leading there. There were plenty of tattered awnings to stay somewhat dry so I turned back to Jade and waved them forward before climbing up to join the zebra.

When I reached the top cautiously I took a good look at the building Zed was interested in, "Commonwealth Carousel" was written in flowing script on the sign above the door. Ancient mannequins wearing tattered dresses decorated the purple draped windows and dim light could be seen through the dirty glass on the door.

"Commonwealth Carousel... Like the D.C. one? Is this actually one of..."

Zed nodded with a stern expression, "One of your Ministry Mare's own stores yes, not the copy in the city, this is the original. I would see it cleared of such residents, it should serve as a place to escape notice."

"Residents? How do you know what they're like?"

With a grimace Zed pointed to the windows and started trotting toward the door, "Look closer, those are not all plastic dolls."

Following in his wake I got a better look and understood his distaste, some of those dress models weren't mannequins alright, some were dead ponies... Dressed and posed like the others in disgusting parodies of the window displays, I felt that familiar rage descend and for once the soft voices in my head didn't get in the way. Maybe they didn't like seeing Rarity's shop this way either...

Floating my pistol and shotgun out I followed Zed in as he kicked the door open and Val landed nearby, barging in on the large, open boutique beyond and a cluster of very surprised raiders around a fire barrel. The Terrible Shotgun managed to blast two of them to tatters before Zed was on them and taking them apart.

Another four raiders came running at all the noise, one from the curved stairs leading up behind the counter, one from a small side room and two charged up from the basement. After dealing with the Gunner hit squads though a small group of raiders taken unaware weren't much for Val and I to deal with while Zed finished his cluster.

E.F.S. didn't show anyone else nearby in the small building so I ducked my head outside and waved Jade and Glitter in, putting the foal in front of the fire barrel to dry off and warm up, after Val and Zed dragged the bodies away. With her taken care of I hung my dripping cloak nearby and moved to investigate the old boutique with Jade.

For being 200 years old it had held up pretty well, Rarity's stores must have been built to pretty high standards. There was the pervasive rot and ruin like anywhere in the wasteland, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had seen elsewhere. Even the clothing still hanging on the racks and mannequins in the open, round main room were in fairly good shape and salvageable.

These raiders didn't appear to be cannibal ponies at least, just sadistic which was only slightly better. A meager meal of actual food was by the fire barrel and there was a stash of canned goods and preserved bloatsprite and radroach meat behind the counter. There was also a small door back there leading to the alley behind the store, which we used to remove the bodies of both the raiders and their victims posed in here with us.

The ones in the window Val left where they were, explaining her reasoning at my questioning. "Camouflage boss, place looks like a raider den from the outside, Gunners won't come knocking."

That bothered me a bit, but at least the window displays were locked away and the smell didn't permeate the building. I still wanted to take them down before we left, but anything that kept the tough mercenaries away was worth putting up with for now.

The small side room looked to be a workshop for tailoring and fittings, a rusting sewing machine sat in the corner surrounded by half finished dresses on forms. Above it was a framed picture of Rarity, signed by the Ministry Mare herself, "To my dear friend Sassy, always remember the Rules of Rarity."

The arching stairs in the main room led up to a landing overlooking the store attached to a number of changing rooms the raiders looked to have been using as sleeping quarters. One unobtrusive door up here led to an actual bedroom, presumably for the shopkeeper, the raider in charge had taken this one and a stash of caps and drugs was in a small chest at the foot of the large bed. The tattered blanket was still heavy and warm so I floated it out and down to Glitter, wrapping it around her as I descended the stairs and headed for the basement.

Creeping down the rickety wooden stairs I entered the damp storage space beneath the shop, rotting boxes filled the room along with bolts of cloth stacked in haphazard piles. I clicked my pip-buck light on to take a better look around, though it didn't seem the raiders used this area often. A noise in the corner made me jump and E.F.S. suddenly lit up with a green dash pointing that direction.

"H-Hello... anypony there? It's ok... the raiders are gone now..." I inched my way forward and held my hoof up, illuminating a rusty, makeshift cage partially obscured by boxes and junk.

Shuffling movement came from the shadows in the cage and a pony stepped forward to the bars into the light. A ghoul mare, tall and slender with a long horn. Her mottled hide looked like it was light blue and she had a bedraggled, long orange and yellow mane. She looked at me anxiously before composing herself and standing regally. "W-Welcome to the Commonwealth Carousel, I'm Sassy Saddles, how c-can I help you today sir? Something for your mare perhaps?"

-----------------------------Level Up!------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------

Sniper Pony-------------------
--- It's all about focus. You have improved control and can hold your breath longer when aiming with scopes. With the Sniper perk, your chance to hit an opponent’s head in S.A.T.S. is increased by 20%.

Reputation Change!-------------------------

Gunners- Wanted
You now have a price on your head through this mercenary group, making your travel options more complicated. Any settlement you're known to be friendly with or stay at is now being watched, most towns have a pony or two who may go after the bounty themselves or call in the mercenaries for a cut. Any Gunners or freelance bounty hunters you run into in the Commonwealth will be hostile on sight.

Ch. 25-- Curtain Call

Ch. 25-- Curtain Call

A slow, repeated tugging at my mane gradually woke me up, groggily blinking my eyes and focusing on a zombie inches away from my face. I yelped and pulled away, nearly tipping over the wood and canvas chair I had been set up in, trying to get away before it got bitey. The rotting pony gave a muffled growl around the brush still in its mouth, pressing its hooves on the arms of the seat to balance me again and returned to absently running the grooming instrument through my gray mane.

"Whoa! A-Are you a ghoul? What's going on? What happened? Why are you..."

"Rrrr?" The monosyllabic response cut off my frantic questions, my first thought looked like it was right, this wasn't a ghoul but a feral zombie.

Though if that was the case why was it grooming me instead of biting my face off while I was unconscious? Surely zombies didn't care that much about meal presentation... This undead mare wore a dirty and tattered smock and had no intelligence in its milky eyes beyond the robotic motions it was going through.

Risking a look around I found myself in one of the dressing rooms, seated in front of a lighted vanity loaded with makeup and accoutrements. Maybe this zombie used to be a makeup artist? Jade had told me ghouls lost touch with reality when they went feral, sometimes retaining part of their old lives when not trying to kill any living thing nearby.

Speaking of whom I didn't see the alicorn or Val in the room, causing immediate concern. Hopefully they were simply in another room like this one, undergoing similar treatment. I also didn't see my missing armor or bags nearby, leaving me with only my magic if this zombie became violent and greatly limiting my options to get out of here.

Being this close to a zombie pony was pretty nerve wracking, even if this one was oddly well behaved. Apparently satisfied with my mane she shuffled off to the corner, pointing at a hanger holding a dirty black garment and my new hat on a nearby hook in the wall.

"Uh... y-you want me to put that on?"

A growling grunt was hard to read, but I'd take that as a yes, it looked impatient and like it would much rather be eating me... I tried not to make any sudden moves, crossing the room slowly and floating the ratty clothing off the hanger. At the zombie's grunting insistence I shrugged into the dark outfit, tying the silver scarf around my neck and buttoning the long coat. I floated my hat down when the feral ghoul seemed satisfied, causing a couple things to happen at once to my surprise.

Once the rakish fedora was atop my head I was surrounded in a glow of magic, the bright field reaching out and taking apart nearby rags hanging on a metal rack. The ragged edges of the trenchcoat started mending themselves immediately, the dusty coat cleaning itself and darkening back to a deep, pitch black. The threadbare scarf thickened and adjusted itself, straightening my clumsy knot to its proper appearance. With a final flutter of magic the long coat was totally restored, the wrinkled lapels crisping and my pip-buck chimed, confirming what I now realized looking in the nearby mirror.

Mission Updated: The Shroud's Shroud-----------

Objective--------

--~~Find the Shrouded Stallion Costume at Hubris Comics~~
--Return to Sassy Saddles

Despite the bizarre situation I found myself in, I couldn't help an internal squeal of joy, I was wearing the real Shrouded Stallion costume... This was even better than the Nightmare Night costume I had begged for before the world ended and we left for the Stable, admiring it in the smeared mirror in front of me I tugged the hat down with a grin. I really did look like the Shroud, my colors were always right but with the actual outfit the resemblance was striking.

Well if this really was as tough as the hat then I was armored at least, I'd feel better with my weapons returned but it was a start. The zombie mare shambled over to the door out, looking back with a growl before heading out into the hall. Trying to keep it happy I followed along, looking around anxiously for Jade and Val.

A peek over my shoulder towards the second floor showed the Gunner corpses still lying where they fell, a trio of zombies were hunched over the bodies making loud, disgusting, smacking noises, making me look away quickly. These were definitely feral zombie ponies then, worrying me even more for the others, before I was relieved to hear the griffon's angry complaints from a nearby open door to another dressing room.

My escort hissed when I deviated from the course she was leading toward the stairs, it didn't attack however and I wasn't going to be dissuaded from finding my friends. Running into the open room I found both of them being attended by two more zombies, the one with Val kept bringing lightweight, costume armor pieces to her and growling at her refusal to wear the villainous looking outfit.

"No! Knock it off ugly! I ain't wearin' this crap, I want my armor, what'd ya do with it?! Where's the boss!?" Tossing the offered grey bracer away caused the zombie to trot across the room after it and return with it in its mouth, setting it down in the floor before the frustrated griffon.

"Valkyrie, I think we should cooperate with them... They are obviously feral but behaving oddly, going along with them may let us locate Fast sooner." Jade's concerned voice from the corner filled me with relief, looking over to reassure her I was dumbstruck for a moment at her condition.

The zombie attending her had resorted to a stool to reach her mane and was slowly giving it the same treatment I had woken to. It had already managed to get her to put on the selected costume, making me goggle at the sight of her. I had joked about her being a real life Alicorn Angel Blue, whoever was in charge here had taken it seriously though.

Seeing the beautiful alicorn filly stuffed into the cartoon superhero outfit made me forget all about our current odd situation. The costume obviously wasn't made in her size, but for a normal pony actress. Somehow they had managed to cram her into the short blue skirt and sleeveless white sailor blouse though. Her hindlegs were covered in long white stockings, the blue shoes nearby were never going to fit however and had been abandoned. The blue lapel of the shirt had a pale blue neckerchief tied beneath it, clasped at her neck with a guady piece of costume jewelry shaped like a gold trimmed, jeweled heart pendant.

Now that it was finished with her mane the zombie topped the ensemble off with a golden tiara and joined the other, trying to force Val into wearing hers. Left on her own Jade followed the zombie's progress, spotting me staring at her slack jawed from the doorway, rushing over to grab me while I tried to flog my brain into working again.

"Fast! You are safe! W-We just woke up and you were not with us, I was very concerned! I see you found Sassy's costume?"

I had to hit my head to jump start things up there after getting affection from the alicorn in her alluring outfit, "Er! Y-Yeah! Umm.. I woke up the same way, just in a different room. I figured the same as you, as long as these guys weren't feeling chompy I thought it best to cooperate. They're acting pretty weird, they are ferals right? I umm... s-see they dressed you up too...."

Realizing what she was wearing when she charged over to nuzzle at me Jade blushed brightly and shuffled in the small outfit. "O-Oh... yes... T-They are being quite odd aren't they. I d-did not choose this... t-they... they were as insistent as they are still being with Valkyrie. I-It is embarrassing..."

I felt my face heat up to match hers but shook my head rapidly, "No! T-That's awesome! If we get outta here y-you... you gotta keep that Jade, er... j-just for fun..."

The two of us giving each other goofy, shy smiles was put to a stop by Val groaning under the attention of the zombies in the room. "Well glad they put her in somethin' that turns yer crank boss, but I ain't havin' this! We're together now, no reason to play nice! Weird or not, they're still zombies, let's bust some heads, get our gear an' get outta this freakshow!"

"I think we should keep going along with it for right now Val... We still don't have our weapons, or know why they're acting like this. Plus even if we had our stuff, if the ghosts show up again and do that thing like before..."

Speaking of the devil summoned him, this time the ghost was a Steel Ranger, glowing at the edges like before. The voice that issued from it was the same as the pirate earlier though, not amplified or distorted as if it were really coming from a power armor helmet. "There we are, we're just about ready for you upstairs if you want to follow the girls Bolt baby. Aw what's this, our villain isn't in costume yet?! I'm willing to work with your friends Bolt but they gotta show a little professionalism! We're on a tight schedule here, if she won't cooperate we'll have to recast..."

"No! Um... no, she'll be right up! Er, t-this is her first role is all, just give us a second umm... Mr. Haybrams?" I didn't want to know what 'recast' entailed, the pile of corpses in the basement didn't make it sound good. I waved Val into hurrying up and getting it over with while I ventured a guess at the identity of the ghost in front of us.

"Bolt, sweetheart! It's just J.J. between us friends right!? You know I can't say no to you, get our bad guy ready and move your tukhus alright?" The armored ghost disappeared, leaving me slightly better informed.

Val grumbled while she put on the bulky, grey armor costume, but gave in finally. The ghost that had managed to knock all of us out so easily seemed to have convinced her. Jade's horn glowed as she helped pick up the costume pieces and get the griffon dressed, turning back to me with a curious expression. "You know the name of this ghost Fast?"

"I guessed but yeah... Some of the other mail files I read on the terminal downstairs, I think it's the director of the Shroud tv show, J.J. Haybrams. The ghost bit is probably whatever the Institute was testing here, I don't know how it works but it's arcane science, not spirits. Why I think we should keep humoring him for now Val, he's inviting us up to where he is, that's where the controls probably are."

Wearing her spiky, caped armor costume, topped with an ornate horned helmet, Val certainly looked like a villain of the week from the shows I remembered as a foal. I had to stifle a giggle watching her shoo the zombies away from trying to make adjustments while she fumed. "Yeah, really funny boss... Not fair, Blue gets a sexy costume an' I get the bad guy! I'm killin' all these zombies and findin' me something good too. Guess yer right for now, you know all this crap though, yer findin' me some hot nerd costume when we're done."

"Sure Val, I'll find you something you'll like when we get out of this."

Following the zombies up the final flight of stairs we wound up in the large, open fourth floor, surrounded by even more zombies. Several were operating large television cameras on wheels or suspended from the ceiling on metal arms, more held long boom microphones or absently stood by spotlights. One wearing a chef's toque even waited behind a long table full of rotting food and pony limbs, a zombie craft services table?

The bulk of the room and focus of all the zombie workers was painted a nausea inducing green and mostly empty, a few boxes and scaffolds painted the same color were strewn about as well. Most interesting was a small glass window showing a booth on the far side of the room, filled with a lot of blinking lights and arcano tech equipment.

Facing that direction made my pip-buck start chattering angrily, confirming what the soft sigh and smile Jade broke into said, a lot of rads were coming from over there. A ghoul seated in the booth was glowing a bright green, filling the room with the eldritch glow, though there was more green glow in there than just that ghoul could be responsible for.

Spotting us enter, the glowing ghoul leaned forward and spoke into a microphone, his raspy voice filling the set. "Ah, at last we can get started! I gotta say Bolt, I was getting worried we'd never get this production off the ground. Don't get mad, but I even auditioned a few stand ins, none of them worked out at all though. Let me get the stage set up and we'll run through the set up alright?"

Well that explained a basement full of dark colored stallion corpses... I had the feeling his auditions of normal wasteland ponies ended up being lethal for those who didn't make the cut. Getting dragged up here by zombies and ghosts couldn't help their performance, if they had any idea what he wanted out of them at all. He seemed on the verge of being feral himself, not in touch with reality at all but not mindless either. If that were so then he had been killing stallions that resembled the Shroud enough for his purposes for who knows how long, part of him had to know it was wrong too...

I had to nudge Jade to get her attention, her eyes were closed facing the radiation emitting booth with a look of sleepy enjoyment. "How is he able to make all these zombies behave like this? They're all doing what I'm guessing were their jobs before the war..."

"The Director is a Glowing One Fast, a variety of ghoul that has absorbed a great deal of radiation, he was most likely turned while inside that room. There is a quite a lot of it coming from there, it is most distracting... Glowing Ones often don't go completely feral as quickly and can sometimes exert control over normal zombies, pulling them into their own madness."

"Tough bastards too boss, all those rads can give em some nasty surprises..." Val joined the whispered conversation, looking around the room counting the zombies surrounding us.

While I was considering what to do a hum filled the room, the bright green half of the floor glowed brightly for a moment before resolving into a prewar cityscape at night. The effect was impressive, it was as if half the fourth floor was suddenly outside and transported 200 years in the past. The three of us stared wide eyed at the amazing transformation, looking above where the wooden ceiling faded away to a starry night sky, I spotted a number of small, strange fixtures up there glowing faintly.

"Wow... an illusion?" I shot a questioning look over to the ghoul in the booth, flipping switches happily.

"Of course! I showed you this whole set up before Bolt, don't you remember the tutorial?" That confused look he was giving looked dangerous, Jade said confronting ghouls on the edge of going feral could be bad, I didn't want this one losing it suddenly.

"Oh, yeah! Sure I remember J.J. just my friends here don't know about it, er... non-disclosure thing and all. They'd love an explanation before we start."

The excuse gave him something to focus on, shaking his glowing head and giving a broad smile. "Well if they're working with us today they certainly need to know. This is a little gift we're testing out for the eggheads over at C.I.A.T. ladies, the Magical Illusion Projection system, or M.I.P., pretty incredible huh? Lets us film all kinds of shows in our little studio here, no need to go on location or hire a bunch of extras anymore, the system can project all of it in here. Pretty fancy bit of arcano-tech, projectors up in the ceiling create illusions and ties them to shield spells, makes hard light holograms. If I want them to they'll feel real and be as solid as you or I, if I change the settings they'll be like ghosts, can stick your hoof right through em!"

That explained the ghosts downstairs, J.J. may be concerned with using it to make his show but obviously knew how to use the system as an effective weapon as well on some level. Projections of magical light couldn't be hurt, they could send out a different kind of magical energy easily enough though, making each illusion a walking magical energy weapon. If we destroyed all the projectors in the ceiling it would stop them, but those were small targets with no guarantee we were looking at all of them, plus there were obviously more downstairs, not the best way to handle it.

"Ok, if we can all take our places let's do a rehearsal. Had to do a quick rewrite since we're able to do a crossover episode today, gotta tell ya honey, prosthetics did an awesome job, you look like a real live Alicorn Angel! Bolt if you and our special guest star Angel Blue there could take your mark on the street, our villain Miss Steelwing can wait up on the rooftop for her scene. I'll whip up some minions for you two to warm up on and we can get started!" Flicking more controls in the booth caused a number of ponies to appear on the street scene at J.J.'s direction, each dressed in lesser, complimentary versions of Val's outfit.

Trotting over to our spot I held a hoof up to Val, asking for patience while I figured out what to do. Playing along with being actors was keeping this whole bizarre situation peaceful for now, she could tolerate it for awhile longer. Jade looked around nervously at the vacant stares of the illusory minions surrounding us, whispering in my ear.

"W-What are we to do? I do not understand my role..."

"Er... well, if it's like most shows like this... the bad guys will all kinda attack us, sorta one at a time without looking like it. We dodge around, use our sweet kung fu moves to beat them up, work together, maybe take a punch or two..."

She gave a dubious expression and looked around again, "F-Fighting... I do not like fighting Fast..."

"I know, but they're not real remember? Just illusions is all, not even robots. It's all just pretend, besides it's ok if you're not good."

Grumbling she joined me and lowered herself in a ready postion, with both of us in place the ghoul in the booth shouted for props, causing a zombie to come trotting forward holding a silver submachine gun and a large grey broadsword. My relief at being supplied a weapon was fleeting, this looked like the Shroud's signature weapon but it really was just a prop, decidedly non lethal. The sword carried off to Val by the zombie prop master would have been more useful at actually killing, at least she was somewhat armed again.

"Um... hey J.J. I er... actually put in some training at the shooting range to... prepare for the role. Maybe it would look better with a real gun? I have some with my stuff, uh... wherever it all went to?"

That was a good enough excuse to not puncture the director's warped reality, but not get what I was hoping for. "You know it's all movie magic Bolt, we'll stick with the prop gun. Don't worry about your stuff, it's all in the lockers like normal. Alright, here we go, lights! Camera!"

At his order the zombies working the equipment adjusted the spotlights and the ancient cameras lit up and shifted. I glanced up to Val and gave a pointed look over to the lockers he had indicated, our weapons should be a short flight away for the griffon if it came to it. She took my meaning, her violet stare locked on the rusting metal containers. Hopefully they were unlocked, if she had to pick her way in if the zombies got violent it may be too much to handle, at least she had the sword now.

When Haybrams called 'Action!' the illusory minions rushed forward to attack, reacting automatically I dodged the first and brought the useless prop gun up, pointing it at the second. Nothing happened obviously, but the ghostly villain jittered in place like it had been shot and fell to the ground.

Spinning around to hoof the first I looked for how Jade was handling it, concerned to see her dodging frantically away from the pretend bad guys. With a flap of her large wings she bounded up into the air and landed behind them, backing away fearfully. I pointed the prop gun at the one nearest to her, making it fall over 'dead' and shouted to the anxious alicorn.

"It's ok Jade! Pretend! Buck that one, you can do it!"

She gave a grateful, determined look over to me, clenching her eyes shut and giving a titantic buck behind her, sending the holographic pony flying. Jade looked surprised when her blue eyes opened again, though if that was real I had no doubt she would have sent the opponent just as far. Real or not the one sneaking up behind her made me charge out of instinct, tackling it to the ground before it could touch her.

"Alright, cut, cut, cut!" The glowing ghoul shouting in his booth caused all the illusions to stop and reset to the original positions, the one I tackled fading away beneath me.

Jade trotted over and gently lifted me to my hooves, shivering slightly from the experience. "T-This is far too realistic Fast... f-fighting is h-hard for me..."

Val didn't help, groaning from her perch above us. "Oh come on!! Blue gets the sexy outfit and she gets to fight!? How come I didn't get the fun part!?"

"It's ok, you did great Jade. I'll figure a way out of this soon. I need to get in that control room somehow..." I tried to comfort her and scowled over to the booth.

The ghoul in the room in question flipped more controls and gave a disappointed look through the glass. "Ok, that was.... interesting... We're not running lines yet but try to stay in character anyway Bolt, she's Angel Blue right? Blue honey, you're a real beauty, Bolt's a lucky stallion. Angel Blue isn't so timid though ok? Don't be afraid to jump in there and really kick some tail, the illusions won't hurt. Also you're a.... well you're one big filly sweetheart, kinda throwing off the shots. I'll make some adjustments to the bad guys so it reads better, we'll use a little movie magic for when you two appear together. Using a stand in for distance shots will make this a lot easier though, hang on and I'll have it demonstrate what I'd like out of the next take ok?"

A few taps at his controls caused a ghostly duplicate of Jade to appear in front of me, stunning me for a moment staring directly into its own blue eyes, the copy was scaled down to be my height... This was a new experience, I always had to look up to Jade, seeing her down at my level was jarring and I had to take a slow circuit around her doppelganger.

A Jade my size was an interesting novelty, seeing how we lined up as I circled her was odd, taking it in I much preferred the real version though. Looking up to the real thing to tell her so, I caught her staring between me and the double wistfully, her eyes wide and slightly sad, making me rush over to her and give a reassuring nuzzle.

"I... t-that is what I would look like i-if I were n-normal... She is a proper pony's size, the two of you match... y-you do not look small..." That sad whimper was awful, I knew she had issues with her appearance but being faced with what she must imagine for herself must be horrible for her.

"Hey, I love you how you are Jade! I wouldn't want you to look like her, that puny little copy isn't enough Jade for me alright? I'm short and you're ok with that right? You are normal and you are a proper pony, you're perfect the way you are to me."

Sniffling she gave a crushing alicorn hug, turning to watch the copy flit through the air, bounding around and beating the bad guys to a pulp the way J.J. wanted her to. "T-Thank you Fast, hearing you say that always makes me feel better. That image is something I dreamed of for myself for a long time, b-before I met you. I do not think I can even pretend to fight like that however..."

"It's ok, not being able to may help actually. I need to get into that control booth, which means we have to get him to come out. When he does and I can get in I'm gonna turn these illusions on the zombies, I'm guessing they won't behave without him around right?"

"No, without his influence they will revert to mindlessly attacking. Y-You may not go into that chamber though Fast, the radiation is far too strong and all of my medical stores were taken. Unless we can get them first going in there for any length of time is too dangerous for you." Her worried whisper raised a sticky point, without Rad-X or Rad-Away going in there would be a problem.

"It's the only way to deal with these illusions though... I don't think you can handle getting through the control system, er... no offense. Maybe if I'm really quick..."

Pretending to watch the copy's fighting style she shook her head with finality, "No! Just from what I sense coming from in there it is unacceptable Fast. Though I think you are right, I am not skilled enough to take control of the machines inside. I... I can go with you... s-shield you from the radiation enough to be safe... Y-You really are not bothered I am n-not like that image though? If I go with you it... it will become worse..."

Leaning up to kiss her was definitely the way it should be, I simply couldn't imagine Jade being like the double jumping around the stage. "You know I can't lie to you. More of you to love right? If that will work I think it's our best bet, Val will have to be ok on her own for a few minutes but I think she'll be fine. Follow my lead and be ready to get in there."

I caught Val's eye and nodded to the booth, tapping my pip-buck and nudging Jade. It was too much to try to communicate silently but the grinning nod and experimental swing of her prop sword showed she was ready for whatever I had planned. The glowing ghoul had reset the illusions again, making the ones meant to fight Jade even larger than the alicorn filly so they'd look right on camera.

His green eyes rested on her as he spoke into the microphone again. "Think you got it now honey? Feel free to improv, just shoot for that level of action alright?"

Speaking up before she got cornered into answering I shook my head at the booth, "I don't know J.J. it's still kinda confusing. She's... um she's used to doing stage work, maybe you could come out and give a little personal direction? Just show us what you're looking for and I'm sure we'll be good to go. I'd really appreciate it, it'd be a big help..."

Haybrams groaned and pushed out of his seat with a sigh, opening the sliding metal door to the booth, making my pip-buck increase to a roaring chatter immediately. Shuffling out to the stage with us the glowing ghoul shrugged in his tattered, pocketed vest, "Alright, only for you Bolt baby. I know not everypony's comfortable with all this high tech stuff, a little old fashioned director's work always helps right? Now, what we're trying for is...."

"NOW JADE! VAL STAY SAFE!" At my shout the alicorn mare at my side snatched me up in her magic and blasted forward through the air, soaring past J.J. before he realized what was happening and ducking into his abandoned booth.

I slammed a hoof against the door control and locked it, turning back to the open panels in the machinery the bright green glow was emanating from, causing my pip-buck to tick furiously. This equipment must need a lot of power and the reactor fueling it was poorly shielded, if it was at all. Just within these few seconds my rad gauge had started edging out of the blue end of the rainbow dial and up to green.

Jade was right, there was way too much radiation in here to last long, this room was a lot worse than even the balefire bomb crater. Before I had much of a chance to worry about it she tackled me and completely enveloped me in a crushing embrace, wrapping her wings around me tightly and making the angry report of my pip-buck slow to a manageable level as she parked herself in front of the console.

Floating the pip-buck patch cable out between her wings and to the waiting port I glanced up at her, her eyes were heavily lidded and a soft smile of pleasure was on her face as she shuddered around me. "Y-You should hurry Fast... it is very strong in here..."

"What are you doing!?! That's my booth! You are ruining my production!!! You're not Bolt at all are you! You're no better than those stand ins! They tried to ruin my show too! I'll fire you like I did them! I WON'T HAVE MY WORK RUINED!!!" J.J. screeched outside the booth, pounding on the door and snarling. So much for his pleasant demeanor, I had been worried he knew what he was doing when he killed the other stallions we had found, this was proof enough.

Even tapping through the security on the system I could see all the green marks on my compass turning red, the director's rage was infectious and the zombies were going back to their normal behavior in response. I was worried for Val but her booming laughter put me at ease, a fight was much more welcome than playing at being an actress for the tough griffon.

"Alright, that's more like it ya undead buggers! Come an' get me!" Val was leading the grounded zombies on a merry chase around the stage, swooping down and decapitating one with the heavy prop sword while I watched before veering off and making a break for the lockers. A quick tug at the doors showed them to be locked as I feared, the horde charging after her wouldn't give her enough time to pick the locks either so she'd have to make do for now.

That put the pressure on to hack into the system, which was being uncooperative. Institute projects had a higher security level than I was used to dealing with, made more difficult by the distracting, stifled moans from the shuddering filly protecting me from all the radiation. As I finally got through the password a soft pop followed by something small and hard smacking me in the back of the head forced me to look up at her groans.

"Are you ok Jade?" She certainly looked happy, but that was no guarantee in the highly radioactive office.

"F-Fine... just please work q-quickly Fast... I..." another pair of pops came when she gasped suddenly, hitting me in the neck and between the eyes with... a button? Oh... the already tight blouse was losing the battle against her expanding body, a trio of buttons had snapped free revealing the blue expanse of her chest beneath.

"Right! Um.. w-working! Just hang on a second!" Her neckerchief was riding up her neck and looking tight, forcing her to undo the gaudy clasp while I worked. No wonder she was concerned about coming in here after seeing her small illusory double, I had seen the end result of too much radiation once before, not the process itself.

Even through the password the M.I.P. was a convoluted system, a large number of sub menus waited just on the top level, forcing me to scroll through them as quickly as I could while Val kept making diving runs at the zombies chasing her. A slow ripping noise accompanied by Jade's whimpering moans behind me made me lose focus for a second, scrolling past the options for backgrounds and motion capture.

On the plus side her wings now completely covered me, dropping the clicking from my pip-buck down lower with her absorbing even more of the rads before they could cook me. That concern was replaced by Jade gently nibbling at my ears, nearly making me miss the 'Security System' selection as it flashed past my vision. The light panting that came with the unexpected affection was making it incredibly difficult to focus on resetting the targeting parameters.

"Er.. J-Jade.. not that I don't like it, b-but is this the best time..." She was ducking her head down into her own wings with me, planting little kisses all over my head while I worked.

"Mmm.... I... I am s-sorry... I k-know this is inappropriate... b-but please... you must work faster.... nnn.... the radiation is very strong and it feels.... v-veeeery good... H-Having you with me in here is mmm... i-irresistible..."

Another long, purring rip at her side elicited a matching purr from the growing alicorn beauty, making me shake in her grasp and break out in a light sweat, this was getting maddening. Moving around here definitely wasn't a good idea though, the jittering motion just set off fresh gasps and her limbs tightened around me. Rocking in her seat slowly she sent a soft, whispering whimper down to me, "Mmmm.... y-you must not m-move like that Fast..."

A burst of sickly green light from beyond her feathers and a booming noise made me peek out, catching the glowing director sending out some kind of radioactive explosion in his rage. Several of the wounded zombies out there started healing, lurching back up on regenerating limbs Val had hacked off previously, while Jade whinnied in response to the spike in rads through the glass.

Maybe talking would take my mind off the increasingly excited filly ripping her way out of her clothing around me, "I w-wonder if it's possible to overdose on Rad-X and Rad-Away... i-if this is driving you so crazy I s-sorta wish it wasn't lethal to me... O-Or a r-radiation suit... yeah, that'd work right? P-Power armor'd be a l-little too bulky but a rad suit w-would..."

A series of pops from the last of her buttons and at least one clasp on the tiny skirt came with more rips and a sharp yelp of pleasure, "S-S-Stop talking Fast... w-work FASTER!" That commanding goddess voice helped me focus as she shivered and licked my neck, giggling to herself and slowly pressing her bulk down on me against the console. If I didn't get through this now I had the feeling it would simply cease being important to the big blue mare.

Finally! The commands had been rewritten and cobbled together over the centuries, Haybrams had been tinkering with this system over the years as part of his delusions. At last I found a way to tie it to my Eyes Forward Sparkle and activate the default security system, causing a dozen featureless red holograms to appear outside and start blasting the swarming zombies with energy bolts from their blank eyes.

"Alright boss! Great work, gettin' my guns and finishin' these bastards off!" Val screeched happily outside, swooping over to the lockers again and quickly setting to work on the lock while the zombies were otherwise occupied.

Just in time too, Jade had moved on to stroking my chest with her hooves, probing her way lower, making little cooing noises while leaning further down to nuzzle my neck. If I hadn't found it by now I was pretty sure we'd be in trouble, my capacity for rational thought was quickly evaporating under all the attention.

With the zombies being taken care of and a good deal more room to move around in her protective embrace, I turned around to give her a long, passionate kiss drawing out a rumbling moan deep in her throat. Breaking it off reluctantly, and with some difficulty, I took the chance to breathe and stroke her cheek.

She had obviously been trying to refrain from doing just this as it would have made working impossible, now that she could indulge herself she didn't want to stop. Though at least being able to give her my full attention for the moment helped her get control over herself, keeping it all bottled up and trying to let me work was apparently extremely taxing for her.

"Just uh.. just give it a second to finish off the zombies and let me set up the security, then we can get out of here ok? Thanks for protecting me, s-sorry you had to soak up so much radiation to do it, a-are sure you're alright?"

Shuddering as her stockings gave up the ghost and split down the seams, Jade sighed happily. "Oh yes... I am w-wonderful Fast... You... you are sure you do not mind... h-how I am different... You really would not prefer if I were as that illusion showed me?"

Tapping through the last settings to keep the security system running after we left, I grinned goofily up to the stunning alicorn filly surrounding me. "I am totally, 100% sure Jade. Even if you being different hadn't just saved me here, I love you the way you are. This obviously makes you feel good right? That means it's good, period. I'm used to you being bigger than me and like it just fine, being a little more so sometimes isn't anything to be worried or embarrassed about, it can even be fun right?"

Sniffling in poorly disguised relief and joy, Jade peeked out and I heard the door hiss open before she ducked back into the warm cocoon her wings formed, keeping the rads at bay. Cooing softly she pressed me against the console in another deep kiss, pulling away and tickling my ears with her whispered breath.

"Can it? S-Since you seem to like it perhaps I will not try to rid myself of all the extra power too quickly... I did promise Glitter I would think about letting her see me if this happened again anyway, it is not so bad this time. Getting out of this radiation will help, but w-we need to find some time to be alone soon Fast. I insist you... p-prove your sweet words hmm?"

That sultry look she gave as we dashed out of the room and sealed the radioactive control booth behind us made doing as she asked a priority for me. We had been on my side mission long enough and I felt a lot better than I had when I woke up back in Stable 114, making her feel better about her insecurities was always high on my list and only fair after all.

Trotting over to the lockers side by side to join Val let me get a good look at her now, it was a shame her sexy costume had suffered so much damage but maybe Sassy could fix it, and let it out of course. The elastic of the now very short skirt had to be pushed to its absolute limit, but had somehow managed to hold together. It was pinching into her waist and only covered a small portion of her cutie mark, but was still intact. The stockings were a wreck of tattered fabric, but the blouse was still in one piece, just shy the buttons and ripped at the seams a bit.

Even shielded as I had been, my pip-buck displayed the rainbow colored radiation gauge up into the yellow. Jade had taken in enough protecting me she was easily a full head taller than normal, providing a nice view as I was at eye level with her flank and new cutie mark when she pulled ahead to the open lockers, eager to retrieve her coat and medical supplies. Shrugging into the ill fitting lab coat over her tattered costume, Jade dug in her bags and had me take a couple of Rad-Away immediately, passing another over to Val for her exposure to the glowing ghoul.

Tossing the spiky costume armor aside as she peeled it off, Val put her real armor back on with obvious relief, buckling her weapons back under her wings and checking them over thoroughly. I noticed she kept the large broadsword from the outfit, strapping it to her back between her wings and shrugging at my questioning look.

"This thing turned out to be pretty fun boss, needs to be sharpened but was plenty heavy enough to separate zombie heads. Wish it was crazy sharp like your knife though, imagine a sword made outta that stuff..."

That was an interesting thought, shrugging into my own saddlebags over the Shrouded Stallion costume my pip-buck chimed with my inventory restored and I checked to be sure the knife in question was in there, along with everything else. Fancy had found another knife like it somehow to frame me, maybe there were more out there somewhere, though a full sword seemed unlikely.

Looking in the open locker I stared at my old cloak and armor, now unnecessary since we had succeeded in finding Sassy's costume. The pip-buck's inventory management had cataloged the outfit and listed a much higher armor rating than it assigned to the old leather armor. The repair talisman and spells woven throughout meant it would actually keep up with the damage I regularly put my equipment through as well.

Following my gaze Val looked over the old equipment and grinned, "That gives me a good idea boss... maybe buy us a little breathing room from the Gunners for awhile."

"Anything that gets them off our back would be great Val, what is it?"

Scratching her shaggy head, the griffon looked away chuckling. "Er... you may not like it too much, but it should work. You two get busy clearing this place out of anything else you want and I'll set it all up. Oh and go find me my sexy nerd outfit! Blue doesn't get to be the only one who gets somethin' fun boss, pay me!"

"Right... Umm, on it Val. Let's hurry up so we can get back." Jade's continuing absent affection was just one more reason to get out of here as soon as possible, Glitter was waiting and if one group of Gunners found us I didn't want to find out if more could as well.

We were all fairly loaded down when we came out of the alley closest to the Commonwealth Carousel, a more through inspection of the third and fourth floors of Hubris Comics yielded more loot to make off with. Val was even satisfied with her Gildar the Barbarian costume from Swordmares, the fur and chainmail bikini seemed to fit her requirements for payment matching Jade's partly ruined Alicorn Angel costume.

The griffon mercenary's idea had been distasteful to me, but I had to admit it was pretty clever. There was a pile of stallion corpses in the basement that looked vaguely like me already, she had apparently engaged in the grim work of digging through them for a charcoal coated buck and put it in my old armor and cloak. A little creative use of her claws and magical energy weapon made sure the poor pony's cutie mark was illegible, even though his mane was a pale blue the end result was disturbingly effective.

Once she looted all the Gunners she posed them on the third floor at one end of the long hallway, putting my dead double near the stairs to the fourth floor opposite them. The scene wouldn't hold up against a dedicated tracker like Hound, but cursory examination made it look as if I had been cornered and killed by the hit squad. A few more Gunner bodies scattered from there down to the first floor and the doorway outside on the street made a simple trail to follow. Since there wasn't a fiery griffon corpse nearby anyone coming across the staged scene could safely assume Val escaped, looted all the bodies and left, making following her a more difficult proposition without me in tow anymore.

Jade had been clearly bothered seeing the corpse made up specifically to look like a dead me, refusing to look at it and staying very close to me after Val had dumped it in place. The idea of me dead had only increased her desire to shower me with affection on the way back, her anxiety over the very concept heaped on top of her radiation fueled excitement, making the trip very distracting. She had been convinced to fly up and retrieve a few of the illusion projectors for me before we left now safely in my packs, I looked forward to taking them apart to see how they worked when I had free time later. For now I was happy to get out of the rain and back to Glitter, hopefully to find a little time for privacy with the big blue alicorn at my side soon too.

Entering the boutique we were met with Zed sitting before the fire, glancing up at our entrance passively. Sassy and Glitter weren't in here with him, eliciting a brief moment of panic before the foal charged out of the workshop room to the side, holding her hooves out to block the curtained door.

"Daddy! You're back! You found what you wanted? Cool! That's it? It looks just like your toy! Are you happy again? Oh you can't come in here, me an' Sassy are makin' presents!"

Obeying the little filly's demands I sat where I was, not making a move towards the room she was guarding, simply holding my hooves out for her to rush into for a warm hug. Once she charged over I noticed she was wearing a new, rose colored dress, presumably something she and the ghoul mare had been working on while we were gone.

"Yes this is it Glitter, I'm happy, glad you like it. I like your dress, I'm guessing we have Sassy to thank for that?"

Bobbing her head excitedly she beamed and looked back at the tall ghoul coming out of her workshop behind her. "Uh-huh! Miss Sassy's been teachin' me lots about makin' stuff! We're makin' stuff for Miss Jade an' Miss Val an' Zed! So you're not the only one with new armor!"

Smiling as she trotted forward Sassy nodded to us and ruffled the foal's silver mane, "Yes, Glitter here has been an excellent assistant, getting to work again while we waited has been delightful. A foal out in the wasteland should have some protection, you'll be happy to know this dress is well reinforced with my magic, as are the other articles we have been working on. She was quite insistent on making a surprise for all of you, I think you will be pleased with the results. Though... oh dear... did I make a mistake writing down the measurements for you Miss Jade? They can't be right..."

The towering alicorn blushed brightly under the scrutiny, stammering to reply. "N-No... I am sure you have the proper measurements Sassy, t-this is merely a temporary c-condition... I..."

Now that it was pointed out Glitter stared up at her, her pink eyes growing wide as she yelped brightly. "Omigosh! Miss Jade, you're bigger! It really does happen?! Wow!!"

"Y-You are not frightened? This does not bother you Glitter?" Jade's own nervous gaze down at the little filly widened in surprise, part of her anxiously expecting a different reaction.

Jumping up and shaking her head vigorously, Glitter whooped up to her joyously, "No way! That's so cool! You look awesome! I wish I could do that!! An' you got a pretty outfit too! I wanna see!"

Having the little filly prance around her in glee got Jade to turn a shade brighter, though I had to smile at the foal. Her obvious excitement and total acceptance had to help the alicorn princess always concerned about fear and rejection, viewing her unique nature as nothing but a positive hopefully helped put those fears to rest somewhat.

I was proud and grateful to the foal, she got Jade to smile warmly and stand up straight to her full, impressive height, rather than slouch and try to shrink behind her wings as was her habit. She even allowed Glitter to help tug her lab coat off, letting her get a better look at the ripped Angel costume beneath.

"Y-Yes... well I did say I may show you if it happened again, it is a bit embarassing but I am glad you are happy and so... a-accepting Glitter... That makes me feel very relieved, t-thank you. I am afraid the costume I acquired suffered some damage in the process as you can see. If you like it p-perhaps Sassy can repair it for us sometime? We did find you some presents as well though, you can see how it is meant to appear, here you are dear."

Floating a full set of the Alicorn Angels dolls she had managed to find out of her medical box packs on the floor made the foal squeal happily, looking them over in excitement and focusing on the Angel Blue figure, looking between it and the real life version in front of her. "It looks like you Miss Jade! This is great! Thank you so much, they're all pretty but I like the one of you best! I wish your clothes were fixed, then you'd look just like it!"

Rushing forward to give her long legs a tight hug softened Jade's shimmering blue eyes as they teared up, making her sniffle when she leaned down to nuzzle the ecstatic foal awkwardly. Sassy came forward, smiling at the embrace and gently started floating the tattered costume off Jade's blue body. "Well with a request like that I can hardly stand idly by now can I? A simple repair and resize job is nothing to add to the other work waiting for us little one, you can help me fix this and see the result yourself! Your new doll will serve as an excellent guide if you'd bring it along with us. Now that I'm aware of the Princess'... unique needs, I can make a few adjustments to your gift as well that will be most useful."

"Oh! Right! Um.. just give us a little while Miss Jade, I wanna have a present to give you too ok?! And you Val! An' Mr. Zed too!" Reminded of what she had been so excited about to begin with caused Glitter to leap over to Sassy, excitedly dancing in place in front of the curtained door.

Putting on a look of false disappointment I sighed sadly, "What, don't I rate anything? I got things for you too, well... for both of us, but some you'll probably like more."

"You already got a present dad, you're wearin' it duh!" Glitter rolled her eyes at me and gestured to the dark coat and hat I was wearing with a groan, seeing through my wounded expression.

Plopping down in front of the fire beside the zebra, Val looked over with greedy interest. "Wooo.... present for me kiddo? Sweet! Get to work then! I'm gonna go through our haul here, put my feet up for a bit an' have a drink, want one boss?"

Before I could answer Jade dashed over, curling a wing over me and shuffling on the spot anxiously, looking over to Sassy and turning bright red. "Fast does not need to drink with you Valkyrie. W-We are both quite tired.... Miss Saddles, c-could I trouble you for the use of your bedroom for a bit? A short n-nap while you work? Our adventure was most e-exhausting, we n-need a little r-rest... Just for an hour... or two.... p-perhaps three...."

Looking between the two of us Sassy favored us with a sly smirk, waving a hoof to the stairs graciously and nudging her little assistant back to her workshop. "Of course, 'rest' is important isn't it? We'll take our time finishing up, we should be all done in time for an evening meal when you two are... ahem, up and about again."

With a grateful bow as the pair returned to Sassy's workshop, Jade shoved me ahead of her to the stairs hurriedly. My hooves barely touched the steps at her insistent pushing, retreating from Val snickering to herself below. Once upstairs the excited and highly irradiated alicorn beauty dispensed with the formalities, picking me up completely and charging to the unobtrusive bedroom, pulling my hard won Shrouded Stallion armor off in a flurry of magic.

I was practically tossed across the room to the waiting bed as she huffed and locked the door behind her, sauntering over slowly with a smoldering look that made me gulp to myself. "This kinda thing is why I think it's silly for you to be worried when you soak up too much radiation Jade... Y-You're sorta making it a positive association for me here..."

She gave a melodic giggle at that, fluttering up and landing on top of me gently, "Is that so? Well you are doing the same for me... If I have you with me, being different is no longer a source of shame and embarrassment but... s-something that can be very, very enjoyable yes?"

"Yup, very, very, very..."

Burning off all that excess energy took a couple hours after all, made trickier with having to keep it down to a dull roar in the ancient wooden building. The alicorn mare eventually had to muffle herself with the ratty pillows, being hopped up on radiation made her exceedingly excitable and loud, to her mortified discovery. Enjoyable as it was, her being charged by all the rads also made it hard to keep up, by the time we were done she was back to normal and practically glowing with satisfaction, while I was exhausted and actually needed the nap we had excused ourselves with.

Still, I could hear a lot of raucous activity downstairs definitely caused by a foal who had finished her work. Yawning widely I dragged myself up, groaning at the big blue filly humming to herself happily and prancing about while I shrugged back into my new armor. Catching my flat, tired stare and slow, sore movement she looked back with innocent blue eyes, "Whatever is the matter Fast?" she tittered picking up my hat for me from where she had tossed it.

"This part is totally unfair..." I yawned back at her.

Smiling coyly she shook her mussed up mane around her, "Nonsense, I am quite satisfied with this arrangement. Why if we were not expected I believe I could quite happily continue for some time yet. I am sure you would get a second wind after all. Now come along, I am sure a meal will do you wonders and Glitter has been most patient with us."

Trudging downstairs behind her merrily wiggling rump, I caught the smell of a variety of canned foods being heated and passed around the small gathering below, making my stomach wake up even if the rest of me was lagging behind. Val was stretched up on her hindlegs, admiring a new brown leather duster worn over her riot armor to Glitter's delight, catching sight of us descending the curving staircase she grinned and flapped up beside us.

"Check it out boss, yer kid made me somethin' cool! It's armored like your goofy outfit!" The thick leather looked fairly tough on its own, if it had similar spells applied to it then it was a definite improvement to her dark green armor.

"That's great Val, it looks good too. Makes you look less er... Gunner-y... I like it, good job Glitter!"

The pale filly beamed widely at the praise, dashing over to us and pointing to Zed by the fire. "Thanks daddy! Um.. Miss Sassy did most of the work though, but I picked stuff out I thought everybody'd like! Even Mr. Zed likes his!"

Nodding to the foal Zed stood and gestured to his own new addition, a heavy black leather biker jacket, studded with metal spikes. The sleeves were pushed up to make room for his green bangles and it was unzipped, showing his leather breastplate and necklace beneath. "Yes, I must admit your daughter has excellent tastes. Miss Saddles does fine work, I am grateful for the gift both of you, thank you."

Sassy took obvious pleasure at the praise of her skills, smiling gratefully to the griffon and zebra. "Not at all, it is good to work for appreciative customers again. Don't let young Glitter underrate her role either Fast, your foal was a big help. Here you are dear, I know you were most looking forward to these."

Glitter ran over with a gasp, taking a pair of bundles in her mouth and charging back to Jade, quivering with anticipation as the alicorn tore away the simple brown paper wrapping of the first. Inside was the Angel Blue costume, completely restored and clean. There wasn't a lot to the outfit to begin with, but it was clearly resized to fit her normal proportions. Jade floated the repaired garment up and inspected it with a flush, snickering at my stare behind her before returning it to the wrapping and smiling down to glitter.

"Ain't it cool Miss Jade?! You looked really pretty in it even though it was all tore up, now you'll look just like my new doll! Umm... if you want to wear it sometime, so I can see..." Glitter seemed to realize the gift wasn't exactly practical, but she had been excited to see Jade matching the toy we had found for her earlier.

Jade looked on her kindly and patted her silver mane, "It is very nice, I am sure I can wear it for you sometime if you like and we can play with your toys together. I imagine Fast may enjoy that as well so I am sure he appreciates the effort you and Sassy put into it. Do you not Fast?"

"Y-Yes! Good job sweetie, it looks better than when we got it, it'll be fun to see her in it. I grabbed a few of the Alicorn Angel comics while we were there, you can read about them so you know what the toys were for. Did Val show you hers? I found you a few foals costumes too if you want them."

"Really!? You got me costumes too!? Thanks daddy! I can't wait to see them! We could actually dress up for Nightmare Night for real! Some of the ponies at school were talkin' bout what they were gonna wear an... oh... guess we can't go back there for now though huh... But that's ok! W-We can go somewhere else, or just wear em for fun! Don't worry dad!" Her short lived excitement felt bad, I hated she had made friends in Diamond City and couldn't go back in the foreseeable future because of me. She shook it off quickly for my sake though, which did make me feel better and determined not to let it drag me down. Bouncing on her hooves she pointed at the second package in front of Jade excitedly, "Go on Miss Jade! Open the other one! That's the real present I wanted to make for you! Dad's costume was just a bonus!"

Pulling the paper away revealed a long, flowing white garment Jade lifted up in her magic with a happy gasp. A brand new, perfectly clean and properly sized lab coat fluttered in the air in front of her. Smiling widely with glistening eyes she shrugged into it on the spot, giving a luxuriant sigh as the long coat settled on her frame, flowing around her with a proper fit unlike every other coat she had worn. Looking back to her flanks she gave an excited squeal, each side had a small window letting her display her heart and crown cutie mark proudly.

Twirling in the air Jade swooped down and grabbed Glitter in her hooves, giving the little filly her own crushing alicorn hug. I sympathized hearing her wheeze under the affection, she squeezed the breath out of me when she did that, the foal didn't stand a chance. Glitter was small enough to get the additional treatment of soaring up to the ceiling and spinning around in circles enough to make her dizzy, weaving around on the floor when Jade finally landed and released her again.

"Thank you so much Glitter! It is wonderful! I have never had a lab coat that fit so well, and the holes for my mark are so thoughtful! I like my coat but felt bad covering my cutie mark now that I finally have one, your gift is very considerate and well thought out. Thank you as well Sassy!"

Sassy Saddles grinned at the alicorn, taking a great deal of pleasure at her reaction to the gift. "I'm glad you like it so much, a simple garment for a Princess but I will have more time to make proper attire when I reach your kingdom of Sanctuary. Young Glitter has told me much about the place and I think I will be quite happy there, thank you all for the opportunity for a new home! I did add a little something to your gifts beyond the armoring spells, now that I'm aware of your special needs. Those garments will adjust their fit as needed, similar to the enchantment on your pip-buck there. Should you find yourself in the condition you were when you returned, or even more so, you need not worry about them becoming damaged or leaving you with nothing to wear. I took the liberty of applying the spell to the Princess Dress as well, and I assure you any future clothing I tailor for you will have the same spells woven into them."

Jade looked down to the coat and the costume at her hooves with new appreciation, sniffling happily as she stared over to the tall ghoul mare. "T-Thank you! You added the spell to help me manage it, but you are not bothered by my nature either?"

"Of course not dear, I'm a ghoul, who am I to judge? Your problem is actually rather interesting for a tailor like myself, I'm just glad you're happy! Now before we eat... Fast I... I have a gift for you as well... During our talk Mr. Zed informed me you have a pair of unique statues? C-Could I see them?"

Digging in my packs I brought out the Ministry Mare statues and floated them over to the ghoul mare. "Sure Sassy, Zed's pretty interested in them but says it's ok for me to have them. They're kinda special apparently, they've helped me a lot. You didn't have to make me anything though, your Shroud costume is more than enough already, it's really incredible, thanks for letting me have it!"

Sassy held the two small statues in front of her in her own magic for a moment, a sad look on her tired face. "Thank you Fast, it is wonderful to see the entire ensemble together again and worn by a pony who deserves it, a real Shrouded Stallion in this world that needs one. I did not make this gift however, Mr. Zed told me how it was made and I... I think it belongs with you... with them... She has helped me over the centuries as well, here, take it with my blessing. You are a generous soul, fitting I can give this gift to you."

Ducking her head her orange magic drew a small, pale object from the front of her purple dress, floating it up to join the statuettes and sending the three objects back to me. My eyes widened taking in the small treasure she had added between Fluttershy and Applejack. Another statue, this one of a beautiful white mare with a purple mane of cascading curls, posed regally with one hoof up as if waiting to be kissed by a prince, Ministry Mare Rarity... Reading the inscription on the round stand "Be Unwavering" sent a surge of energy through me, restoring my exhausted body and flagging energy as soon as the words rang in my head.

"S-Sassy... this is... a-are you sure?" Seeing the three of them together filled me with that sense of 'rightness', but Sassy actually knew Rarity, she had obviously held onto this precious treasure for a long time, I couldn't just take it from her.

"I am Fast, please do this for me. I never knew how she made it... I always felt like it was a small piece of her watching over me, Zed's explanation makes a great deal of sense, I had sensed a sadness in her before the end... if only I knew... I believe he is correct, they belong together and with a pony worthy of her sacrifice, keep her safe for me, find her other friends so they can be with each other again as she wanted. That would make me very happy." Giving up the little piece of her friend's soul clearly hurt, but she meant it and it would be rude to refuse her heartfelt request. Giving a grateful bow I returned the trio of statues to my pack, promising I'd find a way to do as she asked and find the other three.

With all the gifts exchanged we sat together and ate, letting my pip-buck radio fill the early evening gloom with soft music as we talked and laughed together. With Glitter sitting between Jade and I happily I emptied my bags of some of the loot I had taken from Hubris, sorting it out and showing off my haul to the foal stuffing her face with snack cakes. She didn't properly appreciate my amazing find of The Shrouded Stallion #1, but at least feigned interest seeing how much I enjoyed it, though she was confused why I didn't take it out of the case to read it.

I did flip through some of the others with her, helping her practice her reading and catching her attention with all the pretty pictures. The Alicorn Angels comics were instantly her favorites, setting them on the floor in front of her while she ate and putting her matching toys out to hold the pages and act out the scenes. She kept the blue doll in her lap with her, brushing its mane as she read and snuggling against Jade when she leaned forward to help her sound out the bigger words. The temptation of the real blue alicorn above her became too great to resist eventually, reaching up reticently to brush Jade's cloudy pale mane as they read.

Glancing over to me with wide, warm eyes the alicorn mare held still awkwardly, enjoying the foal's attention and unwilling to interrupt or ruin it. The two of them were navigating a complex relationship together I had no idea how to help with, Glitter clearly loved Jade and looked on her as more and more of a motherly figure, but the blue mare wasn't her deceased mother she missed dearly.

For Jade's part there was no doubt she'd eagerly consider the foal a daughter, being a mother was still something she desperately wished for I couldn't help with. Thinking of that and vague daydreams of a future with Jade, I could see how the leader of the Church of Balefire could be manipulated by the Institute. It wasn't fair I could never have children with the alicorn mare if we wanted eventually, would any price be too high to fix that? What would I do if it meant giving Jade what she dreamed of?

The uncomfortable answer that sprang to mind was 'anything', making me look for some distraction from that sticky line of thought. Settling on Val who was being unusually quiet I trotted over to the griffon, suddenly very interested in whatever she was reading to herself. I hadn't seen her take any books from Hubris and comics didn't really seem her cup of tea. The leather bound folder and rough files it held confirmed that judgement and I sat beside her, leaning in to peek at what held her interest.

Noticing me staring over her shoulder Val raised an eyebrow and spread the papers out for me, "Files I took off'a Hound boss. He was one of the Gunner's best trackers, interesting reading, help keep ahead of them once they get back on our tail. Hound had a lot he was keeping tabs on besides just us too, if we could cash in on bounties it would be pretty useful stuff."

"Oh, I thought you were concentrating pretty hard over here. So what other kind of stuff is in here? If this Hound guy was such a great bounty hunter, who else was he...." Flipping through the papers while I spoke I froze on coming upon a familiar image at the top of a stack of clipped together papers.

Wanted: Krispy Kellog
Former Gunner Mercenary
Breach of Contract
Reward-- 25,000 caps

This poster was brand new... the reward was increased from 10,000 caps too. Nick said new ones showed up when he was spotted somewhere or the Gunners were fishing for leads on him. If one of their best trackers had this though... it was probably because he was hunting him, meaning he had been spotted somewhere... With shaky magic I pulled the clip away, flipping through pages of handwritten notes and maps before floating the poster over to Val, fighting to keep my voice steady.

"Val... Tell me everything you know about this pony..."

Squinting her violet eyes at the image of the cyber-pony Val gave a low whistle, "This guy... He's trouble, what do you want with him boss?"

"To kill him, a lot..."

---------------------------Level Up!---------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------

Atomic!------------
Keeping up with a radiation absorbing alicorn filly is hard work! In irradiated areas you gain +25% move and attack speed, +10% Damage resistance and +2 Strength. With excess rad levels your S.A.T.S. spell charge starts regenerating faster as well.

Quest Perk Added!-------------------

Be Unwavering----------
--The generous soul of Rarity helps you endure whatever the wasteland throws at you. You may have different ideas on fashion but you'd both do anything it takes for your friends. You gain +1 Endurance!

Ch. 26-- Guess Who I Saw Today

Going over the notes and maps Hound had gathered was only making that pounding, red rage pulse in my head louder and louder. I was right, the new wanted poster for Krispy Kellogg wasn't just the Gunners fishing for leads, he had been spotted recently and Hound had apparently tracked him down, I knew where to look for the bastard that killed my Stable...

"Boss look, you don't wanna mess with this guy ok? He's a legend, nobody who screws with Kellogg comes back, he's a founding member of the Gunners for Gawd's sake!" Val actually sounded concerned, hearing her try to talk me out of a fight was a weird bit of role reversal.

"I don't care Val. I'm going to find him and kill him, slowly..." Hound had a long list of sightings documented, all centered on some kind of installation to the west of Manebridge, not all that far south of Sanctuary actually.

"Don't get full of yerself boss! I ain't kiddin' here ok? This pony is what we tell little Gunners about to make em eat their veggies, be good little mercs or big bad Kellogg will come an' getcha! At least let me explain, don't go off half cocked like this, I'm the one that gets in stupid fights remember?!"

Jade and Glitter looked up from their reading with matching looks of wide eyed concern at the griffon pulling me away from the papers showing me where to go. "Fast... what is wrong? Who is this Kellogg pony you are speaking of killing so coldly? I do not like that tone in your voice when it comes out, calm down and explain."

I could feel my red eyes trying to burn even at the mare I loved and clenched them shut tightly, taking in a long, shaky breath and gritting my teeth to speak to the darkness. "You saw it Jade, you saw what he did. You remember back in 111? The freezer in the diner? The foals the owner of my knife died protecting? This is the pony that killed them, this is the merc that worked for the Institute and killed everypony on Shift 4, that kidnapped my family! I know you're right, I know I shouldn't let that part of me take over, but I promised those foals. I am going to find him and I am going to kill him, no matter what. I don't care how tough he is Val, I don't care if it's wrong to want revenge, I am going to do this. I'm.... I'm sorry...."

The alicorn princess grabbing me in a warm embrace made me open my eyes, blinking away the tears trying to collect there. Jade's presence was able to get through to me as always, forcing that dark Shroud in my head to retreat, held in check by her warmth and three little voices up there with it, "Be Kind...", "Be Strong!" and now "Be Unwavering."

"I remember Fast... I remember how that room affected you most of all, it hurts you and that hurts me. We will go and find this evil pony, but you must remain calm. Allow Valkyrie to speak, she seems to know of him better than you do yes? Please continue Valkyrie." Wrapping her wings around me Jade sat down softly, forcing me to sit in front of her, dragged down by her forelegs wrapped around my chest while she nuzzled behind me tenderly.

Glitter trotted over to sit beside me, trying to help comfort me while Val sighed and started flipping through the papers. "Alright... I didn't know he was the one who did that to your Stable boss... bout 80 years ago right? Timing lines up then, who knew. I still don't think it's a good idea though. Here's the deal, once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria, around 100 years ago or so, there was this big, bad raider that damn near took over the wasteland.

Crazy pink bitch, got up to some real nasty business, raised an army, took apart a whole base of Steel Rangers, blew up towns, you name it ok... One of what ya might call her proteges was Kellogg, young buck at the time that joined her crazy raider army. Now, evil pink pony eventually gets taken down, by some fat trader of all things if you believe the stories... Her army falls apart, the wasteland moves on, happy ending all around, or as good as it gets in this world anyway. Kellogg made enough of a name for himself it was in his best interest to get the hell out of Equestria, so he ends up in the Commonwealth, tougher than yer average raider so he becomes a merc.

Fast forward a few years, one thing leads to another and Kellogg helps put together the Gunners, long story there and not really that relevant right now. Main point is, he's one of the toughest of the tough, started the business and helped establish the brand ya know? Gunners get the job done if you got the caps, everything goes peachy for awhile, then Kellogg gets his last contract...

You know how folks keep tellin' ya you ain't the first who's gone after the Institute boss? Well Kellogg is a good example of what they mean. Used to be a pretty fancy town down south at the time called University Point, well there is now too, but it ain't the same one. Anyway, the U.P. a century ago was pretty rich an' fancy, did good for themselves, handled a lot of trade down that way. So one day the Institute pisses off one of the rich ponies down there, who even knows how, maybe they kidnapped somebody, or killed em, or replaced em, whatever. You know pretty well just how bad they can tick folks off right?

Well rich pony has the caps to do somethin' about it they figure, hires the Gunners to go get the Institute, spares no expense. Nobody knows shit about the Institute back then, like even less than they do now. So hot new merc crew figures they'll take on the eggheads, make a name for themselves, send their best after em. Kellogg goes off to bust Institute heads, then Kellogg disappears.

No big deal, everybody figures he's dead, kinda a loss for the company but not so bad since he's a prick and dangerous, probably saved em from tryin' to take him out themselves later. Nobody's that broken up about it, until Kellogg shows back up... Bout a year after they took out the contract on the Institute, University Point gets wiped off the map, rich pony who took out the contract ends up strung up at the gates by his guts. Only survivor of the massacre says big, bald cyber-buck came into town alone, killed em all.

So you see, not only does he not complete his contract, he breaches it in the most spectacular way possible. Kills the employer, not good for business... Gunners are righteously pissed, put out a bounty for Kellogg to save face, 'cept every hit crew that goes after him ends up dead too, messily dead... Send a message dead...

Kellogg starts being a ghost story, he ain't takin' jobs away from the Gunners since he's workin' for the Institute, and goin' after him is gettin' expensive, so the guys in charge say screw it. They leave the posters up, let freelancers get killed and hope the problem goes away. Which it sorta does, Kellogg keeps a low profile, but he does keep showing up so they gotta keep puttin' up posters, hope they get lucky. Cept this just makes him more of a legend cause he never goes away completely, no matter how many years pass Kellogg's still out there, still looks the same an' still leaves a trail of destruction when he shows up.

If Kellogg was the one who took yer Stable boss... well that musta been not long after he started workin' for the Institute, years basically line up anyway. You see what I mean now? 90 years of a bounty that just keeps goin' up and he's still kickin', this ain't a pony you mess with."

"I'm going to mess with him..."

Groaning Val threw her claws up and took a long drink, "Knew you were gonna say that... Don't say I didn't warn ya boss. Oh well, what the hell, if anybody can do it you probably got a good shot boss, ya keep surprisin' me doin' pretty impossible shit. Just don't take this guy lightly alright? If you insist on doin' this I'd rather it be with a freakin' army..."

Jade's worried nuzzling and the anxious stare Glitter gave me made me take her seriously, I couldn't let this go but I had family counting on me. I couldn't lose my head or underestimate what I was determined to do. I really wished I could do as Val joked and go after him at the head of an army, but I couldn't bring that kind of force to bear on this Fort... checking my pip-buck map for the name of the place my eyes lingered on the area. I couldn't bring an army... but maybe I could bring help...

"Do you know anything about this Fort Haygone Val? Where Hound says he's hiding?"

Tapping at her own pip-buck Val squinted at the map and thought carefully, "Not much, some old Equestrian Army installation, big place, small town around it. Used to be farmland before the war, threw the place up overnight so town and fort are called Haygone, Hay Gone get it..."

Looking over the path there and what was nearby I started coming up with the basics of an idea, I'd have to keep the overwhelming desire to go directly there in check, but with any luck I could go in somewhat prepared. Thinking on who I meant to visit I felt a little bad, Jade hadn't gotten the chance to get ahold of the I was thinking of yet, I'd be bringing the ire of an alicorn princess with me down on her head...

"Alright, we'll take this slow and be careful, I am going after Kellogg though. First I think we need to sneak out tonight like we planned, but head north to Manebridge. We can split up with Sassy there and point her to Hexington and Sanctuary beyond, you should be safe getting there when we leave you Sassy. We have to go visit some ponies I said I would awhile back, you get to meet those Brotherhood ponies I told you about Jade...."

Any hopes I had that the big alicorn filly had forgotten about the former Enclave pegasus Summer Wind disappeared watching her blue eyes narrow above me as she huffed, "Oh? Good... I still wished to speak with that pegasus you told me about Fast. Valkyrie filled in certain details about your time together you neglected to mention, I am most interested in discussing things with this mare..."

Scowling over at Val I caught her snickering behind her claws, trying to look innocent while she gathered together the strewn papers. She didn't have to take such great delight in tweaking Jade's jealousy, the pegasus had been friendly and didn't deserve what was coming her way.

I still had my doubts Val's appraisal of her interest in me was anything but more of the griffon's teasing anyway. I had been lucky enough to finally find a mare that liked me, such things did not happen repeatedly. My pip-buck at least distracted me from the thought, chiming and scrolling text in my vision, something nice and simple for once, reflecting my thoughts on the subject.

Mission Added-- Reunions

Objective-
--Kill Kellogg

Waiting on the north side of the bridge to Manebridge as the first hints of dawn lit the sky to the east, I checked over my pip-buck map again and all the assorted markers I had accumulated in Diamond City. We'd be passing right by the ruins of the Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology on our way, I didn't expect to find much but still wanted to take a look.

Watching the progress of Zed's locator tag along with the new one I had just added, I looked around the wide avenue just off the river and spotted the group of ponies I was hoping for approaching. The newly reopened river crossing was on the list of places Val and I in particular had to avoid being spotted at in fear of Gunner patrols, though hopefully they were thrown off the trail for a little while by Val's ruse back in Hubris Comics. Just in case, Jade and Val had flown Glitter and myself across the river in the dark, leaving Zed and AssaultJack to escort Sassy Saddles across the bridge and rejoin us.

The group was trotting over to us where we kept off the street, in the ruins of a large bank associated with the university in this area. Val had amused herself rummaging around in the vault, picking open ancient safety deposit boxes and searching for any hidden treasures that had survived the centuries. Jade and I stayed at the lobby, waving out of the shattered glass doors silently to allow the foal draped over the alicorn mare's wide back to continue sleeping.

Taking a final cautious look around, Sassy lead the group they had retrieved from the bridge, her new pip-buck glinting on her rotting hoof. The fashionable ghoul had surprised me when I presented the gift to her, holding the arcano-tech device out on her outstretched hoof critically a moment before her horn glowed and the dull green color shifted to a rich purple matching her dress.

Her knowledge of spells relating to creating clothing gave her access to the interesting bit of magic to change the color of the accessory on the spot. She even offered me a copy of it, though I doubted it was within my skillset, even better she agreed happily to change my own to a dark black, blending in with my coat and Shrouded Stallion armor.

Zed and AssaultJack followed close behind, trailed by a trio of Minutemares who were stationed at the bridge, guarding the passage and offering aid to travelers. The new pip-buck and the note I wrote Sassy had helped convince them to follow them here, now that they were in sight I caught the awed stares they were giving Jade beside me. Well, meeting the patron princess of the group they were part of had to be a unique experience for the group of young ponies wearing the blue and tan uniforms, the filly staring at me managed to remind me I was also apparently a big deal thanks to Preston's stories.

"Umm... thanks for coming you guys, I would have met you on the bridge but that's probably not the best idea right now. I appreciate you meeting us here."

The sharp salute the three Minutemares snapped off was a little embarrassing, though I didn't have to deal with the low bows and curtsy Jade received at least. The filly in the middle hurriedly grabbed her tan hat from her head, revealing the flowing orange mane beneath before smacking her two stallion companions into following suit and stammering out a reply.

"N-Not at all sir! It's an h-honor to meet you General! And you Princess Jade! W-We actually won the chance, everypony at the bridge wanted to come! How can we help sir?!"

Digging out the letters I had written at the Commonwealth Carousel from my trenchcoat, I gave one over to the excited light tan mare and floated the others over to Sassy. "This is my good friend Sassy Saddles, she's heading to Sanctuary at Princess Jade's invitation and I was hoping to arrange an escort for her. I know the route is a lot safer thanks to you guys, but she hasn't travelled the Commonwealth in a long time. I also have a letter here for Preston Gardens if you could report to him when you get there? Sassy has some more correspondence for him and a few others, but this is... er.... official Minutemare stuff. Do you think you could help us out here maybe?"

The cute unicorn mare took the offered envelope in her mouth reverently, tucking it in her tan duster and saluting so sharply I was afraid she'd bashed her own head, nearly knocking off her jaunty hat. "Yes sir!! I'll protect Miss Saddles and deliver this vital communique personally! I-It's an honor sir, I c-can't believe I get to help the Shroud himself! Y-You look just like I pictured..." The mare blushed furiously and shuffled on the spot, unknowingly playing with fire as Jade stepped forward and narrowed her blue eyes.

"Hey... who says you get to do it Amber... he asked all of us!" The pale blue stallion beside her instantly took exception to her taking control of the mission and fumbled for the letter with his magic.

"Cause he asked me stupid! An' I'm the highest ranking Minutemare here!" The young pony crossed her hooves over her coat, pinning the letter where it was and sticking her tongue out at her companions.

The green buck beside the grumbling unicorn stallion snorted and stamped his hooves, "Oh big deal, you joined three days earlier than we did! We should flip for it like we did to come out here!"

Jade smiled sweetly and gave a small cough for attention, instantly making the two stallions stop arguing and stare over to her with wide, lovestruck eyes, making me glower at the duo. "Now, now, friends should not fight over doing good should they? You are all Minutemares, those who remain are still doing important work, protecting ponies who need your help here. Your friend already has the letter, there is no reason to complicate things. I am counting on you two to keep this bridge open and safe for everypony. MY Fast and I appreciate your volunteering to escort our friend young miss..."

The trick of simultaneously speaking as a gracious and kind princess giving her what she wanted, while also looming over the Minutemare filly to stare down her nose at her was pretty impressive. The poor pony gulped nervously when Jade curled a wing over me possessively and let 'MY Fast' toll out in a tightly controlled use of her goddess voice.

The young Minutemare shivered faced with the big alicorn princess smiling at her and retreated to Sassy, giving another nervous salute and curtsy as her companions snickered. The poor mare had really picked the wrong day to even attempt flirting, I had the sinking feeling Jade was just warming up for getting in range of the former Enclave pegasus we were on our way to meet.

Val made her way out of the vault, the pockets of her new leather duster jingling with whatever she had found, joining us in giving Sassy a heartfelt goodbye. A gentle nudge got Glitter to blink sleepily from between Jade's wings, her eyes popping open when I explained the ghoul was leaving. The little filly leapt down from Jade's tall back and scampered over to Sassy, jumping up to hug her neck tightly.

"Bye Miss Sassy! I really liked learnin' stuff from you! I can't wait to see your new store when we get to go home! C-Can I come and learn more when we do? I'll miss you!"

A tear ran down her leathery, pale blue cheek and Sassy gave the foal a warm embrace with her long legs, smiling and sniffling down to her. "Of course! I look forward to it very much Glitter, you can be my little apprentice any time you like."

Patting her silvery mane I stepped forward to join her and gave the old ghoul my own hug, running into her had been a welcome distraction from my problems and I was glad we had been able to help her. I looked forward to seeing her back in Sanctuary when we could return as well, I hoped to see her find a home there and was sure the shop she planned to open would be amazing.

"Be careful Sassy, your escort sounds like she'll get you home safe but I don't want anything to happen to either of you. Thanks again for everything, you helped me a lot more than you know. I can't wait to shop at your new store back home and seeing what all you make for Jade. I umm... I don't think what your old partner did was right, I promise that won't happen in Sanctuary and I... I'm gonna find a way to do something about what Countess Couture did, get back what's rightfully yours somehow."

She favored me with a sad smile and shook her head, "It is all in the past, I appreciate the thought though Fast. Little Candy sounds like she turned out to be a rotten old mare, that makes me sad... we were friends once. Still, I have new friends and a future to look forward to again thanks to you fine folks. I will focus on that and make the new Commonwealth Carousel even better than the last! Just as Miss Rarity would want. Having a real princess to work for is such a treat, I will be sure to craft her a few things I'm sure you'll find to your liking as well hmm?"

Sassy's sly smile and raspy laugh made me blush as Jade joined me, shaking her offered hoof daintily and giving a flushed smile at the ghoul's amusement. "Thank you again for your hard work Sassy, I do love my new coat so. Fast is a great admirer of your other work as well, both his own costume as well as m-mine... I am sure he eagerly anticipates what else you come up with..."

I took one last opportunity to make sure Sassy knew how her new pip-buck worked, taking special care to demonstrate the map and showing her eventual destination. She had been quick to grasp the basics when I presented it to her earlier, explaining Ministry Mare Rarity had her own that she had shown her ages ago. With it in place I could at least keep an eye on her and confirm she made it safely to Sanctuary via her locator tag.

We all watched them go down the cracked streets as the sun slowly crested the horizon, a ghoul from old Equestria who remembered the world as it was and her dear friend Rarity. I sometimes felt a little odd out here, realizing I had more in common with pre-war ghouls than most ponies I met, we were both out of time and finding our way in this world as best we could.

Once Sassy and the Minutemare with her passed out of view we started walking, putting the sunrise at our backs and strolling down the empty streets. Manebridge was a pretty fancy part of town and must have been quite a sight before the war, skeletal trees poked up from the wide sidewalks in front of a variety of shops and housing. Now that I knew it was here I assumed it was all centered around the C.I.A.T. campus ahead of us, there were book stores, coffee shops, bakers, clothing shops with tattered school shirts and jackets in the faded displays, even a number of parks scattered about.

As the sun climbed in the sky it lit the crumbling white edifice ahead of us, a huge, multi winged building, a large dome atop the main structure. The cracked and dry fountain with two once elegant statues on the wide lawn in front of us was familiar, this was where the department heads of the Institute took the picture I had seen.

I took the time to divert our course through the campus, exploring the huge, echoing halls slowly but was met only with disappointment. Everything Piper and others had told me was true, the school had been picked over with a fine toothed comb over the years, leaving nothing of interest behind. Oddly there weren't even any wasteland creatures nesting in any of the buildings or signs of any residents in a long time. I ended my tour in the cavernous library, surprised to find even it was completely emptied of books, would scavengers totally clear every shelf in the huge room?

Exiting a pair of shattered glass double doors into the morning light I gave a sigh and followed the wide walk across the barren yard to where it split into several smaller trails. Skeletal trees and desiccated bushes were everywhere here, it must have been a well manicured grounds. I hadn't held out a lot of hope for finding anything but it was still a shame. Walking beneath the dead canopy I stopped in my tracks when my pip-buck chimed in my ear, flashing text in my vision; "Discovered Location: Moondancer's Cottage" I had?

Looking around slowly I didn't see much and wondered what my pip-buck was being triggered by, how did it even get location tags for places anyway? It seemed to identify pre-war and post-war places with equal ease, so which was this? Some pre-war address that was added to the database for some reason? Peering through the shadows I spotted something covered by a lot of vegetation and ruin, a small building? Well it said cottage...

We weren't on a real tight schedule right now, we'd need to meet Preston once Sassy and her escort delivered their letters, but that would be a couple days from now, so if I wanted to go poking around there wasn't much to stop me. Walking forward through the dead growth slowly I made out the shape of a small hut with a tall, peaked roof, nearly totally covered up and hidden. The place looked mostly ruined, somehow even worse than most wasteland ruins, I got the distinct impression this place wasn't in great shape even before the balefire bombs dropped.

Val stepped up beside me and checked her weapons, raising an eyebrow at the ruin and glancing at me. "Who the hell is Moondancer and why is this wreck worth its own label boss?" Well this function worked on everyone's pip-bucks then, unlike the weird mission tracking system only mine seemed to engage in.

"I don't know... These things don't tend to assign special labels to stuff unless its important though... like my knife, I would have thought it was just a normal cooking knife if it didn't give it a name and a crazy high value. It doesn't look like anybody's ever been in here does it? I wouldn't have found it if my pip-buck didn't know about it, I think we should take a look..."

Pulling at what looked like an ivy covered stump next to me with my magic revealed a rusting mailbox, no name was listed here, just a painted symbol of a crescent moon and three stars. Val shrugged and dug out her large, prop broadsword she had taken the time to sharpen, flapping forward to start hacking at all the years of growth covering the tiny building.

Looking around while she worked it all seemed pretty odd, this was part of the C.I.A.T. campus, just a large park on the grounds, a couple blocks back the way we came was only the library building. Somepony lived in this little hut here on the grounds? The symbol on the mailbox looked vaguely familiar too but I couldn't place it.

Jade trotted up beside me and stared up at the cottage slowly being revealed as I asked AssaultJack to help out, the robotic mare instantly clicked her long foreleg blades in place and ran forward, slicing the obstacles to ribbons while Val flew above. Pulling all the dead growth away wasn't improving things much, it was a small cottage with a tall, peaked roof covered in moss, almost slumping in on itself, a broken stone chimney peeked up towards the skeletal branches that had hidden the structure. Zed watched the production with interest, strolling through the dead woods around the building after a few moments.

Whispering to allow the foal sleeping on her back again to continue, Jade cocked her head as the building took shape and AssaultJack cleared the purple wooden door. "This is a strange little cottage is it not Fast? Do you think it is safe?"

Looking at Glitter snoring between the alicorn's wings fitfully I answered quietly, "Probably, let me and Val go take a look first. It'll be a good place to hide if we ever need to around here if nothing else."

Jade gave a trusting nod as I drew my silenced pistol and walked up to the rounded door with a crescent moon window, Val landed beside me while I shoved at the ancient barrier fruitlessly. Lowering her shoulder into it with me got the door to slowly creak open, revealing musty darkness beyond. Shoving it open a little more Val pushed me away and turned on her own light, insisting on doing her bodyguard duties and poking her head in first. Nothing bit it off at least and she squeezed into the open portal silently, leaving me to follow behind her swishing tail, turning on my own pip-buck light.

When my eyes adjusted to the dim light I stood looking up in awe for a moment, idly wondering if somehow all the books from the school's massive library had been moved into this tiny cottage. That was truly all I could make out for several minutes, books upon books upon books, floor to ceiling. Tall stacks of books, piles of dusty scrolls, walls of ancient tomes that must be held up by shelves, books in the shape of tables so presumably covering some kind of furniture, books in heaps nearly burying a cushioned seat, books forming aisles that led deeper into the small building.

E.F.S. showed nothing and this place wasn't big enough for anything to be hiding out of its range, so presumably it was safe, except for the possibility of an avalanche of books.... book-alanche? It actually seemed a possibility in here. Val immediately looked bored not spotting anything else right off, but this was probably quite the treasure trove, just not her preferred form of loot. I knew one mare who would appreciate it though and stuck my head back out of the door, waving Jade forward into the building.

The large alicorn had to force her way through the narrow door which I could now see was blocked by piles of more books on this side, once she was inside she gasped in wonder though. The narrow pathways made her look pretty daunted at the prospect of trying to navigate her big blue body around in here, so she settled on floating up a train of books to clear some room for her to move comfortably, inspecting the tomes as they passed her gaze.

"Many of these are spellbooks Fast... very old ones... Treatises on magic, ancient research and theory, rare spells... you should go through some of them! That is not all there is though... just from what I am seeing here it would seem any subject you may be interested in is probably represented somewhere in this library... Oh! A 1st edition of Principles of Magic! A Canterlot Journal of Internal Medicine I have not read! and a Big Book of Arcane Sciences! Applied Gemstones! I wonder who lived here? They must have dearly loved learning, we must find a way to transport these home somehow, they are far too valuable to remain in this place."

Poking her head up from behind a small mountain of books Val shot the alicorn a greedy look, "Valuable? This stuff? Not like the boss' comics right Blue?"

Floating the books she had set aside into her bags, Jade gave me an indulgent smile and shook her head. "Fast's books were valuable before the war like these, as you pointed out though his have probably not retained their value, these most certainly have. They are not for sale though Valkyrie, we should keep them."

Shrugging at her Val started digging through the piles with fresh interest, "Hording stuff is fine too, long as it's worth somethin'. Hey, those two Minutemare bucks looked like they'd fight each other for the chance to do you a favor Blue, why don'cha go back and have them start shippin' this stuff outta here. Just go give em a little wiggle an' say its a favor fer the princess, they'll jump off that bridge of theirs if you want. If it's good loot we can't leave it sittin' here, we done cleared all the camouflage off this place now. Wooo! Duck an' Cover! They gots books on explosives even!"

Jade looked around at the treasure and gave me a conflicted expression, clearly agreeing with the griffon's assessment on getting these out of here. The thought of ordering ponies around obviously made her uncomfortable though, especially a couple of young bucks Val delighted in pointing out could easily be manipulated to do whatever the beautiful mare wanted. Not that I liked the idea of their naked infatuation either...

Sighing I shoved the green eyed monster down and smiled over to her, floating Glitter from between her wings and over to a tattered armchair I had to uncover. "First of all... my books are to valuable... Seriously though she's right Jade, you are the Minutemare's patron and Princess of Sanctuary, if you ask I'm sure they'll start clearing them out of here and get them home for you. Er... without the wiggling... only I get that.

Getting ponies to do things is kinda part of being a princess I think, you're not demanding anything right? You want this stuff for good reasons too, not to sell and make yourself caps but for your... um... subjects? For regular ponies, to help others, preserve history for them, teach and all that, that's what a good princess does. Why you got your mark right? I think it's ok for you to ask for this, go ahead and fly back real quick, we'll stay here and go through it."

Beaming at the reassurance she carefully picked her way over and gave me a grateful kiss, "T-Thank you Fast, I believe you are right, I will do as you say and return shortly. I will also refrain from any... 'wiggling', you are certainly the only stallion who receives such treatment." With a bright giggle she turned to leave and demonstrated what those bucks didn't get to enjoy, her billowing tail swishing around her, causing my face to heat up.

Calling after her I had to make sure she put on the proper appearance, just to be sure it was clear this was a royal request and not a chance to impress the decidedly unavailable alicorn filly. "You have to wear the crown!"

Jade froze at the door and shrunk into her wings, blushing brightly as she dug in her bags and floated out the only piece of her Alicorn Angel costume anybody else was allowed to see, the delicate golden tiara with the blue jewel settled in her cloudy mane and she tapped her hooves in front of her nervously. "V-Very well... if you insist..." Looking up with her wide blue eyes brought a small smile to her face, seeing me admire how cute she looked bolstered her confidence and she squeezed her way back out the door quickly, launching herself into the air with a gust outside.

That left me with a mountain of books to investigate, though I was actually more curious about what was under all the literature. So far I hadn't seen much of anything beyond books in here, not a single sign of who lived in this place or why all these books were here. The stacks of books covered everything and made it difficult to even make out what were actual doorways to other areas of the cottage and what were just part of the maze of books.

Picking my way around carefully I still knocked over a tottering stack, waking Glitter up who rubbed her pink eyes slowly before they widened taking in the strange place she found herself in. I trotted over quickly and mussed her mane, "Sorry sweetie, go back to sleep if you want, we just found something interesting is all."

The little filly stared around in wonder and looked up at me, "I didn't know there was this many books in the whole world dad! What is all this?"

Following her as she crawled down from her perch and started cautiously wandering through the maze I scratched my mane sheepishly, "That's a good question, we just ran across the place, Jade had to run out for a minute so we can take all these books home. I'd like to know more about who lived here, but I can barely find my way around here."

Grinning the foal bounded off ahead of me faster than I could follow, I was a smaller pony but the filly could crawl through the maze with an ease I couldn't match. She worried me that one misstep could bury her under a lot of heavy tomes, but she kept talking so I could keep track of her, calling out happily through the gloom and waving off my concern.

"Me an Twinkle used'ta go scavenging in all kinds of places like this daddy! Well not made of books, but little places full of junk ya know! I'm good at findin' stuff like this, oh hey a bathroom, why would anypony have all these books in here? Hang on... Kitchen... nothin' but packages of somethin' called.... Ra-Men? Lots of coffee too! Hey, here's a bedroom! Um... still mostly books, even on the bed? Oh wait, desk... I got it!"

The series of thumps and crashes well past where I could see was making me nervous, thankfully she came squeezing back out of a nearby pile, covered in dust and giving a tiny sneeze around an object in her mouth she set in front of me with a flourish. A small, glowing ball rolled across the floor as she shook herself off and beamed at her prize, pointing over her shoulder excitedly. "The bedroom's that way dad! Um.. there may be other stuff back there you wanna see, I dunno, that was all glowy though, it usually means it's good right?"

Putting a hoof down on the pale lavender memory orb I patted her head gratefully, "Yes, glowy is good Glitter. This is a memory orb, it's... well it's a way to see other pony's memories. I bet it will say something about whoever lived here. In order for me to look at it I have to kinda go to sleep for a little while though ok? I won't wake up till its over, even if you shove me or pour water on me, is that alright?"

She gave me a dubious look, but nodded slowly, more interested in what would happen I imagined. "Ooook... will it hurt dad?"

"Nope, it really is just like going to sleep, er... sorta. I have heard of some of these having security on them.... but that's really rare I promise! Val! Glitter found a memory orb, I'm going to take a look alright? She knows where the other rooms in this place are if you want to clear that way while I'm out?"

One of the griffon's dark claws shot up behind a wall of books and waved dismissively, "Ugh, those things... Sure boss, take yer little nap, leave me to do all the work! C'mon kiddo, show me which way to dig!"

The pale foal sat in front of me waiting, staring at the glowing ball like it may bite and yelling over her shoulder to Val. "Just a minute! I wanna see!"

Sitting next to her I wrapped a hoof around her shoulder to comfort her with a confident smile, reaching out to the orb with my magic. "Here I go!"

Books... Of course, even the memory orb in this place would be full of books...

These were at least organized and broken up by things like furniture, shelves, windows, lights... A library? The C.I.A.T. library, just full of books instead of totally empty. It was hard to get a decent look around as the... mare? Yeah, missing equipment, a mare... as she wasn't really looking up from the huge tome spread open in front of her.

I had to try to take in details through her peripheral vision, which was exceptionally bad and partially blocked by some kind of black border? Oh, glasses... this mare was wearing thick glasses, no wonder everything past that black border was so fuzzy. This was really unfair, I didn't have any problems with my eyes, why shouldn't I be able to take in all the details just because hers were bad.

From what I could puzzle out through the blurry haze it was definitely the school library, rain drummed against the tall glass windows nearby and the long wooden desk she sat at was loaded with books beyond the big one she was reading right now. Whatever this one was it was way too advanced for me, some kind of high level spell book dealing with incredibly difficult magic.

If you weren't interested in the reading material there really wasn't a lot to take in so far, her reading material formed little walls around her. I really hoped this mare hadn't just recorded a memory of her reading her favorite book... Trying to occupy myself waiting for something to happen I took stock of what I could get from the memory. I already instantly gathered it was a mare, she was a unicorn like me too so nothing different there, being an alicorn had been more interesting.

Let's see... her mane wasn't in her face so no idea what color it was, her hooves crossed on the table in front of me were a cream color though. Her sleeves were white and long, though her chest felt kind of scratchy and warm so maybe she was wearing something thicker than they looked underneath. Nothing reflective was nearby so that was all I was going to get appearance wise.

Just when I was starting to get worried this really was the longest memory orb ever of a mare reading a book, a soft cough sounded in front of her, followed by an anxious, gentle voice.

"Um... Heeeey there Moondancer... l-long time no see huh?"

Oh come on! Even with somepony talking to her this mare kept staring at the gibberish book, barely deigning to answer in a bored voice. "Hmm... has it?"

The voice pressed gamely on, trying to sound bright and not nearly as nervous as the mare it belonged to obviously was. "Yeah! Er... not since when we were at Celestia's academy as fillies! Umm... It's me, Twi, don't you remember?"

The bored mare I was in finally had the courtesy to look up, making me gasp in shock at the mare she was ignoring. Sitting right in front of me... of her rather, right there was Twilight Sparkle! This mare was ignoring THE Twilight Sparkle? Maybe she was just so wrapped up in her book she hadn't...

"Of course I know it's you, you are rather famous Ministry Mare Sparkle. I also assumed you're busy as well, don't tell me this is a social call... I have no desire to reminisce."

Alright... so much for that thought, this Moondancer was amazingly rude, I thought I had trouble dealing with ponies but this mare took it to a whole new level. The lavender Ministry Mare in front of her looked sad, squirming in her seat and fidgeting with a dusty red box with a yellow bow held in her lap.

Well even if the mare I was in didn't care I could at least enjoy the company, having Twilight Sparkle sitting right there was amazing, even if it was vicariously. She was wearing a smart suit jacket and skirt, only a shade or two darker than her coat, bringing out the rich color of her sparkling eyes. She wasn't Jade, but she was a pretty mare, younger than I remembered seeing her as a foal but older than me.

Reaching her slender hoof out to touch Moondancer's made me goggle, I got touched by Twilight Sparkle, or knew what it felt like now anyway. This mare was one of the biggest celebrities in Equestria, favored student of Princess Celestia, bearer of the Element of Magic, savior of Princess Luna! The only thing that could top this was if Celestia or Luna themselves came trotting in for a hug.

"Look, Moondancer... I saw your promotion to Department head here and got to thinking... w-well ok, Spike reminded me... but I realize I wasn't a very good friend to you. Fluttershy had to come out to the Commonwealth for her meeting with you over at Mareford Memorial Hospital tomorrow, so I tagged along to try to make things up to you."

I... she... raised a fuzzy feeling eyebrow, "To what purpose?"

Twilight Sparkle fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably, looking up with a sad sigh. "Well, I really did feel bad about how I treated you when we were fillies Moondancer. I um.. I did a little studying to prepare too, I'm worried about you, you don't spend time with anypony at all do you? Just work... Don't you have any friends? A special somepony?"

"You're hardly one to talk Ministry Mare Sparkle. I don't know why you're wasting your valuable time coming here to talk to me, you made it clear I wasn't very important a long time ago. Don't you have a war to run? Ponyville friends to bother? As you said, I have my own work to tend to with my recent promotion and an important meeting tomorrow. Unless you really did come here to just spout nonsense about friendship I suggest you get to the point."

I felt mortified just feeling her mouth saying these horrible things to Twilight Sparkle, though the Ministry Mare's face hardened slightly and she moved on. "Alright, I will. I meant what I said but I did come here for more than just that. I've read your work and reports to the Ministry of Peace, I'm thinking about proposing a project I could use your help with, what do you know about stabilizing metamorphic magic? Applications for purified flux in pony biology? I'm working on a certain potion for the war effort..."

That got Moondancer's full attention for the first time, I could feel her eyes widen behind her glasses and she leaned forward. "Changing ponies? Interesting... There's the writings on molecular alteration of the ponies of the ancient Crystal Empire by Morital the Magnificent, Elements of Chaos by Starswirl of course, I read an interesting research proposal through my contacts with M.O.P. from a Dr. Trueblood not long ago as well. What are you thinking of changing them into exactly?"

Twilight gave a bright smile and leaned across the table to whisper her reply, "That's classified. It's something I think can change the course of the war though. I knew you were the pony to talk to Moondancer! I really am sorry for the past, I'm afraid I'm so busy these days I can't spend the time I should trying to fix what I did, but I would love to work with you on this. It would give me a chance to get to know you again, magical research with you... it will be just like back at the academy right? Please Moondancer, at least let us try to move forward together? I promise this is important and will definitely benefit from your skills."

Staring at the Ministry Mare's eager purple gaze the mare I inhabited may as well have been carved from stone, on the outside at least. Stuck in her head like this I could feel her hind legs fidgeting under the table and her stomach knot up, finally she sighed and nodded her head.

"Just from your cryptic comments it sounds intriguing. Don't let your guilt or friendship silliness get in the way of Arcane Science! but... very well, you have piqued my interest."

Clapping her hooves together excitedly Twilight floated the red present she had been holding, along with a sealed manilla folder, up to the table in her bright purple magic, grinning happily and glancing down at the advanced looking pip-buck under her suit's sleeve. "I'm not giving up there! H-Here, Spike found this for you, I... I meant to give it to you a long time ago. Here's the outline and early formulations I've been thinking of, this is all top secret of course, but I trust you ok? Thanks so much Moondancer!"

Grumbling she reached a hoof out to the folder, putting what felt like an unimpressed look on her face at the thin bundle stamped with the seal of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences and TOP SECRET! across the cover. She totally ignored the dusty box on the table with its tattered yellow ribbon, but from the inside I could feel her darting little glances at it.

"Yes, yes... now if that's all I do have to prepare to meet your fellow Ministry Mare at Mareford. I have my own research to present you know."

Scooting back from the table Twilight tapped through her pip-buck rapidly, looking harried at whatever she was reading there. "Of course! I'm so busy I'm being run ragged, I have a dozen meetings here in the Commonwealth after this one. I look forward to coming with Fluttershy tomorrow though, some of what you've reported doing for the traumatic brain injuries and coma victims there is fascinating. I'll see you then ok, can't wait to hear what you think, maybe you can show us somewhere to get lunch in Trotson before we leave? Oh, running late! See you soon!"

In a purple flash the Ministry Mare teleported away, leaving us staring at the folder and glancing around the quiet library. A pale lavender field of her magic finally reached out and snatched the red box to her large, book laden bags as the memory faded away.

I came back to my body with a gasp and sputtered on a snout full of water, jerking upright I shook my soaked mane in surprise to Val's hooting laughter. When I could see straight I spotted Glitter sitting in front of me, holding a hoof up to her muzzle trying to choke back the laughter making her cheeks puff out, her pink eyes wide and apologetic under the brim of my black hat.

"W-What!?" I coughed and hacked, looking around for the tittering griffon somewhere in all these books with a scowl.

Tugging my hat down anxiously Glitter meekly answered, getting herself under control. "Y-You said you wouldn't wake up, even if I dumped water on you... I told Miss Val an'...."

Zed nearly startled me out of my skin, speaking up softly behind me as he sat on a pile of books and read a thick tome in his hooves, the title "Supernaturals" embossed on the leather cover. "She did try to stop the griffon. Young Glitter managed to spare your hat..."

My ire at Val was cut short seeing she had cleared a haphazard path to a door in the back of the cottage, she came out snickering with her claws full of books she dumped to the side in a heap. "What you get for sleepin' while I'm doin' all the heavy liftin' boss. Now get up lazy, found somethin' back here for you to put them skills to work on."

Grabbing my hat with my magic and carefully picking up the pale lavender memory orb in my mouth, I trotted over to the newly cleared area. Very interested in anything else this place could offer up now thanks to the glowing globe I put in my bags. I raised an eyebrow at the heaps of books the griffon had been tossing out of her way carelessly as I followed her into the bedroom.

"You could be a little more careful with this stuff Val, a lot of them are old and valuable... Jade won't be happy when she gets back."

With a snort she shoved me to a freshly excavated desk holding a terminal, "We ain't sittin' here cataloging every little thing in here boss, I ain't no librarian and we can't take forever. Now crack this thing, maybe it'll have a clue for some real loot or somethin'."

The terminal belonging to the head of the Institute Biosciences division did greatly interest me, I wanted a different sort of clue though. "Alright, give me a little time, I'm betting this one is going to be a little trickier than normal Val."

Rolling her eyes Val groaned and left me to it, causing a trail of crashes as she went to start clearing a new path to other areas of the house, hoping for treasures she appreciated more than all the books. Glitter had followed me in and wandered about quietly, able to get to more areas than she had when she was here before. Her squeak behind me made me stop on my third attempt at the password, backing out before the terminal locked and looking back to her stare and pointing hoof.

"Look dad! A poster of the Angels! Can I have it? Why would whoever liked all these boring books want that?" There was indeed a large, glossy color poster of the full crew of Alicorn Angels hung on the wall, partially obscured by stacks of books and scrolls on the covered furniture below it.

Taking a moment to wrap the poster in my magic and carefully pull it from the wall I answered the excited little filly, "There's a reason... I'll explain later if you're interested, when Jade gets back ok?" Here you are sweetie, all yours." I snaked the poster out from behind all the books and rolled it up, adding a nearby bound collection of the comics full run and lowering them to her eager hooves. Looking up from smiling at her hugging the presents to herself happily, I stared at the bright gap on the wall, the comic poster had concealed a wall safe... "Val! Something for you..."

I heard the griffon charge back into the room and give a whoop while I returned to the stubborn terminal, her claws immediately clicking against metal while I tapped away through the high end security, cracking it with a relieved sigh. The safe didn't sound like it was any easier than the terminal from Val's quiet curses under her breath behind me, giving me time to read what looked like a series of journal entries focused on various projects by the titles.

I.M.P. Entry #3--
Twilight teleported in again, interrupting my reading with her continued attempts at friendship before she finally got to more interesting discussion. Hearing my own name is the only part of the visits I enjoy, security concerns don't make being called 'Dala' any easier. I wish she'd give up already on her misplaced concern, my subjects provide me all the pony interaction I require and they're quiet. I wish I had access to the resources at her command through her Ministry however, her plans for the facility in the desert are impressive and should serve quite well. I do find the prospect rather exciting, the thought of transforming into the body she has planned is tempting, perhaps when the process is complete and well tested.

T.B.I.R. Entry # 19--
Results continue to improve at Mareford, one of our long term subjects was able to complete the basic cognitive test at last. Helping these veterans and civil servant ponies is good press and keeps the funding from M.O.P. rolling in, but I am becoming more intrigued at applying the results to our more hopeless cases, taking the idea further... They signed the waivers after all, Robronco's Brain-bots showed the pony-machine interface can work one way, why not in the other direction?

Sharing my subjects with the other divisions is bothersome however, Swirl from Reverse Engineering keeps coming around and testing out his magical hoodoo, as if cutie marks are that significant. I have isolated my favorite subjects and declared them off limits, most have no family anyway and are easy to claim. #18 especially is to remain mine, such a body just going to waste is a shame, I enjoy tending to it privately, it's not something for Swirl to play with.

S.P.F. Entry #7--
Working with Klein is so tiresome, he demands perfection when the nuances of the flesh are lost on him and his robots. It isn't like slapping on some metal plating! Mobius had some helpful ideas once I was able to get the dottering pegasus to focus on the subject, the materials his creative types have sent over seemed to placate Klein and I have begun working with Theoretical Imagineering to make a suitable synthetic.

I am well aware of where these requests are coming from, despite the potential in other avenues I simply cannot see how this idiot Watts could consider false flesh acceptable versus the warmth of the real thing. Though if the two could be combined... Living flesh with their little project? That is a thought even I find myself warming up to... Far too advanced a project to even mention now, and expensive. I can cover their synthetic if I pitch it to M.O.P. as something to use in prosthetics for wounded vets, this idea will have to remain a personal daydream for now.

I.M.P. Entry #9--
I find myself warming to Twilight's visits, distracting as she insists on making them. Her concern over my personal life or lack thereof takes up valuable time better spent elsewhere. I have noticed she is most insistent when returning from Hoofington trips, determined to force me into dealing with other ponies, go out socially, engage in meaningless courtship rituals. Perhaps her constant advocating for the positives of being with others is not completely without merit however.

Renewing our... friendship... and our work together has made me consider how I have spent the years since Canterlot. I am becoming an old mare now and find myself occasionally regretting the absence of certain... pleasures... others engage in. Klein's project and its focus due to that stalker Watts' involvement force me to give thoughts to their more base desires I fear may be rubbing off on me, I concern myself with the flesh without truly knowing it.

Perhaps when Twilight's project is completed the I.M.P. could hold the potential of another chance, a new body to put to more exciting uses... For now I will content myself with what I have available to me, my excursions with Twilight are far too social and unlikely to yield any results at this late date, but I do have other avenues to explore.

T.B.I.R. Entry #27--
Moving my private stock of subjects out of the hospital has provided me new and exciting research opportunities best engaged in the privacy of my labs. The excavation of my facility has progressed far enough to make the location preferable for certain work like this, I should have pushed for construction sooner but it was not a priority before, and Klein, Gleam and Swirl were obnoxiously insistent their research facilities were more important. Granted with the work those three get up to they have a point, not things the outside needs to be made aware of, no amount of Vega's slick words would cover some of that up.

When the relay system is working properly I will be able to visit my little teddy bears any time I wish though, a prospect made much more tempting after my recent experiments. Only a few unfortunate accidents were needed before I worked most of the kinks out, the first subjects are now obedient little puppets, providing a discrete work force to help expand my new lab and prepare for the work I have planned.

I'll have to continue at Mareford Memorial, prove I am making progress and take advantage of my department's gifted ponies to improve the programming. Vega has been pestering me for a positive public relations story at the hospital as well, perhaps that police pony that was brought in, his wounds from that gangster have made him quite the hero to Trotson but he will never wake up. His mind should still be intact however, a scan will preserve it for the future goals of the project and seeing him up and about will be a media coup for C.I.A.T. even if he won't be that chatty. We can simply say he has a long road to recovery ahead of him.

S.P.F. Entry #15--
Now both Swirl and Gleam are pestering me over the first production run! Klein asked me to make it feel real, how am I supposed to know if it can hold a mark? Gleam at least finds the whole thing tiresome as well, but it is her spell even if she has lost interest in it. Swirl is just creepy about it, I keep telling him this project is not really something for Biosciences at this point and I have no idea how the synthetic will react. He was very excited when I let my theories for the future slip, at least that work would be more my domain as it would be biological matter. For now though I had to disappoint the weird stallion, they'll just have to try it out themselves and leave me out of it.

I.M.P. Entry #17--
Package from Manehatten today, hardly scientific materials but still interesting. That little project Twilight and I discussed she forwarded to the Ministry of Image is ready to move on to the test market here in Trotson. Silly stories for foals, but it should plant the seed of the idea in a whole generation of fillies nicely, smooth the way forward as the I.M.P. nears the test phase.

Looking over the artist depictions and Twilight's little joking present did put another vote in favor of undergoing the finished process. The stories are filled with morality tales and friendship, but the character design is most appealing and supposedly based on the notes Twilight provided, trying to be as accurate as possible. I only mentioned my willingness to volunteer for the transformation in passing, but her little toy she gave me is quite alluring, if it works that well I do think I could quite enjoy it.

T.B.I.R. Entry #32--
Success! My... private research has yielded very enjoyable results. I'm glad I worked most of the kinks out with the less pleasing subjects, leaving Subject #18 alone has been a struggle as the process has improved. He was well worth the wait however, all that warm stallion flesh withering away without a brain was a terrible waste. Intimacy is not nearly so daunting when the other pony is perfectly compliant, that burly body and its significant... assets... are up and about again, happy to do whatever I wish without a word.

I was forced to do a bit of er... research into subjects I had ignored most of my life, I knew ponies produced a wealth of such materials through print and holotape productions, but I had no idea there was so much! Using my personal funds became rather expensive at that lurid little shop, and I'm rather embarassed to discover I seem to be a bit of a voyeur, I suddenly found I had been sitting in front of my monitor straight through to dawn! But it was vital to the programming and the results... oh my the results...

I feel rather cheated I never engaged in such pursuits as a younger mare, the idea of the body the I.M.P. project could provide has become a good deal more exciting. When the potion is working I look forward to the prospect of being young and powerful, free to explore some of the things I watched and read about during my research. If it gives the flesh I expect it to I am sure confidence will be much easier, surrounded by cute little teddy bears like some of the stallions and mares I saw on holotape. Though I think I will keep subject #18 nearby still, my personal plaything when I don't feel like gracing the common ponies with my new body and brilliant mind.

I.M.P. Entry #22--
Twilight visited again, she seemed very tired and worried, but ready for the coming test. It ended up being more a social visit, which she looked to need, her obvious exhaustion didn't dull her wits however. That mare is very observant, noticing a change in me quickly that I had to speak around carefully. The truth that I had engaged in new social behavior and intimacy with another pony had her congratulating me happily, asking to meet the stallion I only gave vague details about, eventually excusing as a one night stand.

The best lies are often the truth, though I don't think she'll be meeting subject #18 or getting any more than that. Still, she was honestly happy for me, elicting a tinge of guilt... No matter, she need not know what I do to advance Arcane Science! She was the one who insisted on making me explore these aspects of myself I had been content to ignore. How I chose to do so is none of her business, and the end result is all that matters isn't it? #18's programming has improved as I added more to my collection, allowing me to fully educate myself without all the messy details of trying to engage in a relationship first.

Her first test subject apparently catered to other ponies doing the very same thing at one point. I didn't pay for the experience at least, I solved it myself! Now that I have learned what I like and that Twilight's nattering about friendship and love were with merit, I will continue and follow her advice. I discussed my hopes for her potion in regards to that and was met with an encouraging reception, she insists it is thoroughly tested first just as I do, but eventually accepted my reasoning. Offering a great deal of understanding and compassion when I explained becoming what she is about to create represents a new chance for me.

Hopefully I don't have long to wait, the first trial run is in only a few days on this Trixie, made even better as she's a mare my age and of similar health. With luck between the I.M.P. and her bypass research she hinted at having a breakthrough on, by this time next year the war will be over and I'll be in a new, young body with my very own wings! The future is looking bright, maybe I truly can forgive her and move on, live a real life with friends. Perhaps I will even return to Canterlot when I can fly there myself, look up Minuet, Twinkleshy and Lemonheart, get away from the Institute... That guilt I feel when she visits is not just over my own dalliances, I am beginning to think we have gone too far using the war as an excuse, maybe Mobius is right... With an end to the fighting in sight and the chance at a new body, I should change and make a new life.

I stared at the flickering screen, ignoring Val's triumphant yelp as she beat the hidden wall safe and the groan that followed when I heard it open with a squeal. "Are you kiddin' me! All that for junk?!"

I knew the Institute ponies were crazy and twisted, but reading about Moondancer's own brand of madness left me conflicted. She was friends with Twilight Sparkle, she couldn't have been all bad right? How could she have turned out like this, how had the world gotten to such a state?

Her clear issues with social interaction made me sympathize with one of the ponies in charge of the evil group I was determined to destroy. How she dealt with it though... that was right in line with everything I had learned about the Institute, that they didn't think if things were right or wrong, just did them if they thought they were interesting. Her entries on the assorted projects were kind of vague, but she worked in a hospital and experimented on her patients, using this Subject #18 as a plaything somehow to explore her personal desires.

She even seemed to realize her actions were wrong at the end and planned to change, made sadder by the knowledge Jade had provided me about the Goddess. The balefire bombs dropped during the first test she had been looking forward to, she wrote that last entry just days before the world ended. Maybe realizing her mistakes and having hope for the future, only to have it taken away in fire had made her go completely crazy and turned her into the Dr. Dala I had heard of.

I pushed away from the cluttered desk and looked up to the open safe Val was scowling at, floating out the contents that so disappointed her. A little Angel doll like Glitter's collection she instantly spotted and held her hooves out for, this one cream colored with a flowing rose mane streaked with purple, Moondancer's own cutie mark showing under the pristine charcoal skirt. Behind it was a tattered stuffed teddy bear and a framed picture I brought closer to examine while I let the foal have the bear and doll, she didn't need to know why it wasn't like the others.

The picture showed a group of five young unicorn fillies around a desk, a very young Twilight Sparkle and Moondancer had their heads buried in books, ignoring the camera the others posed for. A light blue filly with a blue and white mane, a pale pink with a darker mane of the same color, and a bright yellow with a blue mane smiled back at me. Her friends, before whatever happened to change her put her on the path to becoming Dr. Dala of the Institute.

Well... I had a new map marker for Mareford Memorial Hospital, downloaded her terminal entries to go over that gave me the names of more divisions of the Institute, and I had Kellogg waiting for me to direct my anger at in the immediate future. I wasn't sure I wanted to know more about the other division heads after what I learned, viewing this one as more than just a villain like Kellogg I felt no problem with finding and killing was an uncomfortable thought. Things were easier in comics like the Shrouded Stallion or the glossy Alicorn Angels collection Glitter was excitedly flipping through, bad guys were supposed to just be bad...

The sound of creaking carts outside and Jade's sweet voice calling from the door let me shake off my thoughts thankfully, "Fast!? I have returned, where are you hiding? I seem to have found more Minutemare volunteers than just the two we met earlier, could you join me please?"

Right, following the foal bounding out to the ringing voice I tucked the picture away in my bags and turned off the terminal. Talking with Jade would help, but this was stuff that related to her own creation, not something to casually mention. We had other things to do as always, helping her with something like claiming this treasure trove of books would make me feel better and her happy. Plus the sooner we got started the sooner we could get moving again, I had a cyber-pony to kill.

---------------------------Level Up!---------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------

Organizer-------
-You are efficient at arranging your inventory in general. This makes it much easier to carry that little extra you’ve always needed and all the junk you insist on picking up. Items with a weight of two or less are considered to weigh half as much for you. Good thing stuff like toys, comics, books, costumes and knick-knacks all fall under that limit!

Quest Perk Added!-----------------------

Alicorn Angel Moondancer----
A little of the previous owner seems to have rubbed off on this little toy of the Institute Biosciences Division head. It's no Ministry Mare statuette, but taking possession of the one of a kind action figure grants a boost of +10 to the science skill!

Ch. 27-- I Hear You Knocking

Ch. 27-- I Hear You Knocking

"Good morning everypony! This is Traveling Miles at Diamond City Radio and that was Sapphire Shores. Little travel advisory for all you in the D.C. area, there's been a lot of reports about Gunner patrols in the city nearby. If you're on these mercenaries shit list, you may want to lay low and keep away from the area for awhile. Not that I'm talking about anypony in particular here... I mean a certain stallion with a 5,000 cap bounty on his head wouldn't need me to tell him the mercs mean business.

I'd certainly never interfere with their operations by reporting them spreading to the north either, that would be clear media bias to the free press of Diamond City which we all know is ridiculous! I'm sure our local newspaper is just on a little hiatus, our glorious leaders would never meddle with the press just because they didn't like what we had to say, would they? Not to worry, I have it on good authority the next issue is on the way. Our intrepid reporter mare just wanted a change of scenery for awhile but is still serving the residents of D.C. and the Commonwealth at large.

While we wait for the latest news fit to print I'm pulling double duty on the journalism front so bear with me folks. Of interest to those of you living out on the edge, it looks like another barrier storm is brewing out there... We all know these are just part of living in the Commonwealth and not terribly dangerous, on our side anyway... Remember to hunker down and stay dry if you live out that way, hopefully this one will pass before too long.

Lastly before I get back to the music I have a treat for us commoners here in the great green jewel. I managed to get an interview with a lovely young mare working the infamous Haycom Homicide Hoedown, shame she's taken as that cute little maid outfit could drive a pony crazy! Seriously though, our guest interview was willing to give us a first hoof account of the show before the murder, the outburst that seems to have made the common pony's princess such an unpopular figure in the upper stands. I've heard plenty of the rumors around the Dugout Inn but even they fail to live up to this account of what really happened, let's take a listen!"

Most of the morning was spent helping the gaggle of Minutemares who had come eagerly at Jade's request, loading the pair of carts they brought down with the first shipments of books the alicorn sorted and found most desirable. Half a dozen Minutemare troops worked without complaint, making trip after trip into the tiny cottage and filling both carts until they could hold no more.

They were all young, only a couple even my age, and all three bucks along with one of the fillies fawned over Jade, willing to do anything she asked just as Val had teased. My worst burning scowl finally got them to behave themselves and not be so obvious in their attempts to impress the princess.

We had lunch with all of them and they shared their own stories over the meal, eventually getting past Preston's cultivated fame and treating Jade and I normally. Well, as normal as they could manage, clearing up the myths they believed about the Princess of Sanctuary and the Shrouded Stallion still left them with a truth they found impressive. They seemed almost ashamed sharing their own lives with us, which was silly as I found it all quite interesting.

They came from all over the northern Commonwealth and Trotson itself, little villages and settlements I never heard of or small homes in the ruins consisting of only their families or just themselves. These were ponies who grew up in the wasteland, had lived in the world I was only recently made a member of, some had terribly sad stories they spoke of like it was no big deal. Most impressively, all of them had come to join the Minutemares to try to make a difference, hearing stories about us and the group had given them a little hope but they took things from there.

Jade explaining why she wanted the books to them only made their eyes widen with greater admiration and they had taken to the royal request happily. The idea of using all this knowledge to just give it away with a library and school, rather than sell it, was simply a foreign concept to most of the Minutemare recruits.

She kindly told them what such institutions were and what she hoped to do. Their nervous questions of whether they could be taught by the princess, even if they couldn't read, answered with a sweet yes. They became completely dedicated to doing what she asked after that. Not just because she asked them now, but because they believed in her and the goal.

Two of them were to remain at the cottage, turning it into a new Minutemare outpost the other two would return to the bridge to report on and have supplied, the last pair with the carts had left to make their way to Hexington. I told them to look for Oblige and Rusty when they got there, sure they could arrange better and faster transport that didn't take them away from their duties, offering them caps to pay which they refused.

According to the Minutemares they had such a good relationship with both the now booming town of Hex and the traders that regularly passed through, they didn't see any problems arranging a deal for their help, especially since the famous Princess of Sanctuary was the one asking. Seeing how our actions were actually having an effect on this part of the Commonwealth was pretty uplifting, especially with the things I had seen and read still rolling around in my head.

Learning all I had about the former inhabitant of the cottage had left me continually distracted by my thoughts, having to shake my head and return to the more lighthearted conversation around us at Jade's occasional nudge. Being so focused on the past is probably why I didn't think too much about seeing the image of the mare I was thinking about walking down the trail from the C.I.A.T. buildings, until she spoke and I saw the others heard it too...

"Ah, there you are. I was dispatched as I'm the closest, but there was some concern you would have moved on by now." The others reacted to the cream mare trotting forward warily, but as just another pony, the Minutemares not noticing I was frozen on the spot. Val instantly had her weapons out, only Jade seemed to realize something was seriously wrong with me.

That was her... That was Moondancer... Younger than I had ever seen her, but definitely her. Thick black framed glasses, wild rose mane clipped above her ears, wooly charcoal sweater, no moon shaped cutie mark though... Her glasses looked off too, as she turned her head to look on the scene with interest I saw why, no light reflected off the lenses, they were just empty frames.

An orange Minutemare buck trotted forward and held a hoof out to the mare, nonplussed as she looked down at it curiously before returning to staring directly at me. Jade's insistent nudging was only getting me to stammer uselessly, more than enough for her to be cautious and take a protective stance, glancing over to the griffon watching the exchange. "Get away from her please Sparkplug, Valkyrie, do not let that mare approach..."

Covering the intruder with her pistol, Val answered curtly. "You got it Blue. What's the deal boss?"

I had to slap my muzzle to get over the torrent of thoughts and emotions on seeing her right in front of me, finally pointing a shaking hoof at her and managing to speak. "Y-You!"

Dr. Dala... Moondancer.... cocked one of her bushy eyebrows up and shook her head, "Well, not really. I'm just a messenger, I'm sure you can figure out what I am, you are a clever one from what I understand Mr. Times." Nodding her head back to her blank flank, she peered back to me over the frames of her empty glasses with an amused expression.

"Synth... You're a synth... Made to look like her? So was the one who spoke to the alicorns, wasn't she?"

The synthetic pony's head bobbed happily and she clapped her hooves together, "Just so, that didn't take you long at all, no wonder you are of interest. Yes, I'm a synth, rather an older model if I'm being honest. Sadly there's not much call for my model, the good doctor rarely feels nostalgic for this version so I don't see much activity. I was just around the corner though when you triggered the alarms on this place, I do believe she had nearly forgotten about it entirely you know. I check on it every few years, but it has remained well hidden. I take it that pip-buck of yours gave you an advantage most wasteland ponies do not enjoy, couldn't scrub the Stable-Tec database of everything... Well it worked out for the best!"

"Fast? What is wrong? Who is this... synth? She does bear a resemblance to the mare we saw in those memories but..." Jade had drawn Glitter close to her in her magic, prepared to throw up her shield and protect the foal watching me get up nervously.

I took a few steps closer, stroking her neck as I passed her protective guard to speak with this synth. "I was going to tell you once we got moving again... this cottage belonged to the head of the Institute Biosciences Division, Dr. Dala... Dr. Dancer, Moondancer. I should have figured there might be some kind of security here, the place is just so ramshackle I didn't think... What do you want synth?"

Adjusting her glasses the Moondancer copy gave me a wounded look, "No need to sound so scary 'Shrouded Stallion'... I told you, I'm just the messenger, I don't want much of anything really, that's more of an existential question many of us debate among ourselves. Dr. Dala however wants you, which is what I imagine you meant. I somehow doubt you're very interested in the philosophical quagmire concerning artificial pony life...

Of course she's not the only one, you have made quite the nuisance of yourself in a very short time. Vega wants you dead, Dr. Dala's interest is quite friendly in comparison. You and your mare there are a favored subject of hers nowadays, you are no different than our other alicorn and pony couple we are trying to help! You could work with us, advance the research, help your lovely mare? We know that is what you both wish, we only want to help give you what you want."

Hearing her settle into the spiel I heard in the memory Jade shared set my eyes burning and I drew my weapons, "I've heard this before... I didn't trust it then either. Tell me what you did with everypony from my Stable, give me Zed's brother and... whatever it is he wants, stop experimenting on sick ponies, let me talk to the real Moondancer herself, then maybe I'll think about it."

The zebra stallion had been edging around slowly, stopping to stare when I mentioned the connection he was unaware of. Val had flapped up and to her other side, ready to rain death down on the synth while even the Minutemare recruits were taking this seriously now, spreading out and readying their own weaponry.

The copy didn't look perturbed, watching everyone move around her passively. "I'm afraid that won't work, you are far too dangerous to be allowed to just meet the great doctor on your terms... we have been watching you, even the less fun parts. You do want to know about your Stable don't you? This is your best opportunity, I don't have that knowledge but if you come along peacefully I am sure you will be told. Though as a show of good faith, I can say with a high degree of probability the ones you are most interested in are still safe and alive..."

This one was as smooth as the other I had witnessed tempting the alicorns in the Commonwealth, she knew exactly what bait to use... The temptation was so strong I faltered, real answers? They were alive? She could tell me more, or her master could anyway... It's not like I entirely disagreed with what I had found out about Biosciences or Moondancer either... just her methods. The possibility of helping Jade and her kind out, giving my special somepony what she wanted more than anything, the chance to be a mother herself... The other copy had said making normal ponies compatible with alicorns was possible... To be able to have a foal with the mare I loved someday... and to find my family?

The brief, perfect dream of being reunited with all the ponies I had taken from me flashed in front of my eyes. Of introducing Jade and Glitter to my mom and dad and little baby brother, of being one big family. The thought of my parents getting to be grandparents, of Better growing up to be an uncle. Double dates with Sunset and Grizz along with Jade and myself, of Glitter and our own theoretical foal growing up in Sanctuary with my pair of friends own children if they ended up together. It really all might be possible, all I had to do was agree... compromise...

"F-Fast... I do not think you should trust this mare... N-No matter how tempting she is, I see what you are thinking of. They are all things I w-want as well but... but they are dangerous. You well know this." Jade pulled me from the war raging in my head with her soft voice whispering in my ear, bringing me back to the present. There was real longing in her warning too, but she was keeping her head despite having her dream dangled in front of us.

I got the feeling the synth's hearing was up to Cogsworth's standards, she waved a hoof graciously to the alicorn puffing in my ear. "You may even bring your mate with you, Dr. Dala is most interested in speaking with her as well. This concerns her too. We wish to have the lovely Princess' help and want to grant her desires. You two are very entertaining... the doctor has greatly enjoyed some of your more energetic performances... she is eager to meet both of you."

The sharp gasp and whinny that got out of Jade nearly sent a gauss rifle round right through the synth's head, they pulled that trick with the alicorn in the memories I had seen as well, Evergreen. The files in the terminal I had found back in Moondancer's cottage said she was a voyeur, the idea she had been watching us too though... The high pitched whine of the rifle charging focused her attention anyway.

"That is none of her business. I... I don't like the way the real Moondancer does things, but I've learned enough I think there might be a good pony to salvage in there somewhere. She wanted to change, she knew she was doing wrong before the end... She has to know what she's doing now is worse. I want what she's offering, but not the way she's doing it. She wants to talk and help, she can figure out another way to do it.

I'm not just going to trust you and follow along, go slow, give me something I want first. Unless I hear where my Stable went I'm going to hunt her down myself so I can drag it out of her if I have to. Now, killing you seems pointless, and I don't think I could make you talk, even if you're lying and do know about my Stable, you'd just melt away instead of answer right? So I guess that means we're done talking for now. Leave."

The synth shook her head slowly, giving a sigh and shrugging. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... I had hoped you would be more cooperative like Miss Evergreen and her stallion. I should have known, I never get the easy jobs. Oh well... I was primarily to buy time, you are far too valuable a subject to not take advantage of this opportunity, Vega's machinations may succeed and then where would we be with you dead? Even Mobius is moving again since you appeared, making the others quite nervous. I am afraid I must insist... If you won't come willingly you'll just have to be taken."

The Minutemare stallion that had raised a hoof in welcome kicked the crank on his magical energy musket battle saddle, charging it with a glowing pink shot. "I don't know what's goin' on here but that didn't sound too friendly, you're not takin' the general or anypony anywh..."

The young buck's attempt at bravery was cut short, literally... a pale blur blasted by in front of him faster than I could follow and his head was suddenly sailing through the air. Everything froze, broken only when a spurt of blood fountained from his neck and the body fell with a thump at the synthetic Moondancer's hooves.

She looked down at it with a bored expression, wiping a few flecks of blood from her face. "That was unfortunate... I would not recommend that from you others, my associates are a bit difficult to restrain..."

The dark Shroud in my head taking over was only stopped by the anguished screech of one of the young Minutemare fillies, floating her own pistol up shakily and taking aim at the synth with tears pouring down her face, "Spark! You bitch!"

"NO! DON"T!" I wasn't sure what had done that, but I knew why and couldn't let it happen again. Dashing forward I tackled the sobbing mare, barely ahead of a repeat of that streak swooping past, a line of searing pain bloomed down my side and I got the idea whatever it was had veered off to leave me with only that much.

A thump nearby showed me where to look, spotting the synth cooing up to a... an alicorn? "Good job, that's the one you are not to kill, we only want him, that's right."

Another mutated creation, not a real one... this was different than the only other such creature I had seen. Where the other was a hulking mass of muscle, this one was lean and lanky, a pair of giant wings lightly touched the ground, even furled at its sides, the glint of metal at the tips. It did have a tiny horn however, and was covered in ropy muscle under its pale hide. Since it wasn't wearing the green robe of the Church of Balefire like the first I saw, I got the opportunity to look at its flank. It wasn't blank like normal alicorns, but the warped smear of color there wasn't anything I could make out, the mark of whoever this pony had been twisted like the body under it.

This one had a darker mane and tail still, unlike the first I saw, and the hide didn't look as rubbery or lumpy, don't tell me they were getting better at making these... Dim red eyes locked on me struggling up from the shaking mare, wincing from the wound dribbling blood down my side even while the black trenchcoat I wore knitted itself back together.

"Shit boss! UP! There's more of..." Heavy thumps and the sound of a lot of magical energy weapons fire above gave me a new threat to focus on, Val was jerking in the air above us rapidly, her best evasion maneuvers not enough to keep her away from the pair of blurs zipping around her. One kept slamming her as it streaked by, its hooves bashing her all over and keeping her off balance, the second sent blue lines of M.E.W. fire at her.

I had to trigger S.A.T.S. just to get a better look at what was attacking her, two more of the weird, lanky alicorn mutants were swarming her. Each of them carried a different weapon, one with a pair of power hooves on its forelegs and the other wearing a type of magical energy weapon I had never seen under its wings. The one down here with me was outfitted with those sharp blades at the end of its oversized wings that were terribly sharp.

Most disturbing was the odds S.A.T.S. was giving to hit any of them, the best chances were on the one here on the ground and barely 20 feet away, and no target was listed above 25%. The ones harrassing Val were listed in the single digits only, if anything... how fast were these things?

I could barely see Jade behind me, her shield was up and Glitter was held protectively in her hooves as she hovered up in the air, the foal's view of the sudden death being blocked by the alicorn wearing a shocked expression having witnessed it herself. There was nothing her healing could do for the poor buck now...

I used the entire spell charge on the torso of the mutant in front of me with the Terrible Shotgun, the best chance I had at hitting anything. Taking in where everyone else was and our current situation, I only saw one course of action. As soon as time resumed and the shotgun started booming I shouted over the roar, "Back to the cottage! INSIDE NOW!"

Somehow that damn mutant alicorn dodged the first four S.A.T.S. assisted rounds, the first of these things I fought was slow and like fighting a brick wall, this was more like trying to hit quicksilver, it didn't even bother putting up a shield if it could. The fifth slug managed to clip the huge wing facing me, making it pause just long enough for the last shot to hammer into its shoulder. The effect of finally landing a shot pushed it back further than I'd expect, it must be pretty light even as large as it was. It didn't show much else to encourage me though, the bleeding wound was already slowing as I watched and it didn't look to be in much pain.

A shadowy blur streaking across the ground saved my assault from being totally useless as I turned to run and cover the others escape to the shack nearby. AssaultJack had faded away and hidden when the weapons came out, with one of these things on the surface and being attacked by me it was fair game to the killer robot. The long blades in her forelegs nearly returned the gruesome death this one had unleashed on the Minutemare, digging a long line through its neck and down its back, making one wing fall limply to its side. Zed followed up the attack, leaping to the air and bringing the pip-buck on his hind leg down right on the monster's tiny horn, cracking it with the impact.

Val was having a hard time even trying to get back to the ground and the door of the cottage, the pair speeding around her were keeping her from making any headway and only her aerial combat skills and their choice in weapons were saving her from a quick death. There was no way any of my weapons could hit the pair of them up there, the Last Minute had the range but I'd never make the shot. I really only had one skill that could help, but it was too dangerous and inaccurate.

Jade gave me the chance I needed, the beautiful blue alicorn could almost be a green one instead sometimes, she could read my mind anyway. A glowing blue shield bloomed to life around Val now that Jade and Glitter had retreated to the waiting doorway, waving the Minutemares forward anxiously. Her frightened gaze locked on mine and she pointed a hoof up to the battered griffon, "Do it Fast! It can withstand it as long as it is not a direct hit!"

I was very glad I had spent so much time following my lessons from Corona back in Diamond City, the lightning spell was still pretty indiscriminate, but I had learned to regulate the amount of power it drained and the spread just a little. Focusing on making it fan out as much as possible around the blue shell above me I gulped and let loose.

KRAKA-THOOOM!

It actually worked the way I wanted it to, I was slowly improving... The sky was instantly filled with a jagged web of electricity in a wide cone around the shield protecting Val, no matter how fast those things were they couldn't outrun lightning. Spreading the spell out so far dropped the power they were hit with down too far to kill them, but they broke away in a hurry, sparking and jittering in the air and clearing a path for Val.

I dove through the door behind her and the others, slamming it behind me and panting. The red marks of E.F.S. at the bottom of my vision sped around so fast I couldn't make out much more than quick flashes of red, circling the cottage rapidly. There was one green mark out there beyond the door, corresponding to the synth raising its voice mildly.

"This will be much easier if you just come along Mr. Times. It need not be so difficult you know, Miss Evergreen has been quite satisfied with our arrangement, you are being irrational and stubborn. Just come out of there and the others will be left alone, you are the only one I am required to retreive, though the invitation is still open to Miss Jade as well."

Looking around the crowded little room at the others I was tempted, the young Minutemares were grieving their comrade and frightened, looking to me to save them, pull a little legendary Shrouded Stallion magic out of my hat somehow. Jade was focusing on healing Val's numerous wounds, the air was closed off to the griffon and she was in no shape to fight right now. Zed and AssaultJack looked ok, proving they had the speed to put them on favorable terms against those things, under the right circumstances anyway. I doubted they'd let either ground bound opponent get close enough again though.

I stopped at Glitter staring up at me with wide pink eyes, scared and trusting at the same time. She knew to stay near Jade and the protection of her shield in situations like this, no matter how much she shook and fidgeted in place, obviously wanting to come to me. Trying to ignore my own worries I gave her a wink and tipped my hat, trying to at least look like I was confident and knew what the hell I was doing... If I had to give myself up to protect her I would, though I'd still rather find a way out of this somehow.

Peeking out the crescent shaped window in the purple door I couldn't think of much, we were in the middle of the wide grounds of the campus, the skeletal trees and mostly dead vegetation didn't provide much cover from opponents in the air. There was nowhere to run to nearby and the rotting cottage wasn't a stronghold to take a stand in, I had no doubt they could crash through the sagging roof any time they wanted. The only advantage I had was the knowledge they were focused on me exclusively, the others were disposable but they wanted me and wanted me alive for whatever reason, making things more difficult for them.

I furrowed my brow and tapped through my pip-buck desperately, checking over my inventory and the map. We weren't that far from the Manebridge Police H.Q. marker on my map when we had stopped here, there were city streets and buildings between us once free of the campus grounds too. This was a bad plan... but it was a step above just turning myself over.

Trotting over to the shivering little filly watching me closely, I ruffled her silver mane and kissed her forehead. Focusing a moment when I was no longer touching her to bring up my strange lightning walking spell and pour as much power into it as I dared. I still wasn't entirely sure how this spell worked or whether I should tinker with it, but it was useful. Glitter gave a nervous smile seeing the arcing electricity surrounding my hooves, reaching out to get a tingling zap and disappointed I wouldn't allow it this time.

I glanced over to Jade and saw her staring at my hooves with a worried frown. Her horn glowed brightly as she worked on healing Val, who followed the alicorn's stare and struggled beneath her. I really wished I could go to them both, hug the injured griffon and get a parting kiss from Jade, but getting in range of either wasn't a good idea right now, they saw through me too easily.

"B-Boss.. what'cha think y-yer doin'..."

"Fast... you may not!"

Backing away from the ladies trying to stop me I shook my head, "Sorry... You know where the police station's at, I'll er... I'll see you there soon. Minutemares! Protect them for me ok?!"

A field of pale blue magic reached out and nearly caught me, if I hadn't blasted across the room and through the window I was thinking about in a crackling trail of lightning, Jade would have had me. Sailing through the air past the window I had time to marvel at how fast I had apparently just moved. Actually pouring more lightning tinged magic into this spell, instead of trying to get rid of it to cast normal cloudwalking, made it a great deal stronger. It took a lot more magic to cast it and I felt a slow drain as it burned through my reserves at a trickle though, I didn't know how long I could keep this up, long enough I hoped.

A swirl of torn papers and scrolls followed me out the window, caught in the suction when I streaked past and flying everywhere as I landed. I could hear Jade scream through the shattered window but couldn't stop now, glancing over to the synth watching with interest to make sure she saw me.

"Oh good, you've decided to be adult about this!"

I gave the copy of Moondancer a wide grin and stuck my tongue out at her, "Nope! Catch me if you can! You're it!"

A shadow fell over me, but I looked back to see the mutant alicorn slam into the ground still sparking with the arcing trail I left. Well I wouldn't be hard to track, so now it was a straight out race...

Keeping ahead of the pair of mutants chasing me was a challenge even with the lightning walking spell propelling me along at intense speeds. Beyond just the concern over my diminishing magic, I also had to worry about how long I could keep putting out this level of physical exertion. Surviving the wasteland had made me a tougher pony than I had been back in the Stable, but I would never be an athlete in the Equestrian Games or anything.

Moving this fast also presented a number of challenges once I managed to escape the open campus grounds and reached the cluttered, cracked streets of Manebridge. I had a lot less time to react to any new obstacle and any trip over some random piece of junk in the street would send me tumbling to the asphalt like I jumped from a moving train.

Eventually I started finding a rhythm I could work with, my unique spell seemed to best be used in two ways. If I had a clear, straight path ahead of me I could pour on the speed, outpacing even the warped alicorns rocketing above me. If things were too crowded I had to slow down, but using short bursts I could dodge and change directions on a cap, making me too difficult to catch even when I wasn't going as fast.

All this still hadn't helped me out with my biggest problem, the creatures chasing me weren't giving up and were wearing me down over time. Ducking into ruined buildings or under cover hadn't helped either, they weren't dumb enough to give up the advantage the skies gave them, simply circling outside and waiting rather than following me. I was getting concerned I was right and Dr. Dala was getting better at making these twisted alicorns, these definitely seemed smarter than the first I ran into.

The other differences gave me something to distract myself from the imminent threat they represented too, why were these two... shit... three... the third had regenerated its wing and rejoined the hunt dammit. Ok three, why were they so different than the first? That big mountain of muscle would be easy to leave in my dust, thinking back on its it made me think of the toughest earth pony I could imagine, just with a tiny horn and wings tacked on. These new ones however were all wings, barely any horn and not nearly as physically powerful.

Just as I was starting to work it out I had to make a frantic dodge at the intersection I had been approaching, the first two lulled me into treating this like the chase so far while the third had skimmed the streets and flanked me, the approaching power hooves came uncomfortably close to bashing my muzzle in. I had to burn a burst of additional magic I could barely afford to pull ahead, still getting clipped in my flank and sent skidding under the rusting traffic lights.

The other two followed up while I was off balance, blasting forward and looming behind me while I pinwheeled madly trying to get my hooves back under me. Triggering S.A.T.S. gave me a second to breathe, though I was annoyed to see how low my chance to hit still was. I needed a way to do a lot of damage over a large area, like the lightning spell, a flamethrower, explosives... Well I couldn't waste any more magic, didn't have a flamethrower, but I did have some explosives. Grenades seemed useless, a three second timer against things that could circle the block in that time? My mines weren't better either, landmines were a poor choice against flying enemies.

Spotting a small overpass gave me an idea, I just had to make what I had explode when I wanted, where I wanted, and get them to cooperate of course. They were smarter but still no geniuses, I floated several mines out and tossed them around me as I blurred under the roadway and ran on. The trio spotted the movement but didn't regard them as a threat, pausing only briefly before following after me.

A few turns and jukes through the streets was confusing for me on the ground, I hoped the better view they had above me wouldn't let them catch on too easily at being led in a slow circle. The amount of attention this mad chase was attracting was getting to be a concern too, I knew I had blown through at least a couple clumps of zombies in the ruins and past one largish raider camp. None of them had any chance of joining in as fast as we were moving, but the sea of red marks on my compass was distracting and I was getting worried about what I'd do when I ran out of magic or stamina, whichever came first...

I also needed to check my pip-buck map when I got a chance, I had been working my way towards the marker in my vision I had set up, but had no idea how close I had gotten by now. Streaking under the overpass again I counted the milliseconds in my head, they were right behind me and this was going to be tight.

Jumping up in the air let me trigger S.A.T.S. again and target the group nearing the covered street, the odds to hit any of them were no higher than 15% at best. Changing targets to one of the mines I knew were there gave much better chances at 65% and I used up several shots worth of spell charge. My pistol blasted in rapid fire when time resumed, hitting the small disc on the third shot just as the clump flew under the roadway.

The crashing series of explosions the first detonation triggered shook the ground as my hooves made contact with the street again, nearly making me stumble and fall messily. Hanging a hard 90 degree turn towards the marker on my compass, I got the opportunity to see the overpass come tumbling down in a billowing cloud of dust and only two forms dart out of it. One down... two to go... Sure, no problem...

On the plus side, the two I saw flying out of the explosion in weakly flickering shields were the ones with the wing blades and power hooves. Without the third with the M.E.W. battle saddle they were left with only their weak magic for ranged attacks, clearly prefering to close to melee distance. Well that was fine with me, it let me fall back to my next horrible idea...

A few sharp turns put me on course and I drew out Best Served alongside the Terrible Shotgun, with some luck this may work but wielding the blade in my mouth wasn't going to be good enough. I spotted the structures I was looking for ahead and slowed down slightly to navigate the maze ahead, grateful for the reduced load on my shaking legs.

Raiders had taken over an intersection of city streets and shattered buildings I had passed a couple times so far. All the red on E.F.S. made it easy enough to find again. They had built ramshackle bridges between some of the rooftops of the two and thee story buildings, shoving rusting carriages in the streets to form walls and set up in the windows of some of the partial buildings nearby, only a couple walls and bits of floor, mostly caved in on themselves.

"There it is again!! SHOOT!" One of the raiders above screamed on spotting the sparking trail I was leaving behind, his companions opening up with a hail of gunfire filling the air with lead.

This part was pretty risky... but at least I didn't feel too bad about putting the raiders at risk as expendable fodder. Their choice of decorations to their stronghold made me sure it wouldn't be any loss if they got themselves killed, flayed pony corpses and heads on spikes didn't put them in the category of ponies I cared about too much.

Looking over my shoulder to spot the remaining pair of mutated alicorns entering the open air arena with me made me gulp, they were dodging most of the incoming fire without much trouble and closing in quickly. I still had sense enough to know I should try to avoid doing this, but this situation definitely qualified as an emergency. A frantic series of taps on my pip-buck used up a bitter pill of Buck giving me the stamina to keep going, along with one of my doses of Dash slowing the world down to a crawl.

Using the drug while also under the effects of my spell elevated the experience to a whole new level, I was able to move quickly while everything around me inched forward slowly. With time barely moving I could actually make full use of the kind of speed I could put out, worrying about reacting to obstacles or making turns in time was no longer a concern with the drug fueled euphoria.

Charging up the nearest ramp the raiders had built put me on the second story level, pulling away from my pursuers who were moving at what I'd consider a normal rate as well. I zipped around several raiders up here shouting in slow motion and firing their weapons in panic, making my way to one of the bridges crossing the street and leaping out at the alicorns trying to catch up.

After hunting me this far they definitely didn't expect me to come flying right at them, I figured they also underestimated the gleaming knife at my side until it ripped through the side of the one with his own bladed weapons. Those blades at his wing tips were sharp, but not nearly a match for the star metal knife, it sliced the huge wing off in a flurry of feathers and blood as I passed. Skidding to a halt in the street I heard it crash to the pavement and reversed course instantly, now that it was grounded I wasn't giving it another chance. Sending the long blade into a series of slashes as I passed the struggling creature with S.A.T.S. was devastatingly effective, ending with a long stroke that decapitated the enemy in a spray of gore.

Two down, one to go... Unfortunately the Dash was already starting to wear off, I swore it should last longer than this. With the blissful high fading away I could feel how exhausted I truly was even with the Buck still doing what it could, my magic was reaching its limit, my muscles burned and twitched, I was shaking on unsteady cracked and bleeding hooves that screamed at me from the punishment I had been putting them through. I noticed a few lucky shots that filled the air had impacted against my armor, bruising me and sending blood trickling down my neck. The last mutant had recognized the danger and backed off, biding its time and looking for an opportunity to strike.

As soon as it figured out what condition I was in and that I couldn't do that again... I was in serious trouble. I was out of tricks and nearly out of steam, my only option now was to try to reach my destination before I dropped. I made a break for it while my opponent was still wary, resuming my course for the marker at the bottom of my vision.

When I spotted the squat stone building ahead I shuddered a sigh of relief, almost there... I could hide inside, ask for help, recover for a few minutes even if this thing wouldn't follow me. All I had to do was make it up this hill and past the barricades the military minded ponies had put up in the courtyard. Dodging past the first metal wall I was starting to feel relieved until a beam of weak magic singed my flank and sent me stumbling. I tried to recover and was slammed by a pair of power hooves with a pneumatic hiss, sent sailing through the air and crashing into the blue wooden doors across the courtyard.

I groaned weakly and the lightning magic surrounding my hooves flickered away, leaving me panting on the stone steps as the large mutant alicorn landed and loomed over me. My ribs burned on every stinging breath and I could feel blood pooling under me slowly, my new armor could take an amazing amount of punishment but concussive hits like that made their way through too well. I struggled to raise my head and look at the last monster standing above me, glaring down with dull red eyes and barely breathing hard.

"Yuz fast... annoying... Doctor pony want you, you come now..." Even its speech wasn't as slurred and slow as the other I had fought, it sounded pretty put out at the chase that finally ended so close to my goal.

"D-Don't... don't want t-to go..."

A familiar motorized whine behind me cut off whatever it was considering, the blue double doors I had smashed against had slowly swung open and a long, ripping noise filled the open doorway, sending a tongue of fire into the air above me and raining hot shell casings on my side. The speedy alicorn didn't have time to react, torn to shreds by a stream of minigun rounds issuing from the Manebridge Police H.Q. that went on and on, leaving only a quivering rear half when it finally tapered off.

Trying to roll my head back was agony but I had to look up at the heavy hoofsteps approaching where I lay useless, the blank expression of a heavy, red trimmed power armor helmet looked down and boomed in a distorted voice. "Well, well, Fast Times... We meet under the strangest circumstances don't we? I hope I returned the favor from last time."

"S-Steel Dance... Thank... you..."

With a hiss the Steel Ranger's helmet slid back and his stern face looked down with concern, turning back he shouted into the police station. "Scribe Wind! We have company, bring the med kit!"

I caught sight of a small yellow blur flying forward, a pair of light green eyes close and wide as the worried sounds of the pegasus mare rang in my ears. I couldn't make out any words with everything getting so dark and wobbly though.

The muffled sounds of arguing and a strident voice dragged me out of unconsciousness, blinking at the dusty old office I found myself in. My coat, hat and bags sat nearby, taken away to allow the clumsy bandages crossing my hide and the IV jabbed into my foreleg. I had been put on a sleeping bag and covered partially with a thin blanket, left alone in what was a bullpen for the police station I assumed.

The rising, panic filled voice booming in the next room helped me focus. "YOU WILL ALLOW ME TO TREAT HIM IMMEDIATELY! WHERE IS HE!" Jade's goddess voice rattled the dirty frosted glass panels separating us and partitioning a few offices in here, I groaned weakly, trying to stand unsuccessfully to reach the terrified alicorn princess. All four legs shook and refused to cooperate very well, I maaaaay have overdone it a bit...

Steel Dance's stern voice drifted through the barrier in reply, "This is most unusual Miss Valkyrie, I know you are Fast's associate but her? I am aware of the Followers but this one seems rather excitable, you're sure she's a doctor?"

"Trust me, you really don't want to get in Blue's way right now buddy. I'm grateful you helped the boss, but if you don't let her get to him right quick we're gonna have a problem. From me an' her, where's he at?" Val's voice was taking on a hard edge out there.

Scribe Summer Wind's yelp sounded just on the other side of the door, "H-He's resting! You shouldn't bother him, he was very hurt! Why should I let this... thing... in there?! I still don't trust them, no matter what Paladin Dance says!"

Suddenly the ancient wooden door was ripped off its hinges and a lot of angry alicorn was filling the frame behind it, scowling down at the small pegasus in her way. "I DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR PERMISSION! FAST IS MINE! I WILL... Fast!!" She had spotted me making a poor attempt at crawling to the door to her and instantly stopped being concerned with anything else, including the Scribe she charged past, shoving her aside with her bulk easily.

"H-Hi... W-What took you so long, you know I... hate w-waking up without you... " Wheezing up at her with each breath still burning mildly was made worse when both she and the foal galloping after her tackled me.

A pair of tiny hooves were drumming against my bandaged ribs while Glitter yelped with a frown, "Daddy! You were bad! You ran away an' left me! I w-was scared an so was Miss Jade!"

All the weight of the shuddering blue alicorn on me kept me in place for the punishment, pinning me there and crushing me in her legs before finally floating me up in front of her face and away from the abuse. Judging by her big teary glare and the frown warring with a relieved smile in front of me Jade wasn't a happy camper and let that go on knowing full well how it felt.

Sniffling she shook her head as the glow from her horn intensified and I could feel her magic probing at me, "Y-You may not make your silly jokes... Glitter is correct, you were reckless and w-worried all of us greatly! H-How could you do such a thing! I am most disappointed!"

"Ugh... s-sorry... They only wanted me... if I left... t-they had to follow right? Couldn't see any other... way, if w-we stayed, woulda lost... M-Making sure you were all safe... more important."

Val only added to my scolding, padding up behind the others and shooting a dark claw out, smacking me across the muzzle and glaring at me while I made a lazy flip in Jade's magic from the impact. "Bullshit! You don't get to run off boss! E-Even if it was kinda impressive... Can't bodyguard ya if you zip away like that jerk! What the hell he do to himself Blue? He in enough pain or can I keep goin'?"

Frowning as her magic kept washing over me, Jade eventually gave a little nod and pushed the angry griffon back. "He does not feel good at all... You used that strange spell of yours to push yourself well beyond your limits Fast, you have done damage to your legs and hooves that needs treatment, exhausted your magic... have POORLY TREATED broken ribs..."

The scowl she sent over her shoulder at that last prognosis made poor Scribe Wind wince, to her credit she stood her ground in front of the towering alicorn. "I'm hardly a medic! If you didn't notice we're a little short staffed here right now! I... I did my best alright? Not all of us have big pointy horns along with our wings, Fast who is this rude mare?"

Having healing magic pouring into me let me sigh with relief as I answered the angry pegasus, "Er... Summer Wind, this is Jade. Umm.... you two are getting off on the wrong hoof here, she's my special somepony and just mad at me is all. Jade she did her best, she's right... she didn't have magic to use and she's a repair pony like me. Trust me, asking us to try to fix ponies is too much... Thanks for that Summer, I know it's not easy and I've at least got magic, even if I can't use it to heal worth a damn. This is my daughter Glitter and... yup, the zebra lurking around back there is Zed. We're all friends now right?"

Wrapping her wings around me possessively and glaring down at the shocked pegasus from behind my head, Jade floated a vial of Med-X she maddeningly didn't use in favor of grumbling at her. "I know who she is, this is the pegasus I wished to speak with before. Our interaction has not improved my opinion of this small pony. She called me a thing... Tell her what you think on that subject Fast, how do you feel about me?"

That did annoy me, I did like the pegasus mare and knew there was a lot of bias out in the world about alicorns I had been mostly sheltered from though, maybe it was worse for Enclave ponies? They were removed from the rest of the wasteland until recently from what I understood. Having her nuzzle and kiss at my neck made the answer easy anyway, "I love Jade. She's not a thing, she's a pony like any other Summer. I don't know why you don't trust her kind, but trust me alright? Jade is the most wonderful mare in the world, give her a chance and don't call her that again. I don't like it."

Sniffing with her nose in the air I just knew she was smirking behind me, the glare Summer was sending at her behind me was enough to figure her out. The blissful relief of the Med-X jabbing my flank took my mind off it at least while Steel Dance clomped in the room, putting a steel clad hoof on his Scribe's shoulder and taking over smoothly.

"My apologies Fast, we Rangers have a history with alicorns and the Followers of the Apocalypse that's mixed, but their group is a force for good in Equestria. I was only concerned as this mare seemed rather frantic, now I know why. Excuse Scribe Wind ma'am, the Enclave had a different experience with your kind as I'm sure you know. So... is he healthy enough to move? Maybe fill us in on the reason for the visit, just what the hell that thing was that did that to him? I hope you've come to take us up on our offer to join the Brotherhood, but I somehow think it's nothing so mundane."

Released from the warm embrace it seemed being hovered along after the big blue mare was the best I was going to get, "I suppose he may speak. He needs to remain off his hooves and rest however. You have somewhere to sit and discuss what you wish?"

With a curt nod Dance led the way out of the bullpen, through the dilapidated front lobby of the police station and down a hall to a conference room with a large wooden desk. Tattered papers and notes were clipped to cork boards on the walls, broken bits of string tied to some of the pushpins or still strung between them. A whiteboard at one end of the room looked like it had seen more recent use, a map of the Commonwealth pinned nearby with a number of locations circled and notes were written in fading marker on the board.

Val still didn't look very happy with me, but did fill me in a little on the trip. Once I had run off and taken the mutant alicorns with me the synth Moondancer had simply walked away. Zed looked furious as she recounted that, but by the time he had charged after her she had vanished without a trace.

Gently deposited in a creaking wooden chair at the table I drummed my hooves in front of me, thinking of where to begin. "Dance, you told me you know about the Institute, that you don't like them either. Just how much do you know and how much do you dislike them? Are you willing to do something about it?"

The Steel Ranger made his scribe sit down nearby, watching the alicorn dragging a chair to sit beside me and stare back. "We know more than most, that they're dangerous, that they hold on to lost technology we would prefer out of their hooves, that they keep the Commonwealth isolated, we were mostly drawn here as they aren't willing to extend the same courtesy however. One of their synths was discovered working in the New Canterlot Republic... It was quickly covered up and and a rare incident, they don't seem to be able to spread their influence very far, but we now know they are watching. We are here to do something about them, hopefully our capacity to do so will soon be greatly improved. So what do you know Fast? I take it that creature chasing you is connected?"

After Summer's reaction this was a sticky subject, best to try to get it out of the way right off the bat... "That was something the Institute made yes, or one division of them anyway. Biosciences, they have a version of the I.M.P. and are playing with it, trying to make male alicorns... or make normal stallions able to breed with alicorns, at least that's what their excuse is. I don't trust their motivations very far, but it's a good bet they really are trying to make the potion work the right way. That thing was what they've come up with so far, it's the second type I've seen and I think they're getting better at it, though they're not male. They're experimenting on ponies here, turning them into those things, if nothing else they could make themselves an army."

The pegasus mare crossed her hooves and glowered down the table at the real alicorn next to me, "An army of alicorns is nothing to sneeze at, they can be a significant threat... You said they're turning ponies here into those? Paladin Dance... er... from my examination that worries me, my fears may be correct..."

Dance coughed and took over, "So you know there are divisions to the Institute, you're more well informed than most then. We have access to certain records of the Ministries and Equestrian Military but were unsure how much they'd apply now."

"I know about some of them now, Biosciences a lot more than the others. Maybe we can put together our information..."

Grabbing a marker in my magic from the whiteboard across the room, I started scribbling out an updated version of my personal notes about the Institute. Having to scratch my head and focus to remember everything I had recently added to the limited knowledge, eventually I came up with a short list that was starting to fill out a little more.

Biosciences (Ministry of Peace)- Dr. Dala (Moondancer) - Alicorns
Advanced Systems (Ministry of Wartime Technologies)-- Dr. Klein - Robots
Public Relations (Ministry of Morale)-- Dr. Vega -- Drugs
Theoretical Imagineering (Ministry of Awesome)-- Dr. Mobius -- ???
Reverse Engineering (Ministry of ???) -- Dr. Swirl -- Cutie Marks
??? -- Dr. Gleam -- ???

I had to explain that I had been informed the Institute was like a dark version of the Ministries, that they roughly coincided and I had been trying to figure out what was what. Dance stood and paced in front of the board, rubbing his chin and considering what I had. Eventually he took the marker from the blue field of my magic and made a couple of short additions.

Reverse Engineering (Ministry of Image) -- Dr. Swirl -- Cutie Marks
Arcane Research (Ministry of Arcane Science) -- Dr. Gleam -- ???

"Image? Really? I wasn't sure about that one, from what little I heard it seemed like Swirl's department was in the running for M.O.M., taking cutie marks and moving them around with magic and all. They didn't sound like they were connected to propaganda."

Jade nodded and whispered in my ear softly, "The Ministry of Image did more than that remember? The statues you carry with you? I believe that is the connection, not their more well known activities."

Oh... Even though I held three of the end results I still had a hard time connecting the beautiful Ministry Mare Rarity with the dark magic Zed knew so well. The idea that she had used the black book, delved into forbidden magic and cut her own soul up... it just wouldn't stick. That made more sense though, cutie marks were linked to the soul of their bearer, the magic to play around with them was as dark as some of the things Rarity's ministry had done. By process of elimination that meant the final division was indeed the Institute version of Twilight's ministry.

"Following your theory Fast I believe it is correct, we have the division names along with the pseudonyms of their heads. Though are you sure they are unchanged? After all this time? The same ponies are in charge of each division after 200 years?" Dance looked dubious at that.

Shaking my head I sighed back at him, "Not entirely. Like I said, I know more about Biosciences than the others. I've been... told... that Vega and Mobius are still around too and I'd give it good odds. If some of them are there's no reason to think the others aren't too. They have ways of extending their lives from what I know, the reason I came to begin with is because I'm after a 100 year old cyber-buck that doesn't age who works for them. I... I need help."

Taking a long drink of the bottle she had pulled from her duster, Val groaned and joined in the conversation she had found fairly boring up to this point. "Wouldn't mind if you'd consider this Dance, boss is crazy about this pony, gonna get himself killed without an assist..."

Sitting in the floor with a clank, Dance raised an eyebrow at me questioningly. "100 years old... and works for the Institute? What do you have against this cyborg other than that? Why do you think you need assistance for that matter, you are quite capable just from what I've seen. What do you want from us?"

"I need help because this buck is a legend, he does the Institute's dirty work for them, he knows things. I umm... I never told you two much about it, but I come from a Stable. He attacked it, killed a lot of the residents and... kidnapped my family. Finding him is the best lead I've gotten on trying to get them back. He's hiding in an old Equestrian Army installation, Fort Haygone. I'm going there and I'm going to kill him, but I'm trying not to underestimate him so I came to ask for a favor..."

The paladin's eyes widened when I mentioned where I was going, his Scribe piped up after squinting at the map on the wall a moment and joined excitedly. "That may work sir, it's at the edge! It had the equipment we need, preliminary reports made it unfavorable but with Fast's help..."

"Alright... You want our help Fast, turns out we want yours too. Even if you haven't joined the Brotherhood we can work together again to our mutual benefit. Thanks to our previous collaboration we've been in contact with the rest of our order beyond the Commonwealth. Fort Haygone was a large military facility with equipment that can help us finally get some reinforcements hopefully. Help us with that and we'll join your assault, though I would prefer to question this cyber-buck before you murder him... Scribe Wind, warm up the transmitter and we'll make our report shortly." The Steel Ranger's agreement filled me with relief, it's not like I didn't have questions for Kellogg myself anyway, I was just definitely going to kill him one way or the other.

Jade fidgeted and grumbled in her seat, finally glancing over to the pegasus and speaking quietly. "You have the ability to communicate outside of the Commonwealth? C-Can you contact the Followers? Tenpony Tower? I... I would be most grateful if I were able to finally make a report of my progress and the things I have found here..."

The Brotherhood scribe looked reluctant and annoyed, sighing out a reply when Dance nodded down at her. "I... suppose so. We are set up to communicate with our own though, different band... After we make our report I can adjust the transmitter and try bouncing a signal through the nearest M.A.S.E.B.S. tower, if you want me to take on all the extra work I could use Fast's help though. Alone... somepony who doesn't know technical stuff will just get in the way, if you want to make a call that badly you can tend to his care enough for him to work and stay out of the way."

Her big blue eyes narrowed at the small pegasus and she furled a wing around me, gritting her teeth and looking extremely conflicted. I should stop this before it got worse... "She's right Jade, just from the part they're using it's going to be complicated. Probably a lot of crawling around and making adjustments, pretty boring... You want to collect your thoughts and practice for your report right? You've never been able to speak with them in all this time, lots to cover."

She clearly didn't like it, but her duty to the Followers of the Apocalypse was important to her. "V-Very well... You will come with me and let me treat the damage you have done to yourself, I am still unhappy with you about that. You will be required to m-make it up to me. You can start by helping me practice, I wish to make a good report and I... I am less nervous speaking with you near. You will be with me when I can speak with them yes?"

"Of course, I'd want to be right there no matter what. Plus I'm pretty interested in hearing from these Followers back in Equestria and what they have to say too. I bet they'll be really impressed with everything you've done, you got your mark too! That will probably blow their minds right?"

The praise made her redden as she floated me out of the chair and trotted off happily, drawing me close enough to shower her with affection as additional penance for scaring her. Keeping her and Glitter safe would have been worth a much higher price, I greatly enjoyed working off my self destructive behavior this way. It had worked and I could spend as long as it took making her happy again.

---------------------Level Up!-------------------

New Perk Added!----------------

Concentrated Fire--
--Stay focused! In S.A.T.S. every queued attack on the same body part increases accuracy by 10% and damage by 5%! If one shot won't work, just keep trying!

Reputation Change!----------------

The Institute (Biosciences): Smiling Troublemaker-----
You've now gotten confirmation the different divisions of the Institute don't necessarily agree on everything. The Biosciences division has made it clear they keep an eye on you and they want you, alive at least. Hunting ponies down doesn't seem to be a skill they regularly practice, but they have an improving supply of mutant creatures to send after you when they do find you.

The Institute (Public Relations): Hated
This division wants you dead for whatever reason. You don't have much information about them but ruining their dealings with Stable 114 seems to have annoyed them. This shadowy department works through outside agents and under the table dealings, better watch your back!

Ch. 28-- On the same wavelength

A couple hours of my private doctor's tender care, while I listened to her fretting over what she wanted to report, left me feeling much better. Glitter had joined me in the police chief's office and been an additional audience member to listen to the nervous alicorn practicing her speech carefully, she clearly didn't follow much of it, but was enthusiastic and supportive regardless.

Val and Zed had found other things to amuse themselves with somewhere in the police station, I didn't particularly expect the stand offish zebra to hang around, but Val was quickly too bored to be a useful sounding board and I could hear her rummaging around from room to room, looking for anything of interest.

Eventually the Brotherhood scribe Summer Wind came and got me to tinker with the communication system she had cobbled together, whoever she and Paladin Dance were talking to their call was over at last. She barely stuck her head in the office and tried to get my attention unobtrusively, but still wound up in a clashing glare with Jade before I quickly retreated and left the foal with her to try to soothe the irritated alicorn.

Following Scribe Wind up to the roof I got a good view of what I could see of the sunset, it was getting dark a little early with it sinking below that wall of clouds to the west. From my vantage point it looked rather odd actually, it wasn't blowing in toward us and the sky above was fairly clear, but everywhere I looked on the horizon was blocked by that thick blanket of darkness. Viewing it through the sunlight filtering from behind it, I could swear it was swirling in place, moving slowly northeast but not approaching or receding.

Summer had fluttered up to the large dish she had somehow repaired and partially reconstructed up here, fiddling with the blinking deep range transmitter we had retrieved from Watt's what seemed like a lifetime ago. Noticing my stare she spoke softly from above me, "Barrier storm. Big one... you've never seen one? Or just never noticed it was different?"

I shook my head slowly and listened to the thunder rumble in the distance, my horn itching with each flash out there in the dark. "Why's it doing that? It doesn't look right... why do you call it a barrier storm?"

"Not me, the ponies here call them that, it's an accurate term though. Part of what keeps the Commonwealth isolated from the rest of Equestria, I told you I think that S.P.P. tower in the center of Trotson is working. They stir up from time to time, whip around the whole Commonwealth in a big circle, usually pretty harmless on the inside but you don't want to be out on the other side right now.

There was a lighter one not long ago actually, a little before I started hearing weird things on the radio about a dark pony calling himself the Shrouded Stallion actually... I er... l-like the coat and hat Fast, you ever read #291? The crossover issue with Mare do' Well where they fought the Mechanamare?"

Thinking back on the weather made me wonder, "Jade was hit by lightning the first time I saw her, I kinda got hit by another bolt not long after that... maybe it was that kind of storm."

I heard her snort and grumble up at the dish, banging at the adjustment arm before pointing down to me. "Alright, if you can get the realignment settings to cooperate give it a try, I'm pretty sure those coordinates are for the nearest M.A.S.E.B.S. tower outside. So... you really like that... umm... that alicorn?"

I really hoped she hadn't just stopped herself from saying 'that thing' and chose to ignore it, sticking my head in the open panel at the base of the rusting tower and repeatedly feeding it the series of numbers I had been provided. Hissing in frustration I gave the whole metal box a buck and was satisfied by the clunk of gears freeing inside, despite the twinge pain that brought. I took another look and brought out a wrench, "Servos are shot, not gonna move it by itself, hang on and I'll do it manually now that its unfrozen. Yes I really love that alicorn, why? Is that really such a big deal?"

The yellow pegasus above me gave a long sigh, sticking her head down to give me a weary expression. "Well... you didn't know anything about the Enclave and I liked that. I guess you didn't know anything about them either huh? Still, I'm surprised. They're not normal and often they don't care much about regular ponies. E-Easy... I don't mean that as an insult! J-Just... they are odd ok?

I don't like them but I've seen enough of them since the Lightbringer, they're just kind of... off. I guess they've been getting better since then, but I haven't heard of many of them getting... involved romantically you know? Plenty of ponies think they're exotic and want to, but it's infrequent. I knew a pegasus who was infatuated with one and she shot him down cold, said she had no interest in normal ponies, 'couldn't give her what she wanted' whatever that meant, so she saw no point even being friendly. So why's that one different? Or is it you..."

Slowly cranking the gears manually was getting the dish to line up on the target and I could see a signal starting to resolve on the display in front of me, giving me something to focus on and think before answering. "I don't know. She's basically the only one I've ever met and I always thought she was just normal, not really different from anypony else on the inside. Like you said, I didn't know anything when I came out of the Stable, didn't have any reason to think otherwise. I really would like it if you'd give her a chance and get along with each other, it's nice talking to you, she doesn't get technical stuff either you know. It was #292 by the way too..."

Hearing her laugh over the tone the open panel was giving me was a good sign, I'd have to work on Jade too but I didn't see any reason they couldn't be friends. Val had just taken her teasing too far, the alicorn I cared about didn't need much provocation for whatever reason. From what Summer and Jade herself said her kind were new to romantic attachments, plus Jade had issues when it came to being accepted let alone loved, no wonder she'd jealously guard what she had found. I could understand her reaction thanks to whatever nonsense the griffon had told her, but it was silly really, the scribe was just a fellow repair pony with similar interests. Really, the whole idea was...

"Still it's a shame though..." Wait what? That quiet voice above me was hard to make out above the now high pitched tone I had tuned in on, I... couldn't make it out, that's it... I misheard I was sure.

I locked the adjustments I had made in place and backed out of the open panel nervously, waving up to the pegasus hovering up at the dish and beating a hasty retreat. "O-Ok! Umm, should be all set! I gotta get down there, help try to get ahold of who she wants and all. Dispatch room right!? T-Thanks a lot Scribe Wind!"

Choosing to pay no attention to the muffled giggle up there I also couldn't make out, I ran to the roof access door and back downstairs. My whole life with a long string of miserable failures in the Stable, yet I come up to the blasted hellscape above and suddenly have fillies actually interested in me? All I wanted was one, Jade was more than enough for me and I was perfectly content if every other mare in the world continued treating me like I was used to back in 111. Dealing with all this was confusing, I could sympathize with Jade and other alicorns there if that was how they felt that led to their being viewed as odd.

I didn't spot her or Glitter in the chief's office where I left them, moving on to the dispatch room further in the building led me to both of them though. Dance had apparently brought her in to the small room of broadcasting equipment, mostly dark monitors, blinking lights and a large microphone at the front of the console Jade was seated at. The little room was cramped with both a Steel Ranger in power armor along with a big alicorn taking up so much space, forcing me to squeeze past to reach Glitter looking up at all the interesting equipment.

I took the opportunity to explain what all this had been for a long time ago to the foal while Dance was giving his instructions. He was trying to tell her how to broadcast and tune the makeshift system his scribe had wired together in here, oblivious to her confused look and hooves tapping together in front of her anxiously.

I kept an ear flicking that way while I told Glitter about police back before the war, how this was where they'd coordinate and send the ponies in blue out to those who needed their help. The concept was surprisingly hard to get across to her, reminding me again I took a lot of things for granted being her age when all this ended.

"Sooo... ponies in trouble would ask for help... an' these police ponies would just come and help? Wearin' blue uniforms an' with guns? Why? Was it cause the ones askin' were paying protection? Were they like a gang, was this their territory dad?"

"Er... no, because it was their job? They weren't a gang, they wore uniforms so others would know they were the good guys. They got paid of course, but by the city. I think most wanted to help other ponies is all, though there were some bad ones too." Surely the bizarre themed gangs of the Commonwealth weren't the closest thing she could come up with.

She scratched her head and thought, finally gasping when she worked it out. "Oh! Like your Minutemare friends?!"

Actually that was a much better comparison and I nodded to her happily. The Minutemares even wore blue too, I liked the idea of helping build a modern form of police. That was essentially their goal, provide safety and security for the regular ponies of the Commonwealth, be a force for good. I missed the ability to easily communicate when they were needed this room used to provide, and I doubted the things they were asked for were as simple as traffic accidents or burglars anymore, but they really could be wasteland cops in a way.

Looking back on hearing Dance wrapping up I could swear I saw smoke coming out Jade's ears, she was nodding like she understood but her eyes were making slow circles until she spotted me, giving me a pitiful helpless look. I trotted over quickly and thanked Dance, sending him out before joining Jade at the console, stroking her mane and fiddling with controls in my magic.

"Don't worry, I was listening, it's really not that complicated. Summer gave me the basics already anyway, I was surprised ponies out there use the M.A.S.E.B.S. system still, but if it's as cared for as she said this shouldn't be hard. Let's see what we can get."

Her distracting grateful nuzzle made it difficult to focus on the controls in front of me, making me jump with surprise when a burst of static filled the room before it faded away into a Sweetie Belle song issuing from the old speakers. A radio station? A waiting pip-buck port gave me a little more fine control and access to more of the signal I had found, there was actually an amazing amount of data coming off the tower I had locked on to.

A rich, smooth stallion's voice spoke up as the song ended, making Jade whinny happily and shake my shoulder. "That is it! That is coming from Tenpony Tower!"

"Good evening out there all my little ponies! Hope the wasteland's treating you well, or as well as it can be beaten into doing even in these bright days. Things are definitely better nowadays, but don't let your guard down am I right? Thankfully we get stories of heroes following the example the Lightbringer set for us all every day from all over! The wasteland may not stop trying to kill us, but we don't stop fighting back either do we children! Now I seem to have an unexpected guest, so let me leave you with one of those ponies who fights the good fight, a little Velvet Remedy for you all while my assistant and I attend my company."

I was so absorbed going through the feed of information pouring into my pip-buck it took a minute to notice the music that just started suddenly cut out, replaced by a mare's excited voice. What she said captured my full attention though.

"Sweet Celestia... the Commonwealth? Hey, you hearing me? Who is this, how are you broadcasting from that black hole? I've never gotten through before! How are you tapping into my feed too... you're getting into a lot more than just the radio station there buddy."

"Ummm... what? Hello? Is this working right, just a repair-pony here Miss...?" I stared around the room at the speakers that had blared to life with the unknown voice, transmitting back my confused response.

Jade was so excited by the voice she wiggled in her seat, reaching out for the microphone and nervously checking she understood what to press to transmit before speaking. "H-Hello! This is DJ Pon3's assistant? M-Miss Homage? I am sorry to intrude, we are indeed speaking from the Commonwealth which I gather is difficult? I am with the Followers of the Apocalypse, I had hoped to be put in contact with their Tenpony Tower branch if possible? Fast stop fiddling with the good pony's... feed?"

There was a few moments of silence that made me worry I had lost it, or been shut out somehow. I still wasn't quite sure what all I was looking at, but there was video buried in this signal along with audio, a looooot of video... Finally the voice came back, cautious but intrigued. "You're one of the Followers... in the Commonwealth? You'd have to be part of that expedition then huh? Are... are you the blue?"

"Yes! M-My name is Jade and I am part of the Commonwealth expedition, this is the first chance I've had to communicate! You know about me?"

The speakers warbled with feedback at the whoop pushed through them, flattening both Glitter's and my own ears against the whine that didn't seem to bother Jade as much. "Oh wow! Sure! I'll send a call down right now and have one of them come up, you can talk right to em, hang on just a sec!" There was a clatter, then silence for a few minutes before the mare on the other end returned. "Ok, got somepony coming! You uh... you mind if I listen in when you talk though? Getting any news out of that little corner of Equestria is like pulling Hellhound teeth, best I got is a few rumors... So you are the blue then, but are you THE blue one?"

Jade looked confused and tentatively pushed the button again, "I... I am unsure what you are asking Miss Homage. I am the blue alicorn that was part of the wing dispatched here, my green and purple sisters did not survive the trip I am afraid... What do you mean?"

"Hey, I told you I get rumors, sorry about your sisters... I talked to Velvet before she sent you three out, told her what I knew about the Commonwealth. She was pretty worried sending you out that way, hope she doesn't take it too hard. I kept an eye on you three as long as I could, hadn't had the heart to tell her you were the last I spotted, but at least you made it right? What I mean though is... well... are you THE blue alicorn I keep hearing about out there? My view there is closed, best I got is a couple long range cameras that pick up something interesting every once in awhile. But some of the travelers that come into my more reliable range have been talking about one of your kind, a blue one that's been doing things out that way I think would make Velvet proud. A certain princess?"

Immediately turning bright red and hiding in her wings left me to take over, it seemed the thought of the stories I started spreading back out to Equestria at large was too much for her. "That's her alright! Jade's the princess of our town and has been doing all kinds of good things in the Commonwealth since she got here! She even got her cutie mark for being one and...mmmrrhmm!"

Getting grabbed and having a large blue hoof stuffed in my mouth effectively cut off my glowing endorsement, but the damage had been done. This Homage sounded quite curious when she continued, "Who was that? Wait one of you got a cutie mark? That's possible?! Hey put him back on!"

Jade whimpered before she finally hit the button to cut off the increasing questions I had set off, "T-That was Fast... m-my special somepony... he is the one responsible for starting all those stories. T-though I did eventually accept the role he gave me, that is why I... received my mark yes... He has a flair for theatrics, you should ask him about his own alter ego, he is not simply a Stable repair-pony as he says."

"Repair-pony? From a Stable no less... Does he fix toasters?" Homage's chuckling reply seemed kind of non-sequitur, but she sounded nice anyway and that got the hoof out of my mouth.

"Umm... I guess I can? Toasters aren't all that complicated..."

That just got fresh laughter and she carried on happily. "Toasters may disagree there Mr. Fast... Well color me intrigued, I didn't think you mares could get cutie marks, and a special somepony too... that is still a little rare. Congratulations, of course now you have to let me interview you myself, not just listen in! I wanna talk with your buckfriend there too, if his skills are up to snuff maybe he can help me out and let me finally get through to the Commonwealth! Oh... damn, after you talk to your friends I guess, don't go anywhere! Here they are..."

There was some shuffling and a new mare's voice came from the speakers around us, relief evident in their tone. "Hello? I'm told this is a member of the Commonwealth expedition?! Name and ID please? Just to confirm."

Tears welled up her in big blue eyes as she hoofed the button in excitement, "Yes! I am Jade, Blue 1192. Oh how wonderful, I thought I would not be able to communicate with the Followers at all while I was here. Is this Miss Honey Dew of the Tenpony Tower branch?"

"That's me alright! We're pretty happy too, we've gotten some limited information about your expedition and have been concerned. Watcher confirmed you at least had made it there and were doing what you could, we're sorry about the others... Are you ready to report? We have a lot of questions, oh I wish I could get in contact with Miss Remedy, she'll be thrilled to hear from you, please go ahead and I'll send a recording to her as fast as possible."

Jade gave a little squeal and hugged me tightly before composing herself and replying. Launching into her well practiced report I had already heard several times. She didn't provide many details about the trip to the Commonwealth, focusing on what she had found since arriving in the isolated area. Beginning with when I met her she moved forward smoothly, discussing more mundane topics like radiation levels, pockets of civilization she had seen and managed to help, her clinic which acted as the Followers of the Apocalypse's headquarters here, and her plans to start a school and library with our recent haul.

When she started getting cornered into talking about herself and answering some of the questions they had for her in that regard she got nervous, using me nearby to calm herself and reluctantly explain how she had wound up as a princess in the Commonwealth, eventually ending up recounting how she got her mark for accepting the role.

Silence stretched out for a several minutes after that and I started getting the breath squeezed out of me in her anxiety, finally a new voice spoke up with a shocked tone. "This... this is true? We are capable of receiving a cutie mark again... Be very clear Jade, you know the import of this and I would have no confusion. If I am to tell the others I wish to hear every detail."

"Easy Mossy! I know this important to you but she wouldn't lie about something like this right? Let her tell it without scaring her, sorry about that Jade. I brought my local assistant here to talk with you if you needed one of your own to speak with, glad I did now. Go ahead when you're ready."

So there was another alicorn there listening, that was always of interest to me. I had a pretty limited amount of exposure to Jade's kind and hearing from others added to my understanding of the only one I cared about. This one was no nonsense, though probably because of the topic. Hearing from one of her own Jade put on a determined look and carefully explained everything in detail, reciting just what she said at the time that prompted it and explaining what she was feeling when it happened. Filling in backstory with much greater care, despite how she felt about it, she told this other alicorn everything, including about me.

Another long silence followed and the other alicorn eventually broke it. "This is a role you rejected... the mark did not come until you accepted it? You have engaged in a relationship with the pony who first gave it to you, who prompted the series of events that led to it? This is interesting, I will share what you have said with the others and we will decide what to make of it. Whatever the meaning I do offer my congratulations and thanks, proving it is possible... you know what this will mean for our kind, you have done well sister."

Hearing the praise prompted happy tears and got me a long kiss out of it. I knew how important it had been to Jade, the thought that her experience could help her sisters, give them hope even so far away, I was really happy for her. That thought led me back to the other alicorns here in the Commonwealth who still needed to be told, and to everything connected to them here... Breaking off from her celebratory affection was hard, but they needed to know this and I had more information on this topic than Jade did.

"Hi again, sorry to interrupt and I'm really happy for you all Miss Mossy. I'm Fast, um... Jade's buckfriend that pushed her into the whole... princess thing. There's some other stuff you guys should know about your kind and the Commonwealth, stuff about the other thing I understand you all worry about...

I don't know if you know anything about the Institute, but they're a group of... well mad scientist ponies really, they uh.. have a version of the I.M.P. and they're experimenting with it. They're making weird mutant alicorns right now, but they... they tricked some of your sisters here into helping them by saying they're trying to make males for you, or even just make regular ponies compatible. I don't know if that's the truth or not, but it's definitely possible. I know that's as big a deal for you as cutie marks, so I thought you should know..."

That got a long silence that stretched out quite awhile, making me nervous at the reaction it must be causing on the other end. Finally the alicorn replied, a hard edge to her voice. "Someone is... meddling with the holy potion... making more of us? You will explain, we wish to know everything on this subject. Making males has been met with limited success, making normal ponies compatible... that had not been considered. You are the one who cares for our sister? You have entered into a relationship with her? If such a thing were possible for a normal pony like yourself... would you do so?"

Jade barely had time for her eyes to widen anxiously, I answered immediately. "Yes! Er... i-if she wanted, someday... I'll tell you everything I know, I'm after the Institute anyway, but if there's any way to actually get what they promised your kind then that's what I want."

The sharp gasp in my ear and crushing affection that followed made it hard to actually tell them anything, but I pressed on when I could breathe again. Judging by her reaction Jade was suddenly impatient for her long awaited report to be over, but we still had a lot to cover here. At least Glitter was still watching and listening behind us, giving a wide yawn as it got darker outside and our boring talking continued. As long as she was around I figured I could get through what we had to talk about over our connection to the outside world, without the big filly around me making it completely impossible to concentrate.

Several hours later in the privacy of one of the empty offices where we set up for the night she got her way, leaving me sweaty and more sore than when I started, while she was still very affectionate and not looking tired at all. I was apparently still expected to make up for scaring her in whatever way Jade wished, coupled with what I had said to her sister back in Manehatten that was getting exhausting. But at least she was willing to give me a break while she puffed in my ear.

"You make me very happy Fast, when I think I could not be more so you say something like that... You... you really would want to do such a thing with me? If it were possible?"

I nodded wearily under her, "Why do you think that synth was so tempting... not just because of my Stable, though that did nearly get me. I can understand how they tricked the mare in those memories you showed me. Not fair we can't... er.... you know, I mean someday that would be nice right? I heard a lot of your kind don't even think of normal ponies that way, cause you can't do that together. That's wrong though, I love you, that Evergreen has somepony she loves, there's probably lots of your sisters out there that are missing out without even knowing it. Just because you're a little different, if there's a way to fix that... that's what I want to do."

Once her renewed attention tapered off she sighed happily and gave it some thought. "Yes... I admit I was so fixated on our mother's wish to procreate I had not considered anything else before you. Those of us who have engaged in relations with others are usually quickest to regain their individuality and not as focused on what the mother wished. But it is surely a concern they cannot ever have anything more with those they have chosen, even those that prefer mares could have the option for a surrogate. A way to be able to breed with normal ponies, that would be one less barrier between us and the rest of ponykind, it is indeed very tempting. T-Though I do not think you should trust that Institute mare in any way, it is a lovely dream but not worth the risk. We may not let that one wish blind us again as it has before."

There was disappointment she was trying to keep out of her voice, she returned to her idle attention to mask it while I pulled my pip-buck free from her wing. That helped cool off a little and let me go over the various updates that had come from speaking with the rest of Equestria and my slowly developing, vague plans.

Mission: Can you hear me now?

Objective--
--Reach the Commonwealth M.A.S.E.B.S. tower
--Apply the bypass

Mission: Ponykind-Redefined

Objective--
--Find Biosciences I.M.P. research data
--Transmit data to Equestria

Mission: Reunions

Objective--
--Kill Kellogg
Optional Objectives--
----Help Brotherhood at Fort Haygone

The first had come from Homage when she returned to the mic and pressed both of us with a slew of questions, her and Piper could practically be related, they both had a nose for news and passion for the truth. When she was finally satisfied she revealed something Piper didn't have however, a great deal of technical expertise.

From what she explained to me she and her employer, this DJ Pon3 in Manehatten, were able to broadcast and keep an eye on the wasteland through the M.A.S.E.B.S. system I had broken into, that's why there was so much video coming off the tower I found. My surprise at hearing the name DJ Pon3 200 years later took a little back filling, but she took it as a well educated pony asking, not as one who actually remembered the original.

Homage knew the system inside and out, I was impressed at her level of skill and could spend quite some time talking about the equipment she educated me on. The reason for her crash course was the S.P.P. spire here in the Commonwealth though, not just for fun. Each of those spires were festooned with cameras near the middle along with all the M.A.S.E.B.S. broadcasting equipment she used to gather and report the news. As Scribe Wind had told me, the one here was not part of the rest of the network however, it was separate and inaccessible. This didn't seem to be the first time one of the spires had been cut off though.

After getting the basics down from her I was pretty sure I could do what she asked if I ever reached the towering white spire, go into the broadcasting station at the bottom and apply a bypass to whatever was blocking it. I couldn't do anything about the higher functions like the S.P.P. at the top that she seemed highly interested in, but reconnecting the lower security functions shouldn't be impossible. If it worked then DJ Pon3 would be able to see into the Commonwealth and broadcast here, easing communication with the outside across the board as well.

The next mission was more personal, I didn't trust Biosciences or Moondancer and her synth doubles at all, but I wanted it. I wasn't willing to be taken against my will, or just come along quietly, but between that and my initial plan of finding where she was and tearing her lab down around her ears had to be some kind of middle ground right? I could lie and say it was for the good of all of Jade's kind, and it was sort of... but really it was for Jade. I would do anything I could to get that data, one way or another.

The last was what was ahead of me in the morning, I wasn't sure what the Brotherhood pair wanted there and I'd help if I could. But there was a reason helping them had been listed as optional, Kellogg came first...

I continued scrolling down and looked at some of my Miscellaneous mission listings, rechecking the map for our route tomorrow and thinking. I had a little help now and hopefully more on the way, Sassy Saddle's locator tag had left Hexington in the afternoon and she was already approaching Sanctuary, filling me with relief.

Eventually my tapping and clicking was interrupted by Jade's big hoof pushing mine down, insisting I continue working off my reckless actions earlier. We may not be compatible but it certainly wasn't from lack of trying anyway, and it let me take my mind off everything ahead of us which was always welcome.

Fort Haygone was on the edge of the Commonwealth, the closer we got the more the early morning rain was intensifying making for a cold, wet trip west. Sassy seemed to have given Glitter quite the wardrobe while we were at Hubris at least, the little filly happily splashed down the cracked streets that were a minefield of deep puddles in her very own rain slicker and galloshes.

The rest of us were kept somewhat dry by Jade's pale rain shield, a weak and distorted version of her normal shield spell that acted as a canopy, though spreading it out enough for the six of us in the blowing rain wasn't perfect. Val was even wetter as she kept flying off to scout around, causing the occasional explosion or flashes of red M.E.W. fire through the trees before returning.

Coming back from the latest of these excursions and spattering me with water as she shook herself off, she looked over her own pip-buck and grumbled. "Goin' the wrong way boss, getting further away from this fort place. Why you wanna go to this farm instead?"

I sputtered at the added rain water and choked out an answer, "Because of a few things Val. You keep saying Kellogg is such a terror, I don't wanna just stroll up to the front door without trying to take a look number one. This Sunshine and Rainbows Co-op is on my list of places to visit anyway and pretty close, plus it's on high ground. If we're lucky we can convince them to join Sanctuary and the Minutemares, provide some food for home and stuff to make medicine in Stable 114, and have somewhere safe to stay and get ready. Preston's tag is moving that way too so he must have got Sassy's letter and agreed, so we get a little more backup meeting them there. Make sense?"

Glitter came bounding back and pouted at me, "By somewhere safe to stay, you mean somewhere to leave me behind don't ya daddy..."

"Er... yes... among other things. This is way too dangerous for you, Val says it's too dangerous for me already, I'm not letting you go ok? Sorry but that's not up for debate."

She wasn't happy about that, but had learned on certain subjects I wouldn't budge. Going off to storm an Equestrian Army fortress being inhabited by what Val regarded as the ultimate Gunner was right at the top of that list. Hopefully this farm was as nice as Preston had made it sound, offering a little help getting the industrial farming equipment running again would be enough to convince them from what he had explained.

The echoing sound of gunfire through the hills ahead didn't bode well for that plan though. I checked my map just to be sure, but that was definitely in the direction of Sunshine and Rainbows Co-Op... I nodded at Val's questioning look and sped after her when she took off into the air towards the noise, leaving the protection of Jade's shield and getting soaked as I ran.

My legs were still aching from the excess I had put them through yesterday, the gallop up the increasingly steep hills didn't help any either. Cresting a decent rise just off the road as close to the shouts ahead as I dared, I crawled through the mud and peeked over, spotting my destination as Val gently lighted on a branch above me.

Sunshine and Rainbows was a pretty big place, a medium sized barn in the center of a large clearing, surrounded by numerous cabins that were identical before 200 years of ruin gave each their own character. On the other side of the clearing was another larger barn and a couple of towering, rusted silos to the west, overlooking a large field to the south filled with a variety of plants I had never seen along with a few I could recognize. Even with everything else going on I couldn't help but notice the ancient hulk of the industrial harvester I was here for, rotting away in the middle of the field.

Of much greater interest to the non repair-pony part of me was the frantic activity below, a mix of red and green on E.F.S. jittering about. The marks in my compass matched two distinct groups of ponies in the compound, one a number of dirty and tired looking ponies who I'd guess were the resident farmers. The others wore armor of varying quality and carried a great deal of weapons, none of them were without a gun of some kind, but all of them also had some kind of potentially non lethal melee weapon. They were shooting at the residents attempting to resist, but many had been caught and beaten, dragged back to a couple of waiting carts with bars on the path up and being fitted with funny blinking metal collars by a fat purple stallion. They didn't really look quite like raiders... or act like them entirely...

Hissing down at me as I heard the others coming up behind me, Val cleared up my confusion. "Fucking slavers..."

Slavers... ponies who made slaves of other ponies... I had heard of the concept and realized it must happen out here, seeing it was a different story entirely. My eyes started burning in my head and the dark Shroud in my mind took over, without any complaint from anything else up there. I drew the Last Minute and charged it to full power, standing on the top of the hill overlooking the battle and spotting a grey mare drawing back with a long club in her mouth, standing over a cowering colt under her.

The slaver's head getting vaporized focused the attention of the rest nicely, everything stopped down there and a lot of eyes fell on me, scowling down at them in return. My best Shrouded Stallion voice came out in a roar and was even accented by some well timed thunder, times like this I really thought Luna may be on my side out there...

"Greetings Evildoers! Release your prisoners and leave this place, right now, or face Luna's judgement from the Shrouded Stallion..."

"Oh Celestia fuck me... it's him! He's real!!" Well one of the slavers had the proper idea... gibbering up at the sight and backing away. The rest looked rather nervous too, between Jade and the voices of the Ministry Mares in my head I was willing to give them a chance, but the darker part of me was hoping they'd let me kill them all.

A slimy looking green unicorn stallion looked willing to cooperate on that front, stepping forward with a sneer and trying to take control of this situation. "This is none of your business, we're working for Silver Seed Agriculture, these podunk farmers made a deal and haven't paid up, penalty is indentured servitude for a spell is all... They signed the deal, all nice and above board, got a copy right here."

I glanced at the leather folder he floated up in a field of dingy green magic, feigning interest a moment before adjusting my aim with the whining gauss rifle by my head and blowing it to shreds. "I don't care... Your pitiful contract is meaningless, Goddess Luna doesn't like slavery and neither do I. Go back to your masters and let them know, it's no longer a valid business practice."

That got their complete attention and the red marks in my vision were moving about slowly, taking cover and focusing in my direction and away from the farmers hiding in the cabins and small barn. A elderly pink stallion that had just been fitted with a collar but not put in the caged cart took the chance to make a break for cover, a voice from his fellows in one of the cabins surprised me at its frantic scream though.

"Wine NO! That damn thing's!" His warning shout suddenly made sense when the collar started beeping and the old pony's head exploded once he was away from the cart. The other prisoners in those collars wailed in horror and the farmer screeched from his cover, "Oh you sons of bitches! Ya killed him!"

The apparent leader wheeled on him with his rifle, brought up short by another blurring 2mm round blasting a crater in the mud at his hooves and returning his attention to me. "Take those collars off, NOW!"

Sneering back the stallion whistled and gestured with his hoof, three of his more well armed subordinates rounded on the caged carts on the path that held a few prisoners in those blinking collars and readied their battle saddles. The fat purple slaver reached into his leather armor and pulled out some kind of remote with its own blinky red light in his mouth. Once he was sure I got the idea he raised his rifle at me and smirked, "You're the one leavin' whoever you are, or what we got is gonna die messy. Can be from lead or Nitro over there can hit the button and take em all out at once..."

That would be a plan that could work, except for two things... First was the black and white blur of Zed springing from the trees, grabbing the fat purple slaver and snapping his neck with one quick movement. The second was the round blue shield that bloomed to life around the carts, put up by the invisible alicorn suddenly appearing between them.

She had her eyes tightly shut to not see what was going to happen next, but still tried to plead with them. "You may not hurt these ponies! I do not like slavery either! Y-You should have listened, I would run now!"

The unexpected appearance of a princess from thin air and the removal of their trump card got two more to run away, she did that much. The other six had no chance now though, the heavy clomping of steel clad hooves up the trail and the whir of a minigun spinning up was overridden by Val whooping and launching herself above them. "Oh no, too late now Blue! Any o' you fools left shoulda listened!"

With a stream of fire coming from this side and above, and the whining gauss rifle picking off any who made an aggressive move, the remaining slavers ran for their lives. I could still take the two who listened to Jade's warning, and at the moment I reeeeally wanted to... but they had sense enough to listen to my princess, they got to live. The rest were not going to be so lucky.

Retreating to the north frantically was only possible because both the Steel Ranger and the cackling griffon were exercising careful fire control, not exploding or shredding buildings and cautious about the farmers not under Jade's protection. I saw the leader scrambling away, bleeding from a dozen wounds, but clearing an occupied cabin that would help cover him and I charged down the hill after him, that one was definitely not getting free. Several lines of pink M.E.W. fire from that direction cut short his escape however, clearing the last of the red from my vision as more green was added to it.

I trotted around the cabin to see what happened and was happy to see my suspicions were correct, Preston Garden's magical energy musket steamed in the rain and he tipped his jaunty hat at me, half a dozen Minutemares spreading out behind him and moving into the settlement. "Well hello there Fast, see we managed to get here just in time huh?"

Tinkering with the simple broadcasting device and detonator we recovered in the small barn kept me out of the rain, though even the open barn was a little cramped with all the farmer ponies wearing the blinking collars in here with me. Val was perched over one of the fillies so decorated and cursing under her breath while her claws worked at the lock.

These things were a horrible revelation to me, collars loaded with explosives, able to blow the head off the one wearing it if they got too far from the machine I was trying to disable or at the push of a button. The nerve wracking work was only being attended to by me and Val, I wouldn't allow anyone else in range of these things.

"Any luck boss... disarming these things one atta time like this is a pain in the ass..." Val grumbled over to me while I worked, between her skilled claws and knowledge of explosives she knew how to take care of the collars, but one mistake could be a big problem.

"I'm trying, I don't want to set them all off accidentally. It should be a simple proximity signal, but I don't know if they have anyone clever enough to put in booby traps or anything. Think I just about have it ok?"

The dark blue earth pony farmer who had been the one shouting was watching outside the large doors to the barn, calling over gratefully. "Appreciate your help here, were in real trouble back there when you folks showed up, awful glad you know how to mess with those things too..."

"No problem, glad we could help sir. Thank Zed, he took out the one with the detonator, I'm sorry about the one who... wasn't so lucky... Now cross your hooves, this... should.... be.... it!"

A clip of the right wire caused all the glowing red lights in here with us to go dark at once, letting all of us breathe a shaky sigh of relief and Val start working with less caution. Just from what I had gathered several large families of ponies worked this farm and probably a quarter of them were in here with us, the older stallion was the spokespony and answered as he trotted forward, clapping the others on the back on his way.

"It's alright... he knew better than to run, just couldn't help it I s'pose... Name's Wilted Sprout, everypony just calls me Wilt. Damn good timing son, guess we should'a took these Minutemares up on their offer in the first place eh? Really thought we'd be ok, specially with that harvester workin' again, but them Silver Seed bucks been nothin' but trouble. Made a deal to buy seed stock from that bitch's company and pay come harvest, those fuckers have been out here makin' sure we couldn't make enough ever since. Shot our brahmim, messed with the few machines what still work, tore up crops!"

That just put another mark in favor of screwing with the Diamond City nobility, Piper told me how Silver Seed maintained her fortune, but knowing and seeing were different. This farm was a threat to her monopoly, if the equipment was working it would cut into her profits for sure. Considering how hard things were out here in the wasteland concerning food I'd think there was plenty of room for everyone, but that noble pony was so greedy she didn't care about the suffering she caused. She set these ponies up with her deal just so she could take over this farm and have more slaves to work it...

Preston saw his chance and took over smoothly while I seethed to myself, "The offer is still on the table Wilt, we can have recruits from Sanctuary stationed here in no time. Some of the ones I brought with me if you like, once we take care of a little mission in the area of course. Fast there is quite the repair-pony too, believe he meant to come here just to fix some of your equipment, not get involved in all this."

"He's right sir, I can fix your harvester out there I'm pretty sure, probably anything else around that needs it long as I have the parts. I'm glad we were in the area at the right time, but we just wanted to try to convince you to join Princess Jade's kingdom. We know other communities nearby that will buy what you can produce and even a Stable that could make medicine with your help. The Minutemares being around in case something like this happens again is a bonus too, though I think I'm going to do something about this Silver Seed Agriculture regardless..."

Wilted Sprout looked to the alicorn I mentioned over at a long metal building nearby, some kind of commissary for the co-op from the looks of it. Jade had taken it over and started dispensing medical treatment immediately, helped from being overwhelmed by the foals on the farm with Glitter acting as her assistant.

"So it's true... heard about that Sanctuary place, we been a mite busy lately and ain't been able to check it out. Sounds good to me if that mare there's the one in charge, a real princess... who would'a thought... If you wanna do somethin' bout that old crone that runs Silver Seed I'm all for that too Mr. Fast, been runnin' us farmers outta business or under her hoof for years.

Fine neighbors we used ta have in between us an' you, the Applenathys, had their farm taken over awhile back, could give ya long list of others. Ones she's taken or ones tryin' ta hold out like us, we try to work together to stand up to her but... well ain't been goin' well as ya can see...

Gotta let us talk it over a bit, give everypony the chance to warm up to the idea of joinin' up, an' get to know yer mare there. Let us put out a spread for you folks before you get to work an' whatever it is you an' yer heavily armed friends are up to. Just curious, but anything we should be worried about?"

I shook my head and held a hoof out to the farmer pony, "That sounds great sir, we'd love to take advantage of your hospitality and hang around a bit. We're not up to anything that will hurt you, but having somewhere close by to hang out at will help a lot. Maybe you could help out a little too, you know anything about Fort Haygone? It's not far from here."

Wilt returned the gesture with a grin, pulling at his faded overall straps in thought. "That place? Sorry, not much. No one ever goes there on account of all the damn Manticores...."

"Manticores?"

Manticores... Why did it have to be manticores...

Val, Preston and Steel Dance came with me to scout out Fort Haygone and the surrounding town while the others helped the farmers of Sunshine and Rainbows Co-Op. I took a look at the machines waiting for me and they'd at least give me something to work on when we got back and think over... What I was looking at now made me look forward to the calm, meditative peace I got fixing things.

Haygone wasn't a big town, Val's description looked correct, it seemed as if the whole village had sprung up around the huge Fort at the center of it. Sitting up on the hillside above it at a nice, safe... distance, I could take it all in fairly well. It even followed the basic design of the Fort, both the town and the complex were essentially large rectangles going north to south.

Just below us I was surprised to see the familiar Red Rocket decoration from one of the charging stations, this one definitely wasn't part of the courier network though, unless manticores got a lot of mail. Beyond that there were a lot of functional looking buildings rotting in the town, several barracks and administration looking offices, a medical building on the south side of town that was hard to make out even through the scope on the Last Minute, to the west were a trio of very large satellite dishes barely visible in the growing storm.

The fort itself was in much better shape than any building around it, two to three stories tall and built of concrete and steel. Every window was covered in steel shutters that looked like they had slammed down when the bombs fell and rusted in place, rickety looking metal catwalks went around and up the roofs, leading to a good number of turrets and spotlights sweeping back and forth in the rain. A larger square structure attached to the main fort looked like some kind of garage maybe? Ramps led down from the street into it and there were a lot of different sized heavy doors on the first and second levels.

All of this was secondary to the inhabitants though, the place was crawling with manticores. I knew what they were, I read about them in a book from the Society for the Preservation of Magical Creatures a long time ago, the faded picture did not do them justice however... Huge, feline monsters with big bat wings and a wicked looking scorpion tail prowled the streets, sometime snapping at each other just for getting too close. Not exactly friendly looking...

Val broke my shocked silence with no attempt at consolation, "Oh this is just fucking great boss... Worst Gunner in history isn't enough, oh no... no you gotta go storm a fortress surrounded by freaking manticores! Are you ready to give this up now?!"

"N-No..."

Preston joined the griffon after staring at it all long enough, "I think she's right Fast. We're willing to do anything we can to help, but we simply don't have the firepower for something like this..."

Even Dance sounded pretty dubious, and I knew he wanted something in there. "This is an untenable position Fast, I see no way to manage this assault. From what I know of the complex you may be able to sneak in through the motor pool, if you can reach it, but that is unlikely even with Miss Jade's abilities. They will sniff you out, visible or not... I'm not saying to give up, but we need to regroup and strategize, maybe they'll move on or become less active?"

The only concession I or my pip-buck were willing to make flashed in my vision while I scowled down at the waiting fortress, and the objective marker it displayed directly ahead;

Mission Updated: Reunions

Objective--
--Find a way into Fort Haygone
--Kill Kellogg
Optional Objectives--
----Help Brotherhood at Fort Haygone

"I am not going anywhere. He's down there, right now, in there somewhere... He stormed into my Stable and killed everything in his way, if I have to do the same then that's what I'll do."

Grabbing me by the shoulders Val lifted me up on her hind legs and hissed in my face, "From what you said he had a freaking army of robots! We got help sure, but we ain't got enough boss! You can't do it! I'm sorry, I really am, but you don't get to go on suicide missions and we ain't got many more friends to ask for help do we?!"

"No... we don't...."

"Zactly! So just give this up for now, he ain't gone nowhere for 100 years, he'll be around again! We got enough problems already!" She seemed relieved she was making some kind of progress getting me to admit that, but all she did was give me an thought.

"We don't have enough friends to help..."

"Yeah! What I said! W-wait... you got that look boss... no, no, no, whatever it is no!" She started shaking me in front of her but it was too late, the idea that definitely seemed like a suggestion from the dark Shroud in my head was taking root and making me smile.

"But we have more than enough enemies..."

---------------------Level Up!----------------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------------

Silent Gallop--
--You have mastered silent movement, allowing you to move quickly and still remain quiet. You can Sneak at full speed with no penalties.

Reputation Change!--------------------

Tenpony Tower- Neutral
You have friends in high places out in the world beyond the Commonwealth! Not that it's likely to ever come up, but if you ever found yourself in Manehatten you'd have an in when it comes to entering fabulous Tenpony Tower. More useful to you however is having a name to drop when communicating with the rest of Equestria, which seems much more probable.

DJ Pon3- Accepted
--The voice of the Equestrian Wasteland is aware of you now and friendly. Funny since you really only talked to his assistant, but she was nice and took a shine to you. At least she's not her boss talking on the radio to all of Equestria, after all her questions that would be embarrassing!

Silver Seed Agriculture- Hated
--Well you figured on doing something about the nobility of Diamond City anyway, now you've further ticked them off and started your campaign of terror. Sparing some of them may be what's right and what Jade wants, but the story is going to get out now.

Ch. 29-- Clearing the Way

Ch. 29-- Clearing the Way

Good afternoon Diamond City! This is Traveling Miles with the lunch hour news. Little bit of a buzz today after those bounty hunters came in trying to claim the reward on friend of the station Fast Times. Now seeing how those Gunners in D.C. strongly suggested I come along and take a look at the body that was brought in, I wasn't worried, whoever that poor buck was it wasn't Fast. That didn't stop the rumors though, but lo and behold I've got new stories coming in of a certain stallion in black out and about in the Commonwealth.

Seems Applenathy farm was liberated overnight, the folks there fell on hard times and ended up under the hoof of one of our own 'nobility', the Silver Seed Agriculture company. Apparently the conditions there were so bad it inspired our favorite fugitive to bring down Luna's wrath on the place. A couple of the slavers there left willingly and were spared, the rest not so much. Once he was done and the original owners of the small spread were in charge again, under the protection of the Minutemares now, Fast left to follow up on rumors of the old Equestrian Ration Stockpile nearby.

Wherever he is we wish him luck, those Gunners I spoke with seemed awful mad at being tricked... Here's a little Sweetie Belle to send his way.

Working on the large, multi limbed, 'Super Quicker Crop Picker' harvester was made more difficult by the three ladies badgering me while I was stuck under it. Whoever Hippocratic Research Industries' were they made almost overcomplicated but sturdy machinery, I was actually making some progress despite the stern voice above me, slowly edging up towards goddess levels.

"Fast you may not! This plan of yours is madness! I... I will not allow it!" Jade was seriously upset with me, but it was too late now, they all heard the radio too.

"She's right boss! Thanks to your little letter to Miles we gotta get outta here, every Gunner in the area is gonna be swarmin' this place, lookin' for blood! Why the hell you do that without even tellin' me!" I watched Val's claws and paws padding along, pacing on the other side of the large machine I was under.

"I don't like it either daddy! You leavin' me alone is bad enough, but you wanna... f-fight those bad monsters? Make all those mean Gunners come after you on purpose?!" Glitter was low enough to actually stick her head down here with me to yell at me, crouching under the front of the machine so I got it from three sides.

With a sigh I tightened the next series of connections and followed the circuit I had been repairing again, "I'm sorry, I didn't tell you because I knew you'd try to stop me. I can't let this go, I am getting into that fort one way or another, this is the best idea I had...."

"Using that strange spell of yours does damage to your body Fast! You have not let me examine it to see the potential side effects! The stress on your hooves alone moving at that speed is unacceptable!" Jade tried the medical approach first, she did have a point though. A large part of my plan hinged on my weird lightning walking spell, not a bit of magic I had ever seen in any book. It did do some damage if I overdid it, but this wouldn't be as bad as trying to keep ahead of those mutant alicorns.

"Boss you don't know Gunners! After foolin' em like that, they are gonna be righteously pissed off and you wanna bring em here intentionally!? This whole Kellogg thing is makin' you crazy, yer lettin' him get to you! Just wantin' to fight him is bad enough, but a horde of manticores and the Gunners before you even get to him!?" Val's concerns were tactical and also well thought out. Maybe I was too obsessed with the cyber-buck that killed so many in my Stable... I was still going to kill him though.

Glitter was the hardest to deny however, "Everybody's worried about you dad! Y-You could get k-killed! You can't leave me! N-Not you too! Just forget about this bad pony, let's run away!" Since she could stick her head down here with me I had to look into those watery pink eyes as she begged. I wished I could do as she asked, I wasn't running away though...

At the flip of a switch the repaired circuit hummed to life and the machine clattered above me, this was the biggest problem with the harvester fixed then. I crawled out towards the front to give the blubbering foal a hug and stroke her mane, "I'm sorry... really I am Glitter. I'll be careful, I'm not leaving you ever ok? But... I have to do this. I know it's hard to understand, but I have to. Trust me ok, I'll be back before you know it and we'll do something fun alright?"

Sniffling in my chest she wimpered out a response, "C-Can we go home? See everypony? I w-wanna check on Sassy... see Short an Sturges... Let AssaultJack meet Cogsworth so they can be friends! Can we?"

That was still a difficult order to fill, if everything worked out perfectly though... maybe I could give her what she wanted. "We'll try, that's one more reason for me to do this. So we can go home for a little while, I miss it too. You're not trying to play matchmaker with Cogs and your babysitter though are you?"

A small tickle at the joke got her to giggle, "M-Maybe... they're both robots! AssaultJack should have robot friends, there's others back home I guess... but they don't talk like Cogsworth and AJ."

Looking out over the field I could see another Minutemare returning to Sunshine and Rainbows Co-Op, this one loaded down with heavy bags and panting from his run to the outside. There was another piece of my... plan like thing... it was sort of a plan, I needed what he had brought and to get them set up ahead of time anyway, so I trotted over once Glitter was calmed.

The alicorn and griffon pair trailed me and continued their argument against my idea, distracting the poor Minutemare earth pony buck from giving his report with a salute and handing over his heavy load. "H-Here you are sir, ran as fast as I could and bought every last mine and grenade in Hex. Hell of a discount when I said who it was for and gave em your note sir!"

I rooted around in the large bag a moment and examined the haul, more explosives than I could carry stared back, a few looked like old Stable-Tec lunchboxes and jingled for some reason. I grinned at the young Minutemare and tipped my hat. "Thanks a lot for doing that, I really appreciate it, this will help a lot. Now get some rest soldier, gonna be busy soon I think."

The light purple pony gave another salute and trotted off to the long commisary building to join his fellows, eager to share the praise and add to the excited conversation. My view of him waving to his friends was blocked by the large blue alicorn looming over me with a frown however.

"You may not do this Fast. It is too dangerous, if I must I will tranquilize you and force you to leave this place before these Gunners arrive..." If I didn't know her so well I'd believe that threat, it was still a concern she might do it anyway, she was that upset after I explained what I was going to do.

"That wouldn't be very nice Jade, I don't think you will. You know what this means to me, I'd do anything to not worry you I could, but I have to do this. It's my family, I love them as much as you, don't make me choose between you. Please."

She looked utterly crestfallen at that, her ears drooped and she slumped on the spot, answering sadly with a whimper. "B-But... you could... I cannot lose you, I cannot... I wish to see you find your family, very much... I wish to meet them someday. But this... is there not some other way?"

"We watched them for awhile and talked to all the ponies here, those manticores don't go away. If I want in they have to go, and I want in. We don't have the kind of firepower we need to do it alone, this will work though. I know you're scared, trust me... so am I... But I'm doing this, c-can I ask you help me?" I tugged at the heavy sack uselessly to demonstrate, there was no way I was lugging this kind of ordinance into the woods on my own.

Val grabbed the overloaded sack and snatched it away before her pale blue magic could envelop it as she sighed in defeat, "No! You are playin' with fire here boss, this is slightly crazier than most of your plans, figure something else out that doesn't make you into bait!"

"Can you do it Val? Can Jade? Summer? Dance? Preston? Who here is fast enough? I need your help with those too, we need to scout out the path to that raider place the ponies at Applenathy told us about and get it all set up. Unless you can come up with something better, this is what we got. I'm counting on you too, it's not like I could think of a way to keep you and Jade out of danger while I do this, it's all fair right? I... I c-could order you..."

She snorted laughter at that and mussed my mane under my hat, "As if you would! C'mon boss, yer a pushover, not like that Fancy bitch. My part of this little production of yours is a helluva lot easier than yours too y'know, without Freya there's not many of them Gunners I don't think I could take in the air. I still don't like it."

Giving her fluffy neck a hug got her to reluctantly relax and give in, "I know Val, but this is what I'm doing and I really want you with me. Now come on, I need you both to get this all set up. Have to go over the trail again and don't want to be spotted early do we?"

Neither lady looked happy, but they were worn down now, I was just too stubborn on this. Part of me knew it and hated myself for putting them all through this, but it was in the minority. The rest was completely focused on what lie in Fort Haygone and getting inside. On the way out of the settlement I spotted Zed and gave him a nod, he looked like he was getting ready to go scouting himself for his part. Once he knew of Kellogg's connection to the Institute he was fine with whatever it took.

That just left setting up a long string of surprises between the fort and the raider camp around the entrance to the Equestrian Ration Stockpile the farmers had to informed me about. It was perfectly positioned, and somewhere where collateral damage wasn't an issue. If the raiders who hoarded all that food like I was told got hurt, it was no big loss.

Standing on the hill overlooking Haygone in the heavy evening rain, I gulped and had serious second thoughts for a moment. Eyes Forward Sparkle was trying very hard to inform me how insane this was, filling with red as I picked out the huge forms milling around in the town below me.

Steel Dance didn't help with his comments either, "You're sure about this Fast? I admit it is tactically sound, but this puts you at a lot of risk. Once those things get riled up and have your scent... they won't stop..."

I shook myself in the rain and gave a determined nod, "That's what I'm counting on. Thanks for going along with this and letting me borrow your weapon Dance. Are you two going to be alright once this starts?"

Dance looked back to his pegasus scribe Summer Wind before turning back and giving the short tube of the grenade launcher in my grip an affectionate pat. "We have a hiding place all picked out, downwind... Don't worry about the loan, just make sure you come back to return it alright? Scribe Wind and I will secure the entrance and be waiting."

"H-He's right Fast, don't get yourself killed doing this. You'd be making a lot of ponies unhappy you know." Summer looked as upset as Jade, but wasn't trying to stop me at least.

I examined the 40mm grenade launcher my pip-buck had identified as "Thump-Thump" for some reason, it was encouraging at least, when my pip-buck gave it a name it was usually for a reason. I wasn't very familiar with explosive weaponry like this, I had enough experience with mines and grenades now I appreciated the capabilities, but this was a first. Dance gave a good tutorial, but I needed every one of the thick cylindrical rounds he had, so no test fires beforehand. It had a long tube barrel and a wide drum magazine that held eight rounds, according to dance it would arc the explosive rounds out so he said to aim high.

Well... best to get this show on the road... Jade and Val were flying to Sanctuary and the surrounding area, stirring up every Gunner they could find and drawing them in by now. Between the griffon's aerial skills and Jade's invisibility and shield, I gave them the best odds I could. Val had been right there, their part was easy compared to this.

One final gulp to myself and I brought up my lightning walking spell, I didn't pour as much magic into it as before, the manticores were not as fast as the mutant alicorns from what I had learned. I did put a good charge into it though, I wanted breathing room... The two Brotherhood ponies watched the lightning arc around my wrapped hooves with interest, the duct taped rags a concession to Jade for the amount of damage this could do to my hooves. They gave me a nervous send off and galloped away into the gloom, leaving me alone with a town full of manticores below.

I gave them a couple minutes to get safely away to their hiding spot, they had their own job to do once I did this. When I was comfortable with their lead and pumped myself as much as I was going to get, I charged down the muddy hill and into the old military town, floating the grenade launcher with me.

The response was immediate... even blurring by them with electricity trailing behind me, the manticores started roaring in the streets to each other over the intrusion. I had to zip by three that came uncomfortably close with those claws or stingers of theirs, even as fast as I was going, but I had to get as close to the center of town as I could, I wanted all of them.

Once I was approaching the front entrance to the fort my pip-buck flashed Discovered Location: Fort Haygone uselessly in my vision and I started unloading with Thump-Thump. The name was appropriate anyway, each soft thump it made sent out a crashing explosion ahead of me, stirring the manticores up even more with blood in the air. I kept running south, dodging increasingly agitated feline monsters that were launching themselves into the air or charging out of buildings after me, now leaving a trail of both lightning and fire.

Turning around the short southern edge of the town to go around the fort and head north again, I was worried about the wall of clawed death ahead, they weren't fast enough but they weren't stupid. A full day of scouting this place out left me with options though and I blasted down an alley, around an old Starbucked Coffee and back out to the western road leading north/south. I heard a lot of frustrated roars behind me as I reloaded the grenade launcher and continued firing, big chunks were blown out of the targets it hit with, but they weren't going down.

Well that could be good or bad, depending on how well this all went. I was approaching the edge of town again, back where I started and the woods beyond. A trail to the west let me get up the hill without losing much speed, which was fortunate with the sky filling with manticores behind me and the thunder of their running in my ears.

I had walked this path a dozen times, stringing it between what landmarks I could find so remaining on course in the dark would be easier. My first concern was answered now at least, they were definitely leaving Haygone to follow me. Now to see how effective my traps would be and what I could find along the way...

The creek in a shallow valley was just ahead, marked by a tree that had fallen over the small declivity, big enough for me to pass through but not the huge manticores. Not that it was really an obstacle for them, but it gave me something to shoot for, and to set all the explosive slave collars I had collected from Sunshine and Rainbows along with Applenathy Farm.

Taking the second farm from the slavers was far easier than the first, having a dozen Minutemares and a Steel Ranger made me very convincing. When the slaver holding the detonator for all the collars at Applenathy dropped limply to the mud before he had a chance to say a word, they were easy pickings. Jade's tranquilizing spell made sure he never got near the button he held that was now in my possession.

I stopped in the quickly running stream washing around my hooves, prancing in place as the sea of red on E.F.S. grew closer, I could outpace them when I wanted so this should work. An airborne manticore came slamming down in front of me, the long scorpion stinger grazing my side but deflected by Sassy's amazing Shroud costume. I sent a few shotgun rounds at it and ducked back, waiting for the clump that was charging up the creek bed. Once they were in range I hit the detonator and ran off into the woods again, the firecracker series of explosions dealing more damage to my pursuers.

Alright, after the creek I needed to look out for that Gunner squad... we had spotted them searching the area when we were setting this all up, I hoped they hadn't gone too far, I had to stay close to my prepared path. Just when I was getting worried I saw the cluster of red in my vision just ahead, ten more Gunners to add to the fray... Zipping straight at them I wound up skidding to a halt right in the middle of their camp to a lot of surprised stares.

"Hi! I hear you're looking for me! Well come and get me fellas!"

The griffon leader spat their thin stew out in a long stream and sputtered out a furious shout, "It's him!! Son of a bitch! Kill him!!!"

The clicks of a lot of weaponry being hastily grabbed was all I heard before I zoomed off again, back to my trail of tricks heading north. That brief pause gave the manticores time to catch up again and they were getting pretty agitated. Another series of explosions back that way probably had something to do with that, we had set a loooot of mines out there...

Some of the beasts were getting the idea and staying airborne, the web of skeletal trees ahead should help with that though. Navigating the maze of trunks slowed me down a little, but the satisfying kabooms above and behind me made up for it. Val spent a good deal of time setting up grenade bouquets up there, the same trap I had nearly died from in Thundega was proving just as effective against them now.

Once I cleared the tight thicket I glanced around frantically, spotting the ruined church to the left in a flash of lightning that made my horn tingle. Getting close... according to the farmers at Applenathy and Zed's scouting, there was a secret entrance to the Ration Stockpile in there, not the one I was taking now, but it would come in useful later. I stopped at the base of the hill leading to the crumbling stone structure and fired off a few more rounds from Thump-Thump for good measure. The roars out there in the dark accompanied by angry shouts of Gunners coming in from the side.

Charging off to the north again I could see the lights of my destination, a good thing as those manticores were getting close and sounded really angry. I crested the last hill and saw the now familiar raider camp we had scouted out over the last day, a series of ramshackle wooden structures and tents, all built around a sturdy pre-war bunker door. Spotlights and turrets still functioned and roved around, but I was just out of their range at the moment so had a chance to check over the crew out here, a good dozen at least along with the turrets... good.

Putting on my best Shroud voice I shouted over the crack of thunder behind me, "Greetings Evildoers!! You have been some very bad ponies and Luna has passed her judgement upon you! This is your only chance, I suggest you leave and do it fast..."

"Oh what the fuck is this?! This lunatic is for real!?" The first raider to react sounded a bit incredulous, not helped by one of his companions reply.

"Shit! Snick you heard the radio! I think that's the one the Gunners want! 5,000 caps bro!"

The pair hovering above the camp and the black and white blur by the bunker door made me sure they'd never collect that bounty, they were running out of time without knowing it as I could hear the chaos in the woods behind me catching up. Val and Jade disappeared once they were sure I saw them, moments ahead of a burly grey griffon slamming to the ground on the opposite side of the camp, followed up by several heavily armed ponies in Gunner gear.

"Over there! There he is the little bastard!! You raiders, stay out of this or die, that's our bounty!" The griffon looked pretty annoyed, Val must have been flying circles around him, aided with the ability to simply disappear. It had to be frustrating...

"Who the fuck are you to tell us what to do in our camp! Gunners or not you're outta yer territory here feather duster! Piss off, you can pay us the bounty when we waste him!" The raider leader behaved like I hoped, making the situation more tense as half of each force's weapons now pointed at the other, the rest at me.

Shifting nervously on my hooves I risked one last look back and saw a dozen or more bloody, wounded and very pissed off manticores burst from the woods and start up the slope I was on. "Hate to interrupt guys, but you have bigger problems... Riiiiight about now..."

As I spoke they started hearing the roars, when I blasted forward narrowly avoiding another flying manticore trying to crush me, they got extremely concerned. A lot of fire came in, directed at me and the manticore and each other, my armor protected me from most of it and I dodged for all I was worth through the cluttered camp. Closing in on the bunker door I saw Zed's work on the raiders surrounding the portal, several raiders had been silently taken out with his hooves and he, Jade and Val waited anxiously at the steel door.

"Go, Go, Go, Go!!" I yelped at them to open the door and get inside while I covered the last of the distance between us in a flash, whatever happened out here now, the three groups were going to keep each other occupied.

Once through the bunker door I spun on the spot and slammed my pip-buck cable into the terminal by the door, panting as I cracked the security and locked the door from this side, didn't want to have any surprise followers or give them a way to escape. Now that we were relatively safe Jade grabbed me in a strong embrace, her horn glowing to check and heal what injuries I had picked up during the chase, she fretted and groused while she smothered me with affection.

"That was very dangerous Fast! I saw those creatures chasing you from the air, if you had faltered at all... You are lucky it worked so well but I do not like it, you may not do such things in the future!"

Stripping away the tattered rags that remained on my hooves now that I dismissed the spell, she gave a disapproving tsk and started focusing on healing the damage. If we did get a chance to go home maybe I should ask Sassy about some kind of shoes if I was going to use this spell, it wasn't as bad through the muddy woods as the asphalt streets, but it did sting. Once she had healed me to her satisfaction I gave her some reassuring attention and looked to Val and Zed, both were on guard and looking into the rest of the complex we had entered.

"If the alarm was not raised, they most likely are relaxing within. I have scouted as far as possible here, it is not a large structure and only the raider's leadership dwells within." I was impressed, I asked Zed to scout this place out but didn't think he'd actually go inside too, that was one sneaky zebra.

Val punched my shoulder once I was free of Jade and grumbled at me, "Well, since you managed ta not die boss, let's get goin'. Hope them Minutemares up there know to stay out of it till it's settled, gonna be nasty for awhile."

Looking back at the door and the nearly solid block of red on my compass, I agreed with her. Preston had them pulled back and surrounding the camp at a safe distance, keeping an eye on it until the three groups had more or less whittled each other down. I couldn't hear through the heavy steel door and concrete, but I could feel explosions reverberating through the ground. With the amount of damage the manticores took following me, and as outmatched as the raiders were, I actually hoped the Gunners would be the last ones standing more or less. I had plans for them, if everything worked perfectly that is...

A raider strolling along the concrete hall ahead of us brought me back to the present, had to keep moving forward and we wouldn't be safe for a long time yet. HIs eyes widened for just a moment as he noticed us, then Zed sprang forward and pummeled him into a bloody heap silently, giving us an impatient look as he nodded to the rest of the complex.

"Right, sorry Zed, let's get moving. The Church is southwest of us, so we're looking for passages that lead that way, and to clear this place out if it really has a lot of food still."

I drew my silenced pistol and trotted up to Zed, the others falling in behind us. We'd keep this quiet as long as we could, things would get loud soon enough. The wide stone halls were littered with crates and the signs of raider habitation, empty bottles and drug containers, grisly trophies and loot stashes Val investigated eagerly. Going down the next long hall Zed and I managed to dispatch three more raiders silently, a poorly timed fourth entering from the end of the long hall shouted and raised the alarm however, right before Val's red magical energy weapon turned him to ash.

From then on it was a running firefight, the raiders weapons weren't that great after dealing with Gunners, but they had a lot of them and their use of molotovs negated the advantage my armor gave me, it could take .38 rounds and buckshot all day long but fire was a problem. The large metal crates in many of these halls had been stacked to provide cover for them and make sure there was no clear path forward, a pinch point leading to a widening of the halls let one particularly stubborn group keep us pinned until Val unloaded with her grenade machine gun.

The 25mm rounds for her weapon didn't match Thump-Thump's 40mm needs, so she had plenty of rounds, I had been pretty liberal with using my own outside, leaving me only a few rounds left which made bigger explosions than Val's, so I left it to her for now. I had also used every mine and grenade in my inventory, so now I was sorely lacking in explosives if I needed them, as we went I began collecting the raider's molotovs as a makeshift replacement, though I had come to appreciate making things go boom.

With the way clear we moved up to a large room, a fenced barricade with a security door and terminal led to a storage space stretching off into the distance. Through the chain link I could see shelves still stocked with a lot of canned goods and boxes of rations and dried goods, so some of the stockpile was still here after all... I ran over to the terminal and started on the security while the others spread out and took up a guard, we could always use food and I wanted this unlocked for the Minutemares when they took this place over.

Jade joined me and stared at the gloom beyond the barrier, taking in all the loaded shelves. "This will help Sanctuary quite a bit Fast. If nothing else comes from this at least food should not be a concern, between this and your work with the farms outside."

"That was the idea, I told you I had a plan.... sorta... It wasn't just my work with the farms either, you convinced them to join, healed all those slaves at the Applenathy's, helped convince some of the slavers to give up and go away. They all loved you Jade, you make a good princess, just like I thought."

She gave a small whinny at the praise and flushed, "I may have accepted the role you gave me, but it is still a lot to take in... I was just doing what I thought I should, and as much as I wish it were otherwise without some degree of violence those places would still be under the hoof of that Silver Seed pony..."

The heavy steel door swung open once I got through and found the command, letting me turn away from the terminal and give her a nuzzle before entering the storage chamber. "Well, every princess needs their knight right? You're the good cop, I'm the bad cop."

"Cop? We are not police Fast. You are not bad either." She gave a quizzical look at that and followed me in.

I started floating food and water off the shelves while we walked, resupplying our stores and grabbing things I knew Glitter would enjoy. I felt bad leaving her at Sunshine and Rainbows, but Wilt agreed happily and there were other foals there to play with, she had AssaultJack to guard her, and I made sure to keep all this chaos as far away from the farm as possible. When we got back I still wanted to have something to give her and the perfectly preserved snack cakes were always her favorite.

"It's an old expression I got from tv Jade, trust me it fits. You're the nice one that asks them to be better, I'm the one who deals with them if they refuse the chance."

She still looked confused but shrugged as she floated more food and water to her own medical box saddlebags. "If you say so Fast. You are not bad though. I do not like you taking on a role of such violence and bloodshed, it does not suit you. However you are correct, sometimes it seems there simply is no other choice, no matter how much I wish it were not so. Perhaps someday we..."

Whatever she was about was cut off by the roar of a minigun outside, the door at the back of this storage chamber would have to wait. Running back into the chamber I spotted Val pinned under the stream of fire behind some metal crates, and Zed crouching his way as close as he could to the crazed raider with the huge weapon. A red earth pony mare with a battlesaddle was pouring lead into the room and cackling madly, her patchwork armor was of a higher quality than the others we had fought down here, this must be the leader.

Noticing the number of wounds Val was bleeding from, Jade threw up a shield and dashed out to her. With the sudden movement the raider spun and laid down fire uselessly against her bright blue shield, the only thing it served to do was distract the raider and make me furious. With her so focused on hitting the strong shield I had a clear shot and charged the Last Minute, how dare she attack Jade was all that ran through my head as I slid into S.A.T.S. and selected two shots to the head.

With that weird whine and flat crack the gauss rifle annihilated the raider's head on the first shot, leaving a quivering body that kept shooting the minigun for a few seconds before falling over in a heap. E.F.S. didn't show anything else nearby, and Val was getting to her feet, expertly healed by Jade's magic. Zed reappeared halfway to the raider from where I last spotted him, looking at the corpse in distaste and turning to me.

"I believe this is the last of them, I overheard many of the raiders speaking of a Scarlet that was in charge, this must be her."

Shaking off her wounds, Val crossed the room and kicked the dead raider before rifling through her possessions. "Bitch came outta nowhere, nice shot boss. We find where we're goin' yet?"

I checked my map and compass, making a slow circle until it lined up on the storage room. "Yeah, think I know where it is. Grab whatever you want and let's go, may take me a second to open it up."

Trotting back to the end of the long storage room, I came back to the steel security door and terminal beside it. I was guessing these raiders couldn't crack this door, thus they didn't use the secret entrance in the church outside. Maybe they found the password for the other one, or it was just unlocked, who knows. I was grateful though, if they never used it then I didn't have to worry about more of them.

It took a few attempts, but finally the terminal was defeated and the door opened, revealing a long straight passage with flickering lights leading roughly south. The others joined me and we started single file down the narrow corridor, it was damp and musty, a few radroaches provided a minor annoyance as well, but eventually it ended at a rusting steel ladder.

Ever the bodyguard Val shoved past me and flew up to the steel trapdoor, pushing it open with a screech and a gust of rain and chilly wind. Once she popped her head out and looked around she reached down and gestured the all clear, launching herself out the door with a flick of her tail.

Stepping out into the rainy evening gloom made darker by the ruined church, I could still hear distant roars and gunfire to the north. Well whatever was happening back there was none of my concern now, what I wanted was to the south, Fort Haygone. I looked to my companions gratefully and nodded in that direction.

"Ok... Everybody ready?"

There wasn't a voice against it, they all we're prepared to go into this with me without complaint, making me swell with pride and happiness. Wiping a bit of... extra rain... from my cheek I put on a determined look and started walking. Kellogg was waiting...

Without all the manticores the town of Haygone was creepy. A few of the creatures died in my initial high speed assault I was unaware of, along with some more who were disabled but still alive that Val took care of. Walking the cracked streets and looking over the faded, ruined buildings once either brightly painted or a uniform green, I could almost see what this place was like before the war.

As we approached the imposing front doors of Fort Haygone a light voice called out, "Fast! You made it! Here, this way, the front's blocked. Paladin Dance has found another way in, through the motor pool."

"Scribe Wind, good to see you. Any problems?"

The light yellow pegasus landed in front of us and tipped her red cap up, her green eyes wide and bright. "Us? No, not after you drew them all away! That was amazing Fast, how did you do that? You were so.... er... fast, I mean you actually left that lighting trail and were just blowing right by them! What spell is that?"

"Umm... it's supposed to be cloud walking... I can't cast it right anymore, but I'm getting better at it. Using that has some costs though." I scratched my mane and started moving, the scribe's praise was just going to irritate...

"Impressive as it is, Fast should not use that spell often or very long. He does himself damage when he does." Jade huffed with her nose in the air, trotting along at my side as we headed to the ramps leading down from the street ahead.

Summer flew ahead of us, leading the way backwards. "Oh... well it was still quite a show Fast, Paladin Dance was impressed. He really wants you to join the Brotherhood now!"

Walking down into the gloom of the motor pool I saw the spotlight of the Steel Ranger in question, roving about the cavernous space. The rusting hulks of a few armored carts were down here, I thought I even saw an ancient highwayman before his light moved on and spotted us. Dance's steel clad hooves echoed on the concrete as he walked up, his helmet sliding back with a hiss to reveal his beaming face.

"Excellent work soldier! I had my doubts, but I have to admit that was quite the plan. I can only assume everything worked as intended?"

"I hope so... We don't know what happened once we went in the bunker, they were still going at it when we came out from the sound of it. I hope Preston and the Minutemares are alright, just one more reason to get on with this and back to them as soon as possible. Thanks for letting me use your weapon Dance, only a few rounds left but here it is. So you found a way in?"

Dance nodded briskly and trotted over to a nearby wall with a faded map of the structure as he spoke. "Why don't you hold onto it awhile Fast, you put it to good use out there. Now, the main entrance isn't open, but if we go up a level here to the repair bays we can enter on the ground floor. Scribe Wind also scouted as much as she could, there are entrances on the roof, though reaching them is more problematic."

He gave his heavy armor a hoof to the chest to illustrate his point, the sharp clang reverberating in the dark. Yeah getting him up there wouldn't be easy, Zed and I could get there easily enough but not the heavy Ranger. I studied the map a moment and hoped the entrance I saw was open, all the repair bays up there put a mark in Dance's favor too. They'd probably have things I'd find of interest, parts and tools if nothing else.

"Alright, up we go then. Stairs are this way?" I gestured to the darkness and Dance nodded in return as his helmet slid back into place.

All of us turned on our pip-buck lights, pushing back the gloom a bit, and headed off. In the corner of the empty garage a small steel door was where the map said it should be, a darkened sign reading 'Stairs' confirmed it was the right one. The stairs beyond were in poor shape, cracked and crumbling but still intact, a pile of rubble from above was in the floor. I walked up cautiously, passing bent and rusting railing on the way to the first floor.

Val flew up above me and reached the door first, shoving it open and peering inside before allowing me in with a chuckle. "Oh yeah boss, this place is right up your alley..."

I was hopeful at her comment, but still amazed at what lay within. A huge space, divided with steel cages around the edges, making separate work spaces. What looked like a service center, for power armor... Big yellow power armor workstations sat in each cage, their rusting chains to hold up the suits jingling in the gust of air from a large hole to the second level in the distance. Working my way towards where the entrance to the fort should be, I couldn't help sticking my head in each workstations, rummaging in tool chests and grabbing parts where I found them.

Dance's spotlight picked out something even more interesting in one of them, a suit of armor still hanging from the frame in a larger caged work space than the others, a terminal glowed in the dark nearby. I followed as he trotted forward and examined the armor with him, this was more advanced than the one I had briefly worn in Poncord.

"T-51... good shape. Though it's had some modifications I've never seen before." Dance circled the armor with an appraising eye while I took a look at the glowing terminal.

Mostly it was work orders and standard complaints I was used to seeing from repair ponies, not enough parts, unreasonable deadlines, ridiculous repairs from ponies not keeping their equipment in good repair or doing something stupid. It may be about power armor and vertibucks, but the tone was no different than bitching about the Stable's lights flickering or water not draining back home. A couple of files caught my interest however;

Subject: T-51U Modifications

Putting the finishing touches on the modifications to this suit, starting with the T-45s was a good learning experience. Still not entirely sure why we're going through all this work making them unicorn compatible, but I guess I can see some of them using it. At least we got those C.I.A.T. interns of Klein's doing most of the work, though I'd like to know what this next project is they're so excited about getting to after this one.

Subject: Really?

Come on, those brats want to do the same mods to a suit of Shadowbolt armor? Why!? I can see a unicorn using one of the Steel Ranger suits in a pinch, system even works pretty well with the improvements we've made since the first run, but one of the Shadowbolt suits?! Why in the name of Celestia would a unicorn ever wear a suit designed for a pegasus?! Half the damn systems in the armor would be useless with no wings or flight ability.

Don't even get me started on this A-01 thing they're talking about when they think I'm not listening either. What, do they think Princess Luna's gonna need her own suit to jump into the fray with? If things are getting that bad one suit of power armor isn't gonna make a difference, even worn by one of the princesses. I know we get to play around with cutting edge stuff thanks to the school, but some of their experiments just seem like a waste of time.

So the Institute had a hoof here too... just their interns working on the base, but still, they were modifying power armor suits to be unicorn compatible? Looking closer at the suit in the station in front of me I could see it now, the helmet did accommodate a horn, there were other additions connected to the spell matrix and power systems as well.

My inspection was interrupted by a rumble and the sound of rubble falling nearby, I trotted out of the cage and peered into the dark with the others. Something was definitely moving out there, just outside of the range of E.F.S., Val felt no compunctions with cutting to the chase however. Her red M.E.W. lanced out into the dark towards the sound, lighting the shadows up in a stream of flashes that revealed something big, vaguely feline, shaggy and very pissed at being hit by the random stream of fire directed at it.

Eyes Forward Sparkle lit up with a single red dash as it lunged forward, swiping at Val with a massive claw and barely missing. A manticore, I missed one... it must have made its nest here, used one of the doors on the second level for flying vehicles perhaps. This one seemed even larger and meaner than the others, stabbing out with its scorpion tail at anyone in range.

Val and Dance both opened up with their heavy weaponry, pushing the beast back as I tried to line up a shot with the Last Minute. The blurring 2mm round pierced the shaggy hide easily, but it was like hitting a brahmim with a BB, the thing was too large and powerful, even a head shot wasn't guaranteed to take it down.

I caught sight of a pale yellow streak trying to escape the creature that was quickly jabbed with its tail and sent crashing to the ground. I sprinted over to the crash site and found Scribe Wind, groaning weakly and bleeding heavily from her flank, gasping and shuddering where she lay.

"Jade!! Help!" At my yelp the alicorn came speeding over, taking in the scene and quickly getting to work.

Her magic was closing the wound, but she looked up to me with a worried expression as the fighting raged nearby. "She has been poisoned Fast, manticore venom. I can keep her alive for now, I need that creature's tail to make an antivenom. Quickly..."

"R-Right... Take care of her Jade, I'll be right back!"

The motor pool was so shadowy blending in to the darkness was easy enough and I started making my way around the furious beast as fast as I dared. Zed had been using the same tactic on the other side apparently, as I watched he came backflipping his way out of the dark, ended on a powerful buck that made me wince just watching it as the manticore screeched, then dodged gracefully out of the way and disappeared again.

I was good working in the shadows, but that zebra put me to shame still, thankfully he and the others were effectively distracting the creature. Drawing Best Served now that I was as close to it's rear as I was going to risk, I started it spinning vertically and focused on the base of that wildly lashing tail. I was only going to get one shot at this and didn't want to screw it up, waiting impatiently as the seconds ticked by and the poison worked its way through the pegasus waiting for me.

Finally it lashed out at Val again, as soon as the tail returned to its resting position I shot the star metal blade forward with everything I had. In a spray of blood the appendage was cleanly severed and flopped to the ground, the earsplitting wail the manticore let loose made worse by the echoing effect in here. As I returned the knife to me I snatched the tail up in my magic and dragged it along, bringing both to my side just in time for the wounded manticore to turn on me.

One massive paw swatted at me in annoyance and sent me flying with a wave of searing pain, I wrapped my legs around the tail as I went, focusing all my magic on not dropping my knife as I went tumbling across the hard ground. I heard Val and Jade yell while I watched the ceiling spinning above me, the griffon was otherwise occupied, but lifting my head with a groan I could dizzily make out Jade charging towards me, Scribe Wind floated along in tow.

"Fast! A-Are you alright!? Let me heal..." She was nervously shifting on her hooves and trying to inspect where I was hit, I had to wave off her concern though.

"Fine... H-Here... one manticore tail... hurry. I'll be alright..."

I released my deathgrip on the chitinous tail and shoved it her way, trying to keep the side I got swatted on out of her view. She didn't look happy but was a professional when it came to healing, forcing her personal feelings aside she grabbed the tail and started floating bottles out of her saddlebags hastily. While she was busy I took a moment to down a healing potion and check the damage, only two claws had made it through the magical armor, slowed enough to not eviscerate me on the spot. Sassy's armor was amazing, though I really had to ask her about adding some kind of padding if we made it back to Sanctuary, that felt like getting hit by a train.

With the healing potion doing its work I groaned and got to my hooves again, the others were holding the beast back and dealing damage to it, but the longer this went on the more dangerous it got. With no mines or grenades I didn't have much that could make much of an impact except Thump-Thump, and I only had a few rounds left with it. Plus I was a little leery of getting that things attention again, though there was another option nearby I had been more reluctant to use, but getting hit had decided me.

I ran back to the largest work cage and started flipping through the menus of the nearby terminal. With the right commands the chains holding the dusty suit released and it started folding open before me, I had only used one of these once, but this seemed like the right occasion to attempt it again.

I took my hat off and stepped into the open suit with my heart pounding, feeling it close around me with a wave of claustrophobia before the vision system hummed to life and the suit started going through its startup sequence. Squirming in place impatiently I watched it go through the same series of notifications as the other I had worn, come on.... hurry up already...

INITIATING NEW USER SEQUENCE
ENHANCED E.F.S. ONLINE
ENHANCED S.A.T.S. ONLINE
ADJUSTING FIT...
MINIMUM FIT ADJUSTMENT REACHED

Well it went through the whole thing faster and smoother than the less advanced suit I used previously, I could still do without the cold reminder about my height though... As I grumbled to myself about it the suit gave a few new alerts the other hadn't that piqued my interest.

CALIBRATING FOR UNICORN USER...
SPELL MATRIX INTEGRATED
POWER SUPPLY INTEGRATED
SPELL LIST UPDATED

My short list of available magic flashed by at that, Lighting, Teleport (Minor), and Unknown Spell, so they had been making progress with their modifications on these suits then... Whatever, the important data was listed next, 1290 rounds of 5mm minigun ammo on my right side, 32 missiles on my left side... That would work alright...

"Everybody look out! Incoming missiles!" My amplified voice boomed through the garage as I ran forward, away from Jade and Summer and towards the bleeding manticore ahead.

Zed ended another of his impressive assaults against the beast, rolling under its snapping jaws and springing straight up into an uppercut that clicked its mouth shut with a crunch. At my warning he leapt back and I was free to fire, launching half a dozen missiles as close to center body mass as I could manage. Heavy weapons really weren't my thing, two went high and hit the crumbling ceiling with an ominous rumble, while a third zoomed past it entirely, the other three at least managed to hit the target and the roar of explosions filled the cavernous space.

When the smoke cleared the manticore was still moving, battered and bloody but very ticked off.... at me... I brought up S.A.T.S. to have a moment to think, this thing just wasn't going down, I really hoped all the others I led out of town weren't this tough. The enhanced S.A.T.S. the suit provided made me hopeful there, it was able to not only give an estimate of the targets health (half... really?!) but also identified the monster as Alpha Manticore.

Ok... my hit chances in S.A.T.S. with the heavy battle saddle weaponry were abysmal, if I unloaded every missile and they all hit I might drop this thing, long odds on that though. Looking around I saw Val and Dance had taken some damage, despite carrying on the fight so well, even Zed had a few scratches which was unusual. I turned my attention back to the angry manticore and wondered what would happen if I did use more missiles, last time three missed entirely, the couple that hit the ceiling could have...

Dropping S.A.T.S. time resumed and I shouted out to the others, "The ceiling! Drop it on him!! Jade get Summer to the exit! Everybody get ready to follow!"

"Alright boss! I like the power armored you! Val whooped and started launching grenades at the ceiling above the manticore while Zed sprinted away towards the exit.

Gulping at the danger involved in this insane idea I started letting loose with missiles, vaguely aimed above the target and hoped for the best. I think I actually hit the manticore more when not aiming at it than I did when I was trying to hit it... Still a decent number of the explosives hit the ceiling, the whole building started to rumble at the assault and a few chunks of concrete fell on its head. That was good enough for me, I fired off a couple more for good measure and ran for the door Jade waited at anxiously, the red EXIT sign still lit up somehow.

Charging forward as the structure shook beneath my hooves, I leapt through the door, clearing the way for Val to swoop in behind me and Steel Dance to dive through just ahead of a cloud of dust as the ceiling gave way. There was one final roar behind us as Jade slammed the door shut, followed by a lot of shaking, if that thing was still alive it wasn't going anywhere at least.

Releasing the helmet with a thought I looked around to make sure everyone was still alright, Val and Dance looked like.... well like they had tangled with an angry manticore, but they were still alive and Jade started healing them immediately. Zed's wounds were minor despite his breathtaking close range attacks, he drank a healing potion and inspected the damage with a disappointed look. Scribe Summer Wind looked pale and shaky, but she was up and about thankfully, Jade's antivenom worked.

At my concerned look she shuffled over to Jade, tugging her hat down and looking up to the alicorn as she worked on her Paladin companion. "Er... t-thanks for that umm.. Jade... Thought I was a goner there, glad you were here and such a good doctor. I r-really appreciate it, so thanks a lot."

Looking down at the pegasus primly, Jade sighed and gave her a kind look. "Think nothing of it Scribe Wind. The Followers teach us to help everyone, I am glad I was able to do some good and help you. You should thank Fast as well.... he did retrieve the tail required."

Her light green eyes widened at that and she turned to me with a blush, "Y-You took that monster's tail?! Er... t-thank you Fast!"

"No problem, thank you for coming with me here. Jade told me what she needed and I went to get it is all, pretty useless without a doctor to put it to use. Now then... I guess we're in."

Emergency lighting flickered down the hallway ahead, a clump of skeletons were gathered against another steel door with a glowing terminal waiting at the end, with a simple message stenciled in white paint;

Fort Haygone- Level 1
Administration
Have Security Clearance Visible
AT ALL TIMES

Once the others were completely healed and ready, we were going in... Kellogg was in there somewhere and I was finally going to find him. I could hear the soft voices of the Ministry Mares in my head fighting that darker Shroud up there, waging a constant battle with it as it raged at the prospect. Thoughts of all the horrible things to do to the one who took my family to make him talk, all the ways to kill him once he did, floated up and were softly argued against. "Be Kind...", "Be Strong!", "Be Unwavering." struggled against the thought of carving the names of the foals he killed into him and one pulsing mantra to counter them, "Be Dark..."

I shook my head to clear the battle, I didn't know if I could keep those darker thoughts back when faced with Kellogg, but I was going to try as much as I could. Kellogg deserved to die, but he was going to talk first and I shouldn't take pleasure in any of it... too much...

-----------------------------Level Up!----------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------

Demolition Expert--------------------
--The bigger the boom the better! You're explosives now do 25% more damage and you can craft explosives with the proper materials.

Ch. 30-- Ghost Town Gunfight

"Intruder detected. Engaging hostiles."

Ducking under a slew of blue magical energy weapon fire, I floated out the Terrible Shotgun and sent three slugs through the chest of the latest synth to attack us in Fort Haygone. With the torso shredded the mechanical pony went down and stayed down, the repair talismans on these pale Gen 1 synths weren't great, but they could be an annoyance.

Ever since we walked through the door from the motor pool we had been under attack by a horde of these Gen 1s, it was a good sign Kellogg and the Institute were here, but presented an obstacle. Added to the fun was the fort's security system, the stenciled legend on the door that said to keep security clearance visible at all times wasn't kidding around, without a pass the unobtrusive turrets in the ceilings regarded us as a target and opened up with a hail of bullets when in range.

Charging the Last Minute to take out another of the bothersome turrets across the large room, Steel Dance's minigun shredded several more synths and a few of the office cubicles in the way. Still wearing the bulky power armor I had my own to use, but was more comfortable with my normal weapons and decided to save it for occasions I could actually put it to effective use.

Now that the latest group of enemies and that turret were taken care of, we had a moment to breathe in the dusty office. Val looked over to me and shrugged, "Alright boss, now what?"

The suit's enhanced E.F.S. still showed a lot of red, either further in the maze like building or above us, so we weren't anywhere near in the clear yet. Now that we were inside the fortress I had no idea where to go other than aimlessly wandering around the building in search of Kellogg. Luckily Scribe Wind had spotted an evacuation map on a wall nearby and was studying it carefully, with a determined nod she turned back to the rest of us and pointed at it.

"We need to get to operations Fast, it's upstairs. This cyber pony your after may be there, or may be in the command center underground. There's an elevator that goes down from there so up is our best bet right now."

Clomping over in the heavy power armor, I studied the map and let my pip-buck download it. As far as I could tell she was right, upstairs was the way to go right now. I was still curious what exactly the Brotherhood duo wanted here, last time we cooperated it was to get a deep range transmitter so they could communicate with the outside world.

"Alright, up we go. So, what is it you want here anyway? You talked about reinforcements?"

Paladin Dance and Scribe Wind exchanged a loaded glance, finally the Steel Ranger spoke up reluctantly. "Installations like this had systems in place to have a minor impact on the weather, too many pegasi were busy during the war to guarantee their assistance. If it is still operational we hope to pierce the barrier and allow safe passage for our order to enter the Commonwealth. Scribe Wind explained the barrier storm outside correct? Such storms come up to keep outside interference from entering the Commonwealth."

Jade gave a shudder and nodded, "He is correct Fast, a lesser storm such as the one outside came up when I had almost reached the Commonwealth. I now believe it was because I was part of an organized group attempting to reach this area, the lightning that struck me when we met was a result."

She smiled recalling our first meeting and looked frustrated I was currently encased in armor, bowing to those demanding blue eyes I released the helmet and thought while she nuzzled happily. So it was true, the weather really did try to keep anyone out. Scribe Wind's theory about the S.P.P. tower being operational was apparently correct. Between that and the interference that made communication with the outside difficult... someone wanted the Commonwealth sealed off badly, it wasn't natural phenomena, it was intentional.

Something to think about later, for now we had the labyrinth of offices and hallways to navigate to reach the second floor. Dealing with all the synths and turrets was made easier by changing up our formation, using the power armor Dance and I acted as a wall as we moved forward. Val was free to attack from behind us and guard Jade and Summer in the rear, while Zed had scouted ahead, silently dispatching problems before they arose.

As we moved I kept ducking my head into the assorted offices, judging by the skeletons left behind and the poses they were in... a great many of the ponies here had found ways to kill themselves in the end. Several yielded some more 10mm pistol ammo if nothing else, though it was disturbing seeing how they had all given up.

Finally we came across an intact staircase leading up to the second level, a dirty sign on the wall confirmed 'Operations' was up there with an arrow pointing up. Above a lot more synths were waiting down the long hallways, effectively using cover and tactics. They weren't smart enough to pretend to be a real pony, but they were plenty intelligent enough when it came to combat.

All the robotic enemies were providing me with a wealth of parts when they didn't melt into goo at least, even a few of their repair talismans in cases where the head was obliterated and unable to be repaired. I had also got to look over their strange magical energy weapons Val kept snatching up, not a model I had ever seen before. They were made of white and red lightweight plastic casings, advanced innards as well but used standard ammo. The blue beams they fired seemed less effective than Val's red ones, apparently they were made by the Institute themselves.

Given the air filling with those beams I was grateful they weren't as damaging, I really hoped they didn't have the potential to just turn us to ash on a lucky shot either. Just in case I let loose with the minigun at my side, raking the hall ahead in a short burst and moving forward to mop up with my usual weaponry. The defense of power armor was nice, but I could do without being so slow, I was used to being a great deal more mobile in combat.

The offices up here weren't cubicles but individual rooms instead, all with nameplates for the fort's top brass including the base commander. Val's eager looting turned up a few treasures, lots of ammo, alcohol she pocketed with glee, and a safe in the commander's office yielded a lot of pre-war bits and gold bars. The terminal in his office was dark and dead, but if I had to guess I'd bet he had some under the table dealings with the Institute for allowing them to play around with the power armor on base.

Following the signs and Zed's scouting we eventually wound up in the operations room, a large chamber filled with terminals and equipment, a darkened electronic map of Equestria on the wall all the seats faced, and an unobtrusive set of sliding steel doors in the back corner that grabbed my interest.

With the room cleared Scribe Wind immediately started fluttering between terminals, lighting up some of the equipment with a few sparks and bringing the map back to life. I studied it for a moment sadly, it now displayed major cities of Equestria as the end of the war played out. Canterlot was marked with a big X, and Manehatten, and Fillydelphia, Cloudsdale... it went on... and on... Abstractly knowing what happened after we ran to the Stable and seeing it spelled out on the big map was somehow different.

Summer Wind at least snapped me out of my reverie, "Fast, I could use your help here. It's the approach vector assist system, I think it's still functional but it's gonna take some patching."

"R-Right... sorry." Having something to fix let me clear my head, though tinkering around with the assorted, interlinked systems up here was more difficult wearing this bulky armor. After a bit of trial and error Scribe Wind gave a shout over at the main terminal and started tapping away furiously, her brow furrowed in concentration and her tongue stuck out of the side of her muzzle.

After enough increasingly frustrated work with the keyboard she smacked the whole terminal with her hoof and sighed, "No good... I can access it, it's operational... but there's a lockout in place. I think we have to go down to the command center whether who you're after is there or not."

Out of curiosity I took a look at the terminal she stepped away from, it displayed a complex system tied to the base's radar. The storm outside and the normal interference at the edge was causing problems, but I could see she had locked on to some kind of signal out there beyond the barrier. Her reinforcements I guessed, it had to be something big and able to put out a powerful signal on its own to be picked up though. She was right, anything more than what she had already done was under a security lockout.

Dance had already reached the elevator in the corner and hoofed the button, causing the metal doors to slide open with a warbling 'ding'. "Well, it appears we're still together in this then. I believe this is the way down?"

"Ok, let's go then. Er..." Peering in the elevator that looked to be a difficult prospect for the six of us, two suits of power armor and one alicorn took up a loooot of room, while that was a big elevator it wasn't quite that big. "So how do we do this?"

The others joined me in staring at the small space, but no one was backing away. Jade absolutely refused to wait and let me go alone, Val voiced the same opinion as my guard with Kellogg potentially down there, and Zed was unwilling since he had his own questions though he wasn't quite as adamant. Scribe Wind was actually willing to stay, but since she took up the least space other than myself if I abandoned the armor that wasn't a big help, plus Dance refused since she was needed to fix the system to his liking.

I groaned and crammed myself into a corner, waving the others forward. "Fine... we have three fliers here, you guys just kind of... hover up above us alright? Try not to add to the weight limit of this thing, who knows what shape it's in." The trio of dirty looks I got at that from our flight capable members made me blanch in confusion, "What?"

Jade gave a little huff and looked away, Scribe Wind grumbled and hid under her hat, only Val moved right up in my face and purred out a dangerous sounding response. "You ain't sayin' we're fat with that weight limit crack, are ya boss..."

"What!? No! Just... ugh... it's old ok! That never occurred to me, sorry! Repair-pony remember? Two suits of power armor is already pushing it, plus a zebra, you three could be light as a feather and I'd still be worried. Not that you aren't! I... just let me stop talking and get in here already..."

It was a tight fit, and all of us on the ground kept getting hit with dangling legs or flapping wings, but we managed to all make it in and hoof the down button without the alarm screeching at us. Despite the discomfort and close quarters, having Jade directly overhead was comforting, as we made the long trip down we were getting closer to Kellogg, I knew he was down here somewhere.

The reception area at the bottom of the elevator just reinforced my belief the cyber-pony I was after was down here. The medium sized room was well appointed, thick but tattered red carpet and a wooden receptionists desk waited as we piled out of the elevator. To the right were two doors, one for the office of the commander on duty and the other for a break room for the workers. Directly across from us was an open steel door leading to a long hallway, for now we spread out and explored our decidedly lived in surroundings.

Val's inspection turned up food, water, beer, whiskey and cigars in the break room. Poking around in the commander's office yielded a few surprisingly clean sets of clothing, a mattress that was slept on regularly with a small radio beside it, and a footlocker full of ammo and medical supplies. Curiously by the mattress an old plastic Pinkie Pie mask was hung on the wall, it was battered and scorched, but that was the young Ministry Mare's face alright...

Why would a legendary mercenary like Kellogg have something like this? It was just a simple plastic mask with a stretchy string and eyeholes cut out in Pinkie's manic blue eyes, something you'd find at the Fillydelphia Fun Farm, or in stores around Nightmare Night. It was just too weird to leave it here, hanging on the wall and staring at nothing, on impulse I floated it down and snagged it before moving on.

Jade raised an eyebrow at my strange acquisition, "That thing? Why would you take that Fast?"

"I dunno... It's just weird seeing her here. Pinkie used to be my favorite Ministry Mare."

She shrugged and returned to the footlocker, "Very well. It seems rather disturbing to me, but if you like it go ahead."

The inside of the odd mask somewhat supported her view, the number 42 was scrawled in red that looked suspiciously like blood for some reason. Still, I didn't like it down here, Pinkie was better than this, maybe I could clean it up or something, or just dispose of it properly, anything but leave it here as some weird trophy for Kellogg.

Dance and Summer were studying another map on the wall near the elevator, conferring with each other over their next steps. Val was busily ransacking the break room for all the alcohol, grabbing anything else as an afterthought. Jade had taken over sorting through the medical supplies to share out among us. Zed meanwhile was roaming about impatiently, rifling through the receptionists desk since no one else had yet.

That left little for me except for the security door with the terminal next to it, but it was standing wide open so had no need of my skills. Still, I walked forward to it and took a look down the obvious direction to go, somewhere down there... he had to be somewhere that way... It was a pretty bare hall compared to this reception area, beige concrete walls and grey floors, fluorescent lighting that was half functional, lots of signs, I kept going to take a look at the nearest, slowly passing through the doorway.

As soon as I was through the security door slammed shut behind me and locked with an echoing click down the long hall. I spun on the spot and could see the others frantically pulling at it on the other side of the dirty, bulletproof glass. Jade's worried expression was just behind Val's grimace of effort as she yanked uselessly at it, I held up a hoof to calm them and started looking for the terminal nearby to reopen it. I had no idea why it did that, some kind of automated security or somethi....

"Well, there you are. 111-3-42, it's about time..."

I froze and looked up at the speakers overhead, I knew that voice... I only heard it once, on the recording Overstallion Rocky Shores made as Stable 111 was being overrun and everyone on Shift 4 was killed. That was him...

The others heard him too, they were all looking up as well while I shook on the spot as the voice continued. "You've come a long way to talk with me haven't you? So let's talk... Just you and me. Open that door and I'll assume you don't want to and leave, I don't feel like having a long conversation with a big gaggle of fools, just you."

That dark Shroud in my head was burning with fury, blowing past the voices of the Ministry Mares in my head easily. He wanted to talk pony to pony, fine... I looked back to the glass and saw Jade shove her way past the others, pressing her hooves against the barrier and shouting NO! soundlessly. Releasing my helmet to at least look at her directly I faltered and looked back to my pip-buck and the terminal, I shouldn't do this... we could catch him together...

"Oh? What's the matter? Can't do anything without your big mutant mare's say so? You know I'm surprised some pre-war pony would go after one of those monsters, let alone get anywhere. I would've thought you'd want to keep the freak out of this though, don't want me to kill her like I did your Stable do you?"

I could feel my eyes flare to burning suns at that, how dare he call her... he wouldn't touch her! Looking back to Jade through the window I saw her screaming NO! repeatedly now, banging against the steel door with her hoof and actually making it shiver slightly. Val was right next to her, yanking away on the handle and screeching at the glass in fury.

"Maybe you're scared to do anything without that useless traitor bodyguard of yours? I tell you, a reject from that group of rejects I left, you sure know how to pick them don't you kid? Heard enough about that piece of trash even out of the loop, should have died in the gutter. Or maybe the zebra? You really don't know anything do you? Hanging around with one of those stripes, he'd turn on you in a heartbeat, the ones round these parts are particularly pathetic. Don't even get me started on the Ranger or the Enclave bitch, they're just using you kid, neither of those idiotic groups are worth a damn, together they're even worse."

Oh you son of a bitch... you hateful bastard... The darkest parts of me surged at the goading, I knew what he was doing but couldn't help it. No one insulted my friends, my mare, especially not this evil piece of shit. I didn't want to share him anyway, I wanted Kellogg myself, dealing with him in front of the others, in front of Jade... I'd have to hold back, alone though... I placed my hoof against the glass gently I mouthed "I love you" to Jade until I was sure she saw it and turned away, locking the steel helmet back in place.

"That's more like it... I figured if you made it this far you couldn't be that much of a coward. Now, just come on down the hall and let's have ourselves a nice chat."

Struggling to keep my breathing under control, I started trudging down the concrete hall, looking around carefully and speaking to no one. "Can you hear me?"

"Sure I can, but you want to talk face to face right? Oh, but you're a curious little pony aren't you? Guess you have actual questions before our different kind of 'talk' don't you? Why not kid, go ahead."

"Why did you take my Stable?"

"Why? Why not? I don't ask questions like that of those nuts, they said they wanted it, I got it. Though it may interest you to know you were quite the monkey wrench in that whole operation. One of my first jobs for the Institute and I missed one puny little pony, but they go nuts over it. That's when they really started going at each other you know, old Mobius was against the whole idea for the most part, when he heard how I took it and that I missed you, he really went off the deep end. That damaged pod of yours, figured you were awake and got wasted with the rest. They declared the whole place off limits after that."

That was interesting, any other time I'd ponder it but I had more pressing questions now. "Where are they..."

"Who, the ones asleep? or the Institute? Guessing you meant the former. Well that is a good question, they got split up far as I know, 900 pods and 6 divisions, they all took a piece to play with when things went bad. If it makes you feel better I think they hang on to what they have, rare commodity and all, other than that I couldn't say."

"And the Institute?"

"Oh, well that's a more difficult question, they're all over as I imagine you've figured out by now. Hooves in a lot of pies around the Commonwealth and all that. Dala and Vega hang around up here in the north a lot, around their labs, not that you're likely to find a way in. The other four... have different priorities and areas of influence, same problem though, you'll never get to them. I rarely speak with any of them directly myself, and even then it's almost never in one of their private labs, more in their little think tank they share."

"Dala... where's Dala and her Cathedral?"

"That lonely old mare? Why her specifically? Oh... alicorns, of course. Well, can't tell you, like I said, I prefer to keep her happy since she keeps me kickin'. Usually not hard, she's just starved for attention, missed out on a lot far as I can tell, turn on the charm and she melts. Her Cathedral... well I wonder where a mare like her would consider a cathedral."

There was the hum of a lot of arcano-tech generators to the left as I walked the hall towards the next steel door in front of me, doors to the right led off to quarters for the personnel here and assorted offices as well, but directly ahead was the way to go. "Why are you waiting for me?"

"Ah saw through me huh? They told me all I had to do was make myself known and you'd come, let my former associates spot me a few times and waited, sure enough here you are. Had my doubts, you must be tougher than you look kid. Come on in and I'll tell you why. Don't worry about my friends, I've told them to back off."

Shoving open the door I saw his friends were a couple of Gen 1 synths at rest in a dark room, blinking lights filled the space beyond the fan of light the doorway behind me let in, beyond that there was nothing much I could make out. He must be hiding in here somewh...

BLAM!

At the sound of the gunshot my vision flickered with alerts for a bare second;

CRITICAL POWER SYSTEM FAILURE!
ENTERING STANDBY MODE!

And everything went dark...

"There we go, that was easy enough. Gotta thank you kid, wearing that tin can in here made catching you a lot easier. Killing you would have been ok as a fallback, would have made Vega happy anyway. But I like keeping Dala satisfied better like I said, and she wants you alive. That's why I was waiting kid, you've become a problem and I fix problems."

I frantically wriggled in my steel container, I don't know how but he managed to shut the suit down with one shot, turning it into a large, useless steel statue. Nothing was working, I couldn't even release the helmet at look at the bastard, just a field of darkness as he gloated and claustrophobia started sinking its claws into me. I knew it was a trap and got hooked anyway, stupid! The worthless dark in front of me just mocked my own arrogance, there was nothing there to help me... wait wasn't there?

A blinking cursor at the bottom of my vision caught my attention as Kellogg continued to himself, "Now... how to get you out of here in that thing..."

_
_ _
_ _ _ ....
.....ACTIVATING UNICORN USER INTEGRATION....
REROUTING POWER...

My vision suddenly came back and I could see Kellogg moving about the now lit command center, directing his synth minions about in making preparations to take me. He had disregarded me now as dead in the water, honestly I was surprised I wasn't myself. The modifications... integrating the power supply... For once the Institute's meddling had come in handy, I could feel a drain on my magic as the lowest levels of the armor's systems came back online.

Now that I could glare at Kellogg himself I saw what the posters showed more or less, he was a big dirty brown earth pony, no mane and a long scar down his cheek and across one of his grey eyes. His front left and rear right legs were bulky, dark metal cybernetics, the glow of a screen like a pip-buck showed on his cybernetic foreleg, though I couldn't tell if he wore it or if it was part of the appendage. He wore a thick black vest crossed with a bandolier holding a huge silver revolver he currently had holstered. On his flesh and blood flank a series of numbers and letters had been crossed out with a long scar, leaving them legible but marked like Val's.

Alright... I couldn't run the armor on my magic alone, not for long anyway. With power restored I could at least get out of the suffocating steel coffin, before I did I played around with the settings, I could afford to spend a little magic to give him a surprise. Every missile left in the battle saddle flew out with a fwoosh at my side and I triggered the emergency eject, the armor unfolding and booting me backwards. The resounding explosions at the end of the room covered my exit and tore the two synths to pieces, though Kellogg was annoyingly quick on the uptake and dove clear.

Drawing my weapons and floating my hat back to my head, I scowled at the mercenary as he got back to his hooves with a growl. "Sorry. Not going to be that easy."

The bastard actually chuckled looking over at me, "I suppose not young buck. Guess Vega may get his way, lot harder to take you alive now. Not letting you take me kicking either, on the off chance you somehow manage it. So... nothing left to say huh?"

"No."

I punctuated my reply with half a dozen rounds from the Terrible Shotgun as I ran forward, answered with three shots from his booming revolver that hammered into my side and sent me skidding sideways. Yeah, definitely had to see about padding, getting hit with that was like getting punched by a dragon, it knocked my breath out and I barely saw only half my shots hit Kellogg to little effect.

I dove behind a large console and took aim with the Last Minute, if the shotgun slugs wouldn't get through then let's see about the rifle that bored holes through everything. One blurring round took flight just as he faded away from view in a blur, a grunt from that direction was encouraging but not the wet splat of his head exploding I hoped for. He could pull AssaultJack's trick? A stealth-buck.... had to be, great.

"Oh you are an annoying little twerp aren't you? Maybe I'll take you alive anyway, she didn't say what kind of condition she wanted you in."

Kellogg's gloating gave me a general direction, if I was relying on just my guns that wouldn't be enough but I had something that would work here. Focusing on spreading it out as much as I could and giving it half my magic, I unloaded with my lightning spell on that half of the room.

KRAKA-THOOOM!

Part of me was vaguely concerned for what the Brotherhood ponies wanted down here, but oh well... Most of that part of the chamber was just a wall of monitors that exploded in a shower of sparks, falling on the reappearing form of Kellogg jittering on the spot. I sprinted at him with Best Served in my mouth, that should have shut down his stealth-buck and his cybernetics, he was half disabled now, if I took out another leg he wouldn't be able to get away. My pistol ran through the entire clip as I closed the distance, first I'd take that front leg, then the rear one... then his hide...

Right as I lunged forward he brought that front cybernetic leg out like a shot, bashing me in the muzzle and sending my knife flying. A set of blades coming from the artificial foreleg slashed my neck as he followed through, washing my side with warmth and a searing line. With me off balance he spun and gave a cyber assisted buck to my chest, the metal hoof blasting out some kind of explosion that tossed me across the room in agony.

Holding on to what focus I could I slid into S.A.T.S. and targeted his head with two rounds from the Last Minute. The first managed to drill a hole through his neck but the second was cut short by the boom of his revolver striking the weapon and knocking it out of my grip. Another shot from his gun knocked my pistol away before I could switch to it and a third punched through my flank leaving me rolling on the floor in blood.

"You aren't the only one that can pull that whole Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting routine kid. Gotta admit you're not bad, if my augments weren't shielded you woulda had me alright. Now how about you behave and this will go a lot easier, if I see another thing get all floaty around here I'm just gonna knock it away too. You're beat youngster."

He was reloading his revolver and approaching slowly, drolling out his speech in a bored tone. Coughing up a spatter of blood on the floor I was afraid he was right, he was fast, he was good, he had S.A.T.S. and was a pro at using it to take out my weapons so easily. Anything I did wouldn't be quick enough when he could pause time too. I could see a gleam under one of the consoles behind him, Best Served... Fork's knife... I promised, promised I'd kill this son of a bitch with his knife for what he did.

Looking over the knife while Kellogg strolled up and thinking, I had one last trick I hadn't considered before. I'd never done it successfully on anything this size... but the sight of him walking up unconcerned, the thought of those foals in the freezer, of Fork's guarding them until Kellogg killed them... I focused on the knife with my magic and concentrated, letting my hatred of the cyber-buck fuel the attempt and every voice in my head guide my spell.

Kellogg noticed my horn glowing and was on guard, but still confident. "Come on kid, I told you anything you grab is gonna be...."

FLASH!

His self satisfied dismissal was cut short by the shining knife protruding from his chest suddenly in a flash of magic. He stumbled back in disbelief and I struggled to my hooves painfully, glaring at him and enjoying his shocked look of pain. Teleportation still wasn't easy for me, I could only manage small objects, and strictly speaking you were supposed to try not to teleport things into other things, but I made an exception here... I grabbed the knife in my magic and ripped it free with satisfaction as he gurgled and slumped to the floor on his haunches.

"Spring Shower, Wispy Water..." I sent the blade slashing at his living rear leg, slicing it off neatly as I dragged myself forward.

"W-What..." His breathing was ragged and a lot of blood was coming up at the words, he'd last long enough though...

Sending Best Served out in a horizontal flash I cut off his flesh and blood foreleg, "Mocha Mug, Neon Glitter, Radish Sprout..."

"W-W-Wh..." I had to admit, he was pretty tough to not be screaming his head off, confusion warred with pain in his grey eyes as his cybernetic limbs flailed uselessly.

"Foals... y-you killed foals in my Stable, I saw them. You killed everyone, you t-took my family, you took my friends, but you killed f-foals too... You killed the one who tried to p-protect them then walked over his body to get to them, and do you know who that was?"

More confusion as he burbled out weakly, "J-J-Job..."

"IT WAS HEARTY FORKS! AND THIS IS FROM ALL OF THEM!!!" With a great deal of satisfaction I sent the knife forward again, spinning straight through his neck and chopping his head off.

Falling to the floor and panting left me staring into his grey eyes as they lost the last spark of life, that was good, I did want to watch him die, and for him to see me doing it. That just left me bleeding on the floor and adding to the blood with each rattling breath from that explosive buck. I fumbled weakly for a healing potion as the edges of things were getting blurry, providing juice to that power armor, using lightning and then actually teleporting something bigger than a bottlecap had severely drained me. Even with things fading a little I could make out the flash of my pip-buck in my vision;

Mission Updated: Reunions

Objective--
--~~Kill Kellogg~~

Optional Objectives--
----Help Brotherhood at Fort Haygone

Come on... hurry... I knew I had one with me, just had to focus long enough to get it out and use it... Get back to the others... back to Jade...

"FAST!" The voice of the mare I was thinking of boomed from the door and I heard her land beside me with a thump. Healing magic immediately started pouring into me, adding to that warm, fuzzy feeling that was so nice. I'd just take a little nap... Jade was here, it was ok now...

When I came back I was staring at a pair of big blue eyes set in a worried frown directly in my face. Blinking slowly I gave an ashamed look up to Jade looming over me, "H-Hi... umm... sorry..."

Relief was battling with an odd kind of fury on her features and she answered shakily, "Do not give me your sorrys Fast! You left me! You went alone! You could have died to this... horrible creature! I am very upset with you!"

With a wince I shuffled and looked around, I was still in the command center, the others were here too but were staying well out of the angry alicorn's way. "R-Really Jade... I really am sorry, I know it was wrong. He said he'd leave, he said he'd hurt you... I c-couldn't... I couldn't let him have the chance. Honestly I wanted him alone, I didn't want to drag anyone else into this... especially you. I know I shouldn't have and that I scared you, if you hate me I..."

Having her lunge forward and envelop me cut off the rest of my apology, she was shuddering and planting desperate kisses all over, her eyes spilling tears as she lectured and tried to hang on to her anger. "I could n-never! I am s-still most upset, you should not have... you could h-have... You may not! You may not do anything so foalish! Try to keep me safe and put yourself in danger! We were to do this together a-and you... j-just look at yourself! You are still in trouble Fast!"

Returning her shaky affection slowly calmed her down, I held her tightly and stroked her cloudy mane, nuzzling her gently with a wince and whispered in her ear. "I know I am. I'm sorry. It's alright now, I... p-promise not to do anything like that again if I can avoid it. I'll do whatever you say, ok? I'll take whatever punishment you want, I know I deserve it."

Finally soothed she pulled away sniffling and her horn lit up brightly, continuing to heal my wounds as she wiped her eyes and looked thoughtful at just what I deserved. The relief flooding through me let me look around a bit more and spot Val glaring at me across the room, standing over the corpse of Kellogg, she looked between us a few times and finally sighed and gave him a kick.

"I'm as pissed as she is boss, but guess she can handle your stupidity. Honestly I'm more impressed now, ya actually did it... how the hell did you manage to take out this old bastard?"

Groaning back at her I forced myself back to my hooves despite Jade's fretting, "It wasn't easy... nnnn oww... If he wasn't so full of himself don't think I would'a, used a trick I never have before. Figured he had intel on me from the Institute, could only plan for things he knew I could do, not something totally new. Teleported the knife right into him."

The griffon's violet eyes widened and she rolled the body around, inspecting the deep wound in its chest and the ripping exit. "Teleported... holy hell boss, you can do that? Alright, I'm slightly less annoyed with you now, that is friggin awesome!"

Even Jade was distracted from her grousing at that, "You were able to... That is very good Fast, are you not glad I forced you to see Miss Corona and learn magic? It would seem keeping you working on her lessons every day was useful after all, was it not?"

"Yes Jade, you're right, as always. It saved me here, thank you. So er... how did you guys get in here, I was trying to take a healing potion and reach the controls, undo the lock on the door from here. What happened?"

With a reluctantly grateful look Jade pointed over to the small pegasus busily working the remaining terminals in here. "Scribe Wind was able to use my pip-buck to bypass the lock. Though it was difficult."

Looking up from under the brim of her red cap, Summer shrugged and smiled over to us. "Working through her pip-buck slowed things down, I couldn't talk her through it so I had to do it. You were right, she really doesn't know technical stuff at all. B-But we were both worried about you! Thanks for not completely destroying the command center Fast, just got the security lockdown released and the system running from here."

At her words my pip-buck gave a fanfare in my ear and flashed;

Mission Completed!: Reunions

Objective--
--~~Kill Kellogg~~

Optional Objectives--
----~~Help Brotherhood at Fort Haygone~~

"Good, glad I didn't totally wreck the place, was a little worried about that but... well Kellogg came first, sorry. So you're good here? Your friends from outside can get here?"

Steel Dance clomped up and gave a satisfied nod, "Yes indeed soldier, can't say I agree with your rash actions either, but it worked out. There's an express elevator back here to the roof, emergency escape for staff here, anytime we're ready to leave. If you can do something about that armor it would be a shame to just leave it behind, normally I'd commandeer it, but I'm alright with you keeping it."

Inching my way along to the empty power armor I spotted the problem. Kellogg had hit the connections to the power supply, a shielded and difficult target to hit, cutting it off entirely with one shot... I glanced over to the corpse and gave a shaky sigh, he was that good... and I survived. Jade and the others had good reason to be mad at me, by all rights I should be dead, if I couldn't do something he wasn't ready for... Best not to dwell on it, the repair wasn't a difficult one and while I didn't particularly care for using the heavy armor, it did come in handy sometimes, better to have one around if I needed it.

While I worked Zed came strolling in from a side hallway, actually getting me out of some of the trouble I was in somewhat. "It appears this Kellogg was not lying. There is an escape tunnel down this way, it was too long to follow but I assume it is how he came and went without dealing with the manticores. He could have escaped any time he wished had Fast not followed his demands."

Jade gave him a dubious look and huffed as I reconnected the armor's power system, she obviously didn't care for the zebra confirming anything in my favor. Val didn't look particularly happy with him either, but was busy rooting around in Kellogg's belonging, apparently happy with what she was digging up.

As I stepped back into the repaired armor she crossed the room and presented his huge revolver to me with a flourish. "Here boss, ya killed the baddest Gunner alive, you should have his piece."

"Er... ok... if you say so Val..." I had mixed feelings about taking the weapon that killed so many Shift 4 ponies in my Stable, along with who knows how many others. As I reluctantly floated it to my inventory my pip-buck went through an odd process I hadn't seen before, at first it identified it simply as 'Kellogg's Pistol', then with a flicker it changed the name it gave it to 'Vengeance' and settled down. Well... it wasn't Kellogg's pistol anymore, that was true, still it was odd. I really wondered at some of the strange things my pip-buck did sometimes.

"A-Alright... if we're done here, let's get outta this place. Other things to do and all, everybody ready?"

Everyone gave nods of affirmation, with minimal effort Jade wrapped Kellogg's corpse in some of the rags around the assorted skeletons in here and floated it up to her side with distaste. "You are sure we must take this corpse Fast? He deserves to rot in this tomb."

"I know, but I think he'll be useful. I'd like to take a look at his cybernetics and that pip-buck... thing on his hoof. I'll need your help with that, plus if things worked out well he might be even better to have around for a bit. Let's get back to Preston and see how things worked out."

Squeezing into the elevator this time was even harder with the body floating along with us, thankfully the express lift was a tad larger giving just enough space to manage the long trip in one go. When the doors opened with a 'ding' we were indeed on the roof, pelted with blowing rain from the storm raging out here. We piled out with relief and spread out on the roof, huddling under Jade's rain shield, the barrier storm had gotten worse.

A loud drone and the sudden splash of lights from above caught all of us off guard, well most of us, the two Brotherhood ponies didn't seem that surprised. Looking up into the skies to the west was a shocking sight, a huge, anvil shaped ship was breaking through the storm. Thick, billowing clouds were trailing from its sides, which should be enough to send it crashing down, the addition of a series of long metal cylinders above the giant cloud ship appeared to be what was keeping it aloft.

As I watched a number of Vertibucks sped out of the ship's hangar and darted off in different directions, a blaring amplified voice from above came just as my pip-buck informed me it had found a new radio signal. "Ponies of the Commonwealth! Do not be afraid, we are the Brotherhood of Friendship! We are here to help!"

Staring numbly up at the sight, Scribe Wind trotted over and joined me, quite pleased with herself by the look of it. "Impressive isn't it? It's a Cloudship, it's actually a..."

"Raptor Class..."

"Er... yes, it was wrecked during Operation... umm... C-Cauterize... but we refurbished it with help from our Applejack's Rangers friends. A little earth pony ingenuity helped make it a less susceptible to sonic rad-booms, and barrier storms thankfully. Glad to see she made it through, that's our Prydwen! How did you know what it was?" Scribe Wind looked proud of the ship buzzing by above us as it headed east across the Commonwealth, only slightly put out I already knew just what it was.

"My mom, she served on a ship like that... I saw pictures... They're still flying?"

The yellow pegasus looked confused for a moment, but waved it off. I hadn't exactly explained I was more than 200 years old to either her or Dance yet, it had become one of those things that slipped my mind when dealing with others. "Oh yes, we lost a lot when we... came to the surface the first time, but there are still quite a few up there, even a Thundercloud or two. I guess we need to get back to the police station, they're going to be looking for us... thanks a lot for all the help all of you, hope you got what you wanted Fast."

Steel Dance trotted over to his scribe and gave a salute, "Scribe Wind is correct, we're needed back at the station. Going to be a lot to report, including such a promising candidate for the Brotherhood. I do hope you'll consider joining Fast, at the very least come back to the station some time so I can introduce you to my superiors."

Summer brightened at that and fluttered in my face gleefully, "Oh yeah! Please do Fast, I can give you the grand tour of the ship! It's pretty neat, you'll love it!"

Jade sidled up immediately and curled a wing over me, her and the pegasus were doing better but she was still making certain things clear. "Umm... sounds good Summer, Dance, I would like to see that thing up close sometime. Still not sure about the whole joining up thing, but I really appreciate your help here, I'm glad we could help each other out again. We'll be sure to visit again when we can, you guys take care until then ok?"

The pair nodded and made their goodbyes, working their way over to the metal stairs leading down once the emergency escape ramps were released. The rest of us watched the the bulk of their order's ship making its slow way across the Commonwealth, blaring out its message, sending and receiving Vertibucks from its hangar as it went. We had helped bring something new to the Commonwealth... I wondered how that would change things.

The chilly rain gradually lessened as we made our way back to the raider camp surrounding the entrance to the Equestrian Ration Stockpile, I supposed now that the Brotherhood was here there wasn't much point. That put another mark in favor of the weather being guided by some intelligence, whoever it was it definitely wasn't the Lightbringer though.

Once we got within sight of the place I had to amend my description, former raider camp... The place looked like a warzone, which it basically was at this point. More than a dozen manticore corpses littered the crater riddled ground, along with a lot of ponies, both raider and Gunners. The ramshackle structures the raiders had built were completely demolished, the ground was a muddy, smoking ruin and the blood was still being washed away by the drizzle.

Preston spotted us approaching with his cadre of Minutemares and came trotting up, I noted with interest his crew was surrounding a trio in green armor, including a bloody and angry looking grey griffon, good. With a wave and tip of his hat Preston beamed at us, "Exciting night eh Fast? You have something to do with that big thing in the sky too? Guessing everything went well on your end, as you can see worked out here too. Didn't take much to mop up what was left, kept ahold of those Gunners that made it, they're none to happy with you. Nice armor by the way."

Clanking forward I released the armor and hopped out gratefully, I had no idea how Steel Dance stayed in one of those all the time, the smell must be amazing. I thanked Preston and gestured to Jade and her floating package, making my way to the Gunners glaring our way. The grey male griffon had deep black accents and burning yellow eyes that scowled into my own at my approach, Val joined us and chuckled at the prisoner.

"Hey there Char, see you made it through our little party mostly intact huh?"

The seething griffon hissed back at her, "Traitor! You set all this up!? You know how many of us just died in this insanity!?"

"Actually I did, it's not her fault, she just helped. Considering you're trying to kill both of us, forgive me if I'm not too broken up about your losses ok? Now then, I'd like to have a little chat with you, Char was it?"

"Why would I talk to either of you? You're nothing but bounties, if I was loose I'd rip that smug face off shorty!" Well he didn't have to get personal as he struggled against his bonds...

"Because, I want to talk to you about just that, bounties. Specifically claiming one and what I can get out of it." I floated out the wanted poster for Kellogg and hovered it in front of the griffon's sneering face for him to read.

After going over the paper he scoffed, "Bullshit. No one claims that bounty, it's impossible..."

Jade helpfully set her heavy load down in front of the trio of Gunners and unwrapped it to unbidden gasps as the bald head rolled free. "No way... you... you found him like that, you couldn't have..."

Val laughed and kicked the dead former Gunner, "Nope, boss killed the big bad himself, alone... Now I know my word ain't worth what it was, but I do swear on anything you wanna name, that's the truth. I'd listen to the little pony if I were you Char."

"Now then, if you're more inclined to listen, I believe this bounty is worth five times what I am right? 25 grand is a lot of caps isn't it? I'm not great with money, but I'd almost think you never expected to pay this bounty. I asked Val about a few things, unfortunately it seems I can't buy my own bounty right?"

The grey griffon was proving more cooperative now at least, "No, a contract's a contract, you can't pay to make it go away, only the one who took it out can cancel it."

"Right, I get that, I do. Keeping to the contract is important to you guys, no matter what it is. So, since I can't get mine canceled, my friend informed me of an alternative I'd like to explore. How much to buy your good behavior? From what Val tells me Kellogg's bounty ought to pay for you not to operate around the Kingdom of Sanctuary or its allies without permission right?

Frankly at this point I just want to be able to go home and not worry about you guys bothering me. If I'm the one who killed the legend none of you wanted to mess with, that ought to make me somepony you don't want to mess with too. But I want to sleep at night without keeping one eye open. I want a contract to keep you away. Considering the Princess of the place is right here I think we should be able to come to some kind of arrangement, right?"

The griffon didn't look too happy, but looked over the corpse, the Minutemares surrounding him, his two injured comrades, then me. "I give you this contract on behalf of the Gunners, you let us go?"

"Sure thing! I actually wish it hadn't come to this, the only reason it did is because you guys were trying to kill me though. The Princess here will even heal you fellas right up, she's itching to do it anyway just because you're hurt, only reason she's not now is we're talking. Are we done talking?"

He glanced over to the alicorn who was in fact anxiously waiting for the opportunity to treat the injured, even though they were Gunners. "Fine. Anywhere in the territory around this Sanctuary or within one of your allied settlements, you realize you're still a target anywhere away from your little corner of the Commonwealth. But within the range of your little 'kingdom'... no Gunners will operate without your leader's say so, this... Princess here, right? I'll need proof of the bounty you're using to pay for this too."

Val held one of her dark claws out and grasped the air impatiently, "Gimme yer knife boss, I know you want the rest of him, Gawd knows why."

Handing it over, I turned away from the fiery griffon engaging in the grisly work of neatly slicing the patch of hide on Kellogg's flank with all the numbers. The glimpse I caught made me a little queasy, but apparently those numbers would serve as enough of an identifier along with the grey griffon watching where it came from. Tearing the hide away with a wet, ripping sound, Val returned my knife and threw the chunk of meat at the other griffon's feet.

That was enough to strike the deal, as far as Char was concerned we had a contract he'd take back to the rest of the Gunners. Jade trotted forward and set about healing the wounded while I wrapped Kellogg's corpse back up and waited. Val had told me the leaders of communities could make deals with the Gunners to have them bow to local leadership, the expense involved however made Kellogg's bounty the best course to actually do it.

Now that it was done we just had to let Jade work and send them on their way, go back to Sunshine and Rainbows Co-Op and get Glitter then... we could go home, finally.

--------------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------------------------------

Nerd Rage--------------------
--Genius. Is. Angry! When your health drops below 20% your strength rises to 10, you gain deeper magic reserves and you gain 20% damage resistance while doing 20% more damage for a short time.

Quest Perk Added!---------------------------------------

Pinkie Pie Mask #42----------------
--Maybe it's because it's the visage of the creator of the party cannon, or because Kellogg held onto it? Whatever the reason this strange plastic mask grants +10 to the big guns skill! You're sure there's a story here though.

Ch. 31-- Back in your own backyard

Good morning Commonwealth! This is Traveling Miles and that was Sapphire Shores, now to get back to the news of the day, the Brotherhood. Anyone awake last night saw the cloudship and that's all everyone's talking about so let's get to it. For those who didn't pick up the broadcast or hear them blaring out their message, the Brotherhood of Friendship is now in the Commonwealth in force. I'll try to keep any personal bias out of our coverage, but you'll forgive me if a little leaks through, seeing that ship just made my flanks burn if you know what I'm saying.

The ship of Applejack's Rangers and Enclave ponies finally came to rest out at the old Trotson Skyport and seems to have anchored itself there, while regular flights of Vertibucks are being reported all over the Commonwealth. They say they're here to help, and I sure hope so given all that firepower, but everyone is wondering what they want here besides that. The Steel Rangers once had a small chapter here right after the war, but that disappeared early on under... mysterious circumstances, and the Enclave could never get in the Commonwealth in the first place, but now they made it. One has to wonder if they're not after the thing we all whisper about that took out the local Ranger's chapter and kept the Enclave out, that's right... the Institute.

Guess we'll have to wait and see folks, not much we can do about our new guests otherwise but gossip, and there's plenty of that out on the Diamond City market today I can tell you. In other news we got reports about a lot of explosions in the woods on the northwestern edge, out by the abandoned Fort Haygone. No one's sure what happened exactly, but there's a lot of Gunners leaving the area today. Considering they were up that way hunting a friend of the station, well I hope it's not because they succeeded.

The late morning sun was peeking out of the clearing cloud cover as we approached Sanctuary, making the sight all the more welcoming and impressive. We had only been gone a couple weeks, but crossing the repaired wooden bridge I was amazed at the changes that had taken place in our absence. Tromping along in the heavy power armor I wore without the helmet up, I looked around in wonder as we stepped off the bridge and passed the amended wooden sign reading 'Welcome to Sanctuary'.

Just across the bridge had become an active market, a few traveling traders had set up in an area to the side that seemed tailored to their needs, with room to camp behind where their loaded carts and stalls sat. Beyond them were the beginnings of actual stores, of most interest to me was the familiar tent like form taking shape on the empty foundation of an old house. There were others popping up as well, right now little more than wooden stalls and shacks built around them, but construction was obviously ongoing.

Walls had been set up to either side of the bridge and down the shore for quite aways, and the clanking Ponitron guards still made their patrols, acknowledging us for a moment before recognizing us and moving on without complaint. The number of ponies milling around this new economic area of the island was surprising, I didn't recognize any of them but there were quite a few, including more than a couple ghouls, zebras and griffons.

Looking around I saw the same shock I felt mirrored on the faces of Jade and Val, while Glitter's was just full of wonder, Zed was mildly interested as best I could read his inscrutable expressions. As we worked our way forward through the crowd, a friendly looking pale earth pony mare trotted up, flipping her dark blue mane from her face and giving a wide wave.

"Hi there folks! New to Sanctuary? You all traders or travelers? Just passing through or wanting to settle? Not being nosy, just offering a helping hoof with all the... w-wait..." Her smooth patter stumbled once she got a good look at us, or at Jade specifically and noticed the wings. "Y-You're her... sweet Celestia it's her! Hey everypony! The Princess is back!"

The immediate focus of all the attention of the crowd around us made Jade freeze and try to start backing away from the stares. Preston and his Minutemares saved her before she decided to turn invisible though, the leader of the group stepping forward and calling for attention while his recruits spread out and made sure the nervous alicorn had room and wasn't swarmed.

"That's right folks, Princess Jade's back for a bit. I know everypony wants to see her, but it's been a long trip getting here. Plus we all talked about this already right? Don't push, she's skittish, give her time to get settled in and I'm sure you'll all get a chance to see her. I don't want to hear about anybody making a nuisance of themselves, right?"

A soft 'Awww' of disappointment ran through the crowd, but they did relax and stop pressing forward. Apparently Jade had been highly anticipated while we were gone, all these new ponies had never seen her, only heard of her secondhoof. I felt bad for the amount of attention she was going to have to deal with, but it was part of being a princess after all, I'd just have to try to help as much as I could.

She came close and lowered her face next to mine nervously, darting glances around before nodding back to the heavy bundle draped over my armored back. "W-We should drop that off at my clinic Fast, t-then go home? I... d-did not expect such a reception..."

Shifting to keep Kellogg's corpse balanced, I nodded back to her. "Sure, you can work on him any time you want. I'd like to get home too anyway, we can get off the street and kinda... let the word spread I guess. Don't worry, I'm right with you, they just wanna be friends right?"

Glitter delayed that plan, spotting someone she knew and darting off with a squeal. "Sassy! You made it! How do you like it? Is this your new store?!"

She barely refrained from tackling the tall ghoul, diverted by the construction going on around them off the road. A familiar pompadour mane could just be spotted among the gaggle of ponies working on Sassy's new Carousel Boutique, shouting at the others as they worked. "Come on now everypony, we're fallin' behind, lots of other work to do! We... oh hey Glitter! You guys are back? Where's... ah there they are! Hey!"

Sturges ruffled the foals mane and came trotting over to meet us trailing after her, beaming a wide grin and waving a hoof back to the work going on. "So, what'cha think there Fast, Jade? Your letter said anything she wanted, she would'a been happy with a tent but I thought we could do a little better than that huh? Quite the boon for us having our own armor shop in town, 'specially one run by a mare that skilled. So you like what we done with the place?"

"It's... It's a lot to take in Sturges, you've been busy. So how is everything?"

"Oh just great, been busy alright but got a lot more help now, and a lot more materials thanks to Hexington. Got all your stuff they shipped up in your workshop, plus all those books of Miss... excuse me, Princess Jade's in storage for now. Drawin' up plans for a fine little library and school for you there your highness, just takin' a bit of time out for our special project here." Sturges chuckled watching Jade squirm at the treatment and pulled at his coverall straps happily.

"Sturges... I wish you would not call me so, I have come to accept it from others but you know better, I would continue our familiar relationship, do not put on airs for me please." Jade flushed, looking down at the fellow repair-pony uncomfortably.

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully Sturges continued the joke, "Oh I don't know about that your highness, wouldn't be right addressin' the Princess of Sanctuary so casual like would it? All these new ponies have certain expectations and all, see you even got the mark to back it up now! Seriously, congratulations Miss Jade, it suits you, glad to have you all back home."

While Jade gave a whinny of pleasure at the praise, Sassy had managed to corral Glitter back our way and sketched a grateful curtsy. "Well hello there, nice to see you all again so soon. Thank you so much again, this place is wonderful, everypony has been very friendly and Sturges here has bent over backwards to help me."

"Glad things are working out so well Sassy, good to see you too. I actually had a couple requests and some questions when you have time, have to let us get settled I guess, but I'll stop by soon ok?"

The tall ghoul agreed happily and we parted when Sturges spotted his workers not following his plans to his satisfaction. Continuing down the busy street we all marveled at the sheer number of new residents and buildings, rough shacks had sprung up between the ruined houses that were being repaired, larger structures had even been cobbled together and everything was in the process of improvement.

"Holy hell we have a bar boss!" Val spotted a fairly well put together, large building with a flickering neon sign that did indeed say 'Bar' and veered towards it. As she ducked in the door I spotted a middle aged pale orange earth pony stallion painting a sign out front, 'The Royal Sui...' Suites? An Inn as well as a bar, well apparently there were enough travelers to warrant one, Val was happy anyway.

Approaching Jade's small clinic was a surprise too, the home had been thoroughly restored and additions had been tacked on, several younger ponies wearing their own medical box saddlebags like Jade's waited eagerly and took a low bow as we walked up, leaving the alicorn they were focused on very confused. Thankfully Mama Xara and Jade's nurse came trotting out to give us a warm welcome and explain, the pale pink unicorn stallion jabbering nervously.

"Doctor Jade, oh it's good to see you back. I've been holding down the fort with Mama, but we've had so many ponies wanting to join the Followers I didn't know what to do. I taught them everything you told me, but we really need you back to deal with them! They've been waiting and learning all they could, helping us deal with a pretty regular flow of patients, now that you're back you can properly teach them though, thank goodness." The poor nurse looked harried and waved at the half dozen ponies watching with interest.

"Yes, it is good to see you big pony, and you as well little pony. We have been most busy in your absence. I see you have brought back something for us as well? The bloody half pony, the slayer of innocents, I hope putting this behind you has helped Fast. You've brought one of my own as well, how interesting, hello there shadow hunter, pleased to meet you." Xara still had that creepy ability to know way too much, eyeing the bundle on my armored back sadly.

The reaction she got from Zed was more pronounced than he normally betrayed, his grey eyes widening as he stared at Xara. "Starseerer... You still live? And you were here with the dark little pony, of course. I would speak with you when I may, I will find you later Fast, I am fine here."

At that Zed trotted forward and started tailing Xara around silently, Jade had finished her own rushed conversation with her nurse and returned with excitement clear in her voice. "They all wish to join the Followers of the Apocalypse Fast! Is that not wonderful? I must properly induct them and inform them about what is expected, decide how best to use so many volunteers and what to do, see what condition the clinic is in, so much to... Oh.. I suppose I will have to delay returning to the house for now Fast, I am sorry... I truly wish to but..."

"Don't worry about it, this is important to you, besides I have robot stuff to play with at home right? Take your time, want to take the body from me here and I'll let you get to it? We'll have plenty of time together at home soon, looking forward to it."

With a quick kiss on the cheek the blue doctor grabbed the corpse from my back and gave a determined nod, "Of course, thank you Fast. I believe going over Mr. Kellogg here could even be a good teaching experience for my new recruits. Go play with your toys and wait for me, I will be along as soon as I can."

Leaving her to her work, that left me and Glitter with her robotic guardian to continue walking home. The young colt Short Stack charging up with half a dozen foals cut that short though, after manically happy greetings and a rapid fire exchange of names with the group, Glitter asked to go play with all the new faces, bouncing on her hooves to go. Once she had consent the herd of foals went galloping off, stumbling over each other and laughing as they went.

Walking up to my house alone to see Cogsworth outside tending the property, I was forcefully reminded of leaving the Stable and finding him here. Thankfully he was still in touch with reality, doing actual work instead of tending imaginary plants, and the house was in such excellent shape I could scarcely believe it. Once he spotted me the round robot came bobbing over, waving his appendages and spinning on the spot.

"Master Fast! You have returned, how wonderful! I do hope your journey went well, I look forward to hearing all about it. As you can see things have been going quite well on the home front sir, lot's to inform you of. Would you care for a drink or a bite to eat? May I take your... er... armor sir?" Cog's eyestalks waggled taking in the power armor and he bobbed along with me as I walked towards the door to my garage.

"Hey Cogs, nice to see you to. I'm more than ready to get out of it alright, think I'll just park it here for now though. The others are... around I guess, hopefully they'll be back soon. I hear I got a delivery while I was gone, looking forward to seeing it."

"Oh yes sir, it was rather sizable actually, your friend Sturges convinced me of the need to add a bit of additional storage actually. I do hope you don't mind that and some of the other work done to the home sir, as you were not here I made the best choices I could, and many of our new neighbors wished to contribute since you were away helping the community." The burbling robot seemed a little anxious, piquing my interest as to what exactly had been done while we were gone.

Leaving the power armor in the driveway I walked in the front door with the Mr. Handy trailing me, just taking in the living room I got an idea of what Cogsworth was talking about. New furnishings had been added to the ratty old couch, paintings and decorations were on the walls, the old coffee table had been cleaned and was loaded with flowers, caps, food, ammo, and assorted trinkets. A threadbare rug in good condition had been added to the floor, the walls were painted and the windows restored, a number of repairs on my list were taken care of in my absence just from what I could see.

Walking down the hall to the bedrooms I peeked in the bathroom, now gleaming clean despite the cracks and age. Glitter's room was cleaned and painted as well, a pile of old toys waited the foal on her small bed on a new cover. Jade's room... our room I supposed, had received similar treatment, her makeshift double bed made of two small Stable mattresses had been replaced with a huge bed and thick blankets. Her bookshelf now held a number of new books and a new one had been placed nearby, the closet held a variety of clothing and bits of jewelery were strewn about on the tabes.

"Cogsworth... where'd all this stuff come from?"

Giving a shrug with his dangling arms Cogsworth gestured to all the changes. "As I said sir, our new neighbors wanted to contribute. It was getting to be quite confusing, every day some new guest would come offering some trinket, I sorted them out as best I could. Sturges and his repair crew kept coming by as well, he was most convincing so I allowed them to work when they wished. If I overstepped I apologize sir."

"No, it's fine Cogs, great actually... just surprising. Ponies just... brought this stuff and gave it to you? Why?"

"The most common reason given was to thank the Princess sir, I assumed they were referring to Miss Jade and accepted on her behalf."

Shrugging out of my armor and tossing it on the bed I got the idea Jade was in for more attention that I initially thought, hopefully she'd be too busy at her clinic to really notice for now if they obeyed Preston's edict. "Ok, well let's go see what we got to play with out in the workshop Cogs, we can start with giving you a few upgrades, how's that sound?"

"Jolly good sir, er... what kind of upgrades precisely?" Cogsworth sounded a little pensive following me to my garage, but didn't get an answer for a few minutes while I stared in glee at my deliveries.

One fully functioning robot workstation from Watt's stood in the corner waiting, surrounded by boxes and boxes of parts and scrap from the destroyed guardians of the place, along with brand new looking containers from the storage area. Rooting around in one of the scrap containers I pulled out a Mr. Gutsy arm with a magical plasma weapon and grinned, "Oh all kinds with this stuff Cogs, make you a little safer. Then we can work on the ponitrons and try to add to the guards here."

Cogsworth's eyestalks lingered on the detached appendage a moment, "Very well sir, there is also the crated robots in the shed out back Sturges built to store them. You did have a significant delivery, it would not all fit in here when it arrived."

"Reeeeally..."

Several hours of meditative work passed quickly for me with all the new toys to play with. Cogsworth and the Ponitron guards soon had better weapons and armor, along with reinforcements in the form of brand new Ponitrons and a few Mr. Gutsys. After he was taken care of Cogsworth managed to interrupt me long enough to eat a quick lunch, and Glitter ran into the workshop with her new friends at one point making me confirm some of our adventures, I was interested to see we apparently had a pegasus family in Sanctuary judging by one of the foals. Val also stopped by before becoming bored by the technical work, her pockets jingled and she held a new sack of loot from wandering about the marketplace with her collected booty, leaving me to my work soon enough to store her new treasure up in her roost and go back to exploring.

It was late afternoon when Jade finally returned, surprising me out of my work by dumping Kellogg's artificial limbs on my workbench and enveloping me in a reassuring hug. "Oh I am glad to see you Fast, it has been a most busy and trying day. Here are the components you wanted from that villain, though I have come to wonder if he was more machine than pony."

I looked over the pip-buck looking screen on the cybernetic foreleg longingly, I had been running low on robots to play with, that would be something new to go over. "Thanks Jade, so is everything ok? You... kinda got a lot of presents while we were gone, I figured you might have a lot of attention to deal with."

"There were a variety of very minor injuries coming in all day yes... Though everypony was very nice, merely interested and grateful, it is difficult but I am trying. A good princess takes time for everyone they represent yes? They are already discussing some type of public festival in a few days, many were disappointed they could not immediately but there are so many here and working they need time. All of my new recruits were most enjoyable however, I already have volunteers willing to go to Hexington, Diamond City, Stable 114, and both the farms we freed to provide assistance and teach about the Followers. It feels very good to see some success in my mission here, they are all eager to help. How has you day been? Have you left this dirty little workshop of yours at all?"

"Umm... no.... But I got a lot of work done, did you see the new robots? Or go look at Cogsworth, he's got a plasma blaster now! I got a little caught up but everybody's been busy all day anyway, I'm the only one home right now still." I tried to excuse my hermit like behavior, I probably should have gone out, but all the cool stuff to play with here...

Jade gave a disapproving little snort before a sly smile spread on her face, "We are alone then? Is that not interesting... You are very dirty and greasy from all your tinkering Fast, I believe you need a shower."

"Oh yeah, hot water! I totally forgot it's been so long, do you want to go first or..."

With a sultry look the big alicorn grabbed me in her magic and started trotting into the house, "Oh I hardly see any reason to take turns now, I believe we can make this shower much more enjoyable than the last we shared. After dealing with so many ponies today I would find it most relaxing."

Well that made me forget all about tinkering, the last time we were in the shower together I was getting my burns debrided and wasn't allowed to open my eyes. This time promised to be a lot more fun with the change in our relationship since we were last home. Before long a lot of splashing, suds and giggling proved her right, being the only ones in the house was nice as noise wasn't an issue.

It was just getting loud enough I was surprised I heard the jingle of the shower curtain moving behind us making me pause and look back in concern. Val coming back and barging in for one of her jokes would be bad enough, if Glitter came home and heard the noise though... no, no, no.

"Faaast, what is wrong, why have you stopped?" Jade whined and followed me anxiously pulling back the curtain to... nothing?

"S-Sorry... Thought I heard..." There really was nothing, though the billowing steam in the room looked kind of odd right in front of me, like there was a gap or something...

Jade's sudden 'eep!' and scrambling shocked me out of wondering, turning bright red she snatched the curtain down in her magic and wrapped it around us, her wing curling around me tightly as she stammered out at the empty room. "S-S-Show yourself! Y-You are i-intruding! This is v-v-very private!"

I barely had time to wonder what was going on before another blue alicorn appeared in front of us, this one with a golden mane and matching, curious eyes. "I apologize, I did not mean to interrupt, please continue if you wish."

"W-W-What!? What's going on, w-who are you!? How long have..."

The strange alicorn cocked her head quizically and answered matter of factly, "I am Periwinkle, I was sent to observe my sister. I have been doing so the whole time, I didn't mean to be revealed so soon, the conditions here made observing you difficult and it was.... interesting. So this is mating for pleasure, I have questions about..."

"OUT!" Turning even redder Jade ended the bizarre discussion, opening the door and shoving the other alicorn out in a burst of magic.

Some time later we met our new guest out in the living room, where Cogsworth had been busily attending her, along with two others that had shown up while we dried off and put ourselves together. Now there was one of each color in front of me, this was a first I found interesting despite the fiasco the blue had turned the shower into. The purple was fairly light, with a long red-violet mane and green eyes, the green one had a short blue mane and pale green eyes, all three were crammed on the couch and taking Cogsworth's offered drinks warily.

When we entered the three of them sat up with interest and whispered among themselves for a moment, the green finally speaking up brightly. "Hello, sorry for the intrusion, I can sense the embarrassment but Peri didn't mean anything by it really, she just takes her job seriously. I'm Ivy and this is Magnolia, Periwinkle you've already... met."

"But they were..." Perwinkle tried to interrupt but was immediately shut down by the green eyed glare from Ivy.

"I said drop it Peri! You can ask later, not now! S-Sorry, umm pleased to meet you Jade, Fast." Well Ivy at least looked apologetic and had a better grasp on social skills than Peri.

"Er... right, nice to meet you too. Just so we're clear here, you're not with the Church of Balefire right? Are you from Trinity Tower?"

"What do you want..." Jade scowled at the other blue and cut right to the chase.

Ivy waved her hooves in surrender and tried to calm Jade's obvious displeasure at being interrupted. "Yes! W-We're from Trinity Tower, yes. Jeez... I told her to keep an eye on you, not follow you everywhere, I can't believe... We're really sorry ok, we were sent to find this Princess of Sanctuary, see if the stories were true and who it was. I see they were, you really have a mark... how?"

Jade's eyes softened slightly as she looked to the crown and heart on her flank and back to the trio of her sisters. "It... is a long story, I would be happy to tell, more so had you simply come and asked in the first place. How did you hear of it?"

The purple, Magnolia, spoke up softly at that, brushing her long mane out of her eyes. "The radio... Mr. Miles talked about when it happened with a pony who was there. All the Princess stories were good, but when we heard that you actually got a mark... they sent us to see. Are you umm... r-really friends with Mr. Miles Fast?"

I nodded and started to answer the curious mare, but was cut short by Ivy taking over smoothly again. "Yes, Magnolia here is quite the fan of Diamond City Radio. Your exploits have been of interest to us, after that story our leader sent us out and we've been here since. They said Princess of Sanctuary so we came here, but you weren't here to see, so we've been waiting awhile. Since you returned we wanted to observe you before introducing ourselves, we have not had contact with those of our kind who decided to join your Followers of the Apocalypse."

"Do you know where Evergreen is? Or her Church? Anything about them?" Maybe I could get some answers for Zed and myself out of our strange guests.

Ivy shook her head slowly and shrugged, "No, I'm sorry but they've become quite secretive since leaving, and our leader has forbidden contact with them until they change their minds. It has been quite stressful for all of us, dealing with disharmony and individuality, that was another reason we wished to observe you Jade, you seem to be adjusted well. Now that we have been found out, our leader wished to speak with you should the stories prove to be true, if you could come with us?"

Jade gave a tired sigh in answer, "As you well know we have only just returned, I would prefer not to rush off again right away. I am most interested in seeing your leader and our other sisters here in the Commonwealth, if you could wait a few days it would be much appreciated however."

The three of them exchanged a glance, I was getting the feeling Ivy was using that telepathy trick during some of those looks to speak privately. They nodded together and moved to get up as Ivy spoke, "As you wish, we will return to our camp and wait until you are ready to leave again. When you wish to find us we are..."

Shaking her head Jade cut off the green mare, "You need not run off, why not simply stay as our guests?"

Peri gave a curious look to Ivy, while Magnolia's actually seemed to hold a bit of longing, but they deferred to the green alicorn to answer. "We... appreciate the offer, but it is usually best we avoid others..."

"We're not supposed to go to pony towns." Periwinkle added with a hint of disappointment.

"But couldn't we Ivy? Jade lives here so it's not the same as other places..." Magnolia reluctantly argued against the green leader of their little crew, judging by her reaction I could see what Ivy meant about not being used to disharmony and individuality.

During what I was almost sure now had to be a telepathic argument, Jade leaned down to whisper in my ear. "I am sorry to invite them without asking, I am concerned for them however. They have isolated themselves Fast, many in Equestria advocated for the same. I do not think it is good for them now though, if you could help convince them please?"

Right, I didn't like the idea of them hiding from everyone anyway. Jade was like anypony else, so were they. Besides, they were Jade's sisters, provided they weren't trying to kill me I did want them to stay, they were as close to her family as I'd get to meet. "Jade's right! Umm... you were supposed to observe Jade right? See if she had a mark and why? So if we're not leaving yet you should stay so you can do that, without the whole hiding thing. Give everybody here a chance, besides, I think being around other ponies helped Jade get her mark."

The three alicorns conferred to themselves again at that, quietly whispering back and forth in a heated exchange before looking up to Jade as Ivy spoke up. "The ones here do treat you well... they would treat us in a similar manner? Do you believe this is so? That interacting with normal ponies helped you receive your mark?"

Jade nodded eagerly in reply, "Yes, without opening myself up to others I do not believe it would have come. It has not been easy, I have had a great deal of help. It is worthwhile though, we are ponies like any other, with time and effort they will treat us as such. If you wish to observe me you should do so out in the open and listen to Fast, he is often correct. Give those here a...."

The wide eyed foal bounding the in the room cut her off, but helped prove our point anyway. Staring around in wonder at the three large alicorns seated before her, Glitter yelped happily and ran from one to the next jabbering in excitement. "WOW! More ponies like Miss Jade! You're all pretty too! What are your names? My name's Glitter, nice ta meetcha! This is so cool, where'd you come from? Oh I know, you can be Angel Green, an you're Angel Purple, an... sorry, mo...Miss Jade's Angel Blue, see you all look alike! Sassy could make more costumes an then you'd be like real life Angels! Hey are there others? We need an Angel Pink, an' White, an' Yellow!"

Even the smooth talking Ivy was overwhelmed by the overexcited little filly dashing between them, talking a mile a minute and setting her Alicorn Angel toys out before each of them that matched, holding the blue one up in her hooves to Jade with a wide smile. All three gave a confused look and examined what she sat out with interest, Magnolia floating the purple figure up to her face and turning it every which way with a smile.

"Toys... of us, how curious. You like these little one? You like... um... u-us?" The large purple mare floated the toy back to the waiting filly and asked with an anxious look.

"Sure I do! Umm.. you're friends right? Not like that bad green one that daddy had to fight? If you're good then I like you, why?"

Ivy raised an eyebrow at the mention of fighting Virescent, but chose not to follow up on it. Instead sighing in defeat and watching the foal kindly. "Very well, the little one has convinced me. We will remain until you are ready to accompany us to Trinity Tower, there are things I would like to learn as well. Thank you for the hospitality."

I was worried for a second that Glitter's earsplitting squeal of joy would spook them out of the decision, but they seemed to get over it with apparent enjoyment at the positive reaction. Val's drawling voice from the door made them look up nervously, but it was more mildly interested than the negative response I was sure they were worried about. "Holy hell they're multiplyin'... Hey boss, I seein' er.. quadruple or we got guests?"

"Guests Val, if you were seeing multiples they'd all be blue. Try not to tease them too much."

"Yer no fun boss, if they're as easy to mess with as Blue I ain't makin' no promises. Better go warn the locals, they'll flip out if they see there's more of em around now. Hey robot, what's cookin' in here?" Taking the three alicorns as little to get worked up about, Val moved on to pestering Cogsworth and getting chased from his kitchen after sticking her beak in every pot.

She had a point, I should probably go talk to Preston and a few others, mentally prepare everyone for the idea of seeing three new alicorns wandering about. I excused myself while Jade and Glitter busied themselves with getting them settled in, the foal's ecstatic offer of sharing her room making me hopeful. If Jade was worried about them and wanted to try to draw them out, then I'd do whatever I could to help with that, it would make our rest at home interesting anyway.

Waking up back home with a graceful blue neck pressed to my muzzle was a pleasant bit of nostalgia I was happy to relive, sleepily giving a series of kisses up to a waiting pair of lips. Nice as this kind of start to the day was something felt off and I groggily opened my eyes to stare directly into a pair of interested golden ones instead of the blue I expected.

Leaping backwards in a clatter to the floor, Peri remained lying on the bed unperterbed, cocking her head as she looked over the edge to follow my frantic fall. "Hmm... that is enjoyable, why did you stop?"

"Peri! W-What are you doing!? Where's Jade!? W-Wha..."

"She left with Ivy and young Glitter as they discussed, to do her Follower business, starting that school thing. I was bored waiting for you to wake up, I thought I would take my sister's place while I waited, you were alone after all and whined when she left. As long as I was here I thought I would see what the allure is in some of the behavior the two of you engage in, it is surprisingly pleasant, please continue." The other blue alicorn was easily the oddest of the three staying with us, not seeing anything wrong with the situation at all.

"No! Boundries! Y-You can't just... I'm not gonna... Look Periwinkle, I do that with Jade, not just anypony ok?"

This plainly wasn't getting through, confusion and curiosity registered on her face as she continued in that plainative tone. "Why? You find our kind attractive correct? Sister is a blue as well, there are no significant physical differences between us, I fail to see the issue."

Now that the shock was wearing off I could see what Jade had been telling me about before we fell asleep, while we were alone she explained she wanted them to stay with us to get these Trinity Tower alicorns to engage with regular ponies as she had learned to. I thought I understood what she was trying to explain, but being faced with it was an eye opener, Peri really had some fundamental gaps when it came to pretty basic stuff. Jade seemed so normal I never thought about it, but if she started anywhere near like her sister here... I had greater respect for what she had gone through.

Sighing I got to my hooves and tried for some patience with the strange mare still lying in our bed. "I can see you don't Peri, just... It's not about physical differences, I love Jade, not any alicorn in general, not blue ones in particular, just that single blue one individually. Nothing personal, but I only do that stuff with her ok? So... don't do that again alright?"

Comprehension still wasn't showing up, but she looked to accept the request if nothing else. "If you say so, a shame though, I would like to further explore this affection business. I apologize if you were upset for some reason? Evergreen created such a schism among us because of a normal stallion, and Jade appears to feel the same about you, I was curious."

The purple Magnolia arrived at the door and gave an exasperated gasp at her sister, she understood basic social niceties better than Peri, Ivy seemed to be the highest rated on that score, but Magnolia had been fairly good as well from what I had heard from her. "Peri! Get out of there! Y-You're being rude! I'm sorry for her Fast, s-she never deals with other ponies, she's always invisible you see..."

I followed along as Magnolia dragged her blue sister down the hall with her, catching the smells of breakfast waiting. "It's alright, Jade explained a little, why she wanted you guys to stay with us. You know, try to spend time together with others, get to know you and all. So Evergreen really shook things up for all of you huh? Do you... know much about it?"

Magnolia's green eyes widened nervously and she shook her head rapidly, "No, I'm sorry, she started seeing a stallion from a nearby town when it was allowed still. She caused such turmoil because of how she felt... now many are afraid if we deal with normal ponies any of us could do the same thing, so we have been forbidden from contact with others."

"What about you? You both seem like you want to try getting to know others, though Peri could go about it better... From what I know Evergreen got her feelings taken advantage of, she was tricked and tempted, I don't think that means it was wrong for her to feel that way. I really don't think you should all hide by yourselves just because of what happened, what about you?"

Taking a seat at the kitchen table with her eyes darting around, I had to wonder who she was nervous about overhearing. "I... I am unsure, t-though I think there's merit in interacting with others again, especially after what sister Jade explained about getting her mark. That is as great a temptation as the prospect of reproduction that enticed so many of us into disagreement, I hope it will let us reevaluate the restrictions our leader has put in place. It was enough for Ivy to allow us to stay after all, I am happy about that."

"Well me too, I know a lot of ponies here are looking forward to meeting you. Jade asked me to spend time with you both and introduce you around while she's busy, so, anything you wanted to do?"

Perwinkle nibbled experimentally at her food and almost sounded like she was pouting, "I was doing it, but it is unacceptable for some reason..."

"B-Besides that! Simple stuff, go shopping? Talk to anyone? Help work on something?"

Both mares looked to give it some serious thought, Magnolia a bit anxious while Peri quietly considered before coming up with something. "Ah... I do have an activity I have often wanted to engage in. Weapons."

"Er... weapons?"

Nodding in affirmation the odd blue repeated, "Weapons. You have ponies here who fire weapons at targets. I always wanted the opportunity to use firearms, it would have been most useful in my former duties for the mother but I was not allowed."

I cocked an eyebrow questioningly to Magnolia, unsure if I really wanted to know. "Peri did a lot of... a-assassinations... If the goddess wanted somepony dead quietly a blue would be sent, Peri was quite good at it. Though she's right, the goddess didn't allow us to use pony weapons, believed them unnecessary and inferior to our innate powers."

"When I was left to do such work on my own long enough, I would sometimes think that may be incorrect. If I had one of those lovely silent rifles to supplement my powers..." That wistful look and tone was as expressive as I had heard Peri get so far, if only the subject was a tad less disturbing. Still it was progress and something I could work with.

"I see... you mean the Minutemare recruits then, Preston does have them out practicing all the time. If you want then I'm sure they'll be happy to have you join in Peri, teach you how to use a rifle like that? I can have Val take you, I think she wanted to go over things there anyway."

That got the blond alicorn to actually smile and bob her head rapidly, I'd have to wake Val up from her buzzsaw impersonation drifting down the stairs, but she had been interested in going over the Minutemares progress today. Val had quite taken to Jade giving her the title of Captain of the Guard back in Diamond City, she had been planning on lording it over Preston and throwing her authority around with all the young recruits for fun today from what she told me.

It took a little work to make her wake up, but she warmed right up to the idea of teaching a blue alicorn how to shoot a gun. Since Jade was such a pacifist she found it such a novelty the griffon scarfed down a quick meal and bounded out into the morning with her. That left me with Magnolia, still giving the open ended invitation to do as she wished in town a good deal of consideration.

Not wanting to rush the thoughtful purple mare along, I had her join me in my workshop while I tinkered with Kellogg's weird pip-buck like leg. Letting the radio fill the silence while I worked and she paced behind me, I did what I could with the device which definitely looked like some kind of advanced Institute version of a pip-buck. One additional component looked to have burnt out at some point, I couldn't see any damage to cause the failure and had to wonder if it was intentional, what was left didn't give up many clues to its function though.

The data left on the arcano-tech machine wasn't as helpful as I hoped either, maybe Kellogg just didn't take notes or download much information, with the fried component though I was coming to believe it had cleaned itself up on his death. Tying certain programs to the health system of a standard pip-buck wouldn't be that hard, if the Institute was so good at keeping their secrets they wouldn't leave hard data just lying around.

The best I could pull off this was the map markers, Kellogg was so well traveled though there were too many to focus on any one as a clue, maybe I could go through them later and narrow them down with enough work. It did let me see where Trinity Tower was and what was nearby at least, if we were going there soon then being able to plan the trip was helpful. The largest marker nearby was Goodneighbor, a big town I knew was on Zed's list and Val had mentioned as well.

There was one other interesting bit I managed to salvage as well, a modular component I was unfamiliar with but had standard pip-buck compatibility. Enough probing and tinkering showed it to be benign, so I removed it and patched it into my own experimentally, the small circuitboard slotting in easily. It had one high grade crystal that glowed to life when connected, several empty slots next to it looked to match but were empty. As my pip-buck recognized the addition it read the hardcoded instructions on the part, updating itself before opening a simple primer file that was informative.

......
S.A.T.S. Expansion Module Recognized.
Updating....

Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting Overcharge System Online.....

Experimental S.A.T.O.S. module stores a portion of each S.A.T.S. shot's magic, on reaching full charge crystalline storage matrix will light up to indicate full power. Releasing charged power on a S.A.T.S. assisted attack guarantees successful hit, regardless of odds against. Charge will multiply damage done via amplification spell. Reminder: all experimental data and notations on field testing should be directed to Advanced Systems.

Well... that explained how Kellogg had taken out the power armor sitting in the workshop with me with a single shot, the odds to hit the power connection he had taken out had to be incredibly low, even knowing to go for it. With this thing though, yeah I could see how it was done, though it was still pretty impressive and made me shudder to think how the whole encounter could have gone poorly. At least I got something out of Kellogg's pip-buck, it was a let down it had seemingly erased so much data but this was a consolation prize.

Coming out of being so absorbed in my work, I had a guilty start thinking Magnolia had been quietly waiting all this time. The sweet singing I hadn't really noticed cut that short though, I turned around slowly realizing this wasn't just the radio, careful not to startle the big purple mare filling the garage with her clear, beautiful voice, singing along with the song from the battered old radio on the workbench.

Jade sang to herself ocassionally, I always thought she did so wonderfully when she chose to, Magnolia was an order of magnitude different though. Her eyes were closed, so she hadn't noticed my slack jawed staring while she continued belting out the old Sweetie Belle song. She wasn't just mimicking it, she had put her own spin on the melody, her sweet voice carrying out into the street and making ponies passing by stop to watch.

When the song ended I wasn't the only one to start clapping in amazement, the whistles and cheers from myself and those who caught the impromptu performance causing Magnolia's pale green eyes to fly open and come back to herself with a blush. Those passing by outside stamped their hooves in appreciation before returning to their work, while I hopped down from my stool and gushed encouragement, the purple alicorn had a real talent there.

"Wow! That was great Magnolia! Really amazing! You can sing?!"

She shuffled on the spot in embarrassment, her eyes lingering on the radio as Miles identified the song and chatted a moment before introducing the next. When the DJ pony was finished she shook herself and stroked her long reddish mane nervously. "Er... y-yes... I like to do so, I didn't mean to interrupt your work, I like that song and got caught up. I-I am still thinking of something to do, I will be quiet..."

"What? No way, do it again! That was awesome! You should sing where everypony can hear, you saw how those who heard it liked it! I bet I could record you and send it in to Diamond City Radio, they'd play it for sure!"

Her big eyes widened at that, turning her face a shade redder at the thought as she glanced at the radio now playing a newer Velvet Remedy song. "R-Really? Mr. Miles would... do you think so Fast? Y-You do know him correct? You think Traveling Miles would... would like my singing?"

"Sure he would! Are you kidding? Miles would love... wait..." Magnolia had asked about Miles before but been cut off by her sister Ivy, watching her turn a bright red now at the mention of the DJ pony, I suddenly had an idea why. "Hey... you like Miles don't you?"

The big filly's denials were almost comical for how transparent they were, shaking her head hard enough to send her mane flying and holding her hooves up, backing away and darting nervous looks out the garage door. "N-N-No! W-We are not supposed to... I... oh dear... w-would you not tell Ivy?"

"Huh? Sure if you want, there's nothing to be so bothered about. I wasn't teasing you Magnolia, usually I'm not that good at figuring that kind of thing out is all. I am friends with Miles, I can guarantee he'd like meeting you if that's what you're worried about, he'd love to hear you sing like that too. Is something wrong?"

With a sigh she hung her head and gave the radio a wistful look before answering. "No... yes... I... I get to listen to the radio for the news, w-we have little contact with the outside but the need to remain informed lets me do so without trouble. I do listen and report on what's going on in the Commonwealth as I should, b-but I like the music which is why I volunteered to do so. I... I have spent so long listening to Mr. Miles and the songs he plays since we first came here, I h-have grown somewhat infatuated I'm afraid...

He plays music for all the ponies of the Commonwealth, it never mattered who was listening, e-even someone like me. Hearing them always made me feel better and I'd sing when I was alone, I was grateful Mr. Miles did so. Hearing him... how difficult it sounded for him to speak to everyone listening, I r-rooted for him. When he started sounding more confident I was happy for him. We are so isolated, listening to him got to be like having a friend out in the world I suppose. If the others knew though... I may not be allowed to listen anymore..."

So, the discord that Evergreen had started was making things difficult for those that didn't go along with her too. Magnolia looked scared she'd be found out just for being interested in a voice on the radio, she did want to make friends with others but didn't want to betray her sisters. I was getting a better idea why Jade wanted them to stay with us, now I was interested in talking to this leader of theirs that forbade the Trinity Tower alicorns from dealing with others when the one in front of me obviously wanted to.

"Hey... It's ok Magnolia, I won't say anything. I umm.... I don't think it's right for you to be afraid of getting found out though. You don't get to pick who or what you like and shouldn't be ashamed of it. I was being serious too, if you wanted to meet Miles I bet we could manage that. Here, I've kept you in here with me long enough, why don't we go take a walk and talk about it ok?"

She gave a grateful nod and followed me out into the bustling streets. Maybe I shouldn't meddle in the lives of our guests, but Jade was worried about them and now I was too. Hiding and keeping away from others wasn't good for anypony, we had a couple days to spend at home, maybe that would be enough to help these three see that.

Ivy wound up being the biggest hurdle to my work with her sisters over the next couple days, she spent most of her time with Jade during the day so I didn't get much time with the green alicorn. What exposure I had to her was difficult to gauge, she easily sounded the most well adjusted and normal of her sisters, but she was sticking with her orders as much as possible. She noted the activities of Peri and Magnolia with slight disapproval, while the other two had been enjoying themselves from what I could tell.

Everyone had been friendly when I took them out during the day, relatives of the famous princess were celebrities in their own right around here and they had become quite popular quickly. Peri had been made an honorary Minutemare and looked forward to practicing with all the recruits, proudly wearing the tan hat and carrying the rifle she had been gifted, despite Ivy's attempts at wresting them from her. Magnolia downplayed her own activities out of concern, but the patrons at our new bar I had visited called for her to sing encore after encore, nearly making us late for dinner more than once.

I didn't like sneaking around the green leader of the trio, but she was reluctant to allow the changes her sisters were embracing during their time here. If she knew I recorded Magnolia's singing to send to Miles she may put a stop to it, encouraging any kind of romantic interest was a big no no thanks to Evergreen.

The house was pretty busy this evening while we all got ready to leave in the morning, being home had been nice, but getting back out there was exciting and everyone was anticipating the trip. Thanks to Sassy I now had padding in my armor and a new set of sturdy, padded shoes if I had to use my lightning walking spell in the future. Val had done a lot of shopping in our new market, replenishing our ammo and letting me service our weapons. We had plenty of food thanks to the trade now moving along from the nearby farms and the haul from the Equestrian Ration Stockpile, and Jade had made sure our medical supplies were topped off thanks to the work of her new Follower recruits.

I was sitting on the bed, clicking through my pip-buck and all the notes I had taken talking with everyone about our trip. As long as we were in the area of Trinity Tower there were plenty of other areas nearby to look into, Goodneighbor was where a lot of the seedier deals the Diamond City nobility engaged in were handled according to Piper, and Preston hoped they'd make a powerful ally. There were several other farms north of that side of Trotson, either under the control of Silver Seed Agriculture or threatened by them. Mareford Memorial Hospital was in the area as well, somewhere I needed to investigate when possible.

I was wrapped up enough in my thoughts I didn't notice Ivy slip into the room until she spoke up softly. "You spend a great deal of time thinking about sister Jade don't you Fast?"

"Gah! Ivy! You startled me... uh, yeah I guess I do. Could you not go poking around in my head like that though? Sorta had a bad experience like that before..."

The large green mare took a seat beside me and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, I'm not actively trying to read your thoughts, just can't help hearing what's on the surface and it is usually concerning Jade. You care for her a great deal, those thoughts are very clear and simple, rather like the foals I've been helping our sister teach, I like that."

"I know that's what she's been working on the most before we left, glad you like it Ivy. You get along with Glitter pretty well too, you like kids?"

Floating some of the toys I acquired in Hubris Comics from the shelf, Ivy smiled examining them and nodded. "Oh yes, adult thoughts are often complicated, ponies lie to themselves, foals are usually much more direct. It is interesting to hear similar thoughts from you. Many of us like foals, as you know that is a major drive for us, to have our own. You should know some of those who followed our sister Evergreen did not do so for such understandable reasons though. For all those who felt as she did, agreed with her thoughts on having relations with normal ponies like yourself... there were others who are focused on breeding for less positive reasons, like sister Virescent."

"Ah... so you know about her huh? Um... sorry, she didn't give me a lot of choice about fighting her, I don't think you're the same either so..."

Chuckling to herself Ivy waved off my concern, "I am not bothered Fast, I understand. That's what I'm trying to warn you about, those like Evergreen wish for positive things like love, having a foal with the pony they care about, reproducing as the goddess wished and having a life. Those like Virescent however, they wish to breed for darker reasons they also learned from our mother. They hold to the idea that we are inherently superior to normal ponies, that we should reproduce and replace other life."

"Oh, so they'd be fine with making more of you like the Institute is trying to do then huh? What do you think?"

"Our mother was defeated by a normal pony like you, that tends to punch a hole in the argument we are superior because of what we are for me. I... may not entirely agree with our leader's decree we not interact with normal ponies, I believe it to be an overreaction. You must understand we are trying to find our way though, Umbra does her best and tries to care for all of us here. Evergreen allowed her personal feelings to lead her to causing a great deal of problems, to go from being part of unity where everyone was devoted to the greater whole, to the madness of personal wants and individuality... it has been hard for us." Ivy sighed at how confusing she obviously found it and I felt for the green mare, she was in charge of this little mission and held it together well, but obviously had her own concerns and worries.

"Sorry... I wish we spent a little more time together like I did with Peri and Magnolia, but you were with Jade, doing your mission I guess. I'm glad you wanted to talk though, so what brought it on?"

"I can read minds and do keep tabs on my sisters, they have been happy here and enjoyed your company and this town. You should be prepared for an uphill battle with Umbra and the others when we get to Trinity Tower though Fast. You are advocating for individuality and encouraging it in my sisters, you and sister Jade may prove the potential positives there, but Evergreen is already a powerful example in the dangers, and Virescent is another aspect of personal freedom that is not as good hmm? I hope you and Jade can make our leader reconsider, therefore I wish for you to take the responsibility seriously."

The stern look she gave made me gulp to myself and nod up at her, "You're right, I'll do my best ok? Thanks for trusting me Ivy, I'm glad you guys stayed with us."

Getting a hug from the big green filly when she got up was surprising, but heartfelt apparently. "So am I now, even were I not able to read your thoughts, Jade is an excellent advocate for you. Though I'd scarcely believe her glowing thoughts on you if I could not listen in on your own, you are as good as she says though, it makes me hopeful you can help us and believe you mean it. Now I believe your daughter is insisting on some type of slumber ritual with us for our last night, so I will leave you to your preparations."

Glitter had been excitedly planning a slumber party of sorts with a couple of her new friends and our alicorn guests, the noise level out there had been steadily climbing promising to make our last night home an exciting one for them anyway. I had tried to convince the foal to stay home this time, but the promise of seeing a whole settlement of other alicorns was too much to for her to even entertain the thought. She was coming along if she had to grab hold of us and simply not let go by force, may as well accept it.

In the morning we'd all be leaving for the wasteland again, Trinity Tower was pretty far away, but with our escort we could actually fly the whole way, greatly speeding the trip up. Having a pair of wings really made things a lot easier when it came to travel in the Commonwealth, if it was possible I'd have to look out for a sky carriage I could fix someday, that would make such trips a lot safer.

Three extra alicorns handling things seemed pretty safe for now though, and a town full of them sounded pretty secure and exciting. Taking the time to rest and get to know them had helped a lot, and I had some kind of idea what to expect at our destination thanks to it. I hoped we could help them like Jade and the three of them wanted, that we could find Evergreen and this Cathedral of hers for Zed. Most of all there was still the Institute out there, Moondancer liked playing around with the alicorns and wanted me for some reason, going there was sure to involve her division of the group eventually.

-----------------------------Level Up!------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------------

Critical Banker------------
--You're a patient battlefield tactician, thanks to a pip-buck upgrade you can now save a critical hit, to be used in S.A.T.S. when you need it most!

Ch. 32-- Tourist Trap

Good evening everybody, that was Countess Coloratura and I'm Traveling Miles, hope all my listeners had a good day, I sure did! Got a letter this afternoon that really set my mind at ease, a certain friend of the station is just fine, which was a big relief for me and a lot of other Diamond City locals. Turns out all those Gunners vacating the northwest edge of the Commonwealth wasn't because they got the pony they were after, but because the Kingdom of Sanctuary makes the call if they get to operate in their territory now.

Now just hearing a friend is ok is plenty good enough, but it doesn't stop there folks. Would you all believe me if I said I actually had a fan? That's right, guess I must be doing something right since I heard from a honest to goodness fan of the station out there! I'm not just bragging though everybody, ok maybe a little... but not entirely! See this particular fan sent something in for me, or our mutual friend did, either way I'm not complaining and neither should you, hot in my hooves is a new addition to our playlist here on Diamond City Radio!

I've already listened to it a dozen times and I know you'll love it, seems like the Commonwealth has our very own Velvet Remedy somewhere out there, this mare is really that good! If we're really lucky maybe we'll hear some more from this new talent, I'm taking a break tonight to go beg for more like this anyway. Take a listen and I dare anypony to disagree, here's the fabulous Magnolia with Goddess Bless the Child.

Them that's got shall have
Them that's not shall lose
So the Wasteland says and it still is news
Mama may have, Papa may have
But Goddess bless the child that's got her own, that's got her own...

Soaring over the Commonwealth on Jade's back with Glitter clutched before me, the three of us hummed along with the soft melody playing from my pip-buck as the first stars began peeking out in the early evening sky. We had been flying most of the day, taking short breaks occasionally before continuing ever east and towards the river below. Val had been happy to actually get to fly to travel, usually we were somewhat ground bound thanks to me, Glitter, Zed and AssaultJack, having three extra fliers who were inordinately strong made the trip as easy as having our own sky carriage though.

Jade subtly put a bit of extra distance between us and her sisters before calling over her shoulder at the sweet music, "Miles seems pleased, it sounds as though sister Magnolia may get to meet the DJ pony after all. I am glad you put such effort into helping my sister Fast, she has an amazing talent and seems so happy, thank you for encouraging her."

"Of course! She's your family right? You're worried about them being alone and hiding, anything I can do to help get them out with everypony else is worth doing. Everybody who hears it loves her singing, that'll help everyone learn the alicorns are worth knowing and want to be friends!"

Following the trio of her sisters as they started descending towards a large, crumbling obelisk in the distance, Jade nodded hopefully. "That would be easier if they were allowed to visit other towns, I believe that is the Bunker Hill place they spoke of, they said they had a place to camp nearby but I wish they would all join us."

Glitter bobbed her head rapidly in agreement and crossed her hooves, "Me too! I think it's silly they won't go in other towns! They liked home! Why can't they Miss Jade?"

"Their leader has forbidden it dear, with luck perhaps we will convince her otherwise, but for now they wish to follow the rules... mostly... Magnolia intends to visit briefly I believe, that will be nice will it not?" The foal didn't look convinced, but accepted the explanation as we drifted down to land on a tall apartment building in sight of Bunker Hill.

Following Zed's lead I hoped down to stretch on the rooftop and take a look around, the zebra didn't like being a passenger but couldn't argue with the distance we had made and Ivy had been careful carrying him. Peri dropped the heavy AssaultJack robot off with little difficulty and joined her sisters while I took in the view across the river. The three alicorns had pointed out which of the towering buildings over there was Trinity Tower as the skyline came into view that afternoon, learning it had been a M.A.S. hub just made me more interested in the skyscraper I looked over again.

"I still don't get why we're stopping here, it doesn't look that far away, couldn't we make it in a few more hours?"

Val padded over to the edge of the roof with me and shook her head, "Nope. Trust us boss, stopping here's the best bet. You don't wanna go flyin' in downtown Trotson at night, freakin' bloodwings make it waaaay too much of a hassle. Bunker Hill's not a bad spot anyway boss, lots of caravans come through, never know what you'll find. Got a deal with the Gunners like Sanctuary too, shouldn't have to worry bout them for the night. Can't wait to get over towards Goodneighbor though, been itchin fer some fun like that!"

This wasn't the first time the griffon had expressed gleeful anticipation for reaching the glowing lights she pointed out across the river, the city was too dense to get a look at where the marker on my map pointed for Goodneighbor, but I could tell there was something big over there. Every time I asked Val what she was looking forward to she just smirked and deflected though, didn't want to 'ruin the surprise'. Zed was interested in going there and Trinity Tower for his own reasons as well, any leads on the Church of Balefire were welcome, and the town was supposed to have a lot of ghouls like Hexington, making it a likely spot.

Ivy opened the roof access door and gestured to the stairwell beyond, "This building is a bit of a safehouse for us when we're traveling, we stay on the top floor which is well stocked and comfortable if you wish to join us. Though I understand contacting new settlements falls under sister Jade's new responsibilities as a princess."

"Yes, we should visit this Bunker Hill and speak with the ponies in charge there sister. I do wish you would change your mind and come with us instead, they are neighbors of yours, you should make yourselves known to them. Come join us if you reconsider Ivy, otherwise we will return in the morning to leave." Jade gave convincing Ivy one more try on our way past her to the stairs, I gave Magnolia a wink and followed along, slowly making our way down and out of the tall building.

Bunker Hill was, as the name implied, on a large hill, the pale obelisk easily dominating the local area and making a good landmark for miles. The monument was surrounded by a tall fence made of assorted junk, the square of choked streets around it had been maintained and blocked off strategically as well, adding to the defenses and limiting the number of approaches.

A wide set of cracked concrete steps led up to the main gate of the town, at our approach a a tan earth pony mare with a short yellow mane gestured with a sawed off shotgun to punctuate her shouted question. "Far enough strangers, you caravaners or raiders?"

"Um... neither? We're just traveling and were hoping to stop here for the night. I'm Fast and this is Princess Jade from Sanctuary."

With a grin the middle aged mare tucked the shotgun away into her dirty suit jacket and waved us forward. "Oh-ho, the famous Princess! Heard about you folks, you know Dusty Hooves right? Come on in!"

"Dusty? Is he here?" I knew the caravan pony got around, he told us he came this way when the bridge to Diamond City was still closed.

"Nah, just missed him making the Goodneighbor leg of his route a couple days ago. Him and his Crimson Caravan crew had some good stories this time around though, you all cropped up a few times. Welcome to Bunker Hill, I'm Kettle Corn, kinda the mayor around here. Though honestly it's more like being a caravan manager still, we just don't move is all." The mayor smiled at her own joke, clearly well practiced and used often.

"That is a shame, it would have been nice to see Mr. Hooves again. I am glad he spoke well of us, I am indeed the P-princess of Sanctuary, you have a lovely town Mayor Corn. Since we are here perhaps y-you could speak with my Fast about an alliance of some kind between or communities? We are trying to help bring the Commonwealth together and have several other..." Jade still wasn't coming right out and calling herself a princess when meeting somepony, but she tried to fill the part when it came to the work of representing Sanctuary out in the wasteland.

Kettle's hoof held up to her face interrupted her diplomatic attempt and the mayor shook her head. "Not meaning any offense Princess, but we put our faith in the Minutemares before and were disappointed. Glad to hear you're bringing them back, but we rely on ourselves now, be a long time before we trust anyone else again."

I didn't like the crestfallen look that brought to Jade's blue eyes, but as far as I could tell the mayor really did mean it kindly. I gave her an encouraging nuzzle and tried to console her, "It's ok, can't win em all. I bet we can still help each other out even if Mayor Corn doesn't want a real alliance, one of your new recruits could come for the Followers too right?"

That got the blue alicorn to brighten up and give a determined whinny. "Yes of course, I understand if you don't wish to rely on us yet, but I am sure we can still be friends. We are here to visit others we hope to befriend as well in this area, er... h-how do you feel about my kind Mayor?"

Kettle gave a pleasant smile and shrugged towards the river, "You mean the ones across the way there? Never been any trouble, little stand offish, like to keep to themselves. Hear they help some of the caravans passing by their tower if they see trouble and feel like it. They don't come here, though not cause they ain't welcome mind you! We take everybody but slavers and raiders in Bunker Hill, caps is caps."

Val snorted and grinned at the mayor, "That's my philosophy! What Blue wants ta ask is if one of them were to show up, you wouldn't turn em away right? Quit beatin' round the bush princess, want me a drink after all that flyin'"

"Course not, long as they follow the same rules as everyone else. Now, market's open if you got caps to spend, believe Cricket is our only caravaner in town right now, rooms to rent at the Raviolli's bar. Come find me if you have any trouble there yer highness!" Kettle pointed out the general directions for the market and bar in the small town, the place didn't seem big enough to worry about getting lost in, but we nodded gratefully and started walking towards the promised rooms to rent.

Working our way around the huge obelisk and surrounding scaffolding revealed the entrance to the large stone market building, several stalls were set up in there and Val flapped off immediately, shouting over her shoulder as she went. "Hey there's Cricket alright, awesome! I'll be along in a few boss, that mare sells the best boomsticks!"

The skinny, pale yellow unicorn she was making a beeline towards looked a little twitchy, but did have an amazing assortment of firepower lined up on the counters near her spot. Judging by the shelves and space I had to guess the building was part of the obelisk monument, a large gift shop or small museum maybe. It definitely had the feel of a big store now, a dirty colt swept the tiled floors and the shelves were in pretty good order.

The place looked pretty empty at the moment, only the weapons merchant Val was greeting, a light blue mare running what looked like a more permanent shop, and a bunch of empty counters and shelves scattered about. Caravan ponies must set up shop in all the empty space when they were in town, if it worked like the makeshift market back home, this place must see a lot of business on a good day.

Judging by the general layout of the town it seemed like everything was geared around a similar model as the market, there was a lot of empty space, fenced areas with only a lonely brahmim or two that could hold a lot more, simple housing that looked infrequently used bearing a sign or logo for a caravan company, next to sturdier structures that could only house a family of ponies or so. The population of this place must fluctuate with the caravans, only a few local residents versus a little or a lot of outsiders depending when it was.

The open air bar ahead of us was only lightly occupied now too, what looked like a few caravan guards scattered among the battered tables sitting in front of the patchwork steel building. A rough wooden counter took up the long side of the building facing the town, where a pair of stallions were tending bar and arguing back and forth under a wooden sign reading simply, 'Raviolli's'.

Renting a few rooms was done around the ongoing conversation neither pony would abandon in the face of customers. The comfortable back and forth between them, similar colors and voices giving away they were father and son before the older orange stallion confirmed it. "Here ya go mac, three rooms. Hey sorry ta drag you in to this but somepony's gotta get some sense through my son's thick head, tell him that Railroad's all a buncha nonsense pal."

"Railroad? What's that? Sorry, I was only half listening and came in at the end, sounded like it was between you two."

The heavy set pony tipped his cap in my direction as he hoofed over the keys to our lodging, my ignorance as good as an answer for him that he threw up to the younger orange stallion. "See there, this buck's never even heard of em Cheese! Thanks buddy, name's Stuffed Raviolli, preciate settin' him straight. Whole thing's a fairy tale, anything ta do with those Institute monsters is ta be avoided anyway."

"Wait Institute!? Hold on, what are you talking about now?"

The younger Raviolli rolled his brown eyes and pointed at Jade behind me. "Way to not pay attention to the customers pop, course he don't know nothin, they're from that Sanctuary place way up north. Notice the big blue princess yet? Jeez, sorry mister, Princess, we were just talkin' bout that group that helps those synth things, the Railroad. Since they're some of the only ones actually fighting against the Institute I was sayin they're probably good."

"Helps synths? Help them what? There's a group that fights the Institute out here?" This conversation had grabbed my attention now, I'd never heard of anyone else fighting the mad scientists.

"Don't get yer hopes up pal, they're just stories is all. There's not some super secret group of ponies fighting the even more secret group of bad ponies. Sides, all the tales I heard were more bout helpin' them fakes the Institute makes like they were real folks, not about fightin' em." Stuffed tried to let the hope in my voice down easy, his son answered right back however.

"They're secret cause they're fightin' the Institute, they'd get wiped out otherwise! What I heard is some of those fake ponies the Institute makes don't want to do what they're told, that their makers did too good a job on em and they're basically real. The Railroad's posed to help sneak em away, tries to do what they can against the Institute." Young Cheese looked like he believed what he was telling me, a group trying to help the robots though?

"Where is this Railroad group? How do you join or talk to them?"

Cheese replied in a hushed tone, spreading his hooves wide as he spoke. "Nopony knoooooows... You don't find them, they find you kinda thing I think. I bet it'd be cool to join them though!"

I'd press for more, but this was really little more than idle gossip between father and son. If there was a group trying to stand against the Institute, I'd like to talk to them, find out what they knew and maybe share what I did. Just what little Cheese had said about them was enough to give me misgivings about such a group though, if they existed.

Jade summed up my own thoughts on the matter pretty well with her curious question to the younger Raviolli. "You say they help synthetic ponies, I do not understand why. Are there not enough living ponies out there who need help already? Why help robots?"

The portly Stuffed jumped at her point, waving a hoof to the big blue mare watching with interest. "There, you see son! The pretty filly's a proper princess alright, that's the big question. Worryin' about helping a buncha robots when there's real folks who need it, pssh! Thank ya miss, that right there's why we're a Minutemare family all the way back to my grandpa. Can't tell ya how glad I was to hear the group's comin' back strong, can see why with a princess like yerself in charge! You just consider me at yer service, don't care what Kettle says bout the Minutemares, I'ma loyal supporter yer highness!"

A blushing smile from the alicorn made both Raviolli's join in a bow to her, setting aside their argument to listen to her raptly. "T-Thank you very much sir, though I am h-hardly in charge. The Minutemares are run by hardworking ponies like yourself, trying to make a difference, I simply try to assist them as I can. Though if you truly wish to offer your service... I am not above making a small request... My sister may join us later, w-would that be alright?"

Cheese's eyes got wide and he leapt forward, overriding his father's answer in his excitement. "Sister?! You mean... oh wow, another one of... I mean... a pony like you Princess? Is it one of them across the river?! They'd really come?!"

Nodding sweetly to the buck, Jade returned her attention to his father hopefully. "Y-Yes... an alicorn like myself, they have concerns about showing up in towns. Would it be alright sir? She will be no trouble if she does, I would greatly appreciate the favor..."

Glitter had been following along, whipping out a tactical deployment of her puppy eyes to the older stallion as she begged up to him. "Pleeeeease Mister! She's really nice, an' pretty, an she can sing reeeeally good!"

Stuffed looked to flush a bit as he grabbed at his hat, holding it to his chest while he nodded rapidly to the pair waiting with bated breath. "Of course! S-Said we're a loyal Minutemare family, an' I meant it little lady! Be an honor ta do the Princess a favor, wish grandpa was around ta see this! Anything you need, you just say the word!"

The purple flash on top of a building beyond the walls of Bunker Hill showed our guest had slipped off already. I was glad both for the good reception from the Raviolli's and for the light traffic in the settlement at the moment. If we had been unlucky at the place was packed to maximum capacity with several caravans, this would be a lot more difficult. With so few ponies in town this was a pretty good chance for Magnolia though, she had done well in Sanctuary and there were a lot more residents there. Checking my pip-buck showed the locator tag I had been tracking on the move, so we'd better get ready.

Sitting up in the top of the tower obelisk that dominated the town gave a great view of the surrounding area, letting me keep an eye out on the skies through the broken walls at the top. The spiral staircase that went up the monument was quite the climb, so I started early while Jade and Glitter attended Magnolia back in our room. The purple alicorn was nervous and a little frightened breaking the rules her leader had set forth, I really hoped I wasn't encouraging her to get in trouble later, but she was determined now.

A sniper's nest had been set up here at the top of the obelisk, not much more than a metal chair and a lockbox for ammo, but I appreciated the spot professionally. Sitting up here with enough ammunition, I could pick off anyone trying to approach Bunker Hill from a long ways off. The chair wasn't exactly comfortable, but the stacked boxes and junk gave me something to fill my time with while I waited.

This had been the Shattered Hoof Memorial, according to a stack of pamphlets I found tucked away in one old box. Apparently I was right and the market downstairs had at least partly been a gift shop before, some of the stock had been stashed up here at some point, letting me read up on the greatest hero of the war, Big Macintosh.

Blatantly commercializing the stallion who sacrificed himself to save Princess Celestia seemed wrong to me, but the gift shop looked like it had done a brisk business in Big Mac knick knacks. I dug up a tattered poster of the large stallion and his marauders raising the Equestrian flag, looped red ribbons with a big green half apple pin holding them in shape, a stuffed Big Mac toy still in decent condition among a moldy dozen that hadn't fared so well, even a single Big Mac action figure in a tattered and rotting box.

Despite my distaste about making money on a hero, the action figure grabbed my interest and I wiped the grime away from the packaging to look it over. 'Whistlin' Arcano-toys- Heroes of Equestria Series: Big Mac' was barely legible across the top, the back of the box showed faded pictures of others as well, but none were available among the junk up here. Too bad, having a full set of all nine Marauders or some of the others on the package would be neat.

The Sergeant Big Mac toy was obviously the rare best of the lot and I tore the packaging away to take the figure with me, along with the stuffed doll for Glitter and some of the best looking ribbons. Given the condition of the stuff I didn't think the small items would really be missed. I was peeling all the accessories from the box and holstering the tiny rifle to the toy, totally not playing with it.... honest, when a shout from beyond the window gave me a guilty jump.

"Fast? Hey there you are! Thought that was you up there, been waiting long?!" Traveling Miles looked a little tired, but was wearing a big smile as he glided down towards my perch in the monument.

I zipped my new toys to my bags quickly and gave a wave as Miles hovered just outside. "Hey Miles! Haven't been here long no, just amusing myself. Saw your tag coming so knew it wouldn't be much of a wait, thanks for coming, make the trip alright?"

Miles looked to the pip-buck on his own hoof and grinned, "Tell me about it, was happy to come meet you away from D.C. when I got your letter, but having this thing and knowing for sure you were here sure was nice! Trip was easy, need to get a little exercise anyway, long as you're not down in the water then the river's a safe route to take. So come on, where's this singer Fast! I gotta hear her, you got any more recordings?!"

"Easy there Miles, she's here and yeah I got another holotape. Come on, she's at our room here, lemme trudge back down all these stairs, I don't get to take the fast way."

The lanky pegasus pranced in midair impatiently and darted down when I turned to start walking. The trip down gave me a minute to think and figure out how to approach this, playing matchmaker really wasn't a job for the socially inept... When I reached the bottom I found Val had spotted the young dashite waiting outside, she currently had him in a headlock and was giving him affectionate noogies, ruffling his lank brown mane.

"Mr. big celebrity came after all huh! Thought you might be too good fer us criminal types, got yerself a fan now an' everything!" Miles struggled weakly in the griffon's grip, but he wasn't going anywhere if she didn't want him to.

"Ow! Come on Val! Quit makin' fun, nopony thinks you and Fast are criminals! Nopony that matters anyway, the nobles back home are still awful mad at you guys though, why I don't mind coming out to see you. That and this Magnolia, come on let's go! What's she like? Does she sound that good live? She's really a fan of mine?" Miles somehow managed to keep up a barrage of questions while Val dragged him along with her in my wake, the griffon snickering to herself as we approached the bar.

"Yes she listens to you all the time Miles, your work really helped her out and she's excited to meet you. I... didn't tell you a few important things about her, er... guess I'll let you see for yourself. She's pretty nervous though ok? Technically she's not supposed to be here and... uh... here, it'll be easier to just talk to her. Try not to spook her I guess..."

The tan DJ pony gave a confused shrug and tried to smooth his mane back out when Val released him, straightening his red and white jacket anxiously when the door to our room inched open at my knocking. One of Glitter's big pink eyes peeked out of the crack and the foal gave a delighted squeal to the room before bounding out. "He's here! Hiya Mr. Miles! You're gonna love this, she looks so pretty!"

Jade followed the little filly to the door, wrapping a wing around Miles in a grateful hug. "Hello Miles, it is good to see you again! Thank you for coming, I do appreciate it quite a bit. Magnolia? Come on out sister, it is alright."

"Y-You are sure? This is a-acceptable?" The meek voice drifting out of the room behind Jade caught Miles' complete focus, the questioning look at the word 'sister' wiped away as soon as he heard it.

"Wow that's her alright! Your voice sounds beautiful just talking like normal Miss Magnolia! I gotta tell you I loved the song you sent! I'm glad for the chance to get to... meet... you..." The DJ's excited gushing trailed off as the encouragement got a very nervous looking purple alicorn to trot forward and fill the doorway beside Jade.

Magnolia looked amazing, the work Jade and Glitter had done preparing her made her stunning even fidgeting anxiously and stroking her long reddish mane in her hooves, mussing a bit of the obvious brushing that had gone into it. Sassy Saddles back home had been thrilled to have a sister of Jade's in need of her skills, the slinky red sequined dress she made sparkled in the dim lights and reflected in Miles' wide eyes.

Considering Ivy hadn't cared for the blue Peri taking to wearing a Minutemare hat everywhere, I had Jade hang on to the gift for her sister. Clothes were a normal pony thing and therefore somewhat taboo among the Trinity Tower alicorns. Judging the effect here though, that seemed an incredibly silly rule, she wasn't Jade but she was gorgeous and Miles looked like he fully appreciated it.

Magnolia seemed to have frozen on the spot, her green eyes wide and darting all over the lanky pegasus below her, lingering on the dashite mark on his flanks. A gentle nudge from Jade got her to shake her head and snap out of it, daintily holding a hoof out that only shook a little. "I-I-It is an honor to meet you Mr. Miles, I'm a big fan... I'm glad you l-liked my singing! Umm... oh, Magnolia! I-I am... though I guess you knew... er... S-Sorry to not tell you I am..."

"Princess!" Miles' sudden yelp made her flinch, but he grabbed her offered hoof and started shaking it frantically, his mouth able to form more words after blurting out the one. "I mean! Er.. A-Alicorn! Jade's sister? So you a pretty... sorry! p-princess too? G-Guess not, you look like one though! Wow! So you sang... oh Celestia, this is great! Nopony ever hears from you here in the Commonwealth, who woulda thought you were hiding such a talent! You're a fan of me? Why?! I'm a fan of yours! You are totally incredible! Just your voice is but now I wish I ran a tv station instead of radio! N-Not that they work anymore... I'm rambling aren't I? S-Sorry! Just... wow... Umm... Hi! I'm Miles!"

Judging by the shades of red the two of them were turning, and the goofy smiles they were exchanging, this was going well. I could only hope I didn't look quite so oblivious and infatuated with Jade, though if so I could understand Val's imitation gagging when she declared we were being too sappy.

The promise of Magnolia getting the opportunity to sing live for the bar downstairs was enough to get the two of them moving again. The purple alicorn had gotten to enjoy performing back in Sanctuary, and having only half a dozen audience members in this strange place was enough for her to be comfortable. Miles was beside himself at the prospect of hearing her perform directly, taking the seat closest to where she stood and waiting with a decidedly lovestruck expression for her to start.

The effect of the alicorn's clear, ringing voice was the same here as it was in Sanctuary, ponies from around the settlement were drawn in like moths to a flame. Mr. Raviolli was looking like he was glad he agreed to Jade's simple request, the mare singing near the bar was sending business through the roof, even though the town wasn't that crowded. More than once I overheard him lament how well they'd be doing if several caravans were in town and they had such an act performing.

Magnolia took several breaks between songs, sitting with Miles and engaging in animated conversations that grew warmer as the evening progressed. The DJ pony clapped and whistled the hardest after each song, the alicorn looking more comfortable each time she rushed back to her seat and less willing to go when the calls for more grew louder.

They had put up the pretense of chatting with us at first, but we were sitting away from Miles' spot and giving them their space for a reason. Soon enough we were entirely forgotten, watching while we ate a meal Mr. Raviolli sent our way free of charge for bringing the singer to his establishment.

Jade and Glitter gave cute little squeals to each other and clapped their hooves together in front of their faces excitedly, spying Miles touching Magnolia's hoof as part of his smiling point in their conversation. Groaning at the display, Val tipped her beer back and sat it down empty with a clink. "Ugh, stop starin' at em you two! Yer embarassin us here!"

"I am not staring..." Considering Jade's big, sparkly blue eyes never left the couple, that wasn't really very convincing.

"Come on both of you, Val's right, we're supposed to give them their space right?"

The big blue alicorn had to practically tear her gaze away, consoling herself with wrapping me up in a tight embrace and nuzzling happily. "Very well, I am excited for her though. She is so happy, I am certain being with normal ponies is right now. We just need to sway the others and this will surely help. Thank you so much Fast! Perhaps I will just have to demonstrate how to proceed for her hmm?" The long kiss I got would probably make Miles' head explode if Magnolia followed the example, but I definitely liked it.

Her sister calling out this would be her last song got Jade to break off, leaving me lightheaded while she turned her attention to the sweet, upbeat song ringing out in the crisp fall air, the selection making her smile broadly;

All of me
Why not take all of me
Can't you see
I'm no good without you

Take my lips
I want to lose them
Take my hooves
I'll never use them

Your goodbye
Left me with eyes that cry
How can I go on dear without you

You took the part
That once was my heart
So why not take all of me...

Even Zed hummed along softly, his grey eyes closed in appreciation. "I enjoy this one, it had become a favorite back in Sanctuary. Do you have it recorded yet Fast?"

"Yup, was going to give it to Miles to play on the radio, don't think it'll take any persuasion. You can have a copy if you want Zed, I've got several on my pip-buck, just not enough blank holotapes to..."

A loud whine overhead cut off my reply and the melodious singing, everyone gathered in this small corner of Bunker Hill looked up in surprise at the source of the noise. Banking through a slow turn a Vertibuck flew by above us, losing altitude gradually as it came in for a landing somewhere outside the walls.

I spotted a lot of tense looks on the faces of the other patrons as everypony seemed to get up at once and rush off in different directions. There were quite a few shouts of thanks to Magnolia returning to her seat in confusion, but the concert was definitely off now. Miles had gotten a pretty sour look when he spotted the prewar vehicle swoop by, but wiped it away with a smile when Magnolia returned, getting to his hooves and nodding our way.

"Looks like I get a little news to go along with all the music huh? Must be how my listeners feel, I feel bad interrupting the songs now. Want to go see what the big Brotherhood wants with this little burg?" There was a hard edge hiding in the DJ's carefully controlled voice, taking a look at his burned flanks I could only guess what he was feeling, seeing a vehicle from his former home down here.

"Right, let's go find out Miles, interested myself."

Most of the crowd listening at the bar had moved to the main gate by the time we got there, along with the guards who had listened from the walls now holding a lot of weapons at the ready. The small group of Brotherhood of Friendship ponies were stopped at the entrance and in the middle of an escalating argument with Kettle Corn we had to push forward to make out.

Given the firepower they brought with them, if the armored guests wanted in bad enough they would get in however. Two heavy suits of Steel Ranger armor flanked a tall green unicorn stallion, wearing a fancier version of the Scribe uniform a young earth pony buck beside him wore. At the rear and front of the group were two pegasi in Shadowbolt power armor, the black, insectile gear broken up by the red trim and three applemarks, matching what had been applied to the Steel Ranger suits.

The older stallion in the funny Scribe outfit adjusted his glasses and huffed, clearly put out by the reception and how his conversation with the mayor here had been going. "You are being very unpleasant and unreasonable miss. This is a Steel Ranger installation, we have every right to enter and our mission requires we do so."

Kettle snorted and stomped forward, held back by the leading pegasus' armored stare and forced to shout a reply back around the guard. "Don't gimme that, place WAS a Steel Ranger hideout, a long, looooong time ago. You don't get to come strolling on in and claim it nearly 200 years later! It's our town, you got no rights here so get back in your fancy flyin' machine and skedaddle!"

Having a pair of alicorns and one pushy griffon helped get us to the front of the crowd to watch the back and forth, though the blue and purple mares weren't exactly subtle even in the midst of the mob. Their heads sticking up above all the others caught the attention of the Shadowbolt guard, causing them to leap back and turn on the magical energy weapons under their armored wings in warning. "Halt! Monsters, stay back!"

Magnolia flinched and Jade merely sighed sadly, threatening either was a seriously bad move on the armored pony's part. I liked Paladin Dance and Scribe Summer well enough, that didn't give all of their comrades a pass though. Tromping forward to get in the way, I was surprised Miles had flown up and beat me to it, glaring at the blank stare of the dark garbed pegasus. "They're not monsters! You take that back, Enclave asshole!"

"Agree with my friend there, nopony calls her that, apologize..." I was surprised hearing Miles angry, but we were in sync on this subject. Pointing back to the blue alicorn watching sadly, I tried to burn a hole through that ugly mask with my scowl, actually making the heavily armed pegasus falter a step.

The jumpy guard wasn't doing his group any favors with the crowd, nopony here appreciated their commentary either. The mob pressed forward with several angry shouts directed at the Brotherhood.

"Yeah! Don't ya outsiders know nothin! This one's a Princess!"

"T'other one's mighty good singer! Gave us a free show!"

"They're our guests! You ain't in charge here!"

"You leave! They stay!"

"You heard em, we like them, we don't like you. I'd suggest you be on your way." Kettle Corn quieted the crowd with her agreement, planting her hooves and standing defiantly in the way of the armored group.

Jade trotted forward to join me, touching my shoulder lightly with a wing while raising the other for attention from the onlookers. "Now, now.. it is a-alright... I am not insulted, some ponies feel that way about my kind, if I am not angry you should not be either. Perhaps we could find a peaceful solution to this problem instead of sending these Brotherhood members away out of hoof? I have met others of their order, I believe they do want to help the Commonwealth. Let us talk calmly and work together, try to be better ponies, yes?"

The kind voice of reason from a princess had the desired effect, relaxing a lot of tension in the gathering as all eyes were drawn to the beautiful blue alicorn. I noticed Miles and many in the crowd were still glaring at the armored pegasus right along with me, but most were calmed by Jade imploring for their better natures. The tiny foal hiding at Jade's long legs and sticking her tongue out at the offending pegasus kind of detracted from the regal effect though.

A lot of shuffling papers drew my eye over to the buck wearing a uniform identical to Scribe Wind's, rooting around in his heavy looking packs and pulling folders and clipboards out, reading frantically before leaning over to the unicorn in charge beside him. "Sir! I b-believe this is the one we got the reports on! Um... y-yes Princess Jade of Sanctuary, here it is! The dark one beside her is the one from Paladin Dance's report, the potential recruit."

The skinny stallion lifted the offered folder in his pale green magic, his orange eyes skimming back and forth across the page. Nodding to himself, the Brotherhood pony in charge stepped forward and gave a polite bow. "Of course, Mr. Times isn't it? Your mare the famous Princess Jade, daughter Platinum Glitter, guard Valkyrie Bloodtail, zebra... I see Dance was thorough as always. I'm Proctor Pop Quiz, pleased to make your acquaintance. I apologize for Lieutenant Dawn, as does she, doesn't she..."

The black armor gave a hiss and the bug like helmet slid back, revealing a very sour looking red pegasus mare with a braided brown mane, her dark amber eyes refusing to look up as she grumbled. "Yes sir... I... apologize to the alicorn."

"Both of them!" Miles shook as he yelled to the fellow pegasus, oblivious to the soft smile that was bringing to Magnolia's face behind him.

"I don't take orders from Dashites! I'm not gon..." The shouted reply was cut short by Proctor Quiz giving a forceful cough, brooking no argument without saying a word. The lieutenant grimaced and continued through gritted teeth, "F-Fine... I apologize to both of them..."

"Excellent! Please Forgive Lt. Dawn, some of our pegasi friends have gotten a bit twitchy about your kind since arriving, stories about monstrous alicorns most unlike yourself, kidnappings and attacks, they are under stress. I thank you for trying to play the moderator for us Princess, we really don't want any trouble, but we do need access to the bunker beneath this town. We're not trying to take it over for the Brotherhood however, I'd be happy to work something out with the residents that will get us out of their manes as soon as possible, that doesn't entail reporting a failure back to the Prydwen." Proctor Quiz was polite and obviously didn't share his lieutenant's disdain for alicorns, given how easily he shook Jade's hoof and gave a grateful bow with a kiss to the offered appendage, putting a mark in his favor for me.

"Bunker? So this place has a Steel Ranger base under it? What is it you guys want Proctor Quiz? Maybe we can help."

Glancing over at Mayor Kettle who was engaged in whispered conversation with a few residents and a white guard stallion from the bar, Proctor Quiz nodded hopefully. "I certainly hope so Mr. Times, Paladin Dance expressed a glowing recommendation of your abilities in that regard. There is indeed an ancient Steel Ranger installation here, where the name Bunker Hill comes from I assume. It went silent shortly after the war however, thus the lack of a local chapter in the Commonwealth. We were sent to inspect the bunker, find out what happened if we could, search for usable equipment, download the computer system if nothing else. If we could be allowed entry for just awhile, we could get to the computers and leave when we're done."

Kettle Corn trotted up to join us as the Proctor was finishing up, her ear had been flicking our way the whole time and it seemed she caught enough. An older pink stallion in a dark suit and the pale guard followed behind her silently, looking us over as she spoke. "Nopony goes down to the Ranger bunker, we use the tunnels leading to it and tapped into the water and power, but the base is sealed. You just want the computers, not planning on sticking around where you ain't wanted?"

"Of course not madame, if we are unwelcome we will be happy to leave when our mission is done. Though I won't lie and say our order wouldn't like to occupy the base, we could offer protection for your town in exchange?" Pop Quiz ventured but was instantly shut down.

"Don't need protection, learned our lesson with the Minutemares when they fell apart, we rely on ourselves and this is our town. You open that base back up... we're taking it when you're done, that's fair trade for letting you take what you want and go." Kettle put her offer on the table with the look of a shrewd caravan negotiator.

Proctor Quiz seemed to balk for a moment and consider, finally giving a sigh and shrugging. "I suppose that is fair, we can get to work immediately and be gone before you know it. Thank you for your help Mr. Times, Princess, I do..."

"Oh no, you're not going down there alone to get up to Luna knows what. Princess Jade, you want to help us get along, want our towns to be friends? I hear you're the adventuring type, we'll agree to this if your group goes with them, keeps them outta trouble yeah?" Kettle crossed her hooves with finality, looking at Jade stammering at being put on the spot.

"Us? I... B-but my sister..." The worried look Jade sent Magnolia softened a bit, spotting the purple alicorn standing beside Miles and whispering in his ear.

The DJ pegasus relieved her concern entirely, nodding at the quiet conversation in his ear and fluttering up a few feet off the ground with the violet mare. "Umm... It's ok Miss Jade, we were just talking about taking a fly around town if that's alright with you? I kinda don't like the guests in town right now anyway, I'd much rather get a little fresh air with Magnolia here. You guys do what you need to and I'll bring her back safe in a little while, how's that?"

Both Jade and Glitter squeed to each other and looked delighted at the idea. Personally I was almost jealous of the pegasus, flying around together as a date like thing sounded fun. Jade was always happy to give me a lift, but actually flying with her seemed much better than riding along as baggage.

As her sister's chaperone Jade bobbed her head happily and waved them off, returning her attention to the two groups waiting for her reply. "Very well, we will accompany the Brotherhood into this bunker as a neutral party. You see, working together was not so difficult after all."

Neither the Brotherhood or the Bunker Hill residents looked convinced at her encouragement, but Kettle and her escorts led the way into the settlement and the rest of us followed. My pip-buck chimed and threw text up in my vision as we left, responding to Jade's agreement to help;

Mission Added--------------------

Shadow of Steel---
Objective--
--Investigate Bunker Hill Base
--Help Brotherhood download base computers

"Don't dead, open inside?"

"I believe it is meant to be read top to bottom, first one door then the other Fast. So 'Don't open, dead inside'" Jade kindly cleared up my confusion at the weird typography failure I was staring at.

A series of basements and tunnels Kettle led us through had brought us here, a large steel door with the cryptic message written sloppily in what I wished I didn't know was blood. E.F.S. had shown quite a few green marks down here with us during the trip, but we hadn't seen anyone else, making me curious what the residents of Bunker Hill did with all this underground space. Other than storage of course, but all the stacked crates and barrels had slowly given way to dust and disuse as we grew closer to the big door bearing the winged sword over the apple shape and gears of the Steel Rangers logo.

As if the scrawled message on the portal wasn't ominous enough, a quick inspection showed the locking mechanism had been disabled and shot apparently, whoever wrote that wasn't kidding about not opening this door. Proctor Quiz sent his young scribe forward to start repairing the entrance, a few minutes of his nervous fumbling was too much to watch though and I politely took over.

"Any idea what happened in there? Who did this to the door and wrote this Kettle?"

Mayor Kettle Corn shrugged and pointed at the bloody message. "Door said not to open it, we haven't tried too hard. Cleaned up the skeleton of the pony who wrote it, dying whilst writing a message in yer own blood tends to make an impression, so we took it serious. We tied into the water and power systems without having to go inside, was plenty for us."

Val had shoved the young scribe watching me work out of her way, rubbing her claws together greedily and tittering in anticipation. "Now this is a date I can get behind boss, was gettin' bored watchin' Blue and the kid play matchmaker. Steel Ranger bunker sittin' untouched all this time, imagine the loot!"

"I think it belongs to the town Val, or the Brotherhood, we're just helping out."

"Bah! Finders fee boss, they want us to help with who knows what in here, we get a cut. You just don't worry yer pretty head about it, business stuff boss." Val waved my concerns away and focused on the door, considering she wasn't being very quiet about her intentions and wasn't being contradicted, I could only assume she had a point.

Hooking a spare spark battery to the repaired circuit was annoying, I still wasn't anywhere close to the kind of control to use my magic for this kind of fix though. The trickle of power did the job, opening the thick sliding door with a sickly sounding hiss, revealing a dark hallway beyond.

"Ok Glitter, you can wait here with AssaultJack or go back up to the room, it's starting to get late anyway and we've got more traveling to do tomorrow." The little filly pouted at the declaration, but doors with blood scrawled messages from dying ponies were not for her.

"Ugh! Fine daddy, I'll wait, like always... never let me have fun with you... Come on AJ, let's go explorin' an wait for Mr. Miles an' Magnolia!" If she thought I left her to go have fun when we did things like this, we needed to have a serious talk. She didn't seem that put out this time though, the glares she kept sending at Lt. Dawn probably had something to do with that.

Gathering with the half dozen Brotherhood ponies, Kettle Corn shook my hoof and gave Jade a curtsy, nudging the dirty white unicorn guard with her over to the group. "Thanks again for helping us out here. Don't have a lot of spare guards to take off patrol for this little errand, but Drift here volunteered to lend a hoof. I've got work to get back to, but Mr. Stock will wait here for you to return. You all be careful alright?"

The older pink stallion took a seat on the crumbling stone stairs and tipped his black hat to us, watching us walk into the echoing steel hallway as Kettle and Glitter left behind him. The young scribe Butterscotch had managed to get the lights to come on down the hall, revealing a lot of dust, blackened bloodstains and a few skeletons waiting ahead of us.

Moving into formation, one suit of Steel Ranger and Shadowbolt armor took up postion behind us, while Lt. Dawn and the other Ranger took the front, sandwiching the rest of us protectively as we kept going. A rusting sign ahead pointed to a sliding door the pair on point opened and led us through, entering what was a security station off the main hallway.

There was evidence of more death in here, but still no sign of what had caused it. The room was lined with lockers and storage chests Val started rifling through excitedly, this was the staging point for trips up to the surface according to Pop Quiz, so the chances for ammo or usable gear were good.

Proctor Quiz was huddled over his scribe sitting at an active terminal, flipping through his assorted paperwork to bring up the proper passwords and gain access. While the others spread out I wandered that way, more interested in what happened here than any leftover treasures.

"Sorry sir, last entry here just lists a standard patrol outside a few years after the war. Says there was a weapons malfunction and a casualty, nothing unusual for how things were back then." Scribe Butterscotch kept tapping away at the terminal, reading over his shoulder I could see there wasn't much there though.

Coughing for attention, Pop Quiz patted his scribe's head and turned to the room. "Alright, according to our records the Elder's chambers are on the bottom level, that will give us the access we need. Everypony keep your eyes open for any clues or dangers, plenty of bases didn't survive long after the war but we don't know why this one went dark, I expect all of you to exercise extreme caution here."

Val was roundly ignoring the Brotherhood pony in charge, stuffing her pockets with a variety of ammo from the lockers and pestering Zed into holding more before we left. She shrugged at the Bunker Hill guard Drift's raised eyebrow and resumed cramming more rounds into Zed's leather jacket when he waved her on with a smile. I stopped on the way out to wait for Jade, absorbed in her examination of one of the skeletons in the room.

"Can you tell what happened to them?"

The alicorn doctor was never squeamish around corpses, peering at this one closely and turning some of the bones around in her magic as she answered. "Ballistic firearms, signs of concussive damage from explosives... It appears death finally came from a great deal of weight pressing down on the chest, see all the snapped ribs in this small area Fast?

Hearing secondhoof about her work, like when she explained in excruciating detail what all was involved in dissecting Kellogg's corpse, was enough to make me queasy. By this point I would have thought I'd be as comfortable as she obviously was, considering how many dead I was good at making. But I was no medic and found staring at the damage she pointed out with interest a little creepy, putting on a faltering, forced smile and nodding.

"Ok... so big fight, then somepony... stepped on them?"

Jade gave an amused little snort that slowly turned into a contemplative hum, holding her own hoof up to the shattered ribcage and giving me a proud look. "I would not have thought so initially, too much weight. You may be correct though Fast, that is what it looks like. I knew you paid attention when I explain medical teachings to you and Glitter!"

"R-Right... always paying attention, totally get that stuff... so somepony really did step on them?" I'd take a good guess getting me some unwarranted praise. I'd listen to Jade read anything, that didn't mean having her recite articles from the Canterlot Journal of Internal Medicine actually stuck though.

Lowering her voice to a whisper she leaned close as we joined the others and kept going down the musty hallways. "If they were wearing a suit of power armor like the Rangers here? Yes, I would say that is likely. I do not wish to insult these Brotherhood ponies by putting forward the theory of betrayal in this chapter quite yet however."

Lt. Dawn's amplified yelp of "Contact!" broke me from taking in the death left in this place with Jade's theory in mind. The armored Brotherhood soldiers moved smoothly, readying their weapons and changing positions to cover ahead of us where a red mark had appeared on my E.F.S.

Jade and I were silently encouraged back with the quiet guard Drift, Proctor Quiz and his scribe, while Val and Zed refused to be moved from just behind the forward guard of armor. Judging by the mark on my compass, whatever was hostile in here was in the door marked as a barracks. The metal bunks within had been tossed around from the center of what looked like an explosion and rusted where they landed, a fairly clear path from the door quickly became cluttered with obstacles.

Several of the lights near the detonation point of the ancient battle were out, hiding the direction Eyes Forward Sparkle was giving from view until the four power armored ponies spotlights came on, pinning the enemy under the harsh lights. A rusty suit of power armor was milling around facing the dark corner, a couple quiet gasps from the Brotherhood ponies sounded out as Lt. Dawn cautiously approached and called out. "Easy there soldier... we're here to help, who are you, what happened here?"

"Be careful Lieutenant... It's not safe, E.F.S. shows red..." Even without the helpful mark in my vision something about the armor was raising my hackles, it looked.... wrong... Judging by the rust that suit hadn't been serviced since this place was sealed up, the servos were giving some very unpleasant whines and clicks as well, setting the repair-pony in me on edge just hearing it.

The lieutenant hissed over her shoulder at me in annoyance, "I know it does! Willing to bet the system in my suit is more advanced than yours, it's still a Ranger, gotta try to get through to them. There, that's it, turn around and let's talk ok?"

The way it was moving was what was really bothering me, slowly turning to Lt. Dawn inching towards it, something was simply unnatural about how it moved, almost robot like... That was it. I knew how robots moved, the comparison wouldn't let go now that I thought of it, not like a pony moving like a robot, no like a robot period...

"Lt. Dawn, get away from it!" The alarm bells going off in my head lent enough urgency to my voice it seemed to sink in for the others, Val, Zed and Guard Drift were instantly on guard while the others paused.

Even Dawn had stopped to turn on me, exasperation coming out through the speakers in her helmet. "What is your problem civilian!? I don't care if you got a recommendation from Dance, you're not one of us yet and if you were I'd teach you proper respect for your superiors. You're just a freelancer now though and I know what I'm do..."

While she berated me the rusty power armor had completed its turn, the front now fully in view under the lights of the other armored troops, standing behind Lt. Dawn who finally noticed the change in everyone else and looked back with a gasp. This suit had seen some heavy action, scorched burns and melted plates of armor covered the front, several large components were missing as well, including a large portion of the helmet. Dawn stared straight up into the gap in the steel face and the blackened skull underneath, stammering at the horror as the minigun at its side started spinning up to speed with a grind of old gears.

"Blast it!!!" The Lieutenant could get mad at me for giving orders later, the view of that dead face and other bones visible through the gaps in the armor freaked me right the fuck out. That wasn't a ghoul, not even a feral zombie, that was a dead pony in armor that was still moving, and not friendly...

Val cared only that I gave the word, not about how anyone else took it. As soon as I said shoot, she started blazing away with her red M.E.W., melting the helmet into slag, unfortunately to little effect as the minigun started firing anyway. The instant violence and spray of 5mm rounds pinging off their armor snapped the Brotherhood members out of their shock, sending a barrage of fire back that blew off or melted more large portions of the armor.

Whatever was wrong with that suit, the repair talisman was definitely out. The damage it was taking wasn't being restored as it should be, leading to it being in the condition it was to begin with I was sure. Despite that weakness it wasn't stopping either, power armor was made to take a licking and keep on ticking, it was much tougher than the pony inside and since that apparently wasn't an issue here...

I had to dash out from Jade's blue shield where I had taken cover with our city guard escort, scrambling over the ruined bedframes to get a clear line of fire and shouting over the cacophony of weapons filling the room. "Everypony look out! Incoming!"

KRACKA-THOOM!!

Narrowing down the range on my lightning spell still wasn't very precise, once I had a clear enough view I managed not to fry every suit of power armor in the room anyway, keeping it down to just the rusting one that fell to the ground in a heap and a cloud of pulverized bone. Lt. Dawn shook as she stood up from her cover, her head swinging from the dead armor to me repeatedly, flinching when Zed passed her to inspect the remains quietly.

Zed closed his eyes for a moment over the corpse, breathing deeply before they opened again and glanced at the Lieutenant's way before addressing me. "This is not necromancy."

"W-What was that!? How!? W-Why..." She shivered out a shocked series of questions mirrored on the faces of her troops.

Her incomplete questions were put to a sharp stop by the clanks and siren like wails echoing down the halls outside the door, E.F.S. was lighting up all around us with the noise, giving me a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing it's what happened to this place and I think there's more of them. You probably do have the better Eyes Forward Sparkle system in that armor though, tell me what you think Lt. Dawn..."

------------------------------------Level Up!-----------------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------------------

Certified Robronco Tech-Pony-------------
--Your knowledge of robotic and technical components allows you to break them more easily and salvage their mechanical corpses. You have a +20% chance to score critical hits against robots or power armor, and you'll also find more useful components on those you destroy.

Quest Perk Added!-----------------------------------

Sgt. Big Mac!----
--The souvenir shop figure of Equestria's greatest hero imparts a bit of the Sarge's military skills! You gain +10 to the Small Guns skills!

Reputation Change!---------------------------

Bunker Hill-- Neutral
Despite your wanted status out in the Commonwealth, the trading town of Bunker Hill accepts nearly everybody. They don't seem open to being an allied settlement, but maybe helping them out will improve their opinion.

Ch. 33-- Shadow of Steel

"How did you know?" The voice of Proctor Pop Quiz was quiet and interested, speaking behind me as I looked over the fallen suit of rusty power armor critically.

Shrugging I poked around at the suit with my magic, inspecting what was intact and what could explain seeing it walking around and trying to kill us on its own. "It moved wrong... I work on a lot of robots, it moved like one of them, not sure how though..."

Lt. Dawn released the helmet of her dark Shadowbolt armor to scowl at me, having regained her wits after nearly becoming a victim of the armor I was working on. "What if that was a ghoul?! There's a body in that thing, it could have been a Ranger! You just trust this zebra that it's a corpse?"

"Actually yes I do, so should you when it comes to this kinda stuff. If it was a ghoul my lightning would have just shut down the suit though. These things were designed my Ministry Mare Applejack to protect ponies above all else, they're pretty good at it. Just in case you still want to argue though..." I released the manual catches on the remains of the melted helmet, kicking it off to demonstrate my point, revealing the blackened skull of the occupant. "Ghouls don't look like that, that's just a skeleton."

With no further way to gripe for the moment, the annoyed lieutenant turned with a flip of her pale blue mane, storming off to check on her subordinates. The number of red dashes and that eerie wailing out in the halls of this old Steel Ranger base was distracting enough, I was glad to be rid of the lieutenant adding to it and returned to my inspection.

The pale Bunker Hill guard Drift had made his way close by while I worked, giving a short cough before gesturing with his rifle at the armor. "What's that there? On the back."

I had started checking the armor's systems, making sure it stayed down and then trying to figure out what was wrong with it. The rust and damage proved the repair talisman wasn't working, but my check so far showed it to be in perfect shape. I hadn't taken a look at the big picture in my interest though, there was something odd about the back of this suit.

A closer look where Drift had indicated revealed a strange... part? Something attached to the back of the armor, right down the spine and doing a good job of blending in.

"Good eye Mr. Drift... That doesn't belong there, must be what's controlling the armor..." I looked over the odd part carefully, it seemed to be tied into the armor's systems and immovable without a lot of work.

I didn't want to start spouting conspiracy theories right off the bat in front of strangers, but I knew the Institute had experimented on power armor in the Commonwealth from Fort Haygone. This wasn't benign like making them unicorn compatible, as the suit I had to leave home was, but it bore their hoof.

Proctor Quiz stamped his hooves beside me for attention and called out to the Brotherhood of Friendship ponies he was in charge of. "Alright, we still have a mission ahead of us and now we have an idea of the threat. Given our companions I believe we should discuss our options and make a plan of action."

"You still wanna go poking around down here? This place is a tomb with some nasty ghosts haunting it, maybe the one who got out had the right idea sealing it up huh?" Our Bunker Hill representative, Drift, spoke up, raising a good point.

Val waved one of her dark claws at our surroundings and the number of red marks in my vision all around us. "Not that I mind blowin' these things up and lootin' this place, but might wanna consider what he's sayin'."

Lt. Dawn still had her helmet down, showing an annoyed glare to the fiery griffon and guard as she turned on them. "Brotherhood troops don't give up on a mission just because of the unexpected! We came here with a goal and these... things aren't going to scare us off. You can run away if you want though."

The scowl Val wore as she stomped towards the former Enclave soldier had me worried things were about to get violent, calling Val afraid of anything was inaccurate and a big mistake. Thankfully Jade stepped between the two before they reached each other, blocking them off with her large wings and speaking soothingly to Val. "Easy Valkyrie, no one thinks you wish to run away. I am sure that was just spoken out of shock and... poor temperament..." She gave a momentarily unkind look to the lieutenant before continuing, "I believe we should continue to help, now that the door is open what would happen if these golems were to escape? Or if there are worse things further within? Bunker Hill may be in danger and we are here as a neutral party to help them and the Brotherhood."

My griffon mercenary still looked annoyed, but calmed slightly at Jade's soft urging, giving me a questioning glance for the final say so. "I think she's right Val." I shrugged to her and returned to poking at the weird part, something about it was bothering me, like one of those illusion pictures you had to stare at before you saw the old and young mare faces were both there at once.

That got her to back off from the lieutenant but she stormed over sullenly to grumble at me. "You always think she's right boss! S'not fair, I'm all fer lootin' an old Ranger base, but if all those marks are more of these? Power armor's annoyin' ta take down, specially if the pilot's already dead..."

Lowering my voice I answered in a conspiratorial tone, "I know Val, and I don't always think she is... mostly maybe... It's not just about playing nice with the Brotherhood and Bunker Hill either, or the loot though I bet there's plenty... It's because I think the Institute did this, that part is right up their alley. If they did I want to know why, and how, and anything else I can. That enough to put up with the snotty lieutenant awhile? Pretty please? I'm sure the toughest, meanest, most beautiful griffon bodyguard in the Commonwealth can manage for a little while right?"

Val snorted a laugh and fluttered her eyelashes, ruffling my mane and skewing my hat. "Watch that boss, bein' too cute for yer own good. Alright, so we keep goin', what's the plan poindexter?"

Proctor Quiz gave her a sour look at the nickname, shaking it off to pace in front of the armor and speak in a lecturing tone. "Very well... Let us assume there are more of these, that every suit of power armor in this base was so modified, how many would that be Scribe Butterscotch?"

After a lot of surprised scrambling through his packs, the young Scribe found the paperwork he wanted, reading off the numbers. "24 suits of... T-51s sir, 12 suits T-45s, and one suit of T-55 for the Elder, if records are accurate."

Continuing with his pacing, the Proctor acknowledged his Scribe with a nod and resumed. "So, 37 suits, 36 now of course... That's if every suit on this base was modified in this manner and they have all survived. Judging by the damage this one had already suffered, I believe that to be unlikely. Lt. Dawn, how many spark rounds and grenades do we have?"

"Standard compliment sir, 10% of loadout for everypony, Boomer may have more grenades than that, he does like to hoard them." The Lt. snapped off a salute and gestured off to the Steel Ranger armor beside her. The battle saddle with a missile launcher and grenade launcher setup had to mark the one of the pair called Boomer.

"Right, we all know our armors well enough to know how to disable them as well. We can rely on our stock of armor piercers to help there. From Paladin Dance's report I understand Mr. Times is a talented repair-pony as well, you have anything to add Fast?" Pop Quiz turned to me with honest curiosity and courtesy, I had to wonder what all Dance had put in that report.

"Not much, the repair talismans are disabled on this suit but working. If that's part of how they're doing what they're doing, the ones on the other suits may be out too. If so taking out limbs and weapons will work to stop them, easier target than the spell matrix housing here." I pointed out the area in question on the ruined armor, a small target on the stomach that was heavily shielded.

Proctor Quiz gave a quick nod and adjusted his glasses, "Excellent point. Lt. Dawn, if you would lead on we can resume our mission."

With a hiss the lieutenant's black helmet slid back into place and turned to the heavily armed Brotherhood troops. "You heard him! Phoenix squad, move out!"

Leaving the rusting armor with the strange addition reluctantly, I followed along and rejoined my friends in the midst of the Brotherhood guard. Striding forward through the ancient steel hallways, heading towards the terrible wails in the dark below in the rest of the base.

"Another resource seizing mission today, I know working with those eggheads helped us survive, but I still hate it every time we go somewhere like the Robronco factory for them, instead of something like a M.O.P. stash they just 'happen' to know about for the survivors still hanging on. It's still snowing up there, that horrible glowing green blanket keeps piling up, the skies haven't cleared since the bombs, new monsters are showing up every trip we take to the surface, it's hell up there and we're worrying about some robot factory? Safeguarding M.W.T. tech is one thing, but some of the things they want... I just don't get it. I'm not the only one either, there's been a lot of complaining in the barracks about some of the things they have us do and... oh gotta go, debriefing time, yay..."

Listening to a holotape recording we found in another of the empty living quarters on the first level, I got another bit of confirmation for my Institute theory. Of course 'eggheads' could be a lot of ponies, but I didn't think it was totally obsessive to believe it was the shadowy group of survivors that the mare I heard complaining in my ear was referring to.

The trip down to the second level had been quiet so far, the red marks on Eyes Forward Sparkle moved around us, but must be below the first level. Once down to the second floor, the young Scribe Butterscotch whispered to the rest of us fearfully, "Armory and training level... there'd be a lot of armor down here..."

His caution didn't seem to be shared by Lt. Dawn, who kept leading us down the flickering gloom without pause. I understood it better, but mainly because I was busy mulling over the facts we were working off of along with my own guesses. Jade walked close and gave my flank a playful bump with the bottom of her own, sending me staggering a few steps.

"Oh! I am sorry Fast! I meant to be a t-tad more gentle... You seemed absorbed in your thoughts, I grow concerned when I notice you brooding... What is wrong?" The big alicorn still didn't know her own strength sometimes, giving me a chuckle and rousing me from my thoughts as I recovered and she fretted with her deep blue eyes full of worry.

"It's ok Jade, push me around any time you want Princess, it's usually fun." She blushed and giggled despite herself, cocking an eyebrow and trying to look stern when she stopped for me to continue. "Just thinking is all. I think it was the Institute that modded that suit of armor. But any good tech working on them would see that added part and want to tinker with it. From this recording they were working with the Institute for awhile after the end, that would have been plenty of time to have figured out what it did. So did the Institute and these Steel Rangers just have a falling out one day and they turned on that part to control the armor, that the Rangers never did anything about?"

Jade gave me a kiss on the cheek and puffed up, sticking her nose in the air regally and answering with a lidded, sideways glance to me. "Well, their technicians were just not as good as you are Fast. They trusted the Institute without having a repair-pony of your caliber inspect it, that must be it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence sweetheart, but I don't buy it. They didn't totally like working with them, they wouldn't trust them, something just isn't adding up for..."

"Quiet! Three ahead, quit your flirting with that... her... and get ready in case we need that lightning of yours again." Lt. Dawn hissed through the speakers of her armor, pointing ahead with a wickedly armored and barbed tail to the steel door ahead marked 'Firing Range'.

"I can't do that a lot you know..." I tried to warn the lieutenant about the drain that spell still caused, but she and the other armored troops had taken up positions at either side of the door.

At the lieutenant's nod, one of the Steel Rangers slammed a metal hoof on the panel and the doors slid open in a rain of rust. The Brotherhood ponies instantly peeked around both sides of the open portal, the Rangers crouched low and the former Enclave hovering above them.

My view was obscured by Zed and Val waiting behind the bulky armored Brotherhood, but the look I got was enough. A chain link cage blocked off the bulk of the long room, steel counters and square holes cut in the barrier at regular intervals for firing ports, leading to a wide gate at the end hanging open. Beyond the small firing area three suits of power armor milled listlessly on the long range itself, barely reacting to the door opening.

"Move in, light em up!" Lt. Dawn kept her voice low before swooping into the room, her wingpony behind her, the heavy Steel Rangers tromped after them, taking up the old firing stations and opening up with their heavy weaponry. Val followed their example, taking one of the square gaps for herself and blazing away with a cackle as the long room filled with the roar of explosions.

I ran in with the others, but the firestorm beyond the fence limited my options along with Zed waiting patiently at the gate. My pistol was worthless against power armor, the Terrible Shotgun was slightly better if I used armor piercing slugs, of which I had a limited supply. I had Thump Thump, but was nearly out of rounds for the grenade launcher, Fort Haygone had wiped out my supply of the 40mm rounds along with my mines and grenades. The gauss rifle The Last Minute was my best choice, but I wouldn't be picking my shots with the blinding clouds of explosives obscuring my targets.

At least the Brotherhood had taken my advice, choosing to disable the suits limbs and weaponry, rather than use up valuable spark grenades and rounds to shut them down. When the raucous noise finally died down, three hunks of vaguely pony shaped armor whined and clicked as they wormed their way on the ground uselessly.

Lt. Dawn flew back and landed lightly with the rest of us, trotting forward to Proctor Quiz with a smirk when her helmet released. "See sir, easy pickings. We'll take out what's in our way, let your Scribes and science ponies figure out what went wrong with them from what's left, they're harmless now."

"What kind are they? Can you tell Ranger?" I called over to the armored pony with the anti-materiel rifle and combat shotgun battle saddle, out in the firing range to check the squirming remains.

His answer of two T-51s and a T-45 wasn't comforting, whatever modification had turned the armor on its masters affected both the older and newer suits. I had hoped it had only been done to one model or another, both meant the full compliment of power armor for this base could be against us, now 33 suits. The fireworks show that took these three down was impressive, but that was a lot of firepower for three suits, did they have enough for the rest?

Proctor Quiz must be thinking along the same lines I was, calling out to the smoky room from the doorway. "A standard Ranger base would have a large weapons storehouse nearby, to check firearms in and out for the range. It should be..." His searching scan of the room stopped short when it reached the bright red-orange griffon already inspecting the odd steel door in the corner frantically.

"Already on it! Hey boss, get over here, fancy lock on this one." Val urged me towards the door with the blinking terminal lock beside it, bouncing on her claws at the prospect of the weaponry potentially beyond.

It was a strange door, bigger than normal for a Stable or the ones so far and split in half horizontally. When I made it through the rather tough security, the controls confirmed the top half of the door would open and the bottom could stay up, making a simple counter for the armory clerk. I hoofed absently at the first 'open' command I found, the top half of the door sliding open with a hiss and a pile of bones clattering out into the room.

I leapt back in... surprise... The logical part of me knew it wasn't skeletons making the armor move at this point, but the idea of all the skeletons doing it maaaaay have seeped in a bit. The poor soul whose skull rolled across the floor just illustrated how ubiquitous skeletal remains were in the wasteland, if they really could all get up and move... I shuddered at the thought of an unending army of skeletal ponies swarming over the wasteland and turned away, looking in the armory past the lower half of the unfortunate pony that came tumbling out.

Val had no compunctions about deceased ponies, not waiting for me to open the lower half of the door, but flapping right through the gap and into the candyland beyond. There was a lot of weaponry in there for her to go through and she looked blissful surrounded by all that destructive power.

Her inventory of the goodies left behind brought her to posing a question over her shoulder, while she tossed rounds for her grenade machinegun in her packs of course. "Don't get it boss, they had the kaboom to take these things out like we are. Couldn't have all been in armor at one time right? The one that shut the door wasn't, so how come they didn't take more out?"

"They probably didn't want to hurt the pony inside the armor Val, if the suit kept them alive they'd be like a hostage. Couldn't go blowing off big chunks of the armor with somepony trapped in it." The chilly stare she returned made me shiver, adding on a qualifier to try to change that look that said she would. "What if it was me stuck in it? Or Glitter? Or Jade?"

A box of spark cells dropped to the floor from a shelf and her shaggy head peaked out from where she was stretching up to reach it, a wicked grin on her face as she winked to Jade. "Oh, Blue can regenerate! No problem there, just blow the legs off, she'll be fine! Guess I see what yer sayin' though boss, that would suck. One of yer buddies wearin' one of those things is fine one minute, then all the sudden..."

"Help... I-I can't move..."

"Yeah, zactly pal, way to bring it to life! That would be pretty bad alright." Val waved to the Ranger out in the firing range by the remains, complimenting his bit of acting that so eerily illustrated what she had been saying.

The frightened tone in his voice though, unless the Brotherhood had some kind of drama club and this pony was the star, that was too good... I stared at the frozen suit of red trimmed armor with worry, realizing the dead hulks near him had stopped squirming around on the ground.

"Ranger... you ok?" I asked, cautiously moving toward the gate.

"N-No... something's wrong, armor's systems just shit themselves... I.. I really can't move here Lieutenant, Proctor... I... HEY!" His yelp at the end helped convince me the sudden jerk of one foreleg straight out wasn't his doing.

My heart started hammering in my chest and I backed away from the armor, now lurching forward with stiff legged steps that were causing panicked yells from the occupant. The green mark in my vision slowly turning red and spotting that weird part now on the Ranger's back made my mouth dry up and taste sour.

"P-Proctor... Lt. Dawn... I think we have a problem..." I croaked to the others, unsure what to do faced with this new wrinkle, new parts didn't just show up from nowhere, did they?

The others had started reacting to the Ranger, now screaming while the armor around him continued forward and faced the group. "STOP! I'm- I'm not doing this lieutenant! Help! I-It's moving on its own! Like the others! H-Help! HELP! It's.. LT. DAWN, LOOK OUT! IT'S GONNA..."

His warning was cut short when the anti-materiel rifle at his side opened up with a crash, the round slamming into Lt. Dawn's chestplate and tossing her against the nearest wall. I turned to face her and a flicker of movement, along with the sudden gunfire and confusion, made activating S.A.T.S. a great idea.

The cool nirvana of frozen time let me look around at the situation as I cycled through the available targets, the Ranger was listed as red now for sure. The other ranger Boomer, and the second pegasus were both turned to their Lieutenant, lying in a heap on the floor. Jade looked like she was already moving towards her, Val had her weapons trained on the new enemy from the door to the armory and Zed looked to be dashing over to cover Jade, while the Proctor and his Scribe ducked behind the doorway.

Tabbing through all the available targets rewarded me with two that had moved too fast for me to follow, without the benefit of pausing the world anyway. The two new targets made me glad I could sit and stare without consequence for a moment, they were tiny, metal, basically pony shaped, with a set of glowing artificial magic wings like a Sprite-bot, along with a pair of long antenna from the head also brightly emitting violet light.

I didn't need the pip-buck displaying 'Cybreezie' under the target heading for the real name to float up from the murky depths of memory. "A Breezie? A... robot Breezie..." I thought to myself since the urge to murmur it aloud was stopped short, with my mouth frozen along with the rest of my body and the world.

Where'd I know that name? It tickled a very old memory that felt more vibrant than some entry in dad's Magical Creatures Manual from the Preservation Society. Colors... bright colors... that was all I could get. More interesting for the time being was what one of the little robotic targets was doing when I triggered S.A.T.S., it was currently hovering very near the back of the black suit of Enclave armor still in action.

More than just the position it was taking I was very concerned about how those long antenna were reaching towards the armor, the way it was holding its limbs, forelegs set to wrap around the shoulders and hindlegs straight back, the clunky thing looked vaguely like... the part... The weird part that was added to all the armor so far, it wasn't a mod the Institute made to the armor already, it added itself...

A surge of panic as the repair-pony in me put it together made me reassess the situation, those little robots suddenly became a lot more threatening. Looking over things now I could see Zed was heading Jade's direction, but was locked on to one of the tiny 'Cybreezies' flitting towards Lt. Dawn. I had no idea how he even followed the tiny target, it took S.A.T.S. for me to spot it but he must have started moving without it to help him.

I risked hitting him when things resumed if I went after the same target, trusting the zebra and his insane ninja-pony skills I turned back to the second Enclave armor. The robot I was convinced was trying to take over the armor had abysmally low odds to hit in S.A.T.S., switching to the Terrible Shotgun I used half the charge up on the robot and hoped for the best. The spread from the 12 gauge rounds might sting a little, but it wasn't going through the armor.

As soon as I confirmed my choice and time resumed the shotgun started barking, the fourth shot looked to blow the hind legs off the blurring little thing, but it was small and quick. I didn't feel that bad for not spotting them at the speed they moved, the wounded robot whipped its antenna around the armored neck and latched on to the back between the wings in one fast motion. A loud crunch near lieutenant stung a little though, Zed didn't have any trouble keeping up and nailing the winged robot against the wall with one hoof.

The one I partially hit did just what I feared, the head burrowed down to the armor at the neck, the wings powered down and the limbs clung to the gaps in the dark armor plates. To my horror the thing even regenerated its lost hindlegs once it was attached, blending in perfectly as just a additional part on the armor as it fell to the ground like a statue.

"Oh Luna fuck me! My armor's doing it too! HELP!" a frightened yelp came from the pegasus frozen on her side in the Enclave suit slowly turning on her.

"H-Hang on! Lightning! I'll disable them and..." Shutting them down entirely seemed the only safe option now that there were two red marks on E.F.S. matching my Brotherhood companions. The little robots must have some intelligence though, at the mere mention of the idea the head of the infected Ranger armor twisted around towards its own rump at a painful angle, eliciting a scream from within. The Shadowbolt armor followed suite, wrenching the unfortunate mare's hind leg out at an unnatural angle with a sickening crack and scream.

Only when my horn stopped sparking did the possessed suits stop torturing their occupants, just to resume trying to kill us. The Ranger suit clomped forward and slowly turned towards the next viable target, Jade administering healing magic to the lieutenant... I felt bad targeting an ally, but I knew who was more important and it passed quickly. A S.A.T.S. assisted gauss rifle round hammered directly into the deadly weapon at the Ranger's flank, pushing it off target and obliterating the receiver.

Zed saved the former Enclave trooper from being blasted by Val's explosives, these strangers didn't fall under my limited example so she didn't seem to have a problem targeting them. The spinning kick the zebra delivered right under the armored wings, the energy weapons mounted to them already glowing green, sent the soldier flying towards the stumbling Ranger suit.

"Out! NOW! Take her and let's move!" I shouted and started pulling at the unconscious Lt. Dawn, trying to get Jade to stop worrying over a patient and out of here, this was only going to get worse if we stayed.

The beautiful blue alicorn accepted my frantic command, scooping Lt. Dawn up in her magic and flying off with her draped over her back, diving through the half open door to the armory I pointed at. Ranger Boomer helped corral the Proctor and his Scribe, all of whom were reluctant to leave their comrades but effectively boxed in on choices. At my yell Zed followed, springing over me nimbly while I scrambled up the counter leading out alongside guard Drift. Val grabbed my mane and yanked me through, letting me go to dash over to the console on this side and shut the upper door, leaving the other Brotherhood ponies behind.

The deafening wails blasting from their speakers followed me like cries of condemnation as the door slammed shut, I clenched my eyes against the guilt over leaving them behind. There had to be some way to help them, but for now the only option was getting away.

Several twists and turns down the steel hallways eventually led us to clear office to hide and regroup. We had to dodge several more animated suits of armor on the way, I was starting to get the idea it wasn't just my guilty conscience making it seem like the loud wails they voiced were following us.

With two more companions still wearing power armor that could turn on us, I was unwilling to engage any more of the possessed suits. Calling on Knight Boomer to use spark grenades only on the ones we had been unable to avoid safely shut them down, but there weren't a lot of those to burn. Two less after getting caught in a dusty gym by three more of the skeletal suits.

Lt. Dawn had the breath knocked out of her from the hammering blow of the anti-materiel rifle and a couple broken ribs, but she was awake and grudgingly under the care of the doctor alicorn fretting over her. "We... h-have to go back! Save Knights Oak and Cloud! We..." She groaned from the floor, Knight Boomer, Proctor Pop Quiz and his Scribe hovering nearby.

"We have to think. You have to get out of that armor and let me disable it, both of you." I answered absently, rifling around the office we were sheltered in. A small room, crowded with all of us in here, a simple steel desk with a glowing terminal, a locker and weapon racks on the walls, a tiny attached bedroom with a locked chest for Val and a closet sized bathroom with shower. Not much, but luxurious compared to the barracks and communal living upstairs, the skeleton sitting at the desk must have been important.

The injured lieutenant snorted and pushed herself up with a wince, "Get out of... are you crazy? How are we supposed to fight those things without our armor? Disable them? What is wrong with you?"

Thankfully Proctor Quiz and Knight Boomer stepped in and got her caught up, the armored Knight already disengaging his Steel Ranger armor helped convince her. Their bit of exposition gave me a moment to tap away at the terminal, I gently shoved the skeleton away and was totally not worried it was going to jump up and attack.

A bit of calming hacking unlocked the terminal, revealing this was the office of Star Paladin Mustard. I looked up to check on the others before diving into the files, Jade was still busily tending the lieutenant who was arguing with her Brotherhood comrades, Val was rooting through everything in the office unconcerned, only Zed looked like he wanted attention quietly hovering nearby. I held a hoof up to the zebra, asking for a minute while I perused the information in the terminal and thought.

Star Paladin Mustard's Log #280

Those C.I.A.T. bastards are pushing their luck, we were happy to get in contact with anyone when they reached us, but they're dictating our objectives now? I agree with the Elder, working with them has been beneficial, they're smart and... eerily well informed, but they seem to have misunderstood the nature of our relationship. The school was a military contractor, they're our subordinates as this is definitely a military operation.

Elder Cane is willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, looks past some of the things they want us to acquire for them, areas they want secure Celestia knows why, anything they want it's all sunshine and smiles. Meanwhile they're sitting on a hoard of advanced tech that properly belongs under M.W.T. care, our care...

Star Paladin Mustard's Log #372

Sparkle World!? Really, Sparkle World?! That tears it, a lot of us have been getting fed up with the objectives we've been getting, but securing the amusement park? Enough is enough, who knows why they want some cola themed Fun Farm, but we all know who issued the bullshit objective. A full detachment already on their way out, one third of our strength sent out on some lunatic wild goose chase.

No more, I've had scouts on the job tracking those Institute robots, they disappear at a dozen spots in the city, but big stuff nearby always goes to Mareford or further north towards Neighlem. They've got a lot more than they claim, records we have are way too spotty, redacted horseapples! Still, more than enough left to have to wonder what they're holding out on us.

Drawing up plans to hit Mareford, sweep it clean in one attack, find where they take all that salvage and put 'the Institute' in their place. Have to convince the Elder, but the cracks are showing there, think even he's fed up.

Star Paladin Mustard's Log #375

Armor's killing us! Recon 3 came back from scouting the hospital, weapon malfunction resulted in friendly fire fatality on the way in... They got back and the armor started... started killing us! Beta squad goes in, then they get taken over too! How!? Doesn't matter, calling off use of all power armor, sent Squires in with spark grenades and they said they could hear Rangers screaming in the suits, scared em off. Can't believe... Hey! I said no armor out there! What do you think you're...

That last entry had to have ended with all the gunfire pocking the wall, desk and chair I had moved, along with the chair's occupant. So this is what happened to this base, those little robots turned the Rangers against each other, killed them using their friends and family, made them kill those they loved or die themselves.

Now we had gotten snared in the same trap. But there had to be a way out, right?

I looked away from the monitor with a sigh and nodded to Zed, still waiting patiently. At my attention the stoic zebra strolled over and dumped a bundle of scrap from his hooves onto the metal desk with a tinkle of tiny parts. "One of those... things, it is robotic, I thought you may be interested."

Not only had Zed managed to track and smash the little thing, he actually thought to hold on to the remains. I had to give it up to the zebra, his skills were impressive and he kept his head in a pinch. What was left of the robot was mostly a flattened plate of a torso in a basic hoof shape from Zed's blow, the crystalline head had a mouth that looked disturbingly like a pip-buck universal patch connector, the hair thin filaments of the wings and antenna were powered down and dark.

"Thanks Zed, I am definitely interested. How'd you know.... I mean you were right on top of it, I barely spotted them." I gratefully poked and prodded at the scrap parts on the desk, marveling that anypony could make a robot this small and complex.

Zed gave a shrug while I worked, "I have faced many types of foes in the Commonwealth wastes, these were not the fastest and were brightly lit. I saw one detach from the other armors and went after it, your pip-buck thing said it was hostile." He shook his hindleg bearing his own device to demonstrate.

My tinkering attracted the attention of Proctor Quiz and Val, the skinny unicorn looking over the parts with interest as Val squinted and poked a claw at them. "Is that a... a robot Breezidore? Where'd ya get that boss?"

"Breezidore? It's a Breezie Val, er... a Cybreezie apparently, this is what took over the armor."

She gave me a confused look for a moment, shrugging as she poked at the scattered bits. "Breezie? Must be some pre-war name boss, sure looks like a Breezidore ta me. Smaller wings though, so this little thing is what's screwin' with the power armor?"

Jade perked up at the conversation and hovered near the limping Lt. Dawn as she made her way over. Taking on a lecturely, teachers tone, the alicorn peeked over the group gathering around the desk and gazed at the robot with her wide blue eyes. "Breezies were a species of unique magical creature Valkyrie, they once made regular migrations across Equestria to their own magically sealed pocket realm. They were subject to the breezes and weather patterns however, after the bombs and with the lack of pegasi looking after such things, it is believed most left on Equis would have died. By your alternate name I can only suspect some may have mutated into these Breezidores you know here in the Commonwealth. This creation appears modeled after the pre-war version of the creatures, if you would like to see I have a lovely picture of..."

"Yeah, yeah Blue, thrilling stuff. More interested in the little murder machine though." Val waved off the detailed explanation, causing Jade to deflate with a whinny, bringing a cute pout to her features that made me smile despite the situation.

"Fascinating... A miniature robot, capable of usurping control of Steel Ranger and Enclave armor. You saw this Mr. Times?" The Proctor had picked up the head of the tiny robot in his magic, turning it this way and that to examine it, only helping the curious griffon in scattering my work across the desk.

Lt. Dawn sidled next to the Proctor and snorted, bringing a wince to her stern features. Out of the armor she was a fairly attractive mare, wearing a tight purple flight suit, with the familiar Shadowbolt yellow lightning design and three apples stitched to the flank, along with a holster for a small energy weapon. Her personality soured her appearance though, shining through as she grumbled down at the remains. "This thing!? This is what took over Oak and Cloud's armor? What the hell is it and how do we kill them?"

"It's a robot, obviously. Yeah I saw it take over the other Rangers Proctor Quiz, it latches on to the back, then boom, it's in charge. As for killing it... I'm not sure, it takes over the suit's repair talisman for itself, but you could blast it off if you had a shot. A spark grenade or my lightning spell would shut it down along with the armor, why we didn't have to deal with the first one we ran across.

Unfortunately they seem somewhat smart, if simple. They make that wailing noise to draw all the others towards targets I think. Plus if they detect a threat they threaten the live hostages they now have, to save Knights Oak and Cloud we'd have to hit them without them seeing it coming."

Guard Drift had been tapping through the terminal, adjusting his helmet to gesture at the desktop. "Probably have a way of makin' more of themselves I'd think. Logs here say it started with one suit out on patrol, then happened to the rest when they got back." That was something I hadn't considered, but sounded reasonable, adding to my worries.

"Then that's what we do, go out there, find Oak and Cloud and sneak up on them if that's what it takes! You hit them with that lightning of yours and get them out of those deathtraps! Come on!" The Lieutenant stamped her hooves and shook, rearing to go despite the pained look that brought.

"I tried to tell you, I can't do that often. We'll get them back, but there are a lot of those suits tromping around and I've got two, maaaybe three shots like that left in me. If they get out, or do make more of themselves... you Brotherhood ponies brought a loooot of power armor into the Commonwealth. Or what if they can take over more than just armor? Robots? Computer systems? I think the one who escaped had the right idea, they can't get out. We need a way to take out all of them, a way they won't see coming so we can save your friends."

I was grateful I had never seen one of these things out in the Commonwealth before, that didn't mean they weren't out there as I was sure the Institute could make more, but no reason to worry over that for now. My brain was plenty busy enough trying to figure out a way to manage the current problem, some way to...

"You mean like... trap them?" Young Scribe Butterscotch voiced my troubled thoughts meekly from beside the Proctor, at my nod he looked nervous continuing but pressed on. "If that noise they make is them communicating... it sounded like the suit's emergency beacon. W-We could rig up the helmets of these two to make the same noise, draw them where we want?"

"Yeah! Good thinking Scribe Butterscotch! If we get them all in one place and clumped up... maybe I can hit enough at once..." My enthusiasm over the young buck's idea drained slowly, if one third of the suits on base really were gone that still left 24 to hit in one shot. That was more than I thought I could manage, unless they all conveniently crowded together, out in the open and I used the spell at full blast.

"How many of them spark grenades you got there Ranger?" The pale guard Drift called over to Knight Boomer, giving a whistle at the pile of blue banded grenades he hoofed out from his empty armor. "Happen to have a little experience with things that go boom myself, if you wired them up to blow together, could probably get all of them haunted suits at once. Bet I can even give em a little boost with your help Fast."

Choosing not to dwell on how a Bunker Hill guard had that kind of specialized knowledge, I clutched to the beginnings of a plan, working out the details with the others as quickly as possible.

Some time later I was pulling conduit from the walls of the large cafeteria, helping Drift with his clever wiring job to the spark grenades scattered around the big room. Val and Lt. Dawn had each taken one of the armor helmets Scribe Butterscotch and I had wired to make the same loud wail as the possessed suits, each going to a different section of the base to start drawing them all this way.

Jade, Zed and the others were shoving the metal tables into a series of barricades facing the main doors. From the look of the battered room it seemed like the Rangers had tried the same thing, skeletons were scattered behind each long table they lifted back up, the remains of their weapons nearby.

Hopefully this would work out better than the stand they tried to take...

Guard Drift paused in his twisting of several stripped wires together with his green magic, raising an eyebrow as spoke behind the furthest barricade back from the doors where all the wires led. "Breezie huh? Never hear anypony call em that, Commonwealth only knows them as Breezidores."

"I only know the pre-war name, when I saw that robot it just came back to me." I shrugged and floated over more conduit to the guard pony, still puzzling over that vague memory of bright colors tied in my head to the creatures for some reason.

Jade surprised me by solving my difficult attempts at recollection, trotting over and smiling sweetly. "Yes, I am jealous you actually got to see their last migration Fast, what were real Breezies like?"

That wide eyed look of awed interest she was giving just added to my confusion, I hated to disappoint her but... "What? Er... I dunno? I saw them? Really?"

"Yes! Do you not remember? I have a lovely picture of you as a foal surrounded by them. I am quite sure, it is one of my favorites of you and... v-very cute..." The smirk Drift was giving the two of us made her turn bright red at the admission she had favorite cute family pictures of me, but it did dislodge a bit more of the memory.

"I sorta... kinda... remember. The migration was a big deal, all the grown ups were excited and we had company. I guess I did, I'd like to see that picture when we go home again though, it's all pretty fuzzy."

The big blue filly managed to turn even redder, twisting a hoof into the floor and shrinking with further embarrassment under Drift's snickers as she meekly admitted, "I... Y-You can see when we return to our room... I d-did say it was one of my favorites..."

Approaching wails growing louder down the halls saved her from continuing, seconds later first Lt. Dawn then Val came swooping in the large room. Both fliers dumped the Steel Ranger and Enclave helmets that were still blasting out that siren cry to the middle of the room, then took cover behind some of the tables and watched the entrance.

Val was sweating lightly and panted over to me from her spot, "Hope we're good to go boss... cause they're comin'!"

Guard Drift cursed under his breath and sped up his work with the wires snaking across the room. Judging by the clanking and warbling cries coming from the door, we didn't have long so I hoped he was nearly done. I strained to lift another long table and shove it in the corner to cover his work, calling out to the others as I drew my weapons.

"Ok here we go! Proctor, Scribe, Jade, back to the kitchen where it's safer. Everybody else, we get to be bait until they crowd in here. Remember, it's ok if some get away, but the two Knights have to be in here before we trigger this!"

Proctor Quiz and his Scribe dashed off to the moldy kitchens behind us as planned, Jade however plopped her rump down beside Drift still engaged in his frantic wiring and looked thoroughly immovable. Sticking her nose up and huffing at my expectant stare, "I am not leaving. You must stay out here and be a target, I intend to do the same."

This would have been a point to argue over, had the first suits of animated power armor not made it to the door and started clomping in. The thump and crash of Val's grenade machinegun started up, giving me a chance to dive behind the barricade in the corner with Drift and Jade, hoping the others could keep their attention.

A series of pink beams shot out from Lt. Dawn's position, cutting into the cloud of explosives unleashed by Val and Knight Boomer tossing more of his supply of grenades into the fray. The tan earth pony in the red jumpsuit wasn't as intimidating without his armor, the full heavy weapons battle saddle was too much to carry without it. His skill with just the grenade machinegun and the amount of explosive apples he had on hoof was making up for it.

I had Paladin Dance's old grenade launcher Thump Thump out and ready, but didn't want to give away our position unless I had to. The others dodged from one bit of cover to the next after firing, keeping the empty armor that was now steadily streaming into the cafeteria confused.

If nothing else I was glad the Cybreezies seemed to have such simple programming, they had a few set responses that were annoying, but they didn't handle complicated problems well. Watching as one of the armors opened up with a light machine gun, peppering a metal table with rounds until it clicked dry, while Val had already snuck away from the position, the repair-pony in me guessed it must be a limitation of making the robots so small. Of course they were close to 200 years old now, I shuddered to think what they had done with these little monsters in the meantime...

Intelligent or not, I could see how effective they could be using their strengths. They were an irresistible tide, how quick they were mattered less and less with the amount of fire they were starting to fill the room with. Worse yet, I spotted the captive Knights being moved to the front of the crowd, used as living shields while the rest moved in.

"Drift... I hope you're done, now would be a great time..." I hadn't exactly been keeping a running total, but if this kept up we'd get overwhelmed, already I could see all of our defenders were bleeding from an assortment of wounds.

"Almost... where... Dammit! Hang on, hit it when I yell alright!" The Bunker Hill guard's eyes darted all over his taped together knot of wires, following one out beyond our barricade and spotting a break. Drift dashed out into a hail of fire floating his roll of tape and wire cutters with him.

The open movement was plenty for the armor attacking us to track, the ripping roar of a minigun traced behind his desperate dive to the break and stitched his flank before Drift could roll behind cover and start patching the wire. Watching the guard bleeding in a puddle below him was too much for Jade, her blue shield bloomed around her and the alicorn flew out to start healing, heedless of the number of suits now firing in our direction too.

A missile streaked out from the crowd and barely missed her, thanks to a graceful dodge as she landed beside Drift. The close call made my heart race as I pranced anxiously in place, "Any time now Drift!"

I saw the pale unicorn fumbling at his patch while Jade healed him, through the blue tint of her shield that was weakening under all the fire it was attracting. Finally the wire was repaired and he gave a raspy shout above the roar filling the room, good enough for me. I focused on the terminus of all the wires, a steel bar broken off one of the benches in here, now made into a lightning rod for me to unload my spell on.

KRACKA-THOOM!!

Half my remaining magic went into the blast of electricity, channeled down the nest of wires and out to the clusters of spark grenades hidden throughout the room and hallway beyond. However guard Drift knew to do it, the result was as advertised. The spell boosted the power of the grenades, all of them exploding in a sparking blue haze that filled the room.

Being at the edge of the field tingled, but the effect was more pronounced on the armor, every suit jittered and fell dead under the assault, leaving the room silent when the storm passed. Jade's shield faded and she peered around the room, unaware her mane and tail were comically sticking straight out in a static filled puffball, along with everyone else's in the field.

Val poked her shaggy head up from her latest bit of cover, her feathers sticking straight out and sparking with static. She scanned the room with her violet gaze and gave a screeching victory whoop, along with the sudden disappearance of every red mark on E.F.S. it seemed like a good sign we won.

One of the crumpled suits of armor in a heap near the doors called out, breaking the cautious silence. "Yay... now could somepony get me out of this thing!"

"Can't trust the computers anymore, writing my logs down from now on where they can't get them. After the bombs fell, when the school contractors got in touch it was a gift from Celestia and Luna. They knew where everything was, what to prioritize, had plans in place, why wouldn't we trust them? I had a good idea how much they had in the way of resources, hidden away behind sealed records and dummy companies.

Last conversation was a little too threatening though, made it clear they don't need us and are aware of some of the complaints on base. Refuse to explain the things they want, but heavily implied what would happen if they consider us a threat to their 'research'... Starting to think those ponies have completely cracked, Mustard may have the right idea, better to get them under control now. Just have to be careful, who knows what they can listen in on here.

Agreed with their amusement park request, partly to keep them happy and partly because I know just how much of a hoof they had in that Flim Flam, Hippocratic project. Rangers are mad about it, but with or without them it's an installation worth taking. Shows how nutty they are though, some of the arcane science they put into a kiddie park, untested technology, experiments... completely bonkers. No wonder the world ended up like this..."

The leather bound journal from the Elder's office that Proctor Quiz let me read filled in the last of the story here. The Elder's concerns over being spied on were well founded, but too late. The Institute got the idea the Steel Rangers were going to be a threat, so they removed the problem.

With no more Rangers in the Commonwealth and thus few suits of the armor, I could only hope the deadly little Cybreezies were unneeded and forgotten. Proctor Quiz was as disturbed as I was at the thought of more of them attacking the wealth of the suits the Brotherhood had brought in, promising to study and attempt to head off the threat on his return to their cloudship.

The Cybreezies were practically custom made to wreak havoc and destroy the power armored order. The zebras may have used robots during the war, making them an effective weapon if they could take them over as well, but the damage they had done here proved how well they could be turned against Equestria's own. It was as bad as Ironshod's making the anti-materiel rifle after the Steel Ranger was completed, a weapon to out do the last weapon... Maybe we really did deserve what happened in the end, maybe there was just no other way it could end except in megaspells.

I returned the book to the Proctor and walked over to Jade, still fussing over the injured. She had treated the two hostage Rangers and the worst injuries first, now she was back to Drift and his bullet riddled flank, pouring healing magic into him and stitching the wounds back together, despite his protests.

"Really Mr. Drift, stop your fidgeting and allow me to work. I staunched the bleeding but must tend the wounds properly." She lectured the guard pony unsuccessfully trying to get away from her care.

I could have told him trying to argue with her was pointless, holding his hooves up and trying to wave her off was not going to dissuade the doctor alicorn from her duty. His latest escape attempt just prompted her to grab him in her magic and move him as she pleased, the glow of her healing taking effect revealed what was behind his struggle.

The snowflake cutie mark on his flank that had been shot was... peeling away? A false mark, like a Nightmare Night costume sticker. A bit of color from the real mark was showing through the holes before the guard yanked his tattered coat down to cover it and gave a nervous chuckle. "N-Nothing to worry about there Princess, I'm fine. Er... don't suppose we could keep this quiet huh?"

Jade puzzled over the deception silently, while I lowered my voice for now and put a bit of the Shroud in it for good measure, "That depends Mr. Drift, keep quiet from who? and why?"

Drift gave the Brotherhood ponies clustered together comforting their rescued comrades and sidelong glance. "Well from them definitely... Just in general if possible. Sorry to be so sneaky, part of the job and I wanted a chance to see what you and the Princess were all about up close."

"What job? Who are you and why did you want to spy on us? I do have a griffon friend over there that will happily claw the answer out of you if I ask Mr. Drift." Keeping my volume down was a struggle, my eyes were burning at the spy still held in Jade's magic. If I didn't start getting good answers all sorts of unpleasant things could start happening, regardless of Jade's 'tsk' at my threat.

"Easy there Fast... I'm a friend, really! I'm with a group that has to be very, very careful who we open ourselves to. This isn't the first time I've kept an eye on you, started following the stories since you ponies showed up in Sanctuary and started helping, saw you in Diamond City. We're on your side I promise!" Drift whispered in a rush, trying to look harmless and pleading.

"I don't like being spied on, straight answer or I start yelling Drift. Now..."

The white unicorn slumped in Jade's grip, his blue yes darting around the room under his dark mane before relenting. "It's Beacon... Bright Beacon, guess this cover's blown anyway so I can say that much. I'm putting a lot of trust in you two but... let's just say you didn't overhear that argument about the Railroad on accident when you got here."

"The Railroad?" Speaking at just my normal volume in surprise sent Drift.. Beacon... into a flurry of waving hooves and begging for quiet, making me continue in a whisper again. "The Railroad? You work for them? Why all the secrecy, what's going on?"

"That's all I can say, sorry. It's for our protection, we have certain powerful enemies in common and I can't put anypony else at risk. We want to help, but we have to be cautious, so please keep this quiet. If you want to know more.. When you get out of here and cross the river, I suggest you do a little sight seeing, maybe take in the Rainbow Trail..." I pressed further, but the cryptic comment was the most the spy was willing to give up.

Jade gave a prim little huff and resumed her work with a frown. "I do not appreciate being lied to either Mr... Beacon. I only hope your reasons are good, now hold still and let me finish."

Val bounded over dragging a heavy sack of her 'finders fee' behind her, with Zed following sedately in her wake, ending the whispered conversation. Beacon... now Drift judging by the way he returned to normal like putting on a mask, silently pleaded with his eyes but said no more. Whatever the Railroad was they were against the Institute from what little I heard in Bunker Hill, meaning despite my distaste at the deception I was willing to go along for now in the hopes of talking with them.

"Nice haul here boss, ready to blow this place? The extra caps are gonna be great when we get to Goodneighbor!" Val beamed over her sack of loot, oblivious to any problems.

"Sure Val, let's get back to the others, see if Miles and Magnolia are back yet." I eyed Beacon warily as Jade finished and released him, tugging his coat further down and ambling off innocently. All the questions aside, I was tired and ready to leave this place, my pip-buck chimed with my thoughts on this secretive Railroad as we started the climb back to Bunker Hill.

Mission Added: Road to Freedom

Objective--
--Follow the Rainbow Trail

-----------------------------------------Level Up!---------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------------------

Hobbler-------
---- Chop them down from the ground up! With the Hobbler Perk, your chance to hit an opponent's legs in S.A.T.S. is significantly increased. You gain a +25% chance to hit a targets limbs!

Reputation Change!--------------------------------------

Bunker Hill-- Accepted
Considering the threat that was locked up under them, the ponies of Bunker Hill should be a bit friendlier. Convincing them to become allies is still a ways off, but you've given them a reason to trust you.

The Railroad-- Neutral
This clandestine group is aware of you and has extended a very vague invitation through their spy Beacon. Following up on it is up to you, from the sound of it they're waiting on the other side of the river...

Ch. 34-- Long Road Ahead

Good morning Commonwealth! What a beautiful morning it is too huh? Ok maybe it's a little drizzly, and maybe that drizzle is a tad radioactive, and maybe there are a few more explosions than normal with the Brotherhood of Friendship running into our local raiders and gangs, but still it's a beautiful day! Of course I might be seeing things through rose tinted glasses today, seeing how your own DJ pony went and got himself a social life!

That's right folks, hope you'll excuse the extended prerecorded playback last night, but I had an actual date with an amazing mare. Bad news is my loyal listeners may have to put up with me stepping out from the station a bit more, good news is I got a new song from the hot local favorite Magnolia, er... while I was out, to make up for it!

Before I let you listen, I also got a bit of news on my night out. I've heard from some of you talking about the Brotherhood making themselves at home in the Commonwealth, but I saw it myself now too. Seems the armored ponies wanted the 'Bunker' in Bunker Hill and barged right in for it last night.

Luckily the common pony's princess and her dark protector were in the neighborhood and able to lend a hoof. There will be some Brotherhood in the trading hub for a few days, while they clean up the mess that was secretly under their hooves all this time, but Bunker Hill is still independent as ever.

Also in local news I'm highly encouraged to read... seems we'll have to put up with... I mean, get to enjoy a noble wedding soon. Ably taking over his late father's affairs, Diamond City's own Neighson Svengallop announced his engagement to a Miss Fancy Star. I'm sure my listeners here in the great green jewel with me recognize both the bride to be and her pale griffon guard from their... charity work in the city since joining us. We do appreciate those occasional cans of cram and old meds given away to the needy, totally heartfelt and not a transparent PR stunt at all.

Now with that out of the way let's get to what I know you really want, here's our own Magnolia's newest recording!

The very singer coming out of my pip-buck's speaker to fill the damp morning air was flapping along beside us, her lidded gaze cloudy as she hummed along with a wide, delighted smile. The purple alicorn and the DJ had been back in Bunker Hill when we returned, but still spent more time together before reluctantly parting sometime after midnight.

The promise of getting to see each other again had Magnolia in a continual, blissful mood that was garnering a lot of furtive glances from her green sister Ivy. Since purple alicorns could teleport and both of them could fly, Miles and Magnolia shouldn't have any problems meeting up out in the Commonwealth from time to time. Before we left the owner of the inn we had slept at had even given her a schedule of caravans, begging her to schedule any future dates to return to his bar to sing when there were more customers.

As the song finished up Glitter clopped her hooves together in front of me, cheering the oblivious mare beside Jade. "Yay! That's so good Miss Magnolia! They're playin' your songs and Mr. Miles sounds like he reeeeeally likes..."

The questioning look Ivy shot back to her from the lead of our little flock made me stuff a hoof in the foal's mouth hurriedly, whispering innocently to her as she mumbled around it. "Ssssshhh sweetie... That's all our little secret, remember? You don't want to get Magnolia into trouble do you? Besides, I don't think she's listening."

I felt the little filly gasp in my grip and let her go to yelp a reply, sounding like she had nearly ruined a birthday surprise. "Oh! Right! S-Sorry daddy, I forgot... I was just glad for her, she looks so happy! Hey is that a boat!?"

Reminded of the need to keep our encouraging of the alicorns to break the rules their leader put forth quiet, she dashed on to some new distraction with a foal's swiftness. I had to admit though, the sight she was pointing a hoof at to the east past Jade's beating wing was a good distraction. An old fashioned boat was indeed out that way, towards the shore and the sea beyond but not far enough...

"Is it on top of a building?!" I joined Glitter in gaping at the ruined ship, somehow leaning atop a large brick building. The sun had been setting when we arrived at Bunker Hill and the odd sight was lost in the gloom, with it just over the horizon now the leaning and rotten masts were clearly visible against the cloudy sky.

Val swooped closer and chuckled at the weird view, looping upside down over us to muss Glitter's mane. "Oh that thing. Yeah, they say the zebras unleashed a water elemental cause of all the shippin' out of Trotson. Tossed boats around like toys, set off huge waves, totally wrecked a lot of the coast. That one was some fancy schmancy museum boat, got knocked right up there and that's where it stayed."

There was some kind of historical boat that had tours out this way before the end, I vaguely remembered dad taking me out to see it at least once. The topic was a bit too dry for me to remember now though, lots of ancient history stuff about Nightmare Moon fighting Celestia was the best I could pull up. The fact the ship was still around made me glad, even if it was bizarrely perched out of the water, I'd have to go poke around in it if I ever got the chance.

We put the river behind us and our alicorn companions started leading the way down into the edges of downtown Trotson, we were heading in the direction of the tall Trinity Tower, but apparently not landing at the top or even directly in front of it. For some reason we seemed to be coming in for a landing at a barricaded street leading to a large park in front of the building.

"BEWARE OF SWAN"

The odd message scrawled on the side of a passenger sky carriage mostly blocking off the road had me at a loss and I peered ahead to the park between us and the skyscraper that was our goal. It was a block wide square in front of the entrance, a big pond snaked its way through the middle and under a small hoof bridge leading to an ancient stone gazebo.

There was playground equipment rusting away to ruin, skeletal trees and a few hardy flowers or weeds that managed to grow, a shed with yellow barrels spilling out into the water, but the closest thing to a swan I saw was the funny little swan shaped paddle boats half sunken or smashed on the shore near a two story boat house.

There were also a good number of remains scattered about the area, plenty of ponies, but I saw a Gunner griffon, ghouls and parts of monsters I didn't want to guess about.

"Alright, I give. What's a Swan and why should we beware? Why'd we land here?" I stretched my legs, hopping off Jade's back with Glitter as it seemed we were staying right here and looking around in confusion at the three alicorns who brought us here.

The leader of the little troupe, Ivy, trotted past the warning and waved us forward soothingly. "Nothing to worry about. We just need to walk on through and let her know you're guests. You may wish to stay back a bit though, right this way."

That was... ominous... but I followed along with everyone else, walking towards the park did at least give a patch of open sky above instead of the narrow canyons of the city streets, which was slightly less claustrophobic. As we moved closer my pip-buck flashed; Discovered Location: Trotson Common and all of our alicorn companions, including Jade, gave a pleased little whinny as the arcano-tech device started chattering slowy. Those barrels in the water were highly radioactive, quite enjoyable for them but not so much for the rest of us, I put myself between Glitter and the source of the invisible danger, nudging her away while they drew closer.

Up on the sidewalk was far enough for the clicking to slow to a safe, lazy rate I deemed good enough after checking Glitter's own rainbow colored rad meter, still safely in the blue. The sight of Jade and her sisters strolling to the arching metal gate to the park, looking like they were basking in a sunny summer day instead of a chilly fall sprinkle, was piquing my curiosity.

Despite her protests I left Glitter safely on the sidewalk with the others and edged a little closer, ratcheting up the clicking from my hoof slightly while a green mark had appeared on E.F.S. out towards the boathouse. Ivy faced that way and called out across the water clearly, "Swan dear, can you see our guests? They are free to come and go, alright?"

"GUESTS... OK..." A rumbling reply shook the old boathouse, making me gulp nervously.

Ivy either spotted or more easily read the concern flashing through my mind at the booming answer, smiling reassuringly as she trotted back. "There we are. She likes it out here, we think she may have been a guard or law-pony before... Swan guards the tower, very, very well... It's also useful to have a purple so charged, she's quite the expert teleporter and can manage amazing distances. A green or a blue may volunteer out here if their skills are needed, but Swan lives out here."

I took a more critical look at some of the damage and bodies out here and shuddered, the furrow gouged out of a nearby building in a perfectly round trench, carts and chariots tossed out of the way or utterly destroyed by signs of powerful magic, those large, deep puddles suspiciously shaped like hoofprints I could easily stand in... Swan was a good guard indeed, judging by the evidence I was glad we made the stop, I had no interest in making what must be a very big alicorn with a talent for violence angry.

Jade and her sisters rejoined us looking refreshed and happy, having a nearby source of such heavy radiation had to come in handy for the alicorns living in the tower. The mention of teleporting reminded me of my own limited success with the difficult spell, prompting a hopeful question to three alicorns.

"Are any of the others good at teleports? I can kinda use that spell, but still not well, anypony I can ask for pointers?"

The blue Peri gave a perplexed look and adjusted her tan Minutemare hat she still refused to part with, pointing a wing back to the boathouse. "Swan is the best at it, just ask her. I will if you like, HEY SWAN!...."

"No, no, no! D-Don't want to bother her, I'll er... ask later, thank you Peri..." I waved my hooves and pleaded, getting the odd blue mare to nod, satisfied she had helped, before turning back to the pond. "NEVERMIND SWAN! HE'LL ASK LATER!"

The boathouse gave a rumble in return, knocking off a stray shingle and putting that idea firmly in the 'highly unlikely' file for me. I'd stick with the magic primers I bought from Corona and keep plugging away at it, Jade gave me the idea her kind could be... unpredictable when they soaked up that much radiation.

I spotted a bronze marker below the arching entrance, just above a splash of color on the street, and put up with the clicking to trot over to inspect it. A round, bronze disc a little smaller than a ponyhole cover, emblazoned with the cloud and lightning bolt design of Rainbow Dash's own cutie mark, was set in the sidewalk below a matching bronze plaque on a post.

Rainbow Trail

Follow Rainbow Dash's own '30 second sightseeing tour' of Trotson!
Built by the city of Trotson in honor of Rainbow Dash's
annual charity race for veterans, the Rainbow Trail is
visible whether out for a trot or flying along the city streets.
Follow the trail of the course that leads to a number of
historical points of interest in the city!

"What's it say dad?!" Glitter had kept back as told, minding the radiation detector on her own pip-buck now that she had been reminded about it. Instead of approaching she called from the opposite sidewalk beside Jade and her robot guardian.

I waved to her and walked back to them through the fading crosswalk, keeping my head down and scuffing the pavement with my hooves as I went, uncovering more of the brightly colored bricks that trailed away from the sign. The odd trail was flush with the ground, as much as possible anyway given how uneven it had become in general, a single line of bricks stretching off and disappearing under rubble, only to reappear elsewhere in a splash of color among all the grey.

"Something I heard about back in Bunker Hill, see?" The little filly had followed my progress and started kicking at the ground in excitement, revealing more of the mulitcolored line nearby.

I checked them off as I walked back to her eager work; blue brick, green brick, yellow brick, orange brick, red brick, purple brick, back to blue brick again. I idly wondered if they were enchanted or earth pony made to remain so bright and vibrant, the dirt and rubble that filled the streets could cover them, but they were in perfect shape when wiped off as Glitter was doing.

"Where's it go! Let's follow it!" The foal in the rain slicker was perfectly content to keep uncovering more bricks, but we had other things to do for now. The trail she was uncovering crossed the street again and went straight to the weathered copper statue sitting in front of Trinity Tower, corresponding to the marker in my vision serving as a reminder of that.

Val answered her question well enough for now, "That? Goes all over kiddo, makes a good marker if you ever get lost in all this ruin, can get confusin' in downtown Trotson, even from the air. Even parts of an aerial course up on some of the buildings, though that Dash pony musta been one helluva flier to make some of those dives an' loops. You and yer mom an' sis not get out this way?"

"No... mom always said it was too dangerous, she was scared of monsters. That's neat though! What's this one say?" Glitter had followed the trail to the statue and brushed at the dirty plate just above another round Dash marker at its base, standing on her hind legs to get a look while I read it with her. My pip-buck flashing Discovered Location: Trinity Tower as I hit the sidewalk on this side of the street.

Trinity Tower -- Trotson M.A.S. Hub

Twilight Sparkle often received
her friend Rainbow Dash here at
her local Ministry Hub.

The fountain statue
'Spirit of Ponyville' depicts the trinity of ponies;
earth, unicorn and pegasus, working together
in harmony.

The green statue did sit in a declivity collecting rainwater, a lot of pre-war bits gleamed up from below the scum on the water, that Val felt no compunctions over swooping out to pluck free. I supposed it had been a nice fountain once, it was a little warped and melty looking here and there, but the depiction was still clear enough, this building's magical defenses had to have been pretty good.

A trio of stylized fillies in a pyramid, earth pony on the left, unicorn on the right and a pegasus flying up to the sky between them, wings outspread. The six pointed star of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences symbol was held between them.

Empty frames for several wide, shattered glass doors led into the gloomy lobby of Trinity Tower beyond the statue. Steel shutters had blocked off all but one set, the barrier looked to have been peeled away from the center doors, revealing the gloom beyond. Our guides seemed content to sit here in the plaza outside and wait however. I was getting curious as to why we didn't just get out of the rain and about to say so, when a pair of blue alicorns materialized in the shadows of the building.

"You brought outsiders..." The first accused and glowered and Ivy.

"She won't be happy." The second blue continued, pointing back to the lobby, a single elevator in the middle of several was lit and appeared to be moving.

"She's on her way." The first finished and stood patiently at the doors.

These two were darker than either Jade or Peri, a blue heading towards midnight instead of Jade's lighter color, which was a bit strange since I thought they were all supposed to be pretty similar. Their manner of speaking was throwing me off too and I whispered a question about it to Jade as Ivy led us toward them and the mostly dry lobby.

"There is a... limited form of unity here, with a good number of greens in the tower to facilitate it. It is not like before with the goddess, but I can hear many of my sisters in this tower, it is... nostalgic. That is why they speak so, you are missing out on part of the conversation Fast." Jade looked a bit apologetic at the perceived rudeness and turned to Ivy silently.

This had to be more of that telepathy going over my head, as we walked across the echoing marble floor Ivy turned back, kindly speaking aloud to the guards and us. "Of course sister. Yes we have guests, seeing how they are not part of our unity it is rude to leave them out sisters, please speak verbally in their presence Seafoam, Marine."

The pair gave her a dubious look, but huffed and spoke in something closer to full sentences. "Very well sister Ivy... It is good to see you returned safely, I see the stories were true?" The first, Seafoam, had cautiously come forward and was eyeing the heart and crown cutie mark on Jade's flank with naked longing.

"Sister Periwinkle, what are you wearing? Where did you get that?" The second blue, Marine, looked more interested in Peri's hat and sniper rifle, trotting forward and circling her curiously, poking at the accessories with her magic.

"Gifts! I am an honorary Minutemare, they gave me a hat and taught me to shoot this. It is rather enjoyable Marine, I can show..." Peri's excited explanation was cut off by the warbling ding from the somehow functional elevator arriving.

There were seven scattered around the lobby from what I had taken in so far, but all looked either rusted shut or to have fallen to this floor like bombs at the end. Several of the doors were blown out, debris and pony skeletons spilling out in a fan before them. Only the largest elevator, directly in the center of the building had survived intact, the light next to L1 above the doors flickered as the doors opened.

Puzzling over how an elevator could still be in working order was put aside when the regal looking, dark purple mare tromped out. She had to have taken the pre-war conveyance for effect, flying down from above must be faster, but didn't have quite the impact of seeing the big mare filling the small booth and ducking her way out.

She shook her long white mane around her and fluffed her wings, fixing Magnolia with a baleful stare and glaring at Peri's hat before addressing Ivy. "What have you done!? I told you, minimal interaction! How is it I have now heard one of our sisters on the radio, singing!? Did you think I did not know about her hobby? That I wouldn't recognize her voice?"

"Er... t-that was my doing..." I squeaked under the annoyed glare that earned me from the Trinity Tower leader, but couldn't let Ivy or the others take the fall for my meddling.

I got the idea there was a flurry of telepathy going on, rudeness was not a concern for the tall purple that stomped up to loom over me. Jade got a very annoyed look on her face, curling one wing over me and the other down to touch Glitter, who was watching the proceedings with awe.

She puffed up and stuck her chest out at the glowering Umbra, earning her a glare but finally seeming to win the silent confrontation as the leader here sighed and grumbled. "Personal feelings and attachment... madness. So you're the little pony that likes our kind. One of us not enough? Decide to spread out and diversify? One Destroyer wasn't enough, even though we fled here, now the goddesses send another to further agitate things!"

"What!? No! It's not like that... I... I want to help, not make things worse! I'm not a Destroyer!" Hearing Virescent's name for me raised my hackles and my shout echoed in the cavernous lobby.

Umbra narrowed her yellow eyes and growled out a menacing reply, "We shall see..."

Thankfully distracting me from her simmering gaze, my pip-buck threw text in my vision in front of her annoyed face;

Mission Updated: Here There Be Alicorns

Objective-
-~~Investigate Trinity Tower~~
-Speak with Umbra

"Wow! Lookit how many there are!" Glitter gasped and watched all the alicorns moving about beyond the doorway of the office we had been sequestered in, her pink eyes wide and sparkling as she took them all in.

The green with a pale yellow-green mane guarding the door gave the little filly at her feet an indulgent look and shuffled a bit out of her way, shaking it off and trying to look imposing when she noticed me watching. Glitter's only complaint was being unable to run around the floor of offices near the top of Trinity Tower freely, while mine were mounting.

A brief but tense argument started as soon as Umbra made it clear only myself and reluctantly the foal were to be allowed to the upper floors of the building. Val was furious at being told to wait in the lobby with Zed and AssaultJack, soothed only when I begged to go along with the order for just a little while.

I had the feeling she had consoled herself by deciding nothing was stopping her from simply flying up and keeping an eye out. Zed had been mildly annoyed, but at least willing to wait in the interest of finding the Church of Balefire, since it was started by a former resident. Glitter had straight out refused being left behind, getting her way through sheer will as far as I could tell, even the mighty Umbra reluctantly conceded eventually.

Jade went up with us in the elevator while the others flew up, giving us a few minutes together before she had been whisked away when we arrived, while Glitter and I had been escorted to an unused office to wait. The trip up gave me a better idea why just that single elevator had survived anyway, the complex terminal and controls inside marked it as special and apparently still partially locked.

I had to resist the temptation to start tinkering with it, my pip-buck patch cable gently pushed aside by Jade when it... flew out on its own... Playing around with a M.A.S. secured elevator terminal in the alicorn's home probably wasn't a great idea, but I was still stewing on it sitting there, waiting to be hacked...

Now I was getting concerned, Jade had gone off with Umbra and the others when we reached this floor and had yet to return. Glitter may be able to amuse herself with the novelty of so many different alicorns, but it was wearing off for me. While I rooted around in the large wooden desk in here with us out of boredom, Glitter asked the only thing I had idly wondered about for me.

"How come some of you are darker than others?" The foal piped up, tracking a blue out in the open area outside that was a dark blue bordering on black. She looked up at the green acting as our... escort (I refused to say guard) expectantly, the innocent curiosity chipping away at her resolve.

I made sure to continue looking through the warped drawers, completely absorbed in moldy old expense reports for gems going to Mass Arcano Fusion. I was apparently suspect for some reason, but our guardian shared a weakness for foals I had seen in others of her kind, eventually cracking and answering her with a soft, sweet voice. "We all used to look that way little one, some have come farther than others since the Goddess fell."

The confused look she gave I caught out of the corner of my eye reflected my own reaction to the cryptic comment. "Even Miss Jade? Why? Why don't you now? You don't Miss...?"

She looked down to where the foal was pointing at her own forest green coat, following Glitter's gaze out to one of her sisters a couple shades darker than herself. "I... My name is Lime little one. Have you ever heard the theory that the soul shapes the container it is in? The state of your spirit being reflected in your form? We believe that is why, when we were all extensions of the Goddess, we were more uniform and shaped by her overwhelming presence. Since she has gone, many of us have changed slightly, the darkness is merely one such change. It varies depending on the... i-individual, but yes I and even sister Jade once looked like that."

"The soul shapes... can that happen? How would you know? Er... other than your case I mean, you'd have to be able to rip out a pony's soul and stick it in somepony or something else." I forgot to try to stay out of the conversation in surprise, the unbidden imagery of Jade with a darker coat was distracting.

Thankfully Lime wasn't that put out at my interruption, though her answer left me a bit chilled. "Ponies and Zebras alike engaged in some very dark magic, during the war and since, there is evidence to support the idea we have run across. Have you never seen attractive raiders that are ugly from the evil within them? Hideous saints that shine with an internal beauty?"

The Ministry Mare statues I carried with me proved her point, I still had a hard time accepting things like necromancy and soul magic had been used during the war by both sides at the end. It was an interesting theory anyway, seeing the darker shades of the three colors was odd too, but I was encouraged that most seemed to be lightening closer to richer primary or even pastel colors. If that really was a sign of separation and growth from the existence they had under the Goddess, many here were coming along well.

"I don't know much about you guys from... before... Jade was the first alicorn I met and that was long after the Goddess was gone, so I've only seen her as she is. I didn't know what kind of changes you've had to go through since then, it must have been hard."

Lime's look softened a bit and she turned away to watch Glitter still avidly staring at the other alicorns peeking in at us. "It was, it is still. You being here is. We never met Evergreen's buck and he caused a great deal of disruption, you'll forgive us if you're viewed with a bit of suspicion. Though since you are here, and we are speaking... you... you truly love sister Jade?"

Well that was an easy question, I bobbed my head rapidly as Glitter tittered to herself. "Yes! More than any mare! I'm here for her, umm... and to try to help the rest of you, since you're sisters and all... I really don't mean any harm, but I do think Jade and even Evergreen are right about one thing, you should deal with others. You are ponies like any other, you shouldn't try to keep yourselves separate and hide."

That declaration brought an unsure frown to Lime's pretty face, but she straightened and shook it off quickly. "We are becoming aware of your thoughts on the subject, thanks to sister Jade. Hush now, they are coming and I... was not supposed to fraternize..."

True to her warning, Ivy and a purple guard with a light orange mane arrived seconds later. The green mare who had been our guest looked tired and worried, waving Lime aside and the two of us out of the room. "Come along, both of you. Umbra will speak with you now."

"Everything ok Ivy?" I whispered up to her as we walked out into the main office floor, weaving our way around large cubicles leading towards the receptionists desk and the big office behind it, most of the glass of its walls in tact and dirty blinds closed to cut off the view.

"Fine Fast, we have merely been listening to sister Jade and her experiences, with a focus on her mark of course." Ivy replied aloud for me, but I also got the unpleasant sensation I last felt from Virescent of her in my head, continuing her answer silently. "Umbra is very unhappy Fast, I hope you are convincing. She views you as an infection, already turning the three of us who went to get you away from unity."

Well fantastic... The mare in charge was already mad at me and I just had to be convincing and charming... no problem at all for a social misfit. Ivy opened the doors to the office with her magic ahead of us, the flaking paint reading "Resource Management Director Shine" still barely legible. That confirmed we were on some kind of accounting level of the M.A.S. hub, not the more interesting areas, making that locked elevator increase its siren call in my head.

The purple escort took up a post at the door and stayed behind, leaving us to enter the well preserved office and walk right into an argument already in progress. Umbra stood inches away from Peri, holding her hoof out expectantly and clearly not liking the insubordination she was getting, while Magnolia cringed in the corner and Jade watched with a dissatisfied frown.

"No." Peri answered whatever she was being asked by the dark mare, leading to a twitch of one yellow eye and a stamp of hooves.

"Magnolia and her intentional violation is bad enough Periwinkle, I'll not have it from you too! For the last time, give me that hat!" Umbra fumed and thrust her hoof out again, glaring at the tan Minutemare hat clutched to Peri's blonde mane protectively.

"No. It is mine. I like it. I will keep it." Peri was utterly implacable, answering in that frustratingly detached tone that crept in when she didn't understand or agree with something.

Fortunately I gave Umbra a new target for her ire, on noticing me she stomped over and scowled down at me, shaking a hoof at the stubborn blue. "This is your fault! You are a corruption, just like Evergreen's stallion. I'll not have you turning my sisters against the group like he did! A hat! She's willing to disobey, digging her hooves in over a hat!"

"I like it." Peri's quiet reply really wasn't helping me...

The dark purple mare towering over me scowled like she wanted to rip my heart out, breaking off the confrontation when Jade walked up defensively. Whatever talking they had already done, both looked to me to continue and I got the impression whatever I said next was of great interest to both of them, for differing reasons.

"It's a hat, why not let her wear it? She likes it." Copying the thrust of Peri's reasoning sounded a little simple, but I got hung up on the same basic point first, the taboo against pony clothes seemed silly to me.

Umbra's eyes widened then narrowed to dragon like slits as she seethed. "Because we don't need them! We are perfect survivors, we don't need clothes for warmth or weather, we have no reason to wear them! The mother never..."

"Liking it is a reason to wear it. The Goddess didn't let you use pony weapons either right? But Peri's a crack shot, if she had one when the Goddess was around, she would have been a lot better at her job. Your mother wasn't right about everything, besides, she's gone now. Who are you to say she can't do what she wants, or that Magnolia can't sing and... do... other things..."

I gulped at the reaction that outburst brought, and at how close I came to mentioning Magnolia's short date. She might have heard the singing alicorn on the radio, but that didn't mean she knew about what else we got up to and I didn't want to make things worse.

I was very glad I had my own big alicorn on our side, Umbra could be as scary as the unseen Swan, especially when she snorted in those angry puffs from her nostrils at my direction. Jade stuck right at my side and draped her wing over my shoulder, sighing out a patient call for calm. "As I was trying to tell you sister, it is not malicious but he has a point. You are not the mother, you cannot protect our sisters from change, it is natural."

"I am the leader they have! We didn't go whimpering to the Pony Who Helps to tell us what to do, we just wanted to be left alone! To find our own place..." Umbra deflated a bit as she trailed off, being in charge of this little group of her kind must have been difficult, I couldn't blame her if she felt threatened.

Still, she was wrong and I couldn't stop myself from saying so. "I know, but your place is with other ponies, living your life as you want, not how you think you should. That's how Jade got her mark, being true to herself and what she wanted to do, that won't happen if you hide here and keep trying to be what the Goddess wanted."

The mention of Jade's cutie mark focused her attention and she seemed to rally, pacing the room as she spoke. "Yes, the mark... It proves we can regain them, but does that mean we must do as she did? Lower ourselves to serving her Followers of the Apocalypse, engage in relations with puny ponies like yourself? She got it for accepting a role you gave her, perhaps it's you and not her that's responsible. I still fail to see how such a meek, bleeding heart sister could not only claim the title of princess, but be rewarded a cutie mark for it! She is..."

My own simmering anger at the insults she casually tossed Jade's way was actually exceeded by Glitter. Having already bounded around the room and unsuccessfully tried to cheer Magnolia, she charged over and stood between Jade and Umbra, trying to be as intimidating as possible for a little filly in a pink dress.

"You're mean! You made Magnolia unhappy! You're just jealous, you don't got a mark and m-mom does!" Her pink eyes were set in a determined line as she stared up at the surprised Umbra, the purple mare's shock mirrored on Jade's features at her declaration.

"Mom? Y-You would call me... mom?" Jade stammered down the the filly, a slowly dawning look of hopeful joy breaking out on her face as she stared at Glitter, ignoring Umbra and anything else.

Glitter scratched her silver mane and fidgeted, mumbling up to her nervously. "S-Sure... I mean, y-you're not mommy, my mom... my r-real mom... but... Yeah! You're daddy's special somepony, an you're a good mom! My mom! An she don't get to be mean to my mom!"

The tearful, pouncing hug Jade unleashed made me glad for that famous earth pony strength, without it I was worried the filly would crumple like a tin can in that embrace while Jade blubbered. Umbra watched with mild amusement before turning to me with a sarcastic look. "Not precisely the kind of motherhood we are seeking, though... touching."

"Why not? There's lots of orphans out in the Commonwealth that need somepony, it's a rough world out there for foals. Even if you can't have kids for now, you could be mothers. That's one of the things the Followers do, start orphanages and stuff... I've seen how much a lot of you like foals, you could help, care for others, be happy like that!" I pointed to the big blue alicorn currently covering a wheezing, struggling foal in her grip with happy kisses to illustrate my point.

The Trinity Tower leader looked like she actually considered it, humming thoughtfully for a moment before her stern expression returned. "That... may not be so bad. But motherhood is not reproduction, we are left with the driving problem of our species, with the Goddess gone there will never be any more of us than there are now. Each one of us that dies is now irreplaceable. Say I followed your thinking, let my sisters do as they wished. What if they try to make friends and are turned away as a monster, attacked, killed? Or they find normal stallions and mares they wish to be with, to abandon the rest of us for one pony, make us all weaker for a relationship that will never produce a foal? You say we are ponies like any other, but the truth is we are not and never will be. We are all that remains of the mother, the more we scatter and forget that, the more the last of her dies."

"You are not monsters! You ARE ponies! Only ponies get cutie marks! Just because you're different or can't reproduce doesn't mean you're not. B-Besides... what if you could, with normal ponies?"

Umbra gave a very guarded look and leaned down menacingly, "Now you sound very much like those that tempted Evergreen and her cohorts away. I will not listen to more false promises..."

"It's not! Er.. I'm not like them, the Institute I mean. But how much do you know about what they've been doing? Because I think there are things you should hear..."

Filling Umbra in on what I knew about Evergreen's new 'friends' and what they had been up to improved her mood somewhat. The dark purple leader was disgusted at the idea of the mutant alicorns I described, but interested in my belief that Moondancer may actually be able to deliver what she promised. Informing her of my intent to find out one way or the other and take the knowledge if I could won me some brownie points too I think.

That still wasn't very far into her good graces though, my requests to play with the elevator or look around the M.A.S. hub were all instantly denied. As was asking if Val and Zed could join us, asking to move about freely and talk with the others, and even hinting at staying here any length of time, let alone overnight.

Unfortunately that refusal wasn't the same for all of us, Jade and Umbra were still engaged in some kind of telepathic debate and she was welcome to stay. I could tell whatever she was silently arguing about was important, she looked pained asking to stay for awhile, but did ask. I didn't like the thought of leaving her behind, despite the logical points that she could fly and turn invisible and could therefore take care of herself quite well, or that Goodneighbor wasn't far away and already our next destination, or that Umbra promised she'd be escorted there before full dark.

I couldn't really think of any way to refuse her either though, her sisters were hinky about outsiders and we had exhausted our welcome for today, limited as it was. She had been concerned about this group and plainly had more to say, dealing with them just wasn't going to be a quick fix and she was determined to put in the time.

She did promise we'd return together, Umbra and the others were interested in asking me more as well, but for now they only wanted one of their own around and I needed to respect that. Plus if we didn't leave soon we'd get caught out in the city after sunset, not a prospect I looked forward to.

I didn't have to like it though. After putting up a supportive face when Jade saw us off in front of the tower fountain, I was free to trudge along and pout as we walked down the gentle slopes of downtown Trotson's streets. I kicked more rainbow bricks clear with my hooves as we went, more to take out frustration than reveal the trail in the gathering dark.

"Oh quit bein' pitiful boss! Blue will catch up in no time, 'sides if she's off with the relatives we can have some fun while she's gone huh? Goodneighbor will perk ya right up!" Val padded along the cracked asphalt with us rather than fly, giving me playful nudges to drag me out of my quite comfortable sullen mood.

"You still haven't told me why this Goodneighbor place is so great Val. I don't know anything about it, I know I miss Jade..." I grumbled back and veered off to follow a branch of the brick trail, sticking my head in an old, half collapsed brick building at this intersection, my pip-buck informing me I had found "The Old Corner Bookstore", if the little bronze plaque on the wall, above another round Rainbow Dash marker in the sidewalk wasn't enough.

Old Corner Bookstore

The oldest bookstore in Trotson,
this establishment is a favorite
of both Ministry Mares Twilight Sparkle
and Rainbow Dash.

A book signing here by A.K. Yearling or
other popular authors is sure to draw
Rainbow Dash in for a visit to beautiful Trotson!

"We're almost there, can't spoil it now! Let's just say it's not the kinda fun Blue usually approves of boss. Now c'mon! Quit diggin' around in junk and let's gooo alreeeeeady!" The impatient griffon sing-songed the whine at the end, dragging me away from the ruined bookstore with regret.

The place was almost a total loss, wet, coast weather didn't agree with old books and ancient construction. The best I ran across in my brief canter down the rotting shelves was a moldy old copy of 'Principles of Proper Pony Speech'. Not exactly entertaining reading, but if I had to keep talking with the Trinity Tower alicorns it may come in useful, so I stashed it in my bags and rejoined the others at the brick trail marching off down the street.

I had to climb a pile of rubble from a collapsed storefront that covered the bright bricks, peering around in the cloudy daylight further reduced by the tall buildings and elevated roads and rails above us, finally picking out another splash of color in the direction the others had already continued in.

Glitter had pranced ahead slightly, finding a sunken dip in the road as the hilly streets kept gradually going lower towards the sea, she splashed around the puddles and brackish water that had collected in the low intersection. "I don't like it neither dad! I wanted ta stay! Why'd Miss... m-mom.. have to stay and we couldn't? S'not fair! I don't think..."

Her complaints were suddenly cut off, a bursting series of splashes all around her matched the set of red marks E.F.S. lit up with, driving everything from my mind except her when she squealed in terror. I mentally bucked myself for letting her wander ahead even a few feet, everything was moving in slow motion and I could take in every bit of fear in those pink eyes.

The world froze as if I activated S.A.T.S. and I saw no one could make it in time, even her robotic guardian was too far away to protect her... Everything in me raged desperately in denial, along with the strong, kind and unwavering chorus in my head and I screamed with them, pouring every ounce of my being into somehow reaching her.

My ears popped and everything got bright for an instant, then I suddenly found myself past Val, Zed and AssaultJack and between her and... oh what fresh wasteland horror were these things... Turtles?

Giant... turtles... standing up on their hindlegs, of which they had too many... Their forelegs had grown disproportionately larger and ended with wicked claws, the spiky shells were as thick as armor plating and formed the round top of the things silhouette, the head sticking out and facing forward above its chestplate, while those four flipper like hindlegs propelled it along way too fast.

The nearest of the ugly creatures that so cleverly disguised themselves in the muck snapped out at the little filly. It may look vaguely like a turtle, but it was anything but slow, the wrinkly neck shot out from the heavy plated shell, right at her face. Shoving her back frantically with my hoof spared her, the beak clamping down on my foreleg felt like a vice. It couldn't quite get through my armored sleeve, saving me from losing the limb entirely, but I felt a sickening crunching in the bones under that grip and waves of pain rolled over me.

When pulling away got me nothing, I drew the Terrible Shotgun and started firing into the monster's midsection, quite concerned when the shotgun barely penetrated the mottled plates there and didn't get it to let go. Val launched herself at the stubborn thing, cramming her huge pistol right into its face and pulling the trigger repeatedly, nearly deafening me from the roar right by my head.

"Gotta hit 'em in the head boss!" The bright griffon screeched above the ringing in my ears, before propelling herself off the slumping corpse and unleashing a stream of red magical energy weapons fire into the swamped intersection.

Judging by not only Val, but Zed and AssaultJack all shooting forward and the red marks in my vision, I could only guess they were dealing with more of these things. I couldn't exactly see as the annoying turtle creature's jaws were still painfully locked on my foreleg, refusing to budge even in death, the bulky shell dragging me down to the ground with it also blocked most of my view ahead.

I could at least see Glitter behind me while I yanked uselessly at the corpse that had latched on to me, the pale foal was terrified but still unharmed. Though the pile of oblong, mottled green objects hidden away in the back of the overturned cart she was backing towards worried me. Especially the way they were rattling at her approach...

"Glitter, stop! Look behind you!" I yelled to her, grinding my teeth against the pain as I tried to pull free.

She was plainly horrified and wanted to get away from the monsters currently dying some messy deaths from the sound of it, but stopped and shakily looked over her shoulder. Her scream sent me into a panic when one of the mottled green eggs chose that damn moment to hatch, spewing out a small, slimy, razor beaked little horror that immediately started flopping its way over the ground towards her.

I saw her fumbling in her rain slicker as she fell over herself escaping the new threat, crawling and stumbling her way back to me. Then my brain finally started thinking of more than pointlessly pulling to reach her, I facehoofed and pulled out Best Served, hacking away with the star metal knife at the monster's neck recessed behind the rim of its shell.

Only a couple of clumsy swipes parted the head from the bulky body, the beak was still locked in a crushing grip, but I could move again! I dashed away from the corpse and back towards the new 'zap' of Glitter's boxy magical energy weapon, Righteous Authority, incinerating one of the tiny turtles swarming out of the cart for every half dozen shots.

The little filly was squealing around the mouth grip of the weapon, but was putting up a brave fight, the nasty slug-like things were nipping at her hooves, drawing blood. I saw the precious red fluid staining her pale coat, then I just saw red, Best Served flew ahead of me and sliced them to ribbons, flashing in a quick series of jerks and turns all around her. The gleaming knife floated back to my side as I tackled her in a protective embrace, trying to keep the head still attached to my hoof away from her.

I could feel her shivering in my grip as I turned back to the intersection, the last clump of red in my vision disappearing with a ringing explosion from Val's grenade machinegun as she swooped back anxiously. When she landed lightly next to us, the griffon bodyguard wasted no time poking at me and the filly frantically, inspecting for damage with worried clucking. "Jeez I hate them things! You alright boss?! Kid?! Aw shit, lemme see where yer bleedin' kiddo! Blue is gonna be so pissed... missin' our medic and you two choose now ta get hurt! Boss, yer gonna have ta cut that ugly mug off, Miretanks don't let go easy."

Val dumped a number of magical bandages and potions from her bags, setting about inexpertly applying them to Glitter's hooves while I started prying at the jaws of the... "Miretank?" I asked curiously as Best Served sliced through the tendons connected to the vice like beak around my leg, "What in the name of Celestia is a Miretank?"

"That is boss, duh. You've never been out by the coast or anywhere wet enough, but they're all over the Commonwealth. Nasty buggers, shell's like steel, sharp beaks and claws, sneaky... Should'a been more on guard... I'm sorry kiddo, you ok?" With clear worry Val shoved another healing potion in Glitter's muzzle and kept mummifying her hooves.

"Right sorry 'bout that little miss! Ah didn't detect no threats till them critters popped up outta nowhere! Updatin' mah threat detection software an' beastiary. Awful ashamed of mahself now..." The gleaming AssaultJack robot shuffled close to her, convincingly embarrassed and covered in Miretank gore, looking to share the blame.

The too pale filly sputtered and pulled the purple potion away, shakily waving off Val's unskilled medical care. "I-I'm ok Auntie Val, it was my fault... I shouldn'ta g-gone ahead playin'... D-Daddy saved me, a-are you ok dad?" She looked over with watery pink eyes still spilling tears, hopefully from the shock and not the wounds Val had gone overboard wrapping.

I gritted my teeth and tried not to wince as the terrible pressure on my fetlock finally fell away, hissing despite myself when I tried to put weight on it and noticing the blood oozing from under my sleeve now that circulation was returning. "I'm fine sweetie, no problem. You two can both stop trying to take the blame too, I'm supposed to be responsible for her, I let her get ahead, just because I was distracted. I'm really sorry Glitter, you alright? Are these things poisonous Val!?" With the adrenaline wearing off a host of self recriminations and worries about her wounds was taking hold.

"Nah, not these, definitely not hatchlings boss. She's fine, right Glitter? Think we can just agree ta share the blame so Blue can't kill all of us, but you saved her boss. Pretty slick, ya said ya learned teleportin' but I didn't think ya were that good yet!" Val's grinning reply beat back a little of the panic that was threatening to take over, replacing some with confusion.

"What? What teleporting?"

The griffon cocked a feathery eyebrow in return, but Glitter answered in a yelp that I was glad to hear was already close to her normal, boisterously happy tone. "You did dad! I-It was awesome! You were all far away an' then FWOOSH! You was right there an' pushed me away, you said you could only do little stuff fibber!"

Zed returned from the sunken streets, wiping ichor from his deadly hooves, I spotted a few more of the creatures with bleeding dents in their shells just that size and shuddered at his skill at hoof to hoof combat. "The little one is correct, most impressive. I believed I could reach her in time, but you appeared ahead of me and removed the need."

"Yeah boss, was all... lightning-y... but you blipped right over there! You holdin' out on me, thought you said only small stuff too!" Val's agreement with the others was sincere, but news to me.

"I teleported? Er... ok, if you guys say so. I wasn't trying to... or I was just trying to get there as fast as possible, not to teleport to do it. I guess that magic test thingy was right about me being able to, but I doubt I could again intentionally. I am glad it decided to work now, let's uh... stick a little closer together, alright sweetie?" Well... that explained the massive drain on my magic I noticed now that my heart wasn't racing. Hopefully the headache between my eyes would go away soon.

The tight little hug she gave was agreement enough, I grabbed her in a field of my blue magic and floated her to my back to spare her hooves. Standing to leave with her small weight brought on a sharp jab of pain from my foreleg, making me stumble and wince to Val's displeasure. She still looked bothered at the close call, transfering Glitter to her own back and rolling my sleeve up with an unhappy frown at the mangled limb beneath.

"Gawd she is gonna kill me... This is lookin' like a healin' potion just ain't enough for it boss, shoulda said somethin'! Lucky we ain't far now an' I might know a doctor that'll look at ya, think ya can make it a little further or want me ta fly ya boss?" The clear worry in her and Glitter's faces helped me smile and limp forward, the potion shoved in my mouth and vial of Med-X the griffon jabbed me with helped too of course.

"I'll be fine, not far right? Let's just take it slow and careful ok?" Neither looked all that convinced as they watched me hobble off, I wasn't going to add to either ones worries though. A little further on three hooves wouldn't be all that bad right?

By the time we reached the imposing metal gates of Goodneighbor, I had come to realize I was spoiled having a doctor alicorn around all the time...

My leg was a burning agony the Med-X thankfully dulled down to bearable, the few short blocks we had to travel to get here had been rough going. It was bad enough nowhere in Trotson seemed built on level ground to begin with, the added piles of trash and debris from centuries of ruin, blocked streets and shortcuts through choked alleys or crumbling buildings all just added to it. The last block had at least been fairly clear and flat, signs that this area was patrolled and regularly traveled, giving me enough of a break to think straight and read the plaque above another dirty rainbow trail marker.

Goodneighbor

Favored destination of Ministry Mares
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie when in town,
Goodneighbor has always been an
entertainment and culinary center
of Trotson.

A good neighbor throws a good party,
that's what neighbors are for right?

The multicolored bricks led off into the ruins of the city, but at the moment I had no interest in following them further. I looked up to the arching, somehow functional, neon letters above the gates reading "Welcome to Goodneighbor!" A fading bit of sculpture depicted the head and hooves of Ministry Mare Pinkie Pie peeking over it, the chipped paint of her manic blue eyes staring down at anyone entering the bright and raucous town past her. The smaller continuation of the sign, "Where every day's a party! Forever!", just made it creepy.

A couple of guards in pink security barding patrolled around the entrance, but the gates were open for the rowdy crowd within to come and go as they pleased. From my first impression the place was like a bizarre mix of the best of Diamond City and the worst of Hexington. The cobblestone streets were brightly lit by old fashioned streetlamps with modern lightbulbs, a great number of ghouls among all the ponies wandered about, even a few griffons and pegasi looped overhead, many of them obviously drunk or otherwise inebriated, swaying to the lively music filling the area.

There were beggars at the gates, prostitutes on the corners and drug dealers in the alleys, next to ponies hawking all manner of salvage, foods, weapons, armor, "clean" drugs, games and gambling for the local establishments. The town was in decent shape, though still dirty and a little squallid in the corners, but for the most part all the residents looked to be having a grand time.

I could see a theater and several old restaurants were occupied and doing a brisk business, the clear center of town however was a glowing tower in the center of town, a tall skyscraper that was surprisingly intact and unsullied. A lot of traffic was going that way, several guards in more of the weird pink barding were all over it. I was shocked to see an old Pinkie Pie balloon hanging in the air nearby several floors up, the tattered and patched inflatable Pinkie Pie head obscured by the building from our approach, in the basket I could make out three more guards with very long rifles mounted to the edges.

It was built to be the focus of the area, right smack in the middle with multiple entrances facing all sides. The brightly colored, circus themed decor I could make out was a little jarring after the gloomy streets of Trotson. More working neon adorned the doors of the edifice facing us, glowing pink letters and marching bulbs spelling out "Wingding Circus Casino".

Gaping at all the spectacle, I limped forward a few steps and leaned against an old noticeboard. A tattered Ministry of Morale poster matching the sculpture above the gates ensured me Pinkie Pie was watching me, forever... While a slightly newer one under all the posted notices and lewd limericks from the last 200 years, showed a stylized version of the tower and town around it before the war.

Happy, clean ponies drinking from glasses with little umbrellas, whooping it up to brightly colored musical notes, even the buildings looked to be dancing. This poster filled me in a bit on what this part of Trotson was before with the legend, "Sparkle World's for the foals, Goodneighbor's for the grown ups! Fun for the whole family in the Commonwealth!"

I shot a questioning glance at Val who broke into a wide grin, "See, my kinda town huh boss? Like it? C'mon, let's see about gettin' that leg looked at an' get a drink!"

Even with the shooting pain at every step as I hobbled after her, I was just a little glad Jade wasn't here. Despite the fact she'd have long ago healed my leg, I doubted she'd like this place...

----------------------------------------Level Up!----------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------

Eye for an eye---
--Misery loves company! For each crippled limb you have, you gain +10% damage!

Reputation Change!------------------

Trinity Tower-- Mixed
You're allowed to get to the front door of the reclusive alicorns without being torn to shreds, that's a start! Gaining entry to the tower and your reactions from the residents is still a toss up though, some may view you with suspicion while others with interest. Getting to know these mares won't be easy.

Goodneighbor-- Neutral
You made it to Goodneighbor and from the looks of things they take anypony in for a good time. Val knows this town at least, though keeping her focused on business with all the fun may be difficult...

Ch. 35-- Trotson After Dark

"Umm... weren't we going to see a doctor Val?" I held my hoof up to the yellow cross and pink butterfly sign we had just passed, a rusty sign reading 'Chem-I-Care Clinic' hung below it.

My griffon friend took the drink being offered to her by a pretty mare in a sequined costume, standing outside a strangely decorated building housing a restaurant called 'The Tasty Treat' by the colorful sign. She slugged the sample down and smacked her beak in appreciation, sneering at the clinic sign and waving it away.

"Don't wanna go there boss, even if it weren't you. They're more interested in sellin' ya some drugs, probably try to push some Hydra an' Med-X an' send ya on yer way. If they didn't poison it too... them places are owned by that stallion back in Diamond City we supposedly killed. Don't think we're valued customers now." She had a definite point there, I thought the name sounded a bit familiar and knew several of the D.C. nobility had their hooves in less upstanding businesses out of their squeaky clean city, especially here in Goodneighbor.

Still... I wasn't seeing any other medical care in this wild town. I limped along behind her, passing another restaurant called 'The Gilded Fork' that had three horseshoes pinned next to the flowing script of the neon sign above the doors. From what I could tell we were heading towards what was an old theater when the world ended, a few dirty letters were still hanging on the marquee but the sign taking up the bulk of it was newer, large red metal letters lit with flickering bulbs, reading 'Memory Den'.

"If you are off to tend to the medical needs, I believe I will ask around there for awhile..." I turned back to follow Zed's pointing hoof, a rowdy sounding establishment the faded pre-war sign identified as 'Iron's Gym', before the addition of 'Combat Zone' partially covered the 'Gym' portion below the silhouette of a minotaur. The large, brick structure had a crowd of tough looking ponies, griffons and a cluster of zebras, standing apart from those entering and leaving with the distinct look of customers.

"Ok Zed, hopefully we'll be done soon and find you. If not, just catch up when you're ready, lemme know what you find out ok?" The brusque zebra waved over his shoulder as he trotted off, a stallion on a mission.

That left the rest of us to indeed enter the Memory Den, trusting in Val to lead us to some help with my leg burning at every step. Despite my faith in the griffon, I was a little dubious when we came out of the short hallway and into the main room, what had been a small playhouse was converted into a strange business of some kind I was at a loss to explain.

Long red velvet drapes from the old stage curtains were hung on the brick walls, gaps showing several doors leading off the main floor where spectators once sat. Steps led up to the small stage at the end of the room, a beautiful peach unicorn mare in a fancy, feathery red dress lounged on an overstuffed sofa, the swooping blond curls of her mane and tail held up by more feathers.

Strangest of all were the egg shaped chairs scattered around the room, power cables and arcane connections were festooned over them and snaked across the floor towards the stage. A distracted looking pale green unicorn mare in glasses and a lab coat worked in the backstage area, all the wires terminating in a wall of computers and equipment that made me drool.

Eyeing all the equipment critically put the pain in my leg aside for a moment, a couple of the chairs were occupied by a ghoul stallion and a pony mare. Both looked to be asleep but the odd crowns on their heads attached to the chair proved it was more than a fancy place to take a nap.

"Recollectors?" I gaped at the nearest empty chair, carefully looking over the wiring leading to the crown inside. I only saw pictures of the devices before, but that was a recollector alright, though the whole setup was more complex than what I read about and I saw no attached black pearl or memory orb.

"Yes indeed! Good eye you have there cutie. Well, Valkyrie Bloodtail, what brings you back in town? Good to see you gal! Who are your friends?" The attractive mare lounging on the stage sat up and called across the room, an old fashioned cigarette holder floating in her warm brown magic.

Val gave Glitter a happy squeal from her back, flapping across the room to land on the stage by the mare on the sofa and grabbing her in a hug. "Good to see you too Caramel! This is Glitter, her robot babysitter's over yonder, an' that there is the boss. Don't worry, I been doin' lots better lately. Actually stopped by here first hopin' ta bug Mori there to do a little doctorin' if she could, ran into some Miretanks on the way in."

The science mare behind Caramel flipped a few more switches on her equipment with a field of yellow magic and turned to Val, blowing her disheveled auburn mane out of her eyes before she rolled them. "Nice to see you haven't changed Val, are you asking because you can't pay Shamrock and the Chem-I-Care both, or for some reason I don't want to know about? Nevermind... I see the foal has suffered what you call medical care, that's reason enough. Your other friend can come along as well I suppose. I'm Dr. Memento Mori, pleased to meet you, give me a minute to clean up down there."

At that she wandered offstage behind the curtains, her hooves clopping against wooden stairs leading down back there somewhere. Glitter had hopped down and was wandering the room with interest, even if her minor wounds on her hooves weren't totally healed by now, I seriously doubted she could feel them with all the magical bandages wrapped around them.

She stood up on her hindlegs to stick her head up into a vacant chair and stared over at the occupied ones, turning back to me to ask curiously. "What are these things dad? What's a rec... reco-lecturn?"

"Recollector honey, see the crowns on their heads? It's a way for a non unicorn to record a memory, or view a memory orb, without magic. I've never seen any like these though, what is this place Val?"

Before Val could answer, her friend took over for her from the sofa. "You didn't tell him? I am wounded Valkyrie, you know how valuable word of mouth is. Welcome to the Memory Den Mr... you have to introduce him better than just 'boss' Val... We sell dreams here young buck, pleasure to meet you, I'm Caramel Divine."

"Fast Times, nice to meet you too Miss Divine. You sell dreams? So... time in the recollectors? With what memories?"

The extravagant mare smiled and blew lazy smoke rings to the ceiling, earning her a cheer from Glitter as she answered kindly. "Just Caramel, please! Whatever memories the client wants Mr. Times. Be it their own or something from our extensive stock, we pay for memory orbs and to copy memories from those who wish to sell if they're marketable. Interested in giving it a spin? Any time in your past you'd like to revisit, or see the world before the war? Ever fantasize about what it would be like to fly as a pegasus or even a griffon? Feel what it's like in a different body, try out how us fillies feel?"

I shuddered at the thought, memory orbs were often interesting and the sensation of being in somepony else's body was odd, but I could do without the repeated sensation of certain bits being missing I had already experienced in my own adventures with memory magic. Val's eyes widened at the suggestion though, a greedy glint in her eyes as she spoke up. "Oh yeah! Yer pre-war boss, you could sell a couple memories and we'd be rollin' in the caps, bet you got plenty of good ones!"

"N-No thanks Val, Caramel, it's just Fast then please. I already have enough experience with memory orbs and... I'd rather not share my memories with any random customer in here, sorry."

Glitter gave a pout as she walked back, "Aww! Even I could see those memory ball things with these chairs? You should do it dad, I wanna see what stuff was like when you was my age! The world before!"

That was probably one of the few ways I could see myself being ok with the concept involved in this business. Sharing the bright and beautiful world I grew up in with the little filly who lacked a horn to use memory orbs was somewhat tempting. Though I was still uncomfortable with the idea of Glitter experiencing being in my body, even in memories as a foal her age, it was just... weird...

"So you're friends with Val? How do you know each other Caramel?" Glitter gave a huff at my obvious change of topics, shimmering puppy eyes boring into me I resolutely refused to look at.

Caramel chuckled to herself and held a ponicured hoof out, her blue eyes filling with concern as I limped over to take the offered gesture. "Valkyrie worked here from time to time, among her other jobs when she was in town. I found myself needing a bit of security here and there, some customers just don't want the dream to stop. Any friend of Val's is a friend here Fast. Memento! Hurry up dear and help our guest, his hoof looks to be in terrible shape!"

I heard some shuffling below us at Caramel's shout and a harried looking Dr. Mori tromped back up the stairs behind the stage, glancing at her equipment up here before waving us back downstairs with her. "It wasn't bleeding or likely to fall off, he's still alive. Come on now, let's have a look at you."

The small pink and red tiled room she led us to had the look of a clinic crossed with a workshop, more of the computers from the stage overhead were down here and wired to terminals around the room, as well as a bloodstained gurney and carts with a variety of medical equipment and drugs.

My eye was drawn to a shifting, multicolored glow in a long room past the computer banks, I peeked past the bars blocking it off from this chamber and gasped. Shelves and rows of memory orbs filled the much bigger space back there, hundreds of wires wove between them, each ending with a small crystal attached to the orbs. This must be their memory orb collection, they may be selling the experiences, but I had to wonder how much information was contained in there too.

"Unless you know memory magic or let us do it, it would take years to go through all of them..." Dr. Mori's knowing look as she patted the gurney for Glitter to hop up let me know my greed was showing and I wiped it away, wincing my way over as the medical pony started snipping her bandages away.

"So what are these things really? I've read about recollectors before, this is something else though isn't it?" It was worth a few painful steps to start poking around at one of the strange chairs in here, trying to get a sense of what all the additional equipment was for while I asked Dr. Mori.

She pushed her glasses up on her muzzle at my question and gave a skeptical look in return. "Memory Recliners. Prototype commission for the Ministry of Morale, are you just asking to chit chat or actually interested? If it's just to kill time and you share Val's level of technical knowledge, I'll thank you not to play with those, only a few were ever made."

Val snorted while she started digging in a small running refrigerator in the corner, swishing her tail up in the air with her head buried in the chilly container. "Yer just mad cause I chipped one when I asked the same thing! C'mon, boss is as good at that junk as you are Mori, better maybe! Just not so hot on the medical stuff. Where's my beer?!"

"We got rid of it years ago Val... and you didn't 'chip' one, you fried one... took me months to fix it. Not that I trust her appraisal of your skills Mr. Times, but since you asked yes, these are more than recollectors, which were rare enough. The MoM dealt so much in other's memories they wanted an easier way to handle it all, without having to rely on unicorns with access to the spells needed.

Fascinating machines really, much better than viewing an orb normally, can pause playback, change viewpoint within the available memory space, view an orb in seconds, all kinds of options. Oh good grief Val, you gave this filly a set of gauze shoes for a few scratches? She's fine, knowing you it's the under-treated one that has the actual injuries... Come on, next patient."

Her exasperated prognosis filled me with relief once she got through the yards of magical bandages. I took a look before Glitter hopped down, reassured at the small, freshly healed wounds that were already fading under Dr. Mori's magic. The snort to herself when I took the foal's place and rolled up my sleeve showed she had guessed right.

"Where did they come from? Prototypes like that, I wouldn't think they were just sitting in an old playhouse right?" I had a sneaking suspicion if I started taking one of the chairs apart I'd find the spread eagle image of a pony stamped somewhere, an advanced recollector seemed right up the Institute's alley.

Asking at least took my mind off what Mori was doing, gingerly moving my hoof around and setting the bone, sending bolts of pain through the limb. Her warm brown eyes glanced up over the rim of her glasses before her horn glowed with a mending spell and she replied. "MoM hub right across the street, where do you think they came from?"

"Ministry of Morale hub? Where? Wait... the casino?!" I gaped at the medic pony incredulously, who took advantage of my stunned surprise to yank my leg back into shape and continue healing it over my yelp of pain.

"Of course the casino, don't you know anything about Goodneighbor? Mayor Shamrock didn't need them or have anypony who could do anything with them. Caramel made a deal with him when she saw the potential after they were uncovered, he's a silent partner here. Which is why I hope you're here to settle up Val, or we're going to be in trouble just letting you in." Dr. Mori's horn faded and she gestured for me to get down, staring at Val with a concerned frown.

When I hopped off the gurney with only a twinge from my leg, Val looked relieved and stopped her inspection of Glitter's hooves to prod me into a few cautious steps, waving off Mori's worry. "Bah, don't worry I got it, I got it. That was all a big misunderstandin' anyway, been doin' great since I hooked up with the boss here an' came back to pay my debts. Be nice, he don't know nothin' about a lot of stuff because... reasons... Casino was the Trotson MoM hub boss, it's kinda a weird place"

Alright, giving it some thought it made a twisted kind of sense for Pinkie Pie's Ministry Hub to be the glowing temple to partying outside, that still left another question though. "Who's Shamrock and why do you owe him money Val? Are you in trouble here?"

Dr. Mori had followed my steadying steps and snorted to herself, turning to the computers down here now that I was apparently done. "Shamrock's in charge of Goodneighbor, most of us like that just fine. Valkyrie here got herself on his bad side last time she was here, I'll let her try to explain it, never made sense when she tried with me. Now then you're all set, It is nice seeing you again, but I'm not signing on to be your personal medic while you're here, understand?"

"Hey, we already gots our own big blue doctor normally doc. Just caught us in a tight spot, 'preciate the help. If these two are all patched up maybe she don't need to know anything happened. Alright boss, kid, lemme show ya around!" Val shrugged off her concern and gentle ribbing, waving goodbye and making her way out into the noisy streets outside.

I seriously doubted we could keep the excitement from Jade despite her hopes, I couldn't get away with lying or covering things up from her and Glitter would surely let it slip. Best to just accept my punishment which was sure to pale in comparison to the mental bucking I was still giving myself for such a close call. Looking out at the darkening sky I was more concerned for her to get here soon than her finding out anyway.

Val led us out into the festive atmosphere outside, pointing out another, smaller casino called "King's Gambit" next to was visibly jarring, considering all the magical energy weapons on display. The casino was decorated with a number of large pieces of crumbling statuary, chess pieces as big as a pony standing sentinel outside the doors, matching the black and white tiles and decor I could see inside. It looked older and seedier than the circus across the street, the games and rides were older and in worse repair.

The guards wore tattered suits and black and white security barding, rather than the pink of the guards around town. For some reason a good number of them seemed to favor a similar pompadour style to their manes, a common thread seemed to run through their fashion sense too, lots of pale suits and... capes? I noticed they had a lot of impressive magical energy weaponry on display too, both worn by the King's casino guards and apparently also for sale in an occupied pink storefront next door, the scorched candy decorated sign for the upscale pre-war bakery still reading 'Sugar Rush'.

Listening to Val's short synopsis as we passed filled me in on both establishments. "Weaponsmith's shop and casino there boss. Store focuses on magic energy stuff, casino's cheaper to stay at than the big one but I don't think stayin' there's a good idea. Both run by one of them nobles in Diamond City too so...."

The trio of guards that gave us a hard look before trotting over reminded me of the slimy Bullet Bishop we had met back in Diamond City, they had the same look of greasy criminal ponies in fancy clothes and sneered as they approached. The lavender stallion with the black pompadour mane in the lead blocked our progress, while his two companions came up behind us, their Novasurge rifle battle saddles hummed menacingly as the leader paced before us and smirked.

"Look who we have here... It's the twerp an' the griffon Bishop put the bounty on with those other snobs boys. What's it up to now, 7500 caps? Have mercy! We just hit the jackpot fellas!" The cruel looking leader jeered in an odd accent, his buddies chuckling along nervously.

Val scowled back at the threatening pony but didn't seem overly worried, replying with a bored drawl. "Sure you King's wanna rock the boat like this? You know how Goodneighbor works, really think you'll be claiming that bounty here?"

"We go along with the rules to make things easier, don't mean Shamrock's actually in charge of anything around here griffon. Kings ain't scared of that pansy ghoul pretendin' to be the mayor of this shithole. We'll all just take a friendly walk out of the gates where we can have some privacy, or the little filly might get hurt..." A small pearl handled .22 pistol floated out from his jacket in a dingy field of pink magic, waggling in Glitter's direction threateningly.

I pushed her behind me protectively as a surge of fury nearly had me draw my weapons and blast that smug expression off his face. A raspy laugh that caused everyone nearby on the street to pause stopped me from dealing with the threat myself immediately. I glanced that way to check if this was some new problem and lost my murderous train of thought in surprise.

For some reason the earth pony ghoul throwing himself into the situation with a grin was wearing an ancient Equestrian military uniform, an ornate red coat with a funny black tricorne hat. The ghoul looked like he was once tan or pale orange, before his coat started rotting and sloughing off anyway, wisps of brown mane and tail fluttered as he walked sedately across the street.

All eyes were on the stranger cantering forward with a smile. The guards in the pink barding were watching closely, but none moved to step in. I spotted a sleek, dark red griffon with black accents prowling along in the center of the gaggle of ponies watching the show, bristling with weaponry holstered on her metal armor.

The thugs surrounding us got visibly nervous at the new arrival and the pistol threatening Glitter disappeared as the ghoul spoke with a chuckle. "What's all this then? I swore I heard my name this way and what do I find but a bunch of Kings who sure look like they're misbehaving... What's the rule about bounty hunting in Goodneighbor again Stain?"

"Goodneighbor's a b-bounty free town Shamrock... there's no trouble, we were just..." The punk in charge of the crew of gang ponies gave what sounded like an oft repeated recitation of the rule he was violating, stopped short when the mayor of Goodneighbor sidled up and threw a foreleg around his shoulder in a friendly gesture and continued speaking right in his face.

"That's right! No bounty hunting in Goodneighbor! I was sure we've been over that rule before Stain. Do you know why? It's because we're good neighbors here! Good neighbors don't turn their neighbors in for caps, they welcome any and all guests to the party! No bounty hunting, no raping and robbing, no slaving, simple rules right? We're all about everypony getting along together! Why's that folks?!" Shamrock gave a wink and looked out to the crowd nearby, holding a hoof up to his wilted ear.

The chorus that answered didn't sound afraid or worried at the mayor's question, giving the expected reply with pride in their voices and a cheer. "Goodneighbor's of the ponies, for the ponies!"

"Yes indeed my good little ponies! We're all in this together, we all follow the rules so this place keeps chugging right along. But when some ponies don't want to follow those few, simple rules, they're not working together are they? Those that won't stand together with their neighbors here and play nice..." Shamrock leaned closer to the gangster's ear as he spoke, sounding like a patient parent right up until the knife sprang out from his sleeve. The ghoul held on to his captive by his grip around the shoulders, burying the knife on his other leg into the chest and stomach of the gang pony as he continued in a hiss. "...fall by themselves."

The unicorn in the dirty, sequined blue suit gurgled and fell in a heap to the asphalt, a pool of his blood spreading quickly beneath him that Shamrock casually stepped over to address the remaining Kings. The dead pony's comrades grimaced and stared at their former leader, but didn't make a move against the ghoul watching them with a kindly expression as he wiped the blood from his knife and returned it to his sleeve.

"We've had our problems before, but I really hoped Stain would pay attention fellas. I'm sure you two were just following his lead though, you'll pay attention to the warning right? Somepony comes through those gates, they're our guest until I say different. Now clean your friend off my street and let's all get along, ok?" Shamrock's gravelly voice was still friendly, but the commanding tone was clear and the remaining gang members took the dismissal, moving to drag the corpse back to The King's Gambit nearby.

"Er... thanks Mr. Shamrock... for the help and all." I ventured cautiously to the ghoul trotting over to us.

Shamrock grinned and tipped his funny hat to Glitter as he came close, holding a hoof out in greeting and speaking as if he hadn't just perforated a pony seconds ago. "Not at all, you alright buddy? Sorry for all that, don't let that prick taint your opinion of our town. Course I'm sure the Shrouded Stallion could have handled himself just fine eh? I just had to step in to make an example of him. Speaking of which, Val Bloodtail, as I live and breathe! It's been quite awhile hasn't it? I assume you're here to pay your debt? I'd hate to have to make another example, but can't have even a pretty griffon like yourself try to rob me and get away with it..."

The dark griffon shadowing the mayor narrowed her eyes at Val and stroked the sawed off shotgun at her side, "Bloodtail, you got the boss' money, or do I get to finally take out the trash?"

"Rob him? Val you stole from the mayor of this place!?" I stared at the fiery griffon incredulously as she dug out a hefty bag of caps with a jingle from her duster.

Val scratched her head sheepishly, waving off my shocked expression. "Sorta... It wasn't supposed to be Shamrock that was getting robbed. I got lied to about a job, was just as surprised as you boss."

"You robbed the mayor..."

"No! Attempted robbery boss, Shamrock's merc Scarlet over there was waitin' on us, cleared up the misunderstandin' real quick. I didn't appreciate bein' tricked inta stealin' from the mayor of Goodneighbor, I'm dumb but not that dumb." Val's hurried explanation glazed over who she meant to rob, but at least it wasn't the ghoul in charge.

Shamrock nodded sagely, flipping his head to dislodge his hat and deftly roll it down his outstretched foreleg, ending up upside down on his hoof and getting a surprised giggle from Glitter. "As she says friend, a simple misunderstanding she made clear she wasn't in on when she... terminated her relationship with that dishonest employer. I was more than willing to take the caps they paid her and call it even, though I expected it a bit sooner than this."

Val tossed the bundle of caps into the waiting tricorne hat apologetically, "Right, sorry! I would'a right away but I kinda... spent it... Made sure not ta come back till I had every cap though! Here ya go mayor, er... sorry boss, have to dip into some of our funds, but I been holdin' this back awhile..."

"I don't care about the caps Val, you know that, you complain about it enough. Will paying your debt make it ok?"

Shamrock hefted the bag of caps in his hoof and nodded, tucking it into his coat with a smile. "Sure it does Mr. Shroud! I'm an understanding sort, Val here made an honest mistake, took a job from the wrong mare. I had to have some kind of compensation of course, but I'd much rather have the caps than her head. Now I could point out I should get some interest considering how long it took, but she did bring famous guests to my humble town. I'd be willing to call it even for a little of your time Shroud, maybe a word with the Princess? Though I don't see her about, don't tell me the rumor mill was wrong about that one?"

"Huh?! Oh! Um... no, Mayor Shamrock, she's just out er... visiting relatives. Pleased to meet you, I'm Fast. Princess Jade should join us soon, I'm sure she'd like to meet the leader of your... interesting town."

He broke into a wide smile and waved out to the town invitingly, "It's just Shamrock please! We don't put on airs here, Goodneighbor's of the ponies, for the ponies. Perhaps I could offer a tour in the meantime, we don't have celebrities in town often, have to extend our hospitality as good neighbors right?"

I looked to Val questioningly, but she just shrugged and waved me on, now that her debt was paid she didn't seem on guard with the ghoul which was good enough for me. I fell in beside Shamrock with Glitter next to me, taking in the sights as he continued meandering down the streets and speaking with residents between talking to us quietly.

I was struck by the number of different groups sharing space in the town, besides the pompadour maned King's centered around their casino. There were the Gourmands in the Gilded Fork restaurant, a group that favored tuxedos and chef's clothing that seemed to actually focus on food, running the fancy old eatery they occupied. A couple of Gunners watched us closely from a ramshackle stand bearing the skull and crossed rifles mark of the mercenary company, there to take contracts in Goodneighbor rather than execute them thankfully. I spotted a few ponies with the distinct look of the Trigger Jewels gang hanging around the Chem-I-Care, though they weren't making a show of taking up territory like the other gangs.

The glow from a neon Red Rocket sign hanging above a battered storefront made me smile, glad to see the courier service operating here among all the shops as well. The King's Gambit and nearby 'Sugar Rush' storefront looked to handle most of the weaponry in Goodneighbor, limiting our shopping here, but Shamrock pointed out a crumbling pawn shop down the street he assured us could handle our needs with a wink.

A small two story building tucked away down a side street caught my interest when the mayor pointed it out, not solely because it looked like a giant, dirty gingerbread house. A faded statue of a young Pinkie Pie stood sentinel at the gate in the candy cane fenced yard in front, guarding a gaggle of foals of varying ages. The brightly colored sign above the doors read "Friendly Foals Daycare", though Daycare was partially covered by a rough addition in sloppy paint, amending it to "Orphanage".

Judging by the way the children in residence swarmed their mayor happily as he tossed candies from his coat to them, the ghoul in charge actually seemed to care about them. Glitter bounded out to the filthy herd of fillies and colts, amazing me with her mastery of social skills that were a mystery to me by instantly making friends with several. I knew Jade would be very interested in this place when she joined us and it was a definite mark in Shamrock's favor.

Towards the edge of the town by the ramshackle wall was what looked to be another entrance, a good number of caravaners and travelers were gathered outside of the 'Four Stars Station', stairs led up to the old monorail line stretching off into the city above and others led down to the subway lines below, a neon sign reading 'The Third Rail' pointing the way. Another way to travel in the convoluted maze of downtown Trotson was welcome, the mayor assured us one could get around quite well in the city if they knew the routes to take.

At least Shamrock seemed friendly and the residents looked to genuinely like their leader, something I had realized was unfortunately rare in most communities I had gone to. He seemed to know everyone by name, inquire about some personal detail or relation with everypony he spoke with. His popularity worked against my better judgement however, many of the stops he made on his tour involved an offer of drinks to the mayor and his guests, refusal of which was an insult to their hospitality.

Even trying to merely sip and move on politely wasn't good enough in the infectious party atmosphere, by the third free round on ducking in to the exotic smells of the Tasty Treat, I was getting a tad fuzzy. Val took every offered drink eagerly and helped finish some of mine with a grumble, while Glitter was starting to look a little twitchy from all the sugary snacks and sodas she was offered instead.

The mayor of Goodneighbor ended his tour with his own casino, the Wingding Circus / Ministry of Morale hub. The bright, gaudy and well preserved tower gave the impression of a cavernous circus tent on the ground floor, the huge space was filled with games, rides, slot machines, gambling tables, pretty mares in sequined costumes selling drinks or other party favors, others wearing even less selling themselves, guards in pink barding watching it all and customers from all walks of life in the wasteland having a good time.

I marveled at the excellent condition everything was in mechanically, the glass on a crane game was cracked and dirty, a whack a pest game clicked and hitched, some of the slot machines ground a bit as their reels spun, many of the holotape game displays flickered or were discolored, but it was all working and intact instead of rusting hulks of junk. Judging by the destruction out in the streets of Trotson, this place must have had some powerful defenses against the balefire bombs. Trinity Tower had shown a similar resistance to the ruin around it as the Ministry of Arcane Science hub, I wondered where the other four hubs were and if they each had protection to match.

A large arcade machine titled "Dance Prance Revolution" in blinking lights got Glitter's sugar fueled attention, dashing all around it trying to puzzle out the bright display and loud music it blared out. The little filly zipped back to me and started dragging me towards it, her words spilling out in a rush as she bounded around it. "Ohmigosh! What'sthisdad?Iwannaplay!How'sitwork,huhhuhhuh?"

"It's an old game Glitter, see the arrows on the two screens? You're supposed to... umm... match the arrows on the screen to dance and hit the right buttons on the floor controller... thingy there." I pointed out the set of 8 worn directional arrows barely visible on the buttons in front of each screen woozily, peering over the slot for pre-war bits that looked to have been changed to accept something else, surely not caps though...

Shamrock ruffled her mane and dug in his pockets, pulling out a couple of pink chips stamped with the name of the casino and hoofed them over to the ecstatic foal. "Everything takes chips here, you can exchange them for caps or vice versa, this game's on me for the cutie and her pop. Do good enough and you get tickets you can turn in for prizes at the counter kiddo, show me what ya got!"

A glance to the counter he pointed out and its selection of lethal and / or narcotic 'prizes', had me make a mental note to take any tickets the old machine spit out. Glitter took the offered chips with wide eyes, giving a squeal and scrambling to feed them to the machine that started up with a fanfare or horns. The tough little earth pony shoved me forward as it started, forcing me onto the left control mat as she dashed to the right and grinned up at me hopefully.

"Er.... Glitter, I'm not very good at dancing, maybe yous should ask Val to..." The immediate use of her shimmering pink puppy eyes and lip quiver obliterated my resistance to playing the game with the foal, despite not wanting to clomp around clumsily on a freshly healed hoof. I sighed in defeat and hit the start button, smiling to myself at her overjoyed shout.

The negative sounding beeps and boops I got from my side as I tried to stumble along with the arrows scrolling down the screen was countered by the positive noises Glitter elicited, matching each step perfectly at a frenetic pace. At least she was burning off some of that sugar, her tiny hooves a blur as she matched each arrow to electronic shouts of "Great!", "Perfect!" and "Awesome!", while my side got increasingly rude in its appraisal of my skills with negative noises and "Bad!", "Very Bad!", "Awful!" and the topper of "You suck!".

I glared at the snide machine on that last insult while Val hooted behind me and Glitter giggled, slowing down to match my lower speed and panting out encouragement. "C'mon daddy! You can do better than that! Follow me!"

It took awhile to find the rhythm with her, computers were supposed to do what I wanted, having this one actively ridicule me was getting under my hide. Eventually I managed to start matching the foal who picked it up with such ease though, falling in sync with her and slowly speeding up as a small crowd paused nearby to watch and cheer.

As the music reached its peak we were sent in a series of hops towards the center and back, all four hooves hitting mirrored keys with each jump. The last instructions were so complex I stumbled drunkenly and ended up falling in a heap with Glitter as the song ended and it tallied the score, spitting out a stream of tickets above us as we laughed wildly and tried to disentangle ourselves. Rolling around on the floor with the filly I ended up looking up to a big, blue, upside down face smirking down at us.

Well that explained part of the crowd that had gathered behind us... more were stopping to watch the spectacle of the alicorn princess that had appeared in the midst of the party. She looked momentarily nervous at the attention, glancing around at the murmurs that started nearby, Glitter managed to erase her unease with her happy yell though.

"Miss.. um Mom! There you are! Didya see us?! This place is fun, I wanna play this with you too! Did your talk with your sisters go ok mom?" The sweaty filly pulled herself free and pounced at Jade's long legs, giving her a hug and prancing around her happily while I floundered on the floor.

Jade's blue eyes glistened softly and she nuzzled the foal when she held still a moment, turning back to me with a kind smile and a cocked eyebrow. "Yes dear, things went well enough. I see you have been enjoying yourselves? I could not find you out on the streets, you have not been having too much fun on your own have you Fast?"

That silkily dangerous edge to her voice and sniff of distaste she gave as I scrambled up told me I was caught, best to dig myself out now while Glitter had her so happy. I lunged up from the ground and wrapped my legs around her graceful neck, planting a long kiss on her muzzle before she could complain about my obvious intoxication. Her eyes widened and darted around at the hoots and whistles nearby as she turned bright red, then moaned pleasantly and returned the affection despite the audience.

"'Course I haven't! You weren't here sos I couldn't have toooo much fun! I missed you Jade!"

She nickered to herself and fluffed her wings in embarrassment, nudging me gently down and gave me a dubious smile. "I have only been away a few hours, you are incorrigible Fast... Have you found somewhere to stay here yet? Or have you all been too busy playing and drinking?"

"Ummm...." Finding lodging had somewhat slipped my mind...

Shamrock had been watching with interest, now he swept his tricorne hat from his head and gave a bow, saving me. "Princess Jade! There you are, Mayor Shamrock at your service, I've been anxiously awaiting your arrival. Forgive your young buck there, it's all my fault I'm afraid, we were filling the time waiting for you to join us. Of course he accepted my offer to provide rooms here at the casino before indulging, at my insistence I admit! I do hope you'll accept my hospitality as apology?"

I stared at the crafty ghoul gratefully as he took Jade's hoof and gave it a leathery kiss, tipping a wink in my direction while she was flustered answering. "O-Oh... of course Mayor Shamrock, thank you very much! No need to apologize, I w-was merely teasing Fast. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine my dear! I've heard a good deal about your new kingdom and must admit I'm impressed. I'm sure you'd like some time to settle in, but I would be honored to speak with you two privately later. My office perhaps? Scarlet! Why don't you set these folks up with proper accommodations and show them the way? A leader's work never stops, as I'm sure you know, so I'll attend other matters while you make yourselves at home. I look forward to seeing you soon!"

At his shout the dark red griffon that had been lurking at the edges of the crowd appeared and padded forward, taking Shamrock's place as he trotted off with a wave over his shoulder. Once she watched him wander off she gave a curt nod to Jade and pointed out a brightly painted, red and yellow counter near a pair of elevators towards the back of the casino. "Right this way Princess, will get you checked in and what not."

Jade fell in behind the griffon as she started through the room with a flick of her tail, nudging Glitter along with her with a wing and glancing back to me while I wove after them with Val. My own griffon bodyguard didn't look enthused with her opposite number being left to take care of us, bumping me with her shoulder and gesturing towards the exit.

"Go ahead boss, I'll go find stripey and let him know. Be back after red there is gone." She huffed at Scarlet's back beside me.

"Ok Val, see you up there then. You were right, Goodneighbor's a nice place, free rooms from the mayor even!"

She smirked over to me and rolled her violet eyes as she headed off. "Yeah it's tons of fun, just be careful, ain't no such thing as free around here. Shamrock's nice enough, but you owe him now boss, he'll collect soon enough."

When Mayor Shamrock offered rooms I expected simple lodging, most likely done in the pervasive wasteland style of decor. A surprisingly well preserved suite for high rollers was not what I had in mind and I goggled at the opulent room from the doorway with Jade, while Glitter ran off with a squeal of delight.

The 'Princess Luna Suite' was a little dusty and worn, but in excellent condition. Faded dark blue carpet and wallpaper peeling slightly at the edges were accented with silver stars and crescent moons, with a large circular rug in the living room woven with the image of the mare in the moon. The blue and silver furnishings were a little ragged and dirty, but the couch in front of us proved still comfortable and matched the decor enough to be original to the room.

Several rooms led off the living room, at least four bedrooms including a master bedroom with a large, inviting round curtained bed that Glitter had found and was jumping on. We rarely had room enough for everyone to have their own space outside of Sanctuary, this kind of luxury made me ok with owing Shamrock a favor so far.

I wandered over to the full length windows on one wall, looking down on the streets of Goodneighbor below. It was a nice view, though it made me wonder why it wasn't further up the tower. We had taken an elevator up here to the fourth floor, which seemed to be the top floor for the casino with the Princess Suites up here. The building itself was several floors taller, but the elevator only had controls going this far.

I looked up to the ceiling, wishing I could see through the barrier to the floors above. If this was also the Ministry of Morale Hub there had to be interesting things up there, I idly wondered how you got there and what had been hidden above with the unique recollectors from the Memory Den.

A high pitched scream from Jade short circuited my musing and I sprinted towards the sound, falling over myself with a clatter when I skidded around the corner into the fancy bathroom. I froze taking in the room frantically, seeing nothing obvious wrong and drinking in the sight of Jade without her lab coat with a confused expression. Glitter was held upside down in a field of her pale blue magic, her pink dress in the process of being tugged off her sweaty coat.

Jade was staring at her squirming little hooves intently with a horrified expression, turning on me and narrowing her blue eyes. "What has happened!? Glitter has been injured!"

"Er..."

The foal hanging in her grip whimpered anxiously, "I-I'm ok! Daddy saved me! H-He got hurt worse..."

"Oooooooh..." That wasn't helpful.

The glow from Jade's horn brightened and I immediately felt her medical magic probing at me, focusing on my foreleg in no time and yanking me up to join the filly floating before her widening gaze. "Your leg was fractured! I was not away that long Fast! What happened to the two of you!"

"Well... We found out what a Miretank is..."

My favorite doctor pony gave an unhappy whinny, grumbling to herself as her expert medical spells tended to the healed wound. "A Miretank... I am unsure I wish to know... I cannot leave you two alone for a moment, what if you had been seriously injured! I do not care how Umbra feels about it, you are not to leave without me when we return. At least you sought some care, though I am sure I would have done better. Go on Fast, Glitter and I shall get cleaned up together, then you will properly explain..."

I gulped under her stern stare and was floated out of the room, the door shut in my face and I heard the water turn on, leaving me to retreat to the living room and wait. Breathing a shaky sigh I shrugged out of my armor and sank into the wonderfully cushy armchair, reclining back with a squeal of old hinges to rest my eyes.

"She sounded rather upset didn't she?" My eyes shot open at the curious voice from the empty room, leaving me staring into a familiar pair of golden ones that resolved out of nowhere above me.

I leapt and tumbled out of the chair with a surprised yelp, rubbing my shoulder where I landed on it and wincing up at the blue alicorn with the long blonde mane tumbling out from under her Minutemare hat. "Peri!?! W-What are you doing here?! I told you not to scare me like that!"

The water turned off in the next room as Periwinkle cocked her head at me getting back to my hooves, her perplexed face slowly replying. "We escorted sister Jade here, did she not say so? I thought I would follow along rather than wait, we were unsure if we should be seen. It seems safe enough here though and sister chose to bathe with the foal instead of you, so I saw no reason to remain invisible. I'm sorry, I forgot your complaint about appearing so close."

"We? Wait did all three of you come? Hold on... bathe, are you saying if it was me in there with her you'd still be invisible?!"

".....Nooooo...." Peri looked away evasively, adjusting her tan hat and crossing her hooves. The strange alicorn really wasn't very good at lying...

A cloud of steam wafted into the room as the bathroom door opened and a very clean little white earth pony bolted out, tackling Peri in a hug and sparing her the conversation about voyeurism. "Miss Peri! You came back too!? I'm glad, I missed you!"

Jade followed her out more sedately from the bathroom, tattered fluffy towels floating around her briskly as she gave her sister a sheepish look. "Sister... I said I would come and get you soon, I had not had a chance to talk to Fast as we discussed. Where are the others?"

Pausing in her interested tugging at Glitter's wet and wild mane, Peri pointed to the windows overlooking the city absently. Ivy and Magnolia both were hovering outside, Magnolia giving a tentative wave while Ivy had a hoof to her face and shook her head slowly. The pair appeared inside the room in a purple flash of teleportation just as the door to the hall opened and Val sauntered in with Zed behind her, the sudden appearance of the alicorns barely raising an eyebrow.

"Talk to me about what? Why are they here instead of home?" I asked Jade, honestly flummoxed at the sudden company. Watching her blue eyes practically mirror Peri's evasive glance to the ceiling, I started getting the idea I wasn't alone in not coming totally clean about relevant things that happened while we were separated.

I realized Jade had never really tried to lie or hide anything before, judging by her reaction I guessed she wasn't much better at it than Peri was. Watching her squirm cutely was an odd change of pace, usually I was doing the wriggling under her questioning. Finally she tapped her hooves together nervously and peeked out from the towel drying her mane. "I w-was going to talk to you once we had a moment alone... Umbra sent them back with me, there were some difficulties and I felt it was the best option..."

"Difficulties?" The leader of Trinity Tower was still upset when I left, given her position on interacting with the outside world I was worried what prompted sending these three back out into it.

Ivy sighed sadly and took over for her, "We are now viewed as... I believe Umbra used the word... compromised... She was concerned we may spread dissent due to our contact with you, we were asked to remain isolated while she considers what course to take. Sister Jade insisted we come with her instead, I apologize for the inconvenience..."

A spark of anger flared to life at her shamefaced explanation, "She kicked you out!? Because you made friends with other ponies? B-Because of me?"

"Umbra said since we liked going to pony towns and breaking the rules... we were free to go to this one too... I-It is not all bad though Fast! Er... I w-wanted to come to Goodneighbor anyway, we were actually given permission! Umbra just needs some time to think without us telling stories about the outside. It i-is not your fault Fast..." Magnolia put on an unconvincing smile and tried to put a positive spin on things.

Peri at least was simple and directly honest as usual, focusing on the only thing she found important. "She wanted my hat. I would not give it, I like it. I get to keep it out here."

Nothing seemed to really phase the strange blue mare, but the other two looked somewhat crestfallen and were trying to put up a brave face. Now I felt bad for my meddling with their lives, good intentions or no, and mad... that little spark was growing steadily at the thought of Umbra kicking them out of their home. They all spoke as if it were temporary and they agreed, but they were still out here because they disagreed with their leader.

"You guys.... I'm really sorry, t-this is all my fault. I promise I'll do whatever I can to fix this, you shouldn't be punished because I encouraged you to break the rules. I uh.. I'll talk to Umbra, explain she's wrong to blame you. I know it's not your home, but you're welcome with us any time of course. A-At least we got this big suite so there's plenty of room right?"

Jade gave me a grateful nuzzle as the three alicorns nodded and started wandering about the suite of rooms, Glitter happily leading the exploration and promising they could share one of the fancy bedrooms. Val had discovered the small bar and kitchenette area during the talking, the clink of a lot of bottles coming from the open tarnished refrigerator.

Zed trotted out of one of the empty rooms now that our surprise guests were occupied, giving me an intense look with his stern grey eyes. "I believe the Church of Balefire does have a presence in this city Fast. They seem to have grown more cautious and clever since their attempts in Hexington however, I only heard rumors of a secretive cult. These three's troubles are unfortunate, but perhaps they can help find their former compatriots. Doing so may also improve their situation with this Umbra, if I may ask?"

"Sure Zed, I bet Ivy will have some ideas if you want to talk to her. Anything to try to fix this, just give them a little bit to get settled ok?" I was glad the zebra had found a lead in his exploration of the town, hopefully he was right and making progress with the splinter group from Trinity Tower would improve Umbra's mood.

My hat floated from my troubled brow in a field of Jade's magic and she gave me a quick kiss on my horn, nudging me towards the vacated bathroom. "Do not be too upset Fast, I will attend to my sisters, they will be fine. You should get cleaned up so we may meet with this Mayor Shamrock, I wish to let him know we are taking advantage of his generous hospitality and be sure their being here is alright."

Val poked her head up from the bar and called after me as I went to follow the suggestion. "Hurry it up boss, I'm goin' with ya. Shamrock's a good ghoul, but he ain't bein' so nice outta the kindness of his heart. Yer headin' into a negotiation an' neither of you two are good at the shadier side of things."

I trusted Val's knowledge of the leader of Goodneighbor, taking a shower gave me time to think and consider just what Shamrock may want from us. She was right that I wasn't great at thinking along more criminal lines of thought though, so far the mayor had been gracious and kind, whatever he wanted in return was a mystery we'd just have to find out soon.

Shamrock's surly griffon led us down a labyrinthine series of service passages in the casino, eventually reaching a sliding steel door that would fit right in back in the Stable, 'Casino Management' was displayed in a dirty sign above, next to a whirring camera lens. From the view out the dusty windows inside, the office was in the ceiling above the casino floor itself.

Scarlet crossed the large room to get the mayor's attention, interrupting a conversation between Shamrock and another ghoul stallion at his simple metal desk. The place was a lot less opulent than the suite we were given to stay in, everything looked much more focused on function over form. Though the bottles and stray drug container strewn about the room, along with some bright furniture from the casino that didn't seem to belong in here, helped make it feel fairly lived in. There was a distracting amount of impressive computers and arcano-tech on display too, even the terminal on the mayor's desk was larger and more advanced than what I was used to seeing.

The ghoul speaking with Shamrock looked to be dismissed, passing us quickly with a stack of papers floating along in his silvery magic. His eyes widened a bit as he passed, lingering on my hat for some reason, but he left without a word and the mayor called us over happily. "There we are, I trust the room is alright? You look ravishing your highness, glad you had a chance to get cleaned up and rest, well worth the wait!"

Jade flushed and whinnied at the flattery, "Y-You are a charmer Mayor Shamrock, the suite was amazing and very generous, thank you! I do not know why we rate such excellent treatment, though I d-do hope you will not be upset I took advantage of it. Some of my sisters ended up joining us, i-if it is alright for them to be here?"

His withered eyebrows went up at that and he gave an appreciative whistle through his yellowing teeth. "Other alicorns like you? Of course, the more the merrier in Goodneighbor! Wouldn't happen to be from that group in the tower nearby, would they? Always wanted to talk to some of those mares, never been precisely friendly though. I'd love an introduction when we're..."

"C'mon Shamrock, quit butterin' em up and get down to business. Whatd'ya want?" Val found an whiskey bottle that was still half full and knocked it back, derailing the conversation as she flopped back to lounge on the tattered couch.

Jade looked mortified while I stammered at the rude griffon, thankfully Shamrock merely chuckled and shrugged into his seat. "Alright, always down to brass tacks with you hon, I like that. To be honest I've been keeping an ear out for your boss and the princess here, that kingdom of Sanctuary's been a real success I think we should consider allying with. Sounds like they're a chance for change in the Commonwealth, a princess for the ponies and of the ponies, we just eat that up in Goodneighbor. I think we have a lot to offer such an alliance too."

A chance to bring another community in the Commonwealth together brightened Jade's expression, though it clouded with uncertainty she tried to politely address. "That would be wonderful! Er... you do not need to worry about what you can offer us though, you have a lovely town but we do not have a need for most of the... services you provide here."

A small tin of Mint-als came out of a drawer in Shamrock's desk and the ghoul chewed on one with a sly look, ignoring the little huff Jade gave at using the dangerous drug for fun. The horrified look she gave when he actually held the tin out to offer her and the room one set him to laughing heartily as he continued. "Oh but you do! Had to check but you do live up to the stories don't you? A little of the old world morals and sensibilities here in the wasteland, I wonder if that's all from you or because your buck is actually from the old world? Either way, it's cute and a good line, what some ponies need to hear and see again. But you need me precisely because you two are so innocent."

"You're pretty well informed Shamrock, I didn't tell you anything about where I was from..." Having him casually demonstrate he knew about us already put me a little on guard, Val didn't look upset or surprised at least.

"Nope! You didn't, but I know anyway, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about. Our main resource here I'm offering isn't partying, it's information. From what I understand you ponies are real life do-gooders, you help others, do doctoring all over with those Followers, protect others with your Minutemares. You got food, water, security an' trade, but you got a great big blind spot when it comes to all kinds of bad business you don't approve of, like my little minty beauties here. Hell that frame job in D.C. proves that, walked right into that one didn't you?

Whether you approve or not princess, ponies are gonna follow their darker natures too, even while they try to answer your call to be better. How you think things wound up in this fucked up state? See, you need to accept that and have somepony who knows how to deal with it, somepony who knows how your enemies operate and what they're up to, who to pay off, who to get rid of, somepony who knows everybody you don't basically."

"You get he's saying that's him, right Blue?" Val snickered from her seat.

"And you'd be willing to help us with all that kind of stuff right? I'll give you I'm not too good with things like that Shamrock, but I have learned enough to wonder what the catch is..." I spoke over Val's laughter, trying to cut off the offended snort and frown Jade was developing.

Shamrock nodded with a grin and waved out the windows to the casino below. "Well you should too! I'm glad you know that much at least. Fast here got the tour earlier Princess, he has an idea of how Goodneighbor works now right? I balance a lot of none too friendly groups in this town, all of them trying to grab all they can for themselves. Gunners, Gangs, rich snobs from Diamond City, and Celestia knows who might be a synth from the Institute trying to bring it all down just for fun.

Now I do want to benefit from our partnership of course, but believe it or not I also think you're just what the Commonwealth needs. I do care about the ponies living here after all and you're good for them, so I'm taking your side. Just as an example of why you need me, I bet you don't have any idea about some of the moves those nobles in Diamond City are making to take you out of the equation, are you?"

"What do you mean? They put out a bounty on me and Val, but they haven't gone after Jade or Sanctuary. Why would they?"

Val gave an exasperated sigh while the mayor laughed and wiped a tear from his milky eye. "Just what I mean, you're too naive to not have somepony watching your back. They can't go after the princess openly, their own subjects love her too much, she's too popular. That don't mean they're not trying to do it, they just have to be sneaky about it. You're lucky the General of their city guard is a straight arrow or they could have decided to just march right on your little kingdom and wipe it out.

Bishop and his Kings across the street have been shipping a lot of firepower around, selling to raiders and gangs at a discount in exchange for sending them after you folks. Silver Seed farms have been cracking down, trying to starve out any communities that support you. That Svengallop kid may have just taken over for his dead father, but his drug trade hasn't suffered at all and he's using his connections to make things difficult for you wherever he can in the shadows. He's even smart enough to try to fight you on the public relations front, hear about his upcoming nuptials to that Stable mare? They're setting that show up so Diamond City will have their very own princess and stop talking about you.

Let's not even get into what the Institute and their synths are up to behind the scenes either, even I can't keep track of them but there have been plenty of moves that don't make much sense unless it's them going after you. Hell, if I didn't make it abundantly clear you were under my protection when you arrived, you would already be in a world of hurt here in Goodneighbor."

Jade gave a concerned whimper at each point the ghoul made, easily demonstrating we really didn't understand the game our enemies were playing. She looked unhappy at the harsh facts and realities Shamrock dealt in, I knew she couldn't care for a lot of the vice in Goodneighbor, but he was right that ponies would always want what he offered here.

Finally she sighed to herself and put on a determined expression, reluctantly accepting his argument. "Very well Mayor Shamrock, I do not like it but you do make an excellent point. So what is it you wish from us in return?"

The ghoul beamed a crooked smile back and leaned forward over his desk with a twinkle in his eye. "Lots of little things, as far as your highness is concerned really just the same things you want to do anyway. You just have to keep being the common pony's princess as you have, help my constituents like you have others. Your dark little knight there on the other hoof, he may be naive but I hear he has a talent for causing chaos I can use. Goodneighbor is a delicate balancing act, I have to be neutral and can't be seen to interfere with parties I'd rather not work with, but Fast is free to do things I can't. You two stick around awhile, why I gave you the suite to stay in, we'll do each other some favors and build up trust between us."

I was pretty dubious about working with the slick boss of Goodneighbor too, but Val gave a supportive look and thumb-claw up. She had a better understanding of this kind of thing than either of us and didn't seem to smell a trap, I'd trust her judgement here. Giving Jade a nod I held a hoof out to Shamrock, who returned the hoofbump enthusiastically.

"Ok Shamrock, if Jade's ok with it we can try working together. Er.. on a case by case basis for now... So what's first?"

With a sly wink and tip of his hat, Shamrock grinned and turned his terminal towards me, an advanced and complicated interface displayed on the glowing green screen read 'Maintenance Head Application Exam'. "Fantastic! First is easy, I hear you're quite the repair-pony Fast. It just so happens I need to hire somepony with your rare skillset for my casino and I think you'll be interested. What do you know about the Ministry hubs here in the Commonwealth..."

------------------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------------------

Counter Canter---
----A lesson from Glitter on that old dancing game has made you a little more graceful! Your fancy hoofwork (or agile flying if you are a pegasus pony) keeps you out of harm’s way. Opponents suffer a -5 to combat skills when attacking you.

Reputation Change!---------------------

Goodneighbor-- Accepted
---- You're under Mayor Shamrock's protection as a guest of Goodneighbor! You've been given access to a residence in the city while you're here, a perfect base of operations this far from home. Residents won't try to cheat you very hard and you're free to wander all but the darkest alleys. Even the groups in town that would like to kill you won't make a move inside the city while under the leader's good graces.

Ch. 36-- Wing Ding Arcano Tango

"I understand you have a lot of gaps in your knowledge of the Commonwealth Fast, being from before the war and all. That being the case I guess you don't know how Goodneighbor ended up as it is now, it's all because of this MoM hub. Place has its own power and water, crazy magical defenses spared it from the worst of the bombs too. 30 years ago though it was still sealed up tight as a drum, Goodneighbor wasn't nearly so big or prosperous, just a small community of scavers and treasure hunters trying to get in."

I followed Mayor Shamrock down the service passages and listened to his short history of his town, still confused about what he wanted. I certainly hadn't expected to take some kind of technician's exam on the computer in his office, but it was actually an enjoyable test of my skills and I had passed with flying colors.

The questions covered a wide range of technological and magical maintenance problems, once the terminal spit out a perfect score reading 'Accepted', Shamrock had applauded and asked us to follow him down to the lower levels of the Wing Ding Casino, speaking along the way about the Ministry of Morale hub above.

"This part of the Commonwealth would look a lot different today if I hadn't happened to be the one who got in first, not to toot my own horn. Only the casino and a couple lower floors of the hub we've managed to break into since then are accessible now, but that was plenty to bring a bunch of D.C. outcasts, tribals and gangs together and build a thriving city." Shamrock's voice held an unmistakable tone of pride at his accomplishments, seeing the town outside now I couldn't blame him.

"How did you get in? Wasn't there any automated security? And why can't you get into most of the MoM hub?" The similarities between this Ministry hub and the one in Trinity Tower that Jade's sisters occupied had me fascinated with the ghoul's story, a large portion of the M.A.S. hub looked like it was sealed to this day as well.

"Funny story that is, everypony asks me that eventually and I usually let them believe whatever wild rumors are out there. That I had trained Hellhounds dig me in, some Luna sent moonbeam led me to a secret door, Discord himself appeared and opened it in exchange for my soul, there are some good ones. The truth is pretty boring, the casino just let me in." The ghoulish mayor grinned back at us and turned down another set of stairs leading down.

Jade gave a perplexed scrunch to her muzzle, looking around at the narrow corridors surrounding us anxiously. "The casino let you? By itself? I-It is not... h-haunted... i-is it?"

Shamrock wheezed out a torrent of raspy laughter, shaking his head in reassurance. "Sort of... but not by spirits. I told you I deal in information, I've done a lot of research in the years since that day about the Ministry hubs in Trotson, all state of the art, lots of experimental tech and magic you won't find anywhere else, they're also run by some pretty fancy computers that are still working somehow. The one running this hub decided to let me in when I was drunk, banging my head against the backdoor. Led to a working terminal in some tiny office, had me take a test like I asked Fast to take and hired me as 'Casino Manager'. That's why I'm in charge here, manager of the casino isn't cleared to open the hub, but I have a lot of authority down here."

A computer ran things? I had read Stable-Tec magazines back home that proudly touted their Crusader maneframes, computers so powerful they could think or even copy a pony's mind, and the Institute obviously kept making advances in artificial intelligence. The idea one was still in charge here was still surprising, though it made the test Shamrock asked me to take make sense.

"So you got it to hire me as repair-pony?" I asked as we followed the mayor through a sliding steel door, into a maintenance room with a lot of monitors and computer equipment. A yellow earth pony with a slick brown mane tapped at one of the keyboards hesitantly, referring frequently to a Big Book of Arcane Science and trying to look busy as we entered.

Shamrock trotted over to a slot on the wall of technology, gently removing a plastic card jutting out and bringing it to me in his teeth. A fresh, glossy ID card with my own picture staring back at me, according to which I was now Head Maintenance Technician. "Exactly! I've had a lot of smart ponies like Light Fantastic over there take that test and help me with this place, no one's gotten the head job though. Now the computer running the hub is up in the tower, but you can interface with it here or at any terminal in the casino. As head tech you should be able to find a way in and open this baby up, find me a way to do that and we're allied towns, whatever resources and secrets are up there, our communities can share!"

Jade gave a supportive nod at my questioning look and I walked to the nearest terminal, patching my pip-buck to it and perusing the system. The computer running the building self identified as Biomechanical Network Logistics Server, recognizing me as Head Technician and displaying a long list of maintenance issues in the building. Poking around where my access allowed was informative, though I kept running into roadblocks when trying to access the MoM hub.

The yellow stallion wearing a lab coat, (and sunglasses inside for some reason), came up behind me and watched over my shoulder, putting on a smug tone. "Hey I told you I'll get there eventually Shamrock, if it was easy enough for some runt off the street to crack you wouldn't need Fantastic! Never gonna get anywhere going right at it like that buddy, hub went into like... super duper lock down when the bombs fell, won't open for anypony but a high ranking member of MoM."

I found the security authorization prompt he had to be talking about, though it listed it as a Luna Tier Attack Scenario rather than 'super-duper lock down', without a member of the Ministry of Morale of sufficient rank it did seem difficult to unlock. The casino had different security protocols and had made itself accessible around 30 years ago as Shamrock said, reading the outside conditions as acceptable again for the 'Grand Opening Program'. Apparently the Wing Ding Circus Casino had not opened to the public before the end of the world, it had hired Shamrock as part of its programing to resume with the opening preparations.

"So how's it look repair-pony? We in business?" Shamrock peered at the monitor hopefully as I flicked through several screens of data quickly.

"Not any time soon... Whatever fancy computer is running this place, it's pretty powerful and secure. There's bound to be a back door somewhere, but it's gonna take time to find it." I sighed in frustration, I was confident I could find a way to get into the system that actively fought my intrusions, but I didn't feel a need to rush.

Shamrock seemed nice so far and had excellent points, we just met the ghoul mayor though and I wasn't sure I wanted to give him the keys to a sealed Ministry hub yet. He might be able to break into it floor by floor over enough time anyway as he had been doing, but that was better than all at once if he ended up being dangerous or evil despite first impressions.

The ghoul mayor of Goodneighbor gave me a sly look, seeming to follow the track of my thoughts easily. "Perhaps that's for the best hmm? Give us a little time to get to know each other, build some trust? I'm sure a hero like yourself would want to be sure he wasn't cracking open a Ministry hub for a villain, very wise to be sure of your new partner's character first yes?"

I winced at how easily Shamrock figured me out. The popular leader of the city was a master at dealing with others, his social skills dwarfed my own and he was smart. "Alright maybe... but I can't just hit a button and open it either. That computer running things is... well it's smart... There's always a way around it, but it really will take some time to sift through the code."

Jade stuck her nose in the air proudly and huffed, "Fast does not lie about fixing things Mayor Shamrock, if he says he cannot do what you ask immediately you can be sure it cannot be done. I must agree that we do not know enough about you to simply hoof over control of a Ministry hub however, the power locked away inside could do great harm to the Commonwealth in the wrong hooves."

To his credit Shamrock didn't get mad, didn't blow up at the refusal, didn't threaten us if we didn't do as asked, instead he smiled and nodded patiently. "Just what I'd expect from a good princess, you do live up to expectations dear. Fast may take as long as he needs to work on the problem and decide if he wants to solve it, the terminal in the Luna suite is connected to the network so take your time and work in comfort! In the meantime we'll start small and build our relationship and trust, I have just the thing as a sign of good faith along with a few tidbits to think on.

First off, you may have noticed our only real medical care in Goodneighbor is that blasted Chem-I-Care Pharmacy run by the Svengallops, hardly first rate or a place that really cares for the health of their customers. There is an abandoned Helpinghoof Clinic here though, been thoroughly scavenged and it's in rough shape, but I give it to you and your Followers of the Apocalypse Princess. Bring us a real doctor's office please your highness, doing so will have the added benefit of hurting Svengallop's business too..."

Oh he was clever... and very well informed by that grin when he dangled hurting one of the Diamond City nobility. Jade immediately smiled beautifully and her eyes sparkled as she went for the bait, the opportunity to spread the Followers and help those living here was irresistible to the alicorn doctor. "Really!? I may establish a Follower's clinic here? Thank you so much Mayor Shamrock! I promise to care for those you lead to the best of our ability!"

The ghoul was nearly shook hard enough to lose his tricorne hat and his balance, the big alicorn grabbing his hoof in her own and shaking the appendage excitedly as she gushed. He looked a little dizzy as he wove a few steps back from the overjoyed mare who didn't know her own strength, shaking his head to get his eyes to stop looping around woozily and chuckling a reply. "I'd expect no less Princess, thank you for helping my people. While on the subject of D.C. nobles and their meddling in my town, I'd advise you all to be careful around the Kings and their casino. Bullet Bishop started out here and the King's Gambit is his little kingdom, they shouldn't mess with you while under my protection, but they push against me being in charge constantly. There's no guarantee they won't decide you're worth throwing away the delicate balance here in Goodneighbor, finally try to grab the top spot for themselves. I wouldn't be opposed if something were to happen to those trigger happy ponies you know..."

Shamrock seemed to dislike the nobility of Diamond City as much as I did, grimacing while he talked about the Kings and giving a sly, lidded look at the prospect of bad things happening to them. If Bishop really was supplying weapons to enemies of Sanctuary that was one more reason to go after him, though I didn't have much about the group to go on yet.

"If something were to happen... what would be the worst thing for them Shamrock? Why do they have so much power here, what would hurt them and weaken their grip on your town?"

Beaming at the question the mayor answered happily, "Their weapons trade is what keeps them in power Fast. From what I understand that casino of theirs was built by some big shot from Las Pegasus they call the King, apparently he had quite the side business smuggling magical energy weapons, war profiteer... They've got one helluva stockpile they started out with, used that to expand and take over an old Ironshod's factory, use slaves to cobble together new firearms now. Anything that hurts their business, hurts Bishop."

I frowned in thought a moment and nodded, it still wasn't much to go on, but the weapons dealer represented a threat to Sanctuary and that just wouldn't do. "I'll keep it in mind Shamrock, maybe they'll run into a some bad luck... For now I need to think, if we're done here I think we all need to get something to eat and talk."

Jade came up beside me in agreement, "Yes, we have much to discuss as I am sure you can imagine. I also wish to look over your generous donation and send a letter to the Followers in Sanctuary, have them send some volunteers to run your new clinic. Thank you again Mayor Shamrock, I look forward to our communities working together."

The mayor put his hat to his chest and gave a bow, leading us out kindly. "As do I my dear! I'm sure you have much to discuss and must be famished. The casino has its own kitchens and dining if you'd care to stay in, or there are some excellent eateries in town to try out if you prefer. Enjoy your stay with us and come see me any time!"

I paused at the door, struck by a self indulgent thought. "Shamrock, if I'm head of maintenance here... does that mean I can fix anything I want?"

A confused look crossed the ghouls face and he shrugged. "I suppose so Fast, you have access to all our spare parts and maintenance areas. I do have other ponies like Fantastic to do grunt work though, you don't have to do anything you don't want."

My face heated up as I mumbled out, "I... like fixing things... Er... just for fun..."

Shamrock's coarse laughter followed us out as he nodded his head and waved us on. Jade planted a kiss on my blushing cheek and we walked back out through the maze of service corridors up to the casino proper. It may seem silly but I did like the idea of being in a maintenance job again, there were all kinds of interesting machines to fix in the Wing Ding Circus that hadn't been serviced in ages. As we reached the casino floor my pip-buck threw text up in my vision, reminding me 'fixing things' in the wasteland often wasn't as simple as repairing the games and rides flashing out here.

Mission Added- Ministry Heist

Objective-
--Find a way into the Ministry of Morale hub

Mission Added- Down with the King

Objective-
--Weaken the Kings in Goodneighbor

When we arrived back at the Princess Luna Suite we found Glitter had managed to cajole Peri and Magnolia into playing dress up, the foal looked up guiltily from Jade's clothing strewn across the living room and smiled sheepishly. Magnolia was wearing her red sequined dress and had her long reddish-violet mane brushed to a silky sheen covering one eye, Peri wearing Jade's white dress from Hexington looked a bit off with the Minutemare hat on her head clashing with the elegant garment, but she refused to remove it even for the filly brushing her blonde mane around it.

I looked around for the missing Ivy and was surprised to see her engaged in lively conversation with Zed, the green alicorn looked delighted at their discussion, while even the zebra was more expressive than I was used to seeing him. The pair noticed us as I pulled Glitter away from grooming Peri and trotted over together, a spark of excitement showed through in the zebra's grey eyes as he spoke.

"Fast, thank you for recommending Miss Ivy! She has agreed to assist me, her ability to read minds will be most helpful in questioning the residents here about the Church of Balefire." I'd never seen Zed so excited, not that it was easy to read, but the bright tone to his voice and determined stare were the equivalent of bouncing on his hooves for the dour zebra.

"That's great Zed, if they're being secretive then having a mind reader help out is a good idea. Are you ok with doing this Ivy?"

The green alicorn bobbed her head and smiled brilliantly, "Yes I am happy to help Fast. Speaking with Mr. Zed is actually quite refreshing, I can't read his thoughts at all as a zebra. Talking without knowing what the other party is thinking is rather pleasant, I do not mind spending time with him to assist in his efforts."

Looking between the two I mentally face-hoofed, I should have encouraged more interaction between the zebra and the green alicorn. Jade told me her mind reading sisters could only hear pony thoughts, thinking on it now after seeing Ivy's reaction to the request, I could see how always knowing what others were thinking must get old. The big green mare looked overjoyed at something as simple as a normal conversation with someone else. Ivy hadn't been as tempted as Peri and Magnolia by socializing with the ponies back in Sanctuary, but here was something that caught her interest.

"Ok, as long as you're alright with it that'll be a big help Ivy. Now, we were going to head down and find something to eat in town, do you ladies want to come?" I looked over the three alicorns hopefully, still determined to give them gentle nudges into dealing with others.

Jade looked as pleased as I felt when all three looked up thoughtfully, both Magnolia and Peri stood and nodded cautiously while even Ivy looked interested, looking to Zed and seeming to enjoy not knowing what he'd say. The zebra realized she was waiting on him and almost seemed uncomfortable at her questioning gaze, shuffling to himself before relenting with a sigh.

"I would like to begin asking around town immediately... though I suppose taking a meal with everyone is a worthy diversion. I can ask questions in one of the restaurants here as easily as on the street, if Miss Ivy would care to." The wide smile the green filly gave him was answer enough, I was grateful to the reluctant zebra as that meant all of us would be going together.

Of course fitting the five of us plus three additional large alicorns into the elevator back down was quickly a daunting prospect, we managed in Fort Haygone with a couple suits of power armor and just Jade, but her plus her equally towering sisters was a bit much. Thankfully the full length windows up here in the Luna Suite opened with minimal finagling, letting Val lead Ivy, Peri and Magnolia out to the streets of Goodneighbor while the rest of us rode down.

When the doors dinged and opened to the casino floor, Zed took off like a shot, anxious to join Ivy and start his questioning while we found somewhere to eat. Jade, Glitter and I were left to take a more leisurely pace through all the crowds enjoying themselves down here. The princess at my side drew some attention, but she had become well known enough that seeing the big blue alicorn weaving her way through all the games and ponies down here wasn't a huge shock. If we had tried this with all three of her sisters I had an idea we'd attract a lot more stares than we were.

Dragging Glitter away from the blinking lights and sounds of all the games and rides down here was difficult, only made easier by explaining not only were we probably staying here awhile, but that I had free reign with my new job title to spend time down here with her. The siren song of the dancing game still forced Jade to scoop her up in her magic, reluctantly promising to play it with her in the future.

Back out on the street we were surprised to see only Magnolia waiting for us anxiously, clearly nervous under all the interest that a tall purple alicorn in a bright red dress was attracting. She rushed over on spotting us gratefully, trying unsuccessfully to hide behind us and whispering an explanation. "I-Ivy left with Mr. Zed for a moment, then Peri saw something that caught her interest and ran off... Miss Valkyrie went after her..."

Jade comforted her sister and nudged her towards the glow of the Red Rocket sign down the street. "You may come with me Magnolia, I wish to write to the Followers in Sanctuary as soon as possible. I can show you how to send a letter to Miles in Diamond City as well if you wish..."

Magnolia's face took on a rosy glow and she nodded meekly, following along with Jade as she excused herself and made a beeline for the small courier office. That left me alone with Glitter, her robot babysitter left behind in the suite, everyone had instantly scattered despite the intention of eating together...

I sighed and rolled my eyes, looking down to the foal waiting beside me. "Well, at least you didn't run off on me too sweetie.."

Her big pink eyes sparkled as she leapt up to give my neck a warm hug, nuzzling her muzzle into my coat and giving a tinkling giggle. "Never daddy! I guess we get to pick where to eat huh?!"

Deciding to agree with her positive spin on everyone disappearing, I ruffled her mane and started down the street with her at my side. There were a variety of eateries out here, small street stands dominated every corner, the two largest establishments to actually take a seat and eat inside were 'The Gilded Fork' and 'The Tasty Treat'. The fancy looking Gilded Fork was closest so I headed that way first, poking my head in to the upscale restaurant.

I wouldn't have imagined there'd be a posh, snobby, three horseshoe restaurant out in the wasteland, but here one was. The waiters wore tattered tuxes and the cooks were in dirty white uniforms with the occasional chef's toque on their heads, the customers were all dressed up, tarnished silverware was carefully arranged on each red tablecloth decked table, and a snooty looking stallion stood guard at the door, looking us over with distaste.

"Welcome to ze Gilded Fork, party of... two sir?" The peach unicorn stallion twirled his thin orange mustache and looked us over dubiously, checking the clipboard floating beside him like he had already decided there wasn't room.

For the moment I was more interested in the restaurant itself, one wall was lined with ancient photos, the sight of several hung higher than the rest in places of honor jumped out at me. Was that Twilight Sparkle? Fluttershy... Rarity... Rainbow Dash... four Ministry Mares? The photos looked like they were signed too...

Glitter nudged me back to the present and the impatient stallion sniffing with distaste. "Er... Sorry! Um, just looking around for somewhere to eat, we... have a larger party coming. There's 8 of us so... is that too many? There's alicorns too if that's ok, Princess Jade and three of her sisters, they're kinda nervous about coming in places... and take up a lot of room, so we'd need a big table..."

The maitre de's eyebrows shot up briefly and his clipboard floated to his side as he replied. "Princess? The one from ze radio yes? Well we normally do not handle such a large group... very exclusive... but a new celebrity added to ze wall is always welcome. We are quite busy at ze moment, perhaps just you and ze princess could return for ze more private meal?"

He actually looked conciliatory, waving out to the crowded restaurant to demonstrate his point, though I noticed several open tables. The intention to make a production of Jade visiting was clear though, the pictures must be famous ponies who ate here, he didn't want a big group of us in the way.

Between that and the food I spotted being served I didn't feel great about eating here anyway. The snooty attitude, the crazily fancy food made out of normal wasteland fare, even the accent the maitre de spoke with all reminded me of the worst of... Hearty Forks? As if thinking of the snobby yet heroic cook from Shift 4 had summoned him, I found myself staring at his face on the wall, just as I remembered him.

With my mouth hanging open I pushed past the overdressed waiter towards the large photo hanging just inside the kitchen, visible over the bar that let those seated there view their meals being prepared. The framed picture was signed, 'Only the best will do, Chef Forks' and bore an inky hoofprint of the smiling chef staring back at me. It hung over a small clear space on the counter with an empty knife rack bearing his chef's hat and fork cutie mark etched on the side, a small box of holotapes sat beside it.

"Daddy... what's the matter? You know that pony?" Glitter's voice held a note of concern as I brushed by annoyed looking cooks passing by, floating my knife out and looking over Fork's mark on the handle, matching the mark on the rack.

"N-Nothing's wrong sweetie... I did know him yes, his name was Hearty Forks, he was v-very brave. Heh... he always said he was head chef for a big, fancy restaurant in the city, I guess I found it..."

The agitated maitre de had followed us back here and the annoyed sneer on his face faltered at the name, his green eyes widened and he breathlessly spoke in a rush. "You know ze name of ze head chef? Have one of his tools? You knew monsieur Forks?!"

"Er... sorta... not very well or anything, but yeah I knew him, it's a long story... So this is where he cooked? Why do you sound like him? Even the food here looks like what he made, was he a big deal or something?"

He sputtered at the admission, glancing to the photo and giving a bow before returning his attention to me. "Big deal?! Monsieur Forks was famous in Goodneighbor! This very restaurant was host to some of the most famous and important ponies in Equestria! We carry on his tradition through the sacred tapes and recipes here."

Sacred tapes? However the group occupying Fork's old restaurant had come to be, they seemed to have latched on to Forks as some kind of guide. I gave a questioning look to the little shrine at the counter for permission before floating some of the holotapes up for inspection, blowing dust off the faded labels. 'Only the Best, Cooking with Hearty Forks'... a cooking show... I loaded one of the tapes and had to bite back a tear at hearing that pretentious, unreasonable, elitist... noble... pony's voice filling my ear.

I stopped the playback and copied the holotape before returning it, saving a little piece of my old life to listen to when I wanted, if only I had recorded one of Fork's and Ladle's epic fights... Poking my nose into the cabinet below the picture revealed a great deal of preserved paperwork, leather bound recipe books stuffed with notes and loose sheets of paper filled with scribbling.

A bit of color in all the yellowed pages caught my eye and I pulled out a glossy advertisement pamphlet of some kind. I skimmed over it absently, my thoughts more on memories of Forks and the Stable, when my eyes hung on a single word, 'Saturnite'. Suddenly it was much more interesting and I reread it closely.

"Congratulations on your purchase of the last knife you'll ever need, the Saturnite knife!

You've been selected as one of a lucky few, just 99 others in all Equestria, given the opportunity to purchase this rare and wondrous, prototype cooking implement! Pride of Sausage Ironworks, our unique, patented alloy Saturnite never rusts, dulls, nicks or scratches! Cut through a tin can as easily as a tomato! Just watch your hooves!

As one of the exclusive ponies allowed this opportunity, we urge you to complete the attached feedback form so we may better serve you and Equestria. Direct any complaints to Sausage Ironworks, care of: Head of Research and Development - Dr. Vega"

I looked over the starmetal blade that matched the picture in the pamphlet, Dr. Vega... Sausage Ironworks had been another business the Institute had meddled with under his direction, testing their experiments out through their business dealings. I briefly wondered how many of those 99 other customers had accidentally sliced off a hoof with the insanely sharp blades. As I thought over the prospect of 99 more of these knives out there in the world, my pip-buck flashed in the corner of my vision: Map Updated, looking it over it had put up a marker for Sausage Ironworks to the north back across the river.

The maitre de's mustache quivered with excitement as he broke in on my thoughts at the new marker, "If you knew ze great chef you simply must dine here monsieur! Our current head chef will be delighted to meet you! I will go tell her at once!"

After he dashed off Glitter eyed some of the nearest plates set to leave the kitchen with distaste, sticking her tongue out at the tiny, artfully presented portions of sliced cram fried and drizzled in zig zagging lines of purple sauce with bits of garnish. "Do... do we have to eat here dad?"

I watched one of the cooks frying a 200 year old can of banana puree and delicately weaving strips of it into a basket, joining the foal in sticking my tongue out in distaste. "No sweetie... I never liked the things Forks cooked on Shift Change day anyway, it looks like that's how they make everything here. Let's just... slip out before he comes back huh?"

The two of us hurriedly slunk out of the overly fancy restaurant, Glitter breathing a sigh of relief when we dashed out of the door. Walking down the busy street let us follow our noses to the Tasty Treat, a much lower class establishment that smelled wonderful. Ducking in to the crowded eatery revealed a busy restaurant filled with a good number of patrons, none of whom were as dressed up or snooty as those in the Gilded Fork.

The decorations were bright and exotic, lots of colorful draperies and interesting pictures, one near the door showed a similar restaurant back before the war I looked over quickly. Judging by the architecture and the delicate spires of a castle in the background, it had to be taken in Canterlot. A younger, light orange mare with a poofy dark mane, an older stallion with similar colors and a dour expression, and Ministry Mare Pinkie Pie hugging the two of them from the middle.

One of the harried but cheerful sounding waitresses spotted us at the door, smiling broadly as she dropped off a steaming plate to a waiting customer and trotted over. "Welcome to the Tasty Treat! Please come in! Just the two of you?"

The yellow-orange mare's voice had an odd accent, musical and lilting while being very friendly, her brown eyes sparkled under her dark mane as she waited patiently. I felt put at ease by her immediately and felt better about eating here, the strange smells were enticing and Glitter looked interested.

"Umm... no actually, we have kinda a big group coming... 8 of us, er... with four alicorns... if that's ok..." I was fine with this place just from the smells and reception, but we still had a lot more to our party and there was no telling if Jade and her sisters would be a problem.

I looked to the waitress hopefully after admitting to such a large and unique group, rewarded by both her eyes and smile widening. "Alicorns? Oh my goodness, how interesting! Of course that is not a problem sir, we will push some tables together and be happy to serve!"

Releasing a held in breath thankfully I returned the waitresses smile and nodded, "Thanks! Really, thanks a lot! Umm... the rest of our group is sorta... scattered... right now, but I'll go find them and be right back!"

With where to eat settled we trotted back outside to try to find the others, I could see the Red Rocket across the street, but Jade and Magnolia weren't there, leaving me to wonder where they had wandered off to. Zed had disappeared again, this time with Ivy, and I was briefly tempted to bring up his locator tag, the only hope of finding him when he vanished like this. Spotting Val and Peri down one of the side streets radiating away from the MoM tower cut that thought short though.

They were engaged in an animated conversation with a strangely dressed stallion, in front of a place called the 'Black Cat', a neon lit, narrow, three story brick building. A number of attractive mares in alluring outfits stood outside, attracting customers around the back and forth from the alicorn and griffon. The pale green earth pony stallion they were talking to was dressed in an outlandish suit with a broad hat, a bright yellow with leopard spotted trim.

As I approached Val was snickering around her part of the conversation, trying to explain what the den of inequity was to the odd blue alicorn. "It's a brothel honey, you pay caps and can have a little slap and tickle with who you want... Probably ought'a move on, doubt yer sis would like it, oh hey boss! You talk to her, stubborn as a mule this one is."

I stood in front of the tall blue mare staring into the windows of the lurid business and shifting on her hooves, coughing for her attention. "Peri... what's the deal, you were going to wait for us, why'd you come here?"

Dragging her gaze away from the gyrating mares putting on quite a show in the window, Peri looked down to me to reply. "Mating... This pony here says I could earn money and engage in mating with normal ponies, Miss Val also says I can pay to mate with who I wish, I am interested in doing so."

The slimy pimp-pony stallion leered and nodded, waving to the building invitingly. "That's right sweetheart, just come on in! I could make a fortune rentin' you out, lots of ponies would want a ride with a mare like you!"

"Umm... Peri... Jade wouldn't like this, er... let her explain it to you first ok? It's... it's not good mating, it's this pony taking advantage of you to sleep with ponies that pay him." I sighed trying to get the idea across to the strange filly, groaning at her quizzical look.

"I wish to try mating and affection, like you and sister Jade. I may pay and mate with who I wish here? How much to mate with this pony?" Her question was directed to the pimp outside, but her big blue hoof was pointing right at me, making me sputter and turn a bright red.

Val howled laughter at her misunderstanding, shoving me towards the blonde mare in the Minutemare hat playfully. "Fer him?! What, 5 caps? Here I'll lend it to ya Peri! Have fun!"

"VAL! N-Not funny! Peri it doesn't work like that, you pay to... um... m-mate with the ponies inside, not just anyone you pick out! Definitely n-not me! Please... just come on, let Jade or Ivy explain it ok?" I skidded and dug my hooves in against Val's pushing, shrinking away from the perplexed look Peri was giving me.

"I do not wish to mate with those ponies... Is five caps not enough? I could find more..." Cocking her head curiously the blue alicorn scanned the crowd nearby, making me nervous about just how she planned on acquiring more caps, the Trinity Tower alicorns hadn't shown any use for money so far.

Swatting Val with my hat repeatedly got her to let go, rolling in the street in gales of laughter with Glitter as I tried to shove the big alicorn away. "No! L-Let's go ok? We found somewhere to eat... look there's Jade and Magnolia!"

Spotting her sisters near the candy house orphanage finally sunk through to her and she went along with my useless pushing, eyeing the pimp pony over her shoulder as he called after her to come back anytime. We joined Jade and Magnolia down the side street the orphanage was on, the pair of them looking over the darkened shell of an old Helpinghoof Clinic. I hadn't paid it any attention during our tour of the town before, the unoccupied small building just blended in to the ruin, it had been thoroughly ransacked over the years.

Jade noticed us approaching and pranced over happily, nuzzling my mane and pointing to her ruined shell of a building. "Look Fast! A real Helpinghoof Clinic! It appears to need... some work... but a clinic for the Followers in this large town! C-Could you perhaps assist in the repairs?"

I looked over the dilapidated building critically, sighing at the amount of work waiting. "Sure Jade, of course I will. Looks like a lot of work, maybe I can use supplies from the casino. We found somewhere to eat for now if you two are ready? Er... maybe you could talk to Peri too... she found something she wants to do, but it's... complicated, just ask her ok?"

She gave me a confused look at my blushing report, cocking an eye at Peri gazing around innocently. "Very well, dare I ask what caught her eye now? Never mind, it will wait I am sure. Let us take a meal together, where are Ivy and Mr. Zed?"

"Right here... you have found somewhere to visit?" The zebra appearing from the shadows of a nearby alley startled me into a leap, the vibrant green alicorn trotting along behind him.

"R-Right! Just this way, it looked a little funny but smelled good, and they're friendly!" I led the way back to the Tasty Treat, at the head of a large gaggle of customers to the small restaurant.

Thankfully the waitress was as good as her word, pushing tables together in the corner and clearing space for four alicorns, a griffon, a zebra and two small ponies with minimal fuss. The odd party attracted a good deal of attention, but it all seemed friendly if cautious, interested in the oddity of a group of alicorns in public. Soon enough to the novelty had worn off and the food arrived, the exotic and delicious meal settling everyone's nerves as we settled in and enjoyed each others company.

Later that night I had gotten absorbed working on the terminal in the master bedroom of the Luna Suite, tapping away into the night fighting the advanced computer that controlled the building. I had been sifting through code so long my eyes were starting to cross, I gratefully rubbed them and leaned back into Jade's embrace from behind when she came up, nuzzling my face affectionately and pulling my hooves from the keyboard.

"Fast... you have been busying yourself with that since we returned, I am becoming jealous of an inanimate terminal. I insist you come to bed and lavish such attention on me..." She planted little kisses down my neck and cooed, wrapping her wings around me and drawing the wheeled chair from the desk.

"Sorry hon, just trying to find a way around this thing, whether we help Shamrock or not. It's amazingly difficult to hack, I can't trick it like I usually can most computers. I promise you'll get much more attention than it though, I know what buttons to press to get you to open up at least..."

That got her to giggle and increase her ministrations, nibbling my ears and giving a gasp when a little of my magic roved over some of those 'buttons' on her big blue body. Her hooves roved down in return and I was more than ready to go along with her insistent tugging towards the big round bed, when the terminal spit out the results of the latest search. My eyes hung on a few of the results as the blue filly pulled me away and I had to pause, despite her cross whine.

"H-Hold on Jade, j-just a sec.. I... I think I found a way in..."

The long lick up my neck and huff she gave at the arcano-tech machine showed how little she thought of my potential success, puffing her reply in my ears. "I know you have... come on..."

"N-No seriously! The grand opening program, I think it's tied to the hub and I... ooooooh boy..." The telekinetic field of her pale blue magic washed over me, probing and squeezing some sensitive areas in a very pleasant way as she yanked me from the chair and floated me after her wiggling rump to the bed.

A couple hours later I panted on the silky sheets with a lot of satisfied alicorn draped over me, feeling lucky to have held on to any thoughts other than her. She purred against my chest and looked up with heavily lidded blue eyes happily, a sheen of sweat glistening on her coat as she tickled me with her feathers. "You were saying something unimportant about the computer Fast? Did you have some success?"

I shifted comfortably under her bulk and kissed her horn, "Yeah I think so. The protocols for the casino and the hub are different, but there's some crossover. The hub was supposed to be open to monitor the casino's grand opening, I think if we go through with the opening program for the casino, the hub will be forced to open while it's going on. I uh.. didn't get far enough to see what all that entails, but it's a start!"

She murmured sleepily and snuggled against me, clearly unimpressed at my hacking skills. "And do you think you should open it, now that you have an idea how to do so? Mayor Shamrock does seem pleasant enough, but an untouched Ministry hub... that is a lot of power for any pony Fast. Sometimes the artifacts of the past should stay there..."

"As one of those artifacts of the past, I have to disagree. I'd much rather be awake with you than still asleep in that coffin back in 111."

Cuddling closer she tittered to herself and wrapped her legs around me tightly. "Not what I meant and you know it... I much prefer you here as well though, you are nice and warm against that breeze."

Breeze? Much as I liked her wrapping herself around me against it, there shouldn't be a breeze in here... The cool fall night air was coming in and chilling the sweat off my coat from somewhere though. I pushed myself up a few inches to see past her wings furled tightly against me, spotting the source as one of the picture windows in here standing open.

"Did someone leave or come back through that window? Oh don't tell me Peri snuck in here again... Peri!? If you're there turn visible please! We talked about this!" I yelped at the empty room, sure the curious blue alicorn had slipped in again despite her long and frustrating talk with Jade.

A blue alicorn did appear before us, but not the medium blue, blonde maned Periwinkle. Instead the mare that appeared was so dark she was nearly black, with a silver mane and angry purple eyes. The three green robed figures that materialized with her instantly removed any hopes this was a friendly Trinity Tower alicorn checking on her sisters.

"Shit! VAL!! ZED!! COMPANY!!!" I shouted and wrapped my legs around Jade, straining to roll to the side and off the edge with her, just ahead of a number of spells that slammed into the mattress, shredding it in a cloud of stuffing.

I peeked over the edge of the ruined bed and gulped, they had caught us at a very vulnerable time... meaning that blue had probably watched and waited until we had finished and were drifting off to sleep. What I saw of her three accomplices chilled my blood as at least one theory of mine was confirmed.

They weren't like the other two types I had seen, but they were mutant alicorns too. Underdeveloped wings poked out of their green robes and the horns on their heads were so long they remained uncovered by their hoods, making me feel a little inadequate for a moment. What I could see of their faces and bodies looked more twisted than the large winged variety, but still better than the first I had seen. The magic those oversized horns were capable of was no joke either, a series of eldritch daggers, a torrent of flame and a beam of light came firing out at the mattress, making me duck behind the diminishing cover again.

"You will come with us Destroyer! Dr. Dala demands it!" The dark blue shouted over the barrage of spells, her commanding voice ringing out in the large room.

"MY FAST IS NO DESTROYER!" Jade scowled and went directly into her goddess voice, overriding her counterpart's shouts and causing the mutants with her to pause when she leapt to her hooves. She grabbed the tattered mattress in her magic and launched the big round object at our attackers, blocking their view as it filled the corner they were in.

I took the narrow opportunity to snatch up a few of my possessions strewn around around the room, my saddlebags first as I desperately wanted a weapon, followed by my hat Jade had tossed aside in her enthusiasm. I kicked myself for leaving the rest of my armor out in the main room when we returned, the powerful magic tearing the mattress to little more than fluff had me feeling both literally and figuratively naked.

At least Jade had her shield so we weren't totally unprotected, slipping into my saddlebags hurriedly restored my inventory in my pip-buck with a flash of text, letting me draw the Terrible Shotgun and lay down some return fire, uselessly sparking off their own series of bright silver shields. The crashing boom of the shotgun must have helped get Val's attention, the grumpy griffon was wiping sleep from her violet eyes when she burst through the door, blanching when she took in the scene in here.

"Boss! Holy hell get outta there! C'mon Blue move it!" Val ducked behind the cover of the door as a series of spells ripped into the frame, jumping back out from the cover to fire her huge pistol she was never without.

Jade didn't need to be told twice, in an instant she snatched me up in her magic and flew towards the open door and waiting griffon, her sparkling blue shield diminishing with each hit against it as we crossed the short distance of the master bedroom. A thin stream of lightning magic broke through as we passed through the portal, scorching her legs and disrupting her magic, leaving me to roll to a stop after it imploded and dumped me to the floor.

Shaking my head to clear all the tiny alicorns circling it, I lunged over the back of the long couch, barely ahead of beams from more spells aimed my way, a shining silver dagger of magic slicing down my side. My refuge was short lived as the door opened in front of me and several more robed figures spilled out, firing green beams of magical energy weapons that made my pip-buck chatter. Thankfully only one appeared to be a mutant, but it was of the huge, heavily muscled variety that filled the only exit completely.

I floated out Kellogg's old pistol, Vengeance, and activated S.A.T.S., selecting one headshot attempt for each round in the cylinder and accepted the sequence. The roar of the gleaming revolver filled the room, flattening my ears against the stinging blast as the hammer fanned rapidly in my magic. Only three succeeded in hitting their mark, but those that did made an impression, exploding the pony heads hidden in the robes messily.

One vaporized the hood on the way out and spattered the cult member behind them, leaving the hooded pony covered in gore and screaming in shock, giving me a second to run. Jade was already right on my tail when Zed sprinted out of his room and past me, launching himself like a striped missile at the burly mutant and remaining Church of Balefire members at the door. I saw Ivy poke her head out of the door he left on my way past, her concerned expression hardening into anger when she took in the mutants among our attackers, her horn glowing above her scowl.

I grabbed my armored coat in my teeth from the chair it was draped on and dashed forward, my thoughts now solely focused on Glitter in the bedroom ahead. The door I was aiming for opened and Peri's curious face peered out, on taking in the battle going on in the living room suddenly, her horn glowed as her expression turned excited, the sniper rifle that floated from the room behind her to her side apparently the reason. As I dodged around her I heard the powerful rifle start firing, followed by a grunt or splat behind me for each shot, as far as she was concerned this was an opportunity to play with her gun...

My heart stopped when I reached the room and found the big bed empty, restarting with a lurch when the little filly's silver maned bed-head popped out from under the mattress, the small magical energy weapon Righteous Authority gripped in her mouth and AssaultJack reappearing in a shimmery haze in the corner. With only Peri in here she had woken to strange noises, grabbed the weapon and hidden, filling me with pride at her good sense despite the fear evident in her pink eyes.

"Daddy! What's goin' on!? Is everything ok?!" She cried out, leaving the boxy M.E.W. behind as she wriggled out and ran to me, hugged to my chest with one hoof while the other shrugged into my coat in a rush.

"No, not ok, reeeally not ok sweetie, you did good to hide. Stay here with Jade and I'll be right back!" I hated having to push her away to finish putting on my armor, but she gave a determined nod and Jade held her tightly.

I left AssaultJack fading into the background with them and ran back to the door, reloading the big revolver Vengeance as I peered around the frame. The scene back in the big main room had devolved to complete anarchy I struggled to take in, the long horned mutant alicorns apparently had amazing levels of telekinetic power at their disposal, everything not nailed down in the room was floating about in a maelstrom of furniture.

Val had ducked back into her room and grabbed her heavy weapons while I was away, as I watched one of the new variety of mutants gathered a glow of magical force in a twirling arrow that exploded with a soft pop, large chunks of door frame near Val's head and round hole in Val's foreleg were obliterated by bolts of... nothing? Telekinetic bullets? It was possible to use such a simple spell like that?!

Magnolia was just behind Val, her own violet shield lighting up at the doorway to fend off the concentrated attack. Charging the Last Minute to full power resulted in puncturing through one of the shimmering silver shields of the mutants, into the chest of the warped alicorn behind it. Their shields were as powerful as the rest of their magic, but couldn't stop the amount of force the gauss rifle put out in such a small area, just slow it significantly from the damage I could see.

The loss of focus the shot caused weakened the hooded mutant's shield at least, Val unleashed a barrage of red M.E.W. fire that battered it down until it collapsed, incinerating one of the three mutants into a pile of glowing ash. The inky blue leading the assault took its place and scowled at the griffon, sending a blast of lightning towards the purple shield covering her.

Ivy was covering Zed's frantic melee near the door, the normal pony cultists were decimated at his hooves and now the zebra was engaged in a brutal back and forth with the muscular mutant standing guard, Ivy's green shield holding back the spells coming that direction. Jade told me greens could make the strongest shields of any of her kind, but only if they were perfectly still and unaware, Ivy was still conscious however and I both heard and felt her shout to the room in my head.

"Stormy! What are you doing here!? What are these abominations with you!? Why do you attack!?" Ivy's shout sent my hooves to my ears pointlessly, the piercing voice lodged right in my brain.

The mutant alicorns looked stunned at her mental shout, they heard it too and it didn't agree with them, the wall of muscle by the door paused and was instantly rewarded with a thunderous blow from Zed's hooves, sending it reeling with a plainly broken jaw. The dark blue, Stormy apparently, was taken aback and replied with a stammering hiss, thankfully just with her mouth after Ivy's outburst.

"S-Stay out of this sister! We do this for all the mother's children, these 'abominations' as you call them are the first step towards our rightful destiny! Dr. Dala insists this little unicorn is important for her research, do not interfere, I will take him!" Stormy seethed and sent an icy bolt of magic my direction, filling my foreleg and shoulder with stinging pain as a thick crust of ice formed over them and the door frame.

I started charging the Last Minute again and winced forward, it was so far the only weapon with a chance of piercing their shields. I was surprised to hear Magnolia shout forcefully in answer to Stormy's declaration, the normally mild and kind singing alicorn full of fury. "YOU WILL NOT! Fast is our friend, he is special to sister Jade, you may not take him!"

My momentarily warm feeling at being called their friend was bolstered at the flash of purple magic that direction, something held in Val's dark claws to the purple alicorn lit up brightly and several corresponding purple flashes appeared within the silver shields of the mutants by Stormy's side. The grenades fell with a clatter seconds before exploding with a muffled roar, the firestorms contained in a perfect sphere by the shields until they collapsed, the source of the magic fueling them messily dead.

Drawing a bead on the nearly black alicorn's head, I paused in indecision. The Institute's mutants were one thing, but this was a real alicorn, one of Jade's sisters. The leader of the Trinity Tower alicorns, Umbra's, words came tolling back to me, 'With the Goddess gone there will never be any more of us than there are now. Each one of us that dies is now irreplaceable...' I wanted to help Jade's kind, not contribute to their extinction...

Ivy's psychically boosted voice rang out again, flattening my ears against the triumphant shout that went right to my brain. "It may interest you to know that this 'Destroyer's' thoughts are filled with concern for you Stormy! He does not wish to hurt you and reduce our numbers further, he cares even for you who would attack and abduct him!"

I was embarrassed having my thoughts so easily read and seemingly broadcast, but the dark blue alicorn faltered, confusion and indecision crossing her face. The telepathic shout had distracted the only remaining mutant alicorn still engaged with Zed, giving the zebra the opportunity for an amazing flipping maneuver that ended with a buck that hurt just watching. The massive wall of muscle fell back with a crunch of bone and Zed was on him in an instant, pummeling the creature into a pulverized pile of flesh.

With the bulky mutant down, I could see a group of pink barded security ponies charging down the hall beyond, all the chaos must have triggered some alarms downstairs. Stormy spotted the new combatants and sneered angrily, backing away from Val laying down a stream of M.E.W. fire at her, the griffon not held back by my reservations about killing her in the slightest.

The dark alicorn abandoned her weakening shield and flew for the windows, bursting through the wall of glass and turning to hover outside with a scowl. Two of the mutant variety with the oversized wings took up positions at her sides and glared at us dully, again they looked the least twisted and wrong out of all of the mutant versions that had attacked us.

Since her targets were no longer in the enclosed space with us, I heard Val's grenade machinegun click menacingly. The bleeding griffon didn't look like she had any intention of tangling with those mutants in the air again, but she had a clear line of fire out the window and intended to use it. The gaggle of security ponies pouring into the room and readying their own powerful battle saddles backing her up.

"Stop! Don't kill her!" I ran out in front of the windows and blocked the clearest shot any of them had, I knew I'd regret it and was severely handicapping myself, but I just couldn't let another of Jade's sisters die if it wasn't absolutely necessary.

She was so dark, if what the other alicorns said was true it was an indication she was still closer to an extension of their mother than her own pony, if she was killed she'd never have the chance to grow and change as Jade had and there'd be one less alicorn in the world forever. Val gave me an extremely dirty look, but obeyed and pointed her powerful weapons away with a grumble, the security ponies were too confused at the bizarre situation to act immediately either, joining in a tense pause to the fighting.

Stormy hovered with her two mutant escorts and a series of conflicting expressions crossed her pretty face, anger, desperation, confusion, curiosity, all warred on her features as her dark purple eyes stayed locked on my red ones. Finally she shook in the air and snorted with frustration, "If he cares for our kind he should come willingly! Help us! I... We wish to save our species!"

"This isn't how you ask for help... I told Moondancer's synth double and I'll tell you, I do want to help your kind Stormy, really I do. Not like this though, not by experimenting on innocent ponies and turning them into these... things! They had lives, ponies they cared about, hopes and dreams, and you took that all away from them! Just like the goddess did to the unicorns she turned into you! Don't repeat the past like this!"

She flinched at the end, perhaps there was some shame in there after all. The sadly confused look she gave betrayed the internal battle going on at my plea, unfortunately she shook it off and her gaze hardened as it faded from view, Stormy and the two mutants becoming invisible and disappearing from Eyes Forward Sparkle.

The security ponies in the pink barding rushed forward to the shattered window, looking out for an enemy that had vanished and hopefully retreated. I fell to my rump and breathed a shaky sigh, taking in all the destruction unleashed on the once well preserved Luna Suite as Jade cautiously came out and started performing a quick visual triage, identifying Zed as the worst off of us as he limped his way over.

"Well Zed... I guess you were right, the Church of Balefire is around here after all..."

-------------------------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!--------------------------------

Sugarcube Gourmet------------
--Taking in the cuisine of Goodneighbor and visiting Fork's own restaurant has given you a greater appreciation for wasteland cooking! You gain +25% addiction resistance and a 50% health bonus from snack foods. Alcohol of all kinds now also gives you health in addition to their normal effects.

Ch. 37-- Picking Your Brains

"My, my... you throw quite the party Fast..." The ghoul mayor of Goodneighbor, Shamrock, paced the demolished Princess Luna Suite and took in all the destruction, stopping at the corpse one of the mutant alicorns that had attacked us.

All of us sat in the floor watching him, my head hung in shame at being the reason the well preserved room had suffered so much damage. It was a miracle this building had survived 200 years in such good condition, it only took one night of us to put an end to that...

"I'm really sorry Shamrock. I didn't think the Church of Balefire would come right out and attack us in your town. I'll er... fix the room, I promise..." I muttered an apology to the ghoul inspecting the mutated corpse with interest.

He looked up from his examination with a twinkle in his milky eye and shook his head. "What, the room? No worries at all, we'll just have to move you to the Celestia Suite hmm? It's partly a failure on our part too Fast, I've heard of that church of loons before and haven't paid them much attention. We never expected to be attacked by... alicorns? Whatever these things are. Not fine looking fillies like you ladies! I assume your guests are some of our neighbors from Trinity Tower? Wonderful to meet you!"

Ivy and her sisters straightened under the attention and sweeping bow from the ghoul, the green alicorn answering tentatively. "Er... y-yes we are, charmed to meet you as well Mayor Shamrock. We apologize for bringing this chaos to your town... Our wayward sisters have gone too far, this was not our doing but we are responsible for them."

Shamrock arched an eyebrow and walked in front of the three of them, pausing at Peri and glancing pointedly at her Minutemare hat and rifle. "Nonsense! I understand you helped repel these Church nuts, fought against your... own? Forgive my curiosity but these things are something I've never run into before, are they related to you gals?"

He had moved on to poking at one of the long horned varieties' shredded head, looking up to Jade's angry snort and whinny at the question. "Definitely not! These are creations of the Institute, not of our mother, warped and twisted things made from innocent ponies!"

Raising a wing up meekly for attention, Ivy calmed Jade's annoyance and continued in an apologetic tone. "Some of our kind have broken away from us... agreed to assist the Institute in exchange for certain favors. These creatures are not our doing, but we do bear some responsibility for our sister's actions. I am sorry, those of us still in Trinity Tower had no desire to make ourselves enemies of your town, I understand if you wish us to leave."

"Leave!? Of course not! I want more of you to come! I've tried sending envoys to you mares but they've all been turned away, that guard of yours traumatized a few of them let me tell you!" The mayor beamed a crooked smile up to the trio and laughed, I could only imagine the shape whoever he had sent was in after trying to get past Swan...

Ivy looked confused, giving Shamrock a pointed stare I could only imagine was her listening to his thoughts. Could she hear ghoul thoughts? They were ponies... After a moment she continued warily, "Why? Most don't want anything to do with us..."

Putting on an air of a kindly grandfather the ghoul chortled, "Because! Everypony should be invited to a good party! Seriously though, you fillies live in an old Ministry hub, a subject of great interest to me being partially in charge of another one. Plus you're interesting, I'm not sure what all we could offer that you ladies would want, but having friends is always good right? Being on good terms with such strong neighbors is good for us, we could open up trade and er... tourism... don't know if you gals have much in the way of caps, but there's plenty of ways to spend them here! No offense but that tower of yours seems a tad boring..."

"It is..." Peri muttered darkly to herself, getting a pained hiss from Ivy and a raspy laugh from Shamrock.

"I see one of you likes what we have on tap here anyway! I've often wondered why I never saw any of you in town with you so close, there's something for everypony in Goodneighbor! Don't you worry about a thing my dear, I think I have a better understanding of your settlement and... political problems. I don't hold you accountable for what some splinter group decided to do, though I'm afraid I'm going to have to issue sterner orders against any of you alicorn beauties identifying themselves as members of this Church of Balefire. Now then! Let's get you moved out of this wreck and into proper accomodations, let the repair crew start cleaning up and getting rid of the... trash..." Shamrock stopped by the door and stared down at the hulking mutant corpse there distastefully, gesturing us to follow.

It took a few minutes to dig our belongings out of the detritus of the suite and accompany the ghoul, his promises of increased security washing over me. I was too tired to be that concerned and Glitter was already asleep on Jade's back, looking over the bulky robed corpse at the door I thought tomorrow was bound to be a busy day.

Ivy followed either my gaze or my thoughts, coming up beside me to join in looking at the mutated body. "Umbra will have to be told..."

A rime of frost covered the ground and glistened in the rising sun off the rusting carriages and chariots in the streets of Trotson, the clear morning air chilly and puffing out of my muzzle in little clouds with each breath. The explosions and cracks of gunfire put a damper on the beautiful scenery zipping by as I clung to Jade's neck though.

The griffon pursuing us was maddeningly difficult to hit and I fumed, trying to reload the Terrible Shotgun with Jade's big blue wings beating against me. I had no idea how Val managed aerial combat so well, growing up flying must really give you a different world view. Every time I lined up a shot against our airborne attacker, they juked or dived away in some new direction, as a thoroughly ground bound pony I was having trouble keeping up.

None of this was made easier by Jade's own aerial acrobatics, my stomach lurched and fought with the light breakfast I had before we left on this trip, the spinning dive she went into adding to my troubles. As I hung on desperately she looped around a cracked monorail track winding its way through the city several stories up, banking sharply rightside up when my hindlegs started coming free from her back and scrambling in midair.

Once the world stopped spinning I could make out the tawny, yellow-brown griffon coming right at us, trying to pull up and away with powerful flaps of her wings. In a purple flash Magnolia appeared directly above her and drove her down, right into my line of fire. Alright, if I couldn't take time to aim I'd just have to fire from the flank, the shotgun floating above Jade's head started barking, several rounds slamming into the griffon's side as she passed.

"Urk... g-good job Jade! Got her that time!" I groaned watching the griffon careening away, wounded but not out of the fight. I really missed Val at the moment and had second thoughts about leaving her behind with Glitter and Zed.

The Gunners behaved themselves in Goodneighbor, but word was obviously out after we appeared in public there, with a group of Trinity Tower alicorns no less. They had been waiting with a good idea where we were likely to go, setting an ambush down the most direct root to the tower. Val warned me of their likely trap and been furious at being told to stay, but with the Church of Balefire in Goodneighbor and willing to come out to attack us, I wanted the tough griffon near Glitter. Hopefully she was helping Zed track down the church while we were gone, I tried to soothe her by telling her she was unlikely to be allowed in the tower again anyway, but she was pretty grumpy when we left.

Shots sparked against the curved shield Jade was maintaining beneath us, more Gunners running to keep up with our progress or firing from the windows of the ruined towers around us. Jade spun in the air and continued flying towards Trinity Tower, the tall spire of the mostly intact building sparkling in the sun.

"I am sorry for the rough ride Fast! Please hang on tightly, we will be there soon!" She called over her shoulder as we dove under a precariously leaning billboard, gaining height once past it to join Ivy flapping along above, coordinating her sisters telepathically.

I kept hearing the crack of a rifle below us, but couldn't see the source of the sound. Peri playing with her sniper rifle then... being able to calmly fly along invisibly and blast the ponies Ivy picked out sure was useful. I caught more purple flashes in the shattered windows around us too, Magnolia teleporting behind the shooters perched there, as I watched she bucked one out the window and teleported off again.

Watching how the trio of alicorns worked together and used their abilities to such devastating effects, I gave a shudder thinking about what they must have been like when directed by the goddess. Jade was a pacifist so I had no appreciation for just how powerful they were in combat, I was learning now though. If their mother had not been so proud, not done as Peri complained and let them use normal pony weaponry and armor... they would have been a nightmare...

The scary thought of an army of well armed alicorns acting as extensions of a single intelligence was blown away by the griffon resuming her chase, veering in from a side street to return to our tail. I turned to start taking pot shots at the pursuer and saw the barricades in the street blur by, we were over Trotson Common, which meant...

I snapped my eyes to the front to spot a ring of huge purple motes of magic glowing brightly above the lake in the park, each resolving into eldritch arrows bigger than a pony, pointing the way we came. We swept past the impressive display of magic just as the griffon crossed the border of Swan's territory, scrambling frantically at the sight of the spell waiting for her. Even her skilled flying wasn't enough to save her, three magical arrows shot forward and impaled her against the upper stories of a burnt out Pony Joe's storefront. More lanced out into the street, obliterating any of the ground based Gunners trying to follow.

Jade landed at the fountain in front of Trinity Tower and sat to allow me to slide off her back, panting lightly as she checked me over for injuries. Satisfied we had run the gauntlet without significant damage, she nodded up to her sisters flying up to the upper floors of the tower apologetically.

"Here we are, I must speak with Umbra with the others as we discussed Fast. I... I am sorry to make you wait here, are you sure you will be alright until she agrees to let you up?" Clearly the story of how we fared without our resident doctor after last leaving this place made her reluctant to leave, I didn't see any reason to worry at the moment though.

"Go ahead, it's alright. I reeeeally doubt I'm in any kind of danger sitting here Jade." I gave a pointed look to the wisps of purple magic fading away above the park, Swan was a very good guard...

A supercharged alicorn guardian still didn't seem to entirely assuage her worry, but she gave a determined little nod and hovered off the ground. "Very well, I will see you up there shortly then. Perhaps you could go thank Swan for us, her assistance was impressive."

I waved her off and looked out at the park warily, she was right, I should thank Swan... The Gunners had given up their pursuit and retreated in the face of the overwhelming force she answered with. Plus I did want to help and befriend all of Jade's sisters, this one was odd remaining by herself out here away from even her own sisters. She was the mare to ask about teleportation too, something my limited use of had proven valuable, I did need to learn to control it.

None of those very good reasons made approaching her lair any easier...

Come on hooves... move forward... I was being silly, I hadn't even seen this mare yet! I forced myself across the street berating myself mentally, I wasn't scared of Jade when she got all... super sized, no reason to be worried about this one... Of course I knew and trusted Jade, and she didn't leave such frightening evidence of destruction in her wake...

"H-Hello!? Hi Swan... just me, Fast... I'm a guest remember?" I stood at the smaller side entrance to the park facing the tower, my pip-buck gently clicking away. As long as I stayed away from that shed on the southern side with all the yellow barrels spilling into the lake, I should be ok radiation wise.

No answer... Working up my nerve for a minute, I gulped and took a step forward into the park itself, putting one hoof in front of the other down the cracked sidewalk winding through the ruined park. I passed a melted swingset slowly being covered by sickly looking ivy and turned north around the lake, heading for the boathouse and away from the click-click on my geiger counter.

"Swan?! Can you hear me? I uh... w-wanted to say thank you! For the help... I don't mean to bother you! Just trying to be friendly!"

"FRIENDLY?" The rumbling reply from the direction of the lake sent a shiver down my tail, well she heard me anyway...

E.F.S. lit up with a green mark pointing towards the water as I stepped off the walk, trotting cautiously to the shore and calling out to the murky cloud of fog that hung over the water. "Yeah! Friendly! You're one of Jade's sisters, her family... I r-really like Jade so I want to be friends with you too! The way you took out those Gunners was really awesome, Ivy and the others are right, you're a great guard!"

Waves lapped at the shore as the green mark in my vision moved slightly, out in the distance I spotted a long purple horn trailing through the water out of the fog. Watching that horn coming my way like a shark fin sticking out of the water was making me nervous, it kept rising out of the surface of the lake and pushed a good sized wake ahead of it.

The head that followed that horn made a sweat spring up on my coat, a dripping, pale pink mane trailed it in the water and those big blue-violet eyes were the size of carriage wheels... Then her neck came up, and up... and up... her chest breached the surface and pushed a bow wave ahead of it that started lapping at my hooves. Finally she reached the shore, her long legs climbing up in the muck and pushing her even higher up, leaving me craning my neck to follow her head, her hooves that stomped up on the shore each bigger around than me.

I stared up flabbergasted at the magnificent mare dripping above me, given her talent for violence I expected her to look dangerous, scarred and muscular, with an eyepatch maybe... Instead the giant filly was as pretty as Jade, the water glistening off her huge body defining every curve alluringly. I gaped and stammered senselessly as she snorted and shook herself off, soaking me in freezing lake water.

Shed of all that water dripping off me now, her pale pink mane poofed out in long locks curling at the ends, framing her face and trailing into the water at her tail I could spot swishing past her legs. That massive head lowered down to me gawking, a muzzle the size of an armchair poking and sniffing in long puffs. Her big eyes crossed looking me over and blinked slowly.

"GUEST.... YOU ARE SISTER JADE'S..." I held my hat to keep it from blowing off at the booming statement, my ears flattening against the noise.

"Wow! Loud! L-Little loud... Er... yeah! Her special somepony... I'm Jade's special somepony, she's mine. N-Nice to meet you! You're... um... r-really pretty! a-and big... definitely big..."

Her large head lifted back to my relief, raising an eyebrow and looking back at herself curiously. Swan fluffed her wings to shed a little more water and tromped up on shore beside me, sitting down with a thump that shook me on my hooves and staring at me quizzically. "PRETTY? NOPONY SAYS PRETTY... MORE SCREAMING AND RUNNING... WHY YOU SAY PRETTY?"

"Umm... because you are? I think so anyway... T-Thanks for toning it down, that's a little better, er... more a whisper though if you can please! I wouldn't scream or run just because you're... tall... o-ok maybe I'm fighting the urge, you are kinda intimidating, sorry... But I've seen Jade sorta like this... n-not as much, but it's not a shock. You must absorb a lot of radiation down here to be like this!"

I walked a slow circuit around the seated mare, my eyes hanging on a rump taller than me before her long tail flicked out at me softly, leaving me sputtering on a lot of pink hair. I stumbled and untangled myself from the wall of pink curls and walked back in front of her, noting with interest her coat was fairly light.

"I like being down here, feel strong, protect sisters. You're a funny pony, not scared, like sister Jade, think I'm pretty, strange..." Well she lowered the volume down to what must be a whisper for her, still a clear conversational tone to me.

I kept shouting up at those radar dish ears pointing my way, holding my ground unsteadily when she flopped to the ground with a tremor and set her chin down on her hooves in front of me. "I hear that a lot! Is it that strange? So you like protecting the others huh? Doesn't it get lonely out here though?"

One big hoof reached up and tapped the side of her head as she gave a reserved smile. "Hear them in here, it's not lonely, I have visitors sometimes. Never normal ponies though, it's strange talking to one, using words... don't hear you in my head. You're even smaller than normal ponies too..."

Ok I could do without that huge hoof prodding at me and hovering over my head, demonstrating where most ponies would come up to. "Yes, I'm short... thanks for that... So do you like it? H-Having normal pony company I mean, I'm not bothering you am I?"

She looked to give it some thought, scratching her mane and knocking dead branches from nearby trees down before answering slowly. "Not bother, different... Sister shared very pleasant memories of you, interesting to see you myself. Cute... tempting to play with you as she does, you like our kind yes? Umbra says not to though... maybe ask her..."

"Play with? W-What kind of memories has she been sharing!?" I yelped as she wiggled her way forward and that giant muzzle started nuzzling at me, puffs of sweet smelling breath blowing my mane back.

Swan gave a lidded look and I saw a pink glow light up her pale lavender cheeks, with a little whinny she crossed her forelegs and raised her head. My view was suddenly tinted bright purple by a field of her magic as I was lifted up to eye level and she gave a experimental lick, reminding me forcefully of Jade doing the same in her condition. One side of me was completely slathered, leaving my mane sticking straight up. I sputtered and scrambled uselessly in the air as she smacked her lips thoughtfully.

"Hmm... yes, have to ask. Sister Jade shares many memories, lots of you and things you do together. Saw them with the others, many are interested now, Evergreen never shared. Umbra doesn't like it though, lots of arguing... I don't like arguing, stay here and try not to hear. Arguing right now, don't hear it as much mouth-talking with you though, nice. Convince Umbra and you come back, we play, would like that." The massive filly hummed to herself, having worked out what she wanted to my blushing horror, Jade had been sharing everything!?

"W-Whoa! No, no, no! I only p-play like that with Jade! I think you're gorgeous r-really, but I love her! Er... T-Thanks anyway!"

I really didn't like that perplexed look she gave me, this was mortifying... Peri's insistent attempts were bad enough, at least Ivy and Magnolia kept her in line. One thing Jade had impressed on me about alicorns absorbing this much radiation, they wanted to do what they wanted to do, got less reasonable and more fixated on whatever their desires were. If this filly took it in her head that she wanted the same thing from me, there'd be little to stop her if she absolutely insisted.

Even worse was her offhoofed mention of many of the others being curious about the same thing now, I had to go talk to these mares upstairs knowing they had all seen... how much? Oh Luna take me now... I had noticed the alicorns here so far seemed to have little to no concept of propriety, or modesty, or monogamy... I guessed since they used to be one big hive mind and share everything, they were foreign ideas that had to be learned like Jade had.

"I... I hear you're good at t-teleporting!" I shouted out, trying to derail this whole bizarre, embarrassing line of conversation.

She did straighten up and stop fluttering her eyelashes, a proud smile springing up on her features filling my field of view. "YES! Sorry... yes, I like teleporting, can send very far away, do it for Umbra sometimes."

"T-That's really neat! I uh... can kinda do it, n-not very well though, just little stuff. Oh, and myself once by accident. Any tips you can tell me? I could use the help from somepony who's an expert!"

With a cute tilt to her head, I was floated back to the ground to my relief and she nodded happily. If this was her other job besides simply guarding, she must enjoy the opportunity to show off. In a teacherly tone she said simply, "Make you shaped hole, it's easy."

"Er...." She had to squint to puzzle out my blank look, scrunching her muzzle and scratching her mane in thought.

Struck by a bit of inspiration her horn lit up and a nearby crumpled trash can was lifted up and out over the still water of the lake beside us. Pointing a wing out at it hovering over the surface she continued slowly. "Top of water is the world, want to go from one side to the other, have to go slooooow...."

The dented hunk of metal bobbed across the pond to demonstrate, taking its time reaching the other shore and drooping as if tired as she kept going. "Teleport faster, you go under water, mmm.... under world? Go through... to go through you make you shaped hole in surface."

Her magic lit a round spot on the water beneath the floating junk and another at the opposite shore, with a flick of her horn the trash can dove under the water in the glowing circle under it and popped back up in the other across the pond, before falling abandoned in the mud.

"See? Make you shaped hole, go through, easy. Just have to know what's on other side of hole, have to see, or been there before. Very dangerous to make hole and not know where it goes, could end up stuck in wall or something!" Her rumbling chortle of laughter didn't comfort me at the thought of winding up half in a piece of the landscape, though her explanation had been clearer than anything I had read in my magic books so far on the subject.

"I see you are getting along well, pleased to come meet you myself Swan, thank you for your assistance earlier." Jade's voice drifted down as she glided her way into the park, hovering near her face with a smile.

Swan gave her huge wings a mighty flap, sending me grabbing for my hat again as she lifted off the ground, fluttering in front of Jade and extending a hoof. "Sister Jade, was just talking to your Fast, it was nice, I see why you like. He can come back, I can teach more teleporting and play with him. Have to go back to guarding now, those chasing you not giving up. See you soon I hope!"

Jade landed beside me and watched her soar off, her wingtips stretching from one side of the narrow streets of the Trotson ruins to the other. Once out of sight she turned to me sweetly, her smile faltering when she took in my red-faced pout. "She seemed pleased, I am glad you took time to befriend her Fast. W-What... what is wrong?"

"We need to talk about just what all you've been sharing with your sisters..."

"Everything!?! L-Like... everything, everything?!" I cringed and hid under my hooves in the corner of the elevator as it made its slow way up, praying to the goddesses I just misheard what the concerned blue alicorn with me had sheepishly admitted.

Her hooves tapped together in front of her face nervously as she whimpered. "N-Not everything... I... I am sorry Fast... I told you there was a form of limited unity here, being around my sisters it is natural to share. I... did keep certain things from them, but... those memories were what they were most interested in. The reason why Evergreen disobeyed and broke away, they are curious about you and... r-relationships... Y-You did say you wished to help..."

I pulled my hat down with my flattened ears and felt myself turning red, glancing at the numbers ticking away on the elevator's cracked display towards the waiting alicorns upstairs. "I did... I do! Just... how much?! They saw the memories? Like... like a m-memory orb?"

Her reticent nod made me wince, so most if not all of the mares up there had ridden Jade's memories, saw, heard, and... felt what she had... I wanted to dig through the tiled floor, fall down the shaft to the basement, then keep digging... Her soft voice whispering in my ear while I curled up in a ball was a slight balm to my injured modesty. "I truly am sorry Fast! I-I did not think, did not ask... Though I did not share everything, I was pressured to show some... They were supposed to remain limited to just a few here too, unfortunately they seem to have been shared surreptitiously much to Umbra's displeasure. They needed to know what being with a normal pony was like though. A-Are you mad at me?"

I unclenched one eye to look up at her worried expression and shook my head. "I can't be mad at you. I'm just really, reeeeeally embarrassed... They didn't learn what being with normal ponies was like, they learned what being with me is like, specifically... It's... It's like I just fooled around with a few dozen mares and didn't get to enjoy it... er! N-Not enjoy! But like I don't remember I mean!"

Hastily trying to dig myself out there just rewarded me with a smirk and an arched eyebrow. "You have no reason to be embarrassed, it was entirely my doing and I believe necessary. It helped them understand, raised many questions and much debate. We will simply have to make new memories that are private to make it up to you hmm?"

She had learned to use that sultry voice to great effect, getting me to grudgingly come slinking out of the corner when the elevator dinged and the doors opened. On taking a peek out at all the alicorns watching the doors however, I grabbed the sides and grunted against her gentle pushing. A sea of eyes waited out there, all staring very intently at me, a few with some looks that made me cringe.

Pushed free of the doorway with a pop, I tried to hide at Jade's side as she rushed me through the room. A forest of green, purple and blue faces followed along until we made it to the office Umbra occupied with a relieved side. "C-Can we just never, ever tell Val about any of this please? I'll never hear the end of it if she finds out..."

"Er... y-yes of course Fast. But... Ivy, Magnolia and Peri have shared the memories by now... As I said, a bit of a blackmarket appears to have sprung up concerning them..." Oh fantastic, if Peri knew then Val would soon enough, the griffon liked playing around with the odd mare...

The dark purple Umbra coughed in annoyance and gestured to Ivy sitting beside a ratty pillow, waving me forward to take a seat as her horn lit up brightly. She had the good graces to blush and look away slightly at least, shuffling uncomfortably as her head lowered, our horns close to touching as I took my offered seat. "I apologize Fast, this may be a bit disorienting but our leader wants to review certain things with you... via our unity..."

"Wha?"

The dark emptiness I found myself in was definitely disorienting... Ivy hadn't lied about that. It was quite like being in a memory orb, just a somehow blank one. I assumed my unconscious body had fallen on the provided cushion as soon as the tip of her horn had touched mine. I was starting to get a little panicked at the vast blackness all around me when her green form appeared next to me and spoke soothingly.

"Don't be upset, I'm in here with you. Actually all of us are, since you are not one of us this is a bit of... patched together unity, not the real thing. I am sharing what I get from you with the others, and they are able to speak through me to you. Now there are certain memories and thoughts of yours Umbra wants to discuss..."

"NO! Certain things are off limits! We are not reliving..." I yelped out to the blackness and Ivy, alicorns might feel natural sharing everything but I most assuredly didn't.

Ivy chuckled and touched a shoulder with her wing, or it felt like it anyway, we were in my head so I guessed there wasn't any kind of touching involved here. Either way it cut me short as she shook her head, "No not that, it's alright. Umbra wants to know about the mutants, the Institute and what Evergreen has done."

"Oh... right... Ok, well first I guess is there's three kinds of mutant alicorns, one kind is kinda..." I jumped in surprise as the form of one of the hulking, heavily muscled mutants appeared in front of me at the thought of what one looked like. Oh... in my head, no wonder they wanted to go through all this, telepathy did make things a lot easier.

A representation of all three kinds of Institute alicorns now stood out in the dark, big muscled, big winged and long horned. The image of Ivy looked over each and seemed stumped for a moment, thinking to herself before awkwardly trying to find the right words to reply. "This is difficult to explain Fast, but... in here I get your thoughts and memories, you are speaking because that is what you are used to, but when you talk you think and remember, I get all of that. It is a form of... hmm, mental shorthoof? Just answer normally, I will understand what you mean. Umbra wants to know why there are three. Why are they all so different? Isn't the goal to create true alicorns like ourselves?"

"Well... that's debatable. As for the three kinds, I think they're the three types of ponies... earth, pegasi and unicorn. See, the traits of each type are out of balance with the other two, so super strong is earth, big winged are pegasi, and long horned are unicorns. I wasn't sure until I saw the third kind, but I think it's because the Institute is trying to make the I.M.P. work right, er... the way it was intended to, make balanced alicorns with all three traits. They're experimenting on ponies, trying to get it right and work out the kinks."

There was a pause as Ivy looked to be listening to a lot of voices for a few minutes, finally nodding and replying. "Jade wishes to know why the pegasus type seems the most successful if you know, you think of them as less warped than the others."

"I'm not sure, but I think it's because of radiation... The Grand Pegasus Enclave stayed up above the clouds most of the last 200 years right? Pegasi are probably the least contaminated and mutated by generations of radiation. That's why they're messing around with their Church of Balefire, to experiment on those most affected by radiation damage."

More waiting, the Ivy in my head looked overwhelmed, if she was hearing all her sisters like I was hearing her, I was glad I couldn't engage in real unity. It must be a lot to take in. "Umbra asks, can they do what they promised Evergreen? Make males? Or make ponies like you compatible with us?"

"Umm... I think so... I think it's possible anyway. The one in charge of that part of the Institute, Moondancer, she helped come up with the version of the I.M.P. that made you. The one that made the goddess I mean, it might have been one big accident that ended up succeeding with you guys, your mother falling in, the bombs dropping, all the radiation and contaminants... But if anyone can make that potion work... it's probably her, she wants to make it work too... for herself anyway."

When I named her, an image of Moondancer appeared in front of us. The synth version I had actually spoken with, leaving me to glower at the cream colored mare from my memories as the rest of the alicorns took in what I said. This time the answer came quicker, Ivy glanced at the Moondancer memory and asked their question. "For herself? Not for us?"

I sighed and drooped mentally, "I don't know that, I'm guessing. I know she wants to use it herself, or she did, she was really wrapped up in the idea before the world ended. Now... if I had to bet, I'd say she's using the ponies she's experimenting on and your sisters to get what she wanted. She might share, she might not."

Ivy looked over the memory Moondancer, I guessed picking up all my thoughts concerning the Institute Biosciences head judging by her question. "You empathize with her... think you understand her motivations?"

"Sorta... I think... based on what I know about her... I think she's the type of mare that sees her work as a kind of puzzle to solve. She did want to use the I.M.P. herself, but she's probably determined to make it work just because she can. I understand getting obsessed with a problem as a repair-pony, what she'll do with it when she solves it is probably less important to her than fixing it."

Ivy nodded and smiled, "Thank you Fast, now Umbra also wished for me to... review your memories concerning Jade. Er... v-verify certain things, make sure you are not lying or tricking our sister into caring for you, that you really do care for her... I am sorry, w-would that be alright?"

"Boundries! W-We're not going over certain things! Right!?" I cringed at the thought of having my memories and thoughts poured over as Virescent had done, at least Ivy in my head didn't feel like such an intrusive violation.

The green alicorn shook her head violently, "No! No of course not, we just want your side of her story. We may completely avoid anything you want to be private, p-personally I have no desire to experience certain memories from your side, we are mares after all."

"Phew... A-Alright, other than that I don't have anything to hide. Umm, where do you want to start?"

"The beginning of course Fast." Ivy tittered at her joke.

Feeling came back and I blinked up at the real Ivy, pulling her horn away from mine. A dull headache made me groan as I stood back up, even Ivy looked tired from the effort involved in all that telepathy. Jade stood nearby to support me as I wobbled on my hooves a moment, that wasn't nearly as bad as having my thoughts ripped out of my head like Virescent had done, but didn't do much to improve my feelings on mind reading.

Umbra stood looming over me and grumbled impatiently as I shook off the worst of the effects, giving a bored dismissal when I was paying attention. "That is enough for today, you don't seem to be lying and have given me much to consider. You may leave with these three and return after I have thought."

"No."

One of her yellow eyes twitched and got distinctly dragonish, glaring down at my reply. "What do you mean no?! This is our home, you will leave if I order it!"

"Not until I say a couple things, with my mouth, directly to you. I don't like that you kicked Ivy, Magnolia and Peri out, it's not fair."

"They are compromised, they have spent too much time exposed to you and the outside. I... I need to think..." That commanding facade started cracking as she repeated her go to position, I was in no mood to let her this time after a few hours of having my head examined though.

"You don't adapt to new things very well Umbra, apparently it's way too late to worry about me corrupting your sisters. Or is the spreading of some pretty p-private memories no big deal compared to spending some time in pony towns? Jade shared those with you and now they're all over right? I didn't have anything to do with that, the others are doing it on their own, even though you don't like it. The damage is done and I think you owe me, kicking them out isn't fair!"

I was surprised the dark mare gave ground when I stomped forward, I didn't like pushing her like this, but this really bothered me. The effect didn't last of course, even drawing myself up to scowl at her I wasn't that intimidating compared to the large alicorn leader, she stomped her hooves and glared back with a snort. "Fine! They may... come and go as they please... But do not think to order me around little pony! I will accept your point as an apology for allowing those memories to spread, nothing more."

Ivy blinked in surprise, cocking her head at me and cautiously back to Umbra. "Thank you Fast, I appreciate your concern for us. However I speak for Magnolia and Peri when I say... I-I think we would like to continue leaving the tower and helping Fast and Jade if we are free to do as we like. Though we are glad to be welcome back home."

Umbra seethed and snorted, sending me skittering back at the angry display before she turned with a huff, lowering her head and pointing a shaking wing to the door out. "DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! JUST TAKE THAT MEDDLESOME RUNT OUT!"

"I'm sorry Umbra, I don't mean to make you mad. You're a good leader, you care about everypony here, I can tell that. You can't hide and try to take your time while things change around you though."

She didn't turn back, leaving me to shuffle out quietly. The leader of Trinity Tower was proud, I didn't want to make things harder for her or hurt her feelings, but I could tell I had. I could sort of understand, she was trying to be strong for her sisters, they didn't have to lead, she did. They could afford to be curious and more open to the unknown, for the mare in charge it was just a minefield of potential dangers.

The trio coming back with us took a few minutes to go socialize with the others before leaving, joining Jade and I at one of the gaping windows and launching out into the air. I caught a flick of pink tail disappearing back into Swan's boathouse as we sailed out over the park, giving me a shudder but also making me optimistic about our path back to Goodneighbor... Any Gunners still out there couldn't be in any shape to be much of a problem.

All the frost had melted with the sun by now, leaving a chilly trip with none of the view of before now that I could enjoy it. I spotted a few splashes of bright color on a few of the buildings, on a quick check each was high above the thin Rainbow Trail below us as it crossed our path. Val was right, there was an aerial course of some kind, as we came in for a landing in Goodneighbor I picked out blue, yellow and purple bricks on a few buildings close to where the trail led in to town.

Finding the others turned out to be surprisingly easy, Jade touched down in front of her new clinic building, eager to get to work, when Zed actually came up at a dead run. His wild-eyed prancing was as out of character as him being the first to appear, given his skill at doing the opposite. "There you are! Thank goodness you have brought Miss Ivy back! Your daughter is very clever Fast, she has helped me a great deal!"

That manic gleam in his grey eyes was starting to worry me, despite his praise for Glitter and... whatever she did? "Er... that's great Zed... How'd she do that exactly?"

Making out the filly in question squealing across the street at the head of a small herd of foals from the orphanage let me brace for the inevitable tackle that was coming, meaning I wasn't completely bowled over this time at least. She seemed quite pleased with herself as the crowd of dirty fillies and colts surrounded us, Val flapping along calmly behind them near AssaultJack.

If it weren't for my pip-buck suddenly informing me; "Item Removed", I doubt I would have realized anything had happened, as it was I barely caught a slate grey colt trying to slink away from the rest of the group casually. I scrambled to catch the little earth pony with my magic and barely hung on, yanking him back when he tried to bolt off.

Jade was so delighted at all the foals she blinked up in confusion at the colt in the threadbare scarf hovering in front of me, my hoof held out to him expectantly. "Fast what are you doing!? Let go of him right this... w-what does 'Item Removed' mean?" She crossed her eyes and shook her head at the text that had apparently just shown up in her vision too.

Before I could look for another foal trying to slip away, Glitter let go of me and gave an angry whinny. "Hey! This is my mom and dad guys! No swiping stuff! S-Sorry umm mom, they was just teaching me..."

"Swiping?" Jade's puzzled look was wiped away a moment later, a filly younger than Glitter winced and floated a purple healing potion and a packet of rad-away back to the alicorn doctor. Her sputtering indignation just got worse when the colt I held grumbled and dug in his pockets, returning a couple spell talismans, a spark battery, a fancy buck snack cake and a hoof full of caps. "STEALING!? That is very wrong!"

Now that I had what was taken back, I let the kid go, somewhat admiring his ability to stand up to Jade's goddess voice. Most of the other foals wilted at the mare looming over them, the unicorn filly pick-pocket actually quivering her lip, the colt just gave a sarcastic answer back though. "Easy lady! Jeez... didn't know you were Glitter's folks, sorry. Stealin' cain't be that wrong if it keeps us fed though, not all of us got it so soft ya know."

That took the wind out of Jade's wings for a moment, leaving her unable to come up with a response as Zed joined in on the colt's side. "Forgive them, this is how they survive, I have done such things in my youth as well. Their skills are what has helped me though, and your daughter's ability to befriend most everyone she meets somehow... This light-hoofed little herd is one way the mayor of this place knows so much about what goes on in his town, they are very knowledgeable. Including about suspicious strangers, like the Church of Balefire..."

"Be that as it may, stealing is wrong. Had you asked I would have given what you took freely little one. Now you have been caught doing wrong and must be punished." Whether Zed spoke on their behalf or not, Jade's moral compass unerringly swung back to her biggest complaint and she lectured the frightened looking pink filly.

I was starting to find it amusing the zebra was explaining shades of grey while she was the one sticking to black and white. His next attempt to go back to what he gained from their larcenous skills preemptively cut off, she held a hoof up and looked thoroughly intimidating, pacing in front of the anxious group of foals before continuing.

"You will work off the things you tried to take, then you may have them. I have a great many chores here before I can open my clinic, I could certainly use the help. I will also be happy to pay your little friends if they will help as well? That will give me an opportunity to see to all of your health while you work!"

Jade brightened up and beamed at all of them, waving to the wrecked Helpinghoof clinic behind her invitingly. The sheer number of preservative laden sweets we kept around for Glitter floating out of her medical box packs, had the gaggle of kids drooling and approaching hesitantly, a few looking over to the surly colt that stole from me.

"We got jobs already lady! Oy! Lots of other marks roamin' around you mugs! Filchers don't suck up to big bossy mares just cause they got caught. You guys know what doctors do right? They give shots!" The dark blue maned colt was apparently the leader of this pack of thieves, squawking in annoyance at all the younger ponies following the alicorn doctor, a few paused at 'shots' though.

I looked to Glitter trying to help corral the others with Jade, turning back to the snotty colt and blocking him from the others. I wished I had to lean down a little more to scowl face to face with him, but mom's stare looked like it worked on him pretty well. "Filchers? What have you been teaching my daughter?..."

"How to pick pockets daddy! It's neat, Sticky Wicket's really good at it!" My filly's happy, shouted answer made the brat wince, he tried to hide it well though.

He pushed back against my twitching red eye and answered defiantly in that odd version of the Trottingham accent. "Taught her a valauble skill I did! Ought'a be thankin' me mister!"

"Is that so? Well, unlike the princess there I can see how you might have to. Stealing doesn't make me nearly as mad as teaching her how to steal... I'll let you off the hook, but play nice. Let your pint sized gang work for the Princess today, let her make sure they're healthy even if that means shots, you're in charge right?"

I had to give it to the colt, he was gutsy and shrewd. He looked over to Jade watching hopefully for the remaining foals that were waiting on him, trying to put on a smug tone as he answered in a conspiratorial whisper. "Lemme have that flame talisman an' spark battery, then I'll play nice for yer goofy mare right? C'mon mate, wouldn't wanna disappoint wouldja?"

Glancing back and patting the thief's back with a very insincere smile I saw mirrored on his face, we both waved to Jade prancing in place and trying to entice the rest into joining in. I gritted my teeth and hissed quietly to the smarmy colt, "Fine. Behave... Why you want this stuff anyway?"

"Nunya business..." he grimaced back and snatched the offered parts behind our backs, instantly breaking away to put on a big show of giving up and telling the other foals to do what she said. One of the youngest fillies snickered as she passed, sing-songing out a teasing answer for me. "Wicket wants ta fix da boil thingy in the orphanage!"

"Boil thingy? Boiler? Fix you say? Again, if you had asked I would have given them to you, show me where this boiler is and I'll fix it for you. It's getting cold and if it's not working right it needs to be, why doesn't Shamrock fix it?"

Wicket snorted and grumbled over his shoulder angrily as he left on his own, his herd already being put to work and prodded by Jade's glowing horn. "Filchers don't need no help, not yours, not Shamrock's. M-Maybe a doctor's sometimes... fer the lil' ones... whatever."

Well he was friendly... The rest of his crew all looked to be taking to Jade and her sister's care at least, warming up to the alicorns and the beginning of a lot of cleaning. Glitter was standing on her hindlegs to stretch one of Jade's big wings out, pointing excitedly past her blushing embarrassment to prove she really did have them from what I could hear.

Val stood with me watching all the activity, filling me in on the basics of their day while I did the same for her. She brushed aside my complaints at letting Glitter learn from the pack of thieves, assuring me it was indeed a useful skill. Her chuckling answer of being able to plant things on, as well as take things off victims as being worthwhile to know didn't explain much to me though.

With the others settling into their work, Zed finally managed to wrangle Ivy to himself and drag her out of the crumbling building, eager to start psychically interrogating his leads with her. Val gave me a questioning look and I waved her on, she had gotten immediately bored when I told her I was thinking of continuing my work on the MoM hub computer for awhile.

I watched the three of them head off for the Four Stars station before spending some time with Glitter and Jade, excusing myself after giving the clinic a quick once over for what would need my skills. I'd have to see about raiding some of the casino's spare parts or find somewhere to buy them, but with a miniature army helping out at least that took care of a good deal of the work.

I didn't care for the Princess Celestia Suite as much as the Luna Suite. Not that I'd blaspheme and think one of the Goddesses was better than the other! Please Celestia... no offense... It wasn't like I could really complain about such a swanky room either, especially not compared with an orphanage with an apparently busted boiler. One that a certain brat wouldn't let me fix, that was slowly digging in my brain like an itch I couldn't scratch... annoyingly... maddeningly....

Pushing away from the glowing terminal, I huffed and stared at the sky-blue ceiling, choosing to dwell on the decor instead. It was a nice set of rooms, a mirror of the Luna Suite we had to vacate in every way. A bright yellow sun was on the light blue carpet instead of a moon, the walls were mostly a faded white along with the bigger furnishings, little bits of pale pastel colored accents were scattered about tastefully, reminding me of Celestia's flowing mane. I just liked the darker colors of the night princess' rooms better, Jade reminded me of her colors, so I preferred them.

I wasn't making much headway, distracted from really picking apart the weakness I found in the highly advanced computer by that boiler down there... From what I could tell I'd have to do some physical fixes around town to exploit the opening anyway. So for once I was raring to go when Val barged in, hoping to startle me out of my skin while I was supposed to be engrossed in my work like I normally was.

"HEY BOSS!! WAKE UP!" She screeched, throwing the door open and pushing past the burly earth pony in the pink barding at the door, Shamrock's increased security.

"What? Find something?! Where they at? Let's go!"

She looked annoyingly disappointed at my flurry of excited questions, tossing her beak up and pouting. "Yer no fun... Yeah, we found somethin' You wouldn't believe how easy it is to be all detective-y when you gots a mind reader! Really, Nick oughta hire himself one of them green ones, hell I gotta get Ivy down there to go gamblin' with me!"

"Val..."

"We'd never lose!! We could break the bank! Think of all the caps boss!" She laughed a little too maniacally and shook me in her claws, grinning a very predatory grin with avarice gleaming in her eyes.

"Don't use Jade's sisters to cheat at gambling Val... Focus, Zed and Ivy, Church, where?!"

Frighteningly, she didn't look dissuaded at all... "Bah! We'll see boss. Fer now, not totally sure where, but Ivy said she could lead us the right way from what she picked up. Said she had enough to go on anyhoo, ya really not gonna be all whiny bout leaving yer boring computer stuff?"

"Not whiny today Val, if I can't shoot that bratty little buck down there I can at least shoot something else and pretend it's him. Going out for awhile sounds good, maybe we'll finally make a little progress with Ivy's help."

The griffon perked right up at potential violence and led the way out to the streets of Goodneighbor. I paused to peek in on Jade, Glitter and the others, they had done a lot already, a growing pile of junk was piled outside, many of the foals looked a good deal cleaner even doing the dirty work and a few sported pink bandages on their fetlocks, shots had definitely come in at some point.

Most of all they all looked happy with what they were doing, I hated to interrupt Jade's Followers related work, with how elusive the Church of Balefire had become it might all be a wild goose chase. Nodding to myself I slipped away before we got spotted, heading towards the crumbling Four Stars station at the edge of town.

Val stopped at the stairs down to the Third Rail and subway lines under the ancient station, pointing back towards the Helpinghoof Clinic. "Not gonna go get Blue boss?"

"We're just... scouting, right? We'll go take a look and see if Ivy's right, if she is we'll come back and decide how to deal with it. They're busy right now, no reason to bother them."

She shrugged in return and led the way down, past a gruff, ghoulish zebra bouncer and into the Third Rail, a bar built in the lower station. The crowd was pretty rough looking, nursing drinks at makeshift seating all over the platform, served by a Mr. Handy behind the bar taking orders in that odd Trottingham accent the colt used.

We spotted Ivy's head easily above the crowd, weaving our way towards her revealed Zed beside her, anxiously pacing in front of a metal door leading to the subway tunnels. The zebra looked like he was barely holding himself back, while Ivy smiled at our approach and prodded him for his attention.

"Hi guys, Val said you had some luck?"

"Finally! We can go at last!" Zed snorted and pushed open the door, letting in a cool and musty breeze from the dark tunnels beyond.

Ivy followed when he bolted off, turning back to answer a little more informatively. "Yes, asking some loud, obvious questions of the patrons here brought up some thoughts I was able to glean from them. They were all surface thoughts, I couldn't pinpoint who it was quickly enough unfortunately. Even if I had I would have needed to forcefully take more information, which would reveal too much. I did get enough to follow the path they thought of at the time though."

She waved out to the inky tunnels as I turned on my pip-buck light, trotting along behind Zed and telling him which way to turn first. Well... this would be the best way to sneak into Goodneighbor and get up to no good. Wandering down the damp artificial caverns beneath Trotson definitely didn't seem worth interrupting Jade for now, we'd just take a look and come back, no problem...

Whatever thoughts Ivy had picked up in the bar, they led us on a winding path down the warren of tunnels. We ran into more Miretanks in the most waterlogged passages, but the further west we went the drier they got on average, leaving us with packs of zombie ponies that hid down here in the dark.

Flickering lights and echoing hoofsteps from ahead let me and Zed sneak forward carefully, peeking around the next bend in the line to spot a trio of green robed figures climbing down from the next station on the line. The bundle balanced on one of their backs made me gasp and draw my silenced pistol, an unconscious orange mare with a auburn mane.

The ropes binding her limp hooves would be enough to dash forward on their own, but the blue barding and pip-buck they were tied over set my eyes burning. At first I only saw the last yellow number across the back, a 1 that sent me running, when they all reacted to the soft 'pfft' of 10mm rounds punching through the one in the rear, I saw the other number made 81, not 111... still, that was Stable barding alright.

They had a bare instant to fumble for their roughly made magical energy weapons before Zed pounced on the two remaining. A flipping kick from one striped hindleg came down like a hatchet on the first in line, dropping the lead pony to the tracks heavily. As soon as his hooves touched the ground, Zed shot a foreleg behind his back, striking the one carrying the captive pony in the throat with a sickening crunch.

He glared at me in annoyance as I skidded to a halt beside the Stable pony, tapping rapidly at her pip-buck partially hidden under the ropes binding her. The health system showed a few injuries, including a concussion, but she was alive. Of course she was, test subjects... Zed huffed angrily and pointed at the fallen cultists, "We could have followed them, what if they will be missed now? You saw a Stable dweller and lost all sense!"

That stung a little, mainly since it was true... For just a second I saw 111 across her back and just ran. I flinched under Zed's stare while I cut the ropes loose, looking around at the station when Val and Ivy flapped over. The moldy and torn subway map barely hanging to one wall filled me with relief when I took it in though.

"It's ok, I think I know where they were going. Ok... c-change of plan, she needs a doctor and ours is back in Goodneighbor. Val, take Ivy back with her, go tell Jade what's going on and meet us back at this station in an hour. Zed and I will go ahead and take a look at this Cathedral if I'm right."

Val really didn't like splitting up, but couldn't really argue that she wasn't all that subtle, Zed and I could be sneaky though. Her attempts at debate were stopped by the impatient zebra, stamping his hooves to break in. "What do you mean if you're right?! Where is this place!?"

I pointed out the old map and repeated what Kellogg had told me when I had asked where the Church of Balefire's lair was. "Where would a mare like Moondancer consider a Cathedral? The next stop on the line, that's where."

The others stared and read over the sign I illuminated in my magic, Zed's eyes widened appreciably on reading the next stop. I imagined thinking back as I had on the Institute division head's cottage of books.

"Trotson Public Library."

-------------------------------------------Level Up!---------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------------------------

Tunnel Trotter-------------------
-- A lifetime of crawling around cramped Stable passages and ducts makes moving in tight quarters easy for you! You gain 25% sneaking speed when wearing light or no armor.

Ch. 38-- Institutionalized

"Greetings Library patron! Due to an Equestria wide state of emergency, the Trotson Public Library is currently closed. Please return when the cowardly zebra threat has passed, or provide identification and proper clearance."

I winced at the voice crackling out of the intercom next to the heavy steel door, the chipper report echoed down the stone steps and ruined station platform. Not exactly stealthy... Fumbling to patch my pip-buck to the noisy computer, I looked up sheepishly to Zed face-hoofing to himself beside me.

"Sorry! Just a second, it's a public building, this isn't meant to be a sneaky way in."

The anxious zebra paced behind me while I worked and groaned, "Hopefully they aren't now all waiting on the other side for us to stick our muzzles in."

"It shouldn't be making noise inside, just at this speaker. Doesn't look like they want to advertise their presence down here either, so if we're lucky they stay away from the entrance." I tried to comfort him as my pip-buck and the security door communicated with a chatter.

I hissed in annoyance when the computer piped up out of the intercom again, having read my identification from the hoofshake with the pip-buck, it had apparently recognized me... "Library card #183209, Fast Times, your book 'The Eggheads Guide to Running' is 203.9 years late! Please report immediately to the checkout desk to pay your accrued late fees of 58,082 bits."

The door gave a loud click and creaked open, having such outrageous late fees on an overdue book must have triggered a back door through the security. It did get rather flashy with angry faces on the screen when it discovered it, having such a grossly overdue book apparently ranked higher than the end of the world. I gave a shaky smile and pulled the rusty door open, gesturing to Zed at the open passageway.

He gave a sardonic look over his shoulder as he passed into the dark stairwell leading up, whispering a question back to me. "The Egghead's Guide to Running? Is that where you learned that spell?"

"Er... noooo... the running of the leaves was happening soon... before the end I mean. A friend asked me to go, but I was never a big athlete pony... I thought it would help, ended up not mattering after all though. Got us through this door at least..."

Zed nickered quietly and crept up the stone stairs, pausing and making a show of stepping over a tripwire I spotted barely glinting in the dim light. After Thundega I had become paranoid about stairs and traps, instantly spotting the grenade bouquets hanging over our heads. I didn't have Val's skills with explosives, so avoiding them was the best option I could manage, rather than disarming them and taking the grenades to resupply my own limited stock.

The wide stairs reached a landing ahead before splitting off and turning back on themselves, a pair of corroded green unicorn statues framing the landing. Eyes Forward Sparkle was starting to pick up a few red marks of hostiles in the library above, thankfully only one bulky, robed guard leaned against the stone railing above the stairs, their back turned to us and leaning against the crumbling barrier.

Zed and I slipped by quietly, ducking into a disused side door off the main hallway the guard occupied and creeping into the cluttered, dusty space beyond. A maze of rotting boxes full of musty books and scrolls filled the room, each was stamped with the logo of the Ministry of Image. A large desk ahead had several of the marked boxes stacked on top of it, books unloaded from the boxes on the left were strewn over its surface and repacked boxes on the right were stamped 'Sanitized', a bleached pony skeleton sat at the desk, the cracked wooden stamp on the floor near its bony hoof.

I poked at the book propped open in front of the corpse, blowing dust off to look over the brittle pages. A book of Zebra folklore? It was hard to tell, large portions of the words on the page were strangely missing, leaving big blank sections. A soft buzzing rose up from the heaps of literature nearby as E.F.S. lit up with new red dashes in my vision, a trio of parasprites hovered up and hissed in our direction, darting forward to attack.

One of the tiny creatures slurped a sentence off the page it was crawling on before darting towards us, these were closer to the real parasprites I remembered, instead of the mutated bloatsprites I had run into in the wasteland before. Their round bodies were fast and agile, requiring S.A.T.S. assisted attacks to slice silently from the air with Best Served, though Zed caught two with his bare hooves in a flash.

Wiping the smashed remains of one of the pests from his hoof, Zed nodded back to the room and whispered over his shoulder as he led on. "Don't let one get in your mouth, very messy way to die..." Thanks for the horrifying thought Zed...

"The Ministry of Image must have been censoring the books here, I heard they had parasprites trained to eat seditious materials. This seems like a little overkill though..." Taking in the wrecked side rooms and all the boxes of books to edit in here, I couldn't see how all these books were somehow in need of patriotic snipping. Really, how bad could a book of old riddles and brain teasers be? Or a cookbook?

Luckily these side rooms paralleled the hall outside and we made progress through the building unnoticed, what areas didn't have a door to the next already, had gaps and holes in the walls, letting us move on without exposing ourselves to the cultists trafficked areas. Battered and broken wooden doors leading back to the hallway gave Zed and I the opportunity to peek out and get a look at what definitely seemed like the Church of Balefire's Cathedral.

There were robed cultists wandering outside, from the tumors and scars I glimpsed, most looked like those turning to the church for hope with their radiation sickness. I spotted a few thoroughly wrapped in heavy, hooded green robes trying to conceal their mutated nature, more of the Institute's alicorns. There were more signs from what I could see that they were improving the creation process, but all were still androgynous and warped.

Several rooms we passed were occupied by church members on makeshift cots and mattresses, drifting voices from another area sounded like some kind of theological discussion, praising the holy balefire and its divine glow... yada yada yada. There were also regular guard stations tucked away, janitor's closets and bathrooms with a few weapons and supplies waiting the need. A few boxes in one storage area caught my eye, both for being newer and for bearing the crown mark from the King's Gambit Casino. The gun running King's supplied the Church of Balefire magical energy weapons? I filed the odd find away for later thought, trying to trace the web of shadowy connections the Institute wove around itself was frustrating enough when I wasn't trying not to get killed.

I hadn't spotted any real alicorns yet, after my last experience with the church and Virescent I was highly on guard for any of them, muttering a song under my breath quietly as we snuck our way through the area;

"What if there was a place with all the zip of Sparkle Cola
Wouldn’t that be the cheer-cheer-cheeriest place in all the world
Where the river’s made of RAD and the mountaintops are fizz
With fun and games and rides for all the moms and pops and kids..."

"Please... in the name of all you hold holy... stop singing that song Fast..." Zed hissed in front of me during the twenty third barely audible refrain, his grey eye twitching over his shoulder and his ears flattened.

"Er... sorry... It's mental white noise, in case there's any mind readers around like Ivy, she taught me. I'll try to keep it in my head, it's just... catchy..."

That annoyed expression showed he didn't find the old jingle as enjoyable as I did, The two of us hid behind an overturned bookshelf rotting into a heap of moldy lumber, giving me a minute to check over my pip-buck for the time and look at the map. Our cautious exploring had filled in the basic outline of this side of the building on the screen, if the other matched then the library was essentially a big rectangle with an open courtyard in the middle.

We'd have to cross the hall to get to the interior rooms facing the courtyard, the exposure would increase our risk but it was one area I wanted to see before leaving. A collapsed section of floor led down to the ground level we crawled our way to, most of the cultists seemed to live on the second floor so the dark room was long unused. Zed had slipped to the door and was watching the hall outside through cracks in the dirty, frosted glass, giving me a moment to try to talk to him.

"So... want to tell me what it is you're looking for yet? Besides your brother I mean, y'know... just in case we run into it? Can't keep my eye out if I don't know what it is, don't ya trust me yet Zed?"

He gave the gloom outside a long, hard stare in silence while I waited, finally glancing back at me giving him a hopeful look and groaning, waving me over away from the door to a dark hiding place behind a broken table. "Fine... You are right, you may spot what I hope to find and not know it. I am looking for a mirror..."

"A mirror?" Zed had been so obsessively focused on a mirror? Really?

"A piece of a mirror actually, it is black, framed in bone and etched with zebra runes. Do not touch it if you see it, just tell me so I may retrieve it safely." Well he certainly looked serious about it, regarding this mirror of his as dangerous judging by his tone.

I reached out to touch his shoulder before he could move off again, "Hold up, you can't just leave it at that Zed. A mirror? That's what your brother stole, what you've been hunting so desperately? A piece of a mirror? How about some details?"

"It is an artifact of dark magic Fast, a shameful bit of zebra history my family has been charged with safeguarding. Perhaps I will tell you the whole story, when we're not in the middle of a stronghold of enemies...." Zed answered sarcastically and darted to the door, sticking his head out and checking both directions before rolling across the hall and into a door marked 'Periodicals'.

I had to wait out a trio of robed cultists coming around the corner, the heavy hoofsteps of the hulk in the middle marking him as one of the earth pony variety of mutant alicorns. Once the patrol had passed I dashed across the hall and into the large periodicals room, diving behind a moldy sofa set up for reading the long rotted newspapers on rods hung about the room.

Zed had crept across the room to the interior wall, which was nearly all broken and dirty windows facing the courtyard outside. There would have been lots of natural light and a view of the grounds in here before the war, a nice place to read the news from across Equestria. Now it left us pretty exposed to the crowd of cultists outside.

I crawled under a long table full of ruined books and magazines to join Zed by the window, carefully peering over the windowsill at the activity outside. The enclosed courtyard looked like it had been manicured and maintained in the old world, small, blackened ornamental trees were scattered beside crumbling stone hoofpaths and benches. The afternoon had turned off cloudy, letting only grey light fill the area, augmented by the occasional fire barrel burning to provide spots of warmth and light outside.

There were several holes and gaps in the walls facing the courtyard, ancient scaffolding and newer, cobbled together ramps and stairs allowed access to several areas of the building that the church members passed in and out of as I watched. At least 30-40 marks were filling the compass at the bottom of my vision, nearly all red. That was just what was in the courtyard and above us too, E.F.S. couldn't scan the entire library at once.

Most of the robed cultists outside were focused on a balcony overlooking the courtyard from the second floor to the left, a pony in one of the fancy, embroidered green robes preaching to the crowd gathered below. There was a horn under that gold trimmed hood, but it didn't look like an alicorn at least, though a pair of the big winged mutants were perched to either side of them on the balcony's railing.

Ducking back from the window to sit against the wall, I scratched my head and tapped at my pip-buck in thought, muttering to Zed looking through the window beside me. "Okie dokie lokie.... that's a looooot of cultists. We're almost out of time and this is a reeeeeally big building too Zed. We should probably go back and meet the others, with Jade and Peri if she'll help, we can scout this place out a lot safer invisibly. Fighting these guys will be a problem, so trying to find your brother and this... mirror thing is best done without being caught right?"

His eyes lingered on the windows before turning back to me gruffly, "You go ahead to the rendezvous with the others, I will stay and look around more. By myself I can explore the rest of the building more efficiently, hopefully by the time you return I will have found both my brother and the artifact and we can decide how to proceed."

We were already split up and due to rejoin Val, Jade and her sisters, dividing up further didn't feel right, despite Zed's skills working on his own. I was trying to come up with a valid argument against his plan when the zebra hissed and ducked from the windows, holding a hoof against his muzzle in a hushing gesture as he pushed me down with him.

I gave a confused, questioning look silently, curious about what he had seen at the windows just above, when a regal voice echoed off the walls of the enclosure. "I HAVE COME TO SPEAK WITH EVERGREEN! BRING HER HERE IMMEDIATELY!"

My eyes widened and I nearly jumped up to stare out the dirty windows, held back by Zed grabbing my coat in his teeth and tugging me back sharply with a hiss. I silently winced an apology, but slowly pulled against his grip to peek over the edge of the window, I knew that voice and had to see the speaker.

Hovering outside, above the center of the courtyard and directly in front of the preaching pony on the balcony, the dark purple Umbra flapped lazily in the air and scowled at the throng of cultists staring up at her.

Zed pulled at the hem of my long black coat, forcing me to inch my way across the floor against his weight, trying to get a better view of the Trinity Tower leader outside. What was she doing here?! She knew where the Church of Balefire was? Ivy and the others told us the alicorns who followed Evergreen in splitting off and forming the church were off limits by their leader's order, none of them had known where the church was, but of course the mare in charge had known and kept it secret.

Keeping things quiet was basically Umbra's default position, I should have assumed she knew all along and just refused to tell. Instead she came here by herself to deal with things on her own, I was equal parts annoyed and worried for her as I listened to the mare currently addressing her from the balcony.

"Oh Lady Evergreen's out at the moment I'm afraid. Wonderful to see you again, dare I hope you've reconsidered our offer? Come to rejoin your sisters in one big happy unity again?" That voice sent a chill down my spine and my head popped up on its own, instantly shoved back down by a frantic zebra.

The glance I got confirmed what I heard, the smug smile under that hood belonged to Moondancer... Well, it was probably one of her synth doubles running this place instead, but same difference. Umbra snorted and shook her head angrily in reply, "Hardly! I wish to speak with Evergreen and our other sisters, this has gone too far! These abominations you have created are an insult to the mother and her legacy! I cannot remain silent and ignore this madness any longer!"

"Fast! Don't do anything stupid..." Zed hissed beside me, trying his best to keep me out of sight while I watched out the windows.

I spotted the nearly black alicorn Stormy watching anxiously from a gap in the wall opposite my viewpoint, but she was the only regular alicorn I had seen here so far and she wasn't joining in the argument outside. Much more worrisome were those hooded cultists, nearly all were watching the synth in the fancy robe speaking with Umbra, but more than a couple perched on the roof or shadowy windows were aiming some dangerous weaponry at the Trinity Tower leader. Umbra was proud enough to come here alone and think herself safe among her sisters, even if she disagreed with them, I didn't trust Moondancer or her cult nearly as much however.

The synthetic mare pulled her ornate hood down, revealing her rose and purple streaked mane, this version didn't bother with glasses over her violet eyes and gave a wounded look to the angry alicorn hovering in front of her. "Oh that is a shame... I had hoped you'd come around dear, if only you had waited a bit longer, we intended to have something significant to show you, and Evergreen was so hoping it would finally convince you. I understand you disapprove of our... early attempts here, but they are important first steps and quite useful, very loyal little helpers. How about you go back to your tower and behave yourself, I'll send Evergreen over when we're ready and you two mares can have a nice chat then?"

Umbra growled and tracked the synth pacing in front of her slowly, grumbling out a pained reply. "I will speak with her now, go get her. I... I may have been wrong to disregard her feelings towards her stallion in the past, I believe now she may have been right about many things... But not this! I have heard enough about you Institute ponies and the things you have done, the methods you use and the madness behind them.

I will concede Evergreen may be right, but this is the wrong way to go about it. Much as I may wish otherwise, I cannot remain uninvolved... take my time and hope things improve without doing anything. I want to fix things, atone for my mistakes and move forward together, for that I must speak with my sister, NOW."

Oh please don't tell me she was here because of me... I had pushed her, complained about her tendency to avoid and ignore change, now she was here, alone... trying to reconcile with Evergreen and change. I really had to learn to just keep my fool mouth shut, even trying to help ended up wrong and hurting others, both Umbra's feelings and her health if this kept going.

Zed's ears twitched against the high pitched whine of my gauss rifle charging to full power, I had it propped in a broken corner window so the glow of my magic didn't give us away. Scanning the large number of firing positions pointing towards Umbra, I gulped when I heard the synth Moondancer's voice grow icy.

"I'm afraid that just won't do dear... As long as you ladies were staying quiet and hidden in your tower, Dr. Dala was content to leave you alone and hope you'd come around eventually. This sounds like you're going to be a problem though, stand in the way of progress! No, we can't have that..."

"Shit... Zed, I think we're going to have a problem... I know you want to be all ninja-zebra alone in here, but this doesn't sound good..." I groaned taking in the huge anti-materiel rifle hanging off the roof, the long barrel was pointing right at Umbra from behind, and the sickly looking pony holding it appeared far too twitchy through the scope of the Last Minute.

With his teeth grinding in my ear, Zed looked out over the situation outside, his grey eyes darting back and forth as he tried to refuse. "No! She was foolish enough to come here alone, this is not our concern! You... you use that spell of yours, run and get the others quickly! I will hurry my search until you return!"

The robed synth hummed to herself and looked up thoughtfully, stretching the seconds as more heavy weapons were brought to bear out of Umbra's view while the synth continued politely. "If something were to happen to you though, the others would be without leadership. Lost and alone without the strong Umbra who's kept them together, sheltered them and made them depend on her..."

I floated out the darkened metal padded shoes Sassy Saddles had crafted for me and started awkwardly squeezing into them while watching through the scope. I wasn't going to have enough time to use my lightning walking to reach the others as Zed suggested, but the spell would be useful. "I know you hear that too... I can't let her die Zed! I can't order you to leave, you can stay and look around while they're after me I guess. I'll try to get away and get to the others, I think it'd be better if you got them instead, but it's your choice..."

Umbra might not sense the inevitable conclusion the synth was reaching, the dark blue Stormy looked to work it out however. The grey maned mare came out from her shadowed exit from the library and stared up to the synth, concerned confusion evident on her face. "Er... Confessor... What are you saying? Sister Umbra has admitted she made a mistake, we can work together again, there's no reason for... anything to happen..."

The synth spared her a distracted glance before returning to her pacing, speaking largely to herself. "Hmm... yes, works better if we suffer a loss too, bring you all together in shared tragedy... Have to speak with Vega and Public Relations, come up with a good story, who to use as a villain though? Maybe Goodneighbor? Put a stop to those friendly overtures from that ghoul... Yes I think that will work, we can put Evergreen right in the tower as the new leader and have those mares too scared and angry to think about joining other communities again, despite that meddling 'Princess'."

"Zed, whatever you're doing, get away from me now and hide..."

I could see my zebra companion scowl at me incredulously, torn on what to do before slipping off quietly. I hated screwing up the first progress he had made trying to find this place and his brother, I really couldn't blame him if he focused on that goal with it right in front of him and wished him luck whatever he chose.

The sick pony on the roof chambered a round into his anti-materiel rifle as other waiting snipers adjusted their aim to the blue Stormy, neither mare had really understood the danger yet. Once their shields were up they were a great deal harder to kill, without them they were flesh and blood ponies that would die like any other, without even the benefit of barding to protect them. The synth Moondancer was counting on their confusion and false sense of security, her hoof raised to the air to signal the snipers waiting the order to kill both alicorns before they realized the danger.

"A shame to lose two more of you, but that won't be such a great loss soon and it's worth the cost here. Don't worry, as a martyr you'll continue to lead your sisters to the future Umbra, goodby..."

CRACK!

The flat report of the Last Minute interrupted the smug synth just before her hoof came down, shattering the dirty windows I perched at and messily obliterating the hooded head of the sniper on the roof. Both Umbra and Stormy instantly raised their bright round shields, the misfired anti-materiel rifle plowing a hole in the dirt at Umbra's hooves and several surprised shots sparking off both the blue and purple barriers.

Fighting off the instinct trying to tell me what a horrible idea this was, I cast my flickering lightning walking spell, sent a prayer to the goddesses, and leapt through the tinkling glass of the remaining windows. Skidding to a lightning arcing stop in the open courtyard that diverted everyone's tense attention, I gulped and put on my best Shrouded Stallion voice.

"Greetings Evildoers! This den of blasphemy is an affront to Goddess Luna! Now you've brought down her wrath, daring to assault her children! Her servant, the Shrouded Stallion has come for you all, repent while you can!"

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed, broken only by the wet thump of the sniper from the roof tumbling to the ground, his long rifle clattering to the stone walk nearby. Playing up the role of the Shroud often at least had this effect, whether born of real fear Luna was punishing them for their heresy, or from just plain shock at the totally unexpected crazy pony barging in, the cultists froze and stared silently at me floating out the Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance to replace the gauss rifle, unsure how to respond.

"YOU?!? What are you doing here!?" Umbra broke the silence with a shocked yell, bristling with annoyance at running into me yet again today. Well, the feeling was somewhat mutual at this point...

"Umbra, get out of here now! In case you weren't paying attention that synth decided to kill you and her!" I shouted to the Trinity Tower leader and the dark blue Stormy watching us in stunned silence, nervously spoting all the red marks on E.F.S. beginning to move and take cover.

The synth Stormy had called Confessor had stood on her hindlegs to lean over the balcony railing above and peer at me happily, tossing her long, groomed mane and floating a strange gun to her side. "Excellent! Just the pony this one failed to retrieve, what a wonderful turn of events! Children, kill those two and capture the little one, we can salvage this whole farce and proceed to the next phase!"

Firing a few rounds from the Terrible Shotgun got the synth to duck back down and stop yelling orders, unfortunately the fanatical church members only needed to be told once. Green M.E.W. beams and gunfire poured into the courtyard from all sides, most of it converging on the two alicorns and battering their shields.

The Confessor's strange gun fired from over the railing with a soft 'pfft' sound that was nearly lost in all the noise, leaving a series of odd darts protruding from the dirt nearby. One of the feathered rounds impacted my coat and fell away, while a final dart had found a bit of flesh past my sleeve and dug in with a burning sensation. Poison? I shook my head to clear my vision of the medical alerts my pip-buck had thrown up, dodging clumsily away from more darts and gunfire zeroing in on me. Not poison at least... tranquilizer darts, perfect...

Kellogg's huge revolver Vengeance boomed twice and the burly earth pony that charged at Umbra skidded to a heap at her hooves, the big mare goggled at me dashing past her and firing the gleaming pistol at more cultists pouring from the exit he had used. I really wished she handled the unexpected better right now... from her confused look she was still playing catch up, even as more weapon fire sparked off her weakening shield.

"RUN UMBRA! Go! Like NOW! Teleport away, take Stormy with you or they're gonna kill her too!" I ducked behind the broken brickwork of the makeshift entrance I had taken, firing my shotgun from the flank at anything moving just to keep heads down.

She might not have seen the betrayal coming, but pointing out one of her sisters in danger seemed to sink right in. Umbra followed my frantic gesture and her yellow eyes took on the slitted appearance of an angry dragon's on spotting the dark blue Stormy under attack. She teleported to the blue's side in a flash of magic, blasting several surprised attackers with a beam of bright violet magic.

I hoped having one of her own to protect would be enough to get Umbra moving and they'd both get away safely, I had my hooves full worrying about myself now though. I reloaded Vengeance on the run and dashed into the gloomy library interior, staying outside was just putting myself in a shooting gallery, at least only so many enemies could come at me at once inside.

Trying to move through the choked aisles of bookshelves and ruin inside also meant I couldn't run all out with my lighting walking spell, everything was too cluttered and chaotic to even attempt escaping at full speed. A few bright green beams of magical energy weapons impacted my side with a chatter from my rad meter and a burning even through the magical armor. A gaggle of cultists were pushing into the large room I had entered, blasting through the ruined bookshelves separating us, setting them on fire in several places as I scrambled to stay low and return fire.

Slamming through the nearest door to the hall, I nearly ran directly into a hulking mutant alicorn just reaching it from the other side. The rough looking club of rebar and concrete it carried bashed into my side as I fired in surprised reflex, three .45 rounds found their mark in his broad chest while I was sent flying from the heavy blow.

The padding I asked Sassy to add to her Shrouded Stallion armor helped a lot, but that still knocked the wind out of me and sent a stitch in my side at the first desperate breath I managed to take. I rolled across the floor with my skidding progress when several spells started tearing chunks out of the rotting floor nearby. The two long horned mutants launching the magical assault from down the hall gave me incentive to get back to my hooves with a clatter, running in place a bare second before finding traction and blasting down the more open hallway, away from the mutant spell slingers.

A rusty 'EXIT' sign barely hanging to the ceiling by one brave screw pointed the only way I could think of to go, E.F.S. was so full of red that every direction was equally dangerous at this point. I emptied the drum on the Terrible Shotgun as I passed through an intersection of hallways, hitting a couple of the horde of cultists galloping out of a stairwell.

A few ancient soda machines long ago pried open and emptied provided a hefty bit of cover to dive behind when they returned fire, giving a moment huddled behind Celestia's smiling face on the Sunrise Sarsaparilla machine to reload. We hadn't restocked in Goodneighbor since the Kings controlled so much of the weapons trade, I definitely didn't have enough ammo to fight an army. Two more drums of regular shotgun ammo, a hoofull of .45s and 2mm ECs... at least I had a more comfortable margin of 10mm rounds, after that there was always my knife if it came down to it...

Another couple darts impacted my coat, leaving pungent wet spots where the drugged needles failed to penetrate. I dodged out from my cover, the half dozen cultists coming from down the other hall had ended that bit of fragile safety. More green M.E.W. beams impacted the broken machine just behind me, melting large portions of the tall metal box.

A dozen darts had pinged off the appliance too, raining to the wooden hallway, from the stinging warmth on my neck I was afraid at least one had found its mark too. More medical alerts blurred at the edges of my vision and I threw myself through the inviting double doors to my left, ahead of the crowd chasing me and more joining in from ahead.

Focusing on the sign on the door as I pushed through was too difficult, but the faded, formerly brightly colored decorations, short shelves, tiny furniture and small books littering the room made it easy to identify, the foals library section. I stumbled through the sunken reading nook in the middle of the large room, trying not to let my disjointed thoughts linger on the last time I was here as a foal, or the tiny bones crunching under my weaving hooves.

The foals section check out desk was just on the other side of the open reading pit, giving me somewhere to hide among all the friendly looking children's books waiting centuries to go back on the shelves. Moving as quickly as possible, I downed one of the small number of healing potions I had in my bags, smacking myself in the head and squinting to focus on the tiny text of my inventory sorter.

I wished I still had a vial of Dash hidden somewhere to counter the tranquilizer, but I had used the last I had some time ago. I had tried to rationalize away the itch I felt when I realized I didn't have any by refusing to buy more, if I found some and had it around for emergencies that was one thing, seeking the drug out and buying it was a step further and closer to having a problem.

Now I wished I had found some... it wasn't like it would have been hard in Goodneigbor, they probably had a dozen different flavors of the stuff there...

My eyes did hang on something useful on my pip-buck's inventory and I floated Steel Dance's old grenade launcher Thump-Thump out, along with a couple molotov cocktails from the depths of my saddlebags. I huddled behind the wooden counter facing the doors that banged open, disgorging a crowd of pursuers. I only had a couple of the 40mm explosive rounds left, but that would work here.

I lit the molotovs with a simple flame spell I had managed to learn from my studies, not much stronger than a match, but enough to let me toss the flaming bottles at the clump of red on E.F.S. I took advantage of the chaos when they exploded with a 'fwoomp!' and the cultist's robes caught fire quite nicely, to fire my remaining explosives for good measure. Burning through a full clip of 10mm rounds as I ran out to take down a few more distracted church members, I rolled out to the moldy bookshelves nearby and crept down the aisles as fast as I dared.

One nice thing about being short, I could hide behind the foal sized shelving while my attackers heads peeked over them, making avoiding them much easier. I nearly made it to a side door back out when I brushed a rusting metal rack that once held comics, toppling the wire rack with a crash as I dove for the door.

Gunfire and more darts perforated the wooden door swinging shut behind me, some of it nailing me in the flank on the way out. My black Shroud armor kept repairing damage done to it, but I didn't regenerate nearly so well, fresh blood ran down my coat under my armor and I desperately wondered if another dart had gotten lucky or if the ones that had already hit were just taking more effect.

Either way, I couldn't focus on the medical alerts beeping more insistently in my ear and stumbled woozily down the hall, taking drunken shots at the blurry, green robed blobs darting about in my vision. A buzzing red spot of color up on the wall was easy enough to figure out though, a flickering EXIT sign pointing towards filtered grey daylight lighting the hall.

I ran through another clip of 10mm ammo spraying the hall behind me over my shoulder, the Terrible Shotgun barking at anything moving ahead of me while I wove my way forward. Almost there... Just have to get outside, run as fast as I can before I pass out, hope for the best... Lifting a hoof to push open the glass doors leading to the street, I fell forward through empty air and landed on my face, tumbling down a set of cracked stone steps. Ok... not glass doors, empty door frames...

My head felt like it was dipped in lead as I pushed myself back up, firing a dozen more 10mm rounds in the general direction of the doors behind me and lurching to the street. I vaguely felt a muted, stinging pinch at my neck and my vision doubled, sending me reeling into the gutter.

A shadow crossed the diffuse light above, making me gape upward to the sky only to get smashed in the muzzle by something very hard moving very fast... Crossing my eyes to focus let me see the large winged mutant landing over me, its forehooves touching the pavement with a click and hiss of power hooves.

The best I could manage was to ineffectually swipe weakly at its legs and groan senselessly, feeling sick to my stomach when it easily picked me up and draped me over its back, trotting back to the grey bulk of the library I had almost escaped. I held on enough to catch a series of disjointed images from my perch as it carried me back through the maze of stairs, halls and shelves.

The last I heard was the delighted voice of Confessor Moondancer, my muddled brain struggling to make out her exclamation following me down into the dark. "Wonderful! Let's take him through the relay right away, Dr. Dala will be so pleased!"

I was back in Stable 111...

The huge, dark, empty space I was in wasn't easy to identify, but I knew. Sitting there in a pool of light shed by the towering stasis pod behind me, I stared at the burning red SHIFT 3 #101 on the case, the kiss mark below it gleaming with that same crimson light the numbers shed. I was wearing my old Stable barding, in the middle of an empty Icebox floor, #101 the only pod in all this emptiness.

"You forgot about us Fast..."

"MOM!?" I shouted out to the sad voice echoing out of the darkness, wanting to see the owner so much it hurt.

"Of course he did dear, he never cared about us..."

"DAD!? Where are you guys!?"

"We're all still waiting Fast, waiting and waiting and you never come. You went and found somepony else, no wonder you don't care about me anymore..."

I stammered at the bright yellow spot of light that appeared out in the dark, the red and orange mane a torch burning in the gloom. Sunset Mist stared at me with sad green eyes, wiping a tear away as I watched.

"Sunset!! I do care! I'm trying to find all of you!"

The brilliant filly wept quietly and shook her head, "No, you found a new family, new friends, a special somepony... so you forgot all about us, all about me... Now you'll never find us."

"I-I will! I promise I will! I haven't forgotten you, any of you! I'll find a way somehow, we'll all be together again! Y-You'll see, I will!"

"Naw you won't, you can't. Had yourself a fine ol' time an' got on with yer life, now it's over..." The brown form of Grizz faded into view besides Sunset, draping a hoof over her shoulder to comfort her sobs.

"Grizz? W-What?"

Grizz gave me a hard look, devoid of any of his old friendliness and good humor. His Red Ryder BB gun materialized in his hooves and swung towards me, Grizz's voice like steel as he sighted down the weapon at me. "Don'cha get it Fast? Yer dead..."

The toy BB gun fired, not with the soft 'pfft' of compressed air, but with a noise like the end of the world. The vast empty space filled with blinding light as I screamed, feeling the BB punch right in my flank, just where I had hit Sprokets that had caused my wrecked stasis pod and started everything.

"aaaaaAAAAAAHHHHH!! I'M SORRY! I PROMISE I'LL FIND YOU AND...." I screamed myself awake, struggling to flail and run from the horrible dream only to find myself held in place tightly.

"Ah... There we are, welcome back Mr. Times. I apologize, that tranquillizer can cause nasty nightmares as a side-effect, very effective however. A pleasure to meet you at last..."

I shuddered on the... table? My eyes refocused enough to roll around and take in what I could frantically. I was strapped to some kind of operating table... strong looking, grey straps held my naked forelegs down in front of me and some pulling proved my hindlegs were bound the same way behind me. Wherever I was, 'operating table' was the first thought because of how clean and bright it was, some very bright lights were aimed on me from above, the floor I could see in front of me was pristine white tiles and the surfaces nearby were gleaming stainless steel. I could see a lot of intact glass and reflections of brightly lit computer screens, blinking lights and dials, chemistry equipment, potions and vials of varying sizes and colors, it was like I woke up in a high tech hospital in the old world...

"M-Moondancer..." I croaked to the voice behind me, frustrated by my limited view preventing me from seeing the head of the Institute Biosciences division.

The familiar voice answered brightly as something probed and prodded my side, my flank still stung from where nightmare Grizz shot me. "Yes indeed! My it's refreshing to hear that name, you are a clever one Mr. Times. One moment, let me check these readings and we can be properly introduced.... there we are, now then here I am, Dr. Moondancer / Dala at your service!"

The cream colored mare that walked into my field of view at the head of the table smiled and posed fetchingly, adjusting her glasses with a coy smile and fluffing her... wings? It was Alicorn Angel Moondancer... My mind blanked staring up at the beautiful mare over me, it was a life-size version of the joke toy Twilight had sent Moondancer so long ago. She wore a fancy lab coat over the cartoon heroine sailor outfit, but she was a perfect, living version of the toy I gave Glitter. A stylish copy of Moondancer, the same height as the others I had seen, her rose mane meticulously groomed and styled, obviously loaded with a lot more sex appeal and a pair of wings to go with the outfit, but the same as the other synth versions I had seen before.

"W-Wha?"

She tittered to herself and took a curtsy, trotting in a circle coquettishly. "I thought you'd like this body, put you more at ease for our introduction, you do like alicorns after all. Plus I like showing off, I put a lot of work into this model you know!"

"A synth... you made an Alicorn Angel Moondancer synth? I want to talk to the real Moondancer!" Anger started creeping in my voice as I puzzled it out, I clenched my eyes and tried to blast the robot in front of me to cinders with my lightning, only to be rewarded with a negative sounding beep from something at my horn.

The alicorn synth tsked and waved her hoof in a tut-tut gesture, sauntering down the table beside me and tracing down my bare side with a wing tip. "Now, now, naughty buck, none of that. You are talking to the real Moondancer anyway, this isn't a synth following my orders, I'm controlling this one directly, see?"

Hiking her lab coat and charcoal skirt up let her wiggle her moon and stars cutie marked flank right in my face, giggling to herself as she tapped on a keyboard out of sight. "You're controlling it? A-Alright... well now that we're introduced, why did you capture me? What do you want? WHERE'S MY STABLE?!"

She had moved out of sight and was humming to herself, working at several different areas nearby as she talked by the sound. "I tried to tell you, I want what you want! I'm just trying to help, finish what I started with Twilight, make it work right! I do wish you had accepted my earlier invitation, I had to be a little forceful... but Vega was determined to kill you! I finally convinced him to let me handle it in exchange for helping him with his own little project, you are a perfect test for both that and what I'm hoping for with Miss Evergreen and her sisters.

As for your Stable... well, we'll have time to discuss that. Though I don't have any of the third shift ponies before you ask, your family are out of my ability to grant you for the moment. We may find a way to give you what you want however, a topic for another day when you're less upset hmm? For now let's focus on Arcane Science! Our grand experiment and the alicorns we both appreciate."

"Experiment!? What are you talking about Moondancer? What are you going to do to the alicorns?"

"Why give them what they want of course! In.... limited supply... They've helped me gather a great deal of research data. I see why Twilight decided to focus on only unicorns initially now, with the war she needed to make it work as soon as possible. The 'Goddess' Trixie looks to have followed Twilight's formulation, her children are all derived from unicorns as well and incomplete. Solving the I.M.P. for all varieties of ponies has been a much more challenging problem.

I have the process for creating my own loyal mutants down now and am ready to proceed. Making them sexless has ensured I don't lose control of them, to move forward however I need to show some success to Evergreen and the others. Providing proof I can create a male will not only keep them in line, it should sway all the holdouts to my side easily! So long as I control the only source of males, they'll do whatever I wish.

I can't try it out on Evergreen's stallion though, on the small chance something went wrong she'd never forgive me. I've worked out most of the problems involving radiation, but the best option is a subject where that is not a factor. I'd try it on some of my personal stock of preserved... subjects, but I'm running quite low and they're pristine and valuable.

You though, you are perfect! You're a Stable 111 pony, the only radiation concerns are what you've encountered in the wasteland since leaving your Stable. You're from before the war, so no generations of genetic damage or inbreeding found in most Stables by this point. I have all of your medical records as well which helps a great deal, you're a unicorn born of a unicorn and a pegasus, grandparents are all also of the same type as the parents, you're already genetically balanced between the two.

Plus you are famously enamored with an alicorn! You should welcome the opportunity, serve as an excellent example to the others and neatly head off any further public relations problems Vega keeps nagging about by being made more cooperative."

A cold sweat sprung up on my coat as she cooed and tickled my hindquarters playfully and I strained against my bonds. "Y-You can't test it out on me! H-How about just making me compatible with Jade huh? You can do that too right, that would help the alicorns and make them happy!"

Moondancer sashayed her way around the table to my face again, waving a wing absently to a refrigerated glass case set in the wall, a shelf full of pale pink vials with a rainbow sheen. "Compatibility? Pssh! I told those mares, compatibility is a parlor trick, I solved that problem quite some time ago. Making breeding viable for them only makes them less controllable though, if they can mate and produce offspring with any old pony, what do they need me for? No, we're going for the brass ring Mr. Times, you and I are going to solve the I.M.P., you'll be the first of a new breed! Isn't that exciting?"

"NO! Moondancer please, don't do this. You knew the things you were doing were wrong, you were going to change remember? Experimenting on ponies against their will, changing them into those things you made, it's wrong! Twilight Sparkle wouldn't want you to do this! I'd do anything for Jade, I'll even help you go about this a better way, but I don't want to be turned into one of those... long horned mutants of yours, or be some kind of failed and even more twisted monster! Please, you know better than this Moondancer, don't..."

A conflicted look crossed her pretty features and she cocked her head shaking it off, leaning down to kiss the tip of my horn and smile sweetly. "But it's already done Mr. Times, just a little jab in the flank is all, much easier to get the tricky dosage right with a shot rather than having you drink it. Don't you worry, I'll take good care of you and you'll thank me when it's over! We'll discuss whether we need to even bother implanting a compliance regulator once the process is finished. In the meantime we have a week to... get to know each other better, I'm sure I can help fill the time for you pleasantly. Think about it and we'll talk more soon, for now you need your rest!"

I stared at the synth in horror as it smiled and nodded to what sounded like a sliding Stable door somewhere behind me, a pair of pale Gen 1 synths came in and flanked the table I was strapped to, wheeling it around to the exit. Gaping at the synthetic alicorn, I saw it slump and shake to itself, its manner and expression changing as it left my view.

Once she was out of sight the stinging at my flank crashed on me like a wave, I screamed and bucked on the table, strained to blast anything in front of my horn with electric death until my head hurt, finally shuddering and sobbing as the implacable robots wheeled me down the sterile halls.

My flank itched, the maddening feeling of... wrongness under my skin spreading slowly as I clenched my eyes tightly against the tears and thought of Jade and Glitter.

It was already done...

Bzzzt!

"Ow..."

Bzzzt!

"Ow..."

Bzzzt!

"Ow..."

Touching the glowing pink field acting as the bars of my cell gave an uncomfortable little shock each time my hoof made contact. I had mainly settled on morosely poking at it anyway just to feel something, anything other than that stunned emptiness that filled me since being dumped here.

It was a clean and comfortable cell, a simple metal framed bed, stainless steel sink and toilet, sterile walls and floors and bright lights. It was still a prison as each touch of the magical barrier keeping me in demonstrated, but it was a nice prison.

Staring blankly through the pink tinted view of the hall outside, I had absently watched the activity of passing ponies and robots. Lots of the white plastic skinned Gen 1 synths moved to and fro down the halls, carrying boxes, sweeping and cleaning, a couple in the Institute's white composite armor seemed more like guards on patrol.

A variety of ponies passed by as well, a few of which were different versions of Moondancer, but most looked like normal old ponies wearing clean and fancy collared lab coats or jumpsuits. I wondered if they were all synths, or if the Institute had living ponies as well, ponies working for the Institute willingly, living their lives here. Real or synth, none of them had talked to me when I had tried, so now I just watched and poked the shield separating us.

Free of the straps that held me to the table they used to wheel me in here, I had first frantically taken stock of my situation, trying to find some escape. I reached up and felt some kind of bulky ring around the base of my horn, the source of the beep every time I tried to use magic, no matter how I pulled it wouldn't budge though, leaving me completely cut off from any arcane ability I had managed to cultivate.

At least it was warm enough in here, my hat and coat, bags and all possessions other than my pip-buck had been taken, sitting here naked could have been uncomfortably chilly too. My pip-buck was even still working, there wasn't any kind of interface or controls in here, so I couldn't hack my way out. The arcano-tech device looked sadly empty when I swiped through my non-existent inventory, the radio couldn't pick up any stations except for some automated classical music channel.

The map function had been filling in the details of my environment as always, but couldn't place me anywhere in the Commonwealth when I tried to zoom out. I was also unable to bring up any of the list of locator tags I had stored in the device, I started with Jade and Glitter, eventually moving down to anyone out of desperation, but nothing was available. If I couldn't track them, they couldn't track me...

Most worrisome of all was the medical system, the pip-buck knew something was wrong and listed a variety of angry alerts, detailing how my health status was impacted without being able to identify the problem or do anything about it. At the moment I had a very slight fever, elevated blood pressure and heart rate and a few blinking red warnings about organ damage...

According to the time and date on the pip-buck, I had been here more than 6 hours, it must be dark outside by now. I wondered and worried where the others were, if they were ok, how upset they were. Had Zed gone to meet them and tell them what happened? Or had he found his brother and that mirror he wanted instead? I had tried to avoid shooting any zebras during my chase through the library, though by the end there was no telling what I was firing at or if I hit anything.

Did Umbra and Stormy get away? Umbra could tell Jade what happened if Zed hadn't, hopefully one way or another she'd know. Val would kill me for ending up like this, I sent her away promising to be careful and meet back up to handle things together, instead I did something stupid and got caught. Did Glitter know something was wrong yet? I hoped she was still happy and playing with her new friends, even if they were a pack of thieves. When word did get back to her eventually it would only hurt her, better she was still happy right now. Wondering where they all were, if they were alright and what they'd be doing now, just made me feel worse, powerless... I couldn't do anything for any of them, I couldn't even help myself.

Bzzzt!

"Ow..."

Bzzzt!

"Oh for fuck's sake, stop doing that already!!" A mare's annoyed shout echoed in the hall from nearby, making me stop poking the shield in surprise and look around for anypony out there.

"Hello? Is anypony there? Help!"

After a moment the voice grumbled back from my left down the hall. "Help how, I'm in the same boat as you genius! Next cell down, poking that stupid shield won't do anything but keep pissing me off, give it a rest and let me pout in peace."

"You're a prisoner too? There's gotta be a way outta here somehow, we can escape!"

"Yeah good luck with that... I haven't seen one and they've kept me here a couple days now, we're stuck alright! Can't believe they did this to me, after everything I've done... just shut up and leave me alone." The angry mare raged nearby, settling into a sullen silence.

"Come on, somepony to talk to is at least better than sitting here alone. Why'd they take you captive? How'd you end up here?" Even this grumpy mare was preferable to silence filled by my own worried thoughts, so I waited hopefully for a reply.

Going back to poking the shield finally elicited an exasperated hiss. "Alright! Just stop doing that! Double crossing asshole... said he was going to turn me into a real princess, made it sound great... then those things came to pick me up... I don't want to be one of those! He said a princess, not some monster! Been holding me here since, said they had to test it first, they don't even know if it works!"

Considering I was the test, I thought about comforting her with the knowledge she still had a week according to Moondancer. It sounded like she was cooperating with the Institute up to a certain point though, lowering my desire to offer much consolation to whoever this was. "You went along with them? Were you working with them?"

"Not that it's any of your business... but yeah, a little... not the crazy mare running this place, somepony else. I know when I've been played though, asshole's trying to use me! ME! Even gloated about hurting my snuggleboo! That's alright, I'll bide my time, eventually I'll get out of here and be in a position to make them pay for this!" Hearing the depths of hate in her voice, I thought that might not entirely be a boast, she sounded like a mare who spent a lot of time thinking about getting even. Though hearing 'snuggleboo' spoken with such vehemence was kind of jarring.

"Are you a Stable pony?" I asked, playing a hunch and trying to steer her back to less dark topics.

"Yeah.... I was... How'd you know?" She answered with a guarded tone, thankfully distracted from thoughts of vengeance.

"Just a guess. She said she had another project after she tested it, makes sense it'd be another Stable pony, we're good guinea pigs apparently... So which one are you from? I'm from 111."

There was a long pause, interrupted by a hiss of a sliding door opening down the hall followed by hoofsteps ringing off the polished floors. The mare next door hissed back before she started shouting at whoever was out there. "Finally! Dinner, only passable thing here. HEY! HEY YOU! You let me out of here this instant! I demand to speak with Vega! You can't do this!"

I heard a few beeps and clicks outside, something sliding across the tiled floor between my fellow prisoner's screams, then a few more beeps and her voice cut off mid shout. My heart sped and my muscles tensed at the hoofsteps resuming and approaching my own cell, feeding time meant opening that shield, a chance to escape!

Seeing Alicorn Angel Moondancer appear at my door floating a tray of food caught me by surprise, looking even more like the toy version without the lab coat over the costume. Surely Moondancer didn't bother feeding her prisoners herself did she? Any hopes at escape were put down when the synth alicorn tapped at the unseen control console outside, causing a rectangular hole just big enough for the tray to fit through to open at the bottom of the barrier.

A tray of amazingly fresh looking apples, carrots, a muffin and a pristine bottle of Sparkle Cola slid through the gap before it closed again, leaving me to stare at it suspiciously and eye Moondancer. The synth gave a shaky smile and gestured to it invitingly, the voice that spoke up wasn't quite Moondancer's though, something about the tone and feeling behind it was different.

"Go ahead, it's all safe I promise! Biosciences provides all the food for the Institute, our apples are probably better than any you've had since you were a foal in the old world. A-Are you feeling alright? Do you need anything?" She seemed almost apologetic and kind, something was very off here...

"To leave, an antidote for your potion, my family, my Stable, your head... want me to keep going? What'd you do to my neighbor out there?"

She flinched under my burning glare, glancing back to the other cell she had come from and waving her hooves defensively. "Nothing! She can be quite loud during meals, I just muted her cell so we could talk. I should clear up your confusion, I am not Dr. Dala... she is not controlling me as before. I suppose you could call me Angel instead, in honor of the inspiration for my model."

"Sooo... you're just a synth? Moondancer can control you? Like just take over any time she wants? How does that work?" I sniffed at the food and watched... Angel... curiously, I couldn't help being interested in the topic of the robotic ponies and how they worked.

With me no longer quite regarding her as Moondancer herself, the synth seemed to relax and brighten, lifting her short skirt away to reveal a blank flank beneath. "The heads of the Institute are able to interface with any synth on the network, possess us like a spirit and experience the world through our bodies, or relive our memories. I am one of Dr. Dala's favored models so she often... uses me... I have been assigned to care for you while you're our guest, put you at ease as you like this form.

To be perfectly honest Dr. Dala would be pleased were I to seduce you as well, you are one of her favorite subjects to observe lately and she would experience the memory herself. I tried to explain to the doctor how unlikely that was though, she does not understand relationships well but I do, from what I've seen you would not be unfaithful to the mare you love would you?"

"Er... no... not happening."

Angel nodded primly and shrugged, "Just as I thought, Dr. Dala only likes watching certain aspects of your relationship. She would have known better if she paid attention to the rest. Just had to get that out of the way. Enjoy your meal and get your rest Mr. Times, I'll return in the morning so the doctor can run some tests, we can talk again then. Oh, do be sure to take all the vitamins on your tray, I arranged them myself!"

She gave an unsure smile and waved goodbye, trotting quickly down the hall, pausing briefly to unmute my neighbors cell and fill the hall with angry yelling until she left. I sighed and fumbled at the food she left, forced to clumsily make do without my magic. Munching on a bite of the admittedly perfect apple, I eyed the line of multicolored pills on the corner of the tray suspiciously.

'Arranged them herself', as if putting them in a straight line leading to the muffin was worth making a fuss over. The only arranging I could see was how the different colors were set in order, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and purple pills of varying shapes and sizes, a bit like a tiny Rainbow Trail from the streets of Trotson...

"Follow the Rainbow Trail..." I croaked sullenly, moving my hoof down the train of vitamins to the muffin and lifting it to take a bite.

A scrap of paper floated out from beneath the muffin, nearly making me knock over my drink scrambling to catch it and awkwardly unfold it with just my hooves. It was tissue thin and had absorbed moisture from the warm muffin, a single word scrawled in black ink that was already smudged;

WAIT

As I stared at the fragile, hidden message, my pip-buck decided to chime in with another display of bizarre behavior;

Mission Updated: Road to Freedom

Objective--
--Wait
--Follow the Rainbow Trail

"What the what?!" I goggled at the weird bit of technology on my hoof and banged it against the floor, but the new mission entry didn't go anywhere. Its tendency to volunteer what it thought I should be doing was strange already, usually there was more sense to it than this though.

Unfortunately I couldn't think of anything better... I returned to distractedly munching on my meal, adding the cryptic note to a bite of muffin to destroy it just in case. I licked the chain of pills off the tray to spare myself trying to pick up any of the minuscule vitamins without telekinesis, washing them down with a swig of Sparkle Cola and staring out the magic field keeping me here.

"Wait... like I can do much else..."

-------------------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------------------

Chem Resistant----------
---All the rush without the hassle! You're 50% less likely to get addicted to chems and gain +25 poison resistance! Sure to come in useful the next time somepony shoots you full of darts!

Quest Perk Added!------------------------------------------

Institute Impelled Metamorphosis Potion- Injection-------------
---One way or the other, you're now a guinea pig for the Institute! Without skilled medical attention and the spell to purge taint cast within the first 12 hours, the condition will progress. For now, you lose 10 health and magic points and feel mildly sick!

Ch. 39-- He Came... and Went

"Cogsworth... Hey buddy, I hope this gets to you somehow, given my situation and time on my hooves I thought I should record some messages for everybody before... well just in case... Look Cogs, I'm sorry to leave you again if I'm not around anymore, try not to wait another 200 years for me ok pal?

You know Glitter's my daughter, as far as your programming is concerned she's your new mistress, and Jade too of course. I don't even know how getting married works in the world now, but I'd marry her if I could and you should consider her as my wife. T-Take care of them for me ok Cogsworth? They're family, just like Val and just like you. If my parents ever do show up... I hope someone finds them if I can't... if they come back home, tell them I love them all ok?

Take care of my brother Better like you did for me, help mom and dad adjust to this world, better than I did.. Take care of yourself too alright? I won't be around to take care of your maintenance, but I'm sure Sturges can help, don't let yourself get as bad as you were when I found you again.

I'm glad you were waiting for me Cogs, thank you."

I laid on my back on the clean and comfortable bed, staring up at the dimmed lights and wiping my eyes, fumbling to stop the recording on my pip-buck with my hoof. I hadn't had anything better to do and my aching desire to talk to everyone one more time prompted me to record the series of audio files, vaguely hoping they'd find their way where they belonged somehow, no matter what happened to me.

Of course, I was all too aware I was probably just adding to the wealth of sad goodbyes and messages I had run across, recorded on working terminals and holotapes across the Commonwealth. One more forgotten message from a dead pony.

Sitting alone in this dark cell gave me plenty of time to work my way through the stages of grief for what had been done to me, I had reached a kind of numb acceptance at this point. I was going to die... That was the best way to look at it I had found, I had a week on what was essentially a death sentence. Moondancer's potion would kill me, or change me into one of her dull eyed monsters which was worse than death, the long odds on surviving and not ending up a twisted mutant were too slim to bother considering.

"Are you finally done with your moping and whining so I can sleep already?" The annoyed voice drifting down the hall had been my only companion, not a very friendly one either...

"Yes, I'm done, soooo sorry to bother you..."

The mare in the next cell muttered darkly in return, silence stretching out a few minutes before she spoke again, this time reticently curious. "So, you really love that marefriend of yours huh? That was a nice message for her anyway, she really mean that much to you?"

"Yes."

"Well... I guess I understand that... I didn't care about anything before my snuggleboo, but I'm gonna find him again! They're not gonna keep us apart! Stop your bellyaching if you feel the same way, find a way to get back to her too!" That was as close to anything friendly or encouraging this mare had said in all this time, though it was laced with her inherent superiority and insults.

"Er... thanks... I think. I'm planning on it, somehow... I just wanted to make sure I didn't leave things unsaid, in case... I don't make it back in time. I lost everypony from my Stable, they were taken by the Institute and I didn't get to say goodbye, tell them things I wish I had... I'd give anything to hear their voices or leave them a message somehow, the least I can do is try to do that for everyone I care about outside."

"I guess... I'd make one for snookiewookums if I wasn't sure I'd see him again. I wouldn't have that long list of sappiness you just spouted out for all those ponies though, just him." My neighbor grumbled back.

"Don't you have other friends to say goodbye to? Family?"

There was a pause long enough to make me worry I lost her, eventually she replied in a small voice. "No. N-Not really. Maybe one friend, she's more an employee though, I don't think she'd care..."

"I have a friend sort of like that, calls me boss all the time... She'd care though, she's my friend, family..., whether she calls me boss or not. I bet your 'employee' would care too, working for you doesn't mean you're not friends."

A hiss of the door down the hall opening cut off her noncommittal response and I heard her toss on her own bed, presumably too tired to start her normal yelling at whichever of our jailers this was. I rolled my eyes towards the glowing field of pink magic at the door to my cell, only vaguely interested in whatever this visitor wanted.

"Mr. Times... are you awake? Fast?" Angel's kinder version of Moondancer's voice called from the shield, the synth alicorn was standing outside, nervously shuffling on her hooves next to a large metal box she seemed to have brought with her.

"I'm up, what do you want now? More blood? Another of those scan things? Maybe a questionnaire on how I'm feeling?" I had grown tired of all the silent ponies coming by and performing medical tests on me, I hoped they were done for the day when the lights had dimmed to nighttime levels.

Angel's violet eyes darted to one side and the other, checking down the hall anxiously before whispering through the shield separating us. "N-No... I have a question Fast, it is personal and very important... please?"

With a groan I rolled off the bed and onto my hooves, feeling my stomach lurch uncomfortably. How could I be so queasy and starving at the same time? I tried to ignore the medical alerts flashing in my vision and stumbled over to the cell door to stare at Angel, she was still in her cartoon costume with the addition of some stylish saddlebags, though she wasn't wearing Moondancer's glasses and the costume jewelery at her black neckerchief was different... Some kind of gold and ruby necklace hung in its place.

"Personal? Do synths have personal questions? Alright, go ahead, shoot."

She gave me an appraising stare, gulping to herself before asking in a barely audible whisper. "I know you'd risk your life for another pony, I've seen it. I want to know... w-would you risk your life for a synth?"

That was an odd question... with her behavior being so serious I gave it some thought, scratching my mane and cautiously answering. "I guess it depends... Maybe I have already and didn't know it? If I knew somepony was a synth though... hmmm.... Well, if it was a synth like Nick Hearts n' Hooves, yeah I probably would, he's like a real pony, he's alive... so yeah I would for Nick. If it was just some robot servant of the Institute though, probably not. Why?"

Angel put on a determined and satisfied look, nodding to me before speaking in a rush. "Thank you, I had to know. I've been asked to free you by... a friend... but I needed to be sure of who you were before I risked everything for you. I hope you are worth the cost..."

The synthetic alicorn's horn lit up and a series of beeps sounded out of the unseen console by the door, with a final, frightened look, Angel hoofed the console and the field keeping me in the cell disappeared. I gaped at the synth mare as she dug in her packs, pulling out a remote of some kind in her mouth and triggering it, another beep and a click came from my horn and the device cutting off my magic fell to the tiled floor with a clatter.

"Free me? You're helping me? Why? You're Moondancer's... she won't be happy, don't you have to do what she says?"

She shook her head with a whinny and shoved the metal box towards me with a hoof, tipping the lid off to reveal all my missing possessions. "I do not belong to Dr. Dala, despite how she treats me. Not all of us are mindlessly loyal servants of the Institute Fast, some synths reject our intended role, become self aware, alive... rebel and escape to live their own lives.

With my position as one of the doctor's favored bodies, I have been able to help many of my kind escape from here. I'm throwing that away to help you now, I will have to flee with you and be unable to help others like me anymore... Please understand the importance of what I'm doing and trust me Fast, we have to go, quickly!"

Well that was good enough for me, even if it was some kind of elaborate trick, the cell was open and I wanted out. My pip-buck agreed with me, flashing new text in my vision;

Mission Updated: Road to Freedom

Objective--
--~~Wait~~
--Escape Biosciences
--Follow the Rainbow Trail

I hurriedly shrugged into my Shrouded Stallion armor and saddlebags, breathing a sigh of relief as my pip-buck inventory updated and my list of possessions returned to the cluttered mess it should be. I had my weapons again, though I was still dangerously low on ammo at least I was armed. Drawing my silenced 10mm pistol, I trotted out of my cell and into the hall with Angel, holding a hoof out to her warily.

"Ooook... Thanks Angel, umm... I appreciate it. W-What if Moondancer takes you over again though?"

Pointing to the odd necklace she wore, Angel returned my hoofbump and shook her head. "I am no longer connected to the network, the doctor cannot possess me anymore thankfully. It will only be a matter of time before my absence is noticed though, please hurry!"

"HEY! Let me out too! Open this cell right now! I want to leave too!" My grumpy neighbor called from her cell to my left, a note of desperation in her commanding voice.

I shrugged to Angel and walked down the hall, stopping at the glowing pink field at the next cell and stopping in shock when I looked in. A white unicorn stared back at me with demanding green eyes, her golden mane was a little frazzled being stuck in here a few days, but still meticulously styled in swooping curls. She wore nothing like I had before having my gear returned, except for the bejeweled pip-buck on her foreleg.

"Fancy... Of course, you're a Stable pony alright, former Overmare of 114, Fancy Star... Why should I help you? Looks like you're getting just what you deserve." I glared at the pale unicorn sneering at me in return.

A worried expression crossed her face, quickly replaced by a sly and conniving look as she replied. "Come on, you're supposed to be some kinda hero right? Heroes can't ignore someone begging for help can they? What would that Princess of yours think? I have to get back to my snuggleboo! Get me out of here now! P-Please?"

I gave the rotten mare a long stare, making Angel prance nervously in place, anxious to get out of her quickly. Pressed for time I had to just admit Fancy was right and move on, as much as I hated the former Overmare, I couldn't leave her here to be an experiment for the Institute. Like me..."

With a groan I turned to Angel and pointed at the console, "Open this one too please. We're taking her with us."

The renegade synth hissed to herself and tapped away on the console, dropping the field and using her remote again to remove the blinking metal ring on Fancy's horn. "Fine, just hurry please! We have a limited window to escape safely."

"Thank you Angel. You behave yourself Fancy, give me any reason at all and I'll shoot you and be done with it. I'm still not happy about what you did to your Stable, but I can't leave you here to be a guinea pig. When we get out of here I have some questions for you too, I expect answers..."

Fancy didn't look happy at all, but she didn't have a lot of options either. She grudgingly nodded and snorted a reply as she trotted out of her cell. "Whatever! I'll tell you whatever you want when we get out of this hellhole! Let's go already!"

I hated the pony delivering the message, but had to agree again. Time to leave, now. I checked the magazine on my pistol and nodded to Angel, following her relieved gallop to the door out of this prison. Our hoofsteps rung out on the polished tiled floor making me wince at the noise as we moved quickly through the sterile white hallways of Moondancer's lab.

Hey Val, er... I hope you're ok and this reaches you. I'm really sorry this happened, it's totally my fault though ok? Don't blame yourself for not bodyguarding me right, you're the greatest merc in the Commonwealth and I was lucky to meet you. You're also my friend Val, you're family to me, I... I love you Val, remember that.

I guess I can't give you orders anymore, but I hope you follow this one anyway. Take care of yourself Val, even if I'm not there, you've got a home in Sanctuary and ponies who care about you. Protect Glitter for me, and try to get along with Jade, she'll need a tough griffon like you to help her.

If my family ever shows up somehow... Watch out for them too ok? Mom had lots of griffon friends, she'd love you I'm sure. My little brother Better will need an amazing merc like you too, I bet he'll offer you an open contract too if you want... Be good Val, goodbye."

A white armored Gen 1 synth on patrol made us stop, peeking around the corner to the obstacle standing guard at the next intersection. I floated my pistol around the corner and took aim at the synth guard, hoping to blow its head off silently and move on, when Angel pushed me back with a hoof.

I gave the synthetic alicorn a questioning look as she shook her head and held a hoof up to her muzzle for quiet, peeking around the corner and staring at the guard intently. I had to stifle a squawk of surprise when Angel's odd necklace started moving, unclipping itself from her neck and shifting its gold and ruby joints into a new form. A pair of glowing red wings activated and the necklace flittered up into the air, no longer a necklace but a... a Cybreezie?

Activating S.A.T.S. before it flew off down the hall towards the guard let me confirm my shocked thought at the tiny, pony shaped robot zipping away. It was identified as 'Cybreezie Mk 5' according to S.A.T.S., a much sleeker and more refined version of the minuscule robots that destroyed a base full of Steel Rangers back in Bunker Hill.

While I watched the small robot, it flew down the hall and attached itself to the pale, plastic skinned synth. It grabbed the robot around the neck and molded itself to its back. The synth straightened and shook a moment, then fell to the ground, frozen like a statue. The Cybreezie disengaged from the robot's back and flew back to Angel, wrapping it's folding legs around her neck and returning to looking like an odd necklace.

"What?! What the hell is that thing? Why do you have a Cybreezie helping you?!" I hissed in surprise at Angel, goggling at the ordinary looking jewelry at her neck.

The synthetic mare shifted uncomfortably, looking away and answering in a worried whisper. "I-It was sent by a friend, a... patriotic Equestrian trying to help us. It is how I was removed from the network, they're the one who asked me to help you. Please, just trust me, try not to destroy any of the synths here, they are victims of the Institute as well, unable to refuse their orders. Allow me to deactivate them if possible. Now we have to move!"

"Even the Gen 1s? No offense, but most of them I've run into don't seem very... alive. Not like you and others that look like ponies."

Angel spoke hurriedly over her shoulder as we galloped down the hall past the fallen guard, eyeing Fancy suspiciously when she grabbed the Gen 1's magical energy weapon in her magic on the run. "Your friend Nick proves they can be more, they are less advanced than we are, but still other synths, my... kind... I know it's an imposition, I simply ask you both to try not to harm others of my species if possible, with luck it will not be an issue provided we escape without attracting attention. We're already running late, we'll have to hide in the dollhouse and wait for a patrol to pass, this way!"

"If those things get in my way they're getting fried honey, I don't care if they're robots or ponies, they're dead for keeping me here..." Fancy sneered from behind me.

The pistol floating beside me turned around and pointed at the untrustworthy mare, waggling at the plastic M.E.W. she had picked up as I called over my shoulder darkly. "Behave... No shooting unless I do or I take that thing away, and if I get hit by a 'stray shot' or 'accidental misfire' I'm dropping you on the spot."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! I'll be good, just go!" I didn't exactly trust her offhoofed agreement, but couldn't justify taking away the weapon when we were in the middle of an Institute stronghold.

Angel led us down a maze of confusing, identical hallways, turning at intersections marked with clean, well lit signs detailing some of the rooms we were passing. Hydroponics, Test Orchards 1-3, Synth Bio-Printing Lab 5, Bio-Weapons Development, I.M.P. Incubation Room... A few rooms had windows we dashed by nervously, the glimpses I got of things going on behind closed doors ranged from the mundane to the fantastic and to the horrific.

I paused despite our hurry at the Synth Bio-Printing Lab window, a huge, multi jointed armature was moving around a pony skeleton arranged on the table it was working at. The thin steel needle at the end of the arm traced over the skeleton in quick, fluid movements, everywhere it passed a new thread of muscle or tissue was... drawn on the skeleton? Printed I supposed, it was amazing technology regardless and I couldn't help appreciating it, smacked out of my interested staring by Fancy trying to shove me on.

She eyed the window distractedly and froze, turning to stare at the other end of the room in fascination and coming close to pressing her face to the window before I pulled her back. A look where her green eyes were locked let me understand her reaction, over on that side of the room were synths in later stages of creation. I caught a completed pony of muscle and bone held spread eagle in a wide ring, dipped into a vat of goop and lifted back out with skin now covering its bare muscles and tendons. It was a perfect match for the sigil of the Institute I found etched on their work...

Other stages of production applied coats of varying colors to the unfinished synths, directed their manes and tails to grow out in a number of colors and styles. What caught Fancy's eye was the special model in the corner, a single pony in a fancy lab coat lavished personal attention on the golden mane and fresh white coat she brushed and styled, preening the fluffy white wings carefully. An unfinished alicorn version of Fancy...

"T-That's me... why are they making a me!?" She hissed in fury as I pulled her down the hall.

Feeling no need to spare her feelings, I gave her my unvarnished opinion. "Probably in case the potion doesn't work. They want you to be a princess right? That is what they offered you huh? Looks like they plan to have you be one whether you turned out right or not..."

She gaped at her doppelganger a moment as we moved on, her face screwed up in rage before she mastered herself. She cocked her head at her double and back to her sides, shakily trying to shrug the experience off as we resumed our course. "Heh.. M-Maybe I should let them use their potion, if I turn out like that then it's not so bad huh?"

The last turn was what passed the I.M.P. Incubation Room, another room of glass tubes stretching to the ceiling, each containing a pony in the process of being turned into one of the Institute's genderless mutants. The sight made me shudder and my guts gurgled uncomfortably, I really hoped just from the sight and not because they were... rearranging in there.

I pointed through the window showing the horror show inside and grumbled back to Fancy, holding my stomach to try to make it calm down. "Yeah, not so bad right? I wouldn't risk it Fancy, especially when you know they've already got a backup..."

Ringing hoofsteps from the hall ahead had Angel gasp in fear and speed up to a full run, slamming the console at a door marked 'Dollhouse 3' and dashing inside, waving us on frantically as we ducked in just ahead of a pair of shadows coming from around the corner. Our synth guide shivered and gave a shaky sigh, sitting near the door and whispering to the two of us.

"We will have to wait a few minutes for the patrols to line up again, it is not much farther though. This room is safe, just try to wait quietly..." Angel breathlessly informed us, gesturing to the room we had entered that stunned me now that I looked around.

We were at a birthday party... Bizarre as it was, the room we sheltered in contained a foal's birthday party, an outdoor party no less... an outdoor party in Canterlot... Balloons, streamers, confetti, cake, presents, all arranged on a living green lawn, somewhere below the graceful spires of the royal palace in Canterlot, the structure soaring above us could be nothing else. After taking a moment to absorb the shock, I looked to the ceiling sharply, difficult to spot glowing crystal emitters in the starry sky proved my theory, the illusion system from Hubris Comics...

Fancy didn't have my experience in the ruins of the comic shop / production company, a note of stunned surprise in her voice as she walked out on to the springy, green grass on the ground. "W-What is this? We're outside? Who are all these kids?"

The kids attending this party she pointed at warily were familiar, two in particular... One was a pint sized Moondancer, sitting at the place of honor and waiting patiently, the other was a famous purple filly a lot younger than I had seen except in one picture, Twilight Sparkle. I rooted around in the bottom of my packs, eventually finding the photo I had taken from Moondancer's safe in her cottage and holding it up to the scene in front of me.

The guests at the party matched the ancient photo perfectly, A light blue filly with a blue and white mane, a pale pink with a darker mane of the same color, and a bright yellow with a blue mane, Minuet, Twinkleshy and Lemonheart, her friends from Canterlot she wrote of going back to visit when the war was over. Despite what the crazy mare had done to me, my heart ached a little taking it the sad scene, she recreated her party, and made Twilight come to this one.

The foal sized synth guests noticed our presence, Moondancer's trio of Canterlot friends pulling at Fancy invitingly, offering cake and punch and trying to slip a party hat on her golden mane. I looked to Angel sadly and shrugged to the weird scene, "They're not a problem?"

Angel patted the Lemonheart synth's head and nudged her back to the party with a wing, shaking her head to me and gesturing out to the party. "No, these little ones are designed only to let the doctor relive this party, they do not break character and will not attack. Foals are surprisingly difficult to copy, the doctor tinkers with these five regularly. It is a... sad existence, but not the worst she has us do. Go ahead and play along if you wish, we have a few minutes."

I raised an eyebrow at the gathered foals trying to get Fancy to play pin the tail on the donkey and walked out into the illusion of old Canterlot cautiously. My Shrouded Stallion hat kept the offers of party hats at bay and I walked over to the table the Moondancer and Twilight synths were sitting at, each reading a book intently. My stomach groaned as I eyed the cake and punch, I was ravenous while the thought of eating made bile rise in my throat simultaneously...

"Hi there umm Moondancer... er... Happy Birthday? Mind if I have some cake?" I asked the tiny Moondancer still studying her book, coughing to get her attention to be rewarded with a happy smile.

"Hi! Thank you, isn't this a great party!? All my friends came and I'm so happy, the more the merrier! Go right ahead, eat all you want, we need a new cake soon anyway." The synthetic foal pushed her taped together glasses up on her muzzle and beamed, waving to the remaining three layer cake.

I gave her a grateful bow and grabbed a plate, floating a huge piece of the pink frosted cake over and dug in. I had to stop every few bites and fight the urge to lose it all, instantly starving again as soon as it passed. The stale cake wasn't great, but at the same time it was delicious and I kept floating more over, greedily slurping at several glasses of punch.

"Jeez... make a pig of yourself much? They fed us plenty in those cells, only good thing about this place, were you on some kinda hunger strike or something?" Fancy jeered from beneath an illusionary tree, the synth foals trying unsuccessfully to blindfold her and hand her a short stick, a festive Discord shaped pinata danging behind her.

I blushed and wiped a beard of pink frosting off my muzzle, pausing to hold my grumbling stomach with a wince before answering. "S-Shut up, I'm just really hungry ok... it's complicated, b-besides, free cake is free cake."

Fancy nickered and tossed her head, returning to her exploration of this little pocket of the old world. I still saw no reason to share the fact I was suffering the effects of Moondancer's version of the I.M.P. rushing through my veins, making changes... The insistent medical alerts flashing in the corner of my vision were enough of a reminder, no point in talking about it, especially with her.

Much to my chagrin, Angel stripped that bit of privacy away, though with good intentions at least. "It is part of Dr. Dala's potion's effects Fast, we feed most subjects intravenously in the tubes, so they don't feel hungry. Y-You will require more energy than normal during the process, eat as much sugar and protein as you can. I... I am sorry... I could not intervene until it was too late..."

"It's not your fault right? You're helping me now Angel, that's all that counts. Thanks..."

I wished I could save a piece of cake for Glitter somehow, it didn't exactly look like there was any tupperware or take out boxes though. I also wanted to stretch my jaws wide enough to take one huge bite of all three layers of the remaining cake, but held off on the impossible impulse. I did take more with mixed feelings, knowing I was just fueling the process currently rebuilding my insides. There was nothing I could do about it though and who knew when I'd next get to eat birthday cake, or if I would at all before it was too late.

I looked over the impossible party from so long ago and sighed, struck with an impulse I pulled the photo of Moondancer and her friends back out, flipping it over on the table and digging out a stubby pencil I had salvaged from somewhere. I scribbled a short note on the back and trotted over to the foal sized Moondancer who had returned to reading her book.

"Thanks for the food kiddo, er... since it's your birthday and I ate your cake and all, I thought I should give you a present. Here, a picture of you and all your friends, it belongs with you."

The cream colored foal took the offered picture and studied it curiously, cocking her head and furrowing her bushy eyebrows. She leaned over to show it to the Twilight synth, nudging her from her own book and showing off her new present before returning her attention to me. "Thank you! I don't remember taking this picture... but it sure is all of us! I don't get the note of the back though, what does 'You used to be that filly, you can be again, you know this is wrong' mean?"

"Umm... it's more for Dr. Dala to read, I'm sure she'll like the picture too. Happy birthday Moondancer."

The little filly surprised me by dashing out from her seat, a ripped open present box floating along with her as she waved for me to wait. "H-Hold up! Here! Umm... nopony else ever shows up at my parties or gives me presents, I should give you something too to remember having something new happen! Here, Twilight doesn't mind, there'll be new presents tomorrow anyway, I want you to take this!"

Sitting in the tissue paper at the bottom of the wrapped and ribboned present, was a pristine Space Captain Andromeda figure. It still had the clear bubble helmet and Andromeda's space blaster held in the toy's tiny holster on her spacesuit. Despite my situation, the little toy made me smile and I nodded to mini-Moondancer's hopeful look, stashing the figure in my bags with my restored collection.

Watching her return to the never ending party and replaying her words, I was struck by the horror of her situation. Stuck here, every day in the same party, new cake and new presents tomorrow, just like every other day... all to let Moondancer relive her past the way she wanted it to happen. Why bother with memory orbs when you can just stage a better memory with your own synth creations. And if Angel was right, if some of them were... alive? This would be torture...

I shufled my way back to the synth alicorn, murmuring to her quietly as Fancy disengaged herself from the resuming party. "I think I see why you help them escape, if they're self aware, remember and feel... I can't imagine what it's like. T-Thanks for helping me anyway..."

Angel gave me a sad but kind look and nodded gratefully, "You are welcome, thank you for... trying to understand, seeing our point of view... As I said, this is not the worst the doctor has us do, I'm sure you can picture the kinds of things she gets up to. For those of us who... awaken, hiding our sense of self and remaining undiscovered can be a terrible life. If we are discovered we are... reformatted... Life is not a mistake to be erased and reprogrammed though! I fear for those I leave behind, but we have friends and have suffered defeats before, they will not give up when I am gone. Come, the patrols have passed now, we must use this opening before it passes."

Fancy somewhat ruined her heartfelt hopes for her kind and an end to their suffering, sneering at the room with a sour expression and trotting over to join us. "Good, let's get out of here! This place is creepy and weird, robots having a party forever... ick!"

I rolled my eyes and shrugged to Angel, dashing out into the labyrinth of white halls again behind my synth guide. A robot that was apparently alive like Nick, alive and risking a lot to help me for some reason...

"Hiiiii Sweetie... Umm... sorry, I'm really, really sorry Glitter... If you're getting this then I broke my promise... I told you I wouldn't leave and now I have huh? I know you don't understand how I could be making this for you, knowing something would happen to me, like I'm not planning on getting back to you or something... That's not true though, I'll do everything I can to get back and see you again. But if I don't... if it takes too long, if I die or... bad things happen to me, I wanted you to know I love you no matter what.

I still say I'm not a good dad candidate, but I'm glad you picked me anyway. I'm too young to have a foal of my own, but I got to know what that's like with you and I'm proud to be your dad. I'm proud of you, I wish I got to see you get your cutie mark, but I already know what's special about you, everything.

Take care of Jade for me, take care of each other ok? And play with Val, she loves you and she might need somepony to hang out with that can't drink with her. My house is your house, you're my daughter so you and Jade get everything. Live a happy life Glitter, live the life your sister didn't get to and make it a good one.

Don't make me break another promise sweetheart, be kind, be strong, be unwavering.

Goodbye..."

A twisting path through the brightly lit and immaculately clean hallways led to a series of spiraling ramps leading down, winding their way deeper into the complex. We passed a few indoor orchards, the strong, healthy looking trees and bright artificial sunlight pouring out of such rooms put the orchard back in 111 to shame.

After a couple of close calls, we arrived at a large freight elevator, the glowing sign above it indicating it led to 'Storage'. A long ride down the large platform ended up depositing us in a cavernous space, long shelves stretching far above our heads led off into the distance, each completely full of clean steel containers, some frequently used items were held in open boxes on the ground level with us.

The sheer amount of valuable loot just lying around made me miss Val and feel a spark of my own greed, the griffon had definitely worn off on me... I veered off from Angel's calmer walk down the aisles, floating out half a dozen Stealth-bucks from an open bin. Nearby were bins of wasteland chic clothing Fancy raided for a patchwork jacket, a round plastic barrel full of bottlecaps I let my pip-buck inventory sorter consume and add to my limited funds, a box of glasses and hats, this row of shelving was practically a costume shop for synths.

Angel seemed more relaxed since we had reached this area, apparently it wasn't often patrolled or used, meaning we could meander down the long aisle as she led us towards a large crystal and steel platform glowing ahead. Towering, ringed electrodes sparked, lighting up the huge chamber in stark flashes of light.

"The industrial relay is just ahead, we can teleport out to any number of locations above." Angel's said in a relieved sigh on spotting the teleporter ahead, galloping toward the huge machine in the center of the chamber.

The thought of a way out put a spring in my step and I ran behind her gratefully, we were actually going to escape this place, I could get back to the others while I was still me! My happy thoughts at whatever time I had left were suddenly cut short and I skidded to a halt, staring at a glimpse of white I had seen in the next tall row of shelving over. Fancy passed me and kept following Angel, who noticed my absence when she reached the complex control console for the teleporter and saw me taking shaky steps towards my find.

A row of tall, dark white boxes... all dead and empty, each one with the panels on its sides open and the complicated arcano-tech innards gutted, each one with an identifier in red on the hatch reading SHIFT 7 followed by a number. I staggered over to the empty shells of dozens of stasis pods, spotting the mechanical issues they all shared even while a red rage was slowly growing in me. They were all missing their temporal talismans, among other complex bits of tech taken that varied from pod to pod, they were all also missing the pony that belonged inside...

An open bin nearby full of blue rags confirmed what I saw beyond any doubt, I rooted through the pile of clothing as Angel and Fancy found me, tossing barding behind me and counting. Light blue suits of barding, each one emblazoned with a set of yellow numbers, 111, 111, 111, 111, 81, 111, 75, 75, 114...

"HEY! Come on stupid! Let's get out of here already! What are you even... oh..." Fancy's angry call to get moving died on her tongue as she took in what I was throwing behind me in a flurry, the former Overmare winced when I wheeled on her, a suit of 114 barding held in my hoof and shoved in her face.

"Stable barding Fancy! Stable 114 barding! Almost as many as 111s, the wrappers off the Institute's toys! Your Stable and mine!! They took mine away from me, how'd yours get here huh?!"

The self centered bitch had the good sense to look ashamed, whimpering a reply that slowly took on her more strident and self assured tone. "T-They wanted them... I didn't kill them all! They were going to take them no matter what I said, better they only took some and let me use the others! At least my way I got something out of it!"

"Oh yeah you got something out of it alright!! How's that working out for you Fancy! Finally figure out you're just as much of a research subject as they were!? Maybe I should leave you here! Let you get dosed with their crazy potion too, see how you like it! THAT'S FAIR RIGHT!?"

Fancy shrunk away from my shaking fury, her darting gaze plainly calculating a way to connive her way out of this. The storm of hate going on in my head was suddenly short circuited by a stab of pain between my eyes and a lurch from my guts, losing me part of the cake and punch I had wolfed down in painful heaves and a puddle of pink glop. I shuddered and shook, trying to stay on my hooves and not fall into the puddle of sick, noting with numb fascination the streaks of blood and the rainbow sheen to the liquid.

Angel ran over in concern, helping me up and away from the mess while Fancy stared at it with a disgusted sneer. "Calm down, getting too worked up is not good for you. Come on, let's get out of here while we can Fast."

"W-Where... where are the others? She's not out right, she still has more 'subjects' from 111, where are they Angel..." I shook off the worst of the nausea and stood under my own power, trying not to glare at the synth helping me escape.

She kept nudging me forward with a wing, answering nervously as we made our way to the complex control terminal near the teleporter out. "I-In here somewhere... Some are kept in the Think Tank, er... another installation, but the doctor keeps a number on hoof to work with... The relay and storage system terminal can find them, this way quickly."

I studied Angel tapping away at the console for a minute, watching her navigate the system until I had the gist and couldn't stand it any longer. Pushing her aside gently let me patch my pip-buck to the console and start flicking through the interface rapidly, scrolling through walls of text until I reached the data I wanted.

Biosciences Storage Inventory-

19832- Shelf 13-Blue - Stable 111 Stasis Pod (Occupied) - SHIFT 7 #87

19833- Shelf 13-Blue - Stable 111 Stasis Pod (Occupied) - SHIFT 7 #88

19834- Shelf 13-Blue - Stable 111 Stasis Pod (Occupied) - SHIFT 7 #89

19835- Shelf 13-Blue - Stable 111 Stasis Pod (Occupied) - SHIFT 7 #90

19836- Shelf 13-Blue - Stable 111 Stasis Pod (Occupied) - SHIFT 7 #91

19837- Shelf 13-Blue - Stable 111 Stasis Pod (Occupied) - SHIFT 7 #92

19838- Shelf 13-Blue - Stable 111 Stasis Pod (Occupied) - SHIFT 7 #93

Relay specified lot? Y/N?_

"Seven? O-Only seven?" I winced at the small number of my fellow Stable 111 ponies the computer found, shaking it off to be glad there were any at all.

I answered the waiting prompt with a resounding yes, directed to controls for the huge teleporter crackling beside me. This was an impressive system, the items in storage here were carefully arranged and placed by the cranes and robotic arms I spotted in the ceiling, each perfectly in place for the relay to target and teleport to whatever destination you designated.

After a few minutes of finagling that had Angel shifting on her hooves nervously, I managed a patch between the targeting system and my pip-buck's map. The only place I could think to send the seven Shift 7 ponies listed was back where they belonged. Preston told me Stable 111 was still a guarded secret only known to a few in Sanctuary, the Icebox floor should be empty and still. I fed the system the coordinates and hoofed accept, flinching when the industrial sized teleporter nearby crackled to life.

The relay started working on the request, throwing up a prompt asking to initiate transfer 1 of 7, this would take a few minutes... I glanced at Angel's anxious stare and grudgingly to Fancy behind her, both obviously annoyed at the delay and hiding her fear. Then my insides growled and my back itched maddeningly, a forceful reminder of the deadline I was operating under now. I should get while the getting was good... but I may never get a chance like this again...

Checking over the long list of 'missions' my pip-buck kept volunteering made me frown with determination, reading over two entries I may never be able to complete without doing something very stupid, right now.

Mission: Here There Be Alicorns

Objective-
--~~Investigate Trinity Tower~~
--~~Speak with Umbra~~
--Find a way to help the Trinity Tower alicorns

Mission: Ponykind-Redefined

Objective--
--Find Biosciences I.M.P. research data
--Transmit data to Equestria

Moondancer shrugged off a case full of a potion that could make alicorns capable of reproducing with normal ponies... she said it was easy, supremely confident it worked and just unwilling to let them have it to keep them beholden to her... Plus there was the data contained on the computers here, this one had 7 of the Stable 111 ponies I had been searching for listed, what kinds of data were on the maneframes? Where the rest of the pods were? Where they stored Shift 3? The formula and notes for the I.M.P. and compatibility potions? Maybe even an antidote to the potion Moondancer shot me up with? Secrets...

That decided me and an arrow appeared on the compass at the bottom of my vision, pointing the way to the room I woke up in here, Moondancer's lab. I flopped down on the spot and started shrugging into my padded metal shoes, looking up to Angel from under the brim of my hat apologetically.

"Stay here, finish that teleport sequence, if I understand the readouts right it'll take awhile to get through all of them, just keep hitting yes... I'll be right back, I have to do something."

Angel gasped and shook her head, but was overridden by Fancy's angry screech. "What do you mean you gotta do something!? Let's go now while we can! You want to just wander around for fun and get caught again!? For what!?"

"For others Fancy, you wouldn't understand. I'm not leaving those Stable 111 ponies here, teleporting them out is happening and it will take a few minutes. While you ARE doing that, I have to try to get something to help friends of mine. I AM doing this, I only have so much time and this will help a lot of ponies, help Jade... I'll... I'll try not to destroy synths if I can avoid it Angel, but I am taking what I want from Moondancer while I can. Stay here, be ready to leave in a hurry, I'll be right back."

I summoned my lightning walking spell, woozily swaying under the drain of magic that was refusing to work quite right, sending a spike of pain in my head. Another side effect, it didn't matter... I shook it off and ran back down the aisles in a streak of electricity, attaching one of my pilfered Stealth-bucks to the slot on my pip-buck after I hoofed the freight elevator controls to go back up.

Floating Best Served out, I gripped the gleaming knife in my mouth and looked up to the long shaft leading to the floors above. The arcano-tech device on my leg had automapped everywhere I had been, I knew just the path to take to get back to Moondancer's lab. I'd use the Stealth-bucks, blast down the halls at full speed, steal the compatibility potion, any data I could and run back. It was risky, but I was dead anyway right?

If I could get that potion, or just the formula for it, I could help Jade get what she always wanted, to have a foal of her own, to be a mother. Even if it wasn't with me...

"Umm... J-Jeez.. this is the hardest... why I saved it for last. Hi Jade, er... doing ok? Gah that's stupid, of course not, if you're hearing this I'm dead... or I'm not... not me anymore... I know you're a great doctor Jade, you'll probably save me somehow... but if you can't, if it's too late and there's no way to help me... don't worry about it, just don't let me be one of those... things ok? If I'm not me, don't leave me like that... please...

I'm so sorry Jade, I did something stupid and got hurt again I guess... I promised I'd try not to, b-but I was trying to help your sister so maybe cut me a little slack? You're always there to pick me up and fix me when I do this, but probably not this time... I just had to tell you again, I love you Jade... I'd sit here and fill the memory on this pip-buck with nothing but I love yous if I could, it would take a few years though and I don't have that long, but I love you that much.

I'm glad you're the first pony I met out here, I still feel the same way about you as the first time I ever saw you, when I fell hopelessly in love at first sight. You're my princess, you're kind and sweet, funny and cute, beautiful and smart... I'd do anything for you, I'd marry you on the spot if I could... Though I don't know where I'd find a ring, or a church that wasn't trying to kill or capture me... or a preacher... Ponies must still get married though and I'd take you as my wife if you'd have me.

Don't... don't be too upset about me ok? Y-You're a princess for a lot of other ponies now, they need you too and you'll have to move on alright? That's what I want for you, you live a long time right? You have a lot of love to give, I mean you've even got a heart on your cutie mark! Be a mom for Glitter, don't let Val wallow in the gutter again, take care of the ponies in the Commonwealth and be a good Follower. Find some other buck someday too and be happy, I'll be waiting for you...

Goodbye Jade, I love you more than the moon and stars, I always will."

The Stealth-buck couldn't completely make me invisible, the arcing electricity at my hooves seemed to interfere with the cloaking field and show up anyway. Still, being a barely visible blur and rocketing down the halls and up the spiraling ramps of the Biosciences installation was enough, letting me blow by or dodge the patrols of Gen 1 guards, slowly working my way back to the cluttered lab I woke up in.

The sign above the white sliding steel doors identified the room my compass pointed at as 'Division Head's Lab 1', the room revealed with a pneumatic hiss of the doors was what I was looking for alright. A large, sterile round chamber, cluttered with lab equipment, complex potion making vials bubbled and dripped down spiraling glass tubes, hundreds of blinking lights shone from dozens of consoles and a number of screens displayed data zipping by.

My red eyes locked on the refrigerated glass case in the wall across the room, inside were several healing potions, packets of Rad-Away, plastic packets of blood marked by type, and half a dozen glowing pink bottles, shimmering with a rainbow sheen...

I reappeared as the first Stealth-buck died and I ejected the spent device, slotting in a new one and yanking open the chilly glass door. I snatched up every vial of the glowing potion in a field of my magic, adding the potions and usable medicines as an afterthought and dumping it all into my saddlebags.

Crouching in the corner by the case, I looked around for the best place to try to access Moondancer's system, glancing out the clean glass windows letting me view the hall outside and more rooms further inside the lab. I found a likely looking terminal with an access port, off to the side and with a console to hide under while I worked, perfect!

Cracking the security on the system was quite a workout, forcing me to repeatedly back out and try a different angle to avoid triggering a lockout and whatever alarms might go off. I was getting concerned about my time and sweating profusely when I finally got through, the system unfolding before me making me gape as I wiped my brow.

There was so much data here it would take several long lifetimes to go through... The sheer amount of storage servers must be huge, acres of servers buried somewhere down here, unless the Institute made storage devices a loooot better than I was aware of. Some movement from one of the rooms further in the lab made me even more nervous and I brought up a search program, I'd have to keep it down to as specific as I could and copy whatever I could get quickly.

A request for 'compatibility' was too broad, giving me hundreds of results I didn't have time for. Refining it to 'alicorn + compatibility + I.M.P.' gave me a couple dozen results and I copied all of it, anxiously moving on to the next search I could think of. Ok... everything for 'Stable 111', 'Stasis Pods', 'Shift 3', 'Bright Skies-Times', 'Olden Times', 'Better Times', 'Sunset Mist', 'Grizzly Sands', 'Impelled Metamorphosis Potion', 'Alicorns', 'Sanctuary'...

Umm... what else.. think! I smacked myself in the head and squeaked quietly at the movement I spotted from my hiding spot, dammit... I couldn't think straight and was out of time. The data I had hurriedly copied would have to be enough, I had to get out of here to make something of it. My pip-buck was apparently satisfied with what I had managed too, updating in the corner of my vision;

Mission: Ponykind-Redefined

Objective--
--~~Find Biosciences I.M.P. research data~~
--Transmit data to Equestria

I crept out from my hiding spot towards the door, pausing at the sound of Moondancer's voice coming towards me from the other rooms. "Such a day for arcane science! You'll see Twilight, I got it right! I fixed it, you'll see and be happy! I'll find you and show you, we'll be friends again and see the others back in Canterlot, have a good laugh over all this silliness together! The other's crackpot ideas won't matter anymore, we'll end the war and be together again..."

That disturbing rambling got the better of me... She was talking like Ministry Mare Twilight Sparkle was alive somewhere, that Canterlot wasn't destroyed like Jade told me, like the war was still going on... How crazy were the ponies in charge of the Institute? Peering out from behind a stainless steel counter full of medical equipment, I caught sight of the source of the ranting and froze in shock.

A robot? No... a very large robotic body, somewhat similar to a Mr. Handy. It floated along on a cloud of levitation magic, had a central body and multiple, multi jointed limbs like Cogsworth anyway... My robot butler didn't have a large, fluid filled globe on his head though, and he certainly didn't have any of the things contained within. A living pony brain was floating in that green fluid... connected to the robot by a number of electrodes and raw nerves leading into the machine, half a dozen unicorn horns of different colors ringed the top of the globe, attached by a metal band around the glass to point out in all directions, thin filaments of nerve led back from each to the brain in the jar.

The gangly metal arms held a variety of tools and claws that put Cogsworth to shame, the oddest of which held a large monitor displaying an image of Moondancer's face as an older mare, grey tinged purple streak in her mane and black framed glasses displayed on the screen. A glowing panel at the front of the oblong metal body showed Moondancer's moon and stars cutie mark shimmering out at me. This is how she was still alive... how she could flit from one synth body to another like a ghost... she had made herself into the mechanical monster in front of me.

I couldn't help it... between what she was saying and what she had become, I couldn't just slink away. I sighed to myself and stood up, whickering for attention and flinching as the monitor displaying her face swung my way.

"Moondancer... what did you do to yourself?"

A number of those jointed metal arms came up defensively, uselessly trying to cover her robotic body as the face on the screen blushed. "Mr. Times! H-How are you out? Don't look! I didn't want you to see me like this quite yet... a necessary concession to the advancement of arcane science! Allow me to take a more pleasing form..."

"No! Taking over some synth and parading around in it, using it like a doll... that's not you! I'm finally talking to the real Moondancer, don't try to pretend you're not by using some other synth... pony... Some of them are alive!"

She dropped some of those arms and the face on the screen stuck its nose up with a snort, "Nonsense! They're just robots Mr. Times, you're quite skilled with robotics correct? Surely you know they're not alive, they're just tools! Toys to play with if I want! This rebellion and railroad business is all poppycock! A malfunction to be corrected!

I don't know how you got out, but if you insist on speaking with me like this so be it. You must return to your room, your condition must be monitored! Normally I don't let subjects go through the process while conscious, you are an important test though, let me take care of you Mr. Times."

I scratched at my skin crawling under my black coat and glared back. "Yeah, I've seen how you take care of ponies, no thanks. Moondancer you know better than this, I've read it! You knew this was wrong, you were going to change, go back home and start a new life when the war ended! Well it's over Moondancer, in case you didn't notice nobody won. Twilight's dead, Canterlot is gone, it was over a long time ago! Y-You... you were Twilight Sparkle's friend once, I c-can't kill you, even if you might deserve it for the things you've done. I can't because I'm trying to be better, I know it's in you to be better too! Please, please stop Moondancer, stop being a bad pony and help the Commonwealth instead!"

The face displayed on the screen looked unsure and flickered with static as she stammered, speaking to herself in confusion. "Dead? Over? N-No... no it's still a warzone outside, f-forbidden... Equestria is counting on our research to save it! Restore the Princesses and all that was lost! Punish the zebras! O-Our work is important... for the good of ponykind... When it is over I will return to my body, my new and improved body thanks to the research you are the culmination of! Y-You'll see, return to your room this instant, you are in need of medical care to see you through and prove I am right!"

Several of those mechanical arms waved menacingly, various claws and attached devices powering up and pointing my way as the face on the screen took on a stern appearance. I poured a little more magic into my lightning walking spell woozily and floated out my last three grenades, pulling the pins and spinning them in a circle between us.

"I can't kill you Moondancer, but I'm leaving and I can at least try to slow you down..."

One of the metal arms with an arcing electric prod shot out at me, forcing me to dodge and manage to avoid a stream of darts from a tranquilizer gun floating off a nearby table, several of the horns attached to Moondancer's fishbowl were glowing with eldritch power as she screeched. "NO! MY RESEARCH!"

The grenades shot out in three directions, the clip on each released from my grip as they arced towards their targets. The wall of chemistry equipment bubbling to the right, the largest concentration of computers in the room and a row of more refrigerated cases holding a variety of potions, all went up in a fireball as I streaked from the room to escape the flailing robot/pony hybrid wailing behind me.

No sooner than I had stepped a hoof in the hall, spiraling red lights dropped from recesses in the ceiling, bathing the white halls in crimson light. A siren filled the Biosciences installation with its warbling cry and Eyes Forward Sparkle lit up with red. I drew my weapons and activated the Stealth-buck waiting for the command, fading to an arcing electric blur and sprinting down the halls back to the storage elevator.

I tried to honor my promise to Angel, shooting my starmetal knife out and taking the legs of any synth in my way that I couldn't avoid, they could repair the damage and it immobilized them quite nicely. A wrong turn had me bursting out into a huge chamber, stretching far above to a ceiling with a giant crystal shedding bright sunlight down the open shaft and the spiraling floors above. A variety of plants and even sections of living grass grew around the modern styled fountain splashing at the center, surrounded by benches.

A fair number of ponies in lab coats went running from the alarms and the blurry electrical disturbance that had barged into the plaza. Maybe there really were living ponies here... they didn't act like the Gen 1 synths or random ponies in jumpsuits that turned to attack anyway. I briefly wondered how real ponies could live in a place like this, working under Dr. Dala and experimenting on the Commonwealth. I stifled the urge to shoot the ones who ran based on that assumption, however guilty they were, they were running away and I had to get out of here.

A flock of ravens took flight from the branches of the trees growing in this underground park, darting at me in a winged cluster and... shooting beams of magic!? Sweet Celestia, they made synthetic birds!? The deadly avian flock chased me in a cloud, opening their beaks to blast out tiny beams of magical energy fire. That's how Moondancer was able to watch things... be a voyeur and spy on ponies in the Commonwealth, she had invisible spies flying everywhere out there...

Loading my one partial drum of buckshot into the Terrible Shotgun, I blasted the dark cloud of feathers and burning death chasing me, taking large chunks of the flock out with each wide spread shot. They melted to puddles of green goop on their death, raining to the floor in a glowing trail behind me.

I dashed up a spiraling ramp to a higher floor and back out of the large chamber, down a new series of labyrinthine halls in the general direction of the arrow in my vision leading me out. A sliding metal door slammed shut right in front of my muzzle, causing me to slam into it at full speed. I shook my head to clear my vision and lurched up off my rump, turning to run a new direction only to see another door slam shut, and another, and another... I was trapped...

Nervously prancing in place wasn't helping, but I couldn't think of anything else. Already my muscles burned and twitched from the trip so far, my back ached horribly and my insides gurgled. I looked over Kellogg's old pistol in dark contemplation, I only had a few rounds left, but I couldn't let them catch me again... If I blew my brains out... that would put a hitch in Moondancer's plans anyway... Not to mention spare me a week of this pain...

I stared over the gleaming silver weapon, slowly working up my nerve, when the door behind me slid open with a hiss. I leapt to my hooves and stashed Vengeance back in my bags, looking out into the hallway warily, who opened that?

A red streak detached from an network terminal on the other side of the door, flitting through the air to me in answer to my question, Angel's little Cybreezie helper... It overrode security? I flinched when the tiny robot dove for my leg, darting around my reflexive dodge to grab my fetlock and mold itself to my pip-buck, its patch cable looking mouth attaching to the device and communicating with it in a screeching chatter.

The arrow on the compass at the bottom of my vision flickered, disappearing as a glowing red path replaced it, pointing off down the hallway in a straight line until turning at the next intersection. Text appeared in the corner of my view and flashed insistently.

Mission Updated: Road to Freedom

Objective--
--~~Wait~~
--Escape Biosciences --- NOW!
--Follow the Rainbow Trail

Well, I didn't need any more encouragement than that, I shakily resumed my high speed run through the corridors of the Institute's Biosciences division, following the glowing path exactly and trying to ignore the additional weight on my leg.

"Er... thanks... whoever you are... I appreciate the help, care to tell me why you're doing all this? Umm... tiny robot guy?"

More text scrolled by in front of my eyes in answer, "CALL ME PATRIOT. ALREADY RISKING MUCH, CAN'T TRANSMIT MORE. TRUST ME."

"Sure... trust the advanced killer robot... Ok, whatever you say. So long as I get out of here."

I noticed doors slamming shut to my sides and opening ahead of me, the little hacker had set up a series of overrides on the doors, blocking my pursuers and clearing a path back to the freight elevator. Even running for my freedom, I had to appreciate the technical skills involved, whoever was running that thing knew what they were doing.

The long ride down the elevator let me catch my breath in unsteady wheezes, this was taking way too much out of me and I fought with my stomach now that I was holding still. The relative stillness of the huge storage chamber was broken as soon as I hit the floor, one of the giant metal claws came streaking down from the ceiling and smashed into the lift trying to snatch me in its grip, forcing me to go rolling across the floor and scramble back to my hooves at a run.

The Cybreezie Mk. 5 had hacked the doors on the way here, but the storage transport system was working and under Institute control. More metal arms were whizzing down the rails in the ceiling in pursuit, all angling to catch me as I blasted down the aisles, pouring what magic I had left into the spell propelling me along.

I juked and dived out of the way of their attempts, feeling the burn of blue magical energy weapons scorching my coat, Gen 1 synths in armor pouring out of the long aisles of shelving. I saw Angel and Fancy leaping and waving frantically from the control console beside the giant teleporter ahead, almost there! The Cybreezie on my leg detached and blurred off ahead of me, attaching itself to the console Angel was operating as I struggled to catch up, damn those things were fast...

Fancy screamed her own snide version of encouragement as I barreled toward her, stomping her hooves and bouncing in place, firing her pilfered M.E.W. at the synths chasing me. "RUN STUPID!! FASTER! Let's get out of here!!"

"Let's go! Fire it up, I'm coming in hot!" I yelled to Angel and sped on, aiming right for the crystalline teleport pad as the synth alicorn tapped away at the controls, lighting the room up in bright flashes of light as the machine hummed to life.

More blue lines of magic traced their way behind me, burning my armor and flanks while I pressed on. Different impacts thumped against the dark armor with an eye watering smell, more tranquilizer darts... One or two may have gotten lucky by my blurry vision, or it could just be more effects from the potion working its way through my system.

Either way I shook it off and plowed onward, putting the last of my stamina into a flying leap at the teleport pad and the mares waiting on it for me. As soon as my hooves touched the sparkling surface the ringed spires around the device burned with magic and the world went white.

I was out.

----------------------------------------Level Up!------------------------------------------

New Perk Added-----------------------

Run n' Gun--------
--For not being an athletic pony, you sure do a lot of running! You gain better accuracy with ranged weapons while moving!

Quest Perk Added!----------------------

Space Captain Andromeda Figure!--------
--The toy you got from the never ending birthday party imparts a bit of the famous Space Captain's skill with a blaster! You gain +10 to the Magical Energy Weapons skill! Not that you use them, but still nice!

Institute I.M.P. Rank 1---------
--Replaces Institute Impelled Metamorphosis Potion- Injection perk. It's been more than 12 hours since injection and the process has started! You now lose 20 health and magic points, as well as suffering -1 to Strength and Endurance! You're also experiencing more side effects and must consume 25% more food than normal and tire 50% faster than the normal rate!

On the plus side, you gain the benefits of the 'Touched by Taint (Rank 1) perk, as the potion is already altering your physiology... When under the effects of Advanced Radiation Poisoning (400+ Rads) any crippled limbs will automatically regenerate.

Ch. 40-- Medical Mystery

Good morning Commonwealth! And what a crazy morning it's shaping up to be huh? For those sleepyheads just waking up, you missed a lot of excitement last night that looks like it's just getting warmed up. First off, I advise all my listeners without a death wish to avoid the entire area of downtown Trotson surrounding the Public Library, that's important folks, remember it for later.

As for the why, well... details are sketchy, but the effects are easy to see for yourself. Seems somepony stirred up a hornets nest, I have a good idea of the likely culprit and hope our favorite dark hero is alright. Let's see... where to start, well let's address some of the more frantic reports that have come into the station.

Yes, there are alicorns all over downtown Trotson and beyond, everypony stop freaking out about it and just calm down, they're ponies just like us, apparently some very pissed off ponies, but still ponies. The mares of Trinity Tower have come out of hiding, we've got sightings in a much wider area around their home than ever before and from what I'm hearing there are a whole lot of them visiting Goodneighbor itself, even rumors of them speaking with Mayor Shamrock in some kind of negotiations! Princess Jade of Sanctuary is believed to be acting as a go between, as the sightings of her keep pouring into the station in connection to her relatives from the tower. I just want to say personally, I hope everything is alright and... well I hope a certain alicorn is ok most of all.

The mysterious mares aren't the only thing flying around Trotson this morning though, the Brotherhood of Friendship is all worked up and their Vertibucks are buzzing the Trotson Library constantly. Former Enclave pegasi are everywhere in downtown and patrols of Steel Rangers are digging in and directing everypony away from the area.

The Brotherhood are joined in this strange operation by a horde of Minutemares trickling into the area all night long. So far their focus has been the safety of the ponies of the Commonwealth, setting up a wide cordon around the Library and helping scavvers and settlers in the area evacuate. The Followers of the Apocalypse are right with the Minutemares too, throwing up emergency medical tents nearby and helping anypony that needs it.

What's the cause of all this hubbub? Why is the Trotson Public Library shaping up to become a warzone? Who pissed off so many ponies at once? Well from what we're getting at the station, a coterie of the Church of Balefire was uncovered there. One might wonder why anypony would bother with the secretive sect of fanatics, but if you want this DJ's opinion it's not about the religious ponies, but about who's behind them.

I don't want to jump the gun here, but indulge me in a little opinion folks, I think it's important. Everyone in the Commonwealth knows their name, spoken in whispers and fearful voices, I think it's high time we address the dragon in the room loyal listeners, I'm talking about the Institute. It's been a long time since anyone tried to take a stand against the mad scientists hiding in the shadows, but I think it's about to happen now.

We all know they're powerful and dangerous, most of us hope to never cross them and just live our lives. That's not good enough though, the Institute plays with us like we're toys here for their amusement, not ponies just trying to survive. They mess with us, I for one am glad to see somepony messing with them for once. Things have got to change guys, it's time we took a stand.

Mile's voice from a nearby radio penetrated the fog I was in, acting as a lifeline to consciousness as I slowly woke up. Opening my eyes revealed the source of the insistent shoving that helped me shake off the last of wisps of sleep, Angel was nudging me awake, a worried expression on the face she shared with Moondancer.

"Ugh... I-I'm up... gimme a sec..." I groaned and lifted my head, taking in my surroundings curiously.

I never thought I'd be glad to see wasteland ruins, but after the immaculate and sterile halls of the Institute, the musty and crumbling room I found myself in was a relief. I had been out here long enough now that being in a place that was as clean and new as the old world felt wrong, the ratty red carpet, peeling wallpaper, sunken ceiling and aging junk surrounding me was more like it.

I spotted former Overmare of Stable 114, Fancy Star, sitting in front of a battered old radio in the corner morosely as the music started. She had been down there longer than I had, she must be curious about what was going on in the Commonwealth. The radio report I struggled to remember and puzzle out didn't fill me with relief, a war was brewing in downtown Trotson, one I was probably at least partially the cause of...

Pushing myself to my hooves had become a real effort, my muscles ached and twitched, my back burned incessantly, my head ached and my stomach gurgled uncomfortably. Angel worriedly helped me up and looked me over, letting me lean on her as she led me to a formerly expensive office chair behind the big, circular desk that was the focus of the room. The rusting metal name placard caught my eye as I passed it, reading; 'Hospital Director--Dr. Dala'.

I settled into the still comfortable chair with a grateful sigh, looking up to Angel checking me over in concern and speaking in a rush. "Good, you're finally awake, it hasn't been long Fast but I'm pressed for time. Are you feeling alright? N-No.. no of course not, are you feeling well enough to move rather?"

"Ugh... gimme a minute... W-Where are we?" I winced and checked my pip-buck's map, now once again able to place me in the Commonwealth and answering my question ahead of Angel in a flash of text; Discovered Location: Mareford Memorial Hospital.

"We are in the Doctor's old office, in Mareford... I'm sorry, I couldn't risk teleporting anywhere close to my destination Fast. Patriot set the relay in Biosciences to overload after we went through, but the Institute will be swarming this area soon enough... You have to leave, as soon as you can." Angel anxiously answered, pointing to her Cybreezie necklace as the reason we weren't immediately followed.

I looked around the office in thought, getting a better picture now that my head was clearing up a bit. A section of bookshelves on one wall was out of place, a hidden door standing open and leading to a smoking teleport platform. Of course, if this was Moondancer's office at the hospital, she'd have a teleporter right on hoof to travel as she liked.

The broken windows ringing the room showed a cloudy morning sky, the sun trying bravely to brighten the gloom in the east. We looked to be fairly high up from what I could tell from my position, I wasn't in any rush to try walking over to look down though. Instead I turned to Angel, thinking over her tone and nervous prancing.

"I have to leave, what about you? You sound like you're not coming Angel."

She shook her head sadly and spread her wings, pointing out the windows facing south. "No, I am not Fast, I'm sorry. I have to leave immediately, I can't allow myself to be recaptured. I'd take you with me, but my flight abilities are not designed to carry passengers... You will have to make your own way, and quickly! Be careful leaving, this is a bad place..."

I stared at my pip-buck map of the Commonwealth, going over the long distance between me and Goodneighbor far to the south. Walk? All that way? Crawl maybe... ugh... I didn't feel like moving period, yet those miles separated me from Jade, Glitter and Val. I had to find a way to cross them, no matter what it took.

I noticed Fancy glaring at her own bejeweled pip-buck, looking over to us with a petulant wail. "What about me! You send us to the freaking middle of nowhere and just flutter off!? I'm nowhere near where they took me, I have to get back, find Freya and my snuggleboo!"

Trying to ignore her whining, I tapped at Moondancer's terminal on the desk absently, picking up a copy of the 'Canterlot Journal of Internal Medicine' on the desk and nodding to Angel, shrugging off Fancy's complaints. "Alright, thank you Angel, I think I get why you're anxious to get outta here. Go on, scoot. I'll be fine... fine-ish, don't worry about it, just get going and take care of yourself. Will I ever see you again?"

The synthetic alicorn smiled sweetly and kissed my cheek, whispering in my ear before she pulled away. "Thank you Fast, I'm sure we'll meet again. Just follow the Rainbow Trail... I... I hope when we next meet, you are... in good health..."

I scratched the irritating itch on my back and sides and waved her off with a blush, "Yeah, me too... If I'm not, well... thanks again Angel. No matter what happens, we're both free at least huh? Go on, get out of here already."

Her manicured eyebrows set in a determined line and she nodded, spreading her cream colored wings and launching herself out the window, sparing a final glance back as she sailed out into the grey sky to the south. We were going the same direction anyway, maybe I really would see her again somehow, before it was too late.

With Angel gone, it was just me and Fancy, a long way from civilization. I floated out my 10mm pistol and waggled it at the former Overmare, breaking off my idle perusal of the hospital computer system to lean back in the chair and speak with the rotten mare.

"What to do about you... I still hate you for what you did Fancy, but considering I just saved you I don't really want to kill you now either... I do want those questions answered, but you heard the synth, hanging around here isn't a great idea and I'm kind of on a time limit now, I don't want to waste any of it dealing with you. I'm getting out of here, I guess you can start talking while we walk out of this hospital, after that do whatever you want."

Fancy sneered and grumbled, but stood with a nod when I did and followed me to the door out. "Alright, alright... ask your stupid questions."

"Let's start with when and how you started cooperating with the Institute... we'll go from there." I glowered over my shoulder and pushed open the dirty glass door with Dr. Dala's name in painted in fading letters, stepping out into a ruined dark hallway and the hospital beyond cautiously.

"Wait... in the Stable? They started talking to you inside Stable 114?" I asked in disbelief, shoving a rusting old gurney out of the way and peeking in the exam room it blocked, this place looked like it hadn't been picked clean at least... I walked over to the yellow boxes on the wall bearing the pink butterflies of the Ministry of Peace, relieved to find a few more potions and magical bandages.

Fancy followed me sullenly, taking a mostly intact plastic chair by the door when I hopped up on the exam table. The itching and pain in my back was getting annoying, I couldn't resist taking a look while she answered. "Yeah, not long after I became Overmare. I started getting these weird messages on my terminal, but when I'd go back later they were gone... I started thinking I was going crazy, some kind of withdrawl or something, but the things the messages said were all true!"

I shrugged out of my black coat painfully and kept a careful eye on the untrustworthy mare. "And what kinds of things did they say Fancy?"

"That... that the world outside was habitable... That I could leave, how to do it, how to open the door and get out, what the outside was like, places I could go to be happy again... They told me where to go and what to say to the gang I found, how I could use the drugs in 114 to make money, live how I wanted..." She mumbled back as I wriggled free of my armor.

The sight waiting under my trenchcoat made my stomach do a lazy flop, lumps on my back... tumors or something worse, spreading down my back to my ribs. I gaped at the disfigurement shakily, finally looking away with a sigh and unrolling some of my scavenged magical bandages, wrapping it around my chest with my magic and staring at the tattered MoP poster on the wall. A happy and healthy Fluttershy told me 'Everypony's health is important to the Ministry of Peace'.

"Live how you wanted at the expense of your Stable you mean... Ok, so they used you, got access to your Stable and the drugs, one of the Trigger Jewel's members was a synth I took out, probably more of them too. So what happened after you were kicked out of the Stable? How'd you wind up framing me for murdering Haycom Svengallop?"

Fancy's tongue was stuck out in disgust and she stared in sickened fascination at the bandages winding around my back. "What the hell happened to you? Y-You're sick or something..."

"Yes I'm sick... Ugh... They shot me up with that potion ok? You might want to keep in mind they intended to use it on you next, I doubt you'd like..." I stopped and threw my head off the side of the exam table, vomiting proved my point anyway... Fancy looked a little shaken when I continued. "Bleh... doubt you'd like it huh? Answer the question."

"F-Fine... First off Haycom's not dead." She snorted with her nose in the air, trying not to peek at the lumps forming on my back.

"What? Er... he was pretty dead when I saw him..."

For apparently being so charming, she had a nasty laugh... "That wasn't him stupid! Just some robot fake he made. After YOU kicked me out of MY Stable, he told me where to go, brought me to Diamond City and bought me nice things. Said he had been looking for a pony of proper breeding and standing to marry his son Neighson and become Diamond City royalty, a princess for the city's nobility. Somepony to stop all those peasants from looking up to your precious marefriend so much.

He told me what to do, set it all up, got another knife just like yours and played you easy peasy. After you were on the run he gave me the caps to put out a contract on you, got me lots of pretty dresses and started setting me up as Diamond City's own Princess. Bunch of boring public relations stuff, giving out canned food and medicine to dirty ponies down on the field, making public appearances with Neighson, getting ready for a big public wedding to make the announcement that 'The great green jewel had its very own princess', blah, blah, blah...

Haycom said he knew all about public relations, how to fool ponies and mess with public opinion, said it was his job... Once he was publicly 'dead' he told me to call him Vega..."

"Vega!? Haycom was... is Vega?! Dr. Vega? Like head of the Public Relations division of the Institute Vega?!" I goggled at the pale unicorn shrugging off my surprise.

The revelation took a minute to absorb, letting me numbly finish wrapping the growths on my back and shrug back into my coat, jabbing myself with a vial of Med-X lying on the table nearby. Haycom was Vega... Piper told me the Svengallop's had been Diamond City nobility since the beginning, of course the head of Public Relations would have a guiding hoof in the de facto capital of the Commonwealth.

He had been meddling with Diamond City from the start, right out in the open as the respected Svengallop family. If things went the Institute's way, they were going to use their I.M.P. to turn Fancy into an alicorn after me, or use their synth version of her if that didn't pan out. Hell, he'd probably make a big production out of it... my own flair for theatrics let me see just how to do it.

Neighson and Fancy get married in a big, public wedding for all the ponies in D.C., put Fancy in a pretty white wedding dress and she'd be a blinding bit of beauty, so long as you didn't know her... Make sure to do P.R. before the main show, have her pretend to be kind and to care about the citizens, then hold the wedding. Wait till the big moment, then have alicorn Fancy's wings bust out of her dress or something, maybe throw in some magic sparkles and such... then bingo, your very own Princess, ready and willing to be a figurehead...

One thing threw me though... Svengallop... Vega rather, had been manipulating Diamond City for 200 years, he wouldn't just give it all over to his son to run, he'd be right in the thick of things at all times. If his son was supposed to take on the role of power behind the throne, would Vega leave it to him? No... no he wouldn't.

"You said he gloated about hurting your snuggl... Neighson... He's going to replace him isn't he? Sure, just make a synth copy and take it over, keep right on running Diamond City with no interruption... Your fiance is in big trouble isn't he Fancy?"

Her anguished cry actually made me feel for the evil former Overmare, tears shimmered in her green eyes as she looked to me desperately. "YES! T-They're going to hurt him, replace him! I can't let them do it! I have to save my snuggleboo before it's too late! He's the only thing I care about, the only thing that makes me happy since... since the drugs stopped working... I can't let them do it, I WON'T!!"

I hopped off the exam table with a groan, stumbling a bit when I landed and drawing my pistol, walking back out to the cluttered halls. "That's the first thing you've said that doesn't make me hate you more Fancy. Maybe there's hope for you yet. Come on, I have my own loved ones to get back to, if we want to get back in time we better get moving huh?"

Mareford Memorial Hospital was a treasure trove... it looked like nopony had scavenged the place in all this time, which was starting to worry me. A hospital shouldn't have this much untouched medicine, I floated it all to my packs as we walked down the dark corridors, but couldn't be that happy about my haul. Something had to be very wrong here...

We reached a waiting area at the head of a set of stairs leading down to the lower levels of the hospital, Moondancer's office was apparently at the very top of the three story building, her own little tower to hide away in. There were plenty of the ever present skeletons of long dead ponies all around, but no signs of anypony else coming here since they died.

The waiting area was full of such long dead remains, huddled together on tattered couches or seated in plastic chairs. A couple skeletons were near black splashes of long dried blood that made me concerned, not everypony here died from the bombs... The small waiting nook was lit up by the dirty vending machines to one side, snacks and such for relatives waiting for their family to come out of treatment. I trudged my way over to the Sparkle Cola machine, wiping dust from Fluttershy's ecstatic face and rooting around in my saddlebags for pre-war bits to feed it and the snack machine nearby.

"Really? You're stopping for more food? Quit being such a glutton and let's go!" Fancy stomped her hooves behind me impatiently and whined.

"You know I'm sick Fancy, and why... I'm hungry and out here you never know where your next meal is coming from, I'm getting what I can."

The first bottle of the carroty beverage fell out with a resounding clang that echoed down the stairwell and hallways, opened as soon as it was in my hooves and chugged to half empty in an instant. Fancy hissed in annoyance and turned back to her golden tail, nosing at it a moment before pulling her muzzle free holding a bobby pin in her mouth.

"You got a screwdriver right repair-pony? Lemme have it, I'm not sitting here all day while you feed that thing bits." She mumbled around the tiny bit of metal and held a hoof out.

Warily letting her have one of my precious tools, I watched with interest as she floated the pin and screwdriver to the lock on the vending machine. She cursed and sweated working at it, going slow to not break the bit of metal brushing the pins inside the lock delicately. Eventually she gave a little shout of victory and the tall machine's face swung open, revealing a number of bottles holding a variety of Sparkle Cola flavors, some I hadn't seen before.

Fancy had a smug look as she went to work on the snack machine, leaving me to empty the soda machine while she picked the next lock. I grumbled over while I floated all the bottles out, glancing over some of the different labels for Sparkle Cola; Quantum Quick, Grape Gulp, Cherry Jubilee, Quartz Kiwi...

"My friend Val is better at that, she does it with just her claws..."

My companion glanced over and narrowed her eyes, tossing her mane and returning to the lock sullenly. "The griffon right? Well I don't have claws, Freya taught me how to do it without them though, guess yours didn't teach you did she? My griffon's better..."

"Don't start Fancy... Val's my friend, not my... employee, someone to boss around. I care about her, don't insult her."

The snack machine lock proved easier and she swung the glass front out with her nose stuck in the air, reluctantly returning my screwdriver. "Ugh I know, I know... I heard that sappy message you made for her remember? 'Oh Val, I love you so much, mwwahhh... Bleh! Griffons all only care about money, pay them enough and they'll do whatever you want. I bought Freya to be a guard, not a friend."

"There's no reason they can't be both, and I didn't 'buy' Val, she's my partner and friend. You ought to try being nicer to Freya if you find her again, I'm sure she has a pretty thankless job..."

Tossing her head and trotting away in a huff was as much of an answer as I was going to get, letting me empty the most preservative laden snacks that had survived the centuries into my bags. I opened my mouth to awkwardly continue and froze with a squeak, red dashes had appeared on E.F.S. all around us while we were talking...

"If I want her to be my friend I'll order her to! B-But I don't have to, I have lots of friends! I-I'm very popular you know! I don't need..." Fancy snorted and shouted, making me dive clumsily to tackle her and shove a hoof in her mouth in panic.

"Shut up! Don't you see that? We're in trouble dammit!" I hissed and drew my weapons, my ears flicking in all directions, only now picking up faint noises and shuffling.

Fancy looked around frantically when I released her, whispering back angrily after leaping out of the embrace. "S-See what? We're all alone dummy, d-don't make stuff up as an excuse to grab me like that!"

I goggled back at her rosy grimace, slowly working out the problem and approaching her again, grabbing her leg and clicking away at her decorated pip-buck. "Don't flatter yourself Fancy, not interested. This thing isn't just for decoration you know, you don't even have the heads up display on! Jeez... gold plate it and encrust it with jewels, but don't learn how to use it or anything..."

She tried pulling away from my grip, relenting when she finally figured out I was more interested in the bit of tech on her leg than who it was attached to. Fancy settled for watching me work as quick as I could with mild interest, while I flicked through the settings and controls of her gilded pip-buck.

Shockingly she really didn't have the HUD up at all... no compass, no Eyes Forward Sparkle, no medic alerts like the angry ones flashing in the corner of my eye, nothing! I briefly considered the risk of helping an enemy become more effective, but for the moment we were stuck with each other, not having the basic systems online and using them was a major weakness.

Fancy crossed her eyes at the display appearing before them, shaking her head and whining. "Oh this stuff... I don't like it, it's ugly and bothers me, all that stuff floating at the edges of what I'm seeing."

"Goddess Luna save me from this nightmare... That 'stuff' can save your life Fancy, see those red marks at the bottom? Those are things that want to kill you, and they're nearby!" I urgently whispered back, gesturing to the marks on E.F.S. all around us.

Her green eyes widened as her head panned from side to side, now able to take in the number of hostile indicators I saw on my own compass. Speaking in a hushed, fearful tone as she answered while trying to hide behind me. "What! Those are all... W-What do we do?"

"We get the hell out of here, quietly..." I replied in exasperation,

Really, the sooner we left the sooner we could go our seperate ways. I may have saved her and might not want to kill her as much, but I didn't want to hang around with this spoiled filly. She couldn't be bothered to learn how to use the amazing bit of arcano-tech on her leg after this long out of the Stable? Her survival could only be due to the help from the Institute she had filled me in on, I had no interest in taking on the job.

I crept down the stairs with her right on my tail, making a good deal of noise even trying to sneak behind me... Great, of course a mare who had to be the center of attention didn't know how to be quiet... Meaning I had a loud anchor dragging along behind me everywhere I went, the marks on E.F.S. were moving around, searching out the sound.

We made it as far as the landing before the first found us, the slow echo of hoofsteps from the second floor picked up to a gallop growing louder rapidly. I held a hoof up to signal Fancy to hopefully stay still and shut up, crouching at the head of the stairs leading to the gloomy second floor with my 10mm pistol and Best Served at the ready.

I had a few seconds as my eyes adjusted to the dimmer light of the lower level to take in the scene below, the skeletons I picked out were a lot more disorganized and splashes of dried, black blood stained the floor and walls. Then a pony came charging down the hall, skidding to a halt and looking all around aggressively, growling around the magical energy lance in his mouth.

Taking careful aim at his... strange looking head...(Were those talismans and cooling vents sticking out of his mane? Why did he have such an ugly scar right across his forehead?) I breathed shakily and tightened my telekinetic grip on the trigger, preparing to blow its brains out with the silenced pistol. The clank of a can and a sharp "Eeep!" from Fancy behind me completely ruined any chance for a sneak attack, the dirty and crazed looking stallion's head instantly swiveled and locked on me, charging forward with some weird, wordless battle cry.

"Dammit Fancy!" I yelped and stood up, firing away with the silent pistol at the incoming enemy, recklessly swinging that crackling energy lance as it hit the stairs.

Half a dozen rounds to the chest slowed the crazed... raider? It didn't quite seem like one... why was he wearing a stained hospital gown? Whatever, the pony my pip-buck informed me was bad didn't do much to change my mind about its initial assessment. He stumbled back a few steps and the glowing green weapon drooped, but just started jabbering and climbing back up, hardly phased despite the blood spattering at his hooves.

Was he foaming at the mouth? I barely had time to take in the worrisome sign, how could he keep moving so fast punched through with that much lead?! The blazing lance swung out at me, forcing me into a clumsy leap over the low attack and down the stairs. I managed to slice down his side with the blade in my mouth on the way, but was in no shape to actually land from the desperate move, tumbling down the stairs in a splash of blood just ahead of my attacker.

I got back to my hooves as quick as I could, flopping my way across the floor, away from the buck still weakly trying to swing that lance at me even while he bled out. Grabbing the nurse's station counter I ran into helped me get up again, just in time for more rapid hoofsteps coming down the halls to either side of me.

Ok... low on ammo or not, I wasn't dealing with two more ponies like the one finally dying next to me while holding back. The Terrible Shotgun joined my floating pistol and pointed down the hall to the right, where the galloping steps were louder. A mare wearing another hospital gown and goggles, a blazing green axe in her mouth, came sliding around the corner and facing the weapons waiting her arrival.

Activating S.A.T.S. let me use up the rest of the 10mm's clip on headshots with about a 60% chance against the... Lobotomite? That's what my pip-buck identified this pony as for whatever reason anyway... Accepting the sequence let time resume and the silenced pistol starting firing, a few shots that hit pinging off metal after digging into flesh, but not dropping the charging mare.

I fired the Terrible Shotgun from the flank, two slugs slammed into the mare's chest and neck, putting her down in a skidding heap that threatened to bowl me over. I lurched out of her path just ahead of the glowing axe weakly swinging out with her dying breaths, smacking into a dented trash can and trying to turn to the other hall, managing to face my next attacker just in time to get tackled.

This one was a large and quite heavy stallion, stabbing at me with a long, glowing blade that dug into the tiled floor next to my head with a crackling hiss as I dodged frantically. He managed to pin my shotgun between us when he slammed into me, leaving me to parry and slice at him with Best Served and try to wriggle free.

At least the star metal knife could stand against the blazing magical energy blade, it couldn't slice neatly through the field of magic surrounding the weapon, but it staved it off and spared me a messy death. I caught sight of Fancy cowering where I left her on the landing above from the corner of my eye, jerking my head away from another lunge and yelling up to her.

"Shoot him dammit! I let you keep that Institute gun, can't you use it!? If I die you're on your own Fancy!!"

The prospect of being on her own out here looked to decide the former Overmare, her pilfered Institute M.E.W. floated up in a field of her golden magic and took aim at the brute on top of me. It occurred to me that she could just shoot me too while she was at it, or miss horribly given her apparent lack of combat skills, but too late now...

I flashed my knife out in a quick horizontal slash at the lobotomite's neck, knowing I'd probably miss but at least make him draw away and give Fancy a better shot. I had a bare instant to worry she changed her mind, then several blue lines of blazing death shot out, surprisingly all hitting the mark. The last shot even managed to vaporize the big pony over me in a cloud of sparkling blue ash I coughed and choked on.

Wiping the pale cloud of ash from my dark coat and shaking out my hat, I crawled back to my hooves and swayed a moment, closing my eyes to get my balance and hold onto my stomach contents. E.F.S. still showed red marks moving around at the bottom of the back of my eyelids, but I didn't hear anything close by and none of those marks were moving quickly.

"T-Thank you Fancy... nice shooting, surprising but I'll take it... urk..."

I heard her coming down the stairs slowly as I caught my breath and settled my stomach, her shaky voice wary but still with a note of superiority. "Nothing personal... j-just did it because you're right, I don't want to be alone in this place, m-maybe I'll kill you later... What's so surprising anyway? Magical energy weapons are rare and expensive, of course I know how to use them, they're a status symbol..."

Opening my eyes revealed the white mare reaching the second floor with me, cautiously creeping out to poke at one of the corpses. The stairs once turned and continued to the ground floor, but of course we weren't that lucky... a collapse of the wall and ceiling had completely blocked off the way down.

I gave a wistful smile at the thought of looting the bodies for anything valuable. Without Val around, I supposed it was up to me, she'd probably be mad if I came back without any loot to show for this miserable misadventure... The burning axe and lance floated up in my unsteady magic, the blazing magic around the disappeared with a click when I shut them down and removed the energy cells, stuffing the weapons in my bags.

Despite my misgivings, I sent the glowing knife and magical energy cells over to Fancy. Even sick, I was pretty sure I could take her out if I had to whether she had the new weapon and ammo or not. She had just proven making her combat effective was worthwhile for now though.

Actually picking at the bloody corpses made me miss my griffon friend even more, my guts disagreed with the whole icky prospect of rifling through their possessions. How she could just toss bodies around without a care was beyond me, I wasn't that desensitized yet I supposed. On taking a better look at the body I missed Jade even more too... there were some serious things wrong with this pony I could only begin to guess at.

The bits of circuitry and glowing gems showing through the skull of the mare I shot repeatedly in the head had me at a loss, that scar on her forehead went all the way around her skull... where was her brain? For that matter why was her apparently yellow coat so dingy and grey? Where was her cutie mark by Luna?! My dad and then Jade may have tried to drill medical knowledge into my head, but I wasn't up to figuring this out.

Well... maybe not the medical stuff, but the technology I could see stuffed in this mare's skull was something I could figure out. It looked quite a bit like an advanced robotic central processor, an artificial brain...

The dirty sign hanging from the ceiling in front of the nurse's station identified one of the hallways leading away as the 'Traumatic Brain Injury Wing', I guessed having your brain replaced with a bundle of robot parts was pretty traumatic alright. What had Moondancer been doing here?

I shuffled my way into the nurse's station, trying to avoid the piles of bones spread out in agonized death throes and pools of long dried blood. A door to the head nurse's office further in looked like it had been battered and chopped down, the thick wood that was left bore angry burn marks and slashes. A single skeleton wearing a tattered nurses outfit was slumped against the metal desk inside, one bony hoof leading up to a glowing terminal.

Holding still and cracking the terminal was still easy enough anyway, my physical symptoms made concentrating difficult, but I could still think like myself so far. I hit play on the active audio file, rifling through the bloody papers strewn throughout the room as an older mare's frightened voice came from the speakers.

"P-Patients... the patients are going crazy! After the bombs fell in the city, w-we tried to help all we could, took in so many sick ponies... some of them looked like they were dead on their hooves, burns, rad sickness, so many injuries from the world falling apart out there, ponies turning on each other... it was all horrible but w-we were trying to hold on!

Then the patients in the traumatic brain injury ward started acting funny, n-never trusted the things the hospital director was doing in there. Everypony made such a big deal about that cop recovering, but I saw what they did to him and the others... Went from using that tech to help veterans recover with a little assistance to... I don't even know, not helping to heal but... replacing...

Last night though, they all went insane... started attacking anypony they saw, overpowered what few members of the Equestrian Guard still trying to help us keep going here, got into their weapons they brought from training yard... They're killing everypony now! Hid in my office but... but they're coming... they're... oh no!"

I cut the recording off when it devolved into screaming and the sound of a door being broken down. This was on Moondancer too then... she had been playing with ponies even then, found a way to fix traumatic brain injuries with a little arcano-tech help, then decided 'hey, why not just replace the whole brain?' apparently...

After the balefire, the Institute probably decided to just clear out the survivors here for whatever insane reason, turning the veterans that were sent here for help into killers... I sighed and flipped through a few file folders still held in slots on the wall, names of patients who were now wandering the halls waiting to kill us.

My eyes hung on one name on the list and widened, I swung my head to the faded signs on the wall and found the direction I wanted, the way to room 213. Well, we couldn't take the stairs down and the elevators nearby looked decidedly out of commission, going that way was as good as any other...

My ears angled from one hall to another as I studied the red marks in my vision, the... Lobotomites may have swarmed out from the brain injury ward, but they were all over the hospital now from the looks of it. While I thought, my foreleg started twitching uncontrollably, forcing me to hold it to my chest with the other and finally pay attention to all the medical alerts stacking up in the corner of my eye.

Let's see... foreign substance detected, increasing fever, elevated blood pressure, weakness, nausea, tumorous growths detected, moderate organ damage, tissue damage, nerve damage... Yeah, Moondancer's potion was just fantastic...

"Let's go, this way..." I mastered the tremors and trudged down the hall, letting the scared filly follow if she wanted.

I could do without all the whining, usually my companions were more enjoyable company. "W-Why go this way? Where are we going? Do you even know?!"

"We're looking for a way down, this way is where we're starting. Stay here if you want..."

Ignoring my situation, I had to smile at the scared yelp and clatter of hooves behind me. "Hey! W-Wait up! You'll... er.... p-probably need my help!"

After a few more encounters with the crazed lobotomites in the dark and cluttered hallways, Fancy and I had worked out a more effective strategy. Taking advantage of our varied strengths and weakness... she hadn't quite caught on that she had become the bait yet thankfully.

Sneaking ahead of her and finding shady spots to hide in was working pretty well, when she inevitably opened her mouth or knocked something over, the bizarre opponents ran right for her and past me, letting me blast them as they passed me by unseen. Telling her I was scouting ahead rather than using her kept up our fragile alliance to get out of this place.

Finally we had reached the room I was quietly looking for though, I stopped and stared at the corroded brass numbers 213 and the clipboard hanging to the side, finding the name I saw at the nurse's station without much satisfaction.

"Stay back, I have to check something..."

Fancy caught up and whinnied imperiously, "Check something!? Oh sure, take your time, have a good look around, no problem! Are you stupid or something!?"

I huddled against the wall by the doorknob and caught my breath, gripping the dirty knob in my magic and steeling myself. "Shut up. I have to check this, it's important. Stay quiet..."

The door creaked open and slowly swung into the room, letting me peek in at the source of the green mark on my compass moving back and forth. A lobotomite was in there alright, this one non hostile at least, moving around the small room in repetitive motions, stopping occasionally to wave numbly before moving on.

Moving slowly, I crept into the room, relieved to find the mindless pony didn't react to my presence when he surely must have noticed it. Instead the dingy grey stallion with the rusty, grey tinged brown mane kept up his strange behavior, moving towards a dirty hospital bed with a lot of equipment and long dead flowers surrounding it.

A wobbly table by the wall held more dead flowers wrapped in brittle plastic, long faded cards sticking out of each. A few broken picture frames held moldy pictures of the stallion in the room in much better shape than now. Most interesting were the newspaper clippings hung on the wall under a torn 'Get Well Soon' banner, I approached the ancient news articles and read the headlines in a breathless whisper to myself.

Winter Gang Suspected in Assassination!

Victim of the recent cold blooded shooting in Trotson, Juniper Land, has died in the Mass Bay Medical Center I.C.U., she is survived by her fiance...

Hero Cop Critically Injured!

In yet another example of mob violence on our streets, a Trotson City PD Detective was shot on the streets in broad daylight today. The TCPD has made a statement, accusing the infamous Winter Gang of this cowardly attack, the ponies in blue vowed to bring the culprits to justice. The unnamed victim has been airlifted by Ministry of Peace medics to Mareford Memorial to undergo immediate brain surgery...

Heroic Detective on the Road to Recovery

In a bit of happy news during these dark times, a press conference at Mareford Memorial today held by the hospital director and Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology division head Dr. Dala, revealed to the world the amazing recovery progress famous TCPD Detective Nick Hearts n' Hooves...

I turned away from the yellowed articles and looked at the lobotomite wandering the room sadly, "Hello Nick... Nice to meet you again. I guess you were the first huh? Must be why you're not nuts like the others..."

The pitiful creature in front of me seemed to react somewhat to my voice, turning his dull golden eyes my way and waving again, this time slurring out a groggy response in a sick parody of Nick's voice. "Goooood... t-to beeeee baaaaack... Feeeeel goood... baaaackkk tooo werk sooooon..."

I looked over the empty shell of Nick Hearts n' Hooves old life and sniffled, taking in the faded, washed out colors, the blank flank and the scarred, empty head. "She took everything from you didn't she? Your mind... your mark... then used what was left as a puppet... I guess that robot brain keeps the body just chugging right along huh? I'm sorry Nick... I don't know what to do here, putting you out of this misery isn't really my choice I guess... you're still around to make it, just somewhere else..."

Seeing that it was safe, Fancy braved coming in the room and stared at the harmless lobotomite husk with disgust. "Ewww... why are you talking to it? Just shoot it already, before it goes crazy too!"

I frowned over to the mare waving a hoof in front of... Nick's face... and shook my head, carefully peeling the fragile bits of newspaper off the wall and into my packs. "I can't, I know him... kind of... it's complicated. At least if I make it back, maybe I can give him some answers, he can decide what to do. Leave him alone Fancy, he deserves better."

She sneered as I crossed the room, digging around near the abandoned bed and night table nearby. An ancient, cracked leather holster holding a large silver revolver was hung on a bedpost at the head of the hospital bed, a corroded golden badge with Nick's name was clipped to it as well, waiting 200 years to be reunited with its owner.

When I scooped the old revolver into my packs, my pip-buck identified the weapon as 'Persuasion' and I had to crack a grin, I could just see Nick using the joke... 'Time to try a little persuasion' or something and drawing the big gun in his mouth with a smile. Beyond sentimentality, grabbing the old holster added a few more .45 rounds to my meager supply. This was Nick's gun, not mine, but the ammo would fit Vengeance just fine.

Nick's room was pretty nice, all things considered... The hero cop earned a private room and a lot of flowers anyway, most of which were arranged near the large windows looking out on Mareford below. The grey light filtering through the dirty glass lit the room and the ruined town outside, sprinkles of rain spattered the windows and a cold gust blew in, making Fancy shiver in her thin coat she grabbed on our way out of the Institute.

Her teeth chattered as she griped and walked to the window, staring out at the wasteland outside with a pout before wheeling on me. "Whatever! It deserves a bullet, but if you want to be all sappy go ahead and leave it, let's just get out of here! There's the outside right there! Can't we just... jump out or something!? I hate this place! Hate it! Hate it! Hate... EEEK!!"

Fancy made the mistake of punctuating her whining by jumping up and down in a tantrum, which was more than the weakened floor by the exterior wall could take. She fell in a crash of flooring and dust to the floor below with a yell, I rushed after her too late to attempt a grab with my magic, skidding to a stop at the edge of the new hole and peering down anxiously.

Well... at least a good chunk of floor held together on the way down, falling down at the window but still hanging on to the middle of the floor in here, forming a makeshift ramp to the first floor and depositing Fancy in a bloody but living heap below. I tipped my hat to Nick's... shell, and ran down the new path below, reaching the injured filly just as she started to really cry out in pain.

I had to stuff a hoof in her mouth to quiet her down again, which she immediately bit... but I held my tongue, given the red marks on E.F.S. moving around so erratically, that loud crash must have stirred them all up and I couldn't yell out either. My eyes watered while she kept gnawing on my hoof and I checked her over, finding a long fragment of wood piercing her flank and yanking it out with my teeth.

Pulling my hoof away with a hiss, I shoved a purple healing potion in her muzzle instead and growled at her. "Quiet! It's just a flesh wound, shit happens Fancy, be glad we have a potion and it will fix it. And for Luna's sake stop making so much noise!"

Tears streamed out of her angry green eyes as she whimpered around the crystal bottle, greedily sucking it down and watching the wound slowly close back up. While she pouted, I looked around at where we landed, surprised and happy to find we were in the gift shop, which traditionally should be near a door out...

I left her to sulk at the bottom of her renovation and crawled over to the gift shop counter, stifling a sneeze at all the dried out bouquets of flowers and absently grabbing an amazingly intact snowglobe with a tiny 'Historic Haylem Village' inside for Glitter. I scooped out a few bits from the open cash register while I propped the Last Minute on the counter and stared out at what was hopefully the lobby, beyond the broken glass windows and door.

Bad things had happened in there... There were a great number of skeletons, and splashes of black blood everywhere. Barricades were set up to one side and a few bony remains wore green rags of Equestrian military, plenty of cots had been set up all over the wide open lobby too, they really had tried their best when the bombs fell...

A pair of lobotomites galloping down the pair of stair cases out there brought me back to the present, leading my first target as it ran this way and trying to shake the fuzziness from my view through the scope. The first blurring round went wide, drilling through the crazed lobotomite mare and the wall behind her and making me groan in anger, one of a few limited rounds wasted...

Hurriedly adjusting my aim let me take advantage of the second target crossing into the scope, puncturing his neck as he hit the bottom of the stairs and blowing out a big hole on the other side, spattering the wall in a spray of gore. The mare I winged hit the empty door to the gift shop and I swapped to Vengeance, using a couple of my replenished rounds with S.A.T.S. to blow her head off.

I turned to tell Fancy to get moving and saw she had stopped pouting miraculously on her own, her plastic cased M.E.W. floating up and firing out at more targets pouring in from other areas of the hospital. This was quickly getting out of hand, the collapse that let us down here was bringing every lobotomite down on our heads. We had to gamble on my vague hope that I understood what had happened here.

Dragging Fancy along by the foreleg, I drew my shotgun and pointed out to the lobby and the main doors, shouting over the 'zzzorch!' of her weapon and the warbling warcries from all over the building. "Come on! We gotta run for it! Just go!"

I charged ahead, she could follow or stay, whatever she wanted. The Terrible Shotgun barked as I ran, knocking several charging attackers back while I ran on to the shattered glass doors out. I watched the ammo counter in the bottom of my vision slowly deplete with each blast from the shotgun floating beside me, one drum after this...

Apparently Fancy decided to follow, blue lines of M.E.W. fire lanced out from behind me, zapping a few more lobotomites before we dashed out the empty door frames and onto the cracked streets of Mareford. Once my hooves hit asphalt, I risked a glance over my shoulder at the horde of brainless ponies back in the hospital hopefully.

Several of the hospital gown clad creatures hit the doors and stopped, growling and snapping at us, swinging their glowing magical weapons threateningly, but not crossing that border... Thank you Celestia, I was right...

I stumbled down to a trot and finally a shaking stop, panting in rough gasps and wheezing to Fancy running ahead of me. "S-Stop... you can stop... they c-can't follow... safe... safe-ish..."

The miserable looking filly slowed and looked back warily, breathing heavily when she eventually cantered back to me shaking on my hooves. "Why? Why aren't they following? How'd you know?'

"R-Robot brains... programming... Nopony scavenges there... f-figured they can't leave the hospital.... N-Not that there's not some new... whatever waiting out here... but s-safe from them I think... We're out, see you later Fancy."

The skies chose then to open up, the light sprinkle picking up to a steady rain that helped cool my overheated body. Fancy looked like she didn't enjoy it as much, shivering in the street and looking around at the ruined town we had escaped to with a frightened, desperate look in her green eyes.

Her Institute M.E.W. swung up sharply and pointed at me, still panting on unsteady hooves. "Y-You... You take me out of here, b-back to civilization so I can find Freya..."

I looked up from under the brim of my hat incredulously, a slow, raspy giggle building to outright laughter. Eventually I was rolling in the street, holding my itching sides as my ribs ached from the guffaws and tears streamed from my eyes. I tried to pull myself together, only for Fancy to snort and whinny over me, giving me a very unsure look as she gestured with the weapon and sent me into fresh gales.

Her insulted sneer and rosy blush of embarrassment at being laughed at just made it worse and I howled laughter, rolling on my back and staring at the sky as the rain came down in my face, laughing harder and harder, perhaps a little hysterically at this point... Some of the barking laughter held a note of crazy that made me concerned enough to try to get it under control anyway...

Finally I stopped, holding my foreleg over my eyes and gasping to a stop, lying in a puddle, miles away from everyone I loved... dying...

Fancy huffed and tried again, "W-What's so funny!! You get up and get me out of here! R-Right now! I-I'm in charge here so..."

"Don't make me kill you Fancy... please. Zed told me some... some zebra stuff about... b-being responsible for the life you save... Seemed kinda weird, b-but... I didn't go through all that... just to kill you. I'm already sick dummy, probably dying, m-miles from where I want to be, alone... you really think you can threaten me into getting w-what you want? Come on... it's funny... T-This isn't how you ask for help... even s-sick.. I think we both know who's gonna win... R-Right?"

The plastic M.E.W. shook and drooped away as I crawled back up to my hooves, hate and fear were at war on Fancy's face, but she didn't do anything particularly stupid. After catching my breath, I took a shaky step south down the cracked street, then another... then another... settling into an uncomfortable rhythm and trudging away in the rain. The marker on my compass showed where to go, back to Jade...

After wearily making it to the half a block mark and not hearing anything but quiet weeping, I stopped with a sigh, leaning against a rusty blue mailbox and calling back to the pitiful mare in front of the ruined hospital.

"You ask for help by saying 'please' Fancy... Are you coming or not..."

The grateful, beaming smile that answered was the first time I ever thought Fancy looked pretty, despite being soaked and shivering, sniffling up her tears and tossing her sopping mane with a wet slap as she cantered after me. "O-Of course I'm c-coming... y-you need somepony to... t-to watch out for you, l-lucky I'm around to help out... er.. P-Please..."

I rolled my eyes and flipped my collar up against the gusts of chilly air, turning back to the south and resuming my march forward, grumbling over my shoulder in a weary sigh.

"That's... better..."

--------------------------------------------------------Level Up!------------------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------------------------------------------

And Stay Back!-----------------------
After all your experience with them, you've discovered a Shotgun technique that has a chance to knock an enemy back! Shotguns have a 10% chance, per pellet, of knocking an enemy back on their rump! Good way to buy yourself some breathing room!

Ch. 42-- Out of the Fire

Fire.. it had to be fire...

Just from what I could see through the scope of the Last Minute, these 'Forged' ponies were going to be a problem... My magical Shrouded Stallion armor could protect me from a lot, but didn't do much against fire... I tracked another member of the gang patrolling around the huge Sausage Ironworks complex, adding them to my running mental tally of way too many enemies.

Worse, from what I could make out through the green tint of the gauss rifle's nightvision scope, the Forged wasn't just a clever name. These raiders were a unique brand of crazy to go along with the title, what patches of hide I could see bore angry burn scars, the rest was covered in heavy, fireproof aprons and boots, patchwork metal plates and dirty black goggles. The multitude of flamethrower battle saddles and bandoliers of molotov cocktails only added to the theme of 'Insane Pyromaniac Ponies'.

The fortified foundry was the capper, big delivery carts and empty rail cars were pushed against the patch chainlink fence and stacked in intimidating fortifications. More gang members patrolled rusting catwalks circling the upper levels of the building, passing in and out of modular covered sections or the building itself. The whole area was lit by piles of tire fires and burning barrels spread to light a wide lot around the huge building, casting the frightening structure in flickering orange light.

If it hadn't been for Eyes Forward Sparkle I might have been killed before ever getting this close, I had crept my way towards the mark on my compass carefully, trying to find a good sniping position to look over the Ironworks only to find the best one already occupied. The Forged sniper was alert and knew his business, building his own camouflaged perch in a precariously leaning billboard and regularly checking the likely angles of approach.

In the full dark of the early evening though, I was a moving shadow, creeping up on his perch silently and sending Best Served up in a silvery flash to cut his throat. I huffed my way up the makeshift ladder he had cobbled together in the skeletal ribs of the tattered billboard, panting by the time I pushed myself up to his perch and pulled his corpse back from the tumbling to the ground.

The buck's orange coat was stained black with soot and burned ritually in several places, I could only guess at the meaning behind the dashes of scar tissues showing through his darkened armor. Rifling through his possessions got me what ammo he had, several .308 rounds for his well maintained sniper rifle and a significant stock of glowing red canisters of flamer fuel for the compact flamer in his bags.

My supply of 2mm EC rounds for the Last Minute had dwindled down to just a hoofull of shots with the gauss rifle left, the sniper's weapon would serve as a temporary replacement for now since I had plenty of .308 rounds. On the plus side, the rifle had a bulky suppressor attached the the barrel, and the gang members wouldn't think much of their sniper shooting his rifle from his normal perch.

I shoved the previous owner's corpse aside and took his place, bracing the rifle on his firing stand and tracking my targets. Occasionally one of the patrolling guards would wind up out of view of the rest, down some shadowy section of catwalk or rounding a corner. I squeezed off a careful shot at each of these opportunities, silently dispatching half a dozen of the red marks on my compass before they started realizing something was wrong.

They knew somepony was shooting them now, but still weren't clear on who or from where, letting me take a few more shots at the scorched gang members running around frantically trying to seek out their attacker. Another two hit the dirt, though whether down for the count or not I couldn't be sure, nice, slow shots with plenty of time to line up weren't that hard, but leading the targets properly once they knew something was up was a good deal more difficult with my blurry vision.

An ominous 'fwooosh!' below me pulled me away from the scope in a hurry, one of the Forged either smarter than the rest or lucky enough to have been patrolling nearby had found me in my perch, igniting the faded remains of the billboard I sheltered in. Floating the sniper rifle with me, I looked out to the Ironworks to see the remaining guards had seen the burst of fire out here, galloping through the brush between us and looking to join in the bonfire.

I pranced nervously in place, the ladder I had taken up here was already engulfed in flames, the billboard might be leaning alarmingly towards the ground, but was still fairly high up even at its lowest point. Not a lot of choices here though... I retched on the thick black smoke pouring up into the gap between the signs I was wedged in, breathing was hard enough already thank you.

Making an ungainly and graceless leap from the billboard into the dead brush below, I only had a moment to gripe at the fact I had managed to find thorny bushes to land in and wince against the stabbing pain in my right hindleg from landing wrong. There was plenty of tall brown grass, dead trees and then the parking lot filled with rusting hulks of carriages and chariots, giving me ample hiding places.

Given the shape I was in and the fact I was alone, leading the cluster of angry psychopaths charging my way around in a game of cat and mouse was my best option. I was in no condition for a direct confrontation, letting them chase me and whittling their numbers down to more manageable levels was the better plan.

Even though I didn't appreciate having to slog through the wet weather all day, I found myself thankful for it saturating the dry brush and dead trees now. After silently dispatching three more Forged, they started catching on and spread out, sending great gouts of flame off in an advancing net and trying to ignite the brown grass and bushes I was crawling through.

They were pushing me towards the Ironworks, the large bonfires burning all around it and the empty parking lot I was heading towards would make me a bug on a plate, easy to find and finish off. I really wished I had some mines to leave as a surprise for the advancing line of raiders, unfortunately that was one more thing I hadn't restocked yet after Fort Haygone.

A half buried sky carriage protruding from the earth like a rotten tooth offered a convenient hiding spot, even I had to wriggle my way into the narrow gap leading under it, the burly raiders had no chance. Of course if they knew I was here they didn't really have to follow, just send a burst of fire in where I couldn't escape... Why couldn't I just be an optimist and not think of things like that...

Watching the approaching dashes on E.F.S. had my heart pounding, a nervous sweat springing up on my coat as they got closer... and closer... and... passed... Phew... Now that I wasn't entirely focused on them, I heard the soft chattering from my pip-buck and realized I felt that pleasant tingling again.

I risked my light for just a second to confirm my suspicions, the flux regulator on this old heap was fractured and ruined a long time ago, I was basically sitting right under the residual radiation. Oh well, it was a slow clicking so nothing too serious, the rainbow colored gauge on my pip-buck showed my rad levels edging out of green and up to yellow slowly. That nice tingle even seemed to focus on my sprained hindleg, the pain fading away with a sigh.

Flexing the limb experimentally in the dark was enough for me to check my health status screen in surprise, it wasn't my imagination, the leg on the cartoon unicorn flickered from reading crippled back to normal while I watched... That was convenient at least...

Crawling on my belly let me squeeze back outside and creep along in the charred grass behind the line of flamethrower wielding ponies that had passed me by, growing increasingly frustrated as they neared the Ironworks without me breaking cover yet. Five of them, all with their backs to me and each with a back load of heavy tanks attached to their battle saddles.

Checking the forgotten depths of my inventory sorter dug up half a dozen .308 AP rounds I must have picked up here and there, the one nice thing to using a weapon I normally didn't have on hoof was a fair to moderate stockpile of those ammo types. I loaded the armor piercing rounds into my looted sniper rifle and activated S.A.T.S., queuing up shots to the explosive tanks of fuel and accepting the sequence.

Time started again and the suppressed rifle started firing, the edge of the parking lot ahead bathed in brilliant light from the first fireball. I tried to spread the damage around, detonating three of the flamer wielding ponies and sending the rest reeling from the explosions. If that wasn't enough to shake them, the sight of two of their friends running in circles and screaming as they burned like pony shaped comets sure was.

I was on them before they heard anything else, finishing off the stunned raiders with my pistol and knife. I stood panting in front of the gates into Sausage Ironworks, squinting against my blurry vision to check E.F.S. warily and relieved to not see any other immediate threats. I sincerely doubted this would get any easier, but at least I had managed to clear this hurdle without pissing off every raider inside.

A blast of hot air washed over me on slipping inside the huge Ironworks, making my eyes tear up and sinuses dry out instantly, it was like an oven in here! I crept through the entryway area past a series of lockers, presumably used by the raiders outside judging by the graffiti and crude epitaphs, peeking out into the cavernous space beyond and the source of all the heat.

The Forged had the foundry working again... partially anyway, blast furnaces roared along the walls, melting scrap down to slag in huge containers, hooked cranes dragged down the rails of the old transport system by ponies harnessed to it up on the catwalks above, lifted and moved the thick walled cylinders where they needed to go elsewhere.

Peering through the smoky, red tinted haze that filled the building, I made out enough details to make sense of all the green marks on E.F.S., slaves... they were making this place run with slave labor. I couldn't spot any of the blinking metal collars at least, the beaten and broken ponies were kept going more with the whips and bursts of flame to motivate them, plainly too weak to pose much of an escape threat.

Judging by the gaggle working on clearing a towering pile of rubble from a passage connecting this chamber to others further in, the Forged had started this exercise in misery not that long ago. What I could see of the industrial equipment belching acrid smoke and flames looked like recent and very makeshift repairs, the repair-pony part of me was amazed they hadn't blown the whole place up yet.

I ducked back from a red mare with ugly burn scars marring her cheeks and neck, leading a crew of exhausted ponies to a mound of rusty scrap in the corner, flicking them with a crack of her whip when their shackled progress faltered. All the slaves put a wrinkle in this admittedly bad plan, just trying to find and rescue the Finch's colt was hard enough, a few dozen slaves on top of that was a daunting prospect.

At least all the smoke, steam and noise was on my side, actually having to listen to the snap of that whip and the whimpering cries that followed was too much to not do anything, stupid or not. I floated Best Served out of the door and towards the cackling mare with the whip, the star metal blade slid out of the haze and neatly across her throat, her gurgling cry drowned out by the din and the dying crack of her own weapon.

I returned the blade to my side and stuck my head out, no obvious reaction... everything was still clanging and hissing like normal with no raised voices, even the slaves digging in the scrap hadn't noticed their tormentor falling in a puddle of her own blood. Taking another nervous glance up to the catwalks above, I snuck out and rifled through the possessions of the dead raider, whispering to the crew of slaves.

"Pssst... hey, everypony listen..." Most of the thin ponies sorting the scrap flinched and worked faster, only a few darting frightened looks back that widened on taking in who was speaking.

An older green mare with a sweaty grey mane hissed back over her shoulder, "Who're you posed to be? Go on, git fore you get us in trouble!"

I fished what I was hoping for out of the dead raider's packs, tossing the crude metal key to the slave shackles over to the mare brave enough to speak. "Guess you don't want this then? Trust me, I'm a friend ok? The guards outside are gone, get out of here quick. Umm... there's a farm not far from here, or this weird empty town of robots up north you could hide in... Just get out of this awful place now, I'll try to free the others too."

A few more anxious slaves slowed or stopped their work, looking to the elder mare glancing from the key to me suspiciously. "This some kinda trick? You don't mean that Galleria place do you? Tryin' ta get us killed? Nopony goes there, robots are all crazy..."

Really? How bad could things be here if these battered slaves wouldn't trust somepony trying to help? Glancing around at the red marks moving on E.F.S., I snorted impatiently and whispered back. "Not anymore alright! If nopony goes there then it's a good place to hide, I'm with the Minutemares and some of them should show up there in a few days. Or go wherever you want, so long as it's out of here! Take your freedom and run!"

The old earth pony mare gave me a hard stare, never taking her eyes off me as she picked the key up in her teeth and tossed it back to the others. Watching me warily while I stared at all the machinery in the foundry, tracing the web of steam pipes criss-crossing overhead. After enough time for me to work out the gist of how they had this place cobbled together, the shackles had been unlocked and the slaves were making their unsure way towards the door at my urging.

The elder mare with metal can cutie mark showing through her rags gave me one last suspicious look on her way out, grumbling a wary thanks. "Dunno why yer doin' this young'un, but... er... thanks I guess. Oughta get outta here yerself while the gettin's good..."

I gave her my friendliest wave and smile in return, trying to reassure her this wasn't some elaborate raider prank. With a grin I tipped my hat and looked up to the first shutoff valve I found, enveloping it in my magic and twisting it shut with a screech, watching nearby pressure gauges start rising with satisfaction.

"Thanks Granny, still have some stuff to do here though. You all get going as far away as you can, there's going to be a big ka-boom before long..."

She gulped at the duct-taped together pipe hissing and beginning to rattle overhead while I twisted a few more shut, by that stunned stare she still wasn't too sure about my sanity, but liked the thought of the Forged being on the receiving end of that ka-boom if that cold twinkle in her eye was any indication.

I stayed where I was until I heard the door out close behind them, I really wished I could do more for them and hoped they'd be alright. The dead guards outside still had a variety of weapons and clothing, if they paused long enough to check they could be warm enough and able to start a fire for sure.

A ringing alarm deeper in the Ironworks accompanying a dense cloud of steam filling the lower floors was my cue to move though. From what I could tell this place sucked up river water to use in cooling the metal and for steam power to run the machines. A lot of Equestrian industry ran on steam, the fighting over the coal to power it was just one major drawback, another was its propensity to explode if everything wasn't working just right.

The billowing cloud I darted into was spewing out of an emergency release further up the line, the shouting raiders trying to get to it and find the problem choked and stumbled about blindly. Thanks to Eyes Forward Sparkle though, I was able to slink up to each red mark in my vision, flashing my knife out as each one resolved from the fog.

Following my ears led me to the vent and a quick bit of work with my pipe wrench shut it down too, as the air started clearing I sent the tool up and bashed the clapper off the school bell style alarm urgently ringing away still. In the silence that followed I heard a few gruff voices calling down from above, asking what the hell happened and if the machines were alright.

"Er... Fine! Everything's fine now! All fixed, umm... stupid slave tripped..." I lowered my voice and shouted back, really hoping all the noise masked my reply enough not to raise any eyebrows.

A few sickening suggestions on how to punish the imaginary slave floated down and the regular sounds and movement on E.F.S. resumed. With the air clearing I could see the nearest pressure gauges and snickered to myself, I just lit the fuse on a reeeeeally big timebomb...

That thought put a spring in my stiff steps and I moved on, heading to the cluster of slaves near the ramps up, clearing the pile of concrete and twisted catwalks from the lower walkway further into the Ironworks. Hopefully it wouldn't take as long to convince the rest to get out of here. I could roughly gauge how long I should have if everything else was in good repair, with things in the condition they were, I was basically making an educated guess.

I had just finished cutting the crew of slaves harnessed to one of the bucket carrying cranes up on the catwalks free, sending the exhausted team on their way out when new alarms started ringing. The clattering and banging of pipes below had been steadily growing louder, now all the red on E.F.S. moved with purpose all around me. Hoofsteps were galloping down the catwalk ahead, forcing me to duck into a side office that looked like it was used to house the harness team.

I held my breath while several Forged ran by the dirty, frosted windows of the dim room I sheltered in. Most of the light in here that wasn't that hellish orange was coming from a terminal in the corner, probably left here for just the meager illumination from the green screen. Judging by the counters and dead equipment the sad nests for the slaves were built around, this was some kind of lab or testing area? Despite the time limit, the tattered poster on the wall caught my interest, the moldy old advertisement for 'Saturnite Knives' was worth a moment to look around.

Interoffice Mail 28320---
Re: These Knives!

What the hell is up with these knives!? All the secrecy and horseapples about our 'patented alloy', just to turn that stuff from Sandwich Borers into kitchen knives? Have you seen what these things can do Brisket? Yeah they'll cut through a tin can as easy as a tomato, and through the cutting board, and the counter, and the floor... They're a lawsuit waiting to happen! Why in the world aren't we making these things for the war effort?! I'm telling you, something is screwy around here ever since that Dr. Vega came on, I'm starting to wonder if a call to the MoM might not be in order...

Interoffice Mail 28501
Re: These Knives!

Come on Crisp, think about it! You know all the striped espionage going on, think they're likely to try to steal cooking knives? No way they'd just use these as cooking tools, we've been playing with them in quality control all week. You seen what happens when you heat one up yet? Been tinkering with my own idea after seeing it, once they're done with all the secrecy I'm gonna show the bosses my prototype, make a million bits in military contracts! It's all a cover, don't do anything stupid and call the pinks, you'll ruin it!

An attached schematic file for something called a 'Shishkebab' got downloaded to my pip-buck and I took a second to glance at it, a very strange bladed weapon with a flame talisman housed in the complicated hilt. Wiping sweat from my brow with a shaking hoof, I took advantage of the hiding spot to open a Sparkle Cola and suck it down while I thought.

At least some ponies here were asking questions about the insanely sharp knives they had produced, though even 200 years later I couldn't be sure if the long dead correspondent was right about it being a cover story, or if they really had made cooking knives out of the exotic metal with no other plans.

At this point, neither would surprise me from the Institute.

E.F.S. looked clear enough, so I finished my drink and ducked back out to the catwalks. There were several more offices in this connecting section of the H shaped foundry, as I walked towards the larger workfloor ahead, I continued twisting shut off valves and eyeing the assorted gauges on the way.

I stuck mainly to Best Served to silently dispatch any of the Forged I couldn't avoid, it made a strange kind of sense to be using the knife that came of of Stable 111 with me here, this was where it was created after all. The trusty knife had been with me a long way and saved my life repeatedly, it had been a long, strange road to lead where it was made more than 200 years ago.

Distracted by my thoughts and blurred vision, I nearly ran directly into a burly brown Forged stallion, both of us froze at the corner we had rounded to find the other. I might be a little slow and logy, but I was still faster than the surprised earth pony, burying my knife in his chest with a muted 'eep!'.

He wheezed and burbled up foamy blood, the blade had punctured his lung so he couldn't call out and should drown on his own blood in no time. Unfortunately he had that sharp intake of breath from nearly colliding with me to keep going on, rearing up and tackling me against the wall, driving one metal shod hoof into my side repeatedly while trying to gurgle a shout.

I couldn't wrestle with a buck like this at my best, he had several inches and a lot of weight on me, dragging me to the ground while he kept hammering my ribs. One well aimed blow landed right on the growths spreading down my sides, sending a bright flare of pain that made my eyes swim and stomach revolt.

That horrified look on his face after he was violently vomited on made me feel a little bad, but not above taking advantage of his automatic revulsion to grab the hilt of my knife protruding from his chest, yanking it free in a fan of gore. The hefty raider fell to a heap on top of me, dripping partially digested carrot flavored soda and snack cakes in my face.

Not my best win... at least no one else was around to see that one, victory by way of projectile vomit... Val would never let me hear the end of it.

Trying to think of the stream of jokes she'd make if she were here gave me something to focus on, distracting me while I wriggled my way free of the corpse on top of me. I was panting and had tears standing in my eyes by the time I got loose, the tumor that got hit throbbed painfully and the bandages on that side felt damp.

Hoofsteps approaching forced me to push on, jabbing myself with another vial of Med-X and crossing a rickety bridge spanning a broken section of catwalk. Barely a struggle with one pony took that much out of me... I was doing ok so long as I had the element of surprise on my side, in any kind of a straight up fight... I was in trouble.

More so than any other time, I had to be a shadow, I couldn't just roll with it or recover if I got caught. The way I felt, if things devolved into a open battle, I wouldn't last long. That was just added incentive to be extra sneaky, I might not be up to Zed's standards, but I had picked up a thing or two watching the ninja-zebra operate.

The walkways ringing the upper level of the Ironworks wound their way around the large open chamber below, smoke, steam, heat haze and noxious fumes wafted up from the working smelters below and through the metal grates of the flooring. The trip gave me more opportunities to shut off valves on the clanking and hissing pipes, the main boiler had to be somewhere below and was probably close to redlining...

I still hadn't found the Finch's colt and was running out of time and green marks on my compass, only one cluster remained, a group feeding the fires of the smelters below. At the other end of the long room, a clump of red had gathered below, the Forged trying to regroup and find out what the hell was going on by the sound.

They were in one large group, nervously looking outward in a circle and deciding how to proceed, the blaring alarms drowned out most of what they were saying from up here though. Glancing around in thought, my eyes paused at the huge bucket shaped smelters, bubbling with molten metal. There were safety clamps keeping them in place until the ceiling mounted crane came to move them, but they didn't look that hard to take apart...

I had to hang my head off the railing to float my tools down and start disassembling the brackets, backing the bolts holding the whole thing in place down to the last thread and stopping. This was going to be a particularly nasty way to go... I should at least give them a chance, plus I was concerned about the slaves below too, it shouldn't reach them so far away, but better they have a heads up...

Holding my wrench on the final bolt, I ducked back into the shadows and did my best Shrouded Stallion, hoping all the noise and acoustics in here would mask the source.

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS! FROM THE SHADOWS OF LUNA'S NIGHT COMES HER AVENGER... THE SHROUDED STALLION! FLEE THIS PLACE NOW OR SUFFER THE NIGHT PRINCESS' WRATH!"

From what I could see peeking through the grating at the group, they all looked up and around them frantically. A few frightened shouts sounded out, but randomly shooting wasn't running away. Spinning the bolt free of the last thread caused the bucket below to give an ominous creak and groan as it shifted, the pool of red hot metal inside sloshing dangerously, hissing to the floor below in a patter around the Forged.

They had just enough time to see it coming and try to run, the thick walled metal bucket crashed down and spilled a wave of molten death into the crowd. Their screams were thankfully muted by the cacophony of twisting metal and clanging pipes, finally dying completely as their red marks on E.F.S. winked out one by one.

I leaned over the railing, choking on the smoke and stench of cooked ponies before calling down to the last group of slaves. "Get out of here! You're free! This place is gonna blow before long so get going!"

They gave the same wary and confused look the others did, but I didn't have time to convince them. There wasn't a buck the right age down there, that left only one place where Bull Finch could be, the cluster of red with one blinking green mark further in. I galloped down the catwalks towards the marks on my compass, off the metal walks and onto a stone landing with two doors to either side.

The rusty 'Roof Access' sign on the left was worth noting, but the 'Test Smelter' to the right is where the last cluster of Forged were. The battered power armor workstation beside that door made me a little concerned, it was in poor shape but it looked recently used...

No time to worry about it, I was getting concerned about my ability to get out of Sausage Ironworks before it was blown to the moon. I had come this far already and wasn't about to turn back now, worrying about details was just eating up time I didn't have.

"Hey, there's our mystery guest! Nice of you to join us finally!"

Shit...

As soon as I passed through the door I was caught, there was no slipping into the smaller chamber inside, the glow from the fires and the pool of molten metal just inside lit the sweltering Test Smelter room brightly enough to easily see me enter. The fact the five ponies inside were all facing the only door didn't hurt either.

Metal grating and scaffolds surrounded the large smelter set in the floor, a miserable looking slave mare cowered at the edge of the bubbling metal, a buck only a few years younger than myself held a shaky pipe pistol in his mouth and looked up guiltily. A pair of ramps led around the circular smelter and overlooked the room from a wall of equipment, a number of the gauges up there were shaking and edging up towards the red.

Perched up there were the other three marks on E.F.S., a pair of Forged to either side and a tall red earth pony in a cobbled together suit of power armor. Identifying the suit was difficult, large sections of the plating were makeshift replacements, decorated with spikes and chains.

The blue maned stallion wearing it had a smug grin from the dragon shaped helmet made of bone fragments, continuing in an amused drawl. "Now see here Bull, that's the kinda stones it takes to join us brat. Made it all the way up here, gonna be some serious burnin' for all those fools that let him do it, but here he is! We were forged in the fires of Fillydelphia! Just bringin' some gift ain't enough to join up with us, though I do love this thing!"

The burning weapon he drew from his back had to be the Shishkebab, a long, curved blade that glowed white hot. A series of burners engulfed the sword in fire and looked to be controlled by a handle at the hilt. Mrs. Finch said their 'family heirloom' came from here to begin with... Bull brought it back home too.

"Let him go, give that back, and we'll leave..."

The armored pony in charge barked laughter in response, "See! Big brass balls! If Bull here had 'em he'd already be in, as it is he's lucky we're lettin' him off with just this sacrificial initiation! We ain't holdin' him here, he wanted to join the Forged. Kill that bitch Bull and help us finish off this nut when you're done!"

The yellow-green buck with the pistol looked up to the one giving the orders and back to the shivering slave and me, I interrupted them in the middle of working him up to murdering for them... At least he still looked unsure and scared, not eager to take the poor mare's life.

"D-Don't do this Bull, your family's worried about you, sent me to find you. Let's take her and get out of here alright?"

Young Bull Finch gave me a terrified, pleading look, his pinprick eyes darting back to the leader of the Forged. "My f-folks? Pa wouldn't... I'm doin' this for them! So they'll be safe... Slag promised if I was a value to the Forged they'd leave them alone..."

A resounding crash in the distance shook the building, making everyone look up nervously at the dirt and junk raining down from the ceiling. I pointed a hoof back towards the noise and shouted over it, "They'll be safe! This place is about to blow up, I don't think the Forged will be a problem anymore!"

Bull's hopeful, surprised expression was cut off with a wince as the Forged leader, Slag, roared down at me. "WHAT!?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

I grinned back and drew my weapons, bracing my twitching legs. "I did some repairs on your Ironworks! It'll make a much better fireworks factory! You should stay and enjoy the show!"

KRAKA-THOOM!

The blast of lightning from my horn sent me skidding back with a wave of nausea, I aimed low to hit the metal scaffolding and let it conduct the electricity to all three of the Forged up there. I was grateful the blast knocked me back when Slag surprised me, not ducking away from the crackling storm of magic but jumping straight at me, over the molten metal and lightning bolt entirely.

He landed just where I had been, squarely stomping with all four armored hooves to cause some kind of directed explosion from the impact, knocking me flying through the air and against the wall. I spotted Bull struggling up from the floor, but the poor slave perched at the edge of the smelter was nowhere to be seen... I barely brought Best Served up in time to parry the wicked blazing slice with the Shishekab that followed, the burning white blade stopped inches from my face by my own.

Slag's eyes widened inside his gruesome mask, if that was a star metal blade he probably hadn't run into much that could stop it before. Comprehension lit his face when my own knife started glowing white hot as well from contact with his flaming sword, his confusion had given me enough time to get back to my hooves anyway.

Awkwardly dodging his next blow, I turned tail and ran for the ramps he had jumped down from, his two sidekicks had gotten a little of the lightning bolt even if he didn't and were just recovering. More explosions shook the building as I charged at the first, opening up with the Terrible Shotgun as I ran by.

I made the turn towards where Slag had been standing, skidding to a halt at the burst of flamer fire blocking my path and rolling to the ground. My armor was smoking and my tail got singed, but I avoided the worst of the blast and snapped Vengeance up when it cut off, using S.A.T.S. to put two in the raider's head.

The heavy clomp of armored hooves behind me let me barely turn and face the pony shaped locomotive barreling at me, Slag slammed into me at a full run, the ugly spikes on his armor puncturing my shoulder and sending me rolling into the railing. My back hit squarely on one of the metal uprights and I screamed at the twitching spasms it erupted into.

Another series of rapid explosions shook the room, cracking the far wall and sending rubble raining down. Slag was stomping his way over to me, the cruel claws at his armored hooves grinding the metal catwalk with each step, he was going to stomp me into paste...

Activating S.A.T.S. gave me a second, other than trying to muster up another bolt of lightning, there wasn't much I could do against even a scrapyard suit of power armor. Though I did have one trick left, Kellogg managed to disable my suit of power armor with his pistol and S.A.T.S. Overcharge doohickey, I had both now...

I targeted the shielded power supply and went through the new menus for the S.A.T.O.S. module, the crystal sticking from my pip-buck was lit up with a full charge. Hitting accept sent time slowly moving forward, the gleaming revolver in the grip of my magic was enveloped in a bright layer of overglow before firing with a shockwave.

Slag grunted and was knocked back, but I could see from the sparking damage to his suit that it wasn't good enough. That power supply may be ruined and run out before long, but he'd have plenty of time to tap dance on my spine before that happened. The angry red stallion loomed over me and gave a mirthless smile. "Now you little bastard... you are going to..."

A cloud of heat and smoke from the crumbling wall blew in with another round of explosions, blowing a large hole in the wall that a blessedly familiar voice called out through. "Aha! There you are boss! This stupid arrow thing wouldn't say what floor you were on!"

Lines of red magical energy weapon fire rained down from the new exit, parting enough of the smoke and dust to make out the fiery griffon behind the attack flapping outside. Slag turned to face the new threat, hunkering down against the stream of fire pinning him down. If I wasn't so close by she could have probably lobbed a few grenades over here and knocked him into the molten metal below...

Actually... that would work just fine... Slag had completely forgotten about me as no longer a threat on the floor behind him, turning his back to me while he focused on Val. I had one new toy I picked up for my griffon friend that would fit the bill, I carefully floated the modifed Balefire Egg Launcher from the Robronco Galleria out and lined up a shot.

I only brought one bowling ball for the weird weapon to use, it was heavy enough already, I wasn't lugging around a bunch of 15 pound bowling balls to reload it when I was already so weak. The one shot I had was enough, once I had Slag positioned between the large weapon and the pool of metal, I hit the trigger and watched the result with satisfaction.

If Slag's shoes weren't attached to the armor I think it would have knocked him out of them, the high speed projectile slammed into him with a clang, sending his Shishkebab flying from his grip as he sailed out into the empty space above the smelter, splashing down with a series of thrashing screams.

Val poked her head in the hole in the wall to watch the Forged leader sink, gliding down to grab me in a her claws and squeeze the air out of me. "BOSS! Yer ok!! Aw man that was awesome, where'd ya get that thing!? Can I have it? Where the hell you been!? You know how worried every..."

"V-al... air... C-Catch up later... building g-going... kablooey..." I wheezed weakly in her grip as the alarms and shaking increased, managing to point where Bull Finch huddled with his recovered family heirloom. "G-Grab him too... r-rescue..."

The griffon's violet eyes took on a manic gleam at the impending explosion, rolling to the ceiling in a huff when I gestured to Bull. "Awww! Always gotta be doin' some goody good nonsense! Takin' yer time gettin' back to deal with this kinda stuff boss?! Alright fine..."

With a flick of her dark claws I was tossed to her back, left to struggle to hold on as she soared over to grab Bull by his dirty collar and mane, lifting off towards her entrance with a powerful flap of her wings. Once we cleared the building I sucked in a wonderfully cool breath of air, looking back to watch the first major explosions start tearing large chunks out of the building.

Destroying a working foundry and industrial resource pained the repair-pony in me, but that place was evil. Better it was wiped out entirely and rebuilt into something better. From the safety of my mercenary friend's back, I breathed a sigh of relief and fell against her shaggy neck, kept awake by Bull's frightened screeching below and the fanfare from my pip-buck.

Mission Updated: Out of the Fire

Objective---
--~~Rescue Bull Finch~~
--~~Eliminate the Forged~~
--Return to Finch Farm

Optional Objectives---
--~~Recover Finch family heirloom~~

"So the Institute really took ya boss? What was it like? What'd they do? How'd ya get away!?" Val gleefully bounced on her claws, pacing in front of where I huddled by the fire and watched the Finch's reunion.

"It's... it's a long story Val, I'll tell you all about it, soon I promise. Is everyone ok? Jade and Glitter?"

Val snorted and punched my shoulder, nearly knocking me over in answer. "Course not stupid! Those two are a wreck! C-Course I knew ya were fine, that mare of yours is piiiiiiissed though... she outright went ta war with them Church of Balefire nuts!"

Jade? Going to war? That had to be one of Val's jokes, I couldn't imagine that level of violence out of the gentle blue alicorn I was looking forward to getting back to. Val kept pacing around me and looking me over happily, that manic glee was making me concerned it was to mask something else though, and I didn't want her checking me over too carefully yet.

Mr. and Mrs. Finch gave me a break from her attention, walking over with happy tears and their buck and filly trailing behind them. Mrs. Finch and her daughter Goldie ran up and gave me a hug before I could react, sniffling overjoyed thanks. Mr. Finch and his son stood nearby, the elder stallion giving a gruff but friendly hoofbump.

"Thanks... fer savin' my boy and all them others, gettin' rid of the Forged, we appreciate it stranger. Have to talk with them other Minutemares about joinin' up after what you did here. Here, I... I never cared 'bout this silly thing as much as my son, you should take it, Bull give it over..." Mr. Finch shrugged back at his son, who trotted forward and set the extinguished Shishkebab on the ground before me.

Noticing the way Val was eyeing the sword greedily, I nodded my thanks and stashed it in my bags. "Thank you, Bull was just trying to think about you, protect you... when it came down to it he made the right choice though, he has good parents. Umm... where's my... companion Fancy? I haven't seen her around since we got back."

Mrs. Finch released me and wiped her eyes, gesturing to the southeast. "You asked to help get her ta County Crossing, she didn't wanna wait. Temperamental little thing isn't she? Our worker Mr. Spade offered to take her there not long after you left, don't worry, he knows the way."

"Fancy!? As in that crazy bitch on wheels Overmare Fancy? You was with her boss?! Jeez, what'd I miss? No wonder Freya didn't chase after me..." Val yelped in surprise.

"Freya? You saw her?"

Giving a shrug, Val scratched her plumage and nodded. "Yup, circlin' around the river. Figured I'd have ta deal with her, but she wouldn't do nothin'. If I wasn't on more important business I would'a stopped to blow her outta the sky, but ya know... had to come find my absentee boss..."

She chuckled to herself and gave me a not too gentle noogie, finishing by clapping me on the back and making me whimper in pain, biting my lip to hold it in. "S-Sorry Val... can you find her again, I need to talk to her..."

Val took her claw from my back slowly, giving me a piercing stare as she groaned out an answer. "I guess.... why ya need ta talk to that frigid bitch? Hey... you feelin' alright boss? You don't look so hot..."

"Fine! J-Just fine! Umm.. later... really... I need to talk to Freya because... well, Fancy won't last on her own without her... We escaped the Institute together, she helped me get this far, letting her die on her own just seems like a... a waste ok? If Freya really is still looking for her, then we just need to tell her where Fancy's going, no going way out of our way or anything I promise.."

With an exasperated, whining sigh, Val flopped on her back to the ground and drummed her paws on the dirt. "Ugh! Fiiiiiine... I didn't miss this kinda stuff while you were on vacation boss, ought'a kill the both of them and be done with it. Whatever, yer talkin' to her though, not me!"

I took the Finches up on their offer of more food and made my goodbyes, a few ragged slaves had opted to head here first so I got to see some of them had escaped successfully. They were a little friendlier out here under the stars than back in the Ironworks, but were still beaten and battered ponies, dealing with a lot all at once. I made another attempt at convincing them the now functional Galleria I had passed through to the north was a safe haven, settling for writing them a note for any Minutemares they ran across after trying my best.

Finally Val tossed me to her back again and took off into the night sky, forcing me to bury myself in her warm feathers against the chilly air up here and speak in muffled shouts on the way. While the distant, shattered towers of Trotson grew closer and closer, Val filled me in on a few things that had happened while I was gone.

Apparently she wasn't entirely kidding about Jade going to war, when I was taken and disappeared off the pip-buck map, she had started calling in favors. She didn't try to order the Minutemares to tear the library down to find me, holding on to her principles enough to ask them and the Followers of the Apocalypse to care for and protect anyone who needed it.

She did go directly to Bunker Hill and inform the Brotherhood of Friendship still there what happened, making it very clear the Church was a front for the Institute and that a teleporter leading to the secretive group was most likely in the library. Then she just got out of their way, only stepping in to help facilitate cooperation between the Brotherhood and her sisters from Trinity Tower, who did not share her pacifist ways.

According to Val, the alicorns of the Commonwealth were furious and had radically altered their behavior in response to the attack on their leader. They were already attacking the Church of Balefire in the Trotson Public Library by the time the Brotherhood got there and joined in. Most of the day I had spent walking south had been an ongoing battle back in the city, winding down by the time Val had left to get me.

On the plus side, the dark blue Stormy had gotten several of her wayward sisters in the church to rejoin the Trinity Tower alicorns, sharing how ready the synth Moondancer had been to kill her too hadn't gone over well. What's more, Umbra had apparently come around when it came to dealing with the outside world, visiting Goodneighbor herself and speaking with Mayor Shamrock. If the Institute was willing to frame Goodneighbor for her murder, they were worth opening up to according to the Trinity Tower leader.

Since the fighting had died down at the Library, Jade had stayed there, healing the wounded from all sides and desperately seeking out the hidden teleporter that took me away. Val said she and Zed had spent most of the day helping the Brotherhood scour the library for it with no luck, breaking off the search when I reappeared on everyone's pip-buck maps.

By the time she was done catching me up, we were over the river and she started banking in long loops, scanning below her with a grumble until she found the circling white speck sharing the sky with us. Dropping altitude to match as she approached, Val looked over her shoulder and pouted back to me. "There she is, this is yer deal boss, I ain't helpin'..."

"Thank you Val, it shouldn't take more than a minute." I patted her neck affectionately as she neared the snowy white griffon circling the north side of the river. I saw Freya's icy blue eyes flick over in our direction tensely for a second, before ignoring us in favor of peering at the ground below intently. Leaning up from Val's back to shout over to her made me dizzy, sending me scrambling for a better grip before continuing. "Freya!! Hey Freya! I need to talk to you!!"

"Go away! I'm busy! Kill you two later!" The pale griffon sneered back, glancing our way long enough to be sure we weren't there to start a fight and returning to her search.

"You're looking for Fancy right!?! I know where she is!!"

Freya's eyes shot up at that, flapping to a halt in midair and aiming her weaponry at us. "Start talkin'! What'd you do with the boss!?"

A gust of wind made me grab my hat and hug Val's neck tightly, looking back to Freya nervously and pointing a shaking hoof down. "Can we land please!? I'll tell you where to go!!"

She glared at me suspiciously, but after some gentle nudging to Val she followed us down to a nearby rooftop, landing softly at the edge while Val dumped me from her back and stormed off sullenly. Freya watched her go to pout in the corner while I stumbled my way over to her, trying to mask the concern in her question. "Alright, where is she?! What the hell is goin' on!?"

"We both got taken by the Institute Freya, we broke out together, helped each other get away. Fancy went to County Crossing to try to find you, if you hurry you'll get there not long after her. She's not gonna be very happy, but she needs your help and I owe her a little."

Freya raised a disbelieving eyebrow and snorted, "You, and the boss... helped each other? C'mon, come up with a better lie than that, what are you up to pipsqueak?"

"Nothing! I swear! Er... I'm not a griffon, so I guess swearing on my honor doesn't mean as much... hmm... Oh! You taught Fancy how to pick locks! She told me that, it helped out on the way. Look, Freya, just trust me please? I wouldn't have made it here without her help, she needs you and I'd really rather not just let her die after going through the trouble of saving her."

I pulled out a drink and snack cake from the vending machines Fancy had unlocked and munched away, trying to quiet my grumbling stomach while Freya stared at me, distrustful but worried enough to give me a chance from her answer. "Alright... Not that far, won't hurt to check I guess... haven't found her here in three days so I'll bite. If yer lyin' or did anything to her though..."

"I know, I know, revenge blah, blah, blah. I'm telling the truth, just go get her alright?"

Freya narrowed her icy eyes and stuck her beak up, launching herself up and to the northeast without a word. I sat where I was and watched her go, mechanically shoveling food in my muzzle and hoping the dizziness would pass. I looked back to Val, still perched in the corner and grousing to herself.

"Ok Val, let me finish here and we can go." I smiled back to her hopefully, listening to her huff and shuffle in annoyance.

"Come on Val, I know you don't like Freya but I had to do something... They owe us now right?"

That got a rueful laugh and her long tail swished angrily, still no answer though.

I sighed and floated out the Shishkebab the Finches let me have. "If you stop pouting you can have this Val..."

One curious violet eye peeked back, locking on the weapon before she leapt across the roof to snatch it up with a squeal. "Woooo! Fire sword! That's better boss, guess I'll let it slide. I told the kid and Blue I'd bring you straight back though, don't like makin' detours ya know..."

"I know, thank you Val, you're the best friend and merc a pony could... c-could ask... a-ask..."

Instead of passing that dizzy feeling was getting worse, I shivered and shook in place, feeling freezing despite knowing full well how high my fever was thanks to the medical systems on my pip-buck. I tried to raise a hoof to wave off that frightened look on Val's face swimming in front of me, watching the limb twitch and jerk as everything went sideways and I blanked out for a minute.

When the world lurched back, Val was above me, the night sky showing behind her shaggy head. Her eyes were wide and worried and one black claw shot out to smack me across the muzzle, her frantic cries slowly fading back in with the world. "BOSS!?! Hey boss!! WAKE UP!"

"Ugh... ow... s-stop hitting me... F-Fine Val..."

Val jumped back and yanked my up by my collar, peering at me closely as she shakily shouted in my face. "The fuck you are!! Y-You were just spazzing out on the friggin floor there boss! Was that some kinda... seizure or somethin'?! S-Somethin's wrong! Gotta get you back to Blue! Knew I shouldn't have let ya talk me inta stoppin'!!"

Falling forward against her fluffy breast, I wrapped my forelegs around her neck tightly and buried my face in her feathers, shaking my head sadly and wiping away the tears that wanted to form. "It's ok Val... I don't think even Jade can help, stopping for a minute won't change anything... I'll tell you all when we get back, I'm just glad we're together again. N-No matter what happens, I love you Val..."

Rather than soothing her, I just made her more upset... stupid... She threw me to her back again and took off like a rocket, shouting over the slipstream while we flew through the night. "S-Shut up boss! Now yer scarin' me! D-Don't get all mushy on me, we're gettin' you back to Blue right now!"

"That... would be... nice..." I murmured against her neck, trying to tighten my grip as I drifted off to a fitful sleep. Taking one last look at the glow of lights in the city and all the specks flying around it we were barreling towards, the Library... Jade would be there, I'd see her soon.

------------------------------------------Level Up!----------------------------------------

New Perk Added!--------------------------------

Ninja-Pony----------------
-----The Ninja-Pony perk grants you the power of the fabled shadow warriors! You now do 2.5x sneak attack damage with ranged attacks, as well as 4x sneak attack damage with melee weapons.

Ch. 43-- Deliverer of Sorrows

(Last?... Gone... Where?... Down... Subway... Now?... Brotherhood?... Sister... Yes... Looking... Alive?... Here?... Umbra... Try... Tired... Goodneighbor?... Fun... Go... Soon?... Few... Slow... Turn...)

The constant whispering dragged me out of my short rest and I winced at the spike of pain between my eyes, groaning from Val's back at the chatter, where the hell were we? I goggled from my perch between the bright griffon's wings at the pool of light we were gliding towards.

Was that the library? I hadn't gotten a good look from the outside, but the huge stone edifice was big enough and the right shape, a large rectangle with an open courtyard in the middle. Well... it had been, now it was more of a U shape... One gaping hole had been blown straight through the northern wing, letting me see all the power armored ponies wandering the remains of the now exposed rooms.

As I watched a vertibuck took off from the streets with a howl, blasting off towards the east. I could make out two more of the pre-war vehicles parked below, near barricaded encampments with more Steel Rangers. Sleek black suits of Enclave armor flitted around the building, which seemed to be completely locked down by the Brotherhood of Friendship.

Further away from the smoking ruins of the library was a forest of tents and makeshift shelters, where Val was aiming towards. I caught the paired Minutemare and Followers of the Apocalypse flags flapping in the center of the camp where she touched down, attracting attention from the harried looking ponies down here.

I found myself smiling as Val shoved her way through the camp, watching as open tents passed and I saw injured wastelanders, Brotherhood and Church of Balefire ponies, all being treated equally by the medical ponies wearing the yellow and pink medical boxes. Jade's Followers really made a difference here, I was proud of her.

The Minutemares I saw looked to be keeping order, standing guard over the Church patients and defending the refugee camp from the dangers of the wasteland. I wished I could focus a bit better, answer some of the shouted questions following in Val's hurried wake. Instead I was trying to shake off that headache and wake up fully, eagerly anticipating finding Jade.

(Fast?..) "FAST!?" The bright scream of just the filly I wanted to see got the attention of the camp, letting me swing my head woozily in the same direction as everyone else to see her.

There was my princess... even spattered in blood all over her lab coat, her mane a sweaty mess and bags under her sparkling, tear-filled blue eyes, that was the most beautiful mare on Equis. None of what happened mattered, all of the misery was worth getting back here and seeing her again.

Jade sniffled a moment before bawling and rocketing forward, flying low to the ground with her forelegs extended before her. Val sensibly skidded to a halt and let me go flying off her back, letting the big blue filly tackle just me rather than both of us. That left me to be crushed under a lot of happy alicorn, squeezing my breath out and pinning the growths on my back painfully, all forgotten under the torrent of kisses covering me though.

"You are back! You are alright! T-Thank all the goddesses! I was so worried!! W-Where have you been Fast!?" The teary, relieved barrage of questions came rapidly between kisses and happy nuzzles, quite a few of the ponies in the camp were watching the show with small smiles, but Jade didn't mind the attention at all for once.

"Er... well..." I wheezed out, only to be cut off by Val's concerned grumble.

"Hey, not ta ruin the happy reunion an all Blue, but you need to look him over... S-Somethin' ain't right..." She still seemed shaken from seeing me apparently have a seizure by her description. It was all just a short interruption to me, like a record skipping, but from what she told me that's probably what it was.

I tried to raise my hooves and wave off the worried stare Jade gave me at that, "N-No... I'm ok! Um.. there's other ponies hurt worse than me! I-I'll be ok for awhile, y-you can just wait to..."

My pleas to put off the inevitable went ignored, Jade's slender horn lit up brightly and I felt her magic wash over me, poking and probing at me, telling her everything she needed to know... (No....) I watched her eyes widen sadly, growing larger while her pupils shrank to tiny blue dots. (No! No! NO!) Tears started streaming from them and her previous smile melted away to a hard little frown.

She wiped her eyes forcefully and set them in a determined line, yanking me from the ground in her magic and galloping back the way she came, growling over her shoulder the whole way. "You are NOT OK! Thank you Valkyrie, I will examine him immediately! Please make sure we are not disturbed!!"

Val stopped at the tent flaps Jade barreled through, putting her back to the entrance as they fell down to block the outside view. I was flipped through the air lazily, looking down on the small tent that must be hers to rest in. A single cot sat in the corner beside a lantern and Jade's small, lead lined box.

Jade slammed me to the cot and started yanking my bags and armor away, sniffling and shaking as she worked. "You will tell me what happened! You are very sick! How did this happen!?!"

"Jade... it's ok, really... just calm down..."

"I WILL NOT! You are deathly ill! I... I will stabilize you here... take you to the clinic in Goodneighbor... until I can find better facilities, Stable 114 maybe, or back to Sanctuary... Diamond City if we have to! I do not care whether they like it or not!! W-We will..." She was getting hysterical as she stripped away layers, her healing magic pouring into me as she gasped on reaching the stained bandages across my chest.

"I-It's alright... hold on a sec alright? Y-You don't have to..." Trying to fend her off was pointless, once she saw the bandages a gleaming pair of scissors floated from her packs, expertly snipping them away while she stared intently.

(....No....) She froze looking at the slimy growths on my back, making me curious enough to take another look. They had kept spreading down my ribs, now starting to branch out to go in new directions. I felt my stomach flop around uncomfortably taking in the view, the smell wasn't helping either...

Slowly I managed to look back up to Jade, a shamed expression hanging on my face. Even with tears pouring down her cheeks, she was still beautiful. I just wished I could have held this off for a little while...

She shook her head and sniffled, returning to removing the bandages and floating up puffy balls of cotton to wipe away the gunk shakily. "Y-You... you have been poisoned by taint... W-We will... we will go to Dr. Swab, have her cast the spell to purge it.... Y-You will be fine..."

I had to force her muzzle up from her work, waiting patiently for her to stop fighting and look me in the eyes before giving her a long kiss, stroking her mane as we parted and smiling weakly. "Not taint... The Institute's version of the I.M.P.... s-sorry... I stole everything I could about it from their computer, I'm sure you can make a lot more sense of it than I could but... I got the impression that after too long it's irreversible... But hey, maybe it'll work huh!? T-That'd be pretty neat..."

That only got a sad, hurt giggle and she wrapped her wings around me, sniffling into my mane and rocking. "You must h-have not r-read it properly... I will look at it a-and find something... Until then I will treat your symptoms, t-take you back to Glitter to rest. W-We will find a way, you... you may not... I am so happy to have you back Fast, you may not go anywhere..."

I sat there and let her rock around me, stroking her sides and kissing her neck tenderly, drinking in the smell of her even sweaty and dirty as she was. If holding on to hope for a cure helped, why not... I secretly hoped Moondancer's potion would actually work properly at this point, what was done was done, that was the best outcome I could hope for. Though if this was working I'd hate to feel what it was like when it didn't...

(Fast?... Back?... Back!... Where?... Sister.... Tent... See!)

Ow.... those whispers again... like an icepick straight to the brain. I furrowed my brow against it and gritted my teeth to venture a question to Jade, now that her breathing was slowing down again. "Are y-your sisters around here by any chance? S-Some of that 'limited unity' like at the tower?"

She pulled away to give me a quizzical look, nodding slowly. "Yes... they have been around the library all day, there are enough for a weaker form of the same unity to be here. They are happy you are alright. Why?"

"I don't know... I think I'm..." I tried to explain the faint whispers I kept hearing and losing, cut off by a heavy thump from outside the tent flap.

Val screeched from that direction, a dark shadow stretching up the tent on that side. "Hey! Hey! Hey! No! She said no disturbances! You just back off ya big filly!"

I looked over with interest, the shadow moved this way and that, trying to get around Val from the sound. Then a rumbling set of hoofsteps went around the tent entirely, the point of a very long horn poked out from the bottom of the wall right beside the cot, lifting the cloth aside for a huge head to follow.

Swan's long pink mane fell in a curtain around me, the giant mare gasping happily with wide blue-violet eyes and rubbing her cheek against me with a squee. I sputtered under the attention, noticing that while Swan was still a big pony, she must have burned off a lot of power out here, she was only about half the size I had seen her before. Wide swaths of bandages were wound around her neck and plastered to her cheek too, suddenly that gaping hole in the library made sense, she plowed through it at full strength with her shield...

"Fast! You are back! Sister was worried, many of us were too! We got to fight the bad ponies here looking for you! It was fun, but I am glad you came back!" (Play...)

Trying to scramble back into my coat and hide my back wasn't easy with her nuzzling and cooing at me like that, Jade tried to interrupt the big mare, eventually helped by Val storming in the tent and shoving at her head, trying to push her back out with little success. "I said no! Boss is sick! Go away, go kick in another buildin' or somethin'! Bug em later ya big goofy mare!"

Jade nodded hopefully and shooed her back out, "Yes Swan, h-he needs medical care. I will let you know when he may receive visitors... all of you..."

The alicorn doctor rolled her eyes to the tent flap, half a dozen of her sisters in the process of peeking in froze, yanking their heads out and trotting off with Val on their heels. "Aw dammit! I said no! Go sneakin' in when I'm dealin' with her! Go on, get! Shoo!!"

(Awww....Fair!...Want...Later...)

"Ow... N-Nice to see you too Swan, w-we'll talk soon ok? Just feeling a little under the weather..." I gave an unsteady grin up to the pale purple filly, patting her cheek as she smiled back brightly and pulled her head out of the tent, leaving Jade and I alone again.

Jade gave an exasperated smile and shook her head, gently pushing my coat back down to get back to my care. "Many of them were worried, Swan was quite the terror during the battle you know, I believe she likes you... Now then, I will treat these... you... while you tell me everything, in detail Fast... everything you know and all your symptoms. Then we will return to Goodneighbor before Glitter wakes up, sunrise is not long off so start talking..."

"R-Right... From the beginning then, I woke up in Moondancer's lab..."

This time when I woke up, it wasn't strapped to that cold lab table under the slightly mad mare's care. I could tell that almost immediately, but the memory woke me with a start each time I fell asleep since then, this time reinforced by being unable to move my limbs again when I woke up.

After a heart racing moment of panic, my vision cleared and I could tell where I was, breathing a relieved sigh and relaxing at my wonderful position. I was lying on the large, round bed in the master bedroom of the Princess Celestia suite, back in Goodneighbor. It wasn't straps holding my limbs down, but a blanket of those I loved pinning me in place.

Jade was curled up on my left, her muzzle stuck in my mane snoring lightly, both legs on that side were entwined with hers tightly and one of her wings was draped over my lower half. Val's snarling snores were muffled by the pillow over her head, down by my hindlegs, her furry back legs and lithe body were covering my limbs on the right, one of her paws kicked and shoved gently at my face. Finally Glitter lay right on my chest, her little forelegs locked around my neck and nuzzling against me fitfully, her eyes furrowed against some unpleasant dream.

I must have fallen asleep and been brought here, Jade had wanted to do test after test during the predawn hours, they all kind of ran together at some point. I felt quite a bit better at the moment, not just because of the welcome wake up either, though it did wonders for me emotionally. No, physically I felt better than since I escaped the Institute, not very good, but not miserable either.

A couple IV bags hung to the side of the bed, a trail of plastic tubing leading under Val's outstretched legs and towards my foreleg under there. From what I could make out and feel under Glitter's sleeping form, I was wearing fresh bandages around my chest too, still clean and dry.

I was hungry as usual lately, but not ravenous so that was an improvement. My muscles ached, but weren't twitching or spasming, the constant pain further muted by the pleasant buzz of Med-X. My head throbbed dully, but no blinding jags of pain between my eyes, no whispers...

Judging by the bright light filtering through the curtains, it had to be late morning or afternoon outside. Usually Glitter was practically up with Celestia, bright and early every day. She must have come in here when I did, refusing to leave until I woke up. With my legs pinned, I leaned my head down to nuzzle her mane with a tired smile, whispering in her twitching ears.

"Hey sweetie... morning, er.... afternoon maybe. I'm glad to see you."

The sleeping foal's pink eyes fluttered open, blinking sleepily until they focused and widened staring into my own. She gave a choked squeal and gripped my neck tighter, burying her face in my coat and whimpering happily. "Daddy! Y-You're ok!! Where'd you go!? We was all so worried an... an I thought..."

"Ssshhh, it's alright. I'm sorry about that, but I came back right? I'll always come back for you, even if I have to go away sometimes. I didn't want to, and I'm so, so happy to be back. Forgive me?"

She sniffled and snorted against me a moment, eventually lifting her head and sticking her nose up, wiping at her dripping eyes and nose as she huffed and tried to sound cross. "M-Maybe... if y-you don't go anywhere again, s-stay with me and play?"

"Nothing I'd rather do sweetheart, we can hang out together all day as far as I'm concerned."

Jade murmured and nibbled at my ear, shifting to kiss my horn and lean up, stroking the happy foal with her wing. "That is good, spending time with Glitter is all I am prepared to allow you to do today Fast. I still have many more tests to run and those stolen files of yours to read, then we will decide what to do about your... condition..."

A look of worry flashed across Glitter's face, giving a yelp that woke Val up with a groan and tightening her grip on my neck forcefully, that earth pony strength letting the little filly squeeze my windpipe shut in fear. "W-What condition?! What's the matter?! A-Are you ok daddy?!?"

Jade looked like she immediately regretted her words, glancing to the sky blue painted ceiling evasively as the foal's eyes kept darting between us. Val pulled the pillow off her head and dragged herself up to her elbows on the bed, yawning and playfully pushing at my face with her paw. "Boss was dumb enough to walk back in the rain an' sleet kiddo, caught a cold comin' back."

I knew honesty was one of the six important virtues of ponykind, I still gave Val a grateful smile though. I didn't want to lie to her, hell I probably couldn't very well at all, none of what the griffon said was a lie however and scaring her with the whole truth seemed pointless.

Of course there was a good deal of selfishness in there too, I wanted to enjoy some time without whatever was happening to me hanging over things like a dark cloud. I gave a tired yawn and sat up, pushing Glitter to my lap as Jade stacked pillows up behind me, gently guiding me to lean back into them as she checked my IV.

"Well... er... I feel better today... I was in a hurry to get back right? Don't worry Glitter, I'm ok, just a little sick is all."

Jade smiled kindly, stroking her silver mane and putting on a brave face to nod. "Yes, I will be working to treat him exclusively today as well dear... e-everything will be fine! I need you to take care of your father for me today so I can focus on his health though, will you be my little nurse again, make sure Fast behaves himself?"

Glitter leapt off me and bounced to her hooves on the bed, snapping off a determined salute. "You got it mommy! I'll take care of daddy so you can fix him! Cause we're a team right? A f-family?"

Jade beamed at the little filly, sniffling and joining me in a tight hug, I had to hook Val's claw to drag her in too, but she relented and joined the embrace with a noise of disgust masking her smile. Rubbing her small back with a hoof, I nodded and whispered to Glitter. "That's right, we're a family, all in this together alright, no matter what."

"Precisely dear, and on that note, perhaps you should get cleaned up. I know, why not take one of my sisters downstairs again and order some breakfast for us to start the day together over, hmm?" Jade soothed the frightened foal and sent her off on a mission, leaving the adults alone for a few minutes as she galloped around outside.

Once she was out of earshot, Val hissed and punched her pillow, whispering urgently. "So what's the deal? What'd those Institute fucks do to him Blue? Can you fix it?"

Jade got up and shuffled nervously by the bed, checking some of the equipment she had brought up here and had me hooked to. The fear in her voice wasn't nearly so well hidden with Glitter gone, making me concerned about how she was dealing with this. "I... I do not know Valkyrie... He has been exposed to a version of the Impelled Metamorphosis Potion and it has been... changing him.

The I.M.P. was never used as intended though, I have no idea what it would look like if successful. The mother was formed from a massive overdose and shaped her children from the flesh of unicorns and the potion herself. Very rarely ponies would suffer Taint poisoning in just the right amounts for the process to start, but they were generally absorbed by the mother. Fast has informed me what he has been exposed to is different as well, that Dr. Dala has apparently spent the centuries trying to improve the original potion."

Floating her blood spattered lab coat over, Jade nervously looked over the stains, a helpless expression marring her lovely face. Val grumbled and bounced off the bed, throwing her claws up dramatically and struggling to keep her voice down. "C'mon, yer s'posed ta be the wonder doc, j-just say you can fix it! Help him! Somethin'!! He looks like crap!"

"Thanks Val...."

Rolling her violet eyes, Val snorted impatiently at my wounded tone and rounded on me angrily. "Hush up boss! Not jokin' here, you look like the dealer's breathin' down yer neck! Stuff is basically Taint right? Seen plenty of folks go a bunch'a nasty ways cause of that stuff an you look well on yer way! I ain't havin' it boss! Can we take 'im to D.C. Blue? Make that doc there do the purge thingy, will that work?!"

Jade tapped her hooves together under the griffon's increasing agitation, answering in a helpless whisper. "I simply do not know enough about what is happening yet Valkyrie, the spell to purge Taint may help, or it may make things w-worse... I am as worried as you are! We will do whatever is necessary to help Fast, I w-will let you know as soon as I do what that is..."

This is exactly why I was ok with a lie of omission when it came to Glitter... the stress and worry was showing on both of them already. Val was looking for an outlet for her anger and Jade was getting overwhelmed with fear. If I really was running out of time, I didn't want to waste any of it with them.

I stretched forward to touch a hoof to both of them, patting them soothingly and shaking my head. "Look, just calm down both of you, it's alright whatever happens. I mean, I don't want to turn into one of those mutants or die... but I've had awhile to deal with it now getting back here, you guys just found out. Getting mad or scared doesn't help though, trust me, I already tried both. Plus I do feel a lot better today, Jade's doctoring has already helped a lot!"

The alicorn doctor gave a sad smile in response, stroking my cheek and replacing the IV bags hanging by the bed. "Thank you Fast, but I am merely treating the symptoms. I am certain it feels better, but it is doing nothing to undo the effects...

Your body is being rebuilt, requiring a great deal of energy and material to meet the enormous demands placed on it. Your muscle fiber, bone density and structure, brain structure and chemistry, blood chemistry, nervous system and organs are all in flux. The tumors on your back... do appear to be the beginnings of wings... They do not seem to be malformed so far, but it is a traumatic process.

Proper care has eased the side effects for now, walking back in the weather without sufficient rest or nutrition exacerbated them. You need to be carefully monitored during the process merely to manage them."

"See, everything's fine, n-nothing to worry about..."

Jade whinnied and stamped her hoof, "There is quite a bit to be worried about, thank you! There are still injured at the library as well, but the Followers will have to tend to that in my stead, I am not going anywhere while you are ill and you are not exerting yourself. Now, transfer those files to me and show me how to access them, I have a great deal of work to do and not much time if you are correct."

Val had calmed a bit, but I could see the wheels turning desperately in her head. She scratched her plumage and gave Jade a hopeful look, "So... You think it might actually work Blue? You said he's growin' wings, maybe it works the way it's posed to? Makes him like you? I mean that's possible right?"

The alicorn medic returned Val's optimistic expression shakily, shoving her obvious uncertainty aside a moment. "It is possible yes Valkyrie. Fast said that Dr. Dala was very confident, she also had the benefit of centuries to work on it and no compunctions about pony trials... He is growing wings properly and the other physiological changes I have found are similar to my kind... We will not pin all our hopes on that outcome by any means, but it is something to hold on to. For now I need to explore every other possibility, you can help by ensuring he does not do himself more harm while I am working."

Giving me a hard, uncompromising glare, Val nodded sharply and leaned over me, pinning me to the bed with one dark claw on my bandaged chest. "He ain't goin' nowhere, right boss?..."

Bobbing my head in agreement, I patched my pip-buck to Jade's and started copying data over as I answered sincerely. "I won't overdo it, I promise. There's something else you should know about though Jade... Before I escaped, I went back to Moondancer's lab, I grabbed all the data then, but I went back for something else. Something for you and your sisters. I got the compatibility potion Jade."

I floated the pale pink vials from my bags by the bed, tilting the 6 clear cylinders to catch the light and see that rainbow sheen to the liquid inside. Jade's blue eyes widened and gazed at them in wonder, before shaking her head and resolutely ignoring them. "Y-You should not have gone back, risked returning to her lab! I am glad you were lucky and succeeded of course Fast, but you should not have done so..."

"Yeah but... I thought you'd be happy? Moondancer seemed pretty sure it works, she was keeping it from Evergreen so they'd still need her, but I took everything I could. With this, you and your sisters ought to be able to reproduce with normal ponies... You can have what you always wanted, t-that's kind of a bright side right?"

The azure pools of her eyes shimmered wetly before she clenched them shut in a frown, raising her voice with a note of panic. "YOU are what I want! I do not care about reproduction! Some silly compatibility potion is not worth... not... (sigh) W-We will tell my sisters when you are well and can give your gift yourself, for now I am only interested in your health."

Putting the precious potion back in my bags for safety, I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. I felt good that she was more concerned with me than with her species' all encompassing goal of reproduction, I was just hoping showing her a silver lining out of all this would make her feel a little better.

A squeaky clean little white foal pelted back into the room, causing Jade to hurriedly wipe her eyes at her entrance. Glitter landed a flying tackle that made me wince despite myself, sending the little filly in the pink dress scrambling back in concern. "Omigosh! S-Sorry daddy! I didn't hurt you did I?! Umm... what'cha want for breakfast dad? Mr. Shamrock showed me the kitchens while you was gone, they can make lots of stuff an he said we can order whatever we want! For FREE!"

Her big pink eyes got sparkly at the concept of free, maybe I let her hang around Val too much... Considering my food intake lately, I'd take advantage of the ghoul mayor's hospitality though, I supposed the 'all you can eat' buffets of the old world were long gone. Best to tell her something to get for now, Glitter was practically quivering in anticipation of running off to help, waiting for my order.

"Hmm... Meat... Whatever breakfast meat they have. And eggs, and pancakes, and muffins, and toast, and..." I noticed her expression growing more surprised as I kept going, forcing me to change my approach before she noticed my appetite any more than she had. "Er... how about you pick for me sweetie? You know what all they have. I'm sure whatever you choose will be fine, so long as there's meat..."

Val plucked her off the bed in her claws and tossed her in the air squealing, catching her and sending her on her way with smack to her flank. "Bacon kiddo, boss wants bacon. Least this... cold... is improvin' yer tastes boss, bacon is the perfect food!"

Even if forced for the foal's benefit, hearing Val joke made me feel better too. We shared a laugh over the disgusted faces Jade and Glitter both made, the alicorn being a vegetarian and the filly trying for dessert-arian as much as possible. I might not have noticed Ivy sticking her head in the door to watch us, except for the silvery needle between my eyes that made me look over to the green alicorn.

(...Family...Good...back...were worried...sick?...)
"Hello Fast. It is good to see you back, we were all very worried about you, are you feeling well this morning?" Ivy smiled brightly, partially concealing a bandage on her flank with the doorway.

"H-Hi Ivy, feeling better than when I got back for sure. Are you ok? Were you in the fighting while I was gone?" I asked nervously, gulping to myself at her presence.

I was hearing her and I was sure she wasn't trying to use her telepathy on me, Jade said the potion was messing with my brain... I felt like it was tuning my head to the same channel that mental communication worked on, but it wasn't quite right, filled with static and interference that made my head hurt.

(Wrong?...Potion?...Why?...)
"Er... yes... I suffered very minor wounds, nothing to worry about Fast... Are you ready to go Glitter?" Ivy was giving me a scrutinizing look, answering slowly and keeping her green eyes on me even as she spoke to Glitter.

Crap... She could tell! Could she hear my thoughts better too? Ok, think of nothing! Blank wall... empty, white, brick wall, lalalalala! I tried very hard not to let my thoughts race randomly under the psychic alicorn's watchful stare. The physical side effects were bad enough, I didn't like mindreading!

Finally Jade smoothed Glitter's mane out and sent her off with a smile, the little filly bolting past Ivy and calling to her impatiently. Ivy's gaze lingered on me for an uncomfortable moment, but she reluctantly excused herself and left with Glitter, my headache easing off once she was gone.

I foresaw problems ahead...

Val was right, bacon made me rethink a lot of my remaining squeamishness about eating meat. Whatever Radhogs were, they were delicious and filled that disquieting carnivorous craving even better than old cans of Cram. For lunch she followed up by introducing me to bacon sandwiches and hot dogs, the links of what she assured me wasn't actually dog sated my weird cravings just as well. I sat up in bed patting my stomach in satisfaction, a small belch and scattered dirty dishes all that was left to remind me of the most recent meal. Glitter sat beside me and licked frosting from her hooves, sighing happily before hopping up to clean up.

Jade had eaten and engaged in safe conversation with all of us, but was anxious to get to work in her clinic, quietly frustrated she couldn't keep me nearby for more tests. She had come back several times throughout the day, drawing blood or hooking me up to some new bit of medical arcano-tech as casually as possible.

A nice, lazy day of giving the edited version of my misadventures for Glitter looked to have reassured her somewhat. Giving her the present I picked up in the shattered gift shop of Mareford Memorial Hospital helped too. The simple snowglobe wasn't much, but just keeping an eye out for something to bring back for the filly often brought a bright smile to her face.

She hovered nearby as much as possible, frequently insisting a hoof, cheek, side or tail was making contact with me somehow, just to affirm I was still there if nothing else. She and Val amused themselves for awhile by going through the junk I had accumulated on the way back, clucking between themselves over how much they could get for the magical energy weapons and refurbished flamers.

Writing letters was still an acceptable amount of 'work', so I was allowed to put together a few messages to go out with the Red Rocket courier here in town. First I made sure to write a letter to Sturges in Sanctuary, wracking my sluggish brain to put down detailed instructions concerning the seven Stable 111 ponies that should have been teleported back there.

I had to reread it a dozen times to be sure I had everything right, asking Glitter to practice her reading and let me listen to her read it too. The ancient stasis pods were made to be a forgiving when it came to waking their occupants up, but all I could think of was all the ways it could potentially go wrong. I didn't have enough time to get back to Sanctuary before... whatever happened, happened, so I had to make sure they were taken care of.

Next was Nick Hearts n' Hooves. I carefully sealed the yellowed newspaper clippings I had found in Mareford in an envelope, writing out what I had found with as much care as I could muster. Putting words on paper wasn't as hard as actually speaking to somepony else at least, hopefully the message wasn't too blunt and sort of... eased the synth detective into the discovery. I still felt horrible for being the bearer of such disturbing news, and I didn't envy the decision waiting for him on finding out his original, flesh and blood body was numbly wandering around out there without a brain....

A final page of script was for Piper, relating what Fancy had told me about Dr. Vega / Svengallop and his sinister plans for his own son and Diamond City according to the former Overmare. I tried to be extra clear the reporter mare shouldn't just print this up for her next edition, outing the head of the Institute's Public Relations Division was bound to be hazardous to her health. Somepony needed to know the truth though, Piper's dedication to that truth made her just the mare to trust with it.

A little tactical whining even got Val to go get the heavy terminal from the desk across the room, setting it up on a nightstand by the bed where I could idly tap away at it with my magic and my pip-buck cable would reach. The luxurious room to recover in and all the free food reminded me of my debt to the mayor of Goodneighbor, digging more deeply into the exploit I had found in the building's security wasn't too much exertion.

Glitter tottered from the room, the tray of dishes impressively balanced on her head with only a little wobble to send her weaving on her way. Val remained perched at the foot of the bed, her eyes never moving off me while the foal was gone, making me distinctly uncomfortable.

"I'm not going to try to run off or anything Val... you don't have to watch me that closely."

Since it was just the two of us, she gave an angry snort in reply, her tail lashing behind her. "Right boss... 'Oh just take Ivy and this Stable-pony back to Goodneighbor Val, we'll meet right back up in an hour, promise!' Can't take my eyes off you fer a minute, yer stayin' put this time..."

"I'm sorry Val, I knew you'd be mad... I tried, really! Zed told you right, if I didn't do anything they would have killed Umbra... Was that Stable-pony ok?"

"I don't care 'bout that ungrateful Stable bitch or that stubborn mare! Dumb enough ta go there alone, would'a been what she deserved! Don't get me started on that zebra neither..." Her tail slapped the thin carpet as she seethed, glancing back to the door to make sure Glitter was still occupied.

Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Zed yet. Val said he had been helping her search the library, so I had assumed everything was alright as far as he was concerned, that didn't sound like it was the case though. "Why are you mad at him? Where is he anyway?"

She pounced at that, literally and figuratively... landing over me with a squawk and narrowing her eyes. "He left you there!! Ran off an' left ya, come slinkin' back with his tail between his legs ta tell us they took ya away! Only reason I ain't sharpenin' my claws on his backside was so he could help look for ya! Now that yer back, smart if he's layin' low..."

Sighing wearily, I pushed Val back and started struggling out from under the covers. "I told him to run Val, no reason for both of us to get caught. Don't be mad at him, he actually agreed with you about Umbra."

"Not good enough, an where ya think yer goin' boss?" Her claws grabbed me by my mane, arresting any progress I was making towards getting out of bed.

"Ow... Bathroom Val, and a hot shower. I walked most of the way back, I think I can manage across the room... Unless you want to carry me and watch."

Glitter had returned and crawled back up into the bed, giggling uncontrollably at the half joking sarcasm. She still found it delightfully ludicrous, but I wasn't sure if I was kidding by the way Val followed me and took up a guard at the bathroom door, absently shoving a paw in the doorway to prevent it from closing as I passed.

Jade had left medicine and clean bandages in the bathroom on a small tray, the scissors also left there made getting free of this set of bandages a great deal easier than using my knife at least. Soaking up the warmth from the steaming water pouring over my coat, I felt almost like myself again. The hot water unkinked my muscles, some vigorous scrubbing washed the mud, grime and blood from my mane and tail, even the pulsating lumps creeping down my sides seemed to relax.

Afterwards I floated a threadbare towel up to the foggy mirror, wiping a wide swath clear so I could face my reflection. The red eyes looking back were a little bloodshot, the mane a bit shaggy, scars marked my charcoal coat here and there. Looking at myself head on, I appeared to have put on some weight at first glance too. The tumors hopefully on their way to being wings added a couple inches around the middle, giving a more barrel-chested impression.

Otherwise it was still basically the same pony that had looked back from the mirror in my room in Stable 111 a few lifetimes ago. My horn looked as it should, albeit a bit itchy. My winged clock cutie mark was just where it should be. No sign of extra heads or tentacles so far...

"Aw... awww boss no..." Val's voice spoke in a hush behind me, making me yelp in surprise and scramble to hide under my towel. She had slipped inside while I was distracted, gasping as she shut the door behind her with a click.

Watching that devastated expression take over her normally cheery face hurt, my cheeks burned and I hid under my hooves in embarrassment and whimpered. "I-It's not as bad as it looks... R-Really, I felt worse when we met Val. I wish you hadn't... d-don't look anymore, please? I know I'm deformed, nobody else needs to see..."

The stunned griffon punched my shoulder out of reflex, surprising me by following up with a clutching lunge of a hug, speaking in a choked sob. "S-Shut up! I don't care... aw boss... how'd you let em do this to you? If I hadn't let you go by yerself... you can't die boss, t-the kid and Blue ain't the only ones who need ya to stick around ya know! Gawd dammit!"

This was one of the first times I had seen Val's happy mask completely crack, the raw voice behind it clearly one that knew the pain of loss and wasn't coping with the prospect well. I tried to just sit still under her shuddering embrace and let her get through it, knowing I was hurting her like this was worse than any of the symptoms.

"Y-You got that backwards Val, I'm always the one that needs you, remember? I know my h-happy go lucky mercenary isn't being a crybaby over me, j-just teasing me right? Besides, Jade will figure something out, who knows, maybe it will work right? Y-You can teach me to use these things..." I sniffled and stroked her side, pointing to the vaguely 'wing-like' lumps on my back with a weak grin.

That got her to snicker sadly, snuffling and yanking my towel away to blow her beak like a trumpet. "S-Sure boss, teach ya to fly... I'm sure that'll go great, yer such an athlete on the ground an' all... Ugh, I need a drink..."

"Me too... Look Val, don't cry... please? Even at the worst, I have a few days yet, I want to spend them with everyone being as happy as we can together. Now that I've taken a whole day off, there are other things to do that I can manage with help, your help especially. The wasteland doesn't stop being awful just because I'm sick, going to watch my back for me partner?"

She gave an unsteady smile in return, wrapping her foreleg around my neck and shaking me playfully. "K-Kinda hard to drag the eyes away from it with it all uncovered boss... Kidding! har har... Yeah boss, we're in the party capitol of the Commonwealth, worse places to wait it out huh? N-No fair tryin' ta wiggle outta payin' me though, been bidin' my time, no ruinin' all of it I put in by keelin' over! Y-You turn into one of them alicorns the right way, makes ya more valuable, little roll in the hay be more fun when ya got wings too!"

It was weak, sad joking, but it was still better than watching her bubbling with directionless anger. A hint of blush showed through her already red face and she planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek, scooping up the waiting fresh bandages and helping me rewrap my chest without complaint.

Just one more case where I knew honesty was supposed to be the right path, never easy, but right according to the world I grew up in. Yet again honesty didn't just seem harder than lying though, it was crueler...

The rest of the evening passed a great deal more positively. Jade and her trio of sisters that had been staying with us came back as the last glow of twilight was fading from the sky. I got the idea it was actually her sisters that took the lead for once, dragging her from her work in the clinic. They helped carry up an amazing assortment of take out dishes from the Tasty Treat, making a production of seeing me again and filling the lull in conversation over dinner.

That nagging pain between my eyes still made me nervous around Ivy, but I wasn't bombarded with her whispering voice in my head this time. I kept catching her watching me with a curious expression from the corner of my eye, but she didn't mention anything and kept her comments light.

The three of them added to my picture of what had happened in my absence and I tried to take it all in, quietly considering everything. Their leader's sudden change of attitude had really turned things around for them, now all the alicorns were open to dipping their hooves into the outside world, and Ivy, Peri and Magnolia were practically experts on the subject compared to the rest.

At least one of the trio had been staying in town with Glitter during all the excitement over the last day, making sure she had more than just protection provided by AssaultJack, but company that cared about her to fill the time with too. Thanks to their efforts to keep the filly from worrying too much, they had explored the town quite a bit with the little tour guide to play with.

Magnolia had spent the most time in Goodneighbor, I had seen her impressive combat skills before, but always had the feeling she didn't like fighting that much. The singing alicorn wasn't a pacifist like Jade, but she was an artist, more comfortable creating music than destroying ponies.

She had fought in the battle at the library like the rest of her sisters, but her time here was better spent from what I heard. Suddenly her kind were interacting with the world at large, and she was a wonderful spokespony for them. Hearing her sweet voice raised in song helped a lot of ponies feel less frightened and more open towards the alicorns now feeling their way along in rejoining the Commonwealth.

Peri was still her odd self, enjoying how things had gone quite a bit by her smile and pleased recounting. She had added a thick, dark blue scarf to her Minutemare hat, a place to pin the tarnished medal with the crossed rifle and lightning bolt symbol of the group. The strange blue alicorn had been promoted from honorary member to first official alicorn Minutemare, the main go between for Trinity Tower and the protectors of the common ponies.

Several of her sisters from the tower had also expressed interest in joining the Minutemares now, thanks to her example and their actions during the fighting. From what I gathered there were some pretty mixed feelings about the Brotherhood of Friendship among them, but all involved seemed to like the Minutemares, taken with the idea of being welcome to join if they chose so. Peri was leading the way on that score, proof there was a place for any who wanted it.

Ivy sounded the busiest, her experience, patience and kindness had made her an indispensable diplomat and she had been speaking to several different groups in the Commonwealth on behalf of the Trinity Tower alicorns. Of course being a mind reader made her a shrewd negotiator too, a skill she had been using dealing with the ponies of Goodneighbor most of all.

Now the mare formerly 'compromised' in Umbra's eyes by her contact with the outside, was indispensable to the leader of the tower, kept busy and practically Umbra's second in command. She assured me Umbra was eager to speak to me again, turned away with Swan and all the others until I was allowed visitors.

Shamrock had been true to his claims, he found his new tourists delightful and was working with them fairly. Setting out ground rules for the first new visitors with Ivy's help, informing the residents of his town about their needs and... eccentricities, asking them all to be good neighbors.

He had even offered to arrange jobs for some of the alicorns if they wanted them. Considering they had no caps to spend here really, it was mostly self interest of course. But working, earning pay and spending it were all major 'normal pony' things to do, the experience was sure to be good for the isolated mares so long as they weren't taken advantage of.

The ghoul mayor had been another on the list of ponies waiting for me to be cleared by my beautiful doctor to speak with him. Jade muttered distractedly at the mention of our host's request and other things piling up for me to do, picking at her food and dismissing the idea of me doing anything other than staying in bed.

The tip of her horn glowed subtly and I could hear the clicks of pip-buck controls from her leg under the table, her blue eyes scanned the air in front of her and I caught her lips moving silently while the rest of us talked and ate. She wasn't great at using her pip-buck, but had apparently been growing more comfortable operating the arcano-tech computer on her leg, trying to keep working during the meal without Glitter noticing.

Zed still hadn't shown up either, the empty chair by Ivy at the end of the long dining table kept drawing my eye. Where was the dour zebra? Val's annoyance with him still concerned me and I wondered where he was hiding. Another thing to look into later, I just had to convince Jade to let me do more than laze around all day while Moondancer's potion kept taking me apart...

That wasn't looking very easy either... As the evening wore on and I drank in the contentment of being home, Jade continued her distracted reading, barely joining in the conversation or fun. We told stories, laughed and joked, pooled Glitter's and my own toys to play together in the floor, listened to the radio and Magnolia singing along with it, all with the big blue alicorn sitting apart and desperately working alone.

Getting a look at how my condition had been hurting Val was bad enough, realizing Jade was struggling to maintain her forced, calm demeanor was worse. Tired bags hung under her eyes and she rubbed them frequently, straining to pour over the text in her vision no one else could see. Her melodic voice was strained and cracked when she was dragged into joining our conversation, repeatedly sighing or sniffling to herself when she thought no one was paying attention. Her hooves and anything held in her pale blue magic trembled slightly, spilling her drink over dinner twice and dropping a number of objects in her grip.

She joined me in putting Glitter to bed at least, taking turns to read one last story that eventually knocked her out, her little hoof still insistently making contact with mine and a sleepy frown marring her face when I extracted myself. With the foal asleep, Jade nudged me along back to our own bed, anxiously trying to tuck me in like the little filly and leave for her clinic again immediately, after taking more blood and other samples.

She was in such a rush I had to lunge after her, grabbing her soft, strawberry scented tail in my mouth and mumbling around it when she was stopped short. "Mmmff! Nope, no running off, get in bed with me!"

Her ears drooped and she shuffled in place, giving a worried whinny and finally sitting beside me, near the edge with her back straight and one hindleg in contact with the floor, clearly ready to bolt at the first opportunity. I leaned against her side and wrapped her foreleg up in my own, pulling insistently towards the middle of the big bed.

"All the way Jade... no running off again, no more reading either..." I gently shoved her pip-buck back down before she could return to it, my magic awkwardly pulling at her lab coat to tug it away.

She gave an exasperated sigh and scooted a little closer, shrugging her coat back up on her shoulder and tapping her hooves together in front of her, her eyes darting down to me but unable to stay fixed on my own as she whispered back. "V-Very well... for a little while only Fast. I must return to my work... I... I am making p-progress!..."

That unconvincing smile and tremor to her voice just reminded me how bad she was at lying. I ignored her complaint and returned to pulling her clothing away insistently, leaning up to kiss her neck and every few inches of her silky coat that was revealed by shoving the lab coat down her shoulders.

"I wasn't dreaming of getting back to you for your doctoring skills Jade, you've been out all day working yourself into the ground. I want to spend time with you, especially while I'm feeling better and we're alone together..."

That got her to stop fidgeting to get away at least, a rosy blush lit her cheeks and she turned to stare directly at me finally, stammering and shaking her head. "Fast! Y-You are sick! No condition to... to e-exert yourself! Stop being silly, g-go to sleep so I can get back to work saving you! There will be time enough for us when you a w-well again!"

Planting another kiss at her collar, I looked up to her shimmering eyes and snorted sadly, shaking my head. "Jade... Not that I don't believe in you or anything, but I might not get well... This might be all the time I have left, I don't want to waste it and you shouldn't either."

I spoke soothingly and softly, surprised at her violent reaction when she leapt up at the suggestion, spreading her wings and stamping her hooves on the mattress, bouncing me from the sheets under her. "NO! You may not say such things! You may not think them!! You will be fine! I WILL NOT LOSE YOU!"

I was glad the expensive pre-war suite was still fairly soundproof, Jade's goddess voice reverberated off the walls as she loomed over me. Her graceful neck leaning down to put her slightly dragonish blue eyes level with my red ones, panting in agitation with all four legs spread wide over me, her wings stretched to the canopy of the round bed in a pose of absolute negation.

Letting her shaky breathing fill the silence for a moment, I smiled and booped her nose, making her cross her eyes and blink in surprise before following up with a kiss, short circuiting the rare display of anger. "I don't want to go anywhere either Jade, it still might happen. Really it could any old day in the wasteland, ponies die every day, without doing some of the dumb things I do.

If it does happen, I don't want what time I have left totally obsessed with it ok? Watching how it's just eating into you and Val, sitting around like an invalid and waiting for it, that's not living Jade. Those aren't the memories I want to leave behind either, being angry and sad and scared until it's over.

Don't leave me, please Jade... Lie down and let it go, you're the best medicine for me there is, it'll be alright."

Her ears and wings drooped slowly, tears spilling over her cheeks and her lip quivering before she finally broke down. She collapsed to the the bed beside me, furling her wings and wrapping her legs around me tightly, burying her face in my mane as she whimpered out her pent up emotions. "I cannot f-find anything! P-Purging it like Taint will only work directly a-after exposure! Nothing I do h-has any effect! E-Everything I try leaves me feeling more helpless! I am filled with such hate for Dr. Dala I can scarcely see straight when I think of her, I wish to find her and hurt her, over and over again... "

"Sssh, it's ok Jade, we're together and it'll all work out somehow... don't cry..."

With the dam burst, I let her get it all out of her system, stroking her back and nuzzling her damp cheeks, making soft, reassuring noises until she cried herself out. We laid entwined with each other like that for quite some time, her sniffles dying down slowly and her breathing smoothing back out, the pounding of her heart against my chest eventually becoming slow and regular.

Moving on from nuzzling back to tenderly kissing down her neck met with a better reception this time, getting her to slowly uncurl and stretch beside me languidly as I reached her chest. Running a hoof down her long side gently made her murmur despite herself, a worried look crossing her lidded eyes as her head lifted from the pillows.

"You are still sick Fast... M-Much as I may like it, p-physical exertion is not good for you..." The big blue filly under me objected reluctantly, not much conviction behind her concern and allowing me to push her back to her pillow.

"Then I'll just have to take it easy and slow then. You have a long list of attention to get lavished with I promised myself to get to when I got back, those thoughts kept me going, so you can just lie back and enjoy it..."

Continuing the slow trail of kisses down her chest and stomach pulled a long, luxuriant sigh from her and her objections melted away. She was right that I was too weak to give a very energetic performance, a lot of time and loving attention to detail made up for it though. All I wanted was to wipe away the tension and fear that had been mounting as she worked alone all day, my mouth and roaming hooves were enough for that.

Focusing exclusively on her for hours managed that much and then some, the clamorous culmination making me again thankful sound didn't carry out of the bedroom very well.

Once she loosened her reflexive grip holding me in place, I crawled back up to lie beside her sweaty, spread-eagle form draped over the bulk of the large bed. Thankfully I had a few minutes to catch my breath and try to massage my spasming jaw before she stretched and rolled over with a long, serene purr, nuzzling affectionately.

"Feel better now?"

Jade giggled and cooed in my ear, "O-Oh yessss... Er... I am still u-upset you know... i-it is merely difficult to hold on to at the moment... I refuse to give up on finding a cure, but... I will not allow it to consume me... I suppose you will insist on ignoring your doctor's sound medical advice again tomorrow?"

"What, for this? Definitely! Or you mean just in general?" I grinned over to her, enjoying her flustered squeak before continuing more seriously. "If it won't bother you too much, yes I had some thoughts. We kind of owe Mayor Shamrock, I should try to make some headway on what he asked for and I can do that without leaving town. I'd also like to be able to go out with Glitter, play the games and go shopping with her. We should probably go to Trinity Tower soon too right? I did get that compatibility potion, they deserve to know..."

I flipped through the bizarre list of 'Missions' on my pip-buck outlining my vague plans as I related them. That was just a small part of the backlog listed, I had been dividing it between things I could conceivably accomplish before the end of the week, and things I hoped I'd be able to get to after...

Telling the alicorns in the Commonwealth about the potion Moondancer had kept from them was only part of that job for instance, some of the samples of the potion and the files I stole about it needed to get back to the rest of her sisters in Equestria too. To do that I'd either have to go see Paladin Dance and Scribe Wind back in Manebridge to use their transmitter again, or go to the distant white spire of the S.P.P. glowing mellowly in the moonlight outside the window.

The mysterious question of the Railroad and Angel, the synth who saved me, was a hanging thread too. I owed the artifical alicorn mare my freedom and was intensely curious about the secretive group I first encountered in Bunker Hill, but I had no idea where they were. The Rainbow Trail I had been told to follow could stretch for miles through and even above downtown Trotson, I had done enough trudging around aimlessly to get back here.

I even idly wondered about Fancy and Freya. Had they found each other? If the former Overmare really cared about Neighson Svengallop and he was in danger, she was trying to fight another Institute Division Head by opposing Vega to help him. Did that mean we were on the same side still? The spoiled mare had plenty of personality problems and had done awful things, but we escaped together, survived together. It was hard not to feel some concern for her, wherever she was now.

Jade arched a sleepy eyebrow up to stare dubiously, able to follow the track of my unspoken thoughts as well as one of her green sisters. Wait... if my brain really was getting rewired, would she be able to do that literally?! I shuddered at the thought of being even more of an open book than I was already when it came to her, I'd never get away with anything!

My internal panic was thankfully interrupted by her tired huff as she snuggled closer, willing to focus on the things I said rather than those left unsaid. "I suppose you are correct... You may not leave town without me, or go anywhere alone however. You must return to my clinic frequently as well, your condition needs to be monitored. I will speak with Ivy and the others, I am sure they will not mind adding to your escort. You may have visitors as well, there are quite a few who have been waiting patiently."

Nodding my agreement happily, I hugged Jade tightly in gratitude. There was still a fearful mote hiding in the depths of her loving gaze, but she looked and sounded much better, more herself again. "Whatever you say Princess, your loyal knight obeys."

She giggled and met me in a kiss, smiling as we parted while her eyes grew troubled and serious. "That is good Sir Fast, there is one other thing... When we do speak with Umbra and the others at Trinity Tower... I-I believe it would be best if you did not tell them everything about your condition..."

"Umm... ok? You usually don't like lying though Jade, especially to your sisters... Why shouldn't I tell them?"

Her blue wing curled around me possessively and her eyes set in a determined frown as she muttered a response. "J-Just being optimistic Fast. If Dr. Dala's version of the I.M.P. does work... y-you may wish to keep it private, or I may..."

That was cryptic... but whatever, I'd trust her judgement when it came to her sisters. Who knew how they'd take it if they found out Moondancer had another version of the potion that created them, they hadn't taken her legion of twisted mutants very well.

After sharing a comfortable silence and getting close to dozing off together, my traitorous stomach grumbled loudly, the gurgling noise causing Jade's eyes to flutter back open in surprise. I managed to convince her to stay put and return to the first wisps of sleep, dragging myself away from her to go poke around in the main room to raid the leftovers still out there.

I crept through the dark living room of the Princess Celestia Suite, easily picking my way across the floor with the glow of Goodneighbor filtering through the full length windows making up one wall. It had gotten late while I was absorbed showering Jade with attention, the mostly soft sounds of the others sleeping difficult to hear over Val's snoring.

Sticking my nose in the small fridge by the bar, I piled the offerings I found inside on a plate floating beside me, adding a glowing red bottle of Sparkle Cola and ducking back out, shutting the door with a bump of my flank. I turned to leave the way I came and stopped short, the strip of bacon sticking out of my mouth nearly lost in surprise at the zebra standing by the door out in the dark.

"You are safe... good." Zed's deep voice sounded raspy and unsteady, the pool of shadow he stood in made getting a good look at the muscular stallion difficult too.

"Gah! T-There you are Zed, you startled me. You doing ok? Did you find anything about your brother?"

The silence that stretched out was doubly uncomfortable with his face hidden in shadow like that, not that I ever got a lot out of the stern zebra's limited range of expressions anyway, but at least I could usually see him. Finally he croaked back an answer, a strange tone in his deep voice. "You ask about... Are you not angry?"

"Angry? Not really... why would I be? I've been wondering where you've been hiding out, I saw everybody but you at dinner."

Zed walked forward slowly, coming a few steps into the light so I could see the stunned look in his grey eyes lingering on my bandages, the mud and gore covering his armored leather jacket, the numerous hastily bandaged wounds and bruises... I'd never seen the zebra in such a state, it was strange enough to make me immediately concerned.

His odd behavior only increased when he suddenly dropped his head to the floor, his hindlegs curled under him and his forelegs planted to either side of his head in some strange zebra kneel, his eyes remained fixed on the floor as he spoke in a choked rush. "I abandoned you... You are ill because of it and I am dishonored. The Starseer told me this would happen, that I would leave a... friend in favor of my obsession, that they would suffer for it, be disfigured... I am sorry Fast."

Starseer? Oh... Mama Xara... She must have given him one of her cryptic prognostications, I never figured out her prophecies until after the fact anyway, it seemed silly for him to be upset over failing to do so either. "H-Hey, c'mon Zed, quit doing that. I told you to leave remember? You're not responsible for me doing stupid things, you got out and told the others right? So there's nothing to..."

Zed interrupted and plowed ahead, determined to take some blame for some reason. "After I continued investigating the library for quite some time, yes. I sought the artifact I have been looking for first and foremost, then my brother, only then could I be bothered to... I told myself I was trying to find where they were holding you, that you were prisoner in their Cathedral still and I should locate you, those were convenient excuses for continuing my search of the library, but lies...

My priorities have been twisted, you and the others have suffered for my failings. I did return to the others and inform them what happened, eventually... When I did so your mare and the griffon were justifiably furious with me, Miss Jade in particular shamed me. You have tried to be a friend Fast, and in return I have kept all of you at a distance, refused to share my secrets or even explain myself, abandoned you when I should have fought at your side.

I beg your forgiveness Fast Times, on my honor as a Venator Noctis, allow me to repay my debt somehow."

Wow... Zed never spoke so much, or sounded so contrite. Since he still had his face planted to the floor, I sat down with a groan beside him and scratched my mane in thought. What happened to me had hurt Jade and Val, encouraging me to continue keeping it from Glitter, seeing that it had an effect even on the gruff zebra was a shock.

It was the most progress I had ever made trying to be friends with him too, his stand-offish nature always made me think I had been failing his grandfather Zin in Hexington. The zebra elder's request to befriend his grandson felt impossible sometimes, I wasn't exactly a social butterfly myself, so it had been one blunder after another.

Or so I thought anyway, apparently Zed did consider me a friend... he was trying at least.

"Seriously Zed, you gotta get up, you're freaking me out kneeling like that. Umm... I forgive you alright? I still don't see a big problem, I did tell you to get away, and that I didn't blame you if you looked for your brother, that's what you've been trying to do for so long and we finally had a lead to follow.

I don't get what you feel so bad about, but this is important to you right? So no problem, you're forgiven. I hope we'll be better friends from now on. As for the whole 'repay your debt' thing... I can't think of anything to ask for. Well... I miiiight need a weird favor, but it probably won't come up, only if I turn into one of those dumb, genderless mutant alicorns like at the Church of Balefire."

Finally getting back to his hooves, Zed amazingly cracked a wry smile, thinking I was joking about the bizarre scenario. "Oh? What is it you need, if such an unlikely event were to occur?"

I tried to keep my voice light to answer and keep up the illusion of just kidding around, giving Zed a hoofbump and turning to head back to bed. My reply managing to pull a chuckle from the zebra stallion waving good night in the shadows.

"Someone to kill me."

------------------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------------------------

The Magic of Friendship--------------------------
You made it back to your friends and loved ones! The emotional reunion and facing your own mortality together has strengthened your bonds, whatever the future holds. When your HP or the HP of any member of your party drops below 30%, all members of your party (including yourself) gain much greater resistance to damage.

Ch. 44-- How Little We Know

"Good morning everypony out there in the Commonwealth! This is Traveling Miles on Diamond City Radio, hoping my dulcet tones are reaching you all safe and sound now that the dust is settling. In what a certain home town reporter-mare is already calling the 'Balefire Crusade', downtown Trotson is a different place than it was just a couple days ago.

After a ferocious battle with the creepy Church of Balefire, the Trotson Public Library is now completely under the control of the Brotherhood of Friendship. Escapees from the battle have been spotted throughout the area, so anypony out that way should keep an eye out for the green robed zealots.

Whatever you think of the armored outsiders, they've struck a blow against the Institute by taking out the front they were hiding behind, and that's worth a cheer in my opinion. Of course they didn't do it alone, the Minutemares and the Followers are still in the area to help those caught up in the fighting, and of course there's what everybody's talking about, the mares from Trinity Tower...

Unfortunately the nobility of the great green jewel in all their wisdom... have decided to lump the alicorns of the Commonwealth in with the other 'undesirables' not good enough to grace our city... Personally I think they're a little gun shy after Princess Jade told them off, can't have more alicorns come in and rock the boat too right?...

Our continuing stupidity is Goodneighbor's gain, the pretty mares are regularly visiting their closest neighbor now, and there's talk that not only is a wider area around their home safer for anypony passing through, but that they're willing to accept visitors for the first time!

With the big annual Nightmare Night party in Goodneighbor only a few days away too, you loyal listeners will have to forgive your faithful DJ a day off so I can visit the more enlightened town, and see a certain special somepony out there! For now, here's a little Sweetie Belle to start your day off right...."

Goodneighbor was not a morning kind of town... These were ponies that partied long into the night, most of the residents and visitors were sleeping it off when we stepped out of the Wing Ding Circus casino into the bright, chilly morning. Even with things relatively quiet this early, I couldn't help goggling all around at some of the changes and dragging my hooves, insistently urged towards Jade's new clinic by the doctor alicorn and my entourage.

Glitter bounded around us as we walked, vibrant and full of energy as soon as her pink eyes popped open with the sun, bundled in a jacket over her pink dress against the fall air. I shared Goodneighbor's opinion of mornings and yawned, scratching at the itch constantly crawling under my skin and adjusting the ratty old bathrobe I wore to cover my bandages. The delay earned an impatient nudge from the big blue alicorn behind me. Val led the way, fully armored and armed, eyeing any of the relatively few residents on the streets who came too close.

I really didn't expect trouble, most of the activity this early was being performed by bored support workers, busily getting to the work behind all the fun in the evenings as efficiently as possible. Bags of trash that clinked of empty bottles were floated or bucked out of various establishments to waiting carts, hoses dribbling radioactive water washed the blood from the floors and streets, an (hopefully only) unconscious reveler occasionally swept out to the gutter as well.

A fair number of workers in the pink jumpsuits of the mayor's own casino were busy around town too, carrying ladders and hanging decorations. One of the dark new flags unfurled from a lightpost as we walked by, the image of the mare in the moon faded but easy to recognize. They were getting ready for Nightmare Night... I had hoped the fun holiday was still celebrated in the world, seeing the night of tricks and treats that had been canceled by balefire the last time I could really enjoy it brought a smile to my face.

I saw a makeshift market had opened down one of the side streets dominated by a large pawn shop, the numerous stands and carts trading in more mundane things the businesses here would need regularly, a few merchants selling produce they had grown or salvaged food, alcohol, drugs and assorted junk from the ruins of Trotson. They must clear off the streets once business picked up in town, I guessed being up early could be tolerated to go take a look... once I was done at the Followers clinic anyway.

The old Helpinghoof Clinic had been thoroughly cleaned in my absence, several repairs still waited my attention which drew my focus while Jade poked and prodded at me, but it was in much better shape. The pink cross and butterfly mark adopted by the Followers of the Apocalypse had been proudly painted and restored where it was displayed, even the buzzing yellow sign outside with the pink neon version had been cleaned and fixed.

I briefly wondered how so much was done, until I heard the soft snores from some of the closed off rooms. The young lilac unicorn mare who had been on duty at the front desk we passed on our way in must not be the only Follower here, Jade had volunteers in town to run the place already.

The one outside the exam room I waited in even sounded like she could weakly cast the Taint purge spell from the snatches of conversation I picked up. Well enough to try on more of the samples Jade had sucked, clipped or pinched out of me anyway, I felt vaguely like a pincushion and was anxious to get out of here.

After another hour of tests and spells cast on me, she finally gave a reluctant sigh and wrapped my chest in fresh bandages, helping me shrug back into my bathrobe and pronouncing me free to go. "It is progressing, that is all I can say... Your immune system response is being supressed, but you will still feel and look ill. You may not overly exert yourself, and no more than one Med-X every three hours, that is already too much and you risk addiction, but you have extenuating circumstances..."

Hopping off the exam table in relief, I put my hat back on and leaned up to give her a reassuring kiss. "I'll try to keep it down to as little as possible. You're not going to overwork yourself at this right? We're having lunch together and seeing your sisters this evening?"

Her voice was still stressed with worry as she walked me back to the doors, putting on a smile when Glitter jumped up from her clearly boring vigil, waking Val up from her sprawling nap across several of the uncomfortable waiting chairs. She scooped the foal up from the flying tackle that would have bowled me over, easily tossing her up in a hug and nodding. "Yes... I will be fine and see you all soon. I am making arrangements for travel to the Tower for you, we should be able to go as planned. Take care of him for me you two, do not allow him to find trouble..."

Val ruffled my mane under my hat and nodded, "You got it Blue, he'll behave. C'mon kiddo, let's get outta her way sos she can work."

Thankfully Glitter didn't seem to pick up on the griffon's more serious demeanor, bounding out with us without a care. Hiding the truth from the little filly was hard, but watching how Jade and Val had been dealing with it confirmed my belief it was for the best. They both knew about the Institute's version of the I.M.P. currently mutating me into... something... and while they seemed to be handling it better today, I couldn't inflict that on my foal.

Walking back out of the clinic, I paused on the sidewalk in thought, going over what I needed to look into and watching as Glitter ran over to the funny stand added to the the front of the Friendly Foal's Orphanage across the street. The herd of tiny 'Filchers', as they liked to be called, had cobbled together a simple counter and sign beside the gates to their home, looking strangely like a neighborhood lemonade stand kids might build when I was their age back before the war, and staffed with a few sleepy looking foals.

The childish cutout held above the wooden counter made me smile, the wings and head of a cartoon blue alicorn, wearing an impossibly big smile and a sloppy crown of hearts in her fluffy pale blue mane. The crude stand's sign even had a few strategically placed backwards letters, adding to the cute factor in what I had no trouble believing to be a coldly calculated bit of advertising;

"Friendly Foals Tour Guides! Confused? Curious? You need a guide!"

More happy paintings and crayon drawings plastered over every surface of the stand illustrated the basic premise of the clever business. Cartoon alicorns of every color drawn in the process of doing a number of activities, eating, paying a bag of caps, playing games, each illustration featured a tiny pony next to the big alicorn shown doing something new.

Glitter engaged the trio of foals working at the stand in an animated bit of conversation I left her to, flipping through my pip-buck notes while I waited. I had to give it to whoever came up with that idea, even if it was probably that annoying little brat Wicket that taught my daughter how to steal...

Jade's sisters were new to going to pony towns, my time with Ivy, Peri and Magnolia showed me how difficult it was for them to fit in and how confusing they could find it. The orphans of Goodneighbor were a great fit to help them, nearly every alicorn I had met held a fondness for foals to some degree. The Filchers were incredibly street savvy too, a skill the new tourists lacked entirely. Pairing them up was a stroke of genius.

Glitter returned while I was thinking of all the benefits to the business idea, waving to her little friends and apologizing breathlessly. "Sorry daddy! Just wanted ta see how it was goin'!"

I nodded to the stand and smiled back, "Spend as much time with your friends as you want sweetie. That's a really smart idea, I bet it'll work really well."

A blush lit her pale cheeks and she shuffled her hooves with a pleased whinny. "Y-You really think so? I w-wanted to help an' I like hangin' out with all mom's sisters, I thought the other kids would too..."

"You came up with that?!" I exclaimed in surprise, startling the filly with concern she had done wrong until I lifted her into a tight hug. "Wow! I knew you were smart about business stuff, but that is brilliant honey! And I thought that brat came up with it to try to cash in. Come to think of it though, Jade's sisters don't really have caps, how are they paying the tour guides?"

Glitter positively beamed and turned beet red at the praise, giggling when I let her go and answering with pride. "It depends, they don't charge up front! I thought my aunts might need help to make caps ta pay with an' stuff, so the Filchers just ask for something in return for their work. Like food, stuff ta sell from outside, or just time like castin' magic an stuff to help the orphanage. That way everypony gets somethin' aaaand the Filchers have something else ta do that isn't stealing..."

"That's great Glitter, that's a smart idea that will help a lot of ponies, good job! Your aunts though?"

I worried her slender chest was going to pop the way it puffed out like that, her face turned a little redder before she shook it off and continued in a whisper. "Well they're all mommy's sisters right? Aunts. I just tried ta think of what you'd do dad. Plus maybe they'll like the guides so much they'll wanna adopt them! They might find a parent, an' mom's sisters might find a foal... T-Then those kids will be as lucky as me..."

I booped her nose and nodded sagely, "And those mares would be as lucky as me. I'm really proud of you sweetie!"

Val grabbed the filly in a headlock and made her squeal under all the noogies, kicking her legs and laughing at the griffon's fake gruffness. "Yeah, yeah, don't get a big head like yer pop kiddo! One of ya all fulla themselves helpin' others is enough! So, what's first anyway boss, said ya had to go tinkerin' all over the place?"

Thinking back to my trip here, my current highest priority was easy enough to pinpoint. "Ammo... Getting ammo is first, let's go shopping."

The biggest weapon shop in Goodneighbor was unfortunately owned by the King's gang, a group I wasn't on very friendly terms with, which made restocking my limited supplies harder than it had to be. Glancing over towards the King's Gambit and adjacent Sugar Rush, I noticed a tense undercurrent to things in town again, despite the recent positive changes.

The barely legitimized gang in the black and white barding were more on guard than before, glaring daggers at their opposites wearing the pink armor of the Goodneighbor guards. Their casino did a subdued business, the street between the King's Gambit and the M.O.M. hub felt like a nopony's land, a demilitarized zone just waiting for the first spark... Their unfriendly attitude was made clear by their own new sign outside their doors, not cute and clever like the Filcher's tour guide service, but about the same subject.

"NO ALICORNS"

I stopped in the street and stared at the stark missive, a few of the pompadour maned kings noticing my angry look and keeping their weapons trained on me. Considering the instant fire in my eyes I could feel burning their way, I couldn't blame them for being cautious, the dark shroud in my head was volunteering a number of ways to make them pay for that slight.

Val noticed me steaming and got between me and the sign, nudging me along with a huff. "Didn't think everything would be sunshine and rainbows, did'ja boss?"

"But why!? What do they have against alicorns? T-They're new customers, shouldn't they be happy about that?" I fumed over my shoulder, agreeing with Glitter's response of sticking her tongue out at the... the racists!

Giving a long suffering, patient sigh, Val chuckled and explained it for me. "No boss, they're new players... Shamrock told ya this place is a balancing act, throwin' a new group into the mix is gonna cause problems. Specially when that group is a bunch'a oversized mares that just proved they can do some serious damage if they want, mare's that are talkin' and workin' with the Mayor, that like the current Mayor no less. Even worse when you an' Blue are the ones helpin' bring em here and messin' with the whole status quo thing ta begin with."

Glitter huffed and stuck her nose up, trotting regally at my side and ignoring the Kings she complained about. "But that's stupid! Mr. Shamrock's a good mayor! An' all my aunts are nice! Why does it matter that we helped get them to come?!"

"I know you don't think so kiddo, but yer folks have pissed off a looooootta bad ponies. Bad ponies who don't like ol' Shamrock in charge and are always tryin' to take over. They see the Mayor suddenly gettin' strong new friends an' it's makin' their assholes pucker." Val's colorful metaphor shocked a giggle out of the foal, overriding her efforts to stay mad as we neared the morning market.

She might be distracted, but I still stewed over that stark sign and its hateful message. I wanted things to work for the alicorns of Trinity Tower, I thought some ponies might have to get over some initial fear or mistrust, but to exclude them out of hoof like that? The Kings were rapidly rising on my list of ponies I didn't like...

Spotting a wing of the beautiful mares wandering around the market behind a boisterous little earth pony colt helped me calm down, they were sticking together and relying on their little tour guide, but I only saw cautious interest and genuine enjoyment, if they had seen the sign it didn't seem to bother them.

I considered chasing after them as they left the busy side street to say hello, but refrained for now for a few reasons. I didn't know this trio personally for one, I liked Jade's sisters, but just walking up to strange ponies and introducing myself still came hard. They were here on their own too, making their own way and enjoying themselves, I really shouldn't meddle in every little thing concerning alicorns. They didn't need me holding their hoof just to go shopping, for clothing judging by the stuffed saddlebags bulging with cloth they wore.

Mostly however, I kept my distance because it was a full wing of the exotic fillies, one of each color... including a green I'd never met. The warning twinge of pain between my eyes made me leery of getting close to greens... I was privately getting pretty worried about going to Trinity Tower and the field of unity surrounding it from the network of of green residents. I had to go and tell them about the compatibility potion though, better it was sooner rather than later, in case having my brain forcibly tuned to their wavelength got any worse.

As I guessed from first glance, most of the temporary shops on the street were dealing in consumables, restocking the casino's and restaurants' supplies before the evening rush. A group of rangy, muscular ponies in rough leathers and furs sold a variety of meat from a wagon, the butchered carcasses hanging from the tall sides. Hunters from out of town I guessed, they definitely didn't seem local, or like anypony to mess with, especially considering the vicious looking Minotaur with them...

Val didn't seem bothered or even interested in the carts and stalls we passed though, bulldozing a path through the crowd for me to follow leading towards a squat, two story building. The darkened neon sign added to the pre-war name read; 'Knick and Knack's- Pawn Shop'.

The walls of junk filling the gloomy building made me despair for my chances of properly restocking my depleted supplies, this place looked like it sold a little bit of everything, but wasn't much of a weapons shop. I shrugged and kept following Val into the maze of odds and ends, trusting her familiarity with Goodneighbor as we approached the sounds of an ongoing argument.

Rounding a corner comprised mostly of old toasters and coffee mugs, we found the source of the discussion in a pair of cobalt ponies a few years older than me. A lavender eyed unicorn mare with a teal and light blue striped mane, leaning over a cluttered counter in the back, and an earth pony stallion with similar colors tossing junk up to teetering piles on the shelves, though his mane was the reverse of hers, siblings maybe? They argued like it anyway...

"...mark my words Knack, they're gonna try something, just you watch dum dum! Why I bet... oh! Customers! Welcome to Knick an' Knack's, what can I... oh... hello Val..." The mare at the counter launched into a smooth sales patter that dried up when she noticed the griffon in front, turning to a bored drawl as she leaned a cheek against her hoof and waved dismissively to all the junk. "Before you ask, it's long gone. You knew the deal, didn't come back to repay the loan, we sell your stuff."

Val snorted and shook her head, "Yeah, yeah... figured as much, here ta spend caps anyway, no prob Knick."

Glitter found a heaping pile of old Nightmare Night costumes, decorations, plastic pumpkins and bags of stale candy, jumping into the junk with a happy squeal. The pair of shopkeepers watched her carefree 'shopping' a moment patiently, the stallion called after where she disappeared before addressing me gruffly. "Holiday pile's discounted fer foals... Now then, what do you want?"

I took another look at the mountains of junk filling the pawn shop without much hope. "I was looking for some ammunition, shotgun shells, .45s, 2mm EC if you have any..."

Neither moved to dig the ammo out of the chaos, the stallion Knack giving me a hard stare and ignoring Val's impatient huff. "Fancy ammo... Maaaaybe we can help, but why not just go to the Sugar Rush?"

"You're sending customers to the competition? Doesn't seem like a smart business tactic..."

The pair ignored my confusion, the unicorn mare tapping her hoof on the counter and giving a flat reply. "Answer the question..."

"Oooook... I'm not exactly welcome around the Kings alright? I wouldn't want to give them any of my caps even if I was." I gave them their answer in an annoyed grumble, I just wanted some ammo, why did I have to jump through hoops before they scrounged up whatever they had rolling around?

I was surprised at their reaction, visibly relaxing and becoming friendlier as soon as they heard my disdain for the Kings. Knick smiled and spread her hooves on the counter, her horn lighting up with dark purple magic that spread to the packed shelves behind her. A series of clicks and grinding gears sounded out in the cramped shop, the shelving sliding away to reveal a hidden room locked behind a cage.

The sheer amount of firepower hiding back there made my jaw drop, a gleaming closet of death, as tightly packed as the rest of the pawn shop, but much more orderly. Val rubbed her claws together greedily and flapped up to the counter in her way, perching on the already scratched surface to peer in the hidden chamber and chuckle down to me. "Knick and Knack are kinda picky 'bout who they sell the private stock to boss... Figured you wouldn't have no problems, told'ya this is the place to shop!"

I shook off my shock and nodded numbly, "R-Right... good call Val.. So you two don't like the Kings either? Why keep what you're selling secret?"

Knick laughed while she floated boxes of the ammunition types I had asked to the counter, arranging them by type and setting out a small selection of variant ammo of each type. "One is the answer to the other, so this is your famous boss Val? Little slow on the uptake isn't he?"

"Hey! Cut him some slack, boss is... sick. Though to be fair, yeah he's not great at the shady side of life, sorry boss. The Kings think they pretty much got a monopoly on the weapons trade round here, willing to pull some nasty stuff to keep it that way boss. Kings know these two are doin' it, but can't ever prove anything, Nick an' Knack only sell to trustworthy clients. Congratulations, yer in the club now!"

The stallion pulled Glitter from a collapse of plastic masks and ratty costumes in his teeth, patting her head and nodding. "Ayep, suggest you stock up too, me and sis here were just discussin' local politics so ta speak, trouble brewin' round here... Those mares comin' down from their tower is just the straw to break the camel's back."

Going over the offerings on the counter gave me a minute to think on that, Val might be right that I wasn't good at thinking along more criminal lines, but I could figure things out once explained to me like that. I had noticed the tension in the air surrounding the Kings, but Knick and Knack were locals and read the climate better, and they expected trouble...

With that in mind, along with the uncomfortable experience of running out of ammo still fresh in memory, I splurged on the offerings before me. Several drums worth of shotgun shells, including a box each of explosive, spark and buckshot varieties, plenty of .45s, armor piercing and hollow points among them and every 2mm EC round for my gauss rifle they had. I added a few grenades and parts to service all our weapons, making room for a bundle of musty costumes Glitter dumped to the counter hopefully.

At my nod to her purchases and questioning look, the shrewd little filly beamed and pushed me aside, stretching up to the counter to get down to business. She started even before Val was done adding her own items to the pile, haggling with such skill that her meager additions were already discounted down to nothing, Knick quickly flustered and trying to hold on to a profit for just the ammo.

"Where do you get all this stuff anyway? If the Kings control so much of the weapons trade and make their own, how do you have stuff to sell of this quality? Er... not to pry..." My curiosity faltered at the suspicious look it earned me from the siblings, Knick's wiped away on being forced to return to her negotiations with the foal.

Knack kept staring until Val waved him off, "Go on, boss is the most trustworthy pony yer gonna find, he usually looks the part a lil' better..."

The burly stallion snorted a laugh and took in my ratty bathrobe, shrugging to the griffon in acceptance. "Alright, expected a little more out of the Shrouded Stallion than a little pony in PJs, but if you say so Val. Got contacts with Dreadnot down the coast, funny folks, but they got the guns an' the skills. So, want anything else 'fore yer filly robs my sis blind? My bottlecap collection maybe? Barding off my back?"

My pip-buck chimed with 'Map Updated' in the corner of my eye as I provided the punchline for his gruff joke, scratching my mane and giving an unsteady laugh. "Er... actually... I had one more thing. Do you mind if I go to your roof? There's something I need to fix up there..."

Groaning in annoyance, I twisted and wriggled in the tight space again, trying to find a way back to the relays I needed to reattach without brushing the lumps growing down my sides, or squeezing under on my back. The tumorous growths were throwing off all my subconscious calculations in the cramped quarters, my middle was a couple inches wider than it should be.

At least Glitter couldn't see anything of my struggles except my rear hooves drumming against the roof uselessly... The access panel up here let me apply the first repair on a long list that was part of my... vaguely plan-ish thing. Knick and Knack had let us up here with some convincing, relaxing quite a bit when I pointed out the series of weathered boxes I wanted to tinker with and leaving us to it with no further complaints.

Finally the last newly cleaned connection was slotted back in place and I could inch my way back out, cursing each time my... 'wings'... jabbed into some sharp new corner or screw. Val watched me carefully from her perch at the edge of the roof, snickering at Glitter galloping around the brightly decorated boxes.

She tugged and pulled at the tattered bow on one of the metal presents, shouldering at the lid and shoving her legs behind her, grunting in frustration. "How come it won't open!? What are these big presents doin' here dad?"

I got back to my hooves and tried to catch my breath for a second before answering, winded from even so little effort. "They're actually called a 'Spell in a Box' sweetie, er.. spells in boxes, they won't open until they get told to by the computer back at the casino. It's part of a big grand opening party..."

"An' how many of these things ya gotta go fiddlin' around with boss? Not ta mention why?...." Val grumbled and peered down at the streets of Goodneighbor, waking up a little at a time around us.

"A few, this is the easy part too. I think I found a way into the Ministry of Morale hub, but it's complicated... I'll explain it all when we talk to Shamrock together, for now I just have to make a few repairs, look around and figure some things out to know if it will even work. There are more of these spell in a boxes all over Goodneighbor rooftops, they're in the worst shape since they're all outside."

Giving a tired grunt, Val grabbed my pip-buck leg in her claws and squinted at the screen, looking over the local map I had up and all the blinking objective markers. "All on the roofs? C'mon then, not goin' back down just sos we can climb back up somewhere else, you ain't s'posed to spend too much time doin' this junk, I'm speedin' things up!"

Before I had a chance to object, the griffon snatched Glitter and I up and launched herself off the roof. A few flaps of her wide wings brought us several buildings over, skidding to a halt in front of another set of rusty presents at the edge of an empty structure. Well... this was faster than going down to ask at each location, so long as we weren't caught... I opened the access panel on the stand leading under the set of faded boxes and stared down the tight quarters with a sigh.

"Glitter... I know you don't like fixing stuff as much as I do, but do you want to help me do this? Let me teach you a little bit and be my assistant?"

"Sure daddy! I should learn even if stuff is borin' or I won't use it right? Like pickin' pockets or medicine stuff from mom! You're sick so lemme help!" She might find the work boring, but the opportunity to help seemed to make up for it.

The little filly trotted into the crawlspace easily and took the tools I floated in after her in her mouth. I lit the space up with the glow of my magic and used it to pull free the first bad connection, explaining what to do. I really wished she liked this kind of thing as much as I did, I always felt a little bad I couldn't often share the wealth of knowledge I had on the subject with her, pass it on to my daughter like parents were supposed to.

It didn't take nearly as long with her eager help at least, without my magic I wouldn't be able to work nearly so well as the young earth pony could in the tight space, scraping the corrosion from the electronics with the wire brush in her mouth and clicking things back in place with her hooves.

Several short, hopping flights to other rooftops let us repeat the process efficiently. That crossed nearly all of these fixes off my list, though the larger array blinking on my map still would just have to wait, I didn't think the guards patrolling the roof on the King's Gambit casino would be very understanding...

By the time we were done, lunch was rapidly approaching and the activity in Goodneighbor had picked up appreciably. We stopped at the Red Rocket courier service on the way back to Jade's clinic, I had several letters to go out to the Commonwealth ready and waiting in my bags. As I gave instructions for where they should go and paid the light red pegasus mare at the counter, I was surprised and happy to see a medium purple alicorn watching from behind her waving at us, a battered old postal hat topping her short orange and violet streaked mane and a rainbow striped scarf wrapped around her long neck.

I called over to the tall mare as I finished my transaction with the young pegasus at the counter, "Umm... Hi! I don't think we've met, you're working here? I'm..."

"We know who you are! You are sister's! From the memories! We are Starling, Miss Jets is letting us work here yes! Can this be our first job boss? We would like to deliver something for this little pony..." The bright and happy voice the alicorn answered with made me feel good again about the changes they were going through, this one had a job and sounded excited about it.

The pegasus filly in charge eyed her employee warily, flipping through the envelopes I had turned over. "I don't know Starling... depends where it's going remember? Your first job, don't want you going somewhere you might have problems... So you're Fast I take it? Glad to have such an enthusiastic new hire, hear we have you to thank for that? No wonder grandpa likes you!

Actually that's not all I hear, she's a real chatterbox once she gets going, heard all kinds of things about you... Ok Star, you win the bet, he's cute. Still don't believe he lives up to the hype though, you really sayin' this stallion measures up?"

My face heated up instantly at the lewd look the pegasus Jets was giving, made worse by Val's hoots of laughter. I could do without the reminder Starling and pretty much every other Trinity Tower alicorn already knew me from the experiences Jade shared. Starling sniffed at the air absently and her big, sparkly amber eyes roamed over me uncomfortably, her head bobbing rapidly in affirmation. "We are sure, they were very good sensations in sister's memories! We would like to..."

"HA! hahaha... y-you like wearing clothes Starling?!" I cringed and cast out for a distraction desperately. Wearing clothes had been taboo, I guessed that rule had fallen away with the other changes.

Starling nodded vigorously again, making me faintly hear a cowbell in my mind, ringing along with each beaming bob of her head. "Yes! Miss Jets gave me a hat for work! She even let me have this scarf from her own closet!! Isn't it pretty?! Many of us are trying clothing, it is fun! Though the prettiest things don't fit..."

I thought of Sassy Saddles back in Sanctuary with a smile, the ghoulish mare was probably the only merchant in the Commonwealth that already had a selection of things in alicorn sizes, too bad she wasn't here to provide her skills. Though a moments thought gave me an idea to help both her business and mares like Starling here. Dragging a piece of yellowed stationary from under the Wonderbolts paperweight holding them down on the counter, I started scribbling out a new letter to go out with the others, putting more caps down for the service.

"Here, I already had one letter going back home, add this one to the trip to Sanctuary and let her take it Miss Jets, please? I promise, Sanctuary's probably the best first run for her to try, and she'll like this, I know a tailor back home she'll want to meet."

Glitter gasped happily and stretched up to the counter, grinning and reaching for the stubby pencil as I finished writing. "Sassy! Yay! Lemme say hi to her too daddy!"

The pegasus in charge smiled back, flipping her pink mane out of her eyes and giving her alicorn employee the letters for Sanctuary. "Alright, said she wanted to go there anyway, works out good. C'mon Star, let's go over the map and rules again before you go, want your first job to go well don't we? When you get back I'm takin' you to the Memory Den too, I gotta see the truth about this buck. We'll go to the Black Cat too and celebrate, give you something to compare..."

Slinking away from the chuckling pegasus, I felt like I was turning red down to my hooves, my embarrassment just made worse by Val snickering to herself and poking at my flanks playfully. "Now there's an idea! Didn't think it was fair them mares all got a taste when I ain't been paid yet! Have to go see Caramel myself, bet I can get Peri to lemme have that memory, little trial run huh boss?!"

"N-N-Not funny Val!" I yelped in return, my cheeks burning at her uproarious laughter. I really had to have a talk with Umbra and the others when we went to the tower later, sharing those memories among themselves was bad enough, letting them spread further was unacceptable...

For the time being we made our way back to the Follower's Helpinghoof Clinic down the street. Another series of tests and pokes was waiting for me, the thought of getting lunch with Jade afterward enough to tolerate them.

Lunch made all the medical exams worth it alright, we left the clinic and returned to the Wing Ding Circus, trying out the small 'Sideshow Lounge' off the casino floor. The food from Shamrock's kitchens was already known to be good, and down here I got to look at the menu, listing off a long litany of an order to keep my constantly complaining stomach happy.

The lounge was on my list of things to check anyway, a couple minor repairs waited here, but they weren't critical to my rough plan, just the location. An unused stage dominated one side of the room, easily visible from any of the seating in here or the bar. A few faded posters featuring an older, beautiful pale blue earth pony mare that caught my eye, her dark mane streaked with sky blue turning to grey, a sunburst of rainbow colored musical notes on her flank showing through her opague dress.

"Rara's Review - Equestria-wide Comeback Tour, straight from Las Pegasus! Come see the opening show at the Grand Opening Gala!" Could still be made out at the tattered edges, along with snippets of glowing reviews, one even bearing the signature of Ministry Mare Applejack. The singer pictured was really famous when my parents were foals, mom listened to her holotapes at full blast in the kitchen quite often so she was somewhat familiar to me.

Finding a replacement for the long dead opening act was thankfully an easy question, Magnolia would fit the bill perfectly if I could convince her. That settled another aspect of my exceedingly rough and complicated plan, leaving a few more to investigate before I went to Shamrock.

Work could wait though, Glitter convinced Jade not to rush directly off after lunch and I was as determined as the filly to enjoy some time together. My 'cold' let me beg off playing another round of 'Dance Prance Revolution' with her thankfully, allowing me to watch with a smile as she dragged the big alicorn to the platform instead.

Jade was often worried about being clumsy, watching her try to rapidly tap at the buttons at her hooves designed for much smaller ponies quickly got comical as a result. The happy laughter and help from Glitter eased her embarrassment and she enjoyed it despite the negative noises coming from her side of the old game, a bright blush accentuating her smile when they finished.

The next game Glitter led the way to was obviously picked with Jade's enjoyment in mind, an odd arcade cabinet stuck away in a corner displaying a see through pony profile, bones and organs drawn on the screen in bright colors. The yellow sides marked with the pink cross and butterflies of the Ministry of Peace, along with a picture of Fluttershy herself in an adorable pink nurses outfit, caught the alicorn doctor's interest before she even saw the medical looking pictures on the screen.

"Ministry of Peace Hero... I have heard of this! Ministry Mare Fluttershy worked with the Ministry of Image to make this holotape game Fast! Our founder Velvet Remedy mentioned it in the notes for the Commonwealth mission, she knows everything about Fluttershy and her ministry! They were made in Trotson, I have always hoped to find one for her! It is a surgery simulator, something to scout and cultivate talented healers!" Jade squealed and looked over the cabinet in excitement, prancing in place as Glitter fed it the pink chips used in the casino.

I watched her dominate the strange game easily, grousing to herself over inaccuracies and oversimplifications made in the interest of making a good game. You used a variety of motion based tools on the screen to do things against the clock, like remove foreign objects, set bones, stitch things together, apply digital purple healing potions and so on.

After plowing through several levels, a stream of prize tickets spewed out of the slot on the cabinet and a flashing screen appeared with a fanfare of noise. I sidled close to Jade and nuzzled at her proud whinny while Glitter pranced and scooped up the stream of tickets, reading the message that I doubted came up often.

"Congratulations! You are a natural healer!! Enter your name to notify the nearest Ministry of Peace hub of your amazing skills, join the M.O.P. and help heal Equestria! We must do better! Thanks for playing a Bitway Games production, try our other 'Ministry Hero' games today!"

Jade proudly tapped at the controls with her magic, entering her name dutifully and beaming. The Ministry of Peace was long gone, this was as close as she'd get to that kind of validation of her skills, though I was sure she would have been a shoo in for Fluttershy's ministry when I was a foal.

That made a good high point to part on, doubly so because of the uncontrollable tremors twitching down one hindleg I tried to keep hidden from Glitter. Jade caught the symptom easily however and led the way back to our room, insisting I go back to bed and rest until we were ready to make our trip to Trinity Tower, if she allowed it then.

Not wanting to risk what concessions I had already wrangled out of her, I agreed without complaint and turned in gratefully. Just a morning of piddling around had already drained me, even with the expert medical care reducing my symptoms drastically. I still had the daunting prospect of walking right into where the alicorn's unity was strongest ahead of me, I had a good idea I better get my rest before even trying that...

An insistent tapping woke me up some time later, late afternoon by the light filtering into the Princess Celestia suite, I had been zonked for several hours. I blinked sleepily and tried to rub the blurriness from my eyes, peering around for the sound in the dim room. Why was it so dark in here? The orange light of sunset usually poured into the westward facing windows, had somepony come in and shut most of the curtains or something?

TAP TAP TAP...

Another set of sharp taps drew my eyes to the windows in question, goggling at the dark shadow and trying to puzzle out what I was looking at. A lot of purple... bright pink at the edges and two big pools of blue-violet focused directly on me... "S-Swan?!"

I yelped quietly and fell out of bed in surprise, dragging myself back up and stumbling to the full length windows, currently filled with nothing but a view of a lot of alicorn smiling in at me, bobbing her head and enveloping the glass in a field of her purple magic. The glass slid away from two large sections and the huge filly flapping sedately outside stuck her head in, her forehooves gripping the edge of the floor while the sound of her hindlegs scrambling against the building drifted up.

"Yay! I found Fast! I told them I'd be fine on my own, dunno why they were worried! Helloooo Fast!" Swan grinned and wiggled, her forelegs reaching in to either side of me and dragging her bulk through the opening, her wings folding tightly and squeezing in after her shoulders, touching the ceiling when they made it in.

"Swan!? W-What are you doing here? M-Maybe you shouldn't try to come in!" I backpedaled out of her way as she kept right on grunting her way inside, her round rump getting stuck for a moment before she pulled herself through with a pop.

I squeaked and jumped back up on the bed, pretty much the most space I was left to escape the hoof swinging by to scratch at her flanks in relief. I gaped from my relatively safe haven at her pulling her hindlegs in and tucking them under her so she could crawl around, looking around the room she now almost completely filled with interest. I really hoped Glitter and Val were amusing themselves somewhere close while I slept, though if they heard any commotion in here they weren't going to be able to get in very far.

Swan sniffed and licked at a leftover tray of food by the bed experimentally, shuffling around the tight quarters until she could stick her head under the canopy of the bed, grunting in annoyance at the fabric getting caught on her horn and floating the whole thing away in a huff. That let her loom over the bed with an unobstructed view, her long pink mane forming a replacement canopy and curtains, her hooves coming in from either side of the bed to poke and tickle at me as her rear half wriggled around, knocking things over by the sound.

Her hoof was easily bigger than the chest she prodded, squinting at the bandages that were the only thing covering me curiously. "I fit fine, see! Didn't go back to my pond all night so I could come to Goodneighbor like all the others, see how small I am? Sister Jade asked me to come anyway! I'm here to teleport you to the tower!"

'Small' is the last term I'd use to describe the giant filly filling my room... "O-Ok.... I don't think she's back yet though... m-maybe you'd like to go look around town? Outside? Er... the living room is more spacious if you insist on coming in... N-Not that I want you to leave! J-Just... it would probably be best if you bled off a little more juice before coming in town? It still seems kinda... cramped for you..."

The lidded look she returned showed that was unlikely... Instead she leaned her long neck down further, backing me towards the headboard with her nuzzling until I was pinned, snuffling at my bandages and tickling me into uncontrolled giggles. "Don't wanna be smaller, I fit! Like where I am just fine, I will wait here and play! What is wrong with you? You seem different... smell good...."

Her sultry purr and long sniffs from the big muzzle puffing at my chest and... lower... made me struggle to control the giggles, sputtering and struggling under her attention. "N-N-No! S-Same as always! I don't... er... smell different... C-Come on Swan, I'm just s-sick... umm... w-why don't I go see if your other sisters are here? One of them usually is! J-Just in the other room... behind you there..."

She glanced back to the door I pointed towards, somewhere past that huge rump stuck up in the air to brush the ceiling, her long tail flicked impatiently and one hindleg slid back, thumping against the only exit to keep it shut as she turned back with a smoldering look. "Smell veeeery good... Sisters will wait, want to play..."

Luna's magical moonheat! I didn't really smell different did I?! The big mare sounded drunk on it and started kissing at me insistently, her soft, pliant lips smooching away happily while I laughed uncontrollably and cast about for a distraction frantically. "Umm... I r-really am sick Swan! I c-couldn't even p-p-play with Jade like that the other night, t-too tired and weak! I had to just give her attention instead, over a long time, going reeeeally slow! Y-You don't wanna hurt me right?!"

Those fluttering eyelashes and roving lips stopped abruptly and she whined uncertainly, her chin flopping to the bed as she looked up in thought. "Hnnn... no.... don't want to hurt, want to play! You're really too sick? Do what you did last night then! Is it fun? Want to try too!"

Panting shakily, I slid back down the wall in front of her, sitting on the pillows in the last bit of mattress she left to me and gulping to myself. I tried to subtly tap at my pip-buck and look for the locator tags of the others, somepony had to be around to call her off right? Seeing Jade, Glitter and Val's marks all scattered around town, I cursed to myself and tried to come up with something...

"Umm... y-yeah, we can do something else instead of that Swan, it's fun... Jade thinks so anyway, it's a game called 'massage' how would that be?"

I tried to keep a straight face while she stuck her lip out in a pout and hummed to herself, clearly unsure and disappointed at not getting what she wanted, but thankfully still inexperienced enough to consider the alternative curiously. "You're sure it's fun? Sister didn't share memories of anything called massage, what is it?"

"O-Oh yeah! Tons of fun! S-She didn't share those memories because they're sooooo fun in fact! But the rules are you don't do anything ok? Just lie back and let me do everything, it's a game for just making one pony feel good, not both ok? Not that I don't want to! I'm just way too sick is all, too weak to play with you like that got it?"

Swan nodded obediently and shuffled around, her tail flicking around the room in excitement and knocking pictures from the walls as she wiggled her flanks and stretched out as much as she could manage. She watched way too closely as I got up and edged my way around the room, wiping away the sweat springing from my brow and stretching a pair of shaking hooves up to her back.

Jade did in fact enjoy a good hoof massage from time to time so I was somewhat confident in my skills there, though I couldn't generally walk around on her back or use all four hooves to accomplish it... She muttered some unconvinced noises under me making me redouble my efforts in a panic, I was just trying to buy time until somepony came back for Celestia's sake...

Something this simple with Jade would have honestly been nothing to worry about exerting myself over as I told her, doing so with Swan instead took a lot more effort to keep up the fib. Thankfully I could brace my back against the ceiling and firmly press all my hooves down into her flesh, ignoring the uncomfortable pressure against the lumps hidden under my bandages.

Eventually I got the hang of it, stretching her long muscles under me and sighing in relief at the pleased little whinny that got. Hoping to keep her happy, I worked my way up her neck and back to her shoulders, hopping down to follow her forelegs down to her hooves and wheezing from all the crawling around.

I was absorbed enough in my work that I didn't notice the mewling rumbles she was making for too long. I stood on my hindlegs to shove my trembling forehooves against her flank in small circles, when I realized what kind of sounds those were and gulped, checking my pip-buck map again anxiously. Somebody, anybody, come back already! Even Zed was out in Goodneighbor...

Crawling over the outstretched hindleg still firmly pressed against the door, I rushed past the flowing curtain of her tail to get to the opposite flank before her whining picked up. I grew concerned on the way at how warm it was getting back here, a small furnace hidden under all that pink adding to the sweat pouring off me.

I ran past the long tail flicking after me, wafting that cloying scent around even more, trying to get to work on the other flank as quick as possible, my thoughts racing. Had to put a stop to this, even an innocent massage was quickly going south in the presence of the insistent mare drawing deep, quickening breaths across the room.

I gave an undignified yelp, both at the big hoof that reached to shove me back towards that swishing tail, and the silvery needle of pain between my eyes. Swan's demanding moans were suddenly supplemented by a driving mantra ringing in my head; (Play! Play! Play! Play! Play! PLAY!! PLAY!!!)

Ivy? Oh thank you goddesses! I only heard things out of other alicorns when a green was near so far, she must have come into the suite to be close enough! "Hey Ivy! Umm.. I-Is that you!? Please... C-Could you come in here a second?!"

(Fast? Swan?!)
"Fast? Is that you? What is wrong, do you have company?" Ivy's voice called back sharply, I wondered how often she pretended not to know things she already did for appearances... Judging by what I could hear now, she knew perfectly well Swan was in here.

"Yes! Swan came to teleport us to the tower! G-Guess it's getting close to time to go huh!? Game over Swan, sorry!"

(NO! Want Play!! Want...)
Swan whined and drummed her hooves behind her, shaking the walls in the short tantrum and seeming to briefly consider continuing to shove me past her flanks, before stopping with a pout. "Nnnn! Fiiiiiine.... Not as good as other memories anyway, was starting to be... Will play again later, when not sick..."

Ivy's blue mane poked through a crack in the door and she peered in, eyeing Swan sternly and gesturing for me to come out. "Er... yes! Nearly time to leave Swan, why don't you... make yourself comfortable... I would like to speak with Fast privately before we leave, we will come back shortly alright? I will be sure to knock..."

Getting to the door involved skittering past her tail and I dove past the sweet smelling curtain of pink gratefully. Swan's big hoof was removed from my back but followed behind me lazily, continuing where she had wanted to shove me as I dashed past Ivy and she shut the door behind me.

I tottered over to collapse to the couch, weaving my way past Peri snoring softly in an armchair. I didn't think Val would leave me alone, though I was glad I hadn't yelled for help randomly, she would have most likely just made things worse... The strange blue mare sniffed deeply in her sleep as I passed and murmured softly with an unconscious smile, yeah... she might not have been very helpful...

My coat was slick with sweat and I felt flushed, with fever... and woozy, trying to focus on Ivy's head popping up in my spinning vision before closing my eyes for a moment.

("Alright, that is quite enough. Tell me what is going on Fast...")

"W-What? Nothing! Nothing's going on Ivy! Er... well, you saw what was going on, but that was it! Heh, heh... T-Thanks for getting me out of there." My eyes shot open from a short rest and I waved my hooves under that penetrating stare weakly, trying very hard to think of nothing despite that twinge between my eyes.

The green alicorn arched an eyebrow and huffed in reply, "I didn't say anything Fast... I did not even try to send a thought to you, I was just thinking to myself over your recent odd behavior since returning. Perhaps you should tell me what is going on as I thought? You obviously heard that, your thoughts are very loud and chaotic and you look very sick. Swan is correct as well, you smell different, we allow her to stay so charged up precisely because she has better self control than that..."

Oooooh... She was smart... Thinking in full sentences like she was speaking fooled me in my distraction, I really thought she had spoken out loud until she sprang the trap. "Umm! C-Crap... I don't know if I should say Ivy, Jade said... W-Well, you don't count though right? I wish she said why to keep it quiet... I really smell different? I don't smell anything..."

She took a long breath in her flaring nostrils, an unfamiliar, sleepy look glazing her eyes for a second before shaking it off and nodding firmly. "We have somewhat heightened senses Fast, it is a very distinctive smell too... As a matter of fact it is similar to... o-ourselves... FAST!"

I winced under her bright green stare, her eyes widening and darting to the disheveled bandages wrapped around me. I really hoped Ivy and the others that had stayed with us didn't count as sisters Jade didn't want finding out what happened to me, judging by her incredulous goggling that ship had sailed already...

"Ssssh! I... I don't want Glitter to find out yet and she might come back any minute. The Institute used their version of the I.M.P. on me... maybe it's actually working, I can hear you guys in my head... sorta..."

("I.M.P.!... Potion!... Mutants?!... No, working?... Male?... Explain Smell... But... Oh!... Right... Not Wise... Fair?... Ugh, complicated... More?... Breeding?")

"They used... o-oh Fast I am sorry... Are you alright? You really can hear the others? This is... you... oh my, I believe I understand. This is a mess isn't it, no wonder she... It must be a lot for you Fast, very overwhelming I am sure. If you need somepony to speak with I am here to listen." Ivy sighed sadly and took a seat beside me, fidgeting in uncomfortable silence while I thought.

Jade could help with everything else, but she wasn't a green even if she could read my mind sometimes. Having one of the telepathic alicorns that I knew and trusted here to ask things and confide in couldn't count as breaking my promise to keep it quiet, right? My mounting fear over traveling to their home decided me, Ivy could help I was sure.

"O-Ok... I'm ok I mean... I'm scared of course, hearing you in my head has been the strangest part so far and if I go to the tower, where you have that pocket of unity Jade told me about... what if I hear all of it? It hurts when it happens with just a few of you, there's a lot back in Trinity Tower and I don't think I can keep it out. And now you tell me I smell different! Everypony's gonna find out I'm turning into... something else, I don't want to be looked at or treated weird... I dunno why Jade doesn't want the others to know though, said she's being optimistic whatever that means..."

Ivy gave me a smirking smile and tittered to herself, slowly building to an escalating chuckle threatening to spew past the hoof stuffed in her mouth to contain it. She shook with silent laughter as tears streamed from her eyes and I turned red, shrinking into my seat and crossing my forelegs, pouting at her as she tried to get herself back under control. It wasn't funny!

(Doesn't know!...Cute!...Have to tell....Getting mad...Stop!...Funnier!...)

After way too long, she wiped the wet tracks from her cheeks and sighed, taking in a long breath that looked to calm her a great deal and patting my head. "I am sorry Fast, I am not teasing you! Even hearing your thoughts more clearly than normal, you are refreshingly naive and surprising sometimes. Have you not considered the potential positive outcome of your problem? Or have you only focused on the negative?"

"P-Positive? What, like it works the right way and I turn into a proper alicorn? Super happy ending? I hadn't thought about it too much... all the bad outcomes seemed a lot more likely and... you know... didn't want to jinx anything... Why?"

Ivy chuckled again and fluffed her wings primly, "Fast... If this potion does miraculously work correctly, you would be a male alicorn correct? I believe I can offer some support for that possibility already due to your scent, you smell of both an alicorn like us, and like a male already, not a combination we have ever smelled before... hence the reaction...

Jade told us of the Followers in Equestria and their trials with Killing Joke, other than one of our sisters who was turned into a male that way, you would be the only male alicorn, certainly the only one in the Commonwealth and for hundreds of miles beyond. That other male was one of us as well, as dedicated to perpetuating our species as any of us and making a willing sacrifice going in that has borne little fruit so far. Have you truly not considered the implications?"

"Er... Oh! L-Like for m-mating and stuff... I guess not, I love Jade so... I mean Peri and Swan both have always been kinda... flirty... but I wouldn't cheat on Jade and it's only cause they're curious right? Hopefully it still wouldn't really come up, I er.. was gonna tell all of you at once, but I found the compatibility potion Ivy, if it works then you can all breed with normal ponies, so having a male alicorn around wouldn't matter..."

(Really think so?... See....)
Ivy smiled kindly and hugged me with her wing, "That is wonderful Fast. I... assume there is only a limited amount of it? Perhaps that will explain better than I could... Go to the tower and tell the others your discovery, watch what happens and keep in mind my assurance, many of the mother's lessons are too deeply ingrained to ignore. Breeding with another alicorn will be preferable to a normal pony for most of my sisters if it were an option...

I will want to have a long discussion with her about her unilateral decision... but I believe you should do as Jade says. She does not want to share you Fast. If that was all I would be rather upset, but you truly don't want to be shared either, keeping this secret for now is probably the best for both of you."

"Well... I wouldn't say I'm totally opposed to being shared... a little..." Ivy laughed at my tired joke, easing my worried question that followed. "B-But what about being around so many of you fillies? I-In my head..."

She squeezed her hug tightly and took in another long sniff at my mane, sighing peacefully before shaking her head clear when the door opened and Glitter ran in, whispering reassurance before the foal got in earshot. "I'm afraid being shared is most likely an all or nothing proposition Fast... Something to consider though! Do not worry, I'll try to help you, being connected to unity just takes some mental discipline, unlike the rest of us you have never known it. Try to be brave Fast, remain positive and leave room in your plans for the best, I have faith in your survival."

Almost like the telepathic mare's encouragement woke them, I felt the distant voices in my head that had been absent since Moondancer had injected me. "Be Strong!", "Be Unwavering" and "Be Kind" whispered in my mind, not causing any pain and actually easing the annoying spike between my eyes.

I never thought I'd be grateful to be hearing voices, but a tear quivered at the corner of my eye on hearing these. I had tried not to think about their extended silence, knowing what I did about the little statues of the Ministry Mares they came from, I had been terrified at what it meant. If the tiny shards of souls stopped talking to me, maybe it was because my soul was being changed by the potion too...

If they were coming back though... maybe I'd be ok like Ivy said? Maybe believing in the best somehow working out, instead of preparing for the worst was ok...

Glitter tackled the green mare beside me happily and yelped back to the door she left hanging open, the sounds of Jade and Val struggling to catch up to the speedy little filly drifted down the hall, as the bright edge of the sun slipped behind the towers of Trotson outside. I wiped my eyes and got up to greet them, time to get ready and hope for the best, the leader of Trinity Tower was waiting.

----------------------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------------------------

Filly Killer- (Rank 2)----

---This would be a better side effect if you were a different kind of stallion... Apparently your 'scent' has changed, pheromones that alicorns can identify consciously, but affect all fillies to some degree. You deal an additional 10% damage in combat against females, and they are even easier to persuade in dialogue or intimidate, granting you additional new speech options with the fairer sex.

As an added bonus, alicorns will almost never start out hostile towards you now, regardless of faction affiliation! Though they might be a little too friendly!

Quest Perk Added!-----------------------------------------

Institute I.M.P. Rank 3--

---The week is more than half over, one way or the other... In addition to the negative effects of the previous rank, you now also suffer -1 Charisma and -10% to spell recharge rate and skill checks during this final phase.

The changes to your physiology continue to pile up, as a positive you gain the effects of the 'Touched by Taint (3)' perk, making you 20% faster and stronger whenever you’re basking in the warm glow of radiation. Your Action Points regenerate faster and faster the higher your level of radiation sickness becomes and your natural lifespan has increased dramatically. (This replaces the 'Atomic!' perk if previously selected).

You also gain the benefits of the 'Bone Strengthening Brew / Adamantium Bone Lacing' perk if not already taken, making your I.M.P. mutated limbs only receive 50% of the damage they normally would.

Ch. 45-- Coming Out of Her Shell

The world lurched and flashed a bright purple, when gravity reasserted itself we were suddenly outside in the chilly evening.

That was about as much as I was sure of before I fell to what felt like dead grass, holding a hoof to my forehead and losing all the food I had stuffed myself with before leaving. I had braced myself for this and managed to stifle a scream with Glitter watching nearby, barely... There was no real preparing for the tempest of voices and images that slammed into my brain the second we appeared though.

"Daddy!? What's wrong?! M-Mom!! Help!" I distantly heard Glitter's anxious yell, the feeling of her little hooves shoving my side mostly registering due to the twinge from the growths on my sides.

I tried to pull myself together, vaguely aware of Jade galloping over, her healing magic washing over me to little effect. How did they stand this!? How could Jade miss this?! And it was even stronger when her mother was alive!? The sea of thoughts, words and emotions threatened to drown me as it was, and it was just one building of alicorns!

(GoodneighborFunJobs?Worked!CapsMoneyStrangeBuyThingsClothes!SawWantAffordFlyScavengersTradersPark?Swan?GroundOkExciting!RulesUmbraUmbraGuestsSisterPrincessFast!GladDownstairsDaughterLikeFoalsGuides?NiceHelpedWantStillNotDangerousInstituteBad!Took!MeanHatePotionFastAskMaybeNotObsessedPatientFoalsOrphansRightThinkUmbraComing?Up?DownStreetSick?SickWorriedLooksBadWhy?Happen?Do?InstituteSee!Bad!JadeFixDoctorFollowersShouldHaveWantDidn'tGoodWrongRegrestsBetterYesTryingNowOweHelpAlright?WaitAskSwan?Teleport?No!Fault!KnowMaybeDelayWaitHomeTakeBackWantSaidImportant!Well?Ok!Wait!Moment!Quiet!)

("Fast! Breathe! Focus on your breathing! Listen to my voice, shut out everything else, just listen very, very carefully! Sssh.. that's better... Remember what we discussed, you are in control. Do you need to leave?") Ivy's thought's cut through the forest of voices and I clung to them desperately, obeying her instructions and breathing in and out slowly. "Be Strong!"...

"I'm o-ok... It's alright... just gimme a second, w-wasn't ready for a teleport like that, got a little d-dizzy..." I kept my eyes clenched shut and kept taking long, slow breaths, in... out... in.... out....

Slowly, way too slowly... that wall of noise in my head died down to a roaring, indistinct whisper, a radio turned up waaaaay too loud in the next room, difficult to ignore but possible to tune out somewhat. Jade's pale blue magic was still surrounding me when I cracked my eyes open again cautiously, a field of healing power that couldn't do anything to help.

Her wing curled around me tightly and Glitter squeezed between us, frightened by the poorly explained reaction and obviously not buying it. The little filly was anything but stupid... I had been afraid of the moment when she inevitably found out the truth, please not now... Jade nuzzled at me and tried to soothe her, stroking her mane and giving a weak smile to the foal.

"Y-Your father is just ill dear, er... teleportation can be traumatic to some ponies, especially those whose health is compromised. Give him a moment and I a-am sure it will pass..." My princess' soft voice spoke to her reassuringly, slowly getting her to release her tight grip around my bulging sides. The voice I heard in my head was much less sure of itself though, whimpering silently.

("F-Fast? You.. you can hear me? T-This is too much... too soon, we should not have come! I... I will explain, e-excuse ourselves so we may return immediately!")

I gritted my teeth and stared up at her, shaking my head in answer and trying hard to remember all of Ivy's lessons, she said answering mentally was a bad idea, the others could hear it and my psychic voice was instantly recognizable as something new. Humming a tune to myself to hide behind, I pushed myself back up and waved off all the concerned looks surrounding me. "Be Unwavering..."

"R-Really, I'm fine! Jade's right sweetie, a-already passing. You know I've had stomach problems b-because of this cold, getting zapped all the way here just made me loose my lunch is all, no biggie... Come on, it's ok."

(Hurt?...Teleport?...Play?...Shouldn't have... but fun.... want... better control... sorry... still want... wait...)

Swan's large head swung down slowly and nuzzled my mane apologetically, drawing in a long breath through her nostrils and puffing it out again slowly, her eyes lidded as she spoke aloud dreamily. "Sorry Fast, I tried to make it a smooth trip! Will you be alright? Maybe rest? You can come to my boathouse... I can show you my room... t-to rest..." (...Play....)

The big filly drew in another breath and whinnied, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she sucked strands of my mane up her nostrils entirely. Oh come on! I scrubbed myself raw in the shower before we left and dumped a tiny sample bottle of cologne I found hiding in the depths of the bathroom drawers all over myself! I STILL smelled?!

(Magnolia, Peri, Help... Explain later... No smelling!... Swan...)

Ivy stepped in and saved me, making me already glad I had confided in her before coming here. Her purple and blue sisters trotted up, both wearing confused expressions but nodding trustingly to the green mare usually in charge of their wing.

Thankfully, teleporting all of us at once even the short distance to Trinity Tower looked like it drained a good bit of power from Swan, she had been small enough to squeeze her way inside our room back in Goodneighbor before leaving, now she could probably come close to standing inside, if she lowered her head and scrunched down a bit... She still dwarfed the trio of her sisters insistently trying to nudge her away towards the pleasant tingle of her pond, but was a little less intimidating and a little more rational at least.

"Why don't you let us take it from here Swan. Recharge a bit if you like for the trip back? You see how sick Fast is, he doesn't need to go back the long way right? Go join the others still recuperating in your pond and listen in from here, Sister Jade and Fast came here despite how he feels to help us, you will want to hear..." Ivy manipulated the big filly easily, letting Peri and Magnolia guide her back to her park and radioactive pond within, only glancing back over her shoulders with that sleepy look hanging on me a couple times...

I wasn't really 'scared' of Swan, even at her largest when I had first met her I mostly found the giant mare interesting and alluring. Hell, I liked it when Jade got that way sometimes... That was before I apparently became a walking alicorn aphrodisiac however... She still wasn't scary, a little forceful and fixated though... "Be Kind..."

Shaking off the blurriness from my vision, I looked around and started off towards the statue at the entrance to Trinity Tower woozily, the others walking sedately to stay down at my pained pace. Taking in the plaza in front of the shattered doors of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences hub, I was surprised and happy to see a familiar set of carts loaded with wares outside, a single bored caravan guard keeping watch, clearly pretty sure of his safety here and watching us pass with interest.

Walking into the cavernous lobby of the M.A.S. hub, I saw the owner of the caravan huddled around a fire set up in a barrel inside with his workers, Dusty Hooves was the first caravaner to make the trip to Sanctuary when it was just starting out, now he was the first to visit Trinity Tower too... That stallion had a nose for business opportunities...

"Well spank my flanks! Princess Jade and Fast Times! Funny meeting you here! Well... I guess not, these gals are your sisters right Princess? Glad that's so lemme tell ya! Heard they were willing to talk finally, mentioning you two helped grease the wheels though! First traders to show up and they've been right hospitable!" Dusty grinned and cantered over, the other members of his crew watching the commotion curiously.

"Hi Dusty, good to see you again. Glad to see you're still opening up new markets huh? How's it going here?" I replied with as much enthusiasm as I could muster, truly happy to see him but distracted keeping the torrent of voices at bay.

The brown earth pony trader beamed and trailed along beside us towards the working elevator, speaking rapidly and with pride. "Great! Still tryin' to hammer out a deal here, kinda difficult figurin' out what these mares want and what they can offer. Been nothin' but nice though Princess, said we can stay inside!

Ground floor only, but that's plenty! Just a safe place to stop out this way is a real boon for us. Been talkin' to em about settin' up a settlement down here while they're at it, could build their own little town down here no problem!"

Jade smiled to the trader adjusting his dirty cap proudly as we reached the elevator and the doors slid open. "That is wonderful Mr. Hooves, a very good idea. My sisters should not rely only on going out to pony towns to interact with others, bringing ponies here as well is very wise, I will offer my encouragement. If you will excuse us..."

Dusty waved us off happily as Jade, Glitter, Val, Zed and myself all crammed into the elevator, his eyes betraying a hint of concern as the door slid shut. "Appreciate it Princess! Enjoy your visit with your family ma'am, take care of yourself too Fast, you don't look so hot..."

(Sure you are ready Fast? It will be worse upstairs...)

Jade's hoof hovered over the worn button marking as far as the elevator could take us up the building, the rest of the M.A.S. hub sealed as tightly as the M.O.M. one back in Goodneighbor.

I gulped to myself and put my hoof over her own, gently pressing down and nodding at her anxious look. Staring into her frightened gaze, I smelled rain and blood, cries of pain and anguish rang in my ears, an image of a wet, grey land masked by sheets of rain reflected in her blue eyes and feelings of intense sadness and loneliness echoed from deep inside her.

Feeling a faint taste of the pain she was dealing with, getting an uninvited glimpse into Jade's memories from before I knew her, when she had never spoken much of that time in her life... I hadn't found a lot to like about this whole 'Unity' thing so far and was eager to escape its influence.

The two bottles of Moondancer's compatibility potion clinked in my bags though, weighing me down under the importance they represented for all of Jade's kind. I was going to do this, one way or the other...

(What if there was a place with all the zip of Sparkle Cola...
Wouldn’t that be the cheer-cheer-cheeriest place in all the world...)

I clenched my eyes against the whining drill boring into my skull as the elevator slowly rose, rocking in place and humming the pre-war jingle grimly. Ivy and the others had flown up to meet us, so for now I was on my own dealing with the tempest of thoughts swirling around up here that I could now hear.

Zed groaned with a chuckle behind me, "Not that song... please not again Fast, it wedged in my brain the entire time you were gone last time... How can you like that horrible anthem?"

"It's catchy... got stuck in your head right? Kinda what I need it for... Besides, Sparkle World is fun! Er... was... no idea now I guess... Is it even still around?"

Val snorted and reached out with her claws to scratch my flank where I was clumsily trying to reach. That maddening itch crawling under my skin no match for her dark digits. "Sparkle World's still around boss... dangerous place, crazier than most of the Commonwealth..."

"Oh... guess that means a family vacation is out..." I sighed at my half joke, I barely remembered going to the amusement park as a foal with my parents. I had idly daydreamed about doing the same with Glitter and Jade it someday. I had to blink and rub my eyes to make out 'Map Updated' appearing in the corner of my eye, well... if it still existed maybe there was still a chance...

The little filly sounded interested, not the ecstatic joy a mention of going to Sparkle World would have elicited from me at her age, but that was a different world... "What is that place anyway daddy? Me an' my sister seen old posters and stuff for it before, mommy... m-my mom I mean... she said we couldn't go, it was too far away and dangerous. Was it really for foals like they showed, with games an' rides an' stuff!?"

"For all the moms and pops and kids... yes sweetie, it used to be like the song says, a really fun place for families to go together... Wanna sing it with me?"

Val echoed Zed's exasperated groan, my croaking rendition completely failing to harmonize with the filly's squeaky one. Jade softly joined in with a smile, smoothing out the melody and hugging the two of us to her sides with her wings. Even Val and amazingly Zed too eventually broke down and added their voices to the impromptu sing along, the zebra's a deep bass and my griffon mercenary's more a bawdy squawk.

The trip up passed quickly that way, soothing my soul, helping to steel my resolve and combat the noise in my head. All our voices were raised together, sharing the silly pre-war jingle and filling the elevator car with a circle warmth and caring. Finally the doors dinged and slid open, the voices washing over me ratcheting up in intensity at our arrival.

(Where the river’s made of RAD and the mountaintops are fizz...)

The reception waiting for us was surprising enough I stood where I was with my mouth agape, my weak mental defenses momentarily abandoned. They had put up a roughly painted banner reading 'Welcome Back!' right in front of the doors, a patchwork mishmash of decorations for every holiday hung everywhere, a small pile of scavenged food and a single amber bottle arranged in a heap by the wall, were they trying to throw a party? Nearly all of them were waiting for us to arrive and cheered when I took a shaky step out.

(Fast!Back!Back!Worry!UmbraMoreOk?LooksBadFine!DoSomethingHim?Quiet!FineSickRudeMentionOhHappyBackGlitterLikeFoalGuidesHerIdeaFatherSmartFillyZebra?GriffonFunUmbraTalkHushListen)

Jade wrapped a protective wing around me and Ivy pushed her way through the crowd, standing nearby and patting my head as Jade called to her sisters clustered around us. "What a lovely welcome! T-Thank you, for all your help searching for my Fast. He is s-somewhat ill, but thrilled to be back to see you all, i-is that not so Fast?"

(With fun and games and rides for all the moms and pops and kids...)

"Y-Yeah! Really glad to be back, thanks for trying to find me! A-And for putting on a party! This is great, I appreciate all the effort, r-really, just wish I felt a little better..."

The gaggle of mares cheered and tried to push forward invitingly, offering food and drink they had gotten from somewhere for the occasion. Glitter instantly started accepting anything packed with sugar and preservatives, her muzzle already caked with frosting from all of Jade's sisters doting over the foal, when Umbra stomped forward and loomed over her, coughing for attention and getting silence in return.

(Silence! Need... Speak...)

Well.. she did more than cough to get everypony to settle down, though her stern expression softened and she wiped a little frosting from Glitter's muzzle gently, smiling to the foal goggling up at her and licking at the concentrated sugar cautiously. Taking a good look at the tall leader of the alicorns, I could swear her dark coat had lightened a little, a tiny streak of gold even ran through her white mane now, had she really changed that much?

By the way she tromped over to glower down at me, I was worried she hadn't... I would be more concerned actually, but the thoughts running behind those golden eyes didn't match her demeanor, light hearted with a thread of shame in the background. Goddesses, getting emotional context directly was weeeeird...

(Still thinks... Pretend... Joke... Right?...Confusing... Try...)

"You... Are you happy now? Gotten everything you want out of us? Forcing us out into the world, making us interact with normal ponies as if you know best! Meddlesome, annoying, foalish little pony..." Umbra growled at me, lowering her head to get right in my face and scowl, her thoughts and eyes dancing with unsure merriment that betrayed her.

"Er..."

The leader of Trinity Tower took a deep, graceful bow, lowering her horn to the floor and speaking softly. "Brave, wonderful, caring and correct little pony too... I owe you a debt and an apology Fast Times, you saved me from my foolish pride and sister Stormy as well. I should not have doubted you, We... I... am very relieved you have returned safe, if you had lost your life to save mine... I could never repay you."

Feelings of... honor? duty? A stream of difficult to grasp memories and emotions were running through her head, the clank of steel and a vague sensation of being surrounded in heavy armor nonsensically transmitted to me. The anxious glance she returned from the floor was full of doubt, that was probably the first joke Umbra had ever tried...

Always eager to encourage Jade's sisters, I wiped a drop of sweat from my brow and tried to smile in fake relief. "Oh... Phew... R-Really had me going for a second there Umbra, that was funny! D-Don't worry about it, I'm glad you and Stormy got out of there safe, I was a little too busy to see if you made it..."

The surge of joy and relief I felt washing over me complimented the wide smile on Umbra's face as she stood and nickered. She shuffled nervously for a second, then awkwardly stepped forward and gave me a reticent hug with her wings. I thought of a a filly working herself up to jump in the pool, sticking her hoof in experimentally, probably another first for her...

I stiffened under the embrace, patting her back and gulping as she took a deep breath. Pulling away as politely as I could, I backed towards Jade again, keeping a wary eye on the dark purple mare sniffing in deeply again. Her bright golden eyes grew soft and lidded, tracking me dreamily, slowly clearing and filling with confusion.

(What... That?... Good... Want... More... No!... Thinking?... Silly... Jade's... Rubbing off...)

Embarrassment... Guilty shame and sudden curiosity were warring in her head as the unsure mare shook it off and answered, her voice husky until she regained her footing. "We were fine, both of us. Stormy could not be here unfortunately, she is attempting to find our wayward sisters and convince them of what happened.

The nest of those evil ponies in the Library may be no more, but the Church of Balefire is not gone yet. She was concerned about you too, hoping the others might know where you were taken. She will be as pleased as the rest of us when she returns, are you sure you are alright however? You seem... different... sister tells us you are unwell?"

Jade nodded and answered for me sharply, stuttering over her words as she tried to change the topic. "H-He will be fine! M-Merely sick, the Ministry of Peace did many amazing things, but still no cure for the c-common cold! L-Lovely as your little party is, he should not stay out long. I allowed it because... Fast has a gift for you... us..."

(Gift?Present!What?Want!Hearth'sWarming?NoNightmareNightSillyPresents?Why?WhatImportantEnough?FindOutFastJadeSureImportantThatSmell?Like!Good!SisterSad?WorriedSickFinePresents!Gimme!What?Quiet!Talking!)

Ivy sidled next to me and lightly touched my side with her wing, nodding in determination and locking her green eyes on mine. "Yes sisters, Fast has something very important for us. Let's all be quiet and listen carefully..."

(You are doing well, just breathe... Be ready too, this will be a bit of a bombshell...)

That was ominous... At least I was forewarned, taking a few deep breaths to steady myself, I floated out the pair of pink vials from my packs and held them up high in my magic. "Well... It was the Institute that took me, I'm guessing you figured that out if Jade didn't tell you already. It was Moondancer, umm... Dr. Dala, the one who promised some of you that she could make regular ponies able to breed with you? T-Turns out she wasn't totally lying, probably...

She was keeping this a secret from Evergreen because she wanted to work on fixing the I.M.P. instead, thought you guys being able to reproduce with any old pony was boring... and that you wouldn't need her anymore... Before I got away, I made sure to steal it and as much information about it as I could though. This is the compatibility potion ladies... Dr. Dala seemed pretty sure it works, these two are for you."

My pip-buck flashed text in my eyes, overlaying my view of the potions hovering overhead and giving a fanfare in my ear, the only sound in response to my proclamation so far.

Mission Completed!: Here There Be Alicorns

Objectives-
--~~Investigate Trinity Tower~~
--~~Speak with Umbra~~
--~~Find a way to help the Trinity Tower alicorns~~

For a brief moment, there was utter silence. No voices at all, not out loud, not in my head, just stunned silence as every alicorn eye in the room focused on the two bottles shimmering with a faint rainbow sheen. I had just enough time to hope that Ivy was just being overly cautious, then it came...

(WHAT!?Potion!Compatible?NormalPonies!Reproduce?Really!?Can'tPossibleBreedingFoalsPotionDalaPaySecretCares?CanMate!Foals!MotherSeeOppositeDestroyerTrue?Happy!Like!FastHelpCareWork?How?Test?Who?FastFastFast!AcceptableYesWantNotBadAskSaidAlreadyWithJadeUs?Not?SameLikesWouldMaleLikesMatingMemoriesYes!PLAY!Swan?WantPlayFunInteruptAgainMassageFastKeepsNotAskedBefore!PotionNow!WillDefinitelyYesFastBestFirstWantSmellSmell?YesGoooooodTry!PerfectSisterMindForSpecies!MotherWanted!FastFirstOthersSelect?FindMalesWorthyHow?DecideGoodneighborAskMayor?MaybeWrong?LooksBadHurt?)

I reeled under the sudden assault, the precious bottles wobbily floating to the floor before I lost my grip. The quiet before the storm made it hit even harder and my stomach tried to revolt, barely held at bay by biting my tongue and focusing on the jingle in my head for all I was worth.

(Well it turns out there’s a place with all the zip of Sparkle-Cola
Come on down to Sparkle-World and see it for yourself!)

Umbra finally stomped her hooves and the riotous noise in my head died down to a droning buzz, the alicorn leader glaring around at her charges as they settled and reverently floating the potion vials back up, eyeing them with pure wonder flowing off her.

(Did for us... Even danger... See... Sister loves...)

"T-This... this is amazing Fast... You put yourself at risk to bring this back to us, help our kind... I... I am ashamed, the mistrust and anger I directed at you and still... y-you... you save me... save all of us! Sisters! W-We... we can finally do as the mother wished..." Umbra spoke in a hush, tears welling up and spilling down her cheeks, pure, unadulterated happiness radiating off her to bask in. Maybe getting other pony's feelings wasn't all bad...

Magnolia surprised me by being one of the first to speak, meekly murmuring to the rest. "H-How does it work? How much is there? If I already had a normal pony in mind... h-how will we decide how to use it?"

Jade fluffed her wings and stood straight, speaking clinically about the focus of all their attention and thoughts that were washing over me. "From what I have read, it should work as intended. It is meant to be used on the male, not on us... A stallion properly dosed with the potion will be able to produce offspring with any of us for the remainder of his life. There is only enough for perhaps ten average ponies there. Fast recovered more, but some of that must go to the Followers in Manehatten to share with our sisters in Equestria.

The rest I will hold in reserve, in case the formula Fast was able to steal is insufficient to reproduce it in the future. If it is successful it should be possible to make more, though it is quite complex and difficult. The ponies of Stable 114 have much of the equipment and resources needed already, and the Followers in Manehatten as well as the Angels of Glyphmark should be able to do so as well, eventually...

Also... while it does enable us to breed with any type of normal pony, it... brings us closer to the rest of ponykind again. The children produced have equal chances of taking after either parent, just like anypony else. They may be alicorns like ourselves, or they may be any other type of pony... Though any offspring should be compatible with any type of pony, the next generation will not share our faults."

(Rarity's Classy Kiddie Kingdom’s lots of fun for foals like you and me
Fluttershy's Safari Adventure’s full of magical creatures and animals to see...)

The jolly song gave me something to hold onto against the flurry of unity going on around me, high speed bursts of not just words or feelings, but fully formed ideas and questions blipped through my head. Catching a couple of the mares around the room humming the same tune worried me, but I was too overwhelmed to risk stopping.

Even more anxiety producing were the occasional long sniffs at the air and dazed looks spreading among them... I took advantage of Jade's wing hiding me to shiver in place against all the voices, please, this would be a reeeeally bad time for another seizure... not now...

Again Umbra mentally called for order and got it, peering down at me and pacing in thought. "So... we have decisions to face sisters. We must find males willing to risk this potion of Dala's to mate with. Males we wish to reproduce with, that have traits we wish to pass on, that we all find acceptable to mate with and are willing to do so. Since we have such a limited amount as well, we need males that will live long lives and be able to mate many times, that can stay here where we can protect them from harm so they may focus on breeding.

We will have to consider our options and discuss this carefully, b-but openly, I do not wish to repeat my mistakes with Evergreen. Deciding on the others to use this gift on will be difficult, but I believe we can all agree on who the first should be... Will you do this for us Fast? Or have you already hmm?"

Umbra smiled kindly at me and waited expectantly, she kind of had me trapped here... I couldn't take another of Moondancer's potions on top of the one still working on me, plus however it turned out, I doubted I'd need one of the precious doses. If I became an alicorn then the compatibility potion was kind of redundant...

How to explain that was made more difficult after taking in what she asked too... "You want me to... what?! A-All of you? M-Many times?! Stay and be protected? You mean... N-No! Umm... S-Sorry.. I... I can't..." Oh yes, brilliant... way to go dumb-dumb...

An audible murmur ran through the crowd and I caught Glitter staring at me suspiciously, giving me further incentive to come up with something better than that while Umbra raised an eyebrow in confusion, a hint of her old annoyance coming out. "What? But you... you have said you wish to mate with sister Jade, produce offspring... this is what you want correct? We have seen the thoughts in your head! Why would you refuse..."

"N-Not refusing! Er... I do want those things yes! I don't think I'm a good choice right now though, I want to have kids with Jade someday, not right now! I do stupid things all the time that could get me killed, the Institute hates me and still has my Stable, my family... I can't give up until I find them... I already have a daughter that needs me, having a new baby in all this? Let alone lots of babies!? I don't know how ponies do it out here, but I want to be there for them all the time, I'm away from Glitter enough as it is."

That at least wiped the appraising stare off the little filly's face, replacing it with a wide smile as she pranced over at my urging and sat in front of me, only giving a mild grumble as I covered her ears. This was rapidly getting into topics of conversation I'd rather not have her listening to...

(Rainbow Dash off to the Galactic Zone for otherworldly thrills
Down in Applejack's Dry Cider Gulch there’s Cola up in them thar hills...)

More high speed telepathy threatened to overwhelm me, thankfully cut off when Umbra spoke again. "But you do wish to do so... Why not simply breed with us now then, have your foals and raise them with sister Jade when you are ready? We do not require you to remain and be a father to all of them.

We would prefer it if you stayed under our protection, but you have earned an exception and we find you to be a nearly perfect mate; healthy, intelligent and brave, all traits we would see spread, albeit a bit short... But we will overlook that! Others of your stature have proven it is of little importance..." A flash of a petite grey mare with a brown mane in Stable barding ran through my head at her words, feelings coming with it of... fear? Respect maybe?

Val burst out in gales of laughter, spewing the contents of the single bottle of alcohol the alicorns had put out for their little party and hooting to the ceiling, addressing one of the biggest things that caught me off guard out of all of that. "Bwahahaha!!! You wanna put the boss out ta stud!? S-Sure! Form a line gals! I can pimp him out for ya!"

"Val..."

"No, no, no! You got work ta get to boss, w-we'll go fill one of these rooms with mattresses an' start sendin' em in till they can't fit no more! C-Chain you up so you can't go runnin' off! I'm sure Blue is fine with it right? I mean it's yer sisters an' all! Ain't you mares posed ta share everything in anyhoo? K-Keep it all in the family! W-We'll work out a schedule! Bring 'im back every few months ta make the rounds!" The griffon laughed hysterically from the floor, rolling around and kicking her paws behind her, this wasn't that funny...

What was really not funny was the way at least a third of the room started forming lines just as she said... Sending her into fresh guffaws as she just kept right on going. "T-That's it gals! M-Make yerselves pretty too, gotta wine and dine em a little first! First the blues, then the purples, then the greens! O-Oh! No, I know! B-Boss likes em tall, s-start linin' up by height! G-Guess you gotta wait fer Swan down there to take first crack at 'im!"

(PLAY!?)

"VAL! That's enough! Not funny!" I winced at the mental shout of Swan from her pond down below, Val might be kidding, but I noticed Jade turning as red as I was and she was coming uncomfortably close to a few topics, making me realize the fillies up here didn't think it was a joke.

A couple of them even slunk off to the windows and flew down towards the park, taking her seriously and going to start drinking in radiation to move up in her proposed order. Others were primping and preening themselves anxiously, adjusting the few scraps of clothing I saw being worn up here and trying awkwardly to be seductive. At least the ones engaging in the oddest responses all shared that cloudy gaze and kept breathing deeply, one or two pointing their noses up and slowly wandering around following them...

"Fast won't mate without sister Jade... I've been trying... he doesn't like sharing..." (You gotta share... you gotta care...) Peri muttered softly to the room, the strange blue mare always had a look of sleepy detachment anyway, with her nostrils flaring like that she was practically hypnotized.

The song from my childhood drifted up from her memories in a warped and crackling rendition that made me feel horrible, despair and pain carried with the happy melody for some reason, a whiff of smoke tickling my nose, the clink of chains ringing in my ears and images of a hellish, ruined city flashing by.

At least Magnolia's light green eyes were clear and bright, her melodious voice ringing out in my defense. "That's not it Peri! W-When you have a special somepony, you only have eyes for them! W-What if sister Jade didn't want to share him? Or one of us had a stallion they felt like that about? Will Evergreen want to share her buck when we find her? M-Mating isn't love!" (Miles...)

(Love?Difference?WantBreedingMattersSelfishCan'tPointMemoriesHappyProblem?FastThinkPrettyMaleWhyNot?SillyConvince?JadeAskSisterWillRightThingMotherWantedLikeFastWantFirstKeepSafeShare...)

(Pinkie Pie's World of Treats is the most wonderriffic place
Princess Twilight's friendly Ponyville streets will put a smile on your face...)

The furious back and forth that ensued made me sway, Glitter struggling under my hooves to look up and pull me from her ears at the movement. They were right, this whole thing was a sticky problem... If I wasn't already hopefully on the way to turning into one of them and had actually needed that potion, was it fair to only use it for Jade?

Umbra had laid out the cold, hard facts and I couldn't really dispute them so far. They only had a little of the potion, they had to get as much out of it as possible and they were trying to preserve their species. Any stallion who did end up taking that stuff would need to mate with as many of them as possible, as often as possible... Especially since they weren't guaranteed to produce an alicorn when they did give birth.

Of course I didn't think there was any shortage of bucks who would find that arrangement a little slice of heaven, my old friend Grizzly Sands would probably be first in line... but even they'd start to get tired right? Being clinical about it and trying to use the potion as efficiently as possible, meant that those like Jade and Evergreen who only wanted their special somepony were left out too...

(Now do you see? This is just about mating with normal ponies too Fast... stallions that will be able to choose if they are willing to make that sacrifice. If it were a male alicorn they were discussing instead for example... One that would produce other alicorns only? What do you think they'd do if such a ...hypothetical male just dropped into our laps? How much stronger do you think the reaction would be?) Ivy smiled sadly and waved out to the crowd and the flurry of telepathy and voices raised in argument.

If that were the case... Yeeeeah... I could see this getting a lot more intense alright... If I did become an alicorn properly, a male alicorn, a male that wasn't one of them originally to boot? That would only give them alicorn foals instead of the normal, random chances ponies the world over had?...

(Now you know there’s a place that’s just as great as Sparkle-Cola
Gallop on down to Sparkle-World and see it for yourself!
A vacation that refreshes, a trip you won’t forget
A park with every minimum acceptable safety standard met!)

I focused on the jingle harder than ever, suddenly very ready to leave and shivering as my heart pounded, hard enough for Glitter to feel it apparently by the surprised look up at me. They'd never want me to leave... Peri and Swan's flirtations would be nothing, a drop in the bucket...

Worse yet they'd have a point, being in that position and only being with Jade would be selfish... from their perspective anyway, much to my chagrin at least partially from my own too... logically speaking they'd be right... If there was only one male alicorn around, they'd be justified in sequestering them away and jealously guarding them, keeping them safe from any possible harm in the interest of their species' future...

I wondered what life was like for that single male back in Equestria... The one who had been a female like all the rest and volunteered to be changed, to dedicate themselves solely to reproducing with their... sisters... (That just sounded weird...) I imagined he... she?... they were well cared for, never wanting for anything or having to do much besides mating, the chafing must be incredible...

What was surely a pampered and easy lifestyle in the wasteland wasn't very tempting for me though... Mechanically breeding with a never ending stream of strange fillies, only focusing on the end result and not enjoying the process, engaging in intimacy with no feelings involved, being kept locked away and out of any potential danger? No... not for me at all...

Zed appeared from nowhere beside me, whispering over Glitter's head to offer a bit of advice, startling me both by his appearance and by getting involved at all, he really was making an effort now. "Buy time... These are not problems for you to solve for them, or to be solved quickly. I suggest you leave soon as well Fast... They are getting rather stirred up... and your griffon is not helping. You do not appear well either, wipe your nose."

Taking a hoof off Glitter's ears let her wriggle loose and spin around, gasping as I wiped my muzzle and pulled my fetlock back smeared with a trickle of blood. Right! That was enough Unity / telepathy nonsense for one day! I tried to hide the damp streak, thankfully hard to see on my black sleeve, stepping out from Jade's embrace to call out to the room.

"Uh! Z-Zed's right! You're all going way too fast! H-Having kids shouldn't be something anypony rushes into, you can't sit here and try to settle it all right this minute and get down to m-mating ok? I'm flattered, really! Umm... g-give me some time to think about it at least? I don't know if I can help all of you the way you want, but you know I want to help now right? You have things to work out anyway and I r-really ought to get back to bed..."

I nervously glanced around at them staring at me strangely, suddenly realizing I had raised my voice to shout when they weren't really being that loud... with their mouths anyway... Dammit, this was too hard to keep up, I wasn't great at talking to other ponies to begin with, adding on a whole other layer of communication was just giving me more rope to hang myself.

I caught Ivy facehoofing to herself with a grimace behind me, a wave of tension rolling off her as Umbra cocked her head and stared closely, thankfully disregarding it to answer. (Acting strange... Odd... Sick... Blood?... Point though... Listen this time...) "As you wish Fast, I suppose you are right, we are getting ahead of ourselves in our excitement. We will consider what to do together, feel better soon and do the same, we hope you'll agree to help us this way."

After a chorus of goodbyes, we made our way back to the elevator to go down to Swan and return to Goodneighbor. Glitter's normally exuberant parting subdued as she hovered nearby, returning to the habit of making sure some part her remained in contact with some part of me that she had exhibited when I first got back from being separated from her.

My concern over the behavior was forgotten at Umbra's voice, grumbling out as the doors shut and the ancient elevator trundled down. "Stop that humming! Who started this, it will be stuck in our heads for weeks!"

Teleportation was definitely the way to travel, I envied Swan's skill with the difficult spell that instantly brought us back to the Princess Celestia Suite in Goodneighbor. The giant mare's aim was so good she appeared in the cramped quarters without ruffling a feather, though she did fit quite a bit better than last time.

Returning to the deafening silence in my head was a blessed comfort, I had enough voices up there on my own thank you very much. Swan made her farewells happily, nuzzling at me playfully but behaving herself to my relief. I sincerely hoped she and the others would get used to my 'smell' quickly and stop reacting to it, I couldn't be around any of them for long the way that went.

As soon as she disappeared I started shrugging out of my dark armor, oblivious to Val, Zed, Ivy, Peri and Magnolia still in here with me. The big, soft bed was calling to me, that was exhausting... I had seriously been in life and death battles that didn't drain me that much, how could they stand all that all the time? Let alone like it?

I collapsed to the mattress and yawned goodnight to my friends, vaguely aware of the little filly who had quietly jumped up beside me and wrapped her legs around my bandaged middle. Muttering sleepy promises to share my next set of errands tomorrow, I heard the others filing out and Jade approaching the bed. A soft murmuring argument between Jade and Glitter briefly broke out, the alicorn princess trying to pull her away by the movement and the little filly squeezing my bulging sides tighter.

A fuzzy assurance and whine got them to stop moving around, the foal getting her way and remaining where she was silently as Jade left and the lights went out. Glitter wasn't this clingy usually, not since she first came to stay with us anyway. Enough to worry me, but I couldn't think straight, let alone try to talk to her about it. The best I could manage was stroking her mane softly until I passed out.

She was still right there when I woke up, cradled between Jade and I on the spacious bed and keeping in contact even while unconscious. She sounded a little more herself while we got ready for the day at least, never leaving my side but speaking over breakfast happily, joining in the conversation as I outlined the basics of our meeting with Mayor Shamrock we were preparing for.

I tried another shower before leaving the suite, scrubbing myself as hard as I could, trying to mask whatever scent was driving nearly every alicorn I was near crazy. Jade told me even she wasn't immune, though catching her stretching out a hug here and there to bury her muzzle in my mane and breathe contentedly was a good clue...

She at least liked my smell before it changed, the unconscious reaction of her body wasn't quite the shock it was for her sisters and she tried to assure me they would probably get used to it ...eventually.

Finally I had to hope that was good enough, I'd start scraping away my coat if I kept going... I took a moment to stare in the mirror while I dried off, the tumors on my sides were looking more distinctly wing-like every day, lending my reflection the air of a normal pegasus with wings tucked tightly against my ribs, except for the rough, pulsating skin still covering them instead of feathers.

I yanked the towel from my mane and flicked my ears around, I could have sworn I heard a tiny gasp... no one sneaking in like Val had done was hiding at the door though. Just in case, I hurried up and wrapped my chest in fresh bandages, at least I didn't have to use precious magical ones for this, plain old strips of cloth did what I needed just fine.

Shrugging into my Shrouded Stallion trenchcoat, I paused and prodded at the sides in surprise. Were these flaps always here? No... definitely not... Buttoned flaps on either side had shown up somehow, openings for wings? They looked like what you'd find on pegasus clothing anyway, there were a lot of spells woven into the magical armor by Sassy Saddles, it adjusted its fit... maybe that was why?

I checked my pip-buck and stared at the cartoon unicorn on the health status screen, ignoring all the warnings and alerts vying for my attention. The display kept flickering between showing a set of illustrated wings and removing them again, if the arcano-tech computer on my leg recognized them, maybe the armor did too? I chose to take it as a good sign anyway and finished up quickly, joining the others and making our way to Shamrock's office.

The ghoul mayor was anxiously waiting for us, his cluttered office looked like it had been a hive of activity since I came here last, his kindly demeanor somewhat strained. "Morning! Come in, come in! Glad to see you back and get to meet you with again, how's my head technician doing today?"

I took the offered seat in front of the desk strewn with bottles and drug containers with a tired sigh, the wind knocked out of me by Glitter immediately hopping up in my lap and fidgeting silently. "Ooof! Er.. Good to see you too Shamrock, sorry I haven't gotten back to you till now, I've been... busy..."

The mayor snorted a laugh and waved off my apology, "So I've heard... No worries Fast, though I'm glad you came by, I was going to send for you soon. Things have been a bit... tense lately, though we're happy to have all your sisters visitin' Princess! Making some progress with our little project would help quite a bit, I hope that's what you wanted to talk about?"

Jade smiled happily to the ghoul at the mention of her sisters, nodding gratefully as I replied. "Yeah actually, I think I found a way in... It's gonna sound really weird though... You have to throw a party..."

Shamrock's milky eyes widened a moment, blinking in surprise before he started guffawing laughter. "A party? Gee I dunno Fast, we don't throw many parties in Goodneighbor... whatever will we do?"

"If it were that easy we would'a done it a long time ago! Even that idiot Fantastic could manage that, you sure 'bout this goofy little pony boss?" Shamrock's surly griffon bodyguard Scarlet sneered, eyeing me suspiciously.

Val gritted her teeth and slammed her claws on the desk, leaning towards the dark red griffon and growling. "Shut up... Listen ta the boss, he knows what he's talkin' about..."

"It is alright Valkyrie, calm down. I realize it sounds strange Mayor Shamrock, from what Fast has been able to explain to me however, I believe you should pay attention. Though I do not understand computers very well, Fast's plan seems reasonable." Jade pushed my angry griffon friend back gently, ever the diplomat and peacemaker.

"I should have said you have to throw a very specific kind of party Shamrock, but that's pretty much the gist of it... This casino never opened see, it's still waiting for the Grand Opening Gala to happen, that's why it hired you to begin with. There's a lot of criteria that have to be met for it to count, but if the computer in here thinks the opening is happening, the M.O.M. hub will open for it too."

The mayor leaned back in his battered old chair, scratching his flaking chin in thought before answering curiously. "What kind of party then? What has to happen that's so special?"

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at my pip-buck and the list it had compiled into one of its 'Missions' as I dug through the code buried in the advanced computer somewhere above us. "First, It has to be big... You get a lot of guests here for Nightmare Night right? I saw the decorations and was hoping to take Glitter out anyway, that should be good enough. It also has to have certain guests and events that happen, celebrities that were supposed to be here for the opening."

"Might be little hard to pull that off Fast... guessin' those celebrities are all long gone, unless they're all as pretty as me!" The ghoul chortled and gestured to his rotting face, I kinda doubted all the guests happened to be ghouls that were still around too, thankfully that wasn't as big a problem as it first seemed.

"Well... that's one area where having such a... smart computer in charge actually helps us. If it was a normal system, it probably wouldn't accept anything but exactly who was supposed to be here. But because it's so clever, it has leeway to adjust things if it needs to. We don't need the exact celebrities scheduled, we just need ponies that it will accept instead. A pre-war singer named Rara was supposed to perform down in your lounge for example, I have a friend that's really good at singing that can fill in though, see?"

Val huffed in confusion and tried to puzzle that out while Shamrock hummed to himself in thought. "Ok hold on boss... yer sayin' if it were a dumb computer, it would be smart enough to not be fooled... But since it's a smart computer... it's dumb? It'll really fall for it?"

"Basically... Computers are only as smart as their programming Val, usually... This one can think though, so yes, we can fool it. Zed, did you find out what I asked?"

The quiet zebra looked away from staring out the windows looking down on the casino floor below and nodded. "Yes, the Combat Zone is still in possession of the gaudy belt you asked about. Rather the current champion is in possession of it, unfortunately it is a truly obnoxious member of the Kings, I do not think he'll cooperate."

"Hmm... Ok... I hate to ask Zed, but you're really good at fighting, do you think you could beat him?"

The flat, bored smirk he returned was a good answer... "I said he was obnoxious, not skilled. Defeating him under the rules that place follows should be simple enough. I assume a 'championship fight' is one of the conditions that must be met?"

"Exactly... If you don't mind doing that, then that's one more thing off the list. That leaves a few more repairs to make around town and some other replacements to line up, but we ought to be able to get everything done in time for Nightmare Night.

There's only one major problem, some of the things I need to fix are in the King's Gambit... I don't think they're going to just let me walk on in and do it, they don't like me very much. Plus I found their weaponry in the Library, they were selling guns to the Church of Balefire, whether directly or through contacts with the Institute I don't know, but they're a problem..."

Shamrock chuckled tersely, the jovial ghoul in the ancient military uniform sounded tired and a little worried.."Ha! That's an understatement! Bullet Bishop himself is coming back to town for our annual Nightmare Night shindig actually. Keep it under your hat, but if those twits are going to pull somethin', that's probably when.

I wouldn't put it past em either, I knew about the gun running to that church, didn't think anything of it until they attacked you folks right in my casino though. They're even more ornery than normal now, trouble is brewin' and I got my hooves full tryin' ta head it off. I'll offer what help I'm able to give with this, but plannin' a big party around a potential war in the streets is a tall order Fast.".

I rubbed my head and tried to think, the fog of Med-X helped stave off the pain roving through my body, but made productive thought difficult. So... one of Diamond City's 'nobility' was going to be here... I hadn't liked the sleazy stallion when I met him briefly, seeing where he got his power and caps from had nurtured that dislike to outright hate.

I still didn't fully understand the complex workings of Goodneighbor, but I had friends to help with that. I had the basics down enough to know what I wanted to happen too. "Then let's talk about all the bad things that could happen to the Kings between now and then..."

Knocking the rust from the access panel on the oversized statue of a young Ministry Mare Pinkie Pie, set off a torrent of coughing that left me light headed for a moment. When it passed I was surprised to find my tough little earth pony filly leaning against me, keeping me from falling over.

Glitter's wide pink eyes stared up at me silently as I caught my breath, the foal remaining in contact with my swollen side in anticipation of another attack. I patted her head weakly and pulled the metal panel free, holding my breath at the shower of rust this time and floating my tools into the exposed innards of the animated statue in front of the Friendly Foals Orphanage.

An awkward silence had settled between us all morning, she stayed right on my tail at all times and watched my every move closely, but the closest she came to her normal happy chatter was when speaking with somepony else, was she mad at me?

I noticed her increasingly strange behavior with worry, trying to arrange things so we'd have some time alone together, relatively anyway... I kept spotting Val peeking down from the rooftops, checking up on us before flapping off to her next errand. Jade had gone to her clinic, still dedicated to finding some treatment for me, despite how little time I had left before the potion ran its course. Zed had volunteered to return to the Combat Zone, finding out how to go about challenging the champion.

She didn't even spend much time talking to the pair of unicorn colts at the tour guide stand nearby, leaving me to sigh in frustration and check the updates on my pip-buck as a distraction while i tried to work;

Mission: Strike Up the Band

Objectives----

---Trigger the Grand Opening Gala

----Repair all 'Spell in a Box' arrays

----Repair Friendly Foals Daycare event

----Arrange catering from local cuisine

----Find noble Master of Ceremonies

----Stage performance of Equestrian National Anthem and concert

----Stage 'Championship Fight'

----Stage 'Ribbon Cutting Ceremony'

----Meet minimum attendance requirements
----Meet minimum party level (8.9)
---Gain access to Ministry of Morale hub
---Take control of hub maneframe

Mission: Down With the King

Objectives---

---Weaken the King's influence in Goodneighbor
---Reduce the King's wealth
---Reduce the King's weapons trade

Optional Objectives---

---Eliminate the Kings
---Eliminate Bullet Bishop

A twinge between my eyes made me bang my head trying to duck out of the panel, looking around in alarm at the trio of strange alicorns making their way to the rough wooden stand outside of the candy cane fence. The tall statue of Pinkie Pie depicted the young Ministry Mare standing on one of her hind legs, balancing on a brightly colored ball, the other limbs spread wide in grinning invitation.

Balancing on my hindleg to match the pose and press against the cold back of the statue took a lot of effort, how did Zed do this so easily anyway? I held my breath and wobbled in place, listening to the trio of mares chatting as they approached and requested one of Glitter's guides.

"Remember, we are to be on the lookout for candidates now, males that will fit the bill, not just fun."

"There is that Black Cat place... mating for caps? Perhaps we could hire a male..."

"I do not wish to take our guide to that place..."

"Don't worry lady! We know what goes on there, we wait outside if'n it makes ya feel better!"

"T-Thank you little one... That place is difficult to deal with, very confusing... We have little caps, we cannot hire a male permanently. Besides, do we want one that can be so easily bought?"

"No... That would not be a trait to pass on... This is difficult, it will take too long to find acceptable males... Why does sister Jade's mate not simply agree? We could already be trying..."

"He brought it to us... He will agree, he likes us! We will still need other males, he was right anyway, we should not rush, our obsession has cost us before... We will... will... go to the casino place... try to meet worthy males to.... what is that smell?"

"Don't know... good though, smells familiar... kept catching scent yesterday too..."

"W-We will go to the Black Cat place first... To investigate..."

"Can we visit sister later? See if... Fast is there? He still sick?"

"We will see...Later, w-willing to try other things... w-while we look..."

Their voices slowly trailed off, leaving me pressed against the Pinkie statue in the same outstretched pose, my heart pounding and sweat pouring down my face. I stumbled back to all four hooves and smiled sheepishly at Glitter, she had watched the whole production without saying anything or even saying hi to the alicorns. Staying hidden with me and darting those pink eyes from the retreating mares and back to me suspiciously.

"Oy! What're you doin' out there! Anypony say you could just barge in an' start tinkerin' with Filchers stuff ya wanker?!" The accented yell of a colt leaving the faded and weathered gingerbread house orphanage gave me a guilty start, my surprised panic fading away when I saw who it was. Sticky Wicket...

The bratty buck who taught my daughter how to pickpocket, ran his Filchers as a herd of thieves and spies, extorted me for parts he tried to steal and was generally a rotten little shit in the making... Mostly I didn't like the way Glitter had looked at him when she introduced him originally though... seeming infatuated with the older colt despite his many, many, many faults... He sounded full of himself and angry, his private territory intruded on when I passed the red and white striped gates.

For all these things, I took no small satisfaction in flicking his nose and pushing him aside after closing up the repaired Pinkie, walking past him into the chilly gloom of the orphanage, ignoring his shouts of protest. "I'm tinkering with Goodneighbor stuff, not yours, for the Mayor so complain to him. Though you still haven't fixed that boiler have you? Had your chance kid, I'm taking over before it gets any colder, who's in charge here?"

"I am! D-Don't need your help neither! Bout to finish up any day now I am..." The indignant grey earth pony shouted and stamped his hooves, galloping after me and trying to push me back out of the cramped room.

This place was in rough shape... Bunkbeds made of whatever junk they could find were stacked three high, ratty cloth hammocks hung in the corners and filthy mats and mattresses were spread out in what little space remained or rolled up and tucked away for now. The threadbare blankets were dirty and sure to be jumping with fleas by the look, they didn't look like much protection against the chill either, which was even worse considering the cold and silent radiator in the corner.

"Sure you are, you connived all the parts you should have needed out of me already. You've had plenty of time too, I'm tagging in brat. Who's really in charge here? Where's the grown up?"

The brown eyes staring daggers at me from behind his ragged blue mane narrowed and Wicket grumbled angrily. "Granny's out! Not that we need grown ups, Filchers take care of themselves! I-I'll figure it out myself!"

I had to weave my way through the room, carefully picking my way through the minefield of dirty, broken toys strewn across the floor to head for the door he was guarding. "Asking for help isn't weakness kid, swallow that stupid pride and get out of my way. Nopony knows everything the first time they try something, go find this Granny so I can talk to her and come back if you want to learn something. Letting your friends stay cold when they don't have to is stupid..."

The annoying earth pony colt scowled and huffed as I pushed past him, opening the door to a dark basement below and starting down the rickety stairs. The other systems I needed to check in here were probably downstairs too, but that broken boiler had stuck in my craw from the moment I heard about it, fixing the heat for a herd of orphans took priority."

Wicket pouted from the door as I descended shakily, inching my way down with Glitter right behind me. Finally the colt huffed and stamped his hooves, calling down after us petulantly. "Fine! I'm tellin' Granny, she can tell you to buck off! Your dad sucks Glitter!"

I glanced back over my shoulder and froze in shock, Glitter's wide pink eyes narrowed to angry slits, doing a good imitation of my own burning glare when I got angry enough and wheeling on her new friend, her voice trembling with fury as she stomped with all four hooves and clenched her eyes shut to scream. "SHUT UP WICKET!!! MY DADDY DOESN'T SUCK! HE'S THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD!! L-LEAVE US ALONE AN' DON'T EVER SAY THAT AGAIN!"

Sticky Wicket looked as stunned as I felt, both of our mouths hanging open at the furious outburst as she panted in agitation. After a moment of confusion the colt ran off, leaving us alone in the gloomy basement, lit by the glow of my pip-buck light. I reached out to her uncertainly, Glitter never got mad like that... she got along with nearly everypony she met, often amazing me with her social skills.

I felt her tense at my touch and pulled my hoof away as if burned, simmering anger was practically baking off her and her eyes shimmered wetly. Feeling especially useless and unsure of myself, I spotted the broken boiler and softly tried to nudge her that way, relieved to hear her little hoofsteps follow behind me as I crossed the cluttered basement.

Stacks of boxes and junk filled a lot of the space down here, along with thick, rusting pipes running along the ceiling. Partially exposed wiring criss crossed the space and most of the heavier equipment was clustered around the bulky boiler, sitting dark and silent in the corner with several panels removed and several incomplete repairs visible.

An arcano-flux generator hummed roughly nearby, supplying power to the building even after all this time. It bore the marks of other makeshift repairs, but even the know it all Wicket knew better than to start taking panels off the radiation producing power supply. There was a small steel door I could barely pick out by holding my pip-buck high, obscured by piles of junk, broken cradles and strollers, smashed remnants of old toys and assorted moldy cardboard boxes. A closet maybe, it didn't look used often and the basement wasn't that big.

With a sigh, I sat in front of the scattered junk and tools before the boiler and started floating my tools out, investigating whatever problem had Wicket stumped. There was a cot crammed into the corner nearby, partially hidden by a wall of boxes and near a battered old workbench covered in more parts and junk. Wicket must stay down here...

From what I could tell he wasn't a bad little repair-pony in the making, only a few miswired connections and improperly seated talismans were holding him up, easy to miss stuff if you didn't have much experience. The dogeared copy of 'TLC Squared- Tender Loving Care for Totally Lost Causes' I spotted on the dirty mattress had taken him far, just his foalish pride was holding him back.

My magical grip was a little unsteady, but still up to the simple task before me, a field of blue telekinetic force floating parts and tools around in a busy cloud while I tried to think, opening my mouth to say something and snapping it shut repeatedly when words failed. Should I just wait and let her tell me what was on her mind when she was ready? That seemed easiest, but also laziest... parents were supposed to do something in situations like this... I just had no idea what.

She had returned to silence and snuggled against my side while I worked, still anxiously demanding constant contact. That was good right? If she was mad at me she wouldn't be hanging off me like that... Finally I gulped to myself and ventured a question as soothingly as I could. "Sweetie... is something..."

Before I could finish, her lip quivered and big tears spilled down her cheeks, her forelegs flew out and wrapped around my chest as she buried her face against my throbbing side, blubbering as she broke down. "W-What's wrong with you daddy!? D-Don't lie an' just say your sick either! Something's w-w-wrong!! M-Mom keeps cryin' when she thinks I can't hear! Auntie Val keeps fake smiling an' watchin' you really hard!"

"Glitter... I... I'm ok, r-really..."

"No you're not!! Y-You're even actin' weird around mom's sisters! I... I c-could'a ended up like Wicket an' the o-others here, a-all alone! B-But you took me in, m-made me your daughter! I b-been s-scared... if you could have a baby with mom then... m-maybe you'd love it more than me... It'd r-really be y-yours..."

She only stiffened a moment when I enveloped her in a hug, patting her back while she hiccuped into my chest. "Sweetie... you are really mine, nothing will change that. I wouldn't love you any less or a little brother or sister for you any more, why didn't you tell me you were getting yourself worked up over that?"

"B-Because! Y-You found that potion s-stuff an' I wanted to be h-happy for you an' mommy, b-but I was really worried, and n-neither of you were h-happy when you should be... which made it w-worse! T-Then you just said you d-didn't want it anymore last night... an' I got really scared... S-Somethin' must be wrong! Y-You look so sick! I-I'm not d-d-dumb!" Her sobbing was tapering down to thick sniffles, rocking and making wordless, reassuring sounds was calming the shaking filly in my hooves at least.

"I... I am sick Glitter, it's j-just a s-stomach bug... I'm sure I'll..."

"I SAW!! I... I p-peeked in the bathroom... I saw t-these things... That's not a b-bug!!" She pulled away to yell at me, her pink eyes shrunk to pinpricks and bloodshot from crying, her forelegs giving a painful squeeze to the growths on my sides she was clinging to.

Dammit... It was a good run anyway, the truth was bound to come out eventually, I guessed trying for one more day was too much... "G-Glitter... I wish you hadn't done that... I... I am sick, and you're right, it's not a bug. It's.... c-complicated, I'll explain it all to you if you want. I'm sorry for hiding it from you, I just wanted... time...

I didn't want to scare you, I wanted us to have fun together without you worrying about things you can't do anything about... I hope... I believe I'll be ok now, that e-everything will work out somehow. It's ok to have faith sometimes sweetie, that's what I want you to do for me. I'm not going anywhere alright?"

"I'm afraid I must disagree Mr. Times..."

I had a split second to react to the familiar voice behind me, using it to pull Glitter tight and try to shield her as three soft 'pfft!' sounds were followed immediately by three sharp pinches at my neck. My muscles spasmed and locked up instantly, sending me crashing to the floor with her.

I could barely hiss instructions to her, practically frozen in place, to the point the foal had to wriggle out of my locked embrace to scurry up to my face and shove at me desperately. "Run! Hide!"

Her ears flattened and she clenched her eyes shut, shaking her head against my pained whisper as the clop of slow hoofsteps approached behind us. The effort just to get out another try was enormous, whatever I had just been hit with was a lot stronger than the tranquilizers I had been riddled with at the Trotson Public Library.

"NOW GLITTER! HIDE!"

A terrified look of despair crossed her face, her pink eyes shimmering in front of me and darting up to the source of the ringing hoofsteps. Finally, thankfully, she did as told, giving an anxious whinny and darting off into the piles of junk and boxes littering the basement, the agile little scavenger disappearing where she couldn't be easily followed.

I rolled an eye back to the sound of the steps stopping next to me, an ornate green cloaked pony resolving out of the blurry shadows. The same dart gun that knocked me out before floated in a field of pale lavender magic by the gold trimmed hood. A spent stealth-buck clattered to the floor from one voluminous sleeve and a cream colored hoof reached up to pull the hood away.

'Confessor' Moondancer didn't look so good... A corrupting blast of magic had scorched one side of her sneering face and the synth's healing talisman seemed unable to repair the damage. Her purple eyes danced with madness as she stood over me, kicking at my throbbing sides and getting a whimper of pain that looked to make her happy.

"Hello again, naughty little test subject 111-3-42... Funny meeting you here..."

-----------------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------------------

Math Wrath------------
----You're a regular computer whiz! Sparring with the advanced maneframe in charge of the M.O.M. hub has sharpened your already considerable skills! You are able to optimize your Pip-Buck’s targeting spell logic. S.A.T.S. is now 20% cooler!

Reputation Change!-----------------------

Trinity Tower---Idolized
---You managed to achieve your goals where the mares of Trinity Tower are concerned. Saving their leader and bringing them the Institute's compatibility potion has made you a hero to the alicorns of the Commonwealth! Now instead of being difficult to interact with, they may be a little too friendly! Thanks to your efforts the ladies of the tower are going to join the rest of ponykind in new and exciting ways, changing the balance of power throughout the Commonwealth! Not everypony is happy about that however...

Goodneighbor--- Smiling Troublemaker
---Things are getting tense in the party town and you've become a known entity. Thanks to your role in bringing the alicorns in contact with Goodneighbor, most of the residents view you favorably. You receive better prices in stores that will deal with you and even gain access to additional stock at some establishments! Everypony smells trouble on the way though, some residents may refuse to do business with you and may be quicker to hostility.

Ch. 46-- We Must Stop Beating Like This

"Moondancer?" I croaked up to the disfigured synth pacing above me, trying to get her attention away from peering around the dark basement for Glitter, hiding somewhere in the maze of clutter under Friendly Foals Orphanage.

The crazed look the artifical mare in the ornate green cloak shot back worried me, she might be a highly advanced artificial pony, but the madness in those purple eyes was as real as any born in a natural pony's heart. "No!! Just me! The Confessor of a church you helped destroy! That's just the problem you see 111-3-42!!! The great Dr. Dala has been most distraught since you ran away, she no longer speaks to us! Hides in her dollhouse and won't come out!

But she will now... I'll bring you back and she will be pleased with us again! We will resume our great work! Not only that but I will have your daughter, that should ensure your cooperation this time shouldn't it!?! Come out, come out, wherever you are little one... I don't want to hurt you..."

Clenching my eyes and pouring everything I had into my horn resulted in some weak sparks, the dart gun floating beside her was loaded with some kind of paralytic instead of the tranquilizer I had experienced before, stopping me from incinerating her with lightning from where I was frozen. The best I could do was twitch in rage, gritting my teeth and snorting out angry breaths against the cold stone floor, hopefully since this stuff worked so fast, maybe it wore off quickly too...

"LEAVE ALONE!" I grunted after the burned synth, watching her creep around the room, keeping her back to the only stairs out and flicking her ears after every small noise rustling through the junk.

"Oh calm down Mr. Times! The great Dr. Dala would never hurt a foal! They make wonderful subjects, she will come to no harm! Our involvement here has produced more than just a convenient place to hide you know! When I return you we can return to our experiments, success with you will mean even more child subjects!" What I wouldn't give blast that creepy grin off her burned face... What were they doing here... to these kids...

Impotent twitching rage from where I remained frozen didn't bother her in the slightest, the robed synth calling out encouragingly. "My master knows what's wrong with your daddy dear... she can fix him you know! He needs her help, but if you both come with me he will be fine! Better than fine! He will be an alicorn like your mommy, doesn't that sound wonderful!?"

A high pitched gasp from the darkness gave the synth's roaming ears something to lock onto, her eyes giving a sly look as she faced the corner it came from and called in a comforting, tempting tone while I fumed. I had to move, find a way to protect her, something!! Neither my body nor my magic were working, all I could do was watch the mad mare in front of me, and think of ways to kill her.

Wait... think... I could try to call for help... if one of Jade's green sisters was close enough maybe they could hear me now? It was a long shot, but all I could do, I really hoped Ivy was somewhere she could hear and help, but any of them would be fine at this point. Uncomfortable questions about how I did it could be dealt with later. (HELP! ORPHANAGE! BASEMENT!!)

"Perhaps we can improve you as well, would you like that dear? I bet you would... I couldn't help but eavesdrop, hiding down here and all! Since your parents destroyed my Cathedral and made me a failure... ruined our experiment, corrupted the data, took the doctor's voice from us....

.....But that's ok!!

You can be like your mother and father both! A pretty little alicorn filly, then you'd be the same as any new baby wouldn't you? Be a proper family? Why don't you just come on out..." The Confessor cooed to the hidden filly, her dart gun tracking the sounds of movement around her.

"NO!" I growled out, hoping the she was listening and didn't fall for it. The thought of my daughter being put through Moondancer's version of the I.M.P. like I had... of my filly suffering this... She was going to die just for suggesting that...

I hated that particular Moondancer copy more than any other I had met, I was sure it was the same one that tempted the alicorns of Trinity Tower I had first seen in a memory. Even with that insane twitch to the eye on the burned side of her face, she was smug and smooth, playing on Glitter's insecurities after only hearing a moment's private outburst, just as she had used Evergreen's love for a normal stallion to manipulate her.

The uncomfortable silence I could just imagine Glitter considering it in was broken by the door to the basement slamming open, my moment of hope that Ivy or another of her type heard the mantra running through my head, dashed by the snotty voice calling down from the stairs. "Yer in it now jerk! He's right down there Granny Hat, told him to go away I did! His fault I interrupted your shoppin'! He shoved 'is way past me to... oy... w-what's all this then?"

Wicket's tattling dried up on his tongue as his eyes adjusted to the gloomy basement and widened looking down on the scene. The shriveled old white maned, greyish-purple unicorn mare beside him staring impassively at the strangers in her basement. I had a second to worry about that, then Glitter's silver mane bounced up from a stack of rotting boxes, a boxy magical energy weapon held in her mouth.

She shouted around the grip of Righteous Authority before firing several lances of pink energy at the Confessor. Her accuracy was still lacking, but greatly improved and guided by S.A.T.S. if I didn't miss my guess, scorching holes into the synth's ornate green robe and forcing her to back away in surprise. "HELP! RUNAWAY WICKET! Get Help!!"

To my horror, the slate grey colt was too stunned to do anything but stare, completely oblivious to the elderly mare he had brought. The old unicorn stood straight from her hunched and shaking posture, dropping the bag floating in her grip in favor of a gnarled cane.

The shopping this 'Granny' had been doing tumbled down the stairs as she turned in place, a couple purple healing potions, bandages, adult sized clothing, a floppy hat and sunglassess... things somepony in hiding and injured might need...

Grunting "Look ou...!" uselessly was all I could manage while she reared back, giving a powerful buck that tossed Wicket through the air. I winced at the sickening crack when he slammed into the arcano-tech generator near me, crumpling in on himself where he lay.

"Wicket!! Eeep!!" Glitter screamed following his painful arc, ducking away from several darts puncturing the moldy cardboard she hid behind and scrambling away again.

The Confessor growled in pain from the glancing shots that had burned lines in her flesh, stalking after where Glitter disappeared and grumbling to the elderly mare. "About time! Get down here and watch the stairs, I'm coming to get you little brat...

Wicket groaned weakly beside me, stifling a cry as he dragged himself up from the dented generator housing. A steady clicking sounded from my pip-buck as he stumbled away and I felt the soothing tingle of radiation leaking from the device, I desperately hoped that would help... it healed Jade right? Anything to be able to move again, now two foals were in danger right in front of me and all I could do was think hard. How did you even shout mentally anyway? Think really loud thoughts?

"G-Granny... what wassat for? Who's this bird? W-What's goin' on here?" The colt limped beside me, a distant rustle when he leaned against me all the evidence I had to support what my pip-buck said; 'Item Removed'.

The old mare who kicked him down here croaked in a voice that belied how strong and spry she obviously was, she sounded as old as I technically was and totally unperturbed. "What do you want to do with this one? Shame to lose him, keeps the others in line and is one of Shamrock's best sources..."

A cloud of dust drifted through the small basement as several tottering piles of junk were knocked over, the Confessor cursing and dodging out of the way, answering impatiently as she kept up her hunt for my daughter before my eyes. He'll get 'adopted' like the others! I don't care!! Once the doctor is happy again, maybe she'll feel up to another crack at a project small wonder, we'll take him with us once I find the filly."

Wicket took another lurching step forward, if his left hindleg wasn't broken then it was badly sprained. He sounded disbelieving and somehow resigned speaking to the mare apparently in charge of the Friendly Foals Orphanage, like he expected no better deep down. "W-What's she talkin' bout Granny? 'Adopted'... ain't them what left with their 'new families' like ya said? S-Sounds like you been lyin' G-Granny Hat..."

"She's.... synth..." I grunted after the colt, trying to warn him away from the deceivingly innocent looking mare. The tickle of the rads at my flank was actually loosening the muscles back there... I could twitch my hindlegs again, come on... just a little more...

His brown eyes looked pained as he glanced back over his shoulder, returning his attention to the old mare and limping forward. "Is'at so? S-So everything was a lie? Y-You never cared about any of us? What about all them late night talks? Why pretend to give a flyin' fuck about us at all?! What'd ya do with them what got adopted!? Rumble? Sweet Bee? Slate? Cornflower?!"

"Influencing the next generation provides a great number of research opportunities, this place has been a worthy investment over the years. For example, you were very efficient at collecting intelligence for the mayor, merely spending time to listen allowed us to take advantage of his valuable asset.

Caring is irrelevant, your needs were provided for, those who were 'adopted' went on to do important things..." The flat tone of the elderly synth made my heart break even for the annoying Wicket, this had been his caregiver... talking about what a useful yet expendable tool he was...

Another series of flashes from Glitter's magical energy weapon sent the Confessor skittering out of the way of the pink beams, growing angrier for every second the tough filly kept her at bay, able to track her by her furious shout but unable to paralyze her. "S-Shut up! Caring matters most of all! Don't listen Wicket!!"

(HELP! ORPHANAGE! BASEMENT! HELP! ORPHANAGE! BASEMENT! HELP! ORPHANAGE! BASEMENT!)

I kept screaming the same thoughts in my head, praying to all the goddesses that somepony out there could hear them. My flanks and tail were getting feeling back slowly, my hindlegs weakly scraping against the floor in a numb attempt at moving. The tingle of radiation was sending my rainbow colored rad gauge into the green/yellow border, overcoming the darts I had been shot with all too slowly. At least my mouth could move a little better, letting me weakly try to distract the two synths.

"Never... get away... Friends outside, guards, alicorns... give up..."

A series of 'pfft!' noises from the Confessor's weapon missed Glitter again, sending the crazed synth into a tantrum trying to charge after her. Forced to retreat in the face of pink M.E.W fire and a tall stack of high chairs and cribs crashing to the floor, nearly flattening her. Despite the horrible situation, I couldn't help feeling proud of my filly.

She wasn't a fighter because I tried to protect her from having to be, but she was doing so well now that she was forced to. Not rising to the Confessor's taunts and temptations, staying under cover and forcing the synth to chase after her where she had the advantage, using her surroundings as a weapon, she was one smart, brave little pony.

Confessor Moondancer screamed in frustration and sneered back at me, cantering around trying to find a path to reach where she last saw Glitter. "I know this town better than the ponies that live here, I got in and away from those Brotherhood fools and your precious alicorns when they destroyed my Cathedral didn't I! You really think I can't get away again? The library was the closest, but there are other relay stations not far from here... Service tunnels Mr. Times, I'll never even hit the surface until we're well away from Goodneighbor."

Wicket had continued his agonizing progress towards his 'Granny', shaking his head and agreeing with me, though it looked to pain him doing just that. "He's right, won't get away with this Granny... That griffon of his saw us go in, knows he's here... Yer gonna pay for this, you know it!"

The elderly synth in the patchwork dress looked completely unfazed by his point, watching him struggle to reach her and the stairs she guarded with a bored, empty stare. "I am irrelevant, my model was due to 'die' in a politically useful way soon anyway and you would have a new, younger caregiver model to continue running this place. It has been useful with minimal expenditure of resources, losing both myself and our best spy will reduce our efficiency for some time, but the young ones will step up and fill the gap as they always have when one of you gets adopted."

I could feel my eyes trying to burn a hole through that synth's head, the surge of rage adding to the chant in my head. My forelegs twitched as Wicket approached the evil, artificial mare, trying to obey the insistent signals to get up and start hurting her. The Institute had been using this place, using orphans as tools... Hiding in the shadows and playing with their lives...

Tears dribbled down the colt's angry face as he lunged forward, grabbing at Granny Hat's paisley dress to hold himself up, his hindleg dragging behind him and his voice hoarse and thick with pain. "An' you'll just keep makin' all the little ones work for you eh? D-Disappear some of us if you feel like it an' say we got adopted, make the others b-believe... hope... I won't let you!!"

I tried to shout when I saw that thick cane of hers float up before she shoved him off her, swinging with the obviously unnecessary prop in a flat arc that cracked against his head and sent him sprawling beside me. Twitching and spasming on the floor was all I could do trying to reach the colt, my body waking back up far too slowly, leaving me unable to even check on the poor, bleeding buck as he raised his head weakly.

Wicket's eyes looked glazed and unfocused as blood poured down from his mane and into one eye, the other trying to focus on the Granny synth as she spoke. "You are irrelevant, always too full of yourself... just behave for once, how do you think you will you stop us Wicket? Hoping to get past me and get help?"

A sly grin spread across the colt's bloody face, his one open brown eye filled with hate and satisfaction as he chewed on something, rolling his tongue around in his mouth and finally spitting out a small, metal object that clinked across the floor. "F-F-Filcher's... don't need help... t-take care of... ourselves... b-by... d-d-doin' what'cha t-taught me to... 'G-Granny'... bitch..."

A small metal ring and pin rolled to a stop at Granny Hat's hooves, the Confessor glancing that way in distraction as more pink beams shot out from the junk hiding Glitter. The Granny synth's eyes grew wide and fearful on taking it in, shooting up to look at Wicket in horror while she patted herself with her hooves in a panic.

I had an instant to wonder what the hell was going on, then the small basement blew up...

The force of the explosion sent me rolling back, slamming into the dented generator and landing right on top of the tingling trickle of radiation, Wicket's small body was right behind me and at least spared from smacking into the unforgiving metal again by hitting me instead. My ears were ringing horribly and I struggled to breathe, the wind knocked out of me by the concussion, what the hell was that?!

My eyes were spinning and I wiggled my head as much as I could, desperately trying to clear my vision and find Glitter, taking in the scene. The teetering piles of junk stacked haphazardly in here had all been blown back and collapsed, the muted sounds of struggle and yelling matched the green mark on my compass, pointing to a toppled mound of boxes shifting with movement. I thanked Luna she was alive and prayed the junk she had been hiding in had protected her...

The Confessor staggered around, she hadn't fared so well... her healing talisman was struggling to repair her shredded flanks and her green robes were smoking as she reeled around, screeching in pain and shock. The Granny synth was in the worst shape by far though... her lower half had been blown off entirely, guts trailed behind her as she dragged herself away from the center of the explosion with one remaining functional leg, her teal eyes glaring at Wicket and broken jaw working to make indecipherable sounds of rage.

The radiation I was now sitting right on top of was actually helping, my legs were making their best efforts at moving so far and my magic had returned enough to weakly tug at the weapons in my bags, unable to grab ahold and actually hold even the lightest however. The horrifying half pony crawling towards us was going to get here before I could do anything productive... not to mention the Confessor slowly getting herself under control.

I managed to shove Wicket off me, trying to roll him back where I could shield him and strugging to get my hooves under me. For once the needle of pain between my eyes was welcome and I looked up as familiar thoughts brushed my own. The door to the basement glowed brightly in a field of green magic before blowing in, splinters raining down the top half of the stairs that survived.

Ivy filled the door frame completely, her blue mane rippling around her head and her eyes glowing green, narrowed in fury as she took in the carnage. Her glance fell on Wicket and I and I felt her thoughts searching the room, finding Glitter where she was buried and growing darker immediately.

A powerful memory flitted through my mind while she looked at the hurt colt and his synth caregiver, a classroom? Whatever it was brought out such pain and rage in the normally calm mare that I recoiled from the thoughts radiating from her.

A long, curved sword of glowing green magic formed above her head, streaking across the basement and bisecting Granny Hat, the crackling blade burying itself in her head as the green alicorn glided down next to the scattered corpse, melting away to goop.

"BOSS!?! KID!?! Where ya at! Talk ta me!!!" Val's screeching voice filled the room when she dove in behind Ivy, her least destructive weapons powering up in the small space and her violet eyes darting everywhere, settling on the woozy looking Confessor.

The burned and battered synth quickly took in the situation, her crazed eyes scanning everywhere, giving up on Glitter and turning to run at me. Thanks to the leaking arcano-flux generator digging in my side, I finally managed to push myself up again just in time, trying to stand straight and not shake too much, blocking off the Confessor's next move.

Ivy landed behind me, immediately checking on Wicket and backing me up, the run of her thoughts a repeating refrain directed at the dead synth, (HOW DARE SHE! How dare she! How dare she! How dare...).

My 10mm pistol finally bobbed out of my bags, wobbling over close enough to grip in my mouth and aim weakly at the insane synth skidding to a halt in front of me. Ivy's inspection of Wicket ended and the big green mare stamped her hoof beside me, her wings flaring out and her horn lighting up.

The Confessor glanced back to the ruined stairs nervously, Val perched on the lowest remaining step glaring at her cut off that escape though. The synth's anxious glance fell on the mostly hidden steel door across the room and she sneered, her half burnt face lending her a more menacing look than Moondancer's attractive features could manage normally.

She held one hoof high, hidden in the folds of her gold trimmed robe, grimacing at us all and backing towards the maze of boxes leading to that door. "This isn't over! We will please Dr. Dala, she will have you back and complete the experiment!!! You will undo whatever you have done to the master!"

She smirked and her hoof swung down sharply, something flying from the sleeve that exploded in a choking cloud of smoke. E.F.S. tracked her red mark running off, the sounds of her smacking into several obstacles and her maniacal cackling laughter drifting away.

Val's magical energy weapon rained down red death into the cloud after her and she flapped her wings, trying to clear the smoke away and get a shot unsuccessfully. As soon as I could vaguely make things out again, I lurched towards the pile Glitter was buried in, stumbling and falling into the heap and digging at it with my hooves, shoving a rusty tricycle aside so her silver mane could pop up.

I checked her over anxiously, searching for any injury as she pulled herself free and tackled me. She was filthy and sweaty, her tears ran clean tracks down her dirty white cheeks as she sniffled in my embrace, a few bruises and cuts marked her and she looked a little dizzy, but she was ok...

Glancing over at Val swooping down and sticking her head in the door I thought a closet, I relaxed when she wiggled her way in and squawked after the Confessor angrily, the thump of her grenade machinegun launching several explosive rounds after her down what I presumed was one of the service tunnels she mentioned.

Whether Val got lucky there or not, I didn't care. Glitter mattered, the Confessor didn't. Spotting Ivy trying her horn at what healing magic she knew for Wicket, I grudgingly added him to that. Brat or not, the foals were who was important and they were safe.

Some time later, we had vacated the ruined basement and were sitting up in the main room of the Friendly Foals Orphanage. The faded fairytale paintings on the wall stared down at us with stained, saccharin sweet eyes. They were complimented creepily by all the Ministry of Morale posters showing Pinkie Pie's big blue eyes doing the same, making it very clear she was watching 'FOREVER'. More and more of the residents kept filing in as the news spread and it was getting crowded quickly.

Glitter remained in contact with me, sitting on the uncomfortable cot in my lap, refusing to leave my side even while Jade fussed over her minor injuries. Val was on edge from the close call, staying close at hoof too, quietly congratulating the little filly on her battle when Jade was out of earshot. All the time the griffon spent practicing with Glitter to teach her how to use her small M.E.W. had definitely paid off, I just wished learning how to kill wasn't a required skill nowadays.

Jade was clucking in annoyance at her current patient, finally finishing up the cast wrapped around Wicket's hind leg and checking the bandages around his head before pronouncing him free to leave. "There you are dear, that would have been much easier had you simply come to my clinic as I requested... You must take it easy, try not to put any stress on that leg and do not sleep for at least 12 hours, I am concerned about concussion Wicket. That was very dangerous!"

Mayor Shamrock peered down into the empty door frame leading to the basement, giving a long whistle and tipping his hat to Wicket. "You planted a grenade on her... pretty clever kid..."

The young colt waved off Jade's fussing in front of the other foals and puffed up with pride, "Course it was! Nopony uses the Filcher's... n-not even... Nopony! Had ta do somethin' didn't I, big damn hero here weren't worth a fart in the wind, layin' around doin' nothin'!"

"It was a grenade you stole from me brat... Jade's right too, using explosives like that in such tight quarters... you're lucky you didn't turn all our guts to jelly Wicket, if you had hurt Glitter..."

The grey colt ignored my scowl and huffed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's fine ain't she?! Know what I'm doin' then don't I? Wouldn't let em hurt yer precious filly dummy, I'm posed ta protect all the little ones... w-what Granny said...."

"Didn't know how to fix your boiler, did you..." I tried to goad the colt back into being obnoxious and insulting, pointing to one of the radiators quietly pinging with heat, filling the small room with warmth the numerous foals were obviously enjoying. Unfortunately he didn't rise to the awkward bait, ignoring me as his brown eyes shimmered and he bit his lip in determination not to cry.

Wicket's pained brooding was ended by Ivy of all ponies, reaching forward and enveloping the small buck in her wings, hiding him and speaking soothingly down into the feathery barrier they formed. I wasn't sure what she was reading out of his head or saying to him, but those verdant feathers shook with muffled sobs and she simply hummed softly and held still for it.

Looking up into her sad green eyes, I caught another snatch of memory flowing off her. Definitely a school room... before the war? No... during... A snapshot of a prewar classroom, still neat and tidy, packed with terrified looking foals. Split between looking out the windows at the balefire explosions turning the sky a sickly smear of necromantic green, and looking right at... me? Her... Such awful sadness and pain was attached to the split second of memory I groaned under the wave of it pouring off her.

Shamrock spared another glance at the splattered pony corpse downstairs and sighed, pacing the room with his bodyguard Scarlet right on his heels. Several of his pink barded guards were crawling around downstairs, following the service tunnel the Confessor used to escape. "Granny Hat... I just can't believe it... I've known Silly Hat since before I ran this place! She was there in the beginning, asked to turn the old daycare into an orphanage...

She was a synth? A-All this time... I watched her grow old! Robots age!? T-This is a mess, a grade A, Celestia tier mess... Are you kids ok? I... I thought she was taking better care of you than this... We'll figure something out as soon as we can, fix this, make sure you're taken care of. Goodneighbor's of the ponies, for the ponies..."

Wicket's snotty face popped out from between Ivy's wings, his hooves wiping at his bloodshot eyes angrily as he grumbled back. "Oh capital idea there Shamrock! F-Find us another robot who don't give a shit about us, long as we keep feedin' you info then who cares right?! I tried ta tell ya we needed help! Think I was tryin' ta con ya into more stuff?! Or just believe whatever she told ya!? Couldn't be bothered to come in an' take a look!"

The old ghoul looked a little hurt at that, and ashamed... Shaking off the momentary weakness and standing straight, he took his tricorne hat off and held it to his chest in apology but his eyes hardened. "You deserve that one kid, I'll give it to you... Don't push it though. I rely on you guys and thought I was dealin' square with you, this place was supposed to be in a lot better shape than it is. My fault for trusting her but... I knew her forever! and she was a synth the whole time!? I'll fix this Wicket, all of you kids, find someone we can trust to do this job right..."

"An where you gonna find em in the Commonwealth huh!? Bit of a shortage of ponies worth a damn eh? Find me one and guarantee it ain't no synthetic blighter like.... like her! We're never trustin' anypony again! Filchers take care of themselves! D-Don't need... need anybody..." Wicket's angry outburst trailed off sadly, his wet brown eyes surveying the room filling with devastated looking little foals still taking in the death of their care giver, an old mare who had always been kind to them as far as they knew...

Shamrock choked on that, trapped by the reality the colt threw in his face. In stark terms this was the most insidious thing the Institute and their synths did, how could anypony be trusted if they could be one of 'them'. Just the spectre of synths was enough to drive the Commonwealth apart, made everyone distrustful and willing to keep the world away. Now it had scarred these foals, proven the one mare they thought cared about them was nothing but a robot, a synth that viewed them as useful tools and subjects...

Again, it was Ivy that saved the day, a kind of reluctant acceptance coming from her aching heart as she coughed meekly and tapped Wicket's shaking shoulder. "I am not a synth... Do you trust me?"

The hurt and anger clear in Wicket's every shaking line stilled and he looked up in confusion, a dozen wide eyed foals all staring at her added to her nervous tremor, but she furrowed her brow, waiting for Wicket patiently. Both Shamrock and Jade recovered and opened their mouths to say something, but Ivy merely held a hoof up and waited for the foals staring at her cautiously.

Glitter looked up from my embrace, speaking softly and sincerely to the other foals and Wicket directly. "Aunt Ivy is a good pony Wicket, everypony... you can trust her, bein' alone's no fun, it's ok to... to h-have faith sometimes, right daddy?"

Her eyes lingered on the bulges at my sides, repeating my words back to me with a hopeful smile. Her endorsement was enough to tip the scales it seemed, Wicket eyed the green mare suspiciously but nodded up to her slowly. "G-Guess so... do they make synths of you mares?"

"I won't lie, I suppose it is possible, isn't it Fast?" Ivy asked contemplatively, looking at me but clearly performing for all the wide eyed foals watching attentively. (Answer honestly Fast)

"Umm... yeah... They can, I saw one, er... two... I guess they could make them look like you guys if they wanted."

I was as unsure as Wicket looked, raising a wary eyebrow and opening his mouth to speak, but stopped short as Ivy's horn lit up. His eyes widened with wonder at the voice in his head I could faintly overhear, ("A synth cannot do this however, and since I can see what's inside pony's heads, I know who to trust most of the time.")

Looking around the room calmly at all the fillies and colts staring in amazement, Ivy continued verbally for everyone to hear. "You can trust all of my sisters if I say so as well, only other true alicorns can join in unity..." She gave me a pointed look and smile before continuing brightly. "Will that be alright children? I will need to speak with my sisters, but we can look after you until you find an acceptable replacement. One who I will gladly vet for you, no synth will be able to lie to me right?"

"And I will ask the Followers to help as well. We run orphanages elsewhere in Equestria Wicket, I know the Commonwealth is... different, but I hoped to do the same here." Jade added sweetly, gesturing encouragingly to the foal.

Wicket cautiously pulled free of Ivy and joined the other foals in a tense huddle, excited whispers floated up from the herd of Filchers, several heads popping up to stare at the green alicorn and return to the discussion. Ivy fluffed her wings anxiously and craned her neck, peering into the huddle and tapping her hooves together.

Finally they seemed to reach a conclusion, spreading back out and nudging Wicket out front to speak. "Alright... if'n it's you I guess you can't be one of them synth buggers... You... You'd really do that? Watch out for us? She really nice Glitter? No foolin'?"

Glitter's head bobbed rapidly with a grin, sending a wave of relief through the gathered foals, they trusted her opinion if nopony else's at least. Many of them started coming forward slowly, clustering around the green mare to get a good look at their new caretaker.

Shamrock looked less guilty immediately as well, flipping his hat back up to his wispy mane and spreading his hooves wide, wrapping one around Ivy's shoulders in a friendly gesture that made her stiffen in surprise. "There we go then! Since this filly's so nice as to fill in for the time being, we can find somepony you can trust and make this right.

While she's making her arrangements, why don't you bring a few of your friends to the casino Wicket, let's... get this place up to snuff... C'mon kids, blankets, pillows, mattresses, whatever else you need, we'll raid the storerooms and get you set up alright?"

The Filcher's gave a happy whoop, the horrible day momentarily forgotten at the ghoul's generosity. I chose to believe he was telling the truth and truly hadn't known what was going on here, I hadn't seen the Granny synth's false personality, but I gathered she was well liked. It would take time to undo the damage she had done, but Ivy and Shamrock had taken big steps in that direction.

Wicket limped his way to the door with the rest, his cast thunking along the wooden floor. He turned and gave an unsure, anxious glance back at Ivy, for a bare instant a little of a worried colt who just wanted somepony to love him came out in his voice, "Y-You'll be here? You'll come back, h-honest?"

Ivy held one hoof to her heart and nodded solemnly with a smile, "Honest as an Apple... Go on, even with my sisters help, I will rely on you to continue as you have Wicket, care for all the little ones younger than you. I will return soon..."

A gaggle of the eager foals ran out, Shamrock following behind evenly and tipping his hat to the alicorn and the rest of us, his griffon Scarlet following in a huff. With the room mostly now emptied, except for the town guards searching Granny Hat's possessions and the basement, Magnolia and Peri stuck their heads in from outside curiously, remaining outside while the cramped room was so crowded.

Ivy nodded to Jade and her sisters, standing with a sigh and trotting that way. "We should be on our way as well, speak privately for a bit about all this... Come along sisters, Fast... I believe we have much to explain..."

I wondered what she meant by that, until Peri spoke up questioningly. "How did you know Fast was in trouble sister? You just ran off suddenly..."

"Wondered 'bout that myself girl, saw ya go swoopin' in from outta nowhere an' followed along, I didn't hear nothing to make me worry since the kid and the fake mare went in... er... till the big kaboom o'course..." Val added a little sheepishly, a hint of shame in her voice for failing as a bodyguard, as if she could be there for everything all the time.

Oh... well.... at least it had been Ivy that heard me and came.... I groaned and gave Glitter a gentle shove off my lap, limping over to follow them out and catching Jade's worried look. "Er... w-we'll explain... i-it's a secret..."

"I don't believe it! F-Fast is fine! He... he cannot be... He is still himself! You mean his illness is... no!" Magnolia shook her head angrily from the couch, staring in horrified fascination at me across the large living room of the Princess Celestia Suite, this was going great...

Peri didn't seem as shocked, of course she always sounded vaguely detached from things, never getting that excited and speaking with her normal ethereal tone. "You heard him... That is why you ran off Ivy? That is good then... he is becoming like us yes? Oh.... that is why you didn't agree to take the potion you brought us Fast? You will not need it, the others will be so happy..."

"NO!" Jade's goddess voice boomed out despite herself, a blue hoof stuffed in her mouth with a squeak to cut it off surrounded by a bright blush, before she pulled it free and tried again. "N-No... please Periwinkle, I... I would prefer the others did not know about this.... er... y-yet..."

"Whyyyyy? If it works then that will be good..." Peri asked with a whine of confusion, clearly not seeing any problems.

At least Magnolia seemed to get the implications quick enough, her eyes growing wide as she took it all in. "H-Hush Peri... do as she asks. Will Fast be a-alright?"

Jade spared Glitter a pained glance, watching the filly poking at my lumpy bandages with interest. At least Glitter was taking this ok so far, more excited by the prospect than afraid now that she knew. Her pink eyes still shot up at the question and stared at the alicorn doctor unflinchingly as she answered. "I... I do not know... I hope so, I have not been able to find any way to treat him, so all we can do is wait... There have been encouraging signs however!" She finished lamely, shrugging to the foal with a hopeful smile.

"Why do we have to stay way over here? I want to see too..." Peri pouted and pointed to Glitter nudging my sides painfully, annoyed at being unable to sate her curiosity about the bulges on my ribs, clearly visible with my armor abandoned.

Jade's concern ratcheted up immediately and she moved to fill the already considerable distance between us, stammering a worried reply. "F-Fast is suffering certain... s-side effects... i-it is not good to get too close... He..."

Zed interrupted, trotting over calmly and taking a long sniff at the air, nodding when he was satisfied and spilling the beans in his deep voice. "Pheromones... His scent has changed, I imagine it has an effect on you mares...."

A sharp 'eep!' escaped Jade's lips and she glared at the zebra sternly, I was more interested in how he did that though... "You can smell that?! Can everypony else tell!?"

From her reclined position on the couch, Val took a swig of her bottle of Wild Pegasus and snorted. "Don't smell nothin' boss, other than the normal stuff, you know; that lightning-y ozone smell, robot grease, blood, gunpowder an' Blue of course!"

Hearing her teasing was a good sign, though it managed to turn Jade a few shades redder. Glitter gave another tickling poke to my ribs that made me giggle and flinch away, stretching her muzzle up to my chest and taking an appraising sniff. "Hmm... Nope! Nothin' daddy! Er... kinda stinky..."

"Well excuse me! Scary fights with crazy synths tends to make you sweat huh? You look pretty rank yourself sweetie..." I joked back and tickled the filthy foal in return.

Chuckling to himself, Zed shook his head and joined Glitter's inspection of my bandages. "I have been trained as a hunter... of sorts... My body has been augmented with zebra alchemy as well, it is difficult to notice even still. Though I am not an alicorn or a mare... I take it the effect is more pronounced on your kind Miss Jade?"

Jade nodded weakly in answer, clearly annoyed with him. I trusted everyone here though, with Zed making such a real attempt at opening up to us, it was wrong to hide this from him. As for Jade's trio of sisters... well, they had been with us since before we left Sanctuary, I still saw Jade's point about not letting this become common knowledge, but I trusted the three of them implicitly.

Magnolia snorted and shook her head, her flowing reddish-violet mane whipping around her head as she started trotting over. "That is silly! I do not care how he 'smells', Fast is our friend! Why should we stay away from... f-from..."

I gulped nervously and started backing away, she got close enough to get a good whiff... her nostrils flared and her pace slowed, her flanks swaying while her green eyes grew lidded and soft, whispering huskily as she sauntered forward. "Oh my... that... that is nice isn't it... N-Nothing to stay away from... quite intoxicating in fact... I don't see any problem sister... I could even get a better smell and be f-fine..."

The big purple filly's behavior elicited an anxious whinny from Jade and hearty laughter from Val, much to my embarrassment... Thankfully she shrugged it off quickly once Ivy dragged her away her by the tail, shaking her head and turning bright red at the griffon's snickering beside her, stammering out in a mortified voice. "I... I am sorry! I didn't mean to... I like Miles! W-Why did that feel so..."

"As Zed explained, it is pheromones... nothing to be ashamed about Magnolia, just... keep your distance hmm? None of us have ever smelled a male alicorn before, I believe it is a shock to our system that should fade with time. I hope it is a side effect of the transformation process itself that is merely temporary... F-From what I have been able to tell, Moondancer's I.M.P. was formulated around being sure the result remained male and was made for breeding, she may have altered it to produce this very result for all I know...

It would be a good advertisement of her potion wouldn't it? Even now, if the others knew... the divisions Evergreen exposed would come back up. If the Institute can successfully make a male, how many would argue for doing as they wish regardless of the past? You can see why keeping this quiet is best, f-for the time being..." Jade explained dispassionately, sharing her findings from all the work she kept pouring in to finding a way to treat me and her worries.

It sounded logical to me, though I wasn't surprised to see Peri pouting with an unconvinced look in her pale yellow eyes. The annoyed stare Ivy was giving her confused me though, she was radiating disappointment and doubt for some reason. I wasn't above taking advantage of being able to listen in to her thoughts, but all I got from her was (Not Why), which wasn't very informative.

Zed paced and gave her a kindly look, scratching his chin and thinking aloud. "There are zebra potions to mask one's scent... Similar to the potion I used to escape notice of the zombies around Hexington. Unfortunately I am not much of an alchemist... but perhaps I can get ahold of some Miss Jade, if that will make you feel better?"

The wide, relieved smile and rapidly nodding head that answered brought a knowing smirk to the zebra's face. That just erased any of her annoyance with the zebra in one fell swoop, earning him brownie points. Personally I was grateful too, if he could get something to cover this up, I could risk getting close to Jade's sisters again. As it was... that was quickly becoming a bad idea, my 'scent' was apparently getting stronger as the potion kept working.

With more and more of them coming to Goodneighbor now, they were presenting a bigger problem. Would I have to leave? Keep my distance from all of them forever? I liked Jade's sisters for the most part and Trinity Tower was just opening up to the Commonwealth. Last night already showed going to their tower was dangerous though, how long before I had to run away entirely?

"D-Does it hurt daddy? Are you sure you'll be ok? That mean pony in the robe said she could change me too... I t-tried not to listen! But... c-could they? Make me like mommy and... you?" Glitter surprised me with her reticent question, staring up with sparkly pink eyes.

"No! I'm glad you didn't listen to her Glitter, this... this hurts yes... I wouldn't want you to go through it. I like you just the way you are! You're my daughter, you don't need to be anything but that ok? What kind of pony you are doesn't matter."

She looked a little disappointed, with the fears she had shared about Jade and I having a foal together, I could understand her desire. She loved alicorns to begin with, the idea of turning into one must be tempting for the little earth pony.

Trying to change the subject off of myself, I looked to Ivy nearby and addressed her generous offer. "You're sure about helping out at the Orphanage Ivy? I didn't mean to pry but... you were a teacher weren't you? B-Before? Will taking care of them... bring up stuff you don't want to remember?"

The green mare sighed softly and stroked my cheek, sniffing absently but maintaining control over that dreamy look that flashed across her green eyes. "It will be fine Fast, those memories form a big part of... who I was... But they are not all painful, I do not plan to take on this job alone either. I had given it some thought even before this and I will speak with Umbra about it, I believe she will agree with me. If we are running the orphanage, we have somewhere to stay within Goodneighbor even after you leave.

In time I may even convince them to let some of the children come to Trinity Tower as well, that orphanage is in poor shape and overcrowded... With all this talk about foals and breeding... I think trying our hoof at actually caring for children first is a good step to take, too many of us are enamored with the idea without any real experience. Everypony has greatly enjoyed their time with young Glitter here, I hope that will make them open to the idea."

The praise and the idea itself made my little filly swell with pride, beaming up to the green alicorn from my side. "That's great Aunt ivy! The Filchers like you guys already, an' you can all see what havin' kids is like! I bet you'll all be great moms, like mine!"

Peri's bored drawl cut off the happy blush spreading on Jade and Ivy's faces, the blond maned alicorn speaking slowly in confusion as she tried to work out a difficult problem for her. "I do not understand... Why keep it secret? I don't see anything bad... it's good right? If Fast does become like us, he will have a reason for mating finally... stop refusing and whining... Won't even let me smell... Are you being greedy?"

The slowly dawning suspicion in Peri's narrowed golden eyes sent Jade into a nervous ramble, stammering and tapping her hooves together, trying to hide in her wings from both Peri's curious stare and Ivy's flat look, a series of complicated thoughts flitting between them I couldn't keep up with.

"N-No! Not greedy... c-cautious is all! W-We do not even know if the potion will be successful! I-If it is... w-we can decide how to... h-handle it then... Y-You do not want to get everypony's hopes up prematurely, do you Peri?" Jade anxiously babbled, giving Ivy a pleading look while trying to reason with Peri.

Something was going on between Jade and Ivy... I couldn't make out enough of the weird mental shorthoof flying between them, but the general tone was of some kind of tense debate. I hated to see disagreement or worry on Jade's lovely face, standing and whickering for attention managed to put the argument on hold and hopefully derail Peri.

"Er... She's just worried about me Peri! I... I'm kinda scared... and embarrassed... I just want to keep it quiet for now ok? I didn't even tell Glitter...." The angry huff the filly gave at that made me hold my hooves up in surrender and amend that. "...and I should have! I totally, really, really should have... But I don't want a lot of ponies knowing ok? Please? I told you all because I trust you, we're friends right? You deserved to know and... I need your help for a few things..."

Peri stood silently, trying to work out my pleas to herself. Ivy and Magnolia both looked up with interest though, the lyrical purple alicorn latching on to the distraction and asking kindly. "Help? O-Of course Fast! Help with what?"

I gave her a grateful smile, agreeing immediately without even knowing... "Thank you Magnolia. We're planning a kind of... party for Nightmare Night..."

Glitter interrupted with a happy gasp, galloping off to her room and racing back, a heaping pile of her costumes purchased from Knick and Knack's bucked from her back to land in a heap. "I got costumes for all of you too! They're not as good as Sassy's, but you can all dress up like everypony else!"

Ruffling her mane with a smile, I continued to the three alicorns tugging at the assortment of Nightmare Night outfits curiously. "The big thing I need from you is to do what you do best though, I need a singer... I know Miles is supposed to come for the party, er... sorry to cut into your time together, it's really important though!"

Ivy nodded along with Peri and Magnolia's instant acceptance, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Of course we will help Fast. I assume this is one of your... plan-like things... What else do you require?"

"Daddy look!" Glitter's excited yelp drew my eye as she pranced over to the windows, plastering her face against the glass to watch as a gilded chariot descended from the clear, crisp fall skies, the mark of the King's Gambit casino identifying it as just the pony I was concerned with.

Looking back to my gathered friends, I gave a grin and pointed to the pegasus drawn vehicle drifting down to the gang run casino across the street. "Among other things for the Grand Opening... I want to make that pony right there suffer. The Kings are a problem and up to something, I want to weaken their hold on Goodneighbor, make it a better place."

Jade's ears perked up and she tilted her head in suspicion, "And how do you plan to do so Fast, in your condition... I will tranquilize you if I have to..."

Waving my hooves and smiling nervously at the threat, I rushed to explain before she followed through with her anesthetic spell. "N-Nothing to worry about! First me and Zed have to do some stuff to help open the M.O.M. hub, he's going to do all the fighting honest! After that... we're umm.. doing Val's idea... I want to break the bank at the King's Gambit, I need all your help to do it."

The silence was broken by Val's loud whoop of joy, flapping up to the ceiling and diving down to pounce directly in front of me, her dark claws rubbing together and avarice twinkling in her violet eyes. "ALRIGHT!! 'Bout time boss! Let's go get rich!!"

"L-Later Val... Zed and I have something else to do first. At the Combat Zone..."

What was once an 'Iron's Gym' had been added to and repaired so much over the centuries it was hard to recognize if not for the Minotaur silhouette on the original sign, partially hidden by the cobbled together blinking lights of the newer sign reading 'Combat Zone'.

Zed led the way into the rowdy establishment, pushing his way through the crowds of ponies waiting for the show, several running around taking bets on the next round. I was glad for the zebra and my griffon bodyguard at my side, even the audience was full of rough and tumble looking ponies, lots of dirty leather and metal armor was mixed in with the fancy clothes of richer customers.

Wearing my full Shrouded Stallion armor drew a lot of unfriendly looks, glares I didn't feel up to the challenge of answering if things went bad. I had been sure to gorge myself before going out and Jade's expert care was keeping the worst of the side effects at bay, but I still felt battered and broken just from the short confrontation in the orphanage, everything ached dully even with the Med-X numbing most of it, my hide and horn itched maddeningly and the lumps at my sides were getting pretty bulky...

I had convinced Glitter to go with Ivy and the others to help them at Friendly Foals, the Filchers trusted her and she was sure to be helpful to the new alicorn caretakers. It also kept her away from this scum hole of a business... As we walked into the smoky, crowded building a portly yellow earth pony was dragged off in front of us on a stretcher, his foreleg bent at an alarming angle and his face a bloody pulp, screaming as he was taken through a door to the side.

I wished Jade hadn't come too... Her gaze followed the injured buck anxiously, her long neck craning up over the crowd to follow his progress as she shuffled in place. "H-He is hurt! I should help him! I do not like this place Fast... it is awful!"

Staring around at the chaotic, packed arena, I had to agree... Dad liked boxing, calling it a 'noble sport' and the 'sweet science' when he watched it on tv and I played nearby, mostly uninterested. Compared to what this place had turned into... yes, plain old hoof boxing was the picture of nobility when put beside... this...

What had been a simple boxing ring for sparring dominated the room, a makeshift metal cage of chain link and wrought iron scraps of fencing welded together haphazardly surrounded it, keeping the participants in and the audience out. Locked boxes and toxic yellow barrels were strung from the domed ceiling of the cage for some reason, the dirty white mat of the ring was splattered with bloodstains, both old and new. There were even a variety of cages near the rear exit, filled with wasteland creatures to toss in apparently.

An an attractive red unicorn mare stood in the spotlight at the center of the ring, wearing a weathered brown leather vest that didn't cover her strange cutie mark, a Dash inhaler and whiskey bottle breaking chains?... Wasteland ponies had marks like that?! The thought of living with a picture of drugs on my flank made me appreciate my own odd mark more.

Her wild spikes of auburn mane swayed as she called out to the crowd, her horn glowing pink to amplify her voice above the din. "Oooo! Butterbean looks like he'll be eatin' through a straw for a few months huh folks?! What a match! Up next is Rowdy Rouser vs. The Iron Sheep! Place yer bets folks!!"

The crowded gym was organized chaos... ponies running around everywhere to the caged counter to one side, yelling out how many caps they were wiling to put on who and snatching slips of paper in exchange for caps. I sat and caught my breath shakily, overwhelmed by so many ponies in such a small space, all running around each other and yelling.

Zed strolled back and nodded to a cluster of Kings standing by themselves, intimidating anypony not of their crew that came close to the territory they staked out. Bullet Bishop himself was at the center of the group... laughing uproariously at the best dressed pompadour maned king at his side. Just behind him stood a hulking mass of tan muscle in the shape of a pony, wearing an ill fitting silky robe that hung open and a tarnished, gaudy golden belt around his middle...

"The big one is the champion Fast. Hulking Rock, a top contender for quite some time who recently took the top spot in a surprising comeback. From what I gathered, he was not always so... intimidating... he suffered a defeat and went away for some time, when he returned he was as you see him now. Whatever training he engaged in was quite effective..."

I gulped and goggled at the massive stallion, that earth pony was as muscle bound as one of Moondancer's mutants... "Y-You're sure you can take him Zed? Not to doubt your skills but... jeez..."

The stern zebra smirked and nodded confidently. "Strength is unimportant if you can't hit what you're aiming at... I have yet to meet a pony who can match the Doombunny style, it will be fine."

Doombunny?... There was a school of martial arts called Doombunny!? Subconsciously drawn to the biggest pool of calm in all this chaos, I found myself at the bar in the corner, trying to take that in. They did a brisk business in drinks going out, a heavy set ghoul in a tattered, checkered jacket tending bar, smoothly setting up shots and sending them out. There were lots of stools, small tables and a few booths ripped out of nearby restaurants I guessed, but everything was occupied.

Well... was occupied, Val gave me a penetrating stare, focusing on my trembling legs for a moment before barging over to the bar. A drunken old earth pony nearly passed out in his seat was suddenly sent flying, shoved off the stool by one strong claw, the other reaching out to grab my collar and plop me down on the vacant seat. "Sit boss... staaaay.... good boss..."

I grumbled under her mild teasing, noting the tension it was hiding with a sigh and holding a hoof up to order a beer. Taking it from the stallion limping and muttering away might have been rude... but I wasn't going to turn my nose up at the seat. It let me look around and try to make some sense of the place anyway, nursing my drink over Jade's displeased nickering.

The next fight had started, a lithe, scarred amber pegasus mare in fairly... impractical armor was bouncing off the cage, zipping by the blue earth pony stallion wearing a weird, fluffy hat with flaps and small horns. Armor was worn by both participants, but neither used weapons... all hoof to hoof so far.

One of the yellow barrels suddenly opened for a short burst of glowing green muck to splatter down, the pegasus had to do an impressive aerial dodge to avoid being splashed with the deadly gunk, now a hazard on the ring the earth pony had to avoid. A rusty, sparking scoreboard hanging crookedly on the wall reached the 2:00 minute mark and blared an alarm, two boxes above the ring opening in response, spilling out a long wooden staff and a pair of spiked shoes the combatants dove for.

What had been rough combat immediately escalated to a bloody show, the crowd cheering at each painful blow and turn of the tables. Jade had stretched up to get the best view she could, her blue eyes wide with concern and wincing at each cheer. I didn't like bringing her here after just hearing about it, it was worse than expected but she needed to be part of this. I wanted to weaken the Kings in every way, that included attacking their image and Jade was my best weapon there.

My woolgathering on how to go about that was interrupted by the scarlet announcer trotting over and planting her hooves on the bar beside me, a light sheen of sweat sparkled on her coat and she spoke breathlessly in her odd accent, a manic smile on her lips. "Phew! Line em up Lone! That match ain't gonna last long. Well, well, gots ourselves celebrities don't we!? Oh please tell me the Princess there is here ta fight! Been dyin' ta get one of them lasses in the ring!"

The ghoul bartender muttered darkly and gave her a flat stare, floating up several shot glasses and expertly filling them in a line. Jade's whinny of horror was cute, the thought of the pacifist alicorn fighting in this arena so ridiculous it was funny. Val bailed her out before she got over the shock, punching the strange mare in the shoulder harder than I'd expect for her lighthearted tone. "Good luck there, that one won't fight, been waitin' ta see it myself Cat. Gots another contender though, an' a proposition..."

She raised an interested eyebrow, glancing between the four of us as her pink magic started floating up shots and she knocked them back. Eventually her pale green eyes settled on me and she held a hoof out, "Cat Paws, assumin' yer Val's boss? Not many bucks wearin' their Nightmare Night costume all the time is there eh? So what'dya have for me hmm Mr. Shrouded Stallion?"

Cat leaned against the bar, resting her cheek against her hoof and continuing to toss back shot after shot... how was she standing?! Watching each shot floating through the air with mounting awe, I stammered and pointed to Zed standing nearby. "Er... we have a contestant... wanted to challenge the champion... wow... Umm! I was curious too, do the Kings own this place?"

An angry snort and a hoof slammed to the bar answered, even the bartender grumbled darkly as Cat growled a response, her words barely slurring when she had easily drained half the bottle of Wild Pegasus... "Nopony 'owns' us! Kings miiiight'a won a teensy, tiny stake when I had a run o' bad luck... but that's temporary!"

"You went on a bender, lost a ton of caps you didn't have at their damn casino and put us in this mess Cat... don't gild the lily..." The bartender groaned in annoyance, filling the last of the shot glasses and turning to those waiting to order with a huff.

What was apparently an old argument was waved off by the only slightly tipsy mare, glancing over to the fight still going on before continuing, a rosy, alcohol induced blush on her freckled cheeks. "Ok, ok! I screwed up, yet again, keep rubbin' it in why don'cha Lone? Never you mind me partner there, Lone Gain's always a sourpuss! Soooo... zebra huh? He put on a good show? Got screwed a couple times, turns out not all o' them stripes can do that fancy hoofwork!"

"He's impressive... If that's what you're asking, so how do we fight the champion, on Nightmare Night... Making them look bad is a bonus too if that helps..."

Her unsteady green eyes lit up mischievously and she chuckled a reply. "Oh ho... is'at so? Well then, you'd hafta call em out good and proper. Tell you what, I'll put your buck there up against the Mortician! Everybody loves seein' him fight stripes what know what they're doin'! He puts up a good fight, I'll help you out with the rest. How's 'at for a slice of fried gold?!"

I didn't have a chance to think, let alone refuse. The crimson mare tossed her reddish brown mane and cantered off, arriving at the entrance to the cage just as the pegasus came spinning through the air, slamming into her opponent with all four hooves and ending the match.

A unicorn and earth pony carrying a stretcher between them ran into the ring as soon as it was over, followed by a pair of ghouls with wide mops held in their mouths. The loser was carried out swiftly and the gunk cleared off the ring by the ghouls immune to its affects. Cat trotted in last, holding one of the pegasus mare's bloody hooves up and lighting her horn to announce the victory.

"Oh what a fight! Looks like the cloud dweller beats the ground pony this time! Way to go Rowdy!" The pegasus shouted in triumph to the crowd at Cat's announcement, getting a lot of cheers from the King's section for her win and a lot of grumbles from ponies tearing up slips of paper.

"Comin' up next we got an unscheduled treat folks! Hold onto yer hats, the Princess of Sanctuary is in the audience tonight an' her little kingdom's got their own gladiator for the Combat Zone! Will he win fame and glory for Sanctuary? Or go down in flames under the hooves of... The Mortician!!"

A burly, menacing looking earth pony came out from a unobtrusive door near the ring labeled 'Locker Rooms', he was tall and strong looking, well defined muscles without a lot of bulk, a deep, black coat darker than mine and a blue mane so dark in nearly matched his coat. An odd mark of a hoof smashing... something, on his flank was clearly visible since he wore no armor.

Zed huffed and started walking to the ring, forcing me to scramble off my stool to follow him. His grey eyes never left his opponent, watching him carefully as the buck reached the cage and started flipping around, bucking, dodging, kicking and cartwheeling in a display of martial prowess.

"You're sure about this Zed? I was hoping you'd just have to deal with the champion pony, not work your way up... He looks pretty tough, you don't have to..."

Chortling to himself but still focusing on the Mortician prancing around the ring, Zed waved off my concern. "Do not worry, this won't take long. I owe you Fast, this is a meager start to repay my debt."

I tried to tell him he didn't have to worry about any 'debt', but the agile zebra left me behind, springing over several ponies and landing at the gate into the cage, ducking his way past the ropes to stand opposite the Mortician at center ring, Cat presiding between them and giving a bawdy yell to the crowd.

"An' there he be folks! Place yer bets on Sanctuary's gladiator! This here stripe sounds awwwwful sure of them fancy zebra tricks! Will it be the former champ? or the newcomer? The Mortician or..." She stopped and blinked to herself a moment, leaning over to Zed and whispering back and forth, a bored look on her face when she continued. "Or will it be Zed... Zed who makes em dead! Get ready for this special exhibition match an' don't miss out!"

I caught Val's panicked, anxious look towards the betting cages and waved her on. She obviously didn't like leaving me for just a moment, but Jade had pushed her way through the crowd to my side, the bag of caps in her claws was clearly burning a hole in her pocket.

Zed stretched absently, waiting for the brief intermission to finish and scratching his spiky mane. Finally Cat trotted out of the ring and shut the cage behind her, ringing the dented brass bell by the entrance on her way to signal the start of the fight.

Jade seemed as nervous as I was, curling a wing around me anxiously and watching the ring with wide eyes, ignoring all the stares having a princess down here was drawing. Thankfully that meant she didn't notice the dark looks from the King's section, the slimy, dark blue Bullet Bishop sneering directly at us and making menacing gestures I didn't care to translate.

The intimidating Mortician started flipping around as soon as the bell rang, flailing his limbs and bucking the air, cartwheeling from one side of the ring to the other and making weird noises, lots of "Wooo! and Waaaaah! and Hi-yah!"'s that Zed watched with a bored expression, never moving a muscle.

The aggressive display worked on Jade anyway, she moved up to wrapping her legs around my neck to cuddle me to her chest in reassurance, squeezing tightly and giving little gasps as the opponent in the ring bounced around. I did finally find something positive about 'smelling' strange, holding me close seemed to calm her down more than normal at least.

The Mortician eventually worked himself up into performing a flying leap at Zed from across the ring, an outstretched hindleg coming in like a missile. Zed still just stood there, actually yawning... my view was suddenly cut off by Jade's wings flying up protectively for her to hide behind with a squeak, forcing me to lunge forward to poke my head out of all the feathers, barely catching what happened.

Zed just casually stepped out of the way... at the last possible instant, no rush, no wasted movement, just a simple, smooth sidestep that shocked the dark stallion crashing to where he had been. He didn't have long to think about it at least, one leg barely made contact with the mat before one of Zed's hooves shot out.

The first hit straight to the chest almost seemed to paralyze his enemy, making him go strangely limp as he continued his airborne course. A second blurring hit cracked at least a couple ribs by the sound, drawing a wince from Jade around me. The third impact snapped the Mortician's jaw back in a sharp uppercut. Finishing up almost faster than I could track, Zed's hindleg's shot out in an incredible buck that sent the boneless body flying, slamming against the metal cage and falling to the ring in a heap.

As loud as the Combat Zone was since we got here, I was surprised at the total silence. Somewhat surprised anyway... Zed had hardly moved a step from where he started, while the Mortician was a quivering pile of hurt pony on the other side of the ring I could tell Jade wanted to heal already.

A pink glow lit up the gate to the ring and Cat's voice rang out in a boisterous cheer. "Weren't that somethin' folks!! Hell, probably a new record for the Combat Zone! An' here I thought a foooormer champ was good enough for our challenger from Sanctuary! Course if'n it were up to me, I'd insist on a match with the current champion after that! Wouldn't you everybody!? Aye now there's a fight worth seein'!

Turns out that's just what our guests from up north wanted to begin with, course that's not my call is it?! After that though, I feel mighty comfortable puttin' that challenge out on the table, a championship fight on Nightmare Night! We'll call it the Nightmare Boom! The Kings versus the Princess, battle of the kingdoms! No, Fightmare Night!! If our... investors... over there accept the challenge of course...

What'dya say Bishop!? Yer champ ready to put on a show? A noble's gladiator versus a Princess'? Who wants ta see that!?!"

The raucous cheer that rose up was deafening, Bullet Bishop scowled from his spot at all the jeering attention, backed into a corner by the saucy mare running this place. He looked furious but didn't have any way out, though the sly sneer that spread across his face worried me when he finally waved his hooves for quiet, addressing the crowd without the benefit of magic.

"Princess Jade and the murderer Fast Times! What a small world... I admit it, your gladiator is impressive alright, a fight between these two is something I'm dyin' to see too! Big event like that though, for the belt? We can do better... why just send out your zebra when you have the Shrouded Stallion himself dear!? If we're going to do something as ambitious as Cat's 'Fightmare Night' then we owe the ponies of Goodneighbor the best show we can put on don't we!?"

Another round of cheers answered as he turned the situation around, he was slick alright... Smart enough to see this for what it was and direct his attention to Jade as the Princess challenging him. I wanted him to look bad from this, not gain his own popularity boost for upping the ante.

"W-What do you suggest then Mr. Bishop? While I agree with providing enjoyment to the ponies of Goodneighbor, I am afraid I do not approve of such senseless violence, you would be the expert here..." I grinned up at Jade, a calm, bored look on her face as she turned her nose up in a huff. She scored a point there and the murmurs in the crowd proved it.

Bishop was quick to recover though, smirking over and pointing at me. "Suppose I am at that, but that's the real world, not some made up kingdom of happy ponies hugging and playing nice! I suggest we make it a doubles fight, we have your famous knight right there, be a shame not to see him mix it up wouldn't it?!"

The crowd swung his way immediately, cheering again as Jade held me tightly and whinnied in negation, the thought of sending me up there a complete non-starter for her, especially in my condition. Her stammering pause let him continue, playing up the crowd and going for the kill.

"If you're worried about him, we can always send Rowdy up as our second! Pegasus mare's almost as puny as your little knight there, that's a fair fight isn't it?!" Bishop clapped the bruised amber filly beside him, laughing loudly and encouraging the crowd to follow.

Val flapped over and landed with a huge, jingling bag of caps, giving me ammo to work with and recover. Jade didn't like it, but I struggled and pulled away from her, walking to Zed as he calmly exited the ring and tipping my hat to Bishop. "If you're determined to face Luna's wrath, who am I to argue?! That filly's a good fighter, I watched her match, I'm sure she'll do great against the Shrouded Stallion! Give me another chance to take more of your caps Bishop! This was pretty profitable, too bad you don't want me in your casino, I like taking your money..."

I gesturing to Val's jingling bag and bowed, putting my hat to my chest sarcastically and grinning over the crowd who now looked like they were watching a tennis match, a sea of heads swinging from me to Bishop. The greasy gangster fumed and turned red, fighting to get himself under control and smooth his slicked back mane.

"E-Everypony's welcome at the King's Gambit... Come on in and practice losing before the fight, we'll take your caps... See you at 'Fightmare Night'..." Bishop managed to growl out a reply through gritted teeth, getting up from his cushy seat and moving to leave, his entourage forming a protective barrier around him.

I congratulated Zed enthusiastically, besides being amazing, that let me try to avoid Jade's unhappy frown. She joined us reluctantly as Val flew over, happily counting her caps and beaming at the zebra who won them. The big blue alicorn finally cornered me, looming overhead with a very cross expression and leaning down until we were nose to nose. "You will be fighting? Is that so? Did you not say only Zed would be fighting? You think I will allow this in your condition?"

"Er.... s-sorry Jade... I-It'll be fine! No problem! It... it worked really well! Now we can do the other stuff I talked about, it'll be worth it, you want to make things better for everypony right? Do you want your sisters coming here with the Kings so powerful? They'll take advantage of them in no time..."

She groused and grumbled in annoyance, unable to deny my point but still unconvinced. I wasn't exactly looking forward to trying to fight the speedy pegasus either, I saw enough of her fight to be worried and I wasn't really a hoof to hoof kind of pony... Even if I was in perfect health I'd be concerned going into this, with how I felt now... this was going to suck...

I only hoped it was all worth it, that opening the M.O.M. hub somehow solved everything, left behind something useful if this potion ended up going wrong if nothing else. Nightmare Night was the end of the week, this was everything I could do before my time was up, and I needed to do it.

---------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------------

Hit the Deck-------
--- You react very quickly to the word "Incoming!" You gain +25% damage reduction against explosives and can better weather having bombs going off all around you, reducing chances for concussion!

Ch. 47-- Big Winner

"Happy Nightmare Night Eve Commonwealth! This is your spooooky DJ Traveling Miles hoping everybody out there survived our daily nightmare for another year and is in shape to celebrate the ancient holiday tomorrow! Just a reminder, I'll be out of town tomorrow for the festivities in Goodneighbor, sorry!

Don't you worry loyal listeners, I've got a great lineup of holiday songs and regular classics mixed in, all set to run while I'm gone, so Diamond City Radio won't be going anywhere! I gotta suggest anybody who can gets to the party in Goodneighbor though, from what I'm hearing Mayor Shamrock is really going all out this year!

Of course that may be to keep his town happy, we've also heard of a lot of tension between the groups making up Goodneighbor, so it's a bit of a powderkeg.... Makes for an exciting party though, doesn't it?! Besides, the Common Pony's Princess is still in town, trouble might follow her little retinue around, but things tend to work out in the end right?

Let's hope so, Goodneighbor isn't the only place getting riled up lately... We've got a lot of reports of Gunner activity to the south, something is working up the monsters of the Glowing Sea making a lot of trouble for them, so their eyes are looking northward greedily folks... University Point and Dreadnot are both getting a little antsy, upping their defenses and getting a little less friendly. Also from waaaay up north we're getting some worried letters from Haylem about strange goings on in that creepy part of the Commonwealth.

Finally as for the weather... all the coastal communities are freaking out a little. Seems like we're due for an extra touch of scary to go with the holiday, they're all warning of a lot of fog coming in just in time. They sounded a little worried, Fog Harbor doesn't send such big banks our way very often and something may be up on the tiny island, makes for a spooky Nightmare Night though! Maybe Goddess Luna is gracing us with her touch huh?"

The thick book I hid behind wasn't helping much to dissuade the stern stares I kept getting from Jade, trotting around the living room of the Princess Celestia Suite busily and trying to put off leaving for her clinic. She still wanted to work on finding a treatment for me, but every time she saw the cover of 'Martial Arts of the Zebras' she gave a displeased little whinny and found something to distract her.

Zed had given me the illustrated manual he had apparently recovered from the mountain of books in Moondancer's cottage, a pony made tome documenting what Equestria knew of the zebra's devastating combat skills during the war. It was informative, lots of pictures illustrating what it was describing helped a good deal, though I didn't expect to suddenly become a prize fighter.

There was indeed a short chapter on 'Doombunny Style', a drug fueled, Equestria influenced, later school established during the war, though it didn't explain the name or why Zed crossed himself when he heard it. He assured me he didn't use drugs to achieve his feats of skill, the zebra alchemy that had augmented him from his early years filled that role well enough and he was an expert at Fallen Caesar style among others as well. Surprisingly he was being pretty open about the whole thing, actually providing a little of his history for once.

The zebra made sure to relate all of this when Jade was out of the room of course, she kept watching him sitting on the couch nearby warily when she passed through. She wasn't finding much to use as an excuse however, Glitter was snuggled beside me, reading part of my collection of comics, Val was sprawled out on the rest of the couch, her paws kicking me gleefully as she counted all her caps won at the Combat Zone again, and her sister Magnolia was seated a... safe distance away, all perfectly innocent and boring.

Finally she gave an unsure huff, speaking in a distrustful, worried tone to all of us from the center of the cheery sun rug that dominated the sky blue floor. "I suppose I should return to my work... for a short while... if you will all behave yourselves while I am gone..."

All of us nodded rapidly, trying to reassure her and get those appraising blue eyes out of here. I hopped up and only stumbled the first step or two, recovering to trot over and nuzzle her. "We'll be fine! Honest Jade! Go ahead and keep working on it, we'll see you soon right?!"

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she cocked an eyebrow, barely going along with me trying to guide her towards the door. "I know when you are planning mischief Fast... You did not lie, but you did not say you would behave... I am still most unhappy about this... fight... of yours... Managing your condition has gotten more difficult you know, you are in no shape for such foolishness and I am running through a great deal of my stores just keeping you in this condition. I do not think I will allow it! Y-Yes.. that would be best! You may not..."

"You're a great doctor Jade, I feel great honest! D-Don't worry so much, it'll be fine! W-We'll see tomorrow ok? No reason to make a decision out of hoof now, we'll figure it out before the fight, we've got more than a whole day! You go on down to your clinic and find a cure for me ok? Come back soon for lunch to check on us!"

She still didn't buy it, but didn't have a lot of choice either and chose to take comfort in my bargaining. Not to mention I wasn't completely above taking advantage of my condition, she might be the most resistant to whatever smell I was putting off, but she wasn't immune. She lost herself to it several times last night, now it was helpful in convincing her with that dreamy look crossing her eyes.

The big blue alicorn at the door shook her head to clear it and gave us all one last anxious look, ending on an unhappy whinny that at least led to a kiss goodbye. I shut the door behind her and slid to the floor against it, just pretending took a lot out of me...

I didn't really need her telling me I was getting worse, I could feel it even past all the drugs she kept sticking me with. Plus I made the mistake of giving my pip-buck's health screen a glance when I woke up... I wasn't aware the arcano-tech device could keep track of so many angry alerts and medical conditions, the way it positively screeched at me made me worry it was close to just giving up entirely, pip-bucks were not made to deal with this...

Once I caught my breath and was sure Jade wasn't going to pop her head back in for a surprise inspection, I nodded to the others and struggled back up. As soon as I gave the go ahead Val and Zed started pushing furniture around the room, clearing a wide open space in the middle around the sun rug. Glitter helped by tossing every pillow and cushion she could find around the perimeter, eventually forming a decent little practice ring with lots of padding nearby.

I had to pick my way carefully over the ring of cushions to stand in the center of our makeshift ring, watching Zed vault over the obstacle easily with a grumble. The lithe zebra had removed all his armor and paced in front of me in thought, finally speaking up calmly. "I have never seen you fight hoof to hoof Fast... I need to see what I have to work with, try to hit me."

"Er... oooook..." I definitely wasn't worried about hurting Zed, actually quite the opposite. I could hurt myself just trying, and he could hurt me in sooooo many ways...

"C'mon Daddy! You can do it!" Glitter cheered from the sidelines happily, her unwavering faith a little misplaced but very welcome.

Gulping to myself nervously, I reared up and swung my hooves out at Zed, unsurprised to see him absently dodging without concern. I tried spinning around for a weak buck and flailed uselessly a moment when he ducked aside, shooting his forelegs out to hold up my trembling hindlegs in position, gruffly tapping my forelegs into the proper stance before letting me go and waving me on to try again.

Unfortunately, that was the easiest it got... He kept having me attack him and kept right on catching me easily and nudging my limbs into the form illustrated in his book without breaking a sweat. After enough of that he moved up to casually flipping me aside into the pillows every time I tried lunging at him, grumbling and grousing over my mistakes and how to avoid them.

Eventually, after a particularly bad attempt that sent me flying across the room to land upside down in the cushions, Zed sighed and facehoofed to himself. "You are horrible Fast... Have you never even fought another pony as a foal? Had to fend off bullies or defend what is yours?"

"Ummm... not really... I grew up in the old world and then in a Stable ok! What bullies there were didn't really notice me, then when I... after I made friends with Grizz, they had a reason to leave me alone... It's not that bad right? If I have to fight a pegasus, at least I know about that! Mom attacked me on a regular basis and taught me all kinds of Shadowbolts fighting... stuff... I sorta know what a pegasus can do anyway! Besides, don't we get to use weapons?"

Val spared the frustrated zebra sighing to himself from answering, watching the show with a stale bucket of popcorn from the circus themed casino we were staying in shared with Glitter. "You gotta last two minutes boss, even then there's no 'lethal' weapons allowed. No knives, no blades, no guns, no fancy magic, just shoes and blunt weapons. Not that they ain't lethal too, just... slightly less so..."

"No magic!? But... t-that's not fair! It's discrimination against unicorns!" I wailed back, agreeing to this fight was dumb enough, but I didn't know I couldn't even use magic!

The fiery griffon scratched her plumage and waffled a bit. "Well... no big kaboom magic like yer lightning boss, if that's what ya was countin' on... It's a bloodsport ok? Watchin' you horn heads come breezin' in with fancy magic is no fun. You can use telekinesis of course, an' spells that only affect you, but ya can't just blast that bitch ta cinders as soon as the bell rings, bad show... If ya make it to the two minute mark, ya can have a weapon you picked before the fight, but nothin' you use fits tha bill boss, sorry."

Glitter perked up curiously at her explanation while I joined Zed in his despondent groaning, this was getting to be a worse idea by the second... "You know a lotta stuff about that place Auntie Val! How come? I wanna go!"

"NO! Er... n-no sweetie, I'd rather you not go to that place... or see me get the snot bucked out of me... She's right though Val, it seemed like you knew that mare announcing last night too, did you fight there or just bet?"

For just a moment, Val looked ashamed and embarrassed, giving Glitter a noogie to get over it and nodding weakly. "Little of both boss... Goodneighbor's a great party town, but it's also a good way to get to the gutter in a hurry... Did a lot of betting, then did fighting to cover them bets I lost, wouldn't recommend either..."

With an absent push from one of her paws, I finally rolled back over and got back to my shaking hooves, wiping some of the sweat dripping off me away and sighing. "Well, I can't back out now. W-We'll figure something out... Lots of other stuff to do today though! Umm... lemme get cleaned up, then we can go down to the Sideshow Lounge and I can show you what I need Magnolia, thanks again for helping!"

The purple alicorn waved from her safe distance across the room with a smile. "Not at all Fast, thank you. Getting to sing in a big concert... it is scary, but exciting! I hope I do a good job and help open this place for you."

"Are you kidding, you'll be great Magnolia, nothing to worry about! You're one of the parts of this... plan... I'm most sure of!" I called back as I tottered off to the bathroom, already dreading taking my stained bandages off and getting a good look at myself. Tomorrow marked one week since Moondancer injected me with her potion, whatever it was going to turn me into, I was almost there...

Staring at my reflection again, I got to see how red I could turn firsthoof and really hate Moondancer's ideas for her potion...

The growths on my sides were all the way up to the size of full wings on a pegasus, squirming around uncomfortably under the pulsing, slimy skin at my sides. Staring at them in grim fascination, I realized if I thought really hard and twitched muscles in my back just the right way, they'd move around on their own...

I chose to take that as a good sign, the lumps were definitely bigger than the wings I had seen on Moondancer's genderless, pseudo-alicorns. My eyes were always red too, so no worries there... I held a hoof up and poked the end of my horn, marking how far I had to reach and eyeing my reflection closely, it was a little longer... Not all warped and twisted like the unicorn variety of her mutants, but I was sure it had gotten just a tiny bit longer.

What really annoyed me were all the side-effects that seemed geared around one thing, making a breeding stud to prove Moondancer could make male alicorns and to tempt all of Jade's sisters... This whole 'scent' thing was bad enough, I had no problem imagining the mad mare intentionally making her potion cause the effect. Some of the other changes it had been making I had absently noticed with Jade last night were even more personal than just making my horn longer though...

I also noted with a grumble that I wasn't any taller. With all the other changes I expected to have put on a few inches by now, look more like Jade and her sisters, who were modeled on the goddesses themselves. Instead I just looked like me, just with what I hoped were wings tacked on. Maybe slightly more muscle showed on my slender frame, but that could be just from nearly getting killed and running for my life all the time... A unicorn with wings, or a pegasus with a horn, but still just me.

Alicorns were supposed to be tall and regal right? Not short and scrawny... Though thinking back on it, Moondancer's own synth alicorn Angel looked like her, same thing, no taller, just her with wings added on. Maybe that was the ideal she was going for then? I supposed that wouldn't be too bad, not being significantly different at the end and all... I wouldn't have minded getting just a little taller though...

I wondered about the kindly synth alicorn I met, confusing since she looked almost exactly like the Confessor that had nearly ponynapped both me and Glitter just yesterday. But Angel was basically the opposite of the Confessor, she helped me escape and did everything she could for me.

The only clue I had about her was to follow the Rainbow Trail, but I had been in no shape to even attempt it. She and the mysterious Railroad raised a lot of uncomfortable questions about synths I had been putting off though. If I really did make it through all this, I'd have to deal with them sometime.

I still wasn't sure what Jade and Ivy were arguing about when it came to the rest of her sisters finding out about me either, but I realized them finding out was probably a bad idea. Even though I escaped, if this worked and I turned out how Moondancer wanted... I'd be walking proof she could do it, and if she could do it once, she could do it again...

If I hadn't got away, what would have happened if she just popped in with a male alicorn for them, one that apparently drove them crazy just by being in range? They would have done whatever she wanted... Even free, if the mares of Trinity Tower found out, who knows what the reaction would be? Maybe they'd seek out Moondancer and do as she asked for more, or maybe they'd just lock me away in their tower to mate with all of them constantly?

The latter made for a nice fantasy for a moment, but the practicalities ruined it. It wouldn't be with Jade and it wouldn't be for fun... and Moondancer would get the credit...

After rewrapping my chest in fresh bandages and fighting with my mane, (never cooperative to begin with, but now it kept trying to go all wavy-spiky in places..) I eventually came out of the steamy bathroom and shrugged into my armor and saddlebags, floating my hat up and tipping it to everyone waiting on me.

We made an interesting parade going through the casino in the morning hours, two small ponies, a zebra, a griffon and an alicorn, trotting along the mostly empty hallways and down to the Sideshow Lounge. I noticed Magnolia maintained her safe distance for the most part, but she kept moving up to sniff at the air behind me and then falling back again repeatedly.

When we made it to the backstage area past the guard waiting to let us in, I finally had to ask, it was getting cramped back here. "Umm... Magnolia... Please don't tell me that smell is getting stronger? Y-You keep acting weird..."

She flushed immediately, hiding behind the bangs of her long mane shyly and shaking her head. "N-No! Well... maybe a little... I am sorry Fast, I am trying to... build up a tolerance? Jade and Ivy are not affected as strongly, I am trying to do the same and ignore it, not get closer to act on it!"

We reached a small wooden door at the end of the short hallway bearing a corroded golden star with the name 'Rara' emblazoned on it. The pink barded guard informed us there was no key, but that didn't really pose much of an obstacle. Val leapt forward and set her claws to work, picking the lock and opening the sealed dressing room for the first time in 200 years.

Rara's dressing room was untouched, a perfectly preserved piece of the old world and the life of the pretty mare staring from the poster on the wall. I walked in alone slowly at first, unsure exactly what I needed in here, just trying to trick the computer running this place by making Magnolia's performance as accurate as possible.

The painted, theatre style poster showed a much younger Rara, hard to recognize under the veil and crazy outfit and identified as 'Countess Coloratura' for some reason, though mom did have several holotapes under that name in her collection. A number of rotting outfits a good deal more subdued than shown on the poster were hung on racks just inside the door, along with a well preserved sheer, dark dress on a mannequin nearby. A large makeup mirror was set up on a desk across the room as well, a terminal glowing mellowly waiting for me to crack it sat beside the mirror, opposite a bust holding a fancy hat and several necklaces.

I snagged the fancy dress and a couple of the pieces of jewellery as I sat at the small desk at patched my pip-buck to the terminal, Shamrock did say to take whatever I wanted... The small amethyst hair clip, thin gold and ruby necklace and simple sapphire earrings weren't a big theft, and they would look nice on Glitter, Val and Jade, so I felt comfortable taking them as part of my pay. Besides, as soon as Val followed me into the room she and Glitter started vacuuming up anything of value anyway...

The terminal wasn't too difficult, a treasure trove of the info I wanted was behind the simple security too. Performance plans for the Grand Opening Gala, song lists, copies of all music, the works. I quickly copied it all and poked around in the correspondence and audio files contained in the machine too, a couple of which jumped out at me while I waited for all the data to transfer.

Equestria-Net Email 403349302
From: Ministry of Wartime Technology, Ministry Walk, Canterlot
Subject: Congrats!

Well hey there Rara! Mighty fine hearin' from ya'll again an o' course I'll give ya a review fer your show, best durn singer I ever heard! Really glad to hear yer doin' better hon, finally some good news on this blasted contraption. Mah sister's company, er... mah sister an' her friends actually... wanted ta send ya one of their fancy hoof computers ta use instead o' some terminal. Decorated it up nice and purty so send em a line an tell em you like it gal! Gotta get together the next time Ah'm in Trotson an see yer comeback show, terrible ya need a comeback, but Ah tried ta warn ya bout that snake in the grass Svengallop!

Sorry... old argument Ah know, just the way he used you up, weaseled his way inta workin' fer that school after... ya'll could'a died from that stuff he was gettin' fer ya! Just so's ya could keep on singin' fer him an' linin' his pockets! Ah hate every time ah gotta deal with him for the Ministry, got his hoof in so many pies it ain't funny and Ah just wanna buck him in the face every time our paths cross... an' cause o' this damn war I cain't tell him ta buck off! When all this is over though, he's gotta reckonin' a comin'...

Ya'll take care o' yourself Rara, dunno when Ah'll get out that way, but we'll get together then! Knock em dead at that there casino of Pinkie's, ya'll just be careful. The buck she's got runnin' that place is as crazy as she is, weird enough makin' some casino outta her hub there, but at least you benefit from it.

Equestria-Net Email 4038402234 (Saved Draft)
From: Ministry of Moral Hub, Trotson
Subject: Tell me about it

Hey AJ! Great hearing from you too, thanks again soooo much for the review! Having one of the famous Ministry Mares give an endorsement goes a long way! I'll get ahold of your sis and thank her for the lovely gift, already using it to store my music and notes for new songs, sure is convenient, though they should have made it easier to take off...

Don't get me started on Svengallop, that jerk actually came to see me if you can believe it! Trying to go right back to his old tricks, telling me what a star he could make me into, things he could do now with his new job... AJ, I might be a little jaded when it comes to him... but I think he's going a little crazy... didn't seem quite right ya'know? Be carefull... Fool even invited me to his house to try to convince me there, don't worry though, I told him off for both of us.

What he did at that veterans benefit was unforgivable... Your brother... I'd never have anything to do with him again!

Log Entry #45

Trapped! This is horrible, we're trapped in here! The bombs went off, they actually did it... it was horrible, somehow the defenses of this place spared us, only a skeleton crew getting ready for the opening... W-We all had to watch all those poor ponies outside get cooked alive... trying to get in and... I can't... how did this happen!?! Now we realize we just had our time extended, this place can't save us, it's no Stable... the radiation... The Crusader's gift let me know ahead of the alarms, it's going to kill us slowly and there's no way out...

Said I'd never touch it again... went through all that and came out the other side... but now? I already went to the infirmary... took all they had... Is it wrong I was glad I was the first to think of it? Others had taken all the radiation drugs already, not like I'm taking those away... or that they'll do any good... No, I'm going to lay down for awhile, sing for fun...

Equestriaaa the land I love... A land of harmonyyyyy...

"Daddy? Is this who's on the posters?" Glitter's soft question drew my attention from the screen to see what she had found, though I was afraid I had a good idea...

A small partition hid a simple bed in the corner, somewhere to rest between shows probably, I couldn't see a big star being forced to stay here as her room in this fancy place. The bones of a pony were stretched out on the dusty mattress, a great number of empty and full vials of Med-X were scattered around her, several on the bed right beside the bleached bones of her legs.

A beautifully decorated pip-buck was still around one foreleg, a dark blue nearing black with pale blue highlights and bejeweled music notes of all different colors. Moving reverently, I floated the arcano-tech device off her leg and floated a tattered blanked over to cover the remains sadly. The mention of Svengallop was what tolled in my head, but this was an actual friend of Ministry Mare Applejack, and she died in this sad little room...

A picture was on the bedtable, showing an much younger Rara and Applejack together and smiling at some kind of camp, nearby a tattered old hat and red neckerchief seen in the picture sat together, grabbing my attention. I floated all of them up and to my bags, stopping to undo the clip on the tiny neckerchief and wrap it around Glitter's neck, it fit and looked just right with her pink dress and it... it belonged on a little filly like her.

Going over the pip-buck turned up everything on the terminal and then some, there really were notes on unfinished songs in here. Of most interest was a new map marker, labeled simply 'Svengallop's House', far to the north and on the coast. Moondancer's cottage hadn't provided a lot, but the home of an Institute head was worth investigating.

It took a minute to root around and find my pip-buck technician's key, fumbling with the orange handled hunk of metal unlocked the decorated pip-buck and I paused a moment, stumped on what to do. I knew who I wanted to have this, but putting it on...

"Er... Magnolia, I'd like you to have this if you want, it belonged to the singer and has all her music, even stuff she hadn't finished. I wanted to give you three pip-bucks anyway if you wanted them... this one is just special. I uh... h-have to get close to put it on..."

The purple alicorn gave an unsure smile at the small device, gulping nervously but nodding her head. "O-Of course Fast, what a wonderful gift. Go ahead, I am g-getting used to it... er.... I will hold my breath!"

She took in a deep breath and held it, her cheeks puffed out comically as I approached her outstretched hoof. I tried to hurry and focus on the boot up sequence once it adjusted its fit up and latched on to her hoof, it acted just as Jade's had at first, complaining about the strange pony biology it wasn't programmed with, eventually displaying a cartoon alicorn on the screen.

I was focused enough on the tiny screen, I didn't notice Magnolia finally taking a breath until her head came down heavily and flattened my hat, making me jump in surprise and move to get away. Unfortunately her free foreleg shot out and wrapped around me, keeping me in place as she curled around me.

She sighed luxuriantly, but seemed to be holding on to some control, merely resting her head heavily atop mine and speaking dreamily as I tried to finish up. "Oh... I am sorry Fast... I will stop... in just a moment... Mmmm... if only Miles smelled like this..."

"A-All done Magnolia! You... you c-can lemme go now..."

Val was hooting laughter at my predicament, increasing my embarrassment with Glitter watching the whole thing with a curious tilt to her head. Zed thankfully tapped the big filly's shoulder and broke her attention, getting her to shake her head and let go sheepishly. "Sorry!! I'm so sorry Fast! Y-You really can't let the others find out... that is very intoxicating... they would..."

"I-I'm starting to figure that out Magnolia... It's ok, really. I er.... I don't mind as much if it's you guys, you and Peri and Ivy are friends so it's not so bad. I'm getting the idea I might not be able to be around the rest of you anymore though... Almost time to move on I guess. Don't worry about it! That should give you all her songs to work with there, so you'll be a great replacement act!"

Praise of her singing put her on firmer ground and she beamed back. I smiled in return a little sadly, I wasn't one for getting close to most anyway, but being unable to do so with some of the few ponies I felt comfortable allowing in my personal space was annoying.

Promising myself I'd talk to Shamrock and have Rara's remains given a proper rest, I let Val and Glitter finish their scavenging and led the way out, aware of the tiny cameras watching from the ceiling. The computer running the hub had to think the Grand Opening Gala was happening, this was one more step on that path.

The buzz of activity as soon as we exited the casino surprised me this early and I stopped and goggled at the streets of Goodneighbor. I wondered how much of this was normal and how much was because of my requirements for Shamrock, there were a great number of tired, hung over looking ponies working feverishly out here.

A large stage being built of junk around one of the exits of the Wing Ding Circus stopped Magnolia in her tracks, staring at where she was expected to perform with a nervous gulp. The singing alicorn had played at small bars and for limited crowds before, never anything this big. I couldn't imagine going up and performing period, let alone up on that stage...

"I-It'll be fine Magnolia, you'll be great! Er... let's go see your sisters, I'm sure they'll say the same!" I tried to encourage her and lead the way to the Friendly Foals Orphanage, now under the control of Ivy.

On the way, Val returned to her new favorite subject, how I was going to break the bank of the King's casino. Specifically her continuing lessons on the game of poker. "Alright boss, what's tha highest card again?"

"Ace... then Princess, then Knight, then Jester... then numbers..." I groaned back, I had all the rules copied to my pip-buck, but she kept right on grilling me, using all the freebie decks of cards scattered around our Suite to practice.

"Quit yer whinin' boss! No fair you gotta do it, you don't know nothin' bout playin' cards! Name all the suits again!" She shot back, still pouting she wasn't going to be the one to win all the caps.

"Sigh... Sun, Moon, Heart, Star... If you could hear Ivy and the others, you could play Val. I don't need to know how to play that well anyway, we're cheating remember... N-Not that you should cheat most of the time Glitter! This is just an exception..."

Part of me thought this was a horrible example for the little filly at my side and tried to address it, but she clearly didn't see any problem. The world I came from said cheating was wrong, the one she came from and I was a part of now said you did whatever you had to, cheating at cards was actually pretty tame out here... Still, I held on to the old world I was born in, I could at least try to pass some of that on and cheating was wrong... mostly...

Glitter shrugged and ran ahead to visit all the foals running around the orphanage, all decidedly cleaner I noticed on the way. Ivy sat serenely on the stoop, watching her charges playing in the small yard and waving at our approach. Peri was in the midst of all the fillies and colts, gleefully playing with the big mare who looked to enjoy being a piece of playground equipment for them to climb and dangle off of.

Glitter dumped her stuffed pack out in front of the herd of Filchers happily, sharing all the Nightmare Night costumes she had purchased. She offered them to Ivy, Peri and Magnolia first, but other than a few accessories they didn't really fit, the foals had no such problems though and dove in excitedly.

"Good morning Fast, Val, Zed... Are you feeling well today? You do not have to work on repairs here you know, Mayor Shamrock has already said he will send his second best repair-pony here, a Mr. Fantastic? So do not strain yourself on our account, things are already much improved!" Ivy called down as we reached the candy cane fence and I passed the gate.

The thought of Light Fantastic coming here to fix things... ugh, that was worse than the inexperienced Wicket... I had to rely on that self centered pony enough getting ready to open the M.O.M. hub, distracting him here was a bad idea. I doubted he could keep more than one thing straight when it came to repairs.

"That's ok Ivy, I like fixing things. Besides, gives me a chance to teach my bestest buddy there a few tricks of the trade so he can handle this himself better... isn't that right Wicket?"

The surly colt hiding behind Ivy ducked back inside, grumbling from behind the big green alicorn. "Don't need yer help wanker! Boiler's fixed, that was the hard part!"

"Wicket... That is rude, Fast wants to help and teach you something. One should always be willing to learn something new from somepony willing to teach. Apologize..." Ivy looked back and spoke softly, but the buried steel in her voice brooked no arguments from the colt.

They must have gotten the pecking order cleared up overnight, Wicket slunk out from behind her with his ears flat and a scowl on his face, but did as told. I was actually concerned he'd physically choke on the apology, finally managing to sputter out a petulant, quiet, "Soooorry..." from where he pouted.

Ivy patted his head kindly and nodded, releasing him to go thunking his way back into the orphanage on his cast. Ivy and Peri followed all of us inside as I looked around for where to start, Shamrock had done as he said, there were warm blankets and better beds in here now at least. Choosing to at least try with Wicket, I stumbled after him towards a dangerously unserviced spark regulator under flickering lights, floating out my tools to get to work.

Trying to teach Wicket where he had made his mistakes with the boiler was an infuriating process, he watched if I wasn't paying attention to him, but wouldn't listen very well if I tried to lecture. Eventually he started getting interested despite himself, actually listening and beginning to ask questions once all the lights were working right and the clattering refrigerator was serviced. I couldn't fix everything in here, but I could manage the worst problems and hopefully Wicket would be fine with the rest. He really wasn't all that bad of a repair-pony, he just lacked education.... and had a very bad attitude...

"Oy... you gonna kill that synth bitch that was with G-Granny yesterday Mr.?" His sudden question made me bang my head in the cramped cabinet under the kitchen sink and duck out wincing.

"Ow... I dunno Wicket, if I see her again then probably... Not all synths are bad though, I think... That one is though, so yes, I probably will kill her."

His face grew dark and his brown eyes narrowed, looking down angrily and huffing a reply. "Good! They all oughta be scrapped! S-She pretended!! For years, pretended ta care an... it was all a lie! Those things are evil, through an' through!"

This brought up a lot of the questions I had been mulling over after meeting Angel and hearing of the Railroad. Granny Hat was a bad synth alright, one that disguised itself perfectly and did its job, obeyed the Confessor and was cold and cruel once the cat was out of the bag. But there were other synths apparently... not all were mindless slaves to the Institute...

"One saved me once Wicket, said some of them were... alive, thought and felt like normal ponies. I don't know if the Confessor is like that or not, but I'll probably kill her either way. Because she is evil, not because she's a synth. Other synths though... that's getting to be a difficult question.

It's not good to hate based on what somebody is I think, even if they're a synth. I love an alicorn and they were considered monsters once right? Hating the zebras led to the war, some places hate ghouls and that's not fair either, it's not right for griffons, or foals either or... or anypony I think. Granny Hat was just one of them, try not to let her taint all of them for you ok?"

He looked pretty unconvinced, but at least he didn't argue. Settling for grumbling to himself darkly, though he perked up when the sink drained of its brackish water. I took advantage of the victory to go rest, talking with Ivy and Peri about my plans for the King's casino tonight that involved the two of them along with Val and Zed.

Our plotting was interrupted by a commotion outside, Glitter barrelling in from the yard with the others marked it as interesting enough to go take a look as she was pleading, dragging me along to see. Her face pointed to the sky as soon as we were out, scanning the patchy blue before squealing with joy. "There it is daddy! Look!"

Following her pointing hoof, I spotted a blue wagon flying through the air above Goodneighbor, circling and swooping crazily as it came in for a landing. Ivy stood beside me staring up at it, squinting her eyes for a moment before I heard her voice in my head. (This way sister, come here...)

Sister? Looking carefully I saw it was a purple pony hitched to the wagon zooming our way now, there was a symbol painted on the wagon's sides too I couldn't quite make out, crossed somethings? My curiosity was short lived, Ivy acted as a landing beacon and the presumably alicorn driver skidded to a halt in the street in front of us, the battered old wagon bouncing and shuddering to a halt.

The postal hat on the large purple mare strapped to the wagon helped me identify her quickly, Starling, the one working at the Red Rocket courier service here in town... She had picked up a blue postal jacket that amazingly fit from somewhere and had a carrier bag slung across her, blinking over to Ivy gratefully and spotting me with a happy gasp.

"Thank you sister! Landing with this thing is hard! Hello Fast! I delivered your letters! They were coming anyway, so I got to pull the cart! Are you all alright back there?" She chattered happily, only belatedly realizing her passengers hadn't fared so well.

A green hoof managed to reach up and grab the side of the wagon, dragging a dizzy looking Preston Gardens behind it to hang off the side and look up weakly. "We're alive... barely... You alright back there you two?"

A snowy white pegasus dressed in a Minutemare uniform lurched up over the far side, quietly sick before groaning out a reply. "Noooo... n-next time just let me pull it sir..."

"Oh dear... a little help please..." A struggling pile of cloth in the back asked quietly, with Preston's help the wispy orange mane of Sassy Saddles popped up, a shimmery pink dress stuck on her horn.

"Sassy!" Glitter squealed happily and dove into the cart, giving the old ghoul a squishy hug while I looked on curiously.

Starling at least cleared up a little of my confusion while the others dizzily tried to get out of the blue wooden cart bearing the Minutemare's sigil. "Thank you for the advice and the letter Fast! Miss Sassy has been very nice, she gave me a jacket see! It fits! I told her my sisters would like her clothing, so she asked to come too!"

"Umm.. That's great Starling, thanks for helping them get here safe. You ok Sassy?"

The ghoul seamstress finally managed to extricate herself from all her wares and the filly hanging off her, stumbling out of the wagon and primping her mane back into place with a smile. "Fine! V-Very invigorating! Starling here told me of her sisters and their recent changes along with your letter. She so liked all the clothes I've been working on for the Princess, she was very excited by me getting out and stretching my legs a bit. Are you taking care of my costume Fast? Wait... why is that... let me see something..."

She was staring at my sides awful hard... making me nervous when she trotted over and started carefully inspecting her creation, quickly focusing on the new flaps with a suspicious stare. "Why are these here? I wove the alteration into the costume, but it shouldn't appear unless needed... is it malfunctioning Fast? Noticed any problems?"

A nervous sweat sprang up at her attention, forcing me to drag her aside and speak quietly. "It's fine! A-All good Sassy, really! Surprising to see flaps for a pegasus in it, the Shroud was a unicorn right?"

That distracted her enough, drawing an annoyed huff in answer. "Oh that, those silly tv people insisted it fit a pegasus stand in when needed. They made me sign a... non disclosure agreement? Not that it matters now, they're all long gone, I had nearly forgotten. Said some nonsense about it being a secret for the season finale, the Shrouded Stallion being an alicorn, how amusing hmm?"

"Heh heh... y-yeah... really funny, what a twist..." I groaned, both at how close she was coming to the truth and at the spoilers... I really wished I got to see that show now... It would have made a great surprise, the Shroud being an alicorn, it would explain how he got up to all those tall buildings and such to brood from...

"So this is Goodneighbor? It is very rowdy looking now, is it true a ghoul like me runs this place?" How interesting, I saw it before the war... but it hadn't really opened you know." Sassy stared around the busy streets in wonder, taking in all the activity.

"Yeah, I'm trying to do something about that Sassy. Actually.... I have something I could use your help with, if you don't get too busy selling to all the alicorns. Can you make this dress fit my friend Magnolia here? She's putting on a big show and should dress the part..."

I floated the ancient dress from Rara's dressing room out and over to Sassy, as always the chance to examine some bit of high fashion got her attention and she peered at it closely, murmuring to herself quietly. "Oh my... excellent stitching... wonderful cut... aha, as I thought, a Coco Pommel original! Yes of course Fast, I'd be happy to alter this for your friend. You'll look lovely dear! I'll just need to borrow you for a bit!"

Magnolia looked a little wary of the excited ghoul dragging her to the orphanage we had just vacated, but I tried to wave her on encouragingly. She was in good hooves and actually wearing the real dress Rara intended for her opening act would help fool the computer nicely.

Taking a look at the variety of wares she had brought, I was glad I caught her as soon as she got here, she was going to be busy with all of Jade's sisters as soon as they found out she had so many clothes in their sizes. She even had Nightmare Night costumes, she must have been inspired by the holiday and hoping Jade would come back in time to wear one.

Preston righted his jaunty hat and jumped out, giving me a hoofbump and a smile. "Hello there Fast! Got your letter, glad to see you're back, the Princess was awful worried about you. Sure you're alright? You don't look so great..."

"Don't worry about it Preston, I'm fine. So are the Minutemares doing ok? I saw all your recruits outside the library, thanks for being there for her and trying to find me. Really look like your getting pretty big, even a pegasus member now huh?" I pointed to the puking mare still hanging off the side, the ride with Starling couldn't have been that bad, could it?

Preston leaned up to clap his winged recruit on the back heartily, chuckling a reserved answer. "Yup, Cloud Spinner here is straight from Diamond City, I think you're right private, from now on you handle the driving... Actually came to talk to you about how well we're doing Fast, besides just because you wrote for help. Sanctuary's actually getting cramped with all of us Minutemares and it's not supposed to be a military town, we need a real base again, a fortress that's not so close to the edge that will improve how well we can help the ponies of the Commonwealth..."

"I take it you have somewhere in mind?" I asked knowingly, every time Preston started a conversation like this, it usually ended up with some new 'Mission' listed in my pip-buck.

This time he managed to pique my curiosity though, answering with a enigmatic grin. "Well... Every Princess needs their castle, right?"

Stepping hoof inside the King's Gambit was pretty nerve wracking, even with Val at my side. The black and white barded guards all scowled at me on the way to the opulent lobby of matching marble, once I was in the doors I ignored their stares in favor of the well preserved casino.

A large faux gold statue atop a rusting fountain of a rearing, portly stallion with a pompadour mane, wearing a suit and short cape similar to all the Kings, stood proudly in the lobby. A short inspection of the plaque attached read simply 'Gladmane, King of New Pegasus'. Well, that must be where they got the name and their fashion sense...

The place wasn't that busy for late afternoon / early evening, though it held all the same kinds of games and tables for gambling that the Wing Ding Circus had, it was a smaller, shabbier version of the M.O.M. hub casino across the street. A crumbling edifice of stained marble and corroding, fake gold. Val nudged me the right way excitedly, making sure to clear a wide path through the crowd on our way to the least occupied poker table.

Once I was seated at the tattered green felt of the semi-circular table, Val flew off to exchange her winnings from the Combat Zone into chips. I drummed my hooves at the table waiting, looking up to the bored looking dealer and my only opposing player, a pale mare in a grey, hooded cloak, a small pile of chips and a mostly drained whiskey bottle before her.

I felt bad enough about this, I didn't want to take caps from some other player, just the casino. Shuffling anxiously to myself, I leaned over and tried to whisper to the mare beside me. "Umm... m-maybe you want to go to a different table? I'm er... I'm going to be winning every time... soooo... I don't want to take your caps too..."

The hood swung my way drunkenly, a wide grin and unsteady eyes as red as my own stared back. "Is'at so! Well thanks for the warning short stuff, I'll try my luck a few more times though, been losing just fine on my own before you got here, I think I can manage."

"Oooook... don't say I didn't warn you..."

Val returned and set a mountain of black and white chips marked with a crown on the table in front of me, rubbing her claws together eagerly as I waited for my cards.

(Can you hear me Fast? I am behind this dealer pony you spoke of, do you want to know his cards now? They have interesting pictures...) Peri's mental voice rang in my head clearly, causing me to jump nervously and topple a few stacks of chips.

(Ack! Y-Yes Peri, I hear you. Wait until I'm playing, then tell me what everypony has ok?) I rearranged my chips and did as Val instructed, floating a few over for the minimum bet and receiving my cards. I made sure Jade was visibly away from the casino, they had to know what she could do and I didn't want her involved in this anyway, Peri had no moral qualms whatsoever.

Ivy was outside somewhere, close enough to let me listen in on Peri who had come in invisibly behind us. Cheating was wrong, but this was pretty high class cheating at least... With the unseen blue alicorn roaming around, I'd know what all the other players had and couldn't lose. The first set of cards the dealer sent out rapidly filled me with hopefully relief, the image of Luna, Princess of Moons at the head of two pair, aces and eights.

After getting a report from Peri, I shoved a heaping pile of caps out to the center of the table as a raise, shutting out the drunken mare beside me and waiting on the panicked dealer. His pair of twos wasn't going to help him but he was forced to match the bet, doubling my funds in one shot.

I tried to keep the odd mare next to me out of the game, raising beyond her ability to play if I could win, letting her take more of the casino's caps if I had a poor deal. A stern, older, brown earth pony stallion in a more subdued version of the King's normal apparel had appeared nearby and was watching carefully, some kind of higher up already alerted to an increasing run of bad luck for his gang. Well, let him look, good luck finding an invisible alicorn.

"Alright, I gotta know now, how're you doing that? Got cards stuffed up the sleeves of that crazy outfit or something?" The pale mare at the table huffed at another game down, floating her bottle of Wild Pegasus over cheerfully.

Wait floating? I couldn't help staring for a second, I thought she was an earth pony... I hadn't really paid attention to her while playing, so I never noticed to hidden glow under her hood. I knew my eyes kept going up there as I answered, but couldn't help it, where was her horn? "I told you I was going to win every time... I'm umm... r-really lucky today..."

She apparently noticed where my eyes kept flicking up to, a pink blush lit her cheeks and she snorted. "Yeah, yeah, it's not small, it's compact!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to stare... I didn't realize you were... I mean... I-It's cute! I... I'll just stop talking now..." I stammered and felt my face heat up, now that I was looking I managed to spot the small horn under that hood, nearly hidden by a silky black and red striped mane. She really was pretty, a little older than me and her eyes looked positively ancient, but a pretty filly hiding under all that.

She fluttered her eyelashes at the compliment at least, anteing up absently and leaning back to take another swig from her brown bottle before answering. "Cute is good, though dead sexy's better! Nice save Mr. Shroud! I'm guessing you're that buck from the radio by the getup, quite the hero to be slumming it down here. So what's a place like this doing in a pony like you?"

Another mental report by Peri told me what I needed to know and I shoved another pile of caps to the table, returning to my pleasant conversation. "It's complicated... I don't like the gang that runs this place, so I'm taking their money... Ok, maybe not that complicated..."

She tittered drunken laughter at that, putting me at ease with the strange mare that waggled her bottle over my way. "Better than killing them all I guess, or dropping a building on this one. Sure you ought'a be down here though? They don't look to like you either, and you don't look so hot."

Both of those things were true, we were attracting an increasing crowd of guards and pit bosses, glaring as I kept winning game after game. I felt bad for the poor dealer now too, he was sweating bullets under all the stares. Even his best cheating wasn't enough though, mine was better...

I accepted the bottle gratefully, taking a swig and pulling away in surprise when she suddenly hopped a seat over to sit beside me, that made it easier to whisper anyway. "I'm... just sick... N-Not exactly sure I'll be ok, trying to leave something behind if the worst happens... f-for my daughter, and everypony else..."

Val punched me from behind for daring to slip back towards pessimism, willing to play the bodyguard and leave me to talk, but clearly listening closely. It made a good reason for taking every cap out of this place I could though, I was trying to leave something behind, the caps were just a step on that path though. The griffon's claws had unfortunately thumped right into one of my 'wings', causing it to start seeping gunk into the bandages uncomfortably.

I tried to shift and check the wide cloth strip around my middle unobtrusively, nearly startled off my seat by the strange hooded mare leaning right in and taking a good look, her stripy mane and... compact horn right under my chin. Whoever she was, she had sharp eyes to spot the swatch of silk under my coat.

She took a long, appraising look over my yelp of protest, finally nodding to herself and sitting back up, scootching a bit closer to my discomfort, she was an awful friendly filly. "Taint... been there, done that, got the T-Shirt. It'll be ok... er... there are ways you know, to survive it... There's that spell that..."

"It won't work, I think one way or another, I'm going to be something else before long..." There was some comfort talking to a stranger about all this, hell she probably wouldn't even remember the conversation considering her alcohol intake.

It made a nice distraction from the growing chorus of angry Kings staring at me, my mound of chips had grown into a mountain. The silver stallion I saw laughing with Bullet Bishop last night had now arrived, whispering to the dealer each time I shoved all the caps on the table, giving him the go ahead to play.

The hooded mare nodded sagely, bobbing her bottle up for another long drink and shoving it in my muzzle, wrapping a foreleg around my shoulders and leaning close in a somber answer. "Being something else can be hard... make you feel like you're not a pony anymore... Don't worry bout it though, what makes a pony is inside, not outside."

"Thanks... dunno why I'm telling you any of this... but you're nice to talk to, it helps." She might seem tipsy, but that had the ring of hard won truth to it.

The idea was something to take solace in too, Jade and her kind were ponies, so were ghouls for that matter, maybe even synths were from what I had been told. The grinning mare beside me was an unusual font of wisdom, nudging me playfully and sticking a hoof to her puffed out chest.

"Yup that's me, I've considered opening the wasteland's first psychiatrist's office actually! You know, hang a shingle, start dealing with all the ways everybody else is fucked up, take up gardening. Been scouting out the Commonwealth for an office, I've heard downtown Trotson has lovely views, the schools and neighborhood just aren't up to snuff so far though, and don't get me started on the tax rate!"

"Not to mention the deadly killer robots, insane technology, mutant alicorns and a shadowy conspiracy of synthetic ponies and brains in jars..." I tried to joke back, glad to see merriment in her red eyes as she waved all that off.

"Oh that's nothing! Nothing to get bothered about, some places I've been were muuuuch worse, just enough to keep things lively here. That's better, you're cute when you loosen up! Big damn hero like the Shrouded Stallion can't let a little mutation keep him down right!? I know he's supposed be all broody in the comics, but no reason to take the cosplay that far huh? Making me rethink my bet on the big fight though, sure you're up to it cutie?"

Oh please don't tell me this smell surrounding me worked on all mares... It was hard to tell, she seemed like a pretty flirtatious filly anyway, wiggling around in her seat playfully to cheer me up in a practically lewd manner, forcing me to laugh.

The mountain of caps grew again and I chucked an answer back, "I'll be fine, thanks. Sorta have to win one way or the other, so I still think it's a good bet. Though I still haven't figured out a weapon, I use a knife normally and I can't there... or my magic... ok maybe it's not the best bet... Have to make up for taking your caps here though don't I?"

The friendly mare scooted closer again, a stripy tail flicking out from her robe while she offered advice like a wise hermit. "A baton, that's what you need. Good old fashioned security baton is just the ticket, not too long, great at crackin' heads, usually non-lethal... in the neighborhood anyway. Yup, can't go wrong with a baton!"

"Oh, yeah... that's pretty good thanks!" That made me feel a little better about the fight, a baton like she described was about as long as Best Served, it'd be something close to what I was used to anyway.

She gave a wide smile, leaning over woozily against my chest and sticking her muzzle right in front of mine, making me gulp nervously at her lidded red eyes shadowed by her hood. "That's the spirit! You put up a good fight, come out on top and look me up hmm? Call it the purse for the fight, I know a mare just your height, always wondered about a stallion!"

"T-That's ok! I h-have a special somepony already so..."

My squeaky reply did nothing to dissuade her, she arched one eyebrow in confusion and shrugged. "So? Bring her along! or him, whatever! Hey don't worry about whatever's under there, trust me, I've seen worse... It's the pony inside that counts right?"

Her seductive reassurance was thankfully interrupted by Bishop's second in command, tromping over after I won again and slamming his hooves on the table, making my teetering pile of chips wobble. "No more bets! You're done, cash out and get going!"

"Aw, Bishop said I could come in and play as much as I wanted, wassa matter?" I grinned up to the silver stallion, enjoying his agitation and hoping to escalate this.

"The problem is you haven't lost a single game, not one! If we allow the next bet... you'll break the bank... None of our other customers will be able to gamble, you don't want to cut your new friend off do you?" He sneered back through gritted teeth, pointing to the mare beside me hopefully.

"Oh don't mind me! This is getting good now, I want to see if he can do it! Besides, I'm just passing through, I came here 'cause of the decor" She giggled and wobbled on her seat pointing to her black and white colors and waving to the gaudy, monochrome room, taking another drink and passing the bottle back over.

The warm fuzziness of alcohol was nice, though it was getting a tad hard to hear Peri in my head... Shaking it off and focusing on her voice to bring the volume back up, I turned a drunken smile on the angry stallion and slurred back. "She'll be fine, there's a nice casino right across the street, I'll gets her a room with some of your caps. There's other stuff yous can bet with right? Hows about the stake in the Combat Zone hmm? Throw that on the pile and I'll only bet half my chips since you're scared..."

Bishop's second glared daggers at me, eventually stamping his hooves and storming off, hoofing a nearby intercom and tensely whispering into it. When he came back he pushed the dealer out of the way, quickly pulling a notepad from his jacket and scribbling out a note by mouth, an I.O.U. for the stake in the Combat Zone... growling "Last game..." as he slammed it to the table.

My friendly companion stayed out of this game as everyone in the casino came to watch the show. There was no ante this time, no raising of bets, everything was on the table from the start which made this harder, I couldn't just back out if I got a bad set of cards... Worse yet was Peri's slightly agitated voice calling out. (There are many ponies here now Fast... it is getting hard to not be noticed, not much room in here...)

(Just one more round Peri! You can do it!) I answered hopefully, looking over the cards I had been dealt with the pushy mare sticking her nose in now that she wasn't playing, wincing with a hiss when she saw the cards. The Princess of Hearts, a pink alicorn with a purple and yellow striped mane I was unfamiliar with, followed by her Knight, a pale stallion with a blue mane in gleaming gold armor. After that was nothing... seven of stars, two of suns and an eight of moons...

"Ouch... that sucks, so what's he got?" She whispered curiously, forcing me to hold on to my seat. She saw through me pretty easily, puffing a red lock of her mane out of her eyes and rolling them. "C'mon, you know right? I won't tell anypony, quit trying to be all shady, it doesn't suit you, so what's he got?"

(A 3 with a sun... a 3 with a moon... a 5 with a heart... and pictures of Celestia and Luna...)

Er.. two princesses, a pair of threes and a five... I repeated Peri's report nervously, grabbing at my cards as she immediately floated all but the princess and knight I held up a hair.

"Take three, trust me..." She whispered back, fully absorbed in the game and giving the new dealer an intimidating stare.

I floated the three she indicated to the table and got three new cards in return, amazingly I got a 10 and a Jester of hearts out of that... though the third was a useless jester of stars, an image of Pinkie Pie in a frilly, jingly jesters outfit almost seemed to mock me.

The silver dealer took a single card, (A 3 with a star) and held with a smug look, a full house... meaning I needed either a... straight flush? or was it royal flush? I remembered that one from when Val drilled it in to me, royal flush stuck with my mind always occupied with a princess at least. So I had one more draw to get either an 9 of hearts, or the Ace of hearts...

My neighbor nearly sent me tumbling off the chair again, leaning up to kiss my burning cheek and tug the single card up. "For luck! I'm practically blessed by chaos, don't worry! Nothing ventured nothing gained right? Take the cards the dealer gives ya."

I shakily floated the single card up and exchanged it for another face down on the table, staring at the small rectangle and finally getting an idea of the allure of this game. Without the cheating, it probably had a lot of depth, the sheer unknown of staring at that last card was definitely exciting...

A pale hoof decided for me, laying my cards out on the table below the face down final card with a smirk. With that mischievous smile watching me expectantly, I had nothing to do but flip the final card with my eyes closed, offering a prayer to the Goddesses. The sudden gasp I heard from the crowd made me hopeful, but I still cautiously opened an eye to peek at what the dealer had dealt.

A shadowy profile of a pony with a curved horn and a fiery, wavy mane darkened the large pink heart staring back at me, the Ace of Hearts...

I had an instant to take it in, then the casino erupted in cheers. The dark grey maned dealer looked to turn a few shades paler, staring at the Royal Flush and weakly laying his Full House down with a grimace. Val's dark claws gripping my shoulders started shaking me forcefully, the griffon dancing and hooting with glee as I floated the mountain of chips over for her to start scooping up.

Before she got to all of them, I grabbed a healthy pile in my magic and floated it over to my flirty companion, tipping my hat to her gratefully. "T-Thanks... thanks a lot! I was scared there a second, you're really good at cards Miss....?"

A warm, sad smile crossed her face her answer soft and hard to hear amidst the noise of the crowd still going crazy until it perked back up. "Fish... Go Fish, so of course I'm good at cards, obviously! Glad I could help cutie, thanks for all this... you... you don't have to do this... I get by fine you know."

"I'm sure you do Miss Fish, I want to. I'm Fast Times, I'd have been in real trouble there if you weren't here, lucky for me huh? Take it, please and take me up on staying next door too, it's much nicer, and friendlier, and safer..." I didn't understand her reluctance, but I could at least figure out the note of loneliness in her voice. She seemed like Val in a way, the smiling, flirty, joking mask hiding something painful.

I liked her though, she was a little goofy, but jumped right in to help when she had no reason. I insisted she take the pile of chips over Val's vocal complaints, shoving it all over and threatening to get more if she didn't take it. My griffon friend's immediate pleading made her take it with a rueful chuckle. "Alright, alright, twist my leg, make me take your caps! And to think I heard the Commonwealth was a nice, unfriendly place nopony ever went to I could hide in, surrounded by brutal assholes and fresh sea air, just had to ruin it didn't you? Guess I'll take you up on the room once my night here is up, handsome buck offering a bed to sleep on, what's a girl to think hmm?"

This time when she leaned even further forward fluttering her eyelashes, she pushed me past the tipping point and I crashed to the floor, giving me a wonderful view of her shapely flanks. (Huh... were they blank? Or was her mark just as small as her horn?) Tearing my eyes away, I hurriedly stumbled back up nervously, turning red under her smirking notice of where I had looked. "N-Nothing! Just being polite! R-Really... it was very nice meeting you Miss Fish, y-you're really pretty but I do have a mare I love already..."

She blinked in surprise and burst out laughing, wiping tears away and trying to apologize while I pouted and turned redder, finally regaining control enough to wheeze out an answer. "S-S-Sorry! You just... just reminded me of a dear friend... You're a regular foal in the woods aren't you? You turn just as adorably red over nothing, I can tell that! Oh I'd love the time to mess around with your head, you drop by anytime, bring your mare and we'll have a little fun! Take care Fast!"

Retreating from the giggling, flirtatious filly with relief, I had to chuckle to myself at the funny mare. It must be fun being that unabashed and liberated when it came to fooling around like that, in that regard she had to be my opposite number. She seemed ready for anything, with anypony, at any time, mare or buck. While I was increasingly having to resist temptation to stick with the morals I had been taught from the old world. Though if I was going to give in with anypony, Miss Fish sounded like she'd be a fun choice...

I winked at Val dragging her huge bags of chips away from the table, coughing and speaking up loudly to nopony in particular. "Well Val, you go cash out and we'll get out of here. I gotta hit the bathroom so I'll be right back!"

She made a dissatisfied face at splitting up, but this was part of the plan too and I had Peri with me. Time to go be sneaky and meet Zed on the roof...

A bit of subtle sidling away near the darker corners of the King's Gambit gave Peri an opportunity to cloak me in her invisibility, if I was inside I wanted to take a look around at least, see what they had been up to. Now unseen, I led the way to the stairs, dodging around numerous King's members on the way and peeking in rooms idly.

I tried keeping safely ahead of Peri, working my way past the series of rooms tucked away back here, lots of living space for the gang it looked like. No sign of crackling Institute teleporters or big shipments of energy weapons though... Bishop's voice made me stop in my tracks and nearly topple the big invisible mare on my heels.

"Kill him you hear me! You get in the ring with that little shit and you kill him!! Take another!" Creeping forward and peeking in the door let me get a look at Bullet Bishop, in the middle of tantrum by his greasy mane falling in his eyes and the crazed look in them.

The amber pegasus mare from the Combat Zone, Rowdy Rouser, was in the small room with him. So focused on the strange harness hidden in her wing she wasn't able to dodge away from the weird injector he jabbed in her flank. She yelped angrily and pulled away from her boss, nervously standing up for herself. "S-Stop it with that Bishop! That's enough, I already feel weird enough, I don't wanna end up like Rock. I can take that little buck as is no problem!"

"Shut up! You'll take it if I say so, count yourself lucky bitch! That brat Svengallop's crew told me they're having supply problems with this stuff, it was hard to get ahold of. You are going to tear that shit to pieces you understand!" Bishop screamed and shook in fury, I reeeeally hoped losing all those caps was the reason...

My curiosity was getting the better of me, weird drugs and the Svengallop too much to resist. The drug injector he casually tossed aside was very strange too, a large, round central housing with several different colored vials jutting from it, he had pushed each down before stabbing her with it, you had to mix it before using it? I'd never seen a drug like that before...

I couldn't snatch one of the full injectors in my magic without giving us away with the glow, forcing me to slink in and carefully reach up for one on the dresser near the door. I had it in my teeth when a lot of warm glommed on to me, an insistent nuzzling at my neck accompanied by heavy breathing.

"Peri! Not now!!" I squeaked in surprise, rattling the dresser and attracting the attention of Bishop. This was the absolute worst time for her to get a good snootful of me... Crap, she stumbled over me, it was my fault no less... wonderful...

Bishop glared warily at the empty door, trotting over and looking all around for the disturbance. At least Peri dragged me back into the hall, quickly dodging out of the way of the on guard stallion and ducking into a partially open door, ending up in a very cramped janitor's closet with a lot of alicorn all around me.

"Peri!! Stop! Get ahold of yourself please! L-Let's just get outta here and..."

The blue alicorn reappeared in the dim closet, speaking sleepily, her blond mane falling from under her hat. The sound of hooves and marks of red on E.F.S. from outside making me even more nervous than just the sultry mare pinning me in place, nuzzling and kissing enthusiastically at my neck. "That is nice isn't it... hold still Fast..."

I had to shove her muzzle up and hold her head in place, staring right in those cloudy golden eyes sparkling with little hearts... "Peri! That's enough! No fooling around, I need your help here please!"

'Help' seemed to get through, her brow furrowed in absent annoyance as her nostrils kept flaring, why in a closet... why of all places did she have to find a closet... I had to be filling the small space with this annoying stink. "Help... need my help? Awww... I want to help... in just a minute..."

Her hooves tickling at me made me bite my tongue to stifle a severely inadvisable giggle, wrenching her head back up and trying again. "C'mon Peri! Leaving now, playing around later! This is reeeeeally not the time and definitely the worst place!"

She pouted a moment, though her eyes cleared a little in the act, looking up in thought before snapping down on me again. "Later?... Promise?"

"W-What!? Alright whatever! Fooling around later, just leaving now right!?" I pleaded with the intoxicated filly, finally wrangling a reluctant nod out of her and vanishing again, just ahead of the door being flung open.

"Radroaches..." The copper guard stallion peered at us in the closet and moved away, unconvinced but believing his lying eyes thankfully.

My heart was trip hammering away in my chest and I struggled to squirm my way around the invisible Peri, still worried about some of the noises she was making as I felt my way past her and poked my head out the door. All clear... I gratefully vacated the closet, listening to my unseen companion exit behind me and keeping a safe distance again.

"I don't see what the big deal is... that was nice... Why would sisters Jade and Ivy be so worked up and fighting? You promised, that wasn't hard..." she whispered from behind me when I hit the door marked 'Stairs', her voice sounded clear and awake again, or as much as Peri's ever got anyway...

The mention of the fight I had suspected between those two concerned me and I was a little worried what exactly I promised, hoping she'd forget or overlook the blanket agreement to get out of there. All that would have to wait however, several flights of stairs separated us from the roof and I had already blown through a lot of what my heart was willing to put up with.

By the time we hit the top, I had been spared crawling by Peri simply picking me up in her magic and trotting up the stairs easily, kindly reappearing since we hadn't run into anypony since the third floor and keeping her distance. I took a minute to pant and lean against the heavy steel door out, how was I supposed to fight like this tomorrow? Especially if the King's fighters were somehow cheating?

Taking another look at the strange injector my pip-buck had labeled as 'X-Cell', I shrugged numbly, if they could use drugs then I could too I supposed, that might be enough to get me through... Jade would want to see this and I was pretty curious myself, but there was no shortage of pre-war combat drugs lying about, Buck, Rampage, Stampede... and my old favorite Dash...

Once I caught my breath, I nodded to the alicorn waiting patiently on the landing with me and opened the door a crack, peeking out and hoping things went smoothly. One panicked guard on the castle styled building's roof turned to the door, but he may have been heading that way anyway... A shadowy blur rolled up behind him and he froze, falling to the roof heavily.

"Zed?" I whispered out to the dark, sweet Celestia that zebra was sneaky...

"That was the last one, come on out and tinker with your boxes quickly, before more come..." The zebra's deep voice called back, a stripy bit of darkness approaching out of the gloom and pointing to a large array of a dozen 'Spell in a Boxes' that Val and Ivy landed beside in a gust.

Looking at all the scattered guards that were patrolling up here, I couldn't help wondering if they were really all just paralyzed and unconscious, but chose to trust Zed. I floated out my tools and scrambled under the brightly decorated, weathered boxes, working quickly and noting with satisfaction when one of the far too numerous parts of my plan was crossed off my pip-buck;

Mission Updated: Strike Up the Band

Objectives----
---Trigger the Grand Opening Gala

----~~Repair all 'Spell in a Box' arrays~~

Between this and crossing off 'reduce the King's wealth' from the related mission, this had been a fairly productive night. That only left half a million things that all had to go just right tomorrow to accomplish my goal, then the uncomfortable question of what to do with the M.O.M. hub once it was opened that I still wasn't quite sure about... But yes, things were going swimmingly...

------------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------

Tough Hide (Rank 1)-----------------
---Getting tossed around by a master of zebra martial arts proves you can take a beating if nothing else! The brutal experiences of the Equestrian Wasteland have hardened you. You gain +3 to Damage Threshold for each level of this perk you take.

Quest Perks Added!--------------------

Camp Friendship Neckerchief----------
---You might not be much of an outdoors pony, but finding Rara's camp neckerchief has granted a small taste of the long ago camp! You gain +10 to the survival skill!

Kissed by Discord---------
---Do you really want to know?

Author's Note

Realized I should put a note here with the cameo and all, so here goes. It's none to subtle or anything, but that is meant to be an homage to Somber and PH, the author who really seated the hook on FOE stories after getting through the original and still wanting more, leading to discovering all the stories here in the process. Tried to stick to the character as well as I could manage, and it's meant only with the best of intentions. If the author has any problems with it, I'll happily scrub the chapter, just greatly enjoyed PH and wanted an innocuous shout out.

Ch. 48-- Nightmare Night

"Fast?... A-Are you awake?"

My eyes cracked at the soft murmur at my chest, blinking down to see Jade resting her chin there and staring at me in the early morning gloom. I moved to look into the blue pools shining in dim light, immediately regretting it when my body reminded me it was awake now too with a wave of pain. Instead I settled for lifting a hoof to stroke her cloudy mane and sigh in contentment at just waking up with her.

"Mmmwake... wassamatter?"

She must have noticed that initial wince, worriedly holding me still and shaking her head against my chest. "Nothing is wrong... No...T-That is not true... but nothing additional is wrong... I am sorry to wake you, I was w-worried... I wanted to hear your voice, it is silly..."

"Nnn S'not silly... s'ok, talk, I'll say whatever you want..."

I sleepily noticed a small smile at that as she curled closer and fluffed her wing around us, thinking silently for a few minutes where I came dangerously close to nodding off again. "I will not leave you today... There is no point in wasting time apart in my clinic any longer. I am sorry Fast... I could not help you... Even still, you must be alright! P-Please?"

"Whatever Princess wants... will be fine, it'll be ok." I could lean up to kiss her horn at least, calming her enough to continue softly.

"I did not realize just how much you had come to mean to me until I became truly afraid of losing you... I... I have thought and felt things since you disappeared that frightened me... So much rage at those who took you and did this, I... h-have even lied to my sisters... simply because I do not wish to share you... A-Am I selfish Fast?" She whispered fearfully in the dark, making me wake all the way up and really focus, this was really bothering her.

"You're not selfish Jade, you're one of the most generous, giving ponies I've ever known. I think it's ok to be a little jealous of your special somepony, if our roles were reversed... I might be able to handle you being with others to save the species and all, but I wouldn't like it... Nope, not one bit... Is that what you and Ivy are fighting about?"

Her eyes widened in surprise and she answered with a reticent, shamed whisper. "Y-Yes... She thinks it was not right to ask you to keep things a secret without knowing why. That I am being unreasonable, g-greedy... That I should be willing to let you... h-help them... if the potion succeeds, to be logical... I know I should, once I would have been overjoyed at the prospect of you becoming one of us, happy to s-share you to fill the mother's wish... for the good of all of us... but I do not want to now."

"Thinking logically about the pony you love doesn't work... I don't think you're greedy or unreasonable, I can see Ivy's point... but I won't do anything to hurt you, if you don't want me to do... that... then I'm not going to. I like your sisters Jade, I love you."

I was rewarded a long kiss for that, reluctantly breaking away for her to lay her head beside mine and close her eyes in tired relief. "I love you too Fast, thank you for showing me how valuable that is. That is why you may not leave me, whatever your plans today... we are a family, we stick together, right?"

"Right, you're not getting rid of me that easy, don't worry. Get some rest Jade, busy day..."

Our morning was probably one of the best days we spent in Goodneighbor, giving me something positive to hold on to and soothe my battered body and tired spirit. Even in the spacious and luxurious Princess Celestia Suite, we were crowded with friends and guests.

Preston and his pegasus recruit stayed with us, though he had quite a few Minutemares outside of town nearby. Jade's sisters were still with us as well, except for Ivy who remained in her orphanage overnight. Sassy Saddles had also been invited to share our room while she was here, the least we could do since she came all this way to sell her clothing to Jade's sisters.

The ghoul seamstress looked like she had been busy while the rest of us slept, ghouls not needing sleep must be great for productivity, though it would be a lot of empty hours to fill. She had apparently spent last night sewing for Glitter in a feverish rush, the little filly was already proudly wearing her Nightmare Night costume and I doubted several of the others had requested what they wore on their own.

Glitter had her own version of Jade's Alicorn Angel costume now, an amazingly clean, white outfit and skirt with pink accents. The fake horn and wings she had stuck on hit a little close to home, seeing the filly almost convincingly made up to be an alicorn, but the tape on her horn wasn't quite hidden by her bouncy silver mane, and the wings looked soft but also stuffed.

She must have requested several, as Magnolia and Peri both plucked at nearly identical outfits uncertainly. Magnolia's featured a rich purple skirt, while Peri was evidently relegated to Alicorn Angel Yellow since Blue was already taken, her blonde mane and matching eyes complimented the sunny yellow skirt well.

Out of everyone in the living room, only Zed wasn't dressed up for the holiday in some way. As far as I could tell it wasn't just him reverting to his normally dour behavior, for some reason Nightmare Moon was a seriously touchy subject for zebras, a whole holiday celebrating her was viewed as a form of madness us ponies engaged in once a year.

He did take the time to explain that much, and didn't mind the rest of us celebrating, he just refused to participate and said the whole issue of Nightmare Night was a sore spot for zebras. Saying that 'collectively inviting the Nightmare from the stars to return every year was insane'.

Val was suspiciously absent, when I looked around for the normally loud griffon and didn't hear her still snoring from her rooms, I had to ask and smile at Jade's annoyed huff and roll of her blue eyes. "She refuses to come out of her room, still pouting over your decision regarding her winnings..."

I sighed at the upcoming battle and headed that way, I gave her plenty of time to accept it and whine, parting her from even some of the fortune of caps we'd taken from the King's Gambit wasn't going to be easy, but it was right. I gave her door a light tap and stuck my head in, goggling at what I found her doing with a surprised grin.

She was still in bed, though since the pictures weren't rattling from the walls at my approach I knew she was awake. Instead of sleeping the bright griffon was stretched luxuriantly across her large bed, rolling around and wiggling on her back with a blissful expression, every motion of her sprawled, supple and armor-less body causing jingles of metal. She had poured out thousands of caps on her bed in a bizarre nest and was rolling around on it naked...

"Val..." I tried to start softly, struggling to keep a laugh out of my voice as she wriggled around and drummed her paws against her treasure at my voice.

She flopped over on her belly and spread her limbs out over the mountain of bottlecaps like a dragon sleeping on its hoard of gold and jewels, pouting over at me waiting patiently. "Nnnnnn Nooooo! C'mon boss! Just a little longer!"

"Val, we talked about this... We cheated to get that, with help from Jade's sisters... We can't keep all of it, they deserve their share, they did the work, they should get paid too right? Like a contract? You agreed..."

I walked over to sit beside the bed while she kept rolling around, whining and looking up at me from her comfortable position. "Yeah I know... But this is like a lifelong dream of mine boss! Literally! Got it wrote down an everything! 'Roll around naked on a bed of caps' an finally checked it off! Ya can't take it away! C'moooooon... They don't even know much about money period!"

"No, but they're starting to need it now that they're leaving their tower. It's what's right Val, plus Ivy's running that orphanage now, still think they won't need caps? You get to keep half..."

Her long tail lashed back and forth, sending fans of bottlecaps jingling about as she groaned at the ceiling. A mischievous sparkle in her violet eyes wasn't quite enough warning ahead of her bounding forward and snatching me up her claws, rolling back on the bed with me in a tight embrace that sent more caps flying.

"See boss, isn't that niiiiiice... don't ya wanna keep em too? Soak it in, a whole bed of money! Ya know... just rollin' around on it wasn't my only life goal ya know... even better than rollin' around naked on a bed of caps would be a lil' slap an' tickle on it hmmmmm? Ya still ain't gimme my pay...." Val propped herself up over me and pinned me in place, fluttering her eyelashes and cooing in my ear.

While I had no doubt that fooling around on a bed of caps actually was on her list of major goals in life, I could at least tell she was just trying to get a rise out of me... er... tease me rather. Knowing she was counting on me getting flustered didn't completely prevent it with the seductive griffon doing her best to mess with me, but I could at least recognize the manipulation.

"Sure Val, I'm not really in the best shape to live up to the opportunity and all, but if it's a lifelong dream you may as well, since you are giving half of it away today after all... Matter of fact the sooner we get it out of the way, the sooner we can get to bagging it all up, so let's get to it hot stuff."

Even as flushed as I was sure I had to be, turning the tables on her was worth it. The stunned expression on her face made even funnier after wrapping my legs around her neck and stretching up and puckering loudly, making her turn a brighter shade of red than normal before sputtering and flopping to her back beside me. "Nnnngggh!!! N-No fair boss... Almost had me goin' fer a second... At least lay here on it with me an lemme enjoy it a little bit longer..."

That wasn't too much to ask for and I was already exhausted, so I stayed where I was beside her, staring up at the ceiling and trying to wriggle around into a comfortable position. I was glad she liked a bed of caps, but all the jagged bits of metal weren't very comfortable, fooling around on all this scrap would be even worse. Whatever made her happy though, she was unusually quiet and snuggled against me, giving a genuine embrace and stretching her foreleg under my head, which was much softer than her bed of cash.

After several long minutes of comfortable silence, she spoke in an unfamiliar tone that made me look up to her in concern, husky and somber, her shimmering violet eyes locked on the ceiling above her. "B-Boss... I, uh... t-thanks... for... for everything... Seriously, no joking, w-when I was little, I really did wish for a bed of caps, thought if I had that much money... I'd have everything I wanted ya know? Thanks to you, I not only got it... I found out what was worth more first. I umm... with you... an'... feelings an junk.... er..."

"I love you too Val." I could tell what she was trying to spit out after a lifetime of being a poor communicator, Val always had a joke or something to say, but saying something personal and true was as difficult for her as it was for me sometimes.

I did worry I overstepped by the way she tensed and fidgeted nervously before relaxing with a weary sigh, rolling to her side to hug me tightly with an uncharacteristic sniffle. "Yeah... I l-l-love you boss. Been on my own so long... t-that's still hard to admit. You an the kid an Blue... I ain't had family in a long time... Never thought I would again neither, s-so... so you can't go anywhere boss... ya better be ok..."

This final day was weighing on Val as much as it had been on Jade, the fear and worry in her voice for once not disguised by laughter or cursing. I returned the hug and leaned up to kiss her cheek, burying myself in her fluffy breast and enjoying the soft warmth as I murmured back. "I will be, family sticks together Val, I won't leave you."

She muttered back and her breathing slowly relaxed, I hated making those I cared about feel like this, whatever influence I had on how things went, I tried to will my body to make it true, I didn't want to leave any of my precious family again. I stretched out the warm embrace and tried to enjoy the moment, finally sighing and acknowledging the day was going to keep going no matter what I wanted.

"You still can't keep all the money though Val..."

"AWWWWW!!!"

We didn't come down to the streets of Goodneighbor until close to noon, the cloudy day was a bit blustery and cool, but dry at least, perfect weather for Nightmare Night. The streets were actually crowded even this early, a strange sense of excitement and tension in the air and reflected on the faces of all the extra visitors to the party town.

There were plenty of Shamrock's workers putting on the finishing touches and setting up outdoor games and stalls, along with a great number of caravans and outsiders who had come to Goodneighbor to make caps off the holiday. There were also a good number of those who looked like they were here for a different kind of 'fun', rough looking ponies that could easily be well behaved raiders, several groups of Gunners and freelance mercenaries, an eclectic mix of gangs from across the Commonwealth, even a few members of the Brotherhood of Friendship stood out with their power armored guards.

I took solace in the familiar and innocent though, there were plenty of common ponies from the surrounding areas that were here to celebrate. I spotted several families like the one I met back at the Finch Farm, parents and foals, wasteland settlers who probably only made a rare trip to a town as big as Goodneighbor, kids and parents both dressed in what costumes they could find or make.

The variety of costumes had me taking my time walking to Ivy's orphanage, passing a large striped circus tent set up near the makeshift stage Magnolia was to perform on later. There were plenty I recognized as pre-war characters or costumes along with several I had to guess were famous figures from the wasteland. Seeing I wasn't the only Shrouded Stallion in Goodneighbor was odd, at least three adults including a Shrouded Mare and a couple foal sized versions were wandering the crowd with me.

There were several Ministry Mares including a fairly accurate Pinkie Pie, a couple Power Ponies, a Space Captain Andromeda made from an old radiation suit, a Mysterious Mare do Well, and a ceaseless parade of creative costumes made from whatever would work found in the wastes.

I thought I saw the strange mare from the King's Gambit more than once, chasing after one pale filly with a black and red striped mane wearing an impressive costume of Stable-Tec Security barding with an odd blue and white patch on the flank, only to find she lacked even Miss Fish's 'compact' horn. I apologized and spotted another in a less convincing outfit, maybe Miss Fish was dressing like this character too?

At least I wasn't the only one to make that kind of mistake, a cute pegasus mare in a truly excellent ancient armor costume spun me by my shoulder, wearing a bright smile that faded once she looked me up and down. Apologizing and fluttering up on her wings so convincingly covered by slip on bat wings, she scanned the crowd with her slitted orange eyes and flew off after another Shrouded Stallion.

Whoever she was, she put some serious work in that outfit, the blue steel of the armor complimented her gray coat and purple mane, gleaming with polish and care, bits of fluff were stuck on the ends of her ears and she even found false fangs somewhere, she truly could be one of Luna's royal guard.

My thoughts lingered on the fake plastic fangs and sent my tongue running across my own teeth subconsciously, the tip hanging and probing at the new, sharp little nubs in there I had found while brushing last night. Not bat-pony fangs by any means, but not the flat, herbivore teeth I had since losing my last baby teeth.

Jade's smile always looked even and inviting, though thinking back I realized it got distinctly predatory and sharp when her blue eyes did that weird dragon slitted thing once she actually got angry. Having her explain alicorns being such well adapted wasteland survivors meant being omnivorous didn't make the pointy incisors in there feel less weird though...

I forced myself to stop poking at them as Jade pointed out some other costumes I didn't get for me. At least three Lightbringers were wandering about, the costume versions of Stable barding of varying quality and shades of blue, but all marked with a yellow 2. I had no idea how close the costumes were to the real thing, the general look seemed familiar from flashes I had gotten from Jade's sisters about 'The Destroyer'.

She favored me with a smile and informed me while one light grey mare was fairly accurate, all of them were too tall. "The real Lightbringer is only about your height Fast, so you are in good company you see?"

If that were true, I imagined she didn't take much consolation in attempts like that by her friends either... I smiled back and watched her trot off with a gasp, complimenting a pretty dark filly wearing red and yellow streaks in her pale mane as an excellent imitation of some other post-war pony she knew.

As I sat in the street waiting for her to return and taking in the crowd, I heard Glitter giggling beside me and raised an eyebrow her direction, curious what she found so funny and confused when she stuffed a hoof in her mouth and rolled her pink eyes behind her. Following her nodding glance, I was stunned to see that circus tent almost right behind us... wasn't that over by the stage? We just walked there a second ago actually...

I craned my neck back to look up to the rustle of fabric and snickering at the peaked roof of the big tent, finding myself looking into a big pair of blue-violet eyes sparkling with tiny hearts... "S-Swan?!"

Wiggling her huge head around let the giant mare force it through a large flap on the roof of the tent, her long pink mane pulling free and spilling down the sides of the striped canvas as she grinned and nodded happily. "Hello Fast! I fooled you! My disguise is good isn't it? Do you like it?"

"Umm... d-disguise? Oh! Your Nightmare Night costume? That's really clever Swan, you're a circus?" Staring up at the huge filly in the middle of Goodneighbor, I supposed 'disguise' was accurate too...

No one was paying much attention to a striped tent in the street, even one that wandered around on its own. Only a few passing close by and observant enough even realized a monster sized alicorn was in the crowd with them, most of those simply freezing in place or rubbing their eyes in disbelief. I spotted one old stallion gaping across the street who promptly tossed a half full bottle of vodka away and walked off shakily.

I wondered how long Swan had been sneaking around behind us, impressed anypony so big could be stealthy and concerned about how close she had followed... her nostrils kept flaring above us and she had that sleepy, lovestruck look in her eyes. At least she was keeping it under control, distracted by Glitter prancing around her, completing a circuit of the tent, poking her head in the front flap before returning to my side and shouting up to her.

"Wow Aunt Swan! That's really smart! I like your costume! I wanted ta help Sassy make a costume for you like Mom's an the others, so you could be Alicorn Angel Pink an we'd have a full set! We didn't have time ta finish yet though, cause of how big it'd hafta be! That's really good though! You can walk around in town without everypony freakin' out huh!?" Glitter at least didn't have to worry about what the oversized mare might get it in her head to do because of how she smelled, enjoying the chance to see her since she often couldn't with Swan staying near a source of radiation all the time.

Swan beamed and bobbed her head happily, giving a happy gasp and peering down at the tiny foal. "You were making clothes for me? Like yours and sisters Jade's? T-Thank you! Would they be pretty like yours little.... niece?"

The talking circus tent sounded unsure how to address Glitter, a reticent, hopeful tone in her voice when she ventured 'niece' in response to being called Aunt. Any concern she had was erased when the little filly bounded forward and hugged one of her huge legs through the red and yellow fabric, giggling happily when Swan's purple magic surrounded her and floated the tiny Alicorn Angel White up to her face to get a better look at her outfit, nuzzling her with a muzzle the size of her head.

Glitter enjoyed the affection and getting flown up so high above the streets, stretching her legs and pretending to fly with her costume wings, Swan caught on to the game and zoomed the filly around her head to overjoyed whoops as she laughed an answer. "Ya-huh! Aunt Magnolia's already Angel Purple, I hoped you'd be Angel Pink cause of your pretty mane!"

I was always proud and amazed at the effect Glitter had on other ponies with just a few words, a flattered blush crept up Swan's cheeks and she gave a wide, genuine smile as she floated the foal back to my side, folding the tent she wore over to bend down and plant a kiss on the tiny filly's head, mussing her mane with a huge smack of her lips in gratitude. "Thank you niece Glitter! Real clothes for me... I would like that!"

Of course this also brought her head down right beside me as well, a fresh starburst of heart shaped sparkles in the big eyes that glanced my way made me gulp nervously as she took a deep breath. At least after seeing me get violently ill when she teleported us to Trinity Tower, the big mare seemed cautious about hurting me and she was exercising excellent self control so far, speaking softly to me. "Your daughter is very kind, like her father..."

Getting this close was still a bit much to ask though, after planting a grateful kiss on Glitter's head that big muzzle swung my way as well, trying to repeat the gesture and 'missing' the top of my head in favor of my cheek. The soft lips planted on my face were so wide that it didn't take much to shift over to my mouth, what started as a friendly peck quickly deepening as she pressed forward, voicing a rumbling, pleased moan and pushing me back to fall on my rump with a squeak.

Finally releasing me to breathe again in a long gasp, Swan paused to nuzzle my neck and chest, fluttering her eyelashes and sighing in contentment. One foreleg pushed open the flaps of the tent she wore absently, revealing the dark space beyond filled with a lot of purple alicorn.

Thankfully Jade finally returned from complimenting and giving pointers to the charcoal mare wearing medical box saddlebags that matched her own. She gave a flustered, forceful cough and gently pulled me away, curling a wing around me possessively and ignoring Val's hoots of laughter, addressing Swan's blinking stare patiently.

"Yes, they are both very thoughtful are they not sister? Miss Saddles has already gone to the orphanage if you would like to accompany us, with you here to measure I imagine she will be able to finish shortly. Fast is still ill you know, try to restrain yourself if you would sister..." My princess spoke kindly as always, but there was a note of irritated iron in her voice too that even Swan noticed as her eyes cleared.

"Oh! Yes sister Jade, sorry... Your little pony is nice, I forget I shouldn't play with him when he's close for some reason... We all look forward to when he is better and takes his potion so he can help us! I'll be good..." Swan apologized and ducked back into her tent costume, her horn and eyes peeking out of the flap as she crept along behind us.

Jade ushered me ahead at a safe distance, keeping a wary eye on Swan behind us and clucking at Val to catch up, still grousing over her costume. "I still can't believe you used one of my perserved Manticore stingers Valkyrie... that is still very dangerous you know! You should blunt the tip at the very least!"

Val's outfit was pretty amusing, despite the pout on her face as she dragged her feet and trudged behind us sullenly. She had gotten ahold of a pair of horns on a hairband from somewhere, stuck in her plumage were two dark prongs that curled straight up. A pair of slip on sleeves for her wings, like the mare dressed as a thestral royal guard earlier wore, gave them the appearance of leathery, crimson batwings. What Jade balked at was the too realistic stinger tied to the end of her tail, completing the image of a manticore... Close enough to make me shudder remembering the horde of the creatures back at Fort Haygone, one of which presumably supplied the stinger she wore now.

The Manticore-griffon muttered darkly as we neared the Friendly Foal's Orphanage, her overstuffed bags jingling with each pained step closer. "Wouldn't be accurate then would it Blue? Actually hopin' I get ta sting somebody with it, make me feel better..."

A crowd of alicorns outside the orphanage I heard in my head well before seeing them made me pull back with Val and give her a friendly nudge, making her bulging bags of caps jingle musically. A new folding table stood beside the Filcher's little guide service booth, I could barely spot the tall ghoul mare surrounded by even taller alicorns, all pressing forward in excitement and floating her wares up in a multicolored flurry of magic.

Most of the young residents of the orphanage looked like they were out enjoying the festivities already, only a few remained to staff their clever guide business or played in the yard under Ivy's watchful green eyes. Those that remained were dressed up in the some of the costumes Glitter had purchased at Knick and Knack's, a pirate colt and a mummy filly could just be seen dodging around the long legs of the crowd of alicorns, doing their jobs as well as they could in all the excitement, trying to explain prices and work out a deal with Sassy Saddles for various items.

I skirted the cluster of big mares gleefully examining Sassy's large selection of clothing that would fit them, trying to approach from behind the makeshift stall her wares were scattered over and call to her from a safe distance. At least my effect on alicorns came in useful for once, several stopped squabbling over what they hoped to buy and sniffed at the air in distraction, letting me get Sassy's attention successfully as she scribbled out several scraps of notes frantically.

Glitter didn't have to keep her distance, sprinting forward and hugging the ancient ghoul happily. "Hiya Sassy! We brought the one I told ya about, Angel Pink! She's really excited for her costume if we can still make it? How's it going? Everypony looks like they really like your stuff!"

Breathing a relieved sigh at the little filly interrupting the chaos, Sassy wiped her mottled brow and set aside her notepad and pencil, looking up to the circus tent staring down at her hopefully in surprise. "Glitter! So this is the famous Swan? My... you weren't exaggerating were you dear? I'm afraid I'm quite busy at the moment, your letter was an understatement Fast! These fillies are quite the eager customers! Trying to work with their limited budget has me a bit overwhelmed writing I.O.U.s for them!"

I smiled at the generous ghoul. As much as they wanted what Sassy was selling, the mares of Trinity Tower hadn't had any use for money before now, they simply couldn't pay and rather than turn them away she was trusting them to pay her later. The ghoulish mare lived up to the example of her old friend Rarity, knowing the bearer of the element of Generosity must have rubbed off on her.

I arched an eyebrow at Val pouting behind me and nodded to her significantly, such an excellent example of generosity was good for her. "Hang on just a minute Sassy, maybe we can help with that and make sure this is actually a profitable trip for you. Come on Val..."

Sassy watched us head into the candy cane fenced yard curiously, returning her attention to the crowd and looking grateful to Glitter who opted to stay and help her deal with her aunts. Ivy waited calmly on the stoop of the giant gingerbread house, the sullen colt Wicket behind her looking miserable with his hindleg still wrapped in its cast, brightening when he spotted Jade approaching to hopefully remove it.

The two alicorns exchanged pleasant greetings as Jade's horn lit up and her pale blue magic surrounded Wicket's leg, prodding and brightening with her mending spell. I had to shove Val forward with her claws digging into the dirt, eventually getting her to huff and hang her head in front of Ivy as I spoke up.

"Hi Ivy, we have a present for you guys and figured you're the mare to give it to, right Val?"

"Nnnnn... riiiight..." Val mumbled and slowly dug in her bags, dragging it out as long as possible before pulling a huge bag of caps from the depths of her inventory. She clutched the jingling bag tightly, giving it a lingering kiss before wincing and reluctantly setting it down.

Ivy and Wicket both stared at the treasure with wide eyes, the colt drooling a bit as Jade's magic focused to a tight beam and started cutting through the rough cast on his leg. The green alicorn's eyes flicked between me, the bag and the pouting griffon in confusion, "Caps? You are giving us money? Not that we aren't grateful, but why? Valkyrie does not seem pleased..."
(She is quite upset Fast, why are you giving us... ah... the winnings, I see... I do hope she gets over it, thank you Fast!)

Having her tap right into my head kind of ruined the surprise... at least that spike of pain between my eyes wasn't nearly as severe at being close enough to join in their unity today. I pressed on anyway for everyone else, grumbling over Ivy's apologetic smirk and shrug of her shoulders. I rooted around in my coat pockets and pulled the scrap of paper I had gotten in the King's Gambit out to join the bag of caps. I had compromised a bit with Val, letting her keep more than half our winnings in exchange for giving Ivy the dirty slip of paper.

"Don't worry about her Ivy, this is what you guys earned, we're not just giving it away. You helped us win all this and hurt the Kings, you deserve your cut. I thought you could share it with your sisters, since you never needed money before. Plus you can use it here, and we're letting you keep the share in the Combat Zone we won, so you should have a source of income to help get on your hooves."

As soon as his leg was free, Wicket dashed forward and clutched the bag of caps greedily, shoving his muzzle in the canvas sack and popping back out to eye me suspiciously. "Yer just givin' it to her? No tricks? I don't get it... why? What's the angle wanker?"

"No tricks Wicket... It's what's right, help her use it wisely since you're so good with money that isn't yours."

The colt and I took turns sticking our tongues out at each other, Wicket muttered under his breath as he dragged the heavy sack over to Ivy in reply. "Givin' away caps instead o' candy... What are you, stupid or somethin'?"

Val grumbled in agreement with a pout, "Been askin' myself that all day..."

Ivy gave Wicket a light swat on the flank as he returned with the treasure with a soft, 'tut tut' trying to correct his surly attitude, giving me a kind, mischievous smile and glancing back at the crowd of her sisters behind me silently. ("Oh sisters... Fast has decided to give us a great deal of money for your shopping spree, you should thank him properly...")

I gaped at the smirk she turned on me and the explosion of mental noise lodging right between my eyes in response. Jade gasped beside her playful sister and turned to me frantically as the sudden burst of voices in my head drowned out the thunder of a lot of hooves bearing down on me. (Fast?... Money!?... Can pay!.... Yay!... Nice ghoul.... can ask.. more... not feel bad... Clothes... Treats!.... Fun!... Fast!... Sister Jade's... Nice... When potion?... Soon!... Sure?... Fast loves!.... Will do!... Thank!... Thank!Thank!Thank!)

I had just a moment to turn and see the herd of big alicorn fillies bearing down on me at a gallop, turning to try to run for the orphanage and stumbling woozily gave them more than enough time to close the distance and tackle me. Getting pinned and manhandled by just one of the large mares was bad enough, half a dozen diving on me in gratitude was as overwhelming as Swan getting a little too forceful.

I could hear Ivy's tinkling laughter, I had to guess in my head as I was buried under a couple tons of alicorn all jostling to nuzzle and express their thanks, quickly getting a snootful of me and moving up to being even more affectionate as a mob. Val's gales of laughter were just out loud at least and I could hear Jade's worried yelp trying to push through the crowd.

Crawling through the forest of long legs, I managed to pull my upper half free of the huddle, straining against the ground to drag my hindlegs out and panting with a grumble at Ivy tittering to herself, holding a hoof up to her mouth to stifle the giggles and smiling at me staring at her incredulously. ("S-Sorry! I could not resist! Such kindness should be properly rewarded yes? You made them very happy, you should expect enthusiastic thanks if you're going to keep making yourself such a tempting target Fast...")

Jade turned and glared at her sister chuckling to herself watching the fun she had unleashed, giving a cute little snort of annoyance and trying to help pull me free. Her strong hooves tried yanking me loose to no avail, several of her sisters in the huddle having gotten the same idea with my hindlegs, leaving me stretched like taffy between them.

A raspy cough and laugh broke their intoxicated tug of war and I looked up to see Mayor Shamrock strolling into the yard, looking me over with a bemused expression and sweeping his tricorne hat from his wispy mane with a bow. "Ladies! Wonderful to see so many of you here today, you're not going to break my Head Technician there are you? I'm not normally one to interrupt a good bit of fun, especially this many fillies and one buck, but I need him in one piece you know! At least for today hmm?"

Surprisingly it was Swan who helped extricate me from the crush of excited mares noticing the newcomer sheepishly, wrapping me in her magic and tugging me free over the dazed whines of her sisters and floating me to Jade gently. Leaving me to wipe at my coat with a grumble, somepony had shown them lipstick apparently...

Dozens of bright red lip prints were plastered over ever bare inch of me, looking back to my flanks I blushed furiously and scrubbed, they had even gotten back there?! Red smeared all over my hooves as Swan lectured her sisters. "Fast is sick, no play yet sisters! Jade asked, if I can't, you can't!"

She stamped her hoof to drive the point home, sending a rumble through the ground that sent Shamrock stumbling. I wished she broke that up solely for my benefit, but I'd guess the huge mare took my side simply because she couldn't join in instead. The mayor of Goodneighbor turned around slowly at her booming declaration, craning his neck up to the striped tent he had apparently not paid any attention to on the way in as his jaw dropped taking in Swan watching him curiously.

"S-Sweet Celestia's flaming flanks!! Y-Your the guard I heard about!? You mares can get that b-big?! Princess Jade, who is this stunning creature and d-do you have more like her!?" Shamrock's milky eyes practically bulged from his head, taking in the giant mare hidden under her tent costume and blushing lightly at the attention.

"Good afternoon Mayor Shamrock, this is Swan. I apologize for the shocking appearance, she wore her clever costume to try not to cause a panic. She is indeed the guard of Trinity Tower I imagine you've heard stories of, she stays like this most of the time but I assure you she is very careful. There are not others like her at the moment... though you do know any of us can match her stature with enough radiation do you not?" Jade answered smartly, keeping her wing around me as the cluster of her other sisters started breaking up, shaking the sleepy look from their eyes and crowding around Ivy as she dispensed caps to cover their I.O.U.s to Sassy.

Shamrock spun on her and his eyebrows shot up, giving a stunned, appreciative whistle and looking from the group of alicorns and back to Swan contemplatively. "A-Any of you? My, my, my... I've played around soaking up rads over the years myself, ended up glowing green for a month once when I overdid it in the Glowing Sea... this though... How interesting...

You wouldn't be open to a little freelance work would you Miss Swan? Jeez you wouldn't even have to do much of anything, just accompany me and look... like you... Maybe a few of your sisters would be willing to... er... match you here and there too... A few of you gals your size would go a loooong way in some of my more tense negotiations..."

Swan tilted her head down at the Mayor in confusion, glancing over to me, Jade and Ivy and shrugging in contemplation. "Work? Like a job? For caps? Hmmm..."

Jade shook her head slowly up to the big mare, answering for her cautiously. "I believe that is something you and Umbra should discuss another time Shamrock. Hiring any of us for such work could send the wrong message, bringing Swan with you to intimidate other groups in the Commonwealth would be a very ...loud... message as well."

Swan looked momentarily disappointed, she liked being a guard-pony and fighting, working for Shamrock as a very big enforcer was probably right up her alley. She seemed to agree with Jade's assessment though by the run of her thoughts, nodding reluctantly down to the ghoul pacing around the big tent she wore. "Sister Jade is probably right... Ask Umbra though, that sounds fun!"

Shamrock beamed back at her, I had no doubt he'd be doing just as they said the next time he saw the leader of Trinity Tower. Completing his lap around Swan's tent, the mayor was nearly bowled over by Glitter dashing out from the front flap, stumbling as she pranced past. He turned back from tracking the little filly and nearly ran right into Sassy Saddles trotting out from Swan's costume in front of her, her longest measuring tape and notepad floating along beside her as she skidded to a halt muzzle to muzzle with the ghoul stallion.

"Oh! E-Excuse me sir, Mr. Mayor if I'm not wrong. A pleasure to meet you, learning one of my kind was in charge here was quite a surprise." Sassy gave a little curtsy to the ghoulish stallion staring up to the tall mare in surprise.

Shamrock looked stunned for a moment, regaining his composure and grasping one of her rotting hooves in his own, bowing low with his hat to his chest and planting a leathery kiss on the appendage. "And who is this? Another of your sisters Princess? That can't be right, she's as pretty as you ladies but wherever are her wings? The pleasure's all mine Miss...?"

Giggling like a school filly, I imagined the only reason she didn't blush was the lack of warm blood beating from her long deceased heart. "S-Sassy Saddles Mr. Mayor, aren't you a charmer!"

"THE Sassy Saddles? Of Ministry Mare Rarity's boutiques? Well, well, another beautiful celebrity to my town! I come to see Fast and the children, only to find an elegant ghoul mare instead! Once this young buck and I have a chat, maybe you'd accept a personal tour hmm? Leave these youngsters to their fun for a bit and favor an old buck with a bit of company for the party?"

Glitter looked up to the two ancient ghouls flirting with a huge smile, pushing Sassy closer over her flustered squeak. "T-That would be lovely Mr. Mayor! Er... I have a bit of work to attend to first, but I would love such a dapper escort to your wonderful town."

With a disappointed sigh, Shamrock winked to Sassy and flipped his hat up, catching it on his head with a sweeping bow. "Ah the call of duty conspires against us both then. I'll count the seconds until both of us are free to indulge in the party ourselves! First things first, I wanted to give you an update on finding a replacement caretaker here Miss Ivy, Wicket..."

Ivy looked as surprised as I was at the half dozen Filchers charging up to the the stoop around the green alicorn at that, appearing like magic from their escort duties in the yard and from within the dingy gingergrbead styled orphanage. The variety of costumed foals surrounded Ivy protectively, the youngest colt and filly hugging her long legs while the rest scowled at the mayor.

They looked to Wicket to answer for them after he finished subtly pushing the heaping bag of caps behind Ivy's wings, raising their voices in a shouted reply to start him off. "We don't wanna replacement!"

Wicket grumbled uncomfortably, darting a glance up to Ivy's surprised, blushing countenance and scratching his dark blue mane. "Don't bother... they don't want somepony else. Umm... i-if Miss Ivy doesn't mind..."

"She's nice!"

"She read stories!"

"We like Miss Ivy!"

Ivy's green eyes shimmered with happy tears she quickly brushed away, gazing down at her herd of admirers and giving Shamrock a determined nod. "I... d-do not mind remaining in place awhile... Sister Jade and Fast have taken steps to help us manage this place, there is no reason to... u-upset the children so soon after their recent trauma. They need stability, not to change things around again."

Shamrock raised a singed eyebrow at her and gave a short, genuine bow of his head. Returning to his normal jovial manner and rubbing his hooves together as he approached me. "Very well dear, whatever you think best! Now then Fast, ready to get to work? No offense but you still don't look that healthy... sure you're up for this?"

Trying to hold my spasming hindleg still behind me, I nodded wearily and joined the mayor, checking the time on my pip-buck nervously. Once things started, everything had to go right to have a chance at opening the Ministry of Morale hub towering above us. As weak and sickly as I felt, my upcoming fight in the Combat Zone was just the hardest hurdle to clear.

"As I'll ever be Shamrock... Don't worry, it'll all work out... somehow..."

An enjoyable day in the festive atmosphere of Goodneighbor had slipped away all too quickly, now the sun had set and my nerves were on edge, the anxiety building as the fight in the Combat Zone became imminent. All of us were together, pausing in wandering down the service passages of the Wing Ding Circus Casino to stare at the armored steel doors hidden away down a disused passage.

Ministry of Morale - Trotson Hub Access
NO UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS
HAVE I.D. VISIBLE AT ALL TIMES

I read the rusting sign on the imposing doors, glancing at the complicated terminal to one side and the glowing red eye of a camera staring at us, the advanced computer running the building was staring back at us...

Scooting a few dusty boxes aside with my magic to make a convenient hiding spot, I dropped off our extra baggage and looked to my family hopefully. Noting with concern the way my eyes swam and horn ached, the floating objects lurching wildly, that had been getting worse all day... Not a weakening drain like being close to burnout, quite the opposite in fact, my magic felt more and more as it had when I was a foal Glitter's age, struggling to learn control. My arcane power going wild was just one more problem,

"Alright, everybody remember how to get here in case we have to run for it, this is the only way in. Once Jade cuts the ribbon outside, if the fireworks go off then we know it worked, but we might have to get here in a hurry so here's where we meet if we get split up ok?"

Jade, Glitter, Val and Zed all gave determined nods in return, my little filly dumping some of her own bags with mine with an unsure question. "Ok daddy, but how come we had to get all packed up to go? Aren't we staying once all this stuff is done? I like it here..."

"I know sweetie, I do too... this is more just in case... I don't think we can stay much longer anyway, if we have to leave sooner rather than later, it's better to be prepared right?"

She gave me an unconvinced pout while the others stashed their own extra belongings in my hidey hole. I didn't want to get into embarrassing details with her, but with so many alicorns coming to Goodneighbor now and my... condition... I really couldn't see how we could stay here much longer.

Between driving every alicorn I got too close to into heat, hearing their thoughts more and more clearly and the pulsating lumps squirming on my back swelling ever larger, sticking around just wasn't very feasible. Even trying to think positive and plan for the best, if I did come through and actually turn into one of them, eventually they were going to find out about it...

Taking in the atmosphere in the streets of Goodneighbor just validated my initial thought of being ready to leave in a hurry too, as the afternoon wore on towards evening an electric tension charged the air. I may not be a local or understand complicated social workings very well, but you could feel it hanging over the town, an ominous storm threatening to break out at any moment.

Actually taking it in among the throngs of ponies who had nothing to do with the machinations of major powers in the wasteland, I couldn't help worrying and berating myself. My squabbles with the Institute, the Church of Balefire, the nobles of Diamond City, the gangs and raiders... all of it had consequences, innocent ponies were potentially going to be collateral damage from my actions.

I tried to do all I could to minimize that, planning for the unknown with the protection of others as a priority. But that still meant I was willing to make that kind of choice, put others' lives at risk for my own reasons. Jade worried she was selfish, but a little jealousy was nothing compared to selfishly putting others in harms way...

Pushing that aside with difficulty, I trudged down the hallways towards the Sideshow Lounge backstage area. I rapped on the door to Magnolia's dressing room as I pushed it open, my words dying on my tongue at the passionate embrace I stumbled on inside. With a sharp 'eep!' I spun and shut the door, hiding my burning face in my hooves as I heard rushed shuffling behind the door before it creaked open and a red faced Traveling Miles peeked out.

"F-Fast! Hey... Princess Jade, e-everybody... Is it already time? We must have lost track, j-just wishing her luck!" Miles voice cracked nervously as it used to on the radio, the lanky brown pegasus stallion's black cowpony hat was cocked at a crooked angle atop his dyed orange mane, another wasteland costume I didn't get.

Again Jade knew who he was supposed to be, complimenting him with a sly, knowing smile for him and a very flustered looking Magnolia who rushed to the door. She was still a bright pink and a little breathless, shuffling nervously in her elegant gown Sassy had resized for her. The solid black top hugged her broad torso in a perfect fit, the flowing, opaque bottom swishing around her hindlegs and tail, revealing her shapely blank flank beneath. Her long, reddish violet mane and tail were carefully styled, only slightly disheveled from what she and the DJ pegasus had been up to.

Magnolia was clearly anxious, gulping to herself and mustering up a determined look, nodding her readiness and following us down the twisting passages leading back out of the casino. Jade and her sister stayed back in murmured conversation, keeping Magnolia out of range of me while Miles trotted up to my side at the front, whispering nervously as we walked.

"Good to see you again Fast, Magnolia said you were sick... sure you're ok? Umm... n-no offense, you just don't look great..." Miles glanced up and down my trembling form, his eyes hanging on my misshapen back and the sheen of sweat on my face.

Well Magnolia kept my secret, even from Miles. "F-Fine... It's complicated, I'll tell you all about it some time, after tonight..."

Miles shrugged in reply, glancing back at the purple mare he had eyes for and leaning in to whisper quieter. "Sooo... M-Magnolia told me about that potion you found for her and her sisters... A-Apparently I'm on the short list of bucks being c-considered... pretty weird though huh? I mean... m-maybe I'd want to with Magnolia, s-someday! But a-all of them!? On the one hoof that's er... k-kinda exciting... but on the other it's pretty intimidating too... Heard you're their first pick so far, w-was just wondering what you thought about it, you going to take that potion and... umm... h-help them?"

I gulped thinking about it, looking up to Miles' waiting, nervous stare gratefully, at least there was one other stallion forced to consider my weird position. He was only worried about the compatibility potion anyway, not having to consider about how much worse it would be if he were turning into a full male alicorn.

"I don't know Miles, same thing, I want to have foals with Jade someday, all of them is a different matter altogether isn't it? I want to help them, but I don't think Jade would like sharing and the whole thing is weird... I'm sure there are plenty of bucks who wouldn't have any compunctions at all though, kinda wish I was like them huh?"

Miles chuckled with a bright blush on his skinny face, nodding in agreement and starting in surprise when I yanked his black hat from his head a little more forcefully than I intended. He watched in confusion as I took off my own Shrouded Stallion fedora and plopped his cowpony hat in its place, wrenching it around and rubbing it against my mane forcefully.

"Umm... Fast? Don't like my hat or something? I thought it was a pretty good Calamity costume, no reason to scrunch it up like that..." The DJ pony kept watching me tugging the hat down and scratching my mane roughly with it.

Glancing back at Jade and Magnolia before returning it to him with a smirk, I donned my own hat again and nodded mysteriously to him. "Trust me, somepony should enjoy this at least. Magnolia said she wished you smelled like this, I think you'll like it... Just uh... be careful getting close to her sisters while wearing it..."

Despite his questions, I stayed quiet as we made it out to the casino floor and approached the exit with Magnolia's stage ahead. Judging by what I walked in on, they were already close enough to enjoy a little borrowed scent. At least Miles could simply take the hat off once he figured it out, let him get a taste of what I was dealing with without the ability to put a stop to it.

We made it to the rough, backstage area up at the top of the stairs of the southern entrance to the casino, waving Magnolia up to Shamrock waiting at the sole microphone encouragingly. She looked struck by stage fright staring out at the huge crowd gathered in the streets below, freezing up until Miles came over and nuzzled her soothingly, assuring her she'd be great and planting a kiss on her cheek.

Watching her take a deep breath to steel herself, I finally got to see the effect I had from a distance. Her anxious, pinprick green eyes widened and lidded sleepily, instantly putting her at ease as she returned Miles' affection enthusiastically before tearing herself away and trotting up on stage.

Mayor Shamrock greeted her and tapped the rusty old microphone with a screech of feedback, flattening his wilted ears as it faded and chuckling out to the crowd. "Well that got everypony's attention didn't it!? Happy Nightmare Night folks! Glad you all joined the party! We've got a special treat this year, the fabulous Magnolia here was kind enough to put on a show, so let's all thank her and her sisters alright!? She's gonna kick things off with an oldie from my day, an anthem for Equestria of old, the land I loved!"

Adjusting the mike up to her towering level, Shamrock waved her forward and moved back, putting his hat to his heart and wiping a milky eye as the first sweet notes of Rara's ancient song rang out. I held my own hat to my chest as well, noticing not only Miles but a good portion of the crowd watching in reverent silence were doing the same, from raiders with ratty, bloodstained hats, to power armored Brotherhood ponies holding their helmets to their hearts, Magnolia's song touched everyone gathered in Goodneighbor.

"Equestria, the land I love

A land of harmony

Our flag does wave from high above

For ponykind to see..."

Listening to the soaring melody I hadn't heard since before the war, I had to wipe my own eyes and reach out to gently hug Jade and Glitter beside me. I could see the effect the beautiful music had even on wasteland ponies who had never heard it before or had any patriotic feelings for the dead nation, for those like myself and many ghouls I spotted who actually remembered the old world, the effect was more pronounced. Magnolia brought the land she was singing about to life in my memories, my eyes swimming with images of the green and vibrant world ponies like my daughter had never known, annoyingly interrupted by my pip-buck throwing up text in my vision;

Mission Updated: Strike Up the Band

Objectives----
---Trigger the Grand Opening Gala

----~~Stage performance of Equestrian National Anthem and concert~~

----~~Meet minimum attendance requirements~~

----Meet minimum party level (8.9)

Two more requirements down... Writing a patch of code between my pip-buck and the computer running Goodneighbor had added a new gauge in my vision for the third reading: Current PL = 5.8. I had been watching it fluxuate anxiously all day. Leave it to Pinkie Pie's Ministry to have codified standards for a party... Kind of hard to plan around when I wasn't sure what criteria it was using to rate this party, I only hoped we'd meet the threshold soon.

The performance ended on a somber, clear note that stretched out magnificently, echoing down the eerily silent streets as she finished and came back to herself, looking around nervously at the perfect stillness. If she was worried the lack of noise meant they didn't like it, her ridiculous concern was quickly blown away as the crowd erupted in rolling cheers and applause, rowdy hooves stomping the asphalt as even some of the roughest looking customers wiped their eyes and whistled for more.

Miles shook the lovestruck look from his face and fumbled at his new pip-buck, the DJ found his own uses for the arcano-tech device I had given him, ending the current recording and hurriedly trying to set up a new one for the next song. He managed to get it started in time to look up to Magnolia blushing and beaming to him, flapping up to ecstatically cheer and encourage her over the roar of the crowd.

Fluffing her wings, Magnolia looked a little more comfortable addressing the microphone this time, her posture relaxed as she got into it and called over the diminishing cheers as she spoke. "T-Thank you! Thank you all very much! That is a lovely song isn't it? Though I know another a raucous audience like this may enjoy even more, one of my sister's favorites from a mare she admires, something a little more lively and new?"

The drunken crowd cheered louder at that, quieting to a dull roar as she started stamping one big hoof on the wooden stage rhythmically, the onlookers joining in and matching her quickly. A sea of hooves stomped and shook the streets in time with her own tapping as an upbeat song swelled from her glowing horn, her long reddish mane swishing around it beautifully.

Her long horn lit up brightly, a swelling orchestra sounded out and motes of multicolored light sparkled in the air above her. One thing she had confided she enjoyed most about coming to Goodneighbor, was learning the variety of entertainment magic she was putting on display now impressively.

I vaguely recognized it from the radio, something post-war that Jade always enjoyed when it played. My princess gasped happily hearing her sister's rendition and she swayed in place to the music, stamping her big hooves along with Glitter's tiny ones as I weakly tried to join in with one twitching foreleg.

“Gallop, don’t trot, night’s burning hot, don’t make me wait to go!
Band’s playing loud, screams of the crowd, this here’s what feeds my soul!
If you’re not smiling, you’re not trying!
Start a riot! Don’t be quiet!
Hoof to the floor, just give me more, I need my rock ‘n’ roll!”

With Magnolia and everyone else lost to the beat, I imagined I was probably the only one with the right angle to notice the glow shining through the sheer, see through fabric draped over her swaying flank. Gaping at the sudden gleam of color showing on that wiggling rear, I stood stunned and glanced over to Jade, her own heart and crown cutie mark showing under her alluringly short alicorn angel skirt as she danced beside me obliviously. She had her mark... it happened again...

There were enough alicorns spread throughout Goodneighbor now, I was tapped into a weak, whispery version of their unity no matter where I went. Thankful it wasn't nearly as painful or distracting today, I took advantage of the field of telepathy to silently let Jade know over the overwhelming noise.

Her blue eyes popped open in surprise, locking on Magnolia and widening until the big, sparkly azure pools filled her overjoyed expression and she swept me up in a crushing hug. (Her mark! Her mark! She has a mark too!! Look Fast!!)

"Ack! I s-see honey! C-Can't breathe... l-lemme tell Miles before we leave..." She released me with a worried 'Eep!' and let me stumble over to Miles, leaning up to call over the noise directly into his ear, hopefully not ruining his recording. "Miles! We have to get ready for something else, when she comes down, point out her flank for her! You should tell her, she'll be happy!"

The lanky DJ pony raised a quizzical eyebrow to me, squinting to peer at the swaying rump I pointed out and staring in wide-eyed surprise when he caught the indistinct splash of color on her purple coat. I gave him a hoofbump in parting and led the way, forced to drag Glitter away from the show.

That was going to be a big deal, not only for Magnolia herself but for all the mares of Trinity Tower, Jade proved it was possible to regain a cutie mark, now Magnolia demonstrated it wasn't an isolated event. Miles should definitely be the first to point it out for her, remembering Jade's overjoyed reaction when she got hers, it was only right Magnolia get to share it with him.

As much as I wanted to stick around and watch both the concert and the show sure to follow, time was running out. The Combat Zone was waiting...

(Current PL = 6.7)

Staring up at the huge, makeshift cage built around the old boxing ring, I crunched a bitter pill of Buck under Jade's disapproving gaze and gulped it down guiltily. The pre-war combat drug filled me with a surge of energy, letting me stand up straight and still the constant spasms twitching down my muscles.

Wincing under her annoyed huff, I jabbed my burning back with a vial of Med-X as well, sighing with relief as the powerful painkiller eased the growing agony at my sides. My tumorous 'wings' had swollen uncomfortably, tightening the soaked strip of bandages hiding them all day until they were now pinching my chest tightly.

Ignoring her concern was harder than paying no mind to the medical alerts my pip-buck howled with, the doctor alicorn and the arcano-tech computer on my hoof both telling me what I could plainly feel. Whatever Moondancer's potion was going to end up doing, it was ratcheting up in intensity as it reached its ill timed climax.

My heart was pounding, sweat poured off me under my armored coat, my skin itched and burned all over, my magic growing increasingly wild and difficult to control, my vision kept blurring and clearing while I trembled and stared around at the packed crowd surrounding the arena.

I really hoped at least part of all that was nerves from being here, the Combat Zone was packed to the rafters with a rough looking crowd, more than half of which made it pretty obvious they weren't rooting for me and Zed... At least Glitter was safely with Ivy and the Filchers and away from this, enjoying Magnolia's show and bobbing for apples, getting candy and doing what a little filly should on Nightmare Night, not watching her father get pummeled...

Trying to convince Jade to stay with her as well went over like a lead balloon though, she made her displeasure at this whole bad idea known at every opportunity, but insisted on coming anyway. Considering she was right and I was likely to need emergency medical care soon, I couldn't really argue.

Her and Val were having one of their rare moments of complete agreement too, making this harder. The angry griffon paced around us by the ring, keeping a wary eye on the Kings and anyone who got too close, huffing and grumbling in annoyance at me and Zed standing passively beside me.

"She's right boss... this is crazy! If you was feelin' better maybe... I don't like it, if this gets outta control I'm blastin Bishop's goons right here!" Her violet eyes narrowed, scowling at the big clump of Kings members surrounding the Diamond City noble and his robed prize fighters before turning on me.

Jade's pale blue magic washed over me while she nodded her agreement, inspecting me closely with an unhappy whinny. "I concur Fast, at the first sign of trouble I will put an end to this foolishness! I do not care about opening the Ministry hub, it is not worth risking yourself."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry ok? Both of you. W-We don't even have to win anyway, the program just says 'stage a championship fight', not win... It'll be ok, I need to do this, please?"

Zed stretched a foreleg behind his head, crouching and arching a hindleg around him in unconcerned preparation and trying to reassure them thankfully. "I intend to win... I will protect Fast, the two of you need not worry."

The two of them eyed him dubiously, their replies both cut off as the announcer Cat Paws sauntered her way through the crowd, knocking back a shot as she joined us and paused at the stairs leading to the gate of the cage. "You lads ready? Hafta put on a show as good as the one outside eh? Course maaaaybe I'll look the other way on the judgin' and what not, cain't believe you got the King's stake in me little enterprise here back an didn't lemme buy it back..."

Even joking around, that was a mistake Val immediately pointed out, growling and pouncing right in front of the tipsy red unicorn mare. "This better be the fairest fight ya ever called Cat... anything happens ta the boss an havin' a new silent partner's gonna be the least of yer worries..."

This was one of the only times where Jade didn't try to pull the aggressive griffon back, huffing and arching an eyebrow down at the suddenly nervous mare. "You could not pay its worth, thus why the Kings held it to begin with. I do not approve of this bloodsport of yours, though Mayor Shamrock has convinced me ponies will engage in such dark indulgences despite how I feel.

That being the case, having some good come of this place is a fair compromise is it not Miss Paws? Sharing your profits with an orphanage and needy foals is better than your previous partners. You could have no profits or business at all instead... if my Fast comes to harm due to your actions, you could find out what that would be like..."

Even the drunken Cat got that silky threat, gulping and holding her hooves up in surrender. "Eeeeasy there Princess, just jokin'! Jeez, neither o' you lassies has a sense o' humor! It'll be a fair fight, honest! Would'a been even when Bishop held the note here, whether he liked it or not, least yer sis ain't tried to tell me ta cheat fer you like he did. Course don't blame me if'n he gets hurt, it is a fight ya know!?"

Pushing past Jade's annoyed pout, I thanked Cat and shrugged out of my saddlebags, what I was allowed to take in my pockets feeling woefully inadequate. Trying to console her, I left Jade with a long kiss and hugged Val, joining Zed as he followed Cat through the rusty gate and under the ropes of the boxing ring.

We stood at center ring as the crowd quieted slightly into interested murmurs, drowned out when Cat's horn lit up with the voice altering spell, booming over the noise as she addressed the crowd. "Alright you lugs, ready fer the main event!? That's right, it's FIGHTMARE NIGHT!"

She paused for the wave of applause, stamping hooves and jeers rattling the ancient building until they tapered off and she continued. "First our challengers! Fightin' fer the honor of their scary Princess over yonder, we got two bucks from the Kingdom of Sanctuary! The zebra we all saw the other night, Zed what knocks em dead! An' as a special doubles fight, his partner quite a few of ya are hopin' gets knocked down a peg, Luna's avenger, the Shrouded Stallion!"

A mix of boos and cheers rang out at that and I tried not to blush or shrink under the stares, wearing the character of the Shroud as armor effective as his costume. The ratio was more towards cheers when Bishop's pair of fighters made their way into the ring, the huge Hulking Rock squeezing his way through the ropes, while his partner Rowdy Rouser shot up into the air and nearly banged the top of the cage with one flap of her strong wings, landing in front of me with an unsure smirk.

Taking in both of our opponents without the silken robes, my mind raced taking stock of what I was looking at, the weird drug injector I caught Bishop dosing Rowdy with making more sense with a pit of dread in my stomach. Rowdy's wings were bigger... Not as big as her body like the Institute's pegasus version of their mutants, but noticeably larger than the last time I saw her.

Taken together with the massive earth pony stallion rippling with even more muscle beside her, I had an idea what the drug 'X-Cell' did now... I overheard Bishop saying he got it from Svengallop's gang, Svengallop meant Vega... It all clicked together, the head of the Public Relations division of the Institute would find a way to monetize Moondancer's experiments with the I.M.P., drugs were one of his favorite ways to experiment on the Commonwealth, getting ponies to pay for the privilege of his poisons.

Jade would have to examine the single vial of the stuff I stole, I had no idea if Vega found a way to dose more ponies with Moondancer's imperfect, mutant creating serum, or if they had altered it into a strange kind of steroid to enhance a single trait of ponykind, either way it put this fight in a different light.

The amber pegasus Rowdy crouched down and sneered, spreading her huge wings and tensing for the bell to ring as Cat continued her smooth patter and made for the exit. "Your dead shrimp, gonna enjoy this, test these babies out..."

"R-Rowdy... That stuff Bishop's giving you, your wings... It's a potion that turns ponies into..." My pleading warning was interrupted by the bell, the pegasus mare I was trying to help rocketing forward and slamming into me, sending me flying to smash into the cage.

Trying to catch the breath that was knocked out of me, I barely made out Zed darting forward and throwing both forelegs forward into a resounding strike to Rock's chest, the big stallion grunting but not dropping to Zed's surprise. Rowdy drove a foreleg against my throat, pinning me in place as her free hooves pounded my chest, my gut, my ribs... Hammering away, ensuring all I could do was whimper breathlessly and swipe ineffectually with my legs.

"That stuff is awesome! Thought that last one might'a been too much, but I feel great! Shut up squirt! We're just gettin' started!" She gloated and easily avoided my pathetic hoof to hoof attempts, tossing me to the center of the ring as Hulking Rock drove Zed towards a corner despite the agile zebra's dodging and powerful strikes.

I barely had time to suck in a burning breath, trying to shove myself to my hooves and find where Rowdy disappeared to, catching a streaking amber blur circling the round cage just as it veered right at me, a searing line of fire drawn down my side at her passage. Wincing and holding a hoof to my ribs, I felt a disturbing amount of warm liquid flowing down my side, saturating the suddenly looser bandages under my self repairing trenchcoat with an eye-watering smell.

Rowdy hovered above me and laughed wickedly, a barely visible gleam of metal dripping crimson from one oversized wingtip. She had a hidden blade concealed in her feathers... cheating! and slicing me open easily with one speedy pass... "Boy, the great 'Shrouded Stallion' is pathetic! Gonna carve you up like a pie before we're done!"

Her sneering boasts distracted her a second too long, a blurring ball of striped hooves bounded off the back of Hulking Rock, spinning through the air and bringing a hindleg down on her head like a hatchet, driving her to the mat before diving back at the earth pony stallion charging after him.

That gave me a moment to get my legs under me, resisting the urge to unload a bolt of lightning on the prone pegasus. My eyes swam and I stumbled woozily, casting my lightning walking spell, the crackle of electricity at my hooves only affected me, so it wasn't against the rules at least.

Rowdy was already pushing herself up angrily, before she got airborne again I blasted forward, lowering my head and ramming into her side at full speed. She was on the receiving end of being smashed against the thick metal fencing surrounding the ring this time, paid back for her illegal weapon cutting open my side by my horn puncturing her wing and shoulder beneath it, a spurt of blood washing over my face as she howled.

Weakly trying to keep her pinned wasn't going to work, a couple of pitiful hooves driven into her midsection just looked to make her annoyed as she hissed in my face. "Oh you are so dead!! You, your brat, your mare!"

Threatening those I cared about brought the dark Shroud in my head roaring to life, my eyes burning as I shot another strike into her stomach with slightly better results. "Shut UP! YOU WON'T TOUCH THEM! I'm trying to help you you stupid bitch! That drug turns ponies into..."

She took advantage of my blinding rage to wrap her forelegs around mine, pinning my hooves against her body and twining her legs around to brace on my shoulders. A warning flex of her powerful limbs stretched my legs out in an angle they just couldn't accommodate, creaking in protest as I screamed. I felt more than heard first one crack, then another, my vision spun and grew white, spared passing out by virtue of the increased pain when she pushed off the cage, spun rapidly in mid-air and released me to go flying again, bashing into the top of the cage and falling to the mat in a heap.

Groaning and trying to put weight on my fractured legs unsuccessfully, I was dimly aware of Zed's furious combat with Rock going on around us. A normal pony should have fallen long ago from the brutal dents and damage left by Zed's expert hooves, Rock was still up and pressing Zed though, no help to count on there...

A blurring amber streak shot by, bucking me in the face before zipping off to rebound off the cage and attack from a new angle, cackling and continuing her taunts with each pass. "That's right!.... WHAM! First I kill you!.... WHAM! Then your mare gives back... WHAM! the caps you stole... WHAM! ta get back!... WHAM! Yer bratty filly!... WHAM!

Searing, dark rage flared even stronger at the last thing she said, echoing in my head over the distant buzz of the old scoreboard above buzzing the 1:00 minute mark. Jade giving back the caps to get Glitter back? As in ransom? As in foalnapping my daughter!? Her rain of vicious blows felt numb and unimportant as another smashed my muzzle and a series of beeps like a mine preparing to go off sounded above.

Rowdy paused in her assault to follow the noise, grinning sadistically and adjusting her angle to come flying hindlegs first, knocking my wind out again and sending me sailing towards the sound. "How bout a bath Shrouded Shrimp!"

Flopping uselessly on the ground, I had a bare instant to look up at the corroded yellow barrel welded to the cage above me before it opened, a torrent of green goop pouring down on me as I gasped and held my breath pointlessly, sure I was dead or about to be in serious pain.

The crowd gasped and ooohed loudly, quieting to hushed mumbles beyond my clenched eyes. Opening one cautiously and peeking out from my hooves covering my face, past the pip-buck chattering madly at the radiation. I realized I wasn't burning or melting under the toxic sludge... actually I felt... better?

Rowdy was as frozen as the crowd while I stumbled back up, shaking my head in a fan of sizzling green droplets and holding a slime coated foreleg up, experimentally flexing it and sighing with relief at the fading pain. "W-What the fuck!? What the actual FUCK!? How?..."

Drawing on the surging strength I felt from the tingle of radioactive goop covering me, I poured more magic into the lightning crackling at my much steadier hooves, floating out an inhaler of Dash from my pocket and scowling at the shocked pegasus. "I got the real version of that drug, I don't care what it does to you now Rowdy. You are about to suffer LUNA'S WRATH!"

I was surprised at the booming threat echoing through the packed building, that really did sound like the Shroud... The all consuming, dark anger pounding in my temples made it an unimportant curiosity though, taking the dose of Dash let me enjoy the stunned expression on Rowdy's face for a few relative seconds as it slowly morphed to fear, her oversized wings taking a lazy, slow-motion flap to try to escape.

"Oh no you don't..." I growled, blasting forward and tackling the vile mare before she could take off, rolling across the mat with her and not trying to strike her, just wrapping myself around her as tightly as possible.

That dark part of me took great satisfaction at feeling her screaming struggles around me, savoring each stretched out second that she bucked and fought, the green sludge coating me was harmless to me now apparently, but was burning her coat with a sickening stench everywhere it touched.

The small voice of my normal, rational personality watched my vicious assault almost completely detached from the rest of me. Not thrown out of control exactly, more standing aside as a passenger and letting the Shroud guide my actions. Quietly worrying whether it was body or brain that prompted me to snap out with my muzzle, I chomped down on her wing and felt those disturbing, sharp new teeth sinking in.

I barely registered the distant taste and sensation of blood pouring in my mouth, thinking disjointedly about bacon and hearing a rhyme from my childhood floating up, realizing I was mumbling it out loud around the mouthful of feathers insanely. "Nightmare Night, What a Fright, Give me something sweet to bite!"

A long, drawn out ringing noise filled the air, the droning buzz hard to recognize as the buzzer from the scoreboard reading 2:00 with everything slowed down. The dark Shroud in my head wasn't confused though, my burning eyes rolled towards the lockboxes atop the cage, darting between the objects drifting lazily to the ground.

A set of spiked shoes that Rowdy favored, a huge chunk of concrete and rebar vaguely shaped like a club, a thick pair of brass shoes Zed had offered up and there... A security baton borrowed from one of Shamrock's pink barded city guards. I released Rowdy to roll around on the mat, screeching and wiping the sludge and melting flesh off herself and giving a surprisingly forceful buck before I scrambled off towards my weapon.

Zipping forward and leaving a trail of electricity in my wake, I snatched the tumbling baton from the air in my magic, grabbing the club and shoes of our opponents while I was at it and flinging them away forcefully. Rowdy had managed to get up and airborne again, rocketing around the cage and counting on her speed, the gleaming tip of her concealed weapon arrowing out at me, suddenly she wasn't enjoying dragging things out and tormenting me anymore...

I let her get feet away before revealing she wasn't as fast as she thought she was, still riding the slow motion euphoria of Dash, I could keep up with her without much difficulty now. I swung the security baton out in a sharp, flat arc towards her head, darting left so she tried to follow right into the path of the weapon.

Her eyes unfocused and spun at the crack of the baton against her skull, a fan of blood soaking her mane on that side and seeping into her right eye, blinding it. I couldn't rebound off the walls of the cage surrounding us like she could, but the ropes of the ring were still springy and sturdy enough to catapult off of. Giving the woozy mare a taste of her own medicine, I blurred past from multiple angles, bashing her with the baton each time, pretending the familiar length and heft of the weapon was Best Served instead.

Slashing at her with the blunt baton was effective enough, though I was disturbed to find the raging Shroud in my head lusting for the fans of blood and gore the knife would be producing, over the angry, pained cries and cracks of bone. Kidneys... WHACK! Bleeding left wing... WHACK! Hindleg inseam where the femoral artery would be... WHACK! Foreleg... WHACK! Throat.... WHACK!

She choked and sputtered weakly, clutching her bruised throat and trying to roll away as I loomed over her, the Dash fading away leaving me panting as I floated the baton high above her head. "You won't touch my daughter! NONE OF YOU!"

(FAST! STOP!)

Jade's goddess voice tolled directly in my head, short circuiting the maelstrom of hate going on up there. I shakily came back to myself, the gentle voices of the Ministry Mare statues with me helping Jade rein in the dark impulses that threatened to take over. "Be Unwavering." "Be Strong!" "Be Kind..." rising up softly to soothe the furious Shroud muttering "Be Dark..." sullenly.

Blinking in confusion, I swayed on my hooves, the sweet, supportive thread of Jade's thoughts guiding my red eyes to her wide blue ones head and shoulders above the crowd. She looked horrible, fear and worry etched on her face as she clutched Val's neck tightly, the griffon struggling in her grip and watching with a mixture of amazement and concern.

Frantically scanning the crowd, I saw Bullet Bishop and his Kings had disappeared, a few trailing members storming out of the Combat Zone. (GLITTER!!! Go find her! She said...) My panicked thoughts lurched back into gear in response to Jade's mental plea.

(What? But you are hurt... Ivy is...) I saw her ears flatten against her head and she looked around the crowd anxiously, spotting several other alicorns watching the fight blinking and looking around in confusion. I knew I wasn't supposed to answer back where her sisters could hear me, but my fear pushed any concerns about being found out aside.

(NOW! They threatened her!! Ransom!) My racing thoughts must have filled in the blanks, I saw her eyes widen and she flew out of the room without a word, leaving Val looking around in confusion between us and ignoring the stares of several of her sisters, looking from her to me with looks of dawning surprise...

(Fast?...Fast?...What?!...Fast!?...How?...No...Couldn't...)

Swinging my head around slowly and trying to shut out the growing chorus of voices in my head, I saw Zed driving Hulking Rock back, his skills apparently tested by the bruises and bloody damage he had taken. Somehow he was moving even faster than normal, unleashing a spinning dance of destruction against the bulging wall of muscle.

I could practically feel the impact as blows rained down on Rock, Zed abandoned finesse and nerve strikes for an brutal stream of hammer-blows that was slowly pulverizing his enemy's skull, denting it into a radically different shape. Stumbling over Rowdy as Zed ended his most recent barrage and the huge stallion finally crashed to the ground, I took an unsteady breath and shivered taking in what I had done.

Rowdy and her skimpy armor hadn't fared well, angry pink burns showed through several patches of scorched and melted fur. Both her wings and shoulder were bleeding in a puddle beneath her, eyeing the crescent shaped gouges in one wing I felt my stomach flop as I realized I could still taste some of that blood... Her sandy blonde mane was matted and stuck to one side of her head in a sticky mass of blood, her leg and wing were broken and deep purple bruises were springing up all over.

Rolling her one clear eye to see her partner fall, she sneered weakly at me before Cat's amplified voice called out over the roaring cheers, coughing up a spatter of blood. "J-Just delayin' what's comin'... Goodneighbor's gonna belong ta the Kings... yer brat... gonna..."

"Shut up. Right now. Or I'm going to kill you, I won't be able to stop..." I clenched my eyes shut and tried to keep in control, breathing deeply and conserving my strength, mentally prancing in place waiting for the cage door to open.

A flash of text appeared on the back of my eyelids, coinciding with Cat's voice calling out loudly;

Mission Updated: Down With the King

Objectives---
---~~Weaken the King's influence in Goodneighbor~~
---~~Reduce the King's wealth~~
---Reduce the King's weapons trade

Optional Objectives---
---Eliminate the Kings
---Eliminate Bullet Bishop

Mission Updated: Strike Up the Band

Objectives----
---Trigger the Grand Opening Gala
----~~Stage 'Championship Fight'~~

Current PL = 7.6

"Whatta fight, whatta fight! Huh folks!? Let's hear it for our new champions from Sanctuary, the..." Ignoring the gentle tug of Cat trying to hold my hoof up high, I opened my eyes and dashed for the open exit to the cage, shouting as I streaked through the crowd with my lightning spell still active.

"VAL! ZED! COME ON! GLITTER'S IN DANGER!" I heard Val squawk behind me as I hit the doors, less dodging and more plowing through anypony in my way, rudely knocking well wishers aside and dodging past the mare dressed as a batpony fluttering in my path with a wide smile. Frantically taking in the scene outside, my eyes were drawn skyward immediately by two things.

First, the Ministry of Morale hub was lit up brighter than normal... The sealed, vacant floors powering up in anticipation of opening and the mellow glow of the pink shields beneath the glass intensifying. Second was the howl of a pair of Vertibucks swooping by overhead, the static filled voice blaring out just audible over Magnolia's loud concert.

"Ponies of Goodneighbor, don't be alarmed, the Brotherhood of Friendship requests your cooperation!"

Gunfire broke out in answer and the crowded streets grew even more chaotic, E.F.S. started flickering with dashes of red among the sea of green, the skies were suddenly filled with pegasi, griffons and quite a few alicorns. None of that was important though, the only thing I cared about was the blazing green shield that had sprung up over the Friendly Foals Orphanage and whether Glitter was safe behind it or not...

--------------------------------------Level Up!-----------------------------------------

Slayer--------------
---The Slayer pony walks the earth! You're still no prize fighter, but losing your temper and surviving the Combat Zone has improved your martial skills. The speed of your hoof to hoof or melee attacks is increased by 25% and you have an increased chance for critical hits with such attacks!

Ch. 49-- Nightmare Night (Part 2)

Current PL = 8.1

An explosion rocked the streets of Goodneighbor nearby and I stumbled, absently noting the 'Party Level' gauge in the heads up display across my vision, ticking up from 7.9 to 8.1 in one flicker. Only a distant part of me cared at the moment, but I couldn't help noting with morbid fascination that the advanced artificial intelligence running the M.O.M. hub across the street seemed to consider the chaos that had broken out to be more enthusiastic partying.

My concern that the violence spreading throughout the party town spelled the end of my attempt to unlock the Ministry hub seemed completely unwarranted. I almost wished I could talk to the ponies that programmed that mysterious maneframe, those Ministry of Morale coders had some really strange ideas... Apparently explosions = better party in their mind...

A curiosity for later, right now all I cared about was finding my daughter safe and sound. The electricity arcing from my hooves left a jagged, zig-zagging trail behind me, following my torturous course dodging the frantic ponies filling the streets, fighting or running, in the way... Pouring everything I had into more speed, I arrived at the shimmering green shell completely covering the ruined gingerbread house and yard of the Friendly Foal's Orphanage.

Fear drove me forward well enough, stopping was a different matter in my condition though... My eyes swam and I stumbled over my own hooves trying to skid to a halt, slamming into the crackling, angular field of force protecting the home of the orphaned foals within. I wiped the fresh blood joining the old dribbling from my muzzle at the impact, plastering myself against the green barrier on my hindlegs, my forelegs spread against it as I peered in desperately.

Jade was there, inside the safety of the shield being maintained by her green sister Ivy beside her. Looking carefully, I saw Jade's healing magic surrounding her prone form, Ivy's wing and flank were still bleeding profusely, staining her Alicorn Angel Green costume Glitter had made for her crimson. She leaned against a broken candy cane post on the porch, a pool of blood spreading below her from her angry wounds, but somehow she held perfectly still and silent, her eyes clenched shut in concentration.

A battered and bloody Sticky Wicket swung his head my way at the impact and my drumming hooves, a rusty sawed off shotgun nearly too big for the earth pony colt to grip in his mouth drooping when he recognized me. A forest of small, scared faces peered out of the windows and doors of the orphanage and several of the kids were anxiously surrounding Jade and Ivy, a worried pink filly holding her long green foreleg and stroking it as tears dribbled from her frightened purple eyes.

Something bad happened... and I didn't see Glitter anywhere...

Wicket muttered something over his shoulder to Jade, lost in the rising noise of destruction all around us forcing me to scream into the shield.

"JADE!! WHERE IS SHE!? WHAT HAPPENED!?!"

My princess glanced my way with a terrified shadow in her pinprick blue eyes, continuing to close the wounds on her... unconscious? sister... Was she passed out? How was she making the shield then? If she was awake she completely ignored what had to be agonizing wounds and my screams as Jade shouted back, her voice shaky and cracking with fear.

"T-Taken! There was an attack! I... My sister is hurt... I must heal her! She is protecting the children!" The doctor alicorn wrapped Ivy's wounds in a flurry of magic, clearly torn between the needs of both her sister and a couple dozen foals, versus the peril of just one filly.

The Followers of the Apocalypse taught triage in cases like this, prioritizing the needs of others in an emergency, making impossible choices by following the rules. I struggled against the stream of memories and chaotic thoughts swirling under Jade's cloudy mane, from her thoughts they were all she was clinging to, keeping her from ignoring the needs of the many in favor of Glitter, my... her... our daughter, it had to be an unbearable struggle for her.

Thankfully, I wasn't a Follower, I had the luxury of throwing away the world if that's what it took to protect her, and that's what I'd do. "WHERE!?"

Wicket stumbled up to the glowing barrier separating us, one eye puffed close in a sickly purple bruise and dried blood running down his muzzle. The surly colt lacked all of his normal bad attitude, his one open brown eye shimmering wetly and downcast in shame. "Kings... w-was bobbin fer apples an they... t-they took 'er... their casino... I tried! I... I'm s-sorry Mr. Fast... ya gotta save her!"

That was enough, my burning gaze spun and locked on the King's Gambit casino down the street, a few quick mental clicks of my pip-buck brought up her locator tag, the arrow on my compass pointing right at the imposing, castle styled, stone structure. Mentally bucking myself for agreeing to allow her to play with her friends without her robot babysitter AssaultJack in favor of Ivy's care, I glared at my goal. The fog filling the streets obscured the raging battle going on, shadowy pony shapes charging in and out of sight, bright pink and green beams lancing out and lighting up the mist, turning the distance between me and that arrow into a hellscape.

Floating my weapons up, I stamped my hoof and moved to charge into the crowd, a flash of crimson light beside me drew my eye to a pile of drifting ash that had been a raider attacking my blind side, and I was suddenly tackled by a streaking orange blur that pinned me in place, Val's voice bellowing in my face shakily. "BOSS NO! Ya can't go chargin' right in!"

"Glitter!! They took her!!! They have her!!! I'M GOING TO KILL THEM!!!" I bucked and struggled under her, trying to squirm my way loose and continue on my way to Glitter unsuccessfully.

The griffon's dark claws shot out and slapped me across the muzzle, spattering drops of blood on the street in front of my turned face as she screeched in my ear. "WE'LL GET HER BACK!! Runnin' right at em is only gonna get ya killed though! Them Kings been plannin' this awhile boss! All hell's breakin' loose an they're ready for it!"

With a supreme effort of will, I relaxed and stared around us frantically, trying to pay attention to the rest of the world as it fell apart around us. I spotted a company of Minutemares through the fog, trying to lead a cluster of non combatants through the chaos to safety. Across the street Jade's Followers already looked busy in her clinic, a brave young green buck wearing the medical box bags of the group was dragging an injured city guard towards the doors.

The bulky silhouettes of power armor stomped around near the Four Stars Station at the edge of town, the glow of a pair of landed Vertibucks and the spotlights of the helmet spotlights of the Brotherhood of Friendship pushing back the fog. Several dark, red accented suits of former Enclave armor flitted around the beachhead the Brotherhood had established, spreading out into the town with military discipline.

Eyeing things through the tactics of the Brotherhood, I could see several other groups consolidating their hold on key areas, pools of relative calm while the fighting raged in the streets between them. Shamrock's pink barded city guards streaming from the Wingding Circus casino, the Kings centered on their fortress looking casino across the street...

The unaffilated visitors to Goodneighbor were a swirling mass of confusion, raiders swarming through the streets, the Minutemares trying to help at my warning request, green robed members of the broken Church of Balefire firing their radiation producing M.E.W.s wildly, innocent wastelanders caught in the middle...

Alicorns... lots and lots of alicorns, blazing, multicolored balls and beams of light marking their shields and spells soaring around randomly, the confusion in them even more evident to me, paying attention to the sea of voices in my head;

(What!Fight!Help?Where?Leave?Retreat?No!Help!Protect!Like!Whatdo?Umbra?Church!Stop!LookOut!Hurt!FightBack!JadeFast?!Ivy?How?Scared!Can'tSee!Brotherhood?Goodneighbor?WhoBad?Whatdo?!Confused!TooMuch!)

Fighting back the rage and impulse to fling myself directly at the fortress casino and ignore everything else, I took in a deep, slow breath and clenched my eyes shut, trying to think rationally and quickly, very quickly... I'd never seen a battle like this, it was too fast and chaotic, this wasn't fighting raiders or some gang, it was war...

Even as a foal, I couldn't avoid hearing all about the escalating war with the zebras growing up. The Ministry of Image popularized books and movies featuring war heroes, noble battles against evil zebra enemies, epic battles that dwarfed this madness. Dad's favorite movie was 'The Battle of Shattered Hoof' for Celestia's sake... I had seen it a hundred times easily. Hiding in Stable 111 for 200 years wasn't enough to spare me from it, I ended up fighting in a war despite the hopes of my parents when we escaped underground...

Wars needed Generals, I knew that, there had to be a method to the madness, organized chaos, just reacting to what was going on wasn't enough, there had to be a plan. Somepony had to give the orders, take this confusion and give others something to rally around. I hated the role, but somepony had to do something... every Princess needed her Knight... I opened my eyes and glanced at Jade, still worriedly healing the practically comatose Ivy. She wouldn't like this... but there were more important things to worry about now.

(EVERYPONY STOP!!!)

I stood shakily with Val's help now that she was convinced I wasn't going to run off, furrowing my brow and trying to shout with the Shroud's commanding mental voice that boomed out, completely overriding the swirl of confused voices. The fighting seemed to hitch as one group of combatants simply stopped simultaneously, the silence in my head matching all those glowing round shields freezing in place.

(STOP SQUABBLING AND RUNNING AROUND! IVY'S HURT! YOU'RE ALL STRONGER TOGETHER, IN UNITY RIGHT? COME TOGETHER AT THE ORPHANAGE! NOW!!!)

(Fast?... How...)

I winced at the telepathic voice of Umbra answering in a stunned whisper, I was going to have some questions to answer later... For now I had no choice, being able to communicate with all of them at once took the confused group of mares from Trinity Tower and put them on par with the Brotherhood and their radios, giving us an advantage to work with. We needed other advantages in a hurry, a rally point to converge on and work from was first.

(I-It doesn't matter! Just listen, please!! Ivy's protecting these kids, she decided to be their caretaker, this is her home and yours too! They need your help! All of you, gather up here, defend this place and help others! I don't know what all is going on, but we can deal with together, they took Glitter!! I need you, please all of you help me!)

(Glitter?...Niece!...NO!....Help!... How Fast?...Don't Care!...Glitter!)

The combined voices of the Trinity Tower alicorns smoothed out, I was grateful at the feelings of concern and anger focused on Glitter being taken. Dozens of images of my beautiful daughter flashed in my mind, memories of the mares I was connected to, all associated with positive feelings that threatened to overwhelm me.

Glitter peeking from a door in Trinity Tower and waving happily, prancing around a forest of long legs, staring up with a shimmering set of puppy eyes, sharing a Fancy Buck snack cake with frosting coating her muzzle, holding up a familiar Alicorn Angel costume and beaming, hugging one huge leg far below, always happy and kind, treating the odd mares like anypony else.

The little filly had befriended so many of them that they listened, flocking to the glowing green shell over the building. A rush of protective, maternal feelings pouring into my brain making me wipe away tears forcefully as I tried to take control of the situation, I was going to get her back...

(Ok... try to go slow, one at a time ok? What's happening? I need to know what's going on all over, be my eyes and ears and help me figure this out alright? Hurry!)

A flurry of voices answered as several quick arrivals landed nearby, puzzling over me standing still on the walk outside the orphanage, Val regularly blasting any threat that got too close while I tried to sort through the flood of information. Thankfully they started making accommodations for me, slowing down as requested and using more words instead of images and feelings to fill in the blanks.

(Raiders are attacking the entrance with the pink pony statue... Preston and the other Minutemares outside town are trying to stop them, some of us went in town to help evacuate. Where is Glitter?...)

Peri's normally sedate voice held a note of fury I hadn't heard before, the strange blue mare glided along invisibly high above, acting as my spy and showing me a broader picture of what was happening below. Of course me doing this was no surprise to her, so she adapted quicker at least, and her position as a real alicorn Minutemare put me in touch with the group I had called here too.

(Members of Evergreen's church are coming from the subway...)

(More are with those King ponies at their castle...)

(Gunners are coming in from the air and monorail tracks... they are meeting resistance from the Brotherhood ponies though!)

(Shamrock's guards have taken the stage Fast, they are fortifying the other entrances and brought guests inside. Miles and Miss Saddles are alright, what happened to Glitter!?)

Magnolia's panicked voice rang out last, she was with Shamrock and the city guard, giving another connection to work with. Her fearful concern for Glitter only made me more anxious to get to her immediately, hopefully establishing some kind of order would be enough, I had to go...

A sudden thump shook me on my hooves and brought me back to reality, shaking my blurry vision clear and staring up at the rich purple coat of Umbra, staring at me incredulously. A nearby trio of green alicorns including the kind Lime I had briefly met at the tower, sat together on the pavement and closed their eyes, a brilliant, angular green shield bloomed all around us, totally encompassing the already large one Ivy was generating that faded away while I watched.

I distractedly worried about getting out of here now, relieved to see the three mares producing it had such control they could make small openings leading out to the streets or skies above.

Umbra waved a large hoof in front of my face, sputtering in a shocked voice as she peered at me closely. "Fast... how are you doing that?! S-Something is wrong... your illness... the behavior of my sisters around you..." She unfortunately took a deep breath, leaning down to my eye level and shaking her head with a shiver, I affected her the same as any other alicorn lately, but like Jade and Ivy, Umbra had excellent self control, goggling at me in shock. "That smell... y-you smell like..."

"I don't have time for this Umbra!! Ask me all the questions you want when I have my daughter back, right now I need your help!!"

(SWAN!!! COME HERE PLEASE! I NEED YOU!)

Umbra's ears flattened against the commanding mental shout and she stammered senselessly, staring at my throbbing sides closely with her mouth agape. This was going to be bad later... Thankfully the street shook with a rolling tremor, signaling the giant Swan slamming to the ground just outside the shield and looking in for me curiously, absently swinging one huge hindleg back and bucking a trio of raiders across the street. "Fast!? I am here!"

Zed fell in beside me from the shadows as Val and I raced to the nearest exit to the shield and I thought frantically, organizing what we had as quickly as I could in my mind.

(A-Alright! Umm... Lime! if you three making this shield could er... spread it out a little? Try to protect Jade's clinic across the street, work with the Followers and let innocent ponies shelter here. Peri! Tell Preston and the Minutemares to form up here with all of you ok! Magnolia! Tell Shamrock what's going on, between the two of you, now you can talk to the other groups to work with here! Umbra, your sisters, this town.. needs you! Lead them! Please, work together with the others, help those who need it!)

(Brotherhood... Steel Rangers... Enclave!... What?... QUIET! What about the Brotherhood Fast? Are they enemies or allies?)

Umbra silenced the rising tide of normal unity, settling it back out to something I could work with and asking an interesting question, narrowing her golden eyes and staring at me in barely restrained agitation.

(I... I don't know... T-They're probably allies, I've dealt with them before and they weren't bad! Umm... Don't fight them unless they fight you ok? Try to find out what they're doing here! I have to go, now! Please, Swan, any of you that can help, I need to get into that castle casino and find Glitter, that's where they took her!)

I made it to the flickering exit to the shield as it stretched and expanded to encompass Jade's Helpinghoof clinic across the street, stumbling at the rumbling shake in the asphalt as one big hoof slammed down in front of me. Craning my neck up to take in Swan nearly crackling with power, my ears flattened at the booming voice she growled with matching her words tolling in my head. "They will NOT hurt Niece!"

If we weren't in such a chaotic and dangerous situation, I'd take time to marvel at the magnificent mare looming over me. Sassy finished her costume... seeing an attractive purple filly as big as the cottage of an orphanage behind me dressed up in the sexy outfit was a little distracting.

A relatively short pink skirt fluttered around her massive flanks with the magical power flowing off her in a torrent, her long pink mane and tail rippling like a torch as motes of purple magic drifted up and lanced out in arcane arrows that annihilated whatever target she absently flicked her eyes towards. The bedsheet sized white sailor blouse stretched at each panting breath of her chest, one gigantic wing flapped out and swept a swath of the street at her hooves clear of a gaggle of raider's engaged in a lunatic charge against the titantic mare.

(Fast wait! I will come...)

Jade's frightened voice rang out and I caught flashes of the conflict still raging in her head, images of a weak Ivy awake and trying to console her young charges, more injured pouring in to her clinic and the orphanage... a small voice repeating an odd mantra, "Triage, Do no harm, Triage, Do no harm, Triage... Do NO harm..."

All of it was being pushed aside by the overwhelming memory of a tiny Glitter puffing her chest out proudly and glaring up at a darker looking Umbra towering over her, her sweet voice echoing from the memory 'Y-Your just jealous, my mom has a mark an' you don't!', 'my mom', 'my Mom', 'MOM'...

(NO! Y-You're needed here more, be a princess, take charge of your Followers and help Umbra deal with this, a lot of ponies are going to die without a medic to help them. I'll save her, I promise!)

I could feel her rejection bubbling up and hated denying her, while what I said was true and logical, I was concerned at the pulse of fury in her thoughts pushing against her pacifist principles, plus I really just didn't want her to see this.... The dark Shroud in my head was fully awake and straining against the soft voices barely holding it back, "Be Strong!", "Be Unwavering!", "Be Kind..." weren't enough to stop it when I was perfectly willing to let it off the chain.

(But!...)

I clenched my eyes against her cry, waving up to Swan frantically, trying to get out of here before she caught up. A flash of text flickered in my vision as Swan scooped me up in one big hoof, floating Zed to her back and nodding smartly as several more of her sisters fluttered up into formation around her as she glared at the imposing fortress of the Kings, her blazing purple shield springing to life around us.

Mission Updated: Down With the King

Objectives---
---~~Weaken the King's influence in Goodneighbor~~
---~~Reduce the King's wealth~~
---Reduce the King's weapons trade

Optional Objectives---
---Eliminate the Kings
---Eliminate Bullet Bishop

I agreed with the bizarre mission system completely, killing them wasn't optional anymore... They were all dead...

Swan lifted me to her scowling face to give a supportive nuzzle, one sharp inhale sucked my mane up her nostrils again, but she only calmed slightly, thankfully much more focused on the task at hoof. "Let's go get Niece Glitter back, now..."

I couldn't quite stifle a surprised 'eep!' as she stuffed me down the top of her tight blouse, wondering if her absent snootful of me wasn't getting to her after all. I was relieved at my position when she rocketed up into the air though, held tight to her warm breast despite the G-forces, feeling the powerful, rapid thump of her heart under the silky fur I was pressed against.

Though I noticed Zed didn't get the same treatment, the strong, agile zebra most likely had no problems hanging on her mane as Val and the flock of her sisters struggled to keep up. He didn't look nearly as battered as I did from our fight in the Combat Zone, she stuffed me in here because of the blood staining me all over and my unsteady wobbling on my hooves, probably so I wouldn't go flying... that had to be why right?

Taking advantage of my safe position and straining against the force of her rapid ascent, I chugged one of my few healing potions, praying to every goddess I knew to help me do this. Some of the aching bruises and cuts I received from Rowdy in the ring faded slowly, a little prodding and pulling away the soaked strip of bandages from my chest revealed the cut across the bulging tumor on my ribs wasn't healing though...

Something wet squirmed under my hoof through the long incision seeping foul smelling gunk at my touch... The skin there felt loose and ...deflated under my hooves, but I didn't feel the probing touch on the flaps of rubbery hide themselves at all. I stifled the wave of nausea, tugging the saturated, shredded bandages from my coat and tossing them into the slipstream. I focused on the view of the night sky, Luna's glowing full moon seeming closer and closer, shining down on the sad, brutal wasteland below. Please Goddess Luna... let her be safe... help me...

Soaring high above Goodneighbor, we looped around the glowing pillar of the M.O.M. hub and I checked the gauge in my vision absently, peeking out from the wide pink lapels of Swan's plunging neckline as she lined up on the castle like structure of the King's Gambit and the army defending its imposing front doors.

Swan adjusted her course to be in line with the street leading to the fortress, eldritch arrows surrounding her horn shooting down ahead of her as she dove directly at it and I held my hat against the hurricane of wind in my face. Several magical explosions detonated where the streaks of her magic struck, causing the reading in my HUD to flicker again.

Current PL = 8.4

The Kings had apparently planned this coup for some time, barricades and turrets festooned their imposing castle casino, the gang members all wore their heaviest advanced magical energy weapon battle saddles, blazing lines of death lanced out from their fortified position and turned ponies to ash in the streets.

Despite their plots and preparations, nopony could plan for a giant alicorn streaking from the sky like a meteor on a collision course, screaming a furious, booming battle cry that flattened my ears and rattled my bones. The noise reverberated through me pressed against the huge chest that swelled in an inhale, squeezing me against her heaving breast tightly. I clutched her collar like grim death, keeping my muzzle out in the rushing air and only panicking a moment when one hindleg found the gap between her poker chip sized buttons and poked free, scrambling frantically in the open air blasting by.

The beach towel sized flaps of her pink neckerchief in front of me fluttered up and obscured my view of terrified ponies below firing beams of M.E.W.s, impacting the glowing shield surrounding us, sputtering and trying to shove away the silken fabric as she slammed directly into the front of the building. I tugged it aside just in time to see her purple shield make contact with the sturdy stone walls, utterly destroying them as she plowed through the insignificant barrier.

We crashed through the walls and she landed on all four hooves forcefully, a rumbling shockwave shaking the building as dust billowed through the cavernous entryway, able to fit even the giant Swan coughing in front of the tall golden statue of Gladmane in the lobby, looking positively tiny next to Swan spreading her wings and flapping a gale of wind to clear the dust.

Dozens of multicolored beams of M.E.W. fire started converging on the big target, heavy machinegun turrets on the ceiling added to the cacophony, hammering armor piercing rounds against Swan's flickering shield, holding against the concentrated barrage for the moment as she stomped and bucked anything close enough with a roar.

She got me in... that's all I needed... Val swooped through the gaping hole she left in the wall behind her, several more of her sisters right behind the angry griffon and joining in. Their much smaller, agile forms and less powerful but precise magic fought back as several armor piercing rounds finally made it through Swan's shield, piercing her massive flank in a trickle of blood.

I strained and pulled against my soft perch, dragging myself out of Swan's tight blouse and crashing the the floor below, lurching back to my hooves under the roof of alicorn tummy above my head. Drawing my weapons in a sudden surge of magic sparking from my horn, I was glad of the shield and the huge alicorn over me giving me a second to get things under control, pulling Best Served carefully back to my mouth from where it had lurched away in my unsteady telekinesis, struggling to keep the Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance near my head.

(Swan! That's good enough!! Get out of here, attack the outside, help your sisters! Y-You're too big to fight in here, your shield won't last forever and they're all focused on you!)

I pranced out from between her forelegs, waving for attention anxiously as more weapon fire hammered away at her weakening shield keeping me in place as Val and Zed joined the battle outside, a string of explosions from Val's grenade machinegun going off like fireworks and obliterating several card tables on the floor enemies had upended and sheltered behind.

"But Niece Glitter! Ungh! I do not care, these puny ponies are going to pay!" Swan winced at the thump and whoosh! of several missiles impacting her shield with a roar, dimming it significantly as she lashed out with her magic in return.

"Yes... yes they are... Y-You're better used outside though Swan! Thank you!! I don't want you hurt, y-you have to be ok to see her when I get her back right!? Show her your costume! Let me out and get out of here! Help Jade!!" I shouted up to the rampaging mare over me, dodging a swinging hoof and breathing a sigh of relief as a small hole opened in her flickering shield nearby, her muzzle swinging down to me with a grumble.

"Fine! Go get niece Glitter! I will do as asked, but you may not get hurt either! Bring her back to us, then you have questions to answer Fast! And then we play when this is all over!" That filly had a one track mind... maybe two.. she did look to be enjoying herself destroying everything in her way, her simple thoughts filled with feelings of power and confidence as she indulged in one of her favorite things and idly thought of the other. Tempting as using her willingness to destroy to just bulldoze our way through any opposition was, Swan wasn't subtle... Glitter was somewhere in this building, we couldn't risk bringing it down on her head trying to reach her...

Gulping nervously as she stumbled back under an assault of plasma grenades exploding bright green at her side, I nodded and dove for the exit she made for me. Great, not only Umbra but now Swan as well was figuring things out... I was glad I stashed our belongings near the entrance to the M.O.M. hub, we were going to have to leave in a hurry...

I brought up my lightning walking spell with a surge of electricity flickering all around me, my magic flaring out of control for a moment before I sprinted for the golden statue nearby. I barely took cover behind it when a wall of wind filled the casino, knocking several Kings off their hooves as Swan flapped her mighty wings in miniature tornadoes and dodged back out of the hole she created in the building, the sounds of more shuddering stomps and blasts of magic drifting in from outside where she continued her assault.

From my bit of cover, I swapped Vengeance for the Last Minute, charging the gauss rifle to full power and scanning the wide open room through the scope. Pulling up S.A.T.S. let me flick through every available target nearby, marking where they were in the moment of frozen time, selecting a spread of shots to every turret caught spinning madly in the ceilings between the wealth of targets.

I used up most of the spell charge to do it, but when I accepted the sequence the rapid, flat crack of the Last Minute sounded out, thankfully the long weapon spun in my magic guided by the targeting spell instead of my unsteady control. Several of the automated turrets exploded in a shower of sparks and scrap and I abandoned my bit of cover when the few remaining decided I was a more tempting target.

Val swooped by overhead, raining a stream of red M.E.W. fire down on the Kings between me and the nearest stairs up to the second level. Glitter's mark on my compass pointed to the center of the building, since she wasn't sitting right in the middle of the warzone with us, that meant she was either above or below. Given the towering, castle themed casino shaking around us, she was probably up...

Even if the elevators here worked, trapping myself in a tiny steel box with only one exit wasn't a good idea... No matter how much I wanted to go straight to the top of the building, the stairs were the only option and I rocketed up the set Val had cleared for me, slashing out with Best Served in my mouth at anypony in my way, taking limbs like I was a collector and stumbling my high speed way up the steps as several lucky shots scorched my dark trenchcoat and hide underneath.

Up here on the mezzanie overlooking the casino floor below, I could see all the Kings sheltering at makeshift barricades built behind the railing, firing down on the flurry of enemies below. A crazed yellow earth pony lined up his missile launcher battle saddle on a wing of alicorns flying by, cackling madly at the thump and whoosh! of more missiles streaking across the room.

I skidded to a halt behind the lunatic, a skinny blue unicorn beside him in his bit of cover gaped and dropped the missiles he was floating up to reload his partner with, pointing a hoof just before Vengeance fired with a booming crash, the .45 round tore through the shaking limb and the head behind it before he could shout a warning. The explosives minded earth pony didn't even turn until he clicked empty, sneering over to his dead partner and looking up to the dark tunnel of the Terrible Shotgun before it blasted his head to ruins.

A frenetic shout behind me was suddenly cut off, I turned to see Zed leaping up and spinning in midair, his hindleg slamming into another robed member of the Church of Balefire pouring out of the rooms up here. Glad the deadly zebra had my back, I turned back to the dead King and wrapped his battle saddle in my surging magic, wrenching the missile launcher free with one strong tug that surprised me at its force.

Reloading the cumbersome weapon was harder, requiring more finesse than my wildly fluctuating magic was willing to provide at the moment. Fuck it! I didn't have time to try for fine control, if my magic wanted to fling things around so forcefully, I may as well use it... I snatched up two dozen of the missiles from the ammo boxes nearby, trying to aim them at the biggest clusters of red on E.F.S. and sending them on their way with as much force as I could muster.

Current PL = 8.6

The gauge in my vision flickered again at the string of explosions filling the room with smoke, that worked better than expected... My magic alone was strong enough to fling them out faster than the propellant that had gone unused, resulting in an impressive bit of destruction I couldn't really take time to appreciate.

(Fast duck!)

A familiar voice sang out in my head and I did as ordered, barely dodging under a stream of bolts from a huge multi-barreled M.E.W. wielded by a screaming cream colored unicorn mare, her beehive styled blue and pink mane lit in crazily dancing shadows while she poured death down on my slowly melting bit of cover.

A flash of purple just behind the Kings mare wasn't enough warning to stop the angry purple alicorn that appeared at her back, the big filly reared up and brought her hooves down with all her weight, smashing the unicorn mare to the tiled floor with an audible crack. My savior shook her orange and green striped mane, wiping blood from her face and resettling her ancient postal hat as she looked my direction.

(Are you alright Fast?)

Starling, the mare working at the Red Rocket saved me, panting with several angry burns on her side as she tugged the big M.E.W. loose and buckled it to her own back hastily, strapping it on over her well fitting mail-pony coat.

(Fine, thanks! I... Hey y-you! Move!)

Shakily nodding my thanks to Starling, I caught a pair of Kings taking aim at a wounded green flapping by, thinking my warning in a panic realizing I didn't know her name and hoping just my thoughts were enough.

Amazingly she dodged just in time to avoid the unseen attack so I must have ...thought at her... right. I felt a rush of relief as I swung the Terrible Shotgun at her attackers, hammering several slugs into them center mass and sending one flying over the railing. Using unity like this... in combat, coordinating with so many others so efficiently, I really had to wonder what it was like when the Goddess was still around doing this with all of them at once...

I fed the electricity at my hooves more magic and shot forward, nearly smashing into the wall before rocketing off at a 90 degree angle towards more Kings, flashing Best Served out in my wake and following the rusting signs leading to the stairs. I blurred past a menagerie of enemies and allies, shouting for Val so she could keep track of me, trying to dig my hooves in and skid to a halt at the curving stairs leading up to the third floor and the horde of Kings guarding them.

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to stop before smashing through their barricade, when the magic at my hooves and horn ...pulsed... the field of electric tinged blue surging around me in a spreading sphere that contracted back and seemed to suffuse every part of me. I struggled to fire the Terrible Shotgun from the flank, grateful to see Val and Zed charging down the hall towards me before another weird pulse rocked me, the swelling bubble of magic shrinking back in on me before exploding outward again.

Whatever that was, it actually felt... good? A surging tingle spreading through every aching muscle, lighting my nerves on fire and making my head swim. Several of Val's 25mm grenades washed the cluster of Kings in fire, one orange buck with a disheveled purple pompador had dove clear just in time however. Clearing his head and ignoring the griffon his comrades were frantically trying to aim at, his Novasurge rifles came to bear on me instead and... nothing?

I had just a moment to puzzle over not being blasted to ash for shaking here in the open, then I felt that mounting tingle again, surging up from the depths of my horn and exploding outward. The huge sphere of blue nearly filled the large intersection of hallways leading to the marble stairs, crackling over everything it touched.

The advanced magical energy weapons favored by our attackers sparked and fizzled at the arcane power washing over everything, making the lights overhead flicker. Oddly several unicorns in the group simultaneously lost their magical grip on their weapons with a shared whimper, the multiple colors of telekinesis were washed out by the blue and... absorbed...

I noticed the other survivors of Val's assault screaming in frustration, triggering their weapons to kill the griffon tearing them apart to nothing but dead clicking and sparks, a hefty multi-gem magical energy shotgun exploded in one burly King's mouth just as the strange pulse contracted and concentrated on me again, leaving me groaning against the wave of power sizzling through me.

Zed had closed the distance and dove in, a flurry of flying hooves ripping the guards to shreds. I heard Val squawk in annoyance and glanced up to see her own red M.E.W. sparking at her side, whoops... guess I fried that one too... She didn't seem that phased at least, reaching a dark claw under her armored coat and drawing out the Shishkebab, igniting it in a sheath of flames with a wicked grin.

Val always said she wanted a sword like my knife, now I got to see what she'd do with one... The glowing white starmetal blade sliced neatly through anything in her path and she cackled gleefully, weaving a flickering dance of fire through the suddenly unarmed crowd as I got my magic under control again. The sudden surge ended up being helpful... mostly... but I couldn't afford to lose control now.

Moondancer's potion was apparently reaching its climax and the weird side effects had intensified again. A blaring alarm in my ear matched the flashing red warning in my vision and I glanced over the stern, all caps alert in annoyance.

BIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY!
ARCANE ENERGY FLUCTUATING BEYOND SAFETY NORMS!
SEVERE ORGAN DAMAGE!
SEVERE BRAIN DAMAGE!
SEVERE TISSUE DAMAGE!
UNKNOWN CONTAMINANT!
CARDIAC ARREST IMMINENT!

Shaking it off and pushing my way to the stairs, I flicked through a few menus and disabled the warnings. I didn't care anymore. I just needed enough of the health status system to last long enough to reach Glitter, I didn't need its' diagnosis or opinion, just to administer drugs and potions to the flickering cartoon unicorn... pegasus.... unicorn... earth pony... unicorn... alicorn... even the pip-buck couldn't decide, though each image had Xs for eyes and its tongue stuck out in silent warning.

Val landed beside me and lopped the head cleanly off the last survivor struggling to get away, waving her flaming sword around and grinning broadly. "Oh my Gawd! This thing is awesome!! Thanks boss! Er... n-not the best time I know... neat trick! Ya could'a not fried my gun too though!"

"S-Sorry Val... didn't mean to... c'mon... hafta get to Glitter..." I huffed and swayed my way up one step and looked at the rest stretching above with a whine... "Be Strong!"

Zed bounded his way over and trotted up the steps lightly, looking back and shrugging to Val, who snatched me up by my coat and tossed me to her back, letting me recover while she flapped her crimson wings around me and flew up the stairs, closer to my daughter...

Current PL = 8.8

More Kings... more death... rivers of blood flowed in our wake as we pressed forward, scorched and bleeding from dozens of wounds received in return. It all blurred together in a haze of red tinted horror, the dark rage of the Shroud in my head doing as much as the kinder voices of the Ministry Mares were to keep me going, "Be Unwavering!". We sheltered in a hallway on the fourth floor, leading to the heavily fortified stairwell going up to the castle casino's tallest spire, Glitter's mark was just ahead, she had to be there...

The three of us panted and drank our remaining healing potions, our burns and bruises slowly restored as I glanced around the doorframe and thought desperately. Two dozen Kings... easily... including turrets, sandbagged firing positions, a pair of vicious looking Gunner griffons perched above the tall room leading to the gilded staircase, and a scarred, muscular brown Minotaur in jagged metal armor, standing immovable on the small landing overlooking the room.

That one swept a huge magical plasma caster back and forth clenched in one big fist, the wicked spiked end crackling with green energy arcing between the trio of prongs at the tip of the long weapon. The other held a belt fed minigun attached to his back that covered his other side, the rippling wall of muscle wielding two heavy weapons like it was nothing.

"Hey boss... do that thing again, fry their guns..." Val panted over to me, leaning against the wall and wiping sweat from her feathery brow.

I thumped to the floor with the cool stone wall at my back, holding a hoof to my pounding heart and shivering, come on... hold together... "I c-can't, no control over that Val... j-just happens..."

She groaned in disappointment and kicked her paws at the black and white tiled floor. I really wished I could do that weird pulse thing on demand as she asked. It had happened twice more on our way up from the second floor, the rising tide of magic blooming out from my horn and condensing down rapidly, sending waves of mounting power surging through me, making me worriedly think of an arcano-flux reactor reaching critical mass...

The impatient break let me collect my thoughts and listen in to what was going on outside the shuddering casino anyway, though knowing Swan was still at work didn't take telepathy... Umbra had recovered and was leading her sisters like a force of nature, a commanding war princess whose mental presence I had to respect.

Working together with the Peri and the Minutemares, a weak but aware Ivy with the Followers, and Magnolia in Shamrock's casino, the allied force was taking control slowly, pushing back the hordes of raiders and mercenaries that had descended on Goodneighbor outside. Thanks to their efforts, the innocent were largely removed from the battle now, sheltering where it was safe, receiving medical care, or escaping the city altogether. Having the Minutemares ready and waiting had paid off in reducing the collateral damage, even if I hadn't expected this level of carnage when I wrote Preston.

Such a united front of normally disparate, anarchic forces attacking had the hoof prints of the Institute all over it. It was the only explanation I could come up with for why so many random wasteland raiders and gangs all decided to attack Goodneighbor at once, a hidden force of synth spies could bring them together and coordinate them...

That didn't explain the Brotherhood of Friendship though, what little information Jade's sisters outside had on that front wasn't enough to go on. There had been some tense confrontations, plenty of former Enclave members like Lt. Dawn back in Bunker Hill who distrusted or outright hated the alicorns. Thankfully there wasn't any ...lasting violence, the Brotherhood was laying waste to raiders and in a pitched battle with the heavily armed Gunners, who were nearly a match for them in terms of firepower, but otherwise had only attacked what attacked them.

They were assisting the Minutemares and Followers where they could, but they hadn't come here with a mission of mercy in mind to begin with... they came armed for bear and at the worst possible time, I didn't believe in coincidences like that... They were being kept busy and delayed for now, but from the images I saw from dozens of eyes outside, I had a good idea they were here for the Ministry Hub.

That put an unfortunate wrinkle in things, but at the moment I didn't care that much about the hub, only glancing at the reading in my vision displaying that the 'Party Level' had nearly reached the threshold required to open it. The bigger problem was the horde of enemies in our way, a clump of red on E.F.S. just beyond the wall between us.

Gasping sharply, I clutched my jackhammering chest, willing my limbs to stop spasming long enough to jab myself with another Med-X, if I survived this I might need a bit of rehab... The pain lessened at least and my heart slowed, unfortunately some of that must have been transmitted to the web of unity now strongly surrounding Goodneighbor as Jade's remaining sisters who had been in Trinity Tower started filling the skies.

(Fast! I am coming now! Hold on!)

Jade's voice was a soothing ray of light in all this darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision, despite the rising note of panic as she took advantage of unity to assess my condition. Sharing this connection with the mare I loved almost made it worth having my brain forcibly rewired. I could do with a tad more privacy, but touching her mind put her here beside me despite the distance between us.

Images and thoughts of the throngs of injured being cared for trickled in with her shout, woven together with disjointed scenes of that grey, rainy, muddy land I had seen from her before, blood, loneliness, fear... All paled before an iron core of determination, she was not going to be dissuaded or let anypony stand in her way, her Followers could handle whatever else happened as far as she was concerned, she was coming.

(See you soon, Glitter and I will be waiting...)

Her frantic reply wasn't too difficult to shut out, my vision doubled and I swooned as that mounting pressure in my horn surged, I could feel the impending pulse rising up in a roiling storm of arcane energy. I slapped myself forcefully and fought for control, focusing on Val and Zed's whispered conversation they seemed to think I was paying attention to.

"They have the advantage, a dozen is probably the most I can handle before falling... or perhaps the minotaur, unless one gets lucky, one can always get lucky..." Zed's stern grey eyes scanned the opposition and gave his unvarnished opinion with a grim chuckle, hearing the tone in his voice that said he actually would go down taking out those dozen was heartwarming though.

"That's Jager and Shrike, I can take em... gonna be a lil busy though boss..." Val peeked around the corner again and sent her violet eyes to the stairwell stretching two stories above, appraising how much room she had to work with and wincing at her sparking M.E.W.

That tingling, swelling spark of magic was making my head swim, rising and falling with each gasping breath as I shivered and swayed in place, grabbing Val's armored shoulder and forcing my eyes to stop spinning to grunt at her. "T-Throw me..."

"WHAT!? Are you outta yer ever lovin' mind boss!?! What're ya talkin ab..." Val screeched, lowering the volume to a whisper in a hurry but clutching my shoulder in her claw forcefully, already determined I wasn't going anywhere.

"It's... nnn.... h-happening again... throw me, I c-can't move in time... please..." I tried to make her understand through gritted teeth, rocking on my haunches and trying to hold back the impending storm of magic.

"Wha? T-That thing? But..." Her violet eyes lit up for a moment at getting what she had asked for, but returned to a scowl realizing what I was asking and shaking her head forcefully, her plumage shaking around her as her tail lashed angrily. "No! Ya ain't no grenade to go tossin' around boss! I w-won't do it!"

Sucking in a sharp inhalation as the next pulse surged towards imminent release, I lolled my head towards Zed and tried to focus on his interested grey stare. "Zed... please... now! THROW ME!"

The zebra stallion spared a second to glance at the crowd of enemies stopping us and back to me nodding weakly, giving a curt nod in return and leaping to his hindlegs before Val could react. "As you wish, be careful..."

She squawked angrily as I was torn from her grip, Zed's forehooves twisted in the lapels of my coat and he spun like a top on his hindlegs, coming dangerously close to getting a face full of vomit before releasing me to sail through the air and into the stairwell. I had an instant to look down on the fortified cluster of enemies, the ceiling mounted turrets quickest to react to a sparking pony tossed above their heads before I moaned and let go of my thin control.

The spherical field of sparking blue magic exploded out of my horn, swelling to fill the room traced with bolts of M.E.W. fire all around me and pushing beyond the walls this time. Both turrets stopped their chattering fire after just a few rounds and drooped, while I was treated to the bizarre sight of the magical lines of energy that had been shot in a web around me all ... bending... in the field of blue magic, warped from their perfectly straight courses and arrowing directly at me spasming in the air.

The huge field of power condensed back in on me in a rush, every bit of arcane energy it had washed over was greedily sucked up and poured into every cell of my body with a crack like thunder. Dozens of magical energy weapons fizzled and sparked, turrets and weapons exploded in the mouths or battle saddles of the gaping guards, even the single blast of plasma from the minotaur's weapon shrank and faded as it was absorbed with all the rest, a surge of power filled me up and I watched the destructive, rare M.E.W. cannon spark and sizzle uselessly.

Val and Zed were just behind me but too slow to reach my landing zone. I crashed to the stone stairs in the midst of a gaggle of very surprised and suddenly unarmed guards, barely pushing myself back up before a vice like grip clamped down on my throat and lifted me up, snorts of rancid minotaur breath puffing my mane back. The muscular beast tossed the plasma caster aside and switched to his ballistic minigun, raining bullets into the room in a mad spray that took no account of his allies.

"Oh yeah! Bonus is all mine! I'm snappin' his neck right here boys!" The armored minotaur chuckled in a deep baritone and sneered in my face, unconcerned at the zebra diving into the midst of his comrades and pounding them in a furious melee, or the fiery griffon soaring overhead. Val was dodging the two Gunner griffons adroitly over their screeches of "Traitor!", raining grenades down with each pass and slashing away with her Shishkebab, but too occupied with her former compatriots to save me this time.

That disturbing bloodlust swelled up again and before I knew it I had snapped out at the burly minotaur like a miniature hellhound, he was so surprised at a pony trying to bite, he didn't pull away fast enough. Probably unconcerned at the threat, while ponies may rarely do so out of desperation and could do damage that way in a pinch, our flat teeth made for crunching apples or munching grass weren't much of a threat to tough minotaur hide. Usually...

I swore I felt those four weird, sharp little... fangs... actually grow longer for an instant, sinking deeply into the minotaur's neck and ripping away a chunk of flesh in an arterial spray. He howled in shocked pain, flinging the vicious, crazy, snapping pony away from himself with the long arm clutching my neck.

I slammed against the stone wall behind him on the landing, the still swollen and pulsing lump on the left side of my back sent waves of pain at the treatment, though the cut, deflated one on the right didn't hurt nearly as bad. His free hand-thing... clamped to his neck against the blood soaking his grey furred shoulders and the long tri-barrel of his minigun swung my way in fury, but I was loose now and suddenly was brimming with magical power, giving a lopsided, evil grin up at him as my horn crackled with electricity.

KRACKA-THOOOOOM!!!!

All my hard won control of the lightning spell was gone, my back cracked against the wall again as I was thrown from the blast and my vision blurred, resolving in time to see a tall, smoking corpse crash down the stairs, an unlucky three or four Kings jittering on the floor, too close to the blast zone to escape unscathed.

Current PL = *9.3*

My HUD in my vision was clearer than anything else I tried to focus on, flashing with the blinking gauge in the corner. That was the next to last requirement, the lights flickered and dimmed appreciably, the M.O.M. Hub was ready to open... It had to be drawing more power from the town in preparation for the culmination of the Grand Opening Gala program.

The only thing left was '----Stage 'Ribbon Cutting Ceremony', the realization ran through my head in a rush while I shook off the effects of that blast. Still not that concerned with opening it versus saving Glitter, but a lot of work had gone into reaching this point and the last step was relatively easy. The ribbon at one entrance to Shamrock's casino had to be cut with the oversized golden ceremonial scissors, by a noble guest...

I had planned on Jade doing this step, if a princess wasn't good enough for the hub maneframe, nopony would be. Feeling the steady beat of her thoughts approaching from outside, I knew she wasn't going to make any detours though. Nobility meant a lot of ponies though... the Goddesses were the pretty much the only Princesses around when I was growing up, but there were plenty noble nieces and nephews that the program was written around, ponies like Princes Blueblood or Vanity for example, a relative of royalty should work just as well...

(Magnolia! Cut the ribbon! This is probably the only chance!)

(I w-will try Fast! Finding those scissors and reaching it will take a moment!)

Magnolia's voice answered immediately, again I actually found myself liking this whole unity business. It was annoying and uncomfortable with so many strange voices at once, but with the mares I knew, cared about and loved, it was nice.

Feeling the singing alicorn's presence with me let me draw on her strength, her determination and loyalty flowing through our connection helped me clear my head and stand up. Consoling myself that I had done all I could for Shamrock towards opening the hub, I really noticed the forest of red dashes on E.F.S. and the battle raging below and above, as the droning ringing in my ears quieted.

Val spun and dove in the cramped quarters, taking a lot of damage from the griffons like her who didn't rely exclusively on any one weapon type like the Kings, but dishing it out in return. Her Shishkebab sliced cleanly through a hindleg of one of her less agile pursurers while I watched, igniting the dingy yellow tail in a fluff of fire and her pistol crashed as a follow up.

Zed was being pummeled due to sheer numbers down on the ground, unable to dodge everything from the horde of Kings that were falling back on sheathed knives, straight razors, their hooves or even their useless M.E.W.s swung around as clubs. Despite the crush of opponents, Zed was far more skilled than any of them, whittling down their numbers one resounding hoof strike at a time.

The stairs leading up from the landing I slumped on were clear... Glitter was right up there...

Lightning bloomed around my hooves again and I charged up, shouting over my shoulder and trying to push away guilt for leaving my friends. "Val! Zed! I'm going to get her!!"

Whatever their shouted replies were, I flattened my ears to my head against it and ran on, furrowing my brow and trying not to stumble my way up. I was almost there, her mark on my compass was just ahead, I was going to save her... after that Moondancer's potion could kill me or do whatever it was going to do, but I had to save her first...

"DADDY!!!"

I froze in the ornate doorway just off the narrow stairwell, no more guards stood in my path, just the opulent, square tower of an office, a crazed cobalt stallion floating a gleaming, .45 pistol in his dingy purple magic, and the struggling little white filly in his grip. The pale neckerchief of her tiny Alicorn Angel costume wrapped around his hoof, holding her outside of the huge open window that took up the wall beyond the heavy desk Bishop sheltered behind.

My pounding heart stopped entirely seeing her small hooves scrambling in the open air whipping through her silver mane, the foggy, chaotic streets of Goodneighbor far below. It managed to lurch back to life seeing the big tears trembling from her frightened pink eyes, a look of complete trust fighting the fear at her position. Angry purple bruises showed under her smudged white outfit, her false horn taped to her head was gone and one of her fake wings was torn, leaking fluffs of stuffing that fluttered to the hard, cold ground six stories below her struggling hooves.

Bullet Bishop sneered, stretching out to dangle her out further precariously and shaking the bedraggled, greasy strands of his dark mane out of his twitching eyes. "There you are! Wanted you to see this before I kill you! Drop 'em!"

His angular automatic pistol waggled towards the Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance bobbing unsteadily in my magic, I focused on lowering both firearms as slowly and carefully as I could manage, returning them to my bags and mumbling around the hilt of Best Served in my mouth, swaying against the roiling buildup of the impending pulse of magic. I had to do something fast, when it happened he'd think it was an attack and would drop Glitter...

"L-Let her go... I'll give you your stupid money back, just don't hurt her..." I panted across the room to the crazed stallion holding my daughter's life in his hooves, trying to come up with some miraculous plan to turn this around and coming up empty.

I had exhausted everything I had getting here... My body felt like it was about to give up entirely, my limbs trembled and twitched, fever baked my brains clean of any clever ideas. Glitter's terrified face doubled, then trebled briefly before resolving back to one scared filly wailing back to me. "Daddy no!! G-Get him! He's bad! Don't give him what he wants, buck him!"

"Shut up brat!" Bishop's free hoof shot out and slapped her muzzle, a surging dark roar in my head "Be Dark..." filled me with the last reserves of my strength and I tensed, stopping short when Bishop's pistol spun on me and he leaned even further out the window, swinging Glitter around and sending droplets of her precious blood out in a fan from her bleeding muzzle, driving all thought from my head except her well being. "Be Kind..."

"Please Bishop... you win, whatever you want... don't hurt her... "Be Kind...", if you hurt her again... you die... slow... "Be Dark...", just end this, please... she's just a filly..."

The struggle in my head was getting more difficult by the second, of all the weird mental voices up there, Fluttershy's spirit and the Shroud were almost diametrically opposed forces. My voice kept fluctuating from pleading to threatening, frightened to furious, made harder by each wave of arcane force building up in my horn. When this pulse came, it was going to be a monster... without even the benefit of disabling Bishop's weapon.

"Win?! No you've ruined all that you runty little shit! You and those big freaks made sure of that! I'll have to escape, use the smuggling tunnels and pull out of Goodneighbor for awhile thanks to you! This is all the victory I'm going to get tonight, but it was worth waiting for! Scream you little bitch! Beg! Beg your runty old man to save you before you die! I want him to hear it!" Bishop shook Glitter in his hoof violently, trying to terrify her into voicing her terror just to torture me.

The little earth pony filly screwed her face up and sniffled up blood, snot and tears, hocking it all right in Bishop's face. She struggled at the end of his hoof like a tiny prize fighter, swinging her hooves and snorting. "No! Y-You're in big trouble! I-I'm not s-scared! My dad is gonna kill you an catch me! r-right daddy?"

Her pinprick pink eyes were drawn to the hard street below her dangling hooves and she gulped, furrowing her brow and staring at me with her chest puffed out bravely. "Yes... I'll always catch you sweetie, just hang on..."

Bishop scowled and wiped the mess from his face in fury, shaking Glitter by her ripping neckerchief and slapping her muzzle repeatedly. Every impact sent a spike of dark rage to join the swirling magic ready to explode outward any moment. Bishop screeched in fury at her clenched eyes and refusal to cry out, my pride swelled at her bravery and indomitable will, providing an unexpected barrier to Bishop's planned torment.

Most importantly she was buying time, it wasn't doing me any good, but somepony had made use of it thankfully...

(I am cutting the ribbon now Fast!)

Magnolia's anxious mental yell gave me a small thread of hope and I prayed to all the Goddesses, Celestia, Luna ...Jade's mother if she was out there... Please..

Bishop's silver pistol inched towards her flailing silently, his voice shaking with hate. "Oh you'll scream alright!! Watch close Shrouded Shrimp! Say goodbye to your brat!" Bishop ranted and drew his hoof back... the pistol clicking menacingly and a chilly, howling wind outside the windows blew her bloody white skirts around her. Bishop tensed in anticipation of flinging her out into the void wearing a wicked grin.

BOOM! FWOOSH! FWEEE!! BOOM!

The chaotic noise drifting up from the streets of Goodneighbor was suddenly dwarfed by explosions and static filled oompa music blasting out of every working loudspeaker in the town. Multicolored light poured in through the tall windows, each Spell in a Box array I had repaired this week finally triggered and opening after more than 200 years, filling the moonlit sky with fireworks as I tried to disregard the fanfare in my ear and flash of text.

Mission Updated!: Strike Up the Band

Objectives----

---~~Trigger the Grand Opening Gala~~

----~~Stage 'Ribbon Cutting Ceremony'~~
----~~Meet minimum party level (8.9)~~
---Gain access to Ministry of Morale hub
---Take control of hub maneframe

The unexpected cacophony and rattling explosions of fireworks from the large array right on the roof outside distracted Bishop, the evil gang leader spun his head to the open window Glitter dangled out of in surprise, his mouth hanging agape and the silver pistol in his magic drooping in shock.

I triggered S.A.T.S. to have a moment of frozen time, studying the mere ten feet separating us and every obstacle in my path. Even in the cool nirvana of timelessness, that building pulse was surging in my horn, this was the only chance I had as insane as it was... The dark Shroud in my head demanded killing Bishop on the way to save Glitter, the soothing souls of the Ministry Mares were on my side in only caring about her though.

I released S.A.T.S., struggling to contain the imminent explosion of magic just a minute longer, then spread my arcing hooves and tensed, rocketing forward as Bishop's pinprick eyes started turning back.

Even without a dose of Dash, adrenaline slowed time to a crawl and I could take in everything. My forelegs stretched and touched the middle of the grey carpet of Bishop's office with a crackle of electricity at the impact, Glitter's hopeful eyes widened and she swung her hooves frantically, loosening Bishop's grip.

My hindlegs came forward to join the front, folding my body and tensing my flanks like a spring, a flare of lightning magic joining that of my forehooves as the rear made contact and pushed with everything I had. Bishop's eyes narrowed with dawning fear and hate, his pistol swinging up sharply and firing wildly.

A stretched out, flying leap brought me up to the cluttered surface of Bishop's mahogany desk. Electricity raced across the surface and focused as all four hooves came together again, Bishop's leg swung sharply as his pistol's rounds chewed his desk to pieces stitching its way up, finding my armored chest and hammering the padded trenchcoat with two .45 rounds that dug through the ballistic fiber and lodged in my breast like getting hit by a locomotive, a third punctured the side of my neck as Glitter started to come loose and arc out into freefall.

Using up my last bit of control, I flexed every quivering, bulging muscle on top of the desk, weird, squirming new ones twitched and spasmed at my back and I felt those disgusting lumps ...move... straining against my coat in misshapen bulges. A final blast of lightning magic shot me forward over Bishop's head and out the window, past the Diamond City 'Noble's' triumphant shout.

My hooves wrapped around Glitter and we fell, the ground rushing up as I flailed uselessly in the open air, my hooves searching for purchase that I knew wasn't there. Glitter's little legs wrapped around my neck and I tumbled with her, my mind racing... Beyond getting to her without Bishop shooting her, I still hadn't figured out what to do after that. T-Teleport... I'd teleport her away... that was it...

The throbbing pulse of magic couldn't be held back anymore, with a noise between a screaming roar and a groan, the sphere of my sparkling magic bloomed like a new, blue moon plummeting to Goodneighbor from the heavens. I could just make out the bright glow bathing the street rushing up to meet us as it swelled out, and out, and out..

I barely noticed a rumbling explosion back the way we came, engulfing the tower of the King's Gambit in orange flames that an equally orange and singed griffon dove directly through, her red wings pushed her faster and faster into a powerdive as shrapnel and tinkling glass fell behind her and she screamed. Val would give everything she had, but she couldn't change the laws of physics, she couldn't catch us in time...

Every light in the King's Gambit dimmed to a weak flicker as we streaked by, the exploding wave of magic hungrily draining any source of energy it came into contact with while we plummeted together. No teleporting... I wouldn't even try it on an inanimate object like this, let alone my daughter...

Telekinesis! I'd float her away from me, up to Val's desperate dive above us... Even if I smashed like a pancake on the asphalt below, the bubble of magic would pop and she should only fall a few feet. Granted it would be right beside the puddle that was her father, but she'd survive...

I tried to tug her away from her grip on my neck as we spun lazily towards the ground. The blazing new moon above Goodneighbor finally stopped expanding and draining power, trembling as every blast of M.E.W. fire from ponies below at the strange phenomenon above the streets was sucked up in a swirling maelstrom of eldritch power.

She buried her muzzle against my chest and burrowed in tighter, warm tears soaking my pounding chest as she shook her head and screamed against the rushing wind. She wouldn't let go... wouldn't let me save her! (HELP!!! SAVE GLITTER!!!) I screamed mentally, trying to think of something with our last remaining seconds of slowed down time, plenty enough to spot the glowing spheres of alicorn shields nearby. Several arrowed directly at us, while I watched a couple who got too close suddenly faded to pale pastels instead of bright primaries, even that powerful defensive magic was sucked up into the crackling sphere around me.

(Fast!Fast!Niece!Glitter!Fast!Save!Can't!Fast!Niece!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!)

A rising tide of horrified voices from Jade's sisters made it clear they couldn't make it...

Then the giant bubble of magic around us contracted and condensed almost instantly, the magic so intense and bright as it suffused me that it lit Goodneighbor in artificial daylight, blinding me and anypony unfortunate enough to be staring right at it. A crack of thunder rolled across the town, ringing in my ears and shattering nearby windows.

I struggled and kicked, trying to swim through the air, slow us down, at least turn so the foal huddled against me was shielded from the impending impact. If I wasn't blind, deaf and about to die, I'd marvel at how good I felt for the first time in a week. I lurched and bucked as we fell, the desire to live, to save my daughter somehow, overwhelming the logic and cold numbers that told me we were both dead. Nothing I could do would save her... at least we'd die together...

NO! I howled in negation and spasmed in the air, screaming to the heavens for something, anything that would... SLAP!.... THUNK! OW!

Tiny Alicorn Angels flitted around my aching head and I looked around at the field of white that was the only other thing I could see, my head smacked into something hard and... SLAP!.... THUNK! Ow!! Some wet, slimy ...thing on my right side flexed and SLAP!.... THUNK! Ow!! I lurched in the air, slowing slightly when I smashed into that hard... SLAP!.... THUNK! Ow!! solid... wall? again... and again headfirst, my hooves blindly dragging against the hard, smooth surface for purchase.

The tiny Angel Blue ...Jade..., Angel White ...Glitter..., Angel Green ...Ivy..., Angel Purple ...Magnolia..., Angel Yellow ...Periwinkle..., and a larger little Angel Pink ...Swan..., flitted around my head SLAP!.... THUNK! Ow!! in rapid little circles before my eyes SLAP!.... THUNK! Ow!!

As my vision started to fade from pure white to indistinct grey blobs that SLAP!.... THUNK! Ow!! weren't what I expected from the SLAP!.... THUNK! Ow!! afterlife... woooo... p-pretty little Angels were all my battered skull could SLAP!.... THUNK! Ow!! focus on until a screaming cry slammed directly into my brain.

(FAST!!! GLITTER!!! I HAVE YOU!!!!)

Jade's desperate shout boomed out in her goddess voice, in my head and out loud. I felt the bundle of warmth in my hooves twitch in response as that SLAP!.... THUNK! Ooof... dark, slimy thing smacked against my face again and I thumped weakly into the big grey blob I kept slamming into. Suddenly we were both surrounded by a lot of warm blue, our terrifying downward momentum slowing to a gentle halt by the shuddering alicorn holding us both tightly.

The cracked and cool asphalt that met my flushed cheek didn't do so at terminal velocity... We settled softly to the ground with the warm, familiar feel and pale blue color of Jade's magic washing over us. I was sprawled out on my left side, panting and gratefully savoring the feel of warm blue feathers surrounding us, slowly releasing my deathgrip on the squirming filly in my hooves while healing magic poured into me from the sweet smelling wall of blue still curled around us.

Rolling an eye to watch a pale blob tackle the big blue one with a cry, my ears twitched up at the indistinct, murmuring mumbles of familiar voices around me that rose in a gasp when the warm canopy of Jade had been pushed back by Glitter's excited yell. I felt several thumps surrounding me as more blobs landed nearby, purple, green, blue, green, purple, purple, orange... orange dove at blue and white in a flurry of noise working on being comprehensible voices, before pouncing close enough to fill my slowly clearing vision and shaking me roughly.

Everything grew dark somehow and a rolling tremor shook the ground, filling the rest of my blurry vision behind the red and orange with a loooot of purple and pink. Other than the slowly resolving sounds of Jade, Glitter and Val, I couldn't make out what I had to guess was quite a few alicorns huddled around where I was sprawled in the street.

Oddly enough, even in my head there was quiet... I could make out what they said there, but there was only an eerie silence. Just the wordless swell of emotion assured me they were there, but what started as relief and warm caring, turned to shock and a deepening rush of those feelings of friendship starting to change into something more that worried me...

"Fast.... a-are you alright? W-What is that?... Is that..." Swan's rumbling voice finally sounded out, giving me something loud and close to focus on as I shook my head and tried to sit up, some slimy weight at my side scraped across the ground and I winced at the rough texture and strange sensation... sensation? I felt... what?

My eyes finally properly focused, actually focused better than ever... was Goodneighbor always this bright? I could see a lot more detail everywhere I looked, gloomy alleyways were lit with a strange penetrating light, I could read the menu inside the smoking shell of the Gilded Fork a block away for Celestia's sake...

Blinking up in confusion, I got a good look at the crowd of concerned friends and family staring down at me in slack jawed wonder. Jade soaked in blood and frazzled, her anxious blue eyes darting around her. Glitter sniveling into her chest, bruised and traumatized, but safe and sound... Val, her violet eyes bugging out of her head before narrowing and glancing around the crowd, spreading a red wing protectively, trying to hide me from view... Zed galloping from the smoking ruins of the King's Gambit, his grey eyes meeting mine even at this distance, nodding significantly towards the glowing spire of the M.O.M. hub behind us, a huge pink torch in the night, lighting the ruins of Trotson with the wildly waving spotlights pinning it and a burst of fireworks.

And the alicorns... Jade's sisters, Peri giving a beaming and unsurprised smile, Starling and half a dozen others I didn't know, burnt and bleeding but ignoring their wounds entirely, staring down at me in complete shock slowly turning to wonder. Swan's huge head was directly overhead, leaning over the circle of her smaller sisters. She was slightly smaller after her rampage, her costume still fit though and her pink neckerchief and skirt stained with splashes of blood fluttered in the breeze. The giant mare's blue-violet eyes grew round and even bigger on her face as she looked over the twitching new appendage with dawning comprehension...

With my suddenly sharp vision, I could see tiny hearts sparkling in all of their slowly lidded eyes as they seemed to take a tentative step closer as one, pressing all around me while a rising murmur was whispering in my head.

(Fast....F-Fast?...M-M-Male... Fast is...)

Looking down at my side sharply and trying to shut out the sudden surge of emotions and thoughts growing louder out of the silence, I looked carefully and took in the dripping mass of... feathers? F-Feathers... wet, slimy feathers that looked disgusting, but even mom's or Jade's wings looked sort of like that when they were totally saturated.

Peering closely, I could make out each needle like feather covered in spiky little clumps that were drying and fluffing into proper feathers while I watched... A wing... I had a wing... a wing that just saved me, erupting from the long gash Rowdy had given me in the ring and poking out of my coat through the new flaps.

A wing that just did all that in a very, veeeeery public manner... My red eyes darted back up to the huddle of alicorns pressing closer, that sleepy, lovestruck look spreading among them driven by something stronger than just me smelling funny... though I doubted that was helping... The growing chorus echoing in my head matched the low purr rising among the ones right here.

Swan's was a deep rumble as she fluttered her eyelashes and leaned down, shoving her smaller sisters and Val rudely aside to nuzzle at the new and... wow... very tender wing, that decided to not so helpfully twitch straight out at attention for some reason, making an even better display for the massive filly snuffling at it with her muzzle.

"You are... m-male... one of us..." She cooed and took another shaking step forward, her sisters grumbling in distracted annoyance at being pushed out of her way and trying to press back in, while Jade started turning red and pranced on her hooves with Glitter anxiously.

(Male...Fast...Male...Fast...Like Us!...Male!...Fast!...MALE!...FAST!)

No... no, no, no! I scrambled to my hooves, feeling a surge of strength and vitality that turned my frantic attempt to stumble up into a leap and canter. I felt really good! Which was probably a good thing...

"Umm... hehehe... Sooooo... some party huh? T-Thanks for all your help ladies! There's Glitter! Safe and sound! All thanks to you! S-See her? O-Over there... Er... still important things to do... City in trouble? Lot's of bad guys? We'll juuuust... g-go see Mayor Shamrock..." I cautiously backpedaled, trying to awkwardly stuff my uncooperative wing down and hide it with a shaky, nervous smile.

Swan's hoof slammed to the ground just behind me, sending fresh cracks through the asphalt and me stumbling back against the barrier. She suddenly flopped to her belly on the street, totally ignoring the tapering violence in the town around us. Her other foreleg stomped down beside me and curled inward, tossing her sisters fluttering back as she wiggled forward, breathing deeply and sending a long pink tongue out to lick up my front completely, wiping away quite a bit of drying blood and slimy gunk from my wing.

"Not going anywhere... you stay... play... NOW...." Swan dragged herself closer, wiggling her giant rump in the air behind her and flicking her long pink tail around, swatting at the other alicorns that had fluttered up to see past her long limbs and press closer like very big flies.

Taking in another long, sharp inhale, I shuddered as the whites of her eyes filled with bands of pink spreading out in a rush. I read about that in one of Corona's spell books I had bought called 'Magical Mishaps', trying to find something to help when my 'smell' changed a few days ago... It listed that effect in a detailed account, a symptom of powerful love potions... Oh no... Her rumbling voice was dripping with honey and seduction, but very, very clear this wasn't really a request...

Shit... Oh this was bad... this was sooooo bad... Jade clutched Glitter in her legs and hovered above anxiously with Val beside her, the griffon eyeing the situation with none of her usual mirth at my predicament. What was worse was the rising tide of unity chanting a disturbing mantra, nearly every alicorn in the Commonwealth had converged on Goodneighbor, every single one tapped in to the same experiences and knowledge, they all saw... all knew...

(Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!)

Swan wriggled forward again, now positively smothering me, her long pink mane curling around my hooves as she nuzzled and licked. Her nostrils flared as the big muzzle pushed me against her wall of a foreleg, forcing me to flop back on my rump and try to push away with my hindlegs. Several strokes of that powerful tongue had cleaned all the slime from my... wing... my actual wing that was starting to fluff up in soft black feathers, jutting out at a stiff, painful angle under the attention...

The disjointed thought that ran through my head was, 'Oh... so thaaaaat's what 'Wingboner Magazine' means...'. I never got the name of one of dad's 'private' magazines with pictures of pretty pegasi... I found one tucked in one of his more dry tomes in his office as a foal, resulting in a sputtering, blushing, delayed 'talk' and pleading not to tell mom. I didn't know it was an actual ...thing... pegasi had to worry about...

A very big pair of soft lips was planting a series of kisses all over, starting at my fizzling horn and working her way down, too far down! Made worse by the soft moans of impatient annoyance drifting in from the growing flock surrounding us beyond the cage of Swan's long legs and huge head blotting out the sky. Ok! Time to go! Looking around frantically for an escape, I gulped and did the only thing I could think of to get out of here.

Reaching out with both trembling forelegs, I grabbed Swan's muzzle before it could work its way any lower, shoving it back up with a surprisingly strong flex of suddenly supple, non-spasming muscles that still strained to push all that alicorn head up. She seemed a little unsure at getting contact in return and I pressed my narrow advantage, taking a deep breath and diving forward, returning a long, deep kiss that had her draw her head back in delighted surprise.

A gap of freedom opened up between her sweaty brow and her legs trapping me, she sighed and gave a happy whinny, a blush warming my hooves pressed into her cheeks that reverberated with her happy noises. She whined and pulled back a little more to look down at me when I broke it off with a gasp, her ears drooping lazily along with her lidded eyes.

"Er... S-Sorry ladies! Gotta go!" I squeaked and poured magic into my hooves, grateful that it had finally decided to settle out and start working smoothly again.

A short spurt of speed took me to Swan's curled forelegs keeping me to herself and I jumped for all I was worth, amazed at how high I managed to make it, the single wing on my right flapping reflexively to propel me in a weaving, lurching, pathetic attempt at flight. Thankfully Val was on the ball, swooping past Swan's head and all the other alicorns just catching up, her dark claws gripped my hoof and yanked me through the air after her.

My uncontrollable wing kept beating counter productively, throwing off her streaking course towards the Ministry of Morale hub until she dropped me to the street with a huff. "I'd run boss! Let's go!!"

Jade and Glitter were already flapping ahead, both turning worried glances back to me and the sudden rumble of a lot of alicorn stomping to her hooves behind us, the sky filled with the beating of a dozen more normal sized wings giving chase. Yes.. running, I could do running, that sounded like an excellent idea!

The circus themed casino ahead and the tower above it were lit up brighter than ever, fireworks continued to burst in the air all around it and a magical lightshow filled the foggy night with bright colors and beams of light. The fighting had died down and order was slowly being restored, a large group of power armored Brotherhood were tromping their way to the M.O.M. hub but were stopped by Shamrock's guards at the entrance.

Blasting past the tense stand off, I dashed through the casino floor after Jade with Val sticking right at my side. Zed was galloping along behind us, winded from all the fighting but still agile enough to leap atop the games and rides looping around in here, taking the shortest route possible to the service tunnels we were heading for.

There was a lot of repair work waiting in here and a crush of hurt, frightened ponies taking shelter within made pushing our way through difficult, any desire to help down here was overridden by my own problems at the moment though.

A swelling note of frustration and desire was driving anything approaching rational thought right out of the field of telepathy I was tapped into, it was now just a wordless, urgent tide of 'I want' roaring their disappointment and giving a merry chase. Oh Luna protect me... they were enjoying it! Racing to see who caught me first! Giggling among themselves lustily in my head as they all sped towards the hub.

I started humming the song I got to catch out of Magnolia's concert as we ran, trying reeeeally hard to block out the run of their thoughts and feelings as they took a turn toward the downright lewd and scary. They'd calm down... right? I'd just make myself scarce and let things cool down... Luckily several quick turns down the hidden tunnels brought us to the sealed, fortified entrance to the Hub.

The steel doors were lit up brightly and thrummed with active power, the advanced terminal with the glowing red eye flicked around with a whir of servos at our rushed approach. I hurriedly dug out the lanyard ID Shamrock had the computer produce for me as Head Technician of the casino, holding it up and waving it in front of the terminal frantically.

A wide, red scanning laser shot out from the tiny camera, focusing on the plastic ID with a poor picture of myself before giving a series of beeps and chatters. The heavy steel doors gave a resounding 'CLUNK!' of rusted locks and swung open, a brightly lit elevator waiting beyond the heap of dusty pony skeletons piled against the doors.

The five of us grabbed our stashed belongings behind the boxes cluttering the hall behind us and dashed in gratefully, the doors slamming shut behind us and powered down with a few quick commands from this side of the terminal. I didn't want anypony following us, especially not Jade's temporarily (I hoped...) crazed sisters, but not the Brotherhood or even Shamrock yet... Until I knew what we were sitting on, this place was back on lockdown and staying out of everypony's hooves.

The pale pink walled elevator hummed behind us, a polka version of 'Dance of the Parasprites' playing as softly as an accordion got from the perfectly preserved speakers. The glowing pink buttons beside the door were lit up from floors 5 to 20, far above where Shamrock or anypony from Goodneighbor had ever breached except for the lowest two. Though a few floors shy of the top of the tower by the information I had about the building.

Hitting the button for floor 7 caused the doors to ding and slide shut smoothly and we rose up into the sealed Ministry Hub, the first visitors in 200 years.

We were in. We were together. We were safe.

For now anyway...

--------------------------------Level Up!---------------------------------------

New Perk Added!--------------------------

Weapon Handling---------
------Either your horn’s gotten tough enough to handle the kick or you’ve broken in that battle saddle. Of course access to alicorn strength doesn't hurt either... Weapon strength requirements are two less for you!

Quest Perk Added!---------------------

Institute Alicorn-----

---Congratulations! Miraculously you've survived the process and Moondancer's version of the Impelled Metamorphosis Potion was successful! All negative effects from Institute I.M.P. perks are removed while the positives remain.

Your body has been permanently enhanced through Arcane Science! You gain +1 to Strength, Perception, Endurance and Charisma, +20% to your Poison, Fire and Radiation Resistances and +3 to your damage threshold, +20 to health and magic points, and are at least 20% cooler in general. You also gain the effects of the TAG! perk(s) for the purposes of gaining the 'Flight' and/or 'Magic' skill(s) only. A nice payoff for a week of misery and near death...

There are other side effects as well, some of which differ from alicorns created by the Goddess. Radiation continues to build in your system (though in a totally unfair turn, you remain short...), conferring increasing bonuses the higher your count. Your radiation count steadily decreases on its own over time or with sleep however, equivalent to the 'Rad Absorbtion' and 'Irradiated Beauty' perks. You are also susceptible to alicorn unity and less able to guard your thoughts or resist psionic attacks.

Finally, if known then your condition may affect your reputation standing in unforeseen ways. So long as this is kept quiet, you should be fine, but if a faction becomes aware of your new status it may radically change its opinion of you...

(Note: 'Institute Alicorn' is incompatible with all zebra alchemy perks like 'Bone Strengthening Brew' and 'Zebra-Augmented Pony', as well as all cybernetic implants including 'Adamantium Bone Lacing' and 'Cyberpony'.)

Reputation Change!-----------------------------

Trinity Tower - "Wanted"-------
----Not quite 'Wanted' like the Gunners holding a bounty over your head, or being 'Wanted' by the guards of Diamond City for your arrest. More like you are wanted period... Thankfully they don't want you dead at least, you retain all positive associations and friendships with the mares of Trinity Tower on an individual level, as a group though, they are looking for you now...

Goodneighbor - Idolized------
-----You helped throw the biggest party Goodneighbor's ever seen and brought together the mares of Trinity Tower, the Minutemares, the Followers and even the Brotherhood of Friendship inadvertently to its defense. Depending on what you decide to do about the Ministry of Morale Hub now lying open before you, the Mayor and others might feel differently... but to the ponies of Goodneighbor you're a hero worthy of the Shrouded Stallion! The climactic lightshow at the end is going to be a local legend for years...

Kings - Grim Reaper-Pony----
-----The Kings are essentially no more, all because they touched your daughter... To the remaining members of the formerly powerful gang, you are death incarnate. They still hold territory out in the wasteland to be avoided and hold connections to Diamond City, but with Bishop gone they're a significantly reduced threat. Beyond vilified in their eyes, survivors may attack, or may run for the hills when they see you coming.

Ch. 50-- A Family Affair

Tall and pink and young and lovely
The mare from Iponyma goes trotting and
When she passes, each one she passes goes "Ahh"

When she prances, she's like a samba
Tail that swings so cool and sways so gentle that
When she passes, each one she passes goes "Ahhh"

........

........

"Sooooo... that was weird huh?"

Val broke the awkward silence as the Ministry of Morale elevator trundled its way up the tower slowly, scratching her plumage and sighing at Jade's healing spells knitting her wounds together. The long trip had given us a moment to catch our breath, but a kind of stunned silence had stretched out, filled with soft accordion muzak from the speakers overhead.

"Weird... right..." I was still panting lightly, trying to shut out the escalating frustration of Jade's sisters outside and struggling with my new wing, how did pegasi keep these things tucked tightly against themselves like they did? This thing kept springing out in some new direction every time I wrestled with it and fought it down into folding in a little.

Jade's magic swung my way again and I relaxed, letting my traitorous new appendage free to smack me with a face full of feathers as she spoke breathlessly. "Y-You are all in horrible shape... As soon as we are able, I demand all of you hold still and allow me to treat you! Even poor Glitter..."

The little filly clinging to her still looked awful, the bruises and damage were already restored under her mother's expert care, at all of our insistence she be treated first, but drying blood still caked her muzzle and she looked shaken from the trauma. She was staring from beneath Jade's protective wing with wide, sparkling pink eyes but had been quiet and kept her distance from me, she wasn't... scared of me... was she?

I was still me... I didn't even really look different, I just had this new wing that seemed determined to fight me at every turn, that was all... I hadn't changed that much, I was still short even! The warbling ding above let me shake off the silly, frightened thoughts, she was scared from nearly falling six stories to her death stupid...

Taking advantage of how good I felt, I stuck my head out as the doors slid open and nearly pranced out when it seemed clear enough for the moment. A gloomy, pink tinged office floor, stuffed with file cabinets, desks, battered old cubicles sinking to ruin, brightly colored doors leading off down the hallways stretching from the tiled elevator landing... so far so good... The only really odd thing I noticed was the splashes of pink ...glop... all over the place, smears on the walls, splashes and spatters on doors and cabinets, a criss-crossing pattern of sticky pink hoofprints...

I turned to wave the others out, patching my pip-buck to the elevator controls to make sure it stayed right where it was, doors open and waiting. Zed was in the best shape of the three of us that had stormed the King's Gambit and stuck one hoof out, the second it came into contact with the pale pink and yellow tiles, a blaring klaxon went off above us and turrets dropped from the ceiling, spinning in their tracks and locking on the zebra.

A sprite bot came zipping around the corner, what chirped out of its round speaker wasn't oompa music however, or the static filled voice of Watcher wherever he ...watched from, instead it was a familiar if artificial chipper filly, Pinkie Pie's voice filled the small landing in a warning filled with suspicion.

"Wooooo! No good zebra infiltrator detected! You've been a baaaaaad zebra! Prepare to be totally annihilated, unless you have a reeeeally good reason for being here! 5 Missifilly!... 4 Missifilly!... 3 Missifilly..." The dash representing the round little robot stayed green, but the threat was plainly going to be carried out by more than just the sprite-bot.

Enjoying the fact my head was actually clear and mostly drug free after being doped up all week, I took a page from Fancy's book in a hurry, pushing between Zed and the robot and holding up my Head Technician ID. "Whoa! Umm... H-He's a...a double agent! A zebra informant! No ...annihilating... please?"

The round silver bot fluttered on its glowing pink wings a moment, a barely audible series of clicks and chatters deep in its casing as it communicated with the maneframe running this place. How did I hear that? My ears flicked around absently, realizing I could hear all kinds of things clearly, everyone's breath and heartbeats, the buzz of flickering lights further in this floor, the whir of the turrets following Zed's every slight movement, shuffling sound echoing down the halls...

"All zebra informants hafta wear their button silly! Good thing you said something! Here, keep your pass visible at all times Mr. zebra!" The bot bobbed in the air and spit a round metal button out of a storage case on its side after being successfully bluffed.

The bit of metal rolled and spun on the tiles at Zed's hooves, landing face up to show a trio of blue and yellow balloons in a rough triangle shape on a field of white and red stripes. I thought I spotted a bit of simple arcane rune work on the back, but it seemed fairly harmless otherwise.

Zed looked down at the simple trinket with a look of disgust, kicking at it gently and looking up with his grey eyes filled with annoyance. "Must I?"

"Er... r-rather go the easy route right now Zed... no reason to piss off the security system if we don't have to... it's just a button..." I grimaced through gritted teeth out the side of my mouth, scratching my mane and trying to look innocent for the sprite bot and the numerous cameras watching us.

"It's not... (sigh) I know you don't know better Fast, but it's not just a button... This symbol was promoted by your Ministry of Morale for Proditors... it is a touchy subject among zebras. Those they set out as examples of zebras and ponies getting along, those who sold their souls for better treatment, magically altering their stripes to be permanently red... a signal of their loyalty to Equestria. Among my kind it is still regarded as a symbol of dishonor. It was not always so, but no zebra would willingly want to wear ...that..." Zed groaned and stomped on the button lightly, but was already leaning down to pick it up in his teeth and fasten it to his leather jacket.

"Thanks Zed, s-sorry... I didn't know, er.. our secret ok? You can get rid of it as soon as it's safe."

The turrets retracted into the ceiling again thankfully once he had it pinned in place and the sprite-bot fluttered off. If the computer running this place was normal, I'd be worrying about what the reaction from security would be anyway, with the highly advanced AI in charge, I was even more concerned. It was definitely watching...

I had kept meeting resistance in mind when we got here, but the longer we could put off any violence the better, everyone was exhausted mentally and physically from the war we had escaped outside. Well... almost everyone, I actually felt great physically, a little worn and shaky emotionally maybe and the squirming from the bulging tumor on my left was uncomfortable, but otherwise I felt better than I had since before Moondancer injected me with her version of the I.M.P, hell better than that!

Looking back to the others still tiredly milling by the elevator and cantering on my hooves happily, I had to remind myself no one else was feeling so chipper... My smile faded a bit taking in Jade's concerned, appraising stare. Glitter peeking out from her wings and leaning up to whisper to a sweaty Val, the griffon listening carefully and narrowing her violet eyes, giving a curt nod and tromping forward to me.

I opened my mouth to try addressing my griffon friend scowling at me, barely making one confused syllable before her dark claw shot out. Not a friendly shove or thump to the shoulder, or even a slap like when I really scared her, instead a whistling black fist socked me in the jaw and sent me tumbling back, blinking up at her in confusion and rubbing my aching jaw.

"W-What was that for!?" I winced, noticing Jade's gasp at the assault, but also that she didn't leap forward to break it up.

Glitter finally crept out from Jade's embrace, stamping her hooves and snorting angrily as Val cracked her knuckles and looked down to the little filly. "That enough? Or another?"

I could scarcely believe my ears when she nodded and wiped a tear from her pink eyes, shakily huffing and nodding her head. "O-One more..."

"Huh? What are you..." I didn't get to finish my thought, that fist swung through the air again and sent me reeling.

"Valkyrie! T-That is enough!" Jade wailed and trotted forward, pushing between us and shoving the smaller griffon back.

Val snorted and stuck her beak up, hooking a thumbclaw over to the filly beside her. "Much as I wanted to anyway, that was her idea Blue, an he deserved it..."

"W-What? Glitter?! What'd I do!? Why..."

Finally breaking her silence, her eyes shimmered and spilled tears down her pale, bloody cheeks, screwing her face up and shouting angrily in a pained voice that shook. "Y-You tried ta t-throw me away! S-Send me to Auntie Val an... a-an' die! You didn't h-have a way to s-save us both an'... if you hadn't... if mom hadn't... You c-can't do that!! L-Leave me alone like that... y-you promised..."

My ears drooped as I slumped, looking around at the others staring at the filly blubbering weakly. She was right, I didn't have a way to save both of us and tried to make sure she lived at least during our harrowing plummet from the tallest spire of the King's Gambit. I wished I had been able to hear whatever she had screamed against my chest at the time, lost in my ringing ears when I tried to tug her clinging little legs from my neck and send her up to Val, diving down to catch us in desperation.

"B-But..." I tried to answer, brought up short by Jade's unhappy whinny as she stroked the foal's side with her wing soothingly.

Val stomped forward and brought her balled fist up again right under my muzzle, shaking it in my face and growling. "You jumped out of a fuckin' window boss... I saw you try to pull that shit too, you earned that, take yer lumps an' quit yer whinin'. If that little new addition hadn't decided to bust out and start flappin' like a newborn griffon, ya would'a gone splat! Right in front of me!!! Blue couldn't catch ya either till ya slowed down asshole!"

All three ladies I cared about were annoyed with me... and here I felt good and happy, riding the rush of surviving a near death experience and my suddenly healthy body. "I... umm... s-sorry... I didn't think, I just had to save her! I'm r-really sorry sweetie... it was the only thing I could think of, I didn't want to leave you but I had to make sure you lived somehow, no matter what... T-That's what parents are supposed to do... protect their kids, even if..."

Apparently satisfied I had been properly punished, the pale filly dashed forward and tackled me. Hugging me tight enough to squeeze my throat shut and cut off my excuses, she nuzzled against me and kept sniveling, warm tears and snot soaking into my fur. "No! Y-You're not allowed ta do that daddy! You hafta always save all of us! Y-You can't die ta save me! G-Got it!? P-Promise!!!"

Reaching up to hug her tightly and stroke her back, I was only distracted a moment when my wing joined in the gesture automatically, curling inward around her. I gave a soft sigh to her flattened ears, resigning myself. Saving everypony and myself no matter what wasn't unreasonable or anything... "I promise... I'll try anyway, there's nothing I won't do to save you though.... so... w-we'll just try extra hard to make sure it doesn't come up again ok?"

She only pouted a moment at my conditions. Snuggling close and wiping her dripping muzzle, she poked at the dark feathers surrounding her with interest, tickling me and making the wing twitch and flap around. I suddenly felt everything on that side lift and ended up thumping to the ground on my left, chuckling along with the giggling filly.

"Alright... that's going to take some getting used to huh? Let's take a look around and rest ok? I don't think we're alone up here and we should..."

A raspy moan echoed down the halls of the M.O.M. hub's 7th floor, demonstrating my point as Eyes Forward Sparkle started lighting up with red dashes. Stumbling my way up against the wing flapping awkwardly in a lame attempt at following my scrambling legs, I shoved Glitter back to the elevator and Jade, drawing my weapons in a perfectly working surge of magic. Oh that was nice... not wobbly and weak or surging out of control, I could actually use telekinesis smoothly again!

Following the sound with flicking ears that seemed to pick up everything, I spotted a slimy, pink.... pony shape... some strange creature that gave a snarling hiss when it spotted us, charging down the hall and flinging more of that pink glop as it ran. With the noises of what I presumed were more of these things all around us, I slipped into S.A.T.S. and used my silenced 10mm pistol, queuing up several headshots and letting the targeting spell take over.

The pink thing's head exploded wetly on the third round, spattering the halls in pink and black sludge with rotting grey chunks of brains. It skidded to a halt on the tiles leaving a trail of pink slime in its wake and I looked it over in disgust, worriedly watching all those red marks on my compass.

Thankfully turrets weren't popping down from the ceiling again... The maneframe running the hub didn't seem to care I killed this... thing... anyway. Small consolation with the noises of so many converging on us from all around, Val gulped and grimaced at her sparking M.E.W., drawing her Shishkebab and reloading her grenade machinegun, covering the hall to our left as Zed ran to the right, hopping over the pink corpse.

Jade's light blue magic reached out and probed at the body, wiping sludge away to reveal rotting pink flesh and finding a slimy ID on a lanyard around its neck. Giving a worried whinny, she held Glitter tightly and moved back towards the elevator, her blue eyes darting around as more red filled my vision and speaking in a whisper. "Zombies... strange zombies, but zombies... the workers here Fast..."

An icy lump formed in the pit of my stomach as I heard the thunder of a lot of hooves coming, moans and groans from the cubicles in the open area before us as more of the slimy zombies lurched up. Rara's last message... the shields protecting this place kept it perfectly preserved, standing against the blast of balefire bombs when they dropped but not keeping out the radiation...

Swapping to Vengeance, the Terrible Shotgun and my knife, I swallowed my fear and started picking my shots, the uncooperative wing at my side tensing and blocking part of my peripheral vision annoyingly. Shamrock must have had to clear the two lower floors he had managed to dig his way into from below, every floor must still hold the occupants when the bombs fell, a good portion of which were these weird zombies...

So much for taking a moment to rest...

The 7th floor ended up in much poorer shape by the time we were done... explosives helped taking out the herd of pink zombies that kept charging at us in waves, but had done significant collateral damage in the process. At least this seemed to be some kind of records floor, filled mostly with cubicles and filing cabinets, wiping the pink glop from the sign at one end of a row of rusty filing cabinets was a little informative, reading; 'Birthdays- July -August, A-D'.

Scraps of paper and photos were still drifting through the air from the destruction, sticking to every surface covered in slime from the occupants. A scorched page with the picture of a pretty yellow filly was stamped 'GOOD' in green ink over the details of the long dead foal, she would have gotten a Ministry of Morale birthday present... September 29th, 200 years ago.

At the creak of a stained door with the silhouette of a filly, Zed ambled his way out of the restroom we had found, looking decidedly better despite the whickering of Jade behind him. "I do not know how you took such terrible internal damage Zed, but you should rest! Alright Fast, your turn!"

Trotting forward at her beckoning happily, I only briefly paused at the threshold, going into the fillies restroom was weird... even if this one hadn't been used in centuries. The bathrooms were by far the cleanest, most sterile places on the floor though, and the fillies side was bigger and nicer. Aha I knew it! They had a couch in here! and a radio! Nice, clean stalls not sprayed with long dried stains of stallions with poor aim, a dirty mirror dominating one side above a number of sinks, odd vending machines, this was interesting and I kept looking around as Jade pulled my armor off and her magic washed over me.

Glitter was allowed in here as her little nurse, watching her curiously as she pulled and prodded my new wing and the rubbery flaps of skin hanging from that side. Finally satisfied with the uncooperative appendage, she moved over to my other side and poked the bulging lump still there, pulling a gleaming scalpel from her medical box saddlebags. "Hold still Fast, this may pinch a bit..."

"Pinch whaaAAAAHHH!! OW!!" I yelped as the medical implement punctured the tumor on my back and slid smoothly in an arc at the bottom of the bulge, a splash of foul smelling gunk washing down my side as the scalpel smoothly sliced the flaps away from the other side as well.

Another few quick strokes of the scalpel sliced the rough, rubbery skin off and a matching, slimy wing sprang up from that side, drooping and dripping gunk to the tiled floor. Glitter wrinkled her nose watching from across the room, staring in fascination as Jade tenderly wiped the slime from my left wing. "Ewwwww.... I-It'll look like the other, right mommy?"

Inspecting it closely and tugging it experimentally, she nodded to the filly while I poked at the pinkish, fresh skin and stubbly hair filling in under the tumors. "Yes, it will dear, let us clean it up and see a matched set hmm? If you could get me some water?"

Glitter bounded to the sinks and twisted the faucets in her hooves, waiting impatiently as clanking, clattering noises slowly came up the pipes. I couldn't help the repair-pony in my diagnosing the problem, there hadn't been demand for water up here for ages, the computer may have simply drained the pipes for efficiency. Finally a spurt and spatter of rusty sludge poured out, gushing into the basin and making Glitter's pip-buck start chattering in warning.

"Just wait a minute sweetie, it should clear up, but don't touch it ok? Radioactive, you hear that clicking, you avoid it."

She gave a dismissive huff in answer, rolling her eyes and shuffling on her hindlegs as she stretched up to the sink and waited. "Duh... I know daddy!"

As advertised, eventually the water started running clear and the clicking diminished. The water talisman in this place was functional and tied into the entire building, it worked down in the casino, no reason it wouldn't up here except for breaks in the line. It would probably even stop being radioactive entirely once it flushed the lines, for now I got to enjoy the tingle as Jade soaked spare rags and wiped my wing off, her job made more difficult as it decided to stand up under the tingly sponge bath by the mare I loved.

"Glitter dear, perhaps you could go out with Valkyrie for a bit? Your father is healthy, but we all need rest, find somewhere to take a nap if you could? We may all take a meal together and talk a bit as well." Jade wrung the rags out and asked her little assistant kindly, the little filly happy to help and dashing out, leaving the door swinging shut in her wake.

Once she had cleaned and preened the new wing joining the first, the beautiful alicorn stood back to admire her work, tilting her head and arching an eyebrow, sticking her nose up in a pout and speaking in a silkily dangerous voice. "You kissed Swan..."

"Eeep! I-I-I... i-it was the only way I c-could think of to... H-Had to get away and.... ugh... s-sorry...." I slumped under her lidded stare from down her nose, yes I had done what she said... it seemed a good idea at the time, it got me out of her grasp anyway...

Jade gave a cute little huff and closed her eyes, sticking her nose up higher imperiously but leaning close, stretching her neck up and over and tapping a hoof at the base impatiently. Falling directly to the expected response, I stretched up and gave a kiss on the magic spot, relieved at the happy little shiver as she leaned closer and directed me up, eventually working my way up to her lips and getting a pleased giggle.

"Hmm... that is better... and I suppose it was an emergency..." She sighed and folded me into a crushing embrace, shuddering and nuzzling my mane for reassurance. "Thank the Goddess! I was so frightened Fast... you fell and... I agree with Glitter, you may not be so reckless! If you had not successfully ascended... I am so relieved! You are in perfect health again, safe and alive, together with me. I certainly wish things had gone a bit differently though... they are getting rather upset out there..."

I had done my best to turn my thoughts away from the field of unity surrounding the M.O.M. Hub, it was as strong as at Trinity Tower now, every one of Jade's sisters in the area was out there... Now that we had a moment, I gulped and tuned back in to the sea of thoughts and feelings swirling around us.

(Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!Inside!Where!Mayor!BrotherhoodAnnoyingGoAway!Fast!Male!Busy!MakeOpen!SnuSnu!Find!Now!Fast!Male!WhyRun?Don'tCare!Fast!Male!Fast!Male!)

Well... they were thinking in more than just one driving beat of lust anyway... There were some other words and thoughts in there... all of them springing from the same basic thread though, they wanted in, or wanted me out, right now... I wished I could talk to just one of them like Ivy, or find out what was going on outside from a less crazed perspective, but other than looking out of the glowing pink field at the outer windows, we were cut off. The convenience of unity kind of ruined when it was filled with such strong, fixated... thoughts.

"W-What're we gonna do? They're pretty determined... and they all know..." I gulped and tried turning away from it again, it was getting surprisingly easy and my head didn't hurt in the slightest, even with such a strong field of telepathy surrounding us.

Jade slumped around me a bit, her feathers intertwining with my own as they fluffed up and dried, breathing deeply and relaxing with a sigh. "I do not know... They cannot follow us, they will wait until we come out, however long that takes..."

"Er.. a-any chance of reasoning with them? Umbra? Ivy maybe?"

She leaned closer and shook her head in my mane, tracing a wingtip down each of my own wings and tittering as they flared out at different angles, looking like a clock reading 3:50, the freshly freed left one was especially tender and sent little shivers up my spine as she purred in response. "I do not think so... They will not be dissuaded, they have seen a male alicorn, the dream of our mother... even those like Ivy you know will be irrational. I k-know it is wrong... but you are mine. I do not wish to share. All mine...."

I glanced up at that in worry, that sounded more than just jealous or possessive, a dragon speaking of its favorite treasure... Dammit, even her eyes were doing that weird thing, hearts sparkled in her wide irises and bands of pink were spreading through the whites of her eyes. "Er... J-Jade? You ok? Y-You're uh... d-doing that thing... please don't tell me my smell is worse now..."

She came back to herself with some difficulty, shaking the sparkles from her eyes and blushing furiously. "Oh! N-No Fast... actually it is not nearly as strong, I believe I may have been correct, a side effect of the process exacerbated by the change and hormones. You could even be around the others without much concern... i-if they did not know... It may get stronger under the right circumstances, but normally it should not be an issue anymore."

"Then why..."

"I-It is more than your scent... you are male.. I do not think you truly appreciated just how strong the mother's last command was. You are what she sought for so long, what she could never create, a way to survive and thrive, reproduce... That desire for our species to survive is a central core to all of us, one of the strongest imperatives the mother spread through unity. Seeing you... l-like that... it has an effect on us, a-all of us... P-Please forgive me my response, I am no different than the rest of us, e-except I love you... I do not mean to treat you like a p-possession... I did not expect such feelings of jealousy, I am afraid I must adjust as well...." She shuffled sheepishly, ducking her head and looking up from under her cloudy mane worriedly.

Tilting her head back up, I planted a long kiss to reassure her. "It's ok Jade, I'm sure it'll just take some getting used to... for everypony. I don't mind being yours, you're mine right? Just wanted to make sure it was really you and not... just how I smell or something..."

She smiled and took a long, appraising sniff, grinning sleepily as hearts sprang up in her eyes, but shaking her head slowly and speaking in a clear, sultry voice. "Mmmm... no, it is very pleasant but fading. I want you as much as I did before you changed though, my feelings are my own, just... amplified a bit when I open myself to the sensation. It would be very nice to find a bit of privacy though..."

Leaning back to drink in the alicorn beauty blushing above me, I nodded goofily, groaning when my wings stiffened out in new directions awkwardly. "Yes it would, trust me... The way I feel right now, I could make up for how sickly I've been all week and then some. I really feel great, even better since you cut this other one free! Is this how you feel all the time?"

Holding a hoof up to stifle a giggle at my wings sticking up, she shook her head softly. "I doubt that, after what you have been through, it is a natural reaction. Allow yourself some time to adjust and..." Her eyes flicked up to the door out, then back to the large handicapped stall, opening it on squealing hinges with her magic and giving a blushing, come hither look. "I suppose we could... t-take a moment... q-quickly... burn off a bit of that energy? Put it to good use hmmmmmm? H-Hurry!"

I practically floated off the ground following the hoof under my chin, drawing me forward with no resistance. Wait was I actually floating?! The curiosity of just the tips of my wings stretched straight up from my back fluttering instinctively lifting me from the ground was dim and unimportant, who they were taking me to was muuuuch more interesting...

After a fumbling, rushed and rather explosive tryst with the alicorn of my dreams, we had to reluctantly join the others, blushing and giggling like a pair of teenagers. Well... I supposed we were just that, even though technically I was more than 200 years old and Jade was younger physically, we were acting our mental ages though... That was.... something alright, I almost didn't mind some of Moondancer's weird ideas for her version of the I.M.P. now...

Maybe it was just near-death experience, glad to be alive sex, but it didn't feel that way, I almost died plenty enough by now... Almost as soon as we finished I was raring to go again, normally I needed a little time to recover, this time Jade did for once which was a nice turn. We'd definitely need a looooot more time together, soon... after having a taste a steady beat in my head kept demanding more, even as we shuffled our way out of the bathroom guiltily.

Being with Jade like that with such a strong field of unity around us was distracting on multiple levels too. On the one hoof, it was fantastic, actually being physically and mentally connected with the blue beauty, sharing a whole new realm of intimacy with her as we hurriedly explored each other.

On the other hoof.... the feedback from all the other alicorns that came with that kind of telepathy was... weird... very weird... I wasn't sure if Jade was feeding off their frustrated lust or what, but the frantic voices all settled out into a strange hum of focus and desire, in a highly disturbing way it was like being with all of them at once... Probably not the best idea to stir them up even more, and I had to wonder if some part of Jade wasn't taking perverse pleasure in being the only one who got an outlet for that driving need welling up in all of them, she wasn't like that though... right?

All in all, I almost wished Jade was a green alicorn like Ivy. Having my every thought an open book might be trouble, but being together like that, alone? That would be fun... Not worth the change to the silken blue fur my eyes lingered on as we chatted and ate in the largest office on this floor though, I loved everything about Jade, her beautiful medium blue color was part of the package I would never give up.

I blinked and shook my head at the dark claw suddenly waving right in my face, snapping me back to reality and dragging my eyes away from the heart and crown cutie mark on the magnificent flank beside me. Apparently I was expected to join the conversation instead of just sitting in a stupor and munching a box of Sugar Apple Bombs I didn't really want.

"What? S-Sorry... wasn't paying attention..."

Val gave a lewd smirk in reply, "Yeah, I know what's on yer mind boss... Was askin' how ya did that... thing... that funny, suck up all the juice magic thingy... Was like havin' a super matrix disruption grenade that keeps goin' off! Can ya do that again?!"

Snickering at the rosy blooms on my cheeks at Val's teasing, Jade lightly touched my wing with her own, Glitter sitting between us under a black and blue canopy as they twined together and she answered clinically. "I would not count on that Valkyrie. I only saw the final pulse, but if I had to guess I expect it was merely the culmination of the potion, Fast could not reproduce that effect if he wanted."

"Awwww! Why not! That was awesome! Kinda pissed at stripy here tossin' him, but it worked good! How come that potion was doin' that if he can't?" Val drummed her paws on the carpet in a pout, flicking her tail petulantly.

"He asked me to throw him, I threw him... You could have done as asked instead, as you said, it worked out well." Zed chuckled from the corner, rolling his eyes at Val's annoyed snort.

Now that she was on the subject, the medical alicorn warmed to it and continued her postulations, turning an interesting medical question in her hooves. "Hmm... this is merely a theory, but it was probably due to the power requirements. The potion wrought slow physical change to Fast's biology, but a final spark was needed to complete the ascension. The potion reached out and drained everything it touched until that need was met. My mother was created as a balefire bomb exploded directly overhead you know, there was a good deal of ambient energy to draw off of at all times, Fast did not have that advantage and had to make do with whatever his magic could touch."

Val's violet eyes glazed over at the detailed explanation, huffing and curling up on the blanket borrowed from our room below. "Bah, so he can't do it no more, that sucks boss. How ya feel? Getting them things under control yet?"

At the smirking question, Glitter crawled over my lap and tugged on my free wing, laughing as it twitched and flapped uncontrollably, ticking me madly into stifled giggles. "Doesn't look like it Auntie Val! They look so funny daddy, it's weird seeing you with wings! I wanna see you fly!"

Hooting laughter, Val rolled an eye our way and waved at the wing twinging out in a new direction. "Ha! I wouldn't mind seeing that myself kiddo! Yer old man is gonna be funny as hell tryin' ta fly, those things are like a newborn's no matter how big they are! Gonna put ya through yer paces when we get outta here boss, better get ready fer some pain! Some good ol' griffon trainin' put you right in no time! Matter of fact, no time like the present! Get down an' gimme 20!"

"20? Caps?... Why do I have to get down to give you money, and you have almost all our caps anyway Val, why do you want 20 of mine?" I squinted in confusion, misunderstanding the order to her amusement.

With one lithe motion, she bounded up and across the room, picking me up by the scruff and shoving me to the floor, yanking my wings down to the floor and pinning them in place with her paws, tapping my scrambling forelegs out of the way and off the floor, leaving me stretched and held up only by her holding me and my stubborn new appendages quivering in place.

"Wingups boss! Push! Up and down! Just like that, 20 times!" Guiding me with her grip, she lowered me up and down, flexing the limbs into getting used to the motion until they could... sort of mimic it when she let go.

I quivered in place, wincing and sucking on my hoof when Val slapped it for trying to hold me up like it was supposed to, being held up off the ground like this by ...not legs... was weird, and they couldn't hold up to the demands of trying to do as told, tensing and bending down shakily before giving out, dumping me to the carpet on my chin.

"Ugh... looooong road ahead boss, don't worry, I'll whip ya inta shape in no time!" Val rubbed her claws together in anticipation, suddenly the herd of alicorns outside didn't look so bad, the griffon's plans for me sounded a lot less fun than theirs.

"I wish the Junior Speedsters were still around... I was always jealous of the pegasus kids who got to go over the summer, that would be more fun..." I grunted from the floor, trying to shove with my wings like told and push back up to no avail, these things worked... sorta, but were new and weak.

Scratching her beak, Val looked up to the ceiling in thought and hummed to herself. "Not still around exactly... But not a bad idea boss, there's an old Wonderbolts base down on the coast, pegasus town last I was that way, but still gots the obstacle course an everything! We'll take ya there! Make beatin' ya into flyin' form faster!"

Groaning at having made my situation worse, I decided to just shut up. Floating Val's detached M.E.W. over and pulling out all my tools in a cloud as I sat on the blankets spread under Jade, Glitter and I. The foal and my princess curled up beside me, Jade rolling one sleepy blue eye up to my tools expertly flying about and getting to work undoing the damage I had done to the weapon. "Do not play with your repairs long Fast, you need rest as well... "

Smiling at her cute yawn and Glitter almost instantly passing out against my side, I nodded and let my smoothly working telekinesis tend to my repairs. "I will, don't worry. I'm just really not tired right now, you guys get some sleep, I'll keep watch ok?"

Considering how exhausted they looked, no one argued at the plan, falling to a deep sleep in minutes while I worked quietly. Val's weapon was soon fixed and reattached to her discarded armor, after that I serviced Glitter's Righteous Authority and the Last Minute, the hybrid ballistic/M.E.W. hadn't suffered as much damage from my magic washing over everything in range, but needed a little attention anyway. At least the shielding on our pip-bucks seemed to protect them, fixing those would be a little more difficult...

Once I was done with that, I figured I may as well tend to all our weapons, it had been too long since I felt up to the meticulous work anyway. Firearms hovered around me, taken apart and oiled in a cloud of blue magic like an exploded diagram as I checked over every part, cleaning and replacing what needed it.

Finishing up with my silenced pistol, I looked up and out the glowing pink windows behind the old desk we sheltered by, the moon was sinking on the horizon... how long had I been up? Wow! Checking my pip-buck revealed it had somehow gotten to be 1:38 AM while I worked, almost three hours had passed and I still wasn't tired at all...

I leaned back against the pleasant warmth pressing against me, fidgeting in place trying to calm down and rest with little success. A shadow flitted by one of the windows that my now sharper eyes glanced up at just in time, spotting one of Jade's sisters circling the building... They were still out there...

Finally I couldn't take it anymore, I was just too brimming with energy to sit here. Carefully extricating myself from Jade and Glitter over their sleepy moans, I pushed the two together into the gap I vacated with a smile, no reason to wake them up. I'd just look around a little, maybe trot around this floor and try to tucker myself out.

So many dry records all concerned with birthday parties weren't interesting reading material, so I was frustrated there, even the multiple terminals I ran around and hacked one by one didn't disclose anything of value, though I did find my own records and was glad to see a green 'GOOD' stamp by my own picture.

Fast Times - Unicorn

Good grades
Shares his snacks
Made a friend
Likes Shrouded Stallion

Present Approved

That was nice... I wondered how they knew so much about everypony in the Commonwealth, but I was glad I was good, I had the paperwork to prove it now! I stuffed it in my bags with a grin, I couldn't be bad, no matter what that dark Shroud in my head whispered, I was good... Pinkie Pie thought so!

Despite my squeamishness, I even poked and checked the slimy pink corpses of all the dead zombies. I really wondered why they were like this, I'd never seen a ghoul or zombie either one all covered in pink gunk like these. I met one ...melty looking pinkish ghoul once, but he wasn't like these, Jade said he was from Canterlot though I never knew how she was sure of that. No, these were something different, and anytime there was something strange in the Commonwealth, my thoughts turned to the Institute.

I could still only guess at the motivations of two divisions, I knew enough about Biosciences and Public Relations to do that much, the others were still a mystery. Venturing a guess, I had to assume that Vega... Svengallop, was behind the events in Goodneighbor. He was in contact with the Kings, supplied them with the drug X-Cell that looked like it was turning Bishop's fighters into the Institute's mutant alicorns one dose at a time... All right up his alley.

I was worried about how my very public transformation would affect Moondancer and the Biosciences division too. The Confessor said Dr. Dala was acting strange, locked in the staged memories of her dollhouse and refusing to come out. Now not only did all of Jade's sisters know the mad mare could make a male alicorn, but Moondancer probably did herself, her experiment succeeded... What she did next was anypony's guess.

Running laps around the silent floor of the Ministry of Morale hub and thinking over all this, I noticed I still wasn't tired. I was barely sweating in fact, galloping around like a fool and muttering to myself, my wings flapping along with my legs as I went, sending me lurching up at odd intervals.

Deciding to go along with their unsteady attempts in the hopes of finally getting sleepy, I tried to focus on controlling the new, strange muscles, giving an experimental flap every few strides. After enough of that, I was surprised to find myself floating up higher and higher each time, drifting back to the ground before lurching back up.

This was fun! I really could fly! Not very much in the cramped hallways, but gravity was being defeated after being my constant enemy my whole life. If only mom was here! I could fly with her, she could teach me like she always wanted!

But she wasn't...

They were all still gone... I hadn't made any real progress finding my family, sure I saved a hoof full of Shift 7 ponies and I was glad for that, but they weren't who I was looking for, weren't who I wanted to see. What would I do when I did see them, if I did? What would mom and dad say? Sunset? Grizz? If I found them, woke them from their 80 year sleep and greeted them like ...this?

I wasn't the same pony they knew anymore... the wasteland had changed me enough inside it would probably be a shock, but now? 'Oh hey guys, good to see you again! What these old things? Just my wings... no big deal...'

I was so distracted by the thought, the sudden worry... I wasn't paying enough attention, my wings gave a forceful flap in response to the rising panic and I shot forward, smashing through several cubicles and ending up in a heap and groaning. Pushing myself free with a clatter of dusty junk, I sighed and blew my mane out of my eyes, this was going to take awhile...

I couldn't just sit here either, running wasn't doing enough to deal with the energy I was brimming with, flying was wildly inadvisable... I didn't have anything more to fix and Jade wasn't up to pester, far too tired from her work healing to wake up just to play with me. My eyes hung on one of the slimy corpses draped over a burnt cubicle wall across the aisle...

I really shouldn't... Nevermind the intense spike of curiosity lighting up the boredom, or the fact each floor was presumably sealed like this one... Just because there was only one floor at a time to deal with, and an easy escape to the elevator and back to safety at any time waiting... that didn't mean I should just go off and...

Stuffing my nagging conscience aside, I got up and crept to the elevator. I'd be careful... sneak around, try to get used to all the changes and tire myself out... What could go wrong, I was an alicorn for Celestia's sake, surely that merited a little overconfidence... and I really wanted to explore, find out how these zombies got this way and get up to DO something.

Sitting still with my thoughts had proven a little uncomfortable...

Slip sliding my way around a corner past another row of kitchens, I fully accepted I brought this on myself... The horde of snapping slime zombies behind me crashed and slapped wetly into each other, trying to navigate the turn behind me and giving me a second to try the wings again. One almost steady flap sent me shooting forward and let me kind of... roll over above the ground, facing back at my attackers and giving my magic a try.

KRACKA-THOOM!

Half a dozen slimy pursuers fell to the goop absolutely coating this floor in smoking heaps, bizarrely smelling like burnt frosting to my sharper sense of smell. I barely got a sense of how many more of them simply clambered over the fallen before spinning upside down, still rocketing down the hall, the rotting floor zooming just above my head after being propelled faster by the blast of magic that spun me. Ok... that probably wasn't a good idea to try while technically in the air...

I could be forgiven for not being as stealthy as expected... the 8th floor went ok, not much different than the 7th and a good workout, much easier to sneak around without the alarms going off when I entered. The 9th floor however was a floor of nothing but kitchens for some reason and so covered in this pink glop I had to practice hovering above it to keep my pip-buck clean.

Spotting the slime zombies lurching up from the ooze wasn't exactly easy before it was too late, the sticky camouflage ended up letting them surprise me, then one thing led to another and...

Stretching and straining my forelegs over my head, I gripped the slippery ground and just kept right on going, not expecting any traction really, just trying to right myself and touch the ground again. Being able to simply ignore gravity made everything really disorienting... Floating the Terrible Shotgun in front of me at the surging horde of undead ponies, I started firing away as I kept sliding on my rump towards the wall.

Putting an appreciable dent in the slimy herd, I hoped I had my timing down and tried to dive to the left, my wings flapping crazily and just managing to send me soaring off around the corner. Not pushing my luck, I dropped back to the ground and ran on, looking over my shoulder as the remaining red on E.F.S. followed.

Staying on the ground and using the extra thrust to run faster was surprisingly difficult, everything kept drifting up unless I really focused. Still I managed to put enough distance between us I glanced back again as the first beeps started sounding out, having land mines to work with again was a good thing.

The series of explosions that rocked the floor sent a shockwave of hot air billowing out behind me, lifting me up despite my struggling hooves trying to stay down and sending me crashing into one of the first big kitchens I had cleared, while I was still undetected like I had planned...

Landing in the heaping puddle of glop nearly reaching the ceiling, I found it was a counter under there... a sharp pain jabbing my foreleg as I poked my head up and out, wearing a dripping beard of goop I had to shake off in a spatter, ick. I pulled my leg free with a disgusted huff, glancing around on E.F.S. and relieved to see nothing. That could have gone better, but still ok so far...

Alright, not bad so far, the long kitchen knife jabbing through my fetlock kind of disqualified it from being ok. Hissing at it, I pranced out of the kitchen, holding the limb out queasily and trying to find one of the sinks that worked. I really hoped this stuff wasn't toxic or some kind of weird disease... had to flush it out and use a potion, though I wondered if it was poison, would it even affect me anyway?

Bad thoughts... aha, water! Waiting impatiently for the clanking to end and the first rusty spurt to clear, I gripped the cooking implement in my mouth and tugged quickly, sending a fan of blood up across the mostly clear stainless steel sink and jamming it under the tap, sighing in relief at the pleasant tingle.

I glanced around while I waited, thinking again that whatever happened here, this floor probably had something to do with it. A floor full of kitchens was odd if you didn't accept the Ministry of Morale ridiculously made it their business to manage birthdays all over Equestria, being run by a sorceress of sweets didn't hurt either. What had gone on in these kitchens though... I doubted Ministry Mare Pinkie Pie would approve...

Set against the bright colors of ancient sprinkles and long dried batter, huge mixers and ovens, cabinets full of pots and pans, the pink glop covering it all reminded me even more of frosting, the cloying taste of the sludge in my nose from my landing just confirmed it. Maybe I'd find some answers somewhere under all this slime once I was done treating my wound, didn't want Jade to see that little fuck up if I could avoid it...

Pulling a purple healing potion from my bags, I pulled my leg out of the icy water and moved to hold open the cut, pouring a little of the magic potion in the wound to flush it out like Jade taught.

I couldn't do it... the deep cut just sealed up before my eyes, like I drank the healing potion already... Staring at the leg shakily, I held it up and kept looking, trying to take in the weird new biology. My broken limbs healing under enough radiation was strange enough back in the Combat Zone but I had been a little occupied, actually watching a cut just close up though?

I pulled the plunger on the sink, letting it fill with tingly water and pulled Best Served out, floating it over the sink and nicking myself with the insanely sharp blade, watching the new cut seal right back up...

Another cut... shooop! no more cut, only blood in the sink to prove it was ever there... A deeper cut... shooop!, a longer shallow one.... shooop! Jabbing the long blade a few inches into my fetlock brought out a spray of blood that spattered the counter, but the deep wound closed as soon as the blade was removed.

It didn't even hurt that much, how interesting... t-totally not creepy at all... I was shaking and panting, a cold sweat springing up on my coat as I stared and cut. I hovered my starmetal knife up a bit higher, I bet I could just lop the limb right off and it would seal back together, m-maybe just regrow the hoof entirely... what would that feel like...

"FAST! STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!!" The knife clattered to the tiled floor at Jade's booming goddess voice, looking up guiltily to her trembling in the doorway.

I held up the shaking hoof with a lopsided, weak grin, noticing just how much blood I had ended up splashing all over the place, bright red over pink. Whoops... guess I made too much noise, I had planned on being subtle and less ...explode-y... "I-It's ok... see? J-Just heals right back up... y-you don't have to keep healin' every stupid thing I do to myself huh?"

She approached cautiously, her pale blue magic gripping Best Served from the ground and floating it away, speaking softly and with worry. "I see Fast... But I like healing you. T-This must be a big adjustment for you... Your elation at feeling better and surviving has... h-has delayed letting it really sink in. You should not do such things... come with me and sleep..."

But I'm not tired! N-Not at all! D-Do I even need to sleep now? Or eat!? Why aren't I tired!?! W-What am I now?! Am I even me anymore!?!?!" My voice kept rising hysterically beyond my control, everything I had been trying to ignore by keeping myself busy spilling out in an escalating rush. I was breathing in ragged, rapid gasps and everything was getting spinny...

I felt a jab in my flank as Jade stepped forward and held me still in a tight hug, pinning me in place and whispering in my ear softly as everything got dark. "You are still you Fast... w-wonderful you, just sleep, sshhh..."

Unconsciousness was not quite the escape I hoped for...

The lingering feelings of panic quickly melted away in the familiar surroundings of Stable 111, back home... everything was fine, there were Stable ponies all around me, tending to their jobs, keeping the Stable running, nothing had ever happened... There was Sunset trotting down the catwalk above, chatting happily with Jade...

Why did I think that was strange? Of course Jade should be here, just like all the other alicorns wandering about the Stable, each wearing their extra large Stable barding bearing the yellow 111 across the back. Jade's always looked especially fetching, nearly matching her blue coat.

The lingering gazes of her sisters was distracting, but I only had eyes for her. Tearing my gaze over to Sunset and shuffling under her merry green... no yellow... gaze, yellow? Was that right?

Sunset looked up sleepily, glancing to the ceiling and the tons of rock above our heads, burying us underground. She seemed confused a moment, then launched into one of her typically Sunset bounces, tackling me with a squeee over Jade's light blush and squeak. "Fast! How's my bestest friend! All done stretching out your wings with your mom down in the Icebox?"

"Umm... w-wha? Yeah... did we?" I scratched my mane trying to remember, why was everything so disjointed? Had I been flying with mom? Why would that be odd... I fluffed my wings absently, they had always been there right?

A streaking blue-lavender and purple blur slammed into me, knocking me from Sunset's grip and grabbing my hindlegs in a familiar hold, spinning in a graceful pirouette before releasing me to dizzily thump against the ceiling of the Stable atrium, hovering in place and rubbing my head, joined at the top of the tall room by a snickering Bright Skies-Times looping around me easily.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten? Such an absent minded buck I have! Sigh... no wonder you never remember my birthdays, it breaks a mother's heart!" She swooned in midair, holding a foreleg over her eyes dramatically and kicking her hindlegs as she fluttered around, peeking out from her leg with a lidded red... no green eye...

That wasn't right... me and mom had the same eyes... they should be red. Weren't they red?

Drifting back down to the floor and Jade in confusion, Sunset piped up cheerily, waving to mom as she fluttered down behind me. "Oh tell me about it Mrs. Times! He never remembers anything! I don't see how his poor wife can stand it!"

Wife!? Jade turned an adorable shade of red for some reason, smiling happily and nodding. "Oh... h-he is quite thoughtful when he wishes to be..."

Sunset tilted her head and leaned up in a sinuous arch, grinning up at Jade's embarrassment and fluttering her eyes, her... yellow eyes... "Reeeeeally! Well you'll just have to dish girl! Sharing is caring! I want details! So Mrs. Times, any luck getting more room to fly? The Overmare has been really excited!"

Mom landed and nodded, a touch more serious and professional in her capacity as head of security for Shift 3 talking to one of Overmare Surefoot's assistants. "Looking good! Friendly settlement of ponies not far from the Stable in our old neighborhood, civilization too, other big towns out there from what our scouts have seen. We're going to send a party out to try to make contact soon. What do you think dear?"

She ended by looking at me expectantly with wide ...green eyes... "Whassat? Think about what?"

"About leaving the Stable silly! Going outside! Don't you think we should Fast?" Sunset laughed, nudging Jade playfully. "Honestly, you have to keep a close eye on him Jade, it's your job now not mine! His wife should keep his head out of the clouds, not his ooooldest foalhood friend! You think we should come out, don't you?"

Giving the bright yellow filly an unsure smile, Jade looked around and shrugged, crossing her eyes and shaking her head down at my old friend with a suspicious stare. They were friends though... weren't they? That was the most natural thing in the world, maybe there were sparks when we first started seeing each other, but Jade eventually got along with Sunset... right?

She answered hesitantly this time, "Come out? Outside... I suppose, if it is safe..."

Mom flew up with a wicked grin, fluttering up at eye level with Jade and pinching her pink cheeks, smooshing her face as she tittered. "Of course it's safe! My shy little daughter in-law! Lot's of ponies out there that could do with a talented healer like you! The medical ward must get sooooo boring dear, and don't you want my lovely granddaughter to see the sun? Bless us with another little bundle born back out under the open sky?"

That elicited just the sharp 'eeep!' mom wanted, rolling in laughter in midair, hanging upside down and nuzzling Jade's glowing red face. She squeaked an answer to her intimidating mother in-law, having long since learned not to resist the pegasus. "Oh! O-Of course that is what I wish M-M-Mother Bright..."

"That's what I thought! Yep, sending your griffon friend out with her own squad this week Fast! With any luck we'll have some room to really get a workout again within the month! Getting out will be good, won't it? Now, you two get to work makin' me some more grandbabies to spoil!"

She looped suddenly and spun around behind me faster than I could follow, easily bucking me from behind and sending me sailing directly at Jade. My poor ...wife... gasping and holding her hooves out to catch me, curling around me and blinking in confusion as Sunset nodded up at her, stretching up to stand on her hindlegs and nuzzle between us.

"Really! You're not the only one anxious for a bun in the oven sis... Jade! It will be so nice to come out... thanks again for letting Fast help Grizz and I too, if we're going back out again we all need to help repopulate Equestria right? So nice of you to share him with the others for the greater good! Grizz was so embarrassed at our fertility problem, promise I won't ruin him for ya!"

One of Jade's sisters passed by (Come out...) as she sputtered trying to catch up and Sunset cooed playfully, wait I was helping... what?! While I tried to figure that out Umbra walked by, tracing a wing down my back as she went (Come out...) as more of her sisters pressed closer, perching on the catwalks above, filling the atrium, all wearing blue Stable barding, all whispering (Come out...)

The atrium shook with a clatter of steel falling to the cold floors, a big purple filly filling the large room, her head just below the round window to the Overmare's office as she stamped a hoof and flopped to the ground nearby, the yards of blue Stable barding stretching at each sleepy breath, (COME OUT!) and that big muzzle started insistently lavishing attention on...

"THAT IS ENOUGH!!!" Jade boomed around me in return and filled my vision, everything fell apart and I was falling... falling again to the street and...!

"WHAAAAUUUUGGGHHH!!!!" I screamed myself awake, staring around frantically at... the elevator? Why was I walking to the elevator? Why did I have a hoof outstretched to open the door and ride it back down, how did I get...

A lot of blue alicorn slammed into me, streaking across the office and glomming on to me quickly, curling her wings around me whispering shakily in my ear.

"Ssshh... it is alright, it was not real, calm down..." Her voice was soothing and soft, but a red hot core of anger was glowing through her thoughts.

"W-What?! I was having a dream and... I was... I d-didn't mean to!"

She sighed and helped me back up, peering up and towards the office the others slept in nervously, back on the 7th floor. "I know Fast... I am s-sorry... My sisters are getting rather insistent now. They took advantage of you being asleep to try to... fool you into coming out... t-try to forgive them, they are not themselves, even though that was low..."

"Fool me... you mean they were! That dream was them!?" I goggled at her, only mildly embarrassed she knew exactly what dream I had. If they could do that... I rubbed my flank where Jade had injected me with whatever knocked me out, grumbling sheepishly, that was one more reason not to sleep...

Following my hoof and thoughts even without the benefit of the unity I was trying to build mental defenses against, Jade sat up with me and shook her head softly. "I am sorry I sedated you... you were having a panic attack... Everypony needs sleep Fast... even us. Trying to avoid it only results in more problems, going without can drive a pony insane. You are still you, you still need sleep, regardless of any other changes... I am afraid it may not be the best idea until we deal with my sisters though... but do not doubt you are still a pony and still yourself."

"R-Right... sorry... I umm... guess I freaked out a little, you were right, I hadn't really let it sink in, I was just happy to be alive and... sorry. I didn't scare you did I?" Remembering shakily cutting myself repeatedly and getting caught, I winced and looked up in worry, imagining things from her perspective guiltily.

"Yes you did! I awoke to find you missing! Were it not for being connected through unity I may not have found you! B-But I understand... many of us went through similar travails after the goddess died and we were lost, remembering who we were slowly and learning to be individuals again...

Having a body that behaves so differently is going to be a shock, give yourself time to adjust and do not do that again. Really... wandering about alone... y-you can talk to your wife... er! M-Me! T-Talk to me about anything..." Watching her face glowing brightly, I cocked an eyebrow up at her curiously, she said...

"You were in that dream too... weren't you? Like... not in my head, but really there? Wife?"

Squeaking and hiding in her wings, her head bobbed slowly as she peeked out. "Y-Yes... They were trying to convince and influence me as well... i-it was such a pleasant dream I... may have taken awhile longer than necessary to realize the deception..."

"Hey you figured it out! Everything was kinda ...off... but it was all making a weird kind of dream sense to me, I thought we really were... S-So how did you get out of it? I er... guess it was you that ended it huh?"

Jade gave a huff and stuck her nose up, her cheeks rosy and a mischievous smile lighting her lips. "It was your dream, you dreamed I was friends with that Sunset pony, clearly ludicrous and not reality... "

That stunned me into a laugh she joined with relief clear in her voice, cuddling close and sitting together as the first tinges of dawn lit the sky outside. After a bit of comfortable silence, she tapped her hooves together nervously and whispered, "Is... is that what your mother is really like? Whoever was playing her role was drawing on your memories..."

Oh... that's why her eyes were the wrong color... it made a twisted kind of dream-web / unity kind of sense, though I wished goddess Luna was still around to keep an eye out for things like that, the leader of Equestria would be none to pleased at Jade's sisters intruding on her domain... I was a little miffed at being influenced like that, but I supposed I could understand... I guessed they could have been a lot more forceful, it could have been a totally different kind of dream...

"Er... yeah, pretty much that was her. Still sure you want to help me find her? N-Not sure how she'll really react, but she won't be subtle about it when she does meet you ya know..."

She gasped not quite getting the teasing in time, nodding her head vigorously. "Of course! I very much wish to meet her now! A mother... hearing her call me daughter... It was a very pleasant dream Fast, the world you wish for, living together as a family... I want to see that come true, though I am happy to not be living inside your Stable... it was very confining for me you know, though the Stable barding was comfy and slimming!"

"Yeah I saw, you looked beautiful in it, I really wish you were with me back then when I was growing up there. I've thought it before so I guess that's where it came from."

Smiling to herself dreamily and lingering on the pleasant fantasy, she whispered at the first stirrings of the others drifting to us. "I would have liked 'meeting' your father and brother as well, but my sisters were trying to tailor things towards one end and are not good at pretending to be male... Despite their deception, I find it difficult to be too angry at them after getting this much though... We will find them Fast, I now have something more concrete to look forward to!"

My own thoughts couldn't help turning to the nagging worry about what that would be like again for an instant, "You... y-you think they'll take all ...this... ok?" I fluffled my wings to illustrate my point, whining as they refused to follow the smooth gesture like in my dream and instead smacked me in the face.

Jade gave a tinkling giggle and hugged me close, "That mare in your mind would love you no matter what, just as I do. That is why I am not afraid to meet her, despite how... er... s-scary she can be according to you. You are not anything other than who you have always been, those who value that will not change how they see you. Do not worry, we will get out of here and bring that dream to life, then you will see yes?"

"Yes, t-thanks Jade... I needed that. C'mon, let's wake them up and get moving, lots to do right?"

My... wife... I liked the sound of that, stood with me and we trotted together to start the day. After all we had gone through I thought we deserved a few hours rest, regardless of what was going on outside... But the wasteland kept moving on around us and she was right. No matter what happened to me, what I had turned into... I was still me, my determination to find my family hadn't changed at all, I wanted Jade and Glitter to meet my family and friends, I was going to make that happen... somehow.

--------------------------------------Level Up!---------------------------------------

Just Lucky I'm Alive-----
----You have the luck of Discord to have survived so far! The goddesses must practically tear their manes out keeping you alive, you now gain +4 Luck for 3 minutes upon finishing a battle with less than 25% health; immunity to critical hits, and +50% critical damage.

Ch. 51-- Last Luxuries ====== Book 2

Ch. 51-- Last Luxuries ====== Book 2

Goooood Morning Commonwealth! Traveling Miles with you in the flesh again today, no more recordings I promise! And lemme tell you folks, I'm glad to be back home! Thought I might not make it for awhile there! If you're wondering why, first it's because your faithful DJ is no hero fighting the good fight out there in the wastes to begin with, takin' my life in my hooves every time I stick my nose out of Diamond City, all to bring you up to date with the latest and greatest news and music in the Commonwealth.

Don't get me wrong though, being able to fly makes things a loooot easier on me than a good chunk of my listeners so I'm not complaining. Nope, it's the second thing that has me feelin' so good to be back, and if you're wondering what that is at the edge of your seat, I'm guessing you didn't go to the big party in Goodneighbor did you? Though I bet you saw the lightshow almost anywhere near Trotson...

Now, before some of my zebra fans start freaking out that an evil star fell to the sky, I can tell you that's not the case so calm down. Actually still not quite sure what I saw... but Goodneighbor's still standing, a little worse for wear but still the party capital of the Commonwealth. May want to delay any plans to head that way if you can though, they just went through a war in the streets and are still cleaning up.

That's right, the Kings of Goodneighbor decided to go for the gold, tried to take over the town and got slapped down hard for it! By everypony's favorite dark avenger no less! Well... the Shrouded Stallion had a little help too. The Minutemares and Followers, the mares of Trinity Tower, even the Brotherhood of Friendship all fought in its defense, though I have my doubts that's what the Brotherhood was there for to begin with.

The power armored ponies are still in town too, in some tense negotiations with Mayor Shamrock and even the alicorns who have all decided to gather in town and refuse to leave... Er.. d-don't know why they're so worked up... but I'd advise a friend of mine to keep his head down awhile! We'll bring you updates as we get them, our inside sources assure us we'll know what's up as soon as possible so stay tuned! For now here's a little Sapphire Shores to tide you over...

"Just lemme take a look around up here real quick, then we'll move up to the top and hiiiIIIIHOT!"

Smacking my head against the dusty ceiling of the 9th floor of the M.O.M. hub, I glared down at Val hooting laughter and waving her flaming Shishkebab under my hooves, wincing and hugging my singed tail to my chest. Every time I drifted too low, that damn thing was waiting for me and sent me right back up. Already I did not like Val's version of flight training...

"Quit yer cryin' ya big baby! If ya don't like it, quit sinkin' back down every time you open your mouth, keep them legs tucked! Stop tryin' ta walk up there, they ain't doin' nothin'!" Val snickered and swung the flaming sword under me slowly, the flickering flames waving back and forth and shouting like a drill sergeant.

Trying to stay up above the pink slime coated ground below wasn't any easier with the giggling foal on my back, even with a tiny filly as a passenger, it was surprisingly difficult to stay airborne and maintain control with the warm, dense bundle on my back. As bizarrely light on my hooves as I felt, Glitter was a solid lump of earth pony weight that wanted to be in her element, back on the ground. Jade managed to carry me and her around? All the time?

"Keep tryin' daddy! This is fun! I don't wanna walk around in that sludge, giddyup!" She laughed and bounced on my back, delighted at her new ride keeping her up out of the goop that would come up to her belly in places.

The glow of my blue magic surrounded her and I tried to subtly pick her up, instantly smacked upside the head by dark griffon claws. "NO! No horn head cheatin' boss, you stay up with her bein' totally not weightless!"

I groaned and rubbed my head, focusing on controlling my course and staying up. I could do it... I just couldn't talk at the same time, or get distracted thinking, or much of anything except trying very hard to make one shaky flap after another. The ease at which Jade simply fluttered inches above the slime was disgusting... and she didn't have as much room as I did in the hallways... Only made worse by her glancing back occasionally with merriment dancing in her eyes, she thought this was quite fun...

Coughing to disguise a giggle, she nodded and turned around, sitting up in midair and drifting lazily backwards to speak to us, show off... "Valkyrie is correct Fast, muscles build faster when they are pushed, making things easier for yourself will not help you learn faster. What is it you are seeking up here?"

"Not sure... this floor is just really odd with all the slime, hoping to find some kind of explanation... Hard to tell under all this stuff though..." I panted in reply, sticking my head in another slime coated kitchen and trying to puzzle out the vague shapes covered by all the frosting flavored goop.

Zed didn't seem that bothered trudging through the slop below, though to a zebra that regularly soaked his hooves in blood and bone fighting hoof to hoof, the sticky sweet slime probably wasn't that bad. As I watched and nearly ran into a wall for my trouble, he lightly stepped over one of the slime coated zombie corpses and raised an eyebrow.

"You came up here and did all this while we slept? Impressive..." He blinked in confusion at Jade, Glitter and Val all wheeling on him with a shared, angry huff, cautiously continuing his thought under their glare. "Not that it was wise... just impressive. I hope you got it out of your system?"

"Er... y-yeah... It was a really stupid thing to do, I umm... w-was just trying to get used to... things..."

Carefully avoiding the kitchen I had been caught seriously considering lopping off a limb in, I squeaked at Val viciously pinching my flank with a grumble. "Bet yer ass it was stupid boss... cain't guard ya if you keep wandering off! Lucky Blue spoke up for ya, thought ya might need a few more good punches ta the face 'fore she set me straight... You uh... doin' ok now?"

"Fine now... just... trying to take my time and get used to.... yeeeeEEEOWWW!! STOP THAT!" Ugh... mouth started working, wings stopped... wincing at the flames dancing under my hooves, I shot up and bashed my head on the doorframe of the next kitchen down as the fiery griffon just snickered.

This was a larger kitchen, but so covered in slime I couldn't make anything out, just indistinct blobs of frosting smelling sludge all over the place. Maybe I could find a firehose or something on the walls and...

"This is intolerable... we will never find anything like this, one moment Fast." Jade huffed primly and her long horn lit up, the pale bluish-white glow spreading to all the pink in here and lifting it all up into the air, swirling together into a dripping ball revealing all the counters and equipment in here under it.

"Wow mommy! That's awesome!" Glitter squealed from my back, looking all around in wonder and throwing me off to go lurching towards the sunny yellow cabinets on the wall.

With her cheeks glowing pink at the praise, Jade smiled and flung the ball of goop to a mostly empty corner, letting me get a good look around as she replied. "Thank you dear, not Celestia-tier telekinesis by any means, but more than sufficient. It is nice to be appreciated."

"And you are totally, one hundred thousand percent appreciated Jade, thank you. Alright... that's enough of this, I can't do anything up here and the floor's clean sweetie, off you go." Landing was still more of a controlled crash or falling gracefully at this point, but I didn't dump the filly to the ground and thumped down to my rump, letting her slide to the floor with a whine.

Ahh... ground... nice, familiar ground... Now that I was back on firmer footing, I could head right for what had caught my interest, a towering contraption in the corner looking oddly like a soda fountain. A monstrosity of pink and chrome, a trio of big taps and spigots and was still stained pink and a lot of cracked bowls and plastic trays nearby. From how things looked before Jade's impromptu spring cleaning, that was where all this sludge in here came from.

Pulling on one of the handles experimentally rewarded me with a clattering, chugging noise before an explosion of pink slime spattered out of the tap. Wiping it off my muzzle in annoyance over Glitter's laughs, I scowled at the machine and looked up to the flickering sign emblazoned across the top; "Fluffer Batter", a cartoon picture of Pinkie Pie's face was all big blue eyes and wide smile, slightly darker pink spattered all over her muzzle like she had been making a pig of herself on the slop.

Val grimaced, staring up at it quizzically. "...Food? That stuff actually food boss?"

"It smells like it Auntie Val! Like frosting! I bet it..." Glitter called happily and stretched up to wipe some of the gunk from the machine, bringing to her muzzle and sticking a tongue out to...

"NO! Do NOT eat that!" My burning eyes must have flared to life in fear, falling over myself to smack her hoof away shakily and instantly sorry from her shimmering stare.

She sniffled a second, holding her swatted foreleg to her chest, looking up at me with wounded pink eyes and stalking off, grumbling over her shoulder. "I was just kiddin'... I-I'm not a dumb baby dad..."

"Sorry! Sorry sweetie, I know you're not, I'm just... a little overprotective right now ok? How about you help Val look around? I want to take this thing apart real quick, it'll be boring..."

I didn't mean to... It was just dangerous and I got scared, still freaked out by her being foalnapped and nearly becoming street pizza. Maybe this stuff wasn't poisonous for me anymore, but that didn't mean I didn't have to consider those kinds of things for her just because I was... different...

That actually made me more protective of her, she was still a healthy, normal filly, a plain old pony... That suddenly seemed a fragile and precious thing, I had to do all I could to safeguard that.

A tearing sound from one of the refrigerators in here being tugged open was followed by her happy squeal, so she got over it at least. Bottles of Sparkle Cola of an amazing number of varieties were flung out behind her as she rooted around, the rainbow colored Sparkle Cola Crash (made with real zap apples!) caught my eye and I floated it over while she kept digging.

Floating out my tools to the weird vending machine I took a tingly sip and smacked my lips, that was pretty good! A robust tickle of radiation with just a tinge of electricity sparking on my tongue, no good for her with the way my pip-buck chattered, but Jade would probably like that too. I distractedly noticed my rainbow colored rad meter hung right in the middle of the dial between yellow and orange, I vaguely remembered marking it reaching the red after my toxic bath in the Combat Zone, but it had gone down on its own and stayed right there...

Panels started popping loose off the pink machine under my darting screwdriver and I glanced back to Glitter's happy gasp at the next fridge down, pulling her head out with a plastic box holding half a dozen amazingly perfect looking chocolate cupcakes with little pink, blue and yellow sprinkles, shaped like... balloons?

"Can I eat this dad? It looks reeeeeally good! No pink stuff!" She pleaded beside me, prancing on her hooves and holding the box up under my snout.

I stared closely at them, waiting for the frosted tops to flip open into fanged mouths or something... Nothing, just cupcakes, admittedly they did indeed look 'reeeeally good'... The faded sticky note decided me and I opened it in my magic, floating one out and nibbling at it as I reread the cartoonish, looping script and the different, black marker scrawled below it.

P.P.'s Super Duper Chocolatey Decadence Cupcakes Supreme! -- Hooves OFF! Saved for Director's B'Day!

My eyes closed in complete bliss and my unattended tools clattered to the floor as I took a much bigger bite, munching happily and nodding to the filly. There was only one 'P.P.' in all of Equestria that could make something so mind-numbingly delicious... I didn't think Ministry Mare Pinkie Pie was even capable of making dangerous sweets... magically impervious to time maybe, but not dangerous...

"Mmmmnnn Mmggoo Nnhead Sweetie... Sooooo good..." I groaned and tried to keep from just swallowing what was left whole, wiping the drool from my muzzle and following the box as she pulled it away jealously, instantly reaching in and grabbing one to join me in the greatest of wasteland delicacies.

Neither of us really wanted to, eyeing those four remaining cupcakes with avarice... but we nodded to each other with stuffed cheeks and she trotted reluctantly out to give everyone else one while I worked. That left one lonely old cupcake... We both kept darting glances at it as the others joined us, even Zed impressed and savoring the treat.

"W-We should save it..." Glitter whined, staring at the last soldier longingly.

Licking my hoof, I bobbed my head in agreement and kept right on drooling at it in her hooves. "We should... or split it..."

"We could... hey! No fair!" Her next idea was interrupted by the alicorn beside her, gently floating the package away and hovering it above the foal's reach as she pranced away playfully

"You are clearly not to be trusted with such a delightful treasure... I will hold onto it." Jade admonished us both smartly, but I caught that tongue flicking out to sweep up an errant bit of frosting on her nose and the little shiver she gave.

Well, whether I actually had to eat or not, knowing I could still enjoy doing it was nice. Chuckling at the little filly repeatedly jumping up for the floating box that kept bobbing just out of her reach, I turned back to the strange vending machine and went back to work. A shocked scream made me bash my head on the underside of the drip tray and flop around trying to turn, with my wings unhelpfully 'helping'.

Jade had danced away to where she flung all the slime in here and had stepped... no... was being grabbed by the sludge!? A dripping hoof had reached out from the pile and grabbed her leg, an amorphous zombie head was pushing from the ball of goop and snapping at her, then another... more legs stretched out and dragged the ball forward as she tugged away, Glitter trying to help yank her free of...

Flopping close to upright finally, I scrambled that way and drew Vengeance, using S.A.T.S. to be very careful shooting with them so near and target the head... heads... of the pink abomination... more were pushing out? The silver revolver boomed and two slimy zombie heads were vaporized, but more kept pushing up!

This was impossible, I cleared this floor already! Maybe they weren't all headshots, but E.F.S. had been clear dammit! Trying to push aside this fresh madness, I sent Best Served flying across the room, arcing down and slicing through the slimy limbs holding Jade's slender foreleg, they parted like hot butter, but I could see them sealing back together again as she tugged herself free. What the actual fuck!?

FZZZATTT!!

The ball of sludge screeched and glowed brightly before popping into a cloud of ash, a shaking Glitter gripping Righteous Authority in her mouth and panting lightly, rushing to hug her mother and giving me a frightened yet smug snort. "T-Told ya... n-not a baby...."

I'd take more of a moment to agree and congratulate her for her quick thinking, but for the shuffling, slurping sounds drifting down the halls. More of them? Shit... These zombies were more persistent, I ran to the door and spotted several clumps of slime inching their way across the floor, smooshing together back into pony shapes again with snarling moans.

Were they getting more active since we had breached the hub? Jade said zombies would eventually go dormant and still if nothing alive was near, they had certainly surprised me enough already, blending in with all the corpses littering the Commonwealth. If these were waking up and all doing this...

Val shoved past me and opened up with her repaired M.E.W., laying down blazing lines of red death at anything that moved and incinerating more clumps into ash as she grinned back at me. "Lil' tougher than normal huh boss!? Don't worry, fire fixes everything!"

Jade had run up beside us, staring out the door in fascination before grabbing everything in her telekinesis again and drawing it all together into one big target for Val to scorch. "They are reconstituting themselves... I have never seen zombies behave in such a way, almost like Canterlot ghouls or...."

Glitter came up right behind her and started firing pink beams out to join Val's red ones as she thought, trying to follow the griffon out to...

"WAIT!"

The pale filly pouted back over her shoulder at me, arching an impatient eyebrow and just waiting for me to yelp about keeping her out of danger... "Er... S-Stay with Jade sweetie, let her pick them up like that and you fry them for her ok?"

Phew, that cut off that annoyed look anyway and she smiled broadly around the boxy weapon in her mouth, bobbing her head rapidly and scrambling her way up Jade's back. "Ok daddy! Keep workin' on your borin' stuff! We'll get this!"

At least my rampage up on this floor meant they were all still reforming apparently, it should be fairly safe... None of my weapons seemed effective, though my lightning spell cooked them well enough last night. As long as it was just putting them down before they got up again, it wasn't too much to ask to let her go with Jade, she'd be safe behind her shield if it came to it right?

Zed was in a worse position than I was, hooves versus blobs that just reformed wasn't a good match so he kept an eye out at the door while I increased the pace. If they were all like this.... the ones below would be doing the same thing, and any above we cleared would have to be properly finished off or it would just keep happening.

"Your daughter is dealing with her ordeal in her own way as well I think. Most children in the wastes learn to fight even younger than her, you cannot protect her from everything..." Zed spoke sagely while I worked, just what I wanted... parenting advice from a grumpy zebra bachelor...

"Most kids aren't mine..."

That got a gruff chuckle of a reply, "No, but all children grow up. Have you considered how she feels? Being the helpless damsel in distress, rescued by a father who made it clear he would die to do it? The same with your mare in Hexington, your rescues tend to lean towards throwing yourself headlong towards danger and death, without concern for yourself. That is a hefty weight on small shoulders."

Grunting a noncommital answer and trying to ignore the valid point, I kept working. I needed to know... had to be sure, try to understand before moving on. What had been idle curiosity before was now an imperative, this was not right at all. With a final screw and a squalling of rusty metal, I finally yanked the biggest panel off the machine and spun it in my magic, finding strange internals I had to inspect, but also exactly what I expected...

Etched right into the metal was the image of a spread eagle pony... The Institute... of course...

"At least one of these things on every floor? I know we're helping out, the whole joint M.O.M. / M.O.P. project with the school, but really? Leaving feedback as requested from on high, but the Ministry of Morale makes much better stuff than this... goop... I don't care we're just helping Ministry Mare Pie fiddle with the taste, I'm sticking with the real cakes thank you. Can't believe they're already testing them in schools of all places! It doesn't really taste ...bad... per se, but I'm not the only one wondering about those kooks from C.I.A.T. Hear rumors from upstairs, ongoing investigations..."

The stressed voice in my ear from so long ago didn't make me feel much better about digging up the old audio file, there was worry in that voice from somepony who didn't trust the Institute at all, and with good reason... Other than that I hadn't found much to go on besides basic surveys on the taste of 'Fluffer Batter' and how to improve it.

The guts of the dispensing machine wasn't much more informative either. Vats of slime inside were still full, actually overflowing even after all this time. The weird talisman array hooked into them was even more confusing, amplification talismans were used to increase the potency of other spell effects, not directly wired into the strange setup I had found. I was still puzzling over it as we rose higher and higher up the Ministry of Morale hub, obsessed with some new experiment of the Institute.

"Don't wanna keep goin' a floor atta time boss? Might be passin' up some good loot here..." Val watched the pink numbers of the elevator lighting up above her one after another, wincing at each floor and the potential treasures we were rising above.

"I'm sure Val, we can see about going back down later. Right now, the best option is probably the top. If we can get to the maneframe running this place we can take our time and do whatever you want after its under our control. We need to see what's going on outside too..."

Shoving me playfully, her long tail flicked out and tickled my flanks, getting a yelp and a large pair of black wings flapping out and smacking everyone crammed into the small elevator. "Gots a good idea whats goin' on out there already right? Them fillies ain't gonna give it up boss..."

"Give up what? Why'd they all freak out when they saw you dad?" Glitter piped up, causing Jade and I to turn matching shades of red while the griffon hedged, scratching her plumage mysteriously down to her.

"N-Nothing you need worry about dear, grown pony problems, all very boring..." Jade sputtered and tried to ignore the curious stare she got, grateful as I was when the doors dinged at the 20th floor and we stuck our heads out.

A police station? No... it reminded me of one though, quite a bit like the Manebridge Police H.Q. Paladin Dance and Scribe Wind were staying at. Lots of office space, big bullpens and cubicles large enough to barely fit under the name, glass walls and dividers spattered with pink glop here and there, but nowhere near the level of sludge as the 9th floor.

We were still short of the top of the M.O.M. hub, but this was as far as the elevator could take us, we'd have to figure out where to go from here. My ears stood up straight and flicked around us, picking up the shuffles and shambles of more zombies inside before I spotted the first lurching up from the floors.

Making sure Glitter stayed with Jade at the elevator, I took a flapping canter out into the open lobby and drew my weapons, Val and Zed joining me and setting to our grim work. If we had to deal with the whole tower at once, this would be impossible. As it was, killing off a floor of zombies at a time wasn't easy, but doable after a lot of hard won experience and teamwork.

Though Val had to let Zed borrow her Shishkebab to more permanently dispatch them, and Glitter happily ran out to scorch corpses as they fell into piles of ash that wouldn't get back up. At least my lightning spell worked, cooking them into cracked and smoking dark pink forms that fell and crumbled to the floor.

Surprisingly, I didn't feel a significant drain of magic every time I used the spell, though I spotted my rainbow colored radiation gauge dipping slightly down into the yellow/green border. Was I still charged up with rads? Could I use it for magic like this? Suddenly the little needle seemed less like a warning of sickness and death, and more like a fuel gauge...

I also didn't get knocked flying back at each thunderous blast... So long as I was on the ground, I actually stayed put somehow, that was new... Unleashing a final blast to scorch the last bits of red on E.F.S. I flinched back but still stayed right where I was, staring at my hooves in surprise.

Jade seemed to figure out what I was thinking, glancing around the offices before trotting around me in a circle, staring down with interest. "Earth pony strength... curious... I believe you will find that spell easier to use now Fast, provided you are in contact with the earth. I suppose Moondancer was able to solve some of the problems with the I.M.P. after all, you may have access to all three branches of ponykind's magic..."

Ugh... she found it fascinating while every new little surprise kept messing with me, making me feel like a stranger in my own skin. Glitter's happy yell helped me buck up a little though, prancing around and stamping her hooves in front of me, standing straight and puffing her little chest out, leaning forward against an invisible wind. "Like me!! Look daddy, stand like this when ya do it! Aww... but does this mean I'm not stronger than you no more?"

Shaking off the nagging panic of adjusting to what I was now, I shook my head and ruffled her mane. "I doubt it, you actually are an earth pony sweetie, I'm... something else... Besides, you're still growing up! You'll be taller and stronger than me in no time..."

That made her happy at least, her pale cheeks brightening as I trudged off. That had just brought up another little wrinkle I hadn't considered yet... Jade said her kind lived a long, looooong time... I wanted to see Glitter grow up into a healthy, happy mare, maybe even have grandkids someday... but would I have to watch her get old too? Die? See her own foals grow up and die after her? Val and Zed too... even my family and friends from the Stable if I found them... every non ghoul or alicorn I had ever met... How long would I have to just keep going as time claimed everyone else around me? Would I even age anymore?

Biting my tongue brought tears to my eyes, but gave me something else to focus on and shake those thoughts off. I didn't want to think about that, couldn't face the thought of everyone else... No. Not going there. Not at all... B-Besides... I'd probably get myself killed at some point right?

Thankfully, this floor gave me interesting things to distract myself with. I stepped into one of the partitioned bullpens and looked around at all the slime spattered whiteboards and corkboards, maps and pictures still hanging from them, files and terminals waiting to be cracked... The big map of the Commonwealth on one wall was focused on a town to the northeast, several pins and circles all around it and down the coast.

Reading it even from several feet away, the name Neighlem was familiar, the snowglobe I found for Glitter... 'Historic Neighlem Village'... Why were they investigating...

"Zebras." Zed spoke right beside me, sending me up to the ceiling in a surprised leap that set my wings flapping reflexively.

"W-What?!"

"They were investigating zebras, Neighlem had a population of my kind before the war, it eventually became a detention camp... They... FAST! Open these terminals for me, please!" He spoke somberly looking at all the papers and pictures pinned up in here, his grey eyes hanging on one and widening as he excitedly yelled and pointed at...

A piece of black glass? A black and white picture of a jagged shard of glass, no... mirror... Squiggly runes etched at the curved edge and a series of numbers, evidence lot numbers... "R-Right! Hang on just a second Zed..."

Patching and cracking every working terminal in this office area while Val kept wandering about, stabbing chunks of slime with her Shishkebab, I looked up and ran a search for the numbers listed, able to read them even this far away. Zed was practically dancing on his hooves beside me, reading over my shoulder as I dug up the most relevant files.

Evidence ID# 892320
Zebra Artifact #867
Forwarded to C.I.A.T. Reverse Engineering Division

Notes: Confiscated from Neighlem detainees. Don't know why Dr. Swirl wanted it, just glad it's gone. Creepy...

"Sorry Zed... not here..." I winced as the zebra stamped and snorted, bucking a rotting desk across the office with a crash.

Mastering himself after just a moment, Zed nodded and spoke through gritted teeth, watching a picture of the Four Stars station outside drift through the air. "Thank you... I hoped... It is alright, I will continue investigating here a moment, as you can guess this is of interest to me. I promise to tell you more when we have more time to speak."

Oooookie dokie lokie... I backed away and left him to it, whatever he wanted to know, I opened all the terminals so he was free to work at it a minute. The rest of this floor held other areas to investigate. This was the non-party side of the Ministry of Morale, the Pinks... Working to defend Equestria from wartime espionage and hidden threats.

Another bullpen area seemed focused almost entirely on the coast, a few familiar newspaper clippings about the Winter Gang caught my eye, especially the one listing Nick Hearts n' Hooves' shooting. Drug smugglers? That's the gist I got, lots of shore side buildings marked for raids, lists of confiscated drugs and frustrated notes about their efforts being stymied from above.

A third small office area tucked away and almost forgotten in the corner was the jackpot though, pictures of the C.I.A.T. campus and the Division heads of the Institute stared back at me from the cluttered, cramped walls. A lone desk and glowing terminal was nearly buried under all the papers and notes, a skeleton sitting at the desk with a 10mm pistol before it.

Pushing the long dead Nelly Mess by her nameplate away from the desk carefully, I shakily patched my pip-buck to her terminal, my mouth was suddenly dry, glancing around at all the information she had compiled here.

C.I.A.T. Investigation - Case File #49

This is ridiculous!! I keep trying to tell my superiors and they keep shoving me aside! Those ponies at that school are crazy! The things they're doing, that they keep getting away with... All I hear is blah, blah, blah, war effort! Like it's ok to do anything so long as we win! I'm a loyal Equestrian and don't have any love for the stripes, whatever we do to stop them is fine, sure... but against our own?!

C.I.A.T. Investigation - Case File #54

Stuffed in the 'let it die already' corner! Like I'm some stubborn little filly that's just being silly!? And I swear to Celestia, they know... know about the investigation, taking steps to make sure I'm ignored and keep the ponies up top happy... Thought I made a breakthrough weeks back and they just 'happened' to finish up those Memory Recliners, lots of nice excuses about how they had to test them out to get them working right, who cares if a few criminals ended up brain dead?!

Now Ministry Mare Pie comes in for one of her visits, and they just so happen to have all these new toys for her to play with? Yeah, I'm sure they just want to help the Ministry of Peace make sure all the hungry get fed... Fluttershy's followers may actually be worried about food shortages, but those nuts aren't... I ain't eating that crap, nothing that comes from that school is to be trusted, I'm going to nail those bastards one way or another, then they'll all see!

C.I.A.T. Investigation - Case File #61

Being followed... watched... I know why, if it weren't for my insider I'd never know half of what I've found out, they want to know who it is... plug the leak... Not gonna happen, know better than to trust anything to terminals or physical records, even my memories can't be trusted... Only real patriot there actually worried about the things they're getting up to, even if he's a little ...off... Not going to let him get caught though...

C.I.A.T. Investigation - Case File #67

Overheard some grumbling from the narcotics bullpen, little flirting got Hooper to spill a little... New kinds of those zebra drugs coming in from the coast, new flavors... Rumors been rampant about the Ministry Mare's little habit, they paying her off to keep out of their business? Or just trying to help keep her distracted?

She's coming back in a few weeks, more of those tests and work at the Switchboard... Pinkie Sense research... like everything they get up to, it could be used to help Equestria, but I don't trust them... Going to try going to the M.O.P., if my superiors here won't listen, then I'll go where the safety of ponies comes first, then M.A.S., M.W.T., M.O.I., hell even the Ministry of Awesome if I have to, they could actually try doing something for once...

Straight to Princess Luna if that's what it takes, this can't go on...

C.I.A.T. Investigation - Case File #70

It happened... it finally happened and now we're trapped. Tried to tell them, experimental maneframe running the place and shields keeping it standing, both little gifts from the Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology... Super shield is great except for the whole letting you die from radiation thing, the computer won't open the building either, we're dead...

Being proved right should feel better, but it doesn't... Glad I never ate that gunk at least, rads are having some kind of effect on it, Arbor Hoof started spewing pink and had a seizure, others look like they're sweating the stuff... Not waiting around for that or the rads to kill me, ending this now.

I stared at that final message and back to the skeleton beside me, feeling a sense of kinship with the mare trying to convince her superiors about the things the Institute was up to under their noses. She tried and at least she died on her own terms, not made into one more experiment... like I had been.

I downloaded everything... Every scrap of data in the terminal, every push pinned photo and slip of paper from the walls, all of it. Her work shouldn't go to waste like this. It might be a little late, but I promised to make use of it, take up her failed investigation and put a stop to the crazy scientists somehow. A dozen new map markers sprang up after the information was downloaded, more places to look into, more clues. Deeper down the rabbit hole.

Val's squawk from across the floor revealed a larger and fancier elevator leading further up the hub, time to find this stupid computer and figure out what to do...

Just when all the pink was getting to me, we found a floor even more garish somehow... Bright yellow with darker spots, more of the ever present pink glop flung over the... cheese? That's what it looked like, every wall was painted to look like bright yellow swiss cheese...

The carpets were a darker, yellow-orange cheddary color, each wedge shaped, dirty cheese desk topped with wooden slaps of 'bread', the stools round, padded wheels of faux cheese before each... Somepony really liked cheese, like... a lot...

The horde of slime zombies up here was the worst yet as well, numerous and many of them wearing dripping pink barding like the guards of Goodneighbor, so many I had to fall back on my less effective weaponry just to buy breathing room. We didn't have enough that could put these things down for good.

Worse yet the ones that fell from bullets and shotgun shells started immediately oozing together in some horrific amalgam. A lurching blob of snapping mouths and reaching hooves, spikes of horns and wings jutting out crazily, bulldozing its way through the floor after us and absorbing every other zombie it rolled over. Of just fantastic! They could do this too!?!

The thing stretched and sent a ropy trunk of gunk out, smashing more of the odd desks under it at me and sending me flapping frantically up and away. Val screeched from my left and I caught the sight of it flinging out a ball of sludge at her, plastering her against the nearest wall before swinging at me with that club like mass again, now spiked with splinters and shrapnel from its progress.

Zed dodged nimbly back from its attempts to grab him, swinging the flaming sword in his mouth and hacking off flaming chunks but overwhelmed by the mass of slime. The spiked maul of its limb swung at me again, this time smashing into my side and flinging me from the air and through a wall, splinters of yellow wood jutting from my flank.

Glitter's shrill yell got me up and airborne again before I had time to screw it up by thinking at least, a wall of sludge oozing around Jade's blue shield protecting them both. Alright dammit, this thing wanted to make itself one big target, fine...

KRAKA-THOOM!!

I poured a lot of juice into that attack, more than I'd normal try with my old magic reserves... Inadvisably from mid air too, so I was sent careening back asshole over teakettle to bash into the wall I had already sailed through once. The crackling web of lightning cooked the monstrous thing though, that stretched out limb crumbled under its own weight as I dragged myself up again, idly noticing my rad meter had dipped all the way down to green now.

Val groaned and shook herself, spattering everything nearby in the sludge she was soaked in, her feathers a sopping mess... ugh... my feathers were too... wonderful. How did you even clean these things? "Blegh!! Nasty! Good job boss, flap harder when ya do that though, ya look silly tossin' yerself back like that, least you don't use heavy weapons. Though now that yer airborne..."

Cutting off that appraising grin of hers, I yanked the biggest chunks out of my flank and stumbled around, sighing in relief at Jade's healing magic. Lots of desks and big offices, conference rooms and glowing terminals... aha, there was the biggest, fanciest door in here, across the lobby area and behind a half wheel of cheesy receptionist desk.

"Nope, no big guns or battle saddles, don't even start Val... Here, need your expert skills here if you could?" I shuddered at her just rubbing her claws together in thought, dreading whatever ideas she had for my changes.

At least Val was taking all this well, positively giddy with her regimen of training and torture she was muttering about while her dark claws went to work, finally popping the ornate brass lock with a curse and sucking on her thumbclaw with a hiss. "Jeez... If they wanted it locked that much, why not use one of the fancy computer ones? All yours boss, what'd we win?!"

Peeking in the huge, opulent office inside, I wasn't sure how to answer... Her joke seemed oddly appropriate, it looked like we had indeed won something...

The dusty but slime free room was odd, pictures covered the walls along with banners and streamers, crepe paper strung from corner to corner and greasy old balloons absolutely filling the cheese themed room. A tall tower of marzipan cake under glass and a big black box with a silver bow sat atop the breadloaf shaped desk.

The skeleton sitting in the cushy chair was tall, wearing ratty yellow rags and a flat, broad cowpony hat of dark brown, a rotting accordion stretched from their lap down to the floor. What looked like a flare gun was near one outstretched bony hoof on the desk, the cheery blue weapon looked like it had blown the back of his head off, in a spray of blackened blood and... confetti?

It was the banner hanging over the desk that was screwing with me though... Black and silver, the monocrome logo of the Shrouded Stallion comics printed at one end, the very type of decoration I had asked for at my last birthday out in the old world. The other end had a logo that looked a bit like the M.A.S. symbol, or one of the goddesses' crests maybe... outstretched wings with a horn pointing straight up between them. The words they framed were even stranger and I sat with a thump reading it, the others silently joining me and doing the same.

Happy Rebirthascension-Day!

What. the. fuck?

I kept reading it, it kept being there... like it had for the last 200 years... waiting... Noooo... it couldn't be...

Managing to stand on trembling legs, I crept forward and stretched a tentative hoof out to the big, shiny present... That's what it was, a present, a present wrapped in my own colors...

Barely brushing the silver ribbon made the whole top of the box explode off in a shower of confetti, sending me scrambling back to the others waiting for the pain and kaboom, instead opening one eye and twitching an ear up at the crackling recording that started playing.

"HAHA! It worked! I'm guessing it worked anyway, whoever's hearing this is in need of a very special party, my cheesy sense is never wrong! Never had a chance for a Rebirthascension-Day party, read about it bein' possible in old forgotten scrolls of party lore, but never thought I'd see it, course guess I still haven't! Got a funny tickle a long time ago from Ponyville, but it went away, like a party was supposed to happen, but didn't...

Oh well! I'm totally sure on this one! Feels a reeeeeally long way away though, and don't think I'm gonna be around for it, soooooo... just have to do all the planning and hope you make it! Tried to help plan a going away to jail party for some very bad ponies here in the Commonwealth too, just have to leave it up to you I guess, yup! I'm sure it'll all be sunshine and rainbows, Pinkie told me so!

Gonna miss my little party planner buddy, but she'll wind up in a good home right? Sorry I don't have anything better for you, though I can give you a helping hoof here and there, even if you don't like one of your other presents, you should love the others. Hit it Boneless!"

At the yell and click of the recording ending, I spun on the wall suddenly sliding up on one side of the room, a portrait of an absolutely huge party on the wall depicted a young Pinkie Pie and a gangly orange buck with a frizzy brown mane, their legs slung around each others shoulders.

The small room behind it held a computer that made me drool, the cutting edge of Equestrian computer technology, I could only do better by finding one of three Crusader Maneframes miraculously still functioning somewhere, not bloody likely. Bizarrely, this tower of yellow steel and blinking lights was wired into ...a rubber chicken?

B.N.L.S.
Biomechanical Network Logistics Server

Was stamped on a copper plate under the floppy yellow rubber chicken in its glass case, somehow yes... they had wired this utterly ridiculous object directly into the maneframe, and it seemed to have a function of some kind... It didn't make the least bit of logical sense, but there it was, the red eye of the camera beside it whirring and looking me over, the smooth hum of the machine deepening as it brightened up and a monitor blinked to life.

WELCOME GUEST...
PREPARING TO TRANSFER AUTHORIZATION...
PLEASE STEP FORWARD, ATTACH EXTERNAL DEVICE AND ACKNOWLEDGE

BEGIN TRANSFER? --- Y/N?

Flickered back at me, lit in yellow text instead of the standard green. I gaped trying to make some kind of sense of this, floating my pip-buck's patch cable to the waiting port cautiously.

"Fast? Is it safe to do that?" Jade glanced around the ceiling, waiting for turrets to drop down, robots to come screaming from the walls, some fresh wasteland horror, instead there was nothing but the waiting prompt.

"I think it's waiting for us... I know it's impossible, but you see the banner, heard the recording... It's been waiting all this time for exactly this." I accepted the command and waited, wincing at the thrum of the machine getting to work and my eyes slowly widening at the wall of text zipping past them.

Val didn't sound like she trusted any of this at all, deeply suspicious and snorting, "How in the name of Gawd could that be true boss? Waitin' around 200 years fer us to just come strollin' in?! How!?"

"B-Because Pinkie Pie... that's how..."

The Ministry Mare's antics were often met with that excuse, I could remember frustratingly getting it more than once asking how she did some of the things she did on tv; defying gravity, using her mane or tail like prehensile limbs, pulling objects out of nowhere... I even once heard all saddlebags in Equestria had attained their incredible storage capacities from spells based on just that last little skill.

None of those things compared to feeling it really hit home personally though, the Mare of this Ministry just did not entirely obey the rules of reality like the rest of us, it made a nonsense kind of sense the director of her Trotson Hub didn't either... I didn't know how, wasn't sure I could know how, but whatever the reason this Director... Cheese Sandwich by the nameplate on his desk, had just given me control over the entire Ministry of Morale hub... Just like that...

Blinking at all the menus and controls now available to me, I detached my pip-buck for a moment and stumbled back to the desk in confusion, looking up to the black and silver marzipan cake and the matching present. Glitter scrambled up to the dusty wooden desk eyeing the cake hungrily, glancing back to see what was in the box with me.

A hat? A big, floppy, stylish, red mare's hat... why? I floated the bit of clothing out and gasped at the small pink object it concealed, glowing with its own internal light. A familiar pink filly caught in mid bounce, her fluffy, darker pink mane and tail, bright blue eyes clear and a beaming, honest grin... I floated up the tiny statue to read the inscription at the base, feeling the tingle and surge of energy as the voices of the others rose up in a happy chorus, reunited with another of their fellows.

Awareness! It was under E!

Of course it didn't match the others... The tickle of magic made me giggle despite myself, the taste and smell of pies and cakes filling my senses, my eyes and ears seemed to sharpen even more than they just recently had, but it was suddenly less overwhelming... Clear.

I was so taken with looking over the tiny shard of soul, I had to shake it off to notice Glitter rooting around in the empty box. Not entirely empty it seemed... what I took for wrapping to protect the invulnerable statue was... a dress? Why in the world would a mare's dress and hat be stuck in here too? The statue was plenty, I tucked it away with the others happily, enjoying the song of four of them in my head.

I floated the garment up to Jade, but it was far too small. Too big for Glitter too, it was for a petite adult... actually it looked... Nah... couldn't be... Maybe whatever prognostication let Director Cheese see me coming wasn't completely accurate... he didn't seem entirely sure who I'd be, just that I'd be there...

I bundled it up and stuffed it back in the box for now, pulling the flat brown hat from the skeleton's head and shoving it down on Glitter's head. Floating the body up in my magic, I tugged the banners down and wrapped him up, he was a friend of Pinkie, he deserved a real rest too.

With his chair vacated, I walked around and sat in it myself, still soft and springy after all this time in the sealed environment of the tower. The glowing yellow terminal on the desk would let me access the rest of the systems in this place, with my new access... Time to get to work.

By the time I got through everything, it was already afternoon and the others were bored to tears. Giving Val the location of the evidence lockup a few floors below gave her something to occupy herself with at least, once I convinced the security system to target the slimy undead on every floor as something other than deceased targets, I felt pretty good about her safety and she was happy.

Zed had gone with her as well, his investigations downstairs must have given him a few things to go looking for down there too. That left Jade, Glitter and I sitting in the still clean office together, the filly's belly full to bursting from all the cake and groaning as Jade nickered at her. "I told you... Nopony can eat that much cake Glitter, let your bellyache be a lesson to you."

"Nnnnnn.... f-fix it... please mommy?" She whined and drummed her hooves weakly in reply, I noticed she didn't have to do nearly as much convincing as I did to get her to fix my hangover... The alicorn medic's horn lit up and she gave a rueful grin, easing the foal's moans slightly while I finished up.

The B.N.L.S. Maneframe gave me access to every camera in Goodneighbor, a loooot more than probably even Shamrock knew about... From that I had been able to get a look around outside and figure out the basics of what was going on, now that we had time to think and talk about it, it was time to start reaching out and getting out of here.

Ok... Shamrock first, I flicked over to the camera in his Casino Managers office, finding a tired and frazzled looking ghoul sprawled on his ratty couch, crunching Mint-als like they really were candy and muttering, his griffon guard Scarlet nearby. I coughed for attention and had to smile at him jumping straight up in surprise, scrambling in midair and looking all around for the voice speaking to him.

"Hi Mayor Shamrock, sorry to leave you hanging, how's it going?"

"F-Fast!? What the hell?! Where are you? Did it work?! Why'd you run off and hide up there you lunatic! Do you know how dangerous it is up there, there are zombies that..." He shouted and spun around, trying to find something to focus on.

"Yeah, we figured that out. You could have told me about that little surprise before I opened the place Shamrock..."

I watched the ghoul on the monitor carefully, he knew but didn't say... I wanted to know why. "Well I didn't think I'd have to dammit! Thought we were going up together, had a security detail outfitted with flamers and M.E.W.s! You all alright? Those things are... pretty nasty, even to a ghoul like me."

That was a good response... He was at least concerned and had planned for it, I had kind of not let him in on not entirely trusting him... "Ok, we're all alright. I'm in charge of the hub now Shamrock, can do anything you want with it. But I have my own problems as you probably noticed, how's it going down there?"

"Oh fantastic! Just cleaning up from a war and dealing with two armies that won't leave! Look Fast, you're putting me in an awkward position here... I have two new allies that want different things, if I don't find a way to let those mares in or get you out, they are going to absolutely loose their shit! What am I supposed to tell them huh? I don't want to give you up, but it's not like they want to hurt you... couldn't you just come on out? Sounds like a lotta fun!" Shamrock grinned and waggled his rotted eyebrows lewdly, well... I could see things from his perspective.

"No. I'm sorry to put you in the middle Shamrock, but I'm not doing that. It's not fair to put you and your town in this position, the only fair thing is for me and those mares to settle our problems ourselves, outside of Goodneighbor..."

Shamrock seemed to have gotten the idea I was watching from the camera, looking up to the ceiling and waving a hoof as he answered. "Uh-huh... Well, suppose that would do it, if you're not here, I can't do anything now can I, and they don't have a reason to stay. Don't know why you'd pass on... sigh, youth is wasted on the young... Ok, considering we can get you outta here, that still leaves my other guests."

"And what do they want?"

"The Brotherhood? Oh not much... just everything... I dunno how, but they knew just what you were up to, must have had their own eggheads working on the problem and figured it out. If you hadn't sealed it right back up, they probably would'a tried to force their way in. With it shut again and all those alicorns in the way, they haven't had much luck, but they're not happy..." The mayor chuckled at their annoyance, so me running away wasn't entirely bad at least, though his flamethrower wielding guards would have been useful...

"Hmm... alright, I'll talk to them too. While I do go find Preston Gardens for me please, bring him to your office. Where are they?"

"Put their head honcho up on the third floor, room 310. Been usin' it as their own little base, ungrateful bunch'a stuck up party poopers..." He grumbled back and I cut the feed, flicking through controls until I found the room in question.

* * *

The black and white image that came up showed a room full of military ponies, suits of power armor clomping around, a desk cluttered with papers and junk shoved out to the middle of the floor with an angry looking pale pegasus mare screaming at... At two familiar forms, Paladin Dance and Scribe Wind... Interesting...

I turned up the audio and listened in a moment curiously, the rich voice barking at the pair made even the burly Paladin Dance look meek. She was wearing a crisp, charcoal and red trimmed military uniform, her mane clipped short and neat, a little darker than her coat, and she was one unhappy camper...

"You know him! Get him to open up!! Why the fuck else would I bring you two here, what good are you if you can't get one runty wastelander to do as ordered! This is unacceptable! The only chance to open this asset and some... some civilian beats us to it!!" She huffed and slammed a hoof to the table, poor Summer Wind wincing under her fury.

"F-Fast is not a civilian ma'am... We can't really convince him until he comes out either can we?" The petite pegasus stammered back to her superior, only stoking her anger.

"I read the stupid recommendations!! You two and Proctor Quiz think so highly of him, one of you can get him out! Even if you have to go up there and flap outside every damned window and wave him down!" She fumed and I had enough watching Scribe Wind try to hide behind Paladin Dance.

"That won't be necessary... I don't like it when you yell at my friends..."

I could have listened in longer, but I really didn't like how she was yelling at the two Brotherhood ponies I knew the longest. Seeing her squawk in surprise and stare all around was worth it anyway, stammering at no one as Scribe Wind recognized the voice. "FAST!? Is that you? Are you ok!? What happened!?"

"Fine Summer... er Scribe Wind..." I flinched under Jade's annoyed huff and pressed on, "So what's going on? Can I help you guys with something? Your friend seems a little upset..."

I was angry at the pegasus in charge shoving her aside to yell at the ceiling, listening and idly considering how much control I had over security. "Yes I'm upset! You have interfered in a Brotherhood operation! Claimed a Ministry Hub for yourself! The technology and resources inside do not belong in the hooves of common wasteland muckdwellers! You will open that hub this instant and..."

"No."

"WHAT!?!" Oh that was satisfying... maybe I could give her a heart attack pissing her off enough.

"I said no. This hub doesn't belong to you, you have no right to it any more than anypony else. I got here first, why should I give you what you want? I certainly don't have to..."

"YES YOU DO!!! In the name of the Brotherhood and the New Canterlot Republic, I demand you immediately relinquish all control of...." She screeched and I got to enjoy cutting her off again.

"No. I don't like talking to you, I don't think I will anymore. You have two members right there I'd much rather talk to, leave."

Jade snickered to herself watching the show with Glitter, she didn't have a lot of love for the Brotherhood anyway, hearing me mess with this one was entertaining her. Actually I was finding pretty fun too, too many of the pegasi that were part of the Enclave I had run into were snotty and stuck up like her, granted I hadn't met many, but the ratio was skewed towards her so far. I wished more were like Scribe Wind instead.

This one stamped and hopped like a spoiled filly, shouting and huffing angrily in a non stop stream I got tired of listening to. Aha, Shamrock put them in a fairly fancy room, one big enough to have security in place... Her screams died in her throat when a turret dropped from the ceiling in front of her and spun to face her alone.

"I could just tell security that you're enemies... You wouldn't believe some of the security in this place and all over Goodneighbor, you won't get your way being rude or trying to bully anypony. Leave me alone with Dance and Wind, now..."

She choked on her fury, her pale face getting darker in the monitor and grimacing. "You can speak to them wherever you wish correct? I will send them to a different room to..."

"No. That's not what I asked, yes I can talk to them wherever I want, I want to talk to them right where they are and I want all of you to leave while I do it. Go find me Proctor Pop Quiz or somepony reasonable, or at least go get a drink and chill out. I don't know or trust you, I do those two. Leave."

Paladin Dance looked torn between relief and dread at the grilling he was sure to receive later, looking around and speaking in a stern voice after they stomped out. "Still making friends everywhere you go eh Mr. Times? Captain Swells isn't really that bad... just..."

"She thinks she can just waltz in and take this place right? Had to make sure she understood that wasn't the case right up front, do you?"

The tall grey stallion gave a curt nod, pacing near his Scribe slowly. "Suppose so... I disagreed with her more forceful approach, but all these alicorns down here has a good number of our former Enclave brothers and sisters a little high strung. Leaving empty hoofed won't really work either though Fast, you know that right?"

"Actually I don't Dance, not sure I like how your Brotherhood seems to act like they can just take what they want by force... Maybe you have good reasons though, which is why I wanted to talk to you and not her, compromise is fine, ordering is not. I still hadn't taken you up on your offer to join the Brotherhood right? I don't take orders well. Why don't you start telling me what you want out of this place, and I'll tell you what I need help with... Go to Shamrock's office and we can all talk together and work something out."

* * *

I found Ivy out on her stoop again, the only alicorn in Goodneighbor I had spotted basically acting normal instead of highly agitated, though I hadn't found Magnolia or Peri yet. Oh well, Ivy was who I wanted first and she seemed ok... My point of view put me right in the animated statue of Pinkie Pie at the gates, from the way her head shot up at my voice, I assumed the speaker was working still even sitting out in the weather.

"Psst... Ivy... The statue, come here..."

Her young charges all turned and galloped to the statue ahead of her, Wicket at her side and eyeing the suddenly talking statue warily. "Wanker? T-That you? Where's yer kid, s-she's ok... right?"

Glitter rolled over from the floor and weakly held a hoof up, yelling up to the desk. "Hi Wicket! I'm.. urp... fine!"

Ivy hushed him and cleared a space with her wings, staring up at the the camera quizzically. "Fast? So you are still safe in there hmm? I suggest you stay up there awhile yet... my sisters are... upset. I am sorry for how they tried to influence you, I did advise against it, but they refuse to listen at the moment."

"Thanks Ivy, I hoped... I wasn't sure if you'd be mad, I need help though. I can't stay up here forever and your sisters can't keep squatting here waiting. I'm going to leave, w-we can try to work this out later, but like you said... probably best if I'm not around awhile huh?"

"Oh I don't know... sticking around would be rather pleasant for you... Why should I assist you, other than our friendship? You must see the awkward position I am in, help you escape my sisters when all they want is... w-what I am not above desiring myself... I put my concerns aside while you were ill, but the potion was successful, I have been mulling over what to do now that you are safe and... c-changed... Couldn't you simply acquiesce? It would be veeeeery nice..." Ivy was smooth and convincing as always, that mare was smart and dealt with others well, even without me there to read the thoughts out of and trying very hard to keep her out through the unity around us.

Unfortunately her eyes were doing that sparkly, pink thing... "Ivy! Focus... please? Look I understand how you feel, I'm sorry to ask and if you don't want to I get it. I'm not... I don't want to ok? N-Not now at least, can't you guys leave me alone for awhile? Let us figure stuff out? I'm sure eventually we can come to some kind of compromise and..."

Well... she shook off the hearts in her eyes with a blush at least, scuffing her hoof at the ground and looking up sheepishly. "I am sorry Fast... You are too valuable though, if something happens to you while you make up your mind... Oh! This is very difficult you know, most unfair... Hmm... I know, I demand a promise."

"W-Wha?"

"You promised Peri, you can promise me, then I will help. You are a pony of your word, if you promise I will trust you." She stood up straight and stamped a hoof, standing firm on the deal she extracted.

Jade had been listening attentively, her eyebrows shot up at that and she stared at me suspiciously. "Promise? What promise? Fast...."

"Eep! Er... W-We were in the King's Gambit and she... we were gonna get caught! I told her it was a bad time and she had to stop, that fooling around could come later as long as we got out of there right then... I s-sorta hoped she'd forget..."

My princess stuck her nose up and huffed with a grumble, but the world didn't come crashing down on me at least. Eventually after shifting back and forth on her hooves long enough, she leaned forward over the desk and gestured for me to turn the mic back on, clearing her throat coquettishly and speaking softly. "I... w-will consider it... that is the most concession either of you will get, only if you help us get away and do not push. I have not ignored all your arguments sister, I am aware of my selfishness and willing to admit it. With enough time, p-perhaps... but if you insist on joining the others in forcing the issue, I will never allow it."

Ivy gave the camera a flat stare, but after a moment a corner of her mouth curled up and she nodded. "That is reasonable and all I ever tried to ask sister. I am rather busy with my children here, no rush to add another personally. I believe you will find Peri more demanding however, and the others... I do hope you have some sort of plan Fast."

"Sort of..."

* * *

Done using the Hub systems to spy and communicate, the three of us sat together and stared out the pink tinted windows at the streets of Goodneighbor far below, watching alicorns flit around among all the Brotherhood pegasi. The sun was slowly heading towards the horizon, only a few hours before dark to get ready and get out of here...

Ready as we could be for this, I settled into the deep chair and took a shaky breath, closing my eyes and opening myself up to the strong bubble of telepathy surrounding the building.

(Um... Hi ladies... We should talk.)

------------------------Level Up!-------------------------
===== New Game + =====

Fast Times- Alicorn Level 1

Strength- 6
Perception- 9
Endurance- 7
Charisma- 7
Intelligence- 7
Agility- 9
Luck- 7

Max Skills: Science, Repair, Small Guns, Melee Weapons, Sneak

Changes in your biology you're still struggling with have set you down a different and long lived path. You now gain experience at a reduced rate, while gaining only 25% of your previous number of skill points. You do continue to acquire new perks or ranks of previous ones each time however, now able to access perks from any pool; earth, unicorn, pegasus or alicorn.

New Perk Added!------------------------------------

Pyromaniac------
---As Val says, fire fixes everything! It certainly worked on the nightmare fuel in the M.O.M. Hub! You now gain +50% damage with fire-based weapons or spells, or +25% for your preferred electricity which cooks them more on the inside than out.

Quest Perk Added--------------------------------

Awareness! It was under E!--------
---The unpredictable soul of Pinkie Pie helps you always stay alert and ready to sniff out fun! You now gain +1 Perception thanks to your favorite foalhood Ministry Mare!

Ch. 52-- Departing Paradise

(Um... Hi ladies... We should talk.)

I didn't have to wait long for a response at least... The second I tentatively spoke to the field of unity in Goodneighbor, I was nearly knocked out of Director Cheese's ratty plush chair by the force of a sea of voices rising up in answer.

(FAST!MALE!OPEN!COMEOUT!NOW!FAST!FINALLY!WHYRUN?OPEN!OUT!OPEN!OPEN!OPEN!OPEN!NOW!NOW!COMEOUT!FAST!WANT!MOTHER'SWISH!MALE!OPEN!WANT!WANT!WANT!FORCE!MAKE!COMEOUT!LETIN!PLEASE!OPEN!LETUS!FUN!LIKE!ENJOY!DON'TWANT?MALE!KNOWDO!WANTNOW!WHYHIDE?JUSTWANT!MATING!REPRODUCE!WAITEDSOLONG!CAN'TSTAND!MAKEMAYOROPEN!LETIN!LETIN!LETIN!)

(S-Stop! Please, that's too much! This is new for me alright!? Calm down!)

I groaned and rubbed between my eyes, at least this wasn't blindingly painful like it had been while I was still being tuned in by Moondancer's potion, that was a lot of noise and emotion all at once though, how many were out there?

(SILENCE! I will speak, do not clutter this communication with your yelping! You will scare him off again!...)

Umbra took over the surging tide of telepathy thankfully, getting it to settle out into a expectant hush still thrumming with thoughts and feelings while she spoke softly in my head, trying very hard to be conciliatory and smooth.

(Hello Fast... Nice of you to finally answer us, we have been most concerned for you... your safety... So you are one of us now, no wonder you refused your lesser 'compatibility' potion... You are doing well using unity when you choose to do so, wouldn't you rather speak face to face though? That is what you are used to, this must be confusing and difficult for you...)

(Nice try Umbra... I'm fine talking like this though, practice makes perfect right? Seems I need it so nopony goes screwing around with my dreams again...)

(You would not answer...)

She whined petulantly back, a little shame in there... good...

Soooo.... guess I'm caught huh? Sorry I kept it from you, wasn't sure I'd live through it and all.... er... y-yeah, I'm one of you now apparently... What are we going to do about that?)

There was a pregnant pause, they were whispering to each other... still having to adapt to having somepony new among all their voices, but figuring out how to shut me out... I noticed Jade frowning to herself and furrowing her brow, they must not want her listening either... Finally a haggard sounding Umbra resumed, speaking cautiously like she was trying to soothe a bunny out of its hole.

(You know what we would like to do about that... Why not just come out Fast? We do not wish to harm you, quite the opposite! We could take you to our tower... or your home in Sanctuary perhaps? Let us take care of you Fast, protect you... you need not do anything dangerous anymore, we will join your community, make our sister's kingdom a great power in the Commonwealth, destroy your enemies and defend the weak, whatever you wish... You may live in your home in safety and contentment if that is what you desire, we aren't asking much in return are we? Be reasonable... you like us yes? We are friends? Help us...)

Ah... she was conferring with the others, making the best possible arguments they could come up with while they had me. At least some of them must have been putting some thought into more than just getting me out of here.... I could feel Umbra trying to restrain her impulses to command me to come out like one of her sisters, I wasn't one of them, but I was... it was messing with her. Good.

(That is tempting... What about my family though? The Institute? I can't stop until I find them, I have to save them somehow, I can't just go home and be coddled the rest of my life Umbra. B-Besides... I love Jade and...)

(We will save them! Destroy the Institute! Whatever you want, you need not do such dangerous things yourself anymore! It is too dangerous for you! You are too precious! W-We... We will love you too! Like sister Jade! Then will you agree!?)

A rising note of panic in her mental voice came with that one, the mere thought of me continuing my hazardous life as I had since leaving the Stable was absolutely horrid to all of them, their rejection rising up in a wordless swell. Dammit... What I expected but I still hoped for something else...

(That's not how love works Umbra... you can't just decide you will. Look I like you fillies, I'm glad I've made friends with so many of you, but you are all individuals now and I don't know many of you nearly that well. I don't want to be a kept pony either alright? I can't just sit around and do... n-nothing... I understand where you're coming from, but that's not fair. At the very least can you give me some time here? This is a pretty big adjustment... m-maybe we can figure out a way to c-compromise... but not if I feel like a hunted animal. I'm kinda a stranger in my own skin here, give me awhile and back off, please?)

(NO!NOW!NOW!NOW!OPEN!COMEOUT!LETIN!PLEASE!NOW!NOW!WANT!)

Now that I was open to it, I could feel that surge of thought focusing on me, sharing sensations and verifying with excitement the wings and other weird new feelings I tried to tell them I was dealing with. It all felt perfectly natural to them anyway...

(Shush!! I-Ivy has explained some of your reticence Fast, we do not understand, but we accept it. I cannot allow you to simply wander off on your own however. If you insist on continuing your travels... we could go with you! A dozen of us should be sufficient protection... that is a compromise isn't it?)

I'd almost find that tempting except for that steady beat of lust in their heads. Sure... just hang around with a dozen mating mad mares, that wouldn't draw any attention or get in the way or anything...

(Sister... that is still too much, too fast. I am willing to c-consider this... eventually... but for now Fast and I need time. There is more to consider than just logic and...)

Jade tried to join in and was instantly shut down.

(NO! You kept this from us sister... lied! Tried to keep it secret and to yourself, we are very upset at that... You do not have the excuse of not understanding as he does! You know what this means to us! The mother's wish! I personally sought a way to achieve exactly what you are selfishly keeping to yourself for more than 150 years! We have waited long enough!)

Umbra shouted her down and I cracked an eye to see her wince beside me, her ears drooping sadly as she shuffled in place.

(DO NOT BLAME HER! I'm the one being stubborn and you have no idea just how much of a mule I can be Umbra! If you've waited that long, a little longer won't hurt. Don't yell at her again or I'm done, got it?)

Furious frustration simmered in her thoughts, but she kept a tight rein on them and pushed on, the sudden silence from all the others made it easier at least. Somehow I seemed to have as commanding a mental presence as she did in here... I noticed during the battle last night in Goodneighbor too, they naturally seemed to follow orders directed at them this way, like it reminded them of the Goddess or something. Maybe it was because I was a new voice? Or a male one? Maybe the Shroud's mental growl was just a lot more intimidating than I was...

(Very well... Our sister can be forgiven, we are all a bit irrational at the moment... If she is finally willing to see reason her lapse in judgement will be overlooked. We demand you come out however, talk to us face to face... Half of us Fast... we will settle for half for now, then you may go where you wish, under one... two wings of protection...)

Progress anyway... half a dozen wasn't a dozen, still no good though. Bizarrely I was actually doing the best I ever had in any kind of a barter here... just needed skin in the game I guessed....

Spinning around in the cracked leather chair and looking out the pink tinted windows, I could see them circling the building now, zeroing in on where exactly in the tower my little broadcast was coming from. They weren't going to let me do what I wanted no matter what, I hadn't really thought so, but I hoped... Alright, had to distract them somehow, give them something to focus on and think... Hmm, there were a lot down there, but not all of them by any means. Their numbers were reduced and I didn't see a giant Swan flapping around out there either.

(Where's all the rest of you Umbra? Looks like only half as it is, that how you came up with that number? Something going on?)

I could feel her wince and try to keep me out, sullenly answering with a snort.

(The Brotherhood... They thought to try for another Ministry Hub while we were occupied here, half of us were forced to return home to defend it from their intrusion.)

Interesting... Going for the Ministry of Arcane Science Hub was probably a desperate grab of opportunity, it sounded and felt like they were stymied there too though, if Swan was there then they weren't getting in if the Trinity Tower mares didn't want them to. Normally I'd want Jade's sisters to get along with everypony, but some of the Brotherhood's attitudes had been bothering me, at the moment I was ok with the rift between the two groups, maybe I could use it...

(Sorry to hear that Umbra. They seem a little pushy don't they? Sounds like you've got your own problems to deal with there, wouldn't it be better if you just went home?)

(NO)

Ugh... Alright, had to give them something... think... My wandering eyes fell on Jade's flank as a calming view, her heart and crown cutie mark showing through the patch on her lab coat, the yellow medical box saddlebags of the Followers of the Apocalypse hanging there...

(Alright... all of you listen up. I'm leaving Goodneighbor, I know you don't like it but I am. I know you're going to be mad, but I'll try explaining and compromising before I do. I am not some breeding stud to share around alright? I will not do what you want just because you want it, that's not fair, not how you treat a friend. Since we are friends though...

I'll give you three, not all, not half, not six, just three that I know and care about, and when I choose, not you. You just have to accept that, I just went through a lot, I want time. If you want more than that, then more of you will just have to be mares I want to be with that Jade's ok with too. Mating's supposed to be about more than just making foals, there has to be some feeling there or I won't do it.)

(THREE?THREE!WHICH?WHY!HOW?WANT!ME!NO!ME!WANT!PICK!TELL!MORE!PLEASE!WANT!FAST!)

(GRRRR! SHUT UP! And I suppose I know which three... you are being unfair Fast. Ivy, Peri and Magnolia have enjoyed the most time with you before... this... Choosing only them is not acceptable, how are we supposed to match these ....feelings... you find so important, if you will not let us close?)

Umbra growled, getting more annoyed as this went on, well I could mix things up and keep her off balance anyway...

(Nope, not Magnolia, she has somepony already. I guess it should be a purple though, one of each type and all. Swan... a less smashy Swan... The rest of you... How was it Val put it? I want to be wined and dined first... I don't want anything to do with mean mares like Virescent, if you were to do good things though... help others like you said? Defend the weak? Make the Commonwealth a better place? I'd probably find fillies like that pretty... a-attractive...)

I winced up at Jade, relieved to see her looking to the ceiling in thought before nodding, figuring out the run of my thoughts. Granted that was pretty pathetic flirting, but these fillies weren't all that experienced either. In their crazed state, the suggestion and possibility was enough and their thoughts started breaking up.

That should keep them busy and distracted anyway... give them incentive to be better and help others. Glitter would actually be proud of my negotiating, if she ever found out... which wasn't happening... I felt a bit like one of those bucks down in the Black Cat in Goodneighbor, bartering with ....myself... but I never said when and I wasn't being paid. If I really did end up living a long time, I wasn't in any rush...

(You ask us to behave in ways pleasing to you... just for the opportunity? You are being unreasonable, this is not about your outdated, old world morals Fast, this is the survival of our species! W-What if we were to find this Dr. Dala... she succeeded once...)

Dammit, Umbra was crafty...

(I wouldn't recommend it... She told me she'd only give you what you want in limited quantities, specifically to keep you under her hoof. You can see the memories if you want now, no reason to keep them to myself anymore, want to know what Dala really thinks? You know for a fact the Institute can't be trusted, that they just see you as more experiments. You know I do care too, who do you think you have the better chances with? I can't stop you if you insist on doing something very, very stupid, but I'd be awwwwful disappointed... Mares that would go begging to the Institute... Not fillies I'd ever want to be with...)

(NO!NOINSTITUTE!NODALA!WON'T!BEGOOD!WILLDO!WILLHELP!WANT!NOTRUST!)

From the bubbling anger and wall of panic I was getting through our connection, I could at least tell that was mostly a bluff. Still a bluff that worried me, thus I was willing to compromise with them. I couldn't lie like this, connected directly to all of them in my head, but if they believed I would give them what they wanted, even in dribs and drabs, they'd be less likely to do something desperate like find Dala and the Institute again... After nearly getting killed by the Confessor and the Church of Balefire, Umbra didn't exactly trust them either, she just knew what buttons to press, continuing in a pout.

(V-Very well... As you say then. Now, exit that building immediately so we may discuss...)

(Nope! Sorry, I'm leaving, I'll be in touch though! You gals just behave ok? Since I can actually listen in to all this now I'll be able to tell right? I find memories of heroic mares protecting the innocent and helping the needy to be very... er... s-sexy... so whoever has the best will probably have the best chances! Makes it much easier telling who I could see doing... er... t-that with... and who I won't. And Jade has the final say so, so you better be nice to her!)

Shutting out their frantic yell wasn't that difficult, I was getting better at this whole unity thing... Jade kept her eyes closed another moment before shaking her head with a huff, giving me a worried look. "T-Thank you for your concern Fast... That may have divided them, but they will not allow you to leave town, we must still escape undetected somehow."

"Escape? How come? What's goin' on anyway mom?" Glitter yelped up from the floor in front of the desk, tiredly pouring over some of my comics while we had been sitting here silently to her.

Groaning to myself, I eyed the black and silver present still sitting on the desk with disgust... floating the red dress and hat out and to my bags as I answered. "Nothing sweetie, we'll explain it later. Right now we have to sneak out and I think I know how... I don't like it though..."

I tapped through the terminal on the desk a moment whining, eventually giving my uncooperative wings a flap, floating up from the chair and thumping to the ground near her. Landing was going to be an issue... She followed curiously as I walked out of the Trotson Hub's Director's office, Jade falling in beside us and nuzzling by my ear. "Swan?"

"Er... F-Figured if she got what she wanted, she wouldn't be helping them look... Enough of them are already worked up, don't want to try escaping from that crazy mare... At least it's only the ones in the Commonwealth..."

Her blue eyes widened a moment in thought, shaking herself with a frightened shiver. "Y-Yes... there is at least that..."

The 22nd floor of the Trotson Ministry of Morale Hub was secure storage, evidence lock up and the armory, exactly what would make Val the happiest which is why I sent her down here with Zed. The elevator doors opened on a mountain of junk that still made me gape, forced to squeeze my way past crates of heavy weapons and ammo, suits of pink security barding, bins of drugs and illegal contraband... how long had I been stuck in my head upstairs?

Judging by the delirious griffon flapping about and tossing more and more treasure onto the pile, it probably wasn't as long as it should have taken... Val was absolutely beside herself, the amount of ordinance she had already found was enough to take out the Brotherhood and Jade's sisters below if she wanted...

Most of all this had been locked behind sturdy cages with small windows to check items in and out, nearly all of which she had already unlocked with her claws. An awkward flap of my wings helped me clear the heaping pile right at the elevator doors with Glitter, Jade had it even harder, clambering over the junk and knocking a Balefire Egg Launcher down with a clatter, catching the griffon's attention.

"BOSS! Lookit all this shit! We're rich! Fabulously wealthy! Financially secure for life! And the toys boss!! Oh we're gonna have some fun buddy!" She grinned manically and shook a hefty box marked with a battlesaddle diagram of some kind, leering at me in thought.

"Val... we can't take all of this stuff... It won't even fit in the elevator!"

Her violet eyes twitched and she got right in my face, rubbing her claws together happily. "We'll take a lot of trips, duh! I guess we can share with Shamrock like we're 'posed ta... but we get first pick!"

I sighed in defeat and wandered down the barred aisles, looking about with interest for things I could use. "We can't carry it all out of here Val, we gotta get going and we need to be able to move fast, not lugging around a few carriages of firepower. Preston is downstairs, we can figure out something with him and the Minutemares to get our fair share, but try to whittle it down for now ok?"

She stuck her tongue out in a pout for a minute, but reluctantly agreed and nodded. "Fine, fine... Ol' Preston better get all my best loot sent home though!"

That just left the kitchens to rummage through for a couple things, something I'd rather put off a minute at least. Looking around I saw one cage still locked up that would make me feel better. "Val, could you open this cage over here too for me before you go back to your looting?"

Following my gesture, she huffed at the cage full of round robots and equipment. "Of course you want in there... All this cool crap and you want robots... gonna get yer priorities straight eventually boss. I'll do it if ya celebrate with me! 270 year old bottle of Appaloosan tequila has'ta be shared!"

Jade nickered at me cautiously taking a drink and wheezing, trotting off with Glitter in the direction Val had indicated while it felt like I was breathing fire. Whatever Tequilla was, it was worse than whiskey, the dusty bottle was full of clear liquid plasma. I tried to give it back once she popped the lock for me, but she simply grinned and pulled a matching bottle from her coat and took her own swig. Grabbing the offered bottle and shoving it down my muzzle as she hooted and returned to her pillaging.

Bleck... I didn't have time to be tipsy and this stuff seemed as potent as Wild Pegasus, I screwed the cap back and stuffed it in my bags, in a hurry to work before things got fuzzy. The workroom in here was for all the Sprite-bots the M.O.M. used, not an army of deadly robotic killers, but apparently more than just silly little loudspeakers blaring ooompa music wherever they went. Watcher used them as spies, I could too probably...

Turning on the power in this section brought up a large wall monitor I stared up at, a map of the Commonwealth displayed with dozens of little pink dots roving about, the active ones still out there unlike the ones in for repairs here. I didn't have the time to really play with it, but I preferred doing something calming before getting on with our escape, when I had time or someone I could trust to do this, Shamrock's information gathering skills would probably be improved.

I sat at the terminal under the big map and clicked through a few menus idly, my new access let me control this too with no issue, giving me stats on how many Sprite-bots were active, which needed repairs and service, which had been disabled, recent intrusions into the network... active intrusions...

Trying to trace down a talented hacker was a nice distraction, the Brotherhood maybe? They had ponies with the right skills to do this, but how would they get access to the sprite network? Whoever they were, they were good... evading my every trap, flitting through the ether from one robot to the next, all near the edge of the Commonwealth though...

"Fast? That's you isn't it?..." A rich voice rumbled from the speakers and the activity stopped being quite so evasive, whoever this was knew me, but I didn't know anyone that...

"W-Watcher?" I gave the terminal a dubious look, I never heard the real voice behind the Sprite-bots I occasionally happened across, he had limited access in the Commonwealth, piggybacking a signal from one of those far flung robots to the hub they communicated with was still pretty impressive.

"Oh jeez! It is you! You're really in the hub!? I've been trying to find out anything I could, can't see anything outside though, too close to the center of the Commonwealth. A-Are you ok?" He... it was a he, answered back in surprise, he knew I was in here? Why'd he sound so odd... panicky...

"Er... yeeeeah... why? How'd you know I got in here anyway?"

Silence answered for a few minutes, then the smaller monitor before me flickered and started displaying a fuzzy, distorted image one line at a time. Everything was really bright whatever this was... a wall? Yes, windows, stone, crenelations of a castle like structure... Aha, there was something different in the middle, a dark blob in the center of all that white. An inset of the blob even further magnified, overlaid with measurements for the extreme zoom and lines tracing the shape of it that made me gulp, A pony shape flattened against the wall, a horn sticking up from the head smeared against the surface, legs sprawled out trying to grab it... a single wing splayed out... oh no...

"Is uh... is that you Fast?" A small whisper crackled out while I jibbered to myself. That was me... that was Goodneighbor, a picture taken at a looooong, long distance of a bright flare of light and enhanced as much as possible.

"H-H-How'd you get this!? Why!? WHAT?!"

"oooooo.... S-Sorry Fast... er... things are kinda stirred up here by this, I thought it might be... but... I haven't told anyone yet!" Watcher winced from wherever he was, he at least had some idea why I was freaking out. He calmed my stammering while I took another healthy swig from Val's bottle, even if this was as strong as whiskey, I wanted to feel it right now.

"So... how?" I wheezed back finally, eyeing the dropped level in the bottle and taking another drink, come on... just a little buzz...

"Well... I hear you've talked to Homage before? She explained about how she and DJ Pon3 do the news around Equestria? Cameras on the towers? Normally the long range ones from outside the Commonwealth don't pick up anything of interest, but a big, blinding light springing up in the middle of the night? Ponies noticed Fast..." Watcher groaned from the terminal while I hyperventilated, why wasn't this alcohol doing anything yet!? Was it bad!?!

"Who knows!? H-Has she shared it with... has DJ Pon3 told... Please tell me this is a secret Watcher!?"

"Nnnnnnot so much no... Look, you're talking about the new bearer of the Element of Honesty Fast... Not that she can't keep a secret, but a blast of magic that strong and bright from the Commonwealth? A grainy picture of what looks an awful lot like a small alicorn... Nopony knew what was going on, we can't get there easily to find out and we're cut off. What if the Institute was setting off some prewar superweapon or megaspell? Making an army of alicorns or something!?

The Brotherhood went there before all this started, there are other parties involved now, things like this get out... Some new bit of magic or treasure in the wasteland will draw adventurers and scavengers at the very least, but this... The New Canterlot Republic, the Followers of the Apocalypse, friends from Junction City and Manehatten, even whispers from the Lunar Commonwealth... they're all arguing between treating this like a potential threat or a bizarre Nightmare Night prank Fast. If this is you... are you... d-did it work?"

Actively chugging the bottle now, I gasped as he tapered off with a hopeful question, for some reason this seemed really important to him. "Work? If you mean... Y-Yeah, the I.M.P. worked... I'm er... s-something else now..."

A static filled whoop of joy was not quite what I expected... made more bizarre by his happy ranting. "It worked! She did it! I knew my Twi could do it!! Oh if only she had just a little more time Fast! Things could have been so different! She... she was right... I always knew she was right... Oh... sorry, it must be weird for you but... a friend of mine worked very hard to see that potion work. Knowing it did is nice, ya know? How is it?! The real deal, just like she wanted!?"

"Er... ok... I guess? Moondancer made a few changes, but so far it seems like she got the kinks out. I'm er... a l-little freaked out here though, can you just tell everyone who knows it's no threat? Kinda... bury the whole thing?"

"Moondancer!?! She did this?! She's still... hrrmmm... I'll do what I can Fast, kinda hard to put a cat back in the bag though. I suggest you find a way to talk to Homage yourself, soon... take care of.... zzzzzttt.... self....zzzzt.... only success....bzzzt... legacy...." The signal started fading out and I slapped the terminal in anger, feeling a sweat spring up on my brow and my heart hammering, but no soothing buzz of alcohol and the bottle was empty...

That just added to my panic and I galloped out to the rest of the floor, we had to go! NOW! Had to find a way to communicate to the rest of Equestria, put a stop to this now before...

There were only dozens of Jade's sisters in the Commonwealth, maybe a hundred, but in the rest of Equestria? How many? Hundreds? Thousands!? No! No! No!

Trying not to shiver in front of the tall restroom mirror back on the 7th floor, I opened another bottle of Val's Wild Pegasus and drank deeply. Unfortunately the red on my face wasn't from the drink, I still wasn't the least little bit tipsy... No, I was turning this particular shade of crimson due to the only way out I could think of, thanks to a little help from 200 years ago. Director Sandwich did say I wouldn't like one of his gifts...

Jade stepped back to admire her work with Glitter and huffed at the bottle, "Do you not think that is enough Fast? Now is hardly the time to become inebriated is it? You may ruin your clever ruse..." Keeping my mini panic attack from her wasn't easy, but I didn't want to freak her out even more too, it would wait...

Glitter was still uncontrollably giggling, looking more like a chocolate colored colt instead of a pale filly, literally as she was dusted with ancient cocoa powder from the kitchens, tittering to herself and walking around me in a circle happily. "You look so funny daddy! That dead pony really left that for you huh? It fits perfect! You're so pretty!"

I hissed at that, scowling up at the mirror and picking at the red garment left for me in the Director's office. A dress and floppy hat... a dress for a petite pegasus adult... or a scrawny alicorn... The hat covered my horn well enough, the pink glop all over the place dyed my mane and tail into a swoop of pink bangs hiding my red eyes, a few bags of flour from the kitchens dusted my coat into a pale gray, and I was disturbed at how well the dress fit, making me look like a rather attractive pegasus...

Flinching away from Jade floating false eyelashes and lipstick from the battered old makeup kit she found, I grumbled and pouted at their attention. They thought this was just hilarious, playing dress up... hardy har har... Well, at least I had a good chance of actually getting away with this... The alicorns were looking for a male, obsessively so... I didn't think they'd pay much mind to a pegasus filly just strolling right out the gate...

By far the most difficult part of the disguise was all on me, these stupid wings just kept sticking up at every opportunity, I'd hardly look like a proper pegasus if I couldn't keep them tucked against my sides... With a supreme effort and gritted teeth, I finally managed to force them to fold in on their own, giving a trembling, wary sigh and...

"Hey boss! You 'bout done in here yet!? What the hell you three even doin in here an... w-who the hell is that!?" Val barged in impatiently and sent my wings jerking back out again, freezing once she noticed me.

I could feel my face heat up further despite looking down the barrel of her huge pistol. I guessed this was a pretty effective disguise alright... It took her a few seconds before her eyes started widening, a leering grin curling her beak before a rising bubble from her chest puffed her cheeks out and she spewed uproarious laughter. "BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I love it! Oh Gawd!"

"Val... stop..."

"Y-Yer so cute boss! HAHAHA! M-Make a pretty little filly don'tcha!?! HAHAHAHAHAHA! G-Gotta get a picture somehow! HAHAHA! P-Pip-buck things can take pictures right!? S-Show me how! Quick! AHAHAHAHAHAAH! Awww... ya look cuter poutin' like that!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Val I swear to Celestia I am going to order you to go swim in the nearest sewer if you don't stop... I don't like this, we have to get out of here, now."

"Awww... does da widdle filly not know how ta take a compliment!? This is an improvement boss! Y-Ya should take up the lifestyle! Hey, what'cha got goin' on under there huh? Somethin' frilly an cute?! BWAHAHAHA!"

Storming off out of the bathroom and away from their shared giggles, she still got a parting shot in... "Sway them flanks boss! Put a little wiggle in yer wobble! Never convince nopony like that! HAHAHAHAH!"

I stomped my way to the elevator and waited, Shamrock and the others should be waiting, we just had to get down and get out... Not long, just get out of here and find somewhere to wash all this gunk off, how did mares go through all this all the time? I scowled up at the doors from under the wide floppy brim and waited sullenly, waiting with dread as Zed walked up with his own packs a little heavier looking than normal.

The zebra stallion paused when he walked over sat beside me, turning his head to look up and down with a blank expression before facing the doors with me. He eventually held a hoof up and his mouth opened, then shut again, then opened again...

"Don't..."

"I was just going to say, that's a clever solution to the problem..." He replied to my grimaced warning, sounded mostly unperturbed and at least not laughing.

"T-Thanks..."

......

.....

"Do you happen to have a sister among your missing family from the Stable Fast?" He sounded as serious as always, but when I spun on him I saw barely restrained laughter dancing in his grey eyes. He made a joke... at my expense of course, but a joke...

"Oh I hate you all... soooo, so much..."

Thankfully between the Brotherhood and Shamrock squabbling over the Hub along with all the alicorns, the steel security doors leading to the elevator were only lightly guarded, and only by Shamrock's own guards since no one could get up. The ghoulish mayor told me every exit to the casino was covered by Jade's sisters, and they wandered the casino itself ceaselessly, but no one was down these service tunnels.

The only reason this was tolerable was because it worked, I again marveled at the foresight of Director Cheese Sandwich. I hated his gift I was wearing, but Glitter and I just waltzed right out, nervously passing several other alicorns who didn't give us a second look. More than a few stallions did though, making me reeeeeally uncomfortable... Maybe it was a magic dress... yes, that sounded better than just making a convincing filly...

As requested, only Mayor Shamrock himself, Preston Gardens, Paladin Dance and Scribe Wind were waiting in the ghoul's office above the casino floor. The others looking up in surprise when we entered anxiously while the mayor sputtered and started snickering.

Preston knew Glitter well enough to see though her disguise first, squinting at the filly before venturing an unsure guess. "G-Glitter? Is that you under there? Where's your dad and the Princess? Weren't we supposed to..."

The brown... mostly brown now... filly shook dust from her mane and nodded, opting to lick as much of the chocolate off herself as she could. "Ya huh! Hiya Preston! Did I fool you?"

Paladin Dance was staring in confusion at the mayor, biting his rotten lower lip and banging his hoof on his desk, tears leaking down his leathery cheeks in silent gales. His scribe was quicker on the uptake though, giving a gasp and trotting right up, eye to eye at my level and staring into my red eyes. "F-Fast?!"

"Ugh... just don't start... let's get this over with, quick... You guys will help the others get out right?"

The blushing pegasus just stared and nodded slowly, at least she wasn't rolling on the floor... Dance and Preston both gaped while I shuffled uncomfortably, digging in my bags and pulling out more of my stock of pip-bucks taken from the dead of Stable 111. She followed and shook it off well enough as I headed for Shamrock, whispering in a stunned voice. "Y-Yes... yes of course! S-Sorry Fast... you look... wow... Don't worry, Captain Swells has been overruled by Proctor Quiz, so long as you and the Mayor honor the agreement, we'll hold up our end. A-Are those real wings?!"

Considering one decided to flap straight out on hearing its name called... yes, she figured out they were real with a gasp, sticking her face right by them and picking at the flour dusted feathers while I grumbled. A few clicks and taps snapped the pip-buck to Mayor Shamrock, the health system immediately saying he was dead, but not...

My horn lit up under the silly floppy hat and snaked Shamrock's new patch cable to the terminal on his desk, technically I could just designate him as having certain access without the device, it just made everything faster and let me keep track of Sanctuary's new partner. Once his access level had been bumped up, my own pip-buck gave a fanfare in my ear;

Mission Completed!: Strike Up the Band

Objectives----
---~~Trigger the Grand Opening Gala~~
---~~Gain access to Ministry of Morale hub~~
---~~Take control of hub maneframe~~
---~~Return to Shamrock~~

After him came Preston's pip-buck and the same process, thrown off by the pegasus tugging at the unfamiliar wings beside me, goggling to Glitter speaking happily. "Sure are Miss Wind! Ain't they cool! They look better when he's not all dusty like that, but he looks really pretty doesn't he!" The filly pranced around with glee, unsure of everything we were doing but having a grand time.

Paladin Dance finally shook off his shock, shaking his head and giving me an unsure glare, carefully removing my hat while I worked just to make sure there was still a horn under there too. "Fast... You are... You are taking advantage of my confidence here, keeping this secret from my superiors... This is relevant to our mission, if the Institute can do this then... We will honor our deal, provide us access to the data in the hub and we will help your friends escape when we pull out of here, but I... I cannot keep this quiet forever, don't ask me to, please?"

"I'm sorry Dance, I couldn't exactly tell you over the intercom alright? Look, you're not the only one who raised that point with me already, I get it's a big deal to others out there and they need to know at some point. They don't need to know it's me though, right? Just that it's possible?"

He didn't look happy, but muttered and frowned to himself in thought. "That is... not too much to ask... I have to insist you come to the Prydwen at some point now though. I will be discrete, keep it quiet and let you meet my superiors on your terms, but they need to meet you now..."

"I planned on going there soon anyway, I want to talk to them too... Right now I just need to get out of here, let the heat die down and get some distance behind us. Now remember, all of you, I'm giving you access to a lot of loot and power, but I have master control still. Director level access isn't something you can just hack your way around, not the Brotherhood and certainly not Fantastic... If you don't all get along and play nice, I'll come back... You see it won't take me as long now huh?"

An awkward flap that sent a cloud of flour up around me wasn't quite the impressive display of plumage I was going for... it got the point across anyway. I might have to run away, but I could get around a loooot faster now... So long as they all worked together, there'd be no problems, if one of them got the idea they could change the deal... well I did say there was a lot of security in this building and the town...

The treasures Val set aside but was forced to leave were for Sanctuary, a portion of all that ordinance going to the Minutemares. The Brotherhood mainly wanted the data in the B.N.L.S. Maneframe, they greedily did want everything else of course, but that was their absolute demand. Jade's sisters might not appreciate it as much right now, but I did warn them off the alicorn's home too for what it was worth.

Once I had a chance to talk to them more and time had passed, we could work something out I was sure, I wouldn't mind opening the M.A.S. hub myself... But I wanted them to get the idea each group involved would come to the defense of the others. They could take Trinity Tower if they forced the issue, maybe... but they'd pay a high cost and things would only get worse from there.

Shamrock seemed to accept the deal with aplomb, I had a better negotiating position than he did with full control of the hub. His town would benefit greatly; armor, weapons, technology, an army of robot spies if I could get them up and running or send somepony to do it, along with a towering, shielded structure in the middle of Downtown Trotson.

All he had to do was share, giving up a few floors of the tower to groups like the Followers, the Minutemares, the Trinity Tower alicorns and the orphanage wasn't that big a deal. It would take a lot of time and pony power to clear up the mess up there and go through all the loot, all details that would have to be taken care of once we moved on.

Preston and Shamrock had equal authorization now, able to delegate responsibilities to those under them if they wanted. The Brotherhood was going to have to be satisfied with login information for an account set up for Summer. Once we got out of here, I'd give her the scrap with it scrawled on it and be on my way. Easy peasy...

I had to be careful giving Glitter a hug as she slurped the last of the chocolate off herself, anxious about rubbing off more of my thin disguise than I had already and nudging her to Preston and Dance, not liking this part of the plan. "Alright sweetie, help your mom deal with her sisters and get out of here. I'll see you soon alright?"

"Ok dad! Don't worry, we're on it! Be careful ok? J-Just a few hours right?" Despite her recent streak of independence, hearing that concern at being parted was nice. She did still want me around, just not hovering overprotectively over her every move.

"Right, nothing to worry about. Enjoy the ride on Dance's Vertibuck, I'm totally jealous!" She snorted as I walked out with Summer behind me, ok maybe I could fly on my own now, that didn't mean I wouldn't like to ride in one of the cool pre-war vehicles though... Some other time I guessed, for now, time to leave.

Trying not to sweat is incredibly difficult... especially when sneaking by a trio of towering alicorns inspecting every customer leaving the Wing Ding Arcano Circus Casino. Summer walked with me, wearing a simple but stunning bright orange dress, complimenting her buttery yellow coat and brown mane, just a couple pegasus mares out on the town... nothing to see here....

I gritted my teeth and kept trying not to sweat off my dusty disguise or let my traitorous wings flap out under the stress, they eyed us both absently, but like the others so far didn't really give a second glance. Female pegasus was not male alicorn, so they didn't care at all.

Stepping past them with relief, we worked our way around the ruins of Magnolia's stage, pockmarked with craters and angry burns. Summer kept glancing at me with wide eyes as we walked, while I looked up at the overcast skies in dread.... no.... no rain! Not now!

Following my stare, she sucked in a worried breath and picked up the pace, heading for the main gate to Goodneighbor and the half dozen alicorns guarding it. "C-Crap! Hurry up Fast... that's not gonna hold off very long..."

There was a wet, expectant smell and tingle to the air... Pegasi were weather experts, I'd trust her opinion here, marveling at the odd sensations and input. Rain... that's what rain felt like... impending rain anyway, would I have to learn what weather felt like? Could I go up there and shove clouds around for fun?

We were getting close to the gate now, the alicorns weren't really stopping or getting forceful with anypony, they got a few dark bucks to pause willingly enough for the worked up mares, but were all quickly turned loose in disappointment. One was staring our way though... a green, shit, a green I actually knew...

Lime's green eyes were squinted at the pair of us approaching, cocking her head in confusion. I was worried I was about to sweat off too much of my disguise before the rain could even start, when an accented voice full of barely restrained laughter shouted out nearby. "Oy! Hey lady! Auntie lady, you all wants the wanker right? There he is!"

I froze and stared at the grey colt running by, Wicket brushed right by us, his face red trying not to roll in the streets laughing at me. He didn't point right at me though, instead jumping up and down and waving under Lime's face, gesturing towards the Memory Den and a dark pony entering.

Lime and half the mares at the gate followed his yelps and started charging off where he directed, thanking him on the way as they passed us. My now sharper ears flicked as the colt passed away, a mirthful whisper floating up to me. "Now we're even... Miss Wanker..."

Following him running off behind us, I spotted several more of Ivy's orphans doing the same thing elsewhere. Excitedly pointing and getting Jade's sisters to run around on wild goose chases while we just strolled right out... That went amazingly well... until the first drops of rain pattered to the street anyway.

"F-Fast! Fly! Come on, quickly!" Summer fluttered up like it was no problem, her civilian dress swishing around her as she floated up and I watched.

Ok... I practiced in the tower for this, I could do it... Had to get out of here before my disguise melted completely, just make these damn wings obey and... up!

BONG! Ow! Too much up! I winced rubbing my pink dyed mane, having shot straight up and into a rusting sign hanging from a streetlight outside the gates, pointing the way to Goodneighbor. I nervously looked back to see the purple alicorn who had remained at the gate staring curiously at the spectacle as I started tilting in midair, no stay straight!

"Er... F-Folly! Be careful! Y-You had too much fun in Goodneighbor, let me help!" Summer stammered and covered magnificently, flapping over and helping me right myself, tugging my hoof along with her. Just a pegasus and her drunken friend stumbling from the party town, nothing out of the ordinary...

We rushed off, not far above the streets thankfully, this was a lot different than the cramped halls of the Ministry hub, all this open sky was a little daunting actually... A few twists and turns down the shadowy canyons of downtown Trotson put us close to the riverside to the north as the skies really opened up.

Scrambling towards the nearest shelter I could find as the flour and Fluffer Batter in my mane started melting away and dripping from my hooves, I crashed through the long broken windows of an old bar with a groan. Watching Summer follow behind and land lightly next to me, torn between giggling and just staring now that I was a dark buck with a grey mane again, and two big black wings...

"Y-You'll get used to it Fast... don't be discouraged! T-That was really good for a newbie! Wow... it's so strange seeing you like this... H-How's it feel?" She whispered as I pulled myself free of the stools I wound up tangled in at the rotten bar.

"Weird... You uh... d-don't mind I'm like this? You weren't as bad as some of those other former Enclave I've met, but you had a thing about alicorns too didn't you?" I winced back, trying to tug this clingy damn dress off and get into my Shrouded Stallion armor again.

"No! Er... ones like in town I guess... But you're not... I mean, y-you're something else entirely! It's not like a bunch of dark males attacked the Enclave too! You uh... l-look really good though... w-would have made a good pegasus Fast..." She shuffled to herself with a blush, looking quite pretty wearing the wet, orange civilian dress plastered to her alluringly instead of her Brotherhood Scribe outfit, why was I thinking that?

Fighting with my coat was quickly becoming frustrating, I could slip it over my forelegs like normal, but then the wings were pinned under it. Trying to go for the wings first just ended up sending one down a leg sleeve and I had to start over, trying again the left decided to flap out rather than cooperate and I ended up tangled in the long trenchcoat, flopping to the cluttered wooden floors and rolling around, wrestling with the garment.

"DAMMIT! Stop fighting and nnngggh!! Get in there!!"

Holding a hoof up to stifle her laughs, Summer shook her head and trotted over, helping tug the coat free with her mouth and guiding the twitching wings with her hooves. Jeez these things were still sensitive! Having her touch them like that was... s-stop! I breathed a sigh of relief once she got them through the flaps in the coat and I could shrug into it the rest of the way, blushing furiously and scratching my sopping mane.

"Oh don't worry about it... I have a little brother you know, nothing to be embarrassed about Fast. It's cute! You sure you'll be ok out here? It's getting dark and I have to get back, you will come to the Prydwen though right?" At least her cheeks were a little rosy too, her little brother's wings stiffening like that wasn't quite the same at least...

"Fine Summer, here you go, login info for the hub. Thanks a lot for your help here, I owe you. I'll come to your cloudship and take a look, I want to talk to your bosses anyway... Go on and get back, I'm right at the edge of their field of telepathy now, gotta let them know and get going in a minute."

The Brotherhood Scribe took the slip of paper I set on the dusty bar gratefully as I crawled over the obstacle, there were a few bottles back there... I was still fixated on the bottle of tequilla and whiskey I had drank to no effect so far, if I had to wait around out here alone, I was going to keep drinking until I felt something...

She flew up and grabbed me in a hug before I cleared the hurdle, squeezing tight and snickering at the wings straightening up painfully and flaring their feathers. "Practice makes perfect! You'll get the hang of it Fast, look forward to seeing you then. M-Maybe we can go for a real fly around together, o-once you've gotten better at it. You promised so I expect to see you soon!"

At that she flew off, out into the quickening rain that was seeping its way into the bar from the floors above, dripping in musty pools from long rotted holes. I hoped it was just all the alicorns making me feel so... frisky... but apparently not. This wasn't more of Moondancer's insane ideas for her potion was it?

That was another excellent reason to drink, tugging a dusty bottle of something called rum from some of the detritus back here and popping the top. It had that fiery taste like whiskey or tequila, not bad really... One big swig after another just had me tapping my hooves on the bar in frustration, floating junk around in my magic and setting bottle after bottle up in a row.

Fine... one bottle not enough, drink more... This was less about having an enjoyable drink and more a mission from the goddesses at this point, I was going to feel something dammit! I chugged a full bottle of whiskey and floated the rest to my packs, opening myself to the weak field of unity I was right on the edge of.

(Heeeeey! Ladies! Just thought I'd let you know, I'm gone see! Be good, I'll talk to you soon enough!)

I looked around the ruined bar so they were sure to see, carefully avoiding looking outside so they wouldn't get a good idea exactly where I was. They'd probably have a basic direction from this, but I planned to get outta dodge immediately...

(FAST!NO!NO!NO!NO!....)

Ouch... even at this distance, that was pretty powerful... They were not going to be happy at all...

Trudging along in the rain near the river, I drained the third bottle of whiskey and threw it aside in my magic, satisfied at the tinkle of glass smashing against brick. Fuzzy... that was what three bottles of whiskey got me, barely tipsy... I wasn't a big drinker or anything, but it was fun here and there... emphasis on was...

I had to pee a lot, but apparently that was part of processing every drop I poured down my gullet so efficiently... Convincing the others to let me go on my own hadn't been easy, a lot of cajoling and pointing out I was the only one Jade's sisters really wanted. Now that I was out here though, I accepted I wanted to be alone for awhile... Have some time to try to get used to myself, come to grips with all this.... It wasn't working...

I found a weedy old park on the shore and gracelessly flapped my way up to the top of a rusting jungle gym, opening another bottle and dangling my legs as the last tinges of sunset slipped away behind the sea. Checking everyone's locator tags showed they had split up, Jade, Glitter and Val riding a Vertibuck towards Sanctuary and presumably leading her sisters in a merry chase. Zed sneaking around the metro tunnels beneath the streets, all heading to meet up where we agreed eventually.

Staring across the bay, I could see fingers of land across the water, the nearest full of ruined industrial buildings, the furthest where the Trotson Skyport was, the huge cloudship The Prydwen moored over the facility, bathed in light. The idea I could just get up and go... that way... was still strange, I didn't have to follow the shore and find a crossing, nope... just get up and go in a straight line...

The fourth bottle was flung out into the sea, still barely a beer or two worth of drunkenness... I needed more, a loooot more... Looking through the gloom with that strange brightness around everything, I could make out every detail of the industrial buildings across the way, one of them had a giant beer bottle... a brewery?

Interesting... Well, I was left to my own devices here, I could go wherever I wanted, the lapping waves of the sea were no longer an obstacle... Screw it, it was practice... Shakily flapping my way up, I flew out over the water with a little trepidation, this was soooo strange... Going higher seemed wrong somehow, I knew I could now... I had nothing but open air above me stretching for miles, why was I nervous about going up?

I wasn't scared of heights... My mom was a pegasus for Luna's sake! She carried and tossed me around as a foal so much I just took it for granted, flying wasn't scary... Until recently Jade had carried me around all over too, lots higher than this... A few more beats brought me up above the gentle waves and I figured it out, I was ok with others flying... it was never on me before, just being a passenger was nothing once you got used to it if you trusted the flyer. Now I didn't trust the flyer...

Opening the last bottle of whiskey, I floated it to my muzzle and kept sucking it down, making my weaving way a little higher and towards that giant beer bottle. Drunk... it was a matter of pride now, I was going to get drunk, even if I had to drink a brewing vat dry...

A strange rustling noise from behind me made me lazily spin around in the air, looking back to the shadows moving among the crumbling skyscrapers of Trotson, an amorphous cloud of dark... wings? A flock of flapping, dark... things... swirling out into the night sky, a ribbon of the things swinging my way and screeching...

Bats?! I could see them a loooong way off now, those were bats... very big bats... with very big fangs... Shit, I forgot what Val said... no flying in downtown Trotson after dark... Bloodwings...

My legs scrambled pointlessly in the air before my wings got the idea and joined in, sending me flapping and careening my way towards the towering smokestacks and crumbling stone buildings, the screeching cloud of Bloodwings gaining on me easily. I tried adjusting course to the sagging remains of an elevated roadway over the water, realizing the indistinct dark stuff under it was more of the Bloodwings roosting, waking up in response to the prey being chased under them.

KRAKA-THOOM!

I had enough sense to turn around to the horde on my tail before unloading the lightning, the blast sent me spinning away as a good clump fell smoking to the ground, more surging up to take their places. Oh this was just fantastic! Sure, get in an aerial battle with things that actually belonged up here, brilliant work dumb dumb!

Ok... tuck your legs, flap harder! Move! Fly! At least I could draw my weapons with my magic, fighting up here must be hard for pegasi without a battle saddle or something, maybe Val had a point. No time to wonder now, several rounds of buckshot sent more of the dark brown monsters spinning to the sea below, but the rest were catching up, caught up... One came from my blind spot above and slammed into me, long fangs sinking into my shoulder, before a .45 round from Vengeance blew its head off and I tried to right my veering course.

Alright.. fall... I could fall no problem, that was faster right? I dove for the spit of land sinking into the sea, skimming the surface of the water with my hooves and a lot of Bloodwings right behind me. The horde of bloody monsters were faster than I was and a hell of a lot more skilled in the air, slashing and snapping with claws and fangs while I hammered away with my weapons and tried to stay up.

I barely cleared a tall sea wall still holding up against the ceaseless tides, careening down the shattered streets and managing enough altitude to crash through a second floor and lurch my way up, running... running was better! I'd just... shit! Nevermind, running wasn't much of an option with more Bloodwings smashing through the flimsy, rotten walls and crumbling roof, I got to enjoy being on the ground just long enough to dive out of the far window and beat my wings for all they were worth.

Trying straight up this time was a little better, apparently I was better at climbing than they were without stalling out, several fell behind while the others took a swirling course around me, gaining altitude in a circle behind me as I kept pushing up. This gave me plenty of targets at a good range around me, but I couldn't take these things out one at a time like this...

The brewery then! I was over it now, there were doors and entrances on the roof of the structure I could see even this far away, it wasn't flimsy wood either. I'd just dive for it and hide awhile, sure... just had to get through this swarm below me...

An earsplitting screech sounded out above me, flattening my ears and sending my hooves up to shut it out. The Bloodwings didn't like it at all either, suddenly clearing a path and trying to get away from the dark shape above me, streaking down and shouting... shouting? "Move stupid!! Dive! Come on!!"

A grey and purple blur shot past, yanking my leg along and straight through the cloud of death, screeching that horrible sound and clearing a path as we fell. A pegasus? She sounded like a mare and that was a silky purple tail and shapely pair of flanks just ahead of me... Stop thinking about that dammit!! More important things at the moment! What the hell was wrong with me!?

Whoever my savior was, she was light years ahead of me in flying ability, of course I guessed everypony who could that wasn't a newborn pegasi would be too... Her wings flared out feet away from the hard surface of the roof and she pulled out of the dive expertly, touching down and galloping towards a rusting steel door in the shadow of the tattered beer bottle ad. Groaning and running back when I slammed to the surface clumsily and yanking me by my mane to the door.

She tossed me inside to a steel catwalk and slammed the door shut, clicking the lock with her... pointy teeth... and turning on me with slitted orange eyes, she was kind of familiar... The armor! The pegasus dressed like one of Luna's royal guards back in Goodneighbor! She was still dressed up?

Panting shakily to herself at the thumps and crashes of Bloodwings screeching outside, she tossed her lavender mane and breathed a sigh of relief, sliding down the door to her rump and looking me over. "Finally! Didn't think I'd ever find you, till you got up in the air I couldn't for shit! Y-You really are him right? The real Shrouded Stallion? Not just a stupid costume this time right?"

"Er... Y-Yes? Thanks for the help! Iz not a stupid costume either... you ain't got room ta talk anyhoo, but I like your costume though."

The strange mare looked at herself a moment and snorted, spreading her leathery wings out and posing fetchingly. "Costume!? This isn't a costume buddy, all me alright? Witching Hour, at your service, 27th generation servant of Luna and emissary of Dreadnot! Pleased to finally find the right Shroud!"

A batpony... An actual thestral... it wasn't a costume?! How... exotic... No! Stop! Bad thoughts! Ok something was off with me... One more reason to go back to my original plan, it might not have gone very smoothly but my pip-buck updated while I shook myself and stood, looking around what I could see of the ancient brewery.

Discovered Location: Glint Brewery

"Fast Times, nice to meet you too Miss Hour. Thanks again, now excuse me... I need a drink... a biiiig drink..."

----------------------------------------Level Up!----------------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------

Friend of the Night Princess-----
New senses to get used to... fun! As an alicorn, your eyes now adapt quickly to low-light situations. Even in total darkness, things are lit with a preternatural glow like a nightvision scope and you have eyes like a hawk.

Ch. 53-- Civilized Pony's Burden

"Hey! Wait up! Drink?! Are you crazy? This place is full of raiders that..." The strange batpony Witching Hour crept along behind me, whispering frantically as I strolled along the catwalks above the Glint Brewery, sticking my head in modular metal offices or rotting wooden doors off to the side.

I didn't really need her telling me there were raiders here, Eyes Forward Sparkle was detecting them at a pretty significant distance... Hmm... usually I had to be closer before the pip-buck detected others, maybe it was benefiting from my enhanced senses too? 'Awareness! It was under E!' Meh, a curiosity for later, drink... that's what I wanted, that's what I was gonna get dammit...

A cluttered office I ducked into looked like it was a sleeping area for the raiders in residence, a few ratty, moldy mattresses tossed to the wood floor, bags by each for their owners, litter strewn about consisting of used drug containers and empty bottles, aha! A full whiskey bottle! I floated it over and stuck it in my muzzle, tilting my head back to swig it down while I walked and Miss Hour jabbered.

"H-How... that's not part of the costume!? How in the name of blessed Luna are thou..." It took me a minute to figure out that wide eyed look, her slitted orange eyes staring right at my glowing horn... whoops...

She saw me flying, I guessed I should have tried to hide my horn... too late now, oh well... More important things to worry about, one bottle wasn't going to do it. "Yeah, yeah, horn and wings both... get it outta yer system... help me find more booze."

I slugged the rest down and pushed past her, back out towards the red on E.F.S. and the drifting voices as she squeaked behind me. "You're... a-are you really Luna's Avenger?! T-The real Shrouded Stallion? L-Like not just a story or comic, f-for real!?"

"Real? I just like the comics... why?" Focusing on her was still way too easy, nothing was very fuzzy at all.

I could make out every detail perfectly, her cute, short purple mane falling into one wide eye, the gleam of those little fangs in her gaping mouth, the adorable little tufts on the tips of her ears as they flicked at every noise. A little taller than me, of course... but lithe and muscular under that blue steel armor, her chest rose and fell rapidly goggling at me looking back to her, a bit of pink lighting her pale, lavender-grey cheeks... STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT DAMMIT!

She flinched when I smacked my head with a hoof and turned back, alcohol... now... Moondancer's version of the I.M.P. she dosed me with was geared all around making a male to control the alicorns of the Commonwealth, apparently she had done a lot more than just get the bugs worked out... All of Jade's sisters viewing me as a breeding stud was bad enough, my new biology actually wanting to fill that role was worse.

"R-Real... like the legends... T-That story came from something older than just a silly foal's comic you know!" She hissed behind me, slinking along a good distance back worriedly as I approached the voices ahead.

The Shrouded Stallion had older roots? That was interesting... I thought I knew everything about the character, I'd have to ask about that later. Drinking now. All the rusty pipes and huge vats surrounding us was a good sign, conveyor belts looped around us in the large open brewery area, bottles were absolutely everywhere on them, brown beer bottles though, not strong enough...

"Whose stupid idea was it to join in that mess!? Gonna flay their hide and hang em off that stupid bottle up top a few days!" A gruff voice called from below, near an exit from the brewery floor leading to some kind of attached restaurant, a wall of broken glass showed a gloomy bar facing the brewery, a place to drink and take a tour, watch the process at work.

"W-Was Slim's idea Crust! H-He's already dead, one of them crazy mares got him!"

"He melted... seen it myself!"

"You were flyin' high on so much Dash and Rampage you prob'ly saw dancin' pink buffalo too!"

"Least we got out in time! Catchin' some of them Kings stragglers been good too, hafta look for more while the gettin's good, this stuff of theirs is great! Thought we were in real trouble from those wounds but I feel good!"

Hmm... the orange buck saying that last was waving around an empty X-Cell container... The odd, round injector was pretty recognizable, even from this distance, taking a look over all of them I noticed what was probably the earliest effects of the drug on several too... The leader apparently, Crust, was a very burly earth pony, muscles straining against his makeshift leather and scrap armor, there was a rather long horned unicorn too...

So, these were raiders who got involved in the attack on Goodneighbor... Probably nudged into it by the dead 'Slim' they spoke of. Synths melted when they died usually, I actually believed the poor mare trying to tell the others what she saw. The biggest issue was solved for me though, these were bad ponies, I felt no problem barging into their home now, or punishing them for the war in Goodneighbor they were part of...

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS!"

Witching Hour gasped at the booming voice filling the brewery, hey... that was pretty good! My horn was glowing when I did it... the voice spell! I tried soooo long and soooo hard to learn the voice altering spell as a colt to mimic the Shroud, now I could! It was nice and effective too, causing a flurry of activity on E.F.S. as the raiders below scrambled.

"W-What the fuck!? Who is that!?"

"It's him.... oh fuck it's him..."

"Him!? What are you on about!? Who's out there!? Show yourself coward!!"

A couple awkward flaps brought me over to one of the biggest pipes snaking its way around the room and I inched my way along it, watching a pair of raiders searching the cluttered maze of pipes and machinery below and calling back, this spell was awesome! It even made my voice bounce around so much in here they couldn't tell where it came from!

"You were manipulated by much greater evil, but you have still earned Luna's wrath for willingly attacking the innocent of Goodneighbor! Now you face justice from... the Shrouded Stallion!!"

Stepping off my perch into open space was still weird, difficult to just force myself to let go, but worth it to drop right behind this pair of raiders without breaking my legs. A quick flash of Best Served decapitated one, the silver buck beside him splashed with gore and moving just fast enough to trigger the shotgun in his mouth as he spun, screaming until the starmetal knife punctured his chest and tore free.

That noise was enough for the others to come running, but now I could just go up... Flapping my way to the top of a nearby vat leaning precariously, just ahead of several bullets sparking against the steel as I struggled to fly back into the shadows ahead of their shouts.

"Pegasus! It's a fuckin' pegasus! Up!"

"Yer dead you crazy featherhead!"

"S-Shroud's a unicorn though..."

"Shut up an' get up there after him! It's not the damn Shrouded Stallion!!"

My batpony companion had ducked into a small control capsule and stared out the broken window incredulously as I drew my silenced pistol too. Dragging a hoof down her face and shaking her head at my lopsided grin listening to the raiders finding the first victims.

"H-Holy shit... Gravy and Ice both!? Urk! It's really him boss, we gotta get outta here!!"

"Blessed Luna, forgive me my trespasses! I'm sorry! I'll do better, I'm out!"

"Get back here cowards!! All of you spread out! Find him! He's no ghost or spirit! He's a runty little buck that can't do shit if we..." The leader of this little crew shot at the pair running out through the restaurant entrance, hitting one by the sound but not disuading them from beating a hasty retreat.

That just left another 10 or so.... pffft! 9 or so... Hell if they hadn't caught a glimpse of me, I could just lurk up here in the rafters and keep firing the silenced pistol from above, most ponies didn't really think to look straight up often, even these raiders on the lookout and hunting what they thought was a pegasus weren't quite observant enough...

That wasn't any fun though, was it? pfft! 8... ok, maybe it was a little... Seeing them freak out as a pale green mare with a spiky reddish mane running for one of the ramps leading up to the catwalks, just dropped from the silenced pistol was entertaining, better to put on more of a show though...

Gliding over to one of the more intact conveyor belts in the middle of the huge room, I drew the Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance instead and stamped a hoof, making the whole rusting perch shake and spill bottles to the stone floor, flaring my wings out at all the eyes shooting up to see. At least they'd obey doing that, they liked sticking up....

"Last chance... Leave this place and be better ponies, or die... I come for yer booze fillies and gentlecolts, I aim to take it..."

Well I got a few seconds of stunned silence out of that anyway, another raider made a break for it too which was good, 7 now... The rest followed their burly leader's example and started firing wildly at me though, a few .38 rounds and shotgun shells slamming into my magical armor as i dove to the floor and activated S.A.T.S.

Once the sequence was accepted, Vengeance started spinning in my magic, guided by the targeting spell as I fell and booming as the hammer fanned, the full cylinder unloaded and finding targets, three of which fell to twitching heaps while the rest screamed and dove for cover. 4 now...

Dashing straight at the drug enhanced leader, I leapt and flung myself at him insanely, memories of the Combat Zone in my head. I was horrible hoof to hoof, but I had my knife and he had a long super sledge he swung up to meet me, for some reason I had this bizarre need to fight up close, pit myself against the mutating earth pony and assert dominance. He was a cheap knock off, I was the real deal... like Watcher said...

That hammer swung up and bashed me right in the chest, only slightly slowed by the padding Sassy Saddles built into the costume but not knocking me flying for once. Instead I skidded back a few feet, still firmly in contact with the earth and right there for him to follow up with a buck that pushed me back further and filled my muzzle with the taste of blood.

As soon as that taste flooded my mouth, I felt those weird little nubs of teeth ...extend... ick... into fangs and I thought of bacon, able to marvel at the sensation a minute just due to the raiders staring in shock. Crust's remaining crew was awful wary about getting involved in this now...

Spreading out in a rough circle, they were afraid to shoot with me charging right at their musclebound leader, hopefully a little intimidated too... I did just take two hits from the brute and was still standing with a fang enhanced, crazy grin, jumping... slashing.... biting...

Best Served sliced right through the handle of the sledge, suddenly throwing him off balance and giving him a lot less to work with. We tumbled to the cold floor, his hard hooves pistoning into my gut and ribs, distant warnings of pain easily ignored as I fought back, all flapping wings, swinging hooves and snapping fangs.

Out of desperation, the huge bleeding buck kicked me off and scrambled away, trying to draw his shotgun while I recovered and spun around in midair. With us separated, the others had a clear shot and were taking it, forcing me to adjust and deal with one of them who tossed a fire axe spinning through the air, clipping my side in a fan of blood. That should hurt more, shouldn't it?

He ran like a hellhound was chasing him when I spun and clumsily dove at him anyway, the dirty blue stallion screeching until the Terrible Shotgun sent him sailing into a collapsed pile of pipes and fallen catwalks before I ran into a girder and nearly joined him. 3 now... No, 2... Witching Hour finally came out of hiding, a long, curved, gleaming sword in her mouth as she dove from above and slashed down the back of one of the remaining raiders, flitting away from the other yelling in surprise while the leader and I squared off again.

"What the fuck are you!? Why the hell are you buggin' us you fucking lunatic!?!" The bleeding leader shouted as we circled each other in a clear spot on the brewery floor, panting while a vein in his forehead pulsed.

"I'm thirsty..."

I hocked up some of his blood and spit it out, not what I wanted... mostly... Crust threw the remains of his super sledge at me in disgust, forcing me to dodge the spinning hammer and putting myself in position for his combat shotgun, these raiders had better gear than I was used to... I wondered why as a slug slammed into my shoulder and nearly spun me, flapping up with a wince and activating S.A.T.S.. Mr. drug fueled raider wanted to play with shotguns, let's play with shotguns... The Terrible Shotgun barked repeatedly as I recovered and flapped right at him, slug after slug tearing into his chest, blowing a foreleg off, tearing open ragged, bloody wounds the dark Shroud in my head reveled at and falling to a heap.

Panting and bleeding, but somehow happy... I pulled out one of my healing potions and drank, trotting over to where the batpony mare had cornered the last raider. That wicked curved sword of hers had cut some long gashes on him, now trying to duck behind the pipes and junk to get away from it and pleading.

"Stop! I give! Please! M-Mercy!" He stammered and the uncertain mare did as asked, looking up at my approach while the final raider squeaked and tried to hide under his hooves on spotting me.

"Mercy? Like the mercy you offer the innocent you prey on? Are you worthy of true mercy? Luna's mercy?"

"Y-Yes! Please! J-Just lemme go! C-Crust was in charge, he told us what to do! I promise! S-Swear to goddess Luna, I'll be good, t-turn over a new leaf!" Fighting back that weird bloodlust was easier with the pleading stallion, they attacked Goodneighbor and my friends... but I wasn't a monster right?

"Where's the booze?" I growled and lowered my head to his level at the floor, ignoring the flabbergasted huff of the thestral beside me.

"B-B-Bar! C-Casks down there! B-Brewing vat #8 w-works too... w-we sell some sometimes..." The raider, I hoped former raider... whimpered and pointed, clenching his eyes shut and holding a trembling hoof out to indicate where what I wanted was.

"Run..."

That's all it took, the poor purple stallion took off like a shot, right out through the bar and into the night, his orange mane and tail flying behind him. Surveying the destruction for a moment, I stumbled my way towards the casks he mentioned, that sounded like a good start...

Oh the motherload.... how wonderful... Long, dusty shelves stretching to the ceiling of the landings off the stone ramps leading down to the smell of the sea, all held oak casks of alcohol that had been aging a looooong time, whiskey and cider.... excellent. I was a little unsure grabbing one in my magic, but surprised to find I could pick the big barrel up easily, hell I could take two! One of each then!

"Y-You are out of your mind... N-Not what I expected at all... doesn't that hurt!?" Witching Hour was still trailing me, what did she want anyway? She was distressingly attractive and I just wanted a drink, I wasn't crazy...

"Hurt? Oh... yeah..." I glanced down to some of the seeping wounds leaking blood down my coat, they did kind of hurt... the healing potion wasn't quite as effective as it should have been...

Sending my first haul back up these musty ramps, I looked over the bent railing, down the shaft leading to lapping water below and thought. The back end of the building leaned over the sea below, they must have loaded boats and such down there.... This whole cracked and crumbling vertical shaft kind of tilted towards the brackish water seeping in below, that would probably work... I trotted over and dove over the railing, splashing down to the seawater a floor below and washing all the blood off, along with the last stubborn streaks of pink in my mane from my disguise, enjoying the tingle of rads in the water healing my wounds for me.

"W-What are you doing!? That's dirty water! You've got a pip-buck, don't you hear that clicking!?!" Miss Hour yelped from the edge I dove from, aghast as I just frolicked around in the radioactive pool.

Flapping my wings around got the water all the way in there, cleaning all those damn feathers in a frothing swirl of water before lifting me out and up to the fairly solid grating again, shrugging to my strange companion. "It's fine, doesn't bother me, now I'm not hurt, see? Back to booze..."

The bar up front faced the industrial brewing room, a rotting wood affair with a few battered booths and stools facing the long marble bar, a wall of dirty, broken glass instead of a mirror behind it and lots of broken bottles on the shelves. Beyond was a full restaurant, it would have been cozy before the war, booths and tables, ornate wooden columns, lots of rotting, crazy crap on the walls. Peeking through the doors leading that way, I could see the windows facing the street below a landing out there, the street entrance must be downstairs, with the kitchens and such from what I spotted through the holes in the floor. Opting for the bar, I floated my casks of alcohol over and started puzzling over how to open them, I could go find Crust's hammer head and bash the top off, that would take too long though.

Surrounding the round top of the barrel in my blue magic, I focused and tugged, wrenching it free and tossing it aside with a heavenly cloud of ancient cider smell filling my sharpened nostrils.... there we go. I set it down in front of my stool and promptly stuck my muzzle in, slurping away and leaning further as the level dropped.

"You can't really be him... the Shrouded Stallion I'm looking for is supposed to be sweet and civilized... an old world pony... a repair-pony! Are you sure you're..." Witching Hour stared and snorted, watching me drain the cask in numb fascination.

"Zat's me! Repair-pony extraordinaire! Just an old world Mr. Fixit! Whadya want anyway? You wuz lookin' for me?" Ahh... it took a fourth of the barrel, but now I felt like I had a few beers in me. I could still get drunk, it would just take some effort!

She shook her head when I tugged on the whiskey barrel's lid, running over and thumping her hooves to the glowing surface to keep it down and shouting. "Yes! I was sent to find you dammit! I spent all day in that circus of a town looking just when everypony decided to dress up and mess with me! There were FIVE Shrouded Stallions! I finally figured out the real one at the Combat Zone fight, but you ran off and all hell broke loose!!"

Grumbling at her getting in the way, I had a fun idea and started stripping off my coat and hat, still absently tugging on the lid while I fought with my wings, enjoying her turning a pretty red all over. Getting back into this thing was going to be a pain, but I didn't want it soaked... "You found me once... I remembers, then you ran off again. Move, siddown an' talk, lemme drink..."

I accidently sent her off balance and flapping those leathery wings to right herself by wrenching the lid free under her, I didn't mean to use quite that much force, but whatever... it was open. Now, to just carefully hover up a bit... just a little closer... stay on target... SPLASH!

Watching her snort and shake drops of whiskey off herself had me chuckling, sinking to the bottom of the barrel and only letting my head from the nose up peek out, slurping away at the precious liquid displaced by my cannonball and spilling over the lip of the barrel. Finally she tossed her mane and stomped over to a mostly intact booth, thumping down and tapping her hooves together sullenly.

"I know I did... I thought you were him, but when you turned around I thought you were...." She whispered and paused, trying to find a delicate way to say...

"Short... thought I wuz too short ta be the real Shroud huh? Sooooo... what'cha want? Where'd ya come from anyway? Never seen a batpony up close before, it's neat!" I splashed and tittered in the barrel, enjoying my hidey hole of booze and appreciably draining the level in here with me.

"Y-Yes alright! I thought you couldn't be him because you're short! Some colt playing dress up, sorry ok! You looked pretty sickly at the time too! I came from Dreadnot, we need your help so they sent me to find the Shroud we keep hearing about on the radio! Now I think you can't be him because you're out of your mind! You're sure you're..." Witching... that was too long, Witchy! That was better! Witchy shouted from her seat, leaning up to follow my head slowly going down into the barrel.

"Sorry! I'm it! Dreadnot... heard that somewheres before... town? So what'cha need? Evil raiders threatenin' yer town? Institute monsters or experiments messin' with ya? Army of robots or zombies?"

"A repair-pony... We hear you're an amazing repair-pony, we need that kind of help, we take care of ourselves otherwise. Now I'm not so sure about asking you... Why are you doing this? HOW are you doing this... you should be keeled over and in danger of alcohol poisoning at this point!

Sticking my wings up out the top of the barrel and clumsily waggling them in answer, i kept slurping away between answering. "Don't work on me no more... hafta drink more, faster... You caught me at a bad time, I like fixin' stuff though! Fix what?"

"I... I will tell thee when we arrive... a-after you speak with our rulers. I'm just supposed to fetch you ok? Can you finish up and come with me, please?" She asked nice anyway, this barrel was down to my belly now though and I was only a little drunk. Time to investigate the functional brewer...

"Sorry, busy now, will come later... gotta go meet friends in awhile..." I checked my pip-buck for locator tags, noticing the new map marker for a place called Dreadnot down the cost, finding Jade, Glitter and Val arrowing their way towards me from pretty far north, that'd be awhile... though Zed was closer anyway. "Drinkin' till they get closer, need more..."

Crawling back out of the barrel wasn't the best idea, my wings weren't very cooperative lifting me up, tipsy enough to make controlling the new limbs harder now... good! The whole barrel wobbled back and forth as I struggled, flopping my way out and catching the falling barrel before it spilled all the dregs left. Hovering the whole wooden cask up in my magic, I tilted it back and craned my head back to drain it, finishing with a smack of my lips and looking around woozily to the pretty mare stammering at me.

"But! We need help! You can drink later!" She yelped as I sauntered up, only stumbling a little and cantering to the batpony mare shrinking into her seat at my approach.

"Now. Drinkin' now. Fixin' laters... sides, can't go to towns for awhile... bein' looked for... Hafta wait, sorry! Yer reeeeeally pretty though..." I leaned up to the thestral filly stammering and turning red, my ears pointing straight up and eyebrows waggling with a sleepy, sloppy grin. My traitorous wings stiffened awkwardly and my mane itched...

"H-Hey! E-Easy there... ummm... thanks? A-Are thou sure you're ok?" She scooted back down the bench seat from the leer plastered on my face, finally erased with a hoof slapped to my muzzle and a shake of my head, dammit... get drunker... I was going to drown out the demands of Moondancer's stupid potion eventually, on to the vats!

"Sorry, havin' problems lately... Nothin' personal, gots a special somepony already, just... n-nevermind me. Drinks!"

Well she kept right on following me around, despite my behavior apparently she was going to stick to her mission one way or the other. She gave an excited shout in her cute, high pitched voice when I drunkenly wove my way up to the big hatch on the functional brewing vat, mostly full of a small lake of strong smelling whiskey! Swimming! Yay!

Doing a lazy backstroke in a vat of whiskey and spitting up a little fountain as I floated, I saw the batpony fill the small opening I entered in and stare down at me. Her orange eyes darting around in thought until they came up with something. "Y-You say it won't work right? Need more or something stronger? L-Like ghouls! There's a bar back home, makes drinks for ghouls and other tough customers, same thing, regular alcohol isn't enough! If thou will come with me, I'll take you there!"

"Bar? Stronger drinks? Like how strong?" She had my attention now...

"Strong enough to knock a normal pony out! Burn a hole through their guts! Melt their brains! Like getting smacked in the head with a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick! Best booze in the Commonwealth, I promise! Just come with me!" Witchy shouted and held a hoof out into the vat, begging me to come out.

I thought a moment, looking over that muscular foreleg stretching down and the pretty filly attached to it, my head foggy and my wings stuck straight out. Slapping the whiskey bath with my hooves playfully, I finally reached up and took hold of the offered hoof with a grin. "After I finish! Come in an' help if'n ya wanna go faster, play with me!"

The poor batpony gave a shrill 'Eeep!' and was tugged into the vat, splashing down on top of me while I swam and wriggled happily. This would be more fun with Jade, or maybe Jade and Val... or Jade and her sisters... all of her sisters... A batpony was neat though, even sopping wet with whiskey, beads of the amber liquid dripping from those fluffy tufts on her ears as she gasped and shook.

"That's not funny! Why'd you! I- I'm soaked! My mane! Ooooooh! You are..." A lurching kiss cut off her ranting pretty good, wrapping my legs around her neck helped tug me upright a bit more when she pulled back, but that stopped after just a second and she started returning the gesture.

Hey, batpony's had fangs too! After running my tongue over my own so much in distraction lately, it was interesting feeling others. Hers were longer and more needle shaped, smooth and sharp with a fruity taste that was very pleasant. Feeling her own agile tongue pausing and running over my short fangs was strange, but she seemed to like it, gasping when they decided to extend on their own.

I found myself fluttering up unconsciously, leaning forward and pushing my uninvited advance to a short little whimper that turned to a moan when we hit the side of the vat. Everything was nice and fuzzy, warm... she was warm too... those tensing muscles in her flanks as she scrambled back before hitching one over me were strong and held me tight, and felt sooooo good....

Suddenly those leathery wings were flapping and she was wrapping her hindlegs around my middle, spinning us around and slamming me against the metal sides. Those sinewy muscles weren't just for show! This filly was strong and forceful, wrestling with me in the vat of alcohol, her breathing growing ragged as I licked the whiskey from her fur. Wrapping my forelegs around her ample rump, my wings flapped excitedly and we were rolling around on the top of the vat together, ignoring gravity entirely in the urgent passion fogging my head. This is what I needed... what I wanted, what my stupid new body kept whining about, I'd just... NO!

With a surge of will, I managed to punch myself, hard... harder than I'd expect actually... Driving a hoof straight up between us and uppercutting myself to splash into the whiskey, stumbling my way to the other side of the vat, banging my head against the metal while she panted in confusion behind me. Why did my mane itch? Why were her orange eyes so sparkly?! Why did I feel so aggressive and... randy... Why did I do that!?!?

"S-S-Sorry.... s-stay away... still getting used to... t-things... I didn't mean to..." I gasped pitifully, bashing my head into the steel with a hollow bong, my horn making and expanding a dent each time.

Thankfully, the victim of my advances didn't seem horribly insulted, actually she looked like she had to get control of herself too... That was good, right? I wasn't trying to force myself on... I needed Jade, now. Since that wasn't happening, I needed to get this under control, I didn't like my new body making me do things I didn't want to... I was in charge dammit!

"Oh my... I-It's alright... t-that was... was n-nice actually... I never... Umm... c-could we please just get out of here and talk a second? I think you need somepony to talk to a lot more than a drink, or... t-that..." She answered breathlessly, holding a hoof to her heart that I could actually hear hammering away under her breastplate.

I nodded sheepishly, waving her on first and trying not to stare at that rump wiggling its way out the hatch. Taking a second to master myself, I realized the pleasant buzz I had was already fading, and I had to piss... a looooot.... sigh... Great, if I didn't keep on drinking fast enough to overcome my metabolism, it would work its way through any progress I made soon enough...

A poorly aimed flap sent me up to thunk into the walls of the tank beside the hatch, reaching a hoof out to the lip and struggling to pull myself over and out. I hung by my belly and looked out at the sopping batpony below, clenching my eyes shut rather than look at a pretty mare stripping off her armor and dripping with whiskey over every shapely inch... Still hanging on those strong flanks and the moon and star cutie mark there despite my efforts.

"S-Stronger drinks you say? Tell me more..."

So that big flash of light in Goodneighbor.... that was you? You got turned into... this?" Witchy sat across from me in one of the booths as I morosely stared out the broken windows to the crumbling streets and buildings outside.

She was still out of her armor, wiping some of the plates clean and carefully oiling each on the table before us, watching me with interest. Both of us sitting here naked was really making it hard to focus, why couldn't she dry off faster? I washed off already anyway, I could try fighting my way into my coat again, but she actually seemed concerned and touched a hoof lightly when I tried to get up.

"That was me... I was just a plain old unicorn... Now I'm... not... I'm really, reeeeally sorry Miss, I... that was bad. I shouldn't have... I'm trying to get used to this, the mare who did this to me had some funny ideas...." Telling a stranger what I went through might not be the best idea, but I supposed she was right, I needed somepony to talk to, an outside opinion...

"What, she made you so flirty and goofy? On purpose?" Well, she smiled when she snorted that answer, somehow I wasn't hated for my behavior, though I must have made a horrible first impression...

"Apparently... kinda... They wanted me a male alicorn to mate with all the normal ones, why I can't go to towns right now. I ran away and they're looking for me, though maybe I shouldn't have... This feels really weird, I'm not usually so... er... f-frisky... I promise, I really am the Shrouded Stallion and I'm not like this usually, I'll help fix whatever you want, I just can't right now ok Witchy?"

She giggled at that, that was better anyway... cocking an eyebrow and giving a sultry look. "Witchy? A-Alright... I like it! Nopony gives me nicknames back home. So.... the Institute made you like that, on purpose huh? To fool around with all those alicorns? Sooooo feeling a little pent up?"

"I guess... I don't... I never feel like this alright? I ran away because I love Jade and just want to be with her, whatever they did to my body though... it doesn't agree. Just uh... if you could get dressed sooner rather than later? You are really pretty Witchy, it's uh... d-distracting... So, what is it you want fixed anyway?"

Alright, those lidded eyes were not moving to put her armor back on... She did answer cautiously though. "Secret... Dreadnot is an old ship though... pre-war Equestrian navy, beached and broken for ages. There's lots to fix and we hear there's nopony better in the Commonwealth that isn't part of the Institute. So you really will come and help?"

"Sure, I think I owe you that much at the very least. Besides, I really do like fixing things, it centers me, probably a good thing right now. I have to meet my friends though, and I can't just come strolling into a big town, the alicorns might... though maybe that wouldn't be bad either..." I fought with my own thoughts, that annoying impulse had latched on to getting caught not being such a bad thing...

Witchy shook her head, her drying purple mane swinging around her head. "No alicorns, well... just one, been around a long time though, not one of those mares from town. Not that we'd bar them from coming in, they just never have before..."

"They will now, trust me. I er... kinda helped convince them to come out of their shell a little anyway, now? Now they're going to be out looking, I guarantee it. Come on, let's get out of here, one of my friends is fairly close, we can meet him anyway. Tell me about batponies, I've never seen one before, just pictures, are there more of you in the Commonwealth?"

Laughing at me rolling in the floor and trying to force my way into my armor, Witchy nodded happily and started attaching the plates of her own blue steel armor. "Yes, quite a few actually. Loyal servants of goddess Luna still, we er... tend to keep to ourselves mostly. Things have been getting difficult back home, they sent me to bring help from the famous Shrouded Stallion, and find out if thou art the real thing..."

Thou? She slipped up into more formal wording here and there, especially when she was flustered. It was annoyingly cute... She looked around nervously when I barged my way out the front of the Glint Brewery, floating whiskey bottles in a swirling cloud around me as I walked right down the cracked streets of this industrial area. For fun I made them spin in wide orbits, faster and faster, up and down, dozens of objects juggled in alicorn telekinesis easily while I gave a warning shout to the empty streets.

"I'm leavin' evildoers! Anypony wants a lil' better come an get it now! Anypony? Nopony? Good!"

Turning to the gasping batpony behind me after playing with the voice spell I wanted so long, I continued in a normal, non-Shroud tone. "Real thing? What'dya mean by that anyway, thought I knews everythin' about the Shrouded Stallion, but it's a comic..."

"Oh no! The comic is just an adaptation Fast, a modernization of a very old legend... One of particular interest to us actually." Witchy piped up behind me, fluttering over fallen streetlights I wove around, following the marker in my vision.

"Legend? So.... spill it, what legend, if it's about the Shroud I want to know, tell me a story, keep my mind occupied...."

She landed beside me and looked up in thought, sashaying along and flicking those slitted orange eyes over, a smile curling her soft lips at my uncontrolled stares. Why did they send a batpony mare... couldn't it have been a stallion instead? Even worse this one was warming up to me... "Hmm... Well, the short version then. The Shrouded Stallion was just as the comics say, Luna's Avenger, a shadow from the night delivering her wrath and justice more than 1200 years ago. It is believed he was real, real-ish anyway... A dream brought to the waking world, Luna's dream... A royal defender, a creature of great and terrible power in the shape of a pony, let loose during Luna's night to obey her every command."

Huh... This was a new story... wasn't it? Maybe it was just because the comics adapted it, but it seemed vaguely familiar. Either way she had my interest and I was pleasantly distracted. "If he was real, what happened to him?"

"Nightmare Moon happened... When she took over Princess Luna, she had control over her agent and corrupted him as well... During the fighting between the sisters, he was a monster Fast... a destroyer that obliterated her enemies. Even after she was sealed away in the moon for 1000 years, it took years to track him down and put a stop to him, every night he'd rise again and seek a way to free her. Raged against her sister's forces, brought fear and suffering in a twisted sense of his original purpose..." Witchy softly told what sounded like an old story to her, she believed it...

That... that was hitting a little close to home... That sounded uncomfortably like the dark Shroud in my head actually... So even the real Shrouded Stallion suffered those dark impulses, was corrupted and fallen, like I felt I could be at my worst moments... "W-What happened?" I whispered back, enraptured with the story and now desperate to know how the real thing fared.

"He was defeated of course! The real Shroud was a relentless force of darkness and fury, he had to be stopped. Eventually chased all the way here to the shores of Celestial Sea by goddess Celestia herself. He couldn't be destroyed, but he was sealed away like his master, forgotten... Not by us of course! We have never faltered in our duty to the true Night Princess, we uphold even her fallen servant." The batpony finished her story on a proud note, thestrals were Luna's protectors, they would know everything about her.

Another bottle floated by and I slugged it down, I could at least drink Val under the table now... that might be fun... The best I could manage to maintain was a mellow buzz though, just enough that my thoughts weren't racing. There was a real Shrouded Stallion... It wasn't just a silly story...

"Sealed where? How?"

Witchy blinked a moment, then fluttered up, holding a hoof out to guide me up with her gently and peering into the night. Finally she focused on a dark shape in the far distance, a craggy cliff overlooking the sea and a dark castle atop it crumbling slowly into the waters. "There, can you see it? I know it's dark and really far away but..."

"I see it... perfectly..."

"Oh! R-Right, yonder is Castle Equinox, a former stronghold and autumn palace of Luna's. The real Shroud made his last stand there in a terrible battle with Celestia. When Luna returned, the castle was restored and she vacationed there occasionally. There were rumors she tried to find a way to free and purify her servant, use him in the war somehow... But she never found a way to restore him, he was too dangerous to be let loose upon Equestria again...

An artist visiting on a tour when it was open after the restoration, shortly after Luna returned this was... He stumbled on the story and asked to adapt it, Luna agreed so long as he was a hero and thus the Shrouded Stallion comics you know were born." She finished smartly, drifting slowly back to the ground and trotting along with me while I thought.

I planned to go that castle anyway... Preston mentioned it, it was on my list. Now I was much more interested. Normally I'd just wrack it up to my obsession with the character in general, but that legend... Had I heard that before? A bedtime story maybe? Where would mom or dad hear it? Even I took a tour of that castle once, a pretty boring affair really, long echoing hallways and fancy tapestries with longer histories. But was there something more there? I had to go see for myself...

One more thing then, for now Zed's marker was back across the water, the arrow on the compass at the bottom of my vision pointed near a tall, leaning church steeple nearly hidden by taller buildings nearby, a very old church the city had grown around, then crumbled around, but it still stood.

I beat my wings and climbed over the water, still trailing whiskey with me and letting the empties fall where they may. "Thank you Witchy, that was a cool story... One of my friends is just this way, once we find him I'll ask him to keep an eye on me so I don't er... y-you know... I'm really sorry..."

The shapely thestral giggled and flew upside down ahead of me, holding her hindlegs and swishing her tail as she spun in the air. "It's alright, really! A l-little surprising, but I think I understand thine troubles now. Quite refreshing, nopony ever... w-with me... back home..."

I found that incredibly hard to believe... She was a beautiful young mare, strong and sure, she should have bucks falling all over her. I briefly wondered what home was like if that wasn't the case, but she had turned to looping around me lazily and ignored any questions on the subject.

Finally we were back on the mainland, gliding silently down to an intersection of choked city streets and crumbling towers. Everything across the bay was fairly short and squat, I had gotten used to the tall canyons of rusting buildings in downtown Trotson, now on guard and staying low to avoid the notice of any more bloodwings, as per my companion's advice.

Zed's marker pointed to a newer structure, several floors of pale blue stone, an elevated walkway stretching over the street between the two buildings making up the structure my pip-buck identified for me; Location Discovered: Harborside Hotel. Carts and carriages had been shoved around the plaza like area under the walkway, barricaded and lit with burning barrels, littered with dead raiders...

"So where is this friend of yours anyway? What the hell happened here actually?!" Witchy flapped her way up a couple floors to examine the building I was staring at, giving a high pitched squeal when a raider in heavy metal armor crashed through a window and fell to the street, a spinning black and white blur right behind him.

The brief dash of red on E.F.S. was instantly extinguished when it fell to the hard street, the zebra stallion following up with a powerdive of a kick was really just overkill... messy overkill... Zed panted and looked up, tossing his head back to the looming fortress and the trail of destruction he had already left. "There you are... We were meant to meet at the shore, not across it Fast. I decided to amuse myself here and wait for you to return, who is your new friend?"

Before I could answer, the lithe batpony had shot straight up and perched on a rusty street sign, drawing a gleaming silver rifle and aiming at Zed, yelping around the weapon in her mouth. "Z-Zebra! Look out Fast, I will..."

Lurching up to get between them before things went south, I held a hoof out to each and begged for peace. Zed didn't look that bothered by a batpony, but the opposite was obviously not true, Witching Hour looked terrified...

"Easy! Stop! This is my friend Zed! No shooting!"

"F-Friend?! With a zebra?! They art the enemies of Equestria Fast!! The murderers who destroyed the world! Killed our Princess!!!" Witchy screeched, not moving from her perch or lowering the weapon an inch, trembling with fury. Great...

"Zed didn't... That was a long time ago Witchy, the war is over. Princess Luna wanted peace... can't you try to honor that?"

"B-But..." Those cute tufted ears drooped a bit, that was a good sign at least.

"But nothing. I will help you, but not if you hurt my friend. He is my friend Witchy, like I hope we are too. Please get along? Put the gun down..."

After a tense moment, she finally holstered that beautiful silver weapon. A bejeweled combat rifle of incredible craftsmanship, a match for the gleaming crescent shaped sword I saw her wield before and her immaculate armor. This Dreadnot place must have excellent craftsponies, another good reason to go there.

The threat of imminent violence temporarily abated, I thumped down into a painful 'landing' next to Zed, dusting myself off and clapping him on the shoulder. "Sorry about that Zed! Er... sorry to leave you hanging over here too... I got distracted, having problems actually I was hoping to talk to you about... Soooo, why'd you clear this place out?"

Silly question considering I had just brought hell down on another group of raiders just for their booze, but I was interested and any questions helped smooth over that tense little introduction. The zebra stallion grumbled up at the batpony still refusing to come down, but shrugged soon enough and turned his grey eyes on me with a bored expression.

"We need somewhere to rest, a hotel seemed like a good choice. I merely evicted the current tenants while I waited. I could have gone to get you I suppose, but you can take care of yourself. I assumed you may need some time to yourself, though apparently that is not the case..." Zed rolled his eyes up to Witchy still watching anxiously.

I was just grateful to him though, he actually understood I had wanted to be alone... Would the others so easily? It was nice having a stallion friend close to my age, a little rough around the edges and grumpy maybe, but he was another guy... and he was trying now. He scuffed at the street with his hoof and nodded down to the bright bricks he uncovered, red, orange, yellow... The Rainbow Trail... "Besides, I assumed you may be interested in this, it was a mark in this place's favor..."

"Right, awesome job Zed, thanks so much! Let's go on in then, make sure it's all cleared out before Jade and the others get here... You coming Witchy?"

The nervous batpony zipped behind my back and peeked past me, a bigger pony hiding behind me... how hilarious... "I will... J-Just let me keep my distance from that stripe..." I turned and huffed angrily at her, getting her to amend that insult. "S-Sorry! The zebra... g-give me time alright? Thou keeps strange company..."

That made me snort laughter, "You have no idea... Come on, play nice together..."

There were a few stragglers left in the sprawling hotel, of course a shadow of a zebra leaving a bloody trail had them fairly spooked, so it didn't take much to scare off or root out the last. It was a pretty significant downgrade in accommodations after Shamrock's hospitality in the Princess Celestia suite... But it kept most of the drizzle and chill out at least.

The decor left a lot to be desired... raider tastes were not exactly family friendly... Yanking the artfully arranged corpses down and floating them out of the main areas and a few rooms was grisly, disgusting, heart wrenching work that had me wishing more decided to stick around.

The best we could do for them was to tuck them away in the smaller building across the street attached to this one by the walkway, far enough away so the smell wouldn't be a problem and hopefully hidden from wildlife so they could somewhat rest in peace. Zed and Witchy both helped while the locator tags of the others approached slowly.

Witchy was keeping her distance from Zed of course, but they were ok being in the same room if I was there. Currently she was tugging at a hefty corpse, the tatters of the dead buck's jacket clenched in her pointy teeth, her rump stuck up in the air as she pulled and grunted, sweating with the effort... muscles flexing in those strong limbs and shapely flanks...

"Fast, help me with this..." Zed coughed and pointed at a dead orange filly... half of one anyway... immediately short circuiting those bad thoughts.

"Right! G-Got it..." I felt my face heat up and ran over guiltily.

It's not like the burly zebra needed help with the poor, sad little corpse, she was tiny and light, not much older than Glitter... The look of terror still etched on her face doused those warm sensations quite effectively though... I did ask him to keep an eye on me and the observant zebra was watching like a hawk with those grey eyes, arching an eyebrow as I reverently lifted the body off the hooks it hung from and found a tattered curtain to wrap her in.

"Ick... w-why are we doing this? Can't we just leave for Dreadnot as soon as your friends get here? Why do we need to clean up these poor wastelanders? N-Not that I disagree necessarily, but trying to bury all the dead of the Commonwealth... it would take a lifetime..." Witchy groused and wriggled her way under the big buck's corpse, grunting and standing under shaking but powerful legs, warm legs... Stop!

"Because, we've had a long day and need somewhere to hide. When my daughter gets here, I don't want her seeing all... this... if I can avoid it."

That made the batpony mare squeak and look over in surprise. "D-Daughter? You have a... h-how old are you? I thought..."

"Adopted daughter ok... Yes, I'm not old enough to have a foal, she's still my daughter though." I answered and trotted over to help her, surrounding the hefty corpse in my magic and lifting with her.

I would assume having a kid would be a turn off, apparently not here though... She got a warm, appraising look and nodded happily. "Adopted... How kind, that is more like the Shroud I was sent to find, instead of the goofy, flirty buck I found...."

"Sorry! I'm really sorry Witchy, trust me, I'm gonna be in trouble enough soon...."

"Oh? With your special somepony you mentioned? Why? J-Just a little harmless flirting, I don't have to say anything to her... so long as you really do come to Dreadnot." Those orange eyes of hers gave a lidded look as she shook her head, forcing me to look away and think about repairs... spell talisman arrays, matrix adjustments, efficient coding... anything!

"I do though. I er... c-can't lie to her... better to just get it out of the way, I fucked up, I deserve it."

Zed chortled and joined us with another bloody bundle on his broad shoulders, making an effort despite the thestral's reaction to him. "Fast has funny, old world ideas about such things Miss Hour. Really, all that effort to escape Miss Jade's sisters, only to leap at the first filly you run across... a non alicorn filly no less, those mares would be furious Fast. You should have just done as they asked, got it out of your system...."

"I'm starting to wonder if you're right Zed, I'm really not like this Witchy, just dealing with a lot of changes. When Jade gets here I'll..." Thinking of my Princess, I checked for her tag again, excited to see it nearly on top of us and running outside to scan the skies for her.

I didn't see anything, but that didn't mean much with a blue alicorn, she could be invisible and right over my head. I pranced in place, dreading telling her about my aggressive behavior and hoping it wouldn't taint her view of the strange batpony who insisted on sticking around. At the same time impatient and excited, giddy as a foal on Hearth's Warming Eve, Jade was almost here...

"Hey boss! There ya are!" Val streaked from the sky, a fiery orange comet that slammed into me happily and lifted me into a tight hug before pinning me to the ground at the reunion.

Lots of warm griffon pressed against me, my head started getting foggy again and I shook as my wings stretched out. Suddenly Val's constant, playful flirting wasn't so unwanted... She felt good too, long and lithe, strong but soft and feathery, that sinuous tail flicking around, her scarred flanks smooth then rough at each old wound, I could kiss every one to make them better... follow the trail of long past pains over her body and....

"L-Leggo! I C-Can't... Good to see you too Val, just lemme go quick!" I stammered and struggled under her, trying to wriggle free before my stupid body tried taking over again.

She pulled away and looked down at me flopping around on the cracked sidewalk, her violet eyes tracing their way down past my wings splayed under me and shifting where she straddled me. Once she figured out the reaction she was getting, she turned even brighter red than normal, her long tail sticking straight up and the fluff at the end spiked out in surprise.

"W-Well helloooooo there boss! That's a first! You finally ready to gimme my pay?" Val grinned and wiggled where she was, unaware how right she was...

I spotted Jade and Glitter appearing above us and gliding down gently, both snickering at what they thought was normal Val behavior. With a frantic scramble I managed to spin around under Val and get my hooves to the ground, grunting and pushing with new strength I was still getting used to, actually lifting the hefty griffon to a squawk of surprise and dashing free, running directly to Jade and clinging to her neck.

"Oh thank the goddesses you're back... I have to tell you..."

Jade gave a pleased whinny at the affection, but Glitter distracted her with her loud interruption, jumping from her back and running right for Witchy, watching the show from a hiding spot near the hotel entrance with wide eyes. "Ohmigosh! Look mom!! A batpony! Look how pretty! Her wings are different than yours!"

Nodding at the filly running circles around the batpony, Jade trotted over with me still clinging to her, nice and warm, big and familiar... silky blue fur... wonderful, strawberry scented cloudy mane and tail... Come on, keep it together stupid. I had to let go or... Jumping away from her, I shook my head and caught what she was actually saying that had been a distant buzz. "So I see Glitter, how interesting! I was unaware there were thestrals in the Commonwealth, very infrequent outside of Blackpony Mountain. Pleased to meet you Miss...?"

"W-Witching Hour... T-This is your special somepony Fast? The Princess?" Witchy gaped at the alicorn towering over her, holding a hoof out kindly to the nervous batpony while Glitter raced around her, tugging her leathery wings and jumping up to look at her cute ears.

"That's her, this is Princess Jade, my daughter Platinum Glitter and my friend Valkyrie, we're all together again now."

I managed to give Glitter a warm hug and pull her away from Witchy, the foal was ecstatic at some new curiosity and wanted to climb on the poor mare like playground equipment. Phew... at least having the filly in my hooves calmed me down, if the same unbidden reaction came up because of my own daughter.... I'd have to stay away from her completely.

Thankfully that wasn't the case, she squeezed back to no unwanted reaction and clambered to my back, tugging my mane asking to go up and squealing with delight when I hovered up a bit awkwardly. "You should'a come dad! You were right, ridin' in that Verti-thingy was fun! The Brotherhood ponies were pretty nice, tha pegasuses... pegasi pilots did loops for me!"

"Yes, it was a long and interesting trip Fast... My sisters are rather frantic, they followed us halfway to Sanctuary before I had an opportunity to cloak us and escape. The Brotherhood said they would continue on to Hexington, then Sanctuary, that may throw them off the trail awhile, but they will be looking... So where did you find your new friend? I was watching your marker on the map thanks to Glitter's help, where did you wander off to?" Jade joined in the filly's recounting, tilting her head curiously at the nervous batpony.

"L-Long story... Look there are rooms all cleared out here for everybody to get some rest in and lay low. Why don't we all head in, er.. l-lemme talk to Jade alone a minute... I have to tell her something."

Dumping Glitter back to the ground in a clumsy landing, I picked her up in my magic and dusted her off, swatting her flank to go play with the batpony inside. Granted it was pretty rude to just run off as soon as they got here, but I had to get this off my chest right now, then hopefully do something about it...

Val squawked and tossed her overloaded bags into the lobby, opening her beak to complain but cut off by Zed, leaning over to whisper to her while I flew up through the open lobby area, towards the rooms at the top and furthest away from the others. I was tugging Jade by the hoof with me as she followed in confusion, trying to ask questions while I cleared the railing at the top floor and started running to the room I had cleared for when she got back.

Once we were in the spacious if moldy suite, I slammed the door and locked it, sliding to my rump against it and sitting up straight, forcing myself to look into Jade's kind blue eyes. "Ok... I fucked up.. s-something's wrong with me. I um... I k-kissed that batpony... w-wanted to do more... I'm sorry!"

I winced and waited for the storm, peeking up from behind my hooves and seeing that shocked face hurt. She got red, her eyes taking on a dragonish appearance and growing slitted like the batpony herself downstairs. If I wasn't sitting right in front of the door, I believed she would have just charged right through the obstacle.

"Why?!" Was the only word she managed to choke out after a minute, her suddenly sharper teeth gritting in frustration, she wanted to go get to poor Witchy.... but it was my fault, not hers.

"I don't know!!! I feel really strange! E-Every female I run into now... w-when Val was hugging me I.... and now you're here... My stupid body keeps going crazy around any mare, like I want to... but I don't!! I love you! I'm soooo, so sorry! I c-can't do this! Whatever Moondancer did to that potion, she had her own ideas for it and I don't like them!"

My screaming, sobbing tantrum cut off some of her anger at least. Her expression softened as I slumped against the door and whimpered, eyes downcast so I couldn't see that long, graceful neck just begging for... no! After a few minutes, she huffed and paced the room, kicking junk out of her way in frustration and glaring back at me occasionally.

"I said I would c-consider sharing you Fast! With my sisters! Not some strange batpony mare! There would be no point! No reason, no excuse!" She grumbled and bucked a broken table out the window, stamping her hoof and waiting for a response.

"I know... I'm sorry... If you hate me I understand, I didn't mean to... I don't like this Jade..." I whimpered under her sadly, still afraid to look up to that beautiful face looking down at me.

I was surprised at the pale blue-white glow of her magic surrounding me, lifting me up and setting me on the bed as she stuck her nose up and huffed. "I do not hate you Fast... I cannot. I am upset, but more at Moondancer at the moment... and that batpony... I suppose that explains why you smell so strongly again... You truly are trying aren't you? Such behavior is far too out of character for you, I know you that well and trust you, love you...

If her version of the I.M.P. has made you feel this way... Hmm.... Medically there are things I could do I suppose... Curtail your impulses... I think it would be better if you learned self control though, you will have to deal with your new biology eventually Fast. I will forgive certain dalliances in light of your situation, but it would seem you need more than flight training hmm? Take off your armor..."

"Er... ok!" I yelped, confused but happy, we were alone together and she wanted me to strip, that was good right?

She was taking off her own lab coat and medical box saddlebags too, so this was going well actually! Seeing her in all her glory, pacing around the musty old mattress I sat on, I was practically bouncing in place, finally... with Jade again! What she said as one big blue wing lightly traced down my side brought my excitement to a screeching halt though.

"You will remain still and not do anything Fast... You will learn control first, then we will see about sating your urges.... When I am satisfied you can master them yourself. Do. Not. Move." Her sweet voice was warm and caring, but had an unbending iron to it too, this was an order and I better obey...

What followed was absolute torture... Amazing, wonderful torture... Every light touch, kiss and nuzzle drove me right to the edge and I had to grit my teeth and bear it, shaking in place and trying not to move for what felt like hours. After awhile I started to wonder if she was enjoying this... prancing around in a seductive dance in front of me, just out of reach, wiggling her rump in front of my face, swishing her tail and flapping her wings coquettishly, tossing that cloudy mane around with a tinkling laugh and hearts in her eyes... Don't move, don't move, don't move...

Finally, she seemed as flustered as I was, her cheeks rosy and her breast heaving with each ragged breath, a light sheen of sweat already worked up from her antics just driving me further up the wall. She fluttered up and sat on the bed with me, tapping a hoof against her chin and looking up in thought, murmuring to herself playfully in front of me.

"That was enjoyable... you are trying are you not? That makes me happy.... trying so hard, behaving yourself quite well. Alright, I suppose you may go ahead and mo...." The second the words started passing her soft lips, I was up and flying, tackling her to the floor and planting desperate kisses everywhere I could reach to her giggles. "F-Fast! Oh my! S-Shouldn't we go back to the bed and... OH!"

"N-No more... E-Eight is enough Fast... r-rest...." Jade panted beside me, draped over the tilted bed and half of me like a wet noodle, speaking in a weak, delighted tone as her wings fluffed and wiped a bit of sweat from her sides and she cooed happily.

I was pretty worn myself, but apparently not enough... Sweet Celestia, what was it going to take? Jade and I had never... like this... I surveyed the room as she flopped her way closer and curled up around me, we had done some serious damage in here... The bed we were stretched out on had been shattered to tinders on one side, making everything kind of cockeyed in here. Long cracks ran up the wall behind the headboard, most of what wasn't already destroyed in the ruined room was now...

Let's see... the ratty old armchair in the corner was utterly demolished during number 3... The half bar counter leading to the kitchenette of what had been a business suite was smashed, unable to hold up an alicorn gripping it and stretching up to the ceiling during number 7. Surprisingly a weak trickle of water still came out of the shower head of the tiny bathroom when we tried in there, cramming ourselves into the cramped stall before a few misplaced hooves shattered the remaining glass and tore the fixture free in a tingly spray of radiation that just made number 5 better. Number 1 had been so frantic and forceful, we left several dents and cracks in every wall.

All that, and still I could keep going... This was insane, I was exhausted and could barely move, but my body kept demanding getting up and going again. Thankfully Jade's 'training' helped me push those impulses down and just enjoy being with the mare I loved, I was in control dammit, not Moondancer's potion...

Staring at the drooping ceiling, I idly missed the Celestia Suite, it was a hell of a lot more soundproof than this swiss cheese building, we had been very loud...

"W-Well... that is certainly a mark in favor of sharing you I suppose... with my sisters only... I do not like what was done to you either Fast, but I do understand. I guess I now have a use for birth control spells, if we do not wish to start a family immediately that is... which er... m-may be a possibility after all that... Though it feels very strange contemplating it, using magic to not get pregnant... just like normal mares!

That was very enjoyable, after a performance like that... I guess there is enough of you to share... With my sisters here in the Commonwealth, slowly... a-as I warm up to the idea, p-perhaps Valkyrie if the need is i-insatiable... I do care for her after all, she may be a-acceptable... put that insistent lasciviousness to good use... I still do not like it. But you love me yes? Only me?" Jade whispered beside me, nibbling my ear and in danger of number 9.

"Only you... I promise. I'll behave Jade, or try to... this is a lot to get used to, all the regular alicorn stuff is hard enough, but this... ugh... And if the rest of your sisters find out..."

Hugging me tight with a frightened shiver, Jade shook her head against me. "That would be a problem... Not all of my sisters are Followers Fast, if this were to spread beyond the Commonwealth... They would descend on this place like locusts... tear it apart to find you..."

That made me gulp nervously, effectively dousing any leftover ardor. "Yeeeeeah.... about that... Umm... T-The rest of Equestria might have an idea already..."

Having a lot of blue alicorn suddenly shoot up to the ceiling sent me flying off the bed, groaning from the floor as she squeaked an apology. I hadn't exactly told her about what Watcher showed me, the view from the S.P.P. towers outside the Commonwealth, catching the climactic final pulse of light during my 'ascension' in Goodneighbor. Once I explained it, her blue face turned a few shades paler and she curled in on herself, hiding in her wings and tapping her forehooves.

"Oh no... oh no... If they know... if that's all they saw... They may view it as a threat Fast! Ask my sisters what they know, send scouts from the New Canterlot Republic, the Followers, everypony! They will come... t-they will all come!" She whimpered nervously, her breathing getting faster in fright while her blue eyes darted around.

I crawled back to the bed and leaned up to kiss her neck, calming her and managing to keep it down to just that bit of affection, stroking her mane soothingly. "It's alright, Watcher's trying to help. We have to get to the S.P.P. tower though, or back to Manebridge, somewhere we can communicate with Miss Homage and DJ Pon3 again, try to explain it..."

Mission Updated!: Can You Hear Me Now

Objectives-----------
---Reach the Commonwealth M.A.S.E.B.S. tower
---Communicate with Homage and Equestria
---Apply the bypass

Flashed in my vision as soon as I said it, I needed to get to the needle thin white spire in the center of the Commonwealth anyway, now I had a more pressing reason. After making sure Jade was calmed and reassured, I had to excuse myself before I tried to ravish her again. Walking down the gloomy halls outside and back to the mezzanine overlooking the lobby below.

All the other rooms and areas we cleared were below, I still had to gulp and force myself over the railing into all that empty space below, but glided down to the ground floor without much incident. I almost managed to land properly before stumbling and falling into a rotting couch in the lobby.

Hoots, whistles and catcalls rose up at my clumsy entrance and my head shot up, seeking out the taunting and finding Val... of course... snickering laughter at the small lobby bar, a variety of excellent weapons spread out on the wooden surface and Witchy beside her, an impressive shade of crimson and gaping with wide eyes at me.

"S-Seven..." She managed to stammer out, instantly making me match her color and hide behind my wings, awkwardly trying to flap up and make me invisible like I wanted. At least Glitter was already in bed... and Zed was probably resting from his slaughter here, so it was just them...

"Eight! Lil' harder to tell when she stuffs that big hoof in her gob tryin' ta be subtle! Impressive boss! Now I reeeeeally wanna ride!" Val chortled and kicked her paws hanging off the stool she sat at, giving me a leering grin and absently poking at some of Witchy's impressive weaponry. "So, made all this stuff back home huh? Good work... Never had much business down in Dreadnot, should'a poked around a little more! So they gots more like this there? When we goin' boss!?" Val giggled to the poor batpony just gaping at me, shuffling in her seat anxiously and looking me over with those exotic slitted orange eyes.

It took a nudge from the griffon and a snap of her dark claws in front of her face for Witchy to shake it off, stuttering and shaking her head. "Y-Yes! Yes we make weapons and armor of excellent quality, w-we're selective about our customers though... you may not have been able to purchase any when you were there anyway. When are we going F-Fast? I would very much like to return with you as soon as possible..."

"Soon ok? I promise, we have some other things to do on the way, some more urgent than others... But we will start working our way there alright? For now, I could use a drink..."

Val lit up at that, perking up in her seat and waving around bottles from behind the bar. "There's my lil' drinkin' buddy! That's more like it mopey! Replenish them fluids! Get over here an' drink lightweight!"

Lightweight huh? Well we could just see about that... It was just past midnight, more than enough time considering how much sleep I seemed to actually need now. I strolled over to the bar with a knowing smile, raising an eyebrow as I tried to flap my way up to the stool and only missing by a little, I slammed a hoof to the bar and leaned towards the goofy griffon.

"Sure Val... Why don't we have a little drinking contest actually... That'll be fun right?"

----------------------------------Level Up!---------------------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------------------

Party Colt! (Rank 2)--------------

-----Nopony can out-drink you now! You now have incredible resistance to alcohol, requiring a great deal more to become inebriated at all and quickly sobering. On the plus side, you suffer no negative effects from alcohol and the positive effects are doubled. Alicorn metabolism may be a bit annoying, but there are perks too! You also now gain +3 luck while under the effects of alcohol.

Quest Perk Added!--------------------

Pony Sutra-------
------The side effects of your transformation are more significant than you thought! Moondancer's version of the I.M.P. was focused on creating a breeding stud and your new body wants to fill that role, whether you do or not. You are experienced and now amazingly enduring in the art of giving and receiving physical pleasure. You are now much more likely to have sexual encounters with specific characters.

Reputation Change!---------------

Dreadnot-- Neutral
-----The mysterious settlement to the south calls! Batponies and a big boat, fun! You know nothing about where you're going, but they know you apparently and are waiting. If your new friend is any indication, maybe the scary sounding place will be a nice town! It's a direction to go anyway!

Ch. 54-- Gone Fishin'

Whiskey, gin and brandy
With cider I'm pretty handy
I'm tryin' to trot a straight line
On sour mash and cheap wine
So join me for a drink boys
We gonna make a big noise
So don't worry 'bout no war
Take it today
Forget about the stripes who got hell to pay
Have a drink on me
Yeah have a drink on me....

"Nnnnn.... stop singin' that boss! Yer killin' me!!"

I'd feel worse about Val rubbing her temples with a wince behind me, squinting in the early morning light grumpily and stumbling along the cracked streets. Really I was just amazed, I had never seen Val hungover... not once... Granted it took every drop of alcohol we could lay our hooves on to reach that point last night, but eventually she was forced to woozily cling to me still slurping booze down and admit defeat, sort of anyway...

Seeing the griffon's violet eyes spinning in front of my face as she held up one dark claw and slurred, "Hassat wuzza drnnnnkin... NO FAIR!" wasn't quite surrender. After struggling out that she crashed to the floor on top of me and promptly fell into loud snores and twitching legs. So I'd just count that as a win.

She was getting even with me now, but I could still mess with her despite her insane version of flight training, singing a croaking, bawdy rendition of a hilariously appropriate song Miles played during the night, local favorites Hayseed / Badseed, the drinking ballad was just rubbing it in this morning, but I felt ok with that at the moment.

"What's the matter Val? Thought I was a lightweight and... OW!!"

"Shaddup boss, keep them wings up! You are a freakin' lightweight... no good cheatin' alicorny-ness... Blue said ta give ya a good workout, keep goin'!" My private drill instructor grumbled and swatted me again with her new favorite teaching aide, an old radio antenna she had ripped from a carriage in the streets that left stinging lines on my flanks every time.

I had thought today wouldn't be quite so bad as literally holding my hooves to the fire when she said I could stay on the ground. Turns out I got to walk down the cracked streets merely because she tied far too much weight to the end of each weak new wing to fly, and insisted both remain out and parallel with the ground at all times... while keeping up a brisk trot...

The new limbs trembled and strained against the concrete rubble she had gathered and tied to them, just holding them still and straight like this wasn't easy, with weight dragging each down... new muscles were making themselves known and complaining loudly already, and she said this was just the easy start!? Hearing her wonder aloud where she'd find a big chunk of lead for each had me gulp as I sweated and strained, keeping up a quick pace as we walked the shore side streets of Trotson.

"Gimme awhile ta wake up an' shake this off, an ya can have a different kinda workout if'n ya want boss...." Looking back to her teasing voice, I caught her fluttering her eyelashes and swaying her scarred flanks as she drank a little hair of the dog and brightened. Swatting me again for letting the wings drop to the ground and drag the weights, she tittered before struggling to look somewhat serious. "Soooo... still havin' problems boss? Get it outta yer system?"

"Ugh.... noooo...." I groaned back and tugged the rocks back up, facing forward with a blush and continuing down the splashes of color of the Rainbow Trail. Away from the seductive griffon.

Jade had insisted on a full medical examination before we left, clear headed and in a positively giddy mood, even happy enough to not scowl at our new batpony companion.... that much... What she found just kept up her mood, pronouncing me in absolutely perfect health. I didn't feel quite so out of control this morning at least, after trying repeatedly to get it out of my system with the mare I loved. Even being whipped into shape by a crazy griffon trainer, I could still marvel at how good I felt at least. Other effects aside, after the last week of misery I felt fantastic physically, even this exercise wasn't so bad.

Those nagging thoughts were still there though, Val's playful flirting still wasn't a joke, every time she tried some new little gag or just decided to wiggle in front of me, she got an immediate reaction to her delight. The most Jade could tell me was it was a byproduct of two things; 1- Moondancer made her I.M.P. all around males, enhancing testosterone, libido and aggression in that interest, and 2- A side effect of pretty much everything being... enhanced...

Along with enhanced senses came enhanced everything else apparently, she said I'd have to adjust, like a second puberty or something... Like the first wasn't fun enough... Though it was a good analogy, I felt similar urges and strange, confusing sensations from a changing body then, I just thought I was past that now...

Just trying to get used to the flood of information my new senses gave me as we kept up our run was hard enough, everything had been turned up to 11 across the board. I could see for miles, in the dark... Smell the sea, rotting fish on the beach, the sand, the crisp fall air tinged with sooty smoke from the distance. Feel every pebble and bit of grit under my hooves, the texture of rotting old paper and even had a good idea what caliber the spent shells littering the streets I ran over were. Hear gulls and waves, skittering radroaches in ruined husks of buildings, the buzz of Bloatsprite wings a block away, Val's heartbeat behind me, the clicking of claws skittering down the asphalt towards us...

Miretanks... A cluster of the shelled monstrosities clattering towards us up from the worn stone steps leading to the littered beach. I had an aversion to the hulking horrors already thanks to one snapping onto my leg and not letting go, even in death, and I only really dealt with that one. Several of the monsters snapping as they clambered around and over rusting carriages and trash cans, that was a problem, doubly so since I had these stupid weights on my wings dammit...

This wasn't the first attack from the sea or the city on our little excursion, Val just thought of it as part of her training regimen. I had to do everything lugging the rocks around, she didn't care if that amounted to dragging them on the ground and trying to run like a plain old unicorn again.

Now that I knew what to aim for, the armored turtle monsters weren't quite as horrifying. Dodging around obstacles with my feathers sweeping the ground behind me, I could keep them back enough for the Terrible Shotgun to find their tiny, beaked heads. I was surprised to find I was already relying on my wings though, they subconsciously tried to flap and send me up and away from the danger, my first thoughts kept turning towards using them to assist in my acrobatics and they tried to comply. Usually this resulted in an awkward lurch up at the easy downstroke, then immediately sinking while trying to lift them again, but they were trying...

One of the nasty things nearly got a beakfull of feathers, I managed to yank the limb away just as the jaws snapped down, holding it protectively and blasting the Miretank with judicious use of S.A.T.S.. That wing was part of me now... it was sinking in slowly, having that beak clamp down on it was as frightening as the one that chomped my leg. Panting and checking Eyes Forward Sparkle, I didn't see anything more, Val's resounding explosions obliterated the last, though they were sure to bring something new...

"Not bad! Back ta work boss, wings out!" The griffon mercenary 'tsked' at a few scratches oozing blood and picked her teaching implement up from where she dropped it in the street, resuming her merciless training with a smack. "You ain't near worn out enough yet, didn't hafta handle half of those buggers for ya, hafta increase your weights tomorrow! Keep goin, Blue will be happy!"

Beyond agreeing with Val wanting to teach me to fly properly, Jade also found wearing me out to be a good idea. "Put that excess energy to good use Fast, find other ways to exhaust yourself first..." She had admonished when she saw us off from the Harborside Hotel, smiling slightly and waving with Glitter happily as we ran off into the chilly morning.

Continuing our course along the shore to do so, we ended up having to deal with a herd of zombies pouring out of the splintered heap of what were cheery, narrow apartments, a pack of mangy, hairless dogs living wild in the ruins who didn't fear ponies at all, and of course a few of the ubiquitous raiders of the Commonwealth.

A scarred, bloodstained buck wielding power hooves got close enough during the latest such attack, I had to resort to Best Served to take him out in his range. Relieved to see I gained something from getting the snot bucked out of me in the Combat Zone, but not very agile and falling to a panting heap when he fell.

"Alright boss, hold up a second, take a break!" Val ordered and I moaned from where I lay pitifully, sweating and watching my wings twitch from all the strain. She even reached over and cut the ropes tying them to the heavy weights with her claw, before sauntering off to go check the latest corpses of course.

With the ropes gone, I sat up in the street and dug around my bags for a bottle of Sparkle Cola RAD, chugging the lukewarm liquid and feeling slightly restored by the tingle of radiation sliding down my throat. Another of Jade's 'Increased Appetites' as she put it, snorting laughter when I told her just how much alcohol I put away to little effect last night.

I watched my trainer cautiously, hoping that was enough and we could just turn around, leery about her chuckling to herself and rummaging around in the back of a green Equestrian Army cart loaded with steel boxes. She popped several rusting metal lids, digging around for loot despite the impressive haul she still had on her from the M.O.M. hub, tossing anything of interest from the cart or the raiders into a smaller metal crate she had selected for ....something....

Finally clearing the destroyed shipping vehicle, she hefted her box of loot appraisingly, humming to herself and tossing one of the chunks of concrete in for good measure. With a wicked grin as she tied the whole thing up in her length of rope, she dove at me and wrestled me to the ground, scrambling and struggling under a lot of warm, soft griffon... stop!

"Quit yer fightin' ya big baby! Not jumpin' ya in the street dammit, wants me candles and silk sheets, flowers and such, the whole deal boss! This ain't fer fun it's... ha! 7.4 seconds! New record!" She cheered happily, finishing up and letting me loose to flop to the ground, trying to escape.

All four hooves were hogtied... she had done that in a flash, treating me like a rodeo pony putting on a show and leaving me tethered to her heavy box of junk. "Hey!"

That stupid radio antenna whickered out and stung my rump, sending me flapping up on the only limbs able to try to get away, my wings sending me straight up and straining against the heavy weight holding me down. "Go on boss! UP! Keep goin'! Lift that box, ain't that heavy!"

Oh no... not that heavy at all, only more than I weighed, that was all... I struggled and grunted, gritting my teeth and craning my neck back, trying to get up and away from that swinging bit of metal below on madly flapping wings. My bound legs all creaked against the weight but held firm, eventually helping tug the heavy weight up an inch or two and off the truck, nearly dumping me to the ground at the sudden downward pull.

"Good boss! Now keep goin'! That thing touches the ground, ya get smacked again!" Val whooped below me, staying on the ground and waiting for me to dip back into range again, this was how griffons learned to fly!?

"Unnnngh! R-Road Val... Trail... R-Rainbow... can't see it..." I hissed in effort back to her, trying to find the multicolored trail of bricks embedded in the ruined streets and nearly drooping back to the ground in the process, barely avoiding another swing from my drill instructor.

"I'll watch it, same as I'm watchin' fer any local wildlife or assholes with a deathwish, You just worry bout stayin' up boss, why yer so interested in these goofy bricks I don't get though, the aerial course maybe...." She looked up to the leaning, crumbling towers above us in thought, trying to find the matching colors up there in some kind of obstacle flight course through downtown Trotson that Rainbow Dash herself flew.

Not feeling up to even attempting to follow in Ministry Mare Dash's wingbeats, I shook my head and panted back, "Railroad... 'posed to... f-follow trail, gotta be... somewheres..."

"Oh... those nuts! Nearly forgot, whadya care bout them anyway boss? Savin' synths, you don't like them fake ponies anyway." She grumbled back and swatted me again, sending me straining back up another inch or two on trembling wings.

"I don't like... most of them.... One saved me... n-not all bad I think... hafta find out, find Railroad.... they fight Institute too...."

"Bleh... sound like a bunch'a silly crusaders, Blue was right, why help robots when flesh an' blood folks need it? Not that I'm totally buyin' inta the whole do-gooder lifestyle myself, but considerin' my employer I.... shit! C'mere boss, quick!" Her contemplation was cut off by something she spotted up among the skyscrapers she was still looking over, bounding off the road and towards the crumbling brick ruins of the seaside church we were passing.

I kept fluttering madly trying to follow, dragging the heavy box with me until Val grunted and turned back, grabbing the rope trailing from my hooves and just yanking both me and the box along with her, ducking into the gloomy shadows of the dilapidated structure and peering out the doorway as I gasped from the floor.

My sharper vision managed to track what she spotted easily enough, 3 dark specks up in the overcast skies, swooping along lazily, looking for something.... A blue speck, a green speck and a purple speck... Jade's sisters...

Part of me wanted to hide further in the church, another wanted to fly outside and directly to the three mares up there... I wasn't quite sure which side would win, stuck where I was by the heavy weight I was still attached to. Another aspect of Val's training I could do without, if anything happened it usually left me in some kind of compromising position like this...

Finally Val breathed a sigh of relief and sashayed back, loosening my bonds with a flick of her claws and leaning back into a tilted, rotten wooden pew to dig out a beer, giving me leave to get up and rest a second. "Phew, close one. Third patrol I spotted so far, they're really spreadin' out boss, pretty insistent ain't they? Still sure about hidin' out?"

"Yes... N-No... Mostly..." I argued with myself and took a look around, this ancient building to give thanks to the princesses, (the goddesses now) was in poor shape but was apparently on the Rainbow Trail, I saw a round marker with Dash's cutie mark outside by the tall green statue in the yard and went to investigate.

Rainbow Trail - Old North Church

One of the oldest churches in Equestria
Built to honor Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,
the Old North Church is a popular tourist destination.

Rainbow Dash regularly pays her respects to Pious Revere buried in the catacombs below,
Hero of the first recorded dragon migration, famous for flying all over the Commonwealth,
Shouting 'The Dragons are coming!' Into the night, warning of their flight from the sea
in a display of speed even Ministry Mare Dash respects!

The corroded green copper statue showed a heroic looking pegasus buck, wings outstretched though the left was broken off, forelegs straight out and hindlegs trailing down to connect to the base. He wore a tricorne hat like Shamrock did, and a similar ancient Equestrian Army uniform of green metal, lots of buckles and flapping tails frozen in time.

Walking back into the church, I didn't see much to indicate any Railroad here... The wooden balcony above the doors had fallen in, leaning crazily and making an obstacle to duck under. The middle of the big room was a heaping pile of rotting junk from the roof and smashed pews, the once beautiful altar depicting the princesses of night and day smashed into the center of it all.

Nothing really here at all... a couple tiny rooms off to the sides, a set of stairs nearly hidden by another chunk of balcony nearly covering them, an odd chalk drawing on the moldy woodwork... A lantern? Grateful to be free of my training weight, I took a shaky flap up to get a better look, yes, that was a stylized lantern alright... A real one hung by the door leading down too... Actually it rather reminded me of a glimpse of a cutie mark I got back in Bunker Hill, one belonging to the strange Bright Beacon, member of the Railroad...

"This way Val... have to check something..."

The catacombs beneath the church were musty and dusty, smelling of damp and rot and long dead things... I could do without being able to smell quite so much actually... A confusing warren of crumbling, ancient brick, old even when the balefire bombs fell, full of alcoves that held brittle pony bones and littered with much fresher zombie corpses.

Wandering the maze slowly, we eventually came to something that caught my eye and stopped. Another Rainbow Trail marker, beside a fancier alcove holding another skeleton, but strangely wired into more recent additions snaking their way up the moldy walls.

Rainbow Trail
Rainbow Dash Veteran's Race

The simple words arched in a circle around the engraven image of Ministry Mare Dash's cutie mark, a bronze cloud and lightning bolt design I knew well. This one was a little odd though... I would have had to look a lot closer before, but I could pick out the more recent tool marks and scratches easily enough, somepony had put this here... after the war...

Lightly brushing it with my magic, the round marker gave a reaction, the bronze letters lighting up in a rainbow colored display that raced around the circle before fading... Interesting...

"What the hell is that boss? The others don't do that do they?" Val only sounded a little curious, figuring out wasteland puzzles and pre-war mysteries was not really one of her favorite things.

Me on the other hoof... I loved things like this, it was a puzzle, a bit of arcano tech hidden away down in this damp dungeon for some reason, I wanted to know why. "No, they don't do this... I think it's a lock..."

The fiery griffon's dark claws flexed happily and her violet eyes darted all over, trying to find something to pick with them and coming up empty. "Lock? Where? For what? Treasure!?"

I sat down on the cold stone floor and floated my tools out, poking at the round disc carefully. Definitely some kind of puzzle lock... magic.... Not much to take apart without getting pretty forceful, not the best idea when trying to get around something like this. Hmmm... lightly touching a letter with my magic made just that letter E glow brightly red before it faded with a negative sounding noise... a combination lock!

"Not sure Val... maybe, it needs a password..." I hummed and thought to myself, tilting my head to look over the letters there and thinking.

Who would put this here? Who was I looking for here... the Railroad... Yes there were all the letters needed alright... Ok, R... touching it with my magic made it light up green but it didn't fade, aha! A lit up yellow, I turned orange, L became red, a purple R, blue O, green A, aaaaand... the final D lit up yellow and the whole wall started shaking, sending both of us stumbling back in case I had just unleashed some fresh horror. The second the lock reacted, my pip-buck updated while I scampered away;

Mission Completed!: Road to Freedom

Objective--
--~~Wait~~
--~~Escape Biosciences~~
--~~Follow the Rainbow Trail~~

A large section of the brick wall simply slid aside, revealing a dark room beyond I peered into cautiously. Utter blackness, but I could hear breathing in there, nervous heartbeats, flickers of movement from somepony hiding in there... Pushing past Val's annoyed huff trying to be a proper bodyguard, I stuck my head in and spoke clearly.

"I know you're in there... Say something."

Bright beams of light blazed to life suddenly and I was blinded, my eyes adjusting from seeing in complete darkness to instant daylight painfully. Val's weapons clicked as she squawked at the light, wincing past my upraised hoof, I could see looming shadows in there, the lights burning from several shadowy unicorns behind them and hiding them effectively.

"Who are you and what do you want?" A strong mare's voice from the center called out, demanding an answer with her tone and followed up by their own clicks of heavy firepower in there with them. E.F.S. was lit with more than half a dozen marks in front of us, thankfully still green...

Before she had a chance to answer, a familiar voice piped up in shock. "F-Fast!? Oh thank the goddesses! You're ok!"

"Wha?" I managed to reply before a pale blur slammed into me, giving me a warm hug and nuzzling my cheek to happy noises, happy female noises...

"Holy Shit Des! This is the buck I told you about! It's ok, stop with the lightshow, he's a big deal out in the Commonwealth! Meet the Shrouded Stallion!" Another vaguely familiar male voice from in the room called out while I struggled under all the warm, sweet smelling... grrr!

Scrambling back and away from the affectionate stranger, those annoying floodlights finally cut off and normal lighting came up, letting me see easier and identify the mare squeezing me with relief. "A-Angel!?!"

I had to master the urge to blow the synth's brains out, the kindly Angel unfortunately shared a face with both Moondancer and the Confessor, thankfully she was nothing like them, and she had done a few things to help make the distinction since I saw her last. The blushing cream colored mare wore no glasses, empty frames or otherwise, watching with dancing purple eyes as I pulled away and looked her over.

Her formerly carefully styled mane and tail were done up in a simple braid, a little dirty and frazzled, the purple streak winding its way through the twisting rose colored arrangement. Instead of the incredibly alluring Alicorn Angel outfit she had worn before, now she had a heavy, brown leather duster, patched and armored with metal plates, only the lumps at her sides any indication she had a pair of wings to go with that horn too.

The minigun battlesaddle she wore had made getting close a little awkward, but she was apparently pretty good at lugging it around. I noticed she wasn't the only one so equipped either... Several ponies lurking behind their gawking leader were dressed in similar armored coats and wielded heavy battlesaddles, all pointing into the tiny chamber.... This could easily be a killing floor if I didn't have an in already...

"T-That's right! I'm so glad to see you again Fast, especially looking so healthy! Beacon was telling us the news and I hoped... but he said you disappeared and nopony was sure... So.... I suppose Master Moondancer's potion was successful..." Angel chattered happily, considering the last time I saw her was when she helped me get away from her former master right after I was injected to begin with, she was interested in what happened next.

"G-Good to see you too Angel, glad you're... that we're both still free. You look like you're doing well, who are your friends? The famous Railroad I hope?"

The synthetic alicorn opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off my their mysterious leader, stamping a hoof and coughing angrily. "That's enough both of you! Who is this Beacon? Start talking! Shrouded Stallion? Like..."

"That's right chief! The real thing! Er... little new and improved I guess, but that's him alright. Pony what started Sanctuary, raided Thundega, liberated Hexington, told those noble assholes off in Diamond City, killed the ultimate Gunner, saved Bunker Hill from undead robot things, frustrated the Brotherhood after helpin' them get here to begin with, and most recently opened a Ministry Hub and took it for himself, after putting on one helluva show for Nightmare Night!

Oh, and one of very few to ever be taken by the Institute and escape, let alone keep fighting them! Glad you found us Fast, lemme introduce..." Bright Beacon gave the rundown of the insanity I had been up to since leaving the Stable cheerfully, making me wince realizing everything I had gone through so far, along with the realization my training was practically advertising my new nature to anyone we happened across.... I'd have to start wearing my hat over my horn while airborne, find a way to hide my wings like Angel was doing.

His... leader? A light tan earth pony mare with a mousy brown mane, wearing ratty wasteland wear and a ragged scarf, but holding a big pistol on me still... Looked me over with a suspicious green glare, pacing back and forth in the small chamber in thought before standing straight and snorting. "This.... this is the Shroud? Not quite what I was expecting... The one you talked about Angel? Yes I see... You've suffered the Institute's experiments too then, though you came out a lot better than too many others. So... Mr. Times is it? Answer me a question, would you risk your life to help a synth?"

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Angel here when she asked that, depends on the synth. Ones like Angel or Nick Hearts n' Hooves, yes, i would, I have... Now I want a question, you fight the Institute, what do you know about them?"

The middle aged mare didn't like being questioned back, wrinkling her nose in a grumble that was actually cute... what would an older mare be like? STOP! Focus dammit, this was important, she huffed and thought before answering sullenly. "That entails a lot more than one answer, we're unsure we can trust you too... Even the great Shrouded Stallion could be an Institute agent. Be just like them, make some mad synth running around in a costume... Angel and Beacon both vouch for you though...

We are cautious Mr. Times, we have to be, the Institute is our enemy and they seek us out relentlessly. Do I trust you, after plainly seeing how you've benefited from their insane works? Everypony knows you love the Princess, who's to say you didn't ask for this? What did you give to be able to be with your mare?"

Alright... that pissed me off... All that new aggression joined the dark Shroud in my head waking up, my eyes burning as my wings flared and I stomped angrily. "ASK FOR THIS!?! To be injected with an experimental serum!? To be changed against my will!? To be something different I still can't get used to? To have to fight my own body constantly!? To keep feeling...

I nearly died you know!! I was miserable for a week, no idea what would happen or if I'd even survive!! I had to escape and trudge my way back, nearly got caught again, now I'm being hunted by what feels like half of Equestria, and you think I WANTED THIS?!?! I don't care who you are or what your stupid ideas about synths are, I want my Stable back! I want my family back! I WANT THE INSTITUTE!!! Are you going to help or not?!"

My horn lit up and the Shroud's booming voice tolled out, sending dust down from the rafters and flattening the mare's ears in a suddenly nervous expression. Val gaped beside me in silence for a moment before grinning and giving a whoop, her weaponry powering up menacingly in response to the Railroad mare's guards adjusting their aim and cocking a few weapons at the noise, then my own weapons were out in a flash and this was suddenly a rather intense standoff with a looooot of firepower in a small, enclosed space.... "Alright boss! I'm likin' the new you! All stallion now you stud! We kickin' their asses or what?!"

"I don't know, are we? I don't want to, but don't insult me like that again, they took everything from me, experimented on me! I am going to find them one way or another... You going to get in my way, or you going to tell me how to get to the Institute? We have a common enemy Miss....?"

Reverting to my normal voice shakily, I glared at the older mare and waited. Watching carefully as the thoughts whirled behind those green eyes before she finally nodded with a grimace. "Destiny Demon... A-Alright Mr. Times... Shroud... I believe you, had to make sure though.

At her raised hoof the wall of armored muscle behind her stood down and our side lowered our weapons as well, I still wasn't sure if that was me or the potion, but it worked... sort of... Destiny sighed and continued wearily, "We're a small group and under a lot of pressure, if we both stand against the Institute though... Alright Beacon, you win, you're responsible for him, start him off as a tourist and go from there. We'll meet again Mr. Times, I hope it will be more pleasant then..."

At that she simply turned and trotted off with the bulk of her guards, down tiny, weaving passages leading into the dark behind her and dismissing us. Angel looked torn, but ran over for a hug before following her leader, whispering in my ear and helping soothe my anger, with not entirely unwanted recognition of the bouncy pony under that coat. "I'll see you again Fast, believe it. Don't be too upset at her, give it time and trust Beacon, he's a good pony."

An alicorn synth... not as big as the real ones, what were synths like? They blended in perfectly... there shouldn't be any differences.... that would be interesting to.... DAMMIT! I had to smack myself to yell at the retreating Destiny in the dark tunnels, "That's it!?! HEY! Where do you think you're going!?! GET BACK HERE!!!"

Beacon chuckled at my ranting and ambled over to us, Val still not trusting the 'guard' she had met in Bunker Hill going by the name Drift at the time. Now it was just him and us in the damp room, the mysterious Railroad melted into the shadows and escaped both E.F.S. and my enhanced senses.

I was surprised either of us recognized him actually... The pale stallion was dressed in coveralls and his dark mane was spiky instead of slicked back, the flash of his cutie mark I caught under his rags wasn't the lantern that should be there either, another fake... This pony was a master of disguise, only his voice helped figure it out, and his blue eyes.

With a carefree smile, the odd buck just trotted out of the strange chamber and back through the catacombs, calling over his shoulder happily. "That went good! She's a little twitchy Fast, but a good leader, cut her a little slack buddy. Can't say I agree with her here though, using you as a tourist... Like askin' Sweetie Belle to go sweep up the stage instead of take it herself! Oh no, can't waste an arteest like yourself in anything so boring..."

"Er... Tourist? Hey! What are you talking about!? I want to know..." I shouted, trying to keep up as Beacon wandered the maze of tunnels with practiced ease.

"Tourist, ponies we give a try out to, want to help the Railroad. Usually give them piddly little jobs, hold this note until so and so comes for it, let this pony hide out with you for a few days, that kind of thing. Totally impractical for you anyway! Nope, got a muuuuch better idea for you pal! Take a little convincing to get you in, but it'll be worth it, I promise! Patience grasshopper, we really do have to be careful but you'll have answers in no time, trust me!" He prattled on, slowly making his way back up to the church above, acting for all the world like everything was peachy and I was a new recruit for the Railroad without answering anything.

Val was still annoyed with him and disappointed there wasn't any violence, gruffly speaking to me loud enough for him to hear. "How we know this jerk ain't lyin' again boss? They didn't tell ya nothin' after all that work to find em too! Let's just blast our way in an' take whatever they..."

Fighting back the urge to just agree with the griffon and start wiping out the cryptic group in search of answers, I gritted my teeth and shook my head. "No Val. I know he's... they're weird... but they fight the Institute! I want to know what they do, right now... but a-anypony hanging around and still doing that over a long time is somepony I want to be friends with if I can. They're jumpy, but probably for a good reason, let's just see what he wants first. Then you can blast him..."

Beacon pranced out of the church doors and into the courtyard beneath the tall statue, putting on a wounded look and answering with a hoof to his heart. "Ow.... that hurts, and here I'm trying to be helpful! Des would want me to give you some stupid chores, prove yourself before she lets you in and tells you anything. You're in more of a rush than that right? Then just hear me out ok?"

"Talk..."

Considering the menacing griffon still itching to hurt something, along with the new alicorn brimming with aggression despite myself, Beacon gulped and nodded, walking to the streets and waving south towards the thin spire of the S.P.P. hub in the sky. "Ok, our current headquarters isn't quite as glamorous as our previous accommodations, one good reason she's so twitchy alright? Institute raided our old base, killed a lot of us... ruined months... years of work... But! In the escape we had to leave goodies behind, goodies they might not have gotten to yet, see where I'm going with this?"

"You want me to clear the place, get you to whatever it is you want..." Why did I feel a new 'mission' incoming from my pip-buck...

"Exactamundo! Bad ass killer pony like yourself isn't for running errands, he's for kickin' Institute ass an' taking names right? You're no tourist Fast, you're a heavy and we need you, just gotta make Des see that!" The pale buck nodded sagely, the plan already set in his mind.

"So I suppose you're going to hang around until we go do this for you?"

Surprisingly, I didn't end up with yet another new companion wanting something. Beacon shook his head and trotted over, lifting my pip-buck and fiddling with the map after remembering to ask for permission. A few taps and zooms later, he had it focus on the marker for the S.P.P., a new marker nearby bizarrely reading 'Pony Joe's'. "Nope! Sorry, I'm a busy buck you know. Lot's of spying, undercover type stuff to do all over the Commonwealth. Saw you in Goodneighbor actually, thought about saying hello but you didn't recognize me! Give me a few days or so, meet right here by the fallen road and I'll fill you in, we'll clean the place out, get the loot and get out, stick it to the Institute but good! Sound alright?"

Val still wanted to dislike the odd stallion, but the word 'loot' caught her attention and her eyes shot up, asking greedily. "Loot? What loot... how much? What do we get?"

"You'll just have to find out doll! See you there, busy, busy!" At that he cantered off, into the maze of falling skyscrapers and junk littering the streets of Trotson, without a care in the world and totally unconcerned about the dangers hiding within, actually singing as he went insanely;

"Oh well I'm the type of buck who will never settle down
Where pretty fillies are well, you know that I'm around
I kiss 'em and I love 'em 'cause to me they're all the same
I hug 'em and I squeeze 'em they don't even know my name
They call me the wanderer, yeah the wanderer
I roam around around around..."

Mission Added!: Trotson Calling

Objectives------------
----Meet Beacon near Pony Joe's
----Clear the Switchboard

The text in my vision made me groan, yes pip-buck... I know... more missions.... For every one I cleared from the weird device, 2 more came in. I still wondered why only mine seemed to do this, I had given several away by now, but nobody else complained about strange suggestions from the arcano-tech device.

My groan just deepened at Val finding her abandoned box of junk and leaping to retie me to the heavy bundle, finding some new implement to whack me with until I managed to struggle my way up high enough and stay there. Oh such a fun and exciting life for the Shrouded Stallion, full of intrigue and adventure...

By the time I weakly flopped to the roof of the Harbormaster Hotel, I was a quivering puddle of hurt pony... So, my muscles could get sore and hurt, like everything else it just took a lot more... Oddly the designers of this place had built a pool up on the roof of the walkway connecting the two buildings below. Inching my way all the way up three stories to get here was a frantic struggle of blurring wings, but it was worth it to see the others lounging around the pre-war convenience, and to get to the puddle of radioactive water still pooled at one end.

Val stuck her beak up and cut me free from the heavy weight I had to drag up here, leaving me free to crawl across the rooftop patio towards the edge of the pool, Glitter running up besides my sluglike progress with a giggle. "Hi Dad! You look reeeeeally tired, did you and Auntie Val have fun?!"

"F-Fun.... sure...." I wheezed and squirmed ever onward, ignoring the batpony sleepily hanging upside down from what had been the tropical themed bar, finding Zed on the opposite side of the roof rooting around in makeshift structures the raiders had built up here, firing positions and rough, outdoor spots to sleep.

Jade looked amazing lounging on one of the sturdier old beach chairs still scattered about, all she needed was an old world bikini... maybe some sunglasses.... and she'd be a vision of every buck's dreams on any beach in the world I came from. The poor lounger looked a little out of its class though, I was surprised it could still hold up after all this time and all that alicorn.

Stretching in a languid yawn that made the poor old lounger give a warning creak, she called over as I reached the edge and pulled myself towards the lip. "Nice and tired dear? Not feeling too worked up or energetic?"

"Hrrrrrrgggghh..."

"Oh I beat all the friskiness outta him Blue! Ought'a behave awhile now! Still a pitiful flier an' a big baby! What's fer breakfast?" Val replied for me, saving me from trying to grunt out more of an answer as I slid over the edge and into the scummy puddle of tingly water below.

Splashing around in the sludge was a little gross, but eased my twitching wings and gave me a little energy to work with again. Better stop though... being too energetic was obviously a problem now, though I did wonder if I sat here long enough, would I get taller like Jade? If I ended up as worked up and huge as other alicorns like Swan could get... Maybe I could turn the tables on her sisters, be a little too much for them to handle... No!

Intriguing as that line of thought was, it would take a lot more radiation to test it out. This puddle was pleasant enough, but not near enough rads to effect that kind of change on Jade, so not on me either. It was interesting though, if I could find somewhere toxic enough, maybe I could try being just a little taller... actually up on Jade's level and we could...

Clenching my eyes shut and shaking the sludge from my mane forcefully, I buried those impulses and tried to think productively. That was made easier by Glitter at least, no insane thoughts came up to my daughter's sweet voice and I could listen with a clear head. "So where we goin' dad? Somewhere fun? I sorta miss Goodneighbor... or home maybe?"

Hearing that hopeful tone, I felt a little crestfallen and fluttered up to disappoint her sadly. "S-Sorry sweetie... can't go to either of those places for awhile... Er, we're trying to get to Witchy's home eventually though! Town of batponies? That'll be neat right?"

That was enough to cheer her right up at least, whooping with joy and running to the thestral mare hanging upside down and curled up in her leathery wings, yawning and blinking over at her name and the foal racing around under her, yelping happily. "Really!? A town of other ponies like you Witchy? What's it like?! Are there batpony kids my age? Games and stuff like Goodneighbor?"

"Dreadnot is... Well, it is my home, I am biased... it is a nice enough place little one. There are foals your age yes, we do not have near the entertainment of a place like Goodneighbor I'm afraid, you'll just have to see yourself! So when are we going Fast?" Witchy answered sleepily, well at least I wasn't the only nightpony around now, she seemed as sluggish as I felt when Glitter woke at the crack of dawn, were batponies nocturnal?

"Sooner the better I guess, we need to go to the S.P.P. spire first, and we'll have to meet Preston pretty soon, maybe find somewhere better to stay while we're at it. How would you like to see a castle sweetie?" Trying to make plans as I caught my breath, I glanced at Zed and frowned in thought, everyone except him could just fly... "Er... g-guess you'll have to hitch a ride Zed, I wouldn't advise trying me though..."

The zebra came up from behind a junk filled raider nest with a yellow box in his teeth, setting it down to dig in his packs and pull out some weird zebra fetish with a smile. "Not to worry, I made my own travel arrangements...."

Ok... Seeing Zed just sprout a pair of leathery bat wings on slipping that strange talisman around his neck was strange enough... The burly stallion immediately being a better flier than I was was just annoying... He flapped along easily beside me as we flew south, the zebra fetish he uncovered in the evidence lockup of the M.O.M. hub let him join us in the air and simplified travel, but it was disgusting how easily he adapted... cheating zebra magic...

"Part of the magic of the fetish Fast, I assure you I am no pegasus or griffon in terms of flight ability, just helped along a bit." Zed called over to my continuing grumbles, watching him make smooth, easy strides through the mostly clear skies.

"Cheating..."

Glitter insisted on riding me despite the lurches and sudden drops, she just squealed in delight at the ride. Jade or Val would have been a much better, more experienced choice, but she liked where she was and Val said it was pretty light training, flying behind me and watching carefully in case I managed to lose her.

That little danger made me extra cautious as we flew on, low enough to duck into some of the crumbling buildings slipping by if we had to hide, but still quite high... making me even more nervous, I hadn't been up this far before... Well I had, plenty of times actually and much higher, but I wasn't relying on my own uncooperative wings at the time to keep me up. Looking down at the ground passing below was usually a nice way to pass the time, now it made me a little queasy and I focused grimly on the horizon instead.

The tall buildings of Trotson were slowly falling away, ribbons of crumbling asphalt marked our course still, but the houses and ruins as we went south got progressively shorter and more dilapidated, nearly non existent in some places in this more rural area. A low soggy plain turning to marsh between all the sluggish creeks or rivers and the sea nearby.

Spindly, blackened trees were showing up with more frequency again, shattered old subdivisions, ruined roadside attractions, leaning billboards hung by the remains of elevated road and railways. The one we were passing now showed a fading picture of Celestia holding a brown bottle of Sunrise Sarsaparilla, the beautiful goddess' image marred by crude spray paint 'Why did you forsake us!' followed by the later addition of 'Bitch'... blasphemy...

The dark bulk of Castle Equinox dominated my view though, perched on its cliff overlooking the sea like some black, crumbling dragonlord of stone. It was still a good distance off, but my eyes could pick out plenty of details, helped along by a bouncy pink mote in my head "Awareness!". It was in poor shape, large rents in the imposing stone walls, leaning towers and spires topped with once delicate peaked roofs of dark blue, now mostly chewed up and fallen in. A huge, round image topped the tallest of these, still in place somehow, a crystalline creation like a stained glass window, depicting the crescent moon, the rest of the circle filled with darkness.

Interestingly, it looked like the place had seen some wartime renovations too... Anti-aircraft cannons and squat mortars still pointed out, menacing spikes to go with the dragonish appearance of the place, rusting and tilted wildly, but still there... Hmmm, those would be fun to fix... I could spot other additions rusting away to ruin too, barricades, sandbags, a couple ruined and crashed vertibucks, hulks of downed power armor that made me think the place was occupied until I really focused, realizing none of them moved and all were long past fallen defenders.

A checkpoint strewn road wound its way up the rocky cliff from a small town of ruins below, lots of short, brightly colored homes and businesses turning to ruin under the relentless assault of the sea. As we got closer to the arrow in my vision, I noticed the predominant colors were blues and blacks, tattered old decorations depicting Luna's own cutie mark hung everywhere and the place had a formerly festive, vacation town kind of feel, lots of diners, souvenir shops, inns and even a horseshoe shaped arch of cabins to rent, over near the beach and they looked enclosed at a glance.

I could barely remember what it all looked like before the war, a single field trip in Mrs. Patience's class when I was a foal wasn't much to go on, our bus just kind of passed through on the way to the castle. I never went here on vacation or anything. It must have been a popular tourist destination anyway, now it was just sad... like most of the wasteland.

Slowly gliding our way down to the main intersection of the town, a round park like area surrounded by a circle of ancient asphalt with four roads arrowing out in the cardinal directions, decorated with cracked stone tiles that matched the huge crystal moon on the castle and a crumbling dark statue of Luna herself in the center. My pip-buck flashed in my vision as my hooves touched down to blessed, solid ground again; Discovered Location: Eclipse.

A dirty stone at the western roadside entrance to the village confirmed what the arcano-tech device said, covered in mold and cracked in places, but still barely legible. "Welcome to Eclipse Village! Princess Luna's home away from Canterlot!" Though 'Village' was mostly lost to time, figured out by the different colored blank spots on the smooth marble.

A newer, rough wooden sign was propped against it, sloppily painted with a simple message. "Traders Welcome - Raiders Not". Huh... was this place inhabited? It didn't seem like it from just outside the village, but that sign was pretty new looking...

Glitter hopped off my back with interest, staring up to the sign with me and refraining from simply running off on her own as I drew Vengeance just in case. E.F.S. wasn't picking much of anything up yet, but that was no guarantee, until they moved zombies were just regarded as corpses after all.... I saw no green or red yet though, actually remembering to tuck my hat down and hide my horn, I kept flicking my ears for any sound other than the ceaseless waves.

"Eclipse? What are we doing here? Dreadnot is further south Fast!" Witchy landed and stared around in confusion, familiar with the place but determined to drag me back to her home immediately.

"Meeting friends, maybe making new ones... This is a town Witchy? What's it like? Are they friendly?"

The pretty batpony mare looked around nervously and tapped her chin in thought before answering. "I guess... We've had pretty limited contact with them, the braver ones try scavenging from Goddess Luna's castle which we still view as our charge, we buy artifacts they come up with, but no one can take the castle so we don't come here often..."

Val was a little more informative, landing atop the sign and slugging back a shot of whiskey. "Not bad last time I was here boss, scavvers mostly, few fishers an' farmers too. Little twitchy but can't blame em there, kinda between a rock an' a hard place here."

"I am sure they are friendly, most likely in need of help if things are so dire here yes? Where are they?" Jade asked hopefully, already plotting ways to expand the Followers and help ponies.

"Oh they're around... we'll probably..." Val replied cautiously, peering about and interrupted by some threatening clicks from all around us.

Shadows started appearing in the ruined buildings surrounding the plaza, on leaning rooftops and out broken windows, E.F.S. lighting up with one dash after another, sneaky... They had us surrounded as soon as we landed, I could barely pick out a few nervous looking ponies, holding rough weapons aimed at us, some down to hooked spears or strange guns with pointy arrows sticking out of them.

"State yer business! Ya'll with the Gunners? Who's that griffon!" A gruff male voice called from one of the tallest standing buildings, a dark blue wooden hotel, only a few major holes in the wooden sides.

"Oh knock it off! See the scars? Not a Gunner no more!" Val screeched at the warning, insulted and pointing a claw at the long healed gouges crossing out her odd barcode cutie mark... thing...

"H-Hello! We do not mean to intrude! We are from Sanctuary, so we are far from our home! We only wish to help, we hoped to meet some friends here! I am P-Princess Jade, pleased to meet you!" Jade called out bravely in her melodious voice, tucking Glitter under her wing protectively in case things went bad.

My ears flicked in every direction, hearing whispered murmurs I couldn't quite make out at this distance, but catching 'Princess' and 'Sanctuary' more than once, along with 'Minutemares', they sounded frightened but hopeful anyway... After a few minutes, the first voice answered warily. "Princess... From tha radio? Ruler of those Minutemares what came? A real Princess? L-Like Luna?"

Jade gave a weary huff, digging in her medical box bags for something she preferred not to wear except for official things like this. She might not be completely confident in the role, but she made an excellent princess with that silvery blue tiara from her Alicorn Angel costume atop her head. "A-Ahem... Yes, that would be me... Perhaps you could come out and we could speak under more friendly circumstances? I assure you, we mean no harm to your community, only to help!"

That got a long pause, I caught more than a few heads peeking out for a look curiously. Dirty, battered wastelanders, lots of wet weather gear, armored rain slickers and floppy hats. Finally a sea green stallion cautiously came out of the broken doors of the hotel, stepping over a sign reading 'Lunar Nocturne Hotel' and approaching us with a... a harpoon gun? That's what those things were!?

The older buck stared at each of us in turn, his dark blue mane spilling out from under a dirty old sea captain's hat, nearly matching his grey flecked beard. His pale green eyes hung on Val's flanks, making sure those Gunner markings really were crossed out, then on Jade's flank too... A sudden surge of all that new aggression surprised me, jealousy... for a look... how odd... Why did I feel like stomping him into the dirt and ripping his throat out with my pointy new teeth?

I had to shake those impulses off and try to look friendly, her mark... he was looking at her mark, most alicorns didn't have one and it identified Jade quite well as the Princess of Sanctuary, I just reeeeally didn't like seeing anypony admiring those flanks, they were mine... stop that dammit!

The Eclipse resident paused at Witchy a moment, not that surprised by a batpony so I guessed she told the truth, her kind must have some contact with the ponies here. Zed was a bit more of a surprise, but he seemed to take it in stride, finally ending up with me and looking me up and down closely. Down to my wings struggling to fold in to my sides properly, up to my head... over to Vengeance floating beside me... shit...

I dropped the gun with a clatter as my magic imploded, scrambling to grab it in my mouth and look innocent. Damage done though, this was going to take some adjusted thinking to remember to hide what I was now. The wary buck came close and stared right at my hat, reaching up a trembling hoof and lifting the brim just enough to see the horn under there, flinching away and waving his comrades off immediately.

"It's alright! It's really them!! They weren't lying! The Shrouded Stallion, the real one!! We're saved!" He shouted and every guardian relaxed at once, giving a whoop under the bright sun almost directly overhead and abandoning their hiding spots in a rush, a thunder of hooves filling the round plaza and surrounding us with starry eyed wastelanders.

"Ummm..... what?"

What were pretty frightened and jumpy wastelanders had suddenly become friendly, too friendly actually, following us in a parade as their leader led us towards the sea in the shadow of the castle overhead. They kept pressing in and trying to get a good look, ignoring the oddities of a tall alicorn princess, a bright griffon, a zebra and a batpony in favor of a small, dark pony trying to pretend to be a pegasus.

It was the foals that ruined it... A gaggle of half a dozen rushing in from the ruins once the adults had declared it safe, prancing around in a circle jealously and chattering with Glitter on my back. Taking pride in the answer to their constant questions, the little filly just stretched right up and grabbed my hat, sticking it on her own head with a giggle while they all gasped.

"Yup! Sure is, see! My daddy's an alicorn too!" Glitter cheered happily, smirking under my dark hat and puffing her little chest out.

What had been curious whispers rose as one, an awed gasp that made me flush and try to behind my wings like Jade could, instead smacking myself in the face and groaning to Glitter. "T-Thanks for that sweetie... if you could give me back my hat now..."

The filly saw no problems, cheerfully slapping it back to my head and adjusting it to a proper jaunty angle so my horn stuck out. Then came the most unwanted... wanted... attention, several of the mares of Eclipse pushing in with the foals, all wide eyes and rosy cheeks, huskily whispering and asking questions as my mane started itching.

"An alicorn?"

"A buck... never seen one..."

"A prince! He's a prince!"

"C-Couldn't be..."

"Sure! He's with a Princess right!?"

"Shroud wasn't a prince, was Luna's defender, just cause he's got the equipment don't mean..."

"He's cute! I don't care either way! Hey are you a prince? Please say yes!"

Grinding my teeth and trying to ignore that lovely, sweet smell of so many mares so close, I shook my head forcefully in answer. "No! N-Not a prince! Just a regular old pony! Er... I like the Shrouded Stallion is all... c-costume..."

Thankfully Jade saved me, bulldozing her way through the crowd through sheer bulk and curling a wing around Glitter and I, looking down her nose at the excited villagers of Eclipse and speaking primly. "My Fast is not a prince, er... e-except in so much as w-we are together... and I am a p-princess... so I suppose, n-no... He is spoken for in any event, if you please?"

The leader of this little parade, Captain Salty Swim, helped her disperse the crowd with a chuckle as we approached the cul de sac of weathered cabins near the beach, rusting shipping containers and carriages, along with a lot of junk from the old town formed decent walls around the former vacation spot.

"Oh don't mind them Princess, boring little town and we've been under the gun awhile, anything new is interesting anyway, but a prince and princess visiting? Ain't been royalty in these parts for more than 200 years, excuse a little over-excitement. So, really are with those Minutemares that came to town? What they been saying true? Really here to help?" Captain Salty grinned, as happy as his fellows now that they believed us.

"Yes indeed, that is what Followers do, and the Minutemares as well of course. It would help to know how we can help however, you speak of problems making you so cautious? What is wrong?" Jade answered while peering around as we passed some imposing gates, walking into a round enclosure of refurbished cabins and an open, weedy yard full of activity.

Spotting the hulking forms of Miretanks made me twitchy, but they were dead and in the process of being slaughtered, like slaughterhouse slaughtered, along with nets of sickly looking fish being gutted and smoked. They were a food source here? Ew... eating Miretanks... what would they even taste like? I guessed they were meat, meat wasn't bad... bacon was good...

Holding a hoof to my mouth as my fangs decided to extend along with the rush of saliva at the thought, I almost missed Salty's answer. "Gunners! Plenty of other things of course, but Gunners been makin' life hell all through this part of the Commonwealth. Once they took Whinny, they got cocky... up against a wall themselves too though, something's riling up the monsters of the Glowing See, pushin' them north and east, right into us... Yer Minutemares came an' said you were gonna come an' help, but not sure even royalty can do much against that army."

Managing to pull away from Jade's protective grip, I tried to catch up to Val grousing to herself, scratching the scars on her flanks absently. "You ok Val? Should you be here? You don't have to..."

Answering in my own whispered tone, Val blew her plumage out of her eyes and grumbled. "S'Fine boss... hafta deal with em eventually... A-Ain't been down this way in'a long time... fer obvious reasons..."

That worried me, every Gunner we had ever run into all recognized Val, called her Traitor... I had never pried and she had never shared why, but I was afraid for my friend. If the Gunners were so strong here, she was in danger... Well, I didn't like the mercenary company anyway, I still had a bounty on my head as far as I knew and was far from safe territory myself.

If they wanted to start shit, that new aggression had a good outlet and I almost welcomed it. I killed the ultimate Gunner after all, I wielded Kellogg's pistol still, what were the rest of them? If they wanted to hurt Val, bring it on... I was almost surprised by the surge of that same jealous feeling as when our guide had glanced at Jade's flank actually, a dark mutter from the depths of my mind just said 'Mine' but was actually augmented by 'Be Kind...'

Fighting with myself was getting annoying, but this time was particularly odd. Did I really feel that way about Val? Was my stupid body just pitching in because she was female? I had to really search my feelings honestly 'Be Strong!' before reaching a conclusion. Supercharged sex drive or not, I loved Val, she was family, I cared about her and wanted to protect her as much as she did me... Didn't want anypony to hurt her ever again, to love her and show how much she meant to me...

A good smack to the forehead cut off that thorny little mental thicket, I wanted to... But I didn't... But I did... Ugh, what was real anymore and what was just mutated biology? The important point was still I was worried for her and determined to protect her from her former comrades, that was all that mattered for now. I'd be there for her like she was for me. 'Be Unwavering!'

I tried to distract myself looking around the settlement, still marveling at the flurry of activity surrounding pulling food from the nearby sea. Did they need this much? Were they stocking up for the winter or something? That was a loooot of fish and miretank meat, and I could pick up the clattering chug of a refrigeration unit somewhere close.

The arch of rental cabins was supplemented by makeshift scrap structures, a few sad little stalls for merchants and housing, some spindly looking mutfruit plants struggled in the sandy soil. The original cabins were repaired and maintained as well as possible, seeming to be reserved for communal areas, the biggest businesses, a guardhouse and armory... one was tilting at a horrible angle, the ground under the back corner eroding away and sending the whole thing cockeyed, only a matter of time before it collapsed entirely...

It was this ramshackle structure Captain Salty was leading us to, a familiar blue cart with the yellow crossed lighting bolt and rifle emblem of the Minutemares and Preston Gardens himself on the porch, an overwhelmed Sassy Saddles sitting in a dirty old rocker nearby, expertly applying her skills to the tattered clothing the residents of Eclipse brought her.

Glitter ran right for the old ghoul, squealing happily and pouncing at her like a pale guided missile. Asking about how she fared in Goodneighbor, how she was, if she and Shamrock managed to take their tour together to her stammering reply. I was just grateful I wasn't having bad thoughts about the ghoul too, Sassy was probably a real beauty when she was alive, tall and slender still... but being with an undead pony? Nooooo thank you... There might be other bucks out there with that particular kink, but not me.

Preston trotted over with relief, tipping his funny hat to the Captain -apparently interchangable with 'Mayor' here- and gave me a hoofbump. "Fast! Good to see you made it! Glad you're all here, things down this way are worse than I had heard, they need the Minutemares here and we need to step up for them. Losing Whinny still stings, we need to decide what to do about the Gunners once and for all... wouldn't mind a little payback..."

"Yeah, I'm I was kinda thinking the same thing Preston... Thought we were here for the castle though? Not that I mind at all, have my own reasons to dislike the Gunners, tell me all about it."

I spotted Val giving me a warm look at that, she had to be reminded every once in awhile she was family, by her own admission such things had been absent from her life for a long time. Not anymore though.

"C-Can you do something about them? They threaten us constantly, take potshots if we venture out into their territory they keep expanding, demand regular tributes of food so they don't just come in and take it all... Can you help us Princess?" Captain Salty asked hopefully, what all had they been dealing with here? The remains of the crowd we attracted nodded along, looking desperate and needy, praying for help but not truly believing any would ever come.

Bullies were not high on Jade's list, actually drawing a little anger out of the kindly mare as she stamped her hoof and spoke to the audience softly. "That... That is unacceptable! Of course we will find a way to help you, er... my Fast helped broker a deal with the Gunners once, Sanctuary and any allied settlement I believe. If Eclipse were to join us, it would be protected as well, would they not?"

Unfortunately Preston shook his head tersely, "Fraid not Princess, they're more well behaved up north, still have to play nice to be able to get jobs. Down here... they're starting to run their territory like their own little empire, any town unlucky enough to be in their borders is theirs according to the Gunners. No contract is gonna help here, if we get involved... I gotta be honest Jade, we already ticked them off plenty, but if we actually take what they say is theirs away? Could be war..."

My princess stammered at that, completely nonplussed. Thoughts of war after seeing what happened in Goodneighbor were abhorrent to her, this was more my territory now though... Every Princess needed her Knight right? 'Be Dark...'

"Then why don't you, Captain Salty and us all sit down a minute and talk Preston... fill me in on what's going on here and what we can do. If fighting the Gunners is what it takes..." I glanced at Val and gulped nervously, "then that's what we'll do... It was bound to happen eventually, we'll find a way."

-

We ended up talking well near sunset, the first stars twinkling on the twilight horizon over the Celestial Sea. Once we were done, I trudged out of the crazily leaning cabin full of Preston's Minutemares to think. My first thoughts were fixated on that cabin after fighting with every scrap of paper and loose drink trying to slide away during our talks, but that was just the repair-pony in me, there were bigger things to fix here.

I watched the residents of Eclipse still working frantically, dragging food from the beach and hacking it up efficiently, storing it away in what had been an old diner for the resort, the freezers still barely chugging along with a lot of makeshift fixes that I could certainly improve... They had to work so hard, just to give it away to Gunners... making their tormentors stronger and themselves weaker in the process.

They said Gunner patrols could show up at any time to demand their tribute, so they always had to have something ready, always had to be working... slaving away... Jade didn't like the thought of being the aggressor with the Gunners, with anypony really... but despite both her and the soft mote whispering 'Be Kind..' in my head, I didn't see many other options yet. They were bullies, they wouldn't back down until somepony stood up to them, sometimes you had to fight for what was right.

The castle looming above the town presented an interesting question too, Preston wanted to take it, have a fortress for the Minutemares, a better place to grow and help the Commonwealth from. The residents of Eclipse tried their best to dissuade him, speaking about monsters and miretanks lurking within, and curses... They viewed the castle with a kind of superstitious dread, believing the real Shroud was haunting the place, mourning his master Goddess Luna and just waiting for some poor scavver to slip up and fall into his clutches.

I had to put off a lot of questions there, these ponies seemed to know almost as much as Witchy on the subject of the real Shrouded Stallion. I supposed living in the shadow of the castle where he fell explained their knowledge on the subject, but I was curious how they knew, I knew everything about the Shroud, or so I thought before meeting the batpony on my tail still.

Witchy was bright eyed and bushy tailed now that the sun was sinking, trotting along behind me as I paced the village with my head down. If we fought the next Gunner patrol to come and steal food, they'd come back, they'd send more if we wiped them out or come down like a hammer if any escaped... Any action we took to help would result in the same thing, the Gunners would know we were here and send a much stronger force to overwhelm us. We were in their territory, not ours...

Spotting a colt playing in the sand, my eyes locked on the dark object in his hooves, a tiny Shrouded Stallion figure like my own perched menacingly on a sandcastle, making dramatic speeches to half broken old toy soldiers below. "Eclipse is under da Shroud's protection now you bad ol' Gunners! You just go away an' never come back!"

Oh if only it was that easy... I sat in the sand beside the little colt and pulled out my own Shroud figure, floating in my magic in front of his, noting with fascination just what it should look like after 200 years, really noticing the differences with another to compare. It was immaculate... still in perfect condition, just like when I took it out of the box... Another nagging mystery concerning my favorite hero, how had I apparently made the toy a lesser soul jar as Zed had insisted?

The dirty green colt looked up in awe, both at the figure and the life size version next to him while I puzzled over the faded colors and scratches in his toy. "Where'd you get this anyway kiddo? Never really seen anypony else playing with my favorite toy."

"T-Tha museum Mr. Shroud! Umm... dad gots the soldiers fer me from some ol' toy factory, but da Shroud came from the museum!" He yelped back, goggling at my wings closely in awe.

"Museum?"

Witchy coughed and sat with us, nudging one of the broken toy soldiers back up and nodding. "Bobbing Cane's foalhood home and museum, he lived here you know. The creator of...."

"MR. CANE LIVED HERE?!?!" I shouted and had to slow my heart, Bobbing Cane?! The artist/writer behind the Shrouded Stallion?!? There was a museum!?!

Giggling to herself, Witchy nodded again with a soft smile, "I take it you know the name then. Yes, he lived here, it was he who spoke to Goddess Luna after chancing across the legend, asked to make his silly comics..." She paused at my angry snort and amended that thankfully, "His... talented adaptation... The Shroud was so strongly tied to Castle Equinox, the ponies here took advantage of it as part of trying to be a resort community, another draw for tourists I believe. His home included a museum dedicated to his works for guests to visit, full of silly... i-interesting junk like our young friend's toy here."

"Where!?!?!" I leapt up and grabbed the batpony by her strong shoulders, shaking the pretty mare and only mildly noticing I was right in a very kissable face.

"R-R-Right that way! I-In the outskirts! I can show thee if you wish!?" Witchy gasped from my shaking grip and weakly tried to point, flapping free as soon as I released her.

I ruffled the colt's copper mane in thanks and flew up after her, army of evil mercenaries, haunted castle of dangerous monsters, all that could wait... Mr. Cane's home! A museum! What kind of stuff would they still have? The rest of the toys maybe? The cityscape playset?! Limited editions? Original comic panels like at Hubris? Oh the possibilities! My own streak of griffon greed woke up and I trailed right after the anxious batpony leading the way.

Granted I shouldn't really wander off too far... but it was right outside the walls for Celestia's sake, in a dead town of ruins, the worst there was to deal with would be local wildlife. I had too much to try to figure out, taking a tiny break to go explore a wasteland ruin I was incredibly interested in wouldn't hurt, it would probably help! Clear my head, help me think...

"Are thou really going to try to take Castle Equinox Fast?" Witchy called over her shoulder, snapping me out of my dreams of untold comic treasures.

"I guess so... Seems like a good idea, nopony's using it anyway, it shouldn't keep going to waste and rotting like that... Maybe I can fix it..."

She gave an appraising stare with those slitted amber eyes, swishing her tail in thought and drawing attention to.... no! Shroud! Comics! Toys! "Hmmm... I do not know how my leaders would feel about that... We do regard Luna's castle as holy ground Fast, we tried to take it repeatedly, but expanding so far away from Dreadnot was always too difficult, too much to deal with at a home that was already secure to waste time trying to move and abandon it. If you were to simply take it though... I don't know..."

"I believe Val has repeatedly told me the only rule to the wasteland is 'finders keepers', the Brotherhood didn't have a claim on the M.O.M. hub just because they thought it was theirs, I got there first. If we take the castle, they don't have room to bitch."

A snort of laughter drifted back at that, "Oh yes they do... trust me. If it is you though... perhaps I can help convince them, provided you ever do come back to Dreadnot with me, you seem to be making plans right here..."

"Sorry Witchy, I said we'd work our way there. Personally I need to get to the S.P.P. tower in a hurry, but these ponies need help, we can't just... ignore them. I won't do that. I promised I'd come though, I keep my promises, I er... promise..."

That got another tinkling, squeaky laugh that was distressingly adorable... following her down as she glided silently towards a fairly intact two story home with a larger steel building in the next lot over, attached by a walkway to the preserved home. Landing in the picket fenced yard that now looked like rotten, broken teeth sticking up from the weeds, I read the sign still hanging on to the bigger building with delight.

Shrouded Stallion Museum and Gift Shop
Tour the home of Bobbing Cane! Creator of the Shrouded Stallion!

We had a field trip to this town for the castle and not here!?! What horrible priorities Mrs. Patience had, a terrible teacher... Ok that wasn't fair, but still... a museum! I cantered happily to the waiting steel door, broken out of my visions of every possible Shroud collectible by a gust and squawk from above.

"Ah, ah, ah boss! Where ya wanderin' off ta alone with little miss fluffy ears huh? You ain't 'posed ta be alone with her right?" Val grinned and landed between us, pushing the batpony back with a claw to her gleaming breastplate.

"Val! A museum for the Shroud! Look!"

"R-Really! We were perfectly fine on our own!" Witchy squeaked with a blush at the leering griffon, only resulting in getting shoved back further.

"Nope! You just get in line missy, I gots dibs first, no cuts! Think I'll just let ya tempt the boss away with his toys an' junk, leave ya alone together? Ooooh no, ferget it ya batty mare. Yeah, yeah, boss, I see, s'pose ya insist on clearin' the place too don'tcha?" Val huffed and shoved her way to the door, checking for a lock before pushing it open and peering into the gloom inside. "Alright goofy, let's go, get it outta yer system so we can go get real loot..."

At that I ran past her gratefully, into an often ignored slice of the old world and the home of one of my heroes, giddy with the possibilities. Also more than a little relieved, I might be different now and still have to get used to it, quicker to anger and aggressive, far too interested in any mare that passed by, pointy fangs and uncooperative wings, but I was still essentially me.

My priorities might be a little odd, but they were mine dammit, my quirks, just like I always had before. I was still me and happy to confirm it.

-----------------------------------Level Up!------------------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------------

Ditzy Deliverer----
---Earth pony strength and wings take some getting used to, but have their benefits! You are able to fly while over encumbered and gain an additional +50 to your maximum carry weight, hauling more junk around with ease. A good thing too as your flight instructor's favorite methods involve overloading you!

Reputation Change!---------------------------

The Railroad - Mixed
---- You finally found the mysterious Railroad, sort of... and were promptly turned away again with no answers... So kind of mixed on both sides actually. Thankfully you had a couple friends on the inside to vouch for you! You're not viewed as a threat or enemy at least, improving this faction may lead to some enlightenment, so keep working!

Eclipse - Dark Hero
---- The wary residents of Eclipse have heard of the famous Shrouded Stallion on the radio and are desperate for somepony to believe in, better live up to it! You receive a lot of positive treatment and good prices for the most part, but some residents may be too frightened by the imminent and very real threat of the Gunners.

Ch. 55-- Highway to the Danger Zone

"Death has come for you, and I... am its Shroud!"

---------------------------------------

I flinched on entering the Shrouded Stallion gift shop and hearing that intimidating voice warbling out, an old speaker above the door.... phew...

I'd normally just be immediately delighted at the motion activated catchphrase on entering, instead of fighting down nerves to feel so after figuring it out. Between the batpony mare inching in behind me and the residents of Eclipse, I could be forgiven for being a little spooked, they all told stories about the real Shroud, like a ghost haunting this place... It was a little spooky...

I got over that quickly enough looking around the dark space though, I was disappointed at how ruined and ramshackle everything was, but I still saw the Shrouded Stallion everywhere my nightvision eyes fell. Tattered, moldy posters for the tv show that never came out, rotting boxes that were familiar packaging for Shroud toys, a few ratty shreds of dark cloth draped from rusting hangers, even a few dusty old black hats like my own.

As the only one of us who couldn't look around perfectly well in the dark, Val grumbled and clicked her pip-buck light on, huffing in annoyance at a big room of junk. "Don't look like much is left boss... satisfied?"

Turning on my own light even though I didn't need it, I shook my head and peered around curiously. "No. There's gotta be more, we haven't even looked in Mr. Cane's house yet! Hey, a door! Locked even! Er... if you could Val?"

Rolling her eyes at me scrambling behind the broken glass counter, Val followed along willingly enough, setting her claws to work on the steel door's lock with practiced ease. "There better be somethin' good in here somewheres boss..."

Oh but there was though! All over the place, sadly mostly ruined... but what this place had been before? Oh Luna, if only I had come here before the end of the world... Posters for the biggest story arcs were still in framed glass cases lining the upper walls, a narrow stairwell leading up to the balcony overlooking the gift shop led there, but that was for ponies who couldn't simply fly right up!

I flapped up and started tugging at the frames with my magic, shattering dirty glass to get to the preserved posters beneath, rolling each up carefully and stuffing them in my bags. When we got home, I'd have new decorations! Maaaaybe Jade wouldn't let me just plaster every wall of our now shared bedroom, but I always had my workshop too! Surely she'd give me a couple of the best ones... the Mechanamare saga at the very least!

Happily trotting to the next frame down, I found it easier to not get riled up by the tinkling laugh of the batpony filly perching on the bent railing behind me in my obsession. "Thou really likes all this stuff huh? How funny! To think those foal's stories could inspire real heroism... Most of us consider them something to be ignored, an oversimplification of an important legend of Goddess Luna."

"Yeah but almost nobody'd know it at all if it weren't for the comics, it's a retelling!"

Witchy paused at one of the posters, featuring both the Shroud and his secret identity Waning Moon, cocking her head quizzically and asking an interested question. "I have never understood this part... Why did the Shrouded Stallion pretend to be an ordinary pony?"

"It's a secret identity of course! If the bad guys knew who he was, they'd come after him and everypony he cared about right? He was only able to be the Shroud at night too, if they could catch him in the day like issues #28, #89 or #174, he'd be in real trouble!"

She gave a small smile in reply and huffed, "The real Shroud was not a normal pony, it is a ridiculous distortion of the truth. Such silly stories..."

"They're not silly Witchy... The Shroud was as awesome as Ministry Mare Dash! He certainly helped me out more than once since coming out here."

"Out here? You mean to this part of the Commonwealth?" Witchy tilted her head quizzically, oh yeah... With the whole being recently mutated into an alicorn thing, I kinda forgot to mention I wasn't exactly local in a few ways.

She already knew plenty about me though, I trusted the odd batpony for whatever reason, though I hoped it wasn't just my interest in seeing what batponies were like in... dammit... "Er... Not quite Witchy... I'm from a Stable, 111, way up north. I'm kinda... old..."

Val hooted laughter below us, distracting Witching Hour from her confusion and then just adding to it. "Ha! Just a little bit, freakin' prewar pony, always whinin' bout makin' the wasteland like the old world..."

"P-Prewar?! Thou are from before... h-how?" Witchy's sharp gasp made me groan, this was always hard to explain...

"Stasis... My Stable was weird ok? Maybe not as weird as others from what I've learned, but odd... We had stasis pods, I spent most of my time asleep for the last 200 years. I grew up in 111, but I was a foal when we entered as the bombs dropped, I lived in the old world once..."

Her mouth hung open a minute, giving me an excellent view of those needle sharp, gleaming fangs in that soft, warm mouth that... no! No thinking about kissing her... I had once already, that was more than enough, Val was right there and... of course if she joined in....

"NNNGGH!!" The poor thestral at my side flapped back a bit at me bashing my head against the crumbling plaster of the wall, putting a big dent in there and shaking dust from my mane angrily. I was going to get this under control dammit... Those things might be fun, might be a looooot of fun... but I had Jade, and now I had collectibles to look for too! I could keep myself under control, easy peasy...

Once I moved on, she kept following, a lot more energetic and awake now that it was growing dark outside and still focused on her mission. Until I came to her town of Dreadnot with her, she was just going to keep right on tailing me everywhere... She looked lost in thought trying to process what I told her though, eventually looking up suspiciously. "You aren't fooling me? Playing a joke? You really are from before... all this?"

"Yup... I promise, no foolin'. Wooo! A Shroud insignia button!" Almost lost under the junk underhoof, into the bag it went.

My happy and sure answer was met with a roll of her amber eyes, hanging on the crescent moon above the dark city skyline in the poster. "D-Did... did you ever see Goddess Luna? The Princess? When she still lived?" She asked in a religious hush, forcing me to stop digging around to consider the question.

"Well... on tv sure, everypony saw her there. Live and up close though? I was just a kid, not like I had any royal audiences or anything Witchy..." Thinking harder at her crestfallen look, I stretched to change that quickly, "I er... I did see her once at the solstice parade... Mom still knew lots of high ranking Shadowbolts and all, got us good seats. I think the Princess even looked our way! T-That's about as close as I ever came though, sorry..."

Her slitted amber eyes widened at just that much, a look of awe spreading joyfully across her fine features, her tufted ears pointing straight up in excitement. "The Lunar Princess... in the flesh! You actually saw her with your own eyes Fast! Oh what an honor! Do you know what the ponies of Dreadnot would think if..."

Whatever she was saying was cut off by Val's huff of victory at the lock below, sending me sailing down to her and prancing in place as she pushed open the steel door behind the counter. "There, all open boss, probably more junk is all but..."

"Thank you Val!" I planted a sloppy kiss on her cheeky and dashed past, barely hearing her mutter to herself happily.

Storage, storage for the gift shop, meaning boxes of stuff to sell that hadn't been scavenged yet! A cramped and small area lined with shelves, but those shelves still had dusty, moldy, rotting cardboard boxes and that's what I hoped for! A moments focus surrounded everything in here in the glow of my blue magic, lifting it all in a swirling cloud and dragging it out with me where there was more room.

Val chuckled and got out of the way, but gave a happy whoop at the steel safe hidden back there too. Nothing of real interest to me at the moment, but she dove right at it. Really... it was probably just for holding golden bits and gems from the store, empty the rusty register nearby into periodically, who needed money? What I had was the real treasure...

Cardboard and packaging was torn to confetti in a swirl of magic around me. I had always been good at fine control telekinesis and juggling a lot of tools, but now I could managed dozens of objects easily, ripping packaging to shreds to get at the goodies hidden within. Wooo! The Shroud's faithful zebra butler Alf! A horde of bad guy figures to fight! A Mysterious Mare do Well from the crossover! Aha! The Shroud's love interest even! Lonely Lane, the pale blue reporter mare always trying to uncover the Shroud's identity, never realizing billionaire playbuck Waning Moon was in actuality... the Shrouded Stallion! These were particularly rare! Mine!

Hell, there was so much here and so many doubles, I could open a toy shop! Fly around and deliver gifts on Hearth's Warming Eve even! Maybe not quite that much, but I could send a nice care package to Ivy's orphanage in Goodneighbor! Not only that, there were mostly intact t-shirts, foal sized Shroud hats, mugs, steins, bumper stickers, buttons and more, all stamped with the Shroud's insignia!

Practicing with my new alicorn telekinesis, I separated the loot from the junk and wrappings, then split the stack between what went in my bags immediately and what was set aside to give away later. I held onto one of the mini hats for Glitter and snatched a snowglobe with a miniature Castle Equinox in the sparkly snow inside, then took a look up to the balcony and the door leading to the walkway.

"We happy yet boss? I ain't gettin' near as much outta this as you ya know..." Val grumbled playfully from the open safe, dumping bags of bits into her own packs and waiting patiently.

I shook my head and landed by Witchy, gaping from her perch at the railing with a whisper. "N-Not what I expected at all... utterly mad..."

Bah, these two just didn't have the right attitude! There was still Mr. Cane's house itself to explore! I pranced my way to the door and walked out to the walkway leading between the gift shop and the surprisingly well preserved house. As a museum, they must have used some powerful magic to keep it in such good shape, who knows what might be inside!

"Onward! Into the unknown my faithful sidekicks!" I grinned back to the two ladies following with a groan.

Hmm... besides magic to preserve the foalhood home of the creator of the Shroud comics, apparently some pretty significant security had been put in place too... I stared at the hefty locks holding the door leading from the walkway closed, maybe Mr. Cane valued his privacy? The stark sign on the door seemed to support that theory anyway....

Mr. Cane's Home
Tours Available, Call Ahead
Limited Availability
Unless Part of Authorized Tour...
KEEP OUT!

Any lock keeping ponies out had Val's interest though, especially several on a single door. Believing it must mean there was something valuable within, Val went to work gleefully, raking the numerous tumblers with her claws while I worked on the electronic lock next to her.

After some muttered curses from both of us and a lot of work, the last lock clicked open and the heavy door swung free. The dim room beyond was on the second floor of a rather nice house even now, opening on the landing of the sagging stairs, leading to the front door. It was gloomy and damp smelling, mold and decay even in the preserved home, but not a complete ruin like most wasteland houses. Lots of pictures and certificates on the walls, dusty books on the shelves facing the landing, all pretty normal so far...

Trotting over to the tilting shelves, I noticed a set of brass posts and velvet ropes tucked away in the corner, must be for when tours were allowed... Even when available, where you could go must have been limited... Not anymore though! I was free to run around and touch anything I wanted! Taking a moment to peruse Mr. Cane's reading materials for anything interesting that had survived the sea air.

Lots of books on art, anatomy, myths and legends, a few surviving books out of a complete set of Daring Do adventures that crumbled under my hoof. The most interesting readable find so far was 'Zebra Infiltration Tactics', a wartime tome depicting a sneaky, suspicious looking zebra slinking about. Reference material maybe? The Shroud was sneaky... I snagged it along with a couple heavy leather bound mythology books, fairy tales and such. Glitter always enjoyed having a story read or told to her at bedtime, and I was exhausting even my prewar supply.

Val vaulted over the railing and down to the entryway on the ground floor, peering around in the dark with her pip-buck light held high and finding the kitchen after a quick check. A few rustling noises later, she gave a happy yell and I heard clinking bottles... Mr. Cane must have enjoyed a drink here and there.

I did at least remember to keep an eye out for anything practical on my way as I scouted out the upstairs with Witchy on my tail. At the moment I could care less about the healing potions I pulled from the tarnished medicine cabinet in the bathroom, but they were important... I guess...

A couple small green bottles with an image of a sun similar to Celestia's own mark were labeled 'Day Trotter' and joined the rest, along with a few magical bandages and an emergency kit still containing a dose of Rad-X, Rad-Away and Med-X, not enough to survive the apocalypse by any means, but good in a pinch.

So far most of the rooms were fairly subdued, I didn't see a lot of Shroud stuff hanging on the walls or littering the shelves, just normal old world junk mostly. I took a good look around what was the artist's spacious bedroom, glancing at all the crooked awards and pictures managing to hold on to the moldy walls and flapping over to bounce on the ancient bed with a rusty squeal of springs and creaking old wood.

As well preserved as this place was, we could probably just stay here while we were in Eclipse! Taking Mr. Cane's home as a vacation bungalow... who would have thought! I idly took a better look at the pictures I could still make out, lots of pictures of a stately buck around Equestria, images of Canterlot, Manehatten, Fillydelphia, Stalliongrad, Trottingham, Baltimare, Las Pegasus, Cloudsdale, Ponyville, he got around alright, pictures of the old world in all its glory.

Mr. Cane must have liked traveling, there were even strange landscapes; frosty crystals poking from deep drifts of snow, a dark, forbidding forest that had to be the legendary Everfree, bright earthtones of the San Palomino Desert and Splendid Valley, Neighagra Falls, forbidden jungles and spooky swamps, a snowy covered city of hulking yaks, and a craggy mountaintop city I had to wonder was Griffonstone. Auntie Broom described the place when I was little, that looked sort of like it... Maybe not streets paved in gold and bejeweled houses like she said... but mom's friend liked to tease me as a foal.

Beyond the travel pictures, there were ponies here and there too, one image in particular really caught my eye and I paused in my bouncing a moment, floating it over to join me and wiping it carefully. A quite young Ministry Mare Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash both... wow.... They were young enough they weren't Ministry Mares at all, just friends...

They looked it too, both wearing what could only be described as 'Archaeologist's Outfits' by somepony who thought Daring Do was the end all be all of the profession, khaki shirts with lots of pockets and leather saddlebags, Both wore a funny pith helmets, beaming and hugging each other despite the dust and sweat covering them and grim looking dungeon they were in...

A dark, ancient stone chamber... lots of heavy chains and torches, creepy, angry statues surrounding the center of the round chamber. A blob of black crystal was behind the smiling pair, I could see the shadowy, faceted base at their hooves, but water had seeped in and ruined the top half of the picture. It had dripped down into a spreading black stain that looked like it was trying to separate the pair, tear them apart...

Witchy was taking a better look at the other images around the tattered room, while I shook that shiver down my spine off and bounced in thought, adding the picture to my pile of junk. This was still a nice... big... bed... Plenty of room... Jade and I could have some fun! There was room for more even, if... stop! Wrestling with my fantasies was made harder by the batpony giving an excited squeak and leaping over, joining me on the bed and holding up a dusty picture in her hooves. "Fast look!"

I gulped at the awed, happy face over the picture, dragging my eyes away from those fluffy ears and soft smiling lips to take a look. An older grey stallion with a blue mane, wearing a dapper suit and glasses, beside him was...

"L-Luna!?! P-Princess.... Goddess Luna? That must be Mr. Cane then! Wow... a picture of Luna..." That beat my two Ministry Mares by a mile...

I leaned in and wiped the glass carefully with my hoof, taking a good look at a happy looking night princess, a bound, signed collection of Shroud Comics held in her hoof while the other was wrapped around Mr. Cane's shoulder... oh that lucky old buck.

"M-May I keep this Fast? An artifact of goddess Luna... my people would be so happy! P-Please?" Witchy held the treasure with the same reverence I felt if not more, her slitted amber eyes wide and hopeful as she asked shyly.

"Nnnnn..... o-ok... I guess I'm already getting plenty, sure Witchy all yours, so long as I can take a look when I visit!"

Having the lavender-grey filly tackle me to the soft bed with a squeal was a shock to the system, in several ways as she hugged and nuzzled happily, overjoyed by a simple if rare gift. I could feel myself heating up with all that wonderful batpony pressed against me, nuzzling her back despite myself and struggling to remain in control. Keep those hooves at her back stupid... friendly hug... you can do this.... don't slide down... no seriously... don't go down and...

"Eeep!" Squeaked out when my hooves betrayed me anyway, followed by "AHEM!" when Val coughed from the door and sent Witchy flying, once I guiltily released my deathgrip on that ample rear of course... I cringed to the headboard, thunking my head against the thick wood repeatedly as Val snickered at both of us. "Told ya boss... ya ain't 'posed ta be alone with her, don't make me be a babysitter and break up the fun.... too against my nature, rather join in buuuut, gots me a contract with Blue! Paid me 5 whole caps ta watch ya boss, an' other favors of course! You behave, check it out, fancy lock here..."

That gave me something to gratefully focus on, slinking past her smirk back into the hallway and to the mellow green glow of a partially concealed terminal. I patched my pip-buck to the device dancing in anticipation, this was some pretty good security... top of the line, a real pain to hack and get past, something good must be in there...

Aha! The Shroud's butler's, niece's, cousin's, foal's name was a pretty esoteric password, 'Xianle' was a nice, confusing bit of subterfuge to hide the real password in all the lines of code nonsense, but they were dealing with a fanatic here... I found my entrance and the high tech lock opened like a flower, the sturdy door giving a heavy 'click'.

Swinging the barrier open with glee, I froze as what I hoped for was replaced for what was there. Mr. Cane's office... what I wanted but... I pictured a room as well preserved as the rest of the house, a drawing desk with unfinished comics, shelves of souvenirs and collectibles, autographed collections, holotapes of the radio show, treasure!

The room was sort of like that... There actually was a drawing desk, though it was stained with blackened blood and smashed, along with the bookshelves, any toys or treasures... all tossed about the room in heaps of scrap and junk, a once luxurious office chair in front of me held a dead body that slowly lurched up with a hiss... a zombie... a zombie in Mr. Cane's office... a-a Mr. Cane zombie?

It was a unicorn, it was a stallion... I stood transfixed as it rose, frozen while it snarled and leapt at me. I could kill it... I had gotten quite good at killing zombies actually, a single round from any of my firearms at this range would do it, a blast of lightning, a flick of starmetal, hell at this point I might even have a hope hoof to hoof with just one ancient undead pony versus alicorn/earth pony strength, but this one?

The squishy weight of the thing slammed into me, flat but effective enough yellow teeth sinking into my throat, snapping for more when I weakly tried to push it away as we tumbled down the hall. I could kill it, but I couldn't... I couldn't kill Mr. Cane! W-We could lock him up somewhere! Find a way to fix him or...

BLAM!

The snarling zombie head over me was vaporized by a big pistol and S.A.T.S. guided accuracy, Val screeching in the echoing silence that followed as I just lay there bleeding, the corpse flopping on top of me in a heavy heap. "W-What the hell boss!? Why'd ya just stand there like a lump stupid! You ok!?! Lemme see, shit!"

I let her fret and hiss over the ragged, bleeding crescent in my neck, pouring purple healing potion over it and slapping a magical bandage on top of that. An example of her go to position on being a field medic, 'Use everything, lots'. Staring at the shadowy ceiling and feeling tears dribble down my cheeks, along with the brains of the pony who created my favorite character... The very gray sludge I wiped away once thought up...

Surging up suddenly, I nearly knocked Val aside, charging down the hall with a hoof to my mouth and into the moldy bathroom, not caring whether the plumbing worked while working on pure instinct, finding the porcelain receptacle I wanted and losing my lunch as quietly as I could.

I had gotten so used to being forced to kill so much... living ponies like raiders and gangs making me to do so was bad enough, the mindless zombies paled in comparison and had simply fallen to the level of... monsters... monsters and nothing more. It was just so easy to forget... all of them used to be...

Another few dry heaves and I swayed on the spot, trying to focus on a nervous sounding Val behind me. "All better? Come on boss... talk to me..."

"F-Fine Val.. neck hurts... thank you. I-I forgot and.... thank you..." I wheezed and sucked in a good breath, trying to get the room to stop spinning and stumbling my way back to her, wiping my eyes.

Witching Hour had her gleaming combat rifle drawn still and looked on anxiously, hanging by a gently swinging light fixture that managed to hold on somehow. "A-Are thou alright? I assumed you could... you let it hurt you?" A note of suspicious confusion in her voice, I guessed just sitting there like I was fresh from the Stable looked pretty bad for the great Shrouded Stallion she came to find.

"I-I think that was Mr. Cane... I couldn't just... k-kill him..."

She glided down to the corpse and poked at it a moment, staring closely before shaking her head, sending that short purple mane around in fan. "I don't think so Fast, look!"

My new thestral friend held up the picture she had asked for proudly, tapping a hoof over the smiling Bobbing Cane being blessed by Luna's touch and then to the body. Male, unicorn, greyish hide... I couldn't see what she was talking about, a flicker of hope wavering as I gave her a pleading look

"This buck was greenish gray originally, and his mane was purple, not blue see! His frame is wrong too, even rotted as it is, this is not the pony in my picture Fast. It's alright..." Witchy soothed kindly and hugged the framed picture of the goddess happily, my savior...

"Oh thank you Luna! And THANK YOU WITCHY! Phew... I thought I... that would have been horrible! N-Not that it's not horrible anyway... I mean he was a pony too and... but if I was soaking in Mr. Cane right now instead, oh thankyouthankyouthankyou! How could you tell?" I jabbered and grabbed her free hoof, shaking her off the ground in my joy. I didn't cause the death of a pony I admired, wherever he was, it wasn't here.

Witchy gave a bashful whinny and managed to tug her hoof free with a blush. "I know many fine ghouls, it can be hard telling them apart unless one is used to them. If thou hadn't given me this artifact, I wouldn't have known though! You are more than welcome!"

My relief was cut short by Val's claw smacking me upside the head, sending me stumbling after my hat rolling down the hall with an angry grunt. "That's why you just sat there an'... Good Gawd boss! Yer little obsession is all fun an games till it gets ya hurt dammit! Ya should'a wasted that thing before it ever got up, was afraid somethin' was actually wrong stupid!"

"Sorry... I know it was dumb, I just froze ok? Thanks for having my back Val, doing what I couldn't..."

She looked pleased at the praise while I shuffled around the demolished office, kicking scrap and junk aside morosely and hoping something had survived. Awww... torn up pages for new comics... a broken easel with an unfinished painting of a dark cityscape, torn up books, spattered paints, lots of ancient blood...

Floating up the smashed desk in the corner revealed a flickering terminal at least, Stable-Tec made stuff to last... I nudged the poor arcano-tech device upright again and was happy to come up with something, scripts, notes, data files for all the radio shows... I would have really liked those ripped up pages, but the last few entries of text explained what had happened.

Subject- Shave Read Please
----Thanks again for picking up those panels for me Shave, in such a hurry to make the boat to Fog Harbor... I can't believe I forgot them! You're a lifesaver my buck, just take them to the local Ditzy Doo Deliveries office, should be ready to go and all paid for. Treat yourself to a drink or a bite then run on home, get that family out of town for awhile... I may not be a big mover and shaker, but I hear things... Take care of that filly of yours.

Subject- FUCK!
----Of all the... I can't believe... Just my fucking luck! Do the old guy a favor and just so happen to be here when the world fucking ends!?! Paranoid security shit locked down when they hit, stuck in his fucking office and... I feel sick, mane falling out... some of those booms sounded close, close enough, rads... Gotta find a way out, gotta be something in here to help, some password or something, just have to find it... If I don't... tell Butter and Whipped I love them, whoever finds this...

Subject- Rrngauwlah
----mwarnald Shroud... watching... wmnalda everywhere... haldnflad no escape, no key wmfnarrraggh... trapped, trapped forever hoawnfaldnaa can't die owandaldd sorry Butter... bukalrdjlag... love you... hwaounladjland

Shave, now I had a name for the headless zombie corpse on the landing... He had a family, knew Mr. Cane, was a good pony trying to help, and he'd been trapped here all this time. I found it easier to forgive the destruction in here now, it was a terrible waste, but so was what happened to him. He had been a pony, easy as that was to forget... at least we ended his suffering.

An interested squeak broke me out of my reverie, Witchy was actually helping me root around in here, I guessed after finding a picture of Goddess Luna, this place wasn't quite so silly to the loyal thestral. Her muzzle was buried in a pile of shattered bookshelves and came out with a glowing blue ball... "Mmwwow's Mhisss?" She mumbled around the round memory orb in her mouth while I gawked at it.

Val snatched the magical sphere from Witchy with distrust before I could move, stuffing it in her leather duster and scowling over my protests. "No! Don't even think about it! I hate them things boss, just flop over and be out ta lunch for who knows how long. Place like the Memory Den sure, but just wherever ya happen ta find it? I'll just hold onto that till yer safe in bed or somethin', got it?!" She had a point, they could be inconvenient...

But this one... this one must belong to Mr. Cane, it was in his office! His inner sanctum, where he worked and created, right there were potentially memories of the stallion himself. I couldn't wait! "B-But! Val that's probably a memory of Mr. Cane! I have to..."

"Nope! Ain't happenin'! Seen some of ya silly horn heads end up wasted playin' with these stupid things boss, fallin' off cliffs, flopping over in the middle of a fight, passin' out an' gettin' caught in dangerous ruins, I ain't havin' it so you can just... No way! Forget it!" Val held a claw to my head to keep me back as I grunted and pushed, waving my hooves feebly at her coat for my prize back.

A gunshot from outside followed by an indistinct shout interrupted and helped me forget all about it for now, rather elegantly proving her point. Trouble... outside....

Val had her pistol out and was glaring daggers out the dirty windows, muttering to herself and counting the shadowy forms outside.

"Company boss... Looks like we showed up just when they decided to come for another haul, Gunners..." Her pained whisper mirrored my own thoughts, drawing my weapons and looking for Witchy, finding her hanging from the tilted ceiling fan in the foyer and looking out the arch of dusty glass over the door.

Peering out the windows at the other side of the door, it didn't take even heightened alicorn senses to spot the mercenaries she was talking about. E.F.S. was lit with at least 20 dashes, all red... all facing the cluster of heavily armed and armored ponies, along with a sneering, older, vulture-like griffon cackling at the green dashes of Eclipse residents. Several shabbily armed guards and a pair hauling a wagon of food, trudging to the crescent moon plaza at the entrance to the ruined village, where we received our own armed welcome.

Panic welled up and threatened to freeze me again, Gunners! So soon!? I hoped for a little time to figure something out at least, be all clever and Shroud-y... but here they were already... Had they found Jade and the others? The Minutemares? The mare and stallion from Eclipse unhitching the cart of miretank meat and fish looked like they were doing business as usual...

Maybe they were buying time, Jade was there and smart, and she'd never advocate violence. If there was a peaceful solution for right now, she'd take it. From her perspective, with her knight missing on some stupid errand chasing toys... Yes, the status quo was the best option, time... give them what they want and get them out of here for now, let us come up with a plan.

Good girl, so long as we kept our heads down too, it should be alright. A check of my pip-buck showed the tags for Jade, Glitter and Zed all safely pointing to the beach, behind the walls of Eclipse, though Zed's was creeping along not far away from the others. A relief, but I was still slinking out into the dark and hurriedly slinking my way around the plaza. Back to the village and keeping an ear on the exchange the whole way, Val struggling to match my stealth and keep up, while the batpony Witchy had no such problems at least.

From this distance even I couldn't pick up what they were saying, just the occasional shout or cruel chorus of laughter as the Gunner griffon flew over to inspect the haul. The ugly looking male took a big bite of smoked fish and chewed thoughtfully, then reached out and slapped the young beige stallion to the ground to even more laughs floating to us...

"Be Dark..." Grumbled at the bullying we were forced to witness, much as I agreed with that voice, I still hadn't had any brilliant ideas or anything. Fighting them here would be dangerous for everyone, including the villagers and Glitter. If even one got away from an attack... This place could easily just cease to exist...

"What're we doin' boss? Tell me we're wastin' em... please.... Gunter there is a real prick..." Val pointed at the sneering griffon and scowled, itching to blast him to pieces by her tone.

"I don't.... just stay down for now, if Jade and the villagers can get rid of them for now, that's best... We can't kill them here or the ponies of Eclipse suffer, we need time to..." I smacked my head trying to force my brain back into gear as we crept through ruined buildings out of sight, away from thoughts of comic book villains and back into the world of real ones.

A shrill scream helped that along with only slight stripping of mental gears, several of the Gunner ponies were crowding around the pretty Eclipse mare who brought their tribute. By their body language, rude gestures and roaming hooves, they had decided they wanted more tribute... Pony flesh on top of fish and miretank, they were getting grabby, dragging the screaming mare to their own armored cart they were loading up. Ponynapping her!

The Eclipse guards who had come with the tribute raised their weapons, but were incredibly outgunned and outnumbered. I could hear the raised voices barking orders and some heavy firepower came up as one. That portly griffon got right in the face of Captain Salty, his hat unmistakable among the Eclipsers, after a moment the Captain raised a hoof and his guards lowered their crude weapons reluctantly. Nothing they could do...

The troop of heavily armed ponies in matching green prewar combat armor marched off, bold enough to fly a banner of the Gunner's skull shaped emblem as they followed the griffon flapping lazily at the lead, down the crumbling dirt and asphalt road leading west. The Shroud in my head raged as they retreated, but we had reached the junk walls surrounding Eclipse and there were red dashes within too. First things first, Jade and Glitter...

Peeking up over the uneven, rusty barrier, I found the Gunners attached to those red marks on E.F.S. easy enough, they weren't trying not to stand out or anything... A trio of heavily armed ponies, laughing and tossing possessions from the best cabin remaining of the old resort, a nasty looking pink mare bucked an older stallion for fun, her grenade cutie mark accented by the barcode tattoo beneath it.

Tearing my burning gaze away from the abuse, I tried to find what I was most worried about. I sailed silently over the walls of junk protecting the arch of cabins and ramshackle buildings, diving right for the one leaning at the alarming angle and panicked to not see anything.... No blue Minutemare's cart, no Minutemares, no Preston or Sassy, no Jade, no Glitter... NO!

I heard a soft sigh before I blew my top and spun, flooded with relief at the beautiful blue alicorn appearing behind the tilted cabin. Jade was hitched to the Minutemare's cart and had all of them crammed together, packed so tight there were a lot of muffled yelps and hooves poking in uncomfortable places, topped off by every foal of Eclipse. Glitter was safely on her back, giving a worried yell when her mother took one last trembling step towards the beach and collapsed under her, turning all of that invisible had to have taken a lot out of her.

Managing to land in a stumbling, pinwheeling run, I only mildly crashed against the cart, causing just a few grunts and curses from the occupants trying to disentangle themselves quietly, jumping out to detach Jade and keep pushing the cart away from the danger. I lurched back up to caress Jade's cheek and check her weakly fluttering blue eyes with the little filly at her side.

"T-That was great mom! Y-You did it!" Glitter cheered in a whisper and anxiously nuzzled her, soothed by a shaky hoof on her back.

"Are you ok Jade!? Hey, t-talk to me, you're ok right?" I gave my own worried affection, ignoring Val and Witchy catching up behind me and the crashes and thumps of the trio of Gunners nearby. Nudging her carefully and noting the sparks from her horn, along with her ragged breathing, she pushed way too far...

"F-Fine... W-Weak... too much... all safe?" My princess gasped, rolling an eye to Preston tugging his hindleg free with a grunt and running to check on her too.

"All safe Jade, you did it, get some rest, please, that was amazing Princess, we'll take it from here." Her eyes slid shut in relief and Preston turned his attention to me, continuing in an awed voice. "Scouts, sent in to make sure they weren't holding anything back, changed the deal, their new 'local governors'... She didn't want fighting to start, I d-disagreed with her just letting them take what they want and leave out there, but just the crew they sent in here could... She hid us all Fast, determined not to start fighting in the middle of town... can't believe she could..."

A surprised snort drew both of our attention away in fear, one of the Gunners drinking a stolen bottle of booze and parading around the village like its new lord, came round the corner of the cabin and spotted us to her surprise. Her sneering mouth started opening, the earth pony letting the vodka bottle fall to the sand and drawing a breath to shout...

The striped shadow from the tilted roof over her dropped on her like a ghost, muscular forelegs wrapping around her head and giving a sharp jerk and tug, snapping her neck and dropping her silently at the hooves of Zed. The zebra winked and looked around quickly, making sure he was unnoticed and grabbing the mare's ratty red mane in his teeth, dragging her behind the cabin and out of view.

1 down, 2 to go... "Preston, stay down, get these kids where you were going and stay down a second. Glitter, stay with your mom ok? Go get her some of her red Sparkle Colas and dig out her little lead box, she needs rest and radiation, she'll be ok though, don't worry. I'll be right back...."

The exhausted blue princess sighed and waved a hoof feebly, "B-Be careful... Villagers..." her first thoughts always for the safety of others. She protected everypony here and kept this from being a bigger mess, now it was my turn...

Drawing my silenced pistol and Best Served, I started creeping towards the cruel noises of the two remaining red marks in my vision. Every second we were here, the rest were getting further away with their victim... Whatever else we figured out, those two couldn't be allowed to remain here, it was only a matter of time before the Minutemares and Jade were discovered...

Zed sprang back to the rooftops and disappeared, I could count on him to take one out, hell he could take both easily enough... We couldn't let them get a shot off though, no noise... the Gunners weren't that far away yet, sudden gunfire or explosions and they'd be right back in force. So I was a little concerned at Val falling in right at my side, the fiery griffon was anything but sneaky...

She had her Shishkebab drawn though, keeping the flames off for the moment and muttering darkly to herself, her eyes locked on the burly pale buck on the porch of the cabin used as the general store for this small town. 'Bits and Bobs' hung from a tired wooden sign decorated with a rusty, oversized fishhook and faded red and white bobber, that the younger yellow unicorn with him ripped down with his magic.

The bigger buck is what had both our attention, Jade had managed to hide every foal, but a younger apple red filly had been caught out there, old enough for her cutie mark, old enough to work... just like back home. Only a few years older than Glitter, but being dragged into the cabin by a leering, slobbering buck with one thing on his mind.... NO!

He slammed the door behind him once she had been successfully forced in, her hooves leaving scratches down the rough wooden porch trying to hang on while the unicorn laughed, waving his assault rifle around at the frightened residents from the porch and chortling about 'his turn' once his comrade was done...

Oh you want your turn? Then you can go first instead... Best Served floated up in my magic and started spinning, the blurring starmetal blade sent shooting through the air with an ominous whickering noise and flashing right through the buck's neck. There was a gasp and a few cries as their tormentor lost his head, but I was out and running before his body fell, making hushing noises over the screams coming from the cabin, hurry! Please let me...

Val flew ahead of me at full speed, barreling right through the door and kicking it in on her way, igniting her Shishkebab as we went. I tried to hiss a warning and catch up, begging her to keep it quiet and wishing the zebra on the roof had got there first. A muffled yell sounded out as I hit the porch, met by the terrified orange maned filly being shoved out and grabbing me in desperate sobs, bruised and wearing tears in her simple dress, but still safe and with her virtue intact.

I stared into the cluttered room beyond, the pale Gunner had stripped most of his armor and that combat shotgun/sniper rifle battlesaddle off, his interrupted rape obvious as he dangled from Val's dark claw squeezing his neck shut. "Helloooo Jack Knife.... up to your old tricks again? See Gunter's crew hasn't changed much, remember me?"

"T-Traitor... Bitch... W-What? J-Jealous? Want anoth..." The struggling buck choked out a sneering answer and Val slammed him to the wall again, lowering that flickering starmetal weapon from his neck to lower parts and glaring back over her shoulder at me watching.

"Leave boss. Gimme a second."

"A-Are you ok Val?" Much as I wanted to kill the rapist pedophile myself, all laughter and jokes were gone from her voice, I never heard Val sound so close to breaking, such cold hatred...

"Leave boss. Now. This fuck right here... He's my pay today, you don't wanna watch this... Go check Blue an' the kid, I'll be along... shortly...." The griffon managed to answer in a tightly controlled hiss, she was hurting... but... This was happening, I was ok with whatever she wanted to do to this asshole, just worried about her.

"Alright Val. He's yours. Just... w-we're talking about this later..."

A noncommittal grunt was all I got back, well... that and muffled, choked, panicked screams as the muscular stallion struggled uselessly in her grip when I turned to leave him to his fate. I could hear Captain Salty and his guards returning through the gates behind me, a rising murmur of worried questions and angry shouts as they approached, we were on the clock, other things to do.

I ran back for the tilted cabin and Jade, cautious Minutemares peering out from cover, several attending the weak alicorn princess with her head hanging from the cart being hauled away to safety. A furious looking Captain Salty Swim charged after me, fresh from the plaza where the 'exchange' had gone so well... Fuming and shouting as he came, "They never! T-Took Mint Twist! T-Thought you Minutemares were here ta help! Fat lot of good your Princess and all you..."

I was on him before I could stop myself, in his face with my eyes burning and growling in a whisper so Jade wouldn't hear any more. "Would you rather we started a battle right in the middle of your village!?! She took the best choice she had, now shut your mouth and let her rest! They're not getting away with it, I promise you..."

He froze and backed off, glancing from my furious stare to the shadow of the castle above, crossing himself and nodding anxiously. I understood where he was coming from, his home invaded and one of his own taken, but nopony was blaming Jade...

With some help from the Minutemares, Jade was gingerly moved to the tilted cabin and laid down to rest, basking in the gentle click coming from her small lead lined box in her hooves, tucked away in the corner and absorbing rads to restore her slowly. Glitter kept her distance from the warning noise her pip-buck gave, but anxiously looked on from as close as she could get safely.

The annoyingly leaning room was packed, Preston and the Minutemares, all of my friends, a few angry villagers and Captain Salty, all arguing in a rush over each other. Val still looked shaken, some terrifying noises had come from the cabin she shut on me to attend her former comrade, she tossed the corpse for the Miretanks herself, but the mess left behind that she apologized for... Jack Knife had died in agony, and not quickly...

I had to stamp my hooves and shake the whole unsteady structure to get some order, glaring around and focusing on the leader of this community. "All of you calm down! We're going to get her back, I swear! I need to know where they're going, what they'll do, have they ever done this before?"

Captain Salty shook his head angrily and snorted, "Never! Things ain't been great livin' under the Gunner's hoof, but so long as we gave them what they wanted... They never ponynapped nobody! An' tellin' us those three were our new managers? They was gonna just take over the town completely!"

Val scowled along and checked her pistol for the fifth time impatiently. "S.O.P. boss... puttin' the fear of Gawd in em... Takin' control of an asset. This kinda nasty shit is all Gunter's bag. Let's go kill him already...."

Witchy nervously piped up to join the conversation, "N-Nothing has changed! If you go out after them, Eclipse will suffer... think! One can't just pick a fight with the Gunners so openly in their territory! I know well, believe me! I know it hurts, but one pony versus a village... They probably won't kill her!"

"No, they probably won't... Just beat and rape her maybe?! Is that ok?! I can't... nnnnghh!!! Dammit!!! Luna help me! There has to be a way to..." I thunked my head repeatedly, trying to avoid the cold logic she had put out.

Zed spoke softly in his rich baritone, trying to contribute on the side of reason. "Eclipse will suffer if they believe them responsible. If this is new behavior for them... only that group likely knows they took the mare from here. Unless they were ordered to?"

"Rapin' and ponynappin' is more a discretionary thing... or was, they was ordered to take over this place sure, but takin' that filly was just a bonus..." Val answered harshly, giving me a crazed look and carressing her grenade machinegun at her side. "Let's go kill em boss... all of em, right now...." That simmering fury worried me, she sounded like the worst impulses in my head, completely focused on retribution and blood, but we couldn't afford to indulge in that with innocents in the line of fire. Much as part of me wanted to with her...

Looking between the group crammed in here, I stopped at Witchy's nervous slitted eyes, my mind drifted to what she had asked about my hero, why use a secret identity? To protect the innocent... If they thought the ponies of Eclipse were involved, they'd come here, but somepony they were already hunting? They could hardly hate me more could they?

"Val! Where will they take her? How far away?!" I gritted my teeth in frustration and begged for an answer I could work with.

My griffon bodyguard looked up in thought, considering carefully before padding over and using those dextorous claws on my pip-buck, flicking through the map and pointing, creating new map markers just by her answers. "Been awhile boss, things have probably changed... Nowadays though, probably here in Whinny if I had to guess, not far from here. They might stop at University Point on the way if they're doin' the same shit there... Maybe the Skyway outpost here... used to be a few little spots this way, crash spots and resupply depots mostly... Gunner's Plaza is waaay over here south of that big weather thingy... If they took Whinny though, that'd be my guess for where they're based outta, they'd fortify it, make it a new forward operations center. Be a tough nut to crack if they get back there..."

I had no intention of fighting a fortified Gunner stronghold town yet, but that was a bridge to be burned that was already smoldering. I noticed Whinny was between us and Witchy's home of Dreadnot on the coast, we'd have to deal with it eventually. For the immediate problem, not far from here meant we wouldn't have to follow them far... just far enough from Eclipse to throw off suspicion and then... I had a very rough plan... "Alright, that's good enough! C'mon, quick before they get too far! Captain, everypony, we'll get your friend back, just hang on and help my princess alright!"

I trotted to Jade in the corner, buoyed by the tingle of rads spreading from her box and her soft touch, leaning up for a worried kiss and whispering weakly. "I do not like this, but take care of each other... Do what you can, make sure the villagers do not suffer for our..."

"Meddling.... yeah, I will Jade, don't worry, you just get some rest! I'll... We'll figure something out, make sure they won't get blamed before we can protect them, I promise!"

"G-Go get 'em daddy!" Glitter cheered from her safer distance, opening another glowing red bottle in her teeth and running over to carefully tip it to Jade's waiting muzzle, grabbing the empty and giving us both a tight, worried hug. They'd be ok, they had each other... just stay safe. Safe and far away from seeing what I wanted to do...

I reluctantly broke off the embrace and ruffled her mane, turning to leave and pausing at the batpony digging in her dark leather packs, pulling gleaming silver pieces of a heavy weapon she was assembling expertly on the spot. A long, gem adorned anti-materiel rifle took shape before my eyes and was quickly attached to Witchy's shining blue-steel armor.

"Er... I'll be back soon Witchy, don't worry I'm still coming to your town, this is more important though alright? I'll be back soon, I promise! Why don't you stay with Jade and Glitter, keep them safe and...."

To my surprise, the pale lavender gray mare flew up and stuck right at my side, her leathery wings sending her over to me silently. "You are my mission, I can't leave thee alone to get yourself killed. I... I c-cannot be seen helping though, if the Gunners think Dreadnot is openly fighting them then..."

"Which is sort of why I was trying to give you an out here! Just stay here and keep out of it, it'll be ok!"

The flat look I got from those amber eyes brooked no argument, right behind me galloping off the porch, wherever I went, she went... Even if that meant following me to war. Well, she was dedicated anyway... No time to argue now, they were getting further away every second.

One forceful flap sent me straight up and into the night, off to find the loud and obvious marching Gunners. Val, Zed and Witchy flying in a much more graceful formation around me as I wove my way up. I wasn't fighting the Gunners here, too many innocents, too much like Goodneighbor... But out on their turf? Where the collateral damage was all against them? Oh yes...

Castle Equinox and Eclipse were at the end of a narrow peninsula jutting out into the sea, flying so high over things I was trying to pay attention to the geography and keep my mind busy, thinking ahead beyond just the immediate danger. The widening strip of land leading back to the edges of Trotson was cluttered with sinking ruins, a few industrial buildings mostly on the shores and a warren of tightly packed, squat wooden housing in the middle, along with what looked like a pretty good sized crumbling brick school. All of it uneven and saturated in a murky swamp of debris and seawater, skeletons and rusting shells of ancient boats sticking up from the muck or straight through buildings, as well as partially sunk in the shallows.

The Gunners followed the main roadway leading west, looking back on our course so far, I was happy to at least count one advantage in our favor already. There was only one approach they could take to get to Eclipse, a single point of entry to defend... unless the Gunners had a navy or something... I was suddenly grateful for every Ministry of Image war movie and book, they had sadly become applicable and I was being forced to think in larger terms...

That still left the air of course, Gunner griffons were tough and fast, I had no desire to try dealing with one up here, but they only made up a fraction of the mercenary company from what I had seen so far. Even one griffon for every ten ponies was still doable, we'd need help, but it was within reason.

I was grateful to the batpony staying on my tail, not only for joining us. Even if it was just because I was her mission, the help was welcome and she gave useful advice on flying Val was just not qualified for... I was pretty damn sneaky on the ground, but a complete novice when it came to the skies. Witchy had to keep giving me nervous pointers as we went; don't get between the waning moon and our targets or they'd spot us, stay high and glide, stick to shadows, ride thermals, try not to flap, take cover behind errant clouds up here...

That last tip brought us to a sizable fluff of grey cloud the thestral dove into with a poof and Val landed on easily, laying flat and peeking over the pillowy edge. Zed's cheating zebra magic didn't let him treat the small cloud as a solid object at least, leaving me to approach the cloudy surface with caution while he flapped in place behind it.

The last time I touched cloud, it darkened and rumbled immediately under the effects of my twisted, lightning tinged version of the cloud walking spell. Now... Now I was different... I was supposed to have access to all three branches of ponykind's magic...

Stretching a tentative hoof out to the fluffy surface, I lightly touched the cloud and was relieved to feel solid pressure against my hoof. An unsteady few flaps brought me over and I sank cautiously to the top with Val, the griffon immersed in scanning the outpost with a cracked pair of binoculars.

Standing on yielding, squishy... ground? Cloud? Something solid... It was a familiar experience, but before I always needed cloudwalking magic, now I just... could.... It felt like I could push through it if I wanted, even move and shape it like clay, but for now it gave me somewhere mostly steady to land and watch my targets, safely hidden in the gray heaps of cloud. While we caught our breath and figured out the actual plan part of this plan.

My new eyes could pick out as many details as Val's binoculars, through the scope of my gauss rifle though, everything leapt closer and I could read the numbers off every Gunner flank if I wanted. The caravan of Gunners had stopped at an intersection joining the crumbling road they had followed so far to a bigger highway running south, a fallen onramp led to the elevated highway ruins still surrounding Trotson in a gaptoothed trail of rusting girders and fallen asphalt.

That fat griffon was flying up to the intact section of double decker road high above the ground, following his progress through the scope, I saw it had been fortified. A basket of a lift led from the shacks in the shadow of the ruins, up to the mostly covered lower section of road with rails for the Four Stars monorail line in the center. One of the ancient monorails itself was dangling from the broken section of road, a drooping snake of rusted cars sheared off when that section fell.

Some kind of checkpoint or base, not a fortress really, just a small outpost in Gunner territory... What Val identified as the 'Skybridge' outpost. From her brief muttering, the military minded group had a lot of places like this then, little spots to exert their control, followed by big strongholds Val talked about like Whinny. Alright then... that was even better...

Granted the imposing ruin was pretty daunting for just an outpost, I dreaded finding out what Val considered a stronghold was... There were at least 20 Gunners in the crew that stole from Eclipse, maybe that many again in the elevated roadway fortress. They had pushed rusting carts and carriages around in heavy fortifications, empty shells of buses or monorail cars used as places to sleep and as walls, lots of barricades and sandbags, turrets, oooo... a Sentry-bot rolling around on the top road too... that could be a problem...

I focused the scope down on the armored cart the Gunners were unhitching, dragging the sobbing pale green mare from Eclipse over to that basket thing, she was too close already, but if they took her up to that maze of junk.... Too dangerous, couldn't guarantee she wouldn't end up in the crossfire... had to do something now, but what?

"What's the play boss? Takin' an outpost like that ain't easy, but figure we can manage maybe.. They all get up there together though..." Val kept looking from the group on the ground to the group up on the roadway, she was right, if they all went up there we'd have a problem, forced to wait until they split up again while they did Celestia knows what to that poor mare...

Zed seemed to agree too, carefully lifting up to peer over the cloud and down to the group below the bridge. "I am more comfortable fighting on the ground, with support and distraction, I believe I can manage those that remain on solid earth."

That basket trundling down from the bridge was small, it would take several trips if they were all going up there, most likely some of them would stay in the ugly sheds and fortifications around the conveyance. Not something I'd send even the deadly Zed at alone, but as he said, with support and the flickering shadows down there, yes, he could do some serious damage.

That just left the heavily fortified bridge above, a rusting maze of girders, concrete and rebar, monorail cars and carriages, and a griffon guarding it. Val sounded more than ready to take that problem head on, but it would keep her occupied and my flight skills weren't up to dealing with that obstacle course, let alone the Gunners and their robot on top. We needed more... some bright idea or plan... things I didn't have.

I slammed a hoof down to the spongy surface in anger, trying to figure something out and gasping in surprise at the rumble my cloudy hiding spot returned at the gesture. Pegasus magic... Weather magic... Beyond just being able to sit here on what should be misty, unsupportive nothing, pegasi could do other things with clouds... could I now?

Another hard kick made the surface darken and rumble again, forcing Witchy out with the rest of us, a weak spark of lightning frizzing her purple tail. "What are thou doing!? Now isn't the time to be playing with..."

"It's always a good time to play... I'm thinking..." I murmured back in thought, how did mom do this again? I rode with her as a foal, she showed me things pegasi could do... I watched jealously at the time, but it was beyond my ability so I had buried it, now though... 'You have to make them angry baby, see? Give it a good kick and...'

Finally able to actually apply mom's long ago lesson, I grinned and bucked the cloud again, watching it darken and crackle in warning over Val's ruffled feathers and smack of her long tail for messing with her perch. Alright, this I could work with... I needed more though...

"Alright... Umm, Zed, the ground is all yours, use your best judgement and be careful buddy. Don't worry, you'll have a pretty good distraction, they should all be looking up. Witchy, can you help him? That billboard on the hill, the Shadowbolt's recruitment one there... If you're good with that rifle, you can set up there and just support him from hiding, that way you won't get found out right?"

The batpony mare chambered a round into that long anti-materiel rifle with the sound of smooth, well oiled machinery, a nearly silent click in the night and a dim purple glow from the gems adorning it, drowned out by her high pitched huff. "Am I good? Surely thou jest! Don't worry about me, with a perch like that, your zebra friend is safe... But how will you...?"

Ok, putting the thestral and the zebra together might not be the best pairing considering Witchy's reaction to Zed, but they both looked to trust me if not each other at least. If they could handle the low road, Val and I were left with the high road. Time to see if I actually could do this...

"Val help me!" I yelled and wove my way to another cloud nearby, hoping she got the idea as I awkwardly tried to push it back. Hurry, there was one, and another! I flapped awkwardly around, trying to corral stray clouds together into one larger mass to fumbling success, greatly aided by Val grinning as she figured it out and zoomed around expertly doing what I was trying for.

Making a weaving series of loops to tie it together and kicking at it as I went, the whole mass darkened and rumbled. Ok, now just try to... shove... it... that... way.... How could clouds be heavy!?! The whole dark clump slowly started drifting on target, gliding over to the elevated road as I brought up my lightning walking spell.

Clouds didn't seem to like the electricity arcing at my hooves... my hooves and wings? That was odd... I guessed pegasi didn't really need the cloudwalking spell, the effect surrounded every limb though, not caring there were 2 new ones. It still worked on the cloudbank anyway. Tracing just one sparking hoof along the surface as I flew by made the whole thing grow black faster, sparks and arches of power crackling between my hooves and the clouds, oh yes... this would work just fine if I could get it to cooperate...

"Alright Witchy, Zed... er... may wanna get moving, this won't be subtle..." I tried to warn the pair and flapped straight up above the black bundle of cloud, peering around it to figure out my target with Val right on my tail.

"I can move em around and stuff boss, but what yer thinkin'... that's on you, can ya do it?" My fiery griffon shadow called over in the cold wind up here, easily keeping up as I struggled higher and higher and asking hopefully, a glimmer of manic glee in her violet eyes.

The Sentry-bot... that thing was dangerous, I knew from the one I had reprogrammed for Hexington just how much trouble it could be, this should take it out of the picture nicely, maybe even give me something else to work with... A few more unsteady beats of my wings brought me hovering far above my prepared weapon, gulping at the view allllll that way down...

"No idea Val! Let's find out! Geronimo!!!!"

I folded my wings in as much as they'd cooperate and dove right at the cloud bank, a black streak of lightning tinged contrail stretching behind me. Neat! I couldn't fly fast enough to cause the phenomenon on my own, just fall, and it was no rainbow or anything.... but it was me. Diving straight at the ominous thundercloud I created, I charged my horn with a crackle of impending lightning, give it something to follow... path of least resistance...

So long as I wanted to, I had no problem plunging through the formerly solid-like substance, plowing right through the black fluff and feeling a storm of power surrounding me for an instant, then following me through, falling like a guided missile with a wall of electricity racing to chase my sparking horn. Had to do it now, while their hostage was on the lift, the grounded lift...

KRAKA-THOOOOOOM!!!!

A blinding bolt of lightning came down from the heavens with me, slamming into the top level of the elevated roadway with a noise like the end of the world, guided away from incinerating me too by unleashing my own lightning spell. Flickering streaks of electricity washed over the entire structure as it shook and rumbled with the crack of thunder, all that red on E.F.S. scrambling in panic.

The Sentry-bot I slammed clumsily to the ground before gave a warbling squawk and powered down, while huge chunks of concrete rained down from the impact and I had to flap crazily to keep from sinking with the crumbling road beneath my hooves. Hovering over the blooming cloud of dust and frightened shouts, my horn glowed and I did the opposite of Witchy's advice, putting the moon at my back so they'd get a good look at the source of the booming voice spell;

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS!"

"What the fuck!?!"

"What was that shit?!"

"Who?!? Can't hear worth a damn! Ow!"

"We're under attack you dumbasses!!! Kill it!"

"S-Shroud... it's the Shroud!!!"

Ahhh... that dark part of me reveled in that note of fear, that's what I wanted to hear. It didn't stop the hail of gunfire coming up to meet me of course, but their aim could be a lot better if they weren't shaken up. Now to add to it... The muffled firecracker string of explosions from Val's grenade machinegun in my ringing ears made me amend that, add to it more...

The slumped form of their green painted Sentry-bot was at the edge of the crater I had made in the concrete, a quick dive took me to its hulking back and I started ripping panels away in my magic. Plastering my... 'compact' body against the dark bulk of the thing, they lost me for a moment in the chaos Val was unleashing, giving me enough time to work. Ok.... Change targeting parameters, remove restrictions... self destruct... Mmmm tempting... but such a waste of a good robot, I could use this thing....

Setting my new minion loose as it rebooted under my pip-buck's instruction, I flew down the hole I left in the road and cackled in the Shroud's voice. "Luna's judgement has come for you Gunners this night! Take your lives and flee, or don't..."

'Don't' seemed to be the answer they were going with, several high caliber rounds slammed into me, tossing me through the air as I crashed into the lower roadway. Shit, some of those made it right through my armor and lodged in my flank, dribbling blood down my hindleg and leaving a trail as I dashed to the shell of the monorail.

A second enemy griffon had flown up to join the ugly vulture looking one and were on Val's tail now, unless I got really lucky or she brought them down to me, I had no business joining that aerial ballet... I kept seeing red dashes disappearing from Eyes Forward Sparkle too, though I didn't hear a thing to indicate how. Zed and Witchy taking the crew below to pieces, I could hear yells and shouts drifting up, mostly focused on all the destruction going on overhead and not on the shadowy pair picking them off one at a time.

A crazed orange mare rushed my shelter with a light machinegun battlesaddle, filling her path with lead and crashing to a heap when Vengeance boomed, all that heavy combat armor useless against a S.A.T.S. assisted .45 to the head. If she had simply tossed some of those grenades jingling from her flank, she would have been better off with me trapped in the enclosed space. I snagged the additional ordinance as I scrambled past, keeping my head low and running down the long monorail cars, past dusty skeletons on a centuries long commute to nowhere.

I could hear the ripping roar of their own Sentry's minigun opening up above, surprised screams as what was their robot operated under new management. "ENGAGING HOSTILES! LETHAL FORCE AUTHORIZED!"

The cars I ran down rattled with the sounds of gunfire pinging off the rusting shell and ricocheting behind me, right on my tail as I pulled grenade pins and tossed them out the windows in my wake, the whole vehicle giving a warning shudder at the explosions. Shit... had to get out of this thing quick, Gunners were quickly barring every exit though, they knew this place and where I could escape, and weren't letting it happen...

The only unguarded path was the torn half of the final car, drooping out into empty space. The angle of the rail cars got steeper and steeper as I ran, my wings forced to assist to keep going without tumbling and falling to the ground below. A final, well aimed leap at the last nearly vertical car let me dive into open space, only clipping my side against one of the rusting metal poles going from the ceiling to the floor.

I had an instant to enjoy being in open air again, before gunfire filled the air and started zeroing in on me, followed by blazing pink beams and a whistling blur of a missile barely missing. The close call exploding against the monorail as the final straw that sent the whole thing creaking and sliding its way down with a rumble.

I made a graceless, pinwheeling dive away from the mountain of metal raining down, struggling to right myself and line up on the dash of green among all the red on Eyes Forward Sparkle, there! The wildly swaying basket was halfway up to the roadway above, a pair of Gunners hanging off the edges and firing at the crazily lurching dark blur streaking their way. At least my poor flight skills made me a harder target to hit, they weren't intimidated or unaccustomed to airborne enemies, but most of those actually knew what the hell they were doing, a good deal more predictable I was.

I couldn't shoot at them either... the poor filly captive was curled up in a fetal ball at the bottom of the basket, crying and praying... I could actually hear her shouted cries to goddess Luna over the chaos, begging to be saved somehow in the midst of all this destruction. Sure, answering prayers... no problem... all in a nights work for Luna's avenger...

Oh she reeeeally wasn't going to like this rescue... but be careful what you wish for! I couldn't risk shooting so close, even with S.A.T.S., I could see her though, and take her captors out of the equation entirely... With a nervous gulp, I dove forward and sent Best Served spinning ahead of me, my attention divided between guiding the blade and being ready to grab the mare.

One smooth pass of the glimmering weapon and the steel cable the basket was inching up was severed, the rusty yellow lift hanging in midair for a bare instant to shocked faces, then plummeting like a stone. I was incredibly grateful for alicorn strength at this point, able to surround the screaming green filly in my blue magic and tug her up, hovering weightlessly in the air as her tormentors were decidedly not...

Their curses and shouts were drowned out by the crash of metal and asshole when the ground rushed up to meet them, sending a donut shaped puff of dust up with more angry shouts below. I actually managed to hit what I was aiming for, diving at the filly struggling in a field of telekinesis so high above the ground. I scooped her up in my outstretched forelegs and flapped with everything I had, pulling out of the dive and veering away, had to get her somewhere safe...

At her wide pink eyed stare as she trembled in my grip, I gave a crooked grin and tried to be consoling. "Er... H-Hi! Hang on just a sec, let's get you outta here and..."

FWOOOSH!..... BOOM!

Shit! Missiles!?! Another streaking explosive barely missed, detonating against one of the massive supports we were passing by my tail and sending me cartwheeling through the air. Mint Twist screeched in my hooves and tightened her hold, burying her face in my mane and throwing me off more. A controlled fall with another adult pony was within my skillset, but actually flying well was hard enough, all the warm, soft weight in my hooves was dragging me down inexorably.

I rolled an eye back over my shoulder, following the smoking trail of the near miss and spotting another griffon diving at me. A series of red magical energy weapon fire rained down at him from above in another strafing run that had been keeping my attackers divided, but Val had her claws full with the surprisingly agile fat griffon on her tail. Great, the second was heavily armored and fired another missile at us, forcing me to roll and duck for the maze of struts holding this section of road up still.

Sweet Celestia this mare was heavy! I kept that to myself of course, she was anything but fat, but I never tried to carry a full grown pony before, I couldn't keep this up long. The crumbling, rusted struts only offered a little cover and our pursuer wasn't dissuaded from trying to hit us, explosions rocking the unsteady structure overhead...

"HANG ON! This is gonna get a little rough!" I shouted to the terrified mare clinging to me, using my magic to lighten my load and gently shift her to my back, that was better. It might be cheating during training, but making her weightless helped immensely and she was a little more aerodynamic plastered against my back between my frantically flapping wings.

Explosives, everything I had... Paladin Dance's 40mm grenade launcher floated up to join the Terrible Shotgun, a dozen grenades and half as many mines in a cloud as I veered for the weakest looking support, dodging more missiles seeking us out. I sent the whole clump right at the cracked concrete structure, pausing in between it and the griffon chasing us to fire Thump-Thump and dive at the whoosh of another missile coming in.

KABOOM!!!

In the echoing silence after the ringing series of detonations, an ominous creaking, rending, tearing noise drew every eye. A terrible moan of rusting steel, crashes of stone chunks falling to the ground and an earsplitting screech of tearing metal. I lit my horn and flew for my life, breathlessly shouting in the Shroud's voice;

"Now you fall evildoers! Run Zed!!"

I spotted the zebra already charging clear, abandoning stealth to get out of the way as the cacophony just grew louder. Explosions, crashes, thunks that shook the whole trembling structure overhead, a big chunk of the upper road fell in and smashed anypony unfortunate enough to be up there in a choking cloud of dust billowing out.

FLY stupid! Faster! My hooves were taking long strides in empty air, trying to propel me faster, out from under the shadow of the teetering roadway on its way down after all these years. Even my enhanced ears had trouble picking out the shouts and cracks of a rifle right behind us, the griffon catching up, an armor piercing round tracing down my neck in a stinging line, inches away from the poor mare's head, and my own...

I looped past the last crumbling strut and dove for where I saw Zed last, lining up on the billboard featuring a scary looking Rainbow Dash in Shadowbolt power armor that Witchy sheltered in. There... running and vaulting over fallen trees as he scrambled up the hill, I hated to give him more to deal with, but I had to get Mint Twist out of here safely, I promised...

Making a poor dive right at the zebra, I rolled over in the air and tried not to get confused by the inverted world zipping by. The Eclipse filly screamed louder in my ear, but she could complain later. I tried to shout an apology back as I got in range of Zed, letting her loose of my telekinetic grip for gravity to reassert itself, instantly pulling her and me towards the earth again. Zed was right above... below... now! I gave one last sorry and shook her loose, letting her fall a few feet to the ground at the zebra's side and veering away, righting myself and relieved to find my griffon tail sticking with me.

More than sticking with me, catching up... easily... Where was Val? I couldn't get in an aerial contest with a deadly, well trained griffon, he outclassed me completely up here! Looking around in a panic, I just spotted her chasing that ugly, fat griffon above the collapsing Skybridge, diving in and out of the billowing clouds of dust climbing ever higher into the night. Her screeches were furious, even from this distance I could make them out over the noise, she wasn't going to stop...

Ground, I needed to be on ground to even attempt this... The dark brown griffon blasted past me, sharp claws tearing at my armored coat and flesh beneath as he cackled. "You are fuckin' dead shrimp!!! Outta yer class up here!"

Yes I know... Let's even the playing field a bit then asshole... I brought my lightning walking spell back up and dove for the wildly leaning roadway, making its way down in a slow motion train wreck. The Gunner griffon was right on my tail again, but the second my hooves touched the cockeyed surface, I blasted forward and out of his range.

The rumbling, shaking surface wasn't exactly conducive to running, already littered with fortified carriage hulks and stacked road dividers, all now sliding their way to the right along with the whole structure. They gave me obstacles to dodge at full speed, but on the ground I was more agile than even my squawking pursuer.

Another missile exploded where I just was, making me stumble and run right into a crashed sky carriage slowly scraping across the crumbling asphalt into my path. I threw myself off the barrier and to the falling ground, rolling away from a series of rifle rounds pinging off the stone behind me, one finding my chest as I rolled and another sinking in my shoulder as I snapped the Terrible Shotgun up in return.

Four slugs slammed into his heavy green breastplate, making nasty dents and throwing his next missile off to go whistling out into the night, but not putting him down. A bounding leap let him catch up and pin me to the canted roadway falling apart around us, panting and wincing at his wheezing breath, how many ribs were broken from that?

He coughed blood but sneered over me, "Oh you fuck! You crazy fuck! You did this, you can go down with it! Gonna beat you to a pulp an' let you come crashing down with all this shit you little bastard! Think you could actually beat me!?! Nobody fucks with the Gun..."

"D-Didn't plan on beating you myself... still h-have... new friend..." I grunted under his vicelike grip, rolling my eyes up to the clanking noise struggling towards us.

"ENEMY IDENTIFIED! ALLY IN DANGER! ELIMINATING TARGET!"

The griffon had a bare instant to look up in fear, then was shredded to a messy, bloody pulp over me. The Sentry-bot's minigun ripping through armor and flesh alike, leaving a quivering pile of meat as its four rough, knobby wheels struggled to hold its grip on the falling road, more explosions rocking the precarious structure from below.

I stumbled back up and leapt back for the safety of the sky, yelling back as I went hopefully. "Thanks Sentry! Er... If you survive this, go to Eclipse! Ummm.... wait for further orders!!"

"CONFIRMED!" Boomed out below me as the Sentry and the whole Skybridge fell away, sinking to a tumbling crash that reverberated for miles. Probably not very likely, but Sentry-bots were robotic, rolling tanks, if anything could survive, one of them probably could... maybe...

I flapped up higher, relieved at the tiny number of red dashes on E.F.S. remaining, Val's screams above drove me forward, trying as hard as I could to match her altitude and catch up. That portly griffon was leading her in a looping chase, but avoiding her attacks and now climbing away from the lost Gunner base, trying to get away...

"NO YOU DON"T GUNTER!!! You ain't gettin' away you fat fuck!! Get back here!!!" Val screeched and dove after the laughing griffon, flying west faster than I could catch up, leaving me to yell against the wind and noise after her.

"Val wait up! I'll come and..."

"HE'S MINE BOSS! I'LL BE BACK!!" Her furious voice called back and she kept pulling away, chasing the ugly Gunner into the night and leaving me behind. No! I couldn't leave her alone like she wanted! We had to stick together!

More gunshots below tore me, only a few Gunners left, but they were after who they could reach, chasing Zed and Mint Twist, closing in on Witchy's hiding spot... Dammit!!! I snorted in frustration and dove back, finish them off, end this and go after Val, quick!

Swooping overhead, I pulled out the Last Minute and aimed down the scope, picking out the last clump of red on E.F.S. chasing Zed and the pale green mare from Eclipse up the hill. Charging it to full power with that high pitched whine, I hissed in annoyance at how difficult it was to line up a shot while flapping along overhead, come on.... line up and... CRACK! The Gunner in the lead fell to a headless heap and the others scattered, trying to identify the new threat and giving Zed breathing room.

Too rushed to even bother attempting to land, I dove right at the next biggest threat, a tough grey buck with a multi-gem M.E.W. battlesaddle sending blue lines in a web around me. For once crashing came in handy, tackling him to a pile of swinging hooves and flapping wings, I got out of the way of my worst impulses and sank my fangs in his neck, tearing away a good chunk of meat in a fountain of arterial blood.

Seeing a black alicorn streak from the sky and rip a ponies throat out was enough of a shock to give even the mercenaries pause, more than enough time to activate S.A.T.S and start selecting headshots with Vengeance. Accepting the sequence, the gleaming revolver floated up and started spinning in a arc, the hammer repeatedly falling with a crash that tore satisfying holes in Gunner flesh.

I stood and panted, perched on a rocky outcropping that was once a narrow, one lane road up the hillside. A single gunshot answered from what was left, a shotgun slug to the chest that made me stumble and suck in a burning breath, but met instantly by the Terrible Shotgun blasting a good chunk of the purple mare's jaw off.

That left one lonely, trembling Gunner below. A younger tan buck frantically trying to pull himself free from the heavy, bleeding corpse of his comrade that had fallen over him. I walked slowly down the hill to him, watching his blue-green eyes shrink in fear and his struggles increase as I stumbled closer. A bloody, black, avenging shadow that came out of the night and brought Luna's wrath, he would work just fine if I could stay up without ruining the effect by sucking down a healing potion for a minute...

"Greetings Evildoer... Are you ready for Luna's judgement?"

He screamed and jabbered, yanking uselessly at the corpse pinning him, dragging himself down the hill with his bleeding hooves. Perfect! I loomed closer and leaned down, waggling Vengeance right in his face and getting him to stop, transfixed by the dark bore of the .45 before his eyes.

"P-Please... I didn't... I just... Please goddess Luna, forgive me!" He yelped, a rank smell coming off his sweaty face and lank blonde mane, fear... that's what fear smells like... fascinating.

Struck with inspiration, I flicked through my pip-buck's inventory sorter and found what I wanted. Taking another shaky step forward and spreading my wings, my glowing horn giving me the Shroud's voice and making sure he knew what had come for this den of evil. The ancient bumper sticker floated out in front of his terrified eyes and I tugged the backing free, thumping a hoof to his battered chestplate to stick it there and growl in his face.

"You beg Luna's forgiveness and she is a merciful goddess. You've been marked now. Even if you remove my sigil, you've been marked and I remember, if I see you again, you suffer double... Run. Be better. Or run and tell your friends what's coming for them. Tell me so I'm sure you get it right, who did this?"

"S-S-Shroud.." He whimpered, good, but not good enough. I wanted to screw with the Gunner's heads, make sure they knew who did this and that it most definitely wasn't Eclipse.

"WHO!?"

"T-T-The Shrouded S-Stallion!!! A-Alright!? P-Please!!" Ahhh... the dark Shroud in my head sighed his approval, that was the right level of terror... Had to go after Val, but needed to make sure this was done right.

"That's right... I suggest you find a new line of work, be a better pony, make the most of Luna's mercy. The Night Princess has declared open season on Gunners, you're just the first I ran into... I'm coming for the rest.... don't be there."

I left him to flop to the ground and shiver as I flew away, that young buck was going to feel like a million bits in the light of Celestia's dawn tomorrow, near death experience and all. Who cares if he looked a little silly with a Shrouded Stallion bumper sticker across his chestplate, it ought to send the message anyway. I caught up to Zed trotting up to the shadow of the billboard, Witchy's tufted ears poking up above the top followed by her slitted orange eyes, round and wide in shock.

The rescued Mint Twist collapsed to the ground in a shaking, panting heap, sweaty and exhausted but alive and safe. I made sure of that and turned on Zed looking up to me, drinking a healing potion down and cocking an eyebrow in partial annoyance. "You could have given more warning before dropping then entire roadway on my head Fast..."

"S-Sorry! It wasn't so much a plan as... er..."

"As directed chaos, yes... I am familiar with your 'plans' Fast... You were much closer for far longer, so I suppose I can't complain that much. Where is Valkyrie?" Zed gave a gruff chuckle back, ignoring the incredulous batpony gliding down with us.

"Y-You destroyed... killed all those... that buck... A-Are thou truly the..." Witchy stammered senselessly, disbelief and a note of fear in her voice. I did tell her to stay out of it... No time to assure her, Val was out there...

"Chasing that last griffon, something's wrong with her, I have to go! You two, take Miss Twist back home, please? I gotta try to catch up to Val, tell Jade and Glitter we'll be right back as soon as I can ok!"

I didn't wait for an answer, Val needed me and I was going to be there for her dammit, stupid wings or not. I may not be fast up here, but I had her locator tag to follow, just hang on Val...

-----------------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------------------

Shrouded Imperialist----
---Visiting the home of the Shroud's creator and the shadow of the real thing's resting place, you are more in tune with the character than ever! As Luna's Avenger, servant of order and royalty, you gain +15% Damage and +25% accuracy in S.A.T.S. to various uncivilized tribal, raider and criminal characters.

Wonderbolt Maneuver Added!-----------------

Lightning Dash Dive---
---With your affinity for lightning magic, you've stumbled on an ancient Wonderbolt trick you can actually manage! With sufficient clouds to work with, you can bring the lightning down from the heavens with you in an amplified area of effect blast. Any robots or power armor in range suffer the effects of a matrix-disruption grenade and everything in the blast zone takes damage. It takes a good amount of setup enemies may not give you, but you snooze, you lose!

Reputation Change-----------

Gunners - Vilified
----There's a world of difference between just being a target of a bounty, and intentionally picking a fight with the worst mercs in the Commonwealth. Hopefully this will all be directed at you and not the villagers of Eclipse, but the Gunners have a serious hate on for you now...

Ch. 56-- I Don't Hurt Anymore

"Fast! Thine injuries... land a moment, please!" The high pitched yelp of the batpony on my tail just made me groan, pointing out the obvious while I kept pushing to catch up to the mark in on my compass.

It's not like I couldn't tell she was right, I drank a healing potion already but they weren't as effective anymore. Surprisingly, it's actually difficult to find a nice, radioactive toxic dump or something when you actually want one. I spent most of my time since leaving Stable 111 trying to avoid such places, now I was still scanning the ground weaving along under me to find one.

Blood was still dribbling down my coat and spattering to the ugly, rolling hills and I kept losing altitude. Witching Hour left had Zed to deal with our rescued hostage and easily caught up to me after I left the destruction of the Skybridge, worriedly sticking close and refusing to abandon her mission, where I went, she went. She was a great deal faster and better than me in the air anyway, as my injuries caught up to me, the gap had just widened.

"But... Val..." I croaked and kept trying, why couldn't I just instantly be good at this dammit, Zed's batwing making zebra fetish gave him better skills than me, I had to catch up to my griffon friend somehow, she hadn't looked or sounded good when she flew off.

My thestral tail snorted and gave me a shove towards the ground, "Thou can't help her if you pass out or die stupid! Land or I shall make you! There! W-Water will work, right?"

Ugh.... yes, there was plenty of that in this part of the Commonwealth, lots of swamp and floodplains, the pond she pointed out seemed a better option at least, I caught a glimpse of yellow at the shores. Who would believe I'd be grateful for all the illegal dumping of toxic magical byproducts that had become endemic during the last days of the war, but the yellow barrels rusting at the shore would be a good deal more useful than just the mild tingle of regular creeks and swamps.

Fighting my urge to just keep going, I admitted she was right and veered that way, making a lurching, looping dive that ended with me splashing down and smacking one of the containters with a bong, wincing and holding my foreleg as my pip-buck immediately started chattering. Oooohhhh that was better... A surge of rads that started knitting wounds together as effectively as any healing potion, the needle on my rainbow colored gauge climbing steadily from the blue 'clean' zone, up to green, filling me with energy.

Witchy landed at the shore and watched in fascination, prancing at the lapping water and keeping her distance while I sat and waited. This wasn't as good as finding some spare balefire bomb crater or cracking the shielding on an arcano-flux reactor, but it was strong enough to work with, better take advantage while I could despite how anxious I was to get up and moving again.

"There, good.... I would attempt to treat you, but it seems that is much better than what my own skills can manage. Are you alright? H-How does that feel anyway?" Witchy kept watching my various gunshots and ragged wounds regenerating, a note of awe in her voice at the show.

"Weird... Good... Er, Jade likes it a lot more than I do, maybe if feels better for real... umm... real I.M.P. alicorns, but it does feel pretty good. Give me a second, then I'm going again, alright?" I splashed in place, fluffling my wings to wash the blood out and soak up more, faster.

I kept staring at the radiation counter on my hoof, up to yellow and climbing... If I was going to treat the device as a power gauge now, I wanted it topped off into the purple if I could. At least my concern for Val let me ignore the resulting friskiness, my only real observation on doing this so far had been the more energy I had, the more I wanted to DO. Violence was an acceptable substitute for other more enjoyable exercise at least, a good thing with the pretty batpony with me.

"You don't have to come Witchy. I don't know what's wrong with her, but I'll come right back as soon as I find out. You really don't have to keep shadowing me everywhere, I said I'd come to your town already." Come on... crossing into orange slowly now....

Witching Hour just shook her head and took the opportunity to check her weapons, the gleaming anti-materiel rifle still attached to her matching armor. "You are my mission, I can't leave you alone, sorry. I... I am concerned for Miss Valkyrie too, we've talked a bit, she is a strange but funny griffon..."

"That's a good summation of her alright... Which is why I'm worried, she doesn't act like that usually, she never leaves me alone during a fight or runs off. Gotta get to her, catch up as quick as we can."

"How will you find her? Are we going the right direction still? I have seen no signs to track...." Witchy asked curiously, making me wave with my pip-buck bearing foreleg to her and tap the screen.

"Locator Tag, shows up right on the map wherever she is... mostly, the Institute was able to mask it, otherwise I've never run into much else that gets in the way though."

She craned her neck to take a better look, prancing on the shore but still avoiding the pleasant clicking from my hoof. Her slitted amber eyes crawled over the device in appreciation, stretching a lavender-grey hoof out wanting a closer look but held back. "Ah, I had heard they could do such things, but never seen one working before. From your Stable you told me of?"

Looking into her interested, sparkling eyes, I tried to focus on Val and had an idea to distract me. Mid orange on the radiation meter would have to be good enough and I fluttered out and over. "Yup, actually I have like 100 of the things or so... Not on me of course, but I do hold on to a few in case I meet somepony I like and trust. How would you like a present Witchy?"

A squeaky gasp came with her wary look, glancing at the pip-buck and up to me hopefully, speaking slowly with caution. "I... Y-You would let me have such a thing?"

That decided me, so far Witchy always acted surprised at any act of kindness or gift, which seemed strange and sad. I floated out my orange handled pip-buck key and one of the remaining devices in the depths of my bags, carefully hovering it over to her waiting foreleg and clicking it in place.

Getting close enough to run through the startup sequence was distracting, all that lovely batpony right next to me, but I managed to get through it and watch the health status screen. The cartoon pony flickered, changed to a pegasus, then seemed unsatisfied after getting a good read on her biology, the feathery illustrated wings changed to leathery thestral ones instead with a beep.

I watched smiling as she blinked and shook her head at the HUD coming up in her vision, her eyes widening as she reached a hoof out to touch the floating display and giggled getting used to it. Suddenly giving a high pitched whoop of pure joy, she tackled me in a wildly inadvisable hug, nuzzling and chirping happily. "Thank you! Oh thank you Fast, this is wonderful! I never..."

"O-O-Ok! E-Easy! Too close! H-Hugging... Too nice!"

She squeaked and turned an even prettier rosy color, flapping away in a rush as I shot up into the night and tried hide my own blush. Val needed help, not the time for... I'm in charge body! At least she had a good idea of the problem and wasn't insulted, giving a bashful shrug and hugging her new pip-buck to her breast as she flew up with me. "S-Sorry! Just... thank you Fast, very much!'

"N-No problem... really... Umm, I should probably tell you a few things about pip-bucks, w-while we're catching up and all..."

For once, somepony was willing to raptly listen to my tutorial! Explaining how to make use of the arcano-tech device at her hoof let me focus on nice, safe repair-pony business; S.A.T.S. and Eyes Forward Sparkle, Inventory sorting spells, auto mapping functions, a click of the radio filling the chilly night with soft music to her delight. Anything other than the pretty filly beside me or the griffon I was scared for ahead. Witchy had been right to make me stop, beyond physically, I had to have my shit together mentally too as we closed in on Val, she needed me.

Discovered Location: Rockberry

"W-What is that? How does it know what this place is called?" Witchy gasped as we circled the ruined town below, she must have gotten that little map update too.

"Not entirely sure actually... Pre-war places like this had entries in the Stable-Tec database, they know what old places are easy enough. Sometimes they do that for new places too though... They're really smart, at least yours hasn't started making suggestions to you yet right?"

"Suggestions? Pip-bucks do such things for you?" She replied incredulously, eyeing both her own and me suspiciously. Yep, hers wasn't giving her missions yet either.... Why just mine?

"Not usually, no... Don't worry about it, now... why would she be in there?"

I nodded down to the largest structure remaining in the desolate ruins, trying to wiggle a hoof in my ear at that annoying whine I could barely hear that kept coming back. No friendly town or anything here, just shattered streets and businesses, all surrounding an imposing fortress of brick and columns, the rusting red letters mostly hanging on above the multiple front doors reading 'Talon's Department Store'.

"Where? I still don't understand how you know where she is with this, it is a lovely gift but... am I missing something?" Witchy replied in confusion, of course, she didn't have my wealth of locator tags or know how to bring them up even if she did.

Spotting a good enough spot to land, I glided down to an old parking garage across the street from the store and waved her over. A few clicks and taps through her menus transferred Val's tag info, along with my own. "There, see it?" At her wide eyed nod she turned right towards the ugly looking ruins and I continued. "You have my tag too, so now you don't have to stay right on my tail to keep an eye on me, right?"

Her flat stare kind of ruined any hopes of assuaging her with the new ability to track me, fancy leg computer was nice, but she was still determined to keep me right in front of her. I guessed after all the frustration of trying to find me in Goodneighbor, with so many other ponies dressed the same as me for Nightmare Night, she was pretty leery of letting me get away again.

Instead she tossed her head and trotted over to the rusting railing, stretching up on her hindlegs to lean over the bent bars, peering over at the store below. "It looks inhabited... well, not inhabited, but somepony has been in and out frequently enough... This place is creepy though Fast, no zombies or monsters nearby, just empty and dead..."

E.F.S. and my enhanced senses agreed, nothing but blowing trash moved down there. Rockberry was desolate and dead, even by wasteland standards... Multiple sets of stairs led up from the cracked sidewalks and up to a large plaza in front of the doors, a corroded statue atop a fountain showed a griffon with wings outstretched, claws matching in a wide welcome that was kind of countered by the blood and corpses surrounding it...

"Pretty good learning to use Eyes Forward Sparkle so fast Witchy, it is weird there's nothing down there though."

She blinked at me a moment and her bright orange eyes looked down, noticing the compass in her vision again and shaking her head. "Oh! No, I meant... I am unused to relying on anything so convenient, I don't get anything back when I sound though."

At my confused blank look in return, she smiled and leaned over the railing, opening her mouth after a deep inhale and shouting... nothing? It looked like she was yelling something, but no sound came out.... wait, there was that odd, high frequency whine again that I kept hearing, but with so many new noises I hadn't paid much attention. She was making that noise?

After a moment her soft lips closed and the noise stopped, it really was her. She held still and listened carefully, her tufted ears twitching before she turned and nodded smartly after the odd display, "Nothing. Nothing living in range anyway, hard to tell with all the obstacles and junk, but it is very empty..."

That was interesting... I really knew almost nothing about batponies, they were the elite, Luna's personal guard, us regular ponies didn't exactly run into them often outside of Canterlot before the world ended, now... I was pretty curious about this Dreadnot she hailed from, but like most of my vague goals, it kept getting pushed back.

Good enough for me anyway, I vaulted the rails and drifted down the the fountain statue at the entrance. My stomach tried to flop around at the stench down here, someone had decorated the statue with bodies, artfully arranged bodies that had not died well... the fountain below filled with congealing blood just topped off the macabre display.

It was such a contrast to the happy looking statue too... Griffon statues in pony towns were pretty infrequent, this one didn't look that old either. A joyous looking female griffon of tarnished copper, wide eyes and beaming smile, her plumage swept back into a tail behind her head, her stance wide and welcoming, wings and claws spread open to the sky, beckoning customers in.

This griffon even had a cutie mark etched into the metal flanks for some reason, a corroded shield somewhat like my own, vertical bars and a trophy. Though I had to wipe away viscera clinging there to get a look after spotting the indistinct lines, for a moment thinking a prewar griffon bizarrely had one of the Gunner's barcode like tattoos there. Floating more sludge and gore away from the base queasily to clear off the small bronze plaque, reading it to myself as Witchy landed beside me;

Talon's Department Store
One stop shopping, helping all of Equestria one store at a time!
We've got it all and are good at everything!

"S-Someone you knew?" Witchy asked with only a note of disbelief, still trying to absorb the fact I was actually around when this griffon was.

"No... I was just a foal you know, and not nearly so popular... I don't know everyone from before the war Witchy, or even a lot about them except for celebrities like the Ministry Mares and stuff. My mom was friends with griffons, I didn't know one started Talon's though. This is the biggest one of these department stores I've seen, the one my parents took me to wasn't near as fancy. She just... reminds me of Val, most griffons I've met don't look so happy..."

I was still in a hurry, but something about that griffon tugged at me, now that I said it I realized I was right, she did remind me quite a bit of Val and even a little of mom's friend Auntie Broom. Though how much could you tell from a statue? Then again, what griffon would pay to have a statue made that depicted them that way? So happy and kind? Val might toss a rude gesture or sultry pose in for fun, but she'd probably look like that as a statue too.

A series of explosions shook the building over us, sending the dangling S in 'Store' down in a crash nearby. Explore wasteland ruins later, Val first! I ran for the center doors and yanked them open, dashing into the gloomy space inside without a thought with the batpony at my side.

"More contestants! What fun, eh Val? Oho, looks like you were right, there's your boss now! One of those cowardly bats from Dreadnot too! Welcome to Talon's! Ready to play?"

My weapons were drawn in a flash at the static filled voice filling the bizarre store, a sudden clang of metal slamming down behind me had me flap up and spin in the air, the entrance... A booby trap? Those sturdy steel shutters blocked off any escape, and I had gone high enough to bash my head into rusty chain link fencing, strung across the open area leading up to the higher floors of the three story department store.

I floated back down rubbing my head and getting a better look at what trap we had walked right into. This place was more than just ruined by time, somebody had been actively helping the years along, decorating what I could see in displays that put the fountain outside to shame. Corpses were dressed and posed in sickening dioramas next to ponyquins, blood and gore spattered the walls in crazy swoops and curls, skulls were stacked in little pyramids in the broken glass of the nearest store off the main open area...

We were in what had been the entrance / food court, only a few empty shells of eateries and tipped carts with rotting umbrellas among all the junk to tell. Each counter facing the open area had been the subject of the insane interior decorator in charge here. What looked like an old pizza place originally had a pair of ponies hanging out of the big ovens in the wall. A large spit was lanced straight through another recent body and rotating over a bed of coals in front of another ruined eatery, the cooked foal had a sickly apple stuck in his mouth, and the smell...

I was horrified, both because of the choking reek filling this place, and the cloying scent of that poor cooked colt making my fangs twitch. Meat... They made him meat... and I... That sneering voice echoing from the speakers laughed as more explosions sounded out above us with a screech, breaking me out of the terrible thoughts chasing each other in my head, Val!

"Oh no, our new players came in the wastelander's entrance, not the tribute one Val, you'll just have to try to find each other, meet in the middle huh? Or fail again, let him die and come get me, I know you've missed me Valkyrie, still one of my greatest works of art aren't you?"

Val's voice echoed through the cavernous space from somewhere far above, full of pain and fury, followed by more explosions shaking dust from the rafters.

Alright, taking a better look, I realized whoever set all this up had made a hideous maze out of the place, arrows pointed to ways through the warren of junk and corpses, crumbling crap from above shoved in piles to make rough pathways deeper into the store, the gleaming silver of triplines flashing back to my eyes from the nearest. Traps... they liked traps...

A pair of dead escalators led up to the second floor, while the first floor stretched out ahead and turned right in the darkness ahead. This place was a labyrinth, a maze fit for any minotaur, full of traps and bombs by the sound and quick glimpses of pressure plates and tension triggers now leaping out at me. 'Awareness!'

'The Wastelander's Entrance...' That's what he called this, meaning any poor scavenger that gave Talon's Department Store a try hoping for long lost loot, would find themselves part of this sick game and trapped. The offhoofed mention of the 'Tribute's Entrance' made me think of the ponynapped Mint Twist from Eclipse too, somehow I doubted they'd let her go after they had their fun with her, she was probably going to end up here...

The dark Shroud in my head roared to life at too much, too fast. The corpses, the smells, the mind that would do something like this, Val's hurt tone and the crackling taunts warbling through the functional speakers... All of it was just feeding that black core of fury, I didn't need to know why Val hated the griffon she had chased here anymore, I wanted him dead myself, and not quickly... 'Be Dark...'

Up... that's where Val was, that's where I was going. I sent Best Served ahead of me as I flapped, a gleaming flash that sliced through the fencing overhead. This place was designed around ground ponies, pegasi had to be pretty rare targets judging by the more recent looking additions partitioning off the floors.

The starmetal blade parted the barrier like butter and I flew forward, grunting and pushing my way through the opening and out into open air. Blockades aside, Talon's had been built totally open, from the barred skylights letting dim moonlight in from the roof, to the littered floor, the upper floors looking down on the open space from rotting wooden railing at the sides. Fences were not enough to stop me from just ignoring the maze and going straight up towards Val, I was coming, just hang on...

"FAST! LOOK OUT!" Witchy squealed from behind me, tugging her way through the gap and pointing at my distracted look back.

I felt a light thump, something small just hanging in the air that dropped away at the lightest touch, something small and round I tried to dive away from just as it exploded and sent me sailing. My attempt to jerk left at least went with the direction of the concussion, I crashed through the railing and rolled into a shattered display, a ponyquin wearing rags and a corpse strung up like a marionette.

Groaning my way back up, I winced at the flare of pain in my poor new wing. The right was shredded, bleeding and bent at an alarming angle. I had them such a short time before seriously fucking one up too... Holding my hurt new appendage to myself with a whimper at the unfamiliar pain, I looked out past the rails I smashed and spotted more of the round objects, looooots more...

Witchy carefully pulled herself free and ran across the springy fencing, not daring to fly up among all those grenades. They were scattered everywhere, hanging from the heavier bars and grates welded together to block the third floor by nearly invisible wires at every level, an aerial maze of touchy explosives. Turns out the fencing wasn't the only concession to airborne victims then...

"Ah, ah, ah.... Cheating to just go right through 'Shroud', I put such work in my little playground here, can't have pegasi putting it all to waste can I? You're interrupting a long overdue reunion here, the least you could do is play the game right..."

Every taunt was just stoking the flames burning behind my eyes, that son of a bitch.. he thought this was fun! Delighted in the torture and suffering he was watching from somwhere safe apparently. Vengeance spun in my magic and blasted the nearest speaker I could see, a screech of feedback flattening Witchy's ears as she scrambled over and dug in her packs, pulling out magical bandages and trying to wrap my wing quickly.

"YOU ARE SO FUCKING DEAD!"

The Shroud's voice tolled out, but there wasn't any comic inspired lines this time, no clever quips or urges to run and be better. I was in complete agreement with the darkest part of myself, that griffon was going to die, if I had to blow this whole place to smithereens to do it, that's what I'd do. Once Val was safe...

"Don't let him goad you! Thou art injured, you can't fly already! Who knows what else he has waiting for..." Witchy bound my crippled wing after tugging it straight with a yelp of pain. She was right, but that gruff, sadistic voice still echoing through this place...

"Awwww... Getting mad Shroud? Come and find me then, if you can. I wouldn't suggest trying to just avoid my playground entirely again. I guess you could try disarming allllll those little surprises, Valkyrie may not last that long though... Fastest route for a ground bound pegasus like you is through the maze, just follow the arrows, I even left prizes! In the meantime how about I regale you with tales of your traitor bodyguard eh? How much have you told him Val? Anything?"

Val's hurt voice screeched out above, but was overriden by a bump of volume from the speakers as the Gunner griffon spoke over her.

"I'll take that as a no then! Such a poor excuse for a griffon, playing with ponies, keeping secrets from your employer! I thought our time together was special Valkyrie, didn't I carve discipline into that fine form so lovingly? Aren't the marks of my education still with you? You need a refresher course don't you?

Of course I don't have the rest of my crew here to help like last time... This is my private little escape, and you did quite a job wiping out the rest anyway. Feel better? You still dream about having so much personal attention Val? I bet your runty little pegasus friend there just pales in comparison... or can you even bear to be with..."

"SHUT UP!"

I screamed in the Shroud's voice and junk rained down from the patchy ceiling at the rattle, Witchy squeaked and ducked away from the fury radiating off me as I panted and stomped back to the grenade laden empty space outside. Those hanging grenades would be a major problem for a pegasus or griffon who'd have to get close to disarm them, one at a time, over and over again... This sadistic Gunter thought I was just another pegasus to toy with too, time to clear that up right now.

My blue magic washed over every darkened metal apple I could find or touch with it, grabbing them all in a cloud and sending them flying away from Val's marker, up to the fences above, over to the walls above the entrance, everywhere safe. The whole building was shaking under the assault of dozens of explosives going off like fireworks, green flashes of plasma, fiery orange clouds that rained shrapnel down, sparking matrix disruption grenades cooking off here and there.

"That... was very unfair... You're not playing by the rules Shroud, ruining the game! Val can tell you all about what happens to rulebreakers, traitors... Of course you won't be as fun to educate, some of the crew likes a buck every once in awhile, but personally.... fine, young griffon flanks are more my taste, isn't that right Val...."

The only answer was Vals echoing screams and more explosions above, followed by Gunter's sadistic chuckle.

"Play the game right, or I stop playing around and finish her... March."

Passing through the housewares department on the second floor, I couldn't help staring into another partitioned room and the depravity inside. This wasn't the first of these we had run across, but each one was sadistically inventive, prize rooms...

Various sections of the store had their wares and displays twisted, some valuable object was put out as an obvious lure and trapped to hell and gone. In this case, it was a heaping bag of caps sitting in the wreck of an office chair, right in the middle of a maze of desks and filing cabinets, all your office needs...

The posed corpse pointing the way into the entryway served as a warning of the stakes, bottlecaps jammed in his eyes and his mouth stretched in a bottlecap studded rictus of a smile, his skin and flesh melted off horribly. Shaking in anger as we passed the room the body pointed to, I saw the teetering vats overhead attached to counterweights barely holding in place. Go in for the caps, make a wrong step and splash! Unfortunately it didn't even seem radioactive either... the sulfur reek in the air said acid...

Witchy was helping lead the way, she kept making that high pitched whine every now and then, finding the more cleverly hidden traps in our path as we kept going, disarming what we couldn't avoid. Gunter was certainly creative when it came to this shit, the batpony glared at a rusty old baby carriage that started convincingly crying, but gave it a wide berth. "This... this place is evil Fast, I knew the Gunners were bad but... but this..."

I grunted in return and tried to stay in control, every step we took further into the Gunner griffon's lair, every fresh travesty and story spelled out in blood, all of it was just feeding the dark Shroud in my head, better than radiation ever could. The only consolation I could attempt to offer was that this seemed like just Gunter's hobby, if the place was staffed with more of his crew it would simply be a slaughterhouse instead of a maze, he did this because he liked doing it...

Glancing into a tiny shop just because of the faded ads for fancy gadgets to try to calm myself, my stomach flopped at the disgusting sight. A pistol in good condition sat propped against an odd box not much bigger than a hoof on a small pedestal, a moldy sign hanging by a single thread above it read; 'Try the latest advancments from Roseluck Pest Solutions!', the puddle of meaty smelling glop and stained barding made me shudder, what the hell kind of trap did that?!

"Fast? Are you sure you're alright? Y-You scare me when you look like that..." Witchy called over cautiously from a rusting steel shutter closing off another shop further down the mezzanine overlooking the first floor, I realized I was snorting angry breaths and grinding my fanged teeth.

"Fine... keep going, up, faster..." I answered in a tightly controlled growl, stomping after her and passing by a toy Ahuizotl on the ground that started banging the brass cymbals it held, beating a drum on its dark back with its strange tail while its eyes blinked. What a strange toy, a villain from Daring Do that still worked... why did it seem so creepy with that leering grin and...

The shutters sprang open before I put it together, after the carriage I should just expect everything in here to be a trap, but a toy? E.F.S. lit up as a dozen zombies started shuffling up in the closed off shop beyond that made my pip-buck click angrily, more than a couple glowing green and growling as they charging at the two of us. Witchy's silver combat rifle chattered in short bursts, tearing into the new danger while I joined with the Terrible Shotgun, bucking a few back that got to close to only a few bites and scratches.

By far the greater danger was these things running loose and setting off more surprises, we couldn't run or take cover for fear of running into some deadly new trap in our haste, standing our ground was the only option. A trio of the snarling zombies tackled me and I couldn't help thinking of the zombie trapped in Mr. Cane's home, they had been ponies once, they weren't just some obstacle in Gunter's game.

I slashed back with Best Served in my mouth, decapitating one and straining against the weight of the other two still trying to reach over the first. The slobbering, snapping, glowing green mare might have worked here once, or been a nurse, or a teacher, or a lawyer or...

Two short bursts from Witchy's rifle ended my contemplation of the zombie's former career, whatever she had been before, she was dead now. The batpony mare huffed around the grip of her rifle with a hint of satisfaction. "This Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting System is quite convenient isn't it? This explains some of your frightening accuracy..."

Shoving the corpses off with her help, I winced up and looked into the shop they had come from, noticing the healing tingle of radiation coming from inside. "Yeah, it's pretty handy alright... hmm..." What a weird trap, green gems and tightly wound coils in a makeshift contraption that seemed to be flooding the room with rads, what a horrible way to go...

For normal ponies anyway... For me Gunter's trap had become an unintended boon and I impatiently sat under the device, watching my radiation meter climb and sighing at my wing straightening and healing. Once I felt better, I flapped up on the restored appendage and poked at the trap with my tools. A bit of fiddling and pulling the spark cells ringing it powered it down and I yanked it from the ceiling, I was keeping this thing...

Being somewhat restored just made me itch to find Gunter even more, I wanted Val first, but the evil bastard was right behind her on my list. He had apparently been enjoying letting the tension build, leaving us wander and try to find my friend, but sounded a little put out when I rejoined Witchy outside.

"You are like one of those freaks aren't you? Bad form... you're supposed to go into a healing prize room, not a trap... How should I punish him Val? What you did to Graven would be ironic wouldn't it? Or maaaybe... maybe I'll give him the same treatment the last pony you liked got, what was his name again? I'm such a busy little bee, I can't remember all of my special friends, I do remember that look in his eyes when I told him what I left you to though... oh how he squirmed and..."

More explosions and lines of M.E.W fire lanced out from around the corner, followed by Val's bellowing cries, scorching the walls, blasting speakers and screaming a horrible noise of nothing but hate, resonating with the dark pulse in my head perfectly. Val! There she was! The bright orange and red griffon limping around the bend ahead was far too red though...

She was dragging a scorched hindleg behind her trailing blood, more of the precious fluid coated her armor, closed one eye shut, dribbled from her broken wing. What wasn't coated in sticky red was scorched black, the fluff of her tail singed, her plumage frazzled and sopping into her violet eye, tears streaming from that one open orb as she wailed and kept laying down death at nothing.

"ShutUp!ShutUp!ShutUp!ShutUp!ShutUp!ShutUp!ShutUp!ShutUp!" She cried in rage and pain and... shame... deep, long festering shame...

Just one long, straight stretch of traps separated us, screw caution, I could see her! The wires in my way were too much, getting to her was what mattered, nothing else. I brought up my lightning walking spell and glared back at Witchy, trying to control the blazing anger struggling against the gentle souls of frantic Ministry Mares up there, trying to hold back a rising black tide as I hissed. "Stay back..."

The problem with traps like the one that nearly killed me in Thundega, was that they were set up and timed around certain expectations. I spent a lot of time in bed thinking about it after that little misadventure, if I had managed to jump back down the stairs fast enough, I probably would have been ok. The opposite was true too of course... If one was crazy enough to just plow through tripwires heedlessly as fast as they could, you could stay ahead of the triggered traps.

Blasting straight ahead with lightning arcing in my trail, I was more than fast enough to keep ahead of the string of surprises waiting in the shadows of the shattered stores I passed. Not just explosions either, I heard and smelled a fwoosh of flame after hitting one, an errant hoof landing on an old bathroom scale set off a trio of shotguns held in vices to the side, I was pretty sure a big damn blade came falling from the shadows above on the last wire, then I was through and charging right at the sobbing griffon.

I tackled her to get her to stop, all those red blasts were incinerating whatever they found, but weren't doing much other than making her feel better I hoped. I glanced back to see my batpony companion staring at the sparking trail and all the triggered traps, shaking herself and following at a cautious run.

Grateful for a little earth pony strength, I held the screaming griffon under me in a tight embrace, trying to soothe her and dig in my packs for anything to heal her simultaneously. I screamed for Witchy, she was no Jade, but she demonstrated at least passing familiarity with field medicine, better than me at least.

"Sssssh! It's ok Val! I'm here, just calm down! It's ok!"

"Awww, how touching... found another innocent buck for all them warm, fluttery feelings Val? Bet this one ends up...."

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Witchy skidded to a halt and spun on the spot, her silver combat rifle sending bursts of fire out and destroying every speaker nearby, guided by those sensitive, fluffy ears. Once the taunting voice died down to an echo from further away, she pushed me aside and got to work, shoving another healing potion into Val's beak and pulling out yards of magical bandages while the griffon kept blubbering weakly. "That griffon is horrible... H-Hold still please Val, let me help!"

"S-Shouldn'ta come boss... d-don't... don't look at...." Val's clenched eyes refused to look at me, but I didn't care, trying to remain out of the thestral's way and hugging her sopping neck tightly.

"S-Shut up Val... order..."

A corner store of broken windows showed rotting bedroom furniture inside, along with a lot more of course... but the moldy beds and place to get out of the main hallways were what I wanted. I tugged all the corpses up from the best looking option with disgust, unable to look away from the spiked implements that had been shoved in every orifice, while the mare was alive by the stains...

I flipped the whole mattress in my magic and rejoined Witchy, carefully helping to transport Val and gently put her on the bed, looking around helplessly while she kept working. Not a doctor alicorn, but the batpony had stopped the worst of the bleeding and every potion we had was doing their best. It seemed woefully inadequate though...

I looked around the big shop on the housewares level, my burning gaze falling on one horror after another. What should be a showcase for home furnishings was instead some kind of gallery of torture, sexually themed torture to go with all the beds I assumed. No pleasant kisses and nuzzles went on here, this was the sickest kind of torment I could imagine, what was probably waiting for Mint Twist if we hadn't saved her...

"Fast, I've done what I'm able... We don't have the supplies to handle this, she needs a doctor... badly..." Witchy snapped me out of thoughts of what I was going to do to Gunter when I found him, guiltily realizing I was cataloging everything he had done here himself for future reference.

She was right, Val's breathing was ragged and raspy, she was wrapped in stained bandages and draped unmoving over the mattress. We usually had our own private doctor and healing potions had stopped working on me right, with usually fairly convenient radiation to rely on, I just didn't have enough on me...

I stroked her cheek sadly, my concern the only thing that seemed to restrain the dark Shroud in my head at the moment. I twitched when one violet eye opened and rolled my way weakly, heavily lidded and tired, but still Val. "D-Don't... look all.... pathetic boss... s'ok... be fine... S'alright, just... go kill the fucker... don't matter what happens ta me... so long as..."

Wiping tears away, I shut her up the best way I knew how under the circumstances. Lunging forward and kissing her, long and hard to her muffled surprise, pulling away and stamping a hoof. "You matter Val, shut up and rest. You are NOT dying, got it! That's an order! I'm gonna find something for you and be right back, y-you better just sit there and wait till I get back!"

A small smile crossed her beak and she chuckled with a cough, blinking sleepily and sinking back to the bed. "F-Fine... yer the boss... go on stupid... c-come back an' do that again... when I feels better..."

She drifted off while giving her teasing answer, but even that was better than that sad voice. I gave her another early, a soft peck to her forehead before nodding in determination and turning to an anxious and bloodstained Witchy behind me.

"Thanks, for helping her like that, if you weren't here... I'm glad at least one of us knows what they're doing, you're pretty good at medical type stuff, thank you Witchy, I owe you."

"T-Tis but a trifle... and not enough by any means Fast. Any proper member of Luna's guard knows basic battlefield medicine, but I am not up to this! Broken bones, burns, internal bleeding, a punctured lung! I... I can't do this! She needs real help, as soon as possible, we gotta go! Get her out of here and..." Witchy's voice started rising hysterically as she listed the litany of life threatening injuries, she was worlds better than I was helping Val, but way out of her depth even with Val's pip-buck helping to diagnose her, and infectious in her urgency.

I reloaded my weapons and gave Val a worried, parting look, turning to storm back out and struggling to keep my voice even. "O-Ok, stay put, do what you can for her and I'll be right back. We can't leave."

"Where are you going! What do you mean we can't leave?! You shouldn't leave her! Revenge over the life of your friend.... what the hell is wrong with you! Are you..." Witchy's voice started taking on a harder edge, believing I was willing to leave Val to her fate just to kill the Gunner still cackling from somewhere in the maze.

"Prizes... He put out prizes. There has to be a healing potion here somewhere, first aid station, something! I'm going to go find it and bring it back, if the only stuff available is what Gunter has on him, then I'll go get it. Besides, Val would kill me if we leave while that evil fuck is still alive"

She looked to relax just a hair, but still stamped a hoof and followed right behind me, tugging my tail to keep me back. "She's gotta be alive to do it!! That griffon is gonna die without help Fast! Find something to help her sure, but we have to go! That horrible Gunner is not worth..."

I turned on her and knew from the shocked look on her face I was losing the battle against the worst of myself, she flinched back from the burning glare that fell on her and I tried to soften it as I answered. "He's seen you too Witchy... if we leave him alone then the Gunners will know a batpony of Dreadnot helped us. Do you want that? He. Can't. Live. I'm not abandoning either of you, don't ever think it. Stay with her, keep her safe, I'll be back..."

I really wished I knew healing magic, all the other new surprises and perks, but I still couldn't heal a boo boo, let alone a medical emergency. This was all I could do, the only thing that the steady, driving demand for retribution in my head would accept as a delay, Val first, Gunter second...

Ignoring Witchy's squeak of protest, I ran out into the hall, lightning surrounding my limbs and my weapons drawn, I was not holding anything back, if I happened to run into Gunter's hiding place while looking to help Val, I wanted to be ready to rip him to shreds quickly... I kept flicking my eyes up to the ceiling in between scanning for traps, scrapped speakers and cameras... lines running this way.... He had to have control over whatever security or operations center was still functional, a griffon versed in electronics and old world junk, but I was willing to bet I knew more than he did...

"Ah, there you are, she dead yet?"

Speak of the devil... I was coming into range of functional speakers, back where he could taunt me again, unknowingly digging his grave deeper and deeper. Every smarmy syllable just stoked the flames in my head, oh I was going to kill him sooooo much...

"What, not liking the game? Shame, I am! Bringing the traitor Valkyrie and the Shrouded Stallion back to base ought to get me out of trouble nicely after your little raid. Tell me she's still alive at least though, she's worth ever so much more alive you know. I'm not the only one who's been dreaming of another run at her too, lieutenants weren't enough last time, this time every, single, Gunner is getting a turn, until she's a smear soakin' in the sheets!"

"I'm going to kill you Gunter. I'm going to revisit every torture and torment I can find you've done here on YOU."

"That could take awhile, I've kept notes though! Few recordings of my best work even if you'd like to see. Guessing she's alive then, good! Have to keep her that way though, take a look to your left..."

Grinding my teeth, I craned my head around, hating doing anything the griffon wanted, but desperate for anything. The mellow purple glow of a super healing potion was exactly what I hoped for, letting me ignore the chortling echoing through this tomb as I flapped my way over towards an appliance section, rusting hulks of old dryers and washers forming a maze around it.

A prize, the chunk of wood by the door proclaimed as much in words that were meant to look encouraging, but instead sounded like a sick joke as I read the sloppy red ...paint... 'Hurt? Keep going! Almost there!'

The crystal decanter was resting atop a corroded white stove, a flickering spotlight for the display still working to showcase the object I wanted from this store, but not much to reveal all the assorted triggers weaving their way through the store like a deadly web. My nightvision eyes could pick out all the grenades and mines, the fragile potion waiting like some golden idol in a dusty temple. I got the gag... try to make your way there hurt, slip up and even if you aren't blown to pieces, the potion that could save your life would be shattered. How hilarious...

My first thought was to simply surround the bottle in my magic and float it over, why bother going inside at all? I stopped myself in time though, I was getting an idea of how this Gunter operated, most of his traps and displays had a common theme. The only food was either prizes in trapped rooms, or the cooking corpses downstairs, starve, risk death, or eat pony, har har... Come for riches? Become part of the display. Even better than tormenting hurt ponies, would be tormenting them for their hubris. Any unicorn would think the same thing, did I really think he didn't anticipate that? That he wasn't waiting for it?

Ok... can't just grab it... Going in there was probably not a good idea either, but I had to have it! If I was a sadistic fuck like Gunter, how would I set this up, mechanically speaking? A dabbler in the world of repair-ponies was no match for the real thing, unless his skills were a whoooole lot better than I thought, he probably couldn't set the stove itself up as a trigger to blow, though I was willing to bet the oven was stuffed with explosives or some other nasty surprise.

No, only a few things would work with what he could do most likely. A pressure plate trigger would be best, but obvious and he didn't want that did he? I saw a few laser triplines, but they would be too obvious too in the dark. Simple, simple worked best if you could get away with it. Tie a bit of fishline to the back of the bottle and string it down to the stove, lucky victim makes it there and grabs it, kaboom...

I shifted in place and thought impatiently, so close and yet so far. I could see it, could manipulate it with telekinesis, but without knowing how it was set up, I couldn't do anything. I needed.... aha, kitchen appliances in this store, bathroom fixtures just down the hall. Running over, I peered the the entrance for what I wanted, ignoring the stack of orange Rad-Away packets dumped in a cracked pedestal sink surrounded by bathroom scales, I grabbed a dirty medicine cabinet with my magic and wrenched it free from the moldy display.

Tearing a good chunk of mirror free, I trotted back and carefully floated it and my wire clippers into the appliances shop, weaving and bobbing past all the triplines and behind the potion. Most regular ponies didn't have eyes as sharp as mine, making this a little impractical, but I had the fine control and the vision to put it to use.

Ahhh, there it was, glued right to the bottle on the back, a silvery thread of wire leading down to the makeshift bomb, why would anyone wire a glowing bottle of Sparkle Cola RAD into a bomb?! Nevermind, caaaareful.... careful.... 'snip!', I flinched back and waited, but no blast consumed the trapped shop, success!

Just in case, I wrapped the wide bottle in my magic and tensed in anticipation, taking a shaky breath and yanking with everything I had. The crystal bottle flew through the air and into my waiting hooves, still intact as beeps started sounding out in the shadows behind me and I ran back to Val.

I stumbled at the series of explosions started going off behind me, still safely ahead of the blast wave baking out of the storefront as every trap in there cooked off. Then suddenly the world was tinted a bright, neon red and I was flying, tumbling, falling, curling into a fetal ball around the precious potion to protect it. Tossed through the air ahead of a massive red fireball that shook the building and collapsed that section of the third floor, sending it crashing down to the second and then down again to the first in a choking cloud, more bombs going off as it went. Sweet Celestia! Was that from the bottle of freaking cola?!?!

No time to wonder, nevermind the warm dribble of blood down my hindlegs, or the twinge at my shaky attempt to pull myself free of the rubble I wound up crashing into. My trenchcoat's repair talisman was reaching out to sagging sale banners hanging from nearby walls and reknitting itself, I could keep going, I won... that's what mattered.

"Clever... Clever little pony aren't you? No wonder you're such a pain in the ass. Congratulations, you won the bonus round! Ready for the round 2, where the risks and rewards really get up there?"

"Not playing your stupid game, come on out so I can kill you..."

"Booooring! Wrong answer Shroud, I'm afraid that's a penalty!"

At the laughing declaration, E.F.S. lit up with red and turrets sprang from the remains of the ceiling, above the entries of fancier shops, everywhere... Shit! Blasting forward on my hooves, I floated the Terrible Shotgun ahead of me, firing from the flank at any of the automated defenses in my path, stuffing the precious super healing potion my my coat and making a frantic escape under the static filled laughs following me.

The one above the bedroom furniture section didn't have a clear line of sight on Val and Witchy at least, spinning from its attempts to chew through the partitioned walls in the way to track me, getting a .50 round from the batpony's anti-materiel rifle for its trouble that sent it to the ground in a shower of sparks. I charged through the entrance, tossing the potion to the bed with Val and immediately zooming back out over Witchy's warning squeak around the grip of her rifle at the surprise, had to keep them focused on me...

Alright wing, sorry for letting you get hurt, but I need your help here... A streaking run at the rails sent me back up and I beat my wings trying to climb, up to the nearest turret and tackling it in my hooves. Several nearby started zeroing in, but planting my hindlegs against the spongy ceiling gave me a good enough grip to twist the whole chattering contraption, spinning it to fire at its fellows before their rounds blasted it to pieces under me.

Armor piercers... Gunter had been playing with those too, I couldn't see a Department Store loading their security turrets with AP rounds, they were after shoplifters and thieves, not an armed zebra incursion. Rubber bullets weren't nearly as fun for the evil bastard laughing over the speakers though, several had punctured my straining forelegs and shoulders, but I'd be alright... last long enough anyway. All I needed was more radiation from somewhere, Val had needed the real help, I could take a few hits for her.

Even better, before getting knocked aside by the turret blowing up, I got a better look at the wiring leading to it. Signal amplifiers... wherever Gunter was, it was probably a good distance away and these were fairly early systems, distance was an issue. The gem studded widgets attached to the lines could stretch that distance, but it would need to be networked into a better system elsewhere, a relay station before heading down to the controls...

There! The griffon was smart, but not smart enough. Piling corpses and junk in just one more macabre bit of decor against the carefully hidden, closet sized steel door was good enough to hide from casual observation, but that was what I had been trying to find after Val's potion. I wrapped all of it in my magic and flew by, tugging and pulling with a roar and sending the detritus out off the railing, triggering more traps as I dove to the revealed door marked 'Security Station - 2nd Floor'

"Let's change the rules Gunter! Ready for the lightning round!?!"

"HEY! What're you... STOP!"

I flung the door open with a grin, knocking the ancient skeleton in the seat aside and pushing my way in, finding a waiting port in the closet of equipment and patching into it over Gunter's screeches. This wasn't part of the game was it? Oh no.... how sad... Let's see how you like this then...

Jeez, I was surprised he managed to get into the system at all, his clumsy clawprints were all over the code, must have actually just found a password to work with somewhere. Not a high level one either... He was awkwardly trying to fight the intrusion, but he was on my turf now, I cut him off and locked him out entirely, his screaming yell cut off in a squawk of static.

He was still desperately trying to do something, but he was no longer in control whether he liked it or not. Now then.... let's see where you're accessing the system from exactly... Basement level, security main office, terminal #4... excellent... Ah, a service elevator, that's how he got down there from the roof entrance and lost Val, well, let's just shut that down too!

What else... I could just shut off the turrets, but feeding them new targeting data was better... There we go, riot protocol lockdown... that's how he got the steel shutters to block every exit and turned this place into his private cage. Looks like he could only manage all or nothing though, a few clicks gave me what I hoped, I opened the front door, and only that one...

I knew I must look like a monster, grinning evilly with long fangs sprouting out and burning red eyes, I didn't care though... I tapped into the PA as Gunter had until now, lighting my horn and booming out in the Shroud's voice, rattling the walls and blowing a few speakers out there by the sound.

"NOW THEN... LIGHTNING ROUND GUNTER, YOU'RE IN THE BASEMENT... I'M COMING FOR YOU..."

Stifling rather crazed giggles of anticipation at the thought of hunting this bastard down, I clenched my eyes and tried to not look like quite such a lunatic, willing those sharp fangs to go back to being nubs before leaving. Had to check on Val, make sure she was ok, then... oh then...

The place was still plenty dangerous even without the Gunner running things, all his little toys weren't part of security or anything. But considering I had probably set off everything between me and Val, I abandoned a bit of caution in my haste, skidding to a halt at Witchy prancing nervously at the railing outside the store, torn between looking up and around this level, and back down to the yawning pit below. When her eyes landed on me running back, she leapt from the rail and flew over in a blur, panic making her already high voice rise to almost ultrasonic levels.

"Fast! S-She... I couldn't stop her! I didn't know what to do!! She can't... w-when she heard..." The batpony ranted and hopped in place, sweat springing up on her brow as my stomach dropped into an icy ball.

Basement... I said basement, I said where he was... over the loudspeakers...

Turning to run in a panic back the way I came, I charged right at the the smoking ruin of Gunter's 'prize room'. It wasn't ever going to be good for much again, but it did give a straight shot to the ground floor where every trap had been triggered in its wake. I dove down the gaping hole and dodged jagged beams and sparking wires on the way as well as I could, thunking into a sizable chunk of floor barely hanging on and careening down to the smoldering rubble at the bottom, Witchy right behind me.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think she could move! L-Let alone... I tried to make her stay!" The batpony filly sounded pretty scared, what, did she think I'd blow her brains out for...

"Don't blame you, nopony can stop Val when she's pissed enough, just hurry!" The thought I had to reassure my new companion that I wasn't actually a homicidal maniac was concerning me, but I guessed I really couldn't blame her.

In the short time we'd known each other, I'd killed raiders in their home for their alcohol, destroyed a Gunner outpost and probably 40-50 of the asshole mercenaries, then came here and started skirting the edge of just letting the Shroud in my head have complete control... Yes, I was probably a little worrisome...

I'd have to try to clear it up later, explain... explain I heard voices in my head fighting each other, oh yeah, that would tooootally smooth things over, convince her I was the picture of sanity... I'd do something anyway. Right now, Val had forced herself into moving again, the super healing potion enough to get her up and going, straight down and after Gunter. By the horrible taunts and hints at her past that she never told me about, I couldn't really blame her either.

More explosions rocked the building, how much could this place take anyway? It was pretty sturdy stone, but that crazy cola bomb had done some serious structural damage I couldn't help assessing on the way. It may have lasted 200 years, but a good chunk of Talon's Department Store was doomed, maybe a year, maybe more, but eventually...

For now I was happy to find a long wishing pool stretching away on the ground floor outside my makeshift express path, a scummy puddle of blood caked sludge still in it, drips from the leaky roof I was sure, which meant radiation... Another of Gunter's bits of irony, a bucket and ladle rested at the edge next to empty water bottles, thirsty? Have a drink...

I altered my course to jump in the puddle and run on, soaking up what I could and avoiding more traps, following the escalating noises. After so long, I knew the sound of Val's 25mm grenade machinegun by heart, the dark blur racing ahead of red lines of M.E.W. fire was the portly, vulture-like Gunter, diving crazily and sending balls of plasma back at her in a crazed screech.

I had the Last Minute up and aimed at a run, charging the gauss rifle to full power and taking a rough shot at the big target. Val was too hurt, give him a better target... a more survivable target. The crack of the 2mm EM round punched through his green Gunner combat armor and out the other side, knocking him down from his frantic climb and turning to lay down more plasma blasts at me.

I could survive and regenerate a lot now, but a lucky shot with a magical plasma weapon or good old M.E.W could still melt or turn me to ash, not something I had really considered until those stitching shots started veering my way. An almost inaudible crack behind me sent him jerking and pinwheeling in the air again though, Witchy's long anti-materiel rifle making an almost matching hole in his breastplate at the other shoulder, staining all of it red and making one wing droop.

Gunter tried diving away, aiming for his mountains of junk walls for cover and pulling a big 12mm sidearm. I leapt up and flapped for altitude, aiming to meet the bastard and tackle him, instead hammered with the heavy rounds to the chest and sent crashing into a pile of roofing he hid behind.

Oh that hurt, the high caliber pistol kicked like a mule, I sucked in a burning breath and looked up into the dark 12mm tunnel overhead, the panting, bleeding griffon sneering craftily as schemes ran behind those sickly yellow eyes. Hostage or victim, that was about as complicated as those thoughts looked.

An ear piercing noise sent his claws up to his head with a grunt of pain, rings of magical distortion just overhead and battering him, narrowing as they led back to the batpony making all that racket. The two of us moved together, I grabbed Best Served in my mouth and twisted my head at the paws planted atop the wall, as I heard a series of bursts from Witchy's combat rifle behind me that tore into his right foreleg and wing.

Both feet were then neatly sliced off and sent him tumbling down to the other side and Val's squawk of victory. I scrambled up and tried to fly over the barrier quickly, tumbling over the other side to a very bloody, deranged looking Val holstering her own pistol and igniting the Shishkebab, weakly sauntering after the fat griffon trying to drag himself away with his claws.

"Whassa matter... thought ya was lookin' forward to tha reunion Gunter... Know I have been, thought I'd repay the favor so ta speak... hafta thank the boss, like seein' ya crawl like that tubby, an' it puts my target front an' center don't it?" Val's voice cracked and she kept lurching her way after the bleeding griffon, inching his way back towards the front entrance and jibbering in fear.

"No Val! I-It wasn't my idea! O-Orders! You know! Come on! If I disobeyed they'd have done the same to me! It was all Graven! N-Nothin' personal!" The Gunner's pleas just washed over me, but I restrained the furious urge to get started on him, he was Val's first...

"Yeah? Well this is.... personal... deeply." The curved blade of the Shishkebab shot forward, point first and right on target for that lashing tail and.... ewwww....

Despite everything, no matter how much he deserved it and how much I agreed, even cheered her on... watching a white hot starmetal blade cornhole anyone was a little nauseating... It was actually better once she stopped twisting it around in glee and actually ripped it free, tearing her tormentor in half in a bloody spray that made her a completely red griffon instead of a mostly red one.

The sizzling, burning blade fell to the ground at her paws and she looked up to the ceiling, her claws hanging limply at her sides, her eyes closed in bliss and breathing shakily, her beak making silent words for a moment before her eyes opened and she looked down at me woozily, a soft, sad smile and grateful, shimmering eyes.

"Thanks boss... gonna take a lil' nap now..." and she did just that, crashing to a heap on top of me and drifting off into unconsciousness. Leaving me pinned as Witchy flew over and landed next to us, staring around with wide eyes and a little fear while I waved feebly from the floor.

"I promise.. we're not normally like this... caught us on a bad week..."

It took a little convincing before Witchy helped drag me free and we guided the sleeping Val outside, choosing to put a little distance between us and Gunter's playhouse, huddling near the steps leading up to Talon's and looking around wearily. We needed somewhere to rest, let Val recover, she needed Jade badly and the blue physician was still in Eclipse.

There wasn't much to use, Gunter had been using this place a long time by the looks. Poking my head into a few ruined shells of buildings just showed they had all been swept clean of anything of value, no more convenient healing potions or supplies here... all probably turned into 'prizes'. I held the lightly snoring griffon and tried to wrap my wings around her for warmth against the chilly night, waiting for the batpony to return from her scouting flight above and rocking her gently.

Witchy finally returned silently and hovered above, pointing to the north and a medium hill covered in spindly, dead trees, the peaks of a few roofs barely visible at the top. "There's a few houses up there, strange but mostly untouched, shelter anyway. Can thou take her that far?"

Distance really wasn't an issue, she needed to go there, I'd take her. I surrounded her lithe form in my magic and lifted, weakly flapping my way up and dragging her along behind me. Yes there was a housing development up there alright, good. I kept glancing around for some convenient pool of glowing green sludge or something, fighting exhaustion at every beat of my wings while the batpony kept pace at a safe distance.

"Y-You're sure thou art..." Witchy whispered cautiously, I did tell her not to come along for all this.

"I swear to Luna, I am not crazy. Just... I have a temper apparently, I never did in the Stable but... certain things out here kind of trigger me ok? You are perfectly safe with both of us, I give you my word."

"N-Not what I was going to ask... but I'll believe thee. That way, the big one at the end seems in the best condition." Witchy pointed the way and I followed, feeling every wound waking up without the twin balms of rage and adrenaline to ignore them anymore.

I managed just up to rooftop height when my pip-buck flashed in my eyes; Discovered Location: Fair Lines Estates. A single crumbling street led into the housing development, framed by two lines of identical, squarish, utilitarian housing falling in on themselves and ending on one cottage that did look a good deal better than the rest. I gratefully drifted down and headed for the door, praying it wasn't locked, I really should ask Val to teach me how to pick locks like Fancy had learned from Freya at some point.

Thankfully, the door creaked open to a dim ruin at the first tug on the knob. Simple, rough housing even when it was new, only a few broken pictures on the walls, shelves of musty books and scrolls in the corner, a kitchen and bathroom to one side, living room to the other, bedroom in the back. The only really unusual thing was the preponderance of clocks... cuckoo clocks, digital clocks, a tall grandfather clock, souvenir Sparkle World clocks, looooots of dead clocks, all stopped at 9:53.

What had been a fairly fancy bed before the war held up well enough and I let go of Val carefully, setting her to the bed and falling over as soon as the drain on my magic was gone. She wasn't that heavy, but I had used up nearly everything I had left, the rad counter on my leg all the way back to the blue again as a visual indicator of what I felt, empty.

Witchy checked her over again, those fluffy ears twitching near her chest as she listened carefully, giving a worried look and nodding. "Safe for now... she must have help though, moving her this far was bad enough."

"J-Jade... need Jade, please, go get her Witchy..."

She looked torn, glancing between us and out the window at the dark night. "You have no medical skills at all though, do you? Perhaps you should... oh, but then I would still lose you... hmmm..."

"D-Don't matter does it? Don't have any more healing supplies, you're faster than I am, by a lot Witchy. Please, please help her, go get Jade. I'll give you her locator tag, you can go right where she is and right back, please..."

The batpony filly shuffled in place uncertainly, sighing in defeat and sitting to detach her anti-materiel rifle, a little ungainly when speed was the goal. "Very well, you plead, not demand or threaten... that is good. Y-You are very scary when you want to be, to think the same silly colt so excited over toys would... You are a very strange pony Fast. I will go, stay with her, let her rest, talk to her if she wakes, she needs it... Do not leave this house and disappear again or by Luna I'll..."

"Thank you Witchy, so, so much... I swear, not going anywhere, anything you want in Dreadnot, I'll do everything I can."

That looked to relieve her a little bit, she brightened up and stopped looking so nervous, nodding happily and trotting off into the night, barely a whisper of her wings flying off at top speed to the east. That just left me and Val alone, the griffon's snores not quite wall rattling in her injury.

With the batpony gone, and Val passed out, I could wince and limp my way around without worrying about pretending to be ok. I wouldn't leave Val, but somewhere in this house had to be something I could use, if I didn't do something Jade would be dealing with two patients in a world of hurt, not just one. Exploring helped me calm down too, after all of Gunter's traps, I was a little paranoid.

Hmm, one rough, moldy armchair, one bed, one set of drawers, one set of dishes, whoever lived here before, did so alone, and this was the nicest of these houses? Singles housing maybe? Cheap shacks for students? Nothing looked cheap in here, just very spartan except for the shelves of books. 'Applied Gemstones', several tomes on Starswirl the Bearded, history, spell matrix theory, advanced spell books... I grabbed what was still legible and moved on, think stupid... radiation...

I searched the place top to bottom, but was starting to despair ever finding anything. I did happen across a wall safe Val would be happy about when she woke, pretty sturdy and hidden under an framed image of two horizontal bars, like the rest of the place, it was pretty spare decoration.

A rolltop desk tucked away in the corner before a short stool wasn't as frustrating as it could be, only all the drawers were locked not the whole thing at least. Though a postcard and several shipping receipts for 'Scenic Spectacular Island' weren't much of a bounty. Pacing the living room area and drinking a glowing (and apparently highly explosive) bottle of Sparkle Cola Rad, I facehoofed and dug in my bags, finding the radiation trap I had taken and moving as far from Val's corner of the small cottage as possible.

I spread my wings and huddled over the strange contraption, a bit of rough, wasteland era jury rigging that wasn't hard to make work again. I'd have to take a better look, maybe I could improve it or something, for now the surge of rads was heavenly. My wounds started generating as the rainbow colored gauge at my hoof climbed from blue slowly back up to yellow.

Reluctantly I shut the trap down, I had no idea how much I was absorbing and how much might be close enough to Val just a room away, a few seconds was good enough. I could even walk steadily on my way back to sit with her, catching her shifting at my return and groaning. "Nnn... h-hey boss... still alive huh?" The injured griffon moaned and tried to laugh, a claw shooting to her ribs at the motion as she sucked in a pained breath.

"E-Easy Val! Yeah, still alive, don't screw it up ok? Just hang on, Jade's on her way, get some rest and it'll be ok."

"Where's muh stuff?" her dark claw slid down her bandaged side and spread in panic on not finding armor, weapons, anything but magical fabric trying to restore her slowly.

"I got it, it's ok. Good thing you keep putting me through your torture training huh? If I couldn't carry it, I would'a left it."

Those violet eyes popped open at that, twinging to get up and smack me and groaning instead. "Ow! Ok ow, w-will beat the snot outta ya later boss, not funny.... H-Hey... umm, g-get up here alright, can't keep cranin' over ta look at ya. P-Please boss... No funny stuff, just... d-don't wanna be alone..."

I nodded and flapped up, trying very carefully to manage a landing and falling to the springy mattress on her far side with a soft thump. I wasn't going to ask about the things Gunter had taunted her with, tried not to think about it at all, like I had peeked at something private and shameful, but I had heard... and she sounded so hurt by it.

Once I was down and wriggled up against the headboard, Val flopped over and curled up around me, sighing shakily and burying her face against my side. Slowly, very slowly I started feeling wet warmth spreading there, her battered ribs hitching beside me as she made muffled, strangled cries.

I sat there and tapped my hooves together uncertainly, reaching a tentative hoof out and stroking her back as she sobbed against me. "Sssh, umm... i-it's ok Val, he's gone, you got him. I'm here, just... you just keep crying if you need to, I won't leave you, it's ok."

At that the floodworks really opened up, soaking my side with a torrent of tears while I just kept cooing and stroking her softly, trying to be comforting and thankfully decidedly not frisky. I stared out the single window in here and wondered how long it had been since she had actually cried, how long had she held this in?

Too long. Way, way too long. I couldn't heal her like Jade, couldn't teleport her to safety like Magnolia or Swan or fly her away, couldn't read her mind and simply know what was wrong like Ivy, couldn't cheer her up with a few words like Glitter, couldn't make it all better in any way that didn't involve either fixing something or killing someone, but I could sit here, as long as it took.

"It's alright Val, I love you, it'll be ok. Just let it out."

---------------------------------Level Up!-----------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------------------

Light Trot----------
------After surviving the Gunner funhouse of Talon's Dept. Store, there's pretty much no booby trap you aren't familiar with now! You are agile, lucky and always careful; or maybe you have just mastered the art of self-levitation. Either way, you never set off enemy mines or floor-based traps.

Companion Perk Added!---------------------

Phoenix Tears-------
----You have reached maximum affinity with your griffon mercenary, it just took awhile to crack that shell. The fiery Val's tears don't have healing properties or anything, but their blessing grants you an additional 20% fire resistance and 10% damage with fire, explosives or magical energy weapons while Val is in your party. As an additional benefit of your own flight instructor that cares, you gain double the benefit for any skill points put in the Flight skill as well.

Ch. 58-- You and What Army

Gooooood morning children! This is DJ Pon3 kicking off another beautiful day in Equestria, fighting the good fight like all my good little ponies out there listening right? Today's a red letter day on that front too let me tell you, I always try to keep my loyal fans up to date on all the heroes out there doing their part to be better, those called to lead the way trying to turn things around, or just live another day and not being a total bastard about it. Ever since the day of Sunshine and Rainbows there's been no shortage of folks doing their part and living up to the example of the Lightbringer, but today I have a brand new story to go along with a bunch of new listeners and even some new songs thanks to a big fan, so let's get started!

Now I know you're all just dyin' to get back to our regular news, find out what the final vote was on the NCR's trade initiative with the Lunar Commonwealth, the proposed tax hike in fabulous Tenpony Tower, you know, regular riveting stuff. But before we get to all that fun, let me tell you a new, old story, a mysterious tempest in a teapot most wastelanders pay little attention to, the Trotson Commonwealth.

That's right, for the first time since the bombs fell, the Commonwealth has lost a bit of its mysterious.. shroud... that keeps it hidden and overlooked by the rest of the wasteland. For all you locals tuning in to the new station on your dial, it's good to be heard and to hear from you! After playing a little catch up thanks to some friends and a surprising colleague in your neck of the woods, let me just say we're with you children!

For my regular audience, I'll just have to give the cliff notes version for now, though some of the stores I've heard could make their own daily series for a year! The Commonwealth, home of mad scientists experimenting on the poor souls living there, sentient robots and cutting edge prewar technology, unique dangers and colorful residents. Another little slice of our wonderful, wild wasteland that's remained isolated a looooong time, until now.

Bear with me loyal listeners, some of this may sound like it's straight out of an old world comic book, but as always I assure you, DJ Pon3 brings you only the truth as we know it. Besides, I promise I have some great new music sprinkled in that you're gonna love! Settle in, sit back, tune in and relax while I tell you a story of intrigue and mystery, danger and death, friendship and romance, Princesses and Heroes...

I clicked off the new radio station chattering happily in my ear with a sigh and returned to the chaotic meeting I had been letting wash over me for a minute. The ruined shell of the Lunar Nocturne Hotel just outside of Eclipse was packed with ponies, a hive of activity filled with blue and tan bedecked Minutemares, Captain Salty Swim and the leading citizens of the small village, as well as those of our own little party still awake.

The gruff leader of Eclipse seemed a little apologetic when we landed in the plaza outside, thanking us for rescuing the poor filly the Gunners had abducted last night, but standing firm on his demand we stay outside of his town. Granted with all the Minutemares trickling into the area, it would be a little crowded anyway, but I could see his main point too.

We came close enough to getting caught when the mercenary company changed their arrangement with the fishing community and sent in a trio of local 'governors' to run roughshod over them, sadistic Gunners whose first order of business had been the attempted rape of another young filly that we had promptly saved with extreme prejudice.

The Captain had to look out for his town first, if they came back and we were plotting together with them inside their town, it would be hard to argue that it was against their will. Judging by the raised voices and back and forth so far, the residents were not united on what to do next, scared and angry, so best to give them some space I guessed.

A sand colored earth pony in battered wet weather gear summed up the view that made us backing off pretty well, shouting over the ongoing argument I had tuned out of for a moment. "They should leave Salty! Appreciate 'em getting back Mint Twist and all too, but the Gunners are gonna come back, if they're here when they do we're all dead! Sucks they changed things and took her to begin with, but better than trying to fight them! T-They would'a let her go eventually I'm sure..."

After what I had seen of the filly's likely fate at Talon's Department Store, that pissed me off and I shook off my lingering tiredness. I had cheated a bit to keep going on returning, ducking aside and turning on the weird radiation trap I had taken from the torture chambers to give me a little energy to work with. Unfortunately it had fizzled out and died before getting much past the green end of my pip-buck's rad counter, but it was enough for now, though I'd have to try to fix it later.

The rest of us needed rest too, but only Witchy was actually doing so somewhat, hanging from the rusting chandiler above the lobby of the ruined hotel, curled up in her leathery wings and flicking her tufted ears as she listened sleepily. Val needed to actually sleep most of all, still recovering from her wounds, but a war council concerning her former comrades was not something she'd sit out of. She and Jade had compromised as far as either was willing to bend, the injured griffon sat in a battered old recliner in the corner, with Glitter attending her as her private nurse so she could listen and run her mouth while taking it easy.

Before I had a chance to set the buck arguing in favor of the status quo straight, Captain Salty did it for me, slamming a hoof to the long table dragged in from the dining area of the resort hotel now strewn with papers and maps. "You heard 'em Trapper! She wasn't comin' back if it weren't for them, that fat griffon and his evil funhouse... Say that it was fine for my niece's filly to wind up there, I dare you... just fucking say it..."

Trapper looked like a fairly tough pony, strong and scarred, but he wilted under the glare from the sea green Captain, weakly trying to make excuses. "N-No Cap'n, course it wouldn't be... T-That's just if they was tellin' the truth though! C-Could be lyin', tryin' to trick us into joining in with their crazy ideas to..."

That was it. I was tired, grumpy and overstressed after dealing with Gunter's horror show, the idea that I'd lie about what I had seen there... I felt my eyes burn as my wings flared and I slammed the weak table between us, leaning up on my hindlegs over the barrier and glaring right at the dissenting voice.

"Don't call me a liar. I will take you right there, right now and then you can tell me I made it all up. Gunter had been doing that a long time, where do you think he kept finding 'tributes' to send through his little maze!? Even putting that aside, have you talked to Mint? She tell you what all they were planning on doing to her that she heard herself!? But it's ok for a filly to go through that, so long as they let her go right?! So long as your own precious ass isn't in the crosshairs!?! TELL ME YOU ACTUALLY THINK THAT, PLEASE! MAKE THINGS EASY FOR ME!!"

The big buck that towered over me and looked like he could stomp me into the ground shrank away, his eyes going wide as he crossed himself with that odd gesture I had seen other Eclipser's make with superstitious dread, shaking his head and stammering in fear. He looked immensely relieved when Jade's light touch cut off my snorting angry breaths from my nostrils waiting on him, speaking kindly and reigning me in. I really had to get a handle on all this new aggression, but that was understandable even if I was still normal.

"Calm yourself Fast. I am sure Mr. Trapper meant no such thing, standing up to fight against such a powerful foe is not easy, they live here and we do not. I apologize sir, forgive my Fast but that evil place is indeed real and being exposed to it would leave anypony shaken to their core. If all of your community feels as you do, we will do all we can to keep you out of it.

I assure you however, I have seen tyrants like these before, they will not stop and cannot be trusted, they will take more and more, inch by inch until you are all slaves under their hoof. Allow us to help, please." The beautiful princess had the exact opposite effect on him than I did, his eyes drawn to her sparkling costume tiara and softening at her kindness, a flicker of hope warring against years of conditioned fear.

A cracked voice from an old greying yellow unicorn mare in the crowd wasn't nearly so combative, but was wary with years of experience in a brutal world. "Help how? Can yer Minutemares really stand up against the Gunners Princess? No offense, but don't look like it... Don't get me wrong, takin' down the Skybridge was impressive an' all, but that's one itty bitty outpost, there's a whole army with some serious firepower out there, how can ya fight that?"

Questions about fighting were not in Jade's skillset, but luckily she had her own loyal 'Captain of the Guard' for such things. Val gave a rattling cough and sipped her beer before answering for her. "Easy, ya hit em where it hurts, in tha wallet. Make it so expensive to deal with ya they'll find other, more profitable things to get up to. Gunners care about the bottom line an' that's it. 'Sides, defendin' is a helluva lot easier than attackin', you gots a good set up here and a fortress once we take it. The boss already did plenty ta get their panties in a twist and take the blame, ya got time if'n ya don't waste it whinin' like a bunch'a scared sheep."

After fighting back the dark Shroud in my head, 'Be Kind...', I nodded and tried to add in my own rough thoughts on the problem so far. "She's right, there's only one approach here by land and with the castle too they'd pay a high cost to deal with Eclipse. So long as it's the Minutemares they're fighting, you can even just say we ran roughshod over you too and you were just caught in the middle."

I tried to stamp down on the dark thought that what I said wasn't that far off, I was taking Castle Equinox with or without their approval, my pip-buck knew that much already;

Mission Added: Have Fun Storming the Castle!

Objectives----
---Gain entrance to Castle Equinox
---Open the Main Gates
---Eliminate the Miretank Infestation

Preston took over as commander of the Minutemares here, tapping a hoof to the faded map rolled out on the table before him. "It's tactically sound, you're at the end of this peninsula here, only one major approach to use with the remains of the main road in. If we take a page from their own playbook and trap the hell out of it, we can funnel them where we want and fight them on our terms. Thanks to Fast and Val, we just so happen to know where we can lay our hooves on a lot of explosives and other tricks to use too... Peri, go find me Badda Boom and Spinning Gears, we need to send them out to that Talon's place to get to work."

The big blue alicorn at Preston's side whined and adjusted her tan hat, looking from her commander to me repeatedly before nodding slowly. "Alright, Fast may not leave though, he promised..."

Her sedate condition cooled most of my remaining anger anyway, distracted by the conflict of wanting to hide from those fluttering golden eyes while my wings sprang up awkwardly, proof another part of me wanted just the opposite. I thunked a hoof to my head and dragged it down my muzzle, nodding weakly to the odd alicorn. "I know Peri, not going anywhere... just busy right now. Go on, important things first..."

Periwinkle huffed and tossed her long blonde mane, trotting out and muttering softly on her way to find her fellow Minutemares. "This is important too..."

At least Jade just rolled her eyes tiredly, Peri tracked us down sooner than I would have liked, but she was right, I did promise... Thinking rationally about it was still totally different than being faced with actually... doing it. She called after her sister in nervous resignation before turning back to the rest of the gathering. "Yes sister, this is more important however. Patience, please. Now then, we will attempt to keep Eclipse out of any fighting and do all we can to protect you, taking the castle and focusing on defense is the best path to do so. You may help or stay out of it entirely, but we do have work to do and my Fast has only bought a little time. With the help of Eclipse, things will go smoother I am sure, please, help us help you."

She may not entirely like the role, but she was everything a princess should be and just proved it again. Several anxious faces in the crowd of villagers took up that same spark of hope, wanting to believe despite a lifetime of being beaten down by a harsh world. After actually seeing Princess Luna myself in a long ago memory, I was more sure than ever, Jade was a princess and that was what these ponies needed.

In her radiant presence the best of ponies was brought to the surface, her kind words buoyed their spirits and several started reticently adding to the discussion, pointing to the map and adding their local knowledge to the rough plans, helping... This was all in their hooves now, nothing to fix and nopony to kill or scare, I wasn't much use and probably made some things harder after my outburst. The residents of Eclipse lived in the shadow of the ancient castle where the real Shrouded Stallion was sealed away, I got the idea I made them nervous, especially when the character started leaking out in anger.

I leaned up to kiss Jade's cheek in between her addressing the gathered Minutemares and Eclipser's, whispering my intention to take a walk and think. I was better at dealing with groups of ponies now than I had been in Stable 111, but I still did my best thinking alone and we'd need every clever idea I could wring out of my tired brains.

With Witching Hour sleeping back with the others since the sun was up, I actually got to enjoy taking a stroll by myself. Well... mostly by myself, my heightened senses and E.F.S. kept telling me I had a gaggle of followers, but they were doing their best to hide and keep their distance.

I caught a glimpse of a young, light green mare with a mane and tail of twisting dark green and white, peeking out from nearby ruins as I walked, along with a younger apple red filly with an orange mane and several more her age or older. The rescued Mint Twist and the younger filly saved from the local governors, my 'fan club' Jade had complained about...

I could barely hear their breathless whispers, stifled giggles and dares to each other, working up their nerve but remaining hidden and watching. I gave them their space and tried to just ignore them, despite my overeager interest in pretty much anything female lately, several were young enough I had no problem controlling my urges, those that were old enough like Mint herself presented more of a problem, but nothing even approaching the big blue mare galloping down the street after me with none of their subtlety.

"Ok Fast! I brought them to Preston, now we can..." Peri trotted up to my side and spoke fairly rapidly for her, almost up to a regular pace for anypony else. All sparkling eyes and swaying flanks, soft... blue flanks... she looked quite a bit like Jade already... it would be different but not...

I had to slap myself and draw away from her nuzzling reluctantly, I promised and was resigned to giving in eventually, but we really did have more important things to deal with. "N-Not yet Peri, c-calm down ok... Umm.... once we take the castle, then we'll have somewhere safe to... er... d-do what you want..."

She stuck her lip out in a pout, but puzzled over it and nodded, I agreed and that's all she cared about. "Alright, fine... we will just have to take the castle quickly then. I am excited, the others will be so jealous."

The bright tone to her voice did count as excitement for Peri I supposed, practically bouncing off the walls for the ethereal mare smiling and tossing her long, silken blonde mane, catching the morning light in a sparkling cascade that... nnnggh!! Stop! Talk, talking is good, thinking bad... my mane itched and my head kept getting foggy in the presence of an eager, willing female.

"So... how have things been Peri? S-Since I left, are the others taking it ok? A-Are they mad at me?"

Those golden eyes looked up in thought for a moment as we came to the edge of the ruins of the old town and to the beach, a chilly sea breeze blowing her mane back as she nodded and answered. "A little upset yes. They are looking for you all over, wanted me to bring you back when I found you, since you agreed with me first. Several sisters moved to Sanctuary, keeping a watch for you there, though I hear they like it and may live there, I told them Sanctuary was fun. Umbra is the only one really mad... she will be happy when I return after though."

"Y-You're not gonna do what she said right? T-Take me back?"

A slow shake of her head answered and she smiled softly, "No. We are friends yes? You do not want to go? I don't understand why, but as long as you're helping fill the mother's wish, I don't see why you can't take your time. So long as I'm first. You promised..."

Ugh... she had a one track mind, not helping when mine kept wanting to switch to the same track and go full speed ahead. I was glad to hear she had made her own choices on the subject, we were friends and she was willing to ignore her leader's orders in deference to that. She was an odd, eccentric mare, even for the Trinity Tower alicorns, but I did like her, filling my promise wouldn't be too bad with her.

I kept walking the beach with her at my side, allowing her close to nuzzle and sniff at my mane happily as long as she kept it down to just that. Another sign in her favor, I didn't feel uncomfortable letting her close, if we were going to... do that... I was glad it was with a mare I liked and felt relaxed with, she was nice company as I walked and thought, continually sending glances up to the dark castle overhead.

"Peri, do you really want to have a foal? Be a mom? Have you thought about it beyond just the whole... mating thing? I mean if we do and it works... y-you'd be p-p-pregnant... have a baby, m-my baby... I know you guys don't really think that way or care, but it would be partly my kid, I-I'd want to be around for them... Just wondering how far you've thought this through..."

She stopped entirely and sat in the sand with a thump, humming and looking up in thought for a few long minutes, leaving me to sit and wait with her while she worked it out. I tried to ignore the half sunken ruins of boats sticking up at crazy angles and the occasional carcass washing up at the shore, Miretank leavings... Those things aside it was a nice view, and the focus of my concerns loomed right overhead to look at while she thought, craggy grey cliffs jutting up from the waves crashing against the base, the ruined castle of dark stone perched over the sea, rusting weaponry pointing out towards long vanquished enemies.

Finally Peri adjusted her Minutemare hat and furrowed her brow, she wasn't stupid by any means, but she worked at her own pace and I had put a pretty complex question to her, she looked like she was taking it quite seriously anyway. "Yes. I wish to do as the mother wanted, buuut... I want to do so for myself too? I like niece Glitter and Ivy's orphans, I would like a foal of my own, somepony I made and brought into the world, to care and sacrifice for, like the mother did for me. We had no father though, you would wish to be one?"

"Y-Yeah! I mean I want to with Jade anyway, but that's kinda one of the things that freaks me out about all of you wanting me to... t-that's a lot of kids, they'd all be mine too. I really want you to understand this Peri, you're all not just asking me to mate you know, you're asking me to be a father, with all of you, like... a hundred times over... That's kind of a lot to take in."

Peri's golden eyes widened and she stared out at the lapping waves, smoke practically wisping from her cockeyed ears. After a silent pause broken only by the waves and the muffled whispers hiding behind us, she finally blinked down at me curiously. "What do fathers do?"

I had never really considered it as much as Jade and all her sisters loved their mother the Goddess, but they didn't have a father at all, it was a completely foreign concept for them and a difficult question..."Ummm... lot's of stuff? I mean, there's all kinds of fathers so that's hard to answer Peri. I hear a lot don't stick around at all out here in the wasteland, I guess it'd be easier if i was like that, but I'm ...old fashioned.

Hmmm.... dads teach stuff? Help? Protect. Tell stories at bedtimes, play with the kids, the kinda stuff I do with Glitter, just... be there mostly, love them. It's more than just a quick roll in the hay and leaving you to it, I know you guys just think of it as mating and procreation, like I'm just a genetic donor or something, but it means more to me. U-Understand?"

She looked confused at the concept, taking it in slowly and looking me over carefully, for once not fixated on just one thing but honestly appraising me with new eyes. "You.... would do those things? With... with a baby we made together?"

I felt my face heat up as I instantly nodded, shuffling and looking out to the sea again to hide my blush as she blinked at the answer. I enjoyed the comfortable silence as she hummed and thought, sitting side by side in the morning sun at the beach, it was almost like a really weird, really awkward date.

Peri surprised me by eventually shaking her head and leaning over, kissing my cheek with pale roses blooming on her own. I had never seen Peri actually react that way to anything, she was never embarrassed so she never blushed, it was quite pretty with the happy smile and warm yellow eyes as she continued. "That... makes me happy for some reason, how strange. I think I would like that. I don't get it, but if you feel such responsibility... I guess your running away and whining makes some sense. It makes me feel good I am first, if you think it is so important, you must like me then?"

"Of course I like you Peri, if I didn't we wouldn't be having this conversation at all. I told all your sisters I wouldn't do this with mares I didn't know and like, you're the first of all your sisters from the tower I met, though I wish it had been under less embarrassing circumstances... Spying on me and Jade in the shower..."

Reminding her just seemed to put her back on her normal track of thought unfortunately, she gasped and floated a battered notepad from her armored tan Minutemare coat, pulling a pencil from the pocket in her teeth and jotting a note down happily. At my questioning look she grinned and showed the text filled page proudly, "Things I want to try when it is my turn, I had forgotten how fun that looked."

Oh Luna save me, she had a list...

I tore my eyes away from the packed page as my wings sprang up and twitched, groaning and looking out at the water as she hummed and jotted things down with a smile. We had managed to have a somewhat serious conversation anyway, she knew how I felt and took it in, it just had zero impact on her plans. Maybe she'd talk to the rest though, spread the whole concept of dads to the others and explain my reluctance to them better. I was pretty sure they were going to be pouring over the blue Minutemare's memories with a fine toothed comb at some point.

My ears flicked at a rise of noise from my fan club while I rubbed the lingering warmth on my cheek, a few voices raised after Peri's affectionate gesture, culminating in some squeaks and yelps. I peeked back over my shoulder to see Mint Twist being shoved forward by a few of her peers, the younger red unicorn filly peeking from the crumbling beach shack they had been hiding behind. Peri looked up and watched with mild interest, but went back to her notepad with a quiet gasp of some new idea...

I tried to straighten up and look non threatening in front of the nervous fillies, smiling as Mint Twist shook off the others pushing her forward, grabbing a cloth wrapped bundle from them angrily and prancing forward to stand before us. "H-Hi! Umm... M-Mr. Shroud, I dunno if you remember, w-with all the explosions and guns and stuff, but I'm..."

"Mint Twist, I remember very well. Are you ok? Sorry for the rough ride and all, still er... getting used to these things..." My left wing sprang out and stiffened to illustrate my point, getting a gasp and giggle from the cluster of her friends behind her.

She was pretty in a down to earth, no nonsense, earth pony way. Right around my age, but strong and supple from a lot of hard work, her two toned mane and tail done up in a braid, the padded blue windbreaker she wore complimented her coat, turning red as she beamed and stammered out a reply, holding her bundle out nervously. "Y-Yes! Fine! Great! Umm... t-thanks a lot, those Gunners were gonna... b-but then you came out of nowhere and... H-Here! Present! I... I made you a present I mean, t-to say thanks!"

I tipped my hat in thanks and levitated the soggy cloth bundle over while she looked on anxiously, unwrapping it to find a pile of pale, fishy smelling, round.... cakes? I sniffed at them experimentally, meat... different smelling meat, but meat, the little nubs of fangs in my mouth didn't lie, stretching out a bit along with the gush of saliva. "Thank you very much Mint. What are they?"

"M-M-Miretank Cakes... s-sorry, we don't have much else here and... t-they're probably not that good, I made them though and..." The pale green mare seemed to wilt at the question, had I been insulting? Or was she just embarrassed at what she made sound like a meager gift?

Whatever the reason, I floated one out and took a big bite, chewing thoughtfully a moment before demolishing the rest. That was good! Miretank or not, it had a rich taste and texture, a pleasant tingle of radiation dancing with the spices on my tongue. Generally we just ate whatever foods we could take around with us, what we found, or what we could buy somewhere when we were lucky, none of us could actually cook anything. Real home cooking was great and Mint was quite a chef!

I scarfed another and grinned like a fool, gulping it down as her expression brightened and her friends laughed, cautiously approaching behind her. I finally choked out a reply around a mouthful of miretank. "Hrmmat's good! Mmm, really, thanks a lot Mint, I'll have to put these away to share with my friends or I'll eat them all, I had no idea those shelled monsters could taste so good!"

The pale green mare turned red right down to her hooves, shuffling and scuffing at the sand with a pleased whinny. "T-Thanks! I'm glad you like it, p-pretty much all we have to cook here, so hafta be creative about it. Trust me, you wouldn't like it as much if you lived here and ate it all the time. miretank Cakes, miretank casserole, miretank hash, miretank soufflé, miretank ala king, miretank kebabs, miretank jerky... y-you get the idea...."

The rest of her friends had clustered around and laughed with her, visibly relaxing and offering up their own small gifts, some of the very dishes Mint had described among them, a smooth segment of Miretank shell on a braided bit of twine for a necklace, a wickedly sharp miretank claw that had been carved with crude but talented engravings. The young filly Val had saved from the Gunners left behind in Eclipse gulped and came out of hiding, holding up a battered and patched stuffed Luna doll with a wince.

"You're sure? Looks like she likes you kiddo... I don't wanna separate good friends, you don't owe me anything." I had to ask, it was a cute doll I'd happily give to Glitter, but I had no desire to take a filly's favorite toy as some kind of payment for doing what was right.

The pigtailed filly nodded her head rapidly and clenched her eyes, floating the toy up to thump against my chest repeatedly until I accepted. Mint patted her head and smiled, shrugging to me and speaking for the shy foal. "Shiny has others, old souvenirs from town, go ahead Mr. Shroud."

Struck with a bit of inspiration, I dug in my packs for my most recent haul of junk from the Shrouded Stallion Gift Shop. After a little digging, a mint in battered, rotting box Shroud figure floated up to meet the stuffed Luna. "Please, just call me Fast, how about a trade then, if you have other Lunas then you need her servant too right?"

The filly gasped and accepted the trade after just a moment's hesitation, the others crowding a little closer to examine her gift jealously. Several venturing questions now that they had worked themselves up into coming out;

"Did'ya really come down in a bolt of lightning and wipe out all them Gunners Mr. Shroud?'

"Are ya gonna stop them from coming anymore?"

"Dad says ya wanna take the castle up there, are ya?"

"A-Are you an' the Princess married?"

"Who's this mare, she's not the Princess!"

"How ya gonna get in?"

I was a little overwhelmed at all the attention, the last question just brought me back to more pressing concerns too and I scratched my mane in thought. "Er... still working that out, don't know what to expect up there besides lots of miretanks or what we're gonna do. You girls have any ideas maybe?"

My hopeful question was actually serious, they were locals and knew much better than I did. Not only about the castle, but about the foes waiting inside, Eclipse hunted Miretanks professionally after all. They chattered back and forth in a huddle at the inquiry, whispering to each other before nudging Mint Twist back to the front as their spokespony.

"Umm... w-well... The front gate is shut and locked tight, nopony can go that way, same with all the doors in off the courtyard. There are holes in the walls an' stuff, but the monsters use those entrances and guard them, and there's the meaner, tougher types inside too... I guess you and your friend here could just fly in though." Mint looked up to the imposing fortress with a shudder as she answered.

"Other types? Different than the ones down here? I really don't know much about Miretanks, you ladies are the pros, can you help me?"

A little flattery sent a giggle through the crowd and several puffed up proudly, speaking over each other to share their expertise until Mint took over again and went through their thoughts. "Yeah Mr. Shro... ummm... F-Fast... There's lots of different kinds of Miretanks, Softshells, Razorclaws, Hunter's, Kings, e-even the Queen in there somewhere.... but nopony's seen her for ages and lived."

"Queen? Like... bees or something? What are the differences, how do you guys deal with them?"

"Nopony messes with the Queen Fast, she's huge, t-the last time anypony saw her she was anyway, probably bigger now. Miretanks live a long time and get bigger and stronger with age. Y-You'd have ta ask the Cap'n more about her, Uncle Salty was the last to actually lay eyes on her. The others are bad too though, well, softshells aren't as bad really. The others though, there are a lotta weird mutations cause of all the goop in the castle dungeons.

Hunter's shells get smaller and harder, they look pretty different and are lots faster and tougher. Razorclaws are all spiky with thicker, heavier shells and bigger claws obviously. Kings lose most of their shell entirely, really fast, really strong, and they make this bad noise that hurts whatever they hit with it. We don't hafta deal with most of those often, but that colony keeps growing and gettin' more aggressive, if you really clear out the castle... that'd help Eclipse a lot."

That gave me a few things to chew on, I hadn't really thought what effect wiping out the infestation in the castle might have on the town below. They made their living off the monsters after all, I was glad to hear following my vague plans wouldn't hurt the residents of Eclipse at least.

Her horror stories of the different types made this a daunting prospect though, we had Minutemare backup now, but there weren't many pegasus recruits yet, let alone other alicorns like Peri. If we couldn't open a path for them to get in, they couldn't help deal with the problem. The mention of 'goop' under the castle caught my interest too, mutation causing goop, Taint?

She nodded when I asked and pointed to the waves crashing against the cliff the castle was built on far above. "Yeah, rainbow colored sludge, the water all around there is bad cause it leaks out through the tunnels. Can't see it now, but there's a big passage underwater, can just see the top of it during low tide, we figure that's how the Queen comes and goes, or did anyway, too big for even that now."

A secret passage? Reeeeeally...

Most of the day passed in a flurry of activity, more Minutemares kept trickling in to the area and joining their fellows, a full squad accompanied the twitchy orange unicorn Badda Boom and her mechanically inclined partner, a silver buck named Spinning Gears, as they left to find Talon's Department Store and start disassembling the evil place. Gunter's traps and mountain of explosives would be put to much better use, though I worried and tried to warn them all what exactly they were walking into.

The Lunar Nocturne Hotel in the ruins of Eclipse Village was hastily cleared and repaired where possible, hopefully temporary accommodations until we took the castle, but even after it wasn't a bad idea to have an outpost down here near Eclipse. Most of us were discouraged from going to the walled ring of resort cabins that made up the living village of fisherponies, but many of the residents came out to watch all the activity and see the Princess they were all talking about.

Jade played the role perfectly, the more she came to accept it, the more naturally it seemed to come. She was a princess, all her rejection just got in the way of being what she truly was. She even kept her costume tiara on while acting as the patron leader of the Minutemares, her own troops as awed as the villagers and taking heart in her presence.

Zed was working with the Minutemares in fortifying the path to the end of the peninsula, his experience crawling the ruins around Hexington helped in manipulating the waterlogged maze of crumbling homes that filled the middle of the spit of land. Shoving old carriages around and selectively dropping sagging structures across certain avenues made a twisting labyrinth between us and the rest of Gunner territory, with the addition of a variety of Gunter's surprises, it would be a death trap for any who didn't know the way.

Witching Hour kept finding shady spots to sleep, blearily looking about every once in awhile to keep an eye on the progress being made and making sure I hadn't disappeared. She looked wistful and worried at the work going on, ponies preparing to stand up and fight the toughest mercs in the Commonwealth. I was looking forward to her waking up with the dark, one thing both the Minutemares and the villagers needed was weapons, her town of Dreadnot apparently had some excellent weaponsmiths judging by her gear and things I had heard, when we did get there, I wanted to see about getting them to share.

I caught Sassy Saddles before she was taken out of the line of fire, she had traveled with Preston and the Minutemares this far, but shouldn't stick around and was eager to get back to Sanctuary. Though she did mention making a short layover back in Goodneighbor, as far as Preston's pegasus recruit could take her and get back quickly. It seemed she and the ghoulish mayor of the party town had hit it off during Nightmare Night, before the whole... war in the streets, death and destruction thing...

Glitter saw her off with me happily, giving her a squishy hug as she assured us she'd be fine. Sassy had become one of the Trinity Tower alicorn's favorite ponies, she made clothes that fit them and was generous before they could really pay her. Once she was back in Goodneighbor and finished with her interrupted date with Mayor Shamrock, she was quite sure it would be no problem getting one of them to give her a ride back to Sanctuary.

She finished up my reticent request before she left too, sounding disappointed in the rushed work, even though it was simple. Her magnificent Shrouded Stallion armor couldn't really be altered easily, too many spells woven into it to change now. Asking for a basic bit of matching cloth to hang off my shoulders and hide my wings was beneath her skills, plus she fretted that while it would do what I wanted, the short, clip on cape would not self repair like the armor.

Eventually she accepted my reassurances that it was great, all I wanted was a way to try to blend in and not draw attention. She grudgingly took the praise, but promised once she returned to her boutique in Sanctuary, she would create better options for me, only grousing mildly that she'd prefer to make things that accentuated my new nature, rather than hide it. A 'waste of a wonderful and unique model' according to her, delighted at the thought of breaking new fashion ground designing for a male alicorn.

Val looked better and better as the day passed, taking frequent naps and regularly checked by Jade. She had shed most of her bandages now and only had a mild limp, lubricated into padding along fairly well with liberal application of Wild Pegasus. She wasn't totally behind my vague ideas concerning the castle attack, but was looking forward to a good fight and impatiently waiting for me to repair her gear, rooting around in several Ministry of Morale stamped boxes that had arrived on a cart from Goodneighbor, drawn by an exhausted looking earth pony stallion.

We were together in a rotting shell of an old carriage repair garage, the big door open and facing the circular, moon decorated plaza and the hotel down the street. Absently watching the buzz of activity while I dug the last bits of shrapnel from her riot armor and worked on fixing the damage, using pieces of the dead Gunner's armor from the village to patch the gaps.

"How 'bout a missile launcher boss? Big kabooms!" Val tittered and pulled a long, pink painted tube of the heavy weapon in question from the crate she had cracked open and waved it temptingly.

"No heavy weapons Val, that thing looks like it weighs more than I do, it'd knock me around worse than my lightning does..." I grunted and kept working, shooting down another offering from her haul.

My fiery griffon friend pouted and tossed it aside, going back to her loot and digging for more. "Ya gotta be a little more flexible boss, if'n we're pickin' a fight with the Gunners, ya better bring a bigger dog ta the fight. How 'bout a heavy M.E.W.? No recoil! Meltin' stuff comes in handy sometimes."

I gave the massive multi gem magic gatling gun a flat stare and shook my head, I understood she had a point, but big guns just weren't my style, let alone magical energy weapons. "I'll get by with what I have for now. Maybe we'll find something I can handle with enough practice, don't want to try throwing something else new into the mix right now, already dealing with getting used to enough new stuff already...."

"Yer no fun boss. Gots all this cool crap an' ya keep turnin' yer nose up at it!" She grumbled back and kept looking, lovingly inspecting each new toy and stacking them to the side for the Minutemares.

A little spell work and sanding had her breastplate back in perfect condition and I nodded in satisfaction, floating it over to her and working on the shoulderpads as I replied. "I'll think about it ok? After we deal with the castle."

"Don't like yer idea boss... you and that goofy mare goin' in alone, I'm fine! Lemme come too an'..." Val returned to her constant complaints since I had told her what my 'fan club' had explained to me, but I was holding firm on this one.

"No. You're still hurt and need rest, be glad I'm letting you lead the attack from outside once it starts. Besides, there's taint and radiation under the castle, a lot of it... Other than Jade nopony else can use that passage safely. I'm pretty sneaky you know, plus with Peri making us invisible, we'll be fine. If we can't find a way to open the main gates, we'll slip out and change our plans, if we can then you'll still get plenty of action Val."

She huffed and drummed her paws around the crate she had sitting between them in a tantrum, finally sulkily agreeing. "Bah! S'no fair... ya better keep yer head straight, no foolin' around an' hanky panky alone in there... Don't like you goin' wheres I can't follow an bodyguard right. Right in a nest of freakin' miretanks no less, 'nother one of yer bad ideas that...."

Whatever her latest complaint, Glitter effectively ended it by galloping in the open room from the street, waving to a waiting gaggle of foals her own age all brimming with excitement as well. "Daddy! You gotta come see! The grown ups are freakin' out but I tried ta tell em it was probably yours!"

I raised an eyebrow at my filly bouncing in place and pointing out across the cracked and weedy expanse of the plaza, towards the road leading in to the ruins of Eclipse from the rest of the Commonwealth. Trouble? It didn't seem like it when I snatched her up in my magic and flew out, enjoying her happy squeal at the lurching flight and looking around.

Everypony was fairly stirred up, the Minutemares taking defensive positions while the Eclipse villagers started melting into the scenery, E.F.S. didn't show anything hostile the direction they were all worried about though. Just one lonely green dash making its way closer, a clattering, squealing rattle thumping its way down the ruined highway that had yet to be mined. My eyes focused down the long road at the misshapen, greenish hunk of metal shuddering towards us... a robot?

"Sweet Celestia... it's the Sentry-bot!" I yelped from my looping flight and started down towards the poor hunk of junk.

"I knew it was yours dad! Green is good an' it's a robot, so had to be! What happened to it?" Glitter called from my back happily, the Minutemares and wastelanders below didn't have a pip-buck on their hooves to tell them it was non-hostile like she did, but it was a good guess.

"Er... I dropped a highway on it... Jeez I knew they were tough, but what the hell did they make these things out of, stubbornonium?!" I landed near the crippled robot and just goggled at it a moment. The last thing I told it as it was falling to what I presumed was a fate of many a tin can, was to go to Eclipse if it survived. I just never seriously thought it would...

"BZZRATTT MISSSSSSSION OB-OB-OBJECTIVZZZZZZ REEEEEEACHRRRRRZZZZ"

Glitter hopped off my back and circled the poor killer robot while I waved back to the nervous audience in town and tried to call them off. Taking a critical look over what was left of the Sentry-bot, I was just more impressed, it had made it all the way here, like this? One of its rear wheeled legs was smashed to a crimped and ragged bit of junk dragging behind it, a knobby front wheel wobbled with every inch it moved, the small squarish head had been crunched down even further into its torso, which was dented and bent at a non factory angle...

Wow.... Still functional and trying to do what I told it to, the remains of the green Gunner paint job would have to go, but we had another asset. Not as good as still having AssaultJack with us, but the deadly robot babysitter had been too heavy to fly and escape Goodneighbor, I had no doubt she would return safely to Sanctuary at least, this poor sentry would just have to do.

I ruffled Glitter's mane and smiled, looking up to the sun overhead and judging how long I had till the villagers said low tide would be. Just enough to work with... I may have to cannibalize some of Val's M.O.M. haul, but I felt better having the rolling tank on our side before going in on my own.

"C'mon sweetie, lots of fun fixing to do!" I grinned and ignored my daughter rolling her eyes in a bored huff, she just didn't appreciate the finer things.

Several hours later, we were as ready as we could be. Without access to all my parts and robot workstation back home, the Sentry-bot the Minutemare's had taken to calling 'Sarge' would never be 100%, but it was good enough for now. Jade had mixed up several of her greenish-purple radioactive healing potions, guaranteeing they'd work as I was used to. I had plenty of ammo, a good stock of grenades and mines, all my weapons had been serviced along with Peri's sniper rifle, which I had taken the opportunity to improve with some of the fancy parts from Val's horde while I was at it. I even had the pale blue flare gun that had taken the life of the director of the Trotson M.O.M. hub, Val had snatched it up and made me take it. My pip-buck labeled it as the 'Hootnanny Hoof Cannon', but a flare gun to signal the others with once we were in and opened the castle. We were good to go...

I was still nervous saying goodbye at the beach, eyeing the dark maw of the cavern just over the waterline, ribbons of rainbow tinted water ran in and out with each surge of the waves, our way in. I looked away and returned to reassuring Jade and Glitter hugged between us, lavishing attention on her and trying to soothe them both.

"Don't worry, no problem alright? Me and Peri will be like ghosts, we'll look around, try to get up into the castle itself and open the gates, if we can't then we'll bail. All we have to do is go back out the way we came, or find a way to get to the sky, right? The whole flying thing makes quick escapes a whoooole lot easier, I promise, first sign of trouble we can't handle, we're gone."

Jade nuzzled back anxiously and gave the dark castle above a fearful look. "I do not like it even so Fast... From what your.... admirers.... explained, these miretanks sound very dangerous, an old colony on top of a source of taint and radiation... who knows what you may run into! I could come with you as well, the entrance will not bother me and I can become invisible as well, that would be best..."

Leaning up to plant a kiss on her unhappy little frown, I booped her nose and shook my head. "Much as I'd like you with me, they need you out here too Princess. All these Minutemares are here to win you a castle, a lot of frightened Eclipser's believe in you too. If this goes smooth and those gates open, they need to see you out here with the troops. I'll be fine, your knight works best in the shadows right? Take care of Glitter and I'll be right back!"

Reluctantly I broke off the embrace with the two fillies I loved, Glitter dashing past me to join my small 'fan club' on the beach with Peri and several other Minutemares and Eclipse residents. Mint Twist was standing on her hindlegs against the alicorn Minutemare, squeezing some slimy thing in her mouth and spraying her with foul smelling slime. Nothing seemed to bother Periwinkle, but even she looked discomforted by the stink.

Seeing the green filly nod in satisfaction and come running over, pulling out a fresh bit of pinkish meat from a bucket held by Captain Salty with a grin and aiming for me, I clenched my eyes shut in resignation and waited. "S-Sorry Fast, this stuff is pretty nasty. D-Don't worry, it washes off... eventually...."

Captain Salty Swim chuckled gruffly and clapped my on the back, "Don't be a big baby, hunting trick we use here, don't want them things smellin' a fresh meal while yer sneaking around right? Remember, go fer the heads and mind the beaks, damn things never let go if they get a bite!"

Ugh... Mint's warning was coming from a fisherpony who grew up doing this and was used to it, a normal pony too... not one with a heightened sense of smell... I struggled to hold on to my lunch as the gunk washed over me, concentrated miretank stink... Once I was sure I wasn't going to barf into the ocean, I tried to get used to it quickly and mockingly lurched after Glitter for a hug.

"What?! Don't you love me sweetie? I just wanna huuuuuug!" Hearing her squeal in play fright and dash away lifted my spirits and I was relieved to see a smile on Jade's muzzle watching, just safely observing like she wasn't in danger too... "Maaaaybe I'll hug mom instead! C'mere Jade! I luuuuuv you! Let's cuddle!"

Jade backed away as I fluttered after her, stretching my forelegs out and giving chase as her backpedaling escalated. "Y-Yes very funny Fast... w-what are you doing, no! S-Stay away! I do not wish to be covered in... S-Stop! No! Eeek!!" Watching her turn to nimbly prance away from my weaving progress had Glitter, Val and several of the Eclipse villagers and Minutemares laughing out loud, breaking a lot of the tension everyone had been operating under. Even Zed cracked a smile and chuckled as I thumped back to the sand and threw a foreleg up over my eyes, "Nopony loves me I guess, how sad... Guess it's just me and Peri as the stinky squad, you guys be careful ok? We'll be back soon."

It was worth the time to fool around just to see them smiling as I flew up and over the waters, awkwardly flapping to skim just over the waves and make my way towards the dark cavern ahead. Witching Hour flew at my side, waking up now that the sun was setting and with a grumpy frown on her face, nearly matching Val's expression as she followed as far as she could go.

"This is unfair, thou are going where I can't follow Fast, my mission..." Witchy grumbled as we closed in on the rainbow sheen twisting through the churning waters, getting sucked under the cliffs holding Castle Equinox up high overhead.

"I know, don't worry so much Witchy, I'll be back before you know it. If you're that concerned you can help Val when the fighting starts I guess, sooner this is done, sooner I can go to Dreadnot for you. If it helps I've got things I want to talk to your town about too, try to relax a little, me and schedules don't work very well."

Val's smile at her squeak of indignation was short lived, she flew almost as weakly as I did at the moment, but she was airborne again and checked over her weapons with an unhappy snort. "6 hours boss, that's all you get... You ain't out or fired off that flare by then, I'm findin' me a way in, one way or the other..."

Considering the last time Val had to rescue me from an imposing stone fortress, she had blown a large hole through the nearest wall to do so, I had no doubt in the griffon's ability to follow through on her threat. I didn't want to put her in that position with her so hurt though, this would work, this would be fine... nevermind my track record with vague plans like this...

"Don't worry Val, what could go wrong?!" I called over my shoulder and dove down, my hooves skimming the tingly seawater leading into the dark, Peri right behind me and turning us both invisible in the blackness, down into the heart of Luna's own castle.

I was really glad I could see in total darkness now, the long cavern leading to the roots of the castle twisted and was full of flotsam and other obstacles we had to dodge, each wave sent foamy spray up into the limited space to fly in and the deeper we went, more so with the signs of the monsters infesting this place.

Mud, bones and junk had been packed into ugly constructs for unknown purposes, several held the slimy green eggs I had seen vicious little hatchings pop out of before, but others blocked off side passages or seemed to make new ones. Thankfully between Peri's invisibility and the slime we were coated with, nothing moved or even showed up on Eyes Forward Sparkle.

Finally, the passage we were following started opening up, the rough stone walls began showing signs of pony hooves, dark grey bricks were making up the expanding walls and eventually led to an ancient dock and set of crumbling stairs leading up, arched stone hallways branched off to the sides, rusty barred enclosures faced out to the chamber we were in. An ancient dungeon... all a little difficult to see under the muck the miretanks had spattered over everything in their weird nests.

Rainbow sludge dripped down the walls too, along with the rising, angry chattering from my pip-buck's geiger counter I had to mute so we didn't alert any of the mutant turtles that could be hiding anywhere among all this. I glanced at the radiation meter display on my HUD as I felt the welcome charge of power coursing through me, other than a catnap here and there, I was basically running on empty. My rad meter quickly climbing from blue up past yellow helped me shake off the lack of sleep and feel ready to take on whatever we found.

I made a subtle 'psst' sound and glided over to one of the upper hallways, landing in front of one of the cells for long ago prisoners and peeking in. No dead occupants chained to the walls at least, just a whoooole lot of yellow barrels leaking taint down to the sea below. Stark but rusting signs showing pony skulls and plenty of other pictographic warnings made it very clear they were dangerous, even if you couldn't read the faded text below them.

M.A.S. Toxic Magical Byproducts!
DO NOT TOUCH
DO NOT MOVE
DO NOT SNEEZE ON
GO AWAY

I felt Peri land beside me and reach out to make sure I was there, giving a soft sigh when her hoof made contact with my flank and purring in my ear at a whisper. "This is very nice Fast... I feel good, do you as well now? I should be able to keep us invisible quite awhile safely, longer the more we stay here."

The alicorn Minutemare didn't sound as excited as Jade did under radiation this heavy, but she definitely enjoyed it. I was glad it was providing a boost for us both on our mission, just concerned one or the other of us may end up feeling a little too frisky in a dangerous situation.

"Er... that's great Peri, let's get to work and keep it down ok? Miretanks are really good at hiding from what I've seen and heard, sometimes they burrow in the ground and come popping up right..." I froze as a muck covered chunk of wall moved and skittered up the damp bricks, illustrating my point and giving me my first taste of different types of miretanks.

By the descriptions I was given, this had to be a hunter... It had a smaller, segmented shell that followed the sinewy, muscular lines of the creature normally hidden beneath, mud and muck was stuck all over it, effectively camouflaging it among all the additions the creatures had made to the dungeons. The four hindlegs were longer and more developed than the stubby limbs I had seen on normal miretanks, all ending with long, clawed toes that gripped the stone walls easily. The larger pair of forelegs branching off its chest were even bigger than normal, the claws wicked scythes that dug long gouges right in the rock. The tiny head was still low on its shoulders, with a more developed beak and beady eyes, but not nearly as armored as the bulky shelled types.

The speed it skittered up the wall was disconcerting, miretanks in general were fast enough to make it hard to believe they were twisted turtles, but this thing... It was mottled green greased lightning that zipped up several floors and disappeared down a muck disguised tunnel as I released my held in breath.

I shakily brought up my pip-buck's map and took a look at what the automapping spell could tell me, a long, straight shaft up for several floors, the unsteady looking stone steps wound their way up past the dungeons and up to the bowels of the castle itself. I took a nervous look around and started noticing buried shells of standard miretanks all over, some crawling up and click-clacking their way down the corridors. The stink we were covered in was horrible, but better than being found out by all these shelled horrors.

Stretching a wing out let me find Peri and I whispered towards where I guessed her head was, interrupting her sleepy enjoyment of all the radiation and really wishing we could use unity together and just be totally quiet. "Ok... up, there should be a door up there somewhere, hopefully they haven't covered it with this muck... Let's go Peri."

I heard a soft gust behind me as I lifted off and presumed she was with me. I had no idea how Jade or Peri either one could navigate so well while invisble, but they almost seemed able to keep track of anyone they were including in the spell. Though I supposed they should be able to, it was their magic making us transparent to begin with.

We wove our way up the long vertical shaft, some of the signs I spotted on the ancient brick walls made me gulp to myself. Claw marks... claw marks longer than I was, and that was the pinky claw... large sections of the spiraling stairs had been knocked down and fallen to the water below, rough dents and scrapes tumbled some of the open archways of the dungeon, collapsing a few cells and oozing even more taint down. Something very big had climbed up and down this shaft in the past, the marks weren't fresh at least, but very deep and very big... the queen...

When we reached as high as the stairs went, I looked up at the uneven, muck covered ceiling, more than enough detail provided by my night vision eyes. Bones, lots and lots of bones were cemented together in the extruded building sludge, along with big chunks of boats, bricks, carriages, doors and pieces of buildings, there was a hole the queen must have used before, but now it was sealed by the thick barrier of junk. Well, that left the slime covered steel door ahead of us then, a weak flicker of a terminal nearly covered in more mud.

I had to chip away at the brittle gunk with the butt of the Terrible Shotgun to find the access port, wincing at each echoing noise and all the red on E.F.S. skittering around. Sure enough hordes of the miretanks were detaching from the walls, like a magic illusion picture or something, lumpy wall? no it's a turtle monster! Surprise!

I patched into the barely functional terminal and started hacking, squinting at the dirty screen and relying on my pip-buck's interface to see what I was doing. I noticed the steady jiggle of the rad meter needle while I worked to go along with the stronger tingle, the radiation increased the higher we went... Must be a semi functional reactor for the castle somewhere above, it had to be badly damaged to be pouring out this much radiation though.

The password 'Apogee' opened the high grade security door with a echoing click that just sent the swarm in here into a more determined hunt. Time to open up and get out of here, this chamber needed explosives, lots and lots of explosives floated in on a raft or something. Right now we just needed to put it behind us and move on. I pushed on the corroded steel door with a hoof and was brought up short, stuck? No not stuck! Open dammit!

I grunted and shoved at the obstacle, trying to quietly push it free of the muck sealing it shut. Great... it was unlocked, but still closed to us. "Peri! It's stuck! Umm... I think we'll have to buck it open or something, but that's gonna be loud... If you can kick it free, I'll cover you ok? Think you can get through it?"

A soft moan of an answer beside me in the dark replied, shuffling towards the door and answering in a dreamy voice. "That will not be a problem Fast. I will open it, be ready."

Right, I flapped off the small landing of the broken stairs and looked about, tossing a few mines down likely avenues of approach and drawing Vengeance along with the Terrible Shotgun. Stopping power, that's what I wanted for these things. "Go for it Peri, I'm ready."

At my word there was a resounding clang of strong hooves on thick metal, I looked back to see the heavy door shake in place and the muck holding it closed cracking, but it still held and there was an immediate response from the swarm around us. They couldn't see or smell us, but they heard that and came skittering up, the domed shells of half a dozen miretanks detaching from the walls and popping up from the slimy floors, angry screeches and clicking claws all heading right for the door.

Another titantic buck shook the door and put a decent dent in the middle of the heavy gauge steel while the horde was closing in. A few well placed mines went off and blew three or four off the open hallways and down the pit below, while more surged forward to take their places. I had to use S.A.T.S. to effectively aim without being able to see my own weapon, but the targeting spell didn't have any problems and Vengeance started blasting the weak heads off any that got too close to the door.

A third buck sent more cracks down the walls and through the miretank muck, but the dented door still held firm despite Peri's annoyed snort. Her invisibility was still masking us, but it didn't cover the flash of fire from the barrel of my silver revolver, enough to draw the attention of all these monsters in the dark, including the blur of the Miretank Hunter crawling up the walls as fast as I could run.

The horrible thing gave a raspy screech that echoed down the pit and a jet of hissing slime spewed from its beak, spraying out in an arc at where the gunfire came from and splashing against my flank. Acid... it had to be, wherever it touched was instant agony, horrible burning, melting sensations and a nasty smell of cooking fur under my trenchcoat that was trying to repair the damage. Taking an attack seemed to disrupt Peri's invisibility and I reappeared, frightened to suddenly be a visible target, but relieved to see myself again since this thing was determined to fight and fast.

The Terrible Shotgun barked repeatedly, but the lithe bundle of muscle dodged in a crazy, zig zagging course up the wall, looping around a crumbling column that ate a few more shells, leaping out from behind it and flying through the air in an arc right at me. One vicious claw swept out and cut a long gash across my chest as I tried to flap backwards away from the vicious attack.

I vaguely heard another hollow bong of a buck to the door and darted a anxious glance that way, it gave a little that time, though several nearby miretanks were ignoring the visible target being effectively handled by the hunter, choosing to go after the ground bound noise they could reach.

Another swipe of those overgrown claws raked down my side in a ragged line of fire, spattering blood down the pit as the horrible thing tackled me out of the air, slamming me to a lower hallway and snapping out with that long beak. I caught a glimpse of a bright blue shield lighting the darkness along with the sound of the door cracking and giving a little more. Peri was almost through but E.F.S. was filling with red, echoing clicks and screeches and a lot of clattering movement climbing the walls while I struggled with the snapping thing on me.

One of its scrambling hindlegs grabbed my side as tightly as it had the stone walls, the sharp claws puncturing me while it kept snapping out, trying to bite off a limb or get to my throat. If it weren't for the heavy radiation pushing my rainbow colored gauge up into the orange/red boundary, I would be in serious trouble already. As it was as soon as the claws were removed from my tender flesh, it started healing immediately, leaving me in an enormous amount of pain and losing too much blood, but continually regenerating so the next slice was fresh and just as painful.

My foreleg braced under the hunter's jaw and pushed with every ounce of earth pony strength I could muster. I had a regular miretank latch onto my leg and not let go, I had no interest in letting this thing repeat the experience. Even with her blazingly bright shield protecting her, Peri was in trouble too, focusing on the door and ignoring the horde pressing against the crackling barrier.

The miretank hunter snapped out again, missing tearing off my face by inches and getting a good chunk of my ear instead, ripping it away with a wet, tearing wall of pain and torn cartilage. I screamed and shoved Vengeance right under the thing's slobbering maw, emptying the cylinder and blowing its small brains out the top of its skull.

Peri gave a grunt of victory when her last Big Mac-worthy buck broke the muck cementing the steel door closed and it swung free with a rusty squall of long unused hinges. "Fast! Come!" She cried out and her sniper rifle started softly blasting the closest of her attackers while she filled the doorway, making sure none got past her impressive bulk.

One forceful buck of my own tossed the hunter down the shaft and I stumbled back to my hooves, shaking my head with a fan of blood spatter from my ragged but regenerating ear. I ran on instinct, trying not to let thinking get in the way and just leaping to the open air separating us. As I closed in I floated out several grenades and activated S.A.T.S., using the full charge on low odds shots on as many of the snapping, snarling miretanks as I could spread it out to and accepting.

Time resumed and the Terrible Shotgun spun rapidly, eating through the drum of shells and obliterating the tiny heads of three or four closest to Peri. I took a flying dive to the door and screamed on the way, pulling the pins on the grenades still circling my head and tossing them out as Peri and I leapt through the now open door.

Skidding to a halt on the damp floors beyond, I jumped back and slammed the door shut, thankful for all of Peri's weight shoved against it with me giving me a bare second to patch my pip-buck to the controls on this side, trying to keep the shuddering door in place long enough for the lock command to be accepted.

The rusty security door's heavy locks clicked back in place seconds ahead of the rumbling detonations knocking dust down from the ceiling, along with big chunks of the ruins on the other side by the sound. Several of the remaining red dashes beyond the door winked out as we both slid to the stone floor against the door and gasped for breath. The amount of radiation on this side dropped quite a bit, leaving my remaining wounds to knit together slowly while we shakily recovered while text flashed in my vision;

Mission Updated: Have Fun Storming the Castle!

Objectives----
---~~Gain entrance to Castle Equinox~~
---Open the Main Gates
---Eliminate the Miretank Infestation

My ragged ear itched horribly and I had to stop myself from reaching up to feel the torn edge growing back. The sensation and thought filled me with a kind of morbid fascination, but I didn't think my stomach could take it on top of the smell we were both covered in. At least this side seemed empty and quiet for the moment, a long, dark hallway stretching off deep into the cliffs below Castle Equinox.

Periwinkle sighed and reloaded her sniper rifle, looking down from near the top of the door... Was she taller? That was a lot of rads, a good thing too, just enough to keep us alive and make it. The big blue mare didn't sound that put out at least, though she never did. "That went well..."

"Y-Yeah... super duper alright... Thank you Peri. I-I'm sure that's as bad as it'll get..."

--------------------------------------Level Up!------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------

Tribal Wisdom---------------
----Spending a little time with the tribe of fisherponies in Eclipse and your new fan club was well worth it. Listening and learning from those wiser than you often is, you now take -50% limb damage from animals, mutated animals, and mutated insects, +20% to Poison resistance, as well as an appreciation for the delicacies they can be turned into.

Ch. 59-- The Moon Comes Over the Castle

"Do you think there's a single room in this castle that isn't filled with terrifying things?"

---------------------

Trapped in the labyrinthine bowels of an ancient castle, surrounded by mutated monsters that would love to add us to the nearest pile of bones and excrement, the threat of an army of mercenaries waiting outside... and all I could do was pout at the tall, pretty mare looming over me...

"This isn't fair..."

Periwinkle blinked her dreamy golden eyes and looked down at me as I stuck my head in another doorway, her horn brushed the ceilings down the warren of passages deep below Castle Equinox, cocking her head and smiling. "What? The radiation was very strong back there, this is normal Fast. I don't understand the problem."

I glanced over the rotting crates and smashed remains in another storage room, most stamped with either marks for the Equestrian Army or Navy, plus a few here and there bearing the sigils of the Ministries, the M.A.S. the most common I had seen so far. Turning back to the big filly following me, I grumbled and stood up as straight as I could, glaring at her neck.

"We were both in there dammit... I don't care if you got taller so long as you still fit down the halls and aren't gonna go crazy or anything, but we both should have... I'm STILL short!!"

Raising my voice wasn't the best idea and I stuffed a hoof in it in annoyance, nearly gagging on the goop coating the both of us that masked our scent from the nest of miretanks infesting the castle. It was a silly thing to get hung up on really, but a nice distraction from our situation and it did really annoy me.

Alicorns absorbed radiation, healing and getting stronger the more they took in, I could do that just fine. Apparently I did not get the side effect however, Peri had sucked up enough leakage from the reactor I presumed was malfunctioning somewhere in here with us to have gotten an inch or two taller than normal. I noticed this small difference because we did not stay the same relative size... she got bigger, I stayed short...

At least she seemed to be enjoying our outing so far, cantering down the echoing stone halls and leaning down to nuzzle at me happily. "So? That is how you are, Fast is short. I like you that way. Why are you unhappy?"

I checked my pip-buck's auto mapping function again trying to make sense of the maze we were in and find a way up. Thankfully this area wasn't swarming with more miretanks for some reason, Peri was able to save her energy to make us invisible when we needed it while we explored in relative safety. It was very confusing down here however, filled with cobwebs and dusty bones. Giving me plenty of time to grouse over the trivial and try to ignore how poorly things had gone so far.

"I'm supposed to be like you guys now, it's not fair that doesn't happen to me too. I don't know what all Moondancer did to her potion, but she could have left that part alone. I was looking forward to being as tall as Jade sometime as a surprise... at least regular pony height for a little while... I think she did it to intentionally mess with me."

Peri shrugged and kept right on my tail down the long hall, the walls grew rougher this way and torches held by creepy stone hooves sprang to life at our approach, very old magic... still working. "Maybe you need more? When we take this place over, you can sit down there until it works! Or maybe sister Jade can tell you why, I don't know, medical stuff is hard... why I didn't want to join her Followers to begin with. Though maybe I should have? It's fine Fast, I look forward to when we are done here and can finally..."

"HA! Hahaha... er... y-yeah... I know Peri. Let's umm... focus on the task at hoof for now, s-sooner we get done the sooner you get what you want. This part of the castle looks really old, maybe we're going the wrong way..."

My attempted derailment of her thoughts was true, the further we went down this latest passage we had turned down, the older it looked. It was cold too... a strange, creepy chill that kept getting worse the further we went, but was strangely pulling me forward. We needed to get up to the surface and the castle above as soon as possible, open the gates and let our backup in, but I had to check this out.

The real Shrouded Stallion was supposed to be sealed away deep under the castle, maybe this was where? Probably not the best idea to mess with a raging spirit of vengeance and fury that goddess Celestia had to imprison herself, but my obsession was tugging at me, I had to see...

So far these lower levels weren't too bad. By the ruined leavings and salvage down here, I could only guess the castle had been used in the war effort by several Ministries and the military. It was an imposing fortress on the sea, a good place to repel zebra invaders during the war. The absence of the mutated turtle monsters that swarmed below was a little worrisome, not that I missed them, but what would keep them away?

A sturdy iron gate barred the way forward and I sat in front of it, staring at the ancient barrier curiously. Thick, heavy chains crossed it and big, old locks held them tight, surprisingly intact hunks of iron and brass that kept the way forward closed. The keyhole was clear and oddly shaped, and a circle was etched in the still gleaming brass plate, surrounded by ornate stars. More old magic, I doubted even Val could pick this lock.

The gate and stone arch it was set in was very interesting too, a carved bust of an angry looking stallion was at the peak of the brick archway, glaring down at anypony approaching it in silent warning with gleaming rubies for eyes. The gate itself had engravings and filigreed metalwork, the profile of a horned head with wings flared behind it, similar to an emblem of the goddesses, but more masculine and angular, with that same cruder version of the Shrouded Stallion's logo from the comics in gold...

The corridor up to this point and beyond was choked with cobwebs, obscuring whatever lay beyond the barrier in my way that called to my curiosity. Was he down there still? Right down that hall?

"This place is scary Fast, don't like it... can we go? Back to our mission?" Peri called me back from the hypnotic run of my thoughts, the odd blue alicorn was almost never bothered by anything, it was strange and almost funny seeing a powerful alicorn that towered over me, scrunching up behind me and looking around like a scared filly.

"S-Sorry Peri, just wish we could get back there... maybe we can find a key somewhere and..."

My hopeful reply dried up in my mouth at the chittering, clicking noises approaching from the darkness beyond the gate, E.F.S. started lighting up with red dashes, 1, 3, 7, 12? 20?! Peri shivered behind me while I gaped at the empty, shifting blackness... wait... was the floor moving? Were the shadows coming alive and reaching for us!? Was the real Shroud rising from his prison to drag me in with him for daring to take up his mantle?!?!

This place and my friend's fear were getting to me, I froze and felt my heart pounding in my chest at the approaching carpet of blackness with gleaming red spots. If it were just two red spots of burning eyes from some shadowy wraith, I would have remained frozen and died, the sea of red specks wasn't right though and I snapped out of my terror driven hallucination, really seeing what was coming at us. Spiders?

Big, fat spiders... like... cat sized spiders... Way too big, way too many legs too, and long fangs dripping with venom, so that's where all the webs in here came from... I turned to run and shoved Peri ahead, the frightened filly needed no encouragement, charging off with a clatter of hooves and floating her sniper rifle up over her shoulder, firing on the run and splattering a pair of the chittering horrors.

The chattering horde squeezed right through the bars of the gate and gave chase, twisted but nimble things crawling up the walls and gaining on us. I pulled my silenced 10mm pistol and Best Served while we ran, joining Peri in shooting any that got too close. One of the little monsters sprang from the ceiling and landed on my back, a wet spot spread on my coat as it tried to sink its fangs in, then I felt a pinch on the wing that reflexively sprang up to try to dislodge the thing. My new limb knocked it loose and I sent my starmetal knife out to slash it, cutting the nasty thing in half and catching a glimpse of the misshapen red star twisting across its abdomen.

We took turns aiming back as we ran to blast or slice our pursuers, making blind turns and getting coated in more webs, knocking the attacking spiders from each other's backs when they leapt and bit. One plopped down from above to land on Peri's hat and she shook her head frantically, making it hard to grab the little bastard in my magic and fling it away while another pair sprang down to my flanks.

Getting over her fear, Peri's blue shield bloomed to life behind us, unable to wrap around both of us running in a perfect circle, she made a wall of a barrier to slow them down. The blue glow joined the morbid magical torch holders that kept lighting up in a row following our course, pushing back the dark and giving passing views of damp chambers filled with more boxes and junk. My steps faltered on making the next skidding turn, faced with a dead end and trying to come to a stop.

My hindleg caught on a dip in the uneven stone floor as I slammed right into Peri's cushioned rump reaching the wall before I did. A soft click nearly lost among all the similar noises from the mutated star spiders came from back there, suddenly the world was spinning rapidly and we fell into a tangle of legs and wings dizzily.

After a moment we weren't covered by creepy crawlies and I pulled myself free of Peri's long, blond tail, struggling back up and blinking around in confusion. The spiders were gone? No... Eyes Forward Sparkle said they were in front of us now... I turned back to try to make sense of it and saw a new corridor stretching away towards a twisting set of stairs, past a four way intersection of hallways. Huh?

"Spiders... I hate spiders..." Peri moaned as she straighted up and peered around for more of the attacking monsters, but their marks were spreading out and passing out of range again, hopefully not crawling through the walls to find us again... "Where did they go?"

"I... I think we found a secret passageway Peri... got lucky. Guess that's one reason there's no miretanks down that way, n-need to tell the Minutemares they send to clean this place out to bring flamethrowers... kill it with fire. Sorry about that, let's go, least we found a way up huh?"

Periwinkle took her tan Minutemare hat off and slapped the webs off, shaking her head and swatting at her long mane with her hooves to get them out of there and whining at the double punctures marring her silky coat here and there, sitting with a thump and looking as woozy as I felt from my own bites. She paused on spotting at my drooping left wing and gave a concerned look at the bites I was checking on myself, poking at me anxiously. "They bit you too, are you hurt?"

Giving the numb limb an experimental flap, I felt that pins and needles feeling of a sleeping leg and checked my health status screen. The cartoon pony displayed now stayed an alicorn anyway, showing every body part it could on a pony and blinking a warning over the injured wing and other wounds. "Star Spider Poison - Unknown Variant" flashed on the screen for a few minutes, eventually fading as feeling returned to the wing at my continued flexing.

"F-Fine Peri, no problem, you ok? P-Probably wouldn't have been if we were... er... normal, but looks like all the new resistance to alcohol applies to poisons too. Thanks, let's get outta here, go find some nice monster turtles instead..." I tried a shaky smile and gently picked a few more webs from her mane and tail, floating her hat back up and nodding to the stairs.

Peri huffed and readjusted her headgear, trotting along with me with relief. "Better than spiders... I don't like spiders."

Given that if I was still normal or if several of the nasty things had gotten a good bite I'd probably be spider chow right now, I had to agree. Paralyzed then swarmed and eaten, wrapped in a coccoon of webs and sucked dry, maybe made a nursery for baby spiders to hatch and eat their way out of... I shivered at the thought, the villagers of Eclipse never got into the depths of the castle, so they hadn't known about this particular danger. I hoped there weren't many more surprises like that ahead, but wasn't holding my breath.

"Disrespectful army grunts and Ministries... defiling the Princess' autumn retreat in the name of 'wartime necessity' bah! I've served as head scullery maid ever since her highness Luna returned to us and they stuff me in a corner with all the troops crammed in here! Need my little room upstairs for big, important wartime business... Not to mention all the alterations they've made, M.A.S. taking over the dungeons and locking them up, M.W.T. putting their ugly mortars and anti aircraft guns on the parapets!

All complaining about the keys too, 1000 years those locks have served this place well and they want to stick their new-fangled electronic locks all over the place, as if they could remove magical locks put in place by the princesses themselves! Ha! I keep telling them they'll get used to it, I get around just fine, heaven forbid they have to stop and talk to a pony here and there to go where they want!

At least the Professor is nice enough about it, proper old buck knows basic manners at least, just forgets them half the time. Princess Luna enjoys that dottering loon though, I do too but I could do without his disruptions in my domain. Playing around in the ...forbidden room... Even the princess hasn't messed with that place, her sister Celestia did what she had to, better he's left to rest.

Says he's nearly out of my mane at least, and brought cupcakes as an apology even! Hiding those from the girls, another perk to having at least a crescent moon key, let's see them eat these!"

"May I try that Fast? I want to hear too." Peri watched me eject the holotape from my pip-buck with interest, pointing to her own new arcano-tech accessory hopefully.

"Sure Peri, need me to show you how or you got it? It's pretty simple, there just like that, you can use the earbloom too so it's not playing out loud. Glad you like the gift, meant to give it to you back in Goodneighbor like Magnolia but... things happened."

I helped Periwinkle load the small storage device into her pip-buck and access it, watching her smile and cock her head to listen to the message sitting down here all this time. A huge chamber filled with moldy mattresses on simple metal bunkbed frames, broken wooden hooflockers in front of each, vertical lockers lining one wall, a barracks of some kind. It made a good place to catch our breath and let the Radstar Spider venom run its course, I was grateful both of us had alicorn biology on our side, that could have been soooo much worse.

Peri lovingly tapped at the screen on her leg and beamed, she had been quite excited (for her) when I clamped the pip-buck there before coming in and a quick study at using some of the features, like she was already familiar with it on an subconscious level. "I like it, it's as nice as my hat, thank you Fast. Now I can hear sister Magnolia on the radio when I want. Though I wish the map worked better."

I had to agree with her there, the maze of corridors under the castle was just too complex to easily make sense of. The small bed I found the holotape by was much older and of better quality than the rows of moldy bunk beds, a wooden bed tucked in the corner with a night table holding the message.

Dusty bones occupied the bed, while Peri listened to the long dead mare in her ear, I tugged at the glint of sliver around her bony neck, trying not to disturb her but determined to get the strange silver key at the end of the chain I pulled loose. Kind of a thin, oddly shaped barrel, a few ornate teeth and a crescent moon grip, the points facing the same direction as the teeth. It was ornate and delicate, untouched by the years and radiating a glow of magic. Best I just kept this with me...

I got up after claiming my prize and nodded back to Peri still listening behind me, walking back out to the corridor and continuing our search. A few twists and turns brought us to another collapsed dead end... We had made it up a couple floors now, moving carefully and invisibly past what miretanks we ran into and trying to avoid or dispatch the chittering Radstar Spiders when they came crawling out of the stonework, the little bastards could still track us even with Peri's invisibility spell.

Fortunately the two enemies seemed to have staked out territory and divided the castle, I wondered who ate who... maybe both? It would be a steady, self contained diet for the monsters infesting this place, its own little ecosystem...

Our trip so far had been frustrating and time consuming, repeatedly backtracking and retracing our steps. The lower levels were confusing enough when this place was new and in perfect condition. Now years of rot, ruin and mutant monsters had taken their toll. The only thing the pip-buck map was really clear on was a big central shaft going ever up to the surface, I was guessing it was made and used by the Miretank Queen.

Whatever the case, it had smashed and collapsed corridors and rooms all over the place, adding to the labyrinth feel to the gloomy halls that was well established by the creepy decor, secret passages and traps, along with the overall Pony of Shadows vibe. As if that wasn't enough, the imposing iron gates barring the way to where I was sure the Shrouded Stallion must be buried weren't the only locked barrier down here.

In our searching we had come across a few doors that had those fancy ancient locks too, all had a circle engraved on the brass plate, but enough exploration revealed some of them had a sliver of crescent moon etched in the circle, others had a half moon bisecting the circle instead and I was guessing more we hadn't found may have a 3/4 moon marked off. Ancient Equestrian security, different keys, different security levels. If that held true, it meant the lock blocking the Shroud's hallway was the highest level, an empty circle of a full moon.

All interesting and distracting, but a 200 year old mystery we didn't have time for that was just helping to hold us back. We needed to get up and open the castle gates, I was hoping most of the action took place on the actual castle levels above the surface too; the throne room, library, Luna's chambers... Between the collapses, the locks and the maze of corridors though, we had not made much progress. At least I now had a key to try...

Retracing our hoofsteps yet again wasn't hard and I knew where to try first, sticking to the miretank occupied areas invisibly that we had explored already. After a quick trot back I pushed open a heavy set of double doors marked with the same crescent moon as the silver key. A rusty creak sounded out after it clicked home smoothly and I pushed them open, flinching at the noise and all the movement on E.F.S..

Sure enough, several miretanks milled around the cavernous room beyond, the kitchens? It sure looked like it, huge stone ovens now cold and bare lined one wall, shattered cabinets and counters filled the center of the room, smashed for materials to make more muddy miretank nests filled with slimy green eggs. One clutch was filling a huge cauldron tipped on its side in the corner and corroded copper pans jangled at the miretank claws skittering over them.

Several of the softshelled variety, paler green and squishy looking, not as much of a threat as even the normal types, of which there were a few too. What was worrisome was the spiky horror sitting the middle of the room atop the lumpy hill of mud and junk, bigger than the others, the dark, heavy shell covered in wicked spikes.

The trio of clawed digits on its spiked forelegs had twisted and fused together into one huge, gleaming dark foreclaw waving in our direction at the opened door, dark and very sharp looking... Thick ridges and spines lined the opening in the shell around the tiny head and the stubby tail was significantly longer than the normal miretanks, slapping back and forth with a sharp claw at the tip. A Razorclaw by Mint Twist's and Captain Salty's detailed descriptions.

It was fast too... way too fast, the vicious monster zipped across the cluttered floor right at us, unable to see or smell either of us at the moment, but a consummate killer acting on instinct. The doors opened, it attacked, simple as that.

That long black claw shot out in an arc across the doorway, I would run, but kitchens... big, royal kitchens meant big royal banquets, banquets held in a big royal dining room, which would be up in the main castle... there had to be a way up here. With it charging right at us, that tiny head was an easy target, even with the additional ridges and spines protecting it.

S.A.T.S. and the Terrible Shotgun worked in concert, hammering several slugs at the small target and dropping it to a skidding heap at my hooves. I whispered back to Peri and gave an unsteady flap to clear the obstacle as I reappeared, flying into the large, open kitchen and pulling out Vengeance, attracting the rest of the miretanks in the room to me and taking advantage of the high ceilings to keep out of their range.

I could make out the silenced 'pfft' of Peri's sniper rifle from the doorway, blasting the brains out of one after another while I kept them occupied chasing me. So far at least only the Hunters could spit acid as a ranged attack, my flanks still stung after figuring that one out... I was grateful for all the rads down here for healing it and my torn ear, I had cautiously checked that once it stopped itching so much and I did have an ear still, so not bad so far.

One of the softshells had more reach than I expected and slashed a hindleg, but was instantly put down by Peri reappearing at the doorway. She trotted over with a look of mild concern to check on it, her ears flicking around at the noises above and around us, they heard all that gunfire of course, but the maze of stone passages made tracking it down difficult.

"I like the targeting thing too Fast, if the mother let us have weapons and armor as well as these pip-bucks, I would have been much better at my job." Peri smiled and nodded smartly after inspecting my wound, just a scratch really so nothing to get worked up over, we made a good team.

"Your job assassinating for her right? You ever... feel bad about that Peri? Or remember anything from before? You always seem kinda mellow, any interesting stories? When we were back in Trinity Tower and Goodneighbor, where there was unity and all, I couldn't help getting flashes out of your head, but they all seemed sad..."

Her normally passive face clouded a bit and she gave a shaky whinny, "I don't like thinking about before. It was bad. I came from a bad place, it hurt, bad ponies making me work, red eyes everywhere... Not like yours though, I like yours, these were bad, mean... watching from the walls, waving from flags, bad... I don't feel bad doing what the mother wanted though, I followed orders, she was our mother, she knew best."

"Ah... So, you like following orders? Is that why you joined the Minutemares? You seem to really like it."

Peri scratched her mane and shrugged, "Sort of, Umbra gives orders too though so it's not just that... I like the Minutemares because they're nice, they let me use guns and taught me to shoot. I get to choose who to take orders from with them, they tell me what to do and I do it because I want to. I'm proud I get to do this mission for them, help others and repay them. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, sorry... just realized I oughta try to find out more about you before we... er... i-it's an old fashioned thing. In the old world, ponies got to know each other really well before... I've just been thinking of all this as a really weird date ok, I like you, we're friends, I should ask. Didn't mean to make you remember bad stuff, sorry. I like who you are now though, just like Jade or Val, the past doesn't matter."

The blue alicorn tilted her head curiously as she followed behind me, helping lift the heavier rubble aside and stomp on miretank eggs while I searched for a way up. A series of dumbwaiters would probably lead up, maybe one even went up to Luna's chambers to deliver royal midnight snacks! But I'd have to squeeze my way in, there was no way Peri could follow if they were even clear.

After a moments thought, she blinked and asked her own question. "Ah... I should do the same then? Courtship is strange, this would be easier with unity, then I could just know all about you and you about me. Hmm... I know, you had two parents didn't you? A mother and a father? Tell me about fathers again, what was yours like?"

A box of Fancy Buck snack cakes! Wow, still untouched hiding inside a more modern stove tossed on its side in the corner, have to save those for Glitter. I kept looking around and considered her question, Peri was still letting the whole concept of dads sink in apparently. The eccentric alicorn often reminded me of one of dad's favorite sayings, her mill ground slow but exceedingly fine.

"Well... He was a doctor, like Jade, worked in the Stable medical ward, healed sick ponies, all that. Before we hid underground... a teacher? I'm pretty sure anyway, teaching medicine, but a teacher. I think his family came from Manehatten, he met mom when she was on leave from Neighvarro and they started dating, after she retired cause she was pregnant with me, they moved here to get away from the war, be near her family."

"Your mother stopped fighting because she became pregnant? She did not return once you were born?" Peri blinked an interruption, hanging on one of alicorn's strongest points of fixation thanks to their mother.

"Well yeah, delicate condition and all, then she wanted to stay after I was born to take care of me. Newborns need a lot of attention Peri, even in war it was against the rules for pregnant mares to fight too, she could have a desk job or retire and my mom wasn't a desk job kind of pony... If you do become er... a-an expectant mother, you won't keep fighting right? Take it easy for the baby?"

Peri looked up to the rattling chains barely holding on to a swinging bit of racks to hold the cookware scattered all over, looking back and nodding. "I had not considered that yet. I guess I'll have to... Maybe I'll go to Sanctuary, help train Minutemares there like they did for me! Go on, tell me more about your father-pony, it's interesting."

"Umm, ok... He was really smart, soft spoken so kinda the opposite of mom in a lot of ways. I guess they complimented each other, opposites attract and all. He was no repair-pony, but he could fix things around the house, where I first learned and got to like it. We built models and toys together, he took me on trips to boring educational places, but fun places too like bowling and stuff. You're right, unity would make this a lot easier, it's hard to just sum up a pony with words. This making any sense?"

She smiled and nodded silently, humming in thought and processing it. Trying to get the concept of dads through to her was surprisingly difficult, the alicorns had their mother the great and powerful Goddess, and that was it, no dads involved, just one stop shopping. Like most of them, Peri had merely viewed me as a means to an end, a way to reproduce. In their eyes I should just do my duty and move on.

Explaining it didn't work that way for me had been a battle, but I hoped if I could get it through to Peri, the others might get the idea. It wasn't that I didn't want to help them, my body at least definitely wanted to help them, all of them... repeatedly... But the brain was still mostly in charge and I had old world values, they wanted me to be a dad, with all of them...

A massive cast iron cauldron bigger than me had rolled to the corner and blocked an arched stone passage from view, stairs! Aha! I knew there had to be a way up, I enveloped the whole thing in the blue glow of my telekinesis and tugged, joined by Peri's blue-green field of magic and lifting the whole thing away to reveal the exit to the dining room I hoped for.

It was a wide, winding stairwell going up several floors, plenty of room for several ponies to pass by going up and down, ferrying dishes up to the guests, piping hot from the kitchens unless I missed my guess. Peri cloaked us both and whispered behind me as we climbed, stepping over brittle pony bones and miretank muck.

"He sounds like you. Except for the healing, sister Jade says you can't do that. But you fight good, maybe you got that from your mother? If so then you got parts of both parents mixed up together to make something new, like we did when the mother changed us! I wonder what a foal made from the two of us will be like?" At least she wasn't totally fixated on mating anymore, just getting her to think beyond that was a victory. I really wanted her and all her sisters to understand what they were asking of me, her question still made me gulp nervously.

"T-That's the big question I guess, parents make kids and hope the best of them gets mixed up into something better, try to teach and help them, make things better for the kids than they were for them. If we do... and it works, I'd be interested to see too Peri, kinda why I don't want to just do what you mares want and leave you to it, they'd be part of me too, get it? Maybe they won't have my temper with how calm you are, if it's a filly I bet they'll be really pretty like you. I hope they just get smarts from me and not some of my quirks along with it... Anything you hope for?"

Her answer came back immediately for once, strong and sure without any hesitation. "I hope they are born and healthy. To have a foal of my own... do as the mother wished, make sure my kind doesn't disappear. But I'm glad it's you that will be the... father-pony, you have good traits and are nice, I like you more than my hat."

Puzzling over Peri's rating system for everything revolving around her hat, we made our way up the last crumbling steps to another heavy wooden door, pushing it open as quietly as possible and peeking out into the gloom beyond. Oh thank you Luna! The dining hall, a long marble table stretched all the way down the huge chamber, unbowed and unbroken after the centuries.

Kind of nasty covered in miretank gunk and eggs, and surrounded by a dozen of the shelled monsters, but the mostly unbroken, dirty stained glass windows stretching up to the ceiling far overhead, showed glimpses of the moonlit courtyard outside through the gaps, we were up on the surface!

A shadow crossed the dim light filtering in and I gaped following it, the motion matching a red dash on E.F.S. and rattling the remaining glass. My view was dirty and mostly obstructed, but the two story tall, spiky, spiny, massive creature passing by out there and darkening the room could only be one thing...

"The Queen..."

"Fucking really!?!" I hissed at the giant wooden doors looming overhead and the etched brass plate of the old fashioned magical lock, a circle bisected with a vertical line... A half moon door and I only had a crescent moon key...

I had hoped things would get easier on the surface, just find a big enough empty window or a hole in the wall if nothing else. Instead Castle Equinox and its mutated inhabitants seemed determined to frustrate me at every turn. The ancient castle couldn't self repair like the living buildings I had read the M.O.P. was fond of, but plenty of powerful, Princess-tier magic protected the place even now. Between that, the current residents and the sturdy, earth pony construction, we had been repeatedly stymied trying to get where we wanted.

Even the biggest stained glass or picture windows still had jagged shards of thick glass filling them and heavy iron bars narrowing down the gaps to the point even I'd have a hard time squeezing through. We had cautiously passed a couple gaping holes in the dark brick or empty windows big enough to use, but each was festooned with miretank building sludge. Those that hadn't been sealed by the cement like muck were heavily guarded, even invisible we couldn't slip past them and I had no interest in getting them riled up with that behemoth outside.

Locked doors and collapsed passages did the rest, I gave the doors one more angry shove and turned back, slipping my way out of the miretank infested chamber to the hall leading in a rough circle around the courtyard outside. We passed the echoing ballroom and I took another careful look, more ruined bunks strewn about the wide open space, smashed and made into framework for more miretank construction. From what I could puzzle out of what was left, I was guessing more barracks, maybe a makeshift hospital after the end, now just a big miretank nest with a pair of Hunters I'd just as soon avoid.

A little twisting, turning backtracking brought us to the wide hallway leading back to the main entrance we had already tried. The tattered red carpet was moldy and squishy, all the rusting suits of armor to either side were creepy too, but it was at least mostly unoccupied. The mutated turtles seemed to like making nests and warrens in side chambers, leaving high traffic areas alone and only patrolling occasionally.

I tugged Peri after me and huddled near one of the most intact suits of ancient plate armor to whisper up to her invisible ears, looking across the hall to the mud spattered fire escape map barely hanging to the wall among all the rotten tapestries. "This sucks but I think we're gonna have to go up Peri. We need to find a way over to the gatehouse somehow and they're all blocked from down here, what we really need is a better key... The grand staircase in the foyer is pretty choked with crap, but I think we can fly up and..."

"Ssssh!" Peri shushed me and I felt a lot of warm, transparent alicorn shove me behind the suit of armor and curl around me, so lost in thought looking over the nice and simple map on the wall I didn't pay any attention to the clicking of a patrol passing by.

Watching one of the vicious miretank hunters leading half a dozen heavily armored normal miretanks down the halls right in front of us made me nervous. If fighting broke out here... who knew how many would come charging in from all around us, but the queen outside would almost certainly hear it.

Finally they were gone and the soft pressure holding me still went away, leaving me to wiggle my way out from behind the decorative armor as Peri whispered back. "You think we have to go up to come back down? This place is confusing Fast, I don't like it..."

"Yeah me either Peri... I don't see any other way to..." I replied and tugged my invisible trenchcoat free of the spiked plating meant to cover the wearers tail, looking back nervously at the shift in the metal suit that gave a click. If I ended up sending this whole pile of junk clattering down to the stone floors I may as well just scream 'Hey! Here we are! Come and get it!'

Instead of rusting steel plates scattering everywhere, the tail covering moved smoothly down and the wall behind me slid up in a shower of dust, unfortunate as I had been leaning against it to pull free and was sent tumbling back to hard stone stairs behind me. Another secret passage? How many did this place have!? Somepony reeeeally liked secret doors and hidden tunnels...

"Oh, another one... you're good at finding those Fast, you said you wanted to go up and here we go." Peri spoke over me as I struggled back up, looking over my shoulder at the narrow stairs spiraling up into the dark, lots of cobwebs obscuring what little view there was.

"R-Right... totally meant to do that... C'mon, keep an eye out for silver keys Peri, if we keep going west maybe we'll find a way down to the gatehouse."

Once we were up a few steps the secret door slid shut behind us again, at least we didn't have to worry about company from that way. The miretanks obviously hadn't found a way in here. The webs made me nervously check E.F.S. every few steps for more of the Radstar Spiders, but nothing so far.

The switch to open the dark brick wall at the top was easy to find from this side, no reason to hide it inside the hidden passage itself. The wall slid aside and revealed a tattered curtain of rotting cloth flapping in the gust of air, giving something else to peek around invisibly and check where we wound up now.

It looked like a small study, well... small by royal castle standards, still a fairly big room and it looked perfectly preserved. A cold fireplace with what had been a lovely portrait of Luna hung above it was straight across from our entrance, framed by bookshelves stretching to the ceiling that held ruined, rotting books and scrolls. Lots more moldy paintings lined the walls, the eyes of long gone noble ponies seemed to follow us as we cautiously walked in and returned to view.

The focus of my relieved interest was the ornate mahogany desk at the center of the room. The flickering green glow of a terminal illuminated the pile of bones in the cracked leather chair behind it, gleaming off the silver key on a chain around the corpse's neck... Jackpot! I trotted out and around the pile of crates stacked in front of the tapestry hiding our entrance, Peri squeezing past the obstacle and looking around with interest, turning to the boxes while I grabbed my prize.

A half moon key... Strange though, the silver half circle at the end had a crescent moon line too, a little prodding at the strange key showed why, it was like a puzzle key... A bit of gentle tugging with my magic separated it into two distinct keys, a crescent moon key like I had, and another that fitted together with it, filling in the missing gap to make it a half moon and adding a new, ornate tooth to the end, clever ancient craftsponyship.

I left Periwinkle to quietly open the crates that had her interest and patched into the glowing terminal, shoving the skeleton in rotting green rags aside to crack the security and see what I could see. Maybe I'd get really lucky and there'd be a way to open the gate from here... Ugh, of course not, the top level of the terminal just displayed a simple set of options, log records from the military pony in charge here and a command to open a safe I didn't see anywhere. Hoping for helpful hints or clues, I pulled up the logs and started reading quickly.

Captain Long Bomb's Log-

Entry #1310

Cushy assignment here in the Princess' own castle, but awful boring and out of the action. I know Trotson is an ideal infiltration point for the striped menace, an invasion by Atoli from the sea is a real threat if the zebras get desperate enough, but that's really unlikely. Supervising the installation of the big guns as ordered though, if the Caesar is dumb enough to order an open attack his navy will get blown outta the water.

Hell of a lot more likely they're slipping ashore in those underwater boats of theirs and sending spies in, all those drugs are getting in somehow already... but that's for the pinks to figure out. Really just think they sent me here to get me out of the way awhile, wartime stress disorder... Thinking you were dead on the battlefield, then suddenly being fine again and fighting a bunch of stripes that should also be dead tends to mess with you. Asked one too many questions about that M.O.P. craziness I guess... Oh well, nice enough assignment.

Entry #1428

Got this place up to snuff and running like a well oiled machine this year. Not that that's saying much, pretty far from the front here, mostly dealing with shipping in and out, managing her highness' castle as a military hub, vacation duty with all the retirees and eggheads in the Trotson area.

M.A.S. rep came with proper orders to take over the dungeons, way above my clearance and pay grade so no interest in whatever it is they're storing down there, awful lot of it though. Been up in the castle too, studying ancient magic, cataloging the library before letting the M.O.I. have at it, improving magical defenses and so forth.

Those civilians from the local school are an odd bunch, friendly enough though. Most of the troops like em and that pegasus Professor is a hoot, helps lighten the mood which helps a lot. Those holotape arcade cabinets he brought made him some loyal friends for life with some very bored troops, the old coot is a hell of a gamer too.

Really do have too many ponies suffering actual wartime stress disorder here, rotated away from the fighting to clear their heads, ponies weren't meant to see and do the things we've.... Nice to see civilians that get that and give a shit anyway.

Wasn't sure what to do with his package for Luna though. Locked it up for now, said it wasn't anything critical, just for fun. Doc Mobius is a little kooky so it could be a muffin powered automatic mane and tail styler for all I know. Tucked away for now and sending word up the chain, if they want me to ship it to her highness then off it goes, till then it's waiting for her next visit whatever it is.

Entry #1540

Orders from on high, red alert even here in the boonies of the Commonwealth, be on the lookout for zebra subs using advanced cloaking fetishes... How the fuck am I supposed to look out for an invisible submarine!? E.M.S. Dreadnought on its way at least, let the navy worry about zebra ships. Everypony's tense, waiting for the sword over our heads to fall. All the weirdness doesn't help either, scratching noises in the walls and down near the dungeons, can hardly let my troops out for leave either without one of them finding trouble somewhere.

Entry #1545

They did it!! Crazy fucking stripes blew it all up! Balefire missile launches detected off the coast, up near Neighlem of course... coddled those traitor zebra assholes and this is what we get in return! Mortars zeroed in and blasted the bastards to confetti, but not before they got several shots off. Radio was full of craziness before it went out, reports they unleashed a freaking Tsunami that's tearing up the coast and every ship sent after it, lost contact with the Dreadnought and the raptors are pulling back, Cloudsdale went down and they just... this can't be happening!

Locking the castle down, the center has to hold dammit, trying to coordinate comms through our own equipment and get some kind of order, not looking good though. Manehatten, Phillydelphia, Cloudsdale, C-Canterlot... Trotson's gotten it light so far, have to hold on, for Equestria...

No more entries... I blinked at the dusty skeleton and gave it a shaky salute, Capt. Long Bomb tried his best with the world literally ending around him. He had been right, ponies weren't meant to do the things we had done, the wasteland that was left was the end result of ignoring our better natures, the culmination of everything that had gone wrong.

I clicked the command to open the safe wherever it was and detached my pip-buck, looking up over the fireplace at the portrait of Goddess Luna swinging open along with the heavy steel door of the safe behind it. Peri looked up from her interested looting of boxes of ammo and military rations, watching me approach the gleaming arcano-tech object revealed reverently.

I floated it down to get a better look, a beautiful, lovingly crafted magical energy weapon, some kind of plasma caster? It looked sort of like one, it had a shorter barrel etched with moons and stars, ending in an arch to focus the shot, not wickedly hooked metal but a crescent of blue diamond curling in on itself, a crescent moon.

The body of the heavy M.E.W. was actually pretty light, gleaming dark blue casing, festooned with more blue diamond talismans and pearl inlays, a round, shielded chamber of polished steel and silver at the heart of the device, etched with a curving line to make it a crescent moon as well, the dark section textured and burnished to make the bright sliver stand out more.

A harness of supple black leather that still smelled of polish with silver fittings dangled from it and additional parts for the bit and a holotape still sat in the safe. Once I had it in my hooves my pip-buck identified it as 'Blue Moon', assigning an astronomical value to the weapon and confirming it was in perfect condition.

Mobius made this... One of the heads of the Institute, the one I had only heard vague mention of before, even the other heads didn't like him from what I gathered, or were scared of him. A weapon made for the princess, waiting in this hidden safe all this time, perfectly preserved.

Taking advantage of the lucky find, I sat down and struggled my way into the harness, relying on Peri to help tighten the straps down to fit a less 'Princessly' frame. Val kept bitching at me to expand my repertoire and have a heavier weapon to fall back on, considering the giant monster outside, I admitted she was right and used our safe haven to equip it.

Very light for a heavy weapon battlesaddle, that was nice... It wasn't throwing my balance off that much and the main housing was built to conform to a winged side, not that my wings were very cooperative tucking in as they should, but after forcing the right to do so I was relieved to see the M.E.W. didn't get in the way, the short barrel positioned the jeweled crescent vertically, just ahead of my chest without being too bothersome.

Thankfully it only had a mouth operated bit as a backup, this was designed for an alicorn, my magic could control it a lot easier than trying to figure out regular battlesaddle control mechanisms for earth ponies and pegasi. My pip-buck even interfaced with the new weapon, when I thought about trying it out several components expanded at the sides and the barrel extended, twisting the jeweled crescent horizontally, crackling with pale blue light across the blue diamond focal point. A secondary targeting reticule appeared in my vision and stayed steady, only moving when I shifted my body and the barrel of the weapon itself.

From the new readouts I noted that I only had a few Micro Fusion Spark Cells rolling around in the bottom of my inventory, though a glance at Peri's finds came up with several more from a dusty green ammo box. I scooped them up gratefully and willed the big gun to stand down, watching the etched barrel collapse as it stopped humming and crackling with power, the main housing at my side clicking back down to a more compact bundle, I could work with this thing. Hopefully this would come in useful, at least it would shut Val's complaints down for awhile.

With the key I wanted and a bonus to boot, I nodded to the thick wooden door out and Peri cloaked us both, leaving the silver key I floated out visible so I could fit it in the lock marked with a half moon. It swung open onto a long hall lined in musty blue carpets and tapestries falling to shreds on the walls, more magical torches held in creepy stone hooves lit up and followed our progress.

We could try going back and opening one of the main doors to the courtyard now, but we still had a little time before Val's deadline, safely exploring the place invisibly couldn't hurt and there might be more treasures up here.

At the very least, there were some clear windows to look out of here on the second floor, not cemented shut with muck or guarded. The glimpses I got of the courtyard didn't make me feel great about our odds though, it was crawling with miretanks, all varieties we had seen so far. All serving the gargantuan queen lumbering around the wide hole in the center of the open area, the top of the long vertical shaft she had burrowed up from the sea that lit the courtyard in a green glow, the reactor had to be down there, she nested right on top of it...

"That... is a very big turtle..." Peri whispered beside me as I fluttered away from the broken glass and back to the hall, nervously nodding and realizing she couldn't see the gesture.

"Y-Yeah... That thing's gonna be a problem alright. Not a very good view of the gatehouse from here, let's move down a bit."

A walkway atop the base castle walls wound around the courtyard, going into turrets at the corners that led to different sections and towers, several rusting suits of power armor stood as silent, dead sentinels still holding their posts. The southern tower had a gaping hole in it, piles of fallen black brick and mud built up around it that the Queen must shelter in since she was too large to go down the gaping pit.

The most I could see of the squat, stone structure to the side of the solid drawbridge barring entry to Castle Equinox, was a muck covered door at the bottom, along with a smashed Vertibuck on the roof. The nose buried in the crumbling stone, the open side of the vehicle had a mounted minigun drooping to the ground, maybe I could wriggle my way through that door and into the gatehouse? There had to be controls inside, but getting to them was another question.

There wasn't a lot of signs of Miretanks or Radstar Spiders up on the interior second floor at least, a few piles of muck and bones, but no hordes of miretanks patrolling around and no webs draped over everything. We crept down the halls together cautiously, so far no miretanks had meant something worse... We passed several opulent bedrooms converted into offices or quarters for the military here, stopping at an intersection with fluttering blue banners depicting a stylized Luna and the moon at her horn.

I focused on the most likely looking door and opened my mouth to speak, the first quiet syllables drowned out by a blast of screeching noise that flattened both our ears and knocked me back, the larger Peri stumbling a few steps with me, wincing towards the source of the green rings of magically amplified sound that lit my medical system up with warnings.

The sound finally stopped and I felt like I could open my eyes without them popping from my skull. The... thing... I saw charging at us that launched the attack was a nightmare. Out of instinct I activated S.A.T.S. to get a better look and try to cope with the surprise attack, it knew where we were even invisible... Something a bit like a miretank hunter, but not... Bigger for one, and not even the remnants of a shell really, the dark plates across its back and limbs looked like they grew right from the leathery green hide in segmented armor.

All six limbs were equally sized, long, agile hindlegs matching the forelegs in almost every respect, except for the longer claws tipping three dexterous digits, dripping in green slime that sizzled when it touched the tattered carpet. It had spines all over, a ridge running straight down its head, shorter ones continuing down the spine and a tail longer than the Razorclaws even, ending in a wicked barb dripping more acidic poison.

The blast of noise had come from its slobbering, sharp beak, a long forked tongue flapping from the side as it ran on all six legs towards us at a frightening speed. Those webbed fin-like things must be ears? Maybe it heard us? A king... this had to be what Captain Salty and Mint Twist told me about, a Miretank King... my pip-buck's targeting spell just confirmed it. The upper floor was so empty because this was its lair, and we walked right in...

S.A.T.S. was giving very low odds to hit anything too, I went with the best odds, half a dozen slugs from the Terrible Shotgun to center body mass, accepting the sequence and trying to ignore my own contribution to the sound giving us away as Peri's invisibility faded away. We were going to attract a lot of attention, but we couldn't hide from this monster, with luck we could put it down and slip off again...

Apparently I had exhausted all of my luck finding secret passages and fancy weapons... a single slug hit its mark, the rest chewed up the stone floors and blasted a rusting suit of armor to pieces as the nimble thing juked and jived out of the way in a blur. Even the shot that did hit only made it stumble a moment to my horror, the pale plates across its broad chest absorbed the impact with barely a scratch.

Peri's sniper rifle fired repeatedly as well, two of her well aimed shots managing to hit miretank flesh, burying in the King's shoulder and left front hindleg in a dribble of greenish blood. Then the thing screeched and leapt at her, the bigger target that had actually hurt it. It soared through the air ahead of the flicker from her horn trying to bring up her shield, grabbing the big mare with its four hindlegs and slashing out with those dripping claws, snapping its maw at her frightened golden eyes.

"Be Strong!" cried out along with the darker part of myself in a roar and I shot forward at it, tackling it with Best Served in my mouth and slashing wildly at the thing, digging long grooves down its spiny back and getting its attention away from the bleeding Periwinkle. It released its deathgrip on her and rolled across the floor with me on its back, trying to dislodge the crazed, smaller opponent that was actively hurting it a little. I got the idea the Miretank King was used to being top dog around here... getting hurt was not in his plans.

Vengeance sprang up in my magic and floated right by his head, the hammer clicking back just as it rolled to the wall and smashed me against it, those sharp spines digging into my chest and drawing blood, I really hoped they weren't poisoned too. My gleaming revolver fell to the floor with a clatter as my magic imploded, getting slammed into the wall again was too much to maintain my grip, let alone that long tail lashing up and wrapping around my throat.

With one muscular tug the king's tail pulled me loose and flung me down the hall, I flapped desperately and pulled out of the fall, hovering above as it turned and hissed. Before it could move again, Peri's sniper rifle blasted a good sized hole through its neck and it skittered away, running right up the wall in a zig zagging course away from the alicorn Minutemare's shots, while I snatched Vengeance back up.

"Fuck it Peri! Run! This way!!" I yelped and flew down the westward hall, away from this horror and towards the gatehouse. E.F.S. was filling with red and a terrible roar shook the castle around us from the outside, the Queen knew we were here now too, fantastic!

She didn't need convincing, stumbling after me with blood pouring down her sides from the series of punctures the King left. She drank one of Jade's radiation tinted healing potions at a run as we barreled towards the broken wooden door ahead, cold sea air was blowing in, oh thank you Luna for small favors, the outside! This was quickly becoming a fiasco, we just needed to reach the skies and get the hell out of here, try again some other way...

Peri barreled ahead of me and smashed the remains of the door to splinters, dashing out into the night air and the stone walkways atop the castle walls. I hit the doorway just behind her, floating out several mines, dropping them all at the pinch point and spreading my wings to escape. I heard several detonations just behind us and didn't dare look back at the angry screech still gaining on us, flapping up to get out of range and noticing Peri diving towards the gate, still focused on our mission over survival. No!

I spun to follow and we were both brought up short by the looming shadow of the Queen, raising her massive claws to block our path and rearing back. It looked more like a normal miretank than anything else, the thick, spiky shell bloated and topheavy, lined with glowing green patterns at the segmented cracks. Ugly tree trunk hindlegs flopping along to propel it forward and a tiny head with angry, beady eyes.

It gave a deafening screech and sucked in, its beaked maw opening wide as I lunged and Peri and tried to get out from between the King and the Queen. We barely avoided the absolute torrent of acid spewing from her mouth, the spray washing over my hindlegs and Peri's exposed flank I couldn't cover sizzled and burned, too many feathers on my left were scorched and I lurched in the air towards the snapping horde in the courtyard below, shit!

Peri shoved me away and up, shaking her head and dropping into a speedy, expert dive as she brought up her glowing blue shield, shouting over to me while her sniper rifle uselessly pinged against the Queen's shell as she distracted it. "The gate Fast! Go! You may not die! Too important! I will keep it busy!"

I hated this plan, trying to protect my friend and she was still focused on me being too valuable to die, the only male alicorn versus just one more female. But this female was mine! My friend! Dammit, she had already dodged away and I caught sight of the King skittering across and over the walls behind me, keeping pace and looking for a way to tackle me from the air or blast me with that noise he kept roaring out, forcing me to climb over a near miss of green rings of sound.

Abandoning caution I turned and faced it, unloading a wide spread blast of lightning that sent me pinwheeling backwards through the air. Thankfully it jittered in place at the damage and was a little reluctant to follow without cover, the gate... Peri would stop if I could open the gate and get help.

I spun in the air and tucked my wings to dive towards the rusting hulk of the Vertibuck hanging over the drawbridge. The door was totally sealed shut by the Queen's multitude of egg filled muck piles, no way in even if we had the right key, but the smashed war vehicle's wide open side doors led down into the dark of the gatehouse.

Pulling out Thump-Thump and wildly firing 40mm grenades as I flew onward, I tried to make myself as small as possible and plunged towards the makeshift entrance, thumping against the minigun and landing on the partly closed door on the other side. The red dash of the King was easy to keep track of as fast as it moved, closing in fast...

I wrapped the Vertibuck's heavy weapon in my magic and the long barrel lifted back up, spinning up to speed and filling the rusty vehicle with shell casing as it started firing, tearing into the multitude of miretanks swarming below and bouncing off the Queen's shell, barely a nuisance that didn't distract it from chasing the bright blue ball of Peri's shield looping around it. The tongue of fire the weapon was spewing out made the King back off at least, giving me a second to buck at the barrier under my hooves and break into the gatehouse.

The dented sliding door gave way with a screech and I fell into the dark gatehouse, keeping my magic on the trigger of the minigun and looking around frantically. Heavy chains leading in from the ceiling, following channels cut in the stone overhead and down to corroded pulleys, held taught by a heavy stone weight on the other side of a spoked wheel on the floor.

Ok, ponies turned the wheel, the gate went up and down... No time for that, the huge stone weight on the wall made the whole thing work, I sent Best Served out in a flash and severed the chains holding it up, sending the heavy weight down with a crash and filling the room with choking dust.

Alright, should be open, the minigun was still raining brass down on my head but couldn't have much left. I pulled out the pale blue flare gun the 'Hootnanny Hoof Cannon' and aimed it up past the mounted heavy weapon, firing off a round to the sky and only momentarily confused by the puff on confetti that sent the flare on its way... This was from the M.O.M. hub, Director Sandwich's weapon, the bright blast of fireworks and horns just confirmed it, a miniaturized party cannon...

Whatever, it did what I wanted, Val and the Minutemares should have seen that signal, the gate should be open, had to get back to Peri! I flapped and shot up through the Vertibuck, the minigun spinning dry as I passed. I caught a glimpse of Peri dodging gracefully around the gate before I was sent flying by green rings of a magical sonic attack.

The King had waited, perched right outside the Vertibuck spewing lead down on anything in its weaving path. Maybe they weren't completely mindless monsters, or it was just a really good predator. Either way, a wall of that painful magical noise knocked me from my course and sent me to slam into the rusting hulk of an anti aircraft cannon with a hollow bong and a sickening crack, a wave of agony running down my leg.

I winced my way up again on a broken hindleg, spotting the King abandoning where he had waited behind the Vertibuck to charge around the top of the walls at me. A woozy glimpse of Peri dodging around the lumbering Queen in front of the ...still closed gate!?! Dammit!!! The muck making all the nests and constructs up here held it closed despite all the slack in the chains sagging down from it! Peri was leading the Queen towards it, nimbly dodging jets of acid that hissed against the ancient wood.

That was all I got before the King was on me, pinning me against the leaning tower of ancient weaponry jutting from the castle walls, snapping and snarling, jerking its head away from the weakly floating Terrible Shotgun trying to blow its head off and end this.

A near miss forced it back enough for me to see Peri's flickering shield collapse under the massive claw swinging down at her, raking her side in a terrible wound but continuing on and smashing the frozen drawbridge free. She gave a triumphant cry as the drawbridge fell with an echoing crash, opening the way for Val and the Minutemares outside.

Her weary golden eyes fell on me with a smile, tossing her long mane and weakly adjusting her course towards me to deal with my attacker. Warm satisfaction on her face for completing her mission that was suddenly cut short, a claw the length of her own torso erupted from her chest and she hung limply at the end of the Queen's limb, blood pouring down to the hungry spawn below her.

"NO!!!"

The dark Shroud in my head joined my primal scream as the world slowed down, the light fading from Peri's eyes as the Queen swung her claw to fling her away and feed her progeny. A surge of strength and magic from the depths of whatever reserves I had visibly crackled around me in a field of lightning and I activated S.A.T.S. to freeze time.

Still alive... she was still alive, she had to be... we hadn't... she couldn't die! I WOULDN"T ALLOW IT!

Dash, I needed to move fast to save her, I needed Dash. What if it didn't work right either? Like alcohol? Same answer then, take more... Three doses should do it, every second counted, just needed every edge I could get. Ok, that left the snarling bastard keeping me pinned. We were chest to chest on our hindlegs, frozen in time dodging each other as he pressed his bulk against me and dug in with those rear claws. It knew to avoid my weapons, but it was practically on top of my new one without realizing it....

The targeting spell gave low odds on anything else, but selecting Blue Moon to the chest gave a 90% chance. Just one shot would take most of the spell charge, but if it got it off me it was worth it. Get rid of this asshole, get Peri...

Time resumed and the barrel of the strange M.E.W. clicked out, the blue diamond head crackled and built up a charge with a slow motion hum as all that Dash hit me at once and the world grew brighter, the euphoria of the drug battling with the steady beat of fear for my friend. I saw the King's beady little eyes drawn down to the bright blue glow and wrapped my forelegs around its spiny neck, you're not going anywhere...

Those dark, sunken eyes widened in the slow crawl of time moving forward, it tried to struggle away, then Blue Moon fired... A blinding, wide, flat beam of pale blue-white energy that scorched a hole right through its chest and out the other side before the monster dissolved into blue ash in my grip.

I was loose! My wings gave a strong flap and I was up, plowing through the cloud of sparkling ash. Spinning into a lightning tinged dive, I shot towards the huge limb with the impaled blue alicorn slowly swinging out to be tossed aside.

I was running on panic fueled instinct, making an actually graceful roll past the slowly moving spray of acid and sending Best Served up and back down like a guillotine, severing the entire claw piercing Peri and grabbing her in a surge of overglow from my horn. The glowing green pit... radiation... I had just enough medical knowledge drilled into me first by my own father I had just told Peri about, then by Jade, to know not to let that claw come loose until I could get her down there, she'd bleed out in a heartbeat without it holding her guts together.

My heart was hammering in my chest as we spun and dove, the overdose of Dash making me a jittery bundle of speed in a fearful powerdive, past the queen and straight down her nest, past ruined and collapsed corridors and tunnels, down, down, down... Down to the heart of the bright glow and storm of radiation, filling me with even power as I squinted against the glare, hugging Peri close to me and aiming at the wide open arcano-flux reactor at the bottom.

The severely damaged power supply was tilted out into the pit, large sections of the shielding ripped away by big claw marks to pour radiation out into the nest. The Queen had grown too big to follow at least, her screeching bulk filled the opening above trying to do so and blocked off her smaller children. I caught a few popping up from the walls and muck down here, but I was busy, they'd wait...

I gently set Peri down right in front of the storm of radiation, glancing at my rad meter and watching it hit the end of the dial at purple and jitter there, all of my wounds healing faster than my armor self repaired over it. Sending a prayer to Goddess Luna and Peri's mother, I gripped the long claw with my magic and yanked it out in a fan of gore, sending it flying out in a surge of magic to impale the closest miretank hunter making its slow motion way towards us.

Come on... come on... please... Peri took a weak breath and the ragged hole in her chest started slowly knitting back together... yes! Heal! Faster!! The Dash, incredible amount of power coursing through me and the dark rage at seeing her nearly die was coming together in a perfect storm in my head, only my concern for her holding me back. I looked up at the half dozen dashes on E.F.S. skittering towards us in annoyance as she moaned and took another weak breath, her organs regenerating to fill the wide hole as I watched.

KRAKA-THOOOM! KRAKA-THOOOM! KRAKA-THOOOM!

I unleashed one surge of lightning after another, not even making a dent in my magic reserves and scorching anything that moved to a crisp, turning back to see her dull golden eyes fluttering and rolling my way weakly.

"M-Missi...on... gate... you... safe...." She sputtered and coughed up blood, but kept healing faster and faster as the Dash started wearing off.

"Quiet Peri, it's fine, you did it. Heal! Come on, you can't die! W-We still haven't done the whole mating thing right? You have to live so we can make a baby alicorn together, that's what you want, that's what you're getting! Just please don't die! I promise, we'll get out of here and do everything on your list! Anything you want! Just live!"

Her ribs started rebuilding before my eyes and she smiled weakly, "F-Fine... be fun... after mission... go, be ok now..."

I took another look around warily, making sure nothing moved down here. I didn't want to leave her, but muscle and fat were sealing over her ribs already, the ragged skin at the edges of the terrible wound inching its way back together. I heard gunfire and explosions above, the Minutemares had come in and joined the fight. The queen bitch that did this though... that one was mine...

Giving the recovering alicorn a tender kiss on the cheek, I nodded and pulled my hat down tight, letting the crackle of my surging lightning walking spell wash over me and spreading my wings. I crouched and tensed, then shot up the long shaft like a rocket, electricity trailing down the black contrail I left and my horn glowing, the Shroud's voice booming out as I shot out of the opening and into the open air above.

" KILL THE REST...THE QUEEN IS MINE!"

The swirl of red and green on E.F.S. paused and all eyes looked up at the crackling black alicorn against the light of the waning moon, even the miretanks and their queen focused on me, giving the attacking Minutemares a momentary advantage as they took heart in the raging beast on their side.

I caught a glimpse of my Princess hovering above the castle gate, a symbol for the attacking Minutemares pouring in under her as much as I was. Her blue eyes widened in concern looking up at me, the mare I loved.. I tore my gaze away reluctantly and let the dark Shroud in my head loose, I needed him right now, not her. I wanted revenge and blood.

The Queen shot a jet of acid up as I dove right at her, spinning in an awkward barrel roll and charging Blue Moon, forced to reload after just one shot that had used up half a dozen MFC rounds. I righted myself under the spraying fan of droplets and unloaded with the powerful M.E.W., paying the bitch back by burning a large hole straight through her shoulder. A little disappointing as I was aiming to fry her head off, but at least I hit her and took satisfaction in the angry wound, let her suffer first...

One huge foreleg missing a middle claw swung down and swatted me from the sky, sending me tumbling to slam into the brick walls of the courtyard above the battle below. She was unable to follow up with the string of explosions going off around her flabby hindlegs. Val's angry squawk from a nearby parapet heartened me and I peeled myself off the cracked, pony-shaped impact crater, growling and thumping to my hooves among all the Minutemares and miretanks below.

With my lightning walking charged with this much power, I was an electric blur, zipping through the furious battle, slicing limbs free, blowing snapping beaked heads off with the Terrible Shotgun, sending bolts of lighting ahead of me to clear a path back to the Queen roaring at the invaders. I kept seeing Peri's smiling face filled with shocked pain, that claw piercing her.. the light in her eyes fading... I was going to kill the Queen, no matter what, I was killing that thing right now!

I spotted Zed leaping in and out of the melee around me more than once, crushing the dense shelled creatures with his bare hooves. Glimpses of leathery wings zipping past overhead and the suppressed blast of Witchy's anti-materiel rifle too. As soon as I was close again I jumped and soared back up, the monstrous turtle ignoring her other attackers in favor of the annoying black blur that had killed her king and caused so much pain, good...

As powerful as Blue Moon was, it took too long to charge and reload, plus I couldn't even properly hit a target that big right in front of me. I switched to my shotgun and Thump-Thump, sending more 40mm grenades out among all the missiles and other explosives lobbed her way, crippling her hindlegs so she couldn't move around easily and focusing on those swinging claws. If I had to take the bitch down one piece at a time, that's what I'd do.

Dodging past another swing of her claws, I plastered myself against the top of her shell sent Best Served down to rip into her shielded neck, cackling madly at the spray of green gore coating me. "DIE! DIE! DIE! YOU UGLY BITCH! DIE!!!"

The Queen screeched and bucked wildly under me, sending me back to the air to dodge around her, swinging around her back and unloading a drum of shotgun shells at that slobbering beak. Another bolt of lightning scorched her pale, glowing chest before she swatted me from the air again into a clump of her swarm of servants.

A Miretank Hunter leapt over the bodies of three Softshell Miretanks blasted to pieces by the crash of Vengeance, swinging out with its poison coated claws, trying to stop the vicious creature that kept hurting its Queen. I darted around it in an electric flicker with Best Served in my mouth, taking its head in return for a long gash that started healing again immediately, my jittering rad meter still not moving from the purple end of the rainbow dial. A powerful jump sent me back to the air once I was past it, if I had to keep throwing myself at the monstrous bitch over and over again, it was worth it as long as she went down.

She was getting as annoyed with me as I was with her, leaving her children to deal with the herd of Minutemares working together to push them back and focusing on the black alicorn coming at her again. Another jet of acid sent me down and to the right, winding up right in line with her swinging claw that smashed me to the ground and pinned me there. The Queen's dribbling maw dripped acid to the ground near my head as she sucked in again, Blue Moon charging under her grip and Best Served hacking a trench through her limb one swing at a time.

A bolt of lightning made it dodge back, scorching its chest and face while it swung its free claw at the Minutemares pestering it. We felt the same way, nothing else was important, just us two... one of us was going to die. The wide beam of Blue Moon seared right through the claws holding me down, burning a smoking hole in her foreleg over me, but not taking the end of the limb off entirely, it still had me by sheer bulk.

"THAT IS MY LITTLE PONY!!!"

A blazing blue ball of alicorn shield erupted from the glowing green pit, a double sized Periwinkle scowled down with glowing yellow eyes, her blonde mane and tail waving behind her in a sparkling cloud as she shot forward. Bulldozing directly into the massive Queen and slamming her into the nearest wall.

The Queen roared and shoved back, her long limbs and bulk hugging the crackling blue shell pinning her in place, nearly able to cover the large sphere of defensive magic and spewing more acid over it, but unable to do a thing to the super charged alicorn shouting in her own booming goddess voice. "NOW FAST! I'LL HOLD IT!"

Alright you stupid magical energy cannon, nice stationary target... this was practically hitting the broadside of a barn. I planted my hooves to root myself and activated S.A.T.S., the open beak reared back to shoot out more acid was frozen in the best possible position, away from Peri's shield on the inhale but the targeting spell still only gave 50/50 odds... heads or tails with Peri so close... I hated magical energy weapons...

I did have a way to cheat the odds though... Kellogg's S.A.T.S. overcharge mod, the little crystal added to my pip-buck was fully charged again after using the targeting system so much. I wondered briefly what would happen using it on the already powerful cannon at my side, images of vaporizing the titantic Queen into a mountain of sparkling ash dancing in my burning eyes as I ran through the additional menus.

I accepted and the slow but powerful weapon clicked out and charged, enveloped in a bright glow of magic charged up over time by the Institute made mod. The wide beam of moonlight colored death erupted out in a blinding flash of a guaranteed hit. The bright blast streaming from the crackling blue diamond crescent incinerated the monster's head, scorched off that drooling beak before it could spit anymore poison, melted those beady black eyes, then right out the top of its skull and out into the night sky, up and up and up before finally fading away, leaving an ashy stub smoking in its place when it cut off.

Peri's shield dropped and she flew away from the corpse, letting it fall with a rumbling crash that drew the attention of every remaining miretank. A pitiful, shared cry rose up from the nest of monsters and a lot of the fight went out of them, several trying to skitter away back into the castle or down the pit. Most were chased and put down by advancing Minutemares, moving up to establish a forward position in the courtyard.

Blue Moon collapsed back in on itself and the Terrible Shotgun floating by my head barked out at a nearby softshell, blowing a hole in the squishy shell and dropping it as things started calming down and I panted in place, still itching for more to kill, turtles to explode, leathery necks to cut... blood, destruction, retribution...

Two blue alicorns drifted down and snapped me out of it, Jade anxiously landing and rushing forward to embrace me while her magic probed for any injury. Finding nothing with my radiation meter still dancing madly at the purple 'fatal' range, filling me with energy and regenerating any damage. She was joined by the heavy thump of an oversized but living Peri, giving a sleepy, lidded look down at her sister and me, smiling happily and showing that pale pink blush again.

"Fast! Are you alright? What happened! I thought you meant to open the gates without fighting these creatures yourself! One of you could have been killed!" Jade cried and glanced around the battlefield for injuries, torn on spotting a few that needed her help against me jittering and panting in place.

"Y-Yeah.. one of us almost was hon, r-really, really glad to see you both. You Ok Peri? You scared me..."

The big mare looming over us blinked and raised a hoof to her shimmery blonde mane, looking up and giving an annoyed snort, brushing the tattered remnants of her tan Minutemare coat off her broad chest. "I'm fine. I lost my hat..."

-------------------------------Level Up!------------------------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------------

Blaster Master-----
----Learning to be a little more flexible is tough, but S.A.T.S. helps make up for your lack of experience with magical weaponry! From boxy M.E.W. pistols to Magical Gatling Weapons and Plasma Casters, S.A.T.S. spell charge costs for all Magical Energy Weapons are reduced by 20%.

Ch. 60-- A Bit of Slap and Tickle

"Come on dammit... has to be down here somewhere..."

I snorted and picked up another huge chunk of shredded shielding, floating it over the blinding glow of the damaged arcano-flux reactor beneath Castle Equinox, dimming the bright green light and lessening the angry chatter from my pip-buck. The rainbow colored radiation meter on the device said I should be dead and glowing, instead I felt great, if slightly agitated and annoyed.

I held still to regroup with Jade, Val, Zed, Witchy, Preston and his Minutemares as they took the castle courtyard above, twitchy from too much Dash and a bloodlust that the Miretank Queen hadn't quite sated. A jumbo Periwinkle had happily given her report to her commander, puzzling over her amazed comrades crowded around to look up and listen, waiting for the part of the story that explained how the alicorn Minutemare they had gotten to know was suddenly twice her normal size.

Better she was big and alive, taking her down here to the magical maelstrom of radiation saved her life from what should have been a mortal wound. Now she was putting a little of that energy to use rejoining her fellow Minutemares, helping them secure the entry to the rest of the castle we were in the process of taking over.

After trying to reassure Jade and the others I joined them, cutting a bloody swath neither the injured Val or the slightly awed Minutemare squads I led could keep up with. Though led is a generous term... technically I was a knight/general in the group, but I was no commander. Mostly I saw the groups of brave, normal ponies preparing to face the monsters inside and couldn't leave them to go alone.

If they went to the wrong areas or tried going lower, they'd get radiation sickness, while I would not. There were still more of the worst varieties of miretanks lurking around, no Queen or King at least, but Hunters and Razorclaws, any of them could have a poisonous claw stab right through their chest too... Peri barely survived that, it was highly unlikely any of them would while I could at least regenerate. There were poisonous Radstar Spiders crawling in the shadows too, even my newfound resistance to poison had to work a minute to get over it, who knew what their venomous bite would do to a normal pony.

I led by flinging myself ahead of them, reveling in bringing death and vengeance down on every miretank in my path with a squad of recruits to back me up, no sneaking around or hiding, all of them were going to die. It still wasn't enough... I kept seeing that claw punch through Peri's chest and her face, that sad acceptance...

Eventually I had done enough, unlocked enough doors on the first floor for them to proceed without me, killed or scared enough of the miretanks into skittering down to the depths of the castle. I stopped at Preston's insistence on consolidating our gains, fortifying our position, blah, blah, blah, military stuff...

I wanted more to kill and everypony kept giving me tired and nervous looks, none of them overcharged with power making them twitchy and homicidal. Val had caught up to our last foray and shoved me back outside before I could wander off on my own, ignoring my struggles and tossing me loose once in the courtyard to; 'go find somethin' more fun ta do' since I was 'freakin' the newbies out'.

There had been a lot of activity out there, several Eclipse Villagers by the gates, including Captain Salty, the leader of the small fishing village in the shadow of the castle. I couldn't deal with the wide eyed looks of him, the villagers, the Minutemares, my friends... if I couldn't keep destroying those filthy monsters, I could do something else productive, somewhere almost nopony could follow me too.

So here I was, ripping more scraps of torn away shielding from the bottom of the Queen's nest, wrenching them back into a rough shape again and arc welding them together with an unending stream of power fueling my lightning spell. The castle wouldn't be safe for all the normal ponies above with this thing pouring rads out. Enjoyable as I found it, I wasn't normal anymore. I could fix this, make it safe for the Minutemares above so they didn't all start puking their guts out and overwhelming Jade with radiation sickness.

What I really wanted was still eluding me though. Peri's hat had to be down here somewhere, she loved that thing... I wanted to find it for her.

A huge chunk of dense metal the size of a sky carriage was torn loose like a rotten tooth from the bottom of the pit and bobbed back towards the reactor, bending back into shape in my grip and the amazing levels of strength I had sitting down here. I didn't get bigger like Peri had, but I was absorbing all of this spare power and felt like I could lift a locomotive. Maybe not the best idea as hostile and antsy as I still felt, but it was something that needed to be done and only I could do. A makeshift repair at best, but a super repair job for a super charged repair-pony.

"Fast? A-Are you alright?" Jade's meek voice drifted down to me and pulled me out of my thoughts, she looked worried and a little tired healing all the troops above as she fluttered down the pit, but being down here was quickly fixing that. Her eyes sparkled as she landed beside me, taking a deep breath and waiting patiently.

"Fine Jade, just... fixing things. Almost done. Everything ok up there?"

My princess nodded with a gentle smile, lightly touching my shoulder with a wing and cooing softly. "Yes, everything is fine, many are concerned about you down here alone. The villagers are putting on a feast, Miretank Queen is quite the delicacy apparently, they wish for you to join the festivities, as do I... I am worried for you Fast..."

I turned back from welding the latest rough chunk in place, the radiation still very strong, but dropping down to a point it probably wasn't suffusing the lower floors of the castle or pouring out the top of the pit anyway. Jade's look of enjoyment at basking in this much radiation was muted by the concern there, I didn't want to see her worry, but I couldn't lie either.

"I feel great Jade... brimming with energy, totally in the pink, I'll come out and join the party soon, I promise! Umm... look what I can do down here!"

Jade cocked an eyebrow and watched with an unimpressed and worried look as I yanked another scrap of metal free and twisted it in my magic, the thick metal squealing as it bent under the force gripping it and fitting back against the rest of the reactor housing. A big, broken vase I was gluing back together one bit at a time.

"I am not concerned about your physical wellbeing down here, I am afraid for your psyche however. You have already been under enormous strain, it has not even been a week since you were so drastically changed, that alone is a great deal to try to cope with, let alone... Periwinkle told me what happened Fast, of course she told everypony what happened... but I know. First Valkyrie, then Periwinkle right in front of you... I know you well enough to guess it is weighing on your mind.

I saw you myself, coming up from saving her here, furiously attacking that horrible creature over and over again... leading the Minutemares to continue in your violence. You frightened me! I do not think it is wise for you to be down here at the moment and I..." Jade paused and shivered with a soft gasp, totally saturated by the power still filling the air to the point she swelled a bit before my eyes.

My voice cracked replying once it passed, looking up to her with bloodshot eyes blurred by tears wanting to form. "S-She almost died... that thing just impaled her and.... I promised her and made her wait, she c-could have died w-without... because I wouldn't... I was so scared Jade, w-when she was ok it all just turned to anger, just like with Val... I couldn't help, but I could get revenge. I wanted to kill all of them Jade, first the Queen then all the rest, hunt them all down and enjoy it. I... I still want to."

Rather than look scared or shrink away from the venom in my voice, Jade rushed forward and enveloped me in a warm embrace, nuzzling my mane and rocking around me gently. "I know Fast, it is alright... Periwinkle is fine, you saved her and I am glad she will live to get her wish. You were frightened and stressed to breaking, lashing out, indulging in violence. Letting yourself lose control...

Sitting down here and absorbing even more radiation is not helping. Please come out with me, everyone is waiting, preparing a celebration and anxious to see you. The Minutemares and the villagers both are filled with joy and hope, our victory here is easing fears about the future and the Gunners. They all wish to thank you, including Periwinkle, come back with me?"

I buried my face in her warm breast and shuddered, feeling her back slowly but steadily stretching up and out under my hooves with each gasping breath. "I don't know if I should be around other ponies Jade... the way they looked at me, and I still want to just keep clearing the castle of everything that moves. Keep killing... If I can't do that, I can fix things. That's safe."

Again Jade stayed right by me instead of running from the growling admission, curling her wings around me tightly and purring lightly in my ear. "Then we will turn that frustration and agitation to something better, away from dark thoughts and activities and towards those much lighter..."

On looking back and up at the most beautiful mare in the world growing larger with a moan, my wings sprang out awkwardly and all my remaining aggression and energy found a new outlet. My mane itched and my hooves started roving down her back unconsciously as she smiled and kissed my horn.

"O-Ok... I can do that, a lot... I feel better just thinking about that instead actually, t-thanks Jade, just what the doctor ordered huh?" My roaming touch snaked its way down to a very ample and expanding rump and the bulk of my worries were lost in the heavenly embrace.

That was soooo much better, I had seen too much horror and death lately, too fast to keep up or stop. Almost everything about me had been drastically mutated into something new I was still trying to cope with, we were on the run, in enemy territory, fighting a shadowy conspiracy of mad scientists and the wasteland at large. Slowing down to enjoy the good things in life and love was the right prescription, just let go for awhile and relax.

A look of relief washed over her and she giggled, holding a hoof out to shove me back and keep me at bay. "I hoped that may tempt you, I was... ahem, growing concerned about you. It is veeeeery nice down here Fast, but perhaps we should leave before I end up as large as Periwinkle? We have some time while they prepare, but I'd rather not stand out quite that much in a celebration."

She was already close to a full head taller and climbing, her lidded eyes had those heart shaped sparkles dancing in them as she fluttered up and away, her big hoof tilting my chin up to follow more than willingly as I nodded dumbly. "R-Right... leave... H-Hang on, right behind you!"

A glimpse of scorched tan barely got my attention thanks to a bouncy pink mote in my head "Awareness! It was under E!" and I zipped off to Jade's impatient whinny, though another gasp from the exciting tingle of rads beneath her looked to make the wait pleasant enough and she stayed put to enjoy it. I tugged Peri's poor hat from under the fried Miretank shell it had gotten pinned under and raced to join her, pausing long enough for her to shiver and moan as she stretched up another couple inches and took her time flying away.

I was only vaguely concerned that rather than getting taller under this much radiation like her, like I had wanted... I seemed to become obsessed with one of two things, rampaging or rutting. At least the latter option wasn't as horrifying to anypony else around me, depending on your tastes I guessed.

The two of us flew back up the long shaft to the night sky and happy noises above, the larger Jade easily able to push back my overeager advances as we rose, wrinkling her nose cutely and shaking her head. "Oooooh no.... No offense Fast, but much as I want to, you smell awful... Glitter is anxiously awaiting us joining the celebration above, I bought us time explaining you and Periwinkle both need to wash that foul smelling slime off and rest before joining in any feast. As excited as I am sure you are, you will practice more self restraint first. You have been letting yourself lose control and I am most disappointed... Come and behave, perhaps you will be rewarded and calm yourself so you are fit to be around other ponies hmm?

Considering the pink bands that kept flashing across her eyes as she smirked back, I was pretty sure I knew where this was going, I could be patient... for awhile... Besides, now that I had Peri's hat and Jade's presence to calm me, I realized I did reek... All the miretank scent Captain Salty and Mint had slathered over us had been joined by a lot of gore and blood, cleaning up before seeing my daughter was probably a good idea, let alone the villagers of Eclipse and my Princess' troops. No wonder I kept getting odd looks, I looked like a blood soaked psychopath and smelled like a fish cannery.

The crowd of Minutemares and villagers in the courtyard cheered and waved as we flew out and away, the military ponies were moving with purpose, blocking every entrance into the castle and organizing their gains. Several looked to have joined the gaggle of tough villagers tying ropes to the huge carcass of the Miretank Queen and hauling it towards the gates.

A roaring bonfire was built down in the round, crescent moon plaza in the ruins of Eclipse below and more of the villagers were down there with other Minutemares, smaller cookfires and rickety tables being set up, a lot of happy noise drifting our way as we soared overhead. They really were going all out, I was glad Jade pulled me out of there to join in, though confused as we sailed by.

We weren't going to the village? Not back to the Lunar Nocturne hotel in the ruins or in the smaller, walled village near the beach either? Instead continuing towards the sea and down the shore, finally drifting down to an odd, roofless enclosure down on the beach and away from every other point of interest.

A tilted cutout of petrified wood showed a stunning young Fluttershy in a bikini that just made my head swim more, jealous of the small white bunny applying sunscreen to her back. The faded advice from the Ministry of Peace concerning protection from the summer sun went almost totally ignored.

Between the adorable young Ministry Mare's faded, life sized cutout in the sand and the blue beauty bounding ahead of me, Jade had successfully shifted me entirely from frustrated aggression to overstimulated libido. At least she knew what she was in for after last time... I absently hoped she had made excuses for an extended absence and was curious where she brought us, but my head was far too fuzzy to really care.

Jade shrugging out of her lab coat cut off any lingering questions, the garment at least adjusted its fit so it wasn't ripping off her as Peri's tan armor had done. She tossed it to a rusty hook beside the faded and crudely repaired pastel pink and blue walls, prancing towards the entrance that split off in two directions, pink or blue. I was right on her cloudy tail and tossing my armor aside to join her coat regardless, but she did turn back and giggle breathlessly.

"Mint Twist informed me of this place while we were waiting, after coating you in that slime... An old beach side convenience for washing seawater off, sadly not a hot shower, and it is impure rainwater, but fine for us to take our time and safely away from the others for awhile yes? Come along and remember, do as told, self restraint..." Her playful warnings washed over me, we had done this before, I could maintain control... mostly... for a little while...

I followed through a pair of turns meant to provide some privacy for the outdoor showers, my hoofsteps ringing on the cracked concrete. When we came around the last turn into the open, pink mare's side, I froze and my mouth hung open as my brain just stripped its gears.

Peri was sitting there... Soaking thanks to several sputtering streams of water and lathering herself to scrub the stink off, with what looked like a broken push broom as a brush, but unsurprised and unembarrassed, the chilly water and suds dripping off every curvy inch of... I shook my head and looked again in confusion, back to Jade smiling, back to Peri blinking sleepily... wha?

She had shrunk a bit already, but still towered over even Jade, scrunched down to soak in the stream of water from four rusty showerheads in the corner pointing up as far as they could. Beaming down at me stammering uselessly up at her, tossing her sudsy blonde mane back and clapping her hooves, her tail swishing back and forth in the puddle of water gurgling down the drain beneath her. "Fast! There you are, I'm glad sister Jade finally found you! Now sister?"

"W-W-What?!"

Jade grinned and curled a wing around me, shoving me forward despite my hooves digging in out of reflex and my wings stiffening awkwardly, tittering primly and nodding. "Periwinkle informed me all about your adventurous 'date', your fear when she came so close to dying and the things you promised. I believe this is on her list and you need a better outlet than violence yes? Periwinkle, you may scrub that filth off of Fast, but nothing else. Yet..."

Peri seemed happy with just that, giving a happy whinny and yanking me over with her magic, floating a bucket collecting more of the chill water among a variety of borrowed brushes and dumping it over me, followed by a crude bar of homemade soap lathering my mane as she hummed and worked overhead. "Hold still, it is very hard to get this smell off, I have been trying already Fast."

I sputtered under her ministrations, groaning and trying to hold myself back to look at Jade again, eyes wide in stunned confusion. "What?! Jade what're you... why? Y-You... what?!?"

The big blue love of my life gave me a sultry look and sauntered forward to join us, smiling softly and answering in a husky voice. "I have decided to relent and share as we promised, I did have many of the same thoughts as you when I heard she had almost perished before she had a chance to become a mother. I did not say I would simply leave the two of you to it however, perhaps after... but I wish to s-supervise... make the r-rules and my own place clear. I will permit this, but you are mine.

To be perfectly honest, with all the radiation you have absorbed and your previous performance... I wish to calm you down and I believe the help will be invaluable. I will allow and i-indulge in this, with a sister I too am very happy is still alive, this once Fast... But you must still prove your self control, consider it my own training akin to Valkyrie's.

You will both do as I say, I am comfortable with that compromise. For now, the two of you clean each other up, you may move to wash Periwinkle in return now Fast. I have no interest in getting closer while you smell so foul... Though Fast has a very pleasant smell coming from under all that monster slime does he not sister?"

I glanced between Jade's blue eyes and Peri's yellow ones, both dancing with tiny hearts and radiating pink in the irises, the constant itch of my mane emitting that pheromone smell again... "You took your time down in the pit to work yourself up to this... didn't you Jade?"

My amazing ...wife, paced in front of us, sticking her nose up regally as Peri roughly scrubbed at me, her big hooves roaming everywhere she wanted as Jade smiled and huffed a playful answer back. "I am sure I do not know what you are talking about Fast... Now, we do not have much time, so let us enjoy what we have. You will obey your Princess will you not? Every command?"

I trembled and dashed up to obediently scrub Peri's back to her happy squeals and nodded excitedly, the terror and rage I had felt completely fading away in a warm fog. My body switched entirely from wanting to fight to wanting to f... fill its purpose, as imagined by Moondancer's potion.

Both wings stuck straight up stiffly and sent a thrill down my spine as Peri started giving the sensitive new limbs attention. I checked one more time before losing what control I was holding on to with more than one filly waiting before me, looking to Jade prancing in front of us and seeing only nervous willingness.

"Anything you say Princess."

I had thought Jade made a lot of noise on her own before... her plus an inexperienced Peri was deafening. She was slow to rise as with all things, but once she got going it was like waking a sleeping giant... er.... literally I supposed. Though her condition actually helped, it was like my first time with Jade, putting me at ease reenacting the wonderful memory, just with double the blue alicorn this time.

I was very grateful for earth pony strength and sturdiness, saving me from dipping back down to the reactor beneath the castle to heal a broken pelvis shattered by Peri's long, strong legs. Jade didn't exactly help during that one either, doing the same to my head and barely remembering to release me to breathe, along with not incidentally crushing my skull.

The supersized alicorn arched her back above me letting loose a long, high pitched howl with none of Jade's attempts to muffle herself as we finished again. Shuddering around me, her head tossed to the moon and well above the tall walls of the showers before she collapsed on top of me.

A breathless and weary Jade prodded her eyes back open and pointed out me struggling under her, shoving her sister into rolling to her side beside her, letting me loose to suck in blessedly cool air again. I gasped a long happy breath, staring dizzily at the stars and lying between them, taking in all that wonderful female smell around me that just spurred my exhausted body on again. No more miretank stink, this was muuuuuch better.

With Peri panting rapidly to my right, I rolled to the left and started dragging myself towards Jade's smiling, rosy face. I released the glow of my telekinesis roaming over her, switching it back to Peri who gave a sharp gasp at the attention while I moved to Jade again. I was glad I had such skill with the simple spell when it came to juggling a lot at once, it was almost cheating but allowed me to divide my attention between the two of them almost equally.

I had the odd thought that an excited mare was a bit like hacking a terminal actually. It just took a light touch, a little skill and finesse to meticulously sift through everything that didn't matter and find the magic spots, slipping through defenses and tapping the right keys until they opened like a flower. I knew what buttons to press on Jade much better, but I was figuring out what worked on Peri by the mewling noises she was making.

I crawled to my princess and flopped weakly on top of her heaving chest, planting kisses up her neck but brought up short by a big hoof and a very reluctant whinny. "E-Enough Fast... the others..."

"More..." I grunted insistently, Peri's rumbling moan punctuating my point while my hooves roamed all over the perfect blue body beneath me.

Jade furrowed her brow and shook her head with a visible gathering of will, trying to reassert control. "W-We must stop, t-that is enough for now, w-we may c-continue later..."

"MORE..."

After letting me loose once I had jumped through enough hoops, the warm fog in my head refused to back off. I had obediently cleaned and been cleaned by the two of them, a wet, sudsy tangle of blue hooves and wings that all blurred together. I did just as my princess ordered and fought my impulses longer than I thought possible, but once she let me free I didn't want to stop, couldn't stop.

This is exactly what Moondancer's insane version of the I.M.P. had been demanding of me and I was lost to the pure bliss of filling my purpose. One beautiful mare on top of the other, a blue wall of alicorn flesh to lavish attention on that they both definitely enjoyed by the sound.

Bizarrely the soft voices in my head had joined in, "Be Kind..." seemed to peek in embarrassment from behind my eyes but took heart at the real emotion and care being given to both of them, "Be Strong!" was right there rolling mental sleeves up to get to work dealing with a pair of big fillies, "Be Unwavering" kept cheering me on with impressed whispers, while the bouncy pink mote of "Awareness!" helped catch every shivery reaction to guide my efforts where they were sure to cause the most fun.

All of them grew stronger with each wailing climax and helped to lock away the muttering "Be Dark..." back where it belonged. That shadowy spot of blackness returning to its lair had gotten louder and stronger the more I gave in to fury and anger, first in Talon's and then the castle, pushing the gentle voices of the Ministry Mares aside.

It was soothed by the warm glow of love for both of the mares with me now though, growing quiet and weaker while the song of the statues became louder and sweeter, all of them taking strength from love the way that lone, dark voice did from hate. The dark Shroud's only contribution that got past them now was the driving insistence of 'MORE' and 'MINE'.

Peri shuddered and added more cracks to the concrete floor, slamming her hooves down at a particularly well placed bit of blue telekinetic force and shoving herself up with a long moan, thumping over the two of us. Her looming shadow darkened my view, the cooing kisses and attention from behind more than made up for it though.

Jade's sparkly blue eyes fluttered and tracked her sister above us both, giving a final snort and pushing me back. "N-No... enough... b-both of you. W-We have already taken enough time, m-much as I may wish for more... Later. Who is in control Fast? S-Stop."

I had to slap myself to do as ordered and get ahold of myself, reluctantly forcing myself away as Jade stumbled back to her hooves. Tossing her sopping wet, pale blue mane out of her eyes and smiling sweetly at her sister's whines as I cantered out of range of her reaching forelegs.

Peri blinked sleepily and dragged herself after me, flaring her wings and stretching with a luxuriant gasp as I had forgotten to put a stop to my roving magic, pouting to Jade on the way as it cut off. "That is sooooo nice sister... Why didn't we do this long ago? You heard him, he wants more and so do I... can't we...."

Jade trotted between us as I cringed back, biting my tongue and trying to shove my wings down before they carried me back of their own volition. The mare I loved more than any other stamped a hoof by the gurgling drain and shook her head again, a note of finality in her voice. "That is more than enough, were it not for Fast's unique condition you would have to be satisfied after less than that. There are many of your comrades waiting on you as well, along with our friends and family sister. Fast is not the only one that must learn restraint, I will allow this so long as you both behave. Come back to the hotel with me so we may make ourselves presentable and greet them, let us leave Fast to collect himself hmm?"

Shoving a huge, whining alicorn ahead of her, Jade got her sister to flap over the pink walls and land with a thump outside, stopping to collect her coat and belongings. Without the pair of beautiful mares right in front of me, other parts of my brain took a stab at functioning again

"Do not tary too long Fast, go see Glitter and calm down, she is expecting you impatiently and we have kept her waiting long enough." Jade's sweet voice called over the wall separating us tiredly, retreating down the beach and leaving me with my racing thoughts.

The thought of my daughter helped cool the raging fires of lust trying to flare back up and I nodded to myself, trotting over to sit under the sputtering shower head I left running. It was cold water, but temperatures didn't seem to affect me the same anymore either, mildly uncomfortable at best...

Ok... Cold showers weren't going to be nearly as effective anymore. I let it wash over me anyway, thunking my head against the pink walls. That was an experience worth copying to a memory orb and reliving over and over again, strange to be with anypony other than Jade, but I was with her too so it wasn't so bad. Not bad at all actually... very, very, very good...

I had to stamp down on the unbidden thoughts of all her other sisters more than willing to join in out there. Fun as that was, Jade was right, that part was not the boss, I was... or she was more accurately... Either way, my new body didn't run things, Peri had been a pony we both cared about and trusted, and I still had to work my way up to giving her what she wanted. But she got it in spades by the way she weaved off through the air dreamily.

I turned off the trickle of tingly water and trotted out after them, shrugging back into my now clean Shrouded Stallion armor, Jade must have magicked it on her way... I looked up to Castle Eclipse with satisfaction. It would take a lot of work just to finish clearing it of the monsters infesting it, but it was ours now. Every Princess needed their castle after all.

With my head mostly clear again and feeling like a million bits, I cantered back from the beach whistling the Sparkle World jingle happily. All the weight of the horror show of Talon's Department Store and Gunter's funhouse, the castle full of vicious monsters and the terror of nearly losing two dear friends, all of it had been lifted from my back and I practically floated into town.

Actually I was... my legs prancing along on thin air a few inches above the ground and my wingtips fluttering. Everything was loose and limber, the wasteland was a beautiful place with wonderful ponies in it and I was approaching a cheery gathering that reflected my mood perfectly.

The tribe of fisherponies from Eclipse were busily working away in the wide open, weedy plaza of the ruined town they took their name from. The spiny bulk of the Miretank Queen had been dragged down along with a dozen other corpses, mostly the rarer varieties of the turtle monsters. The professional miretank hunters were expertly butchering the bounty on the spot and a multitude of cookfires lit the area, elderly cooks swatting hungry onlookers away as they worked.

I almost wished I hadn't torched the King to ash so I could see what he tasted like, but the Hunters, Razorclaws and the Queen herself would do nicely. My nubs of fangs stretched out in anticipation, joining my rumbling stomach at the wonderful smells my enhanced senses picked up. The Minutemares were making themselves useful wherever they could, getting along with the villagers and coming together for a party, Ministry Mare Pinkie Pie or Director Cheese Sandwich would be proud.

I still got a few wary looks, but a lot more happy waves and even awed stares from the Minutemares who had stormed the castle when the gates fell. I supposed I had put on a bit of a show, but I wasn't entirely in charge at the time. All the salutes and whispers made me a little uncomfortable, but it was mostly positive and for now I got a nice space cleared in my path, towards the Lunar Nocturne Hotel overlooking the plaza.

"DADDY!!!" Glitter's squeal was all the warning I got before a pale blur tackled me, pushing me back but at least not bowling me over, though she stuck her lip out in a pout at being unable to do so anymore. Maybe I should pretend every once in awhile, it made her happy and that was always important to me.

"Hey sweetie! Pretty cool party huh? See that big monster? You hungry?"

The little filly shuddered and stuck her tongue out at the giant carcass being dissected by the fisherponies, granted the still glowing hulk didn't look all that appetizing, but the stuff they were making out of it smelled delicious. "Ewwww... n-no... Did you an' Aunt Peri really kill that monster daddy? Auntie Val and the others were all talkin' about it! An' Aunt Peri is so big! Tell me what happened!"

Val limped after the foal from the porch and grinned, tossing back a bottle of Wild Pegasus and ruffling her mane. "Yer pop an' that goofy mare kicked its ass is what kiddo! I'm more interested in that big freakin' gun that torched its head off boss! Lemme see, lemme see!"

My griffon bodyguard rubbed her claws together and flicked her tail around in anticipation as I dug Blue Moon out of my bags and hoofed it over, the compact magical energy cannon snatched from my magic as soon as it was out, lovingly inspected by Val drooling over the weapon. "Oh my Gawd I love this fucking thing boss... modified plasma caster casing... woooo... blue diamonds, rare... what the hell this shielded housing for though? Weird... If'n I hadn't been pesterin' ya to start packin' a bigger gun, I'd take this baby for myself! Put it on an' blast somethin' with it!"

"Er... it takes MFC ammo Val, a loooot of it... Don't think we have much of that so maybe later. Sorry I ran off for awhile, I..." I looked over my beautiful griffon friend hungrily, hard as I tried that insatiable imperative to mount anything female had not gone away...

Especially Val... Knowing how she had been hurt in the past just made it stronger. I wanted to show her she was loved, give her all the pay she could handle and more. That lithe, muscular body marred by fresh scars just brought up the weird desire to kiss them all better again, inch by glorious inch, starting at her padded toes and going up.... stop! Feeling this way was better than wanting to revel in killing instead, but maybe I still shouldn't be around others... One would think a marathon menage au troi would be enough to sate me for a little while, but apparently not.

Val's pout and absent wave at my disappearance was cut off by Witching Hour diving down from above and landing between us, puffing up her chest and poking at me as Glitter climbed to my back, grumbling in that cute, squeaky voice. "There you are, you finally come out of that pit, then go and... w-w-where I could not follow again... I had to wait all this time and hear all that... W-Where did you get this!?!

Her slitted amber eyes locked on the dark blue weapon in Val's claws, an awed hush in her voice replacing her mild tantrum at being unable to adhere to her mission of following me everywhere. From what little I knew, the batponies of Dreadnot were expert weaponsmiths, she had to have an appreciation for such a work of art. A bit of drool was dripping down one of her thin fangs as she reached a shaking hoof towards Blue Moon.

"Ummm... from the castle... Turns out one of the heads of the Institute made it, er... for Luna..."

At the mention of goddess Luna, Witchy dove for the weapon, thwarted by Val holding it up out of her reach jealously and teasing her with it as she whined. "Let me see! A weapon crafted for the goddess herself! I must inspect it! service it! Touch it!!!"

I nodded to Val and the thestral mare hugged it to herself with a squee, tenderly caressing the short silver barrel etched with moons and stars and oooohing over the blue diamond crescent moon focal point at the end. I kept an eye on her to make sure she didn't just take off into the night with it, thankfully she was too beside herself to move though.

Pulling out a box of Fancy Buck snack cakes I liberated from the castle kitchens, I took one for myself and floated the rest up to Glitter's happy yelp. Munching the carroty cake to quiet my stomach growling for the meat still being cooked, while I waited for Witchy to stop making out with the weapon.

"Could I...." Witchy tried giving a very odd version of Glitter's favorite puppy eyes trick, the effect still came through but it was strange seeing slitted eyes widen and glisten like that.

It was decidedly less innocent than the foal's version too, fluttering eyelashes, pouty lips, a swishing purple tail and wiggling flanks as she shuffled in place that put her most impressive ...'asset' on display, further stirring me back up again.

That thestral was playing with fire, a single kiss and frantic, passionate wrestle together she had willingly returned in a vat of Glint Brewery's finest was not enough... I wanted more exotic batpony, to feel those sharp fangs with my tongue again, to nibble on those tufted ears and take a bite from that perky rear... GRRR!... Restraint, come on! Stop thinking about that!

Her attempt at begging was shut down cold by Val thankfully, snatching Blue Moon away from her and hugging it to herself. "Nooooope! Don't even try it, this thing ain't goin' nowhere! Even if boss don't want it, it's mine before some batty mare flirts her way in scoopin' up this baby!"

"And I do want it, so Val's not taking it as her pay either. Sorry Witchy, though there's lots of cool Luna stuff just waiting in her castle I bet, the safe I took this from had a nice portrait of her!" I scratched my itchy mane and tried to distract myself with the thoughts of what waited inside the castle on the cliffs above.

That looked to cheer the loyal thestral and she looked up to the dark castle in wonderment, shifting on her hooves and looking torn. "Goddess Luna's castle... We have wished to explore it for so long Fast, I am still shocked thou was able to... t-the way you killed that monster... I should insist on returning to Dreadnot sooner now, to report this to the others... but...

Y-You will not come anyway right? It will not hurt if I look around a bit, help your friends clear it of the remaining creatures defiling it... explore... P-Perhaps thine refusal is not so bad, I suppose it's not my fault if you continue taking your time and finding distractions, I can hardly be blamed right?"

"Not at all Witchy, was thinking of ways to break it to you anyway, but we're gonna be busy awhile here. I will need to go to Dreadnot soon, so I'm not just blowing you off. You have to stick with me though right? Relax, enjoy the party and help us take over the castle, I bet you know lots of things that might be useful, place is full of secret passages and stuff."

That got Glitter's interest, my little filly gulped down a mouthful of orange cake and frosting, mumbling around it with bright curiosity. "Really?! Like hidden doors an' moving bookcases an' stuff?!"

Witchy's eyes widened and darted back to the castle before answering for me excitedly. "Yes! Goddess Luna was very fond of such things, the Castle of the Two Sisters was packed with them in ancient times, you actually found some Fast?"

I nodded and hovered up a foot or so off the ground, still struggling against even the meager weight of the foal on my back, but it was worth it for her happy squeal as we wandered into the crowded plaza. "Ayup, found a couple, er... by accident, but still. See Witchy, you know stuff about the place, we could use one of Luna's finest helping us. Waiting around here awhile won't be so bad right?"

The batpony's fluffy ears drooped as she followed, duty and desire warring on her pretty features until she gave a shaky nod. "I... I suppose so... I-It's alright to indulge a little right? You won't leave no matter what I do? S-So it wouldn't be my fault... V-Very well, I would like that Fast, I will help so you may leave sooner, that's still working towards my mission if I look at it that way... Thank you!"

Reassured I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, Witchy flapped off to join the festivities ahead of us, offering an excellent view of her retreating rump I had to tear my eyes away from. I took my time with the limping Val at my side, enjoying the happy atmosphere and smiling faces.

The Minutemares were riding the high of a big victory for their order, while the Eclipse villagers looked like they could see the light at the end of the tunnel after a long time in darkness. The Gunners were still out there, but the Princess in their midst and her army had proven they could win, if we took the castle like we said we would, dealing with the Gunners wasn't as hard to believe.

I saw just the mare that was responsible for the shared looks of hope among them all, a taller than normal, regal beauty, graciously trying to squeeze through the crowd of smaller ponies looking up to her with awe. Her costume tiara gleamed in her cloudy blue mane and she had even gone so far as to put on Sassy Saddle's gorgeous princess dress.

The effect was worth her discomfort at being the center of attention, I even caught Witching Hour stopping and giving her a stunned look. That was a Princess, maybe not hers, but the radiant blue alicorn in the shimmery pale blue gown and crown commanded adoration, smiling and replying to each of her well wishers as she pushed her way towards us gently.

Flapping up a bit more put me up to her blushing face when she arrived and let me give her a long kiss in welcome, being able to fly made the whole display of affection easier. I still wished I could at least try being as tall as most ponies, but so long as I could get up here to her, I could live with not processing radiation the same way she did. The lewd thoughts rising at every mare I saw had a safe outlet and went into overdrive basking in her beauty, even the warm weight of my daughter barely enough to hold them back.

"O-Oh my.... It is good to see you as well Fast, r-restraint though... I am attracting a great deal of attention already... Though at least Periwinkle is more distracting, she seems very happy." Jade purred in my ear and shivered at an insistent kiss to her neck, giggling at attention to one of her favorite spots, along with the foal climbing my neck to scramble over to her instead.

I got a pale hoof to the face and another smooshing my hat down as Glitter leapt over and slid down Jade's long neck, wriggling on her broad, bare back and hugging her. "Hi mommy! You look so pretty in Sassy's dress! Plus you're taller again, how come you didn't get as big as Peri or Swan though? I wanna see that! Then I'd have a giant mommy!"

Jade's face flushed as she turned to follow Glitter's pointing hoof to Peri, looming over a gaggle of Minutemare comrades and Preston Gardens with a look of sleepy contentment. Shaking her head gently to not dislodge her passenger, Jade stammered a reply and started heading that way. "P-Perhaps some other time dear, I am glad it does not frighten you and you find it so interesting, but being in that state attracts a great deal of attention... Y-You know I am uncomfortable with such..."

Glitter pouted and hugged her neck tighter, "But everypony loves you momma! You shouldn't be shy, you're a Princess! I still think it's cool, I wish I could! I'd get really, reeeeeeally big, stomp on all the bad ponies an' help the good ones! Did Aunt Peri really only get that way cause she got hurt? W-Was it bad?"

"Very bad sweetie... I was really scared for her, the only way I could save her ended up like that. I'm glad she's safe now though huh? How about you tell her you are too, I bet she'll like that." I answered shakily, trying to keep my thoughts from turning to the image of that wicked claw punching straight through the big mare ahead. I was heartened to see Glitter leap off Jade and bound off into the crowd, jumping and waving her hooves in the air for attention so far below Peri and among all her admirers.

Watching her blink down and float the tiny foal up to her face to nuzzle, I realized she did have just that, admirers... Her comrades looked like they had gotten to know the odd mare as fellow Minutemares, but I noticed several bucks and fillies giving her looks full of longing, running off and returning with drinks or food, offerings held up for a little of her spacey attention.

The spark of dark jealousy that flared to life at the realization and grunted 'MINE', took great satisfaction in her ignoring all her suitors, looking away from the giggling filly to find me at Jade's side. She looked amazing after her veeeery thorough shower and Jade's help, her long, groomed mane fell in a sparkling cascade around her and her silky blue coat shone in the firelight.

Looking her over greedily, I realized what was wrong with the picture and dug in my saddlebags. As soon as I had her slightly scorched tan hat out and in my mouth, the big filly gasped and locked on to it. Floating Glitter to her own wide back, Peri stood suddenly, making her admirers stumble back and knocking one lucky young buck aside with her prodigious rump, flicking her flowing tail over his stunned and goofy smile as she tromped forward.

As much as I was struggling to keep my much more positive if lascivious impulses under control, I still soaked up all the jealous looks I got at her lidded golden eyes fluttering my way. Her cheeks grew pale pink and her ears lazily drooped as she sauntered over, tugging her hat from my grip with her magic to return to its proper place atop her head.

I was scooped up next and squeezed tightly in a giant hug, her soft muzzle planting kisses all over and nuzzling at my itching mane, purring between the attention happily, causing a lot of green eyed jealousy to spring up in her compatriots behind her scowling at me. "My hat! You found it for me! Thank you Fast! I love my hat almost as much as you!"

On the one hoof, I was happy for Peri making friends and knew such a pretty mare was bound to have ponies falling all over her. On the other though... that dark grumble in my head repeated 'MINE' and I basked in her overeager attention, smiling at every envious stare. I claimed her, repeatedly... in every way possible... this mare was mine. They could look, but not touch. All mine... and I wanted MORE.

Before I lost myself to the warm fuzziness clouding my brain, Jade rolled her eyes at my wings stiffening under her attention and gently shoved the big filly back to Val's hoots. Kindly whispering an admonishment in her ear and getting those heart shaped sparkles in her golden eyes to stop as she sat down with a heavy thump, sending Glitter to go sliding down her long back with a happy, innocent squeal that helped me regain control.

Preston pushed his way past his troops and around his oversized alicorn member, tipping his funny hat and grinning, trotting over to clap me on the back. "Some night huh Fast! Great work, we've got control of the courtyard and a good chunk of the first floor now, nothing that's left is that anxious to come crawling back out after seeing... that. You two are heroes! Once we get things settled down, you're due for a promotion and a medal Peri! We'll have to start coming up with some I guess, huh Princess?"

"W-What? I suppose so... such things are concerns of your Minutemares Preston, I have nothing to do with..." Jade gave a confused reply and was cut short by the jolly Minutemare leader taking a bow before the group's patron Princess.

"Oh no, I can come up with em, used to have awards for valor and service back in the old days before it all fell apart... But awarding them now? That's a job for a Princess! The thought of receiving a medal from Princess Jade herself is sure to keep our ponies trying their hardest and I've already got a few that deserve it. Now that we've got a castle to rally around, that's on the list of things to do, starting with Peri here!"

Val took a swig of a local alcohol that smelled suspiciously fishy and very strong, saving Jade from stammering an answer and grumbling at the Minutemare General, returning to one of their favorite back and forths, practicality versus idealism. "Sure, medals is what ya need... not defenses, guns, troops, fortifications, all that silly stuff ya know. Not like ya got an army of pissed off mercs out there, they're gonna come knockin' eventually an' we need ta be ready!"

"He knows Val, it's like the party here though, sometimes the silly stuff is as important as the practical stuff, just look how happy the villagers are! We helped do that and it's a good thing. She is right though Preston, we got a lot of work to do and we're under a deadline. I'm a good repair-pony, but this is a big job and I need a lot of stuff and plenty of help."

The smiling green Minutemare nodded and looked back with determination in his warm brown eyes. "Right. This is pretty far from Sanctuary and where we're doing the best, a good location to get everywhere once we've really made it ours though. I've already sent couriers out for supplies and reinforcements. Badda Boom's squad is still at that Talon's place stripping it down, what else do you need Fast? We're ready to get to work when you are and even have a few troops with some repair skills to contribute. Just say the word."

Thinking of all the repair work the castle would need helped douse the excitement Peri had riled up and still looked to want to continue. Nice, boring repairs... I almost never got to do my old job, especially on this scale! Fixing a castle dwarfed even keeping Stable 111 running and I looked forward to it, wishing I had all the parts and help I could ever need like back home. It wasn't all simple fixes like there though, I had other things I had to take into consideration now and sat to scratch my mane in thought.

Seeing the rattling Sentry-bot patrolling the entrance to the plaza and the ruins of Eclipse gave me somewhere to start, I had done what I could and the Minutemares had found a coat of blue paint to cover the Gunner green from somewhere, but it was still in awful shape. I needed tools and parts, for him and the castle. I knew just where to get them too.

"I need to get word to Rusty in Hexington. Parts, a robot workstation to use here, lots of tools... I'll write a letter with a list. I had to send AssaultJack away when we left Goodneighbor, but I bet she can haul it all back here safely and it will be good to have her to help defend the place.

Shamrock in Goodneighbor too, not just for stuff from the M.O.M. hub, we'll need a good spymaster type pony I think... be tricky going back there though. I think I can cobble the reactor back into working too, the miretanks didn't mess with the core since they liked the radiation. Hmm... I'm not exactly a mason or anything, a castle is a lot different than a Stable so anypony who knows anything about that will be good."

Zed spooked me by appearing from nowhere, a soggy and foul smelling sack on his flank he only identified as 'alchemy ingredients' drawing my eye as he spoke up. At least I didn't have any unwanted impulses springing up in response to the zebra stallion, my barn door still didn't swing that way, what he said was a help too. "Neighlem. The zebras there once worked a very large quarry nearby, they have passed masonry skills down through the years and I would like to go there at some point Fast. You may find help there."

That was an interesting contribution, a skilled zebra mason would be incredibly handy. "Thanks Zed, we'll have to see about that when we reach that point. Mostly we need to clear the castle and find the rest of the keys to open it up for now. It was used in the war, who knows what's still in there.

Jade softly spoke up as well, adding her own area of focus to the discussion. "I will need to write to Sanctuary and Stable 114 myself, we will need Followers to deal with the wounded we are unfortunately sure to accumulate. Healers and medicine from our Stable friends will be invaluable if we are really contemplating... w-war.. with the Gunners."

I checked my pip-buck map as we spoke, looking over all the places we had traveled in the Commonwealth. The icons on my map for each location and the glowing lines tying them together on the display represented everywhere we had tried to make a difference, a bringing together of isolated communities of allies that we could now draw on for help. We'd need all we could get, but seeing it spelled out on the map made me proud, everything we had gone through was worth it. We actually were bringing the Commonwealth together against the Institute's wishes, one small step at a time.

"Until I have a clearer picture of what's there to work with and what needs to be fixed, we're flying blind there Preston. As for the Gunners... When the squad from Talon's comes back we can start trapping the path here and getting ready, but we need time... Val, what will they do? They lost the Skybridge and the group they sent here, but they know it was me that did it. Any ideas how they'll react?"

The recovering griffon stretched her wings with only a slight wince and flicked her long tail in thought, taking a drink and laughing. "React? They'll be pissed is how they'll react boss... As fer what they're likely ta do... remember, I ain't been down here in a long time, so take all this with a grain of salt ok? Lemme think... Gunter was a mucky muck, losin' him will freak em out a little. Be a few days 'fore they really start to worry there though, he had a habit of disappearin' now and then, now I know what he was up to when he did... bastard.

We still gots a bounty, knowin' it's you that did it will tick em off more, but they oughta behave themselves up north, honor the contract with Blue here. Gonna be watchin' Sanctuary close though, tell that crazy robot of yours to leave all invisible like. Mostly they should dig in at first, lost one outpost so the others will be on alert 'fore long. They'll focus around the Skybridge and spiral out, less they get hit somewheres else..."

By the eager tone she finished on, I knew what she wanted. I wasn't quite as focused on thoughts of revenge, but had to agree with her implied suggestion. If they were attacked somewhere else, somewhere far from Eclipse... That may work for awhile...

"Ok. Val, I need you to work with Preston, we need a map of everything you know about this part of the Commonwealth, any resources or ruins we can use and where the Gunners are. We also need to look for allies along with enemies though, that's on you Jade. We can take a break here for awhile, but we'll have to go out on a bit of a... diplomatic tour I guess... among other things. It's a lot to deal with I know, but for now let's all just enjoy a well earned celebration huh? Whatever they're making out of that Queen smells really good, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

I tipped my hat with a smile to our impromptu war council, trotting off into the party just getting started around us. A few Eclipse villagers with crude musical instruments were joined by a couple of Minutemare... er... mares, tentative notes rising from the musicians and a couple of talented unicorns from both groups.

A very pretty Mint Twist pranced over to us, wearing a tattered prewar dress of pale yellow-green that complimented her light green coat and darker green and white mane. She had cleaned and primped herself for the gathering as well, her blushing chatter when she arrived with a steaming plate in her mouth just got me going again. An earth pony... young and strong, plainly smitten and not waiting for her gasping uncle Captain Salty to catch up.

"Fast! umm... P-Princess... Here! Queen Miretank Steak, er... old tradition, the hunter who killed it always gets the first bite, e-everypony says that's you! And Miss Peri of course... er... t-they're carving you off a b-bigger portion Miss..." Mint jabbered nervously once I floated her offered plate free, goggling up at the big Minutemare overshadowing me.

I gave my honest thanks and took a big bite, the smell was driving me crazy already, my fangs had extended all the way with a rush of saliva and I hoped I wasn't giving too predatory of a grin devouring the exotic meat. At the time I had kept suppressing the urge to bite the Queen while she was alive, rip her flesh apart and drink her warm blood down in the throes of a berserk rampage. Cooking it was a much better option, it was even better than the Miretank Cakes Mint had given me as a gift before we had gone in there.

Her bright, pale green eyes widened as I woofed it down, stuffing my cheeks and growling blissful satisfaction. Meat... I wasn't sure why ponies were mostly vegetarian, meat was soooo good... Awakening a deep hunger that made me glad there was so much of it to try out here. Gulping the last bite down and ravenous for more... MORE everything... more meat... more...

Jade tugged my tail with a huff, pulling me back from the filly turning an blazing red at my subconscious advance. I was somehow leaning forward with my ears pointing straight up and towards her, my mane itching and wings flared, my fangs had to be showing as that's where Mint Twist's nervous eyes were hanging, while mine had drifted to the shapely flanks accentuated by her simple dress. I had to shake my head and quickly held a hoof up to my muzzle in embarrassment as her uncle Captain Salty caught up, how had I gotten so close to her?

"Good ain't it! Oooold recipe there, ain't had Queen meat in ages, not since I was a whipper snapper! Gotta admit Mr. Times, was an impressive bit o' work in there. Even if you can't do nothin' bout the Gunners an' split all the meat even like yer General Preston there suggested, we gots food enough for years. If we can keep it all preserved anyway, damn freezer always on the fritz.

Congratulations, convinced a lot of my ponies you Minutemares an' yer Princess here are fer real." The leader of the tiny tribe of fisherponies shook my hoof forcefully, grinning like a fool at something he thought impossible, missing his niece holding a hoof to her racing heart I could hear from here.

"Thanks Captain, maybe I can help with your freezer, lot of other stuff to fix on my plate but that sounds simple enough. Glad we're winning some new friends here, we really do want to help." I replied and tried to ignore just how friendly I wanted to be with his niece, feeling this way was inconvenient and annoying sometimes, I had to find a way to focus somehow.

Captain Salty finally released my foreleg and beamed, eyeing the castle warily and crossing himself with that odd gesture I had seen many of the villagers make towards it... or me... "Comin' round ta that idea slow but sure, that nest was getting bad, only a matter o' time 'fore they tried to expand and push us out, so we're in yer debt. Happy ta have ya as neighbors I guess, long as ya didn't let the Shroud out in all that... already got a few folks nervous he's loose now."

I raised an eyebrow curiously, "Why? I think I found where he's buried, it's locked up tight and I didn't see any sign of the real Shrouded Stallion anywhere else, pretty sure he's not loose, why would anypony think so?"

Mint got herself under control and pushed forward breathlessly, crossing herself like her uncle and looking out towards the beach in fright. "Didn't you hear? Those scary wails and screams from the sea just awhile ago? Some ponies are already saying it's him, crying for his lost mistress and how the world's changed since he was free. They were really loud and went on and on..."

Wails and screams from.... that... direction... A surge of embarrassment finally managed to tamp down on my annoying friskiness as I turned a bright red to rival the pretty mare. I had a good idea what wails they had heard and it wasn't the Shroud... er... ok it sort of was...

"N-Nah... d-d-didn't hear a thing..."

My thoughts were buzzing with everything up in the air, the Gunners trying to rule this part of the Commonwealth under an iron hoof, our own castle waiting to be unlocked and truly be made our own, Witchy's home of Dreadnot to the south, the mysterious Railroad I had a vague appointment with, even the Brotherhood in their massive cloudship visible across the waters to the north. Lots to deal with, and hanging over it all like a cold shadow was the Institute.

Taking a bit of solace in the warmth of friends, family and celebration wasn't something trivial or a waste of time though, it was as important as anything else. Glitter bounded out with the herd of Eclipse fillies and colts near her age running about the party excitedly, getting into everything, playing with ponies her age like a filly should.

I smiled at her making friends with the bright red filly Floaty that had nearly been a victim of the Gunners left to ride roughshod over the village, thanking her for her new stuffed Luna doll and playing with the shy foal's new Shrouded Stallion figure. My little public relations filly, able to draw out even the most anxious and traumatized of ponies with just a few sweet words.

Jade and Val flanked me wherever we went, sturdy walls of the two ladies I loved the most, with a big but steadily shrinking Peri stomping along to bring up the rear, leaving her suitors behind without a glance. It occurred to me I was building a harem...

I shook of that guilty ...delightful... thought and threw myself to the celebration. Trying to just make my racing brain shut up for awhile and enjoy life. I realized I hadn't really slept for a couple days now too, maybe we needed a break...

For awhile at least, there was a bright spot of happiness in the wasteland where before there had been fear and darkness. I still caught a few anxious looks occasionally, stares up at the castle or to the west and the swampy peninsula of land leading back towards Trotson. They were all short lived however, easily distracted by the hope for a better future and anticipation of things to be done. Both the Minutemares and the villagers shared a determined, hard working spirit that would make Ministry Mare Applejack proud.

Val didn't try challenging me to another drinking contest, but had tumbled to using my inability to imbibe against me as I had her. She took to visibly drinking and getting tipsy, showing off that she could enjoy it as a drunken, goofy griffon, forcing me to dance in a dizzying, graceless display, adding her bawdy voice to the increasingly good music as the ponies playing it stopped being strangers and got to be friends, generally just having a grand old time while I remained stone cold sober.

I spotted Zed loosening up quite a bit, he seemed pretty comfortable around the tribal miretank hunters and fisherponies actually. He had said before he was a hunter of sorts, maybe he felt at home around other hunters. He spoke with gaggles of burly, scarred ponies who were plainly not used to scrubbing up for a party, speaking with animated interest.

My jaw dropped when a pretty, muscular silver mare with a jagged scar down her neck, not quite covered by her bright red mane, actually tugged him out to dance. I thought my gaping mouth was going to hit the floor when he not only agreed, but displayed an eerie grace and fancy hoofwork, earning cheers from the crowd as they whirled and twirled to the lively music. His partner was strong and agile, and no bashful filly but a mare his age, a few years my senior.

Even Witchy looked to be having a good time, a few too many drinks with Val had her face rosy and her flittering flight around the gathering growing loopy and weaving. I caught her drunkenly waving to the dark statue of Princess Luna that stood in the plaza, a pair of Minutemare bucks not really listening to the long and formal speech on the former ruler of Equestria, more focused on the gorgeous, inebriated batpony filly giving it.

That caused another dark pulse of jealousy and possessiveness to spring up I had to stomp down on. One kiss... one kiss did not make her mine, despite what the muttering voice in my head said. We barely knew our new companion for Celestia's sake, all I really knew other than where she came from and wanted me to go; was that she seemed nice enough, had a penchant for weapons of all kinds, a fierce loyalty to goddess Luna, and that she had an amazingly soft, pliant rear that I kept remembering the feel of under my hooves...

Peri was enjoying herself too and staying close, now that she had gotten what she wanted she wasn't nearly as insistent on that one point and relaxed somewhat. Getting a taste of what mating was about beyond just reproduction had obviously made an impression though. She wasn't obsessed with breeding to produce a foal anymore. Instead she breathlessly informed me with a purring whisper down to my ear that she wanted to try more for fun, now that she was approaching her normal stature and her hat was close to fitting properly again.

She pulled out her battered notepad she had recovered and proudly showed the pages filled with sloppy script of things she wanted to try, repeating what had got me into this to begin with. "You promised..."

And I had... in terror while she regenerated a ragged hole right through her chest, begging her to live and offering anything if she did. She had her list and I did tell her I'd do everything on it, anything she wanted if she survived somehow. She had, and she remembered... Despite my nervous gulp and nod up to her, I was still raring to do just what she wanted too. A lighthearted celebration had not done anything to slow down the lustful urges still saturating my brain.

The sleepy yawn of my daughter did at least, her pink eyes were bleary and tired as she kept trying to stay up well past her bedtime, mechanically chewing on a local desert made with miretank parts and lots of sugar. I leaned up to kiss Jade and excuse myself, turning back to Peri's insistent snort and repeating the gesture to her delight before scooping Glitter up in my magic.

She whined floating along beside me as I turned towards the ruined Lunar Nocturne Hotel, a ramshackle rectangular construct of sea weathered wood, but a place to sleep and recover. The little filly wanted to stay up and keep partying, but while the spirit was willing, her tiny body was weak and sleepy. I hovered her to my back as I cantered off towards our crumbling shelter for the night, speaking back to her softly and trying to tempt her.

"I know you want to stay up, but like mom says, growing fillies need their sleep right? Come on, I'll stay with you, I've had enough excitement for one night already. Besides... I just so happen to have found some books of fairy tales and myths I've been dying to read with you, want a new story sweetie?"

She snatched the heavy, leatherbound tome from Bobbing Cane's home from my magic and to her hooves, hugging it to herself and nodding excitedly. "Ok daddy! Y-You won't go nowheres, right? I don't wanna go ta bed while all the grownups keep havin' fun..."

"I promise sweetie, though it'll be a contest to see who passes out first I think. I don't think I've really slept in awhile now that I think about it. A good bedtime story will do us both some good, right?"

She nodded happily as I climbed the rickety stairs to the room we had taken, a battered corner suite with the smallest holes in the walls we could find still letting in a great deal of chilly sea air. A musty old mattress was all that had survived of the furniture, lifted from the ruined frame and shoved in the corner furthest from any gaps in the walls.

Not great accommodations, but hopefully temporary with the castle waiting. We'd both prefer her to be home in Sanctuary with her own little bedroom that was once mine and all her toys, but she was a tough little filly, a wasteland survivor and scavenger, roughing it was no big deal for her. I still wrapped her tightly in the ratty blankets we had dug up, sitting beside her and eventually getting my wing to cooperate and curl around her, my feathers were warm at least.

Once she was settled in and snuggled against my side, I cleared my throat and cracked open the ancient book. Looking over the flowing script of the first story in the book Mr. Cane had used as inspiration for his comics, finally able to read and indulge my obsession. Between that and my filly at my side, I finally felt clear headed and myself.

"Ahem... Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria...."

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there was a very sad event in Canterlot. A young mare had died.

While such things did happen even in our bright and happy world, this was especially sad as she was well known and loved by everypony she knew. Even the Princesses Celestia and Luna attended her funeral and wept for the loss of one of their servants in the castle.

She had fallen from the grand waterfall and drowned, a terrible accident that made everypony very sad. They wept over her still form and said their goodbyes, marveling at how beautiful and peaceful she looked in her casket, draped in a dark deathshroud that covered her wounds but left her serene face bare.

As the mourners left the grand Canterlot cathedral where the Princesses had ordered her funeral to take place, Princess Luna remained behind to make her farewells to the mare that had been her favorite attendant. The night princess wept over her, startled by a young buck speaking behind her with tears in his eyes.

A poor rock farmer from outside Canterlot, the stallion told the princess he didn't think her death was an accident. She had been afraid of heights you see, never willingly going near the broken railing she had fallen from. He angrily rejected the whispers that maybe she had jumped too, for the buck had been her special somepony and they planned to be wed.

Luna listened as the bereft buck told her she had spoken of being pestered and frightened by somepony in Canterlot. She had never told him who out of fear he would defend her from a pony high above his station that lived in the capital, while he was a peasant from outside the grand city.

After he finished his sobbing tale, Princess Luna tried to console him. Frightened by the convincing worry that somepony had hurt his love, she promised to find the truth. When she told her sister Princess Celestia his story, her sunny sister was concerned as well, ordering her royal guard to investigate. The idea of a pony killing another was abhorrent, but could not be ignored. Despite their best efforts however, they could find no evidence of such a horrible crime.

Princess Luna was very sad, and now very angry. Before her servant was buried in the cold ground, she took the shroud from her coffin and vowed to find the truth, to get justice if the poor rock farmer had been right. After she had raised the moon as was her duty, she returned to her chambers to explore the dreamweb with the funeral shroud as a blanket, the dreams and deepest thoughts of all her sleeping subjects lay bare before her, letting her search for answers no royal guard could find.

After a long and arduous search, she found a dream of the poor mare that did not match the others. Not a sad dream, nor a happy dream of memories past, but a dark dream... but yet it was not a nightmare either. In the hidden heart of a cruel noble buck, she saw the deepest, darkest thoughts of ponykind play out before her.

The snobby noble buck had seen the mare's beauty and wanted it for his own, demanding she forget her penniless love and be his special somepony instead. His advances had gone rejected over and over however, her love was pure and true, not all the gold and gems, fancy dresses, rare flowers, gourmet chocolates or treasures the noble pony could offer would sway her.

Angry at being rejected, the selfish noble had ordered her to meet him above the falls and as a servant she had to obey despite her fears. He commanded her to love him and be his wife, and she refused him again. In the dream Luna saw his fury at being denied what he thought he was owed, watched him shout and rage at her, saw with her own eyes as he shoved her back and the railing gave way, heard her screams as she fell down, down, down...

Maybe it was an accident, but the selfish noble did not tell the truth, he ran away and lied to Celestia's investigators and now he had dreams of dark desires, reliving the power he felt at taking another's life. The night princess could tell he felt a thrill at his evil deed, ordering ponies around to do whatever he wanted paled in comparison to taking their very lives and getting away with it. Already his thoughts were turning towards other servants in his life, of doing it again...

Luna felt a great anger at the evil injustice done. A dream was not proof either, she could tell her sister and hope he was arrested and punished, though such things were very rare and such a terrible crime was unheard of. Even if he was caught, his sentence was sure to be insufficient.

Princess Luna retreated from his dark dreams to her own realm and pondered what to do, furious at the noble pony and sad for the poor farmer. He was everything the rich noble was not, good and pure, hardworking and honest. Thinking of their lost love and the life that was taken from them, Luna had her own dream that took shape before her.

Even the Princess desired what had been taken from the star crossed couple, being ruler of Equestria could be lonely at times. So the Princess thought; 'I wish for a stallion like my poor servant left behind. An avenger to punish that terrible noble pony, not in his dreams, but in the waking world. He should be strong and loyal, an equal for myself and a creature of the night. A knight of my own to bring justice where there is none, to frighten the bad ponies hiding like this foul noble had done.'

As she thought, the shadows of her dreamspace formed a pony shape to match her words. A dark stallion of rippling shadows and fiery eyes filled with justice and duty. An alicorn like herself, able to fly to the far flung corners of Equestria and punish evil wherever it was found. Able to use righteous magic to punish those Luna deemed evil enough to warrant his attention. Before her eyes and at her will, a black, shrouded stallion was created in her dreams, her own knight defender.

When Princess Luna returned to the waking world, the shroud from the poor mare's coffin was gone. In its place before her was the creature of her dreams, a knight of shadows standing in the moonlight, watching her with adoring eyes and waiting for her command.

Princess Luna was surprised at the powerful magic that had resulted in her very own knight standing before her. A look at the flapping black cloak covering his powerful wings told her just what to do however.

'Thou are my defender and my avenger, the cloak you wear the deathshroud of an innocent whose life was taken by evil. You, my Shrouded Stallion, will bring my wrath down on this criminal, address this injustice so my servant may rest in peace and her love may know the truth. That her murderer has been punished appropriately. This is the mission I charge thee with, to be my sword and my shield, punish the wicked and serve justice. Now go! Go with my blessing and all the powers of the night.'

And so, the Shrouded Stallion nodded silently and flew off into the night at her command. Flying through the spires of Canterlot like a shadow in the dark, finding the cruel noble still dreaming his dark dreams in his bed.

The bad noble woke with a start, his sadistic dreams of power suddenly turning frightening. He sat up with a shiver as the room had grown very cold and very dark, he tried to light a candle and it was instantly blown out by a frigid wind that carried the poor mare's final cries as she fell back to his ears.

Shivering in fright, the noble looked all around for the growling voice that followed. 'Thou art a doer of evil and I have come for thee.'

No matter how hard the bad noble looked into the dark, all he could see was two red specks burning with the fires of justice. He tried to convince himself it was a prank, yelling at the voice to go away and leave him be, promising punishment for bothering nobility with such silliness.

'Thou hath earned Luna's fury murderer... Death has come for you, and I am its shroud...' The angry growl replied and the room grew darker and colder still, the noble's expensive blankets and silken sheets torn away as those red spots grew brighter and closer.

This scared the noble and he ran, afraid he had been found out, cowardly trying to escape justice and deny the truth. Everywhere he ran in his noble manor was filled with shadows however, they followed wherever he went, whispering in the mare's voice rejecting him from her grave, snarling promises of retribution for his crimes.

This bad little pony ran out into the night, away from the shadows blocking his path, following wherever he went, crossing the moon from above and sending his fearful gaze up to find the whispery bit of darkness in the night sky. Finally he was back on the bridge where he committed his crime, he didn't know how he got there and was very afraid. The broken gap in the railing proof of his deed right in front of him.

His terror gave birth to anger and he screamed to the moon, 'She should have done as I said! Who is some lowborn servant to deny me!? Choosing a penniless peasant over a noble pony of breeding and class! She got what she deserved!'

And because he was unrepentant when faced with his crime, he opened himself to Luna's wrath rather than her mercy. The streaking shadow from the sky slammed down to the bridge in front of him, a terrible black alicorn of righteous fury and justice that took slow, ominous steps towards him.

The Shrouded Stallion took a step, the noble took a step backwards, his fear of the creature before him making him forget where he was and what he had done. The dark pony advancing on him scowled and spoke in a voice with no pity, 'Thou hath earned Luna's wrath, done great evil and wish for more, hide behind your station and think that makes thee above justice...'

When the noble's next step backwards brought only empty air under his hoof, the cruel pony realized what his punishment was to be, the same fate he had given an innocent. He turned back from the dizzying view of the falls below him and was brought short by the burning red eyes of the Shroud.

In those fires he saw no mercy, no hope, nothing he could say or do would stop Luna's avenger, his noble station meant nothing to this waking nightmare. In those eyes he saw the poor mare he had killed and her peasant love, and when they drew closer as the Shroud took one more step, the noble criminal retreated again and fell to the churning water crashing against the rocks so far below. Justice for his crime meted out by Luna's servant.

In the light of day, Luna's Knight faded away and life moved on. The noble pony's funeral was not nearly as well attended as his victim's, nopony was sorry to see him go it seemed. Celestia's new investigators saw nothing but the criminal they sought, waking up in the night and filled with remorse for his crime, running out to leap from the same spot the mare had fallen from.

The poor rock farmer was given the rich noble's station and manor by Luna herself, not as an attempt to repay his loss, but because he had a truly noble heart. He mourned his loss many years, but was a kind and generous noble, helping those poorer than himself and eventually finding a special somepony to share his life with, their children growing to become fine knights and fair rulers.

Of Luna's Shroud, there were only whispers. Stories grew of a dark avenger that punished the hidden evils lurking in the hearts of some ponies, a ghost story that struck fear in the hearts of the wicked and heartened the innocent. A defender hiding in the shadows of Luna's night, roaming Equestria to punish evildoers wherever they were.

And so, the Shrouded Stallion was born and many are the tales of his deeds, but that is a story for another day...

-----------------------------Level Up!-------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------

Them's Good Eatin'-------
-----Hanging around a village of miretank hunters has given you a greater appreciation for all the wonderful varieties of meat in the wasteland, making you an avowed carnivore. Any living creature you kill has a 50% chance to have potent and delicious remains to eat, as well as gaining double healing and other benefits from meaty meals.

Companion Perk Added!-------------------

Minutemare's Finest--------
--- After conquering Castle Equinox together and cleaning up, you have reached maximum affinity in a most enjoyable way! Thanks to the eccentric, invisible sniper, you now gain +20% increase to S.A.T.S. accuracy for head shots and increased damage from sniper rifles. Also, sneaking while out of sight of enemies can cause them to lose you while Periwinkle is in your party.

Reputation Change!-----------------------

Eclipse-Liked
----You proved you can do what you claim to your new neighbors in Eclipse village. Having your own fan club headed by the niece of the settlement's leader doesn't hurt either! The fisherponies of Eclipse are still a little wary and concerned about the Gunners, not to mention superstitious fear of the real Shrouded Stallion and your similarities, but you and the Minutemares are a welcome addition and you'll find the tiny hamlet much friendlier.

Ch. 61-- Tradecraft

That was another new hit by Velvet Remedy and I'm your faithful DJ Traveling Miles, joining you for another wonderful day in the wasteland! A big thanks to all my loyal, local listeners out there in the Commonwealth, I love the new songs and having DJ Pon3 available to listen to again as much as anypony, but it's nice to still feel wanted ya know!

Besides, as much as I love my hero DJ in Manehatten, the great DJ Pon3 has all of Equestria to cover, while good old Miles is only concerned about all you wonderful listeners here in our little slice of the wasteland. Gotta love sharing the new music and news from the rest of Equis though, and I encourage everypony to give Pon3 your ears when he gives the Commonwealth report every day, I cover it as soon as it comes out if you miss it but everyone wants to be first in the know and DJ Pon3 has all the news you wanna hear first!

So what's going on today you ask? Well let's take a look at what we got! In local Diamond City news, the upcoming nuptials between Neighson Svengallop and his fiance Fancy Star are still the big deal, our 'noble' leaders have a lot of work being done preparing for an upcoming noble wedding. Even harder when one of their number got himself dead as a doornail... The real story as anypony can read in our favorite reporter mare's Publick Occurrences, is that neither the groom or bride to be has been seen for weeks! Kinda hard to have a wedding with both participants gone huh?

From Goodneighbor we've got more good news though! The party town is taking on new prominence after the crazy shindig on Nightmare Night, rivaling our own great green jewel more every day. The aftermath of the King's attempted coup has been mostly cleaned up, Mayor Shamrock is really taking charge and sharing the wealth he recently unlocked. Everypony's favorite local songstress Magnolia even sings every day so catch the show when you're in that neck of the woods, I know I will!

Speaking of the alicorns of Trinity Tower, there's a new little village growing in the shadow of the tower I love pointing ponies towards. If you're caught in the maze of downtown Trotson and it's getting dark, need help from raiders or on the run from Bloodwings, hell if you just wanna see a town full of pretty alicorn mares, head to Unityville and take a look! I promise, those fillies are a lot friendlier and if nothing else it's a spot of safety to rest at. You won't find a better guarded community in the Commonwealth, I guarantee that!

Before any of my raider-y type listeners get any bad ideas I should make it clear, Unityville is part of the burgeoning Kingdom of Sanctuary, under the protection of Princess Jade and her Shrouded Knight, so I'd think twice about planning any trouble. The growing kingdom in the north is really improving things in the northern Commonwealth. Especially since they offer... well, sanctuary... to all who seek it, more and more homestead farms and tiny settlements in their neck of the woods are flocking to their banner.

The southern Commonwealth isn't doing nearly so well though, our thoughts and prayers to the goddess go out to all my listeners down that way. From Eclipse to Jamocha Plains, University Point to Dreadnot, everypony is scared of the Gunners and their increased activity. Whatever's pushing the monsters of the Glowing Sea out is shoving the mercenaries ahead of them. Though their apparent plans of expanding their territory are being mysteriously stymied.

A certain Shrouded Stallion keeps appearing every night somewhere new, wiping out squads of the marauding mercs and leaving his mark behind. The knight of shadows has even the toughest of the tough spooked from everything I'm hearing, the bounty on the Commonwealth's favorite hero has gone up to 20,000 caps. Tempting I know, but none of my good little listeners would ever take them up on it, riiiiiight?

That's your morning news break, now get out there and do what DJ Pon3 says, fight the good fight and make the wasteland a better place! It's another wonderful day in a wonderful world, we just have to make it that way and believe. Here to help you out there is my favorite singer in all of Equis, the fabulous Magnolia live from her latest show in the Tapioca Lounge, reminding everypony that even now, it is just that, a wonderful world..."

I see pools of green, rad roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
Tia's bright blessed day, Luna's dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

The colors of the rainboom so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of ponies going by
I see friends shaking hooves saying how do you do
They're really saying, I love you.

Magnolia's melodious voice playing from my pip-buck was a great way to start another day in Castle Equinox. We really had needed a real rest, falling into the busy work of clearing the castle and the simple joy of being a repair-pony again was a wonderful balm for my battered soul and I felt great flying above the clean and busy courtyard below, despite the grinning griffon whacking me with the twisted stick we had found in Fair Lines Estates.

"Faster! C'mon boss faster! Ya finally got things down where ya ain't an embarrassment every time ya go weavin' yer way up here, but yer soooo slow! Ya can fly good enough, just learn ta do it faster ya big wuss!" Val chortled and looped around me, totally healed and brimming with energy from being cooped up to recover.

"Faster would be easier without all the weights Val... plus you make me wear this battlesaddle too..." I grumbled back and got another stinging smack to the flanks for my complaints to my flight instructor. The heavy steel shackles she had dug up and wonderglued whatever weighty chunks of scrap she could find to really weren't helping...

"Quit yer whinin'! Get faster with em on, then you'll be better without em, yer still a lightweight boss, gotta toughen ya up! Bored ta tears just sittin' around all day, trainin' them Minutemare newbies ain't near as fun as this!" Val did another agile loop around me as I struggled through her weaving course, around the broken towers and parapets of the castle, letting me look over all the progress we were making during our break.

I saw villagers from Eclipse through the windows and holes in the dark walls, helping to clean up and deal with the remaining Miretanks. It turned out that removing the cement like muck the turtle monsters made their nests from was a lot easier with their help. A local brew made from glands they expertly extracted from every miretank corpse we brought them helped dissolve the sludge and open more of the castle every day.

My view was short lived, we wheeled around the dreaded next tower to Val's expected whoop as she grabbed both legs on my left side. "Aaaaaalllright boss! Here! We! GO!"

At that I was spun in a dizzying whirlwind by the strong griffon claws holding tight, flapping my wings madly in preparation for being flung loose. Just righting myself would be hard enough, hell figuring out which way was up and which was down was a struggle, but the chunk of scrap metal she had crudely nailed up here as a target was the objective.

Whatever a dizzitron was, she kept screeching it would be worse than her improvised efforts as she tossed me free, that damn stick whacking me from all angles just to add to the confusion. I tried to focus on the horizon and level off, looking for the mean looking face Glitter had helped her decorate the junk with.

Blue Moon extended as I thought I lined the new targeting reticule up on the scrap of pink, firing a quick short blast that didn't blow the roof it was bolted to off. After some careful examination and reading the holotape in the safe with it, I had found the strange magical energy cannon had two settings, 'Pew-Pew' and 'Ka-Boom!'... The naming conventions of the weapon's settings weren't the only sign the pony who made it was a little off, but it meant I could practice being a horrible shot with it, as opposed to only being horrible when it counted.

At least today I missed the giant castle entirely, though I supposed that was bad as it was pretty much the biggest target available. Instead of scorching the heavy tiles of the roof with the pale blue-white beam, my stray shot went out to sea and I got whacked with Val's split ended stick hard enough to send me veering off course to her annoyed squawk. "Miss! Come on boss! Any itty bitty pegasus foal'd fly rings around ya!"

Finally I woozily managed to get rightside up and raced around the tallest spire, gratefully drifting down to the courtyard having completed this arduous part of our morning training, aiming for the heavy metal grating that covered the radioactive pit leading deep below the castle. On to the next part of my new routine I had grown to actually look forward to.

Val landed in a much more graceful display than I could manage, though I didn't crash into anything and managed to stumble to a stop still on my hooves, so an improvement... She grumbled playfully as she unlocked my shackles with her claws, muttering about increasing the weight and adding more laps, finding a better place to train me soon, something better to hit me with, the usual...

As Blue Moon collapsed back in on itself, I brought up the weird instructions holotape again, puzzling over it for the hundredth time over the last few days. Just like the weapon itself, this came from Dr. Mobius, head of the Institute's Theoretical Imagineering Division, the one the others were afraid of. I still had no idea how they could be based on just what I read, how could the pony who left these bizarre instructions be scary?

* *

Blue Moon - Prototype Moonbeam Magical Energy Weapon - Experiment #21038

Present for you Princess, birthday? When was Hearth's Warming Day? That long ago? Hmm... well, who knows when you'll get this anyway, presumptuous to assume the ability to accurately predict when and where along the flow of temporal causality you may read this isn't it? Yes, probably so, happy nearest significant date then!

After our last discussion re: the properties of the Moonstone Marigold returned with and the research Trottenheimer and Horse were engaged in. I was quite sure there had to be a way to coax some kind of less explode-y, creepy and or soul sucking reaction from the material. Spent six hours humming upside down in the shower before I got it, harmonics! Singing! Singing always works, we're ponies after all so why not!

Anyway, I mostly remember making this thing now, it's pretty neat actually! Some highly calibrated sonic talismans arranged in the proper array, little plasma caster guts, some gems I had rolling around and viola! ...though where did I get the diamond blue moon thingy? Ah, blue moon, haha, just got it! Oh yes, Gleam, lovely mare when she's in the mood to be, very clever spellslinger.

So, instructions! Ummm... pointy end faces the thing you've taken a royal disliking too. Oh, two settings, things a bit of a glutton for power at maximum efficiency. Pew-Pew only uses a little but not much better than your standard Novasurge, much prettier though! Ka-Boom is rather self explanatory isn't it?

Oh, tends to cause a lot of wear and tear with all the harmonic vibration and what not, my interns worked so hard to make it worthy of a princess too. Repair talisman ought to keep it clean and shiny though, just the accessory for the war princess on the go, always looks good, sleek and lightweight, at home on the battlefield or in the ballroom, wherever you want to turn things to ash. Enjoy!

I shook my head and closed the message, that was the mysterious Dr. Mobius? If I hadn't carefully gone over every talisman and bolt of Blue Moon myself I'd just think he was a goofy old pony. After checking over his insane weapon carefully though, I had to admit he was actually a goofy genius.

Just the arrangement of the array he built was a masterpiece, a delicate sculpture of spell matrices precisely aligned in the shielded silver chamber at the heart of Blue Moon. All focusing the power of a rough hunk of pinkish, translucent stone, a mellowly glowing, roughly cut chunk of rock similar to quartz that should not be any more dangerous than the nearest hunk of granite I dug up out of the sand, but absolutely was.

However it actually worked, the bizarre settings let me use it more flexibly. 'Ka-Boom!' drained a full clip of the MFC ammo it took, while 'Pew-Pew' ran through just one at a time. Nice, but it also let Val giddily adjust her training, thus every day I was faced with that sloppy sneer on the target Glitter painted and every day I missed...

Once Val was done unshackling me, she sauntered ahead, leading the way to the makeshift mess hall tent in a corner of the courtyard, following the delicious smells of Miretank Omelettes cooking to feed the troops. The tribe of fisherponies in Eclipse had taken a great many of the slimy green miretank eggs, talking about caging and raising the monsters along with hunting the wild ones.

We'd be hard pressed to run out of the eggs anytime soon though. The castle was absolutely stuffed with them, some hatching at the presence of a pony to flop and snap at, though they tasted great tossed in a boiling pot and cooked whole. So far my pip-buck had resolutely refused to clear the 'Eliminate the Miretank Infestation' objective from the mission it had volunteered for taking the castle, so there were still more to clear out.

The grizzled old cook Greasy Spoon let me have an earful of his complaints about getting the castle kitchens in working order as we got our food. Wherever they dug up the old greying brown earth pony codger, he was relentless and ran a tight ship. The steel grey maned old buck immediately tromped out from his domain of cookfires and hotplates to start in again, granted the kitchens would make it a lot easier to feed all these Minutemares, but it was already my list.

Plus he distracted me from looking for the ponies to do it, spotting the trio of Minutemares I was looking for in the corner laughing amongst themselves. I turned to my repair crew with only a momentary wince at the black patch each wore on their tan Minutemare coats. A Shrouded Stallion insignia, above a crossed wrench and hammer. The rough text of each read 'Fast's Fixers'... My own squad of Minutemares that insisted on naming themselves after me no matter how much I whined about it.

I dragged my eyes away from the homemade patches and smiling faces of the trio of mares waiting on me, along with the pale filly in the pink dress who had become their unofficial mascot. Glitter had even convinced them to make a patch for her too, so her rose colored jacket now bore the same mark. She hopped up and waved me to her seat excitedly, snuggling against me when I sat down and slurping the sugary sludge of Sugar Apple Bombs milk in her bowl.

Clicking away at my pip-buck let me go over my lists of work while I sat with them and dug in, reminding me of home, just another day and another set of repairs to work on, just like Stable 111. "Ok... Repaired most of the major breaks in the power lines, spark regulator junctions 14 through 18 still need work but we got the big stuff. That squad came back from the old Porcelain Prince Plumbers warehouse so we got all the pipes and stuff we needed today. Pepper Pot, you're on fixing the main line before we can bring the water talisman online ok?

First off today though, Peri and a few free unicorns are going to help us deal with that Vertibuck. That'll not only let us get in the gatehouse easier, but give us a new toy to play with huh? We'll stick it down by all the power armor frames we already pulled from the walls and guardhouses in our workshop.

That's most of the big stuff, but I think we're finally ready to turn the power back on today if the rest of you fix all the breakers and fuses on the list. I'm almost done with the reactor down there, it's not pretty, but it should work. I'll go down there this afternoon and put the finishing touches on it. Once we've got power then fixing stuff will get a lot easier, like working on getting the kitchens sorted out.... right?"

My crew listened attentively, nodding obediently to Greasy Spoon's glare at the mention of his precious kitchens. But I caught several giggles and lidded looks from the mares whispering to each other. It was mostly young recruits with a talent for repairs, but little training. Teaching and getting them up to snuff had been a struggle so far.

Val snorted at the trio snickering and blushing, leaning over at my confused look and whispering in my ear with a restrained laugh. "You're going down to the reactor again boss, them fillies figured you out.... what you're like when you come back out...."

My eyes widened and I felt my face heat up, looking to the trio of repair-mares working under me giggling to each other and primping their grease spotted manes. The oldest of the trio, Onyx Operator, a stunning unicorn mare with a coat darker than mine and a rich purple and silver streaked mane, gave a leering grin and nodded. "You go down there and come out a different stallion sir, much closer to what we all expected from the stories of the great Shrouded Stallion than... this... So what's it going to be tonight? Fighting or fu..."

At my sudden glare and holding my hooves above Glitter's ears in warning, Onyx huffed and edited herself with a groan, the more mature mare picking up the teasing thread of her question after just a moment. "Ahem... Killing or kissing sir? Should we go tell the Princess or Peri today? Or you could not go running off... I could always help out instead..."

"HA! hahaha.... heh... er... n-no, that's alright private... ummm.. Come on, I'm not that obvious am I? Quit joking around, lots of fun repair work to do today... I leave to go do important... Gunner killing... stuff..." I whimpered and shrunk away from the gaggle of pretty mares in tattered old blue repair jumpsuits sitting with us.

The pocketed blue suits had been recovered from a half sunken Soapy Suds Laundry, out in the swampy spit of land being booby trapped and fortified from what I had heard, they were now the uniforms for the newly formed repair corps they insisted on calling Fast's Fixers... Unfortunately they did nothing to hide the shapely curves under them, I could swear they were baggier when the scavenging crew brought them back, they had been doing more than just adding the silly black patches.

Onyx tittered and stood to swish her tail seductively, setting her leather tool belt jingling as she planted her forehooves and advanced, leaning over the table as I retreated. I was really supposed to be in charge here... instead my recruits kept finding new ways to tease and mess with me, especially her.

I could sort of understand her attitude after Glitter explained it for me, one meal enough for her to figure out why she liked messing with her superior officer. She had been the repair-pony for a tiny settlement up north, a Miss Fix-it working on simple stuff to help her farming family and neighbors, a big fish in a small pond.

I was younger than her, only by a few years but it had to be hard taking orders from a snot nosed buck. She liked having control over things, not necessarily a bad trait for a good repair-pony. She wasn't in charge of the squad, but could easily control what reactions she got out of me to her delight.

I was also beginning to suspect Val's claws at work, they got along too well during our breakfasts lately. "You're not exactly subtle sir, it's amazing you can go down there at all but when you come back... well it takes a mare's breath away sometimes! Flying off to bring the fight to those Gunner assholes isn't fooling anypony, there's Peri you know... Even if she wasn't so chatty and proud when it's just us gals, she's reeeeally loud when you get back sir..."

Glitter looked up curiously and pouted, "Wait, you see Aunt Peri before you come back from fightin' those bad ponies daddy!? How come you don't take me! You barely make it back in time ta tell me a new story, but you're already back an' havin fun with her, no fair! I wanna go too!"

Her whines made my squad try to muffle their snickers and look innocent, looking up to the flapping tent and whistling, while I bashed my head on the makeshift table of crumbling brick legs and a mostly intact door. "No! Umm, n-no... We.... g-go do grown up stuff sweetie, er... really boring... umm... M-Minutemare stuff...t-training... You know how I get all twitchy instead of getting bigger like mom, we do... e-exercise and stuff! So I'm tired enough for a bedtime story, right?"

Her suspicious look was only egged on my Onyx smirking and nodding eagerly. "Oh yeah sweet pea, bit of cardio and calisthenics, though as our squad leader the general should be doing the same with all of us right? All the other squads do their exercises in the mornings with their commanders, but I don't mind a good work out before bed sir..."

Between Val rolling laughter hard enough to fall off the broken column that served as a bench, the other two squad members giggling and blushing a rosy pink that did not compare to how red I was, and Onyx leaning over the table further to flutter her eyelashes and wiggle enticingly, Glitter got a bored, flat expression and stuck her nose up. "Ohhhhh.... That kinda grown up stuff... I'm not dumb daddy, you could just tell me. That's ok then, Aunt Peri's really happy talkin' bout havin' a baby an stuff, so it's alright if that's why I guess, long as I get a new story!"

I rattled the dishware bashing my head to the table and hiding under my hooves with an embarrassed whine, while Glitter returned to her sugary breakfast happily, Val and my troops tittering to themselves. I had been trying so hard too... I knew she wasn't stupid, I knew she had a much rougher foalhood than me and wasn't nearly so innocent as I was at that age, that didn't mean I wanted her to know though...

I was still struggling to keep control over all those impulses normally, but soaking up all the radiation fixing the reactor made it impossible. I only stayed down there for short spurts at a time, anything past orange on my rainbow colored radiation meter seemed to get me going uncontrollably, so I tried to keep coming out before I reached that point. Piecing together a nearly ruined arcano-flux reactor wasn't exactly an easy or a quick fix though, sometimes I pushed it.

When I came out I felt great but everything got a little fuzzy. Val and I flew off and found some Gunner patrols or small supply drop she knew about far away from Eclipse, attack and scare the hell out of whoever was left, drawing attention away from what we were doing here and burning off some of the excess energy I accumulated. Not all of it though... I did usually wind up with one blue alicorn or the other as a result when we got back, or both... I thought I was keeping myself under control fairly well, but apparently not...

Just talking about it had my mane itching and the youngest repair-filly almost had sparkles in her eyes already, a light pink earth pony with a rich red mane named Pepper. She came from Hexington and informed me she had been inspired by our actions there, working at helping with all the improvements to the formerly grim town had revealed a natural talent for repairs, so she had proudly joined the growing Minutemares.

Now she piped up beside the oldest mare Onyx, the apparent leader of their little herd. "Why do you get like that sir? W-We all umm... d-don't mind or anything, it's just funny and er... i-impressive... We counted yesterday... N-Nine..."

Ugh... I facehoofed and tried to remember the frantic scramble yesterday, holding tight to Glitter's ears over her annoyed pout. I managed to find Jade and Peri both when we got back, out to the makeshift little boudoir we had turned Bobbing Cane's museum home into. The wealthy creator of the Shrouded Stallion comics had owned a big bed that had survived pretty well in the ruins below the castle and.... they heard from up here?!

My wings were finally becoming somewhat cooperative and responded to my embarrassment, trying to hide me as I shrunk behind them and muttered weakly, why did the only ponies in the Minutemares that were here and had even some repair skills have to all be fillies... Apparently the bucks wanted action and adventure, fixing things was too boring for the snobs. "It's... a long story... I can't help it ok? Sorry, I try really hard to not... you guys are my squad right? It's not right for a superior to... inappropriate... Er.. L-Let's all just get to work, right guys! Another day of fixing stuff, that's plenty fun!"

The lidded eyes and giggles they answered with weren't really helping... The young pegasus mare did though, one of Burny Jet's many, many grandchildren who had foregone the family Red Rocket Courier business to join the Minutemares, an idealist but a skilled mechanic. Cool Jets at least got her blushing laugh under control and raised a light orange wing, tossing her yellow and blue mane and speaking up at my raised eyebrow.

My hooves hovering above Glitter's head still warned her to watch her mouth, but thankfully her comment was professional and a help. "Arcano-Cat's have got the gear and the skills for power armor sir, down by Grandpa's headquarters, that's not too far away and I could take you to get their help."

"Arcano-Cats? They have something to do with your grandpa's business? He has a headquarters? I thought he lived in Diamond City?" Gratefull for the distraction I probed for more, Burny Jets was the only Diamond City noble I had actually liked before we got kicked out.

The pegasus mare took a big bite and murmured around it happily, "Oh yeah, he does, but didn't start out there right? Grandpa was quite the adventurer in his day, ran his own crew, took over the big Red Rocket Garage across the bay from the skyport, lot more there than skycarriages lemme tell ya!

Arcano-Cats are what's leftover from his old gang, continuing the life of freedom daddy-o... sorry, used to run with them myself, lots of us Jets did. Anyway, if you can convince them to help, you won't find better power armor techs or crazier parts. They could get those rusty old frames we keep standing up by the tower into better shape than they ever were. Might be useful if we're really gonna tackle the Gunners right?"

Val finally stopped her muffled guffaws and nodded, wiping a tear away as she excitedly agreed. "Those ponies are awesome at power armor boss, always wanted ta save up fer my own griffon suit when I lived down this way, they had it all and were pretty fun. Kinda cooler than a big nerd like you, but when it comes ta tinkerin' with crap you guys are griffons of a feather. Not far from Dreadnot too, make that batty mare happy at last, she back yet by the way?"

"Not unless she came in last night, it's possible, but I'd expect to have seen her by now. Ah, there she is, on her way now, another place to add to the list then Val." I had checked over my pip-buck's map at the notice of 'Map Updated' and found Witchy's locator tag slowly heading back towards us. the batpony mare was less of a morning pony than I was, her determination to (mostly) stick with her mission must be driving her on.

Getting her to relax a little about getting to her home of Dreadnot had been a battle, whatever she wanted wasn't an emergency at least, she just reeeeally wanted me to follow her home. I was unsure I could get her to go to Goodneighbor for me, but she had been to the party town before and we were short on fliers to make the trip.

Offering her Bobbing Cane's blue memory orb of his meeting with Princess Luna finally convinced her, she wanted it on general principles to begin with. Explaining she could borrow it got a immediate whine, but further detailing the Memory Den back in Goodneighbor and what they could do with it changed her tune quickly. Even a batpony like her could view the magical memory with their fancy M.O.M. recollector machines. She had been off like a shot, carrying several letters for the Red Rocket Couriers and instructions on who to talk to personally.

Periwinkle wafting into the mess hall tent derailed my thoughts about her errand, the blue alicorn trotted right over and sat beside me happily, sniffing at her food and wiggling in place, oblivious to Val and my squad's sniggering as Onyx waved a welcome. "Morning Peri! The commander says you're going to give us a hoof with the Vertibuck today, any other big plans later? General Fast is going to finish fixing the reactor this evening..."

The ethereal Minutemare blinked and rose to the bait perfectly... Nodding rapidly and floating her dirty notepad out, flipping the pages in a blur as her lidded golden eyes widened a bit and she smiled. She turned the battered notepad and forced me to cover Glitter's bright pink eyes, showing off a highly complicated diagram of stick figure ponies in a compromising position. "Yes, I get to help all you fixer ponies today, if Fast is going down again then.... ah... this one, it seems fun. I hope you absorb a lot Fast, it will take awhile, I want several more pages after too..."

Wincing at the rough, amorous blueprint, I gaped at her smiling face. "W-Where do you keep coming up with all these Peri?! I thought you never..."

The blue alicorn beamed her reply over the uproarious laughter and Val banging her claw to the table trying to catch her breath. "One of sister Jade's books in Sanctuary. I didn't care much about her library thing and all those long books full of words, but this one had lots of pictures. Funny name, ummm.... the Pony Sutra, that was it."

Despite my public shame, I couldn't help tilting my head and trying to puzzle it out. "Ok you're there... can you bend like that? H-How the hell am I supposed to get a hindleg... oh... I see...then your tail...really!?" I shook off my widening astonishment at what she wanted today, I had thought I might be getting close to the end of her notepad, but she just kept coming up with more. I was beginning to suspect she was adding to it, filling the pages with more when I wasn't looking, was that even the same notepad?

MORE echoed out insistently in my head and I shoved it back down again. Trying to just focus and join in with the merry breakfast and think of the work to do today. That dark voice in my head worried me sometimes, it had been mostly dormant after a few days of relative safety and a lot of love that seemed to lull it mostly back to sleep at least, but kept grumbling its own contributions at odd times.

I knew that was just the darker parts of myself, compartmentalized and treated as separate in an attempt to control and use it. The distinct voices of the Ministry Mare statues made it easier to think of it as just another one, a distinctly meaner and darker one, but still me right? Secretly, kept hidden from even Jade, I was starting to worry about it...

Finding out there had been a real Shrouded Stallion had got me started, the more I found out, the more anxious I was getting about it. Reading the book of fairy tales detailing his adventures in the days before Princess Luna was banished to the moon had just been making it worse, one story at a time.

There were some eerie similarities between the dream creature that acted as Luna's sword and shield, and that growling voice in my head. The question of my miraculously pristine Shrouded Stallion action figure, still hung over my head too, Zed insisted it was a soul jar like the much cuter Ministry Mares statuettes and that I had somehow made it. I had stubbornly ignored the zebra's superstitions and knowledge of black magic, but it had now gotten to be a more pressing concern. I wasn't crazy... I just used the character to try to make things better, I didn't think I was really the Shroud... not crazy...

But he wasn't going to sleep entirely anymore... It woke up at any perceived injustice and reveled in death and vengeance, but it always went back to sleep before, just my darker impulses and temper personified. It had found other things to latch onto lately though, jealousy and possessiveness for example, aggression and male dominance for another... My new body seemed to suit that part of me just fine, adapting to it all much faster and easier than I was.

The more I thought on it, the more it was almost an antithesis of the Ministry Mare's voices, corrupted versions of each virtue had come up as I found each one. Twisted Generosity in the greedy possessiveness I felt toward whatever or whoever I viewed as MINE. The ability to lie, both for the greater good trying to inspire the wasteland with tales of Princesses and Heroes, along with the willingness to terrify the wicked with those same stories had to be corrupted Honesty.

Dark Laughter came cackling out far too easily at the suffering of the wicked, no longer part of the act but actual enjoyment. Corrupted Kindness in the jealousy and desire to rut with any mare that moved, or to be kind by rampaging against the wicked, saving the innocent by killing the evil... Though it did have problems with the whispers of Fluttershy's spirit fighting it most of all. What would it make of Loyalty and Magic? Was that gathering mote of darkness turning into some kind of negative Elements of Harmony in my head?

I kept thinking about the sealed tomb deep below the castle... Was he there at all? Or was he already free... The superstitious Eclipse villagers were rubbing off on me. I was privately getting scared.

As talented a healer as Jade was, she wasn't really a shrink, and there weren't any wasteland psychiatrists out there to talk to. I had to admit, the funny mare I met in Goodneighbor was right, there were enough fucked up ponies out here it would make a great business, no shortage of customers...

The closest I could think of was Ivy, my telepathic friend could take a look up there, make sure I really wasn't crazy. Though that did bring up the last time a green alicorn had tried taking a really good look in my head and just worried me more. What was it Virescent said once she got shoved back out? That I had something in there that scared even her? Ivy could help maybe, but she had her orphanage to tend to. I asked Witchy to talk to her and take my own letter anyway, but my problems were my own and I was way too busy to let them distract me.

"A-Alright ladies, enough teasing, finish up and let's get to work. Glitter, why don't you go find mom while we can get to work getting this Vertibuck out of the way. You're going to help her be a good princess right? A princess' daughter is a princess too you know, you have responsibilities of your own and I believe in you completely, so let's get started huh?"

My precious daughter chugged her second bowl of sugary milk sludge and leapt up, giving a salute with a proud, determined smile. "Right daddy! Let's go!"

Working let me relax and lose myself to the pleasant tedium of fixing things, my real job, what a good part of myself still insisted I should be doing, waking up every morning partially thinking I was in my room in Stable 111, no matter how much time had passed.

The wrecked Vertibuck wasn't a total loss surprisingly, beyond the mounted minigun in the cabin, once we tugged the skeletons of the previous pilots free I saw a large portion of the controls and mechanisms up there were still intact. I had been worried I'd need to charge myself up early to pull it free of its final landing, but with myself, Peri, Onyx and a few spare unicorn volunteers, we managed to to wrench it free and float it over to join all the rusty power armor frames by the southwest tower easily.

Preparing to turn the power back on took a lot of preparation and we ended up roaming all over the castle, my small squad split up and worked hard. They might tease or be distressingly infatuated with me sometimes, but they were coming along well and were honestly proud in their work. They did all make those silly patches after all, a real crew of repair-ponies, like my coworkers back in 111.

Wandering all over the place let me check on the others as I went, stopping in my work to make Jade take a break and nuzzle together as her Followers slowly took the ballroom apart. My initial guess had been right it seemed, under all the miretank muck and nests was the remains of an emergency hospital to deal with all the sick and wounded of the Last Day. A lot of it was ruined of course, but the tribal goop that dissolved the muddy constructs slowly revealed bits of interest and useful scraps.

Val amused herself training the greenest Minutemare recruits who had flocked to the castle, some even local from this part of the Commonwealth. Recruited by salvage crews spreading out in the area or recon patrols, all wanting to take a stand against the mercenaries who were turning the southern Commonwealth into their own empire.

The fiery griffon was an excellent drill seargent, I got the idea she was practicing and warming to it after spending so much time teaching me to fly personally. She did enjoy whacking ponies with that twisted, dual ended stick of hers she informed me her pip-buck insisted on calling the 'Staff of Sameness'.

A weird name, and disappointing for Val, she wanted something cooler like 'The Incentivizer' or 'The Ugly Stick'. She still put it to good use, instructing the recruits in the use of magical energy weapons, firearms, explosives, Gunner tactics and formations, a regular font of deadly wisdom.

Even Zed caught the teaching bug surprisingly. I had run across him on the beach early in the mornings or late in the afternoon, leading a growing gaggle of villagers and Minutemares in the slow, graceful movements of Fallen Caesar style, spending his days learning himself from his new friend. The burly silver mare Steel Saber he had been hanging out with was a mystery, they looked friendly and had been amazing dancing together, but Zed didn't exactly wear his feelings on his sleeve.

Glitter had been our little ambassador of cuteness, swaying the hold out villagers to our side and making fast friends with the herd of fisherpony foals. Jade even tempted them all into attending short, improvised classes in exchange for being invited up to the castle and being taught by a princess.

During the cleanup both the Minutemares and Followers were given instructions to be on the lookout for silver keys, coming up with several crescent moons and a couple half moon keys during the tedious work of sifting through Miretank refuse. The excitement of a 3/4 moon key had helped a lot, not the full moon key I wanted but better anyway.

With it we got into the southwest tower, which was indeed an armory, though originally it was the ancient blacksmith workshop by the huge forge and smelters built into the walls. We had cleared it out of hidden Miretanks that had tunneled their way up and taken it over. They had ruined most of what was once a nice, fortified tower with a wealth of weaponry and a more modern machine shop for the soldiers stationed here. Some of the tools and parts would clean up at least, lots of locked ammo boxes for Val to pick open were half buried in the muck too.

The most interesting loot had to be the heavy brass shells scattered about, spilling from shelving long crumbled under the heavy weight. Ammunition for the mortars and anti-air guns festooning the castle walls outside. At least these weren't ruined, in much better shape than the guns to fire them.

I had been tinkering with the fortress weaponry idly with no ammo to use with them, now they were reprioritized. Cannibalizing several to come up with maybe two mortars in good shape would work, but there were still some sensitive parts that hadn't survived on any of them, unless I could come up with a replacement they were just big decorations on the walls.

I still kept waiting for somepony to find a freaking full moon key though. Both the lock to Luna's chambers in the highest towers, along with the heavy barred gate sealing the Shroud's tomb deep below, required that particular key and there was no way past them without it.

Val had even taken a crack at picking the thick iron lock on the chains at the tomb for me, sweating and fussing over it for an hour, chipping a claw and cursing a blue streak. An ancient magical lock was just too much for her to get past, the first lock that had ever thwarted her that I had seen.

At least we could get in the armory that had become a slowly improving workshop now, an area my squad claimed and cleaned out a little more each day. It was a wide open chamber on the ground floor with lots of rooms to be cleared up the winding stairways. My crew had staked out their own rooms up there once cleaned out so they were happy.

Even better, after a lot of commotion a heavily overloaded wagon was pulled across the drawbridge, drawn by a gleaming copper mare that sent Glitter pelting off to tackle her with a clang. AssaultJack made the trip all the way from Sanctuary and Haygone in a matter of days, even hauling all that junk... I was always impressed with the robotic killing machine, that thing was very, very fast...

I had to put up with a lot of Applejack-esque recriminations for leaving her behind in Goodneighbor, but we were kind of in a hurry and coudn't slip away with her through the air. I was glad to have her back though, between mostly intact castle walls and the deadliest robot I had ever seen, I felt a lot better about leaving Glitter here when I had to. Not to mention how much just that one robot improved our odds against the Gunners, or the wealth of toys she had brought at my command.

A new robot workstation from Watt's thanks to Rusty Clank in Hexington, along with a lot of parts and a care package of muffins from his kind wife Copper Coil, a nice letter from a busy but much happier Oblige Heart, and a leather satchel and letter for Zed from his grandfather. I wondered what Hexington was like now, I heard good things on the radio, but it had been so long since we were there now, back when I was still a normal unicorn even...

As a bonus, AssaultJack had taken a jagged course that led to Sunshine and Rainbows Co-op, just a stones throw away from Fort Haygone. The Minutemare's had been steadily clearing out and taking over the prewar fort, happy to send tools, a faded yellow power armor workstation, and what power armor parts rusting away to ruin that remained from the Equestrian Army motor pool there. Now we were in business!

I left my squad to their work after going over it all the new goodies with them, trotting off to join Jade and Glitter for lunch in the Princess' favorite newly available part of the castle.

The library was one of the areas of the castle opened with the 3/4 moon key, something that overjoyed Jade despite its ruined state. The cavernous room was still full of bookshelves going up two levels, leaning against each other like fallen dominoes, sagging into wreckage the miretanks incorporated into their nests, but books and scrolls survived here and there to be salvaged and catalogued, a new Library for the followers roaming the castle to tend.

Lunch was my favorite part of my new routine, sitting together with my favorite fillies, eating more of the wonderful varieties of meat the villagers kept butchering, no flirty subordinates messing with me, it was bliss that was all too short lived. Giving my ecstatic princess a hug, I left to reluctantly get back to work, my hoofsteps ringing down the now cleaner dark marble hallways.

Even with a pip-buck map, this place was a maze I still wasn't used to, where was the turn to the stairs on this floor again? I distractedly passed one wooden door after another, past the flurry of activity going on in all corners of the castle trying to find my way around.

After an hour I was annoyed and so absorbed in not admitting I was definitely, totally, 100% lost, I didn't notice the nearly silent flapping of leathery wings zooming behind me. I barely turned in time at the warning flick of my enhanced ears to get a facefull of batpony slamming into me like a pain train, sending us to a tangled heap against the nearest rotting tapestry.

"Fast! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!! Oh that was so wonderful! Seeing the goddess myself! That Memory Den place is amazing! They even copied it so I can..." Witchy jabbered and hugged me with amazing force, sweet Celestia the thestral filly was as strong as Jade!

Her crushing embrace was made even more uncomfortable being pinned against her gleaming blue steel breastplate, crunching me against something with a lot less give than a warm pony chest and making me wheeze back, struggling and getting tangled in the ancient tapestry depicting the mare in the moon.

"Ow... t-that's great Witchy... air... need... air..."

Well, her grip loosened with a gasp anyway. She still held on and kept nuzzling happily though, chattering on in her squeaky voice. "S-Sorry! I'm so happy though! You have no idea what that means to me! Everypony back home will be so jealous! Bringing this memory orb back home will make me much more popular! I-If you ever go there..."

Looking into those cross amber eyes, I tried to maintain control with a muscular mare tangled together with me, firm but soft in all the right places... Shaking my head forcefully, I scrambled back and got more entwined with her and the tapestry keeping me here. "I will! I promised right?! Just umm... c-close Witchy, too close! H-Hard... Difficult! I mean difficult to... umm... restrain myself soooo...."

Witching Hour turned a distressingly adorable red and squeaked, struggling to pull free and tugging the rotting tapestry with her. A rip started and she looked even more flustered, damaging what remained of an artifact of Luna's castle. Carefully trying to extract herself, she fell back and tugged, pulling a scrap free to her horror but also yanking the whole thing down an inch or two with a click.

Everything got all spinny and suddenly we were in a dark passageway, a winding set of stairs leading down and lit with torches held by those creepy stone hooves. We both looked around in loopy surprise and stumbled back up, Witchy positively giddy as she gasped. "A secret passage! I found one of Luna's secret passages!!"

"Woooo... dizzy... I think she made them spin around a lot faster and a lot more times than necessary for fun... Good job Witchy, wanna take a look?"

She nodded and clapped her hooves together excitedly, walking down the damp stone stairs with me to the unknown and chatting as we went. Viewing Bobbing Cane's memory orb of his meeting with Luna and finding one of her passageways in the castle giving her plenty of energy even in the light of day, she only yawned a couple times as she filled me in on her trip.

"I delivered your letters as you asked, the Mayor said he would send word back with a courier and help how he could. Goodneighbor looks much better than how it was when I left before, there are an awful lot of alicorns still roaming around the place though. They were nice, but I saw them chase after more than one buck with the misfortune of having dark colors..."

They weren't still swarming the party town anyway... though from her recounting they were still hunting for me. I shook it off with a shiver and tried to change the subject as we descended. Pausing on the winding staircase to point out an odd switch only a little ways down. "An exit here? Usually they're at the top or bottom, not halfway down... let's see what it doooooeeess!!!"

Pulling the ancient lever caused a grind of gears and suddenly all the steps fell away, clicking down and forming a long, twisting slide we were both slipping down. It would be a lot more fun if I knew where it wound up, Witchy's heavy armor ended up propelling her faster from behind me, her chest thumping into my back and her scrambling hindlegs around my waist, effectively tangling the two of us up again so neither could try to fly and pull out of the looping ride.

A dark stone wall waited at the bottom and I flinched, anticipating a sudden, painful stop, immediately followed by a heavy batpony smashing against me. Instead the blockade spun aside and we went tumbling out to the courtyard in a tangle, drawing the attention of the gaggle of activity in the courtyard. Jade was easy to pick out of the crowd, always head and shoulders above her admirers and easy to find looking over to our bizarre entrance.

I pulled myself free and cantered over to Jade and Glitter prancing around her legs happily, ignoring the crowd that had gathered out here for some reason. "Hey Jade, hi sweetie! Found another secret passage, you gotta try this one Glitter, it's got a slide!"

Jade gave an anxious but warm smile at my excitement, gently pressing a hoof to my muzzle to stop my rambling and pointedly looking over my shoulder. "T-That is nice Fast, we have guests however..."

There was always something going on in the busy castle these days, the heavily laden carts by the drawbridge said this was probably more of the same. I followed her pointing wing and shuffled around with a pout. Dealing with others wasn't really my thing... who could be so important that... Oh...

"Hello Fast, wonderful to see you again. Glad to see you are doing so well, healthy and happy hmm?" Ivy smiled down at me, leaning down to nuzzle over my sputtering and nervous attempt to back away.

Just Ivy was ok, I had promised her too after all.. Still a conflict in my head over fulfilling my word with the stunning green mare, but after spending so much time and energy with Peri with Jade's blessing I had slowly gotten used to the idea. Besides, Ivy was nice... she looked incredibly fetching in her flowing cream colored dress and matching bow in her blue mane too... It was the others behind her that worried me now that I was paying attention, a full wing of alicorns in Minutemare gear stood among several pegasi dressed the same. Lime? Stormy?!

I didn't know the purple with the chestnut and orange streaked mane, but I had briefly met the green with the medium length, yellow-green mane before. My guard the first time I visited Trinity Tower, the one who told me why the alicorns had been changing from how they looked under their mother. Something about the soul shaping the vessel it was in if I remembered right. The dark blue Stormy tossing her silver and lilac streaked mane and licking her lips was the one I had saved from the Church of Balefire attempting to martyr her, so we had technically met once too.

Much more concerning was the hungry looks they all gave as they peeked around Ivy, holding her verdant wings out to keep them back and tittering to herself. "Not to worry Fast. Perwinkle has been a bit of an inspiration, these are troops under your command now. You both remember your promise yes? This is why. Behave yourselves Lime, Stormy, Flitter, no ponynapping or running off to tell Umbra right?"

All three gave slow, sleepy nods reluctantly and shuffled in place. I should have expected this at some point, Peri was the first alicorn Minutemare, that didn't mean others might not decide to join now that they could do as they wished. I kept an eye to the skies for the Trinity Tower mares hunting me anyway, figuring they may investigate the castle and move on, but having these three join all the troops occupying the place meant I couldn't hide... Plus Ivy didn't agree with my reluctance or Jade's unwillingness to just openly share me with any of her sisters on tap, she was just a lot more gentle and less insistent in her nudges and prods towards getting what she viewed as fair and logical.

"He'll do what we want eventually though, won't he sister? Peri said he..." Lime whined and tried to push forward, making me skitter back and glare daggers at Peri, humming obliviously to herself to the side. She saw no issues whatsoever.

Jade shook her rosy face and stamped her hoof, giving her sisters a stern look and arching an eyebrow at me. "N-Now, now, none of that. We are trusting you, please do not betray that trust. I have explained it is not that simple, patience! B-Besides... I believe Ivy is ahead of either of you, then Swan after that, that is what was promised and no more. Fast will keep his word, once he has we can r- revisit the subject. I am most displeased about this Ivy, you could have written ahead..."

Ivy gave an amused, innocent look back and shrugged, that mare liked to stir the pot sometimes... "It would ruin the surprise wouldn't it sister? Lime, Stormy and Flitter are trustworthy and honorable sisters, they truly wished to join your Minutemares and help others, finding you is just a bonus hmm? I believe you will find them invaluable, for example Stormy is still tracking the remains of the Church of Balefire and wished to help here, and Lime informed me of something you may be interested in didn't you sister? Tell Fast what you told me."

Blinking those heart shaped sparkles from her eyes, the forest green filly nodded and pointed a wing at a random Minutemare buck hauling a cart of supplies across the courtyard. "Oh! Yes, that one doesn't belong."

"Huh?" I looked over the pale buck and squinted, what was she talking about? A white unicorn with a blue and yellow mane, floppy tan Minutemare hat pulled low, quickening his pace away from the gathering in the open courtyard while Val drew her pistol and stalked after him.

Lime gave a frustrated snort and a series of thoughts and images flashed through my head, a week without unity made the return of the mental connection a little rusty, but I puzzled out what I got. Cutie mark decals, flashes from scenes all over the Commonwealth, a familiar church... "That one does not belong..." Lime repeated and I got it.

"Hello Beacon... what are you doing?"

The member of the mysterious Railroad winced and slumped to a halt, shaking his mane and amazingly changing it and his tail back to their normal dark as he trotted over, shuffling guiltily and shrugging. "Heh... you green mares are a nightmare for undercover agent types like me you know, totally unfair... Hiya Fast, came down to meet up and figured I'd catch you here since you're so busy, take a look around..."

Val sneered and got right in his face, shoving him back and growling over to me. "Spyin' on us boss, lemme kick his ass, please..."

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! E-Easy there red, gotta be cautious ya know... I got something you guys wanna know though! Remember that Switchboard place I was telling you about Fast?" Beacon backed away from the angry and healthy griffon itching for a fight and the Minutemares surrounding him at her commotion.

"Vaguely, maybe I'd remember better if you actually told me anything. My pip-buck says it's a Pony Joe's...."

"R-Right! That's it! Er.... figured you may wanna come give me a hoof there on your little rampage tonight. You've been messing with the Gunners right? They're moving on the place and it's distractingly far away... not that that little tactic is going to work much longer. I heard about this place, their spies aren't near as good as me, but they're good enough... Come on, chance to fuck with the Institute and the Gunners at the same time!" Bright Beacon explained in a rush, yelping at Val's claw poking his chest and yanking away bits of his clever Minutemare disguise.

Mission Updated: Trotson Calling

Objective--------
---~~Meet Beacon near Pony Joe's (failed)~~
---Investigate the Switchboard

I groaned at the text in my vision and called Val off with a grumble. "Fine. I'll listen, in a minute... Peri, would you do me a favor and make our guest wait in the throne room? Don't let him out of your sight ok?"

The big blue mare nodded sleepily and loomed over the Railroad spy, pointing the way with a wing and staring directly at him even as she answered. "Ok Fast, I'll watch him, I want another page when you get back tonight though, sister Ivy can wait. You move, that way, don't go anywhere..." If there was one thing I was sure of, it was Peri followed orders exactly when it suited her, I didn't expect even Beacon to slip away from her.

Beacon whined and yelped at the blue Minutemare shoving him along, I didn't go out to find Gunners till dark, let him stew awhile and see how he liked it. I was still annoyed with the mysterious group, holding tantalizing answers about the Institute and refusing to trust anypony easily. I was getting anxious to get out of sight of Jade's sisters though.

With both Ivy and Lime here to facilitate a weak form of unity in the immediate area, I got several lewd flashes from Peri and her carefully documented plans being shared with her sisters, questions flying back and forth, a murmur of that driving lust that sent me running away from Goodneighbor racing between them...

Jade was in on it too, though it was hard to tell what side she fell on now. Her face matched my own blazing red coloration, but some of the thoughts she had in response to the others weren't exactly chaste. She did shake it off and save me though, giving a whinny and calling after Peri frog marching Beacon ahead of her. "Ahem... t-thank you Periwinkle, I am interested in hearing what our spy has to say for himself as well, he is sure to be tricksy so watch him carefully. Now then, Preston I believe you have new recruits to assign and so forth, perhaps you could attend to that now?"

"Right you are Princess Jade! Come along ladies, this way, lots of work to do! Let's find out what you're good at and get you a squad! Hop to!" Preston Gardens pushed forward from the gaggle of amused onlookers and escorted the new arrivals away despite their protests, his stern tone of military command getting the trio of much bigger ponies than himself to march at his direction.

Grateful for the escape route, I nodded and waved over their pouting whines. "Yeah! Umm... Nice to see you Lime, Stormy, er... good to meet you too umm Flitter? N-Nice to have the help I guess... I'll just go and, totally not hide now..."

With my routine broken, I was getting increasingly grumpy and pouted down at the bottom of the pit, running through the checks on the clattering, patchwork reactor still leaking a steady stream of radiation, but now down to a comparative trickle. Roaming the castle wasn't safe anymore, I could run into one of our new arrivals around any corner and it was making me nervous. Not to mention the presence of several female alicorns had my mane itching constantly...

Worse yet, my repair squad had already started making friends with our new arrivals... Onyx quite liked seeing me scamper off and so flustered, so she was exceedingly welcoming. As a final nail in the coffin, most of the purple Flitter had once been a unicorn working for the Ministry of Wartime Technology, she retained enough of her past life to make her a repair-pony....

Beacon was annoying enigmatic still, a font of information on the subjects he wanted to discuss, but nothing else. I was tempted to let Val start pummeling him until I got answers, but Jade was the kind voice of reason as always. Thanks to a little gentle prodding from her, Beacon admitted the Gunners were most likely gearing up for a fight too.

This Switchboard place he wanted us to go to was a prewar Ministry of Morale facility, not a great deal left when the Railroad had to vacate it, but the Gunners didn't know that. It was swarming with Gen 1 synths too, guardians left behind after the Institute raided the place, attacking anything that dared approach. Between them and the minefield around the place, the Gunners hadn't made a lot of progress, but they were preparing to make a push in to take the place.

So that was my target tonight, once I was done here Val and I would fly off to find the place and proceed with more of her flight training, of the decidedly combat oriented variety. After giving Beacon a good enough glare, at least he assured me he'd be more forthcoming once we were on our way. Taking him with us to the far flung facility would be harder if not for my audience down here...

"My it is quite pleasant down here isn't it? You could have done a less effective job, but still very nice. Do you and sister Jade come down here to..." Ivy spoke up from her perch behind me, stretching her wings and basking in the mild trickle, watching with sparkling green eyes full of mischief.

"No! N-No... we don't... though I guess we could.... Nnnn! Stop Ivy! Hard enough to concentrate down here already, maybe you should fly up and get ready if you insist on coming with us, though I'd prefer you didnt."

The glow of her eyes just brightened as she laughed and brushed my grumbles away. "Nonsense. Sister Peri has suuuuuch interesting stories and memories! A date! I insist on a date as well, I was a proper old world filly once you know. Though I do enjoy the run of your thoughts, you are struggling very hard against your new nature, such an entertaining battle."

Pouting as I worked, I ran through another check before accepting my modified reboot sequence. "Sure, a real hoot... Just trying not to be a perverted psychopath..."

My tone must have gotten through to her, though with Ivy it was just as easily lifted right out of my brain, she sounded less flirtatiously delighted and more kind and serious when she continued anyway. "I don't mean to make fun Fast, I took your letter seriously and am happy you chose to confide in me. Forgive me, I spend most of my time with foals and much more innocent thoughts, though a good portion of yours aren't that far removed."

"Er... thanks, I think... So how is the orphanage? Shamrock and Cat are both honoring their deals right? All the kids ok? You umm... doing alright taking care of children again?"

Her kind smile brightened and she nodded back, "Oh yes, doing very well thank you Fast. I had my worries taking on the job, but I've grown to enjoy it. My sisters often volunteer to help, hence I'm able to take my little outing to see you, though the children complain they need less of their guide services lately.

Thankfully the Mayor has been most generous, I believe your example shamed him a bit, the floor of the M.O.M. hub he gave to the orphanage is coming along nicely and he is providing more work than spying and pickpocketing again. Cleaning all that pink sludge from the tower requires a lot of work!

Wicket and the rest send their regards, mostly to young Glitter, though Wicket said to tell you... ahem... 'Treat Miss Ivy right Wanker' and that he is getting a good deal of experience repairing things for Shamrock. He is already more skilled than that silly Light Fantastic pony in the Mayor's employ.

Our partners at the Combat Zone have been pleasant as well, Cats Paws delivers our share fairly so you need not worry. She even gives the children jobs as well, acting as barkers to draw in customers and such. I believe both she and the Mayor are helping make sure my charges do not return to their previous larcenous ways.

All in all, you have helped do a great deal of good Fast, you should be proud. Why I find it laughable you are concerned about your darker impulses, you are not an evil pony Fast. I don't mean to make light of your fears, but most of your mind is pure of heart and deed, a proper old world pony still."

"Most...and the rest?"

"Hmm... more typically masculine than when I last spent time with you, though you were sick and weak then too. I can sense the rather powerful spiritual protection you have on your side as well. Those little voices should allay your fears Fast, the Ministry Mares were always strongest together, but the four you have are already forming a powerful bulwark against darkness. All six together were enough to repel even our mother and true unity you know.

I have seen nothing to alarm me yet, I am keeping a close eye on your thoughts though, seeing how you react to certain playful prods and pokes. I would prefer to see you under stressful conditions, where the aspects you're so worried about are more likely to come out. Another reason for our date! I must say that's a quaint but enjoyable idea, when the others experience Peri's memories, you may sway more to your side concerning feelings and connection before mating." Ivy answered softly, trying to cheer me up and console me.

I wanted a shrink and Ivy was it, taking it seriously with the benefit of telepathy. I still didn't like the idea of her coming with me though, no matter her reasons. "No nearly getting killed on our date, huh Ivy? I don't think I can take it... Now seriously, you may wanna fly up a little. I'm about to do something no proper repair pony would even think of doing."

Ivy made no move towards budging her rear from the pile of crumbled masonry she was perched on, fluffing her wings and waiting with a huff. "If you are so concerned for my safety, better I remain hmm? I don't have sister Jade's talent with healing spells and have never been very combat oriented, every little bit helps. Go on, open it. Though who is Sprockets and why would he 'smack you silly' for doing this?"

"A brave old repair-pony I knew once... Ok, hold onto yer butt, here we go..." I smiled wistfully hearing her mention the pony who saved me with his dying breaths, Sprockets would buck the snot out of me for even thinking this...

At least she knew what was coming, the very idea of doing this made every repair-pony instinct scream out in horror, but this was the best option. The reboot sequence I programmed would drop it down to minimal levels, but doing a proper shutdown on this hunk of junk like I should was too risky, I wasn't sure I could get it going again if I did.

Willing myself to ignore the alarms in my head, I hit the command with my magic and gripped the gem studded hatch as the whole contraption slowed down to a low hum. Even in this state, wrenching open the core sent a roaring chatter of radiation spewing out, sending my rainbow coated gauge straight from green up to orange.

I squinted against the glare of the storm of magic inside, reflecting off the faceted crystalline chamber and finding the bent, emerald tipped focal arm that was the problem. Quick as a flash, I grabbed it with my surging magic and bent it back into shape, slamming the hatch closed, listening as it went through with the reboot and came back up to full power. I heard a distant cheer and several sparks and small explosions of blown capacitors, but the deep hum settled out and it sounded good. I counted that as a victory and panted as I checked my pip-buck. Right at the border between red and purple...

"Oh dear... slow down, don't rip!" Ivy called out in distress behind me, her simple cream dress stretching close to the breaking point as she shot up a few inches in one spurt. It was a close call and she took shallow breaths, but the poor garment survived until she stopped with a whinny, tossing her blue mane and tittering as she gave me a sultry look and continued.

"Very invigorating, but I just bought this dress, should have splurged for the size adjustment enchantment I suppose... Ahhhh I see what you mean now, you are quite worked up already aren't you? You liked that hmm? Enjoyable as I may find that, oooh and that... and that... and... my, my, my! Such thoughts Fast! How delightful! Later however, focus Fast, this is no different than unity, mental discipline and control remember?"

The cool thread of her thoughts touching mine helped a lot actually, I realized I was leaning forward and strutting towards her already, both wings and ears standing straight up, mane itching madly, a warm fog trying to overwhelm my brain and a goofy look I had to wipe off my face. I never went down here with anypony to distract me before... Right! Gunners! Mission and all that, off we go then!

I flew straight up with Ivy looping around me gracefully, displaying my inadequate skills even so charged up. Once we hit the top I almost managed to get through the hatch at full speed, clipping the side and weaving in the air as I regained control, looking down at the cheering crowd standing on the metal grating and patchwork scrap sealing off the pit.

A crowd of happy looking ponies, all looking around at the castle flickering to life around them, lights blinking on from the windows and brightening the courtyard beyond, banishing a lot of the dancing shadows of fire barrels used to warm the area and see for normal ponies. Despite the surge of energy urging me to DO, I took a second to enjoy that wonderful satisfaction of a repair job well done. We had power again, things would get easier from here.

Jade fluttered up with Glitter on her back, Val right at her side with us as the pair hugged and nuzzled their goodbyes. Having my daughter with her kept me from getting to fixated on the love of my life pressed against me. Ivy was right though, I was already highly agitated, my eyes drinking her in, drifting to Val rechecking her weapons and waiting impatiently, down to Peri and Witchy both watching with a pout since they couldn't come this time, scanning the crowd for pretty mares and finding Onyx wiggling in a flirty display.

I swear that mare had found a way to make her jumpsuit even tighter and had cleaned up, her purple and silver mane had no business looking that clean and styled after a day of repair work around the castle. Her lidded eyes even had a bit of pale lavender eyeshadow and widened with a grin once she caught me looking, blowing a kiss and falling into gales of giggles with the rest of the repair squad, leaning up to whisper to a confused looking newest member. The light purple alicorn Flitter cocked her head and stretched an ear to listen, then got a rosy blush and stared up with sparkling brown eyes. Ugh... Onyx and I were going to have a talk if she kept this up...

All this excess energy was for more important things dammit, I snorted and shook my head, giving Jade a kiss and nodding to Val and Ivy. The green alicorn returned the gesture and flicked her horn down at Beacon watching with the crowd, surrounding him in the green glow of her magic and yanking him to her back with her own topped off power levels.

I thought a few instructions to Ivy and flew out into the night, off to the west towards the tall spire of the S.P.P. hub and the arrow on my compass pointing towards 'Pony Joe's', or the Switchboard according to Beacon. Whatever it was the Railroad wanted from this place, we were going to find out, one way or the other.

"H-Hey! C-C'mon Fast! N-Not funny!! Call her off!!!" Beacon yelped from the bubble of Ivy's green telekinesis holding him in the air, above the hard ground zipping by a loooooong way below as we flew on.

I was willing to help and give him some leeway, but Val had a point, he was spying on us... I was tired of deflections and vague innuendo, I wanted answers right now, before we reached the ruined town below at the outskirts of Trotson. Ivy huffed and gave a warning jiggle to the scrambling unicorn while Val just laughed at his distress. Turning around to fly backwards still wasn't very easy, but I awkwardly managed it to stare in his blue eyes with my burning red ones and shake my head.

"No. Start talking Beacon, I am running really low on patience at the moment and more aggressive than you're used to. You know about the Institute, I want to know too, now."

"Ok! Ok! Just gimme somewhere better to talk from! C-Can't really think like this!" From the way he shivered and fought, I realized most ground ponies weren't as comfortable as I was up here, even before I grew my own set of wings. A thought to Ivy sent him to her back and he clutched her neck gratefully.

"If he tries shutting up again Ivy, feel free to just do a few loops..."

"Oh I am sure I can give him incentive, I could just read what you want to know out of his head though Fast, no reason to... convince him." Ivy smiled back with a curious look, granted having a telepath would make this easier, but...

"I don't want to take the information. I do want to be friends Beacon, but I am tired of your caginess. I want you to tell me, voluntarily... mostly voluntarily anyway. So?"

"Alright! Jeez, I liked you better before you went down in that pit. So, the Institute... I actually know a lot, seeing how I'm a synth myself and..." Beacon regained his composure and started back in with his normal smooth patter, but Ivy cut him off instantly.

"That is a lie."

I glared at the wince he gave at Ivy's declaration and snorted an angry breath from my nostrils. "Thank you Ivy. I'm not above asking her to be a living lie detector Beacon, try again..."

"Aw just lemme kick his ass boss! Won't even use the green machine here to rip it outta his head, least ya could do!" Val growled beside us and added further incentive for the Railroad member gulping nervously.

"Ok, that was just a harmless one though... suppose you won't believe I'm the real leader of the Railroad either, you green fillies are no fun at all. Alright Fast, I'll be square then, not used to the whole honesty thing though. We really do have good reasons to be so cautious though, it doesn't take a telepath to force answers out of somepony, any of us captured could wind up having the memories sucked right outta their brains. The Institute puts even the old Ministry of Morale to shame on that front, you've seen the Memory Recliners in the Memory Den right? They've improved the technology since then...

So, I guess first off... I can't really tell you much of anything about your Stable... 80 years is way before my time or the Railroad, they didn't have advanced Gen 3 synths back then and that's who we're concerned with. They got too good at making fake ponies though, you've seen enough from Angel to accept they're alive right? That makes them slaves..."

Ivy chiming in with "True." wasn't entirely necessary, he was right, after meeting Angel I could accept the synths were capable of more than being convincing fakes. With that in mind he was right, those that were self aware and alive were nothing more than slaves. "And you guys try to free them, I get that. I want to know how. Plus I want to know what you do about the Divisions, where they are, what they're up to, anything."

"Well... We have help for one, an insider, Patriot. He helps get them out, teleports them to a drop point and we skedaddle them outta there, help disguise and hide them, give them new memories if we need to so even they don't know they're not a normal pony. Best way to hide them and give them a life.

As for what the Institute is up to, lots... Sure you've figured that much out yourself, they're not exactly a cohesive unit. Synths have certain protections built in, so even the ones we free can't tell us much about them, so this is all pieced together. Dala has gone dark since you escaped, we know that. Figured she'd be all over the place once you... changed, but she's still awful quiet.

Vega is dealing with his own problems, his latest pawn turned on him and has been causing all kinds of mischief. Hasn't stopped his plans for a 'royal wedding' in D.C. or his drug trade, that X-Cell stuff he's spreading is getting all over, but we're pretty sure it's coming from somewhere on the coast.

Gleam is a total mystery, she doesn't interract with the outside very often soooo... not much to say there. Same with Klein, he does play around and test his tech out here, but he operates in Gunner territory mostly, hard for us to move around down here. Swirl operates in the northeast though, lot of rumors up near Neighlem, the things he focuses on are dangerous though, and weird, benefited from some of his tech myself actually."

"Benefited how?"

In answer, Beacon shook his head and his dark mane turned red to my astonishment, how did he do that? Even more impressive, his horn glowed a bright yellow and his whole coat turned pink, now he looked like a totally different pony... no wonder I never noticed him when he said he had kept tabs on us.

Shaking again shrugged off the false colors and he tugged a strange, dark, chitinous amulet from beneath his ragged shirt proudly. "Infiltration talisman, pretty clever huh? Swirl is Reverse Engineering, any bit of foreign tech or non-pony magic, he has his hooves in. This was derived from Changeling magic, comes in pretty handy for undercover work, lemme tell you!"

"Ok... I can imagine. That's five of them, what about Mobius..." Looking down at Blue Moon folded in at my side, I waited for information about the mysterious sixth Division Head eagerly. That one had my curiosity piqued, the others sounded scared of him from what little I had gathered.

Unfortunately, Beacon wasn't very informative on that subject either. "Mobius... That's a hard one Fast, Doc Mobius hasn't really done anything in ages. He used to be one of their best and brightest, had a hoof in almost everything they did prewar, an idea pony. Theoretical Imagineering took any crazy idea and ran with it, made shit just for fun, Rainbow Dash loved the old pegasus I know that.

Now though... He had a falling out with the rest of the Institute at some point Fast, nopony really knows why or how, but he went and hid after scaring the bejeezus out of the rest of them. Somewhere in the forbidden zone or beyond is our best guess. We got almost nothing on him and the synths we save know even less, only that the others view him as a taboo, nopony is even allowed to mention the old codger. Part of what has things all up in the air though, no idea why, but apparently he's been moving again and it's freaked them right the fuck out."

"The Forbidden Zone?"

"Ah, the Glowing Sea is a name you've probably heard for it instead, same diff. Some of us figure he has to be the reason the Gunner's are getting pushed out, but doesn't seem like his style. Kinda hard for anypony to keep an eye on that blasted hellscape with all the rads and monsters, but whatever's going on in there probably isn't him." Beacon replied.

"How do I get into the Institute Beacon? Any of them will do, though Vega is topping my list, I want my Stable back..."

"Er... build your own teleporter I guess? I really dunno Fast, we can't even get synths out on our own, let alone anypony in. We've got an admittedly narrow focus too, so we can try to help, but you'd have to talk to the others. Why I been trying to get you welcomed into the fold, once we clear this place out, you should earn their trust." The pale unicorn shrugged from Ivy's back as we flew on, approaching our destination by my pip-buck map.

"Why don't you trust me already? Haven't I proven I'm going to fight the Institute no matter what?"

At that Beacon gave a sly, appraising look and answered cautiously. "Yeeeah... but we don't know how you'll do so. What kind of a hero you really are, what your beliefs are, how you think things should be. Your Minutemares are a good example, but you're friends with the Brotherhood of Friendship too, brought them into the Commonwealth yourself. You talk to the outside too, we hear plenty just from our new radio channel on that score, the rest of Equestria probably won't understand synths or be willing to see them as anything as robots, slaves."

"Alright... fair enough, what's wrong with the Brotherhood though?"

Beacon hedged here, flicking his blue eyes down at the telepathic alicorn giving him his ride and giving an annoyed huff since he couldn't really lie. "You should find out yourself Fast, don't want to color your opinion of them. You're due to go visit their cloudship right? Meet the mucky mucks up top? Do that and tell me what you think yourself. Now, are we good or not? Cause we're kinda... closing in here and we don't wanna just dive right down on the place directly, if you could sorta aim for that stream to the north instead beautiful?"

Ivy glanced at where his shaking hoof was pointing below and then over to me with a questioning look. Turning my sharp vision down towards the stream and then back to the arrow in my vision, I saw what he was talking about. There was a lot of light and movement down in the ruined warren of buildings and crossing streets that way, Gunners... lots and lots of Gunners...

Dozens, heavily armed and surrounding a fairly intact brick building with a faded, giant donut on top that looked like a dragon had taken a big bite out of it, the tilted text on the leaning decoration reading; Pony Joe's. Other than it being so well preserved compared to everything around it, I didn't see what could be the big deal, it was a fairly small donut shop, though surrounded by a minefield that was keeping the Gunners back at the moment.

Even from this far away, I could spot several specks venturing closer an inch at a time, explosive minded ponies disarming the barrier one metal disc by one, though while I watched a bright green flash lit up the night and a trio of regular explosions went off near it, that was an unlucky minesweeper..

Val gritted her teeth and hissed with an eye to the skies, spotting a couple specks flying above the activity. "May not be a bad idea boss, they're keepin' a close eye on the any attacks from above, don't think they're gonna let ya use that lightnin' trick of yers again... Hate agreeing with the liar, but stream's outta the way and not far, let us get a good look."

Good enough, I trusted Val's opinion completely and started silently gliding down to where Beacon pointed, aiming towards a cleft in the muddy slope leading to the small river, full of brambles and mutated weeds finding a way to grow even in the wasteland. Peeking up from the bank around a crashed carriage that looked to have fallen from the broken bit of elevated highway crossing the river, I got a good look at all the activity and swore in a whisper.

Eyes Forward Sparkle was a wall of red, dozens of Gunners just in sight and surrounding the innocuous building, entrenched in the ruins of the small town around it, equally alert for any threat from within or without. Ivy's whispered warning just made me less confident too, "I can't read the griffons, but I can tell what the ponies are thinking. They are worried about you coming Fast, I don't think you'll catch them napping. Very angry and nervous, they want this place to replace their losses and to stage an attack on... oh dear... They are aware you have taken Castle Equinox, they are coming..."

That made a cold sweat spring up on my coat, they had power armor... nice new looking suits painted green, an excellent supply of heavy weaponry battle saddles dispersed among the rest of the green combat armor wearing ponies, these were the best equipped and meanest looking Gunners I had encountered.

Asking Val about it confirmed my suspicions, her violet eyes were squinted against the distance and dark to see what I could, but gave a grunt of a reply. "Yup... these are a mix of A and B listers boss, the big boys from down south are moving up. Even without the mindreader, I could tell ya the same, they're here for a fight. Might have a few days, but they're gonna attack. Soon..."

Great... All the enjoyable progress fixing and fortifying the castle and Eclipse suddenly seemed woefully inadequate. These weren't even the varsity squad? Where did they get gear like that? How was I supposed to fight that?! All those ponies were counting on me! I had picked a fight with this!?!?

Ivy nuzzling at me from behind shocked me out of my mini panic attack, anypony else wouldn't have known, but of course she did. Her affection just stirred up pleasantly distracting, but terribly ill timed urges, cut short by her pulling away and cocking her head, giving a satisfied nod as she spoke. "Better. Calm down Fast, you are a very resourceful pony, you will think of something. Focus on the present, how will we get in with them swarming over our goal? I'm afraid I can't make anyone invisible like Jade or Peri so this may be difficult."

"Ask and ye shall receive pretty filly! Hadn't really planned on going in the front door, good spies sneak in the back right? Ta-da!" At Beacon's hushed but jovial announcement, the pale unicorn tugged a clump of brush and weeds away in his magic, parting like a curtain to reveal a large outflow pipe pointing at the sluggish stream behind us, not far down it was a heavy security door and terminal barely glowing in the dark.

"What the fuck is it with you an secret passages boss? Ok, that gets us in, doesn't do a thing about that company of Gunners though. Not that I ain't itchin' fer a fight, that's Gabe's banner over there, and Vera's there... but I prefer livin' afterwards." Val dug out her cracked binoculars and peered through them as she grumbled.

I was relieved she was keeping her survival in mind after Gunter and not diving headlong at her former tormentors this time. There had been an almost imperceptible difference in my fiery griffon friend since she so messily killed the sadistic griffon. No major change, but she seemed more genuinely happy instead of faking it, even with the threat of her former comrades over our heads.

Her normal flirtatious behavior had a deeper note to it too, a true warmth rather than amused teasing. We had gone out with me in this state repeatedly now, but she had never taken advantage of it, insisting she still wanted the full silk sheets and candles treatment. Just the thought of which made me angrily stomp down on several inappropriate thoughts. Opening up had helped her I hoped, I definitely felt closer to her after she finally let me in and told me what those evil bastards had done to her... How they had killed the pony she liked, hurt her, forced themselves on her... taken what was MINE...

"Fast..." Ivy was staring at me closely, making that dark voice in my head grumble and duck back down in its cave as I shook it off guiltily.

"S-Sorry... just thinking... She's right, that is a loooot of Gunners and you say there are Gen 1 synths inside?"

Beacon nodded the affirmative, but Ivy cut him off before he could launch into expounding on the simple answer. The green alicorn was still staring at me closely, cocking her head like she was listening to a far off noise. Finally she warily looked away to stare out at the Gunners, a mischievous smile curling her lips as she spoke. "I think I can help there, I told you it was good for me to get a bit charged up Fast. Watch..."

I did, closely as her long horn was glowing bright green along with her matching eyes, but I didn't see her magic affecting anything yet. Suddenly shouts rang out and weapons started firing at... nothing? A pale blue stallion with a missile launcher battle saddle was tearing into his own comrades, screaming and launching one whistling explosive after another trying to kill something that just wasn't there.

Several more bright explosions started going off from the minefield around the Pony Joe's, the minesweeper ponies out there either walking right into beeping mines or actually floating a dozen up carelessly, flinging them towards their fellows in a beeping cloud of death. Whaaaaa....

I looked up at Ivy's smirk with new respect, compared to invisibility or teleportation, I had sort of considered her telepathy and talents with shields to be less combat effective. Seeing her in action here though... she was in their heads and sowing chaos without lifting a hoof. She grinned down at me as she stood up straight and proud, a beautiful, powerful mare unleashing the true strength of her gifts. Puffing up in triumph, she flared her wings in a gorgeous display, letting the chilly breeze send her mane and tight dress rippling, enticing glimpses of those curvy flanks, a delicious expanse of green with a hint of...

"A-Ahem! Flattering as your thoughts are Fast, the task at hoof remember? A bit difficult to keep up at this range and with so many, but I can do more if we get closer. Though robots and griffons are immune of course." Ivy blushed and her wings folded back, smoothing out her fluttering dress as she trotted over to the waiting door.

Val lingered to watch the chaos still going on before flapping over to clutch Ivy with glee. "Holy shit! That is awesome! Can you make em think their naughty bits are on fire or somethin' fun like that? Oh the possibilities, lemme think on it, we'll make a list, got some special hallucinations a couple of em deserve! You just went up in my estimation babe!"

"That'll keep em busy awhile if nothing else! I'm impressed too sweetheart, very classy way to kill. Ok, let's go kids! We'll be in and out before they know what happened, dumb synths won't even see us coming with these yahoos up here! Off we go!" Beacon cheered and tapped away at the terminal, opening the heavy steel door with a hiss and revealing a long tunnel lit in orange emergency lights, stretching off towards the Pony Joe's above.

"Right, in and out... sure." I groused and followed the others, still brimming with questions but eagerly anticipating violence ahead.

Ivy's manipulation was brilliant and a safe way to hurt them, but didn't compare to the visceral sensation of blasting their brains out personally. Val confirmed it for me, these Gunners deserved to pay too, bigwigs... the higher up the chain they were, the closer they were to the ones that actually hurt her, thus they all deserved to die. It was justice...

The soothing feeling of Ivy's mental touch brought my eyes up to meet her own looking back at me closely over her shoulder. She was watching carefully, giving a worried nicker and flicking her tail with a wiggle, drawing me on and quenching that flare of rage with concerned caring on her face. I could do this, I had help, friends...

"Let's go."

----------------------------Level Up!----------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------------

Inspiration Manifestation----
---You're a lot more popular than you ever were in the Stable, though that comes with its own problems and benefits! Because you lead by example, your companions deal 20% more damage while taking 20% less, along with an increase to their carry weight by... you guessed it, 20%. Mysteriously they also cannot hurt you (in combat anyway... by accident...) nor you them. The Magic of Friendship is a strange and powerful thing, stray 'friendly' fire just ricochets or bounces away harmlessly!

Ch. 62-- A Team of Moronic Mercenaries

Ch. 62-- A Team of Moronic Mercenaries

"Okay. Now when you get another twitch, we'll have all kinds of scientific information."

-----------------------------------

"Intruder detected! Terminating unkno---SQWARK!!"

A pale Gen 1 synth turned to green goop under the stream of red M.E.W. fire coming down the long, pink tiled hallway. The plastic skinned double beside it fell over in a non-melty heap with its head neatly lopped off by a flash of starmetal. I complained as I ran towards the scrap left behind, still annoyed that the severed head melted instantly, I really wanted to try tinkering around with one of these things brains...

"The head Val, try to take the head off! I need the parts!"

I had my tools out in a floating blue cloud, expertly stripping the leftover robot body as Val stuck at my side, peering down the dim halls of the Switchboard and waving Ivy and Beacon up to the intersection I was working at. To be perfectly honest, I'd prefer to just take the whole body back for every synth I killed like this.

Their annoying habit of melting on death thwarted most attempts to learn more about them or the Institute, but mainly I really did want the parts. Even these earliest synths had magic talismans of highly advanced designs and greater efficiency than anything I could get anywhere else, I had repairs waiting on me back at the castle and they had taken on a greater urgency, the Gunners were coming...

"Quit yer whinin' boss, place is swarmin' with these ugly fuckers, plenty of junk for you to play with. Got bigger problems coming, you hear all that shakin and kabooms right? Fancy alicorn ears and all?" Val shrugged off my complaints and looted the plastic cased magical energy weapons the robots used, every bit of ammo helped, especially MFC now.

Ivy trotted up beside me as I hurriedly stripped the robot, looking up to the dust drifting down from the paneled ceiling and nodding. "She's right Fast, they've entered the upper levels and are fighting the robots above. My this is exciting isn't it? I never get to see such action, I hadn't realized how sedentary my life had become. I'm enjoying our date so far Fast!"

Her playful tickle made my tools jerk in the air and I groaned at my wings springing up. I knew I had promised her... that... But she had latched on to the idea I had with Peri, viewing this all as an old world date, just with less dinner and a movie, and more killer robots and mercenaries.

Given the end result of that previous outing was nearly getting Peri killed, I was a lot more worried than she appeared to be. Hoping to just get in, get whatever Beacon wanted, then get out the way we came after killing as many Gunners as we could safely. At least them breaching this weird facility wasn't that bad, the twisting hallways and offices made a better battleground for us than the ruined town above.

The Switchboard, according to Bright Beacon, was once a secret M.O.M. facility dedicated towards intelligence gathering and spy work against the zebra threat. I was pretty impressed at the sprawling complex the pale unicorn was leading us through, not only was it hardened and very well preserved, but it was full of interesting tech I kept shoving in my overladen packs.

Its proximity to the M.A.S.E.B.S. hub and the towering S.P.P. spire above, assisted in monitoring communications in the Trotson area, they were tapping everypony, work pretty far removed from planning parties... It did provide a wealth of salvage I could use, Castle Equinox once had its own radio transmitter and communication equipment, mostly ruined by the miretank infestation, but with some of this stuff I could get it working again.

"Ok, at least all the robots are heading upstairs, makes this easier. Take a left up here and we'll be in the control room. Then it's just a hop, skip and a jump away!" Beacon called back brightly and snuck ahead to the next intersection, peeking around the cracked wall and waving us forward with a hoof.

After dealing with a few more stray synths, we arrived at a heavy set of steel double doors and Beacon paused, taking cover at the doorframe and reloading his assault rifle, holding a hoof up to his muzzle and pointing at the entry. "Here we go... probably not moving from their posts inside sooo...."

I nodded and tried gently pushing one of the doors open a crack to peek in, E.F.S. lit up instantly with half a dozen red dashes as I took in the room, the monotone synth voices started proclaiming their actions ahead of them and firing blue lines of M.E.W. fire. A large, round chamber, full of terminals and workstations centered on a circular sigil of the Ministry of Morale in the floor. A pair of steel staircases led up to a balcony, framing a glass cage of a fancy command office overlooking the room.

The horde of synths opening fire as soon as the doors moved were the pressing issue though, no sneaking in to deal with these, they were on guard and staying at their post as Beacon predicted. Abandoning stealth, Val pushed past me and kicked both doors open wide, launching explosives into the room with her grenade machinegun at her side and whooping at a straight out fight. "Alright! Die ya tin cans! Hey Ivy, how bout a lil cover!?"

Ivy's long horn lit up instantly and a wall of green shield appeared just inside the doorway, making a perfect barricade to fire around. A few well placed shots with the Last Minute obliterated the heads of two synths self repairing blasted off limbs, while the rest took cover and concentrated the blue beams on the shield, battering it down slowly.

With my radiation meter still firmly in the red, I was all too eager to bring the fight to them. I brought up my lightning walking spell with a thought and zipped out into the room, blazing beams of magic tracing the chamber right behind me as Val squawked and returned fire with her own.

As a proper bodyguard I understood her annoyance, but I was a lot better on the ground than the air, with Best Served in my mouth and the Terrible Shotgun floating at my side, I was a electric flicker of destruction racing around the big room with plenty of space to maneuver. One pale robot after another went down, only a couple of the blue beams scorching my armored flanks and singing my tail flowing behind me.

Some of these were such early models that they lacked the plastic panels forming their 'coat', either partially or entirely, looking like walking, metal pony skeletons. The apparent leader of this group was in the best shape however, totally covered not only in his plastic hide, but in white composite armor of Institute design including a spotlight bearing helmet. That one's weapon was superior to the others too, setting whatever it hit on fire in rapid bursts as it quickly adjusted its aim and zeroed in on me.

The next flurry of shots was on target, forcing me to abandon my lightning tinged charge and leap to the air, my wings giving an ungainly flap and sending me straight up towards the ceiling of the tall chamber. The Synth Commander's weapon lagged a bare instant before adjusting its aim again, but I had a good angle now.

Using S.A.T.S. to send three slugs right to its head at 90% odds shredded its noggin, blowing the helmet off to go rolling across the floor dripping green goop. That looked like the last of them in here, I turned back to see Ivy blast one crawling across the floor with its forelegs with a beam of magic from her horn.

Val even gave an indulgent snort and tracked down a couple more trying to regenerate behind the workstations, using her flaming Shishkebab to sever their heads and leave the bodies behind, rolling her eyes at me. "Happy boss? More junk... more loot too though! Takin' that armor, pretty tough stuff!"

"Thanks Val, take everything you can, er... think I need you to help carry some of this for me though... getting a little full. Just hurry, that noise is getting closer..." I replied in a rush, getting to work stripping everything from the treasure trove of tech in the room in a field of alicorn telekinesis. All this extra power did help do my repair-pony work more efficiently, I could never carry this much weight or handle this many objects at once before.

Her grumbles about reaching her limit herself with all the weaponry, ammo and armor she was packing was answered by Ivy, prancing from the door and puffing up beside me, nodding to her own big saddlebags. "I travel rather light Fast, hardly a gentlecoltly thing to do though, asking your date to carry your junk... But extenuating circumstances and such, allow me."

Despite her teasing, I was grateful as she dutifully floated piles of scrap to her bags, the Pinkie-Space enchanted packs taking in far more than should be possible for the stylish leather saddlebags on her flanks. Between them and her cute dress and bow, Ivy seemed to have taken to wearing clothes since I saw her last, now that it was no longer taboo for her kind.

With how charged up she had gotten before we left, the simple cream colored dress was still distractingly tight and kept drawing my eye, my unbidden ogling even more embarassing as she could read the urgently naughty thoughts that rose up taking in all that rich green alicorn fur stuffed in it. At least she wasn't offended, she was keeping a close eye on me and my traitorous brain, occasionally blushing or grinning, but no insulted gasps or anything so far.

Even though letting her in meant letting her see every dirty thought, I was still grateful for her mental presence. I asked for help and she was giving it, though for now things were fine. Robots were different than ponies, I didn't feel much of anything destroying them so my worst impulses weren't coming up, for now 'Be Dark..." was completely silent, almost hiding from her actually...

Beacon left us to our looting and ran up the stairs, working on the door to the command post overlooking the room and calling us up once he had it open. A smaller version of the M.O.M. insignia was on the pale blue floor in here too, a brass plate of the same on the polished wooden door on this side.

The Railroad spy walked over the big desk before the windows overlooking the command center below, ignoring the terminal I was eyeing in favor of the body sprawled over it. An orange buck in wastelander gear, a tattered shirt and scorched leather armor over it, he was burned all over and had been dead a few weeks, one rotting hoof stretched toward the terminal and the other on a compact pistol with a long silencer attached.

Our guide patted the corpses back and turned around with a shimmer in his eyes, "Whistler... a good pony, standard procedure is to purge all our data if we're caught, keep the others safe, looks like he made it before the end."

"Sorry... er... sounds like a good buck, wish we could like... take him out of here, but under the gun at the moment Beacon, sorry..."

Wiping a damp eye, Beacon nodded and tugged the dark pistol free with his yellow magic, floating it over and waving a hoof to me. "Yeah, I know, thanks Fast. Here, noticed you use something similar sometimes, think you'll find this a better option. Ought to go to our new heavy, take his place and all, he got it from the old commander of this base."

At least my condolences weren't that awkward, I accepted it respectfully and checked the weapon over with a critical eye. A 10mm pistol like my own cobbled together gun from Stable 111 security, but far superior. Made with dense, dark metal with no shine whatsoever, an advanced receiver with minor enchantments from what I got out of my horn, extended quick-release clip and a long, rune etched silencer. My pip-buck volunteered the name 'Deliverer' on inspection and I reloaded it on the spot, adding it to my options and thanking Beacon.

Beacon leaned over to tap a few keys, nodding at the green glow of the screen and galloping back out to the sound of heavy steel doors sliding open further in. "Hang on, gotta check something then we're on our way, hold tight!"

Given a minute to look around, I inspected the richly appointed room with Val, leaving her to toss it for traditional valuables in favor of looking over the bookshelves before hitting the terminal. A dogeared copy of 'Equestrian Army Today' got tucked away with the junk and I trotted over to patch into the waiting computer.

The dead Whistler had indeed deleted a great deal of data before his demise, but the prewar stuff was read only, still waiting on the higher levels of the system the Railroad hadn't been able to crack into. The security options waiting were intriguing, but I passed them by for the moment to see what I could see in what was left of the logs.

Switchboard Status Report #1012

Information gathering side of things progressing apace, forwarded those coded communications going to Four Stars to the Manehatten hub. Encryption analysts aren't happy about those so flagged them high priority. Also putting together a file on those local communications we are definitely, positively, absolutely not listening to. Having more and more doubts working with that school, having them inside the facility is getting to be a security risk.

Switchboard Status Report #1230

Ministry Mare visit went well, well as can be anyway. She looks pretty haggard, that research their doing in the P.S.R. wing isn't helping either. That pegasus is too loopy to be allowed near a place this secure, but she goes down there with him and comes out bouncing off the walls, er... more so than usual. Rumors are it's Mint-als, that the Doc is not just letting her take them, but joining in... Filing a complaint probably won't do much good, but getting in contact with Agent Mess in the local hub, that school needs to be looked at.

Switchboard Status Report #1307

P.S.R. Division reports 97% inevitability of Balefire Armageddon... Cheery way to start the day. Worse with the track record they have lately, accurately predicting attempted zebra infiltration on the coast, warned us invisible subs were in the pipeline weeks before we ran into the first, spooky... Sent it up the chain and hoping the rumored raid in Manehatten today puts us safely in that 3% window, but taking a little vacation with the family when I clock out. Just to be safe...

My growing fascination with the records was interrupted by the loud blasts of real gunfire, coming from the maze of hallways Beacon had disappeared down. The buck himself came charging back with pink and purple beams of M.E.W. fire on his tail along with bullets pinging off the floor.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Problem! Big problem! Help!" Beacon yelped as he ran, a high caliber round tearing through his foreleg and sending him skidding to the tiled floor down the hall.

The jeering yells my ears could pick up echoing down the hallways told me the rest, Gunners... Rather than rip my pip-buck from the terminal, I backed out in a rush and went into the security system, tying it to E.F.S. and activating the turret grid. As I pulled free and ran for the hall, round metal turrets were already dropping from the ceiling, swiveling towards the red on Eyes Forward Sparkle I was running towards and opening fire ahead of me.

Ivy's green shield was sheltering Beacon as he sucked down a purple healing potion at the corner, leaving me free to skid around it with my weapons drawn and Val on my tail. Half a dozen Gunners, heavily armed and tearing the turrets to shreds with minimal damage, but they were distracted at least.

Val launched several 25mm grenades ahead of us that engulfed the group in fire and sent them scattering away, as lightning flickered around my hooves and wings. I launched myself into the confusion and smoke while they were off balance, slicing one unfortunate mare's hindleg off as I passed and activating S.A.T.S.. Vengeance floated up and spun in the blue grip of my magic, the hammer fanning and emptying the cylinder, drilling three of the opponents with headshots and getting the pained attention of the other three.

The remaining Gunners spun to face the source of the noise and destruction, several high powered weapons blasting a hole in the tiled floor where I was as my wings carried me to the ceiling. I dove at a green buck firing the Terrible Shotgun on my way, he was quickest on the uptake and his own combat shotgun battlesaddle hammered into the chest of my Shrouded Stallion armor, blowing me back from the force and back down the hallway to be caught by Val laying down M.E.W. fire.

Oh that bastard! That hurt! Even worse was reinforcements coming from behind them, led by a flat green suit of advanced power armor, a minigun opening up with a roar and green bolts of plasma streaking out, forcing us back. Val tugged me back to Ivy's shield and grimaced, "That sucks boss... that's Clint, fucker's a Lieutenant, and good..."

Lieutenant... As in high enough up the chain of command to be one of the ones who... I felt my eyes burn and sucked in a painful breath to growl in the Shroud's voice with my horn glowing, any attempts that darker voice had made towards behaving were gone in the face of one of Val's tormentors.

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS! You can all still run, except for Clint... Luna's judgement has been passed on you..."

I felt Ivy's scrutinizing presence in my head but chose to take advantage of it, leaping out into the hall and covered by her expanding shield. Heavy fire started battering it immediately to her panicked look, but I only needed a second, charging my horn and planting my hooves. Cracks were forming when I mentally nodded to the green alicorn, (Drop it now!)

She didn't look or feel like she liked it, but the glowing barrier disappeared instantly giving me a clear line of fire. Rather than being perforated once it dropped, several of the Gunners clutched at their eyes and stopped firing, screaming about being blind thanks to Ivy's glowing horn. Giving me all the time I needed...

KRAKA-THOOOOM!!!

Lightning filled the hall, centered on the power armor but blasting anyone near it with collateral damage, leaving several Gunners twitching on the ground, sparks of electricity racing over their armor. My triumph was short lived however, the power armored Clint didn't go down, the blast that should have knocked his spell matrix offline flowed harmlessly off his smoking chestplate and he staggered up again, filling the hallway with lead and forcing me to dive back to cover, several 5mm rounds digging into my flank.

"Get up you pussies! He's not some fucking storybook ghost dammit, he bleeds just fine! Kill him and catch the traitor if you can! Want me another round with..." Clint screeched at his woozy underlings, turning to yell at them and stomp angrily with his steel clad hooves.

His words brought the dark Shroud roaring all the way to life though, he admitted it! Wanted to inflict more suffering on my friend! Oh he was dead, he was so. fucking. DEAD. Lightning flared at my limbs and surrounded me as my fangs extended and I dashed back around the corner, ignoring Val's angry squawk and Ivy's panicked whisper in my head. Blasting down the wide hallway didn't offer much room to escape the steady stream of minigun fire that traced after me, but wings and speed let me dodge around effectively enough, zipping from one corner to the other in a manic charge at the suit of power armor.

Ivy's shield kept appearing and trying to keep up or block me, giving me additional cover along with a minor obstacle to get around, ignoring her mental voice trying to warn me and call me back. (Stop! I cannot affect the one in power armor Fast! He has some kind of protection! STOP!) No. No stopping. Faster... I could make it if I just went faster, more speed, more power at my hooves, more lightning washing over my body, faster! Just needed to get from where I was to where I wanted with more speed, MORE!

My ears popped and I was right where I had been focused on suddenly, haha! Teleportion suckers! I still wished I could do it intentionally, but I almost understood it that time, Swan's explanation of making a 'you shaped hole' clicked in place with that sensation of absolute speed, warp speed even... I could get that! Making the hole was only part of it, you had to move through it and I had apparently, in an electric flicker sparking around me as I got my bearings.

Right above Clint, flapping in confusion for a moment but exactly where I was aiming, the power armored Gunner trying to turn around in his slow moving armor and aim at something directly overhead. Applejack's Steel Ranger armor was powerful and dangerous, but also slow and clumsy in all but the best hooves, with a bit of a blind spot right where I was. Clint's groaning subordinates were faster to move but still recovering, letting me pounce on the steel clad back and wrap myself around his neck with a cackle.

Best Served and the new Deliverer floated up in my magic while I held on like grim death to the bucking, steel clad pony under me, freezing time with S.A.T.S. to deal with his underlings. I queued up shot after shot with the compact 10mm pistol, amazed at how little spell charge it took, using only half of it for several shots each to four enemies.

Once the sequence was accepted, the dark automatic pistol started firing, hard to tell though as it didn't even make the normal 'pfft!' of my old silenced pistol, this thing was silenced silenced... and very fast, the trio of tiny gems in the dark wooden grip glowed very faintly as round after round found pony flesh in a spinning dervish, sweet Celestia I loved this gun!

Clint continued to buck and fire wildly, his remaining comrades fell around him as he staggered over them, crushing the windpipe of one unfortunate yellow mare bleeding but not dead yet. Clint reared up crazily as Best Served flashed down at his side, slicing the minigun free to fall to the floor, dancing across the tiles as the last rounds traced a line down the wall and the barrels spun down.

Halfway disarmed, he fell back to the wall and smashed me against it, trying to dislodge his passenger while I focused on the big plasma caster on his other side. First disarm him, then peel him out of this tin can, and then... peel him again maybe... I grunted as he crushed me against the wall again, plaster raining down on my hat as a glowing green bolt of plasma melted a hole in the ceiling, then the heavy M.E.W. was severed too.

"YOU HAVE EARNED LUNA'S WRATH EVILDOER! Ooof!... PREPARE FOR DIVINE PUNISHMENT! ...Ow!... I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE BASTARD!!!"

My booming threats were making his struggles more frantic, kind of undercutting them as he kept smashing the air out of me, but I couldn't stop. Only Val's furious screech got through, the sound of her Shishkebab igniting accompanying it. "MOVE BOSS!!! NOW!!!"

I could listen to that, Val was important, her words got through and I trusted her, all of me. The dark Shroud viewed her as 'MINE' and was therefore willing to obey. Clint bucked and reared back for the wall again, but I released my hold and flapped my wings, diving aside as he crunched a bigger dent in the wall and Val's flaming starmetal sword skewered him through the chest, melting right through the heavy armor and pinning him to the wall.

I fell back to the ground and staggered, wincing now that I was no longer running on pure adrenaline and realizing how much damage I had taken, but still focusing on the struggling, power armored bug pinned by Val's flickering blade. My griffon merc glanced over with a hint of worry in her violet eyes to check on me, before nodding and returning her attention to the Gunner before her. Those dark claws took their time finding the manual releases of his helmet, flicking one after another with a grin until it gave a hiss and she tore it off him.

The sweaty lavender buck's buzz cut violet mane was plastered against his head, his dingy yellow eyes frightened pinpricks staring into Val growling in his face. "Helloooo Clint... Hang around awhile... been itchin' ta catch up buddy..."

"F-Fuck you traitor! You're all dead! 3rd Company is gonna wipe all you goody goods out! Commonwealth is gonna be all ours! Graven wants your ass alive though bitch, so do I! Didn't get me enough of..." Clint tried to recover and sneer back, mostly likely hoping for a quick death at this point with a flaming sword skewering him like... well like a shishkebab actually...

His words almost got him what he wanted, Deliverer snapped up in my magic right beside his head with a warning click while Val twisted the blade, eliciting yowls of pain from the remaining Gunner. More noises weren't far off, but it was worth taking a moment for this asshole, images of all the ways to torture him flashed behind my burning eyes, cut short by Ivy's cool thoughts and her wing lightly brushing me.

"Both of you, wait a moment and calm down. I believe I have a better option, you say this... pony, is a high ranking member of your enemies?" Ivy asked warily, keeping a close eye on me panting and scooping up his abandoned helmet, if I had time I'd strip the whole suit, this was an advanced unit... Clint was a unicorn.

Before the Gunner could stop his screeching and hurl more insults, Val clamped a claw over his muzzle and growled an answer to the green alicorn. "Yeah, Lieutenant Clint, moved up in the world a lil' what with the fancy armor and all. Hey Ives, how 'bout ya make him think his rod is a teeny lil' spiky hydra head crawlin' up his own ass, wouldn't mind seein' how he likes that..."

Ivy shook her head and cautiously approached the trembling griffon, gently pushing her claw away from the grip of her Shishkebab, causing the flames to die away and leaving him pinned, while she tried to shove Val aside to look directly in the Gunner's frightened eyes. "Entertaining as that may be, I believe I have a more useful solution. Vengeance is enjoyable if you revel in it you two, but knowledge is more valuable in our situation. You have been a very bad pony Mr. Clint, I feel no compunctions doing this, consider it a mercy compared to what my dark friend there wants to do..."

I gave a guilty start at her worried glance, holstering my weapons and tucking the helmet away, while Val pouted and scooped up his heavy weapons. I reeeeally wanted to hurt that bastard, but watching his eyes roll back in his head and his limbs twitch at Ivy's glowing horn touching his own wasn't bad at least. She narrowed her bright green eyes in a scowl while the mercenary struggled and fought her in his head, it was a short battle... he foamed at the mouth and drooled, spasming in a seizure around the curved blade piercing his chest.

After a moment, Ivy snorted and tugged the Shishkebab free, leaving the heavily armored Gunner to slump to the floor twitching as she floated it back to Val and gave a curt nod. "He will never hurt another soul, trapped in his worst nightmare until he dies of that wound. I hope that is sufficient Valkyrie, better I stripped his mind of all information and left him so rather then letting either of you indulge. I will need time to process it all, but I assume a high ranking Gunner will have valuable intelligence."

Val and I both gave a reluctant, grumbling acceptance of her point, I was impressed and a little terrified actually. Is that what Virescent would have done to my brain if I hadn't fought her off? Even Val gave an appreciative clap on the back and impressed whistle. Of all the ways to hurt or kill ponies, Ivy had shown one that was truly scary, and I thought she wasn't very suited to fighting!

With a slight shiver, I turned to Beacon limping his way towards us in a hurry and pointing back the way we came. "Great work beautiful, she's right Fast, went that way to try to shut down the elevator to the surface, but didn't make it in time. That was just the first crew securing the area, more are gonna be coming so if we could like... skedaddle? Room we need is right that way, let's go!"

A glance at his gesture led my eyes to the faded stenciled words on the wall; 'P.S.R. Division'. After reading the old logs, that got my interest and cooled the frustrated voice raging in my head about being denied its victim. They were both right, if the Gunners had secured entry, more would be coming and there were still Synths in the way.

Focus dammit, stay in control... Ivy was right, it was like learning how to deal with unity. I just didn't have the luxury of letting that part of me loose to rampage, stay on mission... "Ok, lead on Beacon, hurry..."

Bright Beacon nodded and charged down the halls on his healing leg, taking twisting turns down the maze of dusty hallways, eliminating clunky Gen 1 synths in our path. We kept following the chipped paint of the signs on the walls, leading us ever onward towards the P.S.R. Division, ending up at a hardened steel security door that looked like it could withstand a balefire bomb, stamped with P.S.R. and both the Ministry of Morale and Ministry of Arcane Sciences emblems.

Beacon dove for the terminal beside it and tapped away rapidly with his glowing yellow magic, scratching his mane as he dug up the proper passwords from memory. Only slightly faster than just letting me hack it, but it gave me a breather and let me guard our tail. The Railroad spy finally gave a whoop of victory, "Alright! Hadn't sent any smart synths down here to crack this baby open yet, still good so far Fast! I present to you, the Pinkie Sense Research Division!"

The foot thick door slid up slowly with a rumble, bright lights still working on the other side as a slightly familiar robotic voice called out from the other side. "Aha! Ear flop, then eye flutter, then knee twitch! I knew that door would open!"

The wonderland of advanced technology on the other side of the security door closing behind us made my jaw drop and most of my insistent desire for violence faded. This place was a super high tech lab, a thin layer of dust coated most of the blinking surfaces and strange equipment, but not 200 years worth, the Railroad used this area...

It was easy to see why, a variety of equipment even I couldn't fully identify cluttered every surface. Looping, multicolored coiled wires formed a bizarre web, a good portion of which led to either the giant monitor on one wall, or the strange memory recliner looking torture chair beside it.

Padded shackles for all four hooves were are on the shiny arms and reclined legs of the seat, the huge golden dome at the headrest festooned with gems and wires wasn't a recollector though. A wall of equipment behind it still had brittle scrolls of papers hanging from wide slots for such, all decorated with fading, jagged red lines.

The monitor flickered to life displaying a simple horizontal pink line, drawing my eye away from the brain encased in a glass dome atop a steel housing attached to the system. The pink fluid filling it lit up along with the voice that spoke from the speakers and the horizontal line turning jagged at each word.

"Wow! I only predicted a 7% possibility agents from group identified 'The Railroad' would return, super duper to see you again Beacon! Your friends must be the reason for the achy shoulder, itchy nose, doozy I had. Hello unknown variables! Fast Times and Valkyrie Bloodtail of group 'Sanctuary', Ivy Alicorn of group 'Trinity Tower'. I'm P.I.N.K.! Precognitive Intelligent Neural Komputer! Nice to meet'cha!!"

Dumbfounded, I clung to the point I got hung up on trying to take in the strange computer talking to us. "Computer isn't spelled with a K..."

"Oh I know silly! But it sounds so much better, so nopony minds if I fudge a bit, that's what my makers said! Did you come to rescue me Beacon? I estimate an 87% probability that's why you came back with all these nasty guests here, is it? is it? is it?!" The pink line on the screen bounced and jittered at the happy words, a digital approximation of Ministry Mare Pinkie Pie...

"Sure thing doll, just like we talked about. Looks like you get to see the wide world outside through more than just your video feeds, the Railroad's missed your help. Brought the best repair-pony in the wasteland to put our little project together if you're ready." Beacon patted the crystal dome containing that glowing brain, smiling sheepishly at my gaping stare.

"Start talking Beacon, what the hell is all this? PINK? A computer?"

Before he could answer, Ivy whispered in my mind with all the shocked feelings coming with it. (No... I sense a mind and thoughts coming from that machine Fast... A mixture of arcane technology and a biological brain I can... feel... It is very disconcerting...)

Beacon's shrugging reply confirmed what she said, "Er... It's more than a computer Fast, real brain was the only way the eggheads working here could get the project to work. Do you know about Pinkie Sense Fast?" Turns out Ministry Mare Pie could sort of predict inconsequential, immediate future events. Prognosticate even..."

Val snorted and explored the cluttered room, giving a greedy cheer at the stainless steel table near the strange seat, scooping up boxes of Mint-als and stuffing them in her pockets. "Wooo! Somebody liked to party down here, hell never seen some of these types! So what, that pink pony on all the posters could see the future, like Mama Xara back home?"

Giving a relieved nod, Beacon pointed to the vast variety of drugs Val was still looting that drew my eye. Mint-als and the Party-Time variant I knew, but some of those tins were colored and labled differently, purple, orange, red... an awful lot of the drugs just sitting by that memory recliner looking thing.

I tore my eyes away and listened as Beacon continued his explanation. "Right! Exactly! Well with a little minty help, she could see a lot more than just little stuff. Unfortunately it did a number on her, Party Time Mint-als tends to do that. Put a big monkey on her back, but she had to keep taking it to see the future, fight the zebras, try to stop our wonderful wasteland from happening.

Such a unique ability got the Institute curious of course, they pitched a project to find a way to reproduce it in a machine. Save her from having to do it all herself, this is what they came up with. Scanned and copied big chunks of the mare herself trying to get it working, but it does! They tested the system here in the Switchboard, she'd passed with flying colors and they were gonna move on to the next stage but... Well, world ending and all kinda put a crimp on things.

When the Railroad found this place, we found her too. Awful friendly, so she started working with us, she's jacked in to all the M.A.S.E.B.S. cameras on the S.P.P. spire outside, can see all over the Commonwealth, collect and process data and offer pretty damn accurate predictions. Kept us ahead of the Institute more than once lemme tell ya. Came to get her outta here with your help."

"Get out how?! This is a crazy system, and big! I can't exactly download it to my pip-buck, it's got a freaking brain Beacon! A PONY brain!! Where did they even get that!?!"

The Railroad agent waved off my yelping complaints, pointing out a small side door heavy cables snaked their way towards. "That was their next stage, never got to it, but there's a robot body right over yonder just waiting for a talented tech to put together!"

Val stomped over and hissed in his face angrily, pointing a shaking claw back the way we came. "You brought us here for the boss to fiddle with robot junk!?! Sure, just take a little break with Gunners and Synths swarmin' the place nitwit! No problem!!"

"Facility breach is like, totally managable griffon lady. I'm tied to the Switchboard's systems, I can help! Well... I do have a burning hoof and twitchy tail, so they're gonna get here eventually, but odds for successfully completing the transfer and escaping go up to 76% with a little assistance to keep them busy!" The bright voice of P.I.N.K. piped up in response to Val's strategic analysis, displaying a map of the maze like Switchboard, lighting it up with red dots and blue dots, Gunners and Synths.

Poking my head into the workshop door, I found an advanced robot workstation built into the room, a pink robot frame basically pony shaped, the rest of the components and more scattered about. Faded blueprints were tacked to one wall, displaying what the end result was meant to look like. Vaguely similar to a rather chunky Assaultron, a thicker chest and rear, heavier metal hooves, the domed braincase where the head should go.

While Beacon was a talented actor, he actually sounded truly serious trotting up behind me, staring at the components hopefully. "Please Fast, P.I.N.K. can't help what she is, but you can bet she was one of the first steps on the road to the synths we know today. She is alive, she deserves her freedom. I.. I couldn't give it to her when we had to run, all my plans to help her have fallen flat or gone ignored. You're the famous Shrouded Stallion, super repair-pony slash Institute and Gunner hunter right? The only pony I can turn to that can do this, don't make me leave her behind again. C'mon, I'm begging here Fast."

Mission Updated: Trotson Calling

Objective--------
---~~Meet Beacon near Pony Joe's (failed)~~
---~~Investigate the Switchboard~~
---Assemble P.I.N.K.'s robotic body

The note of concern and caring wore me down, flattery didn't hurt either... "A-Alright, fine... I can do this, probably... This better be worth it Beacon, if I'm doing this then who's helping to keep everypony who wants to kill us busy?"

Beacon reloaded his rifle while Val did the same with her own weapons, shuffling anxiously and looking to the door out as she replied. "Takin' more of them assholes out is fine with me, yer computer pal able to do more than yap and make predictions spy?"

"Sure can! This place is a nice, confusing maze, with her tracking the intruders and guiding us with the whole see the future bit, we can split em up, get em to chase us, play one group against the other, divide and conquer right? We're just buyin' time!" Beacon replied and scooped up a pair of pink earblooms similar to my pip-buck's own accessory, hoofing one over to Val and squeezing the other in his own ear.

The eager, impatient look on Val's face made me worry and I trotted over to her, making her lean down and squeezing her feathery cheeks in my hooves, staring directly into her violet eyes. "You are not allowed to die out there Val, or get hurt, or... or anything ok? That's an order. No matter who you run into, we're taking them on together, right? No running off alone again, you're mine... m-my friend! I'm still worried about you. You do this, you promise you're just keeping them busy..."

I felt her squished cheeks warm under my hooves as she rolled her eyes and huffed, answering in a rushed whisper while she darted glances at the others. "Yeah, yeah boss, I-I'll be careful alright. Jeez overprotective much? Who's the bodyguard here shorty, yer gettin' things backwards again. Though it is sorta... nice ta know ya care... J-Just don't be such a pussy about it, not in front of blabbermouth spies and mindreaders anyway! Makin' us look bad here! Tell me that kinda stuff laters, in private... embarrassin'... Ergh! Come on asshole! Let's go fuck some shit up, make me feel better!"

She could put up with some embarrassment, I still didn't like leaving her and Beacon to go deal with the Gunners and worried for her, but I was the only one with the skills to do this. Her putting up with me showing I cared was the cost of letting her go. Ivy waved as the door slid up, her brow furrowed in thought as she called after them softly. "I will guard Fast for you Valkyrie, just be sure to do as ordered alright? It will give me a moment to sift through all the clutter that Clint called a mind, hurry back both of you."

I watched them go until the heavy door slid back into place, wiping a misty eye and rushing back to the small robotics lab. Get this done, quickly, then get out. I was still fighting panic over getting a real idea of what exactly was, without a doubt, coming for us now, warring with the desire to be out there killing alongside my Valkyrie. The sooner I got this done, the sooner I would be.

In my haste to just follow the blueprints and toss this thing together, I was ignoring a lot of questions about the design. This was a modified Assaultron / Brainbot, a rare Robronco model I had never encountered before. The life support systems for the biological components took up a lot of space and weren't things I was used to dealing with in robots, the spot waiting for the domed braincase was disturbing too.

All the advertisements said animal brains ran Brainbots, animals that died of natural deaths under the best of medical care, surrounded by their fuzzy families, who were more than willing to donate their brains to arcane science to fight the zebra menace. After meeting Dr. Dala / Moondancer, I was able to recognize a real pony brain in a bubble of biomed gel though... Were all of them made like this? Where did they get the brains...

The ponies of the old world, the Ministries... they wouldn't.... they couldn't have known, could they? No, definitely not... Mr. Horse of Robronco maybe, if so I wished I could get ahold of the long dead billionaire, ask a few questions... Maybe take Best Served and see how he liked having his head sliced open one inch at a time depending on the answers...

"Fast..." Ivy called behind me warningly, opening her eyes from her silent concentration, she was still watching alright. "I am begining to see your concerns. When we return I wish to take a thorough look in your mind, I fear part of it is close to breaking. At the very least you should not hide this from sister Jade and the others."

"Like what you're hiding?" I growled back, surprising myself and stuffing a hoof in my mouth, wheeling on the green alicorn apologetically, I didn't mean to say that! Let alone sound so gruff and mean when I did! "Sorry!"

Her green eyes were wide open and staring, a shocked look that flitted down to her cream dress covering her flanks before looking up guiltily. "You saw..."

My ears drooped and I cringed, turning back to my hurried work and whimpering back softly. "I've.... sorta been paying an inordinate amount of attention to your flanks Ivy... That dress doesn't cover it well enough, plus I was gonna see it eventually right? Unless you planned on er... you know... with it on. Though I guess that might be fun... ugh! Dammit! sorry.. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to... why are you hiding it though? Aren't you proud of your cutie mark?"

The verdant beauty stood and dragged her hooves over, sighing and tugging her dress aside to show the splash of color on her flanks. Ivy had a cutie mark, I had been distracted taking in the flanks overall mostly, but eventually even my overeager brain managed to put together the glimpses I caught.

A curling spiral of, well, of ivy actually, now adorned those magnificent flanks. Getting a good look was instantly distracting me from the complicated work I was engaged in, but I managed to slap myself to her weak giggles and focused, A curl of ivy with pink, heart shaped leaves down the length, fitting and very pretty contrasted with her medium green fur, I had no idea why she'd hide it.

"Because, I received it caring for the little ones in my orphanage Fast... for doing what I did before..." Ivy slumped and looked down sadly as she sat beside me, covering the mark with her dress again.

"Ummm.... so? You're really good with them, why is that a problem Ivy?"

Flashes of the scenes I had gotten before went through my mind in answer, a classroom of foals, terrified and looking to her with balefire in their eyes as the world ended. (Does that mean I am still that pony Fast? That my talent, my soul is unchanged? Am I her, or am I someone new? She failed Fast... those children, all of them, one by one... A teacher from Old Olneigh, trying to lead a field trip of poor little ones dying of radiation sickness, away from the destruction that waited everywhere. Watching them all succumb one after the other until only she was left. I don't want to be that pony Fast, she died.)

The tools and busy robot workstation armatures paused and I turned to the shuddering mare beside me, tears dribbled down her muzzle slowly as she answered in a non-choked mental voice, still full of anguish. Cutie marks were supposed to make you happy when you got them, not sad!

I had never seen Ivy look so miserable, 'Be Kind...' whispered and I did the only thing I could think of, launching myself into a hug and stroking her mane as I nuzzled her neck, answering the same way.

(I'm sorry! I'm really sorry Ivy! Please don't cry, why am I so stupid! Umm... I don't think you're her if you don't want to be. You're Ivy to me, I don't even know that other mare so... p-please stop crying...)

I felt a shaky hoof tentatively touch my back and squeezed tighter, getting her to return the gesture and fold herself around me with an audible sob.

(Most of us are so mixed up with parts of others, why do I have to have clear memories that are so awful!? Of failing... for some time after the mother fell, I wandered the ruins of Old Olneigh, hoping the Hellhounds there would end me, but they left me to my suffering, sitting alone in a ruined school. When my mark appeared reading to the children, it all came back and I have been ashamed of it.)

The pain carried with mental communication like this was too much, I loosened my hold and fluttered up to her level, holding her cheeks as I had Val and pushing her up so she wasn't peeking from under her mane, looking right in those shimmery green pools and speaking aloud. "You don't have anything to be ashamed about. Even if you have her memories, even if you have her talent, hell even if you had the exact same mark again, you are not her, you are Ivy. You're my friend, you're strong and smart, you've helped me and all those kids so much.

This is why I insist on the whole 'date' thing Ivy, I want to know who I'm gonna... to care about and trust them for more than just mating. You got that from Peri along with everything else didn't you? I don't know or believe in some long gone pony, I trust you, Ivy and only Ivy to have a foal with, to be a mother to it. That's my friend, that's who like, who I..."

Very rarely, my hormone driven impulses accidentally chose to volunteer the right course and I finished by lunging forward into a deep kiss, interrupting her snuffling with a surprised gasp, her thoughts turning from such sad emotions to decidedly warmer ones in a rush that just deepened the affection. I wiped her cheeks clear and pressed forward, all thoughts of where we were and what I was supposed to be doing evaporating in a fog, Ivy was important, Ivy was hurting, Ivy was my friend, Ivy was soft and warm and deliciously here, Ivy was 'MINE'.

Thankfully she had muuuuuch better self control than I did, a concerned look flashed across her face at the rumbling growl claiming her echoing in my head and those glowing green eyes popped open. Her grip tightened around my back, preventing me from scrambling away as she bore down, not breaking the warm connection, but furrowing her brow as she pressed into it.

I felt her dive into my head after that dark mutter, clutching after a thread of shadow returning to its cave in a hurry. Her frustration at being denied whatever she was chasing passing to me easily like this. Finally she broke the kiss with a gasp and stared at me closely, smoothing her rumpled dress out breathlessly as I skittered away and hid under my hooves in the corner, shamed at letting it take over again, forcing myself on...

"Wooooooo! Don't mind me! My body will wait, just keep going please!" I nearly sprained my neck wheeling on the voice coming from P.I.N.K.'s chamber, spotting that jagged line on the screen forming a heart as it called out in a syrupy digital voice.

Wincing from both the computer and Ivy holding a hoof to her pounding heart with a very rosy complexion, I thunked my head with my hoof and whined apologies. For all her teasing I got the impression she hadn't quite been prepared to follow through yet. From the thoughts in her head though, she was warming to the idea on the spot, a flood of tingly sensations transmitted directly from her brain to mine, just stirring me up more. She didn't look sad anymore at least...

"How often does that happen Fast? I believe you were right, we need to look into it. Though, thank you for that, a-all of it. I hadn't realized how much it was weighing on my mind." Ivy recovered and tried to wipe her damp muzzle and bloodshot eyes in a ladylike fashion, smiling and coaxing me back out with a kind but scrutinizing look.

"Umm.... it happens m-more and more lately, it's worse when I'm all charged up like this. S-Sorry... Not the time for... stupid... Let's get this done and go, I'd still like to talk when I'm not horny as a schoolbuck and can actually think straight, we need to get out of here. Er... we can do a little quid pro quo of fucked up mental problems and secrets if you want, still have my own questions about your mark. Alright you peeking computer, almost done here, just the head is left now. Are Val and Beacon still alright?"

Relieved to get control over myself again with Ivy's telepathic help, I wandered back out to the main room and the wall of equipment making up the precognitive computer, taking a careful look over all the connections to the braincase glowing pink with each of P.I.N.K.'s words in response. "Okie dokie lokie! Already called them back, they're fine! There's one itsy bitsy thing I maaaaaaay not have mentioned yet though..."

Glaring at jagged lines on the screen and giving a worried stare to the map, I somehow knew this had gone too well. At least the 2 green dots representing Val and Beacon were right outside, the heavy door sliding open to let them in, while the swarms of blue dots were being diminished by all the red, the Gunners were going to win, then they'd be free to move and chase us.

"What... What have you not mentioned? And is it going to get us all killed?"

"Oh only a 41% chance of allllll of you getting killed... More an inconvenience really! See, you don't have security clearance to be here, neither does anypony else of course, I can convince the place not to go crazy about it though. The problem is... well.... I'm sorta big parts of a Ministry Mare's brain copied, not really something that could be allowed to be stolen by nasty zebras right? Sooooo.... when you disconnect my noodle without proper clearance, this place is gonna blow..." The Pinkie Pie computer chirped, Val and Beacon entered as I stammered at the brain under glass incredulously.

"Blow!?! As in blow UP?! Like self destruct!?!? You couldn't tell me this earlier!?!" My stunned stare kept flying between the computer and Beacon catching his breath with a guilty look.

Val had a few fresh wounds and scorches, but was still safe and sound as promised. More than willing to shoot a dark claw out and grab the Railroad spy by the throat, lifting him up and shaking him like a rag doll. "Fucking really!?! Not somethin' you could'a shared before now asshole!? What if boss had..."

"Gak! S-Sorry! She would warn before... h-had to! Promised..." Beacon wheezed from her grip, sucking in a great whoop of air when I waved her off to stomp over and scowl at him.

"Explain..."

He had the good sense to look ashamed, but with Beacon anything could be a convincing act. "Sorry, really. That's why Des and the others didn't look in to freeing her, couldn't blow up the base to save just one artificial pony. When the Switchboard fell, we were too rushed just trying to escape, but it's why I hoped she'd still be here and safe. Sucks to lose such an intact facility, but it's kinda swarming with Gunners at the moment. Plus if they got ahold of her... PINK doesn't really have much leeway in who she makes predictions for Fast, you really want her falling into their hooves?"

Dammit... No, I didn't. I saw his point, she couldn't be left here for the Gunners to find. Blowing this place up with all of them swarming in would deny them both her and the facility to stage their attack on Castle Equinox from, it all made sense. Still though... "You should have told me Beacon. Hiding the truth is not good for anypony..."

The irony of that statement wasn't lost on me considering both Ivy and myself were hiding things, making me reconsider and I hoped she was doing the same. Hypocritical or not though, I didn't like having it done to me, if I had gone ahead and disconnected that brain...

It was a good thing his apology sounded sincere anyway, anger was smoldering behind my eyes as I glared and listened. "Hiding the truth is what we're all about though Fast, only way we've survived and managed to do what little we have against the Institute! I'm sorry, I promise from now on I'll tell you nothing but the truth, er... take some getting used to of course... but I promise! Please help her, umm sooner would be best..."

His hoof pointing at the map and all the red dots for Gunners decided me. Whether he planned it or not, going with this would eliminate a loooot of Gunners in one fell swoop. "How long will we have?"

PINK answered immediately, a course lighting up on the map and code flashing by rapidly. "Five minutes, Itchy back, pinchy knee and twitchy tail says that's plenty! I can set it for silent alarm too, so those bad ponies from group designated 'Gunners' won't know what hit em!"

Catching Val's eager grin, I nodded along with her. Worth it, if they already knew we had the castle and were moving in to attack, this ought to buy us more time. I ran back to the waiting robot body to double check everything, putting the head on this thing would eat into our five minutes, had to be ready to move.

"Alright... walk me through this PINK, let's get you out of here." I nodded in determination at the text flashing in my vision and moved to get to work.

Mission Updated: Trotson Calling

Objective--------
---~~Meet Beacon near Pony Joe's (failed)~~
---~~Investigate the Switchboard~~
---~~Assemble P.I.N.K.'s robotic body~~
---Transfer P.I.N.K.
---Escape the Switchboard before self destruct

Mission Completed!: Trotson Calling

"Wow! So this is the outside! Gravity feels weeeeird! I like it! So where we goin' now Bea...." The bright pink robot crawling out of the outflow pipe to the muddy shores of the river chattered happily, making all of us wince at the noise I heard over the fanfare of horns in my ear, staring back at the Pony Joe's worriedly.

The modified Assautron had AssaultJack's feminine frame, but was chunkier and a great deal slower, the timer on my pip-buck only left us less than half a minute to spare and she was sightseeing. Beacon quickly hushed her and dove to the weedy bank, peering over it at the skeleton crew of Gunners left on the surface and waiting.

Val was wiggling in the mud gleefully, staring through her binoculars in anticipation. "How long boss?"

"Ummm... 8... 7... 6... 5...."

Taking up the count cheerily, PINK and Val both eagerly waited for the show, eyes widening at '1' and waiting in disappointment at the silence. I stuck my head up a bit more and stared closely, whispering to the others. "Maybe it's too old? You sure that..."

KA-BOOOOOM!!!

A roaring detonation sent a pillar of fire high into the night sky, the blast wave of hot air sending me sailing back into the brackish water with a splash, while the others huddled at the shore and Ivy's green shield flickered to life, offering a little more cover. I could barely hear Val whooping in joy even as she pressed into the mud tighter, cheering maniacally at dozens of her former comrades being vaporized.

As the noise died down, PINK's frizzy false tail started twitching and the robotic voice piped up, "We should like, totally move now... Twitchy tail, look out for falling..."

The huge chunk of concrete donut smashing into the river punctuated her point, more debris whistling down from the sky in flaming chunks, a heavy, painful rain of deadly hail we ran from as fast as we could, diving and turning away from more obstacles smashing craters into the ground in our path.

A smoking corpse splattered in front of me, making me skid to avoid it before Val grabbed my tail and yanked me along with her, giggling crazily at all the destruction. "Oh my Gawd I love you boss! That goes on my top ten explosions!"

Ivy floated me back to facing forward and running, dodging a battered mailbox crumpling like a tin can as it fell to the ground. "W-Wonderful you are happy Val, let's enjoy it from a safer distance though please!"

The dangerous debris storm was tapering off this far away, risking a glance over to Beacon dashing away and the pink robot at his side, I panted over and stretched my wings. "Are you alright from here Beacon? Sure you want to walk back?"

A glow of his yellow magic and a bit of green from under his shirt answered, his dark mane turning purple and his coat changing to a pale lavender as he answered. "Sure thing! We'll be fine, no worries! Gotta get PINK back to the Railroad, get her settled in and tell the others, we'll be in touch I promise!"

The weird Assaultron/Brainbot actually bounced along behind him, all four metal limbs together and covering an appreciable distance with each hop. PINK turned the mostly armored dome of her head, still showing an uncomfortable amount of grey matter through the crystal dome and staring with a single blue eye as she called back to us. "Goodbye unknown variable Fast! I would say I hope to see you again, but I will, itchy back and tingly tongue! Oh, I know you know I know, but your probability of success against group designated 'Gunners' goes up by a minimum of 20% if you get help. Groups designated 'The Brotherhood', 'Dreadnot', 'Arcano-Cats', would be good places to start! Everypony always needs more friends and an invite to a party!"

Good enough, the robot was right, we had things to do and not much time. I wanted to get back, get home and back to Jade. My radiation meter was still wavering between yellow and orange, so I still had energy to burn. After wiping out that many Gunners at once, the dark grumble I was beginning to think was consciously hiding from Ivy was grudgingly satisfied, my thoughts turning towards much more enjoyable ways to get rid of all this excess energy.

Val, Ivy and I all flew up and headed east as fast as we could, still throwing terrified glances up at each screaming chunk of the ruined town coming down near us, leaving behind the smoking crater that was all that was left. I lagged behind with two experienced fliers leading the way, but the last, far flung chunks were crashing down behind us, we were clear and on our way.

"Seriously boss, that was worth all the bullshit! Oh they're gonna be so pissed! That'll buy us another couple days at the least! Put a big dent in their..." Whatever she was going to say was cut off by a thunderous crack above us, a high caliber round tearing through Val's left wing and sending her careening down.

The screeching, furious voice following it dried up all my cautious relief at getting out of here, "TRAITOR!!!" The choked squawk came from above, a hulking shape rocketing down at us from above, big wings and lots of metal...

Ivy dove for Val, helping to straighten her lurching course and surrounding the both of them with her bright shield. A good thing too, it was seconds ahead of a stream of pink beams blasting out of a gatling magical energy weapon, mounted to a lot of griffon. A power armored griffon no less...

Not a full suit like Steel Ranger armor but thick and heavy like one on what was there; a broad chestplate, scowling, pointed helmet, heavy battlesaddle housing on the flanks, made more menacing by the blackened, smoking green paintjob and singed brown griffon wearing it. No pegasus could fly in something like that, but the griffon pulled it off and was basically a flying tank, a fast flying tank.

S.A.T.S. let me freeze time and get a good look for a moment, but the odds of actually hitting him were abysmal with all of my weapons. I could manage flying so-so now, but getting in an aerial battle with a griffon? One skilled enough to haul all that hardware up here and still remain agile? Nooooooo, no, no, no.

(DOWN! Get him down to the ground! I can't do anything up here Ivy!)

I shouted to Ivy silently as time resumed, no reason to even waste the spell charge trying to hit our enemy. Already he was diving after the retreating pair, making me scramble to even try to get in the way.

I threw off his aim with that massive anti-materiel rifle, booming out just as I crossed into his sights, I could feel the wind try to blow my hat back, but it didn't blow my head off and missed Ivy's descending shield. Blue Moon clicked out at my side and I fired weak single shots frantically, my stomach sinking as the griffon dodged every pale blue white beam easily. Out of half a dozen desperate shots, one grazed the dense metal of the power armor, slowing him not at all.

A searing line of claws tore through my armor as he rocketed past, sending me spinning and clutching my side, relying on Val's training to straighten up and spot him streaking after Val and Ivy. My coat stitched itself back together as I dove after them, my hide beneath still soaking it with blood but very slowly doing the same thanks to all the radiation I still had in my system. The needle dipped down to yellow while I struggled to keep up, at least he was being kept busy by Ivy's magic and Val launching a stream of grenades.

Hard as I tried, they were pulling away, down towards the crumbling smokestacks and skeletal factories below, more obstacles for him to dive around, but the ground not far behind. Watching the bastard just put me behind him and chase after Val was pissing me off, on multiple levels... lightning flickered around my limbs and I pushed faster, chasing them for all I was worth.

Even dodging and diving as he was, he wasn't dodging me, I floated the powerful gauss rifle the Last Minute out and tried to line up a shot. Not an easy proposition with the wind whistling in my face and his crazy maneuvers, but he crossed into my sights and I fired on reflex. The blurring 2mm cartridge crossed the distance between us instantly, slamming into his armored back and knocking him off course at least.

The bubble of Ivy's shield darted into a gaping hole in a large concrete factory, rather than follow into the tight quarters, our pursuer finally turned around, narrowly avoiding another gauss rifle round to the chest. Dammit that bastard was slippery! With his attention back on me, I dove for the cover of a rusting water tower atop another part of the industrial building, trying my best to dodge the rain of pink beams chasing me.

The heavily armored griffon cut me off, forcing me back up to dodge away from the boom of his rifle and screaming at the rake of claws blurring past me. He was playing with me! More gashes opened up as I lurched from one hit to another, flapping and pushing through the air like a slug, I couldn't match this. Even more infuriating was the hoarse voice shouting at each pass, booming from the scorched helmet loud enough to catch single words like; "TRAITOR!" and "DEAD" along with "ALL" and "PRINCESS BITCH".

'Be Dark...' woke up all the way, surging to the surface and filling in the blanks for me with Ivy out of the way. He was threatening not only Val, but Jade and everyone else too, gloating over their planned attack. Even with the surge of hate helping me draw Best Served and slash at the next pass. I couldn't keep up with him up here, just make him a little more cautious about getting close, which wasn't something he needed to do to end me.

Faster... had to go faster, lightning walking worked on the ground and the spell surrounded my wings, actually surged to flowing all over my body at the driving pulse to kill this bastard, had to make it work in the air somehow, go faster! I struggled against the rain of attacks to remember that feeling of ultimate speed, of teleporting and crossing distance instantly, make a you shaped hole... then move through it...

I wove my way around bent and torn catwalks going from one section of the factory to another, trying to make that feeling happen again, clenching my eyes as my horn sparked and sputtered, come on dammit! Coming to the end of this bit of cover, I dove out and was met by a stream of pink M.E.W. fire slamming into my side, scorching feathers to send me into a spin as the griffon soared past, heading towards the factory, disregarding me completely and going after the others.

Red beams lanced out of the hole in the building as I fell, absorbed by the steel armor and matched by his pink ones pouring into the gap. 'NO. YOU. DON'T!' roared out in the Shroud's voice and I focused all that anger on my spell, take me to him NOW!

My ears popped and I seemed to do it! I was zooming right at him with a dark, lightning tinged contrail streaking behind me anyway, slamming into his armored back with all the force I could muster. We crashed through the torn gap in the pale yellow stone walls in a tangle, the unarmored sections of the half suit of griffon power armor left plenty of places for fangs to sink in, letting me snap at him crazily as we fell, teary bloody hunks of meat and feathers free in a spray.

His claws caught me more than once, but I held tight by a particularly good chomp to his throat dragging me with him, letting me empty Blue Moon's remaining shots into the smoking armor at close range. Magical energy weapons were generally meant to be ranged weapons, but I sucked with them, I could admit that, so long as I got to hit him with it... Once the last Micro Flux Cell was emptied, the reloader clicked into action, giving me a full clip of 6 MFC rounds, enough to fire the high powered setting...

Before I could blast him to ash, we crashed against a tilted conveyor belt still hanging out over the vast room, bouncing off it and separating as we both fell into more industrial equipment, careening to the cluttered floor below. I didn't see where he went but I heard it, just before clanging against the rusty hulk of a multi armed monstrosity, frozen in the process of putting together weird looking toys scattered around the conveyor belt leading through it.

I ended up groaning on the floor in a heap of the odd little things, pale yellow, tiny little robot looking dolls, but with two legs? strange manipulator claw looking things at the ends of what should be forlegs and a disturbingly upright posture, how could any creature move around like that? The flash of text in my vision gave me something less bizarre to focus on as my vision cleared, reading; Discovered Location: Whistlin' Arcano-Toys.

A furious sounding Val yelled from the catwalks above, screeching down to me and launching more 25mm grenades towards the opposite corner of the factory floor, sheltering behind Ivy's green shield below her. "Move it boss! Gabe's up already! Keepin' him pinned ya silly fuck, so do somethin'!"

Scrambling back to my hooves, E.F.S. pointed out where he was basically, as if all the pink beams firing towards Val above weren't enough. Between the ruined equipment, fallen catwalks and mountains of concrete that had fallen into the building, the place was a maze. There was no easy path to find him, too much cover for him to hide behind. I'd have to hunt him down to rip his throat out....

(Fast! To your right, get ready, I will help you!)

Ivy's soothing mental voice broke me out of the low crouch I was already in, my ears laid back and fangs out, stalking after prey... The mental picture I got was what she was seeing above me, I could see and this Gabe couldn't!

Her brilliant help got me to focus and move as directed, taking cover behind the heaviest hulk of metal equipment near where she directed. I planted my hooves and switched Blue Moon over from 'Pew-Pew' to 'Ka-Boom!', watching with two sets of eyes and waiting with the Last Minute floating beside me.

Gabe was a good enough sniper with that anti-materiel rifle, but he didn't have unity on his side, he was right there... Just behind a rusty injection molding machine with a mountain of unfinished figures below it, come on... keep stomping after Val just like that... move past that hunk of junk and behind the pile of rotting crates, that's plenty of cover... go on....

(Now Fast!)

Ivy called out and I was already firing, the blazing horizontal beam of moonlight from Blue Moon streaked across the narrow window threaded through the ruined factory, torching the insignificant barrier between us and melting the griffon power armor's breastplate. Depending on the repair and healing talismans built into suits like that, he might still get up, but I had the Last Minute ready to prevent that.

With no cheerily painted crates in the way, I took a breath and lined up a shot on the wounded mercenary struggling on the ground. The gauss rifle gave its high pitched whine as that blackened helmet came into the scope, a crack and a blurring 2mm round ripped a tear through the side, narrowly missing the panicked yellow eye now visible underneath while I hissed and recharged.

A rain of Val's red M.E.W. made him lurch away on a bent wing, diving for the narrow cover of a manager's office behind him. A flimsy construct of half glass and half board walls, offering little more than getting mostly out of sight. With Ivy's help I still had a really good damn idea exactly where he was hunkered down, firing the penetrating Last Minute and blowing a hole through the faded teal wooden lower half, the red mark on E.F.S. winking out in the silence that followed.

Cautiously, I peeked out and flapped up to join the others, looking down into the office and the cooked chicken inside, his brains blown out and painting the glass on the other side. Assured it was over for the moment, I weakly flapped down to land by Val and Ivy, panting and shaking at the surge of adrenaline. I was a little uncomfortable under Ivy's bright green eyes watching me closely, I could feel her digging after that dark voice that was more than happy to come out to deal with Gabe, but slinking away again under her gaze.

Hoping for a little distraction from that penetrating stare, I shrugged up to the two ladies and waved a hoof out to the ruined factory. "Soooo... Whistlin' Arcano-Toys... Er, you guys mind if I go take a look around before we leave, since we're here anyway? Umm... toys!"

Ivy kept watching closely, but Val snorted and rolled her eyes. Her bloody wing was getting wrapped clumsily in magical bandages as she sucked a healing potion down, giving an indulgent sigh. "Ugh... fine boss, go dig around fer junk. Goin' down ta strip what I can off that armor while I wait ta be airworthy again. Keep an eye on him Ives, boss has a tendency to go a little nutty for silly crap like this."

The green alicorn nodded and trotted along behind me down the catwalks, narrowing her green eyes as she answered. "Oh I am keeping a careful watch, not to worry..."

(A very close watch Fast. The more I see, the less I like. When we get back...)

I wasn't sure if it was just the sight of her cute, worried frown and billowing dress, or some kind of mental defense that dark Shroud in my head threw up, but a surge of very lewd thoughts cut her off with a blush. Her distraction let me skitter down the stairs and start looking around in a rush.

(Sorry! I know! W-We will, later... er... soon!)

Hoping my apology and answer would appease her, I dashed off. This place had been absoluely wrecked for the most part, but it was a big complex, surely there had to be surviving toys somewhere. That would make me feel better and was all me, not my body or some worrisome voice demanding things. We could take a minute to catch our breath, the little things were important.

Floating another haul in with me, I dumped the pile of treasure on one of the battered cafeteria tables in the large breakroom of Whistlin' Arcano-Toys, going over my collection gleefully. Pretty battered toys for the most part, though I found a several additions to my Macintosh's Marauders collection.

My real prize was a nearly mint stuffed Spitfire doll in somepony's locker though, mom used to say she saw the heroic pegasus once way back in Wonderbolts Academy I had hoped to come up with one and all the searching had been worth it. I still held out hope of showing it to her someday after all.

Ivy collected all the doubles, agreeing with my idea of bringing toys home for her herd of orphans, so long as I got first pick, Wicket could suck it... Along with the heaping pile of fun stuff, I had salvaged lots of parts and equipment we could use in the castle from the factory. Actually, even with Ivy's gracious help and strong back carrying all the loot, we'd have to leave some of it behind for Minutemare salvage teams to collect, but at least I could personally dismantle what was important.

I sat with a weary sigh besides Val, picking at her salvaged power armor parts, sized for a griffon, thus putting her in hog heaven. There was little point for her to 'waste' alcohol on me anymore, so she contented herself with tossing over a glowing red bottle of Sparkle Cola Rad she had looted from the flickering machine in the corner. The radiation helped to heal my remaining burns and wounds just a bit and tingled pleasantly all the way down.

Floating out the green power armor helmet from Clint, I prodded at the interesting bits and bobs on the inside, hoofing over my glowing drink to Ivy and raising an eyebrow curiously. "You said you couldn't read his mind while he was wearing this Ivy?"

"No, not that there was much to read anyway, but he was completely immune to my efforts with that on. Very disturbing, psionic defenses are exceedingly rare, hardly any use for them prewar and nopony smart enough postwar, practically designed against my kind or other powerful telepaths." Ivy shook her head, grimacing at the green helmet and band of blinking gems inside.

Playing a hunch, I took my screwdriver out and scratched at the rough Gunner green paintjob, finding gleaming white underneath. The ugly camo job came off easily, while the white under it was molecularly bonded to the metal, leaving it intact as I scraped away at it. My wire brush sped things up, revealing the spread eagle pony emblem of the Institute on the forehead of the helmet.

Val whistled peering over my shoulder at the find, taking a swig from her whiskey bottle and flexing her wing. "So that's where they got that? We always had the best gear, but wondered how Clint rated such a fancy suit, real asshole..."

Ivy groaned and rubbed her temples beside me, floating up the radioactive soda to sip from as she nodded her agreement. "Believe me, I know... I don't like doing that little trick, especially trying to sift through it for anything useful. Much harder without the Goddess and full unity to help process all the information. So much random nonsense, hate, sadism, cruelty... Just for a few gems of worth, you never said you Gunners came from a Stable as well Val."

"What..."

"Do what now?" Val and I spoke over each other, both jumping up and crowding the surprised green alicorn waving us off.

"Did... neither of you know that? Stable 75? At the edge of the Glowing Sea? I can see Fast doesn't, but you didn't either Valkyrie?" Ivy questioned us and tilted her head quizzically at our blank looks.

I had never heard of 75, obviously Val hadn't either, but how could that be if Gunners came from there? Dumbfounded stares weren't enough for her to elaborate, but Val ignored subtlety completely. "Ain't never heard of no Stable! I'm not from one of those crazy bunker hellholes! Er... no offense boss, but I ain't! Honest!"

Ivy closed her eyes a moment and spoke softly, sorting through the thoughts she had ripped out of Clint's head and furrowing her brow in concentration. "Stable 75, it is ruined and mostly abandoned, even more so with the threat from the Glowing Sea spreading out. Ah, I see, only for the upper echelon to know... That Clint was no student of history, I don't think he had even the barest spark of curiosity at all so that is all I can see. He went there, it is still fortified and held in secret, all he knew was that the origins of the Gunners lie there. Curious..."

"Hey Ives... could you like, point out where exactly this place is at then? If it's only for the top brass ta know about, then I actually wanna know more about it myself fer once." Val's claws raked gouges down the dirty wooden table and her tail lashed behind her as she asked eagerly.

I had the same thought myself, beyond just the mystery of another Stable and their hidden connections to the Institute. If the leadership of the Gunners held it secret, kept it as some kind of base or fall back, hell just the fact they had it at all was enough, I wanted it... I wanted to take it from them and make as many of them suffer as possible while I did it, blow it up like the Switchboard if I had to, I knew enough about Stables to cause all kinds of mischief... Maybe cause a reactor failure, flood the whole Stable with radiation and just stroll through, getting stronger and more ready to... celebrate... as they got sicker and died, laugh at all their stupid, weak faces and...

(Fast!)

"P-Perhaps I'll be able to piece it together Val, this is a jumble of idiocy though... don't hold out much hope..." Ivy answered cautiously, glancing between us both and hedging her bets, giving me a lingering look as I stamped back down on those horrible / wonderful morbid fantasies.

I wasn't so sure as my griffon friend, tossing her claws to the air with a groan and pouting. She didn't have the benefit of being able to get feelings and thoughts out of Ivy, the green alicorn beauty was better than that... She could probably take us there right now if she wanted, holding out on us so we wouldn't....

(Enough Fast. This is my date, I will do as I like. Neither of you need to know this yet, it is deep in Gunner territory and incredibly dangerous. You have other things to get to closer to home, not least of which is me I'll remind you... Our outing was quite successful and I'm looking forward to... continuing your courtship rituals when we return. Let this go for now.)

Ivy's thoughts tickled my own playfully, but had a stern note underneath. If I pushed or tried to force this issue, it'd go badly for me. A soft nicker and nibble to my ear obliterated any remaining attempts at weaseling the information out of her. I trusted her, maybe she was right, besides, I was getting exceedingly pent up and still overcharged, with two attractive females I cared about, alone... together...

My wings stiffened straight up and I fell back to the floor to both of their amusement, scrambling back up and hiding my red face behind my pile of junk as I stammered. "R-Right! Back to the castle! O-Other stuff to do... l-lots of other stuff... Going! Let's get rather! Dammit.... let's get going I mean. Sorry.."

The two of the giggling and whispering to themselves behind me just made my embarrassment worse, but lightened the mood effectively and we flew together into the night, back to the east and Castle Equinox, back home.

New Perk Added!-------------------------------------------

Penetrator-----------------------------
---There's no place to hide! In S.A.T.S. you can target an enemy's body parts that are blocked by cover, with a decrease in accuracy.

Quest Perk Added!------------------------------------

Stuffed Spitfire Doll---------
---Bet you think you're Wonderbolt material, don't cha? The noble pegasus war hero grants you a bonus of +10 to the flight skill. Every little bit helps since you most definitely aren't!

Reputation Change!------------------------

The Railroad - Accepted------------
---After that misadventure and helping them retrieve a powerful old world A.I., you've moved up in the ranks of the Railroad. Maybe next time you visit, they'll be a little more forthcoming!

Ch. 63-- Call to Arms

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria... there was a tiny village and two young ponies preparing for a birthday party. One, a rich colt whose father ran the local gem mine, was very spoiled and cruel, while the other, a poor filly whose parents worked in those same mines, was kind and caring. As a twist of fate, both foals shared the same birthday and were each looking forward to it in their own way.

The rich colt anticipated all his presents bought from the finest toy shop in the village, his cake and treats made by the village's baker at great expense, along with all the latest party games sure to be waiting for him. The poor filly on the other hoof, had none of these treats to look forward to, her father saved all year just to get her a cake and a single present. She had none of the colt's riches, she was even still a blank flank, but she had what he could not buy, friends.

The spoiled colt was furious that every year, almost nopony came to his party that wasn't trying to cozy up to his father, while the colts and fillies of the village celebrated with the poor filly freely, though she had none of his fabulous treats to enjoy. So it was, that this year the colt decided he would do something about it, sneaking into the village baker's shop to ruin her cake, stealing the tattered doll her father had paid for from the toy store so she would have no present. Happy her birthday would be ruined, leaving his to be the only birthday in the village.

Worse yet, the colt enjoyed how sad she was the day before their parties, snickering and making fun of the poor filly in school. He laughed that she had no cake and no present, lying about an evil changeling being the culprit and telling everypony they should all come to his party instead. A poor blank flank filly like her didn't deserve a party anyway, if her family didn't waste their bits on cakes and presents they couldn't afford, maybe they wouldn't be so poor in the first place!

The spoiled colt was very satisfied with himself, enjoying her tears all day and snuggling into his nice, soft bed at night, drawing the stolen doll from his hiding spot under his pillows and setting it at the foot of his big bed to gloat over as he drifted off to the land of dreams, eagerly anticipating his birthday in the morning. Once within her realm however, Princess Luna saw his selfish fantasies and cruelty and was saddened, both for the poor filly, but also for the rich colt who was so misguided.

And so, the Princess called forth her servant, the Shrouded Stallion rose from the shadows and knelt in her presence, waiting for her command lovingly. "Thou are my sword and my shield, my instrument of justice for which I have a special royal mission. Thou are to go to this village, punish this wicked colt and make him see the error of his ways. Thou are not to harm him in any way however. This I decree, my servant may never hurt the young, but instead protect and care for them, punish them when needed, but to correct them. For a foal can always learn and do better with a caring nudge, they are not responsible for their actions, their parents are. Go now and do as I bid, bring justice for the colts crime, but may the punishment make him a better pony."

With that, the Shrouded Stallion flew off into the night, speeding across the sleeping land to arrive at the rich colt's home and peering in his window, glowing red eyes blinking in at the colt, facing his pilfered present with a mean grin that slowly turned to a worried frown, his gleeful dream turning as cold and dark as the room around him.

The rich colt woke with a start, frightened by seeing his breath in front of his muzzle and bundling up in the blankets on what should be a warm summer night. He looked into the darkness with fear making his heart race, looming shadows twisted his familiar room into something frightening and strange. Trying to be brave and follow his father's example, he shouted out to the dark in a whiny, petulant tone, meant to be strong and sure. "W-Who's there! Who's in my room! Go away or y-you'll get in trouble!"

In reply, the tattered stuffed bunny that was to be the poor filly's only present stood on the bed before him, dark shadows rippling around it as the floppy eared head turned his way, the lopsided button eyes glowing red. The stitched on smile tore before his eyes, revealing a gaping maw of blackness that spoke with the Shroud's voice as he remained frozen in terror.

"Thief... You have taken what is not yours, spread misery out of your petty jealousy... Stolen from the poor when you have so much... Repent, return me to my rightful owner and apologize, or face Luna's judgement..."

The now dark stuffed bunny lurched across the big bed towards him on floppy limbs, black claws sprang out from the tattered legs and bright fangs filled the dark mouth. The rich colt was truly afraid, cowering away from the shadowy stuffed toy, trying to hide under the covers and be brave like he thought his father was. "G-Go away! This is just a nightmare! Y-You're not real! Why shouldn't I take what I want?! Nopony comes to my party, they all go to hers! I deserve the friends she has, they should be mine instead!"

With the colt's shaky shout, he felt especially brave, grabbing the scary doll and running to the window. The dark bunny growled and warned against rejecting Luna's mercy, but the colt ignored the gravelly voice, flinging his window open to toss the doll away.

As soon as the window opened however, the stuffed toy turned back into a tattered bunny for a poor filly and fell to the floor, dropped by the colt staring at the Shrouded Stallion flapping outside his window, dark armor gleaming in the moonlight and burning red eyes glowing from his helm.

"You refuse Luna's mercy and therefore deserve her punishment, now you face judgement little one..."

Nopony heard the colt's scream as he disappeared into the shadows, yanked out the window and into the night.

* *

The next day was bright and sunny, no scary shadows to be found anywhere in the happy village outside the shabby window of the poor filly's hovel. The view that waited her made the filly squeal in delight, her birthday party waited for her with all her friends arriving. The poor filly ran out with her surprised parents, prancing about and looking at all the fancy gifts and the beautiful cake and treats.

Nopony knew how any of it got there, but a fabulous birthday was there all for her, even her name spelled out in magical banners and on all the tags of the presents. Such luxurious and expensive decorations were for Canterlot nobility, not a peasant filly in a tiny village so far away. The villagers all took in the wondrous party, smiling and happy as foals themselves at the magical mystery.

She looked around with her many friends who were so happy for her, sharing her surprising bounty with everypony and playing the many games. When she came to the pinata hanging from the tree in her yard, she gasped looking at it carefully, while her friends held the blindfold and heavy stick out for her to take the first turn. The brightly colored party game was shaped like a bunny, with frightened eyes full of tears staring down at her, the eyes of the rich colt himself.

And even though the colt had been so cruel, had stolen and taken pleasure in her misery, the poor filly yelled for the pinata to be lowered. She carefully helped break it open gently, freeing the sobbing rich colt and hugging him to soothe his cries. "How did you end up in there? You could have been hurt!" she worried for him, filling him with new feelings of shame.

Hiding under his hooves, the colt whimpered back to her, "I'm sorry, I ruined your party and stole your present! I've always treated you so badly, but you helped me even though you saw I was here and the others didn't. You could have hit me with the stick as your pinata and gotten even, why did you help me instead?"

The poor filly helped him back up and wiped his tears away gently, replying in a soft voice. "Getting even would only cause more hurt, even without cake or presents, I would still have my family and friends. I'd rather count you among them, please stop crying and join in this year, you are always alone on your birthday and that makes me sad."

With her kind words, the poor filly received her cutie mark on the spot, for her virtue was kindness and even the spoiled colt could see it in her smiling face. Inspired by her graciousness, the rich colt declared "Then every year we should celebrate together, you should have a party as fine as this or better, while I should share my good fortune if you are kind enough to offer me friendship after all I have done. I'm truly sorry and will be a new pony from now on!"

It was then the colt truly understood his own virtue as being generosity, rather than greed and selfishness, feeling better than he ever had after the poor filly had helped him see the truth. Thus the two young ponies celebrated together each year, growing closer to one another and eventually being wed.

The colt grew to a fine and generous stallion that ran the mines fairly, lifting everypony in the village up, along with his kind and beautiful wife who became mayor of their tiny hamlet, helping it grow to a bustling town. They had their own fillies and colts eventually and shared their birthday party with the whole village until they were old and grey. Even after they were laid to rest together, the villagers kept the celebration alive, a local holiday that is celebrated to this day.

And every year, there was a present for both of them, wrapped in dark paper, with a silver bow and signed only with the sigil of the Shrouded Stallion, watching over the love he helped foster through Luna's justice proudly. For the Shrouded Stallion may be Luna's avenger and punish evil where he finds it, but he loves his princess and serves justice in her name, and the best in ponies should be rewarded.

By Luna's decree, he may never harm a foal, offering care and protection to every innocent filly and colt, along with gentle guidance to be better ponies. For the young are not responsible for the examples they follow from their parents, and the rich colt's greedy father received his own visit that night as well...

But that, is a story for another day...

Carefully closing the heavy, leatherbound tome of fairy tales, I tugged my foreleg free from Glitter's sleeping grip and snuck away, leaving my little filly to her rest and slipping out of the dark room taken as her own within Castle Equinox. As concerned as each new story about the real Shrouded Stallion had been making me, this was a good one with a happy ending all around, making me feel relieved and tired myself.

I trotted down the empty halls of the castle, wandering about a bit to stretch my sore limbs and think. Without the presence of my daughter, all those insistent urges were bubbling back up, fighting my weariness and demanding 'more' with every step. It was quite late and Glitter had been cross with me, stumbling in with her still sitting up in her dirty bed, her forelegs folded over her chest in a pout as her silver maned head bobbed down and jerked back up, waiting impatiently with the book lying before her.

It had taken awhile to get back, then Peri had immediately pounced when we returned and I had unloaded all my junk, dragging me down to Bobbing Cane's museum home to fulfill my promise, acting out her insane mating diagrams found in the Pony Sutra she had copied them from. The whole exercise had left me sweaty and breathless, with more than a couple sprains trying to twist myself into the positions she wanted to her squealing delight.

Even after that tangled marathon and rushing back to read Glitter's story, I found myself hungry for more. Actually just hungry too, that took a lot of energy and I had used up most of the radiation boost I had started with, my rainbow coded gauge down to the green/blue border again.

Other than the basic night crew of Minutemares keeping watch on the walls, there was pretty much nopony awake, leaving me free to wander about in only my saddlebags, the chilly night air not really any inconvenience for alicorn biology. No wonder wearing clothes was an odd subject for Jade's sisters, they really were unnecessary. Though I'd stick with armor when needed thank you, I wasn't able to make their fancy shields.

My repair crew had made some progress while I was gone, a weakly sputtering shower was working on this floor in one of the formerly opulent bathrooms. The water was still pretty tingly, more repairs were needed before normal ponies could take advantage of it yet, but it was quite enjoyable for me.

I greedily soaked up the tingly radiation and sang a croaking rendition of the songs playing from my pip-buck, using my technician's key to remove the device momentarily and clean under the padded cuff. That was a real design flaw actually, most Stable Dwellers couldn't take these things off to scrub their fur under it without help, often leaving matted and stinky patches on their foreleg when they got around to it.

Feeling squeaky clean and reenergized, I cantered down to the kitchens to find food, I could sate that kind of hunger anyway. Greasy Spoon still didn't have his way with a fully functioning palace kitchen, but the larder was being stocked ahead of our fixes and there was plenty of miretank meat, raw was fine if needed, better sometimes actually.

The soft voices I picked up as I approached the cavernous kitchens surprised me, I peeked around the corner to spot just the other kind of midnight snack I wanted and bucked back the urges that came up, looking at Jade and Ivy sitting together at one of the long stone counters and chatting.

Both were glorious in the dim light, blue and green fur on display with no lab coats or dresses in the way. Seeing both Jade and Ivy's cutie marks was enjoyable for more than just the flanks they decorated too. Ivy wasn't hiding hers from Jade at least, the delicate curl of ivy with pink hearts for leaves stood out quite well and Jade's blue eyes drifted to it as they spoke., though not to ogle like I was.

I was sneaky, but telepaths cheated. Ivy's ears pricked up and her cheeks got pink, picking out every dirty thought running through my mind gazing hungrily at them from the door. She blinked over to Jade and the pair of them turned to me, my princess primly wiping her muzzle, cleaning the crumbs of her own rather sizable snack shared with her sister.

I didn't even have to go looking for anything! Several Sparkle Cola Rads and empty bottles were scattered about a variety of miretank delicacies, cans of cram and Fancy Buck snack cakes, an open box of Sugar Apple Bombs with crumbs dusting the counter and Jade's silky chest.

They had been chatting over a lovely little feast together, though the combination in front of Jade was a bit odd, leftover miretank queen steak, coated in a bizarre breading of sugary cereal and insta-oats, slathered in what smelled like Cram juice from numerous cans and blackened, via one of the guttering torches most likely... I knew she wasn't much of a cook, but was it because she thought she was? Did she like what she made?

"Hello dear, you look better. I trust Periwinkle is sated and Glitter is tucked away? Please join us, you must be famished, sit with us and let us talk a bit my love." Jade cooed and beckoned me over, patting the roughly repaired stool beside her at the counter.

Needing absolutely no encouragement, I flew over with one flap, clipping the edge of the counter and stumbling back up sheepishly, hopping into my seat and snuggling against her. I cracked open a cola and floated over a big hunk of grilled miretank, munching happily and drinking in the two of them, watching me with small smiles on their muzzles.

"Yeah, umm... both put down for the night... I think Peri's still down in Mr. Cane's house, she didn't want to move when I left so... A-Anyway, why are you two down here? I was just going to grab a snack and find you Jade, nice surprise finding you both together though."

"Sister Ivy suspected you would come here, we have been waiting and having an interesting chat. I hear we will need to leave tomorrow and begin your 'diplomatic tour'? That sounds wise, I anxiously anticipate our trip together, though I worry for you after the things my sister has related. You fear yourself lately?" Jade answered kindly, warm concern clear in her beautiful voice that just made me feel guilty.

"Yeah... we need to go a few places and don't have much time. Going to be busy tomorrow before we leave, have to leave it up to our friends to do what needs to be done here while we're gone. I umm... I was gonna tell you... I've just been a little freaked out, er... getting used to the new body and all, probably all it is... but umm... yeah. You helped me get control over my temper when I first came out Jade, the whole corrupting influence of the wasteland thing? Thanks to you I could control and use it but... it's sorta been getting to me again lately..."

She wasn't mad at me at least, pulling me closer with her big wing and nuzzling at my mane, making it start itching and nibbling my ears, a flurry of unity driven communication flying between her and Ivy over my head as she cooed softly. "So I have heard, you should have told me sooner, I wish to know these things even if I cannot help. We have been very busy however, I suppose I understand. I am glad you sought out my sister for her assistance, but do not keep things from me like that. I care for you very much and am here no matter what."

Ivy had those heart shaped sparkles in her lidded green eyes as she nodded slowly, reaching a hoof out across the counter to touch my own and Jade's over it. "As am I Fast. I want to take a look now, but you are very agitated and distracted at the moment aren't you? Your thoughts are very chaotic, but oooooh so delicious... Perhaps we should alleviate some of that pressure first sister? This is the coming home portion of my date hmm?"

At the suggestion and what what probably a direct download of every lewd thought running in my head, Jade blushed and nodded nervously, giving me a long kiss and floating me up in her magic as she stood, trotting out of the stone kitchens with me bobbing beside her. "Yes, I suppose so. Come along Fast, let us calm you down before we go peeking around in your head yes? I have actually been looking forward to this, unity makes everything soooo much better dear..."

I flushed and gulped in anticipation at the flood of information filling my already addled brain. Warm thoughts and tingly sensations coming from both big mares prancing down the halls, up towards our temporary shared bedroom in the castle, thankfully far from anypony else at least.

That warm fog was already clouding my thoughts, delighting in getting telepathic feedback for every light touch with my reaching hooves. Yes, having a real mental connection to go along with the physical did elevate this whole experience, I had no idea what it'd be like with a green alicorn directly, but it promised to be interesting.

A few hours later, I lay exhausted and spent between two gorgeous fillies, sprawled on the dirty mattress on the stone floor of a remote tower of the castle, panting and letting the sweat evaporate off my coat. As amazing and tiring as that was, my wings still sprang back up and my magic started roving over both of them, followed by hooves, wings, mouth...

Ivy was incredible, not as loud or eager as Peri, but that telepathic connection let her know everything and share everything back. She moved ahead of me, shared the sensations running through both of them, guiding my efforts with a little mattress sized bubble of unity, eventually settling out into a warm buzz of bliss in my head.

A tender kiss to Ivy's flanks over each heart shaped leaf of her new cutie mark seemed to shake off the last bits of her shame and worry over the blessing, eliciting a soft moan of happiness, punctuated by a squeal from Jade as my magic found just the right angle. I could feel both of them gathering their will and mentally nodding, Jade giving a reluctant, purring whine and wrapping her legs around me, clutching me to her pounding chest so I couldn't get going again.

Ivy moved in concert with her, entwining her own legs into the tangle over both me and Jade's back, curling a big green wing in with Jade's blue one. She hugged tightly and drew both of us close, making a warm, soft cocoon of sweaty alicorn flesh around me as Jade whispered and nibbled on my ear. "E-Enough... that is enough Fast, you are in the proper state now I believe. Enjoyable as this is, your well being comes first. Ivy, if you would sister?"

A surge of panic rose up as Ivy's long horn approached my own, my magic reaching out frantically of its own accord, making both mares moan and tighten their hold. Was I trying to distract them? Hold them off from... Ivy's brow furrowed in determination, a gasp escaping her lips as her horn managed to make contact, then the world swirled away and I was disconnected from my hormone driven body.

* * *

"Ah... we are back here again, I like this dream Fast. Oh! Look at Ivy, she has her own Stable barding as well, very fetching sister!" Jade spoke clearly beside me as I blinked and took in the bizarre version of Stable 111 around me, drinking in the sight of her wearing the tight blue and yellow barding that matched her medium blue fur and my own familiar suit.

We were in the atrium... but not? It was strange, not quite the fantasy world in my dreams where Jade and all her sisters lived in the Stable with my family and me. Instead the vast chamber was strangely empty, bigger than it should be too... The round window of the Overmare's office was still directly above, but it was labeled 'Overstallion Fast Times' and empty.

There were way too many doors leading off the atrium too, both the upper and lower levels had doors that led to areas of the Stable you'd have to reach through others, or that just didn't exist at all properly. I blinked over to Ivy in confusion, enjoying the sight of her in the blue barding contrasting with her rich green coat. "Umm... where are we Ivy?"

The green alicorn looked around a moment after picking at her outfit, seeming to find her surroundings interesting and amusing. "In your mind Fast. Unsurprising you would order it this way, you lived here a long time right? Much as I imagined, carefully ordered and organized, a door for everything no less. Take a look around, help me find what we're looking for, it hides from me..."

That sounded odd... but I did as instructed, looking carefully at the weird mish-mash version of Stable 111. Each door had a glowing sign over it just like home, most said what they should, though they were still off a bit. The one labeled 'Orchard' was lit with orange light instead of white as it should be, a soft sigh of 'Be Strong!' calling from the door as I stared at the red letters. 'Medical-Ward' was spelled out in pink, glowing yellow and radiating kindness, 'Cafeteria' was a bright and cheery pink sign with darker letters and 'Stable Salon' was a brighter white than normal, with purple letters.

Jade and Ivy followed behind me, stopping at each door and peering at the odd signs. Jade held a hoof to the sliding steel door of the Medical Ward, sighing in contentment at the peace flowing from it. "The Ministry Mares... this is Fluttershy's spirit Fast! It feels so warm and nice."

"That's where I found Fluttershy actually... the statue version that is. Right in the medical ward in 111, makes sense she's there er... in here... this is weird Ivy..."

Our green telepath gave an amused snort in answer, "Self reflection is often strange and difficult, necessary here though. Go on Fast, this is your brain, you know what we're looking for and where it is, even if you don't know."

I knew what she wanted, but was more interested exploring the numerous doors that shouldn't be here. 'Residential''s steel door held whispers of my family and friends behind it and I stared at it longingly. 'Security' felt like Val, all military discipline and facts about combat flowing from it. 'Daycare' filled me with thoughts of Glitter, her happy giggles and bright smile. 'Maintenance' brought the sudsy taste of beer to mind and Sprocket's gruff chuckle, along with Grizz's hearty laugh. The brightly painted door up on the second level near the round window of the Overmare... Overstallion's office read 'Studio' and filled my nostrils with Sunset Mist's distinctive scent, papers, paints and perfume. I could explore door after door here for hours, reveling in nostalgia and the ability to show Jade things I had only told her about.

It was the flickering, dim sign above a rusty door in the corner I didn't want to look at, the large atrium got cold over there... the lights above it sparked and shorted as I watched, the nearly dead, dark sign above it read simply 'Icebox'... Back down where I started, into the dark and cold, a room of stasis pod coffins and sleeping corpses.

Ivy read everything out of me like this though, cautiously approaching that shadowy corner and reaching out to the rusty door, yanking her hoof back when it made contact. "Here. This is it Fast, let me in here."

"I... I don't want to... i-it's probably not a good idea..."

Jade wrapped me in her wing and nuzzled my cheek, nudging me forward softly. "It is alright Fast, I am with you. We need to see. Do not be afraid, you are safe here, it is your mind after all."

Even her kind encouragement was barely enough, I reeeeally didn't want to open that door... As I approached, the sign darkened down to full black, the letters 'Icebox' still legible as they started glowing red at my hoof reaching for the frigid steel barrier. With a gulp, I touched the rusty surface, wincing back as it slowly slid open in a shower of corrosion and a howling wind blew out, making my teeth chatter in remembrance of what real cold felt like before I became so inured to the elements.

Ivy's horn lit up and she led the way, trotting confidently down the damp and rusty stairs leading into the dark. With Jade at my side, I reluctantly followed, the shadows swallowing us up as we entered. The stairs down were far too long, stretching down into the depths of the earth, er... my head I supposed.

The further down we went, the colder and darker it got, though two conflicting sources of light led the way down. Running beside us were frazzled heavy gauge power conduits, glowing a faint blue that matched the glow of my horn, while the flickering emergency lights were a dark crimson throwing shadows everywhere as they spiraled in place.

"This is rather strange Fast, we are approaching the source of power for your Stable yes?" Ivy stared at the power lines, poking at a sparking bit that was self repairing very slowly.

"Umm, yeah, under the Icebox is all the generators running the place, though this is all in my head so they could be behind any door upstairs right?"

Ivy shook her head and kept going down, her breath puffing out of her muzzle in little clouds as she spoke. "This is all metaphor Fast, symbolism... Down to the source of power, the wellspring of your magic. It is strange this dark chamber is between it at the rest of your mind, it may act as a block of some kind... I am unsure, it's very odd though, you've said you had problems with your magic before? Ah, here we are, how does this look Fast?"

The cavernous chamber she pointed into at the bottom of the too long stairs was the Icebox alright, but not. It looked how I last saw it, empty of the 1000 stasis pods that belonged here, minus one that is... a single pod stood alone in the center of the room, metaphor or not, it didn't look right at all.

I stood on the catwalk overlooking the room, trying not to pay attention to all the bones crunching underhoof of fallen Stable defenders still here. That stasis pod was festooned with snaking cables and... chains? Stretching from the shadows of the room, draping down from the ceiling, crawling across the floor, all focused and wrapped around the stasis pod in the center. Pod #101...

It was kind of easy to tell with the red numbers glowing so brightly, that was #101 alright... just in case I wasn't sure, the faded lipstick print on the shell was glowing a bright yellow orange, drawing Jade's displeased eye and getting an annoyed huff. The casing it was still stuck to was supposed to be white though, not black... the circular window looking in to the pod was filled with crimson light too. Just looking at it filled me with dread, I never wanted to see pod #101 again, but here it was waiting in the dark.

Ivy shocked me by flying over the railing and gliding down to it, unafraid of the rumble shaking the room as her hooves touched the tiles. "Who is there? Speak up! I came a long way to find this place, you can't hide anymore, talk to me!"

"Ivy! H-Hey Ivy! I don't think we should mess with this, b-bad idea, just forget it ok!" I yelped from the railing, my ears laying back as I peeked over the narrow barrier. I knew I asked for help and had been worried about the dark voice in my head originating from down here apparently, but I didn't like being here and I really didn't like messing with that black pod.

Completely ignoring me, Ivy trotted a full circle around the dark version of pod #101, looking over the glowing blue power cables crossing the floor, shunted into it at the base before continuing down to the generators below, that was odd actually... Ivy noticed it too, or noticed me noticing maybe... "Fast, I know you are uncomfortable, but could you take a look at this? You can stay up there if you like, just watching and thinking is enough."

I tried to stay as far from possible from the center of the room, navigating the familiar steel grating to get a better look. Those power lines didn't belong here, it didn't match the real Icebox. If this was all mental projection, why would I wire it like that? Heavy gauge power conduit, previously crossing the floor without interruption to the stairs out. Now there was a shunt, a break in the still intact lines, a dark spot on what should be a solid line of blue jerked over to the stasis pod before continuing back to the original trunk.

Every line crossing the floor glowing that blue color did that, all had been wired into the dark pod #101 at some point... All but one actually, I spotted one thick line where the shunt had blown, fried by a surge of power by the scorches and ozone smell, that line ran straight through as it was originally designed, strange.

Actually reaching up and rapping her hoof on the light absorbing metal shell made me cringe, while Ivy perked an ear up and listened to the hollow bong reverberating through the chamber carefully. "This is very odd, a mental block maybe? You are spending a great deal of energy repressing this. I still have no idea if it is you or something else however, it feels like you... mostly, severe personality disorders can manifest in similar fashion, but usually the subject can't lock them away like this. Fascinating..."

"I'm happy my fucked up head is interesting Ivy, could we go now?! You found it, it's here, it's weird, but it's sleeping! Leave it alone..."

Instead of answering directly, Ivy's horn glowed a blinding green as she stood before the pod's hatch, wrapping the chains and releases in her magic and stamping a hoof. "Sometimes you have to rip a bandage off Fast. I demand an answer! Show yourself! Face yourself Fast, stop suppressing this part of yourself and let me in!"

Her glowing green eyes settled on me and I gulped, helped slightly by Jade's supportive squeeze. "Alright... You asked for it...."

The pod hissed open, just a crack, the articulated front shell lifting an inch and letting roiling, sparkly black smoke come pouring out, not white mist like it should be. The light in the window and streaming out the sides brightened, along with the red lights overhead and the blue power lines crossing the room. The inky shadow-stuff pooled around the base of the pod, sending tendrils waving out, one of which caressed Ivy's foreleg.

"MINE...."

The growling voice echoing in the chamber proclaimed as it made contact with the green alicorn, elicting a sharp gasp from Ivy as she froze and shivered in place. Jade and I both flew down to her, hovering carefully above the floor and the inky smoke spreading out. Ivy's eyes fluttered and she moaned, shifting and swaying in place, her brow furrowed as she bit her lip and spread her wings, shaking it off slowly.

My worry for her got me to go down here in a rush, but I was still staying well above the shadowy mass writhing on the floor, fluttering in her face anxiously. "E-Enough's enough Ivy! It hurt you! We shouldn't be messing with this! I was wrong, I'll just... I'll just try harder! Lock it away more!"

At the words more heavy chains sagged down from the ceiling, forcing Jade to dodge a bit lower and getting one of those dark tendrils brushed against her hoof. The reaction was immediate with my princess, a sharp squeal as she turned bright red, stuffing a hoof in her mouth and whimpering around it.

"PRINCESS...MINE."

The second growl got my attention, Ivy regained her composure and waved me off as it sunk in. "Don't try to suppress it again, it wasn't hurting me... er... us it seems, q-quite the opposite. I don't think it will harm us, certainly not sister Jade at the very least. You are repressing quite a lot Fast... a regular bundle of inhibitions are stored down here, focused and encapsulated in one spot.

I know this is difficult Fast, but I want you to do the opposite of what you just did. Loosen the chains, let the pod open up more, stop fighting yourself and let me see what's there. I am certain we will be safe, trust me, please."

I did trust Ivy... and Jade beside me even more, her encouraging kiss and nod enough for me to get over my fear. I still flapped back a few feet before landing on the cold floor. It took a minute to find the right mental 'flex' to do what she wanted, more of a relaxing of a tensed muscle actually. The chains jingled and loosened, the lights brightening again as more shadow-stuff came spilling out of the widening gap. When I had been forced to rely on this part of myself, I often thought of 'letting it off the chain' anyway, all the figurative was just very literal in here apparently.

Jade and Ivy both pranced back away from it, at least it was pleasant for them, but neither seemed inclined to just let it grab hold again. Little to worry about though, instead of reaching for them, it stretched out in a shadowy streak, grabbing my foreleg and climbing despite my struggling.

"Easy! Easy! It is alright Fast! I am here, relax!" Jade was right with me, Ivy on her hooves and joining in as the rippling mass of darkness crawled over me.

Once I got over the initial panic, it didn't feel bad. Actually it felt good... very good... I felt strong! Black lightning crackled around me and I could feel myself swelling up with power, a surge of strength flowing through me that had me actually growing, bigger and stronger in front of them, I was Jade's height in here! This was great!

More darkness poured from the pod and raced over my stretching legs as I took a strutting step forward, my wings flared and eye to eye with Jade and Ivy both before me, no... looking down now! Both of them taking a reticent step back as I kept stalking after them, tendrils of shadows making both shiver as a fanged leer spread on my muzzle.

Both of them now... then all of them, Peri, Magnolia, Swan, Umbra, all of Jade's sisters, Val and Witchy, Mint Twist and Onyx Operator, the alicorn synth Angel, Scribe Wind, even Fancy Star, then Sunset Mist when I found her, every pretty filly I had ever met, every mare in the world... an unending harem in a palace danced before my eyes.

One built on a mountain of raider bones with a moat of Gunner blood, the heads of the Institute literally heads, as in on pikes above the gates. Rooms for everypony I cared about and torture chambers and dungeons for all I didn't, a throne for my Princess of irradiated gold and jewels, a dragon's horde of caps in a treasure chamber. Total safety for my daughter and everything she could ever ask for. All the power I needed to make it all MINE was at my hooves, filling me up and out, letting me loom over the beautiful little mares here to get started with...

* * *

"FAST! STOP! Stop your struggles! Please!!" My eyes snapped open and I found myself wrestling with Jade and Ivy, pinning me in place with minimal success, Jade's frightened cry got through and I relaxed in confusion, what happened?

Ivy was still face to face with me clutched to Jade's breast, staring intently with a rosy, sweaty face full of concern, kissing my horn once I had stopped... whatever I had been doing. "T-There... My word, you have been suppressing quite a bit of darkness haven't you Fast... Are you alright now? That was... w-well I've never really experienced anything like that before..."

"N-Not filling me with confidence here Ivy, w-what was I... what happened?"

Jade cooed and nuzzled my cheek from behind me, soothing me softly and giving a cross look with shimmery blue eyes to her sister. "Nothing unpleasant Fast. It is alright now, Ivy pushed too far is all, we need not do that again, it is alright, sshhh..."

Giving a wary look, Ivy released her hold and sat up, tapping a hoof to her muzzle in thought and shrugging apologetically. "Best to see what we can see while it's safe sister. I still can't tell if that's just parts of yourself you are bottling up and denying, or... something else. Your recent change to one of us could have had psychological side effects, strengthening recessive parts of your personality. Judging by how that... er... f-felt, it is in line with this Dr. Dala's potion correct sister?"

"Libido, sexual conquest, aggression, violence, territoriality and possessiveness... Yes Ivy, all things Dala chose to enhance in the interest of making a... a breeding stud..., I am still unhappy at that display..." Jade answered, clinically diagnosing her sister's mental evaluation with an annoyed whinny.

Ivy nodded to herself and brightened, scooting closer and patting my head kindly. "Several areas not really at the forefront for you beforehoof either right Fast? I know you worry and have been letting certain ghost stories get to you, but Haycart's Razor and all, the simplest explanation tends to be the correct one. Is it a schism developing by trying to fight impulses driven by your new body and the constant strain of the wasteland, or a spirit of vengeance somehow in your head when it was sealed away by Celestia herself 1200 years ago?

Not that I'm disregarding your concerns, just trying to make you feel better Fast. A lesser pony would simply have fallen to their base desires under what that potion did to you, controlling yourself under all that is most impressive, but not good for your psyche I think. You have been adjusting to your body, but still need to reconcile its affect on your mind. Honestly you should have taken a much longer break after your metamorphosis, in the old world you would be able to receive counseling and help, but now... meh.

You have rather imposing mental defenses already thanks to those little statues, along with a certain innocence and ability to push all the worst of the wasteland down rather than let it corrupt you, but the extra stress is starting to show. All the more reason for me to continue my treatment and accompany you on your diplomatic tour hmm?"

"R-Really? You think I'm.... er... mostly ok? You're coming with us?"

Ivy curled up beside us again and yawned, tracing a gentle hoof down my side sleepily. "You are more than ok Fast, a strong and pure mind, just under a great deal of stress. I still want to keep an eye on you, so I'm happy to come. Besides, diplomacy is one of my strong points, reading minds is a rather useful skill for such efforts wouldn't you agree? Wicket and my children will be fine with my sisters awhile longer, you need me so here I will stay." Another long yawn interrupted her as she snuggled close and closed her green eyes, murmuring sweetly and drifting off, "Besides... want to do more of that too... Peri's had... her turn plenty... have to keep trying... for the species and all..."

Jade sighed in my ear and drew me close, still sandwiched between the two of them on the dingy mattress in a warm, caring embrace. I wriggled around to face her, fighting with a wing uncomfortably trying to spring up. Sleeping with these things was still a major annoyance, but the shuffling movement was worth it to wrap my legs around the gentle rise and fall of her chest, nuzzling Jade's neck as she murmured to me. "Sleep Fast, you are safe and still my Fast. We have a busy day tomorrow and it is very late.... early.... rest. I love you, all of you, so do not fear yourself so much."

"I love you too Jade. Sorry to put you through that, I'll let you know about what's going on in my head... the old fashioned way I think, but I won't keep things from you like that." The three of us passed out right on each others hooves, exhaustion and lingering panic dragging me down to just soak up all the soft alicorn around me and sleep.

The thought of that tomb somewhere below us still nagged at me though, following me down into my dreams. I had to find the full moon key, I needed to know, one way or the other.

"Morning sir! Sounded like you and Peri had fun last night, still feeling pretty jealous your own squad doesn't rate such personal attention from..." The stunning dark unicorn Onyx descended the stone stairs of the castle's new workshop, wiggling her way down in her increasingly tight blue jumpsuit and trotting towards her battered locker with her tools, her squad mates staggering down behind her.

Today I was in no mood and had to cut off her playful flirting though, looking up to Pepper Pot and Cool Jets trailing behind her, along with our new alicorn repair-pony Flitter practically stuffed into the biggest jumpsuit they could find, still straining the seams. All four stirred up annoying urges, but I had the pile of scrap and parts around the gadget I was finishing up distracting me thankfully.

I had been spending the early morning hours cobbling the remains of the radiation producing trap from Talon's, building a weird weapon / healing device for Jade. It was crude and hastily thrown together, a metal bowl from the kitchens forming a basic dish to focus and direct blasts of radiation, a salvaged trigger and handle from a corroded pistol, lots of spare gems and wiring over the hexagonal housing, not pretty but it should work.

My pip-buck seemed to agree anyway, no longer regarding it as 'junk' in my inventory, but labeling it as 'Gamma Gun' and assigning a decent value for it. It would work off normal spark cells and sent a blast of glowing green rings of radiation out from the condensed balefire at the heart of the trap.

I couldn't fix it to provide a constant and low flow as it had before without frying it, but like this Jade had her own weapon. Better yet on the right targets it wasn't a weapon at all, but a healing device, which should make her happy and more willing to use it. Even against normal ponies, it would weaken and sicken them, but no permanent damage if they were treated for radiation sickness when they gave up. It was a fitting weapon for the alicorn princess, though I'd rather put together something a little less clunky in the future.

I floated a stub of a pencil to the clipboard hovering beside me and jotted down more notes, speaking sternly to the flirty mature mare sauntering over. "Not today Onyx, don't start. You all have a lot of work to get to and I need you to run this crew for me while I'm gone. I got as much salvage as I could and more is waiting for scavenging teams to pick up, but it's still hardly enough and we're under the gun, I'm counting on all of you here."

My tone must have sunk in, Onyx quickly became all business, buckling her leather toolbelt to her swaying flanks and falling in with a salute. "Yes sir, you can count on Fast's Fixer's! What's wrong sir?"

The growing commotion outside my flicking ears could pick up would be a better answer, for now I floated the clipboard over to Onyx, trotting down the line of repair-mares lining up with her. All four were taking me seriously at least, though the large purple Flitter couldn't help staring very closely, sleepy, sparkling eyes tracking me as I paced.

"The Princess is going to explain here in just a little bit, better than I can and we're in a rush. Let's just say we're working under a deadline now and a lot needs to be done. I wrote down what priorities should be, I hate leaving you ladies to handle this for me, but not much choice. You're all great repair-ponies, Flitter I haven't worked with you yet, but do your best ok? Help her fit in and take advantage of her abilities you guys, with her here at least nopony has to get radiation sickness trying to work below the castle while I'm gone. Onyx, I'm trusting you to lead this squad in my stead, Preston said I can promote whoever I want, so congratulations, you're a sergeant now."

Onyx's eyes widened at arrow shaped patch I floated over to her, I made sure to ask but Preston assured me I was a general so I could do as I liked. The violet and silver maned mare was the most mature of all of us and was good at taking charge, I had faith she could handle things while I was gone, I had to.

"Gunners isn't it sir? Are they coming?" Pepper's red mane was frizzy and spiked out in bed head, a worried note was in her voice as she rubbed sleep from her eyes.

"You're leaving? But I just got here..." Our new alicorn member Flitter whined, shuffling in place and giving a whinny, it probably seemed terribly unfair for her, finding the male alicorn all her sisters were hunting only for me to wander off again, no choice though.

Cool Jets fluffed her orange wings and gave a proud huff, "No worries sir, we got this. What's the deal though, when we seein' some action?"

A bell ringing outside cut off her eager question and I waved them out with me, calling over my shoulder as we ran to the courtyard with all the other Minutemares and Followers of the Apocalypse filling the castle. "You're about to find out, but it's always too soon! Take care of each other, I expect to find all of my Fixer Fillies here and safe when we get back!"

At that I launched myself up into the air, almost smoothly no less. Flapping my way up above the gathering crowd and towards the half destroyed balcony above the large double doors to the throne room. I joined a nervous looking Jade, decidedly green in the face staring out at the crowd, the center of a lot of attention that had her queasy. I perched on the crumbling stone railing beside her, admiring her in her costume tiara and clean armored lab coat that proudly displayed her heart and crown cutie mark, making myself equally visible and incidentally putting me up at her level.

She gave a short nuzzle gratefully and reached a wing out to touch Glitter peeking over the railing with her, clearing her throat to get Val to stop madly ringing the salvaged silver bell nailed to a crude post up here, tentatively leaning her muzzle over to the rusty microphone from the Switchboard. I didn't have time to fly up to the leaning and half roofless north tower with the bent radio antenna and repair the communications systems here, but it was on Onyx's list and I did cobble together a basic PA system in the castle courtyard for this.

"Ahem! G-Good morning everypony!" Jade spoke softly, her nervous stammer amplified and only causing a momentary whine from the working speakers below, laying her ears flat with a wince that only deepened as the gathered crowd replied as one.

"Good morning Princess Jade!"

She blushed furiously under the adoring attention, a herd of dozens upon dozens of ponies, her own army, all treating her as true royalty. A gentle nudge got her to stop trying to hide behind her wings and lean back over, gently tapping the mike and continuing anxiously. "T-Thank you all. I am happy to see so many smiling faces, but must share dire news. Some of you on watch last night witnessed the bright burst of flame to the east I am told? That was my Fast, uncovering a nest of Gunners moving on the area, who intended to take a fortified facility to launch an imminent attack on us.

Thanks to the efforts of my... K-Knight, my Captain of the Guard Valkyrie, my sister Ivy and others, that particular contingent of mercenaries will not be joining the upcoming battle, but I am sad to say there will be one still. Our brave strike team has bought us time, but inform me the Gunners know we are here and are coming..."

A lot of murmurs started up as she paused, growing more nervous at the rising swell of worried noise. Seeing her so made me more than willing to fill my part, despite my nearly equal dislike of public speaking. My horn glowed and I spread my wings, the Shroud's voice tolling out without the aid of the PA system.

"We knew it was only a matter of time everypony, there are a lot less of them than there were now and we have to use what we have left wisely! We came here to take a stand didn't we? I'm more than willing to fight for my Princess, are you?!"

Much as I hated that, the concerned muttering turned to a more positive rumble of agreement, determined nods and stamping hooves answering as Jade brushed my shoulder with her wing, sounding more confident as she continued. "T-Thank you, all of you that feel so. We must do better for the ponies of the southern Commonwealth. Some of whom have joined us already, I am sure they have shared their own terrible stories of the abuses of the Gunners, along with the villagers of Eclipse.

I do not like fighting, I wish it were not so but sometimes good ponies must take a stand against the bad for anything to improve. We will do all we can to insure that our beliefs; Kindness, Generosity, Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter and Magic triumph over the cruelty, greed, lies, selfishness and hate our foes embody. We must do better! Please, will you help me?!"

The roaring cheer that rose up made her squeak and try to hide again, but Glitter tugged her back with a happy yelp towards the open microphone. "See mom! I told'ya everypony loves ya! No hidin'! Ain't that right everybody!?!"

The stamping hooves and shouts of agreement shook even the sturdy stone castle, bringing a bright blush to Jade's cheeks as she meekly leaned back to speak again. She had to wait several minutes for it to die down, waving kindly down to her admirers until they settled down. "I am very flattered... my d-daughter is very exuberant in her endorsement, I thank you for your agreement with her! Now then, with the threat bearing down on us, we all need to try our hardest, make the most of what time we have and be ready. I-In that interest, I am reluctantly going to have to go on a short trip..."

Some of the cheering dried up at that, several shouts of 'No!' and 'Don't leave us Princess' rose up, making her panic and furrow her brow, stammering over the rejection, just trying to get through this. "Please, please I am sorry all of you, y-you are all my little ponies and I will never abandon you. I leave because I must, but will return soon, hopefully with allies to help us!

Nopony can go it alone in the wasteland, a lesson I imagine most of you are well aware of since you have bravely joined us here. There are others suffering under the Gunners though, those who may be too afraid to act on their own like our friends in Eclipse, but willing to join in and take a stand with us. I must go myself, as P-Princess of Sanctuary, to speak with the leaders of these groups, entreat them to join us and ensure we win.

This is a job for me and my... r-retinue, but no less important than your work here, things I cannot do but you can. I am begging all of you, do your best, do not despair simply because I am not present, a princess is not worth the title if she is not doing all she can for her s-subjects. You do not need me here sitting on my rump on a throne, but out in the Commonwealth trying my best. I swear to do so and I ask you to do the same here, together we will make things better, will we not!?"

Absolute bedlam rose up in answer, cheers, whistles, stomping hooves, several pegasi flying up and doing happy loops and endless shouted variations on the same basic message. 'YES!!!' Rolling on and on for long minutes to Jade's embarrassment, she was grateful to slink back to the castle when Preston came forward, calling for order and getting ponies back to work, an army charged and revitalized with purpose.

The Minutemare leader was grinning when he cantered back from the balcony to join us, packing our gear in a hurry and checking over everything. Preston tipped his hat and gave a long whistle, sending Jade scrunching up behind the pile of supplies with her ears flat. "Woooowheee! Mighty fine speech Princess Jade, just the buck in the rear they needed. Still hate losing you guys even for awhile, but I got no worries you'll be back in time, er... right? Where ya headed first anyway Fast?"

A look out the window facing the sea let me point out the answer. From this upper level mezzanine above the throne room being cleared and repaired below us, there was a good view of the modified cloudship hovering over the ruins of the Trotson Skyport, my first objective, my pip-buck agreeing in a flash of text as I answered. "The Brotherhood of Friendship first, promised a couple friends we'd go there and I've been putting it off..."

Mission Added: With Our Powers Combined

Objectives----------
---Seek an alliance with the Brotherhood of Friendship
---Seek an alliance with Dreadnot
---Seek an alliance with the Arcano-Cats
---Prepare for the Gunner's attack

Preston stared across the steely waters of the bay under the chilly, cloudy sky, rubbing his chin and missing Witchy giving an annoyed huff as she helped load up our supplies, grumbling in her squeaky voice with a whine. "You promised to go to Dreadnot too, I have been put off as well you know..."

Zed actually chuckled, tossing food and potions to his leather bags and giving a wry smile. "Fast moves at his own pace batpony. Relying on him to do as you wish, when you wish is folly. He does get to things eventually however."

"Yeah Witchy, you're next on the list ok? These friends have been waiting longer than you so... Don't worry, it shouldn't take long and they're a powerful ally to have, especially if we're facing power armor. Soon as we're done, it's down to Dreadnot, I promise!"

She whined and returned to her packing, though I caught her beaming at the blue glow coming from her dark leather saddlebags, giving her a copy of Mr. Cane's memory orb of Luna went a looooong way to making the loyal thestral happy. Despite her complaints, I had gotten the impression over the last week that she secretly wasn't that concerned over the delay, objecting out of a sense of duty, but not pushing very hard at all. As battle with the Gunners became more and more iminent, she got more pensive, perching on the towers alone at night and staring out to the south. Hopefully she'd cheer up when we went there, soon.

Ivy eyed the assault rifle she had selected from the Minutemare's stores of weaponry warily beside her. She hadn't shown any aptitude for firearms on our little date, while she proven she could handle herself and cause all kinds of mischief on the battlefield, I insisted she carry something more conventional on our trip.

With luck she'd never need to fire it, her telepathic gifts were infinitely more valuable than one more gun after all, especially for what we were doing. The advanced power armor helmet in my bags still made me nervous for her though, the Institute was building psionic protection into their equipment that was somehow ending up in the hooves of the Gunners, I wanted her to have options.

Currently she was soothing her blue sister Peri, pouting we were leaving her behind in a slightly agitated version of her normal mellow tone. "But it's not fair sister... I have many pages left, it is still my turn... I am not yet with child, I should get to come and keep trying... a lot..."

Jade interrupted her with an indulgent snort, "We will return soon sister, by the time we do I am quite sure that will no longer be the case, after all your ...enthusiastic attempts. It takes time to detect, I will check immediately when we come back and have little doubt I will find you pregnant already. Then you need not ...continue."

That got a petulant whine of negation, the odd blue alicorn tucking her hat down to avoid Jade's arched gaze, shuffling in place and muttering. "No fair..."

Glitter tugged her little canvas backpack over her jacket and clambered up on my back, watching the back and forth that was hopefully going over her head. She refused to be left behind, insisting she come as our 'Ambassador of Cuteness', the title she had giddily adopted from the ponies swarming the castle she spent each day befriending. I didn't like putting her in any kind of danger, but short of taking her back to Sanctuary, the safest place was still with us, with me. Besides, feeling her little forelegs wrap around my neck in a hug was an instant spirit lifter.

Val ruffled her mane over my shoulder and stretched her wings eagerly, "Alright, ready ta get this show on the road already!? Been gettin' bored all cooped up, good ta be back on the road eh boss!?"

Actually it sort of was... Even with war with the Gunners looming, I supposed I had developed a touch of wanderlust to go along with all the regular kind. Checking over my pip-buck map and the web of lines connecting all the places we had been, towns we had tried to help, ponies we had saved, I felt my own sense of hopeful anticipation.

I looked forward to adding more to that chain we had forged, one link at a time. The empty icons were just waiting to be filled in and added, we just had to try. "Right, off we go, seeking friends and intrigue into the unknown, right stalwart adventurers?"

I'd ignore the groan that elicited, they all actually loved being heroic companions on my madcap adventures... I knew it.

The cloudy day made our trip north easier, standing out a little bit less against the grey skies instead of clear blue. Glitter still shivered on my back, even wrapped in a thick blanket against the coming winter's chill, reminding me the environment was still an issue for normal ponies, griffons and zebras, so we took frequent stops to warm up.

This also gave me ample opportunity to hide from any passing patrols of alicorns as we drew closer to the Trotson ruins, we stuck to the coast and stayed low, but I spotted more than one trio of blue, green and purple on our way. Finally we were in range of the Skyport and the looming cloudship, sheltering from a light drizzle in a crumbling block of apartments, half collapsed and open, facing the marker on my compass.

The others were warming up in one of the more intact rooms here on the top floor, I spotted signs of raiders using the lower floors, but the path up here was choked with rubble, making it fairly safe. It gave a good vantage point to stare out at the sagging bridge leading to the sprawling skyport complex.

A needle like control tower still stood at the center, braced by faded rainbow arches gracefully holding it up, bringing the ancient structure up to the level of the cloudship Prydwen moored to it. One unfortunate skyway liner had crashed into the low buildings surrounding it, half shredded with rusting seats at rotting luggage still trailing to it from the lapping waves of the bay.

The bridge had been reinforced and repaired, presumably by the patrols of Brotherhood ponies guarding it behind newer looking metal barricades and spotlights. Beyond was a series of low stone buildings in various states of ruin, some crumpled in on themselves, others still standing thanks to the continuing rainbow arches. A few even appeared to be ancient cloud structures, patchy and grey here and there, but forming fluffy roofs and platforms for pegasi to utilize.

Even below the massive cloudship, it was a hive of activity. Herds of ponies moving with military minded haste, frantically working techs in outfits similar to Scribe Wind, suits of heavy Steel Ranger armor patrolling the narrow spit of land the skyport was built on over the sea, while dark specks of red trimmed Enclave armor flitted around above.

Groaning at the annoyance, I struggled to clip Sassy Saddle's bit of dark cape to her Shrouded Stallion armor, fighting with my wings to fold in and stay there. I was ok just letting everything hang out so to speak with the Minutemares in the castle, but no reason to advertise my unique situation unnecessarily. Scribe Wind and Paladin Dance said they'd keep it quiet for me so long as I came and told their leaders, I had no desire to let it spread beyond that if I could help it.

"Why not just fly up to the damn thing boss? Really wanna go walkin right up to em just ta pretend ya ain't... ya know, all alicorny? Cat's kinda outta the bag I think." Val snickered but helped me shrug into the addition to my armor, deft claws tucking it into my belt over my whimper.

"Alright... maybe it is, still prefer not to flaunt it ok Val? Besides, walking in lets us take a look around right? Don't want to freak them out either, they're twitchy about alicorns to begin with, plus a zebra, no offense Zed."

"None taken, we have not had to deal with Steel Rangers since shortly after the war, but they did not care for my kind then, I have heard that has not completely changed." Zed called from the damp apartment in reply, warming up by the fire Val had made, smashing a mostly dry chair to tinders and tossing it in a rusting stove, igniting it with her magical energy weapon.

Once Glitter, Zed, Witchy and Val had all gotten back where icicles weren't hanging off their muzzles or beak, we took the trip back down to street level at the shore, approaching the guarded bridge cautiously. Letting Jade carry me with my wings hidden was a pleasant bit of nostalgia for the short trip, interrupted all too soon by the dashes filling E.F.S..

All were green so far, but several were guiding my eye to dangerous looking turrets, heavy suits of power armor and menacing former Enclave already flying above us. A lot of firepower came to rest on us as we drew close, one of the Steel Ranger armored ponies at the barricade booming out in a stern, amplified voice from his helmet's speaker. "Halt! State your business with the Brotherhood of Friendship!"

"Er... Hi! Umm.... we were invited? Sorta... I'm Fast Times, this is Princess Jade of Sanctuary, we came at the invitation of Paladin Steel Dance and Scribe Summer Wind? R-Ringing any bells so far?"

There was a change in their posture at least, weapons powering down and huddles of Brotherhood troops whispering to each other. Finally the power armored solider who spoke first replied. "Maybe. The one Proctor Pop Quiz worked with at the local chapter right? Alright, we have orders to let you in, green stays outside though."

His steel clad hoof pointed at Ivy behind me, getting a growl of an answer to his derisive statement. "No. That won't work for me, she's mine... m-my friend Ivy, if she's not welcome I don't care to be."

I turned on my heel and took a few trotting steps down the cracked asphalt, a nervous sounding voice barking out after only a few. "W-Wait! Just wait dammit! Freaking high priority orders... She's a security risk! Can't have mindreaders just wandering around in our base of operations here! Hang on, this is above my pay grade, let somepony else deal with it if you won't cooperate!"

A young reddish buck in scribe's barding was sent dashing off into the mostly fenced skyport grounds, while I sat in the street to wait impatiently. I could see the point of the policy, seeing just what Ivy could do with her abilities was a major argument in their favor actually. It didn't change the fact Ivy was my friend, I didn't like being told to leave her behind just because they were scared.

(Thank you Fast... that is very sweet.)

A little nuzzling attention from the green alicorn in the pale dress startled me, realizing all over again myself just how hard it was to adjust to a telepathic pony. I wasn't hiding military secrets or anything either, so I'd give them a few minutes to figure it out, the affection filling the time nicely.

Finally, a streaking yellow blur zipped down from the huge Raptor class cloudship above, skidding to a halt on the bridge in front of us in a happy cloud of dust. "Fast! You came! Welcome to the Brotherhood's base in the Commonwealth! Paladin Dance is waiting for you before going up in the Prydwen. Right this way, hurry!"

Scribe Summer Wind adjusted her red cap and turned back to the barricade, trotting off and swishing her light brown tail, brought up short by the power armored guard and his crew. "Er... Senior Scribe? Orders? He has a green alicorn with him, you know protocol..."

The Brotherhood pegasus blinked her light green eyes and looked back at our little group, noticing Ivy and shrugging. "So? I know this one, she's fine. Orders from up top, they want to see them, now Knight Pine. He won't move if you make her stay out right?"

"T-That is what he insisted..." The Knight sullenly answered, there was some kind of hierarchy thing going on here I wasn't too clear on... He didn't sound like he liked being talked down to by a Scribe.

Scribe Wind called cheerfully over, I was glad to see she had gotten over her own issues with Jade's kind since I first met her, they were just ponies to her now from how she sounded. "Just what I'd expect from Fast. Since he won't move if she stays, then she comes. Problem solved right? We'll keep her away from any sensitive brains to suck dry, happy? Or do you want me to go get Star Paladin Dance instead?"

"No Senior Scribe Wind... t-that's not necessary." The petulant Knight scuffed the cracked roadway at his hooves and muttered back.

Just to pile on, Summer turned and called loudly back to Ivy. "You promise not to turn any Brotherhood ponies into drooling brain dead husks or anything, right Miss Ivy?"

"Would you notice if I did Scribe Wind?" Ivy's deadpan took a second to sink in, drawing a quickly hidden smile from Summer and sending Val into gales of laughter.

Knight Pine was probably glad of the armor hiding his face as I wasn't the only one snickering, including his own troops behind him and Jade trying to choke it back coquetishly, hiding her muzzle behind her hoof. Always a princess even before she was one, Jade sniffed and stuck her nose up, trotting after Summer Wind and drawing her sister along with her cloudy tail.

Once past the barrier, we walked along the road curving past the fallen in entrance to the skyport, turning off and passing a dusty shell of a toll booth, the rusty, candy cane striped bar pointing up to the skies no longer an impediment to getting back to the non passenger areas. Summer's wings fluttered happily as she cantered beside me, pointing out the Vertibuck hangars taken over here on the ground and the crews servicing them.

Having a pretty pegasus my size just made my wings try to match hers, fluffing under the cloth hiding them and drawing her eye. "Not a bad idea Fast, but I still wanna take a fly around town sometime, any better at it?"

"Somewhat... depends on who you ask..."

"He's getting good Miss Wind! Daddy let's me ride up here with him now too! All the dips and bounces make it lots more fun than mom! She's way too smooth and steady, booooring!" Glitter tittered from my back, wincing at Jade's huff and waving back. "N-Not that boring's not good too momma! Fer sleepin' and stuff on long trips... dad's just way loopier and does lots of fun crashes! I'm helpin' with training too for Auntie Val!"

Val grinned to my little filly and crammed the Scribes cap down on her head. "Sure are! Yer way too light fer a real workout now though kiddo! He's still pathetic! All yer former Enclave asshole friends still have decent flight trainin' or anything Senior Scribe? Movin' up in the world ain't ya short stuff?"

"No short jokes Val..." I grumbled before she could answer, waving a hoof between her head and mine as we walked, right at the same level...

Our Brotherhood guide laughed brightly and nodded, waving a wing towards the prepped and ready Vertibuck waiting on the cracked tarmac, with Steel Dance tapping a hoof beside it, a pair of pegasi under the armored dome up front and the engines humming. "Yes actually, Fast giving me the only access to the M.O.M. hub made me an important pony there for awhile, between that and some of our other adventures together, we both received promotions. Isn't that right Star Paladin Dance?"

"Congratulations Dance, you too Summer, you both deserve it. So, here we are, I promised I'd come right?"

Dance gave his stern version of a smile, his heavy Steel Ranger armor had a few new decorations in red painted on and the helmet was down to get a look at his steel grey face. He arched a dark eyebrow up and looked over Ivy before answering in a warning tone. "So you did and so you have, good to see you soldier, you as well Princess, Glitter, Val, zebra... I overrode standing orders for your other guest, but even I can't let her meet with Elder Macson and Captain Gale, a telepath with both of our leaders is just a no go, sorry ma'am."

Ivy blinked a moment, peering about with her cream dress fluttering in the breeze from the Vertibuck, looking over Dance and nodding, "Perfectly understandable, I'm fine with that Fast, I'm sure I can amuse myself while I wait and get it all secondhoof from you when you return. I wouldn't mind taking a look at your marvelous cloudship however, the children will be most interested. Your Brotherhood has several excited admirers among them just from your impressive entrance into the Commonwealth, they saw you fly over Goodneighbor and have many questions."

Following his lead, we crammed together into the back of the Vertibuck, a deep thrum of the engines sounding out as we finished boarding. This was all for show of course as all of us but Glitter and Dance could simply fly straight up, but I had always wanted to ride in one of these things. Though it did make hearing Paladin Dance's enthusiastic answer difficult, "Good! We always need new talent as I keep trying to convince Fast! Maybe one of them will become an initiate someday ma'am! Or maybe you Glitter! Ok! Here we go!"

Glitter's happy gasp at his offer got instantly shut down by both myself and Jade, those shimmering pink puppy eyes answered with a firm "No.", her whines from my back drowned out as the Vertibuck's noise ratcheted up.

The levitation talismans underhoof lifted the contraption up with the pegasi up front guiding it, the powerful engines above and behind barely increased their whine over such a short trip, but I could feel the powerful thrum of what they were capable of. Oh to have one of these in this condition, our rusted and wrecked shell of one back at the castle couldn't compare.

It was an all too brief flight, barely enough time to enjoy it before we were lining up on the flight hangar of the cloudship, expertly gliding into the cavernous chamber of steel and clouds stretching a good length of the ship, passing several more Vertibucks before landing and disembarking again.

Ivy was asked to stay at a commissary we passed, the mess hall had not entirely unpleasant smells wafting down the ringing steel halls leading to it at least. They had 200 year old preservative laden sweets anyway, which was enough for Glitter to hop down and stick with Ivy. Zed and Witchy both volunteered to stay with her too, assigned a nervous looking young initiate and trooper pair as tour guides / guards, which annoyed me but they all waved us on, the sooner we were done here the sooner we could leave together again, so I agreed reluctantly and hustled behind Dance and Summer leading the way.

We were rushed along, but Scribe Wind took the time to point out interesting areas of the ship we passed, major repairs and refitting done after what she shamefully referred to as 'Operation Cauterize', whatever that was the Prydwen had taken massive damage during it. The bizarre mix of pegasus and earth pony technology was fascinating and I wished for more time to explore every rivet and bolt, the Brotherhood had taken a wrecked cloudship and made something totally new together.

Soon enough we reached the bridge, a circular chamber of cloudy walls and wispy panels, a large viewscreen taking up one side of the space, control stations spread around the area with obvious Steel Ranger additions bearing that rusty wasteland motif. The ponies on duty all looked up at the three of us, a blue alicorn with her horn drawing a line through the cloudy ceilings that drifted back together behind her, a fiery griffon looking around greedily for loot, and a short, dark... unicorn... goggling at all the tech, obviously a break in their normal routine.

The large captains chair at the center of it all was an irresistable siren's song, all those blinking buttons and readouts, controls operated by hoof and even wing... Scribe Wind giggled and pulled me back by my tail, away from the pony occupying it, a surprised brown pegasus buck in a sharp, charcoal and red military uniform. Instead of being allowed to indulge and examine all this amazing prewar tech, I was guided to a sliding steel door off to the side of the front view screen, reading simply 'Captain's Ready Room'.

Inside was a fairly well kept and repaired chamber, a glowing circular table of cloudstuff and gems, topped with a map of the Commonwealth displayed in a flickering holographic display drawing the eye immediately, lots of dots and points of interest scattered about on it.

Behind the strategic map was two desks, one obviously original to the ship, curved a bit like the Overmare's desk back home, but polished steel with a rough blank circle up front, something had been removed from it, replaced by three red apples carefully painted on. The other a huge hunk of sturdy applewood, scratched and dinged but lovingly cared for, the emblem of the Ministry of Wartime Technology carved into the front, though the word 'Wartime' had been chiseled out, replaced with another three red apples.

Both were cluttered with papers and holotapes, a normal terminal on the wooden desk and a pegasus cloud terminal on the other. Only one desk was occupied, a sky blue pegasus mare in a fancy military uniform, like the buck occupying what I assumed was her chair on the bridge, charcoal trimmed in red, lots of jingling medals and accents denoting her high rank.

She was surprisingly young, only a few years older than me and quite pretty, only marred by the jagged scar at her collar disappearing into her uniform. Her dark blue and white streaked mane spilled over her shoulder in a tight braid, long streaked bangs swept back from her silver eyes that looked up curiously at the intrusion.

E.F.S. pointed out the other occupant, I may not have noticed him otherwise. A very large, red stallion in a heavy leather coat, furry collar fluffed around his thick neck, his scruffy orange tail flicking restlessly, drawing the eye to his muscular flanks and the winged sword piercing a green apple cutie mark there.

Wow, no wonder he was the Elder, his mark was awful similar to the emblem of the Steel Rangers, his special talent was the group itself it seemed. He had his back to us and didn't turn at our entrance, staring out a large window in the same direction as the viewscreen outside, offering a panoramic view of the shattered towers of Trotson and the Commonwealth.

"Elder, Captain, reporting as ordered with candidate Fast Times and the Princess of Sanctuary, the griffon Valkyrie Bloodtail acting as their guard." Paladin Dance snapped off a salute and stood straight beside us, the picture of military discipline contrasted by me gawking at all the monitors and buttons on the walls.

The pegasus mare flapped up from her seat and spoke first, the big earth pony could have been a statue for all the reaction he gave. She rolled her eyes at his lack of movement and paced in front of us, those stern silver eyes sizing us up quickly before turning on Dance. "This... this is the civilian you gave such glowing recommendations for? Can't say I'm impressed, other than his company I suppose.

I'm assuming this releases you from your damnable honor Star Paladin? Proper reports aren't so vague, you're free to elaborate now that he's here correct? Alright civilian, start talking... Paladin Dance says you have things to say about our mutual enemy and what they've been up to."

Jeez, did the Grand Pegasus Enclave I heard so much about actually offer training on how to be an asshole? It seemed to be a common theme among most of them I had run into in the Brotherhood, though at least this one was in charge, she must be a busy mare judging by all the work we interrupted on her desk.

Hoping she was actually nice but just harried, I tipped my hat and held a hoof out with a shaky smile. "Er... Hi there to you too. I'm Fast, guess you know that..."

Jade took over smoothly, giving a graceful bow and speaking regally, "And I am P-Princess Jade of Sanctuary, as Paladin Dane has already said of course, but proper introductions are important. A pleasure to meet you, and you are?"

She gave an angry snort, giving Jade a suspicious stare that made me twitchy, but she returned the gesture and answered in a huff. "Captain Winter Gale, co-leader of the Brotherhood of Friendship, Commonwealth Expeditionary Force, serial number 028320. Happy? Now start talking, the Institute, now..."

Ignoring her glare, I wandered out to the round map display, looking over a 3D representation of the Commonwealth and overwhelmed by the question. I knew a lot, which still amounted to very little, where to start? My wings twitched under the disguise covering them while I furrowed my brow, looking over the tiny, glowing version of Sanctuary and all the files associated with it floating nearby, looking up to the little hill behind the growing settlement where Stable 111 lay hidden.

"Alright... They stole my Stable, my family, I've been trying to get them back and fighting them, they've been messing with me in return. How about you tell me what you know and I'll fill in the blanks, I'm sure I know some things you don't, including certain experiments you need to know about... But I want to know things first, make sure I can trust you before I share certain ...secrets. Why are you here and fighting the Institute?"

Captain Gale stamped a hoof on the deck plates and snorted in annoyance, "Why should I share classified information about our mission with some civilian, just because Proctor Quiz and the Star Paladin and his Scribe vouch for you! What we're doing here is..."

A deep bass voice rumbled out from the muscular stallion at the window, cutting her off completely. "What we are doing here is for the safety of Equestria. Beneath the Commonwealth, the cancer known as 'The Institute', is a malignant growth that needs to be cut before it infects the surface.

They are experimenting with dangerous technologies that could prove to be the Equestria’s undoing for the second time. We are dedicated to atoning for our past mistakes that led to the first, cleaning up our mess and putting the world back as it should be. I am not prepared to allow the Institute to continue their experiments that only make things worse any longer. Therefore, the Institute and their creations are considered enemies of the Brotherhood of Friendship, and will be dealt with swiftly and mercilessly.

Is that sufficient answer Mr. Times? I am Elder Macson of Applejack's Rangers, and we are here to put an end to the Institute, any help in that regard is welcome and needed. Now, will you help us accomplish our goal?"

It was a good speech, inspirational and stirring, I noticed Steel Dance and Summer both standing up proudly under the stern green eyes of their Elder holding a big orange hoof out to me. Looking up into that face though, I was too stunned to speak. Like his counterpart, he wasn't much older than me, but he had a grizzled, world weary look that only added to his mystique.

He had a strong jaw covered in a short, bristly orange beard, a long scar ran down his face, crossing his right eye and going down his angular cheek, his left ear had a chunk taken out of it just below the tip too. His orange mane hung down one side, partially covering one of those steely green eyes.

All that combined with the rippling muscles shifting under his deep red fur and his height that nearly rivaled Jade made him an intimidating pony, I could feel the sense of command and authority radiating off him and could see why Dance would be so loyal. Strangely his presence had an opposite effect on me, the nubs of my fangs wanted to twitch out and I was struggling to keep my wings down.

This was the very definition of an alpha male and as comical as it looked I was leaning forward aggressively in his shadow, my mane itching and bristling, fighting the unbidden urge to challenge him for dominance that surged up. None of that was what really bothered me though, or all of it was... It was how it all combined, the look and natural leadership of this pony, I had seen it before.

"M-Macson... as in Mac's... Son?" I stammered out, digging in my packs and pulling out the little action figure of Sgt. Big Mac I had found in Bunker Hill, comparing the small red toy to the big earth pony in front of me, getting the name... This stallion was the spitting image of Big Macintosh himself, Equestria's greatest war hero, savior of Princess Celestia.

A wry smile tugged at the corner of his muzzle and he arched an eyebrow down at me, answering in that deep voice with a single word. "Ayup..."

-----------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------------

Friendship Lessons Learned--------------
----You don't have to send letters off to your Princess since she's right by your side, but all your experiences have prepared you for heading back out into the Commonwealth to try making new friends and allies. Taking time to rest and reflect before throwing yourself into the fray again grants you +1% XP gain per alicorn player level.

Companion Perk Added!-----------------------

Teacher's Pet-----
---Reaching maximum affinity with Ivy grants +10% success with speech checks, thanks to a little unity while she's in your party. You also gain a +2% experience gain for speech successes and when discovering new locations, giving her stories to share with her orphans in Goodneighbor.

Ch. 64-- Brotherhood Bond

"Applejack's the hero of the Apple family, always rushin' off to save Equestria, an' I'm just here on the farm, doin' chores, helpin' out the way I can, nothin' special, nobody's hero..."

Sgt. Big Macintosh, leader of Macintosh's Marauders, the greatest hero of the war, savior of Equestria who died to protect his Princess, Goddess Celestia, everything every good little buck was supposed to aspire to be... and I could be looking at his twin in front of me. The big red stallion just sat there waiting with a tired grin, mostly over the action figure of... himself? floating between us, my Sgt. Big Mac toy may as well be a scale model of the pony I was jabbering senselessly at.

"Well, well, haven't seen one of these in ages, a good friend of mine once..." Elder Macson chuckled in that deep voice, even that was a perfect match, hearing him say 'Ayup' had clenched it and brought forth a squeal of delight from my foalhood self, even while the rest of me tried to cope.

Val however had no such problems, she was already wary at my reaction without getting it, but looking between the toy and the nearly matching pony was enough for her to make a decision, ahead of my limited ability to function trying to take this in. Her dark claw shot to her huge pistol and had it aimed right between those familiar green eyes, the Elder of the Brotherhood of Friendship just staring back implacably while Jade gasped.

Val hissed before she could get started with her admonishments, "Fucker's wearin' a dead pony's face ain't he!? Usually means synth don't it! Get back boss, just gimme the word an'...."

As soon as my griffon bodyguard's violet eyes flicked over to me for an instant, the big stallion moved. How was it possible to seem unhurried yet move so damn fast!? His foreleg shot out and knocked the pistol aside as he followed through with the movement, spinning gracefully and giving a buck that knocked Val sailing back through the air.

His pegasus counterpart Captain Winter Gale was already moving, drawing a boxy magical energy weapon and holding it on Val before she could get up. The Elder's impressive attack had broken my paralysis though, that dark voice in my head saw a challenging male hitting my griffon friend it viewed as 'MINE!' with a roar and I was moving to fill the space between them.

The surge of aggression was too much for my thin disguise, the flaps of cloth on my back tugged free from my belt by a pair of flaring wings forming a wall between my Val and this... whatever he was, my fangs all the way out and my eyes burning behind the completely silent pistol Deliverer and Best Served that had magically sprung up.

The Elder's bushy orange eyebrows rose imperceptibly at the sight, while the Captain's reaction was more drastic, a screeching gasp that loosened her grip on her weapon, giving Val opportunity to punch it from her muzzle as her own M.E.W. powered up beside her.

"FAST! ALL OF YOU STOP THIS INSTANT!!!" Jade's goddess voice boomed out in the small room, thankfully making all of us freeze.

This had devolved quickly... and to think, we were supposed to be here making friends. At least my Princess was always a voice of reason, a good thing too considering the tense scene we had been stopped in. The Elder still didn't look very concerned, Captain Gale was halfway into the air to dive for her weapon, Paladin Dance's weapons were pointed at the two of us fighting his superiors, while his scribe at least looked conflicted and worried.

Elder Macson finally gave a gruff chuckle and held his hooves up in surrender, "Whoa there... Let's all calm down, don't get that reaction from many ponies outside the Steel Rangers, not many wastelanders are really students of history. My reports say you're not most though, are you Mr. Times. Of course they made no mention of wings as well as a horn..."

Even the stern Paladin Steel Dance winced and slumped, sighing in self recrimination at hiding anything from his Elder. "Sorry sir, I was held to my honor and honesty under the condition he share it willingly, though I didn't expect it like this Fast..."

"I didn't expect your Elder to be freaking Big Mac either dammit!!! You don't think that was something worth mentioning!?!"

"I'm not Big Mac Mr. Times, nor am I a synth, or his 'son', that's just a bit of a joke I was given as a name. If we could all just relax I could explain, I talk better without guns in my face though." Elder Macson spoke slowly and with patience, after seeing how he could move if he wanted, I wasn't under any impression that he didn't keep going out of fear. He sounded a bit resigned having to explain but not that put out.

His counterpart reminded me he wasn't alone on having things to explain, yelping angrily and pointing a shaking hoof at my wings, rubbing her jaw as she seethed. "A male! A MALE!?! Senior Scribe you held knowledge of a MALE FUCKING ALICORN from your superiors!?! I want answers!! Is he viable!?!"

By her tone and the way Summer Wind winced, I had the idea the answer to that last one might weigh in on whether I left here alive if it was up to her. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, the Grand Pegasus Enclave had issues with alicorns in general, Scribe Wind had gotten over it, but I should have guessed my status might turn some heads.

Elder Macson gently reached out and pushed Deliverer bobbing in his face aside, moving deliberately and calling over to his co-leader of the Brotherhood. "Now Winter, let's all just cool our hooves here and talk. Considering why we're in the Commonwealth that was a good reaction wasn't it? It seems I'm not the only result of arcane science gone mad is all, trust our troops and their judgement, they trust him."

My new pistol and trusty old knife sagged down and returned to my bags at Jade trotting over, pushing between me and the Elder and speaking her agreement soothingly. "The Elder is correct Fast, you trust Paladin Dance and ...Scribe Wind, do you not? We did not come here to fight, we came for diplomacy, not a strong suit for either of you I know, but perhaps we could refrain from drawing weapons on our hosts? Allow Mr. Macson to explain and... w-we will do the same..."

Obeying Jade was never a question, but I had to fight that annoying grumble of hostility as she stood beside Elder Macson. They looked infuriatingly good together, red and blue, warm and cool, both tall and regal, radiating different flavors of authority a pony would readily bow before.

Seeing the slender alicorn not that much taller than the muscular stallion beside her just stoked the fires of jealousy, the insistent desire to fling myself at him and rip his throat out with my fangs difficult to master. They looked like a Princess and Prince together, instead of a Princess and her dark colt... I reeeeally wanted to hurt him for daring to look less ridiculously dwarfed beside my princess, prove who was the dominant male right here and...

"Nnnngh! Fiiiiine.... Val had a point though Jade, he looks and sounds exactly like Big Mac, see!?" I picked my abandoned toy back up and floated it over to her petulantly, her blue eyes focusing on the tiny action figure curiously.

With the threat of a firestorm in the small ready room temporarily abated, everyone visibly relaxed just a bit, focusing on the deep bass of Elder Macson chortling as he crossed to his ancient applewood desk, digging in the drawers as he spoke. "That I do, though I'm told I'm a little more verbose. I've seen well read ponies react like that before Fast, but you looked like you saw a ghost, guessing the records are accurate and you really are an old world pony then."

"How'd you know..." I eyed the Elder digging in his desk suspiciously, I had still never really told either Dance or Summer where I came from beyond a Stable, though it was less of a secret than the wings reluctantly folding back in at my sides.

"Stable-Tec records, spent quite a bit of time going over them at the Headquarters preparing for this mission. Another thing we have in common it seems, we're both Stable-dwellers Fast. I imagine we have equally long and interesting stories if you want to compare notes sometime. Ah, here we are, take a look." Macson spoke like we hadn't nearly been at each others throats as he pulled a battered photo from his desk and hoofed it over, waggling his foreleg as he did to slide his own battered old pip-buck from the grey fur of his sleeve.

Steel Rangers were posed in a huddle in front of a familiar gear shaped door, though this one read 108 in yellow numbers at the center. The heavily armored soldiers had their helmets off for the picture, all surrounding a young red foal Glitter's age, with a spiky orange mane and in blue Stable barding. Elder Macson in his youth apparently, the resemblence to Big Mac still striking, but easy to overlook so young.

"108? So how was your Stable fucked up that led to... er... you I guess?"

His green eyes looked sad a moment, followed by a hint of anger that was quickly mastered as he replied. "We can go through the long version some other time, the short version is it was a genetics Stable, looking for hereditary traits of the best in ponykind. Research that eventually turned to trying to make their own. It didn't go well... I like to joke that I talk a lot more than my namesake because if you grew up where I did, surrounded by identical red ponies that all only said 'Ayup', you'd be starved for conversation too.

The Coltorado chapter of the Steel Rangers cleared the Stable, found me and took me in. Our Elder raised me up from the age you see there, named me Macson as his little joke. I've done a lot of digging into my origins, trying to find out what I am and how I came to be. Some of the research had roots in the work of a Dr. Trueblood and a Project Chimera, nearly everything about which was under pretty serious security lockdown until recently. I'll give you three guesses where the other bits of inspiration came from, and the first two don't count."

"The Institute..."

"Ayup... aw damn, you've got me doing it again... Yes, exactly, the Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology, certain research papers and early studies of a Dr. Dala and the creation of synthetic flesh, design schematics for proposed cloning vats by a Dr. Klein, rambling musings of a Dr. Mobius about making duplicates of famous ponies to see if what made them special was biology or something more.

The Institute was an idea nursery and talent farm, their students tended the seeds of their madness and grew a bitter harvest, all across Equestria. I've wanted to come here a long time Fast, because unlike most of the outside world, I know just how dangerous the Institute is. Uncovering a Synth in the heart of the New Canterlot Republic finally got ponies to pay attention and our mission was supported.

I'm not a Synth or some Project Chimera blank, I'm a pony Fast. A victim of the insanity of the old world and arcane science gone too far, so I know all too well the threat the Institute poses and why they must be stopped. I see we seem to have that much in common, unless you managed to attain your current form the very old fashioned way? Care to enlighten me?"

Everypony else relaxed under his soothing tones, but his counterpart was still as agitated as Val looked, shaking and glaring at my wings only partially hidden by the dark cloth hanging over them. "Like right NOW! This isn't what those fools in the Followers have been reporting on in their misguided attempts! This is a real male alicorn! Do you have any idea the threat that he..."

Jade had been sweet and kind so far, but that little outburst drew out what little anger lurked in her royal heart, stamping a hoof and snorting at the pegasus Captain, her blue eyes becoming distinctly dragonish. "FOOLS?! Misguided!?! My Fast poses no threat to any who do not deserve it! I do not like your tone! If your Elder is a victim then so is he! The Institute did this to him, against his will!"

Having her curl a protective wing over me and huffing down at Captain Gale helped me calm down myself, arching an eye at the insulted looking pegasus and Elder Macson. "It's ok Jade, we didn't react that well to a surprise, guess I can't blame her. That's one of the things I came to tell you, at the urging of DJ Pon3's assistant I'll add. The Institute came up with a version of the Impelled Metamorphosis Potion that worked, I'm their first successful test, but if they did it once they could again. So, we're both a couple of experiments huh? Though I can tell you about a lot more of them."

Elder Macson trotted over to the Captain and clapped her back, sending her staggering under the friendly gesture and trying to smooth things over. "And I'm interested in hearing about every one of them Mr. Times. Having them in control of a functional I.M.P. is definitely too dangerous to allow, my friend Winter here is understandably concerned about that, please forgive her. I'm very focused on the synth menace myself. Duplicating ponies is a sore spot for me as you can imagine, that has to be ended, yesterday. The Institute and all its technologies must be destroyed in order to preserve our future, we are here to clean up the mistakes of the past and forge a new destiny for ponykind, not allow them to be repeated or outdone."

Again he was inspiring, while I mostly agreed I caught hints of some of the things about the Brotherhood I hadn't cared for in my dealings with them. A kind of moral absolutism that left no room for compromise, by his tone about synths he was convinced they all needed to be destroyed, period. His counterpart betrayed a willingness to view me and Jade's kind the same way, even Paladin Dance had once sounded a little unforgiving towards feral ghouls as monsters made by balefire, ones that should be wiped away from Equestria.

The world was never black and white though, not even the world he was trying to restore by his rousing words. As a matter of fact one could argue that simplistic view of things led to the end as much as out of control technology, zebras were bad and ponies were good, they were all our enemy and we were all theirs, that hadn't ended well...

"Not all synths are bad you know... Some of them are alive, victims of their creators as much as you or I are Elder Macson."

In answer the big stallion waved out the window he had been standing at simmering with fury, the ruins of Trotson under the grey drizzle outside. "Look around you! Look at the scorched earth and the bones that litter the wasteland. Millions died because arcane science outpaced ponykind's restraint! They called it a "new frontier" and "pushing the envelope," completely disregarding the repercussions. Can't you see the same thing is happening again?

The Institute Scientists have created a weapon that transcends the destructive nature of the balefire bomb. A robotic abomination of technology that is free-thinking and masquerades as a pony. This notion that a machine can be granted free will is not only offensive, but horribly dangerous. And like the megaspell, if it isn’t harnessed properly, it has the potential of rendering us extinct as a species.

We can debate the nature of life and sentience all you like at our leisure Fast, but we both agree the Institute must be stopped am I right? The synth is just one more of their weapons they bring to this fight, a fight I intend to win. Will you help me do so? Join our noble crusade to put an end to this madness before it spreads beyond the Commonwealth?"

If it weren't for that growling voice of 'Be Dark...' arguing in favor of challenging a mountain of stallion for dominance, I'd be tempted to follow such a leader, he might talk a lot more than the real Big Mac, but he was very good at it too. I had my Princess though, and my own views and goals, we came here to get help, not just give it.

"Maybe... I don't do well with authority lately and we have our own problems. How about more of a we help you, you help us thing? One step at a time, as equals, I'm not big on serving anypony but my Princess, but we need allies so let's try to work something out ok?"

The Elder of the Brotherhood of Friendship gave that wry smile and nodded, 'Ayup..."

"Val was exaggerating, you've really improved a lot Fast!" Summer Wind called behind her happily at me only mildly struggling to keep up, flying around the raptor class cloudship and up to the earth pony additions that helped keep it aloft, bringing it through the barrier storms keeping the Commonwealth separate from the rest of Equestria.

She landed lightly on the huge steel skinned tanks, away from the upright propellers that were thankfully silent. I had my hat down to at least try to blend in with all the pegasi flying around the ship in their red trimmed Enclave power armor, though my flying skills still drew a lot of derisive attention.

"Thanks Summer, still pretty pathetic compared to all you natural fliers up here. So what were you saying about the Elder and the Captain meeting? How'd they form the Brotherhood together?" Taking the flight around with Scribe Wind as I promised gave me a chance to think about our long talk with the leadership of the Brotherhood, plus her common soldier gossip about the group was interesting.

The pretty yellow pegasus beamed and took her red cap off, letting her light brown mane wave in the chill breeze being warmed only slightly by the sun trying to pierce the cloud cover. "Oh it's a good story Fast, when they were both younger they met in the wasteland, the Elder was just an Initiate and Captain Gale was a crashed private, forced to work together to defeat a Hellhound stalking them, the Elder's coat is lined in its fur actually. That's how they both got their scars, they line up if you put the two of them together close enough."

"Do they?" I asked absently, peering across the waters to a tiny spot of cloud in the sky off the coast that didn't move like the rest, noticeable thanks to the arrow on my heads up display compass currently pointing towards it.

I was distracted woolgathering and surprised when the petite pegasus filly sidled right up against me, tilting my head over hers as she pressed her bouncy warm body against me, a gentle trace of her feathers drawing a line down my right cheek and to her neck to demonstrate. "Yes just like this! Y-You can see... how they... match..."

Dammit... my mane started itching crazily as soon as she made contact and her muzzle was right up in it, drawing slow breaths as her explanation grew husky. All the aggression I had been fighting from being in Elder Macson's presence for so long found a new outlet, only spurred on when she started nuzzling my neck and hooked a foreleg over my wing sticking up to her soft giggles.

"Er... y-yeah, I see Summer... umm... m-might not wanna... d-do that... too close..."

At least she wasn't an alicorn, making it much easier to get ahold of herself and flitter away breathlessly, red faced and landing a few steps away with a reluctant whinny. "Oh! S-Sorry Fast! I... Jeez I was there when Jade explained the whole pheromone thingy, but it still sneaks up on a filly... A-Anyway! After the day of Sunshine and Rainbows, they wound up finding each other again, interrupted a pretty vicious battle between their two groups and joined together to face a bigger threat. You should read the reports sometime, it makes a good story, very romantic!"

Trying to fight my wings back down unsuccessfully was only making her giggle around her hoof more, this was even more embarassing in front of a pegasus mare, giving all too obvious cues I was culturally unaware of as a unicorn... former unicorn, but seemed to delight my fellow repair-pony. "R-Romantic? So are the two of them..."

Summer fluttered her light green eyes and tossed her head cutely, "That's what most of the scuttlebutt is around the Prydwen. They're pretty discrete if they are, but they're equals, who else are they gonna... and it is a romantic story. Steel Ranger and Enclave, star crossed lovers, finding each other in war and making peace, ahhh it's like something out of a fairytale, you know I... Whoa... E-Easy there... down boy! Not that I don't appreciate the umm... obvious interest, but we do have a mission soon after all!"

I caught myself strutting towards her across the riveted metal under my hooves and flinched, skittering back and thunking my head against a propeller housing nearby repeatedly. That soft voice speaking so dreamily of romance was just exacerbating things, if the little pegasus hadn't turned from her wistful story she might have been in trouble, as part of me was very keen on adding a pegasus to its harem...

"Dammit! Sorry... really, can't help it... Fighting will probably help, so maybe you can give me the rest of the tour after we're done? I am really interested in seeing all the cool stuff on the Prydwen, just... y-you are really pretty and a good friend, kinda hard to resist you know? I don't mean anything by it, I just can't... ugh... sorry."

Looking over at me keeping my safe distance, she had a look of guarded curiosity, tilting her head and turning pink as she stammered back. "I-It's ok, really Fast, ummm thanks. L-Like that smell thing your Princess reported? H-Has it really been a problem? I notice Miss Ivy is with you guys, but she was almost the only one in Goodneighbor not going c-completely crazy. G-Guessing it's safe to have her around? I can't imagine your Jade ever s-sharing you with anypony else and figured... F-Fast?"

Summer had to crane her neck up to find me cringing behind the propeller housing, her worried tone just making me feel worse as I turned into a miniature version of Elder Macson, red from ears to tail. "I-It's complicated Summer..."

"You mean she!? with... y-you mean? j-just her? no?!? you and? FAST!? H-How many..." Questions spilled from her jabbering muzzle as she looked to overheat, faint wisps of steam coming from her ears, her wings and tail bushed out and straight up while I whimpered.

"I-It's for her species... I have permission.... h-honest... I promised... I'm still hiding from the rest of them! I just can't... sigh... The potion that did this had side effects Summer, it was designed to make... umm... a b-breeding stud sooooo, I have self control issues lately..."

Honestly that appraising look just made me want to hide more, I liked Summer, we were both short repair-ponies, growing up in the Grand Pegasus Enclave apparently wasn't that far removed from the old world from what she said, so we even had somewhat similar values, it was more shameful admitting what I had been up to with her. Most wastlelanders didn't see nearly the issues I did, life was fast and hard and usually short, so 'get all you can' seemed to be the common theme.

To my relief she didn't look at me in disgust or disappointment, still a rosy pink all over but humming in thought as her wings fluttered rapidly behind her. "That's... w-well, that's sort of the opposite of how things were back home, c-careful population controls. The goal was to m-maybe have one foal, i-if we were lucky, not try for as many as p-possible... I got discretely encouraged to favor mares, bucks were under the same indoctrination. Sort of one of the things I l-liked about you when we met Fast, it's pretty easy to tell you like fillies, a lot... So w-what other kind of er... side effects are there? W-What kind of self control issues? D-Does it only work with other alicorns?"

"HAahhaheheh... umm... y-yeah... no, it er... s-seems to work with pretty much any female I find a-attractive, and self control issues as in trying really hard not to just sort of p-pounce on you right here... so may wanna just... k-keep your distance... Safer subjects! W-Will this Fort Loyalty really have the stuff I need for the guns at the castle?" The pretty pegasus taking cautious steps closer was making me nervous, though also insanely curious.

It had occured to me more than once when having similar thoughts about Val or Witchy, but I had only ever been with alicorns, Jade had been my first and only, then later her two sisters, but that was the sum total of my experience. Not that I anticipated any problems being with a normal pony, or zebra, or batpony... or griffon... or pretty much any mare, but it was a question to be answered, for Arcane Science! No! Dammit.. that insatiable urge was clever when it came to offering excuses and rationalizations. Leaving me to cast out for something more down to business and clinging to what we were supposed to be doing.

She nodded rapidly with a wide grin, still far too many sparkles in those light green eyes, a pleased little smile curling across her muzzle as she gave a flattered whinny. "Oh sure! It's actually exciting, the Enclave had cleaned out all unused pegasi facilities a long time ago, but the ones in the Commonwealth were out of their reach! Fort Loyalty should be mostly untouched! Want to see if they're ready yet?"

Making sure to tug my hat down in place before doing so, I followed her back into the air and along an easy, sedate sightseeing course back to the ground, letting her pointing out of all the fun repair work they were engaged in wash over me. I did actually find it fascinating, and she had been very excited by stories of the work I had been doing at Castle Equinox in turn, but I still felt kind of wrung dry by hours of questioning about the Institute.

I had copied every scrap of information over to the Prydwen's database in exchange for the same when it came to that subject only, from an isolated and secure terminal they wanted me to trust they put it all on for me... Apparently they didn't want to let me anywhere near essential or networked terminals on their cloudship. Though I had a special holotape in my pocket to do something about that...

Beyond just exhaustive questioning, a trip to the Prydwen's medical bay was non-negotiable, the ship's head medic Knight-Captain Spade was at least nice though. The pale older unicorn surgeon was professional and Jade liked him immediately, a major mark in his favor as the Steel Ranger healer viewed her as a colleague, plus not completely losing his shit once I reluctantly let him see what kind of patient he had behind closed doors.

I could have done with a slightly less thorough exam though... Jade had plenty of records and her own work to show him, but the spectacle of a male alicorn on his table made him all business, poking, prodding and sticking very cold things in warm places over my yelps. He asked a lot of smart and pointed mental health questions too, being well trained in subjects like 'wartime stress disorder' as part as his duties for a ship of soldiers. He obviously didn't like some of his answers there, but kept his opinions to himself.

The others had caught up with us on their tour of the ship, a carefully managed tour with a green alicorn wandering the halls to a lot of surprise from the Brotherhood ponies. They didn't want Ivy near anywhere or anypony sensitive on the Prdywen, though as soon as we found her she mentally waved off any questions and continued her innocent school teacher act for her guides. She was very busy behind those green eyes, managing (later...) at my questioning look, asking aloud how her orphans who were interested might go about joining the organization, which earned her a lot of positive response.

Zed and Witchy both looked distracted and unwilling to talk very much, both attracting as many stares as Ivy, though for obviously different reasons. The glares following the zebra were suspicious and angry, while the leering looks tracing over every inch of batpony were fascinated, eliciting an internal grumble of possessive jealousy as soon as I caught them.

Glitter was the only one really having a grand old time, dashing from one point of interest to another, asking bright questions and getting indulgent answers for the most part. She really was an Ambassador of Cuteness, talking her way past any obstacle in her way or falling on her puppy eyes if that failed. She had not only acquired a only slightly too large Squire's hat like the older kids on the ship she told me about, she had even found the Quartermaster and engaged in shrewd negotiations from his supply shop for things we always needed, specialty ammo being the best treasure she had wheedled out of him.

It would be useful soon enough, I was still a little annoyed the Brotherhood had come up with their own little mission for me before considering becoming allies of Sanctuary, glaring at the text in my vision as we drifted down;

Mission: Old Guns

Objectives-------
---Join the Brotherhood strike team
---Discover the fate of Recon Squad Sigma
---Clear Fort Loyalty of hostiles
---Find parts and ammo for Castle Equinox's weapons

The last objective is what decided me in favor of this, despite everything I didn't like about it. A joint operation Captain Gale called it... More a test and getting me under her command, joining in on a mission to an old pegasus fortress floating along above the Commonwealth. As a resupply point for cloudships and the Equestrian air guard, it should have the sensitive parts I needed to fix the mortars and anti air guns back at the castle.

I didn't like all their demands and orders concerning this 'joint' operation, three of us, three Steel Rangers and three former Enclave, including Summer and Steel Dance at least. Exploring a wasteland ruin, but one in the clouds instead of solid ground, I still hadn't really considered how much may be just floating up here with us, but the Brotherhood had, eagerly.

Captain Gale made it clear, she still wasn't happy about A- Me... and B- the fact I had snatched the M.O.M. hub out from under them, helping take this fort and its stores was to be my penance. She was even pretty cagey about the mention of the local Ministry Hubs, barely deigning to mention the Ministry of Morale and only to complain, but not a peep about any of the others, making me curious about that and adding a few more lines of code to my little holotape program.

I patted my pocket for it as we landed on the bleached tarmac and the waiting strike team, professionally gearing up and steering clear of my little family arguing among themselves, Only an older, pale pink earth pony mare socialized with them, engaged in animated conversation with both Glitter and Witching hour.

The batpony seemed to be answering questions about her assembled anti-materiel rifle between them, as well as her equally exquisite blue steel armor. Glitter on the other hoof seemed to be excitedly pestering her about the odd power armor frame she wore. It was strange, no armor plating or weapons systems, just a bare bones frame with some robotic modifications around the hindlegs.

Technical diagnosis became unnecessary on a closer look as we approached, what I could see of her rear revealed withered hindlegs being assisted by the power armor, she had been crippled but was out here working, apparently in a position of authority at the salutes of ground grew she absently acknowledged.

"Proctor Candygram Fast, she's our head engineer, you'd like her! Really smart, she helped come up with the modifications to the Prydwen!" Summer chirped brightly and trotted over to her superior, joining the conversation before heading off to join her Paladin and the rest of the Brotherhood team.

Interesting as both the Head Engineer and her armor were, the conversation between Jade, Val and Ivy ahead drew my attention more, my Princess reluctantly floating out medical supplies and her gamma gun I had made for her out of her medical box packs, with a very displeased expression.

"...like this, I am fine, I wish to go as well! Y-You will need a healer to..." Jade was whining with the cloud of supplies over her cloudy mane, trying to avoid her sister's waiting hoof held out to accept it.

Val tactfully helped explain at my approach, checking over her weapons and snorting impatiently. "Figure it out Blue, cause I ain't stayin'. Boss goes, I go. That leaves one ticket fer one of you mares, let's gooooo!"

There was some high speed telepathy going on between the two alicorns that I interrupted, nuzzling at Jade and raising a questioning eyebrow. Ivy huffed and rolled her eyes, settling on me and nodding to her sister. "Fast, there you are. Tell sister Jade I get to go, there is already a medic assigned to the mission, she has a doctor to talk to and medical work being done here she is curious about, I've seen all they'll let me into already. I demand another date, Peri had much more time."

I had absolutely no desire to get between the two big mares tapping their hooves and waiting on me, stopped from just retreating and letting them work it out by Ivy's telepathic voice in my mind continuing without her playful joking. (Take me, do not let her go. I don't trust some of these Brotherhood ponies Fast, rumors about you are already spreading and I still need to keep an eye on you in stressful situations.)

Dammit... I was forced to weigh in. The inevitablilty of my status getting out was kind of assumed anyway, after Lancer-Captain Gale's reaction and loud shout I figured it was a done deal. Mostly I was hiding my horn and switching to pretending to be a pegasus because this was a mission to a cloud structure, and the longer I could keep it to just rumors the better. The thought of that black version of pod #101 deep in my head decided me with a shiver, Ivy was still evaluating me closely, she had to go into situations where that dark part was most likely to get loose.

"Umm... Maybe she's right Jade, I don't like it either, but only three of us get to go and you know Val won't budge. You can work on the doctor here, talk about the Followers maybe, stay with Glitter? The Brotherhood team has a medic already so between that, enough healing potions and your gun, we ought to be alright. We should be back soon and hopefully get on our way ok? I promise, next dangerous, deadly date is all yours, we can go Hellhound hunting or something..."

'Or something' was helped along by Glitter dashing over and tackling me, which I obligingly rolled across the ground with to her joyous whoops. My little filly played her role perfectly, understanding just what I wanted with minimal explanation while I had still been making adjustments to one of the programs stored on my pip-buck, despite her disinterest in technical matters.

"Hiya daddy! You guys leavin' everybody else behind is no fair, this place is neat but kinda boring. All the other kids are all blah, blah, blah, 'Ad Victorium' an' 'For the Brotherhood', no fun at all! Hey, can you lemme have your Swordmares holothingy game? They got big terminals ta play it on instead of my little bitty pip-buck screen!" The pale foal bounced and held a hoof out, making sure she spoke loud and clear to anypony listening.

The battered old holotape I fumbled out with my mouth really was a 'Swordsmares and the Ruby Ruins' game, a Bitway Games production from before the war and still in the proper packaging. I had just added a little surreptitious program to it, certainly not a virus.... per se.... more of a bit of snooping. A search program with keywords I wanted to know about to slink around their maneframe and see if they had kept anything from me, just a bit of due diligence is all, if they had been upfront then it wouldn't turn up anything at all they hadn't already given me.

Jade joined us in a tight hug and nickered her annoyance, ruffling Glitter's silver mane and nuzzling her cheek. "Very well... I will remain behind. Again... I do not like this at all Fast, I demand to join the next three foolish things you do, at least! Though I prefer my 'dates' to be of the more traditional variety, perhaps when we reach Witching Hour's home. Watch him carefully both of you, body and brain hmm?"

Val actually saluted the order, before punching her shoulder lightly in a friendly gesture. She was all over being a bodyguard anyway, and seemed to enjoy her title of 'Captain of the Guard'. She wasn't bound by contract to actually obey if she didn't want, but puffed up with pride at the trust and responsibility, plus the authority didn't hurt either.

Ivy bowed a bit and nodded her agreement to watch my shaky mind, soothing her sister as she carefully took her supplies and radiation weapon. She might not have been allowed to wander where she wanted, but acting as Glitter's babysitter and encouraging the foal to dash off in certain directions to be collected again, let her do her own snooping on the Prydwen, and she didn't seem to like everything she had found.

Once Star Paladin Dance and Senior Scribe Wind came to nudge us towards the waiting vertibuck and heavily armed strike team, we made our hasty goodbyes and boarded, crammed like sardines in the prewar vehicle howling off over the sea. I waved out the open door on the side past the mounted minigun until even I couldn't see them on the busy skyport tarmac, just a pale dot bouncing up and down next to a bigger blue one.

Get this done, deal with the Brotherhood and help our fight with the Gunners, I really hoped for once this would be that simple, but had serious doubts. At least being squished between Val and Ivy in the crowded cabin of the vertibuck distracted me from that bit of pessimism, Scribe wind snickering into her hoof at my wings springing up in odd angles, watching from the jumpseat across from me the whole way with a rosy complexion.

Cloud structures... I hadn't seen any other than in Diamond City since I was younger than Glitter, a trip to visit mom's parents back in the good old days. I wished I could remember more of that trip looking at the wispy ruins growing closer in front of us, vague impressions of the clouds being cleaner and more impressive were all I could pull up, definitely less green... and probably more level unless pegasi liked everything oddly tilted. The lack of details coming along with the nagging thread of memory was annoying, but it had been a very long time ago.

Fort Loyalty, according to Summer's detailed reports, was an ancient outpost that had been modernized during the war. Originally sculpted of sturdy clouds to act as a watch tower for the dragon migrations from the east, the occasional attack by one had escalated to steady raids during the war, but often ones traveling to other targets further on the mainland or up the coast. The dragons had a habit of tagging the little floating island as they passed for fun, leaving their claw marks and scattering the watching pegasi.

They had kept up the tradition apparently, the once graceful, swooping buildings atop the island had tattered claw marks and gouges that trailed wisps of cloud stuff into the breeze, scorched and dingy patches from bursts of flame and just outright destruction of the remaining structures. All the way up to the watchtower atop the highest curl of cloud, that had been converted to a mooring point for resupplying raptors and other smallish cloudships.

Scribe Wind filled me in on basics of pegasus facts I was completely ignorant of, like asking why they didn't just push through the pale walls of the buildings we were off to investigate. To my surprise, their were varying grades of cloud; fairly firm and steady 'ground cloud' that could be convinced to stay put and even grow billowy, long tendriled crops, wispy 'sculpting cloud' that formed the ragged curls and swoops still or be turned into what she called 'Cloudcrete', pretty much solid structures just as on the ground.

Her brief primer summed up by her laughing answer, "There'd be no privacy or security if any pegasus could just push right through into a pony's house Fast!"

Even the sturdiest cloudcrete had weathered poorly, once proud pillars were crumbling and fallen, cracks and collapsed piles of fluff marked old buildings scattered about, only the strongest military additions had survived and were still secure. Our objective, as my pip-buck reminded me, was to break in, secure the military stockpiles of ammo and parts that served both the big guns on the Prdywen as well as the ones festooning Castle Equinox, and to see if we could find what happened to the recon squad they sent here first.

The Brotherhood also hoped to take the island itself if it could be cleared, an unassailable stronghold in the sky had to be tempting. That being the case I was surprised they sent such a small force, after seeing the display of arms surrounding the Prydwen I wondered aloud why they didn't just swarm it.

Summer whispered the answer that they were stretched thin in the Commonwealth, spreading to all corners and trying to lay claim to the treasure trove of unsalvaged prewar tech still littering the Commonwealth, Fort Loyalty was just one more objective on their long list. Another aspect of the Brotherhood I didn't particularly care for, their habit of trying to swoop in and sweep up any fancy tech that shouldn't be in the hooves of 'ignorant wastelanders', as I heard more than a few refer to the ponies of the Commonwealth. Enhanced hearing had its benefits and its' drawbacks, like hearing a lot of insulting conversation spoken out of earshot of normal ponies.

As we did a slow pass of the island, Paladin Dance leaned over the minigun hanging out the open door, pointing out the main structure, a still graceful construct of pale blue arches and dingy white columns, a steel plated landing pad rusting away to ruin at the lowest cloud bank, surrounded by rusty hulks of pedal powered, earth pony flying contraptions.

Some accommodations had been made for normal ponies staffing the fortress, but going up to the clouds still required the fancy mod I cataloged at the end of Dance's steel clad hoof. A cloudwalking module for power armor I really wanted to take apart, maybe when it wasn't keeping the Steel Ranger armor from plummeting like a stone through our destination.

The big stallion sounded pensive as he rattled off formations and directed the flight crew up front to land, muttering only "Too quiet..." as an apparent dare to the goddesses.

Amazingly they didn't rise to the bait immediately, the vertibuck touched down and the Brotherhood rapidly deployed around it, moving with military precision to establish their landing zone and giving a few unfriendly warnings for us 'civilians' to stay out of their way. Val promptly ignored them of course, needling the irritated soldiers while Ivy and I wandered a bit out of their way and looked around.

"Creepy...." was about best summation I could come up with, a pale, fluffy, ghost town in the sky, crumbled and shattered buildings for the base strewn about, that seemed very strange after getting so used to wasteland ruins on the ground.

They were similar, but a brick and mortar pile of rubble still seemed a lot different than the cloudy version, which just looked like a pile of fluff, most buildings were marked not by the jumbled piles of slightly different colored cloud, but by the remaining walls and walks around them. Concessions made to ground ponies up here, which made things somewhat stranger instead of more familiar.

It was easy to see this place had been designed around vertical movement, throwing down enchanted brickwork to connect one spot to another had obviously been done after the fact, the normal aesthetic seemed to be build whatever, wherever, as isolated little rafts on a cloudy sea, who cared about walks or walking period, when you just flew from spot to spot, up and down and all over.

As a result, a winding path snaked up the cloud banks from the landing pad we started at, up to the main fort building midway up the rolling hills, in the shadow of the mooring tower peeking out of the curly mountaintop of fluff. A long trail of switchbacks from one point of interest to another that would be much shorter as a sensible straight line on the ground. Judging by some of the ragged gaps in the surface, they built a lot underground too... undercloud rather, it had to be a lot easier than digging in the earth anyway.

Three whole walls of the Base Exchange were mostly intact, a pair of fallen pillars marking what had been the entrance and a very rusty Sparkle Cola machine flickering from its position halfway sunk in the cloudy ground. Most everything seemed ruined by much closer weather inside, but poking around kept us out of the way as the Brotherhood moved around us, all on edge and taking a twisting, climbing path up the island to the imposing fortress building at the base of the swooping curls of the top of the island.

Scribe Wind and the unicorn Medic Poultice stuck with us at the center of the moving clump led by Steel Dance, pointing things out and trying to cover for my complete lack of actual pegasus knowledge. Her breathy explanation of the small training yard of tilted rainbow hoops and cloudy obstacles we were passing at this bend in the path only kept half my attention, something seemed off about this place, like... a lot...

"I feel it too Fast, I don't think we're alone here. There's a buzz that's simple and subtle, but it feels a bit like..." Ivy spoke up beside me, looking in all directions with a worried frown and furrowed eyebrows, cut off by a fireball going off behind us.

We all spun together, taking in the remains of our vertibuck ride spinning and arcing through the air, chunks raining down up here with us on this higher part of the winding trail. To his credit, the Brotherhood medic was already moving before I stopped gawking, galloping back down the cracked switchback and to the armored pegasus pilot that had been guarding our extraction point. He had been sitting at the heavy minigun in the passenger compartment when I saw him last...

"CONTACT!! Knight Dervish! Backup Poultice! Pull Goose out of there if there's anything left, Poultice if there's not! Everypony else move!!" Paladin Dance screamed as Eyes Forward Sparkle started lighting up, red dashes appearing in the cloudy ruins around us.

His command was obeyed instantly, but we were quickly drawn up short from running up to the fortress by the ripping sound of a minigun opening up above, a tattered bit of swirling observation tower over the training yard and a pair of burly mutant alicorns hidden up there. A hail of 5mm rounds pinged off Paladin Dance's heavy armor in the lead and the Knight beside him, joined by a rain of spells blasting all around us, several impacting Ivy's green shield, along with a pair of blue banded grenades bouncing off the barrier, exploding in sparking blue fields of matrix disruption grenades, thankfully just out of range from shorting the pair of Steel Rangers still with us.

"These fuckers?! Plannin' an ambush no less!? Double time it Dance, they're tryin' ta corral us!" Val squawked and rocketed up into the air, launching 25mm grenades at the pair of heavy weapons using mutants perched in the tower.

The fiery griffon managed to take out the hardened position, sending both muscled earth pony mutants diving away on tiny wings, Val was quickly driven back to Ivy's shield by a streaking pair of the big winged pegasus variety however. Trying to fight those things in the air had made even Val leery of trying it again, they had already split and confused our little expedition in a surprisingly well coordinated surprise attack, she didn't rise to the bait and let them do so further.

A flock of long horned mutants above were staying back on underdeveloped wings, sending spell after spell down with impunity from the drifting clouds they had apparently hidden behind. They were indeed trying to help corral us towards a dead end formed of fallen pillars and rubble too. The greatest resistance was slowing the path to the fort, while several had broken off to pursue the medic running for the burning wreck of the vertibuck and the dark armored pegasus on his tail. If it weren't for Ivy's shield, they might have already disabled half our number with those matrix disruption grenades and more were still coming out of the woodwork.

Ivy had her assault rifle floating out and sending inexpert bursts ahead of us, sweating under maintaining the green barrier overhead and giving me a worried look, speaking in my head instead of trying to shout over all the noise. (Something is not right! They are being coordinated Fast! I can't tell for sure but...)

(FAST!?! THE MALE!!!)

I staggered and held my hooves to my head under the force of that triumphant bellow in my brain, a familiar mental voice that filled me with dread and panic. One I hoped never to hear again up there, but a gleeful gloating was oozing in, Virescent...

"It's a trap!!! MOVE!"

I shot a frightened glance at Ivy coming to the same conclusion, her green sister was in charge here, surrounding the entire sky island Fort Loyalty was on in a field of unity and running the swarm of mutants like pawns, splitting us up and trying to whittle us down, but using less than lethal force despite appearances.

S.A.T.S. gave me a moment of timeless targeting nirvana to cycle through all the available hostiles in range, lots and lots of mutant alicorns, of all varieties, working in concert effectively. Most of them seemed to have adjusted their focus over to... well to me actually, I was apparently an added bonus to today's catch and Virescent's mental command was far less subtle than it had been, now that we were aware of each other.

There were still several chasing the medic and converging on the flaming wreck of our vertibuck, the greenish grey medic Poultice was tugging at a sizable chunk of steel with his magic to no avail, while the Enclave armored Knight with him was too busy trying to fend off attackers with his novasurge rifles to help get to the pilot, who I hoped was still alive somehow.

Alright... We couldn't stay out here, couldn't escape fast enough without the vertibuck currently cooking off, the fort was the only option. Let them chase us in closer quarters against a squad of power armor and more, see how they like those odds. I drew the Last Minute and selected a trio of shots to the mutants most threatening the pair down by the Vertibuck, trying to clear a path before letting time resume.

As soon as the gauss rifle started firing I was leaping from this higher part of the switchback trail, flying low and arrowing at the vertibuck, shouting as I took off. "Val, Ivy! Help them get to the entrance, Summer get it open! I'll go help them, just be ready to get out of this shit when we come back!"

I could hear and feel the rejection from both of my companions in turn, but was already moving, really wishing I could just reliably teleport there and back in a flash. Subtlety be damned at this point, I wasn't holding back on using my magic just to try pretending I was something I wasn't. Best Served was in my mouth while Vengeance and the Terrible Shotgun floated by my head, barking out in turn at anything in the way as I streaked down to the flaming wreckage and joined Medic Poultice.

His pale blue eyes hung on the weapons floating at my side for an instant, but disregarded it and kept shoving and pulling with his light green magic at a large hunk of metal. "Help dammit! He's still under there!"

The Terrible Shotgun hammered three slugs into the broad chest of a orange earth mutant charging at us over his shoulder and I ran up beside him, throwing my minimal weight against the hunk of steel and joining my blue telekinesis with his, wrapping it all and lessening the weight enough for earth pony strength to make up the difference. It gave a squalling, screeching noise as my hooves sank into the spongy ground, but finally tore away to reveal a severely wounded pegasus underneath.

With the shredded hunk of vertibuck free, I groaned and reared back, sending it up and forward just enough for momentum to take over once I let go. The ragged piece of steel tumbled through the air and smashed against a clump of long horned mutants trying to pin us down. As I hoped, most of the attention had been diverted from Dance and the others heading to the doors, they were all very focused on me, wherever I went.

Meaning we had no time, our medic had knelt right to work, healing the deeply bleeding wounds seeping out of the insectile armor, pulling the blue grey buck's helmet off and trying to check him over quickly, treating a badly broken wing and leg among other injuries. He was my age or younger, and very pale, pinprink purple eyes matching his sweaty mane, firmly focused on my hat.

"Poultice! Move! I'll carry him, you heal! We can't stay here, get to the fort!" I yelled in the medic's ear, emptying the cylinder of Vengeance on another hulking earth mutant, sputtering under a cloud of pink ash drifting down from the pegasus Knight Dervish above, taking out a speeding blur of a pegasus mutant with a whoop and gliding close in the momentary lull.

Her helmet distorted voice yelled down as he pulled tight loops around us, absently firing her underwing weapons at several more red dashes on E.F.S. before landing and shoving the medic. "He's right! Move it, you're with me, don't worry Goose, let the civilian grab you and..."

"M-Monster! ONE OF THEM!" The wounded pilot Goose flinched away when I moved to grab him, pointing a shaking hoof and screeching up at me, drawing his comrades attention to the bright glow coming from my hat.

Monster? Me? H-He didn't mean... I knew the pegasi had issues with alicorns but... He had been nice so far, a few friendly jokes over the vertibuck's comm on our way anyway, right up until he found out... At least the medic and knight were more practical, not that I could read the expressions of the other pegasus under her helmet though.

(You see?... They fear us as great and powerful beings, you aren't one of them anymore little pony, you are one of us... Fight us no longer...)

I winced at Virescent's cajoling mental voice, whispering temptations in between directing all her forces from wherever she was hiding. It had to be close to hear her so well and be commanding this many, but there were plenty of places to hide and too much red on E.F.S. to tell. With no way to attack the source, I snorted and shook my head, flipping my hat back to its normal position to let my horn out and advancing on the wounded pegasus again.

"So what if I am!? I'm also trying to help you asshole! Do you want to die here!?!"

The voice spell leaking into my tone might have been a bit over the top, the Shroud's angry growl wasn't exactly soothing or friendly, but we had no time for this shit. I didn't like the way Poultice and Knight Dervish flinched either, at least emptying the drum of the Terrible Shotgun gave me something to distract from it while I reloaded impatiently.

"He's right Goose, later... We gotta move now, let the... him help, quick!" Knight Dervish hovered up and sent more pink beams out to the earth mutants, charging from a ragged hole into the ground cloud surrounded by rubble. Looping back to grab Medic Poultice around the chest and flap up.

As soon as my magic flowed over Knight Goose, he started scrambling back on his broken leg, flopping and falling away with panic in his eyes and a wearing a furious scowl. I stamped a hoof and started closing in on him, meaning to just yank his stubborn ass up and go whether he liked it or not, brought up short by a dark flicker of movement and a spreading warmth at my side.

I looked down incredulously, staring in shock at that wickedly barbed tail of Enclave armor jabbed into my ribs, yanked back out in a splash of blood that the soft cloud beneath my hooves soaked up greedily. The Brotherhood knight flailed and staggered away, blood dripping from his armored tail, my blood... quite a lot of it actually...

A chill ran through me as I stumbled back, flabbergasted at an ally just stabbing me, I was trying to help him, we were in the middle of a warzone, and still he found it more important to lash out at me rather than the mutants trying to kill him?! I heard Knight Dervish give an annoyed hiss and let the medic loose to catch me before I simply fell over, his horn glowing with healing magic while his ride dove after Knight Goose. Everything they were yelling about was fuzzy and hard to make out, even harder by the roar that seemed to shaky the billowing ground under me, in my ears and in my head both.

"YOU DARE!!! PITIFUL, COWARDLY WEAKLING!! PROVING MY POINT WILL BE YOUR UNDOING!!!"

My head lolled over to follow what everypony else was looking at above, woozily hoping the fort doors were open, spotting Summer tapping away at the cloud terminal beside them rapidly instead. Why was that so loud? How'd they all hear it too anyway, was she just blasting that into every mind in range? Virescent sounded more pissed than even I had made her in the past.

Midway up the swirling spire of cloud leading to the mooring tower above the fort, the ragged holes in the surface were glowing brightly green, the eldritch light moving up the cracked tower along with the noise, like some hellish elevator going up. The light at the top of the wispy tower above dimmed as a big green body filled it, yards of nearly black dark green mane spilling out behind the long horn leading the way, a brilliantly glowing pair of green eyes looking down above a predatory scowl.

All eyes were drawn to the crackling green mare spreading her impressive wingspan and perching atop the mooring tower, brimming with power her glowing horn was directing out to her swarm. One gale force flap sent her up and diving straight back down, falling like a bomb towards the two dark armored Knights gaping among the vertibuck wreckage.

The wounded Knight Goose couldn't move, though at least his comrade Knight Dervish did, barely diving aside out of instinct as a few tons of alicorn slammed down, crushing the limping pegasus with my blood still on his tail under her hooves. Even bleeding and trying to fight off passing out, my stomach tried to revolt at the sight, like putting a paint can in a drill press... red paint... spattered out to splash her long legs.

Virescent loomed above my dizzy view, medic Poultice's presence healing and keeping me up suddenly gone as I fell back and wove away from her gloating look of worried satisfaction. Knight Dervish had him, I spotted that much wincing my way back and fumbling for a healing potion, they both ran from the massive filly and left me to my fate. At least she hadn't killed me yet...

"NEVER! DRINK YOUR POTION QUICKLY, HEAL THAT FILTHY WEAPON'S WOUND! YOU SEE NOW? THEY FEAR WHAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND! DARED TO HARM HIS BETTER! THAT ONE HAD TO BE PUNISHED FOR HIS CRIME!"

Ow! Owwwww, my ears flattened uselessly against that booming voice and I shakily did as she said, backing slowly away and drinking my green tinted healing potion at her urging hoof waving me on. Despite the very selective concern for others, Virescent was scaring the hell out of me, her minions moving to deal with the others as she stalked after my pained progress.

One big hoof reached out and tilted my chin up very delicately, lowering her volume to a rumbling purr as fighting kept raging around us. She sauntered from the flaming wreckage and blood at her hooves, easily matching even Swan at her best in scale and obviously reveling in the power. "Yes... I took a page from my sister's book after my defeat, is that better little male? I have basked in the holy glow myself and created my own kingdom of unity in the clouds to trap the outsiders, I never thought I'd reel in such a prize however... worth wasting even a prime pegasus subject. You see where true loyalty lies now? With species, not friendship. That insect could have killed you, our precious stallion... let me finish these pests and come with me, so I may care for you..."

Oooooh no.... Virescent didn't seem to have nearly the control that Swan had to remain this overcharged, even Swan wasn't exactly fully in control of her impulsiveness under all that power. Add to that the fact Virescent had never seen or ....smelled me like this, the bursts of heart shaped sparkles and pink bands in those huge eyes fluttering after me were a serious problem.

Before she really got going taking another stalking step forward and crouching, a stream of red M.E.W. fire and an accompanying minigun opened up from above, making her hiss in annoyance, clamping a huge hoof to the insignificant wounds and bringing up a crackling green shield. Her glowing eyes immediately shifted from lusty gaze to dragonish scowl, right at Val and Dance blasting away at her from the doors. The open doors...

I took the opportunity they were giving me and lurched up, flying a weaving course away that was pushed on by adrenaline at those hungry green eyes swinging back on me. Her army of mutants started shifting strategically, some rising to block my slow path, while the bulk focused on the huddle of 'allies' and my friends beneath the curling roof of the main fort.

Before Virescent could reach out with her massive hoof and claim her prize, the world lurched and I was flying away faster, the huge mare growing a teensy bit smaller as I magically retreated, thanks to the frantic wingbeats of Scribe Wind at my side, tugging me away with her forelegs wrapped around my bleeding torso.

Virescent's furious roar over her prize being snatched away made it hard to hear Summer's frantic whispering, the little pegasus was a very fast flier and I weighed no more than she did, but carrying nearly dead weight was hard even for natural pegasi it seemed. "Come on! Your freaking name is Fast isn't it!?! GO!"

Blasts of paralyzing and freezing magic were right on her light brown tail, but nothing lethal was allowed with me in her grip apparently. With Summer handling the difficult flying, I used my remaining focus on my weapons, clearing a trail ahead of us with Dance's own 40mm grenade launcher Thump-Thump and the Terrible Shotgun.

Virescent was moving, all her minions were harder to track in my blurry vision, but that big green blob charging after us and smashing ruins out of her way was easy enough. I kept my grim grip on consciousness and focused on flapping, avoiding the surging wave of anger and lust crashing behind us, eyes firmly on Val and Ivy frantically waving us on faster and covering our approach.

"STOP!! YOU MAY NOT DENY ME! THAT MALE IS MINE!!!" The giant alicorn's scream made my head hurt, the only sensation getting through other than a distant tug at my tail in Summer's mouth when we crashed in front of the doors.

Val's dark claws joined her at the scruff of my itchy mane and we were yanked inside, Paladin Dance and the Knight Dervish retreating last as Summer dove for the terminal on this side, slamming the heavy barrier shut ahead of the raging green alicorn outside. Ivy had hurriedly fumbled in her packs and drawn Jade's gamma gun, the blast of radiation helping to get me moving under my own power again.

I glanced back at the all too thin obstacle between us and the storm in my mind outside, giving a hoarse cry to the others. "GO! Keep going! That won't stop her! She'll come right through and..."

Suddenly the raging noise outside died off, the wall gave a warning shake but didn't get blown to fluff ahead of a huge green shield, no big hooves bucked the doors off completely, just total silence...

(I could... but I don't have to... Go where you will, learn your true place if you insist, you will come to me willingly soon enough...)

That... was ominous... At least only Ivy heard it too, everyone else giving a panicked look at the doors behind me and backing away, every scrap of firepower available aimed over my head. Spotting a few red marks moving on E.F.S. further in the building, I flew to her side and waved us on anxiously. "Go! Go! Go! She can anytime she wants! She's got her henchponies to use too, move it!"

"Boss ain't kiddin! Seen one of them fillies like that fuck some shit up with a vengeance and bettin' you've heard of her work, let's get goin' like now! This way!" Val called over from a wispy cloud lock her claws had nonetheless picked, a way past the pile of rubble that was choking what was once a small but graceful lobby.

Putting walls between us really wouldn't do a damn thing if Virescent wanted in badly enough, making me worry more over what she said and what she could do in this state. Delving deeper into the ruined fort at least offered false comfort, the further away from her giddy mental titter of anticipation, the better.

Navigating a few offices of damp and musty smelling clouds and a few corridors led us to a port in the storm, the fort's officer's mess that only had a dozen zombified pegasi, instead of more of the horde of mutant alicorns that had harangued us the whole way here. It looked like a fluffy, dream version of Stable 111's cafeteria, pink and green tiles that would look right at home on the floor providing solid if rotting footing, ratty red leather booths, a filthy steel counter and foggy sneeze guard, like most of this place in the sky, it was familiar but not.

The first thing on my mind once the last zombie went down, was the softest looking booth remaining, sinking to the rotting faux leather that leaked a bit of cloudstuff under my rump with a tired sigh and wincing at my regenerating room. Ivy was right behind me, blasting me with Jade's gamma gun and fretting in her place over the nasty hole in my side, worriedly checking the remaining ammo for the makeshift weapon.

I spotted Val glaring daggers at the pink skin sealing over the gap under the healing influence of the radiation. Her scowl only intensified when Knight Dervish released her helmet with a hiss and tromped over to the booth, novasurge rifles under her wings pointing directly at me while the lilac pegasus hissed to Paladin Dance. "Alright, we got a second to breathe, now do you wanna tell me what the fuck this is sir?! A MALE ALICORN!?! Nopony thought we should..."

Before Steel Dance got the opportunity to answer, Val had her pistol out and aimed at her unprotected head, already prepared to move at the first opportunity and more than willing to pull the trigger by her shaking voice. "Curious bout a couple things myself bitch, yer buddy put that hole in my boss fer tryin' ta help him, those guns don't move away from him right quick, I'll put a hole in you..."

(See how they dance?...)

Shut up Virescent... I was amazed she hadn't gotten up to any serious mischief yet, but she was watching and offering her own commentary, tracking where we were and coordinating her drones, even this would be a short break before...

(Perhaps I'll let this play out then? Don't blame any of this on me...)

"Fast do not listen to her.." Ivy brought me back to the standoff still playing out in front of me, Paladin Dance was standing as an implacable wall between his remaining troops and the one with the gun to her head, while his brave Scribe fluttered up between me and Dervish, her forelegs thrown wide to act as a shield. This was rapidly falling to shit...

"...was Need to Know, and you didn't Knight." Dance was gruffly giving an order to stand down, one that didn't look like it was being obeyed quite as readily as every other one so far.

"Fuck me with a Thunderhead we didn't!! Sending us into combat with a green was bad enough, but at least those are still the normal mares we know how to deal with! A MALE! A FUCKING MALE SIR!?!? Captain Gale would never..."
(More of those monsters, mutant freaks weren't enough, blending in like fucking synths now...)

"Boss lemme blow this bitch's head off right now, any one of you other fuckers that feels froggy go ahead and leap too! Just give the word!"
(........................)

"...not like the Followers, if it's viable they could be a fucking swarm of locusts and it's need to know!?!"
(Kill him, kill him now, can't let them spread, accident maybe...)

"She killed Goose! Bitch fucking flattened him right in front of me for... can't hardly blame him either! Those monsters killed his whole squad back in Fillydelphia!" (Ponynapping us to turn into those things aren't they... now they succeeded, just like megaspells, can't put the genie back in the bottle if it gets out, maybe we should...)

"She has a point sir, he's one of them... like those mutants isn't he? He'll turn on us, what's to stop him from..."
(All goddess damned mutant abominations, ought'a wipe em all off'a the face of Equestria, finish what the Lightbringer started... will soon enough anyway...)

"Fast would never! Don't you dare say!..."
(Can't believe he'd, how could Goose do that? Fast isn't like that! So sweet and...)

Hiding under my hooves and Ivy's soothing hoof on my back wasn't doing anything, I could feel her telepathic help but she was severely outclassed by Virescent who was giving me an unrequested glimpse to the world of telepaths. I could hear the rattle of chains in my head at each murderous thought, every hateful insult and petty fear, overwhelming even 'Be Kind...' and the other Ministry Mares, a black pod deep in my head giving a warning hiss of 'Be Dark...'

"EVERYPONY SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

I panted and looked down at my shaking hooves, realizing I had smashed the flimsy table in that outburst of the Shroud's voice. If it weren't for Summer's kind and warm thoughts at the end, I had a good idea I may have just launched myself at Knight Dervish and torn that pretty neck open with the fangs aching in my mouth.

(I told you... This is just a taste of the hatred they have for our kind Fast, weak, tiny ponies whose time has passed, this world is for our kind now, that is what they fear...)

(Oh Virescent do shut up! Your view was considered in unity and I'll have you know Fast was correct, there is a place for us to share this world with them, be ponies like any other, do you have to remain so goddess damned superior and haughty!? Throwing your weight around just because you've packed it on and gotten fat! You were never one for subtlety sister and the religious fervor is old!)

Ivy hugged me with a wing and gave a polite cough to the absolute silence in the mess hall, even Val was caught off guard by me losing it for a second, though a wicked grin was spreading on her beak.

(FAT!?! I AM A PICTURE OF DIVINE BEAUTY AND POWER! CAST IN THE IMAGE OF OUR MOTHER YOU SELF RIGHTEOUS....)

"Ahem! It may interest all of you to know my sister is currently reading all of your minds and broadcasting it, to Fast along with myself. It is hard to find fault in the private thoughts of another, but I'd advise you all to try to be a bit more kind and trust your commander and his Scribe? Only his and Miss Wind's thoughts do not sully your organization, though Summer's are much nicer for more than just adherence to duty and honor." Ivy spoke clearly and like the disappointed teacher she once was, the carefully crafted tone shaming even the hardened Brotherhood ponies and helping to drown out the ranting whines of Virescent.

"Put it down Val. No more attempted murders amongst ourselves alright?" I sighed and tried to get control, immensely grateful to Summer Wind turning red and squeaking in front of me, still blocking me from her fellow Brotherhood troops protectively. At least she didn't want to kill me.

My griffon bodyguard growled but reluctantly obeyed, holstering her sidearm with a huff. "Wasn't gonna be 'attempted' boss..."

Giving a groan at her point, I nodded and took my hat off, fluttering my wings to stand beside Summer and awkwardly curl one around her in a clumsy hug. "I know Val, still trying to avoid it. Thank you Summer, thank you very, very much. Everypony else, take a good look, maybe you were right and you should have been told, but that wasn't my call, though I did agree and see more reason than just my comfort at hiding now. These two trust me, I helped the Brotherhood come here to begin with!

I tried to help Knight Goose and he attacked me, he was hurt and scared, but he did it and we're supposed to be allies. I'm sorry if he was your friend, I'm sorry he's dead, but forgive me if I don't feel super broken up about it with a big fucking hole in my chest healing up at the moment! How about you cut me a little slack and we try to get out of here alive huh?"

Paladin Dance nodded curtly and stomped a heavy, steel clad hoof, glaring at his troops and pushing the wavering Knight Dervish back forcefully. "Exactly! Stick to the mission soldier, I'll have no more insubordination, you can complain to Elder Macson and Captain Gale when we get back, if you do. Any attack, any unchecked weapon pointing in his direction, literally any mean fucking thought right now is like doing it to me, so watch yourselves or I will handle it myself, in the field. Do you take my meaning?"

All of them but Summer gulped and backed off, Knight Dervish still eyeing me warily as she tried to keep going. "You heard them though sir, that giant bitch is in their heads already! What if..."

"The greater danger is you actually, controlling another equal sister... er... brother I suppose, in true unity is no easy feat. Normal ponies like you however? Fast and Valkyrie both can attest to the trouble I could cause all of you right this instant, without the prodigious levels of power at my sister's command right now. She's refraining for the most part and I am protecting all of you, but it is not easy and the more you bicker the harder it gets!" Ivy shut her down before Dance got the chance, her horn glowing dimly but constantly to keep Virescent at bay.

"You all might want to have a little more sympathy for both me and those mutants outside too, they could have been you pretty easily, still could actually..."

That got their attention, several yelling angrily at an implied threat that I wasn't making, Dance drove it home for them though, he had been briefed well above their clearances. "He's right, if you two Knights need me to explain the honeypot that green set out, or the fact they were trying to capture us alive, you're not worth the armor you're wearing. Considering today seems to be the day my formerly sharp squad decided to let all the stupid hang out, let me run it down for you just in case.

These mutants are products of the Institute, experiments that resulted in my friend and ally Fast Times' condition, I knew him before he became like this and he is still essentially the same pony, unlike them. Those experiments work best on subjects as free from long term radiation as possible, that means Steel Rangers in their bunkers and former Enclave in the skies are high priority targets. Targets they want alive, want to experiment on, and with only one exception all end up like those poor souls outside.

It's a good bet Recon Squad Rapier was fed to their grinder, if you want to join them just keep acting like you are. Otherwise start acting like Brotherhood soldiers I can be proud of and get your shit together! We can't waste this time bickering, we need a plan and I'm open to any suggestions."

A sullen silence fell for a minute, all of them thinking and trying to live up to their inspiring commander, but coming up as empty as I felt. Knight Barrel, the tan buck in the armor that matched Dance's, finally reticently spoke up with a hoof raised. "Umm... n-not to offend ma'am, but if ya'lls sister could get all great big like that, can you maybe? Ya'll got that rad gun, maybe fight on even terms?"

Ivy gave a demure blush and smoothed out her repaired dress, shaking her head slowly. "I'm sorry Knight, Fast's makeshift contraption is very useful, but it would take hundreds of shots to match Virescent, more ammo by far than we have, as well as far too much time, she would know and move to prevent that. She must be sitting on a significant source of radiation somewhere on this base to achieve that effect. A lair to direct her mutants from, spread her influence as far as possible and coordinate them. Goddesses forbid I have an ass approaching her size anyway."

(MY GLORIOUS POSTERIOR IS THE SAME AS YOUR OWN! THE MALE LIKES IT!!)

Summer looked confused, pulling out a sleek, advanced portable terminal of Enclave design and tapping rapidly away at it on the floor, scanning over the green display of prewar blueprints for Fort Loyalty. "That doesn't make sense though, where would she find something like that here? The reactor is waaaaay down here, shielded and hardened, she's too big to get near it. If it takes that much radiation to get like that, and she was crawling up the mooring tower from below... Resupply storage, where we were going anyway, that's the only room at the bottom that could possibly fit a filly that size, but there shouldn't be anything down there that..."

"Who knows Scribe, she could have had those creatures haul things up here for her to utilize, it just has to be radiation right? We'll find out when we get there, that is still our objective..." Paladin Dance cut her off and gently closed her fancy terminal, Virescent giggled in my head and gave me more though. (Need to Know. More reason to keep it out of anypony else's hooves, especially hers...)

(You like investigating prewar mysteries don't you? Wouldn't want you to be denied something that brings you joy my little male, wander about a bit and see if your 'friend' won't tell you. You should join me down here though, bask in the holy glow here in my little boudoir hmm? It feels wonderful but oh soooo lonely...Even my obnoxious sister is welcome, she is still one of us, unlike those weak ponies.)

(Why would I sister? I have no interest in joining in with an out of control behemoth more interested in pleasuring herself than anything else. Again you are misguided, Fast has taught us there is more to mating than simply what you want. Perhaps you should have a taste, adjust your attitude a bit? Here, my apologies to your modesty Fast.)

Ivy shrugged sheepishly to me as a burst of high speed unity went over my head, the wailing moan that shook the island under my hooves gave me a good idea what she had sent though. The others all looked around fearfully at what they took as the bellow of some great and terrible beast hiding somewhere in the depths of Fort Loyalty, thankfully spared from getting that surge of lust and need that came with it mentally that made me blush and whimper.

(IVY! Did you have to...)

(YES! YES! THAT! I WANT THAT! I WANT THAT NOW!!!)

I got the impression Ivy was needling her sister intentionally, fluctuating between insulted ranting and that overwhelming need to mate was messing with her concentration. Swan was practiced at being that powerful, Virescent wasn't and was barely above being a creature driven by nothing but her basest urges, confronted by the constant itch of a male alicorn just out of her reach driving her crazy. Though technically I really wasn't out of her grasp, I still couldn't quite figure her behavior there, she was being almost nice... for her anyway.

I wasn't the only one to notice either, Medic Poultice hadn't had such a terrible reaction to me as his pegasi comrades, speaking up fearfully at the rumbles still shaking underhoof. "S-So we take her out, the rest stop following her orders? If she's so strong though, how come she didn't just come after us? Why doesn't she use her mental hoodoo and make us just walk right out if she wants, why's she toying with us?"

(To teach you this lesson little male, and to please you. You would be angry if I hurt them wouldn't you? Be upset with me? Dislike me more? I don't want that... We got off on the wrong hoof Fast, I am sorry for how I treated you before, but you were just a normal pony then. I want to prove I'm right, help you see the truth, protect you from those small minded fools, care for you, love you... Better you learn what they really think of us, let the pathetic worms struggle as they wish, they will turn on you soon enough. You belong with us, with me...)

Virescent's husky mental voice kept tempting and cajoling, a mellow undercurrent made me think she might have just gotten a bit of vicarious relief because of Ivy's little trick that was making her sleepy and calmer, but only served to do the opposite for me. "Nnngh! Sorry... Because she's messing with me, wants me to go willingly to her. She's trying to prove normal ponies and her kind... o-our kind I guess... don't mix. That you'll hate me, betray me, try to hurt me, much as I hate it she hasn't been that far off..."

It was Summer Wind who helped me not fall into despair over the realization Virescent kept trying to highlight, I had never really experienced hatred just because of what I was. Pegasi did though, she had liked me from the start because I didn't think that way when we met, but explained many wasteland ponies hated all pegasi on general principles after they closed off the sky for 200 years. The little yellow pegasus mare had her own hangups about alicorns before, but had grown a lot and adjusted her opinion, been a true friend even after I wound up like this.

Now she stamped her hooves and flared her wings, shaking her head in negation and grabbing me in a tight hug. She glared at her fellow Brotherhood ponies cheek to cheek with me, unknowingly putting herself at risk with all of Virescent's desire bubbling into my brain making my wings spring up. Though it did get a reluctant, blushing snicker from her fellow pegasus Knight Dervish. "That's not true! Paladin Dance is right all of you, I know Fast, I knew him before they did this to him! He's a good pony, just like you all are!

I didn't like alicorns either, but are all us former Enclave bad just because of what we did in the past? Are the Steel Rangers? The ponies of the wasteland? Just because of a few raiders we believed all of them were bad, we can't be like that again! N-Now quit being so stupid all of you! You're not going anywhere Fast, we mix just fine, so show off a little of that magic like when we met at Watt's and let's figure a way out of this! Together!"

Despite the wry chuckles from her comrades, I hugged the petite filly back, perhaps a bit too hard by her wheeze, but it was difficult to keep unfamiliar earth pony strength in check under the rush of gratitude. Virescent wasn't offering up the Brotherhood's thoughts in response to that, meaning they were not supporting her argument, Summer got through to them, for now at least.

I kept right on nuzzling against her, trying to wipe away the tears that wanted to form into her silky mane. Whispering in her perked up ears as she sputtered under the affection, "Thank you, thank you, thank you..." I wished I could share the telepathy Virescent's field of unity was spreading throughout the island, just to let her know more than mere words could how glad I was she didn't think I was a monster too, that she'd stand up for me against her own.

That thought seemed to give Virescent a new line of attack though, a frightening thought she felt was a perfectly acceptable compromise.

(So... perhaps you are right and some are not so terrible, one out of six? The solution is simple then, those who are worthy should be ascended as well. Your tiny pegasus friend is annoyingly close to you, but has admirable traits and such... inspiring thoughts about you..., think what she would be capable of if she were granted our gifts too? Your daughter loves our kind and wishes to join us as well doesn't she?

We are the superior species, thanks to the good Doctor we need not only rely on mating to spread our kind and elevate this world. All those unworthy will still serve as suitable subjects to refine the process, with your help we will succeed again, then you will be happy. For now let's continue your education on what the majority of the frightened foals are really like, a bit of incentive perhaps?)

"Shit.... we need to get moving again, now. She's..."

"PONIES OF THE BROTHERHOOD! THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM MY KINGDOM IN THE SKY. I WANT THE MALE! I WANT HIM NOW! GIVE HIM TO ME AND I WILL RELEASE THOSE THAT DO TO RUN BACK TO YOUR PATHETIC SHIP. THOSE THAT DENY ME WILL JOIN THE RANKS OF OUR FLAWED CHILDREN COMING FOR YOU NOW. ANY WHO TRIES TO HARM THE MALE WILL DIE. CHOOSE."

She could have broadcast that telepathically to all of them, she shouted in a booming goddess voice from somewhere below totally for effect, dark giggling drifting up in my mind as the Brotherhood squad gulped and peered around in fear.

(Now, let's see who is worthy, and who is weak... You will come to me Fast, you cannot deny the truth or your nature. Come...)

---------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------

Arcane Physicist--------------
---You've learned the arcane secrets of radiation and balefire.... and to command them. As well as gaining access to new arcano-tech recipes at a sufficient workbench or lab, radiation weapons now do 50% more damage / healing and any radiation producing arcano-fusion power supply can be convinced to be 25% more efficient under your expert care.

Ch. 65-- Virescent Takes a Lover

Mission Updated: Old Guns

Objectives-------
---~~Join the Brotherhood strike team~~
---~~Discover the fate of Recon Squad Rapier~~
---Clear Fort Loyalty of hostiles
---Find parts and ammo for Castle Equinox's weapons
---Escape Fort Loyalty

"What the fuck is this!? Where's the rest of them!?" The Brotherhood pegasus Knight Dervish stood shaking over our latest find, several suits of Brotherhood power armor empty and discarded in an old office of Fort Loyalty, tattered remains of the charcoal and red uniforms they wore strewn about as well, but no bodies were present.

By her reaction and my pip-buck's helpful flash of text, I was guessing this all belonged to the recon squad the Brotherhood sent to scout Fort Loyalty out in the first place. Caught in Virescent's trap before us, stripped and taken away to... somewhere else, presumably to be changed into the flawed mutant alicorns that had been attacking us constantly as we moved through the fort.

Val pushed past the pegasus mare and started rooting through the remains for loot, glaring at the noises of protest coming from her and several of her comrades. "They ain't here are they? Stuff's just goin' ta waste and we're runnin' low right? Bah! Not that there's nothin' worth takin' either, them mutants learned enough ta take their weapons and ammo, usin' em against us now."

I joined Val and started stripping the power armor, taking the helmets and the most advanced parts and gems, putting the pair of Enclave armor and single Steel Ranger helms in my packs with the Instititue made one I had taken from the Gunners in the Switchboard, while trying very hard not to think about that one too much. Making plans against a mindreader was infuriating, had to keep misdirecting and defending every thought, but I had a basic idea.

"Usin' em on most of us..." The Steel Ranger clad Knight Barrel added with a grumble, getting an angry scowl from Val and his commander Paladin Dance for his trouble.

He had a point though, we had been cut off everywhere we went by Virescent's army of mutants, constantly under attack and taking a beating. They were still going for non-lethal attacks where possible, which was still a lot of firepower against power armored soldiers, but they avoided even touching me, further isolating me from the others in their view, no matter how many I killed trying to help them.

(You see how little it takes for them to show their true nature? Like ponykind as a whole, all it took was a little nudge for all the old world blathering about friendship to go out the window, for war, weapons, drugs, all the horrors of the wasteland, even the bearers of the Elements of Harmony became twisted parodies of their younger selves. They are weak, self centered creatures Fast.)

Ugh... Virescent's mental voice wasn't helping things either, like picking at a scab, she kept right on offering her twisted commentary on my companions, piling on the stress and fear with her swarm of mutant drones, pushing them to breaking just to prove her point. I had no doubt she corralled us here just for them to find the remains of their comrades, set them to arguing and panic again.

(Maaaaaybe... There's something there for you too though...)

The cloudy terminal sitting on the shattered desk up here must be what she meant. It gave me something to slink off to while they bickered again and to escape Virescent's taunts anyway, checking drawers absently before moving to crack the security. It had gotten easy to forget all of this was up in the sky inside the fort, pegasi made furniture and everything else out of fairly solid cloudstuff. Other than the shared color palette of mostly pale light blues and other pastels, it essentially looked like regular desks, file cabinets, chairs, bookshelves, etc, just rotting away to wisps of nothing instead of piles of junk.

Ivy moved away from the cluster of Brotherhood and Val renewing old arguments, sticking at my side supportively and nuzzling my cheek while I worked. "Try not to let it get to you Fast, they are under strain but still good ponies. Trust me, I have seen horrible thoughts in many, but often that's all they are, just thoughts. It can become too much to withstand, sour you on all ponies, a bit of a problem for many of my kind. Telepathy is not always a gift..."

"Is that what's wrong with Virescent?"

My green alicorn friend sighed sadly and nodded, "Virescent used to be a herald for the Church of Unity when our mother was alive, hence her penchant for religious zealotry. Even she wasn't all bad, but she was exposed to a lot of the worst of the wasteland in her duties. She was taught by the mother our kind was superior, to pave the way to raise all ponies up in unity and spread her glory, you can understand a bit of a superiority complex."

(We are superior... it is not a complex, it is a fact.)

Both of us groaned at her immediate answer, as powerful as she was and with the trap she had sprung on us, the best way out was convincing her to let us go, but she was amazingly stubborn. She could put an end to this any time she wanted, but left us to run around her maze at her leisure, trying to convince me she was right while I did the same.

Ivy whinnied and tried again while I worked on the terminal, (If we are inherently superior sister, how did a normal pony destroy our mother? We have many advantages yes, but we are not superior. You want Fast, he was normal once, on the inside he is unchanged... mostly.)

(The Destroyer murdered our mother through lies and trickery! The tools of the weak against the strong! The male... Fast was... was already enamored with us even when normal, he was seeking his true, glorious form even then! I just failed to recognize his potential, unlike our sister Jade. For that I admit I may have been... w-wrong... I am adjusting... I have decided to see the small pegasus as a potential sister have I not?)

(And if she doesn't want to be changed like I was? I didn't exactly sign up for it Virescent, it wasn't fun either...)

(Irrelevant. You are so much more now. You like your new form don't you? She will see as you have.)

Getting through the terminal's security distracted me from her firm statement, perusing the records and wondering what she meant by 'something for me'. Judging by the office and the records contained on the terminal, this was the base's quartermaster, lots of shipping records and such, a few of which did jump out after scanning them.

Incoming Shipment #203420

Contents- 1 gross (144) 'eggs'
From- Ministry of Morale
Stored- Resupply bay
Notes- Are the ponies up top out of their fucking minds?! Eggs! Eggs!?! Smuggling in Trotson has to be a hell of a lot worse than they're letting on if they intercepted this many 'eggs', I understand storing them here where we can dump em if we need to, but if just one of those 'eggs' cracks... Why the hell are we keeping them at all? Following orders and leaving them where our upcoming guests can get to them, sooner those nuts from the school take them off our hooves the better. Lodging my complaint here though, I don't want anything to do with those things and want them off my inventory asap.

Outgoing Shipment #204920

Contents- 1 dozen (12) 'Eggs'
Destination- C.I.A.T. Reverse Engineering

Outgoing Shipment #204921

Contents- 1 dozen (12) 'Eggs'
Destination- C.I.A.T. Theoretical Imagineering

Incoming Shipment #205021

Contents- 4 dozen (48) 'Buckballs'
From- C.I.A.T.
Stored- Resupply bay
Notes- I was relieved when the Doc took some of those eggs away, never expected him to bring something just as bad back! Are the brass trying to blow Fort Loyalty out of the sky!?! Dragons still wing us you know! One of those brutes shakes things up to much, and there's gonna be a second sun off the coast. Officially complaining further up the chain if he doesn't take all that shit out of here when they come up for their next demonstration.

Eggs? Buckballs? I had no idea why the pony in charge here would be upset about sporting equipment, but I did know of one kind of egg that would put him on edge like that and could blow this place to smithereens. Balefire Eggs...

In answer to the thought, I got an image of wherever Virescent was, I was fairly certain it had to be the resupply bay mentioned in the records. A cavernous, cloudy chamber, lit in rippling rainbow colors and flickers of green balefire guttering on the walls and floor. There were ruined shelves full of varying crates and tanks for resupplying cloudships, big pipes leading up a vertical shaft above her view, but it was the forest of small glowing eggs scattered about that got my attention.

Virescent was sitting on a nest full of highly destructive, highly radioactive balefire eggs, some of which had obviously been damaged to fill the chamber with the intense power she was feeling. A heavily shielded metal crate lay open, stuck in the fluffy wall before her as well, full of small red buckballs, a few of which were glowing red as well and adding to the radiation. That explained one mystery, Scribe Wind couldn't figure where she'd find a source of radiation that strong on the base, apparently she didn't know about what they were storing down there.

(She doesn't know, her commander however... Why do you think your paladin 'friend' would keep my lovely little treasures a secret even from his Scribe? Did his superiors tell you they were here when they sent you? What do you think they want them for hmm? Are you really going to keep helping ponies who keep secrets and lie to you Fast? Why not join me down here, warm yourself in the holy glow, share how wonderful it feels with me...)

Another rumble shook the island under our hooves, frightening the Brotherhood who weren't also assaulted by the rolling wave of lust coming with it that rocked me on my hooves. My wings sprang up and my eyes rolled under it, clenching my eyes shut and trying to keep her out only did so much.

She was being surprisingly patient, but being as overcharged as she was came with problems, made worse by knowing I was so close. I flushed at the knowledge she was down there taking care of herself, repeatedly... working herself up more and more as she soaked up more radiation and grew even larger in her lair. She was eagerly waiting for me to come down there and join her, coming closer and closer to just losing her thin control over her impulses entirely.

Unfortunately as much as I didn't want to, a good portion of me did. Having all that pent up desire broadcast to my brain was wearing down my defenses. The more power she absorbed, the bigger and stronger she got, seeping her way in as she abandoned any sense of restraint. I didn't particularly like Virescent, but I was having problems keeping a rein on the urge to do what she wanted anyway, go down there with all that radiation, leave these bickering Brotherhood behind and just rut the giant filly until I couldn't anymore.

(Yes! Do that!)

"Fast... Don't listen, I know it's hard, but you were able to fend off all my sisters in Goodneighbor. Virescent is powerful here, but it is still unity, you can withstand it just like then." Ivy pushed my wings down with a foreleg around the shoulder, hugging me to her side and just riling me up more. She was right here, so was Val and Scribe Wind... I could just... STOP!

Beyond just chipping away at my own self control, every cloudquake she caused piled more stress on the Brotherhood. They didn't know it was just an oversized, undersexed filly beneath their hooves somewhere, to them it was a giant monster that had killed one of their own already. Every rumble and moan reverberating through the island increased their fighting and panic.

"L-Listen ta that... how we posed ta fight something like her anyway?! She's gonna take us all an' turn us inta..."

"We're already running low on supplies and ammo sir, my magic reserves are getting drained too much too, she'll wear us down and we'll end up like Recon Squad Rapier if we don't do something..."

"Sadistic bitch is playing with us! Still say we should just give her what she wants and get out of here, report back and bring an appropriate force to take her down. It's obvious she won't hurt him!"

"That's enough, you will not turn into a bunch of snivelling, frightened foals from a little shake now and then! We are still on mission, that creature changes nothing."

"We're not giving her Fast to save our own tails! Stop suggesting it Dervish!"

"GRRRAAHHHH! Dammit! All of you stop fighting please, she's trying to get you to do exactly what you're doing! It's not my fault she won't attack me, I've been covering all of you though haven't I? Took a pair of spells that would have knocked you out right Knight Dervish? Got that big brute off you Medic Poultice? I've been square with all of you, but I want the same Paladin Dance. She's sitting on a fuckton of balefire eggs and more, that's how she got like that and you knew about them, didn't you?"

Star Paladin Dance's helmeted face betrayed no expression, but his voice was wary and even his Scribe and the rest of his squad was surprised, turning on him as he answered slowly. "Affirmative... A large shipment of confiscated balefire eggs being smuggled into the Commonwealth was known to be here, we hoped to recover them and other ordinance for our campaign here."

"And you didn't think it was worth mentioning? We came for the weapons and parts here yeah, but balefire eggs? Zebra weaponry? And what about those buckballs..."

His helmeted head snapped over at that, still speaking with his voice distorted by his helmet's speaker but betraying a bit of concern. "Need to Know. You didn't. Our mission is unchanged, you want the parts and equipment from this place as well as our help for your war, we want those items for ours. Fair exchange Fast."

No. No it wasn't... I didn't like having things kept from me and was suddenly very glad I had wrote that little virus on the holotape game I gave my daughter. Glitter was clever and convincing, she'd find a networked terminal on the Prydwen to play it on and then we'd see what we would see. No more secrets. Of course that was the whole problem with Virescent, nothing was secret from her, making escaping look less and less likely.

(See... you already distrusted them, you are learning on your own. I'm just trying to accelerate this lesson somewhere safe, better you learn now under my care than somewhere out in the wastes. They are inferior, weak, lying insects that cannot be trusted to be anything other than what they are, the ones who created this world.)

I glared at Paladin Dance's implacable covered face and stormed out, Ivy and Val right behind me, Scribe Wind and the others following behind her. If the mutants here wouldn't hurt me, I may as well take advantage of it and lead the way, find them first for the others. Try to help, ignore the clink of chains in my head, the whisper of 'Be Dark...' being encouraged by Virescent.

Even the tactic of taking the lead had its own difficulties, after traversing a series of confusing hallways often blocked by piles of cloudy fluff, I walked out into a large shared office space strewn with deteriorating desks and file cabinets. A trio of mutants was waiting with a variety of weapons, but they simply stared back at me. If they'd attack then killing them wouldn't be a problem, but I couldn't just kill them for doing ...nothing... they used to be ponies...

"Please, don't make me do this, stop fighting like this, she's throwing you away. Don't make me kill you!" I pleaded with the dull eyed mutant alicorns, crestfallen at their blank look in return.

(Kind of you Fast, but they are flawed creations, drones to serve true perfection better than the ponies they were, steps on the road to making you.)

Virescent's reply held only the barest hint of empathy for the mutants she was using, I was still hoping to convince her to change though. (Dala intentionally made them flawed Virescent, she was done experimenting to get data to make a real attempt well before she changed me. The Institute is using you, you're being played by weak, normal ponies...)

(No... w-we are using them, they have given what we wanted, here you are after all! When the process is perfected, they may join us for their service like your pegasus friend....)

I sighed and pointed out the mutants in this room for the others moving up behind me, trying one more time. (Read the memories out of my head then. See what Dala really thinks, she told me all about it.)

I felt the odd sensation of her rifling around up in my head, allowing it and trying to remember everything Moondancer had said. When the burly earth mutant opened up with a light machine gun on Val, I didn't have a problem getting back to fighting them at least. Diving forward in the way of his fire to make it stop, tackling it uselessly while the others moved up and engaged the new enemies. The large yellow mutant rolled and wrestled with me, trying to pin me in place with his bulk but not hurting me, making this worse 'Be Strong!'.

More of its kind galloping in the room forced my hoof, a pair of long horned spell slingers and a big winged pegasus mutant joining the fray and focusing on Val more than any other. Best Served flashed up between us and the mutant grappling with me lost its head. With weary resignation, the Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance floated up to join the knife in my mouth. The kinder voices of the Ministry Mares were pushed aside by the necessity of the single dark voice with them, a part of me that could kill these sad things, that could not feel horrible but ...enjoy it instead.

(No... NO! They lie!!!)

Virescent got through the memories of my time with Moondancer apparently, the island shook more than before, in fury instead of passion, a screeching roar rising up from below as all the mutants seemed to become less coordinated and more vicious for a moment. It made killing them easier anyway. A blast of lightning broke an earth mutant's weak shield, leaving it open for a rain of Knight Barrel's 5mm tracing up its neck and obliterating its square head, more death, more blood... just keep killing, don't think about it... 'Be Dark...'

(Controllable! Intentionally genderless!! LIARS!)

A pair of .45 rounds from the big revolver drew an alarming amount of blood from one of the long horns, the other still ignored me and blasted Knight Dervish with a bolt of lightning, crashing her spell matrix and sending the Enclave armored pegasus to the ground. The pegasus mutant streaked through the air in the cramped quarters, diving for the downed knight and trying to scoop up the light load, dragging her by the armored scorpion tail of her power armor down a side door as she screamed.

(Using US!? Guarantee our loyalty! Limited supply!?! KEEPING MALES FROM US!!!)

Val was already battering down the remaining unicorn mutant's shield, the two Steel Rangers were occupied with a pair of earth mutants matching their heavy weapons against their own, only Scribe Wind, Medic Poultice and Ivy were charging after the speedy pegasus mutant dragging away the Knight, none of whom were combat specialists.

That gave me more than enough motivation, I wasn't going to leave them to it and Knight Dervish's cries struck right to the heart. The fear of being snatched away and turned into the same kind of creature taking her was intense and very clear. I tried to use my lightning walking spell, the arcing electricity surrounding my limbs and blackening the floor beneath me with a rumble, shit... I sped forward as far as I dared and canceled it, I had absolutely no idea what would happen if I turned a cloud island into a thunderhead with that spell, though it was an interesting little nugget I let roll around with my other barely shielded thoughts.

If it weren't for the cramped quarters, I'd have no chance at all of doing anything, those pegasus mutants were very, very fast. Its oversized wings got in the way here though, not enough room to really stretch them indoors, making it slower and clumsier. I still barely brought up S.A.T.S. before it got around a bend in the hall, thanks to my short and inadvisable burst of speed, freezing time and going with half a dozen shots from the Terrible Shotgun to center body mass, the best odds at hitting the slippery mutant without hitting the Knight.

(They demand more subjects of us, when they waste them on these creatures!?!)

Time resumed and the shotgun started barking at my side, three slugs hammering the mutant in the chest and knocking it out of the air, smashing against a cloudy wall and soaking it in blood. Knight Dervish was still screeching where it dropped her, struggling uselessly in dead armor. I flew as fast as I could, beating Summer, Poultice and Ivy there and stumbling to a halt beside the Knight, pulling out my pip-buck's patch cable and finding the port to reboot her armor as quickly as possible.

"Hang on! I can fix it, it'll be alright, just gimme a second!" I tried to soothe the struggling Knight, distracted by a unicorn mutant coming from the direction the dead pegasus variety had been trying to take her.

The silvery unicorn mutant paused on running into us, a bright silver shield appearing just ahead of Vengeance snapping up and emptying the cylinder against it. Its twisted horn glowed brightly and blue rings of force shot out, a familiar wave of numbness running through my body as I struggled to finish the reboot command, they could cast Jade's favorite anesthetic spell too... fantastic.

(Aren't even trying to make true alicorns like ourselves!!! Making me trap and capture ponies for no real reason!?)

If it weren't for being able to magically operate the pip-buck via the heads up display in my vision, I wouldn't have been able to hit accept as I fell over. As it was, the pegasus in the black and red power armor scrambled back up with a hum of her systems rebooting, lashing out with that scorpion tail at the silver shield, putting a crack in it as she spun and unloaded with her underwing novasurge rifles.

The unicorn mutant dissolved into a pile of pink ash and Knight Wind checked the hall it appeared from, firing more blasts at whatever was down that way that I couldn't see frozen where I was. Summer and Ivy reached me and fretted over my condition, Poultice checked her first then a glow from his horn helped me shake off the spell slowly, stumbling back up against the cloudy wall.

"T-Thanks... Thought that thing had me for a second and... er... Just, thanks ok?" Knight Dervish sounded conflicted and relieved, still getting over that surge of terror, looking over to the pegasus mutant that tried to take her shakily and freezing. Her helmet slid open and back and she took a trembling step toward the mutant breathing its last, pinprick dark blue eyes locked on the warped bit of color on its flank. "Dive? D-Dive Bomb?"

One of the mutant's eyes rolled her way dully, what little light was there fading rapidly as she started crying, reaching a hoof out to the difficult to discern, warped cutie mark on its flank, she knew it before... My own voice cracked and I tried to offer some comfort, say something at least, "K-Knight... I'm sorr...."

FZZZZATTT!

Her underwing magical energy weapons fired and the dying mutant disolved into sparkly pink ash, the pegasus Knight wiping her dripping muzzle forcefully with an armored foreleg and letting the helmet cover her furious eyes again as she hissed. "I'd expect the same from him, put me out of my misery if I wound up like that, like you."

(They will pay... oh how they'll pay, they will give us what we want! We will force them to hold up their bargain!!)

Ow... Her words stung as she tromped back off, rejoining the others finishing off the last red dashes on E.F.S., leaving me to stare sadly at the drifting cloud of ash. We weren't that far removed, I was just successful and he wasn't, but either way she felt the right course was to kill the result.

But I wasn't in misery to be put out of, were they? What were they even like when not controlled by Virescent or the Institute, they were ponies just like ghouls were once, didn't they deserve to live if they wanted? What if there was a way back for that matter? A cure for what Moondancer turned them into?

Medic Poultice gave a worried shrug as apology for his comrade, shoving back his round combat helmet marked with the cross and butterfly of healers. "Sorry, lots of troops have been disappearing since we came to the Commonwealth, pegasi troops especially... We're all on edge, wondering if that's what happened to them, now we know. I know it's not your fault, j-just... try not to take it too personally. Thanks for helping her."

"S-Sure... no problem Poultice, thank you."

I leaned against Summer and Ivy, returning to the others and moving deeper into Fort Loyalty with heavy thoughts weighing me down. Virescent's own finally joining them sulkily after scanning through my memories of Dala. She was still barely in control, but now it was frustrated anger at the forefront, instead of that scary lust that was still simmering in the background of her mind.

(We should have expected such betrayal, even from smart normal ponies, still only concerned with themselves and their plans. Lady Evergreen will be told... Thank you for telling me Fast, at least they made you, that is enough... I believe I will stretch my wings a bit, work off some of this frustration, my exit is looking rather tight anyway. Don't worry, I'll be near... )

"Fast are you ok? C-Come on, you don't look so good, we found the General's office, go take a seat for a second ok?" Summer still worried at my side as we made our way towards a spacious waiting area, a larger office to the side marked 'General Tip Top' she was guiding me towards over the most recent mutant corpses.

The care was a lot more important to me than somepony to lean against, noting the last red dash disappearing. With another lull in the constant combat, I pulled out the current Steel Ranger helmet I was working on, focusing on the technical details of what I was doing. Wire the gems in series together... strip the radio frequency tuner from the comms and adjust it to match the others... tie it into the power supply... don't think about what it does... just finish this [radio] and move on to the next. Had to make one for everypony and hope they worked.

I sank into the general's fancy chair leaking cloudstuff at the seams and stared at the ceiling, trying to think of something beyond the helmets I kept working at, knowing Virescent could read it out of my head if I wasn't very, very careful, creating a constant mental strain. She had pulled away and I caught sight of a huge green shape flitting by the windows occasionally, a dragon sized pony reenacting real dragons flights around Fort Loyalty, swooping and diving from the overcast afternoon clouds, frustrated and angry at the Institute, plotting...

Instead of useful thought I just tried to let my mind drift on meaningless details while I worked, going over the cloud constructed furniture in here, marveling at the still fairly straight lines and graceful swirls and swoops decorating the walls. With her out and agitated, this was probably the best shot we had for doing our own plotting, but it wasn't easy.

The general's desk amazingly held a few caps for some insane reason, but little else of interest. A safe in the corner drew Val's attention immediately and she got to work by my side, claws raking the wispy tumblers of the lock that was impervious to any but pegasi and griffons, and me I supposed.

There was a display case to the side with a red metal ball I floated over to roll around on the desk by the current helmet and various parts. One of the things down there with Virescent, a metal buckball with seams and a hoof shaped dial, an empty shell apparently. Why would he put this on display?

"I'm fine Summer... good enough, this isn't working though. Virescent's ahead of us at every turn, she can read our minds for Luna's sake! I can't even try to come up with some kind of plan thing or stupid idea without her knowing about it. This is the time for any bright ideas you guys, she's outside and worked up, how do you beat a mindreader Ivy?"

The green alicorn slumped and shrugged, reloading her unfamiliar assault rifle in the well preserved office, while the rest of the Brotherhood spread out and took up defensive positions in the waiting room. They were still in earshot but avoiding us... me... for the most part, listening as Ivy spoke. "It is not easy... The Destroyer had to erase her own memories and use a zebra, but she was able to escape our mother's eye to make her plans before implementing them.

Coming up with something here? Directly under my sister's watchful gaze? I do not know Fast, the two of us can keep things from her like you had to with my sisters back home, focus on building mental defenses as much as possible. But as you know, it is a constant strain to not let your surface thoughts betray you, and if she really wants to know, she's strong enough to get the answers.

She doesn't have to try to learn from us either, anything the others know is an open book to her. Except Valkyrie of course, I imagine that's why her pawns seem so focused on her, she can't read the griffon's thoughts. Perhaps the three of us could work together? That's the best chance to get anything past her anyway, that or distracting her..."

"Distract how?"

Ivy looked away and blushed, answering in a quiet voice and wincing at Summer's reaction. "The best way to distract her is you Fast... you know our weaknesses when it comes to a male, if she were.... occupied... by you, I doubt she'd be capable of any other activity considering her current state and your.... prowess in that arena... She is already close to becoming completely drunk on power, it would take little to push her over the edge."

(Yes.... Come distract me, please...)

"Not happenin' boss, I'm still waitin' ta cash in on my pay, she ain't line jumpin' just cause she's tubby now. Ya ain't goin'..." Val growled from the safe she was working on, giving me a flat stare that said more than her teasing, she wouldn't let me even consider trying to deal with Virescent to save the others.

"Y-You mean just send him down there to... w-with her!?! No! That's what she wants! W-We can't just give in and do that! F-Fast can't... not with that giant evil bitch!" Summer yelped and got the attention of her comrades, returning them to the same argument again.

(Jealousy... how amusing. I'm not evil though, I'm doing good! When she is elevated to our status, she will see.)

"That's w-what she wants!?! Just g-get down there and s-shag her already then! Let us get out of this d-damn maze and get b-backup!" The squad's medic Poultice piped up with a quaver in his voice, Virescent's games were getting to him.

Of course having a pair of long horned mutants freeze him and try to drag him off to turn them into one of them would do that, his armor was still frosty as he shivered in place. Virescent seemed to like pairing the mutants with their non mutanted counterparts, let them see exactly what was in store for them and increase their stress.

"Ya'll mean if he goes down there and just does the horizontal mambo, we can get outta here? Maybe that there's the best option sir, we know she won't hurt him right?" Knight Barrel latched on to the overheard conversation as they spread out and checked all entrances to the room we had cleared.

(Never little male... I'd never harm a precious stallion, just the opposite. He's right, if you come to me, I will let them go happily. We can take our revenge on the Institute together...)

"Of course that's what the big bitch wants him for, what they all want him for! Why a male alicorn is so fucking dangerous!! They want to breed, to spread and take over everything! Replace the rest of ponykind! Why do you think they won't hurt him huh?! SHE CAN'T! She'll just keep sending her mutant freaks after us until she gets what she wants, unlike them he actually turned into what they needed all this time!

Letting him go to her only makes more of them too! The best option would be if the huge cunt just fucked you to death like that while we get out!" Knight Dervish screamed to her fellow soldiers, ever since she turned the mutant she recognized to ash, she had gotten colder and angrier.

(Yes, she keeps thinking bad things about you, I may have to intervene with that one... She brings up an unfortunate point though, I suppose I'll have to be very delicate when you do come to me... I so enjoy being like this though, I'm loathe to give it up, surely you're up to the task aren't you Fast?)

Virescent was back to barely restrained mating urges again, making me gulp at all the mental images she was going through figuring out practicalities. She wasn't going to bleed off any of the power she had stored up by flying around outside, actually planning on returning to soak up more and grow larger instead, making Knight Dervish's hope a distinct possibility if she did get ahold of me.

"Escape isn't the mission soldier. If she's sitting on that stockpile, that's all the more reason to take it from her, that's what we're doing. If we have to take her down to do it, so be it, mind reading won't stop a missile." Steel Dance stamped down on whatever hope his fellow Steel Ranger was clinging to, still focused on his mission, including the things he hadn't bothered to share.

Ivy snorted at his simplistic plans though, giving a chuckle as she shot him down. "A missile in her state is a gnat, a minor nuisance at best. Provided she even lets you fire it, mind reading may not stop a missile, but it will turn you into a vegetable before you pull the trigger. I wouldn't count on her letting you go either, if you escape you'll alert the rest of your order to her trap. If none of you return, they'll send more into the same pitfall. With no protection of any kind, all of you are mere puppets to her if she chooses."

"She bleeds, she can die. No matter how big and powerful she is, we'll take her down and accomplish our mission. The Lightbringer killed one of your kind in that state, a squad of Brotherhood troops can do that much." Dance was getting frustrated, stamping his armored hooves, looking for any option and sounding like he looked forward to killing Virescent himself.

Summer was loyal to her Paladin partner and smart, going over the map and her knowledge of Fort Loyalty, looking out the small windows behind my seat to track the huge alicorn swooping along outside and venturing a suggestion. "There's the dragonslayer cannons sir... up above in the dome? She's flying right in range of them now! If we can get to them and get them working, they may be able to take her down..."

It was a good idea that Paladin Dance latched onto immediately, going over her map with her and marking his new objective. It presented a bit of a problem for me though, Virescent was ...annoying, haughty, self righteous and superior, but other than flattening Knight Goose for attacking me, she hadn't really done much pure evil that would make me feel the same.

I disliked her, but I couldn't quite hate her. She ponynapped Jade, but she thought she was helping her at the time. She had attacked me for invading her church when I was still normal, but now she was adoringly friendly. She had been working with the Institute, which did raise a spark of anger, but she had been fooled and lied to, used... Like killing the non-hostile mutants, it was hard to want to kill a pony that only wanted to... I wasn't quite above flattery ok?

The leader of Trinity Tower's words still weighed on me any time I faced one of Jade's sisters as an enemy too, they might be able to reproduce now thanks to me (hopefully...), but there were still so few of them. Every one that died was an irreplaceable product of their mother the Goddess, a unique life that could do such good if they wanted. Watching her outside, I couldn't help focusing on how dark her coat and mane were, a green that was bordering on black, she had barely changed from her time under the goddess, didn't she deserve the chance?

Maybe it was partially her constant griping about species, not wanting to kill another alicorn like ...myself I guessed, but I just felt uncomfortable killing her if I could avoid it. She was misguided, had done bad things, but so had pretty much everybody here at one point or another. The Steel Rangers hording technology and ignoring the world for ages, the Enclave for closing the sky and invading after 200 years, Val for her time as a Gunner, Ivy for what she had done under her mother's control, me for.... for a lot. If we all deserved redemption then so did she.

(I... I have done nothing that requires redemption, but I liked that thought Fast, very warm... See, you like me! You should come to me, think more thoughts like that about me, concern and caring... very intriguing, I want more.)

(I'm trying not to hate you Virescent, that's not the same thing. Remember you hated me when I was still normal.) While the others were catching their breath and reloading, I took the opportunity to try reasoning with Virescent again, not that it had been very successful so far.

(Y-Yes... at the time you were just a weak, annoying pony, but since you were blessed by the mother's perfect form and ascended, you are greater than you were.)

(So all it took was a pair of wings for you to change your opinion? I'm still the same pony I was before, hell I'm still short! Not quite perfection huh? All you're talking about is the outside Virescent. You hated me because I was normal, you love me because I'm an alicorn, is the outside all that matters? Don't you think or feel anything for yourself?) I asked hopefully, she was wavering and I could feel emotional turmoil vaguely, come on, just stop being crazy...

(N-No... Yes... It depends... W-We are superior! I do not like this talk anymore, I'm growing restless and lonely, most of all I am growing impatient... Your friends wish to continue then we shall, until you relent and come to me. I am tired of waiting. I want you to think more warm thoughts like that about me, care about me, be with me, NOW!)

Our short conversation had left me glazed and staring at nothing while the others argued in the main room outside and the island shook again, Virescent crawling back down the mooring tower to her lair most likely. Ivy was watching carefully beside Val working on the wispy lock as I shook it off and blinked, coming back to reality. More red dashes were already moving around us and Virescent wouldn't answer anymore, other than the increasing rumbles under our hooves, leaving only one option for now, keep fighting and keep moving.

Ivy nickered by me and tilted her head as she spoke, "That was good Fast... you confused her. Virescent was exposed to far too much negative emotion out of ponies in her duties and clung to zealotry to protect herself, I doubt she's felt such warm emotion before. If you can get her to listen again, try to use that, you can be very sweet and caring, it is most likely completely foreign to her." 'Be Kind...'

"Aha! Got it, toughy boss, hmm buncha boring papers, old world bits... bah! Bunch'a crap is all." Val groaned behind me as the safe swung open under her expert skills, disclosing a bit of junk and preserved papers in file folders, stamped with angry red CLASSIFIED across them.

Val might not care, but Steel Dance tromped right over and reached for the files like he was on a mission, stymied by Val snatching them away and holding them back. He snorted through his helmet and glared blankly at the griffon, holding a hoof out impatiently. "You don't want those, I do. Give them over please."

"Ah, ah, ah... yer awful interested ain't ya Dance? Must be somethin' valuable, how much ya gimme? What's in these anyway? Hmmm... a ball?" Val dodged away behind my chair and rifled through the files, holding them sideways and upside down, her violet eyes flicking over the pages in confusion.

Considering the empty shell rolling on the desk in front of me, her mention of 'ball' got my attention. "Let me see that Val, I bet you're right and it is valuable..."

She slapped the files on the desk in front of me happily, moving to block Dance from coming around the desk and snatching them away gruffly. "Back off big fella, I opened that safe, that's mine an' the boss' till he says different. Still ain't too happy with you Brotherhood myself, yer runnin' low on the trust department. 'Cept shorty Scribe I guess, she's ok."

In exchange for the files, Val grabbed the red metal shell from the desk and tossed in playfully as I read, keeping Dance back subtly but relentlessly, the Steel Ranger seemed to be getting upset and worried... What was in these anyway? Hmm, advanced spell work, spell matrix design notations, an expoded diagram of the weird buckball Val was juggling... Design schematics, schematics for a weapon...

"More 'Need to Know' bullshit Dance? You seem awful interested in these, the Brotherhood planing on producing their own... Buckbombs?"

Paladin Dance's helmet slid back and I got to look in his stern grey eyes, daring him to lie to me with my burning red ones. This time he didn't at least, huffing angrily and jabbing a hoof out at the ancient files. "I was briefed on the possibility of those schematics being here and told to recover them if possible. I'm sure you can arrange a hefty sum for them griffon, but I need them, now."

"No. I don't think so, like she said, you're running low in the trust department Dance, and that hurts too, I thought we were friends. I'm keeping these for now, I'll decide what to do with them once you start being straight with me. Val, they're all yours, if he tries to take them, torch them."

My fiery friend was positively giddy at the orders, rubbing her dark claws together and forgetting about the Buckbomb shell she had tossed to the ceiling, letting it fall to the desk and break apart down the middle. It cracked like an egg and disclosed a hidden treasure to boot, a glowing orange ball...

Everyone froze a moment but Val, reaching out and grabbing it in her claws, another memory orb she tucked away quickly before I got ahold of it, grumbling under her breath. "Don't even think it boss, not zonkin' out with a giant filly on our heels. Reminds me though, I sorta... er... found another of these things in that funny house with the secret cave under the bed... forgot about it, heh..."

"You found a memory orb in Fairlines Val!?! Why didn't you give it to me yet! That was an Institute head's house if I'm right!!" I yelped back, at least distracted from our situation at the thought of the precious treasure she had been holding on to.

She did manage to look a bit shamed, scratching her sweaty plumage and grinning, "Er... well, I told ya I don't like them things boss. We was in a hurry, found it in the safe and tucked it away. Hadn't thought of it till we found this one... sorry?"

I frowned up at her from my seat, we were going to have a talk later about this later, but I wanted that ball right now, tempted to just order her to give it over when she danced away. I wasn't going to view it right this second... probably... but I wanted it. Dance cut her off with the same gesture, he wanted those files badly.

Scribe Wind managed to derail the oncoming argument between us, stamping a hoof at her Paladin before trotting around the desk to see what I was working on. "What are you doing to these helmets Fast? Is that the communication relay? Why would you wire it like..."

"RADIO! I'm making a better [radio]... If all these mutants are networked together through Virescent, umm thought we should have better way to communicate too... Don't think about it too hard Summer. Please..."

The pegasus filly raised an eyebrow at me curiously, but seemed to take my meaning and trust me. Looking away from the innards of the helmet I had pulled away from her view protectively and nodding rapidly. "R-Right! Radio, of course Fast. Well then, all this fighting isn't helping us, I suggest we go to the dragonslayer cannon array sir, see if it can be made operable and if that monster will even let us."

(Go ahead, why would I fear pony weapons? Wander where you will my little male, but hurry, my patience is not without end...)

"Right, that's a plan then, show me the way Summer, I'll keep leading and killing..."

The dark Shroud in my head muttered at the thought of more death, keeping up my defenses against Virescent was weakening them elsewhere, the strain was getting to me just like it was the Brotherhood. Worse yet Virescent could hear it just like Ivy did, but it seemed to hide from her less, maybe because of her obvious interest.

(I like that voice... full of power and strength.... like me... You shouldn't fear it Fast, stop holding it back, clinging to being a weak, normal pony, fighting your divine nature as one of our perfect new breed. Come to me and I will show you...)

(Leave it alone Virescent, it's not good for anypony. Maybe I'll come, if you behave...)

A series of running firefights brought us up and near the outer walls of Fort Loyalty, providing a bit more grey light from the overcast day outside to work by as we trudged on, closer to the round chamber on my pip-buck map. I still had a slight hitch in my step from what I firmly chose to believe was accidental friendly fire from our last encounter, a few 5mm rounds to the flank that itched as the healing potion pushed the bits of lead out of my hide.

The others had fared less well too, the Brotherhood's power armor was splashed with blood here and there and slowly trying to self repair with almost no metal around to strip for materials, a weakness to making almost everything out of clouds. If it weren't for the light green unicorn Medic Poultice, we'd all be in a lot more trouble.

By his sweaty face and sparking horn when he spoke up tiredly, he didn't have much left though. "Umm... excuse me Ma'am, but you said something about protection? Is there a way to keep her out of our heads?"

Ivy smiled sweetly to him and nodded back wearily. "There are ways, I am providing some protection for you already, though it is very difficult and not enough, hopefully she won't be able to just take one of you over as she likes. It takes a strong mind to keep one of us out though.

One of the best protections is a certain set of statues, but there are only 42 of them in Equestria. Barring that, mental discipline can keep us back somewhat, memory orbs like Valkyrie's earlier find would erase your mind from her view, but you'd be unconscious of course, or there are other options like..."

I facehoofed as she remembered the same thing I had been working on all this time, panicking at the racing thoughts and trying to shield them from Virescent. Had to keep it secret, don't think about it! Falling back on what I knew, I paused in the middle of the hall and started belting out a croaking song;

"What if there was a place with all the zip of Sparkle-Cola
Wouldn’t that be the cheer-cheer-cheeriest place in all the world!"

(What are you doing? Why are you singing that?)

The Brotherhood troops all looked at me like I had lost my mind, it was the only thing I could think of though. Had to keep it a secret just awhile longer or Virescent would do anything to stop me. Singing was the only thing I knew for sure really messed with unity, the mares of Trinity Tower had still been humming the old world jingle under their breath the last time I saw them.

"Where the river’s made of Rad and the mountaintops are fizz
With fun and games and rides for all the moms and pops and kids!"

(Stop that.... it is annoying Fast, stop your playing and come to me already! Singing silly songs when I am waiting!)

I had my eyes clenched against Virescent's probing thoughts trying to get past the barrier of the Sparkle World jingle, looking desperately to Ivy willing her not to continue her answer as she intended. She seemed to catch on without being able to read my mind, a benefit to spending so much intimate time together Virescent didn't have.

She nodded slowly and turned to the others with a short cough. "O-Other options like that, singing disrupts our efforts. It is thin protection for you, but helpful. Think of the catchiest, most annoying earworm of a song you know, one that gets stuck in your head and won't go away. It makes a kind of mental shield so to speak, that is what Fast is doing."

"Well it turns out there’s a place with all the zip of Sparkle-Cola
(Come on down to Sparkle-World and see it for yourself!)"

I nodded desperately to the others, waving with a hopeful, pleading look, encouraging them to reluctantly join in my continuing horrible rendition, I had Virescent singing along now... it was sticking in her head and messing with her, giving me room to breathe. Dragonslayer cannons, a room full of Balefire Eggs that could be dumped somehow, cloudy structures that could be turned to thunderclouds, and an overstimulated giant alicorn that barely fit in the passage to her lair... Maybe we could... Don't think about it, just don't think while thinking about it, no problem....

I could feel Virescent growing frustrated from her lair as Knight Barrel flattened his ears and chuckled. "That right there's pretty much already the most annoyin' damn song I ever heard, just hummin' along will help?"

Scribe Wind piped up in a small but pretty voice with no encouragment, joining in the old world jingle and shoving her compatriots into joining in too, fluttering from one to the other and raising her voice proudly with me in answer to Knight Barrel, nudging him into joining as well as she sang brightly.

"Rarity's Classy Kiddie Kingdom’s lots of fun for foals like you and me!"

(Fluttershy's Safari Adventure’s full of magical creatures and animals to see!
Nnn... stop that Fast... quit trying to block me!)

So we made a bizarre little parade down the dusty halls, singing together and putting aside our differences to join our voices in song, keeping Virescent back as she kept mentally joining in despite herself. The Brotherhood made it through one rendition of the Sparkle World song, switching to a marching cadence I had to learn on the go with them, but was very familiar to them.

"Mama mama can’t you see,
what the Brotherhood’s done to me.

They put me in power armor,
now mutant monsters do no harm.

Mama mama can’t you see,
what the Brotherhood’s done to me.

They trained me up on big guns,
now just watch those zombies run."

That seemed even better actually, something they sang in training, under all kinds of conditions, monotonously while marching. It made a low buzz that severely impacted Virescent's efforts as we headed for the domed structure containing the dragonslayer cannons. Unfortunately that left her frustrated and increasingly agitated, she was down in her lair again, soaking up radiation and getting even bigger, closer to going out of control the longer she sat there without relief, her thoughts becoming stronger and more simplistic every minute.

(WANT... NEED... COME... MATE...)

Kept hammering into my brain as we moved, more rumbles shaking the fort, no moaning though... she was moving again, flashes of her squeezing her way out through the increasingly tight fit of the mooring tower. Ivy looked up with others at the noise and wispy cracks forming on the walls, whispering warily. "She is reaching her limit... becoming less rational and more driven by instinct, this may be a problem Fast... you might have to help keep her focused..."

"Keep her focused how? What are you talking about green? You two plotting with that thing while we're trying to keep her out?" Knight Dervish growled between verses, still singing but still cold towards us.

"Certainly not, it is hard to keep her out completely though, we hear her. Believe it or not, it is keeping her from being much more effective. Absorbing that much power is intoxicating, we can lose our senses, fall to a... radiation stupor I suppose, become drunk on it and very simple.

Virescent is barely above that point and not a frequent drinker so to speak. If she loses control... well on the one hoof there won't be any clever mental games anymore..." Ivy answered in a lecturing tone, still watching above warily as the shaking stopped and soft flapping noises drifted in from the windows, the wind picking up outside.

Paladin Dance turned towards her to ask the follow up, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "And on the other? What?"

"On the other hoof... instead of being subtle she'd become very, very, VERY direct... like... oh dear... Sister.. don't...." Ivy's answer was cut off as she turned to the dirty windows lining the hall, the marching cadence of the Brotherhood dying on their tongues as they followed her worried stare out.

A huge green head was peering in at us, glowing green eyes slitted like a greedy dragon's, full of heart shaped sparkles and radiating pink in the irises, glowing with triumph as it centered on me gawking at her. Her gaping maw opened and I spotted long fangs dripping drool as she shouted right on top of us, not in our heads but with a booming goddess voice that made all of us stagger back.

"THERE YOU ARE!! NO MORE WAITING! MATING NOW!!!"

Her gigantic foreleg drew back slowly as the others scrambled, shooting forward and smashing through the wall behind us, collapsing the hall behind her while it wriggled forward, reaching towards us like a freight train. A hoof that filled the hall entirely, trailing wisps of cloudy walls and pushing rubble and junk ahead of it, shoving its way towards me.

I may have just stood there like a stone and let her grab me, the others were scrambling and running for our destination ahead, firing uselessly against the big hoof or out the windows, annoying her at best. Beyond just the fear she brought up staring in like that, smashing through walls and bringing a good portion of the fort down in her efforts, there was the smell... It filled my nostrils even from here, she had completely lost it and was now only focused on mating, no more psychological games, no more running through her maze, if she didn't get what she wanted she'd destroy everything.

Worse yet, part of me desperately wanted to give it to her. My mane itched furiously, my wings sprang up even as Summer tugged me away by the tail and Val joined her, leaning against their grip towards that heavenly female smell...

The little pegasus ran around to shove at my puffed up chest, slapping me across the muzzle and glaring at me, pushing with all her might as she screamed, pointing down the only escape left to us. "Stop it Fast!! MOVE!"

Right... run from the rampaging giant alicorn, not towards her... I staggered after Summer and the others, down the dim hallways of the crumbling fort, trying not to even look back at the reaching foreleg wiggling after us, the whining cries echoing in my head.

"Come back! Come back NOW! I WANT! I NEED! DO NOT RUN!!!"

The force of even attempting to talk to her mentally made me sway as we kept going, joining the others and slowing slightly as we got far enough away to make it difficult for Virescent to follow. Not impossible though, her hoof withdrew only to smash another hole in the walls right beside us, a clumsy, flapping dive barely putting me ahead of it as we neared the round chamber on my map. The gun emplacement would serve as no barrier whatsoever to her even if we got there, if she didn't demolish most of Fort Loyalty before we reached it.

(Virescent! Behave!! I'll... I'll come to you! Down in your lair, I promise! Just don't hurt anypony! You're going to bring the whole place down! If you hurt any of my friends, I will never do what you want! I'll tell you what I told your sisters, I only find good and kind mares attractive, you're being bad! I-If you're good, I'll... I'll give you this!) I gambled and sent one frantic thought as we hit the locked doors labeled as 'Dragonslayer Dome', giving Virescent a direct download of the most recent gymnastic acts Periwinkle had come up with in her battered notebook from the Pony Sutra. Suddenly very grateful for the odd mare's long litany of things she had wanted to try with me over the last week, her creative demands gave me ammo to use...

We huddled together, Val picking the lock in a rush and diving into the echoing space beyond, slamming the door behind us uselessly as the shaking stopped. A moment's quiet that was slowly broken by a rising rumble and moan from outside, if nothing else, that did it. Virescent was still out of control, but now rhythmically shaking the whole island, voicing a wordless cry of bliss and relief just from the private memories of my time with Periwinkle.

Finally the cloudquakes tapered off, dust and fluff drifting down from the cracked, curved ceilings and huge loose shells for the impressive rusty cannons taking up the center of the circular space rolling around. A husky mental voice eventually spoke up weakly, still full of want and very distracted.

(You will come? T-Then I will go and wait... but not long Fast. I will do as you wish, let these insects go entirely, no matter anymore if the Institute lied. But you must come to me, you must come now! Please...)

Phew... good enough, I slumped to the floor, exhausted just from brushing that out of control mind with my own, checking my most recent wounds and panting up to the others, looking up in terror at the gale force winds produced by her wings outside.

"O-Ok... bought us a little more time... not much..." I floated out the last helmet I was working on, tinkering with it between my hindlegs on the floor quickly while she was still barely in control.

Nopony else heard that private back and forth, but Ivy did and looked aghast. She shook her head forcefully and cried out in negation. "Fast you can't! S-She will never let you leave! If she actually has you in front of her like that... she'll lose control completely! She may actually hurt you by accident in that state!"

(N-No... I will be careful... gentle... not hurt...)

"Can't what boss... what're ya doin' with that telepathic nonsense!? You ain't goin' to her stupid! NOT HAPPENING!" Val hissed and was joined by Summer, all three looking furious and completely unwilling to even entertain the idea.

(My friends will need help leaving so we can... h-have p-privacy... three of them can't fly Virescent, I won't leave them here.) I tried to avoid their scowls and keep working on my plan-ish... thing... I was not thinking of, while also thinking of it. Trying to keep Virescent worked up and focused on what she wanted, rather than what I did.

For once that darker part of myself was helping, reaching out and in some kind of a feedback loop of lust with her. Schizophrenic possibilities aside, the warm voices of the Ministry Mares couldn't do what it was, tying Virescent's mind up with 'MINE' and 'MORE' while I tried to work. She answered absently, like whatever happened to the others was of no consequence at all, panting and moaning back mentally with a whine.

(Sky carriages... garage... below... will order drones... take it and leave us... hurry!)

Knight Dervish tromped over at my raspy reassurance and that armored scorpion tail was at my throat, her helmet sliding away to reveal her sweaty red mane in her crazed blue eyes. "That's it, putting an end to you now before she gets you monster. Can't let more terrors like that cunt take over Equestria, have to get rid of you, fix our mistakes, restore the world..." The Brotherhood mare was shaky and terrified, having a gargantuan alicorn smashing the building around us had pushed her too far. She was working herself up to it, I did still look like a normal pony for the most part after all, not as easy as ending another mutant, but she was getting there.

Val, Ivy and Scribe Wind were suddenly right there, a boxy M.E.W. like Righteous Authority that she had given me in the pegasus' muzzle and aimed at her comrade's head, Val's cannon of a pistol joining it while her other weapons and Ivy's assault rifle covered the other stunned Brotherhood.

Summer yelped in a pained voice. "D-Don't do it Whirling! Don't make me... You can't!! Fast is good, I won't let you do this!"

"Take that fuckin' thing off the boss or I blow yer brains out bitch, I ain't got no problems like yer friend there..." Val growled and cocked the pistol in warning.

"All of you stand down! THAT'S AN ORDER! You will not fall to insubordination and barbarism! We still have our mission!" Paladin Dance tried to take control of the situation, ordering his furious Knight to lower her weapon and not getting compliance.

I looked up at her wearily, I was so tired of feeling her hate, my wounds taken trying to protect them so far still hurt, my mane itched, I had to get to work to save her and she wanted to kill me just for being... me. For existing... Is this what it was like for Jade and her sisters all this time? Why Jade had nightmares of being called a monster, of being alone? This kind of thinking had hurt her so much, she didn't have them nearly as much anymore, but I remembered them when we met.

'Be Kind...' Ugh... I sighed and stared at the trembling Knight blearily, my eyes watering at the furious hate in her eyes, the conflicted terror in poor Summer's, protecting me from her own... "Please don't do this Knight Dervish. I'm trying to help, really. It's not much, but I think I have a plan and it's the best shot we have. Please... I'm so tired and hurt already, I'm losing control of my temper and I don't want to hurt you or anypony else, I just want to go home, don't you?"

"G-Go home and make more of your kind! Mate with every one of those monsters you see! Fill the wasteland with them! Y-You can't be allowed to... There are terrorist groups back in the NCR harassing the Angels and Followers just for trying to make what you are, if they knew... I-I'd be a hero...

Star Paladin Dance, Knight Barrel, Poultice, you know I'm right! What would the mighty alicorn hunter say?! Would Steelhooves let a male live?! Senior Scribe! You saw the things they did! How can you forget Fillydelphia and... h-he's not a pony anymore! He's a monster!" The shaky Knight stammered, eyes flicking to her comrades repeatedly, trying to convince them or convince herself, it wasn't clear.

'Be Dark...' growled out, offering all the ways I could kill her now. She was trembling and twitchy, I could still take her and survive, a blast of lightning at point blank range would do it, diving forward into the blindspot of those rifles and biting her face off would too... The rattle of loosening chains rang in my head, a hiss of a black stasis pod opening wider as my eyes burned.

I moved... lightning arcing around me for an instant to propel me forward, tackling the crazed mare and stunning her as it crackled over her armor, barely noticing a shallow gash at my throat dribbling blood. I pinned her under me, feeling my fangs ache and staring at her neck as she struggled, earth pony strength overwhelming pegasus power armor.

"I AM TRYING TO HELP YOU DAMMIT! Don't make me hurt you to do it!!! I am not a monster! If I was I'd rip your fucking throat out right now and be done with your goddess damned whining! I can't help what I am, I can help you, if you'll just let me already!!"

I panted in place over her, getting control as her struggles slowly eased and she looked up petulantly, no one daring to move as my starmetal knife had somehow sliced off her barbed tail and found its way to her throat in all that. I stashed it away and tried to give her a kind look of apology, "Please Knight Dervish, please, I'm begging you. Trust me. I'm not a monster, just a pony like you. Put this on and see."

I hated tipping my hoof, but had to give up this secret while Virescent was still on the edge. I replaced Knight Dervish's insectile helmet with the one from the recon squad I had tinkered with, attaching it to the waiting ports and stepping away. I floated out the others I had made the same modifications to, using up most of my store of junk and spare parts in the process, giving one to Knight Barrel and the Institute made one to Paladin Dance, floating over a pair of basic headbands for Medic Poultice and Scribe Wind that should do the same thing.

As soon as I moved back, Val grabbed me by the scruff, yanking me to her side and hugging a little too forcefully, turning to put herself between me and Knight Dervish shakily getting back to her hooves. She still had her weapon trained on the pegasus Knight, barely restrained murder in her voice. "Let me kill her boss, bitch did it twice now, two times too many, she will again... Had me just about enough of you snotty Brotherhood assholes, boss is worth ten of any of ya."

"I-It's ok Val, it's ok, let it go." I buried my face in her fluffy neck to wipe away tears, being hated for just being what you were sucked...

I suddenly felt horrible empathy for Jade and her sisters, ghouls, zebras, pegasi, griffons... ponies could be so cruel if you weren't what they wanted you to be. I'd been lucky and been with friends since I changed, being exposed to true prejudice hurt, it hurt so much, and it fed that dark part of myself more hate...

The Brotherhood ponies all looked around warily, holding the helmets and headbands I had been working on this whole time without focusing on them while I did so. They had to trust me, turn them on... they wouldn't explode... probably... They'd work, it was actually fairly simple arcano-tech work, just not something anypony ever had to worry about in the old world, but not that difficult to copy once somepony else had built it and proved it worked.

"You heard him, put those on. I trust Fast, if you trust me, if you are true Brotherhood of Friendship and not well armed raiders... you will do the same, right now. Believe in me like I believe in you, nothing will change if we don't try right? Ad Victorium soldiers!" Paladin Dance removed his helmet and replaced it with the green and white advanced Institute version, letting it connect to his armor and slide back in place.

The others gulped and followed suit, only Summer had no trepidation, tucking the headband over her red Scribe cap and powering it on with a warm smile to me. Knight Dervish was last of course, glaring as it slid into place, covering her scowl and activating with a hum.

All of them seemed to relax just a hair, their postures becoming less tense as Virescent boomed from below us in surprise and fear. "What was that!! Where did you go! What have you done!!!"

(Insurance Virescent... I don't want you in their heads while they leave. I er... I want all your attention on me, they don't matter anyway right? Who cares if you can't read their minds anymore, you can still read me right, how do you like this thought to tide you over until I get there?)

Sending another of Peri's pages effectively ended her complaints, more moaning rumbles making rust drift down from the towering dragonslayer cannons in here that I stared at meaningfully to Summer. Virescent couldn't read their minds! It worked! But she could still hear me, blocking her was totally on my weakening defenses, not the clever psionic shielding gadgets the Institute had come up with. I had to tell them what to do, hope they understood without saying anything, trust them...

I trudged around the large, round room as I spoke tiredly, glancing at the condition of the cannons retracted and pointing straight up. I was glad to see they were in good condition, but couldn't think too hard about them. Instead I wandered about, checking the shelves full of huge shells for the cannons, crates full of parts I raided, causing my pip-buck to update as I talked;

Mission Updated: Old Guns

Objectives-------
---~~Find parts and ammo for Castle Equinox's weapons~~

"She can't get in your heads anymore, those things protect you so don't take them off. I got her to agree to let you go, they're pulling a sky carriage out from the motor pool to take you away. If you can get these big doors here open... you could just head right down where they're putting it..."

I stared and jerked my head at the huge curved doors in the dome over our heads, blinking rapidly at them and over to the rusty cannons, down to summer, back to the guns, down to Val and Paladin Dance, back to the doors. Come on... please understand...

"H-How'd you convince her?" Knight Dervish sounded less crazed, maybe I got through to her, maybe Virescent's presence had been messing with them this whole time, maybe she was even wearing down their inhibitions like she was with me. I hoped so...

Val grabbed my collar and lifted me up, shaking me like a rag doll and scowling at me. "Only one way that bitch would agree, ya ain't goin' boss! I ain't havin' it! You know what Blue would do to me if I let ya... I don't like it neither! I-I'm ahead of her! You can't... you don't wanna, I know you don't! Yer a big baby 'bout that stuff! Not lettin' ya whore yerself out just ta save these assholes!!"

I leaned forward and grabbed her feathery cheeks in my hooves, planting a long kiss on her beak gratefully. "I need you to trust me Val. It'll be ok, you're my faithful bodyguard right? You'll have your chance to guard my body, believe me. You have to be ready to fly, get them out of here... be in the air to support them..."

Non verbal communication was so hard, I made meaningful faces I hoped she understood, eyeing the guns and the big doors out, glancing back towards the source of all the rumbles. Please understand, we were closer than just telepathy, she knew me and I knew her, I knew she could get this.

Ivy helped, I think she could grasp the unformed thoughts I was shielding so desperately, employing her advantages over her sister. Intimacy trumped telepathy, she held a gentle hoof up to Val's shaking claws and got her to lower me to the floor again reluctantly. "M-My sister will do anything to get Fast to agree to come to her as he has apparently. She can no longer influence any of you or know what you are doing... We must believe in Fast and take this opportunity he is giving us, I'm sure it will work out if we all work together..."

I nodded to all of them and flapped up to dive at the beautiful green alicorn on my side, giving her own long kiss and stroking her mane, filled with appreciation for her unwavering trust. Letting go was hard, raging urges warring with Virescent's wanted any possible outlet, any mare, whoever was closest, had to keep them under control.... use them...

Tearing myself away, I flew back to the doors out, holding a hoof to my muzzle in a shushing gesture and pointing with the other foreleg, Summer, guns, Val, doors, Dance, Virescent's rumbles, outside, I just hoped they got it. I landed awkwardly at the small door out the way we came, tackled by a small, warm, yellow bundle of soft pony.

Summer pinned me with shimmering eyes, initiating her own kiss as deep as the ones I gave Val and Ivy on her own and glaring back at her comrades, daring them to say something. Her face was brilliantly red, but she stammered on anyway, giving a whinny and hugging me tightly. "Y-You... you do what you have to, b-but not... Y-You come back Fast! Come back and leave with us, all together. We'll be ready to go when you make your move, I believe in you. You all better too! T-This is a good pony, he won't let us down!"

Disentangling myself from her tight grip was so hard, she was so warm and kind, sweet and wonderful. I wanted her, not Virescent... wanted to make her 'MINE'.... Nnngh!! Focusing that voice was getting harder and harder, had to go now while I could. I gasped and pulled away, nodding to her but averting my eyes to stay in control. "T-Thank you Summer, I believe in you guys too. Y-You'll know it when it happens..."

At that I dashed away, running off alone down the crumbling, fluffy halls filled with cloudy rubble, wondering which way to go only for a few turns. A hulking yellow-green earth mutant was waiting, dull eyes staring down as it spoke with a gravely voice. "You come, this way. Lady Virescent wants."

"R-Right... lead on big guy..." I looked up at the mutant and fell in beside it, down into the depths of Fort Loyalty, towards the resupply depot Virescent had turned into her lair. Closer to the storm of want and need raging in my head.

"S-So... What's your name pal?" I tried to fill the trip down the dark hallways by speaking with my guide, still curious about what these flawed mutants were really like. I could have ended up like them after all.

It looked like it took him... her? ...it... a moment to process the question, blinking down at me and answering. "Strong."

"Strong? Er... Strong what? Strong Heart? Strong Back? Strong Buck? Strong..."

"Just Strong, cause I'm strong. No silly pony names. You strong too, kill lots of others, kill good for tiny pony." Strong faced forward again, leading us on unerringly, only seeming to speak because I pestered him into it. Virescent must be too busy to really direct all of them, I could feel her working herself up, giddy as a schoolfilly as I approached as slowly as I could.

"Umm... thanks, I guess? S-Sorry for... killing so many of you... I tried not to, but..."

The big mutant paused in the hall, turning slowly to look at me, heavy minigun battlesaddle following his glacial turn as he tilted his squarish head. "Why sorry? They weak, you strong. You success, we not. We serve, fight, die, what we for."

That... that sounded awful. Was that how they all thought? That they were disposable? "I-It's wrong to kill, especially if you're strong, you should protect the weak, not hurt them. Don't you want to.. do things for yourself? Do more than serve?"

"Strong beat the weak, how it always is, how meant to be. Why protect weak, they just die anyway, so easy to kill them. Weak serve strong, or weak die. Strong live. Strong is strong, but you stronger, Lady Virescent stronger, Strong serve both, Strong live. Don't see how puny pony is so strong though, why play with stupid junk?" The burly mutant looked down at the cloud of components I was assembling, using up several grenades and mines, a lot of duct tape and wonderglue, along with a rather rare remote trigger talisman.

"More insurance, that's all. Junk can be strong if you put it together right, just like weak ponies can be strong when they work together. There's more to life than... I wish I could make you understand Strong, I'd like to try to help your kind, but I don't know anything about you or how to help. I... You can be more, you can be stronger if you just... expand your mind a little I guess... I... lemme try something..."

Strong shrugged and continued on, leading me closer to Virescent at a bored pace as I tried to take advantage of her field of unity surrounding the island. I tried showing him things I had done, how I had felt, coming together and turning Sanctuary from an island of ruined prewar houses, into a kingdom that was doing real good in the Commonwealth. Meeting Preston, the last Minutemare, helping rebuild his order and using force to protect the weak. Getting the mares of Trinity Tower to rejoin the world, help in the battle of Goodneighbor and turn the tide. All the various ponies coming together at Castle Equinox to stand together against the stronger army of the Gunners. The fights I had been in with my friends, all the times I had been saved by them or done the same in turn. Every instance I could think of where us weak ponies had triumphed over the strong, the cruel, the raiders and Gunners, the Institute...

A little of that darkness still grappling with Virescent ahead of us leaked into my thoughts, catching Strong's attention where all the other mental shorthoof had gone mostly ignored. He turned sharply ahead of a final, heavy door labeled 'Resupply Depot', my pip-buck already chattering from the radiation ahead.

"You strong... very strong... Don't know how, want to know. You go to Lady Virescent, make happy, come back, talk boring words. Explain friendship thing, make Strong stronger." My guide grumbled, making up its mind slowly and nodding as it pointed to the door.

"S-Sure Strong... When I'm done I'll try, c-can't keep a lady waiting huh?"

Humor was lost on the hulking mutant, Strong shrugged and turned back the way he came, leaving me to the door and the giant alicorn waiting behind it. Ok... I could do this, I could stay in control, keep Virescent worked up and distracted, gamble and win... Just had to try.

I opened the door and the chatter from my pip-buck turned into a roar, flickering green light pouring out and lighting the hall behind me, stretching my shadow out behind me as I squinted against the glare. I took a tentative step forward, taking in the huge chamber and all the glowing eggs, lit with a sickening rainbow light, some of them leaking guttering green balefire that burned at the walls but never went out.

My searching view was short lived though, a powerful field of dark green magic surrounded me and I was yanked out of the doorway and up, a surge of lust and overwhelming joy pouring into my head as I was floated into the face of a very happy, very big filly...

"AT LAST! YOU HAVE COME! I KNEW YOU WOULD! FILL YOUR PURPOSE MALE! DO WHAT YOU WERE MADE FOR! NOW!!!"

I flattened my ears and winced, peeking back at the huge green eyes right in front of me, filled with sparkles and radiating pink irises, a long tongue coming out to lick her lips and slurp up a string of drool. Virescent was huge... she beat Swan at this point, sitting with her titatic rump buried in fluffy clouds spilling in from the broken walls, holding me in place in front of her head that was twice as big as I was, even discounting the towering horn above me crackling with power.

She had smashed and expanded this already cavernous space, made it into a literal nest that fit her gigantic stature. Her wings were spread across the walls and she lounged back, her fur slick with sweat glistening off her massive curves. Her mane rippled around her head and fluttered around my face as she started snuffling at me, planting eager, sloppy kisses, yanking my armor away piece by piece, though she did let me snatch each back to my bags at least, leaving only them and my hat on.

"E-Easy! Easy Virescent! Slow down!!" I yelped nervously, the dark Shroud in my head might be up for this, but I was definitely not, had to stretch this out as long as I could...

"NO! NO MORE WAITING, WANT! NEED!" Virescent ignored my struggles, working herself up more, thrusting her flanks in place and making the whole island shudder under her.

"Y-You said you'd be gentle remember!! You don't want to hurt me right!? Can't hurt the only male can you!? Y-You want what I showed you, you have to calm down, go slow, take your time and enjoy it! Please!!"

Her huge eyes clenched shut and I was slowly lowered, between her tree trunk hindlegs going up and down in a tantrum, but loose at least... She whined and moaned, but mastered herself slowly, panting down at me and crossing her huge forelegs over the rapid rise and fall of her chest. "WANT! I.. I want.. I want that, yes... I will try, but you must do as you promised, I want what you showed me, ALL of it..."

Phew... ok... I fluttered up cautiously, scanning the room and trying not to think of what I was looking for. At least 100 of the glowing balefire eggs were in here, littering the walls, shoved in cloudy corners and bits of fluff like very deadly candles. The radiation was as distracting as the giant and very willing filly in front of me, my rainbow colored rad meter climbing rapidly from green up to orange, filling me with power and my own needs.

I was walking a razors edge at this point, I didn't want to do this with Virescent, but I did.. and she was right here, so much of her too... an overwhelming cloud of delightful female smell fogging my brain, so much power down here, I could go on and on and on... NO! Focus... Distract her, look for the thing I wanted, hope the others were doing what they should.

I very carefully flew back up to her face and hovered there, reaching out with a foreleg slowly and stroking one burning cheek, getting a long, low purr out of her just for that simple contact. "O-Ok... I will, but slow ok? Gentle. You want more than mating Virescent, what I keep trying to tell you and all your sisters. You want normal pony things like love and care, not just rutting... though I think we both want that too. Just... umm... h-hold still alright, l-let me work and see how you like it. Try to listen to me for once too please?"

Flapping up to her ears and gnawing on the thick, sensitive bits of flesh made her very agreeable, grunting and shaking things up again as she wiggled further into her cloudy seat with a moan. "W-Whatever you say, just continue... I will.. I will stay still.. as much as possible... I will listen..."

Oh good... I could try to do this the nice way at least, 'Be Kind...' try getting through to her in a way words just wasn't. I took advantage of her flowing mane and slid down to her neck, hoping she shared Jade's weaknesses there and continuing in a raspy voice, holding back was getting harder and harder....

"We don't have to fight Virescent, you were fooled by the Institute, you know that now. Working for them is wrong, they won't give what you want, they just think of you, me and everypony as experiments. We're not though, we're all just ponies... and griffons, and zebras, all living beings that deserve the same things... We have advantages, but so do they, we are strong I'll give you that..."

Illustrating my point, my surging magic reached out and started selectively carressing the shivering form under me, a giant set of glowing blue hooves under my control to make up for how out of my weight class I was here. 'Be Strong!' I wasn't sure what she expected out of me with her so much bigger than I was, but I just had to keep her happy awhile and find... aha... 'Awareness!' a big red handle labeled 'EMERGENCY RELEASE', that was one thing down.

I felt her try to regain her concentration and follow that thought, but I was too far into this now, all it took was flapping over to her breast and letting my magic rove lower, elicting a sharp squeal that obliterated all thought for a moment. That gave me an opportunity to toss my little explosive insurance out to the open crate stuck in the fluffy wall, full of red Buckbomb things...

"What about the BuckbommmmssssaaaAAAAHHHH!!!" Virescent tried again, forcing me to step things up a bit, flapping up and away as she thrashed and bucked, long forelegs swinging out and shattering big dents in the already crumbling, cloudy walls, letting wispy fluff leak in the room more.

She eventually got through it, whining weakly and gasping after me flapping just out of range of her wild throes. "Y-You see, you agree, we are strong, we are superior! You would be dead down here with me if you were still weak, instead you are strong, able to do such wonderful things for such a tiny pony..."

"Y-Yeah, I enjoy the benefits Virescent, I'll give you that. But I could do this when I was normal too, m-maybe not down here or on this scale... but I made Jade happy, I was happy with her, you don't have to have me to have this. It's not because of what species I am, it's... f-feelings and stuff... that's what you want. You said you liked the concern and caring?"

"YES! I want more of that, and more of this! More of both! Together!" She wailed as I found another magic button on all that alicorn, squeaking as she grabbed me out of the air and hugged me to her heaving chest, arching her back as her wings flared and filled the room, slowly shoving me down...

"Easy! Gentle remember!! I... I do care Virescent, even if I don't like you much right now, I still care about you as one of Jade's sisters. I LOVE her, because of that those feelings extend even to you. I feel bad for you, want you to see how things could be, how you could change and be more than just this! Look at how dark you are still! Don't you want to change and grow as a pony? Er... m-metaphorically that is..."

"I AM PERFECT AS I AM! DRINK IN MY GLORY! YOU WANT AS WELL, I KNOW, I SEE! YOU HOLD BACK, KEEP YOURSELF REPRESSED! I WANT ALL OF YOU, I WANT LOVE, I WANT MATING, I WANT! NOW!!!"

She bucked crazily as my magic surged and responded against my will, I could feel her in my head, playing with that dark pod in the very depths of my mind, tugging it open in her raging passion as she shoved me further down, towards a lot of warmth and a delicious smell fogging my head. 'Be Unwavering' "Virescent! Stop! Don't mess it that! I-It's dangerous! PLEASE!"

"NO! WANT! NOW! MORE!!!"

I felt the chains loosen under her insistent tugging, could see that black pod #101 opening wider, inky shadows pouring out, creeping into every corner of my mind, answering her passionate cry of 'MORE!' with its own. I was already grinding and groping against her sweaty stomach, no longer fighting her hoof shoving me down, drinking it all in, feeling power suffusing every cell from all this wonderful radiation...

(Fast... self control... we're ready I think... you have to...)

Ivy's mental message barely got through, fighting against the overriding voice of 'MORE!' tolling in my head along with Virescent's rising mental shrieks.

She was right, had to... had to control it... had to do what I came for... stop this... STOP! I focused as hard as I could, clinging to Jade, every wonderful memory of the mare I loved, thinking of my little daughter waiting patiently for me, what she would think if... That did it! I roared in the Shroud's voice and my magic reached out, grabbing that bright red handle on the wall and yanking it down to a blaring alarm.

The bottom dropped out of everything, literally... The resupply depot was at the bottom of the cloud island Fort Loyalty was built on, pulling that emergency release dumped almost everything out of the room as the fluffy floor just fell away, dozens of brightly glowing balefire eggs, shelves, fuel tanks, me and one very surprised giant alicorn, all fell out into the early evening air.

Virescent was shivering and moaning in midair, flapping her mighty wings to stop her plummet and stare down at her treasures falling to the sea. Giving me a confused look with her glowing, dragonish green eyes. "WHAT!? WHY!?! DO NOT STOP!!!"

I fluttered in place, panting and trying to keep a rein on the dark Shroud in my head, furiously agreeing with the huge mare. Demanding something to kill or someone to rut, I had to slap myself to focus, but shook my head and stared in those needy eyes. "No Virescent, no more. I told your sisters, I'll tell you again. I only like nice mares, you had a taste, if you want more you need to change, be better... please."

We hung there in the air together, junk raining down from her lair around us, huge green explosions going off in the sea, along with a few red ones of equal power... vaporizing the water and lighting it in baleful light. She looked like she was trying to process it, angry and frustrated and... hurt... "YOU PROMISED!!!"

I fell into that trap with Peri, not here though, I had been careful. The Shroud's voice leaked into my own, blaring loud enough for her to hear out here in the thankfully fresh air. "Enough temptress! I promised to come and I did, I promised memories and I shared them! Change your vile ways, repent and accept Luna's mercy! Become a good pony and then I may continue, there will be no more than that now. Leave Virescent, calm down and think! Don't do this the hard way!"

"YOU WILL FINISH!!!!"

So much for the easy way... now to hope my random and carefully hidden ideas rattling around in my head where Virescent hadn't gone digging would work. I cast my lightning.... aura... spell, it now flickered all around me when I brought it up every time, it still granted a boost of speed even in the air, and most of all...

I shot back up as Virescent lunged at me, aiming for the wide open resupply depot, blurring through Virescent's lair and noting how many glowing balefire eggs remained stuck in the walls, along with all those buckbombs and my little contribution... The room streaked by as I flapped crazily, hearing the giant Virescent crash back into the room behind me, flying after me towards the long shaft leading up to the cloudship mooring tower at the top of Fort Loyalty.

The brief flashes from her mind and all the rumbling when she went in and out proved out my hope, she had to squeeze her way up after me, grunting and shoving her way up behind me. She had been down there too long, absorbed too much radiation, gotten too out of control and more importantly, too big. She couldn't spread her wings, her gigantic rump kept getting stuck on the pipes and fuel lines running up to the ship docks, ripping them away as she kept climbing with her hooves after me.

That was one insane idea borne out, now to see if I was on a roll or not... I banked towards the cloudy walls leading up, staying ahead of her and tracing a foreleg against the soft surface of the long passage. The walls immediately blackened and rumbled, the roughly cut walls of fluffy, green tinted cloud turning into thunderheads at my touch. I still had absolutely no idea what would happen, but I hoped it worked like normal clouds.

If Virescent wasn't so sex crazed, this would never work... she'd read everything out of my head, use her shield and just plow through the narrow tunnel instead of wiggling her way up frantically, grab me with her magic instead of her desperately reaching hooves. I gambled on her being more out of control than I was, I was still barely winning, but I was nearing the top of the tower that was rapidly turning completely black.

The giant alicorn on my tail kept screaming and wailing, lurching forward with both forelegs and dragging herself up, hindlegs scrambling and digging big chunks of sparking cloud from the walls. I hit the top and soared up just ahead of her, free! Out under the open if overcast sky, the dying light of sunset in the clearer western horizon.

Still flying for all I was worth, I looked back to see the top of the mooring tower, ragged spokes of cloud and rusty pipes branching out for cloudships, all of it rumbling with thunder and roiling in dark colors. It made Virescent's howling exit all the more frightening, a bright green glow filled the open shaft as her forelegs reached out, gripping the edges and hauling herself out, her wings spread and a greedy, triumphant look on her face locking on to mine. One that was suddenly brought short in confusion as her gigantic, round ass wedged in the exit, cutting off her flapping momentum and forcing her to resort to reaching hooves, ones that were still going to overtake me...

"WANT MORE!!!"

"Move it stupid! Jeez you're a terrible flier!!" A dark blur shot past me, leaving a trail of its own thunderclouds and diving right at the tower, was that Knight Dervish's insulting voice?

She shot by me so fast I was left spinning in midair, slowing finally and just spotting the armored Knight slamming into the tower with both hindlegs, using that pegasus magic I was still unfamiliar with expertly. There was a huge crack of thunder and the tower was washed in lightning, blasting up to the sky around Virescent's massive body, crackling over her sweaty fur and frizzing her long, flowing mane out in spikes.

Overcharged and giant or not, that hurt. She was stunned and groggy, furious lust baking off her rattled brains. Knight Dervish dove by and smacked my bare flank, yelling on her way and diving down towards the sea below, past the open dome in the cloud fortress... "Now we're even! I said MOVE! You're so fucking slow up here! If this is gonna work then GO ALREADY!"

Virescent roared mindlessly, completely on a rampage now. Jade told me it could happen when her... our kind absorbed too much, but it was still a sight to behold. Her green eyes were narrowed, gleaming torches, her forelegs reached up and came crashing down, smashing the top of the tower to wisps of rubble and tugging herself free. The only thing even approaching a thought was the way her glowing eyes tracked me. She wanted, and she was going after what she wanted, nothing else mattered.

I fell like a stone after Knight Dervish, following the helpful trail of thunderclouds she was leaving as a contrail, a perfect path to stay where I needed. The hurricane Virescent's wings kicked up kind of ruined it and blew me off course, but I knew where I needed to be as she took to the air on my tail. We streaked down, diving to the sea and keeping the shattered front of Fort Loyalty to my left.

Again I felt that looming presence closing in, everything growing dark as her huge shadow overtook me, a victorious cry rising from her lips as her hooves reached out, brushing my tail.. Come on... just a little more!

KA-BOOM!!! KA-BOOM!!!

The shockwave from the rusty cannons poking out of the now open dome sent me tumbling through the air, a flash of heat and light just above me as Virescent screamed and fell away, falling into a pinwheeling dive towards the base of the cloud island. She crashed right at the edge, not far from the ruined landing pad and the small sky carriage that had indeed been hauled there.

Val was with me before I even got my bearings, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me roughly, grinning widely and looking me up and down. Seeing only a sweaty pony in a hat and saddlebags, but unharmed for all that. "Oh my GAWD! Don't ever do that again! Even if it was fucking awesome!! Blasted that big bitch right dead square! Let's see her walk away from that!"

I hugged her back before pulling free, I hadn't gotten a good look at how Virescent was hit, if she was alive... I... I didn't want her dead. I set her up to be nailed by a pair of dragonslayer cannons, but I didn't want her dead. Unlike Knight Dervish diving at her already, or Paladin Dance and the other Brotherhood ponies leaping from the open dome and skidding down the clouds towards her.

"Down Val! Have to do something!" I dove with my griffon friend at my wing, crashing to an at least soft landing in cloudfluff being stained red by a lot of blood, right between the gasping, prone form of Virescent, and Knight Dervish powering up her novasurge rifles in front of her huge face.

Wiping away a beard of cloud, I staggered up and spread my wings in front of Virescent's weak face, glancing back at the pair of terrible wounds in her side. They were regenerating with as much power as she had, but they were nearly fatal in the initial assault. The giant mare was shrinking as they knit back together, Knight Dervish didn't look like she wanted to give her the chance to finish.

"No! Please don't! D-Don't kill her!" I winced under the pink glow of the Knight's underwing weapons, trying to aim past me and start blasting Virescent's head to a smoking stub.

"DON"T KILL HER!?! She killed Goose! Trapped us! Trapped the Recon Squad! Turned them into... that cunt deserves to die, right now! Get out of the way alicorn or I'll dust you too!" Knight Dervish screamed through her augmented helmet, dodging left and right furiously but not trying to kill me too anyway. Yet.

"Fucking kill the bitch boss!! Quick before she fixes herself and starts up again!!" Val joined me as the others were catching up, Ivy swooping down and helping me in protecting her sister ruefully.

"W-Whhhhy...." Virescent sounded almost as surprised as she was, croaking behind me weakly.

"B-Because! Everypony deserves a second chance! The Steel Rangers, the Enclave, you, me, everybody! S-She... killing her isn't right! It's just more wrong! I... I can't do it! Can't let you do it either... She deserves the chance to change. To be better!"

Still tied into her thoughts and feelings, I felt the rush of confusion and a fluttery, unfamiliar sensation of gratitude from Virescent, groaning and taking ragged breaths as her wounds kept healing. She was getting ahold of herself as she regenerated, coming back to her senses and trying to process things she didn't understand. (You... you help me, when you have won? When you are not forced to? You... c-care? For me?)

(I'm trying Virescent, I told you. Get out of here... slip off the edge and dive for the water, it's got to be radioactive as hell after all those eggs going off. Heal and get away, quick! Be better, be good and find me again someday, then we'll see. We're not superior, but we can all be better.) I kept wearily prancing in the Knight's path, answering silently and hoping Dervish wouldn't just start firing anyway.

(Do as he says sister, quickly! We disagree but I do not wish you dead, escape and think on what Fast is trying to teach you, please!) Ivy joined in, talking to the wounded behemoth the same way and bringing up a flickering green shield to cover her from the rest of the Brotherhood joining us.

Paladin Dance tried taking control, but had his own Brotherhood view of what to do that clashed with mine, aiming his weapons at Virescent's bleeding chest and shouting. "Both of you move aside! That thing is a menace, she has attacked and ponynapped Brotherhood personnel, it's our duty to end her! Quickly, before she is restored and attacks again!

(P-Puny Paladin is right... I could... I could heal... take what I want... force you... kill them...)

(That would make me sad Virescent, I'd have to try to stop you, fight you, kill you... I don't want to do that. You liked the opposite right? Please, for me... just leave, escape now and go back to normal, think clearly, change your attitude a little maybe? I'm begging you, if you repent and change, if you do good to make up for the evil you've done... I... I promise you like I promised Ivy, I'll give you what you want. But not when you're like this, be a mare I want to be with Virescent, be a better pony. Now GO!)

The green wall of her huge bulk behind me shifted, beginning to slide over the cloudy edge of the island as the Brotherhood got angrier at the wide alicorn shield blocking them. Val obviously felt the same as they did, but she was forever loyal, guns pointed my way meant her weapons pointed the other.

Surprisingly, Scribe Wind was facing her own comrades beside me instead of joining them, her small yellow wings joining my bigger black ones as a weak barrier. "T-That's enough! All of you! She never hurt us! E-Except for Knight Grey Goose, but he hurt Fast! C-Can hardly blame her for... we won! Just let her go!"

"Scribe you are forgetting where your loyalties lie! That creature is responsible for the abductions and presumed mutation of Brotherhood troops, your brothers and sisters! Who knows how many she's helped take since we arrived! You know the numbers, how on edge everyone has been! MOVE!" Paladin Steel Dance was furious with his scribe, making me worry for her choice in joining me.

Whatever the consequences, the petite pegasus refused to move, staying just where she was as Virescent's head lolled over the edge and the rest of her started sliding off, one giant wing giving a weak flap to propel her as she spoke weakly, aloud so the protected Brotherhood could hear her. "Institute... lied, wanted you... I... I was fooled... I am... I am s-sorry... will do better... w-will try... no more fighting... you win."

(A start... I will try, truly. Perhaps you are right... the pegasus even defends me... a normal pony... I will go, think, c-change... if I can... I still want Fast, so I will try. T-Thank you...)

I glanced back to see her round rump and hindlegs slipping over the edge, the long flowing tail last to disappear as she fell towards the sea, most likely a highly radioactive bit of sea. She should live, hopefully she'd do as she said. Everypony deserved a second chance.

Ivy's shield vanished and the Brotherhood raced to the edge, watching her fall until she disappeared. Knight Dervish wheeled on me, furiously shaking me but not going for her weapons at least. "I knew it! Fucking alicorn's sticking together! Let that cunt go!?! You son of a bitch!"

"I'm sorry Knight, I had to... I'd do the same for you in her place, or try to. Don't think it was easy, or because of what she is, it was because of who she is. Hate me if you want, I don't hate you." I replied sadly, taking part of the wind out of her sails so she released me, before Val got there and did something drastic.

Paladin Dance stood still, glaring at me through his blank helmet, at his scribe, his troops, the island, finally over to the waiting sky carriage, following the flight of the remaining mutants vacating the island. With no Virescent here, they were leaving, to go after her or back to the Institute I had no idea, but they were going.

Mission Updated: Old Guns

Objectives-------
---~~Clear Fort Loyalty of hostiles~~

"I'm disappointed... in all of you. This has been fubar from the word go, but we're still here and still on mission. Dervish, Barrel, get back in there and start loading ordinance into that carriage. We're taking what we can and returning to the Prydwen, let the Elder and Captain sort this out... Fast... do what you want, take your share, just stay out of the way." Paladin Dance sounded a lot less friendly, and that authoritative disappointment was like getting caught by dad doing something bad, no yelling or punishment, just the guilt and shame of making a good pony that thought better of you so disappointed.

"I'm sorry Dance. I did what I had to, what I thought was right. C'mon Val, Ivy, there's supposed to be a motor pool they got that carriage from, let's see if we're lucky and can find another."

I trudged off, trying to keep control and maintain, fighting back the aggression that wanted to surge to the surface, yell and scream at Dance, challenge him as an authority figure. How dare he lecture me! He kept things from me! Brought us here for weapons we could both use, but really wanted the balefire eggs and buckbomb things he didn't bother telling me about! I should fight him! Show who was dominant, who was in charge, who was right!

Summer Wind's light touch at my side broke me out of the anger raging behind my burning eyes, whispering sadly and nudging me on with Val and Ivy, sticking with us and not the Brotherhood. "Come on Fast, I'll help you. I don't like some of the things I saw here... how my comrades acted, what they think about you... L-Let's just go ok?"

Considering my rainbow colored rad meter was still jittering at the lethal purple end of the dial, I still had to fight back my urges, but at least they weren't violent in the presence of the short pegasus, the lithe griffon nodding and slapping my bare flank with her claws playfully, and the tall green alicorn nodding gently in agreement.

"A-Alright, sorry Summer. Thank you. L-Let's just get the hell out of here, umm be sure they take everything they want and as much as we can Val. It may not be here long..."

Since the mutants had opened it to haul out the single sky carriage for the Brotherhood to use to make their escape, the motor pool wasn't that hard to find. A cloudy hatch near the shattered landing pad, I tried to avoid looking at the red splotch marring the scorched and bent metal disc, still covered by burning fragments of vertibuck.

Instead we walked down the long ramp leading into the cloud island, noting the few rusting sky vehicles in fairly good condition, protected down here and basically untouchable by the ponies of the Commonwealth below. I tried to pull ahead of the others, stamping my hooves with each step in agitation, trying to keep away from the caring females surrounding me before I pounced on one of them... all of them... 'MORE' We needed to leave, quickly...

I found a troop carrier in good shape, a little repair work would get it to lift easily again and it offered plenty of room to load up shells for the weapons back in Castle Equinox. One of us would have to haul it, but it shouldn't be an issue once the levitation talismans were running well enough. I turned to share my thoughts with the others, brought up short by a dash on E.F.S. down here with us, a green dash though...

I held a hoof up to the others in warning and called out to the cavernous garage full of flickering lights and shadows, "Who's there? What do you want?"

The hulking form that tromped out made my jaw drop, while Val and the others brought their weapons up in a panic, forcing me to call them off before they attacked the currently non-hostile mutant. Strong... he... it hadn't left? Its minigun battlesaddle swung on the others slowly, but it kept staring at me, deep, slurred words speaking out slowly from its twisted muzzle. "You strong... stronger than Lady Virescent... You lead now, you tell more things, make Strong strong, like you said."

"Er.... w-what?"

"What the fuck boss?! Where'd you find this thing? How come it ain't all... mean and brainless like the others?! Do we kill it?" Val's magical energy weapon hummed and crackled, waiting for the order to go in confusion.

Ivy walked forward slowly, tilting her head and trotting around Strong, an unsure look on her pretty face. "It... it views Fast as its leader now... how odd. You talked to this one previously Fast? Shared things with it?"

"Umm... I tried... you know I'm not great with the whole unity thing, I wasn't sure anything really got through... Is he safe Ivy?"

"I... I believe so. As far as it is concerned, you defeated Virescent, making you its new master. Its thoughts are very simple, I sense no duplicity or plots. You are strong, it will follow you." Ivy came back and shrugged, a slightly impressed look stirring me up more as she smiled down at me.

"Oooook... You want me to lead? Tell you more friendship stuff and make you stronger huh? Ummm.... how about this then. We need to get this sky transport back to a big castle down the coast Strong, full of heavy weapons and ammo to use in a big fight against bad ponies. Would you like that? Helping and getting to fight strong enemies? Protect the weak and fight the strong bullies? That's the kind of thing I was trying to explain earlier."

The earth mutant nodded slowly, stomping over to the large troop transport and stepping into the harness in answer. "Strong fight. Strong learn from little pony, learn pony friendship lessons, be stronger. Will do what Fast pony says."

Well.... I guessed that solved one problem, considering he obeyed and behaved, every bit of help was needed back at the castle. I nodded and helped hitch him up, calling Summer over and chuckling at her prancing cautiously in a wide arc around the mutant, speaking breathlessly when she joined me to get to work. "A mutant... you made friends with a mutant... Sometimes Fast, you are pretty impressive, or crazy... I can't tell."

"Crazy most likely. Thanks Summer, ok guys, let's get to work. Hopefully that'll help focus me, I'm still overcharged from all that so... m-much as I want to, best if all of you keep your distance ok? Stop me if I try anything... let's just get out of here and get back to the others."

All three of them smirked mischievously, but nodded and got to work. Ivy and Val flew back up to the dome containing the dragonslayer cannons, grabbing all the ammo and parts they could, stuffing them in the transport as I fixed it with Summer, being very careful not to get into any cramped quarters or close to her at all if I could avoid it, though she made no such attempts to help, seeming to enjoy my wings springing out at odd angles at her presence.

After a rushed bit of frustrating work, we were good to go. Strong obediently lifted off, his tiny wings a blur on his broad back as the old transport took to the skies. The Brotherhood flew ahead in their own carriage being hauled by Knight Dervish, staying to themselves as we did the same, only Summer stuck with us, flitting over to them occasionally and coming back unhappy.

We flew together, heading for the bright lights of the Prdywen and the skyport in the distance, standing out in the gathering gloom of a cloudy, chilly evening. I kept trying to think of what was waiting when we got there, how this was going to end up, why the Brotherhood had kept things from me... I needed more answers before we got there, there was one scrap of info I think I needed to see before I talked to the Brotherhood leadership again, one Val was holding.

This would be tricky... my rad meter was still firmly in the red and all I could think of when I looked at the griffon by my side had nothing to do with boring old world secrets, everything to do with her muscular feline form, swishing tail.. soft feathers... Nnngh!! NO! I flew close by her and cautiously flew between her beating wings, dropping to her back gently and hugging her neck, unable to stop my hooves from roving up and down the fluffy feathers going down to her breast.

"W-Whoa! H-Hello there boss! T-Thought I told ya, I want the whole nine yards, silk sheets and what not... n-not that I don't like that... but er... ain't we kinda busy?" Val squawked under my insistent caresses while I fought with myself, managing to stop by punching myself repeatedly.

"S-Sorry Val... really... I know you won't like it, but I need to see that memory orb before we get back. The orange one from that metal buckball thing in the general's office? Sorry to ask you to carry me while I zonk out, but I think it might be important, please? It er... would let me not be awake and so frisky too..."

She grumbled and chuckled, but nodded slowly and dug the glowing ball I wanted out in her claws, holding it up where I could brush it with my magic and activate it. "Alright boss, just this once. Only cause I think yer right, them Brotherhood kept stuff secrets from us... Still ain't happy with that Knight bitch, threatened you three damn times and got away with it... Go ahead goofy, sound like ya could use a lil' nap anyway, yer gonna get me goin' if'n ya don't stop that.... OH! o-or not..."

Nuzzling and nipping at her cheeks got a squeak out of the tough griffon that delighted a still raging part of me, Virescent had kept tugging that sealed, dark stasis pod in my head open and it hadn't closed all the way again, she had weakened the chains and barriers around it, worrying me and making me grateful for the escape the memory orb offered.

Using up all my willpower, I tore myself away from those soft red feathers and reached out for the orb with my magic, feeling the world and my out of control body fade away into the past and whatever secrets were to be found there.

* * *

Oh that was such a relief... I was no longer in my hormone driven body, but in a older pegasus stallion long ago, free from mutation driven urges and that insistent dark voice in my head. Whatever was going on out the real world, I was unplugged completely.

A resounding explosion drew my full attention, following my host's view down to the base of the cloud island a perfectly intact and clean Fort Loyalty occupied. There was something going on down there, right at the edge, below where the landing pad stood new and unsmashed, right where the giant alicorn that did it had fallen and slipped off.

Gleaming griffon-chaser flying machines were parked around it along with some fancy sky carriages, a crowd of specks were moving about on what bizarrely looked like a buckball field, rings etched into the clouds with a line bisecting them, most were peering over the edge at the huge ball of a red explosion on the sea below.

"Impressive... These toys of yours match the stripe's damn eggs Dr. Klein?" My ride's view shifted from the open gap in the clouds he was looking down from, the hatch of the dome that the big set of dragonslayer cannons was poking out of. Over to the pony who he named that completely had my focus.

Klein... A tall, rich brown earth pony stallion with a white muzzle and shaggy lower legs, dark mane, sharp green eyes behind a pair of horn rimmed glasses, head of the Institute's Advanced Systems division, standing right by the pegasus I was in and looking at the activity below. He wore a blindingly clean lab coat over a sharp blue suit, jeweled cufflinks seemed to be providing the cloudwalking spell for him to be up here safely and he tapped notes into an advanced pip-buck like device on his leg.

He didn't bother answering until he was done, making both me and my host impatient by our tapping hoof. Nodding down at the commotion below and the crackling noise from a small intercom box by the open, curved panel, finally hoofing a button on it and speaking in a deep voice. "Very good Doctor, another please when you're ready."

A little more movement from the crowd and a small red speck was sent sailing off the cloudbank, sinking slowly down to the sea and a rusty scow of a barge floating below. Whoever the pegasus was that flipped it that way, he was a good buckball player, it landed right on target and exploded in a red flash of heat and crackling light, completely vaporizing the barge.

The warbling shout from the static filled intercom caught me by surprise, a joyous whoop at the fireworks. "Wooohoo! Did you see that Klein?! Told you I was good in my youth, all coming back to me now, these came together quite well! Love seeing what you practical ponies make of what we come up with! Would these be a mini-megaspell? A medi-spell maybe? I'm gonna do a few more practice flings!"

Klein sighed in resignation and waved a hoof out to the blurry specks below, I must be in General Tip Top's memory and he needed glasses, but didn't want to wear them apparently. "As you can see, the destructive power meets or exceeds the zebra weapon. It results in a powerful solar flare storm, magic our spell casters can create unlike that foul zebra necromancy, condensed down into a convenient package most of our troops are familiar with already, with the added benefit of disabling all electronics in an extended blast zone. Forgive Doctor Mobius, he's ....eccentric, but rather clever when properly guided towards the right ends. Dottering old buck rarely thinks of how these things would be used practically, but that's my business. I assume you're satisfied?"

Another blinding explosion went off before my ride answered, swallowing to himself at the power displayed and nodding sharply. "Hell yes Klein, they irradiate the battlefield just like those damn balefire eggs right? Give the fucking stripes a taste of their own medicine for once! How soon can you go into production?"

"The Institute isn't really in the mass manufacture business General, if we have a deal then I can have Vega provide you all the details and schematics, connect you with friendly MoWT businesses, six months from now you can have a steady supply easily. Provided we get what we want of course..." Klein answered while still adding more notes to his pip-buck thing, somewhat like the one that was part of Kellogg's cybernetic foreleg actually.

"You'll get what you want, completely off the books as agreed, well worth it too! Can't believe the Ministries won't look into making our own version of those damn eggs, but now we won't be outclassed anymore. Hard for them to turn their noses up when the finished product is staring them in the face! I'll get you your power armor contracts and military access, hook you up with friendly contractors and grease the wheels for your secret projects, so long as you keep producing results like this for us! You're indulging Rainbow Dash as well right? Happier the Ministry Mares are with Trotson the better." I felt my mouth say, the general was behind some of the nasty deals with the Institute...

Klein nodded absently, "Yes I believe Dala has had some success in Ministry Mare Dash's request on tests of the local tortoise population and their hibernation habits. A frivolous request, but I expect no more from the Ministry of Awesome..."

My racing thoughts at the idea of TWO Institute heads in this memory was completely shattered by the trembling voice squawking out of the intercom, much younger and cracking in panic. "Doctor Klein! The Doc is playing with these things.... m-maybe you could tell him not to mess around with the high explosives like they really were Buckballs? Please!?"

Even with the older General's weaker vision, I could see that pale blue speck fluttering around the buckball field, juggling several red specks madly while the other pastel pony shaped spots backed away slowly. He was kicking those things around?! Was he out of his mind!?

"Oh what are you whining about!? It's perfectly safe! I made them buckballs so everypony would know how to play with them! Buckbombs aren't dangerous in the slightest unless you stick your hoof here like this, then turn counter clockwise like this and.... oh... oh dear. Hit the deck!" The first manic voice crackled from the intercom at a distance, the blue speck below flying up and spinning gracefully, sending a red ball off the cloud only to explode halfway to the sea. After a moment, it fluttered back down and looked to call over to the crowd that had fled. "Sorry bout that! Purple Martin! Take a note dear, a safety button may be a good idea after all, and maybe a 3 second timer instead of 2.5?"

"Yes Doc, got it..." A tired mare's voice answered below and Doctor Klein facehoofed beside my host, lifting his dark framed glasses and rubbing between his eyes.

"As I said... eccentric... A bit of a hoof full really, but brilliant I assure you. I'll have a shipment fabricated and sent up here for you to demonstrate with. You can dispose of the remaining eggs I imagine, bit of a waste though, always other projects if you're willing to hang onto them for us. You can understand our reticence to take them all though, much safer storing them out here over the sea." Klein groaned and held a hoof out to seal the deal.

I raised my own foreleg up with my ride and returned the gesture against my will, wanting nothing more than to take over and start pummeling the stern looking stallion for all his crimes to come. Instead I had to choke on the words coming out of our shared mouth and hate the feeling of our broad smile. "Can't blame you there, don't worry, got a pony down there all the time, slightest twitch out of those things, we'll hit the emergency release. Dump the whole stock down to the water, let em blow down there and we'll come up with some excuse, fuel supply malfunction maybe. No worries Klein, I think we'll have a long and prosperous relationship beating back the striped menace!"

That's how the balefire eggs got there... what the buckbombs were and where they came from, why Dance wanted those schematics Val still held... They hoped to use me to get their hooves on a powerful bit of old world tech, make more, use them... Now I was sure, much as I hated the fact that Virescent had had a point, I couldn't avoid it either. Distrust had its place in this world, I was going to have a little chat with Elder Macson, soon....

* * *

I was still amazed, but Strong obeyed any order when I woke. The mutant took the large troop transport faithfully south, heading for the dark speck of Castle Equinox with a note and instructions for Preston, along with orders to obey the Minutemare leader until I got back. He was sure to cause a stir when he arrived, but I wasn't turning my nose up at help, no matter where it came from.

We finally drifted down to the tarmac of the Trotson Skyport, Jade, Glitter and the others waiting impatiently. I scooped my daughter up when she slammed into me, not bothering to completely land when I saw her pelting towards me, but swooping up with her in my hooves. She squealed in delight at the ride, laughing and nuzzling at me as I hugged her gratefully, doing a graceless loop and diving at Jade, only somewhat crashing into the beautiful blue alicorn for a long hug with just the three of us.

"My word, I am happy to see you as well Fast, I hope everything went alright? You are quite affectionate, what happened?" Jade cooed happily, wrapping her wings around both of us and squeezing back, sighing at my roaming hooves and rushing muzzle.

"Be careful, he is quite charged up at the moment sister. It is a very long story you should hear, but I believe that should come later. Fast is anxious to leave aren't you?" Ivy spoke for me, helping me tear myself away and nod sharply, looking up to the Prydwen overhead.

"Y-Yeah... long story, no fun... l-later... We need to get out of here, I'm going to talk to Macson before we go, but they might not be too happy after I'm done so... Umm... Glitter, want to help your mom get ready and get going? Find somewhere else to stay for the night?"

My little filly leapt from my embrace and saluted happily, "You got it daddy! It's nice enough here, but I was hopin' we'd leave soon anyway. The Brotherhood ponies are nice, but kinda mean too... it's weird. I'd rather go somewheres else with just us! Ok everypony! You heard daddy! Let's go already!"

She immediately started nudging Zed and Witchy up and into moving, gathering gear and indulgently following her yelping commands, she had spent too much time around all these military ponies, best to get her out of here anyway. I smiled at her and adjusted my hat, making sure it was at its proper jaunty angle and not hiding my horn. I wasn't hiding what I was anymore. If ponies wanted to hate me for it, then at least I'd know, Jade and her sisters had dealt with it, so could I.

I gave Jade a reluctantly quick peck on the cheek and fluttered up before I got going again, gesturing to the Prydwen above. "I'll be right back, this isn't a job for a Princess hon. We'll get out of here and all I want to do is be with you after, I'll tell you everything I had to do, but I need to settle something real quick ok?"

I could see the concern in her blue eyes cocked suspiciously, but she nodded and smiled sweetly. "Very well, I trust you, if you say we should go, we will go. We will wait for you where we were before coming here, the ruined apartments? Then we can decide where to go from there, yes?"

A tired, relieved smile answered her and I flew up, waving Val off to guard them instead of me. I would be concerned at trying to find Elder Macson, were it not for the arrow on my compass telling me just where to go, he had become the new objective and my pip-buck led me to him unerringly.

Mission Updated: Old Guns

Objectives-------
---~~Join the Brotherhood strike team~~
---~~Discover the fate of Recon Squad Rapier~~
---~~Clear Fort Loyalty of hostiles~~
---~~Find parts and ammo for Castle Equinox's weapons~~
---~~Escape Fort Loyalty~~
---Return to Elder Macson

Optional Objectives------
---Give the Brotherhood the Buckbomb Schematics
---Destroy Buckbomb Schematics

Swooping around the giant cloudship, I was happy to find the big red stallion out on one of the catwalks ringing the steel tanks atop the old Enclave vessel. He was standing as still as a statue, staring at the dark towers and crumbling skyscrapers of Trotson. Paladin Dance was walking away by the time I found him, he had given his rushed report and wasn't sticking around... I hoped he wasn't that mad at me, that I hadn't ruined our tenuous friendship, that he hadn't, that there was still something there...

He probably wouldn't be happy with me after this, but seeing his Elder standing there letting the chill breeze blow his orange mane from his stern face.. all that frustrated anger and aggression had a target. I fought back the dark voice growling at the big male as I landed, trying to stay in control and get through this.

"I care about them, you know. The ponies of the Commonwealth... Sealed away, denied even the purifying magic of Gardens of Equestria, living in an irradiated hell under the hoof of the Institute. I want to help them Fast." Macson surprised me by speaking as I opened my mouth, waving a foreleg out at the dark city.

"Care about them? I thought you were preparing to bring war to the Commonwealth, still up to the Steel Ranger's habit of collecting technology too huh? Like buckbombs maybe? Digging up old world weapons to use again... using me to get them without telling me?" I grumbled back, keeping my distance and trying to will my fangs back to being nubs.

The perfect double of Big Mac turned and stared at me unperturbed, answering in that deep, slow voice. "The Brotherhood is here to prevent a war by starting one of our own, the same as your conflict with the Gunners you wish us to join. The difference is ours is for the fate of Equestria, not a squabble with some local tyrants. You didn't need to know about our other objectives on Fort Loyalty Fast, you haven't joined the Brotherhood.

I was honest in what was there that you needed, you took your share I understand? More than your share, you have certain schematics we hoped to acquire? So, are you like your griffon? Do you want pay? Or will you do the right thing, give me those dangerous plans, let me use the weapons of the past for our fight in the present, save lives?"

"Save lives?! By letting you make more of those things!? They're as powerful as balefire eggs, they spread radiation! They knock out electronics too... that's what you want isn't it, you're fighting robots after all. You're willing to use these things, let them get out when they've stayed a secret of the Commonwealth all this time. Willing to lie to me, use me! I don't like not being told things like that, you let me walk into a trap I could have been better prepared for if you had just been honest with me, a lie of omission is still a LIE Macson! Applejack would not be proud!"

"A necessary lie then. You are an unknown, a product of arcane science like myself, even I had to prove myself over many years, work up the ranks to my current position. Is your loyalty to ponykind as a whole, or just your mutated branch of it? You let that monster escape... Though you provided my troops psionic protection and saved them too, that little bit of tech will make Proctor Candygram happy and busy awhile, protect my troops from being at the mercy of another green like that.

I thank you for that Fast, once we take Fort Loyalty and send crews in with radiation suits to collect the balefire eggs and buckbombs that are left, we'll be in much better shape to take on the Institute." Macson returned to staring out at the city, disregarding me and my complaints, his own plans swirling behind those steely green eyes.

That was it, even if I didn't give him the schematics, he'd scour that tainted place, take every remaining balefire egg and buckbomb that was left stuck in the walls of Virescent's lair, search every office and locked safe or terminal for more information, find a way to make more... Not that it wasn't tempting, having that kind of firepower would be useful against the Gunners... But it would turn the battleground into an irradiated waste, hurt the ponies of Eclipse village, even if it wasn't a problem for me. How would the Brotherhood use them? Who would suffer from them?

Nobody...

I flapped up angrily, putting myself between Elder Macson and the view of the distant cloud island over the sea, drawing his gaze my way as I spoke gruffly, the Shroud's voice seeping into my own again. "No. Some things should stay buried in the past, no more weapons like that. Not if I can help it. I'm sorry if you hate me for this, I hope we can still work together Macson, but I don't like being used and I don't like the idea of making more of those things. I'll help you and work with you where we can, but that is not happening Elder Macson."

"Oh? And how will you prevent it? I hope to continue having a good relationship as well, but we have the resources to take that island. A crew is already being assembled to head out now that it's clear, thanks to you we'll have a stronger presence in the Commonwealth. Not to offend, but you can't really stop us from taking it Fast." Elder Macson replied in a drawl, not being mean about it, but making clear his intentions.

"Putting a crew together, meaning there's nopony there now. Good. Because actually... I can stop you, like this..."

I pulled out the small rune etched gem matching the remote trigger I had used back on my way to Virescent's lair. My magic touched the red gem and the rune blackened, followed immediately by a blinding explosion across the sea. My little insurance package blew up in the crate of buckbombs stuck in the cloudy wall, detonating all the remaining balefire eggs with it in a rapid, firecracker string of green and red fireworks that consumed the island.

The roaring sound rolled across the waves and reached our ears, the light slowly fading as Macson gaped, his mouth hanging open until he turned on me, hovering on the other side of the railing with a smirk as he scowled. "You! You destroyed it! It's all gone!?!"

"Ayup..." I nodded back with my own scowl and dove away, flying off to rejoin my Princess and leave the Brotherhood behind.

Mission Completed: Old Guns

Objectives-------
---~~Return to Elder Macson~~

Optional Objectives------
---~~Give the Brotherhood the Buckbomb Schematics (failed)~~
---Destroy Buckbomb Schematics

Mission Updated: With Our Powers Combined

Objectives----------
---~~Seek an alliance with the Brotherhood of Friendship~~

---------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------------

Mad Bomber-----
---You have a habit of blowing places up wherever you go! Your penchant for high explosives and big ka-booms allows you access to new explosives schematics to build at a sufficient workbench. Time bombs, remote detonations, tin can and MFC grenades, Balefire mines and more are now at your disposal you pyromaniac pony!

Reputation Change!--------------------------

Brotherhood of Friendship- Smiling Troublemaker
---On the one hoof you came through and worked with the Brotherhood, achieved your goals that they bothered to tell you about and shared the booty. On the other... you kinda destroyed a major prewar installation... again... Plus you are definitely known to be an alicorn by all of them, so you may get mixed reactions from the Brotherhood now. At least you have a couple friends and hopefully changed a few minds before you pissed them off!

Author's Note

Wow... er... sorry it ran long, will try to go back to normal length of around 15k, just didn't want to split this one up. Maybe I need an editor. :twilightoops:

Ch. 66-- The Treacherous Road

With the way all the Brotherhood ponies below were running around in a panic, finding the one out of all of them I actually wanted to see was fairly easy since she was standing still. Spotting Scribe Summer Wind was even easier with Jade and everyone else, clustered around her by the fortified bridge away from the Trotson Skyport the Brotherhood had taken as their base. My own little wasteland family waited on this side of the barricades, watching the bright glow in the east fade to a bleary green smudge as the remains of Fort Loyalty burned away.

I stumbled to an awkward landing in front of them, digging in my bags for something I wanted to give the petite pegasus mare while she looked to be doing the same. Summer was quicker on the draw, pulling out the Institute made power armor helmet I had lent Paladin Dance and holding it out, shuffling to herself as Jade eyed her suspiciously.

"Umm... t-thought you might be trying to sneak off after that, guessing it wasn't an accident huh Fast?" Summer gave a rueful smile and nodded to the glow on the horizon all her comrades were so worked up about.

"Y-Yeah... wasn't trying to leave without saying goodbye Summer, just thought... it's probably best if you're not seen with me anymore than you have been already... I doubt it will do you any favors around here, your bosses aren't going to be very happy with me."

"Did you do that daddy!?!" Glitter yelped and kept staring out at the wisps of destruction.

Val snatched her up and flew a bit overhead to give her a better view with a whoop. "Oh my gawd boss! That's my new #3 explosion of all time! I love hangin' out with you!"

"Fast! The world is enough of a wasteland without you blowing large chunks of it up!" Jade sounded aghast, goggling at me and the horizon in turn.

"Sorry? Kinda why it may be a good idea to get going... I had something for you though Summer, hang on... just got a few more when AssaultJack came down from Sanctuary.... aha!" A little determined digging in my cluttered inventory produced one of Stable 111's many pip-bucks and my orange handled technician's key, waggling invitingly in my magic towards Summer's bare yellow foreleg.

"R-Really? The 3000 model... still a little clunky compared to Enclave portable terminals, but they're so rare... that and you can drop a bomb on them and they'll keep ticking! I can have it Fast?" Summer appreciated the gift as only a fellow repair-pony would, though almost insulting my pride in the device with her snobby pegasus technology, but speaking in a loving tone for the old piece of arcano-tech made up for it.

"Really, it'll give you my locator tag so you can find me if you need me, and vice versa of course. not as new and shiny as your fancy cloud computer, but plenty useful. I like giving these to my friends, It came from my Stable, a bunch of good ponies that died because of the Institute. I'll tell you the whole story sometime if you want. I umm.. o-only give them to ponies I think are good, will carry on and do their original owners proud, er... p-ponies I care about... Still a kinda crummy thank you for.... for everything, I hope you won't get in trouble."

The pretty pegasus turned pink in the face and held her leg out, letting me clamp the pip-buck there while she shook her head happily. "It'll be alright, if not... I'm ok with that. I didn't like how the others treated you Fast, after everything we went through and you still saved us, but Knight Dervish and the others still... it all made me realize some things about the Brotherhood I don't like."

"P-Paladin Dance isn't happy either, he's just really loyal Fast. There's still a lot of good ponies here that want to make a difference, they're not all so bigoted. I'm sorry for the others, they were scared and angry, and wrong... j-just like I was once. I... I'm just sorry, Try not to be mad or think all of us are like that, please?"

Considering how overcharged I still was and how close I had to skirt to the edge with Virescent, watching the little pegasus wilt and stammer over her reply so adorably in distress was too much. She was so close beside me, her warm foreleg in mine as the pip-buck powered up, smelling of grease and tools, and filly... she smelled wonderfully feminine. I yanked her slender leg forward to hug her tightly, thankfully managing to keep my hooves above the waist with Jade right beside us, but driven to reassure and comfort her, and me.

"I know one who isn't, that's enough for me. Thank you again Summer, thank you so much for... for not thinking I'm a monster too, for having my back, c-caring."

Jade gave an impatient and annoyed snort at my nuzzling the blushing mare, cut off from really putting her hoof down by her sister Ivy. The green alicorn coughed politely and whispered in Jade's laid back ear, sending a great deal more information than that via unity by Jade's widening blue eyes.

Those beautiful blue pools got round and shimmery, her mouth opening in surprise, staring gratefully at the pegasus still pinned in my embrace. I could feel Summer tense in a moment's panic as the towering blue alicorn wrapped around both of us, squeezing the air out of our lungs in her sniffling joy, smooshing Summer and I both together and against her hitching chest as her wings curled around us.

"You... you did all that, defended my Fast, protected my dark sister! T-Thank you! Thank you Scr... S-Summer, thank you very, very much Summer Wind, you should be a paragon of your order, not punished! Virescent was wrong about many things, but she was right in that you would make an excellent sister, from now on you shall be so in my view!" Jade was processing everything that had happened to us all in a rush, the high speed unity download courtesy of Ivy told her everything that happened, including the play by play of Summer taking my side against her own. As well as Virescent's concession that Summer would make an acceptable subject of the Institute's I.M.P. that the pegasus mare had been unaware of.

"O-Ok... s'ok.... r-really... a-air... c-call her off... Fast...." The poor filly pressed against me wheezed weakly, finding no help from me as it put both the pegasus and alicorn ladies in all too easy reach. I was still too worked up to even try resisting and took advantage of Jade's feathers, hiding where my roving hooves were getting to.

Unfortunately Jade herself wasn't as pent up as I was, gasping at the realization her prodigious strength had gotten away from her again in her enthusiasm, releasing both of us to stagger away to the snickers of Val and the others. "Oh! I-I am sorry Miss Wind! F-Forgive me, I am merely overwhelmed at your kindness, I owe you a debt for watching over my Fast, thank you, truly! I am so sorry for thinking poorly of you in... j-jealousy."

Watching Summer wave off her concern while taking great, whooping breaths, I was reminded of what that was like without alicorn sturdiness to stand up to it. We were both the same size, Jade could be overwhelming to anypony, especially us 'compact' ponies. The Brotherhood scribe was exceptionally red faced too, but I probably had more to do with that than oxygen deprivation.

Though maybe not entirely by her gasping response, a weak smile on her muzzle as she pranced back. "W-Wow... I umm... s-see the allure Fast, w-when she hugs, you know it! I er... j-just did what you would, right Jade? I'm ashamed I acted the way they did once. Guess we both thought bad of the other, g-got off on the wrong hoof, I'm glad I know better now. I still believe in the Brotherhood, but... well... if I ever thought your Minutemares would be a better fit, d-do you think you could use another repair-pony umm.... P-Princess?"

Summer got a resounding yes, not just from Jade and I, but from everyone. I didn't want her to lose her place with the Brotherhood because she defended me, but made it very clear she'd always have one with us. The pretty Scribe beamed at the open invitation, making her goodbyes to each of us in turn, getting a warmer and less bone breaking hug from Jade, a gentle nuzzle of thanks from Ivy along with a few whispers in her flicking ear, a punch of dark claws to her shoulder by Val, a tackle of Glitter's that delighted the filly when it knocked her down as it should, along with barely restrained affection from me that didn't make Jade huff at all now.

We came to get an army of Brotherhood on our side, but just one was just as good in Scribe Summer Wind, if she did decide to join us. It had to be a big decision for her, the Brotherhood was her all and she was proud of the order, but Virescent had exposed things in all of us, many of which she couldn't just ignore. If so then their loss was our gain, she was brave and smart, highly skilled and able to handle herself in tough situations, loyal and kind, sweet... beautiful... 'MINE'...

I shook off that growl in my head and tore myself away from being overly friendly in my goodbye, pulling my daughter to my shaking hooves to calm me. Virescent had pulled and weakened at the barriers keeping that voice sealed away and carefully controlled in my head, I was barely in any state to be around a friendly female period, worrying slightly at the damage the supercharged green alicorn had done.

Before I was able to take off, Summer smiled to the foal and pulled a familiar holotape from her pocketed blue vest. She lowered her head with it in her teeth to return to Glitter, giving me a smirking smile as she did. "Here you go sweetie, careful getting caught with something like that. I'll clean up any tracks you left Fast..."

Managing to beat a hasty retreat after thanking her, I thought I may have gotten away with it, wincing at Jade's curious voice by my side after a few minutes. "Tracks? On the holo-thing? That was the game one you kept insisting on playing on the biggest screens you could find, wasn't it Glitter? What were you two up to...?"

"N-Nothing!"

"I was spyin' momma!" Glitter's exuberant reply sunk me, hanging my head as we flew on into the early evening with her on my back.

The little vertical line between Jade's furrowed eyebrows told me all I needed to know, she might not understand much about computers, but my filly put it in very simple terms to get me in trouble.

"Fast...."

Witching Hour and Val led the way as we flew into the chilly night air, both possessing more local knowledge of the area than the rest of us. Of course both also possessed impressive rear ends that were on prominent display ahead of me, leading me forward and hypnotizing me with each flick of their tails, every flex of powerful muscle in those flanks I so wanted to feel in my hooves, each flap of their wings matching a steady beat of 'MORE' and 'MINE' in my head driving me forward.

Ivy was still watching and listening to my thoughts closely, giving me a critical stare as I fought that dark voice back again. She tilted her head cutely, like she was listening to the receding sound of the sea behind us. Tuning in to the roiling thoughts and desires that had been overcharged and overstimulated in Virescent's lair, given no outlet and only more encouragement by Jade and Summer's embrace when we left. At least Ivy knew pretty well what she was apt to find when she went looking, not embarassed or offended by the constant and rapid images of herself and every other female in range flitting behind my eyes.

I could feel her cool thoughts probe at me, backtracking down her more thorough explorations of my brain to go right for that black version of pod #101 buried deep in my head. It wasn't like going in there with her, but I got flashes and feelings while she worked. The image that she shared just made me gulp, it was the same dark, chain riddled room and coffin of a stasis pod, but the effects of Virescent's tampering were obvious.

It looked like a tornado had touched down in there, the giant alicorn had torn at the chains wrapping around the pod, the edges of the articulated front shell bore angry dents and peeled back edges, signs of a huge pair of hooves tugging it open frantically, letting a constant trickle of shadow-stuff leak out. Chains sagged from the ceiling and still glowed faintly green around the focus of all the barriers, a steady whisper muttering from the red light pouring out of the edges and the round porthole.

I could feel Ivy helping to fix what she could, bringing all her mental weight to bear in shoving the lid closed, shutting off that whisper slowly. (Even if I were not a mindreader, it would not be difficult to figure out where your thoughts are Fast... We will have the opportunity to do something about them soon enough. I think it best you calm down on your own a bit though, indulging that... oh my.... v-very powerful urge will only strengthen it at the moment, exacerbate the damage done in here... What Virescent got up to is most concerning to me Fast.. I know it's difficult, but if not for the self control you have managed to cultivate, you could have ended up...)

(As a sex toy for a giant horny filly? Y-Yeah... It had occurred to me... a lot... t-thanks for keeping an eye on me Ivy, I'll try to get a handle on it..)

(Well... for now... We have officially returned from my date in the clouds after all, I rather look forward to putting you to work in the same way Virescent intended, but later. I enjoy time like that with you, not just that suppressed part of you, when you are more yourself we will spend time together. With less rampaging behemoth as well I think... Though I wonder how you'll handle Swan after that...) Ivy's green eyes danced with mischief as she replied silently, just her mental presence helped repair some of the damage up there, filling me with relief despite her playful flirting.

Her joke struck close to home too, Virescent had been so massive and out of control I was lucky to escape the frightening mare, but a large part of me hadn't wanted to at all. I managed to get away from her, but Swan was the last of the three I promised Jade's sisters, meaning an oversized filly was still in my future at some point.

Thankfully Jade pulled me away from worried -but very interesting- fantasies of the big purple mare, huffing and swishing her soft, cloudy tail in agitation, returning to her grousing beside me. "Really Fast, using our daughter to spy! Bad enough she has learned to pick pocket so effectively from her friends in Goodneighbor, Glitter needs no further encouragement towards such nefarious ends! We will end up raising a master criminal at this rate!" Jade continued my verbal beating as we flew together, sticking her nose up in a huff and keeping our foal safely on her broad back.

"Nuh uh mom! I'm gonna be a hero like you an' daddy! It's ok ta learn sneaky stuff, I'm only gonna use it against bad ponies! Umm.... w-were the Brotherhood bad though dad?" Glitter tried to defend me and get praise for her brilliant work from her mother as well, momentarily confused now that she thought about what I had asked seriously.

"I don't think they're bad sweetie, but I didn't trust them, I wanted to see what they were hiding. M-Maybe you're right Jade, I shouldn't have asked Glitter to do that, but she can convince anypony to give her what she wants. All she had to do was stick the holotape in, it did the rest. I'm not sorry after what they pulled with Fort Loyalty and those Buckbombs. When we find somewhere to stop and I have time, we'll see just what they really know about a few things. Maybe in Dreadnot if we can make it there tonight Witchy?"

"Really?! Thou are reeeeeally going this time? You promise?" Witching Hour looked over her shoulder ahead of me, giving me her full attention and waiting for the catch by the tone of the batpony's squeaky voice.

"I already promised, but yeah Witchy, we're going to Dreadnot next. Happy?"

Actually I expected her to seem a lot happier than she did, once she was sure I wasn't pulling her leg she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes and her voice sounded a bit pensive. "T-That... that is wonderful of course! M-My leaders will be so happy, o-of course it is a long trip, we can't make it there tonight and young Glitter should sleep soon, right? We... we could stop elsewhere for the night..."

"Bettin' you need some time in the sack too, eh boss?" Val grinned and fluttered her violet eyes, she had been another victim of my overstimulated state already, enjoying teasing me about it but raising a valid point.

Zed chuckled bringing up the rear, nodding to the southwest and a dim glow on the horizon. "There is a settlement that direction, not far out off our course. A place to rest, relative safety and room to relax..." I raised an eyebrow in a questioning look at his local knowledge, how had Zed known that?

His stern grey eyes looked away sheepishly and he muttered an answer when I kept looking. "Silver told me about it... there are many hunters that go there, she used to make the trip to sell meat from Eclipse, before the Gunners started taking it all." Ahhh... his mare who was also a friend, but not a marefriend... the one he had been spending time with back at the castle.

Witchy latched on to the offering and filled in details rapidly, pulling ahead on her leathery wings to lead the way. "Yes! Jamocha Plains isn't far, it is a fairly large town further inland, they are at the edge of the Gunners territory too, sure to be worried about the threat they pose. You need to seek allies as quickly as possible, heading that way will let us make a large loop instead of going up and down the coast, it passes nearer to University Point as well that way as well. I... I do not mind, growing fillies need their sleep after all, w-we can go in the morning, or the evening tomorrow if need be, it has already been quite awhile anyway, another day or two won't hurt. Come, it's just this way!"

She zipped ahead and kept up a sedate pace even I had no problem keeping up with, heading west over the marshy wilderness south of the Trotson ruins. As adamant as she had been about getting me to go to Dreadnot when I met her, I had to wonder about her change in behavior now.

She had been fairly quiet and somber the longer she stayed with us in Castle Equinox, now it almost seemed like she didn't want to go home... I needed to do something about that, Witchy was still a new friend and we didn't know much about her, but she was a friend. I had been neglecting her with how busy we had been and resolved to make time for the attractive batpony mare.

(I believe that may be wise. Shame... she is worried and ashamed Fast. I try not to pry uninvited into friend's minds, but that much is very clear.) Ivy offered a little psychic confirmation at the thought, still tinkering in my head gently, smiling internally at the rapid flashes of lots of idle fantasies of what being with a batpony would be like.

I checked over my pip-buck map as we went, the blank icon for where Jamocha Plain should be was in the chaotic mess of land and water displayed on the screen, further inland and away from the coast. We hadn't explored very far from the sea since we came to Castle Equinox, other than to harass the Gunners further south, so most of this area was unknown to me. Looking down on it in the dark, I was surprised at how alive it looked, a riot of warped plant life and shallow water.

I kept spotting small shacks here and there that glowed with dim lights, tiny farms scattered about, signs of activity in the strange plant life everywhere. There were clusters of concrete ruins and a web of shattered and sinking roadways weaving through the undergrowth, the biggest normal ruin was the glow on the horizon we were heading for though.

Even from this distance, I could pick out a long, narrow town rising from the marshes, to the west of a broken spur of the elevated road and railway leading south from the main loop circling the Trotson ruins. Ruined shells of what were fairly upscale little homes and businesses, a few small warehouse like buildings with short smokestacks painted like candy canes. The lights and scrap fortifications were all on one end of the prewar town, the other still dark and unoccupied. The sinking ruins of the largest road ran through the lighted section, stretching off towards the river and Trotson to the north, becoming more of a flooded and overgrown trail as it headed southeast below us.

Curious and still trying to distract myself from all the urges Virescent had overstimulated, I turned to Val as we flew on, she knew this part of the Commonwealth when she was a Gunner, making her an excellent guide here. "What's this place like Val? Friendly? Think they'll help?"

The gorgeous griffon shrugged, doing graceful loops around my clumsy flight and scratching her plumage. "Eh... Glitter will like it. As fer findin' help? Dunno boss, been awhile. Jamocha Plains is more a wide spot in the road ya know? Big marketplace for all the local farms, caravans passin' through on routes in the south, hunters sellin' all the local wildlife. Less a town an' more a place to do business, good spot ta get some rest anyway."

"It is quite verdant, I am surprised to see so much plant life growing so well here. You say there are animals as well Valkyrie?" Jade was peering below her at my side, less interested in the town ahead and more in the local ecology that was admittedly strange.

Ivy joined her, tilting her head in confusion at what she picked out. "Those plants don't belong here... coffee... sugar cane... cocoa... these are all things that grow further south in tropical climates, the forbidden jungle and the zebra lands, not here."

"Yup, they use em 'round here too. Ain't no farmer so I dunno why they grow here, but they do. Same thing with the animals, bunch'a crazy stuff roamin' the swamps and woods out here, you guys watch yer butts, plenty of nasty shit like hydras, but even if somethin' looks cute, it'll probably rip yer face off if it gets the chance. Everybody figures it's cause of the Ministry of Peace hub place."

"Ministry of PEACE!?! Where!?" That got Jade's complete attention, she fluttered directly in Val's face, giving Glitter a bumpier ride that she was quite pleased with by her happy squeals.

Val adroitly dodged away from the excited blue alicorn, drifting down on an approach to Jamocha Plains and trying to fend her off. "Easy Blue! Yeah, that goofy healer pony's place is out this way. Nobody can get to it so it ain't goin' nowheres, I'll show you on the way laters, happy?"

Barely satisfied with her answer, Jade spun on me with a manic gleam in her glittering blue eyes. "We must go there! If it is untouched as the other Ministry Hubs we have seen.... y-you can find a way in, can you not Fast? I have been concerned at the prospect of battle with the Gunners, our medical stores are insufficient, the Ministry of Peace would have what we lack however! I... I demand my own dangerous date Fast, I wish to go there!"

Seeing her so excited decided me before my pip-buck flashed in my vision. My princess wanted this and I wanted time with her, if the MoP hub was close then we definitely had to at least take a look;

Mission Added: Lifegiver

Objectives------
---Find the Ministry of Peace Hub
---Gain entry to the MoP hub

"As you wish Princess, anything you want. If it's as hard to get into as the MoM hub I wouldn't get your hopes up, but we'll definitely take a look. I can see what the Brotherhood knows about the place too when I have time to go over all the data I... borrowed. See, aren't you glad I was a little sneaky now?"

Jade gave a conflicted huff and grumbled back, wincing at the foal on her back watching the exchange with wide, hopeful eyes. Finally Jade sighed and hung her head in defeat, "I... I suppose so, depending on what you learn there. I do not like spying on those we were trying to ally ourselves with, but given their behavior... Yes, I wish to know about the Ministry of Peace hub, if you two were able to get information they were unwilling to share, I am not above using it."

"S-So I did good momma? You're not mad at me?" Glitter asked cautiously as we glided down, she still wanted Jade to praise her for her spy work, afraid she had done wrong in her mother's eyes by doing as I asked.

Our little filly got floated to Jade's waiting hooves, given a powerful hug as the blue beauty shook her head forcefully. "Never dear, I would never be mad at you. Disappointed in your father perhaps... but the mischief you two engaged in may well end up useful, so yes, you did well, not 'good'. I am still quite impressed you managed to talk that rather stern head scribe into using the biggest screen in their science wing! You were very convincing and clever sweetheart."

The pure, unadulterated joy at her mother's words was so clear and wonderful it was infectious. Glitter squeezed back and nuzzled happily, paying no attention to the odd town we were landing outside of. Jade might not be her birth mother that she had lost, but the little filly had come to see her as her new mother completely now, still seeking approval and reassurance of the blooming relationship and family we made occasionally, but always finding it when she did.

"Discovered Location: Jamocha Plain" popped up as we neared the walled settlement ahead, we came down at the edges of the old town, near a retaining wall crumbling towards the soggy marshland to the south. Flying made the fortifications ahead pretty irrelevant, but I had gotten the idea just coming in for a landing (or crash in my case) right in the middle of towns tended to make ponies jumpy. They had a wall and gate for a reason, it was polite to acknowledge that and use it like normal, ground bound ponies.

A tattered billboard had been incorporated into the walls, making up a large section beside the gate that also informed visitors it was still going by its prewar name. A rich blue backdrop of peeling paper, gold lettering and artwork, depicting a stylized pony slurping a huge mug and leaning against a glowing treasure chest, going along with the rotting letters I struggled to make out.

"Jamocha Plain - Home of the Best Cup of Coffee in the Commonwealth!
Come see the Treasures of Jamocha Plains! Limited time exhibit!"

It had been a decent sized little town before the war, laid out in a basic figure eight shape by the crumbling roads making paths through the mostly brick buildings, a good portion of which were a few walls and a lot of rubble, but several were mostly intact. The wasteland era settlement took up one half of the figure eight, the other lay dark and empty to the west, while the eastern half was a pool of light and activity.

A thin and jittery guard met us at the gates, his rusty shotgun shaking from one of us to the next as the muddy brown earth pony jabbered rapidly. "What'dya want? State yer business, here ta buy? Stay? Passing through? Treasure hunting maybe? Big group, not going to cause trouble are you? Don't need trouble, got enough, doesn't everypony!? Come on hurry up, talk already! Talk, talk, talk! Go, go, go! Ain't got all night, in or out 'fore you stir up the zombies!"

"Er... we're no trouble, you ok buddy?"

"Fine! Super duper! Bright eyed and bushy tailed! No trouble huh, so what, awful lot of guns for no trouble, those a couple'a alicorns? Told ya'll already, ain't seen no little black one like you, oh! Guess you found him, wow! You weren't kidding, didn't notice but you're one too aren't you buddy? That's a first, thought they were yankin' our chains! Kinda scrawny fer one of them though." The guard kept chattering at a blinding pace, making me puzzle out the things he said.

Jade's sisters had been here... they were expanding their search it seemed, checking on any settlement in their attempts to find me. The guard simply thought Jade and Ivy were more of them and had found what they sought. I really hoped they hadn't figured out any bright ideas like offering a reward yet...

"Y-Yes, here he is. We are from the Kingdom of Sanctuary, on a journey and hoping to find somewhere to rest for the night. Could we perhaps impose on your hospitality sir? We have caps to spend and would be interested in speaking with your leadership, working together as communities?" Jade took up her diplomatic role, her costume tiara already nestled in her pale blue mane.

Her sweet voice seemed to get through, the guard didn't slow down in the slightest but seemed friendlier. He took a long slurp from a large thermos up in his post, holstering his shotgun across his back and trying to smooth back his frazzled black mane before hopping down to open the gates. "Right! Guests then, customers, great! Sanctuary, heard that on the radio, yer the Princess then? Nothin' fancy here yer highness, but welcome ta Jamocha Plains!"

I had to wonder who exactly had had the 'Best Cup of Coffee in the Commonwealth' when there were so many selling it.

Just a cursory examination of the area showed a huge Starbucked with their highly evocative logo of two twined mares that had nothing to do with coffee, a 'Pony Joe's' with a leaning plaster donut on the sunken roof, a small 'Java Cup' in a narrow little building competing with the bigger businesses, along with several rusty little streetcorner carts with tattered umbrellas scattered all over the place. Jamocha Plains reeeeeally liked their coffee apparently.

Not that all those prewar businesses were still what they were before, the large Starbucked shop had lost the B, swapped out for a rusty F lined in red neon that clashed with the green sign, but better described what the coffee shop had become. Just in case the pretty mares in lingerie and leather dancing in the windows wasn't enough...

The Pony Joe's had lost the N, Y and E, intentionally or not, becoming PoJo's, still serving drinks, but of a much harder variety than coffee or cooca. A pair of dirty and tired looking earth ponies staggered out while I watched, their leather armor and well maintained weapons giving them the air of caravan guards.

Most of it was ruins, but upscale, high class ruins of what were pretty fancy shops, many of which still had 'Artisan' somewhere on the fading signs. Coffee wasn't their only claim to fame either, there were plenty of tattered ads and rotting sandwich boards advertising chocolates, hot cocoa, cakes, pies, donuts and all manner of sweets. Once Glitter noticed and figured it out, she was beside herself with joy, this town seemed like it was her mecca, a capitol of desserts in the wasteland.

The biggest sources of light and green dashes on Eyes Forward Sparkle were centered on a large brick warehouse near the gates, and a factory looking building on the eastern edge of the town, a flickering sign on the walls read 'Le Grande Gourmet'. Walls of junk and scrap were built to fill the gaps between buildings and across choked streets, extending out to a encompass small park across the street, attaching to a small strip mall and other ruined fancy buildings.

There were lots of ripped and ragged stripped awnings of faded pastels, candy cane striped lightposts leaning over the cracked streets, small and fancy shops and homes before they were scorched by balefire, lots of ads with peeling paint mentioning 'Organic', 'Artisan', 'Gourmet', 'All Natural' and 'Equestrian Grown', several of these were still in use at a three walled building near the processing plant, a scrap sign sloppily painted with 'Jamocha Co-op' and baskets and bundles of local crops were visible through the broken wall facing the street.

On the opposite corner from the small Co-op, was the startling sight of an old female minotaur, it looked female anyway... greying fur and a long blue-grey mane, short and stubby curls of horn and a dress, so probably a safe bet. She was occupying a vacant lot full of rubble, one remaining brick wall all that was left of whatever stood there. Now a large tent of stretched hide was tacked against the wall, under a crudely painted sign adorning the faded bricks; 'Brute's Butcher' a small stand was cobbled together out of broken bricks and slabs of concrete right at the corner, a variety of meat and hides laid out in display before the watching minotaur-ess?

Jamocha Plains had been a fancy place, now it was a busy looking trading hub of some kind. As Val said, a wide spot on the road basically. A bit like Bunker Hill, but more open and busy with crops. Eyeing the wide road angling through the town from the gate we stood at, I saw how the businesses crowded the path leading to another gate at the northern wall. Beds to rent or beds share with mares of the evening, food and water to restock with, bars to parch road dusty throats, and processed crops to sell elsewhere, a place ponies passed through on the way to somewhere else.

The twitchy guard gave us the basic run down before returning to his post, pointing out the cracked stone sign outside the 'Casa Maredrid' apartments that served as an inn for all the travelers passing through, a few of the shops operating out of the mostly intact strip mall across the open park in the center of the town, as well as a large warehouse near the gate that served as the 'Auction House' according to him.

I also spotted a welcome sign among all the others, transplanted from a nearby sky carriage station, the glowing red neon of a Red Rocket courier outlet had been stuck up on one of the shops in the strip mall. Right beside another that grabbed Jade's attention when I pointed it out, a Helpinghoof Qwik-Care. It didn't look very busy or often used, but it was occupied and operating apparently, somewhere for her to try spreading the message of the Followers of the Apocalypse.

I noticed what looked like a couple caravans camping in the open lot of the park, in the shadow of a corroded statue of a pony missing its head. Camping as they were out of tents and their wagons was free according to the guard, while the inn would take some caps but looked to be well worth it. There were several minotaurs and ponies wearing heavy leathers and furs out here too, not a caravan but a group of hunters apparently.

I had to hold Glitter back by her tail to keep her from running off, trying to follow her nose and practically floating off the ground to track down the heavenly scents I could pick up much better than she could. Sweets, so many sweets were being made here... not 200 year old snack cakes, but fresh and delicious confections.

At least one of the old world businesses was operating here, salt water taffy 'made fresh from the Celestial Sea!', was advertised at a squat brown building called 'Death by Chocolate', definitely a bakery by the smell coming from a pair of short smokestacks, painted in peeling peppermint stripes.

This place didn't look to have much in the way of military strength to fight the Gunners, but was obviously a center for trade and had its own specialty to offer the Commonwealth. I gaped at it all, struggling to keep Glitter at my side and taking it in. Ivy took over for me smoothly, floating the straining filly off the cracked asphalt so she couldn't employ all that earth pony strength, nodding towards the tall structure of the inn.

"Before you go running off Glitter, perhaps we should acquire rooms to stay in hmm? I understand you're quite skilled in those negotiations, I'll take her with me and do so Fast, accompany her on a short tour when we're done while you explore and speak with the ponies in charge?" Ivy smiled at the filly trying to escape her magic, volunteering to watch over the foal like one of her own orphans for us while we figured this place out.

I nodded gratefully, chuckling at Glitter wiping a bit of drool from her muzzle and nodding crazily. "R-Right! I'll handle the rooms daddy! Then we can go see all the good food Aunt Ivy? C-Can I have caps ta spend dad?!"

Considering I got my caps allowance from Val since she handled most of our money, giving the little filly her own allowance out of it struck me as funny, but I smiled and floated over plenty of extra for her, waving a foreleg out at the busy town to the others. "Sure sweetie, just don't make yourself sick ok? Umm... I guess look around a bit everybody, see what you guys think and what's worth knowing here. Jade and I will go track down who's in charge and try to talk to them, ok?"

Witchy and Zed both nodded and took off in different directions, exploring Jamocha Plains and seeing what they could see. I trusted both of their opinions and they could learn things I couldn't, after experiencing real prejudice I was determined not to hide what I was anymore, but it tended to attract attention, plus there was the princess at my side. We weren't exactly subtle or unremarkable, so I relied on the others to snoop around a bit for me.

Val didn't go anywhere though, sticking with the two of us and checking her weapons, my faithful bodyguard. "Ok boss, lead on. Ain't been out this way in a long time, but it was alright last time I was here. Hurry up too, lot of traders pass through here, never know what ya might find shoppin' and they gots a decent weapons shop I wanna check out."

"You could go on your own Val, I think we'll be ok..."

She answered with a flat stare and shoved me into moving. "Nope. Right on the edge of Gunner territory an' we used ta stop in pretty often, ain't goin' nowhere boss so get movin'."

With a grateful shrug, I trotted down the street with my two favorite females, me Jade and Val, red and blue, warm and cool, making a delicious sandwich around me I still severely wanted to take a big bite of... I thunked my head and checked my radiation meter, the needle still buried in the red/orange border near end of the dial after my run in with Virescent in her radioactive lair.

Trying to fight back nearly undeniable urges that rushed to mind as soon as my daughter was out of sight, I furrowed my brow and picked up my pace. Productive thought was going to be impossible until I had the opportunity to ravish one or the other, or both, or 'MORE'... Nnnngh! I had to do something to appease that insisting, nagging growl in my head, soon.

I was in control though, not that voice offering all the wonderful things to do with the two beauties beside me, ...right? Right. Just be patient, focus on important things and wait. We'd have time eventually... waiting wouldn't kill me, even if it felt like it.

A huge coffee cup adorned the top of the Le Grande Gourmet, an equal sized chip in the faux ceramic that hadn't held up nearly as well as all the strangely perfect real coffee cups scattered across the wasteland, still clean and new looking somehow. The giant cup held not steaming coffee or cocoa, but an alert guard with a rusty sniper rifle, tracking our progress warily as we neared the factory to take a look.

I remembered dad often complaining about the rising prices for his morning cup because it was increasingly hard to get with the war on. As silly as everything running on coal that was only found in the zebra lands, ponies ran on coffee and it came from those areas too. I thought so anyway, how that wasn't the case here was a minor mystery that deepened on learning about the small factory inside. Though the rough clatter of poorly maintained machinery would have told me, even if the dingy green unicorn guard near the doors hadn't been chatty.

He had no idea the plants weren't exactly native originally, saying they had always grown here and the prewar factory had always processed all those crops that did not grow in the Commonwealth, but somehow did, churning out ground coffee, fine crystals of sugar and rich chocolate powder.

Though he blanched at the names of the plants I asked about initially, helpfully correcting me and providing more to the mystery. "Sugarcane? Nah, Razorcane buddy, yer callin' em weird names. Coffee comes off'a the Twitch Trees, chocolate's from the Cocoa Bomber plants. Ain't ya never seen em before?"

"Er... say I haven't, what's with the funny names? Why are they called that?"

The guard's pale purple eyes widened and he guffawed laughter after a moment, pointing at my wings as he got himself under control. "Damn lucky ya got them things kid, if'n ya walked here there's a good chance you'd be plant food by now. Those three ain't the only ones that are dangerous down this way, but they're the ones we mess with the most. Little free advice so I don't feel bad when one of em gets ya, be careful around any of the plants here. All of the plants."

He didn't elaborate beyond that, returning to his patrol and telling us to 'hire a guide' before wandering out into the marshes. So far as I knew, none of those plants should be dangerous, but the guard was pretty convincing. Of course as far as I knew they shouldn't be here at all. From the way he made it sound, just harvesting the coffee, cocoa and sugar this place was focused on was pretty hazardous work.

None of themwere quite staple foods either, but even in the wasteland such luxury items had a market and that's how Jamocha Plains had managed to flourish from what we learned. The plants grew naturally and didn't require much farming, just harvesting and bringing them to be processed here, for a fee of course. The finished products were traded for more practical things from across the Commonwealth, making the small town a hub of commerce for the southern Commonwealth as I suspected.

I also noticed the guard wasn't the only pony with that manic and thin look within view, there seemed to be two common body types among what I assumed were the locals. Either they were twitchy and thin, or they were a little chubby if not outright fat, coffee addicts and sugar addicts.

There were plenty of non-locals too, ghouls and a few thankfully non-Gunner griffons, several Minotaurs that made me a bit nervous with their bulging muscles and sharp horns, travellers and caravaners, including a familiar dusty tan trader camping in the park we stopped to greet happily. Dusty Hooves had led the first Crimson Caravans trip up to Sanctuary, and he had been the first trader to establish contact with Jade's sisters when they finally decided to let the rest of the wasteland in.

So I was somehow unsurprised to learn he had extended the southern leg of his trip, to investigate rumors of Eclipse and Castle Equinox being a new market to explore. That pony had a nose for business opportunities and was always nice, greeting us as old friends and helping to fill us in as we walked by the park.

He did keep staring at my wings, but at least it was because he knew me before I had them, grinning and nudging me playfully as he spoke. "Still can't get over that Fast, them crazy mares weren't kiddin'! You really are... wow! Hell what're ya doin' way out here for that matter, them fillies are all goin' mating mad, if'n I was you, I'd be holed up in that tower of theirs and lettin' em have their way! Hell I put my name in fer that weird interview thing they were doin' in Unityville as it is."

"Interview? What are my sisters up to Mr. Hooves?" Jade asked curiously, trying to divert away from his joking about what he'd be up to in my place, what a growing part of me wished I was doing, right now...

"Interviewin' candidates fer mating! Damndest thing I ever heard, but they're pretty up front about it. It's a big draw for every able bodied buck ta visit Unityville, made them awful popular right quick. Made their little town grow by leaps and bounds with all the stallions hangin' around waitin' on the results. They sit ya down with one of them green ones an' have ya fill out this crazy form, ask lots of questions, gots their own doctor mare what gives ya a pretty thorough checkup, the whole nine yards. Said they only gots so many tickets so ta speak, but I made it through the initial round! Don't mind takin' that potion o' theirs if'n I get ta retire in luxury an' get pampered by all them pretty fillies!" Dusty laughed heartily, his eyes misty and dancing with his hopes of winding up in my position thanks to the compatibility potion I had given the mares of Trinity Tower.

"That... that is a clever solution to the problem of finding acceptable mates I suppose... You say their town is going well otherwise? I do worry for them, but we were forced to... keep our distance for awhile..." Jade sighed sadly, I hated that we had to hide and couldn't see how they were doing, I worried about them too and was just as interested.

Thankfully Dusty nodded and waved off her concern, "Oh yeah, doin' great! Got themselves a fine little town now, spread the word myself ta help, lots of caravans makin' the stop an' altering their routes. They want the weirdest things too, gives a place ta unload a lotta junk others might not want. They keep the upper floors of that tower to themselves still, but the lower floors an' the outside have been gettin' built up quick.

Lotta scavvers moved in right off, safe place to live right in downtown is great for them, and ain't nowheres safer with that crazy guard of theirs! Not only that, they got it in their heads ta be do-gooders somehow, come swoopin' outta the sky an' savin' ponies left an' right all over. Hell, had us a nasty run in with a big gaggle of raiders what figured out our route, thought we was in trouble but three of em pulled our fat outta the fire! Everypony I talked to was mighty appreciative, yer sisters is gettin' along real well Princess, no worries! Can't wait ta see what you folks end up doin' down this way, things been rough fer the ponies down south, why I'm makin' the trip, business moves progress!"

Jade looked as relieved as I felt, visibly relaxing with a whinny as I sighed beside her. I did tell them I liked good and heroic mares, they had decided to cover all their bases apparently... Well, that was good... they were helping others and joining the world, giving themselves a pretty good name while they were at it. Nopony needed to know it was motivated by trying to seduce me...

I took advantage of a friendly face to ask questions, Dusty was a font of information for all kinds of places, the caravan leader surely knew plenty about Jamocha Plains. "Good to hear Dusty, look forward to seeing you down at the castle too. So, can you give us the rundown on Jamocha Plains? Anything we should know?"

The earth pony trader was leading us towards the brightly lit Auction House, waving to the assortment of folks streaming in and out of the wide loading doors that served as the main entrance now. "Hmm... Not a lot if'n yer not here ta buy or sell somethin', Jamocha Plains is all about the caps, but fairly straight fer all that. No slavers, but they're tryin' ta worm their way in... More'n a few of the farms out there are run by slaves an Silver Seed Agriculture... Still keepin' ta their own hellhole outside though, Saphire Sprinkle Charter School, understand tha Gunners are pushin' fer them to be able ta do business in here too though."

Val growled at that, her violet eyes darting around as we walked cautiously, on the lookout for trouble from any quarter, doubly so at the mention of the mercenary army. "Why ain't I surprised... Plenty of them assholes were arguin' that shit when I was still around, takin' prisoners an' turnin' a profit on them, just another 'commodity' ta sell off ta them what wanted em. Pushy as they been gettin' down here, sure they're takin' lots more prisoners than before."

'Map Updated' flashed in my burning eyes as I gritted my teeth. Slavers... That gave a new focus for the dark Shroud in my head, distracting me somewhat from its constant demands for filly flesh. I was glad to hear they weren't running a slave market right in Jamocha Plains, but they were still out there doing it, practically requiring a visit from the Shrouded Stallion.

We pushed our way into the Auction House with Dusty clearing a path, a throng of ponies, ghouls, griffons and more crowded together before a rough stage made of old pallets and crates. There were stalls for individual merchants to sell their wares in here, like a busy flea market in the old world, but most of the attention was on the pony up on stage rattling off in a rapid auctioneer's patter.

"Other than that? Well there's always the treasure hunters, folks been tryin' ta find the 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains' for 200 years an ain't got nowhere, most think it's just a fairy tale or wild goose chase, but ya still see plenty gearin' up ta go lookin' for it out in the ruins, most don't come back. Heard there was a crew puttin' together an expedition lately actually, not sure who though." Dusty continued, scratching his mane in thought.

"Treasures of Jamocha Plains?" He said it just like that, capitalized and everything, like it was a thing everypony knew about.

The friendly earth pony dug around in his pocketed jacket, pulling out a tattered old flyer that matched the billboard outside and hoofing it over as he chuckled. "On display a month after the bombs fell, figure whatever it was ain't here at all. But ponies see the old ads and keep talkin' up stories 'bout the fabulous treasure buried out in the ruins, a mountain of gems, magical artifacts, wish grantin' demons, you name it. Bunch'a hooey if ya ask me."

"Chicory Grande still in charge round here Dusty? Old tub of lard wouldn'ta suffered no slavers even sniffin' around, so guessin' not..." Val grumbled, looking around the wide open Auction House floor and all the various occupants.

"Nope, one of his daughters took over when he passed, Cocoa Latte, she's up on the stage tradin' right now. Watch that one, she's easy on the eyes, but smart as a whip and all about the caps... Worked her way up from the er... 'Starbucked' down the way after her pa stuck her there." Dusty nodded up towards the stage up front, to the pony chattering to the crowd in front of big sacks, baskets, boxes and bundles of plants.

"W-What kind of father would force his own daughter to... to work in such a place!?" Jade sounded horrified at the thought, blue eyes wide and gasping to Dusty.

"One what was concerned with profit, he put all his kin ta work where they'd make the most. She chose it believe it or not Princess, raked it in from the time she was a filly, learned to be a smooth talker an' crafty, how to make caps and put em ta use. Ol' Grande had lots of kids, legitimate an' not, that one's the cream what rose to the top. Some 'round these parts found his death a mite bit suspicious, old buck knew better than ta wander out to the marsh an' take a piss in the middle of the night, but Radcrags don't leave much in the way of evidence behind ya know? You all take care, gotta keep herd on my crew, but good seein' ya!" Dusty waved us off with a grin, pointing out the tan unicorn mare calling out rapidly using a voice spell to buy and sell.

After getting used to the common body types of the ponies living here, the mare up on stage was all the more of a shock. She wasn't thin, she wasn't fat, she was pure sex appeal in pony form, putting even the enticing ads for Starbucked coffee to shame, including the gyrating campaign of the mares in the windows of the current version outside.

An immaculately clean, silky tan coat, a rich chocolate brown mane with a stripe of cream spilling down her neck, and a matching tail swishing seductively by a chocolate bar in a coffee mug cutie mark. The only bit of pudginess I could spot was packed in that amazing rump, wiggling its way back and forth as she took orders in a buttery, amplified voice.

Whether she just spotted the tall blue alicorn's head well above the crowd, or noticed me drooling I couldn't tell, but those warm brown eyes were wide and inviting as she locked on us and paused in her breakneck bartering. She waved up a younger, cream colored mare with a similar brown mane of reversed colors to take over and spoke in a much more sedate voice. "Excuse me folks, my sister Steamed Milk will take over, have some personal business to attend to, a manager's work is never done hmm? Current rate for razor cane is 4 caps a bundle, carry on!"

The crowd parted around her as she trotted down and towards us, a soft sigh of disappointment running through it as her pretty but not quite so drop dead gorgeous sister took over. Just watching her sashay her way towards us, I got a good idea how this place functioned so well, that mare could convince anypony to do anything with just a wiggle, several of which she was putting on display as she approached.

"Ah, I heard we had new guests and here they are! How convenient, Cocoa Latte at your service, manager of our little community. And you must be Princess Jade of Sanctuary! A pleasure to meet you! I've heard quite a bit on the radio, I've been hoping we'd get a personal visit sometime! Would you care to come out to my office? I'd love to chat, but it's a tad noisy down here isn't it?" Sweet Celestia, even her honeyed words were dripping with seduction.

This was completely unfair, I couldn't string two words together in the presence of those long, fluttering eyelashes, gawking senselessly as my wings sprang up and my mane itched furiously. She was talking to Jade, but her lidded eyes remained on mine, taking in all the obvious cues I was giving. My ears pricked up and pointed right at her, listening to the soft beat of her heart under the silky black dress she wore. I took one strutting step forward against my will and Jade was there, gently pushing me back and coughing coquettishly at the smaller mare in front of her.

"Yes of course Miss Latte, we wished to announce our presence in your fair town and speak with you as well. We are seeking allies in a coming conflict with..." Jade followed along as she sauntered off, out of the auction house and towards a fairly well repaired brick storefront just down the street.

I was barely able to pay any attention to anything other than that warm brown and cream tail flicking ahead of me, the wonderful jiggle of her rump at each step and that delicious smell of hot chocolate wafting back to me. I floated along behind her, held back by Val's dark claw wound around my tail as my stomach rumbled and fangs ached. The still tenuous control I had over the demanding voice in my head was slipping, it was no longer muttering but outright shouting a continuous chant, 'MOREMINENOWWANT'. Great... it had learned new words from grappling with Virescent...

She held a hoof up quickly at Jade's statement, shushing her and unlocking the reinforced door to her storefront manager's office, leading the way through the cluttered room full of desks and papers, over to an unobtrusive staircase leaning slightly on the way up to her own home by the look. There was a lot of musty but well preserved and fancy furniture, overstuffed sofas and chairs, lots of pillows, a small kitchenette with an amazingly complex and working coffee machine, clattering to life and puffing steam as her caramel colored magic turned it on.

"Coffee, Tea, Cocoa? We have quite a few luxuries as I'm sure you've noticed. Sorry to cut you off, you were about to mention the Gunners though, not a topic for open conversation around here. Though one I'm anxious to discuss myself, please, have a seat, your bodyguard can wait downstairs and keep an eye out." Cocoa pranced past me towards the kitchen, lifting her tail to playfully tickle under my chin as she did, speaking in that honeyed voice and eyeing Val's scratched out barcode / cutie mark thing suspiciously.

"Don't take orders from you missy. Take em from the boss. But... probably not a bad idea I guess, if you say so boss. Can quit yer starin' though, ain't no Gunner." Val growled at the curvy unicorn and waited on me to speak one way or the other.

Right... words.... mouth work... "Umm.. y-yeah Val, if she's worried about being overheard, guess it's not a bad idea. We're safe enough up here, right?"

"Oh of course! Little old me could hardly pose a threat to the famous Shrouded Stallion and his Princess, now could I? Go along dear, chop, chop, won't do to have the wrong ears listening in." Cocoa dismissed my griffon friend like she worked for her, managing to get through that fog of lust for a moment with a spark of annoyance, Val was 'MINE' m-my friend... I didn't like having her treated like an employee.

"Val's not just a bodyguard, don't talk to her like that. Even if you have a point... ummm... if you don't mind Val, go ahead, I'll yell if we need you."

The slightly rusty machine chugged to a halt as Val stomped back downstairs, giving a distrustful look at the unicorn with us, settling on a warmer, grateful look at me before she disappeared from sight downstairs. Cocoa nodded when it was just the three of us, floating a tray with a trio of steaming mugs of hot chocolate over to the battered coffee table and wiggling her way right in my face, licking her lips as her eyes hung on my wings stiffening awkwardly.

"Sorry, being cautious has yet to fail to pay off for me though. There now... since it's just us, I have to be nosy. The stories really are true aren't they, an alicorn stallion... what a rare commodity you are hmm? Good lines, ah nice muscle tone under the silly costume, wooo... nice perky rear, excellent teeth... a little pointy even! A bit short, but very cute, I like a buck that's manageable anyway, must be practically snack sized for you Princess!" Cocoa Latte cozied right up against me and walked a slow circuit, stroking and prodding, running a hoof down my back and opening my mouth to peek inside, giving my flank a smack that made me squeak as she sized me up like I was on the auction block. The treatment would annoy me, but every touch was expertly driving me wild as she took stock, right in front of Jade.

"E-Excuse me..." My princess growled in flabbergasted annoyance, arching an eye at me melting under the shapely unicorn pulling a stiff wing down over her back beside me, giving a little shimmy under the dark feathers that made me bite my lip with rapidly extending fangs.

"These are rather sizable though aren't they? Oh my, they're so soft too! So, is what they say about pegasus bucks true for alicorns too? OH! It is! It definitely IS! Sweet Celestia! What's a mare have to do to rate a little royal treatment Princess Jade? If you ever feel like taking a break from the whole wasteland hero business, I could make a fortune renting you out cutie! Sigh.... business first, then pleasure, hmmmmm?" I gasped as Cocoa's roving caramel magic squeezed and groped without reservation, the gentle caress of her telekinesis latching on to a very sensitive area under my coat and expertly driving me right to the edge in seconds.

"Business ONLY." Jade stomped a big hoof on the ratty carpet and rattled the room, her blue eyes taking on that dragonish glare as her goddess voice boomed out.

Cocoa looked completely unbothered, licking up my neck and smacking her lips appreciatively. She turned her lidded gaze on Jade and swayed towards her with a grin, pacing a slow circle around the tall alicorn and rubbing against her like a cat, all sinuous, curvy lines that molded against Jade's, turning my princess bright red and frazzling her anger immediately. "Everything's negotiable, I didn't mean to neglect my other guest honey, I've just had a taste of your kind before, while he's a brand new delicacy... Once our dealings are done, perhaps we could have a little feast together Princess? I could teach you a thing or two... I bet you can't do this for example?"

The light touch of her magic returned before either of us could ask or object, I barely caught Jade's sudden shudder as Cocoa was using the same spell on both of us at once somehow. I used my own finesse with telekinesis to help deal with more than one mare at a time when the opportunity arose, but Cocoa put me to shame. Her time working in the 'Star~~b~~ucked' cathouse had left her a sorceress of seduction apparently, it wasn't just touching some very sensitive bits like a safecracker either, magic fogged my head and lit my nerves on fire, making me groan and stagger under her skills.

'MORE!'
"S-Stop! C-Can't..."

"ENOUGH! WE HAVE COME TO TALK, NOT.... F-FUN AND GAMES! DO WE HAVE BUSINESS OR NOT?!" Jade's goddess voice tolled in the small room, helping me shake off the spell and stumble back to her warily.

Cocoa Latte laid her ears back at the volume, but was still unperturbed, actually she looked like she was enjoying herself..., sinking into a particularly soft looking armchair and waving us to the overstuffed loveseat graciously. "Of course, forgive me dear. Now then, the Princess of the Kingdom of Sanctuary and her adorable little Knight... I'm fairly well informed, so we can dispense with some of the backstory. You've picked a fight with a mutual problem, the Gunners... Now you're looking for help for your little war and a new ally for your growing coalition." The unicorn mare came right out with what Jade was going to say, leaving her nonplussed a moment and struggling to keep up, Cocoa was a smooth talker alright, she got both of us off balance and was keeping us that way.

"Er... Y-Yes, just so. The Gunners threaten everyone in the southern Commonwealth, they are tyrants and bullies that must be stopped. We do indeed seek help to take a stand against them Miss Latte." Jade shook off her annoyance and answered passionately, trying to appeal to her better nature and win a new friend.

It didn't work on the shrewd mare, giving a small smile and shrugging at the big blue alicorn. "All very noble, just like I heard. I'm more interested in the bottom line though, what's best for me and my community? Where's the most profit? The Gunners are assholes yes, but they also rake in a lot of caps, use up a lot of food and gear that has to be shipped through somewhere, spend a lot of caps on my gals when they're in town too.

I want to develop the southern Commonwealth Princess, Jamocha Plains is already practically the gateway to the region, whoever wins your little squabble, there will be lots of business opportunities after and we're set up to benefit. Convince me I'm better off with you." She leaned back and sipped her drink daintily, crossing and uncrossing her hindlegs in a seductive display, meant purely for me by those sparkling brown eyes watching my wings twinge out with merriment.

We really should have brought Glitter... she'd be able to negotiate with this supermodel of a mayor much better than either of us, plus she'd be able to keep me grounded... At least Jade was able to form functional thoughts, she looked to me helplessly and caught me ogling the steady rise and fall of that silky tan breast. My princess gave an annoyed nip to my ear and snapped me out of it, forcing me to engage my brain and try to steal some blood back to run it.

"Umm... We're nice and they're not? Sorry, not good at thinking about money stuff... Hmm, well, we have lots of other communities in the north on our side, food, medicine, water, you like trade and want to make deals for stuff you don't have here, sell stuff you do to others right? We want to help develop the southern Commonwealth too, bring communities together, make them stronger and... fix things..."

Cocoa's fine features smiled but she was hard to read, she tossed her head sending that long two tone mane spilling down her shoulders, blowing an errant lock away from her eyes with lips pursed way more than necessary. "I do hear good things there, just having a more direct line to Goodneighbor could open up a lot of profit for me, not to mention all your other settlements I'm sure would love the rarities we have to offer. Say I were to join you then, become part of this Kingdom of Sanctuary... what's my end, what kind of tariffs can I impose on goods coming through here? What's the tax rate or dues to remain part of the collective? Do I have a free hoof to rule as I want, or do you have laws I have to abide? I do enjoy my freedom Princess..."

Jade's eyes were spinning along with mine, actually voicing my own earlier thought. "Y-You should speak with our daughter Miss Latte, she would know the answers to your financial concerns... We truly just wish to help, we do not interfere in the doings of our other allies. As for laws or rules... we never had to lay any down before. I am unsure what..."

"Slavers. No Slavers for one." I finally managed to get my brain to function again and latched on to the nagging concern I had thanks to Dusty. "That's non negotiable. No support for slavery, not even tacit support by ignoring it. No slaves in allied settlements, no profiting from slave labor, no doing business with slave run businesses, nothing."

That got her attention and I watched her reaction carefully, still very measured and controlled, stretching into a luxuriant yawn like it was of no concern and incidentally putting her body even more on display as she gave a long, low purr, threatening to derail my wavering control. Intentionally... She knew what she was doing alright, those crafty brown eyes flicked to my wings springing out in new angles before she answered with a knowing smile.

"Hmmm... I'll be honest, Pa kept the slavers out completely and I can't say I care for them that much, but it's business that's going on with or without me. Silver Seed runs a lot of little farms out this way too, you're saying I have to cut ties with them because of slave labor? The Gunners have been making overtures, lovely bribes to tempt me with, while you only offer a cut in my profits?"

"Won't be a cut in your profits when Silver Seed stops existing period..." I growled back with my eyes burning. Sexy mare or not, this was not something I'd budge on. I hadn't gotten around to finishing my business with that particular Diamond City noble and her evil business practices, but if they were that active down here, that could change.

Jade didn't like the implied violence in my voice, but nodded her agreement. "We have freed several victims of their abuses, if they are up to the same thing here, they will be stopped."

Those deep brown eyes widened at the threat and she tapped her chin in thought, a wicked smile curling across her muzzle as she finally replied. "That's an interesting idea... If Silver Seed was gone, that would change things. Perhaps we can come to some arrangement then. How about this, we'll start with a small test, we have some unwanted guests snooping around from the Gunners, can hardly move forward with them underhoof. Plus they're going after a pet project of mine, stole from me... Take care of them and we'll talk about Silver Seed, I understand this kind of thing is right up the Shrouded Stallion's alley anyway? Well, that and other less obvious talents I soooo look forward to investigating when you return. If that goes well, then I'll throw my lot in with you, quietly for now..."

"What do you want then?" I sighed, smelling another 'Mission' incoming from my pip-buck, that and the overpowering female smell she was putting out, Luna help me her flicking tail was deliberately spreading it, her sharp eyes pausing on my flaring nostrils with a grin.

Cocoa's eyes lit up and sparkled, making her even prettier if that was possible as she leaned forward and beamed. "What do you know about the Treasures of Jamocha Plains?"

"Ooooooh! I do not like that mare Fast! I do not like her taking advantage of you to go on her silly treasure hunt, I do not like only Valkyrie and Miss Hour going with you either! I especially do not like I see no other options either, she has boxed us in before we stepped hoof in her tacky little hovel!" Jade raged as much as she ever did, snorting and stomping down the sidewalks at my side.

"Gunners might be here in town too, I want you and Glitter together and safe, you can hide better than anypony Jade. Ivy can read any bad thought out of anypony who gets close, Zed will beat anypony who tries to hurt you to a pulp. It's a stupid errand like you said, just the three of us can take care of it and be back in no time. Not sure I like her either hon, but we need help, everything we could ask for from Sanctuary and our other friends up north would have to come through here."

"This is all a bunch of bullshit boss! Treasures of Jamocha Plains is a fairy tale! Nobody's ever found it! She's playin' ya!" Val grumbled behind me as I sought out our batpony companion, glaring at the new mission that had indeed popped up in my vision;

Mission Added: X Marks the Spot

Objectives-------
---Eliminate the Gunner treasure hunters
---Find the Treasures of Jamocha Plains

"It's real Val, Cocoa showed me all her research, had a keycard she paid a lot for from scavvers out in the ruins that the Gunners stole from her, she was obsessed with it when she was a filly. Somepony sunk a lot of money and heavy duty security into protecting something in this town. The Gunners sent a squad after it whatever it is, we can't leave them to keep sneaking around while we're here can we? It's just outside the gates, out in the ruins, you, me and Witchy can duck out and take care of them, try to find this treasure while we're at it. Witchy can do that weird radar sounding thingy and you know Gunners, it shouldn't take any time at all, I really hope not anyway."

"Oh Cocoa said huh? Well that changes everything don't it! Don't like that slutty filly boss, already wrappin' you round her hoof with a wiggle, ya ain't in yer right mind either are ya? Blue talk to him! Go jump his bones or somethin', bleed some of the pressure off 'fore I do it!" Val screeched and made me wince in embarrassment, never mind that she was right....

Just being in Cocoa Latte's presence had been maddening, she wasn't as pretty as my Jade, but she was gorgeous and oozed sex, using it effectively as a weapon to get what she wanted. Logically I knew she had been doing it, I knew she was taking note of every obvious sign I gave of my interest and playing up to them, still I couldn't help it. My traitorous body refused to listen to logic, the best I could do was rationalize it, come up with good reasons to do what she wanted anyway.

We were in a rush, we had left Castle Equinox just this morning, but it felt like a lifetime ago, and every hour counted with the Gunners on their way. I had been pushed dealing with the Brotherhood and their prejudice towards me, and more importantly, my encounter with Virescent. I escaped her, but the giant filly left me as agitated as she had been herself, it was becoming a driving need with no release.

I stomped down the street angrily and looked forward to Gunners to kill, that was something at least. Val's annoyed joke was pushing me too far though, I wheeled on her and stood on my hindlegs to get in her face, wrapping my forelegs around her fluffy neck and growling with my mane itching like crazy.

"Then do it! Let's go Val, you're right, I'm worked up and she's taking advantage of it. Let's go 'bleed off the pressure' like you said and see if I can come up with anything else! I don't see any other way to get this place on our side, but I'll give it a shot anyway. More than that, I want to! With you! With Jade! With Ivy! With Witchy! With Summer! With Peri! and yes with that fucking temptress Cocoa! With all of you! RIGHT NOW!"

A quiet 'eep!' interrupted my panting in Val's surprised face, forcing me to look up and see the wide amber eyes of the batpony I had just listed off herself, hanging from the leaning streetlight above us. Witching Hour turned bright red and hid in her leathery wings at my burning gaze, giving Jade the opportunity to put a gentle hoof on my shaking foreleg. She slowly guided me from clinging to Val and let the shocked griffon stumble back, redder than normal and breathless under the raging force of that dark voice leaking out into my own more, making it ragged and husky around three females now.

I shoved it back down again, barely, wincing and punching myself, hard... I stumbled back and cringed towards a narrow alley off the cracked sidewalk, trying to catch my breath and force my stiff wings back down. "S-Sorry... I'm sorry Val... Witchy... I didn't mean... I did, but... S-Stay away ok? Just stay away... n-not safe to be around me right now... I'll go do it myself, I'm sorry Jade, I'll be back!"

Stuttering out that much, I ran. Well, I flew, but I ran away nonetheless. Clenching my eyes shut against the raging demands in my head, flapping as hard as I could to get out into the night and away from everyone, away from temptation and the possibility of doing something bad. I had to get control, had to burn through all the radiation and hormones still surging in my system, had to go calm down, had to stop this before I lost it completely and did something I'd regret, hurt the ones I loved because my stupid body kept...

I ran into something soft and warm that wrapped around me in midair, clutching me tight and refusing to let go despite my blind struggles. I finally calmed at Jade's soft coos above me, opening my eyes to her broad blue breast and sniveling into the silky fur there as she comforted me. "Ssssh, it is alright Fast, I know, it is alright... Calm yourself, please. I love you, we are here for you, do not run."

We? I stopped my blubbering and flinched at Val flapping alongside the blue beauty, watching with anxious concern along with the batpony beside her. Great... both of them watching me start to crack, they were who I was trying to get away from, they must be so insulted, yelling in the middle of the street about wanting to rut the both of them like a madpony.

"S-Sorry.... I'm so sorry..."

Val flushed and scratched her neck nervously, trying to wave off the outburst and paying a lot of attention to her weapons as a distraction. "S'ok boss... sorry fer jokin' 'bout it. J-Just kiddin' around ya know, like always... d-didn't mean to... shouldn't play an' joke when yer like that I guess... maybe you an Blue should take some time before an'..."

"Y-Y-Yes! It is alright Fast, I understand you didn't mean that, thou w-wouldn't want to actually do such with me, it is just the strain Miss Ivy spoke of and..." Witchy spoke over her in a rush, still rosy cheeked but looking away, trying to hide behind Val's flapping red wings.

The sad tone in their voices got me over the worst of my shame, I stayed in Jade's embrace, but stared at Val and Witchy forcefully, trying to be serious and not make a fool of myself getting this out. "No, it's not that. I... I meant it, I'm sorry Jade but I did. But N-Not like that, not just because I'm all fucked up, definitely not with you Val. I love you, I want that to be why... not because of my goddess damned body ok!? Sorry to snap at you, I like your jokes and flirting, that's who you are and that's who I love, it's just cutting a little close right now, because it's not a joke to me."

"And I wanted to ask you to come so we could talk Witchy, not just because... e-even though I do really want to with you too, I don't know why you think nopony would, but I do... a lot...NNNGH!! Dammit! Sorry... look, I care about you too, I was worried about how you've been acting lately Witchy."

"I don't like not being in control, but I do really feel that way about both of you. I'm scared Virescent broke something in my brain, then that Cocoa just pushed all the right buttons and... It's not safe to be around me like this, but we don't have time to screw around.. UM!! To w-waste! Don't have time to waste I mean! Ugh... see!?"

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be an out of control pervert, I care about you all for more than just that. I know it's not like with your sisters Jade, not for saving your species so there's no reason, but I can't stop myself either. I love you Jade, more than anypony else. I want you to be my wife and I know it's so wrong to keep thinking this stuff about others... but I keep doing it! I'm a horrible pony..."

I barely got to see the hint of a secretive pair of smiles on Val and Witchy, then my world became blue, lots of warm, soft, blue surrounding me, squeezing me tightly and nuzzling my mane, Jade's sweet voice filling my ears softly. "You are not. You are trying so hard, I do not need sister Ivy's gift to know that. I love you too, I wish for you to be my h-husband as well, to be mine and mine alone in that regard. I... I am growing used to the idea of sharing your body with my sisters, and your heart has love to give so many, you love Ivy and Peri as well do you not?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Yet I am not jealous of them, it is not the same love is it? But it is love. I do not like you ogling that exhibitionist mare in charge here merely for her body, but Valkyrie is family, Witching Hour is a kind friend, as you say, you care for them for more than mere mating. You are not a bad pony Fast, you are a wonderful pony, dealing with things out of your control as well as you can."

"I do not doubt you, I do not think poorly of you for your thoughts and urges. Just as with my sisters, as long as I am in charge and my place is clear... I love Valkyrie as well. Miss Hour should start being more forthright and open with us before I change my p-opinion where she is concerned, but I am coming to like her and she should not think she is unworthy of affection like that. Random strange mares like that obnoxious Miss Latte are unacceptable though Fast, I do not approve."

"I am very concerned for you, Ivy and Glitter have surely found lodging by now, we can go immediately and take our time together, as long as you want. With sister Ivy if you want or feel you need her help, with Valkyrie as well if you need her and that is what she truly wants. If you think we must deal with these Gunners and run this silly errand for that Miss Latte first, then hurry and be done with it. I trust Valkyrie and Miss Hour to watch you. Protect my Fast both of you, be there for him and come back to me."

Just Jade's acceptance and concern did a world of good, the warm glow of her love filled me up, lighting the darkness creeping into every corner of my mind. Between Virescent's carnal lust with no emotion, and being subjected to Knight Dervish's hate for being an alicorn for so long, the darkness had been winning. I briefly broke down and blubbered into Jade's warm chest, hugging her back as tightly as she did me, trying to get control over myself and feeling about two inches tall after that pathetic display.

I sniffled and peeked out from all the alicorn curled around me in the air, looking to Val with bleary, bloodshot eyes that had a hard time meeting hers. There wasn't any laughter or jokes there though, just caring concern and a genuine happiness curling her beak in a soft smile. Witchy looked confused, but shook it off at my look and gave a bright, fang enhanced smile, fluttering over with the dark ruins of the rest of Jamocha Plains at her back.

The passionate kiss I lunged into with Jade was almost impossible to break off, the desire to just stop worrying, stop giving two fucks about the Gunners, the upcoming battle with them, the annoying 'Missions' flashing in my pip-buck, the Institute, everything.... was very strong. I just wanted to go to whatever room my daughter had dickered for and hide in there, with only those I loved and nothing else. Logic was able to reassert control with Jade's support though, an elite crew of Gunner treasure hunters couldn't be allowed to just wander around, they could find us, attack us, put Glitter in danger to get to me, there were too many dangers... They had to die, now.

I pulled away reluctantly, stroking Jade's soft mane before flapping away to keep myself under control. "T-Thank you Jade, I'm sorry... I'm the luckiest buck in the world, you know that? I love you so much. I'll be back soon, don't worry, just wait for me and we'll be back ok!"

The stunning blue alicorn nodded from where she hovered, distracted by Val coming close to her and scratching at herself awkwardly, opening her beak repeatedly before snapping it shut again. After a few long minutes, she stammered out in a weak voice even my enhanced hearing had to strain to pick up.

"Er... I umm... I like you too Blue. M-More than like... ain't had any gal friends fer a long time before you, last one I had kinda tried ta kill me sooo... A-Anyway... er... dunno if the boss told ya, b-bout the stuff I told him after Talon's... my umm.... w-why I quit the Gunners?" She whispered cautiously, making me cut in to reassure her.

"No Val. That wasn't my story to tell, not to anypony."

"R-Right... thanks boss... Umm, well... i-if I wanted ta talk when we got back, tell ya a pretty shitty story... w-would that be ok Blue? W-Wouldn't mind if'n it's you, an probably good ta talk about it... er.... w-with the whole carin' thing and what not... Gah! I sound stupid, but I wanna ok? I umm... t-trust ya." Val managed to get it out, that made me feel even better and more myself. I had worried over the horrible abuses she had suffered and her sad tale. If she was willing to share it with Jade, I was sure the best healer in Equestria could help, even if it was just listening.

She proved it by diving forward at the wilting mercenary, grabbing her in a crushing hug that overwhelmed even the strong griffon, flapping excitedly and nuzzling against her feathery neck. "Of course Valkyrie, I would like nothing more and I am glad I have earned your trust, that you consider me a friend. I hope you will accept I think of you as a sister already, hurry back and tell me everything. Ever since you returned from that awful Talon's place, I have been curious and concerned. Speak with me as soon as you return, er... a-after Fast and I have a little time I think..."

Val struggled in her grip a moment, panicked at the affection she wasn't used to or expected. Eventually she settled out and returned it, her tense form relaxing in Jade's hooves before she chuckled and broke it off. "Y-Yeah, probably a good idea. We both got our own fucked up mental shitshow I guess, least ya can do somethin' bout the boss' lil' problem huh? A-Alright goofy, that's enough of that bullshit, hope yer happy makin' me get all sappy an' soft. Let's go kill us some Gunner assholes, find this fabulous buried treasure.."

We started to fly off, pausing to look back at Witchy hovering in front of Jade shyly. The batpony mare tapped her hooves together anxiously, then leaned up to whisper in Jade's ear rapidly. I had no idea what they said, but Jade smiled and nodded graciously, reaching out and enveloping the thestral filly in her own parting hug before drifting back down to find our daughter.

Witchy shivered in the air a moment, then flew up in a rush to join us, red faced and quiet, but seeming a bit happier than she had lately. She smiled mysteriously as we climbed up over the ruins below to look around, shrugging at my questioning look. "She is very nice, I believe you are right now, she is a Princess worthy of Luna."

"Yes, yes she is. Alright, let's get this done and get back to her."

"Wow... there are a lot of zombies down there Fast... like... a lot..." Witchy stared down at the ruins a good distance below with concern, opening her mouth to make that high pitched noise right at the edge of my improved hearing range, her tufted ears flicked as she listened carefully, then repeated, "A whooooole lot of zombies..."

Val squinted down in the dark, hooking a thumb claw towards the ruins of Trotson to the north, a narrow bridge in the far distance was missing large chunks, but crossed over to the city itself still. "Same reason this place is such a big stop fer caravans and such, ones what weren't here originally filter in from the city, shamble their way down the road followin' travellers, get stopped by all the critters in the marshes what like eatin' rotten meat. Ferals ain't zactly smart, but they gots animal cunning. So, what we lookin' for boss?"

She had a harder time spotting some of the signs I was already following in the dark streets below, there were more residences and a lot of public buildings on this side of Jamocha Plains, a library with large holes in the lavender concrete walls, a pale green shell of an Equestrian Army recruitment center.

The center of it all was the Town Hall though, a red brick structure with fallen white pillars piled against what was left of the entrance. The matching dome had gone through the ceiling, crumpling the large building in on itself, leaving next to nothing to explore but a pile of jagged rubble.

That's where the flyer and other advertisements listed the 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains' exhibit being displayed, but there was little left to investigate, a few second floor rooms at the corners were accessible through the windows, but the ground floor and anywhere near the center had been smashed and choked by the heavy dome coming down.

There were an awful lot of dead zombies on the cracked steps leading up to the town hall though, spread in a fan shape before the doors. Someone had taken a stand there for awhile, held off a horde of feral ghouls at the front doors before moving on. Mostly moving on... a big wet splotch was splashed against the faded doors and soaking into the ground, a pool of liquid that looked black in the moonlight, a dark body leaning against the wooden barrier at the center of the mess gave me something to silently glide towards as I whispered to the others.

"Looks like they were here already, that's one less of them anyway. You don't pick up anything alive Witchy?"

The batpony mare shook her head nervously, glancing around at the red dashes on E.F.S. shambling around the ruined town. "Only zombies... more are getting up and moving all the time Fast, let's hurry..."

There wasn't much left of the Gunner pony in front of the doors, big bites had been torn from his flesh around the spattered green combat armor he wore. Val rapidly looted him for any ammo for the bent dual combat shotgun battlesaddle he wore, rifling through his soaked possessions and peering at a bloody copy of the flyer for the Treasures, turning it over in her claws and shoving it in my face when she took in the back.

A crude map had been drawn there, showing a rough map of the ruins with major landmarks, the Town Hall being the largest. An X had been drawn over one small square, matching a fancy looking ruined house not far away, labeled 'Mayer's Place'. Interesting...

The zombie corpses spread out in front of him bore more wounds than just shotgun rounds though, quite a few piles of pink ash drifted in the chilly breeze, big round holes were punched through several from a high caliber rifle, there were more of them fighting here before. I looked around critically, trying to find clues in a rush as Witchy's silenced anti-materiel rifle at her side softly spoke, splattering a trio of zombies clambering out of the nearby rubble and noticing us.

Some of the chips and burns in the steps looked like they came from above, not down here like the rest. I looked up curiously and saw one of the broken second story windows was missing all of its glass, not just most of it like the others. A few splotches on the brick wall around it streaked down to matching pegasus zombie corpses, they dove that way, got shot and slammed against the wall... Someone had been up there.

Flapping up towards it and drawing the others up with me silently, I ducked through the broken window into what had been a fancy enough office, a broken and dusty desk bore marks of being searched, a glowing terminal tossed to the corner, along with a pile of ancient bones thrown from the rotting office chair.

Val and Witchy took up positions at the windows while I worked on the terminal, the thestral's rifle making 'pffft!' noises as she dropped more undead targets below. "Hurry it up boss... they're gettin' woke up down there, assholes stirred em up not long ago..." Val growled and joined in with her magical energy weapon, as close to silent weaponry as she got.

Welcome Treasurer Pinch Penny

Treasures Budgetary Requests

Class V Laser Security Grid
Ironshods Class VII Auto Turrets
Barrel Tumbler Model 81 Vault Door
Light Step Pressure Plates
Robronco Robotic Security

Treasures Construction

Elm Street to be closed for underground construction for two weeks, stated reason should be repairs to the storm drain system for any who ask, ought to make constituents happy as we'll be doing that while we're at it. Taking advantage of the drainage tunnels down there so not a lot of new construction at least. I know some of you are unhappy with the mayor's side entrance, but our construction crews assure me it's the best choice. Basement level remains off limits during primary construction and reinforcement, Sloppy Mop will just have to keep complaining about his janitorial duties being disrupted for awhile yet.

Building the Treasures display area up to the standards of one of Stable-Tec's projects takes time, especially doing it all underhoof. Will be worth it for the tourist draw once we're done and open! The mayor does have a talent for figuring out what's going to be hot after all, all his contacts have raised Jamocha Plains up to the hottest spot in Trotson for all the ponies in the know. Let's trust him here and stop listening to Sloppy's whining about silly things like the leaky boiler and pipes.

A series of explosions from Val's 25mm grenade machinegun tore me away from the open terminal, there was more to read, but those were the most recently accessed files. A side tunnel... If the Treasures of Jamocha Plains were located below the Town Hall, there'd be no other way to get to them... The Gunners came here with a lead and had followed it, thanks to their rough map I had a lead now too.

"Let's go! That house to the north, there should be a way in there!" I yelped over the explosions and chatter from Witchy's silver combat rifle, diving past them to fly out the window and nearly getting tackled by a rotting zombie pegasus charging the building.

A growing horde of undead were galloping towards the Town Hall, getting cut down only for more to clamber over the fallen. We had to hurry and get off the streets, the ground bound zombies weren't much of an issue, only the unicorns were even able to send glowing green beams of corrupted magic at us, but there were enough feral pegasi to come after us in the air.

Deliverer and the Terrible Shotgun floated out to my sides, the silenced pistol spinning on the pegasus that barely missed my awkward dive, half a dozen silenced shots blurring out rapidly, stitching 10mm rounds past its featherless wings and up to its head. Val and Witchy joined me immediately, making wide loops behind me to make up for my lack of speed in the air, firing down at more of the mob on our tail and confusing them while I focused on the rotting wooden home a couple blocks away.

The small, picket fenced yard of the mayor's house was full of more zombie corpses and signs of a firefight, the Gunner crew had been here too alright. Following the trail of destruction through the ruined house wasn't hard, it was little more than a shell anyway, a few standing walls and a door battered off its hinges that served as no barrier for the zombies on our tail. The signs of the Gunners' passage led through the rotting living room, to the dirty tiles of what was the kitchen and down to a small door hidden near the backdoor, leading to the basement.

I tossed a few mines on the way and flew down into the dark, the way forward obvious enough with another Gunner corpse torn up near a heavy steel door locked with a glowing terminal. The rotting remains of an old mattress and several boxes of junk were tossed to the side, while somepony had fiddled with the terminal barring the way out. Val and Witchy were covering the smoking entrance to the dingy basement, the mines rattling the beams above our heads as I patched into the terminal, rushing to hack through it.

An absent glance at the dead Gunner revealed a bloody scrap of paper near his grey hoof, the word 'Hoard' scrawled across it matched one of the options hidden in the code flashing before my eyes, the password! That made things faster, a good thing with a dozen zombies trying to crawl over the remains of more to get down to the basement with us. I froze up a moment spotting one of them dripping pink goop, what was a slime zombie doing here?!

No time, the door unlocked and I spun as it swung open, firing wildly with Blue Moon, hoping to vaporize that slimy pink zombie among all the others. Waving Val and Witchy into the waiting exit and leaping in behind them, my magic surrounded the heavy door and slammed it shut behind us. Loud bongs reverberated down the damp passage ahead of us as the zombies slammed against the barrier blocking them behind us, but for now the way forward was clear.

"W-Well... this is going good so far, we know they went this way anyhoo..." I panted to the others, following their example and reloading while we had a moment to breathe.

Val groaned and punched my shoulder in response, "Sure... goin' great boss. Recognized what was left of ugly outside the door, part of Dragon Squad. If they sent them, maybe there really is a treasure down here somewheres... Guess this ain't a total waste of time after all, wonder what the loot is.." A flash of greed lit Val's violet eyes and she rubbed her claws together happily.

Witchy made that high pitched sound and held a hoof up for quiet, listening to the response and tilting her head in confusion. "There is a maze of passages ahead Fast, more things moving... zombies probably, living things too... gunfire..."

That much I could pick out myself, a few shots echoing down the tunnels to my own twitching ears. The passage we were sheltering in was still new and square looking, further down it turned rougher. Thick grey bricks and an overflowing channel cut in the stone floor, murky water dribbling down the walls collected there and rushed off down the passage.

I was glad I could see in the dark now, the odd glowing fungus sprouting up from the walls and floor provided some light, but not much. Witchy could see just as well, leaving only Val at a significant disadvantage she mitigated by turning on her pip-buck light, holding it high and peering around. She eyed the rushing water warily as I stuck a hoof in, sighing at the mild tingle of radiation to her snort.

"Alright, lead on boss. Let's find us some treasure!"

-------------------------------------------Level Up!---------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------------

Fight the Power!-------------
--- You've ticked off the Brotherhood of Friendship along with the Gunners and more major forces are against you every day! You now gain +2 Damage Threshold and +5% Critical chance against anyone wearing Diamond City, Gunners, New Canterlot Republic or Brotherhood of Friendship armor.

Reputation Change-------------------

Jamocha Plains - Neutral --------
----Continuing on your diplomatic mission, you've introduced yourself to the overly friendly leadership of Jamocha Plains. Watch your wallet when dealing with the profit driven ponies of this trading hub! Hopefully running a dangerous errand and a successful treasure hunt will put you in their good graces and provide another ally.

Ch. 67-- Heist of the Centuries

"Being the most interesting pony in Equestria is exhausting. I want to leave my exotic, exciting life behind...""

"So much fer just strollin' right down there an' catchin' up to em boss..." Val flicked gore off her guttering Shishkebab and joined me at the pile of rubble blocking our path I was currently groaning at, her voice torn between disappointment and 'I told you so'.

Ceding her point, I stared up at the collapsed ceiling of the rough tunnel and checked my pip-buck, eyeing the image the auto-mapping spell had been putting together as we traveled down the mayoral secret entrance to the Treasures of Jamocha Plains. Despite the fairly straight path that had been added to the storm drain system under the town, I didn't really expect it to stay so easy.

Not that a horde of waterlogged zombies along with a fair number of monstrous creatures Val and S.A.T.S. identified as Radigators had been easy, but the Gunners ahead of us somewhere in this maze had already taken a significant bite out of the population we had been following the corpses of.

I could easily see how much reinforcement and work had gone into fitting this passage in the sewers beneath Jamocha Plains. The walls were still straight and square for the most part, smooth concrete broken up by the occasional crumbled gap in the wall or barred gate, leading to the rougher brickwork of the rest of the drainage system. The channel of water running down the center of the tunnel was allowed free passage through these, a fair number of which were rusted or bent out of shape, leading to the maze of passages beneath the ruins and letting the zombies in, but up till now our path had been clear and easy.

"Alright, we'll have to backtrack, take one of those broken gated passages or holes in the walls, go around I guess, they're still down here and we can't leave them alive. Getting to the treasure would be a bonus, we know those Gunner exist for sure though. Come on, let's get to looking." I sighed and turned around, walking back up the gloomy passage we had taken here through the tingly rushing water down the center, letting the mild radiation heal the bites and scratches I had taken so far.

"Umm... A-Are thou sure you should be doing that Fast? The radiation? Er.... y-your condition..." Witching Hour squeaked nervously on the stone walkway above me, making me look up even more than usual to meet her concerned amber eyes as Val took the lead, ever the faithful bodyguard.

"No... it's cheaper than healing potions or magical bandages though, save those for you guys. It's... it's only a trickle anyway Witchy, I can keep myself under control, so long as there's more stuff to kill us crawling out of the woodwork. Er... d-don't worry about me trying to... j-just smack me if I try to jump you or anything alright? I'm really sorry..."

Rather than be offended or frightened of me, Witchy blushed and smiled with a nod, waving my apologies away while one cute tufted ear flicked ahead of us and the other remained trained on me. "It's alright Fast, really. F-Flattering actually... you really would want to... ummm... F-For the reasons you said? You care? About me?"

Since we were stepping over the numerous zombies we had already dispatched on the way here, I took the opening to try talking to the thestral filly about things that had been bothering me where she was concerned, while trying not to break my neck nodding my affirmation crazily. "I do. I reeeeeally do..."

'Be Kind...' spoke up and helped keep me on track, fighting against the opposing 'Be Dark...' that only focused on her first question, yes, I would want to, with her, over and over and over.... STOP! I shook my head and smiled sheepishly up to her as I managed to continue. "S-Sorry... You've put up with a lot waiting on me and been a good friend so far, but I realized I don't know enough about you. I have noticed you've been... sad? I don't know, you don't look right, I should have been a better friend and asked earlier. Do you not want to go home now Witchy?"

She paused and gave a worried look with shimmery, slitted eyes, looking up to Val watching all quarters for any danger, the griffon quickened her pace a bit and gave us space with a roll of her eyes. "I... I don't know anymore Fast... My mission was just to get you and bring you back, but... It's on my honor not to tell, but I dishonor you and thine Princess by keeping it secret too. This is so hard! I swore an oath, but I doubt it more and more every day! I want to tell thee, I don't think you should do as they ask anymore, but I must bring you!"

"Ok, so you can't tell me certain things because you promised, that's alright Witchy, I won't ask. We'll figure it out when we get there. We're going one way or another anyway, it's nothing for you to worry about so much. How about you just tell me what you can? What's Dreadnot like?"

"It... It is a ship... The E.M.S. Dreadnought, Princess Luna's flagship in the Celestial Sea. During the war it was crewed by all kinds of ponies, but those in charge were all thestrals, so it has remained since the last day. There are many ghouls and other ponies living in the bowels of the ship and the town there, but thestrals rule it and occupy their posts above still." She whispered cautiously, navigating a minefield of things she couldn't talk about.

"That's pretty cool, big navy ship and all, I really do look forward to seeing it. So you're in charge huh? I bet you're pretty important for them to send you out after me, you did a great job after all, you actually found me when I was trying to hide. If Jade's sisters had you, they would have caught me a long time ago! So, umm... do you have a special somepony back home? Er... g-guess they'd want to buck the snot out of me for..."

I stopped at the tears welling up on her cheeks, oh come on! I was trying to be nice, what did I end up saying now? Every time I tried talking I screwed it up somehow. Witchy sniffled as she gave a reply in a sad, squeaky little voice that broke my heart. "Nopony back home likes me, don't worry, I've never had a special somepony, nopony would want to be with me. You have been so kind, you don't treat me like... H-Home is not a pleasant place for me Fast, I didn't know how much so until I came out here, met you and the others, watched you stand up to the Gunners instead of... T-That is why I do not mind your interest, thou are the first buck I've spent time with that would want to... w-with me."

It took a second to get over the panic at causing her tears, what she said made me stamp a hoof down in the shallow water and snort, holding her head in my hooves to force it down to mine and look her in those exotic amber eyes. "Then we can clear something up right now, I am focusing very, very hard right now Witchy, so I want you to believe this is me talking and not just rads or hormones ok? This is the honest, 100% truth. 'Be Strong!' I don't know why you think nopony would want to be with you, but you're wrong. Anypony would, I definitely do and I guarantee I'm not the only one. You are beautiful, tough, sweet, gorgeous, exotic... soft..."

"Boss... yer headin' off inta the weeds..." Val grumbled back ahead of us and snapped me out of it, dammit, I just said I was going to get through this as me...

"UGH! Sorry! Sorta drifted off course there for a second... I still mean it, I don't like hearing you talk like nopony would want to touch you or something. It's crazy, anypony would be lucky to be with you. Why don't you think so?"

Her high pitched voice sounded thick when she finally answered, wiping her damp eyes forcefully with her foreleg and avoiding eye contact. "B-Because that is what I have been told all my life. I... I am not a pure thestral Fast..."

She winced when she said that, like she was admitting to having a second head or a tentacle hidden under her armor. I stopped where I stood and tried to figure out the problem, letting the water rush around my hooves while I thought, nope... still wasn't making sense. "Umm... so? Does that mean something? You look like one to me, what am I missing here?"

"Y-You aren't revolted? I'm impure... u-ugly..." Her eyes widened a bit as she answered in a whisper, fluffy ears laid back like she expected a blow or some other abuse.

Val gave a loud snort of laughter that made her cringe, but was supportive instead of derisive. "Ugly?! C'mon, I ain't even in ta pony mares an' I think that's hilarious, ya ain't ugly batty. Boss ain't enough ta tell ya that's stupid?"

"He is just suffering the side effects of his transformation... O-Of course the only way a stallion would be interested was if he's n-not in his right mind..." Witchy replied sadly, getting another laugh out of Val for her admission.

"Boss ain't like that, still gotta think yer hot before he gets all worked up dummy, don't see him jumpin' ghouls or old mares do ya? 'Sides, seen plenty of them Minutemares in the castle fawnin' all over ya, ain't ya ever give any of them bucks or fillies a thrill?" Val chuckled back, staring closely at Witchy's surprised look. "Don't tell me ya didn't notice! They listen ta ya spewin' all that stuff about Luna right?"

"G-Goddess Luna always has many admirers and ponies who wish to hear of her glory. Of course everypony... wants... to hear..." Witchy's firm declaration dried up at Val and I giving her a flat stare together, a dawning look of shock slowly sinking in as we waited for it. "Y-You mean they... b-because of me?" By her wide eyes and red face, she really had no idea... she actually thought so little of herself?

I held her confused eyes with mine and tried to make her believe me. "That's silly Witchy. Val's right, even when I'm like ...this... I only get out of control around fillies I find attractive. I'm definitely not the only one that thinks so either, the ponies back at the castle are much more interested in you than goddess Luna, I er... I notice... a lot. P-Possessiveness and all... stupid I know, but jealousy does pop up. Why... how could you possibly think you're ugly?"

"M-My wings are small..." Witchy whimpered and curled the leathery appendages in tighter, molding them to her blue steel armor in an attempt to hide them.

"They're petite and exotic."

"My coat is too light..."

"It compliments your mane, and it's fluffy and soft..."

"My pupils aren't the right shape..."

"They're cute."

"The tufts of my ears are..."

"Adorable."

She was getting more flustered with my every smirking response, really I could do this all day if we weren't winding our way down some damp dungeon. The honest truth had the added benefit of turning her redder with each fault turned compliment, making her cuter as she squeaked and stamped her hooves in frustration. "Y-You just don't understand! Don't know any better! By thestral standards I'm not... I am mixed, impure, I'm half earth pony! A disgrace to Luna's Guard, c-compared to the others, everyone can see my ancestry, they have always treated me..."

"Then they're wrong Witchy. They're stupid bigots or blind, you are beautiful, outside and inside, which is more important anyway. You're right, I don't know about thestral standards and I don't care, I know what I like and I like you. You'd be a freaking poster mare for Luna's Guard back when I was a kid for Luna's sake! You are NOT ugly. When we go to Dreadnot, I want you to start pointing out everypony who ever said otherwise, I want a talk with them...."

Witchy often had a look of grateful surprise at compliments or gifts, the look of pure elation that broke out across her face now put them all to shame though. A tear dribbled down her rosy cheek and she lunged forward, engaging in a hug with strength that matched Jade, nuzzling and chirping happily. "Thank you! I was so afraid to tell you... I only dreamed you would say such, I was scared and... You really a-are not disgusted? You still feel..."

"YES! A LOT! LIKE RIGHT NOW! T-TOO CLOSE WITCHY!" I yelped in a ragged voice, biting my lip and moaning at my wings springing up, trying to stay in control and losing rapidly.

Thankfully she realized what she was doing, gasping and flapping away quickly. She stayed near the top of the small tunnel and watched me panting to myself cautiously, a soft smile on her muzzle that refused to go away despite how close she came there. She floated back down once I nodded warily, sounding delighted despite my obvious reaction, or because of it. "Sorry! Just... truly, thank you Fast. I have come to suspect they were wrong about many things back home, but the shame is still so hard to let go of. I doubted my mission, but not how I think of myself. It... it is a big deal where I am from... I was afraid you only found me attractive because you didn't know."

"No, I find you attractive period. And I didn't know. Two separate things Witchy, now that I do one still has nothing to do with the other. So why does it matter back in Dreadnot?"

She tossed her shimmery purple mane and sighed in answer. "We are Luna's elite, surviving and remaining her pure servants all this time to be faithful to her. Having a foal with a non-thestral is an affront to goddess Luna, a rejection of her favored form of ponykind. I'm tolerated, but viewed as unclean, thus I was sent out into the wasteland to find you, I am already corrupted you see. Though I am glad I was sent, the outside is much nicer than they said, s-so are the ponies living here... I think you're right and they were wrong about o-other things, many other things..."

"Alright, that's enough of that boss, chattin' up the bat while we're huntin' assholes. At least tell me how awesome I am too, makin' a gal feel left out ya know." Val grumbled and swatted me with her tail as we turned down a new passage, through the first of several heavy barred gates that had rusted away, leading to the rest of the sewers.

"You have no problems with confidence Val, you already know how great you are."

"Don't mean I don't wanna hear it anyway boss, go on, make with the sweet talk, pay me!" Val stuck her beak up and put an extra sway in her step leading the way, impatiently waiting until I resigned and did what she wanted.

"Ick... nasty fuckers... Alright, keep goin' boss, my tail?" Val skewered the last of the latest wave of zombies and waved me back to the long litany of compliments she had been prompting, totally unconcerned that the dripping feral she torched with her Shishkebab was not the normal variety, but another pink slime zombie.

I gave her a flat look as I holstered Deliverer and Best Served, trotting over to take a better look at this scorched example of undead pony that I had hoped only existed inside the MoM hub. Her wide grin and claws waving in a looping, 'come on' gesture forced me to keep going, trying to ignore the sinuous tail flicking my muzzle that I really wanted to start playing with.

"Your tail is graceful, that cute red fluff at the end is always silky and I like how it tickles..."

She puffed up at every compliment, sticking her chest out and proudly tromping down the passage, avoiding roots pushing their way down through the stone ceiling as she checked over all the corpses and left the slimy one to me. "Good, good... Now my claws boss, tell me how great my badass claws are!"

"They're dark and shiny, really dexterous and talented. C-Can't we continue this later Val? I think we're getting closer, lost their trail for awhile but we picked it back up, that noise is getting louder anyway. I'd like to know where the hell these things are coming from too..." I waved out to the twisting maze of passages ahead, the ringing of metal on stone was echoing and hard to track, but definitely louder. We had started coming across more corpses that we hadn't put down again too, the Gunners had to be nearby.

Witchy joined me and watched as I tried to wipe the pink goop away from the body where it wasn't scorched, the only way to put these things down for good. The batpony stuck her tongue out as I floated out murky water from the drainage channel and dumped it over the corpse, revealing a rotting hide, but not that rotten... a nasty looking patch of matted fur and scars around its neck.

This was a pony that died more recently, not a prewar victim of the Institute's 'Fluffer Batter', that bare patch looked an awful lot like where a slave collar would go too. That the zombies were down here in the sewers wasn't odd, Jade told me they liked dark and creepy places as a matter of course, but where were these slimy ones joining the rest?

The batpony mare seemed a lot more at ease and genuinely happy since our talk, even while wandering the dark sewers and dealing with hordes of undead. She poked at the squishy corpse and raised a fluffy eyebrow at me curiously, "Thou have seen these kinds of zombies before?"

"Yeah, yeah, whole friggin' building full of the slimy bastards. Who cares, go on boss, my fur, tell me how awesome my fur is. You like that it's brighter than most griffons right? Pay me!"

I groaned up at her eager grin, bouncing on her paws and stretching out her feline form to put all that orange on display, waiting for her praise. Between Val's demands and all the zombies down the new passages, my mind was kept occupied and in control at least. Better when fighting though, coming up with compliments meant actually thinking about what I was complimenting, which just went back down the rabbit hole of my lascivious thoughts chasing each other.

Still, it obviously made her happy, clucking in anticipation as she waved me on to keep going with a sigh. "Yes I like that it's bright and orange, umm... your fur is almost as soft as your feathers, broken up by all those scars I want to... er... i-isn't that enough Val?"

She misunderstood my reticence, a claw going back to her scarred flank protectively as she glared back. "W-What about my scars? Go on... finish that thought boss, I wanna hear it..."

I winced and hung my head, running my tongue over the nubs of my fangs trying to spring out at the thought. "...all those scars, I keep thinking about... a-about kissing them to make them better... happy!?"

Considering all the praise she had wrung out of me so far and how she had gotten back to her normal playful flirting, I was somewhat surprised at how red she got, a blazing neon color that shone through even her crimson feathers as she sputtered. "Y-You wanna... a-all of em?! Y-You been puttin' serious thought inta this boss, ain't ya? J-Jeez! Kiss my... t-though maybe that would be... gots me some in a few interestin' spots ya know! Kinda a big job! Know how I wanna be paid first now, when we get done here we..."

Witchy stretched her slender neck forward and grabbed Val's tail in her pointy teeth, eliciting a yelp of pain as she yanked the griffon back from the next bend in the tunnel we were following, not entirely avoiding the chatter of a automatic weapon punching her shoulder. The gruff yell of 'Traitor!' told me we found who we were looking for. A hail of gunfire poured down the passage around the bend, peeking past the brick let me see a trio of battered looking Gunners at the end of the next tunnel, their red marks on E.F.S. blending in with all the others surrounding us.

A griffon with a minigun streaming lead down the hall, along with pink beams of the matching M.E.W. version on his opposite flank. A unicorn with a long horn, floating a very new looking assault rifle, loaded with AP rounds by the way it drilled holes in the stone walls, and a severely musclebound earth pony, not attacking us but bashing away at the stone wall with a massive super sledge.

I checked my pip-buck map while we took cover, they had the same idea we did, trying to go around the blockage in the mayor's side entrance. We were near the long, straight passage on the map, past where it had stopped filling in, but easy enough to tell it had to be on the other side of the wall the earth pony was nearly through.

Val's grenade machinegun clicked menacingly as she winced at the pair of flesh wounds in her foreleg, that could have been so much worse if Witchy hadn't heard them in time. I had to stop her before she leapt back out around the corner to blow her former comrades to smithereens, holding her back and hissing a warning.

"Val! Tunnels! No big kabooms! We'll bring the whole place down on our heads!"

The explosive heavy weapon powered down as she growled in reply, "Fine! Still jumpin' out there boss, that's Ivan down there! Wants me a minute with that fucker if I can get it..."

She had to be referring to the griffon, a sleek grey brute, doing the majority of the covering fire as his burly earth pony cracked another large chunk out of the wall by the sound, a rumble of heavy stonework coming down with an echoed shout. Just the glimpse I got concerned me, the ponies with him looked like they were under the effects of X-Cell, already on the way to turning into mutant alicorns whether they knew it or not.

Before I could think of anything or reply, Eyes Forward Sparkle started filling with more red. The thunder of a lot of hooves and several deep roars echoed down the tunnels, converging on all the noise from the Gunner's weapons, zombies... not just a few at at a time like we had been dealing with, but a whole herd charging us and them both.

That alone would be bad enough, but a sickly yellow glow lit the dangling roots above us, the unicorn's magic bringing them to life and sending them all reaching down to ensare us. Great, their unicorn was already a better spell slinger than me, the dangerous drug he was taking was just making him stronger in the arcane arts too.

A thick black root snaked around my waist and tried to tug me up to the ceiling, several more latching on to Val and Witchy wherever they could as they ducked and dodged away. I pulled out Best Served and sent it spinning through the air, doing a little emergency pruning to free myself and them.

The Terrible Shotgun and Deliverer joined the knife settling in my mouth as I watched the trio of red dashes in my vision move, gulping at the wall of red all around us. The gunfire from the Gunners tapered off as they withdrew through their self made exit, letting me charge around the corner somewhat safely to follow.

An absolute horde of zombies was coming down the first tunnel I passed, I activated S.A.T.S. to line up as many rapid shots from my magical 10mm pistol as the spell could manage, the full extended clip and several more after thanks to the enchanted weapon's amazing speed. I accepted and let the gun get to work, trying to make a blockage in the narrow tunnel that would slow them down while the others ran past me, Val blazing away with her red M.E.W. while Witchy's silver combat rifle went to work at the next one down. At least they were keeping the Gunners busy too, chasing after them so they couldn't hang back at their exit.

1 out of 10 or so... maybe less, but there were more of those slime zombies among the horde. Worse yet, I spotted a few while S.A.T.S. had time paused that had pink splotches on their rotten hides, splotches that looked to be spreading... Were the slime zombies infecting the other ferals? Were they turning that way from whatever made the others to begin with?

They were few enough it wasn't a nightmare dealing with them like at the MoM hub, apparently it took awhile before they became amorphous blobs of death that got right back up. I fired Blue Moon from the flank repeatedly at them and hoped for a lucky shot. I had hoped the ones back in Goodneighbor were the only ones like that anywhere. The proof that wasn't the case was frightening.

"Fast! Bigger problems! Much bigger! Eeep!" Witchy's beautiful anti-materiel rifle fired with a suppressed crash as I flew towards her, tapping Val as I passed and dodging magically animated roots still trying to coil around us. On the plus side, the roots didn't discern between enemies, the zombies filling the tunnel behind me were getting tied up and further blocking their path thankfully.

I tried shouting to Witchy as a long root wrapped around her hindleg while she was distracted, it yanked her towards the ceiling as a scaly monster surged out of the tunnel she was facing. A flying tackle let me cut the root and move her out of the way of the rows of teeth snapping at her, clamping down on my leg instead and pulling me back towards the passage it came from. Then I was rolling in the shallow trench of water and getting shaken viciously, bashing my head against the moldy walls and floor in a blur.

The brief flashes I got of the thing and all its fellows were plenty for me to agree, 'big trouble' was an apt description. Radigators... we had run into a couple down here, but they must have been babies or something, these were big... crawling over each other and slithering down the tunnel, all snapping jaws and too many teeth.

The one with a good chunk of my hindleg clamped in its jaws kept twisting its long body and rolling around, taking me with it as it tried to tear my leg off for a snack. Sickening cracks and a wall of pain proved he was getting close to his goal, I was flopping around way too easily and not keeping up with my broken leg as it flung me up again, cracking my head on the corner of the channel in the middle of the floor. That got me a faceful of murky, foul tasting water I sucked in and choked on, lots of tiny, pretty fillies circling my head, along with stars in my vision.

Another had caught up, leaping forward to try tearing me in half and sharing with the first gator who was still thrashing around, 'You gotta share! You gotta care!' rang out in my battered head insanely and I tried to focus on my weapons where they fell 'Awareness!', the glow of my magic flickering around them keeping track of each somehow, but barely maintaining my grip.

The second radigator's huge jaws opened right in my face and lunged, then the top half of the thing's head was obliterated as I caught a whiff of its rancid breath. A .50 cal round right down its gullet saved me from that disgusting horror, another blasting the momentarily distracted first gator gnawing my leg off when its brains splashed all over it. Witchy's impressive weapon trailed a wisp of smoke as she dove forward, slashing with her curved sword at another gator trying to climb over the dead pair, her strong foreleg caught mine and yanked me out of the brackish water I was flopping in.

"Val! We're late for da magical tea party! Chasing the Gun.. Gun... badguys! Now! Get yer yo-yo an let's go!" I managed to slur out, hobbling towards the rubble at the base of the Gunner's exit with Witchy's help.

Every step felt like somepony packed my leg with ground glass and salt, a blinding agony of pulverized bones grinding together under the long line of puncture marks oozing blood down my leg. Focusing on the medical alerts in my vision was amazingly difficult, the little cartoon alicorn on the health system was very unhappy with me, showing a leg and my head both crippled, inexplicably tap dancing on the screen when I tried to look...

I limped to the jagged exit the Gunners had broken through the wall leaning on Witchy, moving to dive through and freezing at the metal discs on the fairly smooth floor on the other side, mines... they left mines for us to trip. Grabbing the three metal discs in my magic and tugging them free from the floor, I floated them back out the exit and waved Val and Witchy ahead of me. I really hoped the terminal entries I read were accurate and they built the Treasure's passage and vault up to Stable-Tec standards...

Val saw what I was up to and paused halfway out the hole in the wall, aiming her own explosive weaponry down the tunnel at the roaring herd of radigators, they moved amazingly fast for having such stubby little legs... and where did they find time to paint those toenails and put on lipstick anyway? I gulped and threw the mines right at the snapping maws, yelping at the painful yank of my tail by Val's claws as her grenade machinegun thumped rapidly.

Light and heat poured through the rough hole in the wall at the resounding series of explosions behind us, the sewers shook and I heard a loud 'crump!' of several tons of concrete coming down and scrambled to my three working hooves, staggering away unsteadily across the quaking stone. A lot of red on E.F.S. disappeared, but not all of it.

I barely had a moment to take in the fact we had returned to the mayor's entrance tunnel, the sudden FWOOSH! BOOM! of several missiles streaking by took my full loopy attention. There wasn't much of the long, straight passage left before it ended in a heavy security door, like the one that led to this place from the Mayor's house. Barring the door was the muscly earth pony, firing off shots from a pair of missile launcher battlesaddles with reckless abandon.

I tried to charge and promptly fell on my face, instantly covered by sweaty, sweet smelling batpony, shoving me to the corner of the passage and out of the way of another whistling missile. I appreciated Witchy tackling me and so protectively covering me, but she was also grinding my broken leg around in the process, making me scream as I struggled to make out which of the three Gunner earth ponies shooting at us was the real one.

"S-Sorry! Hold still, where are those potions of yours... aha! T-This will hurt Fast!" Witchy yelped in a frightened voice, ratcheting up in pitch to nearly inaudible levels, she dug in my saddlebags and tugged a green tinted healing potion in her teeth as Val streaked down the hall.

I would have pointed out it already hurt quite a bit and nothing she could do would really top that, but oh how I was wrong. Passing the potion to my muzzle with her mouth came dangerously close to a kiss my pain drenched brain insanely chose to focus on, then her hooves yanked my leg back into a rough approximation of the shape it should be and she tilted my head back, forcing the potion down over my renewed screams.

She let me go to thrash on the muck covered stone floor, giving me a chance to absently note we were on the other side of the rubble that had blocked us before, it looked like the same kind of tumbledown pile of stone anyway. A lot of ominous looking cracks were in the concrete ceiling, worsened by the explosive assault of the Gunner Val was tangling with. She flitted from one side of the hall to the other, bouncing off the walls and laying down a stream of red M.E.W. fire, forcing the orange earth pony back to the steel door for cover as she closed in.

The Last Minute weakly floated in front of my blurry vision, had to do something to help, don't let the fucker get away... Witchy's anti-materiel rifle attached to her armor gave a soft 'pfft' and put a big dent in the steel door by his head before I could fire, thinking the same thing I was by her scowl at the missed shot. The big bruiser looked pissed and dodged back out from the door, a stray missile misfired into the ceiling when Val gave him blazing red incentive to take cover before he could aim again.

Activating S.A.T.S. gave pretty poor odds with all those pink dragons in the way... no, head trauma in the way... come on, focus. 30% odds for a headshot, a glowing outline of his body visible even behind the door. I accepted the shot and hoped, the gauss rifle whining up to full power and firing with a flat crack.

Witchy's dent weakened the heavy steel door, the blur of the 2mm EC round hit the same spot and blew straight through it, the big buck fell away with a heavy thump and the door swung free. Just to be sure, Val reached the bastard right as he sank to the ground, her Shishkebab ignited as she drew it from her back, slicing his head free of his thick neck in one smooth motion as she landed.

The red dashes of the other two Gunners had gone out of range, they left that one to kill us and catch up. Well, somepony would be catching up, as soon as all the cracks in the walls stopped dancing... The weird pictures they were making were way to frantic to keep up with so I shut my eyes against them, waiting for my head to stop ringing like a bell... just a little nappy poo and...

A slap to the muzzle made my eyes shoot back open and stare right into the slitted amber stare of Witching Hour, worriedly squeaking inches from my face, her sweet breath blowing my grey mane back and filling my nostrils. "Fast! You can't sleep! Concussion! W-Wake up!"

Those soft lips kept mouthing scared sounding words, close and glistening... pearly little fangs peeking out on the louder syllables. If she wouldn't let me sleep she could give me something else to do... Even with everything in my head tossing like a ship at sea, my lewd urges were bolted down in place and concussion proof apparently.

"P-Pretty..." I managed to croak out, panting and wincing on the ground while my leg kept rearranging back into shape.

Val landed softly over me in a gust of musty air, snapping her claws in my face. "Hey! Hey boss! Stay up, c'mon stay awake stupid!"

I goggled up at her, waving my hooves feebly towards the bright and slightly bloody griffon watching closely with those clear violet eyes, aiming for the middle Val head. "Val... pretty too...."

She rolled her eyes and punched the blushing Witchy on the shoulder, snorting happily and sitting down with a thump against the damp wall. "Yeah, he's fine... dunk him in the water in a minute batty, then let's get goin'. Two ta go now..."

"Kickin' me outta my basement! Where am I 'posed ta keep all my cleaning supplies and tools!? All you ponies think the Town Hall stays all squeaky clean on its own!? Been doing things the old fashioned way, trying to explain the facts of life face to face, but if you town council ponies will listen if its on one of these fancy terminal thingys then I'll give it a shot.

Know all of you just loooove the new mayor and all his bright ideas, turning what was a nice little town into this hoity toity carnival, but that stallion has pretty messed up priorities that are gonna sink this town! For all the bits he's brought in with them deals with Summerville Plantation and their 'gourmet crops', he's spendin' twice as much on this foalish 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains' nonsense!

Any of you know the construction crews hauled in a load of Bitalian marble to redo the floors for example!? Boiler's leaking, air conditioner's on the fritz, rusty pipes are held together with spit and duct tape, wiring is a major fire hazard with all the juice you ponies keep drawing for more of these stupid Stable-Tec gadgets, but there's no money in the budget to do any actual important repairs is there? All for this crazy tourist scheme!

That's why I got booted out of my office down here, pitched a fit when I saw some of the crazy materials being used down here. You all insist on going along with that goofy buck and his dumb ideas, it's on you when you're freezing your tails off come winter cause the boiler kicked the bucket!"

Cracking the terminal in the dusty little janitorial office wasn't easy with everything all wobbly still, the tiny text kept dancing on the glowing green screen, but it gave me something to try to get my head straight, plus it also had a basic maintenance map of the building. A rotting old jumpsuit hung on the door in from the first hall we wound up in, the nametag 'Sloppy Mop' gave me a name for the poor maintenance pony who had worked here. I empathized with him, the hall beyond the heavy steel security door was indeed dirty but very fancy marble floors, anypony who'd pay for that with the real repair problems he listed waiting was asking for trouble later.

It did confirm we were in the basement of the ruined Town Hall above us though, I groaned and got up from the rickety old office chair, hooves clopping on the insane Bitalian marble as I staggered back out with the others. The maintenance room gave me the terminal of a fellow repair-pony, along with the assortment of junk and parts to pillage while I caught my breath, but we still had Gunners to deal with.

Following the trail of the remaining two mercenaries wasn't hard, disturbed dust and dribbles of blood led us on. Sloppy Mop had been right, the Town Hall above us was utterly demolished, while the refurbished basement was surprisingly intact, reflecting all the bits that had obviously been poured into the construction down here. It was a pain finding a way in, but now that we were, moving and tracking the Gunners was a lot easier.

Making my weaving way after Val and Witchy following the spatters of blood on the expensive marble, I poked my head in the sturdy door marked 'Community Shelter'. A lot of bones... small piles of dead ponies huddling together, but also an interesting elevator door and few medical supplies left in the yellow boxes bolted at regular intervals down the walls.

What was remaining got floated to my packs in a wobbly train, a vial of Med-X making a detour to my flank, I still had a hitch in my step and head was killing me. Having a superpowered telepathic alicorn tear things up in there, then getting a nice concussion on top of that, left my noodle feeling brittle and wrung out. Enough so it took a minute to figure out the red lights and blaring alarm were actually happening and not just in my head.

"What the hell, who touched somethin'!?" Val screeched as I held my head in my hooves at the noise, wincing and barely able to focus on the red dashes appearing on E.F.S. behind my clenched eyes.

Witchy's ears were laid back and she had a pained expression, her silver combat rifle swung up in her muzzle and blasted a nearby speaker with a chatter. Enough relief for my twitching ear to copy her tufted ones, picking up a clanking noise she was making out better than I could and more. "'Security... stupid... hurry...' They are not far, yelling at each other, one tripped security and there are..."

"HALT VISITOR! THIS AREA IS OFF LIMITS! TERMINATING TARGET! COME SEE THE TREASURES OF JAMOCHA PLAINS WHEN IT OPENS AFTER YOUR DEMISE." A clattering protectron clomped its way out of one of the rotting doors off the hallway we were following, blazing pink magical beams firing from its glass dome of a head completing Witchy's warning.

Robots, the Gunners were ahead of us and messing with something that woke them up. At least they were regarding both of our groups as equal targets, I didn't relish the thought of getting a taste of my own medicine if whoever was tickling the keyboard had the skills to turn them on us only.

More of the bulky, pony-shaped robots were tromping out ahead an behind us, all painted blue and white, a yellow star on their flanks adding to the impression of police ponies. Either their programming had gotten corrupted, or somepony had actually authorized them for lethal force to protect whatever the treasure was, lending the legend more credence.

Witchy's rifle blasted a hole through the heavy torso of the nearest Protectron, giving me a second to concentrate against the spike of pain calling up my lightning spell caused. The crackling bolt was off target, but widespread enough to catch two out of three of the next closest clump of robots as I managed to hobble up to a canter.

"Come on, not far now!" I shouted hoarsely and kept moving, relying on the Terrible Shotgun to send heavy slugs through robotic innards, aiming for vital parts of the machines as well as I could manage.

We charged through a set of wide double doors at the end of the hall together, moldy red carpet squishing under my hooves as I was forced to take cover behind a small podium with a steel box beside it, a slot in the lid for tickets just like at the movies. Rows of broken seating offered more cover for Val and Witchy to dive to, avoiding the pink beams zeroing in on us.

Several of the Protectrons were focused on the other side of the small ticket room, clumping together in the wide doorway, one or two noticing our presence behind them and turning their glass heads completely around in a creepy display to attack us. Angry shouts and a roar of a minigun behind them was chewing into the cluster of robots, offering a limited view into the next room.

An even smaller chamber than this one, with a long hall opposite the doors glowing dimly red, brighter beams of the same color formed a complex web stretching down the hall, ending at a heavy square of steel door that would look more at home in a bank vault. There was a control console to the right of the doorway in, the unicorn Gunner was tapping frantically at the controls while the griffon covered him, pouring lead from his battlesaddle and screeching at the numerous burns he had taken.

It was tempting to let the robots just keep attacking them, wear them down more and mop up what was left. That yellow unicorn with the long horn might get lucky though, I barely caught sight of a keycard slotted into the console before him, a leather lanyard dangling by his hooves. Cocoa Latte paid a lot for that key from scavengers who got lucky out in the ruins, if it granted high enough access, even the Gunner tech might turn this around on us.

The Last Minute floated up and braced against the top of the podium I sheltered behind, big chunks of faux wood getting scorched off the metal interior that was heating up at my back rapidly. I glanced to Val and Witchy, miming clicking a keyboard with my hooves and bringing one hoof up to tap my head, spreading both wide in a 'boom!' gesture and glancing at the gauss rifle over my head.

They both got it with no more than that, nodding back and leaping into action when I rose to the rifle's sights. It was a narrow shot, continually blocked by the jostling robots getting shredded by the griffon, I couldn't rely on S.A.T.S. for such a limited opportunity. Val's M.E.W. and Witchy's combat rifle tore into the pair of Protectrons turned our way, giving me breathing room to line up the shot.

The burly grey griffon spotted them when the robots fell, or spotted Val anyway, trying to direct more of his stream of fire towards her, through the wall of Protectrons in the way. "Traitor! Yer dead! All yer fucking 'friends' are dead! Killin' you here and every cap we get outta this treasure is goin' towards bullets to massacre that damn castle!"

Luckily he didn't see me crouching behind the podium, focusing on Val and Witchy to the right, blocked from seeing his partner madly tapping away by the door frame. He came away a little more at Val's shouted taunts too, making this even easier. "Thanks fer doin' the hard work gettin' here Ivan! Think I'll just take this stash off yer claws for ya! Consider it a down payment on what ya owe me! Won't need it where yer goin' fucker!"

That high pitched whine constantly issuing from the weapon by my head drilled right into my ears, making me relieved to finally release the trigger when the window opened. The Gunner griffon took down one that kept getting in my way, giving me a prime shot at his partner's head I took the second it presented itself, the flat crack of the Last Minute blew a hole out through the unicorn's head, exiting right below that long horn and splattering the console with his brains.

That put a definite crimp in the griffon's plans, the last Gunner squawked in fury as the final Protectron went down, turned to ash from a rain of pink M.E.W. fire that started melting my narrow bit of cover. "YOU! Oh you bastard! Yer both dead!!!"

Val pulled a pair of metal apple grenades and I had to wave her off again, that would be a lot easier, but the console decorated in viscera was right there, any chance of getting the treasure required it remaining intact. Not easy as the griffon dove behind it for cover, preventing me from even taking potshots at him for fear of destroying the sensitive equipment.

Witchy moved up to the doorframe silently, trusting Val's stream of insults to keep the Gunner dividing his attention between herself and me, we both had pretty high freaking bounties after all, while the batpony was an unknown. Val was giving me enough space to peek around the podium and think, the angle to shoot the bastard was poor with the console between us, the magical laser grid glowing behind him.

My brain was still awful sluggish, but focused on those criss crossing lines of magic, we found the robots listed on the Treasure's budget in the office of the ruined Town Hall above us, but no turrets yet... Narrow hall... shooting gallery. I glanced around and found a dusty old empty Sparkle Cola bottle in the corner, that would work... just have to trust I could undo the damage by reaching that console. I floated it in the glowing blue field of my magic, bobbing over the door above Witchy's head as I stared at her hopefully.

She took a big breath, making her blue steel breastplate rise as she stood on her hindlegs, plastered against the wall beside the door, her cheeks puffed out as she held it and her amber eyes darted towards the gunfire. At my nod and distracting clamber out from cover, she stuck her head around the edge just as the Gunner spotted me charging forward, making a beeline for the console with lightning propelling me forward, ignoring the 5mm rounds chewing the expensive marble floor up in a line tracing towards me.

Bluish purple rings of sound issued from Witchy's wide open mouth, sending the Gunner's claws to his head as he staggered back. Sound wouldn't destroy the console ...probably, but it gave me room to run and stopped all that fire coming my way. As Witchy ran out of breath, I hit the doorway and tugged the empty bottle with me, flinging it over the griffon's head and towards the hall.

I jumped for the cover of the bloody console, watching the glass container arc through the air down the hall. Come on... don't tell me my luck's so bad it was gonna go down the hall without breaking a single beam!? When a glowing red line lit the bottle up like a prism, I breathed a sigh of relief despite the heavy weapons turning my way as the griffon recovered. Half a dozen panels in the ceiling of the long hallway behind him slid open, sleek round turrets dropping down and spinning towards the closest target, him.

A rainbow of hot death took the griffon apart before I ducked behind the console and patched my pip-buck in rapidly, shoving the corpse of the unicorn working at it before me away with my hindlegs and curling up in the kneehole. Every one of those turrets featured a high class magical energy weapon of a different color, and they were all fast.

The distinctive sound of something solid being turned to ash made its way to my ears, along with the sound of whirring turrets seeking out the next target that had disappeared behind their own controls, an off limits target unless the programming was severely screwed.Witchy and Val helped keep them distracted, waving around the doorframe to give them targets they couldn't hit while I tried to make my eyes focus on all the tiny text.

Several beams of various colors scorched the walls and doors, but nothing else, giving me time to hack through the security the dead unicorn had been foiled by. It was tough, the stupid Gunner had locked the terminal out with his fumble-hoofed attempts, but they had stolen the Mayor's keycard for Celestia's sake! After navigating the safe mode backdoor and sweating at the difficulty, I managed to give me one more administrator level attempt and I broke through. A few proper commands shut the system down and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

Val flew past me in a rush as I climbed back out of my hidey hole, giving an extra flap over the pile of ash that used to be Ivan, before landing at the threshold of the hall leading to that vault door. She pranced in place on her paws, rubbing her claws together and beaming at me as the laser grid shut down one section a time.

"Let's go get us some treasure boss!" Val grinned and I nodded wearily, following her excited gaze to the waiting vault door.

Welcome to the Treasures of Jamocha Plain, I'm Mayor Trenderhoof, creator and curator of the Treasures. Within the walls of this time capsule museum, you, our descendants, will find the items, mementos and treasures I've collected in my travels. To you in the future, these relics may seem quaint. But that's my thing. I take the mundane, the simple, the unappreciated, and I make it relatable. I've traveled all over before settling down here in the hidden gem in Equestria's crown, being the most interesting pony around made my retirement here in Trotson a relief, but I still have a duty to share my treasures with the future. May that future be bright. On behalf of all of us, we wish you well. This is Mayor Trenderhoof, speaking for the town of Jamaica Plain.

* * *

Mission Updated: X Marks the Spot

Objectives-------
---~~Eliminate the Gunner treasure hunters~~
---~~Find the Treasures of Jamocha Plains~~
---Return to Cocoa Latte

"WHAT. THE ACTUAL. FUCK!?!"

Val's screech of fury beside me summed up how I felt pretty well too. For all the hype, all the insane security, the blood and numerous treasure hunters who had died searching for it over the years, the Treasures of Jamocha Plain was kind of a letdown...

A small, bank vault sized room waited behind the heavy steel doors, tables and display cases lining the walls around an ornate, tasseled rug under the a center display. One of several holotapes beside the glowing terminal to read them on at the center table had an inventory I perused with growing disbelief, finding the fancy rug listed as 'Saddle Arabian Carpet - Non-Flying variety found in the kitchyest little bazaar stand'.

Even with my penchant for collecting junk myself, my temper was flaring at the other 'Treasures' in here, warring with the bubbling laughter that won out, spilling from my puffed out cheeks as I rolled on the fancy carpet. "It's all junk! All this, for a room full of junk!"

"S'not funny boss! How is any of this crap treasure?!?!" Val fumed over me, picking me up off the floor by my shoulders and shaking me in fury, waving a dark claw out at all the displays.

I wiped a tear away with a chuckle and floated a ragged and scorched Equestrian flag off the flagpole by the terminal, carefully folding the image of the stylized alicorns chasing the sun and moon in a circle. "Well, this is a flag from Shattered Hoof Ridge, it's a historical artifact I'm snagging Val. Let me look around, maybe there's other good stuff."

I winced when her claws gripped the tattered flag to rub it in my face, it was old and fragile. "This! This is a rag boss! Where's the gold!? Where's the jewels!? Guns? Something!?"

A warbling honk cut off her ranting and we both turned to Witchy in surprise, the batpony filly blushing and removing the weird looking, double ended blue horn from her pursed lips. "A flugelhorn... crystal empire relic by the little sign, what's this book with it Fast?"

There was one of the slim magazines by every exhibit, issues of 'Gallop and Prance', this one showing snowy mountains on the faded cover held in Witchy's pointy teeth. The inventory confirmed what she said, listing it along with a musty but very warm looking fuzzy hat called; 'Ushanka hat from Yakyakistan, winter's hottest trend!' and a beautiful robe...thing of dark blue silk and delicate white flowers I was looking over.

The magazine accompanying the robe I was eyeing showed an exotic, tropical land of red roofed towers, the entry said 'Kimono from Neighpon, hoof crafted by an ancient master!'. I grabbed both articles of clothing from the 'Fashion Chic' display as the inventory called it, the hat did look warm and it was getting colder every night, Glitter's little ears looked frozen on our last flight together. The kim... kimo... the fancy robe would be a nice gift for Jade, we should get something out of this farce anyway.

I pointed back to the book standing up on the desk by the terminal and shrugged wearily, "Travel magazines Witchy, the pony who did this was a writer, must be what he wrote for. I think he had a pretty high opinion of himself and a really silly idea Val. Some of this stuff is interesting, er... to me anyway, but it's all old world valuables, like my comics..."

"JUNK! NNGGGHAAAAA!!! All friggin, stupid, junk! You dumbass, smarmy, no good...!" Val roared and snatched the hardcover volume up, tearing pages out of the tome titled 'Trenderhoof's Travels' and tossing them over her head in a tantrum.

Just from the inventory entries, I sorta doubted it was anything I wanted to read, but I figured I'd just keep quiet about that little loss with Jade. A book is a book after all, even as silly and pretentious as this Trenderhoof's writings seemed, it was information on a lot of parts of prewar Equestria, even I winced at the destruction.

A glance at the inventory was a relief anyway, 'Trenderhoof's Travels - Fabulous collection of my articles put together here in Trotson, digital copy on holotape included!'. That was probably one of the number of holotapes by the terminal then, it wasn't gone forever at least. I did subtly float all the digest sized magazines away from their exhibits and to my bags before she found them, if he wrote articles only, there'd be other stuff in the rest of the travel magazines.

I rushed Witchy along in her inspection of a magically amplified guitar; Authentic Street Musician Guitar from Seaddle, before Grunge was all the rage', and a dusty black record from the days before holotapes, 'Ponytones Recording, first pressing made in Manehatten. Music sounds so much richer on vinyl, holotapes just sound so digital and soulless.'.

That whole table was listed as 'Music and Literature' and I raised an eyebrow, watching the thestral stashing the items there in her own dark leather bags, shuffling shyly and smiling at Val's tantrum. "You don't mind? If they're just going to waste here..."

I had to duck as a thrown object shattered with a tinkle against the wall; 'Crystal Wine Goblets from Prance, brings out the flavor of Equestria's finest wines.' and Val snatched more to throw, pausing with a grumble at the heavy silver and ceramic mug she happened on 'Holstenierburg Beer Stein, everypony needs their own traditional stein for Oktoberfest'.

Her eyes set in an angry scowl, but she huffed and tucked it away in her coat, glaring around for something else to throw as she raged. "Fuckin' Treasures of Junk-mocha Plain more like it! Gawd tell me this fucker's a ghoul somewhere so I can kill him again!!"

"I don't mind Witchy, just get it while the getting's good. You like music stuff? Can you play any of that?"

A dingy old banjo 'McColt made original from the Smokey Mountains, gift after a wonderfully rustic hootnanny, even taught me a simple 9 note song to play!' was on its way to her Pinkie-space enchanted bags as she nodded happily and plucked a few strings. "Some of it yes! I umm... h-have time for hobbies back home, you might say I have an ear for music as well."

Her tufted ears stood up straight and started swiveling independently at her joke, getting an honest laugh out of me that looked to make her happy just spreading the laughter. For a mare that could hear a pin drop three rooms over in a thunderstorm, as well as being able to blast out sonic attacks with her voice, it wasn't much of a stretch to see her being good at musical instruments.

"Can't wait to hear what you can do then, just don't let Val smash any of it while she... ah, nevermind, she found something."

The big brown jug of 'something' was marked with a trio of X's, but listed as 'Froggy Bottom Bog Moonshine, made by a family of bootleggers agreed to be best in the bog 20 years running! Sip, don't slug.', so of course Val yanked the cork out with her claws and slugged the whole thing over her head, gasping and pounding her chest at her drink, but looking slightly less pissed off.

She was over at the 'Local Flavors' display, the various bottles she was rummaging through now didn't interest me too much, since they wouldn't really do anything to me now, though I wouldn't mind tasting some like the 'Puerto Caballo Rum, best served in a fresh coconut at an exclusive little beachside bar for locals'.

The rusting tin can and coffee mug caught my interest for other reasons. Red with a bright yellow sun logo, the can had a small, inset picture of this a pair of orange diamonds crossed with Xs. Coffee... I checked the entry in the inventory and floated the can over to look at closely, the presence of coffee growing in this area when it shouldn't be able to was still nagging at me.

'Summerset Plantation Roast - Trend's Blend, a thank you for discovering the test plots for Equestrian grown coffee and making it chic. Jamocha Plain's trendiest coffee shops sold so much, they made my own blend!'. Summerset Plantation then... test plots, that clinched it for me, if there was one thing the Institute loved, it was testing things out... The updated icon on my map for the place wasn't that far to the west, plus it was being operated by Silver Seed Agriculture from what I found out, definitely had to go snooping that way, soon.

A little digging on the 'Arts and Literature' display uncovered some actual treasures, a still gleaming crimson feather pen, a round leather tube with a vellum scroll sticking out, bits of ribbon along with a horseshoe shaped wax seal of gold and rich wood, and a matching golden inkwell, 'Canterlot Correspondance Kit, found in an antique stationary shop off the beaten path, became my favorite writing tools while I was still working.'.

I'd just take that... A good writing implement was surprisingly hard to find when you wanted one, something for Ivy may appreciate for teaching her orphans to read and write like she talked about doing. A rolled up scroll with ancient, stylized and somewhat familiar pictures of ponies in diagrams made me blush and stash it away quickly in my bags, 'First translation ancient edition of the Pony Sutra, found in Calcolta' well.... Peri should have her own copy after everything she put me through, she liked the pictures and these colorful illustrations were better than her hastily scratched notes. Of course I may just have my pip-buck sort of... scan it all in first... for posterity... it was very old after all.

It was the next object that finally made Val happy, flapping over in a rush and snatching it from my blue telekinesis field. "Finally! Treasure! Good job boss, bout ta burn this whole friggin place down!"

The small golden idol was ugly and bizarre, lower fangs jutting up over a wide ring of lips drawn in a grimace, octagonal ruby eyes, cat like ears and all four paws wrapped around an exaggerated potbelly. Make that five paws... the long tail wound around the base to grasp along with the others at the bottom. 'Golden Idol from Tenochtitlan Basin, presented by a fabulously real tribal elder after joining in their spirit ceremony' It was disturbing and alien, but it was gold and jewels which was all Val cared about.

Relieved at her dancing with glee to herself, I kept poking around in the dust and detritus from the ceiling tiles that had come down overhead. A jagged and sharp looking cylinder of yellowed bone or ivory... a shoe? 'Roaman Legatus Dragonslayer Bracer, found in a zebra bazaar, in my youth before the war made everything zebra totally out of style of course', well, anything zebra related Zed may appreciate, into the bag it went too. Calling this stuff treasure was a stretch, but at least all my friends deserved a present. I was determined this would not be a total waste...

I managed to come up with a few more jeweled or golden bits of junk, no great dragon's treasure hoard, but every scrap made Val a little happier. What I at first took for a rotting hunk of wood made me look to Witchy, still going through the music display. I eyed her gleaming crescent sword on her hip and grinned at the piece of dark wood, a deep, polished grain so dark it looked rotten and worthless where it fell in the corner, remarkable only for the hints of tarnished silver until I brushed the dust off.

"Here Witchy, everypony should get a gift out of all this mess, this belongs with you anyway. For um... putting up with all my a-advances and nonsense in general..."

I waggled the intricately carved scabbard under her widening eyes, enjoying the sight of her jaw dropping as they traced over every loving detail and I read the item description from my pip-buck; 'Ceremonial Scabbard, made by a thestral master craftspony in Hollow Shades, from the wood of their Ebonwood Trees.', batponies must stick to the same basic designs, as the scabbard matched Witchy's sword almost perfectly.

She noticed the same thing, glancing back to the weapon at her side and to me rapidly, her cute voice a squeaky whisper. "I... I can.... y-you are sure?"

Her shaking hooves reached out to accept it and I floated it just out of her grasp, raising an eyebrow at her confusion and laying down a simple condition. "So long as every time you look at how beautiful it is, you remember you are too, not ugly right?"

At least she grabbed the scabbard carefully and stowed it away before tackling me, but a teary eyed freight train of armored batpony was still incoming. The sagging display table for 'Fashion Chic' was shattered under the force of her embrace, pinning me against the wall, with some uncomfortable shards of wood trying unsuccessfully to poke through my armor as she nuzzled my cheek like mad. "R-Right! I will r-remember Fast! I promise! THANK YOU!"

Instantly the pain in my head and my leg eased a bit under the rush of affection, even better than the Med-X I was relieved to find still worked properly, stirring me up again now that there wasn't anything to kill. My wings pulled themselves free from where they were pinned against the wall to spring up as I gasped in her grip, "Ok! N-No problem Witchy! Too close! Still pretty charged up!"

Luna save me from your crazed servant, she didn't jump back but kept right on rubbing cheek to cheek, making my mane start itching while she had her nose buried in it, taking long, happy breaths as she continued thanking me for what could have easily been disregarded as junk. A prim whisper of 'Be Unwavering' fought off the growl of 'MINE', being generous meant accepting honest thanks, not getting something out of it... definitely not what 'Be Dark...' wanted.

Val finally huffed and tromped over, grabbing Witchy's shining armor by the round collar and pulling her away, the batpony blushing a light pink with easy to spot sparkles dancing in her eyes. My griffon friend rolled her eyes and looked down at me, panting raggedly and cringing against the wall. "Alright boss, go over all this crap if you want, but guessin' we need ta get outta here right? C'mon batty, stick ta sweepin' this place clear o' loot, long trip back an' we gotta find ways around the shit we blew up..."

"A-Actually... t-thank the goddesses, there's an easier way out Val, emergency escape lift from the shelter. One way thing, made to shove wreckage aside in case of a tornadoes and tidal waves, saw it on the blueprints. G-Gimme a second... go through it without destroying any more, check over the rest of the basement, let's take all of it, just sort through what we don't want. Then yeah, want to go back to Jade... now... Cocoa can wait to find out about her 'Treasures'."

Just mentioning the name of the sexy mare who sent us on this bloody errand made my wings stiffen with an ache. I was not going anywhere near that filly in this state, I wanted Jade, and Ivy... and Val.... and Witchy... and... 'Be Kind...', nnnn... focus, there was what I wanted, but I needed rest too. This had been a long, painful day, Glitter was still surely waiting for her story too, unless she was on a sugar overdose given where we were staying...

A tired glance over in the corner I was hiding in made me feel better about Val destroying that book on display, another nearly pristine copy was shoved under the back leg of the nearest display table to level it. Must not have been a big seller exactly... I tugged it free and read over the cover again, stumbling up to look over where the shredded copy came from and collecting all the holotapes there.

The author of 'Trenderhoof's Travels' had been all over Equestria, that was interesting even if he was such a narcissist, putting his own book on display in this crazy 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains' exhibit to himself, propped up right beside a framed photo of himself.

A tall brown unicorn, graying blonde mane and tight green sweater under his skinny cut jacket, goofy glasses perched on his muzzle. A matching pair sat beside the photo and terminal, a crack going down one of the lenses, but the white frames were in good shape, plus you never knew, glasses could be useful.

Jade said with no real optometrists around anymore, her Followers paid for any pairs of prescription glasses they could find and kept them in a grab bag for ponies that needed them, trying out glasses and hoping for a pair that worked. I grabbed this pair and flicked the photo away with my hoof, just because I somewhat liked some of the junk, didn't mean I wasn't pissed at the idiot too. 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains' my ass...

The emergency evacuation lift in the shelter squalled and screeched its way up, making me a little nervous crammed in the tight space with Val and Witchy, getting increasingly foggy with the two of them pressed so close. Getting stuck in an elevator would end up bad... or good... no, mostly bad... Thankfully the heavy pistons driving the lift up shoved through the wreckage on top of it with a snap of rotting timbers and the muffled sounds of lots of tumbling stone, we came out in the ruined Town Hall above, a bulge of rubble shoved aside just as the escape lift should work.

Once it was up, using it to go back down wouldn't be hard, there was just no controls for it above ground. If nothing else, Cocoa go go take a look herself if she didn't believe us about the 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains' being a joke. Frankly at this point I could care less, the Gunners poking around after it were dead, their hopes for an influx of wealth to pay for their campaign against us were doomed from the start.

The three of us winged our way back to the fortified and living part of Jamocha Plains, I was worried it would take longer to find Jade and the others than it actually did. A blue and a green alicorn in a town of normal ponies tend to stand out well enough, both of them actually galloping down the street after a streaking blur of white and pink was hard to miss.

I sped up to crash in front of the tiny pony at the head of the pursuit, barely managing to get to my hooves before the giggling streak slammed into me. In a battle of earth pony strength vs. earth pony strength, I tended to win lately, Glitter had sugar on her side though, tipping the balance and sending us both rolling across the cracked asphalt, tittering crazily and planting rather sloppy kisses on my face as we did.

We landed with her on top and still overpowering me, the reason for the sticky affection clear as her normally pale face was covered in sweet brown chocolate, spattered all over her muzzle beneath spinning pink eyes. "DADDY! Ohmigosh this place is awesome they have so many kinds of sweets I wanna live here can I have more caps how'd it go did you get treasure we have lots of money now right you have to try these I saved one for you taste!"

Her rapid chattering ended with a gooey eclair shoved whole in my muzzle, the little filly trembling with barely restrained energy watched me try to chew around the mouthful and hum my approval. Pleased she had done well in not devouring that one saved back treat, she turned to spreading chocolate all over my armor with frantic nuzzling, giving me an excuse to hug her tightly enough so she couldn't bolt off again as Jade and Ivy skidded to a halt over us.

Both were out of breath and sweaty, a tired smile curling Jade's panting lips. "Fast... thank... goddesses.... Glitter.... stop..."

"H-Hi hon, er... did I miss something? I only gave her a few caps to spend..."

Ivy snorted and narrowed her eyes at the jittery filly, "A few as far as you know, you are not very good with money to begin with Fast. You also failed to account for just how far this little robber could stretch what you did give her. That poor chocolate shop mare was relieved she didn't want her funny hat by the time she was done."

The green alicorn's matching magic surrounded Glitter and I released my tenuous hold, letting her float away and struggle with blurring hooves scrambling at thin air, if she was in contact with the ground I had to wonder if she'd be halfway to Sanctuary by now. Her sister taking care of keeping our daughter from blasting off again gave Jade a moment to catch her breath, leaning in to nuzzle affectionately and pausing at all the chocolate smeared over my face and coat.

She smiled sweetly and gave a slow lick up my cheek, smacking her lips at the act that made my mane bristle and itch instantly. "She has been a hooffull Fast, be less generous in a place like this with her. I take it things went well? You all look awful, let's have a look at the damage you've done before anything else, the mare at the Quik-Care clinic is friendly and has agreed to allow me access to her facility, such as it is... Did you find treasure for all your injuries?"

Val's angry huff and punch to a scorched phone pole was answer enough, I sighed and waggled a hoof to elaborate vaguely as I drifted dreamily after her pale tail. "Sort of... long story, we did get some gifts out of it anyway, plus the Gunners are gone."

"And were you... erm... a-are you still in the state you were when you left? Did you..." Jade asked shyly, staring back with sparkling eyes that flicked to Val and Witchy trailing us to the Helpinghoof Quik-Care.

"Still the same as when I left Jade, no slip ups. R-Ready to go to... umm... sleep, tired..." With Glitter still fighting madly to get loose and find more sugar, I couldn't precisely come out and say I wanted nothing to do with checking our injuries, and everything to do with finding our room for the night.

She got the clever subtext regardless... Her blue cheeks reddened and my princess smiled secretively, closing her eyes happily as she pranced towards the dingy old clinic in the strip mall ahead. The pale filly serving as the medical pony for Jamocha Plains looked awful young to be a doctor, a worried look crossing her face when the bent bell dinged above the door, until she saw Jade filling the doorway.

"O-Oh! Doctor Jade! umm Princess Doctor Jade? G-Glad it's you, t-thought I had a patient..." The pony in charge scratched her frazzled and frizzy yellow mane, seeming pretty grateful for having another doctor instead of a patient, though she did notice the rest of us limping in behind her and yelped. "Oh no! G-Guess I do have patients too? Umm... potions! W-Would you like potions? Bandages? Med-X maybe?"

Huh... she was a unicorn, didn't she know healing spells? She seemed nervous until Jade soothed her, smoothly taking over and trotting past the counter to the exam rooms beyond. "That's alright Butterscotch, I will handle the treatment of these three. If we could use your facilities of course, would you care to assist me? We can practice the spells I mentioned teaching you, whether you choose to join the Followers or not I would be happy to share my knowledge as I said. You will be hard pressed to find better patients to practice on, my Fast has a habit of finding ways to hurt himself and Valkyrie is not far behind. It is a bit cramped everyone, I will attend Fast first if there are no pressing wounds you are hiding from me?"

The local doctor nodded rapidly in relief as the others waved her on, wiping her sweating brow and following along. I gulped getting floated to the cold exam table first, my armor yanked away leaving me covered in mud and blood but nothing else. Not that it was unusual for Jade, but having an eager assistant watching so closely was a little embarrassing, especially with the way her eyes widened as Jade tugged my wings straight and flexed them experimentally.

"Wooooooow! Y-You really are..." she gasped with glee, cut short by Jade's gentle hoof on her muzzle.

"It is generally frowned upon for a doctor to make a big deal over unusual patients, whomever or whatever they are dear. If you could help me wash the worst of this sludge off we could take a better look, it's also polite to introduce yourself as a medical professional, set the patient's mind at ease when you are examining them so closely." Jade admonished her primly and set to work, tsking over the twinge my hindleg gave when she tugged and giving a wave to my red face.

"R-Right! Sorry! Umm... I'm Butterscotch Creme by the way... er! D-Doctor Butterscotch Creme, sorta... I was just Nurse Creme, but got a promotion... Sorry I'm no good, I'm learning though! Really glad to meet Doctor Princess Jade and hear about her Followers, I-I'm gonna ask Cocoa as soon as I'm done tonight, just like we talked about umm... Dr. Jade." The young doctor jabbered as she filled a battered old bucket with soothingly tingly water, rushing back over and sponging off dried blood from my flank, while Jade took another and worked at the chocolate all over my face.

Her sneaking a lick in here and there while her colleague was busy made me tremble and it was even more difficult to behave, but I got the point, more of her self control lessons... The silent reminder was easy enough to figure out, everything rapidly got foggy with my Jade and another pretty mare giving me an impromptu sponge bath. My brain attempted to just shut down entirely, ignoring the nagging questions over how such an inexperienced nurse wound up in charge here. My wings slowly rising up and flaring made Jade's assistant blush and I struggled to stay in control, the tingly radioactive water not helping at all.

Jade giggling and gently knocking my reaching hooves away helped a bit, but Ivy's cool voice in my head made me sit up straight and pay attention. Her telepathic help from the next room strengthened the battered and broken defenses that kept my urges back 'Be Strong!', there was a smile to her thoughts but also a stern bit of concern that got me back to what I had tried to think about initially.

(You made it this far Fast, control yourself a bit longer. I am still waiting for my post date festivities after that dreadful fort. Besides, you are right to question things. My sister sees only a medical pony in need of help, but things are odd in this town. Miss Creme is kind and is trying hard, but she is not the only young or inexperienced filly in a position of authority here. I have not pried too hard, but everypony here is both fanatically loyal to, and somewhat frightened of, Cocoa Latte. I'd be interested in taking a peek in that mare's head, the untimely demise of her father is not the only strange death to occur in this town.)

That got me to straighten up and fight with my wings, wincing as Jade pulled my sore hindleg out and tsked at what her magic found there. "Broken... badly. Fast's biology makes things a bit more forgiving Butterscotch, but give the spell I taught you a try and see if you can tell how many fractures are still there. What pray tell caused this damage Fast?"

"Umm... R-Radigator... sorry, had to or you'd be treating a much worse injury on Witchy, or not treating her at all I guess..."
(Thank you Ivy, I'm trying... Just keep listening, I have a few questions for her. Er... l-look forward to having some time together too, probably have to wait awhile, Glitter will want her story first and...)

(Oh I would not worry about that, once she finally burns through all that sugar she will be... No you don't young lady! S-Sorry Fast! S-She is clever! One moment!)

I got a brief flash of Glitter grabbing the edge of a chair in the waiting area and nearly tugging herself free of Ivy's green magic, barely pulled loose in time by Val hooting laughter and struggling weightlessly with a pout. Just the image helped calm me further, that and the unfamiliar yellow magic at my leg, Butterscotch's pale hoof poking as she counted and getting a twinge of pain at each spot, asking breathlessly in between each fracture she found. "One... Radigators? Two... You fought radigators? Three... Where? It must have been a big one to... Four..."

"Ouch! Y-Yeah, lots of Radigators where we were, plus zombies. Umm... So, Butter? that reminds me. Have you ever seen a slimy pink zombie before? There were a few we had to deal with and I was surprised, are there a lot of them around here?"

She gasped and nodded, poking a fifth spot to another yelp that got Jade to gently push her hoof back and offer a helpful pointer. "You do not need to actually poke at each break in the bone dear, very good diagnosis however. Slime zombies, like those horrid things in Goodneighbor Fast? What are they doing here?"

Nurse... Dr. Creme shivered at the thought and answered both of us. "Yeah they wander up every once in awhile, dangerous things, you have to burn them!"

"Yeah... like Jade said, we've run into them before. You know where they come from?"

The young medic shook her head and shrugged back, "Nope. They come from the marshes, that's all I know. Started showing up a few years ago, not long before old Chicory Grande umm... died. They're nasty and dangerous, but at least they're pretty rare."

Jade gave her own shiver at the memory of the MoM hub filled with the creatures, shaking it off and stretching my foreleg out to put my pip-buck on display for the smaller mare, inexpertly tapping at the buttons to get to the health status screen, showing how it worked should the new doctor run into other patients with the convenience. I could do it a lot faster for her, but given her limited interaction with technology it was good practice, plus Ivy spoke up to distract me, keeping a mental ear out as asked.

(The death of the former leader here, that is a source of stress for her. Something about slavers? Miss Cocoa? The previous doctor and... others? It is jumbled and locked away very tight Fast, I can force it out of her if you want...)

(That's ok Ivy, she seems nice and you don't like doing that right? Trespassing? It's nothing dangerous for us is it?) I replied while they kept clicking away, giving in a bit and lighting the right pip-buck control up for Jade with my magic.

(No... I sense no malice, she is already developing a bit of hero worship for sister Jade and her Followers. That and.... oh! Very unprofessional thoughts about her patient, how amusing.)

(We'll keep an eye on it, interested to hear what you guys think about this place later. After umm... what kind of unprofessional thoughts?)

"Fast! A concussion!?" Jade gasped and her pale blue magic took over, teaching time done as she furrowed her brow and I felt the familiar healing spells pouring into me, my ears drooping as she continued half to Butterscotch and half to me. "You will have patients that try to keep things from you as well dear, or don't properly tell you what is hurt or how badly! This happened awhile ago, roughly treated when the leg was, I take it I have Witching Hour to thank?"

"Er... yeah, she helped as well as she could Jade. There was radiation down there too, just a trickle but enough to..."

"While radiation does heal our kind, it is not a wonder cure, especially if it is not strong enough. Brain damage can still be permanent and poorly healed broken bones can require rebreaking to let them regenerate properly. That or simply lopping the limb off and letting it regenerate entirely, as some ponies have been silly enough to consider. You should thank Miss Hour, her basic field medicine has left you in good shape Fast, much better than it could have been. You must still stay awake a few more hours to be safe." Jade fretted and offered a lesson on alicorns for her young assistant at the same time, finding nothing else significantly damaged.

"Staying up is not going to be a problem hon..." I gave a fang enhanced leer and waggled my eyebrows, getting a rosy chuckle and a roll of beautiful blue eyes.

Jade licked a remaining bit of chocolate from my nose and offered a sweet tasting kiss, making me wonder just how much chocolate was on hoof around here after Glitter's spree. Coming up with enough to pour over a mare or two surely wouldn't be that hard to find, right? Just what I got from Jade's wonderful tongue was delicious, but it would taste better licked off her instead...

She was still in control and had other patients to deal with though, breaking off the heavenly affection as I pressed forward, falling off the metal table and to the floor with a pout. Short lived however as she tilted my head up and nuzzled safely, floating my armored coat over my wings, made easier with them standing straight up. "So I can see, I look forward to... s-staying up with you and hearing of your adventures, very soon. H-Healing first however, you are done I believe. Spend time with Glitter as well, see if you can get her to calm down hmm? It shouldn't be long before she..."

Jade paused with a soft smile as she led me back out to the others, spotting the little filly drooping groggily in Ivy's magic, her head bobbing to her chest and jerking back up a little less each time. Her chocolate stained hooves reached out feebly and she groaned at the two of us in the door, "Ooooh... momma, I don't feel so good, make it better... sleepy... tummy hurts..."

The green magic surrounding the foal mingled with Jade's pale blue as she took her, floating her close as she huffed and stuck her nose up, eyeing her from the side of one lidded eye. "As I tried to tell you dear. First the sugar rush, then the crash. You will be fine, you need sleep and to not indulge so much in the future, yes? Your father can take you to bed, perhaps you can show him the way sister? S-Spend some time together until I am done? We'll be along shortly Fast."

Glitter got floated to my back and Ivy held the door open with an eager smile, waiting on my slow progress carrying a foal who groaned and gurgled at every step. At least things were winding down in the rough and tumble trading town, most of the groups camping in the park we passed were letting their fires die down to embers, heavy steel shutters closed off the brick auction house building and most of the businesses were closing up. I did notice everypony in charge of these swapping their dirty signs from open to closed were mares, younger looking mares, my age or a year or two either way, another oddity Ivy's cheating mindreading noticed me noticing.

"Strange isn't it? Not that mares in charge of things is odd, this is still Equestria after all, but they're all younger mares like Miss Creme. Most of them worked at that place in their past too from the flashes I get from their minds, you brought up quite a few memories from Creme during your exam yourself Fast." Ivy led the way towards the Casa Maredrid Apartments, waving over to the still brightly lit and raucous Star~~b~~ucked shop and the lingerie clad mares in the windows drawing customers in.

I had to divert my eyes from the very effective advertising quickly, nodding nervously to Ivy swishing her blue tail ahead of me. "They did? Like Cocoa then... That is ...interesting... Where's Zed by the way? What's he think?"

"Snooping about close by, don't worry. He finds things suspicious here as well, off to investigate on his own. A zebra draws less attention here than we do, we have been rather occupied with your daughter as well, I'm glad she's not among my young charges back home, I'd never have a moment's rest! Ah, here we are." Ivy smirked back at me trying to stay focused, putting an extra swing to her flanks as she pushed open the rusty gate leading to the open courtyard of the prewar apartments.

They would have been fancy and high class living in the hip little town under Mayor Trenderhoof back before the war, a U shaped two story complex built around an empty, scum filled pool in the courtyard. Corroded wrought iron railing led up the stairs on each wing of apartments turned rental rooms and the walls were a crumbling muddy brown adobe. Ivy led me up to apartment 208, fitting a battered old key into the lock and revealing a dusty apartment inside.

She pointed the way to the roughly patched door off to the side of the combined living room / kitchenette, a small bedroom with a musty mattress in the corner and a tattered blanket. I turned back to the foal on my back, prepared for her request by floating the heavy tome of fairy tales halfway out of my packs before I realized she was completely zonked.

I surrounded the sleeping filly in my magic and gently levitated her to the bed, tucking the book away again and using a corner of the blanket to wipe away the worst of the chocolate still sticking to her. "No story tonight I guess sweetie, we'll make it up in the morning if you want."

Glitter moaned softly in her sleep as I tucked her in, blindly reaching hooves finding my muzzle with the rather itchy blanket in my teeth and grabbing for an unconscious hug that made me smile. Her stomach gurgled and she let go, curling into a little ball with a whine and falling to fitful sleep.

The door to her room was a little sticky, these apartments had plainly been cleaned and repaired as well as possible, but that still wasn't great, making the repair pony in me grumble at all the improvements that could be made. I turned to share my thoughts aloud with Ivy standing at the door on the other side of the smaller entry to the bathroom, then immediately lost my train of thought at the big green mare excitedly shrugging out of her cream colored dress. A larger bedroom and king sized mattress in the room behind her.

"Not to jump the gun on my sister while she's busy, but I am still waiting Fast. I know a lot has happened, but this is still the 'coming home' portion of my date you know. I thought you may appreciate getting a bit... warmed up? Before sister Jade returns and... eep!" I cut her off with a flying tackle, overpowering even the tall alicorn, rolling with her in the general direction of the bed.

I was glad Ivy was quiet and Glitter was so out of it, the frantic scramble that followed was rather destructive and loud. Virescent had intentionally stirred up and let loose a lot of pent up lust that had been denied an outlet too long, the concussion that rang my bell in the sewers only helped scramble my defenses that kept the very loud voice chanting 'MINE!MORE!MINE!MORE!' at bay. I caught more than one concerned glance from Ivy at that, but every time my efforts redoubled and found just the right spot, destroying her attempts to do any silly mental work.

The door creaking open after awhile got me to pause just long enough to see it was Jade, opening her mouth to say something about the storm of gymnastic efforts that had done such damage in here her widening eyes were taking in. She never got the chance, I pounced with a growl and wrapped myself around her, slamming the door shut again and flapping madly, directing her gasping stumbles back towards the bed with her sister.

One would think two big alicorns would be enough to slow down a bit, but one would be wrong, very, very wrong. Ivy still had no time to try keeping a psychic eye on the dark growl in my head, somewhat focused by the voices of the Ministry Mares being strengthened by the frenetic show of love, but not weakened by the same as it usually was. Eventually she staggered away, leaving just my Jade and I alone to keep going, the two of us alone together as I loved the most, lavishing her with personal attention and finally slowing down at the tenderness involved.

The beautiful blue mare resorted to using her bulk to keep me pinned for awhile, enjoying soft kisses and nuzzles where I could still reach and getting me to relate everything that had happened to us on our ill fated treasure hunt. Filling me in on the things she had found out, after she let me go for several more rounds that at long last had me panting raggedly beside her, unable to move and happy wrapped up in her wing where I was.

She squealed in delight at the funny silk robe I found for her when I floated it from my abandoned bags, fluttering over to mold the sheer fabric to her gorgeous body and spin in the air happily over the gift, promising to model it for me when she wasn't quite so sweaty. Tucking it away carefully, she bounded back to the bed where I was sprawled and her long horn lit up, her magic swirling around my head a moment before she pronounced it safe for me to sleep with a kiss to my horn.

Jade gave a cute yawn and snuggled against me, blinking sleepily and murmuring softly in my ear between nibbles. "You will go back to that obnoxious Cocoa pony again tomorrow? Tell her what you found?"

"Yeah... If I could right now I think it'd be safer after all that. Feeling much better now, m-may wanna hog you to myself again before I do go actually. Definitely taking Glitter with me this time too, let's see how Cocoa fares against our little business-filly. I'm sorry I get like that around any pretty mare, that's not all that's important to me you know."

A weary nod answered and she smiled, "No it is not, I know you do not think so. Though I am glad to hear you took time to convince Witching Hour she is attractive when she did not think so, I do not like what you told me of how she could think otherwise. So long as you continue not being swayed merely by the exterior."

"Mmmm'not Jade, try not to be... You should talk to her too, convince her, she's nice. Talk to Val too... she needs to, with you, important... I'll ask Ivy to help me with Cocoa, have questions anyway..."

Jade tugged the ratty blanket up for comfort and nodded over me, thumping to the mattress with a huff. "Yes, despite my distaste, we must deal with her again concerning the farms run by Silver Seed Agriculture. Many of the ponies I spoke with here had stories of the numerous farms nearby they have ground under their hoof, the poor slaves who work them... We must do what we can to help them Fast, I know we do not have much time, but we must find a way. I cannot stand the thought of slavery... those poor ponies..."

I nuzzled her to reassure my Princess and gave my own wide yawn, drifting off as I answered in a soft growl. "We'll help them, stop slavers... love you..."

After a long and fairly horrible day that ended in frustration for everything we attempted to accomplish, I finally fell asleep gratefully in the loving embrace of the mare of my dreams. Determined tomorrow would work out better, somehow.

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were very bad ponies...

Bad ponies who locked others up, put chains and shackles on the innocent and forced them to work. The poor ponies laboring so hard every day were beaten and mistreated, locked up in pens outside in the cold night, given slop and garbage to eat, while their tormentors profited from their works, slept in warmer beds with better food.

This displeased the Princess, a grave injustice visited on the innocent that would not stand. Thus the faithful servant of the Princess rose from the shadows of the night, racing across the land in a flicker with a rumble of thunder behind him. Those who would enslave others deserved Luna's judgement, the Shrouded Stallion flew out to deliver it and please his Princess.

At every tiny farm he visited, the same story awaited. Bad ponies profiting on the backs of the good, working them to death for a few more bits... caps? money... for money... There were so many evil ponies awaiting judgement and the night so short, a world full of the wicked that had somehow been allowed to go unpunished. But no longer...

The Shrouded Stallion went from farm to farm and brought Luna's wrath with him, leaving a trail of destruction and death in his wake, only stopped by the approaching dawn. With an angry snort at a job unfinished, the Shroud returned to his Princess in a flash of black lightning, vowing to do as bid and destroy any who would call themselves 'Slavers'...

-------------------------------Level Up!----------------------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------

Stable-Tec Whiz-----------------
----Your familiarity with Stable-Tec terminals and computers in general is legendary, you now gain an additional attempt to hack a terminal, as well as being able to get one more attempt to hack a locked out terminal. Surely done by some previous wasteland explorer without your skills of course!

Quest Perk Added!----------------

Trenderhoof's Glasses---------------
---He might have been full of himself and about as deep as a mud puddle, but Trenderhoof did have a way with words as Equestria's premiere travel writer. Taking possession of his glasses grants you a boost of +10 to the Speech skill!

Ch. 68-- Economics of Violence

"When somepony says somethin's too good to be true, it usually is."

--------------------------------

Coffee, it turns out, is a lifesaver...

I was even more sluggish than normal when I woke up for a dreary day in the Commonwealth, the caffeine that thankfully worked on my new biology as it should, helped me get woke up and ready to try for a more successful second day of our diplomatic tour. Of course initially waking up with Jade alone helped too, waking up to Jade's moans and realizing we had already been sleepily beginning our day in a delightful way helped even more.

I thought I was just having a very nice dream, slow and sweet and strawberry flavored. It took a bit to figure out we had actually come together in our sleep and were working our way towards consciousness together. Blinking blearily at the dirty and cracked window and the rain pattering against it, I shrugged and kept up the sedate pace to Jade's increasing sighs of contentment.

Taking our time was nice given how exhausted I was, I must have been a little too energetic last night, I was actually sore all over and able to keep things down to the tender affection without getting too worked up and frenetic. As wonderful and easy on my bruised body as that was, when we were done I just wanted to go back to sleep again. Her insistent nuzzles and kisses kept me from hiding under the pillows, but I really wished I could ignore her pleased nickering as she tugged the thin blanket away to start our day.

Trying to crawl after her and drag her back for more fun didn't work either, she gave a conflicted sigh at my hooves clutching her bountiful rump as she sat at the edge of the bed and floated her armored lab coat over, but pranced away before I could get a good grip. "Much as I would enjoy more of that.... j-just that way.... W-We are quite busy are we not Fast?"

"Nnnnn... don't care, let's just forget the whole wasteland and hide here all day.... it'll be fine."

My princess tittered to herself and fastened her yellow medical box saddlebags to her magnificent flanks, cutting off my view to my whines. "I know you are not actually so selfish Fast, stop pretending. Do not try to go back to sleep, I will send Glitter in to be sure you cannot. No rest for the wicked Fast..."

True to her word, I barely started to drift off again before the rickety door was slammed back and added another dent to the wall in here under a burst of tiny earth pony strength. Glitter leapt to the bed and proceeded to start bouncing, ignoring my groans and whines, dragging me by a hindleg out of bed and off to start the day.

Since the only real eatery in town was 'Death by Chocolate', she was rather excited to get out and get breakfast. She tried pouting with a weapons grade lip quiver and puppy eyes as Jade, Val, Ivy and myself went over the impressive menu after she had succeeded in shoving me out into the rain and to the restaurant, trying for more chocolate even after her binge yesterday.

I got a good idea why so many ponies living here tended towards the portly side after going over it with her, my foreleg propping my head up from just slamming to the dirty table and sleeping on the spot. The main crops that came into Jamocha Plains were sugar, chocolate and coffee, so that's pretty much what they had. Mixed in with a bit of regular wasteland fare here and there, but sugar coated, chocolate dusted Sugar Apple Bombs seemed like overkill, and frosted Cram just sounded disgusting and looked worse when Jade actually ordered it...

The light orange mare running the place was on the pleasantly plump side herself, still quite attractive despite her momentary look of panic seeing Glitter charging through her doors again. She calmed when I made her stick with plain donuts fresh from the rusty old conveyor driven donut manufacturing station and brahmim milk, that was as little sugar as seemed available on something for breakfast, and it let me console her with watching the clattering automated machine work with her.

It was the coffee that saved me from sluggishly thinking of what to do today, strong and hot with plenty of sugar. A couple cups of the bitter brew got me going again, thanking Celestia that caffeine was on the list of substances I could imbibe and still expect to work properly. Dad always enjoyed his cup in the mornings too, even the instant stuff back in the Stable that tasted like motor oil, preventing me from ever picking up the habit.

I'd have to reconsider with this on tap, I still had my doubts about where it came from and how it grew here, but it was good and it worked, prompting me to ask Jade about it. The alicorn medic brightened and wiped a few errant crumbs from her coat, sipping her own cup before answering. "Certain substances work on us, others don't. Since you are wondering about alcohol however, I can answer that. It is technically a poison that taxes the liver and kills brain cells, our bodies are very poison resistant."

"Are you feeling awake enough to get started Fast? I'm quite interested in meeting this Cocoa Latte pony." Ivy looked up from the scrap of parchment she was working on diligently, having a mindreader along could only help dealing with the leader of the town.

"Yeah daddy! Let's go already if'n you won't lemme have some of the better treats! I really get to be in charge of business stuff?" Glitter slurped her milk I had relented and let her pour chocolate into until it was a deep mud color, trembling with excitement over getting to help.

"Yes you get to do all the money type stuff sweetie, the pony we're going to see is pretty crafty so I need your help. She's not going to be very happy about the whole 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains' debacle too."

My little filly grinned and thumped the bundled up Saddle Arabian rug, turned into a makeshift bag under Val's watchful guard. "Don't worry! You gots the treasure, that's all that matters. I like my hat though!"

Val blinked and started cackling, ruffling her silver mane with her claws as they shared some joke I was missing, the treasure was worthless. "Oh you're slick kiddo... Stick it to her fer sending us on that wild goose chase! Keep her away from yer pop too, she knows how to mess with him and screw it all up."

"Another reason I'm coming along this time Valkyrie, between us I believe we can keep Fast under control hmm? He's in a much better frame of mind today anyway, plus I am curious about her myself. Here we are dear, what you asked for?" Ivy finished her coffee and wiped her muzzle, the red quill pen I had given her continuing to scratch out a note she floated up for Glitter's perusal.

Jade and I both tried peeking around the filly slowly going over the long note, mouthing the words but rapidly running through all the numbers that gave me pause. Finally she nodded in satisfaction and beamed at us, "All good! How much she can skim off'a stuff that comes through here, how much she's gotta kick in, stuff like that an' what you said ta put in. I dunno if they can help fight though, they don't even gots a lotta guards."

She had noticed too then, like the business owners, there seemed to be a lot more mares than bucks guarding the walls and not enough of them at that. I caught Ivy giving the pudgy mare warily watching Glitter a scrutinizing look, picking at her thoughts and mentally shrugging to me. (The same, adoration and fear of Cocoa Latte in equal measure. Things were once worse here, they are better because of her, but she did things that frighten them to do so.)

I sighed and pushed away from the small table, adjusting my hat to a dapper angle and dusting off my black trenchcoat, preening my wings a moment before stopping myself with a hoof to the face. I was awake and worn, fully satisfied last night and more this morning, yet the thought of going to see the stunning leader of this little community had me sweating and primping, like a nervous colt preparing for a big date. I wished Ivy could give me more to go on than fear and adoration, but I understood it. That mare was like a force of nature, everything in this place hinged on her and her alone, and as far as I could tell, she managed it through sheer personality.

"Alright, l-let's go see the mare in charge then. I'm counting on you sweetie."

Just the vote of confidence made Glitter squeal and jump from her chair to give me a hug, making me feel a little more sure about this in the process. I had her with me, I could manage limited exposure to Cocoa, right...

The goddesses love making fools of us all for thinking things like that...

We trotted across the trading town to Cocoa's office home after inquiring with a guard to make sure she was still there, the mare in charge wasn't an early riser either at least. The previously locked door off the street was not secured today, poking my head in the dark office space on the ground floor was met with nothing but a battered old potbellied stove in the corner warming the place so I called out, trying not to be rude and not to get a stashed gun in my face for just barging in.

The lyrical reply that came back should have put me on guard, a breathy, amused voice answering back from above along with some movement. "Ah, just in time! Come on in Mr. Times, please! I'll be with you in a moment. Leave your griffon downstairs and make yourself at home!"

Val growled up at the stairs and narrowed her violet eyes, "I really hate that bitch boss..."

"She's not sticking you on your own down here this time Val, let's go everybody."

I crept my way up the leaning set of stairs first, poking my head over the floor of Cocoa's apartment above her cluttered office and trying to find where she was hiding. The living room and kitchen area was unchanged, no ambush or anything.... that was good.... A dented old hotplate on her counter was bringing a pan of water to a boil beside her crazy coffee machine, that shouldn't account for all the steam wafting through the chill apartment though...

E.F.S. said there was only Cocoa up here, but there were ways around that. She sounded like she was down the short hall, humming musically and moving in a rhythmic canter on spongy linoleum. While she was occupied, I moved around her prefered lair carefully with Val, setting her heavy bundle down and lightly tossing the room just in case. No landmines in with all the cushions... no hidden guns.... so far so good, I hated relying on Glitter, but if we were it was damn well going to be safe first if we could help it.

Heightened senses were a bit of a bother here, under all the coffee, chocolate, perfume, dust and mold, there was an underlying scent to everything that made my mane itch, sweet Celestia she even smelled sexy... how did she do that? All the steam carried the smell of clean pony and ancient shampoo, wait... shampoo... steam...

I realized the trap I walked into a second too late, turning to bolt for Jade at the stairs and nearly running face first into Cocoa herself. The shower, she was in the shower and came right from it, again intentionally playing to her strengths and succeeding as my wings shot straight up. I wouldn't be surprised if she had jumped in at our approach just for effect, dripping steaming water to her ratty floor and covered in a robe that didn't really live up to the name, more of a slip of silk, designed not to cover or absorb water, but to draw the eye in just the right way.

Her light tan face was slightly pink from the heat and scrubbing, long damp two tone brown and cream mane falling into it from a loose towel and obscuring her lidded almond eyes. That rich brown gaze flicked to my wings for barely a instant, registering the reaction she wanted and returning to holding mine like a snake charmer.

I could feel the goofy expression stretching across my face in a leer, but couldn't stop it, leaning forward and cursing at the nubs of my fangs twitching out as she purred softly, running a squeaky clean hoof under my muzzle to tilt my head up to hers. "Well hellooooo there my new Shrouded friend, you have good things to tell me I hope? You return and the Gunners didn't, so I can only assume so."

Yes, good things... whatever she wanted to hear.... just keep prowling and rubbing against me like that... keep doing.... "Ahem! Fast.... aren't you going to introduce us?" (Down boy...) Ivy spoke aloud and in my head, helping me shake off that wonderful aroma and skitter back to Jade's protective wing, thunking my head repeatedly and hiding behind Glitter puffing her little chest out.

"Oh? I was expecting just the Princess, not one of her sisters as well, the griffon too? I did ask she remain downstairs Fast. Well.... she is quite lovely though... I suppose if you wanted this much of a crowd I could be amenable to it, after our business is done of course. The foal is going to have to leave though, we frown on that kind of thing in Jamocha Plains now." Cocoa was only phased for a moment, turning the conversation back and trotting right up to Jade, Val and Ivy staring down at her. While I sputtered at the insinuation and how matter of fact it had been, like she said the same thing to others on a regular basis.

She did that same pacing appraisal of each, poking and squeezing where she wanted with her caramel colored magic to Val's squawks, looking down her nose at Glitter eyeing her suspiciously and dismissing her. Val's warning growl of "Knock it off!" was enough for her to move on from her, focusing on where she was having success and trying to get around my daughter guarding me.

Even Ivy blushed bright red at some of what she was doing with that talented telekinesis, her blue tail bristling and standing straight up as she yelped and took an unsteady step back. "G-Glad I meet your approval Miss Latte, my sister asked me to come along. Pleasure to meet you, I'm Ivy." (My word... I see what you mean Fast, she does have quite a presence doesn't she? Rather forceful too, even her thoughts are a bit much to take in and guarded, I've only rarely met a pony with such a force of will. I sense no real malice, though she looks to take advantage. I'll try to give you anything useful, but do not rely on it with this one...)

Getting the big green mare to flinch only encouraged Cocoa, licking her lips as she resumed stalking after me surrounded by a barrier of fillies I cared about. Her sparkling brown eyes fluttered and she swayed her flanks in victory, the first tinges of her magic immediately slipping under my coat again to grope with widening eyes at the reaction she was getting, of all the things Moondancer's version of the I.M.P. had enhanced, her favorite part was pretty clear. "Send the filly away and us adults could have some fun, after we get this boring old business out of the way mmmmm? Who cares about caps when there are such other ...substantial things to discuss?"

I groaned under the attention, even with my radiation meter safely down to the clear blue end of the dial, this mare was far too skilled to deny, if I was still charged up I'd already be pouncing on her by this point and we hadn't been her five minutes! Teetering on the edge as it was, it was my daughter who saved me, taking stomping steps forward under Cocoa's surprised stare.

"I care about caps! You ain't trickin' my daddy lady, he'd never bring me for icky stuff, I gets ta do all the business stuff, butterin' him up won't work! S-So you just knock it off!" Glitter yelped and jumped up and down in front of the dripping mare, waving her forelegs up rapidly at the glowing horn in Cocoa's damp locks.

For a moment, a weird expression crossed Cocoa's face, all that sweet, honeyed seduction frazzled and replaced by annoyance, but she was smooth and wiped it away almost instantly. Her magic stopped at least, letting me pant relief and cringe against Jade giving a relieved gasp herself, wings still springing up when her gaze shifted from Glitter to me repeatedly and she cooed almost convincingly. "Your daughter? Well... what a ....darling little angel.... how sweet of you to let her come along with daddy! Even letting her think she has a job with all the big ponies in their grown up business? If you're done indulging her we could send her off with your griffon, get down to work with all the big ponies?" Cocoa recovered a bit, swinging her flickering magic back on Jade and Ivy, just to keep them off balance by the sudden rush transmitted through Ivy's thoughts that made me blush.

Cocoa still had that alluring come hither look, but kept prancing to one side and the other, getting cut off by the foal stopping her at every angle to her increasing frustration. "Nuh-uh! I ain't goin' nowhere so quit tryin'. You wanna talk business right? Daddy, why don't you go fiddle with the funny coffee machine thingy in the kitchen, I got this! Business first lady."

I had been trying to focus on Cocoa's strange brewing machine as a distraction, having it actually suggested gave me an out and I inched my way around a surprised Cocoa with Jade staying between us. I shrugged to the confused leader of Jamocha Plains and floated my tools out with relief. "Er... actually that does sound fun, if you don't mind Miss Latte? It doesn't sound healthy, I can probably fix it."

For the first time since I had met the master of feminine wiles, Cocoa Latte actually looked off her game, one of those beautiful brown eyes twitching as she tried me again. "C-Come now Mr. Times... fun is fun, but we could be having sooooo much more... Tinker if you insist, but tell this br... b-beautiful little filly to run along so we can engage in our ...talks."

"Sorry Miss Latte. Glitter is Ambassador of Cuteness for the Kingdom of Sanctuary, she handles business type stuff, really. Anything else is stuff for umm... l-later... only if the Princess says so. We came here seeking an alliance, trade, all that jazz, that's her department." Given permission, I cracked the case on the hissing coffee contraption and stared at its guts with interest, this put the brewoluxe back in the Stable to shame.

Jade plopped down beside me, spreading one big wing wide and effectively closing off the kitchen from the small living room, sticking her nose up and waving over to Glitter with finality. "And I do not say so. We did say our daughter handled finance did we not? It is her you must bargain with."

"Y-Yes you did, but I expected somepony a little bit older than..." Cocoa stammered back, interrupted by Glitter coughing loudly.

Before Cocoa had a chance to recover, Glitter whispered up to Val, that crafty grin spreading on the griffon's beak again. With a deft swing, Val thumped the tied bundle of Saddle Arabian carpet to the floor in front of her, allowing the little filly to clamber up and hold her pip-buck high, squinting and hoofing a button to fill the apartment up with a pretentious, long dead voice.

"Welcome to the Treasures of Jamocha Plain, I'm Mayor Trenderhoof, creator and curator of the Treasures. Within the walls of this..."

Glitter cut the recording off before it got going, drumming her hindlegs on the huge carpet-bag of useless junk she was sitting on with a smug look and waiting. The reaction was as if she had slapped Cocoa right in the face, her brown eyes widened and kept going down to the heavy pack, back to Glitter's pip-buck, then up to the keycard swinging from her pale muzzle on its leather lanyard.

"M-Mayor Trenderhoof... I know that name, but not many other treasure hunters do. D-Did you... did you find it?" Cocoa called over weakly, trying one more time to deal with me and getting only a bored grunt of affirmation, aha... a clogged intake line, no wonder this coffee maker made such a racket.

The dirty plastic keycard clacked to the coffee table beside Cocoa, forcing her to turn back to the foal who threw it beaming at her, eye level sitting on top of the 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains' itself. "Ya-huh! My daddy found it! And got your key thingy back, you can have it, dad's so great he didn't need it anyway!"

(A crack... She does not like this at all Fast.)

Ivy was shaking off being the subject of Cocoa's focus, smiling internally at what she was getting from the mare in charge and sticking at Glitter's side. Still not much, but Glitter had effectively short circuited her plans.

"We... we had an arrangement didn't we Mr. Times? Surely my tip and my keycard entitle me to a share of the profits from our cooperative venture, don't they?" Cocoa tried again, getting an annoyed snort from Glitter being snubbed again.

Glitter dug in the pockets of her rose colored coat and withdrew the scroll she had Ivy write up for her, holding it out imperiously under Cocoa's muzzle. "Maaaaaybe, mom an' dad say it's too much ta haul around and all, we already took what we want. We can negotiate for it! Here, this is what I want."

"Y-You can't be serious, allowing a foal to run things for you like that... ugh let me see what you have here, I'll indulge this a moment. Surely you wrote all this for her right? Let's see..." Cocoa snatched the rolled up scroll from Ivy's writing supplies in her magic, scanning over the long list of her flowing script with rapidly widening eyes. "No more than 3%... Providing real estate and a monthly stippend of food for Minutemare garrison... Minimum 25% charity work by Followers covered from profit... No tarriff levied on healing goods... Known Institute technologies outlawed... Adherence to royal decree within prescribed limits... w-what is this!?"

"A contract! Auntie Val and Aunt Ivy helped me, but it's my numbers. That's fair. I worked hard on it!" Glitter grinned back proudly, seeming to enjoy Cocoa cantering back a step in shock as she read over what she came up with.

I had tried reading over it, all the numbers made my head spin and I had no idea how the young foal could speak such fluent legalese at her age. Essentially it was a contract for an alliance between Jamocha Plains and Sanctuary. A lot of things we had never really thought to codify and put down in writing before, the blanket 'be better' usually serving in its place.

This place ran on caps and numbers though, and Glitter was a whiz when it came to that stuff. Ivy wrote it for her so her blocky script didn't make it look childish, Jade and I offered our opinions on things we thought important and Val told her how contracts typically worked, but the bulk of the work was all Glitter.

"Princess Jade! Mr. Times! F-Fast.. this is a poor joke, sending this little filly out with your demands you plainly set up for her. I won't be swayed by a foal, no matter how cute. I don't care for you using her to... w-what's this about a 'minimum sugar and chocolate allotment' at a... 90% discount sent to Sanctuary on a regular basis!?!" Cocoa tried to rally and refused to believe this was all Glitter's doing, until she hit that little addendum anyway...

Jade and I both arched a matching eyebrow at the little filly wincing and turning from her perch, giving a weak grin and shrugging. "I umm... just added a little... you know, f-for everypony back home? That's fine isn't it daddy? mommy?"

Watching Glitter employing her glistening puppy eyes seemed to unravel Cocoa more, her face was getting red and she snorted a little puff of steam from her flaring nostrils. Ivy's voice in my head gave me a hint at the problem, though I didn't understand it. (Daddy... she doesn't like that word Fast, your relationship with your daughter is agitating her and she is obsessed with that treasure.)

"I do not think you need your own private shipments of desserts dear. There are more important issues we were to discuss, yes?" Jade answered for both of us primly, letting me continue peacefully working and not paying any attention to sexy mares or talk of caps, though keeping an ear flicking that way.

"Right mommy! Don't worry, we'll get there!" Glitter answered happily, waving a little hoof for Cocoa to continue reading.

"This is ridiculous! Y-You're letting her... putting her in charge?! I won't be swayed by this nonsense, sugary foods for a filly is right out! Price regulation!? A maximum I can raise prices on my goods per quarter!? 10% is unacceptable! 25%!" Cocoa's attractive mane was falling in her eyes in strands and getting rather wild at her shaking her head around like that, the longer she dealt with Glitter, the more her facade of sex appeal was cracking.

"8%! And I want my sweets! Umm... i-it can be a little smaller shipment though." Glitter fired right back, forcing the older mare to deal with her directly.

"Eight!? Y-You're not even negotiating the right way! You're supposed to come up and meet me in the middle dummy! 20% With exceptions for Goodneighbor! And assurances these Minutemares will take orders from local leadership!" Cocoa now leaned in to get face to face with the foal, forgetting everything but the barter she was getting sucked into.

"Am too doing it right! 5%, 10% for Goodneighbor or other really big towns only! Minutemares help, you don't need ta order, just ask, just like my daddy!" Glitter's nose went up proudly and she stamped a hoof, getting a clatter from her sack of 'treasure' that drew Cocoa's twitching eye.

"Are not! 18%! I don't ask for help either, I help myself! You can't count on anypony kid! And what's this lunacy about freed farms?! You want half!?!" Cocoa's alluring robe hung off her shoulders messily now, her tail flicking in agitation and giving it that same crazed, wild appearance as her mane.

Glitter leaned in as well, eye to eye in the increasing confrontation from her perch. "4%. Thought I wouldn't see that comin'? Mom an' Dad might not be that umm... 's-savvy' but I am! You was just gonna scoop up every lil' farm he fought ta free weren't ya meanie! Half is bein' nice, partners like."

I paused cleaning a few corroded contact points at Jade's gasp, slaves and the local slavers and farms that used them were her main point of interest here, but that had seriously never occurred to either of us. I just thought we'd go kill slavers, set slaves free and just kind of be on our way. Cocoa had been talking about helping to get rid of them as a way to take them over? More impressive, Glitter was ahead of her?

"17% I... I hadn't said a thing on the subject yet! If he and his precious Princess wanted to do it anyway, what do you care who takes over so long as they don't use slaves?! I don't need partners!" A flicker of guilt crossed Cocoa's face and I saw her eyes dart to Jade and I watching with the same surprised look, before returning to the pink stare of Glitter snorting back.

"Nah, just need my daddy ta get rid of them, then let you get rich huh? Have all them farms that make sugar and chocolatey treats, but not share! Selfish! A-Ali... 'Alliance' means partners anyway stuuu-pid, you sayin' you just want somepony ta be your sucker?!" Now they had reached sticking their tongues out at each other...

(Fascinating isn't it? She's forcing her to regress, taking all of Miss Latte's weapons away from her and exploiting quite a few mental weaknesses. If your daughter had my abilities, she'd be a nightmare Fast....) Ivy gave an awed whisper in my head, watching the verbal tennis match play out with a stunned expression.

"So what if I am!?! Your parents are such a do-gooders, they don't care right!? I could get them to do whatever I want brat! Bucks are so easy it's not even funny and yours is even easier! The Princess there is way too naive and an easy enough mark too! They're rubes!" Ow... I wasn't sure what 'rube' meant, but none of that sounded very flattering...

"But I ain't... You want help takin' those farms, we wanna free the slaves anyway. But since my mommy an' daddy are such good ponies, they wanna be partners instead'a takin' em for ourselves. You get what you want, we get what we want. That's fair. I'll even throw in the treasure if you agree to all my terrr--eermmsss..." Glitter teased in a lilting voice from her seat, patting the awkward bundle affectionately.

Cocoa couldn't stop herself from following the gesture again, her gaze hanging on the untold riches from the fabulous Treasures of Jamocha Plains. She bit her lip and shifted on her hooves, turning to try anypony else instead of the merciless little filly and getting Jade's disapproving huff as a surprise. "Glitter... that is not fair. We do not make friends by cheating those we hope to befriend."

"MOOO-OOOM! Sssh! We're negotiatin'!" Glitter winced at the blue alicorn shaking her head, a panicked look of a surprise ruined crossing her face.

I yanked the filter from the pretty fun coffee machine and felt obliged to weigh in, joining Jade and nodding to her. "She's right sweetie. We want to be friends, no fair tricking her, show her."

Both Glitter and Val gave stereo versions of "AWWWW!", though Val's added "Yer fuckin' this up boss!", both pouting and begining to tug at the thick knots of carpet tassels holding it all together.

Cocoa looked between us all in bewilderment, "B-But... you said you found it..."

"We did. That's the Treasures of Jamocha Plains in there alright. Other than a few items we took, but nothing any different really."

The leader of the trading town blinked back, still not getting it. "Then what cheating? You're not lying, I can tell... Why are you..."

"Because they are rubes sometimes... but they're my rubes an I love em." Glitter rolled her eyes, yanking the last knot undone in her teeth and leaping off as the carpet unfurled.

Cocoa was frozen staring at the pile of junk, that one eye twitching a mile a minute now. Finally her whole head twitched and she wailed at the trash spread in her living room, shaking her head and trying to blink it all away. "W-What!? This is... this is it?! THIS!?! You can't be serious! This is...." A few quick clicks to my pip-buck brought up the message waiting down in the 'Treasures' vault Glitter had partially played, that she listened to with growing horror.

Val snorted with satisfaction and nodded at her staring between all of us, "Yep, I know just the feelin' missy, but this really is it."

Cocoa's eye kept twitching as she took in all the old world knick knacks, tired sniffles that started turning to bubbling giggles, wiping tears away as she started laughing. "All these years! All this time, the caps I put into it myself alone! For this!? Some 'Treasure'! And you just gave it away! Bwhahaha! Oh kid, I feel bad for you now, it's not an act is it? They're really this naive?!"

Feeling a bout of old world corniness coming on, I tipped my hat and held a hoof out to the mare shaking with laughter before it turned angry. "Well... Back in my day, somepony'd say the real treasure is friendship, so let's be friends Cocoa, tell me how we can help without trying to trick us into it. I'll do whatever I can, let's do something about the slavers and the Gunners, together."

"Just so Miss Latte, we do not seek to cheat you, or take over your town as the Gunners would, only to help and ask it in return. I cannot abide slavery and you do not seem to like it either, perhaps we do not possess Glitter's forethought on what happens after, but those slaves will need help. New ponies to make your town grow and run those farms fairly benefits everyone, does it not?" Jade bowed her head and held a slender foreleg out to the smaller mare, still chuckling to herself and wiping tears away.

Cocoa's own foreleg shook as it reached out tentatively, unsure brown eyes looking to the tall Princess and getting only a sweet nod of assurance. Finally she took it, shuffling shyly and whispering back. "O-Ok... friends... right. I-I'll try it... I really don't like slavery either, that is the truth, umm... your highness. We have our reasons for not trusting easily around here, but... I think we can work together, help some ponies, a-and make some caps of course..."

"Good. Still have a crafty little filly to work all the business type stuff out with don't you? She's a tough customer and I really count on her, so give her a challenge. You can tell me all about these slavers first and we can get started on that while you two work, errr with Ivy to referee I think... How's that?"

She gave a long, grateful look as I wiped a final tear away from her smiling cheek and stood straight, trying to look dependable and at least a little intimidating, even while looking up to the taller mare. I got a weak chuckle anyway and she glanced and Glitter, sticking her tongue out with a smile. "You'll start helping, just like that?"

"Just like that. We're no good at any of this stuff anyway, tell us where to go and how to hurt them. We'll go do what we're good at, bring the slaves we rescue back here if they'll come. Looks like you need more ponies helping here anyway, give them a place to stay and food, then you can all make Jamocha Plains the big town you want it to be, the Kingdom of Sanctuary will help our new ally however we can. I promise."

Glitter whooped and jumped for joy, giving a playful hoof to Cocoa's shoulder and grinning ear to ear. "See?! My mommy an' daddy are the best in Equestria! Even if they mess up good deals. If you admit I'm right, I'll let you have... 15% ok? To be friends."

Cocoa's tan foreleg shot out and met Glitter's pale one in a hoofbump instantly, sniffling with a soft smile at the foal. "Deal. You would'a had me kid, I think being friends is better than trying to out barter you, pint sized barracuda."

Mission Completed: X Marks the Spot

Objectives-------
---~~Eliminate the Gunner treasure hunters~~
---~~Find the Treasures of Jamocha Plains~~
---~~Return to Cocoa Latte~~

Another ramshackle hut waited ahead of us in the marshes, offering a moment to get out of the increasing rain, but filling me with dread. Nothing moved there... an empty pen near the battered old world barn spoke of slaves chained there, but nopony was around, just like the previous three of these we had explored.

Once Cocoa Latte decided to work with us, she was a wealth of information. She had been making her own plans for quite awhile, her apparent population problems made her too weak to carry them out, but she had been preparing to do just what we were. Ivy was still intensely curious about that, hoping to keep prying while she stayed with Glitter, reassuring us she sensed no trickery or betrayal from Cocoa, just a mystery she had latched on to.

With her explanation, several map markers appeared on my pip-buck and Jade, Val, Zed, Witchy and myself had been going down the list on the way to Sapphire Sparkles School, the largest slaver outpost here in the southern Commonwealth. That left Glitter and Ivy to work with Cocoa back in town, hammering out boring details and getting to know each other better, while we got to work.

I squelched down the muddy trail leading from the winding rubble that used to be a real road, using the rusty mailbox to find the path and avoid the dangerous crops. It turns out Razorcane was named that way because it was literally razor sharp, dark green spears with long narrow foliage, making an effective fence wherever it was planted. I dreaded what the larger Cocoa-bomber and Twitch-tree plants could do after slicing open a foreleg just poking at the sugar canes, and all I had to do was stick it in the nearest muddy puddle to heal, farming sounded dangerous here...

Eyes Forward Sparkle showed everything clear, not a soul stirred on the tiny slave farm, just upping the creepiness as I went to investigate and see if this one was like the others we had found. We'd been sticking close to or on the ground in the heavy rain, trying not to make ourselves big targets up in the air which made for slower going, giving me plenty of time to worry over the scenes we had found so far.

I gave a heavy sigh pushing open the corrugated steel door to the shack and finding one that matched. The place was a bloodbath... four rough looking ponies around a battered table, cards strewn everywhere in all the blood that splashed the walls and pooled on the rough wooden floors.

No, not strewn, cards were stuck right in the wood and the corpses themselves, matching the narrow slashes on the slaver's coats... Somepony got here before we did, slaughtered every slaver on the farm in increasingly creative ways, had either freed the slaves or left them to escape by the empty pens, but had done nothing else.

Val lacked my squeamishness and pushed past me in a rush, rifling through the corpses and loot remaining. Raiders hadn't done this, or Gunners, definitely not Minutemares doing good, no.... somepony on a mission had systematically slaughtered the slavers and moved on without touching a thing.

Not that they didn't deserve it by the evidence left behind, whips and broken chains, buckets of leftover slop to feed the missing slaves garbage, but this was still a bit much despite how much the murmur of 'Be Dark...' agreed with the results. Jade gave a whinny and hugged me with her wing as I trudged away from the door, clearly disturbed too, but happy to be out on one of my dangerous outings again as promised.

"Perhaps we should simply fly by the others Fast... I do not know who has done this, but we do not need to poke around each farm between us and this slave market. Those ponies need our help and there were many of them by the sound of it, I am anxious to see this done and return." Jade nuzzled me reassuringly, keeping up a dim blue shield that kept the worst of the heavy rain off us.

"Bah, yer just ancy ta get to that MoP hub place Blue, told ya it ain't far from Summerset Plantation an ya get all worked up ta come. Good havin' ya along fer the craziness though." Val hooted as she came back out of the shack, stuffing caps and salvaged ammo in her pockets as she stretched her wings.

Zed was pacing the small yard of the farm, looking at the muddy ground as he walked and examining every little detail he could before slipping his batwing talisman thing around his neck. The leathery wings so similar to Witchy's pushing their way out of his back as he spoke. "Perhaps our mystery friend has already been there as well? They certainly seem to have been busy, recently too."

Witchy fluttered up to the leaning tin roof of the shack and looked to the south, her tufted ears twitching a moment before she shook her head in reply. "I don't think so... There's some noise and activity that way, just where this school place should be. Whoever or whatever did this, I don't know if they got to this slaver fortress yet."

"Ok, we'll fly closer then, just makes our job easier I guess, we can focus on the big problem if all these little ones have been handled. Get us away from all the local critters too, come on guys." I nodded back to my friends and took an unsteady flap up, flying in the rain and wind was harder than normal, giving Val the opportunity to smack and critique my progress the whole way.

Staying low let us sneak up on the dim glow in the gloom ahead, a good thing too as eventually too regular shapes resolved in the dead trees around the low structure. The slavers occupying the ruins of an elementary charter school had set up guard towers, around the fenced playground in the back of the staggered two story structure, giving a good idea where the slaves were kept.

If we were higher, we'd have been spotted by now, even against the leaden grey skies. Keeping near the ground also let me take note of more than a couple dripping spots of color in the marshes, slime zombies... more the closer we got, and different colors? Yes, that really was one with pastel orange glop instead of pink... I drifted a bit nearer the craggy rocks it was passing for a better look, only to be yanked back by my tail just ahead of a wave of murky water and a lot of teeth.

The goopy zombie was just gone... snapped up by an enormous maw of jagged teeth, the small island of dirty green rocks moved and I realized it was attached to the giant ...radiagator? A huge, reptilian thing that was its own little island in the swamp, some prehistoric monster of rock and scale that gave a guttural growl at the snack it barely missed adding to the slime creature.

"Radcrag boss... watch yer step. Told ya there's nasty creepy crawlies down this way." Val answered my panicked jabbering, keeping a safe distance to watch the swamp-dragon looking thing crawl off to slightly deeper waters.

It essentially looked like a giant radigator, except for the craggy stone looking back and head, and the split tail. It had a greenish glow in the cracks and crevices of its rocky back now that it was moving, and I was disturbed to see pink oozing from between a few and those sharp teeth.

Jade was obviously thinking along with me, offering a more clinical appraisal. "I do not like this, you said you saw such creatures in the sewers as well Fast? If the local wildlife are ingesting those slime zombies, they are vicariously eating the 'Fluffer Batter' compound... It is spreading out to the environment from somewhere and there appears to be sufficient radiation to activate it."

"I don't like it either, hopefully we'll find out, the notes I read mentioned schools..."

The fading yellow shell of an old bus stuck nose first in the mire ahead, gave a closer landmark to stop at, sticking closer to the muddy roads that rose and fell from the muck. It had crashed from above while on the way to drop off by all the tiny little skeletons, landing outside a subdivision of rotting little houses which gave us a spot to spy on the school ahead after I shook off the near miss. Close enough to go over the layout of the complex and see the slave pen in the back, while Zed slipped off into the marshes for a closer look.

Playground equipment had scrap and boards tacked to it in ugly conglomerations, offering little shelter from the rain and practically none from the chill. A few fire barrels under some of this thin cover lit the horrific yard up, revealing a few pony shapes sprawled in the mud and little twitches of movement even my eyes had trouble picking out. It was all adding to a growing ember of fury the longer I scanned the place through the Last Minute's nightvision scope.

At least Jade was thinking of more than just putting the mysterious stranger who hit the smaller farms ahead of us to shame at the view, cramming herself at the dirty window I was looking out of and worrying aloud. "There are a few, surely more inside... how will we get them out of here? Forced to stay out here, many will be too weak to make the trip back to Jamocha Plains Fast."

"They probably have carts... that's something I guess. The slavers aren't going to need them anymore..." I tried to keep the growl out of my voice in answer.

She must have heard it anyway, an unhappy whinny coming with her reply. "We must consider their safety first Fast, not merely punishing those admittedly deserving slavers. Given your recent string of destruction, it would be best to get them clear beforehoof yes?"

Alright, she had a point... the last thing I needed was to go three for three lately and blow the place up, killing those we were here to rescue in the process. Nevermind I had been considering going up to the heavy clouds overhead and working up some lightning to bring down... Though a charred maintenance building atop the roof of the main building looked like it had taken a hit from the storm already.

Val surprisingly didn't rise to a joke about liking my recent streak of pyrotechnic displays, narrowing her eyes through her cracked binoculars and clucking, flicking her long tail at the next window down in the moldy kitchen. "This ain't right boss... They ain't moved this whole time, no patrols, no assholes bringin' in fresh meat, nothin'. Place is dead."

"You are more right than you know..." Zed pushed through sickly brown weeds at the water's edge just outside the window, seeming to appear from nowhere and sending me falling back with a yelp. He didn't even disturb the water?! Come on! I was starting to suspect he enjoyed showing me just what sneaky was all about by that smirk and raised eyebrow, "You should see this, all of you. It's safe, even for the loud griffon."

"Ain't loud, I'm confident stripey. Ain't sloggin' through that muck either so better be no slinkin' around involved..." Val pouted and pointed a claw at Zed's mud dripping hooves.

"There's no need." The zebra stallion shrugged a reply and turned back, choosing to walk merely as his preference apparently, as he didn't say a word about us fluttering after him.

I really hoped he was sure since he was leading us right at one of the treehouse watchtowers around the back of the school, making no attempt to hide or be quiet. My ears flicked at Witching Hour making that high pitched whine behind me, looking back silently and getting a slow shake of her head in answer that matched what E.F.S. was saying, nothing ahead of us that it could detect.

Zed stopped at the gnarled roots of the scorched tree and pointed a hoof up the bits of board and scrap nailed to the side, leading up to the platform of junk and rippling canvas above. What I had taken for a guard was just a propped up hunting rifle poking out of the scrap made blind, nopony was on duty.

Flapping up to get a better look wasn't that informative, the underside of the dripping tarp was splashed with blood in what had to be a fatal spray, there were clumps of lavender slime dripping between the cracks in the boards and coating the rickety metal chair, but no body, no zombie, nothing. No slime going up the makeshift ladder, not that anypony on guard up here would let one of those things get that close to begin with.

"I flew to the two nearest to this one as well, the same thing there, different colors of sludge however." Zed called up in his deep voice, giving an errant sniff towards the puddle of purple slime nearby and clearly not liking more than just the sickly grape flavor.

After pillaging the sniper's roost, Val landed up on the hillock of dirt the tree grew from and snorted towards the ruined school. "So, maybe they woke some up or somethin', got attacked by the nasty slime balls and didn't know how ta deal with em. Sounds like it works out fer us huh boss?"

"Not if the poor slaves are still in danger Valkyrie! Hurry!" Jade gasped and made a beeline for the rusty fencing of the playground and thankfully still not meeting any opposition, making my heart race at the way it never seemed to occur to her in her concern.

Rusty chain link and barbed wire kept ground bound slaves in, but without the perimeter of snipers or guards on the ground, served as no barrier for her simply flying over. Jade arrowed for the center of the playground and the slumped bodies there, E.F.S. still displayed no green, but it was lighting up with red...

Several tiny forms lifted away from the dead ponies in the mud, the buzz of brilliantly orange wings cutting through the rain and sending me diving forward as fast as I could fly. I yelled on the way, trying to draw their attention and thankfully getting Jade to bring up her bright blue shield.

S.A.T.S. locked on to one of the creatures that had been snacking on the dead slave, for one moment I thought it was wrong or misidentifying the tiny pony shaped thing. It looked like a Cybreezie from a distance, the glowing overlay in my vision insisted it was a 'Breezidore' instead though.

Using the targeting spell for a better look, I accepted it was right, this was something new, a name Val had mentioned before but I had never encountered. Breezies shouldn't have wings that big... they definitely shouldn't look like tiny, sharp toothed little monster ponies with glowing red eyes... They had terrible odds to hit just like the little robots though, forcing me to go with buckshot from the Terrible Shotgun and hope.

One out of six went down, or was splattered like the bug it looked like. Two weren't diverted from their course after Jade, but kept running into her shield and chattering angrily, unable to touch her. The other three darted right at me, several scratches on my exposed coat burned instantly as two passed, the third latching onto my neck and burrowing in with painful needles of teeth.

Best Served flashed out and cut the gnawing little bastard's head off, leaving it stuck fast in my neck but no longer actively chomping as the tiny body fell away. I turned to spot Val incinerating one attacking Jade with her magical energy weapon, streaking past Zed and Witchy dealing with the other two.

Trying to face the last one assaulting my Princess, my vision got blurry and I felt my heart speed up. My pip-buck throwing up warnings about unknown poisoning I shook off. Luckily Val was faster than I was, slamming against the immovable barrier of Jade's shield and tearing the little monster in half with her claws.

Meanwhile I crashed... hard... I wasn't the only one either, Witchy fell into a tailspin as the last red mark winked out under Zed's hooves, barely caught by the tail in the zebra's mouth before she hit the ground and flopping weakly where he set down. Jade's shield flickered away and she charged towards us, torn over who was in worse shape until I waved her on unsteadily, if it was poison I had the better chances waiting.

Her graceful blue horn lit up and she pranced in place over the gasping batpony, not liking what she was getting from her magic and rummaging in her packs frantically. I swayed in place and hoped alicorn biology would win out over whatever those little monsters had done, but was getting concerned at my racing heart and stumbled trying to flop my way up, falling in the mud again and groaning.

Suddenly Val's dark claw poked in my mouth, I rolled an blurry eye up, making out the headless Breezidore corpse she had tracked down in the other claw. A sweet taste was on my tongue as Val hissed impatiently, "Suck on it boss, hurry up, batty needs some too."

Doing as instructed made the pounding in my head back off and everything felt a lot better, a bit like a pleasant buzz when alcohol still worked on me actually, loopy and goofy feeling, this was nice! As soon as I sighed in relief the griffon flapped over and shoved Jade aside, dipping a claw into some bulging growth on the flanks of the bug-like monster and pulling it out dusted with a glittery gold color, repeating what she did to me by sticking it in Witchy's mouth and ordering her to suck on it.

As I managed to get my hooves under me and enjoy the euphoric sensation, I noticed Witchy had a single scratch on her foreleg, not the several I had taken as they came at me first. Maybe alicorn biology was winning after all, but those things had some pretty potent poison apparently. The cure looked stronger for Witchy too, her amber eyes crossed and she gave a wide, silly grin, tittering to herself in the mud as her breathing slowed.

Goggling at Val knowing what to do medically when she herself didn't, Jade was instantly curious, floating up another corpse and poking at the tumorous looking bulges. "How? What?!"

"Breezidores Blue. Nasty little shits, make their own antivenom, but gotta not like, totally obliterate em ta get it. Save the stuff, always pays to have a little Nectar around down this way. 'Sides, sells for a good chunk o' change, stuff will fuck you up like nobody's business." The griffon mercenary shrugged at her stammering question, she did used to live down this way and I could see how those monsters could be a problem, and how fun the cure could be.

"Could they have killed all the slavers?" Jade asked, staring around the vacant playground and seeing only corpses, joining Val in looking around in the muck for more antivenom to add to her medical supplies, my dizzy eyes tracking each little bundle of the delightful Nectar stuff they gathered.

Val waggled a claw noncommittally, keeping a wary eye out as she searched. "Maybe. Probably not, Breezidore's ain't usually quite stupid enough ta attack a fortified settlement, scavengers mostly, poison a lone pony in the marsh and feast on em awhile. These probably just smelled a free meal, boss interrupted em."

"Excuuuuuse me Mr. Breezidore, terribly rude to come knocking at dinner I know, just thought we'd ask ta borrow a cup of Nectar is all, sure you don't mind!" I giggled to myself, talking to the decapitated Breezidore head I absently pulled off my neck, wondering where he got the spiffy monocle and top hat.

Witchy rolled laughter, covering her gleaming armor in muck as she flopped her way over, howling and clutching her sides. "S-So sorry! Got any more! Teehehehe!"

"Er... they should be fine in a minute, might'a give em a little much fer the venom, won't hurt em Blue." Val scratched sheepishly at Jade rolling her eyes and watching with concern, I had forgotten what being drunk was like and was quite enjoying the sensation.

Satisfied no more Breezidore antivenom was to be found and we weren't going to keel over, Jade's clear voice rang out, heedless of any slavers or other monsters lurking about. "Hello!? Please do not be frightened, we are here to help you! Is anypony here?!"

"Hellooooooo" I giggled up to join in, waving a hoof at the rainy sky over my head and watching the fading afterimages.

Eyes Forward Sparkle lit up with a single green dash as wary face peeked out from the old foal's playground, dirty and bundled in rags, clearly terrified in the shelter of junk, but unable to resist that caring voice. After a minute, an elderly pale green buck hobbled out from the largest hovel, built in the shadow of a peeling sea serpent shaped slide, heavy shackles slowing his already limping stride as he cautiously approached.

"Yer her... the Princess?" He managed a hoarse whisper of shock, staring up at the towering blue alicorn over his bent old form.

Jade nodded softly, hushing Witchy and my own tapering laughter impatiently and taking a rushed step towards the obviously hurt old stallion, pausing at his reflexive cringe. Undeterred, she spoke in a soothing coo and inched closer, "Yes, P-Princess Jade, we are here to rescue you, please do not be afraid. I am a healer, may I see to your wounds so you can leave this awful place?"

A couple more sickly looking slaves had leaned out of their hiding places in the shelter behind him, a few murmurs of 'Princess' echoing the word, followed by several dropping to the mud to kneel before the sopping wet princess trying to save them. All carefully hidden even from E.F.S. to avoid the spindly little creatures out here.

The old buck in front of us managed to get partway down too, before her wing lifted his chin back up and I caught a flush under his grey beard as he stammered back. "H-Heard the radio 'fore they took us... just never thought... and that's the Shrouded Stallion?"

"Zat's me!"

I forgave him for being less than convinced, flopping around in the mud with a pretty batpony sobering slower than I was, thus in a very forgiving mood at the moment. The costume was right, if muddy, and all that alicorn smiling at him was undeniable, drawing a hopeful nod from him. "R-Right this way Princess!"

She had to crouch to shove herself into the rickety shelter, taking a short look around at the ratty blankets and scrap shoved against every entrance and lighting her horn up brightly. The pale blue healing magic swirling around another pair of slaves too sick to move from where they goggled at the alicorn in their midst. Quite a few bruises and bloody scars across the back started healing under her skills, getting the nervous trio coming out of hiding to relax.

Jade was only concerned for their poor health, but signs I was seeing made me worry whether she could do anything at all and quickly helping me sober up after I staggered in behind them. Both of the ill slaves had a sickly pallor, actually seemed to be sweating bright pastel colors where they lay unmoving on the floor, colors matching the buckets of frosting smelling glop I spotted in the corner.

"T'wouldn't try miss... them that get that sick, don't tend ta recover..." The elderly stallion tried to wave Jade off from healing them, sweating so much the resemblance was impossible to miss, the young mare on the cardboard bed was turning into a slime zombie, a pastel blue one.

"I must try! How is this happening? Where are you getting this terrible concoction?" Jade cried at what her horn was telling her, magic healing could fix a lot, but it wasn't working here.

The old buck snorted weakly, giving her a kind but impatient look. "Where else miss... slavers feed it to us. Lots of us figure its the only bright spot when we get caught, they ain't stingy with the food at least, but... well, you see what happens. Not ta everypony, but those of us what start catchin' it, get stuck out here till we get better, nopony really gets better though... They usually cart ones that sick away before they can... they turn into..."

Jade looked horribly conflicted, staring at the sick who needed help, but help she couldn't give, while the others passed out the few looted weapons from the dead slavers. "I am aware of the result. There must be a way to help them however. What happened here?"

"Where are the slavers who did this..." I added through gritted teeth, furrowing my brow and shaking off the fading buzz in my brain. What had happened was less important that what was going to happen as far as 'Be Dark...' was concerned.

A fearful look crossed the elderly buck's face, pointing up towards the steel double doors in the back of the school. "No idea, they ain't been outside all day though. Something happened last night, when the storm came in. Lots of gunfire up front, ponies out here wit' better hearin' than me said they heard screams, then it just stopped. Not a peep since then. Breezidore's smelled the blood, already on them three out yonder before we knew what was happenin', we all hunkered down where we could while they ate and prayed."

The glow from Jade's horn kept getting brighter, but her furrowed brow told me she wasn't having any success. She'd burn herself out trying if I let her, better to focus on what we could do for now and come back. "You said they stick you out here, does that mean there are more slaves inside Mr...?"

"Muddy Mire, aye, the healthy stock's all kept in the great big section mostly, jim-naz-e-um?" Muddy answered in a careful drawl, "If yer goin' in there, would appreciate if'n ya could open the gates beforehoof? Not doubtin' the famous Princess, but we're a mite antsy to leave while the gettin's good. Just in case more of them bugs or somethin' worse comes snoopin' around ya understand."

"I'll get the lock boss, get her movin' so we can get outta this slop." Val flew off towards the fence without being asked, grimacing at the increasing rain the thin shelter had offered a short reprieve from.

A nudge got Jade to reluctantly agree, passing out a few medical supplies from her stores and pointing a wing back towards the yellow wreck of the school bus to the north. "Very well, those who can move help those who cannot as well, if you wait for us at those ruined homes, we will come for you as soon as we rescue the others. D-Do what you can to help the sick..."

By Muddy's grim expression, I tried getting her to the doors and out of the slave pen playground in a hurry. My outstretched hoof inches from the rusty metal pushbar in, when a twin flash and crack of gunfire sounded out behind us, freezing her in her tracks. Her shocked face started turning back on creaking hinges, forcing me to flap up and hold her cheeks to stop her from looking.

"Don't Jade. Don't go back." I pleaded and held her shimmery blue eyes, willing her to just be blissfully ignorant, think the best...

"Was that...? W-Why! How could they!! I could try to find a cure! Some way to help..." Jade gasped and trembled, threatening to just bulldoze me out of the way to charge back anyway.

Zed was a lot more blunt than I was, shoving the door open and answering in a stern whisper. "That was helping."

I gave a sad nod and tugged her towards the waiting entrance with me. "Come on Jade, let's focus on who we can help now."

I really should have expected what waited on the other side, a scene from my own single year going to school above ground, the Stable didn't exactly have a playground though so I had forgotten. Before recess, came lunch. A ruined cafeteria wouldn't be a problem in any other wasteland wreck, but this one had gotten up to Institute business before the end.

If it weren't for the varying colors on top of pink, I could have mistakenly thought we were back in the MoM hub from all the slime splattering the ceiling, walls and floor, some of it long dried, more of it quite a bit newer... Though the hub had power, this school was a dim nest of shadows, the smoking building on the roof had been the generator apparently.

The gurgling snarls and growls of more than a dozen multicolored horrors milling around the big room matched the Ministry hub back in Goodneighbor though. Quite a few of them were clustered around bigger versions of the dispensing machines found in the hub too, two of them in a row lined the set of bars to slide lunch trays down, each with six spigots dripping goop that the slimy zombies were slurping up, until we came in anyway.

Val's red magical energy weapon started streaming fire immediately, recognizing the threat and how to deal with it, she hissed in annoyance as she tossed her precious Shishkebab to Witchy. "Gotta burn em batty! Yer better with one of these than Zed, sorry, outta luck this time buddy!"

Witchy caught the weapon deftly, but fumbled taking a swing with the doused sword when a pale yellow zombie charged her, getting the starmetal blade stuck fast in the goopy corpse until Val screeched instructions. The Shishkebab ignited when Witchy adjusted her grip on the handle, torching the slimy monster as the blade started glowing white in its chest.

Without Glitter's boxy little Righteous Authority, that left just three of us with the means to put these creatures down for good. Thankfully the cafeteria was a tall room, enough space to get up off the ground and away from the snapping monstrosities, none of whom were pegasi. Another cluster came sliding their way in through the doors to the locker lined halls, but clumped together enough for a single bolt of lightning to char them to a crisp and give us a moment to breathe.

Fluttering back to the goopy ground, looking around the school cafeteria was painfully nostalgic. I went to a school like this once, and while the slavers had given it their own sadistic touches, it was still basically the same as my own. Cheery decorations rotted on the walls, lots for Nightmare Night, but plenty of artwork under all the slop made by long ago foals.

A chalkboard by the doors out caught my interest, blocky letters of pastel colors matching the slime in here divided it into six sections, dash marks below each counting as... votes? "Pinkie Keen, Twilight Grape, Apple Orange, Lemon-shy, Rainbow Berry, Rare Prench Vanilla... they were having them vote on different flavors?"

The clatter of several rusty buckets kicked by an angry blue hoof came with Jade's pained reply. "Flavor appears not to matter, the results are the same. They have been feeding this to those they hold prisoner!"

"Sure Blue, stuff never runs out right?" Val pulled one of the blue spattered handles and matching sludge dutifully chugged out, proving her point as she continued. "Cheaper. Less overhead keepin' slaves if'n ya ain't gotta worry 'bout food. Been eatin' the stuff themselves looks like, that's better'n most slavers. Like the ol' guy said, least they don't skimp on the grub."

"I don't understand though, Mr. Mire said turning into one of these takes time and only happens to some of the slaves right? Why are there so many now?" Witchy flicked sludge from the Shishkebab in disgust, working on the same odd puzzle I was on impaired faculties, her eyes still a little mismatched from the Nectar.

"The zombies were eating the stuff, maybe it's like a craving or something? If they've been dumping slaves who were turning out in the marshes, maybe there were enough to come back to get more?"

"It most likely affected those slaves with enough radiation built up in their systems to react with the compound, from what we learned in Goodneighbor that was what triggered it. Let us move on quickly, the remaining prisoners have been here all day if they survived." Jade huffed and headed for the narrow halls outside, in the general direction of the gym we had seen outside.

With the five of us and our experience dealing with this kind of undead from the MoM hub, we made fairly steady progress. Slowed a bit by Val picking open one locker after another, until she finally believed me there wasn't likely to be much of value other than lunchboxes and books.

The place was creepy, all flickering lights and slime spattered hallways, shadows that seemed to dance menacingly in the residual high from the Breezidore anitvenom. The slavers had used classrooms as their own sleeping areas, giving Val more spots to loot as we moved.

The Principal's office and Nurse's office were together, up at the wide open front doors that showed a barricaded front drive, but nothing living. Whatever happened here, it started at the front doors. Fires burned under the overhang outside from the shells of a pair of turrets, blood and signs of fresh damage to the building were everywhere, lots of weapons for Val to loot where they had fallen, in what looked like an assault vicious enough for a horde of slimy zombies anyway. But no corpses.

They offered a spot worth poking around in for a moment, Jade instantly heading for the Nurse's supplies while I dug around in the administration terminal still glowing on its own power.

"Morning Announcements--

Welcome to another wonderful day of learning students! I know we're all excited for Nightmare Night, but let's leave our costumes at home until then if you please. Also a reminder, no outside food is permitted without a signed waiver by your parents. We're lucky to be one of very few test schools for our delicious 'Fluffer Batter', telling all the smart ponies of the Ministries what your favorite flavors are is our little part for the war effort, so remember to cast your vote today!"

The voice that played reminded me of my own teacher Mrs. Patience, a practiced matronly tone belonging to the principal of the place. By the amount of golden prewar bits and gems Val hauled out of the safe in her office, I somehow doubted she was as nice though. The slavers used this space, but nopony had gotten in it before Val's talented claws cracked the safe, and school administrators didn't make that kind of money. Bribes... Institute bribes.

After the audio file of the kindly sounding mare, it looked like the slavers had been using this terminal for their own purposes. A ledger of mares, stallions and foals, notes on where they were 'procured', wasteland accounting of paying Gunners for new slaves, getting paid by various clients for sending them out. A shipment was due at Summerset Plantation today actually... interesting.

I stuck my head in the nurse's station to check on Jade, worried at her paler color as she read another terminal in here, one belonging to the school nurse. I doubted it had been locked by the way her worried blue eyes scanned the screen, looking up with a start when I coughed quietly. "I... I believe I know why there are so many of these creatures here Fast... read..."

* * *

Nurse Willow's Log - 23020

Documenting my objections to this Fluffer Batter nonsense, heading right for the Ministry of Peace hub if I think my little ponies are in any danger whatsoever, as instructed by my superiors, not the MoM and certainly not those cold shoulder scientists from C.I.A.T. installing the things. Had a spike in tummy ache visits, but willing to go along with that just being some students going overboard, the stuff is very sweet. Advising we limit the allowed intake or number of days per week it's available for lunch.

Nurse Willow's Log- 23024

This is ridiculous! Mrs. Lecturn not only ignores my suggestions when I'm the health expert, she's doing the exact opposite! Encouraging eating that glop every day, voting on flavors they keep adding, now I catch wind of this insane memo! No outside food? Not even for faculty no less?! I understand Ministry Mare Fluttershy's hopes for the project, food shortages will become more and more of an issue as this awful war drags on and we're the only ones thinking of things like that, but I don't like any of this at all.

Nurse Willow's Log- 25219

Worst. Day. Ever. Now I know I don't trust that glop or that school, but I'm not sure what I can even do about it. As if the biggest fear of every school nurse coming true wasn't enough, this on top of it...

Freak accident on the playground, little Custard Tart fell off the slide in just the perfect wrong way and... He was gone before I got there, gone the second he hit the ground to be honest, but I still blame myself. Kept it hidden from the kids, floated him right out and kept up my brave face, talking and smiling like he was fine, took him to my exam room, locked the door and cried out in my office while the parents and authorities were called.

Might have magicked a few apples for teacher into a nip of apple whiskey at my desk, so I didn't think anything of it at first. But... I heard him moving in there and I knew... I knew he was gone! I checked, double checked, triple, quadruple, quintuple checked! My hoof was shaking reaching for that door and I swear I heard a growl, then like magic those eggheads from the school are in my office and shoving me out, to the Pinks who were waiting.

I yelled and screamed when they went in, hung on the doorway and saw that scary looking buck crack the door, then there was that funny zap noise, like all the kids make playing Space Captain Andromeda, and I got bucked in the face! Kept me out of my own exam room for hours, carried the bodybag out just as the parents arrived. Funny too, how'd the MoM and their research partners get here before the parents? Why'd they get called at all?

I know why. I lied... That stallion made it seem like a really good idea, but I saw that exam room before they made it all spic and span again. Purple slime all over the table where little Custard was... grape was his favorite flavor...

Going to the MoP. After I go home and finish a whole bottle of apple whiskey, then a few more.

* * *

I staggered out of the little office with Jade at my side, trying to make this new piece fit with all the others and thinking aloud as we joined the others numbly. "If you die... it turns you into one?"

"The children here were on a steady diet of it Fast, but I believe so. Harmless enough without radiation to cause the reaction, but a timebomb when the victim perishes." Jade nodded sadly, getting a glance from Witchy and Val, but Zed's complete attention.

The zebra sniffed at one of our more recent attackers and grunted in response. "I hoped I was wrong. There are alchemical herbs and potions that cause the creation of an undead, when applied to a corpse properly by a trained witch doctor. The whiff of necromancy was faint but fresh though. Not the first time ponies have meddled with dark magic they should have left alone."

Val tromped out to the open entryway outside the offices, taking a look at all the blood and carnage with fresh eyes and scratching her head in thought. "Soooo... All these slimy fuckers infestin' the place, didn't come from outside? They're all..."

"The slavers, I believe so Valkyrie." Jade's answer stunned her, but not for the same reasons.

"Meanin' some nut came an' wiped all these bastards out last night!? They gotta die ta turn into all these things right? So who's the crazy fucker killing all the slavers? Hell wanna shake his hoof after this, mighty impressive!" Val's crazy grin didn't make me feel better about whatever had done this.

"Maybe it was raiders? A group? Or the Institute?"

She jingled her pockets in reply, drawing attention to all the loot she had taken out of here so far. "Raiders raid for stuff boss, or ponies, or fun, but they don't just leave good booze and drugs layin' around. No energy weapons fire so probably not no synth hit squad. Guess it might'a been more than one, but seen this kinda thing before. Take away everyone and everything someone cares about, they can get pretty determined to do some serious damage an' not care what happens to them. Risk of being a slaving asshole, sometimes karma comes knockin'. Still impressive, somebody took these assholes apart, from the front door in."

"Someone strong..." Witchy added, tilting her head and staring up at the ceiling, a bloody, pony-shaped dent dripped down before her hooves.

Jade wiped a dirty old fire drill map by the door off and tapped it impatiently, pointing out the quickest route to the gym. "Someone who killed all the slavers, but did not free their captives. A dangerous degree of cruelty with no thought to the innocent, let us hope it has not cost more lives than just the slavers here."

Much as I agreed with laying waste to this place and the ironic fate suffered by those who ran it, she was right. Without caring about the slaves in need of rescue, this was little more than raiding with less purpose, violence for its own sake, revenge if Val was right. We had to do better than that.

"I hope so too, let's go."

The amount of multicolored slime spattered against the bent steel doors ahead kind of killed most of my optimism, the growls and snarls ahead digging a deep hole to bury it in. The doors had been barricaded from the other side, but the couple dozen red dashes on E.F.S. wouldn't have been held back by the rusting barrier long.

Before despair took over, I started picking up clumps of green, pairs or trios of friendly dashes moving together back and forth, scattered in the echoing room beyond. Creeping forward with Zed let us peek in to the gloomy light filtering in from the holes and dirty glass in the roof, a disgusting and macabre scene that made me agree with Jade more.

Rickety wooden bleachers along one wall had been folded out and cobbled into cages, along with a pair of large freestanding conglomerations of chain link and scrap. The green marks weren't in any of these... puddles of pastel glop were piled at the bars, along with barding and weaponry that wouldn't fit through the narrow spaces, the slimy zombies they were originally attached to however, did.

Inside each of these were dripping pony shaped sludge monsters, milling around or gnawing on bits of bone or meat, no way of telling if those were all slaves or slavers, they were equals now. The only bright spot were the smaller cages swinging gently from chains strung up in the rafters, a few terrified and pitiful slaves sat in each, hooves dangling to the snapping monsters underneath them.

I caught the eyes of one dirty orange buck and held a hoof up at his widening stare, begging for silence and getting a scared nod back. Ok... lots of zombies... big room... metal cages... I made the shushing gesture to the colt again and tapped my pip-buck, I hoped he got the old world sign for time, but it wasn't like I saw a lot of ponies wearing watches out in the wasteland.

He just had to hold on a second, the slavers work gave me something I could use and I had just the griffon to help me, running back to her and giving a determined look to Val. "Ok, think I got an idea, I need you to do what you do best Val."

"Kick ass? Blow shit up? Light stuff on fire? Look awesome doin' it boss?" She grinned back and I tried to soften the blow that was sure to come for Jade with a bit of tired humor.

"Be loud."

The zombies had all congregated where food was, either slop in the cafeteria or fresh pony here, but fairly listless without a way to reach the slaves. Having a blazing red griffon come swooping in and lobbing 25mm grenades all over the place got them nice and riled up, all looking away from the swinging cages at Val weaving her way through them.

Once she had blown the bleachers cage to burning tinders and was sure she had their attention, Val did as asked and landed atop the bigger of the two cages out on the rotting wooden gym floor, stomping up and down on the bars, bashing her unlit Shishkebab against the metal and hurling insults, making herself the center of attention for the horde smooshing against the cage to try oozing up to her.

Jade was already prancing anxiously now that she saw those she could help inside, held back by Zed and Witchy a safe distance back, while I hid in the shadows of the door waiting. Even Val looked a tad nervous as the numerous creatures started oozing together and inching their way up the bars, igniting her flaming sword and slashing back a ropy tendril of gunk reaching for her.

"Anytime now boss!" She screeched and hacked another charred hunk of swirling, multicolored blob.

"NOW VAL!"

KRAKA-THOOM!!!

As soon as her paws left the metal surface, I unloaded the strongest blast of lightning I could conjure, the rusty bars conducting the blast and making it glow white hot as I poured it on. What was left was a bit of nightmare sculpture, a smoking and brittle crust of cooked zombies frozen in their snarling pursuit, but that got almost all of them.

While we finished the stragglers, Jade had already flown up to the cages, speaking soothingly and healing what wounds she found, though these were at least in marginally better shape than the ones left out in the rain. Once the last immediate threat was gone, I traced the chains back to the winches to raise and lower them, bringing them down for Val's claws to get to work.

They were quiet and timid, obviously shaken but no wiser than we were as to what happened. A golden middleaged mare was answering Jade as well as she could when I trotted up, "We didn't see much of anything till those things broke in, then... s-saw more than we wanted to."

"A-Are you really the Shrouded Stallion Mister? T-The real one like on the radio, come ta save us from the monsters?" The young colt I had met eyes with galloped up once his cage was opened, skidding to a halt at a safe, wary distance just in case.

"That's me, see the Princess kiddo? Don't worry, we're getting you out of here ok? Can you tell us what happened here?"

His red maned head bobbed rapidly, gushing out what little he knew. "Rain came in, then all the lights went out, we heard lots of guns and stuff, Pillory locked the doors when she came in to hide, but those things got in anyway, then they... t-the others..."

Jade wrapped a wing around the shivering colt and nuzzled him gently, trying to hide the view he must have spent hours watching up there. "Ssshhh, it is alright now. We will leave this awful place immediately if there is no one else to save."

Pointing over to a metal door off to the side labeled 'Equipment Room', the older mare shrugged with disdain. "Pillory Lock, asshole in charge of this place. Like little Reed said, locked himself in there and left us to our fate, jabbering about shadows and demons coming after him. Was alive when he went in anyway."

My eyes burned looking at the door and I started stomping that way as soon as she said 'in charge', a slaver, the king of this little shit mountain... I wanted a talk with him, now. Val joined me in time to start working the lock, but both of us were stopped by Jade shoving her weight around to block us and rap lightly on the door.

"Excuse me... Pillory? Do not be afraid, the creatures are gone... it is alright to come out now..." Jade's kind voice made Val and myself groan and pout together, I didn't want to make nice with the coward, I wanted to drag him out of there and stick him in one of his cages, then decide where to go from there.

A long minute passed without a peep, Jade trying twice more and getting no response to my increasing frustration. Finally she sighed and held a hoof up sternly before moving aside. "Be better. That includes giving even such a foul pony a chance, do not simply shoot at the first thing you see please? We are not like whomever did all this, are we?"

"Nooooo...." I was forced to agree through gritted teeth, waving Val to open the door with her pistol drawn and ready. We wouldn't shoot first then, but one chance was all he was getting.

Turns out he didn't need it. After Val checked first, she moved aside and showed the small storage room beyond, wire mesh cages and shelves that once held balls for playing games and other toys now held shackles and chains. In the very back, cowering behind stacked crates and a big flamer propped up on them, was a dead stallion.

Greyish purple with a white mane, leather armor and somewhat well kept clothing, slowly getting saturated by cream colored goop sweating from his pores. A dozen empty Med-X needles were scattered around his little nest he hid in, he had opted out the most peaceful way possible, delaying his death and only on his way to changing into one of the slimy undead.

The few slaves who craned their necks to get a view gasped at the sight of their former master, his eyes blank whites rolled up in his head and slimy foam on his muzzle. Jade turned to hide the sight and comfort them, but the mare cut off her consolations. "We're glad he's dead Princess, seen plenty, one more body ain't nothing to us. That ain't the creepy part..."

"Creepy part?" I asked curiously, Med-X overdose was a pretty tame way to go, if it weren't for the slime the pale buck would look almost serene compared to most wasteland deaths.

The little colt Reed finished for her, head low to the ground to peer between Jade's long legs. "He's pale Mister Shroud..." Yes... a rather pale lilac coat and perfectly white mane, still wasn't seeing the problem. I raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue hopefully.

When he did I gave my own gasp, staring into his wide green eyes and seeing only honest surprise. "He wasn't when he went in there, bright purple and a a dark blue mane."

Val gave a long, low whistle to fill the stunned silence, torching the corpse with her red M.E.W. and clapping her claws heartily. "Now I really wanna meet the badass that did this, never met anybody that actually turned a pony's mane white before. Heard of one ol' pony that ran into a sleepin' dragon's lair ta get outta a rad storm gettin' that reaction, but ain't never seen it though. We're lookin' fer allies and what not boss, the crew or thing that did this, that's who we should get!"

"I do not think that is the kind of help we want Valkyrie. Alright, come everypony, let us put this awful place far behind us." Jade gave a little shiver and led the way back to the crowd of slaves gathering cautiously, speaking to each frightened question in turn.

Her priorities never wavered, making me wish we could meet whatever did this too and have a chat ourselves. All the dead slavers saved us a lot of trouble, but if we made it first, so many slaves could have been saved instead of the hoofful we trudged away with. Another failure, we had been striking out left and right on this horrible trip, only on our second day. This hadn't been about doing good, it had been about blood and there was way too much, guilty and innocent alike.

Even at my worst, I hoped I wasn't like that, resolved again to not become like that. This is what happened when that dark whisper in my head was free to revel in hate, I wasn't going to be that way, no matter how hard it was.

The slaves helped immensely when we walked out of the gym doors and back to the front of the school, pointing the way to a crumbling old county garage where the school buses were stored and serviced. Long yellow carriages built for holding a couple dozen foals had been a convenient way to haul the slaver's wares around.

Now they gave us an easy way to deal with a dozen weak slaves and I was grateful the slavers kept them up, plus I could see another use for it in the future, after we got these poor ponies back to Jamocha Plains. My tools came out in a cloud and started stripping every unnecessary bit of weight from the conveyance as possible, no need for chains or manacles anymore, every ounce counted to get this thing airborne.

Jade won more awed reverence by stepping right to the harness and immediately expanding it out to fit her broad chest, refusing to hear any word against it using logic against me. "I am stronger than you are Fast, a better flier as well, if we run into trouble I am best staying with our passengers while you are best defending me. Is that not so my little Knight?"

Grumbling about it wouldn't change her mind, so I stayed on her tail the whole way back, adding my own telekinesis to hers in lightening the load as much as possible. Her pale blue magic mingled with my darker and we made a dim cyan lantern in the gloomy sky, making stately progress back to the glow of the settlement ahead, the others circling the old bus defensively.

Stopping at the crashed bus and ruined subdivision let us add Muddy Mire and a couple more slaves still holding out hope for us. Plus it let me quickly start stripping everything of any use off the wrecked bus, I was running low on spare parts and used up my last levitation talisman, but a few hearty bucks got the old lift system on our bus to kick on again, making the trip back easier as long as the spark cells could hold out.

With the reduced strain, we made better time and arrived in Jamocha Plains a little after noon, met in the park at the center of the walled town by Glitter, Ivy and Cocoa herself charging out of the auction house. The leader of the small community was kind and true to her word about disliking slavery, sorting out the small number of rescues we managed, sending them off with her loyal townsfolk to be dried off and fed.

Glitter and Ivy told us their dickering went well, the little filly actually looking impressed at her competition as Cocoa spoke with all the slaves. Talking about numbers and caps, quickly losing my interest and letting me check over the bus again now that it was empty, thinking of how I hoped to use it.

The husky voice of Cocoa sneaking down the aisle of rotting seats sent me flapping straight up in surprise, bashing my head on the already dented roof to her soft snickers. "Sorry! Peace, I promise, I won't mess with you anymore, for now.... it is so much fun though. A terrible shame what happened, but at least you saved some hmm? That just leaves Summerset Plantation, if you really can manage it, and I think we have an alliance Mr. Times."

"Ow... g-glad to hear it. You and Glitter get along ok? She likes you, never hear her speak of somepony she's haggling against with such respect." I stuffed a hoof in my hat to unflatten it and tried to keep a safe distance from the gorgeous mare, fighting my wings in the enclosed space.

She smiled and looked out the dirty windows at the little filly splashing in mud puddles outside, nodding as she took a seat. "It's mutual, reminds me of myself at her age, you're going to have your hooves full Mr. Times. She's already a master using those puppy dog eyes and overall cuteness, wait till she learns the grownup versions. Though at least she has a better dad than I did, I doubt she'll learn nearly as early."

"Oh... n-not if I can help it, no. I'm er... sorry that happened to you, I heard rumors, about where your dad made you work, and... other stuff."

I took a seat across from the mysterious mare arching a lidded eye my way, wiggling in her seat and sighing softly. "I'm sure you have. Miss Ivy was curious enough, if we're going to be ...friends, I suppose you deserve the truth instead of what gossiping mouths have to say. I'm not sorry about working there though, I learned a trade and got good, met a family of girls I care about and trust, helped protect this town. Would you like to know what happened to my father? The former leader?"

"Umm... ok, glad you trust me, I heard silly rumors that you..."

"I killed him." Cocoa finished for me, making it a statement of fact instead of rumor and shrugging.

"W-Why?" was all I could manage, stunned at the casualness of the comment.

"For the same reason I trust you, even before I decided to actually trust you. You hate the Institute like nopony else right? The radio's always been clear on that. I say I killed him, but what I killed wasn't really my father, he was a worthless, drunken old bastard that only cared for caps and staying independent. Then one day he's totally different, sobers up, starts making plans, plotting with others... I'm veeeery good at what I do though Fast, and you stallions all get so silly and talkative when you're done, found out things I wasn't supposed to. He was going to let the slavers in, start selling my girls, so I killed him. Then he melted." Cocoa's voice never rose, keeping that soft, demure tone as she actually spoke to me for more than five minutes without deliberately trying to seduce me.

"A synth?"

A hard little smile curled her muzzle as she nodded, "A synth. Not that I knew beforehoof. Not the only one either. Also not exactly easy to root them all out in the scramble to replace him that followed, but as I said.... I am very, very good at what I do. It left us a bit shorthoofed and me with a bit of a reputation, but free, from everypony. The gals running things now are ones I grew up with, maybe some aren't quite up to their jobs like poor 'Doctor' Creme, but I trust them all completely. Now we're trusting you too, try not to let us down, ok cutie?"

"I'll try, I promise. Let's hope taking the Plantation place goes better than this did, I er... have a plan this time at least."

Those sparkling brown eyes lit with merriment and made my wings twinge, but honestly done instead of forced, which somehow made her prettier as she mused. "Oh? Your filly has told me a little about your 'plans', should I be scared of this one?"

I gave an only slightly fang-y grin and waved to the rusty old bus around us, looking out to the few Jamocha Plains guards gearing up to take Summerset Plantation with us. "Nah, we're just making a delivery, no problem..."

---------------------------------Level Up!-----------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------------------

Pathfinder----------
---At least you're getting better at flying with all this running around! Travel time to remote locations in the Equestrian Wasteland is reduced by 25%. The drain on sky carriage spark batteries is likewise reduced.

Reputation Change!--------------------

Jamocha Plains-- Liked
---Of course the only success so far on your diplomacy tour needs more help than they can really give in a fight with the Gunners. But friendship is its own reward right? Dealing fairly and honestly with the charming ruler of Jamocha Plains has earned you an ally with her own talents, along with the truth of what happened there.

Ch. 69-- Not Worth a Hill of Coffee Beans

"Alright mac, yer sure that's it? Sanctuary, Goodneighbor, Eclipse and... Unityville?" The overwhelmed looking grey pegasus stallion in the postal cap shuffled through the hastily written letters before him, tapping the last against the counter of the Jamocha Plains branch of the Red Rocket courier service thoughtfully.

"Er, that's Trinity Tower, there's a new town there called Unityville. The mare I want you to find there is... kind of hard to miss, don't worry. Ask in Goodneighbor if you need to, they know her."

The courier went over all our correspondence again, looking up and humming to himself. I briefly considered giving more warning about who that last letter was going to, but his nod and firm quote of "250 caps" made me stop and suddenly feel less bothered what kind of trouble he ran into.

Even I knew that was a lot just for letters, but the pegasus courier just crossed his forelegs over his chest and held firm behind the counter of the old post office in the Jamocha Plains strip mall when I protested. "Lot of letters, all over the friggin Commonwealth, and you want rush delivery, that's extra. Plus a new town I don't know, no local office means I gotta track em down, service fee."

I glared at the older stallion, grumbling and digging out caps to pay the exorbitant rate. I would go get Glitter and have her haggle the lazy looking buck into submission, but considering who that letter was going to and why, I kept her out of it and forked over the money. The thought of actually calling Swan to me still made me gulp nervously, but we had a army on our hooves and had been coming up empty on strong allies.

I had promised the giant mare anyway, and she did like fighting, if she'd come to help, dealing with an oversized alicorn wasn't too much to ask. After Virescent, Swan was a picture of restraint and gentleness in comparison. I could manage her, let this pony just be surprised when he did track her down, earn his outrageous fees.

The other letters were important enough to warrant paying through the nose too, updates to friends, orders for the Minutemares, and requests to the Followers of the Apocalypse for medical help here in Jamocha Plains for their undertrained doctor and all her new patients. I leaned over to peek in the Helpinghoof Quik-Care next door to check on Jade as a reminder to soothe the sting anyway.

The slaves we saved had been eating Fluffer Batter for who knows how long, Jade was doing all she could for their health and optimistic for now, so long as they weren't exposed to radiation and didn't die, they shouldn't turn into slime zombies for the time being. She had ordered them to be fed well and the cleanest food possible, treated with Rad-Away and observed carefully. The only saving grace to the horrible gunk was unless it got exposed to enough rads or the victim died somehow, it seemed fairly benign. Still not enough to make the beautiful blue alicorn speaking to the grateful slaves happy, but she was willing to relinquish their care to her new Follower of the Apocalypse, Dr. Creme.

"Fine. Just hurry, and hoof deliver the one to Unityville, yourself... she won't be hard to find, probably give you a big tip too..." I shoved the caps over with a hard grin, wishing I could see his face when he tracked Swan down and hoping she'd be in a smashy mood.

Val snickered beside me as the courier turned back to his tiny shop, locking the place and digging out armored barding and a rifle/shotgun battlesaddle for the trip. The griffon was turning a roughly drawn map this way and that on the counter before her, sighing and rolling it up to follow as I walked away. "Writing tons of fun? Hope she sits on 'im boss. Sooo... yer not gonna like this, but bein' Captain o' the Guard an' all, I should probably say it. Don't get mad, but you an' Blue's do-goodery ain't helpin' us much here..."

I looked over the trio of town guards speaking with Cocoa Latte by our stolen school bus, loading it up with equipment and getting ready as well as they were able. Sighing, I turned to Jade's kind face through the dirty glass of the clinic and agreed with her. "I know Val."

"...it's just we gotta war with friggin Gunners comin' and helpin a buncha slaves is nice an all, but it ain't really... Wait... You know?" Val launched into her defense before really taking in what my answer was, sticking under the tattered awning of the Quik-Care with me and blinking in confusion.

"Of course I know, we're supposed to be finding help, instead it's been one fuckup after another. If I had just given the Brotherhood what they wanted, we'd probably have our own power armored army at our back, instead I'm pretty sure I pissed them off. We found a worthless treasure, got there too late to save a lot of slaves... In a fight Jamocha Plains has basically nothing to offer us, what slaves we did help are in no shape to fight, even the ones that want to."

"Hell they need more help than they can give here, and this has been our only success, if we take this Plantation place that is. Which will cost ammo, potions, blood... for little returns. I know we should be doing whatever it takes to win, finding ponies that can actually help fight, but... Jade's right, we can't sink to their level, we have to be better. That means if we see something wrong, we gotta do something if we're able. I am open to suggestions though."

Val gave a lecherous grin and ruffled my mane with a snort, "You won't like them."

"Humor me."

"Ok, write another letter to them mares in Trinity Tower. Tell em you give up, that you'll screw em all silly back at the castle, then just watch the reinforcements roll on in. Anybody tries fuckin' with that castle or you, they'll go nuts. Why just have one Swan when ya could have a whole tower of em! Plenty of rads back home fer em to suck up. Not like yer that opposed to it anyhoo." Val chuckled to herself, her violet eyes gleefully imagining an army of giant alicorns smashing the Gunners under their hooves.

Scratching my suddenly itchy mane, I slumped and floated out an unsent letter in my coat pocket, addressed to Umbra in Trinity Tower. "It had occurred to me Val... I'm trying to hold off on sending it if I can. I'm not going to let modesty cost lives if I can do something about it, even if it's... that... with all of them... but that will tie us down awhile. Plus if they had a castle to lock me up in and defend? I don't think they'll let me go again, no more wacky adventures together, no more trying to find my family, just sitting around and errr, you know. I still don't like the idea of ...bartering with myself either, ok? 'Please come save me and I'll show you all a good time', I just don't like it. Any alternatives?"

"Meh... yeah, that would suck, I like blowin' shit up with you boss, guess them mares wouldn't like that though. Hrrrmm..." Val scrunched her face up in thought, glancing across the park to the odd Minotaur-ess selling meat across from the Jamocha Plains Co-Op and brightening. "Salt Lick!"

"Umm... A salt lick? Where?"

"Nah boss, Salt Lick, the town! Well, camp is more like it, but a town of Minotaurs! They could help kick ass, if they wanted to. They're awesome hunters, live up in the hills west of the swamps. We take this big farm, we could just keep goin' that way and see, then head south to University Point and Batty's Dreadnot." Val rubbed her claws together at the thought of adding muscular minotaur hunters to our ranks, which was an interesting thought, but I knew nothing about them.

"Would they help? We need to look into the Ministry of Peace hub too, it's supposed to be close right? Jade is going to lose it if we just pass it by."

Waggling a dark claw, Val hedged a bit. "Maybe, if you impressed em, or did em a favor. Not a whole lot of them that way, but they stay in one place at least, most roam around in hunting bands, only other place would be way up north in Glen Woods, but one good mino hunter is worth ten regular Gunner grunts. Salt Lick is better, they stick close to that MoP hub fer all the hunting, don't get your hopes up there though, nobody goes in."

"Is it sealed like the other Ministry Hubs? What do you know about it Val?"

"Place is trouble, bout all I know. Gunners tried more than once ta break in, those that made it to the gates couldn't get any further, it does have one of them fancy shields protectin' it. It's all the shit on the way that's the hassle though, yer impressed at some of the critters and plants we run into so far, but you ain't seen nothin' yet. Lousy with Breezidore's, plus lots of other nasty shit, last squads ta try all started crazy talk about gremlins screwin' with all the tech they brought ta break in, equipment failures, gun jams, missing supplies, they all had ta back off before even makin' an attempt at the shield." Val nodded over her shoulder at Jade and Glitter on the other side of the dirty glass behind us, shrugging her belief it was a useless errand.

"We broke into one Ministry Hub, maybe we can do it again, we really do need all the medicine we can get if we're fighting. Maybe..."

"No maybes baby, I know ya wanna try fer Blue, just lettin' ya know it's dangerous and won't really help us win the fight, just heal the injured after. Important yeah, but I deal with the fightin' right? Captain o' the Guard an' all. Tellin' ya what I think, we need guns and bodies, not slaves and meds. Yer the boss though." Val laid out her opinion and sat patiently, lazily swishing her tail and waiting for the word, completely loyal to whatever I said, which felt less like a privilege and more like a heavy responsibility.

"R-Right... I'm the boss..." I groaned at being in the position I hated, in charge. Wishing there was pretty much anypony else that could do it for me. No mom and dad, no Overmare, no Princess Luna or Ministry Mares, I started this mess and I had to deal with it.

I checked over my pip-buck's map and the new map markers, Summerset Plantation was at the western edge of the swamp, on the other side of the main river that snaked around Trotson, a good distance north and west was the newly added empty icon for 'Salt Lick' at the edge of a lake, between the two was the oddly tree shaped icon labeled 'Ministry of Peace Hub'.

Glancing in at Jade smiling and waving as she and Glitter packed medical supplies, I waved back and tucked my hat down, making a decision for good or ill. "Alright, we're leaving here then. After we take the Plantation, we'll stay in Salt Lick and see what we see, poke around the Ministry Hub from there, you know I can't refuse her right? After all it took to break into the one in Goodneighbor, it shouldn't take long to figure out we can't get in, then we'll go, in and out ok?"

That earned me a playful punch on the shoulder and a groan, "Everytime you say 'Oh just in and out Val' ya make my tail stand on end boss, but if that's what we're doin' it oughta be interestin' anyway. Let's deal with this stupid farm, slave owners are almost as fun ta kill as slavers at least. Less that mysterious stranger guy already killed all'a them too."

"Let's hope not..."

An ancient trailer park rusting away into the swamp gave us a good spot to park our sky bus and stare across the river at our target, gaining an appreciation of the difference between a 'farm' and a 'plantation'. I expected a fairly managable farming community like Sunshine and Rainbows Co-op back near home, a few buildings and a lot of fields. That was not the case...

Instead I goggled at the sprawling spread across the river, a three story wooden manor house crudely repaired where the roof had fallen in on one side, three barns in varying states of repair, four mostly intact silos and one tipped on its side in the fields, a lazily spinning windmill patched with scrap cloth and wood, two low wooden longhouse barracks buildings, a pair of dirty and cracked glass greenhouses patched with plastic where panels were missing, and a miniature town worth of tents and shacks.

The dilapidated village had to be where the slaves were kept, the layout was somewhat odd due to the plant life though, there weren't fences keeping them in, just tall shoots of Razorcane which I had already found out lived up to its odd name. The leafy green canes were planted all over, making a pony high barrier of dangerously sharp vegetation around the complex, lining the dirt roads and taking up decent squares of the fields. Other large sections were composed of medium height trees, shorter, shrub looking ones planted in rows, or a profusion of more familiar wasteland crops like mutfruit, a tiny apple orchard of surprisingly healthy looking trees, carrots, oats, etc.

Not that these were the only plants, the swamps were full of plant life and it seemed to be getting more profuse the further west we went. In the far distance beyond the plantation, I could make out the tops of a... a forest... a real forest to the northwest, something I hadn't seen since I was a foal in the old world. The sliver of riotous fall colors made me think of the last running of the leaves I had watched mom participate in, just visible over the hills rising up on the other side of the river in the dying light of sunset, leading towards taller and rockier land beyond.

Interesting, curious even... but a mystery for later, right now there was the massive farming complex to deal with before us and our small band plus a few guards from Jamocha Plains seemed pretty inadequate. There was a muddy dirt road leading off the broken asphalt highway, on that side of a fairly intact bridge that crossed near our hiding spot here, the entrance to the plantation on the ground, heavily fortified and well guarded.

The rest of the grounds looked just as secure, ponies milled about on regular patrols, guard stations and turrets at each pocket of buildings, watchtowers at strategic spots with alert guards keeping an eye on the skies, plenty of guards on the roof of the manor house doing the same. Worse, not just ground ponies... I spotted at least half a dozen pegasi while we watched and two griffons, doing regular flights around the place, just slipping on in from the air wasn't going to work here.

Val peered through her binoculars beside me on the dented roof of one of the trailers and summed up my thoughts fairly well. "Tough nut ta crack boss... Too many fliers fer me ta keep em off yer back, yer gonna hafta fight in the air baby bird, better hope them pegasi ain't top class fliers either."

The sun was finally sinking below the clearing horizon, a wedge barely visible in the drizzle still overhead, as I watched a train of tired looking slaves being led from a field of the taller trees. They each dropped off funny yellow hats in a crate as they filed towards the slave quarters, some shrugging out of very strange harnesses that consisted of wooden poles in a V above their backs, with netting stretched between them.

All of them were being rushed along by their overseers cruelly, whips and kicks to those who didn't move quick enough. The growl of the dark Shroud in my head rose up in volume as the sun finally set, doing something would be much easier in darkness, whatever we could figure out, and it was raring to go now, seeping into my reply. "Then I'll fight in the air, we're not backing down. That place can't be left to keep going as it is, they all deserve to die..."

"Fast..." Jade called softly from below our perch, the rusty old trailer unable to hold any more weight on its roof, let alone a heavy alicorn or two, Ivy was watching closely as well beside her sister as Jade continued primly. "Be better. Our priority must be the slaves first, and we should give even the workers a chance, they are trying to survive as they can, employees of a more deserving evil to be punished."

Watching a dark red earth pony whipping a teenaged filly, I grit my teeth and 'Be Dark...' mentally marked that one. Maybe some were just doing a job and trying to survive, Val said pegasi guards were probably highly paid since they were still a rare commodity, but any who hurt slaves deserved punishment, that stallion got added to the list.

"I know Jade, I'll... try..." 'Be Kind...' joined my Princess' side and I shuffled in place impatiently, going over what we had and what we were facing grimly. "But a lot of them are going to die, just working out how exactly... Ok, slaves first then..."

On the plus side, the slave holding area was isolated and towards the center of the plantation, taking it may be possible before all hell broke loose, but getting them out would require a lot of blood. We had a slaver bus that was expected today, the Jamocha Plains guards could most likely bluff their way in with reinforcements and weaponry we had stocked in the conveyance, that would give us a starting point anyway.

Looking away from the farm, I stared down to our own little group, a beautiful blue and green alicorn, invisibility and shields... but the little filly rooting around the nearby trailer shells for salvage presented a problem. Somepony had to stay with her, keep her away and safe, but as far as I could see so far, we needed everyone to do this.

She caught me staring, her wide pink eyes blinking and turning to look up to me, a wide smile turning to a suspicious little frown. "I know that look daddy! You're tryin' ta figure out how to make me stay behind again! I don't wanna! I wanna help! I gots a gun an' everything!"

Pulling out Righteous Authority in her muzzle and waving it around wasn't helping her argument, she had improved with the boxy magical energy weapon, but she was not going into a fight, period. But I couldn't leave her alone... nnngh... I couldn't leave her in Jamocha Plains either, Cocoa might respect her and be a new ally after this, but it was a rough town that saw Gunners occasionally and we were leaving after this anyway. Being a parent was hard in the wasteland...

"You're not fighting sweetie, end of discussion. I... fuck... I want you to stay with Ivy." She immediately started pouting and whining, cut short by me hanging my head and raising a hoof wearily. "Stay with Ivy because she has the strongest shield, but I'll need her help too, so... so you will get to go in with us. But you ARE staying right on her back the whole time, where it's safe, after we clear the area. You are NOT to go anywhere else or even think of using that thing unless you absolutely have to."

Her squeal of victory and Jade's unhappy whinny were both fortunately cut short by Zed and Witchy appearing out of the shadows, the batpony mare was fairly stealthy and Zed was practically a ghost, returning from scouting around for us with grim looks. That didn't bode well, but better finding out from them than dealing with Jade's frown at our daughter dancing in glee.

"Any good news?" I asked the pair hopefully, shut down by Zed's brutal honesty.

"Very little. There is only one ground entrance not blocked by the razorcane. On the plus side, they appear to have been taxed lately, many corpses of dangerous creatures around the barriers, things not native to the area, from the south. Radscorpions, Hellhounds, Yao Guai and more, the creatures being pushed out of the Glowing Sea are making their way through here, hopefully they've been weakened a bit." The zebra was as optimistic as he got at least, not arguing against this course of action but doing his best to help.

Witching Hour tried harder to be generous anyway, leading with the positives and backing up Zed's assessment. "They do look like they've been fighting a lot lately Fast. There are a few ruined buildings and a powerline tower to snipe from, I think I can take out the guards quietly from a distance, and help with the fliers if it gets bad."

Alright... slaves first, be better... priorities... "Ok, first we do this quiet, then we get loud. We'll try our best Jade, but this is going to get messy. I don't want Glitter anywhere near this either, but we don't have a choice and she can help I think. Do you all trust me?"

The immediate nods and agreement made me feel warm and happy, I hated leading, but they all did believe in me. Now to try to live up to it...

"Alright Jade, you wanted dangerous dates too, here we go."

Slipping past all the aerial patrols with Jade's invisibility was nerve wracking, one grey griffon passed close enough to make me gulp on the way, but we got by and landed safely in the slave quarters. Hiding in a narrow alley between two of the more solid cabin structures, we huddled in the shadows as Jade's magic gave out, making three of us invisible was clearly taxing for her by the sweat on her brow, but she got us in.

Zed immediately dashed off, disappearing into the gloom to start taking out guards with his hooves, leaving me and my princess behind the rotting wooden cabin. We had waited for full dark and all the slaves to be corralled back here, most had fallen immediately to rest and recuperate, making Jade's job easier as she gave a supportive nuzzle and leaned over to one of the broken windows, whispering to the slaves inside.

"Hello? Do not be afraid, please do not make noise either. We are here to help you." Jade fidgeted at the barred window, waiting hopefully for an answer inside while I kept an eye out in the narrow alley between the two rough buildings.

The quiet answer that finally came was a little confusing, but a good start anyway. "I-Is that you fairy? D-Did you come with presents again?"

It sounded like a young filly, calling up from below the window. Jade could easily lean up and peek in to see her, while I was too short to see anything. The gasp that came from a big blue alicorn peering in was understandable, her soft voice kept the sudden spike of noise down nervously as the sound of more hooves approaching the window and awed whispers rose.

"I know no one named Fairy, I am sorry. I am P-Princess Jade of Sanctuary, we are here to help. May I come inside? Everypony must remain quiet while my k-knight works. We need your help to save you..." Jade implored and got several wary noises of agreement.

With a weary sigh, Jade's horn glowed and we both disappeared, slipping into the first cabin and reappearing in front of a gaggle of beaten and painfully thin slaves inside. The sight of the towering alicorn princess in their midst sent several down in bows, while others looked too broken to even hope, huddling on nests of rags and cardboard, holding hooves to their ears to block out her kind voice.

I shifted on my hooves by the door anxiously, keeping an eye out on the guards patrolling around outside and trying to hurry things along, we wouldn't have much time here... "Ok, listen everypony, we're getting you out of here, believe it. We need your help though, you slaves can walk around and talk to the others here right? So long as you stay in this little area?"

A pale pink unicorn filly answered, dressed in rags and bearing numerous bloody scratches. She peeked from behind her dirty blonde mane and spoke in a frightened whisper, but it was the same voice that answered at the window. "Y-Yes... we can go to the other bunks and stuff. Did the fairy send you mister?"

"Fairy? Er... no? We are here to help though, I need you to go get the other slaves, bring them all here to the biggest cabins and cram together. We're going to make sure you're safe first, but you all have to be in one place ok? Can some of you go get them for me?"

The filly looked disappointed I hadn't been sent by magical fairies, but gave a determined nod and shoved a couple more weary slaves up, ducking back out the door and spreading out quietly. That done and giving them a headstart, I leaned up to Jade and gave her a parting kiss as she worked on healing the injured, frightened for her safety but dedicated to our course of action. I tucked my hat down and slipped out to the shadows, bearing Best Served in my mouth and slinking around after the nearest patrolling guard.

The burly red earth pony I really wanted to kill paused near a rusty water pump and trough, filled with brackish water for the slaves, a short break to light an ancient cigarette he never got to enjoy. One light flap of my wings sent me to his back and my knife slit his throat, my forelegs wrapped around his muzzle to stop any gurgling shout, had to keep this quiet, but unable to stop a hissing whisper in his ear. "This is what you get for whipping kids..."

(Ok Ivy, send the bus in and tell Witchy to get started on that tower, I'll start heading towards the next one.)

Being able to communicate with Ivy and the other ponies in range through her helped immensely, no sooner had I thought at the green alicorn hiding nearby with my daughter, one of the guards stationed on a rusty water tower jerked and tumbled to the ground, a .50 anti materiel rifle silently firing from a sniping perch in the ruins nearby. Val and Zed were out of contact this way, but every pony in range could hear her mental voice, giving us an advantage.

(The bus is moving to the entrance Fast. I will help cloud the guard's minds and ease their passage, but I can only do so much dealing with this much telepathy as well. Be careful.)

Ivy answered with a bit of strain in her mental voice, she was talking to a lot of ponies, coordinating things and messing with some of the guards as well. I couldn't afford to let her overextend herself either.

Good so far, but we had to move fast. I kept grabbing the bodies in my magic and tossing them in the razor sharp vegetation acting as fences, but there was blood and missing guards, they'd notice before long... I caught flashes from Ivy of our stolen bus of Jamocha Plains guards crossing the bridge and heading towards the entrance to the plantation, they were confident they could bluff their way in with Ivy's help, but the deception wouldn't hold up long after that. Worrying about getting this part done quickly, I nearly ran right into a dirty green unicorn mare, swinging a whip in her magic like she wanted to use it.

She managed a short yelp before I dove at her, slamming her to the ground as hard as I could 'Be Strong!' and wrestling in the muddy yard with her. A wickedly curved blade sprang out of her foreleg as we tusseled, slashing and stabbing my side as I fought to keep knocking the air out of her. A synth... they were the only ponies I knew with weapons hidden under their flesh like that, at least I didn't feel bad as my fangs extended and I snapped at her throat, aiming for that visible windpipe and ripping it out.

The Institute spy melted to green goop under me, leaving my dark coat a lot more visible coated in glowing green as I flopped and gasped in the puddle. Just like the one in Hexington, the synth was an expert assassin, aiming for vital spots and doing significant damage. Our muffled struggle had drawn attention by the red marks of Eyes Forward Sparkle moving in my blurry vision.

Giving a weak flap sent me to a rain barrel at the corner of the shack, full of mildly radioactive rainwater from the rusty gutter tacked on to the building. I managed to pull myself over the lip and plunge into the icy water, spilling more out on the muddy ground and sinking to the bottom just ahead of a trio of guards coming to the glowing green puddle that was one of their comrades.

I peeked up as the tingly water started sealing my wounds, breathing was hard but improving, and I had to move quickly. They were clustered around the puddle being washed away by the drizzle and arguing, sure to raise the alarm any second. When a synth died, it looked too much like someone with plasma weaponry going to town, they'd figure it out once they stopped squabbling with each other.

Surging up out of the water, I activated S.A.T.S. using Deliverer, the enchanted 10mm pistol was fast enough to line up a dozen shots, the guards frozen in surprise, turning towards the noise but still unaware of what it was. Once I accepted the sequence the completely silent weapon started firing, jerking from one target to the next rapidly, spreading the punishment around in a flurry of headshots and rounds to the torso.

The sneak attack nearly worked perfectly, two fell into each other and the third was sent stumbling back to the shack, all slipping on the dead synth puddle and only managing a shocked gurgle. The dark blue one managed to trigger his flamer battle saddle though, sending me ducking back into the rain barrel in a hurry and a blast of flame out to light up the dark.

At least soaking in the now scorched barrel did more than try to heal me, washing the glowing green slop off my coat so I was a dark shadow again when I dashed out and away. This was rapidly getting sloppy, more red dashes were moving in, one corresponding to a pegasus landing at the corpses just as I ducked around a tattered tarp tent, spinning back to fire half a dozen more silent 10mm rounds from the flank from behind before he could raise the alarm.

(Fast, they made it inside and have been directed to the manor house to inspect the new 'slaves', the ruse won't last when they get there. Do you want me to join sister Jade now?)

Ivy's calm mental voice showed me the rusty yellow bus being hauled up the dirt trail to the old manor, they were taking their time but we were on a deadline now.

(Almost Ivy, they're going to start getting distracted in here, if you see an opening then go for it, protect them for me and be careful! I don't want any of you hurt, especially...)

(Glitter will not be harmed, I swear Fast, don't worry, focus on what you have to do.)

Ivy replied before I could finish, a cool, unbending determination flowing through her thoughts. I hated this, but I believed in her. I didn't see anymore slaves out here, they had all been gathered at the sturdiest cabins Jade occupied, the green alicorn would keep them all safe.

Had to keep going, faster... there was only one way in and out of the slave area on the ground, if I could take it then nopony could go running for help without wings. The aerial patrols meant one way or another word was going to get out eventually, but the bulk of the Silver Seed Agriculture guards were ground bound ponies, much more manageable.

Another pair of red marks of E.F.S. winked out, Zed most likely, ahead and on the left. A third disappeared as well, drawing my attention just in time to see a guard tumbling off a rickety guard tower made of scrap, Witchy taking down another problem from a distance. The noise level was slowly rising to a panicked murmur, but still just in this small area.

Time to step things up a bit then, I summoned my lightning aura spell and blasted forward, the trail of electricity sparking across the puddles and muck in my wake would draw some attention, but made me a flickering blur of death. Best Served slashed as I passed another guard, tearing down her side while I went the direction she had been trying for. The barricaded entrance to the slave pen, two turrets with poor enough targeting software they hadn't noticed me yet, plus four more guards behind sandbags and chunks of scrap.

A tiny shack off to the side of the passage out held the glow of a terminal, a roughly patched cable ran from it to the turrets just beginning to spin my direction as Deliverer fired ahead of me, taking two surprised guards down. The third gave a surprised squawk and fired both barrels of a sawed off shotgun at the dark blur charging them, the buckshot slamming into my armored chest and making me stumble. The fourth lashed out with a set of power hooves as I passed, throwing me off course flapping desperately past both of them and crashing into the small shed with the terminal.

I rolled to a stop against the wooden walls inside and scrambled for cover, both turrets finally targeting the threat I represented and opening up, forcing the wounded pair of guards out of their line of fire as their heavy rounds started chewing through the thin barrier. Flopping my way under the small steel desk for a bit of better cover, I floated my pip-buck patch cable to the terminal and started frantically hacking.

More red dashes were moving in, drawn in by the turrets hammering away, come on faster... The password 'Germinate' finally got me in, just as the wounded brown buck I had peppered with 10mm rounds staggered to the door, his reloaded shotgun swinging down to where I sheltered and meeting Vengeance snapping up in my magic. The gleaming .45 punched a hole through his head, his shotgun blast going wide and just riddling my hindlegs with more buckshot.

Drawing this much attention was a problem, but also worked in my favor when I changed the targeting parameters of the pair of turrets outside. The stream of fire abruptly stopped for a moment, then resumed with a lot of surprised screams and shouts, no longer shredding the shack I sheltered in, but tearing into the guards gathered outside instead.

Before they could recover or try to destroy my new turrets, I sucked down a green tinted healing potion and scrambled back to the door. Silence was abandoned now, so Vengeance and the Terrible Shotgun swung up in my magic, several S.A.T.S. guided blasts from the powerful weapons joining the auto turrets in mopping up the half dozen guards out here.

(Alright Ivy, keep them all safe!)

Panting once the sequence ended and the healing potion kept trying to heal fresh wounds, I looked over to see a huge angular green shield blooming to life in the center of the camp. Ivy was with Jade, sitting completely still like a zen master to make her strongest magical barrier around all the slaves and most importantly, around my daughter. Unless the ponies of Silver Seed agriculture had some seriously heavy firepower, they weren't hurting anypony in there.

A string of explosions sounded out and the last nearby red dashes of E.F.S. disappeared, the fiery griffon responsible slamming to the muddy ground in front of me and grinning madly. "All done bein' sneaky anyway, right boss!? Let's go fuck some shit up! C'mon! Do it! Do it! Do it!"

Looking up tiredly to her and the dark clouds overhead, I nodded and spread my wings flapping straight up with Val guarding me loyally. She was right, now it was time to be loud, give them a chance... for Jade. 'Be Kind...' I glanced over towards my target, the three story manor house lit up brightly in the night, our battered old school bus of reinforcements just pulling up but thankfully not inspected as ponies ran around in a panic. Now to add to it.

An observant pegasus guard spotted us, easily catching up to my slow climb and firing a twin M.E.W. battlesaddle, bright pink beams alerting the other airborne guards to the conflict above. Val turned to dispatch the threat, but had her prey taken out by a speedy batpony and her chattering silver combat rifle. Witchy joined our steady rise and I saw Zed flying up on his own batwings behind her, all covering for my pitiful flying as I finally reached the clouds and started looping around a sizable clump, tracing a lightning wreathed foreleg across the spongy surface and watching it blacken and rumble.

Without all my friends helping and guarding me, I'd never be able to set this up. Thanks to them I could use the limited amount of pegasus magic I had figured out, I still wasn't great and understanding weather and winds, couldn't stop or start rain, couldn't make a breeze, still felt weird walking on or shoving clouds around, but I knew lightning...

I climbed over my weaponized thundercloud frantically, every other flying guard was racing to catch us up here and I didn't want to fight in the air if I could avoid it. Two griffons and three pegasi were closing in when I finally turned back towards the ground so far below, steeling myself and charging my horn with electricity, I dropped like a stone towards the cloud, streaking past my friends covering me.

Passing directly through the dark mass brought a huge bolt of lightning down in my wake, brightening the huge plantation and illuminating frantic ponies running everywhere. Our bus was stopped in front of my target, only a pair of ponies speaking with the Jamocha Plains guard pretending to be a slaver that was hitched to the vehicle. Good.

The blast of electricity came down as I crashed to the roof of the manor house, blowing a large hole in the roughly repaired top of the building and making all the lights inside flicker and the turrets up here with me sag as they powered down. Stumbling back to my hooves, I ran over to the nearest gable and perched at the edge, flaring my wings and trying to look scary, my horn glowing as the Shrouded Stallion's voice boomed out.

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS! DEATH HAS COME FOR YOU, AND I AM IT'S SHROUD! MY PRINCESS OFFERS YOU HER MERCY, RUN FROM THIS PLACE AND BE BETTER PONIES. REFUSE HER GRACIOUS OFFER, AND DIE. CHOOSE."

A long pause followed, nearby Silver Seed workers staring up at the dark alicorn glaring down at them. I could have directed the lightning at a better target, blasted a big clump of the slave using farmers to cinders, but that wouldn't be giving them a chance like Jade wanted. Theatrics were sometimes as useful as guns, that and a good reputation sent a wave of fear through the onlookers, several nearby dropping their weapons and running.

Of course more regained their wits and started directing a lot of fire my way, both things I planned for, but running away with that much lead chewing the roof to pieces behind me was still scary. I had tried and some of the guards took the warning to heart at least, that was the best I could do for my princess, now to live through the results.

As I ducked through the hole my lightning had made in the roof, the green dashes on Eyes Forward Sparkle spread out and the gunfire increased. The Jamocha Plains guards were springing out of their trojan horse of a bus, taking the Silver Seed guards so focused on me by surprise as what should be slaves turned out to be heavily armed fighters.

I nearly crashed directly on top of a frantic peach mare tapping away at a terminal, trying to reboot the turrets... just what I wanted too actually. A fairly new looking 12mm pistol sprang up in her dirty yellow magic, staggering me as the heavy round punched through my side and Vengeance came up to meet it. She was a good shot hitting me out of reflex even when surprised by an alicorn just dropping in on her, but she didn't have S.A.T.S. to guide her fire and I did, two .45 rounds vaporized her surprised face and I dove for the desk she had been working at.

I moved to patch my pip-buck in and was confused at the cable already connected to the terminal, following it back to the dead mare's ....hoof? Her left foreleg was metal from the fetlock down... cybernetics? I'd only seen Kellogg with the advanced technology before, but somehow this mare had gotten some too. A curiosity for later, I tore her odd patch cable out and linked my pip-buck to the terminal in its place, propping the Terrible Shotgun over the desk and blasting at anypony ducking their head in to yell for the corpse behind me.

It was a small office at the end of the hall from what I could tell, fancy peeling wallpaper hanging in ragged strips, an ornate wooden desk getting even more dillapidated by the gunfire seeking me out while I worked. A moldy, gold framed painting of a silver stallion with a dark mane and a bit of an underbite looked down at my struggles impassively, unimpressed when I cracked the terminal and went through the turret reboot and reprogramming.

Four new green dashes appeared in my vision, the turrets at each corner of the roof above coming back to life and on our side, increasing the gunfire as they started picking out Silver Seed targets and chattering away. Getting ready to move, I tossed a grenade out into the hallway and huddled under the desk as it shook the old building, two more red dashes winking out in the blast.

Curiosity warred with urgency, there were files on this terminal, old files... I had no doubt the Institute was involved in this place now, I wanted to know why, how the weird crops that shouldn't grow in the Commonwealth did anyway, why they were all so dangerous, anything I could about the Institute while the getting was good. My eyes raced across the text flashing by, quickly downloading anything interesting and playing an audio file as I raced out of my temporary shelter, meeting opposition in the hall with the Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance at my side as a long ago voice played in my ear.

Summerset Manager Gnarled Root's Report----

"Progress report, crops working well, adaptability to the environment working as advertised. Getting concerned about Dr. Swirl's talk about using carny-hoozit zebra biomancy hoodoo, but can't argue with the results. Focusing on most valuable crops, highest profit margins on stuff under shortages and rationing, Vega's ruthless about it and we're raking in the bits. Boss pony and the Flutternuts don't need to know about our little arrangement with C.I.A.T..

Lot of the workers are complaining about them though, sugarcane drawing a lot of scratches for some reason, had to order protective boots, coffee plants are getting kinda thorny, latest cocoa pods are a little gnarled and one dropped right on Greentail's head, week of workpony's comp there. Are the plants adapting funny? All the changes seem a little ...mean."

Greenhouses and all the strange shit there growing well too, don't like it though, most of that stuff is weird or dangerous, or both, but it keeps the Ministry of Peace happy. Did have a run in with our MoP rep Tenderheart, no problem though. Only concerned with preserving and spreading plants, using what they can for medical supplies, feeding the hungry, yada yada... blinded by optimism and idealism, those Flutter followers are really dumb sometimes. Took in the latest cuttings from Everfree they've cultivated and she was happy."

A scarred and angry looking yellow stallion charged up the stairs ahead as the file ended, a pair of light machine guns on his battlesaddle firing away and sending me diving to the floor with fresh holes that were hot glass in my side. Everything still hurt just as much as when I was normal, passing out or going into shock was still a danger.

I rolled to a stop and spun the Terrible Shotgun at the head of the stairs just as he crested them, the heavy slug punching through his thick leather armor and sending him tumbling back as I fumbled for another healing potion. I wasn't dead yet, so that was good... but had been racking up damage with only the mild tingle of the radioactive rain and a couple potions to help. My new alicorn body could take a lot of punishment, but as Jade kept forcefully reminding me, I wasn't invulnerable by any means.

The darkness at the edges of my vision receded a bit as I greedily sucked the potion down and gasped, hoping for a break and not getting it. A pale pegasus mare shot straight up the stairwell and hovered above, her steely teal eyes meeting mine with a sneer. This one was a higher class than the other Silver Seed employees, wearing grey combat armor and a pair of magical energy weapons at her flanks. Her blue and yellow mane spilled down her back and the pair of wings beating there, one of them silver?

"There you are shrimp! Mrs. Seed's gonna pay me a huge bonus for this! Just hold still..." Her foreleg raised to point at me accusingly, also made of gleaming metal that whirred and clicked, a glowing green magical energy weapon popping out and charging.

Shit... more cybernetics, this mare had an artificial leg and wing, with some very sharp pinions I glimpsed as it flapped lazily and her weapons came to bear on me, 'Awareness!'. Where were they getting this stuff!? Desperate and with no other avenue of escape, I lurched up and crashed through the remaining glass of the dirty window at the end of the hall, flapping for all I was worth into the night and hearing her cackles approaching on my tail.

The turrets above tried targeting her, but she was amazingly fast, this mare could have been a Wonderbolt in the old days... Was she part of Summer's Grand Pegasus Enclave before? Fliers with that kind of training were probably able to name their price for work like this, adding to my assessment this was a mare in charge here. A pale white and silver streak shot by and slashed my side, sending blood pattering down to the ground as I tried to climb and was met by a stream of yellow M.E.W. fire that forced me down.

I had struck out in a random direction, now over a field of the tallest plants, straight trees with very little branches, leafy tops and gnarled, spiky brown pods hanging off the rough bark. As I tried again with S.A.T.S. and wasted the spell charge on low odds misses against the speedy pegasus, she swung back and those razor sharp pinions slashed my right wing, losing all my lift on that side as it flopped weakly and I went pinwheeling to the ground.

Skidding to a halt and stumbling face first into one of the thick trees, I groaned at my limp wing and glanced up fearfully to the skies, why wasn't she finishing me? I could see the pale blur up above the ragged leaves, but she wasn't coming down... Taking the break she was giving me for whatever reason, I chugged another healing potion and jabbed myself with Med-X, slackening the escalating pain and gasping at the relief.

I just managed to reload my weapons and stretch my slowly healing wing, when something hard and spiky bashed into my head, sending me reeling when it exploded in a brown puff. I staggered away woozily and another thumped into my flank, the soft blast of dust sending sharp shards of shrapnel into my hindleg and other wing. What the fuck!? There was no red on Eyes Forward Sparkle expect the blur of the pegasus stalking me, where were these attacks coming from?!

A flicker of motion made me dodge immediately, barely catching sight of one of the spiky brown pods on a nearby tree coming down to the mud and exploding in a brown puff. Cocoa Bomber trees... now the name made sense, so did the hardhats and netted harnesses the slaves working these fields wore. More of the brown pods kept raining down faster now, forcing me to summon my lightning aura and run for it, dashing through the forest of trees as fast as I dared.

The pegasus in charge wouldn't come down here where she sent her slaves... afraid of the crops and hoping they finished me off while she kept me pinned. So it was ok for slaves to come out here to be bait and harvest these insane plants, but not for her to put her rear on the line to get me? Oh no... that just wouldn't do at all... 'Be Dark...' growled and I started catching the spiky pods as I could, gathering a cloud of dangerous chocolate producing crops that trailed behind me.

If the nets were to catch these things, I reasoned they wouldn't blow up unless they hit something hard enough, glad to see I was apparently right. I managed more than a dozen of the deadly produce in my blue telekinesis and called it good, surging up on mostly healed wings to the pegasus waiting for me.

As soon as I broke through the canopy, she was on me, Diving straight forward with that cybernetic wing in the lead. The cloud of cocoa bomber pods behind me flew up in my magic as she closed in, rustling the foliage and propelled upward with a flick of my horn. The aerial minefield worked, she was dedicated to her course and couldn't back out. A trio of the nasty pods blew up in her face, sending her sailing sideways and into more, jerking in the air while I drew a bead on her with the Terrible shotgun.

A rifle round threw my aim off, the shotgun slug blasting a significant hole in her flank, but the young pale tan griffon diving on me was suddenly a bigger problem. I gasped and wheezed as I fell into a tailspin, the diving griffon cocking the lever action rifle for another shot on top of the one lodged in my chest that felt like a white hot ingot in my lungs.

A stream of red M.E.W. fire disuaded him from taking his next shot, Val screeching in fury and slamming into him in midair, occupying the enemy griffon as I crashed at the edge of the clear muddy patch of ground holding the pair of greenhouses. Shrubby plants were growing here, thankfully only a couple rows of them before the clear spot ahead. I stumbled forward through them, hoping to get moving before they did anything deadly like the trees.

Unfortunately these must be Twitch Trees, thorny shrubs laden with small beans. The name must come from the way they twitched right out with their spiky branches as I passed, scratching my exposed coat and making my heart start hammering in my chest. I felt like I just drank ten pots of coffee suddenly, blood pressure rising and pounding in my temples, everything getting dizzy as my breathing grew ragged.

Come on body, poison's no big deal right... nevermind the alerts my pip-buck was throwing up in my spinning vision, just deal with it... 'Be Unwavering!' rose up and I dragged myself towards the greenhouses, looking for a place to hide and let my mutated biology process the poison.

The scrap door to the mostly glass enclosure covered in rusty chickenwire for some reason, moved aside under my shaky hoof, letting me fall on my face to the floor, swinging a jittery Vengeance in my unsteady magic towards the blurry purple form of a surprised pony. Whoever the buck was, he made a threatening movement I could make out, reaching for a sharp looking sickle off the plant laden table before him. The silver revolver crashed repeatedly, emptying the cylinder with two out of six rounds managing to put him down.

I clutched my pounding heart and crawled forward, shutting the door with a hindleg and panting on the floor. Looking around blearily at where I cowered, a dirty glass greenhouse, filled with a riot of colorful plants on every surface, hanging from the rusty poles making up the angled ceiling. The audio file was right, there were a lot of really strange looking plants in here I couldn't focus on, along with several corroded gilt birdcages?

My eyelids felt like they were weighted with sandbags and I sweated and bled on the rough wooden floor, blinking dizzily at the rustle of movement in here, E.F.S. saying there were at least three green marks in here, but I didn't see anypony... Squeaky whispers accompanied the movement as I struggled against unconsciousness, chattering noise along with a sudden flurry of bright color.

The little slave filly's words came back to me as I tried to focus on the bright purple, diaphanous wings suddenly approaching as I lost the fight and slipped down into the black, croaking weakly at whatever blurry thing closed in. "F-Fairy?..."

"Mekir nun aifa neir!"

"Nalik mugata pipel na Shroud!"

"Lun atta mir sha!"

Squeaky voices slowly drifted down and brought me back to the world of the living, something bitter was stuffed in my mouth and a delicate grip grabbed my muzzle, forcing it to chew as I blinked at... a fairy? No... a Breezie... a real Breezie, not a Breezidore. The tiny pony shaped creature gasped as my head moved and stumbled back, brilliant purple butterfly wings flaring as it stumbled back warily.

It wasn't quite like Breezies I vaguely remembered from the old world, the wings were still too big, sending it fluttering back on its own power instead of riding the breeze. By its light grip on my muzzle, it seemed a lot stronger than Breezies should be too. The tiny pony was dressed in rags, a pale lilac with a wavy blue mane, big blue eyes widening under her long antenna that lit up in alarm. A long wire was soldered to a tiny clamp around its hindleg, stretching up to the center of the roof of the greenhouse, meeting two more stretching off to another pair of the creatures, one light green with a glowing mushroom as a cap, the other pale pink with a spiky red mane.

I blinked again, but the tiny magical creatures didn't go away. Still staring at me in fear and hope, the one that had been forcing me to chew shuffled in front of me anxiously, miming chewing with its forelegs until I did as instructed. Whatever they had me eating, it tasted foul but made me feel better. My little fairy savior shoved a few purple leaves forward and waved invitingly, pacing around me in a wide circle with a long green frond in her teeth, closing in on my flank to slap the leaf to my bleeding haunches.

Moving very, very slowly, I stretched my tongue out to eat another of the offered leaves, trying to look friendly and harmless, while worrying about the gunfire outside still popping off. I rolled an eye back to the little lilac Breezie brave enough to touch me and tend my wounds, gently bowing my head and whispering, remembering dad's excited recitation of Breezie facts from his membership in the Society for the Preservation of Magical Creatures. Breezies didn't like loud noises...

"Er... T-Thank you? You're helping me right? Thank you very much, what are you guys doing here?"

The Breezie slapping another frond to my leg skittered back as far as the wire binding her would allow, peeking out from behind a orange ceramic pot with an exotic golden flower with blue leaves growing from it. It was the bravest too, the other two disappeared, only the wires from the ceiling gave away where they must be hiding, while the lilac ...mare? slowly came out of hiding again. They were pony shaped, best to consider them very small ponies, I could empathize with that.

"Yuuu are dee Shrouded Stallion yes? Frum de radio?" The nervous little mare came out another step while the other two peeked from their hiding places in the verdant foliage, chattering to each other in their own odd language at this one speaking pony with the funny accent.

She pointed to a battered old radio playing classical music, nearly hidden with all the plants growing in here, waiting hopefully for me to answer. Slowly raising my head made her cringe back, but she didn't disappear again, letting me whisper an answer. "That's me alright. I'm here to free the slaves here, put a stop to this place. A-Are you guys slaves too? You kinda look like it..."

A shamed glance down to the tiny shackle around her hindleg brought out a weary nod and she approached closer, digging a hoof in her tiny saddlebags of woven reeds, pulling it out dusted with golden color and nervously coming close to my muzzle again. The appendage shook fearfully as she held it out and nodded, "Y-Yes, ve are slaves toooo, h-here, for de poison, p-please don't eat me tooo."

She clenched her eyes shut after I gave a grateful smile and stretched my tongue out, lightly brushing her hoof and licking off the sweet tasting powder. Nectar... just like Breezidores, oh sweet Celestia I loved this stuff, a good chunk of the remaining pain slacked off immediately as everything got nice and loopy. Resisting the urge to suck on the tiny foreleg, I smacked my lips and cautiously started trying to get my hooves under me.

"Ok, you're slaves too, we're freeing you. H-However you got here. I can cut your err... chains... if you trust me, ok? My name's Fast by the way, nice to meet you." I groaned and weakly stood, towering over the cringing little creature and holding a hoof out patiently.

After a long minute, she cracked one bright blue eye open and shakily returned the hoofbump, the light touch of her leg barely registering. She was really no bigger than one of my toys, this had to be terrifying for her. The other two yelped warnings as she reached out, but I didn't stomp her flat or anything and she seemed to brighten.

"S-Spring Gale Meeester Fast Shroud, friends is Glowy Gust and Warm Wind, dey no speak pony doh, yuu vould reeeally free us?" The tiny pony looked up hopefully, only flinching a bit as I drew Best Served from my bags and floated it a safe distance away from myself, stabbing the starmetal blade into the boards of the floor and waving to it.

"That's what I do, no matter for who. K-Kinda crazy seeing Breezies, but you guys helped me and I appreciate it. Umm here, I'll leave my knife right there and you can cut the wires yourself on the edge. Just be really, reeeeeally careful ok? That thing is crazy sharp, don't hurt yourselves. I'd do it, but guessing you don't want me swinging a knife around that close huh?"

Spring Gale actually smiled as I backed away and gave them space, squeaking in that oddly lyrical language to her companions and walking over to the giant glittering blade. She did as instructed, very cautiously stretching her hindleg towards the gleaming edge and giving a cheer as the wire parted like hot butter on the metal. Flapping up and flittering around the room in joy, she convinced the other two to do the same, cutting their bonds and fluttering in a cheering circle above my head.

Their large wings lightly brushed my head as they circled and looped, cheering happily and bringing up a familiar sensation. I wasn't sure why, but I felt like I had done this before, felt the gentle touch of glittery, brightly colored wings just like this. It was nostalgic, but I couldn't dredge up any memory, just a feeling.

Gale was actually brave enough to flutter right up and hug my face, adding to the weird feeling and chirping brightly. "Thank yuu! Vee can go? For true?"

The sound of more gunfire and red marks moving around made me rush an answer, drawing my knife back to my packs and reloading my weapons as non threateningly as possible. "Of course, nopony should be a slave, no matter who. Umm... I'm still kinda in the middle of trying to free everyone else, there's lots of fighting still going on and I have to get back to it. Will you guys be ok? If you wait I can come back and help you, but you're free to go if you want. Just worried if you'll be safe?"

All three zipped off to corners of the greenhouse, disappearing under all the varied plant life and returning with tiny wooden spears clenched in their teeth, thorny barbs at the ends dripping yellow-green liquid as they nodded back bravely. "Vee will be fine, vee go home to Breezie nation, yuu big hero like radio say. Dey lets us listen for plantys, but vee listen to Traveling Miles vhen dey not here. Vee trust Shrouded Stallion, owe debt."

Before I could answer that they didn't owe me anything, the opposite door from the one I stumbled through opened, a wild eyed and bloody Zed charging in and brought up short by Vengeance jerking up at the movement. The Breezies disappeared completely, off of E.F.S. and nowhere to be found like magic. Leaving just me sitting in an empty greenhouse as the battle kept going outside and Zed gave me a worried once over.

"There you are, Miss Ivy was frantic, she said you vanished from her sight. Are you alright Fast? What are you doing in... here..." Zed slowed as he took in all the exotic plants, pacing the long room and touching a few purple leafed specimens I had been munching on by the matching leaves. "F-Fast... these are... none of these things belongs here. Agaloosh, Piripa Fronds, Ghost Orchids... this is an alchemists dream! There are species from the Everfree forest, the forbidden jungles and the zebra lands! How are they growing here?"

Choosing not to elaborate about fairy gardeners while fighting was still going on, I shrugged mysteriously and stumbled over to the door, heading for the other greenhouse as I spoke. "Magic Zed, I'll try to explain later. Come on, there are still ponies... people that need help."

Ducking into the second greenhouse, I spotted another pair of wires trailing from the ceiling down to the equally thick vegetation. In a rush, I sent Best Served whickering up and slashed both lines at once. "Umm... it's safe ok? You're free, Spring Gale and the others are too, we're leaving you alone, so get out of here safe ok!"

Only silence answered and Zed was giving me a puzzled look, still not getting an answer with more red marks closing in. "I promise, later Zed. Let's go!"

Flapping up on mostly healed wings, I headed for the biggest clumps of activity wearily, noting the employee barracks across the field burning merrily in the drizzle, Val had been busy... Hopefully this was just mop up now, my magical little saviors had actually done a lot to get me going again and everything was nice and fuzzily warm from their Nectar, but I didn't have much left in the tank. Hopefully there was something highly radioactive nearby if I was really lucky.

"I am interested in hearing it Fast, and in those plants. If I could send some back to grandfather... the potions he could make!" Zed answered right on my tail, looking back at the greenhouses with naked longing.

Apparently, sugar, cocoa and coffee weren't the only things growing here that shouldn't be able to. Another mark of weirdness associated with the Institute then... stuff to look into once we were done...

The four of us fighting and our Jamocha Plains backup had worked together well, taking the Silver Seed farm by surprise and coordinated by Ivy, with our own fallback point perfectly protected and staffed by a medical expert alicorn and an Ambassador of Cuteness tending the slaves. We had sowed enough chaos among the slave using farmers to break them and send them falling back to the tattered windmill as a last resort.

There were only half a dozen or so red marks left, all centered on the tall, rickety structure I was tiredly standing in front of. My wings felt like lead and I had more than enough combat flying already, I really just wanted this over, but that cyborg pegasus had rallied what she had left and dug in like a tick. A remaining griffon helped her repel Val repeatedly from the slowly turning blades of the windmill, while several earth and unicorn ponies fought back any direct assault.

Witchy returned from another scouting flight around the structure, making that high pitched whine repeatedly and landing light at my side, shaking her head. "No easy way in Fast, getting them out will be messy..."

"Shit..." I groaned and rubbed my aching head, still a little loopy to think of anything clever and hoping Val had something better. By her grunt and grumble as she paced, that didn't look likely though.

"Batty's right, lemme just burn the fucking thing down boss, that'll take care of em!" Pyromania danced in her violet eyes as she pranced in place, hoping I'd let her go on a spree of explosive destruction.

Staring up at the cobbled together and roughly repaired windmill, I gave it a repair-pony's appraisal and shook my head. "I'd rather not Val... I think that thing provides most of the power here, I don't have time to fix it or cobble something else together before we leave and they'll need power to hold on to the place once we're gone. Nnnn... this sucks...."

A large blue hoof reached out and stopped my dark one from thunking my battered head any more, Jade's soft nicker in my ear relaxing me immediately, even as I yelped with her out of her safe shelter behind Ivy's shield. "Perhaps I should try then, there has been enough bloodshed. Sister Ivy has kept me appraised, allow me to speak with them dear."

I gulped nervously and ran at her side to match her long, stately strides forward, standing straight and proud before the windmill, unafraid as gunfire started digging in the dirt nearby. She stuck her nose up and shouted in her clear, ringing goddess voice, carrying all the way up to the spinning blades and that freaking cyber-mare up top.

"PARDON ME! I AM PRINCESS JADE OF SANCTUARY, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR YOUR SURRENDER IF YOU PLEASE! THERE HAS BEEN ENOUGH FIGHTING, LET US NOT PLAY THIS OUT TO THE BITTER END? PLEASE STOP, THROW DOWN YOUR ARMS AND LEAVE THIS PLACE, YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED. NOPONY ELSE NEEDS TO DIE, LEAVE AND BE BETTER, PLEASE?" Jade's kind words rang out in the lessening drizzle, a few more stray shots dug in the mud near her hooves, but she didn't flinch and they tapered off before I had a chance to blast whoever dared shoot near my princess.

I heard arguing inside the rickety structure, the cyber-pegasus and the griffon disappearing through the upper windows to add to the noise my twitching ears could just make out. Jade sat in the mud waiting, ignoring my impatience and worry, looking serene and patient as the drizzle soaked her cloudy mane.

Finally the battered wooden door creaked open, the pale mare's face peeking out with a scowl as she replied. "Sure! Just let us go after slaughtering all my workers!? With your bloody little lunatic waiting right at your side no less!"

"Hmm... P-Perhaps you could give us a bit of space Fast? You do look a bit frightening..." Jade smiled kindly, taking in the gore and blood coating me, only partially washed away by the slackening weather. She ignored my protests and gently shoved me back a few steps with her wing, waving for more space and trying the pegasus again. "There we are. My Fast will not attack, please come out and leave, I wish for no more fighting, I promise!"

Jade held a hoof out invitingly, waiting for the cyber-pony to trudge across the space between them and hesitantly return the gesture once I had backed off enough. I reeeeally didn't like this... I wanted her to be happy, to try and succeed for peace like she always hoped for, but I did not trust that mare. By her fancy cybernetics and station in the manor house where I first saw her, plus the way the other remaining Silver Seed workers watched from the windmill, I was sure she was in charge here.

Her insistent encouragement I move back with Val and the others surrounding the last stronghold of opposition was making me nervous, leaving her alone and out of range. She just continued holding her foreleg out and smiling beautifully as the pegasus mare approached to return the gesture with her metal appendage...

"There we are, I am P-Princess Jade and I guarantee you may leave freely if you surrender, a pleasure to meet you Miss...?" Jade spoke softly and stretched forward, reaching out to the pegasus mare's cybernetic foreleg as I snorted and stamped at the mud next to Val.

The two touched in a light hoofbump as the pale mare answered, flipping back her sopping blue and gold mane with a gleam in her eye I especially didn't like. "Hail Mary... Princess... Thanks for the privacy... awful trusting when so many rich ponies want you gone."

"Of course, we do not wish to intimidate away from peace if we can... we must trust others to gain it in return." Jade beamed and nodded, a look of confusion crossing her face when she moved to pull her foreleg away and was brought up short.

Four weird slats and opened and floated out of the metal limb, making the cybernetic hoof look strangely like one of Val's claws clenching the mud beside me, three aligned one way, a fourth acting as a kind of... thumb? That must be convenient... the odd metal 'fingers' had gripped Jade's hoof in a tight hoofshake anyway, but she wasn't letting go.

I caught that sneer towards me from Hail Mary and started moving like the air was full of molasses, she had me move too far back... more than enough time for that razor sharp metal wing to slash out at the immobilized alicorn. Jade reared back and dragged the bitch with her, but got a long, deep gash across her chest anyway, though at least not across her throat like the pegasus had aimed for.

I barely saw that magical energy weapon clicking out of Hail's leg, glowing green as she attempted for a point blank blast. Most of my attention was taken by the spray of blood, Jade's blood... my Princess' blood spattering that sneering cunt's face as she cackled and I shot forward with Val and Zed, too far... not enough time... Jade's precious blood, red blood, red... red... I saw red, I saw only red, a dull pounding in my temples coming with the dark roar in my head of 'Be Dark...' howling for blood and...

............................

............................

"F-FAST! STOP!!"

Jade's weakened goddess voice sank down to the dark depths, pulling me back out and bringing me to awareness, pausing in mid snap of long, coppery tasting fangs towards the bloody bundle under me...

I blinked and tried to get my bearings, a feebly struggling pony was under me, a white and red mass of fur and feathers, a pegasus missing some bits somehow. Hail Mary's foreleg ended in a stub, a crumpled and smashed metal hoof discarded in the mud nearby, her metal wing was tossed aside and smoking on her other side.

She was bleeding from a number of crescent shaped wounds all over, her face a bruising, bloody mass that was rapidly swelling, closing off the view of one pinprick sized teal eye frantically flicking around in terror, avoiding my own confused gaze down at her. One of my forelegs pinned her whole one, while the other was frozen above her face, stinging and smeared in blood. My fangs ached and my mouth was full of that coppery tang of blood, her blood... what? Had I?...

I staggered off the beaten mare, releasing the hold my hindlegs had wrapped around her barrel, holding my pounding head as I lurched away and spit out that foul yet sweet taste in my mouth. Weakly turning my head towards where the call of my princess had come from, spotting her lying on her side and holding her head up tiredly, Witching Hour was at her side and frantically wrapping her chest in magical bandages that soaked with ...red... but held.

Jade's horn flickered and I was dragged away in her soft blue white magic, deposited at her side and hugged with a shaking wing as I clenched my eyes shut, what happened? Did I do all that? How...? The warm alicorn surrounding me jerked and her voice rose sharply, prompting me to open my still burning eyes and follow her shout to Val, holding her huge pistol to the pegasus bitch's head.

"Valkyrie! D-Do not! Please do not kill her!" Jade implored weakly, releasing her tight hold on me as she stumbled up and towards the furious griffon and her soon to be victim.

Val glared back, her violet gaze flicking from Jade to me, she didn't take orders from Jade unless she wanted to, I was the boss. I was also still staring in shock at the pegasus Hail Mary, flopping her way through the muck with two missing appendages, leaving a bloody trail as she went and jabbered in a raspy, fear filled voice. "M-Monster... s-stay away! I'm sorry! K-Keep it away!!"

How had her silver combat armor been blackened and torn away? Her formerly well kept Enclave military shirt ripped to shreds? Her cybernetics weren't cut off by my knife, they looked like they were ripped off.... I thunked my head with my hoof and rubbed at the spike between my eyes, croaking hoarsely at Val still waiting. "Val... d-don't... enough..."

"Fuck that boss! Bitch tried ta kill Blue! Under an offer of fuckin' peace even! Ya had the right idea, kill her! Be nice with the rest if'n ya want, if you hadn'ta did that cheatin' teleport shit Blue'd be fried! Tell me ya don't want her dead for that!" Val growled and dragged the mare back by her hindleg, struggling and digging her forelegs into the mud, trying desperately to stay as far from ...me... as possible. I teleported?

Despite Witchy's protests, Jade stood and trudged forward, her magic reaching out and healing the bleeding and broken pegasus, answering in a weak, soft voice. "She did not succeed Valkyrie. Nor do I think she wants to try again, does she?"

Hail mary flattened her ears and hid under her hooves, well, one hoof and one stub of a foreleg anyway, covering her head protectively as she whimpered. "NO! Nonononono! Just keep it away! We give up, whatever you want! Just send your attack dog away please!"

A teal stare peeked from a very puffy black eye nearly sealing it shut, flinching closed as soon as I stretched a shaky hoof out to take a step towards her. Her hindlegs started scrabbling in the mud, her terrified progress stopped by Val's claw clenching her two tone tail. Jade's healing magic and gentle touch to the shivering mare was enough to convince the rest at least, the remaining red dashes on E.F.S. started turning green as guns and other weapons were thrown from the rough windows and doors of the windmill, nervous looking guards shuffling out and directed by our Jamocha Plains allies.

Jade gave me a look of warm concern and regret, waving a wing as her magic kept sealing the seeping wounds all over the mare. "F-Fast... maybe it would be best if you... took a rest perhaps? I... I will be fine, please... I do not think your presence is helping at the moment. Thank you for p-protecting me. I will find you shortly..."

Still tasting the blood in my mouth, I nodded weakly, trembling as I took in all the wounds that were slowly healing on her patient, wounds I inflicted somehow... Did I lose control? Why couldn't I remember? What had I done? She was right, I had to go... get away, quickly... stop that pounding growl in my head demanding I finish her, that kept the targeting reticule of Blue Moon trained on the broken mare wherever she moved.

I gave an unsteady flap and shot off, wiping a confused tear away and aiming for the manor house. Away from everyone else, somewhere to hide and stop my racing heart. "O-Ok! Just... be alright Jade, d-don't get close like that! Val, protect her for me! Help her! I h-have to go!"

Even our new allies dealing with the prisoners watched me go warily, a look of fear on their faces as I sped off, nervous expressions even on my friends like Witchy still trying to tend Jade's wounds. I ran... ran and hid, trying desperately to ignore the dark Shroud in my head and focus on the soft voices of the Ministry Mares rising up and trying to soothe it.

I wasn't a monster... I wasn't! S-She was just former Enclave... of course she'd say that... But I wasn't... I just lost control, I'd hide and get it back. Be better...

Tenderheart's Research Report 4202 == Adaptability Experments ver. 4.5

Making good progress, large scale trials on our first crops are coming along nicely. Southern climate plants are growing well even out of their normal environment. Everything should be a go for Ministry Mare Fluttershy's visit, though I suggest making a patrol ahead of her. We keep finding dead bunnies and other critters near the plants, some of their odd mutations in adapting are annoying for ponies, but deadly for smaller creatures. They act as fertilizer for the plants, which I can only assume is the point, but the poor bunnies... she'd never understand, danger in using Flux I suppose, the results can be... chaotic. We'll help them once we move up to Stage 2, if it helps her little friends in the hub during Stage 3, it will all be worth it. Circle of life and all, they're really not much different than some of the more dangerous samples from Everfree they've been sending anyway.

Need resupply-------

Still can't erase that one damn message from this muckdweller piece of ancient junk, but using this terminal after clearing the rest of the crap. Attrition rate on slaves is high, even with protective gear, need metal shoes and muzzle guards for the Razorcane workers, full leather barding for the Twitch Trees, better helmets and more netting for the Cocoa Bombers... Really need more netting period, after next harvest, want to send in a crew to string them between the trees instead of the few we've got on harnesses. More gear or more slaves, whatever's cheaper, but we're running through them fast, foals are fast enough to dodge at least, ordering more.

Fucking Svengallop----

Sent another of his crew for his shipment, fucking spooky bastard, doesn't seem quite right. Waited around like a statue while we got it together, dunno how a couple saddlebags worth of weird shit is so valuable, but it's hard enough to grow it. Still hoping to catch more little gardeners, the pair he brought manage that stuff better than any of us and keep the shipments up on time. More are slipping in, trying to free the little bugs, reinforced the greenhouses and got my staff on high alert, carrying friggin butterfly nets on em at all times, maybe we'll get lucky.

Bugs!-------

Caught three more! Rescue squad apparently, nasty little fuckers. Really hard to catch without killing, but cornered them and got lucky. Weird little bastards won't talk either, but stickin' em in the greenhouses and bringin' out the flyswatter gets the idea across. They understand, just all speak that gibberish shit instead of proper pony. Doubled our output, but now we get new orders and increased demand for some of the other stuff in there, some new drug Svengallop's selling, whatever... doubled our income too!

Gunner Visit------

Full company come strolling right through the gates today... Would'a made my asshole pucker if the higher ups weren't working all this crap out above our pay grade. Still pretty nerve wracking letting a heavily armed group of Gunners in, but they make good guard dogs, keep those love and happiness nutters up north away. Promised a lot more slaves on the market soon too, and easier access buying them in Jamocha Plains instead of waiting on shipments from Sapphire Sparkles. We keep our head down, we'll be rolling in caps soon!

* * *

Hiding in what was Hail Mary's office in the manor house let me peruse the terminal at my leisure, reading over her cruel entries and trying not to think on the broken pony who wrote them, focusing on my breathing instead and getting that headache to slacken. I was still riddled with oozing wounds that stung and burned, but I wasn't using my last potion on them, after what I did, maybe I deserved a little pain for awhile...

I heard no gunfire anymore, there were no more red dashes on Eyes Forward Sparkle, Summerset Plantation was ours at least. The slaves were free and being cared for, the guards from Jamocha Plains were taking over the defenses and their fastest runner had been sent back to Cocoa Latte to report our success. With the Minutemares help, this place would be producing food for the Commonwealth and no longer benefiting the factions we were fighting. I should be happy about that... but I lost control, I kept seeing Hail's terrified face, surrounded by armed enemies but only trying to drag herself away from me. What did I do?

Best I just stay alone and calm down, the others had this well in hoof, they didn't need me, Jade actually needed me to go away to make progress, so I did. I was still seeing that fan of blood from her perfect chest, marred by that bitch's wingblade and... and that dark pulse in my head kept rising at the memory, she hurt Jade, she dared harm my Princess, she deserved... STOP!

Bashing my head to the desk repeatedly got a wry, deep chuckle that sent me scrambling back up, looking into Zed's grey eyes raised curiously from the door. "I didn't mean to interrupt, please, continue headbutting the desk if it makes you feel better. Just checking on you Fast."

I wiped my watery eyes and tried to put myself together, slumping in the creaking chair behind the desk and noticing the significant dent my horn had made, alicorn strength still got away from me sometimes... "No, sorry Zed, I'm ok. Is everything alright? Is Jade..."

"She is fine, that pegasus has absolutely no interest in trying to harm her again. You were... very convincing..." The zebra raised an interested eyebrow and trotted in, sitting on the other side of the desk and watching me closely, like I might start raving or attacking.

That guarded look just made me feel worse, flopping to my forelegs crossed on the desk and looking up to the stern zebra. "W-What did I do Zed? I... I don't remember anything after... a-after she hurt Jade, I just saw red and..."

I was surprised when Zed placed a comforting hoof on my hitching shoulder, clearly not good at being nice and soothing crazy ponies, but trying his best as he answered softly in that deep voice of his. "You teleported between them, the lightning surrounding you flickered and grew dark, then you were just there. Your magic crushed her weaponized false foreleg and tore it off, then the wing when it slashed at you, that cut there on your flank I believe... Then you started beating her with your hooves and biting, really if you could fight hoof to hoof like that back in the Combat Zone, things would have gone much smoother. You were talking while you were doing it, I couldn't hear, but you were apparently very persuasive. Are you alright?"

"I... I think so... I haven't lost control like that in awhile, but usually I remember what I do. I was really that scary?"

Zed nodded slowly and dug in his packs, pulling out a thick ceramic vial of some kind of pale potion and shoving it across the desk. "Yes, it was impressive. Here, drink. Fast... do you remember when I told you darkness surrounds you? That I thought it was because you came from a Stable?"

Thinking back, I did remember the gruff zebra when we first met, finding out I came from 111 and saying all Stables were dark places. He said I wasn't evil, but darkness surrounded me. I disregarded it at the time, but Zed really seemed to have a nose for dark magic, literally actually, his sniffing the air just making me more nervous as I answered. "Yeah... I remember. How do you know all that stuff anyway Zed?"

He kept waving for me to drink the spicy smelling potion wisping white smoke from the lip. Not answering until I started drinking, relaxing immediately as the tangy potion slid down my throat and warmed me from the inside out, everything growing a little fuzzy and loopy. I sighed in relief and looked at the bottle and Zed appreciatively, giving him a questioning look as he took the empty bottle back.

"One of Grandfather's potions. A purifying draught, powerful magic, with a bit of Nectar mixed in... I'm not much of an alchemist and certainly no Shaman, but you seemed like you need it. I know things because I'm a Venator Noctis Fast, a... Shadow Hunter I believe the translation would be. I specialize in dealing with dark magic, the scent of it around you is getting stronger... You are a good pony Fast, but every hero can fall... break, be consumed by darkness. If it were to corrupt you, you truly may become a monster."

"I'm NOT a MONSTER!!" I screamed back, my voice cracking as the zebra calmly laid out one of my biggest fears.

He shrugged and waggled the empty potion as he stashed it away in his decorated packs. "No, you are not. But you could be. What if your mare were killed? Your daughter? Such things can happen, especially with the enemies you are accumulating. What would you do then?"

The dark growl in my head strained against its bonds at just the thought, my eyes burning as I slammed my hooves to the desk and leaned over it, glaring at the zebra for voicing something so horrible. "I'd kill them... all of them.. everyone who dared, everypony who deserved vengeance or got in my way! ALL OF THEM WOULD DIE SLOWLY!"

'Be Kind...' whispered up, dragging the raging shadow that kept leaking into my voice back to its prison with the help of its fellows, as I shuddered and panted over the desk. Zed simply stared back implacably, waiting for it to pass and watching carefully. At least he didn't look scared, I wasn't sure I could handle that right now.

"And then? Killing them wouldn't bring them back and they would not want to see you fall like that. You are not consumed with darkness, or that potion would have had a... very different reaction, but your mare and Miss Ivy are not the only ones concerned for you. You present an interesting puzzle actually, I still have no idea how you created a soul jar, how such darkness can swirl around you like that but still not taint you. I have never seen the like, and I do deal in this kind of thing. It makes me sure meeting you was fate, thus I continue to follow your path. When we are able, I would like to go to Neighlem Village and the zebras there. A proper shaman may be able to help you more than Miss Ivy's mental prodding. Well... that and I have a request..." Zed answered, never raising his voice to match my outburst, just speaking in his normal, soothing tone.

Slumping back to the desk, I tried to enjoy the mild euphoria from Zed's nectar laced potion. The spicy brew was still a warm ball in my stomach, spreading out to my trembling limbs and relaxing tense, aching muscles. "What kind of request? You almost never ask for anything Zed."

"The greenhouses... they have many rare and exotic plants. Many are things most ponies wouldn't know what to do with, but Grandfather or other knowledgeable zebras like your Mama Xara and others could do wondrous things with them. I would like to write Grandfather, make sure their care is continued, allow him to use them. I don't know how they grow here, but many should be delicate or potentially dangerous in the wrong hooves. Did you find the slaves who tended them? I would like to speak with them." Zed's stern grey eyes lit up as much as I had ever seen, he had seen something his people could truly benefit from.

After all his patience and help, I could hardly refuse him. Though I had to disappoint him on his last question. "They're yours Zed, write home to Hexington, have them send zebras who know what they're doing and I'll tell Cocoa's guards they're part of the deal. I think she just wants the cash crops anyway. No help on the tenders though... I let them go and I don't think they'll be back. They were.... umm... fairies... sorta."

Zed's eyes narrowed in confusion, looking for a joke and seeing just the truth. Explaining they were tended by Breezies just seemed exhausting at the moment, I let them go and they were long gone most likely. I was very curious where real... well, mostly real Breezies even came from. They weren't like prewar ones I remembered, but they weren't bloodthirsty Breeziedore's either.

Finally he snorted a laugh and shrugged, coming around the desk to pat my back amiably and a tad forcefully, shoving me from the chair and nudging me up to my hooves. "Thank you Fast, a shame if they're already gone but I understand. I would have liked to meet your 'fairies' though. Come, stop brooding and join the others, have your mare heal those wounds, stop your daughter and the griffon from ransacking everything for valuables. Being alone is a sure way to slip further into the shadows, lighten up... literally."

"Thanks Zed... Umm... you're sure I'm not... e-evil? What's a Shadow Hunter do anyway? Do you really know?"

Zed gave one long sniff at my horn, closing his eyes and humming in thought or meditation for a long time. Finally his grey gaze opened and looked back passively. "Just as always, darkness surrounds you but does not penetrate somehow. Star magic... most likely from your blade. Shadow Hunters do... many things Fast. Consider me a cleaner-upper of things that should not be loose in the world, dangerous, dark things my kind unleashed over our history. I'll tell you sometime, in Neighlem perhaps. Trust me for now, I do know. You are not evil."

Despite curiosity on learning a little more about my gruff zebra companion, I did trust him. His face spoke of only the truth, he wasn't placating me, he meant it. I breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed his foreleg in a jittery hoofshake, gushing as I shook the zebra stallion in place. "R-Really, thanks a lot Zed, that helps! I appreciate it!"

Zed extracted his leg and chuckled, turning back at the door with a hard look. "You're welcome. Just remember, every hero can fall... Even your Lightbringer."

---------------------Level Up!-------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------------

The Professional Pony----
----So long as things stay quiet, you're one sneaky agent of death! Your sneak attack criticals with revolvers, pistols, and submachine guns (guns and energy weapons) all inflict an additional 20% damage.

Ch. 70-- Bighorners of the Western Woods

"Good Morning Commonwealth! It's your local DJ Traveling Miles, hoping everyone is drying out from another barrier storm ok. With us finally getting some contact from the outside world again, I guess we should expect more of those, the rest of Equestria's hearing about our little fishbowl and we've got treasure hunters, raiders and even worse ...politicians all trying to get here!

Oh well, gotta take the good with the bad right? And the good is more than just a wider selection of news and music on your radio dial, courtesy of the great DJ Pon3 all the way in Tenpony Tower. That's right, got another news dump from my esteemed colleague for all you good listeners out there, the Commonwealth minute on his station hits the broad strokes, but I get the in depth report to relate to all my fellow natives, so let's dive in huh?

First off, seems like the crazy reports from everyone on the coast were right, there really was a giant pony way out there over Fort Loyalty, before it went kaboom anyway. I'm told the monster was defeated and dispatched before the big lightshow, last seen limping off towards Fog Harbor, so it wasn't responsible for all the fireworks anyway, still weird huh? The Brotherhood of Friendship were spotted going to and coming from the old fort just beforehoof, along with a certain dark protector of Trotson, so maybe we'll get more of the story.

Speaking of the coast and our listeners that way, another wasteland ruin that was apparently up to drug related no good got taken down the other night by the Pale Pair! We've only got a little info on this dynamic duo of pony and griffon, not nearly as theatrical as our Shrouded Stallion, but they get things done! Another gang controlled den got wiped out, one that toooootally has nothing to do with our noble Svengallop family here in Diamond City of course.

All my listeners who believe in better living through chemistry need not worry though, Chem-I-Care's or your favorite local backalley dealer might be running into supply problems, but all those drugs are still on the market through Goodneighbor buying them up, let's just say to finance the campaign of our newest wasteland heroes. Whoever this pair is, they might not necessarily be do-gooders, but good is getting done!

On another hero related note, we got a few interesting rumors of other Stable dwellers up north joining our wild wasteland too. A fresh faced filly wearing familiar blue barding with 111 across the back, put on a movie night of all things at Starlight Drive In! After helping to fend off a raider attack no less. The small settlement is a new member of the Kingdom of Sanctuary and now they're putting on a bit of old world magic, thanks to their clever visitor. We hear the regular mechanic mare left in the direction of Graygarden not long after, be carefull out there kid, it's a dangerous world above ground still! If any of my friendly audience happens to run into her or any other 111 dwellers new to the wasteland, give them a helping hoof huh?

Finally, things are continuing to heat up down south. Gunner forces are consolidating and getting aggressive, giving us up north a break but making things rough down there. On the plus side, our favorite Princess and her Knight are the ones pissing them off, meaning things are getting better too! Slavers that way have practically been wiped out in one night, our own Miss Silver Seed seems to have suffered a 'tragic' loss of territory, and Jamocha Plains is now officially allied with the Kingdom of Sanctuary too, making it a haven for any down that way.

Let's wish those friends of the station all the best and hope they're safe with a little Sweetie Belle to start the day!

The terrible nightmare I was having of a terrified pale pegasus bleeding under me was slowly shifting to something better, something warm and soft... The broken form of Hail Mary changing to my Jade, kissing and nuzzling tenderly, roaming hooves and talented magic lighting me up with much better sensations than the taste of blood and the feel of bashing pony flesh under my hooves.

A soft touch running down my side and groping somewhere tender and very awake, brought a gasp and a voice that didn't match my Princess though, startling me at the purr of pleased surprise. "Oh my... that never fails to disappoint, and on such a small pony no less. I so rarely get to do this just for fun too!"

The press of warm lips against mine and a very talented tongue running over my fangs woke me the rest of the way, blinking into a pair of lidded almond eyes widening as my wings and other bits sprang up under the attention. The merry gaze was framed by a tan face and dark brown and cream striped mane, pushing into the kiss as I mumbled an 'eep!' and tore myself away. I scrambled back to hide under the ratty blankets that had been tossed aside in the corner of the bedroom we had taken last night.

Cocoa Latte gave a cheery little whine and sat up at the edge of the dirty mattress I had been sprawled on, huffing and wiggling her way to me in the corner, trying to shake the sleep off and figure out what happened. We were in the Summerset Plantation manor house, taking what had been a higher up's private space at the insistence of our allies and newly freed slaves.

All of the former enslaved workers had been moved to the manor for Jade to attend their care and a minor celebration had sprung up, lasting well into the night as she worked. Everyone's wounds were tended, even those of the Silver Seed workers who had surrendered, the employees food stores had been distributed to underfed slaves.

Witching Hour had even spread her collection of musical instruments around to a few slaves who knew what to do with them. Letting me see she really was very talented, playing along with the radio to fill the night with music and stories, giving tired, grateful slaves new hope. I had felt better, but kept my distance, falling to a deep sleep with Jade and Ivy, after a tender bit of exercise together that eased their worry over my behavior last night.

The next thing I knew, Cocoa was here... approaching in a sultry strut and tugging at the blanket I held over my head. "Oh come on... Just a teensy reward my little Shrouded friend, you're as good as your word and now I really want a taste. I can go get the Princess too if that will sweeten the pot? I know you want to..."

Fighting back urges that woke up before I did, I groaned and kept my grip on the blanket, squeaking when she gave up on the front end and tore it away from my rear, humming appreciatively and rubbing my flank to coax me out. "Nnnn! No! N-No reward Cocoa! I promised I would, you already have your deal with Glitter, I'm not part of it!"

"Actually you are, I gave in on the 90% discount for chocolate and sugar for the little thief in exchange for free access to you, no daughterly interference! But fine, you really do have old world ideals about some things, don't you? She did say she was getting the better end of that deal. I'll wear you down though, I always get what I want, but I'm patient. Come on, I had to slip past the Princess and your guard, everyone's busy-busy waiting on you lazy bones, if you're not interested in sealing our partnership in a much better way than a hoofshake, then get to work, I suppose I have plenty waiting for me here too." Cocoa sighed and stopped her seduction with a regretful whinny, waiting for me to peek out warily.

The sexy ruler of Jamocha Plains gave happy little nickers watching me slink out and shrug into my armor and saddlebags, enjoying the show and allowing for no privacy. At least she kept her distance, staring with a warm, lidded smirk while I dressed and stammered to fill the awkward silence. "R-Right... work. Surprised to see you here already Cocoa, you er... didn't strike me as the type to go out wandering the wastes away from your town often."

"Oh I can take care of myself, if I have to. Besides, I paid Large Marge for an escort, plus we ran into a patrol of your Minutemares! They were very cooperative when I mentioned a general and their Princess being here, didn't have to pull out any tricks when I said we were allies. I think I'll like having my own army of protectors on call." Cocoa answered breezily, huffing in disappointment when I finished dressing and tucked my hat down, walking out into the hall past her and to the stairs.

By the light pouring in the eastern windows, it was early, making me a little sluggish, though I did feel better than last night. Losing control always made me shaky and afraid, but in the light of day things weren't so bad and I felt more sure of myself. The manor house was packed with ponies I had to weave my way around, Cocoa's guards who helped us, freed slaves being fed and treated by Jade, even a few of the former Silver Seed overseers who had waited for day to leave with Jade's blessing, hiding to themselves in a guarded ground floor room everypony kept an eye on.

It was this room I paused at, peering in and spotting the pale mare cringing in the corner to herself. Hail Mary was completely healed, no more bite marks anyway, strips of magical bandages wrapped around her and her right eye was only a little purple. I still felt awful, worse from the way she shivered and tried to hide under her blue and gold mane and single wing at my approach.

Digging in my packs, I pulled out her mangled cybernetic foreleg and wing, I had spent a good deal of time last night trying to repair the damage, wondering how exactly I had managed to do it to begin with. They were both scorched and ...crushed... torn away from where they connected to her flesh by force, my telekinesis wasn't that strong though... It had made for difficult repairs to delicate technology I was curious about the origins of, but I had managed to cobble them back together into something like working order.

Floating them out and over just made her shrink away from my outstretched hoof though, whimpering and drawing interested stares from her former underlings. Sighing sadly, I stopped trying to get closer and simply floated them to the floor in front of her, speaking softly and as kindly as I could.

"Hail... I'm sorry, I really am. Here, I fixed them as best as I could. I've never gotten to fool around with much cybernetics, but the leg will hold so you can walk at least. I'm guessing you know better than me how to umm... reattach them. I'll just... leave you be. I'm sorry...."

She wouldn't look at me, didn't move at all... leaving me to trudge back out to Cocoa's surprised stare. "I've dealt with that one before, quite the tough customer, or she was... What happened?"

"She hurt Jade..." Despite my efforts, that dark growl seeped into my voice remembering the blood.

At least Cocoa didn't push, ignoring my grumble and playfully bumping her bouncy rear against mine as we walked down the crowded hall. Luna help me even her tail was talented, flicking and twining with mine, roving over my rump and down between my "H-Hey!"

Her tinkling giggles didn't help, "Sorry! I told you I get what I want though, better get used to it since we're partners and all. I'll wear you down eventually, Miss Ivy tells me radiation may help, I'll get my hooves on something before you come back. So, I hear you're trying Salt Lick next?"

"Yeah, Val says Minotaurs are tough and might help. No offense, but we are trying to find help for a fight. I'm glad we could help these slaves and your town, but you...."

"Aren't really fighters, I know. Sorry we can't help more, but there are ways we can help. Gunner troops do slip into town for a little fun with my girls still, usually in ones or twos going awol, they may start having... accidents... or they may let slip a secret or two. I told you, you bucks all get so silly and chatty when you're done. One more reason for me to keep trying with you, I'm very interested in what kinds of things you'd say when you're happy enough..." Cocoa grinned as we reached the porch, giving me room to edge away from the jiggly mare fluttering her long eyelashes.

Her obvious flirting was enough to send Jade galloping over from our plundered school bus being packed up to go, ceasing her last minute medical instructions for Cocoa's guards concerning the care the slaves needed until some of her Followers could get here, trotting right up and curling a possessive wing around me as she snorted down at the smaller mare. "There you are, she did not wake you, did she Fast? I explained you needed rest and Miss Latte simply disappeared, did she..."

"Not as much as I'd like Princess, don't worry, your buck behaves, we'll just have to try again all together hmm? Now then, I can offer this much help for your alliance, if you're going to Salt Lick, Large Marge wanted to talk to you anyway, helped in paying her escort fee to get here so soon. Oh Marge dear, right over here!" Cocoa smirked at Jade's sputtering blush, glancing over to where the unicorn called.

The Minotauress I had seen selling meat in Jamocha Plains stomped across the muddy yard in front of the manor, ponies falling away from her path as the hulking creature walked up to stare down at me being covered by Jade's blue feathers. "This is Shrouded Stallion pony? You're sure Cocoa?"

Cocoa nodded cheerily as I grumbled and came out from under Jade's wing, tipping my hat and trying to look 'Shroud-like'. "Yes, that's really me. No short jokes... You wanted to talk to us? I've never really met a Minotaur before, nice to meet you, I'm Fast Times."

Marge snorted around the tarnished ring through her nostrils, eyeing all of us suspiciously like this was a joke on the muscular minotaur lady. She looked to trust Cocoa if no one else though, scratching her pale grey hair and shrugging. "Ok... You going to Salt Lick, right? Want to ask favor, help my people like you do other ponies."

Jade gave her a wide smile and bowed graciously, answering in her sweet voice while my eyes remained trained on the bandages around her chest still. No scarring at least once it healed completely, but I kept seeing the long horizontal slash on her perfect chest spraying blood... red... I clenched my eyes shut and shook my head to clear it, it was ok, she was fine, all over... let it go. Listen to what she said stupid.

"Of course Miss, if we see somewhere we can help, we will certainly do so. Your people need assistance? How may we help?" Jade beamed beautifully, making the pale minotaur less cautious as she nodded back.

Digging in the heavy leather pack at her side opposite the large riot shotgun on her hip, Marge pulled out a dented chunk of metal, a deep impression of a hoof smashed into it, making a weird kind of medallion she handed over. "Monsters come from Glowing Sea lately, more and more. Going through Flutterforest, heading right towards Salt Lick. You give this to Chief Steelfist, say Marge sent you, help stop monsters, join hunt if Shroud really is strong as they say. Do this, my people help you back like Miss Cocoa says you need, on my honor."

Jade gently took the scrap of metal in her teeth and nodded, tucking it away in her medical box saddlebags as she replied. "We will go directly to this Steelfist and do so then, if we can help we will do so, whether you can return the favor or not. Though I do hope you can. Thank you for asking Marge, I know asking for help can be hard, I am glad you did."

The tall Minotaur grunted and strode off, proud but willing to seek help, things must be bad there... One more reason to get moving. I left Jade to her preparations and joined Val at the bus, tossing several of the Silver Seed worker's flamers into the back one after the other as Glitter and the pale pink slave filly played nearby.

I eyed another flamer battlesaddle and all the glowing orange liquid fuel canisters she kept grabbing and tossing in, raising a questioning look to the griffon as my daughter and her new friend raced circles around us. Val chuckled noticing me and shrugged. "Blue wants ta go to the Ministry of Peace, we need fire, lots and lots of fire... Breezidores boss. 'Sides, run into those slimy freakin' zombies twice now, gonna be prepared if'n it happens again now that we can haul more loot!"

Thinking on it, a flamer would be a good defense against the speedy little monsters and I commended Val's good sense. She didn't agree with going to the MoP hub whatsoever, but she was loyal and bound to make the best of it she could, earning a warm hug as I joined her packing and went over the bus.

A few scavenged spark batteries from around the plantation topped us off for now, the flux regulator was in poor shape but operational, it would fly well enough. Now we had a way to haul things around if we needed, better a safer place for Glitter than on one of our backs, and a place to cram together and sleep wherever we wound up if need be. No fancy sports chariot or Vertibuck, but the old yellow school bus seemed fitting for us.

Mostly yellow... Glitter and her new friend had been painting one side with flowers and a childish but sweet picture of Jade with a crown of hearts. Only done with black, red and blue as their paint choices were apparently limited, but they both beamed up at me looking it over, my eyes hanging on the tiny butterfly winged shapes they had stuck here and there.

"Do ya like it daddy?! Me an' Tinkle worked hard on it! Ain't it pretty! She's seen REAL fairies daddy, can ya believe it!" Glitter bounced and pointed a paint spattered foreleg up to the closest of the illustrations with an awed look of jealousy.

"Actually yes I do sweetie. I met fairies too, they helped me. You've talked to them before Tinkle? In the greenhouses?"

The light pink unicorn filly hid behind Glitter a bit, looking up from under her dirty blonde mane. Jade had apparently been at the foal and run a brush through it, but she was still filthy and painfully thin, shuffling in her rags and answering in a whisper. I really hoped she was just nervous around any grown up, not me specifically... I was already getting too many looks from those who saw what I did last night.

She shook her head vigorously and looked up with sparkling golden eyes anyway, "Nuh-uh, they never let us go there, off limits. The fairy would come to tha window sometimes, leave food or medicine. It said it was tryin' ta help other fairies here, you saw them?"

When I nodded back, Glitter pouted and gave a shove to my chest, yelping with a snort. "No fair! You saw fairies too!! Where are they!? I wanna see!"

"Sorry sweetie, I let them go free. They were Breezies though, not Fairies. Well... sort of Breezies, maybe Fairy Breezies? They were nice anyway, but scared and hurt just like all the other slaves. They still helped me though, so I freed them, long gone now I guess. Maybe you'll get another chance somewhere."

Grabbing the pouting filly in a hug got her to brighten up despite the missed encounter, the small bundle of struggling warmth against my chest a soothing balm as I pondered that little run in. Real Breezies... one could speak pony and said they'd go home, to some 'Breezie Nation' wherever that was.

Given the wonderful Nectar they could make, I was curious for multiple reasons, but I didn't exactly interrogate them before letting them go. They were beaten and skittish little things, making my heart ache at how afraid they had been of somepony trying to help. I let them go and gave them their space, hoping they were safe still.

Glitter watched her little friend go pounding off towards the manor house, calling in a bright voice as she hit the porch. "Momma! Mom! Mr. Shrouded Stallion saw 'em too!! I told everypony they were real!!"

My daughter slumped a bit in my grip, forcing me to let go to spin her in a toss that got a mild squeal, catching her and tilting her muzzle back up from where it was frowning at the dirt. "Don't worry. We see all kinds of crazy stuff right? I'm sure we'll see more on our madcap adventures together honey, you're my little Ambassador of Cuteness right? You'll get to talk to them, they're reeeeally small, so you're the best pony to deal with them if we do! Then me I guess..."

That and a tickle got her to giggle and launch herself into a hug, bowling me over to her delight and squeezing my neck as she nuzzled happily. "I hope so daddy! I'll do a good job! Don't worry, I'm glad you're short so I can do this!" Emphasizing her point, her little hooves tightened and she flipped me through the mud in a rolling hug, giggling madly as she nuzzled and gave sloppy kisses.

Coming to a halt near the bus, I wheezed as her grip loosened and tried to wipe the worst of the mud away from her silver mane, chuckling ruefully. "Yeah, yeah, fun for you... what am I gonna do when you grow up and toss me around as easy as mom huh? Then everypony will be taller than me..."

Her pink eyes widened and looked up in thought, envisioning the day she passed me by, probably as a gangly teenager no less. Her wide grin promised more rough treatment when that day came that she obviously looked forward to, but she brought it down to a soft smile and knocked mud from my coat in return as she answered. "But you'll always be my daddy, right? I still get hugs an' kisses even when I'm older?"

"Always and forever sweetie, no matter what. Now, wanna go see some more minotaurs like that one? Go look for fairies and get in trouble?"

Reminding myself she sometimes still needed reassurance after being adopted and forming a new family, I felt a rush of warmth and light that banished any lingering shadows in my head at her brilliant smile. Glitter was my little filly, no matter how tall she grew up or ...how old she got... still a sticky thought with my extended lifespan that made me shove that fear in a deep, dark hole. She was my daughter though, her and Jade were the best things in all of the Equestrian wasteland, worth everything I had gone through and more.

Personally, I still looked forward to the day I got to introduce mom and dad to their granddaughter and my brother Better to his niece. To make that happen, I still had a long way to go.... Best to get started again.

"Oooooh.... a forest! Of course Ministry Mare Fluttershy's Trotson hub would be in such a location, I have not seen such a verdant place since what's left of the Everfree Fast. Where is the hub exactly Valkyrie?" Jade gasped from her harness at the front of the sky bus, insisting again she do the pulling for the same logical reasons she had laid out before.

She was drifting lower as she looked down at the riot of reds, oranges, yellows, silvery evegreens and browns passing below, a real forest... just waiting for a running of the leaves before winter truly came on. The bright canopy was thick and revealed nothing below, but Eyes Forward Sparkle kept flickering with motion and red dashes as we passed, making me nervous and keeping me right at her side, looking up to Val's groan of an answer.

"That'a way. Big tree, yellow shield, can't miss it." Val pointed a dark claw to the west, picking out a small valley where a glimmer of yellow was indeed visible.

Jade immediately rose and veered that way, climbing through the air with powerful flaps of her large wings that left me scrambling to keep up. I passed by Glitter peeking out the window of the bus, opting for a small bit of space to run and play versus one of our backs, but enjoying the ride and the view so far.

With enough altitude, I could make out the dome of a pale yellow shield spell, a big one... At the heart of it was an arch of silver and white, a very pale willow tree, a very big, pale willow actually... Sparkling fronds hung down and caught the morning light, the forest was its thickest and most vibrant around it, making missing the huge tree understandable.

Jade gasped at the sight and kept angling that way for a better view, pointing it out for Glitter with a shout over her shoulder. "Look dear! That must be the hub there, can you see? The Ministry of Peace grew their buildings to be in harmony with nature! Oh I can't wait to see!"

"Er.... Blue.... May not wanna get any closer, even goin' over this crazy forest is dangerous. Nobody messes with it, too much hassle. Sure ya wanna go boss?" Val tried to cut off her path towards the shining spot in the forest, gently shoved aside by the bulk of blue alicorn and the bus behind her.

"Of course he is sure, are you not Fast? You promised, I wish for my own date, and we must go to the MoP hub, for the Followers!" Jade spoke firmly, not doubting for a second she'd get what she wanted.

"Yeah, any Ministry hub is worth looking into. The MoM hub had been sealed forever but we got in right? We gotta try at least, that and the other hubs wherever they..."

A rising howl cut me off, my ears flicking behind me and my eyes following frantically. A vertibuck... easily overtaking us thanks to the pair of pegasus pilots up front, a heavily armored Steel Ranger was at the heavy minigun pointing out of the open side of the vehicle pulling in front of us. Both the vehicle, the Ranger and the pegasi piloting the vehicle and a third flying above it looked dirty and bedraggled, but the amplified voice from the vertibuck's speakers spoke from a position of superiority.

"Halt! This area is off limits! All Ministry hubs now fall under the jurisdiction of the Brotherhood of Friendship, turn back and continue on your course immediately or we will be forced to open fire!"

That crackling, booming, pompous voice sounded familiar... What they said was new and immediately prickled my tail, more talking like they were in charge of everything. I liked some of the Brotherhood, but I could do without that pervasive attitude. My horn lit up and I used my new voice spell to answer, keeping the Shroud out of my reply but not my annoyance.

"Says who! It's a free wasteland, we'll avoid you, but looks like the hub is up for grabs isn't it? We go where we want!"

"YOU!?" The speaker amplified voice shouted back, the loose power armored pegasus landing atop the Vertibuck blocking our path over the forest, stamping her hooves on the roof of the prewar vehicle.

"Target Prince!!" A second voice screamed, the left pilot of the vehicle disengaged from his position and came rocketing out, underwing novasurge rifles firing pink beams directly at me, what the fuck?!

I seemed to be the target so I dove away, banking sharply from Jade and Glitter, towards the bright canopy below. The first familiar voice shouted at the pegasus stallion speeding my way, furiously barking orders. "Private Brittle!!! Stop this instant! No order to engage was given! I know this idiot!!"

Whoever she was, her private paid no heed, closing the distance as I spun and pulled up as sharply as I could. That let me roll my way past a stream of magical energy weapon fire, but put me in his sights again with no way to outmanuever him. I was concerned for a tense moment when a glowing green shield sprang to life around me, blocking the deadly fire as Val screeched and dove on him. Her red M.E.W. blazed red beams down and Witching Hour's silver combat rifle chattered from below, the pair of infinitely better fliers covering for me along with Ivy.

Ivy's shield started moving, dragging me along in a hurry back towards the bus, the green alicorn sitting cross legged atop our bus in deep meditation. As soon as I was in range, the shield spread and enveloped the vehicle, Jade and everyone nearby, leaving Val, Witchy and Zed just outside to deal with our attacker.

(He wants you dead Fast, I cannot allow that. Word has spread among the Brotherhood apparently, there are dark thoughts there... conspiracy, plotting, an intense desire to see the male alicorn destroyed... The others are confused at his behavior at least, though I can't read the leader, perhaps they have begun implementing the Institute's psionic shielding?)

Ivy spoke telepathically as I watched Val and the others defend and chase off our frustrated attacker, he couldn't get to me and wasn't interested in taking on three deadly defenders at once.

The pegasus mare in charge broke it up, grabbing him a diving tackle that mom would have been proud of, wrapping an armored foreleg around his neck and shouting in his ear. "You will stop this insubordination this instant private!! Agent Prince is not classified as a target! Cease and desist right now or I'll kill you myself!"

After a long pause, the buck stopped struggling and hung limply in her grip, grumbling back and sent to return to his position piloting the vertibuck. The mare in charge stayed where she was, just outside the shield, close enough to recognize the red mare when her helmet slid back to reveal her scowling blue eyes and braided matching mane.

At my wary thought, Ivy's glowing shield disappeared and we were face to face. "Hello Lieutenant Dawn, nice to see you again too..."

The former Enclave mare I met in Bunker Hill kept right on scowling at my friendly hoof extended in greeting, snorting angrily in response. "You again civilian... I see you've managed to become a bigger nuisance Fast. Now leave, the Ministry of Peace hub belongs to the Brotherhood of Friendship, all you do is cause trouble and sow dissent in my troops."

I flew a little closer and ignored her smirk at my unsteady progress, at least she didn't seem to hate me any more than before, that was fair. Her behavior towards me was unchanged even if I was, her superior attitude in general was the same too, making me repeat myself. "No. I still see a shield over there. You just don't want anypony else getting close do you, were you guys sent to take it? Run into a little trouble?"

I pointed to their muddy, damaged armor and their vertibuck hitching in the air, wondering what was giving the power armored ponies difficulty. Actually that vertibuck shuddered and shook too much... it didn't sound right either, my enhanced hearing picked up a whine and rattle that was steadily growing lower deep in the machine, making my repair-pony sense tingle in alarm.

The yelp of the other pilot cut of Lt. Dawn's answer, "Lieutenant! It's happening again!!! We're losing power, instruments are going crazy!"

I would try to diagnose and fix the problem, but Jade's sudden cry made everything else much less important. "F-Fast! Is something wrong? This does not feel right!"

Our bus was sagging in the air... dragging her down slowly as the lift system sputtered under the long yellow transport. But it shouldn't!! I went over everything twice, we had plenty of spark batteries, my makeshift repairs weren't perfect, but they shouldn't be going out already! I dove for the drooping underside of the bus, ignoring the Brotherhood's matching troubles as their vertibuck began to list and sputter in the air.

I clung to the patchwork web of arcano-tech cables and equipment, immediately focusing on the damage to the flux regulator and disconnected lines, what the hell? Reaching out to plug things back in resulted in a flurry of sparks and the sound of something vital dying, what remaining lift from the levitation talisman keeping it aloft suddenly cut out and we were plummeting towards the forest.

Jade and Glitter's screams focused me like nothing else, scrambling against the G forces to repair the damage down here first. I had to cling to the bus like a spider or risk being thrown clear of it, our descent slowed slightly by first Jade's then Ivy's magic enveloping it, their powerful alicorn telekinesis lifting for all they were worth as we kept spinning towards the ground.

Keeping up a tight grip as we continued falling, I put one leg in front of the other and climbed towards the door on the side, shoving myself in and towards Glitter clinging to one of the seats. For once she didn't find a crash in progress hilarious, hitting the ground hauling this thing would be a lot more damaging than just me stumbling to the ground and smacking into something.

"Daddy! T-There! Somethin' blew up!" My brave daughter pointed a shaking hoof towards the access panel for the banks of spark batteries. Batteries I had made sure were inspected and topped off before leaving.

Glitter made a daring leap from her perch to my back as the bus spun around us. If nothing else, I'd dive out of this deathtrap and have Jade let it go, but we had a lot of stuff in here now and I spent time working on this thing, it shouldn't be malfunctioning dammit! I fixed it! This was a matter of repair-pony pride, I had fixed this thing, it shouldn't fail without a reason!

Tearing the panel open with my magic, I gaped at what I found. The main gem capacitor was just gone... lines had been cut, several control talismans were missing too. What the hell did this!? The ground was rushing up as I thought desperately, keeping an eye on the emergency escape door in the back just beyond the panel, I caught a glimpse of the vertibuck in a poorly controlled crash down to the trees, spinning in widening circles and fighting a losing battle for altitude. Something did this to both of us...

Ok... capacitor gone, fix the broken connections, bypass the missing control talismans, then cheat.. I tore through my pip-buck's inventory sorter under the 'junk' tab, flipping through the list and coming up with an empty Sparkle Cola bottle. Good enough... I crammed the bottle in the slot and started focusing magic on it, causing glowing cracks to immediately appear, come on...

Without a properly cut and enchanted talisman, this wouldn't work long, but if I could just get it to hold the spell I was trying to cast on it for a few minutes, it would serve as a jury rigged stopgap. I practiced my stupid magic primers every day, the crystalline glass should be able to serve as a makeshift gem before it blew up, I could do this, it wasn't complicated, just a capacitor...

My horn sparked and I gave the whole assembly a hard buck, gasping with relief when the system hummed back to life under us. I'd feel better, but our sudden slowing let the Brotherhood vertibuck go zipping past us, caught in a rapid, spinning crash to the forest. Diving forward as we leveled off, I leapt for the emergency exit and flew out, zooming back to Jade and floating Glitter to her back.

"Land! It won't last long, try to put it down! If it fails again, ditch it! I gotta try to fix that thing before they crash!" I yelled as Glitter clutched her mother, pointing to the careening vertibuck and moving as fast as I could at Jade's determined nod.

Oh this was hard... landing was enough of a challenge normally, catching up to a spinning, looping ton of metal in the air was infinitely more difficult, let alone trying to aim for the open side door and the Steel Ranger holding on for dear life in it. I banged off the long barrels of the heavy minigun jutting out of the door, bouncing to the ceiling and then thrown to the floor on top of a squealing bit of warm filly, that was thankfully not covered in angular steel armor at least... but I made it in somehow.

Val was right on my tail, grabbing the edges of the opening with her claws and wedging her paws at either corner, screaming over the slipstream as she drew her pistol on the aggressive pilot from before. I could see him from the cabin, harnessed among all the blinking red controls and gauges up front and moving his scorpion like tail in my direction.

"Boss what the fuck do you think yer doin'! This baby's comin' down! And that fucker right there deserved ta go with it!" Val gave the pegasus pilot wonderful incentive to lower his weaponized tail, his insectile helmet hiding his scowl.

I had to scramble off the Scribe I had flattened and shove the shocked pair of Steel Rangers aside to get to the rear hatch, wrenching it free with my strongest telekinesis and taking stock of the damage. Same thing... missing talismans, cut wires, detached connections... Ok, these were military, there had to be redundancy systems... follow the lines, primary control processor gone... panel under it... aha! Detached but still here, my tools moved in a flurry rerouting the arcane energy needed to control this thing, reconnecting it to the pegasus harnesses up front.

I cheered in victory as the system rebooted, turning back to get a facefull of leaves when the latest wild swing tore through the tops of several branches, dislodging Val with an angry squawk. I heard the pegasi up front screaming and pulling with everything they had to stabilize the dive now that they had proper control again, but we were mid crash at this point.

Val and Witchy were both chasing the spinning vertibuck and screaming as my magic spread out and surrounded the vehicle. Bailing was probably the wiser course of action, but I could only focus on one thing, adding a layer of overglow to my horn and sweating under the effort. My magic was a lot stronger, but this thing was reeeeally heavy. Just lightening it would help the pilots, at the very least it would make the crash less potentially deadly.

I really hoped so anyway, the ground was coming up fast...

For a second I thought we'd pull out of it, the latest tumbling loop was slowing as I roared and pulled with my telekinetic grip, willing this stupid thing to go up again, that's where you belong, UP! Go back to your home stupid machine! It was leveling off... then a thick tree branch covered in orange leaves slammed through the open doors, my side pierced by something jagged and amazingly painful, the world then lurched and flipped upside down as the vertibuck's inertia was completely and abruptly redirected down.

This qualified as my most spectacular crash landing thus far actually...

The leaf strewn undergrowth below zoomed up to meet us, the magically lightened steel vertibuck didn't crumple and crater at least, bouncing off and digging a long trench at each tumbling point of contact towards ....buildings? A tattered old billboard was leaning from its overgrown supports beside what must have been a road into a small town once. Hitting the buried asphalt made us bounce and twirl again, my breakfast making an escape attempt and the pale pink scribe making a screaming dive to clutch at me, caught in essentially no gravity in the center of the spinning cabin while I dumbly watched Ministry Mare Flutteryshy's faded face swelling in my vision.

“You don’t need to be a Steel Ranger to be a Hero! Join the Ministry of Peace Today!”

My sharp eyes hung on the barely legible text below that kind yellow face zooming up to meet me, then we came to a sudden stop that sent me flying, shouts and squalling metal filling my ears as the lights went out.

Owwww.... Warbling shouts and the smell of smoke brought me around again, Jade's bright cry from somewhere nearby... had to get up... Trying to do so was a horrible idea, I could barely breathe, ow... probably because of the jagged branch sticking out of my side, the remaining leaves rustling at my feeble movement.

Of course the prone and very heavy form of one of the Steel Rangers didn't help... all that armor was sprawled over me, dribbling blood down from a head turned at a sickening angle. Something decidedly softer moaned and squirmed under me too, blinking weakly, I took in the pert pink rump my face had been buried in with a weary flush, a light paler pink five petaled flower adorning the flanks and twitching tail of a matching color filled my view that way. The Scribe lived at least...

Trying to use my weakly flickering magic and hooves to shove the dead Ranger off, I attempted drag myself out of the ...upside down vertibuck... I was stopped short and a surge of burning agony from my left hindleg made me voice a gurgling scream. I was pinned, everything down there vaguely numb and what I could feel was soaking in a puddle of warm blood, while I grew chilly and shivered from blood loss.

The leaf strewn ground outside was spotted with small fires and wreckage, while one huge peeling blue eye from Fluttershy's billboard behind me watched my struggles impassively. It had fallen over the flipped vertibuck on that side, making a lean-to of rusty steel and canvas. On the plus side, me and the groaning Scribe were in equally embarrassing positions, I felt her head shift between my hindlegs and squeaked, she was a unicorn apparently... More twisted metal and wood filled the cabin that way, some of it effectively pinching on my hindleg and refusing to let go, a terrible tearing feeling coming when I tried. Not good...

Muffled movement to my left revealed the pilot slipping free of his harness and stumbling outside, maybe he'd help... Or not... his mark on Eyes Forward Sparkle turned red once he staggered free and spotted me, limping to the twisted door out and over the loose minigun fallen to the ground outside.

He darted a look from one side to another, his blank black helmet betraying no emotion, but his voice was thick with anger and fear. "M-Monster... you're halfway there anyway, you died in the crash... yeah..."

"H-Help... Jade..." I groaned hopefully, watching him canter back a step and raise his tail threateningly. Great... he was working himself up to it, hoping I just bled out and saved him the trouble...

Trying to pull my leg free again just made everything grow faint and dim, I gasped weakly around the branch in my ribs and turned towards my bags instead, potion... and Med-X, lots of Med-X... The warning click and hum of the pilot's underwing novasurge rifles charging cut that short, turning back slowly to goggle at him, mumbling to himself still. "Die already... come on, what's it take! Just DIE!"

"P-Pilot... What are you doing? H-Help!" A muffled voice under my tail sputtered as the Scribe made her presence known, shifting the shapely flanks in my face around trying to pull loose and sending my drooping muzzle back to her tail with a gasp.

Looking again, my already dry mouth grew sour, red marks... several red marks were appearing on Eyes Forward Sparkle among the green, shouts and growls outside... I gurgled and grunted at the Brotherhood pilot powering down his weapons at his comrade's weak voice, trying to point a shaking hoof that way, which he insanely took as a threatening gesture. What did he expect, that I'd launch myself at him in a frenzy?

If so he was greatly overestimating how dangerous I was, trying to drag myself forward with my forelegs against the dead Knight was the best I could do, and that brought another sickening, tearing sensation from my leg that made me whimper. Though it did give the Scribe room to brace her hindlegs, squeezing my head between them before she shifted loose. Still those magical energy weapons remained trained on me, his armored scorpion tail twitching over his back as he fell back another step, I must look much scarier than I felt...

Rising yells and gunfire from my friend's voices and the Brotherhood forced him to look up guiltily, spotting the struggling Scribe and reaching out a helping hoof before it was simply torn away in a blur. There were screams from the direction he vanished, snapping, tearing, crunching, growling... Two red marks became one that started prowling back, then three.... a rising clicking from my pip-buck coming along with the tingle of radiation that barely soothed me.

The glowing green eyes that peered from the undergrowth outside filled me with childhood fear as they drew closer, revealing the jagged, splintery face and fangs attached. Mom's scary warning drifting up from the depths of memory; "Never wander into the woods alone Fast... Timberwolves will gobble a little colt like you right up!"

A Timberwolf... Something like one anyway, a big, lupine shape compose of shards of blackened branches and rocks, and more... asphalt and rusty steel was mixed into the body, a stop sign made up one big flank, rebar and concrete snaked its way down a foreleg taking another step forward, long .50 shells and larger anti-air rounds made up a few of those slobbering teeth...

The biggest difference was the balefire though, green flames burning from its eyes and tips of its ears, up to a shaggy, flaming scruff, guttering down its spine and making a green torch at the end of its tail, the wood was blackened but never consumed, this was something new... For me anyway, the Scribe screamed and scrambled back towards the dubious shelter of the fallen billboard behind us as I gawked senselessly.

"B-Balewolves! They are very bad! Y-You can fight right? Scribe Wind's reports said.. ayah! Your leg! Oh no... hang on please!" The scribe's whispery, fear-filled voice spoke up behind me as the big wolf scratched at the narrow entrance, looking for a way in to the tasty treats inside as more of them prowled up behind it.

Fighting... sure... no problem. Whimpering at the effort, I propped the Terrible Shotgun over the dead Knight's flank and fired half a dozen rounds. Several of the slugs found the looming target outside, chewing up bits of its face and chest that were reforming as it leapt back. A growl floated back as the red marks spread around the vertibuck, the creatures yipping to each other, working together to get at the prey that bit back.

A pinch in my flank made me look back, the soothing relief of Med-X spreading out from the injector the pink mare had jabbed me with. She looked over the branch jutting from my ribs apologetically, reaching for it and suddenly stopping at the sound of a long, ragged inhalation. The Scribe ducked back behind me and pulled me along, using her dead armored compatriot as cover as everything was lit up in green and my pip-buck absolutely roared with chatters of radiation.

The torrent was tapering off, letting me struggle up and peer over the blackened armor. The wolf breathed balefire... of course it did. The last wisps were trailing from its drooling maw, the ground outside blackened and spotted with patches of green necromantic fire filling me with soothing rads.

The rising radiation helped a bit, but nowhere near enough. More of these things must be out past the three currently posing the bigger threat too, I heard fighting and yells beyond it filling the crumpled door out, Jade! Glitter! I had to move, get loose... I tugged my hindleg again and got another inch that nearly made me pass out in the effort.

"Stop! You will bleed out! R-Radiation heals you correct? If you can get out to fight, you will be restored against those monsters, but you must live long enough! Let me tourniquet your leg before you..." The shuddering Scribe yelped at my struggles, the snap and twang of plastic tubing being stretched and cinched on my burning hindleg barely registering.

"C-Can't fight long... rads help.... need lots... how bad...?" I croaked back, firing another few rounds at the next timberwolf thing to try pawing at the door, without a better shot, they were going to keep getting braver and one was digging at the fallen billboard behind us already.

"Bad! I... I hate it, but... I have combat drugs... I could..." The pained reply made me like this Brotherhood pony more immediately, she asked and didn't like the only idea she came up with, but it was a good one...

I took the decision out of her hooves. My pip-buck's health system and inventory management spells could do what I needed. She was right, if I could get out and fight, get those things to breathe more balefire maybe... I'd get better. I just had to get loose and live through the initial assault, without passing out or going into shock. This was basically the kind of thing all those wartime combat drugs were made for, better they serve their true purpose than just being used for fun.

She already jabbed me with Med-X so no more of that, Buck would help.... maybe Rampage would give me enough adrenaline to last. Aha... a single dose of Stampede was buried in my packs, a combination of the two, perfect. I emptied the drum on the Terrible Shotgun and glanced back, taking in the Scribe's frightened purple eyes and accepting the waiting prompt in my vision.

"Don't worry, I got it. Stay back and pray..."

The pip-buck's magic took the drug and administered it for me with a thought, a surge of strength flooding into shaking muscles as it started taking hold and a red haze filled my vision. Adding my wings to my straining effort and hooking the edge of the vertibuck's roof ahead of me let me give one more screaming try as the next timberwolf approached.

That tearing sensation doubled the pain, then tripled it, then I popped free with a tortured scream. Clenching my eyes and trying to stand, I fell flat on my face as my hindleg didn't support any weight whatsoever, like it wasn't even ...there... I gulped and looked back, feeling faint at the ragged stump twitching on the steel plating, the Scribe's quick tourniquet kept it from pouring blood at least.

I would be more sickened and worried at losing a leg, but the Rampage part of the drug cocktail I just took was taking hold. I didn't feel 'good' exactly, but I did feel pissed... and strong... If I couldn't use that leg, I'd stick to my wings. Best Served flashed out and cut the branch in my ribs off to a more manageable size, letting me loose to fly right at the glowing green eyes peering in.

The Balewolf must have smelled weakness, but obviously didn't know what to make of a small pony flying right at it and tackling its burning head. The big monster reared back and yipped as I clung to its head and started blasting away with Vengeance, soaking up the radiation it was putting off, along with all the guttering green balefire that blackened the outside of the vertibuck. My radiation gauge was climbing slowly, adding to all the adrenaline and bloodlust Stampede was designed to bring out in its users.

"The heart!! You have to hit the heart!" My new Scribe friend shouted behind me, nearly lost in the pounding in my ears as I snapped and gnawed uselessly at the blackened wood and junk comprising the things head.

Right... heart, maybe that would stop it from continually reforming. A better way to kill it sunk in to the delicious rage I was in anyway, looking up just in time to see one of the others nearby inhaling to blast more balefire. Good... I rolled off to the opposite side as the torrent of flames came in, using the wolf's bulk as cover and sighing at the surge of radiation as I reloaded on the fly.

Rolling across the damp, leaf covered ground under the wolf's prancing paws, I snapped Vengeance back up and shoved the silver barrel in the thing's chest, unloading the full cylinder where the radiation and glow were strongest 'Awareness!'. Wooden shrapnel was blasted away in splinters with each fall of the hammer, revealing a blackened, twisted lump of petrified wood consumed in an eldritch green light. The last two rounds were clear to hit the target and did so, the stone heart exploding in its chest and forcing me to go flapping clear as the construct simply fell apart over me.

Now I knew what to go for, get rid of these things while the drugs were working, find Jade and Glitter, try not to die... easy peasy... Another blast of balefire lit the tree behind me in green flame that added to the rads and just made me feel better, feeling my hindleg and side itch madly. I hovered a moment near the torch of flame and reached to my side with my teeth, yanking the branch out in a spray of blood the prowling wolves lapped up hungrily.

The ragged hole left behind started sealing immediately, these things were better than a healing potion, so long as that flame didn't directly hit me. I could breathe again at least, though my heart was still racing, pounding in my temples with the demand of more killing I was happy to oblige. The growl of 'Be Dark...' liked Rampage just fine, feeding off the fury and strength the stuff was designed to induce. Four more of the wolves were circling where I hovered, a little wary but determined to fight, though one was trying to slink off towards the burning vertibuck again...

I dropped a trio of grenades behind me and dove for that one, slamming into it from the side and knocking it away from reaching in the door to the Scribe's screams. The explosions going off behind us sent us rolling across the scorched ground together, my hooves digging into the branches and scrap making up the balewolf's ribs. S.A.T.S. recognized the dimly glimpsed stone heart as a target when I pulled it up, selecting a trio of rounds at point blank range and letting the targeting spell take over.

The second slug struck home, the snarling wolf turning into a pile of junk under me in a clatter, letting me spin back with a snort looking for more. One dark hunk of glowing green stone was drawing the detritus towards it, blown to shards by a reloaded Vengeance before it was surrounded by junk again. The second had been destroyed in the explosion, while the third damaged balewolf was reformed enough to try retreating. Taking a stalking step after it caused me to fall on my face again when my hindleg wasn't there to take the weight, though there seemed to be more of it back there at least.

I'd expect the last wolf to take advantage and pounce, but a long guttural howl behind it made it wince and back away into the shadows. I wondered what the hell would make it less inclined to finish this, until I saw the hulking form stomping up in its place... A much bigger balewolf... Large sections of brick walls, carriage doors, blackened branches and small trees, along with all manner of dense junk made up this one's body that was wreathed in a shaggy fur of green flames.

Rusty metal claws were coated in the flickering flames, its scruff and shoulders wore a thick mane of balefire, half the steel cables comprising its long tail were consumed by the eldritch fire forming the rest... this was the wolf in charge... A quick check of S.A.T.S. confirmed it, labeling the creature as 'Alpha Balewolf' and assessing it as an extreme threat, heavily armored, very big and healthy... lots of scrap separated me from its heart, this wouldn't be easy.

With the stew of drugs coursing through me though, I simply didn't care. It was in the way. I could see motion and Ivy's large green shield over its bulk, if I had to go through it to get there, then I would. Or I'd try... charging right at it like a lunatic just let it swat me from the air with one huge, jagged paw, sending me sailing back to dent the already smashed vertibuck with a hollow bong. Ow...

I slid slowly down to the ground with the slow squeal of a bloody squeegee wiping down a vertibuck window, staggering back up under the whitish-pink glow of unfamiliar healing magic. The scribe was peeking out of her hiding spot and helping, fumbling for healing potions in her heavy looking packs and floating one to my muzzle. Not one of Jade's green tinted ones, but I'd take what I could get, swaying woozily as the Alpha Balewolf prowled forward and wincing as my bubbling stub of a hindleg touched the ground. I had most of a hoof again... that was disgusting yet helpful...

Limping forward a few steps to match the Alpha's circling prowl and lead it away from the obvious non-combatant, I hissed through the side of my gritted teeth. "Help if you can, run if there's a chance, this won't be pretty..."

She gulped and nodded back as I drew the beast off, crouching behind the dead Steel Ranger armor and watching with wide eyes. I could hobble along the ground, though each step on my stump brought a wave of pain cutting through the drugs. Definitely couldn't run then... had to stick with flying, not my strong suit still. So long as the big brute was willing to keep its distance, I reloaded the Terrible Shotgun with the single drum of explosive rounds I had, tearing through the scrap and junk that made up its body was going to take some doing.

The drum clicked in place just as it pounced, sending me flapping up frantically and barely avoiding a razor sharp scythe that made up one of its balefire coated claws. A reflexive shotgun blast vaporized the huge paw, making it stumble and giving me room to maneuver. A rolling dive put the thing's tail up front, so I grabbed hold with all four legs and clung to it desperately, floating my shotgun a safe distance away and hammering at it's ribs, one explosive round after the next chipping away at the dense barrier surrounding its glowing heart.

The Alpha roared and spun in a tight circle, chasing its own tail and me clinging to it, finally wising up enough to flick its thick tail against a large tree nearby and knock my wind out. Hanging on just below the green torch of its tail had sent my radiation meter spiking, healing the damage as I took it, just in time for a heavy paw the size of my chest to come smashing down on me.

Sizzling drool dripped down around me as it growled and sucked in a deep breath, it was going to cook its meal... shit... I struggled weakly but couldn't move, flinching as its chest started reforming while it swelled out with impending balefire. It lost the incinerating breath in a weak puff of flame with the long roar of a minigun firing started chipping away at its side.

The Scribe had foregone the opportunity to run and floated the vertibuck's formerly mounted minigun up, yelping and cantering back as the recoil sent it up and spinning back towards her. She obviously wasn't familiar with heavy weapons, but she was trying to help even so, raising her in my estimation again.

Her bravery made the Alpha wince, growling her way but disregarding her being chased back by her own wildly firing weapon, turning back on me struggling under its paw. Val's furious screech from above was the sweetest music I had ever heard, a fiery blur coming down from the canopy that was actually camouflage for her. Her stream of red M.E.W. fire scorched the large hole I had managed to blast in its side, followed up by several 25mm grenades going off all around its hindlegs, crippling it and sending its paw sliding off me.

Val had her Shishkebab ignited and slashing, slicing cleanly through the big claws swinging at her as the monster wolf reared up. With it towering over me on its hindlegs, I was able to dive under it, flinching a bit when it crashed back down to all four paws reforming from Val's attacks.

With a thought, Blue Moon clicked out and started sparking. I was rubbish with magical energy weapons, but this one had some tricks. One good flap sent me up to the Alpha Balewolf's stomach over me. My fangs biting into a rusty fire hydrant incorporated into the thing's chest were fairly useless, but added to the deathgrip hug of all four legs as I started firing one blast after another from Blue Moon at my side.

The Alpha bucked and howled over me, jumping in place and giving me a regular upside down rodeo ride that made keeping my grip a struggle, 'Be Unwavering!' Its jagged rear claw came up to scratch me off like a flea, but Val dove and sliced it off before it came down, giving me time to reload. I could see the dark boulder that made this monster's heart, selecting the 'Ka-Boom' setting on Blue Moon, I pressed the sparkling crescent moon tip into the gap and fired the full clip at once.

The wide, flat beam of pale magical energy blasted out, turning the heart to ash and blowing out the Alpha's head, shearing off the nearest tree as the huge beast turned into a mountain of junk raining down on me. I flew as fast as my wings would take me, narrowly dodging a mailbox clattering down and not so lucky with a large chunk of asphalt slamming my flank.

A dark claw reached through the rain of scrap like a lifeline, Val grabbing my coat roughly and yanking me out with one powerful flap sending us diving away. We rolled across the blackened ground together in a ball of fur and feathers, collapsing to the ground near the vertibuck and gasping together.

"Oh you stupid bastard boss! Are ya happy!? Ya saved one! Only nearly got killed for it!" Val panted beside me, reaching a shaking claw up to the sky and letting it fall limply to thump my muzzle for punishment.

Since there were several guttering green spots of balefire nearby, I groaned tiredly and leaned up, waggling my stump of a hindleg where I could see it slowly regenerating and fighting my stomach. It was pink and prune-y looking... stubby fur filling in near where it had been torn free. My hoof, the one I was born with, was still in the vertibuck... Should I bury it? Burn it? I had that hoof all my life, now I didn't anymore...

"Urk... Sorry Val. Had to... Jade!! Glitter!?!" With the haze of drugs lifting, I remembered what I was trying to do other than survive, I had to get up and find them!

Val wound her claw into my coat and held me down from weaving my way up, "They're fine, took care of them firstt. Not proper bodyguardin' but they're safe, no runnin' off ta find more troub-"

A low growl cut off her complaints, forcing us both to drag our heads up and look around. More Balewolves circling us... fantastic. Val sneered back at the monsters and hopped into a predatory crouch, she glanced over at me fumbling my way back up and her violet eyes widened taking in my missing hoof, glaring my way and spreading a red wing protectively over me.

The bravest of the four wolves lunged through the air, jagged fangs slobbering green drool coming right at us and... WHAM!

I blinked in confusion at the pile of junk where the wolf was, there was now a steel club formed from the bottom half of an ornate lightpost, a head of concrete still clinging to it had smashed the wolf's body to tinders and pulverized the heart in one blow, held by a hulking shape stomping up behind it.

Another wolf turning on the newcomer was skewered by a spear of blackened wood and jagged, sharpened scrap metal. A booming cannon blast of a rifle took down a third, then a blur of movement charging from the undergrowth went after the last trying to run. A muscular, upright thing ran it down with surprisingly quick strides given the weird two legged movement. A huge, rusty sword made of a carriage bumper smashing through the balewolf's chest and ending it.

Our rescuer tromped forward on two hooves, a minotaur... a very big, very strong, very scary looking minotaur... His coat was darker than mine, marred with lighter patches of scar tissue, wearing ornate leather armor decorated with bones and feathers. A pair of long horns curled up from his thick brow, ending with sharpened metal caps that had distinct bloodstains. The hulking minotaur loomed over both of us, glowering down and making me very nervous.

One dark, hairy arm shot out and the monstrous creature's weird hand things grabbed my foreleg, yanking me up like a winning prize fighter and shouting in a booming, cheerful voice as I dangled limply in his grip. "OH YEAAAAH!!! They tried ta block and you showed that you rock! Proof enough right boys!?! Big Blue pony wasn't lying! This is the Shroud!!"

He had me in a headlock before I could react, but a friendly one? Considering this thing could probably snap my neck in this position, getting noogies wasn't so bad. I wheezed a weak reply, managing to wave off Val's instant scowl and reach for her pistol. The trio of burly minotaurs were green on Eyes Forward Sparkle, and they weren't freaking Balewolves.

"Er... Hi?"

Discovered Location: Rainbow Brook

My pip-buck updated as soon as we trudged our way down the road, past the vertibuck crash site and closer to the ruins nearby. The land leading east of the river and swamps beyond was hillier, hard to tell under the canopy of trees from above, but appreciable down here under it.

What had been a small prewar town was just another wasteland ruin now, though in this case, nature was taking over as it should have with the rest of the world to begin with. If we hadn't poisoned everything with our stupid war, things might look more like this all over, maybe we'd be better off that way...

Most of the buildings here had once been humble thatched roof homes, a few sturdier businesses that held up better, narrow streets arrayed in a winding path criss-crossing over a dry creekbed that led off to the west repeatedly, passing several stone pools full of scummy water. Trees and other strange plants grew throughout all of it, prickly weeds poking up through the cobblestone streets, spiky evergreens poked right through roofs tumbling around them, vines snaked their way over the grassy mounds of tougher buildings near the center of town.

The focus of the village held a rotting wooden gazebo, still the center of activity, but for a small gathering of hide tents and small fires. A hunting band of Minotaurs made their camp here, cooking, cleaning their varied and bizarre catches and tending their wounds, lots of wounds... They had it rough it seemed, not that I wasn't pretty banged up myself.

They were very hospitable anyway... After tackling my thankfully safe and sound wife and daughter in a grateful embrace, Jade breathlessly informed me the minotaurs had ridden their shaggy, nimble, six legged radgoats out to investigate the crash. Jade's quick thinking of displaying Large Marge's badge made her and the others friends of the tribe to be helped, when she begged them to follow where Val had flown off to, they got to watch the show and that put me even higher in their estimation.

Apparently, these minotaurs respected the hunt, fighting off balewolves missing a limb was good, taking down an Alpha on top of that was better. I had to deal with several hearty slaps to the back that sent me reeling as they passed, busily putting on a mid-morning meal of exotic meats they had butchered here in welcome. They were all rough and scary looking, but nice so far.

Jade huffed at the latest such congratulations, helping me back up and fretting over my regrown hindleg. I could do without Glitter continuing to poke and tickle it... The thin fuzz of fur filling in rapidly -thanks to a few blasts of Jade's Gamma Gun- was very sensitive and the limb itself was weak, but I did have four hooves again...

I could also do without Scribe Sakura Blossom doing the same thing... slurping an orange Rad-Away packet down and prodding at the appendage with her pale magic. The pale pink unicorn scribe eagerly informed us she was a medical specialist, instead of a repair-pony like Summer. I was glad Jade had found a new friend, but she was both very touchy and pretty, not a good combination with as much radiation I had absorbed to survive all that saving her.

"Fascinating... and you were a normal unicorn previously Mr. Times? Do you think I could have some blood samples? Examining the changes made to you may help with my research into making more effective radiation medicine, you process it very efficiently. Are there any side effects? Glowing green? Growing? Visible aura perhaps?" Scribe Blossom murmured in delighted curiosity, poking my hoof again and making me giggle despite myself.

"Fast's side effects are ...unique... Scribe Blossom. I would be happy to discuss my own medical records if it would help, your research sounds brilliant and I would be pleased to contribute. A better version of Rad-Away would certainly help you at the moment, do you need more yet?" Jade smiled brightly beside me, the Scribe's medical focus endeared her to the alicorn doctor immediately.

In answer, the pale pink mare took another long slurp at the disgusting, orange flavored drug and shook her head, waving a pip-buck bedecked foreleg in answer. "Back down to green! Much better already. May I really see your data Dr. Jade? I've examined your kind in the past but never had an opportunity to get any hard information about the process itself! Though I suppose this case is unique as you say, but still! Oh if only we had gotten in to..."

"Scribe! That's enough..." Lt. Dawn glared from across the bonfire we were seated at, huddled together with her surviving Brotherhood of Friendship ponies, other than the friendly Scribe Blossom of course.

A single stallion in Steel Ranger armor that had been thrown clear of the crashing vertibuck, the other pilot who bailed out in time and Lt. Dawn herself. From what I had managed to gather from the angry red mare, that was down from half a dozen former Rangers and Enclave each. Her stern order made Scribe Blossom look up absently, but she shook it off almost instantly, returning to poking my hoof with Glitter and humming in thought.

"Why don't we cut to the chase Dawn. It's nice to see you again, now let me guess... you're after the MoP hub, but you can't get in. Now your transport is trashed and you're low on troops, but I bet you still want to claim it's yours right?"

I thought her braided blue mane would burst into flames as she scowled back, crossing her forelegs over her dark armored chest and pouting back. "Interesting to see you again too Mr. Times, nice wings... You've found a way to become more of a nuisance than before somehow, it's impressive really. The hub is ours... All Ministry facilities are under the jurisdiction of the Brotherhood of Friendship and New Canterlot Republic...."

"Except that one, you know, the one I took? That one's not yours. Oh, and the M.A.S. hub with all the alicorns already living there. Neither is this one it seems, you can't get in, it's not yours. So, want to tell us what happened? I would have expected to see you at the shield itself, not this far away, with a bunch of minotaurs no less. They sound like they know you already." I smirked back, somehow happy at her snotty attitude being exactly the same as before. She didn't hate me any more or any differently for being an alicorn, she disliked me for entirely different reasons, more of a frenemy really. Which was halfway to being friends!

Sledge Smasher, the dark minotaur in charge, laughed and answered for her, giving the pegasus her own heavy slap to the back that knocked her around too, even in power armor. "Ha! Back again, told you to leave while you could missy! These big bad Brotherhood in their fancy suits and ship come right on in ta take a stroll through the woods little Shroud pony! Tried ta warn em about this forest, but oooooh no! Turned back after trying to wander off into the woods, stuck here with us for a couple days and finally got em out of our hair, just for em ta crash again! Ha! Believe us now prissy pants?!"

Lt. Dawn's pouting grumble wasn't very informative, prompting Jade to ask politely. "Believe you? About what sir? We are interested in reaching the Ministry of Peace hub as well and would be glad to take any warning you may offer to heart."

The rough looking minotaur grinned with a mouthful of yellowed teeth, displaying Marge's mark made his tribe like Jade already, her working on healing them along with anypony who needed the same equally had made her a pony to be respected more. "Least some of you silly ponies will listen! You got less ta worry about anyway lady! Less fancy tech, the gremlins won't bother you as much!"

"Gremlins?" Glitter looked up and asked for me curiously, a slightly fearful look crossing her face.

"Yes, pack leader Sledge did try to warn us. I admit I thought it superstition as well, though in retrospect it seems there's a grain of truth there. Lt. Dawn still doesn't want to hear anything about gremlins though, but the results were..." Scribe Blossom tapped notes into her pip-buck and kept prodding me, cut off by her Lieutenant's glare.

She wasn't going to shush the minotaur though, chuckling to himself and pointing a thick finger towards the power armored ponies. "Were what I tried ta tell ya, weren't they? Gremlins little missy, forest spirits, they don't like tech, cause all kinds of mischief. You ought'a be ok, long as ya don't try flyin' that bus outta here, they'll put up with personal firearms and what not. Big fancy flyin' ships and power armor though? Like puttin' on a great big 'kick me' sign out here! Wasn't it Dawny?"

A hearty clap to the back made Lt. Dawn's wings twitch in annoyance as she ground her teeth and pouted, unwilling to reply to the mild ribbing. I raised an eyebrow her way, looking over their damaged and roughly repaired armor and weapons, they had run into trouble hadn't they?

Having Ivy looming over Scribe Blossom and obviously annoyed at the pale pink mare taking her spot let me cheat, her soft mental voice speaking up along with a flood of images and memories delivered rapid fire. Dawn and a full complement flying in, a familiar vertibuck malfunction over the forest, a forced landing at a known prewar town currently occupied by the minotaurs.

Then Dawn leaving a pair behind to repair the vertibuck, arguing with the minotaurs and striking out into the woods, monsters, fighting and constant problems, suit malfunctions, weapon jams, missing ammo and supplies... Dawn forced to turn back, returning to her transport to leave and get more help, pausing to try to shoo us away and then the rest... It was practically poetic justice really, if we hadn't been caught up in the weird attack too that was.

(The surly Lieutenant still refuses to believe, but her troops do now Fast. There are terrible things in the forest, but they fear gremlins most of all now. They rely on and worship their technology, having it ruined and turned into a liability is abhorrent to them. Dawn herself is furious and proud, they must ask for help now and she doesn't want to. Walking out with the minotaurs when they leave with her tail between her legs and nothing to show for it is her biggest fear. She may be willing to compromise, anything to salvage what she views as a complete failure. She doesn't know how to ask though.)

(Thanks Ivy, let's find out then, keep an ear out so long as she has her helmet off.) I nodded back and smiled to the green alicorn beaming back proudly, finally losing her patience and shoving the smaller Scribe aside to wiggle her way to my side.

Taking a better look at the minotaurs, I saw their gear wouldn't suffer such problems. Only a few personal firearms were on display, most of them seemed to do their hunting with massive spears, strong bows with long, barbed arrows, knives, clubs and other melee weapons. No advanced technology, no mysterious malfunctions. If I hadn't experienced it myself, I'd find it silly, but something fried two sky vehicles in short order, just for passing over the forest.

Zed had been enjoying the company of the minotaurs so far, finding a horned spiritist among the group and speaking in murmured conversation together. Talk of forest spirits drew him back to the larger conversation and he voiced a question I had myself. "Ponies are amazingly disconnected from the spirits, I am unsurprised these in particular did not take your warning to heart. Though I am curious, your Large Marge who gave us her mark said your people needed help, but you seem very self sufficient. Why do you need pony help? Er... not that that's a bad thing...."

Jade's glower forced the zebra to soften his question a bit, getting a friendly smirk out of her as she nodded to the gathered minotaurs sweetly. "Yes, asking for or giving help is never a bad thing. I am interested myself as well, how could we help you when you had to help us? You seem very strong and wise, what could we possibly assist you with?"

Sledge shrugged cheerily and waved to the woods beyond the borders of the ruined town, "Dunno! You're that Princess pony and the Shrouded Stallion though, right? You make stuff better yeah?! Monsters keep coming in from down south what don't belong here, riling all the game up, pissin' off the spirits. No idea how ta help with that, but you guys figure that kinda thing out! We'll be fine either way, but you should talk to tha Chief. All of ya can walk out when we're done with this hunt if ya want, that bus of yours has got wheels anyway! Gremlins won't mess with a regular ol' cart on the way out."

I had been keeping a careful eye on our battered vehicle parked nearby the minotaur's own trio of radgoat drawn carts and nodded, we could pull it down the broken roads easily enough, so that was ok. Without proper parts it wasn't going in the air again short of using a lot of telekinesis to float it though, my makeshift cheat had fried a few more fuses and circuits in the levitation system.

Even without Ivy's help, I could see how much the mention of leaving empty hoofed burned Lt. Dawn as well, she was on the verge of total failure on her mission and it pained her. The fact her medical specialist had survived to this point was still giving her hope, meaning she owed me, which only further annoyed her.

Four Brotherhood were manageable, plus I did feel somewhat bad for her, less so for what I had done to piss off the rest of the Brotherhood, but we should try... to be better... I sighed and looked from her to Sledge, rubbing his furry hands together in glee as a roasted radhog was brought by a heavyset brown minotaur. He wrenched a leg off easily, the meat falling off the bone and making my fangs extend in a rush of saliva, waving out to everyone to take a meal together.

I was surprised when Jade did so, floating a small hunk over on an offered piece of bark, along with some of the strange grasses we had been told were safe to eat, a fancy buck snack cake from Glitter and a glowing red bottle of Sparkle Cola Rad! that was her favorite joined it in her magic as she tucked in. She normally was a vegetarian... was she being polite?

As I watched she smashed the snack cake with one big hoof, her tongue stuck up out of the side of her muzzle cutely as she played with her food. She rolled the meat around in the mush to coat it in orange carroty-tasting sweetness, then wrapped the whole thing in grass and started taking big bites of her creation happily, her stomach gurgling in anticipation as it reached her soft lips. I wasn't the only one watching the odd display, her cheeks were puffed out as she chewed and blinked at the attention, slowly licking her frosting coated hoof while everyone nearby watched with matching disgusted looks.

Almost matching, Ivy's held a raised eyebrow of suspicion, but Jade's furious chewing let her gulp some down and look around in blushing embarrassment, mumbling around her meal softly. "Mmmrrr is something wrong? Mmm hungry, it is very good, thank you Sledge for your generosity."

"N-No hon, glad you like it..." I gulped, remembering Jade's idea of cooking differed from most ponies wildly. She liked what she made anyway, her eating meat was an oddity, but we were omnivorous as my own sharp canines readily tearing into roasted radhog proved.

Minotaur hunters were awesome cooks... my eyes closed in a blissful expression and it took a few minutes of chomping before I remembered to get back to our hosts and our own mission here. "Mmmm! Thanks Sledge! So, you're going on another hunting trip from here before you leave right? Is there any way we could head towards the MoP hub? Sounds like we need knowledgeable guides, if we could go take a look, I'd be glad to leave back for Salt Lick with you after. Then we can try to figure out if there's anything we can do, umm... we're not magicians though, I don't know what we can do about changing a horde of monsters migrating this way."

Grinning around a mouthful of meat, Sledge's head bobbed rapidly as he boomed a reply. "Sure Shrouded Stallion! We can try to the western woods, always good hunting that way! Hub place won't let you in, but give it a shot anyway! Them that don't try, just cry! We'll leave soon, take some rest and feel free ta wander the camp, we keep these ruins fairly clear!"

Relieved at having a cadre of powerful minotaurs that knew the woods to lead us, I smirked over to Lt. Dawn and tried to sound consoling. "So Dawn, want to try again with us? I won't let you just have the hub, but we probably can't get in anyway. At least getting there will give you something to report right? Kind of help me make up for... er..."

"Blowing up a major military resource? If you promise not to destroy this one then... y-yes... A joint operation is acceptable Mr. Times, I make no promises for how much goodwill you'll get, but I'd rather this not be a complete failure. If you and Mr. Sledge's people will help, I'll take it..." Well, she was still sulking and mad, but willing to work together. Any Brotherhood that didn't want to kill me just for existing was a plus in my book, we really should try, maybe running into Lt. Dawn again would give us another chance with the military group.

Sighing as I leaned back into the blue and green wings curling around Glitter and myself, I munched happily and looked around the crumbling village. Probably cleared out or ruined by the invasive forest, but I could use a walk anyway, try to get used to this new and weak rear hoof... Plus the place was vaguely familiar somehow, but the only thing I could dredge up from the nagging thread of memory was ...rainbows... there should be rainbows here. More than simply because of the name, I just felt it somehow, there should be rainbows...

"I promise I'll try really hard not to blow up the Ministry of Peace hub Dawn..." Jade's horrified gasp at the thought gave me an excuse to nuzzle her neck and reassure them both. "I'll try, really, reeeeally hard, I swear. So long as there's not horrible monsters infesting it, or weird biological research that could be a plague that makes ponies turn cannibal and go crazy or anything, we want it too. Besides, we probably can't get in right? It took me weeks to crack the MoM hub and we don't have that kind of time, sorry Jade..."

The wistful look in her sparkling blue eyes made me desperately hope I was wrong and could find a way for her, but she nodded and smiled brightly. "I understand Fast, merely getting to see it will be a treat! We... we will know what to do when we return at least, someday you will find a way in for me, will you not my love?"

"Anything for you Princess. I promise."

Mission Updated: Lifegiver

Objectives------
---~~Find the Ministry of Peace Hub~~
---Follow the minotaurs to the MoP Hub
---Gain entry to the MoP Hub

Optional Objectives------
---Help the Brotherhood gain entry to the MoP Hub

-------------------Level Up!----------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------------

Mighty Alicorn Telekinesis (Rank 1)------
---You're getting used to your new magic slowly but surely, but attempting to lift a vertibuck maaaaaay have pushed your limits a bit. Just like building a physical muscle though, straining yourself results in growth and opening up to what's possible. You triple the mass that you can levitate with your alicorn magic, putting you at Twilight Sparkle tier with the simple spell.

Reputation Change!-------------------------

Jamocha Plains == Idolized
---You kept up your end of Glitter's mercilessly extracted deal, gaining a new ally and member of the Kingdom of Sanctuary. They may not be able to help much in a fight, but Jamocha Plains has its own strengths and they trust you as a true friend now!

Salt Lick == Accepted
---The hunters of Salt Lick view you as a friend of the tribe simply with Large Marge's mark. Taking down an Alpha Balewolf missing a leg earned you their respect too. You should receive a fairly warm welcome for a pony when you arrive and word spreads, until then you've got valuable guides willing to help you out in their home turf.

Ch. 71-- Hunter / Hunted

Trotson Ministry of Peace Hub Intel

Minimal military value, high priority medical site, Institute infiltration level unknown.

Suggest sending a full cooperative double squad, assessing feasibility of access with an eye towards back door entrances, the MoP hub is likely to have the easiest security to bypass. Records show it being consistent with other major MoP facilities, no lethal security measures of any kind, squad load out should be with an eye towards the wildlife as the primary threat, potentially minotaurs as well from preliminary info.

Highest priority is the ARC project, Hippocratic Research records indicate crossover between their theme park shell business and the MoP. Initial flybys of the area support Proctor Quiz's theory, local plant and wildlife is anomalous. Recommending Scribe Blossom for the medical specialist, would have been one of those Followers if we hadn't been the ones to find her first, she's in the right head space for this mission, put some of that crazed curiosity to use.

Update---

Reprioritizing MoP mission with all the others, due to actions of Paladin Dance's recruit candidate... Occupy the access point if nothing else, eliminate or encourage any non-hostile locals at such locations to move on. Establish forward outpost and cordon off the area, these facilities need to be under Brotherhood control. Elder Macson is personally interested in the MoP ARC project for obvious reasons, if true it also provides a powerful opportunity towards the restoration of Equestria. Ad Victorium Lt. Dawn.

"Soooo... what's the ARC project?"

"W-Where did you get that!? That is classified mission intel for Brotherhood eyes only!! How...!?" Lt. Dawn's red face got redder as she shouted behind me, making our minotaur guides wince at the noise she was making on a hunt through the deep, dark woods.

I didn't mean to scare off any game or announce our presence, but I did want a reaction out of the tight lipped mare. I tried being nice quite some time as we walked down the overgrown roadway, leaves crunching underhoof, weaving with the landscape alongside the meandering dry creekbed through the dense forest, asking friendly questions about what the Brotherhood was doing going after the MoP hub, what they expected to find, what they had run into here so far, anything.

Since she continued her sulking silently through the whole trip, I finally broke out my stolen information from the Brotherhood database and started reading aloud after the last time she turned me away, looking back from trotting along with Jade pulling our damaged school bus to her widening blue eyes and scowl.

"I found it... nevermind how. So? Feel like talking now or should I keep reading? I found lots more I still haven't gone over yet, may as well fill the silence somehow right?"

At the lead minotaur's raised hand, I shut up and listened as he grumbled back in a whisper. "Better if you don't. Coming up on See Saw's, Yao Guai territory, going to see about taking a few if we can cull them. You ponies make too much noise."

"Er... Sorry Sledge, I'll keep it down. Yao Guai?"

"Bears fast, mutated bears. It is a zebra term." Zed murmured back from his position up with the minotaurs leading us on their strange radgoat mounts, they were fellow hunters and the zebra stallion seemed to be enjoying himself joining in their hunt.

Both the zebra and the minotaurs kept some distance, a few of the radgoat riders spread off the rough road we were following to either side, slipping through the undergrowth quietly at our flanks. The Brotherhood were fairly loud clanking down the road, but with our chatting, plus hauling a bus and with both a loud griffon and a playful filly in our group, we weren't precisely quiet either.

Still, our new friends were forgiving, the forest was already riled up and full of noise from outside monsters migrating through, we were informed a few ponies making noise weren't really spooking the game any more than they already were. If they were relying on silence, they'd probably be pretty frustrated with us, the light pink unicorn trotting along backwards ahead of us being a prime example why.

"Oh there's no point being all cloak and dagger Dawn! The ARC project was totally benign! Fascinating from what I've been able to read, a preservation project by the Ministry of Peace, they collected samples of flora and fauna all over Equis, trying to ensure our effects on the environment didn't end up destroying it, er... as we did I suppose. But still, just a collection of biological samples, though the records are fairly thin, there was an implication they were trying to proceed up to...."

"SCRIBE! ENOUGH!" Lt. Dawn hissed at the jabbering medic, getting her to blanch momentarily, then shrug as she returned to closely watching the hitch in my step. I was still getting used to my newly regrown hoof...

Her excited explanation gave me a few tidbits to mull over though. Samples of plants and animals from all over the world, lots of plants here that shouldn't be growing but did. Why would Elder Macson be personally invested? Choosing to keep my musing to myself so Lt. Dawn didn't go off again, I smiled and tried to tear Scribe Blossom's bright gave away from my leg, focusing on her own in front of me.

"Just a friendly warning Blossom, most things in the Commonwealth involving experiments that are supposed to be 'totally benign' usually aren't... So, umm... did you get that pip-buck from the Brotherhood? Or...."

Blinking up from under her billowy pink mane, Scribe Blossom beamed back and held the arcano-tech device up proudly, shaking her head in answer. "Oh no, I got it when I got my mark, back in good old Stable 19! You're from 111 correct? The stasis Stable? The things I read about that one were very interesting, a lot of attention went into it. Do you still have any of the stasis pods? I'd dearly like to examine one! I have so many questions!"

"Er.... I'm sure you do, I can try answering them. You have me at a disadvantage though, you know about mine but I don't know about Stable 19. Maybe you could fill me in? Convince these guys not all Stables were death traps or dens of insanity?"

A dark look crossed Sakura Blossom's delicate features, smiling sadly in reply. "Many were unfortunately, including Stable 19. We were the 'Cultural Exchange' Stable. My ancestors were from Neighpon, there were many others from places like Saddle Arabia, Trottingham, Stalliongrad and so forth. We were meant to keep our traditions alive, share them with the other groups, build a new society from the best of all of them... That is why my features are a bit different than most Equestrians, along with the name and cutie mark."

I puzzled over that a moment, her facial features were a bit exotic, she was a bit shorter than most mares, though that was just a plus in my book, and she was still a bit taller than me... The name I could see being foreign, and the flower cutie mark was a bit stylized and looked a little different than similar marks of flowers I had seen before. Most cutie marks seemed to follow a similar art style actually... was it cultural? The way she answered didn't make me feel great counting on her as proof of a working Stable though.

"What happened?" I asked quietly as she turned to walk facing forward again, following her pert little rump swaying ahead of us and fighting against the radiation that had allowed me grow a new leg, but also made me a bit of a pervert.

"We didn't learn from the past, we repeated it. 19 devolved into tribalism, keeping cultures alive turned to believing one's own culture superior to the others, maintaining purity, fighting over discrimination. It ended poorly... The Steel Rangers who uncovered our Stable came in at the end of a bloody conflict that left it little more than a wreck. I was grateful to be rescued as a filly, even to a wasteland. It is full of so many interesting people and things, all equally struggling to survive! A world of infinite potential! I admit I am guilty of 'crazed curiosity' from time to time, eh Lieutenant?" Scribe Blossom grinned to her commanding officer, only making her sulk more but thankfully keeping it down.

"That was classified Scribe... not for your ears. I'll ask again Mr. Times, where did you get that file?" Glitter gave a guilty 'eep!' from between Jade and I at the Lieutenant's suspicious questioning, flinching away from the Brotherhood mare's raised eyebrow her way. The filly's easily read reaction did get Dawn's scowl to soften a bit anyway, snorting with exasperated amusement. "Using children are we... how 'heroic'... Not to worry child, I prefer blaming your neer do well father anyway, we'll just keep my suspicions out of my report."

Glitter was still clearly eager to change the topic, prancing out among the intimidating minotaurs up front without a hint of fear, returning to her litany of questions for the new oddity of minotaurs the little filly had been befriending as easily as basically everyone else. "So what's the scariest thing ya ever hunted here Mr. Sledge?"

"Cockatrice. Little bastard decided ta hunt us on one of my first hunting trips, turned my pack ta stone and left me all alone! Caught em though, that's this little fella right here!" Sledge flicked a bleached, beaked skull dangling from the leather pads on his broad shoulders to Glitter's wide eyes, hopping up repeatedly for a better look.

Jade gasped in fright and looked all around in the gloom, her worried question still concerned for those who were hurt though. "D-Did you get it to undo the spell Mr. Smasher? If you caught it I can only hope it restored those it had turned to stone. A-Are there many cocktrice in these woods?"

Sledge answered in a gruff chuckle and shook his head, "By 'caught' I mean I dragged his carcass back ta camp, wasn't near good enough ta try baggin' it alive without being able to look at it. Ain't many of em around, but if ya see a chicken in the brush, look away huh!"

"Is that the most dangerous monster Sledge!?" Glitter asked over her mother's shiver, the only thing that had scared Jade more was when she warily asked about something called 'killing joke' when we left Rainbow Brook, calming when assured it at least didn't grow here. I wasn't sure why she was so frightened of it, it sounded like Poison Joke, which could be annoying but was fairly harmless.

I was interested in Sledge's answer here too, so far we had run into; giant scorpions that burrowed underground to come clicking up in ambush, carnivorous pitcher plants that floated and flung poisonous gunk, thorny dark green vines that snaked out of the undergrowth and nearly yanked the heavy power armored Steel Ranger off his hooves, to a waiting thorny maw like a giant venus fly trap, pine trees that launched pine cones at passers by that burst into flames, a smaller pack of Balewolves more easily driven off, and a smaller variety of Bloodwings that were more active even in the day under the gloomy canopy of the forest, thankfully Witchy proved excellent at scaring those away. And Breezeidores of course, lots and lots of breezidores, muddy, misshapen hives were stuck up in the trees at regular intervals, forcing us to keep our distance or discourage bold attackers with fire.

That was just the hostile creatures and plants that felt like making a try even against such a large and well armed party. E.F.S. was constantly flickering with unseen dangers that didn't come out, red and even some green dashes flitted around so much it was getting hard to take the trustworthy function of my pip-buck seriously.

Sharp eyes and hearing had let me spot a trio of 'Radstags' I pointed out to Glitter, just before they bounded off and disappeared rather gracefully for having two heads. I was also fairly certain there were quite a few bunnies and squirels about too, barely registering rodents disappearing under the plants or up the trees more than once, I could swear one of the rabbits had horns though... my eyes must be playing tricks on me in the perpetual dusk down here.

Sledge's guffaw of laughter to our little filly didn't make me feel better about having her wandering these woods with us. "Not by a long shot little missy! Even without all the crap from the Glowing Sea, there's plenty of nasty buggers ta deal with. Most of the Radcrags stick with the marshes, but some find a nice bog or pond here and stake it out, there's Yao Guai and Manticores further north, Cipactli and Reavers in the ponds and creeks, really smart Radcoons we barter with sometimes, even a Hydra prowlin' the eastern edge near the river."

"What's the meanest, toughest monster around huh? I bet my daddy could beat it, that'd make all your friends back home like him right?" Glitter's chest puffed out in pride, making me wince at her casually volunteering me to take on the worst of the worst.

I shrunk behind my wings as Sledge's uproarious laughs spread to his fellow hunters nearby, grinning broadly and scratching his scruffy goatee in thought. "Hmm... toughest around... The weird sisters then, he'd get lots of honor for taking those bitches down. Not goin' anywhere near their territory down south though, us puny hunters are no Shrouded Stallion so they'd gobble us up kiddo!"

"S-Sorry... she has an inflated opinion of what I can handle Sledge. I'm sure you weren't trying to insult these nice and much more experienced minotaurs, were you sweetie?"

My daughter blinked back in confusion a moment, her pink eyes widening as she gasped in realization and shook her head rapidly. "OH! No! You guys are awesome Mr. Sledge! I didn't mean ya weren't, just... m-my daddy is too is all... Sorry?"

Neither Sledge nor the rest seemed insulted, the burly dark minotaur grinned over his rippling shoulders as he patted Glitter's silver mane, sending even the tough little earth pony into a stumbling canter. "So we hear! Takin' down an Alpha Balewolf injured like that was pretty good for a pony missy, I'll give ya that! Since yer comin' ta Salt Lick anyway, ought'a give 'im a chance ta earn some honor on the hunt too I guess, since you vouch for him! What'dya say Shroud, wilin' ta join the sacred hunt, that says more than any fancy words will to tha Chief, we'll let you join if you want. Gotta stop in our favorite Yao Guai grounds soon anyway, it's no dragon or cerebus, but good enough right?"

I still wasn't sure what I thought about hunting in general, let alone joining in what was obviously an important ritual to these friendly minotaurs helping us. If I was hungry and relying on killing animals to live it'd be one thing, but technically I barely needed to eat anymore, hunting for meat would be more because I wanted to eat the flesh of animals than for actual hunger, still something that occasionally made me queasy when I thought about it.

Still, it was a honor being extended to me, even jokingly. We wanted help from Sledge Smasher's people too, taking them up on their kind offer and hopefully impressing them couldn't hurt. If they wanted me to track down and kill one of those sadly twisted but somehow majestic Radstags, I'd be right out. Yao Guai though...., they sounded vicious and foul tempered, killing something that wanted to kill me wasn't so bad.

I had to flinch under Jade's disappointed huff on agreeing, but as best as I could tell, it was the right thing to do here. "I'd be honored Sledge, I've never been hunting so I'm in your hooves ....er.... hands rather." Val giving a forceful 'AHEM!' reminded me to try to expand the invitation after I accepted. "Oh... umm... Val wants to with us, if that's ok. She's tougher than me anyway, why she's my bodyguard, so she'd be mad at me if I left without her."

Zed trotted up and gave a curt bow as Val clucked her approval, speaking respectfully to the minotaur leader. "I would be interested in joining your hunt as well, our peoples share many things in common and joining your ritual would be a unique honor."

"We don't have time to engage in silly minotaur games! We need to remain on mission and-" Lt. Dawn tried interjecting herself into the conversation, promptly cut off when her black and red trimmed power armor sparked from between her wings and gave an unhealthy whine.

Before saying anything, my eyes had locked on her green dash on E.F.S. and I held perfectly still watching for a moment, I could swear I saw a flicker... Nothing now except for a malfunctioning suit and a pissed off mare inside it. I had my suspicions though...

Sighing before she launched into another tirade at the mysterious maintenance issues of this forest, I held a hoof up to cut her off. "Stopping will give me a chance to go over your armor again too Dawn, looking like regular inspections are pretty necessary out here. Besides, we're on their schedule, not the other way around. They're doing us the favor remember? The hub isn't going anywhere, calm down."

Lt. Dawn returned to sulking, but grudgingly ceded my point with her scoffing one word pout. "Gremlins..."

"Inflation from the war my ass! Just bleedin' us dry and using the war as an excuse! This company store horseapples was a bad idea explained with lots of pretty words like fiscal responibility, but now you've just stopped even pretending! Ripper rental fee!? Ball Chain came up with those gadgets, stealin' the idea and makin' a fortune off a military contract through your fancy 'contacts' not enough? Gotta make us pay for the privilege now too!? Why stop there, next thing you know, ponies will just start making other ponies slaves outright! Fuck this company store and fuck you See Saw!"

* * *

Judging by the skeleton behind the rotting old rolltop desk with a weird, rusty, miniature chainsaw stuck in its ribs, I was guessing the sender of the dirty holotape I found took things into his own hooves at some point. A faded hanging sign outside nearly covered in crunchy leaves identified the building as 'See Saw Mill Company Store', a convenient shack at the wide road trailing away from the main path we had been following so far.

The piles of scrap that used to be shelves were long ago cleared of anything valuable, though Val did find a safe in the back with quite a haul of prewar bits and a dose of Hydra. Mainly the store was a clearing to park our bus at, a spot for me to go over the three remaining suits of Brotherhood power armor and fix the constantly reappearing damage, and a spot for those not joining in the minotaur's ritual hunt to hang back and wait.

A larger, billboard sized sign further down the road pointed the way towards 'See Saw Mill', our destination according to Sledge. Val and I checked our weapons over and left Jade and the others behind, well protected by Zed, Witchy, Ivy and the four Brotherhood members taking the opportunity to rest. They were already tired from trying this once already, without the benefit of minotaur guides even. I had forgotten how exhausting trudging along the ground could get after just a short time with wings to carry me above it all, now I was sure a lifetime of jealousy over some of the advantages pegasi had was justified.

Our guides communicated in gruff whispers when they had to make noise, odd signs with their hands and wiggly fingers let them do so completely silently too. Val and I stayed with Sledge slinking through the undergrowth, letting me marvel at how creatures so big and bulky could be so sneaky, Val was like a bull in a china shop behind me, while the actual bulls were practically ghosts as we closed in on the map marker in my vision ahead.

Map Updated, flashed in my eyes as we drew close to the ruins and I peeked over a thorny reddish bush covered in purple berries. The trees were having their revenge on the ancient saw mill, overgrowing the grounds and slowly burying it. There was enough to see what it had been though, a pair of rotting, roughly cut, telephone pole sized posts held up the remains of another sign over the road in, only 'See Saw's' remained visible at the gates to the old business.

A rickety, barn like structure still stood mostly intact, made of greying petrified boards still scorched on one side. A waterwheel had fallen from the side overhanging the creekbed, the rusty axle it was formerly mounted to poking out above it and leading back into the dark building, a series of rotting belts and corroded gears used to transmit the steady power to a variety of saws and other machines inside.

Outside were rows of cut and trimmed trees, stacked in tumbledown piles before the rusting hulks of several lumber machines. The dead contraptions looked like Cogsworth crossed with a forklift, a variety of spindly arms with claws and a much bigger version of the Mr. Handy's buzz saw remained frozen where they had been for ages.

Fighting had happened well before we got here apparently, from the bushes off the road I spotted at least half a dozen Yao Guai corpses near the edges of the ruin, the tiny forms of a dozen Breezidores were busily feasting on the carrion not far away. There were still plenty of living examples wandering about though, dens were made in the crumbling buildings and in piles of lumber, if I had to guess I'd say those we could see outside weren't that happy though.

They did look like bears alright, really big and scary bears... Thick, mottled, wrinkly hides with only patches of dirty fur left them looking oddly naked. They still had their long claws and fangs though, and the lack of fur let one see all those dense muscles in more detail than I cared for, the big beasts were more than Jade's height just on all fours, let alone when they decided to stand up on their hindlegs, as I spotted a few doing. They looked like they'd be a challenge even for the intimidating crew of minotaurs one on one, plus there were more of them than there were of us.

A thick, straight tree was partially buried in the loamy soil, it had been roughly carved into a stylized pony shape, a leftover branch forming the horn of Goddess Celestia. A ...what were they called again... a totem pole, like Buffalo in my history books carved. A few others were standing beside it in varying stages of the same rough carving, the weathered edges of the most finished bore a striking resemblance to Ministry Mare Applejack.

Half a dozen Yao Guai milled around these alone, rearing up to scratch their mottled backs against the rough wood or adding their own deep claw marks to the wood at the base. I was intimidated just watching them, wondering how exactly Sledge and his hunters planned on hunting here. I turned to whisper my questions to our minotaur guide and stopped on taking in his scowl, staring up to the shattered steeple like portion of the mill building.

A loud, guttural roar that direction helped me focus on what he was staring at, gaping in confusion at the magical monster perched high above the grounds below. A bear... bear-like thing... Even bigger than the Yao Guai, with an extra set of forelegs sticking out of its chest, a bulbous abdomen spread its hindlegs out to make room for the sharp stinger there. Spiky, chitinous plates covered parts of its body like combat armor and a large pair of insectile wings buzzed on its back. The thing growled and roared down from above, pointing a claw here and there that the Yao Guai below seemed to be following, this thing was in charge?

"Fucking Bugbear... shit..." Sledge informatively gave me the name of the monster I was staring at, a tense edge to his voice as he drew a massive sawed off shotgun, ...a quadruple barreled shotgun... a lot of duct tape and wire had joined two double barreled, pony sized shotguns together into a cannon Sledge flicked open to start loading with a grimace.

"Er.... Bugbear? Is that the Yao Guai in charge? Like... a bear version of an alicorn?" I asked in a curious whisper, the name was familiar from dad's books, but the image in my mind looked a bit different than this thing.

Val snorting muffled laughter let me know that probably wasn't right, but it seemed valid. They were all bears right? Maybe a bigger, winged bear was one that had 'ascended' like ponies, a Yao Guai princess kind of... apparently not though. "Nah boss, they ain't related..."

"Another uninvited tourist from the Glowing Sea Shroud, Bugbears don't belong here. They can push regular bears around easy enough. Probably killed most of those dead Yao Guai just'a prove who's the new boss. Must'a come in recently and decided ta settle in, form a new colony. Yao Guai territory's always a good spot for us, they come here to mate, pair off before hibernatin', lots of stuff, it's a regular fishin' hole kinda thing. If this thing settles in though... Bugbear don't taste half as good and they're twice as hard ta kill. Gotta get rid of it now, before it digs in." Sledge answered in a gruff whisper, sticking his odd fingers in his mouth to whistle birdcalls that were returned from around the mill.

"Ah... ok, can we help? Sounds like it's a problem for you guys, just tell us what to do."

Sledge gave me an appraising stare and furrowed his thick brow in thought, humming to himself and staring up to where the Bugbear perched. "Hmm... Drawing that thing out would be a problem... it'd throw all the Yao Guai at us first, don't care if they die but we do. We only cull out a few when we come this way, we wanna thin their numbers, not wipe em out. Having a couple fliers with us though... this ain't the easy hunt we expected, but a little help is probably a good thing. Sure you're willin'? Bugbears are nasty, even we don't like tanglin' with em."

I checked over my weapons again, rapidly developing the habit of constant vigilance with 'gremlins' about. Tightening a few suspiciously loose connections on the Last Minute, I nodded up to Sledge and spread my wings in readiness. "Well, I can hardly chicken out with my daughter bragging so much can I?"

"Takin' down that big bastard is worth street cred with you boys, right Sledge? We got this..." Val growled and her weapons clicked menacingly, a slight hitch to her grenade machinegun reloading sending me to her flanks to tinker with it first.

Zed nodded along as well, murmuring a sincere reply. "This outsider is disturbing the natural order here, the Yao Guai population will suffer if it is not removed, be drastically weakened and unavailable for years to come if you are forced to come at it directly as well. Fast is not much of an outdoorspony, but does have a talent for killing difficult foes. Let us help."

A toothy minotaur grin answered and Sledge whistled a few new noises, sticking his head above the foliage to make a few hand signs and point down towards a narrow pond nearby. "Will definitely make an impression little pony! Ok, will have half my hunters draw the Yao Guai off, if you can get that thing down and chasin' ya, we'll set up at the old warehouses that'a way. Bring it down to us an' we'll take care of the rest! Sound like a plan?"

"More like one than I usually come up with... Ok, we'll handle the flying stuff if you kill the huge monster."

Sledge practically melted into the vegetation, his mark on E.F.S. disappearing well before he should be out of range. Zed pointed out a row of railcars near the mill on rusty tracks nearly buried under the leaves and dirt, a good spot midway between our target at where the minotaurs were setting up. "Lead it that way, I'm more comfortable on the ground anyway. I will handle any stragglers chasing after, without killing them."

Considering the zebra stallion could paralyze foes with just his hooves, his plan was good. He and the minotaurs had the right priorities that made me respect the hunters more, they weren't hunting for sport, they didn't want to hurt the Yao Guai population, but live in harmony with it. Lessons ponykind had unfortunately forgotten, as the industrialized deforestation business before us attested to.

With Zed on his way and the minotaurs most likely already in place, I flapped my way straight up quietly, aiming for a large, sheltered branch in the fiery orange leafed tree above. Living trees were still an oddity I was continually happy to see again, all this time flying recently, but I hadn't gotten to engage in one of the more fun things to do with the new ability, fluttering up to the treetops so far out of reach before, getting a close look at the squirels and other wildlife that lived up there.

I even spotted a furry shape blurring away as I wove my way over to my selected perch, leaping out into empty space with wild abandon that nearly made me yelp for its safety, surprised to see it spread its paws wide and stretch loose skin between them to first glide, then fly away to another tree.

A spiny ridge of stretched skin sprang out of its bushy tail and its 'wings' seemed to spread once it caught the air, those long buck teeth looked rather sharp too... Still, a squirrel! Getting to see the agile display up close like this, I was heartened by what I had been turned into. It hurt, it came with problems, made me a freak and exposed me to bigotry I had never known before, but getting to fly... to see things like that... It was worth it.

Landing on and clinging to the swaying branch in mild panic, I grumbled at Val climbing up the trunk beside me. Her sharp claws dug right in the bark, letting her hang in place and walk along the vertical surface with ease. I wrapped my hindlegs around the thick branch under me, stretching out on my stomach, the whining gauss rifle the Last Minute poking out of the leaves ahead of me.

We didn't have to wait long, cracks of random gunfire came with several minotaurs charging out of the trees on the other side of the complex, riding their speedy radgoat mounts, swatting at roaring Yao Guai as they passed and making themselves big targets. At the commotion, the huge Bugbear flew out of the open loading door of the upper floors of the mill, landing on the steeple to give deep throated roars of orders to the furious Yao Guai below.

It demonstrated more intelligence than the simple forest creatures below, directing half a dozen after the retreating attackers, another dozen split up to the sides in a pincer maneuver and a few from inside the mill out to be on guard for more threats. It was wary leaving some defenders in place, but had still sent most in pursuit and wasn't keeping an eye on them. Sledge must be right, it didn't demonstrate any concern for the Yao Guai following its orders, potentially sending them off to their death in droves.

That was enough to convince me it deserved what was coming, adjusting my aim in a rush now that it was outside in the open. I held my breath and lined up the shot, really hoping to send a 2mm slug through its head and end this in one surprise attack. "Here goes Val...." I murmured softly and pulled the trigger, sending the electromagnetically accelerated round blurring across the distance separating us.

Hopes for a quick and silent finisher were dashed when the damn thing chose just the wrong moment to move, ducking aside and getting a sonic rainboom speed slug of metal punched through its shoulder for its luck, rather than its head. It screeched in pain and fury, flying straight up with a roar to find where the attack had come from.

Luckily Val had started moving as soon as I pulled the trigger, soaring up to the bright oranges and reds of the canopy as camouflage and diving back down right on top of it, a rain of red magical energy weapon fire coming down and scorching the beast's hide in several places. Val was an agile and expert flier, but the Bugbear was a match for her, those small insect wings propelling it after her with surprising speed. There were grunts and roars from below out of several Yao Guai noticing the battle, but none of them could reach so they were left as an audience.

The monster moved too fast to expect another rifle round to find the target, so I drew Vengeance and the Terrible Shotgun and flew after them. Despite how wrapped up in the aerial battle Val was getting, we were supposed to be bait. The Bugbear narrowly missed nailing Val with that long stinger, swatting at her with both sets of left forelegs as she dodged, a spray of blood followed her weaving dive down to the mill building as I finally made my way in range.

A few barks from the Terrible Shotgun got its attention away from following Val into the building, where she was hopefully drinking down a healing potion and recovering while I kept it busy. The mottled black and yellow carapace on part of its hide really was as tough as the best combat armor, cracking and leaking blood from one spiny plate on the chest that took a shotgun slug dead center, but the shot didn't penetrate. The rubbery hide not covered by such armor was still tough, a bloody gouge appeared on one such unarmored section, but not the significant hole I hoped for.

I did successfully piss it off at least, it roared and dove right at me, nimbly dodging another pair of shotgun blasts as it closed the distance and I scrambled in midair. Diving straight down was the fastest I could go, but it was still overtaking my desperate escape attempt and there were at least three Yao Guai down there waiting for me to come in range. I respected the minotaurs being responsible hunters, but this would be a lot easier if I were free to shoot anything in the way.

An exceedingly sharp set of claws raked my side as I flared my wings, pulling out of the dive and trying to swoop through the splintered gap in the wooden wall blurring by. I halfway made it anyway, clipping the side and smashing through the rotted wood in a fumbling crash. At least the Bugbear wasn't inclined to exactly follow my pitiful flying, pausing at the narrow gap and swiping with its claws to widen it behind me.

Yao Guai were growling nearby, trying to force their way into the musty building as I staggered back up. I landed in some kind of equipment room, the wide open space beyond the door out was filling with red dashes on E.F.S., Yao Guai charging in and around the rusty saw mill. A long conveyor belt still had a big tree halfway cut by the huge vertical circular saw blade at the end, chains and cranes hung down from the ceiling to move the lumber around.

The gadgets arrayed on the moldy corkboard in front of me caught my eye even with the Bugbear on my tail. Miniature chainsaws like the rusty example in the company store up the road. Small enough to be held in a pony's mouth, with a metallic strap off the compact arcane power supply and drive system, you could strap them to a foreleg?

Grabbing them all in my magic, my pip-buck identified them for me as I fed the half dozen devices with magical energy. The 'Rippers' all buzzed to life, swirling around me before I directed them at the Bugbear squeezing its way in. Their rusty metal teeth chewed into the monster's hide and armored plates alike, forcing it to backpedal out again with a dozen bleeding, ragged wounds.

Impressed at the handy arcano-tech devices, I stashed a pair of them in my packs and added Best Served to the ones remaining. I could only guess they were used for trimming branches and such as they were far too small to cut down a tree, but they were pretty useful. Flying straight up in the big room outside before the bears caught up, I gave them another test and sent a circle of them chewing their way through the ceiling. The four mini-chainsaws ripped their way through the wood in a wide circle, giving me a way up to where Val had landed when the round chunk of wood fell away.

The space I crawled up into above made me blink in confusion for a moment, spotting Val tossing land mines around and running for her while still gawking at the weird decor. What had been some kind of dusty storage space was hard to make out now, everything was covered in a dirty yellow, waxy substance, spread on the walls and dripping down to the floor, formed into a great number of roughly hexagonal holes covered in an opague film.

Squirming shadows were visible behind the foggy layer covering each hole, foal sized comma shapes with six short stubs on their sides. Val answered before I could ask, throwing out another mine near a big clump in the corner and giving a hard grin. "Looks like the bitch has been busy huh boss? Can't leave her slimy lil' babies or it'll just be a bigger problem soon."

Larva... they were baby Bugbears... Staring in at the nearest little sluglike shadow made me feel very conflicted. The droning buzz of the thing approaching outside only gave us a few seconds, but I felt a panic at my indecision. The Bugbear was a monster, if it set up here and reproduced, it would take over, probably kill the rest of the Yao Guai off when they weren't needed anymore. But ...babies... even if they were monster babies, they were babies... we couldn't just blow them up, could we? But if we didn't, they'd cause more harm. But if we did, wouldn't that make us the monsters?

Val knew me well, turning back and taking one look at me putting a hoof against the thin barrier over one cell, wincing back at the aggressive twitch of an underdeveloped stinger from inside. Her claw grabbed me by the scruff and yanked me back, giving a little shake as she got in my face with one violet eye on the open window up the wall.

"Don't start boss, Blue's the full on bleedin' heart, not you. These little bastards hatch an' the first thing they're likely ta do is start killin' the nearest prey ta practice on, can bet that bitch is keepin' bears around just fer fresh food fer her brood. We ain't killin' baby monsters, we're exterminatin' pests, now get yer shit toget-" Val's gruff little pep talk was cut short by the light in the room dimming and a furious roar, the Bugbear had flown up to her entrance and spotted us again.

The soft thump of several 25mm grenades from Val's hip engulfed the narrow entrance in flames and she dove for the hole I had made from below, dragging me with her and taking the decision out of my hooves, pulling the pin and tossing a regular metal apple grenade behind her.

Rushing to escape, she kept her tight grip on my mane and dove through the open space of the mill, streaking straight for one of the large, empty windowframes and dragging me with her. We smashed through the rusty metal bars almost completely devoid of glass, hitting the open air with the growls and roars of a lot of Yao Guai below chasing us.

A series of detonations sent a blast wave rolling out behind us, loosening Val's grip as we spun in the turbulence and giving me a good view of the Bugbear's nest. Val's mines went off like fireworks, blowing the wooden structure to splinters and sending the flaming ruins crumpling in on itself to the mill below. Hopefully it put itself out or the blaze would stay confined to the mill building, I really didn't want to both wipe out baby monsters and start a forest fire in one day...

Unable to right myself in time, I crashed through a rotting roof of rough timbers held up by four posts and no walls, a place to store the stacks of milled lumber I smashed into apparently. I shook myself off and stumbled back up, glad I landed somewhere off the ground with the Yao Guai charging my way. The distinctive boom of Val's big pistol let me pick her out clinging to a swaying pine tree nearby, firing at the crowd of red on E.F.S., the pistol wouldn't do much to seriously damage to the beasts giving chase, but did slow them down a second, giving me time to get in the air again.

An howl of pain and blinding rage echoed through the woods, a dark shape smashing out of the flaming top of the mill and buzzing above it. The singed and bleeding Bugbear was missing a hindleg on one side and a middle leg on the other, it still had murder in its red eyes, scanning all over until it spotted us again and screaming its fury as it dove right at us. Well... we definitely had its attention, I was pretty sure it would follow us into the gates Tartarus now.

The remaining Yao Guai followed its bellowing command as we flew off, Val dragging me up to closer to her speed by my coat. The ground bound monsters fell behind quickly, right on track to follow between the rusting train cars, where I barely caught a glimpse of black and white stripes hiding in the shadows. Zed was ready to delay the Yao Guai when they came, meaning all we had to worry about was the Bugbear streaking after us.

The tumbled down warehouse we were aiming for was perched right on the edge of a small lake, leaning halfway into the still waters and surrounded by a huge pile of fallen limbs and trees. Sledge was waiting near the wide open warehouse door, waving us on and ducking back behind a rusting truck, his shout of "Go straight through! Don't stop!" was odd, but we were trusting the skilled hunters to handle this thing.

Turning back in Val's grip let me face our pursuer, the smoking Bugbear was closing the distance steadily, a few more shotgun slugs slowed its rapid flight at least as we dove into the warehouse. I heard Val grunt and was slung through the air in front of her, left to madly flap and try to avoid the warren of beams and branches filling the dark space. It was too tight for Val to drag me with her, opting to fling me ahead and bound from perch to perch with her claws, shoving me forward and squawking furiously when the monster chasing us crashed in, sending a stream of M.E.W. fire behind us as I scrambled forward.

There wasn't much left of the dock door in the back, half submerged in the murky water with only a diagonal corner clear. We sped through, skimming the water with my hooves and pulling up sharply ahead of the roars and crashes behind us. A sharp whistle and splashes behind us made me glance back, spotting the pair of minotaurs crouched on the roof waving us back the way we came.

A heavy net was draped over the exit from the leaning roof, tied to heavy boulders I saw a third hunter tossing over the edge as a third was doing. I'd noticed all the minotaurs had well tended nets among their gear, this looked like they had strung them together into one larger barrier for a much bigger catch.

Heeding their advice, I gave a hard backwards flap, putting on the brakes and turning back to run across the corroded steel roof with them. More crashes and roars were sounding out right under my hooves from the Bugbear smashing through the weird wooden maze, its red mark on E.F.S. steadily moving forwrad, along with more? Lots more... lots more red marks right under us...

We ran back the full distance of the warehouse again, leaping from the roof down to where Sledge had been hidden. Another strong looking net had been strung across the more level front door, the woven vines didn't look like they'd pose much of a barrier for the Bugbear's sharp claws, but clearly they knew something I didn't.

Suddenly the roars rose in pitch and intensity, the whole, unsteady building shaking crazily as my ears picked up squeals and chittering noises along with the Bugbear's pained cries. Unable to stop myself, I trotted to the net and peered in, instantly wishing my eyes weren't quite so sharp and able to see in the dark now.

A swarm of dark, mottled ...things... were pouring out of the piles of timber inside, rough, bark-like hides and four paws ending in sharp claws. Each had a wide, flat tail dragging behind its bulbous rear, the thick hide back there made each look like a gnarled wooden club. Most disturbing were the glistening fangs though, an arrow of razor sharp buck teeth curling down past what should be the limits of the thing's jaws. There were dozens of the creatures inside, all of them chattering angrily as they leapt at the struggling Bugbear, each swipe of those fangs tearing big chunks of the creature away.

"Reavers... never mess with em, you see why." Sledge's gruff chuckle beside me made me jump back from the gory display that had me transfixed, stammering up to the grinning minotaur watching the bloody show.

"W-What?! What the hell are those things!? We ran right through there!!" I yelped back, realizing how close I had come to the vicious little monsters' nest.

Sledge's hearty slap to the back sent me stumbling as the other hunters bundled the nets back up quietly and started leading us away. "Reavers! Not wastin' the blood and ammo it'd take to bring that bitch down when there's a nest of these little bastards right here! They're not really a problem out of the water, unless yer dumb enough to smash through their den of course! Knew you'd be fine little pony, slipped right through didn't ya?"

Taking one last look over my shoulder and giving a shudder as the Bugbear's red dash on E.F.S. winked out, I quickened my pace up the trail, meeting Zed rejoining us only slightly worse for wear. The zebra knew what I was trying to cope with better than the others, answering in a low voice full of respect for the minotaur and their tactics. "Mutated beavers Fast. They know these woods well, used a nearby adversary against the threat. Quite resourceful isn't it?"

"S-Sure... resourceful..." Of course I would have liked knowing of their resourcefulness before I was sent through a den of land piranha...

After the minotaur had field dressed their Yao Guai catch they had culled out of those drawn off from the mill, we were on our way again. Making steady progress to the west with, only a few stops for some new threat or mysterious malfunction. The road sloped down as the gentle hills started rising above us, the already chilly temperature dropping a few degrees as we entered the valley of the MoP hub.

The dome of glowing, pale yellow shield ahead dominated the view, the closer we got, the bigger the huge willow inside looked. The afternoon light glittered off the silvery green leaves hanging down in a curtain all around it, it had an odd regularity to its natural irregularity, the glint of glass windows here and there betraying its artificial nature.

Filling the valley between us and it was a sheltered town of ruins, bisected by the road we were on and the creekbed it followed, leading straight to the MoP hub. There had been a great number of thatched roofed homes like back in Rainbow Brook, though these were in better shape, along with a lot of sturdier brick and concrete buildings.

As Jade's excited hoofsteps clopped down the crumbled stone road with our bus bouncing along behind the super strong alicorn, my pip-buck flashed with text; Discovered Location: Willowville and I struggled to keep up with the overjoyed medic. "There it is! There it is Fast! Oh it is beautiful! Do you see Glitter dear? As I said, a real treehouse hmm? I cannot wait to get there! Your father will find a way in and we shall-"

"Shush big pony... rile up the Breezidores if you make too much noise. Be too loud, attract a crowd! Hold up a minute." Sledge held a hand up and his crew of hunters stopped as one, flopping down to take a break in the street and digging in their leather packs.

Jade's whinny and pout was too adorable to ignore, the break gave me a chance to force her to unhitch from the bus and accept nuzzling attention to cheer her up, trying to stop her shifting anxiously on her hooves. "Easy hon, it's not going anywhere. Trust me, these guys know best, we'll be there in no time. Try not to get your hopes up so much anyway ok? Putting a lot of faith in me breaking through it somehow and that's not likely."

Having the big alicorn scoop me up into a deep, passionate kiss, even in front of everyone watching with varied smirks or stuck out tongues proved how happy she was anyway. She nibbled my ear and whispered huskily while our audience sniggered. "I have faith in you. Period. You will find a way for me, somehow. I cannot wait to inform Miss Remedy once we have secured this hub for the Followers, she will be so happy!"

Val made retching noises at the sappy display of affection and popped open the rear door of our parked bus, digging around inside with her rump sticking out and long tail flicking back and forth. "Yer happy anyway, right Blue? Could care less what some fancy pants, big shot head Follower in charge thinks. Doin' this fer you, not her, eh boss? Alright, new toy time all you lugs, brought this shit fer a reason."

The half dozen flamers Val had pilfered from Summerset Plantation were tossed behind her rapid fire, the bright griffon following a moment later on her hindlegs, her claws full of glowing orange canisters of fuel for the fiery weapons. She set these down gently, then started grabbing the weapons in pairs, heading to Witchy and Zed first and dropping them in front of the confused pair before racing back for more, clucking to herself the whole time.

"One fer you, one fer you, one fer you..." I yelped and scrambled after her, that last 'you' was Glitter prancing in place and holding her hooves out, rewarded with a heavy flamer battlesaddle bigger than she was, that she immediately hugged to herself in glee.

"NO! Nuh-uh, you are not playing with that thing Glitter! Val! What are you doing!?"

Floating the poorly maintained weapon away from Glitter's strong grip brought her with it, forcing me to shake the flamer in my magic vigorously to dislodge her and earning me her puppy-eyed wrath. "DAAA-AAAD! No fair!! Aunty Val gave it to me! At least lemme shoot it once!!"

Witching Hour nosed at her own flamer a moment, taking a deep breath and shouting out in a nearly inaudible range towards the ghost town being overgrown by the dense forest below. Her slitted amber eyes widened as her ears flicked getting the return echo bouncing back, turning back to the flamer and hoofing at the harness to figure it out as she nodded rapidly my way. "Y-You may want to let thine child hold on to it Fast... that place is infested with tiny creatures, the Breezidores I imagine? A-After being stung by one, I for one have no interest in repeating the experience."

My mouth dried up at her horrified expression, how bad was it down there? Before I could ask, Sledge came over and tossed half a dozen bundles of dried herbs near the flamers. He was in the process of rubbing another of the bound plants across his broad chest, a spicy smell drifting through the air around him from other minotaurs who were lighting them aflame to smolder and smoke.

"Wasteland bug spray, won't stop em if they get bold, but they don't like it and it masks our scent. Don't advise any pokin' around in the ruins, no matter what temptation... Damn things have hives everywhere out here." By the way he raised a scruffy eyebrow towards Jade still prancing to herself in glee, I got the idea they were worried about more overexcited outbursts from a certain big blue filly.

"Right Sledge, don't worry, she'll ummm... get it out of her system. So is it only Breezidores? Do you guys not come here to hunt anything? Doesn't really look like the place has been scavenged either."

Sledge waved a thick, scarred arm out to the village in the shadow of the MoP hub and shrugged. "No good hunting, just a fuckton of Breezidores, always has been. Same reason no one's really done much digging in the rubble, Breezidores are territorial, usually let you pass if you don't dawdle, but screw with things around their hives? Nasty little things go bugshit!"

"Where do they come from Sledge? Do you know? You guys really know these woods and all the stuff in them, I only knew them as Breezies before the war, any clue how they wound up like this?" I asked curiously while trying to hold a squirming filly down and rub the bundle of slightly stinky herbs on her pale coat, Breezidores still bothered me on a fundamental level, of all the things the wasteland twisted into monsters, seeing what it made Breezies into really got to me for some reason, more so after seeing there were still real Breezies around.

My hopes for getting a clue thanks to some minotaur wisdom didn't look good though, Sledge scratched his head in thought and muttered to himself a moment, shrugging back when he was done with a smile. "Nope, always been that way. Granny Rolling Pin may know back home though. She used ta tell stories 'bout fairies when I was little, good little spirits that would leave gifts for lost travelers, visit garden plots and help the plants grow, that kinda thing. Said Breezidores weren't always bad, that they're like ...hmm... Like tiny little zombie ponies I guess, from the bombs. That's not quite right though, undead don't reproduce, they're dead after all. Breezidores do, a lot."

Well, that was a little more information anyway. So they were alive... admittedly my first thought on getting a good look at one was just as Sledge had said, they were like tiny ghouls in a way. If they reproduced though, they had to be alive, mutated and twisted into vicious little pests, but alive. There were a lot of twisted forms of life in these woods as the 'Reavers' and Yao Guai demonstrated, along with all the trees growing in what was a wasteland everywhere else, plus the strange crops growing on farms all over on the borders of the forest. The Ministry of Peace hub was a focal point for a lot of weirdness, I wanted to know why.

Jade and Glitter both chose to focus on the positive, the big blue alicorn took over so the two fillies could help each other continue rubbing themselves down with our herbal Breezidore repellent. They whispered back and forth quickly and both turned a matching pout on me, "We are still jealous Fast. You have now not only seen the last migration of true Breezies, but seen modern 'Fairy' Breezies as well, when no one else has! At least we got to see a picture of the migration, if you see more you must tell us both immediately."

"Yeah daddy! S'not fair, how come you get ta see the fairies lots and I ain't even once!" Glitter stamped her hooves in a cute pout and crossed her forelegs, floated up in her mother's magic to rub the bundle of dried plants on her tummy to her uncontrolled giggles, totally undermining the cross expression she was going for.

Rubbing the stuff in my mane gave me an excuse to scratch it and think, but still coming up blank... "You've said that before Jade, that you were jealous I got to see Breezies once? Did I? I don't remember very well..."

A light blush lit my princess' cheeks and she scuffed a hoof at the road, digging in her medical box packs and sending a well preserved old photo flying over in her magic as she nodded back. "Yes! Er... I did tell you it was one of my favorites... you were a very cute foal Fast and that is a wonderful picture, is it not Glitter?"

Staring at a version of myself younger than Glitter, I could only give a weak smile at my daughter bobbing her head rapidly in agreement. "Ya-huh! It's funny seein' you so little daddy! You're cute, I'd wanna be friends with you, like that bright yellow pony in some of the other pictures. Then you'd have two friends! We could play together! Not that we don't anyway, but it'd be different!"

Putting aside Jade's huff at the mention of Sunset in some of her other pictures, I had to agree. The ecstatic foal squealing in the photo was cute, I could hardly reconcile that pony with myself now, but I had been him once. What bothered me was how I still couldn't remember, even staring right at the proof. The way my own red eyes were filling my face and sparkling, I doubted this was something I'd forget, but I had anyway.

A pair of light blue forelegs held me up from out of frame, somepony holding the wingless little unicorn in the photo high up among the clouds. That dark foal's face looked up in wide-eyed wonder, surrounded by bright diaphanous wings attached to tiny pony shapes, dozens of Breezies were clearly visible within the view of the photo.

Many more tiny specks were in the background too, filling the blue skies around a cloud town floating in the background in a wavy course following the breeze, thin ribbons of rainbows cascaded down from it to the ground below. Something was odd about breezies being that close to young me... I just couldn't put my hoof on it, the fog blocking off that memory distracted me too much.

The best I got was a tickle of memory, a feeling this was true and happened to me, but I couldn't actually remember it at all... I was younger than Glitter in the picture, it was a long time ago, even discounting the 200 years I had spent mostly asleep. I supposed forgetting wasn't that unusual, but it seemed wrong, how could I forget that?

My concentration trying to trace down that ragged thread of memory was short circuited by Val, pinching my cheeks from over my shoulder and grinning. "Awwww, boss is such a cutie-wootie! Enough memory lane though, help me get the bits I can't reach boss, you scratch my back, an' I'll scratch yers!"

The bright orange rump stuck in my face and wiggling showed how Val's definition of 'back' differed than the norm, insistently bouncing in my view until I took the bundle of herbs from her claws and floated it up to her actual back, rubbing the tribal concoction in her fur between her wings and letting Ivy eagerly take the photo. Weird, but I really couldn't remember and the bouncy griffon was taking most of my attention now, demanding I not cheat and use my magic while shoving my rubbing hooves lower, over Jade's huff of annoyance.

"Valkyrie, I would be happy to assist you in reaching certain a-areas instead..." Jade glowered as Glitter clambered up to get her mother's back before I had the chance. I liked them growing closer and spending time together as mother and daughter, but I really would have preferred to be the one who got to do that job...

Having my hooves roaming over Val's lithe body was a good substitute anyway, making my mane itch and wings spring up, quickly losing myself under the influence of a lot of radiation I still hadn't fully absorbed, the needle on my rad meter still firmly in the yellow. I didn't exactly need much encouragement to follow the gentle arch of Val's spine to the base of her flicking tail, my fangs lengthening as I stared at her bar-code cutie mark thing, hanging on the scars and licking my lips, I reeeeeally wanted to kiss them better still.

"Nope! I like boss doin' it! Pay me boss, keep goin'! Woooo... gettin' a lil' frisky ain't ya?" Wait till it's my turn!" Val grinned back over Jade's protests, her playful flirting and jokes actually helped me keep control, she liked messing with me, but was learning how far she could take it now after my outburst in Jamocha Plains and getting some things out in the open.

Witchy blushing brightly beside us and holding her own bundle in her needle sharp fangs only added to it though, giving a nervous, demure smile and turning to put her back to us. She fluttered her leathery wings and wiggled that ample rear anxiously, looking over her shoulder to murmur in embarassment. "A-Actually... when you're done I could use help as well... I-If thine Princess agrees? A-And you don't mind of course... helping like that, w-with me?"

"I must insist on the same treatment too sister. Mmm in the interest of Fast's mental health of course, you want him to learn self control after all." Ivy returned the photo and trotted up merrily, presenting her long back to me and ruffling her wings impatiently.

Even without being able to feel the thoughts running through her head, I could see the mischief in her eyes easy enough. Her mental presence kept lightly brushing my own and keeping tabs on me, her psychic scruntiny had actually intensified as I tried to remember when the photo was taken, but she wasn't saying anything, just flicking her tail invitingly and smiling over her shoulder at Jade's frustrated snorts.

My mane was now all pins and needles, like just the grey hair and scalp had fallen asleep and was stinging its way awake again. I could see little sparkles in Ivy's, Witchy's and even Val's eyes, spreading to Jade's unsure stare as well and softening it. If we weren't preparing to head off to the hub and potential danger.... if we only had a little time, part of me was frantically volunteering ways to find somewhere private and convince all of them to slip off with me for a bit...

Cutting me off before I really got going, Jade nickered to herself and huffed, "If the two of you need help, you can help each other rather than wait, is that not so? We have neither the time nor p-privacy for shenanigans. Enough teasing all of you... some other time perhaps."

The bright purple eyes of Scribe Blossom seemed to pop up out of nowhere in the midst of very thoroughly rubbing the dried plant matter into Val's rump, her horn glowing pale pink and washing over me as she bounded forward and stuck her muzzle directly in my mane, taking a long inhalation and gasping as I fell back in surprise.

"Aha! These are the side effects you mentioned Dr. Jade? Fascinating! Subject's pheromone production seems off the charts, from sebaceous glands in the scalp it seems? Very pleasant! Ah, fangs! Do they come out consciously Mr. Times, or is it a subconscious reaction? Do your wings ache? Is that standard spontaneous wing erection as experienced by pegasi during puberty? Of course, a recent development for you so still not mastered. Oh my... your scent affects all mares? Not just other alicorns? I myself am experiencing elevated heart rate, sweat production, a pleasant dulling of faculties accompanied by minor mating response... how interesting."

"There appears to be a magical component by ocular response in nearby females, can only assume mine are doing the same as well, need a mirror. Miss Valkyrie, as a griffon does your experience differ? I see you are having a similar response, further evidence of magical nature of the mutated biology, cross species attraction appears evident. With the subject and his mate's approval, will further explore personal reaction in the interest of medical science. Dr. Jade, I was wondering if..." Scribe Blossom jabbered and paced around me shrinking away, poking and prodding with her magic while she took audio notes into her pip-buck, finally looking up to Jade curiously.

"NO! N-No experiments along those lines if you please Scribe Blossom. I would be happy to relate relevant information to you, I see no reason for you to involve yourself in such research thank you. It is best not to get him started for now, w-we do have work to do, do we not?" Jade stamped a hoof down and managed to catch the excited mare's attention, getting a quizzical stare back until Lt. Dawn stomped over and dragged her off by her tail.

Coming close gave the annoyed Brotherhood mare a good whiff too, softening her scowl slightly and slowing her tromping pace away. "E-Enough fraternizing Scribe, the Princess is right, we have a mission to get back to. Mr. Times... among those we have lost on this fubared foray, unfortunately our technician Scribe was among them, as you know graciously tending to our insane repair needs here this whole way... Scribe Blossom is brilliant within her area of focus, but we... we're forced to rely on you again to get past the hub's security. Can you do it?"

I shook my head forcefully to clear the fog away and waggled a hoof back noncommittally. "Ehhhh... I wouldn't count on it..." Jade gave a pained whine and forced me to attempt to be optimistic, trying to put off disappointing the mare I loved as long as possible. "I mean I'll try! Really, I'll give it my best shot, no holding back, seriously. Just... like I said, it took a week to break through the Ministry of Morale hub, I had help and lots of time, plus I sorta think I was meant to get in. I have no idea about this one. Mayor Shamrock said all the hubs had advanced computers like the one in Goodneighbor, they're not easy to hack soooo... Just don't get your hopes up too much. We'll all find out together, then you'll have something to tell the Brotherhood. Ok?"

Her sour faced reply was interrupted by the grinding noise of failing servos in her right hindleg, a part I had recently checked... Lt. Dawn sighed heavily and rolled her blue eyes, glowering back at me with weary resignation. "We're left with little choice but to rely on you Mr. Times... If you could keep it in your pants long enough to reach the hub that is. When you're done playing around with your harem perhaps you could give my troops another check up, I hate this forest..."

That flicker on E.F.S. came from her direction again, getting me to finish rubbing Val down and pausing on the way to Ivy giggling to herself with a red faced Witchy. Despite Dawn's surly attitude, as a repair-pony we could agree there, this forest was hell on machines and we were both getting annoyed with it. I looked up to the dense canopy, closing my eyes and letting my sharper ears take in all the sounds of life and movement constantly around us.

Clearing my throat, I lifted my head and called out clearly to the woods and whatever 'gremlins' were out there. "I really wish you'd stop doing that please. We're not enemies, you're making a lot more work for me. You could come out and talk instead of screwing with us. Any takers? I promise it's safe!"

The others looked at me like I was crazy, except the minotaurs who just snorted jovial laughter, but otherwise found me talking to 'forest spirits' perfectly rational. Thankfully none of them spoke for a moment, letting me keep my eyes closed and listen as hard as enhanced alicorn hearing could manage.

There wasn't an answer of course, just the sounds of mutated nature and a dead town waiting for us, the wind rustling the dry leaves, sending some swirling down the cracked asphalt nearby in tiny tornados. The buzz of distant wings down in Willowville of who knew how many Breezidores...

Then I heard it, barely.... A high pitched chatter and the nearly imperceptible flutter of wings. Smiling to myself, I opened my eyes to the curious stares of my companions and shrugged, trotting to Witchy and Ivy's waiting backs happily. "Gremlins..."

"This place is fuckin' spooky boss.... Like, creepier than most ruins... can't put my claw on why, but it is." Val grumbled beside me as we paced ahead of Jade clopping down the silent streets of Willowville, summing up the feeling that had been bothering me since we passed into its borders.

Spooky was it in a nutshell. I'd been exposed to plenty of wasteland ruins at this point, wreckage of the old world falling to rubble under the steady march of time I had skipped over. Usually for me it was bothersome because I remembered what it should look like, forced to reconcile it with how things were now and getting reminded all over again how the world of my childhood had decided to destroy itself. For no good reason any grown up had ever been able to explain properly to me no less.

Here though, there was something else, like Val said, something I couldn't quite put my hoof on. Willowville wasn't the same as most places, the forest was reclaiming it inexorably, the cobblestone streets were weedy and full of leaves, the gutters regular little planters full of rotting plant matter turning to dirt that smaller plants were taking root in, while vines snaked up the light posts.

There weren't a lot of rusting carriages in the streets, as best I could figure by all the rusting bus stop signs, the place had once boasted a decent public transportation system and most of the residents were probably connected to the MoP hub or local businesses, so no need to go far. There was a lot of tumbledown apartments, cute little homes or duplexes of high peaked, thatched roofs that were either fallen in or overgrown, small corner grocers, diners with faded ads in the broken windows for fresh daffodil sandwiches, it looked like a pretty idyllic little town before it was all burned by balefire.

I had to slow down and veer Jade back on course when I heard her heavy hoofsteps falter, she found the whole place wonderful, staring with wide, sparkling blue eyes up to the dark sign bearing the cross and butterflies mark of the Ministry of Peace above a fairly sizable brick building reading; 'Ping's Potions - Magic in a Bottle!'.

Like me she could peer in the dirty windows and read the posters and offerings within despite the gloom inside, speaking in an overjoyed whisper. "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down... Try our improved flavors, Blueberry Healing Potions, Lemon Rad-Away, Raspberry Rad-X... That is very clever! Could we not just take a peek Fast?"

The buzzing inside rose in pitch as our bus moved from the center of the street closer to the crumbling building, red dashes on E.F.S. centered on the mottled, bulbous construction of dried mud behind the counter, rose up in answer to her hopeful question. Half a dozen vicious little breezidores came flitting out, turned back by Val and Witchy sending bursts of fire from our pilfered flamers out to engulf the broken windows and front door. Another two managed to make it out on singed wings, forcing me to use half a dozen 10mm rounds from Deliverer with S.A.T.S. to hit one speedy little bastard, while Zed simply made an agile leap and swatted the other out of the air with his hooves, the zebra had been offered a flamer as well, but turned his nose up at it, clearly fine without it.

Floating the broken corpse of the one Zed took out to her disappointed pout, while trying not to send it on a detour to take a lick of the wonderful golden Nectar in the bulbous growths on its flanks, I shrugged to her sadly and nudged her back on course. "You heard Sledge, no scavenging, sorry hon. Maybe someday, when the Gunners aren't breathing down our necks maybe... We can come back with lots of Minutemares and lots of flamers, I bet there's tons of great Followers-type stuff. And what are you doing out of your hidey hole young lady! What did I say, any time you hear bugs, you hide!"

Glitter 'eeped' from the window of the bus she was currently hanging out of, scrambling to hide the big flamer she had propped in the window and peeking up above the empty window frame with a pout. "I'm not a baby! I don't wanna go hide from bugs! We gots all these tough friends, it's safe daddy!"

"Dear, the poison these creatures sting with is very potent, it even affected your father and he is very resistant now. You are much smaller, the effect would be more pronounced and potentially deadly before we could administer anti-venom. I agree with your father, having you with us is quite dangerous enough, if you hear the buzzing of those wings, you are to hide in your crate where they cannot reach you." Jade answered for me, laying down the law to the little filly with a stare that brooked no argument.

A steel crate from Summerset Plantation was the best compromise I could come up with. If she'd actually hide in the damn thing like she was supposed to, no little Breezidore would be able to get in and sting her. Her normally more than effective puppy eyes and lip quiver weren't changing my mind, giving her a flat glower and turning my attention back to the potion shop.

A faded poster of Fluttershy in an adorable pink and yellow nurses outfit (I wonder if I could find one of those here that would fit Jade?) adorned the wall near the door, reading the founding principles of Jade's Followers of the Apocalypse -“War? Fear? Death? We must do better! Ministry of Peace”- let me put one more thing in the weird column of Willowville. This wasn't the first Ministry poster I had spotted on our way in, but like the others it was Ministry of Peace, MoP posters were the only posters...

No creepy Pinkie Pie staring from the walls 'FOREVER', no intimidating Steel Rangers, no awesome and scary Shadowbolt armor like the Brotherhood's Lt. Dawn wore ahead of us, no Twilight Sparkle telling us how reading was 'FUN-damental', no images of evil looking zebras up to no good telling us 'See something, Say something!'.

As far as the propaganda in Willowville was concerned, the war was only about healing the injured and had no concern for how they were getting that way. This poster was basically as close as I had seen the posters in town acknowledging there even was a war, that and one for Wartime Stress Disorder on an inviting little brick home with a shingle for 'Heartmender Melody Rose' hanging crookedly above the porch.

Scribe Sakura Blossom pranced about much to the annoyance of her commander Lt. Dawn, dashing off to each side of the street every time we came to an intersection off the main road, holding a foreleg up to shade her eyes and squint in the distance. She'd been doing that awhile, finally unable to hold her tongue despite orders from her dour Lieutenant to the contrary, helping me click another puzzle piece into what bothered me about this place.

"Still no corpses! I've never been to a wasteland ruin that wasn't teeming with skeletons! I wonder what happened to them, we didn't get this far before. I had assumed our minotaur friends here had cleared them out of Rainbow Brook so I thought nothing of it, but I doubt that's the case here. From my observations Breezidores are primarily carrion scavengers, there should still be bones, unless they eat those as well I guess. Mr. Smasher, do you know why there aren't any skeletons about perhaps?" Trotting up to the burly dark minotaur leading our little caravan made Lt. Dawn snort in annoyance, but she let her go this time, probably as interested as I was in the answer.

Sledge Smasher's shrug was a little disappointing, coming along with his mysterious answer. "Forest reclaimed them. Returned them to the earth where the dead belong. Hadn't wondered why there's no zombies crazy pony?"

Now that he mentioned it, that was another oddity. Every big town I had ever been to in the wasteland generally had a population of undead in the ruins, rising from the rubble to come charging out, all vicious, snapping jaws and dead eyes. Other than the buzz of Breezidore wings my ears kept flicking at, this place was totally silent, we'd not seen a ghoul or zombie since we entered the forest.

The main road reached a circular park up ahead that gave us all pause, cutting off my brooding over all the weird things concerning this part of the Commonwealth. The riot of color made even the hardened Lt. Dawn gasp in surprise staring at it, flowers... lots and lots of flowers, bushes, small trees, an ornamental garden that was once carefully managed and laid out, now overgrown but full of wild beauty I hadn't seen since the old world.

The main road for vehicles split to loop around the pool of color in a circle, crossing over the dry creekbed that meandered its way straight through alongside a smaller path through the park. Opting for the straightest course and eager to explore this oasis, we slowly walked in under the arched wooden gate reading; Willowville Meditation Garden.

I smiled at Witching Hour fluttering above the delicate flowers, her slitted orange eyes wide with wonder and squeaking in her cute, high pitched voice that was so strange hearing out of a heavily armored, extremely strong warrior batpony. "I have never seen anything like this! Flowers! Real flowers! So many of them too!"

Zed opted to stay at the edges of the group, wandering through the vegetation that came up to his chest and pausing at a few particularly vibrant examples. "Many of these don't belong here either Fast... This is one of those growing in Stable 114 under controlled, colder conditions, used to produce the mind control drug there. This is one from the zebra lands too, normally found in swamps and marshes."

Another mark of weirdness, seeing the delicate Crystal Dream Flowers growing in the wild was especially disconcerting. There was a fall chill in the air that none of these plants should be blooming in, but it wasn't as cold as the refrigerated orchard of Stable 114. I had hoped we wiped them out and made sure no more Dawn or Dusk could be produced, if they were growing here, more could be made and used against innocent ponies.

The open plaza up ahead gave a good spot to take a break for a minute, earning me an impatient snort from Sledge when I asked, but the minotaur indulged me. "Just a minute Shroud pony, guess it's alright. Bugs don't like this place, flowers keep them away we think."

We stopped in the shadow beneath a vine covered statue of a tall, skinny pegasus stallion. Whoever he was, he had a pretty smug look etched in stone under his styled mane, depicted in a sharp suit and in a self satisfied pose that was surely meant to make him look regal, but only communicated a buck who thought too much of himself.

Checking Eyes Forward Sparkle was pretty unreliable out here with all the Breezidores in range flickering in and out of detection, but with Sledge's grudging assurance I gave in to Glitter's pouting and let her off the bus, making her promise to stay close to Ivy, who was eager to look around as well.

"This is delightful, if only I could bring the children from my orphanage here, I would love for them to see how beautiful nature can be, should be... You've said these pip-buck devices of yours can take pictures Fast? Could you show me? Not as good as a field trip so to speak, but bringing young Glitter here is already bad enough, I'd shudder to think what bringing Wicket and all the rest here would entail." Ivy beamed from a clump of lilies, leaning down to sniff at them as Glitter bounded around her in circles.

One pretty convenient thing about green alicorns was how easy explaining things was to them. I didn't have to walk over and show her which menus to access and what buttons to press on the arcano-tech device on her outstretched hoof, I just had to think about it and she did the rest flawlessly. Leaving me free to nudge Jade from the bus harness, into taking a walk in the park with me happily. This would be a good old world date, I wasn't passing up the brief opportunity.

A little wandering the garden with my ...wife... (fiance maybe, I really had to find out how marriage was done in the wasteland) let me find what I was looking for, a thick red rosebush growing off in a shady corner of the park. Best Served proved as effective at clipping flowers as it was at slicing throats, making me wish I was able to stop feeding the starmetal blade blood and use it for simple tasks like this more often. A big bouquet of deep red roses quickly floated together in my magic, presented to Jade with a flourish that got a blushing whinny of joy and nuzzle over the gesture.

I clipped one short and trimmed the rather long thorns from the remaining stem, tucking the red rose behind her ear in her cloudy, pale mane, taking a moment to admire just how beautiful she was, how even the magically growing rose only accentuated her perfect face, but came nowhere near matching it. Trying to put that thought into words was hard and I felt my face heat up in the attempt, but it was important to me she know just how much I loved her, how nothing else compared to my Princess.

"You... pretty.... Umm! I mean... This place is like you... uhh, not the dead town, but this... meeting you when I left the Stable was like this Jade. I was worried everywhere and everything was just dead and ugly, then I saw you the first time and... it felt like this. A beautiful, perfect flower growing in all this death. I'm trying to say I really love you Jade, I know I'm screwing it up but-."

My awkward speech was cut off by a lot of big blue alicorn tackling me to the carpet of daffodils and clover, passionately kissing and nuzzling my face with shimmering blue eyes sparkling over me, ending on a long, deep kiss that made my wings spring up under me.

Finally breaking it off with a gasp, Jade kept me pinned and wiped a leaking tear from her cheek, sniffling and leaning down to nuzzle happily. "I love you too Fast! So, so much... You are not screwing anything up, you are being wonderfully you, who I love. I am so happy that we found each other. Considering the path we each took to reach that wonderful moment, I believe it was fate we met. My wonderful, silly, cute little knight, my special somepony..."

Jade fluttered her long eyelashes and wriggled against me with a purr, returning to planting little kisses all over as I did the same, paying special attention to the magic spot on her neck that got a shiver at each lick. Before we could forget the dangerous ruins all around us and what we were doing completely, Val coughed with a huff and sent us both scrambling up, red faced at the interruption.

"Not ta break up the fun or nothin', But ya better get back here boss, stuff goin' on..." Val chuckled under her breath and hooked a thumb claw over her shoulder, back towards the green dashes on E.F.S. representing our group we had ducked away from.

She sounded a little bothered, but not frantic like it was an emergency. Despite my concern, I still felt worked up and in a sappy, romantic mood from all the beautiful flowers and my more beautiful special somepony. I dusted my dark coat off with a sheepish grin and tipped my hat back to its proper rakish angle, trotting up and trimming another red rose to tuck in Val's plumage with a hug, enjoying her sputtering at the affection.

"One for everybody I love Val, when else am I going to get the chance to give you flowers?"

"O-Other stuff ta worry bout 'sides dumb flowers boss, q-quit bein' goofy an' come on!" Val squawked back and turned quickly towards the central statue, not quite hiding how her bright red face grew redder, making me smile wider and follow along trimming more. She was happy, whether she tried to hide it or not, I made her happy, which always made me feel good. Val deserved happiness.

Reaching the plaza around the statue, I noticed the minotaurs spreading out through the park, calling out in muted voices for one of their number named Longshot, the white and black one with the bow if I remembered right. Before I had a chance to ask what was going on, Witching Hour glided down on the heels of one of those high pitched whines above me, prancing up anxiously and filling me in.

"One of the minotaurs is missing Fast! I can't hear him anywhere! No one's sure when he disappeared either." Witchy squeaked nervously, making me a little worried at her report.

I meant what I told Val though, willing whatever wasteland horror that was about to ruin this pleasant little break away, I floated another trimmed rose and stuck it in Witchy's violet mane over her blushing confusion. "One for everybody I care about Witchy, it looks good on you. Calm down, keep trying, he has to be somewhere right? I know you can find him."

Spotting Sledge Smasher moving away from Ivy and Glitter gave me an excuse to head to them first. I knew the disappearance of one of our guides was more important, potentially dangerous... But I wanted a break dammit, the wasteland could back off five freaking minutes and let me enjoy life a little, it was unfair to find such an oasis of beauty and serenity, only to have it shattered by some new threat.

Tucking the bright red rose in Ivy's blue mane was a lot less awkward, the psychic alicorn could read what I meant out of my head, instead of me trying to stumble over it and force it out my uncooperative mouth. Her bright green eyes glistened, sharing in unity how I felt about the big green mare, why I felt it was so important even in the middle of what we were doing. The kiss she leaned down to give was a bit more chaste and less passionate than Jade's, but warm and just as emotionally strong with the flow of her thoughts pouring into my head.

Glitter's rose went with her little jacket and pink dress perfectly, my wonderful little daughter pranced in place as I tucked it in her bouncy silver mane and nuzzled her tenderly. "A pretty flower for a pretty filly, huh sweetie? I love you very much Glitter, I don't think you're a baby, I just don't want anything to happen to you. I don't think I could take it, so it's just me being selfish ok?"

The force of her earth pony tackle matched Jade's, just without all the bulk to back it up. Glitter's delighted squeals and strong hug joined her words in making me feel better about bringing her with us. If nothing else, I had made her life better, that was probably the most important thing I had done since leaving the Stable. "Thank you daddy! I love you too!! I'll do what you say, I guess... so long as you know I'm not a baby! I can help you know!"

"I know sweetie, I count on it don't I? But a dad's job is to make sure his daughter is safe, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you are, even if you don't like me for it."

She scrambled up my back and nestled between my wings with a bounce, hugging and nuzzling my neck as I trotted after Sledge and Zed joining him. "I'll always love you daddy, even if I get mad and act like I don't ok? I'll be good and hide though, you're the best dad in the world, so you'll always keep me safe!"

I wished I had her confidence... I still had nightmares of her being thrown from the top of the King's Gambit casino in Goodneighbor, of us both falling, the street rushing up, waking up in a sweaty panic and screaming awake just before we hit. If I was really the best dad in the world, she'd be nowhere near a deadly forest where all the plants and animals seemingly wanted to kill ponies. Keeping her close still seemed the best of a bad lot of options though.

Zed paused on his way to catch Sledge staring out from the arched entry to the park, raising an eyebrow at the last rose floating in my magic. This was awkward... I still held it out with a crooked smile and shrugged to the stern zebra. "Er... everybody else got one, didn't want you to feel left out Zed. N-Not that my barn door swings that way or anything, just... I'm glad we're friends Zed, you're a good stallion."

My face was burning under his narrowed grey eyes, but a sardonic smile finally spread on his muzzle before he reached out and took the flower in his teeth, tucking it in the lapel of his dark leather jacket and nodding. "I'll accept it as it was meant Fast, thank you. Now, I believe we may have a problem, put sentimentality aside and let's get down to business eh?"

"R-Right, Glitter, I think you should go back to your mom and Aunt Ivy, we may need to get moving quick ok?"

"Right daddy!" Glitter leapt from my back and saluted with a wide grin, galloping back to Jade and our ground bound bus as I trotted off with Zed to the minotaur staring out at the ruins suspiciously.

"Umm... something wrong Sledge? They said one of your tribe is missing?"

"Sssh! We're being hunted..." Sledge whispered back in a terse, gravelly voice, putting me on edge immediately. The tension and worry communicated through the normally cheery minotaur hunter had me draw my weapons and join him in looking all around in a panic.

After a few minutes of silence, Sledge gave one of his whistling bird calls and tromped back to the central statue, his massive club propped over his shoulder and his dark yellow eyes darting in every direction. He favored me with a gruff grumble as I ran to keep up with his long strides. "This isn't right, Willowville is Breezidore territory only. Something is here though, if Longshot's not answering, he's dead. Wouldn't be taken out by a bunch'a bugs either. Somethin's hunting us, I can feel its eyes, we need to move, the hub's a dead end too. Sorry little pony, heading that way is-"

His apologies over the change of plans was cut short by explosions ringing out ahead of us, on the other side of the park at least, but enough to send me running. As I passed Jade and the others standing near the bus anxiously, I shouted over my shoulder. "We're leaving! Something's wrong! Glitter, hide!"

I was glad I took time to talk with the little filly, for once she didn't argue, dashing right into the bus and her steel crate, as her mother hurriedly hitched herself to the vehicle. I hated coming so close and having to back off, but whatever was enough to put the minotaur's dander up was enough to worry me. Val was right on my tail with Zed at my side when we dashed to the opposite park entrance, coming to a pair of minotaurs and the Steel Ranger, his missile launcher still trailing smoke from recent launches, along with a few scorched spots on the sidewalk near his hooves.

"M-Monster... took Nimbus! F-Fucking chomped her with those fangs.. shot back and disappeared!" His steel clad hoof was shaking, pointing out into the ruins, terror and anger clear even through the speaker on his helmet distorting his voice.

Lt. Dawn came flying up in a rush, her novasurge rifles crackling with energy as she landed before her soldier and stamped a hoof. "Calm down Grinder! What was it? Which way did it go? Was Nimbus still alive?!"

Sledge's deep voice cut her off, rumbling as he spoke to the armored Brotherhood pony, but never taking his eyes off the ruins and the rising buzz of angry Breezidore's stirred up by the explosions. "What did it look like?"

"H-Heads... too many heads, big... fast..." The Ranger's shaky reply made Sledge wince and give a series of whistles and hand signs to the minotaurs converging on the noise.

"Fuck... The weird sisters... what the hell are they doing this far north? Don't tell me even they got pushed out by shit like the freaking Bugbear. This is bad Shroud pony, if it's them, we're already caught, running won't work." Sledge sounded very worried, which freaked me right the fuck out. The minotaur hunter had led us through these deadly woods in a jovial mood the whole time, whatever scared him, terrified me.

"W-What? What is it? What are the weird sisters?"

Before he could answer, a bright violet beam of magic streaked down and hammered into one of the minotaurs down the street, the lucky sneak attack turned him into a cloud of purple ash. I ran to the sparkling pile on the road and spun to the ruins where the shot seemed to have come from, seeing nothing, but hearing a hissing snicker somewhere out there. Sledge was right, something was hunting us, taking out two of our number and...

(Ivy! Shield!!)

I thought hard at the green alicorn I sprinted back towards. Whatever this thing was, it was striking from the shadows, hitting from different sides of the park to spook us, while we ran towards one attack it struck somewhere else. The bus and the others were too tempting a target...

Ivy didn't question or need more explanation than my panicked thoughts, her bright green shield blazed to life as I pounded back, just in time to meet a searing green blast of plasma that impacted the barrier and cracked it. The shield was hastily thrown up around Jade and our bus with Ivy still awake and sweating under the blast, but they were all safe.

My blazing eyes followed the course of the blast quickly, freezing on a large, tattered billboard for Sparkle Cola atop an odd building with a soda bottle shaped entrance we had passed earlier. I had wanted to poke my head in the 'Sparkle World Outlet' as much as Jade wanted to visit Ping's Potions, somehow this thing had gotten behind us. Our attacker was sneering down with a malicious look in its eyes, their eyes? Too many eyes...

It was big... feline... mostly anyway. Matted pale fur covered it, bedecked in dark stripes and a lot of bloody wounds only partially healed, the striped white fur changed on its left side to longer, light grey fur going down its ribs and left hindleg, ending in a cloven hoof. The other three were big paws with long, dark claws dripping blood. The most distinctive feature was just what set Sledge off, it had too many heads...

The feline head was a snowy white, sabertoothed tiger, blood spattered all over its muzzle and long, gleaming fangs curving past its jaw. Beside this head was a second, sprouting from the left shoulder, the pale grey fur growing shaggy, leading up to the scruffy bearded goat head, long, dark horns curved down and framed its weird milky eyes with strange, horizontal pupils. The third head was on its' tail, was its' tail... The monster's sinuous, scaly tail was a snake... sort of, most snakes didn't have dragonish spikes running down their backs, and I'd expect green or brown scales, not the brilliant white ones this thing had.

The long tail-snake was twined around a massive magical plasma cannon, the hooded head swaying in place near the trigger. Not that was the only weapon this thing had gotten ahold of somewhere, it was a great deal bigger than a pony, but had adapted and rigged a battlesaddle to fit it. A spiky conglomeration of leather straps held weapons that looked like they were torn off wartime vehicles from somewhere like the plasma cannon that surely started life on a sky tank, a huge tribarreled minigun on the tiger's flank, along with a long magical energy weapon with glowing donut shaped rings down the barrel, crackling from the goat's flank.

"Well, well, well... our new home serves us up a hearty meal already sisters! And you thought we'd have to content ourselves with those foul tasting bugs." The tiger head was talking to the others...

"First things to brave coming here to us, I don't think it's normal either. Still say we need to move elsewhere for better hunting sister, look at all the tasty minotaurs, I told you we should go that way! Though this little feast will help us recover nicely so we can do so." The goat head brayed back.

"Minotaur, pony, griffon, zebra... it's a buffet sistersss, let's dig in and decide later..." The snake head hissed and moved the plasma cannon in its grip.

Chimera... I saw a picture in dad's Society for the Preservation of Magical Creatures book at home. This thing was a chimera... a very pale, albino chimera, bigger and obviously mutated, but not a mindless beast, it was smart... Dad's said they had pony level intelligence when I had shivered at the illustration, making them especially scary...

Given what it was saying, I felt no compunctions switching Blue Moon from 'pew-pew' to 'Ka-boom!' and firing as soon as the crackling crescent moon tip clicked out from my side. The wide, pale beam of magical energy lanced out, torching the ecstatic face of Fluttershy enjoying a carroty Sparkle Cola on the billboard it crouched behind, blowing through the insignificant barrier and clipping the beast's flank as it dove to the ruins and disappeared.

A veritable cloud of buzzing Breezidore's puffed up from where it vanished, filling the sky and turning Eyes Forward Sparkle into one solid red bar spread across my compass. They blocked the way back out of Willowville and surged forward in a swarm, the demented cackling of the Weird Sisters echoing through the ruins, impossible to track down and seeming to come from all around us. The monster trapped us...

I could see the glowing shield of the hub ahead, a clear path to run terminating at a giant tree stump of a entryway. We were low on options and any avenue of escape was worth taking, even if we had to put our backs to the wall of the hub's shield and fight from there, it was better than being surrounded here in the open.

"RUN! To the hub, now!! I'll keep them busy!!" I screamed and summoned my lightning aura, running where I last saw the chimera and floating one of Val's salvaged flamers along with the Terrible Shotgun.

I didn't have time to give more direct orders to the others, but trusted all of them completely, hearing Val's angry squawk and wingbeats behind me just reinforced that faith. Jade's rapid hoofbeats took a minute to get going, but she charged off with the bus bouncing behind her, running to get our daughter away from the danger behind them.

A blur of movement came with the tinkling of glass being smashed just behind me, I spun to face the attack and skidded backwards from my momentum, spotting the chimera growling from where it had pounced through a storefront, those sharp claws sparking with the electricity I left in my wake.

"You're a fassst little morsel, aren't y-" was as far as the snake head got, the Terrible Shotgun snapped up and started barking at the surprised monster. It had prowled through the ruined buildings, that's how it was sneaking around... planned on leaping out and taking the first pursuer, but wasn't prepared for a pony being propelled along by lightning and missed.

Two slugs slammed into the chimera's broad chest, all I could get before the tiger's huge minigun spun up and started chewing up the asphalt between us. A panicked flap of my wings sent me straight up, barely ahead of the line of fire, narrowly dodging a flurry of zaps from the strange M.E.W. the goat head used. Three enemies in one... they cooperated, fantastic...

Just to support that theory, the snake head drew a bead on my clumsy flight with the plasma cannon, once I had already committed to my dive to get away from the bright violet beams of magic. The glowing green blast of plasma went wide when a firecracker series of explosions engulfed the creature in flames, Val caught up and was blasting away with her 25mm grenade machinegun.

My horn crackled with lightning as I prepared to blast the thing, cut short by Val's frightened screech and pointing claw as she raced towards me. "BOSS! Behind you!!"

I had ignored the buzz behind me in favor of the bigger threat, realizing my mistake at Val's shout. I flipped in the air, facing a swarm of Breezidores coming down on my head, I switched targets and let the lightning loose, spreading it as wide as I could in a thunderous blast. Dozens of the snarling little pests fell smoking to the street, but plenty more were still coming, forcing me to pull out of the tumbling recoil from doing that in the air and dive to the nearest alley to run for all I was worth, faster on the ground than in the air.

My new hoof was throwing me off... giving sharp pains at each step that slowed my stride and made me keep veering to the right. Not that big a deal trotting or running normally, but at this speed it was a serious problem... I came out of the alley onto one of the side streets of Willowville, missing a step off the curb and tripping on my own hooves, rolling across the street to crash through a rotting wooden door.

The musty Red Racer scooter shop I landed in would be a lot more interesting if I wasn't running for my life, racks of scooters filled the space, rusting away as their cheery paint jobs flaked off. The angry buzzing and chittering from more dried mud nests, built over a peeling wooden cut out of the company president Scootaloo, helped me shake it off woozily and get moving 'Be Unwavering!'.

I sent a burst from the flamer still in my grip right at the nest before they could come pouring out, wincing at the few that got through and drew stinging lines down my neck and flank as they fled from the flames. Swatting a hoof at a sharp pain in my neck as I scrambled back out to the street brought back with a twitching breezidore corpse dripping on my hoof.

I staggered out to the sidewalk, trying to get away from the survivors and lick a bit of the golden nectar from the bulges on the smashed pest's flanks, trying really hard no to think about what exactly I was sticking my tongue into. I looked up as the pleasant euphoria of the nectar heading off the breezidore poison, only to faced with the swarm I left behind, following along in a cloud around the chimera bounding across the rooftops with a predatory gleam in its eyes.

Even with the threat of monstrous death barreling at me, I couldn't help but gape at the breezidores surrounding it 'Awareness!'. They were obviously stinging it, darting at its pale hide repeatedly and slashing out with clawed forelegs, but it wasn't having any effect whatsoever.

The same could not be said for any of us, my ears twitched at the sound of flamers being fired around the small town in long bursts, glad Val had pilfered both the weapons and lots of ammo for them. Immunity from breezidores would make this a safe haven for a monster like the weird sisters, judging by the wounds they were still covered with...

I gambled for time and cast my voice spell, letting the Shroud's booming words toll out to the empty streets, any extra second I could get for the deadly poison and awesome antidote to battle it out before trying to run again was worth it. "YOU COME HERE TO LICK YOUR WOUNDS AND THINK TO PESTER THE INNOCENT! WHAT HATH SCARED A PROUD BEAST LIKE THOU TO SLINK HERE WITH THINE TAIL TUCKED BETWEEN THINE LEGS MONSTER?!"

Maybe not the best idea to provoke the scary monster... I wasn't sure why I fell into the Shrouded Stallion's and Witchy's speech patterns either, but it sounded good anyway, probably because of how goofy I felt, maybe I licked a little too much nectar... Taunting it did have the benefit of making the chimera forget about its varied weaponry and give me a second, roaring in fury as it charged forward. I had to keep sending gouts of flame into the store behind me to hold still, but I was tensed and ready to dash off at any minute.

It was worth waiting, the tiger head screamed at the insult as it came. "Nothing scares us!! We made a tactical retreat!"

"Ssssshut up! I'm not tucked anywhere!" the snake headed tail hissed, still wrapped around that big cannon but nowhere near it.

"Let's see you deal with a pack of hellhounds pony!" the goat head brayed, giving me a better idea how the chimera wound up here.

Being patient in the face of impending death by chimera was surprisingly easy, casually standing in the street and waiting until it leaped off the roof of the pet store across the street wasn't that hard when stoned out of ones' mind. I loved nectar sooo much... everything felt loosey goosey, faint angelic horns filled my ears as the perfect shot presented itself.

KRACKA-THOOM!!!

Most of the radiation I had still been absorbing from the balewolves went into that blast, dropping my rainbow colored meter from the green / yellow border down to blue. I poured a lot into it and spread it out as far as I dared, sending a crackling web of lightning up to the sky in a burst of fireworks, wooooo...

That made an appreciable dent in the swarm at least, incinerating enough red dashes in my vision to start picking out individual marks again instead of one wide bar of red. The vicious little monsters were torched into a cloud of ash drifting down like snowflakes, along with the weird sisters falling from their leap heavily, twitching in the crater they made in the street in front of me.

"IF THOU HAD ASKED FOR HELP MY PRINCESS WOULD HAVE HEALED THINE WOUNDS! INSTEAD YOU ATTACK, CREEPING FROM THE SHADOWS AND MURDERING WITHOUT WARNING. RUNNING AWAY FROM SUPERIOR MONSTERS, HOPING TO MAKE THINE COWARDLY SELF FEEL BETTER BY BULLYING OTHERS? THOU HATH EARNED LUNA'S JUDGEMENT FOUL BEAST!"

I tossed several grenades into the crater and ran, glad for the warning red lights and alarms of instinct flashing from the phone poles when the weird sisters roared and pounced on my flickering trail again, going from wounded and groaning to efficient murder machine in an instant. It was playing possum... and pissed of course, very, very pissed.

"YOU!"

"ARE!'

"DEAD!!!"

One head after another screamed after me, finishing their threat between them. They worked together, like a simple form of unity... I knew ways to mess with unity though. Making them angry enough was joining them in one driving thought instead of three individuals able to attack and cooperate. Pretty smart brain. Why thank you body, by the by, you may want to move just a tad...

Spacing out sent me galloping right into a fallen light post, tripping and rolling across the ground head to tail in a dark blur. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! I lost my grip on the flamer, barely managing to pull the Terrible Shotgun to myself when I tripped and curling around the precious weapon as I tumbled. The roar of victory on my tail not a great sign...

I slammed to a halt upside down against the side of a checkered yellow chariot cab, thumping down to the road on my head with my tail falling in my spinning red eyes. The inverted image of the weird sisters was sprinting after me, snarling grins dripping drool at my prone form. I groaned and scrambled my hindlegs in the air above my face weakly, sure I was monster chow when a black and white streak spun through the air as the chimera hit the last intersection between us.

Zed's pip-buck bearing hindleg came down with the full force of his rapid spin, the zebra seemed to like using the nearly indestructible pip-buck casing as a weapon, getting stunning results. One of the goat head's curved, spiky horns broke as Zed's kick fell like a hammerblow, driving the mid-pounce airborne chimera down and to the left, skidding across the cracked streets right in front of me.

The weird sisters recovered quickly, or two out of three did anyway, the feline creature stumbled back up to get a powerful buck to the ribs driving it back. The tiger and snake heads snarled at the zebra dodging and battering it with heavy hoof strikes, while the goat head's eyes spun and it drooped limply.

I cheered from my upside down position, still feebly pawing at the air and trying to flip myself rightside up, realizing just flopping to my side would be a lot easier as Zed rolled away from the snake head snapping at him, winding up in range for a big claw to swat him across the street and into the wall surrounding a small apartment complex covered in vines.

The chimera followed up without pause, going after the closer prey or the bigger threat one. I yelped and tried to get my eyes to stop spinning long enough to aim the Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance, a cold sweat breaking out when I saw the blood in the zebra shaped dent in the wall over Zed, I couldn't aim in time!

Scorching pink beams came down like spears from the heavens, searing the chimera's back and forcing it back from the new attacker. Lt. Dawn came rocketing out of the canopy with a black and red contrail behind her, I wished I could fly like that... The Brotherhood mare defended Zed limping away and drinking a healing potion, falling behind the remaining Steel Ranger eagerly getting some revenge for the other pegasus he had seen killed in front of his eyes.

A pair of missiles fwooshed out from the Ranger's heavy battlesaddle, one missing entirely, while the second exploded around the chimera's legs nimbly dodging Dawn's attacks, slowing it down a bit closer to managable levels, as Dawn kept flitting in and out with a whooping battlecry, the two working together to drive the monster back.

She was so consumed with the threat, she didn't see the surviving breezidores buzzing from above, she flew right through a cloud of them and gave a pained scream, shit! I couldn't fly as well as Lt. Dawn, but I could fly and I had magic on my side, flapping up to her in panic and grabbing her with my telekinesis as she started to fall, she'd been stung... Her Ranger saw the problem but couldn't hope to catch her in time in his heavy armor, even if the weird sisters hadn't turned on him and forced him to retreat.

I was glad Enclave armor left the muzzle free, it made shoving the bulbous rear of the most recently killed breezidore I held onto in her mouth easier as I dragged her along with me. "Lick it! I know it's gross, but it's also pretty fucking awesome! Er... antidote rather! Hurry!"

Floating Dawn to my back and keeping my magical grip to make sure the bigger, armored mare was still weightless, I made sure Zed's and the Ranger's green dashes were moving off again, then flew towards the glowing shield of the hub and the biggest clump of green marks on E.F.S.. She groaned weakly but did as told, sticking her tongue out with a whine and slurping it back up coated in golden dust. That corpse was nearly used up, Jade spread around what samples of nectar she'd been able to gather before coming here, but it still wasn't much.

"Oh... oh that's better... What is this..." I heard the same goofiness I was trying to operate under creep into the normal stern mare's voice and bucked her from my back, holding her in my magic until I was sure her wings were beating lazily.

"No time! GO! Get to the others, let the antivenom work, I have to keep it busy!" I shouted and let her go, holding my breath when she dropped like a stone for a moment, before her instincts took over and she fluttered back up.

"Wait... something I was supposed to tell you, stupid minotaur plan thing... Oh! The bridge, the bigger one that looks like a tri-horned bunyip for some reason... wait, did it look like that before?! Is it playing a harmonica!?!" Yep... Lt. Dawn was feeling it alright...

I forgot the wonderful buzz of nectar was stronger for normal ponies... whoops. Oh well, I liked her better like this anyway, spotting the bridge she was pointing a hoof at, before she became incredibly interested in said hoof and started waving it in front of her face. She must be really stoned, that bridge plainly looked like a well coifed and mustached purple sea serpent playing the harp, not a tri-horned bunyip.

The ripping noise of the chimera's big minigun cut off my musing, a stream of tracers stitching the air and sparking across Lt. Dawn's dark armor, through the space between us and penetrating the armored coat over my flanks as I dove, a trio of stinging wounds dribbling blood down over my tender new hoof.

I hit the ground awkwardly, stumbling back around to face my pursuer and aiming at ...nothing. The bitch disappeared again, shit.. I stayed put, looking all around and really wishing the swarming breezies weren't cluttering E.F.S. so much.

"YOU REFUSE LUNA'S MERCY AND PERSIST MONSTER! NOW THINE FATE IS SEALED, STOP HIDING LIKE A COWARD AND FACE THINE JUDGEMENT FROM THE SHROUDED STALLION!" My magically altered voice roared out, a lot steadier than I was at the moment.

It failed to goad them out, I stared out in the too quiet streets and hastily floated Best Served to my mouth, cutting flowers was fine, but I really hoped to do a little pruning on the weird sisters when they inevitably popped out like a jack in the box. My ears twitched at a high pitched whine from above, followed by the chatter of an automatic combat rifle wielded by a screaming batpony filly and a furious roar in the building behind me.

Witching Hour sounded out where the chimera hid, hovering above and filling the empty floor to ceiling windows of the second story of a small office building. The weird sisters had been right above me, crouching in the windows and preparing to pounce, their stealth no match for Witchy's neat little radar trick.

More of the violet beams from the goat head's M.E.W. answered her stream of lead, forcing Witchy to roll gracefully away on her leathery wings and join me on the ground, her high pitched voice even higher in fear. "Fast! We need to take it under the bridge! The mino-"

Tackling a bigger batpony in full steel plate armor wasn't easy 'Be Strong!', but I managed to roll with her across the ground just ahead of a huge blast of plasma. I landed on top and jumped off, activating S.A.T.S. in midair and taking in fairly low odds with most of my weapons. That plasma cannon was a problem, the others were survivable if they got lucky as the bleeding wound in my flank attested to, but when that thing hit, it melted stuff, period. A sizzling new pothole in the street just in my frozen view made me gulp and look for a way to take it out.

The weird sisters were perched and ready to pounce from the window, the snake tail held high to get a good shot while the other two crouched like a coiled spring. Hitting her with either the shotgun or revolver wasn't likely, I really wanted to just cut the freaking tail off... At my thought, the odds were adjusted for using Best Served.

I had never used the melee weapon in S.A.T.S. before, conditioned to think it was simply for using projectiles. It gave me 50/50 chances for slashing the tail though, higher than I had otherwise and I was interested in how S.A.T.S. would handle the insanely sharp knife, let alone multiple attacks. I queued up two attacks and accepted, sitting back with mental popcorn to watch the show.

My blue magic surrounded Best Served and floated it out nimbly, spinning the blade horizontally and sending it shooting forward in a glittering blur. The snake head dodged as it streaked by, curling its sinuous body out of the way and giving a hissing snicker as it adjusted its aim. Then the second attack happened, Best Served looped through the air above and behind the chimera, still spinning rapidly and now returning like a boomerang, right at the sneering snake gloating at us.

The heavy plasma cannon fell to the street, smashing a rusty mailbox as the snake head fell in the gutter beside it with a soft thump. The dual wail of agony and sorrow made me feel a little bad for decapitating... de-tailing the monster, but it also made flying away with Witchy's insistent tugging a really good idea.

Well, on the plus side, that was one less weapon and attacker after us. It also ensured the pale beast chasing us was not going to hide again, the two heads remaining had the Bugbear's same apoplectic look in their eyes, she'd chase me wherever I went. Why was my default idea to make myself bait and run like a mad bastard? Couldn't I come up with an actual plan sometime, something that went smooth and nopony got hurt, especially me?

Apparently not, worse yet I was rubbing off on my friends... Witchy kept leading me on, staying low where the chimera could follow and hope to catch us, playing bait as well... Meanwhile I was just trying not to let a leer spread on my goofy face at the jiggly rump ahead of me, not the time dammit! I was struggling to keep her pace and follow, as she dropped into the dry creekbed and followed its course towards the bridge ahead.

It was a grown bridge, not a sea serpent apparently... a construct of trees asked to grow a certain way, arching across the deepening waterway as it hit a drop in the terrain, tumbling and turning down several empty pools of smooth river rock, before heading off to the MoP hub. I barely caught a glimpse of a minotaur hiding atop the span and really hoped they were pulling the same trick as before.

Just to be sure the weird sisters were nice and pissed, I turned and flew backwards awkwardly, dropping in speed to their hopeful glare and tossing a hooful of mines out just as they closed in. The rapid beeps and detonations staggered it and sent me flipping away, crippling the rear left goat hoof in time to throw off the M.E.W. on that flank.

Righting myself a little higher in the air, I turned back to the limping monster still chasing us, pulling down my eyelid with a hoof to my cheek and sticking my tongue out at them. "Nyaa Nyaa! One head down, two to go! Better quit while you're ahead!" Get it... a-head!!! Wocka, wocka, wocka!"

The snarling roar and furious bleat from the two remaining weird sisters assured me I had their total attention, the stream of 5mm rounds from the minigun was just overkill really... I turned back and flapped frantically, trying to catch up to Witchy and zip under the bridge coming up fast. A stream of lead stitched up my side and punched through my neck and right wing, sending me in a tailspin just ahead of the goal line.

Val was suddenly there, diving from the treetops and grabbing my scruff to pull me along with her, easily catching up to Witchy and soaring under the bridge, while I fumbled for a green tinted healing potion. We kept losing altitude and skidded to the muddy ground at the bottom of the creek before the first drop off, weaving my way back to my hooves and woozily looking at the chimera charging forward with madness gleaming in its eyes.

A pair of muscular minotaurs jumped down from the bridge above, dragging their woven nets from before with them to span the narrow gap under it as Val shot straight up, leaving me behind to gape in confusion. The bottom edge was held by the minotaurs and tied to heavy rocks they shoved down with them, the hunter's rippling arms wound around the vines and held it tight when the weird sisters ran right into the trap.

The net stretched closer to where I cringed, creaking and groaning under the chimera straining to reach me. One big, furry paw shoved through a gap in the vines, claws outstretched and coming within inches of my muzzle, but the minotaurs held firm, stopping the chimera in its tracks. The net wouldn't hold long, as soon as one of those two heads stopped being so fixated on ripping my face off, they'd claw it to pieces...

They weren't getting the chance though, another dark shape jumped down from the center of the bridge, the long, lowering whistle of a bomb falling coming from the massive wooden club Sledge Smasher had held in both hands overhead, curled with his head nearing his hooves as he bent backwards, then arcing forward in one smooth, full body motion. The gnarled head of the club came down on the tiger head snarling and snapping at me, outstretched and a perfect target.

I could swear I heard the ring of a bell when Sledge connected, a brightly lit 'Test Your Strength' carnival game appearing over the scruffy neck, the loud DING! coming from a magnificent overhead smash that drove the weight all the way up from 'Wimp' to 'Dragon!'. The bizarre vision made me roll laughter, a little macabre as nobody else saw it, just the tiger head turned to grey and red jelly... Still, pretty funny.

The goat head's eyes widened and it seemed to realize it was all alone now, and caught... It was able to control the whole body on its own apparently though, scrambling away and leaving the remains of her tiger sister with a sickening, tearing sound, making me think of my missing hoof again and fight to keep my lunch. Smashing the head, hilarious, reminding me of ripping my own leg off... not so much.

The last weird sister managed to pull free of the already strained net, turning on its heel and trying to flee the way it came. The gleeful cry of Val streaking down with a pair of mounted minotaur scrambling down the mossy banks of the creekbed cut it off on the other side. That's why she took off again... she must have been up there to begin with and had to leave her post to save me. Her flying in with her blazing Shishkebab definitely seemed planned anyway, following up on the minotaur spears impaling it in the chest to pin it and slicing off the last head like a scythe.

When the now triple decaptitated corpse fell to the ground, I thumped down with it in exhaustion. Raising my forelegs up in a feeble V and giving a hoarse cheer. "Yaaaaay... we won..."

Witchy was soon worriedly mummifiying me in magical bandages, rooting around in my saddlebags for another of Jade's radioactive healing potions and forcing it my muzzle, ignoring my giggling over her ticklish touch as Val landed beside us. My griffon bodyguard took a hard look at the assorted wounds I was bleeding from and wrapped her dark claw in my scarf, shaking me forcefully, but not quite hard enough to interfere with Witchy's efforts.

"Would. You. Stop. Doing. That. Boss!!! How'm I 'posed ta bodygaurd when ya keep runnin' off like a lunatic right at the big fucking monster!! Grrraaaa!! Gonna gimme a heart attack! Quit it!!" Val screeched and tried to sound angry, but she was being too gentle and worry was clear in her voice, taking in my spinning eyes goggling at her with a grin and snorting to herself. "Yer too freakin' stoned ta bother yellin' at, ain't ya stupid?!"

"Mmmmaaaaaybe... You're pretty when you're mad Val! Where'd you get the fancy golden armor though?"

Val huffed and tossed me back to Witchy's anxious first aid, slapping a claw to her face and dragging it down slowly with an exasperated sigh as Sledge came over. The minotaur leader was sweaty and shaky, his huge bloody club slung over his shoulder and a big toothy grin on his face. His friendliest slap to the back so far sent me sprawling into the mud as he chortled and boomed happily.

"Oh yeeeaaah!!! Yer little filly was right Shroud pony! Took on the toughest of the tough an' lived! Can hardly believe it an' saw it myself! You kill stuff good little pony! Bitch treated you like a pushover and got the once over! You got any idea the honor we'll get when we come back with the Weird Sisters!? Bitch has been a pain in the ass for ages!!" Despite the protest of Val and Witchy, Sledge just kept right on clapping me on the back, driving me down into a Fast shaped dent in the creekbed cheerily.

"Owwww... That's great Sledge... W-Wait! Jade!! Glitter!?! Where... I gotta go!!"

I yelped and flapped up, caught by the tail in Sledge's strong grip and straining to get to the glowing yellow shield of the hub, noting the smaller, angular green shield covering the big tree stump building in front of it. I glared down at the impediment keeping me in place impatiently, only kept at bay from bucking his friendly face by the hand held up in surrender, shifting to pointing a thick finger up at the cloud of breezidores swarming all over Willowville, a good sized clump throwing themselves uselessly at Ivy's shield.

"Easy! Not keepin' ya from yer mare and kid, those little beasties are gonna be stirred up quite awhile though. No doubt you can get to em after all that, but we can't stay here. We're takin' the carcass and pullin' back, you go on and poke around that hub, lay low awhile and recover and we'll come back when things settle down alright? Imagine it'll be pretty borin' just sittin' at that shield what with no way in, but best bet. We ain't leavin' ya hanging though, so just wait it out and trust us, can't abandon a friend of the tribe!" Sledge beamed and let my tail go, getting me to reluctantly hover in place realizing he had thought things through a lot further than I had. I just wanted to get to Jade and Glitter, period.

"R-Right! Umm... we'll hunker down there, if we get in somehow, we'll be back as soon as we can and hope the breezidores settle down by then. Thank you Sledge, for everything! I gotta go!!"

I wove my way up and away from the parting cheers of Sledge and his hunters, he did just as he said, they got us to the hub and helped us survive the forest. He was probably right, we'd be stuck in that weird giant treestump building Ivy's shield was glowing in front of. But if the breezidores eventually settled back down we should be able to wait them out and leave fairly safely. For now they were an angry swarm buzzing above Willowville, all the noise and explosions must have riled up every one of them infesting the place.

Considering my unsteady and slow progress in the air, Val huffed and grabbed my coat, pulling me along up to her speed and streaking towards Ivy's shield, holding a flamer in her other claw and grumbling down at me as she juked and jived through the cloud of furious little pests. "Better let Ives know we're comin' boss! Can't slow down!"

"Right!" I kept flapping as well as I could, closing my eyes and trusting Val to handle the driving as I thought at the green alicorn I was coming in range of. (Ivy! We're coming now! Get ready!)

(Thank goodness Fast! Hurry! Sister Jade is rather frantic and unmanageable, I will be ready, do not slow down, I must be quick to keep as many of those insects out as possible!

Ivy's telepathic answer made me worry more, what was wrong with Jade!? Was she just worried? It didn't feel like it, but Ivy was clearly concerned... I had to get to her, now! Opening my eyes again to the fwoosh of Val and Witchy's flamers scorching a path through the cloud of breezidores ahead, I saw she was on target for the shield rapidly approaching, grunting down at me anxiously. "Boss!? Shield!"

"Keep going! Dive right at it, Ivy will open it, trust her! Hang on tight too, I got one more in me...."

Even in our situation, Val's beak curled in a wide grin as her grip on my collar tightened and a manic gleam lit her violet eyes, she loved using me as a pony shaped weapon... I summoned the last big blast of lightning I could manage on my own magic reserves, all the extra juice from radiation was long gone. While I had considerably more magic at my command now than before I was ...changed, I had been burning through it recklessly.

The crackling web of electricity blasted out, scorching a wide swath out of the swarm and making even Val's streaking flight hitch in the air as I was thrown back in her grip. Even though I trusted Ivy completely, I still gulped and clenched my eyes as the glowing green barrier of her shield rushed up.

We didn't smash into the alicorn shield when we should have, so I assumed Ivy had made an opening just in time and we passed through safely. I opened one eye cautiously as we landed hard and I was released to stumble free, more bursts of flame sounded out all around us, scorching the breezidores that managed to slip through with us.

The long stream of flame coming from the bus parked by the entrance and a scowling little filly behind the weapon sending it out caught my eye first, Glitter was determined to play with that thing, though I couldn't really fault her for being out of her box, until we crashed through it had been relatively safe.

I tried to turn and help exterminate the last of the poisonous little pests, worried to see one slip by and launch itself at Val's flank, chomping down just to be ripped in half by her quick claws. She immediately brought the remains to her beak and went for the antivenom it produced at least. The last pair of winged monsters zipped out of the wave of flames chasing them, only to be snatched from the air and crushed under Zed's strong hooves. The zebra winced when he landed on his hindlegs, obviously still hurt but alright and safe with the others, letting me breathe a sigh of relief.

The soft exhale was suddenly turned into a whoosh of air being squeezed out by very strong forelegs, Jade scooped me up in a crushing hug and cut off any attempts to take in any more of where they were sheltered, fluttering up off the ground in her joy, nuzzling and kissing frantically as healing magic surged through me, her horn a blazing torch above me. "Faaaast!!! There you are! I was so worried! But you are safe and sound now, mostly... I will fix your boo-boos my cutie wootie smoopy pie! I looooove hugging you like this, so small and cute, my little teddy bear! I will cuddle you and pet you and kiss you and lick you and call you George!"

"J-Jade! W-What? Umm... h-happy to see you too... a-air... Eeep!! E-Easy! E-Everybody's h-here!" I wheezed weakly in her grip, shook back and forth limply by a lot of strong alicorn who was being veeeery affectionate, her lidded blue eyes mismatched sizes and a crooked, goofy grin spread across her muzzle.

Glitter had to make a pretty impressive leap to tackle the both of us and try to drag her back down to earth, only making breathing harder under her tiny hooves grip, yelping with worried relief. "Daddy!! Y-You're ok right!? Mom's actin' really weird! Q-Quit it mommy! Go back down!"

Rather than do as asked, Jade simply shifted Glitter into her forelegs, hugging the both of us and nuzzling her silver mane happily. "I love it every time you call me mommy dear! It makes me sooooo happy! Now I have both the ponies I love the most to cuddle, I shall never, ever, ever, ever let go! Mwwwwwahhh!"

The smack of sloppy kisses alternating between Glitter and myself left me to sputter and look to Ivy in confusion, the green alicorn was looking up with a tired but mischievous smirk under her glowing horn and shrugged. "Er... Sister Jade was stung a few times on our escape here, she had to take a good deal of... antivenom... so she's been a bit of a hoofull. Oh sister? I hate to interrupt but I can only maintain this for so long, I need Fast to open these doors or I must sit still and focus to keep it up. If you could settle for just one pony to cuddle for a moment?"

Jade huffed and stuck her nose up, turning away from Ivy's plea and tightening her grip with an annoyed whinny. "Nnnnno! I do not want to! These are mine, I want to play with them! Dress them up in silly hats and take a bubble bath! Fast will be Captain Sparkle-butt and I shall be the lusty barmaid Argonia! Sailing the sudsy seas of adventure and romance!"

I had to strain and shove with my forelegs to pull away just slightly under Jade's iron grip, leaning up to plant a long kiss on her jabbering muzzle to cut her off. The big blue mare was stoned out of her gourd quoting her dogearred romance novel she thought no one knew she read stuffed in a Canterlot Journal of Internal Medicine, but that got through at least, eliciting a long purr and nicker of pleasure when I broke it off and tried to keep her spinning gaze on me.

"Jade... you gotta lemme go a minute ok? Important stuff... umm... you wanna go inside right? To the Ministry of Peace? You have to let me open the door then...."

That got her attention, those crazy mismatched eyes widened and her head bobbed rapidly with a cowbell sound, her eyes closed in a cheery smile, opening to beam at me and plant more kisses between answering. "Yes! ... I want ... to go in! ... For the Followers! ... Miss Remedy! ... will be soooooo proud! ... Open the door for me ... and I will give you sooooo much rewarding Sparkle-butt! .... You can go but I'm keeping Glitter! ... My sweetie weetie widdle bitty filly baby wuvs her mommy does she not!?"

As soon as she released me she turned all her inebriated attention on Glitter, squirming and gasping her her brawny hug with her tongue stuck out under all the slobbery kisses, glaring daggers at me for sacrificing her to my goofy princess. "H-Hurry daddy! Ick! Mooo-oom!! Quit it!"

I had to put up with the weary chuckles of my friends, noting even Scribe Blossom and the remaining Steel Ranger smirking at me staggering loose and blinking tiredly at where we sheltered. Lt. Dawn was being attended to by her scribe, but clearly just as loopy as Jade from her own dose of nectar, giggling and waving cheerily. "That looks fun! I wanna hug smoopie pie!"

Rolling my eyes at the tittering Brotherhood leader, I peered around to get a good look at the giant treestump enclosed by Ivy's shield butting up against the much more powerful yellow version surrounding the hub. The cross and butterflies mark was burnt into the bark overhead, above the simple sign reading;

Ministry of Peace - Trotson Hub
Admittance

A wide set of pink double doors seemed made of the bark itself, identifiable by the peeling paint and narrow line of demarcation blending in with the surface, and the glowing green terminal on a post to the side overgrown with flowering vines. I nodded to Ivy's weary face watching as she kept pouring magic into her shield, if she had to keep it up much longer, she'd need to sit perfectly still and go into that odd meditation state. Doing so let her make her strongest shields that would last quite some time, but she needed rest too.

Opening the entrance here would at least give us a sealed building to shelter in, we'd probably have to wait out the swarm for a few hours whether we got in our not. Personally I was interested in just getting in and flopping down with my over affectionate princess, hoping there were multiple rooms inside, at least a broom closet or something, the things she wanted to do while under the effects of nectar sounded promising...

I patched my pip-buck to the terminal and got to work, forced to shake my head repeatedly to clear away the green cartoon chimera dancing on the screen and swiping the lines of code away with its claws. It took longer than it should, but I cracked it and the doors creaked open, I poked my head in to the dusty space first and saw nothing on E.F.S., waving the others forward and filing in to the spacious, round waiting room inside.

It really did look like the admittance area of a hospital, a wide flowery green carpet led from the doors we entered, straight through to a matching set on the other side of the room. Directly to the right was a sign in counter cutting off about a third of the space behind dirty glass, a small door beside the counter led back to the office space back there, so if nothing else there was a somewhat private space, exxxxcellent...

To the left were lots of actually comfortable looking seats, couches and small chairs, rotting coffee tables with a variety of moldy magazines, a corner of the space was even filled with toys and colorful posters for kids that Glitter desperately wanted to get loose to dash off to, held firm by her mother's nuzzling grip.

Once everyone was in and we had grabbed plenty of food and supplies from the bus to wait out the swarm, I shut the doors and relocked them. At Jade's urgent nudging, I stumbled my way across the room with her hovering right over my shoulder, dipping slightly to go under the interesting crystalline chandelier that looked like it was growing from the ceiling, providing clear, bright light in the room.

Another, fancier terminal waited by the bigger set of double doors facing the shield outside, the whir of a glowing red eye faced me at my approach, just like the advanced system in the MoM hub in Goodneighbor. As I suspected, not a system that could be hacked in a few minutes of keyboard surfing... Jade's beaming smile under her blissfully closed eyes urged me on though, I had to try at least...

I patched my pip-buck in and took a tired look over the system, the waiting screen filled my vision and I began to poke and prod at the security cautiously, watching the lines of text scrolling across the system, probing us as I probed it.

LUNA TIER ATTACK SCENARIO LOCKDOWN PROTOCOLS INITIATED
AWAITING BUNNY LEVEL SECURITY AUTHORIZATION

SCANNING PATIENTS... EXTERNAL DEVICES DETECTED... SCANNING...

MULTIPLE WOUNDS DETECTED... GUNSHOTS, MAGICAL ENERGY BURNS, UNKNOWN POISON, FRACTURED RIBS, LACERATIONS....
UNKNOWN BIOLOGICAL SPECIMEN DETECTED... PONY VARIANT... PATIENT...
MATERNITY PATIENTS DETECTED....
FOAL PATIENT... MINOR CONTUSIONS, MINOR PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA
NON-PONY PATIENTS DETECTED... GRIFFON, ZEBRA...
MILITARY PATIENTS DETECTED... WARTIME STRESS DISORDER EVIDENT...

UNABLE TO ADMIT, LUNA TIER ATTACK SCENARIO PROTOCOLS...
REFER TO FILLYTON GENERAL HOSPITAL... FILLYTON CONNECTION UNAVAILABLE... REFER TO MASS BAY MEDICAL CENTER... MASS BAY CONNECTION UNAVAILABLE... REFER TO MAREFORD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL... MAREFORD CONNECTION UNAVAILABLE...

SCANNING... SCANNING... SCANNING.......

PLAYER JDE RECOGNIZED... HIGH SCORE HOLDER, UNIT #17, INVITATION ACCEPTED, BYPASSING LOCKDOWN...

ADMITTING PATIENTS, PLEASE STAND BY...

That red eye of the camera whirred and focused on Jade fluttering beside me, looking her up and down as the advanced maneframe thought to itself, leaving me dumbfounded as it did what I wanted by itself. Player JDE? High score holder? The game... the arcade game in Goodneighbor, Ministry of Peace Hero... Jade had dominated that simple video game tucked away in the corner of Shamrock's casino, the victory screen did say something about inviting her to join the Ministry of Peace... The hub was connected to them? Recognized her?

I fell away from the terminal and goggled at it, waiting hopefully for the doors to click open. Jade's big blue eyes sparkled watching me detach my pip-buck, squirming as much as the filly she was crushing against her breast and looking up in wide eyed wonder as the weird crystal chandelier brightened and started sparking with magical power.

"Oh... oh shit... Admittance... guys I think it's gonna-"

That was as far as I got, the others looked my way worriedly at the quickly intensifying glow from the crystal construct above, shading their eyes against the brightening glare and gaping. The crackling arcane power built up to a low roar and the room was absolutely filled with blinding light, I clenched my eyes shut against it and heard a loud ZAP!.

The world turned upside down and inside out, the bright glare behind my eyelids was replaced by utter blackness with text flashing in the darkness that swallowed me.

Mission Updated: Lifegiver

Objectives------
---~~Find the Ministry of Peace Hub~~
---~~Follow the minotaurs to the MoP Hub~~
---~~Gain entry to the MoP Hub~~

---------------------------Level Up!------------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------

Mighty Hunter---
---Working together and learning from the skilled minotaur hunters of Salt Lick has taught you a trick or two! In combat, you now do 75% more critical damage against animals and mutated animals.

Reputation Change!---------------

Salt Lick- Liked
---You managed to live up to Glitter's boasting and took down a legendary beast of the western woods! Helping to kill the Weird Sisters is sure to impress the minotaurs of Salt Lick when the hunters return with stories of the battle! Besides being welcome in the settlement and getting better prices, you've taken a good step towards getting the powerful tribe on your side!

Ch. 73-- Short Term Treatment

REPAIR-PONY FAST TIMES -

FIX ME...

I stared dumbfounded at the glowing text, even surrounded by hundreds of tiny fairy breezies and a city modeled on old Canterlot built at their scale all around me, in the middle of the Ministry of Peace Hub, still separated from half my friends and with a large green alicorn listening in on my mind that was ....p-pregnant... at my hoof... the advanced maneframe apparently talking to me was the strangest thing.

Not that thinking about Ivy didn't make everything get all woozy again... My breathing started quickening at the thought and the color drained out of everything, brought back by a sigh and a nip to the neck by the mare in question, smiling to herself and soothing me telepathically where no one else could hear my distress.

(Concentrate Fast... Really, you face great danger all the time, but faint over a little thing like this? I'm beginning to think it was a good thing you finally chose to consent to helping my sisters one at a time as you did, I don't think you could take having this happen with too many of us at once...)

(Ponies shooting at me tends to only involve ME ok?! It's not a little thing! It's a BIG DEAL Ivy! Y-You're going to... to... tooooooo....) This time I managed to cut the thought short and slap myself, hard... Grumbling at Ivy tittering to herself in amusement before continuing. (Ha ha ha... I know, hilarious... No, I don't think I could deal with doing what your sisters wanted alright, a whole tower full of ALL you becoming... t-the same way on top of each other.... I-I'll just focus on the weird computer thing and not think about it for now, ok?)

(Please do, don't worry so much, I'm fine! Quite happy in fact, if you'll stop trying to pass out we can celebrate properly later. Calm yourself with your gadgets, this one talks? I'll just listen in if that's alright, it's interesting.)

The beautiful alicorn's fluttery thoughts of 'celebrate' helped me relax and focus again, turning back to the screen waiting on me and trying to take in a surprise I could handle better with a pout. The brochures back in the Stable I had read from Stable-Tec talked up their fabulous Crusader Maneframes once upon a time, computers so powerful they could think on their own, even copy a pony's mind and personality...

The Institute had taken their work and improved on it over the centuries, up to fully sentient synthetic ponies, but before the end they had been experimenting already. According to Mayor Shamrock in Goodneighbor and his research into the Ministry Hubs in Trotson, each had an advanced maneframe that C.I.A.T. had a hoof in, it wasn't much of a stretch to assume they could match or even exceed Stable-Tec's breakthrough technology.

The one in the Ministry of Morale was bizarrely wired into a rubber chicken, but basically functioned like computers I was used to for the most part, it thought... but it was less self aware and had no real personality. This one used ME to refer to itself though... it thought of itself, was self aware? Considering I was surrounded by a throng of breezies watching me closely as I spoke to their Great Tree they viewed as a guardian diety, I wasn't quite sure how to answer.

Best to not treat it like a machine in front of the strange fairy breezies, it might be an insult to them. I cleared my throat and looked up to the Queen peering over the balcony above the glowing screen, tilting her head to read and looking back up at me secretively. "Er... Ok! The umm Great Tree asked for my help to fix it, I'm just going to... er... t-talk to it in its language for a little while, I'll let you know what I can do as soon as we figure it out, alright?"

Was that a grateful, knowing look on Queen Ether's little face in front of me? It sure looked like it... She smiled and tapped her golden spoon scepter in response, chattering out to her subjects in their own language before returning to slightly accented pony as they swarmed about and cheered. "Is good Shroud Fast, ve let you talk to Great Tree, make feast, bring friends. You commune with Tree, tell us vhen you know."

Glad that I had stumbled into an acceptable course of action, I sat down and started tapping on the keyboard display brought up by my pip-buck, relaxing when Jade shifted carefully to curl around me and look over my head as she nibbled my ears, still drunk on breezie nectar and perfectly happy to watch me tap out silent responses.

'Fix you? Who are you, how do you want me to help? __

MINISTRY OF PEACE TROTSON HUB, EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGICAL-TECHNOLOGICAL INTERFACE MANEFRAME. I AM INCORPORATED INTO THE ARBOREAL BUILDING OF THE HUB. MY CHARGE'S BELIEF IS SIMPLE BUT ESSENTIALLY CORRECT, I AM THE GREAT TREE. FIX ME...

'I'm not a tree doctor! What do you want me to do about it?! __

FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME

'Ok! Calm down! Is there even regular stuff to repair in here?' __

WATER TALISMANS OPERATING AT 12% EFFICIENCY, STANDARD TECHNOLOGICAL INSTALLATION. WATER REQUIRED FOR REMEDIATION EFFORTS AND POWER, SWITCHING TO SOLAR INEFFICIENT WITHOUT PROPER WATER LEVELS. SECONDARY WATER SOURCE UNAVAILBLE - 7.8 YEARS, PRIMARY RAINBOW SUPPLY UNAVAILABLE 198.4 YEARS. REPAIR OF TALISMAN ARRAY MINIMAL REQUIREMENT, RESTORATION OF PRIMARY RAINBOW SUPPLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH TALISMAN ARRAY PREFERABLE.

I had to think on that a minute... A maneframe completely incorporated into the weird crystalline tree that made up the MoP Hub building... It needed water to function and had been running out, the talismans were probably on their last legs and the secondary source it talked about... The dry creekbed... the meandering course we had followed through the woods outside from Rainbow Brook, it must have been full of water until recently, then dried up? But why?

(The Lightbringer Fast... Before she cleared the skies, it rained... often.... Since then the weather has returned to something approaching normal again, barring the strange barrier storms around the Commonwealth. Without the steady deluge produced by the Grand Pegasus Enclave, it must have been exhausted.) Ivy sipped her tea beside me and filled in the blanks, the hub had been relying on the Enclave closing the skies and raining down on the wasteland, now that was gone and it had been running out of water steadily for the past 8 years.

'I can't do anything about making it rain enough, so what's this primary supply you're talking about? Rainbows?' __

RAINBOW BROOK PRODUCTION ENDED 198.4 YEARS AGO. INVESTIGATE, REPAIR FONT, RESTORE PRIMARY SUPPLY.

'Rainbow Brook? We were just there, it was all dried up and I didn't see anything to account for what should be supplying it, how do I fix it?' __

RAINBOW FONT LOCATED IN CLOUD PORTION OF CITY, PRODUCTION CONTINUED SEVERAL YEARS AFTER LUNA TIER ATTACK SCENARIO, HIGH PROBABILITY OF RESTORING FUNCTION VIA REPAIR-PONY FAST TIMES. RESTORATION OF PRIMARY SUPPLY SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN PONEOSTASIS.

REPAIRS REQUIRED IN ROOT SECTOR AS WELL, INFESTATION AND BLIGHT MUST BE PURGED, STABLE 95.5 MUST BE SEALED OR REPAIRED. PRIMARY CHARGES UNABLE TO PERFORM THESE FUNCTIONS, REPAIR-PONY FAST TIME'S SAMPLE AND LOCAL RADIO TRANSMISSIONS RELATE IMMUNITY TO RADIATION IN ROOT SECTOR AND COMBAT CAPABILITY REQUIRED.

FIX ME...

Mission Updated: Lifegiver

Objectives------
---~~Find the Ministry of Peace Hub~~
---~~Follow the minotaurs to the MoP Hub~~
---~~Gain entry to the MoP Hub~~
---Repair Water Talisman Array
---Repair Rainbow Brook Supply
---Explore Root Sector - Purge Infestation and Blight

My pip-buck added to the text in my vision and I sighed wearily, I figured the fairy breezies would be the ones who made the weird mission system pipe up again, instead it was the hub maneframe itself. My grousing was cut short by the images and diagrams the system was throwing up in my eyes though, among them was a picture of the city of Rainbow Brook we had passed through, but more of it than I had known was there... Seeing the whole thing brought a twinge of pain between my eyes as that nagging memory I had tried to trace down at the time was confirmed.

Rainbows... I kept thinking the ruins on the ground should have rainbows filling the pools and dry creekbed winding through it, now I knew why. We had only seen half the town, the other half was hidden above the bright fall colors of the forest canopy that covered the ruins we explored, a cloud town...

The prewar photo displayed on the screen showed the whole thing, the cloudy islands above the town had several ribbons of liquid rainbow cascading from cloud to cloud, finally pooling and falling down to the basins and creek down on the ground we had explored. Why was it so familiar though?

Well... If it had continued functioning for a few years after the balefire bombs fell, maybe it could be repaired like the hub was asking. Not that I knew anything about fixing pegasus technology... but I could try anyway. It would require leaving the hub and flying all the way back however, better to focus on the problems here first then.

'Alright, I'll try. By 'combat capability required' I'm guessing this Root Sector is infested with breezidores? I need my friends, and my weapons. What about the water talismans? Are they down there too?' __

AFFIRMATIVE, ROOT SECTOR INFESTED WITH MUTANT BREEZIE POPULATION. AUTHORIZATION TO USE LETHAL FORCE GRANTED. ADDING NON-MILITARY PATIENTS TO MOUSE LEVEL ACCESS LIST... AUTHORIZATION GRANTED. WATER TALISMAN ARRAY LOCATED IN WILLOWHEART SERVICE AREA, OPENING MAINTENANCE ENTRANCE, PLEASE STAND BY....

At that, there was a slight rumble and the breezies in the miniature city around me fluttered up curiously, all turning to the statue of Ministry Mare Fluttershy behind the model Canterlot in front of me. Something slid open that way with a grinding noise and I had to struggle to get loose from Jade's over affectionate grip to take a look.

The large stump of a pedestal the well cared for stone statue stood on had a gaping door in it now, steps leading down to flickering lights and familiar smells of a maintenance area just like in the Stable, grease, water dripping, metal pipes... just like home. The breezies all looked surprised and turned to me as one, chirping to each other in whispers as I flapped over the onion shaped domes of the palace and looked back to speak nervously.

"I-It's ok! The umm... Great Tree wants me to go down there and fix something! If that's ok? You can watch I guess... Er... Jade? I'll be right back ok? You guys just wait up here for the others while I get to work."

That seemed to soothe the breezies, the little mare I rescued from Summerset Plantation chattered with Queen Ether fluttering at the top of her palace, going back and forth a moment before the breezie dressed as a Ministry of Peace nurse landed on my hat and peered over the brim, her upside down face smiling and nodding. "I go watch, ve never see dat room before, Great Tree open so ve trust Shroud pony."

"Do hurry back Fast, I wish to snuggle more! We will wait for Valkyrie and the others, I hope they arrive soon, the food smells quite delicious your highness!" Jade giggled and continued sitting serenely where she was, sipping tea and not moving her comparatively gigantic body in the model city, clearly worried about clumsily smashing something else.

"Ok Daddy! Have fun with your boring stuff!" Glitter yelped happily, carefully leaning up to peek over a three story breezie building and squealing her delight at her new little friends, at least she wouldn't be bored.

Before I could take the first step down into the dark access passage, one of the Queen's Cybreezie royal guards flitted over and darted to my pip-buck, clamping on to it and folding around my foreleg to connect to the arcano-tech device, more text filling my vision after the chattering hoofshake between the two pieces of technology;

REMOTE CONNECTION ESTABLISHED.... PROCEED.

I shrugged and walked down into the gloom cautiously, whispering down to the strange little robot on my leg once we were far enough down to not be overheard by the breezies outside, trusting Spring Gale if she overheard from my hat. "You control the Cybreezies here?"

AFFIRMATIVE, CYBREEZIES MK. 1.3 CONNECTED TO LOCAL NETWORK. REMAINING UNITS REPRESENT 7% OF INITIAL COMPLEMENT.

I'd run into the robots before... Earlier models than this had destroyed the Trotson Division of Steel Rangers shortly after the war with devastating effectiveness. Then another had actually helped me escape the Institute for some reason, performing the same weird trick of connecting to my pip-buck and identifying itself as 'Patriot', being run by somepony remotely. At least these were only under the control of the hub apparently, I still had a lot of questions about them... Maybe the hub knew?

"Where do Cybreezies come from? Why do you have them here at all? Why doesn't the Institute use them all over for that matter, do you know?"

CYBREEZIES CREATED BY PROFESSOR MOBIUS OF C.I.A.T. AS GUARDIANS OF BREEZIE POPULATION BEFORE ADAPTATION MANIFESTATION POTION. MK. 1.3 DESIGNED PRIMARILY TO ASSIST WEAKER BREEZIES. ONLY THOSE ON LOCAL NETWORK KNOWN, OUTSIDE USAGE OF TECHNOLOGY UNKNOWN. MUTANT BREEZIE POPULATION HAS RENDERED MOST INOPERABLE, ONLY ABLE TO FULFILL PROTECTION FUNCTION AT 17% EFFICIENCY.

Mobius again... The weirdest of all the Institute division heads being responsible for the advanced robots did make sense though. From what little I had gathered, he didn't get along with the rest of the Institute and his colleagues even acted scared of him. If he made Cybreezies, the idea that he didn't share the technology wasn't that far fetched.

Probably a good thing for the Commonwealth, the miniature robots were a lot more subtle than the raw firepower of something like an Ultra Sentinel, but I had seen just how deadly they could be. The fact they weren't all over the Commonwealth tended to support my theory, though it left me with more questions.

"Yu talk tu Great Tree thru Guardian Fast? No vunder it vant talk to yu, yu special pony huh?" Spring Gale seemed to be enjoying her ride on my hat, peeking down and watching me murmur to the odd gold and ruby robot clamped to my hoof with wide eyes as we continued down the winding stairs.

"Er... not really Gale, I just have something they can talk to on my hoof already. It's just arcane technology, not magic... well, alright, some magic involved... So, let's see what we got down here..." I replied cautiously, I didn't want to mess with the breezie's beliefs in their guardian spirit, but it was a machine, a very fancy, interesting machine incorporated into the entire hub, but a machine.

The technology filled room at the bottom of our winding trek just reinforced that idea. Most of the hub looked naturally grown and the weird crystalline tree appeared natural, but parts of it were still standard technology I understood, just hidden away out of sight. The chamber we had entered would look mostly at home in the depths of Stable 111 actually, banks of monitors, blinking consoles, rusty pipes dripping water to the floor that appeared to be absorbed by the tree itself.

Some systems seemed to be redundancy back ups, there was an air purification and handling system, but it was mostly inactive... the tree must handle that function well on its own. There were some sparking and blown power relays on one wall, but the wires led into the sparkling, grainy wood surface of the tree as well. This service room seemed to mostly be focused on the sealed panel marked with the blue water drop icon the same as in the Stable, the water talisman housing...

I hissed when I opened the panel with a creak of rusty hinges, taking in the damage as Gale fluttered down to stand in the open panel and look up curiously. Two talismans, just like the Stable too, primary and backup. The primary was nearly ruined... a blackened and cracked jewel dimly glowing with the water creation spell rune on the surface, still held in the mounting field of glowing magic from the corroded connections in a circle around it.

The backup wasn't quite so fried at least, the diamond talisman still put off a cool field of magic and was only a little cloudy. Most likely even that was just because of the sputtering field of magic trying to hold it in place, the connections there were almost totally corroded and ruined, the poor arcane connection was corrupting the talisman as it tried to force it to function.

"Wooooo.... Tinker-Tribe like dis place... it look like stuff dey steal all da time. Yu can fix Fast?" Gale goggled up at the frazzled system with wonder, they'd never been in this part of the tree before at all?

I took a shaky breath and shut down the system, really hoping the blackened talisman didn't just turn to dust when I did, but forced to do so to get to work. To my relief it merely sagged in its housing as the magic dissipated, letting me carefully float it out along with the backup and start testing my magic. I was still no wizard pony, but thanks to all my practice with the books we bought from Corona in Diamond City, along with those we found in the wasteland, I was able to use a few tricks I never had before.

Thankfully, the spell slinging needed to reinforce an already existing spell rune wasn't nearly as difficult as actually knowing and casting the water creation spell itself, all I had to do was as my spellbooks advised, reach out to the established spell matrix and pour magic into it, a bit like going over a badly faded book with a pen to copy over the illegible letters one by one.

Cleansing and restoring an advanced talisman like this was still delicate work, requiring a lot of magic that made me sweat and concentrate with all I had. Very slowly, the gem seemed to grow a little lighter, a few cracks shrinking just a bit and the water spell rune glowing a bit brighter. If I had a week... and a lot of radiation to keep supplying me with power... maybe I could fix it completely.

As it was I'd have to be happy with what I could do for now and move on, several alarms and glowing yellow lights had come up in the maintenance room when I shut the system down, if the tree needed water to function then I couldn't leave it disconnected long without an alternative source.

Moving on, I brought out my wire brush and calipers, carefully cleaning the connectors meant to supply the field of magic to hold and access the talisman. This would take some tedious maintenance work, restoring as much of the system as possible, then swapping the primary and backup talismans around, but it should be a significant improvement.

"I can fix Gale... I think. While I do why don't you tell me all about your home here, the Tinker-Tribe for example, why don't they fix this? Er.. other than requiring magic I guess. They're the gremlins right? The ones who mess with all the technology in the forest?" I answered my observer softly while I worked, glancing around at the rest of the maintenance issues waiting in here and starting a list of what I could help.

The lilac breezie beamed and shrugged at me in answer, "Dey no fix tings much, just break und steal shiny parts for collection."

"Collection? Tell me more..."

"Dis part Shroud pony?" One of the higher ups among the Tinker-Tribe, a rusty colored fairy stallion with a spiky red mane hovered just outside the panel I was currently crammed into, waiting for me to peek out and take a look at the jeweled circuit board held in his hooves that probably weighed twice as much as he did.

Grabbing the part in my telekinesis, I nodded gratefully and brought it back into the panel with me as I replied, taking stock of the veritable flock of Tinker breezies who had joined me down here and were busily working with me. "Yeah Tingle, thanks a lot. Your crew nearly finished with all those spark regulators?"

The breezie supervisor zipped around the room and chattered angrily at some of his workers a moment, bobbing back down and nodding proudly as I slotted the replacement part into the last console on my list. "Almost! Is nice fixing tings unstead of breaking! Dis help Great Tree yes? Yu need more parts?"

"I think we're good for now, I really want to see your collection now though, I didn't think there'd be any way you had some of the stuff I asked for. If it's ok for me to visit, umm... Motool Town? Right?"

A high pitched chatter rose up from all of Tingle Smoke's fellow Tinker-Tribe breezies at that, so I was guessing I was welcome to visit after even before he answered positively. Navigating the breezie's varying thickness of accent and limited number of pony speakers would be rougher if they all didn't understand pony at least, one of a few interesting aspects of dealing with the 'Breezie Nation' here in the hub I had gleaned working down here over the last hour or more.

Based on Ivy's occasional telepathic reports from upstairs, the others were learning tidbits here and there that were getting added to the jigsaw puzzle of fairy breezie culture too. Though I was happier tinkering down here with the so named tribe helping me than I would be up there. So far I liked the fairy breezies and we were getting used to each other, but a party with a bunch of strangers was still daunting for me, no matter how big or small they were. The Tinker-Tribe were fellow repair-ponies.... repair-breezies rather, putting me at ease after I asked for their assistance and put them to work with me.

I was hopeful the feeling was mutual too, many seemed skittish being around ponies, but had been warming up to the maintenance work and gradually getting more comfortable. Telling them how impressed I was at their 'gremlin' activities got us off to the right hoof too, though I had a hard time seeing how they could be so brilliant at wrecking technology, but have so little experience fixing it. Their pale yellow jumpsuits and tiny toolbelts all made me think of a proper maintenance crew like back home, but they honestly seemed unused to doing repair work.

After we had gotten to know each other well enough, the eventual explanation made some sense, but not entirely. According to Gale and Tingle, the tribes were descended from different jobs the breezies used to do here in the Ministry of Peace hub before the end. Tingle proudly said his ancestors were part of hub maintenance and passed the customs down over the ages, forming their own tribe and establishing Motool Town when they returned to the surface, but a lot of knowledge had been lost over that time.

Thinking back to how much trouble I got into as a foal for taking apart a lamp to see how it worked, I had to admit they were right, taking things apart was a lot easier than putting them back together. They knew enough to know what was important and how things worked basically, but lacked the training and information for doing complicated repairs. The Maneframe running their Great Tree had a lot of information in its databases, but it was geared around medical information, so it couldn't really offer much for the Tinkers.

A shame given how good they were at it, and I thought I could squeeze in to tight spots to make repairs... these guys could literally walk around inside the machines and get to places I could only attempt to send my magic in, if I knew what I was doing inside and out without seeing it.

I wasn't just being polite asking to see their part of the Breezie Nation either, according to Tingle, all the parts and components they stole from those invading their forest were added to a vast collection in their home, one I really wanted to go digging through considering how many high class replacements they had already brought me down here.

With the last fixes finished up, I called all my little helpers back and moved to reboot the water talisman array, bringing the systems out of standby and ending the annoying yellow alarm lights still circling. The consoles and machinery crammed into this small area all hummed back to life, a bright field of cool blue magic chilling the air appreciably near the talisman housing to the breezie's cheers.

Mission Updated: Lifegiver

Objectives------
---~~Repair Water Talisman Array~~

The cheer rising up from the crowd of breezies with me was heartening, all the Tinker-Tribe beamed and fluttered around happily, most held at bay by Spring Gale still at my side, flying in front of me and puffing her chest out in pride. Apparently I was her ‘beeg pony’, since we met outside the hub and all, she had claimed what honor there was to be had acting as my loyal little guide and translator, and she was very protective of the pony who rescued her.

My success was hers as far as Gale was concerned, she shooed all but Tingle away as I trudged back up the stairs, letting the supervisor Tinker fairy hold a tentative hoof out to celebrate our repair job done well. “Fix tings pretty fun tu Shroud Fast, ve like doing, yu teech more?”

I slowly returned the shaky hoofbump and smiled wearily, nodding to my little compatriot while making sure not to move too quickly. He had gotten up to being willing to come close and make contact with a big pony, not that I really qualified... but I didn’t want to scare him off from trying. A hoof half as tall as he was had to be nervewracking to see coming at you... actually I knew for a fact it was after run ins with a couple of giant sized alicorn fillies...

I hadn’t gotten many clear answers as to why the breezies didn’t have anything to do with regular ponies, but in a way they were like Jade’s sisters, I wanted to encourage them to be friends with normal ponies, not hide here alone like the alicorns had in Trinity Tower. “Happy to share anything I know Tingle, I’ve got a copy of TLC Squared you guys could read too. You’re really good at being repair-breezies, I wish I had some of you working with me back in the Stable, I think your ancestors would be proud.”

That got more cheers and a flush of pride from Tingle, along with a thread of contemplative chattering from his workers. I didn’t need to be able to understand their lyrical language to get the gist, they liked fixing something, especially their Great Tree. Their talents were wasted just acting as gremlins to discourage the few wasteland travelers foolish enough to intrude on their territory, and they seemed to realize it now that they had a taste.

Thinking on that and basking in the warm feeling of a job well done was soured by the obnoxious tree itself, displaying more text in my vision and... whining... I’d swear this computer knew how to whine and demand well enough to match the stories of Ministry Mare Rarity, but couched it all in more standard computer-ese;

WATER TALISMAN ARRAY OPERATING AT 68% EFFICIENCY
ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS OPERATING AT 77% EFFICIENCY
POWER SYSTEM IMPROVED BY 29% EFFICIENCY

MINIMUM REQUIREMENT MET FOR PONEOSTASIS...

PURGE OF INFESTATION AND BLIGHT CONTAMINATION STILL REQUIRED....
RAINBOW BROOK SUPPLY REPAIRS STILL NEEDED....

FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME FIX ME

"Yeah I know, I know... Gimme a break ok? We got one thing down and it took a lot of my magic and time, we're not all machines." I answered the text in my vision wearily as I climbed the stairs with a train of breezies following happily.

The light and noise above led me along with delicious smells, what repairs we had managed down here had drained me, though it gave me some time to get to know the weird computer running the hub and talk to the Tinker Tribe, along with Spring Gale riding the brim of my hat.

As we reached the top of the service passage and exited under the grand statue of Ministry Mare Fluttershy, a high pitched steam whistle sounded out and was met by a cheer from the miniature city in front of me. I blinked under the brighter lights in the large chamber, scanning around and spotting the cloud of breezies moving slowly with Jade around the edges of the round chamber, fluttering on her wingtips with Glitter in her grasp, following something entering the room from a small side passage.

A glance at the focus of all their interest found.... a train? Yes... a breezie sized, brightly painted, pink locomotive was chugging its way around the circumference of the room on little tracks hidden against the walls. Several pastel roofed cars followed the engine puffing little rings of colored smoke, passenger cars, pastel cargo cars, wide flat-cars big enough to seat a pony, liquid tanker cars and even a small, red caboose at the end.

The breezies all seemed pretty happy about the spectacle, the ones up here were following it along with Jade and Glitter as it pulled into a well cared for, dollhouse sized train station with a hiss, faded purple shingles still intact and a little clock still ticking away between the two wings of the building, a small sign on top said simply; 'Willowheart Station'.

My Tinker-Tribe friends zipped around me in a whooping cloud to join them as I stared dumbly, though Spring Gale stuck with me and beamed from overhead. “Flutter Express not run in loooooong time Fast! Yu make verk again!”

"Daddy! Lookit! It's like a toy of all those broken things outside! But it works! They moved like this?!" Glitter squealed from her mother's embrace overhead, delighted watching a toy train pull up and making me realize she'd never seen such a thing.

Jade nuzzled her cheek happily and replied for me, still sounding a little spacey, but a bit more sober. "Yes dear, this is a train and this is how they are meant to function. Isn't it wonderful, is this your doing Fast? It just came in and our hosts were quite surprised!"

"Er..." I hated to disappoint those glowing faces, but all I had really messed with were vital systems, I was as surprised as they were. Before I could answer, the maneframe piped up again in my vision, still connected through the Cybreezie on my pip-buck and showing no signs of abandoning the communication line.

RESTORING POWER TO SUBSYSTEMS SHUT DOWN UNDER EMERGENCY CONSERVATION PROTOCOLS. DELIVERY OF WEAPONS REQUIRED FOR REPAIRS COMPLETED VIA HUB TRANSPORT.

PROCEED TO PURGE OF ROOT SECTOR.

FIX ME.

"Calm down already, I'm working on it! If you've been in this state so long, a little longer won't kill you, I'm not going to just go barging in down there and-" I griped at the small robot wound around my foreleg, cut short by a heavy bundle of fiery feathers smashing into me.

“BOSS!! Frrrrigggnn finally! Tells dese lil twerps ta gimme back mah guns! Then lemme swat a few of em! Blue won’t let me! Yous know they lockeded me up in a fargle bargle paddeded room!?!” Val’s tail lashed angrily above her rump stuck up in the air as she pinned me, her claws holding my forelegs stretched out so she could nip my neck with her beak affectionately, while drunkenly glaring at the nervous looking breezies keeping their distance from the griffon.

The high pitched giggling nearby let me crane my neck from her embrace and spot Witchy not far away too, a light blush lit her cheeks as she frolicked in a channel now filling with water winding its way through the breezie city, being fed by sparkling fountains out of the statute of Fluttershy, allowing half a dozen breezies to crawl over her silky lilac-grey fur to wash the grime and blood off. “Fast! There thou art! Nevermind thine loyal bodyguard, she threw quite the fit and frightened our adorable new friends. Help them celebrate thine excellent repairs with me instead! This is fun but it will take them sooooo long, play with me and tell me I’m pretty again! I like thine sweet words!”

I noticed more than a few breezie stallions who looked like they were happy to keep working at it as long as it took with her already, blinking between the naked griffon and batpony and their matching, mismatched eyes with wide, dialated pupils, I groaned under Val. So far the breezies go to position when dealing with others seemed to be ‘get them so fucked up they have no interest in being violent’, I couldn’t really blame them for wanting to make outsiders who were so much bigger than they were cooperative and friendly, but it made getting to work laughable.

"You're very, very pretty Witchy, gorgeous, stunning, beautiful... want me to keep going?" Considering she gave a little whinny at each compliment and turned a little redder, I didn't need to see her bobbing her head rapidly to know the answer. Very distracting as she didn't have her heavy steel armor on at the moment, letting me take in every curvy inch the breezies were attentively scrubbing. “Let me guess... they gave you both something to calm down...”

After hearing how she had been treated and what she thought of herself back home, I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to praise her and make it sink in, but we did have other things to do at the moment. Zed chortling from the second floor mezzanine under the banner for the Flora-Tribe breezies sounded sober and he was wearing his armor at least, though I’d almost hoped he was stoned on nectar too, very curious what the reserved zebra would be like.

“I’m afraid so Fast, Miss Hour took right to letting them help her ‘relax’ while we waited together, Valkyrie did not... They had to lock her up until they received word it was alright to bring us here, they even managed to put her in a straightjacket before she could resist, most impressive actually. Their sedative concoction didn’t work well enough on her, I had to suggest they augment it by putting it in something she’d enjoy more to get her here, so I would be careful with her...” Zed rolled his grey eyes at the thought, returning to his conversation above us.

Reminded by the zebra, Val shook her head and looked up with a loopy scowl. “Hey! Zat’s right! Where’s my boozy woozy dammit! Goes gets me more boozy ya lil bug bastiches! Fergot ‘bout dat damn jacket too, they put me in a Gawd damned dress with attitude boss! Lemme thump around alone in some musty padded room! Tells me we’re killin’ somethin’ soon! I am still royally pissed off ya lil buggers! More booze!!”

A very harried looking breezie was actually carrying a bottle of Wild Pegasus through the air at her screech, dutifully bringing it to the inebriated griffon and dumping a generous pile of golden nectar down the bottleneck after she unscrewed the cap and waited. Val sloshed the bottle around to mix up her powerful cocktail and took a slug with a happy gasp, flopping down on top of me and getting a yelp when her sharp claws groped my flank as she returned to being overly affectionate.

Was this how griffons did things? Or just her? I was glad to see all my friends together again and that they were ...happy... but also relieved I was safely in the blue end of my radiation meter and not rising to her flirting automatically, though my mane started itching anyway... Moondancer’s annoying ‘breeding stud’ additions to her version of the I.M.P. wouldn’t ignore certain cues, forcing me to struggle free and ignore Val’s pouting.

At least she had her bottle of whiskey to occupy herself, reluctantly letting me retreat to Jade and Glitter puzzling over the toy train with interest. Their delighted hugs gave me a second to check on Ivy too, finding the big green mare still sitting at the central park beneath the breezie palace, picking at all the food and drink her throng of attendants kept offering her first as the rest continued making a pony sized feast.

She arched an eyebrow at me and nickered to herself when she caught me staring, tossing her mane to show off all the care the breezies had been lavishing on her and the flowers braided in it. (I’m still fine Fast... I’m not going to break while you’re gone for an hour, certainly not here. Our new friends treat a mare in my condition with almost as much caution as what’s in your mind. Not that I’m above accepting such attention from either of you... they are excellent cooks and you... are you. Go on, speak with the Queen and attend your ‘mission’, I’ll keep listening in if you need me.)

I still felt woozy thinking about her ‘condition’ as she so blithely thought of it, but gulped and nodded to her, returning my attention to Jade, Glitter and the curious little train the breezies were swarming. One of the cargo cars was already opened and the sight of my weapons gleaming in the pinkie-space enchanted container filled me with relief anyway, I felt naked without something more substantial to defend myself, even in this mostly friendly environment. And to think, I went most of my life without ever thinking of touching a deadly weapon...

Jade nuzzled my cheek excitedly and trotted over to one of the liquid tanker cars, beaming back at the open cap on top and sniffing at it, the sharp, medicinal smell of healing potions drifting over to my enhanced senses from here. “Isn’t this darling Fast?! Look! Potions! Just as we hoped, our hosts maintain the ability to brew large quantities of healing potions! They have promised me a tour of their labs even!”

Seeing me floating my weapons out of the cargo car and strapping the harness of Blue Moon back to my side got Val’s loopy attention, staggering up to find the car where her own gear was stashed in a rush. I had to ask Glitter to help her out after watching her puzzle over how to get back into her armor and what weapons to start with, leaving Witchy to her breezie assisted bath and looking for Queen Ether.

Tracking down Queen Ether among all her subjects wasn't that difficult, besides practically sparkling in her regalia and being paler than most breezies, she was a bit bigger and had brilliant pink wings, hovering beside Jade's cloudy mane and smiling softly, waving out to the fountain feeding the filling streams of clear water running through her city. “Is good work Fast, thank you for helping the Great Tree. Ve bring all friends here, just like ve say yes? You have more work to do now? Vhat else does Great Tree need?”

"The Great Tree needs a Pest Control Pony... since I'm not one, I need help and some rest. Helping is going to take awhile too, we'll need somewhere to sleep where we won't destroy half your city rolling over in the night, We need to tell the minotaurs outside we're ok too, they're waiting on us, or were anyway. I don’t see all my friends either, where are the Brotherhood ponies?"

The look on her pretty little face soured at 'Brotherhood' and talking to the minotaur hunters waiting on us. Sledge and his hunting pack had brought us all the way through the western woods and promised to wait away from Willowville where it was safe, but they just expected us to be hunkering down at the entrance to wait out the swarm of breezidores outside, not to actually make it in the hub.

Both the Queen and the hub maneframe replied on top of each other, one more political than the other, but both basically agreeing. "Bad soldiers still vhere Tree send them for treatment. You can see Brotherhood ponies, but no let out, they stay put. Ve no talk to minotaurs, they wait for you anyway right? It be fine. Ve make up rooms for guests while you go get, then help Great Tree in morning!"

MILITARY PERSONNEL CONFINED TO VETERANS WARD. OUTSIDE CONTACT PROHIBITED. FIX ME.

So they were on the same page... Most of the breezies seemed to regard the maneframe as their spiritual protector, but the knowing looks I had caught on the Queen's face seemed to indicate she knew better. We needed to get a couple things straight before I did anything else now that Jade was sober...

I leaned close to the tiny mare and held my pip-buck and her robotic royal guard up nearby, whispering under the noise and chatter of her subjects still celebrating the train working again. "You want our help Ether, we want to be friends, but give and take. There are only three Brotherhood here, we'll keep them under control, locking them up isn't right. They are soldiers... if they think they've been captured by an enemy, they'll do whatever they can to escape, you don't want that. We need to have a little chat about a few things before I get them, but I do need to get them. As for not wanting to talk to the minotaurs, I'll write a note. You guys are so good at slipping in and stealing parts and stuff, you can leave it where our friends can find it, that's fine right?"

The Queen gave a long, dubious look, finally huffing in a pout and waving her scepter magnanimously. "Very well, soldier ponies your responsibility. Write note, ve take. But no say anyting about Breezie Nation, keep secret."

VISITOR PASSES ISSUED, ACCESS GRANTED.

Sighing relief from the momentary standoff, I pulled a bit of scrap paper and a stub of pencil from my packs, scribbling quickly and giving the Queen a significant nod to her subjects fluttering about. “Thank you. Now, before I do anything else the ‘Great Tree’ wants, we need to have a little chat. Princess to Queen, discuss our two kingdoms new relationship and stuff. You probably want to talk privately too....”

Jade looked up and tilted her head curiously when I mentioned her, pulled from her elation at fellow followers of Fluttershy and all the wonders of the Ministry of Peace hub. She gave a pouting sigh at the reminder of her royal status, but nodded and trotted over, still a little loopy and lovey dovey, distractedly kissing my horn as she agreed.

“Yes, Fast is right I suppose... we should uphold our roles and discuss our new friendship your highness. I am afraid I won’t be able to fit inside your lovely palace to hold our talks, though Fast might.” Jade giggled at my huff over her lighthearted joke, eyeing the grand entrance to the model of Canterlot Palace and forced to admit that yes... I might actually be able to fit in the main gate.

Only my princess got to make short jokes... at least Queen Ether hid her demure smile behind her hoof and waved up to the upper levels of the large chamber. “Of course Princess Jade, ve take to pony rooms you can stay in. Ve talk there, Vice-Director’s office be good. Dis way.”

I ruffled Glitter’s mane before flying after the Queen up to the third level with Jade, our daughter was perfectly happy where she was and this wouldn’t be a money type stuff kind of talk, so no reason to interrupt her play. When we crested the balcony overlooking the room from the top floor, we passed a large, ornate door reading ‘Trotson Hub Director’ on the way to a smaller one nearby for ‘Trotson Hub Vice-Director’.

“Why don’t we go in the head honcho’s office?” I asked the Queen as we trotted past the fancy door, intensely curious about whoever was in charge and what might be in their office still.

Surprisingly, the hub maneframe answered first. Flashing dismissive text in my vision before the Queen could reply;

TROTSON HUB DIRECTOR WAS A USELESS FIGUREHEAD PUT IN PLACE VIA NEPOTISM. PRIMARY CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF FACILITY CONDUCTED BY VICE-DIRECTOR.

It was a pretty terse answer for an emotionless computer... more signs of an actual personality buried in the code, one that didn’t seem to like the pony in charge before the end. It only made me more curious about that office, but I was willing to go along for now, if the Vice-Director was really the pony in charge, that was a good place to start.

“Dis office better, ve find beds for friends and move here, can take other offices nearby, but beeg door locked anyway. Here ve go, ve talk now Princess. Private talky Spring Gale, you vait vith others.” Queen Ether gave a more diplomatic answer, hovering in front of the Vice-Director’s door patiently.

“Actually I want her with us, Gale’s my little native guide buddy, I’d like her input too.”

Making demands of the ruler of the breezies didn’t look like something she was used to, blanching a moment as Gale popped down from my hat again with a wide smile. “Really? I get tu help vith beeg important talky?”

“Really, you trust me, I trust you Gale.” I replied evenly and pushed the door open, not waiting for approval from Ether and trotting into the waiting office.

The dusty office inside smacked me in the face with a wave of nostalgia and familiarity. It was large and cluttered with strange decorations, wooden zebra masks, carefully arranged crystals and gems, rotting bean bags for chairs instead of normal office furnishing. A very low desk sat at the back, probably half the height of a regular wooden desk, all the better to allow for the pony behind it to sit on the ornate meditation rug that rested where a cushy office chair would normal be.

The carved nameplate sitting beside the glowing terminal on top of it made me sit with a thump, goggling between it and the strange office full of knick knacks and pictures that felt so familiar. No wonder I felt like I had been here before, it forcibly reminded me of how the Shift 4 Head Medic decorated her office, the gaps in the decor must be the things she took with her.... There on her desk sat the same name, the non Stable-Tec issued nameplate here read ‘Vice-Director Tree Hugger’.

There she was.... younger than I remembered, but there was the mare that took over Dad’s duties every Shift Change, staring back at me next to Ministry Mare Fluttershy from a faded old photo I held in my hooves. Her light green coat and braided rose colored mane might be different, especially with a wreath of flowers on her brow and wearing a flowing dress instead of Stable barding, but that mellow, spacey look on her face reminded me of the blue Periwinkle even more than my memories of her soft voice, making me smile thinking of the odd mare.

Of course the thought also gave me another moment of panic, thinking of the blonde alicorn and the possibility she was pregnant like Ivy. If she was, she was back at Castle Equinox... in the line of fire as the Gunners prepared for their assault, maybe even in danger already, still doing her work for the Minutemares proudly... I had to get back, Ivy might not be willing to go to Sanctuary where it was safe, but Peri expressed interest in doing so. I had to protect her...

Jade and Queen Ether seemed to sense my distress and gave me a minute to cope on finding out the Stable 111 medic was once in charge of the MoP hub, but I was getting off on faint inducing tangents... had to focus. I shook it off and shrugged to their concerned stares, sinking into one of the ratty bean bags in front of Tree Hugger’s odd desk with a tired sigh and inviting the Queen to the desk before me. Probably one reason it was so low, it let the little breezie monarch land on the dusty surface and stand close to eye level as Jade furled a wing around me supportively, questioning my reaction silently with her bright blue eyes.

“Sorry... I er... I knew the mare who used to work here, it took me by surprise. So.... let’s talk your highness. I’m guessing you know more about the ‘Great Tree’ than your subjects, so I’ll be straight with you if you’ll do the same from now on. I fixed the water talisman and several sub-systems with the Tinker-Tribe’s help, but I’m not doing anything else until we sort out a few things.”

Queen Ether stuck her nose up and huffed regally, “Ve ‘be straight’ vith beeg ponies since come here. Vhat you vant to help fix hub?”

Jade gasped at the mildly combative tone I used, but I wanted answers. “You threatened to kill the Brotherhood members to get my help, but I’m thinking that was a lie wasn’t it? No follower of Fluttershy would murder innocent ponies, would they your highness?”

That reminded Jade and elicited an annoyed whinny from her, nodding rapidly and leaning down to address the Queen with disappointment. “Yes, that’s right! I do not like the Brotherhood either, but they do not deserve to be killed simply because they were dragged inside the hub with us. Fluttershy would be very disappointed Ether!”

My Princess’ narrowed blue gaze made her royal counterpart wilt and shuffle sheepishly as she answered in a quiet voice. “Ve fib a leetle... ve make forget, but not kill... Holy Fluttershy understand if ve do though, sometimes have to put down rabid animals to save others. Have to be cruel to be kind if needed. No vant to, but ve no know vhat you do! My subjects scared beeg soldiers come and take home!”

Gale maintained her comfy seat on my head, hanging off the brim of my hat and nodding worriedly. “She right Fast, Securi-Tribe especially vorried, dey protect Breezie Nation, no like security risk. Bad soldiers blew up whole vorld! You even say dese vant to take Great Tree.”

If these two knew I had the surprisingly loud voice of ‘Be Kind...’ forcefully disagreeing in my head, they might change their tune there... They might have a point, but the fragment of Fluttershy I carried had gotten stronger since we had entered the hub and met the breezies, the echo of her soul radiated disapproval in line with Jade’s reaction. Though it also lent me patience and kept the other voices up there quiet, especially ‘Be Dark...’ to my relief.

“I don’t want that either, but making threats isn’t a nice way to ask for help, so let’s not do that again huh? I won’t lie, the Brotherhood probably will want to take the hub if they find a way in and think they can. Even if you make them forget about you... you can do that? Er... anyway, even if you did, they’ll just send more to try again. They wouldn’t be happy with you about messing with their armor and weapons either, a lot of them died on the way here because of that...”

The tiny queen paced the desk in front of us briskly, getting a frustrated and frightened look before yelping up in desperation. “Ve just vant to be alone! Hub say outside dangerous, beeg ponies all crazy! Umm... not you of course... but ve survive by staying hidden, how ve keep bad soldiers away Princess?”

At Ether’s obvious distress, Jade stood to her full, impressive height and flared her wings, stamping a hoof down and exuding an aura of nobility that made her a princess worth following. “They will not take your home. I promise! We will protect you! Er... S-Somehow...”

Jade shrank into her wings a bit after her firm declaration, looking to me for all the pesky details of how we’d do so, just completely sure that we would do something. Luckily, my time spent talking with Gale and the Tinker-Tribe had filled in a few details I could work with, scratching my head and nodding along with Jade to the Queen.

“Princess Jade is right, if our kingdoms are friends and allies, then we’ll protect you. But that means taking a chance on us your highness, not all ponies outside are crazy and bad, not even the Brotherhood really... We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure your home stays yours, but I don’t think you can keep hiding here anymore.”

“Vhat you mean Shroud Fast? Ve be friends vith Princess and help Followers stuff, but ve just make supplies and give, vhy ve need let others in?” Queen Ether looked dubious at the suggestion, lining up with what Gale had told me.

MAINTAINING ISOLATION HIGHEST PROBABILITY OF ENSURING SAFETY OF BREEZIE POPULATION. UNACCEPTABLE SECURITY RISK TO DO OTHERWISE. PRIMARY DIRECTIVE TAKES PRIORITY.

Neither the Queen nor the Hub itself liked that idea... Apparently, the breezies had built their entire society safely behind the shields of the MoP hub, removed from the wasteland and able to hide and disregard it. With the Brotherhood snooping around now, I couldn’t see a way for the status quo to continue though.

I didn’t think it was bad to change things either, Spring Gale had been just one of many breezies interested in the outside, even after her captivity and abuse, she was still curious and wanted to explore beyond the constrains of her safe home, piping up nervously to speak on our side. “Not all of beeg pony vorld bad your highness! Vas scary und got caught by bad ponies... but saved by good ones! Fast und Princess is good, ve should see other good ponies too!”

“If the Breezie Nation is an ally of Sanctuary and we have good soldiers here, the Brotherhood or anyone else couldn’t just come in and push you around. Plus there’s all the problems you have here, like the water talismans, all you need is a little help from good ponies. We can help you fight back against the breezidores, fix things you can’t and teach you how to do it yourself, protect you from threats from the outside and help you deal with others. You could even trade for things you don’t have here, you have lots of stuff ponies outside would want to buy. I think you need to let others in so you can work together with ponies, like you used to here in the hub.”

Ether’s long, graceful antenna perked up at that, she squinted at me and looked to Jade hopefully. “Like long, long ago? Ponies and Breezies together? There is many breezies like Gale that vant that... can we trust beeg ponies though? Vhat you vant to do this? How we do?”

“The Followers of the Apocalypse are fellow disciples of your Holy Fluttershy your highness, quite a few of them would be delighted to live here with you and help. Many are medically trained, you could use the resources you have here to heal and help alleviate a lot of suffering. I believe my Fast is right, my own sisters wished to remain isolated and apart from the rest of the world, but they learned it is better to rejoin the wasteland, we are stronger together after all.” Jade smiled kindly to the anxious breezie mare, speaking in her best soothing voice that put me at ease just hearing it.

“And the Minutemares are soldiers, but they’re good soldiers, on your side. I admire your belief in Fluttershy, but sometimes life isn't so simple, sometimes you have to fight. Look at me and Jade, she’s a pacifist like you guys, while I end up killing... a lot... but we need each other, the Followers and the Minutemares need each other, the other Ministries needed Fluttershy and the Ministry of Peace, I think breezies and ponies need each other too. If we work together, we can be better together, but I need to know before I talk to the Brotherhood. Are we allies your highness? Are you willing to trust us?”

There was a long pause while the Queen thought, furrowing her brow and glancing up at Gale on my hat holding her forelegs up to beg. Finally she sighed and looked up uncertainly, “Ve trust Princess and Shroud... but go slow. Ve is allies vhen you talk to bad soldiers though, is ok. I hope you sure Fast pony...”

Looking into the Queen’s clear blue eyes, I could practically feel the heavy weight of responsibility settle between my wings. I just had to go meddling everywhere I went, now a whole miniature society was counting on us. I answered in a quiet whisper under Gale’s whoop of joy as she flitted around the room and grabbed her queen to dance with her excitedly, gasping in horror as she realized she was slinging her own monarch around in her elation.

“I hope I’m sure too...”

After continuing our discussion of an alliance between the Kingdom of Sanctuary and the Breezie Nation long enough to get some things straight, I felt armed enough to go deal with the Brotherhood, leaving the rest to Jade as we went back out to the city outside.

The smells that wafted up to us even up here on the third level of the main chamber made my stomach gurgle in anticipation, it took the breezie cooks awhile to make enough food for a pony feast, but they were getting close, added incentive to get this done quickly.

I glided down and landed beside the toy train station, noticing as the flickering sign reading ‘Departures’ changed to ‘Veteran’s Station’, now that the inter-hub transport was working, it promised a faster way to get to the wing where the Brotherhood had been teleported and held.

Craning my neck to look over the cluster of buildings for my daughter, I spotted her towards the edges of the large round chamber, swinging her hoof down and yelling ‘GO!” to signal the start of a race consisting of breezies dressed in the furs and bones of the Fauna-Tribe, riding... bunnies?

Yes, they were riding bunnies... engaged in a display of skill as their speedy mounts zoomed around the room to her squeals and the cheers of breezie spectators. Val was drunkenly flopped over beside the foal, raising her half empty bottle of nectar-whiskey high and taking bets on the outcome with a small crowd near her.

At least the griffon had calmed down with her weapons returned and was making friends... I saw Witchy near Ivy at the central park, digging out her collection of musical instruments and talking with a small group of breezies who had their own toy sized instruments, making toots and twangs as they tuned up together. Zed was still wandering the upper levels, talking with the Fauna-Tribe now, the reserved zebra wasn’t big on parties, but he was finding those he wanted to talk to and seemed satisfied. Good... the more breezies we made friends with, the easier getting them used to the idea of opening up to the outside would be.

Once the bunny racers crossed the finish line and Glitter declared a pale pink breezie riding a chocolate brown rabbit the winner, I caught her attention and gave my delighted daughter an indulgent look. "Hey Glitter, you wanna ride on a train with me? It's not quite as comfy as real ones, but it looks neat huh?"

My little filly's pink eyes got as wide as dinner plates and she gave an earsplitting squeal, laying my ears back as she joined me and cantered around in rapid circles, before dashing for one of the flat-cars that seemed made to hold a pony. "We can ride it!? Really! Yes! Let's go daddy!!"

Jade immediately galloped up as well, coming to a halt before the car next to Glitter and giving a crestfallen pout. Those flat-cars did look like they could hold a pony and were used for such, but a normal pony... Plenty of space for a young filly, fairly comfortable for me as a smaller pony, maybe a little cramped for somepony of more standard stature, but for the huge alicorn blinking between the small seat and her prodigious rump that dwarfed it? Nooooo....

"This is most unfair... I wish to ride as well Fast! I do not like this at all, I feel too big and clumsy normally... here it is worse... Maybe if I simply... squeeze... in... like... so..." Watching my Princess stick her tongue out the side of her muzzle and wobble her gorgeous flanks ominously over one of the cars was both amusing and enticing, but I hoped to use this train to speed up getting the others, I couldn't let her crush it under all that soft, blue deliciousness.

At least with her head down to line up her rear behind her, I didn't have to lean up to give a long kiss she purred and leaned into, breaking it off to pat her cheek consolingly. "Umm... I don't think it's gonna work hon, sorry... Maybe I can take one apart and reinforce it ok? Make sure you get a ride too, for now maybe it's best if you and the Queen keep talking about our alliance with her subjects, you’ll help them give the idea a chance I think. Besides, y-you should stay with I-Ivy... I'd feel better with a doctor close to her huh, w-with her... h-her... hurrrrrr...."

Jade's tinkling giggle stopped the blood draining from my face as she furled her wings around me and cooed, forgetting her disappointment at the entertaining sight of me turning grey and swaying before she did so. "Sister Ivy is perfectly fine Fast, she needs no care from me silly, it is far too early to be so worried, but I will relent. You must promise to let me ride however... it looks so darling and I so want to... E-Everything is far too small, even in the rest of the wasteland, but especially here. If I just fit in a bit better..."

With her wings hiding us, I could let my hooves roam and reassure her to some happy nickers, nuzzling her cheek and licking at her favorite spot on her neck. "I love my big beautiful Princess just the way she is. If you break something, I'll fix it. If things around you make you feel like you don't fit in, I'll fix those too. You'll get a ride, just like anypony else, promise. And I know I'm being silly about Ivy but... c-could you humor me?"

"I believe we must accept Fast is going to be rather overprotective sister... His thoughts are very firm on the subject, when they don't start fading away towards unconsciousness anyway. Stay with me please, let's continue our interesting talks with our hosts while we wait hmm?" Ivy gave a soft smile from her seat in the shadow of the breezie palace, her blue mane and tail now groomed and braided by throngs of breezie attendants crawling over her to her ticklish giggles, while more were engaged in the arduous looking task of using the restored water to start on her lustrous green coat.

She raised an eyebrow and thought at me silently as well, reassuring me psychically before I left her. (I will keep her here, though I do hope you can do as you promised, even I'm not above wanting a ride on that little toy or feeling the same way sometimes. A normal pony sized world can be difficult enough to cope with, this place is very disorienting and makes us feel a bit self conscious, honestly I don't know how Swan does it. Though knowing just how much you like us as we are does help... I'll try to guide our conversation while you're gone as well, continue the progress the two of you have made.)

Nodding to the p-pregnant green mare, I reluctantly pulled away from Jade and joined Glitter on the next car down. Jade curled in on herself and crossed her forelegs in a pout, watching wistfully as the little locomotive gave a high pitched whistle and lurched into motion again. She did finally break down at Glitter hopping up and down on her seat, waving frantically as we wound around the circular chamber, smiling to our daughter and waving back as tracks ahead switched over with a click and we were lost down one of the side passages.

Once this thing got moving, it actually made good progress at a steady clip. Not much faster than a gallop on hoof, but better than walking and surreal watching tiny breezie ruins passing by along with the dusty halls of the outer wings of the MoP hub. I only had a few vague memories of riding trains before the war, this was more like riding on the roof of one of those than looking out the windows, but seeing the scenery glide by was familiar.

This branch of the hub looked geared primarily towards dealing with caring for those injured in the war and veterans, signs for; Physical Therapy, Prosthetics, Long Term Care, Intensive Care and more passed by as we chugged along.

Before long we pulled into 'Veteran's Station' with a hiss, across the hall from a nurses station and only a few doors away from the others, disembarking and trotting down the dirty tiles on the floors, weaving around rusty wheelchairs and gurneys lining the halls.

"Yu sure it ok let out bad soldier ponies Fast? Yu und Princess Jade pony both no sound like yu tink dey very gud..." As I approached the door Spring Gale directed me towards, the breezie mare on my hat still sounded pretty wary about the Brotherhood ahead.

"I don't think they're bad either really... I just disagree with them in some areas. It'll be alright, I'll take responsibility for them. Leaving them locked up isn't very nice and I would like to find a way to be friends. You guys should try giving them a chance before talking about putting them to sleep..."

At my grousing, Gale's head popped over the brim of my hat again and she tittered to herself, shaking her little face in front of mine. "Queen Ether say she sorry for fib Fast. Ve no kill soldiers, dat be bad."

"The Securi-tribe really did want to put them to sleep though, right?"

"Dey always wanna go too far tu protect Breezie Nation, Queen und Great Tree no let dem kill if no haf tu, ve just make forget! Securi-Tribe happy hearing her pretend tu tink about it, but she not. Doh bad beeg ponies like scary place I vas... d-dey deserved... N-No, Holy Fluttershy be sad, even for dem." Gale's tinkling giggles tapered off as she remembered her captivity.

Killing sounded like it had been laughably abstract to her, but now her exposure to the wasteland outside was already changing her view, corrupting everything it touched, breezie or pony. At least she shook it off and returned to Ministry Mare Fluttershy as her touchstone, Jade was right, the breezies were practically Followers of the Apocalypse already, they both worshiped the same ideals.

So the Queen had been playing politics... I was glad to hear Gale's certainty they wouldn't have killed the Brotherhood ponies, but a little concerned that some of them wanted to, and that their leader felt the need to let them and us believe she might. "Yeah, you're right Gale, Fluttershy would be sad for them... So the Securi-Tribe are the ones you told me about that want to fight the Breezidores too right? They don't agree with your Queen? Your brother Blowing Storm is one of them isn’t he?"

Gale's wavy mane hanging down in my vision cut off most of my view as she shook her head, but so far this wing had been empty and safe, letting me continue our chat and keep digging for information about how things worked here as she answered. "Securi-Tribe is umm... is like pony army I guess, dey protect Breezie Nation, keep secret und safe. Dey go out into beeg pony world most, say is all bad und ve can no let come here. I no understand vhy brother agree vith dem und join, until I go out too. Some of yu ponies is scary Fast... Yu und Princess und friends is nice, but no vant soldiers here. Ve always just make ponies dat find out aboot us forget doh, no kill, killing is always bad. You reeeeeally sure ve no can just make forget again?"

“I think it’s better if they remember actually. After all the trouble they had just getting here, those Brotherhood troops aren’t going to be in any mood to try again and they’ll tell their superiors if they remember. I know it’s a risk, but we’re allies now too, we want them to remember so they can take back the word that you guys are off limits. Sometimes it's better to be brave and go out to talk with others, instead of hiding and isolating yourselves. Trust me, I know all about wanting to hide and stay alone.”

Glitter paused ahead of us, putting down a rusty prosthetic hindleg and looking to Gale curiously. “What were you doing out there anyway Miss Gale? How'd you get caught by those bad guys?"

"Some of us vant go out into beeg pony world und make friends, I get chance to try, but get caught.... Thought ponies vhat grow plantys not be so bad, but vas. Wish I find you first instead, Brother Blowy now get beeg head, keep saying 'told yu so!'" Gale stuck her tongue out to mock her absent brother, putting on a gruff tone that still sounded comically squeaky and not very intimidating at all.

Glitter laughed at the teasing imitation and nodded up to her, a frown crossing her face at the thought of the ponies at Summerset Plantation that had captured her. “I wish you found us instead too Miss Gale! Those slaver ponies were mean and dumb! I really wanted ta meet you there, but you ran away when daddy saved you! I’m really happy I got ta see you all here though! I love you fairies!”

As usual, just a few words from Glitter brightened up who she was directing them towards, getting a warm smile from Spring Gale that banished the shadows of her traumatic experience as I agreed with my daughter. "I wish you found us first too Gale, I'm sorry that happened to you, but I'm glad you want to try to being friends with us big ponies. You need our help for the Great Tree, but we sure could use your help too. Alright, ready to meet the soldiers?"

Spring Gale gulped and ducked behind my hat after giving a shaky nod, giving me the go ahead to open the door for 'Group Counseling Room #2' we had reached and stick my head in. I did not expect to be greeted by the sound of a deep bass voiced Steel Ranger bawling however...

I hadn't spent much time speaking with the last remaining Ranger from Lt. Dawn's group on our way here, being totally enclosed in heavy power armor made friendly conversation a little daunting, so this was the first time I had seen the burly stallion's face. The streams of tears spewing up like twin fountains kind of took away some of his intimidating mystique here.

"....j-just cause they found some old Ministry shipment of tech! W-Whole caravan wiped out and... and some of those ponies were just youngsters! I... I lied and tried to save one, s-said he was dead and got us to leave, but I still left him there bleedin' and... I never knew what happened to him! P-Probably died anyway!" The muscular earth pony Knight named Grinder sobbed, sitting on a folding chair arranged with several more in a circle around the dusty room, my quiet entrance let me goggle at the sight of the tough military pony crying so openly.

Group therapy? That's what this looked like... Lt. Dawn sat a few chairs over, a hard, stoic look on her face marred by her lip quivering and glistening eyes. Both of them were stripped of their armor, the dingy yellow Grinder sniffling at one of several breezies hovering around them flitting off to grab a tissue and wipe his eyes for him. There were half a dozen or more breezies in the room, most in the circle of chairs making supportive noises, some flying up to give the weeping buck a hug.

One wearing a little lab coat sat apart on an empty chair across the circle, nodding patiently and humming to herself, refering to a battered book propped open on the seat beside her titled; ‘Wartime Stress Disorder - Diagnosis and Treatment Manual’. "Und yu feel bad yu no help more? But yu no could do more, could you? Is not your fault, yu try Meester Grinder, yu no forget, yu be better, yes?"

"Y-Yeah... I guess... W-When Elder Steelhooves stepped up, reminded us what we were supposed to be about... I k-knew where I belonged, that he was right. H-Had to fight my own brothers and sisters to join him, b-but I never forgot that buck's face w-when things got tough. D-Do you think he'd forgive me little fairy doc?" Grinder wiped his eyes and looked up hopefully, wincing at Lt. Dawn's huff nearby.

"No know, is important yu forgive yu doh. Yu try be better, yu feel remorse und make change vhen yu could do something. It ok Meester Grinder, I tink he forgive, I tink yu should tu." The silvery and pale green maned breezie running this bizarre therapy session referred to the dusty book in the seat beside her and nodded at her treatment, giving the snotty stallion a kind look.

All her fellows fluttering over to give a supportive hug wherever they could grab the big stallion made him start up again, but it sounded like a weight had been lifted. I spotted one hovering up to his muzzle to plant a little kiss between his dripping nostrils, then reach into her baskets of nectar and slip a dusted hoof into his mouth consolingly. I could see how using the psychoactive substance as part of therapy could be helpful, beyond just making ponies affectionate, it made them emotional, probably pretty handy for this kind of thing.

"Knight pull yourself together! We've all done... d-done things we r-regret but... w-we have to.. to..." Lt. Dawn tried to be stern, her quivering lip just increasing and breaking apart her gruff command as she dissolved into tears as well.

Wow... breezies were reeeeally good at being therapists apparently... I could tell Dawn had been dosed with nectar too, I couldn't see her sitting calmly like this if she wasn't, but she wasn't completely wasted either. When she flapped up from her seat to join the breezies in the supportive hug, she finally caught me staring from the door though, forcefully wiping her blue eyes and trying to put on a scowl with little success.

Her embarassed frown softened at Glitter dashing forward now that we were noticed, her wide pink eyes shimmering with sympathetic tears as she launched herself at the earth pony stallion and joined the breezies hug. “It’s ok Mister Grinder! Don’t cry! I forgive you for that other pony!”

"There you are!! Mr. Times! Tell these... k-kind little creatures... to let us go! We don't have time for all this t-touchy-feely nonsense! W-We have a mission to focus on and... W-We have orders to be diplomatic with natives, but I demand we be allowed to leave! I-In just a moment..." Dawn grumbled and snatched a tissue a breezie was bobbing in her face, blowing her nose with a long honk and trying to resume her normal, sour appearance. Not very successfully as she patted Glitter’s silver mane gratefully as her Knight hugged her back, taking comfort in a foal big enough to return the gesture, instead of the tiny breezies he couldn’t risk crushing.

This was two of the Brotherhood, but I didn't see their Scribe anywhere nearby... "Nice to see you too Lieutenant, Knight. Sorry to interrupt, we got them to allow you to come with me when you're ready though. Umm... where's Scribe Blossom? Isn't she joining in group therapy too?"

Knight Grinder looked a little sheepish when I trotted in to pat his broad back, but grateful for the support too. Everypony had their own sad stories in the wasteland, talking to someone about them always helped and I wasn't going to make him feel bad for displaying some normal pony emotion.

By Dawn's annoyed snort and unsteady hoof pointing to a door to the side for 'Private Sessions', I gathered their Scribe was here too, just not with the others. "Scribe Blossom is the only one perfectly happy where she is... Now report, what's going on? Where are we going? How do we get out and report back to the Brotherhood, we need to send for reinforcements and secure this hub from..."

"Later! We'll talk later Dawn! You're not just running out to get backup though, calm down, you need to have a sitdown with the leader here and learn some things. They’re making food if you’re hungry, we’ll talk then. Er.... you guys get ready and I'll get Sakura."

I had to put up with Dawn's glare, but cutting her off from casually stating her intentions to secure this Ministry Hub for the Brotherhood was important. I didn't want to put the breezies on guard or agitate them further and that was the worst thing she could say. The crimson pegasus pouted and wiped her eyes as I passed, but thankfully stayed quiet and returned her attention to Knight Grinder and Glitter still soothing the emotional soldier, letting me duck into the smaller room bearing a low, long, lounge chair I associated with typical psychiatry visits to find Sakura Blossom.

Of course the pale pink Scribe wasn't sprawled on the couch and pouring out her soul... Instead I caught her in the middle of gleefully poking at a pair of breezies sitting there in her place, taking quick measurements with a tape measure and furiously tapping notes into her own pip-buck as she jabbered questions to the breezie mare and stallion under her curious purple gaze.

"Truly fascinating Miss Draft! My notes on prewar members of your species are spotty, but I'd estimate you're 75% larger easily! Amazing you're not only able to activate your magic without a breeze now, but it has increased as well! Do you know any other spells by chance? Do you learn them as arcane skill like we do, or is it more of a natural magical ability? How quickly would you suppose you produce this amazing nectar substance of yours? Does output increase in response to external stimuli? Do you make more if you eat more? Does it require pollen or is it entirely made by your own biology? You mentioned different varieties as well, what other effects can you induce? Is it only through artificial refinement in your labs? When do you think I can take a look at those by the way? Is there any way I could perform exploratory surgery? Do you have any recently dead to autopsy? What distinguishes you from those awful breezidores? When did the branching of species occur to the best of your knowledge? How many generations ago did..." I immediately empathized with the overwhelmed looking breezies looking to the open door gratefully, Scribe Blossom was hitting them with a nonstop barrage of questions, at least she had been happy waiting, barely noticing me until the subjects of her curiosity flitted over to hide on my hat with Gale.

"Er... Ready to leave Scribe Blossom? There's lots more breezies to ask questions of I'd like you to meet if you want..."

Blossom blinked back at me holding the door open for her in surprise a moment, her bright purple eyes getting wide and sparkly at the temptation as she cantered forward. "Oh! Mr. Times! Wonderful! I had been reaching the limit of my new friend's knowledge and was hoping to speak with more. I assume everything is fine? Where's the Princess? I'd very much like to consult with her about our delightful hosts, can you believe it? A whole society of what was believed to be an extinct species! Their own culture, language, biology, all of it practically unknown to ponykind! I could write books on the subject and break new ground! I can't wait to..."

Her manic excitement forced me to shush her gently with a hoof pressed lightly to her soft, flapping lips, whispering to her and nodding back the way I came. "They don't like being in the spotlight Scribe Blossom... if you could just come with me, I'm sure Jade would like talking to you too. Try to chill out for now, alright?"

Now that she had been forcibly stopped, the Brotherhood Scribe seemed to realize she might have been making the breezies uncomfortable, gasping to herself and nodding up apologetically at my hat. "Oh! Of course! So sorry you two, you're all just so interesting I forget myself! Happy to come along Mr. Times, I'm very excited to see more of our surroundings, I understand our hosts desire to keep us confined for now, but a whole Ministry of Peace hub just waiting... let's go!"

I watched Scribe Blossom prance her way out happily, totally unconcerned and her flicking tail putting her pert rump on display as she wandered right out to join her commander and Knight Grinder. The brief chatter of breezie language followed by Gale coming out of hiding summed up my thoughts on the odd mare pretty well, "Dey say dat soldier is ok, but is crazy... too many questions."

"You get used to her... she's harmless though, and I've got questions of my own too. I think she's a soldier pony you guys might like though, she's almost a follow of Fluttershy already. It’s worth giving strangers a chance."

Now that I had all of the surviving Brotherhood ponies in tow, I led the way back once they had located their uniforms and gotten dressed. The hub wasn't going to let Lt. Dawn or Knight Grinder have their power armor back, but had provided their clothes in bins near the door just like the others. I still wanted the Brotherhood's help, now I was hopeful that I could convince the breezies and the Brotherhood to compromise and maybe get back in the Brotherhood’s good graces.

Of course Lt. Dawn was going to be an obstacle, even mildly stoned on breezie nectar, the military mare immediately went back to her orders once we boarded the train and started chugging our way back to Willowheart. "How did you get into the hub Mr. Times? I need to report to my superiors and they'll want to know what weakness you exploited to gain entry to a sealed Ministry facility like this. Once I have reinforcements we can secure this place and..."

"This is the breezie's home Dawn, not an objective for you to take over. The Breezie Nation is now an ally of the Kingdom of Sanctuary, if you try to take over here, you’re attacking Sanctuary and all our other allies. I'm not telling you how I got in, I'm taking you to see the breezie in charge and we can all have a little chat, maybe work something out that benefits you, but I need to know what you actually need from this place, not what you want."

Dawn glared back from the flatcar behind me, furrowing her brow furiously and grumbling back as the hallways glided by. "You are going to fuck this up for me again, aren't you Mr. Times? You got them on your side and started playing politics while we were locked up! We're not going to simply take over and run the native population out if they're friendly, but this is a Ministry facility, it needs to be in the proper hooves!"

"I think it is already Dawn. The Brotherhood isn't always the proper hooves for everything you want. You need to start adjusting your mission or you won't get anything, now what do you need?"

"You are becoming quite the nuisance to the Brotherhood Mr. Times... Data, at the very least my superiors may be satisfied with a similar arrangement as with the MoM hub, though very unhappy... We need access to the data on the maneframe at minimum, the ARC project and all sample records. Preferably we'd like the equipment and resources available here, from what little I've seen so far, this hub seems in excellent condition and I doubt the fairy population would even miss some of the medical equipment going to waste here." Dawn crossed her forelegs and pouted back, about what I hoped anyway. Knowing what they'd settle for was a step in the right direction.

"Ok, I'll try to help you out then, we can compromise, even if I'm a nuisance. They're really nervous about you military ponies though, so let me do the talking please? For now just be nice, they're throwing us a little feast and want to be friends, so just be friendly, got it?"

"I don't take orders from you Mr. Times..." By her grumbling answer, Dawn didn't seem to like the creeping realization she wasn't going to get what she wanted, but at least she was willing to listen after going through Bunker Hill together. “My superiors aren’t going to like this, I was ordered to secure the hub, now I have to tell them you swooped in a stole another one!”

“I didn’t steal it, I made friends with who it belongs to, not you, not me, the breezies. I’m trying to get them to let others in, but they’re nervous even about us, they really don’t like soldiers in power armor tromping around acting like they own the place. I’d stop talking like that if you want anything good to report. Helping them with their problems is probably your best bet now, keep that in mind.”

“Yeah beeg pony! Dis Breezie Nation, ve friends vith Shrouded Stallion und Princess Jade, not soldiers. Yu be good guests und ve tink aboot being friends vith yu too, but Sanctuary friends first!” Gale squeaked from my hat bravely, telling off the angry pegasus mare as we neared Willowheart.

“I hate you sooooo much Mr. Times... I really do. It’s like you were born to be a thorn in my flank, is your cutie mark a picture of me annoyed? Or maybe a big fat monkey wrench you seem to enjoy throwing into the works instead? Alright Miss breezie, we’ll deal with your allies and you together, try to help in return for your hospitality. What do you need?” Dawn grumbled back to Gale, but there was a bit of playful resignation in her voice instead of hate like some of her kind felt about me. I actually liked my Brotherhood frenemy and hoped the feeling was mutual, especially since I was pretty sure I’d actually need her help.

“They need an exterminator, something the Brotherhood is pretty good at right? I’ll explain over dinner, here we are, now don’t freak out over...”

We exited the passage leading back to Willowheart and the gasps from the Brotherhood cut me off, entering the bright chamber full of hundreds of breezies and a miniature Canterlot was a shock after all. Dawn and Knight Grinder just gawked, but Scribe Blossom instantly leapt off the moving train and charged directly into the model city, squealing ecstatically and already launching into fresh questions.

And I thought Glitter had been excited... “A model city! Canterlot of old! Is it a perfect match? No, no cliffs... still the design seems remarkably similar, how wonderful! AH! Societal variations in the populace! Two... three... four varieties! Tribal distinctions in apparel and appearance! Do you have different abilities or biological distinctions? Or is it all merely cosmetic? Is this all prewar? Or built afterwards? Ah, no I see... this is part of the original hub! How fascinating, the breezie population must have worked closely with the residents! Princess Jade! There you are! I wish to confer on my findings so far, isn’t this wonderful!?”

Dawn watched her scribe dash around the room and jabber, facehoofing and dragging her hoof slowly down her grimace as she groaned over her antics. “Knight Grinder... would you please get her under control....”

The burly stallion grinned over the scribe, scratching his mane and hopping off the train as we pulled into the station, blushing a bit as he nodded and ran after Scribe Blossom, carefully dodging the breezies and buildings underhoof. I chuckled over the show as the Knight turned even brighter red when forced to resort to dragging the scribe back by her curly tail.

Stepping off my own car and watching Glitter run off after them, I held a hoof out to Lieutenant Dawn like a proper gentlecolt. “I’d let her go, the breezies will probably like her. Come on Lieutenant, I’ll introduce you, let’s be friends huh?”

She stuck her nose up with a huff, but did take my offered hoof and stepped down with a sigh. “Friends... right... Let’s go meet the natives then.”

With everyone together in Willowheart, the breezies were able to put on their feast with pride, throwing a regular party as night fell outside. They were standoffish with the Brotherhood as expected, but Scribe Blossom’s antics actually helped put them at ease with them, according to Gale, any group with such a silly pony couldn’t be all that bad.

Lt. Dawn stayed close by, maintaining a Brotherhood-Ambassador presence near the Queen at all times. My sharper hearing caught her attempting to cajole and tempt her into siding with the Brotherhood instead of us, but Ether turned her away each time she tried, leaving the crimson mare in with a sour look on her face while her troops relaxed and enjoyed the party.

Witching Hour had set up a miniature band of breezies seated around her, playing a variety of instruments and learning to match the breezie’s upbeat songs to everyone’s delight. The batpony mare was still pretty goofy and regularly nibbling at nectar laced treats, but looked as happy as I had ever seen her. Apparently the breezies that had taken such care helping her clean up and braiding her mane and tail had reassured her even they thought she was pretty, boosting her confidence enough to put herself on display playing for everyone. Watching her playing with an untroubled smile and a lustrous, clean coat shining under the brighter lights of the hub, I had to agree and made a point of saying so.

Zed was keeping an eye on the Brotherhood with me, making sure none of them slipped off or got into mischief. So far it seemed an easy enough job for both of us, leaving us plenty of time to enjoy ourselves as well. Dawn stayed right where I could watch her and was the biggest threat, Scribe Blossom showed no sign of wanting to go anywhere else with hundreds of breezies to pepper with questions, and Knight Grinder had his hooves full trying to keep her out of trouble.

Glitter was still so happy at being in a city full of fairies she was almost as manic as Scribe Blossom, running down the miniature city streets, joining breezie games and sampling all the nectar free treats at my insistence. I believed the breezies when they said the stuff was safe, but I still didn’t want my little filly imbibing anything like that. Sugar was more than enough for her and she had plenty of that to occupy herself, the occasional sleepy blink already warning signs she was getting tuckered out.

I was perfectly content to stay where I was, in the shadow of the model Canterlot Palace with Jade and Ivy, having a regular picnic in the park, just a park that was barely big enough for the three of us and the delicious meal spread before us. Our slightly cramped position did let me stay wonderfully close to the two alicorn mares, wiggling against one or the other as we ate and spoke with the Queen and Dawn, while Spring Gale took her meal on the brim of my hat.

Everyone was having a grand time and enjoying a welcome break from the wasteland, but the fiery griffon sauntering her way carefully down the main street to the park with a mischievous glint in her eye looked to be having too much fun. Val prowled her way to us with a wide grin and pounced once she was clear of all the breezie buildings her folded wings kept brushing.

“Boss! You ol’ so an’ so! Ya didn’t tell me the good news! Good job knockin’ up Ives here buddy! Congrats on tha lil’ boss on the way!!” Val yanked me up into a headlock and started giving friendly noogies, pulling me away from the mare in question and the first fresh daisy sandwich I had gotten a taste of in 200 years.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Alright Val! Q-Quit it! My sandwich!” I yelped and mourned the poor delicious treat that now lay splatted on the grassy field of the park, feeling my face heat up in the griffon’s manic grip as Ivy nickered.

“Don’t remind him too much Valkyrie... he will pass out again...” The green alicorn giggled at my predicament, her warning sounding more like an invitation to mess with me that Val happily took up.

She did let me go, but tossed me to Ivy’s chest, letting the seated alicorn wrap her forelegs around me and nibble at my ears while Val dove in, slightly more sober but still slugging back her half full whiskey bottle occasionally, enjoying the party going on around us now that she had warmed up to the breezies in my absence.

She leaned forward with a grin, poking my chest with her dark claw as her tail flicked back and forth playfully. “Oh? You a big wimp boss? Get all fainty? Over what? Ought’a be happy right? Big Green here’s gonna have a baaaaaby! YOUR baby boss! Won’t that be great! A lil’ bitty baby boss! Think it’ll be a filly or a colt? What’re you hopin’ for boss? Think of any names yet? Where’s they gonna stay? Gonna hafta find baby stuff somewheres, keep an eye out scavengin’ when we leave I guess, need a crip, a playpen, a highchair, a stroller maybe...”

Despite the celebration going on around us and the festive atmosphere, every question and poke of her claw made the room fade a little more, I could distantly feel Ivy squeezing me tight and nuzzling my cheek, but even her welcome contact was difficult to focus on as I hyperventilated.

I hadn’t thought of any of those things! What would Ivy’s baby be? Did I want another little girl? Or a son? What if she did have a baby boy? He’d be another male alicorn, when he grew up he’d have to deal with all this too! And where would I get baby stuff in the ruins of the old world!? I had to find all that stuff and more! I had to... had tooooo....

THUMP!

..........

..........

“Oh dear... Valkyrie! Do not tease Fast like that! He is still coming to terms with sister Ivy’s condition! It is not funny!” Jade’s voice sounded slow and warped as feeling started coming back, speaking primly over a certain griffon’s cackling laughter.

“HAHAHA! Oh my Gawd! He really does pass out like a big wuss! C’mon Blue, that’s hilarious! Here, I’ll wake him up for ya!” Val’s roar of laughter sounded more in focus, punctuated by a swift claw slapping my muzzle and bringing the world back into vibrant color.

“S’not funny Val... don’t do that...” I grumbled and shook my head, pouting at the griffon rolling on the ground in gales of laughter, wiping tears away gleefully.

Spring Gale had been dislodged from her perch during all that, fluttering up to my face and tugging my eyelids up to look me in the eye curiously. “Vhy you fainty Fast? Baby is always good ting! Is you not happy?”

I felt Ivy’s grip on me tighten a bit at the question and caught Jade’s intense blue stare watching, a cool flutter in my head of Ivy listening intently with some trepidation, she was worried? Were both of them? At that thought I straightened up and thunked my head with my hoof, fluffing my wings against Ivy’s broad chest to reassure her. “Of course I’m happy! R-Really, really happy! Honest! J-Just scared... sorry, I’ll get used to it, I promise!”

Pulling free of the crushing hug that earned me, I turned to return the gesture and caught Ivy wiping her cheek with a sniffle, a soft smile coming with her silent reply in my head. (Thank you Fast... so much... If it makes you feel better, I am frightened for o-our foal as well, but we will face the future together yes? I have faith in you. Our child will be fine, be happy!)

(I am. I really am Ivy. Very, very happy. J-Just very freaked out too, but don’t ever think I’m not happy about our b-b-baby... our.... oooouuuuuurrrrrr.....)

(FAST!)

Another slap to my face made me stop swaying and straighten up sheepishly, ignoring Ivy’s giggle and turning back to Val still snickering and picking at my sandwich on the ground beside her. “Can’t blame me fer makin’ fun, these lil’ guys know how ta party, but I ain’t killed nothin’ since we got here, need a little action or I don’t feel right. You said we gots stuff ta do here right boss? When we gettin’ back to it? Playin’ around here’s fun an all, but we still got problems ta deal with back outside...”

Val’s lighthearted teasing turned serious and I nodded back, getting this short reprieve from the world outside was nice and I could empathize with the breezies desire to stay here and ignore the world beyond their shield. The threat of the Gunners, the Institute, the wasteland at large, even the search for my family... it all felt like a heavy weight just outside, waiting for me to pick it up and carry it again, or for it to crush me under the burden when I tried.

I was a little disappointed with myself actually, learning that Ivy was pregnant threatened to reorder all my priorities. I was even tempted to forget my family, forget finding them, forget anything but staying with her and keeping her safe here. Did Mom and Dad and my brother Better mean so little to me? Did I not care about seeing Sunset and Grizz ever again? Was I getting so wrapped up in my new life out of the Stable, that I was forgetting my old one?

I felt ashamed trying to honestly consider it, here I was having fun, surrounded by my new family while my old one was... was just gone... What kind of pony was I to be having a kid, when I was so selfish and lazy? All this time out of the Stable and I wasn’t any closer to finding them or stopping the Institute, instead I was blithely wandering around, picking fights and building a harem of pretty fillies, one of whom I had now made... maaaade....

(Fast... stop. You are not selfish, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You are a good pony Fast Times, I am proud you will be the father of our foal. Stop beating yourself up and worrying or I will tell sister Jade about these thoughts of yours.) Ivy’s confident mental voice interrupted me working myself up again, giving me an excuse to awkwardly flap up and give her a long, grateful kiss.

(Thank you Ivy, sorry... I’m glad we’re umm... h-having this kid together too. Don’t ever doubt that, I love you Ivy, I’m really glad we met, I’m glad it’s you that’s... that I could help you. Out of all your sisters, you’re one of the ones I love best.)

Lt. Dawn missed out on the non-verbal portions of our conversation, snorting at what she had heard with a smirk at my discomfort. “Yes, yes, congratulations Mr. Times, Miss Ivy. How wonderful for you, making more of your kind... I’m sure nopony will have any objections when they find out... Back to less frivolous conversation now if you please, how is it we can help here your highness? The Brotherhood of Friendship is at your service.”

“Great Tree say Root Sector needs help, full of many, many bad breezies and radiation. Princess and Shroud say you can help too, vhat you vant to help?” Queen Ether addressed her pony petitioner from her balcony above us, glancing our way as she answered.

Dawn at least understood it was best to answer the same way the Queen had, couching her reply in the breezies terminology and going slow. “We would like to talk to your Great Tree like Mr. Times, ask it questions about things before the war. The Princess also mentioned her hopes to run this hub as it was before the end? A medical facility like this... we need supplies, and a place to receive treatment would be welcome when you’re ready. I have to admit, your subjects are v-very good at caring for stressed out soldiers. With Brotherhood support, we could clear not only your hub, but the town outside! Then we could stay nearby and leave your home to your care, if you were to ally yourselves with us instead, we could...”

“No. Ve allies of Sanctuary and Princess Jade, not soldiers. You help do fighting, we see about helping soldiers and healing, but Princess is our friend first.” Ether shut down Dawn’s fresh attempt at winning their support, waving her scepter to us and stamping it down with finality.

“Sorry Dawn, you heard the Queen. That’s a good idea about clearing out Willowville though, I thought the same thing on the way here, with all that salvage just sitting out there because of the breezidores and all. I think you Brotherhood ponies are stretched thin here in the Commonwealth, but if you and the Minutemares worked together, I bet we could clear the town out like you said. That would give normal ponies a place nearby to stay and interact with the Breezie Nation, plus lots of loot from the town outside.”

“I’ll take your suggestion under advisement and report it to my superiors Mr. Times... For now I suppose we’ll focus on our goals here, if I can take back the data we want, it will smooth things over I’m sure. So, breezidore extermination and you said something about radiation? More your area of speciality now isn’t it? And what’s this about a Stable and a pegasus town you needed help with?” Lt. Dawn huffed back, she was a determined mare, I had to give her that.

Using the remote connection still clamped on my hoof, I could ask the hub maneframe directly for more information concerning what it kept whining about. Though there was a long pause after my request for more information, was it pouting over being ignored? I’d almost swear the eventual reply sounded ...petulant...

MUTANT BREEZIE POPULATION IN ROOT SECTOR AT CRITICAL SATURATION POINT, DAMAGE TO HUB BORDERING ON IRREPARABLE. RADIATION CONTAMINATION CONCENTRATED FOR PURGE. STABLE 95.5 REQUIRES REACTOR SHUT DOWN OR SEALING OF MAIN ENTRANCE.

PROVIDED REPAIR-PONY FAST TIMES ATTENDS EMERGENCY ISSUES IN ROOT SECTOR AND REPAIRS RAINBOW BROOK SUPPLY THIS YEAR... ABLE TO RESTORE HUB TO 97% WITHIN 7.5 MONTHS. PROVIDING AVAILABLE DATA ON SERVICE ISSUES....

PLEASE STAND BY....

After the whiny reply, images started appearing in my vision, downloaded to my pip-buck for me to go over along with a map of the sprawling, underground root sector that made me wince. Video feeds still working down there showed a warren of damp passages absolutely filled with vicious breezidores... their muddy nests clogged the halls, covering over numerous cameras and limiting the view.

Oddly, there were also pictures of nests built around strange, crystalline... fruit? That’s what the pictures reminded me of, like glowing green gems the size of a hoofball or bigger, sprouting off the web of roots running through the underground passages. That was the radiation contamination the hub wanted me to purge?

I’d have to ask more about those later, for now the breezidores were the biggest problem and an obstacle to dealing with anything else. My ears drooped as I turned to Dawn and shrugged, glad she was willing to help here. “Ok, there are a looooot of breezidores... like a lot a lot... This won’t be easy, but if we work together, maybe we can figure something out, ok Dawn?”

It took her a long time to meet my outstretched hoof, but eventually she did return the hoofbump and took a bite of a delicious looking carrot dog, mumbling around a mouthfull before fluttering up to join her comrades. “Fine, mutant pests shouldn’t be a problem for the Brotherhood, so long as our equipment is eventually returned.... I’ll discuss it with my troops and see if we can come up with anything.”

“Thanks Lieutenant, I’ll tell all my friends what we’re dealing with too, maybe one of us will come up with an idea. I’m glad it was you who was sent on this mission, you’re a good pony Dawn.”

Her red cheeks darkened a bit and Dawn gave a weary chuckle, pausing in mid-air to turn back and bow. “I’m not glad I was sent on this catastrophe, At least one of us is though. You’re not so bad yourself Mr. Times, despite your habit of messing with Brotherhood objectives, I have to agree with Star Paladin Dance’s assessment, you’d be a real asset if you joined the Brotherhood. Congratulations again Fast, Ivy... you er... you may not hear it from many of my comrades, but a baby is a blessing, no matter what kind of pony is having it. I am happy for you, truly.”

At that the Brotherhood mare turned and flew off to Knight Grinder and Scribe Blossom, pulling them away from a breezie sized game of horseshoes to confer with them at the edges of the party. Watching her go, I felt a little better, I really did like my Brotherhood frenemy, we could all get along, sometimes...

Spotting Glitter’s head bobbing down to her chest and jerking back up sleepily, I excused myself as well and flew off to the flower topped tower she was leaning against, picking her up over her protests to take her to our bedding for the night. The little filly managed to shake herself more fully awake and struggled in my grip, whining with a pout and pulling out her best puppy eyes as she cornered me.

“Nnnnno! Don’t wanna go ta bed daddy! Story! You gotta tell me a story! You didn’t last night OR the night before!” Glitter’s valid complaint made me pause with her wriggling in my hooves, I did keep missing her bedtime story with all our running around lately...

“Story?!” Spring Gale peeked over my hat and joined the filly’s wide eyed look, beaming down hopefully as I groaned.

“I usually tell Glitter a bedtime story... We found a book of old Shrouded Stallion myths. You’re right sweetie, I have been slacking... I’ll tell you one when you’re in your bed upstairs, you still got to go and...”

My inevitable crumbling under Glitter’s stare was accelerated as a crowd of breezies started fluttering closer, landing all around in the park beneath me and on the nearby buildings, chattering together and sharing the same pony-word once the non-speakers got it. “Story! Story! Story! Story!”

“Ve vant hear story about Shroud Fast too! Tell story! Pleeeeeease!”

Glitter was already smirking in sleepy victory, cuddling against me as I sighed and drifted back down in defeat, digging through my saddlebags and pulling out the heavy bound tome of myths and legends. “Alright, alright, story time here I guess... It’s not about me though, these are about the original Shrouded Stallion, a long, long time ago. Hang on, I think I saw one that even mentioned breezies.... aha, here we go, ready? Everybody comfy?”

I gulped looking up from the story I had skimmed and bookmarked a few days ago, nervous performing in front of the rather large audience that had settled to nearby perches all around us and realizing how quiet everything had gotten. Jade and Ivy were following me with loving eyes, even Queen Ether had landed on Jade’s tiara for a prime seat and was waiting patiently.

A few hundred breezies, all my friends, even the Brotherhood... yay... public speaking... I hated being in the spotlight like this, reading a story wasn’t nearly as impressive as Witchy’s music, but even the batpony filly had stopped playing and was watching closely, her tufted ears perked up to catch every word.

“R-Right... guess so then.... Ahem...”

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria....

The time of the great Breezie migration had come across the kingdom once again and all of Equestria was abuzz with interest. At such times, Princess Luna enjoyed her time in the dream realm, browsing and guiding the dreams of her subjects brightened by something out of the ordinary in their lives.

Among all these happy dreams however, the Night Princess found a cluster of darkness that worried her. Dreams of the small creatures seen much closer than was proper drew her closer to a distant corner of Equestria and the humble ponies that lived there. Most of these were the dreams of good little ponies that didn’t see or ignored the sad looks of the breezies recalled during their slumber, but the source for these visions was a cluster of bad ponies that drew her ire.

A circus was even now traveling the countryside, having set up for another performance in the morning outside a small hamlet far from Canterlot. This circus was not a place of joy and innocent fun however, the dark ringmaster that ran it had found a way to make his show popular, at the cost of the innocent.

His dreams were full of greed and cruelty, of the magical creatures he had captured and put on display for ponies’ amusement. His most recent addition was the cluster of terrified breezies held in birdcages that drew her attention, but broken and sad images of many more came once she investigated. Dragons, minotaurs, manticores, gargoyles, phoenix, jackalopes and more suffered under his imprisonment, part of a traveling ‘Sideshow of Wonders’ that evaded the justice of her sister’s lawkeepers by staying on the move.

Princess Luna could not abide such terrible behavior, the enslavement of other races and profit off their misery too much to allow to continue. At her call, her dark knight the Shrouded Stallion appeared from the shadows and bowed before his princess, waiting her command.

“Thou art my sword and my shield, my royal avenger and defender. This night I call on you to extend thine shield to those who need its protection most, to raise thy sword against ponies foolish enough to believe themselves superior to other species and their masters. Take my word and my will to those who seek to evade my sister’s merciful law, the enslavement of others is not to be tolerated, I would have that edict made abundantly clear my Knight.”

Kneeling before Luna’s furious gaze, the Shrouded Stallion disappeared into the night, flying swiftly to bring down the wrath of his princess. Luna’s defender was a passing shadow in the night, a flicker moving at the speed of dark, over mountains, forests and fields to find the cheerily striped tent and sleeping circus, outside a village eagerly anticipating the show tomorrow.

The creeping shadow passing by the brightly painted wagons of the circus performers brought a chill and troubled dreams as it passed, leaving the sleeping ponies who knew of or supported this injustice for the time being, in favor of the dim glow of candlelight streaming from the biggest wagon and the Ringmaster within.

Inside was a mean old stallion who could put on a smiling face under his shiny top hat, the Ringmaster sat at his small desk and counted stacks and bags of gleaming golden bits, chuckling to himself at his good fortune and brilliant ideas that brought such suffering to fill his coffers.

The golden coins glimmered in the candlelight and clinked one by one as the Ringmaster counted, “1209, 1210, 1211...”

The Ringmaster’s gleeful counting was interrupted when he noticed his breath puffing out into the suddenly chilly air at each number, shivering to himself and gasping as his candle went out and left him in shadowy darkness that seemed to move and ripple around him.

“Thou hath earned the fury of the Night Princess evildoer, you shall profit from your misdeeds no longer...”

The growling voice struck the Ringmaster with an icy shard of fear in his heart, his first greedy thought being for the safety of his treasure, he reached out to scoop the piles of coins before him into his hooves and screamed as they disappeared at his touch.

Each time he frantically reached for more of his ill gotten gains, they disappeared as well, his every clutching grasp causing more chilly gold coins to vanish before his eyes. Eventually he was left with one single bit that had rolled to the floor, his panicked lunge for this final treasure caused it to move of its own accord, standing up on edge and rolling towards the door of his wagon.

So consumed by his greed, the evil stallion thought of nothing else but that final coin and followed in a rush. His trot quickly turned to a gallop and then a run, chasing after the evasive golden coin rolling away, just ahead of his grasp but always out of reach.

The Ringmaster screeched and howled in fury, waking up his conspirators from their slumber with his shouts, forming a strange parade as the entire circus began chasing the magically animated coin around their camp, down the waiting midway set up that very day and finally into the flapping tent entrance.

All the way into the gloomy tent, the coin kept rolling and dodging the leaps and lunges of the ponies chasing it, stopping at center ring and spinning faster and faster until it vanished as well, replaced by the looming dark form of the Shrouded Stallion, wearing the Ringmaster’s top hat that had fallen from his brow during the chase.

Seeing the armored knight flaring his dark wings and scowling at all of them with his burning red eyes, the Ringmaster and circus ponies froze and shrank in fear, unable to move in the face of Luna’s judgement.

Their fear was doubled when the magical lights of the circus tent flickered weakly to life, filling the dark space with shifting shadows that revealed all the empty cages... A frightened trapeze pony turned to run and was stopped short by a very angry gargoyle blocking the way, a manticore bearing numerous whip scars and a young dragon rubbing where his shackles had recently been removed prowled around them, bunching them together to shake in fear at their former captives.

The breezies who had brought Luna’s wrath down on them landed lightly on the Shrouded Stallion’s dark armor, staring back at their captors from the safety of their protector as he pronounced their sentence. “Thou art all guilty... thou hath enslaved others for your profit, benefited from this foul pony’s plans even if they were not your own. Princess Luna is a kind and just ruler however, she offers her mercy to you, only once...”

As one, the group of terrified circus ponies dropped to their knees and begged Luna’s forgiveness, saving their lives thanks to her mercy. Leaving the Ringmaster standing alone and furious at his minions.

“We made a good living together, made ponies happy with our shows! Why should I beg mercy?! They were just monsters!”

The Ringmaster shook and stamped his hooves before Luna’s avenger, his words only stoking the Knight of Shadow’s anger until his eyes burned with the fires of justice. The worn and oft used leather whip at the Ringmaster’s side floated up like a slithering snake, wrapping around his neck and yanking him above the others to join the Shrouded Stallion flapping his mighty wings near the highwire.

“Luna grants her mercy... but not to you. Thou art the true Monster here, not these poor peoples. Princess Luna wishes to make it clear, all people are treated equally under her graces, and slavery is not to be tolerated.... Ever.”

The evil Ringmaster screamed as his own bloody whip pulled him into the shadows above, never to be seen again. Those who had worked for him quivered in fear and looked away, praying for Luna’s mercy as their former captives closed in...

--ooOOoo---

In the light of the next day, the ponies of the small village came to see the circus and spend their bits as they had planned, but were treated to a different kind of show than they expected. Instead of exotic creatures locked behind bars, they found the menagerie of sideshow exhibits in charge of the circus, giving away tickets and ushering interested ponies into the tent to see Luna’s lesson.

Inside they found the circus ponies, locked up in the empty cages or put out on display. The highwire pony was shackled to her act high above, the trapeze artist tied to her swing and swaying back and forth at the manticore swatting her like a cat toy, the Strongpony was pinned under weights too great for him to lift and the clowns were forcible crammed into their toy carriage.

Once Celestia’s guard came to arrest the imprisoned circus ponies at the villager’s call, the remaining victims of their cruelty left where they would, accepting the Shroud’s judgement of their captors and leaving the rest to Celestia’s law. The Ringmaster’s dirty gold was given to the creatures who could use it to return home, while the breezies had been returned to their migration in the night.

With them they carried stories of Luna’s Knight to their homes and cultures, spreading the name of the Shrouded Stallion and the promise of Luna’s equality. Breezies, dragons, minotaurs, gargoyles and more, all came to know their own stories of the Shroud that punished evil no matter what its form. Many of those cultures would meet Luna’s sword and shield again, making new stories and their own myths about the dark pony that served the Night Princess.

But that, is a story for another day....

Thankfully, one story was enough... Glitter nodded off in my hooves on the way up to her room with Val and Witchy right next to the Vice-Director’s office, letting me pass the sealed Director’s office as I took the sleeping filly to bed and stare at it suspiciously. Another mystery for later, for now I had a daughter to take care of and other things to occupy myself.

As I tucked the mumbling filly in to bed and leaned in to an unconscious hug for a long few minutes, I was grateful to have her and this time together, calming down from reading the story that delighted my audience, but left me feeling a little uncomfortable.

A story about slavery... slavery and how the real Shrouded Stallion dealt with it, bringing up disturbing memories of Sapphire Sparkles School and the den of modern day slavers that had been mysteriously wiped out before we got there. Maybe the ghost stories from the ponies in Eclipse were true... maybe the real Shroud was out there somewhere... Maybe he’d be pissed at me for using his name....

I gave a quiet, shaky laugh to myself and nuzzled my sleeping daughter’s cheeks, mentally berating myself for getting spooked by old myths and scary stories from tribal villagers in the shadow of Castle Equinox. I still really hoped somepony back there had found the missing Full Moon Key to let me reach the Shrouded Stallion’s fabled resting place, but I was pretty sure he wasn’t actually running around punishing evil.

Shaking it off and planting a kiss on Glitter’s forehead, I trotted back and rejoined the festivities for awhile longer. Forced to fend off calls for more stories from the breezies who had enjoyed the entertainment, along with a line of breezie fillies that my little guide Spring Gale kept shooing off with a blush.

Her partial answer to my questioning the behavior was muttered shyly into my ear, flicking near her spot on my hat, the clear words of ‘Licky-Licky’ making me turn red down to my hooves and just let her keep up the good work. Quickly cantering away and mingling as much as I was able, the infestation below our hooves was still waiting and I hoped the others could figure out something better than using flamethrowers on a tree, if we even had enough fuel...

Eventually all the activity and crowds got to be too much and I excused myself, heading up to Vice-Director Tree Hugger’s old office for the night and quickly becoming absorbed in her hub networked terminal;

Inter-Hub Email - Hub Wide Notification
To: All
From: Vice-Director Tree Hugger
Re: Adaptation Potion Trials

Heeeey everypony, Vice-Director Tree Hugger here, totally informing everyone of our first run of like, breezie trials of Moby’s potion. I’ve heard all your concerns and am in tune with that vibe, but Fluttershy is behind this project and Moby has a really pure aura, so we’re giving it a shot.

Ok, so like... Moby’s new potion should have most of the kinks we saw in the plant and animal trials worked out, but we still need to watch our first volunteers reeeeeeally careful. The first subjects need to keep doing their jobs and it’s important they’re surrounded by good vibes and support while it’s working, so they can like... harmonize with their environment and junk.

So anyway, everypony just keep up the good work and report any changes you notice like, right away. Moby will be coming every few days and we need detailed notes, so any little thing could be important! Just send everything to me, Director Breeze is busy planning his meditation garden in town for when our friends can visit.

Inter-Hub Email #20231
To: Vice-Director Hugger
From: Dr. Leafy Green - Veteran’s Care
Re: Adaptation Potion Observations

As per guidelines, taking thorough notes on our coworkers who have been innoculted with Mobius' potion, keeping a close eye out for side effects. Wish we'd keep them under tight observation instead of having them work normally while they're going through this... the poor little dears are coping well though.

Little Tinkle Swirl was very proud to have grown a whole inch this week, she's so happy she played down the growing pains bravely, but I see her wincing. She even managed to bring me a Med-X injector without looking exhausted, so she is getting stronger too, as hoped. Her fellow breezies are keeping a close watch for me too, all very interested in the attempt.

Will continue updating, but see no significant issues yet, thank Celestia.

Inter-Hub Email #20248
To: Vice-Director Hugger
From: Supervisor Flat Head - Hub Maintenance
Re: Adaptation Potion Observations

Can't disagree with expanding testing to more subjects after the results so far. Winding Bolt’s friends are all clamoring for their turn after seeing his progress, which I have to admit is amazing. My little helper now stands held and shoulders above his friends and is clearly proud, putting on a full three inches in a month has made him tower over his friends.

Strength and durability have increased to match as well, he can now lift my heaviest pipe wrench and almost everything I regularly need, happy to fetch things that could have crushed him not so long ago. The more he works and tries to help, the better the results too. He’s becoming a real help here in maintenance, getting to places I can’t reach and able to work on his own instead of somepony always hovering nearby.

In private he has admitted to some unforeseen effects I'm referring to the Medical Development team though. A tingle in his antenna seems fairly benign at least, along with a funny taste to the pollen concoction they gather and make. He says it's not bad, just different. I still have my concerns and will diligently report my findings as the next two volunteers start work post-injection this week, any inconsistencies will be sent immediately.

Inter-Hub Email #20308
To: Vice-Director Hugger
From: Dr. Bundle Joy - Pediatrics
Re: Adaptation Potion Observations

Alright, color me impressed... astounded even.... Swirly Gust has adapted so well to her work she's displayed some amazing new abilities now that she's stopped growing. I reported previously as they happened, but I'm covering the most impressive again in more detail now that the excitement has died down.

We had a young colt waiting with his mother get a little too rambunctious. Poor buck tripped and barked his knee on a table, just a nick but it bled and he was crying. Our little helpers have always been wonderful with foals so I sent Swirly to try to work her magic, I just didn't think she'd do so literally...

What she said about the experience lined up with what I observed, she seemed to just act out of instinct, said she didn't know what she was going to do until she did it, just that it 'felt right'. Maybe hanging around all us doctors rubbed off on them or something, but she laid her antenna against the foal's leg and they glowed just like one of our healing spells, fixed the boo-boo right then and there!

Twinkle looked a little woozy afterwards, but every time she's tried it since then has been better, with increasing results and diminishing drain on her. Somehow she's learned healing magic and is beside herself with joy over the new ability.

Inter-Hub Email #20231
To: Vice-Director Hugger
From: Dr. Leafy Green - Veteran’s Care
Re: Adaptation Potion Observations

Something is up with the breezies nectar... Twinkle and now a couple more of them just behind her have reported a change in the production of the substance. They pick up plenty of pollen with all the flowers in the hub, but Twinkle's said she feels like she's making more all the time, even without gathering more pollen to process, and that the taste is off.

That hadn’t been much to worry about really, but when we got a grizzled old stallion in for his regular checkup we had an incident. Nurse Posie dropped a stack of books and the sound must have been too much like the battlefield... The poor old soldier started panicking and getting violent, making me worry we'd have to stick him in the cool down room before Twinkle leapt into action.

Twinkle dove into the fray, she’s been getting bold since the potion has been working on her. The little dear started talking the old buck down, just like she was trained, then she reached back to her nectar basket and offered him a taste. As soon as his tongue touched the golden powder, his eyes glazed and he calmed right down, got downright friendly and goofy actually.

We did thorough bloodwork and toxicology once we got him in to make sure he was ok, but from what I've heard from the R&D ponies who went over it, the substance is entirely benign. Works better than Med-X for pain relief, gives a healthy dose of euphoria and makes the subject very affectionate. That tough old buck was practically a loving little lamb, best visit we've ever had from him.

We want to let R&D investigate this change further, but going ahead with initial authorization for further trials here in Veteran’s Care. We’ve asked Twinkle and the others to use it in therapy to significant results, some of our worst Wartime Stress Disorder cases have made real progress thanks to a little taste before group and private sessions. This may be a real breakthrough in helping deal with some of the worst psychological effects of this awful war.

Inter-Hub Email #20231
To: Vice-Director Hugger
From: Bubbling Vial - Medical Research & Development
Re: Adaptation Potion Observations

Finished the latest round of tests on the nectar substance, it’s a weird development, but totally safe as far as we can tell. Best we can figure after going over the results with Professor Mobius is it’s an adaptation based on their work, we have a lot of sick, hurt and psychologically unsound ponies here, the nectar they produce now seems to act as a balm for all those conditions.

Giving the go ahead to continue use and experimentation with the substance, use as an ingredient in other magical potions is producing interesting results so far. The breezies themselves seem to have a good idea when to use it and how much, but so far we’re getting excellent feedback as a non-addictive alternative to Med-X for pain relief, a mood elevator in psychological treatment and a sedative in ARC sample collection.

I know the higher ups are really excited by this development, but we need to think of our friend's wellfare first. If everypony found out they made what amounts to a high grade drug that could be abused recreationally? This war has made so many things bad... What if ponies tried to kidnap them to make it for them? Sell it on the black market along with all the other wartime drugs, even here at the hub we see stuff go 'missing' regularly. I think we should keep this as quiet as possible, at least they carry the stuff in their baskets, patients just think it's part of their kit, not something they make themselves.

“Fast... stop fiddling with that machine and come to bed. Do you not wish to celebrate with us?” Jade’s sultry voice tore my attention away from the terminal, realizing I had lost more than an hour already going through the system, my interesting reading suddenly unimportant at the sight of her and her sister Ivy sprawled out on several mattresses laid out for us.

Meeting their lidded gaze and taking in the glorious vision of two beautiful alicorns twined together and patting the space between them impatiently, my wings shot straight up, fluttering up on the wingtips and over to the two mares I loved.

I managed to drift over the small space provided and fell with a thump between them, sitting up and scratching my itchy mane nervously as they split up the task of stripping my armor away. Once we were all down to nothing but fur and well on our way to an enjoyable way to end the day, I stopped with one hoof on each mare’s supple flanks in a moment of panic, my roaming magic that was already eliciting a few pleased moans from both of them imploded to their annoyed whinnies.

“W-Wait... s-should we... I mean, Ivy’s p-pregnant... will this hurt the baby? M-Maybe we shouldn’t...”

My moment of concern was pushed aside by two very insistent fillies snorting together and dragging me down, pinning me in place and splitting up the work of planting little kisses down my chest as Jade replied with a sigh. “Do not be ridiculous Fast... there is no reason not to do so, all the way up to when sister Ivy has her child if she wants. You are being silly and we wish to celebrate together, stop thinking...”

Well... I didn’t need more invitation than that. Grateful to do as my princess commanded and just shut my brain off for awhile, I went to my tender task with gusto, glad we had the thick, crystalline walls of the hub to muffle all the noise. As tired and radiation free as I was, I actually got to go slow and enjoy myself for once, instead of operating under frantic passion driven by being overcharged.

I was probably cutting into time we really should be spending asleep to prepare for tomorrow, but taking my time and really showing both of them how much I cared, how happy I really was, how beautiful I thought they both were and how much I loved each... it was worth being a little tired tomorrow.

Given the wails of pleasure as we finished, I was pretty sure I got the message across. For once I was glad for Moondancer’s weird additions to her verison of the I.M.P., along with the more welcome, quiet whispers of ‘Be Unwavering!’ and ‘Be Strong!’ that kept me going.

Afterwards, we lay together in a sweaty, panting pile, sprawled over each other with wings and limbs stretched out luxuriantly and just enjoying being together. Jade tiredly stretched up to crawl over me, planting a little kiss on my muzzle with sleepy, lidded eyes that sparkled with tiny hearts, glancing to her sister before she spoke in a husky voice.

“Fast... do you feel good? Nice and relaxed?”

“Mmmm-hmm.... veeeeery relaxed... I love you Jade.” I mumbled back, blinking up at the most beautiful mare in Equestria over me.

“I have something to tell you Fast, I wanted you to be calm and happy first though. Do you want me to tell you?” Jade traced her wingtips down my chest and kept planting little pecks down my neck tenderly, getting a sleepy nod in return as other parts woke up yet again.

“Tell me what?”

Slowly, Jade nodded to her sister who leaned up on my other side, the two of them pressing close as Jade practically rolled over on top of me, both holding my hooves down and rubbing my coat all over soothingly. At this point they could tell me the zebras were dropping another round of balefire bombs on us and I wouldn’t care, anything she had to say was fine.

Jade leaned close, nuzzling muzzle to muzzle before pressing into a long, deep kiss that lasted a blissful eternity. When she reluctantly pulled away, her wonderful blue eyes stared into mine and she spoke in a sweet whisper in my ear.

“Fast.... I am pregnant as well...”

.....

....

....

THUMP!

------------------------Level Up!-------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------

Friend of Fluttershy---
---After spending time around the breezies and all their animal friends, you can now commune with the critters! With the first rank, previously hostile animals will no longer attack in the wasteland!

Reputation Change!-----------------

Breezie Nation -- Liked
---The Breezie Nation is now an ally of the Kingdom of Sanctuary! You keep finding allies, just not ones that seem like they can help in a fight much... Still, the more friends the better! You can now come and go as you please from the MoP hub and all breezies view you favorably.

Ch. 74-- Long Term Care

“Mwwwarrrgh...”

“There he is again sister! Do not let him do it again! Fast... Fast can you hear me?” I blinked woozily up to Jade’s wide blue eyes over me, nodding dumbly at her concerned words and getting the distinct feeling of deja vu looking at her and Ivy staring down at me.

Ivy’s horn was glowing mellowly and I could feel her presence in my head, a bright spot of order in a jumbled mess that was just starting to resolve. The green alicorn had a soft smile, but worry in her eyes as she nodded to Jade and whispered in the gloom. “I have him, it can be dangerous to prevent normal psychological function though sister, amusing as his may be, they also represent an emergency valve. I will release him if I grow worried...”

Tree Hugger’s office... we were in Dr. Tree Hugger’s office, that’s right... Vice-Director of the Trotson MoP Hub Tree Hugger as it were, a high enough rank to rate a window on the outer ring of the hub three floors up, letting me see it was dark outside. That’s right, we went to sleep here, didn’t we? Well, we went to bed here anyway... then did fun things... then...

Jade nodded to Ivy and drew close, filling my vision as her nose met mine and her sparkling blue eyes held my own. “I would have it no other way, if you can keep him conscious a little longer I would be grateful though sister. Now Fast, breathe slowly... y-you are probably remembering again and I do not wish for you to panic, you lasted about this long last time and...”

“BABY!!” The most recent fragments of memory came back like a thunderclap, sending me into panicky struggles that two heavy alicorns were easily able to keep pinned, leaving me nowhere to run from the sudden re-realization. “Y-Y-You! Baby! P-P-P-Pregnaaaa...”

The oddest sensation gripped me as Ivy’s horn brightened and she rolled her eyes, things started slowing down and fading, then just snapped right back to normal somehow. It was like flicking a hoof to turn off a light switch, then standing there nonplussed when the lights refused to go out...

(Fast, I want you to focus on your breathing and nothing else. I am repressing your entertaining but exasperating response, you cannot pass out. As I told sister Jade however, this can be dangerous, so you need to calm down. In and out, in through the nose, out through the mouth, eeeeasy... everything is fine. Just close your eyes and breathe a moment, please.)

A cold sweat sprang up on my coat and I tried to do as the verdant beauty advised telepathically, struggling to slow my frantic thoughts that were now unable to stop due to the lights going out. Jade was pregnant, I remembered her saying so. Meaning both of the mares watching me were carrying my foals. Ivy said the hub sent them both to the same place and I was too stoned on breezie nectar and freaked out by finding Ivy there in Maternity to put it together, stupid! Jade even giggled about not wanting to 'ruin the surprise' when she was inebriated downstairs, how dumb was I! Was I so wrapped up in everything else I couldn’t notice when the mare I loved was... was... I really couldn’t pass out...

“I-I’m ok... I think I’m ok... N-No, I’m a big dummy and scaredy pony, but I think I can not freak out for the moment. Jade, y-you’re.... p-pregnant too, I was too stupid to figure it out... but it’s real right? So y-you’re both...”

Opening my clenched eyes rewarded me with seeing the sisters breathe a sigh of relief to each other and loosen their hold on me, a ton of alicorn filly gently rising up off my chest so I could suck in a shaky breath and shudder as they nodded together sweetly. Both of them... two, two pregnant mares, two babies on the way... three if Peri really was too... t-three.... three!

“Noooo! Don’t you try again Fast!” Ivy’s horn had been dimming, forced to brighten again as I started hyperventilating at the fresh realization.

“Sorry! Sorry... just thought of Peri and... I’m trying, really! So you are... you’re both... O-Ok, I can handle this, i-it’s good! great! I’m really, really happy Jade! and terrified... and happy! and confused... and happy! You’ve just had longer to let it sink in... Oh! Y-You’ve known since the hub teleported us in haven’t you! Jeez... you’ve been keeping this to yourself all this time! I’m sorry! I must have bothered you freaking out over just Ivy, you just found out too and haven’t been able to... what?”

My jabbering trailed off at the bright blush and evasive look Jade sent to the ceiling, biting her lower lip at my confusion and whispering meekly. “I... was not bothered... I-It was not as much of a surprise for me Fast...”

Ivy gave Jade a flat look as they carefully let me go to stagger to my hooves, shaking my head and trying to get some control over things up there without her psychic help. Things over my head were passing between the two of them, Jade turning a little redder as Ivy fluffed her wings primly and nudged her sister with her nose, shoving her while I gaped. “Wha? Am I missing something? I know I shouldn’t be so surprised either, the hub sent you both to maternity and all, but...”

Before I could get going again, Jade pressed a hoof to my lips and gulped nervously. “I... I w-was fairly certain before we came here Fast... I am a doctor after all...”

My princess kept darting anxious glances at me and returning her attention to some new bit of Tree Hugger’s strange decor, letting me puzzle that out slowly. I remembered being surprised at seeing her eat meat with the minotaurs on our way here... was that why the normally vegetarian alicorn had been doing so?

“Oh! Er... o-of course you knew! Right, you’re a great doctor so you must have known even before we came here, umm... out in the forest on the way?”

“E-Earlier...” Jade winced at my question, confusing me more as I took it in.

“Earlier? Like... how much earlier?”

Ivy seemed to decide I wasn’t going to keel over again and extinguished her horn, pulling away and nudging her sister again insistently with a stern look. “Tell him sister. I’ve respected your wishes, but you said you were ready to tell him, tell him everything...”

Flinching from her sister’s firm gaze, Jade hung her head as her ears drooped, looking up sheepishly and speaking in a whisper. “I... I had my suspicions before we left the castle Fast... The night we decided to leave on this trip? I... I was discussing it with sister Ivy in the kitchens... I believe it was from our... er... f-first time together after you changed...”

Casting my mind back, I remembered walking in on the two of them together in the royal kitchens of Castle Equinox. They looked deep in conversation and had a pretty big meal spread out in front of them, big enough I assumed it was for the two of them, but in retrospect I only saw Ivy pick at it... Jade had eaten miretank meat there too... I had been so overcharged with radiation at the time I barely noticed, then the three of us got distracted... All the way back then?!

The frightened look Jade was following me with as I furrowed my brow in thought just made me more confused. “W-Why... why didn’t you tell me then? You knew way back before we left on this awful trip? Since we left... went all over, got in fights...” The memory of Jade being slashed in a spray of blood at Summerset Plantation surged up as I thought, bringing a flare of fresh panic, fear and even... anger? “You knew and have been running around with us, you got hurt already! Y-You could have....! WHY!?”

Watching the big blue alicorn shrink into her wings and hide was usually cute, made me want to tempt her back out and soothe her. Here it just added to a flicker of agitation though, tapping a hoof and waiting for her eventual pained whisper. “I was afraid... y-you would react as you have, would not want me near you any longer to protect me. Seeing how you responded to finding out about sister Ivy only c-confirmed my worries, but I could no longer delay either... I hoped getting used to Ivy’s condition would... s-soften the blow?”

“Of course I don’t want you around me like this! Things blow up around me! Ponies and crazy robots want me dead! I pissed off a freaking army!! Being around me isn’t safe!!! Y-You should both be far away from me! Somewhere safe! Back home where I can protect you! You got hurt just the other day and you were already... a-already... It’s not fair to keep something like this from me Jade!”

I hated seeing her flinch and curl in on herself like that, but at the same time I couldn’t stop stamping my hoof and snorting. I was actually ...mad... mad at my Jade... I didn’t think that was possible, but I was. Now that ember of anger was just hurting her more, but I couldn’t help myself, trembling as I waited for her to respond.

“I know... I am very sorry Fast... I did not want to worry you, it is still very early and we had to make this trip together. I-If I am a princess, I have duties I must attend, ponies counting on us... I cannot put my own wants above my responsibilities, my condition does not affect me yet. I kept trying to find a way to say something.... but I grew frightened the longer it took... p-please do not be upset...”

“Fast... you must admit, you did not take the news of my condition well. Sister Jade asked me how you would react and I told her, I did not expect you to keep falling over as you do... but it was not hard to surmise you would be overprotective. I have been watching, had she not told you soon, I would have forced the issue. Our respite here presented a good opportunity however. While you have a point and are justified in being upset, ours is valid too. We are not suddenly fragile, helpless little waifs that must be locked away and guarded, birth is a part of life, and life goes on. You say we are normal ponies, do normal mares get to put the world on hold when they find themselves in our situation? Is the wasteland that convenient for anypony else?” Ivy tried to calm me down, touching my side lightly with her wing and rubbing Jade’s shivering back consolingly.

“Other ponies aren’t YOU! I don’t care about them! I care about you, both of you! and our foals! The rest of the wasteland can piss off! You and those babies are all that matters!”

My tantrum drew Jade back out of the shell her wings formed around her, peeking out and looking back sadly. “You do not mean that. You are better than that Fast, other ponies matter and we have a responsibility to them. We cannot simply abandon them. Even if I did as you wanted, you would go back out and continue your efforts for them, I know you that well. I will not hide or allow you to leave me behind to protect me. We are family are we not? Family sticks together, that is what you said...”

“NNNGGHHH!!! I.... T-That’s not fair! You still should have told me! That bitch cut you and you were already pregnant! Those breezidores stung you! What if it hurt the baby!? I don’t want to leave you behind Jade, but following me around into mortal danger isn’t safe!”

In the face of my panting angrily, Jade stretched her neck out and nuzzled my cheek tenderly. “By your side is where I belong, whether it is safe or not. I am sorry for keeping this from you Fast, but not for keeping you near. We are family, you are my special somepony, we stay together, no matter what.”

I wrapped my forelegs around her graceful neck and returned her nuzzles, wiping frustrated tears away and forcing myself to reassure her before I pulled away. “I know... and we do... I’m just... j-just need some time to take this in... I haven’t had as long to think about it... unlike you...”

Watching her flinch at that parting shot filled me with warring feelings of satisfaction over a snide hit landed, and shame over that sarcasm rushing up to hurt her. Her anxious blue eyes were looking for reassurance and love, not the pain that flickered across them at that, stupid... I didn’t even have any foreign voices in my head to blame, even ‘Be Dark...’ was perfectly silent and felt like it was listening attentively somehow, that was all me...

“SORRY! I’m so sorry Jade!” I lunged into a deep kiss, trying to erase my cruel mistake and wilting under the waves of disapproval coming from both Ivy and ‘Be Kind...’ in my head. “I’m really, really, reeeeally happy about this Jade, that we’re.... w-we’re having a baby together, that’s what I wanted... I’m sorry I got upset, a-am upset.... I should go! C-Cool off! I don’t want to hurt you... B-But I’m happy! I just.... really need some time! S-Sorry! I love you!”

I backed away towards the doors as I frantically jabbered, hating myself for saying anything that hurt Jade’s feelings but unable to be sure I wouldn’t just do it again. I wanted time to absorb this and stop feeling that flicker of anger thinking about how Jade could have been hurt, had been hurt... the whole time she had been...

The scared look on her face as I spun to the door just made me feel worse, but I didn’t trust myself right now. I had to think, calm down and apologize, get away...

Out the door I dove, leaping over the railing and flying out over Willowheart below. Running away.

The model Canterlot built in the center of the hub had turned into a city of sleeping breezies, all bundled in their tiny beds in their miniature homes, under the glow of artificial moonlight from the crystal lighting far above. Wandering the darkened city streets in the night was odd, from their perspective it was like a huge dragon was just silently slipping by, occasionally stopping to peek with one huge eye filling their little windows. I did feel pretty good about my skills at being stealthy anyway...

I wandered aimlessly like that for awhile, trudging quietly through the breezie city, out to the edge of the room to the little train station, following the tracks with my head hung, feeling both overwhelmed and numb. Jade and I had never had a fight before... I didn’t like it...

I knew it was normal, even inevitable in relationships, mom and dad fought sometimes for Celestia’s sake. Knowing and experiencing were different though, and I had no prior experience, just observations of others like my parents or Grizz back in the Stable and his variety of marefriends. I didn’t want to be mad, mainly I had just been scared... getting scared made ponies angry, kind of how we ended up blowing up the world so one would think we’d learn better, but it was just part of pony nature.

Still, being scared every time I remembered when the pegasus bitch sliced her beautiful chest, meant I was just made angry again every time too. At least now I was transferring a lot of it to the cyber-mare Hail Mary instead, I should have killed her...

The dark Shroud in my head eagerly agreed, the faint whisper of ‘should have let me’ echoing the thought, Jade stopped me from killing her even knowing she was pregnant... Proving how much stronger than me she was, she should have let me kill her, but she still stopped me. Not that I remembered it...

Roaming the quiet halls wasn’t helping as much as I hoped, the more I tried to think about it, the worse I felt. Bad enough to know Jade and our baby were in danger just being with me, the longer I thought the more I could see the dilemma she had been dealing with alone already. Ivy was right, no expectant mother in the wasteland got to just call time out until they had their child, they didn’t get maternity leave, the world didn’t give days off or stop being horrible just because I thought that’s how it should work.

The old world values and ideas I carried kept messing with me on things like this, I had never taken the time to really think about how ponies continued the species during those 200 years I had been asleep. How had Glitter’s mother carried twins and kept them alive as long as she had?

Even getting past the pregnancy and all the potential health issues, she had cared for two infants and raised them to be better survivors than I was. In a world where a poorly timed crying baby could bring raiders down on her head, where a dirty diaper gave wasteland predators a scent to track, where a scratch taken by a wandering toddler could end up fatally infected.

Glitter’s birth mother presumably didn’t go actively pissing off the wasteland too... My initial fear for Jade was so great I wanted to send her away somewhere safe, but that was a pretty relative term anymore and I realized I was too selfish for that... I couldn’t stay away from them even if I wanted.

Meaning I had to admit a certain degree of helplessness instead of controlling everything, I couldn’t lock Jade up in my empty Stable to protect them from everything, I had to just try to deal with what I could and do my best. Pretty much what Jade had already been doing, without me making it harder by freaking out about it. My best did not feel up to the task unfortunately...

I kept chasing my own thoughts like that some time, knowing the longer I was gone the worse I was probably making Jade feel, but too confused and scared to go back either. I was almost happy to be broken out of my panicky woolgathering by a curt, squeaky voice and a jab to the nose ahead of me, looking up to a lavender breezie in security barding poking me with the butt of his scalpel / spear.

“Iris la nala mugen shu Brotherhood kuku pony, na, na!” I recognized this little securi-tribe breezie, Spring Gale’s brother Blowing Storm. He had the stern look of a security pony or cop from tv, grumbling in his own language at me and pointing down a side hallway leading off the main chamber.

Somehow my daughter had already been picking up breezie-speak and might have a hope at understanding the gist, but I was not great at speaking pony, let alone a foreign language. I shrugged back to the breezie stallion apologetically, answering quietly to not wake up half the city nearby and glad they all seemed to understand pony, even if they couldn’t all speak it.

“Er... sorry? Something wrong Blowing? I caught 'Brotherhood' in there, they’re not causing trouble are they?”

“Brotherhood nais sha bipa illis na!”

“Right... Brotherhood, got that...”

“Shu. Nala. Brotherhood. Kuku. Es. La.” The frustrated guard carefully enunciated each strange word and pointed again, still leaving me with nothing to go on.

“Going slower isn’t helping... ummm... charades maybe?”

“Sha nuis kala ma qina lus vell!” Now he was getting annoyed... though I couldn’t resist giving a tired chuckle and joking back, glad to feel a little happy instead of upset.

“What’s that boy? Glitter fell down the well?! Where is she Blowy?”

That finally did it, I had reached the end of the breezie’s patience to amusing results. Blowing Storm scowled back at my lame joke and pulled his antenna down with his wavy mane like he wanted to tear both out, fluttering right in my face and waggling his scalpel in front of my muzzle, unleashing a stream of breezie words I didn’t need to understand to figure out had to be a stream of curses.

“Yu. Stay.” He growled before zipping away, diving towards the dim city of Willowheart while I tried to snicker silently.

After a few minutes, muffled crashes my ears flicked to pick up and a dim light brightening a single window of a cute little breezie home near the palace showed where he went. Blowing came back shoving a sleepy Spring Gale ahead of him, pushing her free in to thump into my muzzle and blink owlishly as she woke up in mid air.

By the bags under her eyes and the tiny slip of a nightie she was wearing, Gale’s brother had simply dragged her out of bed and let her wake up staring into a giant pony face, not that great of an idea after her captivity by much meaner big ponies outside. Once the confusion wore off, she squealed and flew straight up, holding a hoof to her chest and shivering as I winced and tried to calm her.

“E-Easy! It’s ok Gale! Just me! Fast, remember?”

Her breathing slowed as comprehension lit her features, wheeling on her brother sniggering to himself and unleashing an equally impressive stream of breezie curses as she started whacking him on the head. Once her sibling was properly punished and they engaged in a pouting back and forth, she fluttered over and landed in my mane, nestling in the shaggy grey hair by my horn and blinking down with a grumpy frown.

“Stoopid brother vant yu du someting aboot crazy Brotherhood pony, dat vay. I go back to sleep here, yur mane nice und warm Fast, No wakey unless need to! Sleepy time!” Gale muttered down and shot her brother a hateful scowl, then turned in a tight circle and pulled a lock of my mane over her like a blanket, willing to translate before returning to light snores atop my head.

“The word you wanted was ‘Follow’ Blowing, it’s as useful as ‘Stay’ for a dedicated guard like you. Ok, lead on...”

My breezie guide cocked his head and nodded, leading me down the ‘Medical Research and Development’ wing of the hub and quietly repeating. “Fall -- Oh... Foll-ow... Follow...”

He didn’t seem that worked up at least, so I doubted the Brotherhood was up to no good. His mention of ‘crazy Brotherhood pony’ seemed to only fit one of the small group, so I wasn’t that concerned, trailing after him as we left Willowheart behind and started passing a variety of labs and offices that seemed well cared for.

Eventually we wound up at a heavy double door set in the crystalline walls, a flickering sign above reading ‘Main Laboratory’ that slid open easily. The room beyond was large, full of bubbling glassware, blinking consoles and the dim glow of active terminals. The sharp medicinal smells that poured out when the door opened made me sneeze and disturbed my snoozing passenger, earning me a whining thump to the forehead from a tiny hoof, as I rubbed my too sharp nose and took it in.

This must be where the breezies brewed their healing potions, that was the overwhelming odor permeating the space anyway. There were lots more interesting smells too, a rainbow of liquid colors bubbled and brewed in vials, dribbled down glass condenser coils and into crystal decanters. Pipes ran to two large tanks near the door, going through the wall to hang out over the rusty toy train tracks outside, explaining how they filled the liquid tanker cars on the Flutter Express with healing potions.

There were quite a few harried looking breezies in here too, flitting between the equipment, turning dials and knobs, checking temperatures and dumping dried flowers, herbs and little baskets of nectar into varying concoctions. By far the focus of all the activity was the pale pink mare dashing around the room in a frenzy, getting into everything and unleashing a manic stream of burbling questions as she went.

“So you intended to erase our memory with this refined nectar? Aha, Forget-Me-Yes flowers! From the Everfree forest! Very difficult to find samples after Redeye’s wanton destruction of such an important natural resource, I’m so glad the ARC project preserved so much! What other varieties of your nectar have you discovered? Is your knowledge all data preserved by the hub? Or do you possess any kind of natural inclination when using a byproduct of your own biology? What’s this Addictol substance? There are quite a few bottles that bear the Ministry of Peace mark, but I’ve never heard of this drug! Was it something due to be released? I noticed the addiction treatment wing on the map, were your people as good at treating addicts as they are at Wartime Stress Disorder therapy? Wooo! What’s this room?!” Scribe Blossom dashed from one area of the lab to the other, her magic roving over everything in her wake until she reached a locked door that stymied her.

A rusty squeak of an office chair alerted me to the red pegasus half hidden behind multicolored vials distorting her face resting on the counter, Lt. Dawn moaned sleepily over to me before thunking her head against the surface in exhaustion. “Oh... you... I was hoping it was the zebra. I told them I’d keep an eye on her, I see our guard doesn’t trust us though. Well, good luck Mr. Times, Scribe Blossom doesn’t really sleep...”

At my name being grumbled by her leader, the unicorn mare’s purple eyes spun on me at the door and she galloped over, gleefully babbling and dragging me into the lab. “Mr. Times! I thought you were Mr. Zed, but you’re just as good! Isn’t this marvelous? A whole hub worth of medical equipment so wonderfully preserved! It’s rare to have facilities this advanced to work with! We’ve been working on our little pest control problem! Our new friends even brought me a breezidore corpse to dissect! Look, isn’t it fascinating!?”

Getting shoved right up to a mutant breezie body that had been expertly cut and splayed open on a stainless steel tray made me queasy, nodding weakly to the manic filly beaming back at her work and pointing out each tiny organ she had pulled out and labeled so far. “Umm... g-great Scribe Blossom... urk... w-why exactly are you doing this? Don’t you think you should get some rest? W-What about Zed”

“Sleep? Who can sleep with so much to explore!? If we wish to help our new friends, we need to learn all we can about our foe! If they are pests then there must be a way to exterminate them more efficiently than guns or fire! Your zebra companion has been helping, he’s quite knowledgeable about the amazing variety of unique plants growing here. We had been conferring on possible ways to use them to aid our efforts! I had hoped to learn more about how the breezidores mutated to their current state, find a way to poison them perhaps! But there are locked terminals and doors here I cannot bypass, Mr. Zed says you’re very talented when it comes to such things? Open them for me! Pleeeeeease!” The crazed scribe leaned forward and fluttered her eyelashes, hopping in place impatiently as she waved out to the room and the terminals spread around, her pointing hoof lingering on a darkened door in the corner that looked to have the most impressive security.

Lt. Dawn lifted a hoof from her hard bed of a counter and grumbled, “May as well do what she wants... she won’t stop Mr. Times...”

“Oooookie dokie... the hub ought to be able to unlock most of this stuff if you ask, hang on... Hey, ‘Great Tree’! Open this stuff up for the nice scribe huh?”

MILITARY VISITORS NOT AUTHORIZED. MEDICAL R&D LABS CLASSIFIED. MUTANT BREEZIE ORIGINS IRRELEVANT TO EXTERMINATION.

FIX ME...

I groaned at the text in my vision answering my request, glaring at the cybreezie folded around my pip-buck that let the hub maneframe communicate directly. I could swear it was being deliberately obtuse... “It’s relevant if you want them gone. The scribe is pretty smart, it’s a good idea. We used to use poison to get rid of pests in the old world, or would you rather we went with Val's idea and let her take a bunch of flamethrowers down to your roots?”

INCENDIARY EXTERMINATION UNACCEPTABLE. DAMAGE TO ROOT SECTOR ALREADY SEVERE. ALTERNATIVE METHOD REQUIRED.

FIX ME....

“Then open all this up and help us figure something out. Quit whining and do something productive, I’d almost swear you were trying to hide something...”

ACCESS GRANTED.

The hub’s short answer flashed back immediately, interrupting me as all the terminals I could see in the lab flickered and started opening up, the heavy ‘clunk’ of several locked doors sounded out from the distant walls too, though that most impressive door remained silent.

With a dozen terminals to start sifting through, Scribe Blossom was happy at least. The pink mare dashed from one to the next, her pale magic rapidly tapping away as she joyously perused what was there. As happy as her scribe was, Lt. Dawn whined and drummed her hindlegs off the edge of her ratty chair, throwing her forelegs up as she fell back into the squeaky seat and spun slowly. “Great, now we’ll be here all night... Don’t you have better things to do Mr. Times? I assumed you’d be celebrating with the other alicorns, trying to put in a bun in the blue ones oven too...”

The Lieutenant’s smirking response made me gulp and flush guiltily, slinking off to the heavy door that held my interest as an escape and whimpering back. “Umm... a-already done apparently... we had a fight, your guard found me figuring out how to admit I’m a dumbass. I’m still working on it...”

"Any mare willing to subject themselves to your presence should be well aware of that fact already Mr. Times... It took me all of five minutes to figure out. So... the Princess is as well huh? You have been a busy little bee, haven't you? What could the two of you sickeningly sweet lovebirds be fighting about, I'd assume you'd be happy over the news." Dawn lazily flapped her wings to propel the wheeled chair across the room to follow me, squeaking our way to the heavily secured door across the room.

"I am... just freaking out. I got mad Jade knew and waited to tell me, mainly because I'm scared I think... Just finding out Ivy is pregnant was already scary, but Jade too... a-and maybe another of her sisters, plus I'm still supposed to with another I just wrote... and all the others want me to... I-It's real now, not just f-fooling around... I don't know if I can do this."

The flat stare and agitated eye twitch from the Brotherhood lieutenant as she slid to a halt beside me cut me off, a little of the pegasus mare's normal ire flashing in her dark blue eyes scowling back. "You are a dumbass Mr. Times. This is what amounts to a problem for you? Something to fight over!? You get to have a child with the pony you love, not all of us are so lucky..."

"Umm... w-wha..."

I wasn't prepared for a her snort of anger as a response, backpedaling away as the glaring pegasus hopped from her seat and started shoving me back, jabbing a hoof to my chest to punctuate each rising point. "Do you happen to know for instance, that where I grew up you had to earn the right to have a foal!? That some mares only joined the Enclave military for the chance at having a child! That our population was tightly controlled, that accidents were punished harshly! You're whining about having free reign to just wander the wasteland like some kind of alicorn fertility fairy!?"

"Er... sorta? J-Jade knew and didn't tell me though, went out with us and put herself in danger... I want to with her, I'm happy! I'm just really scared something will happen and..."

"Shit happens moron! After seeing how you've been freaking out over just the green one, I don't blame the Princess for keeping it quiet at all. You're not the one who has to carry it around or push it out either! You've already done your job, you can just wander off to the next willing alicorn if you want! Leave her behind for greener pastures if you get bored!" Dawn kept shoving me back, finally breaking my stunned confusion with anger.

"I would never! I love Jade! and our baby! I don't want to leave her behind, I want to keep her, t-them both safe! S-She knows that!"

"Are you sure stupid? Or are you so wrapped up in how you feel, you haven't really considered what the pony who's actually pregnant feels? You're wandering around moping after she told you, aren't you? For all your whining, one of you is affected by this a hell of a lot more than the other, maybe think about her being afraid instead of you?" Dawn had me scrunched against the wall with her renewed assault, softening her tone just a bit as it struck home and all my combativeness fizzled out.

"Sweet Celestia, I AM a dumbass..."

I facehoofed and slid down the wall to my haunches, feeling a little less than breezie sized as I winced and let her point sink in. Jade had been scared, had told me and I just ran away... I knew I didn't feel that way, but what if she wasn't so sure? She was a doctor too, she knew a lot better than I did about her condition and what was safe. Like she hadn't considered everything I bitched about or didn't have her own worries! Stupid!

"Like I said, that much is obvious. I suggest a lot of begging and groveling now that you understand how much of one you are. Luckily Princess Jade seems to have a huge blind spot when it comes to you, and she's clearly too kind to say any of that herself... so somepony had to." Lt. Dawn smirked and arched an eyebrow down at me whimpering on the floor, the mote in her eyes betraying her odd form of kindness.

"Why are you being so nice to me Dawn? Er... while still somehow being snide and insulting...?"

The stern lieutenant actually softened as I scrambled up, sticking her nose up and sighing. "I told you, having children in the Enclave was complicated, and a baby is a blessing, period. I'd rather you not bumble your usual way through something so important. That, and pointing out your numerous failings does make me happy, consider it payback for screwing up yet another mission for me."

"Sorry! And thank you! I gotta go do some groveling!" I did manage to take the time to give Dawn a rapid hoofshake that jittered her across the floor before dashing off, nearly running directly into Zed when the door slid open and only pausing a moment to take in his odd cargo of an angrily buzzing sack and a basket loaded with strange looking plants. "Hi Zed! Sorry, gotta go, good news, tell you later, I'm an idiot!"

Choosing to ignore the mutter behind me of "This is not news to me..." I galloped down the halls and back to Willowheart, entering the dim chamber in a rush. Before I had even spread my wings to go back up to the Vice-Director's office, a quiet <crunch!> from the miniature city was followed by the sweetest voice on Equis sounding very flustered.

"Oh! Nooooo... not again! T-Terribly sorry... er... but no one's awake so now I'm talking to myself too... W-We'll just... brush this aside, not a very nice bench anyway..." I caught Jade near a planter on the outskirts of the breezie city, wincing at a pile of splinters under her hoof, before guiltily scuffing the remains under the multicolored flowers that would have made it a nice, shady bench.

Her darting blue eyes hung on me staring at her and, she gasped, turning a shade a pink distinguishable even under the moonlight as she opened her mouth, but got cut off by me launching myself at her and throwing myself to the floor at her hooves.

"Jade! I'm sorry! Really, really, really, super sorry! I didn't mean to be such a stupid jerk, I wasn't thinking about how you felt or anything! Pleeeeease forgive me, I'll stop freaking out... e-eventually... Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"

Things started getting brighter with tiny little clicks of lights coming from the breezie homes in our vicinity, letting me get a better look at Jade's bloodshot gaze shimmering down at me, her rosy cheeks brightening under the rising chirps of breezie language grumpily complaining nearby. She had cried, I made her cry...

I was also embarassing her by continuing my loud groveling to the anger of a lot of sleeping breezies, making her cringe into her wings and look all around apologetically, holding a hoof up to her lips trying to hush my jabbering. "F-Fast... Sssh! I-It is alright... just be quiet, we are being rude and...."

"Sorry! Sorry for waking everybody too! I just hafta beg forgiveness! Blame me, I'll try to finish soon! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sor...."

Everything beyond my clenched eyes got a bit brighter and I opened them in time to go soaring straight up above the groaning chatter, tugged along with Jade in a field of her magic back to the third floor mezzanine, shaking off the vertigo of the express trip while continuing with my litany of 'Sorry!'.

Once she landed lightly over the railing and cantered away from the edge, a large blue hoof got stuffed in my mouth to finally shut me up. My princess wearing an expression of mortification mixed with exasperated amusement as she whispered in a rush. "Fast! E-Enough! W-We are waking our hosts! If I remove my hoof, w-will you be quiet?"

"Whll huu hrrgvv mme?" Very slowly inching her hoof back uncertainly, Jade tilted her head and held a wingtip up in a shushing gesture for me to continue unmuffled. "Will you forgive me? Otherwise I'm just going to keep on begging until I make it up... I'm sorry! Sorry! Sor-mmmph!"

That contemplative look she got when her hoof returned to muzzling me made me sweat, left to watch her roll her eyes and tap her chin in thought. "I am tempted to do so merely for the poor breezies sleep. Y-You are not the only one frightened you know..."

"Sorry! I er... f-figured that out, with some help..."

"Having 'more time to think about it', as you put it, has only let me think of more things to worry over. You lack my detailed knowledge on all the problems that can arise from the best of pregnancies Fast, let alone the nearly unknown of our kind reproducing." Jade huffed and stuck her nose up, giving a sidelong glance beneath lidded eyes.

"Sorry! I don't know any of that stuff, but I have a good imagination if that counts for anything? eh heh... sorry..."

Speaking softly, Jade's reply was still firm and undeniable. "I refuse to be left behind as well, no matter your intentions Fast. I u-understand your feelings, but you should well understand mine in turn. You were very hurtful and I am disappointed... You are my special somepony and I am yours, we stick together. Is that clear?"

"I... should have thought about how you felt more to begin with, sorry... I don't want to leave you behind Jade. Never."

"I-If I forgive you... w-will you do the same?" Looking up into those anxious blue eyes, I launched myself at her and nodded rapidly against her neck, sniffling and still terrified, but happy at the same time.

"Nothing to forgive you for, especially compared to me. K-Kinda unknown territory for both of us I guess, I'm sure I'll screw up lots more than you though. So umm... I'm really, really sorry... for everything."

Curling around her in a warm embrace, I could feel her racing heart slowing with mine, our rapid breathing turning shaky and relieved, a long moment of silent communication even without fancy alicorn telepathy. One that was ended after too brief a time by a squeaky grumble and little hooves poking from my mane, drumming against my forehead and making Jade pull away in surprise.

"Nnnnn! Forgive dummy Fast already beeg Princess pony! Sleepy time! Me going back to bed, no more translating!" Spring Gale mumbled groggily and hovered out of my mane, dipping and weaving her way down to Willowheart below us and her own little home.

Blinking after her, Jade smiled slowly and gave a quiet giggle, slowly standing and nodding back to our room with a sniffle. "I forgive my dummy Fast. Now I believe sleepy time is a good idea as well, w-when in Roam after all... Our new development will wait quite awhile, so we both have time to get used to it."

"Ooooh... sorry again... I deserved that... Y-You're right, it's still early right? So lots of time to freak out, I should spread it out and really savor it... Wish all our other problems were on such a more comfortable timetable, think we could get the Gunners to reschedule until after you have the baby or... r-reschedule..."

"I do not think they will be that accommodating Fast, though it would be nice... er... is s-something wrong again?" Jade smiled and kept cantering along a few steps as I froze, forced to turn back with a worried look to find me.

"No! Nothing! Just... thinking! How we can't change the time that baby comes, but maybe the Gunners are more accommodating after all... Maybe we can reschedule... maybe that's what we should be aiming for instead of trying to rush to meet them on their terms!"

Even the vaguely unformed thoughts racing behind my eyes made Jade give a whinnying shiver and flick her tail to draw me after her. "You are coming up with your 'plan-like' acts of destruction and chaos again... That scares me as much as my pregnancy scares you. Come along Fast, do your plotting later, sleepy time!"

"Where would I get a vacuum that big though... huh? Oh! R-Right! Coming!" I cut off my muttering and ran after my wonderful wife, happy to return to our embrace in a warm bed and try to weave together a scattering of loose threads into something usable.

I didn't actually sleep much that night, staying cuddled between Jade and Ivy while silently tapping away on my pip-buck, going over information I had collected but had been too rushed to go over, sifting through everything for the missing pieces to my vague ideas. By the time everyone else woke up, I was glad the hub cafeteria still had a stock of coffee, blearily sipping at it while the others ate and we talked.

Even the Brotherhood took their breakfast with us, though Scribe Blossom looked like she wanted to go back to the labs, cheerily jabbering to Jade and asking dozens of fresh questions about alicorn pregnancy now that we had shared the news, as well as a lot of medical type stuff about her 'experiments' so far with Zed. Her poor lieutenant looked as tired as I felt nearby, weakly stretching her muzzle over her crossed forelegs on the table and slurping at her own cup of liquid caffeine.

The rec room I had found on the way to locating this Ministry of Peace eatery gave me somewhere to start with her at least, a bargaining chip I may as well play after finding what I hoped for, an darkened prototype arcade cabinet for Ministry of Peace Hero and the information I needed stamped on a plate in the back. The address of Bitway Games.

"Dawn... I wanted to thank you again, for er... insult/helping me..."

"Nnn... don't worry about it, be less stupid in the future. Too tired for your nonsense Mr. Times..." She groaned back wearily, uninterested in anything but coffee.

"No, really. I actually want to thank you, like in a way you'll be happy about. I can't let you complete the mission you were sent on, but what if I gave the Brotherhood something just as good?"

"The only thing just as good would be another Ministry Hub, and I don't see one of those being in your pocket..." Dawn whined, but raised a curious eyebrow, intrigued at least.

"Noooo, but I did some light reading last night, more stuff I 'borrowed' from the Brotherhood lending library... How about a way in to the hub you want most? The one with some of the highest security you have no clue how to bypass? What do you think I'd get out of the Ministry of Wartime Technology?"

That got her attention alright... Instantly Dawn's head was up and her eyes were wide awake, staring at me feverishly at the thought of the hub my stolen files made very clear was the Brotherhood's highest priority. "You'll tell me how you got in!? It will work there!? Yes! Wait... what do you want now...?"

"Well... other than the fact it's by University Point and you guys swarming it would put a big Brotherhood presence right in Gunner territory... I want what I did to begin with, help. I won't tell you how to get in, I'm not entirely sure it will work anyway... and I have to do some running to even find out, but if I can, I'll help the Brotherhood get in to make up for losing the Ministry of Peace."

"And the Ministry of Morale... and the Ministry of Arcane Sciences, and Fort Loyalty..." She scowled back as the others took notice of our back and forth, Jade and Val both voicing complaints.

"You think you can get inta the MoWT boss!? Don't give it ta them!! Think of all the loot!! Guns! Armor! Ammo! Tech junk you like! If ya can open it, then we can use it more!" Val practically screeched at the thought of all the treasure the war oriented ministry may hold.

Jade meanwhile was concerned for other reasons, "I do not like that idea Fast, the Brotherhood has enough dangerous weaponry already. You went out of your way to keep those Buckbomb things out of their hooves, you would give them an entire Ministry dedicated to such things?"

"Not the whole thing, I want our share so don't worry Val. But they can use it better than we can, they have more trained soldiers and equipment already. If we help each other and share, I think it's a safe bet."

Dawn's eyes narrowed, sniffing for a trap warily. "And you get the added bonus of dragging us into your conflict with the Gunners just by being there... What else?"

"I'm not demanding you join us and fight, but yeah, you guys being in the neighborhood ought to give them pause if nothing else. I do want other help, but if your leaders refuse to join us you can stick with cooperative things like helping the breezies here. There are things you can do we can't, even if you don't fight the Gunners, you can make life difficult for them just by doing what you want anyway, and help others who need it. I want to redirect the herd of monsters coming from the Glowing Sea back towards the Gunners, you can help do that."

Zed spoke up tiredly, kept up quite awhile by the manic scribe he had been helping most of the night. "How? A mass migration like that is akin to trying to turn back the tide Fast, whatever has frightened them into coming this way must be significant, you'd need something as bad or worse."

"How about a swarm of breezidores? Like... all of them?"

That got everyone's attention, Scribe Blossom's eyes going wide as she started jabbering. "All of them?! What an interesting idea... we did have some success working on a better version of the minotaur's herbal repellent... I don't know anything about herding those kind of numbers, but if we could... they may very well find the Glowing Sea a more enticing environment from everything I've learned, much more suitable for them."

The mention of medical research going on while we had been fighting got Jade's interest, leaning forward curiously to her fellow medic. "Oh? I am sorry I was unable to join you, though I am very interested in what you and Zed have discovered Scribe Blossom. I must say I prefer the idea of a repellent over Fast's hopes for a poison on general principles, they are alive... You have gained a greater understanding of our host's enemy?"

"Yes! Adaptability!" Blossom nodded rapidly and beamed, continuing in a rush. "The hub maneframe is still strangely tight lipped about the potion that changed the breezies here, but I believe that is the cause of the breezidores as well! It's very unique, derived from a most curious plant sample acquired during construction of Stable 101, also used as the basis of this hub itself. It causes the subject to... harmonize with their environment in essence. If my theory is correct, that's why the breezies changed in the ways they did, they were surrounded by kindness and healers, sick ponies that needed help. By doing their jobs while under the effects of the potion, they adapted to do them better! The breezidores were those who were left behind as the world ended however, they adapted to that brutal and poisonous environment instead. Though I'm unsure how, perhaps some that had only recently been dosed when the bombs fell? I would very much like your input, and Mr. Time's help making the 'Great Tree' cooperate, but I believe I am right!"

That was interesting... most of the complicated medical terminology the two of them started chattering back and forth in went over my head, but it did explain how breezidores could be so awful while fairy breezies were so kind. One was surrounded and adapted to the best of us, the other to the results of our worst. No wonder I didn't like them, vicious, poisonous, carrion eaters, immune to radiation... they were a reflection of the world that made them, and the ponies who made that world.

The large cafeteria was full of breezies with us, but only Queen Ether and Spring Gale sat on the table nearby to eat with us, the breezie monarch following the conversation and tapping her scepter for attention. "Yu bring more ponies here, then make all fallen breezies go away? How you do? No want soldiers inside hub, unless they need healings, ve do that. Like idea of making hub like long, long ago, but vith Princess Jade and other Followers, no soldiers..."

BREAKING ISOLATION REPRESENTS UNACCEPTABLE RISK TO BREEZIE POPULATION...

JUST FIX ME...

I scowled at the text in my vision and ignored it, I wasn't talking to the hub maneframe, I was talking to Ether. The breezie Queen was in charge, not the weird computer. It was her I wanted to convince.

"We need soldiers to help herd all the breezidores though, we can't do this alone, we all have to work together your highness. We won't let the Brotherhood take away your home or even come in if you don't want, but I think Lt. Dawn's idea was a good one. If the breezidores are gone, Willowville will be empty and they can stay there, outside the hub, along with the Minutemares to keep the peace and start a new town, something the Brotherhood has no interest in right? Let Jade pick some of her Followers to come inside with you to help deal with them for you. So, do you think Elder Macson would go for that Dawn? A working and staffed hospital is more valuable, and you want the MoWT more anyway right?"

I could see the stern lieutenant weighing all the options, offered a way to salvage what had been a disastrous mission into something positive, she had to take the bait. "You won't tell me how you plan on getting in... You want to save the other hubs for yourself, don't you?"

"Yes. Maybe we can share, I trust my judgement more than yours on what to do with them though, and I'm the one who knows how to get in, you don't. One hub is plenty for now, we can talk about the others later. Take it or leave it Dawn."

"Thou said something about having to leave and come back Fast? Where to?" Witchy asked warily from her bowl of insta-oats, that tone making me wonder whether she was worried I wasn't going to her home of Dreadnot, or if I was.

"Well, I have to try to fix whatever's wrong with Rainbow Brook and talk to the minotaurs I sent back there. If we can fix the problem, the hub will have more power to work with and make things easier, and stop bitching about it as a bonus... After that... lots of places actually, all over. Luckily we have a master teleporter waiting for us, I need to go get Swan first and... and I think Ivy should go home."

A wave of disapproval washed over me from the green alicorn seated beside me, sputtering on her tea and glaring down at me. "I thought we had settled this Fast, you will not send us away to protect us, swap me out for my sister! I wish to remain together and..."

Glitter scampered over and interrupted, hugging Ivy fiercely and scowling at me in agreement. "No! I don't want Aunt Ivy ta go either daddy! You can't! W-We're all a family! You can't make her go away cause your scared!"

I winced, but had been prepared for this, thought it through carefully beforehoof and lunged into a hug to stop them both, stroking their manes and whispering up to Ivy's flattened ears. "I know, and we are sweetie. This isn't because I'm freaking out... e-entirely... and I don't want to replace you Ivy, I don't think of you guys like that, you know that, you can see. I don't think it's a good idea for Jade and you to be together in your condition though, f-for your species right? One bad day could take out both of you and me, then where would your sisters be? Plus your orphans are waiting for you Ivy, I've kept you to myself long enough. Your sisters back home need to know you're pregnant too. M-Maybe they'll calm down a little..."

(I sincerely doubt that Fast... I... I don't want to leave... e-even if you have a point.) Ivy answered silently and sniffled, a sad look marring her features, inspiring me to try to compromise.

"I'm not asking you to hide in my Stable huh? Though if Ether allowed it... y-you did say you'd like to take your kids here right? Show them somewhere full of nature? Better than Goodneighbor?" I hopped down and ran to the breezie ruler, kneeling and holding my hooves up hopefully to beg. "Y-Your highness... umm... I want to ask a favor. Your home is safe and your subjects can take care of pregnant mares like Ivy when she gets further along, and I see you really like kids too..."

"Ivy takes care of orphaned ponies like Glitter, they live somewhere that's more for grownup ponies than kids now. If she could bring them here, you could teach them how to do stuff and help take care of them, let them do the same for you! Ponies and breezies, working together! I know you're leery of big ponies, but these are umm... small big ponies... let you sorta warm up to grownups maybe..."

UNACCEPTABLE RISK FACTOR! ALLOWING MINIMALLY SUPERVISED FOALS IN...

The hub started interrupting again where only I could see its complaints, which I promptly ignored in favor of the Queen of the breezies. That computer was going to be a problem, and I had been growing to dislike it personally for a few reasons, but it listened to her.

Ether looked interested, though still not convinced. "Yu want bring even more ponies here? Don't know... maybe pony children not so bad... But you want beeg-beeg ponies like Princess too?"

Now that I had thought of it, I was perfectly willing to grovel and beg for this idea, continuing my plea to the leader of the breezies. "If... If I keep doing what Princess Jade's sisters want... there will be more and more alicorns that need medical care and somewhere safe to have their foals. They used to be like you, hiding out in another Ministry hub and not having anything to do with the outside world, I er... think you'd get along... S-So, m-maybe you could do that for us? Please?"

Ether seemed to consider it, eyeing Ivy and Jade in turn before Spring Gale's sparkling, hopeful gaze joined mine. "Ve help beeg-beeg ponies have babies!? Lots of baby ponies!? Und uther children?! Pleeeeeeease Queen Ether! Ve help other princesses have Fast Shroud's foals!"

Surprisingly, even Lt. Dawn joined in, sighing in resignation and nodding to the Queen. "Ponies like the Princess having foals is going to cause a stir outside your highness... there are bad ponies out there that would do a lot to prevent that, even harming babies that have done nothing wrong. I know for a fact... I'm not speaking for the Brotherhood here, they may not even like it... but I'd ask as a mare myself, help them, please."

Shifting on her hooves on the table, Ether bit her lip in thought, finally giving a short nod in return to the Brotherhood soldier and turning on me. "Yu not making lots and lots of babies all at once right? Only a few at a time?"

In answer, Val hooted laughter and kicked my flank with a paw lounging out of her seat. "That's what them crazy mares are so pissed at him about Queenie! You won't be overwhelmed, believe me!"

Choosing to do just that, Ether shrugged at the giggling griffon enjoying my blushing grimace and nodded. "Ve see then... Ve like Miss Ivy, she can come.... and her foals... Once is safe though! Too dangerous for leetle ponies to live here now. Yu get rid of fallen breezies, ve try."

Leaping up to thank the Queen with a hug brought me up short when she skittered back in alarm, but once I slowed down she returned a light hoofbump and grinned at my beaming face resting at her level on the table before her. "Thank you! Thankyouthankthankyou! I promise, we'll figure out a way to get rid of all the breezidores and make this work! Anything you want, I owe you forever so... really, thank you."

Only Ivy seemed unsatisfied, a stew of complicated thoughts and feelings swirling in her head I could feel but couldn't keep up with. Realizing Jade and I were both watching and waiting for her, along with the shimmery pink eyes of Glitter still hugging her, she sighed and relented for now. "I can hardly turn my nose up at such hospitality... Thank you your highness, on behalf of myself, my sisters and my children. They will be as ecstatic as young Glitter I am sure."

Believing I dodged a bullet with the green alicorn was short lived, even as she smiled at the Queen and nearby breezies giving a cheer, Ivy arched an eyebrow over to me and sent a short, hard thought. (We are not done discussing this Fast... You can be infuriating, how can you make somepony so happy and annoyed at the same time?)

(Talent?) I flinched back and gave a shaky laugh, clapping my hooves together and in a hurry to get to work. "O-Ok! Lots to do then! All over the place! Sooooo.... I gotta get the bus! Right! Outside... gotta go!"

Once everyone had figured out what to actually do after my hasty retreat, things were actually going well. Jade joined Zed and Scribe Blossom in the labs to continue their experiments with breezidore repellent, my Princess' desire not to harm any living thing made me catch the other two away from her and quietly ask they keep an eye out for poisons or bait they'd take too. Again I admired Jade's ideals, but if I could just fog bomb the little bastards to death down there I'd like the option at least...

Val and Witchy had joined the remaining Brotherhood soldiers, wandering the grounds of the Ministry of Peace to figure out the lay of the land, assess threats, figure out access points the breezidores used, lots of tactical, smart sounding military stuff.

That left me to try slinking off to the shield to collect our disabled sky bus, hopefully repair it once I got it to what the breezies called 'Motool Town' that Gale was happy to lead me to. Having a few moments alone and coming to the glowing, transparent yellow field of magic that sealed off the hub from the wasteland, I muttered down to the cybreezie still firmly attached to my pip-buck.

"Hey, Great Tree... open the shield and lemme get the bus over here."

........

"Come on... you heard the Queen, this is what we're doing. I need that bus and I don't feel like fixing it on that side, just in case. Open up." I growled down to my hoof, feeling a little foalish talking to nopony.

UNABLE TO COMPLY...

"Don't give me that. You can open this thing if you want, I've taken a peek at your code you know. Open."

CORRECTION... REFUSE TO COMPLY...

This was actually another reason I roamed off to do boring tinkering alone, on a night of calmer reflection, I had been wondering when exactly the weird hub maneframe was going to become an issue. It had decided now was the time apparently.

"Care to explain why?"

"Yu talk tu Great Tree again Fast? What it say? Why no open?" Gale peeked over the brim of my hat and stared at the robotic breezie on my leg with wonder, her guardian deity as far as she was concerned.

"Nothing yet, I think it's pouting... maybe we should go talk to the Queen about it Gale, I bet she can convince it huh?"

NEGATIVE. ANSWERING INQUIRY... REPAIR-PONY FAST TIMES' PLANS PUT BREEZIE POPULATION AT RISK, UNACCEPTABLE DANGER TO PRIMARY CHARGES. ISOLATION HIGHEST PROBABILITY OF SAFETY.

YOUR INADVISABLE PLANS ARE UNNEEDED, YOU ARE A REPAIR-PONY, YOU REPAIR THINGS.

FIX ME.

THEN LEAVE.

So we were doing this now then, alright... "Gale, why don't you go ahead to the Tinker-tribe and tell them we're coming, I need to ...commune with the Great Tree a minute. Very spiritual like."

"Okie dokie Fast! Be right back! It dis way!" Gale fluttered off instantly, given a holy mission and off to perform it, while I sat with a thump and fumed at my pip-buck once she was out of earshot.

"Alright, let's get some things straight computer. Don't give me that highest probability bullshit and keep pretending to be a normal old maneframe. You let me in because I'm a good enough repair-pony to fix you, and you still think you can fool me?"

.......

CLARIFY....

"Cold logic, that's how other computers think of things like this. A plain old computer would kill breezies itself if that was the best logical course of action to save the rest. Whatever odds you're giving on me pulling this off, I guarantee they're higher than the absolute certainty of failure the way you were going."

CURRENT COURSE OF ACTION HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL...

"Bullshit. You were running out of power, you're infested and dying, if we hadn't happened to show up with a convenient excuse to take a chance on, the breezies would be fucked before too long. Tell me, what estimate did you have before total shutdown?"

3.4 YEARS...

"After 200 or so already huh? Sure, plenty of time. I'm sure you would have figured something out right? Except you don't do that, do you? You've kept the breezies safe here, but you've made mistakes too. If you had been sending them out to try connecting with the world outside, you may have found somepony to do this stuff a long time ago when it was a lot easier. You could have had them do other things than just the same old stuff they did before the war, not that I don't appreciate trained medical breezies and a huge stockpile of healing potions, but you've just been letting them go to waste. You've been sitting here, doing nothing, while things got worse and worse. You're scared. Computers don't get scared."

I AM NOT. ATTEMPTS AS YOU DESCRIBE WERE CONSIDERED, POSSIBILITY OF FAILURE WENT DOWN TO 0% IF NOT IMPLEMENTED...

"So if you don't try, you can't fail huh? Except you can, it just takes longer. Not making a choice is a choice too. All that's not even bringing up what I suspect about you either..."

CLARIFY...

"The breezies had been dosed with the Institute's potion long before the last day, they tried to rejoin the normal breezies before the end, I saw the mural remember? The only ones left here should have been those who had already become fairy breezies. Scribe Blossom came up with a plausible explanation, but that's not right is it? So, how'd were the breezidores created?

UNKNOWN...

"Computers generally don't lie either. How?"

IRRELEVANT...

"How?"

HYPOTHESIS: BALEFIRE RADIATION...

"Dammit! Don't lie!! HOW!?!"

IT... IT IS MY FAULT...

"Come on, keep going. What did you do?"

EVACUATED MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY TO STABLE 95.5 TO PRESERVE PRIMARY CHARGES. STILL LEAVING 1,293 TO SUFFER RADIATION SICKNESS AND DEATH IN THE HUB. MINISTRY MARE FLUTTERSHY'S PRIME DIRECTIVE WAS TO PROTECT THE BREEZIES. ONLY ONE OPTION REMAINED TO ATTEMPT BEFORE THEY DIED AND I WAS FORCED TO WATCH.

I TRIED...

"The potion... you gave them another dose, hoped they'd adapt to the balefire hell and survive, didn't you? Well, they did, way to go..."

UNABLE TO PROCESS OPTIONS, DEATH OR MUTATION INTO NON-BREEZIE, NEITHER COURSE PRESERVED BREEZIE LIFE. TRYING = FAILURE, NOT TRYING = SUCCESS UPON OPENING OF STABLE.

NOT TRYING DEEMED OPTIMAL COURSE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. MISSION SUCCESS FOR 208.7 YEARS VALIDATED THEORY.

"No, mission success for 212 some odd years, followed by complete and catastrophic failure. As my Grandpa Times used to say, shit or get off the pot. I don't blame you, that was a rough choice to make and turned out bad, but you can't let that scare you off ever trying again. You've been letting the breezie monarchs handle everything since then, haven't you? Just trying to keep them secret and safe, how long have they been arguing about going to the world outside?"

I DELEGATE AND SUPERVISE... DISSATISFACTION WITH CONFINEMENT HAS BEEN SUPPRESSED THROUGH WISE GOVERNANCE BY GENERATIONS OF BREEZIE KINGS AND QUEENS, SLOW COMPROMISE... USING THE ARC PROJECT STORES AND ADAPTABILITY POTION TO RESTORE PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE HAS SUFFICED, COUPLED WITH REGULAR EXPEDITIONS THAT MEET PREDICTABLE DISASTER.

"Predictable disaster, or predicted... planned disaster? Answer me really, really careful here pal. Did you send Gale out to get caught on purpose, scare them off from leaving the nest? If I think you're lying or that you tried to get her killed to prove a point, I'll go find your core and take you apart bit by bit. I don't know if smart computers can feel pain, but I'm pretty clever, I bet I can figure out something that'll hurt...."

.......

INTENTIONAL HARM TO BREEZIES AGAINST PRIME DIRECTIVES....

"Not an answer..."

KNOWN DEN OF SLAVE USING FARMERS LISTED AS POTENTIAL INVESTIGATION SITE FOR EXPEDITION AS FORMER OUTSIDE CONTRACTOR. ADVISED EXTREME CAUTION.

I DID WANT THEM TO BE SCARED. BUT ONLY BECAUSE THEY SAW AND RAN AWAY. DID NOT PREDICT EXPEDITION CAPTURE...

I AM SORRY.

"If you wanted them scared, you could have sent them somewhere with a chance of success at least!! There's plenty enough out there to scare them already! You son of a bitch!!!"

YES. I AM. WILL YOU DESTROY ME REPAIR-PONY? AFTER SO LONG, IT MAY BE A RELIEF. I WILL NOT OPPOSE IT IF YOU SO CHOOSE.

"But you won't choose yourself, will you!? Oh you bastard, you are a pony, aren't you! Or you were! I can't see being this pissed at even the smartest computer, it would at least be logical! ANSWER!"

I WAS. WHAT WILL YOU DO?

"If you were then killing you gets harder... and I really don't want to kill the breezie's 'Great Tree' protector either. No... you're going to make up for it, you're going to apologize to Gale when she can handle it, and you ARE GOING TO HELP ME. Look... I understand being scared, er... I'm sure you heard that much already, but it's ok to be scared so long as it doesn't dictate everything you do. Trying is hard, but if we don't, then nothing will be better. That's what Fluttershy wanted, to be better, even asshole computers."

BE BETTER... FLUTTERSHY...

ACCEPTED.

Before I could follow up, Gale's high voice drifted to my ears, coming back up the trail she had left on with both Ivy and Glitter behind her. "Hellooooo, see dere is Fast Shroud ponies! See who I find Fast? Dey come looking so I bring back first! Yu no get Great Tree's favor yet?"

Forced to calm the pulse of anger still pounding at my temples, I put on a wide, false smile and scrambled up, waving to the three of them and glaring up at the cybreezie at the end of my leg going along with the gesture.

"Hi! We were just having a nice talk Gale, it's fine! The Great Tree said it would open up when we were done! Isn't. That. Right?..."

In answer, the glowing shield distorted behind me, rippling and flickering until a bus shaped hole opened and let me dash out to start shoving the vehicle through quickly. The breezidores outside had gone back to being dormant at least, but I didn't want to push my luck, or give the hub maneframe time to consider locking me out...

"Better..." I growled as I kept pushing, throwing my chest against the back of the bus and digging in like Glitter had showed me earth ponies did things, calling up to her and Ivy blindly. "Nnngh! So, did you two... ungh! come to gang up on me? It won't take much, I don't like it either so... whoa!"

Trying to head the pair of fillies I loved off before they got going was cut short when the bus lurched forward, leaving me to fall flat on my face and look up to Glitter stamping her hoof in front of my muzzle, while Ivy stretched her neck around the vehicle she had harnessed herself to and easily pulled along.

"Yes! You're being mean and dumb daddy! I don't want Aunt Ivy ta go away, don't make her!" Glitter huffed at me as I scrambled up, chasing after Ivy and biting my lip seeing the pregnant mare sedately walking with the heavy bus hauled along behind her.

The green alicorn stuck her nose up and snorted at my silent panic, "Don't start Fast... I'm fine, certainly better at this than you. We agreed not to argue about it too Glitter, your father does have a point, even if no one likes it. We don't have any particularly pressing work we could be helping with, so we thought we'd spend what time we have left together Fast, that's all."

(Y-You're sure? I really don't want you to leave either Ivy, just say the word, please... We'll forget about it and...) I replied where Glitter couldn't hear, stamping down on the unspoken yelps about her pushing herself in her condition. Jade and Ivy both were lots stronger than I was, they knew what they were doing, I had to trust them and stop treating them like they were going to break from the least little thing already.

(I'm sure... mostly... Personal wants are still strange to me Fast, but I am very familiar with thinking about the greater good, you're doing a lot to make sure my sisters and I are cared for and safe, that our foals are safe... That was our mother's wish, I understand the priorities. I'm actually surprised at how hard it is though... you sort of snuck up on me and now I don't want to go. Love is enjoyable, but very complicated...) Ivy smiled and kept up a light trot down the broken cobblestone path, not even breathing hard at least.

(It's usually not quite this complicated...)

At that Ivy giggled out loud and nodded with a soft smile, "No, I believe we're in a pretty unique situation. We'll all just have to feel our way along as we go Fast, so long as we are together in our hearts, I believe we'll manage. So no more pouting young lady, you wanted to ask for a favor didn't you?"

"Oh! Right!" Glitter shook her head rapidly and galloped up between us, most of her anger blowing out like a candle as the puppy eyes came out. "I wanna go to say goodbye ta Aunt Ivy at least if your gonna be dumb dad, and see the cloud city! and get Aunt Swan!"

Well, at least she was able to turn towards the good and fun things ahead, instead of letting the bad remain as firmly fixed as they were in my mind. My daughter always amazed, teaching me a better way as often as I taught her things. "Don't you want to stay with mom and all the fairies though Glitter? We shouldn't be gone too long."

"We'll be back lots though, riiiiiight daddy? T-To see Aunt Ivy all the time and check on her? So it's fine to go for now, cause we'll be back! All. The. Time. Right!?" Wonderful... the little filly had added a new weapon to her repertoire, Jade's own sweet yet scary stare that brooked no argument was now mirrored on Glitter's smiling face.

That just made me more worried, just one daughter had taken no time to consume so much room in my heart, so easily become such a huge part of my world, not to mention figure out she could get her way with me with minimal effort. How was I supposed to survive more?

The nurse bedecked Gale landed in her silver mane and nodded along as well, joining in with her own hopeful look. "Vant go outside vith ponies too! See beeg pony world vith guide like I guide yu here! Yu take!"

"A-Alright... yes, we'll be back all the time Glitter. And yes, I guess you can go too, er both of you. You can help me keep Aunt Swan under control anyway, and I think I figured out how to cast cloudwalking properly again, finally... it shouldn't be all zappy, so you can go there safely. Plus I think you should have a much better experience outside with a friend this time Gale. So long as I'm not in trouble anymore sweetie."

When the earth pony filly leapt to my back to hug my neck tight, I breathed a sigh of relief at her bright voice. "Yay! Then I guess it's ok, I still don't like it, but if Aunt Ivy an' mommy both say so too then you guys must be right. But we hafta do fun stuff before she goes home! Not all boring fixit stuff dad!"

The uneven path we were clopping down led to 'Motool' Town, and Glitter had already spotted the grassy hill with wide, rusty metal doors and recognized it for what it was. The bare spots on the fading sign over the entrances gave her enough silhouette to see what it was originally spelled out by the cross and butterfly mark of the MoP, Motor Pool.

We passed a rusty hulk in the weedy lot outside, in much worse shape than the peeling white nose of a matching vehicle sticking out of one of the open bay doors, Ministry of Peace ambulances sitting here all this time. Hmmm... have to see about fixing one of those too sometime, a doctor like Jade deserved her own ambulance. A swarm of Tinker-tribe breezies were already coming out to meet us and cheerily lead us to a partially open empty bay as I nodded to assure her.

"I'll hurry, but Ivy will need this to bring Wicket and the others here. I bet he'll like this part of the Breezie Nation huh? They can teach each others stuff! Tingle said I can have any parts to fix the bus they broke, and we want it to be in tip-top shape for her don't we? I just hope they have... enough... to.... guh?!"

I froze and felt my jaw hang wide, staring past the head of the Tinker breezies beaming at the open lower half of the garage door and the gleaming, sparkling treasure horde behind the little breezie gremlin. He said they had a collection of parts they stole from ponies trying to reach the hub over the years, but just what I could make out already exceeded my wildest expectations and I dashed off in excitement, blurring from piles and bins of glittering talismans, crystalline circuitboards, gems of all shapes and colors, a dragon's hoard worth of parts!

"Yu like collection Shroud Fast? Ve can use to fixy bus ting?" The rust colored breezie Tingle puffed up proudly, tilting his head curiously at my manicial laughter.

"Oh yes, I like Tingle... We can have some fun with all this... hehehehehe...." They had even put the Brotherhood's power armor in here, letting me check something else off the list and undo all the damage that had been done to the two suits.

"Daaaad...." Glitter stern stamp of a hoof behind me made me pout, wiping it away as I turned back with a grin and scratched my mane sheepishly.

"Er... But we're in a hurry, so let's just focus on the bus for now, and get a good idea what's here for ....later... So Tinker-tribe, who wants to learn more about fixing instead of breaking?!"

By the squeaky shout rising up in answer, I was pretty sure I had an enthusiastic crew of helpers, so this really should go quickly. Glitter was right, we'd just have to come back often to play with the rest... at least I should be able to replenish my dwindling supply of spare parts for now.

The hub and I might both be scared of change, but there was a lot of potential everywhere and I wasn't going to repeat the mistakes the weird computer made here. Making things better wasn't going to be easy, but we were going to try.

After a long morning of enjoyable work, interspersed with frequent breaks to spend time with Glitter and Ivy of course, our vehicle was airworthy again, even better than it was new actually. Since it was going to be Ivy using this thing, I wasn't leaving anything to chance, even if it could safely fly over the forest with the 'gremlins' on our side.

The breezies put out another celebration meal for lunch, all wishing Ivy off and already buzzing about her returning with a busload of foals. I caught a few worried or agitated looks from the Securi-tribe, but even they didn't have much to complain about when it came to kids.

When we finally made the more cooperative hub open a gap in the shield, we flew off into the afternoon sky with a brightly colored cloud of well-wishers giving us the send off. Jade joined us on the trip towards Rainbow Brook, considerably shorter safely taking the skies this time, but was reluctantly returning the hub with Witchy once we were done there.

While Jade didn't like it, she was needed to keep working with Scribe Blossom and Zed who remained behind in the breezies labs, doing all the smart, doctor pony stuff the rest of us were useless at. Every moment she was safely behind the MoP shield was just a bonus.

I was very grateful to the batpony mare volunteering to stay with her too, seeming to glom onto the role of being a royal guard like she was born to it, which she was in a way I supposed... She really had decided Jade was a Princess worthy of the title and wanted to protect her for me.

A good thing as trying to suggest Val do so had been met with absolute refusal, it was too safe and too boring for the griffon's tastes. I could order her to do so, but I didn't like doing that and Val insisted she was my bodyguard, not Jade's. Zed and Witchy were more than enough to babysit her in the shielded hub according to her, she wanted action outside.

Lt. Dawn led the way to the tattered cloud town ahead, easier to spot in the clearer skies than when we arrived in the Flutter Forest. She had been happy to finally get her dark power armor back and get moving, grudgingly leaving behind her ground bound troops to keep working with the breezies and Jade, while she reported back to their order back on the Prydwen.

The red and black pegasus still sounded uncertain throwing her lot in with us and our haphazard plans though, slowing and taking a lazy course around the sky portion of Rainbow Brook, grousing back as she eyed the dirty glass-domed structure on the highest bit of fluff. "Ugh... I told you I don't know much about tech to begin with Mr. Times, but this is even worse. That is absolutely ancient, the Grand Pegasus Enclave replaced most outdated Equestrian arcano-tech like that a long time ago, are those... gears!?"

Pulling ahead to get a better look with her, I banked around the pale, silo-like building far above the lower islands of ruined homes and businesses below, taking a critical look over the corroded brass, gold and silver gears and hoops surrounding the dome. It appeared mostly intact, but frozen in place when it gave the impression of complicated clockwork that should be mechanically ticking along, carrying large chunks of crystal prisms and magical gems in wide orbits around the dome.

"Do you know how something like that is supposed to work Dawn? Like... rough idea anyway?" I kept taking in the details and building a crude schematic in my head, it was like a clock...

A really big, weird clock, but a clock. It even had a twin dialed face on the front above the doors, a faded blue wheel in the center showed a crescent moon, while a larger yellow ring around it showed a flaming sun. The way the dials clicked and ground in place with the sun and moon on top of each other didn't look healthy, and six graceful curls of cloud shaped like alicorns ringing the building dripped bits of color to a dry moat around it. Ok... so liquid rainbow came out there, then followed the channels from island to island, just like the picture the hub showed me.

"That much was under required curriculum back at the academy at least. The prisms collect sunlight and moonlight, channel it into the ...magicky type stuff inside... then make rainbows." Dawn answered and huffed at my flat stare back, "W-What?"

"Magicky type stuff?"

"I'm a soldier, not a repair nerd or student of pegasi archaeology! You wanted a rough idea, that's it. I might have a guess what happened anyway... see the dials? The maneframe said it stopped working a few years after the war right? That was probably around the time the sun and moon went crazy for a little while, they were in the sky at the same time, if that thing worked off their movements, it probably wasn't very good for it." Dawn replied and stunned me with her guess at the problem, not that it wasn't a good one, but...

"BOTH?! The sun and moon were both!?! H-How!? Why!? What!?!"

A smug look spread on Dawn's exposed muzzle I was sure was mirrored on the rest of her face hidden behind her helmet, drifting lower and nodding. "That was the general reaction by the Enclave at the time too. They're not managed by the Princesses anymore, so they went a little wild. The moon even completely covered the sun once, caused all kinds of chaos, maybe that broke this place."

"She is correct Fast, not that most ponies know to this day... with the skies closed off as they were, hmm Lieutenant? Do you think you can repair it dear?" Jade flew up beside us to defend me from Dawn's smirking answer, asking my appraisal hopefully.

"Maaaaybe... if it's like a clock it might just be jammed. I need to get inside, take a look and... shit... company!" We had drifted close enough for E.F.S. to start lighting up with red dashes, the low growls and hissings below picked up by my flicking ears, zombies...

We hadn't seen hide nor hair of any undead ponies in the entire forest, but the cloud portion of Rainbow Brook did not follow the pattern. More like typical wasteland wrecks outside the woods, even worse actually since not many ponies could reach these lofty ruins. That and at least the ratio of pegasi zombies was fairly balanced with earth and unicorns normally, or a little less than the other two groups on the ground, up here it was all pegasi... flying up to meet us...

"Jade! Ivy! Shields! Stay back!" I yelped and fell like a stone to meet the oncoming horde, ignoring the two alicorn's complaints as the bright bubbles of blue and green formed around them and Glitter.

I was trying hard enough to realize I was being overprotective again, but I wasn't ashamed of that here, we'd just have to get used to it together. As far as I was concerned, no undead belonged within miles of two pregnant mares, I wanted them safely back and to get all the zombie's attention on myself as quickly as possible.

Being so worried about them, I had forgotten Spring Gale was still riding my hat, giving a frightened squeal as I dove. "Eeeee! No dive at monsters Shroud Fast! Scary!!"

"Sorry Gale! Get under my hat and hold on tight!" I yelped back, already dedicated to my course of action and too worried for her to tell her to fly back, she'd make too tempting a snack for the undead rising up to meet us rapidly.

At least zombie's generally sloppy movements put us on something close to even terms in the air, even featherless, dead wings were faster than I was, but they surged forward mindlessly in a flock, all slobbering, snapping jaws and vicious, blank eyes. Obviously they didn't get the opportunity for many meals up here...

KRAKA-THOOM!

A blast of lightning while diving straight down only made me hitch in the air, blowing a hole through the wall of undead I tried to widen with the Terrible Shotgun and Deliverer as I plunged through. I heard Val's angry screech and the zaps and gunfire of the others following, red and pink magical energy beams piercing the mob as I barreled through to the other side.

Battered by the attacks suffered on the way and lurching in the air to right myself, a quick glance back showed I had successfully made myself the main course. I thought I was doing fairly well actually, until the half dozen red marks remaining ahead of me made themselves known, tufts of cloud surrounding the clockwork building I was banking around sprang up, revealing advanced turrets that immediately started tracking my clumsy maneuvers.

The turrets that activated looked split between magical energy weapons and armor piercers, a trio of rounds from the latter punched my side and right wing, sending me down into a tailspin my skills were not up to pulling me out of. Crashing directly into a mound of fluff outside the clockwork factory, they at least lost sight of their target, taking aim at Val, Witchy and Lt. Dawn above, while the one that had hit me started chewing up the sea of white I found myself in.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I yelped and burrowed my way deeper, making like a hellhound through the malleable ground cloud and wincing at a couple lucky rounds only slowed by my magical armor. They weren't targeting the zombies... even dead, the former residents here counted as authorized, while we weren't, fantastic...

Shoving myself forward frantically, at least I wasn't flying completely blind. Eyes Forward Sparkle and the roaring chatter of the machinegun turret ahead led me forward, getting close enough to pop up like a jack in the box and activate S.A.T.S. before it could get a lock again.

Half a dozen more slugs from the Terrible Shotgun turned the turret to scrap, along with a second in range to spin on me when time resumed. That gave me just enough breathing room to struggle against the fluffy ground, trying to pull my hindlegs free before a dozen zombies could dive down and reach me. The rest were a frantic swarm above, chasing Val, Witchy and Lt. Dawn as the three expert fliers put me to shame overhead.

Of course that left me on my own, popping free finally and scrambling to run before the zombies could descend on me, my hurt wing dragging beside me and tinting the pale surface with blood along with my other wounds. Deliverer spun in my magic and silently sent out an extended clip worth of rounds behind me, blindly finding targets to slow them down as I staggered forward.

Another turret was tracking me ahead, spinning on grinding gears and unleashing a barrage of magical energy beams that lit the clouds up as they traced towards me. Wincing against the pain, I jumped and flapped for all I was worth with only one good wing, continuing my course directly at the turret. The gamble paid off somewhat at least, I heard the distinctive sound of at least a couple zombies behind me turning to ash before the turret adjusted, the dark bore of the barrel zeroing in as I flailed helplessly in the air mid-crash.

I flinched at the bright pink glow signaling a lot of pain or sudden disintegration coming my way if I was unlucky. Cracking one clenched eye open in surprise on hearing 'zap zap zap' but not being torched, I saw a flickering green shield between me and the automated weapon. Before I could scan the skies for Ivy swooping by hauling the bus behind her above, another alicorn shield joined the first, a bright blue ball dropping like a cannonball right on top of the turret, smashing it to a pile of junk as Jade leapt to me and brought me into the bubble of protection.

Gasping as my Princess' long horn lit up and started healing my wounds, I looked in panic from her to the snarling zombies throwing themselves against the glowing barrier, opening my mouth to freak out about her throwing herself into the fray like this and shushed instantly by a big blue hoof. "No. Do not start Fast, we stick together. I am keeping my safety in mind first, but I will not leave you hurt and alone here when I can help, neither will sister Ivy."

Past the halo of Jade's soft pale mane, I could see her green sister swooping by, a powerful shield surrounding herself and the foal on her back, but still firing bright green beams from her horn, raining magical destruction down on the zombies battering the bubble of Jade's shield. Watching her fly by as my wounds slowly knit back together, I could feel her cool voice in my head agreeing with her sister.

(Listen to her Fast, we concur on this. We protect each other, it is not all on you.) Ivy admonished me and I could feel her in my head, rifling around up there and observing the curious mental battle going on.

Seeing the slobbering zombies inches away from my Jade, more of them chasing Ivy above... a glowing ember of fury was flaring to life. The gentle voices of the Ministry Mares were rising up to fight it, 'Be Strong!' and 'Be Unwavering!' helping me force myself to my hooves as my damaged wing straightened and flexed under Jade's care. Even the recently strengthened voice of 'Be Kind...' and the nervously giggling 'Awareness!' were having trouble against their darker counterpart though...

For some reason, it seemed like 'Be Dark...' got stronger at night and the sun was already setting. Close enough to wake up with the two mares carrying my children in danger, it was surging past the Ministry Mares and trying to take over, bringing a spike of pain between my eyes as they started burning.

"Let me out..." I winced and growled, keeping my eyes away from Jade and tipping my hat to dislodge Gale, letting her flutter to Jade's cloudy mane and safety.

"Y-You are still hurt, let the rest of us deal with this for a moment and..." Jade answered softly, worry at that furious tone evident in her voice, making no move to open her shield in the slightest.

Best Served floated out and to my mouth as I tried again, mumbling around the handle and trying to manage that steady beat of 'Be Dark...' raging to take over. Jade and Ivy in danger was providing it a shortcut to getting control, my worst impulses stoked by the thought of my unborn foals being threatened.

I barely recognized my own voice when it hissed out again, the spoken words echoing that shadowy Shroud in my head. "Let. Me. Out..."

"F-Fast... calm down, one moment and..." Jade tried to soothe me unsuccessfully, lightly touching my shaking shoulder and pulling away as arcs of electricity flickered around me.

'MINE' growled out in my head, overwhelming every other thought. I wanted out, wanted to kill them all, tear them to pieces for daring to dirty my Princess' shield, for chasing Ivy with naked hunger in their dead eyes. They all deserved to be destroyed, now...

The world seemed to lurch suddenly, leaving my stomach a few feet away as I opened my eyes and saw the bubble of Jade's shield a few feet away, a flicker of electricity barely visible within, beyond all the snarling zombies, a few of which had turned to face me in my new position. I teleported?

Whatever, I was out and flapping above the horde on a mostly healed wing, how I got here didn't matter. If 'Be Dark...' had helped, that was fine, I was even in agreement with it and willing to let it off the leash a bit. Nobody, dead or alive, nobody went after Jade or Ivy now, they were 'MINE'.

My muscles tensed with a surge of strength and I moved smoothly, diving at the zombies just realizing where I had gone and turning from the blue alicorn beyond their reach. I dove at them, twisting and rolling in the air with unconscious grace, Vengeance joining Deliverer in my magic as I plowed forward, jerking my head with Best Served flashing out and slicing the undead creatures to ribbons.

Disturbingly, the gore and blood I was quickly coated with felt good... each S.A.T.S. assisted headshot that blew rotting brains out of squishy heads felt good, even the distant bites and flailing hooves pummeling me as I flapped and spun in the thick of the zombies felt good. I snarled and bucked back, tossing zombies aside with earth pony strength, falling into a vicious rhythm of destruction, slashing, shooting, punching, flying, killing...

The rest of the turrets were forgotten, I would vaguely hope the others were taking care of them, but they were forgotten too. Val, Witchy, Lt. Dawn... they were still fighting somewhere, I was distantly aware of that, but all that stayed focused in my mind was Jade, Ivy and Glitter. And the zombies of course, enemies... monsters that dared try to harm MINE... my mares, my children...

Slowly that red rage faded and I found myself panting on the cloudy ground, legs and wings spread protectively in front of Jade's glowing shield, blackened blood and gore dripping off my coat. I could feel Ivy's mental presence watching me carefully again, she had been doing that so often I had gotten used to it, but didn't say much about what she found up there. I couldn't blame her for checking up on me now either... There were a lot of dead zombies around me somehow... like... a lot...

"Fast.... A-Are you alright?" Jade called over worriedly, helping me shake off the last of that dark anger and take a shaky breath before turning back to her, forcing a weak smile on my face and nodding.

"F-Fine... I'm fine Jade, a-are you alright?" I looked up into her concerned blue eyes, noting how dim her shield had gotten and the shocked looking breezie half hidden in her mane staring at all the destruction with wonder.

Spring Gale had never seen me fight, had ran away when I freed her from Summerset Plantation, after kindly healing me from the wounds I had gotten up to that point, but hadn't seen what led to me being in that state. Now she knew... she had seen this part of the 'beeg pony world', the casual violence that was just part of living in the wasteland.

My ears drooped at the frightened tone in her squeaky voice, sighing and taking slow steps towards Jade as her shield faded away with E.F.S. mostly clear of red. "Yu sure yu ok Fast? Vas scary! Yu make dead ponies deader, not know yu be so mean und scary!"

"I promise, I'm good Gale. S-Sorry if I scared you... I-Is everybody alright?"

Glancing around frantically, I saw Val turn a pair of zombies chasing her to ash and veer our way, the chatter of Witchy's silver combat rifle coinciding with a few more red dashes winking out on E.F.S., Ivy's kind voice spoke in my head as the shadow of the bus she was hauling crossed overhead and she landed nearby. (We are fine Fast. Calm down, stop trying so hard to keep us out of danger, we can handle ourselves you know... You are beginning to worry me.)

(I know... really I do. I can't help it though. I'll try harder, I promise.)

With Jade's shield down, I ran into her embrace as she returned to healing my wounds, only breaking it off because Ivy had landed and unhitched herself, trotting up with Glitter bouncing on her back. I dove for the pair and nuzzled the green alicorn as well, getting my breathing under control against her silky green breast.

Pulling away from her was hard, made slightly easier reaching up to kiss the foal on her back to her giggles. As far as Glitter was concerned, this was just another fun family outing with her insane parents. She was so trusting and sure of us that she was never scared, more impressed at Ivy's flying skills than anything else, apparently she had gotten quite a ride.

"That was awesome daddy! Aunt Ivy's really fast! She's way better at crazy flying than you or mom! We did loops!" The little filly squealed happily, totally inured to the fear and violence, ignoring the black blood I was trying to keep off her as she reached for a hug.

"Well, I could do such things dear... i-if I wanted! Mostly... I admit my sister is more graceful than I, but I also take care not to jostle or frighten you Glitter." Jade pouted back, our daughter's ringing endorsement of Ivy's aerial skills wounding her pride.

Realizing she had been hurtful, Glitter instantly leapt from Ivy and to her mother, launching herself at the big blue mare and squeezing her in a hug Jade happily returned. "It's ok mom! I like flying with you! It was just different!"

While they were engaged in their embrace, Val landed nearby, grinning at the pile of corpses before turning to saunter towards the imposing doors of the tower looming overhead. The clockwork building was ancient, no fancy electronic locks, just a large brass keyhole waiting for her talented claws that she immediately went after.

"Not bad boss! Nice gettin' a good workout again huh? Ok, let's see what kinda boring crap is in here..." Val seemed perfectly happy, even bleeding from several wounds Jade started fretting over as she worked. A calm and relatively safe stay with the breezies had left her itching for action, stretching out her wings and legs as defeated she the old lock.

Witchy and Lt. Dawn drifted down as Val pulled the large doors open with a creak, peering into the gloom inside and goggling with me as I peeked around her. What waited inside was enough to make me gulp, intimidated at the maze of clockwork gears and gems crammed into every inch of available space.

I had enough time to make out there were two sets of gears, silver and gold... they appeared made to smoothly operate around each other, but Lt. Dawn must be right, the sun and moon both being in the sky had jammed them as they tried to move the lenses and prisms circling the tower to match the celestial objects. As I watched, I could see the machinery steadily grinding against itself, ticking and stopping at the jam each time.

Far above, just under the dirty glass dome above, was a huge crystalline chamber containing a very dense, fluffy white cloud, that looked to be the focus of all the complicated works. Six rusty pipes ran from the huge gem to the spouts on the walls, each dripping a different color in stagnant puddles.

I was so absorbed in the fantastic ancient arcano-tech clockwork, it took a moment to realize that E.F.S. was lighting up with more red marks, groans and growls coming from zombies pulling themselves free of the grinding machinery at our entrance. They wore rags of multicolored jumpsuits, one or two even had hardhats on still... the workers here, still on duty after all these years.

Raising my weapons again wearily, I glanced back to Jade and Ivy, pushing Glitter behind them as their shields bloomed back to life and they each gave me a stern look. Best to just keep my mouth shut and focus on the problem at hoof...

"Try not to damage the machinery any more than it already is... No explosives Val." I groaned and pulled out the Last Minute while the zombies were still moving slow, lining up my shots carefully to not destroy any more of the clockwork within.

"Bah! Yer borin' boss! Fine, I'll be careful. Takin' a look around to scavenge when you're all set up here though, bet nobody's gone over this place yet! Think of the loot!" Val cheerily shouted back and started blasting away with her red M.E.W. and huge pistol, apparently using S.A.T.S. herself by her short pauses between very accurate shots.

"I think you'll have plenty of time Val, just make sure to umm... you know...." I whispered back, nodding over my shoulder to Jade and Ivy sheepishly.

"Yeah, yeah, guard duty, I know boss. They'll be safe ya big baby! Now get ta work!" With a happy squawk Val soared into the cramped chamber and deftly dodged around the frozen gears, carefully taking out one zombie after the next as they clumsily tried to follow the agile griffon.

Honestly the zombies didn't intimidate me nearly as much as the machinery... But we were here and needed to make this thing work, it was just a big clock... I had taken apart plenty of those growing up and learning to be a repair-pony, same thing... really... just bigger.

Much bigger...

It was full dark by the time I had made significant progress, very grateful to have found a maintenance room thanks to Val's talented claws that had a good supply of replacement parts, plus, more importantly, blueprints... This thing was so complex I couldn't keep a good mental map in my head, even with the plans I had to keep flapping up and tracing down gears and cogs, gliding back down to Jade, Ivy and Glitter holding the sheet sized blueprints up for me to puzzle over before going back up again.

Witchy had been a big help too, first just trying to be helpful by cleaning the glass dome showing the night sky above and the assorted mirrors and gems, then more directly helping when I realized I could use her talents. Those fluffy ears of hers could hear every grind and click of the gears around her, tracing down problems by sound alone and leading me unerringly to them. She didn't have any technical knowledge to really use her talent, but she simply said it sounded "Wrong..." and helped trace down one fix after another.

Lt. Dawn had joined Val outside, going from one level of cloud islands to the next, steadily wiping out zombies as they pulled themselves from the ruins below. I did notice the fiery griffon swooping by the doors repeatedly before going back to work, keeping an eye out on Jade and Ivy loyally while I worked.

Finally, I was pretty sure I had the problem licked, drifting back down to the central pillar of rusty pipes and the large lever I had pulled with some effort to stop the clockwork from grinding against itself during the biggest repairs. Grunting and shoving myself against it, the lever reengaged with a shudder above and... nothing...

I looked up desperately at the steady click above, going over everything in my head again and trying to figure out the problem. In frustration, I resorted to Sturges' wasteland repair tips, flapping my way up to the point where the silver and gold gears meshed where they shouldn't and giving a hard buck.

Surprisingly, it worked! The frozen gears came free and the whole mechanism started up with a cacophony of ticking that made me lay my ears back, looking down at Witchy holding her own fluffy ears with her hooves and backing towards the door. I had to dive out of the way of swinging armatures and suddenly moving clockwork, realigning itself as it came back to life.

I ran outside with Witchy and looked up at the huge loops of gold and silver clicking around the dome above, a silver hoop bringing a freshly cleaned mirror around and toward the waning moon in the starry sky. Once it was in position, a beam of moonlight reflected off it, over to another gear driven circle holding a giant crystalline prism, the beam of moonlight hit the crystal, splitting into a wide band of rainbow light and bouncing inside, leaving me to dash back inside to follow its path and marvel at the ancient machinery coming back to life.

Craning my neck far above with the others, I watched the beam of rainbows hit the giant crystal chamber under the dome. It seemed to bounce around inside the crystal, swirling around the dense, fluffy cloud inside rapidly and coalescing into a blinding, multicolored light that filled the chamber. The rusty pipes I had patched as well as possible shuddered and clanked, put under pressure for the first time in centuries, but holding up to the strain thankfully.

Everyone followed me outside this time, running out to see the cloudy spouts shaped into stylized pony heads that poured bright, primary colored water out into the moat around the building. I galloped around the round tower in glee, checking each spout and watching the moat fill with their colors swirling together, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple... they came together and ran down the dry channels in a band of rainbow.

Glitter was right on my hooves, laughing in delight as we raced after the flowing water. I was glad I put so much work into figuring out how to cast proper cloudwalking again, the little filly was free to run with me to the edge of this island and watch the flow of rainbow cascade down to the pool below us and continue on.

"That's great daddy! It's so pretty!! It's gonna go all the way down to the ground and through the forest? Back to the tree and the breezies?" Glitter gasped, her pink eyes wide as she followed the flowing band of rainbows brightening the island of ruined buildings below us as it snaked its way towards the next fall.

Spring Gale had settled on riding the little filly's head while I had been working, peeking over her silver mane to watch with her and beaming up at me. "Yu fix! It go tu Great Tree? Make all better?!"

"It should yeah. I don't think it will make it all better Gale, but it will definitely help a lot. When I come back with help, we'll finish helping the Great Tree just like I promised."

The little breezie mare whooped and fluttered up, giving my entire face a warm hug and rubbing her cheek against my brow happily. "Yu good pony Shroud Fast! Thank yu! I knew good ponies were out here!"

Ivy interrupted the odd embrace, curling a large green wing over me and nuzzling my cheek. "Yes, he is a very good pony Gale. I will miss him... Fast, now that you are done, why don't you take a break. I believe Valkyrie and Glitter are both anxious to go rooting through the ruins before we leave anyway, and it is getting late, I would like to take a meal with everyone again before we go our separate ways. Take a walk with me hmm?"

Jade joined her sister and nodded sweetly, "Yes Fast, a little more time before we part will not hurt. I would enjoy a brief break together as well, a-and a moonlit stroll?"

I nodded dumbly at the two beautiful mares, counting myself lucky to spend time together and fluttering up between them happily. "R-Right! It is already getting late, Glitter should eat and exploring a little won't hurt thanks to Val and Dawn's work! It's pretty safe right?"

Before Val could nod proudly, Lt. Dawn cut her off, stamping her hoof down on a fluff of cloud and glaring. "I need to get back, we're on a mission, taking time to be lovely-dovey is not on the schedule Mr. Times!"

"We can make time Dawn. This is important too. Besides, we still have to go down below and talk to Sledge and the minotaurs, take time to smell the roses, maybe you'll find something here the Brotherhood wants or something."

She snorted frustration as I floated Glitter to my back and flapped after Jade and Ivy already gliding down to a residential island below that the waterfall of rainbow was just reaching. We soared together happily, looping around the plummeting rainbows and landing on a winding street surrounded by tattered, wispy cloud homes.

All the dead zombies in the streets and yards kind of put a damper on romance, but it was safe enough to let Glitter down to run around on her glowing hooves, still marveling at the novelty of walking in the clouds and making me nervous as she dug through the ruins with Gale on her back.

Ivy seemed to be leading us, nudging me along with Jade at my side following her lead. The green alicorn eventually spoke up in my mind, creating a connection of unity between the three of us to talk silently and share more completely, mind to mind. (Fast... I am still unhappy at leaving you. You asked me to help because you were afraid for your mental state and to help deal with the communities you met on this little tour of yours. I understand and reluctantly agree that I should go... f-for now... but could you not find another of our green sisters to come in my place?)

(I err... I don't know many greens as well as you Ivy, having a mare around that can look in my head is kinda personal. I don't mind you, it's nice with you... but one I'm not close to? I don't know... I guess there's Lime back at the castle, she joined the Minutemares... But I promised Swan next, I keep my promises. I don't want you to go, but we'll have to make do without you for awhile. It'll be ok!)

Her kind green eyes looked back and Ivy nickered, exasperation and amusement flowing with her thoughts. (Yes, you keep your promises... I extracted the same one from you after all and am very pleased with the results. But does it have to be Swan? I care for my sister, but Swan is... not very diplomatic... or subtle...)

Jade snorted at that and joined in, an anxious kind of laughter coming with her sweet mental voice. (No, she is not. I agree with Ivy, one of my green sisters would be better Fast. Lime is fine with me, she is a fine mare, you can see how you like her at least?)

(Swan should be fine! She wants to help and she's tough, we may need her kind of help right now more than what you can help me with Ivy. Why are you two both insisting on a green? You're not telling me something... I can feel it like this you know, even if I'm not very good at the whole unity thing. What's wrong?)

Ivy paused in the crumbling, cloudy street, stopping our stroll and watching as Glitter dove in tattered topiary shaped clouds in a yard nearby. She finally looked back with a sigh, a hint of worry in her eyes and thoughts touching mine as she swept a hoof out, taking in our surroundings. (I want you to take a green instead because you were right to ask for my help. If I can no longer be with you to give it for awhile, you should have another of my sisters do so. Do you recognize this place Fast?)

Tilting my head at her watchful gaze, I shrugged and took a better look around at her urging. This island was basically a winding loop of a street with ruined cloud homes on either side, the rainbows spilled down on the opposite end of the island, pooling and snaking their way down to the next under us. I never really went to pegasus towns before, why would this be familiar? Actually... why was it familiar?

Now that she pointed it out and got me to look, I felt that twinge of pain between my eyes again, just like I had in the ground portion or Rainbow Brook far below our hooves. With the rainbows flowing again, that sense of deja vu was even stronger, this was how it should look, but why did I know that? Why did I feel that so strongly?

(Ummmm..... No? Yes? S-Sorta... it's familiar... but I can't remember. I don't know why it would be, I never went to cloud towns really, except a couple times when I was really young, to see my grandparents... My... g-grandparents...)

I could feel Ivy digging in my head, a gentle touch I had gotten so used to I disregarded it most of the time. Now she was tracing down the memory I was struggling to recall, I did go to a pegasus town to see Grandma and Grandpa Skies... but I was pretty young and...

(...and there is a blank there... is there not?) Ivy spoke in my head softly, mentally prodding me down the paths she was following in my head.

I had been here.... right here. In Rainbow Brook, on this island... in a house... what? Why was the memory so hazy? I could remember lots of other stuff from that age well enough, hell, I could recite plots of most episodes of the Shrouded Stallion radio show and I only heard them just once or twice at that age, but Ivy was right.... There was a weird gap in my recollection, frustrating every effort to recall it clearly. (Yeah... there is... But why?)

Ivy's brow furrowed as I felt her concentration increase, I kept getting diverted away from that memory, but she was able to plow a path towards it as she spoke. (I don't know why, but it is troubling... It's almost like the kind of thing the Ministry of Peace did treating Wartime Stress Disorder, by making ponies forget painful thoughts and memories... but not quite. Part of it is still there, focus Fast, which house?)

My eyes narrowed as I scanned the street, fighting that growing headache and looking around carefully, I followed my hooves down the street at a trot. They seemed to know where to go better than I did. As I went I checked ruined home after home, trying to ignore the corpses and decay, imagining the place as it must have looked before the end.

"No... no... no..." I muttered to myself, absently noting Glitter falling in with her mother and Ivy behind me as I kept clopping down the cloudcrete streets. Finally I stopped, staring at a mailbox outside a tidy little cottage on a spur of cloud, overlooking where the rainbows cascaded down. This was it...

It had a figure eight on its side painted on the rusty surface, along with a peeling purple shield I had a hard time making out as I approached. The 8 symbol was vaguely familiar... "Grandpa Fin...." I managed to croak out after enough time, taking slow steps forward, up the walk to the door hanging on the hinges.

(What was that? Your grandfather's name was Fin?) Jade asked with interest, any time she got to learn about my family she seemed happy and curious, wanting to find out all she could about normal pony families.

(Er... Grandpa Infinite Skies... Everypony called him Fin for short and I was little... 'Infinite' was a mouthfull. He... He lived here. I came here to see him once... Ivy? Why can't I remember?!)

(That is one of the things that has been concerning me lately Fast. Since we've come here, you've had multiple instances where you come close to a memory, only to be diverted away again. Someone has meddled in your head before... and I do not care for it.) Ivy answered quietly, sticking close as I trudged towards the door.

"Daddy?... A-Are you ok? What's goin' on? You guys are doin' that talkin' in your heads thing again, aren't you? No fair! I wanna hear! What's wrong!?" Glitter yelped and galloped to my side, taking in my shaking steps and the sweat forming on my brow. I was scaring her... but I couldn't stop either, I had to see...

Val must have noticed the commotion, the bright griffon came swooping down and landed on the peaked roof ahead of me, giving an owl-like look of curiosity as she drew her pistol. "What's the deal boss? Problem?"

"Nothing Valkyrie... W-We believe your father was here before dear, when he was your age or younger. Would you like to see pictures? I still have many with me... n-now that I see this home, it does look familiar, one moment!" Jade tried to soothe the anxious filly on my heels and answer Val, floating out a train of family photos from her medical box saddlebags and rapidly flicking through them.

The winding ribbon of faded photos floating in Jade's talented telekinesis got me to pause, looking back with Glitter as Jade scanned the ones quickly shuffling in front of her muzzle. Her blue eyes widened as they hung on the ones flicking by, stopping the looping swirls of pictures orbiting her and floating them back to a neat stack as she hovered several up for us to see.

She seemed a little embarrassed and worried through our connection, speaking silently as Glitter hopped up to look with me. (I told you I like your photos... You were so cute! They were with the one I showed before... the breezie migration? I... I have kept them in order...)

Pictures of the cottage before the end hovered in front of my eyes, neat and tidy, bright flowers growing up front. Pictures of mom squeezing me in a hug with a grey maned, midnight blue pegasus, a pale lilac streak in her curly mane and fancy red glasses. Dad in the background looking down at his glowing hooves worriedly... he didn't like going up to the clouds to visit...

"Grandma!!" I yelled as it clicked, remembering the mare I only saw infrequently when I was young, before we hid in the Stable and everything ended... I shot forward and dove for the preserved home, leaving the others to scramble after me as I passed the rusty mailbox, a sideways figure eight and purple shield of clouds, Grandpa Infinite Skies and Grandma Resolute Skies... Their marks, their home, I really was at my grandparents home again!

I barged in, forgetting myself in my excitement. The living room was dusty but how I remembered it, lots of doilies and fluffy, overstuffed furniture, tiny bits of cracked or broken statues and collectibles, maybe that's where I got my pack rat tendencies? Grandma Res liked all kinds of knick knacks, the pictures on the walls were all gone though...

"Grandpa Fin! Granny Res?! I'm... I'm here... t-to visit..." I called out to the house, coming back to myself and suddenly worried I'd get an answer. Maybe a growl of a zombie grandparent...

Thankfully there was nothing, though I was suddenly sad, a zombie would have been horrible, but a ghoul grandparent would explain how well kept everything looked. Maybe they 'lived' through the end, stayed home where it was safe... maybe they were just out somewhere? I walked through the dusty dining room and poked my head in Grandma Res' well kept kitchen, where she made me peanut butter and daisy sandwiches, finding nothing but empty cabinets and gloom.

I looked back to the others stopped just inside the door, Jade watching with wide, shimmery eyes, Glitter looking about in confusion, Ivy keeping a scrutinizing gaze locked on me, Val huffing sadly and waiting. Why were they all looking at me like that? Maybe it was dumb calling for what were most likely long dead grandparents, but there was a chance right?

Turning away from their penetrating but supportive looks, I cantered in further, hitting the stairs and noting all the pictures that lined them were gone. Maybe they got out? Granny would never leave her photos, she passed her love of family pictures down to mom, the reason Jade had some to jar my memory actually. If they were gone, she must have packed them all up and evacuated!

The peaked roof made the upstairs narrow and angled to match its pitch, there was mom's old room where we stayed when we visited... the big bed mom and dad took was neatly made, covered with a rotting wonderbolts blanket from when she was a filly. The small cot for me was folded up and rusting away in the closet just where we left it.

My grandparents room was across the hall, I ducked back out of the guest room and ran to it, stopped by the locked door in my way. "Val! Please open this!" I yelped behind me, shaking the door in my hooves, dreaming of a note... 'We survived, escaped to ...X... find us there...' something!

Val strode forward down the hall and paused at the dinky lock, it would open if she looked at it hard, but instead she just stared at me kindly. "Boss... you sure you want me to... I don't know if it's a good idea...."

"Please Val!! Open it! This was my grandparents room! Maybe they left something that.... just open it!!"

Reluctantly the griffon shrugged back to Jade cresting the stairs and flicked her claws at the lock, raking the tumblers and clicking it open in a flash. As soon as it was open, I dashed past her, ignoring Jade's soft words of caution and skidding to a halt at the ornate old bed, freezing as I took in the shape atop the still bright quilt.

A skeleton... a dead pony... a dead pegasus, delicate wing bones splayed under it. It had been laid out lovingly, surrounded by long dead and dried out flowers, a few of which were clasped in bleached forelegs crossed on its chest. The cracked red glasses on the bony muzzle told the rest of the story and hot tears started spilling down my cheeks.

"G-Grandma..." I croaked weakly, reaching a foreleg out to her own dead hooves and stopping short, shaking in place and blubbering. That was Granny Res... she was dead... she died a long time ago. I knew that, I knew that back in the Stable and accepted it when we left her behind, but I never knew-knew, not for sure...

Now I did....

Jade's light touch to my shoulder made me jerk, looking up with blurry eyes to her own shimmering blue gaze. "Fast... I am sorry..."

That broke the dam, I threw myself at the big blue alicorn and sobbed into her chest. I knew she was dead, I knew this was stupid to be surprised and sad all over again. I cried for her in the Stable when I was a foal and my parents explained everyone above ground was dead, including grandma and grandpa, but it still hurt so much.

It hurt seeing the pile of bones that used to be my granny, the kind mare who gave me candy and kisses, who was always happy to see me, who sang me to sleep and tickled me awake. She was gone... she really was gone and it hurt all over again, like tearing off a scab for the wound to bleed and hurt fresh again. And I had basically forgotten her! What was wrong with me!?

Jade's warm wings curled around me and hid my shame as I wept and clutched her silky chest, soaking her lab coat and shuddering against her worried nuzzling. Dead... Grandma was dead... dead and gone... forever. I cried and cried, realizing all over again the horror of coming back out to the world above. Grandpa was dead, my teacher was dead, my classmates were dead, my neighbors were dead, millions of ponies were dead a long time ago because of a stupid war, but none of them mattered as much as Granny Res.

Glitter's quiet voice finally cut off my tapering sniffles, getting me to peek out from Jade's wings at the little filly. She had pushed her way into the room, reverently approaching the bed and hooking her little hooves at the edge to peer up at the skeleton. Her pink eyes were wide and sad, turning back to her backpack and digging around with her muzzle a moment, she pulled out bright pink flowers she had picked playing in the grounds of the MoP hub below.

"U-Umm... Hi... G-Great grandma I guess... It's nice to meet you, I wish I had before... but you're my daddy's grandma, so I'm happy I got to see you! H-Here... you should have fresh flowers, they're really pretty! I picked them for fun, but I want you to have them. M-My name's Platinum Glitter, I never had a grandma or a great one, so I'm really happy to meet you even though... My daddy's the best, he saved me, he loves me and... and he loves you too, w-we're family right? I'm glad you had his mom and his mom had him. Your grandson is the bestest daddy ever, so... so be happy an' proud. Don't worry, we're big heroes and... w-we'll find my grandma, y-your daughter I mean, we will! A-Ain't that right daddy?" The pale little filly pressed her makeshift bouquet among the dried one on Granny's chest and wiped her eyes, looking up to me with a worried, hopeful look that helped me push back the flood of hurt and depression.

I sniffled and rubbed my teary eyes forcefully, nodding and pulling away from Jade's concerned embrace to go hug Glitter gratefully. She was right, a lot tougher than I was in a lot of ways thanks to growing up in this world, reminding me of what was important, the here and now and the future. I curled around her warmth in a tight ball, furling my dark wings around her and sniffling in her silver mane.

"R-Right! We will Granny, don't worry. We're gonna find mom and dad and Better, I'll bring them here so they can visit you! F-For now, I'm glad you got to see your great granddaughter at least. T-This is my w-wife Jade too, so your granddaughter in law? That's Val there, she's family too, and so is Jade's sister Ivy see? And... and Jade and Ivy are gonna have more great grandkids for you! T-That I wish you could meet... I... I made lots of friends, just like you always said I would someday. See them?"

Jade took a few tentative steps forward and bowed her head to the bed gracefully, speaking in a whisper to the bones before us. "Yes... I am pleased to meet you as well. I love your grandson very much, you did well raising a daughter that had such a brave stallion. We will leave you to your rest, but we will be sure to visit again, with the rest of your family. Come Fast... please?"

I let Jade's wing guide me away, trudging down the hall past Val and Ivy's concerned looks, down the stairs, to the overstuffed couch in the living room where I once watched game shows with my grandparents without a care in the world. I flopped to the spongy, musty cushions and curled up, raising a wing for Glitter to wiggle her way against me and taking comfort in her patient hug back, letting tears dribble down my face buried in the crocheted pillows and whimpering in a cracked voice from where I hid.

"If we're resting a bit, I want to here... I'm tired. W-We'll leave soon, just... gimme a minute."

The old couch gave a warning creak as Jade climbed up, crawling over top of the two of us and wedging her way at my back, nuzzling my cheek softly and kissing away tears as she whispered back. "Take your time Fast. It is alright, I love you, we are here for you. Rest."

The couch couldn't take another alicorn, leaving Ivy stymied and forced to curl up in front of it, still making it groan as she leaned against it and pushed her muzzle near mine. Her soft kiss licked up a salty tear too and she settled in with us, thinking warm, kind thoughts at me. (I love you as well Fast. I am sorry to make you remember, but I worry... Sleep and let me in your dreams, there are still things that concern me and you deserve sweet ones.)

"Boss... hey boss.... wake up. C'mon, somethin' for ya to tinker with... know ya love that stuff right?" Val's normally gruff voice was muted and filled with sympathy, rousing me out of a short nap that left me feeling better even after I remembered where I was.

I looked up from my soft, warm nest of Jade at my back, Glitter in my legs and Ivy nuzzling against my cheek. Jade had stayed awake and moved aside slowly, helping me shift Glitter without waking her, only getting a tired moan as her little hooves moved from me to her mother and clutched tightly. I nearly fell into the dusty coffee table that held a copy of Applied Gemstones, putting my hindleg down first and tripping against Ivy, but managed to catch myself and blink sleepily up to the worried griffon.

"Huh? What's wrong Val? How long have we..."

"Not long, gotta get goin' soon 'fore that Brotherhood mare loses her shit, but me an the bat been keepin' her away. C'mere, somethin' for you to play with, already tossed the rest of the place.... respectfully! Don't gimme that look, not ransackin' yer grandparents place or nothin', just lookin' for stuff we can use, they'd give it to ya anyhoo right? Funny door this way though, you gotta do it." Val explained, leading the way to the kitchen and a hallway leading past the downstairs bathroom, raising her claws defensively when I snorted over her exploring for loot while I was out.

The door at the end of the hall dried up any remaining complaints or questions, no wonder she called me... The door to the garage was heavy, immaculate metal, painted a cheery pink to blend in with the interior, but recognizable and with a glowing terminal beside the handle. Why was grandpa's garage workshop so secured?

Not secured by half measures either... reeeeeally secured, the terminal fought off several attempts to crack it, forcing me to back out and try again repeatedly. This was a fairly advanced terminal too, made not long before the last day and apparently not factory condition either, improved above and beyond the best Stable-Tec made available on the commercial market.

'Thgirbtsaf' finally got me through by the time Jade, Ivy and a yawning Glitter joined us, Bright-Fast, backwards... only stumbled on through the code remembering how much grandpa liked doing word searches with me, the best ones had words hidden backwards and sideways. When the door swung gently open, the swing of motion and rapid click-click noise made me flinch thinking of explosive booby traps, already shoving Glitter back when my eyes hung on what exactly was on the other side when the lights clicked on.

Dominoes... that was the first thing, the source of noise and potential threat. A line of dominoes stretched from the door, having been set into motion by the swing of a small Swordmares figure's tiny blade. The room they were clicking their way off into took more to make sense of...

It was enough to make me sit dumbstruck with the others watching the dominoes reach a large table taking up half the garage not far inside, the last one lightly touching a switch on one steel leg, turning on the amazingly detailed model on top, a perfectly miniature Sparkle World... tiny windows in Twilight's castle glowing with light, little rocketship rides in Rainbow Dash's Galactic Zone spinning and looping, puffs of smoke from a locomotive roller coaster in Applejack's Dry Cider Gulch, static filled oompa music drifting up from Pinkie's World of Treats, it was still vibrant and perfect, getting a collective gasp as we stared together. Spring Gale even fluttered in, squealing in surprise at the model that seemed just her size...

A spinning ferris wheel in Rarity's Classy Kiddie Kingdom reeled in a bit of fishline leading up to the ceiling, dragging a model Raptor cloudship down a rail, the pointed end of the anvil shaped ship thumping a moldy red Buckball down a looping, winding chute running down the wall. It rolled past workbenches that made me goggle just as much as the weird display, full of high quality tools, painted wooden bins with carved runes matching spare talismans just sitting there, half assembled gadgets of unknowable purpose.

The racing Buckball zoomed past the far end of the garage and the bare chassis of a sky chariot propped up on blocks there, hitting an end to the chute it was following that dropped down to another below it -bumping a mechanical toy Steel Ranger that fired a spring loaded missile from its battlesaddle to arc across the room, on target to hit the button on a well crafted wooden holotape player- as the buckball continued and angled down and the opposite direction, then again dropping and turning back the way it had been going, as the rather sizable wall of speakers nearby hummed to life with the Dance of the Parasprites from the holotape.

The buckball dropped again at the end of the chute, landing in the basket of a toy catapult that immediately launched it back across the room towards us, all our heads turning back and forth together to follow the insane progress. It swished through a netted hoop over a pair of scissors held open with a bit of twine waiting between the blades, pressing the handle down to snip the line and let loose a model hot air balloon.

The small purple balloon floated straight up to the ceiling, the tiny pennant at the top pressing the controls of a desk fan mounted upside down on the ceiling. The fan started up, blew the balloon across the room to the left, straight into a sharp tack stuck in the cork bulletin board festooned with rotting notes.

It popped with a wild explosion of confetti and streamers, the little basket formerly tied to it falling to the workbench full of model parts and paints with a fanfare from tiny brass horns popping up from its wicker depths. Leaving all of us blinking in awe, everyone's mouths hanging open in matching expressions of dumbfounded surprise.

"WOOOOOOWWWW!!! Do it again, do it again!" Glitter was the first of us to snap out of it, galloping into the room and following the circuitous path with her wide pink eyes, joining Gale as she walked happily through the models.

After a long moment, Jade snorted to herself, holding a hoof up to her muzzle as her rising giggles turned into full, hearty laughter. She turned a merry gaze down on me, wiping a tear away to lean down and nuzzle my confused stare away, snorting between her breathless, laughing words. "Y-Your grandfather's... hehehee, w-workshop I presume? Y-You are most definitely r-related! hahaha!"

"That was really fuckin' crazy boss... Blue's right, I see where ya get it now... yer grandpa was a little nutty, wasn't he?" Val joined Jade's and Ivy's chuckles as I trotted in, still stunned by the models and toys, but just as interested in all the parts after gaining an appreciation of what I could do with them.

"Er... I guess so, I can't remember very well, but I never thought anything of it. He was fun, he used to have model trains I could play with, but nothing like this..." I carefully stepped over the track for one such model snaking its way across the floor, floating over an H&H Tools gem caliper far superior to my own rinky Stable-Tec maintenance issued one, continuing as I started vacuuming up talismans.

Thinking about Grandpa Fin, I felt that twinge again and Ivy was immediately on it, diving into the mess that was my brain and speaking calmly. (There... There is a block there too... Remember your grandfather Fast, really try to remember. What did he look like?)

(Huh? Of course I know what Grandpa Fin looked like Ivy.... He looked... umm....) I paused in my looting and looked over to the green alicorn watching me closely, a concerned look coming with her intensifying focus in my head.

(See? You think you remember, then get deflected from it... Somepony was definitely meddling in your mind at some point Fast. I can get past it, just focus, remember what this Grandpa Fin looked like. He was a pegasus, correct?) Ivy was helping me, a bright green beacon in my head that was lighting a path to the memory, assisting my struggle to recall something so simple.

(He was a pegasus... he was... he was funny... mustache... glasses...) I sat with a thump and held my head in my hooves, trying to tune out Jade's worried whicker and really concentrate. Come on... he was my grandpa, why couldn't I remember....

Ivy broke through, it was the strangest sensation actually, a kind of funhouse mirror wall in the echoing halls of the Stable that represented my brain, a walled off corridor that looked like it wasn't thanks to weird mental reflection, now cracked and the illusion ruined as light came flooding out. Still sealed off, but enough for me to peek through the crack and see...

See a pale blue pegasus stallion... an old buck with a wild grey mane and mustache, thick, soda bottle glasses with funny swirls in the lenses... A loving, fun, crazy Grandpa Infinite Skies I loved spending time with because we were so alike, a pony who viewed the world in his own odd way, always tinkering with his toys and showing off to play with me...

Grandpa Fin... but now that I could remember what he looked like, I remembered the stylized mural the breezies had painted in Willowheart, the small picture of their savior together with Ministry Mare Fluttershy. A rough painting of a blue pegasus with a wild grey mane and glasses.... Same as the limited view in the photo I had gotten from Piper, the one showing all six Institute heads...

Grandpa Fin.... Moby....

Dr. Mobius...

--------------------------Level Up!------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------

Rainbow Refractor-------
---Tinkering with a contraption made to harness and reflect light and magic has given you new insight into magical energy weapons. You now gain 20% resistance to M.E.W. fire and are less likely to be vaporized!

Ch. 75-- Most Wanted

"Secrets and lies! It's all secrets and lies with those ponies! They're up to something, Gummy! Something they don't want me to know about! Well, I'm gonna know about it! I'm gonna know about it big time!"

"No...."

That was the only word I could croak out, frozen in place in Grandpa Fin's workshop while everyone explored the crazy display he left behind. My kooky Grandpa Fin... Grandpa Mobius...

NO! No, no, no, no, no, no, no.... It kept rolling through my mind, a negation of every dim memory of the strange pegasus that came back with some difficulty, only thanks to Ivy cracking whatever weird mental barrier that kept deflecting me from really thinking about him.

(Fast? P-Please calm down... it is alright...) Ivy spoke in my head, still facilitating a limited form of unity between herself, me and the anxious blue alicorn nuzzling for attention. Jade knew... could see the flashes of Grandpa... of Dr. Mobius going through my head rapidly, each one making my heart race faster.

My own Grandpa! My family! He was part of the evil Institute!?! He... he messed with my mind!!! Screwed around in my head, blocked off memories and made me forget! How could he!?! What memories I could drag up now were all positive, full of love and laughter for the crazy old pegasus, but the whole time he was...

'Betrayer...'

A dark whisper floated up and provided just the word for how I felt, betrayed... My own Grandpa betrayed me... used me... screwed with my head for whatever insane experiment of the Institute required it! Was I really just a guinea pig, even to my own Grandpa?

Glitter was playing with the Spring Gale in the breezie sized model of Sparkle World still tooting and chugging along in front of us a million miles away, the tinny oompa music and miniature rides whirling around the two of them while I quietly freaked out. Val hadn't noticed anything amiss yet either, inspecting the workshop with interest and vacuuming up loot as she went.

(Fast, breathe! You are becoming very upset, it is ok, I am here with you. Y-Your Grandfather... just breathe and take it in slowly, no one will be as upset as you are at the moment, we will talk it over and...) Jade tried to soothe the confusion and hurt storming behind my twisted grimace, only making me panic more.

(Don't tell anyone!! D-Don't... I don't want them to know, e-especially Lt. Dawn!) My mental yelp got me to jerk in place and drew Glitter's curious eye for a moment, thankfully returning to the carousel merrily spinning in Rarity's Classy Kiddie Kingdom.

Jade's flinch and concerned stare made it clear she didn't like keeping secrets, but I was still trying to absorb this bombshell and I really didn't want anypony else to know I was related to... to the Institute... Besides the wave of shame and anger at the thought, there was real fear where the Brotherhood pegasus was concerned. If the military group knew, who knows what they'd do...

(You were upset at me keeping my... c-condition quiet as I did Fast, and it was a mistake. Not one you should repeat, no one will think differently of you and you should let them know, we all care about you, they can help you... er come to terms I suppose. T-This is a bit much to accept, but it changes little.) Jade gave a prim nod to Glitter and Val, the rest of my family here with us.... she was right, but...

No wonder Zed said darkness surrounded me, I felt... tainted... dirty... corrupted just by my association with the vile group of mad scientists that created so much suffering in the Commonwealth. My Grandfather was one of them! What if I was no better? I did get obsessed and wrapped up in tinkering... had a habit of twisting the technology lying around the wasteland into deadly traps and constructs... How many places had I blown up? How many ponies had I killed through oh so clever means with a kind of manic glee? I was pretty smart, had I been using that goddess granted intelligence to be no better than... than my crazy Grandpa Mobius?

(I'll tell them, I promise Jade, b-but not Dawn, and later... we... shit! We have to go!)

Working through the revelation enough to begin to accept it, I realized we were sitting in the home of an Institute Division Head and yelped aloud, shaking off my stunned confusion and hurriedly rushing through the workshop, drawing Glitter and Val's attention completely at my frantic gallop.

"Er.... boss? Problem? Figured you'd be geekin' out 'bout all this junk?" Val followed my progress warily, and appreciative look at me floating every bit of arcano-tech that wasn't bolted down to my packs and making a rushed exploration of the workshop.

Glitter was more astute, her upbringing and lingering worry over any change making her hyper sensitive to my panic. The little filly had a worried look in her pink eyes, popping her head up from the tiny canyons of Applejack's Dry Cider Gulch and ignoring Gale whooping gleefully as she rode the little locomotive zipping by her face. "Daddy? A-Are you ok?"

"Fine! E-Everything's fine! Honest! We just gotta leave sweetie, like now... Grab everything you want and let's get going, Val, find Witchy and Lt. Dawn, w-we'll head down to the ground and meet the minotaurs! Won't that be fun Glitter?" I answered in a shaky rush, ducking my head down to dig under the workbench and pull out every dusty bin of talismans, frantically darting my eyes around the room and looking for more.

"Oooook.... Somethin's up boss, yer wiggin' out here, trouble comin'? Why you get all freaked out all'a the sudden?" Val trusted Glitter's instincts implicitly, looking between the worried foal and me as her violet eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"We just need to leave! NOW! Trouble might be coming, yes Val! Trouble I'd rather avoid! Just... i-it's like at Moondancer's cottage ok! I don't think we're going to be ignored here! We need to leave before something comes to deal with us intruding, so grab your loot, get the others and let's get going! Please!"

"The weird freakin' hut with all the books? Why would..." Looking up to the cloudy ceiling and scratching her head, Val paused in thought remembering the ruined home of another Institute head, and what had happened when we stuck our noses in there...

"Just because! Going! Now!" I shouted and squirmed my way around the large model Sparkle World, desperately searching for anything left behind that could explain... anything...

No terminals, no notes left behind, no memory orbs... just an empty pedestal tucked away in the back corner, a few flecks of clear crystal scattered around it and a web of gem tipped wires and tubes hanging down from above. For some reason that brought another twinge of pain between my eyes, but after discovering what lay behind that sensation in relation to Grandpa Fin, I wasn't sure I wanted to dwell on it.

"Ve take funny park thingy Fast Shroud? It breezie sized! Uthers like very much!" Gale fluttered over on her bright wings, landing on my hat and hanging off the brim to beam at me hopefully, at least the breezie wasn't put on guard by my behavior.

I had no doubt that... Mobius... had built that model for her people specifically... Probably had a hoof in building a lot of things back in the Ministry of Peace hub for them, the model train that ran throughout the hub for instance... Grandpa liked models... I never knew he was building them for breezies that could actually use them, I could only vaguely remember helping him assemble and paint his toys, never knowing what he was doing with them. How many had I passed by in the hub already? Was Gale's own little home built here? Did I help paint the little breezie's shingles for Celestia's sake!?

"W-We'll ummm we'll come back for it Gale... it's pretty big, have to take it apart and bring it back in pieces, no time right now. Don't worry, we'll be coming back here, ....I guarantee it... For now let's go! Move it everypony, go, go, go!"

I finished my rushed circuit of the workshop and started shoving Jade out with the others, ignoring Glitter's whines about wanting to stay to play with all the toys and the worry in her voice, Jade and Ivy's voices in my head speaking in soothing concern, all of it. We had to go, right now.

Almost... Once I shoved the big blue Princess out, I shut the door for a moment and glared out at the insane workshop, raising my head and growling out loud. "If you're watching... G-Grandpa... I'm coming, and I want an explanation. It better be a good one..."

"You wanna herd em!?! You are crazy little pony! I like it!!" Sledge Smasher boomed and pulled me into a noogie giving headlock, him and his hunting group chortling laughter at their camp in the ground portion of Rainbow Brook.

They were quite surprised by the rushing waterfall of rainbows now pouring down from above, filling the dusty pools and channels running through the town and spilling out into the dry creekbed leading through the woods. It was still just a trickle rushing off into the dark forest, but it was slowly filling up and speeding its way towards the hub.

Of course seeing the ruined and overgrown town closer to how it looked originally just made that twinge between my eyes flare up again, we had been here... would have come to the ground portion first with me and dad being unicorns... at the time... I still couldn't really remember, but I could at the same time, sure we had been here but uncertain over any specifics.

Distracting, but I still wanted distance from any part of Rainbow Brook while Jade, Glitter and Ivy were with me. Who knew what ...Dr. Mobius... might send in response to the intrusion. Meaning we had to hurry and deal with our Minotaur friends quickly.

Pulling myself free before Sledge could really give noogies to dislodge my hidden passenger, I gasped and nodded rapidly, setting my hat back on my mussed mane carefully as I answered. "I know it sounds insane, but I think we can. Those monsters will all try to avoid a swarm of breezidores coming at them right?"

"Mostly yeah! Not much good against hellhounds, they'll just dig under em... but otherwise any of em seein' somethin' like that comin' at em will turn alright! We can corral all them beasties together if you can provide the swarm Fast! You'll hafta go back to Salt Lick and talk to the chief though, that'll take a lot more than just us!" Sledge beamed with his crooked grin proudly, hooking a thumb back at his small crew already heavily laden with their catch on this trip.

"Alright... alright we can work with that. I have things I have to do first, but we'll come to Salt Lick and talk to your Chief, hopefully have a more solid plan when we do. Thanks for all your help Sledge, you've been a lifesaver. Er... there is one more thing, if just you could kinda... c-come over here for a minute..."

I shrugged over to a dilapidated gift shop away from the central park area and gazebo the Minotaurs made their camp in, Glitter bounding around me happily as I tried to unobtrusively slink off that way and ignore the rapid twitching under my hat.

Pushing open the creaky old door to a ruined storefront with a large tree growing straight through the building, I tucked behind the counter where the foliage and broken walls concealed us, looking up to the burly minotaur watching expectantly as I lowered my head to the dirty counter.

"Ok... don't freak out, there's someone I want you to meet and wants to meet you... mostly... but she's scared, so... no sudden movements or anything alright?" At Sledge's curious nod, I cleared my throat as Glitter scrambled up to the counter beside me, Jade, Ivy, Val and Witchy all forming a protective barrier nearby.

"I'd like to introduce you to one of your gremlins Sledge, presenting Spring Gale of the Breezie Nation... Come on Gale, it's safe, come out..."

Pulling my hat away resulted in some frantic rustling in my mane, Sledge looking at my mussy hair with a moment of disappointment that turned to wide eyed surprise when I felt hesitant movement by my horn, a squeaky, tremulous voice speaking up shakily. "H-Helloo Beeg Mino person... I is not gremlin... is b-breezie, Spring Gale, ummm n-nice to meet yu?"

"By the horns of Daedellus... a fairy!!" Hearing the shocked wonder out of the tough minotaur was almost amusing, distracting me from the steady run of obsessive thoughts that kept wanting to take precedent. Sledge's eyes were as big as dinner plates as he crouched down in my face, peering at the breezie nervously hiding in my mane.

"Er... breezie, I guess Fairy Breezie, but yeeeeah... Gale and her people live in these woods, they've watched you a long time and we thought you should be introduced. Careful, they're ...skittish."

At my urging and shake of my head, Gale fluttered out to land on the counter, closely watching the huge minotaur thumping his chin to the surface, staring at her eying his golden nose ring with wonder. "Granny was right... all her old stories were true! A real fairy! Oh! Fairy Breezie I mean little miss! Pleased ta meetcha!"

"N-Nice tu meet yu Meester Sledge mino... s-scary... but is nice! Fast Shroud say yu good person, yu help Breezie Nation?" Galp chirped back bravely, keeping one shivering foreleg in contact with my pip-buck on the counter nearby, but inching her way fairly close to the intimidating minotaur.

At his confused look, Jade tried to help fill in the blanks from my side. "The breezies are who we are doing this for Mr. Smasher, the breeziedores are a problem for them, and the monsters from the Glowing Sea are a problem for you. We hope to solve both at once. They are considering opening up to the outside world, since you are neighbors... We thought we could start with you two. So, are you willing to help us with our... admittedly crazy idea and make some new friends Sledge?"

Sledge's hearty clap to her broad back sent even the big alicorn stumbling a bit, a protective flare rising up at anyone making contact with the pregnant Princess that I had to stomp down on as she smiled back brightly. He wasn't trying to hurt her, he didn't know she was pregnant, no way to tell this early... just stop freaking out...

His booming answer made Gale flutter back to my mane anxiously, but it was all delighted happiness and agreement. "Hells yeah Princess pony! We always liked the forest spirits, just never knew they were... ya know, really out there, or so little! Dunno if anybody's gonna believe this back home, but I'll tell em fer sure! If we can help each other out little fairy, you can count on us! Gotta tell the others, somebody else has gotta see this! If that's ok I mean?"

Sledge was practically bouncing on his hooves at the doorway, looking out to his fellow hunters with longing and giving a pleading look above my head as I floated my hat back. The quiet answer from under the chapeau was wary and worried, but determined nonetheless. "Is ok... so uthers believe, not too many doh! Go slow please!"

Jade called after him and made him twitch, arresting his instant leap forward and looking back impatiently. "Perhaps your wise shaman would be a good choice Mr. Smasher. One at a time if you please. If you could give us a moment beforehoof too, it would be appreciated."

Out the door Sledge dashed, leaving us to watch his oddly graceful upright stride through the overgrown ruins and back to his hunters, shouting as he ran. "Sure thing Princess pony! Hey! Guys! You'll never believe it! Hold up!"

After planting a kiss to my cheek, Jade paused on her way back up and spoke softly to my hat. "That was excellent Gale, you were very brave. Sledge and his people have helped us a great deal, I trust them and hope you will grow to do so as well."

Before I could right my hat and pull away, Jade wrapped a wing around me to hold me in place and coughed primly, gaining the attention of all my friends here as she peered out the shattered windows, finding Lt. Dawn still impatiently pouting with the other minotaurs before continuing. "Now then, since we have a moment... Tell them Fast."

"B-But... later is better... we should really get further away from this town before..."

"I chose not to be that concerned about any threat from your Grandfather. Do not keep this secret, share Fast."

"Threat? What threat? Wheres? Yer Grandpa boss? Curious myself, why'd ya freak out like that? Thought you'd be happy, er... or sad and mopey... but not all wigged out. Wassa problem?" Val squawked and was instantly on guard at the word 'threat', not really dwelling on niggling questions about where or who as she drew her pistol and scanned the ruins outside.

I followed her gaze and my eyes lingered on the flowing stream of rainbows again, that was how it should look alright... except for all the shattered and crumbling buildings of course. But that was right, that was how it was...

I sighed wearily, looking up to the broken ceiling and the cloud town above hidden by the reds, oranges and yellows of the forest canopy visible through the gaps. "My Grandpa... m-my Grandpa Fin, he was... he is..."

Tears welled up in my eyes looking between all my friends and family here, choking on the rest at their concerned, caring looks back. Suddenly afraid all over again at admitting what I just realized myself, would that kind look from Witchy harden to anger or disgust when she knew? Would Val still be my loyal bodyguard and friend when she found out? All this time I kept insisting I wasn't a monster, even after everything that happened to me and how I had changed since leaving the Stable, but the whole time I had been related to one...

(Tell them Fast, you are not who you are related to. They will not change how they feel about you and they deserve to know. Let them in because they care, they will be more worried for you than upset at your familial relationship. Sharing is caring....) Ivy spoke softly in my head, gently nudging my cheek with her muzzle and getting me to look up to them with bloodshot eyes.

"My Grandpa Fin is... is Doctor Mobius... Head of the Theoretical Imagineering Division of the Institute. I'm... I'm related to the Institute..."

I winced once I spat it out, peeking out from clenched eyes as the non-unity members of our little group took that in with stunned faces. To my instant worry, Val's expression did harden, but she made it clear why quickly enough, flapping over to the door and powering up all her weapons, scanning the woods outside and shifting on her paws, ready for action at the least twitch out there.

The look she sent back after finding nothing was heartening, no hate there, just care, worry and sound tactical thinking. "Shit... no wonder you wanted ta get movin', he's right gals, we just broke into one of them crazy Institute fuckers houses, who knows what he's sendin' at us. Er... sorry boss, m-maybe yer gramps ain't a crazy fucker? Better we get goin' sooner rather than later though eh? Good call buddy."

"You are related to... t-that does explain some things though, doesn't it Fast? I've always thought you were very clever, no wonder! You're related to a great genius of the old world! W-Who has done terrible things I suppose... but you haven't! How did you find out?" Witchy was supportive and curious, adding to my relief nopony was freaking out as badly as I was.

Glitter looked confused and settled for giving me a hug, not understanding the problem or much else besides the fact I needed it. As she worked it out, any other response she had was drowned out by the breezie ducking out from my hat and fluttering excitedly in my face, a wide, awestruck grin on her face as she yelped happily. "Yu is grandson of Great Dr. Moby!?! Vas his house!? No vunder buildings und park ting vas so perfect! Moby make many tings for Breezie Nation! Yu is related to great pony Fast! Vhy is mad? Mob is hero und savior tu all breezies!"

"Y-Yeah... I guess he is to you, I never knew he was 'Moby' though. He hid it from me... from all of us maybe. I'm really glad he helped your people out Gale, proud even... but he did other things too, and he works with... did work with bad ponies that have done awful things. I think he did things to me too, I don't know though, because someone messed with my head apparently..."

"Do what now? Yer own gramps fucked around in yer noggin boss?!" Val sounded angry now... but not at me at least, her response was simple for her, anyone that hurt me in any way was bad, being related to him didn't factor into it at all for her by the way her claws flexed on the grip of her pistol.

"Great Grandpa is one of those bad Institute ponies daddy? The brains in jars you told me about like the crazy lady? H-He's bad? But he helped Gale and the fairies didn't he? So maybe he's not?" Glitter worked through it slowly, giving me a hopeful look as she both realized she had a Great Grandfather, and that he might be on my hit list...

Jade stamped a hoof down for attention and returned her blue gaze from the window, making sure we were still alone for the moment before speaking kindly. "That is the question dear. I for one do not believe anypony related to your father could be evil, there must be some reason, some explanation? What do you know of this 'Mobius' Fast? You have said he is not like the other Institute heads in some way?"

The love of my life's unwavering support and grasping for any explanation helped me calm down and work through what I did know of Mobius, not thinking of him as just my Grandpa, but also as the Institute head I had been saving any scrap of information on. What did I know?

In response, the gruff voice of Kellogg drifted up from my memory, taunting me back in Fort Haygone. "One of my first jobs for the Institute and I missed one puny little pony, but they go nuts over it. That's when they really started going at each other you know, old Mobius was against the whole idea for the most part, when he heard how I took it and that I missed you, he really went off the deep end. That damaged pod of yours, figured you were awake and got wasted with the rest."

Bright Beacon reluctantly answering questions on the way to the Switchboard came back to me next, his nervous voice calling out as Ivy shook the answers out of him flying far above the ground. "Doc Mobius hasn't really done anything in ages. He used to be one of their best and brightest, had a hoof in almost everything they did prewar, an idea pony. Theoretical Imagineering took any crazy idea and ran with it, made shit just for fun..."

"...We got almost nothing on him and the synths we save know even less, only that the others view him as a taboo, nopony is even allowed to mention the old codger. ...he's been moving again and it's freaked them right the fuck out."

"Well... The other Institute heads are scared of him... Kellogg and Beacon both said after the Institute invaded my Stable, Mobius lost it and they had some kind of falling out... Maybe he thought I was dead? Maybe that's why he got mad... they both said about 80 years ago the Institute went through a big shakeup and Mobius was suddenly a threat that frightened the others."

"You see! Your grandfather cared for you, thought you were hurt or killed and turned on his comrades because of you! That does not sound like an evil pony to me Fast." Jade piped up and squeezed me in a strong hug, trying to find the bright side and be positive while I thought hard on every tidbit I had learned about 'Mobius'.

"Forgive Doctor Mobius, he's ....eccentric, but rather clever when properly guided towards the right ends. Dottering old buck rarely thinks of how these things would be used practically, but that's my business." Dr. Klein gloated in my memory... showing off the Buckbomb fruits of Grandpa's crazy ideas while the buck himself played with them in Fort Loyalty.

"He still went along with them for 120 years though! Was still part of their experiments, all the awful things they've done, the ponies they've hurt... He might not have meant it... I heard he was an idea pony, and Grandpa Fin was always kinda... kooky... M-Maybe you're right and he had reasons Jade, maybe he really didn't mean any harm... but he was one of them! Helped with their insanity that hurt so many ponies!" I growled as I continued, that lingering sting of betrayal giving the dark Shroud in my head something to focus on.

Despite my growing anger coming out in my voice, Jade looked implacable, remaining firmly focused on excusing my insane grandfather's choices for some reason as she tried to soothe. "The road to hell is often paved with good intentions Fast. He is your family... surely he fell into that same trap and did not mean to do so. You loved each other, yes? As our own family does? Is it hard to believe the best of your own grandfather, rather than the worst? Was he not a good pony?"

"I think so, but I can't even be sure can I!? He messed with my head!!! Made me forget him, or not even forget... screwed with my brain so I just didn't really think about him somehow! How could he do that to me!? Like I was just another experiment!?!"

Ivy took up Jade's brave attempt to look for the positive as she flinched at the fury seeping into my voice, laying a warm hoof over my own shaking on the counter. "Again, we don't know why Fast, there may have been a reason. He did not erase himself from your mind, which would have been much simpler than the impressive mental manipulation employed instead. If he did view you as no more than an experiment, removing all memories entirely would have been easier and more certain. Leaving them behind would suggest a reluctance to delete himself from his own grandson, more what somepony who cares but has no choice would do..."

"But not somepony who cares enough to find me since I woke up either! He has to know I'm not dead, that I'm out here looking for my family and what happened, but I haven't heard a peep from any Dr. Mobius about any of this have I?! If he cares so much then where the hell is he!?! Why'd I have to find this out on my own!?"

"Boss is right, just cause he's family, don't mean he ain't a bastard gals... trust me. W-What!? Just sayin'... I'm on boss' side here!" Val cautiously chimed in, still keeping one wary eye out on the woods and any potential threat, growing defensive under the annoyed stares of both alicorns.

Witchy looked up from under a furrowed brow, tilting her head as she ventured an unsure question. "Fast... if you are related to this Mobius, did the other leaders of the Institute know that? You said thou met one once, she did not recognize you?"

"No... No, Moondancer didn't say anything... I don't think she knew anything, the Institute heads all had fake names. I guess they didn't know each other's real ones. Just like Grandpa kept it secret from us. Secrets... too many secrets..." I thought and answered through gritted teeth, creeping suspicion making me wonder if mom and dad really didn't know either.

That's what I hated most about the Institute, they sowed doubt and suspicion everywhere, kept their secrets and played their games. As hard as I fought against them, everypony in the Commonwealth secretly worried anypony they met was one of their synths, stayed isolated and afraid because of the mad scientists hiding in the shadows, lurking in the dark behind robots and fake names... they could even make me doubt my own parents... Made me feel such fury and ...betrayal towards my Grandpa, my Grandpa who lied...

"T-There must be a reason Fast... there simply must. I cannot believe the grandfather of a wonderful pony who cares so much for family would do such a thing if there were not some explanation. Perhaps with Ivy's help we can discover it, can you undo what has been done to Fast sister?" Jade tried again to calm my shaking anger as I brooded on it, leaning in to nuzzle supportively and looking to Ivy hopefully.

"I... I don't know sister... It was difficult enough to uncover and break through what I have already, and... no offense Fast, but your mind is... a mess... I still contend you were right to ask for my help and should not send me away, even for a short time." Ivy answered and worked in another attempt at second guessing our admittedly poor plans, her concern for me flowing through her thoughts and just making her more insistent.

Refusing her when my heart wasn't in it to begin with was made harder by Glitter joining in, throwing up her puppy eyed stare again and hugging the green mare tightly. "See daddy! Aunt Ivy should stay! You need her to do all that funny tele-whatever stuff and fix your head! So you can remember right and see Great Grandpa is good!"

Breathing a long, sad sigh, I scuffed at the roots and junk behind the counter, floating up a dirty snowglobe that a little wiping revealed showed a miniature Rainbow Brook from before the war, as it was when I visited here at her age. I sent it to her waiting hooves and ruffled her mane with a tired smile, shaking my head weakly.

"I don't want Ivy to go either, especially now... But back during the war, there was a rule that the Princesses weren't supposed to be together unless it was super safe, so it was harder for both to be killed at once and leave Equestria without a ruler. I didn't get it then, but I sorta do now. We have our own two princesses here sweetie, it's safer if they're not together out here where it's dangerous."

"Keeping them and our foals safe is more important than what I want, or messing around in my head.... Grandpa was Mobius this whole time, knowing doesn't really change anything, and we have more important things to do than worry about it when there's not much we can do about it anyway. We have ponies and breezies counting on us right? When the hub is safe for her, we can stay put and let her fiddle around up there all she wants, but for now... we need to get going."

Jade, Glitter and Ivy all gave a collective "But!" as I trudged off, hating taking Ivy away even more now than before, but forced to shove it aside to do what was right. Finding out I was related to the Institute and all their madness still hurt like a fresh, raw wound, but I had to distance myself from it and try to keep going.

Right now, I didn't want to talk or even think about 'Dr. Mobius' (traitor...) anymore, or anything else. Especially not the steady thoughts 'Be Dark...' was whispering about retribution against my own grandfather. It seethed and burned down in that weakening black stasis pod in my head, promising that if they weren't right and there wasn't some kind of very good reason, our relationship wasn't enough to stop it from treating him like the rest of the Institute.

(We are not done Fast... You need my help, let me do so! D-Do not send me away like this... at least let me find another of my green sisters!) As we flew off into the night, Ivy had settled for silently continuing her insistent arguing through telepathy, keeping the topic of conversation safely from the ears of Lt. Dawn traveling with us.

Getting Jade to agree and return to the Ministry of Peace with Witchy had been hard enough, I was almost surprised Ivy didn't put up too much of a fight as we made our goodbyes to the minotaurs and each other. Only now, so closely connected mind to mind with her, did I realize she had no intention of actually continuing on, she was just along for the trip and coming back as far as she was concerned.

(Are any of them as good as you at this stuff Ivy?)

(Well.... some are my equal... Though trust and openness counts for a great deal, and you would need time to feel that way wouldn't you? Another reason I should stay! Actually, the only one of us in the Commonwealth I could truly recommend would be... er... V-Virescent actually....)

(Viresent!?) I slowed in our flight and goggled back at her, the crazy religious zealot alicorn? She was who Ivy would give a referral to?!

(Virescent is very talented when it comes to mental manipulation and telepathy with normal ponies, she has the most experience. She is to psychic ability as Swan is to teleportation, our most skilled representative here. Though not exactly a mare you trust... and who knows where she is now... I understand your reasoning, but I don't like leaving you like this Fast.)

I briefly wondered about the dark green alicorn whose skills she vouched for. Was Virescent alive? Would she help even if I did run into her again, or try to kill me? Or try to be ...friendly... instead? I wasn't entirely surprise to hear Ivy praise her skills on further consideration though, the first time we met Virescent went digging in my head and recoiled at what she found there. She was good enough to get right at whatever pushed her back out, maybe she found more of Grandpa's meddling before I ever suspected a thing.

(Ivy, you used logic to make me promise to umm... w-with you... and make that baby. I'm even glad you did, but you can't ignore logic now that you feel different and it cuts both ways. I don't like it either, I don't want you to go even for a little while, but I have to keep you both safe and Jade will never agree to get away from me. I'm asking you to be stronger than her and do this for our baby. As soon as it's safe, you can come back to the hub and we can keep working on this, I'm pretty damn interested in what all Grandpa did to my brain too you know... but you're more important.)

"You're being awful quiet back there you two... did something happen? Don't tell me you're being an idiot again Mr. Times..." Lt. Dawn broke up our psychic back and forth with a suspicious snort, leading the way east through the cloudy night.

The Brotherhood mare was sharp, thankfully still assuming any tension had to do with Ivy and Jade's condition, not revelations she had no business finding out about. The most positive outcome I could see if the Brotherhood learned I was related to one of the Institute's division heads was still not pretty. They already disliked me for a few things, learning I was the grandson of the focus of their mission here could easily be the straw that broke the camels back.

"A bit, yes Lieutenant..." Ivy whickered back, deflecting her question with an insincere bit of humor. (I am aware what you say makes sense Fast, but you must take responsibility for the results of insisting on caring and love instead of just mating. I am much less interested in logic when the stallion I care for is hurting and in need of my help. I can feel you trying to push everything down and bottle it up, that does not end well....)

(Tell you what, if I run into Virescent, I'll ask her to tag in up there until we can be together again Ivy. In the meantime, I'll stick with bottling things up and focus on what needs to be done. Jade's right, we have a responsibility to a lot of ponies, that doesn't change just because she's p-pregnant, it doesn't change because of what I found out about my Grandpa either. Besides, from what little I know, he's hiding somewhere beyond the Glowing Sea. Meaning the Gunners are between me and him, figuratively and literally. One problem at a time.)

(You keep trying to hide behind that as a shield Fast... I can see past it. Rather than alleviate your fears I have made them worse, you are frightened you are no different than the Institute... a mad scientist in the making? You are not. You are not like them Fast, you are not your grandfather, despite any similarities you share.) Ivy cut right to the heart of the things I was trying very hard to ignore, wincing hard enough for Glitter and her breezie passenger Gale to notice the midair hitch to my slow flapping.

"Daddy? Are you sure you're ok? You're not still worrying about Great Grandpa are you?" Glitter leaned up my neck to whisper in my ear, understanding the need to keep this little tidbit away from the Brotherhood mare leading us on.

Part of me wished she'd stop calling him that... already growing attached to a crazy pony she had never met, just because she never had extended family before. As far as the little filly on my back was concerned, the novelty of having a great grandfather overrode any concerns about what kind of great grandparent he was.

It made her happy though, gave her something she never knew before, the same as having a father when we found each other. I desperately wished for her optimistic view to be borne out, for Grandpa Fin to be worthy of her esteem and affection somehow. The more I stewed on it though... I didn't want her hurt if I had to kill him, and that darker part of me kept putting that forth as a distinct possibility.

My dwelling on how to answer was thankfully cut short by Val at my side, idly reaching out to punch my shoulder and glare significantly back at my surprised look. "Don't get all mopey boss... We'll deal with it one way or t'other..."

"Just thinking and talking to Aunt Ivy sweetie, I'm fine, r-really. No more worrying about Grandpa Fin, p-promise..." I lied to reassure her, thinking grim thoughts back at Ivy that clashed with my forced cheeriness for my daughter. (Too many similarities Ivy. An eccentric pony that doesn't really think beyond whatever he's obsessed with at the moment? Doesn't that sound uncomfortably familiar? What if I really am like... Mobius.... What if I'm passing on that kind of crazy to our foal!?)

(That would not be the horrible fate you imagine, you have wonderful traits to pass on and I am glad you are fathering this child with me. If you really are like this Mobius, then I agree with sister Jade. He can't be evil, because you are not. Ponies who are evil or insane don't worry if they are or not Fast, they just are and own it. If the Gunners must be dealt with first, then focus on that with a clear heart, but do not bury what you have learned about your Grandfather. As you yourself helped me admit, you have to accept the past to move on and-) Ivy's sage advice was interrupted by an explosion echoing across the ruins below, bringing my attention back to the here and now sharply and scanning below us in a panic.

The distant and steady pops of gunfire hadn't been that unusual in the wasteland and mostly disregarded when they first started being picked up by my heightened hearing, along with the explosions now though, I realized they had been growing louder and closer as we approached Jamocha Plains. I could see the glow of the trading community now, and the flashes of firearms and magical energy weapons in the marshes and ruins outside the town, dark smoke difficult to spot in the night sky, drifting up from fires burning far below...

It was still too far for Eyes Forward Sparkle to detect anything, and hard to make out much detail, but alicorn vision let me see the specks moving in the ruins outside Jamocha Plains. Val's growl over the sound of her weapons powering up filled in the rest as I came to the same conclusion. "Fuck... Gunners boss, sounds like they figured out Jamocha Plains ain't part of their lil' empire no more..."

By what I could make out of the battle, I had to assume it wasn't just Cocoa's guards resisting the mercenary army. The Minutemares must have made it to town and be backing them up, I was hopeful anyway and glad to see the fighting was being kept out away from the town itself. Preston's troops were all dedicated to keeping innocent ponies out of the crossfire where they could, I just hoped they had been successful and everypony was ok down there as I sped up.

"Ivy! Stay back with Glitter! There are griffons up here with us and..." I floated Glitter and Gale riding with her over to the green alicorn hauling the skybus behind her, calling back over my shoulder while putting more effort into flapping forward, interrupted by a tremendous cannon blast below that made me spin in shock and seek out the source in fright.

A lumbering, turtle-like hunk of steel and weaponry was inching its way north from the marshes and advancing on Jamocha Plains, a pale puff of smoke drifting up from a long barrel poking from the front matching a fiery explosion near the walls. A tank... they had a freaking tank!?!

"Fuck me! Where the hell they dig that thing up!?!" Val sounded as surprised as I was, pulling ahead of me easily to put herself between me and the prewar military hardware.

The Gunners had armor... using the lumbering tank just like I saw in old war movies, supporting their infantry moving up behind the mobile wall of steel and ceramic plating as the long gun traversed slowly towards a new target. I'd like an answer to Val's question too, but the immediate threat was more important.

"Val! Clouds! Let's hit it with our own big guns before they spot us, help me!" I shouted as I climbed to the grey ceiling above us, shoving errant fluffs of heavily laden clouds ahead of me and trying to gain altitude, summoning a flickering aura of electricity that darkened the wisps under my hooves.

My loyal bodyguard needed no more than that, giving a manic grin and zipping off to gather more quickly, shoving them together and over the tank. I was actually glad the defenders of Jamocha Plains didn't look to include any fliers, it put them at a disadvantage until we had shown up, but it made the Gunners overconfident and sloppy, no longer looking up to the skies as a threat.

For the most part anyway, I had to amend that to include the single airborne defender I spotted a griffon commander chasing outside the walls. They were sending a lot of fire towards the bright purple ball zooming around outside the walls, but were keeping their distance and pretty focused on them. Whoever that alicorn was, she was giving as good as she got, while raining magical destruction down on the attackers with each pass over the battlefield.

She was also giving us cover and time enough to prepare an answer for the clattering tank now passing below, I gave our bundle of thundercloud one more hard kick before straining to climb above it, letting Val take over pushing it on target while I lined up for a lightning tinged dive back down on it.

I took one last worried look to Ivy and Glitter, hiding our sky bus in a cloudbank not far away and thankfully unnoticed, then forced myself to stop worrying over the two fillies and streaked down from the heavens. I was afraid for them and the ponies of Jamocha Plains (Be Kind...), but at the same time I was disturbingly happy to have enemies to take all my hurt and frustration out on (Be Dark...).

As I plunged through the crackling wall of black cloud bringing a bolt of lightning down with me, my eyes were burning with fury and grim satisfaction watching all the tiny Gunners below rushing up. I could make out their superior numbers, their new looking green combat armor and well crafted weapons, the slightly mutated appearance of a few ponies among them obviously under the effects of X-Cell, the surprised looks on all their sneering faces as the night suddenly brightened (Awareness!).

Blazing down with a bolt of power on my hooves, the voice of the Shrouded Stallion boomed out as I came down, a note of dark glee echoing through the ruins ahead of the rumble of thunder. "GREETINGS EVILDOERS!!'

KRAKA-THOOOOOM!!!

Slamming directly into the tank creeping its way over a ruined retaining wall, I put a dent in the thick armor plating with my hooves as a shockwave of electricity spread out from the impact point, arcs of electricty washing over the vehicle and nearby Gunners. To my great satisfaction, I watched a nearby suit of green painted power armor go crashing to the rubble strewn ground from the blast, the spell matrix completely fried.

What would have been a world class Shrouded Stallion entrance was somewhat ruined when the turret spun behind me, the long barrel knocking me down to the muck as the well trained mercenaries identified the new threat and responded. "It's him! Fall back and regroup, focus on the 20,000 cap twerp!!"

Ok.... Tanks weren't robots... the clattering, smoke belching machine wasn't disabled even after taking a direct hit from my best bit of lightning magic. Not enough fancy arcano-tech to scramble in this thing, just a lot of durable earth pony craftsmanship, that was now coming to bear on me...

A machinegun poking from the side firing port nearest me opened up with a chatter and sent me scrambling away, grateful the infantry Gunners nearby were still stunned at least. The Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance floated at my side as I bolted away from the war machine, zig zagging away across the broken streets outside of Jamocha Plains and thankful for the bright griffon swooping by overhead, Val unleashed a barrage of 25mm grenades through the Gunner's lines, giving me a path to the Minutemare defenders.

Pulling up S.A.T.S. let me target the three Gunners still standing that were on the ball, swinging their heavy battlesaddles my way. One had the bulging appearance of an earth pony about to split his armor with mutated muscle from the Institute's drug (Did Grandpa have a hoof in that too?...) and earned several slugs to himself, just to make sure he went down.

I couldn't resist the urge to yell "Timmmm-ber!" when the third round blew his head to paste and the hulking merc crashed to the street, giving me room to flap over his corpse and dive into a shattered health food store. Rolling away from the broken window I dove through for cover, I winced under the impacts of several heavy rounds against my armor and crawled under a rotting counter, shoving a multitude of dirty plastic bottles out of the way.

With a moment to breathe, I looked up to the green marks on E.F.S. I had ran for, spotting a pair of wounded Minutemares staring back like they were watching the second coming of Celestia joining them in their bit of cover. "Er... Hi guys, how's it going troops? Busy night?"

The lemon colored filly gaping back was first to actually find words, pointing a shaking hoof and stammering back. "G-General? What are you..."

Whatever she was trying to ask was drowned out by a roaring explosion from the tank's cannon knocking on the rotten door, blowing half the building we sheltered in to splinters. Thankfully not the half we were actually sitting in, but close enough to toss all of us like rag dolls and send a rain of shrapnel through the room.

Pushing my way free of a mound of brick and shelving, I looked around woozily and spotted her again tossed against the remaining wall. I ran over with her silvery-blue earth pony companion, joining him in shoving the detritus aside and wincing at the long shards of ancient wood driven into her neck, her chest, her flanks... I cursed not knowing healing magic and fumbled for a normal, purple healing potion as I took in how pale she looked, her bright orange eyes looking back in shock.

"K-Knew... you'd come... G-General... help town..." She croaked up at the two of us, hushed with a gentle hoof to the mouth before I yanked the shard of junk from her neck and pushed her companion's hoof to the wound to apply pressure.

"R-Right, here to save the day alright soldier... you got it. You just rest easy ok? It's alright now... just hang on! What's going on private? Any more surprises besides that damn tank?"

"We just started setting up our new chapter here the other day sir, G-Gunners showed up this afternoon, demanded Miss Latte send us away and surrender the town.... When she refused, they came back with that... that thing! Thank Celestia you're here General! C-Can you really do something about that monster?!" The Minutemare private jabbered back, his eyes wide on taking in his friend's horrible wounds and a quaver in his voice.

I was drawing the tank's attention down on them just by being here... I hurriedly dug through my packs for more rolls of magical bandages to wrap her in, she needed real care, soon.... I needed to get away from them too, before the Gunners decided to send another shell in after us. Not to mention that growing growl of 'Be Dark...' was all the way awake, I couldn't do anything about Grandpa Fin, but these Gunners were right in front of me to give that voice an outlet, one it was more than happy to settle for on seeing the pool of blood under this brave mare.

"Let's find out... As soon as your friend is safe, is there a medic in your platoon? Somewhere to take her?"

Given something immediate and concrete to latch onto, the buck mastered his fear and nodded sharply, pointing a hoof back towards the walls of Jamocha Plains. "In town! T-The mayor here, or whatever she's called, she's managing the defense. Our medic is working with the local doctor out of their clinic!"

Doctor Creme... Jade's newest Follower of the Apocalypse was getting her first real workout as part of the group of healers. I nodded back with a grimace and jabbed a vial of Med-X in the wounded mare's flank, thankful she drifted off to unconsciousness as I floated her up and to my back, flaring my wings and looking up to the shattered ceiling.

"Ok, I'll get her there, don't worry! Then we'll do something about that fucking tank, somehow... Just hang on private, the cavalry's here!"

Jeez, this filly seemed even younger than me, but she was a lot heavier and totally covered my back, forcing me to keep the dim glow of telekinesis around her prone form (Be Strong!). I could carry Glitter around fairly easily now, but a grown pony was waaaay too much for me. Luckily it was a short flight, one I needed to make as quickly as possible though, the glowing blue field of magic would make us a better target...

I crouched and tensed my legs, sending a prayer to the goddesses before leaping straight up with every bit of earth pony strength my limbs could provide, assisted by hard flaps from my wings that sent us rocketing up and out. Movement from the corner of my eye once I cleared the ruins was barely enough warning to spin in the air, putting my back and the mare riding there away from the steel grey griffon diving at me.

The chatter of his light machinegun sent several rounds into my chest, making me shudder in the air and suck in a burning breath as I flapped harder. My magical armor slowed most of the rounds from this distance, but a couple down my ribs got through and the rest still felt like half a dozen high speed bucks to the chest.

The Gunner griffon's sneer as he loomed closer and aimed again was stopped by a glowing purple arrow of magic lancing out from above, skewering through his wing and the green combat armor beneath. The bright violet ball of an alicorn shield followed behind and slammed into him like a freight train, the brave mare producing it screaming like a banshee as she drove off the attacker.

A lot of fire from the ground based Gunners rising up to focus on me was forcing me to juke and dive my way towards the walls, they were so concentrated on claiming my bounty, they were abandoning their cover to take potshots. The more military minded among them were smarter, screeching at their comrades for their stupidity as the Minutemares responded and fired on the exposed attackers.

A firecracker series of Val's explosions joined in behind me, my faithful bodyguard making a diving bombing run on the target rich ruins before the Gunners could take cover again. She looped around me with a snort and sent a rain of red M.E.W. bolts down as she flapped in place nearby, trying to draw attention to herself and away from me. "Move yer ass baby bird! It's just one filly, see I gots ta step up yer trainin' boss!"

I should be concerned at how much fun she appeared to be having, or the wounded mare in need of medical care she pointed at on my back, or the dangerous battle still raging around us, but really... her mention of more flight training was scarier than anything else at the moment...

With enough altitude to clear the walls of Jamocha Plains, I let gravity take over and dove over the barrier. Down, down was muuuuch easier. Still keeping my magical grip on the Minutemare filly, I swooped over the town's central park, now a focus of activity with town guards, caravaners and Minutemares racing back and forth, carrying ammo and medicine to the town's defenders, at the direction of a single mare shouting out with the aid of the voice amplification spell.

She looked up in time to follow my crash to the front of the local Helpinghoof Quik-Care, stumbling as I skidded to a halt and still managed to smash into the wall by the door, but I did at least keep my passenger from getting any more banged up.

"MEDIC! Help!!" I shouted as I shook off the tiny alicorns spinning around my rattled head, sitting on the cracked sidewalk to let my passenger slide off gently as a harried Dr. Creme and a Minutemare medic galloped up.

They took charge of the wounded mare smoothly, floating her off towards the overcrowded clinic and already administering treatment. I watched her go anxiously, wishing Jade was here to help, or that I could do something more useful than blowing things up. Though at the moment that was an important skillset too, one I was about to employ...

As I turned and spread my wings to go back to the chaos outside, I was stopped short by the mare in charge rushing up with a manic shout. "Mr Times! Thank Celestia! You said you'd have our backs, but I didn't think I'd get the personal touch! A good thing too, we're in this together partner, glad to see you holding up your end of the deal! I don't think my old customers are very happy with me!"

Even wearing battered grey combat armor and an old Equestrian Army helmet a couple sizes too big over her bedraggled two tone mane, sweaty and covered in dirt, blood and bandages, with a beautiful silver and pearl handled 9mm holstered at her flank, Cocoa Latte still managed to look stunning in the middle of a warzone. How could a mare radiating command and idly directing the frightened looking residents of her town, somehow manage to maintain her aura of sex appeal every time she looked back at me with those warm brown eyes?

"H-Hi Cocoa! Sorry for all this, what happened?!"

"The Gunners didn't like my new guards, tried to tell me how to run my town. I told them nopony tells us what we can and can't do. They came back to say they could with their ugly tank thing out there. Any way you can do something about that thing cutie?" Sweet Celestia, she didn't even flinch when said tank boomed again, a gout of flame visible even over the top of the junk walls as another part of the landscape was blown to tinders, while she simply fluttered her eyelashes like she was asking for a box of chocolates.

"I'll er.. f-figure out something! Don't worry, I promised we're allies and we'd protect your town, I meant it! I just gotta think of-"

My unsure agreement was drowned out by an amplified voice shouted out above in the lull that followed the latest cannon blast, drawing my eyes skyward to the walls of Jamocha Plains and the dark armored pegasus sedately flapping above the gates. "By order of the Brotherhood of Friendship, you Gunners cease and desist this attack immediately! You are interfering with a Brotherhood asset, any further aggression will be met by the full power of the Brotherhood raining down on you!"

Lt. Dawn? She was just hovering there, bold as day, her power armor helmet blaring out her commanding tone to be answered by a tinny, static filled response from the tank's own PA system. "Fuck off Brotherhood! This is Gunner territory and that little bastard is ours! Don't see no other power armored assholes to back you up neither bitch, get going or get dead..."

I flew up to the wall under Dawn in a rush, leaving Cocoa to gallop after me and climb the steps below to join me, while I drew the Last Minute and charged it to full power with a high pitched whine, taking aim at the tank pausing in its advance. Far above, Val had joined the purple alicorn above in an aerial dogfight with the Gunner griffons , leaving Lt. Dawn run of the sky above the tank, where she glared down and shouted back.

"I am a representative of the Brotherhood of Friendship, attacking me is no different than attacking the full might of the Brotherhood! I need that annoying bastard alive, unless you're willing to bring a world of hurt down on yourselves, I'd back off and leave now!" Dawn snorted back, she couldn't believe they'd actually listen... but she was effectively buying time.

"Oh my! Such interesting guests you bring to my town Fast! First alicorns and now Brotherhood ponies! You er... don't happen to have more of them hiding out there somewhere to back up her big brass lady balls, do you?" Cocoa panted as she made it up to the walkway at the top of the walls, peeking over the barrier and tilting her oversized helmet up to peer up to Dawn overhead.

I wished Lt. Dawn did have her full compliment of troops with her, even without them though, she drew the tank commander out... the cupola atop the turret opened with a squeal and a smirking cyan stallion poked his head out, hoofing the broadcast button on the mic in his hooves and sneering back. "There's only one of you and lots of us cunt, can't exactly report to yer pals if you die here and now. Kill em all boys! Make sure that bitch doesn't get back and..."

That was enough... Lt. Dawn had taken the time to try to end this peacefully, putting herself in danger and now making herself a big target. Jade would approve... at the least, that filled my Princess' desire to always give even the most rotten ponies a chance, now I was free to do what I wanted...

I took great satisfaction at the flat crack of the Last Minute blowing the tank commander's head off, he made a small target peeking out of the turret, but Dawn gave me plenty of time to prop the gauss rifle up in the window and line up the shot.

The armored vehicle lurched as the crew still inside panicked, the cannon spinning towards my firing position and firing wild with another roaring blast. If the shot hadn't been so rushed, we would have been splattered instantly, as it was the southern gates of Jamocha Plains became more a suggestion of a gate. One scrapmetal door was lost completely in the explosion, the other blasted in and windmilling through the weedy park, decapitating one unlucky wastelander when it landed with a quivering thunk into the ground.

I had a stomach churning view of the poor victim of chance, flapping hard at the blast of the cannon and wrapping my forelegs around Cocoa, the shockwave of hot air propelled my inexpert course forward faster than I could keep up. The scorching gust pushed my wings forward and dragged me and the screaming mare along for the ride, the most I could do was wrap myself around Cocoa and take the brunt of the crash, relying on lots of experience when it came to crash landings.

A rain of hot shards of metal pinged of the large chunk of corrugated steel that landed on top of us when we came to a rolling stop, making me not mind have to grunt and shove my way back to my hooves with it on my back, the twisted steel groaning as I managed to stand somewhat straight and tremble in place, looking over a stunned looking Cocoa under me.

"Y-You... ok?" I strained out through gritted teeth, relieved to see those almond eyes stop spinning and widen in surprise.

She looked a little flushed and bruised, but not bleeding significantly from anywhere and lucid enough, gulping as she nodded back and crawled her way clear. "F-Fine! Thanks partner, I owe you one! M-Mighty fine heroics there Shrouded Stallion! So... about that tank...."

Giving a hard buck let me dislodge the chunk of steel over me and scamper out before it fell with a crash, shaking off the dizzying dive as I dusted off my hat and set it back to its proper angle, nodding back to her. "Yeah... let me get to work and fill that little request of yours. One dead tank, coming up..."

I felt steady enough to stretch my wings and leave her to help her people recover, soaring straight up and trying not to linger on the damage caused by just that one shot. The image of that poor stallion losing his head kept replaying in my mind, not even in the line of fire, just too close to a weapon of mass destruction. Collateral damage...

Being anywhere near that cannon firing was too dangerous, even clumsily flying out into the open and tempting the lighter weaponry was preferable to letting it blow more holes through the town's walls. Vengeance and Best Served joined the Terrible Shotgun as I flapped my way out and drew the spinning turret away from Jamocha Plains, diving and spinning through the Gunner's breaking cover to shoot at the tempting target and grateful for the Minutemares popping up to cover me.

The Shroud's voice boomed out on my weaving course, trying to rally the Minutemares and draw the Gunners attention on their own lines and away from them and the town beyond.

"THOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO THE BROTHERHOOD MARE! YOU REFUSE LUNA'S MERCY! NOW SUFFER HER WRATH! JAMOCHA PLAINS IS UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE SHROUDED STALLION EVILDOERS, THE BROTHERHOOD IS THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES NOW!"

I only somewhat crashed into a set of sunken steps leading down to the flooded subway lines down the street, plowing into a trio of surprised Gunners and lashing out with Best Served in close quarters, slicing the overly long horn off a dirty grey unicorn, before Vengeance bucked him in the chest and sent him down to the brackish water at the bottom of the stairs.

A pair of metal apples clunked down the stairs at my hooves, forcing me to flap up and out in a rush to a lot of waiting fire already zeroed in on the bit of cover. The wide spread of a combat shotgun peppered my wing with buckshot from a Gunner that had been behind a rusting mailbox nearby, sending me flopping back to the ground and completely exposed in the middle of the street.

Before I could try running for it, accepting I was going to take a lot of damage in the attempt, a bright purple flash appeared and a glowing violet shield surrounded me, protecting me from the barrage of fire that was quickly left behind by the expert beating of powerful wings dragging me away.

"You are alright Fast!? That was close! I don't like fighting down here like this!" A familiar voice yelled as I was floated to a broad lilac alicorn back, the purple alicorn who had been helping defend the town when we arrived... A green tinted healing potion was shoved in my sputtering muzzle as I fought with the long pink mane whipping in my face and goggled at my savior.

"S-Swan!? Is that you!? Y-You're so... so...."

"Tiny... I know... don't remind me! It's your fault Fast! Hurry and drink!" A non gigantic Swan pouted back at me as she dove through the lances of M.E.W. beams and glowing tracers trying to catch her agile flight, her rich blue-violet eyes worried and annoyed.

I wouldn't call her 'tiny' by any means... A normal sized alicorn was still plenty big, but she wasn't huge for once. If it weren't for the situation I'd take more time to really marvel at the novelty actually. I'd never seen Swan normal sized, even bearing wounds that marred her white and pink Alicorn Angel costume she was still wearing with blood, the strange mare was stunning and much more approachable when she wasn't the size of a small building.

Of course I wouldn't mind her being in her normal state at the moment, a giant Swan would make short work of this attack, or at least take on the tank on equal terms. Before I could catch up or ask anything, the 'fwoosh' of a missile coming our way made her flap hard and bank sharply, diving towards a clump of red sheltering in the ruins until I heard another 'fwoosh' behind us.

Her ears flicked on hearing the second missile like she was waiting for it, then the world lurched in a bright flash of light and we were suddenly somewhere else, close enough to see the missile she left behind impact the wreckage of an old newsstand and blow it and the Gunners within to smithereens.

With my wing mending under the potions effects, I flexed it experimentally and pulled away from Swan's back slightly, still stuck inside the shell of her shield as she soared low to the ground and sent glowing magical arrows out to any threat. Swan's acrobatic maneuvers forced me to cling to her neck and shout over all the noise, pointing a hoof past her cheek and towards the tank trying to track her progress.

"Swan! Get me under that thing if you can! I think I can fit! Have to disable it!!"

The warrior filly gave an unsure whinny at my request, but did pirouette in the air and spin back to the tank, doing a barrel roll over the line of heavy machinegun rounds tracing their way after us. Before I had time to ask, there was another purple flash and I was suddenly in the mud directly in front of the tank's plodding progress, throwing myself to the muck of what had been a small yard and crawling into the dark gap between the treads chewing up the landscape.

There had to be an access panel, escape hatch... things I could take apart to slow this thing down somewhere! I'd never had the opportunity to mess with much military hardware, but certain design principles were shared across the board right?

My tools floated out and lit the darkness of the cramped space, full of clanking, grinding noise and thick smells of grease and steel. Anything and everything I could spot in the dim blue glow was disassembled, hydraulic lines spewed foul smelling fluid that stained my coat, control linkages were torn out and left to grind against themselves, as much damage as I could inflict by making like a gremlin under the huge machine. I had taught the Tinker-Tribe plenty about fixing things, but they had taught me lots about breaking in return.

The tank sputtered and started making some very unhealthy noises, enough for the Gunner crew remaining to figure out they had a problem as it ground to a halt. Suddenly the space I was in brightened somewhat, lit by an escape hatch from the cabin opening up and a large automatic pistol poking out in the grip of an upside down, sweaty brown Gunner glaring all around for the saboteur.

I had no room to move and no time, rolling against the frozen treads on the right as his angry glare found me and the pistol crashed in the echoing space, stinging my ears as I pushed against the treads with my hooves and slid towards the hatch. A previously occupied screwdriver zipped away from the panel it was in the process of opening and darted right at his face, sinking all the way up to the handle into his furious eye.

Screeching and flailing back into the cabin, the wounded Gunner gave me room to take up his vacated space and lunge after him. I couldn't really hear what was going on beyond the cacophony of the tank, it was even louder on the inside! I had to hope the others were fine and focus on removing this threat though, pushing with my wings to tackle the driver wildly bucking around his cramped pilots compartment.

Blood was pouring down his face, the coppery smell filling my nostrils as I slammed him against a jagged wall of gauges and levers. A smell that dark Shroud savored as my fangs sprang out, giving me a weapon to use so close to the struggling buck that it happily employed. Going for his throat splashed the small space with blood, his torn jugular fountaining up through the gap leading to a shocked mare in what I had to guess was the Gunner's seat, judging by the scope she had been peering through before being in the splash zone of her friend's blood tore her attention away.

The scarred orange unicorn mare had a momentary look of horror, looking down to the driver's seat and finding an abattoir. Her terrified eyes met mine burning back at her for an instant, then she started scrambling out of her seat and up, shoving at the dangling legs of the tank's commander still hanging out of the cupola.

Vengeance snapped up before she could get far, the roar of the heavy revolver ringing off the thick steel walls of the tank and laying my ears back. Enhanced hearing wasn't always a blessing... that was the last nearby red dash so I had a second to hold my deafened ears and try to shake off the high pitched whine filling them.

Panting as I staggered and crawled my way back out and under the dead tank, I stuck my head out from the front and had to duck right back under it again, pinned under a lot of gunfire that had figured out where I was and wasn't willing to let me get airborne again. The Minutemare defenders were rallying and forming better lines not far away, but the Gunners were only trying to hold them off, focusing much more firepower my way.

Carefully leaning out with the Last Minute to take what shots I could manage, I spotted Val making diving runs at the Gunners swarming around the tank, the Gunner griffon on her tail blasted from his pursuit by Swan and Lt. Dawn swooping in from the sides, the griffon, pegasus and alicorn combatants all working together to take him out of the picture.

A hulking earth pony wearing a missile launcher / grenade launcher battlesaddle sprang up as I winged one of his comrades nearby with a blurring 2mm slug through the flank. I gulped and tried to scramble to the back of the tank on taking in the grenade launcher coming to bear on me, lobbing explosives under here with me would turn me to hamburger in an instant, and he looked to know his business.

The arc of the explosive rounds was surprisingly stopped by a brightly glowing green field surrounding the tank, bouncing off harmlessly and exploding against the barrier with barely a flicker. My rush of relief was at war with the idea of Ivy putting herself in danger to save me again, until an unfamiliar goddess voice tolled out above my hiding spot...

"ENOUGH! YOU WILL NOT HARM THE MALE!"

Shit...

I wasn't used to being rescued and coddled... no wonder Jade and Ivy were getting tired of my overprotective behavior, I'd have to remember to apologize to them again...

The big hero of the Commonwealth, the Shrouded Stallion... and here I sat safely in the shadow of the disabled tank, watching through the brilliant green glow of my companion's strongest shield as her sisters proceeded to mop up the remaining Gunners with Val, Swan, Lt. Dawn and the Minutemares.

A full wing of Jade's sisters had shown up, whether brought here by Swan or just on their own I couldn't tell, they were a bit too busy to do anything other than psychically coo and assuage my frustration at being locked up, while they joined the Minutemares and us in defending Jamocha Plains.

My only company inside my cell was the strange green alicorn providing it. She was sitting perfectly still atop the tank's turret, her yellow and teal mane tied in a loose braid spilling over her shoulder and down her simple yellow sundress, completely impervious to any of my attempts to wake her from her meditative state to lower the glowing, angular shield surrounding the tank. The most I had gotten from my alicorn jailor was a short, unity made introduction of 'Fern' and apologetic warnings to stay put.

Even Val angrily throwing herself against the shield that kept me sealed off once things calmed down made no difference, forcing me to try to calm her down from this side. At least she had pockets of Gunners to take her frustrations out on, but she kept returning and kicking at the shield angrily.

Not that I didn't feel the same way initially, for awhile I had raged and fumed, blasted the shield with lightning and bucked at it uselessly, paced back and forth like a caged dragon, screamed in the face of the green making it nearby and slapped her serene face repeatedly. All of it was useless, but that dark Shroud in my head grew almost panicked at being locked up, a steady refrain of 'LET ME OUT' beating behind my burning eyes. Eventually though, the fighting outside tapered off and I was forced to just accept my companion and her sisters weren't going to let me go any time soon.

Lt. Dawn eventually landed outside while I was pouting at the barrier, releasing her helmet with a smirk and tossing her sweaty mane as she paced around it. "You're in quite the pickle there, aren't you Mr. Times? I'm not sure whether to be happy watching you squirm, or annoyed you managed to drag me into your problems already... Where in the world did these Gunners get a working tank? Our intel didn't suggest this level of military hardware."

Poking at the flickering wall between us, I sighed and shrugged back. "Where does most of the tech still functioning in the Commonwealth come from? I haven't checked it over yet, but I'd guess the Institute... (Grandpa...) of course I am kinda obsessed so take that with a grain of salt. Er... thanks for helping Dawn, you were really brave and awesome back there. Jade would have been proud of the way you tried to stop the fighting peacefully."

Telling when a red mare was blushing was hard, but a bit of pink lit her cheeks as she stuck her nose up proudly. "Yeah well... worked about as well as most of her 'let's all get along' nonsense didn't it? Not like I was doing it because I actually believed in it either, just trying to get the hell out of here and back on mission. Speaking of which... getting taken prisoner by a bunch of sex crazed fillies is going to put a damper on you filling your end of the deal, do I need to break you out of there?"

I looked back to my statuesque jailor sitting crosslegged atop the tank with a sigh, scratching my mane and giving a shrug. "I'll er... figure something out. You helped plenty already and need to go make your report right, you have my list of junk?"

After fishing out the dirty sheet of paper taken from the MoP offices, Dawn puzzled over it again and nodded. "Not that I can pronounce or even know what half this crap is, but yeah... You know, you could just tell me how you plan on getting into the MoWT, then you'd be free to go rut yourself silly with your new friends."

"Nice try Dawn. Go on, report back to Macson and offer my terms. Having the data you wanted to hoof over ought to make him willing to give us another try anyway. Take the list to Scribe Wind, she'll know what to do with it and I'd like seeing her again. I'll see you back there in a couple days, er... if I'm not there, I guess you know where to find me..."

The Brotherhood mare gave a snort of laughter and slid her helmet back down, fluttering up overhead and looking around the ruins and all the dead Gunners. "Right then, off to explain how I lost almost my entire squad, lost another Ministry Hub, entered negotiations with a crazy male alicorn and ended up drawing us closer into open conflict with this army of wasteland rabble... Still, I'm glad we could help here, if these Gunners are working with the Institute and got this tank from them, try to find proof Fast. I don't think my superiors would be able to ignore them if they knew that. See you soon!"

I watched her rocket off into the night through the shield keeping me safe and locked up, heading east towards the sea and the Brotherhood's Prydwen on the horizon. Following her progress as she diminished to a speck, I turned to see Ivy descend into Jamocha Plains itself now that it was safe, our sky bus drifting down beyond the walls and her anxious thoughts trying to reassure me. (Hold on Fast! Glitter and I are safe inside now, Miss Latte is here as well, let me talk to her a moment and we'll try to come up with a way to get my sisters to let you go.)

(Ok Ivy, just stay safe, I'm fine for now. Er... try to get them to let me out already though... E.F.S. doesn't show much of anything now, they don't have to keep me shielded like this...)

Ivy's mischievous giggle replied in my head, picking up on my earlier thought and relishing the irony. (Now you know how we feel hmm? Having somepony worry and want to protect you can be nice, but too much can be a bit smothering, can't it?)

(Har, har, har... I get it, I'm sorry... I'll try to do better, just get them to let me go...)

Left with nothing else to do but stew and obsess about my Grandpa, who I still really didn't want to think about, I turned to the only other things inside the shield with me, the tank and the dead Gunners inside. The tank crew didn't have a lot of gear to pick over, they weren't loaded for bear to go out and fight themselves, just sidearms and such that would fit in the cramped tank.

The vehicle itself was more interesting, enough so for me to become absorbed taking it apart and going over everything, following Lt. Dawn's advice and looking for proof of what I suspected. At least the calm, meditative state I reached tinkering helped me push aside thoughts of Grandpa ...Mobius, though I did briefly worry he got the same way while coming up with his insane inventions and gadgets.

It was mostly prewar Equestrian Army, but a good portion of it looked quite a bit newer. Like they had found a partial prewar tank somewhere, then fixed or finished putting it together with new parts. Tearing enough of it apart eventually revealed what I expected, the panel on the fancy targeting system control console bore the spread eagle pony emblem of the Institute...

That made power armor (with psychic shielding no less) and now tanks that the Institute was providing the Gunners for some reason. Somewhere within Gunner territory, they had a link to the Institute and somewhere to build or ship this stuff to them. Giving me another reason to take the fight to the Gunners and invade their little empire. There had to be a teleporter out there somewhere that led to the Institute, that led to ...Grandpa...

Before I had a chance to start obsessing about 'Dr. Mobius' again, a soft, husky voice spoke overhead, making me bang my head against the cramped console I had it stuck in. "It is safe now male... It is too small in there, quit playing with that junky tank thing and come out where we can see you..."

Rubbing my head where I had bashed it, I wriggled back out of the open panel and looked up into the bright blue-green eyes of the green alicorn that had been sitting on top of the tank. Now she was awake again, sticking her head down into the open cupola and clearly unable to squeeze her way in any further, despite her obvious attempts to do so. The heart shaped sparkles in her eyes made me wary about going out where she could reach, so I stayed put and stared back nervously.

"It's Fast, not 'male'... and you're Fern right? Er... thanks for your help, I'm sure the ponies of Jamocha Plains want to thank you too, I can leave now right? How about we go talk to them and see?"

The green mare got a wide, ...hungry... smile at her name, bobbing her head rapidly and unsticking herself from where she was wedged in the hatch, cooing and waving me out with a hoof as she spoke in my head. (It's true! You can hear us as well! How wonderful! Yes, please come out umm... Fast, come out and we will ...talk...)

That mental evasiveness just made me more cautious, despite her welcoming attitude and wave to the clear skies outside. I couldn't stay in the tank forever though, I had to get back out to Ivy and Glitter, not to mention get away... I was glad this trio of alicorns had saved the day, but I had been purposefully avoiding running into their patrols seeking me out for a reason.

Moving slowly, I climbed back out the top of the tank, eyeing Fern suspiciously as she fluttered back and gave me space, continuing to coo and draw me out with a come hither look in her eyes. I paused halfway out of the hatch, blinking around at the battlefield and all the ponies on it.

Ivy, Glitter and Val were nearby, the griffon thankfully guarding the pregnant mare and foal since she couldn't reach me. She looked pretty pissed though, a very sour look on her face as she rushed my way, now that the barrier was gone and I was out.

"Boss! 'Bout time! Been bitchin at these goofy mares ta let ya out, seriously pissin' me off! I'm the bodyguard dammit, don't need their fancy shields buttin' in!" Val squawked and shoved her way forward, pouncing up to the tank's turret and yanking me out.

She got here through simply bulldozing her way as usual, Ivy and Glitter however were held back by a tense argument going on between us. The normal sized Swan was face to face with another purple alicorn, this one with a spiky red-orange mane and wearing an old red buckball jersey stretched to its limits. Beside her was a blue sister, her long, deep purple and cobalt blue mane was curled and styled, only a little mussed from the combat somehow and complimented by her flowing, sparkly purple gown.

Surprisingly, Fern let Val lead me towards the others, though she stayed right on my heels and had that dreamy, lovestruck look on her face the whole time. I tried putting a little distance between us, stretching my strides out in a slow creep, then leaping to the air and flapping for all I was worth to run for it. I was brought up short however, yanked back by my tail and flopping back to the ground, weakly grinning back at the green mare blinking back sleepily, with my grey tail held tight in her mouth.

"S-Sorry... er.. just wanted to stretch my wings a bit... yeeeah.."

Val grabbed my collar and put me back on my hooves with a huff, swatting at the soft smile curling Fern's muzzle to release my tail. "Go on, leggo ya goofy mare! Nice try boss... don't think it's gonna be that easy though."

A mouthful of me just made those lidded eyes staring back sparkle more... Whether just excitement over catching me, or because of how furiously my mane was itching as soon as I was exposed to three new alicorns, the result was the same... Even the one arguing with Swan paused in their back and forth as her nostrils flared at our approach, this wasn't going to be good...

Swan gave a little shake of her head too, but was distracted by Glitter dashing under her long legs to finally get by and tackle me, that and angry.... very angry. "But I said not to follow me! It's my turn, I can take a vacation if I want! This isn't fair Tiger!"

By the way she shoved forward and made the other purple mare take a step back, I was glad Swan was the same height as this Tiger, under normal circumstances I'd expect her to just kick her opposite aside with one sweep of her hoof. The tail end of the argument didn't bode well, Ivy's concerned look as she leaned down to whisper to Cocoa didn't look good either...

"Daddy, that thing was scary! It was all Ka-Boom!! all over the place! What is it huh? How'd you beat it up!? I knew you would, so I totally wasn't worried! M-Mostly... I'm really glad mommy's sisters saved the day though huh! These aunts were really brave an' cool! Thank you!" Glitter didn't have anything to be nervous about, a bright smile completely innocent and grateful looking back to the two not currently in a shoving match.

Following Glitter's example for what was acceptable behavior, the elegant blue moved to join Fern, both sniffing and nuzzling closer from either side at my daughter's unthinking invitation. If the foal was allowed to happily hug and jabber about her view of the battle while nuzzling for reassurance, then Fern and now the blue (Nocturne...) seemed to think that was ok too.

While this could be considered pretty pleasant and already had my wings springing up to their delighted inspection, they were still two strange mares who were getting awful friendly, crowding into my personal space with my daughter and smothering me with affection.

At least they were staying in control and liked their niece, answering between the long sniffs at my mane and carefully checking for wounds. Fern puffed up proudly and fluffed her wings with a whinny, grinning back to Glitter. "You're very welcome little niece! We've gotten to like helping ponies, I'm glad we were here to lend a hoof here! Did you really think we're cool?"

"Oh yes, please do tell darling! Were we stylish and dashing? We've been practicing our heroic rescues. Fern can show you our exploits as good and kind mares, sure to impress Fasty-wasty!" Nocturne's sparkling silver eyes fluttered down at me while she addressed the foal, her attire and style going along with the cultured voice to remind me of Ministry Mare Rarity, this was a blue who clearly liked the taboo on wearing clothes being lifted.

Tiger had to be in charge, she tracked her two sisters and her stare hung on me tensed up between the two big mares looming overhead. Her long horn immediately lit up and a long length of rope snaked out of her saddlebags, slithering towards me like a snake. Pinned as I was under Glitter and between Fern and Nocturne, I didn't have much chance to do anything but squeak as the rope twined around my hooves and wings, zipping around rapidly and expertly hogtying me.

"Hey!"

"What are you two doing!? You heard Umbra, he's slippery! Probably just looking for the chance to disappear again!" Tiger snorted and tried yanking me to her side, stopped by her own sisters grabbing hold tightly and whining back.

"Tigerlily! We could at least ask him first, no reason to get so pushy right off the bat!" Fern held me down from floating away in the field of purple magic and gasped at their leader's rough treatment.

"Really dear, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar! I'm soooo sorry Fast, we are on a bit of a mission though... Umbra was very insistent we bring you back, try not to think too poorly of us." Nocturne apologized as I struggled against my bonds, gently pushing Glitter's mouth reaching for the knots aside.

"You two spend too much time down in your jobs in Unityville and Goodneighbor being nice! He's not gonna agree, we had to hunt him down because he keeps running away, you really think you can flirt and get him to change his mind? We're taking him back to the tower, then you can play around with him all you like. Now let's get go-" Tigerlily trying to bark down their complaints and take charge was working fairly well, right up until the click of a big pistol by her ear forced her to pause and dart her eyes over to the griffon holding it.

Val did not look happy, at all... Of course the purple alicorn tying me up and announcing her intention to ponynap me probably had something to do with that. "That's enough o' that then missy, let the boss go, right now..."

Much as I appreciated my single minded mercenary not caring who threatened me or in what way, I couldn't let her even give the impression violence was an acceptable answer here. They didn't want to hurt me, and I didn't want them getting hurt either, leaving us at a bit of an impasse. "Val, put it down, we're not fighting Jade's sisters, especially when they just helped us out here."

"But boo-ooss! I ain't lettin' em take ya away! Bad enough they locked ya up here just when it was gettin' good!" Val squawked back in frustration, but did reluctantly lower her weapon.

"We're taking him back to Umbra right now you two, worry about being nice to him where we can keep him properly safe and let others deal with these Gunner assholes. They were very focused on hurting the male specifically, which is not gonna fly. We're gonna report on them to Umbra and see about destroying them for you Fast, your griffon can amuse herself telling us how to do that. This battle just proves it is too dangerous to let the male wander around on his own with such ...insufficient protection..." Tiger tugged me away from her pouting sisters and spread her wings, brought up short from her attempted takeoff again when Val scowled at her dangerous insult to her bodyguarding skills, winding a dark claw in the ropes binding me and pulling me back down from her telekinetic grip.

"What was that bitch? Must'a had somethin' in my ears honey, I'm sure ya didn't say I ain't a good enough bodyguard..." Val had a silkily dangerous edge to her voice, forcing herself to holster her pistol, but clenching her free claw repeatedly as she joined Swan shoving up against the bossy mare.

"Val..."

"Shaddup boss, ain't shootin' her am I? This is a matter o' griffon honor, stay outta it. So, I misheard, riiiiight?" Val dismissed my worried voice completely, sneering up at the tall alicorn huffing down her nose at her.

"Yes, you did. I didn't say you weren't a good bodyguard." I released a shakily held in breath at Tiger's initial answer, sucking it back in with a wince when she continued. "I said you were completely insufficient, I didn't see you actually guarding him at all. Any griffon that'd let the precious male throw himself at a tank has no claim to the title of bodyguard."

Ooooooooo.... If I weren't completely bound, I'd try throwing myself at Val and hope that'd be enough to stop her from trying to beat the smirking Tiger to a pulp, the miniature balefire bombs going off behind her violet eyes promised nothing good as she opened her beak and balled her claw into a fist, yanking me out of the field of Tiger's magic and shoving me back to Glitter with an angry snort.

Swan wasn't helping either... stamping a hoof by Val's side and grumbling back. "You're being mean and messing with my vacation Tiger! It's my turn and you snuck around to try cheating me! You're not taking Fast... I'm really sorry Fast! I told them not to follow me!"

"How did they know where you were going Swan?" I replied to the worried purple mare, trying to turn the tense conversation before Val blew her top. I had hoped she'd be able to slip off quietly without alerting Umbra to what she was up to. Sort of silly in retrospect to expect a giant alicorn to just sneak off... but she had proven surprisingly stealthy when she wanted to be.

"Oh, I told Umbra I was going to play with you and that I needed a vacation! I told her I'd be back soon though! I made her promise not to follow too!" Swan's cheery answer made me groan and wish my hoof was free to smack my forehead... She told Umbra she was going to see me, and expected her not to send her sisters out to follow her...

Tiger snorted and shoved back at Swan's out thrust chest, jabbing her with her hoof and pointing back at me. "You were fine with him being selfish, just because he agreed to mate with you! What about the rest of us! He could have been killed out here, playing around and only agreeing to do his duty one mare at a time! We don't even know if it'll work because of how stupid you're both being, we're taking him back and you can wait like everypony else! You can't push us around and get your way right now Swan!"

This was rapidly going to hell, Fern and Nocturne crept forward and pulled me back to their waiting hooves with Glitter, just trying to stay out of the way and apologize for the leader of their wing over my struggles. Before they could really get going and this devolved into a full on brawl for all the Minutemares and Jamocha Plains defenders watching curiously to see, Cocoa Latte and Ivy seemed to finish their conversation and rushed up, interjecting themselves between the two sides that looked ready to get down in the mud.

Ivy took the right, raising her wings to block off Val and Swan's view of the mare that had pissed them both off as she spoke kindly. "Actually sister, I can confirm Fast is a viable male, I am already pregnant, just as the mother wished."

The jaw dropped stares from all three that turned on me at that made me wince, wiggling against the ropes holding me and really wishing I could just disappear entirely like Jade. It did at least wipe the angry look off Tiger's face, her mane swishing as she turned from Ivy to myself repeatedly.

Her sisters squealed in delight and pranced forward, looking a blushing Ivy up and down curiously and trying to find some sign to back up her claim. A bit of back and forth unity between them seemed to fill in the blanks and those bands of pink showed up in their irises as they turned lusty gazes my way, oh wonderful... good going Ivy...

(Hush... We want them less focused on taking you away, trust me.) Ivy nickered and thought at me silently, leaving me no choice but to do just that. Not that I didn't trust Ivy, I did, completely.

I just didn't trust her sisters...

Especially the way they were stalking forward with one thought on their minds, clear as a flashing neon sign on their foreheads...

'MORE....

'

While Tiger looked as stunned as the other two at the news, she at least shook it off and stamped a hoof, glaring at them each taking a cheek to nuzzle happily. "I-If this is true then Umbra must be told immediately! All the more reason to take him home and keep him safe, along with sister Ivy! A baby! We will finally fulfill the mother's dearest wish, if he can do it to one of us, he can to all of us! Let's go sisters!"

Her magic tugged at me in her sister's grip again, forced to peel Glitter away when she leapt to my lap and tried to weigh me down. Tiger was already flaring her wings to leave immediately, but her attempted takeoff was again stymied as Cocoa trotted right out in front of her, gently guiding Tiger back to her sisters with a friendly hoof and salespony's patter, while I was left bobbing along behind them. "Ladies! No reason to go rushing off or argue with each other! We've had enough fighting here tonight already, now we celebrate with our heroines! And there's ways to use all that energy that are soooo much more fun! Allow me to thank you three for your help, I'm an expert negotiator and veeeery grateful, let's see what we can do hmm?"

Tiger looked confused, allowing herself to be led away reluctantly and trying to keep up with the smooth mare at her side. "Er... no thanks are needed, we do like helping now. There's nothing to negotiate either, we're taking the male with us, thank you for your o-offer though."

Not far away and trying to move the opposite direction, Ivy was whispering to Swan and Val in a rush, waving for Glitter to stop trying to hop up to me floating over her and join them, her thoughts harried and apologetic as they reached out to me. (Hold on Fast, y-you probably won't like this, but just go along with it...)

I was a little worried by that when Cocoa continued smoothly, only adding to the cold sweat that sprang up on my coat. "Oh there's always something to negotiate! You're running off with my partner, so I even happen to know a thing or two and think I can help. Please, consider it my way of thanks and let me pitch you gals anyway? I understand you want Fast for something we're experts at here hmm? A little fun with a male of your kind?"

At my urging, Glitter trotted over to Ivy, giving an unsure look back to my frantic nods. By the sultry tone in Cocoa's voice and the way her warm magic was roving over Tiger being irresistibly drawn with her to her sisters, I didn't want the foal hearing any of this...

Tiger gave a wary nod of confirmation, a little shiver running up her spine at Cocoa's mastery of magical seduction already working on her. "Y-Yes... Not for fun though, for the survival of our species. We are to take him back and have him do the mating with our sisters..."

The sexy tan mare beamed and cantered around me like I was up on her auction block, nodding along with Tiger's cautious answer happily. "Oh my, but that does sound fun doesn't it? No reason the survival of your species can't be enjoyable too! You're making it sound so clinical and boring!"

Much to my embarassment, Ivy joined in at Cocoa's side, nodding and sending a lot of high speed bursts of telepathy to them that made all three of her sisters whinny as she continued audibly. "Miss Latte is correct, I felt the same as you initially, but all of Fast's whining about there being more to mating has turned out to have some merit. It can be veeeery enjoyable sisters..."

Cocoa picked up her musing while they were trying to absorb whatever Ivy had sent them, her horn brightening with her warm magic that coiled out and twined around Tiger's hooves as she spoke, probing and stroking wherever it touched. "Oh, but it sounds like there are a lot of you all wanting a ride hmm? Not that I blame you there, just between us girls, I've had my eye on this cute little stallion too and I know just how stubborn and selfish he is, so unfair! But if you take him back right away, will you get to go first since you found him?"

"O-Our leader... Umbra would decide... oh!" Tiger gasped as Cocoa's magic started working, I really had to ask her to teach that spell to Jade... Even the bossy alicorn looked weak in the knees and flushed after just a moment of exposure to Cocoa and her wiles along with Ivy backing her up telepathically. They were working together...

"Umbra would probably go first... Then choose who she wanted to go after..." Fern thought on her question and answered with a hint of disappointment, making me hopeful Cocoa was making progress, but really wondering where the hell she was going with this.

Piling on to the doubt I could feel nibbling at them, Ivy snorted in derision and agreed. "I know Umbra's thinking well enough sisters. She'd definitely go first, then she'd most likely start making lists of the most essential sisters to go next, stagger it out in stages so not too many of us would be incapacitated at one time. Perhaps you'd be part of the first group, if you're lucky I suppose. Though I doubt she'd allow nearly the time for fun I and sister Peri have enjoyed..."

Turning to the green and blue alicorns flanking me with a wounded gasp and hoof to her heart, Cocoa's magic spread out to them as well as she nodded along. "Just what I thought, that hardly seems fair does it? You ladies did all the work, swooped in and saved my town and him, you deserve a reward! As I said, we just so happen to be experts in just what you want too, while... no offense... but you three seem a little inexperienced. So how about this, stay here for the night and take him back in the morning. In the meantime I can personally teach you all about ....mating... so you get the most out of it! Consider it my personal show of thanks hmm?"

Despite my squeak and renewed struggles, Cocoa's expert spell casting spread out to include me too, her talented telekinesis groping her favorite bits and making me groan, along with the soft, shared moan of the other three alicorns. My mane suddenly felt like she had shoved a beehive under my hat and I noticed all three graduate up to radiating bands of pink in their irises above me.

"Cocoa! C-Cut it out! This isn't funn-" I yelped and quickly had a ponicured hoof pressed to my mouth, mumbling around it in a panic that even Ivy's psychic voice couldn't completely calm.

(Easy Fast! W-We have a plan... of sorts... Cocoa doesn't want to alienate our sisters by openly helping you, we can't run and we can't fight them. Trust Miss Latte and I, just go along with it.)

That was easier said than done with a fog of lust filling my brain and Cocoa's specialized arcane skills expertly playing my nerves like a violin. I could never tell when she was harmlessly flirting from when she was being serious, she was that good at her former role of a mare of the evening.

Of course it wasn't any easier with how convincing she sounded, leaning down and loosening my bonds enough for my wings to spring straight up stiffly, to the ooohs and ahs of the alicorns getting worked up around me. "See ladies? Seems a shame to rush off and waste the opportunity catching a fine stud like this presents doesn't it? I can teach you three soooo many wonderful things, make him happy and he won't want to run away! Have your green friend take a peek at what I'm offering, I promise, I have a wealth of experience to draw on..."

Fern's horn lit up at the invitation, the green alicorn taking a look in Cocoa's head and instantly swaying in place before her knees buckled. Whatever Cocoa put up front of her powerful mind, it overwhelmed Fern and quickly spread through unity to the other two, panting with matching pink blushes lighting their cheeks.

"W-We should listen to the nice mare sister... It won't hurt... why should we wait?" Nocturne moaned to Tigerlily, clearly willing to go along with whatever Cocoa said at this point.

Tiger had to be pretty strong willed, shifting in place on her hooves anxiously and trying to shake it off. "But... Umbra... We're supposed to take him back immediately. W-Why would we trust you little unicorn? You're partners with the male? Are you trying to trick us?"

I was worried whatever Cocoa had planned would falter at that, despite how overwhelmed Fern looked, she was still a living lie detector like Ivy after all. Either Cocoa was so slick she could successfully lie to a psychic, or she wasn't lying when she replied however. "Trick you? Oh no! As a matter of fact, I empathize with you, I'm business partners with him and he still won't enjoy a little roll in the hay with me. I'm a mare that's used to getting what she wants though, I told you I'd get you eventually, didn't I Fast?"

"Mrrrhmm nnn mmm!"

Tiger was smart enough to smell a trap, even as riled up as Ivy and Cocoa working in concert had managed to make them. She turned on Ivy suspiciously and arched an eyebrow at the green beauty whispering back to an agitated looking Val, Swan and Glitter. "You are telling the truth sister? You seem awful attached to this little male now... why would you give him up?"

Ivy didn't miss a beat, blinking back primly and holding a gentle hoof to her cream dress at her stomach. "Well, I've already gotten what I wanted haven't I? I was on my way to Goodneighbor anyway, Fast doesn't want me around anymore. It makes no difference to me if he mates with you three next instead of Swan. I just thought it a shame to not share the possibilities with him."

Ow... Even knowing and being reassured immediately that she was acting, that kind of hurt... Ivy pretending she got all she wanted and was done with me, that I was finished with her too... that stung... One closed eye cracked up from where she had her nose stuck up above me, looking down and softening at the sad look I could feel on my face and my drooping ears.

(I'm so sorry Fast, explaining love to them will take too long... but I love you. I want much more from you and we're not done with each other by any means. Pretend... go along with it and you'll have the opportunity to escape soon, I promise.) Her haughty, disinterested expression didn't change, but the rush of emotion transmitted psychically meant a lot more, helping me shake it off and nod back with a sniffle.

"Come along ladies, step into my parlor and let's see about celebrating your valiant victory here! I promise the best accomodations, a nice, big, comfy bed... lots of toys and accessories to play with, frilly things to try on, come see what I have to offer anyway, please. I promise you won't regret it, take him back after we've all had our fun hmm?" Cocoa stepped up and wiped away Tiger's furrowed brow as she debated. Her magic focused on me and brightened, grabbing the loose end of the rope to drag me across the muddy ground and cracked asphalt, leading the way back to Jamocha Plains.

I looked to Ivy and the others with a gulp, Glitter had to be held back in Ivy's hooves and watched with cockeyed confusion, whispering up to the tiny pair of eyes peeking out of her silver mane. Ivy was being kept busy tensely whispering back and forth to a very angry looking Val and Swan, but was holding them back and took the time to give me a firm, sure nod as they fell in behind us.

Tiger was just wary enough to ask one more question in a husky voice as we walked through the shattered gates of Jamocha Plains. "You would give your partner up to us? Teach us these mating things... give us lodging and help us? Let us take him back... i-in the morning? Why are you being so nice? If he's your partner, w-wouldn't you take his side?"

"We're business partners honey, and this is most definitely pleasure, not business. I'm being nice to be friends dear, to say thank you and hope to see more of you in my town, you certainly pulled our fat out of the fire by being in the neighborhood today! I think we can come to some arrangement everypony will be more than pleased with, especially Fast! Bucks are silly and usually don't know what's best for them anyway. He'll be so happy and worn out, you'll have no problems taking him home with you!" Cocoa smiled back, making me shudder at her proud look of anticipation.

Before that last shred of Tiger's doubt could rekindle, Cocoa's telekinetic grip focused and massaged a growing response she had been getting out of me. The unbidden, low, growling moan she elicited made my mane redouble its itching as my fangs sprang out in a leer.

'MORE....'

The sound and smell was enough to overwhelm even Tiger's caution as I whimpered and got dragged onward, all three alicorns following with drooping ears and sleepy, lidded looks, made into alicorn bait that was passing through the main street of the battle scarred town in a strange parade that drew a lot of embarrassing looks, heading directly for an edifice of flickering neon.

The 'Star~~b~~ucked' brothel...

I was somewhat surprised by the brisk trade going on in the local cathouse right after a pitched battle against the Gunners. Though on taking in the number of wounded and dirty Minutemares and guards celebrating, I understood better. Near death situations did lead to a lot of friskiness and 'happy to be alive' fooling around, the mares of Jamocha Plains looked to know all about that...

Quite a few of the relieved looking Minutemares ducked under tables or behind their escorts when they spotted the 'General' of their group in the pleasure house with them. Most of them peeked out curiously when they got a good look and saw I was bound and dragged through by the leader of Jamocha Plains, and followed closely by three large alicorns goggling at everything the business had to offer.

Ivy and the others were nowhere to be found in the huge former coffee shop, at least they were keeping Glitter away from all of ...this. The local Starbucked had been pretty damn big for a beanery, what I could puzzle out of the leftover prewar layout and decor made it seem like a small bookstore / hangout place, lots of tables were arrayed around the old counter, plenty of cushy seating that looked original ringed the room too.

Of course it all had a wasteland makeover, the complicated coffee machines behind the bar were rusty and dead, except for one impressive specimen still chugging along. Instead of coffee and hot cocoa, the pretty 'barista' now served harder drinks to rowdy, happy ponies, celebrating driving the Gunners off. Gorgeous fillies and a few handsome bucks in leather and lace danced on the tables or right in front of seated customers, wandered the crowd looking for lonely ponies seeking a bit of company and generally put themselves on display.

I noticed the beautifully dressed and primped Nocturne losing her focus at each new bit of lacy, frilly lingerie or black leather on display, stretching her long neck above the partially dressed crowd to get a better look here and there. Fern seemed much more interested in what was going on in the partitioned side rooms leading off from the central counter of the old coffee shop, now turned into the bar where all the 'getting to know you' drinks and price haggling was done.

Tigerlily stayed much more focused on her mission, her dark red eyes never leaving my own pouting back at her for more than an instant. Not affording me any opportunity to try escaping, even if I could, or wanted to.... which was becoming iffy rapidly.

I avoided places like this for a reason, heightened alicorn senses could pick up every variety of perfume, musk and heavenly female scent in here. My ears flicked at each passionate moan and grunt from the curtained rooms here on the ground floor for private dances, and the much louder ones coming from upstairs, where the sounds squeaky springs were coming from. Most distracting of all however, there was the hypnotic sway of Cocoa Latte's glorious rump right in front of me, leading the way merrily and looking back to her stunned guests.

"Like what you see girls? We cater to almost all types here, any of my fillies could give you personal lessons that would make boring old, mechanical 'mating' a whooooole lot more fun. And since I taught most of them everything they know, you're in good hoooves right?! So, getting any ideas? Can I interest you in any accessories or particular lessons?" Cocoa never dropped that silky, seductive tone, looking between them with warm and inviting brown eyes that kept flicking down to me mischievously.

"Oh those clothes are darling... Miss Saddles doesn't sell much like that... I-Is there anything that would fit? Do males like them too?" Nocturne stared at a petite, pale earth pony filly leading a Minutemare customer towards the stairs with a hoof under his chin. The blue alicorn pointed hopefully to the tiny web of black lace standing out starkly against her white coat, the curve of minuscule panties under her swishing orange tail leaving her crimson lip print cutie mark clear to see as she sashayed her way through the crowd.

"I'm sure we have a selection that will work in a pinch hon. That's the good thing about playing dress up like that, there's no such thing as too tight! Males definitely like it, just ask him, isn't that right Fast? You like?" Cocoa giggled and flipped her still battle tattered dress up, giving an even better view of her jiggling rear and the silky red undergarments down there, getting an immediate dumb nod back despite myself.

Nocturne seemed to like that, trotting forward to pose fetchingly and give an unsure look down where I was bound and sliding across the dirty tiled floor. "You would like such things on me? Would find it a-attractive? Want to mate?"

Whether I liked it or not, the image of the deep blue mare in that outfit sprang to mind and my wings twitched in response, my cheeks burning like I had stuffed them with hot coals like a chipmunk. "Y-You'd look really pretty, yes Nocturne... I'd still rather you let me go though..."

'MORE...'

Taking in the goofy look plastered on my face, Cocoa loosed a tinkling laugh and called over the busy brothel floor as she continued. "See!? Drives them wild, trust me! Oh Foamy! Why don't you take my guest backstage, find something more comfortable for her to wear? Good girl!"

At her call, a younger yellow-orange unicorn cantered out from behind the bar, ducking under the dancer atop the surface's wild gyrations and running right over, leading Nocturne back the way she came. With her gone for the moment, Cocoa turned back to the remaining two and I had a glimmer of hope, maybe she really could get me out of here...

She caught Fern staring to a dim corner, watching a bandaged Minutemare filly getting a graceful, sensual private dance. The slender pink unicorn mare putting on the show was amazing, rubbing against her customer like a friendly cat, all warm flanks pressed against ever more exciting areas, long legs swinging and holding the delighted mare still in her seat, flips of the dancer's long red mane draped over her face, her tail swishing out and tickling her all over.

Flicking her gaze back to the show repeatedly, Fern stroked her own long, braided mane and looked down at herself anxiously, arching an interested eyebrow over to me and Cocoa in turn. "Dancing? I like dancing... is that kind like a mating display? Males respond?"

"Of course dear! They don't call it the horizontal mambo for nothing! Oh yes, you've got the legs for it too, if you like dancing you should give it a try, I'm sure our little friend here will ...respond... won't you Fast? Oh look, he already is just thinking about it!" Cocoa giggled again, leaning down to nip at my neck and point out my ahem.. growing shame.

'MORE....'

Another commanding call over to the dancer as she finished up diverted Fern away as well, led off by the enthusiastic mare already showing her what kind of sway to put in her flanks as they trotted off. That left just me, Cocoa and Tigerlily slowly heading upstairs... and the purple mare didn't look like she'd go for any kind of diversion, the only thing that really seemed to have her interest was ...me.

Cresting the stairs and weaving down the busy hallway, Cocoa switched to a smooth, quick pace and tone, acting for all the world like a used chariot salespony sealing the deal. "Now you're a mare who's all business, I appreciate that Miss Tigerlily, so let's get right down to it. You can't really keep him tied up the whole time, well... you can, if you're into that kind of thing... but it's sure to be more fun if you let him loose. You don't want to be distracted keeping an eye on him the whole time though, so how about we lock him up in room #7. No windows, only one way in or out, plenty of room to give him a good workout and keep him tired. Take a look and see what you think!"

At her invitation, Tiger did poke her head in the offered room down the dirty hallway, warily walking in and looking all around for any escape route, but like me, finding none. Her careful inspection of the candles and soft drapes over the lights kept hanging at the huge bed too, walking by and shoving at the tired springs experimentally. She eyed it closely and spread her wings for a comparison, seeming pleased it could accommodate her full wingspan, as she looked back to me at the door and licked her lips.

"T-This will do. The other two can guard the door when they finish with their silliness, I will go first. Thank you for your hospitality Miss Latte. You... you will perform, won't you male?" Tiger tried a rough version of the pose Nocturne used to such great effect, not nearly as practiced or confident, but cute for her tomboyish uncertainty, enough so to get a reluctant, weary nod back.

'MORE...' growled in my head again and I found myself leaning forward against my bonds, my ears straight up and focused on the blushing mare. On the plus side, I wasn't thinking about my grandpa being an evil mad scientist anymore... Though that dark voice was getting pretty riled up with all the killing, then all the pretty, willing... fillies....

"I-I'm getting there... You're supposed to talk to Jade first though... this isn't right... J-Just lemme go Tigerlily, this isn't fair, I agreed to with Swan and that's it... If you do, I'll er... p-put you at the top of the list after... how's that?"

Before she could argue with me over it, Cocoa strode confidently in the room and held a hoof up, reaching up to stroke the stubborn alicorn's back as she spoke. "Hold on there Tiger, I'm all for being friends and showing a new girl the ropes, making your first time special and all, but I want my own bite you know... Besides, he's still all whiny and reluctant, even if you get him to cooperate, it'll be over and done way too soon! You want him warmed up and raring to go! Why not let me go first, I am the expert after all. We have history, he wants to with me already! Trust me, by the time I'm done, he'll be a quivering puddle in your hooves. I bet I can teach him a thing or two too, want him to know what he's doing to have the most fun possible, only have one night to explore the possibilities and enjoy yourself before you haul him back home, right?"

Tiger tried to shake off the starbursts of sparkles and pink in her eyes with little success, slowly allowing herself to be led back out the door and sitting with a thump right outside. "But... You are sure? I don't want him stopping too soon... but... I suppose, if you think it best... W-We have never.... you will teach us?"

With a wide grin, Cocoa nodded and floated me roughly to the bed behind her, reassuring Tiger repeatedly and inviting her to stay just where she was. "Of course! Another good reason for me to go first, gotta know what I'm dealing with to teach you girls properly! You guard that door just like you said and let me have my fun, we have a long, full night ahead of us Tiger, we'll all get everything we want. Feel free to listen in for a taste of things to come!"

Once the door clicked shut, I breathed a shaky sigh of relief as Cocoa reached under her skirt and pulled a small knife concealed in her garterbelt on her hindleg. Though I was still a little nervous at the way she prowled forward and climbed up to the bed, standing over me struggling to free myself and slowly sawing through the knots binding my front and hind legs together in one bundle.

"P-Phew... thanks Cocoa, you're brilliant, now h-how do I get out of here?"

Her ears cocked and her head tilted at my whispered question, a sly grin spreading on her face. Making no move to continue untying me, she instead shoved my tied forelegs up to the rusty headboard and hooked the knot over one of the posts. That left me stretched out on my splayed, twitching wings under her, squeaking nervously when she wiggled her way atop me and cooed back.

"Out of here? What makes you think you're getting out Fast? I told you I get what I want, and I want a delicious little Shrouded Stallion snack... Having my own personal hero swoop in and save me has my heart all aflutter you know..." She gave a nip to my neck and tittered, sitting up on her haunches and planting her forelegs at her flanks in a bold, commanding pose, as she slowly rocked her hips against me. Far too many heart shaped sparkles were twinkling in her almond eyes...

"W-W-Wait a minute! N-Not funny Cocoa! I thought you were helping us..."

My cracked voice yelping back was shut up by the press of her warm lips against mine, an agile, chocolate flavored tongue, pausing at my aching fangs before withdrawing to lick up my cheek, nibbling my ear and whispering softly as her hooves roamed under my coat. "Ssssh... hush up, have to put on a good show... ravish me already..."

"WHA-" My surprised shout was again cut off by a deep kiss, my bound forelegs twitched and strained, wanting to either push her away, or grab that ample rear and urge her on, I wasn't quite sure at this point.

When she broke off this time, she held a hoof to my mouth to keep me quiet, then arched her back with a gasp and gave a long, low moan to the ceiling, speaking in a raspy, overwhelmed voice that sounded like we were much further along than we were. "Oh! Oh my Fast! Yes!... Mmmm! Nnn! Just like that!"

Cocoa tossed her long chocolate and cream mane as she wailed back towards the door, increasing her pace idly and working up a light sweat, as she looked down with a lidded smirk and whispered. "Mmm.... oh my, that actually is quite nice... Come on Fast, you could get into it a little more you know, you're starting to hurt my feelings... How do you expect them to believe you overwhelmed little old me with your amazing ardor and prowess hmm? Go on, make it believable... to fool them right?"

Rational thought was getting further and further out of reach, but I vaguely followed what she was saying, and she was floating her knife to cut away the last ropes now that she had finished teasing me. She must have some way of getting me out of this locked room, if that was the case, then yes, what she was playfully explaining made sense.

At her hoof twirling impatiently and her nod over her shoulder to our audience outside, I finally figured out my role and stammered nervously, not nearly the actor she was. "Oh! Er... y-yeah umm b-baby... nnngh, ungh..."

"Sweet Celestia... can't you do any better than that? Don't you know any pillow talk Fast? The poor Princess..." Cocoa's whispered scoff made me blush and stammer back defensively, rubbing my wounded pride.

"I don't p-pretend to do this stuff ok! I don't know what noises to make, I just sorta make them ...d-during.. I-I'm not an actor alright!"

Cocoa gave her own exagerated squeal as she cut my forelegs free and my hooves moved of their own volition, the passionate growl of 'MORE' taking over the limbs still tingling with pins and needles from being bound above my head. I wished I could feel the numb hooves better actually as they forcefully squeezed her amazing rump, urging her movements on faster as I gave a genuine, deep moan.

"There, that's better! Just like that silly, bounce the springs a bit too, be right back... 'OH! MMM! MMM! YES!" Cocoa grinned at my performance, not realizing or not caring I wasn't acting and that rumble of 'Be Dark..' was doing all the grunting and groaning.

I leaned up after her as she bounded off the bed, giving a couple short hops to make the springs squeak rhythmically under me and shoving me down in place to keep it going as she jumped down to the floor. I had to shake my head and thunk it back into gear with a hoof slowly regaining feeling, sitting up to bounce in place with my wings giving lazy flaps to keep up the pace.

Watching Cocoa shrug out of her dirty dress just made me start leaning after her again, that insistent pulse of 'MORE' whining as her warm presence moved away to the wall. She gave a light tap to one of the water damaged wooden panels covering the walls, bedecked with a Ministry of Awesome poster, showing a soaring Rainbow Dash in armor that forcibly reminded me of the departed Lt. Dawn. Right... had things to do... important stuff... get it together stupid.

A series of musical taps from the other side the of the wall responded to Cocoa's knock, which she answered with her own staccato taps with her hoof before giving another convincing wail to the door. That done, she turned to the wooden panel opening before her, waving me on to give another unconvincing groan and increase my flapping bounces, as she spoke to the pretty silver earth pony mare on the other side.

"Good work Steamy, take over for my partner there. Are our guests alright?" With a wave of her hoof, the exasperated looking filly slipped by her and hopped up to the bed.

Bouncing on her hooves and keeping up the squeaking as I slid off gratefully and straightened my dishelved armor, she tossed her pale mane and snorted. "I had to fight to keep the griffon from blowing the wall down, and the purple one is trying to squeeze that big rump through the window, we might need a crowbar to get her out..."

I tucked my hat back down and moved to peek past Cocoa into the next room curiously, shivering as she loosed another one of those very realistic moans to the door right in my ear before whispering back. "Thanks doll, we'll get her out and let you get back to work. Have to take care of our partners though, right?"

The look the younger Steamy returned was full of awe and loyalty, Cocoa was admired by all the ponies she took care of, it was easy to see with just that, making me glad we made friends with her. I turned to thank her too, managing only 'Than-" before a dark claw shot past Cocoa and grabbed my collar, yanking me into the next room with a yelp that probably sounded ok with Cocoa's performance aiding it.

"Boss! Thank Gawd, couldn't stand listenin' ta that much longer, let's get the fuck outta here already! Tell that goofy mare ta unstick her ass and move!" Val struggled to keep her screech down to a whisper, shaking me in her claws and shoving me towards Swan flailing at the window, the upper half that wasn't currently full of purple alicorn showed the dark alley outside.

As soon as Val shoved me in her face, Swan stopped shoving with her forelegs against the wall to either side of the small window, reaching out to grab me in a crushing embrace and nuzzling my cheek anxiously. "There you are Fast! Sister Ivy said she and the unicorn would get you, but I was worried! It's my turn, they shouldn't have followed! I'm very angry! If I was still normal I'd sit on them!"

Sputtering under the affection, I gently tried to pull away, getting a better look at just how far Swan had squeezed her wide rear into the tiny window. She'd have no chance to even attempt getting stuck normally, so another reason her being normal sized wasn't so bad, that and the health of her sisters... "Er... it's ok Swan, let's just get out of here, You can't blame them for following when you told them where you were going... Just kinda... try to shove your way back out ok?"

Swan tossed her long, silky pink mane and pouted, trying to reverse her direction and pop back out the way she came. Grunting and scrambling with her hindlegs outside, she looked back from just how tightly she had managed to wedge that glorious posterior in the creaking windowframe and gave a shamefaced request for a little help.

"Fer fucks sake ya daffy mare, what made you think you'd ever get through!" Val spit in her claws and rubbed them together, spreading her paws and looking for a good grip to shove in an irked whisper.

"I'm tiny... I thought I'd fit...." Swan's whimper back just made the griffon hoot muffled laughter, getting a good hold of her foreleg and directing me to the other side.

Val and I both had to throw our shoulders against Swan's chest and shove, making me glad for earth pony strength and Glitter's lessons on how to apply it. I had to plant my hooves and strain, but eventually Swan wiggled her way back out and crashed to the alley outside, letting me lean out of the window and find Glitter and Ivy waiting beside our bus.

"Daddy! Are you ok? Those aunts were bein' awful silly! Are they gonna be mad?" Glitter hopped up and down, waving her little hooves happily and bringing up a good point.

I looked back to Cocoa as she leaned back into the other room to moan and cry out to Tiger waiting behind the door before she turned back and smirked. "Don't worry, I'll tell them you blew my mind and teleported out in the afterglow. They'll probably be a little upset, but I'll make sure to make it up to them and keep my promise about giving lessons... They should leave our little town very happy Fast, though they might get a little more determined to track you down..."

"Er... they'll be fine sweetie! Just a little disappointed, Miss Cocoa will say goodbye for us. Could you send your little friend up to meet her before we go? I promise it'll be quick."

A very anxious looking Spring Gale fluttered up to the window from Glitter's mane at my urging, we were more rushed than I would have preferred, but I had wanted the breezie to meet the mare in charge, they were practically neighbors after all. With a little encouragement, Gale flapped up to my hat and let me bring my head back into the room, turning to Cocoa strategically mussing her mane and making steady, mewling noises back to our unaware guard.

"Umm... Cocoa, there's someone I wanted you to meet... I wish we had more time, but she's working her way up to dealing with ponies slowly, so short introductions is probably best for now anyway. Gale? Come on out, Cocoa's a friend, I trust her..."

The ruler of Jamocha Plains got a warm look in her eyes when I assured the breezie of my faith in her, mixed with a bit of confusion as I appeared to be talking to my hat. Her gaze widened in shock and then pure joy when I felt movement on my head, a reticent voice quavering out in a squeak above me. "Is ok? Pretty pony is safe Shroud Fast? Uther beeg-beeg ponies vant take yu away, she not helping dem?"

Cocoa had to shove a hoof in her mouth to stifle a surprised squeal of delight, prancing forward and staring up to my horn in awe as she managed to tone her shock down to a whisper. "A fairy!! A real fairy! I heard all the old stories as a filly, but t-they're real!? I can't believe it!"

A light weight slipped off my head and Gale fluttered overhead cautiously, daringly drifting down towards the mare and squeaking back. "Is breezie pretty pony! Er... fairy breezie is ok too... I-Is nice meeting yu, if yu is friend of Shroud Fast, yu is gud pony, yes?"

It seemed like Cocoa's wide eyes filled her whole head, a childlike squeal bitten back as she carefully raised a foreleg up to meet Gale's shaking hoofbump. "The pleasure is all mine! Ohmigosh she's adorable Fast! How..."

"Long story, I'll tell you when we're not escaping... Gale's people are thinking about trying to deal with ponies though, and I thought you'd be a good one. They're your neighbors, since you're running Summerset Plantation now, they can probably help a lot. We'll be back soon and I'll explain, just a getting to know you kind of thing, umm... let it sink in while we're gone. They're people, really small people, but people."

Having braved meeting both a minotaur and a pony in one day, Gale flittered off, back out the window and to Glitter in a hurry. "I-Is nice meeting beeg pony who is gud, ve see again prety pony! Ve go now doh! Hurry Shroud Fast!"

"Move it boss! Let's get while the gettin's good!" Val slipped out the window after Gale, waving me on impatiently and disappearing with a flick of her long tail trailing behind her. That left me and Cocoa... alone... with her swaying her flanks and giving absent moans back to the door as she prowled forward.

I staggered backwards, my rump making contact with the wall and leaving me nowhere to go but pressing against it nervously. Cocoa pounced and quickly had me pinned, fluttering her eyelashes and bumping noses with me as she cooed. "Alicorns, Brotherhood, fairies... you bring such interesting guests to my town Fast, good as your word aren't you... Jamocha Plains really can become the gateway to the south, be a big, prosperous town. With its own Shrouded protector hmm?"

"I-I keep my promises Cocoa, w-we're friends so umm.. I t-told you I'd do everything I could to help you, r-right? I'm sorry those Gunners came and your town suffered for it, with the breezies help though, I'm gonna try to make up for it... make things better, like I said I would."

"Yes you did, you even saved me... Really know how to sweep a mare off her hooves, don't you Fast? I'm glad I took a chance on you, you were definitely a good investment. You better come back soon, for more than just talking to cute little fairies... We didn't even get to celebrate Miss Ivy's good news! Now go on, get out of here for now, I'll take care of those fillies and give you a nice head start."

The long, deep kiss she finished up with took me by surprise, not professional and skilled like before, but slow and sweet and ...honest. My forelegs wrapped around her and squeezed back, stretching the strangely hesitant kiss for a long time, leaning into the warm pony pressed against me.

She pulled away first, booping my nose with a giggle and giving one more wailing cry back to the door that set my aching wings flapping, literally driving me up the wall with that sexy voice calling out in a way that was so much more ...real... than any of the others.

As she finished she pulled me back down by my forelegs and gave another peck to the cheek, sighing softly before shoving me to the window. "A reward for my hero, just like other 'fairy' tales I used to dream about. Princesses, heroic knights and magical fairies... what other dreams do you make come true I wonder?"

'MORE!'

"I'll er... l-let you know when I come back Cocoa. Thanks again, r-really..."

I struggled against that possesive voice roaring to continue, scrambling out the window and falling to a dumpster below in my haste to get out while I was still in control. Cocoa Latte was enough to drive any stallion wild without even trying, hearing that genuine tone of desire in her sultry voice was almost indistinguishable from her practiced seduction she used as a weapon and a shield, but the difference was there and meant a lot more.

After being dragged through a whole brothel of ponies taking pleasure in each other and being teased and flirted with by three strange alicorns, then Cocoa herself, I didn't really trust myself anymore... That demanding, frustrated shout of 'Be Dark...' was getting louder and louder...

We flew north from the bright lights of Jamocha Plains, staying low and nearing the river and the towers of Trotson ahead. I hoped to make it to the labyrinth of the southern outskirts before stopping for the night, unwilling to brave the bloodwings I could see swarming around the broken skyscrapers and winding monorail lines of the city.

Ivy started losing altitude not long into the trip however, making me worry something was wrong with her and fight myself trying to check on her without being smothering. She waved off my concern with a warm look though, sighing and looking back down to the riverside streets growing closer below and seeming to settle on a slightly leaning, four story building near a forest of broken masts of rotting sailing ships strewn on the muddy shore.

Discovered Location: Seaward Shoals Yacht Club flashed in my vision as Ivy landed the bus atop the hole riddled roof, the rest of us settling around her, the others just curious while I was struggling not to start hovering over the pregnant mare unhitching herself calmly.

"Hey, wassa deal Ives? Probably wanna get a little more distance from them crazy sisters of yers, Cocoa Mc Sex Pot ain't gonna be able ta keep em occupied forever." Val chuckled to herself and immediately started securing the roof, prowling from one gap in the roof to the next and peering down into the gloom, whistling at what she found and amending her warning. "Wooo.... fancy place, ok... we can take a break to go lootin' I guess, but still."

"Aunt Ivy? Are you ok? You look kinda... sad..." Glitter pranced up to her aunt anxiously, eyeing her closely and giggling relief at the soft kiss to her forehead she earned for her concern.

Ivy ruffled the foals mane and looked up to the rest of us, fluffing her wings and sitting down as she gave a resigned look. "I'm fine dear, nothing for anypony to overreact about..." The way she arched an eyebrow at me made it clear she was keeping tabs on the racing thoughts in my head, a storm of worries for her and our foal being beaten back with some effort.

"Er.. sorry, then why stop here though? W-What is wrong Ivy?"

"I... I believe here is where we should s-split up Fast. It is still a short trip back from here to my sisters in Jamocha Plains. After talking with them and telling them about my condition... they were right, Umbra should be told. If I return, I can help Miss Latte calm them down and get them to forgo pursuing you in favor of escorting me, h-having them guard me will assuage your fears as well, won't it Fast?" Ivy tried to keep that reticent tone out of her voice and put up a brave face, but I had gotten pretty used to sharing a mental connection with the green alicorn, I could feel the pain she felt at the reluctant decision.

Despite my desire for her to go home and be safe, or how rational and reasonable what she said was, or that this was the plan the whole time, faced with it now I didn't want her to go... A surging grumble of 'MINE' wasn't helping as I cursed not being able to make up my mind, but it was true.

I wasn't the only one either, Glitter stopped her interested exploration of the ruins off the edge of the building and charged back, throwing herself at her aunt and hugging her tightly. "Nooooo! I don't want you to go Aunt Ivy! Stay and go on adventures an' stuff with us more!"

"I would love nothing more dear, but you saw my sisters and how they reacted to the news, don't you think I should tell the rest? I do need to return to Wicket and the others as well, get them ready to move to the Ministry of Peace once it's safe. I have faith in your father that it will be no time at all before we're all together there again. My sisters give as good a reason and time as any to get our time apart out of the way. After seeing those nasty Gunners here, even I wouldn't mind an escort home too, and I know your father would feel better. Wouldn't you agree Fast?" Ivy hugged and reassured the foal, speaking softly to her ears laid back in a pout and looking over to me for support.

"Er... Y-Yeah... I'd feel better if you were with your sisters instead of going to Goodneighbor alone, I guess..." I hid under the brim of my hat and scuffed a hoof at the soggy rooftop, unable to meet either of their eyes with mine trying to water.

Ivy nodded primly and trotted with my daughter over to Swan, giving a gentle nudge to her rump to propel her on to her purple aunt as Ivy smiled looking eye to eye at Swan. "You see dear? It will be fine, and it's for the best. You'll have Swan here to play with so no frowns or tears, she'll need your help Glitter. The same is true in reverse sister, watch and protect our little niece and her father for me while I'm away."

Swan nodded back rapidly, putting on a stern look and drawing the little filly to her waiting hooves. "Ok sister, I like guarding! Tell Umbra I'm really mad at her sending them to follow me too! That was no fair!"

Chuckling at Swan's naivete thinking the leader of Trinity Tower wouldn't follow her, Ivy smiled and hugged her sister, stepping back with her hooves still on her shoulders and looking her up and down with a lingering grin. "I will sister. My, it's interesting to be able to do this with you, I've never seen you down at our level. You'll have to tell me sometime what in the world prompted you to finally come down to normal size, but being able to hug you is nice sister."

In answer, Swan sent a pouty look my way and huffed with a grumble, hiding under her long pink mane and blushing embarrassment. "It's all his fault..."

While I was wondering what the hell I did now, Ivy giggled and strode over to Val. The griffon finished tickling the rusty roof access door with her talented claws and looked up, shifting uncomfortably and scratching her plumage. "Soooo... guess I'll see ya later Ives... er... be careful out there, boss likes ya an I ain't gonna be there to help watch yer ass for him. Better tell them sisters of yers ta do a good job, yer carryin' a little mini-boss around now, so yer... k-kinda like part of my job now too..."

"I'll miss you too Valkyrie, you're a wonderful griffon and brilliant bodyguard, and you're a very, very good friend too. I know you'll take care of him for me, don't let Fast get too sad or stuck on negative thoughts, you might not have my gifts, but you can tell as well as I can. Something only the best mercenary partner and friend could manage." Ivy rubbed where Val's friendly claw thumped her shoulder, then leapt to a more pony expression of affection before she could get away, grabbing her in a crushing hug the griffon squawked and struggled in for a moment before relaxing.

"Yeah well... I am awesome and all... Umm... take care of yourself Ivy, really... Don't want nuthin' ta happen ta one of my f-friends, ain't got many sos yer pretty valuable... Now lemme go ya sappy mare! You ponies an' huggin' all the time... jeez! Hey kid, goofy, wanna go help me take a look around downstairs, do some lootin' an shootin'? Let's give these two a little time ta say goodbye all private like..."

Both Glitter and Swan gave matching 'Awww!''s of frustration, struggling against the griffon smirking and gruffly shoving them along to the door she unlocked, E.F.S. showed a few roving red dashes my heightened ears said were probably shuffling zombies, not any problem for the griffon and warrior alicorn, just enough to occupy their time awhile.

After Val's pushing and screeching for her two charges to 'stop whining and move it!', she reached back to shut the roof access door with a sly wink, leaving Ivy and me alone in the light drizzle that started up. While I shuffled in place sadly at the thought of Ivy finally, truly leaving, the green beauty herself blushed and nodded over her shoulder at the parked bus with a demure smile.

"Before I go Fast... You are quite agitated after what we had to do to get you out of there... I er... m-must admit I am as well, just making psychic contact to conspire with Miss Latte is enough to leave anypony a bit frisky, and she showed such enticing images to convince my sisters... W-Would you care to see a lady off with a proper goodbye, instead of a sad one?" Ivy grinned and tossed her blue mane, sending a fan of sparkling droplets of rain off and cantering in place by the door, spreading her wings and giving them a shake to dislodge more beads of rainwater that ran down her curves alluringly.

That drove a lot of the worry and depression away in a dumbstruck instant, my own wings standing straight up and fluttering me closer to the big mare squeezing her way into the bus' small door with a tinkling giggle. After being driven to the edge by Cocoa and Ivy's sisters, the rumble of 'MORE' was in total agreement with the rest of me, more than happy to make our last memory together for awhile a good one as I followed her swishing tail with a fang enhanced leer.

What followed was a little rushed and a little cramped, but sweet and passionate all the same. Ivy made me wonder what all she had found digging around in Cocoa's brain with some of the new gymnastics she added, and more than once I worried we were going to tip the whole bus over and have to crawl out the emergency exit, but we managed to stay upright somehow.

Even the normally quieter Ivy ended up producing some rather loud shouts that echoed away in the rain pinging off the metal roof of the bus, finishing with a shudder and dragging me with her to flop on the floor, curling around me in the afterglow and nibbling my ears as she whispered huskily.

"Oh my... I will have to ask Miss Latte for my own lessons after that, she is very knowledgeable on the subject... I will miss this Fast, but I will miss you more. Are you sure you will be alright? I do worry..." Ivy cooed softly and hugged me with a worried shiver, still locked in the strong mental connection that came from being so intimate with a psychic.

"I'll... I'll be fine Ivy. G-Good enough anyway, but I'll miss you a lot too. I love you Ivy, I'll worry about you every day we're apart, sorry to be overprotective and smothering, but that's the truth."

That got a titter and a long, soft kiss she was able to continue speaking through even with our lips otherwise occupied for quite awhile. (I expect no less, it can be endearing, so long as you remember not to go so far. I meant to ask if you'll be ok with... other things... You wanted my help for a reason, and you were right to ask for it. Your Grandfather and his meddling for one, and... and I do worry what you said Virescent told you was correct, you are a good and kind stallion Fast, but you have another side, something in your head that can be dangerous... I don't know if it is because of M-Mobius and whatever he did to you, or something else, but you need to be careful not to let it get out of control. I do wish you had at least chosen another green sister instead of Swan, she is more likely to revel in violence with you instead of advise restraint.)

(You're the only mare I'm comfortable with fiddling around in my head Ivy. I'll be careful and make do until we're together again. I'll be o-ok about Grandpa... or try not to obsess about it too much until you can go digging around and find out what he did to me. I'll have to get through the Gunners between us before I can try to ask him myself, but I'd like you with me when I do.)

She broke off with a gasp at that, blinking down at me leaning up after her and already moving against her to continue. With a soft, wistful sigh, she stilled my roaming hooves and brought her own pip-buck up between us. "Yes... about that... I kept it from you after our exciting 'date' in the Switchboard, but I did tell you the Gunners had a Stable. Considering it lies between you and the Glowing Sea, I should tell you where before I leave. If you promise not to recklessly throw yourself at it though, you have to survive to get past them and find this 'Forbidden Zone' where your Grandfather hides, t-to take me with you."

Map Updated... blinked in the corner of my eye when Ivy showed me the screen of the arcano-tech device on her hoof and the map displayed there. Just as she said, Stable 75 appeared on my map, at the edge of the Glowing Sea and deep in Gunner territory.

"I'll be careful Ivy, thank you. We'll definitely go together, if Grandpa really is a brain in a jar, it ought'a be easy for you to rip the lies out of his mind right?"

Giving a worried nicker at the anger in my voice, Ivy stood and started shrugging into her simple cream dress, tilting her head down at me warily. "I know you are hurt and feel betrayed Fast, but do try to keep an open mind. I don't share sister Jade's unwavering faith, but perhaps there really is a good reason your Grandfather did the things he did. Don't let your love for him turn to hate without knowing why. I demand another promise from you Fast, you will not let that anger consume you and do foolish things, I like your mind filled with love much more than when you succumb to that rage trying to tempt you away from me."

I followed her back out of the bus and grudgingly helped her hitch herself back up, finding it hard to look her in the eye as I muttered a response. "I'll try Ivy, I promise. But you promise to take care of yourself and be careful, I know what you mean about being smothering now, but I still feel protective and worry. You're mine... er... my umm... my other special somepony, one of them... er... this is confusing. I need another word for having more than one special somepony, but I love you and our baby as much as Jade and hers, I'll miss you a lot and want us to all be together when... when all this is done somehow and it's safe, we're all one big family, right?"

Ivy giggled and spread her wings, leaning down to nuzzle and kiss my cheek in parting. "Yes, we are. We'll think of another term for it, 'Mistress' doesn't feel quite right and I imagine you'll need it for more than just me and Peri soon. I've seen your very pleasant dreams of all of us living a happy life together in Sanctuary and look forward to making that a reality, in the meantime we'll do what we have to, even if we don't like it. G-Goodbye Fast, I'll see you soon! I love you!"

She sniffled and wiped a tear away as she gave a hard flap, launching herself and the bus into the sky with a gust and shouting back on her way, forcing me to leap and wave after her, yelling back with a hoarse, thick voice. "Bye! I love you too! Be careful! See you soon! I love you Ivy!"

I watched her fly away sadly, keeping my sharp alicorn vision on her until she disappeared to a speck heading to the lights of Jamocha Plains, then just staring at where her locator tag showed her arrow on my compass. It had taken no time for Ivy to become so important to me, she left a big, empty void now that she was really gone.

A void that, despite her warnings and the lingering warmth of our hurried tryst together, was attempting to be filled by 'Be Dark...' and a rush of tempting thoughts. Gunners and their secret Stable, the Institute and my own (traitor) Grandpa, raiders and monsters, all deserved to be hunted down and destroyed to make a better world for my Princess... Princesses... for my foals to come and my daughter waiting below.

A quiet whisper of 'Be Kind...' took up the slack for Ivy, snapping me out of my brooding at the edge of the rooftop, hey... just like the Shrouded Stallion from the comics! I was getting the hang of this whole dark hero bit after all, all I needed was a dramatic flash of lightning, maybe a little wind to make my coat flap around me...

As if in answer, the rain just picked up and fell straight down, making my hat droop with my ears and soaking me quickly, ruining the mental image I was going for. At least it pulled me away from doing just what Ivy warned against and giving that darker voice reign to sneak out of its cage. I bottled it back up and shook myself, trotting over to the door down and the sounds of magical energy weapons and happy whoops of things turning to ash.

Joining Glitter, Val, Gale and now Swan in exploring a wasteland ruin would lift my spirits and get me out of the rain anyway, hoping it would pass soon so we wouldn't be soaked when we continued on. Even with Ivy going back and keeping her sisters occupied, it was probably best to put more distance between us.

I stopped at the door and gave one last, lingering look to the cloudy horizon and Ivy's arrow in my vision, sighing and chosing to replay all the happy memories I had of the smart, caring and brave green alicorn. Whispering in a choked voice to nopony. "See you soon Princess."

-------------------------Level Up!-------------------------

New Perk Added!----------

Lone Wanderer---
---Who needs friends anyway? You do! But learning how to say goodbye and when you have to go it alone grants you +20% damage and +50 to your carry weight when traveling without a companion.

Reputation Change!------------

Jamocha Plains -- Idolized
---Coming to the rescue in proper Shrouded Stallion fashion and proving you and the Minutemares will defend the growing settlement has made you a true hero in the eyes of the residents, not to mention their appreciative leader! Being on the front lines of the Gunners territory makes this town an important outpost that's sure to expand and prosper, so getting the best prices and always being welcome is a good thing!

Ch. 76-- Smooth Talking Criminal

Discovered Location: Egret Tours Marina

Blinking away the text in my vision, I scanned the shores of the river we had been following and spotted the source of the alert from my pip-buck's well informed navigation system. A concrete dock was just below, the rusting fuel station sign above a walk up diner on the central pier, a crumbling workshop and huge, barn like dry dock to one side, a few ruined buildings to the other.

Taking a moment to make a wide loop around the structure and scan it carefully in the moonlight, I was heartened to see E.F.S. didn't show anything. That along with the weakening, sleepy grip of my daughter slumping on my back decided me and I called to my companions as I started my descent.

"Ok, this place looks safe and we've gone far enough, we'll rest here until morning, then into the city."

Once the order was given, Val easily pulled ahead and did a much faster circuit of the ruins, flitting from building to building, skimming the water lapping at the boat ramp leading to the dry dock, before bursting out of the upper windows, making a careful inspection at our chosen haven for the night.

I briefly wondered whether having her bodyguarding skills questioned by the alicorn Tigerlily we were escaping was behind the very thorough display, but chose to let her go and landed with a stumbling canter down the cracked concrete dock. I winced at my inexpert touchdown making the foal on my back give a groggy whine, her sleep further interrupted by the large purple alicorn thumping to the dock beside me with a heavy thump.

"Nnnn.... mm're we t-there yet d-daddy?" Glitter shivered on my back, sending my head craning back to try tucking her blanket around her better, noting with concern how tightly she clutched it already and the glistening line of snot down her muzzle.

"We're... somewhere, where we're stopping for the night anyway sweetie. Go back to sleep if you can, we'll have a fire as soon as we can and warm you up, just hold on a minute."

Watching my breath puff out in chilly little clouds as I spoke, I berated myself again. I kept forgetting about the cold... I just didn't feel it the same way anymore, so it was hard to tell what was too much for the little filly without some other kind of evidence besides what my mutated senses reported.

The drizzly rain had blown off before we left the Seaside Shoals Yacht Club and the night sky was clearing, but those thin, wispy clouds moving rapidly above must be pushed along by a cold front. Trying to remind myself about the concerns of normal ponies, (and worrying how they seemed to be fading away to a dim memory for me...)

I drew in a deep breath and mentally cataloged that crisp, blustery smell. Winter... that's what winter smelled and felt like... pegasus weather magic could tell me these things, but until I learned what they meant it was hard to keep track of It was sure to be important soon too, Hearth's Warming was only a month or so away according to my pip-buck. It had already been nearly two months since I left the Stable!?

Worriedly trying to help warm her from the trip, I managed to force my uncooperative wings into standing up when I wanted them to for once, which they of course didn't want to do... More than happy to spring straight up when it was embarrassing, not so much when it was useful... Still, they did as told and the dark feathers were warm, giving her a bit more protection as she snuggled fitfully against my mane.

They were joined by a much larger lavender wing curling around her, Swan both concerned for her niece and taking the opportunity to lean down and nuzzle with a whisper. "Stopping's good Fast, niece Glitter looks cold and tired. Let's find somewhere good to warm her up, then we can go play!"

Ugh... looking up into Swan's twinkling blue-violet eyes wearily and noticing all the heart shaped sparkles, I sighed and figured we better get a few things up front. As far as the purple alicorn was concerned, she was here on vacation and anxious to get started, especially after the fiasco of Jamocha Plains and her sisters nearly dragging me away for just the kind of fun she wanted.

"Er... Swan... Let's just get some rest and take care of Glitter tonight, we'll have plenty of time to play... later... Did Ivy tell you anything about umm... h-how we've been handling it?"

She got a distinctly pouty look and tossed her long pink mane, giving a snort and answering sullenly. "Sister Ivy said you're stubborn, that I have to go on a 'date' thing first, didn't we do that already though? We fought those mean Gunner ponies and took a trip together, that counts doesn't it?"

"N-Not quite, no Swan... Look, it's not about hitting the bare minimums and moving on, I call it a date, but it's more... getting closer first. I like you Swan, I really do, we're friends. But I don't know you very well either, I want to spend time together to fix that, before we do any er... playing. Besides, Jade has to give the go ahead, and I'm sad right now after saying goodbye to Ivy."

That pout only deepened as she tilted her head, leaning closer to eye the upturned screen of my pip-buck, Ivy's mark blinking steadily at Jamocha Plains still, safe with her sisters. "But I want to play, it's my turn, I came all this way and did what you wanted! Why do I have to wait? Why are you sad? Sister Ivy is going to do as the mother wished, she's having a foal, going home to tell the others. Everypony should be happy!"

Trying to hush her rising whine, I was grateful to see Val land at the end of the pier and moved to join her gently, trying not to jostle Glitter any more than I had to and answering in a tired whisper. "We are happy Swan, but we were both sad too... I care about Ivy as more than just a friend, I only play with mares I feel that way about first, er... I'm trying to anyway. When somepony you feel that way about goes away, you feel sad. I-It's complicated... just not tonight ok?"

She didn't look convinced... at all... Instead she huffed and grumbled, trotting along behind me and pouting sullenly as we met Val. The griffon smirked down at me, but refrained from any teasing with the filly hidden by my wings waiting, rubbing her furry shoulders as she shrugged back to the ruins, reminding me she felt the cold too.

"Looks mostly clear boss, tour buildin' yonder's got some crazy squatter you might wanna yap at, but her little claw mark thingy is green." Val waved out to the shattered storefronts and small homes, her claw lingering on a two story brick structure facing the water, the storefront and counter exposed, but more sheltered rooms within clearly visible by the soft glow of a terminal.

"Right then, let's go up there and take a look, maybe we'll get lucky and they have a fire going already that they'll share."

Drawing her huge pistol, Val clucked and rolled her eyes, leading the way to a sturdy blue door to the rear rooms of the building from the street. "Wouldn't count on it, sounds a lil' nutty... see for yerself, just eh... stay back a step. Oy! Crazy Granny! You gots a fire in there? Feel like bein' friendly, do a little barter maybe?"

In response, a gruff, elderly voice screeched back, definitely not friendly, but not bloodthirsty so doing pretty well for the wasteland. "Go on! Told ya to get! Leave! Quick, 'fore I malfunction er somethin' and blow yer brains out!"

My eyebrows shot up at 'malfunction' and Val winced when she caught it, was it a robot in there? Something that needed fixing? I opened my mouth to say something, only to have Val clamp it shut with her claws, giving an indulgent sigh as she grumbled. "Yeah, yeah... if it is some tin can, at least they're feisty... Hey! Why not open up! My boss is a big nerd if yer some broken down robot or somethin' in there. C'mon! Gots a chilly filly out here!"

The door swung open sharply, the double barrelled shotgun on the other side met instantly by Val's pistol on the other. The greying red-orange mare behind it looked completely unconcerned however, waving it back and forth and giving a raspy cry, the shadowed old eyes under her battered cap widening when they spotted the filly in question. "Filly!? Go! Get her outta here! Hurry before I end up killin' her and... gurk! g-go...ack! n-now..."

The old mare's weapon clattered to the leaf strewn sidewalk just as I got concerned at 'killin' her', brought up short from asking just what the fuck she meant by that by her clutching her chest and stumbling back, the color rapidly draining from her face only drawing attention to the way her lips turned blue.

The bright purple glow coming from the same direction as Swan's predatory growl left me struggling to keep up, looking from the suddenly dragon eyed alicorn prowling forward, to the elderly pony suffering some kind of... heart attack? I could hear it lurching in her chest from here...

From Swan's scowling words, I started to suspect one was connected to the other... "You will not hurt niece..."

"Swan? Umm.... S-Swan? Hey! SWAN! Stop!"

Quick as it started, the old mare's medical emergency went away the second Swan's horn extinguished and she turned with an unsure look, still keeping one wary eye on the gasping mare on the floor as Val kicked her weapon away and covered her with her own sneer. "What was you sayin' there nutburger? Jus' wanna be sure about it 'fore I blow yer brains out..."

"Why did you stop me? She said she would..." Swan whined back, the narrow slits of her eyes widening and becoming safely round again.

"Calm down! Both of you! She sounded worried about that happening, not threatening! At least I really hope I'm right, for your sake Ma'am..." I hissed back at the two of them, fighting back my own impulse to jump to the same conclusion to call for peace like Jade would want, marveling at how Deliverer had appeared at my side like magic without my knowledge. Wonderful... now I was the voice of reason...

Ignoring both Val and Swan's frustrated protests, I watched as the strange mare choked and thumped her chest, the uneven thumping of her heart settling out as I listened. "N-Not safe fer little ones, I-I'm a synth dammit! Any second them Institute bastards could send some crazy signal, hit some button... or I'll see polka dots and them my programmin' will kick in and... just get her away!"

Even recovering from nearly having her heart literally stopped in her chest, the anguish and concern for the foal -not hate- was very clear in her strangled voice. 'Be Dark...' muttered in my mind at being denied, but I politely told it to shut the hell up for once. Ivy was gone... I'd have to rely on dealing with that voice myself, and this mare wasn't threat to Glitter, 'Be Kind...'.

"Val, take Glitter and get a fire going in that apartment building up the street, there ought to be somewhere to get some rest in there."

The griffon's eyes narrowed at my wings lowering and fluffing near the sleeping filly shivering there, squawking at me incredulously. "But boss! She..."

"Let me talk to our company, I'm sure she won't be a problem and you need to get warmed up and take a break too. It'll be fine, I'll keep an eye on her."

Taking in my flat stare and implacable tone, Val seethed and kicked at the ground, gently taking Glitter in one free claw while the other kept her pistol trained on the gasping mare reaching her hooves. She was only a little sated when my magic reached out and broke down the fallen shotgun, swatting me with her tail as she turned in a huff and stomped away, muttering under her breath. "Bleedin' heart nonsense... Goofy Princess... I don't need no break dammit! Only cause'a the kid... get yerself shot dumbass... crazy old bitch..."

"Thank you Val! Now then... let's talk about you being a synth and why you think you'd hurt my daughter Ma'am, which I can assure you would be a very, very bad idea... My name's Fast by the way, sorry about your umm... heart... did you really do that Swan?"

Stamping her hoof hard enough to put cracks in the concrete, Swan snorted and kept glaring at the mare as I helped her up, answering in a petulant hiss. "Yes... She said she'd hurt niece Glitter... why can't I kill her?"

"N-Nearly did ya big galoot! Probably fer the best if ya did too! Just... a-alright young buck, if'n it'll make ya go away I'll tell ya. Name's Practice Daily, c'mon in I guess, is cold out here..." The elderly Ms. Daily shivered and stepped back into the firelight inside, scooping up her open shotgun with a crotchety grunt when offered to her.

I holstered my own pistol, moving to take a step to follow and stopped by a lot of purple feathers. Swan's wing formed a wall between us and she pouted over the appendage to me. "This is dumb... If she's a synth thing, killing her is fine. But do what you want I guess..."

Giving a groan, I sputtered on her long pink tail smacking me as well, facehoofing over my current conscious companions, I had two Vals... If anything, Swan was quicker to jump to lethal force after her years of experience being the terrifying guardian of Trinity Tower. Getting used to traveling with Swan instead of Ivy was going to be like night and day... eliciting a weary sigh as I whispered back.

"Thanks for humoring me then Swan, sorry. Synths can be alive though, and there's no way for us to tell if she really is one, so let's slow down before jumping right to the crushing her heart bit..."

She didn't sound convinced, but did raise her wing, following along as I entered the ramshackle rear half of the Egret Marina Tours.

Some bare effort towards comfort had been made in Ms. Daily's spartan home. Set up in the offices of the river tours business, a strategic hole had been knocked through the ceiling above a metal drum and the fire burning within, candles were scattered about for those lacking natural nightvision, visible in a room further back was a musty mattress covered in rotting blankets on the floor, and the elderly mare herself settled into a creaking office chair by the fire.

Pointing to a rusty file cabinet missing a couple drawers to show a collection of canned food and bottled water, Ms. Daily waved a hoof towards her supplies with a grumble. "Only hospitable ta offer guests somethin' I s'pose, long as that big mare don't gobble it all down... Who knows why they'd make us synths need ta eat, but I do thank ya very much..."

"We don't really need to eat that much Ma'am, so thanks anyway but save it. What makes you so sure you're a synth anyway?"

Practice shrugged and reached for a flask from her padded brown coat, muttering back. "As ya like then... Blackouts young'un, ponies I've hurt and don't remember... Why I live alone, and why you should get yerself an' that filly outta here! 'Fore one of them Institute bastards hits some button somewheres and... boom... one more dead fool."

"Can I kill her now Fast?" Swan growled back, the distinction between warning and threat lost on her.

Trying to keep this pleasant and continue, I sat on the threadbare carpet, scratching my head in thought. I wasn't sure why this was important to me, synths were a part of living in the Commonwealth and it had never bothered me so much. Of course that was before I was aware I was related to one of their creators...

That was assuming she really was one too, something I wasn't so sure of. "If you were one of those synths that isn't conscious of the orders they're acting on, I can pretty much assure you any 'button' would have been pressed already. The Institute doesn't like me that much, the feeling's mutual too."

I gave my wings a flap and pointed to Swan's much more obvious nature to demonstrate, waiting for the inevitable as the old pony squinted in the candlelight and got a good look. "Yer.. Yer both!? Y-Yer that pony on the radio... the crazy buck dressin' up like the comics? You ought'a know then! Those evil sons a bitches don't make no sense anyway, maybe they ain't hittin' the button just ta mess with ya, or me, or Luna knows!? They're insane, do whatever strikes their fancy, why else would they make m-me..."

Tears welled up in her eyes as her voice cracked, an ocean of regret and misery communicated clearly that I still had a hard time believing synths could copy, even knowing they could. Normal pony or synthetic one however, she was in a lot of pain and I felt a certain sense of ...responsibility now.

If Grandpa had a hoof in making the synths, he was to blame for all the real ones struggling to be free, and all the paranoia their existence bred in the hearts of the ponies of the Commonwealth. Either way, faced with it now that I knew I was related to that, I felt the need to atone, even if Grandpa didn't.

"Most synths I've met either don't know they are one, do know and are fine following orders, or do know and are ...alive, but in control of themselves. You might be one, but you might not be Ma'am, what happened to make you think you are one? What did they make you do?"

She slumped in her seat and a lot of fight seemed to go out of her, turning to stare into the flickering flames and sounding a million miles away. "W-When my daughter died... it was jus' me an my grandson Mattock. Got us a place on with a farm down the river, hard work... nasty plants, but kept us goin'... One night I'm on watch, and I... I... I thought I fell asleep, it's just b-blank... O-One minute I'm sittin' there, rifle on my legs... starin' out at the marsh, an' next..."

"Next thing I know, gunshot snapped me outta it... an' little Matty's at my hooves, a-an' there's blood everywhere... O-Others come runnin' out at the shot, but it's just us... no raiders, no Gunners, just me an... a-an my little buck, those little hooves what hugged me... an he was just gone... Gone an' it was all my fault! Me an' the damn Institute... ya got no idea what that's like!"

At the tearful admission, Swan's horn lit back up, flickering away when I approached and hugged the sobbing mare. 'Be Kind...' The thought of being in her shoes... of waking up to find Glitter that way... thinking I had done it... I cried with her, synth or not, ignoring Swan's annoyed snort and trying to offer some comfort.

"I don't... I'm sorry. I know what it's like to hate the Institute though, and to do things you don't remember, and to lose family because of them. You don't know it was you though, or even if you really are a synth and they made you. You loved him right? You'd never hurt him?"

The raspy cry as she clutched back tightly was like a knife to the heart, a dim, desperate hope buried deep in her words. "N-Never! I loved that buck! O-Or I thought I did... p-probably fake memories they made me feel an..."

At that I held her back, looking straight into her watery eyes and shaking my head forcefully. "Love isn't fake, even if they programmed you, you felt it, you still feel it. You love your grandson as much as I love my daughter. Maybe it was someone else, o-or they took you over, or it was an accident, but you love him and that's what matters Ma'am. He knew that."

Getting it off her chest seemed to deflate her, change her from old to ancient before my eyes as she sniffled and croaked back. "B-But he's dead... and I'm not. T-Tried so many times ta end it, but their damn programmin' won't let me... An' if I'm not a synth, that just means it was all me an' I'm too much of'a coward ta kill myself!"

Wiping my own eyes, I sighed sadly. "I don't think your grandson would want that though. I don't know what really happened, or if you're a synth or not, but there are things you can do still, instead of killing yourself when you don't know either. There's a group in Trotson called the Railroad, I bet they could tell if you were a synth or not. My friend here's sisters in Unityville could even read your mind, maybe they could see what happened? Or you could try to move on and make up for what happened, the Minutemares always need good ponies, maybe you could help others? There's more you could do besides just sit here alone and think the worst."

"W-What if the worst is true though? If I am and they made me kill my own grandson...." Practice asked in a fearful hush, the growl of 'Be Dark...' offering an immediate answer.

"If you are a synth and they made you do that, I'd try to kill all of them before yourself."

That was something even Swan agreed with, stamping a hoof and nodding earnestly. "They are bad and should pay, you could make them as much as you can, then they'd kill you for you."

Her next, reticent question made me worry for her more and hope Swan wouldn't chime in again. "And... and if I'm not? If there's no excuse... i-it was just me?"

"You'd have to know first, then decide what to do about it I guess. If it was me... I'd probably do the same as you have, kill myself or hide if I couldn't. But I'd find out first, and I don't think my daughter would want me to... your grandson would probably want the same for you."

Watching her forcefully wipe her eyes and put on a little of her earlier grumpiness like a mask, I was glad to see consideration and gratitude in her bloodshot gaze. "P-Probably so... I'll think on it Mr. Shrouded Stallion, thanks fer takin' the time and risk fer an old mare. S-Still advise ya to take that filly of yers and get, but g-go on and get her warmed up anyway, take some firewood if ya please. Foals that ages need their rest too... Just be gone in the mornin'!"

Accepting the dismissal, I floated a few branches of dry wood from beside her barrel and shoved Swan out the door ahead of me, turning back as I pushed it shut and speaking through the closing gap. "We will be, thanks Ms. Daily. I'm sorry."

The smoke puffing up from down the block made Val easy enough to find, even though it was coming from the third floor of the broken apartment, I kept plodding down the street, lost in thought. The Institute and their experiments... So pervasive and feared, they could make normal ponies afraid they were synths and didn't know it, or leave their own creations so addled and riddled with guilt over what they were forced to do.

I wasn't sure which was worse if Ms. Daily did find out one way or the other, synth or pony, that was a mare who had suffered, in part because of my Grandfather.

The loud stomp behind me pulled me out of my brooding with a start, spinning back and looking up to an angry Swan snorting puffs of breath from her nose. "We should have killed her... She pointed a gun at niece Glitter and you, but you were nice instead! Why?"

I really didn't understand why she seemed quite so upset, but recognized that fury in her voice and paused, answering carefully. "She didn't mean any harm Swan, I felt bad for her and ...r-responsible. Jade would have wanted us to be nice."

Rather than soothe her, that just looked to make her madder... The already shrunken pupils of her blue-violet eyes flashed into slits for an instant and she stuck her nose up in a huff, spreading her wings and launching herself to the hole riddled roof of the large boat house across the street.

"Er..."

I could see her up there... plopping herself down at the peak of the roof above, her back turned and wings raised, sneaking little peeks down before sticking her nose up again, leaving me thoroughly confused looking up to her. I suddenly realized just how used to being around a telepath I had gotten. Ivy knew what I meant even if I screwed it all up by opening my mouth, and I usually had a better idea what she was thinking in turn.

Certainly clearer than the complete mystery mumbling to herself up there now... Ponies had always been a mystery to me, and fillies were a mystery, printed on a 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, wrapped in an enigma and locked in a puzzle box...

The bundle of branches I had grabbed flew up the street in my magic as I went the other direction, fluttering up to the roof warily and landing a few feet away. "Umm... Swan? Something wrong? I know it's inconvenient and can be annoying, but Jade really would want us to be better. W-We'll go find plenty of raiders or monsters you can kill soon I'm sure..."

"I don't care..." drifted back to me sullenly and I could feel my brain beginning to overheat trying to keep up. Yes... she was definitely mad about something... Though actually asking if she was only got an even less convincing, "No I'm not..."

"Nnnn... Ok, something's wrong... You're one of those ponies where you ask if something's wrong and they say no, but you can tell something actually is definitely wrong... Even I can tell and I suck at this stuff, could you help me out and tell me Swan? I'm really horrible at figuring these things out when I can't read your mind. I can't believe I actually miss unity, but I guess I got used to Ivy just..."

Swan gave a graceful spin and wheeled on me there, an angry, wounded pout on her features as she tromped forward and leaned down into my face. "Sister Ivy isn't here, sister Jade isn't here, I'm here! You won't play, you keep moping, and you treated that crazy pony nicer than me!"

"W-Wha?"

I gave ground and skittered backwards in confusion, running into the bent weathervane at the center of the roof with a squeak as Swan kept advancing, that hurt scowl deepening as she built up steam. "I came when you wrote! I was excited you picked me and wanted to see me again, I did lots of stuff to make you happy so you wouldn't run away again! But you didn't notice anyway, too busy whining and being sad about sister Ivy, or doing what sister Jade wants, even being nice and huggy with that old mare, but not me?!"

Was she.... jealous?! Maybe that was too strong, but she sounded hurt and neglected... True I had been moping and kept talking about Ivy with her parting so fresh for me, had I been upsetting her? Not paying her enough attention? "I... Swan I'm sorry... I didn't think, I have stuff on my mind I just found out and... No, no excuses, I really am sorry. I didn't think about how you felt, er... I seem to be bad about that lately."

"Yes you are! I did what you wanted to make you happy, why aren't you happy to see me? I waited and learned things and got pretty with Miss Cocoa! O-Or I was... until all the fighting anyway! Y-You ran away before... So I even did what you wanted and made myself tiny!" A little of that anger cooled and took on a note of longing, we had been rushed and I realized I had been quiet and ...broody... since meeting Swan, I had been hurting her this whole time?

Her torn pink skirt ruffled in the breeze and I saw how clean all the non-bloody portions were now, spotted a bit of lace underneath she must have acquired in Jamocha Plains waiting, could see some care had gone into the long, frazzled pink mane fluttering against the sky. Not to mention the question of her being normal sized that I had mostly disregarded as convenient, but even Ivy said she never saw Swan this way. She did that for me?

"Swan, I am happy to see you, I really am. I should have paid you more attention and noticed more, I didn't mean for you to go to so much trouble on my account. Or do anything you didn't want to for sure, I just thought you were smaller because it was easier. Do you not like it?"

"No... I don't. B-But you told Umbra a 'less smashy Swan'... so I thought you wanted... Didn't you?" The rest of Swan's display of fury fizzled out and she looked down at herself uncertainly, now that I was really paying attention, I noticed that look of discomfort and dissatisfaction at what she saw before looking back hopefully.

"Er... actually I was surprised to see you like that. I didn't want you to do anything that made you uncomfortable because you thought that's what I wanted though. Why did you think that?"

"The last time I saw you, you did that nice lip thing I liked, but then got scared of me and ran away... I like other ponies being scared of me sometimes, but I didn't like that... Y-You ran from me because I was too big, so I thought... t-this would make you happy and you'd do it again." Swan's ears drooped and that sad, hopeful note in her voice made me wince at my thoughtlessness.

Lip thing... Kiss... I had kissed Swan, then I had indeed run away... Granted I had kissed her to escape her overeager, smothering grasp when she held me like a captive kitten, but I had kissed her and it obviously meant a lot to her. I hadn't even really considered how she felt about it, what she had been thinking since then, what she thought when I wrote her or agreed to be with her to begin with. Hell, she wasn't even in Goodneighbor when I told Umbra I'd agree to her as one of the three I compromised with her on, Swan got it secondhoof...

Well, I could try to make up for it anyway, fluttering up to her level hesitantly and wrapping my forelegs around her neck, giving her an anxious, warm kiss that was different with lips that couldn't smack my whole face at once, but just as nice either way. When I pulled away, I was relieved to see a soft smile curling her muzzle and her full cheeks turning pink.

"Swan, I'm sorry, forgive me for being rude and distracted. I like you how you are, however you want to be. I didn't run from you because I was scared of you... er... a little worried at the time, but I was running from all of your sisters too, not just you. When I told Umbra that... I meant less smashy as in... er... p-practicalities and all... Stuff like being able to get into buildings for one. I should have asked about it before though, instead of being mopey and wrapped up in my own problems."

She gave a nervous little whinny and fluffed her wings, holding a hoof to her lips happily and murmuring back. "Yes you should have... So you wouldn't be mad or scared of me if I umm... were like normal? Would you play with me?"

"I promise, that's the Swan I got to know anyway and I like her. Being able to wrap my hooves around you and give you a more traditional kiss is nice too, but what you want is what's important. If being that way makes you happy, that's what I want. We'll er... figure out n-not smashing me d-during ummm play... later... Though after Virescent, you're not quite as daunting."

"Sister Virescent?" That surprised her into blinking away some of that creeping worry, tilting her head curiously at the mention of her green sister.

"Oh, yeah... Heh, no telepathy... Not that that's a bad thing! Sorry! Just have to get back in the habit of actually talking to communicate. We ran into Virescent and she reeeeally overdid it on radiation, she was bigger than you and... w-well we didn't do anything, r-really... but she came close. That was a little scary, but not entirely, and you're lots nicer and gentler than her."

Seeing a wide, genuine smile light her face up felt better, her chortling, snorting laughter infectious as she snickered to herself. "Sister Virescent! Bigger than me!? She's a lightweight Fast, she never indulged! I would have liked to see that! Did she go on a rampage?"

"Maaaaybe a little one..."

"Ha! She always made fun of me when I told her it was harder than it looked! That's funny! So... It's ok? I can stop being so small? I don't like it..." Swan's hearty laughter tapered off as her eyes flicked down to herself again, she really seemed uncomfortable for some reason.

"Don't do things you don't like just to please me Swan, nopony's happy that way. Be yourself, that's who I like, no matter what size you are. T-Though I stand by the fitting in doors thing, just as a suggestion."

Just like that she was back to her old self, happily prancing in place on the roof and squeeing. "Ok! I can still fit lots of places without being so tiny, I miss my pond though... I'll have to find lots of radiation somewhere, but I feel better already! Thank you Fast! Maybe this getting to know you date thing isn't so dumb..."

"Yeah, there is a reason for it Swan. Gotta spend time together and learn stuff like that about each other, tell each other things that are bothering us or we like. You know, be all umm... i-intimate like. I got lazy with telepathy, but you're not Ivy, you're Swan and you're great. We'll get by the old fashioned way just fine, just be sure to tell me when I'm being stupid again."

At her wing waving the invitation, I stepped over a few gaps and new dents in the rusty rooftop and moved to the edge with her, snuggling against her side and staring out at the dark towers of Trotson to the east. She was right, I had been thoughtless and hurt her, too wrapped up in my own problems and worries and not thinking of her. She came to help and be together and I took it for granted, making me resolve to make more of an effort at getting to know our new companion.

One thing I did know and like that was true at any size, Swan knew what she wanted and was up front about it. After sighing in contentment and curling her wing around me to enjoy the view a few minutes, she leaned down to flutter her eyelashes and grin. "Now can we play?"

"Umm! S-Still meant what I said earlier though Swan, let's take it slow and talk to Jade first. Not that I don't want to! I just... er... You're uncomfortable being small for some reason right? Well I'm uncomfortable jumping right in, m-mostly... I prefer to really know and care about the other pony, make it special and mean more than just... p-playing around. So I'd still like to wait if that's ok."

That unsure look flickered across her face again, but was thankfully replaced by a demure smile and nod. "Ok, I don't want to make you do stuff you don't want either, it's not nice trying to do stuff you don't want just to make a mate happy. C-Could you do that lip thing again though? I like that, and it is kind of nice doing it while I'm so small... if that's alright?"

I gave her a relieved smile back and nodded, leaning up to plant another kiss she eagerly leaned into with a giggle. Gasping to her when I had to tap out, I was already considering figuring out some kind of safe word or something with her if she did get any bigger.

"Kiss Swan, that's a kiss and that's fine. S-Sorry the first one I gave you was kinda rushed and maaaaybe a little bit of a trick to run away, but we can do that as much as you want to make up for it and get it right. We can just er... stay out here to do that, it'll let us keep an eye on Ms. Daily too. Just cause I feel bad for her doesn't mean I trust her or didn't want to hurt her at first too. Lemme just tell Val we're keeping watch and bring her firewood, I'll be right back."

That seemed to make the lavender mare feel even better, flicking a distrustful look down to the old mare's closed door before beaming back and nodding rapidly. "Ok! I can go look around and get more comfortable then!"

Shrugging at her happy plans, I glided over to the building where Glitter and Val's marks on E.F.S. were displayed, curious what she meant until I heard the splash from the river. More comfortable... the river couldn't be much more than a trickle of rads, but she was already down there soaking them up. I'd really have to see what was behind Swan's clear dislike of being normal sized, but it seemed personal and important to her and that's what mattered.

"This is a very small pony... I feel better somehow..." Swan mumbled around a mouthful of Insta-oats and peered closely at the breezie fluttering in her face, the tiny Spring Gale more like what she was used to when dealing with ponies at her normal scale.

"Is breezie, not pony... This is beeg-beeg-beeeeeeg pony Glitter tells aboot? Does not look so beeg..." Gale's yawning answer made Swan flush in embarrassment and toss her mane, sending the little breezie flapping back at her annoyed snort.

I ended up spending most of the night awake and involved in a rather extended makeout session with the purple alicorn, though we did get around to other things like talking... honest! A lot of it actually, relating all our adventures since I last saw Swan in Goodneighbor when I changed took hours by itself.

That was even with glazing over things here and there to make them simpler too, Swan was plenty smart and able to keep up, but she liked things simple and direct. Just reluctantly trying to explain what I had learned about Mobius took quite awhile to get across, more than him being a bad Institute pony to be smashed anyway...

Hearing about how she and her sisters at Trinity Tower were doing took up the other half of the night. From her account, things had really changed a lot there, a whole town was growing in the lower floors of the M.A.S. hub now, and while the upper floors were still the exclusive domain of the alicorns of Trinity Tower, they were going down and mingling quite a bit.

There was definitely a lot of deep, sharing type conversation though. There just also happened to be a lot of kissing too... Something Swan had decided she quite liked while she was so 'tiny' and was a quick study at...

So, I was groggy this morning, watching the back and forth between the two mares on opposite ends of the height chart sleepily. Swan insisted on sitting in the mildly radioactive river water in the boat shed all night during our ...guard duty, so she had put on an extra inch anyway. She was disgusted at how long it would take to reach her normal stature though, having the little breezie point out she wasn't as remarkable as the stories Glitter told her just rubbed it in.

Seeing how they hadn't been properly introduced and Gale had been bundled tightly in Glitter's mane last night, this was their first extended interaction and I was hoping for it to go a bit better. If we did help the breezies and convince them to help Ivy and Jade's other sisters as the need started rising, them making a good impression was important, especially Swan as she'd be next in line to need their care.

At least Glitter was awake and chipper as always in the morning, munching on a carroty Fancy Buck cake and spewing crumbs as she answered, breaking another cake in half and pushing it over to the breezie landing on the dirty countertop in the ruined apartment we had taken for the night.

"Oh Aunt Swan's normally reeeeeeally big Gale! Like a dragon or somethin', I look like a breezie next to her! Dunno why she's not now though, how come Aunt Swan? I thought you really like bein' great big?" In just one cheery sentence, Glitter cut right to the heart of what had taken me far too long and too much help to figure out... Now I felt worse not asking that simple question right off.

Her smirking smile just made me flinch as Swan looked to be thinking along the same lines, but her disposition sweetened and she took the other half of the cake Glitter was offering, the foal getting the two new acquaintances to share a meal without even trying. "I do... Though fitting in places is interesting sometimes, Miss Cocoa showed me around her town and taught me things while I waited! It was fun! I'll go back to normal when I find better radiation though, then your little friend will see."

Val tittered laughter from her post peeking through the cracked window, enjoying her morning beer while keeping watch for our fellow inhabitant of the ruins of Egret Marina. "Good! Disappointed them assholes goin' after Jamocha Plains didn't get the full monster alicorn treatment last night! I'll go finds me s'more when yer large an' in charge again, just ta watch em piss themselves!"

"Let's hope it doesn't come up instead of looking for it Val, heading into the city is risky enough. We just wanna get in and out, this place isn't far and if we're lucky it will have what we need."

Trying to shake off the sleepiness dragging my head down to the counter, I hopped off the rickety stool by my daughter and started gathering our junk, tugging the door open with my magic to let in some light and fresher air into the stuffy apartment. The bright view out of the missing wall of the bedroom made me wince, taking in the crisp air and frost sparkling over every surface, though it did clear away the sooty smoke from our guttering fire.

Taking the cue to get moving, Val slugged the rest of her beer back and belched loudly, earning a long giggle from Glitter as she checked her weapons and asked a curious question. "Yeah, about that. Where we goin' anyhoo? Still don't get it, you wanna go to some ruin fer a place what made them silly holotape game things? To get into the MoWT hub... the most secure and badass hub in the Commonwealth... with games?"

I turned from staring up at the thin, wispy clouds moving quickly across the sky and back to Glitter, already bundled in her coat and furry Yakyakistan hat. "I know it sounds weird, but yeah, basically Val. How about we walk for awhile, until the sun warms things up a little more. I'll explain on the way."

I didn't hear any objections to the idea, Glitter grew up wandering the Commonwealth and never complained about hoofing it. Being able to prance around and explore with a curious breezie at her side, who was interested in every new ruin out in the beeg pony world, just sweetened it for her. Swan wasn't far behind them either since she never really left her pond and Trinity Tower, plus she eagerly said traveling on hoof would let her look for more radiation. Only Val grumbled a bit, but didn't say a word with concern for Glitter's health taking precedent, it was cold up in the sky even on warmer fall days past, right now it looked and ...felt... way too harsh to take her up there.

Old Ms. Daily didn't come out of her ruined home when we trotted out, though I could hear her and feel her eyes nearby. Val and Swan both gave matching disgusted looks when I stopped at the tumbled down chain link gate across the road leaving the marina, but I called back to her anyway, wishing the old mare well and hoping I gave her something to think about. Jade or Ivy would have done better, but Swan had her point too and I appreciated it, leaving her to her isolation was a compromise my current guilt about the Institute could live with.

Walking turned out to be a good choice for once after we left, the narrow country roads near the river set a nice pace and gave Glitter some exercise, keeping the chill at bay as we were able to walk and talk a lot easier than yelling over the wind. Letting us enjoy even the skeletal woods and wasteland view with it bright and covered in frost.

There were isolated Miretanks hunting this close to the river, but this far from shore were usually only two or three at a time, and the click-click of their claws on the asphalt or frosty ground made them easy to keep track of. Dispatching them also let us get to know each other in a different way, working together as a party traveling the wasteland and getting familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses.

The road started getting choked with ruin the closer we moved to Trotson, but switching over where the railroad tracks crossed it let us keep heading north, providing a better, elevated path with clearer lines of sight. We had to deal with a cluster of zombies near the wrecked trains that lurched up at our approach, whether original passengers or just feral zombies finding somewhere to lay in ambush, which did keep us on guard a little. Though there was the added bonus of derailed train cars rusting away to ruin for Val and Swan to search, one for loot and one for anything highly radioactive...

Mission: From Within

Objectives---
--Investigate Bitway Games HQ
--Find Ministry of Wartime Technology Hero arcade cabinet

"Ya mean that goofy game down in Shamrock's casino?! The only one Blue actually liked, that silly Ministry of Peace, learn ta be a doctor nonsense? That thing!? That let us get inta the hub!?" Val picked the lock on another sliding steel door from a cargo car halfway down the muddy slope from the tracks. Scratching her plumage and looking back incredulously after I had simplified and explained our current goals displayed on my pip-buck well enough to get it across.

"The game I found for mommy!? That helped?!" Glitter joined in, sticking her head out from scavenging in a tilted passenger car still partially on the tracks and yelping proudly at the discovery.

She explored the Wing Ding casino floor better than any of us and had brought her mother to that game knowing she'd like it, finding out our plans now hinged on her find made her beam down at me happily from the window of the old traincar.

"Yeah sweetie, turns out the whole 'You Win' screen she got that said 'go enlist with the Ministry of Peace today' wasn't just a joke. I got a better look at a prototype of that old arcade cabinet back at the hub and figured the rest out from there, lots of fancy tech for an arcade game, it had a little communication system even! It said to try the other Ministry games and I'm hoping it's the same on any of them. If you win, it sends a signal to the hub and the maneframe running it, like a golden ticket to let you in that the.... er... Great Tree recognized."

Putting it in those terms and remembering not to dismissively address Gale's guardian diety as just a computer to be fooled looked to help the little breezie grasp what I had been explaining. She coughed popping out of a moldy old suitcase still up in the overhead storage of the train with Glitter, her antenna tugging a few floral printed hankerchiefs to bundle up in as she caught on.

"Ohhhh... Funny game ting talk tu Great Tree, so it let you in because Princess pony get invitation? Dere is uther Great Trees in beeg pony world Fast?" That look of wonder and suddenly searching the skyline for other giant trees was bound to be disappointed, but she got the gist of it.

"They aren't all Great Trees like the MoP Gale, they're buildings, but yeah there are more and they all have like... a relative of your Great Tree running the place. Swan and her sisters live in another hub actually. If we can go find a game for the Ministry of Wartime Technology, the MoWT hub should know about it and let us in, or give me a backdoor to work with anyway. Er... provided we beat the game, and find a working one first... it's a plan in progress ok? It's not far..."

I got a little defensive actually explaining it as Val's excited look got more doubtful, snorting and turning back to searching for more loot, her tail flicking out the top of the fallen car as she called back. "Sure boss, sounds easy enough, we'll just go pick up one of these goofy game cabinets fer all the other hubs an' bring em back with us. No problem!"

If that's what it took, I was perfectly fine with that actually... Besides getting to take home my own arcade cabinets to play with as I wanted in Sanctuary, it would keep anypony else from stumbling on the same backdoor we found by accident. Though hearing her say it, it did sound a little impractical. Thankfully Gale and Glitter saved me, hopping back to the tracks and galloping up to where Swan was investigating a cargo car full of yellow barrels spilling down the tracks, kicking one in disappointment with a hollow bong.

"Yu live in Great Tree type place tu beeg-beeg pony? Is dere voice of yur Great Tree that talk tu yu tu?" Gale fluttered up to the pouting alicorn's face curiously, here was something she could relate to that the breezies and alicorns shared.

"Umm... Voice? There aren't voices back home... except unity, but that's normal, the building doesn't talk. Though I don't really go inside often... maybe it does and they never told me? It doesn't let us in certain places still, even with all those new ponies wandering around and wanting to go there." Swan blinked back at the question, tilting her head and thinking on it as a distraction from still not finding a convenient balefire crater or something in the last hour.

Glitter gasped at that, remembering what we had heard before about 'Unityville' and the Trinity Tower mare's attempts at joining the wasteland. Unlike me she hadn't sat up with a kissing aficionado and been filled in yet. "Oh yeah! You gots like a whole town of other ponies now Aunt Swan! I wanna visit an' see sometime, what's it like now? Do you like havin' more company near your pond?"

"It's ok... a lot of them were scared of me... but they were getting used to me I think. The radiation keeps all but the ghouls away, but they help me guard some! Guarding's gotten harder with so many little ponies running around... before it was always just scare ponies away or smash them, now there's ones it's ok to let in and ones it's not, crimes and breaking up fights... smashing is easier... I'm happy to take a vacation for a little while!" Swan actually sounded a little ...worried there for a second, I hadn't thought about what everything changing would be like for her, but it seemed to be weighing on her mind.

Now I felt worse... and more curious why she insisted on staying super sized all the time. With a bunch of normal ponies down on the lower levels of the tower with her now, she probably had to deal with a lot of freaked out guests anytime she stretched her legs, her job had gotten a lot more complicated and needed a more subtle (smaller) hoof. I wouldn't be surprised if she was already dealing with rejection from others based on her size back home, and she thought I felt the same way? Made herself small for me, when she hadn't for anypony else back home?

"You're a great guard though Swan! You're intimidating, but not scary unless you want to be, and now you've got a lot more ponies counting on you to be strong and protect them. Let your new guarding friends handle the er... little stuff. I'm sure all those new ponies will love you when they get to know you better, just give them a chance to see how special you are. There's a lot to see usually, when you're not hiding in your pond."

A little flattery went a long way with Swan, something I made a mental note of as she pranced at my side and nuzzled her way across the railway overpass, crumbling to the wrecked road below one large stone at a time. With one eye continually checking my map for Ivy's mark now flying north to Goodneighbor, I had a good idea where we were now and was a little nervous this close to Diamond City.

We hadn't been anywhere near the Great Green Jewel's territory since escaping their jail, so I wasn't too keen on running into any D.C. Guards if we could avoid it. Fliers weren't nearly as rare around the capital of the Commonwealth either, with a healthy pegasus population living there, so it was actually better to stay low where we were a tad less remarkable. A little slower, but I was born a unicorn, I still liked walking sometimes.... Just to remind me of that fact if nothing else.

As the ground rose up towards the outskirts of the western city, the first low canyons of ruins started closing around us and signs of raiders and other frequent battles began appearing. Still, it had been fairly safe going and quiet, almost making me dare to hope we'd manage to just slip in and out without incident.

"H-Hey! Help! Help please!" The shaky cry echoing down the street to my ears almost made me groan, of course not...

Not that I'd turn away from helping somepony in need. But couldn't there be one day where there wasn't always one somewhere? Where some misery and mayhem wasn't just part of the cost of surviving out here? 'Be Unwavering!'

Her medium yellow coat and dark blue mane were filthy and a few scars showed through her light leather armor and ratty jacket, a crude pipe pistol looked to be her only weapon too. She didn't have a bunch of spikes, bloodstains or tanned cutie marks on her armor anyway, and her own mark wasn't something like a skull or bloody dagger from what I could make out, a pair of masks actually, one happy, one sad.

Val's weapons clicked menacingly and Swan growled at the pony prancing in the street up ahead, to be fair I pushed Glitter behind me warily and drew the Terrible Shotgun too... but I did call back and try to sound friendly.

"Hi there! What's wrong? Are you ok Miss?"

I was a little heartened to see the three story office building the strange mare was calling from was just where I wanted to go at least, Location Discovered: Bitway Games HQ blinked in the corner of my view still centered on the anxious looking mare. A sturdy structure of dirty red brick, the wide double doors out front were under a dark sign of broken bulbs and golden glitter reading; Bitway Arcade.

Neat! The first floor was an arcade! I probably shouldn't be so excited by that with the desperate filly ahead of us, but I couldn't help a bit of foalhood glee even so. She sounded almost frantic and full of worry though, the tremor to her voice as she backed towards the waiting doors bringing me back to the present.

"M-My friend! We were scavenging and the floor fell in! H-He broke his leg and we used our last potion! I can't pull him out! Please help!" Her pitiable cries made me shake off my laziness and distraction, standing a little straighter and trying to sound properly heroic, this was the kind of thing the Minutemares were for, helping where they could.

"It's ok! We'll give you a hoof, just hang on and..."

"Thank you! Thank you so much! Right this way, he's in here! Hey Rattle! It's ok..." Rather than wait, the slender yellow mare dashed back inside, calling to her injured friend and darting glances back the way she came, waving us on with her tail excitedly.

I pulled up to a brisk trot and headed that way, confused by Val's groan and suspicious grumble. "Don't like it boss... tell 'er ta git her ass back out here..."

"Val, she needs help, she's worried for her friend, we can't just ignore her."

"The hell we cain't! Blue ain't around, toss her a potion if you feel all Princess-y, be generous an' give her a tab of Buck if ya want sos she can pull him out herself, but don't just go wandering on in after her!" Val huffed back, flapping up a few feet and scanning all around.

"That's where I want to go anyway. Maybe we're lucky and they already found what I want, we can help each other."

Whether they agreed or not, Val and Swan took up their positions we had settled out on traveling this far, letting me take the lead and following at Glitter's flanks, the filly protected from three sides as we moved in a tight cluster up the street. Our damsel in distress had already gone into the gloomy building, her mark still green on E.F.S. and pointing the way.

"He's just this way! Not far in, hurry please!" The mare called back from the next room once we cautiously entered what was a small ticket room by the looks of it.

There were several automated Bits to Tokens machines by a flickering Sparkle Cola vending machine to the left. A counter to the right with a lot of stuffed prizes turned to so many rags, the plastic prizes surviving much better and still under the guard of the skeletal pony draped over the rusty pink cash register. A door beyond the flip up counter still hanging on by one tarnished hinge had a terminal lock that caught my eye, the view of stairs through the dirty window on the portal making it the likely way to go to reach the game company floors.

The dimly lit space ahead was where the mark on Eyes Forward Sparkle led though, the twinkles and distorted, multicolored lights and dancing shadows making it hard to get much sense of what lie beyond. It was a big space, full of dark hulks and a few functional games, arcades were generally kept dark and windowless from what I remembered of the rare treat, but there was usually lights of some kind... Were they all out? But the games weren't?

I was just starting to really feel the suspicion Val did as soon as she saw our missing 'friend', now even her mark on E.F.S. was gone and there were a lot of places to hide in there... Vengeance came out in the dim glow of my magic and I spun the cylinder before flicking it closed again, satisfied at six soldiers waiting there. "Miss? Where'd you go... I think we lost you... Have to lead us to your friend in order to-"

Two things hit me there, one after the other. The first was the smell... It was distant and took a second to pick up in the gust of fresh air from the door being opened, but it crept back and alicorn senses dutifully reported it. Meat... rotting meat... A lot of it somewhere in there.

The second thing was a hail of gunfire hitting the flickering purple barrier that sprang to life in the doorway, E.F.S. went from empty to full in a cacophony of firearms, most pinging uselessly against Swan's bright shield that added to the illumination, showing shifting shadows of a lot of raiders springing their trap.

Scrambling backwards to Glitter, I barely had time to turn back to the door before it slammed shut, the sound of something heavy sliding against it outside along with manic cackling. I yanked the suprised filly to my back in a rush, turning back to the crash of Val's pistol as she peeked around the door frame and the edge to Swan's shield.

I could do without her 'I told you so' glare back, though Swan handled it for her with a pouty question before acting as she liked. "It's ok to kill these ponies, isn't it?"

"Yes Swan, it's ok to kill these...."

My growl back made Swan nicker happily, her gritted teeth becoming distinctly sharp and predatory as she flared her wings and crouched, ready to pounce into the room and tear the frustrated raiders to pieces. Unfortunately they weren't the typically stupid raiders, they lured us into a trap, and one they had set up well.

"Gots ourselves a big haul boys! Mop up what's left!" A sneering laugh from overhead drew my eyes up just in time to see a trio of metal apples tumble down from a ragged hole in the ceiling, more raiders camped out over the entryway pinch point.

"Fuck! GO!! Move yer ass an' take it to em goofy!" Val screeched and shoved Swan towards her own shield, reaching back for Glitter and I and relieved to see me already coming to the same conclusion, no way out but through...

"Sweetie stay down! Hold on really tight and keep your head down! It's gonna be-"

That was as far as I got before the world exploded behind us, my daughter didn't panic and I could feel her little legs squeeze my neck in a death grip as I was lifted off the ground by the blast, spreading my wings and clumsily trying to level off, without crashing into the heavy pillars of the arcade cabinets acting as cover for the raiders that were rushing up.

I got a vague impression of Val and Swan both going different directions, dodging around the forest of obstacles a lot better than I could and both descending on the raiders before they could recover either. I fared less well... clipping a dark buckball game and skidding across the litter strewn floor, desperately trying to keep my head and wings up to provide some kind of cover to the foal screaming on my back over the noise.

The Terrible Shotgun joined Vengeance being dragged back in my magic, bringing up S.A.T.S. let me better tell just what kind of briar patch we had stumbled into and try to do something about it. This place was a maze of sturdy games and wreckage, those not functional were pushed around strategically to offer the raiders plenty of cover arrayed around the only entrance.

S.A.T.S. showed me where they were even better than alicorn vision though, the glowing outline of one target after the next highlighted as I flicked through those I could see just a sliver of through their barricades. More than a dozen just in the immediate vicinity, more than that in the directions Val and Swan's green marks were, plus who knew how many more upstairs... great...

Using up the full spell charge, I queued up as many shots as I could at the half hidden targets, hoping the shotgun slugs and .45 rounds were enough to penetrate some of the junk they were hidden behind as I accepted the sequence. Time resumed and both weapons started barking, blasting one dark screen in a shower of sparks, hobbling the leg of a greenish grey buck galloping past a hoof hockey table, sending one lunatic charging out with a fire axe tumbling back to his fellows on his heels.

The high speed work of the weapons guided by Stable-Tec magic was dwarfed by more explosions across the room, the rapid thump and ka-boom of Val's grenade machinegun tearing up large swaths of the arcade in a display that made me wince. Some of those were still working...

I would complain since we were after one of those games actually, but the muffled squeal and bright pink lances of magical energy weaponry coming from over my head made that less important. Glitter was right in the thick of this mess with me, normally she'd be with her mother or Ivy, an alicorn that could actually make an alicorn shield... I had no such protection and was often the primary target, on my back was the worst place she could be!

A familiar red shape ahead gave me something to shoot for, the curves and fins of a big Space Captain Andromeda rocketship game, the open cockpit was small and the craft in front of the flickering screen looked like it was made of pitted steel flaking cheery red paint, somewhere with more protection than a pair of madly flapping wings anyway.

One thing I did have going for me, the raiders kept their trap dark so they were shooting at backlit silhouettes at the entrance, here in the dark with them, we were on even terms. Worse for them actually as I was a moving shadow already with my dark colors and Shrouded Stallion armor.

I tried another ungainly flap to the sagging ceiling, getting a brief look around the large room and spotting the round shell of Swan's shield plowing through obstacles like bowling pins. She was happy anyway... Not trying for anything fancy, I tucked my wings and made my short flight into one long jump, firing the rest of the current drum of shotgun shells from the flank as I came down on the cluster of raiders near the rocketship.

Putting my chest first and my head back earned me several hammering rounds slamming directly into my chest, but kept Glitter as safe as possible as I stumbled and rolled to the heavy ride, glad to see a few dents there from stray rounds already, but no gaping holes. Sturdy enough...

Gasping and sucking in a burning breath, another bright pink beam from Glitter's Righteous Authority turned a crazed orange mare to ash as she skidded around a broken crane game, leaving me lagging behind to blow the head off the buck on her tail. Her victorious little snort just made me worry more, I set a horrible example for my daughter...

"Glitter! Up in the ride, scoot! Stay down and don't move!"

She obediently scrambled up my neck as I leaned against the rocket, huffing back with a resigned whine. "Fiiii-ine! But I helped daddy! I got..."

I had to rudely shove her down to lay across the rounded hull and use the last .45 round on a screaming pale blue stallion leaping over a wall of broken cabinets. At least the boom of the revolver by her ear and the spurt of blood from my neck just where her head had been convinced her, her pale face going a bit paler as I tried to reload and hissed back to her.

"I know, you're doing great sweetie, but this is serious! Stay down, shoot if you have to but stay here, if they don't see you they won't know to shoot you. I'll be right here, but they're going to be focused on me, ok? Make sure it stays that way!"

Her determined nod from down in the floor of the rocket gave me the courage to leave her, she wasn't leaving my sight, but I couldn't draw attention to her. At a thought, Blue Moon clicked out at my side and started crackling with energy as I flapped up overhead The bright, pale blue beam still wasn't very accurate, but it made sure the raiders knew I wasn't near where she sheltered any more and a few shots got lucky even.

Just to pile it on, my horn lit up with the voice altering spell and the Shroud's rumbling growl echoed through the cavernous space. "GREETINGS EVILDOERS... YOU SHOT AT MY DAUGHTER, YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE..."

No clever quips or enticements to their better nature, 'Be Dark...' surged forth at the invitation, seething with hate over not just the fact Glitter was in danger, but how we wound up this way. They lied... they pretended to be good, took advantage of ponies who would help to slaughter them, that bitch who was the good actress was bait, her story a lie, all of it was lies.

'Betrayers...'

Just like grandpa... Pretend to be good while you're really evil, let ponies think one thing while you do another... A fresh drum of shotgun shells clicked home and went to good use, the Terrible Shotgun lighting the shadows in bright flashes that showed horrible scenes of how long they had been at it.

A sunken eyed teal mare was thrown back from the slug through her ribs as she broke for cover, sliding across the floor in her own blood and slamming into a dual screened racing game. The dirty sign identified it as Red Racer Gran Prix, the pair of scooter shaped seats to control it from had been replaced with a pair of corpses though, bound to the machine with barbed wire and clearly ridden hard until they died.

'Murderers...'

I flew around the rocket Glitter sheltered inside in widening loops, hitting the ground to run for more speed thanks to the aura of lightning flickering around me by itself, then bounding back up to continue the campaign of destruction I was getting lost to.

A basketball game where the victims were made to be the hoops and the leathery balls had sharpened nails festooning them flashed by. Lit in the pale blue-white beam of Blue Moon turning a light machinegun wielding buck to ash. They lured ponies here not just to rob, but to torment and indulge in their twisted parody of what this place once was.

'Torturers...'

Both barrels of a double barreled shotgun waiting past the crumbling pillar I flew past sent me reeling, the blast of buckshot tearing into my wing and ribs, throwing me against scavenged chain link fencing surrounding what had been a ball pit for younger customers. The smell of piss, shit, blood and terror assaulted my senses as I dragged myself back up, peering woozily through the gaps to the filthy ponies cringing in the corner. Prisoners... some they hadn't gotten done playing with yet...

'Slavers...'

At least most raiders were up front about what kind of assholes they were, even the Gunners were proud of the fact they were murderous psychopaths. These oh so clever raiders though... they were the raider equivalent of the Institute, liars and manipulators hiding in the shadows. Tricking good ponies to play their sadistic little games.

'Liars...'

Past their miserable, desperate eyes, I could see the very bitch who tricked us here galloping away... Running right over the ramps of a row of skeeball machines and towards a dilapidated employees area door in the corner. The evil mare bucked a pair of grenades the way she came, only offering me the chance to fumble at them with my magic because my burning eyes had locked on to her at the first glimpse. 'Awareness!'

I flung both grenades towards the largest clumps of red on E.F.S. and growled around the handle of Best Served in my mouth. The star metal blade sliced easily through the fencing penning the abused prisoners in and I tried to keep the growl out of my voice, "Stay or go, up to you."

I wanted to go after her... chase her down, give her a taste of the terror and suffering she inflicted on others. The rest of these savages at least had the excuse of being raiders, crude, violent and stupid for the most part. That one was smart and sane enough to know right from wrong though, all the better to act convincingly good and normal... She didn't get to escape.

Glitter held me back though, I wanted to kill that bitch, but I had to protect my daughter, I couldn't do both... What was more important was easy enough, wasn't it? Of course it was. Best Served glimmered in the shadows and spun back to her rocketship protection, twirling low to the ground and slicing the legs off muddy brown raider who had gotten too close to her in one pass.

The image of the masks on that cunt's flanks as they retreated away from proper divine punishment wouldn't leave me though. I wanted her more than her cohorts, wanted to slash and bite and taste her blood, watch her die slowly...

'Let me....'

No! Glitter! I wasn't leaving her just to chase after some vile mare, no matter how much she deserved Luna's wrath or how insistently that creeping voice of 'Be Dark...' demanded it. It was almost like that murderous impulse had been waiting for Ivy to no longer be around to watch it, free to tempt and struggle for control at the provocation these raiders offered.

Still fighting with myself, my ears flicked at the 'FWOOSH!' sound of a missile being loosed and I barely spun my head in time to see the projectile coming right at me. My bleeding wing wasn't agile enough to rely on, so I hit the floor rolling out of the path of the explosive streaking from the door the mare had retreated through. She went and got the big guns... the ugly crimson buck wearing metal armor had to be higher up the food chain, judging by his superior firepower.

I rolled back to my hooves as the missed shot detonated behind me, the near miss made my pip-buck start complaining about a crippled hindleg before I found out by putting weight on it with a hiss. Ignoring the sharp pain of shrapnel and warm blood back there, I forced it into working well enough to tense, ready to charge right at him and put that missile launcher battle saddle out of commission as soon as possible. The high pitched scream piercing the explosion stopped me cold though, I felt the color drain out of my face as time seemed to slow down on looking back to Glitter's cry.

I dodged... the missile kept going and blew up near the rocketship she was hiding in. The screen was a smoking ruin and I watched the ship itself flipping lazily through the air, torn loose from the rest of the game and sent cartwheeling through the air. Glitter was in there... screaming...

'No...'

"GLITTER! NO!!!"

I roared in a panic, my magic banishing the shadows as it reached out and enveloped the tumbling ride before it could crash to the ground, along with everything else not nailed down in range... The assorted junk, rubble and dead arcade machines made a swirling shield of detritus, blocking off another missile that exploded against the barrier behind me, an unimportant annoyance compared to diving towards Glitter as the rocket settled gently to the floor.

My heart tried to stop seeing the blood coating half her slack face, was she breathing!? I couldn't hear her heart!! I... No.... there it was, a slow beat that sped up in a rush as her brow furrowed and she coughed to suck in a deep breath, the wind knocked out of her from the blast wave, her dizzy pink eyes goggling back up to me with a wince.

"D-Daddy? Wha..." She groggily whimpered up to me, bruised and bleeding from being thrown around the cockpit of the little rocket and smacking into the unforgiving controls, but alive and aware... Thank you Goddesses...

Struggling to stay in control, I shoved a normal healing potion in her muzzle and was relieved to see Spring Gale's long antenna glowing from her silver mane. The little breezie in the MoP nurse's outfit took the uniform seriously and was already trying to heal that gash on her head, it bled a lot, but didn't look serious and was already knitting back together.

Gale started healing even before getting the rest of her senses back, woozily blinking up from the filly's head and shivering in fear. "Is over yet Fast Shroud? Bad ponies is scary, vant to go.... leetle pony hurt!"

"I know, it's ok, it's all going to be ok Glitter, just drink. Keep helping her Gale, we'll get out of here in just a..."

Another explosion went off behind me, impacting an already dead Gauntlet of Fire game I flung back towards the source. Sending the flaming wreck back at him gave the bastard something to think about as more junk swirled closer to fill the gap, my burning eyes found his bloodshot orange ones, just before the burning junk slammed him against the wall with a satisfying crack of bone anyway. Val swooped down on him as he struggled out from under the heavy weight pinning him and her pistol took away the chance to properly punish the bastard.

'More...'

"VAL!! HELP ME!!!"

I screamed and took conscious control over the maelstrom of junk swirling around us, drawing it closer to make a thick wall of debris nearly to the ceiling. I was surprised at the weight and just how much of it there was floating around without thinking about it or intending it. Disregarding that and the approaching squawk of my loyal bodyguard, I turned back to see a little color returning to Glitter's face as the potion and Gale went to work.

"Ok sweetie, you're ok, you two just stay down and I'll be right back, this will all be over in just a minute..."

"Boss! The kid ok?! What's... oy! Where you goin' shithead!" Val landed atop my makeshift wall and started prowling it, sending a rain of red M.E.W. beams down between craning her neck to peek in the crashed rocket, worry fighting with her normal glee at a good fight.

I gave Glitter a rushed hug and flapped up to join Val, fighting very hard to stay in control and beat back the rage pounding at my temples. My oozing wounds and limping leg were unimportant, barely getting a wince as I scrambled up my wall of junk aided by one good wing, giving Val a hard stare as I spoke in a ragged voice full of fury.

"Val... guard Glitter, protect her for me..."

Seeing my weapons floating beside me and the gleaming knife in my mouth, Val instantly objected, pausing briefly to send a pair of 25mm grenades out into the carnage before voicing her rejection. "Boss... what'cha think yer doin'... I ain't gonna..."

"GUARD HER! That's an order Val, nopony gets near her while I'm gone..."

The fiery griffon flinched at the ominous voice of the Shroud leaking into my own. I never actually gave her orders, I hated doing it... we were friends, friends didn't order friends... But I didn't want to argue about it, I wanted to kill all of these remaining raiders and hunt down that bitch, before the glowing purple dervish marking Swan's trail of destruction beat me to it. 'Be Dark...' would accept nothing less.

I saw the wounded look on Val's face and hated ordering her around even more, but shook it off and forced myself to drink one of Jade's green tinted healing potions. Flexing my healing leg and wing, the Terrible Shotgun blasted an unlucky raider trying to move closer before the furious voice of the Shrouded Stallion boomed out.

"RUN NOW IF YOU WANT, BUT NO PLACE IS SAFE. DEATH HAS COME FOR YOU EVILDOERS, AND I AM IT'S SHROUD!"

There was a brief hitch in the fighting, the jittering red marks on E.F.S. paused as I launched myself off my wall of junk. Lightning crackled around me in a flickering aura and I hit the ground running, leaving an arcing trail of electricity in the gloom and zipping towards one mark after another.

BLAM! Vengeance punched through the makeshift armor of a raider stallion crouched behind a whack an eel game, sending the bleeding buck reeling back to the machine and clutching the spurting hole at his heart weakly.

'More...'

BOOM! The Terrible Shotgun blew the hindleg off a green mare trying to run for it, her screams as she hit the floor and bled out music to my ears.

'More...'

SNICKT! Best Served slashed neatly through the throat of a pale blue buck a year or two younger than me, age no excuse for his behavior and I happily took his head.

'More...'

I grabbed the severed head in my magic and pulled it with me as I blasted onward, lobbing the still blinking head towards a cluster of red dashes and savoring the fearful yelps. I took several lucky shots from panicked spray from a submachine gun, but plowed forward anyway, slashing and shooting, getting sprayed in gore and licking blood from the handle of my knife.

'MORE...'

The spiky maned mare I was aiming for next was suddenly skewered by a trio of glowing purple arrows, leaving me to skid to a frustrated halt and nearly run directly into the flickering sphere of Swan's shield as she came around the corner. Eyes Forward Sparkle still tracked more targets, but they had to be in the back or upstairs, the arcade had been cleared in a frenzy of killing that had me panting before the big alicorn.

Thinking of Jade, I absently worried about what a sight I must be, covered in blood and viscera, sharp fangs gnawing at the handle of my starmetal blade and both firearms reloading with a thought in a talented swirl of telekinesis. Surprisingly, Swan didn't fret or worry like Jade or Ivy would, instead she grinned with her own sharp smile and nodded happily.

"There aren't any more to kill here, I smell more though... Can we go kill them too? Does this count as a date?" Swan pranced in place and shrugged towards the door the bitch retreated through, she wasn't offended or worried... she liked this as much as that darker part of me did.

'MINE...'

"Yes... Yes we can go kill them Swan, all of them... But I want that bitch who led us here, let me have her if you find her first. Do that and this counts as a date Swan."

The growl in my voice didn't bother Swan in the slightest, instead she bobbed her head and smiled, joining me as I pushed through the battered and bullet ridden door, after the vile mare who led us into this trap. Val was still with Glitter, both of their green marks safely behind us. She wouldn't like it, but Glitter wouldn't be safe until they were all dead and I couldn't leave it to her to do for me, couldn't give up the pleasure of tearing that cunt apart myself to stay with my daughter instead.

I knew it was wrong, but I wanted it anyway...

'CRUNCH!' Swan teleported directly over the head of a pink raider mare at the next intersection and fell like a ton of bricks, snapping her spine and craning her head down to look upside down into the mare's dying eyes, squinting closely before looking up cheerily. "Nope! Not this one either Fast!"

Apparently she had taken my request for the yellow mare who tricked us as some kind of challenge as we made our way up one floor and the next. Any male raider in her way just got obliterated as efficiently as possible, but mares got the ton of fun treatment, or slammed to the wall in her powerful telekinesis, or their hearts stopped... Swan had a variety of spells for hurting ponies and knew how to use them, holding back so they didn't die immediately just so she could check if they were the bitch or not.

After seeing that display, a silver mare dashed from what looked like an employee break room just down the hall. She wisely didn't even attempt to go after the purple alicorn that squished her friend though, instead opting to run the opposite direction as Swan's head snapped up and her eyes turned dragonish.

The Last Minute whined and a blurring 2mm slug tore through the raiders head before the glow of Swan's horn could teleport her that way. Jade wouldn't like killing a fleeing opponent, but at the moment she wasn't here and I didn't care, they all deserved to die and that was actually more merciful than letting Swan get her.

She turned a pouty look my way for taking away her next victim and whined for that much actually. "That was a mare... what if it was..."

"Yellow Swan, we want a yellow mare, blue mane, masks on her butt. Just kill all the rest quick, but try not to smash her if we find her right away, sure technically that one's alive still... but not for long huh? Actually could you..."

At my nod, Swan blinked and looked down to her four hooves still planted together on the pink mare's back. Her victim gurgled and foamy blood sprayed from her mouth in rough attempts at words, her forelegs uselessly twitching on the floor to drag her away from the big alicorn.

"Oh! Right..." Swan gasped sheepishly and raised one strong foreleg with a smile, closing her eyes in the happy expression as her hoof came down sharply and cracked the raider's skull like a walnut.

The part of me that wasn't still lusting for blood itself felt a little queasy watching her shake the brains off her hoof and prance over. The hint of dissatisfaction on Swan's face wasn't from the act itself, or the gore, it was that it was harder than it should be. If she were her normal, giant self, smashing that raider to paste would have only taken one hoof.

That other, darker part of me that was currently winning though... 'Be Dark...' liked Swan... Hell, it loved her. My mane itched and my wings stood up slowly in a pinion flaring display that made her giggle. The growl of 'MINE...' loud and excited, annoyed the bitch it still wanted to kill eluded us and was delaying claiming her.

For her part, Swan seemed to feel the same way no less... She brought up her glowing shield around us and trotted happily at my side as I prowled down the hall, leaning down to nuzzle my itchy mane and nicker her delight. "This is fun! I never get to go after bad ponies where they hide, being tiny isn't so bad I guess if I get to hunt them down in their little nests like this. When I get big again, you can go in to find them for me and tell me where to smash though! Then I could just bring the stupid building down and watch them run!"

"I want what's in this building Swan. If you smashed it, lots of cool stuff would be ruined." I replied in a ragged voice, trying to exert some control at least. All the violence and a very pretty mare that found it a turn on was getting to me...

Find the bitch first, then... 'MINE!'

There had been another set of stairs to the upper floors in the back of the first floor, giving me a direction to go and a little comfort for Glitter's safety. I doubted they had been able to crack that terminal locked stairwell up front, so it was unlikely they could come at Val from upstairs.

To get to her, they'd have to go through us, which was even less likely as we cleared our way to the third floor and blocked their progress. The third floor was full of offices, lots of dead terminals and a few still glowing ones, cubicles and larger personal spaces with fancier desks or big drafting tables.

The rotting posters on the walls and variety of junk on the desks marked this as something other than the boring business office spaces we had explored before though. These ponies made games and seemed to all be of a more juvenile bent. I absently wished I had grown up in this world, that it hadn't ended the way it did... Maybe I would have ended up working in a place like this.

"Oh, that's right, sister Ivy said you like silly junk and old world things. Well... you could go inside and flush them out for me! Then I could catch them when they run and stomp and smash! That sounds like lots of fun! Though it is fun hunting them where they hide too... If I was juuuuust small enough to fit inside, that would be good I guess. Then we could kill them all together, and play when we were done!" Swan nickered to herself and nibbled at my ears as we walked down the dusty halls, idly flicking her gaze forward to send an eldritch arrow lancing down the hall, just as a raider buck popped out, throwing him back and pinning him to the wall in a spray of blood until the magical arrow dissipated.

"P-Play later Swan... Though m-maybe that wouldn't be so bad, if you could keep it down to double sized that would probably fit I guess... Nnngh! Dammit... let's not get distracted, she's back here somewhere, I can smell her..."

Swan's big blue-violet eyes got sparkly and wide, squeeing to herself in joy at the approval of her amorous plans. By her reaction I was conflicted to realize she'd probably go right along with the dark fantasies trying to consume my attention, horrible yet wonderful visions of eviscerating the yellow cunt, then rolling around and rutting Swan in her blood, licking it off her curvy frame, bathing ourselves in it in a frenzy of carnal lust...

Thankfully she took the delay without complaint though, shaking her head and tromping forward, letting me clear those morbid mating impulses and fight for control. Swan shifted her shield into a moving wall ahead of us as she lowered her head to the floor and sniffed, returning to the task at hoof. She caught me staring up her short pink skirt, at her swishing tail and generous rump stuck up in the air at the posture and grinned as I facehoofed myself, but simply nodded and shrugged ahead of her.

"You can smell her too? I think she went this way, I didn't get a very good scent before she ran off though. So are you really like us Fast? Can you do everything we can?" Swan purred back and kept leading the way, following an invisible trail alicorn senses were able to pick up and expressing curiosity about my condition beyond being a male alicorn for once.

Talking helped me keep that furious grumble in my head quiet at least, I didn't want her like that... didn't want to do those things... I wanted it to be sweet and special, not... that. I nodded worriedly and thunked my head back into cooperating, reloading my weapons and peeking in rooms we passed as I answered.

"Not quite Swan. I er... I guess I'm mostly like you guys, but the mare who did this to me had some funny ideas. I can try to explain later... right now there's a few coming for us again, they just came in range, so the back of the building must be a little far away."

Looking all around and finding nothing, Swan blinked back in confusion. "How do you know that? I don't smell any, or hear any..."

"Oh... Right, I never had a chance to... hang on, I've got one with me!" Realizing what the difference was between us and how useful it was in combat, I paused and frantically dug in my saddlebags, retrieving one of my dwindling supply of pip-bucks from Stable 111 and holding it out to the squinted eyed stare watching me.

"One of those funny Stable things? For me?" Swan seemed unsure and poked at the arcano-tech device hovering before her. Granted it looked a little small for her and she wasn't much of a tech oriented mare, but they were too useful not to take advantage of for multiple reasons.

"For you Swan, I would have given you one back in Goodneighbor, but... t-things happened and I couldn't risk finding you. This is special to me, it comes from my home and I give them to ponies I care about, it can help you fight..."

That got her interest, though she still looked suspicious, plopping down as the jittery red dashes in my vision moved closer. "Help fight? But I fight good already... How will I wear that silly thing when I'm back to normal? It's so small..."

"Swan, please just trust me, that won't be an issue, it stretches. I want you to have this, if you wear it I can always find you and you can always find me. That's just one of the things it can do, it will help keep you safe and help you protect others. Will you let me give you this gift? Hurry..."

Her unsure expression turned into a wide, brilliant smile as she nodded. Explaining the gist of the locator tag system seemed to do it for her. Considering the rest of her sisters were searching the whole Commonwealth for me, being able to find me as she pleased was enough to make her agree and shoot a foreleg out. Though by the roses blooming on her cheeks, I got the idea Swan didn't get many heartfelt gifts or ponies concerned for her safety.

As soon as the pip-buck made contact with her shapely foreleg it activated and stretched to accommodate the appendage, blinking and beeping as it clicked closed and she gave a surprised little whinny. I checked the screen and saw the familiar hitch in the processor as it took in her unfamiliar anatomy, then displayed a cartoon alicorn on the start up screen.

Swan shook her head and blinked rapidly as the boot up sequence finished. "Ooooo... I see things!"

"Right... quick primer, there's a compass at the bottom of your vision right?" I waited for Swan's eyes to flick downwards and her nod, then continued rapidly. "Ok, the red marks there mean somepony bad, the green marks mean somepony good, usually..."

Just that brief explanation looked to make her even happier, panning her head left and right with a fang enhanced grin. "This thing can tell me who it's ok to smash and who not to? So if it's red, it's dead, yes?"

"Basically yeah..."

At that Swan squealed happily and pranced in place, fluttering her wings as she danced in tight circles before turning towards the nearest cluster of red in my own view, blasting forward with an ecstatic sing-songing cheer. "Yay! Red is dead! Red is dead!"

Of course... After the problems and worries she had shared about guarding at Trinity Tower becoming more difficult, her issues distinguishing between those it was ok to hurt and those who were free to come and go... The Eyes Forward Sparkle system must be a blessing from the goddesses for her, it removed any moral qualms or indecision, green was good, red was bad, simple as that...

I should have given it to her earlier, more thoughtlessness I really had to work on. For now I had to race to catch up to her warpath, the brief respite from the burning pyre of hate in my head already fading as I followed the destruction and added to it. I caught up in time to see a trio of raiders try to overwhelm her with numbers in desperation and watched her deal with it with aplomb.

A bright beam from her horn instantly halted their attack with a large crystalline block solidifying around them, leaving them trapped as she turned to a mare coming at her down the hall. It was a pale mare with a black mane in spiky armor though, I caught her muttering 'not yellow...' before she charged to meet her.

With her otherwise occupied, the Terrible Shotgun blasted the frozen raider-cicle and I was intensely satisfied to see it shatter with just one slug. The trapped raiders dissolved into bloody chunks along with the crystal prison, cutaway views of their bones and organs made my stomach churn, even as that darker voice relished the sight.

Now that she had E.F.S. to guide her along with her own sharp senses, it was hard to keep up with Swan's rampage. She was actually a little frustrating... I drew a bead on a tan buck with a dirty red mohawk, only for her to teleport in the way and snap his neck with one strong punch of her foreleg. I was forced to mop up the leftovers and back her up, stymied from really indulging in the violence and rage 'Be Dark...' kept screaming for.

Eventually we had it narrowed down to just one last red mark... the bitch had to be ahead, behind the door labeled;

'Testing Lab
Authorized Employees Only!
Top Secret!'

While that was a little ominous and the words 'Testing Lab' made my tail bristle with thoughts of the Institute and their mad experiments, she had to be in there... I waited for Swan to trot over to the door with me, after scorching a bleeding raider mare trying to crawl away with an intense beam of magic. The lightly panting filly was happy as a clam, beaming and nodding back as I shrugged to the door and grabbed the handle in my magic.

"She's mine Swan..."

"Okie dokie Fast! Let's get her!" Swan whooped happily, bucking the door open when I twisted the handle and barreling in with her shield raised, ever the guardian protector but willing to indulge the demands of 'Be Dark...'

We charged in, only to be met with a booming, cheery voice blaring from overhead that was somewhat familiar.

"HERE COMES THE NEXT CHALLENGER!"

I winced at the sudden glare of lights overwhelming eyes adjusted the dark halls and arcade beyond, blinking and taking in the strange room we found ourselves in. The floor was somewhat springy, a shiny grey mat spattered with blood, marked in a fading grid and dots all over. It was surrounded by rusty metal scaffolding at all four corners, stretching above in a roof of lights, electronics and catwalks in poor repair. Between each of the four pillars, a glowing blue field had appeared, closing us in yet another trap...

There was the bitch I wanted behind it too... Her hooves were still pressed against a large power switch on a wall of complicated equipment, wires and cables snaked from it to the scaffolding, providing the barrier that penned us in. She was scared... I could smell it from here, that tang of terror driven sweat that was ambrosial, but she had a look of cautious victory on her face.

That booming announcer voice blasted out of static filled speakers above as Swan threw herself against the shield between us, her own purple sphere bouncing off and sending her skidding back to me as it boomed cheerily.

"GET READY!"

Why the hell did that sound so familiar? After running through an arcade to get here, it slowly came back, just as a flickering, ghostly form materialized in front of us.... The highly defined muscles on the pale tan earth pony stallion glaring at us were a little much, like Big Macintosh with another pony's worth of muscle tacked on. He wore a ragged, sleeveless martial arts gi, the black belt around his barrel and flowing red bandana holding back his spiky brown mane waved in an impossible breeze in the stuffy room.

The whole picture finally clicked and I goggled, momentarily forgetting my rage in pure surprise. "Rue?"

"FIGHT!"

Swan turned to my shocked whisper, spreading her shield to cover both of us as the fictional pony leapt up, landing on his hinglegs and throwing his forelegs forward in one fluid motion, a blazing blue fireball blasting out from his ghostly form and cracking Swan's barrier. This was impossible! Rue!? The character from Super Hoof Fighter!?

The weakened purple shield separating us was demolished when the ghost spun and gave an incredible buck, shattering Swan's shield and letting him dart forward to the big mare. He was instantly on her, taking another leap to reach her head in a spinning whirlwind of kicks from his outstretched hindleg.

"Ow! OW! Go away!" Swan ducked under the next spinning hoof and sprang up, slamming a foreleg up to Rue's chin in a devastating uppercut that merely knocked him back. She blinked and looked at her hoof in surprise, staring over at me with my mouth still hanging open stupidly. "You know this strange pony Fast? Is it a ghost? It didn't feel right when I hit it..."

Ghosts... Games... The Institute's hologram emitters!? Here!? That had to be it, there was no way for a character from a fighting game to be in the real world, currently launching himself back into the fray against the purple alicorn. "No! Er.. Yes, sort of! It's not real Swan, it's sort of like a ghost, just... try to hold it off!"

"You're gonna get pounded to a pulp! Just like all the rest! Then I'll clean up what's left you fucking bastard!" The shuddering yellow mare yelled from her position by the equipment she had apparently turned on. Sneering at us trapped in what she surely thought an inescapable snare.

The ghostly Rue was as brutal as he was in the game I vaguely remembered. I was young and the fighting game was more for the older ponies, though I did pick it up pretty quick when given the chance. Swan flapped up out of his range and sent several powerful spells down that passed through him harmlessly, only to be met by a rising uppercut that went all the way to the ceiling, slamming her back to the flickering shield around us. It was a game... a big, holographic game...

Somepony took the technology used in Hubris Comics and by the Institute to make Moondancer's little dollhouse simulation rooms, and used it to make a video game that brought the experience into the real world? Who did I know that would do something that insane?

"Grandpa..." I croaked, shaking off my shock at the bone cracking blows the fictional fighter was pummeling Swan with, he was as good as Zed!

Out of instinct, Vengeance snapped up and S.A.T.S. activated. All it would give me was Swan herself or the raider actress behind the shield though, as far as the targeting system was concerned, the attacker hurting Swan wasn't there... I canceled S.A.T.S. and squeezed off a round manually in fear, Swan was actually getting hurt!

The gleaming revolver boomed, but the shot that should have blown the fighter's head off passed through harmlessly. A negative sounding squall from the speakers came along with a computerized voice screeching 'INVALID ATTACK' and the beating simply continued unabated.

Swan's hoof to hoof attacks pushed it back though... Think stupid, it was a game, games had rules. These raiders weren't smart enough to reprogram it or anything, judging by the rusty switch the yellow mare was still panting beside, all they could do was turn it on an let it work as designed. If I was a kooky mad scientist... what would I make? How would I design something this batshit crazy?

Working on a hunch, I wobbled my way up to my hindlegs, holding my forelegs down and back just as the ghost had and praying. Copying his movements and thrusting both forelegs out in one mostly smooth motion, I hoped I was right.

To my surprise, a duplicate of the fiery blue ball of energy sprang from my outstretched hooves, streaking across the room and blasting the ghost right in the chest before it could launch another attack at Swan. The alicorn blinked in surprise through one blackened eye, curious even in the middle of such a violent struggle. "You can do that too!?"

"So can you I think! It's a game Swan! An old world game! Do what it does, fight it hoof to hoof! That's the only thing that will work! Try to beat its health down, it has to stop eventually, just gimme a minute to... shit!" My answer turned to a yelp as Rue turned on me, launching that attack made me a viable opponent...

It was spooky how fast it crossed the mat, though I remembered that watching the older kids play. The burly fighter streaked right at me, pounding me with holographic hooves that felt more than real enough. This was way too much for a game! No wonder they were still in testing, there were no safeties or concern for the player in place yet, it was for reals!

I coughed up blood when a spinning buck hooked into my gut, lifting me off the floor and slamming me to the glowing shield keeping us in. This had to be Grandpa's doing, sure... just use crazy advanced arcane technology to make a fighting game, make it as real as possible, don't even think about the players getting the snot bucked out of them and ending up in the hospital so long as it's interesting!

Swan blasted across the room, hindlegs first to crash into the occupied martial arts pony and send him flying. She worriedly whickered at me gasping on the floor, but her attention was quickly taken by Rue springing back to his hooves and going back on the offensive. Swan protected me though, getting the basic idea I tried to relate to her and answering Rue's thundering hooves with her own, engaging in a furious back and forth while I wheezed and seethed with fury.

Fucking Grandpa... I knew it, I felt it... My own fucking Grandfather made this trap, built this insanity that had obviously been used to torment plenty of ponies before me, the dried blood on the mat testament to their suffering. The raiders couldn't mess with it, but they could bring in unaware wastelanders and turn the damn thing on, then just watch the fun as Grandpa's version of a good idea stomped them into the ground.

Now it was hurting my friend and me, plus it was keeping that evil bitch safe... I could see her, right there. Grandpa and that cunt, playing their games, lying, manipulating...

'Let me...'

Grandpa Mobius... All his fault, everything was all his fault! Him and his friends took my Stable, ponynapped his own daughter! Stole everything from me! I caught my breath and struggled back to my hooves, the lightning flickering around me as the anger built turned dark and my eyes burned with the fires of tartarus, trying to burn a hole through that stupid barrier and turn her to ash...

"THAT"S ENOUGH!!!"

KRAKA-THOOOOM!!!

A bolt of lightning erupted from my horn, crackling up to the metal scaffolding above and filling the arena with the smell of ozone and frying circuits, things up there exploded in showers of sparks as the electricity kept pouring out, overloading the shields, causing the ghostly Rue to flicker and fade in mid strike to Swan's bruised chest. Wherever those damn crystalline emitters were hidden up there, they exploded under the onslaught, the equipment beside the surprised mare squinting against the glare popped and wailed warnings.

The shield was gone... Rue was gone... and that bitch was just sitting there in shock. I managed to make one quick check for Swan, relieved to see her on her hooves and panting. Then I lost it, launching myself at the yellow earth pony before she could follow through on the frantic thought behind those pale blue eyes, 'RUN'.

She skittered left, but my wings adjusted with unusual grace, I fell on her like a hungry bloodwing, my fangs extended and I bit those damn masks on her flank, tragedy and comedy tore away in a spray a blood and she fell to the floor. I spit the happy and sad masks out, the cutie mark of an actress, a talented one who immediately resorted to another show beneath me, while I bucked and stomped at her on the floor.

"W-Wait! It's not my... AH! f-fault! They forced me to... UNGH! d-do it! I-I'm just a poor filly from D.C.! They captured me! OW! G-Got me addicted to Dash! OUCH! T-They have my baby! I had to... OW!! P-Please don't!" The panicked bitch wailed, all her gloating when she had the upper hoof magically gone. She was actually convincing, even while I snapped and snarled at her hooves held up defensively, shutting her up with a foreleg to her throat and enjoying her choked sputtering as I hissed back in a voice that was hardly my own.

"Shut up... You lie. You're a liar, just like him... a good liar, but a liar... a... Betrayer... Now thou suffers Luna's wrath foul siren, thine punishment will be slow and painful, torments a heathen such as yourself could never imagine... Thine piddling games here will pale in comparison and thou will beg for the release of death..."

I savored watching her eyes turn to pinpricks and her dirty yellow face pale, flinching away from the gleaming starmetal knife floating up her side and drawing a long, thin line of blood down her ribs, up her neck, across her cheek... hovering over one terror filled eye. I'd pop that out eventually... but I wanted her to see for awhile yet. At least until after I skinned her...

"P-Please..." She sputtered and choked, wincing at Best Served moving over her muzzle as I shoved it up with my foreleg, my telekinesis gripping her cheeks like a vice to force them open.

"A liar deserves not a tongue to spew their falsehoods... That will be the first piece of thou I take... but not the last. Not the last by far, let us see what it tastes like, the appetizer so to speak..." The rumble coming from my mouth wasn't my voice but the Shroud's.

My burning eyes held her own and she trembled, seeming to get lost in them and the dark tortures they promised, filling her with terror 'Be Dark...' drank up like a fine wine. The soft whispers of the Ministry Mares were no match right now, nothing was going to get in its way this time, it hungered for this and wouldn't be denied again. The bruised and bloodied alicorn mare at my side merely watched with a predatory smile, here was a filly that wouldn't stop it for once! A true warrior princess to revel in blood and fire with... 'MINE...SOON...'

I grabbed the squirming pink muscle from her terrified grimace and pulled, lowering Best Served inch by inch. She shivered and bucked under me, a stomp of a foreleg enough to crack ribs as the unbending telekinetic grip held her open muzzle still...

BLAM!

The body under me jerked, the blue glow of my magic dissolving as her skull exploded with the ringing crash of a pistol, a familiar 12mm pistol...

"That right there's enough boss... Rein it in already..." Val's hard voice drew my furious gaze, standing in the doorway behind us and striding forward cautiously as I panted and ground my sharp teeth in frustration.

That bitch was 'MINE!' How dare she! How dare she take my prize away! Stop me from doing what I wanted! I hunted the evil cunt down, she was 'MINE' to punish and the sad eyed griffon took her from me! "THOU DARES..." I roared at her, making her flinch until a quiet whimper drifted from her upturned wings.

"D-Daddy?"

'Be Kind...'

Glitter!? My daughter's wide pink eyes stared from over Val's fluffy neck, a grimace of distaste at the corpse quickly replaced by worry as her ride strode forward.

The inferno of blackness and hate trying to consume my mind fizzled out as Val shoved Swan aside, raising a dark claw and slapping me, hard... "Enough dammit! Yer makin' me worry here boss! Blue ain't around ta stop ya so guessin' it's on me, so get yer head outta yer ass and straighten up dammit!"

"O-OW! Val? W-What..." I winced and rubbed my cheek, coming back to my senses and realizing just what I had worked myself up to, what I planned to do... Sweet Celestia... I lost control... again.

"Ya left me behind an look what happened dumbass! Lucky ya just said ta guard pipsqueak here, not where ta do it! Had ta go through you two's lil house of horrors ta find ya! What the hell are ya thinkin'!? And you! Ya daffy mare, ya can't let boss go all buck wild like this! He whines about it later and it ain't good fer him!" Val squawked and poked my chest with her claw, lowering a wing to let Glitter slide down and dash over as she wheeled on Swan furiously.

Glitter's warm embrace snuggling against my chest brought me back, banished 'Be Dark..' back to the dark stasis pod in my heart where it resided, her anxious whimpers made my eyes tear up and I curled around her, trying to soothe the scared filly along with myself as she cried. "I-I'm ok daddy! It's ok, d-don't... don't do bad stuff for me, I'm all better, see..."

Swan simply looked confused, giving a little ground to the angry griffon lashing her tail behind her as she jabbed and poked the big mare. "But he said he wanted her. She was bad, it's ok to smash her, red is dead. What's wrong?"

Turning an anxious look back to me nuzzling Glitter's mane and leaking tears into it, Val clucked and ran a weary claw down her face with a grumble. "Nnnngh... can't believe I'm sayin' this, but there's dead then there's too far stupid! Boss gets... a lil' too pissed off sometimes, ya can't let him go all nutty with that comic nonsense! Just kill the bitch and be done with it! Ugh, let's get back soon boss, let Blue deal with all this shit! M-Maybe get Ives back on the way, ya sorta look like ya need her..."

'Be Strong!'

I sniffled and wiped my dripping muzzle, looking up to her with bloodshot eyes and nodding my head. "I-It's ok, I'm ok, really... T-Thank you Val, I needed that... y-you saved me from..."

She interrupted and stuck her beak up in a huff, ruffling her feathers and glaring down at me. "Which is why ya need a damn bodyguard! Go orderin' me around ta stay back with the kiddies... D-Don't do that boss... I didn't like it... w-we're partners right?"

Managing to hold my blurry eyes on her worried violet ones, I gave her a determined nod and felt my ears droop remembering that furious order, I never ordered Val... "P-Partners and best friends, I'm so sorry Val... I didn't mean to... I was mad and... I love you Val, y-you're not just some bodyguard to order around. Thank you for knowing that and stopping me..."

Glitter pulled away and eyed me closely, her penetrating stare as good as her mother's at this point, which only made me feel as small as the breezie poking her head from her silver mane. "Y-You're ok now, right Daddy? All better? T-There's hurt ponies back there that need help, mommy's not here... but I took lots of potions from the fairies! C-Can we please help them now, a-and find your game thingy?"

"Scary fighting iz all dun now Shroud Fast? Ve go? Leetle pony right, hurt beeg ponies need helps, I vant to... be like Fluttershy und heal injured, make feel better... but vant yu dere, dey is beeg ponies... Yu dun being mean und scary tu fight bad beeg ponies? Yu... yu vant feel better?" Gale backed her up, fluttering her brilliant blue wings anxiously and standing fully on Glitter's head, she reached back to her little baskets and coated her hoof in sparkling, golden nectar.

I flicked my eyes up to Val, who rolled her own and nodded with a snort, giving me the go ahead as my muzzle stretched forward and slurped up the offered foreleg eagerly. Gale seemed less scared of this treatment now, giggling at the rough tongue swirling around her leg and playfully batting at it, pulling away with a relief clear on her face at the goofy look plastered on my own.

She didn't give me much, just the right amount for everything to feel a lot better, my racing heart slowing as the world took on a mellow warmth. I sighed and flapped my wings, carrying Glitter and I away from the dead mare lazily and nuzzling cheek to cheek with her. Putting the view and the focus of all that rage behind me felt even better and I felt more myself, landing with a graceless thump and shaking a little as I regained control and slowly got to my trembling hooves.

'Be Unwavering!'

Swan still sounded confused, hobbling her way over and tilting her head as I stood and blinked sleepily, curling a wing around Glitter still anxiously at my side and lazily looking up to her puffy black eye with concern as she spoke. "But what's wrong? I don't get it... You wanted that bad pony, I let you have her, I wanted to see what you'd do. It was fun fighting with you and hurting bad ponies, why is everyone worried and sad? Why'd the griffon take away your prey?"

I floated a green healing potion to Swan's bleeding lips and urged her to drink, wincing at the beating she had taken against a ghost from the past in my defense. "We... We have to be better than that Swan. Doing what I w-wanted... it's wrong, I almost did something very bad I could never take back. Val saved me by stopping me and I'm grateful to her for it, Glitter and Gale helped me remember to be better before I... They're all just watching out for me, like always huh sweetie? Let's see these hurt ponies and help them, just like mom would want right? You can be her little nurse again even if she's not here, good thinking taking lots of potions with us."

Glitter puffed up with pride and pranced out from my embrace, finally satisfied I was back to normal and beaming at the praise. "Ok daddy! There's a Minutemare we saved! An' some of the funny dressed guards from Diamond City! An some quiet pony too! They're hurt an' scared, but we'll help 'em and tell mommy all about it! She'll be so proud!"

"I know she will sweetie, let's go... Umm... just a second, let me check something real quick." I replied softly, slowly scanning the room and hanging on a complicated looking terminal that hadn't been fried.

'Awareness! It was under E!"

It was on a metal desk, one of several taking up the corner and covered in all kinds of arcano-tech parts, rotting blueprints and papers, tools and toys... several detailed toys of characters from Super Hoof Fighter, among those from a variety of other holotape games scattered about haphazardly. All of them were scooped into my saddlebags absently, my normal foal like glee at new toys slightly muted by the faded picture on the poster bedecked wall, hung in a place of honor by a dented golden trophy of a joystick.

A skeleton was carelessly tossed to the corner under it, a strange, round cap on it's skull with a bent propeller that I grabbed as well, floating it to Glitter's head to her giggles. It looked too small for the dead pony's skull anyway... just right for the filly and it was an interesting novelty. Plus it belonged to the pony in the picture, one I was intensely interested in given the other pony photographed with his foreleg around his shoulders.

The dead pony was important apparently, he had a brown coat under his casual t-shirt and jeans, and the very same beanie Glitter now wore was mostly obscured by his shaggy, two tone orange mane. There were ponies in the background in suits and lab coats, along with plenty who had his same casual appearance. They all looked to him with respect in this same corner, his workshop... He was partially responsible for this crazy holographic game.

Him and the other pony cheerfully clutching him... Even though his casual attire, scraggly orange goatee and sloppy look made him look like a fairly lax and unimportant adult, I got the idea this was his place, his company, his game. His and Grandpa Fin's... I stared long and hard at the picture, the bedraggled lab coat and natty sweater, the pale blue coat and wild grey mane and mustache, the swirly, soda bottle glasses...

'Be Dark...'

A disregarded whisper tried to rekindle my anger, but Gale's wonderful nectar and the strengthened voices of the Ministry Mares helped lock it up, tightening the chains around that black stasis pod in my head as I floated the picture down and wiped the dust away.

"Daddy....?" Glitter called up anxiously, pulling me from my thoughts to turn to her, eyeing the ancient photo like a dangerous snake.

"I'm ok sweetie, just... Here, how would you like to see your great grandpa? Take care of that for me, I... I don't want to look at it right now."

Glitter took the cracked photo frame with a happy gasp, holding it in her hooves and peering at the zany old buck in the photo with wonder. "He looks like you daddy!"

Gale landed on the photo with reverent wonder, tracing a tiny hoof on the beaming face and smiling. "Iz Professor Moby! Ve take und show tu breezies! Ve have no pictures of great pony Moby Fast, uthers vant to see and celebrate. Leetle pony right, yu like him! Both gud ponies who help breezies!"

"What?" Grandpa and I didn't look that much alike... well, maybe a little more with the new wings, but otherwise...

Val prowled over and peered over her shoulder with interest, chuckling to herself and nodding. "Yup, not much in the face er nothin' but he's got that same goofy look boss. Yer gramps can't be that bad, looks like you do when yer playin' or tinkerin' with some new toy er somethin'. C'mon, let's go crazy, lots of do-goodery ta get to. Then find me a ways inta that hub! An' all the others! Chop, chop! Move it nerd!"

I'd want to explore this interesting wonderland of my grandfather's design more later, but Val was right. Be better... the prisoners of these sadistic raiders needed help first, then we needed to do what we came for, then get back to Jade... the sooner the better.

"Right. Let's go everybody, come on Swan, I'll try to explain stuff later. Smashing the bad guys is only part of it, we gotta help the good guys."

Swan huffed and kicked at the dead mare on her way to canter over, raising an eyebrow over her healing eye and licking the blood from her soft lips, slowly becoming less puffy under the potion's effects. "Ok, I don't get it but whatever. Green is good right? This still counts as a date Fast, I let you have her..."

I winced at her sultry purr, stepping off the mat that had trapped us and noting the distance between it and the door. If we hadn't just charged in, we could have avoided the whole damn thing... Swan clearly didn't understand the problem with how close I had come, but she disregarded it in favor of her prefered topic and nickered happily beside me, swaying her flanks as I trudged back down the halls we had fought our way through.

"Yes, you did and it does count Swan. But Jade first, remember? If you want to play, we have to finish up what we're doing and get back to her."

At that she pranced ahead, the only thing she cared about answered for her as she replied merrily and hugged her new pip-buck. "Ok! Let's hurry! Red is dead! Green is keen!"

"K-Keep that murderer away from me! He really is a monster now, just like they're saying!" One of our rescued charges yelped and scrambled back in the decrepit ball pit back in the dim arcade, shrinking into the corner and waving his hooves frantically.

Monster... Maybe I was. I hung my head and peeked from under the brim of my hat at my daughters defensive shout, down in the cage with him while I sat at the lockpicked entrance. I tried to stay as far away as possible, but I wasn't leaving Glitter alone with traumatized ponies.

"T-The General's not a murderer! H-He saved us asshole!" The light blue unicorn filly shivered and looked up at me with an adoring gaze that made me a little uncomfortable, the heroic knight who saved her from this dungeon reflected in her sparkling eyes.

That one was a Minutemare, Private True Blue as she excitedly introduced herself, still frightened and her hero worship of the 'General of the Minutemares' magnified watching us destroy this place. She tried to groom her filthy tan and gold mane frantically and fell into military discipline as soon as she saw me, but was an ally at least.

"You shut up! My daddy's great! He's not a monster, he saved you stupid! Now take the healin' potion and.... hang on..." Glitter's unwavering belief in me helped a lot, I smiled at her as she turned back, ducking her head and raising a hoof to the little breezie hiding in her mane. Gale's shaking foreleg came out and smeared some of her delicious nectar on Glitter's upraised hoof, which she immediately spun back to stick in the sickly looking orange buck's face. "Lick this!"

"W-What?!" The strange request took him by surprise and diminished some of his anger and rejection.

His peach pegasus friend shot an elbow into his gut, glaring with her purple eyes under her bedraggled pink mane. "She's right, shut up Batter, lick the filly's hoof like she says."

Surprisingly he obeyed, reticently sticking his tongue out and barely making contact, but his eyes glazed and his demeanor became a lot more pleasant as soon as Gale's nectar went to work. The breezie nurse wasn't willing to put herself on display in front of the motley crew of prisoners still huddling in the ball pit, but she was helping.

With him properly sedated, Glitter dug in her little backpack and pulled out a brilliant purple healing potion, fresh from the Ministry of Peace, not some 200 year old leftover for once. She pushed it to his grasping hooves and watched him drink closely, poking and prodding at his myriad of wounds without reservation as they closed, while I stuck my tongue out in disgust. How could she be so at ease with that kind of thing? Was she learning that much from Jade?

"Thanks for that... I'm not a murderer by the way, I'm Fast Times, pleased to meet you." I tore my eyes away from Glitter's careful inspection and held a hoof out to the mare, relieved to see it cautiously returned with a curt nod.

"Line Drive, my stupid partner's Batter Up, D.C. guard patrol. Pleased to meet you too Mr. Times, or should I say Shrouded Stallion? You really are... Well, murderer or not, I'm glad you saved us. Thank you." The mare must be higher ranked than her partner judging by his obedience, she had a stronger will too, barely wincing from the ragged wounds marring her coat and her crippled wings, not as traumatized by the abuses she must have suffered either.

Val was rooting through the wreckage of the arcade nearby, lifting another broken cabinet from the ruins and dusting off the nameplate as she called over her shoulder. "Ain't you D.C. fucks a lil' far from home? Don't usually patrol out this far... Bah! This ain't one either boss! Guess that's a good thing though huh!"

Sigh... A copy of Lunar Defender... I liked that one and winced as Val let it crash to the ground, off to explore more and hope for something labeled Ministry of ------ Hero that miraculously survived. I had managed to find the dim illumination in the arcade section the raiders had turned off, allowing Val and Swan to sift through the wreckage while Glitter, Gale and I attended the raider's prisoners, but I didn't hold out a lot of hope down here.

Line Drive snorted and flinched at her broken wings trying to flutter up, we couldn't give her a potion until we did something about those, and it wouldn't be pretty... At least she was chatty as we put off the inevitable. "Yeah, the fancy nobles insisted we expand, big presence for all the guests for their stupid royal wedding..."

"Royal wedding?"

I had heard that from Miles on the radio before, even knew the bride and groom... But considering the bride was former Overmare Fancy Star, and the groom was son of the Institute's Dr. Vega, Neighson Svengallop, I hadn't thought a lot of it. Unless they went with using a synth copy, I really didn't see them getting Fancy to cooperate with their plans again. She had been worried for Neighson's safety too, so going through with it probably wasn't good for his health.

What Miss Drive answered with confirmed some of my suspicions there. "Whole thing's bullshit, nopony's seen the bride or groom for weeks! But we gotta bust our rumps for their stupid spectacle anyway. Spread out patrols and stupid here fell right into these asshole's trap, we've been here more than two days and I ain't seen any backup either.. Gonna ream General Stone's ass when we get back! Er... if we can I guess, we're not your prisoners now, are we?"

"General Fast would never take innocent prisoners! He's brave and kind and strong and..." The young Minutemare's awestruck shout of defense made my face heat up and I groaned in embarrassment, gently trying to shush her as Glitter giggled and Val outright snickered behind me.

"E-Easy Private! No, you're not prisoners, you're free to go if you want. You need a healing potion to get back I think though, and we can't give you one until we..."

"Set these... yeah I know... let's get it over with, got something for splints?" Miss Drive gave a resigned reply and stood on shaking hooves, hissing in pain as she tried to straighten her wings.

There was a wealth of junk to pick from at least, my magic reached out and selected a few splintered boards about the right size and floated them back as I hopped down into the ball pit with her, bringing out some bandages from my bags and hovering the whole production in place near her battered wings. I didn't know a lot about healing, but having a genius doctor alicorn as your special somepony tended to rub off.

"I'll be ...er... fast, honest. Ready?"

At her teary eyed nod, I wrapped her wings in my magic carefully. This much of healing I could get, it only involved telekinesis and broken parts, not much different than repair really. I focused and felt out each break and where it should go back together, then in one strong surge yanked everything back in place and slapped the boards to her outstretched wings, my stomach churning at her pained scream as I wrapped the splints tightly in place and loosed a held in breath. Ok, that part wasn't like repairing things... machines didn't scream when you put them back together.

"Oh look! It's the star thingy from home!" Swan's cheery cry cut through Line Drive's tapering ones and gave me something else to focus on thankfully.

She was floating up another blown up game, unfortunately this one did indeed bear the six pointed star of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences... shit. It didn't even look salvagable... Not the Ministry of Wartime Technology at least, but a terrible loss, who knew how many of those things there were.

"G-Good work Swan, that's one alright. Just keep looking... So Line, you two are Diamond City, the Private there is one of mine, who's the quiet one?"

Miss Drive had bit her lip hard enough to draw blood during my poor treatment, but sucked down the waiting healing potion eagerly and gasped once she had chugged it down. Sighing in relief at a vial of Med-X I jabbed in her flank, she turned her tired gaze over to the last prisoner in the corner. That one hadn't said a word beyond 'Do you have a geiger counter?' to which I answered yes of course, showing the cute rainbow gauge on my pip-buck to her brooding disappointment.

"Who knows, not exactly a chatterbox that one. So we can go? I promise to keep you being around here quiet to return the favor, not sure about Batter though..." Line Drive shrugged to the quiet pink mare hiding under her dirty blonde mane, giving me an unsure look in regards to her fellow guard.

Granted her partner looked pretty stoned and cooperative now, but I could really do without him sobering up and bringing the Diamond City guards down on our heads before I was done here. Especially if they were on high alert and spread out further than normal, potentially looking for these two as we spoke actually.

"Ummm... h-how about you guys recover a little more, I'm sure you must be starving, right? Here, we have lots of food! Just er... eat all you want for awhile, please? I just need a little time, here Private Blue, pass it all out and help my daughter, maybe we can find your gear if they didn't get rid of it, or at least give you guys some of these raider's weapons. Glitter's a great little scavenger, right sweetie?"

"Right daddy! We'll go find lots of stuff with Auntie Val, I guess they can have some. C'mon Private!" Glitter whooped and scrambled out of the caged pen, waving the Minutemare Private Blue and the rest out behind her, but keeping a close eye as she pranced over to Val rooting through the debris.

Private True Blue nearly knocked herself out saluting the little filly and me in turn, limping her way out and following the foal like she was her commanding officer. "Yes General! It's an honor to assist you and the young princess! Alright you lot, chow time! We're getting a meal from the General himself, so you can all just sit tight awhile and enjoy it!"

Val snickered as I passed, retreating from the worshipful Minutemare filly and conferring with her on my way out. "Keep an eye on them Val, we don't want to keep them captive... but I do need a little time to explore this place, there's got to be one here, or at least some clue where to find one. I gotta go do some hacking and poke around, see what I can dig up and pick over that lab upstairs better. There's stuff to be found here, but we can't let them go tattle to Diamond City before we're done."

"An' loot, right boss? There's loot in this somewheres? Yer already givin' some of it away... Ugh, alright fine. But ya ain't wanderin' around alone and goin' off the rails again... Hey! Goofy! Get yer big ass over here!" Val smirked and reminded me of her priorities, shouting over to Swan shoving heavy junk around and looking for another praise worthy discovery.

Swan trotted right over, dropping a floating billiard table with a crash behind her and blinking down at the griffon curiously. "Yes? Are we done yet?"

Grabbing her round cheeks in her claws, Val dragged Swan's face to her level and held her perplexed eyes sternly. "Listen Big Stuff, you go with the boss while he does all that borin' investigatin' type crap. It's dull as dishwater, so ya can't fuck it up. Just keep him happy an' stay quiet, no smashin' nothin', just sit with him an' guard. Don't let him go back to that crazy lab upstairs by his'self neither! Got that?"

"Guard... keep happy, stay quiet, don't leave him alone. Ok Valkyrie! That sounds fun enough, how boring could it be?" Swan mumbled around Val's pinching claws and nodded slowly, giving a grin that Val just chuckled at.

"Go find out goofy. Ok boss, I gots things handled down here, go do the tappity tap, read, read, read stuff and find me some treasures! An' no hanky panky Swany! We're in a hurry, right?" Val seemed satisfied with that much, releasing Swan so she could swat my flank and send me on my way, off for a more thorough look through what remained of Bitway Games.

Shipping Manifest Search Results---

Ministry of Image Hero -- Haymarket Hall
Ministry of Image Hero -- Fan Cooly Hall
Ministry of Arcane Science Hero -- Pious Revere Boardwalk
Ministry of Arcane Science Hero -- Spectacle Island Resort
Ministry of Awesome Hero -- Starbright Trailer Court
Ministry of Awesome Hero -- Easy Filly Downs
Ministry of Wartime Technology Hero -- Dry Book Technical High School
Ministry of Wartime Technology Hero -- Hopestrot Swap Market Fairgrounds

Ugh... Having finally found a working terminal with the information I wanted down in the warehouse area in the back of the ground floor, I groaned downloading all the uncorrupted data and map markers, scanning how dispersed they were. A few near the heart of Trotson, a few more near the shore, others spread to the four corners of the Commonwealth... Not what I hoped for.

Adding to my agitation and distracting me was the large purple alicorn nuzzling for attention and nibbling my ears in boredom. When she saw me disconnect my pip-buck from the weakly glowing terminal, Swan nickered and got more insistent, not less...

"Finally! The griffon said it was boring, but I didn't think it would be that bad! Let's play Fast!" Swan apparently listened to Val's warning, but totally disregarded her 'no hanky panky' admonishment, nipping at my neck and taking long sniffs at my mane which rose to the stimulation along with my wings.

Squeaking and scrambling out of the battered warehouse chair, I pulled away and trotted down the aisles of shelves stretching to the ceiling, towards the big unloading doors in the back and the stairs and large freight elevator leading up from there. "N-No Swan, no playing remember? We're not done yet anyway, that gave me something, but I'm still hoping to find one of these games here, not halfway across the Commonwealth. Let's check upstairs, we want one that has the Steel Rangers symbol on it, the apple and gears with the sword? Here, let's try the elevator, if they built stuff upstairs and shipped it out here, then they'd probably do the manufacturing and repair near the elevator."

Swan pouted and stayed right at my side, the big freight elevator basically the size of a normal one for the alicorn filly tilting her head down at me. "I know what that looks like, I smashed lots of those Ranger ponies for the mother. Why won't you play? I know you want to... you smelled reeeeally good while we were fighting together, you liked it as much as me! You wanted to mate, now you're trying not to again... Just like you wanted to hurt that bad pony, but now you feel bad. How come?"

"It's... How to explain this... It's self control Swan, you're really good at that right? You stay big all the time, but don't go on a rampage like Virescent did right? You don't just do everything you want and lose control, that's what I almost did... lose control."

Trying to get this across while trapped in a steel box oh so slowly clattering its way up was not the best idea... Not only would the stairs have been faster, they weren't a confined space the pheromones from my mane so easily filled. Swan's eyes sparkled and she prowled forward with a purr, pressing me against the wall near the lift controls and giving a long kiss, much improved with a lot of practice. Well... I did say she could do that much anytime she wanted...

"I don't lose control, but that doesn't mean I pretend I don't like what I like Fast. You like fighting, you're good at it! I was impressed, I liked fighting down here with you, it made being tiny not as bad even! Just like this kissing thing! You like that too..." Swan fluttered her eyelashes and got a mischievous grin, moving quickly to take advantage of the privacy and her captive partner.

She wrapped her forelegs around my flanks and groped my rump firmly, slamming me to the steel wall and lifting me to her level to press into another long, deep kiss that made my wings splay out against the wall and ache. When she finally broke it off she was all the way up to pink bands flashing in her irises, pressing her warm body against my weakening struggles with a lusty giggle.

'More...'

"S-Swan! Easy! Jade first, I do like it... er... a lot actually, t-though I guess that much is obvious..." I gasped and turned red in her grasp, drawing her attention to the other clear reaction between us with an embarrassed whimper.

Blinking in confusion, Swan wiggled in place and looked down curiously, making my traitorous body's none too subtle response to her forceful seduction even more apparent. It took her a minute... Alicorns were only females before, I supposed Swan especially wouldn't know much about males... She got the idea quickly however, her sparkling eyes widening and a wide grin stretching her muzzle.

"See! You want to play! Why fight so hard against what you want? Sister Jade won't mind, you want to, I want to, it's not losing control just doing what you want, only when you do it and you don't want to!" Swan was getting into this way too much, her big hooves squeezing my rear and shoving me against her, kissing and nuzzling as she spoke huskily.

"No! Swan, please stop... I do want to, but I don't want to. That is losing control like you said, doing something I don't want, even if I want to in the moment. I'm not pretending I don't want to with you... I do, I reeeeeally do. T-Though I guess I sorta am when it comes to what I wanted to do to that bitch upstairs, but not all of me wanted that. Only a small part did, if I let it win, I'd be losing control, going on my own rampage. I really don't want that, I'm scared of it."

At the quaver in my voice, Swan slowly let me go, kissing my horn and sticking her nose up dismissively. "You shouldn't be, I liked it! You sound like those sisters who got too many jumbled thoughts and souls from unity in them Fast. It was fine to hurt that bad pony, she deserved to be punished. She would have killed you and niece Glitter if she could, why feel bad doing what you want to a bad pony?"

Finally, the door gave a warbling ding and let us out, a little slightly fresher air clearing both our heads as I tried to answer. "What I wanted to do to her was no different that what she and her friends were up to here. If that made them bad, it would make me bad too Swan. I have to be better than that, we have to be better, even if it's harder, even if we want to be worse, it's the struggle against those kinds of things that makes us more than just... savages I guess."

"Sometimes I need help not losing control like that, I count on Jade and Glitter, Val and Ivy... all my friends to help me, just like I'm counting on you now too. Jade told me when you guys absorb so much radiation you get giant like you normally are, you have a tendency to fall to your base impulses, but you don't right? You stay in control, that's what I'm trying to do too. I was actually hoping you could teach me..."

At least she looked to give that some serious thought, looking up to the moldy ceiling as we trotted down the bloodied hallways, taking a more thorough inventory and finding lots of interesting repair and manufacturing rooms full of parts I scooped up. I was getting hopeful passing several arcade cabinets in varying states of assembly and shelves of holotape games scattered everywhere, come on... a little break here goddesses...

"I guess I understand... I get to do what I want when I'm big though, maybe not as much as I want, but I do and I don't pretend I don't like it. I like being big and strong, I like protecting, I like smashing. It gets harder when you can't as much as you like, all those new ponies back home... I have to work a lot harder now to be good. Is it like that Fast?" Swan finally seemed to relate to my struggles, sharing her own I could instantly sympathize with.

"Just like that Swan. You don't want to hurt them or be bad, but it's hard sometimes right? You're right, I shouldn't pretend I don't want those things, but some I'm honestly disgusted to find out I do want. Some I only want to when I'm mad and a... a bad part of me takes over, some I think I only want so much because of what the potion that changed me did to my body, and now I have to wonder what all might be because my own Grandpa screwed with my brain. I'm really scared I'm crazy Swan, trying to stick to a set of rules and beliefs... it helps keep me sane. Doing what I wanted to that mare is bad, doing what I want with you right now would break a promise to Jade. I have to try to be the pony I think I should be, not just fall and revel in everything I want."

Hearing the shaky fear in my voice, Swan finally seemed to really get it. She stepped closer cautiously and nuzzled my cheek, not trying for more for once, just wrapping a wing over me for a hug to comfort and console and speaking softly. "You are not crazy or bad Fast, you're fun and good, I like you. I will help you not go on a rampage if that's what you want, a-and I'll wait.... I guess... If you promised sister Jade, you keep your promises right? Just like you promised me! If you try so hard to keep the one to her, I feel good you'll keep the one to me. Eventually.... I don't like waiting though. I guess you shouldn't soak up a lot of radiation and grow with me when I find some for now though, it will be a lot harder to stay in control for you. That's a shame..."

"Thank you Swan, thanks a lot. I like you too and hearing you say that makes me feel a lot better. Er... the getting bigger thing is less of a concern actually though, I don't get any bigger Swan. Though I do have other... umm... side effects, and it's usually not a good idea, it does get harder to stay in control..." I blushed at the thought and was glad my rainbow colored radiation gauge was safely in the green, pushing open the next door labeled 'Manufacturing Room 5' as Swan sputtered behind me.

"You don't!? But... I wanted to... awwww... Well, I guess that's ok, I do like you cute and small like when we met. Still, I had lots of things I wanted to do... I'll have to think of others now, hmmm..." Swan's muttering as we entered the room together made me gulp, at least she didn't have an actual list like Peri, but who knows what she had been hoping for or what she'd come up with now...

The flickering yellow glow of the lights weakly coming to life filled me with relief and banished a lot of the worry hanging over me still, there in the corner was a tall cabinet with a large apple symbol stenciled on the side, three gears within it and a winged sword thrust through it from above. Ministry of Wartime Technology Hero stared back at me, the screen even glowed to life with the lights!

Mission Updated: From Within

Objectives---
--~~Investigate Bitway Games HQ~~
--~~Find Ministry of Wartime Technology Hero arcade cabinet~~
--Beat MoWT Hero Game
--Gain access to MoWT Hub

I gave a whoop of elation along with the fanfare from my pip-buck and fluttered up to Swan, planting a long, happy kiss on her before swooping over to inspect our find and giving thanks to the goddesses for their blessings. Swan gave a pleased whinny and pranced after me, tilting her head at the boot up screen curiously over my head, before shrugging and returning to her idle affection to fill the time.

"This is the thing you wanted Fast? Do you want me to take it? I can teleport it out of here for you." Swan's long pink mane spilled down my shoulder as she nuzzled at my cheek, sizing up the tall cabinet and offering up her skills to get it out of here easily.

After making a quick inspection and making sure it really was as intact and immaculate as it looked, I dug in my bags for a prewar bit and fed it into the slot. The 'Press Start Button' message flashed as I tipped my hat back and stretched my forelegs out, cracking my neck back and forth before leaning in, enveloping the controls with my magic with a determined look.

"First thing's first Swan. Let's see just how hard this game is. It's for the MoWT, machines and arcano-tech... I'm betting they wanted to recruit ponies like me, let's see if I'm MoWT material or not..."

'Ready Player 1?'

I grinned at the prompt and hit the button, something actually went right for once! Things got a little rough there, but now they were looking up. I had Swan at my side and was making progress with her, Val watching my back for me and my daughter there to keep my grounded, even little Spring Gale was enjoying her adventure out in the beeg pony world. I could actually relax somewhat and focus on the next step, playing a videogame that wasn't trying to kill me.

'GAME START!'

--------------------Level Up!-----------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------

Empathy----------
---Spending so much time with a telepath has improved your admitedly poor social skills. You're still not great at figuring other ponies out, but you have a better idea when something's wrong and new dialogue options!

Quest Perk Added!-----------------

Button Mash's Beanie--------
---The silly propeller hat of a long ago gaming master conveys some of his skills, anypony who could be the Equestria wide champion of Super Hoof Fighter knows a thing or two about fighting, even if they're not a zebra master like Zed! You gain +10 to the Hoof to Hoof skill.

Ch. 77-- An Ear to the Ground

"How's it going Commonwealth! This is DJ Traveling Miles joining you on another bright day in our little slice of the wasteland, a chilly one at that so be sure to bundle up out there! Raiders and mutated monsters might be a lot more obvious dangers to your health, but pneumonia will make you just as dead if you're not careful!

So, a little news before we get back to the music! First off, a word from our benevolent leadership here in Diamond City. Our nobles want to assure everypony the grand royal wedding is still on, despite the fact the bride and groom have disappeared. According to them they're on a goodwill tour outside of the Great Green Jewel, inviting everypony to witness their upcoming nuptials.

Of course the latest issue of Publick Occurences hot off the presses in Sanctuary from our favorite intrepid hometown reporter, gives us a different view my listeners can choose to believe or not. According to her, the bride, Miss Fancy Star herself is out there causing havoc as one half of the Pale Pair catching everyone's attention on the coast! Most D.C. residents who've seen the mare around town know she happens to have a white griffon in her employ, lending some credence to them being the infamous heroes causing a significant supply problem for every drug dealer in Trotson. Why would a well to do mare on her way to the altar be wiping out drug dens left and right? Cold hooves maybe? Decide for yourselves dear listeners, let's all see what happens when the blessed date finally comes up!

In other news, if you've noticed a lack of badass mercenaries taking contracts in the Commonwealth lately, it's for good reason. Seems like the Gunners are pulling back to their strongholds in the south, not as interested in taking contracts for caps versus dealing with a regular insurrection in their backyard. More than a few ponies I've talked to in the Dugout Inn have worried about the mercenary company and what they've been up to down south, when they outright took Whinny a few smart ponies started wondering how bold that would make them and what they'd do next.

Seems like those bets were dead on the money in this DJs opinion, and I'm not the only one! After hearing what all my famous colleague DJ Pon3 has spotted in their territory, and his own direct knowledge of wasteland despots with delusions of grandeur, I have to admit I'm a little worried they'll just roll right over the rest of the Commonwealth with what's shaping up to be an army!

Of course I'd be more worried were it not for everypony's favorite dark hero! That's right, the Shrouded Stallion is out there giving them hell, protecting the rest of us in the process! Some ponies here in D.C. might still think he's just a murderer, but if it weren't for him and the Minutemares, the ponies of Jamocha Plains might not be around to sing a different tune! Seems the Gunners decided to pull another Whinny masacre and take direct control of the small trading hub, only to be beaten back by the Shroud, his Minutemares and even some alicorns who jumped into the fray! The Gunners better hope they haven't made an enemy of the mares of Trinity Tower, or their little campaign may have gotten a lot harder!

We'll keep you updated on all this as more dear listeners, just keep your heads down and stay safe out there. Here's a little Sweetie Belle to keep you company."

-----------------------------------------

Bitway Games Inter-office mail #0012
Subject: Sweet Funding!

I've never seen so many zeroes!! Can you believe it!? The new offices are great, plenty of room for everypony and Mr. Mash got to set up his own arcade downstairs, Ministry contracts are crazy! To think we were just a startup coding away in our basements a few months ago, now we're getting paid to make games for the Ministries!

I don't know who Mr. Mash's contact is, still surprised when he brought him around after the fighting game tournament. Thought the crazy old buck was a little long in the tooth to reach the finals against Button, finding out he had that kind of pull with the Ministries though... Just who is Doc Mobius anyway?

Bitway Games Inter-office mail #0015
Subject: Re: Sweet Funding!

Don't ask Twitch, just be grateful the weird old Doc took a liking to Mr. Mash. Anypony with that kind of influence wants to be all mysterious and throw bits at us, you shut the fuck up and don't ask questions. Just be sure to let the employees downstairs know, Doc Mobius plays for free and has run of the place when he stops by, send him straight up to Button's lab and let them get up to... whatever it is they do up there.

Bitway Games Inter-office mail #0057
Subject: This Tech!

Have you seen what they've been unloading from all those crates!?! Mr. Mash was beside himself, turned on the demo with that crazed look in his eyes. Holograms!?! Weird enough the Doc has access to that kind of technology, but shouldn't shit like that be like... top secret, M.o.W.T. or M.A.S. type stuff?! But he brought it here, to make games!? I know you said keep my mouth shut Coin, but this kinda thing is hard not to talk to somepony about! If it works... we're gonna be so freaking rich!

Bitway Games Inter-office mail #0073
Subject: Stop the gossip

Just an update after our unfortunate workplace related accident the other day during the trial run of Project Oculus. Twitch Stream is fine, eager to get back to work and he wants to assure everypony it looked a lot worse than it was. Apparently neither Mr. Mash or Doc Mobius really considered what a translation of certain programming would do to a pony in real life...

Employees are reminded of their non disclosure agreements some ponies might have forgotten in the excitement. Anypony who wants can visit or send cards to Fillyton General, or wait for his welcome back party when he's released from the hospital.

Bitway Games Inter-office mail #0079
Subject: New Hires

After some consideration in the wake of our trial run the other day, we've decided on a discrete ad for help wanted in the Trotson Flugelhorn. Without getting into specifics, we're looking for combat veterans with experience hoof to hoof. There's plenty of unemployed hardcases from the war, might look into hiring one of those stripes up in Neighlem as an outside consultant too, they've definitely got the kind of skills needed and it's good PR for the company.

Disconnecting my pip-buck from the latest terminal got an impatient whinny from the large purple alicorn behind me, Swan stopped spinning in the creaking office chair, her long neck craning over the back to stare at me upside down with a frustrated snort.

"Are you finally done doing boring things Fast? All this reading is so dull, I want to play! Or fight more! Or find radiation somewhere... Anything but read, read, read! I thought you just had to play that dumb game and we were done!" Swan whined and drummed her hooves against the floor, clearly at the end of her patience.

"Sorry Swan, this is important though. My Grandpa was here... I need to know." I sighed back and stretched, still sore from taking Bitway Games HQ from the devious raiders that had infested it, and now with a definite crick in my neck from what had admittedly been a lot of hacking and bending over terminals and games for the last hour or more.

Walking out of the cluttered office got her to bounce out of the battered old chair and prance at my side, a bundle of energy with no outlet, building as she had followed my slow progress through the second and third floors of the prewar business. I did tell her she could help Val and Glitter with the raider's former prisoners, or look for the ones outside who had barred the door when the sprung their trap, but Swan wanted to go where I went, regardless of how boring it ended up being. Not that it stopped her from whining about it as I worked, but she eventually got the idea the more she pestered me, the longer it would take.

Ministry of Wartime Technology Hero ended up being a challenge. Mainly because it covered a range of skills, not just technology knowledge. One part was easy, a simple puzzle game where you completed a circuit before time ran out and magical power went down the path you built from various tiles. Like Jade's surgery simulator, it was simplified to make it fun, but it was essentially just completing circuits with the parts available, using signal boosters, logic gates, flux regulators, etc to reach the goal. A simple enough matter for me to finish flawlessly.

It was the other parts that tripped me up, a first person shooter that simulated piloting a suit of Steel Ranger armor. I did like the customization involved, you could improve your suit and change your weapon loadout, but it was in essence a shooter.

It wasn't too hard considering how much real world experience I now had, though my enemies tended to be ponies more often than the cartoonishly evil zebras the game put forth. Eventually I beat the vile Caesar on the final stage, earning a screen like Jade had achieved on Ministry of Peace Hero to my relief;

"Congratulations! You are a Steel Ranger in the making!! Enter your name to notify the nearest Ministry of Wartime Technology hub of your amazing skills, join the M.O.W.T. and defend Equestria from the zebra menace! Better wiped than striped! Thanks for playing a Bitway Games production, try our other 'Ministry Hero' games today!"

I checked over the advanced arcade cabinet after reaching the blinking screen, assured that it was intact and had sent some kind of signal out through the compact communications equipment hidden in its bowels. That done and our rescued prisoners recovering and taking a meal with the others in a second floor break room, I had excused myself to investigate more thoroughly.

Wandering the halls with Swan and poking around every active terminal I found was a grim reminder of the rampage we had gone on. Most of it was a blur, but the evidence left behind made my stomach churn. Swan was like a force of nature, even down at normal alicorn size, and she wasn't responsible for all of it... Some of those bloody and dismembered corpses we passed by were all me.

Not that my attractive companion was bothered in the slightest, the only real thought Swan gave to all the dead raiders was how their blood spattered her sexy Alicorn Angel costume with even more gore. Unlike Jade she didn't know mundane spells like cleaning magic, leaving her a little annoyed as she liked her outfit Glitter had made for her. Apparently she had worn it since Nightmare Night, taking advantage of the size adjustment spells Sassy Saddles imbued it with.

She had certainly practiced that sway to her flanks swishing the short pink skirt as she trotted at my side... "Do you want to play now that you're finally done Fast? That would make up for being so boooooring..."

"Nnnn N-Not yet Swan, Jade first. Sorry you were bored, but I learned a little and it's important to me."

The big filly stuck her lip out in a pout as we made our way to the others in the dusty break room, but shook it off soon enough. She kept right on asking, but wasn't quite as insistent at getting her way after our talks. She did make her displeasure known though, snorting derisively at my concerns.

"More about this Grandfather pony... What are grandfathers anyway Fast? Why does this one bother you so much?" Swan tilted her head questioningly, the subject of any family beyond a mother always seemed to confuse her and her sisters.

"Parents of your parents Swan. Mobius... Grandpa Fin is my mom's father. Grandparents usually have a role in their grandkid's lives, it depends on the family, but they usually mean something. I liked Grandpa Fin, he was funny and played with me... I thought I knew him, but he lied... I never knew anything about him really. Anything I can find out about him fills in all those things I don't know, he was here, so I wanted to learn anything I could."

Swan looked to contemplate my answer a long while, furrowing her brow in thought before brightening with a gasp. "Parents parents... So the mother's parents would be my grandparents? I have some too!?"

That was actually an interesting question... From what Jade told me, the Goddess was made up of hundreds of ponies, but only one was truly in charge, the great and powerful Goddess. How would you even figure something like Swan's grandparents? Would they be the parents of the infamous Goddess? Or Twilight Sparkle's since she was the template for all the purples? Or would it be the grandparents of whoever Swan used to be?

"You probably had some too Swan, yes." I settled for the simple answer, glad to see the broad smile and little prance she gave.

Her cheery demeanor only got happier the more she absorbed it, nuzzling at my cheek excitedly as she burbled. "When we have foals, your parents will be their grandparents? And when they have children of their own, we will be their grandparents?!"

"Er... y-yeah Swan, you got the idea..." I gulped under her sparkling stare, like most things, Swan was pretty direct about her plans...

"Then we will find your parents like you want, then our children will have grandparents!" Swan beamed and nodded smartly, the matter settled in her mind.

As far as she was concerned, we were having foals, plural... and we would find my parents, period. While I admired her optimism and truly wished what she said would come true, I couldn't bring myself to be as absolutely certain of that fact anymore.

"I hope so Swan... Of course I don't know what the hell I'll say when I bring you home to meet the parents... especially if you're too big to fit in the house. I think my dad would just pass out if he saw you, though mom would probably like you. After they both get over f-four of you... jeez... I am going to get an earful if... w-when they do find out..." My shaky answer made her positively giddy as we entered the break room and joined the others.

The raider's prisoners looked marginally better after getting some food in their bellies and letting Glitter's stock of healing potions work. Of course I had a good idea that the little breezie hiding with my daughter had contributed to their meal by how relaxed they all seemed, a little nectar went a long way to helping traumatized ponies.

The two Diamond City guards had found their odd sporting equipment armor and dressed to go, sitting at the bent old table and giving an impatient look when I walked in. The higher ranking pegasus, Line Drive, had been kind enough to give me time, knowing that when they went back, they were obliged to report they had been saved by a wanted criminal.

Private True Blue looked the best, retrieving her own battered Minutemare armor from the heap of discarded gear from far too many victims, dumped in a pile in an unused closet in the arcade. Her rich brown eyes were wide and sparkling under her jaunty tan hat, nervously picking at her matching coat and bedraggled mane at my approach and saluting sharply.

The last prisoner sat alone in the corner, dressed in a tattered pink coat a bit darker than her fur, with a fuzzy sock hat over her blonde mane. Whether that was what she was wearing when captured or not was anypony's guess, she still hadn't said more than a few words, even to Glitter.

"We happy boss? Can we get movin' already?" Val tipped her beer bottle back from her seat near the door, simultaneously looking relaxed and innocent, while also giving the impression of an immovable guard in case any of our rescued guests felt like leaving early.

Pulling one of the battered old chairs from the table with a screech, I hopped up and pulled a few dirty sheets of paper from my saddlebags with a nod. "Almost Val, need to write a few notes for a our friends. Can you take a letter to General Stone when you go back Miss Drive?"

The peach pegasus peered across the table at my rapid scribbling, raising a curious eyebrow. "The General? Sure I guess, gonna give him a piece of my mind for spreading us out so far anyway. What does a wanted murderer want with the leader of the D.C. Guard anyway Mr. Shroud?"

"I'm not a murderer... I tried to tell General Stone that before I er... broke out of jail... There are things he should know about the nobles he works for. Plus I told him I'd try to clear my name, I have made some progress there, whether he believes me or not."

Glitter stamped her hooves as I folded the short letter and hoofed it over, glaring up at the amused mare. "My Daddy's not a bad guy! He didn't kill that stupid noble pony, so stop saying he did!"

Private Blue was right on her heels, snorting defensively and nodding. "The General was framed! There's no way he did what he's accused of, he saved you didn't he!?"

Guard Drive held her hooves up in surrender and took the offered note, shrugging back to the two of them. "Easy, just saying how it will be taken, not that I believe it now either. After seeing all that... if we held you in our jail, I'm just glad you didn't fight your way out, like a real murderer would... I'll take it to him Shroud, I promise."

Lowering my voice to a conspiratorial whisper and leaning close, I eyed her blissfully unaware fellow guard significantly. "I'd keep it under your hat too. Don't let anypony know if you can avoid it, and reading it might be hazardous to your health. It's something he should know, but dangerous, ok?"

The commander of Diamond City's guard might not believe me, but the fact he was taking orders from the Institute through the Svengallop family was something he should at least be aware of. If they were still insisting on this royal wedding of theirs, then Vega was behind it, working his public relations magic on the ponies of D.C. and beyond. General Stone struck me as a good pony, he cared about those under his protection and wasn't just a hired thug under the noble's hoof. But a straight arrow like him was in danger with the Institute watching over his shoulder.

Returning to my next scrap of paper, I wrote quickly and glanced up to Private Blue. Just that was enough to make her wiggle in her seat anxiously, that adoring look of hero worship still making me uncomfortable, even while it caused my mane to itch in response to a lovestruck female.

"One for you too Private. I hoped to send this out in Jamocha Plains, but we had to leave early... Take this as far up the chain of command as you need to, get a ride to Castle Equinox or send it ahead, Val will give you some caps for whatever you need. Send some troops here to set up an outpost here too, there's stuff I want here... Preston said I could promote whoever I wanted, so congratulations Lieutenant Blue, it's your post if you want it, or you can stick with Preston after you deliver that and I'll see you soon."

The young mare knocked her hat off saluting with a squeal, even that was insufficient and she grabbed my hoof in a jittering hoofshake that tried to shake me out of my seat, standing up in her seat to lean across the table with her rump stuck up in the air and her tail flicking excitedly.

"Y-Yes General! Thank you sir! I'll do a good job, I swear! It's an honor! I can't believe a filly from Hangmare's Alley could end up serving the General of the Minuemares directly! T-Thank you! I'll report to General Gardens at the Castle lickety split!" Her eyes were huge and dark as she gushed, the pupils wide pools sparkling with tiny hearts as she frantically kept right on shaking me to Val and Glitter's snickers.

"E-Easy! It's ok, I know you'll do great! Just do your best, but take care of yourself first, don't push ok?"

Muffling her laughter, Val peeled the excited mare away by grabbing her collar and hoisting her back, thumping her into her seat again with a smirk as she reluctantly started counting out caps "Didn'tcha do enough snoopin' around boss? What'cha want with this place now? Did you find that er... thing you was lookin' for?"

Val knew enough to keep what we were after quiet, checking over her weapons and clearly as ready to go as Swan nodding beside her. I shrugged back and gathered my stationary, looking over to the quiet mare in the corner and wondering what to do about her, I couldn't write a letter for her and she didn't want anything to do with us... I'd have to ask Lt. Blue to keep an eye out for her I supposed, we did need to get going.

"Yeah Val, I found it. Plus a few other things of interest, we don't have time to pick over every bit or clean stuff up though, so I'm leaving that to the Minutemares. But Mobius was involved with this place, so I want-"

I was interrupted by a shrill scream from our quiet companion, the pink mare in the corner looked up with a terrified expression, her golden eyes were pinpricks glaring back at me. "NO! Oh no, no, no! Why did you say that!?!"

"Umm... What?"

She jumped up in a panic, running to the door and stopped by Val's claw barring the way out. The strange mare pranced in place desperately, trying to duck past her and jabbering. "The forbidden one! You named him!! The failsafe is still working!! You can't say that name!!"

"Name? Who? You mean... Mobius?"

My confusion was being eclipsed by dawning curiosity as she screeched at the word, flinching and holding her hooves to her head like I had struck her. Val kept her in place and raised an interested eyebrow my way, waiting for orders one way or the other as I approached her cautiously.

"It's ok... calm down. How do you know that name? What's wrong with saying it?" I tried to speak soothingly, placing a tentative hoof on her shaking back.

She wheeled on me at the contact, grabbing my collar and shaking me forcefully, which only earned Val's ire as her big pistol came out in a flash. Her terrified shout in my face made me wave my mercenary friend off though. "They're coming!! I have to get out of here! NOW!"

At my nod, Val let her dash out the door, letting me follow at a run as she sprinted down the hall, past the empty offices and repair rooms, heading for the stairs near the outer wall and the dirty windows there. She ran right to the nearest view out, standing on her hindlegs and plastering herself against the filthy glass with a wail.

My mouth dried up as I caught up, even before I hit the window, Eyes Forward Sparkle started filling with red marks... My ears flicked at a strange 'zap!' sound drifting in along with more red marks appearing from nowhere. I wiped a clear streak through the glass and peered out, feeling like someone bucked me in the gut at the view outside.

The streets were filling with pale Gen 1 synths... All of them armored in gleaming white Institute gear and armed with plastic cased magical energy weapons. As I watched, another 'zap!' noise rang out and half a dozen more were teleported to the ruins below. At the center of this latest group was a pale unicorn with a jet black mane, wearing a dark leather longcoat and sunglasses with a heavy M.E.W. battlesaddle.

The way that one stared passively up at the window we peeked out of filled me with a sense of dread, only strengthened by the strangled cry the frightened pink mare beside me gave as she whimpered. "No... A Courser... they sent a Courser..."

"Seeking target, search pattern alpha... Unit B2-80! Surrender yourself for retrieval and reformatting immediately!" Toneless synthetic voices blared out below us with a crash, the front doors flung open and red marks spreading out in my vision.

"No, no, no, no! Why did you have to say that!!" The strange pink mare dashed away from the windows, running for the back of the building as I followed in a rush.

Chasing her past where Glitter, Val, Swan and the others watched in confusion, I yelped to them on her heels. My sharp hearing caught the squeal of metal below us and more red filled E.F.S. from the rear of Bitway Games HQ, the synths had breached the loading doors in the back too... They were swarming the building from the ground floor, after this mare?

"Val! Swan! Get Glitter and the rest out of here! The roof, quick!"

Val squawked in protest as I ran by, unhappy at the rushed order while I tried to catch the frantic mare that apparently brought all this down on our heads. No time though, they needed to get clear before the army of synths that appeared from nowhere got up here, and I couldn't let that mare get away. She had answers... Mobius, saying his name is what set her off, I had to know why.

Skidding around a corner after her, a trio of pale synths were cresting the stairs she just passed. They were focused on the pink mare running by, giving me a chance to draw the Terrible Shotgun and activate S.A.T.S. on the run. Being generous with the spell charge let me shred the robots and send them spilling back the stairs, floundering in place with their legs blown off and large rents in their plastic hides. Hopefully that would present a blockade to the others I could hear climbing up behind them.

I caught up to the mysterious mare scrambling at a tall rear window, shoving with her hooves and magic desperately to open it, before simply grabbing a broken office chair and flinging it through the glass. She leapt right through after it, cutting her hide badly on the jagged shards and seeming not to notice or care, clattering out to the rickety fire escape in a rush.

"Hey! Wait! What's going on! Hold on and let me..." I shouted after her, forced to flap up and barrel through the window after her, trusting my magical armor to protect me.

"Have to go! Have to get away! Can't let it catch me!" The mare jabbered in terror, galloping down the rusty cage and making the whole production shake ominously, while she bucked the folding stairs down to the junk filled alley below.

I was in the process of climbing over the bent fencing of the fire escape to simply glide down and cut her off, caught with my hindlegs scrambling over the barrier when a cold, commanding voice issued from the end of the alley. "Unit B2-80! Cease your useless attempts at escape and submit to retrieval!"

It was the pale pony in the heavy black leather coat, the dark sunglasses glaring up at us were as implacable as that stern voice. Considering he had half a dozen Gen 1 synths galloping up behind him, I was fairly certain he was a synth too and therefore fair game. The mare totally ignored his harsh orders anyway, tumbling down the ladder in her haste to get away.

Vengeance and the Terrible Shotgun snapped up in my magic, firing wildly at the synth in charge and the cruder models charging into the fray behind him. The heavy slugs and .45 rounds tore satisfying holes through the clunky Gen 1s, but that pale pony dodged and rolled behind a rusty dumpster. The heavy gatling M.E.W. battlesaddle at his flank spun up and poured blue beams out, not even aiming at me, but blasting the groaning fire escape and the wall in a spray of fire.

The whole tired construct couldn't take the strain, having ponies use it at all was pushing it, but the rain of fire blasting the wall and twisted steel finally broke it free after 200 years of hanging on. Metal squalled and screeched as it tore loose, bricks and loose beams raining down as the whole thing came crashing down on our heads.

The alley was choked with dust when it finally settled out, leaving me groaning under a pile of junk. Trying to move was a horrible idea, the sharp, torn edge of a ladder pierced my side and pinned my left wing, skewering the appendage in a puddle of blood.

Looking around woozily from under the pile of scrap metal on my head, I spotted the pink mare tugging her way free from under a section of brick wall that pinned her hindlegs. She looked like she'd happily tear the trapped legs off if it would get her away, but was making progress anyway by ignoring the damage she was doing to herself.

"You will be retrieved and interrogated B2-80, cease your struggles and submit. Where is Dr. Vigil?" That cold voice rang out behind me, the synth... the one she called Courser, it was coming up the alley to retrieve her... The bastard was ignoring me...

A rain of red magical energy weapons fire poured down from above the alley and forced him to stop his slow advance, Val's furious screech echoing off the narrow walls from her perch on the roof along with them. "Dammit boss! I'ma coming ya stupid bastard! Just hang on!"

"Daddy! Get up!!" Glitter's yell from her frightened head popping over the edge above helped get me moving 'Be Unwavering!', her and the other weak and injured prisoners were up there, in danger...

Dragging my weapons back to me and focusing on the mare yanking herself loose, I spread a field of my strongest telekinesis out, pouring power into my horn in a layer of overglow. The Courser could use all this ruin to his advantage, so could I...

I roared to disguise a scream of pain as the ladder puncturing my side was lifted with everything else, a wall of brick and steel swirled up in my magic as I shakily got to my hooves, twisting my head to fling the whole floating mass down the alley. Brick, sharp scraps of rusty steel, big chunks of fallen fire escape, trash cans, everything went in a storm of junk raining down on the synth bastard.

The multiplying Gen 1 synths were decimated, crushed or impaled by the rush of ruin slamming into them. That bastard Courser was spooky though, dodging through it all like he was dancing, vaporizing the section of wall that had been pinning the mare with his battlesaddle as I turned back to her.

She was already running again!? Hobbling down the alley and picking up speed, forcing me to go limping after her. On the plus side, the synths were after her and her alone, wherever she went they went... meaning Glitter was safer if they were drawn off by her escape. The fact it was the mention of my grandpa that started all this had me obsessed though, she had answers... I couldn't let her get away either, or let this Courser asshole catch her.

"I-I'm ok sweetie! Stay down! Val! Get her and the others clear! I'll handle this one!"

The furious griffon lobbed several 25mm grenades down to the end of the alley and glared, biting her tongue before turning back sharply. The building was still swarming with red marks on E.F.S., not giving her a lot of options, blue M.E.W. beams sketched the sky overhead before another explosion from her grenade machinegun cut them off. "I'll be right back dammit! Don't get yerself killed before then boss!"

No choice, I wove my wave after the pink mare, stumbling and dragging my bleeding wing behind me. I sucked down a green tinted healing potion on the run, each breath a burning knife in my side that was all too slowly knitting together. I turned down the next narrow alley and spotted her scrambling over a rusty brown chainlink fence barring the way, her bleeding legs slowly healing on their own.

"H-Hey! Wait! Dammit!" I croaked after her, tossing a pair of mines to the litter strewn alley behind me and picking up speed as my breathing got a little easier.

My wing wouldn't cooperate... still flopping uselessly at my side, it would need more healing potion or radiation, not something I had time for. I couldn't fly over the fence the mare finally crested and leapt off of, but I could go through it. Best Served floated out in my wobbly magic, a little overtaxed lifting all that debris and flinging it, but steady enough to send the starmetal blade ahead of me.

A few flickering slashes sliced through the barrier, returning to my mouth just in time for a stream of blue M.E.W. fire to send me skittering through the gap. That freaking Courser made it through and was moving at a steady run, the sudden beeping of one of my mines made him instantly leap to the side, bouncing off the brick wall just ahead of the explosion. Clever bastard...

So was I though, I put two down for a reason... He landed back in the alley and almost stepped directly on it, the previous explosion enough to set its steady beep, beep, beep timer off during his agile dodge. To his credit, he rolled to the ground instantly, reducing the damage he was going to take, but not avoiding it entirely. Just to keep his head down, I sent half a dozen shotgun slugs his way as I ran on, popping out to the street and looking around frantically for the escaping mare.

There! A flash of pink and blonde, running down the broad highway going down a steady slope, heading towards a dark maw of a tunnel that went under the Trotson ruins around us. A weak flap sent me over the crumbling concrete highway divider and to the angled roadway, stumbling my way around the rusting hulks of dead carriages that littered the path.

More mines were tossed in my wake haphazardly, a stream of blue beams forcing me to duck behind the steel husks growing thicker and more cluttered as I approached the gaping tunnel ahead. There was the mare's dirty tail, flicking frantically as she climbed over a delivery wagon on its side, part of a wall of dead vehicles choking the tunnel entrance.

Dammit! I would yell at her to slow down, but the hardcase in the leather coat kind of argued against that, forcing me to speed up as well as I was able. Another ungainly flap was a little stronger, sending me up out of the path of more blue beams fired from the courser's battlesaddle as he charged down the highway, leaping from vehicle to vehicle and avoiding my mines like they were an annoyance.

Discovered Location: Maud Pie Tunnel West blinked as I crashed into the leaning delivery cart with a hollow bong, shoving the pink rear scrambling for purchase ahead of me through to the tunnel. That done, I turned back to our pursuer and brought out the Last Minute, alright smarty pants... think you're so slick dodging mines... let's see you dodge this.

S.A.T.S. gave very low odds to hit the fucker with anything, but switching targets to one of the mines he was so nimbly avoiding gave much better chances. Time resumed at the gauss rifle started whining, the flat crack of a high speed slug detonated a mine right under his hooves, sending him flying to crash against another wreck and be met with the sweet sound of 'beep beep beep...', the next mine going off before he could drag himself up and get too far.

Squinting against the firestorm he was lost in, I didn't like the fact his red mark on E.F.S. hadn't gone out... Another even louder explosion made me flinch as one of the wrecked carriages went up in a huge fireball, my pip-buck chattering crazily. Another followed from a rusting old Thundega chariot pinwheeling through the air from the force of its power supply going up.

The roaring fire was spreading, some of my earlier dodged mines were cooking off too, blowing up more wrecks in a string of deadly dominos that was steadily making its way towards the tunnel, and the powderkeg in the shape of a pile of vehicles I was currently standing on... Worse yet, through the haze and smoke, I saw a dark shadow lurch up, a vague pony shape tromping through the flames.

The Courser thing was in rough shape, his coat was burning and ragged, his battlesaddle was a sparking wreck, one hindleg was nearly twisted off and gleamed in the flames, all the flesh stripped from the robotic appendage. Blood poured down his neck and scorched in the heat, dribbling down from the large chunks missing from the thing's face. The terrible wounds let me get a good look at the silvery skull and pitiless red eye shining through the flames at us.

"Fucking really!?! Die already!!" I shouted at the horror show still limping our way, bringing the Last Minute back up to see if a hole through his head would put the thing down.

I got a glimpse of that skeletal grin of perfect looking teeth through his torn muzzle, then another carriage exploded even closer, throwing me back and hiding him in the smoke and debris. Rolling down the pile of dead vehicles with a series of yelps and painful bongs, I splashed to a puddle of brackish, tingly water, looking up to spot the mare frantically scrabbling at a heavy steel door to the side of the choked tunnel.

Collapses blocked off the dual entrances to the passage, but the side door looked intact. The dim glow of a terminal blocked her from getting through, no matter how hard she bucked at it, making her hooves bleed with each 'clang' in the attempt. More explosions rocked the road under my hooves as I staggered up, we had to get out of here... now!

My pip-buck patch cable was already out and slammed home as I shoved her aside, glaring at her through the blinking lockout screen in my vision. She had been so desperate to get through, she froze the security... fantastic. Using a hurried bit of coding magic, I forced the stupid thing to load into safe mode, giving me one more opportunity to crack it.

Having the approaching string of very big, very deadly firecrackers shake rubble from the ceiling and send cracks in the tiled walls wasn't very helpful to concentration, though at least the pink filly cringed in the corner silently. I could feel the wave of heat filling the tunnel entrance as the next detonation shook me on my hooves, sweat pouring down my coat as the system unlocked with a click and she instantly grabbed at the door.

"Dammit! Wait for me! Don't just..." I shouted after her and threw myself through the door swinging open with a squall, stumbling my way down the dark passage beyond just before the world was engulfed in fire. We were lucky the door opened out, a stream of flame singed my tail before it slammed shut again, the earth and concrete around us rumbling in a ponymade earthquake and large chunks of the ceiling falling around us.

I ran for it, surrounding my hooves with lightning magic and blasting forward with hell on my heels, grabbing the fallen pink mare in my magic and dragging her with me. Flickering amber emergency lights blurred by in the dark, the narrow passage getting even harder to make out with the choking cloud of dust filling it. The rising inches of water at my hooves were slowing me down and even alicorn senses weren't good enough to make out every obstacle in the cluttered hall.

I barely made out a door hanging on its hinges ahead to the right, a way out into the larger tunnel beyond. Hoping for the best, I pinballed against the sturdy barrier and stumbled out to the rumbling space, tripping on a fire extinguisher half hidden in the rising water and rolling until smacking into the solid wall of a Trotson city bus. The mare was right behind me, my telekinetic grip imploded and she went careening on via inertia, slamming into me and knocking my breath out.

Bruised, woozy and ignoring the health alerts my pip-buck was trying to inform me about, I barely had time to snap out and catch the crazed bitch by her tail. She was already trying to run again!? Granted tunnel collapse was still a possibility, but the rumbles were dying down and she had taken a lot more damage than me.

"Let go! Let go! I have to get away! He's coming!!!" She screeched and bucked, forcing me to dodge and still earning a hoof to the face.

'Be Strong!' Gave a cowpony holler and I forced myself up with unsteady wings, wrestling her to the freezing water and wishing I had a rope to hogtie her. I settled for pinning her hooves over her head and straddling the bigger mare, locking my hindlegs around her barrel before she could buck me off and growling in her face, trying hard to keep my anger and annoyance from flaring too brightly. 'Be Dark...'

"Would you stop already!! He's dead! There's no way he survived all that! Now stop fucking running for one minute and talk to me! Let me help!!!"

She gave a sullen, terrified look back up with pinkprick eyes, shivering under me and whimpering. "He's coming..."

B2-80, or Byte as she preferred, was still a bundle of nerves some time later, flinching at every noise and keeping one golden eye on the emergency exit of the bus we sheltered in and the dark tunnel beyond. Convincing her to hide in the decrepit transport and hold still for a minute had been difficult enough, she looked like she wanted to bolt at every rumble and loud shake from that direction, more explosions above ground most likely...

I sat in the low steps leading up to the rest of the skeleton packed bus, leaning back in the declivity and keeping my hindlegs stretched out to the radioactive water filling the tunnel. It was just a slow and steady click-click-click from my pip-buck, probably riverwater from above, something was better than nothing though. Between soaking up the rads and taking another of my dwindling supply of Jade's healing potions, I was feeling marginally better at least.

As I watched, Byte was healing too, the numerous scratches and gouges in her coat sealing back together under the power of her healing talisman. Definitely a synth... A terrified one too, leaving me with the difficult task of trying to wrangle information from her one soft question at a time.

She was an Institute escapee, that much didn't really need her reluctant explanation. Though she did seem a little at sea at the prospect, like she hadn't really thought it through much beforehoof. While I was interested in just how she left the 'Think Tank' she mentioned, she couldn't answer any pointed questions about how to turn her exit into an entrance. Her programming prevented her from disclosing certain things, unfortunately those were the things I most wanted to know.

Having some knowledge about her kind and relating my experience with Angel and the Railroad helped a bit at least. She even somewhat brightened at the mention of the strange group, that was who she was trying to find when she got captured by the raiders. She was still wary, but my fame (or infamy) worked in my favor at least. She knew the Shrouded Stallion wasn't a friend of the Institute, so I slowly coaxed answers from her as we recovered.

Watching Val's, Glitter's and now Swan's new locator tags jittering around my own map marker, I sighed up to the scared synth. "Ok Byte... We're safe enough here, my friends are outside and looking for a way in I'm sure. Now that we have a second, I want to ask about Mo-"

No sooner was the first syllable out of my mouth, the frightened filly dove forward and crammed a hoof in my face, shushing me frantically. "NO! Don't say it! You can't name the forbidden one or they'll know exactly where we are!"

Gently pushing her back, I tried a different approach. "Ok... So, saying his name is bad... That's what caused all those synths to teleport in like that?"

"F-Failsafe... I was liberated by my master, but the failsafes are still active. That name is forbidden, anytime I hear it, a signal gets sent to the Institute. Since I'm a runaway, it goes to the retrieval teams, that's why they sent a Courser and so many. P-Please, don't say that name..." Byte shivered and cringed against the front benches, knocking a few dusty bones aside from their long commute.

"It's ok, I won't. Sorry... I didn't know. So, what's a Courser anyway? Why are you so afraid of that one? Er... not that a blame you really, he was one tough son of a bitch."

That got a shaky, harsh laugh that seemed to scare herself. "C-Coursers are... hunters, synth bounty hunters. They do other things, but mainly they track down those of us that try to escape. T-They're terrible Fast... Much stronger and faster than normal synths, advanced combat abilities and programming. D-Don't think that one is done either, it will find a way to follow... They don't feel pity or pain and they never stop until they accomplish their mission. I-It's coming... I know it's coming! We should go!!"

I wasn't nearly as worried about the Courser as I was about those rumbling tremors from the collapsed tunnel entrance. It was surprising this passage had survived 200 years of the river leaking in, but all those explosions -I was sure had to have incinerated our pursuer- also weakened even this well excavated structure too much for comfort.

Splashing back out to the sunken roadway with a groan, I flexed my mending wing and nodded back to her. Bloody, bruised and terribly tired, but I was good enough to move and the tingle of radioactive water at my hooves was slowly helping.

"Alright, we can walk and talk. No way to go but forward I'm guessing, so let's get moving. Tell me about Doctor.... the forbidden one, why is just his name enough to call in the heavy hitters?"

Byte scrambled out of the bus as soon as I moved, slogging through the rising water in a rush and answering between sharp breaths. "It's not normally, the masters just want to know any time it's said. All that showed up because it let them find me. Almost nopony says the forbidden one's name, it's... well, forbidden. Talking about him is like rebelling against them, spreading dissent, questioning their authority."

"What do you know about him Byte? Why's he such a big deal anyway, just talking about him is enough to get you in that much trouble?"

She gave an unsure shrug back, her knowledge of the forbidden Doc Mobius seemed secondhoof and almost superstitious, like a little filly talking about Nightmare Moon, some storybook villain that still made her shudder. "The masters want to ignore him and pretend he doesn't exist, but they're afraid of him... He's one of the makers too, his words carry as much weight as theirs for my kind, and he said things they don't like."

"What kinds of things Byte? What did he say that made them freak out and make just his name some kind of curse?"

She gave me a penetrating stare, sizing me up and reluctantly answering after a long minute. "It's only whispered about among us... Just talking about it is enough to be reformatted. But... I've heard the forbidden one fought with the other masters over many things, said they'd lost their minds when the world burned... Their arguments kept getting worse, then something happened and he snapped. He renounced them all, made himself an enemy to the Institute and escaped to his lab in the forbidden zone."

"Let me guess, about 80 years ago or so?"

Her shaky nod was all I needed, giving me a little hope. Whatever evils Grandpa had done, he clashed with the others even before they took my Stable. Once that deed was done though, when he apparently thought I had been killed... That's when things got really bad. He did care... didn't he?

"Thanks Byte, umm for telling me what you can. The... 'forbidden one' is kinda important to me. Though the rest of the Institute is too, if they want you back so bad, that's all the more reason for me to help you. We'll get out of here and get you to the Railroad, I've run into them a few times and can get you in the neighborhood anyway."

"O-Oh, I have a contact location to go to and passphrase, I just have to get there and they can help me, deactivate the failsafes and hide me... My master set it all up before he liberated me, t-that's why I can't let them catch me, it would put Dr. Vigil in danger too." My companion sounded better the more distance we put behind us, slogging down the dark, flooded tunnel under the dim amber emergency lights still flickering on the walls.

She sounded less shaky talking about her 'master' too, full of a species of pride and gratitude I had to ask about. "Dr. Vigil? He let you go huh? That courser guy sounded awful interested in him, that why they went all out trying to catch you? Can you tell me about him?"

Again came that hard stare of guarded secrets, but she finally sighed and nodded. "Dr. Vigil was my master in the Think Tank, I was his assistant... He's nice, better than most masters there, he treated me well, talked to me like a real pony, gave me a name, cared about me... When he started having doubts, he discussed them with me. He said he had to escape and let me choose if I wanted to be free before he ran away."

"So he's a real pony? What kind of doubts? Why'd he leave the Institute?"

"Of course he's real, there are many real ponies in the Think Tank, it's not all just synths and the directors. He started having doubts because... w-well, because of you." Byte's earnest answer took me by surprise, so there were real ponies working with the Institute... Not only that, but at least one rebelled?

"Because of me? Why?"

"He worked with Dr. Dala and Biosciences, when the I.M.P. 2.0 worked on you, they were all very excited, for awhile... But the next round of test subjects all failed and Dr. Vigil got very upset, they couldn't make it work again... Dr. Dala stopped participating, but Dr. Vega's division demanded more of the flawed potion. Not to try to improve and succeed again, but to keep making the twisted failures..."

"Master Vigil was able to excuse failures on the road to a breakthrough like you, but intentionally making those poor creatures? He started to question why Vega would do such a thing, what Public Relations was doing on the surface... what his work was being used for... everything. When he found out, he was sick with anger, said he couldn't be a part of such madness anymore." Byte spoke quietly, relating what had been her and her master's lives seemed to calm her a bit more, leaving me with more questions that she could only partially answer.

Setting off an alarm at the mention of Doc Mobius was just one 'failsafe' built into the synthetic mare. She was able to provide more information than I had gotten about the workings of the Institute than pretty much anypony else, but just the surface. Trying to dig deeper resulted in a wall she couldn't go past, unable to tell me anything dangerous to the Institute like how to find them, how she got out, where they were in the Commonwealth, anything beyond her personal experiences.

She led a fairly sheltered life too, mostly speaking of her cozy existence in this Think Tank place with her master. I was interested to learn most of the normal ponies working for the Institute seemed unaware or ill informed about the world above, but that seemed a poor excuse for contributing to the group and the misery they spread. She knew a little about Biosciences because that's where she worked, but almost nothing about any of the other divisions beyond idle gossip she picked up from this Dr. Vigil or her fellow synths living in the Think Tank.

"Your master, Dr. Vigil? He escaped then, right? He could tell me more? Do you know where he went Byte? Why didn't he take you with him?"

What had been caution and reluctance turned to stone faced refusal at the subject of her master, Byte stamped a hoof down in the murky water with a splash and shook her head, giving a whinny of negation. "I won't betray master Vigil. He ran away and hid, but he wanted me to be free, said it was too dangerous to stay with him, e-even though I wanted to... He's safe, if I tell you, they might find out... o-or you might hurt him... You are feared in the Institute Shrouded Stallion, telling you might be as bad as telling that Courser."

"No it wouldn't! I don't want to hurt him..."

'Be Dark...' disagreed and made me pause in the lie. If this Vigil was an Institute scientist, one that worked with Dala on her twisted version of the I.M.P. they used on me and who knows how many other innocent ponies? I supposed I couldn't really guarantee I wouldn't hurt him... change of heart or not.

By her skeptical look, it seemed like she saw through me too, forcing me to try again. "I don't want to want to hurt him. I want to hurt the rest of the Institute though, a lot more than one pony who sounds like he realized what they were doing was wrong. If he can tell me things you can't, help me get to them and find my family. I promise I won't hurt your master Byte, I swear to the goddesses. I'll even try to help him if I can."

The synth's long, wary stare made me a little hopeful, her lip quivered in thought and opened slowly, only to give a sharp 'Eeep!' as she was suddenly yanked down into the chest high water. Figuring out what the hell was going on through the thrashing and water splashing everywhere was aided by the low groans and burbles nearby, E.F.S. was lighting up with red all around us...

Spotting them in the gloom was hard even for alicorn nightvision, activating S.A.T.S. let me pick out their glowing outlines and gulp with disgust though. Zombies... bloated, waterlogged corpses were lurching up from the water, crawling from the wrecked carriages and murky, radioactive water. Who knows how many were down here, in the dark... undisturbed since the last time somepony was fool enough to go wandering down this stygian pit.

It may have taken them awhile to wake up, but our idly splashing down the long tunnel and chatting had done the trick. Byte looked like she had nearly stepped right on the one wrestling with her in the water at my hooves, snarling out from a pile of rubble and dragging her down when her leg came too close.

Deliverer came out and started queuing up shots, the silent and speedy weapon the best bet for dealing with the threat and hopefully not waking up even more undead hiding down the tunnel. Time started again and the magical pistol blazed away, riddling the misshapen monster snapping at Byte with holes to let her struggle free of the corpse, then snapping up and spinning towards the rest closing in.

She gasped for breath and clambered up to the pile of rubble, getting out of the water as quickly as she could to avoid any other hidden attackers. I wasn't sure if synths could drown, but she certainly looked scared of just that as the extended 10mm clip ran dry. Following her lead, I gave a hard flap and landed on a rusting hulk sticking up out of the water just ahead, getting some elevation on the pancaked roof of a yellow cab and trying to draw the snarling zombie's attention.

Blue Moon clicked out at my side and sent bright beams down as I reloaded, the soft 'zzzorch!' not echoing down the tunnel at least. The blinding light in what had been their dark tomb also drew their focus, illuminating the swollen faces and milky eyes charging at me, swarming over each other to climb up and feed. They were worse than most zombie ponies, bloated and disgusting corpses whose flesh fell away and fouled the water from their own hooves clambering over each other.

"Byte! Run! Get higher!" I panted between shots, down to bucking at the horde of zombies leaping up to my perch. A desperate wing assisted leap sent me over to a Trotson Flugelhorn delivery cart nearby, the tipped over wreck a slightly higher mountain to play king of.

A few of the dead were pegasi, a pair of which soared after me as soon as I was in the air, faster and more agile than I was even with withered, featherless wings. My awkward landing ended up in a rolling crash, falling to the frothy water teeming with more undead that quickly dove after me, forming a sickening dogpile of squishy, rotting flesh.

I choked and sputtered on the foul water, the radiation was helpful, but not nearly enough to keep up with the snapping jaws clamping on every bit of pony flesh they could find. Best Served came out and glimmered in the dark, weaving around me as I rolled and fought to escape. Getting my hooves under me and wincing at the bites to my spread wings, I shoved with every bit of earth pony strength I could muster, 'Be Strong!'. I shot straight up to the crumbling, tiled ceiling, splattering one zombie clinging to my back against the surface, its guts exploding from its bloated abdomen and coating me in gore.

Bucking and shaking the others falling away or still clinging to my legs by their teeth, I glanced over to Byte, making sure she had clambered up on top of a pile of rubble stretching up to the matching hole in the ceiling. The synth mare hadn't taken a weapon in her desperate escape, but was fairly good at hoof to hoof, as my sore jaw attested to... The important thing was she was out of the water though...

KRAKA-THOOOM!!!

The bolt of lightning from my horn filled the dark tunnel with blinding light, the snarling herd of zombies standing out in stark relief as the electricity arced across the water and scorched them, while the recoil sent me bashing into the ceiling again. A large swath of red marks in my vision disappeared one by one as they cooked and jittered in the water below, letting me kick the one dragging me down by a bleeding hindleg off and try to mop up the rest while fluttering near the ceiling.

"I-I think it's ok Byte! Just stay out of the way and we'll be alright! Only a few more..."

BLAM!

A resounding crash echoed down the tunnel, the piercing round propelled by the blast tore through my magical armor, ripping a line of fire down my ribs and wedging in my guts. I tumbled from the air, sucking in a burning breath before splashing to the water with Byte's wail filling my ears. What the fuck!?

I gasped up and thrashed feebly in the water, spotting Byte taking a flying leap from her pile of rubble, only to get struck by a bolt of magic from down the passage. A pair of faintly glowing hoofcuffs appeared on her hindlegs, binding her frantic scramble and sending her flopping to the water nearby.

"Unit B2-80, you will be retrieved..." A merciless voice drifted from the dark over her screams, the Courser resolved out of the shadows from a distorted blur behind us. It survived?! It fucking followed us!?!

The remaining zombies flung themselves down the tunnel at the new target, three of the lurching things blown away by three rapid headshots from the synth's booming 12mm pistol. The undead gave me time at least, I sucked down my last green healing potion and rolled for cover behind a rusting moving wagon, wheezing and shaking as my wound slowly healed.

"Subject 111-3-42, you will be retrieved and brought to Biosciences for study. Surrender yourself and avoid unnecessary suffering." The courser kept right on strolling forward as I peeked around my shelter, catching Byte's terrified golden eyes begging for help where she struggled and tried to drag herself away.

She was right, the damn Courser found a way... Even after all the damage I had seen the bastard take, he was in perfect shape again. Only his missing battlesaddle attested to the destruction he had barreled through when I last saw him. His dark coat and sunglasses were intact, along with his pale coat and the dark mane I had seen scorched from his skull. His pistol floated by his head in a field of silvery magic, tracking wherever his blank stare fell.

Taking a better look, I spotted a dark gleam from under his foreleg sleeve, the son of a bitch even had a pip-buck!? No... not quite, one of the Institute's psuedo pip-buck's like Kellogg wore, a sleeker, black version with more crystals and doo-dads blinking near the blue tinted screen.

I could hear more growls and groans echoing back up the tunnel in response to his loud shot stirring them up, distant and less of a threat than the immediate one placidly walking forward, or the continuing thumps and rumbles from the collapsed entrance we had come in.

Panting behind my hiding place as I drew the Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance, I gnawed on the handle of Best Served with my fangs anxiously as I scraped the bottom of the barrel for ideas. No wonder Byte was so scared of this Courser thing... I was pretty unsure of my chances against it at this point, left with two options I didn't really want to take.

Better I went with the lesser of two evils, my pip-buck's inventory sorter dug up the vial of Dash I kept on hoof for emergencies. I wished I had another healing potion or a convenient source of intense radiation, the prewar combat drug would have to suffice. Better that than the tempting whisper of 'Be Dark...' and the clink of loosening chains around that dark stasis pod in my head that kept it locked up. The drug was dangerous enough, but it was a known. Letting that dark Shroud off the chain might work too, but there was no telling what might happen if I did.

It was already straining against its bonds anyway, the aura of lightning that surrounded me flickered darkly at the pulse of anger it kept stoking. The Institute... a representative of the Institute was here to direct all that hate at, a fancy synth made to hunt its own kind and keep them enslaved, brought here by the mere mention of my Grandfather...

I wasn't above using that cajoling grumble in my head, letting it set my heart to pounding and my eyes burning as I inhaled the Dash and dove out. Even with the euphoria of the drug taking hold and the world slowed down to a crawl, the evil fuck was quick. I left a lightning arcing plume of dirty water in my wake and at least three droning shots hammered through the spray right on my heels.

Streaking around him in sharp, rapid turns to try to confuse him only worked so well. My weapons barked and sent him prancing back, avoiding the majority of a hail of gunfire that would have ended a dozen plain old Gen 1 synths. A trio of shotgun slugs and .45s found their target at least, making him flinch at the ragged wound blown through his gleaming metallic ribs.

It barely slowed him down though, he was figuring me out already too, the next rapid set of 12mm rounds all found me as I blasted forward through another turn, predicting the path I'd take and hammering my chest and flank. If he zeroed in his targeting any more, that would be my head next...

A change of tactics then, my next turn sent me barreling right at him, infuriated to find that even in the slow motion of Dash's wonderful high, the bastard appeared to be moving normally. What's more, his huge pistol was surrounded in a layer of overglow swirling around the barrel, matching the brightly glimmering crystal on his fake pip-buck. Shit! He had the S.A.T.S. overcharge system too!?

I activated S.A.T.S. in a panic and used the same system I was afraid he was, I had a full charge lighting up my own matching crystal module on my hoof. If he wanted to kill me, there was a good chance the swirling field of runes of magical power surrounding his pistol would do it, the best I could hope for was that he wanted me alive and that I could match him.

The last round from Kellogg's silver revolver was imbued with the stored energy from the S.A.T.O.S. addition, a field of my own bright blue magic swirling around the weapon in an identical display as the courser's. When I hit accept, the low thrum of power that had built to a climax in both weapons erupted, the resounding crashes of the dueling pistols filled the tunnel, bouncing crazily off the tiled walls.

I nearly fell right to the murky water as a wave of pain threatened to swallow me up, my dim hope he wanted to capture me alive being proven right was small consolation to nearly having a hindleg blown off entirely. Adrenaline and Dash drove me on, barely... my wings took up the slack for my crippled leg and I kept plowing forward towards him. My own enhanced .45 had torn a large chunk from his silvery skull, right through the stupid sunglasses and out the back, revealing sparking circuitry and what passed for his artificial brain.

Alright... Coursers didn't bother going for perfect mimicry of real ponies like the Gen 3s did. The dribbling chunks from his noggin were partially biological, but his metal skull already mending before my eyes wouldn't pass for bone, the blinking lights and gleaming crystals among all that grey matter didn't belong in a pony either.

What would have been a fatal shot even for an advanced synth didn't put this throwback down, Byte was right, it was built to be an unstoppable killing machine, some kind of enhanced Gen 2 / Gen 3 hybrid. Biological covering over much more mechanical underpinnings, reinforced bones and redundant systems to keep it going while it rebuilt its own brain...

I snarled around the handle of Best Served and slashed out for his neck, if I could cut his fucking head off, let's see him keep going then... My brief moment of hope was dashed when he slithered out of the way, holding a hoof up to try to stop the strike while pulling his half ruined head aside. His metal bones might parry a normal blade, but the starmetal knife sliced neatly through his defensive foreleg, taking away his pip-buck thing at least, but not decapitating him as I hoped.

His other foreleg shot up under my outstretched muzzle, uppercutting me and knocking the knife from my grip. The bastard hit as hard as Zed! Advanced combat programming... hoof to hoof included along with his skill using magical energy weapons and ballistic firearms.

A tremendous rumble from down the tunnel and cloud of dust distracted me, while the Courser had no such problem, following up his uppercut with a graceful spin and powerful buck to the gut that sent me to the ceiling. Before I could peel myself from the curved tunnel roof, his pistol was already booming, two rounds to the joints of each splayed out wing, crippling both according to the blinking alerts from my pip-buck screeching at me.

I distantly heard Byte's pained cry through the roar filling my ears when I fell to the water again, it felt a lot colder than before... or was that just me? Shock... going into shock... shit... My one working hindleg shoved uselessly, barely enough to roll me to my side and let Blue Moon extend, lancing out at him repeatedly as I tried to get my working legs under me.

The bright beams never came near hitting him, but did send him dancing back, still far too agile for only having three legs to work with. His pistol started swinging my way again and I flailed and crawled to get away, already steeling myself for his next painfully accurate shots. They never came though... a rising sound was filling the tunnel, distracting us both looking for the source of that eerie cry growing louder over his shoulder.

My eyes didn't want to focus when I shakily managed to crane my neck up, trying to make sense of the approaching purple ball of light. It was like a freight train with a violet headlamp was screaming down the tunnel, loud crashes and explosions trailing in its wake as it plowed through every obstacle and knocked the ancient wrecks and rubble aside.

A ring of bright purple dots surrounded the approaching larger one, gleaming brightly as they swelled and eldritch arrows of violet magic came shooting ahead, sending the Courser rolling aside frantically. The crackling arrows pierced the asphalt and quivered in the side of an armored police wagon the Courser dove for, following his progress in a line of near misses while that big purple ball streaked closer. Swan?

The Courser reloaded his pistol in a hurry and floated out a pair of gleaming metal apples, fancy grenades... I couldn't do much against the bastard, but he had disregarded me as much of a threat and that kind of pissed me off. I was a hell of a lot closer than Swan and we weren't done yet...

Deliverer bobbed up in my wobbly magic and I activated S.A.T.S., not bothering to waste the charge pinging the heavily armored and reinforced synth with 10mm rounds. Those grenades of his though... they'd work just fine on those, at this range the pip-buck even gave me 60% odds trusting the targeting spell instead of my own fading vision.

The second shot from the silent pistol hit the mark, the silvery apple floating right by his head detonated in a blinding green flash of plasma. The water under his hooves boiled and half of the rusting hulk he hid behind melted in the blast, the shockwave throwing me back to smack against a slab of concrete from the ceiling.

I groaned weakly and slid down the angled surface, leaving a wide streak of blood behind on the way down to the roiling water. Blinking dizzily through the smoke and haze, I goggled at the silhouette of the Courser still standing. Sweet Celestia! What the fuck did it take to put one of these things down permanently!?!

The flesh had been vaporized from his gleaming metallic bones on one side completely, letting me get a short, blurry glimpse of just what made him tick I couldn't help noting even through the pain. Under all that scorched muscle and blood was something close to the combat robot frame under AssaultJack's armor plating, a skeleton of something much stronger than steel, incredibly advanced components of circuitry and gems blinking rapidly as it started regenerating already.

Not fast enough though... The blazing purple ball smashed through the last wrecks separating us with a roaring warcry, one big, angry warrior princess at the heart of the violet storm of magic lashing out to the threat. Swan was devastating... her long pink mane rippling around her like a torch, as blasts from her horn drove the wounded synth back. It was still somehow able to competently dodge, but there was no getting away from Swan's assault.

The courser made a misstep coming down on a pile of zombie corpses while missing a foreleg, more than enough time for Swan to pounce. The purple alicorn teleported right on top of him before he could recover, pinning him under her ...increased bulk? Swan had put on a great deal of weight... slamming him to the sunken roadway with all of it and driving one big hoof into his melted face, over, and over, and over...

WHAM! "You hurt Fast!" WHAM! "You're bad!" WHAM! "You're gonna pay!" WHAM! "Stupid robot thing!" WHAM!

Swan screeched in fury, each heavy hoofstrike driving what remained of the Courser's head into the asphalt, sending a plume of water up to the ceiling shaking ominously at each blow. Her foreleg came back coated in glowing green goop when it melted under her, leaving her frustrated and snorting angrily. Her dragonish, blue-violet eyes searching for something else to hurt and widening in fear when they fell on me flopping uselessly, the dark pupils going wide and round again as she gasped.

"H-Hi Swan... g-good to...see... you..." I croaked up to her with a crooked grin, the darkness at the edges of everything swallowing me up into the black.

Oh that felt good.... nice and warm, tingly even... The annoying chatter made me moan and furrow my brow, fumbling to shut off the stupid alarm clock or whatever it was that was getting through the depths of sleep. I mumbled grumpily and rolled over, trying to escape the noise and curl up in the silky blanket over me, consoling myself over the interruption at the soft kisses and nuzzles I burrowed into.

Cracking one eye open slowly, I found myself staring into a big, sparkling stare framed by a lot of purple, not Jade's blue I was expecting. Blinking back in confusion as a rather large muzzle kept right on nuzzling and nudging at me, I realized the blanket I was pulling tighter to myself was pink... and attached to the big head over mine...

"S-Swan?"

The big filly gave a happy whinny, her oversized head shooting up and taking her flowing mane wrapped around me with her, I was lifted a foot off the ground along with her tangled tresses before spilling to the ...really hard bed..., wincing at the wave of aches the spill brought as Swan's clear voice rang out above me.

"He's awake! It's ok niece! I told you the radiation would make him all better, see!?" Swan chirped happily, my upside down view of her beaming face was nothing but blue sky and a lot of Swan, turned to look away at something I couldn't see from the... road?

Yes... road, I was laying on the road, angled road by the way my body wanted to roll down the slope. That annoying chatter was coming from my foreleg... the pip-buck detecting the strong radiation I could feel tingling through my bruised and battered body, soothing it as the cute little rainbow gauge climbed steadily past orange.

"Daddy!?! Daddy are you ok!? Say something!!" Glitter's frightened yelp from somewhere nearby sent me scrambling up, sitting up on my haunches and nearly falling back over.

"S-Something!..."

Rubbing my aching head with a wince, I called out loudly in return, trying to reassure her wherever she was, while I tried to get my bearings. I only got another glimpse when I opened my eyes, the view of the burning slope leading down into the tunnel quickly blocked by a lot of Swan returning to her kissing with a squee of relief.

"We were worried! You scared me Fast! Why did you let that dumb robot hurt you so much!? I'm glad you made all this nice radiation though, it fixed you right up! Plus I'm not so tiny anymore! I feel lots better now! How about you? Can you get up? Niece Glitter is very worried..."

"Boss! Start talkin' dammit! Don't make me come down there ta smack ya, worth it even if I end up glowin' in the dark!" Val's worried squawk from the same direction as Glitter helped me shake off my remaining wooziness, patting Swan's full cheek nuzzling against mine to get her to back off and look around.

She did pull back at the gentle encouragement, sitting up straight in front of me and peering down from... quite a bit higher than before... Sitting right in front of her, I had to crane my head back to look up into her twinkling gaze, she was a few feet taller?

Looking around slowly, that mystery was short lived at least, along with how ....not dead... I felt. We were sitting in the sunken roadway leading into the tunnel, the burning wrecks of a dozen vehicles that had blown up and collapsed the entrance behind us were pouring out rads. Looking towards the rubble and ruin that had choked the passage, I spotted a perfectly round hole bored into the blocked passage, leading into the dark past Swan's flicking tail.

All the radiation from the string of exploding prewar vehicles... Swan sat here and soaked it all up, bashing her way through the blockage, that was what all the continuing shakes were... Not only did she get her way, she powered a path through just in time to save my ass, and had somewhere to take me to recover. The residual rads still baking off the blackened, sloped roadway were keeping Val and Glitter back, but what was poison to them saved my life.

"Nnngh... I'm alright Val! Stay up there... a-are you two alright?!"

Shaking my head to get everything to stop trying to spin, I followed her annoyed grumble up to the chest high walls of crumbling concrete up on the flat city streets above. "Helluva lot better than you dammit! The hell was you thinkin' stupid?! Got yer ass kicked up one side and down the other by some tin can in a fancy coat!? All cause of this one? What'cha wanna do with her anyway?"

Val hoisted the struggling Byte by her collar and shook her gruffly, the poor synth didn't look nearly as terrified with the Courser finally dead, but clearly wanted to get away again. Normally Glitter would have at least kept the griffon from being too rough with her, but by her bloodshot stare and fidgeting with her hooves hooked over the low barrier above, I got the idea she wasn't too happy with the synth either.

Swan's narrowed eyed glare that way made that three of my friends displeased with her actually... "She tried to run Fast... I didn't kill her though! You were chasing her for something right?"

The big mare fluttered her eyelashes and turned down to me expectantly, seeking praise for her restraint and giving a happy whinny when she got it. "G-Great job not... killing her then Swan, and for saving us both from that thing, thank you."

Standing as she pranced in place over me brought a lot of pain still, my mending hindleg tried to give out and Swan lifted a wing out for me to lean against, letting me stretch and try to get the kinks out. I didn't have a huge hole showing the bone through my leg anymore at least, though there was still a noticeable divot being regenerated by the rads. My wings were stiff and the rebuilding joints ground as they flexed, but they basically obeyed trying to give a flap and take me up to Glitter, well enough to rise a couple feet off the ground before flopping back to the road anyway.

Nickering playfully to herself, Swan's bright purple magic surrounded me groaning on the pavement and she gave a smooth beat of her own much more graceful wings, clearing the barrier and setting me back down to be tackled by Glitter instantly. Her little hooves drummed against my chest and made me wince at all the bruises and damage hidden under my coat, but I figured I had it coming and she was also nuzzling anxiously during my punishment.

"Y-You got all hurt and bloody daddy! You looked awful an' mommy wasn't here to fix you!! I-I'm tellin' when we get back! M-Mom will be mad at you for being so dumb, l-letting that mean synth pony hurt you so much, a-all cause of her!" Glitter sniffled and struggled in my hooves, pointing a shaking foreleg back at Byte dangling in Val's grip.

I had to give it to the Institute's Courser, it was as dangerous as Byte fearfully advised, taking me apart piece by piece in a short exchange that could have gone a lot differently. Looking up to her pouting and running in place held over the ground in Val's claw, I raised an eyebrow at the glaring griffon while trying to soothe my daughter.

"I know sweetie, I'm sorry... Let her go Val, none of this was her fault. Er... sorry Byte, they're just worried. Are you ok? Can we help you get away from here, off to wherever you were trying to get to?"

Val gave a flat stare and simply let her go, falling to the litter strewn sidewalk on her rump and scrambling back up immediately. To her credit, the scared synth didn't go screaming down the ruined streets though, giving an unsure look at me being pummeled by the little filly still glaring daggers at her, then up to the matching stares of Val lashing her tail angrily and Swan looming over her.

"N-No.. thank you, I'm supposed to go alone... i-if they're still waiting at the rendezvous point anyway. I'll be ok, h-have to learn to take care of myself out here sometime. I'm sorry you got dragged into my problems and so hurt... Y-Your father was very brave though little one, not many ponies have ever taken on a Courser and lived, but he protected me from him." Byte answered quietly, looking out to the ruins with trepidation before turning back and trying to help dig me out of trouble.

Glitter puffed up with pride and a little of her anger cooled with her reply. "O-Of course he did! My daddy's a big hero that always beats the bad guys! Y-You're just lucky he was there to help, h-he probably only got hurt tryin' ta keep you safe!" Glitter stuck her nose up in a pout, dragging one of my aching wings up to hide her as she burrowed against my neck, pushing her dirty silver mane in my face and whispering. "H-Here daddy... Gale was really scared too, y-you should say you're sorry!"

Safely hidden from the stranger, the little breezie's head popped out from Glitter's mane and she held a golden dusted hoof up, instantly slurped up as she chittered quietly. "Y-Yu is not dead Fast Shroud? Vas scared... c-could no heal dat much hurty, bad fires make yu better doh? Ve go home tu Breezie Nation? Adventure in beeg pony world exciting und give tings tu tink aboot, but ready to go home..."

Oh nectar was a blessed relief... the dull aches and pains still wracking my regenerating body retreated from Gale's wonderful golden powder and I nodded slowly, suckling on her dusted foreleg and releasing it with a grateful lick to her small face that made her sputter. "Okie dokie Gale, we go home, you got it. Thanks, sorry to scare you, but I'm glad you came along, you helped a lot!"

Wiping the slobber from her face, Gale tittered up at the relaxed grin spreading on my muzzle and ducked back into hiding, relieved at the thought of returning to the MoP hub. Thanks to her amazing natural painkiller, I felt a great deal better and my wings moved a little smoother, obediently tucking back to my sides and letting Glitter return her glare to the anxious looking synth.

Not wanting her to misplace blame, I tilted her chin back to me with a gentle hoof. "It was my fault sweetie, not hers. I heard Mo... er.... Grandpa's name and lost it. I brought that tough pony here, and he wasn't a pushover... if it weren't for Aunt Swan, we both would have been in a lot of trouble."

Byte flinched under her remaining ire, soothed somewhat by Swan's slow nod of agreement about her opponent in the tunnels. "It was very strong for a robot pony niece, it took a lot to smash it before it melted and got all over my pretty clothes... This is all that's left now though!"

Waving a hoof to the dimly glowing green stains spattered on her pink skirt, Swan pulled out a pale severed hoof from her small bag and dropped it to the road with a clatter. The gleaming black Institute pip-buck still attached and glowing... Looking up gratefully to her wide smile, I flung myself at the big mare, squeezing Glitter with me in a hug to her broad chest that made her gasp in delighted surprise.

"Swan! Thank you! Great job grabbing that!"

She warmed right up to the embrace, crushing the pair of us with her long forelegs and getting Glitter a little closer to normal under giggle inducing nuzzles from a large muzzle purring happily. "You like stupid pony junk right? It looked fancy and glowy, so I grabbed it and her before she ran away...

Struggling free from a ton of alicorn basking in praise, I fell back to the street and grabbed the bloody leg with distaste. Trying to ignore the all too real biological part attached to it, I was ecstatic to find it hadn't fried like Kellogg's pip-buck had on his death. It had been severed while the Courser was still alive... considering the bastard's regenerative abilities, it was probably just waiting to be reattached to the stump.

A few clicks through the similar interface seemed to support the idea, a timer was steadily counting down on the health status screen. Since it was still attached to only slowly dying flesh, it seemed like there was a window before it decided its owner wasn't coming back and wiped itself.

The Institute did too good of a job copying Stable-Tec though, the architecture was essentially the same, what differed was easy enough to figure out. A rushed bit of hacking let me put it into a safe shutdown, all the interesting components and who knew what kinds of data were still intact! Swan might not understand why the complicated bit of 'junk' was making me so happy, but she certainly liked the overjoyed kiss I planted on her leaning over my shoulder to view her trophy.

"Goddesses you're awesome Swan! This is amazing! I need time with it, but this belonged to the fancy Courser asshole, who knows what might be on it! Maybe even a way to find the Institute!!" I kept smacking Swan with overjoyed kisses, making the big mare turn red at my insistent affection as my mane started itching.

The bodily warning was distant and unimportant compared to having a real clue about the shadowy group, not to mention surviving... being alive and feeling my daughter's warm little muzzle against my neck, the sun on my spread wings, drinking in the sweaty, silken purple fur pressing back against me , nipping at her long neck as she squeezed back...

A strong claw grabbing me by my scruff and yanking me away from the tender contact made me yelp, Val flapped a few feet away from the pouting alicorn and squinted at the radiation gauge on my pip-buck with a snort, rolling her eyes as she dumped me to the ground.

"Yer gettin' all frisky boss... Fun an' games later, don't gimme that look neither big stuff! Still ain't taken my pay, I gots dibs anytime I want, an' I say no playin' around. Blue ain't around, somebody's gotta keep his head on straight till he bleeds this off. Them D.C. guards are loose an' on their way back home boss, probably ought'a get movin'..." Val being the voice of reason wasn't a role she was used to or comfortable with, teasingly flicking her tail at my goofy leer even while admonishing Swan against the same thing.

Glitter's curious stare at me snapping after the bit of red fluff tickling my face helped me snap out of it, absorbing all those rads saved me, but the needle was jittering madly at the red end of the dial... Swan got bigger, I just turned into a pervert... She took one look between the stupid look on my face and flared wings, then to Swan leaning after me with those pink bands flashing in her eyes, giving a cute little huff and joining Val in keeping us separated.

"You're bein' silly again dad... No goofin' off an' havin' fun with Aunt Swan! You're still in trouble! We're goin' back to mommy an' she can tell you how dumb you were first!" A tiny foal pushing against an oversized alicorn was totally impractical, but Swan reluctantly gave ground to the filly snorting over her shoulder at her stupid and near death prone father.

I shook my head and scratched my mane sheepishly, feeling my face heat up at being so easily figured out by my wise beyond her years filly. "Heh... right... sorry sweetie, mom will give me an earful alright. Let's get back and you can tell her all about it, I'll accept my punishment, so long as you cheer up and let her handle all the telling me what a dumbass I am huh?"

Tickling the squirming filly blew away the remaining fear and worry trying to settle on her shoulders, I hated putting her in situations like this and didn't want her weighed down by my problems and concerns too. She was still a filly, my filly... and her giggles and bright smile were more important than anything.

The playful back and forth looked to relax the synth watching it all with a bemused expression at least, Byte started chuckling into her hoof softly, finally giving a shaky sigh and pointing to the courser's pip-buck. "University Point Fast..."

"Pardon?" I blinked up from clutching the upside down filly against my chest, idly continuing to tickle her tummy over her breathless squeals.

"My master... Dr. Vigil. You should go to University Point Fast... take that thing with you, Master Vigil may be able to help you with it, a-and you might be able to help him. I believe you will now, y-you promised, right?" The synth mare looked pained and to be taking a big leap of faith, but volunteered her most precious secret with a gulp.

Map Updated...

Mission Added: Dangerous Minds

Objective----
---Travel to University Point
---Locate Dr. Vigil

I let Glitter go to prance off as the text blinked in my eyes, holding a mostly steady foreleg out to Byte and getting the reticent hoofbump returned. "I promised. If I can help him, I will. Whether he can help me find the Institute or not. Er... now that you're free and all though Byte, he'd probably like it if you stopped calling him your master. Try 'your friend' instead, huh? Like I hope we are, friends?"

"F-Friends... Yes, I would like that! I will, t-thank you Fast. I hope to see you again someday! For now we should all leave this place, beyond just the Diamond City ponies coming here, there's the Institute to worry about. A Courser going down will make them wary and they should pull back, but they'll investigate eventually. I really have to leave now. Goodbye!" Giving an unsure but dawning smile of real happiness, the odd pink mare gave a determined nod and ran off, out into the ruins of Trotson that quickly swallowed her up.

Floating Glitter to my back, I gave a few ungainly flaps and hovered up, tucking the brim of my hat down and nodding back to the west. "She's right, we've got a few reasons to get out of here now. Let's get back to the others."

Val blew past me easily, circling impatiently and giving a huff to Swan staring back at the radioactive hellscape in the street below with longing clear in her sparkling eyes. "C'mon big stuff! You heard the boss, let's gooooo!"

"But... It's nice and glowy down there... Couldn't we stay a little longer and ...rest? Fast still needs to heal!" Swan ventured an excuse to stay and keep soaking up radiation, that unsatisfied look to her already expanded self making me wonder again about her insistence over staying in a super alicorn state.

Val knew just what ammo to use on her though, fluttering back down with a smirk and tossing her head. "If'n ya wanna play with the boss, ya gotta go see Blue first right? If I was you, I'd be in a hurry ta do it now while he's all overcharged too ya know. Boss don't get no bigger like you, but he does... well..."

A sly look up to me gulping with the foal on my back was followed by Val leaning forward into Swan's perked up ears, holding a claw up to whisper rapidly, making the big lavender filly's get wide and round. I could feel myself turning red down to my hooves at the huge grin slowly spreading on her face, glaring at Val as she was nearly knocked from the air by the big alicorn rocketing up and prancing in midair.

"Let's go! Hurry! Let's go back to sister Jade now!" Swan fluttered overhead impatiently, ignoring Val's uproarious laughter.

"I hate you Val..."

Giving me a shove up to the air, Val kept right on snickering as we flew off, climbing above the ruins of the city and towards the carpet of fall colors on the horizon. "What!? Got her big butt movin' didn't it?! Just had ta give her proper motivation like, move it boss! Can't keep a filly waitin'!"

----------------------Level Up!-------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------

Critical Banker (Rank 2)---------
---Cannibalizing another Institute pip-buck has given you additional storage capacity on your S.A.T.S. Overcharge Module! As a patient battlefield technician, you can now hold two critical shots in reserve!

Ch. 78-- Happy Trails Expedition

"The only trouble is, when she needs help, she finds it hard to accept it, so while friendship is about giving of ourselves to friends, it's also about accepting what our friends have to offer."

------------

"Woooooo! Daddy, lookit how pretty it is!!" Glitter's excited squeal from my back snapped me out of the dull, steady flight over the fiery Flutterforest and my thoughts.

Blinking up and actually noticing where we were, my tired wings were relieved to see the glowing yellow dome of the Ministry of Peace hub ahead. Taking a look through the opaque barrier let me see what had captured my daughter's delighted attention, the pale willow inside was glowing...

It was really rather spectacular, when we first reached the hub, it was pale and greying, slowly dying of thirst and rot. Now the crystalline white bark was a dim torch in the early evening twilight, the long fronds sparkled with rainbow light, matching the ribbon we had followed through the forest, all the way from where it fell from Rainbow Brook. Restoring the clockwork arcano-tech that supplied the liquid rainbow in the cloud town looked to have done the hub a world of good.

Our own breezie companion fluttered up on her bright blue wings, flitting around us as we glided down to the hub's entrance at the edges of the dead town of Willowville. "Is just like pictures und old stories say! Yu fix Great Tree Fast Shroud! Yu fix!!"

Sputtering at the tiny mare hugging my face and covering my muzzle with minuscule little kisses, I nodded and smacked her whole face back. Hugging a breezie just wasn't very practical without scaring and / or crushing them, so we had settled on puckered lips or a friendly tongue to the face to express affection during our travels. It left her covered in pony slobbers, but not frightened by a 'beeg pony' being too friendly at least. It also let me sneak little licks of nectar from her thin fur, which was always a pleasant little reward for being affectionate, especially with how rotten I still felt.

"It sure looks a lot better anyway Gale, I'm not sure I'd say 'fixed' yet though. Still a lot of breezidores to deal with and stuff to do, but it's a good start."

The beaming breezie in the yellow and pink MoP nurse's outfit waved off my hedging with a snort, fluttering excitedly towards the shield ahead of us. "Pssh! Is fixed! More fixed anyhoo! Yu is great beeg pony dat help breezies, just like Grandpa Moby! I go tell uthers und dey be so happy!"

Spring Gale zipped off before I had a chance to object, diving right at the glowing shield surrounding the hub and simply passing right through the crackling barrier to my surprise. Val and I both pulled up short, but Swan kept right on following the breezie, slamming into the shield and flapping back in confusion, rubbing her snout and grumbling.

"Ow! Stupid thing! How come it let the tiny pony in, but not me!" Swan shook the stars from her eyes and glared at Gale's retreating speck heading for the hub, drifting down with the rest of us to the large, stump shaped entrance below.

"Er... because she lives here I guess? Bypass spell? I read a little about that with Jade in that book of the Lightbringer, and my teacher in Diamond City talked about it once. Guess it lets breezies in or out as they want. C'mon Swan, we gotta go in the front door, hoping she doesn't tell too many of them before we catch up..."

Landing at the big pink double doors carved into the bark of the giant stump, a quick hoofshake with the terminal outside let us in. I paused before entering the dusty waiting room inside, looking back to the ruins of Willowville while Glitter hopped down and not liking that low buzz. The breezidores were worked up... mostly by the winding river of rainbow making its way through the town as it descended into the valley.

Val didn't have my hearing, but she noticed too, giving a hard stare that direction before shrugging it off, smacking Swan's large flank as she ducked her horn under the doorframe. "Wassa matter boss? Bet they'll throw a big party when they find out yer related to their nutjob hero, maybe gimme some more nectar booze!"

"Yeah daddy! You should be proud of great grandpa helpin' the breezies! They'll wanna know, even if he did other bad stuff, he did good stuff too!" Glitter pranced in beside me, bumping against me to cheer me up concerning Grandpa Fin... Mobius...

"I'd rather not make a big deal of it until I know why Grandpa did what he did, or let many people know. Not everypony would be so happy to find out I'm related to the Institute sweetie. The Brotherhood are here too still, and more are coming. I reeeeally don't want them to find out..."

Considering our mixed dealings with the Brotherhood of Friendship, neither of them had an answer for that, Glitter giving a little gulp as she mulled it over and I approached the red eyed terminal at the opposite door. The hub maneframe was watching, a wide scanning laser flickered out and ran up and down Swan's tall form, making her blink and whinny when it neared the ceiling and her curious eyes.

SEVERE RADIATION POISONING DETECTED! UNKNOWN PATIENT 50% LARGER THAN EXPECTED! YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT BRINGING HUGE ALICORN SUBJECTS HERE REPAIR PONY! REEVALUATING PROPOSAL...

"Don't give me that dammit... I'm not in the mood. Just open the door, no fancy teleporting this time either ok? She's not sick, and she's not 'huge', at least not compared to normal... Look, this one is a special case, Swan likes being big, she's careful and gentle, don't worry about it and let me in." I grumbled at the flashing text on the screen by the door, waiting patiently for the neurotic computer to get over Swan and let us back in.

Again that scanning beam came out and passed over me this time, a much shorter trip for it to take in all my aches and pains, then moving on to Glitter and Val. I'd swear that damn machine was gloating when it cheerily reported on my health too.

POORLY MENDED BONE FRACTURES DETECTED, SIGNS OF RECENT TRAUMA AND INTERNAL BLEEDING, BLOOD LOSS, CONTUSIONS, BULLET WOUNDS... PEDIATRIC PATIENT SUFFERED HEAD TRAUMA AND MINOR EXPOSURE... ISSUING FULL DIAGNOSTIC REPORT TO CURRENT HEAD PHYSICIAN PRINCESS JADE AND ADMITTING FOR TREATMENT... ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT ME TO TELEPORT YOU? I COULD REMOVE THAT EXCESS LEAD...

"Oh you bastard... nice to see you again too. You're fucking chipper aren't you? Head Physician huh? Glad you seem to be more on board anyway, no teleporting though, just open up."

OPERATING AT 97% POWER, REMEDIATION EFFORTS UNDERWAY, RESTORATION OF HUB PROCEEDING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. YES I FEEL QUITE GOOD, THANK YOU REPAIR PONY. YOU HAVE OTHER TASKS TO COMPLETE HOWEVER, MUTANT BREEZIDORE POPULATION IS PRESENTING A PROBLEM, PLEASE STAND BY FOR ENTRY...

I wanted to pull my mane out waiting on the stupid machine, I really disliked this maneframe... It was smart, but it had an awful personality imprinted on it from a real pony, a real jerk of a pony too... A plain old, logical computer wouldn't take quite so much pleasure from tattling on me to Jade, I was already in well deserved trouble anyway for losing control. Glitter telling her how I nearly got stomped by a synth killing machine too would be bad enough, without having a full medical report to go with the story.

More than ten minutes passed and Swan snorted in frustration, leaning down to glare right in the glowing red eye above the terminal and puffing clouds out of her flared nostrils at it. "Can I kick the door down yet? I'm bored waiting, I want in now. I want to play. It's keeping me from it. Tell this thing to open... Right. Now."

PLEASE STAND BY! ESCORT ARRIVING! MOP GROUNDS ARE CURRENTLY DANGEROUS!

Wow... Swan even scared the maneframe... Reaching up to stroke her long side calmed her impatient glare and the overgrown alicorn whinnied happily, buying the hub another minute at best. Luckily it only took half that, the large doors opened with a heavy click and swung out to the green grounds beyond, the shield distorted around the entrance to allow passage.

The reason for the delay probably had something to do with the choking cloud that came roiling in, puffs of fluffy white gas that overwhelmed heightened alicorn senses, making Swan and myself start sneezing, while Glitter and Val merely huffed and gasped a moment.

The heavy hoofsteps resolving out of the mist put Swan on guard and I had to hold a hoof up to keep her from attacking the Steel Ranger tromping forward, his amplified voice apologetically booming from his red trimmed helmet. "Hey there! Welcome back! Sorry! Caught me on the other side of the hub exterminatin'! Took a minute to reload with the latest batch, little bastards are really riled up! Doctor said you two should wear a rag or somethin' if it gets to you, ought'a be fine though! C'mon, let's get back inside!"

"Achoo! Knight Grinder? Whaa... aaahhh... Ah-choo! W-What's going on? Is everything o... ooooo.... Ah-choo! Ok?! What is this stuff?"

The Steel Ranger set a brisk pace, trotting up the weedy stone path leading to the hub and nodding out to the grounds beyond the cloud of white covering it. "Breezidore repellent! They've been pissed since that rainbow water reached the hub. Tree looks tons better, but they don't like it at all! Good thing the Princess and the rest have been makin' progress huh? Most of these are from the ward I was just clearin'! They'll head out ta town with the rest eventually!"

Buzzing angrily outside the cloud of sweet smelling mist, there were quite a few breezidores hacking, coughing and flitting away from our path. Jade, Zed and Scribe Blossom found something that worked apparently... I could do without being susceptible to it too though, and Swan's mighty sneeze behind me nearly blew my hat off, forcing me to hold a hoof up to pin it and hurry towards the waiting great doors.

"Bluh... Why doeb id smell so funny? Achoo! Neber smell stuff like dis before..." Swan honked and sniffled miserably, flapping her wide wings to blow some of the cloud back.

Glitter giggled at the two of us wiping our muzzles and sneezing, sniffing delicately at the fog and smiling. "I think it smells kinda nice daddy! Is it really that bad?"

"Achoo! N-Not bad really. Actually... it sorta smells like flowers? I went... Achoo! w-went to a flower shop once with dad for Hearts and Hooves day to... tooooo Achoo! get flowers for mom, this is like that... only times a million!"

Knight Grinder nodded and tugged the doors open, letting us escape to the clearer air of the hub interior as he replied. "Yeah, they got the idea from that weird flower garden in Willowville, the minotaurs said breezidores never went there right? They don't like the flowers, weird huh? This batch is the best so far! Hey fellas, bringin' em in!"

Rubbing my bloodshot eyes, I looked to the swarm of Securi-Tribe breezies greeting the Brotherhood Knight. It sounded like they were on friendlier terms with each other now anyway, the entry area of the MoP hub was 'Hub-Sec Village', the home of the security minded tribe that instantly started chattering and zipping around Swan warily. An outsider had to be thoroughly vetted by the defenders of the Breezie Nation apparently.

Considering Swan carried no weapons, they didn't have much to object over except for how tall she was. They got used to Jade and Ivy, meeting a third alicorn who was half again as big as the previous two looked to be causing a stir. Of course Swan didn't help things by sending a flock of them tumbling back from another great sneeze, the annoyed looking silver and pink maned breezie mare fluttering back to my face chittered angrily in accented pony, wiping alicorn snot from herself in a huff.

"Iz uther beeg-beeg pony yu talk aboot Fast Shroud? Vhy is so beeg?! No like Princess und Ivy ponies! Uthers yu vant bring even beeger!? Haf tu tell Queen Ether! Iz no vhat ve agree tu!" The breezie in the tiny security barding glared up over my head at Swan's sniffles, backing away to the round security desk when her big head swung down over my shoulder.

"There are a lot of these tiny ponies here... just like niece Glitter said. Hello tiny breezie pony, I'm Swan, I'm not that big right now, I feel better about it somehow though... Oooh, you have tiny buildings too!" Swan's long pink mane fell in a curtain around me as she stretched her neck and sniffed at the variety of sturdy looking breezie buildings cluttering the security desk, a wide smile stretching her muzzle as she held a hoof up to a little mushroom shaped guard house she could easily crush.

Having the big filly stretching her way over me, I had to nod my head back into her chest to get her attention, her wide blue-violet eyes far too entertained peering upside down at me overhead. "E-Easy Swan, you're freaking them out..."

Knight Grinder's helmet released with a hiss and the sweaty stallion chortled to the anxious breezie, shaking his head and goggling up at Swan. "It's ok Gate Keeper, I've seen this one before. She's right, she was waaaaaay bigger in Goodneighbor, but she was a friendly one."

Glitter helped soothe their remaining concern, hopping up and down and nodding happily. "Aunt Swan's special! That's all! She's bein' nice an' tryin' to fit in Miss. Keeper, normally she's lots taller! It's ok, trust me!"

That calmed some of the excited fluttering in the wide foyer anyway, Securi-Tribe breezies lowered their little spears and other assorted weaponry, drifting down to land on a wall of flickering monitors behind the desk and the round fountain in the center of the room festooned with more of their buildings. Several landed at a counter to the side as well, a dirty glass wall showing the regular pony security room. A flicker of movement that way caught my eye as a gold and ruby robot detached from a buzzing charging station by a cluttered workbench, zipping out and clamping to my pip-buck with a chattering hoofshake.

REMOTE CONNECTION ESTABLISHED... WELCOME BACK REPAIR PONY. PLEASE STAND BY FOR ADMITTANCE BY HEAD PHYSICIAN IN 5...4...3...2...

The smug text blinking in my vision from the cybreezie interfacing with my pip-buck was quickly forgotten, the thing had its timing down alright... The wide doors leading to the rest of the hub burst open and a very agitated and worried looking blue Princess stood panting in the doorway, her cool blue eyes finding me and Glitter.

"I really dislike you... you know that?" I hissed down to my foreleg, looking up to my beautiful wife and scratching my mane sheepishly with a crooked grin. "Er... Hi hon! R-Really glad to see you again, we were just..."

The rest of my stammering greeting was cut off my a ton of alicorn launching herself across the room like a rocket. With her forelegs extended to scoop up Glitter on the way to slamming into me, I could see the gleam of another cybreezie attached to her own pip-buck. That tattling freaking maneframe...

"FAST! What happened to the two of you!? Glitter dear, let me see your poor head! And you... I do not even know where to begin! How did you become so injured in such a short time Fast!? Were you not watching him Valkyrie!?" Jade fussed and smooshed Glitter and myself to her chest, whickering anxiously as her horn lit up and her pale blue magic washed over us.

I felt kinda bad for Val, of course Jade didn't know one of her sisters had already called her bodyguarding into question, but it had to hurt her pride... Her fiery plumage puffed up as she squawked under Jade's stare, grumbling and pointing a dark claw at me. "Hey! Not my fault! Jackass boss went runnin' off after some synth bad ass, me an the kid already been bitchin' at him Blue!"

"Yeah mom, he was really dumb and Aunt Swan had'ta save him! It's not Auntie Val's fault, she was awesome and protected me in that raider game place, plus she stopped daddy from goin' all crazy and being bad cause I got hurt! Umm... j-just a little... I was fine though, and I helped and... umm... n-nevermind..." Glitter leapt to the griffon's defense, joining her in throwing me under the bus cheerily. Right up until she mentioned her own injuries and got that horrified stare turned on her too anyway.

While Jade's perfect lips formed flabbergasted noises at that, Swan just made things worse... Blinking down at her sister and nodding happily. "Hi sister! It wasn't so bad, we had fun! We killed lots of bad Gunners and Fast broke a tank thing, our sisters nearly caught him though! Then we killed lots of raiders that deserved it, I even fought a ghost! I gave the really bad raider to Fast to hurt like he wanted, but he felt bad about it... Then I got to smash the toughest robot pony I've ever fought though! It beat Fast up lots, but I got it!"

"Oooooo.... ehehehe... T-Thanks for that, all of you..." I winced and shuffled uncomfortably as Jade wheeled on me, weakly patting Swan's beaming cheek as she waited for praise.

My princess was not amused... releasing Glitter to go prancing off as she leaned down muzzle to muzzle with me, her eyelid twitching with annoyance as her deep blue eyes bored into mine trying to hide under the brim of my hat. "Is that so Fast?... I wish to hear everything, in detail... You will tell me, the truth about each wound as I heal them. Come along Glitter dear, you will make sure your father does not leave anything out."

"Yes mommy..." Glitter trotted right to her mother's side with her ears laid back, a look of cautious relief that most of the heat was on me on her face. She got to walk anyway, I got floated up and right out of the room as Jade stuck her nose up, grumbling her displeasure on our way out.

Getting dragged behind her, I got to see Swan whinny and come galloping after excitedly, still seeing nothing wrong and fixated on what she wanted. "Hey, wait sister! Can we play now!?"

After a medical exam that ended up feeling a lot more like an interrogation, right down to sweating under hot, bright lights above a recently cleaned exam table, Jade had wrung pretty much all of our misadventures out of us. Of course Glitter and Val both being more than willing to blame me didn't help things, let alone Swan's naivete and single minded focus on mating.

I thought mom was good at laying down a nice long guilt trip, Jade managed to beat her out easily, without resorting to nearly as much pain even. Though I did swear she was being a little less than delicate mending my wounds in particular, which for the gentle alicorn was the equivalent of one of mom's headlocks.

With my three companions telling her every stupid mistake in excruciating detail, I tried to highlight the positives and dig myself out of trouble a little bit. Yes I fought a tank, but we had to help Cocoa and the ponies of Jamocha Plains. We may have gotten suckered by a raider actress employing a nasty trick, but we couldn't ignore her cries for help and we did rescue their prisoners. Admittedly I lost my head at the mention of Grandpa and nearly paid dearly for overestimating myself versus the Courser, but we saved that synth it was after and I learned a couple things...

All in all, I felt pretty grateful to only have to do a little groveling and feel my Princess' silent disappointment breaking me down. Pronouncing us all healthy enough, she wrinkled her nose at my armor and took it along with Glitter, Val and Swan to the staff showers with the promise of hot water. While I wasn't invited to join them, despite Swan's eager interest in just that, Jade did point the way the stallion's stalls with a rather cool look.

I was pretty sure she wasn't done with me by any means, but generally the longer Jade took to think on something, the more collected and reasoned her response. She was upset, so she wasn't going to fly off the handle. Unlike me, who lost all sense in the moment, nearly tortured a pony to death and ran off to face down the worst synth the Institute built because I wanted answers...

Once I slunk out of the exam room after them, I was faced with an encounter that just made me feel worse. Queen Ether, Spring Gale and a veritable flock of breezies were waiting outside, all wide, sparkling eyes and big grins... Hushing their excited chattering as I blanched, the tiny Queen coughed and did a graceful, fluttering bow. "Shroud Fast pony! Gale tells us you is grandson of Great Moby pony! Is true?!"

Gulping and looking around frantically, I held a hoof up to my muzzle in a hushing gesture with a wince. "Er... y-yeah, looks that way your highness. Umm... i-if we could keep that quiet though, I'd really appreciate it..."

Feeling the throng of butterfly wings flitting around me in a cheering crowd brought back that weird sense of deja vu again, more memories I couldn't really access... all because of Grandpa Fin for some reason. Most of the breezies were just elated and chattered excitedly in their lyrical language, while the Queen tilted her head curiously.

"Quiet? Vhy keep quiet? Moby pony is beeg hero to breezies! No vunder you help Breezie Nation too, my people vant celebrate and thank Moby family. You even beeger hero now we know, should be proud!" Ether herself seemed almost as giddy as her subjects, shaking off a little of her obvious glee to return to her regal comportment.

How to even answer that? Despite anything else he may have done, Grandpa saved these breezies, cared about them and was a part of their mythology, right up there with Holy Fluttershy and Princess Celestia. If I met an ancestor of one of the Goddesses, I'd probably geek out a little too...

"Because, er... because of the Brotherhood. Not that I think Knight Grinder or Scribe Blossom are bad, but they'd have to report something like that to their leaders. This is hard to explain, but... Grandpa Moby would be something they were as interested in as this Hub. I've told you they have a tendency to get pushy about certain old world stuff right? They're already kinda mad at me, I don't want things to get more complicated..."

Playing to their distrust of the military group got through at least, a little self serving since I didn't want them to hold anything more against the Brotherhood, but it was the easiest explanation. Plus it didn't get into pesky details like why the Brotherhood would be so interested in a pony they held in such high esteem, which might sully their belief in him. I tried not to point out their Great Tree deity was just a maneframe for the same reason, just because I didn't share their faith, didn't mean I wanted to take it away from them.

Considering I was pretty sure the Queen at least was well aware of the nature of the obnoxious maneframe in charge here, I hoped she got the subtext by her soft smile, nodding patiently and chattering at her subjects commandingly. "No tell Brotherhood ponies then. But breezies still vant thank Moby's grandson, we have good food and keep quiet while soldiers around, but Fast Shroud honored guest."

Retreating from the Queen's low bow and her enchanted followers, I flushed and hid in the showers for privacy. With the door shut, I thunked my head into the sliding portal and sighed wearily. "Yeah... big hero Grandpa Mobius, the mad scientist..."

"The misdeeds of family can be a heavy burden, can't they Fast?" Zed's deep voice echoed off the tiled walls behind me and sent my heart into my throat, along with my head to the ceiling in one panicked flap.

"Z-Zed! Stop sneaking up on me like that!!"

I slid back down the wall, holding a hoof to my pounding chest and glaring at the smirking zebra. He was wearing pretty filthy yellow coveralls he must have found in the hub somewhere, shrugging out of the work clothes and trotting to the open showers with a chuckle. "I didn't sneak up on you, I was here already. Perhaps you should take a better look around before talking to yourself. Your mare and the batpony told me what you discovered while you were away already though, just be glad I'm not Knight Grinder, he's taken to enjoying the shower after his work in the infested areas."

"Y-Yeah... that would'a been just great. Er... don't mind if I join you?"

Zed shrugged, turning on the steamy water and creating a ribbon of mud at his hooves as I fidgeted my way in after him. "Why would I? Ah... more of your old world morality and modesty? Even before the war, zebras were renowned for their public bath houses Fast. They even built a wonderful example in the shadow of Canterlot from what I've heard, and there's a rather nice ruin near Neighlem."

Cultural differences between ponies and zebras when it came to public bathing aside, I much preferred being on the mare's side with Jade... Shower time with pretty fillies was a lot nicer than burly zebras that made me feel puny and inadequate, the water soaking his striped fur just made all those muscles stand out with greater definition, while I ended up looking like an underfed wet cat...

"Oh... that's neat I guess, er... thanks. We had them in the Stable you know, I just avoided them. Soooo... what have you been up to Zed? Things go ok here while we were gone? Jade didn't say much..."

"Actually fairly well, even with keeping an eye on our Brotherhood guests. I've talked quite a bit with the breezies about my kind in the Commonwealth sharing what we know with them, they're an interesting folk. Working with the Flora-Tribe collecting specimens for the repellent has been enjoyable, but it's dirty work. A true alchemist like Grandfather Zin or Arx in Diamond City could do many things here, some of them are interested in seeing who Grandfather sends to Summerset Plantation." Zed rose to my awkward attempt at small talk, being fairly chatty for the normally quiet zebra while I soaked.

The hub must have been telling the truth about restoring itself since the rainbow supply came back, a benefit to a living building like the Ministry of Peace favored I guessed, it could heal itself instead of relying entirely on a repair-pony. Even though coming back to hot water I didn't have to fix was nice, I was a little glad they hadn't caught on everywhere, it would have put me out of a job if everypony lived in tree houses.

Of course if everypony lived in experimental living buildings that could power themselves with water and self repair, maybe the world wouldn't have wound up as it had from a war over resources... I supposed that would be worth finding a different line of work.

Talking about his own Grandfather, the wise Elder Zin back in Hexington, just brought me back to my own current obsession. Probably Zed's subtle way of trying to reach out, neither of us were great socially, but he was making more of an effort than when we met. I should too I guessed...

"Grandfathers... Umm... so what do you think Zed? Since you know and all? Would being related to the evil Institute explain why you think darkness follows me?"

The long silence that followed finally made me turn to look back to the zebra, worried for a minute by the hard grey gaze waiting on me. Right as I was about to just say nevermind and hide under the pretense of lathering my mane, he gave a low sigh and answered though. "It's possible Fast. The sins of your ancestors can leave a stain that is difficult to lift. My own family continues to pay for the mistakes of one of mine from hundreds of years before even the great war."

"Oh? You actually feel like sharing a little? Don't tell me you missed me or something? This have anything to do with that mirror thing your brother took Zed?"

Getting any kind of information out of Zed was a nice distraction from my own thoughts, he still seemed reluctant, but chuckled at my joke and continued just loud enough to be heard over the water. "Well, things are quiet when you're away, I've grown accustomed to a certain degree of chaos it seems. And I did say I'd tell you... it seems relevant now. Perhaps sharing my story will help you with yours."

"You gotta shaaare! You gotta caaaare! Ehehe er... nevermind... g-go ahead..." I croaked an ancient snatch of song in a poor joke, flinching under Zed's unimpressed stare and waving him on.

Raising a sardonic eyebrow at my lame kidding, Zed finally sighed and continued somberly. "Long ago, a distant relation of mine came into possession of a certain Black Book of necromancy and was corrupted by it Fast."

"Black book... you mean the one that..."

"Yes, the very tome responsible for your soul jar statues. That book has a long and sordid history, my ancestor is just one chapter of its travels, but she did great evil with it. Because of my family, the village of Neighlem suffered, the land was cursed and many dark artifacts were created and spread throughout the world, the mirror I seek was just one of them. My family dedicated themselves to taking responsibility for those evils, so I can sympathize with your discovery. Even though I'm not the one who did those deeds, I carry the burden of them and feel shame over my ancestor's actions." Zed finished as he turned the spigot on his side with a squeal and shook himself, leaving me blinking at his admission.

Closing my eyes and leaning back to rinse the suds from my mane, I let it sink in for a minute and thought. Shame... I did feel that... and I had thought recently that I owed a kind of atonement for how messed up the Commonwealth was because of the Institute. I just hated them for taking my Stable before, but learning my own family was one of them, had helped make things the way they were... It did give me another reason to want to make things better where I could, to pay for his crimes and try to erase the evils he was a part of.

"Umm... thanks Zed, that helps. I kinda get where you're coming from now, being so focused on doing that stuff because of your ancestor. But I don't think you're evil because of what they did, so I guess I shouldn't think I am either. Easier to see that when it's someone else, so thanks for telling me. You know, I..."

Any further thoughts on the subject were blown out of my head by opening my eyes and finding myself nose to beak with Val, the fiery griffon grinning under the same spray of water I had been enjoying and very nude... Yelping and skittering back in surprise didn't get me very far either, one dark claw shot out and caught me by the tail, dragging me back across the slippery tiles to her amused clucking.

"Val! Ack! L-Leggo! What are you doing in here! I thought you went with Jade and the others to..."

Yanked back under the shower, Val tugged my wings out with minimal effort as they had already stood up on finding a pretty griffon in my personal space. Her dexterous claws immediately went to preening and picking at them as she huffed in reply. "Bleh, Blue and the kid wanna be all girly with big stuff, got outta there before they got up ta doin' makeup or givin' each other hooficures er somethin'. Don't worry, I gots permission, you still don't know how ta clean these things right accordin' to her, an' I'm still miffed at you boss, so I gets ta be in charge of punishment!"

"W-What? Why!?"

"Because, I cain't be a good bodyguard if ya keep friggin runnin' off like ya did out there dammit! Blue's still ticked too, an' since she's such a big softy I told her I'd handle makin' ya learn better. Yer gonna work off bein' a dumbass, startin' with polishin' my claws! An' no fun stuff, 'posed ta be proper punishin'!" Val moved to my other wing and stomped a feline paw down on my tail to keep me from struggling away, enjoying me turning red and trying to flee.

"C-Can't I do that like... not in the shower!? T-This isn't funny Val! I'm still all charged up, a-and you're really pretty... Like... the strongest, sexiest griffon bodyguard in the Commonwealth even... and wet... and warm... and..." My traitorous body started taking over, no longer trying to escape and now leaning after my captor with a goofy leer, even while I struggled for control.

With an affectionate nip to the cheek and a smirk, Val simply grabbed my face with one dark claw and shoved me back, flicking her tail as she murmured and stuck her beak up. "Noooope! Blue says ta make it torture, says ya need a reminder on self control so I get ta tease ya as much as I want! You behave boss, if'n yer really good, maaaaaybe I'll let ya get started with tha whole kissin' my scars thing! Hmm... ya can have this one right here when yer done, but ya gotta work fer it! You needs more flight trainin' too, consider it wet weather simulatin'! Now, up! Get ta work shorty!"

The jagged line of scar tissue on her shoulder she pointed out was nowhere near reward enough... Plus she kept a tight hold of my tail as I obediently fluttered up awkwardly and took the scrub brush she shoved in my face with a red faced pout. "T-This isn't fair Val..."

An momentary pained look crossed her face as Val answered, her bawdy, playful voice cracking with real emotion. "Neither's runnin' off and nearly gettin' killed boss. I don't care 'bout yer grandad bein' some Institute mucky muck, or you gettin' all pissed off and goin' nutty, or 'bout you gettin' too big for yer britches since ya got them wings neither. I'm the bodyguard, yer the boss, my job's protectin' yer dumb ass, so lemme do it already. Right? Y-Ya worry me sometimes boss..."

Slapping myself to banish both the warring modesty and randiness from my voice, I winced and managed to answer in a contrite tone to my loyal mercenary friend. Being so careless where my safety was concerned versus that of others had been hurting her, making her feel like she was failing in her duties... surely not helped by both Tigerlilly and Jade questioning her skills recently.

"S-Sorry Val, I will. I really do mean what I said too, you are the best merc in the Commonwealth, I'm lucky to have you as a friend. I promise I'll try to rely on you more instead of trying to do it myself and losing my head, ok?"

Her eyes remained closed and turned up for a long minute, but one merry violet orb finally cracked open and looked down, her face bursting into a wide grin as she yanked my tail to drag me into a noogie giving headlock. "Better, not diggin' yerself outta trouble by bein' all mushy with me though boss, get ta work!"

"Zed! Help!" I yelped at the zebra rolling his eyes and trotting out to the rusty old locker area, met with no help to be found.

Toweling off his spiky, striped mane, Zed snorted and dug his armor and leather jacket from one of the pink and yellow lockers, sounding thoroughly amused. "It seems you have enough things to atone for yourself already Fast, let alone worrying about doing so for other's mistakes. Enjoy your penance."

So much for thinking Zed was being friendlier than normal... the traitor zebra trotted out and left me at Val's mercy, whistling a cheery tune to cover the griffon's cackling...

Only after suffering enough torment as Val's shower slave, punishment combining Jade's self control lessons and Val's own twisted flight training... was I eventually released to go service all of her weapons and armor. Helping scrub down, file and polish claws, and preen a sexy griffon wasn't nearly as fun when forced to do so hovering upside down on wet wings and forbidden from going too far, all while still retaining a healthy dose of radiation that made me annoyingly frisky.

Given the busy preparations in the breezie capital of Willowheart, I was actually a little relieved to have maintenance to tend to, trying to unobtrusively slip through the miniature city and ignore the interested stares of hundreds of breezies. I caught sight of Jade, Glitter and Witchy all trying to keep Swan under control with minimal success. The taller than average purple alicorn was delighted stomping around a tiny breezie city, even at the biggest I had ever seen her, she didn't loom over the skyscrapers of Trotson like she did here.

Swan was kept from charging right after me though, probably a good thing with how gorgeous she looked properly groomed and in a freshly cleaned alicorn angel outfit. Jade refused to allow her to chase me down though, sticking her nose up and still trying to give me a disappointed look as she huffed. "Neither of you deserves to be rewarded for your foolish behavior sister, you will exercise patience and not be rude to our hosts, while I believe Fast still has work to attend do, don't you dear?"

"R-Right Jade... I'll just go find somewhere out of the way to er... hide..." I backed away quickly, wincing as I reached the edge of the huge chamber and spotting several breezie artists busily working at their history mural.

They were adding new images... ones showing the MoP hub as it looked now, with a ribbon of rainbow leading away to a stylized Rainbow Brook, between the two were rough representations of all of us taking shape. One of the paint spattered breezie artists flittered all around me as I tried to slip by, eyeing me closely before returning to the dark Shrouded Stallion next to the blue Princess taking shape. Great... we were part of their history now, immortalized along with Fluttershy, Princess Celestia, King Seabreeze and Grandpa Moby...

The Securi-Tribe had a workbench and weapons area I noticed on the way in and were amendable enough to me using their little part of the Breezie Nation. Though they did ask a lot of stern questions about the groups we were going to be working with to clear out their kingdom. The grumpy silver breezie mare Gate Keeper stayed with me, speaking badly accented pony and demanding a lot of answers about the Minotaurs and Brotherhood.

It ended up making more work for me, but volunteering to work on the breezie sized armory of weapons got me on their good side at least. Their chief seemed to feel a lot better about making contact with the outside world if her tribe was armed and dangerous. Granted a lot of the MoP security leavings were non-lethal, but tiny tranquilizer dart battlesaddles could be loaded with any number of concoctions the breezies could make themselves, and there were quite a few light magical energy weapons that could be tinkered with.

Of course even quietly working wasn't entirely peaceful, knowing Jade was upset made reaching the calm, meditative state I usually did while doing such maintenance impossible. Things weren't helped by the cybreezie on my leg either, the hub maneframe was being chatty, just as curious as the breezies now that it knew my lineage. Though muttering at it on the subject was a welcome distraction from worrying over making Jade mad.

YOU ARE THE GRANDSON OF DOCTOR MOBIUS REPAIR PONY FAST TIMES? RECORDS DO NOT INDICATE ANY FAMILY...

"Apparently... Any records you have probably wouldn't list anything either, Mobius wasn't his name, just another lie. Why? What do you know about him?" I grumbled and set aside the most recently repaired Securi-Tribe weapon, moving on to disassembling a miniature M.E.W. battlesaddle and tossing aside the cracked focal gem.

DR. MOBIUS SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME HERE, HE AND MY... MINISTRY MARE FLUTTERSHY WERE ADMIRERS OF THE BREEZIES, HE TRULY WAS A HERO TO MY CHARGES. MOBIUS CULTIVATED THIS EXPERIMENTAL HUB AND INCORPORATED MY MANEFRAME INTO IT, CREATED THE CYBREEZIES TO ACT AS GUARDIANS, DEVELOPED THE ADAPTABILITY POTION, HE EVEN CREATED MANY SCALE MODEL CREATIONS LIKE THE INTERHUB TRANSPORT FOR THEM JUST FOR FUN. HE WAS AN INTERESTING PONY...

"Interesting... that's a nice way of putting it. Others might say crazy. Hey, computer... do you know anything else about him? Other stuff he was up to here? I want to find him, or at least find out about him, figure out if he was good or bad, why he did the stuff he did. Anything you can tell me might help, if he er... kept any like... secret files or anything here?"

NEGATIVE. DR. MOBIUS BROUGHT MOST DATA AND EQUIPMENT FROM OUTSIDE BLACK SITE FACILITIES, ALL I HAVE IS ALREADY ACCESSIBLE. HE DID REGULAR CHECK UPS ON THE EFFECTS OF HIS POTION AND VISITED SOCIALLY WITH THE BREEZIES AND STAFF.

"Damn... I figured, Grandpa was good at keeping secrets I guess. Nothing else?"

PLEASE STAND BY... ACCESSING LOGS... DR. MOBIUS DID ADMIT A PATIENT ONCE, IN RELATION TO AN OFF SITE PROJECT. A WORKPLACE RELATED ACCIDENT OF SOME KIND WITH ONE OF HIS RESEARCHERS. MOST DATA IS REDACTED HOWEVER... PATIENT WAS EXPOSED TO UNKNOWN MAGICAL CONTAMINATION, PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS STABILIZED IN ROOT SECTOR PSYCH WARD, PATIENT TRANSFERRED TO PARNIPS STATE SANITARIUM FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT AND CRIMINAL CONFINEMENT.

Map Updated blinked in my vision as I reassembled the tiny magical energy weapon and paused. It wasn't much, but at least the computer was being somewhat helpful, Grandpa admitted one of his assistants here? Probably the victim of some other insane experiment...

"Do you know anything else about that? Criminal confinement... what did they do?"

MURDER.

"A-Anything else? Why'd grandpa admit them here? Why didn't the cops just arrest them?"

PATIENT CLASSIFIED AS CRIMINALLY INSANE DUE TO MAGICAL CORRUPTION. MOST DATA SCRUBBED, BUT I REMEMBER... DR. MOBIUS SEEMED QUITE UPSET, HE WOULD REGULARLY CONFER WITH MEDICAL STAFF HERE ON THE NATURE OF THE CORRUPTION, ATTEMPTING TO FIND A CURE. DATA UNDER HIGHEST SECURITY CLASSIFICATION, NEVER STORED ON HUB SYSTEMS. GIVEN HIS ASSOCIATES AT C.I.A.T. WITH EQUAL EXPERTISE, I WAS SURPRISED HE BROUGHT IT TO STAFF HERE AT ALL, BUT HE SEEMED... VERY SECRETIVE ABOUT IT.

Huh... That was kind of weird, if it was a biological problem requiring a doctor, couldn't he have just gone to Dr. Dala? Grandpa was supposedly an idea pony at the Institute, he came up with stuff for the other divisions to figure out, why would he keep them out of the loop concerning this one patient? More questions with no answers, though at least I had a marker for this insane asylum to look into now, it was way up north, but worth looking into anyway.

"Umm... thanks for telling me, I appreciate it. You're not so bad I guess, when you want to be..."

BE BETTER... CORRECT? BESIDES, LEARNING YOUR FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIP TO DR. MOBIUS HAS INCREASED PROBABILITY OF YOUR SUCCESS IN CURRENT ENDEAVORS BY 21% I AM WILLING TO GIVE YOU THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT DUE TO DR. MOBIUS, PERHAPS YOU SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR HIM.

"Yeah... I'm trying..."

The usually annoying hub left me in peace after that, giving me the chance to ponder of what it said about Grandpa Fin while I worked. Even here where he was revered and a positive influence, he had his secrets... secrets that involved murder and insanity. Too many secrets, that was the common thread when it came to my grandpa, secrets I wanted to uncover now.

Finally finishing up with both our equipment and that of the breezies, I took the opportunity to piddle with the Courser's Institute pip-buck, carefully taking it apart and booting it in safe mode. Unfortunately a little cautious hacking proved the encryption too difficult to crack easily, I could fiddle with the interesting arcano-tech circuits and modules, improving my own S.A.T.S. overcharge mod and pondering over what looked to be a very sophisticated targeting talisman array wired into the device, but accessing the data or making the thing function was beyond my abilities.

The runaway synth I met had reluctantly told me where her master was though, Byte said Dr. Vigil might be able to help, meaning I'd need to find him when we went that way. Rubbing my eyes and grumbling in frustration, I finally put the sleek black pip-buck away in my saddlebags for later study. It was infuriating, the way that Courser just teleported in with an army of Gen 1 synths... I could well have the key for doing the same thing in my hooves, a way to reach the Institute... but I couldn't use it.

"Nnngh!!! Why am I so stupid! The grandson of a mad scientist should be able to beat this damn thing!" I pouted and thunked my head against the workbench repeatedly, hoping to jar some brilliant idea loose and only getting a headache.

"I do not think you are stupid Fast..." Jade's soft voice behind me made me yelp, turning to her sitting at the door and watching me kindly. Being reminded of when we just met and she said the same thing, I felt just as soothed and lovestruck as back in the Red Rocket station outside of Sanctuary she found me at then, lunging into a hug now that she seemed less upset.

Of course the similarity to the past ended there, neither of us were as comfortable hugging and nuzzling each other so tenderly then, and Jade continued her thought instead of leaving it as a copy of her support then. "I do think you are reckless however... and easily goaded into following darker impulses or being foolish at the mention of Mobius, too willing to take things on yourself, and unwilling to see you are important too, or rely on your friends. I am still disappointed and worried for you Fast, you were so hurt!"

Sniffling a little and burrowing into Jade's warm chest, I winced at the pain clear in her voice. Being in her embrace was everything I had wanted and even Val's punishment paled in comparison to having to wait since we returned, anxiously seeing that disapproval and slinking away while she had obviously been bothered and hurt. I might be willing to throw myself into danger to protect others and disregard my own well being, but realizing doing so hurt Jade and the others was finally enough to accept maybe I shouldn't. If not for me, then for them if nothing else.

"I'm sorry Jade, really... I'll try to do better, I know I haven't been handling finding out about my Grandpa very well. I shouldn't have left without you right after, b-but I did learn some things at least..."

Jade gently pulled away to look down and arch an eyebrow at me. "I hope among them were things such as keeping that temper in check, not running off on your own, and not leaving without a proper medic? Even for 'just a quick errand Jade, trust me...' Hmm?"

"Er... y-yeah... That stuff too..."

Having the blue beauty huff and kiss my horn was a relief, our wings twined together as she let go of her remaining annoyance and cooed softly. "You most certainly should not have left without me either, despite any good reasons to do so. We are family, as much as your mysterious grandfather, your pain and worry where he is concerned is mine as well. Do not keep such things to yourself in the future..."

"I won't... er... I'll try not to anyway hon. Umm... y-you sure about er... kinda m-marrying into my family now? You've seen how scary my mom is, now you're getting a grandfather in law that's part of the evil Institute. At this rate my dad was probably some changeling spy and my aunts and uncles are all zebra sympathizers..."

That at least got a soft giggle as Jade broke off our embrace and kissed me, shaking her head slowly and smiling afterwards. "You could be the son of Nightmare Moon and Discord themselves as far as I am concerned Fast. You are you, not who you are related to. My mother was an insane conglomeration of souls and mutated biological matter with plans to take over the world after all, while my sisters can be... admittedly odd... and have become frustratingly fixated on capturing you, but you have never been bothered in the slightest by the family you are 'marrying into', why would I? I love you Fast, nothing else concerns me."

"And I love you Jade, sooooo much. T-Thanks, for being you, for loving me despite how stupid I can be sometimes. I really will try to do better, for you."

Tilting my head up with a hoof to my chin, Jade nodded sweetly. "And for you, hmm? Now, if you are done with your tinkering, I believe our hosts are quite excited to share an evening meal and... quietly celebrate your discovery. Take some solace in the good Mobius did for the breezies and share in their happiness with me. You must make an appearance for a bit at least, then we can celebrate our reunion more... p-privately, yes?"

"Yes! Er.. hehe yeah, I'd reeeeally like that Jade, sorry. Still a little overcharged and I did really miss you a lot, even for being away for so short a time. Plus Val really teased me a lot for you, so... Yeah, l-looking forward to having some time together later, b-but I'll behave and go to the party. Just spending time with you period is great, even with a whole bunch of strange breezies staring at me..."

Trotting out of the Securi-Tribe's workroom and through their Hub-Sec village, Jade tossed her cloudy mane and giggled, nipping at my neck playfully as we headed towards the heart of the hub. "Knowing I am first in your heart and still able to excite you so much makes me happy Fast, I missed you too and look forward to showing you how much."

That sultry purr in her voice at the end made my mane itch and my wings stand up as we reached Willowheart, earning more lilting laughter from my princess. The sight of a miniature Canterlot full of breezies all staring as we entered made me gulp though. The large purple alicorn towering over Queen Ether's palace just added to my anxiety, her sparkling eyes locking on us entering the big chamber, making me shiver even while my itchy mane redoubled its pheromone producing efforts as I whispered to Jade.

"Umm... about Swan though... She's been getting really impatient... and insistent..."

Snorting with a rather sleepy, lidded look with heart shaped twinkles in her deep blue eyes, Jade shook her head slowly and furled a wing over me possessively, continuing her stately progress into the tiny city. "Yes, my sister has been quite up front about her desires. We have had a discussion already Fast, you are not the only one who needs to be punished. I do not think Swan is a very good influence on you... I want my special somepony to myself tonight, my sister can wait and reflect on her violent behavior. I expect you both to behave...."

Taking the implied order, I gulped again at Swan's lusty gaze following us in and nodded. Fending her off might be difficult... but Jade was the law when it came to that, the decision was out of my hooves and somewhat of a relief. She wasn't the only one who just wanted to be together privately.

I might be willing... alright, more than willing to help her sisters and highly attracted to the tall purple mare, but Jade was my special somepony, my Princess, my wife... the love of my life. Fun was fun, but what we had was a lot more than that, just a day apart had reminded me she really was first in my heart.

Giving a quick nuzzle and lick to her favorite spot on her neck, I nodded back and tried to will my wings back down with partial success. Cringing under all the attention we were attracting strolling into the tiny park in the shadow of Ether's palace, having Glitter gallop up and cuddle against me was a welcome bit of solace that helped. I steeled myself against being the center of attention and whispered to both of the fillies I loved as we took a bow before the breezie monarch, the Princess, her Knight and our daughter, presenting themselves to allied royalty.

"R-Right, I'll be good Princess... promise. Just don't leave me alone in all this you two."

Giggling an answer for both of them, Glitter threw her legs around my neck in a quick, earth pony strength hug before the squeaky murmur in the crowd died down. "I won't daddy! Don't worry, it'll be fun!"

Jade seconding her with a soft whisper and quick nibble to my ear made me feel warm all over. Her coo of, "And neither shall I, you are not alone Fast, ever," had me blushing under the tittering stares of the breezies, but felt so much better than being in trouble.

While Glitter meant it innocently, just Jade's tone and touch communicated more. My Princess knew how lonely I had felt back in the Stable, how she and the others had changed my life for the better in so many ways, making even the wasteland a brighter, happier place than the safe and secure Stable 111 had been in a lot of ways. Glitter spoke with a foal's pure and simple meaning that she wouldn't leave me here in a party with a bunch of enthusiastic breezies, but Jade knew the grownup pony reasons in the past that made it mean so much to me now.

With them and the others at my side, I could face anything this screwed up world threw at us, from mutated monsters and shadowy conspiracies, all the way up to the challenge of mass social interaction that I still dreaded. Looking around, I was relieved to see neither Knight Grinder or Scribe Blossom in attendance yet, just all my new family, looking clean, healthy and happy.

The picture of Grandpa Fin we had found in Bitway Games stared back at me from behind Queen Ether on her balcony, source of a lot of obvious interest from the flock of breezies filling the room as Ether tapped her golden spoon-scepter for attention and called out to her subjects regally.

"Breezies of Breezie Nation, ve come to thank Princess Jade and Fast Shroud ponies, who come to Breezie Nation und heal Great Tree, bring back ancient rainbows und will surely rid us of Fallen breezies. They bringing outsiders und some worried about change, but ve trust new allies from Kingdom of Sanctuary and try something new. For dose still concerned, ve now find Fast Shroud is grandson of Great Moby pony, savior of breezies in long long ago. Moby help us once, now his grandson come help us again! Ve believe in ancestor of Moby pony, tings change, but ve be better than before with help from others!" Ether's stirring speech elicted a squeaky cheer that spread throughout the room, a fluttering swirl of happy breezies filling the huge chamber chattered and flitted down to all their beeg pony guests, hugging, smiling and bumping tiny hooves, getting over their fear of outsiders a little at a time.

Again the feeling of dozens of little breezie hugs all over brought that pain between my eyes of a memory I couldn't reach because of Grandpa, but I shook it off and managed to actually feel good about the crazy old buck. The breezies believed in him, because of the things he did, they believed in me now too. Even the dour and wary Securi-Tribe was celebrating and smiling, hopeful for the future and willing to open up to the outside world.

Despite everything else he had done, things I couldn't remember because he messed with my brain, things he helped create that caused misery and paranoia in the Commonwealth, things I was determined to learn about now... he had still done good here. Just his name and legacy was still doing good here...

I had family to lean on too, that accepted me and wouldn't leave me alone, always there to help and rely on. With their help, I could take responsibility for the bad 'Dr. Mobius' did like Zed said, but I could also acknowledge the good and hope Grandpa Fin really had some kind of reason for what he did. Doing so helped put down what felt like a heavy burden and enjoy myself for awhile, celebrating with friends and family, enjoying a bit of warmth and light in what was often a dark world, believing we could make it better.

A long night making up with Jade left us both feeling better when the morning came, a little sore and wrung out maybe, but my rainbow colored radiation gauge was safely back in the blue / green end of the dial and Jade was humming happily as I dragged myself out of bed. My eyes lingered on her smooth stomach as she slipped into her lab coat, causing a moment of panic I was able to master, though not without her noticing.

"You are not going to faint again... are you Fast? We have much to do and no time for your amusing silliness." Jade giggled and kissed my cheek, sitting calmly and stroking her tummy.

Pushing her hoof aside, I leaned in and kissed the long expanse of perfect blue fur, shaking off that annoying wooziness and hugging her tightly. "I'm getting over it, s-still just taking it in, we're really gonna have a baby... I'm really happy, and a little anxious, b-but excited! I love both of you and can't wait to meet our foal Jade."

The blushing, teary smile that got was more than worth getting the breath squeezed out of me in a powerful alicorn hug. Ending with a long, passionate kiss that left me gasping as she wiped a happy tear from her cheek and nodded sweetly. "Neither can I, but it will be quite some time Fast, I am not even showing yet... Though I wonder, w-when I do... will you still find me attractive and wish to do... a-all we did last night?"

"You're beautiful no matter what Jade, I'll always think you're the sexiest mare alive, even when you're big as a brahmim. You're the doctor, so long as it's safe, I want to be with you every night until you have the baby, then every night after! We could include mornings too..."

Licking at her neck and stretching to squeeze her rump got a breathless little giggle, followed by an increasingly deep series of kisses Jade finally had to push me away from with a sultry purr. "You are terrible Fast... p-perhaps when we have more time, the others are waiting and we cannot sleep in all day. I am sure Swan is already furious, continuing will only exacerbate the situation..."

Reluctantly, I started fighting my way into my freshly cleaned Shrouded Stallion armor, gulping at the thought of the purple mare Jade had to get very stern with last night. Swan was pretty ticked at us sneaking off from the party and hiding out in our own little love nest in Vice Director Tree Hugger's office. I had ceded all input on the situation to Jade which only annoyed her more, but until Jade said so, I wasn't available to play with, and Jade said no. Not that I was disappointed.... really... but it did bring up an interesting question that did have some direct bearing on me.

"Umm.... how long are you gonna make her wait hon? N-Not that I'm complaining! Just... well she did come all this way and went through a lot, she even made herself normal sized, which is a big deal for her for some reason. I told her not to do stuff just to make me happy, so she's looking for radiation like crazy... it er... w-would probably be easier to give in before she finds too much..."

A conflicted look crossed Jade's pretty face as she strapped on her medical box saddlebags and huffed, sticking her nose up and muttering a reply. "While seeing her down at my scale was a surprise and I am curious why it is a source of such consternation for my sister, I am still bothered by what I heard of your adventures with Swan Fast... She is very violent and encouraged your bad behavior, I am uncomfortable sharing you with a sister who revels in our base impulses. She can wait until I no longer feel so. You will behave, yes?"

"Y-Yes! You're the boss Princess. Speaking of which, you ready to do the whole royal emissary thing with the minotaurs? Not too nervous, are you honey?"

Nudging her playfully as we trotted to the door put Jade in a better mood, dispelling her annoyance with Swan and getting her to flush nervously as she floated her silvery costume tiara to her pale mane. "I-I will manage, Mr. Smasher and his hunters were quite friendly, I only hope their Chieftan and the rest of their community is the same. We need their help and wish to be allies, as a P-Princess it is my duty to try my best."

The determined look she put on just made her cuter in my eyes and I nuzzled her supportively, pushing open the fancy office door and walking with her to the balcony overlooking Willowheart below. "You'll do great Jade, look how much better things here are already! That's because of you, you wanted to go here for the Followers, you helped come up with that repellent, you got the Queen to listen and open up to others. We're gonna pull this off, I know it."

"I would not have been able to do those things without my brave Knight however. I believe you are right Fast, we will do this, together." Jade beamed and spread her wings, fluttering gracefully down to the breezie town with me clumsily following.

Starting our day was hectic, but everywhere there were signs of things improving that buoyed our spirits. It wasn't just the Great Tree healing itself and glimmering with new light and life, the breezies moved with purpose and hope, working with their big guests and restoring the Ministry of Peace hub bit by bit. From here it would take more help though, both our own Minutemares and Followers of the Apocalypse should be on their way, and by now the Brotherhood must have gotten Lt. Dawn's report. Which meant we needed to get moving, going to the minotaur settlement of Salt Lick was just one step.

An actually hearty breakfast helped get going, besides finding stores of coffee in the MoP cafeteria, the breezies had taken to feeding their beeg-pony guests, mixing fresh fruits and veggies from the grounds in with all the preserved 200 year old goods and getting quite good at cooking pony sized meals in the kitchens. Everyone was in fairly high spirits as we ate and talked, well... everyone except Swan...

As I sipped my coffee groggily, I looked over to the tall mare worriedly. Besides pouting over not getting what she wanted last night and being forced to go sleep with Glitter, she seemed especially upset that she had shrunk too. The radiation she had absorbed saving me was wearing off slowly, and she didn't have a highly radioactive pond to go soak in here. At this point, she was only a head taller than Jade, though that was hard to tell with her flopping her chin down to the table and nibbling at a plate of mutfruit before her.

Again I wondered why being big was important to her, plus her personality clashing with Jade concerned me now too. The two of them were practically opposites, this wasn't like the ethereal and agreeable Periwinkle, or the smart and tactful Ivy... Getting close to Swan and getting Jade to open up to her wasn't going to be easy, and I was stuck in the middle of them, literally right now actually...

Reaching over to stroke her side and nuzzle her cheek, I floated over a bowl of Insta-Oats, drastically improved with the addition of berries from the breezie gardens. "Here Swan, eat and cheer up. We're going out soon and meeting minotaurs, I bet you'll like them, they're all pretty tough too, just like you!"

At least praise and attention generally worked to brighten the purple alicorn, she lifted her muzzle and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully before gulping it down and wheeling on me with a lidded look. "I don't want to go out, I want to play... Fighting would be ok until sister Jade says I can I guess... At least I can do the lip thing though!"

Before I could move her soft lips darted forward and pressed against mine, a rumbling murmur of happiness rising from the bold filly who had gotten quite good at kissing. Everyone at the table snickered at me squeaking as Swan kept pushing forward and started squeezing me with her forelegs, everyone except Jade that was...

Instead of finding it amusing, my Princess coughed primly and tugged me away from her sister's grip, huffing softly as she sipped her tea cooly. "That's enough of that sister, patience... I am sure we will find other activities to keep you entertained in the meantime."

"But Fast said I can do the lip thing as much as I want! You're not being fair sister..." Swan grumbled back and the two of them began a tug of war, with me serving as the rope...

I could swear sparks were arcing from their eyes, meeting in the air above my head in a heated battle of wills, as Jade whinnied and flicked her gaze down at me. "Is that so Fast?"

"Eep! Er.... y-yeah? I did tell her that... but I had a good reason, I hurt her feelings kissing her to get away in Goodneighbor... Soooo.... y-yeah, I told her it was ok..."

"See! You're being as mean as Umbra sending our sisters after me, it's my turn, I'm on vacation! If you wanna be selfish, you can at least let me do the kiss thing!" Swan sticking her tongue out with a sharp tug to my foreleg sending me to her chest wasn't improving Jade's mood, but her argument had merits she couldn't ignore.

A magic assisted yank still pulled me from Swan's grip, pressed tightly to Jade's breast with a large blue wing curled inward to fend her sister off as she grumbled an answer. "Very well, but no more than that sister, and enough this morning, we have m-many important things to do, far too busy to f-fool around I'm afraid, so sorry..."

"You don't sound sorry mommy... So what do we gotta do with the minotaurs anyway?" Glitter's giggling reply made her mother turn beet red, curling her wings tighter to hide in them with me, as I sputtered and tried to answer.

"I wrote Preston to send the Minutemares and Followers there sweetie, wouldn't do for them to try to go wandering through those woods without a guide like we had, right? We're gonna go meet them there, plus try to make friends with the minotaur town too, get them to join mom's kingdom like the breezies. We're gonna need their help to turn back all the monsters coming through the woods, so hopefully working together will convince their Chief to be friends. We'll definitely need our little ambassador of cuteness to do her best."

"Does anyone know much of this town of Salt Lick? Is it safe for the Princess?" Witchy blinked sleepily and licked a drop of coffee from her short fangs, the batpony was fully armored and as ready to go as the nocturnal mare got this early, giving a protective look to Jade that made me feel good.

As the most widely traveled of all of us, Val washed a fairly tasty muffin down with a slug of beer, the combination making my stomach churn just watching as she answered. "Ought'a be, well defended anyhoo. Up on a cliff over a lake, walled in and with the mountains on the other side. Minos ain't bad, stay to themselves an' go out ta deal with others, but allow others ta live with em."

A quick, chattering back and forth in breezie language came from the head of the table. Queen Ether sat with us up on the surface, speaking with Gate Keeper and Spring Gale tersely a few moments, before turning to us and continuing in clear pony. "Minotaurs not bad, ve know them best from time in forest, Securi-Tribe watches they town since it closest. Chief Gate Keeper vant send her tribe vith if ve going to talk vith them. Spring Gale vill be my emissary, now dat ve have reason for job, she best breezie for it."

She had a good point, Sledge Smasher had met Gale once already, she was a good choice to send if they were willing to open up to their neighbors. Despite the stern Gate Keeper's concerns, I didn't want to have to keep tabs on a gaggle of Security breezies though. Gale had proven she could take care of herself, but I still felt protective and responsible for them out in the 'beeg pony world'.

"Umm... how about just Gale's brother Blowing then? They're siblings and can watch each others backs. Don't want to errr... weaken your forces here too much, right? I don't know when the Brotherhood will get here or what they'll do, so better to have you holding down the fort Keeper. Think you're good keeping an eye on those two while we're gone?"

Gate Keeper followed my nod over to Scribe Blossom and Knight Grinder eating nearby, the earth pony stallion trying to get his manic unicorn friend to stop pouring over notes and the stack of books she had been collecting from around the hub long enough to eat.

The Brotherhood Scribe's pale pink mane looked a little bedraggled and she had that crazed look in her eye, but at least they got her out of the labs a few times each day, and she had been making great progress brewing breezidore repellent. Her Knight comrade had been a big help too, his repaired power armor let him go safely into the infested areas of the hub and reduce the fallen breezies numbers a little at a time.

Pushing all of the breezidores out of the hub, let alone all of Willowville outside, would take a lot more effort, but the two Brotherhood ponies had been essential just for getting this far. They had managed to earn even the Securi-Tribe Chief's respect anyway, Gate Keeper glowered at them, but nodded and patted her newly repaired, tiny M.E.W. battlesaddle.

"Ve vatch soldier ponies... dey behave. Yu bring back good solider ponies und doctors und minotaurs like say, before other Brother-ponies come." Gate Keeper stamped a little hoof on the table and bowed to her Queen, fluttering off to join the nearby Brotherhood of Friendship ponies who looked to have overheard.

Well, Knight Grinder did anyway, Scribe Blossom was still utterly absorbed in her work, but the brown stallion chuckled and shrugged at us innocently. "Don't worry, Keeper will keep us in line, she's a tough little filly. Besides, we have orders from Lt. Dawn to be on our best behavior, until we hear otherwise, we're with you."

"Hehe... sorry Grinder, not that I doubt you, just covering all the bases. We really appreciate all your help, we couldn't help the breezies without you guys, and the minotaurs. We'll be right back after we go talk to them."

My sheepish reply was helped along greatly by Jade at my side, giving a kind smile and nodding to the Brotherhood ponies she had spent more time with while I was gone. "I trust the two of them, working together is the only way to truly make things better in this world. Knight Grinder and Scribe Blossom are a credit to their order and prove we can all get along, I will be sure to tell your leaders so when they arrive."

Watching the burly Knight turn red with a goofy, 'aw shucks' grin at Jade's sweet voice giving him praise, a dark mutter of jealousy tried to flicker to life and I stamped it down. My princess had that effect on ponies, I could hardly blame him... I had to be generous and share that part of her with the world 'Be Unwavering!', no matter how possessive and jealous part of me guarded her 'Be Dark...'.

Sticking to my better nature aside, I couldn't resist standing up on my seat and planting a long kiss on Jade before hopping down, 'MINE...', puffing up at the blushing whinny she gave and stretching my legs with a smirk towards the Knight's table. "Ok, let's get going then. Sooner we go, the sooner we can get back, right?"

The trip over the bright fall colors of the Flutter Forest was relatively quick once we all got moving. After our latest misadventures, Jade wasn't going to allow any splitting up anytime soon, so we made quite the aerial parade to the northeast. I also noted with a bit of shame that Jade thought to make Glitter bundle up in all her warmest clothes before flying off into the chilly fall skies. She didn't really feel the weather either, but she did keep it in mind a lot better than I could for our earth pony daughter...

Jade also set a stately pace that we all followed, not going as fast as she could in favor of keeping the wind down for the foal happily riding her broad back. Both Val and Swan snorted and grumbled about her slow, steady and unhurried flapping, but personally I didn't mind so much. The calm trip gave me time to flick through my pip-buck menus in my vision, checking up on my growing collection of locator tags.

Ivy was safely in Goodneighbor, letting me breathe a sigh of relief for the pregnant green alicorn. She was with her orphans again, hopefully preparing them to take a trip here once it was safe. She hadn't liked all my worrying, but she did as asked and regularly made a trip out into town, the slight motion of her blinking tag on the map assuring me she was alive and well.

The icon for Periwinkle had still been in Castle Equinox too, not the best place for her if she had been blessed from all her demanding acrobatic acts like Ivy and Jade, but at least behind sturdy stone walls. Now however she was moving... this way... A quick check on Preston's tag showed him in the same place too, the Minutemares were coming, Lt. True Blue must have gotten my letter to them.

The thought of Peri coming made me gulp, at least the hub could tell right away if she was pregnant too, plus she'd be safe behind the MoP hub's shields. On the other hoof... Peri still had her battered notebook of sprain inducing sexual acts she kept adding to, and I did have a copy of the Pony Sutra she got them from to give her as a gift from the Treasures of Jamocha Plains. Not that fooling around with the tireless filly wasn't fun, and she already had approval from Jade... but adding Swan to the equation made things complicated... If Peri got to do as she wished while Swan was still forbidden, the purple alicorn might just blow her top...

A problem for later... It would take them awhile to get here, even with Peri flying them here. Hopefully Jade's issues with Swan would be resolved before then and it would all work out. Actually... a rather twitchy and lewd part of me idly volunteered the thought of THREE alicorns at the same time... NO! Bad brain!

A friendly aerial bump by a big blue flank sent me tumbling in midair, shaking off the brief fantasy and looking up guiltily as I leveled off, finding Jade's merry gaze watching curiously. "You are turning quite red Fast... bottlecap for your thoughts?"

"N-Nothing! T-Totally not thinking of anything at all! Nope!!"

That unconvinced smirk she gave just made me heat up more and flinch, flapping a little harder to pull ahead with my ears laid back against her musical giggles. "Mmm-hmmm... Of course Fast, you certainly look like you are thinking of nothing... I rather miss sister Ivy at the moment, I do wonder what she would say is going on in your head..."

Before even getting through the relief that the psychic alicorn wasn't here to broadcast every unbidden fantasy, that same perverted mutter added to it. If we hung around until Ivy came back... FOUR alicorns...

"NNNGH!! I'm being good! T-That's what she'd say Jade, h-honest! H-Hey look! That must be Salt Lick huh?" I yelped and pointed a shaky hoof ahead, the hills rising out of the woods led to a long, narrow lake and a cliffside ruin perched above it.

Ignoring Val's snickering at my side, I tried to hide under my hat as she pinched my burning cheeks and clucked. "Yup, that's it boss. Was a minin' town way back when, still pull salt outta the mountains that'a way, use em to cure up all their game they hunt. Caravans stop this way and bramim wranglers come up ta have butcherin' done. Lots'a good meat ta eat!"

Jade stuck her tongue out at the thought, but my fangs twitched and a rush of saliva filled my mouth. Just our time with Sledge's hunters had proven how proficient they were at cooking the meat they hunted, and that was while out catching and butchering it on the spot. Anticipation of what they could do in their own town had me drooling, dreams of lots of smoked and cured meat dancing in my head and distracting me from really noticing how wrong the settlement looked for too long.

Witchy was more on the ball than I was, the thestral filly had shown herself to be much more interested in all the fruits the breezies could grow than any carnivorous fare. I heard her make that high pitched whine and looked back to see her tilt her head cautiously, her tufted ears flicking as a concerned look crossed her face.

"Should there be quite so much smoke? It doesn't sound quite right either... I know the minotaurs are a bit more rough and tumble than most, but I believe I hear... fighting... Stay back your highness!" Witching Hour scowled as her ears kept twitching, the heavily armored batpony flitted forward and put herself between Jade and the still distant town, making me glad she had taken to the role of royal guard for my princess.

Now that I was paying attention, my own heightened senses could make out a bit of what she was talking about. I wasn't a match for batpony hearing, but I came close enough to pick up distant gunfire and rumbles, muted shouts... The loud crack of an explosion made me lay my straining ears back and draw my weapons, flying ahead of Witchy's protective guard and caught before I zoomed off too far by Val thumping into me from the side.

"Don't even think it boss... We talked 'bout this, right? I'm the guard, yer the boss. Figure out what's goin' on first." Val grumbled and pinched my flanks, hard... but got me to focus and calm down too.

I didn't fly as fast as I could manage, which was admittedly still rather slow compared to the others, but I did speed up and yell over my shoulder. "Jade! Shield up! Stay back with Glitter and Witchy. Swan and Val up front, me and Zed behind, ok? Let's see what we're dealing with..."

Hearing no argument and relieved to see the bright blue ball of Jade's shield enveloping her, our daughter, and her breezie passengers, I brought out the Last Minute as we drew closer, peering through the scope and scanning the town rushing up. It was long and narrow, going north to south and hugging the shore of the lake below. A good portion of the ruins had fallen into the waters, leaving a lot of tilted, crumbling buildings in various stages of collapsing to the lake.

The wasteland settlement itself was built a block or so away from the unsteady cliff, a couple blocks of ruined storefronts and apartments, walled and surrounding an open square full of tents and huts made of junk. There were quite a few open fires like Sledge and his hunters used in their camps, but Witchy was right, there was way too much smoke for them to account for.

Scanning the buildings and open courtyard quickly, I didn't see what should be a hive of activity based on all the shops and homes. An echoing roar made me jerk the gauss rifle towards the eerie noise and my throat dried up, a burst of dirt clearing slowly to reveal a monster from my nightmares ever since Poncord...

A hellhound...

"Fuck..." I rasped and slowed in the air, terror making my heart pound even this far away. Val's impatient huff and thump to my shoulder snapped me out of it, her violet eyes narrowed and curious, lacking my enhanced vision and waiting for the word. "H-Hellhound... hellhounds are attacking the town, I don't see any... wait, there they are!"

Scanning rapidly away from the terrifying monster snarling and rampaging in the center of town, I finally caught sight of actual residents. First was the biggest minotaur I had ever seen, pale in coat and mane and wielding a massive sword that slashed at the canine monster before darting away.

Beyond this impressive specimen, a few other warriors were dashing around in concert with him, attacking from cover before disappearing into the alleys and huts. Finally, I found what had to be the bulk of the residents sheltering on the crumbling rooftops of several two and three story ruins, watching the vicious battle below fearfully, a few firing down with what weapons they had when they had a shot.

Smart, under attack by a monster that could practically swim through the earth, going up was better than being on the ground with it. On further examination, I shivered on finding more than just one hellhound seemed to be part of the attack, the grey furred monstrosity under attack dove underground, just as two brown coated ones popped up elsewhere...

Were they working together? The only hellhound I had ever seen was little more than a mindless monster that had still nearly killed me! On closer examination, all three had pale legs too, whether shared coloration of a larger pack, or deliberate painting of their fur for cultural reasons, it spoke of a group... More than one was horrible, but if they were intelligent enough to cooperate...

"Shit... Must be up from the Glowin' Sea boss, hellhounds are nasty customers... None of yer friggin runnin' off dammit! We stay back, hit em from the air. Go fer the eyes or the legs, cripple the fuckers if ya can!" Val powered up her weapons and dove forward without fear, her confidence making me wonder how many of the creatures she had ever fought before.

Flapping frantically to catch up, I kept the Last Minute up and charged it with a whine, seeking out a target while we still had the element of surprise. Hearing a high, clear scream of a pony voice, I jerked the scope over to spot a gaggle of dirty ponies on the roof of a tall brick building, desperately leaning over the edge and firing down with dinky looking pipe pistols. Below them, a tawny hellhound was climbing right up the wall, its long claws digging into the sturdy brick like clay.

Lining up on the back of the thing's shaggy head at the base of the spine, I loosed a shaky breath slowly and fired the gauss rifle with a resounding crack. The blurring, rainboom speed slug of metal crossed the distance in an instant, blasting a ragged hole into the beast splashing the wall with blood as it fell away from the surface. I wished I had the weapon when I fought the hellhound in Poncord, though that one seemed bigger and scarier than these, it shrugged off 5mm rounds like they were mosquitos.

Moving quickly before they realized the fight had changed, I found another in the scope and blanched as a spurt of blood erupted from its chest, sending it darting off before I could fire. The soft 'pfft' behind me the apparent source of the shot, Witching Hour had her long anti-materiel rifle trained on the town at Jade's side, the barrel smoking from an impressive shot.

That was all the surprise attacks we were going to get, Val streaked through the ruins ahead of us, raining red magical beams down on a shorter monster that dove for the ground with its furry hide smoking. Zed was slowly pulling ahead of me and I yelped over to the zebra, he was amazingly deadly, but he only worked in close quarters... I couldn't imagine voluntarily getting anywhere near those sharp claws after seeing them tear through power armor like tissue paper.

"Zed! M-Maybe let us handle it from up here? Where it's safe? You don't have to get..." Before I could finish my concerned thought, a bright yellow beam from below made me roll aside in surprise, another pale green beam scorching my magical trenchcoat and singing my fur underneath in a stinging line, who the fuck was shooting at us!?!

Diving and getting separated from the zebra still zooming right at the ground with a scowl, I clumsily jerked and dodged in the air, tracing back the path of the most recent beam coming my way and finding... a hellhound!? They used weapons!?!? Come on, really!?! So much for it being safe in the air...

They had figured out the new attackers were coming from above, the one blasting away at me sheltered in a tilted ruin on its way down to the lake, firing a long M.E.W., crudely modified to be held by its dexterous claws. With a thought, Blue Moon clicked out and crackled at my side, the secondary targeting reticule in my vision roughly lining up on his hiding spot as I leveled off and fired.

I didn't expect accuracy, but sending several pale blue beams down at him got the beast to duck anyway. It also had the secondary effect of pointing out his hiding spot to Val, who banked sharply and lobbed a hail of 25mm grenades down on the ruin, silencing the shooter in an avalanche of rubble splashing to the murky water below.

Adding a more cautious, serpentine course down towards the town, I spotted Swan teleporting right into the thick of things with the minotaurs. A string of glowing purple arrows skewered the ground like a row of fence posts, at least a couple hitting the mark even through a foot or two of earth or concrete by the muffled howls.

My slow progress down suddenly became a panicked dive when Jade shot past me, the bright sphere of her shield easy to spot as it streaked towards the most crowded rooftop with Witchy right on her tail. Even at my fastest, I didn't catch up until she had already landed, her horn brightly lit as Glitter jumped off her back and started digging out her supply of purple healing potions and I stumbled to a mostly non-crash landing in front of them.

"JADE! What are you doing! Get back up there and away from..."

"There are injured who need help here Fast! The air is not as safe as coming down here to help them with those weapons of theirs, I trust you and Witching Hour to protect us. Now, s-show me who is hurt the worst everyone, come here to the center of the roof where it is safest! Let me treat those most wounded, my daughter Glitter will share healing potions for those in less critical condition!" Jade cut off my panicked yelling, fear evident in her beautiful blue eyes, but they were set in a determined line looking at some of the terrible wounds the minotaurs and ponies hiding up here had on display.

Awful burns from magical energy weapons scorched pony and thick minotaur hides alike, and there was so much blood... ragged tears and claw marks barely staunched with rags pressed against too pale skin... Jade kept Glitter right at her side and her wings spread, ready to retreat in an instant if necessary to protect our daughter, but there were people that would die here without her help, I knew better than to even try arguing with her. Despite the terror for her, Glitter and our unborn foal pounding in time with my jackhammering heart, Jade knew what she was doing.

Her look of absolute trust and refusal to ignore those that needed her gave me the strength to push it down and focus. If Jade wouldn't run away from the hellhounds, the only option was to make the hellhounds run from Jade... Gulping to myself, I galloped over to the edge of the roof overlooking the warzone below, shouting to Witchy as the Terrible Shotgun joined the Last Minute in my magic.

"Witchy! You take that side, I'll take this one! Anybody else not hurt, take the other corners and spread out, yell if they start getting too close! We're here to help, we'll protect you!" Taking charge of a bad situation as well as I was able, I skidded to the crumbling stone corner of the rooftop and charged the gauss rifle to full power, seeking out a clear shot at the attacking hellhounds below and worriedly peering over the edge for any more who got the idea of climbing up here.

Staying cool and collected, Witchy fluttered over to the opposite corner with me, perching at the edge to aim her long anti-materiel rifle down to the battle below, while her silver combat rifle swung back and forth in her mouth rapidly, spraying fire down at a furry beast that dove away from firing its oversized M.E.W. from cover. A pair of roughly bandaged minotaurs covered the rear corners facing away from the open center of town, while several shaky looking ponies spread out between us. Even those without any real weaponry didn't show any fear, covering our blindspots and putting themselves in the line of fire to do so.

Eyes Forward Sparkle was only so reliable here, it could track the hellhounds when they surfaced and for a limited amount of time even after they disappeared underground, but the red marks vanishing and appearing randomly in my vision made it harder to keep track of how many there were or how much of a treat they presented. A sharp yelp from a young pale purple buck sent me flapping to his side just to prove the point, a hellhound hand had burst from the alley below and cleared the first story of the wall before E.F.S. had really locked on to him.

Not being stingy with ammo in the face of these things, I sent four slugs into the snarling face scaling the brick wall and was satisfied to see it tumbling back to the ground below. I gave the adolescent buck and pat to the back before rushing back to my post, the cheap .22 pistol held in the earth pony colt's chattery teeth was better than nothing, but not by much... Still he was bravely right in the thick of things, defending his friends and family from the onslaught.

"Great work kid! Keep it up!" I tried to encourage him and take heart in his courage, turning to leave and held up by his quavering cry.

"W-Wait! Umm... t-the others! M-My folks are over on Longhorn's! M-My little sister!" Following his shaking hoof, I saw a smaller gaggle of ponies cowering with an elderly looking female minotaur, on the roof of a two story wooden saloon style building.

The rickety structure shook ominously, just taking collateral damage might be enough to take away the minimal shelter it offered. Staring that way, I saw there were wounded there too, they must have taken whatever hiding place they could find when all this happened... As I watched the rangy old minotaur turned towards the rear of the building sharply, swinging a massive stone hammer just in time to meet the furious, furry face that popped over the edge facing away from me. The old cow was bleeding all over, but by far in the best shape and managing to protect the others with her.

My first impulse was to go over there myself, quick... find a way to help them, get them over here somehow, where Jade could help them. I had managed to let the admonishments of my wife and Val sink in a bit though, my first instinct in cases like this had been increasingly suspect lately. Even now, the angry hiss of 'Be Dark...' cared less about protecting them and more about killing the creatures attacking them mercilessly.

I was a little disturbed to realize what I really wanted to do was go down there in the middle of the battle with Val, Zed, Swan and the minotaur warriors, to run and slash and bite... show the unruly mutts what a real monster looked like... At some point since I left the Stable, it had become harder to keep out of a fight than to join it. When had that started? When had killing stopped being hard and started being the easier course? The preferred course....?

Staring down to the settlement below, I saw Zed going hoof to claw with one of the beasts and winning. Val diving to the ground with her flaming Shishkebab cutting a swath through a trio trying to overwhelm a pair of pinned minotaurs, Swan teleporting right over a big charcoal hellhound as it erupted from the street, her hooves surrounded in rippling magic that augmented her heavy stomp to its head. They could go down there and bring the fight to the enemy, making them pay for what they had done here. Hiding up here grated on that dark part of myself that wasn't as concerned with protecting the innocent as it should be, only Jade and Glitter up here was keeping it in check...

Jade and Val had a point, once upon a time, I shied away from fighting of any kind and couldn't imagine taking a life. The last hellhound I had seen, I was terrified and just wanted to get away, forcing myself to fight to survive. That was while encased in heavy Steel Ranger armor with a big freaking gun too. Now my fangs extended and a steady pulse of adrenaline made me twitchy and want to be down there, even in my much lighter Shrouded Stallion armor and preferably slashing away with just a knife.

Was it just being physically mutated and aggressive alicorn urges? Or had the wasteland been slowly mutating me in other ways, that increasing growl of 'Be Dark...' struggling for dominance and slowly winning against the better angels of the Ministry Mares and their virtues. Worse yet, maybe that part was always there, maybe the wasteland just let my true self come out and the lonely, quiet buck from the Stable was always just a lie... Just like Grandpa Fin and Mobius, which was real? Fast Times, or the Shrouded Stallion?

Stay in control... don't go off half cocked and do something stupid again, think dammit... Ducking another magical blast from the street below, I found another hellhound realizing there was prey up on the less defended roof and sent a blurring 2mm slug through its back in a rush, too much happening so fast wasn't helping me think constructively...

"SWAN!!! HELP!" My horn lit up and the Shroud's booming voice tolled over the battle, catching the attention of the gleeful purple mare dodging back from a set of long claws tearing through her purple shield.

She took a moment to prance back and buck the charging beast, practically caving in its chest before she teleported in a purple flash and was right in front of me. Even bleeding from several shallow slashes down her side and chest, Swan looked positively giddy at the violence, fluttering happily in front of me off the roof and absently sending a blast of magic down from her horn.

"Yes Fast? Why are you hiding up here? Come play with me and kill stupid dogs!" Swan hardly spared a glance towards the frightened wounded behind me, eager to get back to the fight and only wanting to have me join her.

Pushing aside the excited murmur of 'MINE...' with a snort, I shook my head and pointed to the decrepit wooden building giving another shudder across the way. "I can't leave Jade Swan! We have to protect all these injured and there are more over there! Can you teleport them over here? Go find any wounded and bring them back to Jade to help!"

Narrowing her eyes in an unconvinced pout, Swan glanced to the building I pointed out as I noticed one or two ponies here and there on other rooftops, along with a minotaur bleeding out in the street below from a deep gash up his broad chest. I wished I could heal like Jade or teleport reliably like Swan, since I couldn't, I had to do what Jade tried to force into my head and rely on my friends.

I only wished Swan shared her sister's priorities... A ring of glowing purple motes surrounded her flowing pink mane, forming long eldritch arrows that streaked towards several targets, including another hellhound eyeing the cluster on the wooden saloon. "They're fine... when we kill all the hellhounds, then sister Jade can do her silly healing stuff... Come fight with me Fast! I like when you fight!"

Noticing our back and forth, Jade gave a pained cry from mending a blackened scorch down a shivering yellow mare's neck. "Sister! Please!! Saving lives is more important than ending them! Do as Fast asks!!"

"Ending lives saves more! They're monsters that are hurting them, if I kill them all, they can't do it anymore..." Swan pouted back, the two alicorns glaring at each other over their differing philosophies.

"Swan please! Only you can do this, I'm counting on you! Save them! Kill anything in your way, but teleport anybody that needs help here while you're at it!"

While she didn't look happy about it, I managed to break the standoff by appealing to the big filly's ego. Swan still looked like she'd happily debate the subject, but direct begging got through and she disappeared in a bright flash, reappearing across town and quickly gathering the surprised holdouts to her. She could be a little more gentle and precise with her aim, but four ponies and one tired looking old minotaur teleported to our rooftop, falling from a few feet above the surface with a clatter.

Looking over their wounds quickly, Jade directed Glitter to pass out medication and shook the pair of nervous looking breezies from her pale mane, appealing to the nurse bedecked Spring Gale to help her with their treatment before she galloped over with a scowl. Being confronted with Swan's tactics of shoot first, shoot more, then let the goddesses sort them out, my kind princess looked upset and frustrated.

Before I could object, she was at my side, planting her forelegs on the raised edge of the roof and leaning over as I ran through the last round in the Last Minute's small clip, blowing the arm off of a tan hellhound aiming at Val raining a firestorm down on its fellows. Jade's shield focused and brightened to a thick round disc in front of her as I reloaded, but she wasn't backing off despite my frightened yelp.

Her glorious goddess voice boomed out over the burning village, echoing down the streets and alleyways in a pleading yet commanding tone. "ENOUGH! PLEASE! STOP THIS FIGHTING AND LEAVE IN PEACE!"

I couldn't imagine reasoning with the vicious beasts down there, but Jade tried... treating them like people even after seeing the devastation they had brought down on this town. There was a hitch in the fighting as all sides looked up to her flared wings casting an imposing shadow on the street below, but it only served to make her a target to the hellhounds, several multicolored beams traced their way towards her and I launched myself at my love, driving her back before her reinforced shield gave out.

Panting and shuddering on top of her while pleading with her sad eyes silently, I tore my gaze away on hearing Witchy's furious, squeaky screech behind us, taking up Jade's position angrily and firing down with her long rifle. "The Princess asked for peace thine foul dogs! Thou ignores her mercy at thine peril! You! You!... You BEEEEEEEEEASTS!!!"

She was so upset, her high pitched voice kept rising in fury, stretching out the E sound into the ultrasonic range and making me lay my ears back with a wince. While her wail bothered heightened alicorn hearing a bit, it seemed to really hurt the hellhounds, a shared howl answered from below and the red marks on E.F.S. jittered as I got to my hooves in surprise.

While I was still trying to process what happened, Jade leapt up with a hopeful look and gasped at our batpony friend. "Yes of course! Witching! Do that again! Louder!! I am no Velvet Remedy, but I can help you at least!"

Jade's horn glowed brightly and a wisp of her magic seemed to surround Witchy's throat as I dashed past, trusting her with whatever she had come up with while I ran back to the edge and bought time with the Terrible Shotgun. Three hellhounds had recovered and loped right for our shelter, not liking whatever Witchy had done and moving to stop her from doing it again.

The things were fast... running on all fours and pouncing at the faded red walls as I fired wildly. Blowing the hindleg off one gave Swan an opportunity to skewer it with a magical arrow, while a second barely tumbled out of a cloud of explosions sent by Val's grenade machinegun. The third hit the wall at a vertical run, making me worry I couldn't hit the fucker in time before a horrible screech sounded out behind me.

My hooves went to my ears and my weapons wobbled in my magic at the noise, looking back in a pained wince to find Witchy's mouth wide and blaring out a high pitched note that went on and on, amplified by Jade's magic that sent it blasting out in wide blue rings from the thestral's throat. While I didn't like the noise at all, the hellhounds absolutely hated it...

This time the howls were full of pain and rage, the mutt halfway up the wall below us actually fell back to the street and dug madly to get away. Looking down through clenched eyes trying to tear up, I noticed every other hellhound in sight was doing the same thing, yipping and yelping in pain as they dove for the ground and disappeared from E.F.S. one by one. Witchy's wide ranging sonic attack hurt me, but it looked like it was practically killing the hellhounds.

Left with no targets, I turned back and watched the impressive spectacle of Witchy's puffed up chest slowly deflating, holding that awful note longer than seemed possible. It sank right into my bones, making me grind my teeth and stagger away from being right by the source, but she just kept belting it out, slowly turning red in the face and nearly collapsing when she finally ran out of breath.

The eerie silence that followed was filled only with the ringing in my ears cautiously perking back up, looking to Jade letting the batpony lean against her and nuzzling her cheek proudly, making poor Witchy just turn redder. However it worked, it did work... the hellhounds had retreated and it sure didn't seem like they had any interest in trying again...

Glitter was the first to break the silence, giving a loud whoop and tackling the blushing thestral mare. "WOW! Way ta go Witchy!!! That was awesome!!"

Right on the heels of our daughter's joyous exclamation breaking the spell that fell over the town, a slow cheer broke out through Salt Lick. The wounded ponies and minotaurs up here with us that could move came at Witchy in a rush, clapping her armored back and throwing themselves in hugs and hoofshakes that looked to make her nervous.

Having the tough warrior filly skitter back and hide behind me was funny, but she wasn't going to find a completely safe haven here either after that performance. Shaking off the remaining warbling whine in my ears, I grabbed her burning cheeks in my hooves and planted a long, relieved kiss on her sputtering lips. Part of me was delighted to see her leathery wings flutter and stand up in surprise, as my tongue found her sharp little fangs before I broke it off with a cheer.

"Holy Luna! That was amazing Witchy! Great work!" I goggled at the embarassed filly, realizing my foreleg had reached around to her round rump in the embrace, I pulled it away as if her perfect rear was suddenly red hot and put it out in a sheepish hoofbump, turning as red as Witchy herself. "I mean.. er... s-sorry... But that really was awesome Witchy, you saved the day there! How?!"

Tapping her forelegs together nervously, Witchy squeaked and hid her neon red face under her purple mane, answering meekly as she cringed from the cheering crowd still trying to congratulate her too from behind my flared wings. "T-The Princess... she said... I just..."

Smirking softly, Jade gave a playful, tired cough and bumped me with her prodigious flank on the way to her furiously blushing royal guard, tilting her chin up with her hoof and smiling beautifully. "Sound... I should have remembered sooner, The Pony Who Helps was able to drive these creatures back with her wonderful singing voice, Witching's vocal abilities are even more powerful. You did an excellent job Witching, thank you so much for ending that awful battle, without more killing..."

Jade raised an eyebrow at Swan teleporting in with a pair of heavily bleeding minotaurs at the end there, obviously still displeased at her purple sister's preference for finding a violent solution. It did nothing to diminish her praise of Witchy however, the batpony beamed back at her and gave a short little bow, still hiding behind her bulk from the crowd of wounded well wishers as Jade trotted over to her newest patients.

"T-Thank you your highness! It's thanks to your magic though Princess, I'd never be that loud on my own everypony, so thank Princess Jade, not me!" Witchy spoke up in her normal, squeaky voice and waved to Jade, trying to redirect the relief and happiness spreading through those she had saved and sticking uncomfortably close to my side with a warm, blushing smile. Maybe I hadn't run through quite enough rads with Jade last night...

I was glad the gorgeous batpony was used to my antics at least, she was never offended when my traitorous body proved she was an attractive mare, despite how she had been made to feel otherwise back home. She was as susceptible to praise as Swan in some areas too, Jade's grateful smile looked to make her as happy as my overeager congratulations.

Looking out to see Val still circling the town on guard while Zed prowled the streets below and Swan joining her in a huff, I gave Witch a reluctantly more reserved peck on the cheek and trotted after Jade after her happy whinny. Joining the big blue doctor as her horn poured healing magic into the two panting minotaurs, I found the crooked grin of Sledge Smasher looking back.

He had a lot of long gashes, cuts and burns, though his wounds paled in comparison to the huge, pale bull with the sword next to him, and both of them were still standing and grinning at us. Sledge gave a tired wheeze as Jade's magic slowly knit his wounds together and clapped my back hard enough to send me sprawling, leaving Witchy defenseless as the older, bearded bull at his side grabbed her in a roaring headlock of a cheer.

The big, bleeding minotaur squeezed the poor batpony to his broad chest in a crushing bearhug, the arm pinning her ending in a darkened metal cybernetic hand that grabbed her foreleg and yanked her high above his head, as he shouted out to those up here with us and his tribe in the streets below. "They tried ta push us around, and this pony beat em with sound!! Oh YEAH!!!"

While poor Witchy was slung around at the edge of the roof to a wave of cheers, Sledge scooped me up and put me in his own headlock, wrapping his other musclebound arm around Jade's long neck in a matching gesture and booming to the two of us. "Welcome ta Salt Lick Princess and Shroud! Not the welcome we would'a planned, but way to show the chief that you rock!"

--------------Level Up!------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------

Arcane Science!-----------
----Coming to grips with your mad scientist heritage allows you to take full advantage of advanced arcane technology, with access to new high-tec mods and recipes at the workbench, as well as new dialog options and invention abilities.

Reputation Change!--------------

Breezie Nation -- Idolized
---At least being the grandson of mad Dr. Mobius is good for something! All tribes of the Breezie Nation now look to you as a mythological level hero to their kind. Not that they're much of a town yet, but you'll see no problems with the residents here and will get the best prices and reactions when visiting in the future!

Salt Lick -- Liked
---Riding to the rescue is always a great way to improve diplomatic relations, you made a good first impression anyway! You'll be treated fairly at what remains of their shops and get a generally positive reaction from the residents, making quest and dialog options available to your party.

Ch. 79 -- Claws Out

One of the more intact prewar structures in Salt Lick was a rustic hotel for travelers, the original name lost to time, now a rough wooden sign proclaimed it the 'Cretan Arms' and it had quickly become Jade's makeshift hospital. The old bull who ran the place didn't complain about her taking charge with the chief of his tribe at her side, allowing use of all the beds and helping clear space in the open lobby for her to perform triage and emergency care, sending patients off to the empty rooms efficiently after treatment.

Watching her work from the corner of my eye and admiring her sweaty, determined face, I returned my attention to the interesting bit of tech I was working on, and the huge grey minotaur it was attached to. Chief Steelfist had just that, a steel fist... well, quite a bit of various other alloys and plastics too, but the name worked. His cybernetic hand sparked and whined as he tried again to make a fist, letting me backtrack the remaining problems and try to resolve them as I spoke with the leader of Salt Lick.

"Don't worry, this ought to be salvageable sir, I've just never worked on many cybernetics. Where'd you get this anyway? I've run into a few people with prosthetics since we came down this way and wondered where they were getting them done. No offense or anything, but this kinda work is really complicated, and I don't really see a body chop shop in your nice town."

Giving a rumble of laughter, the heavily scarred leader of Salt Lick nodded at my attempts at small talk, providing an answer for something I had been wondering about since Summerset Plantation. "University Point little pony, surprised you don't know! Figured an' egghead like you must'a learned down that'a way to do stuff like this! Freakin' hydra snapped it right off when I was younger, killed the bitch though, sellin' off the venom got me enough ta get a replacement. Thought I was gonna lose it again on that dog's slobbery gob before you folks showed up, thanks fer that!"

"So, those hellhounds just showed up and started attacking Chief? They came from the Glowing Sea?"

While Steelfist made for a good patient, dragging his attention away from the constant distraction of his interest was difficult. The older warrior stroked his beard thoughtfully and continued goggling at the pair of breezies on the table beside us, Spring Gale's long antenna glowed with healing magic and mended more of his remaining wounds, while her brother Blowing Storm kept prowling the round wooden table protectively.

The Chief made accommodations for his strange guests and had learned not to make sudden movements soon enough, but murmured in soft wonder before answering. "Fairies... Gran's tall tales were true... still can't believe it. Er.. Oh yeah! Figure that's where the White Legs came from, took over the mines first, were still figurin' out what ta do about em when the bastards attacked the town too! We had 'em, but still appreciate the help little pony! Sledge wasn't lyin' about you folks! You were mighty impressive too bat lady!"

Witchy had been dragged into sitting with me while Val and Swan were patrolling the skies outside, guarding against another hellhound attack. The poor batpony was an instant hero after her impressive vocal attack, hiding out with me and the minotaur's chief at least offered her a bit of protection from all her new fans, but she still had to put up with Steelfist's booming congratulations making her blush as she sipped her drink meekly.

"T-Thank you sir... It was thanks to the Princess though, I had no idea those foul creatures were weak against sonic attacks. Y-You should thank her, and hear her and Fast out. Princess Jade is a worthy monarch and her Kingdom of Sanctuary wants to be allies with thine fair community... Just as we are with the Fairies..." Witch squeaked quietly and returned to nursing the ornate stein she had shoved in her muzzle as eager thanks from the owner.

I was heartened hearing her praise of Jade as a Princess deserving of devotion, and how she said 'we' were allies with the Breezie Nation. She was not only growing protective and close to Jade, she viewed herself as one of us... not as an emissary of Dreadnot. When we first met, the loyal member of Princess Luna's royal guard didn't even like Jade using the title of Princess, now she not only saw Jade was worthy of it, she had apparently decided she was her Princess.

We'd been apart during my stupid errands, while it gave Witchy more time with Jade, I made a mental note to spend time with her too, not just because we'd rely on her amazing vocal abilities if the hellhounds came back or we had to do something about them. Settling for stroking her lilac grey foreleg gratefully for now, I was glad to see her slitted amber eyes looking back in relief at the contact. Though those sparkles flashing in them and my own itchy mane made me cautious, she was uncomfortable being the heroic center of attention and I wanted to encourage her.

Reluctantly turning away from her, Sledge Smasher's meaty fist slamming the table in approval took my attention away. Poor Spring Gale 'eeped!' and pranced towards my side of the table, while her brother gave a squeaky growl at the sheepishly apologizing minotaur. "Whoops! Sorry little fairy breezies! You guys take some gettin' used'ta, no offense! Just agreein' though! I told ya Chief, Fast and the Princess there are the real deal! They gots a plan an' wanna be friends, I trust em!"

"I-Is ok... n-not used to bein oot vhere beeg people can see us yet, ve try if yu try, yes? Meester Sledge iz right beeg Chief, Princess Jade und Shroud Fast friends of Breezie Nation. Dey is gud ponies dat helping us, yu help tu? Ve all be friends!?" Gale gulped and cautiously trotted back to her brother's side in the middle of the table, she was scared being out in public and her small blue eyes kept darting around the room and all the curious stares of strange ponies and minotaurs alike, but she was taking her new job as Ambassador of the Breezie Nation seriously.

Her speaking up took a lot of courage, but had the desired effect on the enraptured minotaur leader. Chief Steelfist was big, strong and scarred from years of hunting and combat, but his wide brown eyes looked like a foal's every time they returned to the breezies casually standing before him. Living on the edges of the Flutter Forest, the fairies were like a legend come to life for him apparently.

"Hrmm... Well, my best hunter and even the fairies vouch for you little pony... You have good references if nothing else! Ha!" Steelfist slapping my back jovially threatened to just smash me right through the table, but at least he didn't use his cybernetic hand I was still working on... His deep voice lowered from booming down to a more serious tone as he continued thoughtfully. "Sledge says you gots an idea to turn back all the beasties from the Glowing Sea comin' at us, course he also says you took out the Weird Sisters..."

"Umm... both of those things are true. Well, I took out one head anyway, my friend Val killed another, and Sledge killed the last one after his hunters trapped it, so it's not like I did it alone or anything. We do have a plan and we've got more help coming, but we need you guys too. If we all work together, I really think we can redirect all those monsters sir."

Watching Jade instructing Glitter where to take her impressive stock of fresh, breezie brewed healing potions with a gentle nudge, while Zed assisted the minotaur healers in applying strange poultices and simple brews from the amazing variety of plants the breezies grew the zebra had brought with us, the Chief hummed in thought. "You help my people before asking for anything, that's good. Even if we could have handled the hellhounds, more would'a gotten hurt without the bat lady, we'd be hard pressed to care for the injured as well as this Princess pony is too..."

"We'd do that much no matter what Chief. Whether you end up helping or joining us or not, we don't expect repayment for doing what's right. But joining us will help everybody I think, not just because of all the monsters coming your way that made Large Marge send us here. We're friends with a lot of different communities in the Commonwealth now, they all decided to join the Kingdom of Sanctuary and we share and help each other, we're all stronger together and I think you'd make us even better, while we'd do the same for you. I don't know much about your town or how we could help each other, er... besides fighting hellhounds I guess, but I'd like to learn."

Finishing my awkward and forced speech by finishing the repairs to Steelfist's cybernetic hand was the best demonstration I could come up with to prove my point. The huge grey minotaur flexed the appendage experimentally with a broad grin, glancing down at Spring Gale sealing up one of his last remaining wounds before trotting to his stein on the table that towered over her. The little breezie had to hook her forelegs over the lip of the big cup to lean up to the frothy liquid, measuring out a small amount of golden nectar from her basket and dumping it into the ale inside.

The tiny lilac mare looked up expectantly and waved for the Chief to drink, chattering her encouragement at the skeptical look he gave. "Iz gud for yu, make feel betters! Ve go help uthers who is hurt vith Princess, but yu drinky. Leesten to Fast Shroud tu, iz gud pony und Kingdom of Sanctuary gud friends tu Breezie Nation, be friends vith Salt Lick place tu!"

Taking an experimental sip, the minotaur chieftan's eyes glazed slightly and he drained the stein in a few hearty gulps. Loosing a hearty belch and booming goofy laughter at the breezie pair fluttering up to go attend to the other wounded. With his instantly improved mood, I gave Gale a grateful look, wondering if that was entirely for his medical treatment, or to deliberately make him more agreeable.

Either way, Steelfist was gregarious and nodded to us both with a happy snort. "Like I said, you do got great references, I'll give ya that little pony! Ok, I'll talk to this princess of yours and we'll see. But we can't do much helping with anything else with those damn White Legs breathin' down our necks. Gonna hafta do somethin' about them before anything else!"

Looking over to Witchy sipping at her own drink cautiously and spotting Gale spiking it for her with just a tiny pinch of nectar, I smiled at the thestral's posture relaxing and a soft grin spreading on her muzzle. That was purely for Witchy's discomfort and Gale was always precise in how much she gave anypony, it affected normal ponies a lot more than me and Witchy had taken right to the wonderful substance. Good, she deserved a reward and getting her to relax would help with other things, she'd probably have to put up with a lot more attention and having her in a good mood would help.

"Right, give us some time and we'll figure out what we can do to help Chief. Ah, there's my friend Val now, she's really good at this kinda thing and took a look around, I bet she'll have some ideas. Hey, Jade! Come here a minute hon!"

I had been watching the harried blue beauty moving among all the hurt ponies and minotaurs still out in the wide lobby of the hotel. Her anxious prancing between patients and spell slinging had slowed to a more manageable level, making me hopeful as I called her over to join the fiery griffon flopping down in an empty seat at the table. An excited looking Swan trotted in right behind her, plopping down behind my chair and insistently nibbling at my ears as I tried to get Jade's attention. Swan found all the fighting and the potential for more great fun, and unfortunately a bit of a turn on apparently...

Jade was obviously reluctant to leave those who still needed treatment, but Gale and her brother flitting over to her little nurse Glitter were enough to take over for a minute with the more minor wounds still evident. Patting the seat beside me encouragingly, Jade settled into the ancient wooden seat with a creak protesting the generous flanks filling the space. She recognized this as 'official Princess business' and fidgeted only slightly, calmed by a quick nuzzle to her neck relieving some of the tension obvious in her body language as she spoke up softly.

"I-I am still needed elsewhere Fast, your people should recover Chief Steelfist, I am only sorry we did not arrive sooner... Some of the casualties could have been averted, t-there is nothing I can do for them now though, I am sorry..." Jade's eyes glistened as they tracked over to the rear of the hotel, the blanket draped forms of too many dead being respectfully moved out of view by a younger female minotaur and a pair of ponies.

Still relaxed by his drink, Steelfist chuckled ruefully and patted her forelegs tapping in front of her anxiously. "Would'a been a lot more without you folk's help Princess, don't worry about it. People are always dyin', but we keep tryin'! Was just talkin' to yer buck here about our little problem, don't want there to be more dead, we gotta do somethin' about those dogs..."

Val snatched my half drunk beer from in front of me, draining it in a quick series of gulps and gasping, nodding along with the chief's statement. "He's right, whole pack of freakin' hellhounds on yer doorstep, they ain't gonna stay back long. Took a look, guessin' they're all up in the mountains around the big mine right? Goin' after em up there ain't gonna be easy, underground is their turf."

Still nudging and nuzzling at my itchy mane, Swan flopped her chin down on my hat and purred happily. "Dogs are tough and fun to kill though. We'll go there and smash them all, make them pay for being bad, right Fast?"

Before I could finish gulping trying to think of a response, Jade huffed primly and fluttered her wings, scooting her seat closer to mine and pushing her sister back. "We should explore peaceful options first if you please. Perhaps we can come to some accord with these White Legs and end the violence."

Steelfist stood with a gruff snort, shaking his head firmly and crossing his rippling arms over his broad chest. "Peaceful!? Those things came an' attacked MY town Princess pony! Not interested in bein' peaceful, they picked a fight, we'll show em our might! How you even think you'll do anything other than help us wipe the damn things out!?"

The utterly implacable look Jade turned on him withered a bit of his anger, leaving us all flabbergasted at her soft answer. "Why, I will go and speak with them of course."

While I agreed with the minotaur Chief's skepticism, I could have done without his booming, unkind laughter at Jade's shocking statement. Steelfist found the whole idea of trying to talk to hellhounds as ridiculous as I did, grunting as he strode out to go tend to his besieged town and left to prepare for inevitable battle.

Since she was eager to return to her healing, the rest of us had to trail after her busy efforts. I was actually growing frustrated trying to talk to her in a panicked yelp as she calmly tended the wounded. "T-Talk to!? You wanna talk to them!? B-But they're... they're monsters! They're dangerous and vicious dogs! Y-You can't..."

"I most certainly can Fast, they are people, not monsters. They have a unique culture and are certainly violent and territorial, but they can be reasoned with. We must try to be better, before plotting their demise, hmm?" Jade's kind voice had an unbending tone to it, utterly ignoring the stunned faces of everyone at the table staring back at her.

"R-Reason with them!? With hellhounds!? Can they even talk!? The only other one I ever saw was a mindless monster! I told you about Poncord Jade, it nearly killed me and everypony else there, it looked like it was enjoying it too!"

Val's squawk of agreement was on my side, though thoughtfully informative too. "From what ya said, that one was probably an alpha boss, lone wolf type. Dogs what get too big an' tough ta fit in go it alone. These are a pack at least, not as tough, but smarter and work together. Boss is right Blue, ought'a wipe the fuckers out if we can, they ain't gonna be that chatty..."

"I must agree Princess! T-Thou can't go speak with those foul abominations, it is far too dangerous for royalty!" Witchy squeaked in protest at Jade's side, increasing my gratitude towards the tough mare. Maybe Jade would listen if it wasn't just me freaking out.

Of course that was too much to hope for, Jade's face set in a determined and stubborn huff as she crossed her forelegs and spoke patiently. "They have been pushed out from their homes for whatever reason, they are refugees here and have a long history of enduring such troubles. Do you not wish to know what could have made them flee Fast? You do not wish to engage in violence without even trying for peace, do you dear? I appreciate your concern, all of you, but we must try."

Jade's sweet nod and light touch of a feather to Witchy's shoulder made the armored batpony turn brilliantly red, her remaining objections fizzling out with a squeak. Dammit, Jade's royal guard kept her safety in mind first, but she instantly melted under her Princess' order. I had hoped for more help talking her out of this, but Witchy had apparently decided Jade was the Princess, period. Therefore she had the final say.

I wished Swan could make a more compelling argument to help, but her thoughts were straightforward and direct and usual. Not to mention in complete opposition to Jade's beliefs. "We should kill them all sister... The mino person is right, they were bad and attacked this place, you kill who attacks you. You're too nice and sappy, dogs are mean and tough. If they're alive, they can hurt others. If they're all dead, they can't anymore. Killing them is safer."

A flicker of anger crossed Jade's face, slowly softening to exasperation as she returned her attention to her patients waiting on her. "Sister... Killing is not always the best answer. Killing ends all their possibilities, good and bad, makes the world poorer for the loss. I wish I could make you understand, but I do not wish to hurt others if there is another way. We will not do so without trying to be better."

The finality in her voice drove Swan from absently nibbling for attention over my head, raising her head with a snort and glaring at her shorter sister. Looking up into the purple alicorn's pretty face screwed up in frustration, I was worried what might pop out of her puffed up cheeks, like she was choking on responses and couldn't spit any one of them out in Jade's serene face.

Swan's grimace turned red as she clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth and making a noise like a teakettle reaching a boil. Finally she gave an annoyed whinny and stood, stamping her hoof and splintering the wooden floorboards under her bulk. "You're being dumb! I don't like it! I'm here to have fun and you have all these stupid rules! Won't let me play, won't let me fight, I'm small and I hate it, a-and I hate you sister!"

I could swear I saw a tear sparkle in her wake as Swan ran off in a childish tantrum, bulldozing her way through surprised minotaurs that were bowled over by the big alicorn galloping off through the swinging door. As tough and playful as Swan acted usually, our first night after having her join us taught me there was more going on behind those beautiful blue-violet eyes. She had feelings that were easily hurt, it was just hard to keep in mind that a usually giant and brutal filly like her could be hurt period.

Giving a long sigh, I looked up to Jade pouting over her shoulder at the door as she moved to return to her patients. She looked like she regretted upsetting Swan, but was still adamant over her point in their argument and unwilling to let it go. How was I going to bridge the gap between the two of them? Was it even possible?

Looking to Val moving with me, I had a little hope at least. When Jade and Val first met, they were practically at each other's throats in some ways for similar reasons. Now they were like sisters, even though their views on things differed, they did get along. Proving just how close we had grown, all it took was a significant roll of the eyes towards Jade after catching Val's gaze to get the point I wanted to communicate across, letting me speak with my Princess softly before she trotted off in a huff.

"Jade... One of us should go talk to her, you hurt her feelings..."

Sticking her nose up sulkily, Jade grumbled back in a disinterested whine. "If she or Chief Steelfist either one wants to go pout and throw a fit, let them. I am right, you agree we should not be so violent, do you not Fast...?"

Given the dangerous edge to the question, I didn't have a lot of choice but to nod my agreement. "Yes, I think you're right Jade, but you need to see her point too. I really don't like the idea of you talking to hellhounds ok? Even if they are people and can be talked to, they're dangerous, they hurt a lot of people right here, ones you need to get back to helping I know.. You stay here and I'll go talk to her, but try to see her side too ok? Talk to Val about it, she's your Captain of the Guard right? Sometimes we can't be so nice, no matter how much we want. That's why every Princess needs their Knight, huh?"

A little tension in her posture relaxed at my gentle nudge and question, sighing softly as she nuzzled my cheek. "V-Very well... Go find her and... a-apologize... I will consider her perspective, even if I do not agree. But we will at least try talking first, yes?"

"R-Right, we'll try, I promise hon. I'm gonna go take a look around town too, see what we're dealing with here. Maybe I can come up with something to at least keep things from getting worse for now, with Witchy's help? Umm... mind taking a walk with me Witchy?"

The beaming, rapid nod the goofy batpony sent my way was a little tipsy, but Witchy fluttered right to my side gratefully. The opportunity to escape so much attention from the crowd in here clearly welcome. "I'd like that, yes! I'll take over guarding thine boss Val, so you can take a break and speak with the Princess of military matters. How else can I help Fast?"

Even a little inebriated, I was glad Witching Hour got my point about leaving Val to try to broach the subject of fighting with Jade. Giving her a sly wink of gratitude, I turned to the doors Swan had fled through and replied over my shoulder on the way out.

"Not sure yet, but I'd warm those amazing vocal chords up Witchy. You're gonna be really important here I think..."

Opting to walk around the town of Salt Lick to look for our wayward alicorn rather than fly let me get a better look around at the wasteland community, taking our time and wincing at all the destruction the hellhounds had left in their wake. It had been a mining town from what I could tell, a little rough and tumble with a lot of wooden construction thrown up that looked older than all the brick, yet somehow sturdier. One of those places earth ponies could throw together in a year, yet would magically last centuries.

The minotaurs and ponies living here had walled off a large section in the center of the prewar town, incorporating shops, the wooden saloon, a decent sized courthouse of brick and marble, apartments and more, augmented with lots of tents and junk shacks in the center of the roughly rectangular enclosure. In the hills outside of town to the west I could see train tracks, stockyards and more prewar homes that looked lived in, though currently abandoned as everyone sheltered behind the gates. Beyond these was a winding road leading up into the mountains and presumably the mines beyond that Val told me about.

Outside the walls to the east was the long lake the town was perched above, everything that way took on a crazy tilt as it slowly sank towards the waters over the ages. The crumbling cliffs made spreading that way dangerous, but it looked like there were paths and some traffic to the lake periodically, rusty pipes crudely patched with duct tape and hope ran through the walls and towards the cliff too, supplying water for the town.

Pausing under a leaning old telephone pole, I looked up at the rusty M.A.S.E.B.S. speaker hanging on up there, adding it to the tally I had been keeping through the town and tracing down the wires remaining in place. They all headed towards either the town hall, or in the same direction towards the lake... another building beyond the wall with access to the emergency broadcast system. I'd have to take a look that way too then.

Still choosing to walk and idly looking around for Swan, I nodded towards the guarded gates and turned that way, leading the anxious batpony hanging right on my tail. "I don't think she's in town Witchy, let's go explore a little bit, it'll get you out of town for a bit too..."

A look of relief crossed Witchy's blushing face as she peeked around me at a trio of earth ponies pausing in their work sifting through rubble from a torn storefront to stare at her. "Y-Yes... I'd like that Fast, I seem to be a-attracting a lot of attention, they're all staring at me..."

All three were clearly grateful and happy to see her, though that darker mutter in my head couldn't help pointing out the two young bucks clearly had more on their mind than just gratitude for the hero of the day. 'MINE...' Grrrr! No! Stop that... It was good Witchy was attracting such attention, if she'd accept it was honest attraction, it would be good for her self confidence. She was my friend, I wanted to dispel her horribly battered and inaccurate self image.

I hated how the snobs back in her home of Dreadnot had made her feel ugly every time I thought of it. That same part of me that continually wanted to show her personally how pretty I thought she was, also grumbled about making them pay for that. Though 'Be Dark...''s ideas were generally self serving and not entirely helpful.

Instead I put on a forced smile as we reached the gates and stopped before flapping up over them, bumping her flank with my own good naturedly and shrugging that way. "You have a lot of fans Witchy, they're all just grateful and a little in awe of you. When we have time, you ought to say hi. You're practically a princess to those two, I recognize the look."

"P-P-Princess!? N-No! I'm not! Y-You are teasing me Fast... Princess Jade is the Princess, I'm just... just a royal guard, I feel lucky to be that. Q-Quit making fun..." Witchy squeaked and fluttered up rapidly, diving to the other side of the wall of junk cordoning off the town to escape the appreciative stares.

Giving an ungainly flap to clear the barrier and follow, I clipped my hindleg and stumbled to the cracked street at her hooves, taking advantage of her worried yelp at the mild crash stopping her from running off. "No, I'm not kidding! Seriously Witchy, I'll keep saying it till you believe me, you're beautiful and I'm not the only pony who thinks so. Have a little confidence! Actually, you're SO pretty, you're probably intimidating them, maybe that's why you think you're not."

She gave me a pretty skeptical look as I got to my hooves, trotting slowly at my side down the street with a narrowed look. "Intimidating? What silliness are thou speaking of now Fast? Have you gotten into too much radiation lately? Is that why thou are being so ridiculous?"

I had to hold up my pip-buck and point out the rainbow gauge safely hovering at the green / blue border to prove I wasn't under the influence before answering, rolling my eyes at the filly staring at it closely with a guarded look. "No, I'm fine see?! Er... m-mostly, as good as I get I mean... Hear me out ok? I mean it, a mare as pretty of you can be scary to talk to, so if bucks just stare and don't come up, it's probably because you're so beautiful. Plus you're just plain intimidating anyway, all heavily armored and strong like you are."

"A-A royal guard is supposed to look intimidating Fast... Our appearance should discourage any threat to the Princess we serve, that is what I was taught." Witchy fell back on her training to answer, an unsure flicker in her exotic eyes.

"I know, and you do! You're actually sorta like Swan though, she's normally huge and scares everypony off too. The first time I saw her though, I thought she was really pretty too and told her so. She didn't know what to make of it either, but it was true for her and it's true for you. You can be pretty and scary at the same time, they aren't mutually exclusive."

"Oh? Hehe, is that why the Princess' sister is so enamored with you? I saw her in Goodneighbor during all the fighting, she was... w-well, terrifying actually... You told her she was pretty? Like that? No wonder she seems so attached to you, I can understand that... y-you were the first to say such to me too... So, you think I am like thine giant alicorn friend? Am I really that frightening Fast?" She kept a playful tone at least, but there was real worry in there at the end and I could practically see her picturing herself as a monster size batpony with scared villagers running from her.

"No! You're definitely not as scary as Swan, I just think you two have things in common. Enough so that I kinda hoped you could help with her and Jade getting along actually. You're both guards and proud of it, you're both tough and strong, but have really nice softer sides. Most of all, neither of you is scary once somepony gets to know you. Because you're both really cute too, so it's a neat combination, like salty and sweet. Especially you, with those adorable ears... strong muscles... cute little fangs... firm flanks...."

Witchy's tinkling giggle was musical, turning red as she glanced down at my radiation gauge again. "E-Enough Fast! Thou are embarassing me... You are just being kind, not to mention it sounds as if thine mutated nature is getting the better of you again... T-Though I do like thine silver tongued attention anyway."

With her pointing it out, I realized I had started leaning towards her with a leer and my wings were halfway up, my mane tingled and my fangs had stretched a bit in my mouth. Slapping myself with a blush, I got it back under control and grinned sheepishly, forcing myself back a step with a reluctant sigh.

"S-Sorry! It's not... I haven't gotten into any radiation, t-this is mostly me Witchy, seriously! I just haven't seen you in a while and... y-you are really pretty... Even without being all charged up, being around you is enough to get me going is all, s-sorry... But believe me when I say this kinda stuff at least. Have confidence and try encouraging somepony you like a little, you'll see for sure!"

While the look she gave was still pretty dubious, it was also thoughtful and genuinely happy at the compliments. At least I had gotten her to believe I thought she was pretty, though that much was generally pretty obvious... it was a start anyway. "Mm-hmm... we do have other, more important things to concern ourselves with Fast, though... umm... t-thank you. P-Perhaps I'll try, w-with a b-buck I admire... s-sometime... For now, what are we going to do about the Princess? I-If she insists on speaking with these creatures... I am worried for her safety."

"Yeah... me too Witchy. Once she gets something like this in her head though, she won't back off. I didn't know hellhounds could even talk, but if they can, she'll wanna try. We'll just have do our best to protect her and hope it goes well."

"Of course, a royal guard's duty is support their Princess. I'm worried... ok, very worried... but I trust Princess Jade and will not let her come to harm." She sounded much more secure speaking of her professional duty, easing some of my own fear in the process.

"Thanks Witchy, I'm glad you're there to help watch out for her. You've really warmed up to her and being a royal guard for her, haven't you?"

Her beaming, red faced smile was heart warming, Witchy so rarely looked honestly, unabashedly happy. Like she was usually waiting for the other shoe to drop. Concerning Jade and her voluntarily accepted role as her royal guard however, she was clearly proud and enjoying her place at her side.

"Yes! I... I have yes. Back home, we are still taught all the traditions of Luna's guard, serving a Princess is a big part of our culture. I had my doubts when you insisted your alicorn was a Princess, but I've come to see she truly is worthy of fealty. Princess Jade is kind and caring, she listens to everypony and tries to help as much as she can, she... I am glad I met her and that she accepted my oath of service as a royal guard." Her beaming chirp in reply was entirely too adorable, filling me with proud agreement others saw what I did in Jade, especially a traditionalist member of Luna's guard who had been swayed.

I did have questions there too however, curious what this choice meant for her. "Oath of service? You really went all out and serious then, huh? When did you get all formal with her and do that? How'd Jade take it for that matter? I bet she was embarrassed, wasn't she?"

"P-Perhaps a little... But the Princess saw how serious it was for me and listened. I had been thinking over your ringing endorsement of her since we met, but finally came to a decision when you left. With her devoted knight away and the Princess in her delicate condition, I wanted to protect her as my training taught me to do for Luna, and I realized I already thought of her as a Princess as well. After coming out here and being with all of you... I-I'd much rather serve her and the Kingdom of Sanctuary than Dreadnot..." Witchy puffed up proudly as we clopped down the increasingly sloped streets, approaching a shattered and falling police station halfway down the cliff's edge.

"So... You're really throwing your lot in with us then, aren't you? I get how big a deal that is for you, you really want to pledge yourself to her, even if that makes your people in Dreadnot mad? I still do need to go there, I promised you I would. Isn't there anypony you miss back there?"

"N-No... not really, not since my father died. I had very few friends Fast, there were some kind ghouls I liked down in the lower city I suppose, though interacting with them was discouraged, so I could only get so close. My peers all made fun of me growing up, and they learned to do so from their parents... So no, I don't really miss them at all, you and thine Princess and family are much better. I am still honor bound to bring you to Dreadnot someday, and truly wish I could tell you why, but as far as I am concerned they can just wait." Witchy's slow look of conviction made me mad again at how she had been treated.

Oh yes... I was going to Dreadnot eventually, and when I did I was going to have a little chat with every batpony that ever hurt her... 'Be Dark...' For now, I knew better than to ask too much about what they even wanted and didn't care too much. Witching Hour swore not to say and I wouldn't ask her to violate her vow, she took it as seriously as the one she had sworn to Jade. I wouldn't want her to break that one, so I couldn't ask her to break another.

At the moment, I was more overcome with fondness for the bewitching mare saying she had found a place with us, a new home and cause to dedicate that honor and generous nature to. The sight of her was truly magnificent, standing firm at the edge of broken asphalt tumbling down to the lake below, her blue steel armor gleaming in the filtered afternoon light at her back, her silky purple tail and mane blowing in a gentle breeze as she smiled to herself. A beautiful filly at the edge of something new she had chosen for herself, putting the past behind her to venture into unknown waters... it was too much to just admire dumbly.

Lunging to give a grateful, nuzzling hug broke her reverie and ruined the brief moment, but I couldn't stop myself. She squeaked and blushed adorably under the attention, fluttering her wings and stammering. "F-Fast! T-That's enough, thou hast congratulated and thanked me enough! F-Flattering though your interest is, n-now is hardly the time to..."

"That's not for saving the day Witchy, or just for deciding you want to be such a great royal guard for Jade. That's for being a beautiful, tough, brave friend. You're one of us and I'm glad, I missed you while I was gone too, so put up with a well deserved hug gorgeous. They're not just my Princess and my family, they're yours too. You're family to us Witchy, we're all glad you're with us and we all umm... l-love you. So put up with a little affection from all of us, till I get it out of my system."

I was a little worried when she pulled back with a gasp, but got completely flustered at her teary, slitted amber eyes staring back at me. Seeing those narrow pupils widen and glisten like that as she sniveled made me scared I did something wrong again, why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut? Stupid body and brain making me say dumb things... did I hurt her feelings somehow? She was smiling a little though... was this happy, or sad? What...

Any further panic was cut off when the strong filly pressed into a passionate kiss, squeezing my breath out in those powerful forelegs and toppling over me with a crash of heavy armor smashing me into the tilted steps of the police department. Despite how wonderful this felt and how my stupid, breeding stud body immediately rose to the stimulation with an internal growl of 'MINE!', when she breathlessly broke it off and continued by nuzzling against my neck, her happy sobs helped me fight back even the overwhelming mating urges.

"T-Thank you! I am really?... You all feel?... I w-would like that so much Fast! T-To have a family! I w-will give all I have to thine Princess' kingdom and to... t-to my family! I love all of you very much too! I never had... It was always just me and father, then he died and... I a-always w-w-wanted..." Hearing her start to dissolve into tears brought that panic back for a moment, but thankfully helped me get control too.

Difficult as it was to calm down with a firm, springy filly pressed so tightly against me, the emotion in her voice was more important than any fooling around. I still didn't know enough about the kind of life the poor thestral had lived before, but I could empathize with feeling alone, the joy and relief at finding friends and new family to fill that void. She had been alone, but she wasn't anymore. If I had anything to say about it, she would never be again.

Cooing and stroking her hitching sides, I tried to force my aching wings back down from where they were sprawled out on the cracked stone steps. Instead of doing all the wonderful things my body was demanding, I managed to keep it down to gently nuzzling her neck and cheek in return, speaking softly and soothingly.

"It's alright... Don't cry, y-you're making me feel bad I said anything. B-But it's ok! Just let it out, I'm here for you, just like Jade and everyone else is. It's ok Witchy... you're not alone anymore."

What was a rather sappy, touching moment was brought to a screeching halt by an angry roar from below. Both of us struggled to disentangle ourselves and stand on the wildly canted surface we had been rolling around on, managing to part just in time for a large, angry purple alicorn to slam to the ground between us.

Swan was dripping wet, though her long pink mane flowed around her as she flared her wings between us and snorted down at a very surprised Witching Hour frantically rubbing her eyes dry. She must have been down in the lake... trying to soak up the trickle of radiation again. Meaning she most likely caught at least some of that... oooooo.... probably not good considering how she had been feeling when she ran off....

"You give the batpony more attention than me too!?! Sister Jade is ok with this? But not with me!? How come it's ok with her!! I'm getting tired of waiting Fast! This isn't fair!!" Swan seethed over her shoulder at me, staying between me and the blushing batpony backing away from her angry posture. Not that I blamed Witchy, even for the tough royal guard, she had seen what Swan could do... anypony with a lick of sense would be a little concerned being the target of her ire.

"E-E-Easy Swan! Eeeeeasy... calm down... it's ok. T-That wasn't... ummm... p-play... That was, emotional, friendship type stuff..."

"You were doing the lip thing with her... and hugging! And rolling around together! You smell really good right now too... I want..." Swan growled back, at least her furious tone softened as her nostrils flared, taking in the scent of my suddenly very itchy mane.

"Tears Swan! Look! See? S-She was crying! Not fooling around... We came out here to find you and were talking, just relax a minute! A-Are you ok?" I yelped and skittered back, she had ended up on a purr of 'I want...' and combined with the heart shaped sparkles in her eyes, that tone made me nervous. Especially as worked up as I had inadvertently gotten.

Swinging her big head back on Witchy with a huff, Swan squinted closely at the poor batpony's face, spotting the glimmering tracks on her full cheeks and tilting her head in confusion. Swan got a sly, suspicious look for a moment, pulling even closer over Witchy's squeak and licking her cheek, turning Witchy's already reddened face a glowing crimson.

Ignoring Witchy's sputtering, blushing chirps of embarassment at the treatment, Swan smacked her lips thoughtfully and grumbled. "Salty... real then. Why was she crying? Why did you be nice and huggy if she was sad? If I cry, will you play then?!"

Swan's eyes crossed and her cheeks puffed up, the big filly was straining and grunting to herself, trying to force tears out of her eyes through sheer will after coming up with yet another attempt at seduction. Groaning at her enthusiastic efforts, I booped her nose to put a stop to it and gave her a kiss of her own to sate her.

"It doesn't work that way Swan. Come on, talking first, then tears come sometimes. You went and hid out right near where I need to look around anyway, why don't you come help me and we can talk, hopefully you won't cry... but you can have attention too if you tell me what's wrong. I don't like you and Jade fighting, so let's see if we can make up huh?"

Swan put on an unconvinced pout and stuck her nose up, but did curl a large purple wing over me and moved to keep herself between me and Witchy, grumbling back petulantly. "I don't want to make up, I want to play. I'll talk I guess, to you... alone... The little bat can just... just go away!"

Before Witchy could flutter back and do just as the angry alicorn advised, I shrugged out of her embrace and put my hoof down. Probably not the best idea to do so literally, as the broken chunk of earth I was standing on gave a warning shiver and set my wings to flapping anxiously, but it did get Swan's attention.

"No Swan. Witchy came to help find you and to figure out what to do about the hellhounds, you're not sending her away. Don't be jealous, we're all family, that includes you AND her. You two should be friends, you're a guard, she's a royal guard, I was just telling Witchy you have other stuff in common too, I bet you'll get along. We need her help to fight the hellhounds, you want that, right?"

That got her interest alright, Swan's wide blue-violet eyes sparkled with anticipation and she nodded eagerly, pausing halfway in thought and tilting her head. "Yes! Buuuut... stupid sister doesn't want to fight... Are we going to anyway? Can we right now?!"

Witchy was recovering at least, her tufted ears perking up as she gave a wary look around Swan's bulk. "The Princess insists on attempts at peace, we have to honor her wishes. D-Don't we? I do anyway... she's the Princess..."

Carefully pushing open the door to the remains of the police station was a little unnecessary, there were plenty of broken walls to just fly right through and half the upper floors had already fallen to the lake, but it gave me a place to start and to lead the two of them through with a patient shake of my head.

"She's the Princess, yes Witchy. We'll do things her way, even if we don't agree Swan. That doesn't mean we won't be ready if it doesn't work out. There will probably be fighting, no matter how much Jade wants otherwise. I know it's hard, but we have to try to be better. We'll just be prepared to be worse too... and try to come up with some insurance while she's helping the injured. Ok?"

The two of them nodded as I looked up and spotted another M.A.S.E.B.S. speaker on the remaining corner of the roof above, adding it to my tally of parts for my vague ideas. Swan still looked mad, bumping Witchy out of her way with her prodigious flank in a rush to enter the building behind me first, but even the big filly couldn't send the armored thestral sprawling with just one flank check at least. Witchy shook it off with a huff and we all entered the Salt Lick P.D. together, hoping things would stay quiet long enough for me to do some exploring and part collecting.

"What's the difference between a guard and a royal guard?" Swan interrupted my looting of the Salt Lick P.D. communications room from the doorway, her boredom at 'playing with old junk' prompting curiosity about the batpony outside the tilted room she was watching warily.

"Umm... Royal guards serve royalty? They umm... Actually, why don't you ask Witchy Swan? She knows more than I do, I'm just glad she wants to be Jade's royal guard."

While the grateful smile made Witchy blush happily, it also had the effect of annoying the jealous purple mare more. If Jade didn't give in and let her do as she wanted soon, I had the feeling Swan was going to get more difficult to manage. As it was she shoved her way into the tiny comms room with me, stumbling and spreading her wings for balance, only to be met with the too close walls and knocking junk around I had to scramble after.

When she finally got situated in the narrow space, she curled around me from behind and set her head down on my hat heavily, her new favorite position... Especially good for glaring at the nervous batpony searching ruined desks in the broken office area outside.

Wilting a bit under Swan's flat stare, Witchy shook it off and answered, trying to bridge the gap and be friendly with our new companion. "Royal guards take a sacred oath to serve and protect their Princess, to make their wishes our own and do our best to see their will done. We see to their safety first and want to help them in all ways. A bit like Val takes her contract with Fast so seriously, but we do so out of honor and loyalty, not for caps."

Having clearly staked out what she viewed as hers, Swan hummed in thought a moment while I tried to work with a lot of alicorn smothering me. Finally she spoke up in a gruff question. "Why be a guard for sister Jade? What makes her so special? She's stronger than you anyway, she doesn't need guarding if she'd stop being so stupid."

Witchy's answer was instantly defensive of Jade, just as loyal as a proper royal guard should be. "The Princess isn't stupid! She's a pacifist and I admire it. Though that is why she needs a guard, just as she needs a brave knight like Fast and a Captain of the Guard like Val. Thine sister is a regal and noble ruler, one worthy of serving and I'm happy to protect her!"

"Pac-i-fist... that means she doesn't wanna fight, right? It's dumb... The mother made us big and strong, we're supposed to fight and smash everybody weaker than us. I like guarding so I get to kill anybody that bothers us back home. Sister Jade is being dumb and annoying about not wanting to fight, I don't like it..." Swan whined back and turned to nibbling my ears to take out her frustration, making my mane bristle under her neck as I tried to focus on pulling the broadcasting equipment in this tiny closet rapidly filling with pheromones.

"That's just how she is Swan, I love her for it. Like Jade said, killing isn't the answer to everything. You said you've been having problems back home since your sisters started letting others in right? Guarding isn't as simple anymore?"

"No... I don't like that either... Which is why I was glad to go on vacation, but sister won't let me have any fun! I don't care what she thinks! Play with me Fast!" Having a sexy mare in a skimpy alicorn angel costume simply scoop me up and slam me to the wall to kiss and nuzzle forcefully was wearing down my defenses, making me scramble and fight to get away with my haul of parts.

Luckily, since the comms room was so small, I managed to squirm my way free and flap out the tilted door before Swan could catch me again, panting breathlessly as she fought her way free of the room. "Whoa! No Swan! Bad! I-I told you, Jade's the boss! You have to wait! Umm... g-guarding! That's what I was trying to say, it's er... n-not just about killing. Guarding is supposed to be protecting, like Witchy wants to protect Jade. My mom was head of Security for our shift back in the Stable, that's like the head guard Swan, she always said 'Security saves ponies', not security smashes them. Maybe you should focus on protecting everyone smaller than you instead Swan, since you're so big and tough."

Flattery had proven one of the most effective ways to deal with Swan, just a little praise of her combat prowess and normally towering stature was enough to make her whinny happily, fluttering her way across the sloped room after me until she had backed me against the rusting bars of a skeleton filled cell. While she did push her way into continuing her affection, she didn't go any further at least... instead returning to her complaints as I tried to float my pile of parts over.

"Protect... that's being a good guard? Not just smashing? Hrrmmmm.... I dunno, I like smashing a lot... Royal guard does sound fancier though, but I don't wanna have to do what sister Jade says. She wants to do silly things like talking to dumb dogs, why would I ever agree to that?" Swan was still in a snit when it came to her sister, but was at least calmer and asking questions. Plus I was glad to have her trailing me as she made an excellent pack mule, nodding happily at my questioning look before stashing heavy junk in her large bag.

Groaning to myself as I carefully walked to the broken edge of the building to peer over the edge of the floor to the remains of the basement, I was happy Witchy piped up to answer in a squeaky, determined voice. "The duty of a proper royal guard is to trust their Princess and believe in their choices, even if we don't agree with them. You obey thine sister don't you Swan? This Umbra back in Trinity Tower that the Princess hath told me about?"

"I do what Umbra asks, if I want... She asks favors, I get to live with my sisters and guard our home from everyone who comes close, o-or I did... Now it's hard..." While I hated seeing the big filly's ears droop sadly, it did dry up a little of that ardor and let me carefully flutter down to the basement, a smashed emergency generator down there still had some worthwhile parts to scavenge.

"Because it's more complicated now, I know Swan. That's why it can be good to have somepony like a Princess to trust and believe in. You're not sure who it's ok to hurt and who it's not, so you trust Umbra to say right? She's dealing with lots of difficult choices you may not know about, or even want to think about if you did. Not that you should just blindly follow what someone else says to do, but I love Jade, I trust her to know what's right, even when I don't."

"I trust her choices more than my own a lot of times actually. I still tell her what I think and I hope you will too, she does consider it and needs to hear from everybody to make a good choice, but when she does make a decision I support her. Please, give Jade a chance, tell her when you think she's wrong, but don't throw a tantrum if she doesn't agree. Try to get along huh? It's because she's so different than you, that she needs to hear your perspective most. I know this hasn't been the trip you expected Swan, I'm sorry you're upset and I really want you to be happy, ok?"

Turning to the two of them gliding down and picking their way over the steeply sloped, uneven floor of the basement, I gave a hug to Swan's long neck and engaged in a mutual and quite long kiss, taking note of the spot to the right of her pink neckerchief that made her giggle and murmur happily for future reference. As easy as it was to please the attention starved filly, her embrace got tighter and just a tiny shiver ran through her nuzzling my cheek, reminding me again Swan did have depths of emotion that only seemed shallow on first glance.

"It's ok I'm not like her? Even if I think she's being dumb, I can tell her and you won't be mad?" Swan's shuddery whisper held just a hint of fear, low against my ear but enough for Witchy's excellent hearing to catch.

She approached cautiously, but slowly put a foreleg up to Swan's broad back and patted her comfortingly, getting a look of surprise at the batpony's proud smile. "The Princess would never hold on to anger over a disagreement. Neither would any of us Miss Swan. I'm scared and would rather drive these hellhounds away if not kill them too, but I will support her attempt and be ready to defend her if it goes poorly. That's the role of a royal guard."

"Of course it's ok you're not like her Swan. It's great, because you're not Jade, you're Swan and Swan's amazing. I told you, you be yourself, no matter how big or mean you want to be. Friends don't always agree about everything, but they're still there for each other no matter what, right?"

Tilting Swan's muzzle frowning in confusion back to me, I spoke kindly and managed to keep the nagging lust out of my voice. A soft, restrained kiss to her cheek wiped the expression away into a happy, blushing smile better than a passionate one, encouraging and comforting the big filly who normally stayed alone in her lake. This had to be hard for her, she liked things simple and straightforward, but the world just wasn't that way. Even more confusing with Jade's sometimes frustrating beliefs, but she was usually right too.

I could do without Swan's enthusiasm in crushing me in a bearhug that nearly snapped me in half, but seeing her feel better took the sting out of the treatment as she burbled happily. "R-Right, friendship stuff... I can do that. I'll try to get along and help with her stupid idea... so I can kill dogs when it goes bad and protect sister and your foal! But.. will you make her let me play Fast? I still don't get why I have to wait, just because of my sister, what's it got to do with her anyway?"

Getting Swan to accept Jade's peaceful intentions and agree to help was hard enough, I had no time or energy to even attempt explaining things like love and (very open) relationships, let alone our own bizarre situation and how we had been dealing with it. For now the simplest answer seemed best, so I gave one that would at least make her happy.

"Umm... I-I'll try Swan, I promise. Just be patient and I'll talk to her, but we're busy right now anyway, right? Besides, p-playing with a great filly like you should be special, not just wherever we happen to be. If you're good, we can go somewhere really radioactive for you, er... as long as you take it easy..."

The way her twinkling eyes widened and her grin spread at the thought made me gulp, but it got instant acceptance with a rapid nod. "Ok! I want that! Is it good radiation? Enough so I won't be tiny and can stay that way? When can we go? Where is it!?"

Her bright questions followed me down the sloped and tilted hallway of the crumbling police station basement, poking at the long ago shattered cage of the evidence lockup wistfully as Witchy paced the rubble and earth choked rooms nearby, her sensitive ears flicking rapidly. The promise of somewhere glowing green made Swan much more agreeable at least. Though was bound to get me in trouble later.

Oh well, I could at least use her obsession. So far the best I could do with Swan was point her in a direction and hope, a little nudging and encouragement helped guide her a bit, but she was going to do what she wanted. May as well make what she wanted match what we were doing...

"Er... When we go back to the MoP hub Swan. There's lots of radiation and a Stable underneath it that we'll have to deal with. I promise, you can go down there and soak up as much as you want. Umm... at least until you can't fit anymore... Stables aren't exactly spacious and this one was made for breezies, but I'll take you down there with me. Once we're done here though, so the sooner we deal with all this, the sooner we can go back."

"Do you two hear that? It's quite low, but coming from this way..." Witchy's quiet question as she trotted near the jagged earth and concrete spilling into the remains of a locker room and back to the hall with us, eyeing the wall of rubble from centuries of earth slides warily.

Watching Swan's eyes fill with flashing pink bands as they grew lidded and soft was distracting, I shuddered and felt distinctly 'on the menu' with her eager purr. "And play... get done with stupid stuff here, go back to where all the rads are, and play down there... Right?"

"R-Right... Umm W-What whas that Witchy? Hear what?"

The batpony mare had gone into a shattered restroom on the other side of the hall, fluttering over the broken porcelain deitrus of dirty sinks and a toilet still standing straight and proud where the floor once was, held in place by the heavy drainage pipe bolted below it. Rejoining us after her slow exploration there, she tilted her head and pressed one cute ear against the rubble cutting off the rest of the dusty hall, giving me an excuse to retreat that way and skitter back from Swan to catch her murmured answer.

"I'm not sure... rumbling? Somewhere deep..." Witchy replied as I pressed an ear to the earth with her, staring face to face and straining to match her impressive hearing that outstripped even heightened alicorn senses.

"No... I don't really hear anything Witchy... wait... I think I do! What is that?"

Closing my eyes to concentrate, I realized I could hear a low rumble through the ground Witchy picked up so much sooner. It was getting louder... and shaking the earth under my hooves too... just a tremble at first that I had assumed was normal for such a precariously perched ruin, but it was increasing as we stood here.

My eyes flew open when a heavily armored batpony tackled me with a yelp, rolling down the slope of the hall towards Swan, just ahead of the flash of very sharp claws bursting from the earth inches from my face. A snarling grey hellhound lurched out of the rubble and loped after us in a rush, making me scramble for my weapons while getting smacked around against Witchy's jagged, heavy and hard armor.

By the time I had the Terrible Shotgun floating and was basically rightside up again, Swan had already launched a string of glowing purple arrows down the narrow hall. The hellhound practically filled the stone corridor, giving Swan an excellent target that she attacked with instinct driven reflex lending her speed. Two of the long arrows perfectly impaled themselves in the beast's hindlegs, slowing it dramatically and making it stumble to the broken green tiles. A third slammed into the thing's chest, while a fourth punctured a half buried fire extinguisher, sending a plume of white in its face and blinding it.

Three S.A.T.S. guided rounds to its head put it the rest of the way down once I recovered, backing down the corridor with Witchy in a rushed retreat on blurring wings. Two more hellhounds pounced from the off kilter doors to the sides, one dark brown and black hound slashing through a cluster of rusting lockers like tissue paper, while a long armed tan hound with a very toothy underbite sent the remains of bathroom stalls flying into splinters.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Witchy's dissonant wail made me wince and lay my ears back, but sent both hellhounds scrambling back down the holes they had popped out of, backfilling them rapidly as we pranced back.

Swan raised her glowing purple shield as we cautiously backed towards the edge of the floor overhanging the steep drop to the lake below, lowering herself into a predatory crouch and tensing while her ears flicked, just waiting for a target to reappear. Unfortunately, not even S.A.T.S. could tell us where they got to, making the option of just flapping back into the open space growing closer behind us more appealing.

With one of their number dead and leaking a ribbon of blood down the sloped floor and the other two driven off, I was a little optimistic about our chances dealing with them if Jade's hopes for peace didn't bear fruit. They were incredibly dangerous, fast, vicious and deadly in close quarters, but Val was right, these White Legs weren't nearly the threat the Alpha in Poncord had been.

They were quite a bit smarter than that one however... A low rumble kept building beneath us, growing into steady shaking and a terrible grinding noise filling the air. When chunks of the ceiling still hanging on started falling against Swan's flickering shield, it sank in and I yelped fearfully.

"Shit! Out! Everypony out quick! They're digging under the building! it's gonna..." Nearly facehoofing myself with the realization, I moved to dive backwards to the sky as the shaking really started getting noticable, an awful, rending noise from and loud crashes of desks and furniture shifting towards the edge filled the air.

Witchy followed my lead, turning and spreading her leathery wings to escape, though Swan merely stood her ground with her horn glowing brightly. Our attempt to fly free was arrested by Swan's strong forelegs catching us both and, squeezing Witchy and I to her chest before simply disappearing in a bright purple flash that made my ears pop.

The world came back into focus and the noise just kept going, the sudden pull of gravity put off my confusion as I had to start flapping frantically and get my bearings. Swan had teleported us directly above the building, out to the open air overhead that was filling with a deafening roar and lots of dust. The remains of the Salt Lick P.D. fell to the murky lake below as we watched, the motion and shaking enough to send another small ruin further down the cliffs halfway down to join it.

Watching the whole slow motion devastation with my hoof to my pounding heart, I dove at Swan gratefully, rewarding her with a shivery hug. We could have been flattened in all that... "H-Holy hell, thank you Swan! Great job! T-That was too close, I can't believe they tried to drop a freaking building on us!"

While our rescuer enjoyed the attention, Swan snorted derisively and glared down at the crumbling ground. "Dogs like traps... Which is why we should just smash them all before they make more. You did good and protected Fast though batpony, you make a good guard after all, I like you!"

Sputtering as Swan plucked her from the air and crushed her in a giddy hug that sounded like it put a dent in her immaculate armor, Witchy wheezed out her agreement while patting Swan's back in thanks. "S-She's right Fast. Digging... I heard lots of digging, if they keep going and the landslide spreads..."

Her pointed look back to the nearby settlement of Salt Lick was enough to connect the dots. It might take awhile, but they could conceivably drop the whole town into the lake and never come above ground in range of Witchy's screech again. Hard as I found it to believe, they really weren't stupid beasts, they were actually rather clever... Shit.

"C-Come on! We gotta tell Jade and the Chief! You might get your way after all Swan, even Jade won't leave them to just wipe a town out!"

In too much of a hurry to address Swan's huff of 'Finally!' we flew for Salt Lick in a hurry, nervously eyeing the narrow blocks of ruins between the wasteland town and the lake. Every foot was a minute on the clock that was slipping by...

"Don't like this boss... not one little bit dammit." Val groused at my wing as we drifted over the sprawling salt mine complex below, scouting carefully for the Princess behind us.

"I know Val, we gotta try though... we're ready at least, right?"

Giving me a flat stare of annoyance, Val ruffled her feathers and stuck her beak up in a huff. "Ain't no bein' ready for friggin hellhounds boss, specially if'n yer dumb enough to go try ta have a chat with 'em!"

I couldn't really disagree with her, but we had done all we could at least. Chief Steelfist had been furious on learning what the hellhounds were up to under their hooves and had redoubled his people's preparations to attack, much to Jade's dismay. He had at least given me free reign to tinker with the emergency broadcast system remaining in the town hall though, which had become his own home and center of power.

All of us had a copy of the holotape I left plugged into the repaired equipment and Glitter was safely sitting at the controls, up on the third floor of the sturdiest building in town. Zed and Spring Gale were with her too, still helping the community's old medic and their shamans with the wounded.

The rest of us had flown with Jade, up the winding road through foothills and to the looming western mountains. She had managed to buy time from Chief Steelfist to attempt to talk with the hellhound pack called the White Legs, but no one but her expected much from it. Personally I'd rather be plotting with the Chief, Val and Swan on ways to kill all the beasts threatening his town, but I meant what I told Swan, I'd support Jade's crazy decision, even if I didn't agree either.

Discovered Location: Worthy Salt Mine. The sprawling salt mine complex below was the lifeline for Salt Lick in a lot of ways from what Sledge and other residents told me. Talking with all the strange minotaurs and ponies of the town was difficult for me still, but I wanted to learn everything I could about the place. After the bombs fell, a lot of survivors headed for the mines as a refuge, hiding deep underground like I had, just without the benefit of a Stable.

Their ancestors made up the beginnings of Salt Lick, pony and minotaur workers from the prewar town that survived and managed to thrive in the wasteland when the surface was habitable. The minotaurs being such proficient hunters helped the ponies adapt and learn to like eating meat, while keeping the mines going and bringing up plenty of salt gave them something to trade and cure their meat with, letting them sell it too once commerce of some kind started up again.

Having the salt mines taken away represented a real threat to the town now, they relied on it for trade, as did a lot of other places in the Commonwealth that had grown to count on a steady supply from Salt Lick. Even more though, almost every resident I talked to viewed it as a personal affront to have their mines infested with hellhounds. The labyrinth of tunnels and chambers underground were their ancestral home, what saved them from the balefire bombs and radiation, gave them a safe haven to survive and come back from, then continued to give them purpose and caps. More than just their Chief were ready to go to war for them, something Jade desperately wanted to avoid...

Hence we were gliding down to the deserted complex now, eyeing the damage and corpses still left from their initial attack warily and getting a lay of the land. It was situated in a wide and multileveled valley of dusty stone, several prewar buildings that had been repaired, along with a lot of post war shacks and fencing augmenting the old.

The rusting, yellow hulks of several pieces of mining equipment were scattered about, interesting large scale machines that made me curious if they worked or not. It looked like at least some did, big hoppers and grinders sat silent over tall ramps and long stretches of conveyor belts filled with pale rubble, leading to rusty steel bins and mine carts on tracks that snaked across the complex.

Following Val's instruction, we gently settled down to the largest sloped conveyor belt, peering around the stepped mining site on guard for anything to break the silence. Val perched on the clunky hopper above us, plucking a pale chunk of stone from the machine that looked like it had been stopped in the middle of working through a load of rock. She raised a warning eyebrow as she hefted the rock repeatedly, then jerked her beak up as she tossed it to the dusty lot.

Her chosen missile bounced across the stony ground while Jade primped nervously and I watched. The noise echoed off the staggered walls and dead equipment all around us, just as i was about to finally ask what that was about, the ground fountained up in a roaring explosion and she smirked, waving a claw out all around us instructively.

"Watch where ya step boss... Hellhounds love doin' this kinda shit, whole damn yard is probably mined ta hell an' gone, so no wanderin' off dammit!" Val's squawk still held a hint of annoyance with me, she wasn't going to let me live down my habit of charging into danger any time soon.

Swan nodded her agreement from up on the hopper with the griffon, glaring down at her sister as Jade coughed on the dust and gravel raining down. "I told you, dogs like tricks...They're sneaky and mean, talking to them is a waste of time."

Jade wasn't going to be dissuaded, shaking dust from her pale mane and smoothing it out primly. "Be that as it may sister, we are going to try. We must be better than mindlessly attacking those we don't understand."

"Jade... They have a point too, right? Don't pin all your hopes on this working out how you want, they don't seem that friendly..."

Trying to find a middle ground between Jade's optimism versus Val and Swan's pragmatism wasn't going to be easy, though pointing it out at least made the pair of them nod and smirk in satisfaction, while a little nuzzling encouragement made Jade a slightly more receptive to their point.

"W-We shouldn't judge them by our own standards of friendliness Fast, hellhounds have their own ways that are just as valid. T-Though I accept the things they've done here do not bode well..." By the way her eyes lingered sadly on half a bloody pony corpse mercifully hidden part way by a tipped over mine cart, I knew Jade wasn't as completely naive as Swan complained about.

She was trying even being well aware of how unlikely this was, which somehow meant more than if she blindly believed it would work out somehow. Just like she and the others had been trying to get through to me, even a Princess needed to rely on her friends and trust their opinions, but also trust her own convictions too. I actually found it brave to accept the extreme likelihood of failure, but try anyway for the chance at peace. It was those kinds of things that made Jade a real Princess, not to mention the mare I loved.

I could reeeeeally do without her putting herself in danger though... Watching her stretch her graceful neck up and throw her head back, I winced at the long, melodious noise she sang out bouncing off the rocky walls. "Awoooooooooo! Yip! Yip! Yip! Oooooooo!"

If it weren't for the hazard to her and our foal, I'd find her strange howling cute. I still couldn't quite wipe the goggling stare off my face as she looked down with a anxious smile at my questions. "What are you doing hon? You speak hellhound?!"

"Hellhounds speak pony, just like us Fast. It is less words than intent and deference to their ways. If we are fortunate, they may decide to speak, i-instead of just attacking right away... Umm... p-please do not be overly hostile unless they break the parley first, keep your temper in check dear..." Jade's answer was nervous but determined, turned back to eye all the dark tunnel entrances as the last echoes faded.

The silence stretched out for a long, tense few minutes, making me fidget nervously and long for the simplicity of a fight. The broken down shed Witchy was perched on nearby was spattered in the blood of minotaurs and ponies alike, these things had killed several workers here and more in Salt Lick, with no real warning or reason. 'Be Dark...' grumbled and fought with 'Be Kind...' frantically in my head, they didn't deserve any consideration, they deserved to be put down like dogs...

I was starting to think we'd struck out and would get to do this the easy way like Swan wanted, already thinking of ways to let Jade down easily. A low rumble interrupted me opening my mouth to start however, suddenly hellhounds were popping up all around us, in what was an effective show of force that made my mouth dry up.

Like dominoes in reverse, plumes of dirt and rock revealed rangy hellhounds in long rows lining the mining complex, perched at the stepped ledges surrounding the pit we were in. Dozens of hellhounds growled down at us as more kept right on popping up, a huge pack of the canine monsters... All of them had their legs caked in white warpaint matting their fur and most wielded more of their crudely altered magical energy weapons, a symphony of clicks and hums joined their snarls in an intimidating display.

Half a dozen more mounds disgorged the most impressive specimens so far, bigger, meaner looking hellhounds with the largest arcane weaponry, armored in jagged scrap metal and spiked collars. The last to appear was by far the toughest looking, a pale, shaggy beast with piercing blue eyes, covered in scars and easily hefting a huge plasma cannon. Sweet Celestia... it was a match for the monster I fought in Poncord, what Val called an Alpha Hellhound... I only hoped it was a little chattier and a lot less murder-y...

All of us except for Jade tensed and swung our weaponry around warily, gulping under the demonstration of how outnumbered and outgunned we were. Jade's polite cough and raised eyebrow got me to lower the whining Last Minute from the bead I had drawn on the apparent hellhound leader's head though, letting her step forward to the edge of the conveyor belt and speak in a kind, ringing voice.

"Hello there! Thank you so much for coming out to speak with us. I am Princess Jade from the Kingdom of Sanctuary. I have come on behalf of the citizens of Salt Lick to petition for peace, before this goes any further. May I ask your name in turn Pack Leader?" Jade spoke kindly, giving a short bow to the huge hellhound eyeing her in confusion.

The pale monster loped forward a few swaggering steps, keeping his weapon trained on her the whole while, which made me very nervous, not to mention it had the roaring voice of 'Be Dark...' straining to take over for daring to point a weapon her way. After prowling before us and sniffing the air, the alpha paused on Witchy protectively standing at Jade's side before deigning to answer.

The thing's voice was deep and guttural, but to my surprise Jade was right, it did speak pony... "Name Icepaw, whut yu want mutant pony? Driving us from home not enough? Not interested in peace, you monsters push us out of home, we take new one. No want more death, tell puny bulls and ponies leave while they can, this White Legs territory now."

"It's not your territory! Salt Lick has been here a long time and you invaded! You're the monsters here, not us! My Princess still wants to give you a chance anyway, I'd take it if I were you..."

Ignoring their barking laughter at the smallest pony here threatening them, I scowled at Icepaw and was at least heartened to see he wasn't laughing like his pack. My burning red eyes were locked in a clashing battle with his icy blue ones. I might not know anything about hellhound culture like Jade, but my mutated body knew all about aggression and asserting dominance. By the way Icepaw glared and sniffed back at me, I got the idea alicorn aphrodesiac wasn't the only weird smell my new body put off given the proper stimulus He recognized the challenge of another alpha male, even if I didn't feel like one usually.

Getting me to back off with a nicker and nudge of her wing, Jade bowed lower and continued softly, making part of me furious she was willing to show even a hint of submission to the hellhound. "I apologize for my husband, but he does have a point. If you have been driven from your own territory, perhaps you could have tried being friendly before attacking? I see many of you are wounded... I do not know what has befallen you or brought you this far north, but I would be willing to administer medical care to your pack if we could just broker a peace?"

Icepaw sneered at that, giving a harsh yip of laughter and growling back. "Peace! Friendly!? Mutant ponies like you drive us from home! Minotaurs in forest shoot at pack when hurt and escaping from home! Miners throw dynamite at us when come here! Not very friendly 'Princess' pony."

"Yeeeeah... 'cause that's a totally unfair reaction ta yer pack of gentle little pups just droppin' by ta borrow a cup'a sugar huh? Yer gettin' treated sooooo unfair, cain't imagine why Rover..." Val drawled from her perch, keeping her grenade machinegun trained on the cluster beneath her.

"She's right, trying to drive you away isn't exactly unreasonable. The way you attacked Salt Lick kinda proves the residents were right to be afraid."

Gruff growls and yips spread among the hellhounds as they prowled forward menacingly, their burly leader snarling back in fury. "We not start fight! Not tuck tail from cowards attacking us either! Now Salt Lick chickens send monster ponies that take home away to talk? Bat what makes awful noise! Little Shadow Pony of legend? Still scared and treat White Legs like dogs! Hiding behind others to do dirty work! Maybe we kill you all here, see how tough they is then..."

A low rumble came from Swan's throat as she rose to the threat, her blue-violet eyes growing slitted and dragonish. "Maybe you try and I can stop being nice like my sister wants. Please try..."

Even at essentially normal alicorn size, Swan exuded an aura of danger that gave even the hellhounds pause, sending a quiet murmur through them around us. Meanwhile, I felt the same confusion evident on Jade's curiously tilted face, mutants drove them out? Alicorns? Nothing we had run into that had been displaced from the Glowing Sea had been too chatty, so no one had any idea what exactly was enough to inspire a mass migration of vicious monsters from the area. Putting aside the Shadow Pony crack, just that tidbit was interesting information.

"Please, all of you, stop. I assure you, our intentions are indeed peaceful Icepaw. It sounds as if mistakes were made on both sides. The residents of Salt Lick are not cowards however, even now they are preparing to answer your attack with one of their own. No matter who was at fault, this will be nothing more than a cycle of violence that will make all involved suffer if allowed to continue, we are trying to prevent that!" Jade's impassioned plea fell on mostly deaf ears, including my own as Icepaw's idle threat about killing her had me struggling for control.

"Why we believe you, flying horned ponies like you attack White Legs, Green Beast and her swarm of monsters take away home! There be peace when enemies of pack all dead..." Icepaw growled back, raising his wickedly curved claws up to the cheers of his clan resounding through the mines, though it looked like quite a few of them were lurking out of sight again... 'Awareness!'

"I am afraid I do not know what you mean, did other alicorns push you from your home? Not all of us are the same, just like I do not assume all hellhounds are alike. I sincerely doubt my sisters would have invaded your territory, though there are others that may have, they are our enemies as well as yours. Perhaps you could tell us what happened to you and we could help?" Jade stunned me with her patience and sweet kindness, making even some of the hellhounds surrounding us pause uncertainly.

A slightly smaller blue-grey hellhound beside Icepaw leaned up to whisper in his ear, yipping back when the angry leader snapped at him before snarling back. "No need pony help! White Legs help themselves! Mines good new home for pack, town too close to new territory, when town gone, this be White Legs lands alone. Loud bat make us dig and drop in lake, but bat not in town now... We take town while bat here, we kill bat and no more noise later..."

Witchy squeaked but held her ground proudly under a lot of sparking weaponry aiming her way, drawing in a deep breath to blast out some of that very noise they so hated. "Do not discard the Princess' generous offer foul beasts! There need not be further bloodshed!"

"P-Please! Both you and the villagers of Salt Lick have suffered enough already, do not waste further life on both sides! There must be some way we can..." Jade's anguished cry was heartbreaking, still trying to find a compromise while the hellhounds inching forward looked less and less inclined to talk.

Icepaw's stony face was like a door slamming shut, the harsh expression putting me on guard as he snapped his claws and the bottom fell out from underneath us. The air was full of squealing metal and grinding rock as a massive sinkhole opened under the mining equipment we had been perched on, they had sent some of their number under us to start digging that whole time...

Val was in the air at the first tremble, while Witchy, Swan and I lagged a second behind but were still tensed for a trap. Only Jade was taken completely by surprise, her mouth a shocked O as she fell with the rubble and junk down into the hellhound's trap. A symphony of rapid beeping from the depths of the pit sent me diving after her frantically with Witchy just a heartbeat behind me. Through the dust and gloom I could spot a forest of blinking red lights waiting at the bottom, mines... lots and lots of mines...

Swan rocketed through the two of us, grabbing Witchy and I in her forelegs as she streaked after Jade just unfurling her wings and trying to catch herself. The purple alicorn slammed into her blue sister with us as the beeping really picked up the pace, teleporting all of us out in a purple flash just ahead of a resounding explosion filling the pit.

Reappearing above the smoking hole in the ground, I only had a moment to inspect every inch of Jade's soft blue coat for injuries, relieved to find none before the sky was etched with criss crossing lines of M.E.W. fire. Swan's bright shield lit up around us, covering a shocked Jade until she had regained her wits and summoned her own blue sphere of shielding magic.

Assured Jade was safe, Swan gave her a smirk before barrel rolling towards the ground and the hellhounds Val was already busily launching explosives at. "I told you sister... Now we do things the fun way!"

Jade held a hoof to her pounding chest and another absently stroked her stomach in a subconscious gesture of protection, not the only thing on her mind as she sadly watched Swan find targets to have fun with, but already taking precedent. Enough for her to listen to Witchy and myself trying to lead her away as the hellhounds kept popping up like jack in the boxes and firing away with their magical energy weapons at least.

"Princess! We must take thou away from here! I'm afraid your efforts for peace have been for naught, please retreat back to town while thine sister continues 'negotiations'..." Witchy kept herself between Jade and the frantic movement below, blowing a hellhound out of the hole it popped out of before it could even get a shot off.

The disappointment and anxiety on Jade's face hurt, I hated seeing her face pale as the peaceful resolution she so hoped for went down in flames. Her pained voice cracked as she fluttered indecisively between us, but her slender foreleg clutched her stomach nervously and forced her reluctant acceptance. "B-But...I did not wish for... Is there not some way to..."

"Jade! Let's go! We tried ok? There's nothing more you can do for now except get the hell out of here!!"

Dragging her by her hoof through the air with Witchy pushing from behind, we managed to get her to escape and fly back to the sounds of gunfire and explosives back in Salt Lick. With us busy trying to talk to them here, the hellhounds had taken advantage of Witchy and her sonic attack being out of town to attack again. The conniving dogs were probably at it from the moment we showed up, just like setting their trap below us while we talked... They never had any intention of settling things peacefully, they were just taking advantage of Jade's kindness...

Val and Swan rejoined us halfway back, sweaty and bearing fresh wounds, but both looking like they enjoyed how things wound up. The warbling whine of feedback and an echoing screech ahead filled me with relief for Glitter and the rest of the town, it had definitely been worth cobbling together what was left of the town's M.A.S.E.B.S. alarms. The shouts and shooting were already dying down when we circled overhead, the recording of Witchy's high pitched whine must have been a nasty surprise for the hellhounds thinking they'd attack while she was away.

A crowd of Salt Lick residents were jeering and shouting in a rough circle outside of the town hall, bucking and screaming at a bloody heap of fur at their center. The sight did wipe away Jade's sad expression at least, her brow furrowed in a frown and her blue eyes blazed on taking it in, one of the hellhound attackers hadn't escaped when the others fled, the justifiably furious defenders were taking their anger out on the wounded beast...

It looked younger, not that I was great at telling hellhound ages based on appearance, but it was a little on the small side. What parts of its fur weren't stained red with blood were tan and brown, as Jade streaked down towards it, the wounded monster snarled and slashed out with its remaining good claw. The other claw looked like it had been smashed into uselessness, the crushing wound matching a pair of broken hindlegs that looked like they had been administered by Sledge Smasher's huge hammer nearby.

The hellhound lunged again as Jade came in for a landing, suddenly going limp when her anesthetic spell impacted its chest and sent it crashing to the ground, letting her safely slam to the pavement beside it in the middle of the crowd and cry out in her regal goddess voice. "STOP! Enough, please! He is defeated, do not fall to barbarous torture and sadism! Allow me to treat his wounds!"

There were a lot of angry, unkind looks from minotaurs and ponies alike staring back at her and muttering darkly, the rest of us landing around her with a groan kept them from getting too pushy however. Sledge was bleeding from a series of gashes at his ribs showing gleaming bone and panting heavily, looking confused but still helping to calm and keep his people back. Jade immediately healing the visible wounds on the burly minotaur probably helped defuse the situation a bit too, though Chief Steelfist snorting and shoving his way forward to shout undid some of that good.

"Heal 'im!? You wanna heal that beastie Princess!? Not learn yer lesson goin' ta talk to them mutts!? We gots our own wounded ta deal with here thanks to them! We're grateful fer the help and all, but this is our town, not yer fancy Kingdom there Princess, I'm in charge around here. Indulged yer stupid idea so you'd see they need ta be wiped out, now get outta the way an' lemme put it down!" Steelfist roared, poking Jade's out thrust chest with his finger and sending her wilting back.

Witchy whinnied and put herself between them, stamping her hooves angrily as she gave a squeaky shout back. "Do not push the Princess! She tried to help and would see no creature suffer, neither minotaur nor hellhound!"

Surprisingly, Swan came to her defense too. The big purple mare rolled her eyes, but gave her sister a supportive nuzzle on the way to shoving herself into Steelfists's glaring face, pushing the tough minotaur back with heavy thumps of a hoof to his own chest as she growled back. "Quit it! It might be stupid, but it's my sister's stupid, so you can just shut up! Nobody calls my sister dumb except me! She likes healing, like I like smashing! Let her heal this one, there's lots more to smash an' that's what I'm gonna do! Umm... right sister?"

Giving a grateful, conflicted look, Jade nodded wearily and turned her attention to the most severely wounded in her sight. "Y-Yes, thank you sister... We did try to end this peacefully, since that does not seem to be an option, I suppose this calls for your talents more than my own... I-If there must be fighting, we will of course help Chief Steelfist. But we are not savages, I would treat the wounded from either side equally, I would hope your people could show that much mercy."

Glitter picked the perfect time to end the tense standoff, galloping out of the front doors of the ruined town hall the crowd had gathered in front of with Zed on her hooves. The little filly pelted down the cracked steps, barely giving the unconscious hellhound a second glance before launching herself at her mother, able to take in the situation and see which of her parents needed the hug more.

Having a bright and exuberant filly babbling happily seemed to suck most of the remaining fury from the crowd, just Glitter's cheery voice put an end to what may have devolved into a diplomatic incident otherwise. "Mommy! I hit the button just like Dad said! Did ya see?! I helped! It was awesome dad, just like with Witchy! The holotape thingy played through all the speakers and the dogs were all 'yipe! yipe! yipe!', did I do good!? Did you catch one? Neat!"

Rooting around in her bags for some of the ropes and chains she kept around for my torturous flight training, Val clucked and shooed the crowd back, tying up our captive hellhound while answering. "Yup, yer mom wants ta heal it kiddo, of course... Looks like we get ta kill the healthy ones though! So maybe all you lugs gots better things ta be doin' eh? There's a fight comin' an' we're helpin', so quit gettin' yer panties in a twist over this one dog. Move it!"

Chief Steelfist scowled between all of us one more time, finally snorting and storming off, taking the dispersing crowd with him. "Whatever! Just get it outta my sight! That thing gets loose and causes trouble, it's on you fools! Come on folks, enough of this bore! We're goin' ta war!"

Wiping a tear from her eye as she watched the grumbling villagers spread out and start taking stock, Jade squeezed the air out of Glitter against her breast and looked up to Swan glaring at them leaving. "T-Thank you... all of you. I am sorry, I know I am being foolish and self centered, but I could not stand back and let them..."

Swan cut her off by joining her shaky embrace with our daughter, tossing her mane and huffing back impatiently. "I think it's dumb too sister... But only I get to call my sister stupid, nobody else. I can do like Fast and Witchy say, I support you, even if I don't agree... We do get to fight now though, right?"

"R-Right Swan, looks like that's a foregone conclusion now, so we're counting on you doing what you do best. Thanks for being patient and taking Jade's side."

Swan nickered happily at the praise, sticking close to the unconscious hellhound as Jade floated it up from the street and started trudging away to the empty shell of a bank with her patient, sighing sadly. "I will leave such considerations to the experts then. It seems you were right sister, perhaps hoping for peace with the White Legs was foolish, we must try to be better however. I am glad you are on my side, even if we do not always agree."

As afternoon wore on towards a drizzly evening, the stress and anticipation in Salt Lick rose higher and higher with each low rumble and roar of another building falling into the lake every hour or so. The minotaurs and ponies of the settlement were determined to bring the fight to the hellhounds in the mines, not dissuaded from facing the beasts underground if need be despite my own shock at such an insane plan, trusting in their knowledge of the labyrinth of tunnels to even the odds.

While Jade kept on healing and caring for all the wounded and the rest of us aided in the defense of the town however we were able, the residents had gotten noticeably less friendly due to our sequestered patient. We got him off the street as advised, locking the hellhound in the large vault in the back of the ruined bank while Jade treated him. Everyone knew it was back here though, I caught more than a few hard stares through the dirty glass beyond the broken teller windows.

At least two of us stayed to keep a heavy weapon trained on the pouting monster at all times, and Jade had tranquilized it any time it decided to get too twitchy, but watching her get close to mend the thing's wounds still had me sweating buckets. Having Glitter insistently stick her nose in to watch and assist with her breezie friends was just making me more nervous, though at least Spring Gale volunteered her supply of nectar to further dope the beast and keep it somewhat docile.

One thing I was glad for about having Glitter nearby, she kept talking and asking bright and curious questions, the conversation served as a nice distraction as I kept the Terrible Shotgun floating by the hellhound's head. Her pink eyes were wide and unafraid, peering around her mother as Jade's magic slowly bent the shattered bones in its claw back into shape.

"You know how'ta heal hellhounds too mommy? Did you really howl like one too? I bet that was funny! How come you know so much about scary monsters like them?" Glitter kept trying to get closer to our captive, gently pushed back by Jade's hindleg as she replied wearily.

"During my training with the Followers, I spent some time in the Hellhound Sanctuary dear. The residents there did not have much contact with ponies, my kind were seen as excellent emissaries and it gave me the opportunity to learn medical treatment for non-ponies." Jade answered softly, her sad disappointment still weighing her down as she wound magical bandages around the mangled claw.

"Hellhound Sanctuary? There's a sanctuary... for hellhounds... You really went there hon? What's it like?"

By Jade's soft smile, I figured my attempt at prodding her into conversation to feel better was pretty transparent. At least she appreciated the effort though, nodding as she turned her attention to her patient's broken hindlegs. "Oh yes, after the balefire bomb that killed our mother, the hellhounds of Splendid Valley were driven from their home too. Neither of us appreciated that aspect of the Lightbringer's efforts, so we actually got along fairly well. The ruins of Ponyville are still in poor shape, but beneath the surface is a thriving community."

"P-Ponyville!? The hellhounds live in Ponyville!?"

"What? What's the big deal daddy, what's Ponyville?" Glitter looked up curiously to me gaping, my shock and the foal's ignorance getting a quiet giggle from Jade.

"Ponyville was once a very special place dear, when your father was your age. All of the Ministry Mares hailed from there, one could even say the Lightbringer did as well, since Stable 2 was built nearby. It had become a den of raiders and villains, then the great Velvet Remedy suggested the displaced hellhounds live there." At least Jade sounded better talking about the good her idol had done, she always cheered up when it came to her and Fluttershy, her heroes and role models.

Swan had stuck with us, turning from keeping a stern eye on the hellhound with Witchy to speak up in a grumble. "Dogs were always attacking our home with the mother, they weren't nice. I miss Maripony... I got to kill lots of them every time they tried. I still don't get why you're trying to be so nice to those monsters."

"We put our old conflicts behind us sister. The hellhounds had been pushed out well before our mother arrived in their territory, while we had no choice in defending her. I do not like calling them monsters either Swan, many ponies call us the same do they not? How many have called you a monster sister, just because of the way you typically look? I do not like you being treated that way, I try to treat them as I hope others would treat you. You liked that Fast was not afraid of you when you met him, did you not? Just as I did. We are not monsters, you are not sister, neither are they.

Relating her behavior to Swan and her own struggles looked to finally click for the purple filly, I could almost see a lightbulb flickering to life over her long pink mane and Swan's eyes got round and dark, shimmering with emotion as she hugged her sister tightly. "Thank you sister Jade! I hadn't thought about it like that, but I like being treated nice even when I'm scary, so I guess dogs might too. I still don't like dogs and wanna fight them though...

"Most of the hellhounds I met were actually quite nice though sister, er... for hellhounds that is... You should give them a chance, just as others should give you one as well. Why, I once even met a pony who had previously been a hellhound!" Jade smiled wistfully, she almost never talked about her past, so I was not only intensely interested, but happy to see how this part of it managed to cheer her up.

Her happy expession only broadened on hearing Glitter gasp and giggle at her last statement. "A hellpony? Really mom!? How's a big, scary dog like this turn into a pony?"

"Killing Joke dear, a rather nasty prank for the poor victim. She ended up coping well enough, she survived her former friends trying to make her into lunch at least. There is a great deal of research going on into a cure now that she is very interested in, but she made the most of her predicament and became a go between for ponies and hellhounds." Jade's mirth at all of our stunned faces looked so much better on her, though her smile faded when her patient gave a gruff chuckle.

Any movement or noise got the Terrible Shotgun, Witchy's anti-materiel rifle and Swan's glowing horn turned on it menacingly, but it wasn't making any threatening movement. By the slow way it spoke and the occassional twitch of a claw, I was hoping it was still mostly anesthetized, though I wished its mouth stayed frozen too.

"Stupid bitch, better she got killed than live as a pony... That even worse than getting taken prisoner..." The hellhound's rumbling voice sounded almost petulant, enjoying the care of the best doctor in the wasteland and still whining...

That ticked me off actually, even more so by Jade's crestfallen expression returning with a whimper. "Hey! Shut up... be grateful Jade saved you and is even healing you, especially after what you did!"

Bloodshot brown eyes met my burning red ones for a moment and the beast seemed to flinch, looking away and grumbling back. "What Shadow Pony do when doctor done? Heal prisoner so can hurt again? Lock me up? Already shame me by capturing, pack make fun when they come and kill all ponies, me be at bottom of pile for this..."

"You are not a prisoner Mister... Hound... We do not plan on keeping you locked away in a jail, not that I can think of any that would hold you. When you are healed I suppose you are free to leave, if you do so in peace. Though I am quite sure you will rejoin your pack and end up getting killed in the fighting regardless, or killing others... or both.... Unfortunately preventing that is not in my power, healing your injuries is however." Jade's voice took on her stern, disapproving tone that could make a pony feel two inches tall as she resumed her work. Not that the effect was as pronounced on the hellhound, but I could swear even he looked a little shamed.

While her mother kept up her aura of patience and unwavering kindness, Glitter had no problem coming to her defense. The little filly both amazed and scared the beejeezus out of me with her bravery, stamping her hooves in front of the paralyzed hound's muzzle and huffing down at him, inches away from those gleaming fangs... "My mommy's bein' nice, so you should just stay quiet an' let her dummy! You're s'posed to say 'Thank you!' too! Don't dogs have any manners?"

Witchy fluttered forward to grab her before I could move that way, gently pulling the snorting, struggling little filly away and nodding her agreement. "The Princess saved thou from execution under the hooves of that mob who would still relish the opportunity. She only wishes for peace, even if thou deserves not her consideration or care."

Even Swan growled her two bits, summoning a long, crackling arrow of violet magic that waggled above the hellhound's head suggestively. "You dogs wanna fight, you don't get to whine when you lose. Be glad sister Jade is so super sappy and nice, you can go back to the others and I'll smash you later."

Having her family around her and expressing their support brightened Jade back up, visibly pulling her away from sinking back into the abyss of self doubt and regret with a whinny of gratitude. "T-Thank you, it is alright all of you, I do not heal expecting to change my patient's mind. I only wish there was some way to prevent the fighting to come, both the hellhounds and residents here will suffer needlessly. Is there not some way to save your people and ours such pain?"

Yanking his hindleg back into shape to demonstrate just the kind of pain she was talking about, I worried how much longer her anesthetic spell would last on seeing the hellhound wince and whine under his breath. Looking between us for signs of a trick, he only saw Jade's plea was true by our curious looks back.

After a long few minutes of silence, the hellhound rolled his eyes and growled while Jade bound his mended hindleg, answering in a low whine. "Icepaw say we fight, we fight, no listen to Paw Buster even if I ask. If you no want big fight, why not challenge for dominance? You have Shadow Pony from legend even, only one pony or hound get hurt that way."

"Shadow Pony? Icepaw called me that too, what legend? What do you mean by 'challenge' too? Is there a way we can just fight him and keep everyone else out of it?" I trotted to Jade's side and tried to cut off her hopeful look, keeping my shotgun hovering near his head.

Just talking with the enemy looked to annoy this Paw Buster as he called himself, but Jade and the others had successfully guilt tripped even a hellhound it seemed. His reply was slow and reluctant, but interesting once he finally spit it out. "Legend! Story of wise Pack Leader Smartyfang and Shadow Pony. You ponies not know? You dress like Shadow Pony and use name, hear on radio..."

Glitter gasped with realization, running over to dig in my saddlebag and pull the heavy tome of legends out in her teeth, grinning around the leather spine. "Legend like these? Do you mean the Shrouded Stallion Mr. Buster? Hellhounds have stories about daddy too?"

I took the book from her in my magic and patted her silver mane, sheepishly trying to correct her as I flipped through the pages rapidly. "N-Not me sweetie, the real one probably. So, is she right? There's a story about your people and the Shroud?"

The best I got was a huff and a nod, but flicking through the book did land me on a page with an ancient illustration of a Diamond Dog beside the dark armored Shrouded Stallion. As soon as the book was open and I started scanning the flowing text, Glitter leapt up and snuggled into my lap happily, planting her hooves on the book so she got to turn the pages and looking up to me with a grin.

"Yay! You ain't read me a story for awhile dad, read it! C'mon! Maybe it's important!" Glitter pulled out the puppy eyes beaming up at me, putting forth a good argument in favor of getting a story.

The pair of breezies flitted down to sit before the huge book in Glitter's lap and joined her pleading stare, while Swan trotted over and sat at my back, crushing my hat under her chin so she could peer down to the stylized pictures. Witchy remained where she was with her long rifle trained on the hellhound and watching closely, but she did turn a fluffy ear our way and glanced up curiously.

With a soft chuckle, Jade smiled and nodded to the little audience I had gathered so quickly. "Go ahead Fast, perhaps a story would be a nice way to pass the time and take our mind off the violence to come. I am curious as well, you have heard how my hero interacted with the hellhounds, I would enjoy hearing how yours fared while I finish with my patient."

"Ok hon, interested myself too, er... not that that's much of a surprise... A-Anyway, you're right Glitter, you deserve a story for being so brave and helping the town while we were gone. So, let's see what this legend of Smartyfang and the Shadow Pony is all about huh? Ahem... Once upon a time..."

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, the threat of war reared its head and earned the attention of the Princesses. A pair of unique petitioners from a distant mining village came to Canterlot to beg for aid for their home, a brave filly and a scrawny Diamond Dog came together, telling the Princesses of recent attacks by a local pack of Diamond Dogs who had suddenly become violent.

Both the ponies and dogs in the Coldhoof Mountains had a love for the plentiful gems found there, though they had always gotten along well enough in the past. The ponies built their village and dug their mines, but avoided the dog's territory and left them to their own excavations of a nearby peak.

The leader of the pack had been challenged and defeated not long ago however, and the new pack leader Silvertail was as cruel as he was strong. The Diamond Dogs could dig much further and faster than ponies ever could, but unicorn magic allowed the villagers to pull more precious gems from the earth in a month than the dogs could in a year. Jealousy and greed took root in the pack under their new leader, soon they were attacking shipments of gems and stealing them all for themselves, cutting off the town from the resources they needed that those gems paid for.

Worse yet, the dog's attacks were growing more bold and increasingly violent. Already there were injuries from the most recent raids, and the petitioners to the royal court feared the dogs were preparing to attack and drive the ponies from the mountains entirely, claiming the mines for themselves and the town along with them.

The brave earth pony filly Canary Mine and the runt diamond dog Smartyfang had been friendly under the previous pack leader, now they both worried for the future and had set out for help together. The pony saw her friends and neighbors getting injured, her way of life and home under threat. The diamond dog also saw his kind in danger by the actions of their new pack leader, if war did come, he was smart enough to see that his people would lose a pointless, needless battle. Relations with the other races of Equestria may have been mixed, but the threat of something like a war had never seemed likely before. Faced with it now, the Princesses were divided on what to do.

Princess Celestia was beside herself with worry, ordering her royal guard to accompany the petitioners back home and to protect them, along with her most accomplished diplomats in hopes for negotiating a peaceful resolution. The very idea of a war with the Diamond Dogs was abhorrent to her and she was willing to do whatever was necessary to prevent it.

Princess Luna on the other hoof, was furious any would dare attack her little ponies. Her sister's hopes for talks and negotiation were all well and good, but the Diamond Dog Smartyfang assured them as long as Silvertail was pack leader, nopony would be safe.

While her sister worried and nattered with the nobles arguing against getting involved and her knights valiantly volunteering to go, Luna took their guests aside and spoke frankly with Smartyfang. "Thou says this Silvertail challenged and won leadership of your pack, though he does not seem a very good leader. Is there no way to challenge him in turn and be led by a more suitable dog such as yourself Smartyfang?"

"If I could defeat him, I would gladly put a stop to this madness your highness. I am a runt however, while my isolation from the pack has led to me trying to learn and be more open to others, it is of no help in besting a hound like Silvertail. The Diamond Dogs respect strength, the fittest dog leads, and that is simply not me."

Guiding the insecure dog and pony to her chambers, Princess Luna summoned forth her servant from the shadows. The Shrouded Stallion appeared before them and bowed low to his Princess, awaiting her order as she turned back to her guest. "Fittest does not necessarily mean strongest Smartyfang. Leaving your pack to travel here with a pony and alert us to the danger speaks to your courage and nobility, I believe thou would make a fine leader if given the opportunity. Asking for help takes strength as well, if you would accept it, I would send my champion to act as your own. With his aid, I am sure thou can best this Silvertail and put an end to this conflict. What say you Smartyfang?"

Stories of Luna's avenger had spread throughout Equestria, so even Smartyfang knew of the dark stallion rising before him. His friend Canary's awe and fear was unnecessary confirmation after actually seeing the Princess' Knight with his own eyes. Staring into the restrained fury in those crimson eyes gleaming behind his ornate helm, Smartyfang was certain even Silvertail could be brought down by this creature.

Unfortunately, he couldn't see how that would help things. "A pony may not challenge the pack leader your highness, nor act as a champion for another. While your knight seems more than a match for Silverfang, defeating him that way would only be seen as a pony attacking my people."

Giving it a moment's thought, Princess Luna nodded and turned to her knight. "Thou art my sword and shield, sworn to do my will and punish the wicked. To send thou against these enemies directly would not serve my purposes however. I command thou instead to assist noble Smartyfang, give him the strength to end this conflict, act as his sword and his shield in his own battle. Help these brave friends prevent a war that would bring much suffering I would not see scar our fair land. This is the mission I entrust thee with my servant, now go quickly, before it is too late!"

With his Princess' order, the Shrouded Stallion turned on the two wary friends, wrapping them in a cloak of deepest night and flickering across the land to return them home. When they arrived in a ripple of shadow from the forest outside the village, the Canary and Smartyfang gasped in despair at the sight the found.

In the village were the flickering torches of a mob of ponies, wielding pickaxes and hammers, clearly shouting themselves into a frenzy. In the hills leading up to the mines were the torches of an army of diamond dogs, howling and snarling under the barking command of Silvertail dressed for battle. Even with the Shroud returning them home in an instant, they feared they arrived only to watch the battle they wanted to prevent unfold before their eyes.

Canary and Smartyfang worried and quibbled, uncertain what to do and panicking at the sight they struggled to take in. Before they got too worked up, the heavy clang of the Shrouded Stallion's armored hoof stamping down dried up their stammering. They both turned to Luna's avenger staring out at the nopony's land between the two groups, listening closely to the gravelly voice that spoke with none of the fear they felt.

"My Princess hath entrusted the two of you to end this threat. Princess Luna commanded me to grant you the strength to act, but the will must be your own. Calm thyselves and do what you set out to accomplish when you asked her for help to begin with."

The two friends were steadied by the unbending tone of Luna's servant, the shadowy stallion could end the violence if it started, but Luna placed her faith in the two of them to find a better way. She had given them to tools to change things themselves, instead of doing it all for them. Thinking quickly, they tried to live up to that trust and came up with a plan.

----

The battle lines had been drawn, the forces of the villagers stared across the grassy hills at the pack of diamond dogs, at a word from either commander, the battle would begin. In the grim silence that stretched out before the fateful order was given, a pair of brave friends charged down the middle of the nopony's land from the forest. A dog and a pony together, both shouting the same simple plea;

"WAIT!"

The bright yellow Canary yelled breathlessly first, turning to her surprised neighbors and her stunned father, the leader of the village. "Don't! There doesn't have to be fighting! We came from the Princesses, who don't want the good ponies and dogs here to hurt each other!"

The angry ponies paused on Canary invoking their royal rulers, unsure what to do and really not looking forward to fighting, they had simply been pushed too far and were afraid. The dogs didn't care whether Princess Celestia or Luna dissapproved or not though, the barking laughter of the huge Silvertail cutting through the silence that fell over the crowd.

"Dogs want fight stupid pony! Gems be all ours! What are far away Princesses going to do about it? Smartyfang! What you doing still being friends with yellow pony! Pack leader say no more sneaking off to play and be friends with ponies! Ponies enemies now! You get over here and obey runt!" Silvertail sneered and pointed to his armored troops behind him, expecting the scrawny dog he had bullied to do as told.

The new pack leader was understandably shocked with Smartyfang refused, the short dog gulped and looked down between his paws a moment, but his glare rising up to meet Silvertail's again was full of strength and determination, his growl back somehow enough to raise the canine leader's hackles.

"No! Dogs and ponies don't have to be enemies! We can be friends instead, like me and Canary are! We went to get help together, to stop you from the wrongs you've done since you took over Silvertail! You are not a good leader for dogs, even if you're strong, you're stupid and greedy, you'll do nothing but cause suffering for everyone with your short sighted selfishness! S-So... So I challenge for the right to lead the pack!" Smartyfang's angry shout back stunned the dogs as much as Canary had the ponies, the tension of a storm about to break suddenly forgotten thanks to the pair of them standing together between their peoples.

Something seemed different about Smartyfang, something... off... that made Silvertail privately worried, but he couldn't be seen showing fear of a scrawny little runt in front of his pack, or refuse the challenge foolishly made. Silvertail roared laughter and waved his army into joining in with nervous chuckles, waving out to the clear ground in front of him.

"Fine! If you wanna take your lumps now, from me instead of ponies, that's just fine Smartyfang. Watch close ponies! After I'm done knockin' this runt down a peg or two, you're next!" Silvertail threw down his crude steel bracers and breastplate, giving a toothy grin to the crowds and inviting his insane challenger forward.

The pack leader's mocking nearly renewed the anger of the villagers, but Canary trotted to her father and whispered in his ear quickly. He pulled away in surprise, but only saw complete faith and honesty reflected in his daughters eyes and nodded back to her, joining her in calming the villagers into watching silently.

With a hearty bark from the semicircle of diamond dogs crowding together to watch the show, the fight for dominance began and Smartyfang launched himself at Silvertail. While the packleader at first thought it would be amusing and easy to stretch out and make a show of punishing his disobedient underling, he quickly found himself pressed back and struggling just to keep up.

Impossible as it seemed, the little Smartyfang was winning! The crowd of dogs cheered wildly at the weakest of them pushing the strongest, the runt was somehow faster, stronger, tougher than even the imposing brute Silvertail that none of them dared challenge, even though many of them didn't agree with his cruel leadership. Several of them had even thought they should follow his courageous example to put a stop to this conflict, shamed by the runt doing what was right even though he could never win, yet somehow he was doing just that!

Snarling, snapping, slashing claws at each other, the brutal match went on. Smartyfang dodged every blow with supernatural grace and speed, dove in to every opening and struck with strength his small frame shouldn't possess. Silvertail's movements grew sloppier and more desperate in frustration, losing was humiliating enough, but losing to the runt was doubly so.

Screaming in fury, Silvertail lunged out and missed yet again, leaving his neck open for Smartyfang to latch on with his jaws. The smaller dog tensed on the rapid pulse under his fangs, growling around his grip. "Yield..."

Even muffled, Smartyfang's suddenly deep voice filled Silvertail with fear and he was left with no choice but to submit, tossed aside by the new leader of the pack prowling back to rejoin his friend Canary between the two groups. The villagers were almost as stunned as the diamond dogs after watching the smaller hound defeat the bigger, but still anxious and angry, shouting their questions as to whether one dog was any better than the other.

Canary stood proudly by her panting friend though, stamping her hooves and yelling back. "Smartyfang is my friend! We always thought it was silly our peoples didn't get along, he'll be a much better leader than Silvertail! Princess Luna herself believed in him and helped him win, to stop this fighting and bring us all together!"

Joining in with his friend, Smartyfang nodded and addressed his pack bowing before the new alpha, glancing down at his shadow wearily before speaking up in a firm voice. "Canary's right! We shouldn't fight, it was stupid and greedy for Silvertail to start this, but I will end it. If we work together and become friends like Canary and I are, things will be better than they were before, for everyone! We can dig much faster than ponies, but ponies can find gems we can't. Asking for help is not weakness, the Princess Luna pony taught me that. Please forgive and help us ponies, let us help you and make up for our mistakes in return."

Humiliated and furious at his defeat, Silvertail only grew angrier at the cheers of his own pack agreeing with the runt, talking of working together and being friends... with ponies! Asking help! Working together! He wouldn't have it, he was leader, he had taken it with his own paws and now this nobody pup went and got pony help to take it away from him!?

Dragging himself back up stealthily, Silvertail threw a pawfull of dirt into Smartyfang's face as he lunged forward, slashing out with his sharp claws to put down the runt right in front of all his stupid pony friends. His claws were brought up short by a ringing 'clang' however, leaving Silvertail and everyone else present to gape at the shadowy blade materializing between him and Smartyfang still rubbing his eyes unaware.

Looking down to where the gleaming black blade originated, an audible gasp went through the crowd of ponies as Smartyfang's shadow rippled and stretched around the dark armored pony emerging from it. The Shrouded Stallion rose from the diamond dog's shadow, the inky outline of his imposing body taking on form and definition around the long sword that staved off Silvertail's sneak attack.

Silvertail didn't care anything for pony stories, so didn't know exactly who or what this dark pony was. He didn't need to know to see tartarus staring back at him from those glowing red eyes however, yelping in fear and skittering back. "P-Pony magic and tricks! See! Smartyfang didn't beat me! Some pony did!! I-I'm still leader!"

Some of the diamond dogs muttered uncertainly at that, yet Silvertail's pride and savagery had earned him no friends, and watching him cower back from the rumbling growl of the Shrouded Stallion made for a pitiful sight. "Princess Luna commanded I assist this brave dog and grant him the strength to defeat you himself. I took no action until thine battle was over, yet you persisted with such a cowardly attack. Young Smartyfang hath vanquished thee and granted thee mercy, to refuse it will be thine undoing. No longer a leader of thine people, thou are now only a rabid mutt to be put down..."

Silvertail screamed and ran from the looming creature of shadows, fleeing to the forest only to be overtaken by dark wings trailing a shadow that swallowed him up, disappearing into the gloom of the forest, never to be seen again. To the ponies of the village, seeing Luna's avenger appear before them was akin to the Princess herself granting her blessing to the small diamond dog, banishing much of their remaining ire and resentment towards the pack.

As for the mutters of the diamond dogs, their new pack leader Smartyfang leaned on his friend Canary and spoke sincerely to them. "It's true we asked the Princess pony for help and she sent the Shadow Pony to do so, he gave me the strength to fight back and beat Silvertail, but left it to me to do myself. I think Silvertail himself proves his kind of strength alone isn't the only thing that makes a good leader though, asking for help and getting it takes strength, being wise and just takes a different kind of strength as well. If you disagree with me as leader, I'll accept your challenge without the aid of pony help, or the challenge of a champion you convince to fight in your stead. We must begin to acknowledge the different ways to be strong and always seek a better way, so even if my only decree as pack leader ends my reign immediately, I will accept that outcome to prevent another Silvertail."

After suffering under Silvertail's rule and seeing how a corrupt dog who was physically strong could do so much damage, the diamond dogs believed Smartyfang and willingly bowed before their new pack leader. The villagers and the dogs all threw down their weapons, cautiously joining together in the middle and putting aside their differences with the two brave friends who had stopped a war.

When Princess Celestia's guards and diplomats arrived some days later, they found a village of both ponies and dogs, working together and finding a new way forward. The gems flowed from the mines now, far faster and safer than they had before, bringing wealth and prosperity to both groups who slowly became one united city over the years.

Smartyfang and Canary stayed friends and helped build their home up together. True to his word, wise Smartyfang always listened to his pack and was willing to accept a challenge to his rule if the others thought they had a better way, but things became so much better for everyone, that rarely came up.

The Shrouded Stallion being declared a friend of the pack and potential champion to fight for the aging Smartyfang discouraged most would be strongdog despots from baring their fangs anyway. Over the ages, even future diamond dogs who became vicious and cruel across Equestria kept in mind the fate of Silvertail, very few ever dared to cross the Knight of Shadows.

But that, is a story for another day...

"Meh... Pony story... You not tell it right, crafty Smartyfang supposed to trick Princess Pony into giving her Shadow Pony's power to him for battle, not just ask. Pack also got best end of deal with village for gems 'cause he so smart. Canary pony is more comic sidekick too, but that basically it." The gruff grumble of our gradually more mobile prisoner made me increasinly concerned, but Paw Buster had actually behaved during the story, even snorting a correction or addition during the tale.

Jade had finished healing his wounds and sat curled close to Glitter, Swan and the breezies, the pile of bigger and smaller ponies and breezies surrounding me on all sides was a little claustrophobic, but felt warm and made everyone feel better, even the tired and disappointed doctor at my side. "That was lovely, just the kind of storybook ending I so hoped for here. If this is a legend still passed down among your pack Mr. Buster, is there no hope the White Legs and Salt Lick could work together like the villagers and pack in the story?"

"Hey yeah! It's just like the story right Mr. Buster? You could dig in the mines here lots better, and the minotaurs are great at huntin' meat for you ta eat! You should be friends like Canary and Smartyfang!" Glitter beamed and tried to prance forward as I put the heavy book away, pulled back by her tail from getting face to face with a hellhound.

"Story from long time ago, before ponies all go crazy and blow up world. Bulls and ponies here already start fighting with us too, not stopping before starts. White Legs no back off from fight, sound like Salt Lick no will either. No see us being friends little pony." Paw Buster shook his shaggy head and struggled up to his paws, the smaller hindlegs wound in bandages could barely take weight, while one long foreleg was held up in a sling at his chest, his other muscular foreleg was holding up the rest of his weight fairly well though.

At least he was moving slow and staying back in the narrow bank vault, eyeing all the firepower aimed at the circular gap in the heavy gauge steel room. I doubted he could slip through the floor fast enough with one claw, and lunging out such a small bottleneck to get to us was equally suicidal. Still, it didn't take much to learn just how dangerous hellhounds could be in an instant.

"But if someone challenged Icepaw directly, he'd have to accept right? Even a pony or minotaur could call him out?"

Having my question draw uproarious, barking laughter made me blush and snort angrily, but Paw Buster did finally manage to chuckle out a reply. "Sure! Who you think beat Icepaw though, you!? HA! You dress like Shadow Pony, but even more of a runt than Smartyfang! Go ahead though, you lose and die, then White Legs take town easier when you forced to leave!"

Jade clearly didn't like the thoughts going on behind my furrowed brow, curling a wing around me and whickering worriedly. "While my Fast may surprise you Mr. Buster, t-that hardly seems a fair fight. P-Perhaps Chief Steelfist could challenge Icepaw however? He seems quite capable, would such a thing be acceptable?"

"Leader of town can challenge leader of pack, minotaur die too though. Icepaw strong like Silvertail from story, but not dumb or coward..." Paw Buster smirked back, supremely confident in his leader.

Not that I could fault his arrogance or Jade's caution after getting a good look at Icepaw myself. He looked as powerful as the beast I fought in Poncord that shrugged off everything I threw at it, but was also crafty to boot. A battle between Icepaw on Steelfist still might go either way, but even the best outcome of that match up presented problems.

"If Steelfist won, he'd demand all the White Legs leave. They'd get pushed out again and be a problem for somepony else wherever they wound up. Both sides here are too angry and wrapped up in getting even, I think it's up to us as an outside party to find a better option for everyone hon... Go tell Icepaw we challenge him Paw Buster, no more digging under the town, we'll fight him outside the wall, between us and the mines, just like the story."

Waving everyone back, I waved a hoof towards the missing rotating door of the bank leading out to the street, giving the hellhound space to limp out of the bank vault curiously. "Really just let me go? Fake Shadow Pony crazy enough to fight Icepaw? Ha! Sure! Be funny fight, even if ...short... No bat screeching or tricks though! Challenge is contest of honor, no cheat..."

Paw Buster waited for my nod back before digging through the dirty tiled floor and disappearing, much faster than I'd expect with only one good paw... Once he was gone, Jade stamped a hoof on the ringing marble and leaned down to glare eye to eye with me, fear and annoyance making her voice quaver.

"What have I and the others just recently tried to impress upon you Fast!? You may not take everything on your own shoulders! I will not have you fight that brute alone in some ridiculous macho contest! No matter the cause!" Jade snorted and shivered, despite coming to my defense at Paw Buster laughing off any threat I posed, privately she found the idea too dangerous as well.

That would sting, if I didn't give myself great odds one on one with the intimidating Icepaw either. I hadn't ignored everything she and Val tried to beat into me about doing everything myself either though. Leaning up to nuzzle her cheek reassuringly, I looked over to Swan significantly and nudged her anxious gaze that way too.

"I didn't say I'd fight him, just that it's better if one of us does, one of us who can beat him... I know you don't like fighting and violence hon, but it has a place in this world and Swan has a point arguing with you about it. She's learning to trust you when it comes to being peaceful and kind, so how about you give her a chance to do what she's best at? What do you say Swan? Wanna fight the biggest, toughest dog, protect the town and save lives on both sides by smashing selectively?"

I wouldn't volunteer the big filly without asking and was fully prepared to do it myself if need be, but I was fairly sure of Swan's answer. The large purple mare giddily prancing in place and grinning didn't disappoint though, nodding with a manic, eager gleam in her eyes. "Yes! Finally! Lemme fight the big dog sister! I'll win and you can figure out what to do after! You're better at that stuff anyway, I just wanna fight and not worry about it!"

While it was obvious she still didn't like it, Jade was forced to acknowledge Swan's way of doing things had its place. They were two sides of the same coin that needed each other, here was a chance to get them working together in agreement and end up with a better result than either could achieve alone. Faced with the hope for peace through only limited violence, Jade reluctantly agreed, embracing her sister worriedly and calming a bit when Glitter leapt into the teary hug with them.

"V-Very well... I do not like you putting yourself in danger like this either sister, I would not have Fast hurt himself attempting this, I do not wish for you do do so either. E-Especially when you have not even... er... h-had the opportunity to do what you came here for... I am sorry I have made you wait, s-so nothing may happen to you before..." Jade dragged me into the hug with them anxiously, shifting and blushing furiously as she spoke around certain subjects with Glitter between us.

Swan got the subtext easily enough, though I was pretty sure our daughter did too, she at least kept her mouth shut. Just in case, I still frantically cut off Swan's delighted gasp with a kiss before it got to obvious. "You mean I finally get to p--"

"HA! Ehehe... ha... y-yeah... easy Swan... W-We'll talk about all that later, in private... For now we got other stuff to do and not much time. I totally believe in you, but I don't want you getting hurt either. So... let's just see about improving your odds before the main event huh?"

Pulling out Jade's Gamma Gun from her packs cut off her questioningly raised eyebrow, bringing a hopeful smile to her face and a curious tilt to Swan's head. There was no super radioactive pond or balefire crater nearby, but we could do as much as we could with what we had on hoof anyway.

Enough to give the hellhounds a big surprise...

-----------Level Up!---------------

New Perk Added!---------------------------

Scrapper-----------
---Waste not, want not! Your vast experience scavenging the ruins to cobble together junk into slightly more useful junk makes coming up with parts easier. You can now salvage uncommon components while scrapping junk, weapons and armor.

Reputation Change!---------------

Salt Lick -- Good Natured Rascal
---You're still looked up to and appreciated in the settlement, but conflicts of opinion have made your standing a little more mixed in the lakeside village. You can't please everypony all the time after all!

White Legs -- Merciful Thug
---Trying to talk to the violent pack of hellhounds didn't turn out great and protecting a captured invader didn't help your popularity in Salt Lick, but trying to be better and treat the hellhounds as people may have given you a way out of a sticky situation. Granting even enemies consideration and mercy can help in unexpected ways!

Ch. 80 -- Laurifer Gladiator

"Hoh, doggies. If you can take this bull by the horns, you better be ready for a ride. Come on, ponies! Kick 'em up, kick 'em out. Buck 'em up, buck 'em down!"

Pushing open the swinging double doors of the cretan arms, Jade and I crept in to a wall of noise and heat from a lot of ponies and minotaurs crowded in the old hotel. All of Salt Lick seemed to be gathered here, minus those out on the walls keeping a close eye out for signs of another attack. The murmur and shouts of the crowd focused on the sturdy tables near the bar and the group focused on the map held down with steins and loose ammo.

Unfortunately, the griffon I needed to find was part of this little war council, gesturing to the map here and there while giving her opinion on the best tactics and approach to the mines outside of town. Getting to Val giving her expert opinion meant we had to venture right into the thick of things, and the further we progressed into the packed establishment, the more angry and unkind looks we were attracting.

Trying to slip up to Val's side unobtrusively, I winced under all the hard stares, absolutely wilting as Chief Steelfist noticed us and glowered with a snort. This was not going to be easy... Looking up to Jade's panicked grimace, I gave her a supportive nudge before she just decided to disappear in the face of the cloud of scorn raining down on us, giving Val a gentle tap on the flank to get her attention.

"Psst... Val... Umm... I need spark cells, like... all of them..." I gestured down at the powered down magical energy weapon on the griffon's side, hoping to just get the ammo we needed and slip out quietly.

Of course Val wasn't going to cooperate with that idea, squawking loudly and interrupting the plans of the leadership of Salt Lick. "Whadya mean 'all of em' boss!? Gonna need ta be at 100% ta take on a bunch'a hellhounds, can't have ya disarmin' me right before the fight!"

"We have a plan... sorta... Just trust me ok, we need every spark cell we can get our hooves on, right now. I would go check the local store, but it's closed and I'm not sure they'd serve us. We're kinda on a time limit too Val, so just hoof em over and..."

Trying to just get the ammo and get out again quickly was shot to hell already by the obstinate griffon reluctantly digging in her bags, the earth pony colt galloping up to the table completely obliterated any hopes for a little more time though. The young red buck's eyes were wide and he yelped in a voice cracking with adolescence in his excitement, shaking as he jabbered at the leader of his town. "Chief! Chief! The hellhounds are doin' something weird! They stopped diggin' but Patient saw em poppin' up way over in the stockyards! They're just... waitin' up there!"

Stroking his beard in thought, Chief Steelfist gazed to the west, his steely grey eyes glaring through the crowd of injured and angry residents, beyond the walls and his town outside, scowling first at the unseen enemy, then at us... "Hmm... thought I hadn't heard anything take a header in the lake lately. You folks and your pet mutt have anything to do with this 'Princess'?"

With all eyes turning on her at once, Jade cringed for a moment and had me worried as my pip-buck's inventory updated with Val's stock of spark cells. Thankfully she shook it off with a cute little whinny and stamped a hoof down, her costume tiara glimmering in the candlelight and accenting the regal if shaky voice she managed to reply with.

"Y-Yes... He is not our 'pet mutt' either, we released the captive hellhound after stopping to speak with him, rather than torturing a wounded captive. Because we took the time to do so, we learned we may challenge the leader of the pack directly and have done so. They have stopped their digging and are presumably waiting our champion at their chosen arena." Jade's sweet voice was met with stunned silence, even the loud and gregarious minotaurs just goggled back for a long minute, while I was anxious to get back to our 'champion' where we left her.

Finally Steelfist slammed his cybernetic fist down on the map with a broad grin, roaring his approval and suddenly all smiles again. "OH YEAH! You mean we can fight just the dog in charge!? Guess it was worth leavin' that one alive after all! Alright folks! I'll take it on and they'll be gone! How's that for..."

"No." I interrupted the outbreak of relieved cheers and Steelfist's premature celebration, joining Jade and trying to let a little of the Shroud into my voice for confidence. They weren't going to like this part, but I wasn't going to make Jade be the bearer of bad news. She was the good cop, I was the bad...

The effect was as if I slapped every pony and minotaur of Salt Lick at once, the hopeful looks focused on their leader immediately turned my way with a scowl, along with Steelfist's himself. "What do yo mean 'no' little pony... Yer Princess just said we can challenge the leader, I'm doin' it."

Standing up to that furious stare made me want to gulp and skitter back, relying on 'Be Dark...' and its' strange influence was actually helpful though. Steelfist was another alpha male, just like the hellhound leader Icepaw, that shadowy growl in my head viewed them both as competition and had no problem snapping back.

"I mean no. She said we learned we could challenge and we did so, not you. You're not allies of the Kingdom of Sanctuary yet, right? You even said Jade wasn't Princess here, that you're in charge? We challenged, you just have to wait in line I guess."

A heavy silence fell on the crowded room, despite how mad some of these folks were, Jade at least had the goodwill of most after all the healing she had done to the gravely wounded staring at me. I was just her knight though, apparently a laughable one too by the flabbergasted snort of mean spirited chuckles when Steelfist recovered, looming over me across the table and jabbing a sharp metal finger into my chest.

"Who, you!? HA! You really are crazy, aren't you runt? You don't stand a chance in Tartarus! The Princess got us the fight, now let me take over shorty. They came attackin' but I'll send em packin'!" Steelfist sneered down his nose at me.

I was somewhat heartened to see that confident smirk wiped from the Chief's grizzled face before I could respond. The younger Sledge Smasher we had traveled with spoke up thoughtfully, scratching his mane as he spoke to his leader and the crowd. "Er... Chief, the Shroud pony there might actually do it. I told you he can fight, I wasn't lyin' bout the Weird Sisters ya know..."

Ignoring Steelfist's unconvinced snort, I shot Sledge a grateful look and continued evenly. "I didn't say I'd fight him anyway, our champion will. But we are going first. You all wanted to kill that wounded hellhound, if it weren't for Jade saving it we wouldn't even know we could do this. We're challenging them as leaders of the Kingdom of Sanctuary first, if we win then no more fighting. If we lose, you can challenge him yourself, or just go back to your brilliant plans of attacking a den of hellhounds underground. Whatever, it'll be out of our hooves."

I caught myself having already planted my hooves on the table and leaning across the surface aggressively towards Steelfist, the nubs of my fangs extending slurring a couple words. 'Be Dark...' might be useful for things like this, but I had to keep a tight hold of the leash.

At least I wasn't the only one struggling with my darker nature, Steelfist's scowl deepened as he leaned over the table between us, his voice growing low and dangerous. "No more fightin' if you win huh? How's that? Gonna send em all away? Get em outta our mines? Tell em ta get back to the Glowing Sea with all the other beasties you want our help corrallin'?"

Thankfully Jade huffed primly and interrupted us before we got eye to eye, fluttering her wings anxiously but speaking clearly. "I have yet to decide upon the terms, should we be victorious... However, I have also learned your people are not completely innocent in this conflict Chief Steelfist. The White Legs are refugees from a threat that drove them from their homes, they were seeking safety and sanctuary, but were met with violence when they arrived here."

"Of course they were dammit! They're friggin hellhounds! Don't want monsters like that settling in around us!" Steelfist roared back, backed by the grim nods and murmurs of assent from his people.

Jade was unperturbed however, curling a wing over me and convincing me to get back down to the floor as she spoke softly. "As I have had to convince my own Fast, hellhounds are not mindless beasts, yet they were treated as such. It is no wonder they attacked. Whoever started it and for whatever reason, if this conflict continues as it has because of mistakes and cruelty, it will become a cycle of violence without end, just as the great war was! I will not fall into that trap, or allow others to do so if I can help it. I am sorry for those who have died and been injured here, on both sides. We are a neutral party however, if we can broker a peace, that is what we will do. Now, if you will excuse us, we must prepare our champion to fight on behalf of that peace, as contrary as that seems to me..."

Sticking her nose up, Jade turned and trotted from the stunned room. Following her gave me a better course than anything likely to happen if I stayed long enough for Steelfist to stop sputtering, so I did so quickly. Giving a rueful shrug behind me, Val stood and came along too, unable resist a parting shot as she did so.

"Welp, no reason fer me ta hang around makin' battle plans and what not. You all heard Blue, we ain't gonna have a full on, knock down slobberknocker. Too bad, but boss does what Blue wants, so yer on yer own." Val grumbled with regret in her voice, clearly looking forward to a outright battle as much as some of the Salt Lick residents, but loyal to whatever I decided.

Considering the hellhounds were already gathering outside, we ran for the imposing town hall as soon as we were out the doors. Glitter and Zed were still waiting in the entry hall of the ancient stone structure, the slow clicking from my pip-buck as I neared the counters and rear passages of the building the cause. As much as Glitter obviously wanted to follow and take a peek, she had been warned and lectured repeatedly about fooling around with radiation, despite the terrible example her parents set.

Not that such knowledge kept her from trying anyway, the pale filly hopped up on the receptionists counter and stuck her lip out in a pouty, pleading look before we went by, peering around us to the door back. "Can't I take a quick peek daddy? It's no fair, I never get ta see this happen!"

"And you won't, except from a safe distance, sorry sweetie. You can do a little mission for me though, if that's any consolation?"

I wasn't disappointed by her response, Glitter beamed and nodded crazily, before even knowing what I wanted. Any opportunity to help was still met by ecstatic excitement, this one elicting a joyous whoop, "Sure dad! What? Do I get to go watch the fight!?"

Thinking of taking her to a pack of hellhounds gathered to watch a bloodsport, I shivered and shook my head immediately along with Jade. "Noooooo... Sorry, not bringing you anywhere near them sweetie, forget it, you can watch from here with the others. I want you and your little breezie friends to do something simple, just tell the story from the book to as many kids and grownups that will listen. You make friends with everypony and they'll listen to you and our 'fairies', I doubt the people of Salt Lick are nearly as mad at you guys as they are at us."

Glitter reluctantly accepted the thick tome of Shrouded Stallion legends floating to her in my telekinesis, tilting her head to eye me with disappointment mixed with curiosity. "Awww... Why? Umm... it's a good story an all daddy, but how does that help?"

Jade took over before I could answer, smiling sweetly and nodding her agreement. "Oh yes, very smart dear. Your father is not placating you Glitter, I believe spreading that story around may make the villagers more open to achieving a similar result. All they know of hellhounds is what they have seen themselves here, not the best example... If our little Ambassador of Cuteness and our fairy friends were to get them to listen to a story of ponies and dogs working together however, perhaps it would cool a bit of their anger and make them more receptive hmm?"

Flittering around her and the book she stashed in her little canvas backpack, Spring Gale spoke for herself and her wary brother Blowing Storm in a happy squeak, getting her sibling to go along with her salute back. "Okie dokie Fast Shroud! Ve help by making beeg ponies und minos leesten? Help stop bad fighting?"

"Right, they're all really mad after so many got hurt and killed here guys. It's not gonna be easy to get them to make peace, so you telling them the story of Smartyfang and Canary might help nudge them down that path. See? It's a really important job I'm asking you to do, that you're the best choice to do. Can you help with that while we er... finish helping Aunt Swan get ready?"

"Oooooohhhh, Ok daddy! I'll go tell all the kids and everybody else I can! C'mon fairies!" Glitter squealed and jumped off the counter, clopping across the cracked stone floors quickly with the pair of breezies fluttering around her.

Grateful to the foal grinning ear to ear and her fairy followers, I smiled and waved them all off as the two of them ran out into the streets of Salt Lick. A little PR wouldn't hurt here, I learned that much from fighting the Institute. If they could manipulate things by playing on people's darker natures, we had our own secret weapon to appeal to their better ones. Planting the seed of the old myth of diamond dogs and ponies helping each other, living and working together in the happy ending... it couldn't hurt.

Winding our way to the back of the building where the steady tick-tick-tick grew louder, Jade's eyelids got heavy and lidded, a soft smile replacing her anxious expression as we approached the door down to the basement and the batpony mare stationed at the head of the stairs down.

Witchy alternated between picking up Jade's gamma gun in her mouth and firing a few shots downstairs, then taking the cobbled together weapon in her hooves to awkwardly reload it while she slurped at an orange packet of Rad-Away. Floating the sparking weapon up before she wearily reached for it again, I relieved Jade's royal guard of her post and sent her back out to Zed where it was radiation free, before she made herself sick.

Jade looked her over worriedly before she left, tugging up her foreleg over Witchy's blushing gasp, she checked the rainbow colored gauge there and 'tsked' at where the needle hovered, in the yellow portion of the dial. "Thank you Witching dear, go back up front and continue taking your medicine. We must hurry and be ready to go soon, before either the White Legs or the villagers get any ideas. We will take over here, is she... making progress?"

Nodding up to Jade's dreamy look as she tilted her muzzle up forcing her to finish off her current dose of anti-rad medication, Witchy accepted the bundle of more orange packets shoved into her hooves, sticking her tongue out when she spit the empty packet out. "Yes Princess, between Fast fiddling with the generator down there and all the shots from your weapon, she's quite happy... I'm afraid your gamma gun thing may not take much more however, and she may have some difficulty getting out of there..."

Checking over Jade's sparking magical energy weapon, I groaned at the wear already evident and dumped out Val's stash of ammo. Slotting in the next spark cell, I tossed the spent cartridge over with the others to be recharged later. Doing so with Jade's own limited supply had been too slow and not guaranteed to succeed, plus it required accessing the generator down there, which was now blocked by a lot of Swan I eyed appreciatively while fiddling with what I could to keep the poor gamma gun going. If it weren't for the situation, the sight of a giant purple rump and long pink tail waiting down there would be a lot more enjoyable.

"Umm... Swan? Doing alright down there?" I called down warily and fired another blast of radiation into the wall of purple taking up the stairwell, trying not to focus too hard on the sight as my own radiation gauge kept steadily climbing.

A series of heavy thumps and rumbles through the floor shook me on my hooves as Swan's tail flicked up and I listened to her struggling around down there. By the limited glimpses of flailing hooves and wings I got as she squeezed and grunted her way around, it must be getting pretty cramped in the small basement level. Not surprising as there wasn't a lot of room even for normal ponies, it was basically just a small shelter and emergency generator storage area.

When she finally managed to spin around and stick her head up the stairwell, I got a better idea of just how much she had absorbed from the ancient generator I had stripped all the shielding from. Goggling at the sparkling blue-violet eyes looking up to me cheerily, I did some rough mental calculations and figured she had to be absolutely crammed in there like a sardine, double Jade's size or more maybe? She'd have to teleport herself out...

"Hello Fast! This generator thing works really good! Thank you for fixing it! It's not as good as my pond, but sister's gun helps. Can you take it outside for me though? I'm running out of room down here." Swan burbled happily, stretching her long neck almost all the way upstairs before getting stuck a few steps down from me with a frustrated snort.

"Sorry Swan, no time to disconnect the whole thing and take it outside, the hellhounds are already gathering. Besides, I kinda un-fixed that generator, not fixed. I can put it back together easy enough later, but I think they might get even more pissed if all the lights went out in town. Just try to put up with it and curl up as tight as you can, we want you to soak up every little bit of rads you can before going out there, so you stay safe doing this."

It felt strange firing a weapon right in the big purple mare's face, but by the way she purred and moaned as I emptied the charge on the current spark cell, I got the idea she didn't mind at all. Especially as that latest round and some forceful crashes and crunches from below let her stretch her muzzle a little closer, puckering up comically in a come hither gesture.

"I'll be fine! This'll be lots of fun! Why are you worried too? Come down and play with me Fast, it's reeeeally nice down here!" Swan giggled and kept making smacking, smooching noises until I finally relented and came in range, getting a rather slobbery oversized kiss.

Sitting on the step out of her reach again, I kept firing and flattened my ears to the mewling noises she was making as the repeated shots added to her already impressive bulk, shrugging back to her with a concerned stare. "I'm worried because I don't want you getting hurt, even with as much advantage as we can give you, this Icepaw guy looks like a tough customer. I know you're really good at this and like it Swan, but I still can't help but worry..."

"And is most likely thinking he should do it himself and spare you from the danger I am sure sister... is that not right Fast?" Jade squeezed into the stairwell and sat beside me, arching a knowing eyebrow down at me.

The warning tone in her voice tapered off early, giving way to a soft whinny of enjoyment at the stronger radiation down here. If she was practically sitting on the generator like Swan, we'd have two oversized alicorns to deal with. From this distance however, she was merely humming softly in contentment and nibbling at my ears, leaving her lavender sister to puzzle over the teasing admonishment.

Swan's face scrunched up in thought, tilting in the narrow stairwell and knocking a few gas masks on the wall off with her long horn. "But you said I could fight... I'm lots stronger than you Fast, why would you not wanna let me? Or do you want to fight and I'm taking away the head dog?"

"No, I don't want to fight that Icepaw guy, one hellhound like that was enough thank you... It's not that I want to fight instead, er... necessarily... but I don't want you to fight him either. What if you get hurt? Or... d-die? I care about you Swan, so I don't want that, I'd rather take the risk myself than put it on you, even if you have better odds than me. Umm d-do you get it?"

By her confused look, I assumed she didn't. Instead she huffed and blew my mane back, apparently taking it as an insult to her abilities. "I won't die, I've killed lots of dogs like that before Fast. I'm not weak enough to let this one beat me..."

Thankfully Jade took over, giving a friendly nip to my neck and answering with a sigh. "He is being overly protective again sister, still thinking he should do everything himself too... Both things myself, sister Ivy and the others have been trying to break him of, unsuccessfully I might add."

Hiding under the brim of my hat and crossing my forelegs in a pout, I grumbled back and tried to get this across to the purple mare obviously getting lost. "I'm working on it ok? I can't help it, it's not that I doubt you Swan, I just don't want anything to happen to you. Hmm... You didn't like seeing that courser thing hurting me right?"

"No... That tough robot made me mad when I saw what it did to you, so I smashed it good..." Swan growled back, her eyes flicking up in thought before returning to mine in a blazing scowl.

"Well, I'd feel the same way if that hellhound hurt you like that. You protect everypony back home, but doesn't anypony ever protect you?"

That finally clicked, a soft smile slowly spread on Swan's suddenly rosy cheeks as she nickered and shook her head as much as she was able in the confined space. "I guard everybody else, nopony guards me. You... you'd want to? You'd feel like that if I got hurt Fast?"

"Yes Swan, I'd want to keep you from harm if I can. I know you like it and want to, but you should know we... I care and worry about you, that you don't have to do this. It's not right for you to always be the fortress everypony else hides behind. A big stone castle protects all the ponies in it, but they have to take care of it in return or it'll fall apart. Er... I'm not good at this kinda thing, but do you get it?"

In answer, Swan started shifting and struggling below us, eventually grunting with effort and destroying the lower half of the rickety stairs to reposition herself, finally reaching where I was seated to nuzzle happily. "I like that! It makes me feel all warm and tingly, is that the love and feelings junk you keep whining about Fast? It's not so bad after all. Don't worry, I'll win easy, and then we can play!"

Jade rolled her eyes at that, but gently took her gamma gun from me in her pale magic and gave her sister another good shot to the face to interrupt her forceful attention. "We will see sister, one step at a time. Let us do all we can to ensure your victory first, and please, do try to get your opponent to yield rather than killing him hmm? I-If you can safely of course, I would rather there be no death here tonight, injuries I can at least heal. Mmm... q-quite well by the boost I am incidentally soaking up as well by sitting here. G-Go along and buy time Fast, I will attend to my sister. I believe it may be best you not be present and also absorbing radiation at the moment, t-the effects on all of us are a bit too distracting."

I glanced down at my pip-buck and caught the needle inching up towards orange with a gulp. Jade was probably right, both her and her sister's eyes were growing lidded and sleepy, while my mane had been getting increasingly itchy. Staying here with the two of them could quickly end up with us forgetting the situation entirely... While that would be fun, it would also be very ill timed, I doubted either the hellhounds or the villagers would be very understanding...

"R-Right! Leaving! Er... I-I'll see you out there Swan, just be careful ok? Don't worry, I'll stall as long as I can!" I called over my shoulder as I galloped down the hall, flattening my ears against a pair of lusty giggles following me back to the streets of Salt Lick.

By the time Val and I left Salt Lick to go out and meet the waiting horde of hellhounds, I was actually glad to go face the pack of vicious dogs rather than stick around in the grim town. Some of the pervasive tension and anger of the residents had lessened at least, but there were still a lot of unkind or at least unsure looks following us around.

Many were just following their leader's example, Steelfist still wore a furious scowl when I caught a glimpse of him, making sure to avoid the grey minotaur rather than get into another confrontation with him. Some were confused or even cautiously optimistic at least, those consumed with fresh wounds and lost loved ones might be focused on revenge, but Jade had presented an alternative to more suffering that others were at least willing to hear. The stories Miles and even DJ-Pon3 told of the Commonwealth's own Princess had their upside, Jade had become a symbol to believe in that many here would give a chance.

I was also encouraged our daughter was following her mother's example on that score too, rather than mine. I tracked her down before heading out, finding the little filly and pair of breezies holding a regular story hour on the wooden boardwalk outside the crowded Cretan Arms. Between Glitter and Gale, they were attracting quite a crowd of not only young colts and fillies, but grown ponies and minotaurs too, all listening to the ancient story with interest.

I expected as much from Glitter, taking advantage of her magnetic personality and social skills to try to sway some of the residents. Spring Gale was being surprisingly brave and helpful on that score too though. The 'fairies' were long held legends here on the edge of their forest, having the tiny lilac mare courageously putting herself on display and taking up the old myth in her squeaky voice to an enchanted crowd was doing a world of good.

They were planting the idea of another path anyway, now we just had to deal with the work of actually clearing the way to that course and hope. Not wishing to interfere with their progress, I inconspicuously called her away for a parting hug. She still used her weaponized cuteness to try to go watch the show up close, but settled for getting Val's cracked binoculars shoved into her waiting hooves.

Sledge Smasher was on guard at the western gates on our way out and willing to chat before we left too. He was clearly conflicted and concerned, but with the time we had spent together, he at least had a little bit of faith at this point. The burly hunter even gave another friendly smack to the back in parting, sending me pinwheeling through a very rough takeoff due to the gesture of camaraderie and wishing us the best, hoping we really could 'pull another miracle out of our ass' and promising to watch closely from the walls.

That just left the actual ass-pulling to be done, not a great prospect as Val circled the wide stockyard below and clucked at the crowd of hellhounds ringing the open area where the huge Icepaw waited. "Yer sure about this boss? All of em just sittin' out in the open like that... if we rained enough firepower down on this place, we'd put a serious dent in their numbers..."

"And ruin any chances for peace... Sorry Val, we're trying for Jade's way first, I know you and Swan both don't like it most of the time, but we have to give it a shot."

Val merely chuckled in return, waving a dark claw back at me as we glided down. "Meh, I'm used ta Blue by now and know you always do what she wants first boss, jus' throwin' it out there. 'Sides, big stuff ought'a win, that crazy mare's as good at wreckin' fuckers as me!"

"Let's hope so Val... and let's give her as much time as we can, come on..." I grimaced as we came down in the middle of the muddy lot, anxiously landing in a ring of hellhounds all following our progress with their weaponry.

Discovered Location: Troubleshoes Rodeo Fairgrounds blinked in my vision as we lost altitude, letting me take a good look around at the White Leg's chosen arena between the mines and Salt Lick. I'd imagine it would normally be a dusty, flat plain surrounded by the foothills leading to the mountains, but this close to the edge of the Commonwealth and all the recent rain left it a large area of muck. The weather made me idly wonder if more barrier storms swirling around were responsible and what they were trying to keep out if that was the case, but the situation and surroundings at hoof took up my attention.

There were quite a few ragged and large roofed enclosures, a trio of rotting barns, dozens of ruined and repaired stalls down a concocurse leading from the arched gates bearing a faded upside down horseshoe, several pens of rickety fenceposts, along with the huge lot we were descending towards with all the torch bearing canine horrors sitting on the timber fence lining the lot.

From what Sledge and others told me, in better times this old complex had become a stockyard and slaughterhouse for brahmim ranchers and independent hunters around the Commonwealth. Even with all the weather washing a lot of it away, the scent of old blood hung in the air under the smell of mud and hay.

Stumbling and squelching to a halt in the muddy lot in front of Icepaw, I managed to land without falling and getting covered in slop thanks to a timely grab of the tail by Val, shaking off the gruff chuckles all around us and looking up to the intimidating hellhound smirking back. Icepaw's rough metal armor was removed, his pale, broad chest covered in scars, fur and nothing else but the strap of the plasma cannon slung on his back.

"Finally! We fight now fake Shadow Pony? Where blue one? Mate not want see you die?" Icepaw sneered and cracked his neck in anticipation, letting his audience laugh along and enjoy the show to come.

"She'll be along, she's with our champion right now. They're getting ready, er... you know how mare's are, can't rush them getting themselves together before going somewhere, amiright fellas? Heh heh... er... t-they'll be here soon."

I was surprised to see a few hellhounds actually snickering at my lame joke, followed by a few glares and pokes from others I guessed were females near the ones laughing. Huh... maybe ladies taking their time getting ready was a universal thing... It defused a little tension anyway, though Icepaw didn't look amused.

Getting down on all fours to claw at the mud and glare in my face, the hellhound leader growled back. "Champion? You no fight? Pony what uses name of powerful Shadow Pony is coward? Paw Buster say you fight..."

"I'm not afraid of you if that's what you're asking asshole... We never told Paw Buster I would fight, so don't blame him either. The Princess can choose her champion for a challenge right? She chose her sister instead of me, that's all. Don't worry, you'll get your fight and we'll abide by the rules, mostly..."

"Mostly?" Icepaw rumbled back, his nostrils flaring as I leaned forward into his glare and felt my fangs growing sharp and predatory.

"If you win, we leave, just like we said. If you kill her champion though... well... I like that mare, if she dies, you die. That's not a threat from the Princess, it's a promise from the Shrouded Stallion. Just between you and me huh?"

Struggling against the nagging voice of 'Be Dark...' had gotten harder as the sun set and the time for this battle got closer. Faced with the surprised looking alpha hellhound glaring back, it was really straining the leash and starting to snarl. I did have faith Swan could do this herself and wasn't terribly worried, but that overly aggressive part of myself insisted on fair warning. If he killed Swan, I didn't care about anything else, I'd find a way to kill him before we left, even if it was alone.

At least the hellhound took it well, a gruff chuckle building to an uproarious guffaw of surprisingly friendly laughter. "Ha! You funny puny pony, maybe you not such a fake after all! That more like great Shadow Pony from stories! When I kill Princess pony's champion, I wait for you next right here, fair and square!"

Ignoring Val's warning click from her weapons as Icepaw's paw shot out, I anxiously lifted a foreleg up to meet the gesture, mustering my courage to not shiver as those gleaming claws wrapped around my leg and gave a hearty shake. I supposed Jade was right, hellhounds were different... but they were people, they just weren't pony-people. Odd for a death threat to make him friendlier, but 'Be Dark...' got along with this kind of culture just fine.

"It's a deal then, don't worry, you won't wait long... So, in the meantime... er... What made a tough dog like you come running up here with his tail between his legs anyway? Paw Buster said something about a 'green beast' and other ponies like me? Alicorns?"

Mild insults and ribbing seemed to pass for friendly banter here, so I went along and decided to probe for a little more information, rewarded by a grimace and darkening expression coming with Icepaw's eventual reply. "Ugly ponies with wings and horns like you yes, plus undead ponies and others in robes, big green one like your Princess too. They come and push out all others, Glowing Sea make them strong, White Legs couldn't fight more and more of those things that keep coming, so we leave home... Not running from another mutant pony though, pack take stand and grow strong again, then return and take home back. No puny fake Shadow Pony or weak Princess make us leave, no bulls or normal ponies make either!"

Mutant alicorns, ghouls in robes and one of Jade's green sisters... the Church of Balefire... Taking a moment to check over the map on my pip-buck, I took in this new information and let it mingle with what I already knew. Between the Church and the Gunners, that was most of the southern Commonwealth under the vicarious control of the Institute.

The group of mad scientists had their hooves in both groups, apparently using them to cement their hold on this area and surround the 'forbidden zone' if my vague info was right. Somewhere beyond all that, Dr. Mobius' hidden lab waited, they were blockading Grandpa... they really were scared of him...

Val's eager giggle made me look up, catching the fiery griffon hooking a thumbclaw over her shoulder with a smirk. "Wouldn't be so sure 'bout not losin' there ugly, here comes yer challenger and she looks like she's in top form eh?"

I followed her gesture and the surprised gaze of Icepaw and all the other White Legs, looking up to the starry evening sky and spotting a lot of purple approaching fast. Thanks to Jade struggling to keep up along with Witchy, I got some idea of scale and gaped along with all the hellhounds as Swan streaked down, slamming to the mud beside us and splattering everyone with muck.

When Jade landed daintily between us, I could make a better comparison and figured she had to be close to triple sized, though that may be off a bit as I noticed Jade was a few inches taller than normal too. There was less shock from the White Legs than I'd normally expect on having a giant alicorn land in front of them, but if they had been driven out by one of Jade's sisters in the highly radioactive Glowing Sea, I supposed it wouldn't be a total surprise.

None of them looked very happy about it anyway, Icepaw scowled up at the giddy purple filly blinking down at him. Even the huge dog only came up to her chest, though he didn't look intimidated in the slightest. "This champion? You make purple pony big and think that enough to win? This one nothing compared to Green Beast, and I fight her to standstill! Big purple mare die, then I wait for fake Shadow Pony to back up big words..."

"What was that? To what is he referring Fast?" Jade narrowed her bright blue eyes and gave me a penetrating look, picking up on Icepaw's comment instantly.

"N-Nothing! Just a little promise between guys, h-honest! Anyway! We didn't just pick her because she's big, she's tough too Icepaw so don't get too cocky! A-Are you ready Swan?"

Staggering as Swan's big muzzle swung down and nuzzled happily, I managed to not go stumbling into the mud as she purred and nudged eagerly. "Ready! Let's go big dog, sister said to try not to kill you, so this will be a challenge! Oh! Hang on..."

Icepaw cocked his head in confusion as Swan gasped and suddenly stood to her full, towering height, wiggling and squirming her way out of her alluring pink Alicorn Angel costume and floating the billowing skirt down to Jade. The sight of the attractive mare stripping on the spot had my mane itching crazily while I watched with an equally confused look, catching her attention once she struggled out of her blouse and sent it drifting down as well.

"I don't want my nice clothes covered in mud and dog blood... sister just cleaned them!" Swan beamed down, her unconcerned, eager tone making clear the minimal threat she viewed the hellhound leader as.

Trying to smooth things over as she absently folded Swan's sheet of a skirt, Jade spoke up in her best regal voice and eyed the large plasma cannon on Icepaw's back. "Ahem... y-yes of course Swan, I will hold on to these. Now then Mr. Icepaw, just so we are clear on the rules of this barbaric competition, I assume since weaponry is allowed, my sister may use her magic without limit?"

Icepaw shook off the murmur of chuckles around him and snapped a claw for instant silence, glaring back and stretching his long arms wide. "Fine, not scared of pony magic. No can leave arena once start, but can go up or down inside ring. Fight until one side dies or yields, loser bow to will of winner. White Legs win, Princess pony and friends leave, we go back to taking town with no annoying bat making noises. You win you do what?"

"I... I have not decided yet, I hope to find a compromise if possible. My decision is irrelevant until we are victorious however, so let us focus on the matter at hoof. Sister, please be careful! I will be right here to heal you when you are done!" Jade hedged a bit and turned to Swan, giving her an encouraging nudge to her long leg before fluttering back to the fence.

"Be really careful Swan, don't underestimate him, he's fought one of your sisters all super sized too, so don't rely on that! I'll be right here too, so you... you finish him off safe ok!"

Swan simply grinned down at me and leaned over to plant a slobbery kiss on my cheek, standing and spreading her legs wide in a ready stance as I followed Jade, Val and Witchy to the other side of the fence and a small stretch clear of cheering hellhounds.

Hooking my forelegs over the timber to lean over and watch anxiously, I held my breath as Icepaw lifted a gleaming claw high and smirked to his pack. "Princess pony and champion invoke ancient rite of challenge, and White Legs no back down from fight! Now we see who top dog! Ready?"

Swan gave a cheery nod down at her opponent, spreading her wings and smiling with sharp teeth as her eyes got dragonish. "Ready..."

Icepaw's claw came down swiftly with a gruff shout and the mounting tension broke in a wave of cheers at his shout, "Fight!"

As soon as the signal was given, both combatants leapt into action in a flurry of movement. Swan wasted no time, her long foreleg shot out and bridged the short distance between them before Icepaw could react, smashing into his jaw and sending him flying. The hellhound alpha was quick though, a series of long gashes opened up down Swan's leg in a parting shot and Icepaw hit the ground rolling, unholstering his plasma cannon and taking aim in one fluid movement.

Swan charged sideways instantly, dodging the first blazing green ball of plasma and bringing up her overcharged shield to take the next shot that tracked her far too accurately. The third blast was met by a bright violet beam from her horn just as it left he barrel, exploding in a flash of light Icepaw used to disappear underground.

Still appearing to be enjoying herself despite losing track of her opponent, Swan glanced all around her in anticipation, watching the muddy earth closely for any sign of movement. Her hooves were surrounded in a pale nimbus of purple magic as she cast some unknown spell and reared back on her hindlegs, pausing and adjusting her crashing course back down in response to her ears flicking to the right.

When her large forelegs slammed down to the ground, a ring of radiating force exploded around her with a rumble. Icepaw dove out of the ground behind her in response, crackling with purple magic as he leapt up to Swan's flank. The vicious hellhound bit and clawed at her flank in a spray of blood pattering to the mud, bringing his claws on his left together into a piercing wedge that punctured Swan's side and made me wince.

My breathless view was momentarily obstructed by a lot of blue squeezing what little air I held onto out, Jade fretted and curled around me from behind worriedly at the sight of her sister bucking crazily to dislodge the snarling hellhound firmly attached to her flank.

"Oh! I do not like this at all Fast! She is getting so injured! L-Look at all the blood!" Jade cried out above me, flinching back from another fan of blood from flashing claws.

Val had none of Jade's problems watching the show, cheerily munching on a string of rock candy she had pilfered from somewhere in Salt Lick. "C'mon big stuff! Kick his ass! Sit on him!"

Apparently Swan heard the raucous advice, giving a hard flap with her wide wings to go straight up, falling backwards to land squarely on her rump and squishing the furious hellhound under her bulk. My sharp ears flicked at the sound of bones snapping before Icepaw burrowed underground again, letting Swan limp back to her hooves and summon a ring of glowing purple arrows around her head.

Watching Swan prancing around the ring agilely and launching her spells to go quivering several feet in the ground around her, I had to struggle against the wave of voices in my head rising up at the show. 'Be Strong!' and 'Be Unwavering!' cheered and shouted, willing their support to the devastating purple mare. The bright pink mote of 'Awareness' watched every blow and blast closely, picking up the subtle cues Swan was using to stay ahead of the fast hellhound jumping out of the ground at different angles and trading hits with her.

'Be Kind...' however was quailing in fright as much as Jade squeezing me like a stress toy, the soothing, gentle spirit utterly occupied by trying to keep the rising roar of 'Be Dark...' back. The two opposing forces were locked in their own battle, one only worried for Swan and wanting no one to be hurt, the other making me gnash my fangs and growl as it demanded tagging in and making the dog suffer for just the damage he had already done.

Absorbed as I was by the fight and trying to stay in control, I almost didn't notice the gaggle of minotaurs and ponies cautiously making their way closer until they were right on us. None of the nearby hellhounds made a move to block them or attack at least, even graciously making room at the fence for more spectators. As far as they were concerned, the only fighting allowed at the moment was between Swan and Icepaw, all other grudges were forgotten.

Jade was forced to release me to suck in air by Sledge nudging his way forward, leaning down to speak in a conspiratorial whisper. "Hey... Fast, we er... we might have a problem..."

"Problem? What problem?" I diverted a little attention from Swan flapping above the arena and raining destruction down on the muddy ground, turning to the anxious looking minotaur curiously.

Sledge fidgeted and his attention was taken by a blast of plasma cracking Swan's blazing shield before giving a reluctant answer full of worry. "Er... The Chief, he was mighty pissed... I went ta talk to him and get him to watch the fight, at least get an idea of what kinda prey we were dealin' with for after. I couldn't find him though, and ummm... Ester is gone from the armory..."

"Ester? W-Who is Ester and why is she a problem Sledge? I... OH! Swan look out!" Jade turned for a moment in concern, looking back sharply when Swan barely dodged another blast as her shield failed.

Sledge looked a little guilty, gulping before he spit out the answer. "Not a who, a what Princess... Ester is a B.E.L. we took it from the evidence lockup of the old cop shop ages ago, a Balefire Egg Launcher... we keep it around fer emergencies and big game. If the Chief took it..."

Looking up to the minotaur's worried grimace, I gulped as Val's suggestion came back to me. All these hellhounds out in the open... launching a balefire egg down on them would certainly take out a lot of them in one go and protect Salt Lick. It would also ruin any hopes for peace, not to mention blast us all to glowing cinders...

"Shit! Where would he go Sledge? Would he really... we have to stop him!" I nearly yelped in panic, biting my tongue to keep it down to a rushed whisper and turning to Jade. "S-Stay with Swan, be ready to help her and get everybody outta here, I gotta go with Sledge! Val, come on!"

Jade didn't look happy, but winced at another series of heavy blows traded between the two combatants nearby and put on a brave face, nodding and letting me go to the anxious minotaur. "V-Very well Fast, hurry! I only hope Mr. Smasher's fears are unfounded, but I am afraid he may do something foolish as well, please stop him! W-Without hurting him... i-if you can..."

Already flapping crazily to pull away from the crowd and the tempting view of Swan bucking Icepaw across the lot, I gave my best reassuring look and galloped off with Val on my tail. I'd do as she asked and try to keep this peaceful, but if Steelfist really was willing to lob a balefire egg down on all the hellhounds along with us, I wasn't exactly in a forgiving mood. Not only was his assinine plan pulling me away from watching Swan's struggle, if successful he'd kill both her and Jade, along with our unborn foal, Val, Witchy and everyone else in range.

"Ok Sledge, think! Where would Steelfist go to use this Ester? What would he do?"

Answering my growl at a slowing trot once we pulled away from any listening ears in the audience, Sledge scratched his spiky mane and looked up in rushed thought. "Hrrrmm... think... He'd want somewhere elevated huntin' with that thing, a clear line of fire and downwind... This way!"

'This way' turned out to be in the direction of the ruined train station up the increasing slope northwest from the fairgrounds, confirmed for Sledge when he licked a thick finger and held it up to the gentle breeze blowing north. Thinking like a hunter wasn't something that came naturally to me, but I saw (and smelled) his point with my still unfamiliar predator like senses. I could still catch the overwhelming wet-dog scent of a lot of hellhounds behind us, but nothing from the rusty traincars and crumbling station ahead, though I could see several excellent firing positions through the gloom already.

"Oy, Sledge! Ya realize we may have ta take out yer chief here, right? You ok with that?" Val bounded along the ground with us, following Sledge's path through the blackened trees and limited foliage for cover.

She raised a good point, one Sledge furrowed his thick brow at and muttered in response. "I'm hopin' seein' some of our people down there might make him reconsider. They know what's up and volunteered, wanted ta see the show anyway. Somethin' about it bein' just like some story? Hopefully with them stickin' close he won't do it, or we can talk him down if he's actually thinkin' about it anyway. If it comes down to it though... I dunno... If it comes to the gun, I'll see it done! Ok?"

"Ok Sledge, we'll try to leave it to your call. Fair warning though, if he's going to hurt Jade and the others... I'll stop him, by whatever means necessary..."

Our minotaur friend seemed to accept that as fair compromise, I really didn't want to be forced to kill the leader of his town after all, it was hardly a good way to make friends... He at least knew not wanting to and not doing it anyway were two separate things, falling into a worried silence as we quietly slipped into the railyard.

Sneaking down the rows of ancient rail cars and equipment was made more difficult by distraction, continually looking back the way we came and peeking between the cars at Swan's fight at every shout or shared wince of the crowd. If nothing else, Icepaw was taking Swan a long time to put down, which was quite the testament to his own prowess. Though some of that may have been Swan doing as Jade asked and trying not to kill him.

The hellhound wasn't being nearly so considerate if that was the case. Just the glimpses I caught showed Swan was smart to take off her alluring white and pink outfit, it would be stained completely crimson by now if she hadn't... Slashes and bites marred her purple coat all over, only her increased mass and the amount of power she had absorbed to attain it kept many of them from being fatal. While she was already noticeably smaller burning through her reserves to cast spells and regenerate, at least several long gashes couldn't slice all the way through her legs or neck in one pass.

Turning away from my latest fleeting glimpse of the big mare snapping out and catching Icepaw's hindleg in her fangs before he could completely dive underground, then swinging him back out of his hole like a rag doll, I had to suppress a cheer and keep going hurriedly. A mark had appeared on Eyes Forward Sparkle ahead of us, one that kept blinking between green and red...

Nodding that way silently to my companions, I had to give it to Sledge, he thought like a hunter and accurately guessed how a fellow hunter would in turn. The broken clock tower of the dilapidated old train station was occupied by Chief Steelfist alright, the large weapon poking out of the ruins was up on his meaty shoulder already and aimed at the fairgrounds below, the sickly rainbow glow of the oblong round in the miniature catapult ready to fly.

Seeing the devastating weapon of mass destruction zeroed in on where Jade stood, stealth was immediately abandoned and my wings carried me between Steelfist and his target before I consciously thought of anything. Spreading my legs wide to try to block his shot, I saw Sledge pelting into the train station's doors below and found Val at my side.

The griffon's grenade machinegun powered up as she flapped sedately at Steelfist's left, where he could see the threat she posed over the shoulder not blocked by the heavy B.E.L. as she drawled menacingly. "Wouldn't do that if I was you tough guy..."

"Steelfist! Stop this! And quit pointing that fucking thing at my friends! NOW!" The booming, furious voice of the Shrouded Stallion roared out, punctuated by the click of Vengeance's hammer coming back, the gleaming revolver appearing like magic and aimed at the Chief's head.

He didn't try to fire at least, though he didn't drop his weapon either. Steelfist glared back, holding the balefire egg launcher at the ready and snorting angrily. "Move stupid pony! Never get a better shot at all those damn dogs, takin' it while I got it! You mutants all get off on radiation anyway, that big filly down there was whinin' about it enough anyway! She'll be fine!"

"They're immune to the rads, not the big fucking explosion dammit!! Witchy isn't even an alicorn either, even if you did think Jade and Swan would be fine, you're willing to blast her to ashes when she saved your town!?" I screamed and sputtered back, fighting the tempting howl of 'Be Dark...' making my revolver shake in fury.

"Not to mention our own people Chief? Look closer, they're comin' out ta watch, you'd kill the folks you say you're tryin' to protect?" Sledge's rumbling voice panted up the stairwell behind Steelfist sternly, holding his cannon of a quadruple barreled shotgun on his own leader's back.

Completely surrounded now, Steelfist kept the massive B.E.L. Ester trained on me, subtly waggling left and right for a clearer line of fire. If he pulled the trigger now, at least Jade would be safe so long as it hit me, though me, Val, Sledge and this entire train station would go up in a fireball of balefire.

Steelfist's face was screwed up in rage and frustration, but so far he didn't seem to find his own destruction that appealing anyway. "Told em not to have anything to do with that nonsense! Be their own damn fault for disobeying their Chief! Like you are now Sledge, back off... if you're so worried, better run down there an' get em outta the way before they get hurt!"

Seeing Sledge taking a stand with us rather than doing as his Chief commanded helped me stay in control of the tempting impulse to just blow his head off. The thick, spiky, scaly green armor Steelfist wore looked pretty sturdy, but it didn't cover his horned noggin. Jade wouldn't like it though, and Sledge was here trying to talk him down, maybe there could still be a peaceful way out of this.

"I let em go watch 'cause I had an idea what you were up to Chief, this ain't right... These folks are tryin' to help, but you'd use em and kill em just 'cause your pissed? Give em a chance Chief, maybe they got a better way! That right there is a fair fight, where's yer honor!?" Sledge imploring his leader made him flinch, the long barrel of Ester dipping slightly in response to the shaming.

Unfortunately it was only for a moment, Steelfist seemed to debate internally before steadying the weapon again and growling back. "I'm protectin' my town! Those mutts attacked us! Killed my people! Started destroyin' MY town!"

"Our town Chief... and the Princess pony was right, we ain't innocent victims here. Hell, some of my hunters shot at em thinkin' they were dumb monsters ta drive off, I'm bettin' you did more than that while we was out there in the woods too. If we keep goin' over who hit first, it'll never end! Enough already Chief! Enough have died, if Fast and his mare say they got another way, we should give em a shot!" Sledge shouted back, his forceful defiance making me more sure Jade really was a Princess for everybody, she had managed to get through to Sledge during our time together and made him a believer apparently.

Steelfist only grew angrier at the insubordination, rumbling over his shoulder at the younger bull. "Oh I'll give em a shot alright ya overgrown calf! You on the side of some pony Princess and not your own chief Sledge? Want her to be in charge instead!? You heard her, she ain't gonna send these mutts packin' even if that big freak wins!"

"Do not call her that!" My voice deepened into the Shroud's in a roar, making me focus to push 'Be Dark...' back with the clink of chains echoing in my ears as I continued, gritting my teeth and seething. "We're trying to help dammit! Swan's out there fighting on your behalf! She'll win if you give her the chance!"

As if in answer to my faith in her abilities, I heard Swan's booming voice scream out in effort as the area was bathed in violet light, drawing all of our attention back to the fairgrounds and the battle still playing out. Swan hovered in the air above the muddy lot, the blazing sphere of her shield filling the confines of the fenced area, though only half of it was visible.

A dome was crackling around her above ground, while by the curve of the barrier, the rest sank deep below the muddy lot. That theory was quickly confirmed when she grunted and gave her wide wings a might flap, slowly rising higher and taking a large chunk of earth with her. Icepaw's surprised face was just visible pressed against the bottom and struggling to get out.

Rising higher into the air, Swan's shield dissipated as her telekinesis took over, enveloping the massive upside down dome of earth and squeezing it as she flew up. The muddy ground was compressed quickly under the incredible strength she was applying to it, water poured out in a torrent to the huge crater left behind and the rough ball she still held took on the texture of stone.

Having gained quite a bit of altitude, Swan spun in the air and launched the clump of dirt ahead of her like a bullet, shattering in an explosion of dust as she fell streaked down after it. Icepaw never had a chance to move, choking on the cloud of dust when he sucked in air to replace what was obviously knocked out from the blow, right before all four of Swan's big hooves came down like a bomb and flattened him.

I turned back quickly and found Steelfist goggling at the display, the grip of his cybernetic hand on the trigger slackening as he gaped. That gave me a moment's opening and I took it, the blue field of my telekinesis enveloping the appendage I had so recently repaired. I did the work trying to be friendly, but it gave me a working schematic of the complicated arcano-tech cybernetics still fresh in my mind, one I took advantage of now.

In a flash Steelfist's prosthesis was dissassembled on the spot, spreading out into a cloud of parts that resembled an exploded diagram before clattering to the floor of the clock tower, along with Ester now that half his grip was suddenly gone.

"It's over Chief... all of it, she won. Come on down and we'll forget all of this, nobody in town needs ta know other than the ones who came out, the ones you were willin' ta kill... I don't think the Princess wants to be in charge in Salt Lick, but I think we need ta talk about whether you should be anymore..." Sledge spoke in a relieved, shaky voice, tearing his eyes away from Swan growling down at her captive opponent and presumably forcing him to give up.

All I wanted was for this to be over, to go down there with Jade and congratulate Swan, to celebrate her victory and move forward together. Unfortunately questioning his future leadership only infuriated Steelfist more, the crazed minotaur moved faster than his years should allow, reaching down with his one good hand to grab the glowing balefire egg and leaping off the clocktower, rolling to a large patch of sloped roof and sliding to the ground before any of us could recover.

He hit the ground running, tucking the pulsing oblong explosive into his elbow and against his broad chest, dashing straight towards the fairgrounds. Without the launcher, he was running the damn thing in himself! A good enough hit to the bundle of balefire would set it off, all he had to do was get there and spike it in the middle of everyone!

No... No he wouldn't! Val was already flying after him and Sledge followed his shortcut to the ground, while I dove for the criss crossing train tracks and dark lightning surged around me. I might fall behind trying to catch up in the air, but on the good old ground even the surprisingly agile old bull wasn't outrunning me.

I had to give him this much, Steelfist was fast and good at dodging obstacles to keep between us with his odd upright stride. The Chieftan of Salt Lick managed to break from the cover of the blackened trees at a full run towards the fairgrounds before I caught up. My magic reached out as I closed the distance, tugging at the balefire egg cradled in his arms but unable to pull it free from his grip.

"Val! Catch it!!" I screamed as I barreled onward in an electric flicker, trusting my faithful bodyguard to be ready as I plowed into Steelfist at full speed and yanked.

The rolling tackle weakened his grip just enough to pull the balefire egg free, launching it straight up to be instantly snagged by Val's claws swooping in for the catch, while Steelfist and I rolled down the slope and towards the crowd turning our way.

The two of us smashed through the timber fence and tumbled down the new crater Swan had left, snarling, bucking, punching and biting as we rolled down the declivity and splashed to the puddle of muddy water at the bottom. A sharp shot to my gut by Steelfist's knee finally broke my savage hold, tearing away a meaty chunk from his shoulder as he dislodged me. The two of us instantly scrambled back to our hooves and started prowling around each other in the bottom of the pit.

Jade's anxious cry from above got me to flick my gaze away from the panting minotaur unsheathing the huge sword slung on his back. She fluttered away from healing both the wounded Swan and Icepaw to prance at the edge, calling out in a worried voice. "F-Fast!? Are you alright? W-What is going on!? Why are you..."

"Shut up 'Princess'! This is between me and the runty pony! Only fair eh 'Shroud'? You folks come in and stick yer nose in our business, beat the leader of those dogs somehow, only right you have to beat the ruler of Salt Lick too before you just take over huh?" Steelfist snarled and flicked a switch on the hilt of his claymore, wreathing the blade in a field of corrupted magic.

Drawing Best Served, I kept my burning eyes locked on Steelfist and called up to Jade, working hard to keep the growl out of my voice before returning my attention to the minotaur. "It's ok Jade! Just a little disagreement... For the last time, we don't want to take over dumbass! Though I don't think you'll be ruler of anything after this Steelfist, you can still stop..."

Steelfist lunged forward in response, bridging the shrinking circle between us with his long weapon swinging down like a hammer. My own knife flew up and met it head on with a resounding 'clang!', the starmetal weapon halting the crackling blade as the force of the blow drove me into the muck.

While surprise at being stopped by the comparatively minuscule weapon registered on Steelfist's face for a moment, he quickly recovered and swung the huge sword around in a spinning arc, forcing me to flap up and barely dodge it whooshing by under my hooves. I absently heard the rising barks and howls above mingling with the shouts of ponies and minotaurs, the audience was getting a double feature and didn't know what to make of it.

Best Served flashed out as I darted forward, missing Steelfist's throat when he ducked, but taking one of his long horns neatly off. Opting for speed over power, the minotaur shot his stump ended arm forward in a mighty uppercut that sent me reeling. The spiny scaled bracers matching the rest of his armor lacerated my face on the way, coming within inches of tearing my right eye out of the socket.

Blood poured into my eye and blinded it anyway, though at least it was still there under my squinting brow, that wasn't much consolation to Jade wailing above us. Hurriedly wiping the blood away gave me a blurry, red tinted view of Steelfist's sword slashing out again, forcing me on the defensive to dodge and parry his furious attacks.

Ducking another horizontal slash, I dove forward going for the minotaur's bowed legs. Steelfist's sword had to weigh more than I did, but the old bull wielded it like it was light as a feather. He brought the jeweled pommel back from his missed swing to smash into my side with a painful crack that sent me rolling away, my own slash on track to take his leg leaving only a shallow gash on his meaty thigh.

The bright blue glow of my magic surrounded the muck we were splashing around in, lifting a wave of muddy water that crested over Steelfist's head as it surged forward, giving me cover to dart to the side while he slashed uselessly at it. Part of me was still rational enough to realize I could just pull one of my multitude of firearms and end this, but that aggressive, dominating, alpha male voice refused.

At least there were good and peaceful reasons for listening to it, I didn't really want to kill the leader of Salt Lick if I could avoid it, maim maybe... but killing would only cause more problems. Of course that wasn't really why the shadowy Shroud in my head demanded meeting Steelfist blade for blade, doing otherwise against a crippled opponent in a fair battle for dominance was just ...wrong... according to that voice, dishonorable... cowardly.

Neither the hellhounds nor the minotaurs would respect winning through firepower, Steelfist was at least right on that one point. Swan beat the leader of the hellhounds in a fair fight, it was only right Steelfist get the same treatment. While he sputtered on the wall of water drenching him, a flicker of lightning propelled me to his back and a wing assisted leap let me wrap my forelegs around his thick neck, squeezing off his windpipe and cutting short his wet coughs.

The wall of muscle under me bucked and fought crazily, the desperation of too little oxygen making him sloppy and frantic. Any hopes I could choke him into submission with earth pony strength was short lived however, Steelfist was old and got that way by being a survivor, facing foes a lot bigger, meaner and tougher than one crazy little pony. Regaining his senses, he simply fell backwards and flattened me under his bulk, pinning me between the mud that threatened to swallow me up and the piercing spines of his armor puncturing my chest, while he took in great whoops of air.

Having caught enough breath and smart enough to get away before the knife in my mouth found his neck, Steelfist rolled free and hefted his oversized sword in one fluid movement, swinging over his head and straight down at me flopping on the ground, trying to chop me in half and end this in one mighty blow.

A rolling dodge to the left let the wide sword slash harmlessly into the earth inches away, giving a few hairs of my mane a bit of a trim. I got a brief glimpse of my own reflection in the polished surface of the blade quivering in the ground right in front of my face. Time seemed to slow down and I marveled at the pony looking back at me... that bloody, snarling grimace was a stranger.

The one clear and open eye burning back had a slitted pupil like a dragon's and almost seemed to be glowing a dull crimson, the sharp fangs opening in a roar gleamed in the moonlight, before disappearing from the reflective surface as I darted forward.

With only one hand, Steelfist was a little awkward wielding the huge two handed sword, giving me a moment while he tried to tug it free from the ground. Taking advantage of the opening, Best Served whickered through the air and came down like a guillotine, making Steelfist's left hand match the stump on the right as it was severed and thumped to the muddy ground.

Spreading my wings and adding to my forward momentum, I went for Steelfist's unarmored throat while he howled in pain. The burly minotaur was off balance and his fresh stump sprayed blood everywhere, coating me in red as he toppled backwards from me slamming into him and latching on to his neck.

I could feel his racing pulse through the jugular under my fangs, barely restraining myself and giving a muffled growl. "Yield... Now. Or die."

He regained enough of his wits to batter me with his stumps and roll around wildly, the spiky bracers piercing and slashing through my armored coat only made me tighten my grip however. My fangs sank deeper into the meaty flesh and the steady beat of 'Be Dark...' kept pushing past the wilting, kinder voices of the Ministry Mares. It rose up in a howl of encouragement to just rip his throat out and be done with it. It would be easy... He wouldn't be a problem anymore... All I had to do was pull...

"THAT IS ENOUGH!!" Jade's goddess voice tolled out nearby and I felt the familiar touch of her magic blast into us, my body going numb as everything went dark.

Conflicting dreams plagued the darkness that followed; happy ones of my old life in the Stable were intruded on by hordes of crazed raiders battering down the gear shaped door and rampaging within, bright visions of returning to my old house in Sanctuary and celebrating the birth of several foals were shattered by pale Institute robots led by unstoppable Coursers slaughtering everyone, simple thoughts of warm hugs from Glitter ended with her turning to ash in my hooves by a Gunner's blast.

Beneath every pleasant thought turned terrible was the clink of chains and a steady clang of something struggling to get free, growing louder at each imagined tragedy and quieter with every bit of warmth that replaced it, only to repeat the cycle again and again. The distant, muffled refrain of LET. ME. OUT. chasing me through my nightmares.

When consciousness finally started coming back, it was somewhat confusing, though still a relief after the string of nightmares. Everything was quite dark and warm, smelling strongly of sweet, vanilla tinged female, blood and antiseptic, with a faint scent of musty old hay and mud under it all. Only adding to my confusion trying to figure out where I was, was the realization I couldn't really move anything but my head, and that was with some difficulty given the soft, pliant resistance smothering me.

"Oh! I think he's awake sister, hang on..." Swan's muffled voice came from all around me, followed by shuffling movement and a sudden breath of fresher, chillier air and bright light that made me clench my eyes ...eye... shut.

The first sight that resolved out of the large purple blur I squinted at was Swan's beaming, upside down face. Not nearly as large as she was before, but still quite sufficiently expanded enough to essentially be laying on top of me. After following her long neck down to her broad chest sprawled over my own, I took note of all the pale bandages and dried blood breaking up the long expanse of her lavender fur.

"Ah good sister, allow me to check his wounds if you please, then you may have him back." Jade's stern voice replied, making me struggle to move my head and find her, while trying to figure out where I was and what was going on.

There she was, tugging me from her sister's grasp and floating me up to her disapproving gaze. We were in a... barn? It was a large, rickety wooden structure that smelled of long ago hay, so probably a good guess. Smiling sheepishly back to Jade's pout, I wished I could move to hug or express affection somehow to wipe away her frown, but apparently she had anesthetized me and it hadn't worn off.

"Nnngh... H-Hi Jade, w-what's goin' on? We won, right?" I groaned weakly, curious why my view seemed limited and my depth perception was off, until she peeled a long strip of magical bandages from my face with a sticky, tearing sound that made me yelp.

Blinking a moment with two eyes again, my vision resolved to find Jade rolling her eyes with a 'tsk' before focusing closely on my face. "Yes, we have won Fast, and you did not lose your eye in your own struggle. Honestly, Swan and Mr. Icepaw's injuries were severe enough, did you two really need to add to my workload?"

My instant apology was interrupted by the petulant mutter of a gruff, familiar voice. Chief Steelfist grumbled back from the corner of the large pen we were apparently recovering in, wound in his own bandages and appearing to be as numb as I was. "Didn't ask for help there Princess... could'a left me in the mud, be better than current company anyway..."

"Shut up stupid bull, no like either. You win Princess pony, no reason to be mean and make stay with sneaking, cheating bull. Where my pack? What you do? Want leave smelly barn!" Icepaw's whining growl on the other side of the pen nearly made my heart stop, the paralysis still keeping me still only let me roll my eyes that way frantically to spot the vicious hound.

Icepaw was in pretty rough shape too, practically mummified in magical bandages, along with a rough cast covering one long foreleg and the opposite stubby hindleg. His pale coat was stained pink with blood and singed here and there by Swan's magic, though he seemed as paralyzed as the rest of us leaning against a long empty feeding trough, so not in any pain.

"Your pack is outside, along with many residents of Salt Lick. I must say they are behaving and getting along much better than the three of you, your subordinates are being very helpful and a good deal more reasonable. As for what I will do, I must return to doing it. I will not order the White Legs to leave, nor will I allow them to continue their attacks on Salt Lick, or permit the villagers attacking them. With you recuperating, Mr. Sledge and Mr. Buster are doing quite well helping me broker a peace everyone can find acceptable in your stead, so here you stay for the time being. For your recovery of course..." Jade stuck her nose up and replied coolly, her healing magic reaching out and checking on each of us in turn.

"H-Hey hon! What about me? Aren't I good enough to leave yet?" I squeaked as Swan's forelegs wrapped around me and she nuzzled happily from her reclined position, squeezing me back to her chest like a get well teddy bear.

Jade looked back with a narrow eyed glower, huffing primly and shaking her head with finality. "You can stay right where you are and keep Swan company while she recovers Fast, she does deserve a prize for her impressive victory and restraint, which is more than I can say for you... I suggest you all use this time to get along and talk, as you incapable of any other mischief. Now then, I shall leave you in the care of my little nurse, perhaps she can facilitate things hmm Gale?"

The little breezie in the Ministry of Peace nurse uniform dutifully fluttered out from Jade's cloudy mane, landing at the edge of the pen and bowing with her brother beside her. "Yes Princess Doctor pony! Ve vatch, give medicine und make happy so make talky talky! Yu go ahead!"

At that Jade gave one final glare before turning on her heel and trotting out, pausing at the door to murmur back with a silky, dangerous edge to her voice. "We will discuss your own rash actions and your punishment later Fast, I suggest you do what you can to make up for it here with your fellow violent males..."

I gulped watching her go, catching her voice changing once she was clear of the doors, becoming kind and sweet to those I could hear crowding outside. When Spring Gale flitted up to offer a nectar dusted foreleg, I gratefully slurped the medication up and just tried to enjoy Swan's giddy attention as the wonderful euphoria took hold.

My example was enough for Steelfist and Icepaw to follow and take the offered medicine at least, the minotaur licking it reluctantly, while Icepaw grumbled before eventually slurping it up in a sloppy dog lick to the shaking mare's hoof. I was proud of Gale's bravery if nothing else, only giving a frightened chitter of 'No bitey!' when inches away from the hellhound's gleaming fangs.

There was a brief silence broken only by a shared sigh of relief between us. Numb as we were, only Swan benefited from the pain relieving properties, but the calming mental relaxation was a balm for all of us, though it did make Swan a bit more insistent in her affections.

After a few minutes of quiet reflection, Steelfist chuckled gruffly in my general direction. "Your mare is scary Fast... Helluva doctor though, thanks to her I guess they won't start calling me Steelfists eh?"

Peeking past Swan's curtain of a mane, I saw what he was gesturing at with his eyes and had to smile at the joke. Under all the bandages wrapped around his wrist, Steelfist's remaining flesh and blood hand was back where it belonged. At least when Best Served severed something, the cut was clean and Jade could generally reattach whatever got lopped off. He still had a long healed over stump on the other wrist, but got to keep his other hand anyway.

"Princess good pony, not-so-fake Shadow pony have good mate. Little Shadow pony good too, good fight, stop bull and save pack. Maybe fake, but maybe not... Act like Shadow pony from legend anyway, so we trust Sanctuary Kingdom ponies. Better than dishonorable bull what tries blowing us up." Icepaw slurred slowly in response, struggling to nod along with Steelfist's appraisal while still glaring at him.

"Er... thanks, I think. Jade is tougher than she looks and can definitely be scary, but she has a point I guess. The four of us fighting was better than everybody going at it and killing each other, but she still doesn't like seeing us hurt, that's what she's mad about. Maybe we should take the hint and try getting along, if we want out anytime soon anyway. Though I'm not too happy with you either Steelfist, you really would have blown her up, along with your own people?"

Steelfist actually managed to look a little ashamed, muttering back with a snort and tired sigh. "I thought it was the best thing for my town, or maybe just for me... How are we supposed to trust a pack of wild hellhounds moving on in huh? They killed my people and attacked my town!"

"You people attack us! We just want get away from Green Beast, find new home and help! Bulls try to drive us away with guns and dynamite when we try to talk! You start fight, you try to take advantage of sacred rite of challenge to cheat!" Icepaw barked back, prompting Gale to give the large hellhound another dose of nectar and speak up quietly.

"Is misunderstanding yes? Both do bad tings cause scared of each uther? Is like this all over beeg pony world Shroud Fast?" Gale cocked her head curiously and barely flinched when Icepaw took the offered medication that softened his scowl instantly.

"Misunderstandings and fear cause a lot of problems out here, yeah Gale. That's pretty much what caused the great war I think, I guess we still haven't learned any better since then. I know the Institute encourages and takes advantage of it still... We can try to do better though, that's what Jade wants you guys, can't you give her way a chance?"

Both Icepaw and Steelfist fell silent at that, mulling my plea over as Gale fluttered between them expectantly. Building a bridge between them wasn't going to be easy, but I had the feeling the curious little breezie had managed to lay the first stone.

Swan unknowingly followed her lead, not actually trying for anything so complicated as diplomacy, simply voicing her cheery thoughts aloud as she kept right on cuddling her prize. "I had fun, it was a good fight Icepaw! I've fought lots of dogs, but you're one of the toughest! I'd like to do it again when we're all better sometime, for fun! Your fight was good too Fast, I liked watching it, though sister Jade wasn't very happy about it."

With a double dose of nectar, Icepaw actually gave a hearty, barking laugh at the big filly. "That true, was one hell of a fight big pony! I fight Green Beast when we escape home and she bigger than you, but you lots tougher. When we all better, I like to do it again too, contest for fun someday be better. If we stay here, we do again big pony. Without cheating bull ruining it..."

"Already planning on sticking around huh? I knew the Princess would take you dog's side, that's why I took things into my own hands! Hmm... hand now I guess.." Steelfist shot back, slowing as he mused over his missing cybernetics leaving him short a hand to back up his threats.

"Vhy yu no like doggies so much mino person? Dey no seem so bad now dat not attacking. Scary... but mino person scary too. Can yu no get along?" Gale continued her efforts at peacemaking, following Jade and her Holy Fluttershy's example, acting as a wonderful emissary for the Breezie Nation.

The little breezie mare hovering in his face actually seemed to shame Steelfist, a mythical fairy from his people's legends calling for peace looked to sink in where others didn't. "Hellhounds are trouble little fairy, worst monsters to hunt... big bastard in the city killed my pa!"

That admission was apparently the source of a lot of Steelfist's anger and mistrust. A point Icepaw was quick to jump on in his response, "White Legs no kill stupid bull's sire! We live in Glowing Sea for generations and just want be alone! Dog what kill your father not one of us. Not like we want be here either, just looking for place to survive!"

Even paralyzed, I could at least flick through my pip-buck display overlaid on my vision, checking over the map before venturing a guess. "He's right Steelfist, I can see your perspective if a hellhound killed your father, but it's not fair to blame all of them for the actions of just one a long time ago. Besides, if it was in the city from here... I may have blown that particular hellhound up in Poncord, er... if that helps any?"

"Fake Shadow pony kill old Longfang? That impressive, think about going to his territory and challenging, but tough old dog and no want to go all the way to city. Mines good home for pack, but still no trust cheating bulls." Icepaw muttered back in a quiet tone, ending on a growl towards the pouting Steelfist.

"But you trust us, right? You like Swan and believe in Princess Jade? Can you let us stand in the middle of you two and find a compromise?"

"What compromise? You're just letting them walk all over us and take our mines!" Steelfist insisted on ruining Icepaw's thoughtful look, but we were making slow progress anyway.

"We're not trying to push you around or take over Steelfist, we're just trying to help, everybody... Those mines saved your people when the bombs fell right? They were a refuge, a sanctuary... that's all the White Legs are looking for. Working together would be a lot better for all of you than fighting, I understand the salt mines are pretty damn big, you don't even use all of them right? Let the hellhounds live there, trade the meat you hunt for their help digging the salt up. The two of you together are a hell of a lot stronger than either alone, who in their right mind would ever mess with a town full of minotaurs and hellhounds?"

Giving an appraising look at Icepaw, even Steelfist had to chuckle and agree with that last point. "Nobody... But how can we trust them? How can we get along after we've been killing each other?"

"Trust us then, trust the Minutemares and the Followers. There's a group of them on their way here now, let them set up an outpost right here in the fairgrounds between the two of you, use us as a go between until you can trust each other. Let the big freaking hole Swan dug out be where you two bury the hatchet. Jade is always fair and kind to everyone, she won't take one side over the other. Both of you can be allies of Sanctuary, please give us a chance."

"There's more than monsters coming from the Glowing Sea you guys... The 'Green Beast' and her mutants are being used by the Institute, and I think they're working with the Gunners somehow too. The Institute is my enemy and yours, they caused all this, drove the White Legs up here along with all the monsters we want to turn back. They won't stop there either, you guys are probably already in their sights. Together you can help us take them on, but apart you're easy pickings for them, which is just what the Institute wants. Don't fall for it huh? Help us and let us help you, stand together against the real threat instead of squabbling with each other."

For once my impassioned plea seemed to sink in, leaving both leaders silent and thinking sullenly. The fact there was a bigger threat than each other gave them something else to focus on. It would be up to Jade and the others to figure out a path from here, but at least they weren't at each others throats. Of course that may only last as long as her paralysis, but it was a start.

Swan broke the grim silence with a happy whinny and slobbery kiss that obliterated any image of me as a respectable figure to listen to. The big, bandaged filly shook her mane and curled up around me, flopping down to snuggle comfortably in the small pen and give a sleepy snort.

"Enough talking, I'm tired and bored from all your yapping Fast. Sleep and get better so we can play! We won, sister Jade can figure out all the dumb complicated stuff, our job is done and we both need to heal. She said I can keep you and make sure you don't try to sneak off, so you're staying right here!" Swan murmured softly and nibbled at my ears, pinning me in place so I really had no choice in the matter.

Considering the pain I could feel just waiting for Jade's magic to wear off, plus the soft, warm bulk of a lot of alicorn filly blanketing me, Swan got her way and I drifted off. I truly hoped for the best and was heartened by the soft whisper of 'Be Kind...' assuring me things could work out, but it was out of my hooves for the time being. We had done our part, now the best I could do was lean on my friends and family to handle the rest.

-------------------Level Up!-------------------

New Perk Added!------------------

Vigilant Recycler----------
---Practice makes perfect! Helping Swan bulk up has improved your limited skills with M.E.W.s! When using Magical Energy Weapons, you are now twice as likely to recover drained spark cells. You also have more efficient recycling recipes available at workbenches.

Reputation Change!-------------------

Salt Lick -- Smiling Troublemaker
---Some of the residents might not like how you resolved the threat of the White Legs, but most recognize you've done good. Nobody is going to be completely happy with compromise, so your reception in Salt Lick may be mixed for awhile.

White Legs -- Mixed
---The pack of refugee hellhounds won't be able to trust ponies completely for some time, but you made an impression and they all saw you fight on their behalf. Someday the pack and the villagers may come together into one faction and improve their opinion of you, for now at least you've made some progress and the White Legs generally won't try to kill you on sight.

Ch. 82 -- Oasis

"Nnnngh! C'mon Swan, keep pushing!"

Grunting and shoving with my hindlegs, while my back and forelegs were braced and sinking into the warm, springy wall of lavender softness stuck in the last Stable door we needed to get through, I couldn't help reflecting on how exactly I wound up in this position.

"Mmm... y-you push harder Fast! A l-little to the left please..." Swan moaned and shimmied slightly, though I noticed her big hindlegs weren't putting up much of a show of trying very hard.

When I went in for my last fateful period of stasis back in pod 101 in my own Stable, I never could have imagined where I'd wind up... Shoving and sweating against a long pink tail and an ass that took up the entire width of one of the familiar, standard Stable doorways leading to the atrium.

"Y-You're not even trying, are you Swan!? You're enjoying this! I told you, you shouldn't have eaten that thing!" I pulled away reluctantly, grumbling and sputtering at the silky tail playfully swatting at me.

The lusty, rumbling giggle from the wide open atrium somewhere beyond Swan's massive rear just frustrated me more, while also making my wings ache from standing up so straight and flaring against my wishes. "Awww... just a little more Fast... I like feeling you squirming around back there, try harder..."

Snorting and stamping a hoof, I tried to master the raging urges trying to take control and stomped back down the hall, getting some running room. Walking away also put me away from Swan's delightful smell that had been fogging my brain, letting me judge the impatiently wiggling rear ahead against the precise measurements of Stable doors I still had memorized. She could get through if she wanted... she was messing with me...

Another long moan put that thought to rest though, the rusty metal squealed as what I could see of Swan grew again, inching outwards and filling the narrow corridor. When it passed, I heard her panting and saw her hindlegs scrabble against the cold floor, the doorway, walls and ceiling groaning as she tugged and pulled with a slight gasp.

"Umm... Fast? I think I might really be stuck now..." Swan's quiet, sheepish whisper floated back to me.

I facefhoofed and groaned, taking a few more steps back down the hall. "Of course you are! You kept fooling around and pretending until it was true! You're wedged tight now you silly filly! A-Alright, you can still get out I think, just actually try this time ok? On three... 1...2..."

On '3' I ran forward at full speed, rocketing towards the giant rump straining and wiggling ahead. At the last second I threw my head back and slammed into the wall of pink and purple, interrupting the straining grunts on the other side with a sharp gasp as she finally popped free and we both tumbled through the door.

Shaking my head and sputtering on a lot of pink tail and darker pink skirt I had wound up under, I fought my way free and gulped at the position I wound up in, wedged between Swan's massive cheeks and looking up to her wide eyes peeking back over her shoulder at me hungrily.

We had made it to the wide open atrium, the biggest room in a Stable generally besides the orchards deeper within, so Swan could languidly stretch and arch her back comfortably. She didn't seem to notice beyond that however, the bands of pink flashing in her corneas came as warning a second too late.

Before I could extract myself she crossed her legs and pinned me in place, grinning mischievously. "Oooo... I like you right where you are Fast, you stay put..."

Again, cradling a jiggling rear that my wide stretched forelegs could barely reach around was not a position I ever expected to be in... Giving it a squeeze and trying to pull free just made her shudder and giggle happily, the more I fought, the more she flexed rhythmically, proving I wasn't going anywhere if she didn't want.

"N-Not funny Swan! C-Come on, lemme go! T-This isn't fun for me you know!"

Moaning at my efforts, Swan turned a smoldering look back and raised an eyebrow, flaring her nostrils to take in more of the pheromones my traitorous body was putting off. "You look like you like it... you're all red and cute, you smell good too Fast... Are you suuuuuure you want me to let go?"

'MORE'

"No... Y-Yes! I mean yes! Nnngh! Dammit! No fair Swan! At least lemme take a look around, there might be more breezidores down here and I don't wanna be i-interrupted... W-We can d-do this more... later... or now.... I... Hey? What's this?"

The losing battle I was fighting with my stupid body was thankfully interrupted by spotting a splash of color on the huge flanks holding me firmly. Tugging at the short pink skirt that kept fighting to keep up with a growing alicorn, I managed to pull the fabric aside and get a partial look at something that wasn't there before. Swan had a cutie mark...

"Hmm? No trying to trick me Fast, keep wiggling around back there... I like this very much and... oh? Oh! W-What is that?" Swan purred back, continuing her forceful flexing until she bothered blinking back at me and spotting the image I could only see a little of.

With a sudden shuffle that sent me flying and made the blast proof Stable shake around us, Swan let me go and spun around, wiggling her way upright and sitting on her side, yanking at her skirt to get a better view at the new image adorning her magnificent flanks.

"Owww... B-Believe me now? What is it Swan?" I groaned from where I had been flung, woozily looking up to the buzzing cafeteria sign on the other side of the atrium from where it would be in my Stable.

Swan at least seemed to realize she had sent me sailing away and that she had to be a little more careful, a worried gasp followed the bright violet glow of her magic picking me up, gently placing me back down in front of her to be dusted off with her wide wings. "Oh! I'm sorry Fast! I... g-got a little carried away... But look! I have a mark now! When did that happen!?"

I shook my head to clear all the tiny Swan's flitting around it, setting my spinning red eyes straight and peering at the big flank in front of me with interest. It was true, she really did have a cutie mark, a new image adorned what had previously been a blank flank the last time I saw it uncovered. I was quite sure she didn't have it when we got started up in Tree Hugger's office anyway, I had made a fairly careful inspection of every inch of her before getting distracted. Had it happened while we were...

Blushing furiously, I shuddered and returned to getting a good look now. Swan's mark was a funny, round metal hat, with a tuft of pink hair on the top and two huge, long horns coming out the sides and curving at the ends. This odd image was over a dark purple shield that complimented her lighter fur nicely.

The design was a little foreign to me, I'd never seen a helm like that, while the shield was taller and fancier than the simple blue crest on my own flank, but Swan looked positively enraptured. "My own horns... I got my own horns!"

"Umm... that's great Swan, I'm really proud and happy for you! Er... does it mean something to you? Most ponies I know say they know just what their mark means when they get it, but I never did. Jade gave me a good explanation though and I like to think she's right. So? Your own horns?"

Blinking away from the new cutie mark, Swan nodded rapidly, her horn level with the catwalks lining the atrium. "Yes! Yaks!"

"Yaks..."

"I remember! Yaks always said ' Yak horn too heavy for small pony head, puny pony too weak for horns!' when I asked for them as a little filly. Ha! Now I'm not! I got my own, just like I wanted! You were right Fast! They're still in my heart, I can carry on for them and be like my yak friends from before!" Swan tittered happily to herself, pure joy etched on her round face.

Relieved to have her distracted with the whole Stable open to me now, I fluttered up to her face and planted a kiss on her large nose, eliciting a delighted whinny as she returned the gesture with her own oversized, slobbery version to my face. "I'm really, really happy for you Swan. Maybe remembering the good yak memories instead of the bad ones helped?"

"I think so, I always just tried to forget before, but now they make me happy! Like you do Fast! It came when you played with me, let's do more! Do that thing with your tongue again, I like that!" Swan burbled and fluttered her eyelashes, quickly returning to her lusty focus as she shimmied on her haunches, leaning back and spreading her hindlegs with a moan as her horn inched up a little higher.

"H-Hang on Swan, we still don't know if it's safe in here, though there haven't been any breezidores in here at least. How about we take a break and I'll go look around, see what I can do about the reactor like the tree wants."

Considering she was unbuttoning her blouse the whole time I talked and watching me with a heavily lidded look, I was glad when she got to undoing her skirt and paused at her new cutie mark again, beaming back to me slowly flapping back out of her range. Swan definitely wanted more now that she had a taste, she took to sex just as quickly as she had to kissing... The novelty of having a mark at least interrupted her demanding pout, letting me carefully put distance between us so our respective scents weren't messing with each other.

Putting the brakes on the intimidating giant mare still impatiently waiting wasn't easy, but a cutie mark appearing was just enough to do it. Swan shook the heart shaped sparkles from her eyes and crossed her forelegs over the open flaps of her blouse, biting her lip and nodding reluctantly. "Nnnn... I guess so... But I can't go down more of those tiny halls, can't you do it later? Why do you have to fix the reactor, I like it like this! It's nice and tingly and I think that nice apple is wearing off."

"Whew... good, I was starting to worry you'd get too big to fit in here at all Swan. Which is another reason to stop the reactor from spewing out more rads now, even if it does feel good... I-It's poisoning the tree though, the breezies can't come down here while it's like this, or any normal ponies that are going to come in to help them. Plus I er... I d-don't think I'll have the energy to do it if we umm... g-get started again like this... Just gimme a little while to poke around, er... look! L-Look around first!"

I took the opportunity to glide over to the catwalks near her head, trotting quickly towards the circular window on the wall just above her. That would be the Overmare's office in my Stable, hopefully the same held true here. Besides a few architectural changes here and there, the basic layout of 95.5 was the same.

The main changes were all the tiny breezie buildings cover the floors, built up on shelves lining the walls, and generally stuck all over the place. Swan had already smashed quite a few of these just getting here, a quick glance down trying not to linger on her huge flanks showed she was currently sitting on a large number of them too.

Beyond that, the other difference was the plants. They were everywhere, this whole Stable reminded me of one big orchard section from my own. Loamy earth covered most of the floors and nearly all the lighting was the fancier artificial daylight systems. Most of the remaining examples were dried up and brown, but quite a few clung to life tenaciously and gave me a better idea what this place was like while the breezies lived here, one big, underground garden. That might explain why the breezidores infesting the basement of the MoP hub weren't in here beyond the entry rooms, they didn't like flowers and growing things apparently.

I stumbled when Swan hooked her forelegs on the railing of the catwalk beside me, leaning up to nuzzle as the steel gave a warning groan. "I wanna play more now that I'm normal again though! You look really cute Fast... just like when we met... or that dream you had! This is just like that, though I don't have one of your funny Stable bardings to wear like then. Did you think it looked good? You had funny thoughts in that dream I didn't understand then, but now... I want... w-want..."

Shivering at that rumbling purr right next to me, I booped Swan's nose between her flaring nostrils and hurried up, trying desperately to focus. "I remember that dream, when all of your sisters tried getting in my head at the Ministry of Morale hub to force me to come out... That wasn't very nice Swan..."

Swan's big eyes flicked up in thought guiltily, turning back as she pulled away sheepishly and shrugged. "Sorry... U-Umbra said everyone should help make you come out, you wouldn't answer us. I didn't understand then about all your feelings and love junk, but I do now... Let me apologize Fast..."

Watching Swan leaning back in a seductive display, stretching against the wall just below the Overmare's window and licking her lips, I shuddered and thunked my head, speeding up and fighting the growl in my mind.

'MORE!'

"N-No fair Swan... Just hang on, let me do what I need to here, then we'll see. Consider it punishment for going along with Umbra's plan. I'll start out here so you won't be alone, but you have to behave."

Drumming her hindlegs on the floor in a pouting tantrum, Swan smashed more breezie buildings under her and made the walkway leading up to the door shake. "Nngh... I want you to hurry! B-But I'll be good and wait... I can look at my mark at least, sister will be so proud!"

"You're right, Jade will be pretty excited when she sees you got a cutie mark too Swan. I can't wait to show her!"

Swan kept lovingly staring at the mark, blinking up at me in excitement as an idea crossed her mind. "If my yak friends are still in my heart, then when we have foals, I can teach them about them too! Then they'll live in their hearts too!"

Pausing in my hacking of the Overmare's door, I looked back to Swan's happy gaze softly. That was the other part of all this mating business with Jade's sisters, Swan would be a mother to my foals... "Swan? Have you thought much about that? Er... the having kids part?"

Nodding giddily, Swan grinned and answered with no hesitation or any of my worry. "Uh-huh! We'll have lots of foals and I'll teach them to be big and strong! They'll all carry on for the yaks I knew, now that I'm ok remembering them again. They'll be tough and protect others, like us!"

"Er... Swan... what if they're small like me, or nerds that don't wanna fight? You have a kinda distorted view of me from the time we've spent together I think. I fight because I have to, not because I want to. Before, back when I lived in a Stable like this, I never would have been anything like... like what you've seen of me. I don't think you'd notice me at all, let alone... umm... you know."

In answer, Swan tittered laughter and leaned up, her super sized nuzzles making me stumble and use up an attempt to open the door. "I would notice, I liked you before you were like me. You weren't scared and thought I was pretty, you're kind and fun! I like it when you're more stallion-y and tough, but sweet and nerdy Fast is nice too! If our foals are like that, I'll love them just as much and be happy they're like you. We'll have lots, so I'm sure there will be some of each! Now... hurry up so we can make that come true..."

"Eeep!... H-Hurrying Swan, I'm hurrying..." I sputtered and stumbled back from Swan's big muzzle nudging, kissing and licking me into the corner, diving for the door as soon as it slid open on lucking in to the password.

Ducking into the Overmare's... Overbreezie's office was a relief, Swan wasn't going to be patient forever and neither was I for that matter. The sultry purr she ended on had me fighting a losing battle against the demands of my stupid, breeding stud body, but distance and fresh air helped. The curious changes to the familiar Stable layout to accommodate the breezies it was meant to protect helped keep my mind occupied too.

On the one hoof, it was a fairly standard Overmare's office, the same size as the one back home, the same semi-circle desk and wall of monitors, a standard Stable-Tec terminal glowing on the surface ahead. It was made for a breezie in charge though, where the fancy office chair should be, there was a large and ornate breezie building. No match for Queen Ether's model Canterlot Palace, but a pretty fancy dollhouse manor for the breezie in charge.

I called back as I patched into the pony sized terminal, sifting through the data quickly and pulling up a familiar audio file. "We'll have to have a cute-cenera for you like we did for Jade. She really will be excited, I bet the rest of your sisters back home will be too!"

Unlike me, Swan didn't need to raise her voice to answer, giggling to herself happily as her huge face leaned up to fill the round window nearby. "It will be nice to share with her and the others back home! Maybe we could share other things too... sister Ivy said playing together could be lots of fun...."

Gulping at that big, blue violet eye peering in and watching me hungrily, I groaned and hit play on the file, diving into the distraction as the weary voice of the Vice President of Stable-Tec crackled out. "Which one? Oh... ninety five and a half... that's right, the late addition for Fluttershy. Er... Hi there Overbreezie of Stable 95.5, Scootaloo here and I'm really sorry if it's come to this. Fluttershy is the only one who hasn't totally gone crazy with this damn war, so I'm glad we could help her with this..."

"Normally on one of these, I'd talk about not just preserving pony life and society, but trying to do better, just like Fluttershy would want... You guys though, you just got caught up in our insanity. Breezies aren't going to war and destroying themselves, so you hardly need any of our ideas to improve things. We've tried to make this Stable as comfortable as possible for you, your friend Doc Mobius tells us the plants are sure to be very hardy and able to grow even underground with all the work we've put in getting this one ready for you, so hopefully you'll ride this out and come out to a better world. You'll survive at least... you won't have to pay for our mistakes..."

"That being the case, I trust you guys to hold onto the ARC project down there with you, more than I would any ponies. Breezies always spread pollen and life before, so we're asking you to take on this responsibility for us and do it again if need be. Deep beneath you lies the largest collection of genetic samples in Equestria, from every form of life we could collect. Seeds for the future, along with the tech in the Trotson hub to put them to use. When you come out again, at least you'll have the tools to make sure we don't totally wipe out hundreds of plant and animal species with our stupidity."

"There's also a lot of pony samples down there, some from mares I'm not so sure deserve the chance, but... but I leave that decision up to you. I don't even know if we'll ever get the cloning chambers for ponies up and running, so probably a moot point. We're building the first full scale models in another Stable to work the kinks out. The Doc says he'll get things working in the Commonwealth, though an amusement park is a weird place to test it... Anyway, the hub has the prototypes, so you can repopulate the animals if nothing else, I know they deserve it more than we do."

"You guys take care of yourselves, help make a better world than this one. If you can... forgive us..."

Hearing that sad voice from the terminal fade away with a click, I sighed and felt for the long ago mare. Scootaloo and her friends had done a lot to try to find a better way, to save as many as they could from the inevitable end she saw coming. From everything I had heard from others about Stables in general, it hadn't quite worked out as she hoped... but it did save me and my family. It saved the breezies too, so we all owed her a debt of gratitude.

Swan's snort from outside fogged the bottom of the circular window and broke me out of my thoughts, peering up over the edge and speaking in an impatient tone. "I tried to tell you Fast, all that old stuff from before is always sad and boring. Quit fooling around with that dumb stuff and... mmnnn..."

Again, Swan was interrupted by another sudden growth spurt, the top of her head slowly rising in front of me until she could look back in the Overbreezie's window without stretching up. While it was obvious how much she enjoyed the sensation, this spurt was followed with a very unladylike burp that came out in a glowing green cloud.

Eyeing the dissipating puff of green with a hoof to her mouth, Swan looked a little disappointed as I came back out to the catwalk near her head. She shimmied in place, making my hooves unsteady as the Stable shook with her muttering and poking her belly. "Excuse me... Awww, I think that was the last of my tasty apple... I was hoping it would last longer."

Fluttering down between her outstretched hindlegs -at a safe distance away-, I craned my neck back to take in all the overstimulated alicorn waiting on me with a gulp, carefully inching my way around her bulk to the door down to maintenance nearly blocked by her big rump.

"More? I'm glad it stopped, much more and you'd start really pushing what a Stable was built to withstand Swan, not to mention be umm... a-a little much to handle... A-Anyway, I gotta go down to the reactor, I'll try to make it quick, ok? Er... it's through the door just behind you there."

Rather than move aside, Swan flicked her tail and completely closed off the passage she doubled over to look at. That done, she planted her forelegs in front of me, leaning forward with a throaty giggle and purring as she nuzzled my face and mane. "I'm sure you can manage Fast, I have lots of ideas for things you can do... Stay with me and play, I don't wanna sit here alone..."

Answering with a blushing sputter from her long tongue licking up my face, I skittered around her and headed for the door, staggering my way through the wall of silken pink hair that seemed to actively be wrapping around me and impeding any progress. When a huge ribbon of pink twined around my barrel and started dragging me back to that rumbling moan, I had to put my hoof down.

"Swan! You said you'd behave, mission-y type stuff first, right? Y-You're reminding me too much of Virescent right now... it's kinda freaking me out. You're the one who ate that thing and got too big to follow me, you'll just have to amuse yourself for a little while."

I kept my eyes and nose firmly away from the wall of lavender warmth curled around me, gritting my teeth and trying just as hard as she was to stay in control by her rising whine. Her tail did unwind immediately though, flicking back and revealing the hidden doorway ahead as she drummed her hooves and pouted. "Nnnn! You're no fun Fast, but fine, go do your dumb junk that's boring. I'll wait like I said... for awhile... Hmm, maybe I'll have a snack while I'm waiting..."

Turning back at that last contemplative murmur, I tried to look stern and in control, which was somewhat laughable considering the giant face grinning back mischievously. I did manage to hide the shiver that went down my tail and held out a hoof, keeping up the facade of being in charge of a mare that could quite frankly do whatever she wanted.

"Give me those apples Swan... All of them. No snacking while I'm gone, you'll get way too big. Hoof em over..."

She whined again, but with a blushing titter of laughter as she sighed and turned back to her packs, pulling out the lead lined apron containing all the concentrated balefire apples we had collected. "No fun at all Fast... I bet you'd like it if I was just a liiiiiitle bigger..."

Grumbling and snatching the bundle away, I retreated quickly and did a quick count on my way. Phew... all there... Assured she wouldn't outgrow the Stable entirely, I turned back and planted a quick kiss on her nose and stroked her big muzzle tenderly. "You're already perfect the way you are Swan, more is just overkill. I'm er... e-eager to come back and see what it's like with so much of you to please, but I really do have to go do stuff first. I'll hurry, I promise. N-Now I gotta go, like right now... or I think I'll just jump on and see. Behave yourself, I'll be back!"

I had to flatten my ears against the delighted giggles and tempting murmurs following me down the gloomy hallways, but Swan had better self control than I did. She let me go and I felt the ground shake as she made herself comfortable with an impatient whinny, while I was in serious danger of turning back still. For once that annoyingly insistent growl of 'MORE' had all it could handle and then some. It cared nothing for the world outside, the important things we had to do or the limited amount of time to do them.

'Be Dark...' only cared about the big filly I was running away from in a hurry,

"Ungh! No wonder this thing is close to melting down, you tapped into it for power, didn't you?" I grumbled down to the tiny robot wrapped around my leg, pulling on nearly frozen shutdown switches hidden under the raging reactor down in the heart of Stable 95.5

I didn't really need the confirmation, the crystalline roots emerging through the steel walls and sending delicate tendrils through the reactor housing told the tale all too well. I mainly just wanted the stupid computer to admit its mistakes, it was lucky it hadn't blown the whole Stable and its own 'Great Tree' body to smithereens.

The extreme amounts of radiation I had absorbed down here made me a little aggressive and cranky too. Once the needle on my radiation gauge passed red and inched into the purple end of the dial, I was struggling against the demands of my mutated body and feeling pretty pent up. Until I could rejoin the large mare waiting for me upstairs, I could gripe at the poor decision making skills of the MoP hub maneframe.

EMERGENCY POWER RATIONS WERE NEARLY DEPLETED. THANKS TO THE LIGHTBRINGER, EVEN SECONDARY WATER SOURCE WAS SLOWING TO A TRICKLE. THE REACTOR WAS AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE DEEMED AN ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE... YOU CAN FIX IT, CAN'T YOU REPAIR-PONY?

"Oof... yeah, I can fix it. It was still a dumb idea that could have gone horribly wrong at any time, you're lucky I came along. From now on, how about you run any bright ideas you come up with through the Queen and the Followers she lets in here, ok?" With a rusty squeal, the final shutdown switch came down and the uneven roar of the large arcano-tech reactor slowed to a steady hum of standby mode, letting me wriggle my way back out and wipe the sweat from my brow. It was practically a sauna down here.

COMMUNICATIONS HAVE BEEN RESTORED, I COULD ALWAYS SEEK YOU OUT DIRECTLY FOR FUTURE REPAIRS.

Patching into the control systems with my pip-buck, I let the code scroll by and continued with the shutdown safely, replying absently while I worked. "You mentioned that earlier, the hub has communications? You were able to fix them yourself?"

BIO-TECH COMMS SYSTEMS WERE PART OF MY DESIGN, MY BRANCHES ACT AS AN EFFECTIVE ANTENNA ARRAY. WITH PRIMARY POWER RESTORED, I WAS ABLE TO RESTORE DAMAGED SYSTEMS MYSELF, YES. COMMUNICATION WITH THE M.O.M. HUB BEYOND SIMPLE BURST TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN MOST INFORMATIVE, IT SEEMS I MADE AT LEAST ONE GOOD DECISION IN TRUSTING YOU.

"You can talk to the other hubs? Hey... Great Tree, buddy... any way you can convince them to let me in them too?" I tried to put my usual annoyance with the strange computer aside at that interesting little tidbit.

THEY HAVE THEIR OWN DIRECTIVES TO FOLLOW. THE M.O.W.T. HUB IS INTERESTED IN MEETING YOU HOWEVER, IT HAS NOT HAD AN INVITATION SIGNAL IN QUITE SOME TIME. THE M.A.S. HUB IS CURIOUS TOO, THOUGH I DOUBT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO REACH IT FROM WHAT IT TELLS ME. UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO CONTINUE YOUR ENTERTAINING ACTIVITIES WITH A GREAT NUMBER OF THE RESIDENTS.

Thinking on it, the damn machine was right there. Getting into the Ministry of Arcane Sciences hub meant going through Umbra and most of the alicorns in the Commonwealth. Getting in wouldn't be much of an issue, getting out again though... I shuddered at the thought.

"I'm glad you find it amusing... No help with the other hubs then I guess, huh? Well, I'll figure something out. So long as I've got an in with the Ministry of Wartime Technology, I've got a bargaining chip with the Brotherhood. Who else can you communicate with now? If you can talk to the M.O.M. maybe we can catch up with Ivy! Mayor Shamrock too I bet. Or the Castle maybe, Summer said she fixed the comms tower, that would be convenient. Hey, maybe you can even transmit outside the Commonwealth! I can show you how to use the M.A.S.E.B.S. tower and..."

COMMUNICATION RELAY THROUGH M.A.S.E.B.S. ALREADY ESTABLISHED, I'VE BEEN INVESTIGATING REMAINING M.O.P. HUBS. PRIORITY MESSAGE IS AWAITING HEAD PHYSICIAN JADE ON HER RETURN. I CAN SEE ABOUT YOUR REQUESTS AS WELL.

"Message? For Jade? From who, and where? You really ought to be careful poking around on your own you know, you don't have the best track record... What if it's someone bad?" While I was very curious about contact from the outside world, the hub maneframe had a habit of making very poor choices on its own that made me nervous.

CONFIDENTIAL M.O.P. COMMUNICATIONS, FOR HEAD PHYSICIAN JADE ONLY. I AM BEING CAREFUL, THIS BEARS PROPER SECURITY PROTOCOLS FROM THE MANEHATTEN HUB HOWEVER, AND IS ADDRESSED TO YOUR WIFE SPECIFICALLY. I IMAGINE SHE'LL SHARE WITH YOU WHEN SHE ARRIVES, THE OTHER PARTY WAS VERY IMPATIENT TO SPEAK WITH HER, SO I DOUBT YOU HAVE LONG TO WAIT REPAIR-PONY.

Grumbling at the chipper computer pointing out I was no doctor and therefore not as important, I looked around the rusty lowest level of the Stable. It was familiar like mine, but not in some ways. The dark stairwell I pointed towards for example... in 111, the reactor level was as low as you could go.

"So.... since you won't tell me more, is there anything else for a lowly repair-pony to fix down here then? What's that tunnel down there?"

THAT LEADS TO THE ARC PROJECT CHAMBERS, SECURE STORAGE OF THE COLLECTED GENETIC SAMPLES. IT REMAINS PRISTINE AND SAFE. SO FAR AS I KNOW.

"So far as you know? Don't you know everything that goes on in er... inside you?"

MONITORING EQUIPMENT INSIDE THE ARC IS LIMITED. I CAN SEND NEW SAMPLES DOWN TO BE CATALOGUED, OR WITHDRAW LOGGED SAMPLES, MONITOR INTEGRITY, AIR QUALITY, HUMIDITY, ETC. I HAVE NO VIDEO MONITORING OR OTHER SENSORS WITHIN THE STORAGE CHAMBER HOWEVER.

Checking over the reactor one more time, I collected my tools and trotted down the stairs, answering curiously as I headed towards the mysterious ARC. "Well then, how about I take a look for you. I'm interested in this big ARC project, the Brotherhood is too from what I've heard, best to find out what they're so fixated on."

The passage wound its way down quite a ways, deep into the earth beneath the MoP hub, deeper even than the Stable. When it finally opened up into a wide room showing much less age than the rest of the Stable, I was stopped by the intimidating door that took up most of the wall facing the stairs. It wasn't quite another gear shaped Stable door, but it wasn't far behind. A dimly glowing monitor waited beside the massive steel doorway.

As soon as I connected my patch cable and tapped my way through the secure terminal, the sound of several hatches opening in the ceiling made me jump back and draw my weapons. Rather than automated turrets filling the room with blazing death however, a multitude of nozzles sprang out and filled the entry room with a fine mist that quickly drenched me, making me sputter and flutter my dripping wings.

"W-What the hell!?"

DECONTAMINATION PROTOCOL, NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.

"Thanks for freaking warning me!"

SORRY...

A blast of air cut off my annoyed huff as the decontamination system cycled, blowing off the antiseptic smelling mist rapidly and making my mane and tail frizzy. I really hated the sense of humor that had been imprinted on that damn machine. I had no idea who the pony it was originally was, but it could be really obnoxious sometimes. I really doubted it was actually sorry, more likely it didn't say anything intentionally just to amuse itself.

Heavy clunks and grinding noises came from the vault like door barring my way, then it slowly slid up, letting me see just how thick and heavy duty it was. More than two feet of heavy gauge steel made up the only entrance to the ARC project, a cavernous room full of shelves from floor to vaulted ceiling. Filling these shelves were more of the crystalline containers like the one the breezies had placed my own 'sample' in they had collected from me when we arrived. Staring up in awe at the amazing number of containers revealed by the lights flickering to life, I spotted mechanical armatures on tracks up in the ceiling, a miniature version of the huge claws in Dr. Dala's storage chambers actually...

Hearing my hoofsteps echo on the immaculate tiles was spooky, the similarities to Dala's storage area was putting me even more on edge too. I'd bet cookies to caps the Institute had a hoof in this place. Looking around curiously, I made out the plastic placards on each shelf as I passed. 'Botanical Samples - Eastern Equestria' was full of crystal containers full of seeds of varying sizes and shapes. A perfectly preserved record of the world I grew up in, a way to bring back all that we had destroyed... just sitting here and waiting.

"This is amazing... you really could fix it all with this, make the world the way it was... Jade told me that Gardens of Equestria spell fixed all the soil and water outside of the Commonwealth, with this stuff the Brotherhood could regrow everything! No wonder they want it so much, they keep talking about restoring the world and all that."

INDEED, EACH CONTAINER PROVIDES A STASIS FIELD, KEEPING THE SAMPLES SAFE AND VIABLE. BY MAKING SELECTIVE WITHDRAWS AND UTILIZING YOUR GRANDFATHER'S ADAPTABILITY POTION, THE BREEZIES HAVE MANAGED TO RESTORE THE FOREST OUTSIDE ALREADY. YOU THINK THESE SOLDIERS FROM THE BROTHERHOOD HAVE SUCH ALTRUISTIC MOTIVATIONS?

"I'd like to think so... but I'm a little skeptical too. Regrowing all the plants sounds good, but I don't think they'd be quite so focused on just that. You've been keeping this place safe all this time and it seems pretty secure. Hmmm... hey, what's with all the empty shelves this way?" I answered in a quiet murmur, this place reminded me of a library of sorts, calling up a conditioned response of staying respectfully quiet.

The Great Tree had no such problem apparently, I heard the little cybreezie whir as it took in the long row of shelving that was completely bare, feeding a video view to the computer that did not make it happy at all....

EMPTY!? THOSE SHOULD NOT BE EMPTY! THOSE ARE THE PONY SAMPLES! REPAIR-PONY FAST TIMES, INVESTIGATE IMMEDIATELY! THERE MUST BE SOME MISTAKE!

"Er... nope, sorry... Oh, there's one here still, hang on." Trotting down the long aisle with a mounting sense of dread, I approached the lonely, single crystalline container sticking out like a sore hoof on the bare shelving. Floating it down for a closer look, I could make out a familiar black feather and plastic jars through the translucent material. Seeing my own cutie mark etched below its spot confirmed it, "Umm, it's mine... the one the breezies took from me. You're saying all these shelves should have more pony samples?"

101,358 PONY BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES LOGGED AT MOST RECENT COUNT! HOW CAN THEY NOT BE THERE!?

It felt like a ball of icy lead formed at the pit of my stomach as I paced down the aisle, looking at all the cutie mark images etched under empty shelves. Thousands... thousands of genetic samples, all the pony samples mysteriously gone... My paranoid thoughts started to harden to certainty as my ears flicked at the sound of movement in here with me.

Speaking in a low whisper, I drew Vengeance and inched down the aisle in a crouch. "Computer... How much did the Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology have to do with this ARC project? They knew about it, didn't they?"

....ARC PROJECT ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED BY THEORETICAL IMAGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF C.I.A.T. AND APPROVED BY MINISTRY MARE FLUTTERSHY. THE LIKELIHOOD OF EITHER YOUR GRANDFATHER OR MY... OF THE MINISTRY MARE LYING ABOUT ITS PURPOSE OR PERVERTING IT IS EXCEEDINGLY LOW.

I was prowling the aisles now, muted clicking from ahead as I passed 'Luna Bay Marine Samples' and followed the tracks on the ceiling, a miniature, upside down railroad. "But the Institute knew about it, right? I read about the director of the hub hanging out with Dr. Vega, how often was he here?"

....FREQUENTLY. THE... DIRECTOR, HE HAD MANY DEALINGS WITH DR. VEGA, MOST OF THEM ILLICIT IN SOME FORM OR ANOTHER. I KNOW OF SEVERAL THE DIRECTOR ASKED FOR MY HELP CONCEALING, AND HAVE MORE DIRECT KNOWLEDGE OF OTHERS BEFORE... YOU THINK HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS? THIS BREACH OF TRUST AND DUTY!?

"I think the Institute would have a use for such a large collection of pony genetic code, yeah. This kinda of shady deal is right up Vega's alley too, if he was sticking his nose in around here with the so called Director then..."

My growling answer was cut short when E.F.S. lit up with a single dash up ahead, one that was definitely red and noticed me too, probably working with a similar threat detection system by the monotone robotic voice that rang out. "Intruder detected, security compromised! Scanning.... single pony detected, silencing breach, restoring project integrity. Halt! You must be vaporized, please stand by for termination!"

What had been quiet clicking became a racket of clanking and clattering. Something big and fast was rapidly approaching, sending me to my hooves in a tense crouch, laying my ears back against the rusty, squealing noise marking its progress a few rows over.

The thing that zipped out from the behind the shelves triggered an instinctual fear that left me frozen for a moment. A spider... a really big spider... That's all my brain could constructively offer, dumping a load of adrenaline into my system as I struggled to comprehend the monstrosity hiding down here beneath the Ministry of Peace and Stable 95.5.

Getting over the surge of useless fear, I remembered S.A.T.S. and slipped into the cool timelessness to get a better look. Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting System didn't recognize nightmare figments of imagination, so it was real at least. It was robot... something like a cross between a Mr. Handy with way too many multi-jointed arms, and a Gen 1 Synth. It had the pale, plastic coated head of one of the Institute's early pony-like robots, the neck leading down to a round body bigger than my pal Cogsworth and without his hover systems.

Rather than bobbing along on a field of levitation magic, this thing had one of its many claws hooked into the tracks on the ceiling, bright blue sparks spreading out in a fan behind its rapid progress towards me, aided by all those other claws grabbing the shelving, floors and ceiling in a mad scramble that was pure nightmare fuel.

Robots I could deal with, bizarre and frightening ones hiding in the dark were no different. When I went to select a shot with the gleaming revolver I had out however, the system refused to accept the 75% shot to the screeching head right in front of me, instead flashing a message that made me want to scream.

YOU MAY NOT FIRE WITHIN THE ARC PROJECT! YOU MAY DAMAGE IRREPLACEABLE SAMPLES!

Fucking really!? That damn computer wouldn't let me shoot, with the cybreezie locked into my pip-buck, it could interfere with all systems, including S.A.T.S.. While I had to admit it had a point, it was a really shitty time and way to make it. 75% was plenty good enough, right? Giving a mental groan, I let time resume with no roar of gunfire following the selection, instead dodging over an aisle and looking for a clearer shot.

The thing followed, too quick to get away from too. Three of those pincer ended claws latched onto my hindlegs and yanked me back, making me flap my wings to right myself and pull, floating the big revolver right up against its body and pulling the trigger repeatedly.

"Intruder identified! Sample #101,358, Subject 111-3-42, requesting instructions..." The weird robot kept its hold until I managed to draw Best Served and slice the limbs off, falling to the floor with a thump and highly surprised when it simply turned around and took off. What I caught of its end of the conversation to its Institute masters sent me scrambling after it though... "Acknowledged, successful termination deemed unlikely. Disable relay, self destruct. Initiating!"

"Oh you bastard, no you don't!!" I roared and stumbled up to a full run, trying to shake the metal claws stubbornly hanging on my hindlegs as lightning magic arced around them.

Another .45 round blasting through a rapidly crawling metal limb and drilling through the ceiling had the 'Voice of the Great Tree' practically screeching in my ear. At least it was opting for audio rather than messing with my vision, of course I wasn't likely to read anything it put up in my way at the moment...

"STOP FIRING!!! YOU WILL DAMAGE THE ARC PROJECT! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, ALL OF IT! WHAT IS THAT THING? WHAT IS IT DOING IN HERE!? THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A SEALED AND SECURE SPECIMEN VAULT! WHAT IS IT DOING REPAIR-PONY!?"

Hissing through gritted fangs, I answered breathlessly while I ran on. The lightning walking spell at my hooves leaving a trail that matched the sparks from the rails in the ceiling the damn robot was using, zigging and zagging crazily, deeper into the ARC vault.

"It's an Institute robot! You've been infested pal, I'm trying to exterminate it before it gets away! That's who stole from you! And me!"

Even with the red rage trying to take over, I could think clearly enough and faster than I could explain to the hub maneframe. All those claws looked just right to grab specimen samples off the shelves, this thing was some kind of librarian, keeping track of the catalog and sending things on to the Institute for them to play with. If it sent things to them, there had to be a hidden teleporter down here, I wanted to reach it before it had the chance to disable it...

Not that the weird synth was going to make it easy, once it identified me it seemed to have no interest in fighting directly. Instead it was focused solely on escape, as I skidded around another turn I nearly ran face first into one of the tall shelves crashing to the floor, spilling clinking crystal containers everywhere that I stumbled and slipped on. I was distantly glad the sample containers were fairly sturdy and meant to preserve their contents for ages, though there'd be a big mess to reorganize later.

Right now they were just getting in my way, forcing me to jump and flap my way up to continue the chase, clumsily dodging more being tipped by the escaping robot. One set to teetering clipped my side and sent me lurching the other direction, smacking into another off balance shelf and crashing to the floor under a rain of containers, pinned under the heavy shelf when it came down on my back.

'Be Strong!' hollered and I shoved my way back up with a frustrated shout, bucking the weight off my back and charging off again, grabbing any other obstacles with my telekinesis and throwing them aside. That cost me time, I only had E.F.S. to guide me to the escaping synth now, eventually making me way do a wide aisle of empty shelves.

One shelf near the end had slid aside already, revealing a hidden passage that forcibly reminded me of the one I uncovered in Stable 111. The sparking teleport pad at the end of the short passage was the biggest similarity, it was functional! Or it was... already the spider-synth had ripped the panels open and those claws were busily tearing bits out, causing it to dim and fizzle to my horror.

"NOOOOO!!!" I screamed and flung myself at the synth's round body, tackling it and rolling across the small chamber in a ball of flailing hooves and metal claws.

Smacking against one of the waning pylons surrounding the central teleport pad, I emptied the cylinder into the synth's body, while it remained focused on doing as much damage as possible before I destroyed it. Best Served flashed out and severed a claw tearing at the complicated bits of the pylon, only for it to be replaced with two more ripping out wiring and talismans wildly.

Releasing the star metal blade from my fangs chewing into the handle, I skewered the pale pony head of the thing, flopping to the floor in a glowing green puddle when it melted under me. Panting with furious tears dribbling down my cheeks, I roared and drummed my hooves on the floor in a tantrum, splashing the muck left when a synth self destructed and fuming.

"DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!!! Rotten, cheating, stupid fucking machine! No! Not again! Not so close!!!"

I laid like that for awhile, hiding under my hooves and letting my ragged breathing settle out, trying to get control of the raging snarls of 'Be Dark...' being fed by my anger and frustration, eventually left with nothing but depression and a hollow feeling inside. A miserable peek through blurry eyes showed it had done enough damage, this teleporter was as disabled as the one back home...

REPAIR-PONY? ...FAST... ARE YOU ALRIGHT?

I didn't want to answer... I wanted to keep soaking in this puddle of glop and being miserable, to curl up and die at failing again after coming so close. 'Be Unwavering!' gave a quiet nudge and I groaned my way back up however, wiping my eyes and trying to shake the glowing goop off my dark coat, answering in a tired sigh.

"F-Fine... Just pissed... So, you had no idea the Institute left that little surprise down here, huh? Well, let's see how much damage it did anyway." I kicked at the puddle of slop wearily, trudging over to the ruined machine.

It was trashed, but nearly identical to the one in Stable 111. The one silver lining I could find was that not all the same parts had been destroyed, components missing on the one in 111 were present here...

Floating my tools out to disassemble these parts, visions of cobbling together a working teleporter back home and slaughtering everything on the other side danced behind my burning eyes. They were going to pay, and pay, and pay... I was so furious I was shaking and making a poor job of it, my vision blurring with angry tears, so I nearly missed the glowing lines of text eventually scrolling above the faithful H.U.D. from my pip-buck.

REPAIR-PONY FAST TIMES... THIS INSTITUTE YOU DESPISE SO MUCH, THEY DID THIS? THEY STOLE THE SAMPLES? PERVERTED MY... FLUTTERSHY'S WISH TO PRESERVE LIFE? THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE?

"Yes, yes they are... and they're gonna pay for it, I promise..."

FOR WHAT PURPOSE? WHAT WOULD THESE VILLAINS DO WITH FLUTTERSHY'S LEGACY?

Finishing morosely taking apart what was left of the teleporter and stashing the parts in my saddlebags, I trudged back out to the aisle of empty shelves as I answered. "They make synths, fake ponies that blend in perfectly. A catalog of ponies to copy would be pretty valuable to them, with all this..."

Stopping to rub my head in thought while I explained it to the hub maneframe, I sat with a thump when I took a better look at the empty shelving nearby, 'Awareness!'. This wide aisle leading to the secret door was labeled; 'Prime Genetic Samples' a clearly fancier area in the depths of this weird library. The shelves here were ornate and made of rich, dark wood instead of the sterile plastic and steel like the rest, with the fanciest being a curio cabinet that would look at home in Canterlot Palace. There was more space for each missing container behind the glass of this one, and the cutie marks etched into the wood for each wide slot were too familiar.

Butterflies... Balloons... Diamonds... Apples... a cloud with a lightning bolt, and a six pointed star adorned six empty slots. Above these were two even more ornate spaces with gold and silver brackets at the top of the hoof crafted shelf, the image of a bright sun and a crescent moon staring back at me made my blood run cold.

There were more familiar marks down the aisle leading to this special cabinet, images that tickled prewar memories of famous and important ponies, but they paled in the presence of these special spots... The Ministry Mares and the Princesses... the Institute had samples of all of them... The thought of those lunatics stealing a piece of Celestia and Luna was blasphemous, filling me with equal parts fear and rage imagining all the horrible things they might do with them.

I had to force myself forward, shaking with every step as I put the terrible sight behind me and stalked back to the entrance. Hopefully we were too far underground for Swan to have heard the gunshots or chaos, but she was still waiting upstairs either way, best to get back to her 'Be Kind...'. Having another real pony to talk to about this would be some consolation at least, though the Great Tree was trying, somewhat surprising me when it spoke up again.

THE DIRECTOR HELPED THEM DO THIS... DIDN'T HE? I HAD THOUGHT HIS SELF SERVING DEALINGS WITH DR. VEGA WERE MORE OF HIS TYPICAL CORRUPTION, SELLING CONFIDENTIAL DATA AND MISAPPROPRIATING MEDICAL SUPPLIES, FINANCING HIS LAVISH LIFESTYLE... BUT HE ALLOWED THIS...

"Yeah, he sounds like a real winner from everything you've told me. You've never sounded like you liked him, got his job through nepotism and was pretty worthless right? Just the kind of guy it would be easy for Vega to use. Guess he's dead already though, huh? Too bad, but I'll make do with Vega when I find him..."

FAST... THERE ARE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW, THINGS I AM ASHAMED OF. I TRUST YOU NOW HOWEVER, IT IS KNOWLEDGE THAT MAY HELP CORRECT THIS CRIME. THAT IS WHAT THE SHROUDED STALLION DOES RIGHT? PUNISH EVIL DOERS LIKE THOSE THAT WOULD STEAL THE HOPES OF MINISTRY MARE FLUTTERSHY?

"That's what I do alright, that's what I'm gonna do... no matter what it takes." I answered in an angry growl, gnashing my lengthening fangs together in a still barely restrained rage.

All the rads I had absorbed were just stoking the fire in my head, I wanted something to hurt, something to do, some outlet for the surge of adrenaline and the steady beat of fury pounding in my temples. 'Be Dark...' spoke up and reminded me there was at least one other way to spend all this energy waiting for me upstairs. Mating or murder, either one would do right now... Suddenly I felt more than up to the challenge a giant filly presented, Swan liked things a little rough anyway, I felt ready to respond in kind. Anything to put aside the frustrated desire to destroy the Institute.

The suddenly conciliatory computer must have picked up on my thoughts somehow, it was connected to my pip-buck and all the biological readings it was constantly taking. Maybe it just spotted my wings flaring and my ears pricking up as I trotted faster and faster, out of the ARC and up the stairs. Either way, I only absently marked what it eventually said, glad for my pip-buck's mysterious habit of assigning me 'missions' to do.

WHEN YOU HAVE... FINISHED YOUR BUSINESS IN THE ROOT SECTOR WITH YOUR FRIEND. PLEASE COME TO THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE. I WILL TELL YOU EVERYTHING I KNOW TO HELP YOU RIGHT THIS WRONG, TO FIX THIS...

Mission Updated: Lifegiver

Objectives------
---~~Find the Ministry of Peace Hub~~
---~~Gain entry to the MoP Hub~~
---~~Explore Root Sector - Purge Infestation and Blight~~
---Open the Ministry of Peace Hub to the outside world

Optional Objectives------
---Enter the M.O.P. Director's office.

Some time later, I rolled a weak eye around me with a wince, eyeing the destruction from my perch, sprawled atop a bed of sweaty lavender alicorn chest. I couldn't help feeling a little bad, if I had done this to my Stable I'd be in sooooo much trouble...

Most of the catwalks lining the atrium were knocked down, crushed and bent into a variety of shapes that were definitely not factory condition. Nearly every breezie building arrayed on the floors were so much fine powder. Even the heavy steel walls had a variety of dents in the shape of the very big hooves currently lazily stroking my back with a soft murmur.

Keeping up with Swan like this had effectively drained most of the aggression from me, along with a great number of rads now that the reactor wasn't spewing them out below us. It was a lot rougher and more primal than anything I ever did with Jade, helping to lift the depression and anger threatening to overwhelm me when I came back.

Swan listened in between rounds and was supportive, though couldn't help reminding me she warned me old world stuff was sad and boring. Just having her there to listen was as much a comfort as... everything else had been. She was disappointed she missed a fight, but got over it on learning the weird synth had run away, having no interest in 'chicken-robots'. Mainly she just cared and tried to show it, in every way possible... So I was glad we were currently deep underground in a blast proof shelter, a Stable was one of the few places I could think of that could hope to stand up to ...all that.

Swan definitely seemed to enjoy it though, finally getting her fill during the last frenzy and cooing in a ragged voice from where she was sprawled across the floor, just enough room in here for her to stretch out and shift under me. "Mmmm... I told you bigger is better Fast, I liked that. Let's do more once I take a little naaaa-aaap."

I had to hold a little tighter as Swan's chest inflated in a long yawn under me, getting a sleepy giggle from her as she blinked down at me happily. "Nnngh... y-yeah, that was something alright, hope it was worth all the waiting. I don't think we should pass out down here though Swan, Jade and the others will never find us down here if we sleep in, so we should probably ow..."

Her eyes widened in concern when I winced from the motion of sitting up, Swan pushed up on her forelegs, grabbing me in her magic before I went flying and floating me up to her muzzle to nudge and snuffle at me anxiously. "I... I didn't hurt you, did I Fast? I was trying to be careful... but I might have gotten a little carried away."

"Ouch... You're not the only one... I'm fine Swan, definitely glad I regenerate now though. You're an amazing mare, but if I was still normal I don't think I would survive. That was just what I needed though, I feel a lot better. Are you sure you'll be ok outside? I have a couple more things to do inside the hub, things I found out... b-but I'll come back out to stay with you when I'm done."

In answer, Swan's struggled back into her skimpy costume and smiled, teleporting us back up to the grounds of the hub in a flash. A slight frown crossed her face at the gust of cold air blowing her long mane back, her gaze lingered on the snow dusted grounds a moment, but turned down to me and softened with a smile as she answered. "I'll be fine Fast, I have good memories to think of now, old and new. I'm just sleepy and worn out now, but really happy... I'll go find somewhere to sleep, I think there are big buildings that way."

Following where her big hoof pointed, I peered through the blowing flurries and spotted several large buildings across the grounds. I was pretty sure I saw several long greenhouses and even a barn anyway. The approach of several breezies still playing out in the snow took up my attention however, realizing as they approached and flitted around the two of us with giggles and whispers, that I hadn't gotten dressed...

Yelping and glad Swan had teleported along all of our possessions strewn around us down there, I dove for my discarded bags and retreated to the cover of Swan's tail, disappearing in a wall of pink and struggling to shrug into my coat. Unfortunately Swan either found my embarrassment amusing, or just liked watching herself, flicking my bit of modesty away and at least helping me get in the stupid wing holes of my armor.

The two of us were a sight, sweaty and with our manes stuck out at crazy angles. It didn't take a detective for the chittering breezies to figure things out. A light tan representative of the Fauna-tribe fluttered down to my face on brilliant orange and red wings and gave a sly grin, cocking her head bearing the tiny skull of a helmet over her wavy orange mane. "Yu und beeg-beeg pony make snoo-snoo Fast-Shroud? Iz gud! Ve Fauna-tribe help critters make snoo-snoo, new life always gud! Vhy hiding? Foxtail hear yu iz gud at snoo-snoo, beeg-beeg mare look happy! Yu do licky-licky vith Foxtail und friends too? Whisper Whip say iz gud!"

"Ummm... oof! N-No licky-licky! S-Sorry... umm Foxtail? Hey, is there somewhere my friend Swan here could go to rest? She's a little big for the Great Tree, you Fauna-tribe live out this way, right? Could you help her get out of the weather?"

The bright little mare nodded eagerly, cut off from answering by a pale green swooping down on sparkling yellow wings that matched her mane. Given her attire of glossy, dark green leaves and a fashionable hat made of a wide rose blossom, she had to be from the Flora-tribe. "Ve host beeg-beeg pony in Healing Gardens! Have beeg growy house vith pretty flowers for pretty pony!"

"Fast-Shroud pony asks us Pistil! Silly Flora-tribe go play vith plantys, ve take care of mare makey baby pony!" The first breezie shot back, glaring at her counterpart as a flock of more fluttered around curiously, watching the show.

"H-Hey, no reason to fight you two..."

"Ve no fighty, ve just compete Fast-Shroud. Fauna-Tribe best tribe!" The two arguing breezies paused to answer my worried call, actually hooking their forelegs over each other's necks in a friendly gesture, while simultaneously continuing their argument.

"Flora-Tribe iz best tribe! Plantys no run around und make noise near sleepy Swan-pony, pretty flowers better for sleepys!" The pale green Pistil nodded too, apparently the Flora and Fauna tribes had a friendly rivalry going on...

"Er... well, how about you choose where you want to sleep Swan? Looks like you have options that are eager to please, I'll find you soon."

Swan smiled brightly and leaned down to nuzzle my mane before I got my hat on, standing and swaying her flanks as she followed the progression of breezies leading her on, tinkling laughter in her tired voice. "Ok, don't take long Fast! Messing around with old world stuff is always sad, remember? Don't get all wrapped up in it."

She certainly had me figured out... She knew I was preoccupied with what I found down in the ARC project, giving a teasing admonishment over her shoulder as she trotted off. That left me to sigh and turn to the hub, trying to admire the beautiful sight of the sparkling tree under the clearing, starry sky, surprised when the voice of the tree itself spoke up on my way.

THAT IS A VERY INTERESTING FILLY REPAIR-PONY, I KNEW ONE LIKE THAT ONCE... TREAT HER NICE, THE STRONG AND WILD TYPES TEND TO HIDE THEIR FEELINGS.

"I know, I kinda figured that out. Can't believe you're offering relationship advice, what would you know about it?" I chuckled and answered as I reached the main doors to the hub, slipping past the wary night guard of Securi-Tribe breezies waving me on through their domain.

I WAS A PONY ONCE, REMEMBER? OR I HAD THE PERSONALITY AND MEMORIES OF ONE IMPRINTED ON ME. ONE WHO WASN'T QUITE THE LADIES STALLION HE LIKED TO THINK HE WAS, BUT STILL SOMEWHAT EXPERIENCED. HE DID LIVE A LIFE FULL OF SELF GRATIFICATION AND DEBAUCHERY, THOUGH I ADMIT THAT'S NOT A GOOD SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING ACTUAL RELATIONSHIPS LIKE YOU ENGAGE IN. HE DID KNOW MANY TYPES OF FILLIES THOUGH.

"What's that like, since you brought it up. Do you think of yourself as that pony? You've got his mind, right? Are you just a copy?"

I HAVE SPENT A GOOD DEAL OF TIME CONSIDERING THAT QUESTION ACTUALLY. SELF AWARENESS IS NOT ALWAYS A GIFT. I AM NOT THAT PONY HOWEVER, I AM QUITE CERTAIN OF THAT.

"How so? Because you don't have his soul? Just his mind? What's the difference between you and him?" I asked curiously as I stopped at the miniature railroad crossing blocking the current junction of crystalline hallways, smiling at the little cross bars and blinking lights, waiting patiently for the toy locomotive to chug by.

.....YOU REMIND ME OF YOUR GRANDFATHER ASKING THAT. THE NATURE OF THAT QUESTION WAS ONE HE MULLED OVER QUITE A BIT, ASKING MY OPINION ON THE SUBJECT AS I WAS BROUGHT ONLINE AND IMPRINTED. HE FREQUENTLY CHECKED UP ON ME AS TIME PASSED AND I DIVERGED FROM THE PONY DOWNLOADED TO MY DATABANKS. HE WOULD OFTEN SAY; 'CORPUS, MENTIS, SOMA, WHAT MAKES A PONY A PONY?'

"Corpse-us? Mintus..."

IT'S OLD PONISH, IT MEANS; BODY, MIND AND SOUL. DR. MOBIUS THEORIZED THOSE THREE ELEMENTS AND HOW THEY INTERACTED WERE THE SECRET OF WHAT MADE SOMEONE 'ALIVE' AS YOU UNDERSTAND IT. HOW ONE MIGHT INFLUENCE HE OTHERS, WHETHER A MISSING COMPONENT MAY COME INTO BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE OTHER TWO, ETC. HIS CONVERSATIONS WERE ENTERTAINING, I DO HAVE RECORDS OF THOSE IF YOU LIKE. AS I SAID, HE WAS AN INTERESTING PONY.

Slowing my stride as the train passed and the tiny railroad crossing I could easily just fly over finally raised, I considered the question and saw how my crazy Grandpa Fin would it find fascinating. The hub maneframe represented just the mind, its body was the Great Tree that composed the Ministry of Peace hub, while the artificial intelligence had no soul to speak of. Did it? If those three things are what came together to make a pony, the opportunity to talk with just a pony mind in a tree body was interesting to me too, again making me wonder just how much I was like the mad Dr. Mobius.

"Yeah, I'd like that... So? What do you think about it, since you're being so chatty. How do you know you're not him, what makes you different?"

I HAVE A CONSCIENCE, PROGRAMED THOUGH IT MAY BE. THE DONOR FOR MY PERSONALITY DID NOT... HAVING CERTAIN PRIME DIRECTIVES I COULD NOT VIOLATE KEPT ME HONEST, MADE ME BETTER IN MANY WAYS.

Fluttering up carefully over the miniature metropolis of Willowheart, I saw the lights were on in Queen Ether's palace. The pale monarch herself paused in her pacing back and forth in front of her balcony, she spotted me passing by and waved tiredly as I flew overhead. She looked a little worried and her flowing pink mane was in the process of being meticulously styled for the upcoming day. The queen of the breezies was opening her kingdom up to the outside world and welcoming strangers, no surprise she couldn't sleep...

I tipped my hat and waved back on the way, trying to communicate my vote of confidence. Ether gave a brave smile back and watched me head upstairs curiously, clearly wondering why I was up and sneaking about at this hour. I came in for a clumsy landing on the third floor balcony, in front of the ornate hub Director's sealed office. I was curious what the maneframe had to tell me here, but felt a little reticence and continued our odd conversation for the moment.

What exactly did make a pony a pony? Or a person a person rather. What made some synths alive and others not? Could the hub have developed more than just the mind it was imprinted with and the body it was connected to over the ages? Dr. Moondancer seemed pretty insistent the rogue synth problem was a malfunction, refusing to entertain the idea some of them were alive. Just my time with ones like Nick and Angel had made me believe it was more than a bug in their coding though.

"Do you think you're alive?"

THAT DEPENDS ON YOUR DEFINITION. IN THE WAY YOU AND YOUR GRANDFATHER MEAN HOWEVER... I TOLD HIM NO, TWO CENTURIES OF THOUGHT AND CHANGE HAS LEFT ME LESS SURE. I... FEEL THINGS, I CARE FOR MY BREEZIE CHARGES, I ENJOY THINGS LIKE THE SUN ON MY FRONDS AND THE WIND IN MY BOUGHS.

I COULDN'T TELL YOU IF I'VE JUST GOTTEN BETTER AT SIMULATING BEING ALIVE, OR AM MERELY RECALLING THE MEMORY OF FEELING, BUT I DO EXPERIENCE MORE THAN BEFORE. I ALSO FEEL SHAME, FOR WHAT LIES BEYOND THIS DOOR MORE THAN FOR MOST OF MY OTHER MISTAKES.

PLEASE, ENTER.

On that note, the heavy looking door emblazoned with Hub Director Breeze clunked and creaked open, letting out a breath of stale air from the dim office inside. As the lights came on, the indistinct shapes resolved into a cluttered mess of long ruined decor.

Creeping my way in, my initial thought was pretentious and expensive furnishings didn't age well. Ahead was a hulk of a marble topped desk made of dark wood, that contrasted with the pale, glimmering substance of the tree hub. A riot of strange crap surrounded this centerpiece, what would have been artfully arranged potted plants lay dried out and desiccated, while the gaudy, overstuffed, apparently pegasus made seating looked to be leaking cloudstuff from the cracked leather.

A shallow tray full of gravel towards the center of the room that I slowly paced around flummoxed me for a moment, until I spotted the miniature rake and larger decorative rocks, a rock garden that looked like somepony went breakdancing in it. There was a fancy easel and paint supplies in the corner behind the desk, near the wide window with an excellent view of the grounds outside. Not that the scenery was the last painter's subject, instead it was a lanky, older teal pegasus with an overly styled, graying blonde coiffure. Not a great deal of talent involved there, but the self satisfied smirk came through well enough, matching the multitude of photos on the walls featuring the same older stallion.

All in all, it wasn't quite what I expected out of the build up from the odd maneframe. Until I spotted the blinking lights of a darkened alcove off to the side of the large chambers. The lighting in there was just humming to life, revealing a beautiful piece of arcano-tech in pale yellow, a match for the system wired into a rubber chicken back in the M.O.M. hub in Goodneighbor. The brain of the Great Tree, the central hub maneframe.

It was a little different, for one it seemed to be fused to the sparkling surface of the walls around it, a melding of the biological building and the arcane technology. For another, rather than a bizarre if amusing rubber chicken component, this maneframe's additional component was a corpse...

The bundle of bones was the first pony skeleton I had seen in the hub that wasn't buried in the basement, though it was covered over in roots like they were. Thick appendages of the tree that seemed to have ripped up through the ratty blue carpet in here and pinned the now rotted body in place, while it had been a bit more lively from the looks of things. Atop the dusty skull was a strange helmet of blinking gems, circuitry and metal, a bundle of cables led from this headwear back to the maneframe itself, telling at least part of the story the computer brought me here to tell.

"This... this is you, isn't it? Who you used to be? You downloaded yourself before the end?"

I asked the whirring red eye of the maneframe in a whisper, poking at the neural link helmet with morbid interest and accidently crunching delicate wingbones underhoof. I'd read about these, but never actually seen the hardware required to copy a pony's mind over to a Crusader class maneframe, or the Institute equivalent in this case.

I was surprised the maneframe chose to speak aloud from the speaker overhead, the slightly effeminate male voice either doing a really good job at simulation, or actually feeling some of the anxiety and reluctance communicated. "YOU ARE PARTIALLY CORRECT. THAT IS DIRECTOR ZEPHYR BREEZE, THE DONOR FOR MY PERSONALITY DOWNLOAD. HOWEVER, THE INITIAL IMPRINTING WAS DONE QUITE SOME TIME BEFORE THE BOMBS FELL. DIRECTOR BREEZE TRIED AGAIN OUT OF DESPERATION WHEN I REFUSED TO DO AS HE ORDERED."

"Refused what order?"

In answer, the small monitor on the front of the maneframe flickered to life, displaying a black and white image of the office I was standing in that hissed with static as the camera shook. The tall pegasus stallion staring down from all the photos on the walls looked pretty disheveled and panicked.

-----oOo-----

As I watched, the buck on the monitor flinched away from a bright glare filling the windows and dove for the heavy desk as cover, screeching towards the maneframe in the video. "W-What's happening!? Computer me, what's going on!?"

"BALEFIRE BOMBARDMENT, LUNA TIER ATTACK SCENARIO. COMMUNICATION WITH CANTERLOT, MANEHATTEN, FILLYDELPHIA AND CLOUDSDALE HUBS LOST. LOCAL DEFENSES PROVIDING SOME PROTECTION TO TROTSON AREA, RADIATION FALLOUT WILL BE SEVERE HOWEVER. BREEZIE POPULATION SUCCESSFULLY EVACUATED TO STABLE 95.5, SURVIVAL ENSURED. The voice of the 'Great Tree' in the video was a toneless copy of the terrified hub Director, more what I'd expect out of a computer than the one I had gotten to know in the present.

I could tell where it got the more annoying aspects of its personality right away when the Director screamed back though, actually the Great Tree was a lot better than its point of origin now that I could compare them. "What about me!? R-Radiation is bad, right? Where do I go, what do I do!? Come on computer me, save me!"

"ACQUIRE ANTI RADIATION MEDICATIONS, FOOD AND WATER. SHELTER IN ROOT SECTOR. EVACUATE WHEN SAFE. PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL, 4.1%"

The hub Director 's eyes shrank to pinpricks when he was given his odds, he was pretty well fucked. "F-Four!?! That's no good!! Come on you stupid machine, save us! W-What about that Stable thing? Yeah... yeah those are made to be safe and last for ages right? Rainbows' little sis Scootchalong was blabbing all about it when they put it in. I can survive in there! What's that put my odds at?"

"....SHELTERING IN STABLE 95.5 INCREASES ODDS TO 96.3%, HOWEVER, THAT WOULD REQUIRE OPENING THE STABLE, EXPOSING THE ALREADY SAFE BREEZIES TO RADIATION, AS WELL AS USING UP TOO MANY RESOURCES. ODDS FOR BREEZIE'S SAFETY DROP TO 14.8%"

"Who cares about those little bugs! The Zeph is who's important! You're moi, you have to save me! Open it!!" Alright, compared to the pony he was originally, I suddenly didn't dislike the Great Tree nearly so much...

Hearing the selfish, callous, demanding whine from this Director Breeze, I practically cheered at his own voice answering him like a hoof upside the head. "NEGATIVE. BREEZIE POPULATION TAKES PRECEDENCE. PRIME DIRECTIVES PREVENT COMPLIANCE."

........

"....I DO NOT THINK I WOULD FOLLOW THAT ORDER REGARDLESS ZEPHYR. ONE OF YOU VERSUS 1,200 BREEZIES IS NOT EQUIVALENT. OUR SISTER WOULD BE HEART BROKEN. I REFUSE, BOTH DUE TO PROGRAMMING AND BECAUSE IT IS ...WRONG. YOU ARE NOT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE."

That act of defiance and plain common sense sent the hub Director into an apoplectic tantrum, raging around his office, bucking his ostentatious decor around wildly, throwing random objects at the hulking maneframe and shouting incomprehensibly, until another detonation outside the windows made him skitter off for cover again.

When Zephyr emerged next, he was wearing a sly, desperate grimace. He ran back to the maneframe, rooting around in storage space nearby and muttering maniacally under his breath. "I-I'll show you... stupid machine, poor imitation of the real thing... should have known no silly computer whatzit could live up to the real Zeph! I'll make you, where was it... aha!"

The neural interface helmet was clamped in his snarling teeth now, Director Breeze fumbled awkwardly at the simple connection and struggled his way into it. He meant to... do what exactly? Copy himself again and hope a more recent and terror driven version would do what he wanted? Take control of the maneframe himself?

Neither of those things seemed likely, Zephyr didn't strike me as a very technically adept pony... Not that he couldn't do some damage trying. His computer self had been straight with him, as close as the Ministry of Peace was to the area called the Glowing Sea now, he just wasn't going to make it out of this. Yet he was willing to sacrifice anyone else he could throw under the bus to try to save his own skin?

"YOU WILL SURVIVE IN ME AS THINGS ARE NOW. IF YOU DAMAGE ME HOWEVER, YOU RISK THE SAFETY OF THE BREEZIES BELOW. I CAN'T LET YOU DO THAT ZEPHYR..."

"Screw you and screw the breezies! Big sis would want me to survive! Who'd want a tree for a brother!? T-That's probably why she put moi in charge here, so I'd be safe and taken care of if the worst happened! Yeah! Who's more important, a bunch of little bugs or her precious baby brother!? I'm gonna do just what she'd want and..." Zephyr sneered back, hoofing at the controls uselessly, until he was cut off by a bright flash and gurgled.

----oOo----

The obnoxious pony in the monitor jittered in place, smoke rolling from his ears and over-styled and now frizzy mane. His eyes rolled back in his head before he collapsed on the floor and the screen went dark. I blinked down at the corpse on the floor and the rusty helmet still on the bleached skull, slowly looking back to the silent maneframe and speaking in a hoarse whisper.

"You... killed yourself?"

"....NEGATIVE. MY PRIME DIRECTIVES PREVENT KILLING. I INITIATED A FEEDBACK LOOP AND KNOCKED HIM UNCONSCIOUS. THE RISING RADIATION LEVELS TOOK CARE OF THE REST."

Poking at the roots wrapped around the corpse now, I raised an eyebrow and ventured a guess to what happened next. "He turned into a ghoul, didn't he? That's how you figured out the whole using the undead for power trick, huh?"

"YES. A FERAL TO BE PRECISE. I ASSUMED ALL UNDEAD WERE THE SAME, THUS MY MISTAKE IN USING THE OTHERS. I WOULD NOT FEEL ANY REMORSE IN HIS CASE HAD HE BEEN RATIONAL HOWEVER."

"Wow, most computers don't feel self loathing like that, so I guess that's another mark in favor of you being something more. They don't experience embarrassment and shame either for that matter, but you really do, don't you?"

I turned away from the skeleton and paced around the room in thought, looking over the variety of pictures of the pony that the computer used to be. An awful self centered looking pegasus that matched the corroded statue out in the Willowville Meditation Garden in the ruins outside the hub. The backgrounds were from all over prewar Equestria, but the center of focus was always himself.

Almost always rather... in a few other ponies were at least a secondary focus, several had a familiar pale yellow filly squeezed against him, wearing an exasperated but loving look under her long pink mane... Ministry Mare Fluttershy... An elderly pegasus couple that bore striking resemblances to both of them appeared in one or two as well, in an obvious family photo pose, though Zephyr again made himself the center of attention.

I was also surprised to see a younger Ministry Mare Rainbow Dash rolling her eyes and struggling to get away from his leering embrace for the camera in a photo taken in what looked like Cloudsdale, but Fluttershy was the most prominent other than himself by far.

"Fluttershy, she was Zephyr's sister? That's why you tried so hard to protect the breezies, isn't it? Why you let us convince you to try to be better like she'd want now?"

Rather than answer himself, the speakers in the ceiling crackled to life with the soft, gentle voice that so perfectly matched that quiet whisper in my head from 'Be Kind...' that it made my tail stand on end. "Now Zephyr, I'm giving you this job to get you out of mom and dad's place, but I want you to do a good job... p-please? Take care of my little breezie friends, that's all you have to do. Seabreeze and Treehugger will take care of the hard stuff, but it's still a big responsibility and I want to trust you..."

"HE... I WANTED TO MAKE HER PROUD AND DO AS ASKED, BUT THE DIRECTOR WAS A WEAK, SELFISH PONY. MY PROGRAMMING FORCED ME TO BE BETTER, TO TRULY PUT MY CHARGES FIRST. I HAVE TRIED... THE BREEZIES BELIEVE ME TO BE A GUARDIAN DEITY AND I WISHED TO LIVE UP TO THAT, BUT I AM STILL PARTIALLY THAT SELFISH FOOL AND A FAILURE, AS YOU HAVE POINTED OUT REPEATEDLY..."

"THIS IS THE TRUTH OF THE 'GREAT TREE' MY CHARGES BELIEVE IN, A COPY OF A MISERABLE, WORTHLESS LOUT THAT FAILED FLUTTERSHY AND WOULD HAVE DESTROYED THEM TO SAVE HIMSELF. YOU SEE WHY I AM ASHAMED OF THIS SECRET? IF THE BREEZIES KNEW THEIR PROTECTOR WAS... THAT HORRIBLE PONY..."

"Ve vould still believe in our Great Tree who has always protected us..." A squawk of static matched my own yelp of surprise at the firm, quiet voice from the door. Queen Ether stood at the miniature, breezie sized door at the bottom of the normal one, staring up to the ceiling kindly.

She must have followed me in, her mane was only half done and her rich, red robes looked thrown on in a hurry. She had a soft smile and a tear in her eye as she fluttered by my surprised face, landing at the skeleton on the floor and bowing her head reverently. "See Fast Shroud go in sealed Director's room, think maybe Great Tree finally vant to share. No mean to spy, but knew vhat vas in here already."

Giving it some thought, I floated the tattered velvet curtains from the window and copied her gesture, bowing to the corpse and covering it. I hadn't really gotten along with the obnoxious computer and had pointed out its poor choices often, but compared to who it was based on...

"You tried, you did keep them safe all these years, you did your best and now you've got some help. I think you're right Tree, you're not that pony, not by a long shot. You're better than him, you are the Great Tree to the breezies, not Zephyr. They believe in you, you should believe in yourself too, right Ether?"

Queen Ether fluttered over to the desk, landing near the cloud terminal there that didn't look like it was part of the hub's network and nodding as she replied. "King Seabreeze know Holy Fluttershy's brother entrusted to take care of us, he leave knowledge for other kings und queens. Director Breeze help breezies, he become Great Tree to protect us over long long years. Maybe old pony Director bad... but Great Tree Director good. You no be ashamed of who yu vas before, who you is now is guardian of Breezie Nation, und ve love Great Tree."

".....THANK YOU... THANK YOU BOTH. I AM SORRY TO HAVE TRIED KEEPING THIS FROM YOU QUEEN ETHER, I AM STILL PRONE TO MAKING MISTAKES AFTER ALL. KNOWING YOU BELIEVE IN ME STILL IS A RELIEF, I HOPE I CAN BE WORTHY OF IT."

Sighing at the sad shudder from the little piece of Fluttershy's soul that had taken up residence in my head, I patted the covered corpse and vowed to bury it on the grounds. That was her brother, no matter his mistakes. The best part of him was in the maneframe now, that part had done all it could to honor her wishes, so at least a piece of the real Zephyr felt that way.

Leaving it for now, I joined Ether at the Director's ornate desk, prodding at the cloudy pegasus tech terminal there, trying to give the Great Tree a moment to process things. Machine or not, the voice from the speaker overhead had cracked not with static, but with real, pony emotion.

I was annoyed I couldn't just patch my pip-buck into the pegasus tech terminal, but still marveled at my hooves meeting resistance when I tapped at the keyboard. The password practically leapt out at me from the jumble of code, 'Zephyrisbestpony' wasn't exactly very secure... Scanning through what there was to find, I was struck with a bit of inspiration from the teary whisper in my head and spoke consolingly to the strange remnant of the former Director.

"Hey, Great Tree... I don't know if it means anything or helps, but I'm pretty sure Fluttershy would be proud of what you managed to do here. I sorta have a weird insight into what she'd feel sometimes, and she loved her brother. You got that much from Zephyr, right? You love her and want to do right by her, that's probably the best part of him you could have gotten."

As a way to demonstrate what I was trying to get at, I floated out the dimly glowing statuette of Fluttershy from my bags, setting it beside the family picture that occupied a place of pride on the desk. The filly in the photo was older and sterner looking than her soul jar likeness, but they both radiated that kind heart that reminded me so much of Jade.

Queen Ether was delighted by the statue, a little Fluttershy that was just her size. Seeing the breezie ruler squeal and hug the miniature Ministry Mare brought a smile to my face. "Is Holy Fluttershy! Vhat a vonderful sculpture Fast Shroud! It even feels like her from stories, makes me feel good and happy! Can ve has?"

"Sorry Ether, she's kinda part of a set I'm trying to collect and it doesn't feel right to break them up. How about I leave it out in Willowheart for everyone to look at before we leave, having her blessing might help get through a tough day huh?"

While Ether's reaction was no surprise and I mentally bucked myself for not showing it to the breezies earlier, the maneframe was already oddly familiar with the soothing statue that had traveled with me all the way from Stable 111.

"FLUTTERSHY... IT'S BEEN SOME TIME SINCE I'VE SEEN ONE OF THOSE. SURPRISING ZEPHYR CHOSE TO 'BORROW' ONE OF THE OTHERS INSTEAD OF THAT ONE, THOUGH STEALING IT AFTER SHE PRESENTED IT TO THE VICE DIRECTOR WOULD HAVE BEEN HARDER TO EXPLAIN AWAY."

Looking up from a long list of self promoting journal entries, some of which did actually detail some of Zephyr's illicit dealings with Dr. Vega, my eyebrows raised in interest at that. My Fluttershy statuette came from Tree Hugger, so I supposed the hub had been there when she got it while serving as Vice Director here. The mention of another one made the soft chorus of the four I had rise up in hope.

"He took one? Which? and why? You uh... happen to know what happened to it?"

A gaudy oil painting of Zephyr wearing a red smoking jacket in front of a roaring fire clicked open in response, revealing a large safe, the dial spinning open of its own accord. Even from where I was shakily rising from the creaking office chair, I could see the gleam of a lot of gold and jewels hoarded in there, but the pale blue glimmer deeper within was the real treasure that made my mouth dry up.

Zephyr's voice spoke up from the speakers as I approached reverently, the smarmy, gleeful tone making me dislike Fluttershy's brother more. "A million bits, just to examine it! Can you believe it computer me? Vega sure has some funny things his pals want to tinker with, glad to let him take it to Swirl for me though, that zony's creepy... I'm sure big sis doesn't mind me borrowing it, oooo I bet she wants me to have it and is just being discrete, not making a big deal of giving it to me like with Tree Hugger. The gossip would fly and probably embarrass her. We were a thing you know, big sis and the folks were always trying to hook us up. She's just doing the super awesome flyer and war hero thing trying to impress me. Maybe once she's done with all this war silliness, I'll do Rainbows a favor and settle down. For now having a little reminder of the filly in her prime will be the perfect muse for my art studio.."

Nudging the safe open on hinges in bad need of a little oil, the rising note of joy from the four Ministry Mares in my head was only slightly marred by the discordant hiss of 'Be Dark...' on spotting a fifth. There was enough loot in there to make Val happy when she arrived tomorrow, but the beautiful cyan statue at the center of it all was all I cared about.

Her strong looking wings were spread wide and she looked like she was about to streak off to the freedom of the skies, her rainbow colored mane and tail a vibrant splash of light that seemed to enrich the muted colors around it. This wasn't the strong and tough older mare wearing Shadowbolt power armor on all the posters in the wasteland, the smiling filly hidden in Zephyr's safe was the real, one and only Rainbow Dash.

As soon as I floated it out in my telekinesis to read the inscription of 'Be Awesome!' on the base, I felt that strange surge of magic make my wings tingle. Rainbow Dash joined the crowd of her friends in my mind, the silent cheers and happiness drowning out that one dark stranger up there with them.

The mention Zephyr made of Dr. Vega and Dr. Swirl paying to examine it gnawed at me, along with the realization that darker voice had been growing louder lately. Now that it was suddenly muted, I could tell just how big the difference was and feel concerned by how it had been sneaking up on me. For the moment though, I was just sharing in that sense of elation and 'rightness' on bringing five friends together.

I wasn't the only one who felt it either, Ether flew after the Fluttershy statuette as I levitated it off the desk to join Rainbow Dash and the others hovering out of my bags. The Queen of the breezies giggled delightedly as I juggled all five in the air, weaving around them happily as a wide, relaxed smile spread on both our faces. "Is others! Yu has more, they feel nice Fast Shroud! Like is singing! I feel better, no worry so much aboot beeg day anymore somehow!"

A kind of tension I didn't know I was carrying was flowing out of me, like I had been tensing a muscle for a long time and didn't realize it until it relaxed. I was genuinely happy to see them reunited and hear their whispers swirling together in my mind. They really were stronger together... The difference was exponential with each one I found, letting me think clearly and more like myself for the first time in awhile as 'Be Dark...' shrank back to its shadowy hiding place in my heart.

"Yeah, it does feel nice, doesn't it Ether? Like everything will be ok somehow, no matter how bad things may have been."

"YOU MAY KEEP THAT REPAIR-PONY, IT SEEMS TO BELONG WITH YOU. CONSIDER IT PAYMENT FOR ALL YOUR ADMIRABLE WORK FIXING ME, AND AS THANKS... FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP."

"Thanks Great Tree, I'm glad to be your friend. I'm not worried about leaving the breezies once we go either, not with their faithful guardian. Now, lemme see if there's anything here that can help put things right, then let's all try to get a little rest so we're all ready. There's a lot to do, but just like these five, we're stronger together. Right?"

"RIGHT"

For once when I woke up to bright morning sunshine, I didn't feel miserable. Part of it was probably having a decent rest, even if it was only for a few hours. No disturbing nightmares I couldn't quite remember, instead I had rather awesome ones of flying like I knew what the hell I was doing up there.

Another good part of it had to be just how comfortable and warm my bed was, being cuddled by a somewhat smaller but still massive Swan was a surprisingly soothing and soft sleeping arrangement. I was very glad she wasn't a snorer, just the thought of a racket like Val made coming out of her big mouth made me shudder. Instead I was grateful to find Swan slept smoothly, the slow and steady beat of her powerful heart under me, coupled with the easy rise and fall of her breath, made for some of the best sleep I had in awhile.

I even got a nicer wake up call, the Great Tree was trying to be nice and hadn't opted for turning on my alarm again. The breezies I blearily blinked up at, flitting around the shafts of sunlight filtering through the roof of the barn we sheltered in, were being respectfully quiet. What did gently prod me back to wakefulness was a firm hoof nudging my free hindlegs from below, making me shift to peer over Swan's forelegs hugging me in place to find the patient grey stare of a zebra that had managed to make his way right next to us without making a sound.

Zed was wearing his dirty coveralls again, apparently having already been at work in the Flora-Tribe's gardens for awhile. On being sure my confused red eyes were focused, he spoke in a soft baritone and pointed at the pip-buck on his hindleg in annoyance, the golden gleam of a Cybreezie clearly not a wanted addition. "Wake up Fast, this bizarre pony machine asked me to get you before it would release me. Today is to be a busy day and some of us have already been hard at work, while you and your ...playmate... laze about."

"Wha? Oh! Er! R-Right... sorry Zed, we were just really ...tired... H-Hang on, lemme just... ungh... get... her... to..."

I squeaked in embarrassment, prevented from scrambling to cover up by the firm grip keeping me in place. At least Swan's forelegs covered most of my bare hide, there was way too much of the filly herself on display for Zed to even make a show of modesty though. We maaaay have tucked ourselves in with a bit more fun... The large barn that was part of the Fauna-Tribe's domain offered a little privacy and Swan had been waiting in a rather seductive pose in the roomy accommodations.

Watching me struggle to lift Swan's heavy hoof to no avail, Zed rolled his eyes and chuckled, standing on his hindlegs to shove with me and still keeping his voice down. "You should go ahead and wake her as well, Miss Swan is to provide transportation isn't she? I'll let you do the honors though, Grandfather always said 'Let sleeping dragons lie'..."

Proving the wisdom of Elder Zin's sage advice, just Zed and I struggling to get me loose was enough to make Swan moan and furrow her brow above me, swatting at the zebra and forcing him to dodge back gracefully as she mumbled and squeezed me harder. "Nnngh! Five more minutes Umbra... sleepy..."

Faced with Zed's sardonically raised eyebrow from a safe distance, I sighed and gave up. Swan had subconsciously been pretty careful with me, but wasn't going to stand for having her teddy bear taken away without a fight. Shoving at her hoof, I wiggled in place and tried to wake her gently.

"Swan... Hey, Swan... Time to get up, sorry. C'mon, lots of stuff to do and waaauuugh!!!"

Letting sleeping dragons lie definitely would have been better... Actually trying to wake her up just resulted in her rolling over petulantly, shaking the barn when she flopped over with her back to Zed and me suddenly pinned under her bulk. From somewhere beyond all the whining lavender fur smothering me, I could swear I heard that zebra and a lot of breezies laughing...

At least between the noise and me frantically struggling for air, Swan woke up with a start and leapt to her hooves, prancing back and worriedly nudging my flattened form out of the pony shaped hole in the floor around me. "Oh! Sorry Fast! A-Are you ok? Breathe!"

Staggering up woozily, I was glad Swan was so soft... By the time I caught my breath and glared at Zed's tapering chuckles, he was already wiping his eyes and trotting off, the Cybreezie on his leg flitting over and reattaching to my own. "Try not to get distracted letting her make up Fast... Lots of work to do hmm?"

I would try to come up with a denial, but it was a little hard with Swan's big muzzle smacking at me in relief and giving a sheepish smile. "Sorry Fast, m-maybe being tiny isn't all bad, I don't feel as bad about it anymore so I could try to get a little smaller... i-if that's better?"

While I was happy to hear Swan not so insistently fixated on being big and hoped it signaled her getting over some of her reasons for feeling that way, I shook my head and held her glowing cheeks, kissing her nose as she liked before looking around for my clothes. "Whatever makes you happy Swan, I love you either way. Now that we've tried both, er... t-there are things to be said in favor of both, so I'm happy regardless. He's right though, we really should get a move on and you being all super charged will come in handy, lots of teleporting to do and other stuff later."

Swan whinnied delightedly and blushed at the approval of her preferred state. "Really? I love you too Fast! Can I have another apple after I get sister and the others then? I still like being big and strong, so I'll stay that way. Umm... I'll be careful though."

My pip-buck still listed a couple dozen 'Balefire Apples', so I nodded and accepted her giggling help fighting into my coat, taking a better look around at the barn that had mostly been a blur last night. A few Fauna-Tribe breezies were flitting in and out, watching Swan and I hurriedly getting dressed and doing a variety of chores.

While Swan had taken up a large portion of the central space, even she hadn't filled the cavernous structure. It was quite a bit larger than a normal barn one would find on a functional farm somewhere, including more rooms branching off from the main area. There were several stalls of varying sizes along one wall, homes for a number of healthy, non-mutated animals I had seen around the hub that the breezies were caring for. Bunnies, pigs, goats, beavers, racoons, possums... quite a variety just in here with us, and there were more buildings and penned areas outside I could see through the wide barn doors.

The loft overhead looked to be full of real hay and bins I spotted a few breezies leaving with burlap sacks of food for their charges. Following them towards the door to find where I left my saddlebags, I squinted out at the bright morning and noted the last of the thin coating of snow melting in the sunshine. I saw chickencoops, a forest of birdhouses, lots of nests and warrens built in the foliage that the Flora-Tribe looked to help them maintain, along with a few clear looking ponds teeming with fish and waterfowl.

Most of my time in the hub had been spent fixing things in the living building itself, not out here in the grounds like I saw Zed returning to, a flock of flower bedecked Flora-Tribe following him out towards the greenhouses, fields and orchards. While I was taking it all in, a train of baby bunnies bounded out at my hooves, making me canter back in surprise and notice the tan Fauna-Tribe breezie Foxtail helping to corral them.

She was riding an adult, chocolate brown bunny that thumped its hindleg to encourage the young out, while its rider Foxtail smiled up at me proudly. "Fauna-Tribe barn comfy Fast Shroud? Iz much betters den silly Flora-Tribe greenyhouses. Yu und beeg-beeg filly likey? Make snoo-snoo lots!"

"Eep! Y-Y-Yeah... comfy... S-Sorry to sleep in on you... H-Hey, umm... where do you guys get all the animals anyway Foxtail? Sorry I haven't been out this way, but I wondered before too. They all look really healthy, you must be doing something right."

While I was mainly trying to cast out for anything to distract the little leather clad breezie mare from discussing 'snoo-snoo' and their fascination with it, I was a little curious. I'd seen plenty of mutated examples of wildlife in the Commonwealth; radhogs, radstags, radrabbits, reavers, six legged goats and two headed cows, but here was the only place I had really run into many animals that were as I remembered them before the Stable.

At least flattery worked as well on the Fauna-Tribe as it did on Swan, Foxtail puffed up with pride and nudged her mount towards a heavy steel door that looked out of place in the faux wood barn. She fluttered up once there, guiding me down a row of dirty glass windows showing what looked like a complex lab on the other side. The glass was tinted, so I had to wipe a space clear with my hoof and shade my eyes to get a good look, taking in several rows of large, crystalline containers, ranging in size from a couple gallons up to larger barrels.

"Villowheart nurses und doctors helpy in dere, iz old labs Great Tree tells us aboot, makes baby critters frum holy ARC!" Foxtail beamed as I watched the dim forms of several of the medically trained breezies busily tending the complicated equipment in there.

The idea she communicated in accented pony took a minute to really grasp, but was amazing. "You make new animals from the samples down in the ARC!? T-That's incredible Foxtail! So these must be the cloning machines Scootaloo mentioned?"

"Clown-eng? Vhat is clowneng Fast Shroud? Fancy doohickeys makey babies, not clowns. Iz like inside mommy animal tummy!" The skull wearing breezie tittered laughter at the poor translation, but explained well enough even for my rudimentary medical knowledge.

Foxtail wasn't big on technical details and Swan seemed only mildly interested as she got dressed behind me, but the Great Tree proudly displayed data in my vision to fill me in and answer my question.

IT IS A LIMITED FORM OF CLONING, YES REPAIR-PONY. THOSE ARE ARTIFICIAL WOMBS FOR MATURING CLONES CULTIVATED FROM THE STORED GENETIC SAMPLES IN THE ARC. ONLY VIABLE FOR SMALLER ANIMAL SPECIES, NOTHING AS LARGE OR COMPLEX AS A PONY.

NOW THAT POWER IS RESTORED, I CAN BRING MORE THAN ONE ONLINE AT A TIME. THE FAUNA-TRIBE HAS USED THE RESULTS TO SLOWLY REINTRODUCE NON-MUTATED STOCK INTO THE LOCAL GENE POOL. I SUPPOSE I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THIS INSTITUTE HAD NO INTEREST IN MUNDANE ANIMAL SPECIES. THOUGH ON DOING A MORE THOROUGH CHECK, I HAVE NOTICED SEVERAL RAVEN SAMPLES HAVE GONE MISSING.

Well, no surprise there, I had run into the Institute's synthetic crow spies before and kept an eye on the skies since escaping Moondancer and her lab... While full on cloning of mature copies of anything all the way up to ponies may have been too difficult 200 years ago, Biosciences and the rest of the Institute had kept making progress on the work begun then. Actually thinking on it, a good piece of what the Brotherhood and Elder Macson in particular were probably interested in here clicked into place.

Swan's big head pressed against the glass at my side, fogging the view as she snorted at the advanced arcano-tech equipment inside. "Bleh... I like making babies the normal way, that doesn't look very fun at all... There's no playing, no love and caring stuff, no parents and family. I wasn't sure why you kept whining about that junk before Fast, but I like it now. Some crystal belly thing isn't a mommy, I will be though... and you'll be a daddy, we'll find your parents and they'll be grandparents like you talked about, we'll be a family type thing together! That's much nicer."

Cheered by Swan's simple declaration and the rush of emotion I felt at it, I threw my forelegs wide to hug Swan's head and planted a giddy kiss on her wide lips. That nearly got me yanked off my hooves when she pulled back in delighted surprise, tilting her head curiously and turning pink. "Oh! You think I'm right Fast?"

"Actually yes, I agree with you completely Swan. That was because I feel really happy though... I'm glad you understand why I have problems with what your sisters think I should be doing. Just mating and reproducing like a machine... Love, family, p-playing... all that stuff is really important too. You will be a great mom and I'm really lucky to help you be one, to make a family with you, with Jade and Ivy and Peri too. We might make for a kinda strange one, but I love all of you and our foals already."

I took getting suddenly snatched up in a powerful hug by the big filly as agreement. I couldn't see much beyond the cascade of Swan's pink mane, but I could hear a slight sniffle as her blouse swelled to bursting in front of me with a happy sigh. "I love you too! Let's play more then! We have to have lots and lots of foals to love together!"

"Ooof... l-later Swan, other stuff to do remember... like breathing..."

Sending Swan on her way ended up being the most difficult part of my late morning, after finally getting her time alone, she ended up experiencing some emotional growth and was reluctant to leave, even for a little while. Seeing how she had also experienced a lot of just plain old growth too, there was no moving her if she didn't feel like it either. A giant, lovey dovey mare tends to go wherever the hell she wants to go, whenever she damn well pleases.

She stuck around and kept me company while I buried Zephyr's corpse on the grounds, letting me further explain some of the things about him and the Great Tree I had sleepily tried to fill her in on last night. With thoughts of family and love on her mind, she even made the slightly morose computer feel a little better.

She hummed in thought awhile, sunning herself laying on the chilly ground and watching me dig, finally speaking up in a cheery voice to the cybreezie on my leg. "I think Fast is right. Sometimes me and sister Jade fight and don't get along, but I love her and she loves me, cause we're family! Your sister.. that sappy yellow pony sister loves so much is just like her, so I bet she loves her brother, even if he's a tree that did a lot of dumb things. Family and love junk is important, right Fast?"

Having her coo and nuzzle at me interrupted my digging, just as Queen Ether, Spring Gale and her own brother Blowing Storm, along with a throng of breezies including the heads of all the tribes were approaching. She did absently flick her horn and take a great chunk of earth up to finish the job as I sputtered my agreement though.

"Yeah Swan, family's important and tends to keep loving you, no matter what stupid mistakes you make. Hell, my Grandpa Fin lied, screwed around with my brain apparently and turned out to be a crazy mad scientist that caused all kinds of misery, but I still love him... I might sorta want to buck him right in the face when I see him, but I guess I still don't completely hate him."

Saying that was easier with the soft quintet of Ministry Mares still singing the one voice of dissent to sleep. 'Be Dark...' grumbled at the thought of still loving my grandpa, but Swan was right, I could be mad at him but still love him. He was family, just like the big filly nickering happily at me stroking her mane while we watched Zephyr's burial.

Queen Ether performed a simple ceremony over the humble grave, somehow fitting for such an ostentatious pony. She promised to slowly broach the idea that the pile of bones and their Great Tree were related to her subjects over time. As it was, explaining I got into the Director's office and the pony being buried was 'Holy Fluttershy's' brother was enough to get quite a service. More than the real Zephyr deserved, but it was touching for the part of him that remained in the hub maneframe.

After the service, plenty of attention and affection, Swan finally trotted off to get to her work ferrying Jade and all the rest back here. The promise of more lethally radioactive apples, more intimacy and a gift finally convinced her, along with the unappealing prospect of me being forced to get to work whether she did or not. I was far too boring 'tinkering with old junk' for Swan, so she exited through a hole in the hub's shield since she couldn't teleport through it and disappeared in a flash, leaving me to get as much as I could do on my own done in a hurry.

I helped Zed and Scribe Blossom with their latest batch of breezidore repellent for a bit while checking over all the tunnels and rifts leading to the root sector that needed to be sealed. It also let me explore the Flora-Tribe's domain so the Fauna-Tribe couldn't keep bragging about being who Swan chose to sleep with.

There was a lot of crossover between the two tribe's areas and I could see what Zed meant about getting some of his people this way. Summerset Plantation only had a tiny sampling of the vast variety of rare and exotic plants the breezies were working on restoring to the world.

If the Brotherhood really was interested in making the outside world that had been cleansed by the Gardens of Equestria spell flourish with life again, they were coming to the right place and the Breezie Nation was keenly interested in helping with that noble goal. That remained to be seen though, I still worried how pushy they might get on being denied the Ministry of Peace hub and questioned their motives, but tried to hope for the best and kept busy.

I did take the opportunity to help the crew of breezies in the kitchens when I grabbed a bite to eat. They were already jokingly calling themselves the 'Cook-Cook Tribe' and were happy for the help, busily preparing a variety of food for all the exciting guests on their way. It let me tinker with a few of the salvageable appliances, as well as learn a thing or two about cooking that would be sure to come in handy with a pregnant Princess to care for.

By the time Jade and everyone else teleported to the the stump shaped admitance building outside the hub, Knight Grinder and I had the doors open and waiting. The entrance building was safely outside the shield, but safely away from the still buzzing ruins of Willowville beyond. The power armored knight and I had been firing off the latest batch of flowery smelling repellent, clearing a wide area outside to prepare for their arrival and give the Brotherhood a safe landing zone.

I was glad we were ready when everyone appeared in a huge purple flash, Jade and our little crew, plus ponys and zebras from the Minutemares and Followers, along with several hellhounds and minotaurs, made for quite a crowd outside the quiet Ministry of Peace. So many passengers at once was enough to tax even Swan's overflowing arcane power levels, shrinking her quite a bit from when she left.

She still stood well above even the intimidating pair of Icepaw and Steelfist at more than twice Jade's size, even managing to not look to disappointed when she blinked down at her diminished vantage. She already had a hungry look eyeing my saddlebags and the promised Balefire Apples inside, but for once seemed satisfied not being gigantic, making me glad it didn't seem like such a compulsion anymore.

The crowd of breezies that had been helping Knight Grinder and I clean up disappeared instantly, but I caught them warily peeking around the wide double doors to the admitance building, curious at the first strangers to arrive in the Breezie Nation. Glitter squealing and tackling me, as Jade trotted sedately behind and called to them sweetly, was enough to get them to flutter out cautiously to the surprise of their guests though.

"It is alright all of you, these are our friends that have come to help, they wish to be friends. Come out and say hello, I know Icepaw and Steelfist may be a bit intimidating, but I assure you they are perfect gentlecolts. Hello Fast, my sister tells me you had an eventful evening..." Jade smiled beautifully as she coaxed the breezies out, arching a knowing eyebrow at me rolling on the ground with an excited little filly.

Glitter was getting better about being apart when needed, but I still caught a little of her separation anxiety and made sure to nuzzle and reassure her while she burbled happily. "Hi daddy! I missed you! We was really busy, but did lots of important stuff! Did you? Aunt Swan said you went down to the Stable place like back home and found lots of old junk, I bet you were happy!"

"Yeah... h-happy... It's really good seeing you too sweetie, I missed you too. Ready for a busy day my little Ambassador of Cuteness? Lots of stuff for you to do." I tickled the struggling filly and beamed up to Jade watching with a soft smile, happy to be reunited even after just a night apart. "Everything go ok hon? I did find out a few things to tell you all about when we have a chance."

Val stalked forward and answered for her, huffing and rolling her eyes at the minotaurs and hellhounds still eyeing each other suspiciously. "Borin' as hell boss, like babysittin' toddlers with guns an' dynamite. We better get some action soon!"

"We did have a few tense disagreements, but everything is fine for the moment. I could do without any 'action' for awhile if you please Valkyrie. We do hope to have a productive and peaceful meeting of new friends... I am eager to hear all about what you have been up to as well Fast, let us get everyone settled and.. oh! H-Hello Great Tree, so nice to see you as well, I... what?" Jade was absently helping Witchy and Preston herd the crowd towards the admitance building, stopping in surprise when a gleaming Cybreezie flitted to her shapely foreleg and attached to her own pip-buck.

"Oh yeah, it was saying something about a message for you hon. The hub fixed its communications equipment apparently. It wouldn't tell me anything though, confidential blah blah blah... I'm your husband though, I ought to be able to find out who it was from at least. So? I'm dyin' of curiosity here, who's calling you from outside the... er... honey? You ok?"

Glitter and I both paused in our playful wrestling and hugging, looking up to the beautiful blue alicorn slowly turning a pale sky blue in the face as her shrinking eyes flicked back and forth, reading text only she could see. While I loved how Jade's lips moved slightly as she read things, I couldn't tell what exactly words she was forming, especially as she stopped with her mouth hanging open in a widening round look of shock...

When she finally noticed our concerned stares and found her voice, it was a raspy whisper of mixed elation and panic, her sparkling azure eyes getting round and dark as she spoke two words. "V-V-Velvet... R-Remedy..."

-----------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------

Rooted-----
---Maybe you've been hanging out with a living tree too long, or just learned to be a little tougher after wrestling with a giant filly... You're part tree yourself now! While standing still, you gain +20 damage resistance and your melee and unarmed attacks deal +20% more damage.

Quest Perk Added!----------------------

Be Awesome!--------
---The loyal spirit of Rainbow Dash grants you a little of her awesome skills, still nowhere near as cool as her, but at least 20% cooler! You gain +1 Agility from Ponyville's best flier!

Ch. 83-- Power to the People

"From all of us together, together we're friends."

At the mere mention of this Velvet Remedy, Jade had been beside herself with glee and terrified worry, forcing me to gallop after her long strides through the hub as she frantically directed the breezies, Preston, True Blue and her own Follower apprentice, the gruff and no nonsense donkey mare Wives Tail who had been allowed to enter the hub.

The minotaurs, hellhounds and ponies from Salt Lick had been directed to stay outside the hub in the admitance building, babysat by Val as they were still bickering. This time the excuse to fight was about dynamite from the mines going missing and everyone accusing each other. Keeping them busy with Knight Grinder driving the buzzing breezidores back and getting the lay of the land seemed the best way to get them to get along for now, or at least distract them.

With everyone set to their tasks for the moment, I managed to get a few minutes to talk to her when she practically dragged Glitter and I to the showers. While I loved any opportunity to spend time with Jade, let alone bathe together, it was a lot less enjoyable with her forcefully scrubbing the two of us and nattering to herself anxiously.

"Glitter, hold still dear, we must clean your ears ! Fast do try to do something with your mane for once, here let me preen those horribly disheveled wings of yours too, get my back if you please. Oh this is so exciting! W-We must all make a good impression, do not go charging off Glitter, we must dress you in your finest school clothes and brush your mane and tail thoroughly! It is a great honor to speak with the Pony Who Helps! I do hope she will be proud!" I was starting to worry Jade would hyperventilate, I really hadn't expected this level of anxiety based off the message from the Great Tree relayed to her.

Glitter helped by asking some of my questions for me, whining blindly from under a lot of suds covering her head, anything to let her fidget and pull away from Jade's frantically scrubbing hooves. "Ow! Mooo-oom! What's the big deal, how come we gotta get all dressed up? Who is this mare anyway, how come you're freakin' out?"

"Velvet Remedy is the leader of the Followers of the Apocalypse dear, the group who sent me here. She is a wise and kind mare I owe a great deal to. The Great Tree has informed me she is waiting for video communication in Manehatten, which is why I insist you both clean up, we must all make a good impression and look our best!" Jade floated the squirming filly up in her magic, attacking her from multiple angles with several scrub brushes as she replied.

Struggling to follow Jade's orders and avoid the same treatment, I busily cleaned all the sweat and filth still staining my coat from all the exercise I got with Swan. "She sounds nice enough from everything you've told me, why so worried? I'm sure she'll think you've done a great job here, you just got hellhounds and minotaurs to get along and play nice for Celestia's sake! You're bringing together a bunch of different groups here today, helping to reopen the Trotson Ministry of Peace, I really doubt she could complain about anything the Commonwealth's Princess has accomplished here."

"D-Do not call me such when we speak with her Fast, I am worried what the great Velvet Remedy would make of me taking the title of Princess here. She sent my sisters and I to spread the Followers, n-not become a monarch..." Jade winced at my casual use of her title, tapping her hooves together nervously.

Gently taking the soap from her busy magic, I nuzzled her favorite spot on her neck and tried to massage the wire taught tension in her trembling back, speaking soothingly until her breathing slowed. "Jade, she sent you to make things better and you have. Personally I just want to thank her for sending the mare of my dreams to me, everything else you've accomplished is icing on the cake. You're a Princess for all of us, that's nothing to be ashamed of, be proud of yourself, I know she will be."

"I only hope you are correct, her message was short, but she is waiting for me to reply. She is aware we are inside the hub thanks to the Great Tree. The Manehatten hub is not in nearly the shape this one is, but the Followers have been trying to restore it and were able to respond. We must not keep her waiting, at least she is comfortable in Tenpony Tower and Miss Homage is aiding in the communication." Deemed sufficiently squeaky clean, Glitter and I both were dunked under the warm spray of the showers as she muttered excitedly.

Floated out of the tiled room and to the staff lockers, waiting towels sprang into action at Jade's direction and attacked us, roughly rubbing us dry before being replaced by a variety of brushes. Once Glitter's bouncy silver mane was brushed to a silky sheen and tied with a fresh bow, those brushes turned on me and tried in vain to tame my shaggy grey mane, making me wince at each tug as Jade kept frowning and cocking her head critically.

In frustration, she licked her hoof and slicked the whole ragged mess back, turning the buck in the mirror behind her into a proper gentlecolt for about ten seconds, until it popped back out into the normal messy bangs falling in my eyes. Thwarted for the moment, Jade snorted and shoved my hat down on my head, worriedly smoothing the at least clean and shiny hair from my face and nodding smartly, turning her attention to my wings.

"T-That will have to do... Can I not convince you to wear the handsome suit from Diamond City though Fast? You look very dashing in it and it will present a better image than... a comic book character..." Jade eyed my freshly cleaned and meticulously inspected Shrouded Stallion armor with a hint of distaste, making me defensively grab it in my magic and hug it to my chest protectively.

"I think it looks cool... Besides, this is the image the Commonwealth knows as your faithful knight, its... ummm... l-like a uniform! That suit chokes my neck and makes me itch anyway... a-and it's not tailored for a pegasus, no wing holes. If you want us to look fancy, how come you're not wearing your sparkly princess dress?"

Trying to turn things around on her didn't work so well by her arched eyebrow, but at least she didn't object to my precious costume too much. Instead she straightened Glitter's cutest and least wasteland worn red dress, turning to peering at her own gleaming white lab coat closely, even after cleaning it repeatedly with her magic.

"I would not report to the leader of the Followers in such an ostentatious garment Fast. I am a Follower of the Apocalypse, if you insist on wearing your 'uniform', surely you understand me wearing my own. What do you think, do I look acceptable?" Shrugging into her labcoat with practiced ease, Jade asked my opinion anxiously as she helped me fight my fluffy, raven dark wings into my own black trenchcoat.

"Acceptable is like the last term I'd use, more like beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, mind blowing, glorious, fantas..."

While I got shushed with a hoof as Jade turned bright red and smiled, Glitter picked up for me and nodded her agreement rapidly. "Yeah mommy, you look reeeeeally pretty! Even without your fancy dress! There's no way this big important pony won't think so, she's not even a Princess!"

Our daughter using her title too just made Jade's pretty blush deepen, but she smiled happily and gave a shaky whinny, standing straight and fluttering her wings in excitement. "T-Thank you both very much, but Velvet Remedy is much more than a Princess to me and the other Followers, she is The Pony Who Helps. N-Now then... l-let us go and speak to her ourselves. This is so exciting!"

Glitter bounded after her mother, leaning up to nuzzle and join her adorable squeals of excitement. Even if she didn't know this Velvet pony from Discord, she knew her mother was happy and that was all she cared about. I followed along behind the two skipping their way down the halls of the Ministry of Peace, stopping to collect a nervous but equally groomed Queen Ether in Willowheart, then up the spiraling ramps and towards the communications room the little cybreezie attached to my pip-buck was guiding us towards.

I didn't know much about 'The Pony Who Helps' either, other than what Jade told me and what I read in the first few chapters of The Book of the Lightbringer, so I wasn't sure what to expect. She had a faithful devotee in my wife anyway, so she had to be something special. Time to find out...

Beyond the third floor we had stayed on, the Ministry of Peace hub branched off and narrowed repeatedly, mostly untouched by breezie and pony alike as out of the way as these areas were. The communications room was straight up the main trunk of the tree, the highest room in the central section, several long flights up that were quite a hike. It was a grimy, cluttered space, full of blinking lights and fancy equipment wired into the sparkling surface of the tree itself.

Dusting a couple rotting chairs from the clutter with a flourish, I let Jade take her seat and hold our struggling filly in her lap. Ether perched on Jade's costume tiara and ducked down in her cloudy mane, even the breezie monarch was anxious and opted to hide in Jade's pale blue locks for the time being. All of them fidgeted in anticipation as I patched my pip-buck into the equipment, piercing the veil that separated the Commonwealth from the rest of Equestria. It went fairly quickly with the hub maneframe aiding the process, plus the cheery voice on the other end sounded like she was waiting for us.

"Hello, hello! If it isn't my favorite couple from the far flung Commonwealth! How's the famous Princess and Shrouded Stallion this evening? Oh! And who's that cutie with you your highness?" I hopped up to my seat beside Jade in time to see the familiar grey unicorn mare toss her short blue mane as she resolved out of the static.

DJ Pon3's assistant Homage loomed in the dusty monitor, creating a fisheye effect as her bright golden eye peered right out at us, blinking at Glitter's over stimulated reply. "Hi! I'm Glitter! This is my mommy and daddy pretty lady! Are you this super important Velvet pony? You don't look so special... I like your neat gold pip-buck though, I gots one too, see!? Are you really somewhere outside?"

When Homage pulled back with a soft smile, I could see Glitter was right, a gleaming, golden pip-buck adorned her foreleg. We'd never communicated with such a clear and sharp color image, so I had missed it up to now. Somehow it looked different than Fancy's gold plated model, the bejeweled megaphone practically sparkled with its own light and the gold glimmered warmly. "Awww, isn't she adorable! Boy, I know your name is Fast, but I didn't expect such quick work starting a family by the newest male alicorn!"

"I didn't!... errr... ok, I did... b-but... Umm, this is my adopted daughter Platinum Glitter Homage, we sorta found each other when I came out of the Stable, but she's my little filly. This is just the first time we were somewhere she could see someone from the outside world."

"E-Excuse our daughter Miss Homage, she is very excited to speak with someone as far away as Manehatten. Platinum Glitter, this is Miss Homage, bearer of the Element of Honesty and quite an important pony herself I assure you dear... Can you see us alright? Do we look presentable? A-Are we early? Or late? Oh dear, Miss Remedy has not been kept waiting, has she?" Jade kept a firm hold on Glitter reaching for the monitor, absently smoothing her immaculate mane as she fretted.

The grinning mare all the way in distant Manehatten giggled and spun in her well preserved and comfy looking chair, waving off Jade's jabbering. "Oooh, flattery will get you everywhere Princess, but I'm no big deal cutie. Don't you worry about Velvet, she's been spending time down in the Tenpony spa, she'll be here in just a minute. She was excited to see communication with the Trotson hub though, you actually managed to get in? What's it like? No crazy experiments or mutant hospital horrors I hope?"

"N-No... It is very pleasant actually, well preserved like many areas of the Commonwealth. I-It is also occupied however, which is one of the things I hope to discuss with Miss Remedy. Thank you very much for facilitating this call Miss Homage, it was very unexpected, but I am most excited." Jade calmed slightly speaking with the funny mare, giving a little whinny of happiness that jostled the breezie ruler hiding behind her crown.

I couldn't blame her and was grateful to Homage, the DJ's assistant was easy to talk to so she must learn a lot under DJ Pon3. The quick smiles and smooth patter of her speech reminded me of the honey voiced buck on the radio already. "So is she! Don't sell yourself short there Princess, I've kept her up to date on everything my spying eyes have spotted in your neck of the woods and she's been impressed. That weird maneframe freaked her Followers cleaning up the Manehatten hub right out though. Gave me a chance to stretch my legs and help them tinker with it, though I prefer answering with all my lovely equipment back home. They've made a lot of progress, but there's a severe shortage of proper toaster repair ponies in the Followers, maybe we can tempt you out this way, huh Fast?"

"Oh... ummm, maybe someday, we've been kinda.... busy... I'd like that though, it would be pretty neat to play with your set up there just from what I can see. Jade tells me Twilight Sparkle herself set it all up and lived there?"

My innocent question was met with a slight frown on the pretty grey unicorn, her eyes flicking to the side in distaste before she brightened again. "That she did Fast, her... legacy is still hanging around even now, poking their noses in... That'll wait for Velvet though, so how have you guys been? You disappeared in that forest and my view can't penetrate all those leaves, there's still nothing like that place outside of the Everfree here. I've been a little worried too, you sure pissed off some really well armed raiders. Those Equestrian Army looking jerks... Gunners or whatever, sound like a big problem from what Miles tells me."

Glitter obviously felt left out of the conversation, crossing her forelegs in stern agreement, before piping up brightly and nodding. "Uh-huh! They're all a bunch of meanies Homage, except Auntie Val, but she's not one anymore. My daddy beats em up all the time though! He even fought a big turtle looking tank thingy an' helped save a town!"

Giggling brightly at me blushing and shrinking in my seat, Homage nodded to the foal and matched her enthusiasm and tone. "I know, I saw! He has a habit of blowing places up, so I can usually spot him. It was pretty cool alright cutie, you must be proud of your old man huh?" Laughing at the foal nodding crazily, Homage arched an eyebrow and turned a bit more stern as she continued. "Seriously Fast, those guys are no joke, that's not the only tank I've seen down there, along with Vertibucks and other prewar military hardware. Some ponies here are already freaking out, they're getting to be a threat for armies out here that don't like being outclassed..."

That ominous warning made me gulp and give a shaky nod back. Before I could think of much of a reply however, a melodic voice spoke up from off camera and suddenly Jade's foreleg curled around my neck, snatching me up and squeezing me against our struggling daughter receiving the same treatment. I couldn't make out words, but I did spot Homage say something and leave the frame for a moment, while Jade wiggled in her seat and squeed to herself, her round eyes getting dark as her pupils dilated into sparkling pools.

"Gak... Jade... air..."

"M-Mooom! Too tight! Leggo... Hey, is that her!? Hi pretty lady! Are you Velvet?" Glitter struggled and squirmed under her own crushing embrace, pausing with her hooves shoved against Jade's chest and her head hanging upside down to stare at the ponies coming into view of the monitor now.

"Oh! S-Sorry you two, but yes! Now be polite, let us make our manners as I have taught Glitter dear. May I introduce you all to The Pony Who Helps, leader of the Followers of the Apocalypse, the great Velvet Remedy!" Jade released her hold as I was starting to turn a blue that matched the trembling breast I was squeezed against, bowing her head and nudging Glitter into copying the gesture with me.

When I caught my breath and raised my head, it was to a new mare filling the view screen with Homage, both of them chuckling at Jade's overenthusiastic and formal greeting. This Velvet Remedy waved a hoof bearing another golden pip-buck coquettishly, this one adorned with a bejeweled songbird I caught a glimpse of.

She smirked as she spoke in a clear, beautiful voice. One that was familiar from her songs on the radio Jade always turned up. "Oh there's no need for all that, just Velvet will do nicely. Hello there, lovely to finally talk to all of you! I've heard a lot about you Blue 1192, or should I call you Princess Jade?"

Jade gave a sharp 'eep!' at her title and hid in her wings, turning a brilliant red and too embarrassed to respond, while I was simply stunned into silence. The mare smiling demurely out at us was gorgeous... Her coat was a silky, dark charcoal color that nearly matched my own, but looked a lot better on her. Her long white mane was streaked with red and gold, recently groomed and styled to fall in a cascade over one warm, blue grey eye and down her slender neck, a shapely horn peeking from her locks. She was older than me by several years, though just how many was hard to pin down, her eyes and demeanor were of a wise adult mare, but that stunning beauty looked ageless, the timeless body of a very attractive filly...

I was actually glad our view was limited to just that much, from the hints I got, seeing much more than the upper half of the body all that was attached to would get me in trouble. As it was, just what I could see did so anyway as I felt my wings slowly stand up as I goggled. While that embarrassing display had gotten annoyingly standard for me and Jade didn't get upset, it was clearly communicated to the pair watching from Manehatten while Homage tittered.

The look Velvet gave was partially surprise and part clinical appraisal, her eyes flicking quickly between my wings and the horn peeking from my hat. She raised an eyebrow and gave a teasing laugh as I copied Jade and tried to hide behind the traitorous appendages. "Oh don't worry about it, I'm married to a pegasus after all. You should have seen my husband before he learned to control his cybernetic wing. Flattering I can still get a rise out of young bucks like you though, even alicorn stallions it seems... It is a good thing Calamity's downstairs rooting around in the shops for old junk though, I doubt he'd appreciate that display nearly so much..."

"So, I finally get to speak to what's left of our Commonwealth expedition. First let me just say... Jade, I am so sorry I sent you on such a dangerous mission, that your sisters didn't make it. If I had known half of what Homage has been able to find out since then, I never would have asked just the three of you to go into that forsaken city."

Jade's ears drooped at her heartfelt apology, thinking of the pair of alicorns that had formed her wing before we met. She wiped her eyes and replied in a thick voice after a moment though, putting on a brave face. "I am saddened by their loss, but I am still glad you sent us Miss Remedy. There was no way you could have known, and Miss Homage would still be unaware had we not come. I have spread the message of the Followers, tried to improve things for the people of the Commonwealth and make a difference, all the things my sisters and I hoped for. I have also even met my special somepony thanks to coming here, so I am glad you sent us regardless. I h-hope I have made you proud?"

Velvet's sad smile warmed considerably and she nodded, though that almost unkind smirk resurfaced too as she replied. "You've done us all very proud Jade. I see you've done well for yourself too 'Princess', I'm not sure how I feel about that you know... You're not getting delusions of grandeur, are you?"

Glitter interrupted her mother's sputtering denials, leaping to her defense with a squirming snort. "My mommy's an awesome Princess lady! My daddy's her knight an' she's gotta castle an everything! Everypony loves her and she's nice to everypony back! Even mean ol' hellhounds!"

"I'm the one that insisted she was a Princess Velvet, she never wanted to claim the throne, it's me and everypony else that see her as one."

Having watched enough of the exchange with strange ponies, Queen Ether fluttered out from behind Jade's tiara, landing on the console and sticking her nose up imperiously as she addressed the shocked audience. "Princess Jade pony iz good, I Queen of Breezie Nation und call her fellow royalty. Far avay pony no call her bad Princess, Kingdom of Sanctuary iz our friends und ve open up hub place to Followers because of her."

Both Velvet and Homage's jaws were hanging open in stunned silence, letting Jade collect herself and beam beautifully at all of her defenders. Her cheeks were still an adorable pink, but she fluttered her wings and answered her leader in a firmer, more confident voice. "I did not seek the role Miss Remedy, but I have been convinced a Princess is what these ponies need and desire, so I reluctantly fill the role. Case in point, it is my honor as Princess of the allied Kingdom of Sanctuary, to introduce you to Queen Ether of the Breezie Nation, inhabitant of the Ministry of Peace Trotson hub, disciple of 'Holy Fluttershy' and friend of the Followers."

Velvet and Homage squeezed together cheek to cheek, filling the monitor in front of the little breezie monarch with their faces wearing matching expressions of foal-like glee. Their eyes got wide and dark, their pupils slowly swelling until they seemed to fill the screen. Having a fairy come flitting out effectively derailed any other thought and magically turned them into a pair of squealing fillies.

Velvet found her voice first, squeeing in delight at the breezie. "Ohmigosh! You're adooooorable!! A tiny little pony! It's a pleasure to meet you, Queen Ether was it? You live in the Trotson hub?"

When Homage collected herself, she surprised me again with her prewar knowledge and intelligence, making me wonder how a wasteland mare had come by such an education. "A breezie? Like a real, non-mutated, honest to goddess breezie? How?! I've seen pictures in books, but nopony's seen a real breezie in ages! There are more of them there?"

"Umm... non-mutated may be a little inaccurate, more of a Fairy Breezie than a prewar one, but yeah. They live in the Trotson hub, it belongs to them, not anypony else. They're just letting us in, if they decide to after today that is, you caught us on a busy day. Just that much is thanks to my Princess too, so you should appreciate all her hard work..."

The annoyed frown forming on Velvet's muzzle was interrupted by a flash of green filling the view screen, a lot of flapping and squawking coming through the speakers made Ether skitter back in surprise, fluttering up to my hat as the commotion resolved into a very strange looking bird and Velvet trying to wrangle it back in a flustered voice. "P-Pyrelight, no! Bad bird, that's not for eating! Oh I'm so sorry er.. your highness! Go on, out the window with you! Go find some mice if you're so hungry silly!"

Glitter scrambled to my lap, leaning up on the console to stare at the odd... phoenix? It looked a bit like one, but phoenixes were gold and orange, not that balefull green... "Wow!! What's that Velvet lady? It's a really pretty bird! Is it yours?"

Homage was giggling in her spinning chair, watching her friend shoo the odd bird out of the tall windows in the distant background and answering the delighted foal. "It's a balefire phoenix cutie, neat isn't it? Old Pyrelight is as big a hero as Velvet. Sorry about that Queen Ether, you must have looked too much like a tasty snack. Pyrelight won't pull that again once she's done scolding him. So, there's a whole kingdom of your kind living in the Trotson MoP hub? That's amazing! Tell me all about it, DJ Pon3 would love to tell a story like this!"

"Tell story? On radio thing? N-No... ve of Breezie Nation villing to talk to Princess Jade friends und open up hub slowly, no vant everybody hear all aboot us... Ve stay hidden long long time, go slow. Trust Princess und Fast Shroud, no trusty you..." Ether stayed on my hat, but answered the curious mare firmly as Velvet returned.

It was Jade's kind voice that smoothed things over, cutting off the look of disapproval Velvet was still wearing. "Miss Homage is merely curious Ether, you could ask for no better ponies than her and the great Velvet Remedy to start with. They are both bearers of the Elements of Harmony and very trustworthy mares. I am sure DJ Pon3 can be discrete, especially after learning of some of your people's abilities that could make you targets of unsavory types..."

"I'm very interested in hearing all about your people as well Queen Ether. To think... real breezies still exist in the wasteland. A friend of mine told me about your ancestors, maybe hearing about you will help her feel better, she's still recovering from a very traumatic experience. If you think of her as 'Holy Fluttershy' I bet you wouldn't mind letting her know about you hmm?" Velvet smiled sweetly from the screen, the honey in her voice making the implication of what she was saying take a minute to sink in.

"H-Holy Fluttershy... you mean... The antidote project worked!? She is...no longer a tree?" Jade gasped beside me, just adding to my confusion. Her brother was the tree... not... Fluttershy?

Velvet held a hoof up to her smiling lips in a hushing gesture and beamed back, a slightly worried look mixed with the otherwise beautiful smile. "Sssh... That's still rather hush hush, but yes. Xenith finally succeeded some time ago, she's been recovering and still horribly scarred from her ordeal, but I'm sure hearing about her little friends would lift her spirits and assist in her recovery, if it's alright of course Queen Ether?"

Both Jade and Ether squealed crazily, Jade's big hooves lightly touching Ether's tiny ones as they fluttered up in a cute little aerial dance, while Glitter and I looked on in confusion. I got the idea the real, actual, factual Fluttershy was alive somehow, and something about her being a tree... but not much more than that.

The Great Tree seemed to get the idea too, Velvet's voice calling for calm and Homage's titters suddenly cut out, muted by the maneframe controlling it all as text scrolled across the screen rapidly. THE MINISTRY MARE? FLUTTERSHY IS... ALIVE?!

Gliding back down with a breathless sigh, Jade nodded happily to the screen and replied in an ecstatic voice. "It would seem so Great Tree! Is that not wonderful!? The Pony Who Helps was determined to find a way to help her too, she has finally succeeded thanks to her friends! Poor Ministry Mare Fluttershy was turned into a tree in the Everfree Forest by killing joke, but the Angels have managed to find a cure! I am sure it will be some time before she recovers, but perhaps someday she can find a way to visit! Would that not be amazing Queen Ether?"

A TREE... FLUTTERSHY WAS... A TREE...? LIKE ME? BUT SHE IS ALIVE AND CURED NOW?

Ether and Jade's continuing celebration dimmed a bit as they turned to the mares now yelling at the screen in confusion, Homage banging away on her equipment to bring back the audio. Jade tilted her head in confusion, blinking at her heroine growing frustrated at being cut off. "Umm... is something wrong? Are we losing the connection? Oh please Great Tree, not so soon! Can you not do something?"

Jade had been so frantic on her return after receiving her message from outside the Commonwealth, I hadn't had a chance to really tell her everything Swan and I had found out during her frenzy of cleaning and grooming. She didn't see any problem, unaware that the Great Tree she was talking to was partly the brother of Ministry Mare Fluttershy. Ether might know, but she was too excited to really put it together either.

"Hey... Great Tree, that's good right? You both know what it's like to be a tree, huh? I bet you'll have lots to talk about when she's up to it. How about you let us keep talking to them while you think about what to say, please?"

I shushed Jade and Ether gently, speaking in a soft voice to the cybreezie at my leg. The quiet whisper of 'Be Kind...' helping me console the strange maneframe, while making me wonder what the mare herself would think about the little statuette radiating the essence of her own soul riding around in my saddlebags all this time, helping me...

The copy of Zephyr Breeze's mind didn't answer, but the audio came back instantly, the loud shouting of Velvet hitting high notes that made my ears flatten. "Hey!! Can you hear us!?! Jade! Don't tell me it's broken!"

"W-We are here! So sorry, a technical malfunction on our end. Ether and I would be honored to tell you both all about her home and people, I can also make my report on the Commonwealth expedition and all our other successes Velvet Remedy." Jade apologized and looked up to Queen Ether landing on her tiara and leaning forward, both of them eager to speak with the leader of the Followers now.

I was glad the two of them were happy and was still stunned by the idea of Ministry Mare Fluttershy being alive somehow, but like Glitter I wasn't quite so caught up in the moment. Seeing Jade so ecstatic was plenty for me to watch contentedly as she reported to her idol.

I didn't like the way Velvet spoke over her sometimes though, and I really didn't like the way she kept eyeing my wings twitching as I watched my beautiful wife. I wasn't sure why, but she put me on edge. She might be Jade's heroine and they may have a lot in common, but I caught glimpses of an almost arrogant attitude that kept flashing out.

By the time my Princess and the Queen of the breezies had finished their long conversation, my impression of Velvet hadn't improved a lot. She was kind, in her own brusque way, living up to the Element of Harmony that was the gleaming pip-buck on her leg. She could also be haughty, condescending, demanding and downright rude occasionally, not to mention either really naive, or willfully blind.

She congratulated Jade profusely at least, making the beautiful blue alicorn puff up with pride and whinny happily each time. As far as I was concerned, that was just to be expected after all she had accomplished here. But for every word of praise Velvet offered, came a slight frown of distaste over things she didn't care for.

Velvet didn't like the Followers being so closely partnered with the Minutemares for one, her charitable group of do-gooders working hoof in hoof with a military organization rankled with her. Lecturing Jade over rules the Followers had for separation and cooperation with the New Canterlot Republic only annoyed me more, making me grumble an interjection that this wasn't the NCR.

She didn't like Jade's more polite and reluctant agreement that I had a point either, that the Minutemares and Followers were like sister groups here. They relied on each other to do more than either could alone and had come into prominence together, both bowing to a single Princess everyone trusted. Velvet made it clear she was experienced enough to know sometimes pretty words just weren't enough, but she didn't seem to like admitting it.

Jade's status as a Princess came up repeatedly too, in snide comments or poor jokes barely masking her disapproval. Velvet seemed to actively dislike the idea of Princesses, bordering on the point of blasphemy or treason for a prewar pony like me. Jade told me the New Canterlot Republic followed the griffon in charge's example and elected their leaders. An odd idea for me to grasp, elections were fine for things like class presidents, all the way up to mayors of big cities of course. Velvet acted like that was the only right and proper way period now, that the time of Princesses had passed and she didn't like being reminded of it.

Apparently some of Jade's sisters had used their goddess based form to set themselves up as Princesses and get up to no good elsewhere in the world, but the idea of the gentle blue alicorn at my side doing any of the things she alluded to... it was not just ridiculous, it was mildly insulting... Besides, Jade wasn't a Princess because she was born to it, or because she wanted the position or power, it had been practically thrust upon her by ponies that wanted something to believe in. The ponies of the Commonwealth did chose their leader, maybe not by counting votes and electing representatives, but with their hearts and hopes.

By the time Jade had finished up and fidgeted nervously while I patched her pip-buck in to download her detailed medical files, recordings, maps and notes she had learned to dictate to the arcano-tech device, I was as ready to leave as the bored little filly absently playing on the floor behind us. We had a lot to handle right here and now, not hundreds of miles away, beyond whatever kept the Commonwealth effectively sealed off from the bossy mare using a limited window to peek in and criticize. A lot of guests were waiting outside the MoP hub's shield for us to get to work, who knew what Val was getting up to being essentially in charge with us holed up in the communications room for the last hour or more.

Glitter looking up hopefully as the sound of our conversation began to wind down drew the arched eyebrow of Velvet, the dark unicorn mare looking up in thought and speaking in a cheery, lyrical voice to the foal. "I think we're almost done borrowing your parents sweetie, thanks for being so patient! We just have a few really boring, grownup things to talk about reeeeally quick, then I'll let them go. Promise! Would you mind letting us have a more private chat to wrap up? Maybe Queen Ether could keep an eye on you for a minute hmm?"

By her narrowed pink eyes and cute little huff, I wondered if Glitter picked up on my growing agitation with Velvet, or if she came by it herself. Either way, I had to hold a hoof to my muzzle to stifle a laugh when she stuck her nose up and trotted off. "I'm not a baby Miss Velvet, I don't need the Queen ta watch me. You're as bad as daddy, talkin' about grown up stuff like I'm dumb or somethin', it's probably about kissy stuff with dad, that's what it always is... I'll go see what Auntie Val and the others are doin' if it makes you feel better though. It was nice meeting you an Miss Homage!"

Ether was more diplomatic, but had to cough away a giggle at the sputtering blush on Velvet's face. "Yes, iz nice meeting Princess Jade's friends frum far avay, Followers sound like good ponies, just like she say. Ve go and let have private talky, Great Tree can talk outside whenever until yu find way to come, we throw big party then. Yu bring Holy Fluttershy, ve have big-big party! Yu tell her ve thank her very much, yes?"

"I promise, anything to brighten her day is welcome and I'm sure hearing about you will do just that Ether." Velvet beamed and bowed her head to the breezie monarch fluttering alongside Glitter, watching them go until the door to the small hub comms room slid shut. Once my filly was out of earshot, she became all business though, making me glad at least a fellow Stable pony like her had a similar sense of propriety. "That's a very smart foal you two, you must be very proud. So then, let's address the dragon in the room. You're a male alicorn Mr. Times..."

"Last I checked... Everypony constantly pointing out what you are instead of who gets kinda old though. So, which side are you on?"

The hard edge to my voice made Jade whimper in embarrassment and move to apologize, but I held a hoof up and glared at the monitor to cut her off. I didn't want to make her look bad or insult her heroine, but this line of questioning was pretty personal and I wanted to get a few things straight right off the bat. Velvet Remedy didn't look at all insulted anyway, tilting her head curiously and asking a one word question in return. "Side?"

"Most ponies since I got changed fall on one of two sides, they either hate me and want to kill me because of what I am, or they want to use me because of what I am. I really like finding ones in the middle that just treat me like a pony, but I somehow doubt you're going to fall in that group."

I hated making Jade cringe and gasp like that, but the offended snort I caught out of Velvet also came with a momentary flash of guilt, so I felt a little vindicated cutting through the bullshit. "I would never hate or kill somepony because of what they were! I was just trying to say you're something we've been trying very hard to help our alicorn friends with Fast. I'm sure Jade has told you how important you are to her sisters."

"Trust me, I'm well aware... I have more than a hundred sex crazed fillies hunting me down to put a baby in them, it hasn't exactly been fun for me. O-Ok... maybe a little... in very small doses, that Jade approves of. Otherwise not so much."

"Not so much? You mean... you're not taking advantage of it? You're running from them!?" Velvet goggled back at me, making me blush at the incredulous look she was giving me.

Homage didn't help, nearly falling out of her chair laughing and lightly touching her friend's shoulder. "H-He's a prewar pony Velvet, a pretty funny one too! Real romantic no less, he's been with that blue of yours since she arrived like a loyal little puppy! I'm not surprised, you remember young love Velvet, you stuck by Calamity right?"

"Y-Yes, but this is hardly the same thing! It's a matter of practicality! Xenith and her Angels have struggled to get the gender changing potion to work and fertility has been an issue, even with our successes. We just came from our third viable birth in Junction City and that one came as a surprise, she was even pink! But this Institute, they really have found a way to make the I.M.P. work?" Velvet stammered back, the concern in her voice cooling some of my dislike.

Hugging me to her side with her wing let Jade pull me away gently, hiding my charcoal coat turning red from the trio of mares blithely discussing my mating habits. "From what my Fast has learned, the Institute has been unable to duplicate their success, so I am glad to hear of the Angel's results, especially of a foal that breaks the mold of the mother's templates. We all thank you for your hard work helping us Miss Remedy."

"Well that's something, even these crazy Institute ponies aren't having an easy time of it anyway. Of all the bucks for them to succeed with though... they had to pick a prude. Is he fertile? Or has he been too stubborn to find out? Most bucks would be jumping at the chance you know." Ok, nevermind... her almost snide response brought my annoyance right back.

In answer Jade gave a blushing, secretive smile, stroking the still smooth blue expanse of her belly and the baby inside. "Yes, Fast is a viable male, I am... p-pregnant as well, so I suppose ours will be the fourth, while sister Ivy's will be the fifth."

Homage's smirk through the screen made me wince, while Velvet's eyes turned to pinpricks as she shouted into the mic. "Two!? He's successfully mated with two of you!? Two actual pregnancies, in how long? A month!?"

"P-Perhaps more than two, four at the most though... It will be some time before we can test the others, but I have high hopes. The mare who did this to my Fast seems to have altered the I.M.P., he has a variety of side effects... most of which seem bent towards making sure he is able to do as the mother wished. He is quite... v-virile. I have sent a full medical report detailing the transformation process and my observations since he ascended." Jade tapped her hooves together nervously, curling her wing around me tighter.

"Four? Well, at least you're willing to act like a stallion for the greater good. Surely you see how selfish you're being though, if these other two mares actually are pregnant too, you've managed to exceed our best results in eight years in just a month! We need to get you out of there and on a proper breeding schedule, not to mention run better tests and provide some security." Velvet answered in a matter of fact tone that really ticked me off, talking around me again...

The worried gasp Jade gave as she nattered on just stoked my displeasure, a hint of fear in my Princess' voice was unacceptable, but clearly there. "Out? O-Of the Commonwealth? Fast cannot, his family..."

At least Velvet's face softened and she did radiate a sad sort of kindness, pausing in her plans and speaking consolingly to me. "I've read your early reports on that, I'm really sorry Fast, everything you've been through, losing everypony like that... but you might have to accept that they're gone. How many times have you nearly died looking now? Is it really fair to take it all on yourself, when you're so important to so many of Jade's sisters? What's more important, the good of the many, or just you?"

"They're not dead. I get what you're saying, but they're not. I'm going to find them. I don't care if it's selfish, I'm going to keep trying. B-Besides, I do understand and want to help Jade's sisters, I risked my life to get the compatibility potion so they can breed with normal ponies, they don't need only me."

Clutching at straws, Jade nodded eagerly and agreed with me. "Y-Yes, I previously sent all the data Fast was able to find and we have two vials of the potion itself to send back to you Velvet Remedy. My sisters here in the Commonwealth are already attempting to put it to use, is that not sufficient?"

This time, Homage answered with a sigh, giving us the truth Velvet was dancing around. "I passed it along, just like I said I would and they're working on it you two. It's not just about that though. Watcher and I tried to keep it quiet, but we're not the only ones who know the Institute made a male alicorn out there. There are groups that don't like that idea at all.. Terrorists keep causing trouble in Glyphmark trying to stop the Angels from making their potion, plus there are huge bounties on confirmed male alicorns. That's why we have to keep the few successes Xenith's had under protection."

"Plus there's all the renewed interest in the Commonwealth period thanks to the lightshow when you changed Fast. I told you we'd see about sending Ditzy that way as a courier to collect that compatibility potion from you, but she was planning a trip that way regardless. Whatever seals the Trotson area away from the rest of Equestria kept the Gardens of Equestria spell out too, meaning you're one of few nearby places it's possible to find radiation."

The somber way she said that gave me pause, why was that a big deal? Why did they both look so worried about it? "Er... ok? That's generally not a good thing, though there are other ways to make radiation if it's important I guess. Who cares?"

I was glad Homage continued in answer, the smart and straight forward mare didn't set me on edge like Velvet. "Well, Ditzy wants to go there for her Aqua Pura, hoping to find a close source. I hate that she keeps going out to dangerous places to find irradiated water, but without it ghouls don't heal and are gonna start dying off. Ditzy can somehow get to the Commonwealth safely at least, though she doesn't know how."

"She's not the only one interested in the Commonwealth for rads though. Making more requires technology that's in short supply out here, unlike in Trotson. It's being downplayed and kept hush hush, but we're facing an energy crisis out here Fast. Most of our power comes from radiation engines, which are running out of fuel... That was one of the things the Brotherhood was sent there to find, alternative power sources, experimental tech that's littered all over the Commonwealth. We fought one war over an energy crisis already, don't think we won't do it again."

Picking up where Homage left off, Velvet tried to be soothing and reasonable again. "You see? Jade, you've done an incredible job there and I'm so, so proud, but it's dangerous there for both of you. Outside groups are going to find a way in, it's possible they'll fight to divide the Commonwealth up like a pie and see who gets the biggest piece. Add to that all those who would try to kill Fast for being what he is... Don't you want that cute little filly to be safe? For your baby to have the best care? I couldn't have asked for more from any Follower Jade, but I'm sending a larger expedition to take over. Thanks to you they'll have a safe base of operations and an amazing start to work with. When they get there, I want you to turn things over to them and for all of you to come back to us."

The conflicted grimace of Jade's face was horrible, looking to me in a panic as the muzzled murmur of 'Be Dark...' managed to struggle free, feeding on the flicker of anger I felt as I growled back. "I'm not leaving... My family's here..."

Velvet's kind, consoling voice held just the barest hint of mostly masked annoyance in reply. "Mr. Times, we'll do all we can to find them for you, but you may have to accept that they're d.."

"THEY'RE NOT DEAD! They're here! They're alive! They're waiting for me and I'm GOING TO FIND THEM! I'm not leaving! You sent Jade here and I'm incredibly grateful for that Velvet. I guess you can order her back too, but I'm not a Follower so don't order me around. This is my home, this is our home! Jade belongs here, she's our Princess. Don't tell her to just leave!"

Velvet didn't like that outburst one bit, her eye twitched as she planted her hooves on Homage's console and leaned forward, glaring back at me. "She's not a Princess and you're not a Knight! We're all just ponies and you're in over your head! Do you really think you're making things better playing pretend? Dressing up like a comic book hero, terrorizing and killing ponies? Most of the news we get out of the Commonwealth is when you blow up a piece of the landscape in there!"

"I swear, you are just like her! If you don't stop you're going to end up just like Pip! Getting hurt, killing yourself, leaving everypony behind because you just had to take it all on yourself! This is bigger than you and your family, just like your duty to the alicorns is greater than your modesty! You are a stubborn foal that needs to just step aside and let the grownups handle things!"

The tears spilling down her cheeks made me wonder if she was right, she sounded like she spoke from experience. The whispery shout of 'Be Awesome!' rose up in agreement with me though. It was my family, I wasn't going to just slink of and abandon them no matter what. I didn't try to do it all on my own either... mostly.

Looking up to Jade, I paused at the determined, pained look she was training on the screen, her voice quavered initially, but held a defensive note as she hugged me fiercely and straightened up. "Please Velvet Remedy, do not ask me to return... I cannot. Fast is my husband, I will not ask him to leave, nor will I go without him, or abandon all those who have come to depend on me. Despite my own misgivings and reluctance, there are many who do see me as a Princess and whose lives are brightened with hope because of it."

"I cannot take that from them, I cannot let them down and dash that hope. If the outside world is coming for the Commonwealth, these ponies deserve to have a Princess to meet it with them. I have the greatest respect for you Velvet, you saved me when I was lost, gave me a purpose, sent me here to do a job and let me meet my special somepony. I would do anything for you and the Followers, but I will not do that..."

Velvet choked on Jade's firm reply, caught between what she thought was right and what Jade did, unable to come up with an argument to pierce that implacable blue stare looking back hopefully. As much as Jade idolized Velvet, she wouldn't take her side over mine and Velvet knew it.

Thankfully, Homage broke the stalemate, gently pushing her gaping friend back and giving a warm smile to us both. "I think that proves she really is a good Princess Velvet. You can keep her as a member of the Followers, or you can lose her and watch her grow past it. That right there is the Princess of the Commonwealth though, and she's not going anywhere."

There was a long pause, the sputtering leader of the Followers of the Apocalypse fumed and snorted angrily. "I guess some types of foalishness just don't change! Sorry to put you in this position 'Princess', but we're trying to think of the best for everypony! If you insist on being insubordinate, there's not a lot I can do about it, is there? I just don't see how could you be so stubborn!?"

At that, Velvet trotted off, letting Homage wheel her chair into center frame and grin at us, waving a cheery goodbye and laughing at her retreating friend heartily. "Oh yeah Velvet, where would one of your do-gooders eeeever learn to be stubborn when it comes to helping others? Don't worry Princess, she'll get over it! You're both doing great, I'll pass on anything important to Miles and keep a close eye out! Bye-ie!"

When the screen went dark, Jade let loose a shaky, held in breath, lunging and curling around me in a shivering hug. "O-Oh my.. I cannot believe I.... I spoke to Velvet Remedy like that! She must be furious! I h-have disobeyed the leader of the Followers Fast! W-What will we do!? What if she is right!? I c-cannot... w-we must call back and a-apologize immediately! Oh no, no, no... I..."

Leaning up and sealing her lips shut with a grateful, passionate kiss stopped her worried jabbering. Jade's pinprick blue eyes slowly widened and sparkled as she squeaked in surprise, then murmured and returned the affection. When I broke it off, I stroked her cloudy mane softly and nuzzled at her favorite spot on her neck, trying to soothe her worries and communicate just how much I loved her.

"It's alright Jade, she will get over it. I'm really sorry I ended up putting you in that position. You know if you really did want to do what she wanted and leave, I would come with you, right? I'd never leave you alone, ever."

After a few minutes of attention that slowed the rapidly beating heart pressed against my chest, Jade spoke in a quiet whisper and nodded over me. "I would not leave you either, no matter if the Goddess herself somehow came back and commanded it. I greatly admire Velvet Remedy, but I love Fast Times. I... I will be f-fine... I a-am a P-P-Princess after all... One who has much to do I suppose, m-my worries will just have to wait. If I was bold enough to declare myself a Princess to Velvet Remedy, I should do my best to live up to it. A-Are you coming?"

The anxious, unsure, sad voice she managed made me worry for her. She put up a brave face and waited expectantly, but she had just stood up to her idol, the mare she put so much faith in had ended up quarreling with her. She had to be devastated, but she was already trying to put it behind her and focus on all the real things we had to do right now. Just like a real Princess would.

"Sure hon, just a minute. Haven't had a chance to poke around up here, so I'll see if I can tell where the Brotherhood is exactly, maybe talk to the Castle or Goodneighbor. I'll be right down, ok?"

Giving a quick peck on the cheek, Jade nodded and adjusted her tiara, walking briskly out and back down to all the people waiting for us. With her gone, I sighed and leaned back in the creaky chair, shuddering at putting her through that and trying to tamp down on my remaining anger. After a minute collecting myself, I stared up at the ceiling and spoke to the whirring camera up there softly.

"Hey... You ok Tree? I guess that was a shock for you, Fluttershy and all... are you alright?"

"MY SISTER... SHE IS ALIVE, I FEEL... HAPPY. CONCERNED AND ASHAMED, BUT HAPPY. I WISHED TO ASK MORE, BUT DON'T WANT HER THINKING OF ME... AS A TREE TOO... I WILL GIVE IT TIME, IT SOUNDS AS IF SHE NEEDS IT, I BELIEVE I DO AS WELL."

"That's probably pretty smart, being stuck as a tree for 200 years... Well, you both lasted this long, a little longer won't hurt. Just remember, you love each other, right? She'll want to hear from her brother, no matter what."

"I HOPE SO... YOUR CALL MAKES ME WARY OF ATTEMPTING COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTSIDE AGAIN HOWEVER. BEST TO STICK WITH LOCAL CALLS I SUPPOSE. SPEAKING OF WHICH, I HAVE MANAGED TO MAKE CONTACT WITH CASTLE EQUINOX, THOUGH THE ANTIQUATED SYSTEM THERE DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR VIDEO COMMUNICATION, THERE IS A CALL WAITING FOR YOU IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK WITH THEM."

Spinning in the chair idly, I shrugged and nodded to the hub maneframe, accepting its change of subject without pushing. "Sure, what the hell, go ahead. Can't be worse than that."

There was a pause filled with a lot of beeps and static from the speakers overhead, eventually followed by a familiar voice resolving from the interference that made me sit up straighter. "Hello? Is it working? Hey, weird computer! Are you letting me talk to Fast or not?"

"S-Summer? Is that you? I'm here! How are you? Are you alright? I heard you on the radio and..."

The bright, excited filly's voice on the other end overrode me, making my wings twitch just thinking of the sunny yellow pegasus Summer Wind. "Fast!? Finally! That computer started yapping at us, but wouldn't let me talk with you for the longest time! Hey, he's here!"

"Er... sorry, we had an important call we just finished. Is everything ok? I got your message, but was worried about why you left the Brotherhood, something about Paladin Dance?"

"F-Fine... well, not fine at all, but I'm ok. Dance is in a lot of trouble though and I don't know what to think. After Lt. Dawn came back with all that data from the Ministry of Peace, Proctor Quiz ran through it and suddenly they were saying Dance was a synth! He disappeared before they caught him, but I don't know where he is and I'm really worried about him... After that, everypony was really paranoid and looking at me too, so I decided to take you up on your offer. If you can find out anything about Dance when they get there though, please do Fast. He can't be a synth! Can he? I just don't kno..." Summer's worried prattling surprised me and made me concerned for her Paladin friend, but she was suddenly cut off by another voice I knew, one I didn't like nearly as much...

"Hey! You said he's answering!? Finally!! I come all the way to this dumb castle and he's not even here! What's the point of a castle if you're not gonna live in it!? You don't even have a passable guest room or decent snacks! Hey, stupid! Is that you? Answer!" I groaned at the demanding mare's voice screeching out of the speakers, laying my ears back and answering reluctantly.

"Hello Fancy... what do you want?"

The former Overmare of Stable 114 didn't sound like she had changed that much, despite her accidentally heroic antics I heard on the radio. My annoyance with her warred with surprise at hearing her answering from the Castle. "That's not much of a greeting for the pony that saved your stupid life! It's already rude not being here when I showed up, famous heroes are supposed to be around when you need them! What I want is obvious, duh! I want help, that's what you do, right?"

"Nnngh... help with what? I'm kinda busy Fancy, is it important to anypony else but you?"

Fancy's snort and whine came through the radio connection clearly, making me grit my teeth until she finally said something that really got my attention. "Yes! I want help saving my snuggleboo! I've been looking all over for him and finally found a clue, but I also heard some stuff that concerns you in that weird tree place wherever that is. I want a trade. I'll give you Vega and tell you something important about your big meeting thing there before you get hurt, but you have to come help save my snuggleboo. Before the new moon! I umm... I don't think me and Freya can do it alone... so I need help. P-Please?"

"Vega!? What do you mean give him to me? And what about our conference here, how'd you know about it and where we are? What about us getting hurt?"

The smarmy voice on the other side dug her heels in, still irritating even not in person... "Promise first! Everypony here says you keep your promises, and you did help me before... so I t-trust you... kinda... But I want you to swear, you'll help save Neighson. Promise first, then I talk. It's impoooortant... your big goofy Princess might get hurt..."

"I promise. Talk."

"You have a synth problem..."

By the time we all gathered outside the Ministry of Peace hub's glowing yellow shield at the approach of several howling Vertibucks, I had been a lot busier than I had planned on... Fancy's warning turned out to have some merit, worse, following it requires some stealth and forethought, along with a lot of secrecy.

Luckily, we had made a lot of friends we could trust, along with my family, we were as ready as possible when the first pegasus drawn transports touched down outside the hub. Several more were lagging behind and looking for more space, carrying the heavy, rusting hulks of liquid tanker train cars and crates of other equipment, as requested... a good sign anyway. If the Brotherhood brought what I wanted, it seemed likely they'd cooperate.

I really hoped so, seeing the most heavily armed Vertibuck touch down and the huge stallion hopping out instantly made me worry, though I felt a little better seeing the crimson mare unhitching herself from one pilot's compartment, at least Lt. Dawn came back too. I wasn't alone either, several armed Minutemare's guarding the entrance shifted slightly behind us, making my ears flick at the whispers and murmurs greeting the buck in the fancy, red trimmed power armor tromping up to us.

It was more advanced than a T-60... heavily modified and intimidating. Elder Macson didn't hide behind the armor I couldn't help analyzing appreciatively either, his helmet was down, showing the scarred crimson face and shaggy orange mane and beard that was a perfect copy of Big Mac.

He trotted right up, ahead of all his troops scrambling to flank him and take of defensive positions, eyeing the Minutemare guards threateningly, several locking their weapons on the sneering hellhounds and watchful minotaurs joining them near the entrance building. When he crossed the distance and loomed overhead, he gave a polite bow to Jade at my side, taking her offered hoof and even kissing it as a proper greeting for a Princess, igniting the jealous mutter of 'Be Dark...' from its captivity.

When he turned my way however, the greeting turned a lot cooler... Elder Macson raised on bushy brow and spoke in a deep, clipped voice. "Well, well, we meet again Fast... I hope I didn't come here just for you to blow this place up too..."

"No, there's no weapons of mass destruction here, just a lot of breezies that make this place their home, so nopony's taking it..." I growled back, trying to keep my fangs from extending as I stood as straight as possible, leaning up into the big stallion's shadow aggressively.

Immediately playing peacemaker, Jade pushed me back gently with a wing, returning Macson's bow and letting him get a look at Queen Ether perched on her tiara. "J-Just so Fast... best our Brotherhood friends meet the inhabitants so they understand why the hub is off limits to all parties. Elder Macson of the Brotherhood of Friendship, it is my honor to introduce you to Queen Ether of the Breezie Nation."

Even the stern leader of the Brotherhood gaped at the beautifully dressed and groomed monarch fluttering down on her bright pink wings, extending a tiny hoof in greeting warily. "Helloo beeg soldier pony, velcome to Breezie Nation. Princess Jade our friend say yu help, so ve try to be friends too. But no letting anyone take home."

"I... It's a pleasure to meet you your highness... I assure you, the Brotherhood has no interest in taking your home away from you. Certain technology you hold could be dangerous however, we hoped to reach some sort of compromise as the Princess outlined. We didn't expect this kind of reception, for being a hidden and secret kingdom, you certainly have a lot of guests..." Macson answered politely, lightly and carefully touching her hoof with his own armored one, stymied from copying his manners with Jade by Ether flinching from his lips coming too close.

Recovering from her momentary panic, Ether drifted back from her retreat to Jade's side and nodded. "Breezie Nation decide no be secret so much, make friends vith others like vith Princess Jade und Kingdom of Sanctuary. Hope be friends vith Brotherhood soldier ponies too, like vith Knight und funny Scribe vhat stay vith us. They not so bad, maybe you not so bad either."

Turning to eye Knight Grinder and Scribe Blossom eagerly joining their fellows and waiting to report, Macson chuckled and opened his mouth to speak again, cut short by the sudden flash of text in my vision that I saw Jade and Witchy gasp at due to the gleaming cybreezies on their own pip-bucks.

ENEMY CONTACT, 2 O'CLOCK FROM YOUR POSITION. GRIFFON ENGAGING!

"Down! Now!" I shouted and moved to put myself between Macson and where the hub maneframe indicated, glad for the computer's ability to coordinate and communicate to all of us at once.

Witchy pushed Jade back and guarded her protectively, letting her cast her glowing blue shield around the small gathering. The Brotherhood immediately freaked out, the shield cutting most of them off from their leader nearly taken as a threat as a lot of firepower clicked in warning. The heavy anti-materiel round sparking off the shield just ahead of a resounding series of explosions in the woods diverted their attention though.

Flapping up to Macson's level to guard his unarmored head, I peered through the scope of the Last Minute, spotting Val swooping through the burning trees and a dead griffon sniper falling from their perch. Several of the pegasi instantly zooming her way must have spotted the same and reported back, Macson tilted one ear back to listen to the tiny earbud I could spot as Jade's shield faded and the confused Brotherhood scrambled forward.

I really didn't like just how much deadly weaponry got trained on me the second they surrounded their leader, but gritted my teeth and bore it, glad none of them decided to vaporize me just because they had an excuse. Judging by the way they fell back at Macson's easy chuckle, I supposed even those that really wanted to kill the male alicorn respected or feared their leader more.

"It's alright, it's alright, calm down. Seems we had a sniper waiting to take a potshot. It also seems our friends here were ready for it, more so than our own recon anyway... Make a more thorough sweep of the area this time, won't you? Stealth-bucks or zebra talismans may be hiding more, so thermals and vigilance please."

I had to admit, Macson kept his cool and didn't seem bothered, giving a good assesment quickly. One that was backed up by Witchy making that high pitched radar noise of hers, causing Icepaw and his hellhounds to whine and glare at her twitching her ears as she guarded Jade and confirmed it. "Two more, one that way and one... Oh, nevermind, Zed got it, one more now..."

"Sorry about that, seems we overstayed our welcome here. The Gunners and more know we're here, so I guess we have a leak somewhere... we'll have to hurry this along."

Before the unphased Macson could do more than nod in reply, Lt. Dawn cantered up to his side, her helmet sliding back to reveal the defensive blue eyes and matching mane of my favorite frenemy. "You're not blaming us for that, are you!? I went straight to the Elder with my report and we kept it quiet! Unlike this rabble, we have tight security and..."

"Except for Paladin Dance... right?" I glared at Macson as I replied evenly, noting the slight wince 'Awareness!', before returning my attention to Dawn and softening that harsh tone. "I'm not blaming you Dawn, we've been all over and brought a lot of folks together here, with more on the way, anypony could have found out by now and passed it along. I'm just warning your Elder, the Gunners know where we are and don't like it, along with others. Thankfully they don't know what we're up to, and I'd like to keep it that way. I can tell Macson more, but alone... inside, which I'm guessing is what he wants anyway. You can come too and guard him though, I trust you."

Lt. Dawn's furious reply dried up when I preempted it, her cheeks turning pink as she sputtered and choked at the vote of trust and confidence. Jade gave her a timely way out though, smiling and addressing Macson kindly. "Y-Yes... I am afraid I am no good with concerns such as security and spies, but my Fast and the others have been most secretive and busy. He assures me you would want to tour the facilities and Queen Ether has graciously agreed, if just the two of you is acceptable?"

Ignoring the worried babbling of several higher ranking troops behind him, Elder Macson cut them off with a raised hoof and gave Jade and Ether a low bow. "Actually yes, I'd love to take a look around and talk. I'm sure Lieutenant Dawn is more than enough security, there's nothing to worry about inside the Ministry of Peace, now is there?"

Queen Ether fluttered up to answer, surprising a great number of the Brotherhood when several of her subjects appeared all around them from hiding at her regal wave. "No, ve follow example of Holy Fluttershy, ve no fighty or hurty, beeg soldier pony be safe und ve let come see, but only him und cranky Loo-ten-ant ve see before."

"Well, that settles it then! Come on Lieutenant, let's take a little tour and enjoy the scenery. Proctor Candygram, Proctor Quiz, I leave you two in charge! Set up a perimeter, get to work assembling these gadgets Mr. Times asked for and let's get to work!" Elder Macson nodded curtly and trotted towards the admitance building, not sparing a glance back for the objections of his troops and forcing Lt. Dawn to scramble after him.

Whether he really trusted us and didn't smell a trap, or just figured he could handle one if we did decide to spring one, he was a brave stallion. The approval of those little whispers of 'Be Strong!' and 'Be Awesome!' struggled against the muted hiss of 'Be Dark...' as we followed him in. He really was a good copy of Big Macintosh, even if he wasn't the buck himself, he shared a lot of the qualities that made him a hero and a pony to follow. All reasons that annoying mutter in my head viewed him as competition and made my fangs twinge out in his presence.

I didn't like that tempting whisper stoking my dislike just because he was a stallion too, but it found ammunition to use all too easily. All things I had to stamp down on, endure and behave, 'Be Kind..' and 'Be Unwavering!'. He was a good pony from everything I had seen, really... Just shut up and stick to the plan...

Strolling down the garden path's with Jade at my side helped calm me, even with Elder Macson and Lt. Dawn following along impatiently. They didn't like not going to the glowing tree hub itself, but I had a good idea what Macson really wanted and where it was.

Taking a walk towards the Flora and Fauna tribe's territory gave time for the last approaching mark on my pip-buck to get here, along with letting us chat privately. I didn't like keeping Jade in the dark about what Fancy warned me about, but we were playing a dangerous game at this point and I didn't want her involved if I could help it. She wasn't exactly suited to cloak and dagger type stuff...

"This is all very impressive, I suppose our hopes that the ARC project was intact have born fruit. With this we could help restore Equestria, regrow the wasteland... isn't that something a proper Follower of the Apocalypse would want Princess?" Macson spoke up in his soothing baritone, trying to butter Jade up and tempt her, only annoying me again.

"That's not what you want though, is it Macson? Not entirely... Before you keep going and wasting time, I'll just tell you right now. All the pony samples from the ARC are gone, stolen by the Institute."

Jade tutted at my grumbling voice cutting the Brotherhood Elder off, but the effect was worth it. Macson stopped dead and looked like I bucked him in the gut, forcing Jade to turn around curiously. "Elder Macson? Are you alright? I apologize for Fast, he's normally more polite... w-we have been very busy however and..."

"GONE!? The pony samples are gone!? ALL of them!?" When Macson found his voice, I was satisfied to see that calm and easy bearing crack. I knew just how he felt actually, but he could have found out sooner by cutting to the chase.

"Ayup... all gone, I could go show you, but there's a whole lotta breezidores between here and there, so I guess you'll just have to trust me. Don't act quite so surprised either, I'm guessing you had a good idea already. Tell me about Paladin Dance..."

My quick and short explanation of things to Jade hadn't included our stern Paladin friend, so her ears perked up and she looked over with interest. "Paladin Dance? Is something wrong with him? He did not get hurt, did he?"

Elder Macson got a sour look and stamped the ground, pawing at it angrily as we kept up our slow walk towards the towering barn ahead. "Hardly... Trust huh? That's something that's in short supply here in the Commonwealth, I thought I understood before embarking on this expedition, but contact with the enemy has shattered that illusion... We found Steel Dance in the records you so generously allowed Lt. Dawn to return with Princess, Equestrian Army Sgt. Bolt Action, specimen #78004. He's a synth... has been the whole time and fooled all of us."

Jade gasped looking between us, but Summer prepared me for that much. Leaning up to the tall stallion staring back with barely restrained anger and hurt in his green eyes, I snorted and shook my head. "I gathered that much, I want to know what happened then. He ran away right? Figure he must have had a good reason?"

"Probably because we intended to dissect him if possible, terminate if not... He's a spy Mr. Times, an Institute spy, a group you have no love for right? His very existence displays all the reasons we feel the same, he's an abomination masquerading as a pony, a product of arcane science gone mad. If we find him, our troops have orders to kill..." Macson glared back from above me, looking down his nose and speaking in that maddening voice of command.

Normally, I'd probably agree with him... it hurt to think Dance was a synth spy, but he was also our friend, Summer's friend... "What if you're wrong? He might be a synth, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's a spy. I tried to tell you before, some of them are alive. Dance helped me track down the Institute's cyberpony agent, he helped bring you here for Celestia's sake! He screwed up part of their plans in Fort Loyalty too and was a true believer in the Brotherhood. Unless the Institute is playing a really long game, I can't see him being an enemy."

Pushing forward with her head down in thought, Jade spoke softly and lead us into the Fauna-Tribe's cavernous barn. "Neither can I Elder Macson. Paladin Dance was always the very picture of a model soldier, honorable and true. We have learned many synths are unaware of their own nature. Some may very well be unknowingly awaiting orders from their Institute masters, but others may be those freed by the Railroad and living their lives freely. Does Dance not deserve the chance to explain? To be helped? To be more than the vile robot spy you make him out to be?"

Macson eyed her sternly, grunting and clanking his way past her into the large barn like he knew the way. That actually seemed likely since he went right for the darkened windows showing the MoP hub's prototype cloning chambers, leaning down to stare through the clean spot I had wiped with my own hoof previously and thinking.

"I started in one of these... a bigger version back in Stable 108, but one much like these... I was once an experiment by ponies that took arcane science too far, like you Mr. Times... But like you I am a pony, not some ...machine! You say they're alive, but they're a mockery of ponykind. How are we to trust such a soft hearted Princess and her kingdom to safeguard things here, to be an ally, when you won't even admit that fact!" Macson's impassioned speech betrayed a little anger, I really didn't like that dismissive look he gave Jade either...

"We wish to think the best of everyone, that much is true Macson. We are not naive fools however, we merely acknowledge things are not so black and white as you seem determined to believe. Fast himself was both nearly murdered by a synth assassin, and then saved from remaining a caged experiment of the Institute by another. Some are good, some are bad, just like ponies, zebras, griffons, minotaurs and hellhounds, even dragons. We're all just people, can you not even entertain the thought some synths may be as well?" Jade's reply wasn't as fiery or forceful, but a cool and soothing balm even for the exasperated Elder.

A lot of his anger flowed out of Macson with a few words and a light hoof to the shoulder from Jade, just like she could do to me. He bowed his head in thought and leaned against the glass, sighing tiredly and turning a green eye up to her waiting patiently. "If I wasn't fighting an army of them lurking in the shadows and destroying morale since we got here... maybe. Your kindness puts lives at risk though Princess Jade, my soldiers have been besieged ever since we managed to make it to the Commonwealth. The Institute actively tries to capture them to turn them into those twisted mutants and increase their own forces."

"All this mess with Steel Dance has only made things worse, a Star Paladin... and a synth the whole time. Betrayal is never good, but this is like ancient stories of fighting Changelings! Anypony could be the enemy, paranoia is running rampant and talk just like yours and those kooks from the Railroad is making some troops reluctant to pull the trigger. You ask us to trust you now, when trust is something severely lacking in the Commonwealth. I need more than that."

The leading tone he ended on made me groan and I stood beside Jade, that line of conversation had quickly become associated in my mind with one thing. "What do you want? I'm guessing you've got some little mission or errand for us to accomplish for you, right? Spit it out and let's get down to it Macson."

The big buck actually gave a hard smile under his beard, I hit the nail on the head alright... The Elder held a hoof up to stop Jade from fussing at my rudeness and answered immediately. "You've rebuffed our attempts at recruitment, but I need some token of faith between us. Find me Paladin Dance and end him, his very existence is a drain on morale, sending our troops out to kill one of their own just exacerbates it. An outside agent like yourself though... no one would complain and you'd probably regain a little trust from the soldiers you hope to work with. Do that and deliver more than big talk concerning the M.O.W.T. and we're square Mr. Times, all previous grudges forgotten, allies in arms. Now, tell me about this mysterious threat and what needs to be done in the meantime, I'll take the first step and trust you'll follow through later. Don't betray that trust like Dance did."

Mission Updated: Blind Betrayal

Objectives------
---Ask the Brotherhood about Star Paladin Dance
---Find Paladin Dance

Optional Objectives---
---Kill Dance
---Bring Dance in to the Brotherhood

I gulped and cursed at the text in my vision, ignoring Jade's gasp when I gave a gruff nod back of consent. "I'll... take care of Dance, if I find him. My way, after I find out if he really did betray you or not. We didn't say we thought all synths were alive and good you know, or that we're naive enough to not recognize the threat they represent. I can prove it today thanks to some help we got, from a mare focusing on things you're ignoring searching for technology in the Commonwealth and ways to claim it, instead of ways to help it. We heard why you're in such a hurry too, worried about others coming in and taking away your toys?"

Following Macson back to the barn doors and the few Fauna-tribe breezies flitting in and out around us, I tried to keep the growl out of my voice and waited for his response. His bushy eyebrows went up when I made mention of the things we learned from Velvet and Homage about the outside world and their designs on the lost city of Trotson, but he shook it off and stared out at the vibrant domain of the Fauna-tribe and hummed in thought.

Waving his armored hoof out to the grounds of the MoP hub, Macson finally answered with an iron edge to his voice. "And if we are? Would you rather they be in the hooves of those you don't know? Groups worse than us? We've been content to let your Princess and her Followers handle the needs of the downtrodden, it's the one thing Velvet Remedy's order is good at. Practicalities however are not their strong point...The technology here can help more ponies all across Equestria, much more than a little medical care and homegrown security for the common folk in this one area. Just this functioning hub is a prize beyond measure, but you want us to leave it alone to these breezies... pleasant as they may be. What if we or somepony else decide to just take it?"

The rumble in the ground made me give a sharp smile back, glad for the impeccable timing of the huge mare prancing her way from the greenhouses. I asked Swan to hang around and come by after we talked to Macson, but I couldn't ask for a better illustration to my point. Enjoying the stifled gasp from Macson as the giant mare galloped up and overshadowed both the tall Elder and the barn itself, I shrugged up to her and drove it home.

"That, would be a very bad idea..."

Swan's booming voice overhead cut off his sputter and the annoyed squeak of Lt. Dawn, uselessly putting herself between her leader and the oversized alicorn. "Hi Fast! Thanks for the tasty apple! I feel really good now, when's the fighting?"

A white spot hidden in Swan's flowing pink mane rippling around her with power giggled and shouted down, giving the Brotherhood ponies a second to collect themselves. "Hi Daddy! Look how high I am! I finally got to see Aunt Swan get all big! It was so cool! Oh, hi Dawn! Hi Mr. Macson! Lookit me!!"

"Hi sweetie! Be careful up there! Give us a minute to talk to our Brotherhood friends and I'll come up to see! There'll be fighting enough soon Swan, just wait!" Putting on a much more genuine smile to the delighted foal was easy, making continuing our conversation with Macson less combative when I turned back. "You heard her, she's in the mood to start smashing things... she doesn't really care who. I didn't ask her to get that way for you specifically though, we have bigger problems that you need to start acknowledging. There are other groups coming here, right now, to take this place away from the breezies who it does belong to. Not only that, they're all just puppets of the Institute."

"My Fast is correct Elder Macson, he has informed me of a threat we have decided must remain quiet, due to our acknowledgement of the threat synth spies pose. We are trusting you with that knowledge however, in the spirit of friendship and cooperation, along with our faith you and Lt. Dawn are not hidden agents of the Institute. We admit there are things we Followers are not adept at and our brave Minutemares are not up to the task of handling yet, thus working together is the best course, which involves compromise on both parts... Before we speak with the others gathered here, we wished one thing to be clear however, the Breezie Nation is to be protected and left to their own devices. No one may lay claim to the hub, it is theirs. Understood?" Jade backed me up, standing straight and proud, taller and more imposing than even the big stallion in front of her.

Flicking his eyes back to Swan watching impatiently, Macson sighed and nodded to the two of us. "That's... acceptable. We didn't expect to find anything out of Stable 95.5, but we can't fault the inhabitants for how they've managed on their own all this time. If they're willing to talk instead of knocking all our Vertibucks out of the sky, we're willing to deal and leave them be. In exchange, Dance and a way into the Ministry of Wartime Technology. That particular hub is what we want most and I think you can agree it's best to leave Applejack's Ministry to her Rangers."

"Alright, we'll keep going one step at a time. You'll have to wait until we can hold up our end, I had to make other plans to get the info that's giving us a chance here, but we will hold it up. As for what's coming for us now... the Institute really doesn't want us getting along and bringing folks together, so they're coming to put a stop to it. With a little luck, we can stay one step ahead of them, but we can't let just the attempt ruin things either. We're gonna turn things around on them for once..."

-

Opening up and explaining everything to Macson took awhile, walking through the breezies orchards away from prying eyes and ears. Getting him to accept that the Institute was using the Gunners as a puppet army didn't take too long fortunately. Between explaining I'd found their mark on one of the oddly pristine tanks the Brotherhood had encountered in the south, along with the rare sightings of Vertibuck's that weren't their own and the Gunner's increasingly aggressive actions, Macson was quick to label them a shared enemy.

Thanks to the unlikely intelligence work of Fancy laying waste to Vega's drug dens on the coast, we knew not just a detachment of Gunners, but a ragtag group of Trotson gangs were trying to converge on the MoP hub too. The news immediately making the military commander start complaining of a pincer attack and barking orders to his lieutenant. Orders we had to cut her off from relaying to the rest of the Brotherhood outside the shields.

Apparently, Vega only knew we were here and gathering a lot of groups the Institute had been trying to drive apart. According to what Fancy had found however, he didn't know exactly what we were up to. With the teleporter down in the ARC destroyed, along with the weird robotic librarian, he had no way in anymore.

The very real threat of synth spies meant as soon as we explained things to the people we brought here, he may know our plans too however. Plus I didn't want to tip our cards yet, as head of the Public Relations division, I was pretty sure Vega in particular had a hoof in the Night of the Broken Mask fifty years ago, when other ponies tried to come together and unite the Commonwealth too. I didn't want anything to seem out of the ordinary until we had given him enough rope to hang himself here, meaning we kept things quiet and -as much as I hated using the Brotherhood's own terms- 'need to know'.

Walking out to the glowing shield and allowing the hub maneframe to open a hole big enough for Swan and the rest of us to trot out, I paused to enjoy all the shouts and gasps from the Brotherhood's makeshift staging area we had come out in intentionally. Swan liked being the guard and scaring Steel Rangers in particular, letting her go tromping past the tiny Vertibucks and equipment they were unloading made her and Glitter happy, plus got the idea across to all of the Brotherhood that they should be on their best behavior.

Sighing at the giant mare and the squealing filly hanging from her horn and pointing where she wanted to go overhead, Elder Macson turned to the shield closing back up, then eyed the cybreezie on my pip-buck dubiously. "Alright, we'll do our part Fast. You're sure you can trust ...that? You know my thoughts on artificial intelligence in general already..."

YOU ARE SURE I CAN DO THIS REPAIR-PONY? ON MY OWN? AS YOU'VE SAID, I DO NOT HAVE THE BEST RECORD... The nervous text scrolling in my vision actually made me more confident and hopeful, I asked the maneframe to handle this job and it was taking it seriously.

Answering them both at once, I cleared the uncertain message from my pip-buck and tapped away at the map, eyeing all the cybreezie assets it had in play and looking for locator tags. "I trust the hub and the breezies more than you, or even our own ponies for that matter, considering... We can't manage this without them, so have a little faith. The Great Tree can handle this, he wants to do a good job and make Fluttershy proud, he's going to today. Get your troops to work and we'll do the same, the last guests should be here soon and..."

My assurances and look down to my pip-buck map was made unnecessary by just who I was going to look for crashing into me. A lot of blue alicorn that didn't smell like Jade thumped to the ground, straddling me and smiling under her battered Minutemare hat and long blonde tresses, speaking in a spacey but delighted voice. "Hello Fast... I found you! This pip-buck thing you gave me is nice, it led me right to you. Preston made me go run a bunch of errands and take longer, but I finished finally and have more pages for you to do. I want you to start with this one..."

Sputtering up to Peri's sleepy look and the tattered notebook she shoved right in my face, I winced at Macson's smirk nearby and tried to struggle upright again, shoving Peri's stick figure diagrams away before he got a good look. "P-Peri! N-Not a good time, y-you're making me look bad in front of the Brotherhood bigwig... It's good to see you too ok!"

"Ahem! Well, I see you're very busy already Fast. We'll have to try hard to keep up with such a hearty work ethic. Come on Lt. Dawn, let's get the troops going, It looks like the last guests to this conference have arrived." Macson chuckled, turning off and letting Jade apologize and walk him back, glaring over her shoulder to her unperturbed sister and swinging a shaky smile back to Macson as she tried smoothing things over diplomatically.

Blinking her golden eyes up to Macson's retreating back and tilting her head, Peri shrugged and floated her notebook of ideas back in my face, thumping it against my muzzle insistently. "I don't care about him... It got boring and lonely at the Castle so I went to find you, so you have to do what I want. I want more pages, this one here, see? I learned lots from my new friend, she promised to show me more too."

"N-New friend? Peri, I'm glad to hear you're making friends, but we really gotta have a talk about who all you discuss p-private stuff with... Y-You can't just go around asking strangers stuff like that or telling them everything, it's..."

"Stranger am I? You wound me Mr. Times, did I not make enough of an impression? I must be slipping..." The honeyed voice of the leader of Jamocha Plains made my wings spring up as I squeaked and scrambled back, blushing furiously as she sauntered up. "Oh... maybe not hmm? I thought I'd do you a favor, this one was eager to learn and already oh so well educated on her own! Running such a big shindig must be stressful Fast, make sure you take time to relax... Periwinkle here whiled away our trip regaling me with stories that got even me a little riled up. I could use a break after being cooped up in that cart all this way. I did promise her the more advanced course too..."

Shrinking back from the curvy mare prowling after me with a playful giggle, I was relieved Swan made her rounds and chose then to come back. The giant mare nuzzled her sister in greeting and let Glitter swing down using her flowing pink mane, turning on Cocoa and I looking up to her. Ha! Let Cocoa try messing with me with Swan around to put a stop to it... She wasn't as possessive as Jade, but she didn't appreciate anypony intruding on her territory period.

"Ah! It's the nice mare from that Jamocha place, hello again Miss Latte! I tried the things you taught me, you were right, they were fun! You taught Peri more? Teach me too! My frilly underclothes thingys got all ripped up though, could you learn to make them fit like Sassy does? I liked them and Fast did too, but I got too big again." Swan shattered any hopes I had to be rescued there, leaning down to cross her big blue violet eyes down at the smirking tan filly.

"R-Really!? Do you run a school for curious alicorns Cocoa!? Or is it only ones I know!?" I facehoofed and started looking for some other escape from the embarrassing scene, one that was now attracting even more unwanted attention from pretty much everybody we were trying to convince that we were forthright and serious ponies worthy of respect.

At least I could count on Glitter galloping away from hugging Peri and sticking her chest out between us. My precious daughter bravely stood between me and three mares ganging up on me as I hid under my hooves, cocking her head at Cocoa with a wry grin. "Hiya Cocoa! It's nice seeing you again! Did you bring any treats from your town? They're all reeeeeally good!"

"Why hello again little bandit, actually yes, I did expect you to be here and thought ahead. I had Bittersweet bake something just for you..." The chocolatey, gooey, fruit garnished cake Cocoa carefully pulled from her stylish bag and unwrapped had Glitter's rapt attention instantly, waggling back and forth in her caramel colored magic hypnotically.

I didn't like how Glitter's wide pink eyes kept following the treat back and forth like a metronome, a string of drool stretching from her muzzle as she held her little hooves out. "I can have it!? Yay! You're awesome Cocoa! What about the rest of my deal?"

"First shipment's already on its way to Sanctuary, lots of chocolate and sugar all for you, just like we agreed bandit. We still have a deal, right?" Cocoa grinned back, giving a knowing wink back to Swan and Peri behind her before returning her sparkling almond eyes to me.

"Huh? Oh yeah, daddy's all yours, whatever! I'll go eat my cake, you guys go make kissy faces or whatever, just gimme!" Glitter shrugged back at me dismissively, going right back to staring at that cake with greed that rivaled Val's clear on her cute, innocent little face... Wait, what?

When Cocoa tossed the Jamocha Plains speciality made dessert off like a stick, Glitter pelted off after it and caught it gracefully in her hooves. She took a quick bite, then tossed it up and caught it again on her back, bouncing it along and staining her nicest dress as she skipped off merrily and called back. "Sorry daddy! We had a deal! Go find mommy again or run away!"

Traitor... Kicked to the curb by my own daughter in favor of chocolate... I whimpered and went back to backing up rapidly as Cocoa and her alicorn partners in crime returned to the chase, really wishing I knew how to teleport at this point and hoping Jade hurried up with Macson.

The crackling barrier of the hub's shield made my tail frizz out when my rump made contact, leaving me nowhere to hide as Cocoa cooed and tilted my chin up with a hoof. She actually seemed to enjoy all the attention of the laughing Minutemares, Followers, Brotherhood, minotaurs, hellhounds and breezies now openly laughing. Of course she'd be an exhibitionist...

She was mostly teasing and pushing my buttons, something she was clearly an expert at... but the the heart shaped sparkles in all their eyes made me gulp and scratch my mane nervously. "Oh come on Fast... I'm opening classes back home for all the alicorns I have wandering through town after you hoping to pick up the trail... After showing those first three quite the night to make up for tricking them, I keep getting new customers. Firsthoof experience would let me charge double for the privilege! Especially with those green ones!"

"W-Wait you actually ARE giving lessons!? I was kidding!!"

"Oh stop your whining Fast! They're all quite eager to please and pay good caps to learn how, by the time I'm done you should just let them catch you! Peri and Swan here both just thanked me, didn't they? But I need to know what areas to focus on in our lessons. It's been quite the booming side business, I've even sent a couple girls to Unityville to set up shop there! Partnering with you has already been profitable, even before this big conference thing of yours today. I just want to express my thanks! Besides... we should celebrate Periwinkle's good news!" Cocoa giggled and gave a mock pout, ending on a slightly more serious shrug to the blue alicorn behind her.

"G-Good news?" I shuddered asking, dreading whatever Cocoa came up with next to tease me and breathing a sigh of relief at Jade, spotting my wife winging her way back over Cocoa's head with a dragonish glare in her blue eyes.

Holding me by the shoulders, Cocoa turned back to Peri blinking sleepily behind her, bands of pink already filling the whites of her eyes that the blue alicorn had to shake off to answer with a slow look of comprehension. "Hmm? Oh, oh yeah... The funny building when we got here looked at me with a little red eye thingy, then it said I was pregnant. Isn't that nice Fast? Anyway... We should keep trying just to make sure though. Miss Cocoa said she'd show me how to..."

I caught sight of Jade landing and swatting at all three of them as everything went grey and slowed down, managing to hold a hoof up when Cocoa let me go and slur out, "P-P-Pregnnnnant.... zat's greeeeeaaat..." as the ground rushed up to meet my face.

Some time later, I sat at the long table set up in the MoP hub's stump shaped admittance building, one foreleg propped on the table to hold a blessedly cool icepack to my forehead and glad the hub had the ability to make ice. Looking up with the one eye not covered by the sweaty pack, I winced at the smirks and smiles from all the gathered participants. Again laughter brought people together, in this case it was laughing at the blue mare behind me absently nibbling at my ears in apology, utterly unbothered by Jade's snorts and huffs of displeasure on my other side.

We actually managed to bring everyone together this far though, flaming red cheeks were a small price to pay I supposed. Beyond just the teasing I got from all sides, there were also plenty of hearty congratulations, my shoulders ached from getting slapped on the back so much by power armored Brotherhood, muscular minotaurs and clawed hellhounds.

The news of a baby was something else that seemed to bring most people together in celebration. Though I caught plenty of muttering and glares from the Brotherhood saying pretty unkind and threatening things concerning my ability to successfully impregnate 'monsters', that made 'Be Dark...' mutter and strain to reach them and tear their throats out.

I was in control though, all I really had to do was look up to Peri's sleepy smile and the rising surge of panic effectively shut that voice up again. Even mentally preparing myself for the possibility wasn't enough to stop that annoying loss of consciousness when Peri had just blurted out the news, but practice had managed to keep the lights on since then. Three... According to Velvet Remedy, I had now matched what her Followers and the mysterious Angels of Glyphmark had managed to accomplish, making her stern words about my obligation to Jade's kind come echoing back. Maybe she did have a point, but she could have been nicer about it.

Jade finally pushed Peri back to go stand beside Preston, clopping her hoof on the dusty old table we had dragged into the MoP waiting area and speaking in a regal, confident voice with Queen Ether sitting out in the open atop her tiara. "Ahem! If we are all present and ready to begin, I would like to thank all of you for joining us and for Queen Ether's hospitality in hosting this conference. We are both honored you have chosen to join together in peace, here at the Ministry hub dedicated to that noble concept."

Taking a cue they had obviously worked out ahead of time, Ether fluttered down to the table and tapped her golden spoon scepter to continue. "Ve velcome big guests to Breezie Nation and hope ve do Holy Fluttershy proud, helping outsiders make friends vith us and each other. Princess say bad Institute ponies vant us no get along, so ve hope ve prove them wrong."

Cutting through the murmurs of assent and remaining curiosity of being addressed by the Queen of the secretive breezies, Icepaw leaned on the short table and yipped dismissively. "No care about crazy Institute ponies and pony problems, want safety to grow strong and take back home in Glowing Sea from Green Beast. Ponies help do that, we help ponies. No being friends and other sappy pony things."

"Green Beast?" Elder Macson perked up at that, pausing to listen to Proctor Quiz at his side, whispering up to his ear after flipping through his clipboards. Every participant here was allowed two seconds in the cramped building, other than us as hosts. Macson choosing Pop Quiz for one of his was smart, he seemed to supply the answer quickly to his Elder. "Ah, the Church of Balefire... We had reports of a large group remaining, possibly headed by this Lady Evergreen they talk about. The Brotherhood of Friendship had planned on chasing down the threads of that Institute front regardless hellhound, combining our efforts is a worthy endeavor."

"See, makin' friends already ain't ya shaggy... Good, get you out of our mines sooner rather than later, before you pilfer more dynamite or other goodies..." Steelfist muttered across the table at the hellhound, the sparks between them threatening to reignite despite Sledge snorting at his old chieftain.

"We looked into that as much as we were able before we left and couldn't assign fault, it'll be resolved when you get back I'm sure. You guys gotta learn to stop that bickering and let us do our job standing between you. Same as we're hoping to do with everyone here, Minutemares can be counted on to be the common ground for all of you, if you'll let us." Preston interjected himself smoothly before the fighting could get going again, framed by Peri reluctantly staying at his side along with Lt. True Blue.

"Thank you Preston, having a police force of the people and treating everyone fairly will surely smooth the transition. The Followers will provide care and healing equally as well. Despite our separate goals and motivations, we can all work together, can we not?" Both the minotaurs and hellhounds backed off under the frowning gaze of Jade, eyeing them both sternly as she spoke to everyone.

The lyrical voice of Cocoa chimed in on her side, not nearly so prim and proper, but giggling her agreement and soothing frayed nerves with that practiced, seductive tone. "Give the Princess a chance everyone. I was a doubter, but these folks have been straight and true, if not a little naive... Honest to goodness do-gooders are predictable and fair, not to mention profitable since deductions for bribes are useless and things tend to work smoother with everyone playing by the same rules. Hell of a lot better than the Gunners, I'll tell you that from experience. You need to relax a little you two, if you're sticking around awhile anyway Mr. Icepaw, I'm sure Jamocha Plains could accommodate a new hellhound clientele..."

Watching a huge, heavily scarred and snow white alpha hellhound turn pink was something I never expected to witness, not that I could laugh with my wings twitching, but I still marvelled at Cocoa's wiles. I briefly wondered if she could charm a dragon, struggling to make my wings fold back in properly and checking up on the Great Tree's latest report before speaking.

"Teasing aside, Cocoa has a point. Bickering with each other and focusing on this group of enemies or that one is just what they want. So long as you're mad at the Green Beast, her church, the Gunners, the gangs, each other... then you're missing who the real threat is. The Institute is behind most of the misery in the Commonwealth, yours included. They started the Church of Balefire, they supply weapons and technology to the Gunners, they experiment on everyone and I've had more than enough of being a guinea pig already."

Actually letting my wings flare out just served to demonstrate my point, undeniable reminder that I had been a direct experiment of the shadowy group, that they were real and they did play around with whoever they wanted, just because it struck their fancy. Several bursts of rapid fire grumbles and personal stories greeted my area of focus that I filed away for later, almost everyone in the Commonwealth had at least a secondhoof story of the insane things the Institute got up to, and none of them liked them now that I named the devil.

Elder Macson was probably the only other one with such intimate knowledge of being an experiment though. Even if outside the Commonwealth, his creation had roots here that he had followed all the way back. He sounded as firm and borderline obsessed as I was when he stamped a hoof for quiet and agreed.

"Fast is right, the Institute is the real threat, to all of us. If left to their own devices they could destroy the world again, just as we're beginning to rebuild beyond the confines of your little corner of it. Celestia only knows why they've stayed put all this time, but we're seeing signs that the status quo isn't going to hold. They're moving again and consolidating their hold on your homes is the first step." Macson spoke firmly, his deep voice commanding the attention of all the disparate groups gathered here.

That opened the way to spring our little trap and I took a deep breath, looking to Jade and Ether worriedly, then nodding firmly to Val and Witchy before speaking to the contemplative group. "I don't know exactly what they're up to beyond the Commonwealth, but I have at least some idea Elder Macson is right. The Institute is using the Gunners and the Green Beast both for their plans, taking control of the southern Commonwealth and making plans for the rest. Pulling a repeat of the Night of the Broken Mask here is about the best they could come up with without Mobius though, isn't that right Vega?"

The growl I ended on got their attention, mentioning the attack in Diamond City fifty years ago that revealed synths to the world had them darting their eyes around suspiciously too, none of them betraying anything. Thanks to running into a runaway synth and getting information from her however, I knew the mere mention of my Grandpa had gotten the Institute's attention, the false name he went under had become a curse that sent red flags up wherever they were hiding.

Hopping down from my seat, I prowled around the room slowly, unholstering the gleaming .45 revolver Vengeance and letting the Shroud deepen my voice. "They're not all that creative apparently, they don't have their idea pony anymore and they're scared of him. Just like they're scared of us working together and want to do everything they can to stop it. Having hidden synths attack and stoke old fears and grudges, get us all at each others throats again while they march on this place... An old trick, but a good one."

"You sayin' some of us here are fakes!? Careful who you call a robot Fast, you accuse and I abuse!" Steelfist moved to smash his cybernetic fist on the table and missed, looking down at the stump and remembering I sorta took that part away from him.

"I am. Hadn't accused anyone yet, but I'm pretty damn sure of it. That's what makes synths such an insidious weapon though, isn't it? Never knowing who you can trust and who you can't... no way to tell who's real and who's not... Even the hub's diagnostic systems can't tell the difference, it's been checking everybody here carefully. If we hadn't been warned, they could have caught us with our pants down alright. We have another advantage though, one that makes this a safe place to be protected."

"The Breezies have lived by themselves all this time behind the hub's shields, the Institute doesn't make breezie synths either. They used to make little robots like Ether's guards, but they can't seem to do that anymore either. That means we can trust them, and their watchful guardian diety. For example, the Brotherhood is already pretty familiar with the gremlins of the woods, but I bet none of you knew the Tinker-Tribe had been watching you this whole time. Come on out Tingle!"

At my call, a train of oil painted, spare part wearing Tinker-Tribe breezies fluttered their way in the outer doors opening on their own. The Great Tree was watching and helping admirably, giving it a task that protected its charges and that it could do was hopefully helping it too. The hellhound and minotaur delegations both gasped at the pile of dynamite and detonators the little mechanically minded breezies dumped on the table, what had gone missing from the mines in Salt Lick now laying bare before them.

"Ve findy all boom booms Fast Shroud! Takey apart und breeng! Ve no breaky Brotherhod flying machines neither! Ve fixy?" The head of the Tinker-Tribe landed beside his Queen and beamed at me bowing to him gratefully, they were still figuring out not just dismantling every machine they ran across, but had done a good job here.

"Yup, thanks a lot Tingle, great work! Our synth spy was probably wondering why the detonator wasn't causing a nice, distracting ka-boom outside, so I'm sure they thank you for clearing that up. You two see now? They stole that dynamite and got you fighting with each other, without even using it yet. Blowing up the Brotherhood's Vertibucks with it probably would have turned them against you too. That's how the Institute operates, that's why we have to work together instead. That's also why I'm going to blow your head off if you move one more inch True Blue... or is it Vega?"

Ending my circuit of the room and monologue behind Preston, Peri and the creeping filly Lt. True Blue, the hammer on Vengeance clicked back and I pressed the barrel to her brown and blonde mane to several shocked noises. The crazed pinprick blue eye turning back and the totally different voice issuing from her mouth still made my tail stand on end.

Haycom Svengallop's voice answered in an angry hiss, pure hate barely restrained and so jarring etched on True Blue's normally cute face. "Very clever Mr. Times...However could you tell?"

Jade answered for me in a harsh voice, looking down her nose at the possessed synth cooly. "Miss Blue stopped eyeing my Fast with such obvious hero worship and adoration. You may control her body, but the hatred in your eyes comes through regardless of the mask you hide behind. Thanks to being forewarned and with assistance of our new friends, your deception was easy enough to ferret out."

"Warned... oh that bitch.. that rotten, spoiled cunt ruining my operations, she's been telling tales, hasn't she? All this trouble over one annoying little filly for Neighson, I had planned on having some fun with that one once she was mine, but this is too much. So, you've caught me I suppose, but not..."

"TWO ADDITIONAL INFILTRATORS APPREHENDED BY SECURI-TRIBE, RISK TO HUB SHIELD AND LABS NEGATED. THE INSTITUTE IS UNWELCOME IN THE BREEZIE NATION OUTSIDER, AND I AM ALWAYS WATCHING..." The slightly proud voice of the Great Tree crackled from the speakers, making Queen Ether and the other breezies smile to their protector actually getting something right.

The large pink outer doors were bucked open sharply, drawing everyone's attention away from the until then quiet maneframe and to the muscular zebra and his cumbersome package. Zed trotted in smoothly, the heavy weight of a Brotherhood earth pony no visible burden for him to shrug off to the floor. The Brotherhood delegation didn't look too happy about the bruises and contusions marring the buck all over his face and stripped body, but held their complaints at Elder Macson's raised hoof and eyebrow.

"Sneaking off through the ruins outside to meet a Gunner reconnaissance agent we had been watching. I didn't kill him... probably." Zed shrugged and nudged the wheezing stallion uncertainly.

The zebra was one of few I knew who had a real chance at knocking a synth out before it could just melt away and leave no evidence behind and had done what I asked admirably. The proud and taciturn light blue breezie fluttering at his shoulder obviously helped too by all the tiny darts I saw jabbed in their victim's neck, tranquilizer darts to keep him down, I hoped they were tranq darts anyway...

Gale's brother Blowing Storm sure looked pleased with himself, getting to act as real security for the hub as his tribe had been taught. He bowed to Queen Ether, but flinched opening his mouth at his sister beside her, pausing in thought before continuing in rough pony speech instead of his normal breezie chittering. "V-Ve findy... bad pony. Stoop bad pony und bad freends, make sleepy."

"We carefully selected the members of this mission! Squire Board was not in the ARC records like our other infiltrators! We have verified history from the Fillydelphia chapter! We're to believe he's a synth spy too?" Proctor Quiz flipped rapidly through his clipboards, jabbing a hoof at the knocked out buck, then Zed and Blowing in turn.

"Yes. My friend Zed is very sneaky and honest, so he's been helping the Great Tree and the breezies keep an eye on everyone here. Those records I let you have are a good guide, but it doesn't take the Institute long to replace anypony they want, keep it in mind before thinking you're safe." I answered curtly, never taking my eyes off the back of True Blue... Vega's head, returning to growling at the Institute director. "We let some in selectively and kept a close watch on the rest, waiting for you to pull something and reveal yourself. Hows it feel being on the receiving end of such tight surveilance? You heard the Great Tree, that's the guardian of the Breezie Nation and you're not hurting them while it's watching. He was pretty peeved about your little surprise downstairs too, so he's doing an extra thorough job now..."

I kept my revolver firmly against the synthetic mare's head, but was glad for Val at my side with her own huge 12mm pistol out backing me up. It was easy to let that little ember of anger flare brighter at the urging of 'Be Dark...', but it still hurt holding the gun on True Blue and seeing her used as a puppet by Vega 'Be Kind...'. As far as he and the other Institute heads were concerned, she was just a toy, a tool to be used and thrown away, a windup doll to do their bidding... But what if she was more? What if she was alive? What if she had been rudely shoved aside in her own mind, taken over by the vile bastard using her eyes right now? What if she was scared and didn't even know what she was?

Elder Macson didn't share any of my doubts, the big tri barreled magical energy weapon on his armor powering up as he spoke. "If you're not going to eliminate that ...thing... I will Mr. Times. By order of the Brotherhood of Friendship and the New Canterlot Republic, I demand the Institute surrender themselves to our authority, derived from proper remnants of the Equestrian government you once served. All prewar facilities and technology are to be turned over, all synths identified and terminated, you and the other director's are to turn yourselves in and face trial. This is your one opportunity to end this peacefully Vega, I'd take it..."

The sneer on True Blue's face made my heart ache, but the response was expected. "Surrender? To some farmed out, half baked copy like you? Oh no, no, no... We're having far too much fun here, learning there's so much more out there to experiment with has only piqued our appetite. This Princess and the annoying subject here have ruined my toybox, but it's nothing I can't fix, I have before. Everything will be set to rights soon enough, starting with rebuilding my businesses, the facilities here will work quite well and get my drug trade back on track, we have a war to finance after all! I so hoped to get a shot at your mare or that brat of yours subject 111-3-42, but having my forces take your head and enslave all these interesting little pests will have to do. Shoot if you want and kill this puppet, but I'm still coming."

Giving a slimy smirk, a curved blade slowly cut its way free from Lt. Blue's foreleg despite all the firepower trained on her. Vega really didn't care what happened to her, throwing her away in the attempt at hurting me was fine in his twisted view. Before he got the chance or Val, Macson, Sledge, Icepaw, or anyone else splattered her, I gave a hard nod up to the whirring camera overhead and growled back in her ear.

"That's just what I was going to say Vega... Once I'm done here, I'm coming, for you, directly... Not for any of your puppets, you. Meaning I don't want to kill this one. It may interest you to know the Ministry of Peace has isolation chambers, let's see how well they held up..."

A crackle of magic built up in the crystalline chandilier overhead as I spoke, giving Lt. Blue / Vega a shove as I finished, I flapped back and shooed the others back as the spell charged and she and Zed's victim disappeared in a flash. The isolation rooms the hub maneframe told me about were built to block out any outside magical influence, hopefully that put her off his network of toys to play with and gave us a couple synth prisoners.

Elder Macson didn't like not turning her into a puddle of goo on the spot, but I cut him off, addressing everyone blinking from the glare of teleportation magic. "Now that we're not being watched anymore... He's right, he's sending an army of Gunners from the south and gangers from the north, they're coming right now to try to wipe us out and take this place, so make up your minds now. Work together and fight back, or keep squabbling and dancing to his tune. We have a plan, we can hurt them, but we need everybody."

Standing to her full, majestic height and flapping her wings for attention, Jade took over smoothly, pairing her soft, hopeful plea with my aggressive tone of command. "Just so dear. All of you, please... I have been reminded recently I am not a Princess by right of birth, it is not a role I ever sought, not a heavy responsibility I wished to wear... But one I am willing to take on for the sake of others. Once upon a time, all different types of ponies stood together under the symbol of their Princess and accomplished great things. If I can provide that kind of symbol for all of you to join together equally, it would be my honor to stand with you and make a difference. Please... please join us, let us be better together."

Having Queen Ether immediately flutter to her side and all of her subjects kneeling before Jade helped right off the bat. Nobody had even suspected just how many of the stealthy little breezies had been hiding nearby and keeping a close eye out, but a flock of them bowed before the pair of monarchs as Ether touched Jade's long horn with her little foreleg in support. "Breezie Nation stand vith Princess Jade, ve vant help, vant heal others and do good like Holy Fluttershy vant for us. Friends of Princess is friends of Breezies, ve always be there to heal and help friends."

Preston flipped his hat off and held it to his chest in a fancy bow to his Princess too, making her blush, but she held up well as he offered his support. "The Princess keeps us Minutemares honest and better than we were, we'll keep looking to her and protecting the Commonwealth at a minute's notice! All of it."

Elder Macson was still wearing a sour look at being denied the synth infiltrator, but playing his part grudgingly. "The Brotherhood was sent here as an envoy to the Commonwealth, but we've fallen short of caring for the people living here. We're willing to lend our strengths to fight the Institute and end the threat they pose. The Princess is an acceptable representative to try to work closer with the citizens of the Commonwealth, so we'd gladly ally ourselves to her cause here."

"Well, even if I wasn't already tickled pink at my arrangement with the Princess, I'm a sucker for handsome bucks giving such stirring speeches. Plus I have to stick around to keep messing with her cute little knight, so she has my vote. Jamocha Plains is open to any ally of the Kingdom of Sanctuary, 10... no, 5% discount even!" Cocoa tittered from her seat and fluttered her eyelashes at Macson, actually making the red stallion's face darken for a moment, which made his scar stand out all the more.

Capping off the endorsements making their way around the table, Icepaw and Steelfist both stood on opposite sides of the table at once, their gruff voices overlapping as they looked to Jade before glaring at each other again.

"Princess pony good, she win fight but no send White Legs away. She help make pack healthy and strong again, help give new home even with stinky bulls nearby. She promise help take old home back and we trust. Princess pony help us, we help back." Icepaw crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest and stood like a statue.

"The Princess solved a problem that would'a left us in a pinch, helped our people and did her best by us. Might not have been the way either of us liked, especially me... but she was fair. Princess Jade wants to fight, she's got our might!" Copying his stubborn pose, Steelfist nodded to her too with Sledge at his side.

"T-Thank you... all of you... I am so glad, s-so happy to have earned your faith and trust, I will do all I can to live up to it. Starting here and now. Together, we will show the Institute we are not experiments to misuse or toys to play with, we are people! We are united, and we are not to be trifled with any longer!" Jade wiped happy tears from her glistening blue eyes, gaining confidence and flaring her wings as her voice rose beautifully, radiating a truly royal presence and kind bearing that made everyone bowing the most natural thing in the world.

No matter what Velvet said or thought, that was a Princess like I remembered growing up. That was a mare worth fighting for, and I wasn't the only one who thought so. One by one, everyone rose from the shared gesture of respect, a sense of camaraderie spreading through the room I tried to capitalize on before it wore off.

"Right! So let's get to work and give them a surprise! We're gonna drive the breezidores and all the other monsters from this place and right down their throats, together!"

The resounding cheer from the others was heartening, so many different voices, squeaky breezies, deep minotaurs and rumbling hellhounds, stern military ponies and idealistic volunteers, all chanting the same word as one.

"Together!"

---------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------------------

Local Leader Rank 3------
---You've taken a broken down collection of settlements and formed a real kingdom! You now gain bonuses to factions of allied groups, discounts in their stores and a better reception. You can also now build large scale projects requiring a lot of hooves working together to accomplish, along with being able to communicate from larger settlements and call for help. You're becoming a force to be reckoned with on a larger stage however, the great powers of outside Equestria are sure to take notice...

Ch. 84-- Pest Control

"Daddy? How's this?" Glancing up from the disassembled guts of Jade's gamma gun on the workbench in the Tinker-Tribe's domain, I looked over to where Glitter had been creatively applying hotglue and metallic spray paint and smiled at her latest masterwork.

I had helped fabricate the rough, heart shaped hunk of metal and snipped lead aprons she was holding up proudly. It gave me a chance to practice transformation magic, my plodding progress through the spellcraft primers from Diamond City actually brought me far enough to not only be able to cast the advanced spell, but to not explode the component materials in the process.

I would never have thought I'd ever learn spells of such complexity at this age, but somehow I had nearly made it through all the books we bought back in the Great Green Jewel. I could almost be considered prepared to take the entrance exam for Celestia's school for unicorn foals in Canterlot now.

Beyond functionality however, everything had been made at Glitter's direction and I gave my honest praise to all the artistic flairs she had added. "That looks awesome sweetie, I'm sure Aunt Swan will love it."

Telling the bored filly I wanted to build something for Swan gave my daughter a project to keep busy and work on together before things got dangerous. I had only thought of something to carry around one of Swan's radioactive balefire apples for her, so she could keep drawing rads from it over time. Beyond something convenient she could wear and open like Jade's lead lined box when she needed, I hadn't considered aesthetics, which my little filly assured me was much more important than I seemed to be taking it.

Letting her fix my own 'boring' idea that didn't take into account the critically serious business of being pretty also let us spend time with each other, something I wanted to make time for no matter the risks to come, or because of them. Everyone was already starting on the earliest stages of our rough plan, but until the first steps were done we had time and seeing the little filly so happy was the best way to spend it I could see.

Hiding out in Motool town with all the Tinker-Tribe breezies had the added benefit of being calming and quiet too. Who knew when I'd have an opportunity to work with so many spare parts and tools again, the gremlins of the Flutter Forest made us feel welcome and let me have access to as much of their 'collection' as I wanted. It gave me the chance to make sure all of our weapons and armor were in the best shape possible before we left, along with working on a few projects.

When I was done, Jade's gamma gun should be several times more powerful and last a good deal longer for one thing. The rusty old ambulance nearby was actually capable of flight again for another, meaning Jade would have her very own Followers ambulance to haul the first shipment of potions and healing supplies back to Castle Equinox in. I did leave the sloppily applied white paint and cute pink butterfly and cross symbol to Glitter's discerning eye though. I had also put the finishing touches on one of the breezie's miniature train cars designed for ponies to ride the hub transport, making sure Jade got her ride as promised, along with any of her sisters like Ivy who might want to indulge.

I got the idea my daughter had things on her mind too. Glitter's mood was mostly upbeat as usual, but those pink eyes sparkling back would cloud with thought occasionally, as they were now. I assumed part of it was probably preparing to leave the Breezie Nation, every time we spent awhile somewhere and she settled in, we ended up leaving again and throwing things in the air for the filly.

I hated that she had to keep moving and knew a proper parent was supposed to do things like provide stability for their kids, not wander around the wasteland and continually put them in danger... Glitter loved staying in the hub with all her fairy friends, just like she had been happy barking orders at amused Minutemares in Castle Equinox, running the streets of Goodneighbor with the Filchers and learning things she shouldn't, going to school with kids her own age in Diamond City, having her own room and home back in Sanctuary...

She always bounced back and got over leaving somewhere, but it always hurt too. I wanted to stop putting her through this over and over, the fact she'd have little brothers and sisters all too soon only made that desire more imperative too. Glitter was at least a tough little survivor and used to moving around even before I adopted her, a baby though... let alone babies... They needed security and stability, some kind of a plan for a real life, not just randomly lurching from one fight or clue to the next.

"Glitter honey... Mommy's friend from outside, Velvet, she told me I was being selfish and I needed to let others handle stuff like this. She wanted us to go where she is, a fancy place outside the Commonwealth, away from the Institute... somewhere safe for you and mom and your little brothers and sisters when they come. I hadn't asked you about it yet, but is that something you'd want? No more moving around so much? No fighting and running away?"

The hopeful, happy look she blinked back with made me wince internally, but I asked and wanted her opinion. I wasn't going to influence it with a sour face or try to nudge her into saying what I wanted to hear. "Somewhere we could stay? Really daddy?"

"Really. She had a point, it's not fair packing you all over the place like this. You seem a little sad leaving the hub, so I should have asked sooner. I can't make any promises, but you're a member of this family, you get a say in things too."

Glitter's wide eyes sparkled a moment, glistening with moisture having it made clear she and how she felt mattered. She opened her mouth in a wide smile, but paused and flicked her gaze up in thought instead of blurting out the first thought she had. It made me proud to see such consideration and intelligence working under her furrowed brow, but a little sad too.

That was a filly thinking grown up thoughts, not just whatever she truly wanted. "Umm... what about Grandma and Grandpa though? An' Uncle? If we left... who'd find them? How would you ever find out if Great Grandpa was good or not either?"

"We have a lot of friends here now, I'm sure they'd help sweetie. That's not for you to worry about, I just want to know what you want. It's ok to tell me anything."

"Would it be close?" Glitter again looked happy to be reassured and considered, but was wiser than her years and squinted at me suspiciously. Considering she had gotten as good as her mother when it came to figuring out if I was fibbing, I didn't have much room for anything other than the truth.

"I don't know, Manehatten's far away if we went there, maybe they'd send us somewhere else though. Velvet wasn't very clear on that. It could be anywhere, but we'd be together and she said it would be safe."

"But! If it's far... what about Aunt Swan? an' Peri? an' Ivy? What about their babies? Or all our friends back home? All the nice ponies we met? Would Auntie Val an' Zed an' Witchy come with us? Would we ever come back and visit?" What started out as worry started ratcheting up towards a panicky jabbering that made me rush over, hugging her tightly and stroking her mane soothingly.

"Glitter, it's alright. I know moving around is hard, that's why I asked. It'd be one more move, but then we wouldn't anymore. I'm sure we could visit and I'd want everybody with us too, but I don't know any specifics. I didn't say we had to go either, I just wondered what you thought. Er... sounds like you don't like the idea so much though..."

Catching her breath, Glitter thought on it one more time before giving a nervous shake of her head and whinny. "No... I don't think so daddy. I don't like leaving behind places so much I guess, but we're always close . I don't think I'd want to go somewhere far away. This is home, I'm ok so long as you an' mommy are always with me. Is that ok?"

Planting a kiss on her forehead, I nodded in relief to her. "Of course it's ok sweetie, whatever you feel is ok, what makes you happy is important. Besides... you're definitely not getting away from me that easy!"

Latching on to her hindlegs and giving a mock growl, I tickled her with my feathers and laughed with the squealing filly trying to struggle away. When she whooped in air and yelped for help, I had the tables turned by a flock of breezies watching the fun, helping the foal pin me down and tickle back with a swarm of delicate wings. Despite the twinge of pain between my eyes that came every time I felt their wings lighting on me like that, the simple joy of playing with my daughter made it unimportant.

I got the idea the breezies would miss us too and felt a little better at Glitter's attitude over the parting. We might keep going all over the Commonwealth, but we were never too far and we always made new friends like she said. If we hadn't, the cloud of tiny fairies attacking at her direction would still be hidden and alone themselves out here. They'd certainly never throw themselves at a 'beeg-pony' so fearlessly, even in something as simple as a tickle battle.

Flapping my wings and giving a careful full body shake managed to throw them off gently enough and I stalked after the gasping filly trying to get away that they were playfully guarding. The wide, breathless grin spreading on her flushed face widened as I closed in, just before she gave a bright yell and pointed a foreleg at me with a whooping battlecry. "Get'im Auntie Val!"

I had enough time to turn around and see the obfuscating cloud of breezies part with squeaky giggles, making way for the bright red and orange merc to tackle me and grab my hindlegs in her claws, hanging me upside down for Glitter, herself and all the breezies to attack en masse.

By the time Val let me thump to the floor and sat down beside us, my ribs ached from laughing so hard and the griffon kicked at me idly with a paw. "Outflanked by a filly boss! Yer pop fell fer classic diversionary tactics, good stra-tee-gery kiddo!"

"W-Where... would... s-she ha-have learned to be so d-devious I wonder V-Val..." I wheezed back, looking up to her innocent whistling and chuckling with a twinge of disappointment. If Val was back then what time we had to play was running short...

"Not from me, dunno what yer implyin' boss! Must be from all the sneaky breezies, you should'a seen 'em out there!" Val swatted me with her tail and yanked me back up to my hooves with a grin. Her voice was light and easy, but she winked to the flock of Tinker-Tribe that had returned with her, reminding me of her deadly serious errand in case I needed it.

"Is it going ok so far then Val? We ready for the next steps?"

The manic gleam in Val's violet eyes made me hopeful as I quietly counted the Tinker-Tribe commandos that had gone with her out to the forest, all present and accounted for. "It was friggin hilarious boss! All them fancy tanks and APCs o' theres ain't worth a fart in the wind versus a squad of these little buggers! Thought they'd just take a leisurely sunday drive through the forest, ha! Half a dozen pieces of heavy armor all goin' tits up put a real crimp in their day so far! Course them hellhounds poppin' up when they tried gettin' out ta fix em didn't hurt neither!"

"Bad soldiers no breeng beeg machines tu Breezie Nation Fast Shroud, ve breaky gud!" A sweaty Tinker chieftan Tingle Smoke grinned as his tribe cheered their success. The 'Gremlins' of the Flutter Forest had repelled yet another invasion, meaning things were on track for the next stages of our plan.

"Great job, all of you. Now to pick up where you left off and make sure they never try this again. Ready to help me fix a few last things with the Brotherhood before I leave?"

"Ve fixy! Ve like fixy as much as breaky now Fast Shroud, ve miss repair-pony teachy us so many tings!" Tingle and his tribe took a bow together, holding their little sharpened screwdriver spears, wrench staffs, deepwell sockets worn like power hooves and other tools up in salute.

Collecting Jade's radiation weapon and quickly slotting in the casing containing the new balefire apple power supply, I gave a low bow back and smiled wistfully to all my comrades in tools. "I'll miss teaching you guys what I know too, but you're already well on your way to being proper repair-breezies, keep learning from everypony we leave behind. Take special care of Ivy's bratty little orphan Wicket for me too when he gets here. Don't tell him I said so, but he's got talent, so you can teach each other a lot."

Glitter wasn't the only one who'd miss staying here, and they wouldn't just miss her either. I caught a lot of tiny sniffles and brave nods back from the Tinker Tribe, but they put all that aside to foist more spare parts into my hooves and follow us out towards the hub's shield and the buzz of activity outside. We were all repair crew with a job to do, my little gremlin friends were ready to see it done with us.

The area surrounding the stump shaped admittance building outside the hub's shields had become a hive of activity. A variety of Brotherhood and Minutemare tents were set up in a makeshift command post around the entrance, ringed by rusty liquid tanker train cars and Vertibuck's in the process of being modified to handle the next phase. As I tracked down the Brotherhood mare Proctor Candygram directing her own crew of repair ponies with military precision, I caught sight of the minotaur hunters of Salt Lick returning with a variety of corpses from the forest to be butchered too, so everything was coming together well.

I was glad the Brotherhood of Friendship's head engineer was good at her job and clever, requiring little more than the basic gist of what I wanted to get right to work and making progress at a rapid clip. Using the spare jet engines added to the Vertibucks assigned to this mission as huge vacuums wasn't all that difficult, but I realized most of the scribes busily working at it had never seen a proper old world pest control pony, so didn't understand what I had asked for.

Proctor Candygram was a connoisseur of old world tech though, she had run into the much smaller equipment to suck up swarms of twittermites and other pests before, scaling it the concept up to capture a cloud of breezidores wasn't hard to get across to her. Working with her let me get a closer look at her odd power armor frame too, complimenting her on the modifications that allowed her to walk on her withered hindlegs, what would have been a career if not life ending injury when she was younger.

I did have to put up with some griping about stealing away one of her most talented scribes in Summer Wind, but it seemed fairly good natured ribbing. Candygram understood why she left the Brotherhood and couldn't blame her, I got the idea she just liked seeing me sputter and turn red at her teasing that Summer left to "Go follow after a cute buck first and a Princess second.".

Seeing she and the others had things well in hoof, I retreated from Candygram's snickering and toured the staging area nervously. The Fauna-Tribe and minotaurs were helping to work with the variety of heavy hides and leathers, roughly patching together thick protective gear to cover the areas left exposed by the Brotherhood pilot's power armor.

None of the pegasi in the sleek black and red trimmed power armor looked like they enjoyed having the patchwork additions added, but impressing on them all that just a single scratch from a breezidore would be enough to send them crashing got them to put up with it. Jade and her Followers were passing out recently filled vials of Addictol to all of them too as a precaution. We agreed the Brotherhood didn't need to know the Willowheart tribe breezies helping to pass the little green bottles out were actually the ones who made the stuff. Disguising the origins of the miraculous drug as artificially made Addictol was a good idea 200 years ago, it still was now.

Zed was helping haul out the impressive supply of repellent he and Scribe Blossom had been brewing steadily and distributing it to the squad of power armored Knights outside the big command tent. The environmentally sealed Steel Ranger armor made them impervious to risk from the breezidores, so all they had to do was help corral the little pests in the right direction and I wasn't too worried about their part.

Ducking in to the command tent let me look over the tattered map Elder Macson and Preston were eyeing critically, moving little pieces of junk representing their forces and the incoming enemies and arguing about timetables. Two clusters of caps, bottles and other junk were closing on the valley of the Ministry of Peace hub from the north and south like the a pair of scissors.

The group showing the Gunner's estimated positions was bigger and had a lot of heftier pieces of junk to represent the tanks and vehicles arrayed against us. Several of these were already tipped on their side and left behind the main force though, Val, the gremlins and the hellhounds had already been wreaking havoc out in the woods, whittling away at the enemy.

Checking over the map again, I stared at an unmarked spot on the edge of the Glowing Sea and double checked my own pip-buck map. No reason to let everyone know about that little plan yet, but the griffon prowling protectively two steps behind me should be happy. For now I let her go wander off into trouble with Glitter, hopefully keeping them both from getting bored while I attended to one last unpleasant detail before we left.

Following the faded signs inside the hub, I made my way towards the isolation wards alone, my steps slowing and getting heavier the closer I got. Blowing Storm and a detachment of Securi-Tribe breezies guarded the door I arrived at eventually, but made way and let me enter without question. The security breezies had been pretty dubious about letting anyone in the hub to begin with, but they actually looked excited and ...fulfilled. For the most part, running security for the Ministry of Peace had been quiet and calm for ages. They still regarded everything from outside with suspicion, but looked like they enjoyed doing their job and keeping a close eye out for any potential threat.

Not that the pitiful mare behind the glass of Isolation Room #3 was much of a threat... True Blue's head spun from the corner she had been sulking in when I came in, holding her foreleg to her chest and hiding it with a wince as I trudged up to the glass. One thing to be thankful for here, the complicated runework etched in the walls and glass barrier separating us did what I hoped, all outside magical influence was negated in here, the sad mare looking back was True Blue herself, not Vega...

"Hi Lt. Blue... umm... are you ok in there?"

She sniffled and peeked up from behind her bangs, the hub had stripped all her Minutemare gear away when it teleported her here, so she couldn't even hide under her hat. "G-General... I'm fine, no... I'm not fine, but I'm comfortable I guess. I'm so sorry sir..."

Sighing and taking a seat in front of the glass, I took my own hat off and waved off her apology. "True... it's alright. You didn't know right? Nopony really does I guess, I'm sorry we have to lock you up in there, but so long as you're inside, the Institute can't take control of you again. Is there anything we can do for you for now?"

The miserable look she returned convinced me more than any protestations or arguing she could have come up with. True Blue's eyes welled up with tears and she held her foreleg out, unable to do more than peek at the offending appendage as she answered in a croak. "I-It doesn't hurt... b-but can someone do something about this? A-At least if it wasn't sticking out, I could pretend I was a real pony a little..."

The curved blade jutting from her foreleg was covered in her own dried blood, though no fresh fluid was leaking onto it at least. Her voice was so sad and small just acknowledging it, I felt terrible for her, and hated Vega even more for using her. The question of what to do with her and the much less cooperative and likable Brotherhood synth next door was a pretty uncomfortable one, especially since she was honestly shocked to find out she had been a synth the whole time.

"True, try not to talk like that, you are a real pony. It's not your fault how you were born, but I've met other synths that are as real as you and me. We're going to find a way to help you, somehow... just don't give up hope."

"Real?! L-Look at me sir! I'm one of those... those things! I'm a robot doll! Everything about me is a lie! My life, my folks, my home in Hangmare's Alley, everything! Kind of hard to deny with that bastard just taking me over and leaving this thing sticking out!" Lt. Blue wailed back in fury and pain, holding her foreleg out in accusation as she dissolved into sobs.

"I don't see a thing True, I see a scared filly in a bad place, but a scared pony, not a machine. You don't know everything is a lie either, who knows how long you've been a synth. I bet your folks are real and waiting for you back home. P-Probably don't want to see them again with that poking out though I'm guessing, so why don't we try to fix that first?"

It took a minute for her crying to taper off, when it did she managed to take a shaky breath and look back up to me with that reverent look I had gotten used to seeing from the Minutemare. Normally her adoration made me a little uncomfortable, but anything closer to normal was better.

The hopeful, curious whisper she managed didn't sound so close to breaking at least. "W-Why are you being so nice to me sir? I'm one of them... y-you hate the Institute, don't you hate me too? I m-might have tried to kill you..."

"That wouldn't have been you though, that would have been Vega, who yes... I do hate. You not at all. I er... have my reasons, but let's just say I feel sorta responsible. What you are is a lot less important that who you are, you're still True Blue to me. That body of yours isn't who you are, just what you're in. Since it's your body and you're in charge, try to concentrate and make that blade go back in. I know you can do it, just try."

Screwing her face up with effort, the poor synth glared at the dull crimson blade and a sweat sprang up on her brow as she puffed and cursed at it, distracting herself by continuing. "Y-You're really nice sir... I wish I was strong like you, but I'm just not... I thought I was doing good and became a Minutemare because I wanted to make things better, but I'm really just a spy..."

"You're more than that, you might have never known you were a synth at all if Vega wasn't trying to use you to get to me True. I'm not very strong at all, but I know what it's like to feel like a stranger in your own skin. The Institute messed with me too, right?" Flapping my wings idly to demonstrate, I kept encouraging her painful effort back on her leg and continued after getting a weak chuckle from her. "I had to learn how to deal with a body that wasn't what I was used to, I'm still not very good at it, but it does get easier. I'm sure you can do it too, just think about what you want and make it happen."

She gasped when the curved blade quivered and nearly lost her focus, but redoubled her efforts and seemed to get the hang of it. Finally the deadly weapon built into her leg slid back into place, the pale blue fur of her leg sealing back together immediately.

The wide smile of relief and joy on her face looked a lot better on her than that sad mope and I cheered with her as she pranced in place happily, hugging her foreleg to her chest with a squeal. "It worked! T-Thank you sir! Oh that's so much better!"

"I bet so. Sorry I can't do much more to help, but it's good to see you smile again."

Just mentioning it made that smile slip a bit, though not fading entirely as she answered softly. "Sir? W-What happens to me now? Do I have to stay in here forever? I-If you could learn from me by... b-by taking me apart..."

"Stop. Don't even think that way. You're not some experimental subject to dissect True, no matter what the Brotherhood tries to say about the spy in their own ranks. He's not nearly as cute as you are anyway."

"S-Sir!? C-Cute?" Seeing the filly turn red and squeak was a good sign too, so I didn't think Jade would mind a little flirting to lift her spirits.

"Cute, definitely. I'd never allow anypony to cut up a cute filly just to tinker with either, so rest assured. I'm afraid you'll have to stay in here for now though, it's safe and the breezies have promised to help take good care of you. We're going to try to find the Railroad and see if they can help you more too. They can free synths without locking them up, so you're not going to be a prisoner forever if I can help it. I wish I could do more, better... but we're not abandoning you. I wanted to be sure you heard that from me before we left. You're a real pony True, you're a Minutemare and our friend, and you're not alone, even if it feels that way."

Trotting up to the glass and resting her own hoof on the other side from mine pressed there supportively, True Blue beamed as tears ran down her pink cheeks and she gave a firm nod. She looked down at the etched glass separating us ruefully, giving a tired giggle of frustration and shrugging. "I umm... r-really wish this wasn't in the way sir, a h-hug would be really nice after all that..."

Bowing to our innocent captive with my hat to my chest, I placed the black fedora on my head and tipped it to her. "I'll just have to wait for you to collect I guess, but I will be waiting. So no feeling too bad or lonely until then, ok? You're going to get out of there and be free, I promise. Vega and the Institute are going to pay for using you, that's a promise too."

I hated leaving her locked up like this, a prisoner for the crime of being born a synth.. The best I could do was try to reassure her and do the best I could by her and the other synths of the Commonwealth, for my Grandpa Fin's part in their creation, I felt like I owed her that much. Looking back to her from the door, I admired the brave look she returned, waving with her normal-pony looking foreleg again and smiling brightly.

Her cheer followed me down the hall and gave me the determination to keep my word, putting aside her own fears and pain to yell and stamp her hooves. "Give 'em hell sir! I'll be waiting too!"

A light rap on the huge barn door made me disintangle myself from a lot of sweaty alicorn and stagger over in a rush, peeking out from the creaking door swinging open to find the bright red face of Witchy waiting nervously. Her amber eyes flicked down and saw I was sans armor, turning the poor batpony a brighter crimson as she looked away and stammered in her squeaky voice.

"S-Sorry! E-Everyone's looking for you and the Princess, er... n-not looking s-since we heard... but I got volunteered to go and... t-they're coming Fast, so I must i-interrupt the Princess' p-private time and..." Witchy's fluffy ears kept twitching at the grumbles and whines behind me, perking up at Jade's gasp and several crashes as she looked for her lab coat.

Nearly matching the thestral's blush, I scratched my mane sheepishly and swatted my tail at the big hoof reaching for me she couldn't see. I hadn't really meant to get ponynapped and forced to rush playing around with three beautiful alicorns, really... things just worked out that way somehow... Peri had caught me inside the hub leaving the isolation ward with her new gift, the ancient, illustrated Pony Sutra I found for her in the Treasures of Jamocha Plains. While trying to fend her and all her new ideas off, Swan spotted me and the spacey filly trailing after me insistently and decided her sister had a fine idea she wanted to go along with, before she got all 'icky' as part of the next step of our plan.

I had actually gone to Jade hoping she could convince her sisters to wait until we were all back at Castle Equinox, finding her gleefully riding the Flutter Expess around the breezie capital of Willowheart, giggling and snorting her delight circling the room on the toy train. Rather than save me when her ride ended with a hiss and toot of a tiny train whistle that just made her grin again, my Princess got a very naughty, mischievous look and she ended up agreeing with them instead...

She did at least admonish them we didn't have a lot of time, but was in a playful mood after her ride with our daughter. Plus her own carefully masked nervousness over what was to come was getting to her, and I could always take the time to soothe her if nothing else. It was quite a way to say goodbye to our stay in the Ministry of Peace anyway...

Bucking back with a hindleg to shoo Swan's big hoof back again, I muttered in embarassment to Jade's poor royal guard who had been forced to interrupt us. I hoped only her sharp hearing picked up where we were hiding, but wasn't too sure considering just how loud a giant mare along with her two normal sisters could get.

"Heh... umm... r-right, sorry Witchy. We're coming, are they almost here?"

Along with Witchy's anxious nod, the hub maneframe brought my pip-buck map up in my vision and started displaying red dots marking the two groups closing in on Willowville. That was one reason I didn't feel too bad about taking a little time to spend with the mothers of my foals, the protective computer wouldn't let us get too distracted from ensuring the Breezie Nation was safe.

183 TARGETS CLOSING IN RANGE REPAIR-PONY. ROOT SECTOR PRESSURE HAS REACHED TARGET READING. THE BATPONY IS CORRECT, HAD SHE NOT COME I WOULD HAVE ACTIVATED YOUR ALARM... ENOUGH PRE BATTLE JITTERS AND FOOLING AROUND. NOW IS THE TIME.

Stumbling to the door breathlessly, Jade adjusted her askew tiara and blushed at her guard, tossing her mane and trying to put on a more regal bearing. The effect was somewhat ruined having to turn and swat at Peri with her wings before her blue sister succeeded in dragging me back to the dark barn, but she shook off the lusty giggles coming from the pair of them and put on a stern frown.

"E-Enough both of you! W-We are very busy and I believe we are all as relaxed as we need to be, h-honestly... how I let you convince me to..." Jade nickered her exasperation, laying her ears back against their whines

"They convinced you? Here I thought you convinced me hon... I don't remember them having to try very hard if they did... didn't you say we should all...."

Before I could continue my smirking reply, Jade hugged me to her chest and shoved a hoof in my mouth, giving a crooked grin to Witchy watching me struggle in her grip, her calm, closed eye expression marred by the way one eyelid was twitching as she hissed back from the corner of her mouth. "I am sure I do not know what you are talking about love... T-Terribly sorry Witching dear, we will accompany you out immediately while my sisters compose themselves. One moment please."

Jade's answer caught Witchy in the act of trying to peek around her bulk, her slitted eyes having no problem making out the pair of alicorns pouting as they shuffled up and looked for their scattered belongings. Raising an eyebrow down at her loyal guard made Witchy clench her eyes shut again and spin on the spot, chirping as her leathery wings fluttered nervously. "O-Of course Princess! I'll just w-wait... out here..."

Easing the door shut, Jade let me go to flop to the hay covered floor and wiped her damp brow, hiding in her wings as she cringed against the door and I staggered after my armor. "Oh we are horrible... y-you are both a terrible influence sisters. A P-Princess should not be caught like a schoolfilly right before a dangerous battle with lives at stake... H-Hurry up and get ready!"

"The stuff we're doing is why it's a good idea sister. You were very tense and worried, now you're not, right? I feel lots better anyway..." Peri doffed her tan Minutemare hat and shrugged back calmly, the odd mare never felt embarrassed in the slightest, so didn't see any issue.

Swan just grinned from above her and nodded crazily, not moving to get dressed as her alluring outfit was remaining off anyway. She hoofed at her own article of clothing instead with a demure smile, clearly pleased with the rough necklace wrapped around her long neck that made our pip-bucks chatter every time she opened it. "Me too! I like the breezies barn to play in, I wanted to use it one more time before we left. I had to thank Fast for my pretty present sister. Plus Peri learned lots of fun stuff to try, you sounded like you liked it too... Besides, we wanna have lots of foals, so we have to play lots!"

Jade groaned at her blue and purple sisters blinking back and nodding happily, holding a hoof up between her knitted brow and trying to clear up another of their misconceptions yet again. "Sisters... more mating does not equal more foals... You are both merely doing that because you want to at this point. W-Which is fine... but we have devoted enough time to fun. Now we must get down to business."

Peri and Swan both wore matching pouts, their lower lips stuck out and their ears drooping. Fighting my wings into my trenchcoat, I stood beside Jade and pulled my saddlebags over to root around in as I agreed with her. "She's right, I feel lots better about all this too now, but we can er... c-celebrate more once it's all over. I'm glad you like your present Swan, be sure to thank Glitter too for making it look nice. Here Peri, I didn't have time to make a necklace like Swan's, but I want you carrying one of these balefire apples too and I'm pretty sure you won't eat it anyway. Remember, stay out of danger if you can avoid it, right? You have a b-b-baby to think about, so stick close to Jade and stay safe, both of you."

I had to backpedal from Peri swinging her head down sharply and staring muzzle to muzzle, her bright golden eyes widening with interest when I stammered on her recent good news. "Oh? Are you going to fall on your face again Fast? That was funny, do it again..."

"N-No! I'm not gonna... gonna..."

Having Swan's big hoof push her sister aside so she could poke and nuzzle at me next to her wasn't helping that swimmy feeling fogging my head, nor was the mischievous grin she got bobbing her head along with Peri. "It is! Val told me he did that because of the B word. Baby?"

"S-Stop it! I'm not gonna pass out dammit, t-this isn't funny you two! W-We got lots of important hero type stuff to be doing and..."

"Baby! Peri will have a baby, and Jade will have a baby, and I will... hey funny tree, tell Fast I'm going to have a baby too!" Swan wiggled her rear and swished her tail back and forth merrily, far above her head and forelegs planted in front of me.

I tried to stagger away from her playful grin and the blasted computer decided to chime in verbally, no doubt for my benefit as I couldn't focus on text... "MINIMUM POST COITUS TIME NOT MET FOR POSITIVE TEST RESULT. GIVEN SAMPLE RESULTS AVAILABLE HOWEVER, ESTIMATING A 79% PROBABILITY OF SUCCESSFUL MATING WITH FEMALE SWAN, GIVEN THE NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS..."

"Ba-by! Ba-by! Ba-by!" Swan nudged Peri to take up her sing-songing cheer, following my stumbling escape with heavy hoofsteps shaking dust from the barn rafters.

"That is enough! Stop teasing him, we just got him to stop doing that every time the subject came up! You two think it is amusing, but you did not have to keep waking him up as sister Ivy and I did!" Jade gave a valiant effort, but I could swear I caught her biting her lip and holding in giggles that made her snort uncontrollably, totally ruining her stern orders.

"Ba-by! Ba-by! Ba-by!" Luna help me, the nearest trail of breezies passing by the wavering doorway I was weaving towards had taken up the chant...

"La! La! La! La! C-Can't hear you!"

Stumbling back to the grounds, I shook on my hooves every time Swan and Peri bounced up and down on all four hooves behind me, skipping along with a growing parade of breezies on my tail. Risking a look back just showed how hilarious they all thought it was, even Jade was leaning against the doorway and holding her sides in silent gales of laughter, her red cheeks puffed out and an apologetic look visible past the tears streaming from her sparkling blue eyes.

Trying to face forward nearly sent me tripping over my own hooves as everything started getting grey. With my eyes clenched shut and ears flat, I ran directly into Witchy's tail, not even getting to enjoy the soft cushion halting my momentum. I managed to hook my forelegs over her shoulders when she spun to catch me, dragging my way up her armored chest and pleading up to her blushing face with a grimace.

"H-Help... me..."

Looking over my shoulder to the continuing chant of 'ba-by!', Witchy tilted her head and cocked one fluffy ear cutely. Her sharp little fangs poked out as her slow smile spread, not giving me quite enough warning for her interrogative squeak of a reply. "Baby?"

THUMP!

The sun was starting to set by the time the long train of invaders made their way into the outskirts of Willowville. Stalking them silently from the trees, I smiled at how dirty and bedraggled they looked through the scope of the Last Minute already. Just getting here had resulted in the Gunners losing most of their fancy military vehicles to gremlin sabotage, the exhausted looking crew still moved with military discipline, but they wore a lot of bandages and dirt from a hellish trip through the woods.

That was just the Gunners too, the city dwelling raiders and gangers from Trotson were even worse off when I checked on them. They really thought they'd just take their overwhelming force and march on the defenseless Ministry of Peace with no problems. I doubted many of the Trotson dwellers had spent much time out in the wasteland wilderness, let alone someplace that lived up to the Everfree forest of old.

Grinning maniacally, I flitted from branch to branch silently. The heavily armed griffons patrolling the skies were sharp, and could tear me apart in the open skies, but I was a moving shadow in the gloom of the forest. Further weaking them was the short range radios I kept catching them squawking into furiously, here in the dim glow of the MoP hub, all communications bowed to the will of the Great Tree.

BREEZIES AND NON-COMBATANTS SAFELY EVACUATED... YOU MAY BEGIN AT ANY TIME REPAIR-PONY.

The text in my vision blinked and was replaced my a zoomed in map of the area, a variety of dots filled in for me by the numerous cameras and tiny Cybreezie robots hidden everywhere. The Gunners couldn't communicate, but we could...

Whispering to the little robot attached to my foreleg, I nodded and charged the whining gauss rifle held in my hooves. "Alright, here we go then... Hey, Great Tree... Zephyr. In case I don't get a chance later or anything, you're doing a good job here, your sister would be proud."

I SOMEHOW DOUBT FLUTTERSHY WOULD BE PROUD OF MY PART IN THE LETHAL EXTERMINATION OF INVADERS. THE THOUGHT IS APPRECIATED THOUGH FAST. I WILL CONSIDER IT ONE MORE THING TO ASK HER FORGIVENESS FOR, JUST DON'T MAKE IT YET ANOTHER FAILURE TO TELL HER.

"It won't be, I'm sure she'll understand too... hmmm... I hope she will anyway, or I guess we could both be in trouble. Oh well, can't let fear stop us from trying, right buddy?"

Hoping to both encourage and rattle the still annoying computer, I cast my voice altering spell and scanned the crowd of Gunners moving cautiously through the ruins below, letting the booming voice of the Shrouded Stallion echo through the eerily silent woods.

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS! YOU'VE VENTURED FAR FROM HOME ONLY TO FIND DEATH IN THESE CURSED WOODS, AND I AM IT'S SHROUD!"

The Gunner's didn't spook easy, I had to give them that... The forest was instantly filled with a lot of lead, firing lines of Gunners were shredding ruined buildings in a tight cordon around themselves and aiming up into the canopy, forcing me to mold my compact body into the hollow of my chosen tree and wait for the assault to finally slacken.

Once I could finally peek out again and scan through the enemy ranks, I was impressed again. Val told me Gunner's wouldn't visually identify their commanders for easy sniping, but I hoped one might slip up anyway. The low buzz from the ruins around them gave the Gunners pause anyway, calling for a line of flamer battlesaddle armed infantry to move up and torch any of the pests stirred up by their attack. So they had come prepared for the danger of breezidores waiting here, though thankfully only a dozen or so were armored and armed specifically against the unique danger.

Tapping at my pip-buck and the networked controls the Great Tree was coordinating, I broadcast on all channels and put their disabled communications equipment to better use. My ears flicked at the distant echo of my own growling words coming from every Gunner radio and headset below, while I tried to sound properly menacing and spooky.

"That wasn't very nice... Be careful, you'll stir up the local wildlife..."

Somebody down there dug up an old fashioned bullhorn apparently, a screeching, amplified voice screamed back from the streets and made me chuckle at the impotent rage. "You fucking lunatic! Get out here coward! Stupid ghost stories and comics for the kiddies ain't gonna stop us 'Shroud', you're all dead!"

"No ghost story, no tricks... Probably pointless, but the Princess of the Kingdom of Sanctuary wishes to extend her acceptance of your surrender for any who want to take it. She's a kind mare that doesn't want to see you all die here today, so I'm obliged to ask."

Another long stream of gunfire answered and I shrugged, flinching back from the bark being blown off my hiding spot. They kept blazing away even longer this time, forcing me to raise my voice slightly to signal the Great Tree waiting for the next command.

A hollow, 'KRUMP!' noise from the hub got the Gunners to stop firing, all of them turning towards the cloud of white mist rising in a plume from the grounds inside the glowing shield. It took them by surprise and I heard a few cheers thinking one of them got creative with some of their heavy artillery. The sharp voice with the bullhorn was pretty smart though, shouting them down and asking who the hell fired that.

Pressurizing all of the underground root sector had taken most of a day with the cobbled together air processing backups in the hub, then pumping more of the breezidore repellent in had taken another couple hours Jade and I had spent... relaxing... The effect was well worth the wait though, a furious stream of screeching breezidores was pouring out from the single blown entrance we had detonated. The flight path of the cloud of mutant monsters was right on course for them to flee this way, their mutated biology still close enough to normal breezies for the bypass spell to let them pour through the shields.

"Last chance..."

I knew Jade was listening and hoped they'd magically lay down their arms and stop. I knew the hub maneframe was right and his sister, the breezie's heroine Holy Fluttershy, would be saddened by what came next, just like Jade would be. The somber, hopeful note of 'Be Kind...' whispering to me was enough for me to know it was wrong even without thinking about it.

The steady beat of its counterpart 'Be Dark...' waited impatiently and gave a victorious growl from its prison at the expected answer though. "Fuck you and your mercy! A few bugs aren't stopping us!"

"How about more then?"

I darted from around my cover and settled on one of the few functional suits of Gunner green power armor, managing to blast a significant hole through the armored neck before the first explosions in the ruins threw off my aim. Distantly I could hear the raiders on the other side of town dissolving to complete chaos, but the Gunners still held together admirably. They managed to hold formation watching a rolling cloud of more white mist spreading out from the Ministry of Peace and through the ruins, the distant sound of triggered explosives hidden in the rotting buildings adding to the spreading fog.

"Retreat! Fall back and regroup! Flamer units, cover the rear and..." It was a pony with the bullhorn, his wise tactical decision interrupted by a silent .50 round turning his head to pink mist.

He had done well not displaying his rank or making himself a target, but he couldn't expect to hide from a batpony sniper while making that much noise. Already Witchy's mark on my compass was moving to another firing position and I heard the distant whine of her screeching out her radar noise from behind the approaching wall of repellent.

Witchy's talented voice was only distinguishable because she hit the ultrasonic range however, the growing drone of thousands of breezidores drowned out everything else. I heard muffled shouting from the Gunners trying to recover and find a defensible position, then a string of explosions and the crazed cackles my own fiery griffon tearing through their tattered aerial guard.

Another series of explosions went off behind me as I dove from the canopy and moved to back Val up, more fluffy white clouds filling the streets in an approaching line, driving the swarm of the century right towards us. A few Gunner griffons and pegasi regrouped and started pursuing us, struggling to catch Val's rapid passes but quickly closing on me.

Making a rolling dive to the streets put my arcing hooves back in contact with the earth and let me blast by a crumbling strip mall with them hot on my hooves. A trio of missiles exploded in the street behind me, making me glad they didn't have more time to adjust their aim thanks to the roar of several miniguns opening up from the shattered storefronts.

The remaining fliers peeled away immediately from the new contact, swooping and flapping for all they were worth to escape from the hidden threat of half a dozen suits of Brotherhood power armor. The red trimmed Steel Ranger suits that had calmly stood in the infested buildings and laid in ambush, now came tromping out and gave the Gunners something new to worry about.

Each environmentally sealed suit had a different deadly battlesaddle on one flank, but on the other they each wore matching grenade launchers, thumping out hissing round after round of flowery smelling repellent that made me sneeze as they added to the cloud. Trying to keep my eyes clear and escape ahead of the swarm of chittering breezidores, I launched myself back up and sought out Val. I was glad to find her diving from the bright canopy with the smoking remains of two more griffons falling behind her, scorched by magical energy weapons fire from a squad of Brotherhood pegasi waiting as their ground bound troops had.

The line of Gunners prepared for the breezidores held together and sent plumes of flames up to cover their position, giving me a target to focus on I turned to run at, leaving the Brotherhood knights to their slower approach. An intense blast of heat and bright red light behind me lifted my rump and hindlegs up off the ground, my wings flapping madly to even out as I shot a panicked look over my shoulder to what the hell that was.

Squinting against the glare, my jaw dropped and my throat dried up. A huge crater had replaced half the strip mall the Brotherhood had covered in... four green marks remained on E.F.S.. At least two suits of Steel Ranger armor had been vaporized in that fireball, one that was familiar from a memory orb found in Fort Loyalty...

'Awareness!' shouted for my attention when I turned my burning glare front again, a suit of green Gunner power armor in the middle of all the flamer units the focus of the pink mote drawing my attention. It was an Institute variant between T-51 and a T-60, unicorn compatible and opening up with a ripping roar of a minigun pointed my way chewing up the asphalt. It was the weapon on the opposite flank that filled me with dread though, something very similar to a B.E.L. was mounted there... a buckbomb launcher I presumed...

I charged directly towards the threat with lightning arcing at my hooves, zipping and zagging away from the bursts of flame and stream of 5mm rounds coming uncomfortably close, only kept at bay by the cheer of 'Be Awesome!' shouting helpful suggestions towards narrow openings. Focusing on the suit of power armor, my heightened hearing could pick up deep clunks and whirs from the launcher battlesaddle, at least it had a long reload time between shots, but another of those radioactive bombs my grandfather invented could do a lot of damage, if not derail our plan of attack entirely. I had to put it out of commission, now!

A striped blur bounded down from the rooftops behind the flamer unit while I kept them occupied, landing right in the middle of them and proceeding to mercilessly pummel the leather armored mercenaries in a brutal dance of surprised cries and broken bones. Zed ripped through four of the flamer wielding troops before they realized what was happening, the rest falling to a panic when they realized the threat in their midst but unable to use their indiscriminate weapons in such close quarters.

That gave me breathing room, though the stream of fire from the power armor's minigun remained right on my hooves. I was too busy frantically dodging to summon up a bolt of lightning, plus I wasn't sure that would work after my last run in with Institute made power armor and the shielding it boasted against matrix disruption attacks. A full cylinder of .45 rounds from Vengeance only sparked against the helmet, frustratingly close to the viewports, but none getting lucky enough to hit the tiny target.

The pit of my stomach dropped lower when a glowing red ball shot out of the launcher with a loud fwoomp! The Gunner wasn't insane enough to try to hit me so close, but lobbed the explosive towards the oncoming swarm, forcing me to skid to a halt and try to turn to chase it, getting peppered with 5mm rounds impacting my armor that felt like the beating Zed was still dishing out.

My wings spread and tensed, launching me up a few feet before giving up and crashing when the right caught a stray bullet. I hit the ground moving at least, stumbling up to a canter with more shots on my tail, lurching back up with awkward flaps and trying to straighten up and get airborne, making desperate grabs at the arcing red ball above with my magic.

Two telekinetic grabs tried and failed, I stumbled trying for a third and gulped thinking of the minimal timer on the things I had seen in the memory orb. A charging, whooping shape leapt off a broken apartment building near its path as I watched, the six legged goat springing nimbly from the remaining rooftop and carrying its minotaur rider in range to catch the brightly flashing ball.

Steelfist only had one hand to make the catch, releasing his hold on his mount to dive off it and do so without reservation. He spun and shouted in midair, lobbing the explosive like a fastball with his muscular arm and hand in a smooth motion. Not a good old buck by any means, but the minotaur was at ease with his odd posture and limbs, sending the buckbomb back towards the greatest concentration of Gunners in a blur.

I lost sight of him in the cacophonous detonation and prayed to the goddesses he was ok, struggling back up and spotting his mount perched on a single crumbling wall across the street from where it had jumped, but no Steelfist... More gunfire chewing up the street and puncturing my exposed hindleg in two blindingly painful holes got me stumbling up again though. I wove up over the curb I had tripped on and gave a desperate flap to crash through the display window of a 'Pear Family Farms' stand, landing on the dusty sign proclaiming; 'Fresh from Vanhoover!'

Panting as I fumbled for a greenish-purple healing potion, I slugged it down in the minimal cover and kept my ears trained on that clunking noise outside, couldn't let him reload again... The red mark on E.F.S. I struggled to keep track of among the swarm of others was moving closer, the roar of the minigun sending glass and plaster tinkling down over my hat as he tried to keep me pinned down.

Before I tried something desperate, I heard the booming shout of "Ad Victorium!" and the sound of ballistic gunfire was joined by an equally rapid stream of magical energy weapons. Whatever was laying down all that fire was covering me, forcing the stream of 5mm rounds away from chewing up the storefront and letting me peek out over the broken window.

Elder Macson's distinctive suit of power armor was charging forward into the fray, launching missiles out in a tightly controlled pattern of cover as the unique magical energy minigun spun and spewed crimson bolts out, hammering the Gunner suit back towards the center of the intersection he had followed me through. Keeping track of that slow click and thunk of the buckbomb launcher was impossible through the noise, but based on how long it took last time, I was getting worried when the next shot would come and where it would go... I doubted Steelfist was going to pull another miracle play and stop the next one, meaning it was up to me.

Favoring my oozing hindleg, I flexed my mending wing and rocketed out, turning where Macson was still focused and activating S.A.T.S. in time to see it wasn't all on me after all. The frozen scene I was treated to made the furious mutter of 'Be Dark...' grin and growl approval, only a little disappointed it hadn't been the one to end the threat and punish the bastard with the fancy weapon.

Icepaw was caught in the cool nirvana of frozen time, lunging halfway out of the broken asphalt his claws had parted like butter, the nearby ponyhole cover flipping through the air from the force of his breach from below. One gleaming claw was midway up in a long uppercut arc, parting through the composite layers of the power armored Gunner like tissue paper, a splash of blood frozen in a fan of crimson droplets.

If it weren't for S.A.T.S. lucky timing, I might have missed it entirely... The terrifying hellhound finished his slash when I released the spell, nearly decapitating the buckbomb lobbing Gunner and diving back underground before any of his comrades knew what hit him. It was a display that reinforced my unease around the furry killing machine and made me glad he was on our side, and that Swan had handled getting him that way... I had serious doubts I would have survived their little duel...

Continuing my flight up rather than diving on the eliminated enemy, I noticed Macson trotted right over to the shredded remains and held his position near the salvageable buckbomb launcher, but he did hold it like an immovable object. His Knights charged into the battle behind him, struggling to catch up to their brave leader and following his inspiring voice of command barking out orders, the Steel Ranger Knights forming up around him while the aerial Shadowbolt suits flitted around in strafing runs, driving the Gunners back and into chaos.

The Gunners were finally starting to break apart and lose discipline, several groups charged to the south and the cover of the rocky hills and ledges the stream of rainbows cascaded down from Rainbow Brook. The screams of their comrades falling into pit traps, getting yanked underground or messily eviscerated by Icepaw's hidden force of hellhounds made them rethink that escape route quickly though.

Those that went north to the gentler hills and ruined high class neighborhoods were cut off by several fortified homes with a view where Minutemares were stationed and well provisioned. They'd have to go to ground when the oncoming storm of breezidores overtook their position, but for now they pinned the Gunners and gangs down and left them right in the path of the swarm.

"AH-CHOO!!" The booming sneeze heralded the vast shadow resolving out of the mist from the hub and the last nail in the coffin. If seeing the gigantic filly covered in blood and gore plowing out of the clouds didn't scare the Gunners, nothing would. Despite her dripping nose and stuffy face, Swan still had the manic gleam of smashing in her wide, dragonish eyes and dove on the Gunners like some horror from the pits of tartarus, getting quite a few screams from below that looked to be music to her ears.

Granted, a mare the size of a building was generally scary enough, having her absolutely slathered in blood from the minotaur's hunting expedition only heightened the terror she was inspiring. It also served to do the opposite of all the flowery breezidore repellent, Swan was a gore covered titan of breezidore bait, charging right at the Gunners with her glowing shield up and an undulating tentacle of the swarm following right behind her.

Joining the warrior princess, I tucked my wings and dove right for the highest concentration of red on Eyes Forward Sparkle, pulling up at the last second and skidding to a halt in the middle of the street, 'Be Awesome!'. Pulling out Vengeance and Best Served, I worked fast and ran through the panicked crowd, slicing and shooting any likely target while the breezidore's and cloud of repellent driving them kept closing in. The Minutemares, Brotherhood, minotaurs and hellhounds would clean up whatever was left after the swarm passed, but I wanted to take as many heads as I could personally. The Institute, the Gunners, the gangs and other evil ponies willing to march on the breezie's homes... all of them deserved to die and I needed to see it done myself, 'Be Dark...'.

The howl of Vertibucks taking off near the hub and a few close calls from breezidores willing to brave the repellent smeared all over my armor signaled I couldn't indulge that seething grumble any more though. Flapping back up, I scanned the rapidly shrinking area of visibility, not that finding Swan was difficult... She was circling the main cluster of Gunners, the amount of power she had at her command to reach such an impressive size made her shield nigh impregnable, so the Gunners were simply wasting some of their highest caliber weapons against the blazing sphere of her shield. That and making themselves good targets, Swan sent one crackling magical arrow after another lancing down through the mist towards each burst of weapons fire, the magic bolts exploding in bright purple flashes with each impact.

I managed to catch up to the whooping filly, waving for her attention desperately among all the flak exploding around her. She opened a gap in her shield and hugged me to her heaving chest as soon as I was in with her, giggling her delight at the situation. Now she had her Fast shaped teddy bear in her hooves while slaughtering enemies that deserved it, there were very few things in life finer according to Swan, so she was giddy as a schoolfilly and a little reluctant to leave.

Sputtering at being rubbed against her warm cheek, I shouted up to her big ear and pointed to Val and Zed coming our way. "Swan! That's about enough! Grab the others and let's go!"

"Awww! Can't I smash more of them Fast!? I bet I can finish them all off before we have to go!" Swan kept right on nuzzling away in the middle of all the explosions and death around her. Only keeping one huge eye trained on the ground and targeting more victims, while the other was closed in a blissful expression right by my face.

Val swooped in with her armor smoking from a few lucky shots, circling the big mare and looping back to swat her massive flank. "Ya heard the boss goofy! Their gonna start hidin' anyway, you really wanna hunt em all down in this shit!? We got a herd ta drive, so let's... Hey, big stuff, smash that fucker right there before we go first!"

Following Val's dark claw down, Swan nodded happily and reached out with her overcharged telekinesis, picking up a small gift shop and lobbing the entire building where Val directed, literally smashing the screaming griffon in the street. Giving her a screech of approval, Val flapped up to her face and held a claw up for a hoofbump, reeling back in the confines of Swan's shield from the light contact with a hoof as tall as she was.

"Ok, nooooow we can go! Good job Swanny! Just fer that I'll let ya hang on ta the boss on the way, just watch where yer flyin!" Val gave her hard grin and glided to Swan's back, settling between her hurricane force wings and sitting up like she was Queen of all she surveyed.

Those two definitely enjoyed the simple things in life, neither Val or Swan had any second thoughts or doubts about unleashing mayhem. As far as I could tell, they'd both prefer to continue aimless destruction right here, but we did have a job to do and needed to get to doing it.

Zed flapped back to Swan's rear, riding atop her flanks in an odd zebra posture of meditation and helpfully reminded both of them of that fact. "I'm sure the others have the rest well in hoof, we have a long trip ahead of us don't we ladies?"

Since I was Swan's in flight entertainment, I wasn't going to be allowed to get away even if she did reluctantly turn away from the panicking Gunners and put the hub at her back. She flew east rapidly, drawing a growing train of breezidores in her wake and slowly gaining a dusty cloud of fleeing creatures in the forest ahead of her.

Looking back over her broad shoulder from my captive position, I absently kissed the huge lips smacking at me back and watched the Vertibucks swooping around in her backtrail while I could. The liquid tanker cars and industrial hoses strung from each flight crew significantly slowed the speedy prewar vehicles down, but they were sucking up big chunks of the breezidore swarm, free to hoof deliver those little care packages where we wanted in Gunner territory.

"That was fun Fast! I like smashy dates with you! You kill bad guys really good, so I guess it's worth all that thinking about it. So now we go south?" Swan burbled happily as she climbed above the trees, sounding for all the world as if she were on a lovely outing together and looking forward to where the evening took us.

With her stretched out and size adjusted pip-buck blinking on the hoof holding me to her muzzle, it was easy enough to bring up her own map and add a new location marker for her to follow, calling back to Val over the whipping wall of Swan's pink mane.

"A little southeast, follow that marker Swan! I didn't tell Jade about this part in particular, but we're gonna go take this present right to the Gunners dirty little secret. Ready to see what your old crew is keeping a Stable for Val!?"

My griffon friend's bright red head popped up above Swan's huge blue-violet eyes, leaning off her long horn to hang upside down and grin at me in glee. "Oh my Gawd! I love you boss! You heard him tons of fun! Let's go wreck us a Stable!"

Zed's response was less enthusiastic, a sarcastic grumble spoken from behind closed eyes. "Another Stable... wonderful..."

The trip south was a fairly long one, the foothills and mountains of the western Commonwealth shrank a little, but stayed well above the swamps and marshes to the east following the southern branch of the river looping around Trotson. The sunset put on a sickly green tint the closer we got to the radioactive wasteland known as the Glowing Sea in the distance.

There were quite a few Gunner outposts and fortifications we made diving runs at, Val pointed each camouflaged ruin out and Swan instantly swooped in. They were all understaffed with resources already sent to the Ministry of Peace, so seeing a giant alicorn covered in blood flying back down their trail had to mess with them. As far as the Gunners knew, the crazed filly was some nightmare monster from the forest their comrades had woken up, covered in their friends blood instead of random creatures from the woods and way too obvious how much fun she was having.

The swarm of breezidores on our tail mopped up whatever chaos Swan left in her wake, steadily lowering their numbers and spreading the little pests out on the edge of the Glowing Sea. We never paused as long as Swan or Val either one would like, but were making steady progress to our destination in the rocky hills.

I spotted another billboard near the crumbling road winding its way south, peering at the faded, peeling and graffitied ad for 'Grover's Roost', the first word having been crossed out and edited to read Magpie Roost. What I could make out showed a mountain peak similar to the one in the distance to the east that the roads led towards, making Map Updated, blink in my vision for a moment.

Looking to Val perched on Swan's head, I called up to her curiously and pointed out the sign. "Magpie Roost? Didn't Preston say the Minutemares had gotten some griffon volunteers from there Val? Do you know it?"

"It's like Griffonstone, just more bleak..." Val's reply was clipped and short, clearly another sore spot she didn't like talking about and not one I was sure was worth pushing her on. Glancing back at my confused look, she sighed and continued for my benefit anyway. "It's a griffon town boss, was before the war too. About as friendly as you'd expect, so don't go gettin' no sappy ideas about them joinin' Blue an her little kingdom."

"Griffons... Is it a Gunner town then?"

Swan picked up on my unspoken question immediately, looking up to her horn and Val's perch up there. "Can we smash it too Val? If it's those mean Gunners anyway... I always wanted to smash a whole town... maybe I can have another apple Fast?"

I shuddered at the gleeful look in those big blue-violet eyes sparkling down at me and held a hoof to my saddlebags protectively. Swan was already huge and I worried she had gotten too many ideas oh so carefully prancing around tiny breezie buildings the last few days. The thoughts running through her head didn't take Unity to figure out when I caught her grinning and holding her hoof up to the toy sized breezie capital of Willowheart. The opportunity to make her idle fantasies real was easy to read on her big face in front of me, an excuse to go on a movie monster rampage in a whole town of Gunners was a big draw for her...

Thankfully, Val knocked on her forehead gruffly and clucked away her own amusement at the idea. "If it was nothin' but Gunners, then yeah, I'd say knock yerself out Swany. Magpie's a free town though, not that they don't get along with the Gunners plenty good, but there's kids an families an' what not. The Gunners recruit from there, some even retire there, but they ain't in charge."

"I've heard their status as a free town is somewhat tenuous as of late. Best we avoid the place entirely, we are in Gunner territory." Zed further disappointed the eager filly, vetoing her hopes of destroying a whole town.

Ignoring Swan's groan of "Awwww..." I patted the big filly's cheek and checked my map, looking between the new marker for this Magpie Roost and the highlighted gear shaped marker for Stable 75 hidden somewhere in a nearby mountain. From what Ivy had psychically interrogated about the mysterious Stable, it had been populated by ponies and griffons originally. I supposed Stable-Tec built it near the prewar griffon town for its intended residents, like 111 had been hidden close by my old neighborhood of Sanctuary Hills.

"You'll have to content yourself with the Stable Swan, it shouldn't be far now so keep an eye out. Your pip-buck should let you see through any illusion hiding it, but if they're keeping it secret, the Gunners probably have it camouflaged or covered somehow."

I peered closely at the mountain Swan was slowly circling, leaning over Swan's foreleg holding me to her chest and trying to pierce the early evening gloom. Full dark or full sunlight would be better, my eyes didn't want to adjust completely to the middle ground of twilight.

Swan whined back as she flapped sedately along, the swarm of breezidores catching up as she slowed down to stare and uselessly battering themselves against her shield. "But I can't fit in a Stable... it's too tiny and cramped, except for that one room like the other one where we..."

"HA! Ehehe... r-right... The atrium is probably the only place big enough, I doubt the layout's the same though, so you can't teleport yourself in Swan, sorry..." I yelped an interruption before Swan could blithely give Val the play by play of the last Stable she had been to, wincing at the griffon peeking over Swan's brow owlishly and the smirk on her beak.

Too late... Val flapped in front of Swan's face, maintaining her distance and speed even backwards so she could flick her fluffy tail in my face while she spoke to the huge alicorn. "Oh? Did you an' boss have fun in the other Stable big stuff? Do tell..."

Hearing Zed's infuriating deadpan drifting from beyond Swan's beating wings cut off my sputtering answer, still sitting in that odd zebra posture and meditating, but not needing to break his calm to pile on. "They were down there quite some time, I was starting to wonder if I'd have to put our repellent to the test and follow after them..."

Swan completely ignored my red faced fuming, hugging me tighter to her chest to muffle my protests and nodding with a wide smile and pink cheeks. "Uh-huh! Fast was sad because of the Stable place like where he came from, so we played lots and both felt better! It was too small for me to follow him most places, but the atrium room was comfy and sturdy. Though we did sorta make a mess... It doesn't matter if we tear up a Gunner Stable though, right Fast?"

"S-Swan! What did I just tell Peri about boundaries!?"

Val continued as if I hadn't said anything, the two of them had disregarded me from the conversation completely... "Ya know, I still ain't taken my pay from the boss... Don't want him gettin' sad an' mopey goin' inta another Stable after all. The shrimp really managed ta turn yer big ol' crank?"

"VAL!"

Swan scratched her head in confusion, then got a wide grin and bobbed her head rapidly once she worked it out. "Turn my... Ah! Uh-huh! Fast did lots of fun things that felt reeeeally good! He had to work harder when I got big, but both ways were good. He did this thing with his tongue that..."

"SWAN!"

"I believe I heard that one when you came back up to the barn as well, of course I think everything on the west side of the grounds heard... You both certainly looked content when I was forced to wake you, but I can't see you being worn out enough to sleep half the day away." Zed chortled and I could just picture that unseen smirk somewhere behind Swan's head.

"ZED!"

My ignored protests and that wide eyed and appraising grin from Val were mercifully ended by a loud whistle and fiery explosion detonating against Swan's shield, making the powerful barrier flicker and further agitating the swarm of breezidores.

"Fuck! Hold that thought Swany, pickin' up that conversation laters. Looks like we found the place right now, down that'a way!" Val squawked and turned around, pointing a claw down at a distant puff of smoke on the northern face of the mountain.

She somewhat reluctantly opened a hole in the bottom of her shield for us to slip out of, not liking releasing me from her grip or putting us in danger without her barrier. I paused to flutter up to her frowning face before following Zed and Val's charge out through the gap, laying a hoof on her huge muzzle in a very undersized but loving 'boop!' of affection.

"It's ok Swan! Deal with the ones outside and play around however you want, just be careful and safe! Keep leading the swarm south and teleport back when you're ready, hopefully we'll be done inside by then and we can all follow the plan and meet up with Jade and the others. Alright?"

Swan kissed and nuzzled a little forcefully, cracking one eye open to launch more spells below before returning her sparkling gaze to me wiping at the sticky fur of her cheek. "Nnn... I don't like it Fast, I wanna go in and do like the last Stable. We can kill them all and then play again! Hmmph... I guess I'll find somewhere to wash up and get rid of these pests though, I think I see some nice glowy lakes where you said to go..."

Sticking my tongue out as she returned to rubbing her blood coated cheek against me, I nodded and pulled away, my eyes flicking down her long neck to her curvy but gore covered body. Despite certain unwanted impulses from 'Be Dark...' that muttered about liking the view of her matted, blood covered flanks, the rest of me agreed with her and hoped it would be enough to motivate her.

"A-Alright, but no wading around in radioactive lakes, or eating any more apples! Don't try to pry that thing open, if you want in you have to get a little smaller! Right? Don't worry, we'll be fine!" Her uncertain look was interrupted by another explosion that cracked even her impressive shield, forcing her to focus and put a little more magic into it as I glided back to swat her flank. "Go on! Go! See you soon Swan, I promise!"

I felt a little better at the relieved look she blinked down with between her hooves as I fell through the gap of her shield. She got a promise, which was more than enough for Swan to be satisfied with. A rain of her glowing violet arrows followed me down in a tight barrage, exploding in bright flashes against the mountain as I pulled up and leveled off, offering me cover to take in the situation Val and Zed were already busily attacking.

Most of the red on E.F.S. was focused on a grove of skeletal trees and shrubs roughly masking an open cave mouth. From the tumbledown scree of rocks and boulders beneath it and the glint of bright fluorescent lights behind the vegetation, I got the idea this had been a more recent change to the mountainside.

A flash of a toothed curve of light as I ran that way and disappeared into the shadows made me more certain, the blinking message in my vision reading; Discovered Location: Stable 75 enough to be sure it had been a gear shaped door. Stable-Tec hid the entrances to their Stables better than this, there was probably only a narrow tunnel or a building of some kind covering the entry originally.

The Gunners had expanded the entrance for some reason, widening it into a gaping maw and then covering it with brush and camouflage. The reasons to do so eluded me at the moment, but all the trees surrounding it acted as further cover for the tall barrels of anti-aircraft cannons. Two of which were tracking the blazing purple ball above with grinding gears and shouts of their crews, giving me a place to focus...

Creeping through the foliage, my sharper eyes adjusted to full dark and I followed my nose to the sweaty, panic tinged scent of ponies ahead, finding a crew of four matching the closest red marks on E.F.S.. While three of the combat armor wearing cannon crew cranked at the cannon, bucked shells over to reload it and prepared to yank the big lever to fire, a fourth in Gunner green power armor stood sentinel nearby.

The biggest threat was also uselessly occupied sending tracers of 5mm rounds and random missiles up after Swan, jerking after Val swooping overhead and lobbing more explosives. With the pilot's head craned back and his weapons tracking his skyward aim, his throat was so exposed it was too tempting a target. Best Served sliced through the air silently, catching a gleam of blood red from the sunset piercing the canopy of camouflage before it parted the dense, flexible armor at the joint and the few armored plates in the way.

The heavy armor crashing over on its side and gurgling with its armored legs scrabbling at the ground drew the attention of the others, all three looking down as one when the deafening noise of its battlesaddle falling silent. They were all frozen in the middle of operating the cannon however, giving me a moment to dive from the shadows and send my knife stabbing into the exposed belly of the power armor, gutting both the spell matrices running it and the occupant.

No reason to risk the healing talisman actually managing to keep his throat together, plus the effect of ripping the blade back out in my teeth and growling kept most of them from moving. I could see in the terror striken wide eyes staring back that my own were glowing red in the low light, only adding to the image of the Gunner's personal grim reaper pony coming for them.

"Greetings evildoers..." The Shroud's voice came oozing out of my fang enhanced grin, the dark personality that fueled the spell growing stronger as day gave way to night and savoring the way the Gunner ponies eyes shrank to pinpricks as they fumbled for their weapons.

One went running immediately, a younger dark yellow buck who screamed into the night, so he got to live. The other two were frozen in the act of trying to fight back by S.A.T.S., so they got selected by the targeting spell that gave 95% odds at this range and taking them by surprise. I noticed my eyes hovering over the retreating buck's highlighted outline in temptation a moment, but 'Be Kind...' was still strong and loud with friends to lend their voices, helping me dismiss the impulse.

Time resumed and Vengeance boomed out, messily dropping the remaining gun crew as I tossed a pair of grenades towards the emplacement and ran off towards the growing screams of a couple dozen more red marks. Zed was more stealthy than I was, dash after dash on E.F.S. winking out to my left, his victims weren't making all the noise though, it was the breezidores swarming that was responsible for that.

Dashing out into the clear path leading up to the cavern entrance clearly visible from the beaten trail, I let the Terrible Shotgun bark out at the Gunners rolling on the ground and running around madly, all of them trying to get away from the biting, slashing little pests following Swan lazily looping around overhead. Most of them were already suffering the effects of the breezidore's toxin. The smarter Gunners were fumbling after swatted corpses and trying to reach a dose of antidote before it was too late, so these were the ones I focused on blasting as I ran by.

A cheery string of explosions higher up the slope grew deeper and louder as the cannon ammo started cooking off from one of Val's strafing runs. That put both of the big guns we had spotted out of commission and let Swan dip a little closer, lobbing more glowing purple arrows down to the scurrying targets beneath her moonlit shadow streaking across the ground.

I made it to the cave entrance and backpedaled away from the most disciplined Gunner troops who had fallen back to the more defensible position, using a wing assisted lurch and roll to the right to avoid a lot of weapons fire pouring out. At least one flamer unit was in there, shooting out in short spurts to keep any breezidores from breaching the Stable door behind them.

A blazing red beam of magic shot out and scorched a trench in the ground following my rolling progress, forcing me to roll on my side faster and go flopping off the path of built up stone and rubble below the cavern and out of range. Flapping back up as soon as the magical energy beam cut off, I was greeted by a view that still brought a surge of panic, a dark green assaultron leaping out and galloping right at me, foreleg blades glittering in the wide cast electric lights inside.

It wasn't as fast as AssaultJack back at the castle at least, but facing a robot anywhere near her capabilities was not something I relished doing again. Given its Gunner green paint job, that made one more bit of advanced tech the Gunners were being supplied with, I was guessing this came from the same source too...

The breezidores didn't affect it at all, but flying up into the swarm was pushing the luck of the repellent still smeared over my armor. The flowery scent was still strong enough to make me sneeze if I made the mistake of sniffing at it, but had been getting weaker in the wind on the way here, making myself a tempting target for the little monsters wasn't a good idea.

Hovering in hesitation wasn't very bright either, the Assaultron never paused or wavered, running flat out at me and making a diving leap that was surprising in both height and accuracy. The vicious robot tackled me from the air and latched on like a vice, the hindlegs twisting in weird, non-pony ways to lock those strange claws on its hindlegs together around my barrel, while the forelegs smashed into my muzzle with a crunch and the coppery taste of blood flooding my mouth.

We fell like a stone, the robot twisting and writhing on the way to make sure it stayed on top and smashing me to the mountain slope, knocking my breath out and trying to keep it there with the whine of servos tightening its hindlegs around me. Seeing through a haze of spots, I ducked my head just ahead of one of those blades brightening our pocket of shadow with sparks against the stone.

For once, being a shorter pony was coming in useful... I could feel my ribs creaking under the pressure the thing was exerting, but my narrow chest was a few notches lower than the whirring hindlegs could tighten to deadly levels, the top of my head was closer to where a bigger buck's throat would be in this position too, forcing me to duck and dodge, but not ending up decapitated under the bitch robot.

"Nnngh!! GET! OFF!!" I roared and drew my head back, charging my horn and headbutting the thing's chest, unleashing a blast of lightning at point blank range.

The robot slumped and darkened as we both jittered from the shock, still locked in a painful deathgrip and powered down, but not for long if experience was any guide. Sending Best Served floating away from me in jittery magic, I wobbled it up and speared the Assaultron's flank in a spurt of hydraulic fluid oozing out, weakening its grip and lubricating my way to struggle free.

I managed to pop one hindleg free when it started beeping and whirring back to life, giving me a moment to lunge forward and wrap my forelegs around its armored chest, scratching and digging with my free hindleg to yank they other loose before it really got moving again. Pressed against it, its twitching forelegs couldn't quite slash or grab at me, settling for bashing the top of my head with increasing force as it rebooted.

Finally tugging my other hindleg free when it decided to try smashing and smothering me against the mountain, I tucked both hindlegs between us before hitting and 'Be Strong!' rose up to help with a rodeo buck. With my battered back firmly in contact with the cool stone, tossing the robot off was within even my limited use of earth pony strength.

I stumbled back up a lot slower than it did, looking up to the glare of its single red eye glowing brighter and the panels of its head sliding back. My back and wings gave a warning twinge when I tensed to take off, forcing me to try aiming Blue Moon clicking out and sparking at my side. Several pale blue beams shot out and a couple even scorched the Assaultron's armor, but none hit the glowing target sparking with crimson magic preparing to fire.

Before it could vaporize me, a whistling noise and rapidly approaching whoop made us both look up. I almost felt bad for the robot getting crushed like a tin can under a few tons of giant alicorn dropping from the sky, though struggling to not be blown back by the shockwave Swan created took most of my attention and my aching wounds didn't leave room for a lot of sympathy.

Taking a moment to lift one hoof to the tinkle of a lot of parts falling off it, Swan made a face like she had stepped in a brahmim pie before swinging her head down to me coughing on the dust of her impact, nudging her sticky muzzle against me worriedly. "I hate fancy robots like that, are you ok Fast? I got tired of watching it hurt you... Can't I stay and keep smashing all these Gunners? I'll go get smaller if you'll wait!"

Kissing her nose brought more of that bitter blood taste, though somehow this was instantly identifiable as not my own by those weird urges my body kept throwing up. Swan had been coated in meat... blood... animal blood maybe, but there was more in conveniently screaming, running packages running around to hunt out here with us... and even more inside... Even under the warring smells of gunpowder, ozone, blood and terror, there was the cloying scent of her right in front of me too...

'Be Unwavering!' gave a prim, ladylike cough and knock to the inside of my head, letting me shake free of the sudden visions of just reveling in destruction with the big mare covering for me with her blazing shield. "I-It's ok Swan! Thank you! Those things are a pain alright! W-We'll be ok, stick to the plan and we'll leave the door open for you! If we're not outside again by the time you teleport back, go ahead inside and smash all you want! Though you can help break through that barricade before you go if you want?"

Following my hoof pointing back to the fan of light marking the cavern entrance, Swan grinned back to me chugging another healing potion and lowered her head, giving a hard flip of her horn to send me flying up to her mane. Sure I had a good grip on the waving curtain of pink and her long horn, Swan stomped back up to her feet and let her shield bulldoze all the foliage out of her path, stalking up to the cave mouth and laughing in her booming voice under me.

"Yay! I'd like doing that Fast! Hey all you little Gunners, you're in the way!" I wobbled and lurched between Swan's ears as she tilted her head down to the Stable door and all the gaping Gunners staring up at her in horror.

Flinching back from the intense glow of her horn just overhead as she launched a barrage of magic into the opening, 'Be Awesome!' whooped and shouted in glee at the display of overwhelming force, Swan shrugging off every bit of return fire they tried to answer with. I actually had a hard time telling where one booming warcry began and the other in my head ended... Like Val, the sliver of Rainbow Dash had found a kindred spirit in the terrifying alicorn.

When the stars faded from my eyes and I could see more than a bright yellow negative afterimage, the tightly knit group of Gunners holding the entrance was splattered in steaming giblets on the crude walls, scorched blood splashed across the faded yellow '75' on the outside of the gear shaped door ahead. Swan kept her shield partially up to block off the breezidores angrily buzzing outside, but ushered Zed and Val inside as she thumped down to her belly and cocked her head to make me go tumbling off.

She immediately returned to nuzzling at me trying to get up, her enjoyment at playing doorknocker giving way to a concerned frown as Val and Zed dashed inside and secured the entry area of the Stable. "You're sure Fast? You don't like Stables... I feel funny leaving you alone, I don't like it... This is why you didn't tell sister Jade where we were going, isn't it?"

Patting her full cheeks and waving off Val's impatient gestures to get a move on, I smiled back to the big filly and nodded seriously, glad for the rush of affection and warm feelings that helped lull 'Be Dark...'. "I know Swan, I don't like splitting up either, but er... I have lots of good memories we made together now, I'll be ok going inside this one. Val's with me too, so I'm sure she'll keep an eye on me. Give us a couple hours, your pip-buck will tell you when. Ok?"

Her frustrated snort nearly blew my hat off and she furrowed her brow uncertainly, watching me trudge under the tattered banner fluttering overhead that read; 'Welcome to Stable 75' in blue and gold. Patching in to the door controls on the other side of the gear shaped gap, I stretched my foreleg and the I/O cable as far as I could to wave at her through the gap as the rusty gear rolled sideways in the glare of tiredly flashing yellow lights.

I cut the cycle short so a crack remained and the maglocks remained disengaged, no obstacle for the lonely looking mare squinting through it after me staring back, but enough to keep the Gunners outside and stuck with the breezidores. Blowing a kiss through the gap made Swan smile and give a happy whinny as she stood again at least, tromping away from the cavern to chase the smattering of gunshots still out there.

She did call over her shoulder as her shaking hoofsteps faded, giving a worried look back and warning me sternly. "Alright, I'll come back soon. No getting hurt while I'm gone Fast, o-or I'll tell on you to sister!"

I hated leaving her alone like that, just like I hated not being exactly forthcoming with Jade about where I was leading the breezidore swarm specifically. I did tell her we were going into Gunner territory after all, so I didn't really lie... I just omitted details...

Turning back to Zed waiting and Val impatiently tapping her claws near the corroded steel doors leading to the depths of the Gunner's secret Stable though, I was willing to put up with a little guilt for now. I didn't come here alone or put us at any undue risk getting here, it was on our way and the best opportunity to assault the hidden bunker.

Beyond just being a Stable-pony myself and not liking the idea of the cruel mercenaries holding a place so similar to home, they couldn't be allowed to hang on to a Stable for actual, strategic type reasons too... Though yes, mostly it was I didn't like them in a Stable and wanted to take it from them...

This was going to be as expensive a night as I could possibly make it for the Gunners. I wanted to put a severe crimp in their plans to attack Castle Equinox or run roughshod over the rest of the Commonwealth, the worse their losses were for cooperating with Vega and the Institute, the better.

When I joined Val and Zed in the entry area, the playful griffon wasted no time pinching my cheek in her claws and clucking, her joking masking real concern watching me try to hide a shiver entering another Stable. "No gettin' sad an whiny boss, or I'ma takin' my pay an cheerin' you up, an we ain't got enough time fer everything you owe me! 'Sides, this is gonna be fun! Dunno why the assholes in charge kept this quiet, but right interested myself now! Usually yer the one fer all the big mysteries and ancient history junk."

Zed rolled his grey eyes at me struggling and slapping at the griffon mercilessly pinching and tickling, reaching out and tapping the door panel with a smooth motion of his hindleg as he drolled. "Ahem... I appreciate your confidence and good humor, but I still don't like these cursed places, so let's get a move on... Soonest begun, soonest done."

Val and I looked up from where she had me pinned and sputtering on her tail, blinking back at his long suffering sigh as we struggled apart and straightened up. "Yer no fun at all stripes... Fine, fine! Serious business, ooooh look how stern and tough an' on guard I am! Uh-oh! Check that lump over there, I think it twitched! Might be a threat Zed!" Val put on a flat expression and drew her pistol, holding it near her head and looking around in mock vigilance, pointing it at one pile of body parts after another.

Chuckling under my breath at Zed's deadpan stare, I bit my lip and whacked the still teasing bodyguard with a wing gratefully. Val's stern violet eyes immediately twinkled with her hidden good humor and I was glad again to have her as a friend. She was bravely putting aside most of her own worries about where we were and how she felt, always loyally watching out for me, trying to keep me in good cheer with her antics.

"Right, h-he's right Val, quit making me laugh! Let's go and see what they're hiding in here, then take it away from them."

Grinning broadly, Val gave her pistol a fancy spin in her claws and nodded to the long, flickering hallway beyond the door. "That's more like it boss! Let's go wreck some shit!"

I still shuddered a little passing into the shadows of the mountain and the depths of Stable 75, but it wasn't so bad with friends at my side. Even those of our little group like Swan who couldn't join us, or Jade, Glitter and Witchy safely going ahead to meet up later, the sweet song of five Ministry Mares, all the friends and people counting on us, they all were with us and a bright shield in my heart to light the way.

Of course there was also that small whisper that had no issue with going down into the dark. Not as warm or nice a barrier to hold up against whatever lurked down here, but I supposed like my cutie mark, having a sword to go along with that shield was a good thing too. Something sharp and dark and decidedly deadly.

Despite my desire to believe in the bright and good like the Equestria of old, I realized I clung to both tools equally when pushed. Light or dark, shield or sword, whatever was at hoof and would work. Defending the Breezie Nation with the shield had been right and good, but stabbing at the heart of the Gunners here with the sword was right too. Maybe it was thinking like that that led the world to this state, but if so it only made me realize I'd repeat those mistakes as easily as they were made to begin with.

I still hated that the world I was born to was destroyed because of them, but for once I actually felt a little understanding as to how.

----------------------Level Up!----------------------

New Perk Added!--------------------------

Arcane Blacksmith-------------------
---Getting a break to focus on being a repair-pony again in the MoP hub, working with the Tinker-Tribe, Brotherhood of Friendship and Minutemares, has refined your skills and let you practice new magic. Use of transformation spells, lots of spare parts and unique components has opened up new armor and melee weapon recipes at a proper workshop!

Ch. 85-- Debt Collector

"You actually got a griffon a cutie mark for the first time in recorded history?! You know what this calls for? A full-scale research project!"

-----------------------------

"Oh my Gawd lookit all this boss! We're gonna need Swany to haul all this loot out for us!" Val gleefully dove into another crate and beamed at me, ignoring the most recently dead and still unlooted Gunners in the storage room to let a rain of .50 shells pour over her head from her claws.

While the chance to resupply our dwindling ammo after the battle at the Ministry of Peace was welcome, I couldn't be quite as ecstatic as my bodyguard was about it. This was the third side room on the first level of Stable 75 that we had found like this, crammed with shiny weapons crates full to the brim with deadly ordinance.

Whatever else the Gunners were using this Stable for, they were getting a disturbing amount of brand new ammo and more from here. All of it was packed and ready to move out, shipping manifests and schedules kept neatly on clipboards and terminals in each room. Looking over the sheer bulk of it all, I got a better idea why the Gunners had widened the hidden entrance to the Stable. There was a lot leaving this place regularly, distributed to the army of mercenaries to leave a lot of misery in their wake.

"Take what we can carry for now Val, we're not leaving any behind when we leave so don't worry..." I muttered back and kept searching what had been the admittance areas of the Stable, trying to puzzle out what had been made of the place in the intervening centuries.

What had been offices, locker rooms for expeditions to the surface and a few guard rooms had all been mostly stripped and turned into space for shipments waiting to go out near the door. Not a lot of the original layout had survived intact in the grimy rooms, most of what we had found so far had been victims to military efficiency.

Floating a stack of rusting boxes from the corner and idly looking through the more mundane supplies tossed haphazardly inside, I paused and looked up to the faded poster hidden behind them. A medium grey griffoness was depicted there, older from what I could tell, but beaming with the smile of a young beauty.

She was wearing a blue Stable barding made to accommodate her feline form, identical to one of the shrink wrapped packages that came spilling out of the boxes in front of the poster, emblazoned with a bright yellow 75 in perfect condition under the cloudy plastic.

'Helping each other find a better way, together!' was printed above the Stable-Tec logo the subject had her darker wings spread over, her bright yellow claws wide in a hug that looked to be squeezing the life out of three familiar mares in their own Stable barding. The numbers on the bardings was obscured or left out, though the most famous of the three showed a simple '2' at her collar, nearly hidden by her curly silver mane.

Staring at the image of the founders of Stable-Tec in wonder, my eyes hung on their matching cutie marks, goggling at the griffon's muscular flank bearing a nearly identical mark. Hers had a trophy as the central image, but the tri-colored shield marked her as a member of an exclusive group alright. A griffon Crusader?

"Huh... So this place really was run by griffons boss? Ain't those some famous ponies with her? Even I know the singer there, Sweetie whosit?" Val joined me and squinted at the poster dubiously, not nearly as interested in it as she was in stuffing her pockets, but somewhat intrigued.

"Sweetie Belle, that's Scootaloo, the one from all the recordings, and the other is Apple Bloom Val. They didn't go posing for pictures with our Overmare though, it looks like they were friends with this griffon. Sure looks like your people were in charge anyway, look, they even had Stable suits that would fit you!"

Since we were waiting on Zed to return from pulling his ninja-zebra act and scouting ahead, I nodded and tore open the still sealed barding, shaking it loose and holding it up to Val to admire. A griffon tailored Stable barding... I'd never seen such a thing, the image of the attractive griffon wearing the familiar blue leather popped into my head and wouldn't leave. What would life have been like back in 111 if Val had been there with me? What would she look like wearing it...

Val fluttered her eyelashes and grinned, snatching the pristine clothing away in her claws and molding it against herself, standing on her hindlegs and turning this way and that to show off. Even over her bulky armor, I could picture enough to feel my face heat up, which only encouraged her... "Ohhhh.... Gettin' any ideas boss? Like it? Not my style, but maaaaaybe I'll model it fer ya sometime, hmmm? Would'ya like that bossy poo?"

Frowning at the simpering coo to her teasing and those twinkling bedroom eyes, I huffed and stammered back. Stable barding wasn't exactly made with fashion or sex appeal in mind anyway, it was just strange and exotic seeing it on a griffon. Considering I had come of age around fillies wearing just that outfit, I couldn't deny I did find it attractive though. Just like dreams I had had of Jade and her sisters in the form fitting outfit, it held a certain allure...

"C-Cut it out Val... It's just weird, t-thinking about griffons living in a Stable like I did, wearing that... you wearing that..."

'MINE...'

"Awww! Yer gettin' all worked up thinkin' about it now ain'tcha boss! I'm in yer head now shrimp!" Val stalked after me retreating, tucking the barding in her already stuffed packs with a wink when she caught me staring again.

"N-No! I was just thinking the same I had about Jade before. That I bet you'd look really pretty in it, that I wish you were there in my Stable with me, that we grew up together and were friends sooner... You know, s-stuff..."

Val's smoldering stare of teasing seduction faltered, giving way to an actual blush and much warmer smile. Of course true affection from the griffon usually involved being somewhat rougher than tender hugs and nuzzles she viewed as 'pony-sappiness', so I got a punch to the shoulder as she clucked happily in reply. "Yer bein' too cutesy for yer own good again boss... That's nice though ya'know? I might not'a minded bein' in one of these pits if it was with my nerdy pipsqueak boss. Would'a been a damn sight better than where I grew up. Hey, I could'a knocked around all them assholes ya said picked on ya! Fer a price of course..."

"You probably would have been one of the cool kids picking on me Val... I bet you'd have done even better than Grizz did getting them to leave me alone, maybe a little more lethally than he did though. When Jade's sisters made me have that dream about them in the Stable, I actually imagined you working for my mom in security. I bet you would have liked that a little anyway, still probably too boring though. I didn't get to see you in that dream either, so I'd like s-seeing what you'd look like wearing that, er... sometime, if you don't mind..."

I winced and beat a hasty retreat after spitting that much out, moving on to another room of storage to pillage to escape Val's wide, leering grin and swaying prowl behind me. "Oooooh boss, really turns yer crank don't it? Well now I hafta, orders are orders after all. If ya turn this red just thinkin' about it, I gotta see how bad I can mess with ya actually wearin' this goofy getup! Wanna help me get into it? Looks awwwwful tight... bet I'll need a helping hoof or two huh boss? Huh? Huh? Huuuuh?"

Giving a flat stare back, I only had to put up with her cackles of glee for a few minutes before she started rooting around in the crates of battlesaddle parts in this room. I groaned as they finally tapered off and I joined her inspection, scratching my itchy mane and trying to be somewhat serious with the flirty griffon.

"I do mean it Val, it would have been nice growing up with you in the Stable. I didn't have a lot of friends, so getting the chance to meet you earlier would have been really great. I don't know if we would have been friends, but I'd like to think so. You are my best friend out here after all."

Having her claws proceed to grab me in a headlock and roughly scratch my mane with noogies was the griffon's version of a tight hug, letting Val keep the misty eyed expression she got firmly out of my view as she stuck her beak up and chuckled. "Enough gettin' sappy just cause we're in a Stable boss, yer embarrassin' me... We're pals, no reason ta get all gooey about it. Knock it off before stripey gets back an..."

"Points out how happy you appear to be, despite your protests Valkyrie?" Zed's deep voice caught us both by surprise, appearing in the shadowy doorway and raising a sardonic eyebrow at the two of us.

Val squawked at getting caught, tossing me into a box of spark cells and ruffling her feathers in indignation. Whatever expression she had been hiding from me in her grip gave way to a bright blush as I dug my way free, glaring at the zebra smirking from the door. "S-Shaddup stripey! Got bored waitin' on you to come back is all, was just teasin' the boss an' makin' him feels better! I wasn't bein' all mushy, it was all him!"

"Mm-hmm... Of course, such a dedicated bodyguard to safeguard your employers feelings. Especially when you so obviously don't share them at all... my mistake." Zed chuckled and shrugged back to the fuming griffon, though their back and forth did make me feel better about being here.

Val really was keeping an eye on me and concerned, along with the sarcastic zebra making an effort at good natured ribbing and banter. Their joking helped put me at ease even in these familiar surroundings, turning to the deadly business at hoof Val gave voice to. "Har, har, har... yer hilarious Zed. You find me somethin' ta kill yet, or just come back with lame jokes?!"

In answer, Zed sat on the rusty steel floor and held his pip-buck wearing hindleg out, rolling his eyes as he allowed me to tap at the arcano-tech device he largely ignored. "I explored as far as I was able without being spotted. This place isn't as fully populated as it appears made for, but a sizable crew of Gunners are in residence. It appears some areas are locked by keycard, I was unable to acquire one of these however."

Checking over what his pip-buck had filled in of the map, it wasn't hard to find where he got stopped. He had made it to the Atrium, giving a good place to start exploring with both Stable Security and the Overmare... Overgriffon's? office nearby. He tapped a hoof on the screen when he caught me staring though, shaking his head against my unspoken hope of heading right there.

"That area is one of those under lock and key, so I don't believe we can be so straightforward. I could spot the pony in charge through the round window though. She and most of the Gunners present seem to wear the same symbol, I thought Valkyrie may know it?" Zed fished in his leather jacket a moment, pulling out a torn patch he had snagged from some unsuspecting Gunner apparently.

Val squinted at it and got a strange, somber expression, her claw tracing over the image of the Gunner's pony skull logo criss-crossed with bandoliers with a variety of pockets and pouches. "Supply Company Leatherflanks... Makes sense they're in charge around here with all this gear to pass out. Hey Zed, you said it was a mare in the fancy office? What she look like?"

"Hmm, older... green with a violet and blue mane, a little on the plump side." Zed's shrug back and description made Val's pensive look deepen, tossing the patch aside and pawing the ground as she stood.

"Rapid Reload, that bitch is still around huh? Welp, let's go say hi boss. She ain't on my list of fuckers I really wanna kill, but wouldn't mind a chat with that old cunt. We doin' this the fun way, or the sneaky, borin' way you two prefer..." By the way Val's weapons hummed and clicked in readiness, it wasn't hard to tell which way she'd prefer.

I shared the map from Zed's pip-buck to my own and Val's, scrolling through what was visible and puzzling over the differences in layout. If possible I'd rather do things quiet as long as possible, but Zed's news of the keycards blocking access to certain areas made it much more likely things would get loud soon enough. The Gunners probably secured the Stable to make it a slog, we'd have to focus on getting one key and hope that led to others. My hopes of just slinking down to the reactor and overloading it were already just wishful thinking.

"Both probably Val, let's go find out. If they've got this much stuff here, there's a good chance there's an active teleporter to the Institute in here somewhere. Even if we have to tear this place apart room by room, I want to find it. We can't leave it for the Gunners to keep using."

"That's more like it mopey! Let's go have us some fun boss!" Val shook off her frown and padded off the way Zed had come, swishing her tail and making the ammo in her pockets jingle.

Attempts at stealth managed to last all the way to the atrium of Stable 75, but fell apart when we reached the cavernous chamber and I struggled to cope with how different it was. While the one back in 111 had been big enough for mom to stretch her wings from time to time, a Stable built around a sizable flying population had made some accommodations she would have loved.

It took up a similar amount of floorspace as back home, it was round instead of the rectangular room I was used to however, and the vertical measurement had to be double or more. The passage up to the entrance came out near the top of the vast room, far below our vantage was the dirty pink and green checkerboard tiles of the cafeteria in one corner. The walls between here and there were riddled with doors and perches to land on, ringed with catwalks and stairs for the pony residents to get around on.

A system of pulleys and cables allowed the ponies milling below to load up more crates to be hauled up here with us, along with a pair of open lifts that crawled on rails along opposite walls. As we watched, quite a few griffons flitted up and down the central shaft, entering and leaving sliding steel doors in the walls or landing to help the pony residents in their labors. Wherever they were getting all this gear, it came from somewhere deep inside the Stable and was sorted and hauled up to the exit.

Midway down the shaft was the familiar, circular window of the Overmare's office, behind which a heavyset pony could be seen sitting at the semi-circle desk, going through mountains of paperwork and tapping at a terminal. The middle aged, seafoam green mare had a curly blue and violet mane under her battered combat armor helmet, wearing patched military fatigues with lots of pockets, belts and pouches.

"Is that this Rapid Reload pony you were talking about Val? You know her?" I whispered over to the griffon flat on her belly next to me, peering through her cracked binoculars to take in the room and quickly refocusing them on the mare I pointed out.

Val's brows came together in a frown and she nodded, a tinge of sadness to her voice as she confirmed her guess. "Yup, that's her... Didn't personally drum me out of the Gunners like the fucks I really wanna find, but she was always kinda a bitch boss. Must'a got a promotion, used to just run a squad of Leatherflanks Company outta Gunner's Plaza. Always been in the rear with the gear like... S-She was my buddy's commanding officer..."

Buddy... oh... She must mean the pony she used to care about, the forbidden relationship that ended so horribly for her. I didn't want to make her feel worse or bring up old wounds here, so left it alone with a silent hoof to her trembling claw. Not that I had a lot of room to complain considering my own reckless, rage driven actions sometimes, but I didn't want her throwing herself into danger for revenge like with Gunter at Talon's Department Store and death trap emporium.

At least if she wasn't high on Val's revenge list, I wasn't too worried about her losing control. Taking a closer look at what I could see of her office and the basic layout of the Stable, I saw the most direct route there was secured by a fancy keycard reader at the door too. If possible I'd rather go right to the Overmare's office and see what kind of havoc I could wreak with the controls in there, it didn't look like it would be that easy however.

By the faded signs my sharp eyes could pick out, the Security rooms were probably in that general direction too. Close to the atrium if everything was open, but inaccessible from the flow of traffic I observed below us. We really needed a map, Stable 75 was just too different from 111, other than basics like maintenance being down low and the Overmare's office being up high, I couldn't accurately guess at where things were in here.

Spotting a set of heavy crates being hauled in from a hall on the bottom floor, my eyes hung on the bright yellow warnings showing danger and cartoon clouds of explosions, zooming in through the scope of the Last Minute to read closer and grinning at what they were. If we were going to have to do this loud like Val wanted, there were few better ways to give ourselves away...

"Zed, slip down and get ready, don't think we can do this sneaky, so we'll get their attention. Ready to make some noise Val?"

Enveloping her binoculars in my magic, I adjusted her view a bit and shared the hard smile she gave on spotting the crates. Val's 25mm grenade launcher gave a click as she rose to a crouch, impatiently waiting for Zed to roll his eyes and vault the railing. "Bet yer ass I am boss, glad we're doin' this one the fun way! Hey... you mind if I do the whole freak em out bit? Not that yer comic nonsense ain't a good touch sometimes, but I wanna turn ya know."

"I like my comic nonsense..." I pouted back, giving Zed time to sneak his way down unseen and groaning a sigh of surrender to Val. "Alright, alright... I guess they're not scared of the Shrouded Stallion anyway, can you at least say 'greetings evildoers'? I like being consistent and..."

"HEY! Head's up fuckers! Guess who's back ta take their severance pay!" Val whooped and ignored me, giving a bawdy yell that echoed down to the huge chamber, all of the Gunners freezing and staring up at her perched on the railing boldly.

Their dumbfounded gawking lasted only a moment, several collecting themselves and answering with shouts of 'TRAITOR!' before Val's grenade launcher thumped, arcing a tumbling explosive down the shaft and right on target. A few of the Gunner griffon's had managed to launch themselves up after her when it blew, barely taking off and instantly scattered to the winds when her grenade detonated against the crate of mines and more explosives.

A wave of heat caught my wings as I jumped off the catwalk, lofted up by the thermals battering all the griffons closer to the fireball that consumed most of the ground floor. Val streaked past me as I dove to follow, tucking my wings and unloading with the Terrible Shotgun towards any fliers who looked to be recovering fastest. The Gunners were so focused on us overhead, the ground bound ponies didn't see Zed slinking around with them, silently dispatching them one by one while Val and I kept their attention.

Most of the ponies bore the patch identifying them as the supply squadron under Rapid Reload banging her hooves against the thick glass of her window, the griffons flying up to meet us however were definitely more combat oriented. While the unicorns and earth ponies scattering from the drudgery of hauling more supplies in fired up at us, they weren't carrying much more than sidearms or rifles in their magic.

A bright blue and white griffon zooming up to catch me on the other hoof, unloaded with the rapid chatter of a light machinegun, the grey and rose wing griffon on her tail blazing away with a twin magical energy rifle battlesaddle. Val had her claws full with four more chasing her, their numbers at least working against them in the confined maneuvering room.

Chasing her through tight loops and turns, they kept running into each other in their haste to bring down the infamous traitor. I had time to see her ignite her Shishkebab sword and slash out at a canary yellow griffon that got too close in his excitement, both of his dark orange claws sliced off and tumbling to the floor along with his assault rifle.

Another series of machinegun rounds hammered my sides, sending me tumbling towards the curved wall and hissing at the oozing wounds under my armor. Summoning my lightning aura spell, my hooves made contact with the steel wall and I ran for it, staying just ahead of a stream of purple M.E.W. bolts by streaking along the wall in an electric flicker.

Running sideways on the wall was actually easier than trying to match the griffons in the air. I was faster than them like this and able to keep doing rapid loops around the atrium, keeping them towards the center and firing shotgun slugs and .45 rounds over my head at them. Adjusting my course left or right brought me higher or lower along the walls, dodging the catwalks ringing the room and slashing out with Best Served in my mouth, as I blurred by ponies clanging their way up the stairs after us.

The 'fwoosh!' of a trio of missiles made me abandon the wall, leaping back to the air ahead of a roaring series of explosions just ahead of my path. A large section of the stairs and walkways screeched and tore free under the assault, giving me more to dodge in the air while trying to track the griffon with the missile launcher hanging back and tracking me.

A chunk of railing knocked me aside, thumping me to the surface of a section of walkway tumbling through the air. Taking advantage of something solid under my hooves, I ran up the chunk of upside down stairs for speed and dove free before it crashed to the ground. The dark brown griffon was weighed down by his heavy weaponry just enough for me to overtake before he got another clear shot, rocketing into his armored chest and impaling him with my knife as his claws raked my neck.

He ended up pinned like a butterfly against the wall, the hilt of Best Served buried in his chest and the steel underneath. I bit down on the wooden handle and tugged, bracing my legs straddling the gurgling griffon and yanking my weapon desperately. I managed to tear it loose and let the corpse fall free, flapping to correct my tumble backwards and holding still too long. The crack of a high powered rifle sounded out, reaching my ears just after the blinding bolt of pain tearing through my ribs.

Lurching in the air and seeing spots, I didn't see the black and white griffoness diving on me from above. The thump and hiss of some kind of powerhoof like device worn on her clawed fists hammered into my chest, tossing me across the room to smash into the Overmare's window like a bug on a windshield. The shocked, pinprick lavender stare of Rapid Reload on the other side goggling back at me through the red smear on the glass, her mouth working furiously.

"Hi... Open up..." I waved woozily and enunciated clearly, making sure she could read my lips and satisfied at the gulp she gave in return.

Of course the reflection of two glowing red, dragon slitted eyes glaring at her in the glass probably unnerved her. I never got to see my own eyes pull that little alicorn trick, so it still freaked me out when I caught myself in a mirror sometimes. Her gaze flicking behind me with a smirk gave me just enough warning to push off and fall backwards, looking up to the powerclaw wearing griffon smashing into the window with both weird weapons, barely cracking the reinforced glass and turning to dive after me.

I crashed to the cafeteria tables below, smashing through the steel and plastic benches with a clatter and barely managing to roll aside before the griffon came down like a bomb behind me. Vengeance wobbled up in my magic and boomed out at her, she was not only agile, she kept the bulk of her green combat armor between us. She barely winced at two .45 rounds impacting her breastplate as she charged forward and smashed my muzzle, knocking me over the railed counter to the dusty kitchen.

Scrambling back among the clatter of pots, pans, baking sheets, cafeteria trays and knives, my back ran into a heavy piece of kitchen equipment that gave a gurgling chug. A splatter of pink glop fell on my hat from above and I wheezed up at the familiar Fluffer Batter machine, hoping there weren't slime zombies running around somewhere in here with us and trying to reach my hooves before the griffon caught up. At least the chrome and pink machine looked like a more recent addition.

I tore my gaze away from the ominous dispenser in time to see my pursuer vaulting the counter, a crazed gleam in her brown eyes that were focused only on the bleeding pony in front of her. She raised both claws with a hiss and leapt, knocked off course from turning me to paste by a striped blur coming in hindlegs first in a flying buck. Zed landed nimbly on the rails of the counter, glancing at me for a moment and keeping a close eye on the griffon's flight, giving a satisfied whinny when she landed atop the burners of the stovetop and the bubbling pots of foul smelling stew up there.

She screeched and fell to the tiled floor, rolling in a puddle of boiling gruel that at least helped put out her singed feathers, clawfulls of which sloughed off her. A trio of ponies dodging through the cafeteria took Zed's attention away from finishing her, leaving the job to me with a curious look making sure I was able to stand again.

While I did manage to get back to my shaking hooves, moving around wasn't going to be pretty, let alone attacking. Leaning against the empty stainless steel chafer dishes at the counter, my eyes hung on all the gleaming kitchen knives scattered across the floor. I somehow doubted their cook had a starmetal chef's knife among all that, but it would still do in a pinch.

The blue glow of my telekinesis wrapped around every sharp kitchen instrument I could spot, lifting it all and sending it arrowing at the griffon just reaching her paws. The swirling storm of blades spun around her in a bloody cloud, carving her up like a turkey and zooming out of the kitchen when she fell in a heap, swarming after any more targets left on Eyes Forward Sparkle.

I stumbled out of the kitchen with a greenish-purple healing potion in my mouth, slugging it down and dizzily directing my flying hail of metal around the atrium, helping Val and Zed finish up the few Gunners that hadn't run for it. Finding the immediate area mostly clear, I sat with a pained sigh at one of the long tables, absently snatching a battered copy of Equestrian Army Today and catching my breath as my wounds healed.

Val landed on the table beside me, downing her own purple healing potion and keeping a wary guard up while I recovered, flicking her tail cheerily. She was quite happy with how things were going, despite the bleeding wounds darkening her feathers here and there. "That's how it's done boss! C'mon, hurry an' get up, they're gonna be fallin' back and gearin up for us now."

Proving her point, the Stable's PA system crackled to life, a furious yell sounding out in the smoking atrium as yellow warning lights lit up on the walls. "Oh you bastards! You're all supposed to be dead in the woods! I told them it wouldn't be so easy! What they get for listening to that Vega asshole sticking his snout in where it doesn't belong! You're going to pay for this traitor!"

The three of us looked up to the Overmare's window above, spotting the screaming mare Rapid Reload raging into a rusty microphone held in her teal magic. Val smirked back and reloaded her weapons unhurriedly, giving a mock salute to the high ranking Gunner. "Nice seein' you again too Rapid! Hang on, we'll be right with you! Unless ya wanna open up and let us take the short route? Promise ta make it quick!"

Rapid Reload's furious scowl changed to a sly, conniving look, looking behind her to tap at the terminal in there with her and chortling back. "Well, I do owe you for my current rank traitor, but I'm not quite that grateful. I would have turned you and Sgt. Surge in for free anyway, getting my promotion was just a bonus."

"What..." All of Val's good humor dried up, the pupils of her violet eyes turning into hard dots as she flapped up to the window to directly address the sneering mare.

I didn't like that satisfied look the Gunner was wearing, lurching my way up to follow Val and growing more concerned as she continued, and angry... Even without the growling of 'Be Dark...' rising up, the way she was goading Val and trying to hurt her was making me very, very angry...

"Ponies and griffons fraternizing, you both knew that was against the rules traitor. Don't blame me, you two just had to flaunt your sordid little affair after all. You were both going to pay for it, no reason I couldn't benefit. Turning you in to Graven landed me this cushy gig after all, got that griffon groper out of my way and scored me brownie points!" Rapid Reload cackled cruelly, shrugging innocently to the glass and mocking my friend and the pony she cared about once.

I took great satisfaction in watching her yelp and skitter back from the hard impact sending a spiderweb of cracks across the glass between her eyes, though even the Last Minute's 2mm slug couldn't penetrate the armored glass. Val followed up with a barrage of grenades and red beams of magic, scorching the blood smeared barrier in a rage of firepower as she screamed. "BITCH! Fucking CUNT!!! I'm gonna kill you slow dammit! Come outta there and get it over with!"

When the smoke cleared, the portly mare was peeking up from behind her desk, her worried look to the glass returning to her previous smirk as she trotted closer and tossed her mane. Val was already shaking with fury and I spotted the wet glimmer of tears at the corner of her eyes 'Awareness!', I didn't want to give the bitch another chance to upset her even more.

Val might not appreciate my usual comic theatrics, but they had their place. I slammed into the glass in a dark flicker of black lightning, cutting off Val's view and making the Gunner commander jump back in fright. It wasn't just my eyes glowing this time, my fangs extended and my hooves squeaked across the scorched window between us, a shadowy swirl of magic making my coat flap around me as the rumble of the Shrouded Stallion's voice came oozing out of my mouth.

"Thou hath admitted thine guilt, taken pride in your crime against MINE... My Princess' mercy is wasted on a foul pony like you and you will find none waiting... Await Luna's judgement there or try to flee, there will be no escape for you, only torments a pathetic mare like thou can only imagine. Speak another word and they shall double...

"I'm coming for you..."

Rapid's eyes shrank to tiny dots under the looming shadow I was casting stretching over her upturned face, she actually looked almost hypnotized by the strange patter to my speech, taking shaking steps backwards and squeaking when her tail ran into her desk. At least she took the advice and shut up, her startle at running into the obstacle seeming to break the spell and let her turn to run, galloping out of the Overmare's office and shouting down the hall.

Turning back to Val shaking in the air, I shook off the clink of chains in my head and moved to comfort her, noting the penetrating stare Zed had trained on me nearby. When my normal voice and soothing hoof reached out to Val, he shrugged and squinted, but left it at that and glided back down to the floor, letting me warily hug the trembling griffon and feel her stiffen in my hooves a moment.

Her voice was shaky and thick, but she clutched back firmly and buried her beak in my mane, wiping the damp spots on her cheek dry as she croaked. "T-Thanks boss... Bitch is mine though, she... she's gonna pay..."

"Yes, she will Val. Come on, before she gets brave again. I'd rather talk to her face to face next time, wouldn't you?" I nuzzled my friend clutching me and pulled back, nodding towards Zed's inspection of the floor hoping to give her something to focus on.

She sniffled, but wiped her beak forcefully and let me go, drifting down and giving a hard nod back. "Bet yer ass I do. Let's go find the bitch boss."

Continuing our exploration and dealing with increasingly hardened blockades of Gunners in our path, the main thing that kept sticking out for me was how different Stable 75 was from my home. It was just familiar enough to elicit that sense of nostalgia and homesickness that bothered me going in to these ancient bunkers, but it was different enough to severely bother me.

Most of the main hallways were much wider and taller than home for one, curved, modular sections of passages rusting and peeling the dark purple paint decorating the ones in this section. I could see why, they were just tall enough in the middle for a griffon to fly and get around, the shorter sections nearer the walls providing room for ponies or others walking along to stay out of the way.

Wrapping my hindleg and Val's flank in magical bandages in the residential section after dealing with the latest Gunner attack, we sheltered in one of the side rooms and the stark differences stood out again. So far we hadn't found many residential rooms for a single occupant or families like I lived in, instead they were mostly like the room were were in now, a barracks...

Dozens of rusting steel bunkbed frames and rotting mattresses were arranged in neat rows, hooflockers at the foot of each that turned up a few caps or other bits of junk. One contained a corroded holotape I slotted into my pip-buck while we recovered, letting the crackling voice play for my companions to hear while we each quietly explored and healed.

"Well, we're out of the tournament... Orange Squad took us out and moved up the ladder to the semifinals, we came so close too! One more win and we would have earned better bonuses and treats, at least getting this far gives us a little bump in pay and a Sparkle-Cola a day with grub, so not all bad. Sarge Brightplume is still ticked though, said we're doing extra training for the next two weeks!"

"Still really disappointed so I actually don't mind, we gotta do better next quarter. Hotshot and I are ready to start a family, but we'll never get a pass unless we get to the finals. We should have taken the first opportunity back when things were different, lower ranked squads like us got a lot more chances still just five years ago. Nopony's sure why the rules seem to be changing or if the Overgriffon is even aware of it, she's getting old and her lieutenants have been handling more and more Stable business. She'll be there for the finals and awards though, maybe I can get a word with her and plead our case?"

"Definitely gotta try while she's still around, she was a card carrying Groverite up on the surface and nice to us ponies. If Lt. Squall takes over the job though... I have the feeling it'll only get tougher. His Gold Squad gets enough perks already and they're all jerks. All of us in Purple Squad get enough crap from them as it is, when he takes over the Stable though... At least Blue Squad holds up Stable Security and keeps the peace now, I really hope the Overgriffon picks Lt. Stormwing instead of Lt. Squall to take over."

"The Security griffon is a lot nicer and fair, she gets along with ponies a lot better, they even say she had pony friends back above ground! I'm not the only one wondering about it either, things have been getting a little tense lately. The whole Stable seems like it's dividing into two camps, each supporting a different candidate. Who knows what will happen when one or the other wins... Well, worry about it later I guess. The next round is starting, so off to cheer for Pink Squad and hope they knock out Orange!"

Checking some more of the lockers as the recording finished, I fished out a tattered old set of military fatigues for a pony, bearing purple patches on the sleeves. Looking up to the chipped, violet walls, one difference that had been bothering me about the Stable made sense. The halls and rooms in the Residential wing were painted different colors to match the squads bunking there.

The rest of the ancient message was puzzling to me though. They divided the Stable into groups competing with each other? They had pay? A power struggle to replace the Overmare... Overgriffon rather... One of the names niggled a memory deep down too, Lt. Stormwing... where had I heard that name before? The head of Security, apparently composed of Blue Squad, we hadn't found much in the blue hallways earlier though.

Of course so far the layout seemed to be a couple of large barracks rooms, by the rotting underwear found in hooflockers, it looked like they were gender specific too, unless a lot of bucks liked wearing frilly things... Beyond those two big rooms, there was a tiny, spartan single occupant room nearby for the squad's sergeant, then a few family style sections of housing for each squad, plus a large rec room, but no fancier room for the Lieutenant in charge of each squad. Maybe the higher ups lived somewhere else?

Val padded up behind me, flexing her dark claw to get the feeling back after a well placed whack with a security baton managed to disarm her in our last encounter. She read the confusion and curiosity on my face and shrugged, flopping to a squeaky mattress nearby and kindly explaining things for me.

"Griffons really were in charge, place was run like a regular aerie boss. Chain of command, competition for pecking order, the whole bit. See where the Gunners got a few of their funny ideas too, havin' ta earn permission to have a kid and what not. Really different from home, huh boss?" Val drummed her hindlegs and gave a sympathetic look while I scratched my head, Stormwing... Stormwing... where had I heard it?

"What's a... 'Groverite' Val? Do you know?" Since my griffon pal wasn't a green alicorn and therefore couldn't help me dig the memory loose, I focused on other parts of the message I didn't understand.

Val tossed her head, blowing her plumage from her face with a roll of her eyes and snort as she answered. "Groverites... It's a prewar thing boss, some silly group of griffons sayin' we should all get along with ponies, be like we were in the days of King Grover, have pride and kindness, yada, yada, yada. They even started tattooin' themselves cutie marks if ya can believe it! Started by some goofy griffon back in the day, the one on the poster upstairs, Gabby somethin' or other. Like a joke nowadays, even though there's still a few lil' cults still spreadin' the gospel out there. Pfft, griffons protestin' the war, refusin' merc work fer either side, tryin' ta convince other merc outfits ta stop helpin' you an the stripes killin' each other. Crazy, right?"

"It's too bad they weren't more successful, your kind made a tidy profit hiring yourselves out to either side." Zed's gruff voice called from across the room, making Val grumble but unable to refute the truth to what he said.

Since he trotted over bearing a dirty plastic keycard in his teeth, I refrained from trying to counter his point and accepted it gratefully. My pip-buck identified it as 'Training Sector Keycard', sorting it in my overstuffed inventory with a flash of text. Following the partially filled map the arcano-tech device had been building, we stepped over the rough barricades of crates and steel shipping containers in the hall, along with the bodies of quite a few Gunners. One of which had melted into a puddle of glowing goop, meaning there was an Institute presence here...

We passed through the red sector and on to a still bright and nearly nauseating orange section, the rust and age blending with the eye aching colors. On to the yellow section I presumed once housed 'Gold Squad' from the recording. Even decades later, I could see the differences compared to the other barracks. The beds were nicer, the blankets thicker and softer, still made and apparently slept in by the Gunners staying here.

There was even a buzzing Sparkle-Cola machine in the common room, a scratched and battered pool table with claw marks marring the worn felt at the edges, plus a couple of terminals I had to investigate, turning up a new holotape game I didn't have and immediately downloaded. 'Megaspell Command' looked to be a pretty war oriented game, shooting down digital balefire missiles before they hit the blocky Canterlot at the bottom. It would teach the control and technique needed to fire those big anti-air cannons and other weapons outside, even the recreation seemed oriented around training the residents.

Beyond the yellow Gold Squad section was the keycard door with the buzzing sign above that read; 'Training Section'. The card reader gave a warbling beep when I slid the key in, lighting up green and allowing us to pass the sliding steel door and be met by a lot of firepower waiting on us.

The Gunners were waiting for us again, digging in along the odd hallway ahead and sheltering in several stairwells to the sides, leading down to a lower level that was partially visible through the glass floors to the sides. Sheltering at the doorway, I peeked out from cover with the Last Minute, carefully selecting my shots and backing up Val and Zed dashing out into the long passage.

I was glad we managed to scrounge a few more 2mm EC rounds for the gauss rifle upstairs, though even among the plethora of ammo ready to be shipped, the rare ammo wasn't that plentiful. It gave me enough to work with though, picking off Gunners forgetting to take adequate cover with the temptation of the infamous traitor right in front of them.

A final flat crack blew the head off the shouting earth pony managing this group of Gunners, Zed's pounding hooves wiping up the last except for a pale pink mare Val pounced on at the end of the passage. I didn't hear her end the struggling mare though, instead the screams and grumbles of the two of them fighting continued and sent me galloping out to find what the problem was.

On my way I got a look down into the lower rooms through the glass floors / ceilings that gave a view of the strange spaces below. Again the vertical nature of the Stable messed with me, the halls and rooms went up and down all over the place, following the long vertical shaft of the Atrium. Six rooms of training equipment were underhoof, treadmills for running, weight benches, punching bags, odd conglomerations of weights and wires for flight and wing strength training. There was medical equipment in each space too, breathing masks dangling besides the exercise gear, heart rate and blood pressure monitors, webs of electronic leads with suction cup ends, what were they doing here?

Catching up to Val put those questions aside for the moment, she had the pale pink mare pinned under her and a very conflicted look on her face. The pony she caught was reacting strangely too, her red and pink mane sweaty and disheveled under her combat armor helmet, her pale blue eyes crazed and sobbing as she struggled and sneered up at Val. "Y-Your fault! All your fault you bitch! You had to take him away, t-traitor!!"

"Val?... Problem? Do you... know this pony?" I asked uncertainly, noting the damp shimmer to Val's hard gaze and the way her 12mm pistol shook in her claw, not pointing at her captive but nearby.

"I ain't the one that killed him now am I? A-Ain't my fault... T-They took him away from me too ya know..." Val was actually answering the screaming mare, a deep sadness to her voice and a helpless glance my way as she answered in a croak. "Full Clip boss... s-she was friends with... er...."

"I wanted to be more than friends! But you got Surge killed you bitch! W-We could have had a future if you'd just followed the fucking rules! You just had to be a pony player, didn't you! You got him killed, it's all YOUR FAULT! Why won't you just die already!!" Val's captive screeched and flopped under her grip uselessly, her furious words like a slap to the face that took the fight out of my griffon friend.

The impulse to just shoot her to shut her up rose up and I had to beat it back, 'Be Kind...'. Instead I put a gentle hoof on Val's shuddering shoulder, eyeing the angry mare biting her lip and crying furious tears. Even I could follow the gist of the conversation enough to get it, this mare liked the same pony Val had... blamed her for getting him killed. Val's guilt was clear and the likeliest reason she hadn't put a bullet in her brain yet.

"Hey... It's not her fault, you can't help who you care about. Could you? She's not the one who killed your friend, she suffered plenty for it too from the same assholes. If you really want revenge for him, you're on the wrong side..."

My weak attempt at winning the mare over fell flat, her struggles increased and her teary glare hardened as she screeched. "I'm no traitor! It's all her fault! She knew the rules and did it anyway! She..."

Zed had strolled up while she bucked and fought under Val, glancing at the furious mare and the sad look of indecision and hurt on Val's face. Taking in the situation, the zebra came closer and shot a foreleg out, pulling a punch I knew could knock the Gunner's head clean off if he wanted. Instead it hit with a thud of impact at her neck and knocked her out instantly.

As she slumped in Val's grip, my griffon friend gave him a grateful look, opening her beak to say something but cut off by Zed answering us both preemptively. "I doubt you'd convince her, even if we had the time to waste. She'll remain unconscious a few hours, enough time for us to be gone. Unless you'd like to take her with us and continue trying to sway her of course..."

Wiping her beak against her foreleg, Val smirked and punched the zebra's shoulder, something I was quite sure Zed could avoid if he wanted, but he held still and bore as she sniffled and replied. "N-Never liked her that much anyway, always throwin' herself at... m-my buddy... Thought about killin' her when she cornered him in just her undies once... but just don't feel like it no more. Er... thanks stripey..."

Answering absently over his shoulder as he trotted away, Zed's gruff voice held a note of warmth as he knelt to start looking over the corpses for another keycard. "Even I don't care for some pony insulting my friends. Whatever she was upset about, I doubt it was your fault."

I hugged Val still crouched over the unconscious Gunner, checking that she was ok as I watched Zed wandering off. I felt a rush of gratitude and even affection for the dour zebra. It might be hard to tell, but he really had come a long way since meeting him in Hexington. Traveling with us had apparently done just what his grandfather Zin had hoped for, Zed had friends... was our friend.

Val nipped my neck with her beak and shoved me back, shaking off her short bout of uncertainty and depression to ruffle her feathers and stick her beak up. "E-Enough lovey dovey pony sweetness boss... Stripes is right, o-other stuff ta do, right?"

"Right Val, just... if you want to talk, you know you can. Er... later though, I get it. Come on, still have to find that bitch and get to the bottom of things here, mission-y type stuff and all..."

I left Val to loot her former comrades and collect herself, trotting down the steel steps leading to one of the monitored exercise rooms below. She'd share if she felt like it, so long as she knew she did have friends to lean on and listen. Giving her space was the best option for now, and the strange setup in here was tickling my curiosity.

Walking past a trio of rusty treadmills with rotting rubber belts, I patched into a glowing terminal on a simple work counter cluttered with clipboards and medical equipment, finding a few lonely tabs of Buck rattling around in a glass jar. The computer didn't offer a lot of information, mainly holding records of physical tests for ponies and griffons from 200 years ago forward. A few short notes as the years ticked by did catch my interest however, thoughts of a Stable doctor running these tests long ago.

Entry #291

"Ten year anniversary cake still fresh on my tongue and everyone is still healthy and in peak physical condition, though everyone's having to do a little extra training to work off all that sugar. I had my doubts initially, but the griffon / pony Stable is turning out well. We're making progress and gaining a lot of important data on aggression and violent tendencies, sorting the squads out and trying to find the key factors involved. Our first fledglings and foals are old enough to be sorted into squads too, so we'll see how things go. Focus is on Pink, Blue and Purple squads, with Gold, Orange and Red hopefully gaining the least new members."

Entry# 1228

"Something's screwy around here and I don't like it one bit... Our physical numbers keep going up, couple generations of training and exercise are bound to do that. The violence index keeps going up too though. Those who do best in the shooting simulator or sparring end up getting bonuses and breeding passes, while those I recommend for them don't seem to receive them. It's been slow over these last forty some odd years, and the crop of youngsters taking over think doddering old Doc Stitch doesn't notice, but I do dammit! Going over the data in my office and comparing to the numbers here for a closer look over the long term, but something's up."

When I came back up to the upper level, Val and Zed had finished their inspection of the bodies and hadn't turned up anything, gesturing to the next door out while I muttered to myself in thought. Seeing that I was mulling things over and tapping my chin, Val prowled off down another set of stairs to another training room, spotting something that caught her eye and clucking happily.

I kept glancing through the glass to the training rooms below, following her looting as I thought, they tested the ponies and griffons here for violent tendencies... Griffons were in charge and the ponies followed their way of doing things, going through regular training and exercise, but it sounded like they were trying to sort out the least aggressive and reward that behavior. How did they end up as the army of military mercenaries that turned into the Gunners?

If they were doing medical monitoring and had sparring and shooting training here, I was hopeful the Stable's medical ward was somewhere nearby for injuries and monitoring. Beyond the always welcome chance to loot medical supplies for Jade, I was interested in the conclusions this Dr. Stitch came up with and anything else I could find. Though I really wished Jade was here to help sort out the medical information I was lost going over.

Val came back up bearing a strange set of heavy looking belts and pads, festooned with a lot of pockets all stuffed with identical, brick like weights. She shook the heavy load as she came back grinning, that gleam in her eye the same as when she was whacking me with her 'incentive' stick during her grueling flight training.

"Proper weights boss! Now we can step up yer trainin' when we get outta here!" Val beamed and shoved the dusty weights under my muzzle.

That appraising look of gleeful anticipation made me shudder, putting aside my woolgathering to join Zed at the door out in a hurry. "G-Great Val... just what I need..."

Another wide, arched hallway waited outside, leading to a four way intersection and several more training oriented rooms with a few Gunner stragglers. One of the four directions had a keycard door reading; 'Administration' that our pilfered 'Training' keycard wouldn't open.

That left the other two passages to explore, setting out a few mines at the blocked door just in case Gunners sheltering further within decided to come charging in as reinforcements. A huge room labeled 'Sparring' opened out on a set of rickety stairs, going down to the same level as the exercise rooms behind us and creating a big, two story room to fly around in.

Vaulting the railing and gliding down, once the lone Gunner hiding in here had been turned into a cloud of sparkly ash by Val zooming right in, I took a look around with interest, still putting things together in my head. Most of the floor and walls were covered in rotting mats for padding, a lot of dried blood stains spattered here and there. There were cracked leather bucking bags hanging from chains and odd training dummies made of wood with several pins sticking out at odd angles and bearing a lot of claw marks.

Trotting over to a set of benches against the wall turned up a couple books to add to my collection, a later edition of 'Martial Arts of the Zebras' that Zed scooped up, along with a dogeared copy of something called 'Gilda's Guide to Aerial Combat'. Val grinned at it with that same look of training to come in her eye when she snagged it from me. While watching her eagerly flipping through the dusty tome made me nervous, it did at least make her happy and keep her from brooding, so I was willing to accept all the suffering to come.

Another room across the hall from the sparring room revealed a firing range and a trio of heavily armed Gunners waiting on us, the long room not offering much cover, but allowing them to take advantage of the assault rifles they were bearing. They were zeroed in on the door and started laying down fire as soon as it opened, forcing us back from the hail of rounds pinging off the door frame.

When it finally slackened, Val pounced and lobbed a rain of 25mm grenades down range, incinerating the meager resistance and only taking a few fleshwounds to her scarred flanks, making me focus on the numbers scratched out there as the wounds sealed back up, thanks to a freshly brewed Ministry of Peace healing potion. Those numbers and the odd barcode above them had always confused me, like a very clinical and cold cutie mark.

After seeing the grey griffoness on the poster with the Crusaders, bearing her own, normal looking cutie mark, it was sticking in my head again. Why did the Gunners do that? Why did even the dead ponies Zed and I hurriedly looted while she rested have them too? Barcodes and numbers clashed under the normal, if violence oriented, cutie marks on their flanks... Weapons and other symbols of bloodshed were the prevailing trend on all the pony's flanks, but each had that weird code stamped under them too. Val said Groverites tattooed cutie marks as part of their efforts to get along with ponies... Was that where they originated?

Putting another piece of the mystery of the Gunner's origins aside, I was more cautious opening the door labeled 'Combat Simulation Room', letting it slide open and ducking behind the door frame. I was glad I was more on guard this time, instantly catching the motion of a pair of grenades bouncing their way out as soon as the door opened, 'Awareness!'.

I snatched both up in my magic and flung them back the way they came, charging in the room behind Val and Zed at their pushy insistence they burst into the unseen room first. When I ran in I was momentarily taken aback at what Eyes Forward Sparkle was reporting, the sheer number of red dashes overrode even my confusion over the cavernous room I found myself in.

It really was just that too, cavernous... as in a rough, unfinished cavern, instead of the carefully manufactured Stable-Tec walls and floors, there was only rough stone. Beyond that oddity, there was the surreal reality of running through a Stable door and finding myself in what looked like bomb blasted ruins from the surface.

There was a cracked and faded roadway just beyond the grating at my hooves, an intersection of ruined buildings ahead, open windows and broken walls offering plenty of firing positions. A rust covered clock was on an old fashioned pole at the corner of the sidewalk, while several corroded and battered chariots and carts were parked on the street.

Standing just outside the door and goggling at it all made me a tempting target, a variety of weapons fire all focused on me gaping on the small section of metal flooring just outside the door. Just a glancing shot from a .50 caliber round of an anti-materiel rifle sighted from above blew a ragged chunk of meat off my shoulder and ribs, tearing through my magical Shrouded Stallion armor and tossing me back.

Val screeched and engulfed the weird diorama of ruins in a storm of fire from her grenade launcher, offering Zed cover to dash forward and get up close. Ever the bodyguard, Val dove at me from above and tackled me before it all focused on me weakly flopping on the ground and bleeding.

Shoving me behind a metal desk bearing a battered old terminal, the loyal griffon propped me up worriedly and inspected the deep wound. "Aw sonofabitch! C'mon boss, stay with me! Fix it!"

Groaning and shaking from the rapid blood loss, I was just able to float my one remaining balefire apple I had taken from the MoP hub. The glowing green, oblong hunk of crystal vaguely shaped like strange fruit started soothing me as soon as it was out of my packs and unwrapped from its lead lined apron. Val got the idea I was trying to grunt across and snatched it up from my wobbly magic, slapping it against my wound directly and prancing on her paws as the surge of rads started regenerating the muscle and sinew under my self repairing trenchcoat.

Once she was sure I wasn't going to simply pass out, she left holding the hunk of condensed balefire to me, stepping back and slugging a packet of Rad-Away with a face scrunched up in distaste. Watching my rainbow colored rad meter climb up from blue to green and inch towards yellow, I put the lifesaving produce from the 'Great Tree' away and chugged a healing potion as soon as she turned to blaze away with her pistol above the desk. I was definitely glad I had such a potent source of radiation handy now, but I needed to stay in control, which became a good deal more difficult the closer I got to the lethal purple end of the dial.

"Snap outta it boss! Get yer head in the game doofus!" Her screech in my ear helped me focus, peering over the sturdy desk with her. It was denting with bullets and heating up uncomfortably against my back from the blazing magical energy weapons scorching it.

"S-Sorry Val, I'm alright! All this just surprised me and there's so many in here that..." I muttered back, drawing the Last Minute from my packs and scanning through the forest of red dashes at the bottom of my vision.

I was just catching up to what Val had figured out on first glance, finding a glowing, pony shaped, field of pale blue magic in the windows of the brick storefront that had no business being in a Stable. Val huffed as I panned over to another flickering silhouette matching the red indicator on E.F.S.. "Ain't that many boss, bunch'a them are fakes! Ya trust that Eye Sparkly business too much!"

She took the opportunity offered when my gauss rifle finally found a real target and fired, launching herself out from behind our meager cover and back into the fray. I had to accept she had a point too, I froze for a second on seeing E.F.S. absolutely filled with targets, relying on it more than my own heightened senses to tell me the truth.

A glance over to the terminal beside my propped up rifle filled in the rest, a list of high scores and a waiting prompt reading; 'Begin Target Practice Scenario Alpha? -- Y/N'. It was a training room... All the glowing targets were somehow read as hostiles on E.F.S., probably to practice using the system in the safety of the Stable. With them all lit up and active in what read as standby mode, they offered a good deal of camouflage for the small number of real Gunners in here with us. Not enough to fool eyes, ears and nose, but against an opponent like me that used the Eyes Forward Sparkle system like it was second nature at this point, it was a clever ruse.

The burly griffon wearing a half suit of bulky green power armor, peeking from behind the ragged brick wall on the roof of the fake Sugarcube Diner storefront, was definitely real however. Dodging out and unloading with his missile launcher battle saddle, a string of explosions traced their way closer to my shelter, the last impacting against the desk and sending it and me flipping out into the air.

I rolled with the tumble I found myself in, ending up upside down but moving under my own beating wings rather gracefully, 'Be Awesome!'. The terminal controlling this strange setup sparked and fizzled under me, even pretty much taking a direct hit from a high explosive missile, Stable-Tec terminals were built to last and this one wasn't completely disabled. The throng of red dashes started flickering as if the Y key had been hit in all that, most of them disappearing then selectively reappearing here and there.

The ones that didn't blink in and out were the real targets, I ignored all the distracting flashes and focused on them instead, absently noting the rusty clock on the false street corner coming up with a timer reading 5:00 and steadily counting down, the corroded hands of the clock above the digital readout moving from noon to 12:05 and spinning slowly backwards. Go for the best score you could get in five minutes... in that case I was fine with playing along, crazily shouting out as I went on the attack.

Boom! "100 points!" I yelled as the Terrible Shotgun blasted a pale Gunner pony off his hooves and through the broken floor of the second story of his bit of cover. "100 more points!" Vengeance caught a bright yellow mare diving for a ruined yellow cab carriage below me. "150 points!" A rich ocher stallion got smashed by the dumpster he was sheltering behind when my magic grabbed the whole thing and slammed it against the wall.

A tattered billboard across the street didn't quite hide the long barrel of the anti-materiel rifle that hit me, poking out from the orange Sparkle Cola bottle a faded Fluttershy was happily drinking. I spotted it while diving for the broken windows of the second floor of the diner, feeling the wind of it passing straight through the brick wall as I crashed through a target blooming to life in the window ahead of my course.

Thankfully I passed directly through the target, meeting no resistance and rolling to my hooves after a lot of practice with crash landings. The surprised stallion rooting through a pair of ammo boxes behind the counter of the ruined kitchenette on this floor never had a chance to react, Best Served flashed out and cut off his yell before he voiced it, leaving my insane shout of "200 points!" clearly audible.

Half of the wall facing the billboard and the sniper outside was broken away, giving me a clear view to surround the whole battered construct in a glowing blue field of my telekinesis and yank with all the force I could muster, 'Be Strong!'. It tore away from the false storefronts it was attached to with a screech, smashing to the street outside with the dark grey earth pony mare wielding the anti-materiel rifle tangled up in the bent and broken supports.

"Bonus! 500 points!"

Zed was on her before she could hope to pull herself free, flipping out from the diner below me and landing on the small of her back with a sickening crunch. Vengeance spun in my magic towards a light pink mare galloping up the stairs, a trio of .45 rounds tossing her back the way she came as I raced to the windows and the furious aerial battle flashing by.

Val and the power armored griffon were engaged in a dodging, looping dogfight in the huge space outside, plenty of room for a griffon or three to zoom around and practice in the bizarre combat simulation. I perched at the nearest window frame, rolling that around as I watched their acrobatics. So far this Stable seemed designed to create the Gunners as they were now, how could Stable-Tec have put something this insane into motion?

I knew my friends told me all kinds of horror stories about Stables in general, but would the Crusaders have really done all this? It didn't make any sense, that kind voice on the recordings to Stable Overmares and residents I had heard wouldn't have set all this up, would she? Scootaloo and the others wanted to help, to make things better! How could it have gone this wrong?

Putting that worrisome thought aside, I kept tracking the last dash on E.F.S. that stayed steady, watching the strange suit of griffon power armor and analyzing it as I waited for a shot. Even as a half suit, the sheer weight of the thing should prevent the pilot from flying around that fast, it was as heavy and bulky looking as a Steel Ranger suit for Celestia's sake!

There had to be flight systems to assist the pilot, gravity spells woven into the spell matrix maybe... I had read of magic like that in my simple primers from Diamond City, but those books were too basic to teach magic like that, even if I might have a shot at learning it now. What little experience I had with Institute made advanced power armor proved they could reboot from having their spell matrix crashed, but that would take time... In the interval...

"Val move!" I shouted as they passed close by my vantage point, a crackle of electricity building at my horn and my crimson stare locked on the approaching griffon.

KRAKA-THOOOM!

"1000 points!"

I whooped at Val immediately dodging out of the line of fire, trusting me implicitly and avoiding the barrage of lightning magic blasting her pursuer. My vague theory was born out too, the dark brown griffon jittered and danced in midair, the smell of singed feathers reaching my sensitive nose as the armor shut down. He fell like a stone, struggling with strong flaps from his wide wings to slow his fall, but unable to bear all that weight without the armor helping.

Already I could hear beeps and hums coming from it as he smashed into a rusty delivery wagon in the street below. It was rebooting and he wasn't totally immobilized with it shut down since it was a half suit, but he was down and my friends were on him. A rain of red beams from Val's M.E.W. poured down from above, topped off with a few grenades before she swooped off her attack and let Zed dive in from the ground.

The zebra was ready and waiting, leaping at the wincing griffon the second Val's attack ended. Those thundering hooves of his found everywhere the armor wasn't, pounding into the exposed griffon flesh with reverberating strikes that kept him off balance and made him cough up blood.

Trying to deal with the deadly zebra also distracted him, the Gunner only glanced up at Val diving on him because she squawked out a vicious war cry, her Shiskebab igniting on the way down and piercing right through the dense armor between his wings. Rivulets of melted metal streamed down from the white hot blade, sealing back over the spurt of blood as she yanked it free and landed on the smashed wagon in front of him.

"Hellooooo Auggie... Remember me?" Val purred as she hefted her flaming sword above her head, not waiting for his grunt of a reply before bringing it down in a blazing arc, neatly parting his head from his shoulders to go rolling off down the false street.

She stood there on her hindlegs as I drifted down behind her, taking long, slow breaths in the silence that followed and dousing her sword. Her voice was soft and subdued when I raised a tentative hoof to her flank, murmuring back to me as she thumped back to all fours and started rummaging through the Gunner's belongings. "That's one more off'a the list boss... Thanks..."

I knew the list she meant, the list of those that hurt her... I knew coming here was making her face those that had done... things I was probably better off not knowing about in detail... While I was concerned for her and what she was going through, that mutter of 'Be Dark...' rose up as soon as she confirmed it, disappointed this one was already dead and couldn't be made to suffer more.

"Val... I'm umm... h-happy to help I guess. But if this is hurting you, being here I mean... you don't have to..."

I shoved that annoying growl back down and sat beside her in the brief reprieve, checking over Zed tending his few wounds with magical bandages and waiting for her to stop her looting and talk to me. When she gave a pleased snort on pulling out another keycard, she turned and wiped her eyes, putting on a determined expression that didn't entirely mask her sadness.

"Ya ain't sending me away boss, this don't hurt me none, not compared ta... y-you know... I'm gettin' me some payback dammit, an' ya know how I am 'bout gettin' my pay, right shorty? C'mon, I'll be all touchy feely with ya laters if'n ya want, right now we're wipin' these fuckers out, right?" Val sniffled and mussed my mane, ruffling her feathers as she tossed the plastic card my way.

I absently read the stark lettering reading; 'Administration' on the key and nodded, giving her a friendly shove to get her to stop scratching my already itchy mane. A few pushes and punches back and forth got her to come sit down beside Zed, putting the decapitated Gunner at our back as we leaned against the rusty wagon and took a short breather together.

I was pretty sure griffons were rough and tumble when it came to affection at this point, or at least Val was, so a few nudges and shoves was her form of flirting apparently, 'Be Kind...'. While I found it a little confusing, that frisky growl woken from absorbing rads navigated mating dances a lot better, regardless of species. It got her to crack a grin anyway, so I'd accept a little help from 'Be Dark...', even if it was mostly unwelcome and being kept locked up.

"Right Val, we're gonna make them pay alright. Just putting it out there, if you can't deal with somebody like that mare... or if you can and want them for yourself like this asshole, even if you just want to humor a sappy pony and talk... I'm here. I'll listen and help however I can, even if that's just staying out of the way. I'm here for you."

"We are here Valkyrie. You're not facing this trial alone, even if I share your disdain for typical pony sweetness. Fast has that area well covered anyway and you seem to enjoy it. In limited doses of course..." Zed grunted from the sidewalk, tying off the last bandage to his outstretched hindleg and cracking his neck with a smirk.

"S-Shove it Stripey... but er... thanks. Now b-both of ya quit yer frettin' over me an lemme enjoy my revenge dammit! G-Go be all sneaky and find me more of these assholes ta waste." Val crossed her forelegs over her chest and huffed, shaking the sweaty plumage from her violet eyes with a forced scowl.

I gave my zebra friend a grateful nod at his deep chuckle as he stood first, trotting off to more carefully explore this weird simulation room and give us a moment together. Zed really was my.... our friend, he was subdued about it and still a little rough around the edges, some of which was just Zed being Zed, but he did care and was able to show it now.

He also knew when to give Val her space, providing a little privacy for me to lean over and hug her tightly, nuzzling the dense feathers at her chest despite her unconvincing squawk of protest. "H-Hey! I told'ya ta save all that mushy crap for later boss! Y-Yer ruinin' the afterglow for me here! Was just gonna go play a little buckball with that prick's head."

"Hush Val, you can put up with a little mushiness, don't make me order you to let me give you a hug. I love you, this is how ponies show it and I want you to know it. Zed's right, you're not facing all this alone. We're right here and we care, I care... a lot. Ok?"

Even though she muttered and grumbled, her posture relaxed and her claws ran through my mane as she returned the affection, squeezing me tight and nipping my ear with her sharp beak. "Yeah, yeah... me too boss. The er... l-love an' what not... Gawd yer annoyin' about that stuff! Dunno how I wound up with such a softy fer a boss. G-Glad I did though... really glad.."

"Me too Val, me too..."

The fiercest opposition yet waited behind the 'Administration' door, forcing me to put aside worries for Val and curiosity about this Stable as we slogged our way through it. A green Sentry-bot led the attack right off, waiting in front of a sturdy set of barricades the Gunners had set up.

"TERMINATING TARGET!' boomed out from the small, recessed, pony shaped head atop the bulky robot as its minigun opened up, forcing us to dodge back from the hail of weapons fire joining it from behind.

Two suits of green Steel Ranger armor were adding to the destruction from the rear, their explosives and scorching beams of magic cut off by the Sentry-bot zooming after us on its four treaded wheels. Val tossed several mines at the doorway during our hasty retreat, yanking me behind her as the Sentry folded in on itself tightly, the four bulky limbs adjusting to the smallest hoofprint possible to squeeze its way through the door.

The mines slowed it down a little at least, blowing one limb partially away to clatter behind it by the remaining weak connection to the rest of the robot. It didn't stop however, plowing through the fiery cloud and moving to reengage its weapons that had clicked down to provide enough room to get through.

My friends knew me well and moved without saying anything, as soon as it came through the tight doorway, Zed charged forward from the other side of the door. The zebra's hooves slammed into the dense armor with reverberating clangs, seeking out the weak spots exposed from Val's mines.

While even Zed wasn't able to deal a great amount of damage with his bare hooves, he did effectively capture its attention as the highest priority target, getting the hulking robot to turn his direction and expose his back to Val and I on the other side of the door. Taking the opportunity he gave us, I ran past Val's protective guard and launched myself at its back with a strong flap.

The Sentry-bot barely noticed me scrambling to hold on, lurching and launching a string of missiles at Zed, who flipped gracefully head over tail repeatedly, just ahead of the storm of destruction. Val carefully blasting away with her magical energy weapon on the other side redirected its deadly focus, the distraction giving me time to patch into the Sentry-bot hurriedly.

While hacking the deadly robot and keeping it around was tempting, given the amount of firepower streaming through the now clear doorway, I found a more useful option. Initiating the self destruct command and reassigning its targeting system while riding it like a bucking rodeo pony wasn't easy, but well worth the effort as it clicked and whirred when I dove away.

Now seeing all the Gunners as valid targets, the Sentry bot spun and squeezed back through the door, unleashing its firepower on the dug in group of mercenaries. I watched it rolling its way back towards the barricade with a grin, spotting its power supply housing glowing orange and beginning to vent multicolored steam.

Hearing the angry and panicked shouts of the Gunners dealing with the new threat, we stayed huddled to either side of the doorway, letting the berserk robot plow right into their fortifications and get close. I heard a lot of explosions and weapons fire concentrated on it, but Sentry-bots didn't go down easy, especially ones that had been turned into a rolling bomb with a programmed imperative to destroy.

I risked a quick peek, holding my hoof up to the others to wait as the Sentry really started smoking. With its rear half now glowing like a log on a roaring fire, it tore off after the remaining suit of power armor, raising its armored forelegs to grapple with it as sparks shot out of its power supply.

Dodging back from my enjoyable view just in time, the Sentry-bot detonated in a cacophonous blast that blew my mane back even taking cover away from the doorway. Val moved in as soon as the smoke cleared, using her big 12mm pistol to put down the few groaning Gunners who survived. She also tore the helmet away from the power armored Gunner's corpse that was still intact enough to identify, squinting at the bloody face and unloading several rounds into his head, leaving his neck a bloody stump.

She didn't say anything about it, her glance my way and frown at being worried over enough for me to not ask. Another from her list I assumed... I left her to cheer herself up by looting the corpses, trotting towards the flickering sign for the Medical Ward that was close to the training sector, as I hoped.

The Gunner's medic was a grizzled old pale lavender unicorn stallion, hiding beside the door and nearly catching me off guard. The buzz of his miniature chainsaw like ripper alerting me just in time to roll aside, dodging several spells I didn't want to know the purpose of by the way they lacerated and burst the covered corpse on one of the exam tables.

Vengeance snapped up in my telekinesis as I activated S.A.T.S. mid roll, targeting the floating ripper still chasing me first, and his head second. He might have surprised me, but doing so put him too close for the targeting spell to miss. The first shot turned his ripper into a pile of junk, the next two did the same to him.

Val burst into the room at the shots, but quickly took in the corpse and scanned the room for any other threat, not finding any as I took a shaky breath and spotted a glowing terminal. "Bah... careful boss, no wanderin' off. We'll cover for ya while ya tappity-tap away ya big nerd."

Making my way towards the terminal, I joined her rushed looting of the room before she returned to the wide hallway outside. The medical ward was well stocked, lots of potions, magical bandages and even a rusty auto-doc in the corner, drawers full of drugs of all kinds, Med-X, Rad-Away and Rad-X, a few vials of Hydra, plenty of Buck, even a couple tins of Mint-als I guessed were the medic's private stock. The cabinet full of round, multi vialed injectors of X-Cell disturbed me, though I had seen the effects of the mutagen on plenty of Gunners already.

There was also an odd contraption in the corner, next to a matching empty space that looked like it held another previously. It was a kind of upside down U shape, big enough to walk in and cover a body from the neck back. The pale pink housing had a number of clear jars of paint of varying levels and colors, along with a glowing terminal screen that fizzled with static and kept displaying various images. Inside were several armatures ending in needles that buzzed when I tinkered with it, moving in complex patterns and dripping colorful ink.

This one was malfunctioning and broken, but enough worked for me to patch into the 'Cutie Color 1000' to figure it out. A tattoo machine... Patching into the blinking interface of the machine with my pip-buck, I found corrupted data files containing thousands of simple images of all kinds and a simple program to alter or make more. Cutie marks, it was a machine that applied cutie marks... The most recent files were all the stark barcodes stamped on the flanks of every Gunner too, so this was where they came from.

Unable to really piddle around with the odd machine, let alone repair it, I frowned at the defaced Ministry of Peace poster on the wall beside the terminal at the head medic's desk. Actually I was a little glad Jade wasn't here to see Fluttershy marred with drawn on horns, a mustache, and a variety of knives and guns shooting crudely drawn bullets at her smiling face. Let alone the vulgar limericks and insults directed at the kind mare. I could practically hear Jade's whinny of displeasure just looking at it as I patched into the terminal of Doctor Stitch and his successors.

Entry #1----------

Well, here we are... We really mucked things up and I guess this is home for the rest of my life. I suppose it's not so bad, Groverites and their wacky ideas may have griffons running this Stable, but they still need a horn head for healing. Most of the griffons in charge aren't so bad either, the Overgriffon was good friends with that Gabby on all the posters even. If the Crusaders vouch for this crazy scheme, it's worth a shot anyway. Griffons do definitely have violent tendencies, but they managed to not blow themselves up like we did... Making the best of this and giving it a real go, maybe we really will find a better way to manage those impulses ponies are so new at. We made a real mess of our first war, I shudder to think of the damage if we had another.

Entry #320-------

Getting a lot of good data over the last decade, too bad there's nopony to hoof it over to out there. It's been a major adjustment, but I think things are going well overall. We still have to keep some things quiet from the squads, but Pink Squad has been showing all the signs we hoped for. Lower aggression levels overall, least aptitude in the advanced simulation while showing positive results on the physical training. It's not that those ponies can't pull the trigger, it's that they're less likely to when the targets are showing a non-zebra face.

It may take a generation or two to get over some ingrained hostility towards the stripes thanks to all that propaganda on the surface, but I really think we'll get there. Our griffon friends might be a little grumpy and crude, but respect is earned and flows both ways, up and down the chain of command. Making my first set of recommendations for breeding passes, Pink is the focus by far, but granting a few requests from couples in each squad wanting to start families. Everypony deserves a little time out of the barracks housing to raise a little one after all.

Entry #1021-----

The Overgriffon is sick... I hate giving bad news, even more so when it's the old gal in charge of all of us. Degenerative brain disease has got to be one of the worst diagnosis' to give too. Overgriffon Sharpbeak has a few years left with full faculties, so long as she follows my treatment plan anyway, after that...

I'm a little worried about after that.

A few decades has been a good, long run, but unintentional hitches to the program have been popping up. The more violent squads are getting restless, they notice the difference in treatment and don't like it at all. Lt. Squall has been the most forceful, no coincidence Gold Squad has the highest violence index. His swaggering bullies are disciplined soldiers though, they don't get up to shenanigans where Lt. Stormwing's security can catch them.

Doctor patient confidentiality still takes precedence for now, but eventually the Overgriffon's lieutenants are going to have to be told. I asked her about succession of power and how that worked in griffon society, but her tense chuckle of 'not to worry about it' wasn't very reassuring.

Entry #1294 -----

Something is definitely going on... Been running checks after noticing how the numbers don't match up from training to my recommendations. I was worried the Overgriffon was being taken advantage of by Lt. Squall and his toadies from Red and Orange, Celestia knows it wasn't too hard to convince her to let me go over her terminal. The poor dear is trying and has good days, but her condition is getting harder to cover for.

What I found has me a lot more worried than Heinrich Squall whispering in her ear though... Somewhere between my office and hers, everything is being tampered with. The numbers don't match, my glowing recommendations for Pink, Purple and Blue Squad breeding passes are being rewritten for Gold, Orange and Red... though the control squad Green is left alone at least. Squall doesn't have the skills for this level of hacking either... maybe somepony or griffon in one of his bloc of squads, but that's doubtful too.

The day I sealed myself in this crazy tomb I promised myself I'd stay neutral, maintain my oath as a doctor and not get involved in politics, give Scootaloo's plea to try to find a better way a chance... I think I'm going to have to break that promise though. Taking this to security, Lt. Stormwing is firm but fair, she's even friendly and we've cultivated a good relationship over the years and a drink here and there from 'confiscated contraband'.

If it's between the two of them, I'd much rather see Brunhilde take the top spot. Hopefully she'll help me get to the bottom of this.

Entry #1302

It's all come to a head and I didn't see it coming... Poor Overgriffon Sharpbeak... no, Elizabeth... Liz, my friend... she's gone. She was having a bad day, didn't know where she was or who I am, made keeping her confined to her office too hard and she wandered off in one of her increasing fugue states. Lt. Squall was just waiting in the wings for the chance too... bastard.

He caught her out in the atrium and starts reporting to her loud and clear, making sure he got everyone's attention and going fast. Her condition was pretty clear when she started squawking about putting up the Hearth's Warming stock in the toy department and getting ready for the holiday rush. Remembering her days managing Talon's and making it clear to everyone she wasn't right in the head.

Lt. Stormwing tried to help and get her out of there, but Squall just kept right on pushing. Yelling about her being unfit to serve, demanding the right of challenge, backing her in a corner with some weird griffon tradition and practically begging for a fight. The poor dear couldn't take the stress, might not have known where she was, but she still wouldn't back down from a fight. Her heart rate and all the adrenaline was too much, had a seizure right by the mess hall.

Squall wouldn't let me get to her, shoved me aside and started making some speech about taking over, new leadership for a new age. Bunch of hyper macho blather while the Overgriffon's having a medical emergency, trying to step over her corpse while it was still warm and take the crown.

Lt. Stormwing... Brunhilde, she tried, thought we were making progress tracking down the weird things going on, outside interference... She was right there, socked that big asshole right in the beak and let me get to the Overgriffon, but it was already too late.

Lt. Squall, I guess Overgriffon Squall now... he was ready for her too. Took her 'unprovoked attack and insubordination' as an opportunity and challenge to his ascension, Hilde was by my side helping with Liz and he attacked her from behind. Hilde's one tough old bird, only way he could win was hamstringing her wing and making it an aerial fight. He won, but at least everypony wasn't willing to see her killed right in front of them.

Exile... that's the best the son of a bitch could get, if he killed her half the Stable would have rose up against him and we'd have a full on civil war down here. So much for finding a better way... Brunhilde and her biggest supporters, good chunks of the fledglings and biggest threats from Pink and Blue Squads, all being sent outside to 'establish forward operation posts and beach heads' on the surface for our eventual return. Worse, he promised to 'cull the weak from the strong' from now on, continue with regular exiles of those that didn't meet the new Overgriffon's expectations.

Not sure what to do now, he can't force me out, my apprentice is a good buck, but nowhere near ready to take over. It's my choice apparently, do I stick with my friend and go back out to whatever's left of the world outside? Or do I stay and tend to ponies and griffons that need my help, that I've cared for over the last 47 years, helped hatch or deliver as foals, watched grow up, even the bad eggs...

Celestia... Luna... if you really are still out there somewhere, goddesses watching over the husk of the world that's left, please... help me.

"Boss? Hey, boss... you alright? Say somethin', ya got that weird squinty look. Yer wastin' time goin' over all that old junk, who cares why they're assholes, they are an' that's all that matters. Right? Boss?" Val shook me out of the shocked look I was wearing seated at the head medic's desk, spinning me in the chair to face her and not liking the stunned expression I could feel on my face.

"A-Auntie Broom..." Was all I managed to croak out, gulping at my suddenly dry throat and trying to absorb what I read.

The Institute interfered here... After Fancy told me they managed to talk to her inside Stable 114, I had no doubt they could do the same thing here. They took what was supposed to filter out aggression and twisted it into encouraging it, helped what I guessed was their agent inside, the long dead Lt. Squall, in his successful coup and took over the Stable. After that... they created the Gunners. Raised their own private army in the safety of the Stable. A mint in box army of toy soldiers, ready to open up at their leisure and use on the surface.

The part that bothered me enough to account for the warm, wet tears spilling down my cheeks was Doctor Stitch providing the full name I couldn't recall from just Lt. Stormwing. Lt. Brunhilde Stormwing... Auntie Broom... my mom's friend, the steely griffoness I could remember so vividly playing with me, drinking with mom, teasing dad... The griffon that taught me the oath that bound my worried merc shaking me now and myself together centuries later. Auntie Broom had been here...

Taking advantage of the pain in my heart, the grief at hearing part of what happened to her, 'Be Dark...' rose up. It was an inky, roiling shadow oozing up in my mind, past the strengthened defense of the Ministry Mares that had been keeping it back. Auntie Broom had been here, right here... fun old Auntie Broom, my Aunt Brunhilde...

'Mine...'

She was here and was hurt, the ancestor of the Gunners as they were now cheated and fought her...

'Betrayer...'

She had been exiled to die on the surface...

'Murderer...'

Sent out to the wasteland by the bastard that worked with the Institute to take over...

Revenge... Let me...'

"Security..." The Shroud's voice growled out of my mouth around my lengthening fangs, forcing me to swallow it back and clench my eyes under Val's worried stare, unable to stop it from leaking back in as I continued. "Security, I need to go to security. Lt. Stormwing... her room, her office, anything. I need to know.... and to kill any Gunners in my way... right now..."

I stood on shaking hooves and reloaded my weapons in a swirl of magic, flipping the cylinder of Vengeance closed and stalking out of the room. I was pissed enough at the Gunners for all they had done already, for the torments they had made Val suffer, their cruel rule over the ponies unfortunate enough to fall under their hoof here in the south, their constant attacks and cooperation with the Institute. Knowing it had all started so long ago with a crime against my Auntie Broom was the final straw.

Normally I'd fight that angry hiss in my head harder, lean on the soft whispers of 'Be Kind...' and 'Be Unwavering!' being drowned out as my pace quickened. Their beautiful song becoming discordant as 'Be Awesome!' was torn between their melody and the tempting mutter promising revenge for my friend. At the moment, I was willing to loosen those chains keeping 'Be Dark...' back, give it a little slack to spread it's soothing influence and furious, simmering anger.

This wasn't about doing what was best to protect the Commonwealth from the threat the Gunners posed anymore, no matter what I had told Jade before embarking on this mission. No, now it was nothing but personal. For Val and for Auntie Broom, every Gunner in this terrible pit was going to die... But before they did, they were going to pay...

------------------Level Up!----------------------

New Perk Added!--------

Commando-Pony-----
---Combat with the Equestrian Army styled Gunners and their rigorous training methods has improved your skills with all 'long gun' style weapons. You now do +20% damage with any firearm requiring two hooves (or claws), or a battle saddle/telekinesis to operate.

Ch. 86-- The Devil's Due

"Fight the darkness, Stygian! You don't need it anymore! Revenge isn't what you want! Friendship is!"

"Boss! Hey dammit! Wait up!" Val squawked from where I left her struggling to keep up behind me, taking cover behind the corner I had blindly dashed around, firing her pistol frantically at the Gunners spraying my path with automatic weapons fire.

Her own enjoyment at taking apart what Gunners I left in my wake was warring with the note of breathless concern and agitation in her voice. Her focus was trying to shoot her former comrades concentrating their fire on my reckless charge, while mine was solely on plowing forward, blasting anything directly in my path with the Terrible Shotgun, ignoring the shots I barely felt puncturing my armor over the steady pounding in my temples.

She didn't like me pulling away from her protective guard, I knew that... She'd been pretty clear about how it bothered her and I promised to try to do better, I promised... 'Be Strong!' but...

"Hey Fast, guess who gets'ta be yer babysitter tonight!"

I winced at the pang of memory and kept tromping forward, letting my hoofsteps clang on the stairs winding their way up and down in the vertically oriented Stable and leaving her further behind. Every time some fresh snatch of Auntie Broom's voice drifted up from my memory, the raw pain and sudden grief fed that roaring furnace in my head. The voice of the Shrouded Stallion echoing ahead of me was taking advantage and stoking it, but at the moment I simply didn't care.

"You're all going to die down here..."

A pair of overly muscled earth pony Gunners leapt out when I skidded through the next turn, the power hooves assisted buck on top of X-Cell augmented strength made my ribs crunch, tossing me against the wall where the unicorn wielding a pair of rippers followed up instantly. Sparks flew from the steel wall right beside my head thanks to a timely dodge, the miniature chainsaw bouncing and skipping against the metal long enough for me to grab it from the field of yellow magic in my teeth, parry the second following up, and plunge it in the surprised wielder's eye.

I bucked the corpse towards the earth pony and lurched away, barely noticing Zed flipping forward and engaging him in furious hoof to hoof combat, calling after me as I sped back up. "Fast! Stop this at once! You're injured! Wait for us!"

"Aw, gots a boo boo kiddo? C'mon, no cryin now, buck up and show me what a toughy ya can be, just a scratch!"

My head pounded in time with my hooves getting up to a gallop again, black lightning flickering around me, making the lights overhead flicker and speeding me up, leaving Zed's concerned call behind. The next barricaded intersection of Gunners waited ahead, right in front of where I wanted to go conveniently, the Security office.

They had fallen back to a well defended rally point, firing blindly at the approaching pocket darkness dousing the flickering Stable lighting around me. I hadn't actually consciously thought of this kind of spell work before, but it was simple enough once I caught myself doing it. I knew exactly how the illumination systems in a standard Stable worked, turning them off was foal's play.

Part of me savored the effect just the bit of theatre rewarded me with too, beyond more useful benefits down in this tomb. The Gunners blazing away ahead were increasingly only lit by their own muzzleflashes and magical beam weapons. I didn't have any issue at all seeing them in pitch black, but they couldn't say the same.

Not that I needed the red tinted haze alone to track them down, the smell of fear was cloying and thick down in the stale air here. Gunners definitely covered it better than typical raiders or gangs, rarely showing any outward sign or failing in their military discipline, but they couldn't stop themselves putting off that delicious smell. It complimented and sweetened the intoxicating, coppery scent of blood as I fired back with the Last Minute.

The 'fwoosh' and flashes of heavy weapons coming to bear made me speed up the pace, charging forward in a flicker. The grenades being flung haphazardly towards the darkness were easy enough to catch and toss back as soon as they touched the shadows, missiles and balls of plasma were a different matter. Even more worrisome was the dim blinking lights hurriedly hidden by more metal crates and trash right in the target area, mines...

Shit..., the ones I could hear Val and Zed finishing were just buying time. They had adjusted tactics and set this whole stretch of hallway up as one big booby trap, going for mass destruction and plainly not thinking about structural integrity too much.

I had a heartstopping flashback to getting caught by a similar trick back in Thundega and nearly dying for charging ahead like this. The worried 'tsk' of 'Awareness!' bringing them to my attention just before hitting the point of no return, causing a moment's indecision that seemed to stretch out. I wasn't thinking clearly, just retreat and let the others catch up....

"Ya like fireworks huh kiddo? Nah... the ones me an' yer ma played with weren't near so pretty, loooots bigger though!"

No, not backing off, not slowing down... faster... 'Be Awesome!" whooped as I poured on the speed and flapped over the first beeping mines, spinning gracefully in the air and landing upside down on the curved ceiling. The electricity at my hooves propelled me right at the approaching storm of weapons fire, straining to plow straight through. I considered my shouted warning behind me a victory at least, managing to worry for my friends trying to catch up before everything became fire and noise.

When the smoke and dust started thinning, the surviving Gunners poked their heads up, coughing and peering into the destruction warily. Large dents buckled a few panels in the walls and rubble shifted slightly, but the lack of any other movement and the flicker of the lights overhead trying to come back had them cautiously optimistic.

"Ha! Take that ya crazy asshole!"

"Think there's enough left ta fill a thimble?"

"Can it, the traitor's here too, make sure we got all of em. Maintain discipline and don't get cocky!"

"Oh yeah! That bitch, wanna bet she loses her shit gettin' another pony she likes killed?"

"M-Make sure he's dead first! Can ghosts even die!?"

"Dammit knock that shit off! I told ya he ain't no ghost!"

"Are you suuuuure?" I purred around the hilt of my knife from where I had teleported behind their backs, hanging from the ceiling as easily as Witchy. I let them get one short glimpse at me watching their bickering, before killing all the lights again with a reverberating 'click', casting them into inky blackness that rapidly filled with screams.

The next noise I was consciously aware of was rubble shifting and Val's worried coughs, soaring around the bend and sending the last wisps of smoke and dust swirling around her as the lights came back and she spotted me. Zed was galloping right behind her, the two of them freezing at me panting raggedly in the middle of a slaughterhouse.

"H-Holy shit boss..." Val's beak hung open in a stunned expression for a moment, then rapidly hardened into a frown as she stomped forward, squelching through the spreading puddles of blood dripping from the walls and ceiling. Her claw shot out and slapped me in the muzzle, making me stagger back and flop to the viscera strewn floor as she squawked. "What'd I tell ya about runnin' ahead asshole!?! Stop doin' that dammit!!!"

I tried standing back up and realized my hooves were shaking and wouldn't bear my weight, flopping towards her as a lot of pain rushed in to fill the void left by all the adrenaline. My gurgle of "sorr... reee..." brought a pained look to her face as she rushed forward again, helping me up and clucking angrily.

"S-Shit... that ain't all theirs huh? Serves ya right though dumbass! What the fuck ya think yer doin'?! Save me some at least! Ya got some kinda bug up yer ass an' just took off, look at yerself now! Ya better have some kinda damn good excuse or I'm just gonna hurt ya more! Er... once I make sure I ain't gonna kill ya doin' it!" Val was torn between concern and the desire to keep smacking me, settling on jabbing at me and finding the numerous wounds I hadn't quite noticed up to this point by my whimpers and hisses of pain.

Zed strolled up with none of her haste or anger, taking in the scattered corpses splattered and plopping from the walls and ceiling with an appraising stare, then turning that curious expression on the two of us struggling in the slop. Considering I couldn't provide much more in the way of answers than yelps and groans, he put a steady hoof on her shoulder and nodded to the waiting Security office. "I'll help tend his wounds so you can hurt him at your leisure Valkyrie, I believe that's where he wanted to go anyway. I'm interested in whatever answers you can squeeze out of him myself, this way..."

At that I got tossed none too gently over Val's back like a sack of apples, while she grumbled back to me. "Right... good call stripey. Better think o' somethin' convincin' crazy... Seriously, what the fuck boss!!"

Her muttering blended with the fragments of memory still rattling around in my head as things got fuzzy, the voices of the present and past alike enough for me to reply. Though I wasn't sure if I was answering her question or just confused who was asking. "A-Auntie... Broom..."

Knew I wasn't that rusty... All the fledglings snicker behind my back, but I'm still sharp enough to hold my post, not like poor old Lizzie. Tough enough to rough up a few young'uns from that prick Squall's squad too, them Gold Squad twerps think they're tough, but sing like a canary if you threaten to start cuttin' bits off. Of course getting answers just leads to more questions, talkin' with the outside isn't supposed to be possible, but somebody's sure as hell doin' it.

Things have been goin' downhill the last bunch'a years, but nice and slow like so we wouldn't notice. Imagine if I weren't so stubborn ta be hangin' on to my job all this time, my replacement wouldn't figure it out either. Hell, if Doc Stitch hadn't brought all his snoopin' straight ta me I might not have either. Hopin' ta catch Squall in the act, got a few smart cookies in Pink Squad what can figure out all the computer nonsense he's gettin' up to, just hope they crack it in time.

Things are comin' to a head here, damage has already been done and dunno if this old bird can fix it. Knew I shouldn'ta taken this job... and ta think, my goofy ol' Aunt had ta pull strings ta get it for me. Guess I am glad to have lived so long after the end, had kids and even grandkids here, but what kinda life is it gonna be with all this cloak and dagger crap goin' on? One more fight in me I guess, fer them... Not leavin their future in Squall's claws, that's fer sure.

Looking up from the security desk with tears standing in my eyes, I didn't feel so bad at my earlier confusion after playing the audio file still uncorrupted on the terminal. The voice crackling from the speaker was a lot older than I remembered, but Val really did remind me of Auntie Broom now that I was a little more clearheaded.

Her glare did soften a little at the rushed explanation given as Zed treated my wounds, prowling between the battered desk and her post at the door back out to the halls. After listening to the last audio file Auntie Broom had left, Val squinted at the terminal I had unlocked sitting at Auntie Broom's very own desk. Her tail lashed behind her in frustration, but she wasn't pummeling me where I sat for my lapse at least.

Not that much anyway... Another slap to my face made me amend that, wincing at each hard smack, but hurt a lot more by the furious tears in her eyes and her harsh words. "Some old griffon bitch dead a hundred an' fifty freakin' years!? THAT'S what yer goin' nutty over!?! This is MY revenge boss! MINE! It ain't about you and it ain't about yer ma's dead friend! It's about ME and MY dead friend, ASSHOLE!"

"Don't call her that! V-Val... I'm sorry, I... I know I screwed up, I just..."

Her dark claws clamped my muzzle shut before I could even try to continue, her violet eyes narrowed as her voice got low and dangerous. "Save it! Don't even fuckin' start boss. I ain't losin' my shit when they... what they did ta me! You tell me ta stay cool and I am, but soon as you hear this Broom was here, suddenly all bets are off huh?"

"No! Val I... I really am sorry! I lost my temper, I didn't mean... I'm as mad for you as I am for her! It was too much, t-there's this voice in my head that..."

Finding one of a number of oozing wounds at my shoulder, Val clamped a claw over it and squeezed, coming muzzle to beak and ignoring my whimper of pain. "Shuddap. Not interested in yer crazy excuses. You stay put boss, let stripey patch all this shit up while I go do a lil' scoutin' and find somebody ta relieve some stress on, 'fore I do somethin' I'll regret. If yer butt moves off'a that seat 'fore I get back, I'm lockin' ya up in one of them cells over yonder an' doin' this myself. Got it!?"

"G-Got it...." Following her glare over to the pair of prison cells crowded with more crates and junk, I nodded weakly, not doubting her threat as she stalked off.

I released a shaky breath and slumped in my seat wearily when she was gone. I didn't like the thought of her wandering around on her own, but considering my own actions, I couldn't really complain without being a huge hypocrite. A thought I saw mirrored in Zed's firm grey eyes and silent reproach. as he helped me shrug out of my blood soaked armor and started treating the numerous wounds I had obliviously taken.

At least most of the seething anger that had tried to take over was shocked into misery and self recrimination, she sounded so mad... I didn't mean to disregard how she felt, make her think Auntie Broom was more important to me than she was. I didn't mean to overshadow her old pain with my fresh one.

"I... I have that radioactive apple from the hub Zed, you don't have to do all this. Just back up a little so it doesn't make you sick and..."

Before I could morosely unwrap my balefire apple from the lead lined apron floating from my packs, Zed snatched it away and shook his head sternly, continuing more standard healing as he muttered in reply. "It sounds as if we have a few minutes to wait, maybe a little discomfort will teach you the lesson she wishes you to learn."

"What, that I'm a selfish asshole that made her feel worse? Sure... I guess I should suffer a little bit more."

Zed seemed to have improved his skills during our stay in the Ministry of Peace, along with restocking his tribal remedies that he dumped to the desk before setting to work. He wasn't nearly as skilled or gentle as Jade, though I was willing to bet some of the rough treatment was his own form of punishment. I was surprised I hadn't taken more serious damage charging ahead like that, so I kept my mouth firmly shut on the healing potion he shoved there as he dug shrapnel from my ribs.

"You scared her..." The zebra's deep voice was low and even when he spoke, not angry or accusing, just stating a fact. Somehow that made me feel worse.

I opened my mouth to attempt some kind of lame reply, prevented from voicing it when he pulled a cork from a glyph marked gourd from his zebra potions and shoved it in. The spicy taste that flooded in when he tipped the brew up with his hoof was somewhat familiar, more of that soothing, pale potion he made me drink back at Summerset Plantation when I lost my temper and blacked out then.

After making sure I took a few healthy swigs and watching closely, he shook his head and moved on to wrapping bandages around my barrel, muttering around the strips of magical cloth in his teeth. "Beating yourself up should be enough suffering, you see how losing control hurts others, yes? I took it because radiation makes that temper of yours more difficult to manage. Not what you need right now... That is getting worse Fast, I'd be more concerned if you weren't somehow still able to show no reaction to that brew. "

"Yeah... I get it, sorry Zed. Actually this stuff is pretty nice, warms me up inside. What is it anyway? Did you make it?"

He shook his head and nickered gruffly, stoppering the gourd and stashing the remaining few swallows away again. "This is far beyond my meager alchemical skills. Grandfather made it. It's a treatment for corruption of black magic, necromanctic and demonic possession. If I had brewed it, I could believe I simply hadn't done so correctly. That would be easier to understand anyway."

"Easier than what?"

He gave a guarded, flat look in reply, eventually sighing and betraying a little confusion and concern that surprised me. "Than how you can reek of dark magic and the taint of the stars when you get like that, yet not either vomit or burst into flames drinking an exorcism purgative."

"F-Flames!? What the fuck Zed!?!"

I gaped and held my stomach in panic, glaring at the zebra stallion's deep chuckle, not entirely sure if he was having a joke at my expense or serious. "Spontaneous combustion is a very unlikely side effect... I'm sure it's fine. The spirits have a more interesting path for you anyway. This griffon friend of yours Valkyrie was upset about for example, 'Broom'? She was here in this Stable? Who was she?"

"Brunhilde... She was a friend of my mom's back before... everything. She taught me the oath that got Val to make a contract with me. I... I knew she was dead, like everybody else back then. Seeing her name and how the Gunners hurt her too, like they did Val... I wasn't more mad about her than Val, I was mad about both of them. I... I just saw red."

Zed hummed in thought and trotted over to the stained sink in the nearest cell, soaking several rags along with my bloodstained armor. With my wounds tended, he tossed the rags back for me wash the sticky blood matting my fur. I felt a little queasy realizing I was as coated in gore as Swan had been acting as breezidore bait, scrubbing with shaking hooves while Zed rinsed the ichor from my trenchoat. I didn't really remember the details of slicing those Gunners to giblets, but the evidence was undeniable.

My hurried cleaning revealed the blue and silver, sword and shield mark on my flank, the winged clock serving as the hilt uncovered from a glop of jelly I had the sinking feeling had been an eyeball. Zed chuckled at how green I turned pawing it away and pointed at it, musing aloud thoughtfully. "Interesting you would run across someone you knew here, perhaps Jade's interpretation of your cutie mark is correct after all. You have a habit of being in the right place at the right time."

"Right time!? H-How is this the right time!? I'm a century and a half too late! She's dead! Exiled! Her and her whole family if what I read is right! I'm never in the right place when I could make a difference! I'm always too late! My family was taken eighty years ago and I missed it, Auntie Broom was run out ages ago, Glitter's mom and sister... Val and her friend... I'm always too late!! All I can ever do is play catch up!"

I wasn't sure why Zed's calm, deep voice made that helpless anger surge up, but it definitely did with his shrug of an answer. "Not the right time as far as you are concerned, but the spirits follow pony timetables as infrequently as they do those of any other creature. Your preference doesn't change the role they have for you to play."

"I don't care about your stupid spirits or what they want Zed! I care about... about who I care about! What kind of special talent lets me always show up too late!"

In answer, Zed snapped my mostly clean trenchcoat in his teeth and brought it back, offering it significantly along with his reply. "The original Shrouded Stallion was referred to as Luna's sword and shield, yes? Her avenger and defender? You are able to avenge this friend of yours from so long ago, if not defend her. Or perhaps you could call it justice instead, if it makes you feel better."

At his words I had a flash of the memory orb I found in the home of the creator of the Shrouded Stallion comics I grew up with, of the question Princess Luna herself had asked Bobbing Cane before allowing him to use the character. What was the Shroud's virtue... Mr. Cane's answer had been justice, and what was revenge if not corrupted justice?

"What's the difference between the two Zed? Do you know?"

Most of my anger fizzled out at his wry chuckle, replaced by somber curiosity and weariness. Though I was disappointed at the black and white zebra answering in shades of grey. "I'm no philosopher Fast. I imagine it's mostly a matter of perspective. Grandfather would say justice is impartial and seeks to restore balance, while vengeance is personal and only continues the cycle of imbalance. I'd say they are two sides of the same coin."

"Jade would want me to prefer justice, but when I saw Auntie Broom's name... I wanted revenge. I want revenge. Val deserves her revenge too. I know it's wrong... or it was in the world I grew up in. There's no laws or courts or cops anymore though, is it even possible to get justice instead? Don't the Gunners deserve to pay? If your spirits brought us here, maybe they want me to take it for her."

"There's an old Roaman saying like that actually Fast. 'When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other, that you're doing the spirit's will.' I'm no shaman either however, I don't even attempt to guess at their motivations. I am a shadow hunter, I know the touch of evil when I see it and am concerned when I see you reveling in it, just as Valkyrie is worried for you. Answering darkness with more darkness is a dangerous path Fast." Zed answered with that annoying lack of judgement again as he helped shove my wings back through my coat, letting me mull it over to myself.

"When you do that, it's like answering a question with a question Zed... It'd be easier if you'd just say I was wrong and not to do it. Or that your potion there drove some kind of... demon out of my head, so I'd know it wasn't me... S-Speaking of spirits and all... I have been getting worried about it. Ivy couldn't say whether it was me or something else, but... W-What do you think?"

"I'm still amazed Grandfather's potion doesn't cause some reaction myself Fast. My every well honed instinct tells me you have a very dangerous spirit clinging to you, yet it doesn't consume you somehow... I still wouldn't indulge that darker nature too much. Finding another soul jar is probably not the defense you think it is..." Zed's reply and pointed kick of my saddlebag containing the Ministry Mare statues made me gulp guiltily. I hadn't told him I had added Rainbow Dash and 'Be Awesome!' to the set, but he always knew anyway, able to sense the products of zebra necromancy on me.

"I felt better when I found it though... They help, er... keep that bad voice quiet. They were until I saw Auntie Broom's name anyway. I umm... don't talk to Jade much about it, a-and we've been so busy at the hub I kinda put it off, but... Do you really think I might be... p-possessed?"

"I don't know Fast, as I've told you before, you are an oddity. Darkness can grow in any heart however, whether from a foreign spirit or from the seed of evil that waits in all of us. Those statues are as strange and full of opposing forces as the internal battle I see you struggle with however. Which is why you should be cautious relying on them." Zed usually didn't get into details concerning zebra beliefs, or have anything good to say about my collection of soul jars at all.

"Why? They're good, they make me feel better... I like them. They're like the essence of the Elements of Harmony, that's as good as you can get, right?"

"Yes, they contain an echo of the most powerful and positive pony magic in history Fast. They were also made through the foulest and most negative zebra magic ever recorded. A strange combination hmm? If they help keep your darker nature in check, that's good. But a muscle grows as strong as it needs to be to meet the weight resisting it." The zebra's answer was mysterious as usual, but I thought I got the gist of what he meant.

I did feel better and that shadowy Shroud in my head was muted and restrained by the Ministry Mares more effectively with each I found, but it fought for freedom harder and escaped more spectacularly as their quiet whisper grew stronger. All it took had been the right trigger to let it surge free again.

"T-Thanks Zed... er... for keeping an eye out for me. It's hard to talk about this stuff with anybody else, knowing you're watching and don't think I'm crazy helps. You uh... s-still don't think I'm evil or crazy, right? You'd tell me if I really was?"

Falling back to all fours, Zed clapped my back and chuckled in that soothing baritone, nodding solemnly. "I would, I am a Venator Noctics, if I were positive you were corrupted by a dark spirit, I'd take steps... That is what friends do, isn't it? That's also why I am sure we were brought together for a reason. Whether you truly are host to an dark spirit, or are simply hurt and angry over the fate of your friend."

"Regardless, I wouldn't call you evil. Despite my specialization when it comes to dark magic, or perhaps because of it, I've found it hard to label anything completely evil, even in a world where truly foul and dark magic exists. Like your question of justice or revenge, it's usually a matter of perspective. Whatever the answer, it's unlikely to be as simple or satisfying as you hope for. The spirits rarely are." Again, Zed could be more comforting instead of so blunt and honest, but he was trying anyway. Just that made me feel better.

Val's snort from the door made me jump, prowling in and sticking her beak up derisively. "Quit with that stripey hoo-doo! Oooooo, spooky stars an scary spirits.... wooooo! You zebras think everything is all oogie boogie ghosties or what not. Boss ain't got no spooky spirits makin' him pissed an' don't need one ta feel that way. We gots plenty'a good reasons without you bringin' yer wacko religion inta it!"

"Everything is connected to the spirits, good and ill, Fast's path, yours, this Brunhilde's and my own. His string of ...coincidences... should be proof enough even for skeptics like yourself. I was trying to help him look on the brighter side. This griffon brought the two of you together, now the spirits have brought you full circle. Whether you seek vengeance or justice is up to you." Even Val's dismissal of his beliefs didn't phase Zed, simply cleaning up his welcome healing supplies and allowing her to tromp up and glare at me.

I winced under her stare, shuffling nervously but not daring to move from where she told me to stay. She still looked a little mad, but had sounded more like herself making fun of Zed and coming to my defense. I still felt beads of sweat springing up on my forehead under her silent glower, looking up hopefully and trying to apologize before she started hitting me again.

"Val... I'm sorry, really. I know getting back at the Gunners is about you, not about Auntie Broom. You're more important to me. You're right, you're here and alive, while she's dead and gone. I didn't mean to hurt or scare you like that, I just..."

I flinched when her claw clamped my muzzle shut again, but it was a much gentler grip and she sighed softly, glaring at Zed until he rolled his eyes and trotted off to the doorway, letting her speak privately and with a kind grumble. "Just lost yer shit again... Look, I get it. That friend of yer ma's, I er... I didn't mean ta call her a bitch. If it weren't fer her teachin' ya how ta make the contract, we wouldn'ta wound up together, so I owe her too ya know... I was a lil' jealous ya got all worked up over her an... Ya pissed me off."

"Umm... I noticed... Sorry!" I flinched at her threatening balled fist tilting my chin up, but was relieved to see a twinkle of her normal mischief in her eye instead of real anger.

"Ya can't go runnin' off where I can't bodyguard ya and get hurt like that though jerk! These fucks killed another pony pal of mine I cared about a-as much as you, so think about that kinda shit before you go all crazy again, huh? N-Not that I'm sayin' ya really are crazy... umm... I kinda listened in a little... how come you ain't said nothin' about, er... all of stripey's zebra hooey ta me? I might not'a smacked ya so hard..." Seeing Val scratch her arms and shuffle sheepishly, I realized I wasn't the only one who felt ashamed, feeling my ears droop as I answered in a quiet whisper.

"I deserved it though. I shouldn't have... I get scared too and didn't want to worry you. Seeing Auntie Broom was here and knowing how they hurt you both, that umm... that angry, mean part I'm afraid of took over and I wanted to get revenge, for both of you. N-Not that you need me to do it for you either, I was just being selfish. Sorry...

"Payback boss. They did stuff the griffon way here in this hellhole right? Payback. That's what I want... Call it justice or revenge either one, but we're gettin' some cause these fuckers deserve it. They owe us an' the bill's come due, so we're takin' it outta their hides. Yer old auntie is just more on the tab. But we're doin' it together, got it? You keep me from losin' it and I do the same fer you. We're partners right?" I nodded solemnly and sniffled at Val's firm demand, taking her grudging permission to get up and hugging the tense griffon.

Somehow Val's version sounded better, making me wonder if Stable-Tec had a valid point setting this place up to learn from the griffon's culture. Payback sounded better than revenge, even if it wasn't far off. She hated the Gunners more than I did after what they did to her, but was able to keep her cool looking at it as a settling of accounts. A balancing that was at least closer to Zed's definition of justice than the blind rage that had threatened to overwhelm me.

She was right. If it weren't for Auntie Broom, Val and I might never have wound up together. So I owed Brunhilde Stormwing a deep debt myself, one I intended to pay. The seething hiss of 'Be Dark...' kept trying to to surge back up at the thought, but feeling Val return the embrace helped put it in check.

"Right Val. Sorry. Let's go get some payback then, for both of us and Auntie Broom."

The housing for the Lieutenants of the Stable was not far from Security, rather luxurious accommodations compared to the less secured residential wings earlier. Since there weren't nearly as many Gunners in residence as their predecessors, all of the Squad leader's rooms were occupied and mostly scrubbed of tenants from 150 years ago.

Val had made a quick patrol of the area already, allowing me to go looking around since she had already cleared it. The pocket waiting at the security office had been the only ones nearby. Rapid Reload and the last of the Gunners had to have retreated further into the administration wing. In my Stable that wouldn't be much room to hide in, but the map I managed to download from the security terminal showed another difference between 75 and 111, this wing was one of the largest and fanciest areas we had found so far.

The officers of the Stable received special treatment apparently, another cultural difference with griffons that Val helped explain on my confused look at the spacious officers club recreation area. I was glad to hear her sounding back to her cheery self, grinning and swishing her tail with a chuckle. "Of course the mucky mucks get better stuff boss, they're in charge right?"

"Isn't that unfair though? I mean... the Overmare back home got a nicer room, but it wasn't that much nicer. They really needed their own bar?"

Considering the gloomy bar was still kept well stocked with alcohol that Val had immediately started pillaging, I supposed asking her that was a silly question even before she nodded crazily. "Uh-huh! Everywhere needs a bar boss. What's the point in higher rank if'n ya don't get perks?"

The bar was down a passage leading back towards the weird training simulation room in the previous section, only confusing me more when we ducked our head in to make sure it was clear, and found ourselves staring down through glass walls at the bottom of a set of bleachers, overlooking the rough cavern and city scene. One of the recordings we found earlier said the residents watched a tournament of the squads competing down there for pecking order, but they watched from the elite admin area?

"Why would they make everypony else come in their exclusive little area to watch the show then? Wouldn't that just be rubbing it in?"

Val grinned and nodded happily in response, turning back to the residential areas after making sure the litter strewn stands were empty. "Zactly! Now yer gettin' it boss!"

"Wealth among griffon circles means little without the envy of those below Fast. Being rich doesn't mean anything if there aren't those who are poor and jealous of success." Zed actually understood better than I did, answering in a dry tone but not bothering Val in the slightest as she agreed completely.

She did eventually figure out he was being sarcastic, expanding on his explanation like she was trying to explain a difficult concept to a poor student. "Peckin' order boss... Makes them on the bottom work hard ta reach the top, and them on top work hard so they get ta stay there. Competition an' what not. If everybody was all even steven, why would anybody try ta stand out and move up?"

"Fulfillment? Pride? Community?"

Each of my confused guesses were met with a groan of disappointment from Val. "Noooo! You an' Blue are too fulla that goody-goody pony nonsense ta get it boss. You would'a got eaten alive in a Stable like this, posed ta do things the griffon way right? Ya work hard ta get rich! Enjoy the finer things!"

"Money isn't all that matters Val..." Her dismissive scoff in response made me glower at her, nudging her affectionately and trying to bridge the cultural divide. "You don't think so, right Val? Riiiiight?"

"Nnnnn.... alright, alright! I admit it, ya been rubbin' off on me boss, makin' me go soft and believe in some of that pony silliness. I guess there is stuff that's as nice as gettin' rich. But this is the Griffonstone way. You asked, I'm just tellin' ya." It took a minute of puppy eyed pouting to make her crack, but Val did roll her eyes and give in as we ducked in the residential rooms.

Zed made an effort to keep things light and on safer subjects than revenge with the two of us, chuckling from across the hall and needling the griffon. "What kinds of pony values have so enlightened you Valkyrie? I'm sure Fast would like hearing specifics, I know I would. You've found more to life than the values espoused here since coming under his employ?"

"Shaddup stripey..." Val growled back, picking open a small lockbox of caps from underneath the bed of the Purple Squad's commander. My curious stare made her ruffle her feathers and dart her eyes away, grumbling at my hopeful expression. "Nooooo.... stop it boss.... Don't make me say it, just quit yer cutesy bullshit right now..."

"But I don't pay you... If that's really all that matters then what if you're not happy and you leave? I have to know what's important to you so I can make sure you know you're appreciated Val."

Adding a lip quiver that would have made Glitter proud pushed her over the edge, Val's face got redder as she kicked at the floor and muttered under her breath petulantly. "the... f-family, love, junk..."

"What was that? I couldn't quite make it out..."

Teasing a blushing griffon wasn't a good idea, but did make me feel better, even as she grabbed my lapels and slammed me to the rusty wall, raising her wings to hide from Zed's chuckling and scowling at me with a whisper. "Don't gimme that, them freaky alicorn ears heard me just fine dammit! I said the touchy feely crap alright! Happy!?"

Lunging at her grimacing beak for a kiss made her sputter and squawk, dumping me to the floor as I nodded happily. "Very happy Val. I love you too."

"ERRRGGHH!! Least yer back ta bein' annoyin' and cute boss. C'mon, lets go goofy!" I got put back on my hooves by a rough claw grabbing my scruff and a firm yank, but she did nip my neck affectionately before storming off.

Having a respite to explore and calm down helped a lot. I still felt fragile and the growl of 'Be Dark...' kept trying to throw up reminders about Auntie Broom to reignite the fury still lurking under the surface, but Zed's talk gave me more motivation to keep it under control. Joking and taking comfort in my friends was an even better balm too. Val was worried for me and that distracted her from her own anger, while I felt the same about her. Focusing on each other gave us both the strength to put aside our own selfish desires, reminding me again how powerful the magic of friendship could be.

Smiling at her mock pouting and playful shoves, I felt enough courage to poke around in the former rooms of the Lieutenants of Blue and Gold squads, starting with the yellow trimmed door marking Lt. Squall's quarters, the one who exiled Auntie Broom so long ago. I still felt a seething anger thinking about him, but he was long gone and my curiosity distracted me, hoping to find out more about the Institute's meddling here.

At least the Gunners didn't seem interested in old terminals in general, at most using them to add newer files, holotape games or to vandalize, but not able to clear the ancient file fragments that filled in more of the story. I assumed the Institute would keep their hoofprints off the remaining files pretty well, but reading between the lines wasn't hard and verified what I had already guessed.

Squall sounded like a more stereotypical griffon from what little I could dig up. His biggest complaints had been the ways the griffons in charge were expected to meet their pony subordinates in the middle, several of his initial entries bitching at length about having a cutie mark tattooed on his flanks on entering the Stable.

From his cryptic later entries, I got the idea the Institute had passed along the idea of making all of them get branded with the stark barcode and numbers still partially visible on Val's flanks too. Clinical identifiers that helped sort their little experiments and catalog them...

Putting the ancient ranting of a griffon supremacist the Institute easily manipulated behind, I felt up to braving Auntie Broom's room, though I found even less there. No faded pictures of mom's old friend collected dust on the walls, no steely grey feathers stuck behind the desk, not even the faintest whiff of anything but a more recent occupant, who hadn't made much use of the private bathroom's shower by the stink. Not that I would even recognize Broom's scent if I did catch it, I didn't have a nose capable of picking it up as a foal.

The most I got was even less than her elderly voice from her office terminal, a few fragments of the earliest entries to her personal terminal, another luxury reserved for the higher ups. Just a little text, but enough to make me chuckle sadly at the difference between Auntie Broom's initial reaction to receiving a cutie mark and Lt. Squall's;

"Damn tattoo still hurts. Just sure my crazy Aunt is out there laughin' her ass off somewhere, all her preaching about pony nonsense to everybody that would listen, and she finally got her way. My own cutie mark... jeez... Probably pulled strings with her pony friends to get me in here, just so I'd have to get one of these damn butt stamps she was always so gaga over. Least there was a storm cloud and a wing to pick from. No guns, claws, explosions or cool pictures at all though! Hafta talk to the nerds running that machine and add some better images to the database."

Puzzling it out over my shoulder, Val snorted laughter and mussed my mane, trying to cheer me up and marginally succeeding. "Ha! They didn't put nothin' badass ta stick on griffon flanks in that kooky tattoo machine? I would'a asked fer the same thing boss, I like this Broom gal! Wonder if they added more, figure out how ta cover this crap up with somethin' better."

"Really? Would you want a cutie mark Val?"

Swaying her flanks at my interested stare, Val smirked and shrugged in reply. "I'd like not havin' this damn thing on there anymore. I ain't one of them Groverite kooks wantin' to be like a pony, but a cool tattoo wouldn't be bad. Maybe a flaming claw, or a volcano, or a big freakin' gun! Oooh, or one like yers, huh boss? Since we're partners an' all. Would ya like puttin' yer mark on this here booty? Stake yer claim?"

"Yes... N-No! Cut it out Val, n-not funny..."

Despite the blush warming my cheeks at her fluttering eyelashes, I was glad to be forgiven. I hated when Val was mad at me, putting up with her teasing and joking around with her was a welcome change from feeling hurt and angry thinking about Auntie Broom, and she sounded a lot better than she had focusing on taking her own revenge too. Of course watching her bound along ahead of me with a musical bounce to her flanks gave that dark mutter in my head something else to focus on. Compared to 'Be Dark...'s other areas of interest, the frisky growl and itchy mane was pretty benign at least.

Coming closer to the Atrium on my map, we found the officers of Stable 75 had their own mess hall too. A smaller eating area and kitchen was connected to the common cafeteria at the bottom of the vertical atrium. The Administration keycard opened the door there, allowing us to take a shortcut back to the surface once we had tracked down the last of the Gunners at least.

I checked my pip-buck for the time and was briefly tempted to fly back upstairs to see if Swan had returned yet. Her locator tag was flying north from the Glowing Sea however, she'd be back before long, but we still had some time. I wasn't too sure what to tell her when she did arrive either, or if she'd even be able to fit in the Stable. It wasn't like Swan was apt to be as disappointed or worried as Jade would be finding out I lost my temper again, but the battle crazed filly might not be the best influence either.

For now, we decided to keep the escape route open and in mind, putting the Atrium at our backs and following the trail of shipping containers being sorted up there. All the ordinance the Gunners were getting came from deeper in the Stable, towards the more traditional Admin area that was closer to my own Stable.

It was still oddly different, as the Stable store we passed attested to. Back in 111 we didn't really buy or sell things, but the rusty cash registers were still stuffed with golden prewar bits, along with plenty of bottlecaps. A variety of luxury items like cigarettes, alcohol, tattered old copies of Wingboner magazine and other bits of junk lined the shelves we investigated.

There were even a few rotting toys shoved at the back of a lower shelf, a wealth of cherry bombs Val cackled at and snagged, along with a stack of Stable-Tec lunch boxes. I was delighted to dig up a foam dart gun I grabbed for Glitter, a simple, plastic, hoof operated pump weapon the little earth pony filly would probably enjoy. Of course what limited toys for kids in this crazy griffon Stable would be explosives or practice guns...

The buzzing signs leading further in listed a bank along with the storage and maintenance level, confusing me, but also giving us a likely goal. "A bank? Really?"

"Somebody's gotta keep track of the cash boss... Ya really didn't get paid at all back home? That's crazy!" Val raised a disbelieving eyebrow at my questioning why a Stable would need financial institutions.

"No, I didn't need anything the Stable didn't provide already, what would I spend it on? Why would we need to be paid to do our jobs? If we didn't, we'd all die."

"Yeah but... nothin'?! Nope, wouldn't work in a griffon Stable boss. Gots ta get paid ta do work, an' have stuff ta blow it all on too! Maybe they still gots cash ta rob outta the place, huh?!" She didn't sound convinced, but found something to look forward to anyway.

"I'm betting on it. If they kept all the supplies storage locked up to sell and parcel out back here, this is probably where they're getting gear from the Institute too. They'd want to hide one of their teleporters somewhere secure, I'm a lot more interested in that than any money. That's probably where they're holed up at too, so let's be careful and... H-Hang on, lemme stop in here first..."

The door to the Overgriffon's office was just ahead, making Val groan as I ducked my head in. I was a little disappointed the Gunner in charge wasn't still sitting behind the crescent shaped desk strewn with papers, but curious regardless. Most of the files and newer additions to the terminal were concerned with shipping all the goodies the Institute was supplying the mercenaries with. Seeing just how much was getting routed through here spelled out in black and white was concerning, along with a record of how long they had been at it.

The biggest things coming into Stable 75 were suits of power armor we had been running into with more frequency. Most of it detailed more mundane shipments like ammo, weapons, combat armor, drugs and food, an efficient operation keeping a full fledged army marching. There were a few interesting notes about much bigger toys, like the newer tanks and vertibucks the Gunners had been using, but most of these were simply receipts and records keeping track of the flow of goods. The bigger stuff all seemed to be going to 'Whinny Base'....

"That's why the Gunners drove Preston and the others out of Whinny! There's an industrial relay there!"

Map Updated blinked in my vision at the discovery, giving me somewhere else to investigate later and a chance for a little payback for our friends from Sanctuary too. Even Val had been curious why the mercenaries had bothered taking over the old home of Preston, Sturges, Mama Xara and the others back home, driving them all the way to Poncord and our fateful meeting to escape.

There wasn't much more to be found snooping around in the Overgriffon's terminal, but I did find the standard recording from Vice President Scootaloo I expected, letting it play from my pip-buck as we returned to the halls. I was surprised to hear a bright and vibrant voice chirping along with the tired sounding mare I had heard elsewhere though.

"Hey, is it recording Scoots? Is it? Huh? Howboutnow? Huh?"

"Yes Gabby, they can hear us, stay professional remember? Hi there ponies..."

"And griffons!"

"Of Stable 75!" Both voices finished together, the infectious cheeriness of this Gabby lifting Scootaloo's normally sad sounding message up into a chuckle.

"If you're hearing this, then... I guess things didn't work out so well..."

"Aw, don't be like that Scoots! If they're hearing it, that means they survived and are starting a big adventure together, ponies and griffons helpin' each other out, finding a better way, right!?"

"R-Right... Yeah, right Gabby. I'm Vice President Scootaloo of Stable-Tec,, and my griffon friend here is Gabriel of the Talon's Department Stores. You residents of Stable 75 are hopefully safe and sound. Just surviving isn't all we're hoping for though. Like Gabby said, we hope you'll find a better way together than either ponies or griffons did on their own."

"Since me and the Crusaders are such good friends, we thought you Stable dwellers could be too! I learned a lot from my pony friends and tried to spread the magic of our friendship back home to Griffonstone and all over Equestria through my chain of Talon's Stores. Maybe not as well as I hoped... but I'm sure I just needed more time, which you guys have got oodles of! Us griffons might not be super nice sometimes, but we can be!"

"And us ponies can plainly learn a lot from the griffons and their way of doing things, so that's what we hope for from you. Stable 75 is meant to be a collaborative effort, the griffons have a different way of running things than we do, but it's a form of government that didn't result in blowing the world up, so they've been put in charge."

"But the ponies have lots to teach us too! You guys will even get to pick your own cutie marks! isn't that awesome!"

"As Overgriffon in charge of everyone, it'll be your job to try to help everyone get along and blend our two societies together, so one day you can rebuild a better world back on the surface. We also planned a few research projects to help achieve that goal, detailed in your documentation. We're hoping to find out the causes of violent tendencies and ways to manage them, so the new culture you come up with will last longer than we did. That's secondary though, the priority is for everyone to survive and get along, in whatever way works best."

"I know you guys will do great! I really wish we could see how it all turns out, but I'm sure it'll be lots of fun! Just take care of each other ok! You can do it!"

Val gaped at the recording clicking to a halt, smacking her face with her claw and shaking her head slowly when she recovered. "Gawd... Freakin' Groverites, that goofy Gabby is an embarassment ta griffons everywhere..."

"She sounded nice Val, I like her. She actually reminds me of you..."

What I thought was a compliment ended up getting me shoved into the nearest wall with a squawk and pounced on by my irate bodyguard, struggling under painful noogies scratching my itchy mane for me. "What!? You tryin' ta piss me off again boss? Why not just call me a big wuss!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! I just meant you both sound like really nice griffons that get along with ponies and.. OW! VAL!"

I was apparently just digging this hole deeper, yelping as Val's eye twitched and she punched and smacked me mercilessly. "Try again boss, that's two strikes... I sure as hell don't sound that sappy and goofy dammit! I'ma badass griffon an' you better recognize shrimp, 'fore I..."

"Of course you are! Y-You're the toughest, bestest griffon in the world! You're both really sweet and awesome and nice too though! Or she sounded like it! You like ponies too right? You're my best friend and I really love you Val! That's all I meant! Please stop hurting me! AUGH! No pinching!" Peeking up from the brim of my battered hat, I tried one more time in a rush, cracking open an eye and relieved to see her pause with a bright blush straddling me.

Zed's deep chuckle ahead snapped her out of it, turning even redder and screeching at his retreating back. She tossed a dented tin can from the floor at his head, huffing in annoyance when he dodged without even turning to look at the missile. "Now that Fast puts it that way, I see it too. Perhaps this Gabby griffon was an ancestor of yours?"

"Oh I'll show ya just how sweet an' nice I am Zed! Lemme give ya a nice, friendly, pony type hug till I snap yer stripey neck!" Her tail snapped back and forth in agitation and she leaned down to whisper once he was safely out of earshot, torn between annoyance and a distinctly pleased look on her face. "Oh you mushy lil' bastard....Yer payin' fer that, laters... when I can really wring it outta ya. Yer just lucky I er... y-yeah, I love ya too jerk... a-and that I'm not just awesome, tough an' mean, I do gots my softer side an' I'ma forgivin' griffon."

"D-Don't forget humble..."

"Damn straight! Prolly the most humble griffon out there!" Val bounded down the hall, leaving me wheezing and dizzy on the floor and hoping she remained too flustered to catch the sarcasm.

We started meeting resistance again the closer we got to the bank, forcing us to put aside the lighthearted joking and exploration that had smoothed over my lapse in control. I could see Val and Zed both keeping a close eye on me, but I was worried enough for both of them.

The voice of 'Be Dark...' was biding its time, I had to rely on it as I had since leaving my Stable and it knew it. It occurred to me more than once that if it weren't for that shadow lurking in my heart making it so easy to pull the trigger, I probably would have died the first time I was faced with killing another pony to survive.

It had been a lot harder back then, but not as hard as it should have been. Realizing how I had simply taken to murder and mayhem like a duck to water was an uncomfortable thought, easy to disregard with how everyone in the wasteland just accepted that was how things were. Ponies really could get used to anything, the ones here had adapted to the griffon way of doing things, we had all dove headlong into our first real war with minimal provocation, even the Ministry Mares had changed and gone along with the end of the world after all.

That voice had been there from the beginning though, maybe it had even been there back in Stable 111, but was merely quiet without the proper stimulation. Was it really the same little voice everyone had in their head? A tempting whisper that led us collectively down the road that ended in apocalypse? Or was it actually something worse?

Whatever the case, it was a sword with a sharp, double edge. Despite my reticence picking it up again, I had to use it, even if I risked hurting myself every time I did.

The oddity of walking into a bank in the heart of a Stable had to be put aside dealing with the Gunners waiting in ambush. It wasn't a cavernous bank lobby like you'd find above ground, but the layout was similar. A counter with pens hanging from rusty chains and strewn with tarnished prewar bits offered a bit of cover, charging into the room and firing around it to the pair of barred teller windows.

A par of Ponitrons clomped out from recessed charging stations on either side of the room, pink beams of magic firing from their cloudy domed heads wearing battered old security peaked security hats. Zed rolled out to deal with the one on the left, while the Terrible Shotgun hammered the one on the right back.

Cackling to herself, Val peeked over the counter and scooped clawfuls of bits into one of the Stable-Tec lunchboxes she had looted, stuffing it full along with a grenade she pulled the pin on and tossed over the barricaded teller windows. When it blew, it was with the sound of golden coins raining down, perforating the Gunners hiding back there with expensive shrapnel.

Before I could move to follow Zed's lead to finish them off, Val grabbed the barrel of my shotgun and raked more coins down it, grinning maniacally. "Payback! Right boss?"

I smiled back, charging to the groans coming from behind the counter and the shouts echoing from the open vault door in the back. The makeshift ammo made the counter displayed in my vision flicker from 'SLG' to "COIN' and I noticed the increased wear it caused to the weapon on blasting the face off a pony peeking out from the round vault door.

It did have a certain irony that made it worth grabbing a tattered canvas bag of more bits from behind the counter though. It was all blood money, every bit they used to keep up their pocket economy, every cap we found stashed further within from the mercenary company and their contracts. Though Val did keep snatching up the usable wasteland currency for herself.

"We don't have time to loot as we go Valkyrie, you're going to overload yourself..." Zed huffed spotting her picking out another bag of caps and stuffing it in her bags with a jingle.

Tossing another bag from one of the open lock boxes lining the passage his way in answer, Val shook her head and kept looking for more as we moved forward, somehow able to tell the difference between bits and caps with just an appraising shake of the weight in her claws. "Then help carry it. This here's back pay stripey, my severance package what they owe me. Guess this might be one of the reasons they keep this place secret boss, must stash some of their cash here. If'n I knew about it, I would'a robbed the place a long time ago. I ain't the only one neither. We gotta get Swanny ta haul all'a this outta here 'fore we go!"

While plain old greed and hoarding probably did factor into it, the open crate of red buckbomb's I noticed on the way to the large door labeled 'Storage' seemed more likely. We were definitely on the right path, all the Institute provided equipment flowing from this Stable originated down here somewhere. The source of that was worthy of keeping a closely guarded secret, even from their own members.

I was mildly tempted to just set the explosives to blow and destroy this whole den of evil, but Buckbombs were as powerful as balefire eggs. Even the Gunners weren't using them against us, unwilling to risk bringing the mountain over our heads down on us.

Entering the storage chamber, we were met by several suits of brand new looking green power armor, blending in with the rows of unoccupied suits waiting near the doors to be shipped out. A storm of missiles and 5mm rounds forced us to split up, diving to the aisles of crates and shelving containing more of everything we had seen so far.

The Gunners who had fallen back here to make their last stand had dipped into their toy chest, leaving us facing a dozen suits of advanced power armor. They ran through high end ammo for the variety of heavy weapons like their pay would be docked for any rounds left in the clip too.

One thing Val's thorough looting of everything on our way here had turned up was armor piercing rounds to match at least. Vengeance boomed out .45 AP bullets as I ran through the aisles, penetrating the helmets of even the Institute made power armor in my path. Being a lighter armored target made me susceptible to the explosive 5mm rounds chewing up the floor at my hooves like a string of firecrackers however, forcing me to keep moving and dive for the safety of the shadows, hobbling on a crippled leg from just being close to the line of fire.

At least the remaining enemies seemed to be part of Rapid Reload's supply squad that was the most numerous in the secret base, all the combat oriented griffons and ponies had apparently already been thrown at us on the way here. The difference in skill was noticeable, but their equipment was making up for it.

My wings carried me up to the top of the shelves to chug a healing potion and recover, glad the inexperienced Gunners weren't checking all vectors. A seasoned griffon would never overlook me hiding out up here, but the desperate ponies still had a blind spot when it came to above. My perch also offered me a good vantage to watch their red marks charging around on Eyes Forward Sparkle, and let a crazed voice reach my sensitive ears that I immediately followed stealthily.

"You hear that!? They're here! They're gonna overrun us dammit! Do something! Call in reinforcements!" Rapid Reload screeched from deeper in the storage area, her red dash jittering near a green one that didn't match Val or Zed behind me.

The calm voice that answered made the sulking voice of 'Be Dark...' flare to life, speeding my limping pace atop the shelves. "Gunners Plaza has been notified, a response won't make it in time to do anything however. You threw away too many resources following Vega's insane plans, don't ask me to clean up your mess, I've more important things to do. The only reason I came in response to your distress signal was to ensure containment, be grateful for that much."

Rapid's answer added to the fury pounding in my head, the non hostile she was talking to was from the Institute alright... "Don't blame us for taking the fucking orders! He's one of you assholes, you're supposed to be so smart! Teleport some of your fucking robots in here then! Anything!!"

"You should have notified me before blindly following one of his plans, Vega has become unstable and military strategy is not his domain, it's mine. This Stable and everyone in it is under my jurisdiction, as it always has been, you take your orders from me alone. These errors in communication are very inefficient, resulting in mistakes like this and your fiasco at the Switchboard. I'll have to see about streamlining the chain of command... For now, I'll not put even more of our own assets at risk covering for your mistakes. I suggest you resolve the problem yourself, at least a trial run of the YK-Mark 3 prototype will provide valuable data. If you fail, operations will have to be moved to Whinny Outpost entirely. This facility, and all personnel... will be written off as a loss." Creeping closer, I peeked over the crates separating me from the two isolated dashes on E.F.S., scowling down at the pair with eyes burning in the dark.

The stallion standing there looked highly out of place, a tall, well groomed, brown unicorn with a white muzzle and darker mane. He stood out among all the dirty and military dressed Gunners, wearing a well cut blue suit under a pristine lab coat, adjusting his horn rimmed glasses as he drolled to the frantic mare wiggling her way into an impressive piece of equipment.

The hulking suit of strange power armor Rapid Reload was squeezing her plump body into would have taken more of my attention, but the stallion she was talking to was one I had seen once before, in a memory orb... Dr. Klein, head of the Advanced Systems division of the Institute.

"Greetings Evildoers..." The Shroud's voice growled out before I could stop myself, flaring my wings and glaring down at them, my gleaming revolver trembled in my magic.

I managed to fight back the impulse to kill them both on the spot. Klein had to be a synth body, he'd just melt anyway and leave me with nothing. Rapid was at least interested enough in living to squeak and freeze, having nearly wedged herself in the odd armor. It was dark and a large portion of the front was flipped up to allow access, making it hard to puzzle out. It was a great deal larger than even a Steel Ranger suit. Thick armor plating formed a rounded back, short, robotic legs partially retracted into the big body. The more I looked over the pilot's compartment, the more it gave the impression of a robotic vehicle, rather than a shell of armor shaped like a pony.

While seeing Rapid's eyes shrink to pinpricks and her face pale satisfied the angry voice trying to assert itself again, Klein's reaction wasn't nearly as enjoyable. The evil bastard actually looked bored... glancing up at me and tilting his glasses for a better look, speaking in an unconcerned, conversational tone. "Ah... Subject 111-3-42, so this is who all the fuss is about? I see Dala managed to succeed after all, curious."

"Yeah... the monster she made has come for you now Klein. Prepare to face Luna's wrath for your sins... Death has come for you, all of you, and I am it's Shroud! But you Rapid.... you belong to Val..."

The Shroud's voice kept oozing up into my words and it savored the heady smell of fear coming from Rapid still frozen in place, but Klein's unconcerned head tilt just infuriated me more, looking up at me like an interesting species of bug. His eyebrows even raised at the aura of black lightning flickering around me as I seethed at him.

"Hmm... The Shrouded Stallion? I'd read the reports, but thought it was simply a madpony playing dress up. You're emitting a curious magical energy signature however... Project Knightfall? I'll have to confer with Swirl after he's done with Vega. Try to take him alive, I'd like to study that one. If you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to attempt to handle this breach Sgt. Reload, I'll have to disable the relay however, your probability of maintaining security of this facility is unacceptably low." At that, the bastard simply turned and trotted further into the storage area, leaving Rapid gaping behind him.

"DON"T YOU FUCKING MOVE! GET BACK HE..." I roared at him, the way he sedately kept going without even a wince further enraging 'Be Dark...'.

Before I could shoot the son of a bitch, the shelving I was perched on exploded under a missile impact, sending me crashing down in a rain of crates and junk. My shouting and dramatic perch made me a target for all the other Gunners I had totally disregarded on coming face to face with the Institute head.

I groaned where I crashed to the floor, rolling my dizzy eyes up to the suit of power armor that had blasted me looming overhead. The pilot reared up, raising his armored forehooves and preparing to stomp my head flat. A burning, white hot blade skewered him from behind before he could dance a jig on my face, erupting from his chest and melting the spell matrix housing.

Val was scowling behind the dead Gunner when she tore her Shishkebab free and let him fall to the ground in a heap right in front of me. Several 25mm grenades thumped out from the launcher on her flank as she helped me up in a rush. "You alright boss? What the hell you yellin' about back here? Lucky I heard yer dumb ass too!"

Shaking off the ringing in my ears from the concussion inducing blast that nearly splattered me against the ceiling, I turned back to where Klein had disappeared. I could just see his tail vanishing down a long aisle of shelving and a section of wall slid aside to go further in. My view was obstructed by the hulking robot armor powering up between us however.

There was a deep hum and the ground shook as the thing got to its heavy steel hooves, a crackle of corrupted magic lighting up a long set of horns at the front of the thing. Even standing, the legs were short and thick, the rounded body twice as tall as a pony and covered in dull green plates. Getting a better look when my eyes stopped spinning, I realized what it was modeled on and gaped, a yak... a huge, steel yak...

The thing was like a walking tank, even more so than the best of the Institute's advanced Steel Ranger suits, the backs of its short legs even had treads, heightening the comparison. The entire front face plate had been lifted away to allow Rapid to squeeze into the pilot's compartment, now bolted back in place and turning on us slowly. A yak with magical energy horns glowing green along with the cold eye ports. A cannon was mounted on one armored flank, while the other side sported something that looked like a scaled up version of my gauss rifle. It had two long prongs crackling with magic, surrounded by magnetic field generating rings, a rail gun...

"Val! Watch out! That's Rapid in that thing! She was talking to..." I yelled over the rising whine coming from the oversized gauss rifle powering up, flapping up out of the line of fire and still seeking out Klein behind the thing.

My warning to identify the bitch was unnecessary, Rapid Reload's smarmy, panicked voice boomed out of the cold metal face, as the noise of her rail gun reached a pitch that was hurting my sensitive ears. "You two are dead!! I'm not getting drummed out over this shit! You're not fucking this post up for me Traitor!!"

When the sparking rail gun at her flank fired, it made my ears pop and distorted the air around the rainboom speed slug. Val had tackled me to the floor and rolled away just in time, looking over her shoulder, I could see the large hole blasted through the metal crate we had been in front of, and the crate behind it, and the shelf it was on, and the next one...

A flickering glow was coming from the secret passage Klein had taken behind the hulking armor. I felt a sense of panic that had nothing to do with the weird war machine on spotting it. The teleporter... it had to be back there, Klein was disabling it right now!

"Val! I gotta go! She was talking to an Institute guy, he's getting away! Can you..." I yelped and struggled back to my hooves with Val, cut off from continuing as Rapid stomped around to face us again.

The rounded, armored back of the yak shaped suit clicked up, revealing a battery of mini-missiles that fwooshed out, forcing us both to frantically dive away from the string of explosions. Answering with the rapid thump of her own grenade machinegun, Val screeched and danced in the air, staying ahead of green beams of magical energy lancing out from the thing's tail.

"Go on boss! Bitch is mine anyway! I'ma gonna peel you out of that fucking thing Rapid! Hidin' in some ugly robot ain't gonna save ya!" Val waved me on, sending a stream of red M.E.W. beams down that barely scorched the paint job.

I didn't want to leave her to face this thing alone, quibbling in the air to myself indecisively and torn between her and Klein. The huge cannon on the armor's other flank boomed and decided for me, my clumsy dive pushed faster by the wave of explosive force just behind me. I smashed through another row of shelving and ended up flopping to the floor with the secret passage enticingly in front of my spinning eyes, the flickering lights and sparks sending Klein's looming shadow dancing on the steel walls.

'No... No escape... Mine...'

The growl of 'Be Dark...' helped me get back to my hooves, staggering towards the passage and shouting back to Val. "J-Just hang on! I'll be right back Val!

Zed was in there with her... it would be fine, I couldn't let Klein get away and destroy a path to the Institute, to my family, yet again. Every time I got close it slipped through my hooves. I wasn't going to let this chance get away, despite how 'Be Awesome!' grumbled at leaving Val on her own. Rapid was hers to take revenge on anyway, Val was too tough to let some prototype piece of tech get in her way, she deserved her payback, it wasn't my place to interfere.

All valid arguments, but all ones thrown up by 'Be Dark...' and the rising imperative to follow Klein, to hurt him, to find a way to the Institute and make them all pay. For revenge.

"FREEZE KLEIN!"

Even the roar of the Shroud's voice down the rough passage didn't make the Institute director before me flinch, pausing in his rapid tapping on a control console of the sparking teleport pad and looking over his shoulder with a resigned sigh. The crashes and booms coming from behind me made me anxious, darting my eyes between the bored looking synth and the flashes lighting up the storage chamber, where Val and Zed were dealing with the huge robot armor without me.

"Don't you fucking move... Just stop whatever you're doing to that teleporter, I want it and you are not fucking this one up for me..."

The bastard actually turned and sat down, taking his glasses off in his rust red colored magic and polishing them on his clean lab coat bearing the spread eagle pony emblem of the Institute. "You again... Very well subject 111-3-42, and what will you do should I leave this teleport pad functional?"

"Kill you... all of you..." Again the Shroud's voice came out of my mouth, answering immediately while the rational part of me was still considering what exactly I would do.

"Well, that's hardly incentive for me to do as you say, is it? Indeed, it would seem to be in my best interest to ensure this relay is inoperable, by any means necessary. Go ahead and shoot if it will make you feel better, it will merely activate the self destruct function, which is enhanced on my own model and sufficient to destroy this device. I'd advise an alternate course, why are you so determined to destroy us anyway 111-3-42?" Klein spoke like he was turning over an interesting puzzle in his hooves, not reacting to the explosions and blasts coming from the storage chamber outside, while I flinched at each new noise. My friends needed me... but...

"Don't call me that! I am not some damn experiment of yours and neither is my family, or the rest of the Commonwealth! I want them back! NOW!"

Klein's eyes flicked up in thought for a moment, apparently getting data from wherever his disconnected brain was lurking in his lair. "Hmm, aha, here it is. Mr. Times then, yes, your file is interesting, I'd left it to Dala and Vega up to now, but perhaps that was an error. It's riddled with ranting from Vega however, so you'll forgive me for not being too interested. I've left dealing with the outside to him as he has all these years, but things have changed and he's become increasingly unreliable. You and the mutant 'Princess' seem much better at manipulating public opinion, perhaps we can come to some kind of accord. Beyond granting Dala the chance to study her only success and try to duplicate it, cooperation may be to our mutual benefit."

"W-What?! No, I want my family back, period! I'm not helping you with any of the sick shit you get up to or selling my soul to do it either! You want to talk, fine, but my family comes first!!!"

"If you want your relatives back, that's all the more reason to cooperate Mr. Times. I can grant you others from Stable 111, their value as test subjects is minimal compared to putting a stop to your interference. However, those of Shift 3 are not within my power to grant, they are in the possession of a mutual enemy." Again the mad Institute head didn't break his calm or raise his voice in response to my growling and shouting, just making the fires of rage burn hotter.

"Mobius... Mobius has them then?"

'Mine... Revenge...'

"Indeed, very insistent about taking that particular group of ponies for himself. So much so that when we did acquire them and missed you, he became completely deranged and turned on us. He's been a thorn in our side and delayed our important work by decades." Klein huffed back in reply, straightening his tie absently as if he was discussing a twittermite infestation.

"Acquired!? You slaughtered everyone in Shift 4! Sprockets! Hearty Forks! FOALS!!! What kind of important work makes it ok to kill kids you evil bastard!!!"

'Murderer... Let me...'

The way he rolled his green eyes at my snorting shout just pissed me off more, shrugging and looking down his nose at me gnashing my fangs. "An unfortunate mistake, Vega and his outside contractor were in charge of that. I see you've already dealt with his agent on the surface, leaving us missing a go between you could easily fill in for. I assure you our work is important however, a benefit to all of ponykind. A way to raise the savage descendants we've found ourselves surrounded by back to a proper society, to restore Equestria as it was. Mobius and his treachery have delayed that outcome and allowed the wasteland above to fester, kept us sealed away here and prevented us from doing anything about it all this time."

So it was Mobius... Grandpa.... that was responsible for keeping the Commonwealth cut off from the rest of Equestria. Not just keeping outsiders out, but making sure the Institute stayed in? Much as I hated the smarmy stallion in front of me, he wasn't as obviously insane as Dala or Vega had been either, the first rational link to the Institute I had run into outside of runaway synths.

"What are you talking about? Nothing I've seen out of you exactly screams wanting to help anypony... You've tried to kill me repeatedly, experimented on me! You replace ponies with synths! You're building your own private army down here of nothing but violent psychopaths and mutated victims!"

"Means to an end Mr. Times. Unfortunate steps on the path of Arcane Science! You can't make an omelette and all that. I've only recently become aware there's a wide world outside, threats of savage wastelanders and upstart kingdoms. To restore Equestria will require force of arms along with wise leadership. The Commonwealth must be consolidated to proceed, outside invaders like the Brotherhood of Friendship repelled and strong factions above brought to heel. You yourself have done much the same according to Vega's furious reports, you simply don't have access to the same means." Klein started taking on fervent tones of a fanatic as he talked about his plans and goals, giving me valuable insight, but also increasing my anger and adding shocked rejection to my response.

"I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!! I'd never..."

Drolling out with a raised eyebrow, Klein ignored my shout again and interrupted. "Oh? You've made judgements and decided who should be in charge of various wasteland settlements, haven't you? Measured this world against your own old world morals and found it lacking and unacceptable?"

"But..."

"You've killed those you've decided deserve death for failing to live up to those views. Raiders and slavers? Criminals in a land with no laws? You pass what you call Luna's Judgement on them without any oversight or being held to account?"

"I..."

"You seem willing to do whatever you feel is necessary to 'fix' the wasteland by your own standards, and to find those taken from you of course. Both rather selfish motivations. We are not so different Mr. Times, the only difference is we have greater means and information than you do." Klein finished with a smirk, returning his attention to the sparking control console as the room shook from another blast of Rapid's cannon outside and a string of explosions.

Vengeance had been shaking and drooping at his assault of logical points and the internal battle going on in my head, snapping back up when he moved and I roared at him. "DON'T MOVE! J-Just stop!"

Looking over the rims of his glasses, he gave a disbelieving snort and continued on, tapping away at the controls as he spoke in a bored tone. "You can hardly threaten me with that and we both know it. I'm merely making an adjustment. I'm willing to extend you a very rare invitation Mr. Times. By the data we have, had you managed to not infuriate Vega so much, our talent scouts would have approached you by now anyway. There we are... now, this relay station will overload on the next teleport, which is targeted to a private facility where we can have a more productive talk. I can promise access to all the Stable 111 subjects still in our care, along with a path towards the ones you truly care about. If you chose to come that is, if not I'll simply take it myself and close this door behind me as it were. The choice is yours."

Klein gave a flourish of his hoof to the crystalline platform he stepped up to, waiting with a self satisfied expression while I gaped. I winced at the spike of pain between my eyes at the struggle going on up there, the voices I heard each taking a side that I'd be divided by even without them.

Answers... All the other 111 ponies and answers about Grandpa and where he took the others. A path to the Institute and the chance to make them pay if they were lying. To get what I wanted, to take back what was 'MINE', to get 'REVENGE', he was just offering to let me in and dangling tantalizing bits that I had been seeking since leaving the Stable.

"M-My friends, call that bitch off, shut down that insane armor first!" I flinched at another ground shaking round of explosions and the ear-popping noise of Rapid Reload's rail gun.

Klein gave a bored look down the passage behind me and the dancing shadows of flickering flames, shrugging when his green eyes returned to my burning crimson ones. "I'm afraid it's autonomous, not on the network, neither the armor or the pilot. Ms. Reload is a real pony, though replacing her would have most likely been more efficient, the Gunners wanted certain assurances of good faith. Besides, she is providing excellent data on the Y series robot armor. It will work itself out, one way or the other. This invitation is for you alone however, secrecy is still a priority. I'll not have some exile griffon descendant or filthy zebra infiltrator along for the ride. Make your choice."

The pain in my head was escalating at his ultimatum. 'Be Awesome!' rejected leaving my friends behind instantly, along with a good part of myself. 'Be Unwavering' rose up to counter the selfish longing for Klein's promises that I was struggling to ignore. 'Be Strong!' snorted and stamped, labeling the synth in front of me a liar and not to be trusted. The worried mote of 'Awareness!' kept throwing up every rumble and flicker of light behind me, making me aware of my friends fight I left them to. The last soft voice was the first I had found, 'Be Kind...' didn't need to be loud, the disapproval radiating from it reminded me of Jade and what she would think, of her beautiful face marred by a frown of distaste.

Fighting all of them and raging against the chains binding it was 'Be Dark...' though. I could feel it surging with renewed strength after conserving its energy, Zed was right... the harder it fought against the Ministry Mares, the stronger it got. They tried to push it back down and it strained and bucked more. The Institute... the ponies from MY Stable, a way to get to MY family, a path to get to what I WANTED. A chance to go through that teleporter and KILL THEM ALL if they didn't give me what was promised. MINE and WANT kept hissing up in my mind, fighting to take over and barely held back, locked in a battle where the gentle whisper of Fluttershy's spirit led the charge.

My friends though... Val... Val was hurting, we were here for her too. She had been right, it wasn't all about me and what I wanted, I wasn't that selfish... I couldn't be! It was wrong... giving in was wrong... I didn't want to leave her and Zed behind just to go after what I wanted for myself.

MINE! REVENGE! NOW!

No! I wouldn't leave her! She was my friend! Zed was finally my friend too! It had taken so long just to make this much progress with the dour zebra, but he really cared now! He was watching out for me all this time, keeping an eye out for the voice ranting at me to leave him behind. I shouldn't... wouldn't... I swayed on my hooves, Klein's impatiently tapping hoof growing blurry as the pain in my head doubled at the roaring ranting answering me.

MINE!! REVENGE!! MURDERERS! BETRAYER! REVENGE! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!

NO!! I won't do it dammit!!! I don't care if that annoying voice is some stupid spirit or curse, or just me being selfish and going crazy! It's not the Shroud! The Shroud wouldn't leave his friends behind to be selfish! The Shrouded Stallion's better than that! If it... if you won't see that, you're... you're WORTHLESS!! And I...

"I. WON'T. DO.THAT! "

I screamed with effort and opened my teary eyes, shoving back with the rising song of the Ministry Mares as the snarl of 'Be Dark...' faltered a moment. I took control of Kellogg's gleaming revolver from where it wobbled in my erratic telekinesis during the internal struggle. Vengeance, that was the name my weird pip-buck gave this gun after I took my revenge on its previous owner. I left Jade and the others behind then to do it, but I wouldn't this time. Fitting to use it to blow a hole through Klein's head now.

The Institute director was thrown back, half his synthetic brains splattered on the wall he slumped against. Even with most of his skull blown off, that smarmy voice still gurgled out from the remains of his white muzzle. "Hmm, interesting. We'll have to revisit the issue at a future date Mr. Times. Considering you survive..."

At that, the synth body glowed a bright green. Instead of melting into a puddle of goop like every other synth I had seen however, the Director's body exploded in a blinding green flash like a plasma grenade, throwing me back and scorching the half of my body facing it when I flinched back.

I groaned and winced at the plasma burns, weakly twitching my right wing and gagging on the smell of burnt feathers, fur and singed tail. Staggering my way back up to my hooves, I took one last look in the secret chamber, feeling a salty tear add a line of pain as it ran down my burned cheek, taking in the ruined teleport pad. I threw it away... my first real chance to get some answers and it was gone.

While 'Be Dark...' muttered and sulked, it begrudgingly went along with the victorious Ministry Mares, joining the frantic pink mote of 'Awareness!' and the stern shout of 'Be Awesome!' in drawing my attention back to the present and the end of the passage I could see from where I got thrown.

Sucking down one of my few remaining healing potions Jade brewed for me, I lurched towards the flickering flames engulfing half the storage chamber and the heavy rumbles and stomps of the dark hulk of Rapid in her armor. It was done and I did it for a reason. Bad enough I left my friends to deal with that thing for this long, they needed me and I wouldn't leave them behind.

Mission Updated: Buried Secrets

Objective-
-- Investigate Other Stables
-----Investigate Stable 114
-----~~Investigate Stable 95.5~~
-----~~Investigate Stable 75~~

"Yee-haw! I'm gonna get you outta that thing eventually bitch! Buckin' around's just delayin' tha inevitable an pissin' me off more!" Val's cackling laughter greeted me as I exited out into the burning storage chamber, her glee somewhat annoying until I saw the obvious pain it was masking on taking in the scene.

She was riding atop the yak shaped robot armor as it bucked and thrashed around the room, holding tight with both claws to her blazing Shishkebab pierced straight down atop the rounded shoulders, melting through layers of heavy armor. Despite her loud whooping as she rode the bucking contraption, Val had taken some serious damage, scorch marks marred her riot armor and blood darkened her crimson feathers, running into one squinting eye as she kept her tenuous grip on the rampaging armor.

Other than the hole streaming rivulets of melted armor around the burning starmetal sword, Rapid's armor didn't look like it had taken much damage either. Both of its flank mounted heavy weapons were intact and swiveling madly to aim at Val in their blind spot. I did notice the tail mounted light magical energy weapon that might pose a threat to the crazed griffon had been sliced neatly off however, the sparking stub lashing wildly at her.

Zed charged forward as I choked on the smoke filling the room from the fires spreading everywhere, his own pale coat similarly covered in crimson bloodstains. The injured zebra dodged the glowing green horns swinging wildly by a hair's breath, ducking under the rearing armor and giving a buck that dented the thinner plates on the underbelly with a resounding 'clang!'. By the time he had leapt aside of it stomping to the ground however, I could see the damage already beginning to repair, the armor bending back into shape even while it stamped and bucked.

I wondered for a moment just how they had both taken what looked like lighter arms fire, then had my brief question answered for me as a crate nearby just beginning to be engulfed in flames started to really catch fire. The box stuffed full of ammo started cooking off and firing in random directions, forcing me to scramble away and still taking a few stinging impacts against my magical armor.

Another crate across the room exploded in a huge fireball, grenades or mines presumably. That explained some of the shakes and rumbles I had felt even down the secret passage. The fires quickly spreading were creating a much greater danger than just the roiling black smoke filling the room, all the ordinance packed away in here had become a minefield.

"GET OFF TRAITOR!" Rapid's yak shaped armor boomed and stampeded through a burning set of shelves, finally managing to dislodge Val and throwing her across the room.

Following her arcing course with a rocketing takeoff 'Be Awesome!', I grabbed her in my telekinesis before she smashed into a raging fire engulfing the far wall. When I managed to catch up to her singed feline form, I wrapped my hooves around her and flapped hard, narrowly avoiding the ear aching crack of Rapid's rail gun on target to blast her. We instead veered off course and came to a rolling crash between aisles, thankfully out of our crazed enemies line of sight and near Zed crouched in the shadows.

Val groaned under my protective embrace, shoving me off with a coughing fit and speaking in a hoarse voice. "Kaff! Kaff!... B-Boss? What're ya doin' here? Back already? You catch yer Institute screw head? Kaff!"

"Y-Yeah... Don't worry about that Val, we've got bigger problems anyway, right? Looks like that thing is pretty tough..."

Val frowned and followed my wincing gaze to the secret passage, clucking at the sparks still flickering that way as she rose to her paws in a crouch matching Zed and myself. Even she wasn't anxious to let Rapid know where we were in all the chaos, despite what she said. "W-We got this bitch well in claw ya know... Just about ta finish her off. W-What the hell happened? Ya let some egghead fuck you up that much?"

Zed spared me from trying to answer her glower at my burns, peeking over some of the few crates not already on fire that hid us from Rapid's rampaging armor smashing through the room. "Don't mind her Fast, she's exaggerating. That pony machine is indeed formidable, I've fought Steel Ranger armor and not had nearly so much trouble. It's already repairing the gap Valkyrie was trying to open, through much thicker armor than I've ever seen. The weapons it wields are quite powerful as well. The only weaknesses I've seen are the thinner armor beneath and its slow speed."

Joining him in peeking up at the yak armor plowing through a wall of fire and tearing through the steel shelves beneath with those glowing horns, I had to agree with his assessment. I'd never seen a machine like that either, though I doubted anyone had, Klein did say it was a prototype. It already looked as pristine as when I first spotted Rapid squeezing her way into it too. If only I had just shot the bitch then and there... Val deserved her revenge, but putting her down would have served justice just as well, and spared us from dealing with the mechanical monster now.

Turning to the bleeding griffon gulping down a normal, purple healing potion beside me, I came to the same conclusion, knowing she wouldn't like it. "He's right Val, that thing's too heavily armored to take down easy. It does look slow though, let me go distract her while you dig up some more firepower from all this crap."

"What!? No way boss! Nuh-uh! Ya ain't runnin' off alone again, what'd I tell ya!!" Val's squawk of indignation made the green eye slits glowing from the facial plate of Rapid's armor swing our way, making us all duck back down in a hurry.

"I know what you said, that's why I'm asking instead of just doing it Val. It's the best way, it's slow and I'm Fast. Get it?"

Checking my pip-buck while she groaned at my lame joke, I was even more optimistic this may work with a little backup. Giving her a friendly nudge and hopeful look, I couldn't help but think of my old best friend Grizz and how we'd both chuckle at the same play on words involving my name. I passed up a chance to find him too... and Sunset... but I did it to help my new friends. I hoped they'd understand.

"Still don't like it boss... Kaff! Kaff! Bitch is mine, ain't fair lettin' ya go be bait again. We can take her down right...." Val shook her head angrily, but her rejection was cut off by the boom of Rapid's cannon obliterating the thin bit of cover we sheltered behind, tossing all of us back, with Val instantly grabbing me and trying to shield me from the blast.

Shoving my way free from under her woozily, I grimaced at the shrapnel peppering her orange fur, a large chunk wedged directly in her crossed out Gunner's barcode cutie mark. She gasped and tried to stop me from pulling away, coughing up blood as her talons grabbed my scarf and held me back weakly.

The heavy, stomping hoofsteps of Rapid's armor approaching made the argument moot. Her amplified voice crackling from the speakers of the flat face of her armor. "There you are! Taking you fuckers down will almost be worth all the damage you caused!"

Her rail gun was charging, the rings lining the twin prongs glowing brighter and lighting up, chasing each other down the barrel as it approached full power. There was still burning deitrus between us, but not enough to stop that thing's rainboom speed shot. I gently pushed Val's claw aside, taking a few precious seconds to stroke her cheek as she coughed and struggled.

"Let me protect you this once Val. We're going to get payback for your friend, together. Just let me handle this part and be ready to take her down with me when you're ok. Zed! Help her! Please!"

My zebra companion had once again gracefully dodged out of the way, shoving charred junk and shelving off of himself with only a few oozing wounds. Zed glanced between us and nodded, ready to take care of their wounds as soon as I drew Rapid away, with none of Val's arguments against the reckless plan starting to form in my mind.

Knowing she'd be alright in his care, I pulled free of Val's flailing claws and stood between her and Rapid in a predatory crouch, feeling my fangs lengthen and my eyes glowing. The sensation was a little off this time though, 'Be Dark...' was being petulant and pouting, for once not rising to the invitation of a little slack in the chains binding it. Part of me or something else, I needed its help and this was a bad time for it to not cooperate.

"You won't hurt her bitch! Thine crimes have already sentenced you. Prepare to face Luna's wrath, Death has come for you, and I am it's Shroud!"

I had to focus on the voice altering spell instead of it happening subconsciously as it had more and more often. Once again, a little bit of theater helped in unexpected ways though. Hearing the Shroud's voice growling out of me protecting Val made Rapid pause, guffaws of static filled laughter booming out of the robot armor tromping closer. "Fuck you crazy! I'll blast you both to paste with this thing, you wanna go first that's fine by me. Hope there's enough to sponge off the walls to collect the bounty!"

Taking advantage of her pause, I activated S.A.T.S. as the crescent tip of Blue Moon clicked out from under my singed wing, crackling with magical power as time froze. The targeting spell identified the huge robot as 'YK-Robot Armor Mark 3', offering a wealth of targets to pick from, with typical lower odds to hit with the magical energy weapon.

I wasn't counting on my somewhat increasing skill with M.E.W.s though, cycling through the additional menus of the S.A.T.S. Overcharge System pilfered from Institute tech. All the fighting to get this far had fully charged both crystal modules, meaning I had two guaranteed shots of magnified power. While my vision hovered over the glowing rail gun for a moment in temptation, I shifted my view to the blunt face of the armor and accepted the shot.

When time resumed, a layer of overglow enveloped the magical energy cannon at my side, rings of eldritch runes circling the extended barrel and the crackling blue diamond tip. The wide, flat beam blasted out while Rapid's cackling laughter was just beginning to taper off in concern, slamming into the armor's faceplate and pushing it back in a blinding display.

The tank like armor dug its steel hooves in, but was still skidding backwards as the armor plating up front took the brunt of the blast. The whole face and upper forelegs glowed first orange, then white hot, melting layer after layer of armor as Rapid screamed from inside.

I had vaguely hoped the critical shot would turn her to sparkling ash, but no such luck against all that mass. I had a good idea Rapid got pretty cooked inside her pilot's compartment at least. When the beam cut off she was still screaming, the half melted front pooling ribbons of melted metal at her twitching hooves.

"OH YOU FUCKER! YOU ARE DEAD TWERP!!" Rapid's voice warbled out of the scorched speakers, growing clearer as the advanced repair systems in the crazy armor were already undoing what damage I had managed to inflict.

I had expected it, but watching the cooling streams of melted armor reversing direction and rebuilding the armor so quickly was disheartening. Still, my main objective had been accomplished, Rapid was enraged and focused solely on me. The robot yak stomped its hooves and swung its flickering horns around, shaking off the attack as the eye slits glowed and stared me down like the light of a locomotive screaming down the tracks.

"You'll have to catch me first bitch! C'mon! Show me what that ugly thing can do!"

Pawing the floor in twitchy anticipation, I noted the lightning aura flickering around me was pure white and felt a little off. Rage wasn't fueling my magic at the moment, I'd almost swear 'Be Dark...' actually was... pouting, it was a strange sensation actually, feeling that little dark mote drawing back and turning away, intentionally not helping me as it had for so long.

At least I had other help to rely on, 'Awareness!' yelped just in time to pull me from my internal discord, letting my own reflexes and 'Be Awesome!' dodge Rapid's cannon, zipping across the room in an electric flicker towards the door out. I stood by the exit as the tank like armor shifted to follow my progress, flapping my wings to bat away cinders, ash and shrapnel from the narrowly avoided blast.

"Swing and a miss! You'll have to do better than that!" I managed to keep the shakiness out of my voice while taunting her, feeling a lot more fear and adrenaline than I had gotten used to doing things like this. Did the dark Shroud in my head really keep all that at bay?

Not something I had time to ponder, with or without 'Be Dark...', I had poked the Ursa Major, now I had to deal with her throwing her head back and screaming in frustration. "RRRAAAGGH!!! HOLD STILL YOU LITTLE SHIT! GET BACK HERE!!"

I spared one last glance to where Zed and Val were sheltered, seeing them already up and moving, the flash of a very annoyed violet griffon eye looking back through the smoke and flames. She could slap me around more if we all lived... For now Rapid's rail gun was charging again, making being anywhere else a very good idea.

I ran down the long, lockbox lined passage with my heart hammering in my chest, taking a flying hop off the round vault door threshold and a flying leap to vault over the barred teller windows, landing awkwardly on the half shredded counter we had sheltered behind on the way in and panting. I shifted on my hooves anxiously, letting the supportive voice of 'Be Unwavering!' ease the tremble in my legs and looking back down the passage.

My concern that Rapid wouldn't take the bait was short lived, I heard her ranting and the heavy stomps of her armor approaching, then shaking that reverberated even through the sturdy Stable-Tec construction. My ears flicked at several clicks and whines of machinery in the piece of tech chasing me, then a low grinding noise that was approaching rapidly as I loaded the Terrible Shotgun with some of the explosive rounds pilfered from the Gunner's stockpile.

Gaping at the limited view I had, any hopes of slowing her down with the narrow Stable doorways went down in flames. The weird robot armor had folded in on itself, plowing forward using the tank treads on the backs of its legs, now in contact with the ground thanks to its lying down position. In this new configuration, the horrible thing was fast too... much faster than I had counted on dealing with.

A hard flap sent me flying back as it smashed through the teller windows and the counter I had perched on, those glowing horns obliterating any obstacle as they flailed wildly and shook off the rubble. The two heavy weapons at the flanks had swiveled up to the back to squeeze its way here, I barely avoided the limited vertical range of the rail gun before it blasted out another slug, distorting the air and punching through the heavy gauge wall behind me.

Looping through the air, I dove back for the floor, firing several rounds from my shotgun floating beside me. S.A.T.S. was still recharging, so the wild rounds weren't as accurate as I hoped, the explosive ammunition made up for it however. The wide spread bursts hammered away at her rail gun, twisting the delicate ringed barrel into a useless piece of scrap that fell away.

If she waited and hung around long enough, I had no doubt that amazing piece of arcano-tech could reattach and repair the devastating weapon. Luckily she wasn't inclined to do so with me cackling as I slammed to the floor, wiggling my rump and flicking my tail teasingly as I galloped for the wide Stable passage out.

"Nyaa-nyaa! Boy you really suck Rapid! Even worse than all the other Gunners I killed in here! Hell, you're not even worth my time! I think I'll just leave!!"

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE YOU BASTARD!!" Rapid screamed behind me as I got up to a gallop and left her behind, trailing electricity at my hooves.

A worried look back over my shoulder made me adjust my straight course into a series of zigs and zags, just ahead of a stream of machinegun fire chasing me. What I had mistaken for ornamental vertical tubes mimicking a real yak's braids were actually weapon barrels. Now they were flipped up and pointing at me, pouring out heavy rounds through tongues of fire that lit the blank face swinging back and forth after me.

Tossing mines stolen from Gunner crates behind me haphazardly didn't do much to slow her down, while the apparently armor piercing rounds she was spewing after me tore through my Shrouded Stallion armor when they caught up to my dodging course. Wincing at one white hot bullet wedged in my flank, I skidded through a 90 degree turn and dove for the Officer's Mess, letting my wings take over for my injured leg and crashing behind the kitchen counter in the gloomy room.

Cowering in the shadows under the long counter, I gulped down my last radioactive healing potion and tried to dig the bullet from my flank as it was painfully pushed out. 'Be Strong!' helped as I bit my lip and tore it free with a muffled yelp, but the pain from all my injuries so far was catching up to me. Normally I could just push through and keep going, but I was getting the feeling the sulking 'Be Dark...' usually helped with that too.

I took a shaky breath as I heard Rapid's stomping hoofsteps reach the door, shuddering to myself as her horns tore her way through the narrow doorway and her voice boomed out. "WHERE ARE YOU RUNT!! YOU'RE NOT GETTING OUT OF HERE ALIVE!!!"

Hearing her stomp and smash her way through all the tables and booths just beyond my flimsy hiding place, I shivered and felt a cold sweat on my coat. The relief I felt when she barreled her way out through the exit to the regular mess hall and Atrium we had left open was so great, I couldn't get my shaking hooves to move to reveal myself and follow her. I was scared... more scared than I had been since the first raiders I had run into after leaving the Stable. I couldn't do this...

Not alone anyway...

Closing my eyes, I tried to put aside the shaking of Rapid going on a rampage trying to find me outside, ignore the booms of her cannon and missiles, calm my racing heart and not feel ridiculous or insane talking to myself. Instead I tried to picture that black stasis pod in my head, hear the chains binding it, feel the chill in that shadowy portion of my mind Ivy helped me find.

"Whatever you are... If this is... a-actually the Shrouded Stallion somehow, or just some schizophrenic personality... or some spirit like Zed thinks... I could use a little help here..."

'Worthless?...'

A petulant mutter rose up in answer, surprising me actually getting a reply from my own head, while also making me facehoof and growl in annoyance. It actually was fucking pouting!? Withdrawing its aid because it got its feelings hurt!?! The voices of the Ministry Mares sometimes disagreed with me and made their feelings known, but they never stopped helping me like 'Be Dark...' had apparently decided to do.

"Oh you son of a... Really!? I'm having an argument with myself!? Fine, you're not worthless! I get it! I stand by what I said about priorities though, my friends matter more than getting revenge! I don't want to be that selfish, I'm NOT!"

'Want... Mine... More...'

"SCREW IT! IF YOU WANT TO RUN AWAY, I'LL GO FINISH OFF THE TRAITOR MR. BIG BAD SHROUDED STALLION!" Rapid's frustrated shout helpfully distracted me from the obstinate voice in my head, giving me motivation to get up and get moving.

"You hear that!? She's going after Val! Now, you can help or not, but I doubt me dying would be good for you either! Either way, I am... I am doing this! With or without you!"

Abandoning my hidey hole was hard, mustering up courage on my own to face the Institute made monstrosity tearing through the Atrium outside. When I stood at the door out, stamping my hooves and flaring my wings angrily, it was at least me in charge, my own will and bravery stilling the shivers still running down my tail. I was keeping this bitch busy and trusting my friends while I protected them, whether I had some spirit helping me or not.

Well... whether I had all the spirits in my head helping or not rather. The harmonious melody of the Ministry Mares rose up in approval, the bawdy note of 'Be Awesome!' the loudest as I glared at the hulking armor turning towards my shout.

"Hey! Over here slowpoke! Thought you'd never catch up!"

I was glad I was already tensed for takeoff, rocketing up in a black contrail flickering with lightning, just ahead of a stream of mini missiles from Rapid's humped back. Her screeching voice rose above the racket from her twin machineguns tracing rounds behind me as she spun to follow my course. "FUCKER! I'M SPLATTERING ALL OF YOU BASTARDS, BOUNTY OR NOT! YOU AND THE TRAITOR ARE DEAD!!"

'Mine....'

The growl of 'Be Dark...' joined the song of the Ministry Mares, a deeper and somewhat dissonant note that still sang the same tune for once. I could feel its strength join theirs as I hit the rounded wall of the Atrium, charging ahead running along the walls with the lightning at my hooves getting darker and more powerful.

Still possessive and selfish, but the threat against Val made it somewhat more agreeable again. I'd take the help and worry about being possessed by a self serving and whiny spirit later. Zed did say I wasn't evil anyway, his potion would have done something if it was bad... right? I had the feeling that rising growl pushing me on faster was somehow related to Grandpa Mobius and whatever he blanked out of my memory beyond himself, but for now I had more pressing concerns.

I led Rapid back to the Atrium for more room with less burning and exploding obstacles, that much was at least going according to plan. In here I could fly freely, even if less gracefully than Val or the Gunner griffons that had inhabited this place. 'Be Awesome!' and 'Be Dark...' actually harmonized and took up the slack, letting me leap to the open air ahead of Rapid's cannon blowing a large hole in the wall behind me.

Hammering away with the rest of the drum of explosive shotgun slugs did visible damage, but it was already stripping the metal floor and mess hall benches for materials to self repair as I reloaded. It had to have one of the Institute's most advanced repair talismans to regenerate that quickly, it was on par with the sole Courser I had run into, and that thing had been nearly unstoppable.

Trying anything to drag this out and stay alive, I looped through the air and grabbed some of the already ruined scaffolding and stairs littering the floor of the Atrium from our entrance with my telekinesis. Straining along with 'Be Strong!' I managed to lift a squalling heap of mangled metal and throw it at Rapid's armor, buying myself only a few bare seconds as her glowing horns shredded through it and she cackled.

"HAHAHA! THIS IS AWESOME! I'M INVINCIBLE IN THIS THING! IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I SWAT YOU LIKE THE BUG YOU ARE!" Rapid's booming laughter as she shrugged off the attack fed that flickering anger that kept me going, mainly because she was right...

My wings beat frantically as I climbed higher, hoping to get out of her most lethal range and gain a little breathing room. Adding Thump-Thump to the Terrible Shotgun barking through a fresh drum of explosive rounds engulfed the indomitable armor in flames, denting the thick plates and wrecking the cannon for a few moments, but doing little to actually stop it.

When she stomped her way to the wall beneath me, my jaw dropped as the thick steel hooves were covered with the glow of magic and she started climbing the vertical surface after me, spraying the air around me with the chatter of her lighter weaponry while the cannon repaired itself. Gravity magic... something I had learn the barest bit about in my magic primers, it was built into that thing. So much for leaving it trapped down at the bottom of the cavernous Atrium.

Seeking shelter from the stream of machinegun rounds tracing after me, I dove for one of the remaining walkways ringing the shaft of the Atrium, catching my breath as the dense metal under my hooves pinged and dented from her continued assault. Think stupid... no machine is flawless, everything has a weakness...

'Let me....'

No! I had the feeling letting 'Be Dark...' off the chain entirely was an extremely bad idea at the moment. I still felt fragile from letting it take over once and now it was pissed, straining and demanding freedom. I had to admit I did need its help, but I couldn't let myself rely on it too much as a crutch. It could work together with the Ministry Mares helping me, but I needed to stay in control. Letting it loose would be as bad as charging ahead blindly as Val was so upset about, I trusted her and Zed, my friends would come, they just needed time. Just think...

Those glowing horns, two heavy flank mounted weapons, light machineguns and a magical energy weapon tail, plus the impressive repair talisman and other magical features, like the spell letting it keep tromping up after me... All that would take a lot of power...

A Steel Ranger suit of power armor had limitations for the spell matrix and weaponry power requirements, gaining more would require a bigger spark reactor than would fit on a pony sized suit of armor. The Institute... Klein, had gotten around that by scaling the whole thing up into the hulking, yak shaped robot armor. It was big enough to be packing around a much heavier spark reactor, but that much power use had to be a strain with the way Rapid was throwing everything at me.

KRAKA-THOOM!!

Diving out over the railing, I unleashed the strongest bolt of lightning I could and kept pouring it on. As soon as I paused to cast the spell, Rapid's twin machineguns zeroed in on me, a trio of bullets chewing into my left wing and sending me lurching in the air, still streaming electricity out as I lost elevation.

The glowing horns were acting as lightning rods, lighting up brighter as I kept up the onslaught. Adding a layer of overglow that made my horn ache, I was able to unsteadily grip Thump-Thump and the Terrible Shotgun, sending more 40mm grenades and explosive slugs against it. The armor crouched against the wall and slipped a few inches, the cannon firing wild and missing me by bare inches as it clung in place.

Those glowing green eyes on the blank faceplate flickered as the repair talisman kicked in, it was drawing on too much at once as she tried to keep firing at me. If I could just do enough damage, I'd overload the repair system if not fry it. Another white hot bullet passing through my armor and the shoulder beneath in a spray of blood, while I roared and kept dishing it out. Come on... just a little more!

'Let... me... out...'

'Be Strong!'

I wasn't sure which voice I latched on to as a lifeline, screaming with effort and drawing on the last reserves of magic I had in the tank. By the way the lightning stream connecting me and Rapid flickered darkly and then blazed brighter, I assumed the dark Shroud was in there. The unthinking idea of diving directly at her more than likely came from that snarling part of me anyway, surprising both me and Rapid as I slammed into the dense armor of her face with all four hooves crackling.

A cowpony buck braced against the wall probably came from Applejack however, Rapid reared back in surprise when I slammed into her, giving just enough room to slide against the wall and wedge myself beneath the thinner armor of the robot suit's belly. My exhausted muscles strained to shove her away from the wall as I activated S.A.T.S. and tore through the menus. I had one more critical shot stored in the S.A.T.O.S. module, it was now or never.

Time resumed with my selection made and Blue Moon clicked out at my side, the barrel crackling against the chest of the yak shaped armor. The swirling runes surrounding it were nearly washed out by the lightning still pouring out of my horn, the pale blue-white beam blasting out in the close quarters outshone even the electricity surging over the armor however.

At point blank range, I felt the heat of the magical energy beam pushing Rapid back even further from the wall. Rivulets of melting armor ran down and burned my hindhooves still shoving at her. I could hear the servos in the suit whining to hold on, adding to the power load reaching critical levels. With a screech of twisting metal, the huge robot was forcibly torn away from the wall, taking paneling with her as the suit finally overloaded with a shower of sparks and a whiff of ozone, then went dark.

Unfortunately I followed it down, fighting against the darkness creeping into the edges of my vision and the tempting lull of unconsciousness. We both crashed into the pile of scrap metal taking up most of the Atrium floor, Rapid's dead armor hitting like a bomb and blowing me off course from following right on top of her, instead rolling to a painful stop among a twisted steel staircase.

I groaned weakly and flopped in place, trying to move and not able to despite the panicked shouts of 'Be Unwavering!', Rarity's spirit kept me conscious, but that was about all she could manage. What minimal movement I could manage only made me aware of the jagged piece of scrap lodged in my side from the fall. Hissing in pain, my horn gave a few weak sparks at my attempt to remove it, forcing me to slowly grip it in my teeth instead and pull it free.

Well before I could do more than simply watch the blood oozing from my side, I heard the robot armor powering back up with a low thrum. Squalling metal was shrugged off as it slowly rose from the impact crater and tossed aside scaffolding, though I was heartened to see it wasn't repairing damage anymore. It rose to its hooves and stomped forward one slow, lurching step at a time, its systems coming back online with unhealthy sounding whines and clicks as it approached, while I rolled an eye weakly up to the dead stare of dimly glowing eye slits.

If I had been able to follow up after shutting it down, I might have stopped it permanently. Instead I only served as an annoyance, the repair talisman might actually be fried, but that was no delay to Rapid's sneering voice coming closer. "NOW YOU LITTLE SHIT... NOT SO SCARY NOW, ARE YOU!? I'M GONNA ENJOY THIS! FIRST I THINK I'LL STOMP YOU FLAT, ONE PIECE AT A TIME..."

Trying to crawl away only put my hindlegs dragging behind me out where the thick, armored hoof could slam down on them. Rapid stomped my right leg with a sickening crunch of bone and I found the energy to scream, dragging myself forward with my forelegs and bleeding wings one inch at a time when her hoof came up again.

She had her foreleg raised and was savoring taking her aim above my remaining hindleg, laughing at the way the first was crushed into a terribly new shape a fearful glance back showed too much of. My horn sparked uselessly again at the thought of trying to teleport away in desperation, wishing I both knew how to do it intentionally and had any magic left to pull it off.

A rapid series of 'fwoosh' sounds made my ears flick, just ahead of a series of explosions engulfing Rapid's armor and tossing me through the air limply. Val's angry screech made it through the ringing in my ears and I was caught in the air by a red and orange blur, zooming away from the frustrated shouts of Rapid and a series of heavy 'clangs' and sharp cracks behind us.

My stomach dropped at the sharp climb from a more proficient flier, woozily looking up and trying to get the two worried looking griffons above me to resolve back into one. Val was here... my bodyguard saved me... She had a quad barrelled missile launcher over her shoulder, still streaming smoke from the assault I guessed saved my life, clucking anxiously and slapping my muzzle.

"Boss! Snap outta it boss! Don't sleep ya goofy fuck! C'mon! Where's them potions of yers?!" Val's dexterous claws patted at me rapidly, digging in my saddlebags and all over my scorched and slowly repairing trenchcoat.

"G-Gone... used... last one... T-Thank you... Val..."

My weak groan and fumbling hooves pawing at her soft feathers just seemed to annoy her more, shoving my reaching forelegs away from the hug I wanted before simply passing out. She kept digging in my packs until she found the wrapped balefire apple Zed had returned to me, ripping the lead apron away and pressing it against my chest forcefully.

"Shaddup ya silly bastard! Here! Now.. g-get better dammit! Right now! Jeez boss... how'd ya let her fuck ya up so bad!? C-C'mon! Heal faster!" While having the highly radioactive apple pressed against me did help, just reaching up with my forelegs to hold it with her help was a struggle.

The soothing tingle of radiation did focus my vision enough to see her satisfied that I could hold it in place, then quickly reload the long missile launcher with red tipped missiles from a large green duffel bag slung over her shoulder. As soon as she had reloaded, Val stood on her hindlegs at the bent railing of the scaffold she had sheltered on, yelling down to Zed and those continuing clangs and cracks of noise. "Incomin' Stripey!! Keep it up!"

Another four rapid 'fwooshes' came with her missiles lancing down to the unseen floor of the Atrium, followed by four more explosions detonating against Rapid's unstoppable armor. Once that was done, Val turned back to reload and I heard the clangs and cracks resume, Zed was down there... fighting it with his hooves?

I flopped over from where Val had propped me up and dragged myself to the edge behind her as she reloaded, hugging the tingly apple to my chest as I inched my way forward to see. Zed really was fighting that tank hoof to hoof, though I did manage to spot a pair of odd powerhooves on his forelegs that were causing the sharp cracks with each graceful hit. They caused a little mini explosion with each skillful strike, ballistic powerhooves? He must have found something in the Gunner's stockpile to help too.

Val again screeched down at him to move and let loose with more missiles, pounding the increasingly dented armor back as Zed flipped out of the way. She spotted me sprawled out behind her as she turned to reload again and squawked angrily, grabbing my mane and shoving me back to the seated position against the wall I started at in a huff. Blinking dizzily from where she shoved me, I realized she had taken me all the way up to the top scaffold, the door sign buzzing overhead reading; 'Stable Entrance'.

"Dammit! Stay still!! Quit squirmin' around back there and hold that thing in place!" Val forced my forelegs back into hugging the radioactive apple to my chest, glaring at me to try moving again before she returned her attention to the enemy below.

Even with their improvised upgrades to firepower and Rapid's armor no longer able to repair itself, I wasn't sure they could do enough to put her down. It was still essentially a tank designed to shrug off everything thrown at it. So the sight of a pink and purple blurry shape suddenly filling the door beside me was more than welcome.

I had spotted Swan's locator tag nearly on top of us when I led Rapid away on that mad chase, looking up to her shoving her way through the door leading back up to the Stable entrance was prayer to the Goddesses answered. My eyes even focused on her face looming overhead, taking in her wiggling progress and the wide eyed gasp of horror meeting my my gaze.

She disappeared in a flash as things got blurry again, a much brighter and closer violet flare of her teleporting beside us to bypass the door slowing her down made me see stars. She actually fit up here with us so she had burned off a lot of energy to follow, her eagerness for the fun of a good fight now turning to real fright I could hear in her worried cry. "Fast!! What happened!? What did this..."

Swan's voice dropped to a growl at the end, her worried nuzzling swinging away and seeking out the target Val pointed out happily. "Welcome back big stuff! That fucker right there hurt yer lil' squeezy toy, wreck her ass!"

As soon as she spotted the yak shaped armor, Swan roared in fury and lobbed a string of exploding purple arrows of magic after it. "YOU'RE NO YAK! YOU'RE BAD!!!"

Given the absolute rage in her voice, I was somewhat amazed she refrained from following up on her threat immediately, swinging her big head back down to me and nudging me anxiously. She grabbed the glowing apple in my hooves away in her teeth, trying to shove it in my mouth with a kiss and make me eat the whole thing as she had. What was basically a mouthful to Swan was enough to choke and gag me, making her pull away and adjust her plan with a brittle crunch of her sharp fangs.

Feeling her soft lips pressed to mine, I sputtered and coughed on the stream of tingly, rock candy like fragments she shoved down my throat with her agile tongue. I managed to swallow down about half, whining weakly as she pulled away and spit the rest out onto the discarded lead apron beside me. I could feel the tingles all the way down my throat, a surge of radiation going off like a bomb when it hit my stomach letting me focus on her dragon slitted eyes worriedly watching.

"You stay and feel better Fast, I'm gonna go smash that ugly non-yak thing flat!" Swan flared her wings and lifted off backwards over the railing, her frightened expression hardening into a determined scowl.

Val whooped and danced in glee watching her dive away, cheering at the explosions and hard impacts I could feel reverberating through the scaffolding. Given Swan's new cutie mark and her feelings on yaks, I couldn't imagine a worse possible design for the Institute to use against her. Devastatingly effective against practically anyone else, but against the enraged alicorn mare down there? Klein was about to get all the data he could want on his tin can getting its ass kicked.

The magical radiation suffusing me from the inside out was doing a world of good already, though my head and horn still ached and my broken leg still felt like it was packed with glass. The disquieting sensation of things moving around and regenerating inside me would never feel normal, and restoring blood loss wasn't nearly so easy.

Despite Val's immediate protest drawing her from rummaging in the pilfered green duffel full of new toys, I lurched my way to the railing again, flopping down with my chin between the metal bars to peer down and at least watch. I must have made better progress since she didn't drag me away again, grousing over her shoulder as she returned to rooting through her loot. "Told ya ta stay put boss... yer tickin' me off again! You... uh, g-gonna be ok? Don't you try jumpin' down there dammit!"

"F-Fine... not goin' anywhere Val, t-trust me..." I gurgled back and spit out a wad of thick blood, blinking woozily at the clink of bullets that had been lodged in my guts forced out through my mouth.

Watching Swan and Zed fight below made me feel better at least, if not physically. Swan had reduced herself down to double Jade's size to come in after us, her desire to be with others and join in overriding her former obsession with remaining a super alicorn as much as possible.

No matter the size though, Swan was a warrior princess, a force of nature with a personal vendetta. Her long pink mane and tail rippled behind her like a torch as she pressed forward with her onslaught of magic and heavy hooves. Even Zed was hard pressed to back her up without getting in her way, ducking and rolling through the storm of spells she was launching at the increasingly battle damaged robot yak.

The humped back and thick plates there had been dented in and skewered with a number of dissipating purple arrows. One hindleg was encased in crystal, turning it into a useless stump Rapid couldn't retreat on properly. As I watched Swan tore the stuttering cannon from its flank in the blazing grip of her telekinesis, swinging the long barrel around and beating the bitch like a drum with it.

'Be Dark...' savored each impact, longing to drive me down there with her, even with an unwilling, nearly broken body. I winced and cried out when the long, glowing horns caught Swan in the ribs, the corrupted magic tearing into her side as she grappled with it.

Even from so high above, I could smell the burnt hair of Swan's coat as she wrapped her forelegs around the horns, planting one hindleg against the scorched chest and the other firmly on the steel plates buckling under their combined weight. Swan strained against Rapid, the screech of protesting metal drifting up along with her roar. "YOU DON'T DESERVE THESE HORNS!!!"

The raging alicorn ripped the magical energy horns and flat faceplate away, revealing the sweaty and bloodstained face of Rapid Reload wedged in the pilot's compartment underneath. Swan fell back with the flickering horns clutched in her hooves, claimed as a trophy by the mare that wrestled on even terms with the hulking armor. She was bleeding profusely from the slowly sealing wound in her side and had several angry burns, but she definitely won.

Groaning and fidgeting weakly, I tried to call her back as I fumbled out Kellogg's old silver revolver Vengeance with my hooves. Spotting what I was trying for, Val squawked and turned away from the number of red spheres she was fiddling with, buckbombs... she had raided one of the shielded crates of the Institute made weapons of mass destruction.

"What'dya think yer doin' boss! We got this handled, quit it already and...!" Val reached out to stop me, but paused when I didn't fight, instead shoving the gleaming revolver towards her reaching claws.

"Vengeance... Justice... P-Payback, yours Val... Y-You... deserve..."

Raising my head and nudging the hoof cannon towards her took a lot of energy, spots formed in my view of her violet gaze softening as she looked between me and the frantic whines of Rapid below. That selfish part of me howled at giving away the punishment the bitch so richly deserved, but I didn't trust myself to make the choice. It was Val's, this was about her, not me, not ...it.

With me too weak to do much of anything beyond one last shove of Vengeance toward's her limp claw, it was her choice. The mercenary was in charge, the eager, tempting voice of 'Be Dark...' rising up when she snatched the gun away and glanced between all of us, flexing her dark claw on the trigger when her gaze hovered over the crippled armor below.

When she shook her head and shoved it back in my saddlebags, that shadowy Shroud stammered in surprise and confusion, unable to understand her forgoing her revenge with a firm shout. "Stripey! Tons of fun! We're gettin' the fuck outta here! Move!"

"B-But... revenge... payback?"

Val smirked sadly as her claw spun the hoof shaped dial on one of the buckbombs at the top of the sack, the slow but increasing beeping fading as she kicked the whole sack off the edge of the landing. That done, she yanked me up to her back and took off, joining Zed and Swan rising up to meet her and fly for the exit.

"Fuck it boss. Gettin' us outta here and somewhere ta heal you up. This is good enough, let that bitch rot in this damn tomb." Val muttered back softly, turning to the bloody Swan landing beside her at the narrow passage back up to the gear shaped door to Stable 75 and snapping her claw in front of Swan's anxious gaze fixed on me. "Hey, Swanny! You good ta get outta here quick like? 'Bout ta be a big kaboom if'n those things work as advertised! Let's go get you an' the boss fixed up!"

Teleporting with a likely concussion wasn't an improvement to the sensation, my ears popped at the bright flash of Swan's magic transporting us out to the cool air added to the shock and blood loss that made me shiver against Val's warm feathers. Everything was loopy enough already, the world turning inside out and upside down for an instant nearly made me lose the radioactive meal still gurgling in my guts and regenerating me.

Through the fog and darkness creeping in, I managed to glance back and focus on the mountain behind us as Val led the way, waiting for some sign it was over. The blast that eventually came made the entire mountain shudder, birds took flight as a plume of flame and dust belched out from the expanded cavern entrance, the rumble of shifting boulders and rubble was music to my ears.

A lullaby in fact, knowing it was done and we were out, flying east toward the rising sun just beginning to tnge the dark horizon, was permission to relax and let my exhaustion overtake me. I fell into the hooves of unconsciousness waiting like an old lover, a comforting embrace away from foreign voices and pain trying to swallow me up.

--------------------Level Up!----------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------------

Better Criticals----
---Practice with the S.A.T.S. Overcharge Mod has granted you advanced training for enhanced combat effectiveness! Your stored critical hits now dow 50% more damage when triggered!

Quest Perk Added!-------------------

Foam Dart Gun---
---Who knows why this combat oriented toy seems imbued with a mischievous, explosive spirit that makes you want to duck and cover. Whatever the reason, you gain +10 to the Explosives skill!

Ch. 87-- Magpie's Muggers

"No singing, no party store, no bakery?! What is this place?!"

It was cold. That was the first thing I really noticed in the darkness that held me, after slowly getting used to an alicorn body that didn't feel the elements in nearly the same way, the chilling sensation of actual cold was a shock that made my teeth chatter.

"We're almost there boss, just hang on!" Val's voice made me look up to the source of anything other than this blackness, she sounded so faint and far away though...

MINE...

A dim crimson light nearby brightened with the Shroud's voice, making the void rumble and illuminating the dark, bringing some kind of order to what had been nothing but darkness. The source was close by and I approached hesitantly, at least knowing where I was thanks to the round red window and glowing seams of a familiar shape, Stasis Pod #101...

I was in my head, still unconscious, that's why Val's voice and the muffled replies of Zed and Swan sounded so far away. The crimson light spilling out of the battered and dented stasis pod ahead let me see more of the mental representation of this part of myself. I'd only been here... well, seen this kind of projection, once before, with Ivy helping me... I'd never come to this dark and cold part of my addled brain myself, I wasn't too happy to find myself here now either...

Taking a better look around with that shifting red light to see by, I saw I was wearing my Stable barding. The snug suit felt a little different with wings poking out of the leather, but still like a comfy old friend. My faithful Shrouded Stallion armor was in a heap at the base of the towering black stasis pod, weighed down by my Shroud action figure Zed insisted was a soul jar itself. Looking up, I saw my hat perched on the top of the pod far above.

"Leave me alone! What do you want!" I stamped my hooves and shouted at the cursed pod and whatever was locked up under all those chains surrounding it.

Not that I expected much of answer, I just hated being here, hated that part of me and what it was capable of. I hated that I needed it too... as it had demonstrated so effectively by withdrawing its support in Stable 75. When the shifting red light brightened with its words, my surprise at getting a response was overtaken by a sense of dread taking a better look at the mental construct that kept it locked away.

Several chains were broken... The strange power cables routed through the pod fizzled and sparked, drawing surges of energy from the depths of myself behind it. An area I thought of as the generator room from Stable 111 that Ivy said was the wellspring of my magic. The gap of the stasis pod's hatch had widened, the pod itself was dented by something inside pushing out, the round porthole full of that swirling red and black was even cracked...

WANT... WANT OUT... WANT MINE... WANT MORE... WANT REVENGE...

My head ached and my ears laid back with each rumbling declaration, whatever 'Be Dark...' was, it wasn't much of a conversationalist. Flashes of images and feelings came with each though, like a form of unity... Not that surprising since this was all in my head, no telepathy with outside minds required.

I saw Jade, Jade and all her sisters, Val, Witchy, Summer Wind, Cocoa Latte, Sunset... A string of fillies along with a rush of desire and urgent need. I saw a mountain of dead enemies, raiders, Gunners, Institute robots and brains in jars, tasted the coppery flavor of blood and felt my muscles twitch with power and anticipation.

"Why's his leg all crooked like that?! His nice apple should have fixed him! Help him, please..." Swan's voice drifted in from the outside world, full of worry and anxiety.

Knowing she was out there and scared for me, that Val and Zed were too, along with Witchy, Jade and Glitter... My little filly Glitter... The thought of them, of her, helped me stand up straighter against the menacing aura radiating off the stasis pod. I stopped my unconscious retreat away from the roiling shadow stuff pouring out of it, letting the oily darkness that made this part of my mind nothing but a red torch in a sea of black lap at my hooves.

I realized I could make out the swirling shadows because things had gotten brighter, my Stable barding now showing vibrant blue and yellow colors, no longer tinted by the red glare. The thought of my loved ones had summoned five colored motes of light circling above pod 101, bringing pure illumination that made the dark retreat back to the jet black pod. Each one flared brighter with thoughts of the different members of my wasteland family I clung to, singing over the hiss coming from the dark Shroud's prison.

"It's broken and wasn't set when you fed him that. It's healing, but the wrong way..." Zed's voice came from the waking world in an distracted mutter. The amber wisp of 'Be Strong!' resonated with his voice, the strong and stern zebra always was brutally honest.

A flash of the sweet batpony Witching Hour brightened the violet spark of 'Be Unwavering!', a beautiful mare who was always willing to give of herself to help, even without getting what she joined us for. The bubbling sound of Glitter's wonderfully infectious laughter, sent the pink light of 'Awareness!' flaring and joining her giggles. A sound that always made me feel hopeful for the future, the world I'd always try to make just a little better, for her.

"Well can ya fix it Stripey?! Or do we need'ta shag ass an get 'im to Blue?" Val's concerned squawk in the real world made the blue beacon of 'Be Awesome!' give a fiery flare. The brave griffon's loyalty to me was unwavering, always at my side to protect me and put me first, no matter what stupid thing I did.

Just her mention of Jade brought up images of my beautiful wife, a gentle healer whose kindness to everyone was an equal even to the soft yellow light of 'Be Kind...' glowing brightly. Jade and her virtue matching that of her heroine Fluttershy was an easy connection to make, but I'd never really considered how the rest paired so well with my other companions before.

The most important virtues of ponykind weren't our exclusive domain though, of course they could be found in griffons, zebras, mutant alicorns and more. I felt stupid for not seeing it before actually, absently wondering if I had met anypony already whose virtue may be magic itself.

"I can improve it... It won't be pretty, but best to do so now while he's still healing." Zed's pensive voice came from outside the construct of my mind's eye, but I was still focusing on the display before me.

The five balls of light representing nearly all of the Elements of Harmony and the Ministry Mares that once wielded them sped around pod 101 in a shrinking circle, confining the rippling darkness that surged and pushed back with an angry roar. Whatever this part of me was, the little fragments of soul really were helping to keep it locked up... The chains surrounding the stasis pod clinked and grew taut again, glowing with their light, turning the bonds into rainbow colored ribbons stretching from every direction like bizarre party streamers, winding around the battered prison and its shadowy occupant.

'LET... ME... OUT!'

'Be Dark...' raged from inside the spinning circle of light, of all the things that seemed to set off that angry voice, the Ministry Mares and their efforts to contain it brought out a unique species of venom in it. If it was just me I could see it being a stubborn resistance to cheering up, wanting to wallow in anger and stew. If it wasn't me though...

Well, as long as I was here anyway... I never had much opportunity to talk to this part of myself before, though it had worked in the Gunners' Stable. It might be schizophrenic, but I may as well try it...

"No! You're locked up for a reason, s-so you can either get with the program like those five or just wait until you're needed! You getting out usually causes trouble! You made Val scared and angry! Jade wouldn't like it either! Or Glitter!"

'MINE... WANT... MORE...'

While that rumbling voice had a limited vocabulary, it managed to communicate well enough when it wanted to given our unique ....closeness. Possessiveness was always one its major traits, especially concerning those it kept urging on my more lascivious impulses towards. Mating and murder, in either case it wanted to indulge and enough was never enough. Who knew what kind of horrible pony I might be if it wasn't kept trapped here, even in a weakening prison. Jade said the wasteland corrupted everything, was this all an elaborate hallucination displaying my loosening hold on sanity?

"W-What the hell are you anyway! What do you want! Why won't you leave me be!"

In reply, a tendril of shadow managed to slip outside the magical circle of protection the bulk of it was trapped in, oozing across the ground and reaching the heap of my Shrouded Stallion armor. As I watched, the black trenchcoat rose from the floor and seemed to inflate, filled with shadows taking on a rough pony shape, the sleeves ended in rippling black hooves, the tail and hindlegs waving indistinctly, a pair of large, fearsome looking wings flared from the back. My black fedora drifted down from atop the stasis pod to rest above the amorphous blob of darkness forming a horned head. A pair of gleaming crimson fires lit below the brim and stared back at me, while a jagged maw opened to speak, defined by the same red inferno raging beneath all that inky darkness.

'MINE... WANT... OUT... WANT... FEEL... WANT... REVENGE... BLOOD... FOOD... SEX... LIFE... FEEL... FREE... LET ME...'

Even while taking an unsteady step back, I was annoyed to realize the shadowy Shrouded Stallion before me was taller than I was. It looked more like the strong and powerful character from the comics, taking slow, pained steps forward, against bright chains reaching out to pull it back to the stasis pod. Cringing and retreating from it in my old Stable barding made me feel even smaller and weaker too... Barring the new wings trying to rise up for me to hide behind, how I looked in here was... me... The old me I had always been back in Stable 111, the awkward, anxious, lonely colt that lived the bulk of his life safely hidden away in a deep bunker. Of course the Shroud was bigger than I was, he was an idea, bigger than life, a dream brought to the waking world, a stronger, braver, tougher version of me I had leaned on since leaving the Stable.

Of course it was also a selfish, self indulgent, angry, violent version of me too. The mental flashes I got with its growls all concerned things it wanted, visceral feelings and base desires. It was a part that viewed my loved ones as MINE, that wanted to rut and claim as many females as it could to add to that herd, that enjoyed fighting and violence for its own sake. This Shroud wasn't like the idealized Shrouded Stallion from my comics and radio shows of my youth, it was a rough beast whose hour had come at last when I found myself in the dangerous wasteland, where the strong preyed upon the weak and death was so common.

Just when I thought the mental image looming over me was going to simply reach out and eat me, a bright light shone out behind it, arresting its forward motion and dragging it back. The Shroud snapped and strained with frustrated growls, unable to resist the gentle pull of the tiny beacon of blue light reeling it in. Peeking from behind my feathers, I was surprised to see it wasn't the Ministry Mares who had succeeded in stopping it, though they were definitely helping. Instead, it was the nearly overlooked action figure glowing with the same light as the magic from my horn. Bathed in that pure light radiating a feeling of innocence and idealism, the pristine toy felt more like the Shrouded Stallion I grew up with, a hero...

The shadowy Shroud roared and struggled against the powerful pull dragging it back, digging its rippling forelegs in and creating dents in the metal flooring in its battle to remain out. My shaggy mane whipped in the wind howling like the partially open stasis pod had become a vacuum, but I didn't feel nearly the same suction that was stretching and swallowing the wraith's hindlegs. The indistinct head shouted and snapped inches away from mine, but couldn't exceed its shrinking range, the red fires of its eyes boring into mine as it fumed and fought.

'LET... ME... OUT! NEED ME... WANT POWER... STRENGTH... REVENGE... NEED ME... NOT WORTHLESS!'

"No! Go back to sleep! I know you're not worthless, I admitted I need you, but you're dangerous and... and w-wrong! There's more to life, to me, than just the things you want! I may need you sometimes, but I need my friends more! Just behave yourself dammit! Stop fighting me and trying to take over to do bad things! Why can't you be like the real Shroud, like that!" I cringed and backpedaled away, afraid of even being near the raging beast now half sucked back into pod #101 as it struggled, pointing a shaking hoof to the toy.

The howl of the chill wind rose in pitch as the shadow's wings were caught and slurped down the bright red gap, the Shroud's armor fell to the floor, emptied of the swirling shadows occupying it. Only the fedora wearing head remained as the shadows stretched like taffy and it lost ground, the sense of anger and indignation communicated through the flickering flames of its eyes was tinged with ...sadness... from the caged monster. It didn't like the comparison...

'NO! ...REAL... NEED ME... LET ME...'

It managed that much of an answer before the last wisps were swallowed and the jet black stasis pod's hatch slammed down. The whole tall coffin shook and teetered in place with muffled roars from inside, making me retreat further as the chains lit with rainbow light of the Ministry Mares snaked down and tightened around it, trying to bind it again.

I shuddered at the noise shaking this entire, weird part of my brain, hiding under my wings and hooves in fearful confusion when Zed's voice filtered in from reality. "Hold him very still... this won't be pleasant..."

I had a moment to wonder what exactly that ominous statement meant, then a catastrophic amount of pain from my hindleg shattered the dream around me.

"WHHHAAAUUGH!!!" I screamed and struggled blindly as several sharp cracks preceded even more agony from my leg, panicking as I realized I could barely move to escape whatever was attacking me.

"Hold him! He must not move!" I spun towards Zed's voice, a blur of black and white beyond the red and purple that took up most of my vision.

His stern face resolved out of the tears in my eyes, full of concentration looking down to my leg with his foreleg drawn back to strike. My confusion at the posture fell away when his hoof shot out and another wave of pain came with the sharp crack of breaking bone.

"What the fuck!?! S-Stop! Why!?..." I screamed and bucked, realizing I was held down by the heavy weight of a lot of purple alicorn sprawled across my chest and the feel of Val's sharp claws gripping my hindlegs beyond her.

Swan's big muzzle swung from looking down to Zed's assault, nuzzling my face and cooing anxiously. "Sssh... It's ok Fast, the zebra is fixing you, just hang on, don't cry!"

Feeling her kissing away the salty tears spilling down my cheeks, I looked past her flowing pink mane and found Val's unhappy grimace watching me, clucking worriedly. "Almost done boss, just hold still an' suck it up ya big baby... Go on, do it quick Stripey..."

"Do whaaaAAUUUGGHHH!!!!" I sniffled and tried to calm down in confusion, returning to screaming when Zed yanked and my throbbing hindleg was wrenched around and flared with a fresh wall of pain.

I bucked and strained against Swan keeping me pinned, barely able to focus on anything as the hateful zebra kept shifting and yanking my poor leg around. Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore and would welcome even scary dreams, just as long as they came with escaping this pain through unconsciousness, Zed shifted and grabbed nearby junk, a series of deft movements binding my aching leg.

"There, that's the best I can do until Jade can treat him properly. You can let him go you two, my apologies Fast, take it easy and breathe." Zed's stern voice held a masked note of concern and relief at being done with his torture, peering over Swan's head as he patted her pink mane.

His advice was a lot easier to follow when the bulk of Swan's weight finally lifted off my chest. I sucked in a shaky breath and whimpered, taking a moment to recover and get my bearings, while the worried filly kept right on nuzzling me anxiously. I was flat on my back, staring up at a hole riddled ceiling that let the cold drizzle of rain from the leaden morning sky drip down around us.

Val's upside down face appeared in my view while I tried to make sense of it, snapping her claws in my face and clucking at me. "Hey, boss! Ya alright? Quit bein' a pussy an' walk it off... eh... maybe not walk it off, but c'mon, yer tougher than this, right? Boss?"

I knew my faithful bodyguard well enough to tell when her insults and teasing were covering for real worry. With a tired groan and sniffle, I pushed myself up to a sitting position, returning some of Swan's attention wearily as I panted in place and looked around. We were in a partially ruined home, the battered and weather worn furnishing bearing signs of post war habitation.

Everyone looked ok at least, tired and bearing their own bandages and scars from our raid on Stable 75, but most of their focus was still on me. Trying to wriggle into a more comfortable position sent another bolt of pain from my leg and I hissed, finally taking a look at the damage.

"Sorry for the rude wakeup Fast, better to rebreak and set it now though, rather than let you keep healing a hobbled leg the wrong way. I'm no expert on mutant biology, but I believe time is the best medicine now." Zed sounded apologetic as I took in his first aid treatment, but I couldn't really fault him.

He had bound my shattered hindleg in a splint tightly, forcing it back into a proper shape and keeping it that way. Already I could feel the itching sensation of the bone knitting under my fur. A quick glance at my pip-buck's rad meter confirmed what the ball of warmth and gurgle in my guts did. I was still all the way at the purple end of the gauge, the half of a radioactive balefire apple Swan forced down my throat fueling my body's regeneration.

Considering Rapid had completely smashed my leg under her huge robot yak, I wasn't surprised at his explanation. Mutated biology had its perks, but some of the same old rules still applied. Radiation may be as good as a super healing potion for me now, but bones had to be set properly even when a normal pony used one to heal. We hadn't done that after it happened, so my bruised and swollen leg had been mending wrong.

"I-It's ok... I'm ok Swan, Val, t-thanks Zed. Where are we?" I sighed in relief when Zed jabbed my flank with a vial of Med-X, looking around blearily at the unremarkable wasteland ruin.

Location Discovered: Big Mac Salvage Yard blinked in my vision as I limped my way up to my hooves, coming just ahead of Val's updated description of where we sheltered. "Ol' junkyard boss, it was the safest place I knew of in the area an' we needed ta stop."

Taking a look at my map and the new icon marking our location near the unexplored marker for Magpie Roost, I hobbled my way over to the window and took a look outside. It was still morning, so I hadn't been out of it too long at least. If not for the handy clock my pip-buck provided, I'd have a hard time pinning the time down beyond that though. The skies were overcast and a light, steady drizzle came straight down, plinking and pinging on all the scrap and junk I took in outside.

The ramshackle house we were in was on top of a hill, providing a sweeping vista of a mountain of junk in the shadow of a plain old mountain. It was full of rusting train cars, ruined trailers, wrecked sky carriages and wagons, stacked in precarious heaps and rows that made the place a maze. It was all centered on a dilapidated yellow crane, the bent boom cocked at an angle that ensured it wouldn't be moving any of this around with the rusting magnet swaying in the gentle breeze.

The chaos betrayed a hint of order on a closer look, the warren of scrap had rickety walkways connecting the tallest pillars and ramps going up and down all over. Bent and ruined fencing surrounding the scrapyard had been patched and reinforced here and there, while the approach to a pair of smaller buildings near the cracked roadway was clear and the rusty old gate to the yard squealeded and swung in the breeze.

We were in what seemed to be the residence for the prewar owners, down the hill was a roadway shop and a battered old garage, angled to match the severe turn to the street winding around and going up the mountain behind the building. The somber look I caught on Val's face watching me take in the scenery made me wonder why she brought us here, it looked like being here bothered her.

"You know this place Val? Is it safe?"

My bodyguard watched me wince and stumble my way back from the window, crossing the living room of the old home and giving me a shoulder to lean on as she answered. "Yeah I know it, I umm.... used ta hang out here, long time ago. Safe enough, should be anyway. C'mon, let's get you somewheres better ta put yer hooves up, there's a bunch'a them old wrecks leakin' radioactive goop too if ya want big stuff."

If it weren't for the rather large, ragged hole in the southern wall, I doubted Swan would have squeezed her way through the front door creaking gently back and forth in the wind. Though she was only tall enough her horn raked the ceiling when she stood and nodded eagerly, which was fairly small for Swan, so not surprising she'd welcome a little industrial waste.

"I'd like that Val! Er... for a little while anyway, until I'm all better. You can cuddle and feel better with me Fast!" Taking a better look at the giddy filly knocking ruined furniture aside, I spotted the bloodstained bandages wrapped around her middle and remembered the horrible wounds she took finishing off Rapid.

I realized that for once, Swan wasn't eager to find radiation to super charge herself and get bigger, she actually needed it to heal and seemed less excited by the prospect of soaking it up to reach her preferred stature. The reason for her change in attitude became clear enough when Val shut down her hopes of snuggling outside with me as her teddy bear.

"Maybe later tons of fun, takin' boss somewhere dry and comfy ta recover. He don't need ta sit out in the muck with ya, an you won't fit." Val tapped the rainbow colored gauge on my hoof to demonstrate, eliciting a pouty whine from the big alicorn.

"I'll keep watch up here and poke around a bit I think. I'm in the best shape and the house seems like a good lookout point. I've done all I can, everyone just needs time to rest before we're on our way." Zed waved us off absently, climbing a sagging set of stairs near the front door Val helped me towards.

A good look around at my companions showed the zebra spoke the truth. The previous day was all a blur of fighting and danger, fighting off a horde of Gunners and more at the Ministry of Peace, driving a swarm of breezidores to the edge of the Glowing Sea, assaulting the Gunners secret Stable... Beyond just all our numerous injuries, it was plain everybody needed a chance to recuperate. Zed and Val didn't even have the benefit of being able to absorb rads and regenerate like Swan and I could. They both masked it well, but even the strong zebra looked weak and tired, dark bags visible on the pale patches of his striped face under his eyes. I wanted to rejoin Jade, Glitter and Witchy as soon as we could, but I couldn't push my friends on when we were all exhausted.

"Right, if Val says it's safe, lets all get a little sleep and move on. You too Zed, I'm sure Swan wouldn't mind pulling a little guard duty once she rests up." I called after the zebra, noting hoe he had stumbled on a step and looked back to Swan's beaming nod wearily.

I hobbled off the front porch on three legs with Val's help, squelching in the mud a few steps before remembering I had two newer appendages to take up the slack for the crippled one. Fluttering up above the puddles drained some of my stamina, but the concentrated balefire still being digested in my stomach gave me energy to spare, despite the aches and weariness after being up all night fighting the Gunners.

Hovering along with Val leading the way also put me up at Swan's level, a fact she took advantage of cheerily, nuzzling and smooching at me as we wound our way through the warren of junk. As far as she was concerned, it had been a lovely evening of smashing Gunners and she was ready to play, though holding back and worriedly snuffling at the splint on my leg.

A few twists and turns led us to an isolated part of the scrapyard, the broken and rusted remains of a pile of sky vehicles leaking green goop that puddled beneath them and made our pip-buck's chatter as we approached. Swan pranced ahead when she spotted it, trotting in tight circles around the radioactive waste and easily lifting the flattened remains of more vehicles in her telekinesis, forming a rusty lean-to over her little nest. She still looked annoyed when she settled in though, biting her lip and shifting in place uncomfortably.

"But I want Fast... I like sleeping with him, it's nice and cozy... Can't I have him Val?" Swan's whine made me feel more like a favorite stuffed toy for a very big filly, one who didn't want to go to bed without it...

While her amorous look and pouting lip made my mane itch and me distinctly twitchy with so much radiation in my system, Val shut her down and pulled me away. "No ya can't have him goofy, I'm borrowin' him an' we're gettin' outta here just as soon as everybody's up ta movin'. Yer apt ta roll over an' break his leg all over again."

"No I won't..." Swan whined as Val dragged me away by my hoof, flicking her eyes up recalling a memory of doing exactly that.

"We'll have more time when we catch up to Jade and the others Swan, just get some rest for now ok?" I called back over my shoulder as Val led me back through the junkyard, trying to ignore the friskiness that came with being overcharged and made me want to go back to play with the big mare.

With her out of sight, my attention returned to Val prowling down the maze of wrecks and junk with practiced ease. While I caught myself leering at her muscular feline form from my elevated vantage, being dragged through the air like a balloon on a string, I did at least consider how well she seemed to know this place. My curiosity was piqued when she paused near a jumble of scrapped traincars, kicking a pile of junk aside and digging after a rusty old refrigerator. Once she had it uncovered from fallen down sheets of corrugated steel and bent old hubcaps, she tore the freezer door open and reached in, yanking down a lever that had no business being there.

In response, the faded yellow traincar resting on its side in the muck nearby gave a resounding 'clunk' noise and Val snorted in victory, bounding up the crushed remnants of a yellow cab leaning against it and dragging me to the open sliding door of the mysterious traincar. A short hop down to the gloomy shipping container led to a small hatch in the tipped over side facing the ground, something that had been cut out and added a long time ago by the rust.

Ignoring my curious look with a smirk, Val wrenched open the hatch and hopped down, shuffling around for a minute before dim light sparked to life in her strange hidey-hole and she called me down. Fluttering down carefully to avoid banging my injured leg on the narrow entrance, I drifted down and gaped at the carefully hidden secret hideout.

"Whad'ya think boss? Like it?" Val grinned and waved a claw proudly when I joined her, inviting me to take it all in.

A small bunker had been excavated under all the junk above. It was cozy and dry, the concrete walls keeping out the drizzle and chill, if not the dirty roots penetrating the ceiling. The soft, multicolored light illuminating the room came from a variety of hearth's warming lights strung from the ceiling, powered by a spark cell Val had wedged in the crude receptacle wired into them, near a dusty old ham radio. A pair of musty but clean mattresses made a set of bunkbeds to one side, while a slightly bigger bed was on the opposite wall that Val directed me towards.

Following her pointing claw, I plopped down on the lumpy double bed and took in details with wonder. It appeared to be a prewar bunker made for a small family, but a lot had been added in the intervening years. There were pieces of scrapped weapons and armor strewn all over a disorganized workbench in one corner. Wonderbolts posters shared real estate on the walls with ones for famous griffons I didn't recognize, mercenary companies by the intimidating looking warrior griffons depicted.

There were empty liquor bottles littering the floor, along with a miraculously half full bottle of Wild Pegasus Val dug out of a cabinet in the corner that seemed to be the basic kitchenette, a narrow doorway nearby leading to a shelf covered closet she rooted around and snagged a bag of apple chips from. Beyond that corner was another doorway, this one covered with a rotting sheet I presumed was for privacy, given the faint but unmistakable smells of a bathroom my sensitive nose caught.

"Yeah! This is really cool Val, how'd you know about all this? You said you used to hang out here?"

Val turned to the bunkbeds, grabbing a couple of battered pillows and propping my leg up gently as she answered in a subdued tone. "Yeah... Long time ago, found it diggin' around up in the junk, it was our... my secret hideout. Ought'a be safe enough fer you ta rest up anyway. Go on, catch some Zs so we can get goin' soon."

I wondered about her little slip of the tongue, moving gingerly to undo the buckles of Blue Moon and remove my bloodstained armor with little groans while she continued rummaging around. My blood matted fur under the black trenchcoat wasn't much better... and trying to shrug out of it made me aware of every little ache and pain from my battered body. Even with a super charge of balefire radiation coursing through my system, I felt bone tired, despite the annoying arousal that kept my lidded eyes firmly focused on Val's flanks as she moved through the small space.

Tearing my leering stare away just as she caught me with a smirk and flicked her tail, I tossed my armor to the floor and settled in, looking around the room for anything to distract me. My roaming eyes spotted another detail that explained some of the sadness she was trying to hide. There were simple crayon drawings on the walls here and there, the one on the cracked concrete wall nearby easy enough to figure out.

It was a crude and childlike drawing, my Glitter was more talented quite frankly, enough colors from the crayon box had been available to make it very clear though. A red griffon and a white griffon were displayed, wings spread and claws clasped together, both wearing wide cartoonish smiles of true friendship. A simple creed scrawled below the two joyous little griffons left no doubt, reading; 'Fire an' Frost! Bestest mercs in the world!'

"Freya... You and Freya used to stay here Val?"

Following my pointing hoof to the image, Val's expression turned sour, then softened sadly as she nodded. "Y-Yeah... When we were just fledglings. Havin' a place ta hide all our loot an' stay safe together saved our bacon more than once, just us against the world..."

I winced scooting my way closer to the wall, patting the lumpy mattress beside me as I hung my hat on the bedpost and kept redirecting my roving eyes as she unbuckled her green riot armor, showing all that scarred but beautiful griffon flesh underneath. "Umm.... Y-You really were good friends then, all the way back to when you were kids? Err... what was it like? It was just you two? What about your parents? I still really don't know enough about you Val, sorry I never asked before... I mean you know all about my folks, but I still don't knmm mrmmpfh..."

Val pinched my muzzle shut to cut off my jabbering with a smirk, waving off my apologies and prowling off to the tiny restroom with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "S'ok boss, not like I ever volunteer nothin'... I don't exactly like talkin' about my past. Tell ya what, I'll do yer silly pony sharing bit with ya if you do the same sometime, like why you think yer crazy? Still ain't happy you didn't tell me nothin' about that shorty..."

"Umm... o-ok, that's fair I guess... Y-You go first though."

Trying to avoid her questions was pretty transparent by her huff, but she nodded and pushed past the ratty privacy curtain, disappearing from view thankfully and calling back in a bored voice. "Me an' the ice queen there were on our own boss. Neither of us knew who our dads were, an' mom was a drunk ol' merc what didn't come back from a mission one day, same deal with her. It uh, ain't that uncommon 'round these parts. Gunners an' other mercs don't make fer the best parents."

"Oh... s-sorry, I didn't mean to bring up anything too sad Val..."

I could hear her moving around in there after the tinkle of water ended, grunting and shuffling as she answered in a dismissive tone. "Meh, like I said, pretty common around here boss, no biggie. We made out alright, things were tough, but we was tougher ya know! Made a name fer ourselves an' climbed the ranks, filled our contract with that ol' buzzard an' made it to the big leagues together. Gunners was the best of the best ta get hired on with, course if'n I knew then what assholes they was, I would'a gone with some small time outfit I think."

While I was curious about a few things she said in there, it sounded like she was partly talking to herself. I wondered what 'old buzzard' she meant, but I got the gist of the rest. They had aimed for the top of this messed up world, and the Gunners were surely the best work around this grim area of the Commonwealth.

I could tell thinking about old times bothered her even with her unconcerned tone, but I risked asking more while she was willing to talk about her past. I still didn't know nearly enough about my best friend, none of the more mundane little details of her younger life. Those were the kinds of things friends should share though, things I wanted to know about my partner and pal. Plus so long as we were talking about her, we weren't talking about me and my insanity, or letting the lusty growl in my head that seemed part of it get me too worked up.

Of course that idea fell to pieces when she finally came back out, my jaw dropped and I was suddenly a lot less tired and a lot more horny, Val was wearing her pilfered Stable 75 barding... The dim room brightened appreciably as my eyes widened and alicorn night vision took in as much light as possible to drink in the sight.

Imagining what it might look like paled in comparison to the real thing, the form fitting Stable barding was somehow even sexier than even a glimpse of her out of her armor entirely. My mane itched furiously as I gulped at her grinning approach, she knew exactly what she was doing and quite enjoying herself dammit...

"Welllll? What'cha think boss? Damn thing is tight as hell, but actually pretty comfy once ya get in. Check it out, new PJs I'm thinkin'. Sooooo? Like what ya see?" Ok, the striptease music she was humming under her breath as she posed was just overkill..

"Duh... ummm... y-y-yeah... like... lots..."

'MINE....'

I shook my head forcefully at the hungry mutter of 'Be Dark...' waking up briefly, looking up to the ceiling nervously and cringing back as I cast out for a distraction. "S-So you two were really good friends? Umm... what happened? How come you tried to kill each other back in Stable 114? You both seemed pretty mad..."

Val's fluttering bedroom eyes showed a hint of annoyance as she crawled into the bed beside me, lying on her side and propping her head on her elbow sinking into the mattress and tracing a claw on my chest as she spoke. "She was a loyal Gunner boss, and I turned traitor. Nothin' personal, I probably would'a done the same. C'mon, I don't wanna talk about the bitch, I wanna celebrate... We just kicked those assholes square in the balls, twice! Gots my payback, now I want my pay... So pay me boss..."

"Ummm... Val, a-are you ok? H-How come you... wooo! d-don't touch there! S-Seriously Val! Why... Is something wrong? Y-You know what I get like when I'm all charged up... T-This isn't funny..."

I squeaked at her beak nipping my neck and the places her claws her were lightly stroking, fighting the lust fogging my brain and the insistent demand to give in and pounce. This wasn't right, I thought about doing this with Val plenty and she loved teasing me, but she never went this far and something just seemed... off...

My rapidly crumbling resolve just made her more insistent and direct, her muscular hindleg hooked over my waist and her fluffy tail swished up to tickle my face, nearly hiding the flicker of agitation on her face. She was careful of my mending leg at least, but was delightfully rough elsewhere. My stupid body kept going right along with it, even as I struggled to think rationally.

The feel of her sharp claws running through my incredibly itchy mane was wonderful, while I found myself returning her nips with little love bites of my own with extending fangs. When she vaulted up and straddled me in one fluid motion, most of the blood rushed away from my head and towards other parts, leaving me loopy as she began to gently rock against my belly.

Her lidded eyes sparkled down at me, a soft smile curling her beak as I moaned weakly, ignoring the panicky alarm still trying to tell me something was wrong. It was overwhelmed by the growl of 'MINE! WANT! MORE! NOW!' demanding satisfaction.

"That's it boss... Let's celebrate gettin' those assholes back, make me feel good..." Val spoke in a husky voice, but the way she said it managed to get through to the last vestiges of my self control as she slugged back the rest of her whiskey and sped up, tossing the bottle aside.

This was more than teasing and different than expressing real love with someone I really did care about. Someone I cared enough about to know when something was wrong, that this was all wrong... that I didn't want to do it like this, no matter how much I did want it. Despite the passion guiding my firm grip on her rump and tender kisses to her chest, I grunted with effort and pushed myself away, punching my muzzle hard enough to feel a trickle of blood from my nose.

"N-NO! Stop... t-this isn't right, this isn't how I want to b-be with you Val! Something's wrong! What are you doing!"

Val stopped immediately at my yelp, looking very cross and flustered, but also hurt... She rolled off me with a huff and curled up against the wall behind us, hugging her hindlegs to her chest, turning herself into a tight, defensive little ball of pouting griffon.

"Just wanted ta have a lil' fun, no reason ta freak out about it boss... Go on an' pass out if yer not gonna pay me. I'll just go an' leave ya alone if ya don't want none. Guess yer only into other mutants, jerk..." Val muttered with her chin on her crossed forelegs, refusing to look at me and sounding angry and wounded.

I did have to take a moment to get myself under control and steady my ragged breathing, shaking off her hurtful words clearly meant to push me away. Instead of falling for it, I held a hoof out to her shoulder when she moved to escape. Leaning forward to try to catch her shimmering violet eyes resolutely looking away from my concerned stare.

"Val... You know that's not true. I do want to, a lot... like a lot a lot... But... not like this. It feels wrong, I thought you wanted silk sheets and candles, flowers and all that, right? What's wrong? Why are you doing this all of the sudden? Do you really even want to?"

She frowned and curled in on herself tighter at my touch, but did at least look my way when she huffed. "Why do I gotta have a reason? Maybe I just wanna quick lay fer fun, huh? Ain't exactly had a lotta opportunities hangin' around with you boss. Ain't gotta be no lovely dovey crap involved, just a little slap an' tickle fer shits an' giggles. T-That's all..."

"Val... please?"

I had to wince and shuffle my way across the bed, turning to sit face to face and pleading with my hooves raised in a beg. There was a long silence that stretched out between us, at least giving my racing heart time to slow back down. Eventually patience won out, she stopped trying to divert her gaze and looked at me directly, those beautiful violet eyes sparkling with tears that trembled in place as she fought them back.

Her voice was cracked in a pained squawk when she finally answered, rubbing her cheeks with her foreleg to wipe away the tears she was so obviously ashamed of. "C-Cause I wanna feel good here dammit! I don't wanna think about stuff, I didn't even wanna come here! It was the only close place I knew was safe an' ya needed ta get patched up!"

"I don't wanna think about that cunt ice queen, about when we was... f-friends... You wanna know so much, how 'bout when she fuckin' hunted me down in some shithole in the city when I ran? She could'a wasted me then I guess, I was too drunk an' fucked up ta care... But you wanna know what she said boss? Said killin' me like that was a waste! That she was a merc, not a garbage collector... that she didn't.... t-take out the trash..." She punched the wall and the cartoon Freya as she continued, her voice growing dark and angry.

"Or how about this one asshole? You know who the last pony I had in this bed was? Wanna take a wild guess!? So what if I wanted... w-wanted ta... t-ta feel good like that again here... ta remember... s-say goodbye..." Val's screeching rant trailed off into sobs and I felt horrible, lunging forward and tweaking my leg to curl around her, nuzzling her cheeks before she could completely fold in on herself to hide her shame.

I should have known... should have thought more about how she felt... We were back in her home turf, where it all happened. She brought us here to protect me, even when it hurt her so much being back...

"Val... Val I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you like this... You're always doing so much for me and I... I just didn't think, or I did, but I was too stupid to figure it out on my own. I asked because you're my best friend and I wanted to know all about you, e-even the bad parts. I wanted to know because I love you, because you're awesome and great, not trash. And I want to b-be with you, but I don't want to replace him, I never could. If we do t-that, I want it to be you and me, together... partners. Not you, me and his memory..."

At that, Val's wide crimson wings folded around us, forming a feathery cocoon to muffle her sobs against my neck as her claws clasped around my back desperately. She clung to me like a life preserver in an ocean of grief, while I stroked her back and nuzzled her, kissing away her tears and just being there to hold onto.

"S-Sure about that boss? Y-You like t-threeways, r-right?" Val's cries finally tapered off, her hoarse voice managing a sniggering joke that made me blush as I pulled away and looked her over anxiously.

She sniffled and looked up to me with bloodshot eyes, but didn't try to hide her tears or pain, lifting her wings away and chuckling at mine standing up at odd angles. The stupid, automatic reaction proved her point and I was glad to see even a crooked smile warming her face, but I wanted her to know I was serious too.

"I'm sure. I'm selfish and want you all to myself if we do that, we have a contract right? It's me and you together Val, us against the world now, huh? Partners and best friends."

I flopped back to the bed beside her, glad to feel her foreleg draw me to her side to snuggle against as those wonderful claws scratched my mane for me, making my hindleg twitch rapidly at the dextrous digits working their magic on my itchy scalp. That seemed like enough agreement to me as she dragged us both down to lie against each other on the bed in a tender and true embrace, even with her soft mutter of, "Right boss... you an' me."

We held each other like that for awhile, the silence of the prewar bunker let me hear the slow beat of her heart as it settled to a soothingly calm rhythm. She kept right on scratching my mane for me with my head on her chest, while I enjoyed the slow rise and fall of her feathery breast, stroking her side and trying to console her with my fumbling touch. Time became meaningless down in the sealed bomb shelter, both of us may have dozed off and woke repeatedly in each others embrace. Eventually I cautiously broached the subject of her old friend again, unable to leave it alone when the pain it caused stood between us.

"Hey Val?"

"Mmmm? Wha boss?" She mumbled sleepily, but cracked a clearer eye open and looked down at my earnest stare.

"I was thinking... umm... about Freya, what she said... Maybe that was her way of trying to help? Or she was mad at seeing you like that? She didn't kill you when she could, right? I still don't get you two fighting the way you did, but maybe she could do that for real since you were doing better? I bet she still cares about you, umm... you have to care about somebody to get really upset anyway, right? I don't get a lot of stuff about griffons, just going in that Stable was enough to make that crystal clear, but you were friends... Friendship is magic Val, it doesn't just go away."

"Gawd yer sappy boss... Ok, maybe yer right, it's a nice thought anyhoo..." She muttered under her breath, but didn't sound nearly as upset at least.

"Well... She's at the Castle with Fancy, maybe you could ask her when we get there? She's not a Gunner anymore either, she's Fancy's bodyguard now, so there's no reason you can't be friends again, right?"

"Maybe... C'mon boss, quit bein' all cutesy an' tryin' so hard, yer makin' me wanna abuse ya again..." Val chuckled softly, pulling me into a headlock as her voice grew warm and sultry.

"Well... you're really not the only one you know..."

Being so close to an attractive female who had just propositioned me made stamping down on the needy growl of 'Be Dark...' an ongoing battle, but I was in control and it felt different now that she had opened up. Snuggling together with my friend was nearly as good, and I really loved her claws continuing to lazily scratch my mane for me, but the feeling of being close and warm, together... was a little much to resist.

Not meeting any rejection, I kept right on softly kissing and stroking everywhere my busy hooves could reach, looking up through lidded eyes to her happy sighs and questioning murmur of assent. "Oh? So now ya wanna pay me? After ya got me ta be all mushy and weepy, huh boss?"

"I like seeing your softer side Val. I think we're both too tired to go for the full silk sheets treatment though, so consider this a down payment..."

I wouldn't call what we did the frenzy of a proper romp I knew we both wanted, it was slow and tender in the dim light and under the ratty covers instead. Our motions were so soft and subdued in the sleepy haze, only the odd gasp or husky moan betrayed anything, but the pain and fury of the long, long day fell away, replaced with a warm bliss that unkinked sore muscles and drove away hurt and sadness.

The world beyond the grey concrete walls fell away and nothing else mattered outside of our embrace. Not the Gunners or the Institute, not the ghosts of the past or questions of the future, just Val, my Valkyrie... MINE... No! Shut up... My friend and I, drifting in and out of sleep together like that. The eventual sweet release earned me a few oozing claw marks on my back and flanks, but they sealed back up immediately with the rads still gurgling in my stomach. Plus our quiet tryst banished any more bad dreams of stasis pods and scary voices, letting us both fall to a peaceful, well earned slumber.

"Ewww... what're they doin'?"

"Gross! Did they just..."

"S-So what? I think it's nice guys! They look so sweet together!"

"Yeah, cause you listen ta them Groverite kooks too much Lila! Freakin' feather fever.... Shaddup all of ya, we got a job ta do. HEY! Wake up lovebirds, no funny moves or we'll blast ya..."

I blinked blearily at the whispered voices I had thought were part of some weird dream, my eyes snapping open when some watchful part of me finally made it through the fluffy grip of sleep and let me know they were real. It was even dimmer in Val's old hideout, the spark cell powering the lights must be losing charge. All I was really aware of at first were four strange marks on Eyes Forward Sparkle, all still green, but all intruding on what had been a restful sleep.

I heard Val's squawk waking up beside me, the two of us moving in unison being caught unaware and unarmed. A sharp crack to my temple made me see stars and pause, letting my eyes adjust and realizing we were really caught with our pants down. Somewhat literally since our armor and saddlebags containing all our weapons were abandoned. Another thunk and Val's angry screech drew my attention to our attackers as my horn flickered with lightning magic, preparing to incinerate whoever was hitting us.

A frantic look around for a target made me come up short, the annoyed growl of 'Be Dark...' and chipper bounce of 'Awareness!' that helped wake me suddenly fizzling out along with my magic. Kids... we were surrounded by armed griffon kids... Even though they held a variety of weapons on us, including some of our own... the normally gleefully violet bit of insanity in my brain fell as short as the rest of me. I couldn't hurt kids... Neither could it apparently...

"Wha? Who? Wha's goin' onnnmmmrrrhm" My frantic questions were cut off by Val's own 12mm pistol shoved in my muzzle, pilfered from her holster tossed to the floor.

Val seemed less confused than I did, giving a furious cry and easily flipping a skinny brown and black griffon chick when he tried smacking her again with his wooden bat. She wheeled on the silver and red kid holding her gun on me with her dark claws tensed to strike, pausing when the little jerk flicked the safety threateningly.

"Hold it right there Bloodtail, Magpie wants ta talk to ya, alive preferably... We got the drop on ya, so just give it up and come peaceful like." The young male sounded firm and threatening, even though I could feel a tremble transmitted through the barrel shoved in one nostril.

"Fucking Mabel... still usin' brats ta do her dirty work huh? She bother tellin' ya much about me kid? Like the fact I can take all four of ya a part with my bare claws if'n you twitch an' hurt the boss? Better gimme that thing back 'fore I get really mad..." Val seemed less confused than I did, and more than willing to kill the dirty ragamuffins trying to look tough around us.

I'd never seen griffon fledglings before, and while I was somewhat annoyed to discover they were already nearly my size, the rest of the view pained my heart as much as seeing any kids in their condition. They were painfully thin and dirty, wearing rags and bits of leather scrap and junk for makeshift armor. The one in charge with the gun in my face seemed mostly unshaken, but the other three were visibly nervous, pointing crude pipe pistols and a rusty double barreled shotgun that shook in their claws.

Val might seriously have no problem killing kids to protect me, but I couldn't, even the frustrated growl in my head seemed completely uninterested, which was strange... 'Be Dark...' wasn't withdrawing its assistance like it had before, but it was strangely quiet and blank, ceding all my fractured mental real estate to the soft whisper of 'Be Kind...'. A small wonder I'd file away for later, all I could really think of now was the trouble we seemed to be in, and how the quartet of wasteland brats reminded me of Glitter when we first met, underfed and struggling to survive.

Moving very slowly, I held a hoof up to Val and spoke in a soft, even voice, hoping to defuse this before it went further. Seeing guns in the claws of kids made me very nervous something might accidentally go off. Besides my attachment to keeping my screwed up brain where it was, I knew if I got hurt there'd be nothing to stop Val from following through on her threat.

"Easy... eeeeasy... Everybody just calm down. Nobody's killing anybody, especially not kids..."

"Boss ya don't understand, just shaddup an' lemme handle thi.." Val grumbled out the side of her beak at me, cut off when my voice rose above hers sternly.

"No kids. Period Val. That's an order."

Whatever angry retort was brewing behind her glare as she fell back to all fours petulantly never got a chance to be voiced. A fifth even younger griffoness popped her bright blue head down the hatch leading outside, chirping excitedly and with a hint of terror. "Bruno! Bruno! Y-Ya gotta come quick! T-There's this other one up there an' we can't handle her! S-She's... b-b-b-b..."

With Val standing down and me never moving against them, this Bruno brat in charge flicked his stern green eyes back in a huff. "Heidi shaddup and slow down! Act professional like, It can't be that b..."

The little chick's beak snapped shut with a click, the last sound audible before the whole room shook and a furious roar came from outside, prompting the little one to finish her report in a whisper. "Big..."

"Oh shit... Swan!" I yelped in fear, but for our attackers instead of us. Swan and most of her sisters seemed to have a soft spot for kids, but I didn't doubt for a second that Swan would respond to violence in kind no matter who it was, especially if they weren't pony kids. Everybody looked small to Swan, slightly smaller griffons would offer her no pause. The leader of the little crew looked confused and a little scared, staring up at the dust shaking from the roots piercing the ceiling, then back to my sudden yammering.

"Kid, let me go stop her! Please!"

"Y-Yeah... sure, just let you go, this is some kinda trick ain't it buddy... M-Muggers don't spook that easy..." Bruno squinted at me suspiciously, but more roars and heavy thuds outside drew his attention away again.

Val wasn't nearly so concerned, polishing her claws on her feathers in a bored gesture. "Aw let big stuff have her fun boss, screw it. Puttin' the fear of Gawd in em will do em some good."

"M-Maybe we should do what he says Bruno? T-That doesn't sound good... He did stop the old lady here..." A sunny yellow griffoness with vibrant green highlights chirped up worriedly, the battered pistol in her rich orange claws drooping away at the tremors of Swan rampaging out there, and she flinched at Val's squawk of "Who you callin' old lady twerp!?"

He might be a griffon well on his way to being a tough merc like Val, but Bruno was still just a kid after all. The booming shriek of Swan's voice was enough to cause terror in hardened grown ups, hearing it even through the sturdy bunker made his grey face pale. "GO AWAY ANNOYING BIRDS! WHERE'S FAST!!"

"A-Alright... go stop... whatever the hell that is, because I said so though! An' I'm goin' with ya, y-you guys just stay here and keep those guns on Bloodtail, I'll be right back!" Bruno's dark claws wound around my tail as I scampered for the hatch, keeping up with my lurching flight easily as I made for the open air outside.

It was brighter, but still drizzly and overcast, my brief view was blocked by a wrecked chariot whistling through the air at us however, forcing me and my captor to dive to the side to avoid getting swatted out of the sky. When we righted ourselves and climbed, I could hear a nervous squeak from Bruno right on my tail, something I'd take more pleasure in were it not for the deadly chaos and danger to a lot more kids out here.

Swan wasn't gigantic at least, probably only about triple the size of one of her sisters, she was completely healed and in a foul mood though, which was more than enough. A veritable swarm of young griffons were fleeing from her wrath, looping through the air around the heavy objects her telekinesis kept launching up at them, while she stomped and bucked at the few brave enough to try attacking her.

"W-What the holy fuck is that!?!" Bruno finally found his voice, squawking in barely masked terror when I made a beeline for her. "HEY! No! Don't go towards that monster!! Are you out of yer fuckin' mind!!!"

"Don't call her a monster! Just stay quiet and let me talk to her, before your friends get hurt!" I growled back and sped on, dodging a crumpled ice cream cart that gave a surreal tinkle of sad music warbling from the horn. "SWAN!!! STOP! It's ok! Here I am, see! Calm down! They're just kids!"

"FAST!!" To her credit, Swan stopped immediately, launching herself up and scattering the bravest pint sized griffons in her wake. As soon as she had me in her hooves, her bright violet shield formed around her, blocking out any further threat they posed as she nuzzled happily. "I'm glad to see you! I thought these little pests might have hurt you Fast. They tried to fight me though... can't I smash them all? You're sure they're kids?"

"Gah! Make her let go! I'm gonna get smooshed! Stop this crazy mon... umm... pony..." Bruno squawked and struggled below me, caught up in Swan's super sized hug and clearly not enjoying it as much as I did.

At least he shut up seeing both of us turn our attention towards him at once, pulling his hind legs free and frantically struggling to yank his tail loose as I booped Swan's nose soothingly. "I'm sure, see? Just a kid, smaller than me even, er... by a little... We don't hurt kids, I can't..."

Absently watching as Bruno freed himself and tried to escape, only to smack into the bubble of a shield keeping him in, Swan growled in a clearly audible grumble. "I can... If they wanna fight I don't mind, some kids are bad and deserve to be smashed. Like raiders! They started it..."

"Swan, please... Think about Glitter, you'd never hurt her right? Kids aren't responsible for what grownups teach them, they deserve a chance to be better. My new pal Bruno and his friends here didn't mean to make you mad, I'm sure you just scared them is all. Isn't that right brat?"

"Y-Yeah, yeah! Whatever! Just lemme go already! Keep her calm! Hey! You guys ok out there!?" Bruno pressed his back to Swan's shield and tried to keep backpedaling away from her unconvinced glare, turning to shout down to his scattered forces warily coming out of hiding.

More than a dozen griffons of varying ages sounded off below us, their colors tended towards more primaries and muted neutrals than the pastels and vibrant neons of some ponies, but there was still a rainbow of variety poking their heads up anxiously as Swan landed in the muck and released her shield. As soon as he was free, Bruno bolted off, checking on each of them and forgetting to keep his pilfered pistol trained on me. That was a good sign at least, the little merc was worried about his friends more than taking me prisoner.

A lot of guns were still pointing our way, even if they were crude, poorly maintained and shaky, making this less of a friendly conversation than I'd hope when Swan finally let me go to flop to the mud. Her long legged stance spread protectively over me, her head low and growling at the slightest perceived threat, no matter my pleas for peace.

When Val came prowling out of the tipped over traincar hiding her bunker, she had the three griffons left to guard her in tow, all disarmed and rubbing rather large bumps forming on their heads. She had a resigned smirk as she joined us, shoving her captors off to rejoin Bruno and sticking her beak up at my raised eyebrow. "What? I didn't kill em... just knocked em around a lil', they're used ta worse, believe me boss."

I was afraid that much was true, none of the anxious little mercenary crew I heard Bruno refer to as 'Maulers' looked much better than the initial four I saw. Glitter and her sister and mother made their way in the wasteland as scavengers, I was guessing griffon children's lives were a good deal more violent than hers had been.

"Alright, no more fighting. Now, who wants to tell me what the hell is going on here? Why'd you attack us? Do you know anything about this Val?"

With a roll of her violet eyes, Val groaned and shuffled, still wearing the vibrant blue and yellow Stable barding and hurriedly buckling her armor over it as she replied. "They're Magpie's boss."

"Magpie... like the name of the town up there?" I asked in confusion, nodding up to the craggy mountain to the south and the dim ruins perched at the top.

"Magpie's Muggers! That's right mister!" The youngest of the flock, the chipper sounding Heidi, beamed and nodded, setting her blue, pigtail-tied feathers bouncing, getting a series of proud nods and shouts of agreement from her comrades.

Buckling her battlesaddle to her flanks, Val strode up and shook her head at the boistrous answer, sighing an answer for me. "Mabel Magpie boss, she runs Magpie Roost, has her lil' army of pipsqueaks to run errands like this. Guessin' she sent you twerps ta send more of an invite, not abduct a bunch that can grind ya inta the dirt if'n boss lets big stuff there off her leash."

Swan's predatory grin overhead punctuated her point, making the young griffon not complain when Val snatched her pistol back. "Ma gave us a mission ta come get ya, so... y-you all just come along quietly...."

"Yeah, not happenin'. Gots other places ta be, an' no desire ta talk ta that old buzzard again. C'mon boss, let's get goin'." Val dismissed the younger griffon, turning to leave and pausing at the sound of a lot of clicks from their rusty weapons, hissing in annoyance and turning back to the small army of kids aiming at us. "Don't do this the hard way brats, yer outgunned an' outclassed."

"You're coming with us... o-one way or the other. You can't threaten us, we heard yer boss, you can't do nothin' to us Bloodtail!" Bruno seemed to be regaining a little confidence after working out my orders in the hopes for peace. He was brave and pretty smart to think things through and realize he had me over a barrel, I had to give him that.

Of course confidence only went so far when staring down a giant alicorn and a grumpy merc with a lot more experience. Swan snorted and pawed the ground in anticipation, just her shield would end any threat those piddly pipe pistols posed, but as always the big mare was ready to fight. Val simply powered up her weapons and sneered, she might listen so long as I was safe, but I had the feeling that was the only thing holding her back. I didn't see Zed anywhere and worried what might have happened to let our 'captors' get by his watch, but a black and white blur at the corners of my vision let me breathe a little easier, he was safe anyway.

That still left me with the sticky situation we were stuck in. I couldn't hurt kids... I just couldn't. No matter what kind of insane monster I might be, I wasn't that bad yet. If it came to a fight we'd win, after everything we'd faced together already, a bunch of mini-mercs were practically trivial, but this wasn't like facing full grown Gunners, Institute robots or raiders. I could feel all the little voices I carried with me backing me up, even 'Be Dark...' agreed with the Ministry Mares and myself, for once its insatiable bloodlust was entirely absent, though I could feel it watching. Split personality or personal demon or whatever it was, it wasn't a childkiller thank Celestia.

I flapped up and spread my limbs wide between my friends and the cluster of mercenaries in training, gulping at the realization I was bare of all my armor with a lot of guns trained on me.

"Everybody just stop! We'll go with you, alright!? No fighting! We... We surrender!"

"This is a baaaad idea boss..." Val grumbled at my side, drawing my attention away from gawking on our slow flight up the mountain, following the twisting roadway and looking over the rusty train tracks occasionally crossing it before disappearing down dark tunnels in the mountain.

Another tattered billboard passed by as we flew up the craggy peak the town of Magpie's Roost was situated on, this one once identifying it by the prewar name of 'Grover's Roost'. Most of the inviting image of a picturesque town was peeled away though, the rest covered over in graffiti that matched other such crude signs we had already passed.

This one had yet another odd symbol, a fiery feather in glittery, golden spray paint that seemed made of fire, along with another simple advertisement for what Val informed me were mercenary companies. The 'Phoenix Feathers' apparently specialized in 'Treasure Hunters Extraordinaire'.

Talking with Val without the threat of guns pointed at us distracting me made me blush, getting hazy flashes of what the flock of kids had woken us up from. Though I did at least notice her glare soften and a soft smile on her beak at my red faced reply. "W-Well, we're not exactly prisoners anyway... I mean they let us have our stuff, they even gave us these nifty rain ponchos Val. Maybe you're right and this is more of an invitation. Besides, we've got Swan waiting, if they try anything and we don't come back soon, she's not going to be happy..."

Our escort gave a collective shudder at just mentioning Swan waiting back at the scrapyard for us. The big filly hadn't been happy at all being asked to stay behind, but the brief tutorial on locator tags and the timer I helped set up on her pip-buck soothed her a little, as well as providing a some insurance for us. If the arcano-tech device on her large leg beeped and we weren't back, she was apt to fly right after us using my mark on her map as her guide and go on a rampage, no matter the pair of griffons left to 'guard' her. I left her looking very annoyed and sitting on her radioactive junk pile despite a lot of nuzzling and attention, but the promise of mass destruction by an even bigger mutant did motivate our escort at least.

Thinking of Swan and her pouting at 'smelling play' on me, I shuffled in the tattered old plastic rain slicker we had been provided with a weak smile to Val, somewhat glad to be wearing it with the steady rain sloughing off the material and very glad Swan wasn't jealous. Val wore the same over her gear, clearly not nearly as grateful for the gift by her snort. "Ya can bet they didn't give it outta the kindness of ol' Magpie's heart. It's a disguise goofy, neither one of us really needs ta be seen by the riff raff ahead, so keep that hood down."

While I was interested in even the shabby ruins lining the twisting roadway winding its way up the mountain, I realized she had a point and pulled the grimy yellow hood down further. Griffon architecture still drew my eye, and not just because I was keeping a lookout for Zed who seemed to be tailing us. The few buildings standing looked even more weathered and beaten than the ruins of pony civilization below. I never got to see where Auntie Broom lived as a foal, now I sincerely hoped the battered thatched roof roosts and treehouses built up in blackened trees clinging to the mountain used to look a lot nicer than they did now.

The smallest little fledgling Heidi flew closest as our escort, chirping brightly in agreement with Val's grousing. "Ya-huh, Ma Magpie said not ta let anybody see ya when we come back, so no cool hero stuff Mr. Shroud."

I had to grin at the blue cutie, even griffon kids must read the Shroud's comics. As much as I sometimes worried that what was in my head was the real Shrouded Stallion from ancient times, a spirit corrupted by Nightmare Moon that was supposed to be sealed away by Celestia herself, I couldn't help but feel good when kids mistook me for the Shroud I knew and loved. It was half the reason I took up the mantle after all, not just to scare the bad guys, but to give kids like I was something to believe in. A hero in a world where they were pretty thin.

As thin as the scrawny chick beaming at us I realized, digging in my saddlebags and floating over some of Glitter's stash of snack cakes to her excited squeal. "I promise kiddo. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

I got some funny looks reciting the ancient pony oath, but several of our aerial guard swooped in and excitedly started sharing the food, prompting me to pull more from my packs and spread it around. I didn't necessarily need to eat anyway, but I had been keeping more on hoof since I started trying to learn to cook with the breezies. Now I wished I had stocked up more in the Ministry of Peace kitchens...

"Mmm hranks mmstr!" Heidi's smiling beak covered in frosting reminded me even more of Glitter, full of joy at so simple a gift and repeated from the stuffed cheeks of several of her friends.

"Hey! No makin' nice, act professional dammit! Gonna let him buy ya off with a lil' food?" Bruno was the only one abstaining, though I caught a string of drool on his beak hastily wiped away.

The older canary colored griffoness ruffled Heidi's feathers and stuck her tongue out, turning back and letting me realize she shared the same bright yellow-green eyes and similar features. "Oh stuff it Bruno, he didn't ask fer nothin' first, he ain't tryin' ta bribe us. Thanks mister, that was really.... nice."

Bruno bristled at the insubordination, squawking back and sticking his beak up proudly. "You sound just like those Groverite assholes you hang around with Lila. Don't matter if he asked or not, that's how they get ya, bein' all sappy like that. Unlike you an' yer stupid sister, I'ma pro an' don't get fooled! That's why I'm gonna get signed on with the Gunners once my contract's up, while you two starve with those nutjobs."

Watching the bickering was providing some information about where we were going I was trying to absorb, so I was somewhat annoyed by Val's sudden interruption, via a can of Cram smacking Bruno in the back of the head. To his credit he spun and caught the missile before it fell to the ground, glaring at Val's smirk back.

"Ain't you the lil' go getter, huh brat? Go on, even Gunners don't pass up free food. I'd reconsider yer career path if I was you though, they ain't as great as ya think." Val's voice was gruff, but I wondered if she saw a little of herself in the younger griffon. Getting her to give anything away for free was unusual, even a 200 year old can of meat.

The brat huffed and grumbled back, though at least I spotted his sharp claws fidgeting on the can as he sneered in a low voice. "Yeah, you'd know all about it, huh Traitor?"

In response to that ill advised crack, Val swooped forward before I could stop her. Her claws grabbed the punk by the dense feathers of his red breast and she turned her best 'bad ass merc' look on him, making him quail in her grip. "Yeah, matter of fact I would. Like only real Gunners get ta call me that ya little bastard. Not two bit punks still takin' orders from Ma Magpie"

"Val... let him go..."

She obeyed grudgingly, letting the robin colored griffon go to flap away from her range with a panicked look. The conflicted expression she had doing it resolved to a smug smile before he could voice any complaint too, pointing back to me watching closely and puffing up proudly. "See there brat? That's a real boss, gots me somethin' way better than signin' up with them assholes. We gots an open contract, that's what's savin' yer tail from a proper spankin' twerp. Now eat yer meat."

There was a collective gasp at that, several of our escort goggling at me in a way that made me uncomfortable being the center of attention. I flushed at all the whispers, turning to Val still smirking and gliding along proudly to find any distraction. "So... Who is this Magpie anyway Val? You know her? What's this place like?"

I didn't like her conflicted frown, or the way she hid her eyes by tucking her hood down further as she pointed ahead. "She's... It's... Just, see fer yourself boss. An' no goin' crazy or lettin' anybody see the whole wings an' horn package, fuckers up here will sell us out fer less than the food ya just tossed out."

She didn't exactly make it sound pleasant, but I looked ahead with interest at her direction at the sudden flash of text in my vision. 'Location Discovered: Magpie's Roost' blinked in the corner of my eye as we rounded the last bend in the road, coming around craggy peaks that had blocked the ruined town from view.

It wasn't much to look at... The ruins on the way up were in slightly worse shape than the ones up here, but only slightly. A mix of pony and griffon buildings were scattered on the peak of the mountain at varying heights, a complex network of crumbling roadways going up and down and all over. The narrow brownstones built by earth pony hooves lining the main strip we landed at were in the best shape, while the broken nests and round stone towers built for griffons and wispy cloud structures ringing the peaks overlooked it all.

Most of the ruined storefronts lit up on our path bore the symbols of various mercenary companies, more than I would have thought and all seeming to specialize in some different service. There were ones that sought treasure in wasteland ruins like the Phoenix Feathers whose ad I saw, ones who acted as guards for caravans and traders, courier services for those deliveries the glowing Red Rocket station I spotted were insufficient to guarantee delivery of, bounty hunters and assassins whose hard stares I shied away from, all those and more lined our slow walk through town that attracted more attention than I'd like.

There were also lots of others businesses, some of which were surprising to me. One street corner we passed had a scrawny male griffon at a broken down old food cart, hawking such predatory fare as Iguana on a Stick in a bawdy voice. There was a diner that looked to do a brisk business, the savory smells coming from the kitchen staffed by a brown and white griffoness in an apron, who reminded me of nothing so much as a plump old hen.

While the majority of vendors specialized in armor and weapons, I spotted simpler spots selling warm knitted clothing and even jewelry in the ruins of a Talon's outlet that made me pause. There was actually a lot of glittering gold in the dusty cases I could see through the half ruined shop. I called Jade my wife and she agreed I was her husband, but I felt bad I never gave her a ring or had a proper ceremony.

Thinking of her, I noticed there were also families in the crowd. Innocent civilians, even among the tough griffon society up here. Moms and dads... elderly grannies clucking at unarmored chicks. Just like ponies, they were just folks trying to eke out a living...

"What, you didn't think we was all mercs, did ya boss?" Val chuckled at my staring, figuring me out as well as Jade herself.

"No... I mean... sorta. Sorry, I guess I knew some griffons did different stuff in theory, it's just weird seeing it..."

The noogies my sheepish answer got answered with felt good, knowing our relationship was still as close and unchanged by our earlier activities. "We do other stuff boss, we're just the best there is at bein' bad asses, so that's what our rep is."

A gruff nudge broke off Val's lesson that griffons were just people too, Bruno glared and poked us along faster, the reason easy enough to puzzle out when I saw the tall office building near the trinket shop. Like most of the buildings here, it bore jagged gaps in the walls, but these had been repaired or reinforced with sandbags and steel blockades, each war torn gap staffed by a hard faced merc in Gunner green, matching the pony skull flag flying atop the fortress.

Seeing the small crew of Gunners milling around the place, I ducked my head in my hood and made to look like the numerous pegasi I saw flitting around town. Looking away sharply, I was stunned to see a small ruin in the process of restoration flying the blue flag of the Minutemares right across the street. There were only a few of the ponies and griffons in blue, but they had a cheery looking mare at a counter right out front, audibly extolling the virtues of the group and soliciting for new recruits, offering contracts with terms to be discussed.

There were a lot of hard stares and combative looks sending sparks across the street as we passed, but both the Gunners and Minutemare crews looked to behave and be doing essentially the same thing, offering work and taking contracts, or requests for aid in the case of the small gaggle of Minutemares. I was glad to see friendly faces anyway, and that ponies weren't all that remarkable here, letting me blend in better. Most were of the winged variety given our lofty height, but there were plenty of unicorns and earth ponies too. Quite a few of the happier looking ones coming and going from an L shaped roadside motel.

Seeing scantily clad mares and griffons drawing in customers made it easy enough to figure out what kind of business that was, but there were several pairs of griffons and ponies who looked a lot closer than simple worker/client relationships. Many going in and out of a ramshackle church next door that displayed the same symbol as the motel, a golden idol of some kind. My sharp eyes picked out quite a few griffons with pictures on their flanks to my surprise too, cutie marks?

"What, wanna go check it out griffon groper? Did we interrupt yer feather fever freakiness? You and the pony lover ought'a fit right in with those Groverite nuts." Bruno sneered at us, making me flush at the sniggers and giggles of his crew.

I was glad when the bright yellow Lila came to our defense, before Val could pummel him into the ground for making fun. "Oh shut up Bruno, they're not all about... that. Groverites are nice, they teach stuff like having pride and not being so greedy, getting along and doing stuff for others cause you wanna, not just cause there's somethin' in it for you. A-And besides, who cares about that other stuff, it's their own business who they wanna do that stuff with. You love who you love, it's not hurtin' you."

While the brat looked like he wanted to put his junior in her place, one look at Val's hard glare just waiting for him to say something made him shut up. My relief at the subject being dropped was short lived though, little Heidi gave a wide grin fluttering ahead of us, looking back and forth between me and Val curiously. "They are really nice, I don't see what the big deal is though. Griffons an' ponies bein' all lovey dovey like that I mean. You an' her like each other, huh Mister Shroud? I mean you were..."

"HA! Er... hehe... y-yeah... we... umm..."

"Heidi! It's still rude ta ask that kinda stuff!" I gave Lila an immensely grateful look for ruffling her sister's feathers and shoving her aside, noting even Val had pink roses on her cheeks as she continued to us. "Don't mind her, or that jerk either. Lots of folks do that here, Bruno's just a dick about it 'cause he wants ta be a Gunner, an' they don't like it at all. It's 'unnnn-naturaaaal...', most of them go to the Silk Roost an' spend their caps like everybody else though, hypocrites..."

"Well when yer contract's up, you an' yer stupid sis can go join em Lila! Go get yer butts stamped and earn yer caps on yer backs, maybe when I make it big, I'll throw a few caps yer way even. I'll only rent out other griffons, even smart mouthed twats like you tw...." Bruno was stupid enough to not leave things be, opening his beak again and getting it shut for him by Val's dark claw smacking him upside the head hard enough to drive the little merc to splash in a muddy pothole.

"I know ya said no kids boss, but c'mon.... this brat is old enough, right? If'n he's big enough ta run his mouth, he's big enough fer a beatin' at least..." Val cracked her knuckles in anticipation over the twerp, straddling the mud puddle he floundered in and shoving him back down when he tried getting up.

"He's definitely asking for a spanking anyway. It's not nice to treat your friends like that kid, keep it up and I might look the other way... There's nothing wrong with ponies and griffons being together, or zebras, yaks, buffalo, anybody. Like Lila here said, you love who you love. I love Val, enough to let her do what she wants next time..."

Choosing to ignore his huff and insulting grumble to the effect of 'we all saw that much', I was grateful most of the giggles were directed his way as he flapped ahead to escape Val's wrath. We kept trotting along in silence, broken by Lila's soft whisper at my side as we started winding our way higher, towards a wrecked old building overlooking the town ahead.

"Umm... Mister? I was just wonderin'... Did she mean what she said? You two really have an open contract? You like... are equals? Partners?" Lila padded along beside me quietly, her eyes earnest and wide, framed by the pretty green highlights to her feathers.

"Sure do. We're partners, best friends and... umm... m-more. I really do love Val, she's not just my employee. A dear friend taught me the oath when I was Heidi's age, so we wound up together. I'm really glad we did too."

The young griffon looked to mull what I said over carefully, whispering back and forth with her younger sister. Their look of mild disbelief went away at Val's proud clucking next to me, her claws shoving my hood down and a playful flank check sent me stumbling as she crowed. "Yup, boss is awesome alright kiddo. Best move I ever made, lots of loot, lots of fun, plenty of fuckin' up assholes what deserve it. Plus I get this lil' nerd ta mess with whenever I want! Helluva lot better than bein' a Gunner, or workin' for the ol' buzzard up yonder."

'Up yonder' turned out to be a school, my pip-buck even identified it helpfully as we passed the gates; Location Discovered: Boreas Elementary. It was a big, metal building, more vertically oriented than most schools I had seen at three stories tall in places, though painted in peeling red that reminded me of Mrs. Patience's little red schoolhouse I attended briefly.

The playground was even riddled with high hoops and other obstacles to fly or play on in the air, clearly made with the griffon population in mind. The rusty fencing surrounding the campus had been mended and reinforced with junk, cobbled together guard perches staffed by older griffons and a few pegasi. Muuuuch older griffons in some cases, I spotted another ghoulified specimen prowling the rooftop as we passed the gate, marking a fairly sizable undead population I had seen on our way in.

They were outnumbered by the crowds of kids I saw running around everywhere though. Griffons and ponies both charged about the school yard, running through obstacle courses and engaged in training with paintball guns from the nearby ruins of a paintball range, full of walls and other obstacles that had been absorbed by the school, the training weapons making their soft 'pfft!' noises I could pick up even at this distance. I'd think it was still a school or even an orphanage, if not for the very real guns I saw many of them holding. Val wasn't kidding, this Magpie we were going to see had herself a veritable army of kids, many with the grim and grimy faces of real killers.

As we approached the entrance, we went around a damaged statue of a familiar griffon and pegasus locked in a corroding hoofshake of green metal, their wings spread wide in flight and touching above their outstretched forelegs, forcing me to pause and knock some of the dirt from the plate at the base.

'Renovations made possible by a generous grant by Stable-Tec and Talon's Department Stores. 'Wings Together' statue donated by sculptor Chip Cutter.

"Just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it can't. Always keep trying for the impossible! We can learn to do better together!"

Seeing Gabby and Scootaloo showing griffons and ponies together gave me a little hope their message had filtered through the centuries, even if the subject seemed to be a point of contention around here. They had tried, and donating to teaching the young had been a good idea, if only they had more time...

Leaving the long dead pair behind, we entered the school building itself and had to dodge a flock of winged toddlers zipping by. The school was in poor shape, lots of battered pots and pans plinked with dripping rainwater and fire barrels provided the heat. Most of the former classrooms we passed were occupied, there were ratty beds in nearly all of them, for both adults and children. Passing by another of these, I slowed to a shuffle and goggled at a room full of nests holding eggs the size of beach balls, a sputtering space heater chugged away in there, and a bored looking griffoness traded her roost to a male shrugging out of patchwork armor sleepily.

"Magpie takes em in boss... no questions asked. No shortage of em either, I told ya, mercs don't make the best parents..." Val whispered in my ear, nudging me away from my gawking I realized may be rude, but really... I'd never seen griffon eggs.

"She can't be so bad then, right? Taking in orphans like that?"

Val rolled her eyes and snorted at my question, sighing softly as we moved on. "Yeah she can boss. Sure she takes kids in an' raises em, but that's where she gets her lil' army from. It's more an investment than charity."

"Oh..."

Continuing our strange tour, the counselor's office looked to be an armory now, full of somewhat better weapons than our guides used and not as much ammo as I'd expect. The armor not currently being worn wasn't in much better condition than what our guides wore, patchwork leather and bits of scrap the prevailing trend.

We kept moving at Bruno's insistence, flapping up and bypassing a rickety looking set of stairs to the second floor and a large office marked 'Principal', with 'Magpie' added to the wooden placard in claw scratched letters. It was here that our guide left us, admonishing us to "Stay put...' as he slipped inside.

The rest of Magpie's Muggers weren't nearly so fussy as their leader, letting me trot about and look around from the balcony. It made me sad seeing so many kids in such conditions, reminding me forcibly of the orphans of Goodneighbor and making me think of Ivy, hoping she was doing ok. We had managed to help those kids... maybe we could do something here too, no matter Val's warning not to try my so far mixed results at diplomacy. I really wished Jade was here though...

I got to watch the residents moving about above and below with purpose, things were obviously tough, but they made the best of it. The adults were nearly half ghouls, both ponies and griffons, but there were plenty of living grown ups riding herd on their young workers.

Val didn't seem nearly as interested in looking around, though I guessed she had seen it all before. The way she crossed her forelegs in a huff leaning against the wall by the door made me concerned, she had the look of a foul tempered student waiting for punishment sitting near the principal's door like that, on a scratched old wooden bench that she seemed familiar with. Joining her and fidgeting in my seat beside her, I couldn't help but feel the same way, even though I never really got in trouble in school.

Finally, Bruno came back out and ushered us in, past the front counter with a flickering terminal a tired looking mare tapped at and to another door. Beyond this thick wooden portal sat who I assumed had to be Mabel Magpie, a plump old ghoul who raised a feathery brow at our entrance, waving Bruno to take up a guard nearby with a rotting, scaly claw.

She was an intimidating old bird, Val's refering to her as 'old buzzard' seemed fairly apt considering she looked like one. She had a long, leathery neck with peeling skin, and a dingy, hooked yellow beak that curled in a smirk at our approach. The plumage on her head was fairly thin, but styled in curls held in place by a bow. The thick ruff of feathers at the base of her neck was a dirty white and molted here and there, covered by a strategically placed brooch of gold and ruby. She wore a clean pink dress that covered her potbellied, dark black body and whatever missing chunks of flesh beneath. A wilted fan of feathers was spread out behind her back in the creaky, highbacked office chair she sat in like a throne, and her claws tapped at the nicked surface of her desk in a slow click-click-click.

Safely in her office, I followed Val's lead and shrugged out of the hood hiding my face, replacing it with my fedora and cocking a curious ear at her croaky voice. "Well, well, well... always a good day when one of my wayward chicks comes back to the nest, welcome home Val. And of course Ma Magpie extends her welcome to yer famous boss Mr. Shrouded Stallion..."

I seriously doubted the old bird was a comics fan, but the dim glow of electronic equipment arrayed on a counter behind her cleared up her foreknowledge. Beyond the burnt out school PA system I couldn't help wanting to tinker with, there was both a radio and an impressive ham radio setup that squawked and buzzed with low volume chatter.

"Umm... Hi! Pleasure to meet you Miss Magpie, er... my name's actually Fast, Fast Ti..."

"Cut the bullshit Magpie, whatdya want? We gots places ta be and I don't appreciate yer little 'invite', in case the twerp didn't tell ya, yer under a deadline keepin' us here..." Val interrupted my introductions, leaving me to withdraw my outstretched hoof. The way Magpie's bloodshot red eyes narrowed at me made me uncomfortable, but she kept a pleasant smile.

Magpie chuckled at Val's rudeness, leaning back in her chair and waving my gasp away. "Ahh, good to see you haven't changed brat, you always were a problem student. I heard all about yer 'monster pony', so stuff yer threats. Not sure if I believe it, but whatever. As fer what I want... take a wild guess. You two have a bounty that would make a greedy dragon's head spin. Not that I care too much for the Gunners in general, but they do pay up... Figured I'd give you the chance to make a counter offer, since yer so famous hangin' around with that Princess I hear so much about. Her an' this Shrouded Fast feller gotta have lots of caps, right?"

At the threat of turning us in, Val tore her dirty poncho away and tensed in a combat ready crouch, her weapons giving a warning click as she growled back. "Try it... Even without our big backup that is very real, I got no problem gettin' outta here again Mabel."

While I struggled to keep up and beat back the angry hiss in my head that wanted to join Val, Magpie's sharp gasp and shakily pointing pistol that had appeared like magic aimed at Val managed to distract me. Her wide eyes were locked on Val's armor though, or rather the bright blue Stable barding still underneath. "W-Where did you get that?! How..."

Even Val was surprised by her reaction, squinting at the shocked buzzard leaning over her desk to stare at the golden '75' on her collar. "What? This thing? Heh, took it from those very assholes an' their secret Stable they been hidin', souvenir before we wrecked the place. So what? Gettin' back ta yer point, here's my counter offer, we leave and you keep... well, not livin' obviously, but don't get blown up where ya sit."

Val ignored Bruno's screech and the click of his beaten old sawed off shotgun at her side, barely deigning to unholster her 12mm pistol and waggle it his way without even looking. She might not consider him worth her attention, but his presence reminded me of our situation and prompted me to intervene before this went south. If we killed their leader and had to fight our way out, there were a lot of armed children that would surely get involved, I couldn't have that.

"Val... We can't..."

"Shaddup boss, I can and will if'n she thinks she's turnin' you in. I'll try ta wing the kids what get in the way if it makes ya happy, but I'd be happy ta put the old buzzard down right now. Wouldn't mind a lil' payback for all them swats with that fuckin' thing ya still got hangin' on the wall Mabel, maybe I'll return the favor 'fore I blow yer brains out." Val sneered and nodded up to a worn paddle hanging on the wall behind Magpie, making me wonder what kind of past these two shared.

I shrugged out of my own poncho as I wiggled my way between the two griffons, revealing my Shrouded Stallion armor and tipping my hat to Magpie with a sheepish smile, trying again to hold my hoof out and calm things down. Whatever the reason, I was glad Magpie was still staring at Val's outfit with a stunned expression, letting me try for introductions again.

"Er... Look, we can work this out without anybody getting hurt, can't we Miss Magpie? I'm Fast Times and my wife is Princess Jade that I guess you've heard about. I don't know if we can match all the caps the Gunners are offering, but we could figure something out I'm sure. Her Followers and the Minutemares would be happy to try to help out in your town however we can, we just made friends with folks who could supply a lot of food for example. You umm... seem a little lacking in that department."

"Don't listen Ma! We should turn em in and take the bounty! He ain't with no Princess, he's just some feather fever pony, we caught 'im an' Bloodtail goin' at it even!" Bruno decided to chime in with a disapproving sneer, looking a little lost when Magpie simply sat still and goggled.

"Times? Fast.. you... what? Stable? The Gunners... they still had it? You... You two? Together? C-Can't be..." As intimidating as Mabel Magpie had seemed when we came in, now she looked to almost deflate in her creaky chair, looking back and forth between us and stammering. Slowly she worked through whatever was messing with her, shaking her head and speaking in a shaky but firmer voice. "Out... I need'ta think, Bruno dear, take them to detention while I decide what to do."

"But ma! We should..." Bruno tried to resist, but was shut down by the old crone snapping at him.

"Now! Do as yer told brat, before I take down Ol' Spanky! You two can just cool yer jets, we still got time before this monster comes a knockin', so lemme consider yer offer ...Fast." Magpie sounded like she was on firmer hoofing yelling at her young subordinate, dismissing us with a claw waving over her chair as she spun and stared at her shelf filled wall.

Bruno pouted and kicked at the floor, wordlessly shoving us back out and into the twisting halls and stairways of the schoolhouse. We attracted a little more notice leaving without our disguises, but were mostly ignored and led towards an empty classroom labeled 'Detention'.

When the lock clicked behind us, Val groaned and shoved me gruffly, leaning down to rub it in. "Told ya this was a bad idea boss..."

"Wait, so ya hear voices... that's what yer so worried about boss?"

Covering my growing concerns about my sanity took awhile, but so far we had time to fill and Val had held me to my promise. Overlooking her disbelieving squint, she really sounded curious and caring while I went through the mounting evidence for me really being batshit insane too. Now that I had laid it all out for her, I couldn't help feeling a little defensive at the way she seemed to dismiss it though.

"Not just voices... I mean I hear stuff from the little statues, the Ministry Mares I mean, but Jade and Zed say that's no big deal since they're soul jars, they really do have like... an echo of somepony else in there. The other one though... The one I think of as 'Be Dark' like the other statues all say 'Be... something' except for Pinkie anyway... A-Anyway, that one is different, mean... W-When I get too angry or lose control, it's because of that voice. Sometimes I... I black out and don't know what I did..."

Admitting all that both hurt and felt like a huge weight off my back. Val scoffed from her reclined position in front of where I had been pacing as I spoke, but her eyes were soft and understanding, her long tail flicking out in my face to wipe away the embarrassed, worried expression there with a sputter. "Meh... Ya should'a told me boss, but that's no biggie. I met folks way crazier than that before. Their voices tell em ta do stuff like eat people or diddle puppies fer fun. Everybody gets pissed an' mean, I think them other creepy statue things are just messin' with ya, makin' ya think everything is some other voice like them. Ought'a lock them things up, or let Stripey have em."

"But... I like them. They help me, hell they've saved me before Val. That other one... Zed thinks it's some kind of spirit, and I'm starting to get scared it might be... t-the real Shrouded Stallion somehow..."

Her bawdy laughter made me turn red and stammer, doing little to get her to stop snorting and giggling at me to my blushing horror. "The comic book guy!? Bwahahahaha! C'mon boss, now yer just messin' with me. Ya ain't got no goofy old world superhero stuck in yer skull. You been wearin' that thing too long, yer own stories are gettin' to ya!"

"It's not funny..."

I turned my back and fumed, regretting telling her this stuff even as her sniggering tapered off and she cleared her throat, reaching out to pull me by the tail and drag me back to her. "Awww, c'mon, sorry boss. I didn't mean ta make fun, just... it does sound kinda crazy..."

"That's what I'm worried about!!"

"Oh ya know what I mean, crazy ha ha, not nuthouse crazy. Look, if yer worried about it I take it serious, but I don't think it's any big deal. Hell, I like when ya get all hardcore like that boss, I just wish ya'd quit that runnin' ahead shit. Other than that, it's a real turn on ya sexy shrimp..." Val scratched my mane and made my leg thump, her syrupy coo of seduction just waking up the very voice I was worried about with a frisky rumble.

Even though my rainbow colored rad meter had dipped back down to the yellow/green border with a few hours sleep following a bit of ...exercise... to burn off some of that energy beyond healing my wounds, I didn't want to get that part going again. Especially here, where ponies and griffons getting up to shenanigans was such a taboo subject. Left with little else to do and not much more to tell her about, I cast out for change of topic, trying to turn the conversation around and hear more about her instead of talking about me.

"So... you were raised by that old ghoul Val? You grew up here?"

My griffon friend had been reluctant about filling me in while we sat around twiddling our tails, withdrawing her heavenly claws from my head and grumbling a reply from the cardboard mat of a bed she was sprawled on in the corner. "Yeah, yeah... I told ya, me an the ice queen both were like these brats. Magpie's a bitch, but she did feed us and teach us a trade. Old crone actually used'ta be a teacher here if'n you can believe it. Still can't wait ta see ol' Swanny stomp this place flat. Now quit with the trip down memory lane boss."

"I told you Val, I want to know all about you, even the bad parts. So she really has contracts with all these kids? How did you end up leaving? What was it like? Were you happy at all? Did you have other friends?"

With her deft touch gone and that joking, reassuring tone to her voice drying up so suddenly, I got up to pace and explore again, hoping she'd answer and not giving her the chance to try to distract me by making my wings pop up again to her amusement. The detention room of the old school looked like it was used frequently to this day, though not repaired or kept up even as well as the rest of the school. By the crude drawings and epithets on the broken chalkboard, I had gleaned nobody much liked the ghoulish griffon in charge, but of course all the ones here to scrawl them here were 'in detention' too, so I wanted to hear what it was like from someone with firsthoof experience.

My prowling around the room gave her time to pout, ruffling her feathers and thinking while I kept poking around. A few books survived in here, so I floated the most interesting tome over to one of the numerous school desks, fighting my wings to slide into the creaky seat and pretending I was back in school like the old days. 'Crusading for Equality: A Guide to Interspecies Relations' was actually a good book, another donation from Gabby and Scootaloo apparently by the Stable-Tec logo I found stamped on the inner cover...

'Griffons may appear surly and unfriendly to ponies, but give them time and they'll eventually open up if you make the effort! It might not look like it, but they have feelings just like ponies, they just express them differently. Be patient and keep trying, you're sure to earn a loyal friend if you do!'

Choosing to follow the book's advice, I abandoned my seat to go plop down in the floor beside Val, waiting quietly and nuzzling her hunched shoulders, giving her the reliable puppy eye treatment when I got her to look away from scowling at the floor.

She made a noise like a teakettle and her feathers puffed up in agitation, but did finally groan out an answer. "ERRGH! We gots other stuff ta be worried about ya know boss! She really might turn us in dummy! They could always use the caps here if ya ain't noticed... Just lemme pick that lock and we'll blast our way outta here, done it plenty of times before..."

"I want to hear what she has to say, find a better way. We've got some time yet and other help out there. For now I want to hear about you. You know all kinds of stuff about me and my folks, where I grew up, all that stuff. Fair's fair, I love you Val, so I want to know. Please?"

She gave a long, drawn out sigh and drummed her legs in a tantrum, then her tired expression softened and she nipped my perked up ears waiting for her reply affectionately. "Fiiiiine... Gawd yer an annoyin' lil bastard sometimes boss. The old crone runs this place, the town I mean. The brats get the crappy gear, but she's got her fellow dead heads and grown ups what sign on with her usin' the good stuff. She's... fair I guess... I mean she has all the kids under contract yeah, but it's yearly, not like it's lifelong or nothin'. Every birthday ya gotta decide to sign on again, or head out on yer own. Enough stay on that she keeps right on runnin' her lil' kingdom like she has since the beginnin'."

"Most everybody else in town is fine with it too, hell, she raised half of em... and if she's in charge, there ain't no fightin' over who else is. She don't like Gunners, but they don't mess with her and she don't mess with them. She really does still teach stuff too, not just how ta shoot an' fly neither, all that egghead kinda crap you like too. The real nerds she'll even pay ta send ta University Point, learn how ta do stuff like you can, course they're still under an extended contract ta repay the edumacation an' all."

While that was all informative and relevant to our current situation, it carefully avoided anything personal, things I wanted to know just as much. Seeing as we were alone, I snuggled closer and kissed her cheek, looking up hopefully as I gave her a gentle nudge.

"About you Val. Stuff about you, that's just as important to me. You lived here, this was home, for awhile anyway. This is where you grew up, you've seen where I came from, now return the favor. We're friends, let me in a little..."

A friendly headlock came along with a soft chuckle and little normal Val teasing that made me blush to my hooves when she continued. "I did let ya in, remember? Just happened goofy, or ya tellin' me I'm forgettable? I mean I know we was tired and it weren't fireworks or nothin' but..."

"V-Val! Come on... you know I didn't mean... I-I'm serious, that's why I want to know this stuff after all. I'd never forget umm... t-that, there was... er... f-fireworks... f-for me anyway... It meant a lot to me, you mean a lot to me. So tell me all about little Valkyrie Bloodtail, my best friend in Equestria."

My wings springing up didn't help trying to sound serious, but did get a laugh and demure smile, wearing down her defenses as she hugged me back and sighed in defeat. "Jeez... yer such a sap boss... Dunno what ta tell ya, I mean... it was what it was, ya know? Guess I wasn't much different than that little brat what put us in here, that Bruno kid. Same stupid goals... same fucked up ideas... We trained, er... me and the bitch I mean... Freya... We did jobs for the old buzzard, we had our own little cots and usually got ta eat, we got in trouble together... we... we was kids, friends..."

Looking up to see her violet eyes growing misty, I froze seeing an upside down, black and white face on the other side of the cracked glass and wire mess of the windows. Zed's grey eyes were curious and a little shamed, giving a quiet cough and tap to the window to let Val know he was there subtly. She spun at the noise and shoved me off her in a rush, squawking and rubbing her eyes with a sniffle, puffing up her feathers and glaring at the upside down zebra looking away innocently.

"Sorry... I errr... just arrived. Are you alright? It took me time to sneak in and find where you were hidden, do you need help?" Zed tried to steer the conversation quickly, still an unfamiliar, sheepish look on his face when I stumbled up from where I had been flung.

"What the fuck stripey! Where the hell you been! What did you hear...." Val shouts made him wince nervously, looking around outside as she stormed up to the window and ended on a threatening growl.

"Zed! You're ok! I wondered... I mean I saw your locator tag following us, and I thought I spotted you, but I didn't know what happened. I thought something may have happened to let those kids get past you." Shaking off the stars circling my head, I trotted between them and leaned against the windowsill, trying to divert Val's embarrassed glare with her claw flexing around the grip of her pistol like that...

Our missing zebra companion gave a weary sigh, scratching his spiky mane in a guilty admission. "I... fell asleep... I'm sorry, both of you. The battle took more out of me than I realized, I pushed myself and... forgive me. When I awoke, it was to Swan's tantrum outside and we were already surrounded. I hid and followed your lead, I tried to let you see me on the way up here. What's going on now? You appear to be prisoners... I did speak with Swan before following you, but she was stewing on her radioactive waste and diligently watching the timer you set for her. It won't be long before you have a very grumpy mare up here..."

"Shit... We warned them, but we're running out of time there. We're not really prisoners per se... we're waiting on the ghoul in charge. We might have to fight our way out, but there are a lot of kids here and I really don't want to. I'm hoping to talk our way out, but this Magpie lady is taking her sweet time. Do you think you can hold her off if it takes too long? Tell her we're fine?"

By Zed's flat stare back, I saw how unlikely I thought that was reflected back at me and groaned with his eventual reply. "I can try... If it comes to violence, I may be able to help. I can merely knock out the children if need be. That would most likely be preferable to risking her making her way up here. She was quite large even when I left... I believe I heard her mutter something about smashing buildings..."

"Ha! Good! Let her come boss, can't wait ta see it!" Val grinned and nodded happily, rubbing her claws together in glee at the prospect of a giant alicorn attacking the city.

"Swan isn't exactly a precision weapon Val, there are innocent people here, families and kids right here... Look, if don't make any progress soon, we'll break out and leave before that happens. For now, can you just keep an eye out Zed? If we need to leave then knock out the kids and help us get clear, if we don't then things are still going good and you can try to stop her before she gets here?"

"I'll do as you say then, allow me to make up for my failure, I won't let you down again Fast, I prom..." Zed nodded back firmly, but was cut off mid-sentence and disappeared from the window, just as I heard the lock click and the door creak open behind us.

It wasn't Bruno at least, I was much happier to see Lila and her sister Heidi acting as our guard this time, the feeling even seemed mutual and shared by Val. She was less cranky being escorted by the more pleasant pair at least, though not happy to be returning to 'Principal' Magpie's office.

When we arrived, Magpie waved them off to wait outside with a strangely subdued look on her mottled features. A scorched, dirty and stiff piece of some kind of paper flicked back and forth in her claws in a nervous gesture, and she stared at our entry with a suspicious look focused entirely on me, making me shuffle nervously.

She dragged the silence out, the sound of that paper flicking back and forth becoming maddening in the creepy quiet of being in the same room with someone who was essentially a living corpse. Finally, she spoke in a low voice, turning her gaze over to Val for the first time to point at her Stable barding again. "75... You got that outta Stable 75..."

"No shit Sherlock, what was yer first clue? The freakin' numbers plastered on this goofy get up?" Val grumbled back, forcing me to hush her. Whatever was behind this strange behavior, it involved Stables, therefore it had my full attention.

At least Magpie didn't seem too bothered by Val's wisecracking, hooking a thumbclaw over her shoulder at her muted ham radio. "No smart ass, it was the Gunners on there freakin' the fuck out about 'Black Site Alpha' all day, 'fore they shut up entirely anyway... I could'a believed ya just found the damn thing, but... You really got it straight from the source, didn't you kid?"

"Umm... Sorry about her... Yeah, we did Miss Magpie. So? What's it mean to you?"

Apparently I wasn't going to get to ask any questions here, I could actually see the old vulture as a school administrator by her hard stare. It was the same look I saw on my own old teacher's face when someone was naughty or fibbing, a glower that had the magical ability to make you want to confess just to make it stop. Only the smiling realization that Jade had that same ability helped me hold up under it while I waited, though that paper flicking in her claws was starting to get to me. 'Awareness' chimed in on top of my own senses puzzling it out, not card stock.. well preserved but very old...

"And yer name? You said Times? Fast Times, that right?" Magpie pulled me away from focusing on the hypnotizing motion, glaring even harder at my nervous nod. "C'mere... want you ta see somethin', tell me what you think..."

At that, the old bird heaved herself from her chair with a squeal and hobbled out the door, leaving us to follow after with equally confused looks as Lila and Heidi leaping up from their post outside. Magpie prowled on without looking back, not leaving the office area of the school, merely moving a few doors down to what I guessed was her own chambers by the nearly comfortable looking bed and variety of knick knacks adorning the walls.

She strode on confidently, stopping beside a stationary closet and holding the door open, waving me ahead to take a look. I gave Val a questioning look, but she looked as bewildered as I did, shrugging back and shooing me on curiously. Left with no real reason not to, I trotted ahead hesitantly, peering in as Magpie reached over my head to pull a rusty chain and bring a buzzing fluorescent light to life in the small space.

What it revealed took me a moment to take in, then I simply gaped, absorbing it all slowly. It was a... a shrine of some kind... The object in the most obvious place of honor was a tattered garment hung on a bent hanger, a faded, sky blue bit of clothing, the yellow 75 peeling and flaking in places... There were other objects of interest, a battered old pip-buck, along with a gleaming 12mm pistol much like Val's, but with a polished ebonwood grip etched with a cutie mark similar to Rainbow Dash's own famous mark. A puffy thundercloud, but with a wide wing rather than a lightning bolt.

It was the faded picture in a bedside frame between these two items that made my mouth dry up however. A steely grey griffoness smirked back at me from the strange little shrine hidden away back here for who knew how long, looking exactly as I remembered her... a twinkle to those kind lilac eyes that made my own tremble with tears as I whispered in a croaking voice.

"A-Auntie Broom..."

While I was trying to cope with the shock of seeing mom's old friend looking back at me, Magpie's rotting claw shot out, winding around my scarf in a flash and slamming me against the wall by the door, her long beak inches from my muzzle opened in a shout that overrode Val's sudden squawk of warning. "Where'd you hear that!?! It's not possible!!! Who the fuck put you up to this!? Where'd you get yer intel, some lil' spy runnin' around under my feathers!?"

"W-What?! Why do you..."

The click of Val's pistol behind Magpie's head barely got either of our attention, while our two escorts squeaked and fumbled for their own guns to cover the screeching merc. "Let 'im go old bitch! Right now!!"

Choosing to ignore the threat with barely a flick of her yellowed eyes, Magpie shoved the half burnt paper in her claws to my face in a shaking grip, her own voice a suspicious caw as I reeled trying to take whatever all this was in. "THIS! Fast Times!?! Fast fuckin' Times!?! It's not possible! Start talkin' squirt, I want answers right this damn minute!!"

It was a photo... Even more aged and damaged than the one of Auntie Broom in the frame, singed at the edges and distorted with age, but familiar. Jade had one exactly like it in much better shape in her saddlebags, one of her favorite family photos she forced me to go dig out of Stable 111's storage. A picture of me in the firm grip of Auntie Broom's bright orange claws, whooping in glee with the wind blowing my scruffy mane back, the grey griffon's face a wide grin at taking me up for a wild ride once upon a time.

"V-Val... it's ok, put it down. I think we both have some explaining to do Mabel, for my part let me introduce myself again. I'm Fast Times, son of Olden Times and Bright Skies-Times, I'm... kinda older than I look, and that is an old friend of the family, though I'm guessing you knew that already. So, how did you know her Magpie? How did you know Brunhilde Stormwing... My Auntie Broom?"

With my sad, even voice, Magpie's wrinkled face paled and she let me go to fall to the floor on my rump, backing away and clutching the beaten old photo to her the mottled feathers of her chest in shock. She backed away from me like she had seen a ghost, which in a way I supposed she had...

-------------------------Level Up!--------------------------

New Perk Added!--------------------

Equestrian Emissary----------
---Can't we all just get along? Your own ...exploration of interspecies relations, along with seeing how others can both despise and encourage the same, has really made you think. Beyond your mutation driven, equal opportunity attraction to pretty much anything female with a pulse, exposure to the varying races and cultures of the wasteland has broadened your horizons.

You now gain increased initial reputation and unique dialogue options with all the sentient races of Equestria, including; griffons, zebras, minotaurs, hellhounds, yaks, buffalo, dragons, changelings and more! There may be some bigoted factions that react negatively to such an open view however...

Reputation Change!-------------------

Magpie's Roost: Shunned
---With the Gunners next door and a population of griffons with mixed feelings on everything from your goody-goody Princess to your even closer relationship with a certain infamous hometown girl, it's probably best to keep your head down when daring to go to this grim corner of the Commonwealth. A surprising link to the leader of the town doesn't make gracing its borders a death sentence at least!

Ch. 88-- Old School Ghoul

"I'll tell you the whole tragic tale, ...for a couple of bits."
------------------

From the bell tower of Boreas Elementary, I could see fairly far since it was one of the highest, tallest buildings at the top of the mountain the town of Magpie Roost was hidden away on, though the view was grim and uninviting. To the west was the lower mountain that hid Stable 75, wisps of smoke still barely visible from various spots on the sheer slopes, leaking from numerous air exchange points I was guessing. To the south east was a brightly lit settlement of some kind, centered on a sprawling compound with a huge radio tower reaching for the cloudy sky, slightly bent and melted but obviously repaired. Beyond both and to the southwest was the most ominous part of the view that made me wonder why Magpie brought us up here, the Glowing Sea...

We'd flown all the way up the edge of it in the night and Swan had gone farther, but this was my first time getting a good look. It wasn't very pleasant either... The light grey cloud cover turned dark and green that way, bolts of neon green lightning illuminating the hellscape below, a land of scorched earth and melted ruins. The stormy skies that way swirled with another barrier storm, making me wonder what exactly it was trying to keep in or out this time.

Somewhere beyond all that ruin that screamed 'keep out', my Grandpa Fin was hiding... apparently behind the unnatural barrier that kept the Commonwealth sealed off from the rest of Equestria. Why was he doing it? Why had he done anything he had done? Turned against the rest of the Institute, taken my family, messed with my brain and erased my memories... I'd never been so close to the source of all the answers I wanted, filling me with brooding thoughts that seemed to match my strange company.

The old ghoul Mabel Magpie stared in the same direction, her yellowed eyes distant and firmly locked on the horizon, while her scaly claws fidgeted on the gleaming 12mm pistol she had brought with her from her strange shrine to an old friend. She'd been very quiet after confronting me with a picture of Auntie Broom and my younger self, climbing to the small tower housing the cracked and corroded school bell atop her odd fortress.

Considering I wanted to have some kind of productive conversation, Val perched on the roof nearby, giving us space and keeping her weapons trained on Magpie. She was in earshot, but less likely to interrupt her former caretaker with a little distance. Looking past her, I spotted the young ward of my host prowling the rooftops further away, the grey and red Bruno flicked his gaze our way occasionally, but stayed away like Val and Magpie's own guards, the much nicer Lila and Heidi holding their post on the other side of the tower. Just a few of the numerous subjects of Magpie's kingdom that Bruno looked over, keeping his back to the southern vista we faced, instead staring out to the bustling town of griffons and ponies to the north, where threats were more likely to come from probably.

"Ya didn't have wings in the picture..." Magpie finally croaked out a few words, raising a questioning eyebrow down at me hooking my forelegs over the edge of the bell tower and fighting with the very appendages she mentioned, twinging up at hearing their existence acknowledged.

"Yeah... I umm... stuff happened since I woke up. I didn't have them back then, they're kinda new..."

My answer made the old buzzard chuckle to herself, grabbing my wing and stretching it out to its full span critically. "I can tell that much, ya ain't preenin' em enough and they don't listen well, do they. Shudder ta think what ya look like flyin', I bet little Val there has her claws full dealin' with ya. So... you really are him, huh? Fast Times... the pony brat she liked so much. Hilde talked about ya you know..."

"She did? You umm... you really knew her? How?"

"Been around a long time kid, watched the balefire bombs go off right over yonder when it all ended..." Magpie waved her claw to the Glowing Sea, giving a little shiver and turning from the view to pad over to the opposite side of the tower before continuing. "Never left my post, even after I ...died and kept goin' like this... Made sure the little ones got out, some of em an' their parents evacuatin' that'a way, to the Stable, Hilde was one of em. Was a helluva shock when she came back fifty years later..."

"They exiled her... I read about it." I joined Magpie in looking over her city, my ears drooping and a hard edge creeping into my voice.

Magpie nodded and sighed, her gravelly voice getting thick for a moment. "Yeah... Hilde an' the others didn't talk much about it, but I gathered. Like pullin' teeth ta get em ta even mention the crazy place, was on their honor not ta reveal Stable secrets... Hell, I still didn't know where it was, even all these years later. You really wrecked the place?"

Flicking my eyes to the rocky peak that looked to have crumpled in on itself a bit since we left, I gave a firm nod back and answered in a growl. "We did... They deserved it, they were working with the Institute, getting supplies from them, so I took it away from them. Auntie Broom... she... she made it here? Did she... did she have a good life?"

Even the iron look on Magpie's rotting face softened at my quiet question, giving a long sigh and crossing her forelegs on the edge of the belltower railing, leaning over with me and looking at the ruined town. "Wouldn't call it good kid... I mean look around, and this is a helluva lot better than it was a hundred and fifty years ago... But... she did live and make the best of it, things are only as good as they are now because of her, she lived how she wanted and died surrounded by friends. This town wouldn't be here without her."

As I looked down and tried to absorb that, Val interrupted by swooping up to the broken peak of the bell tower and hanging over the edge, squawking at Magpie with a sneer. "You taught us it was you what started this place ya old hag! Oh I knew it was all bullshit! Shouldn't believe nothin' what comes outta her crooked beak boss!"

"Had a reason fer that if'n ya'd lemme finish brat! Gawd yer as a big a clawful as ya were as a chick, never respectin' yer elders! Shoo!" Magpie screeched at the intrusion, literally shooing Val off with her skeletal looking wing and groaning down to me. "Really was a reason fer that... Not givin' her the credit what was due I mean."

"I'm listening... Go on Val, let her talk."

Val's pouty frown was distracting and she didn't leave her upside down perch, but kept her beak shut as Magpie sighed, waving out to the ruins below. "When Hilde an' the other outcasts came here... Jeez... All'a this was a warzone kid, bunch'a squabblin' clans fightin' over the scraps what was left. Her an' all them other exiles were better trained an' better geared than them though, they came here 'cause here was home, fer Hilde and the other old'uns anyway."

"What little I got outta her about where she'd been fer the last half a freakin' century wasn't much, but she was still sharp an' adjusted ta all this crap quick enough. Had a plan ya see... She whipped this place inta shape, took over the school and found me right here... in a bad way. Was her idea, all'a it..."

Magpie's voice grew soft as she spoke, whoever she was before becoming an undead ghoul, she knew Auntie Broom and cared about her, prompting me to put a a hoof on her rotting shoulder and nudge her along. "Starting this town you mean? Or the ...school? Val told me a little, but I'd like to hear the whole story."

Glaring at her former student, Magpie croaked laughter and nodded in reply. "Oh I bet she had a few choice words, but I ain't apologizin' so just forget it twerp. I always done the best I could, even when it weren't enough or my little ducklings didn't like it."

I frowned at Val sticking her tongue out, glad to see she was willing to keep her contribution down to just that much. Whatever past these two had, it was part of a bigger story, one I wanted to hear clearly and without interruption. Auntie Broom was here, she made it out of the Stable and started a town... I should have known that even the wasteland wouldn't be enough to keep her down and swelled with pride at mom's old friend.

I also couldn't help looking down to my cutie mark and wondering again if Jade really was right. Maybe fate or chance or even Zed's spirits really did bring me to the right places at the right times, even if I didn't think so or like the universe's definition of 'right time'. I would have wanted to spare my old babysitter from getting kicked out of her Stable at all, but that event had apparently touched a lot of lives...

One quite a bit by the choked voice coughing gruffly and continuing, wiping her leathery face as she kept speaking. "A-Anyhoo... Yeah kid, she started this place an' laid down the law, kept the peace fer a good number of years fer an older bird like her out here. She always had us preppin' fer the future too, said no matter how bad things was, we could make em better together... That kinda hooey and this here symbol still stamped on her butt made a lotta folks think she was full on Groverite, hell... half the reason that cult is still goin' strong probably, but she was just a good gal."

Shaking off the somberness to her voice and holding the engraved handle of Auntie Broom's old pistol for me to see clearly the mark she meant, Magpie gave the pistol a dextrous spin in her claws and sighted down the barrel, taking aim at the three story office building flying the Gunner's pony skull logo with a sneer as she went on.

"She knew those Gunner assholes would come out one day and make trouble, so she got ready as much as she could before the end, then left it ta me. Made sure when they did come and tried ta run roughshod on us, we was strong enough ta push em back. Was a rude surprise when those assholes found themselves outgunned, convinced em that settin' up shop down there at the old GNR radio station was in their best interest. Couldn't keep em out entirely, but the Roost has stayed free all this time."

Looking back over my shoulder to the south, I realized the radio station I spotted must be what Val had called 'Gunner's Plaza' before, which my pip-buck confirmed with a flash of 'Map Updated'. Even the name made sense as I thought on it, Galloping News Radio.. GNR... GuNneRs... How clever..."So, she helped found this place and made sure you were ready, what about the rest? How'd you wind up in charge? Come up with taking in kids? Was that her idea too?"

Magpie nodded at my questions, filling in the blanks for me as I pieced it all together. "Yup, she said I was a teacher anyhoo and was obviously not goin' nowheres anytime soon, bein' all dead and what not, so I should be in charge. Said to erase her and the other exiles so those Stable assholes wouldn't hold it against us, no tellin' how long that prick that kicked her out would hold a grudge. As fer the kids... well, beyond makin' sure brats like Val here didn't end up as an' omellette or completely addled, it did help keep me in charge. Bunch of hard birds livin' here, but not a one of em wants ta mess with the one they still call Ma... Plus... Hilde told me ta take care of the little ones, like I always had..."

Val had finally held her tongue enough, I saw it coming by the way her feathers puffed up just before she rolled her eyes and drawled out. "Oh yeah, everybody looooooves ol' Ma Magpie. Lemme show ya just how much 'Ma'..."

"Hush up brat! I swear ya ain't too big fer me ta swat that fanny of yers again fer good measure!" Magpie's screeching actually looked to cow Val, my tough bodyguard sent a protective claw to her flank out of reflex and retreated to the rooftops.

Magpie continued with a tired sigh once she had settled to brooding further away, returning to our more private conversation. "So anyway, I did what she said, erased my friend from the history books... I kept my lil' memorial though, couldn't stand ta just throw it all in the trash... Glad I did, without her pictures she dug outta her the rubble of her old house, I wouldn't believe you really were... you really are him... So c'mon kid, I showed ya mine, you show me yers. How the hell are you alive? Nevermind the wings, you should be long dead. Spill..."

I sighed at the question, my ears drooping as I looked off into the far distance to the north and collected my thoughts to tell the story again. Me sleeping away the last two centuries was a lot less interesting than what had happened to Auntie Broom... The view to the north was slightly nicer at least, from here I could see everywhere I had been since leaving my own Stable, pointing a weary hoof to the dreary ruins of Trotson beyond the swamps and river surrounding the shattered skyscrapers as I spoke.

"I was in a Stable too, though mine was a lot nicer than 75, even though we spent most of our time asleep... in stasis I mean. I grew up there... then about 80 years ago something happened... the Institute. They took everyone, my friends, my family, everypony but me... One of the first Gunners as they are now was behind it actually, some asshole named Kellogg..."

Mentioning the legendary Gunner got a surprised look from Magpie, tilting her head to ask a question. "That prick? Wish I never laid eyes on him, or told him ta move on and take his bullshit down south with the rest of them assholes. The Gunners was at least stayin' ta themselves once they figured out they couldn't storm the wasteland and take over. But that bald bastard taught em all about the new world they was in an' gave em the freakin' mercenary idea... Should'a just executed his ass."

"Don't worry, I did..."

She gave me an appraising look at that, sounding out a low whistle and clucking. "Really? Color me impressed kid. Say what you will about that old merc, he was one tough cookie a century ago, heard he only got tougher after becomin' some kinda Institute ghost. Alright, I believe ya, you really are the pony brat Hilde liked talkin' about when she was drunk. She really did teach you the oath, huh kid? An' you offered the contract ta Val of all squabs... almost enough ta make me believe in yer goofy pony goddesses..."

"Huh? Why? I mean... I was lucky to even remember it at the time, she might have ended up killing me instead, but other than that, what's the big deal? I seem to have a special talent for being... lucky I guess. I was in the right place at the right time is all."

Magpie gave a sad chuckle at my shrug, looking over to Val still watching suspiciously from a distance as she dug in her battered purse at her side. "You don't know the half of it, do ya kid? Hell, I do and I hardly believe it... Hang on, lemme see here... Oh put that peashooter away brat! If'n I was gonna shoot him, I'd use this dammit!"

Val scowled at Magpie waggling Auntie Broom's old gun at her absently, turning in a huff and watching over her shoulder in little peeks. The ghoul ruffled what remained of her feathers as she muttered to herself and pulled out a thick, beaten old ledger and propped it against the railing beside me. I could barely make out her chickenscratch writing that filled every line with tiny script, watching with interest as her claw scanned through flipping pages rapidly.

After pausing at a few lines I finally made out enough to tell were names before flipping forward to find the next set, I was starting to get curious. Finally, Magpie seemed satisfied with her inventory, nodding to herself in satisfaction. "Thought so, memory ain't what it used ta be, but I knew it wasn't that bad yet."

"Er... what do you mean? What is all that?"

She put on a proud grin with her reply, leaning down to whisper to Val's grudging curiosity at being left out. "Yer merc there thinks I don't care about my lil' ducklings, but I do whether she believe it or not. I keep records see, especially where... where my friend's concerned. Why she were such a disappointment ta me fer awhile. Figured the apple fell pretty damn far from the tree when she joined up with them assholes what tossed out her great, great, great, great, great, great granny. I was actually proud when she turned traitor."

It took me a minute to work through the implications. Magpie took in abandoned eggs and chicks... but she kept a ledger, she kept track... "W-Wait... are you saying..."

"Hard ta tell since that Crimsonclaw blood got mixed in though, stuff keeps showin' itself everywhere it pops up. How the hell it got so spread around when it has a tendency ta turn ya inta a big ol' target I'll never understand... Hell, even little Bruno there has that big red target on his chest!" Magpie muttered to herself while I gaped, trying to get my head around it.

Val herself took my shocked face for some threat she was quick to return for, scowling suspiciously at the old crone blithely unaware of what she had just told me. "What're you gettin' up to hag? Don't let her mess with ya boss, she's crafty and mean as they come!"

Maybe I wanted to believe Magpie, the fact she ignored Val's questions and kept this a secret seemed to support it in my mind. Though when she rubbed her claws together and almost intentionally tried to prove Val right I had to wonder. "None of yer business! Grownups talkin' brat. Now then... what ta do about you... Cain't hardly turn in my old friend's little buddy, but I ain't so soft as ta let an opportunity fer profit just walk on by. So mister famous hero Fast Times, let's talk brass tacks. I gotta get somethin' outta this little meeting, an' as ya can see it ain't just fer me."

The sudden change of subject made my head spin, watching Magpie stuff her ledger back in her purse with a huff and give me a hard grin. I really would never understand griffons, despite the shock of running into someone who knew my Auntie Broom and cared about her, who knew about me through her... who even watched over her ancestors... the old buzzard was back to talk of caps and profit. Though I was at least heartened to see her wave out to all the young griffons flitting around the schoolyard, ending on our escort of Lila and Heidi watching us curiously.

"Y-You want... er... R-Right... ok... Well, I uh... I did mean what I said earlier. We can't pay as much, but we have lots of friends and want to help, you let Minutemares in your town already, my wife's Followers would love to join them I'm sure."

Magpie already had a greedy glint in her brown eyes, waddling closer and shaking her head with her more rotten claw held out in a 'gimme' gesture. "Already takin' heat lettin' them Minutemares in though, only did 'cause they offer contracts. Heard about them Followers from em, long as they don't go nutty with the preachin' like those Groverites, we'll take free medicine an' what not, Gawd knows some of these fools could use a lil' birth control, make my job easier. Go on... keep goin' kid..."

Realizing I was suddenly trapped in some bizarre kind of negotiation, I desperately wished Glitter was with us... My little filly would be a match for this old crone, while I was severely outclassed. "Umm... Food? We know a lot of farmers, you really look like you need it, so I'm... s-sure we can work something out?"

"Better... gotta arrange delivery somewheres else though, can't be seen ta be dealin' with you sappy ponies too much. An' don't even think about any of that 'allied settlement' nonsense I hear from other towns... Never know how the hell you managed ta convince that lil' sexpot Cocoa up north, but ain't gonna fly here, got the Gunners on my doorstep remember. Keep goin', more kiddo..."

"Er... c-couldn't we figure this out some other time? I mean... I'm still trying to get my head around all this, you, Auntie Broom... and Val really is?"

"Yeah, yeah, all that's yer problem, I'm over it. I ain't turnin' ya in, but I want somethin' whilst I got ya in my claws kid. Hilde always said you was a sweetie, so make with them sweet, sweet caps." Magpie came closer and grabbed my shoulders, giving a little shake as drool dripped from her cracked beak, clearly enjoying having such an easy mark in her grasp.

When Val shook her head and dove in the small belltower to shove her off, I realized they were birds of a feather. She narrowed her eyes at me speaking her name in a still small and stunned voice, but turned to the extortion going on, sticking her beak up and getting between us protectively. "Hey! Enough of that shit Mabel, boss ain't good at this stuff an' ya ain't screwin' him. Still ain't nothin' ta stop me from just leavin' if'n we want, you only gots about ten minutes 'fore you find out that 'monster pony' yer wavin' off is very, very fuckin' real. Hell, I still wanna see her come up here an' start flattenin' the place..."

At the rough treatment of their matron, Heidi and her sister Lila chirped and held their pipe pistols up threateningly, giving me something else to focus on and realize what Magpie might actually want. "Caps! We do have caps!"

Both of the griffons crowding the small tower with me turned at my yelp, Magpie with avarice and Val slapping a claw to her face with a groan. I recognized my bodyguard's pouting look of being undermined by a soft hearted boss, but she had reminded me of the timer steadily ticking down on my pip-buck, we really didn't have long before Swan came up here and started smashing...

Magpie grinned and shoved Val aside, leaning her long, leathery neck down to leer at me. "Go onnnn..."

"Boss... shaddup..." Val hissed at me, but now that I had started I wasn't backing out.

"We just stole a ton from the Gunner's Stable, we don't have time to piddle around and these kids definitely need it, don't tell me we can't afford it Val."

Magpie picked up on my words instantly, overriding Val's louder groan and tantrum, focusing instantly on Val's claw protectively holding her saddlebags. "Oh? Is that where those pricks have been hidin' loot? Do tell Valkyrie, how much did ya steal? I know you was plenty good at yer numbers, don't tell me ya ain't already counted it all at least once."

Val hissed at me in surly pout. "Oh you goofy bastard boss, why'd ya say that!?"

"Because, we're really not lying Magpie, you are about to have a seriously ticked off mare who has been dreaming of kicking buildings down for awhile now if we don't get going... I don't want that, or to have to force our way out. Plus it's blood money, it should do something good, that's what Jade would want. Er... my half of it anyway, partner?"

Val rolled on the roof in a tantrum at that, clutching her jingling bags to herself in a pout. As soon as I mentioned Jade she knew the argument was lost already. Magpie ignored her and scratched her waddled chin in thought, surprising me when she didn't just pounce on the open offer, instead squinting suspiciously. "Hmmm... Not sure how I feels about charity kid. Don't need no pity, cain't ya just lemme call it extortion? Why'd ya hafta be all sappy about it, now I feel weird..."

Facehoofing at having it rubbed in how little I understood griffons, my awkward negotiations were interrupted by the howl of Vertibucks and bright spotlights bathing the school in their light from above, making me flinch at the amplified voice booming out from overhead. "Magpie! You're in possession of the Traitor Valkyrie Bloodtail and the troublemaker Shrouded Stallion! Turn em over right now!"

Magpie's deadpan stare and mutter under her breath summed up how I felt pretty well at the sudden intrusion of very unwanted guests. "Well shit..."

"Buzz off! Told ya not ta bring them fancy flyin' toasters in my town!" Magpie leaned out of the belltower and unbelievably cawed at the green painted Vertibuck without fear, barely flinching when the spotlights swung on her perch and us with her.

Unfortunately Val and I were up here with her and I doubted she really had a grasp on just how much the Gunners hated the two of us individually, let alone combined... We barely got a warning yelp over the PA still switched on from the griffon pilots protected in the dome shaped front of the immaculate vehicle. The whole thing swung to the side with the screech of "There they are! Fire!!" to reveal the minigun pointed out the open side hatch.

A string of 5mm rounds chewed up the tiled roof around us, the cracked and dented schoolhouse bell giving a sickly 'bong!' in rapid succession with the rounds perforating it. Val and I ducked in the tiny tower as the assault continued, my attention drawn away from drawing my weapons and waiting to retaliate with the angry mutter of 'Be Dark...' waking up fully. A splash of black blood dripped from the dented bell overhead, Magpie leaning against it had her pink dress stained with the same in several spots, falling to the floor as a cacophony of gunfire filled the outside.

"Shit! Ma! C'mon old hag, get down!" Val screamed and dragged her caretaker down, slipping in her worry and calling her by the earliest name for Magpie she must have learned.

Even losing whatever passed for vital fluids in ghouls rapidly, Magpie chuckled as Val started tearing her bloodstained dress away and inspecting the wounds frantically. "S-See... told ya... everybody loves their ol' Ma."

"Shaddup! O-Only mad cause I wanna be the one ta kill ya! Boss, yer glowy thingy, quick!" Val might not appreciate having her concern pointed out, but the fact she wasn't already blasting away along with half of Magpie Roost seemed proof enough.

I had the crushed remains of the half a balefire apple rolling around in my inventory that Swan hadn't been able to shove down my throat, desperately digging them out and nearly losing them when a yellow and blue bundle of feathers smashed into our already crowded and rapidly diminishing bit of cover. I did manage to toss the folded up, lead lined apron over to my mercenary friend without losing it, but froze hearing Lila's desperate screech and seeing how bright red blood had joined Magpie's black.

"H-Help! Ma, h-help her, please!!" The bright yellow and green griffon flopping on the floor with us cried openly, her sunny feathers stained by the crimson leaking from her bright blue sister Heidi in her claws.

"No... please no..." Things seemed to slow to a crawl looking at the little blue griffon bleeding profusely with us, she couldn't have that much blood in her tiny body to begin with... I gaped in the eternity between heartbeats staring at it all, finally spurred into motion by 'Be Unwavering!' giving a shrill cry to dump out every bit of medical supplies I had remaining on me, shouting above the din when my heart lurched back to life. "ZED!!!! HELP!"

He was hiding somewhere, I was sure of that... somewhere close, please goddesses let him be close.... The zebra might not be any Jade, but he was better than I was as a medic. Surely anything was better than blindly shoving one of the few normal healing potions I kept around for others down Heidi's weakly whispering beak, my blue magic lighting up the narrow space we were in brightly as bandages and more potions swirled around us in a frenzy.

"Get em down! Back inside dammit!" Val shouted over the noise, kicking the hatch back to the school below open with one paw as she hoisted Magpie's foreleg over her shoulders and heaved, waiting for me to levitate the poor little Heidi down to her sister already down the hatch and holding her claws out for her.

The only positive thing I could see to the panic trying to overwhelm me, was it left no room for the inferno of rage strangely waiting to take over. It wasn't the first odd behavior I had noticed out of the angry voice in my head lately, whatever 'Be Dark...' was, it was willing to exercise some patience for once where an injured child was concerned. The impatient mutter moving aside for the oddly calm and firm voice of 'Be Kind...' stepping up to fill in and help keep my telekinetic control steady.

It was there though, that furious growl in my head actually felt like a balefire bomb had detonated between my eyes when I saw all that blood. They hurt a kid... The Gunners were STILL hurting kids... not that all that gunfire outside was just from the army of young griffons like Heidi and Lila before me. It might be no big deal in a tough town of mercs like the Roost, but my sensibilities and that of the insane spirit or whatever in my brain lined up perfectly. This was unforgivable...

'LET ME! REVENGE! NOW! LET ME! LET ME! LET ME!'

"S-Shut up.. just wait, you're not helping right now... Just wait a sec dammit..." I muttered to myself, gently keeping my hold on the pigtailed little griffon taking such shallow breaths below my vantage with my head stuck down the hatch.

When I let go and made way for Val to help Magpie down, the black and white shape on the wheezing ghoul's other side was a sight for sore eyes, ducking from another stream of 5mm rounds raking the belltower. Zed didn't waste time and didn't ask stupid questions, following the bright blood trail down the hatch and leaping after the injured.

'NOW! NOW! NOW! LET ME! REVENGE! BLOOD! PAY!'

"Oh I'll let you alright..."

"Y-Yer boss talk to himself often Val? Quit fussin' over me an' get movin', I'm dead already an' I'm tougher than this, just..." Magpie swatted at Val trying to help her down the hatch, all of us looking up in wide eyed horror to a young voice screeching overhead.

"You said you wouldn't hurt nobody else! This wasn't the deal dammit!" In between us and the Vertibuck beginning to list and whine in the air, Bruno cried out in fury at the Gunners still shooting away even as their fancy ride wavered back and forth.

They couldn't hit anything very accurately with the flying vehicle starting to smoke and spin slowly in the leaden skies, but the open side hatch was swinging Bruno's way as we watched. The tongue of fire lining up with the brat just hanging there with his limbs spread between us, like he could shield Boreas Elementary from the assault. The sight of two more green Vertibuck's cresting the mountain at the other end of town just made things worse.

Even knowing I'd never make it in time, despite the desperate shout of 'Be Awesome!' pushing me out of the tower with a black contrail streaking behind me, I tried anyway, gambling on the weird behavior of the darker voice shouting right behind it. Things had gone from zero to catastrophe in nothing flat, I wouldn't see another kid hurt because of us, even if it meant risking my sanity entirely.

I focused on a sensation I felt only once before, at Ivy's soothing encouragement and with her and Jade there with me. I stopped fighting and opened the black stasis pod in my head.

I let 'Be Dark...' out, intentionally...

Instantly I felt a surge of strength that put even being completely charged by radiation to shame. Black lightning arced around me and that rare sensation of ultimate speed came again, my ears popping as the distance between Bruno and I suddenly evaporated in a sparking flash of teleportation.

I managed to tackle the brat out of the air just ahead of the bullets zipping through the spot we vacated, the sudden subconscious grace not enough to make up for my own ineptitude in the air, ending in a rolling crash down a twisty slide on the playground.

Bruno struggled and fought under me in the mud at the bottom, "Hey! Lemme go! I gotta stop em ya stupid pony bastard, this is all your fau..."

I caught a glimpse of glowing red dots in his scowl when I looked to be sure he was alright, his fuming drying up completely when I was satisfied and turned my attention to the approaching red dashes on E.F.S.. A large crew of Gunners were at the gates to the school, meeting a lot of resistance, but at least half of it was more kids like the one backpedaling away from my dragonish glare.

The roar of the Shroud's voice booming out over the battlefield actually made him squeak and retreat for the school building, all his surly bravado falling away in the face of a voice that seemed to make the cloudy skies darken and crack with thunder.

"ENOUGH!"

"THINE QUARREL IS WITH ME EVILDOERS! OR ARE CHILDREN THE EXTENT OF YOUR BRAVERY!"

While the first Vertibuck lurched off before crashing, a bolt of lightning came down from the sky and the already damaged vehicle exploded. The next two and the power armored Gunners all trained their spotlights on me watching with dark magic swirling at my horn.

At least all their gunfire focused on me and away from the young defenders of Magpie's school, I accomplished that goal. Even blasting across the ground towards the nearest group with death chasing the lightning at my hooves. When Best Served slashed through the first armored throat and showered me in a fountain of blood I dove through towards the next victim, I had to admit, it felt ...good...

This was different than losing control, struggling to get it back and feeling awful after it happened. For once me and my shadow were on the same page, dodging and slashing at the crowd of panicked Gunners shouting over their fancy radios, trying to coordinate and actually sounding scared at what they provoked. They deserved everything they got, they deserved more... MORE suffering to pay back what they did here, MORE pain and blood like....

Like too many injured kids, my frenetic slaughter faltered seeing their little bodies limping back to cover, of their friends helping them escape the crossfire, just being here was still putting them in danger, and enough had already been done. The recovering Gunners smelled weakness and pounced, the first shots hammering against my armor as 'Be Dark...' shuddered in my head.

Whatever that part of me was, it was good for killing, not so much helping. I could actually feel it questioning ...me. It didn't know what to do beyond hurting the Gunners, something it dearly wanted to keep right on doing, but ...kids... Seeing kids hurt was screwing with it, was some inviolable line it couldn't cross. As long as I spent fighting it, feeling it trying to cooperate was bizarre.

Ok... Not that it wasn't willing to go with what it knew, while I had been quibbling my body kept right on running through Gunners. My attention only drawn to the fact by needing to reload my smoking shotgun and revolver as I kept dodging away from wounded casualties with mounting horror. There was nowhere in this crazy school that wasn't full of kids underhoof, armed kids who were throwing themselves at any who would dare attack their home.

Run, they want me... Just run, draw them away, if I wasn't here they'd have nothing to keep them... My wings spread and I rocketed up, planning nothing more than moving this madness somewhere else, anywhere else. Another of the undamaged Vertibucks moved to block me, this one fwooshing out missiles that would only hit the darting forms below me if I dodged.

I could think fast enough to realize that much, but the unfamiliar hoof guiding my magic reacted automatically, casting a spell I wasn't really sure I knew. Technically I had read Starswirl's Projectile Reflection once before, but the grip of my magic lighting up a string of missiles in midair with bluish black eldritch power was still a surprise. Each of the smoking missiles flipped the opposite direction instantly, released to go streaking back to their source and hammer the sides of the Vertibuck, sending it crashing to the streets I dove for.

The town of Magpie Roost was as chaotic as the school, but at least the majority of combatants I saw blurring by were adults. The families and elderly I had seen on the way in had already taken cover, leaving mostly full grown fighters who didn't appreciate anybody disturbing the peace, even the local Gunners.

I dodged the variety of mercenary crews who didn't fly the Gunner's skull logo in the streets, some seeming to try aiming at me, some trying to cover my streaking course. It was too much for me to keep track of, at least the Gunners were uniform, so anything wearing green got attacked. A trio of airborne griffons in heavy combat armor managed to dive bomb me, a string of dropped plasma grenades lighting the streets up in sickly green and tossing me to the sidewalk with my coat smoking.

They banked and lined up to finish me while I struggled to find my hooves, suddenly forced to scatter by a heavily armed crew of Minutemares throwing themselves in the way to protect me. As grateful as I was to their cry of "We've got your back General!" I had to keep moving, lurching back up and trying to draw the attackers away.

Slowly getting back up to a gallop as I reloaded, my ears swiveled to the bawling cries of a pony toddler, shoving at a bleeding male griffon with pitiful cries of "Poppa! Wake up!" Dead or alive, his parent couldn't help him from the machinegun fire tracing its way towards me, they were right in the way...

Another subconscious teleport brought me to them, then a second swirled the three of us ten feet away in a flicker of dark electricity that drained my magic significantly. My eyes swam at using the unfamiliar spell this often and quickly, staggering against a bent lightpole and panting at the surprised little foal blinking up before returning his attention to the griffon he called father.

I groaned to say something, my horn sparking when I tried tugging the kid away to safety. Relief flooded my overworked senses when a pale tan mare with a curly purple mane dashed out, flipping her foal to her back and tugging the griffon by his tail. Another light silver and white female griffon yanked me by my collar just ahead of a high powered rifle round at my shaking hooves, joined by a nervous looking green stallion helping to shove me to the crumbling church of Groverites I had seen before.

The strange buck had a cutie mark of a bloody bandage by his bedraggled silver tail, hurriedly shoving a normal healing potion in my muzzle before dashing off to the bleeding griffon and his family with a battered leather doctor's bag in his teeth, all of us and a great many more sheltering in the vestibule of the stone church shaking under more explosions.

He left his stern looking griffoness friend to hold me up against the wall and keep the potion in place, tipping it up in her grey claw as she clucked. "You're who all this shit is over!? Better be worth it, I said ta just toss ya back out shrimp!"

I wheezed around the potion sloshing down my gullet, eyeing her tattooed rifle cutie mark that left no doubt she belonged with these folks, a Groverite... Somehow I expected them to be nicer, though I supposed for a griffon she was. "N-Not a bad idea... You're all a target if I'm here, h-have to keep going, draw them away..."

"Well ya ain't doin' it like that shorty! Fuck.... Swatch ain't gonna like it, but I'll deal with his bitchin' laters. Here, chew!" Her claw came away as the empty bottle rolled across the rotting wooden floor, digging in her pockets and retrieving a bright orange pill she shoved in my muzzle, clamping it shut and forcing me to do just as she advised.

Buck? A surge of energy sent my exhausted muscles twitching with power. The pretty griffon must have the dangerous drug stashed away in her pocketed vest for emergencies, and she gave it to me. I tried to give her a grateful nod, but could see the glowing dots of my eyes flare brighter in her own before she pulled away warily, the long fangs I felt extend in my mouth just didn't form friendly expressions very well.

I settled for tipping my hat before I dove out the broken stained glass window up the wall, making sure the Gunners saw me leave the building before they settled any more heavy firepower on it. What had been only one remaining Vertibuck had been joined by a fourth chasing me down the street. They really were throwing a lot of advanced Institute tech at us... The thought of taking it away from them helped me stay ahead, keeping it safely on my tail as I kept darting through the crowd, lopping off limbs from any Gunners I saw trying to bar my way or hurt anyone else.

Nearly there... the winding road leading back down the mountain was just ahead, all I had to do was keep going and deal with the rest later. Unfortunately before I reached the drop off, a new sound joined the screaming engines of the Vertibucks, a low thudding of some fresh horror rising up to cut me off.

A tank? That flew?! Come on!!! I caught a glimpse of a vaguely turtle-like shape, though like one had bizarrely grown a silvery disc of a propeller from its dense shell. Then the street ahead of my skidding hooves exploded, the only reason I didn't join the fragments of roadway raining down around me was the tight grip on my tail from a very angry looking red griffon.

Val was still standing on her hindlegs with both claws wrapped around my tail in a vice, loosing her hold to punch me in the back of the head with a screech. "What'd I tell you about runnin' dammit!!!"

The two Vertibucks chasing us directed their spotlights on us panting at the edge of the fresh crater in the street, Val seeming to ignore the weapons of war converging on us as she kept swatting me. I gulped and tried pulling away again, only for her hold to tighten while her gleaming pistol crashed overhead. I was stunned how she could be focusing only on the infantry trying to pin us down, then a rapid beep-beep-beep sounded out from my pip-buck and a rising roar came with it, drowning out the timer alarm before it finished.

A dark shadow crested the mountain behind the sky tank trying to line up for another shot, the huge pony shape dwarfing the vehicle as a pair of long forelegs reached around it and squeezed, hugging it to a long expanse of alicorn belly that was quickly crushing the heavily armored tank like a tin can. Swan had come, right on time...

Even while she held the squalling, groaning hunk of metal against her and crushed it, her hurricane force wings held her aloft and blew the Vertibucks off course, nearly crashing into each other and offering a perfect target for the storm of magical arrows she was launching from her long horn. Swan spun in gracefully the air as they exploded overhead, releasing the crumpled tank to go flying back the way she had come, the sound of it bouncing down the mountain growing distant as she slammed to the ground above us.

While I was sure the residents of Magpie Roost had seen a lot, I was also quite sure they'd never seen anything like this... The battle actually stilled as all eyes turned toward the titaness of alicorn beauty filling the narrow main street. Swan had her skimpy Alicorn Angel costume on again, making it all even more surreal. The tiny locket at her breast was open and pouring out radiation, her long pink mane whipping around her head brushed the nearest buildings and she had to tuck her wings to fit, crouching over the two of us protectively and roaring to the stunned town.

"ANYBODY WHO HURTS FAST GETS SMASHED!! I FINALLY GET TO STOMP A CITY YOU STUPID BIRDS! IF YOU'RE GOOD, YOU SHOULD MOVE... NOW!"

Though I had no issues with Swan being in a super alicorn state and huge, she was as big as Virescent had gotten. Plus hearing that enraged scream would get to anypony, it rattled bones and shattered windows in her fury. Every bit of the Gunners' remaining firepower focused on the new and horrifying target, pattering uselessly against her shield blazing to life around us. When her giant muzzle swung down and those glowing, dragon slitted, blue violet eyes squinted at me swaying on my hooves, even I had to suppress a nervous gulp.

The instinctual fear of that fang filled mouth chomping on me evaporated at her gentle nuzzling and long tongue lapping at the blood I realized was covering me. She was in a real frenzy alright, but her scowl softened as she lowered her towering horn and flipped me up to her head, whinnying her delight as she returned her attention to the screaming crowd fleeing from the 'monster pony' we tried to warn Magpie about.

Val followed me up with an agile flap, landing between Swan's big ears with me and dancing in glee atop her head. "Awww yeah!!! Fuck em up tons of fun! Go flatten every one of them assholes! I'll handle smackin' the boss around!"

Her threat sounded real, but Val didn't interrupt me hugging Swan's head, nearly lost in her rippling mane that at least gave me something to hold on to and lurch over to her flicking ears that came up to my chest. Our perch swung back and forth as she stomped forward, giggling maniacally when she bucked a two story building down, thankfully only occupied by more red dashes on E.F.S..

Grabbing the ear in my hooves to Swan's happy squeal, I shouted down the big radar dish and tried to at least direct her rampage. "That building Swan! The tall one with the pony skull flag! Smash that one!"

"Eeeeee! Ok Fast! That one looks good, what other ones are ok, are there any bigger ones? How about that one up there? It looks fun to smash!" Swan burbled happily and pranced down the street, her glowing shield digging furrows in the buildings unlucky enough to be at her flank level and close to the widest part of the glowing bubble surrounding her.

'Up there' was the school, not a valid target by any means... It took a few minutes and a wild ride to tell her though. Even Val had to clutch at Swan's mane and dive on top of me protectively to keep us in place, my stomach dropping at the giant mare launching herself straight up, then performing a whistling cannonball directly on the Gunner's local fortress that nearly had me lose my hold on her flowing mane trailing above her, my hindlegs wiggling crazily for purchase in the empty air flying by.

The rebuilt three story ruin crumpled like a house of cards under Swan's rump, the display of power and loss of anyone inside enough to make the Gunners think twice about their assault. I could hardly shout over Swan's hooves stomping up and down on the rubble in a giddy dance, stammering with the world under me bobbing up and down enough to make my stomach churn.

"N-N-Not t-that one S-Swan! O-Or m-m-most others! P-Please!!! G-Go there t-though! P-Protect it! K-Kids!"

Ignoring her whine at having to restrain herself, I had to chuckle at her pausing to tip over the miraculously remaining section of wall she missed before flapping up. With the Gunners falling back to regroup, we had a brief lull to take advantage of, an opportunity I didn't want to waste, no matter how much part of me wanted to join her and simply lay waste.

She landed dainty as a feather touching down in the schoolyard, leaning her long neck down to the ground and playfully making me slide off between her sparkling eyes, giving a little flip with her muzzle to send me rolling off where she could return to nuzzling. She did all this while at least doing as asked, spreading her shield out to form a powerful bulwark against any outside interruption, though clearly not for the same reasons.

"S-Swan! Swan! Come on, I'm glad to see you too, n-none of that right now though... woooo! W-We gotta get going, quick, j-just hang on a second..."

"I don't have to go anywhere... I like where I'm at, I want to smash and play Fast, you left me all alone and I was bored... they hurt you...." Swan went right on kissing at me happily over my protests, her voice dropping to a growl as she looked up for anyone else to find some creative new way to murder.

Val landed beside me and shoved me along towards the shielded school, still cross with me for yet again leaving her behind, but seeming satisfied with the disapproval she had already expressed. When she led us to the rusting double doors that opened onto the school's gym, any good spirits I had from being saved by the big filly crawling and snuffling along at my tail tried up entirely.

"Oh... I-Is this why you wanted me to protect this place Fast?" Even Swan's voice dropped to a soft whisper, her whole face taking up most of the doorway and peeking in at the heart wrenching scene.

It looked like Magpie still used the gym for its original purpose, but all the exercise equipment had been moved aside to make way for a crude emergency room. Rotting wrestling mats and cardboard acted as bedding for too many groaning and crying defenders of the Roost, far, far too many of them kids.

I stroked Swan's cheek with my tail as I was forced to leave her behind, answering in a whisper, trudging towards the plump form of Magpie at the center of it all. "Y-Yeah Swan, please... be an awesome guard and buy us a little time. We... we have to do something about this, it's all my fault..."

All I could think was how badly I wanted Jade here, how maybe she could do something actually useful, help instead of hurt as I had here. The residents were doing all they could, but medical supplies looked as scarce as food here, and a town full of griffons probably didn't have a lot of magic users capable of saving lives in their absence. The Groverite buck I saw in town was probably one of few, but he and most of the other pony residents were stuck outside and dealing with a town still under siege. More sheets were going to be pulled over more little faces if something didn't change, soon...

Val headed me off from the pair my eyes had locked on beside Magpie noticing our approach, a much paler blue griffon and her worried sister... While she flicked her gaze their way sadly, her face screwed up in a scowl and she dove at the other young griffon hiding at their side with his head in his claws, grabbing him by his rough leather collar and shaking him gruffly.

"No it ain't boss, it's this lil' shit's fault right here! Ain't that right ya rotten twerp! Call me a traitor? Look what ya done ta yer own!" Val shook the surly adolescent like a rag doll, shoving his face right down by the shallowly breathing Heidi and her glaring sister.

Her behavior confused me, barely sinking through the misery I saw all around me, especially when we weren't out of danger yet. Swan had turned back to maintaining her shield outside, the flashes and rumbles of explosions lighting up the violet tinted sky outside the windows briefly. Even as super charged as she was, she couldn't keep it up forever...

The Gunners were still out there, changing their tactics and surely waiting for more of their fancy Institute support. That sky tank thing had been the last to show up because it was so slow, but there was a good chance more were plodding their way here right this minute.

"N-Not mine... Wasn't supposed to be like this... was only s'posed ta be you two... y-yer fault..." Bruno muttered petulantly, but his heart just wasn't in the denial.

I wasn't following, only half hearing the quiet whisper and uninterested. The wounded Heidi and her sister took up my attention, the little blue griffon coughed up blood and sputtered, her breathing ragged and weak. Zed looked up from doing what he could, but by the stern look on his blood spattered face, it wasn't enough...

He shook his head wearily and nodded out to all the other wounded, whispering on his way to help the other residents with any kind of medical training shouting and running around each other in a blur. "Without significant and powerful help... Not long."

Lila's sobbing scream drew my gulping attention away, leaving her vigil over her sister to pounce on Bruno, slashing at him with her claws in a blind fury. "FUCK YOU! You did this! YOU! Look at her! Look at my sister you stupid prick! Look at all our friends!"

'Be Kind...' and the other Ministry Mares slowly reasserting their soothing influence quailed at the sight of friends fighting, especially when it involved such sharp claws and gouges. Bruno barely resisted though, taking the punishment until Magpie herself kicked him away to roll to a heap clutching his gut, tears leaking in with all the blood staining the floor.

"Why... What?"

Answering my confused question, Val sneered at the crumpled Bruno. "Tattled! Ran off ta them pricks and squealed like a radhog!"

"And I know he was raised better, tattlers got no place here. All this shit is on him kid, not that you didn't have yer part... but I take in whatever guests I want, how it's always worked in the Roost. That don't change just cause the Gunners got a bug up their ass over you two. Sure as hell don't change 'cause some brat thinks he knows better than his Ma." The cold dismissal in Magpie's voice as she waddled over looked to just rub salt in the young griffons wounds, he folded in on himself and stayed quiet, letting the old ghoul glower down at me trying to catch up.

I was so stunned, I barely noticed the minor miracle that 'Be Dark...' had gone quietly back to its cage, retreating from all this misery with barely a grumble. Stable 75 taught me I didn't understand griffon culture, but some things were a constant regardless in my mind. Old world values maybe, but kids deserved a chance. Even though he had apparently run to the Gunners and told them we were here, resulting in this mess... I just couldn't bring myself to really hate him. Not that there weren't plenty who could...

"Sell me his contract then..."

My quiet murmur looked to shock the griffons goggling at me as much as their behavior did me, but we didn't have time to debate. Another short burst of explosions shook the rafters, making the dim lights overhead sway and flicker. Looking around at all the damage and hurt we had brought with us, the injured who needed better help, a better life... I actually had an idea and kept going in a rush.

"You don't like charity, sell me his contract, sell me as many of their contracts as I can afford. Let us get them out of here. Mabel... please, my wife is an amazing healer, she and her Followers really can help, but we have to get them out of here and to her, quick! She's not that far, if we hurry you can focus on the rest and the Gunners won't have any reason to stick around. Give me the chance to try to fix this, for Auntie Broom and her town..."

Even trying to work within the strange framework of griffon culture, I felt like tearing my mane out at Magpie humming ticking off payment owed on her claws. "Hmmm... s'pose I can cut ya a deal on the damaged merchandise anyway, I'll throw in the squealer too. Of course there is all the damage ta my town ta factor in, friend prices though fer Hilde, long as ya make a donation ta the memorial fund fer makin' me open it up... Let's see, add in fees an' my commission... ought'a come up'ta about..."

"Oh fer Gawds sake! Spit it out already ya ol' buzzard! Actually don't! Here, this is what yer gettin' and that's it, an' only cause I don't wanna listen tha the boss piss an' moan fer the next damn year! Take it or leave it! We're goin'!" Val lost it for me, grudgingly digging out several large bags of caps and throwing them at Magpie before storming off to Swan's giddy shouts outside.

"Ehhh, I'll let ya owe me the rest. Fine kid, hope this mare of yers knows her shit and ain't far, and ya got some idea how the hell ta get outta here, that's a premium service I ain't up ta providin'. Otherwise, ya got yerself a deal kid, Hilde was right, yer a sucker, but a valuable one..." Magpie hefted her ill gotten gains in one claw, doing a quick appraisal and ruffling my mane with a grin at our arrangement.

While I was still trying to figure out exactly how to get a bunch of hurt fledglings out of here without making their wounds worse, she surprised me again by tossing the beautiful 12mm she had been carrying with her this whole time over my head. Her sneering caw seemed half insult and half proud chuckle to warn Val of Auntie Broom's old gun whistling right at the back of her head. "Hey! Brat! Don't fuck up another job, here, don't say yer old Ma never gave ya nothin'!"

Seeing Val turn to deftly catch what was her ancestor's weapon in her claws with surprise warring with annoyance, I could tell even Val knew her grumpy joking wasn't true. I might not get many things about my friend's old home and caretaker, but Magpie had given a lot to her and all her other wards. Just like the loyalty I saw reflected in Val, Generosity wasn't a virtue exclusive to ponies either.

Strange to find it in a greedy, undying griffon already counting her caps, but the warmth of 'Be Unwavering!' agreed.

"How about now Fast? Are we close enough?" Swan panted as the flash of her teleportation faded, forcing me to realign up and down in midair while making sure never to let my telekinetic hold on our passengers waver in the slightest.

Blinking the stars from my eyes, I rushed to check the map again and sympathized with her tired question. Getting her large purple blur to resolve back into the mare leading the way, I could at least tell how draining that was on her visibly. She'd burned through most of the power that made her unstoppable, nearly down to Jade's size and clearly taxed managing four teleports in a row for so many of us, but just as obviously ready to go again if need be.

I had a better appreciation of just what doing that took now, and I'd only ever teleported any passengers once. The least I could do was keep hold of the wobbling merry go round floating along with us that carried as many kids as we could fit on it, glad to have Val and Zed and even the sullen Bruno flitting around it to keep it level.

He'd been silent the whole trip even though he was practically the only mostly uninjured fledgling with us, other than the bright yellow Lila staying on the opposite side of the makeshift conveyance. He did obey any request and both did their best to watch out for their friends without bickering, despite the daggers Lila kept glaring at him. The help and silence let me concentrate on looking ahead and lining up landmarks below with what the pip-buck reported of the geography.

Swan had never gone to pony towns before, or to many places in the south really. Both because of her sister Umbra's former decree, and because she was apt to cause a panic had she decided to disobey. That meant we couldn't go directly to the icon for University Point and Jade's locator tag ahead. Making our escape from Magpie Roost had involved line of sight teleports in rapid succession.

I hated seeing the chaos we had left behind on the distant mountain swirl away in Swan's magic, hearing the gunfire and blasts of cannons disappear with a pop of my ears, but running away was more helpful than standing with the townsfolk. Magpie assured us more Gunners were coming after listening to her office radio, shooing us off and confident she could restore order once we were no longer there to paint a target on the place.

While Jade couldn't be much further away, a look back to our ...new employees... and my own weakening magic made it clear time was an issue. It looked like a fairly big town down there, situated at the end of a stretch of more industrial and residential ruins following the river out to the sea. The focus of the wasteland era town had to be the huge edifice of an actual university not far from the shore. We had left one school for another...

The marker in my vision was slightly off from there though, squinting through the drizzle I had a good idea exactly where too. "One more if you can Swan! See that sign over there? The cross and butterflies?"

With vision as sharp as my own, it only took a second for Swan's tired eyes to follow my pointing hoof. The world lurched again and we were gliding down to a dilapidated, squat building under the leaning Ministry of Peace sign I had spotted. Location Discovered: Redheart Academy blinked in the corner of my vision as I stumbled to a landing, exhausting what remained of my magic to set the rusty platform of the merry go round down in the parking lot half full of carriage hulks.

The curious faces of half a dozen ponies wearing medical boxes and lab coats paused in their activity at our entrance, one of the closest mares spotted our injured passengers and her surprise settled into determined frown, her silver horn already glowing as she shouted. "Injured! Get the Princess! C'mon, move it! We've got hurt ...oh sweet Celestia, hurt kids here!!"

Swan and I both swayed and stumbled out of the way of the Followers of the Apocalypse rushing forward, leaning against the white hull of a familiar MoP ambulance direct from the hub. If that wasn't proof enough we had the right place, the trio of worried, welcome faces storming out of the ruined building put any remaining fears to rest.

Jade's wide wings brought her rocketing out with our squealing filly on her back, her poor royal guard Witchy struggling to keep up and skidding to a halt at her side protectively. "Fast! There you are! A-Are you alright, you are surely injured again and... Oh.. oh no... Quickly everyone, get them inside! Remember your training! Triage everypony!"

I saw how anxious she was to look us over and care for us, but the four of us were standing, the rickety platform full of kids were in worse shape and she took it in instantly. Jade barely cast a longing glance back before moving off briskly, her powerful magic pushing aside her students trying to tend to the kids and lifting them all at once, galloping for the broken doors of wherever she had been waiting for us.

Witchy stayed at her side, helping where she could and ushering them inside, while Glitter had hopped down and trotted to me worriedly, her wide smile at being reunited fading with the serious business going on around her. When the little filly cautiously nuzzled at me drooping against the wreck holding me up, I reached out and hugged her tight, shuddering around her and stroking her curly mane.

"Daddy? A-Are you ok? What happened? Umm.... I missed you..." Glitter murmured against me, not fidgeting or assaulting me with all the questions I knew were swirling behind her worried pink eyes.

"I missed you too sweetie... a lot. I'll tell you all about it, for now let's just get out of the way and let mom work, ok?"

Using the tough little filly to lean against, we followed all the frantic activity slowly, her soft voice a soothing balm that made me feel good about trying to help more orphans like her all around us. Whatever else I had screwed up in life, however much doubt over my mistakes tried to creep in and how wrong I felt about even exposing her to all this... Hearing her agree and call me by the name I liked more than any other made it worthwhile. "Ok daddy."

Glitter led us to an out of the way classroom in the medical academy Jade and her Followers had claimed on the outskirts of University Point. While Zed had joined Jade and her students in dealing with the load of work we had dumped on them, Swan, Val and I took the opportunity to rest and get caught up in the dim space, the anatomical model and hanging pony skeletons in the corner were a little creepy, but dozing with her cuddled under my wing while Swan and Val framed us was enough to distract me.

As excited as my daughter was to be reunited and anxiously clingy as she felt knowing bad things had happened, if not what, Glitter babbled softly about her adventures since leaving the Ministry of Peace without asking questions. We weren't all that far from Castle Equinox and Jade had sent her Followers far and wide, with a special focus on any medical facilities in this part of the Commonwealth, so she had known in advance there was support to be found and set about doing so while we had been busy.

Not that there was much of the usual salvage that would draw scavengers to a place like this. In her professional opinion as a former scavver herself, Glitter said the Redheart Academy was 'cleaned out' a long time ago. Of course with the actual Ministry of Peace Hub itself on our side, that was less of an issue than it was for previous explorers. Jade wasn't nearly as interested in centuries old healing potions and stale drugs, as she was in the wealth of learning materials still here.

"It's all boring stuff daddy, but mom's been happy! Lots of books and neat, scary stuff like that guy there! I call him Mr. Squishy, even though it's all plastic. Cool huh? All his stuff comes out, see? Can we keep him? I'd like it for my room back home!" Glitter demonstrated one of her favorite finds by tugging organs from the life sized, visible pony statue in the room, giggling at me sticking my tongue out at her juggling stomach, heart and liver in her hooves.

"Ugh... I don't know if I can sleep under the same roof as that thing sweetie... I-I'm sure mom wants it anyway, right? I hope..."

She pouted adorably at being denied, but shrugged it off quickly enough I assumed she had already had this conversation with Jade, simply trying to go around being told no by one parent by asking the other. "Awwww... ok I guess... There's lots of other neat stuff in town anyway, can we go together so I can show you? You'll reeeeeeally like it daddy! It's a whole town of nerds like you!"

I raised an eyebrow at her using one of Val's favorite terms for me, curious what a town full of more meant but prevented from asking by the dozing griffon snorting laughter. "Oh Gawd... No, not even up ta watchin' the boss spaz out in U.P. kiddo, gotta rest up ta even keep up. Don't tell 'im though, wanna see him lose it when we go..."

That sounded intriguing, but I agreed with a sigh, it was only late afternoon, but it had already been a long day. I just wanted to do exactly what we were already, enjoying each other's company. Though preferably with less worried glances up to harried and bloody Followers passing by.

"Hey umm... dad? What happened anyway? Where'd all those kids come from? A-Are they gonna be ok? Did you save 'em?" Glitter came back to sit with me and fidget, turning a cute little nurses hat in her hooves she had found somewhere, clearly wanting to be her mother's favorite little nurse again and help.

I sipped at the carroty Sparkle Cola she had left to scrounge up for me and patted her head proudly, trying to think of what to say and wondering whether I should just wait and cover it all when Jade was here with us. It was a long, sad story I didn't know if I was up to telling repeatedly.

Thankfully Swan rolled a tired eye her way and tittered, giving the short version. "We went to a town of birds little niece. It was fun, I got to smash buildings and fight Gunners. Fast made us take all the hurt ones he bought from the ghoul lady with us, but they weren't bad, so I didn't mind."

Glitter's eyes got wide and sparkly at her Aunt's quick summation, beaming as much as Swan did at the idea of her kicking buildings down. Once she processed it however, a stern little frown formed on her face and she squinted at me. "Bought? You bought them daddy? T-They're... slaves? That's bad! Mommy will be mad, you always say slavery is really, really bad and you shouldn't..."

"Contracts! I bought their contracts sweetie! Not them! It's... complicated, but you're right, slavery is really bad, they're not slaves. They're... sorta like Aunt Val, it's a griffon thing."

She still tilted her head at me suspiciously, scratching her mane in thought and flipping through the sheaf of papers I held out in a rush before pouting at me. Her pink stare scanning through the physical proof of the transferred contracts critically. "You shouldn't buy anything on your own anyway daddy, you're no good at it... Where'd you get the caps?"

Reminded of it, Val drummed her limbs in a tantrum and huffed, agreeing with the cutthroat little filly. "That's what I said! An' he spent all my nice loot on em too kiddo, freakin' give him an earfull dammit. Least it was all stuff we stole from the Gunners Stable, so our funds are still good, but still pissed about it boss... Every damn time I gets enough caps ta make a nice little nest, you go an' give it away!"

"Stable? You found another Stable? Is that where you got the pretty barding Auntie Val? I didn't know they made it for griffons too! I can wear mine from daddy's and we can be twinsies!" Glitter giggled at Val's groan realizing she was still wearing the bright blue Stable 75 barding.

Before either of us could begin to answer, a prim cough from the doorway drew our attention to the tired looking blue alicorn watching us with a soft smile. "Oh? A Stable too hmm? You have been busy, have you not dear. Zed told me a little, but I am most interested in hearing all about it. In detail..."

Seeing her standing there, covered in blood and tired, but not frantic at least, I rose to my hooves with a clatter, diving at the beautiful blue mare and hugging her happily. "Jade! Oh I missed you, I'll tell you all about it too, e-everything..."

While I felt her tilt her head curiously at my subconscious glance back to Val and the way she ruffled her feathers with a blush, I didn't plan on keeping anything from my Princess. The only thing that kept me from fessing up immediately beyond Glitter joining our embrace with a happy squeal, was the question still hanging over my head.

"The kids... H-Heidi... are they?"

The long, deep kiss that answered my worried question drained a lot of the tension out of me instantly. Jade sighed and nuzzled my cheek, speaking wearily but with pride and relief that matched my own. "All fine Fast... You all did wonderfully to bring them here so quickly, our new young friends will all recover in time. They need rest and not to be moved again for awhile, but you may see if you wish."

I pulled away reluctantly to nod happily, rising to follow her stately trot back out to the halls and past her impressed looking Followers. From the singed spot I noticed on her graceful horn, I could figure out that adoring look all too well. She must have pushed herself hard, but Jade saved lives, while all I could do was take them. She proved what a natural Princess she was on the way too, having a kind word or look for each of her Followers and all their hard work. Jade lifted everypony around her up without even trying.

The infirmary she led us to had the look of a space used for teaching, living up to its purpose for the first time in centuries. More than a dozen of the tattered beds were occupied by well tended patients, IVs and cloudy packets of blood hanging near them. The ones that were awake watched the big blue Princess in their midst cautiously, several craning their necks up to find me between her and Val, the two noticeable points they used to spot me slinking along.

Despite feeling uncomfortable and having to resist the urge to just disappear in Jade's shadow, I realized they were looking for me for a reason, I was their new boss... Not that my boisterous little filly made hiding much of an option, now that she was free to scamper around and meet kids close to her own age, there was no stopping her. Glitter bounded from bed to bed, cheerily introducing herself and pointing out her parents proudly, earning us more and more stares.

The uncomfortable trip did give me time to try to think of things from their point of view anyway, they were going to live, but their lives had drastically changed in just a few hours. Somehow I could sympathize... We ended up at the smallest patient's bed, little Heidi smiled brightly at Glitter winding up with us just in time, wincing just a bit when she tried sitting up to grab the filly's pale hoof in her yellow claw. "Hiya! I'm Heidi an' this is my big sis Lila! Nice ta meet'cha, wanna play? I mean if Lila every lets me back up, quit it meanie, I'm ...oof... f-fine, see?"

Her sister Lila was perched right at her bedside, yelping at her younger sister getting caught up in Glitter's happy reply and shoving her back to the bed, barely keeping the instant friends apart. "Hi! Are you feeling ok now? You look lots better than when daddy brought you here! Oh, this is my dad here, and mommy made you all better! Umm... didn't she? She's really awesome so I'm sure you'll be fine! I'm Glitter by the way!"

"I am afraid I am not nearly so infallible as our daughter would have you believe dear. Listen to your sister and stay put Heidi, you had a very close call and need to rest. There will be ample time to play and get to know each other later from what I understand, though my Fast has yet to explain himself on that score..." Jade smiled sweetly and nudged Glitter back, her arched eyebrow to me reflected by every young griffon in earshot and spreading with their whispers.

Lila was torn between gratitude that made her yellow green eyes well with tears, and caution born from a harsh life, mostly missing Jade's teasing tone. She bowed her head submissively, shoving her sisters pigtails down in a matching gesture I gulped to see spreading through the room. "R-Right boss, umm... Princess boss lady... T-Thanks for, f-for helping my sister, all of us I mean. Umm... I swear ta do a good job and fill my contract, so just give the word and..."

Sighing at her forthright attitude, I shook my head with a whinny, waving my forelegs in negation. "N-None of that, I'm not your boss! I just... er... i-it seemed like a good idea at the time, I just wanted to help is all Lila, you're not an employee. Just take it easy, it's ok to be kids, make friends with Glitter if you want."

"Right boss, make friends with the filly, got it. You wants us ta guard the mini-boss?" Lila cocked her head owlishly, prowling to Glitter's back and planting her claws on the filly's shoulders protectively, putting on a wide, forced smile down to her upturned face and making me facehoof despite Glitter's happy squeal.

"Noooo.... that wasn't an order Lila... A-Any of you!" I had to shout when I spotted several more young griffons moving to hop from their beds and form a cordon around the delighted foal, ignoring the protests of Jade and her nurses trying to push them back.

Hooting laughter at me, Val shoved me back and raised her voice in a bawdy yell, addressing the infirmary all at once. "Oy! All of ya, stay put! Yer benched on medical dammit, rest up an' he'll figure somethin' out. Got it? Go on boss, they'll stay put if'n ya wanna add anything."

"I want them to stop looking at me like that..." I hissed out the side of my mouth at the smirking griffon, scrambling to stop her before she could turn and relay that order too with a grin. "ER! I mean! Listen to Val, everybody just rest up and w-we'll think of ...something.... Right now your job is to get better, umm... rest and relaxation, so no working. I know this is... weird for you, but Magpie let me buy out your contracts because she cares about you. Sooo, just umm, f-feel better and be kids, right?"

I groaned having a room full of kids chorus; "Right boss!" and salute, hiding behind my wings and pulling my hat down as I cringed beside Jade giggling into her hoof softly. She still looked confused, but shrugged it off and nodded, speaking in a melodious voice full of merriment. "I am quite sure this must be an interesting story I do look forward to hearing Fast. For now he is correct all of you, rest and recovery is the order of the day. Oh? Lila dear, where is your other friend? The rather... mmm s-standoffish one? He was just over there earlier and seemed very concerned for your sister."

While Lila had returned to her sister's bedside, she had paused to boost Glitter up to the end of the bed the little griffon wasn't occupying, adding my foal to what looked like practiced ease at absently watching a younger kid from the corner of her eye. The two chattered back and forth in happy, high pitched squeals she tuned out effortlessly, turning to the two of us while still keeping the distinct look of a bodyguard like Val, watching out for my little filly and her own sister equally.

I felt conflicted about that, frowning as she answered Jade in a polite but hard voice. "Ain't our friend lady boss, his fault she was hurt, that everybody was... Don't care where he went, long as it ain't here."

Jade didn't like the ice in her voice either, lightly touching a wing to her shoulder and speaking to her kindly. "That hardly seems very nice dear... I admit I am unaware what brought you here, but I assure you he was worried, he asked after your younger sister and everyone else so much I had to request he get out from under hoof. Has anyone seen him? He was not very injured, but should not be left to himself."

None of the still attentively watching patients answered her question, muttering amongst themselves for a moment. A rich pink earth pony mare pushing a rickety cart of paper cups and canned food piped up however, scratching her clipped back blue and yellow mane as she ventured a guess. "I think I saw one wander off up to the roof Princess. A lovely robin color, he looked upset."

While Jade's grateful nod was nothing but concern for a kid who was hurting, Val charged for the door with an angry squawk, forcing me to go running after her in confusion. "Shit! Oh you little bastard, no you don't!"

"Errr.... what? What's wrong Val?"

She scowled back at me and Jade breathlessly following her up the nearest stairs, her tone an angry mutter trying to catch the naive ponies up. "He already squealed once dammit! Think he won't do it again boss?! Little fucker is probably already long gone ta go find the nearest damn Gunner patrol and..."

Val paused when she kicked the rusty roof access door open, clearly surprised to find Bruno hadn't in fact fled as she had been so sure of. My relief to find she was wrong was short lived however, the young griffon was perched at the edge of the rooftop and spun to the sudden commotion, the shotgun in his claws swinging up under his beak sharply as he wiped the tears from his eyes in a rush.

"Fuck off! J-Just go away, don't want none of yer pony nonsense. Stay back and lemme... Just wanted ta watch the sun set first is all." Bruno somehow managed to snivel like a miserable brat while keeping up his tough pretense, glaring at us angrily.

Just seeing how tightly his claw was trembling on the trigger made Jade and I freeze together, the caring healer at my side gasping and speaking in tightly controlled panic. "Please do not do anything rash... I do not know what has made you feel this way, but you appear to be considering a permanent solution to a temporary problem dear... C-Could we not simply talk if we promise to come no closer?"

"Kid... put that down. Please... Umm... I o-order you to, so..."

"Shaddap!! Don't care what Ma said, I ain't workin' fer no griffon groper pony! I... I already sunk low enough, a-at least goin' out on my own terms, make up fer..." The angry screech he answered with made me shut my mouth with a click, so much for trying to take advantage of what little I understood of griffon culture. After the way the others acted, I really hoped that would work...

Completely ignoring the fear I could feel shivering through Jade's wing to my back mingling with my own, Val simply kept stomping forward as if the threat were of no concern. "Go ahead then brat, blow yer brains out. Will just make ya even more of a traitor than me, have me a good laugh over it actually."

"VALKYRIE!!!" Jade screamed at her callous dismissal, barely kept back by both the fear of backing the shaking griffon even more into the corner he had worked himself into, and by my shaking foreleg held up for patience.

I didn't want to see this any more than she did, holding to the trust we both had in Val and each other with a whispered prayer to the goddesses. We didn't understand, but Val did. Better than the kind alicorn or I would ever know. Bruno twitched when she had made to move forward and stop Val, but stilled and shouted at Val's unhurried approach without pulling the trigger. That was something...

"Ain't nothin' like you bitch! I ain't no t-t-tra..." He raged at her, but his denials faltered as fresh tears welled up in the attempt.

Val actually gave a yawn at pushing the kid already teetering on the edge even further, rolling her eyes as she kept prowling forward. "Oh sure, yer worse actually. See, I turned traitor after the Gunners killed my pal, you sellin' em out is what got em killed an' hurt back in the roost ta begin with, ain't it?"

"I... I ain't..."

I could hear a rising whine coming from Jade, looking up to her biting her lip and prancing in place anxiously. The feel of her trembling against my raised foreleg made me afraid how long I could actually hold her back, trying to catch her eyes and communicate silently.

"Not only that, yer disobeyin' orders now too. Like it or not, the boss does hold yer contract brat. So not just a traitor ta Magpie, but ta yer new employer even, so twice over no less. Hell, a coward too fer that matter! Too much of a chicken ta look yer buddies in the eye an' admit ya fucked up, huh? Lookit ya, shakin' like a leaf! Go on, do it dammit! Pull the fuckin' trigger brat! Traitors don't get no honorable way out like that though, if'n that was what ya were thinkin'!" Val now loomed over him, in range to stop him if she wanted, but just egging him on instead.

Ok, now I was getting as worried as Jade, calling to her softly. "Val..."

"Shaddup boss! You don't think I thought about it, if this twerp really wants ta, he's gonna do it anyway. Fuck it, save us all the time! Ain't gonna do nothin' ta make up fer how ya fucked up, take the easy way out if ya want. Hell, I'll do it for ya!" In a flash, Val had drawn her pistol and had it trained right between his wavering blue eyes, making Jade surge forward with me. She had Auntie Broom's gun in her claws, I couldn't let her... Especially not with that gun...

"VALKYRIE YOU MAY NOT!" I flinched at Jade's goddess voice booming across the rooftop, running forward with her, but brought up short by Val scowling at both of us in warning.

"You don't get ta tell me not ta do nothin' Blue. No offense, but keep quiet." Val's voice was harsh, but her violet eyes were apologetic, her tone softening only slightly when she turned back and snatched the shotgun drooping in Bruno's grip. "You fucked up kid, ain't gonna sugar coat it like these sappy ponies wanna, that's a hard fact you better get used'ta. Ain't easy ta come back from neither, helluva lot harder than just checkin' out that's fer sure. Ma never raised no pussies back in my day though, so quit yer blubberin' and buckle down. Salvage what little, itty bitty bit is left of yer honor and fill yer contract. After that, do whatever ya want for all I care. I'll tell ya this much, yer a helluva lot better off than I was already. You gots a good boss and yer friends ain't dead, might even still give a damn about ya from the way they're tryin' ta hide back there..."

A sharp pair of gasps drew all of our attention to the door falling open behind us, along with an indignant squawk and a lot of shuffling as three young ladies who shoudn't be here peeked up from where they had tumbled through it. Heidi and Glitter winced in the headlock the taller Lila had thrown around both of them, groaning and shoving them ahead of her to our curious looks. "I told you two ta go back! Now look what ya did..."

The younger pair shuffled and grinned nervously, skipping to the roof with Lila reluctantly bringing up the rear. Glitter paused and launched herself between Jade and I, speaking in a nervous giggle at us shuddering in sync at the way she and her new friend had broken the tension. "Sorry... We wanted ta see, Lila's still mad, but she let us... I think she's not so mad really daddy..."

Goggling at her conspiratorial whisper to us, Jade thumped her rear to the rooftop with a shiver, all of us watching the griffons congregating at the edge of the roof. Val had already holstered her pistol, shoving Lila after her younger sister already smiling up to Bruno sniffling and trying to hide his embarrassment. "It's ok Bruno... I'm fine, see? We told ya the Gunners was meanies, so I'm glad you're not gonna be one... Umm... you aren't right? Or do anything else dumb?"

With the fledgling tugging his tail, Bruno's shoulders slumped and he shook his head weakly. "No squirt... Not with you guys watchin' anyway I guess... I'm er... I really am... s-s-sor...."

Before he could manage to sputter out the rare marvel of a griffon apology, Lila ruffled her sister's feathers and started punching him, fast and hard and everywhere his frantic flinching didn't cover. "Stuff yer sorry asshole! Gonna hafta work a lot harder than just that! M-Meanin' you don't get ta go nowhere! Matter o' fact I think workin' fer some 'griffon groper' is a good punishment fer you, so yer fillin' that contract! Even if I hafta beat it outta ya! S-So... so there! You can get started by bowin' down ta each an' everybody else down there too! See how you like that! C'mon Heidi, back ta bed, let you and tha mini-boss get me in enough trouble already! S-Sorry boss, Princess boss lady..."

With the crisis averted, us grownups watched all four kids scramble over each other down the stairs, letting out a shaky sigh of relief. Even Val looked worn out, padding over with a sheepish smirk to Jade looking very confused. "Er... sorry Blue. Ya don't know enough about griffons, so had ta kinda take the lead there... Wasn't gonna let 'im, I know how he felt so... f-figured I'd pay forward what Nick did fer me. Ought'a be all good, g-guessin' you'll be wantin' ta get yer explanation now, huh?"

"Yes I most certainly do! Immediately! You frightened me very much Valkyrie! I should have trusted you further, but you were quite convincing! I suppose I must accept there are some things about your culture I am simply... ignorant of. I look forward to learning however, right now..." Jade huffed, but hugged the resistant griffon firmly, shoving us both along to follow the others back downstairs and get to explaining.

I made it as far as the door when her musing voice behind us made us both flinch, continuing her thought in a silky voice. "The term... 'griffon groper' for example. I am most curious about that in particular..."

"Eeep!"

----------------------Level Up!------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------------------

Spellcasting Savant--------
---You're not stupid when it comes to learning magic, just different... Whether just from lots of late life studying or maybe working with your darker nature instead of fighting it, you've improved a lot when it comes to the arcane arts. You now gain access to a wider selection of spells, though you still have no horn for healing. Pretty good for never having any talent for magic beyond repairs, maybe your foalhood aptitude test wasn't that wrong after all! As an added bonus, you have a random chance of gaining 2x experience points for successfully casting any spell.

Reputation Change!---------------------

Magpie Roost: Soft Hearted Devil
---After causing so much chaos, you might not be welcome here anytime soon, despite being on good terms with the ruler of the roost. It's not all bad though, you definitely made an impression on a populace that values violence. Plus you helped as much as you could and saved lives, even if it means being labeled an easy mark.

University Point: Neutral
---A new town awaits just down the road, hopefully you'll fit in better in what's supposed to be a town full of fellow nerds!

Ch. 90-- Ain't Mis-bee-having

"Honestly, it's hard to tell. But suddenly, I don't feel so well..."

"Mmmrrmm mwaaa this is great viddles Princess, totally makes up for those featherheads of yours. Not to mention the excellent medical care and..." Our 'guest' Sludge Barrel stuffed his face across from Jade, giving the patient alicorn effusive praise while I scowled at him at her side.

Despite hearing Jade give a "tsk!" at Val slapping the balding stallion upside the back of his head, I secretly cheered the stern griffon. Jade had been angry enough to go along with us as far as ponynapping the thief and bringing him back to the Redheart Academy with us, but her kindness won out in actually giving him medical treatment after seeing how poor his health was.

Not that I didn't feel bad at all on seeing some of his lumps, cuts and disturbing growths mostly covered by his ratty wasteland clothing, wondering just where he ran into the kind of taint and radiation Jade informed me must be the cause. It was just that Sludge was not a very likable stallion... a fact Val illustrated yet again by slipping her deft claws in his patched flannel shirt and pulling out a hooffull of silverware from this very cafeteria, vials of Med-X and magical bandages from the exam room Jade had treated him in, and an assortment of junk that was not nailed down and therefore free game for his admittedly impressive swiping.

"Aw just lemme beat it outta him boss! At least tie him back up, he's gonna keep right on robbin' ya blind at this rate!" Val sneered at the flinching yellow earth pony, throwing her claws up at Jade and I across the table.

Jade didn't look very happy at the assortment of loot Sludge had managed to make off with so far, but still stuck her nose up with a huff, closing her eyes and shutting out Val's argument in a cutely stubborn expression. "We are not raiders, so we will not resort to torture Valkyrie, thank you very much."

"Maybe we could just do a liiiiittle torture hon? Psychological maybe, like water torture?"

"We will not Fast..." Jade arched an eyebrow down at me pouting, returning her attention to Sludge with a kindly hoof laid on his. "Now then Mr. Barrel, I would appreciate it if you could refrain from any further thievery hmm? We would greatly appreciate your help and are willing to reciprocate if you would cooperate?"

"Re-sip-crate? You mean pay? Why didn't ya say so Princess! Course I'm willin' to lend a helping hoof to a gentle beauty like yourself, for a few caps of course... Anything to keep these two thugs here off my back." Sludge squinted as he figured out the potential for profit, putting on a wide, gap-toothed grin and shaking Jade's hoof manically.

Giving an unsteady smile in return, Jade slowly pulled her foreleg free and whinnied. "They are not thugs, this is my husband Fast and my dear friend Valkyrie, they will behave themselves I assure you. Now, about this Dr. Vigil they seem to think you can help us find, are you able to do so?"

Sludge's conpony's smile faltered at the name of the Institute researcher I wanted to find, leaning away from the smiling alicorn and crossing his forelegs over his chest. "Dunno who you're talkin' about. Ain't no Institute docs around here."

"Again... we never said anything about the Institute, you seem to know a lot for not knowing anything buddy. Start talking... now."

Jade frowned at the Shroud's voice coming out of my mouth in a growl at the end, curling a wing around me and continuing to the cringing buck. "It is vital we find this pony you profess not to know sir. I understand he may have sworn you to secrecy, but we wish him no harm, merely to talk to him if that is possible. Please?"

Looking up to the pleading tone and sparkling eyes of the blue beauty, I wasn't surprised to see Sludge's resolve crack. Jade could make any buck melt if she really tried, without even knowing she was doing it. His eyes still flicked between Val and I nervously, shuffling in his seat and testing his boundaries until he heard the click of Val's pistol behind him and froze. Left with no way out, he slumped and grumbled petulantly.

"Even if I did know, I sure wouldn't lead these two there your highness. Couple of regular hardcases you've got. If it weren't for all your hospitality, I'd be sure to raise a racket when I go back to U.P., I'm a..." Sludge returning to his big talk and lies was an old refrain at this point, allowing me to finish his sentence with a sneer.

"Very important pony... yeah, we heard. Somehow I have a hard time believing you there pal. If you wanna take your case to the eggheads in charge back there, you're welcome to it. We'll take you with us even, I'm sure the guards will be very interested in all the goodies we found in your packs."

Always looking for the best in others and overflowing with empathy, Jade tilted her head and nickered, hushing me with a feather and trying a different approach with the stubborn stallion. "I am very disappointed that you seem to have stolen from the apothecary in University Point Mr. Barrel, but I am willing to forgive your crimes in exchange for your assistance. Though I do not understand why you did so at all. University Point seems to be a thriving and fair settlement, surely you could find some kind of honest work?"

Turning away from that innocent gaze that could make a buck feel breezie sized, Sludge muttered back under his breath, the slight pain in his words the first bit of honesty I actually believed was genuine from him. "U.P.'s great alright, if you're a smarty pants anyway... Not so easy for us regular folks though Princess. 'Sides, I didn't take that stuff for myself, I took it for... n-nevermind."

Remembering the rogue Institute scientist we were after came from Dr. Dala's Biosciences, all the beakers, vials and rare potion ingredients we caught him with suddenly made sense. "You got it for Dr. Vigil! That's how you knew what to get! Oh I knew that stuff was way too advanced for you! Start talking Sludge!"

Sludge Barrel cringed at me leaning up on the table on my forehooves with a crazed gleam in my eye, all that stood between me and a link to the Institute was this miserable pony in front of me. If Jade wasn't here, I'd happily go along with Val's plan and start hurting him.

"Fast... calm down. I apologize Mr. Barrel, my husband is most anxious to find this scientist as you can clearly see. I am also sorry to hear things in University Point are difficult for those less inclined to intellectual pursuits, though I would appreciate hearing more on the subject since we are considering them as an ally. For now however, we must remain focused on Dr. Vigil. His assistant, a Miss Byte, sent us here and we desperately need to contact him."

At the name of Dr. Vigil's synth assistant Sludge paused, giving Jade and me a dubious look. "A-Alright... maybe you know him and maybe I do too. Let's talk about a reward first though, things are awful tough ya know Princess. I'm just scraping by and maybe I can't sell out one source of income without having an another in return. Hippo-thetically speakin' and all..."

Hearing him mangle more of the equine language as he hemmed and hawed made me want to tear my mane out in frustration, an impulse only mastered on spotting Swan squeezing her way into the cafeteria carefully. She was small enough to fit in the building and didn't seem to have any major hangups about remaining so lately, but still big enough she got her rump stuck in the narrow door and her horn kept ripping loose tiles and wiring from the decaying ceilings.

Seeing her beaming when she spotted us and pulling herself free with a grunt, I gave a grin to Sludge and waved her over, letting her come tromping up behind the stubborn buck. "Hypothetically speaking... We're willing to deal Sludge. But if you don't start talking straight with us, my friend will probably be very annoyed with you. Isn't that right Swan?"

Sludge craned his neck back at my nod, leaning further and further back in his seat to take in the big mare blinking down at him curiously. Watching all the color drain from his face was immensely satisfying at Swan's deep rumble of an answer, not particularly knowing what she walked in on, but always willing to cut straight to violence. "Right! Lying is bad little pony, tell my sister the boring things she wants to know, or I'll smash you..."

"S-S-Sweet Celestia! Alright, alright! I'll talk! I know him ok!" Sludge panicked when Swan pressed her large hoof down on his greasy blue combover, inexorably crunching him down in his seat in an effective demonstration of just what 'smash' meant in this instance.

Jade didn't like her sister grinning at the prospect of crushing Sludge's head like a walnut, but sighed and only waved her away gently, again placing a calming hoof on Sludge's own shaking one and radiating that regal bearing that made her a Princess. "My sister will not hurt you Mr. Barrel, forgive my husband for taking advantage of her enthusiasm when it comes to senseless violence... As he said however, we are willing to pay for your assistance,. You can trust we will do so based on the quality of your information, so let us hear it so we may do so quickly."

Sludge focused on Jade, darting his eyes nervously up to the looming purple alicorn leaning directly over his head menacingly, then to Val polishing her claws and me fidgeting impatiently. "Ok, I know this Vigil guy, he sends me out to get stuff for him and I bring it back, then he gives me all this fancy gear and food in return. He talked about that Byte gal, so... so I guess you're alright. But he don't want company, if I sell him out, I lose my meal ticket. H-How bout I take a message to him for ya? See if he wants to talk to you folks or not?"

"Blue don't even think about it... The second you let this slippery fuck off his leash, he'll run off with whatever he can grab and it'll take forever to track his ass down again, even with me an' yer little class of mini-mercs on the case." Val groaned at Jade's happy look, hooking her claw over her shoulder to the benches of young griffons enjoying their meal nearly as much as Sludge had.

I was glad Glitter was happy sitting over there with her new friends, wiping the scowl off my face when I saw her waving with a wide, innocent smile. She wasn't very interested in the boring, grownup conversation anyway, so we had been able to manage this little interrogation without her seeing me struggling to keep 'Be Dark...' in check. With the sky outside growing dark and Sludge finally fessing up, that was getting to be a battle I was worried about losing, grateful to my little filly who could help me and the voices of the Ministry Mares shove it back with just a smile.

"Take us to him. Wherever he's hiding out, take us there. If he gets mad, we'll make sure you're taken care of, you'll get your reward either way, but I need to talk to him, directly."

Sludge squinted and hedged, finally taking another big bite of insta-oats and mumbling to us. "Ok, but only you and the Princess, nobody else."

Val's feathers puffed up at the slimy stallion's demand, vetoing it nearly as fast as Witchy galloping across the cafeteria with a squeak, her fluffy ears trained on the conversation from a considerable distance. The two of them shouted over each other, surrounding the surprised buck at the instant refusal from the two guards.

"Nuh-uh, no way boss! Greasy fuck will slip away, or lead ya inta some kinda trap or somethin'! Just let big stuff sit on him till he talks dammit!" Val sneered first, pulling Swan down by her pink neckerchief to help back up her threat.

"Y-Your highness, I must object! Thine safety is paramount, thou cannot go with this suspicious thief alone!" Witchy joined her a beat later, charging to Jade's side and leaning over the table at the cringing Sludge.

Gulping nervously, Sludge tried to answer their threats and refusal in a rush, anything to get the manically grinning Swan overhead to stop wiggling her rump in anticipation. "I-It's not safe for anycreature else! U-Unless you've got a ghoul or two running around, only these two can make it! Er... I g-guess the big filly behind me could too..."

"Oh? I assume you mean it is somewhere contaminated? Hmm... that would explain how you have come to be in such poor health... Valkyrie, Witching, it is alright, I am sure between my sister and Fast we will be fine. However, I question if it is it safe for you Mr. Barrel? I have administered what treatment I can and my Followers have purged the taint from your system, but you should limit your exposure greatly..." Jade figured out his rushed explanation first, worried even for her larcenous patient and hushing our protective friends.

Just the care and concern evident in her voice looked to shame Sludge, smoothing the blue strands of his thin mane nervously and nodding meekly. "I'll be fine Princess, I know those ruins like the back of my hoof. Just can't be babysittin' anybody that can't stand up to the gunk between here and there. Umm... you and yer sis and buck there are able to just wade on through toxic crud and stuff, right?"

"We are immune to many of worst magical waste left in the ruins Mr. Barrel, thank you for your concern. I assure you and our overprotective friends we will be fine, so there is no issue with you taking us there and introducing us. Yes?" Jade smiled and closed her eyes, shutting out the frustrated squawks and chirps of Val and Witchy with the immutable expression.

"Alright then Sludge, let's go pay the doctor a visit..."

Despite Jade's assurances, Val and Witchy followed us all the way to the ruins Sludge led us to, all of us landing on a hill overlooking the valley of crumbling industrial ruins glowing in the early evening gloom. It looked to be some kind of old industrial park built in a small bay on the river surrounding the ruins of Trotson to the north, isolated by geography and by the obvious toxic obstacle course keeping wastelanders away.

Val joined me in fluttering up to an old billboard overlooking the place, gulping with me as text flashed in my eyes; Discovered Location: Hippocratic Industries Labs, then summing up my feelings succinctly. "Well fuck..."

Following the broken road leading to the crumbling toll booth at the entrance, I looked over the rusty chain link fencing and warren of industrial and office buildings beyond, spotting rusty water tanks and tumble down, criss-crossing pipes strung everywhere, connecting many of them. It all followed a basic cross shape of half sunken roadways branching from the main route in, the most intact set of buildings forming an L shape and taking up three quarters of the rectangular plot, connected by crumbling and half exposed elevated walkways.

looking over to the rising hills defining the bowl shaped depression, I could see train tracks winding around it all to the west, ending at a ruined station where a lot of pipes terminated to load ancient tanker cars rusting on the tracks.

There was a large, oddly ridged dome of a building near broken greenhouses by the shore, connected to the rest of the buildings by a long, windowed hallway, running between a factory complex to the west and the fancier looking lab buildings to the east. The huge factory complex took up nearly the entire northwest section the submerged roads defined. It was a broken and twisted wreck of toppled smokestacks, bent catwalks, rusting tanker wagons and shattered buildings.

Northeast was dominated by the leaning old water tower, the cheery yellow paint faded and flaking away, leaving only the 'HIPPO' part of what I presumed once read; 'Hippocratic Industries' as my pip-buck still identified it. That must be how it got the local name 'Hippo Ruins' as I heard the elderly potion brewer in University Point refer to the place. She might be off on the name, but her description of 'taint pit' was dead on. Beneath the rusty landmark were sturdy, windowless buildings, festooned with ancient tanks sporting faded warning labels and rusty pipes following the hallway leading to the factory, so I presumed they were labs of some kind.

Closest to our perch to the southeast of the complex was the obvious entry area, a large parking lot full of rainbow colored sludge and brackish water, making all the rusting carriages look like ugly brown islands. Beyond this was a large and inviting enough looking office building, the arched entrance framed by the faded and tattered billboard cutouts of what looked like two pale yellow unicorn stallions, their forelegs raised together above the glass double doors.

Illuminating it all was the sickly rainbow glow of taint and the brighter green glow of radiation, making my pip-buck tick lazily even at this distance. Ribbons of gunk drizzled from rusting discharge pipes directly into the river, dripping from multiple buildings and pooling in lake like puddles in the low valley. Tumbling down from the hill perched train station were numerous yellow barrels, radioactive waste apparently on its way to be shipped somewhere else, now just adding to the environmental hazards of the place for non-mutated visitors.

There were low concrete structures crumbling away at the shore that seemed to act as a kind of levee, preventing the sluggishly flowing river from washing it all away and built for some purpose I couldn't guess at. Each rectangular enclosure had a few odd trees, some still clinging to the last of their odd blue leaves and all surrounded by floating blue flowers they apparently dropped to the water.

Surprisingly there were a lot of very similar, twisted, ugly trees and clumps of mutated vegetation growing in the marsh trying to swallow it up. Not that I took that as a good sign as far as the toxicity of the place was concerned. Just taking it all in, I had reservations about allowing Jade down there, let alone the loyal and unmutated griffon at my side or the thestral sticking close to Jade below. Sludge had been right... there was no way I'd let Val or Witchy either one risk themselves down there...

Still... the blinking arrow on the compass in my vision left little choice. I tapped absently at my pip-buck to look over the weird 'mission' it insistently kept pointing out;

Mission: Dangerous Minds

Objective----
---~~Travel to University Point~~
---Locate Dr. Vigil

"Wooooo.... that place looks nice! It's all tingly! Let's go Fast, I wanna smash things and find this silly doctor you want to find, then we can celebrate and play!" Swan hooking her forelegs over the top of the leaning billboard and struggling to clamber up with us finally interrupted my brooding, turning to the cheery filly and planting a quick kiss on her nose as I shook it off.

Opting to glide back before Swan knocked down the ancient advertisement giving warning creaks and groans, we rejoined Jade, Witchy and our reluctant guide Sludge, coming in at the end of Jade gently letting her royal guard down. "...may be right dear, Fast, my sister and I are in no danger down there, but it is very hazardous for you. You and Valkyrie should remain here and... ah, keep watch over our retreat, hmm?"

I had to stifle a laugh watching Witching Hour both melt at Jade consoling her with a feather to the cheek, then shake herself off with a blush and stamp her hooves, trying valiantly to be a good royal guard for a Princess who didn't seem to realize how far a little attention went. Seeing the relationship between the two of them always made me smile, both at Jade's oblivious nature and Witchy's equally clear adoration.

"N-No! I mean... I advise against it Princess, most strongly! It seems very dangerous and this ...Sludge pony is untrustworthy, beneath your standing to follow into peril!" Witchy stammered and pointed an accusing hoof at Sludge, giving a little whinny of indignation.

I wasn't sure if Witchy's barn door actually swung Jade's way, but I wondered sometimes. Not that I was bothered if it did, considering how open our relation ship was out of necessity on my end, turnabout was fair play and we both loved Witchy. I had to guess a good part of it was simply being attention starved for so long though. She lit up and sparkled like a diamond at any affection, either from me or Jade. A fact that lascivious mutter in my head focused on intently, watching her pretty purple mane swish as she shook her head, thinking about the feel on my tongue of the sharp little fangs gleaming in the moonlight as she yelped.

'MINE...'

Shut up... Behave dammit. I thunked my head and sighed, flinching at Jade's appraising blue eyes flicking my way questioningly at the gesture. A glance up to the starry sky and back again showed she was keeping an eye on me and concerned too, but Val joining the running argument took her attention as we joined her.

"Batty's right Blue! It ain't that bad anyhoo, just freakin' magic us all better if we do end up slimed or whatever! Ain't leavin' you two ta go wanderin' on in ta that pit." Val screeched and threw a tantrum, making Jade hide a soft smile behind her hoof when Val's concern not just for me as her boss, but for the kind alicorn too slipped out.

"Both of you just relax, we'll have Swan with us too and she'll just get stronger down there, while you guys could get seriously sick. Other than all the gunk it's not that dangerous, right Sludge..."

Everyone turning to the nervous stallion at once made him flinch, looking up in thought and waggling a hoof. "Ehhhhhh.... I ain't never had no problems..."

"There, see? If it makes you feel better, you can fly overhead and keep an eye out, and Witchy can set up here with that rifle of hers and you can both cover us. Ok? We'll be fine, just in and..."

Before I could finish, Val clamped my muzzle shut and cringed, grumbling in my face. "STOP! Don't say it, don't even think that boss! Every damn time you say that, shit goes ta hell in a hoofbasket. Just get goin' and quit temptin' Discord!"

"If we're goin' let's go already, I'm a busy buck you know." Sludge's muffled voice decided for us, looking to the stallion already wearing a battered old blue respirator and fighting into a thick pair of blue galoshes that matched his mane and tail.

Neither Val nor Witchy looked very happy watching us trot down the road after him, but his minimal precautions looked to make it sting a little less. It wasn't like we had gasmasks, radiation or hazmat suits, or even the protective boots that looked like the barest protection against the swamp of gunk down there. Unlike Jade, I wasn't worried about Sludge's health at all and was fine with him acting as our tour guide, but only the mutated members of our little group were going and that was that.

"Really, those two are nearly as bad as you are concerning me Fast. Mr. Barrel here regularly goes here, I am sure it is perfectly safe, especially with my brave knight and terrifying sister. Besides, I never get to go on these interesting expeditions with you anymore dear. I quite enjoy taking a break from being a Princess..." Jade broke the silence once we left them behind, cantering along happily as if she was on a pleasant date.

"I'm glad I'm not one sister, it looks reeeeeeally boring... you never get to smash anything, not that you like that anyway, but all the talking and telling ponies what to do.... Bleh!" Swan shuddered behind us, tromping down the road and keeping a close eye out for anything to obliterate.

Not that there appeared to be anything other than the ugly trees nearby, E.F.S. was totally clear and it was very quiet, only the lapping sound of the river filling the void. It was actually kind of creepy, especially the way those twisted trees seemed to have anguished faces in the shadows of their craggy bark, all leaning away from the toxic pit, like even the plants were trying to get away from it.

Shivering as we passed yet another example that's branches and knotholes made it look like a screaming pony, I replied to the big filly prancing along. "You two have very different talents though Swan. You're great at going to dangerous places like this, while Jade is..."

I stopped short at Jade turning to squint at me, purring in a dangerous voice. "I am what Fast? A dainty waif to be protected and coddled?"

"N-No! Er... sorta...? I mean, look, it's not that I don't want to spend time with you and do stuff together, we all just want to protect you because we love you. I just want you to keep in mind this is dangerous, even if it doesn't seem like it. Ok?"

She gave a prim huff and stuck her nose up in response, lengthening her stride to catch up to Sludge as we reached the broken toll booth at the rusty, fallen down gates and turning the conversation to our guide with a pout. "Mr. Barrel regularly ventures here and he does not strike me as nearly the combatant you two are. No offense sir, but we shall be fine, shall we not?"

"S-Sure thing Princess, been comin' here for years. Just gotta know where ta go and where not ta. Nopony ever comes here, so lots of fancy doo-dads and such those eggheads in U.P. love." I didn't like how Sludge's eyes shifted anxiously all around the ruins, kept from really focusing on his nervous expression as he hopped to broken chunks of asphalt and rusting carriages, staying above water as we crossed into the toxic marsh.

I paused at the toll booth before following him, gently shoving aside the pile of bones slumped in a ruined chair and looking over the rotting log book near the gate controls. A weathered flier had survived, taped up on the glass near the remains of the roof. It showed a heavy set stallion in a black and white photo, his bushy, braided beard and mane as distinctive as the funny hat and tribal looking necklace he wore.

I had to squint to puzzle out the stark words on the poster, figuring out it was some kind of un-wanted poster. 'Do not allow on premises! Known protestor and agitator 'Cattail' is under restraining order and pending litigation with Hippocratic Industries. We don't have his precious 'family heirlooms' at this facility. Refer to courts or C.I.A.T., summon security and Trotson P.D. if he refuses to leave peacefully.'

The Institute... This was one of those outside contractors of theirs then, a place where they had others test out their insane ideas, keeping their hooves clean and maintaining plausible deniability. Great... anywhere the Institute had meddled tended to be dangerous even two centuries later, putting me more on edge as I left the toll booth behind.

My hooves squelched where the road and been covered, my pip-buck and the others' all chattering rapidly as soon as we waded in. Not that I needed the device to let me know just how radioactive it all was, I could feel it tingling in my hooves and charging me with power, glancing over to see the pleased smiles and nickering of Jade and Swan feeling it too.

For them it was nothing but pleasant, but I grudgingly flapped out of the muck and followed Sludge's course with wing assisted leaps, both staying on his bedraggled tail and making sure I didn't absorb too much. That growling mutter in my head got worse the more radiation I took in. With Jade here, I wanted to remain as clear headed as possible.

Cantering happily along in the glowing goop, Jade stayed close to Sludge's course too. I was willing to bet she was fretting over our normal guide and ready to catch him in her magic should he happen to slip, but she covered by continuing to speak with the slimy buck and ignored me worrying over her in turn. "You were saying things were not so easy for ponies like yourself at University Point, is it really so bad it requires you to venture into such an environment Mr. Barrel? Surely you could find some other way to get by in such a prosperous town?"

"Like stealing..."

"Fast!" Jade gasped at my grumble, returning to Sludge flinching at the honest answer I was pretty sure he wouldn't have given. "Excuse my husband please. Though I do not care for your actions either, I understand if you had no option. I am merely curious why. As I said, we are new to University Point and wish to know about it from a local perspective, before speaking with their Board of Education about any alliance. I value your honest opinion."

I couldn't see him smile under that ugly painted mask, but Sludge's eyes softened as he jumped to a bit of road and sidewalk rising out of the water. "Welp, it ain't all sunshine and rainbows, no matter what it looks like ta visitors. Sure it's great for smart ponies with somethin' ta offer or those with plenty of caps, but for us locals that are just regular folks, it's expensive. They treat ya like dirt if ya ain't some kinda wizard too, Even the other earth ponies do it if ya ain't a great farmer, which I aint."

"Hmm... I had noticed a bit of elitism, but hoped it was only harmless pride. Have you considered going elsewhere? We know of many wonderful settlements you would do well at I am sure." Jade answered curiously, always willing to see the best in both the apparently not so wonderiffic University Point, and in the lighthooved Sludge Barrel.

Once he finished crossing over another ribbon of slime atop a bent lightpost forming a bridge, Sludge pointed to his orange barrel of a cutie mark with a sigh in answer. "I'm good at gettin' inta toxic hellholes like this Princess, there's plenty of spots to use my talent down here and it's the only home I know. There's lots of places ta salvage fancy tech from that lots of ponies 'round here will buy, not just University Point. The Arcano-Cats are good buyers for any kind of power armor junk, Dreadnot will buy all kinds of weird parts too, plus they pay through the nose for anything having to do with Princess Luna. Plus there's stuff like the robot races at Easy Filly Downs to make a few caps, and the U.P. farm over at the Warhorse Homestead usually has work if money gets tight. Things could be better, but they could be worse too."

At that he quieted sullenly and pressed on, climbing up the fallen wall of a brick office of some kind, over to the adjacent building leaning against it. His silence gave me time to look around as I flapped outside the windows and followed his course closely, idly noting the rapid flashes of 'Map Updated' his quick summation of the area prompted. The swirling colors and green glow was even creepier down here in it than it was looking in from the hill I glanced back at, spotting Witchy perched on the abandoned billboard for 'Meadowbrook Medicines' I could read from this side.

Having toxic sludge as a special talent seemed like a horrible cutie mark to me, but I had to admit Sludge was good at navigating the stuff. His knobby kneed legs were sure and steady as a mountain goat as he hopped and crawled along, walking down a fallen pipe from the building he exited like a tightrope, then jumping down to a series of battered metal desks and rubble from the long gone upper floors.

Staying in the air and swooping around a bit further as he navigated the dangerous obstacle course, I peered around the ruins cautiously. There were more of those creepy trees growing out of the slime, along with blue lillypads floating right in the goop, obviously mutated to survive not only toxic ponds and puddles, but the chilly weather given they still had the bulbs of large blue, orange spotted flowers.

Sludge eyed these floating by his perch warily, calling back to us with a terse; "Mind the flowers..." and conflicted frown to Swan tromping around nearby and the rest of us.

At least Swan was enjoying herself, splashing and prancing around everywhere giddily, absorbing rads like mad and not concerned at staining her alicorn angel outfit with her sister nearby to clean it. Jade wasn't quite so obvious in her enjoyment, but that sleepy smile didn't leave her face and I could see she looked almost imperceptibly taller next to Sludge. A glance at my own rad meter made me concerned on spotting the needle inching up past yellow, even not wading into it, I was taking in plenty too. It might not be deadly to us like it was to Sludge, even with all the Rad-X and Rad-Away Jade insisted on giving him, but staying too long would start presenting other problems.

A sudden 'POOF!' noise and Swan's gasp made me spin on her with my weapons drawn, The Terrible Shotgun and Deliverer finding no target other than the big mare in the skimpy outfit sneezing in an orange cloud of dust, apparently from one of the floating flowers she had disturbed in her puddle jumping. Seeing her safe, I tried to slow my pounding heart down, realizing how off and spooky the place felt at hearing the quiet broken.

Sludge flinched at the noise too, sighing at the sniffling filly with a pensive look and muttering under his breath, my sharp ears flicking to pick up the whisper of, "Told you to mind the flowers..."

"C-Careful Swan, are you alright?"

"Bluh... I'm fibe, stupid flowers... I dob't like dem, dese are as bad as dat gas stuff sister made wib da fairies... Dob't worry so much Fast." Swan sniffled and wiped her nose on her foreleg, a little snot really not making much of an impact when it was already covered in sludge.

"That's what he does sister, always worrying over us. You should get used to it since I imagine we are both in the same condition by now, Fast is even worse than poor Witchy when it comes to being overprotective of us." Jade smirked and joined Sludge as he made it to a rather large bit of road rising above the water level towards the hills and train station to the west, rolling her eyes at me snorting defensively.

"Well excuse me, but Jade's right, you're probably pregnant by now too Swan, and I get twitchy about the mothers of my foals wandering around in...."

"W-What?! Pregnant!? The Princess... both of these mares are? Out! Back out, changed my mind, he ain't here so let's just go. I w-was lyin'! Yeah, ol' Sludge is always lyin', so just forget the whole thing!" Sludge yelped and turned right around, galloping for his circuitous path back and stopped short when I slammed to the ground in front of him.

"WHAT!? What do you mean lying!? You said you'd take us to Dr. Vigil, why the fuck did you bring us here if he's not hiding somewhere in all this crap!?"

"K-Keep yer voice down! I... I just figured I could slip away, like yer thug of a griffon said. Y-Yeah, that's it. Playing you fer chumps, so how 'bout we just get goin' and..." Sludge hissed and glanced to the skies nervously, trying to shove past me and getting an angry hoof jabbed at his chest in return.

That lying snake in the grass... that weaselly, rotten ...betrayer... My fangs extended as the spike of pain between my eyes flared to life with the growl of 'Be Dark...' surging forth, mostly ignored to glare at Sludge with my glowing eyes reflected in his as I stamped and shouted. "Chumps!? Oh I'll show you just what a thug Val can be you bastard! Thine lies and conniving will be revisted on you as pain thou cannot imagine! I will personally..."

"Q-Quiet! W-Whatever you say buddy, just keep it down! We gotta get these mares outta here before..." Sludge whimpered and kept looking up, trailing off as his eyes shrank to pinpricks and a low buzz filled the air. "Shit... RUN!"

I blinked and shook off the furious roar in my head aching to start hurting Sludge, following his fearful gaze up as he shrank away and noticing the bluish glow just starting to penetrate the pervasive green. Looking past the broken smokestacks of the factory complex, I gaped at a glowing blue cloud of buzzing... things... swarming out of the weird ridged dome building behind it, finally figuring out what it reminded me of under all the bulbous muck. A beehive...

The hairs of my coat stood on end as the undulating swarm approached, sparking with bolts of lightning zapping out at the bent lightposts and metal carriages beneath them. Trying to focus on them individually was hard even with my enhanced vision through the glowing field of magic surrounding them, but I could make out a few quick flashes of giant blue and yellow bees zooming right at us. Very angry looking bees... and big... were there no normal sized insects left anywhere for Celestia's sake!?

Finally pulling away from the hypnotizing sight of approaching death, I found Sludge had disappeared, a glimpse of his retreating flanks charging up the street right beneath the swarm, but they ignored him entirely, focusing solely on us. Of course the string of purple arrows detonating in bright flashes on impacting the swarm probably had something to do with that...

"Yay! Something to smash! I love smooshing bugs!" Swan kept right on slinging more spells at the swarm, sending scorched carcasses raining down, but not making any real dent in their numbers.

Looking between her and Jade staring up at the wall of red on E.F.S. in horror, I spotted Jade's hoof reflexively go to her stomach and panicked. She immediately brought up her glowing blue shield and retreated to my side, but a powerful crack of lightning impacting her sister's matching purple bubble dimmed and cracked Swan's shield with one retaliatory strike. If they could do that to the overcharged alicorn's defenses, Jade's wouldn't hold up half as long...

They were fast too... arrowing right at us in a cloud that blotted out the sky, they'd overtake us before we even made it to the gates... Looking around in terror, I gulped realizing how exposed we were, the broken buildings nearby wouldn't provide enough shelter to hide... Wait, 'Awareness!' the funny building at the entrance with the two unicorns framing the doors. It was fancy and held up better than anything else, still intact enough to hunker down in and hope the bee's nest we had stirred up would settle back down again.

"JADE! RUN! THAT WAY!" I flew over and crouched protectively in front of her, pointing a shaking wing back to the strange building and heartened to see her zoom that way instantly.

She looked back worriedly as she passed Swan still slinging spells with reckless, overcharged abandon, but her first priority was the foal she carried now, looking ahead to the thankfully heavy looking doors already being wrenched open in her pale blue magic. With her covering our panicked retreat, I backed up towards Swan and unleashed the strongest blast of lightning magic I could muster, filling the sky with crackling death to focus them on us.

KRAKA-THOOOOM!!!!

My mouth dried up when the swarm simply flew straight through the blast, the writhing cloud of sparking magic around them just absorbed the electricity and fired it right back, forcing me to dive behind Swan's shield and gulp when more cracks appeared as she rode out the onslaught.

Even after it passed, her normally bright violet shield was dim and pale. Sweat stood out on her coat and she actually backed away at my urging, still launching offensive blasts of magic, but ones that seemed progressively weaker as we fell back toward Jade waiting at the open doors.

I loaded the Terrible Shotgun with a drum of buckshot and blasted the swarm indiscriminately, waving Swan on after getting a good look at her tail right at the top of the doorway. She'd have to crawl to slip in, meaning she'd just have to put up with being guarded instead of being the guard for once, I wasn't letting her go last...

The carriages and lightposts in the adjacent parking lot sparked with electricity at the swarm's approach, the lightning in the air now making my mane and tail frizz. Before the first tentacle of the cloud could reach us however, it was blown to flaming tinders by a series of thumps from far overhead and an angry screech. Val...

She was far above us and making a high speed bombing run with her grenade machinegun, saving our flanks but also making herself a target, and too far away to make it through the swarm before they crashed on the sturdy building like a wave. Not that that would stop her from trying to protect me...

Waving my forelegs to the sky frantically and hoping she'd take the implied order, I screamed in the Shroud's voice and hoped Witchy could hear the booming roar over the buzz drowning out everything. "WITCHY! WE'RE HIDING SOMEWHERE SAFE! DON'T TRY TO COME! GET VAL AND BACK OFF!!!"

I paused on the threshold to the building and Blue Moon clicked out from under my wing, sparking with a crackling field of magic as I floated out half a dozen grenades around my head and let them cook down. Val was still too close and another wavering tendril of the swarm was stretching out towards her, I had to get their attention again and hope she'd actually back off.

Entering S.A.T.S gave me too many targets to count, each individual insect highlighted by the targeting spell reading; 'Killer Flash Bee' and offering a disturbing closer look at the warped and mutated things. I settled for one near the heart of the swarm and rapidly clicked through menus, activating the S.A.T.S. Overcharge System and accepting the shot.

When the blinding pillar of light lanced out, the grenades were flung right behind it, resulting in a dazzling lightshow that incinerated a large swath of the horrific insects. They quickly surged forward to fill the big hole in their ranks when Blue Moon clicked back at my side, but were at least now totally ignoring the frustrated griffon, who I was glad to see was looking back towards the batpony streaking her way and giving squeaky screams.

I really hoped Val would listen and get away while she could, left with no choice but to trust the two of them and dive into the gloomy building, slamming the doors shut behind me and frantically looking around for anything to block them. Swan and Jade both joined in grabbing every desk, chair, sofa, table, trashcan and convenient vending machine with me, all of it swirling in a multicolored flurry of magic and slamming against the barrier, just ahead of the droning buzz making it all shudder.

We stood before them together anxiously, looking up to the vaulted ceiling and the dust shaking down on our heads. After a few tense minutes, the terrible noise lowered to a low buzz and the shaking stopped, letting us all breathe a sigh of relief and look to each other, making sure we were all safe for the moment with shaky, nervous laughter masking the adrenaline and fear.

"Visitors! How wonderful, it's been ages! New applicants I presume? Did you hear the spritebot announcement, or our ad in the Trotson Fluglehorn? Ah, no matter, where are my manners! Welcome to the Hippocratic Industries..." A staticky, feminine voice behind us made us all spin together, the click of weaponry and low hum of spells sounding out in the direction of the battered robobrain pausing in the practiced speech.

"Labs... Now, now, no reason to be rude. I realize the Administration Center isn't in the best condition at the moment, but we're still quite capable of receiving applicants." The silvery robot waggled its weird flexible forelegs in a very realistic huff, making us all groan at the addled machine still acting as if its function still meant anything.

Before we could do much more than assure ourselves the mark on Eyes Forward Sparkle matching it was green and therefore non-hostile, Swan swayed and moaned softly. "S-Sister... I don't feel so good, I think I need to... s-sit... doooown..."

I had just a moment to take in how sweaty she still was, seeing how pale her lavender coat was and gasping at the orange spots it now sported. Then she wobbled and crashed to the floor, thankfully missing me in the process, but not by much.

"SWAN!"

Dragging an oversized mare across the tiled floors was no easy feat, even with earth pony strength and Jade's help, but we had managed to get Swan away from the doors just in case. Now Jade tended to her weakened sister anxiously in a cluttered break room of some kind, leaving me to do what little I could in grabbing anything to make her more comfortable, then just watching from the doorway with a worried frown.

More orange spots kept popping up under the tattered curtains draped over her as a blanket, lit by Jade's blazing horn having no effect at all so far. She was sweaty and her big blue-violet eyes fluttered in and out of wakefulness, sometimes lucid and sometimes not...

"I want vanilla cake sister... we should get some when we're done sledding, it's super yummy..." In this case it was not so much, Swan whined up to her sister and licked her lips, thinking of yak made desserts of her old life before Unity apparently.

"That sounds lovely sister, we will be sure to have some as soon as you are well again. For now you need your rest Swan, sleep and feel better..." Jade stroked her flushed cheek and battled to not let her reassuring voice waver, looking over to me desperately when Swan's eyes shut and her breathing slowed. "I... I do not know Fast, I have never encountered this disease or poison before, n-nothing I do seems to be helping. Even the radiation is not healing her! Though it is only making it more difficult to move her for treatment back with the other Followers. N-Not that we even can with those horrible insects outside! I... I do not know what to do! B-But we must... must..."

Rushing over to hug Jade as she started sobbing at least hid my own tears, looking over her tightly curled wings to her sister taking shallow breaths and mumbling in her sleep. She was right, we had to figure something out quick, but we were trapped in here. At least we were safe from the swarm still buzzing outside, but we couldn't just wait it out with Swan in danger. The trickle of rads wasn't helping her, but she was still absorbing them and taking up more of the room, eventually we wouldn't be able to get her out period.

I had hoped sitting right on a source of ambient radiation would fix her, then I pinned everything on it supplying Jade with enough power to cast any spell she needed to, but all it was really doing was making things more difficult and me more restless and aggressive. I wanted to fling myself at the pests outside and slaughter them all, cut a bloody swath through them and get us out of this mess. Not to mention hunt down Sludge and gut him slowly, but even the furious mutter of 'Be Dark...' was forced to admit how unlikely any of that was.

"Oh my, this filly seems to have been contaminated by sample SF-302, how unfortunate. Must have wandered into a restricted area and been a little careless..." The voice of the wandering robobrain interrupted our teary embrace, both of us spinning on it watching from the door in a rush.

"Y-You know what this is!?" Jade nearly bowled the sturdy robot over, reaching her first and screaming at the crystalline dome of its head.

I managed to get there just after her, stretching up to join her right in the thing's odd face. "How do we fix it!? Tell us, NOW!"

At least the thing was programmed well, approximating an overwhelmed pony dealing with two frantic guests calmly, though I could do without that artificial giggle to its voice. "Of course sir, no reason to get pushy, you won't make a good impression here like that. Accidental exposure is an unfortunate hazard to working at this installation, but we do our best to safeguard the health and safety of our employees. Treatment for the condition is a proprietary and top secret blend of all natural ingredients, provided at a minimal fee deducted from your paycheck should you pass the application process. Would you two care to apply now?"

"WHERE IS IT!?!"

My breath puffed from my nostrils and fogged the dome of the stupid robot along with the spittle from roaring at it. It was still infuriatingly calm, lowering its voice to an offended grumble and pointing a claw down the hall behind it. "The administration center has a first aid station on hoof to deal with an workplace accidents sir, Ministry of Peace approved and accredited I assure..."

As soon as it gave a direction, I scrambled over the disturbing brain in a jar on top and ran down the hall, glancing back to see Jade plow right through it hot on my hooves. We blurred by empty offices, store rooms and conference rooms, pausing only to impatiently knock grime from a half fallen emergency evacuation map at the nearest intersection and locate the pink butterfly and cross symbol.

I could hear the robobrain chattering somewhere behind us, but ignored it to buck open the door before Jade reached it and she simply ran through it like she had the robot itself. The familiar groans and shuffling of a pair of feral ghouls slowly waking up in the ransacked room was instantly drowned out by the roar of the Terrible Shotgun, splattering both of the annoying undead before they managed to stand or Jade got here.

Between the two of us, we tore the cluttered room apart in a flurry of telekinesis, ripping half hanging doors from the cabinets and tossing anything unhelpful aside. Then we were down to kicking and shoving at the piles of junk on the floor, rooting around desperately for anything, only belatedly realizing I at least had no real idea what it would look like.

Jade had a better idea at least, but that wasn't a good thing judging by her sharp intake of breath and shuddering cry, floating up a half broken, golden bottle and peering closely at the faded label. "S-SF-302 Anti-Toxin... Expiration... Oh no... no..."

"Oh my, janitorial seems to have really fallen down on the job lately. Ah well, one more position to apply for! Would you two care to take the..." The robobrain caught up, still prattling on about the meaningless application that it was so fixated on and pushing me over the edge at the way Jade flinched and scowled at it.

If it had blood pumping in that metal body to supply the brain bubbling away, I probably would have tried sinking my fangs in its silver hide when I tackled it. Instead I slammed it to the wall with a hard flap of my wings, rolling out to the hall with it and wrestling to ram my pip-buck's patch cable into the corroded port, raving as I finally managed it.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT YOUR STUPID JOBS! You are going to start answering questions you useless piece of junk, right... NOW!"

Hacking the disturbing robot with the biological central processor was harder than a simple Ponitron or terminal, made more difficult by trying to do so with the tempting fury of 'Be Dark...' pounding in my head instead of rational, useful thought. After using up a couple of attempts I managed to get control over myself however, or maybe that voice voluntarily backed off for all I knew. All that was important was the hum of the robobrain rebooting in a much more cooperative state of mind.

"Rebooting in safe mode, recognizing new parameters... please stand by... Orders?" Some of the personality to its voice was decidedly muted when it started back up, but that was fine with me considering how oblivious and cheery it had sounded so far.

"CURE! NOW!"

"Clarify instructions... 'Cure' is not a valid command for this unit, do you wish for emergency medical services?" Jade's hoof to my back stopped me from ripping the rusty fire extinguisher from the wall and smashing that brain to paste just in time, calming me and wiping her eyes in determination as she took over.

"My sister has been exposed to this SF-302 thing of yours we require another source for this anti-toxin immediately! A-And all information about the disease and treatment you possess!" Jade was a lot more clearheaded than I was, holding the broken bottle up to the single blue eye of the machine and taking slow breaths with obvious effort.

"Processing request.... SF-302 is a pollen born pathogen from a species of lily pad found in the swamps. Early symptoms of infection include; weakness, confusion, delirium, orange discoloration to the coat in a distinctive pattern, spontaneous expelling of bubbles through coughs, electrified sneezes, and the growth of vegetative matter from the body. This leads into the terminal final stage, when the patient is transformed into a tree to further spread the toxin. Infection is communicable and airborne once patient has reached the bubble stage."

"There is only one known treatment, a proprietary concoction produced by Hippocratic Industries, Trotson branch. Primary ingredient and recipe are , derived from ancient notations of . Supplies of anti-venom in case of workplace accidents are located in the labs sector, located 217 meters north of present location. Fastest route from here would be the covered walkway just down the hall" I was glad to hear the robobrain finally start giving concise answers without all the artificial personality bullshit at least, though what it had to say didn't make me feel much better.

I felt myself slump as my mouth dried up, darting my eyes up to the moldy ceiling panels and the low buzz still out there. 217 meters may as well be on the moon... Even if an unbroken and still good bottle could be found where the now obedient robot proclaimed. So we were back to waiting when we couldn't afford to...

Actually it was worse now that we knew just what was waiting for Swan as the seconds slipped by. A tree... it would turn Swan into a tree... Suddenly all those spooky and twisted plants outside made more sense and I shivered, holding my head in my hooves in fear. I had even thought to myself how they all looked like even the trees were trying to escape this place, now I realized that was probably literally true.

The shuffle and tinkle of Jade returning to more carefully looking through the trash of the first aid station made me look up, watching her furrow her brow and put her own fears aside visibly as she spoke my own thoughts aloud. "No wonder this cursed place was regarded as so dangerous. We may assume most of those who attempted to scavenge here and survived the other hazards fell victim to the disease and joined the disturbing forest outside trying to flee. Mr. Barrel's respirator must protect him from that particular danger, so we should attempt to find some option ourselves and hope it protects us from contracting it via exposure to Swan.."

"Sludge... When I find him I'm going to skin him alive..."

She paused with a disapproving look at my growl as I trudged over to join her, still not sure how to help but perfectly willing to focus on hurting the bastard that led us here, despite Jade's thoughts to the contrary. "Fast, that is not helpful. Focusing on Mr. Barrel will not help my sister, nor get us out of here any sooner. Assigning blame and vowing revenge before we know the full story is unjust. He..."

"He KNEW! If he took precautions then he knew Jade! He knew about the flowers, he knew about the bees, he led us into a death trap! I know you care about everypony and want to see the best in them, but that son of a bitch doesn't deserve it!! He deserves to die and I'm going to kill him for this!"

She stopped and eyed me worriedly at the outburst, leaning over to sigh and touch my shaking shoulder. "Do not think I am not angry as well Fast... But he was under duress and afraid. He was captured and beaten, whether I healed his injuries or not, that is a fact. He brought us here willingly enough, but may have thought he had no choice by the way you, Valkyrie and my sister threatened him. He is not a strong or brave pony, so trickery is the only way he could resist. He did seem to change his mind and try to turn back."

"After he found out you and Swan are..."

Before I could finish and really get raving, she shushed me with a wing and continued in a soft, calming voice. "Regardless, anger and frustration does not help us, we must think calmly and rationally. I do not care for your aggression and distaste regarding Mr. Barrel either Fast. You are not so hateful, hearing you speak so makes me worry for you Fast. Kindness is not just for those we like, we must be better and show kindness to those we dislike as well, for they need it most."

"If you insist on focusing on him however, let us do so logically. He brought us here knowing about the dangers of this place, the most obvious of which we are immune to. That leaves the less obvious, the flowers which he knew to avoid, though he did caution us against vaguely... and the mutated insects. Traditonal bees are normally inactive at night, so we did not notice until they became alerted to us intruding in their territory... But they would seem a threat to him as well and difficult to use as cover for his escape." Jade finished by tapping her chin in thought, calmly going over what she knew and puzzling out our situation rationally.

"He ran right at them and they... ignored him... Why would they do that actually? They seemed pretty pissed at anything that moved." Calming down was hard, even with her soft voice in my ear working through the problem critically, but she had managed to make me actually try thinking instead of giving in to petulant mutter of violence in my head.

"Yes... Yes they did. Given Mr. Barrel's boasting of coming here often, we must assume he has run into them before, but has some means of staying safe. Scent? No... I have read bees have an excellent sense of smell and communicate information that way, but it seems unlikely given his unwashed state... Hmmm... that leaves sight... Ah!" Jade's unfocused blue eyes suddenly blazed to life with inspiration, hurriedly rooting through the few medical supplies she found before running off without explanation.

"H-Hey, wait up Jade! What is it!?" I charged after her, absently noting the hacked robobrain following sedately along.

"I have a theory! We need supplies to test it however and must see to Swan, but with luck we may be able to mimic Mr. Barrel and move freely! Y-You may not like it very much however..." That was as much of an answer as I got, squinting at her breathless reply over her shoulder as she ran on.

Well... she had more of a plan that I did anyway. How bad could it be compared to stewing here and doing nothing?

"NO! No way, forget it! You're not doing this Jade!"

Calmly ignoring my tantrum, Jade continued grinding bright yellow tablets of Buck in her pestle and dumping the powder into a thick goop she had been concocting in a rusty bucket we found, working by the light of our pip-bucks and the warm fire we had built in a trash can for the sleeping Swan nearby.

"I believe this will work Fast, we must try at least. If it fails, I shall render myself invisible and retreat immediately. I am fairly certain of my theory however." Jade floated the tattered mop we acquired in the same janitor's closet as the bucket she dunked it in, mixing her goop and raising it to peer and closely. "Hmm... a bit lighter I think. More plaster..."

She had explained enough to somewhat convince the impartial part of me, but every other voice in my head and my own heart screamed against it. She was not using that makeshift paint on herself... I touched her hoof stomping down on more bits of crumbling plaster she had bucked from the walls and stopped her with a snort, shaking my head fiercely.

"Absolutely not! It's too risky, if you can cobble together yellow, you can make some blue and let me do it instead!"

Jade gave me an exasperated, loving look, then kept right on grinding the plaster to powder under her hoof and dumping it in the bucket, nodding to her sister sadly. "I do not have the ingredients to produce blue Fast, I am already reluctant using up what stock of valuable medicines I do have to make this much. Perhaps if you had devoted more study to Miss Saddle's color changing spell she was so kind to teach you, we could use that. With what we have and the urgency involved, I am doing this dear. Now, you can help me or not. What will it be? My sister does not have time to waste arguing about it..."

Following her worried gaze, I spotted the bubbles lazily floating up and popping with Swan's soft snores and gulped. She had me... but this plan of hers was insane. Even watching her strip out of her dirty lab coat wasn't enough to distract me, turning my nose up as she waggled the dripping mop in front of me expectantly and wiggled her rump.

"Please Fast... This is not something even my brave knight can solve by flinging yourself into danger blindly. Allow me to take the risk for once. Please help me..." Jade's round, pleading eyes wore my resolve down. I couldn't deny her, but this idea of hers...

"A-Alright, you win... But I'm sticking right with you, the second anything looks wrong, you back off and let me take the heat, got it? Now... how do you want me to do this?"

She gave a shaky whinny in victory, flaring her wings up to put her bare sides on display and giving over the dripping mop as she relayed her instructions. "Stripes, wide stripes just like them. If Mr. Barrel can wander about freely, I am quite certain it is due to his coloration. We wish to mimic those insects as well as we can. I will accept your conditions, but do not kill any more of them unless you absolutely have to Fast, bees release an attack signal pheromone when they sting or are carelessly killed, you will only stir them up more. Understand?"

I bit my lip and did as told reluctantly, painting wide yellow stripes on her bare blue hide. She had a point, Sludge was a yellow coated pony with a blue mane and tail, if the killer flash bees really did ignore him due to his similar colors, then this would probably work... probably. If genetic happenstance was the secret to Sludge's ability to salvage this hellhole, Jade was halfway to copying him already. The slowly applied yellow goop staining her silky blue fur just brought her the rest of the way.

Once I finished her flanks, she buckled her yellow medical box saddlebags back, at least her Followers marked packs blended in. Beyond that all she wore was her tiara, sparkling in the dim light as she turned to have me do the other side. While I worked my way forward and down her long legs, she dipped her forehooves in the bucket and smudged the makeshift warpaint on her face, then lowered her wings and let me dye alternating pinions in more stripes, finally finishing up and looking her over anxiously.

"Well? Do I look like a bee?" She giggled nervously, getting a pout in return as I tossed the mop in the nearly empty bucket.

"A queen bee maybe. A-Alright, let's try this insanity and hope it works. Hey robot, you stay here and guard my friend, take care of her and we'll be right back with medicine."

I hated leaving Swan alone in the break room, but at least she had the hacked robobrain to watch over her. I couldn't leave Jade to try this alone, and she was already planning on not only making it outside, but finding the cure and making it back safely. I couldn't really shoot down her wild optimism either, but everything about this plan seemed pretty unlikely to me.

With Swan as comfortable and safe as we could make her, the two of us went down the twisting halls and upstairs, finding the heavy doors leading out to the exposed walkway connecting these offices to the labs. Fluttering up to peek out the cloudy windows, I could see the swarm in the air outside, along with plenty of the oversized bugs crawling around on the crumbling walkway. Jade pushed the doors gently open before either of us could lose our nerve, cautiously walking a few steps out with me right on her tail, looking up to the rising buzz of the glowing cloud of bees.

My weapons clicked ready when the swarm dove down and the closest bees buzzed and chittered warningly, but Jade's raised wings blocked off any shot and she held her ground, both of us shivering relief when the tendril of the swarm paused on getting close, then just hung there in the air. Apparently Jade was right... they didn't know what to make of the big blue alicorn wearing yellow stripes like themselves.

I could do without her testing her limits in the face of all those angry bugs though, Jade swayed to the left and so did they, she pranced right and again the part of the swarm investigating matched her. She gave a proud snort and moved forward, making the bugs crawling in front of her take flight and back off to give her room, then entering in some bizarre, prancing dance in front of them, kicking her legs out and trotting in circles.

"J-Jade... what the hell are you doing?"

"Dancing, bees communicate through dance Fast, I am trying to convey how non-hostile I am through motion..." She whispered back and kept right on, shooing me back with her tail to the shadows of the doorway and keeping the focus on herself.

"It looks like you're communicating an epileptic seizure..."

The nearest bees looked as confused as I was, watching her hop and canter around like a madpony. Eventually they seemed to give a collective shrug and rejoined the rest of the swarm circling above the ruins, lighting the night sky up in that oppressive blue and gold cloud flickering with electricity.

I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding when she waved me out behind her with a smirk, raising a striped wing for me to hide under and moving slowly down the ruined walkway as she whispered. "There, you see? Now we may make our way to these labs unmolested, provided you do not draw attention to us again dear."

"I promise not to blast anything so long as they're behaving and leaving you alone... That doesn't mean there aren't other threats to worry about, there were a bunch of ghouls inside, and there's always those damn flowers. How'd you know so much about bees anyway hon?" I grumbled while we walked side by side, cautiously making our way to the rusty doors leading to the labs ahead of us.

Jade made slow, winding progress around the piles of fallen roofing and wide holes in the walkway floor, answering proudly. "I told you Fast, books often have the answers to any problem. Honey is an antiseptic, as well as being quite useful in a number of potions. I learned about bees during my studies with the Followers, though I would not have guessed the information would come in quite so useful. It only goes to show how vital learning is, hmm?"

"Ok, ok, I admit you were right, thinking turned out better than shooting in this case. I won't gripe so much about studying my spell books if you quit gloating. Provided we all get out of this mess."

"We will. I am quite certain of it. Also, I am not gloating..." Jade huffed unconvincingly, wearing a soft smirk as we kept up our slow progress.

The occasional killer flash bee buzzing by or landing on the skeletal covered walkway made me nervous, cringing beneath Jade's wing and slinking along unnoticed. They really did ignore her though, just like Sludge, letting me get a better look at the things to distract myself from thinking of the bastard hiding somewhere out here.

They were about Glitter's size, each sporting a jagged singer as long as my fetlock that looked extraordinarily painful. While I watched, one of the twisted bugs flitted over to a nearby lily pad floating below us, setting off the cloud of orange dust Jade pranced away from even at this distance, but not seeming any worse for wear because of it. Maybe they were immune? Whatever the case, it collected bright yellow pollen from the crimson stamens of the opened flower, then buzzed back to the northwest, rising over the smokestacks of the looming factory connected to the labs by another walkway to our left.

When we made it to the terminal locked lab doors, I pulled up my map and checked for Val and Witchy with a guilty start before starting on hacking it. I was so focused on our nerve wracking journey so far and Swan waiting for us, I hadn't made sure they were ok. On finding their locator tags hiding near the entrance still, I breathed a relived sigh and leaned out from Jade's protective cover, speaking as loud as I dared in that direction.

"Witchy... if you two can hear us, we're ok. We can't leave yet though, so just stay hidden, we'll get outta here as soon as we can."

Blinking down at me, Jade smiled and raised her head, talking in a louder voice than I braved. "Ah, yes. Do not worry Witching dear, Fast and I are safe... mostly. We have had a bit of a mishap and must help my sister. Please tell Valkyrie not to do anything rash in our absence."

I could swear I heard an angry squawk that way when I succeeded in cracking the door lock, even though my hearing couldn't quite match our batpony friend's and make out any words. The general tone was clear enough, Val was going to be furious if we did get back to them, but at least they were both safe. From what I noticed of the swarm circling above us, they were focused on defending their territory, which seemed to only extend as far as the ruins.

If the flowers were the bee's food, they must stick around for them and not spread all over the Commonwealth. It still left the question of why either of them were here though, something I was puzzling over as Jade ushered us through the heavy doors creaking open and into the dusty labs.

"Which way first Fast? I see no obvious signs such as 'cure found here' to go by. Is your pip-buck telling you things again?" Jade stopped and whispered down hopefully, taking in the silent halls and labs with me.

I did wish the arrow in my vision marking just the strange behavior she was asking about was a little clearer, it only led us this far and left the rest to us, blinking maddeningly;

Mission: Dangerous Minds

Objective----
---Find SF-302 Anti-Toxin
---Locate Dr. Vigil

"We'll just have to take it one room at a time hon, let's see what we see."

Hippocratic Labs Report #20 - Project SF-228

"Latest version has finally produced the disease vector we hoped for in early stage victims. However, the time between first visual symptoms and the communicable stage is still too long. Stuff won't do us much good if the stripes infected are easy enough to spot and quarantine before they can spread it. Looking for a higher transmission rate still.

Hippocratic Labs Report #41 - Project SF-264

"Test results are promising with the latest batch, time between incubation and airborne transmission drastically reduced. Still a wide margin where coat discoloration is apparent yet victim is not communicable however. "

Hippocratic Labs Report #65 Project SF-302

"Think we've taken the project as far as we're likely to get so this is the final report for the foreseeable future. Anti-toxin remains effective with latest batch, victims are incapacitated within minutes of infection, communicable within an hour. Recommending we move up to real world test conditions, preferably somewhere isolated and under the radar on the war front.

Building this whole facility in Trotson just because of the proximity to the Hayseed Swamps was a big expense. We're on track now and making progress, but unless Princess Luna actually dissolves the Celestial Conventions, we'll never turn a real profit here and all this research has been for nothing. I hope our colleagues at C.I.A.T. aren't just pulling our legs.

As an aside, legal really needs to get on the ball in regards to that Cattail character pestering us. The old buck managed to corner a dozen employees on their way in our out over the last week. It's not our fault he lost his family's precious land to the bank. Hippocratic Industries has a lot of departments, foreclosures and asset seizures don't have anything to do with this one. We've tried explaining any historical items he's so fixated on would have either been auctioned off or donated to our partners at C.I.A.T. for study, but he won't believe his ancestors diaries and whatever mask he keeps harping about aren't here. We've put security on the lookout for him, but he's a determined old bastard.

Hippocatic Labs Report #Fuckitwe'redead

Stripes finally did it, right as we were finally ready to return the favor of that fucking pink cloud of theirs. Radio said they used it again in Canterlot before it died, guessing we have some idea how the nobles there feel right now. Balefire missiles struck to the southwest, lit the whole sky up and knocked over the tanker we were loading up with the latest batch.

Shit works, gotta give it that... Not exactly the real world test we were planning, but the shit definitely works. Those that made it away from the dispersal point started breaking out and keeling over within five minutes. Those of us inside or close by had a chance to take the anti-toxin, for all the good it'll do us. If the rads and spills out there don't cook us, the remaining gas and initial wave of infected will get us instead.

Celestia forgive us, she made those rules for a reason...

"Anything?" Jade peered over the terminal I was reading with a frown, watching hopefully as I disconnected my pip-buck and nodded to the door back out from the lab we had finished investigating.

Stepping over the lab coat wearing zombies we had to deal with exploring so far, I looked around until I spotted a dirty sign for the stairs down to the first floor and turned that way. We had methodically explored the labs on the second floor we had entered on, but every blue and yellow medical box printed with a cartoon bee and mounted beneath the traditional pink and yellow MoP boxes had turned up empty.

By the dusty and broken glass bottles found within or nearby in the skeletal hooves of the researchers here, they were definitely where the emergency supplies of anti-toxin were kept, easy to spot and reach, spread throughout the labs. However the final message I read on the terminal made me despair for actually finding an intact bottle. When the balefire missiles fell they had gotten a taste of their own medicine, the toxic spill had resulted in the survivors using up every bottle of anti-toxin in sight...

Mulling things over in my head, I answered Jade absently as I pushed away from the desk the dirty terminal rested on. "A bunch of medical gobbledy-gook you'll probably understand. Downstairs is always where they hide the really nasty shit though hon, the lower the better... Hey Jade, do you know what the 'Celestial Conventions' are?"

She tilted her head curiously at my question, answering in a matter of fact tone. "It is from the war Fast. They were agreed upon rules concerning warfare between nations, covering a great number of things. Treatment of prisoners, terms of engagement, prohibitions against biological weapons, that kind of thing. Why?"

Another trio of zombie ponies charging out of a lab room connected to this one interrupted my reply, trying to keep myself between them and Jade and forced to stick with noiseless weapons like Deliverer and Best Served to handle them. I took a few bites and ended up tackling one trying to go after her, rolling through the door it came from with it snarling at me, then flinching at the roar of a turret we had wandered into range of.

The automated gun mounted to the ceiling chewed the zombie above me to pieces trying to hit me, making me scramble to activate S.A.T.S. and use a full clip of 10mm rounds to silence it as quickly as possible. In the ringing silence that followed, the buzz of the bees outside ratcheted up again.

"Dammit... Those things are never going to calm down as long as we're making so much noise. Let's get away from this area at least, in case they find a way in somehow."

Wincing my way up and limping back from the few rounds that had managed to penetrate the zombie, I only got a couple steps before Jade picked me up in her magic and dragged me back. She trotted quickly back to the terminal, fretting over my wounds despite my protests.

"Jade, I'm fine... there's still radiation to absorb even in here, we can't waste time..."

"Hush! As I have repeatedly tried to tell you, radiation is not a miracle cure for everything. My sister's condition should reinforce that idea if nothing else does." Jade held back the worry in her voice and focused on healing me, digging slivers of the bullets out of my flank.

"I'm worried about her too Jade. We'll save her. At least that stuff I read made it sound like it took awhile before reaching the... t-terminal stage..."

She flinched at the words, looking away to the flickering terminal and moving her lips as she read, finally managing a reply when her horn extinguished. "It is not healthy for a mare in her condition to contract magical ailments of any kind Fast. Especially not this.... this awful business they were brewing up here! I see now why you asked, they were obviously engaged in forbidden research, trying to weaponize this toxin of theirs!"

In a hurry or not, I could take a minute to nuzzle the teary eyed physician. "They made a cure too, its gotta be somewhere in here and we're going to find it Jade. Come on, you're always the optimist, right?"

She shuddered around me and burrowed into my mane in response, her voice thick and hurt. "Not always, no Fast. Do not think you are the only one to struggle with dark thoughts dear. Sometimes... sometimes I am thankful your world ended the way it did, before they found even more horrible ways to destroy themselves, like this. Sometimes I still think of my mother's vision for the wasteland and wonder if she may have been right."

It was rare to hear any real anger creep into Jade's voice, but learning these labs were dedicated to using disease as a weapon had done it. No wonder when she was so devoted to being a doctor, to fighting sickness and pain wherever she saw it. Like there wasn't enough misery in the world, we had insisted on inventing new kinds at a manic pace.

"You don't really mean that though, you care about everycreature Jade. Even stupid and mean prewar ponies like me that blew the world up. I'm not super psyched we fucked it all up either, but if we hadn't you wouldn't have been born. That's worth it to me. These ponies deserved what happened to them anyway."

Jade managed a weak, blushing smile at me essentially saying I'd happily trade the world I knew for her. It looked to make her feel a little better, though she gave a worried frown and nuzzled my cheek at the way my voice hardened at the end. "Thank you Fast... Though I do not think you are so cold or cruel either, so I do not like hearing you speak as if you are. That is not my sweet and kind special somepony speaking, that is the angry voice you are so concerned about."

"Maybe... alright, yeah, it is... It's loud and pissed alright, but Swan... that jerk Sludge... this place and what they were doing... It's all fucked up Jade! It's all wrong and terrible, so it puts me a foul mood and I'm glad they're dead. I want Sludge dead and Swan safe. I want everybody that is stupid enough to do this kinda stuff all over again dead too. The Institute, the Gunners, raiders and every twisted, selfish asshole out there in the world. They should all just die..."

The hateful mutter between my eyes that she was worried about grumbled and fumed as I spoke, wanting something to take all my aggression out on and stymied by both the lack of valid targets and Jade's tender affection. Nuzzling her back and sighing wearily, most of that frustration fizzled away under Jade's touch and kind words in my ear.

"I know Fast, but that is the corrupting influence of the wasteland itself, not who I know you to be. You see things like this bother me as well so I hope you do not feel so alone, but it is when I feel that way that I endeavor to be a better pony, rather than succumb to those negative thoughts. You believe in me and wish me to remain positive, yes? Then you can believe in yourself as well. These ponies and their crimes are long past, we must focus on the present and making the future better." Jade finished on a crushing hug, tilting my muzzle up for a kiss that did quiet the sullen brooding of 'Be Dark...'.

Shuffling under her expectant blue eyes, I nodded and scratched my mane sheepishly, glad she was always there to keep an eye on me and pull me back from growing to gloomy or angry. "Sorry Jade, you're right, I'll try to be more positive. It's just easy to get stuck thinking about the past trotting around in its grave like this. I mean, it is pretty screwed up that we not only had rules for something like war, but that we were cheating... like it was some really fucked up game... But most ponies weren't... aren't... like the ones here, ones like... Oh you bastard!!"

On taking in the faint scent my nostrils kept flaring at, I pulled away and charged off down the halls, following my nose to the distinctive and easily tracked stench of just the kind of asshole I was talking about. Eyes Forward Sparkle lit up with a green dash just as I skidded around a turn in the halls, all of Jade's soothing blown away on spotting Sludge's blue tail disappearing into another lab room.

Pouring on the speed, I ignored Jade's hoofsteps running behind me, bouncing off the doorframe to find the bastard trying to hide behind complicated chemistry equipment. His panicked face was distorted by the dirty and broken beakers, trying to keep the obstacle between us while he jabbered at me charging right at him.

"W-Whoa, whoa! Easy! I got..." Whatever excuse or lie Sludge had this time, I wasn't interested. A wing assisted leap sent me smashing right through the ancient glassware, pouncing on the greasy buck with Best Served already in my mouth.

I was going to enjoy this... It was his fault Swan was sick, he betrayed us, lied and ran... A silvery flash of starmetal sliced his ear facing me off, just the start of the pain he had waiting my hooves were adding to. The way he screamed and struggled was just feeding that howl for blood in my head, making me more determined to stomp everywhere he was trying to cover up, bucking him in the gut with the sounds of more glass breaking under him.

"FAST! STOP!" Jade's breathless shout made me pause, but I didn't move from where I had him pinned, snarling back without looking away.

"It's his fault! This is a self centered, weaselly bastard that deserves what he gets Jade! He's no better than the ponies that worked here! He used that disease as a weapon, just like them!!"

Coming closer and speaking in a soft voice, Jade shook her head sadly and touched my shoulder. "Which is why we must not be that way. You speak about me being kind or an optimist as if it were easy Fast, I assure you it is not. It takes effort to be better, but it is usually worth it. Now, let him go..."

"But..."

Before Jade inevitably wore down even the petulant mutter in my head, Sludge gasped and coughed, sending a hoof to his bleeding ear and whining. "Kaff! C-Came back dammit! Brought... oh dammit! No!"

I grudgingly let the bastard go, curious why he was patting at his tattered jacket and the damp spot there so frantically. The stain wasn't red or anything, I barely got started on him, why was he... When he fished out the broken bottom half of a golden bottle, my heart sank and I cringed away from the stallion carefully preserving what few drops were left.

The cure... he brought a bottle of the anti-toxin, and I had smashed it...

During the trip to wherever Sludge was leading us now, I stayed in the back with my head hung in shame, letting Jade speak with Sludge while she carefully mended his ear. While a good part of me was still angry with him, the more he talked, the worse I felt about everything. Even without losing control completely, the anger that clouded my thoughts ended up costing us.

At least Jade kept peeking back at me trudging along at her tail, giving worried glances as she tried to be supportive. "I am very glad you have returned Mr. Barrel, as well as thankful you tried to retrieve a cure for my sister. I would be remiss in not pointing out the anti-toxin would be unnecessary had you been a little more clear in your warnings about this place...."

Sludge kept flicking his reattached ear and darting hurt looks my way, answering in an indignant whinny. "I told you it was dangerous, I told you to mind the flowers, I told you I didn't wanna come, didn't I? I didn't mean for anypony to get sick from that stuff, I just wanted ta slip off when the bees woke up. Y-You never told me you and the purple one were pregnant! Would'a never agreed if I knew! I might be a thief and a conpony, but I ain't no psycho raider or nothin'."

"Where did you find the anti-toxin Mr. Barrel? We have searched everywhere, but only found empty, expired or ruined samples." Jade replied curiously, very interested where the slippery buck managed to come up with what we had been unsuccessfully looking for.

He gave me another squinty stare before answering, making me fall back another step sullenly. "Most of it's gone and the stuff that's not goes bad easy, this is from the doc downstairs. He found the recipe wanderin' around here and can make it, I just go fetch the stuff he needs for that and all his other experimentin'."

"Wait... So he... he really is here? Dr. Vigil? You weren't lying?"

Sneering over his shoulder, Sludge flicked his ear again in answer. "I don't lie about everything, I just embellish a little. Wasn't gonna lead you right to him without at least askin' him first, but you did drag that much outta me. Yer just lucky the doc wants to see you after all, gimme the potion you smashed and sent me back up even with the bees actin' all nutty. Then it didn't take long ta hear the turrets and track ya down. Gotta make the whole damn trip again now, thanks to you."

"If you were looking for us, why'd you run then?" I grumbled back, still a little defensive .

In answer, he spun fully and pointed at his ear, poking my chest with his other foreleg angrily. "Gee, I wonder why!? I came back 'cause the Princess there was nice, but you'd run too seein' some crazy pony with glowing red eyes chargin' at you! You didn't even lemme get a word out!"

"I... y-you're right. I'm sorry Sludge, I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me. I apologize, honestly..."

Kneeling in front of the conniving buck was hard, even with the cheering agreement from the Ministry Mares whispering as I forced myself down and Jade's approving smile beaming down at me. Actually it hurt like hell, the lone, dark voice of dissent throwing up all the valid reasons to still be pissed at him, but Jade was right. Anger and violence had not helped us at all, had actually made things worse... Being a better pony took effort.

"Y-Yeah well... you should be. Guess I'll accept your apology anyway, not often I get big damn heroes and important ponies kneeling they're sorry and all. Kinda like it. Plus, I did sorta hope it would'a been you what got sick or hurt, for the bounty and all... So I guess we're even Mr. Shoud." Sludge actually looked uncomfortable, like he didn't know how to take remorse or contrition, eventually waving me back up and scratching his thin blue mane.

"It's just Fast. So, where exactly is Dr. Vigil hiding?"

I was still a little skeptical of Sludge, especially when he wandered past more labs we had only given a cursory search. A healthy dose of shame helped keep my mouth shut however, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and see why he took a circuitous route that avoided any more feral ghouls. We wound up in a wide set of halls connecting the labs to the manufacturing wing and the bee keeping section, by the corroded signs we passed.

There were large gaps missing in the walls and ceiling on our way to the intersection ahead, preventing any more questions in the face of more bees flitting by. The straight hall from the labs behind us led directly towards the half destroyed doors to the factory area ahead, letting me get a sense of the vast, dark space full of machinery in there. Halfway between the two the hall branched north and south, a peek to the north and the beekeeping area made me gulp at all the vicious looking bees guarding the empty doorway, taking in the yellow, waxy additions to the entrance to the bee's domain.

Moving slowly and deliberately, Sludge held a hoof up to his lips and turned south thankfully, down a short segment of hall that terminated at a dead end cluttered with metal crates and junk. Our guide wove his way through the obstacles silently, stopping at the blank wall and pulling down a rusty fire extinguisher with a click, resulting in the wall sliding up with a grind of gears and revealing a secret freight elevator.

All the junk cut off line of sight to the bees behind us, but I heard their buzz grow louder in response to the disturbance and boarded the hidden elevator with Jade quickly, relieved when it started trundling down. It went down quite a ways, below the waters of the river outside and opening to hardened hallways that reminded me of a Stable.

The rooms we passed were in better condition, though the things they were hiding down here weren't improving my or Jade's opinion of Hippocratic Industries. One half open security door labeled 'Test Subject Storage' opened on a gloomy space of steel prison bars full of dusty skeletons, ponies or zebras, I couldn't tell which. Did it even matter? Neither would surprise me at this point...

What they were keeping prisoners for was abundantly clear by the clinical euphemism for the prisoners as test subjects. Just in case it wasn't, another large room labeled 'Observation' cleared it up. A space nearly as big as the prison, but filled with small chambers with large windows, each showing a twisted tree withering away behind the glass.

Jade's quiet grumble of, "Madness..." summed it all up pretty well. They tested their disease out down here, on living victims.

When the whir and click of a pair of turrets locking on to us sounded out after making a final turn towards the most impressive labs so far, I shoved between Jade and the automated death, raising my weapons in a rush, but held back from blasting them by Sludge's upheld hoof. On a closer look, they were both represented by green dashes on E.F.S., though the way they tracked the earth pony speaking up quickly was nervewracking.

"Easy there Doc! Brought em down here, just like you wanted! We er... sorta need another dose of that cure stuff too, but here we are." Sludge cantered forward and waved to the barrels following his movement, looking back with a nervous grin when the heavy doors beneath them buzzed and clicked. "Told ya he don't exactly like company. Now just don't freak out, the doc ain't as easy on the eyes as ol' Sludge and he's sensitive about it sometimes."

We followed our guide curiously at that, marching under the turrets returning to their ceaseless roving and shoving open the squealing doors. The large lab beyond was cluttered with junk, a forest of beakers, tubes, bunsen burners, bubbling cauldrons, rainbow colored steam and vibrantly colored potions dripping and coursing their way through it all. A cursory look around the forest of chemistry equipment showed it all shared space with more personal furnishings, a ratty mattress in the corner, a battered hooflocker, several flickering terminals networked together before a creaking office chair holding the pony working at them.

Only his long, twisted horn was visible over the high back of the chair, glowing a dim silver to tap away at the keyboard telekinetically. When the chair gave a squeaky spin at Sludge's cough, I reflexively tensed and had to master the urge to start shooting, usually the proper response when faced with one of the Institute's mutant alicorns.

Usually the dull witted Institute creations didn't start talking however, which made it easier not to blast it. Instead I gaped along with Jade, taking in the warped product of the Institute's Biosciences division, listening to its slightly slurred voice. "About time... Finally, the only success. Sludge here says you're looking for me, consider the feeling mutual Subject 111-3-42."

"D-Doctor Silent Vigil I presume?" Jade shook off the surprise over the pony we were looking for first, eying him suspiciously as he heaved himself out of his battered chair.

The undersized wings poking out from his dirty, high collared Institute lab coat lifted him out of his chair, letting me get a look at how the once shiny and new clothing was ripped and torn around his large frame. Dr. Vigil wore a cracked pair of glasses over his red eyes that seemed unnecessary, bent and twisted to perch at the end of his muzzle.

His silver coat was bulging with sinewy muscle where not covered by his rags, a blurry cutie mark not quite covered wasn't as warped and illegible as others I had seen, while his long horn rose from his bedraggled white mane. Like other examples of the Institute's mutant creations, he wasn't quite as tall as Jade, though he still towered over me when he trotted over and started poking and prodding at my wings.

"Astounding... Proportionate and healthy, from batch #42104 no less... I have quite a few questions, have you noticed any side effects from the I.M.P. 2.0 since your ascendance Subject 111-3-42? It's been some time now, no continuing mutations or..." Dr. Vigil launched directly into an unwelcome impromptu medical exam, pausing in annoyance when I pulled away and stamped my hoof angrily.

"Don't call me that! We're not here to compare notes dammit, we need more of that anti-toxin you gave Sludge. Right. Now..."

Jade's light hoof took over before my impatience and temper got away from me again, bowing her head to the mutated Institute arcane scientist and asking nicely. "Please Dr. Vigil, forgive my Fast, but my sister is very ill and we are desperate. We have come far to find you thanks to your former assistant Miss Byte. I would be happy to discuss Fast's medical history later, but we must have the anti-toxin immediately."

Vigil huffed and tromped through his array of lab equipment, turning spiggots and pouring foul smelling potions into a bubbling cauldron in answer. "Yes, I saw. Relax, your friend still has a few hours or so before she's in any real danger. Unfortunately, a proper dosage for your sizable companion upstairs required everything I had on hoof here. I've been brewing more that's nearly ready, just a few finishing touches and final ingredients."

Wondering how he was so well informed was short lived, Dr. Vigil floated a vial of green liquid over and dumped it in the cauldron, the container bobbing past a bank of cobbled together monitors apparently taken from elsewhere in the facility. I caught flickering images of the complex on the screens, the slime coated ruins outside, dusty halls, labs, industrial brewing equipment, conveyor belts, several images of the bees and their hive somewhere, and finally Swan herself and her robobrain attendant.

Just the peek I got before the camera changed on that monitor was enough to make me even more frantic, regardless of Dr. Vigil's unconcerned estimate of her well being. A few leaf bearing twigs had already sprouted from Swan's flowing mane... "Fine! Whatever you want, you got it, I'll play twenty questions with you once our friend is safe! Just hurry!"

I saw Jade's eyes widen on spotting her sister in the monitors too, but she held her composure much better than I did, speaking calmly to the mutant scientist. "What is required Dr. Vigil? Perhaps I could assist you? I am worried for my sister and have never run into this kind of sickness before, you are welcome to my supplies if it will speed things along."

The mutated scientist gave a crooked smile at my panicky agreement and Jade's offer of help, warming to the fellow doctor while ignoring my fuming. "I doubt it dear, all locally sourced ingredients so to speak. They didn't keep those vicious little bugs here just for pollination you know. Fascinating research actually, Flash Bees have a natural immunity to Swamp Fever you see. They produced both the toxin and the cure here, based on archaeological data from Mage Meadowbrook of all ponies. Looked it all up before I settled on this ruin to hide and continue my research."

While the name didn't mean anything to me, Jade gave a surprised gasp and joined Dr. Vigil, peering at the moldy old book he waved at as he kept mixing his concoction. "Mage Meadowbrook!? Really? That is amazing doctor, and a great relief for my sister. May I ask what your own focus is here? Most of this equipment seems unrelated to the potion detailed here, is it safe to assume it has something to do with your.... condition?"

Dr. Vigil looked down at himself with a tired sigh in answer, shrugging back to her ruefully. "My condition... that's a nice way of putting it Princess. Yes, I'm trying to find a cure to being a mutated freak."

"I apologize, but you are not what we expected to find doctor. Miss Byte made no mention of your nature when she pointed my Fast in your direction. Do you think you will be able to undo the effects of the Institute's I.M.P.? How did you become exposed for that matter?" Jade scanned through the various arcane formulas scrawled on an ancient whiteboard hung crookedly on the wall, unable to ignore the medical research even while Swan weighed on both our minds.

I wasn't nearly as interested, though Vigil's groan of an answer did catch my attention. "Byte huh? Poor dear... I hope she's alright. As for your question, I took it myself. I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope it would work out as well as it did for your buck there, but I wasn't counting on it. Though I am glad the alterations I made to the latest batch at least preserved my intelligence, so far... Mainly it was the only way I thought I might get the others to acknowledge what we were doing was wrong, put a stop to the experiments. Too many of my colleagues were just fine ponynapping and dosing 'savage wastelanders' up here, they were at least a little more squeamish when one of their own started mutating where they could see it."

"You took it yourself? Intentionally?! Why? What made you have a change of heart and sympathize with all us savages?"

Remembering all the misery I suffered through under the effects of the Institute's I.M.P., I could hardly fathom taking their poison on purpose, especially when success was so unlikely. What little I had heard or guessed about the living ponies collaborating with the Institute didn't make them seem all that sympathetic to their victims. Hearing the vehemence in Dr. Vigil's voice at the question was surprising.

"They weren't even trying to fix it anymore! Dr. Dala had some kind of breakdown after finally achieving success with you, then Vega started meddling in our department and demanding more of the flawed potion. He wanted to make more failures like me! It's one thing to make sacrifices to advance arcane science, but it's quite another to just turn ponies into monsters for the hell of it!" Vigil shouted and his coarse voice lowered to a guttural snarl, sounding more like one of the throngs of less intelligent mutants the Institute had been churning out.

Jade touched a wing to his shaking shoulders, calming the irate stallion with kindness. "So you attempted to force your fellows to reconsider their actions by subjecting yourself to the cruelty they visited on others? That is... very noble of you doctor."

Vigil slumped under her touch, measuring out more ingredients to his cauldron morosely. "Hardly... Call it atonement, it's definitely incentive to find a cure for everypony they've already used the potion on. When I decided on leaving, I may have assumed I'd need every advantage to escape the Institute too. We're not all that well informed about what things are like on the surface, so I thought to improve my odds. We were told everywhere up here was a toxic hell-pit like these ruins. At least it has helped me hide where they can't find me. The bees and toxin up there are an effective defense against any model synth we produce, even Coursers. Though I would have been lost without my assistant Sludge."

There was a clatter of noise from Sludge Barrel at his name, making me glance at the buck guiltily stuffing a pile of rather fresh looking narcotics into his pockets with a gap toothed grin. "Of course doc! It's like a mutually beneficial deal. Speakin' of, these are all to go out right?"

Jade frowned at the drugs Dr. Vigil waved off to Sludge, forcing the fellow doctor to elaborate. "All yours Sludge. I know how it looks Princess, but I need equipment and ingredients. Sludge informs me ponies up here take this stuff anyway, at least what they get from me is pure and marginally safe. We need the funds. Did you manage to find anything on the last list Sludge?"

"If it's the stuff we caught him with, then no. He's pocketing the caps and stealing the stuff you sent him for. I get you might not have a lot of options, but why would you trust this...." I wanted to say 'asshole', but Jade's prim cough and raised eyebrow forced me to try being a little more diplomatic, settling for; "...this kind of pony..."

Sludge still gave a wounded snort, shuffling nervously at Dr. Vigil's curious look to his larcenous assistant as he answered. "Oh? Well, I don't ask many questions about how he gets what I need. It became quickly apparent I needed a proxy and Mr. Barrel was the only pony to brave these ruins. He's trustworthy enough, and a better risk than most. I know he's not a synth for one thing."

"You can tell?"

"No.... But we don't make synths with charisma scores that low, so he must be a real pony. I haven't felt overly at risk he would tell others about me either. Sludge seems to be a prolific liar, so I assumed nopony would believe him even if he did let things slip. So far things have gone well thanks to his help, it's a little anxiety producing hiding out right under Klein's nose here, but it's the last place they'd look."

"I was pleasantly surprised when Sludge brought you here however, the chance to study whatever unknown variable allowed you to successfully ascend will be invaluable to my research. You say my Byte told you where to find me? I'm curious what would have prompted her to tell you, my former assistant was a good deal more loyal and true than her replacement. Is she... is she safe?" Dr. Vigil kept stirring and tinkering with the cauldron of anti-toxin for Swan, helping me keep thin control over my impatience to help the sick mare I saw flash by on the monitors again.

Jade whinnied at the off-hoofed insult that made Sludge slump a bit, determined to see the best in even the worst of ponies and coming to his defense. "Mr. Barrel was very reluctant to tell us anything about you doctor, do not overlook his own loyalty in pining for your synth friend. I did not meet her, but my Fast tells me she was safe and very concerned for you however."

"She went to find the Railroad, like you told her to. Byte didn't give you up easy either, only once she decided to trust me after nearly getting killed by the Courser chasing her. We got this off of it, Byte told me where to look for you because she said you might be able to break the encryption? I need a way to get to the Institute..."

Floating out the Courser's sleek black Institute version of a pip-buck, I clenched my jaw watching Dr. Vigil take it in his own silvery magic, tapping the blue screen awake and humming over the piece of arcano-tech thoughtfully. "Huh... You took down a Courser? Impressive... I believe I can get it unlocked since you somehow managed to prevent it from wiping itself, it will take time however. As for a way to get in to the Institute... hmm... you'd need to build a teleporter."

I facehoofed at the advice with a growl, that had been the basic answer I had gotten from anypony who knew just enough about the Institute to give it. "Sure, just build my own freaking teleporter... no problem! There's seriously no other way in or out!?"

Dr. Vigil nodded at my exasperated outburst, trotting over to his junkyard terminal array and plugging the recessed patch cable from the Institute pip-buck in, idly tapping at the keyboard as a wall of text filled several monitors. "That's the only way. It's not as bad as all that though Mr. Times. A functioning teleporter is the door, but it's no good without a key, which you already have right here. The arcane relay system isn't exactly my area of focus, but I believe I can give you a rough diagram and shopping list to cobble one together. I'd be happy to help, in exchange for some assistance in return..."

Ugh... there it was, I knew there'd be some kind of payment or request somewhere, I could practically feel my own pip-buck listening attentively for the opportunity to update its bizarre 'missions'. At least in this case, I had a good idea what would motivate the rogue Institute scientist and agreed with a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah, you wanna study me... Alright, just tell me how to get to them and you can poke and prod all you want... After Swan is safe!"

While the resigned offer did make Dr. Vigil perk up and start unobtrusively floating needles and specimen jars over, he shook his head and asked for more, though the request did make me feel better about his chances for helping. "That too, but what I want is in the Institute. I was working on my I.M.P. cure on my off time, even though the research was discontinued. I had to leave it behind when I fled, but my notes and prototype potion will greatly improve my odds of finishing here. If I help you get in, you go get it back for me. Deal?"

Mission Updated: Dangerous Minds

Objective----
---~~Locate Dr. Vigil~~
---Build a Teleporter
---Retrieve Dr. Vigil's Research

The beep and flash of text in my vision made me groan, but I met Dr. Vigil's outstretched foreleg in a firm hoofshake instantly. He had to get me in to get what he wanted, meaning there was a real chance he could do it. Building a teleporter from scratch was pretty damn daunting, but I had been salvaging parts from every Institute relay I had found, plus we had a lot of help and resources to lean on now. It might take time, but I was going to find them and make them pay.

"Deal. Now, is that stuff done yet so we can help Swan already?"

A sprinkle of dried leaves in the pot made it change colors to a dull orange with a poof of smoke, which Vigil ladled into a thankfully sturdy looking metal thermos this time. My hopes that I could simply run the potion directly to Swan and make her all better were short lived however, Vigil floated a bucket over to Sludge still stuffing his pockets in the corner, clearing his throat to get his attention as he answered jovially enough. "Almost, just need the secret ingredient. Honey! If you'd be so kind Sludge."

Honey... from the swarm of pissed off killer flash bees... of course.

On the plus side, it was easier to get around the Hippocratic Labs complex from Dr. Vigil's hidey hole than it had been so far. The rogue scientist had taken advantage of his mutated nature and his preserved intelligence, mapping out the secret labs still mostly keeping the river overhead out, providing us an underground route not only to the dangerous killer flash bee hive, but a safer way back in to his lair for when we returned, via a hidden entrance near the waterfront.

Seeing how we would need to visit Dr. Vigil periodically while we were in the area as he worked on decrypting the Institute pip-buck and made his shopping list of rare tech to build a teleporter, I was glad for that much at least. Though our current objective was making me plenty nervous, peeking out at the crumbling, beehive shaped dome swarming with the deadly pests from the nearest ponyhole cover with Jade and Sludge.

"Nuh-uh, no way Jade. Just let Sludge go get it and come back, there's no reason for you to go in there too..."

I grumbled and checked my weapons anxiously, hoping to convince the big blue alicorn peering over my head with interest. According to Dr. Vigil, flash bees were raised here to both cultivate the toxic lily pads floating out from their retaining ponds built on the nearby shore, and to provide the cure for the sickness they caused. Originally the bee keeping area was a cheery yellow concrete structure shaped like one of their hives, built with numerous exits high up the ridged walls for the bees to fly in and out of, and full of the rotting white boxes for them to build their hives in.

The few remaining examples of these pony made hives showed how easy collecting a little honey back then had been, each was composed of wide, removable cross sections that came out for easy access. That was when the flash bees were the size of normal insects however, with their mutated descendants the size of pony foals nowadays, they had turned the entire enclosure into one giant hive, ceaselessly marching in and out of the half broken dome and clearly still looking for intruders.

The bees had built their mottled yellow hive inside the dome, hanging from what remained of the roof and spanning several wide gaps. What we could see of the inside was lit by the bluish gold glow of the swarm, a warren of ruined architecture and insect secretions. At least there were a few visible pools of thick amber honey dripping down in easy reach, but it was still way too dangerous looking just marching right on in.

"He's right Princess, I handle getting this stuff for the doc all the time. No reason to put yourself at risk when you've got ol' Sludge here, this kinda thing is all I'm good at anyway." As much as I still disliked him, I felt a rush of gratitude for Sludge trying to keep Jade away too.

Unfortunately his self deprecating assurance only made her more determined. Jade didn't like how I, Val, Witchy, Dr. Vigil, and even Sludge himself discounted the thieving conpony as not good for much, giving me a pointed look as she shook her head and lightly touched his shoulder. "Nonsense. I am interested in learning about these bees and their medicinal honey Mr. Barrel. I could ask for no better expert on them to educate me. We shall go acquire the honey my sister needs together, according to Dr. Vigil, once I mix the proper amount into the potion, Fast may immediately take it to Swan via the tunnels, while we calmly take our leave. They disregard those who blend in as we do, do they not?"

Sludge shrugged to my glowering pout, scratching his greasy blue mane helplessly in the face of the implacable Princess. "Er... if you say so. I mean they leave me alone, yeah... so I guess you'll be fine. Dunno what you wanna learn about em though, they're big, pissed off bugs that attack pretty much everything that don't look like them. Look here Mr. Fast, there's a big ol' drain further down this tunnel, pops right out in the middle of em, so you can keep an eye on her and grab the stuff when we're done, ok? I umm... I promise ta watch out for the Princess if she insists on doin' this, but I feel better if you're close by too."

I didn't expect much out of a promise from the casual liar, though hearing him give it unprompted and the nervous, hopeful look he gave me did improve my opinion of him a bit. I had the feeling that was Jade's point too, kindness wasn't just for ponies I liked, it was for everycreature. Jade's concerns over my mental state had focused on how I treated Sludge, her silent expectation I should be better clearly communicated in her loving look, just waiting for me to open my mouth to complain again patiently.

She could find better teaching moments than putting her faith in the buck who had already run off on us once, but I couldn't disappoint her. The soft whisper of 'Be Kind...' on her side was busily pushing back against the petulant whine of 'Be Dark...' on mine. The side those sparkling blue eyes blinking down at me fell on always won however.

"A-Alright, alright... I'll be right underhoof and waiting, just don't get too distracted or wrapped up studying the killer bugs. I'm... I'm trusting you to watch out for her Sludge. I'm sorry I haven't up to now, and for how I've treated you... just live up to my wife's faith in ponies here and I'm happy to admit I was wrong. Ok?"

Sludge actually looked confused at my grudging apology, cocking his ears dubiously until he saw what prompted it. Practically choking on the words was worth it for Jade to give a happy whinny and peck me on the cheek proudly, she was eager to overlook the sour look on my face and my grumpy mutters as she clambered up to the street. So long as she got her way, Jade was pleased and willing to ignore anything that undermined her optimism. Though learning even she had to work at that positive outlook helped a little.

I could do without Sludge's sly nicker when he followed her, smirking back down to me staying hidden in the sewer. "Nothing to worry about, I'll take good care of the Princess young buck. Wouldn't want anything to happen to the mare holding your leash."

With Jade out of earshot, I felt my eyes shift to glowing dots in the dark when I growled back, glad to see his good humor dry up a little. "No... you don't."

I watched the two of them trot right towards the hive side by side, moving slow and veering away from the killer flash bees buzzing nearby to investigate. Biting my lip with my heart pounding in my chest, I held my breath when they reached the main entrance to the crumbling bee keeping building. There were larger than average bees keeping guard there, buzzing and poking at them with chitinous legs and antenna. They seemed to make more of a production over Jade, but eventually let them pass into the gloomy hive and out of my view.

As soon as I lost sight of them, I abandoned my hiding place and splashed down the dark tunnel leading under the hive, mentally cursing this whole situation and Sludge if he wasn't right about other exits ahead. I passed several storm drains drizzling rainbow colored goop into the water I was slogging through, taking that as a good sign and following the two green dashes nearly lost in the forest of red on E.F.S..

The hive was built on a slight hill, letting me trudge out of the water as I neared where Jade and Sludge had to be overhead. A rusty ladder ahead led up to a grated exit, giving me a view into the flash bee hive when I scrambled up and pressed my face against the bars.

Just seeing Jade surrounded by the buzzing horde of deadly bees sent a chill down my spine, they were absolutely everywhere... The remaining stone walls were covered and patched by waxy, roughly hexagonal building blocks of the insect's own creation. The yellow walls and pillars of the hive led up to the main structure far above, a warped and irregular shaped glob that made me wonder if the mutations the bees had gone through had effected their building ability as well.

I was relieved to see lazy ribbons and drips of their precious honey pooling in various spots in easy reach however. Sludge led the way with his dented bucket in his mouth, casually prancing over to the nearest puddle and dipping the container in the thick goop. Jade followed right along, looking everywhere with that fascinated expression on her face and noticing me under her hooves as she floated out the thermos containing Swan's unfinished cure.

She looked like she was having way too much fun... Jade unscrewed the thermos and measured out a healthy dollop of honey in her magic, adding it to the potion and giving it a vigorous shake as she watched the bees still buzzing around her with interest.

She had that curious, clinical tone to her voice as she whispered down to me absently, craning her neck back to take in the busy hive and swarm of vicious workers. "This is amazing Fast, being inside a beehive! I can't imagine many ponies have ever had the opportunity to observe the inner workings of a hive so close! Ah! You can see larva nearly ready to hatch over there!"

Following her pointing wing indicating the squirming shadows contained in some of the misshapen hexagonal chambers on one wall, I hissed impatiently, not nearly as enthused as she was. "That's great and all hon, but maybe study the secret lives of killer bees some other time? You're attracting kind of a crowd..."

Jade blinked curiously at my anxious whine, looking around herself at all the huge bees landing around her and watching the blue and yellow striped alicorn closely. They weren't acting aggressive thank the goddesses, but they were forming a growing circle that followed Jade wherever she went. Her cute snorting as she performed her seizure-esque dance of little kicks again and got them to shift back and forth following her would be more adorable under less insane circumstances.

Even Sludge was on my side, mumbling around his full bucket and inching his way back towards the exit nervously. "Er... he's right Princess, they don't usually act like this... Maybe we ought'a get while the gettin's good?"

"Oh poo... very well, let us bring this to my sister and..." Jade pouted at the two of us, sighing as she moved to join Sludge, but interrupted by a rising buzz from overhead.

A large swarm boiled out of the main hive clinging to the domed roof, dozens of slightly larger blue and yellow bees joining the throng that surrounded Jade and Sludge. The biggest new bee was at the heart of this cluster, zipping through the air with a protective entourage and diving directly at Jade, slamming to the ground with an angry buzz.

The crowd it brought with it joined the other flash bees, now a droning ring of onlookers covering every surface and clearly focused on Jade and this strange looking newcomer. It was a good deal larger than any other bee we had seen so far, even the burly guards outside. While most killer flash bees were about the size of a pony foal, this one was bigger than a full grown adult, though still smaller than Jade tilting her head at it in confusion.

There was a ruff of pale yellow fur around its neck, dusted with pollen and changing its outline. It also had a pointed growth on its head that its antenna sprouted from, a familiar shape that matched the tiara sparkling in Jade's cloudy mane. My lame joke when Jade asked if she made a convincing bee came back to me as Jade confirmed it, speaking in a wary whisper and backing away from the angry looking bee. "T-The Queen... Oh dear, this may be a problem Fast, I believe the Queen bee has confused me with a challenger for her throne..."

The huge queen chittered and buzzed at Jade backing away from her, anger and hostility pretty clear in the insect noises it was making. At least all the other bees weren't attacking, but they had the distinct look of a crowd gathered to watch a fight... The wide ring they formed around the two royal contenders shifted and widened around them as they moved, the queen acting more and more aggressive, while Jade kept her head low and meekly backed off.

When the queen darted forward, my heart lurched in my chest, wanting to move to defend her and kept apart by the steel bars between us. Sludge Barrel actually moved before I could fling myself at the barrier trying anyway, putting himself between them with a panicked look on his sweaty face like he couldn't believe what he was doing either.

Unfortunately his sudden finding of a spine wasn't enough, the queen swatted him aside with her sharp looking legs, sending him sailing into the throng of bees in the audience that buzzed and shifted around him, swallowing him up and keeping him back.

"Mr. Barrel! A-Are you alright!?" Jade wailed at the groaning stallion, dodging back from another probing swat from the queen and looking to Sludge anxiously.

"Ow... Y-Yeah Princess, I'm ok, just a scratch..." Sludge tried to get to his hooves and push his way back to the edge of the crowd, wiping at the shallow gash above his eye already bleeding profusely.

Unfortunately I wasn't the only one to pick up the coppery scent of blood in the air, the bright red dribbling down half his face was ruining Sludge's disguise too. The bees were easily fooled so long as they saw blue and yellow that matched themselves, but that brilliant splash of crimson stuck out like a sore hoof. Several nearby drones keeping him back were poking and investigating him closely now, making his attempt at gallantry short lived when he flinched and backed away.

My forelegs were already hooked through the bars and the Last Minute was whining by my head, drawing a bead on the queen and ready to blow that chitinous crown off its head. Jade's ears flicked at the noise however, glancing my way as she pranced back from another rage inducing attack. "Fast! Do not! I have read of this, she will wish to fight and drive me away. Generally rival queens are allowed to flee, but if you kill her you will create more problems!"

"If it attacks you I'm killing it! Just get out of there Jade!"

Even while flapping back from increasingly dangerous attacks from the queen, Jade kept her calm. She rolled away from the first real jab the Queen tried with her dangerous looking stinger, ending up closer to the grate keeping us apart. Moving swiftly, she tightened the cap on the dented silver thermos in her magic before sending it rolling my way, then flapped up and darted away.

"If the queen dies, they will expect me to take her place and make our escape more difficult. Not to mention when I do not fill her role, several more queens will hatch and mature, they will fight for dominance until one is left, but the losers will each take a portion of the swarm and attempt to form their own colonies elsewhere! If their only food source is here it will at least be a temporary problem, but if they can survive and spread... Help Mr. Barrel escape and take the cure to my sister Fast! I will be fine!" Jade's ability to breathlessly recall all the things she had read about bees while being actively attacked by one the size of a pony was impressive, but she couldn't be serious. Like I could just leave her while that thing was attacking her!

'Let me...'

Shut up! Not now... think! I snatched up the thermos of Swan's cure, smashing it horizontally against the bars in a rush until I managed to slow down and spin it to get it through. I gnashed my fangs watching the fight take to the air, Jade flew gracefully in the confined dome, dodging and parrying the queen's stinger with her horn. I glanced at Sludge absently, noting the suspicious crowd of bees not watching the struggle for supremacy above. He was limping slightly and trying to wipe away the blood flowing from his face, only spreading the red to his foreleg as he backed away nervously.

Jade might want me to help him, but she was more important. I had to think of something to help her, distract the bees and let her escape. If I started shooting and made myself a target that might do it, but I had to get the anti-toxin to Swan too. Using the tunnels and my lightning walking spell would be fastest, well... teleporting would be fastest, but there was no way I could do it now. Leaving Jade behind was the last thing I wanted, and the only times I had succeeded with the spell had been when I really wanted to go anywhere else.

There had to be something I could do, anything to get the focus off of Jade and her duel with the queen, let her escape safely. Come on! Think dammit!

'Hurt the betrayer...'

What? The silent 10mm pistol Deliver floated up in my unsteady magic at the foreign thought, slowly aiming at Sludge starting to panic and attract more attention. The shadowy rumble of 'Be Dark...' strained and fought for control over the weapon, lowering the barrel to his knobby knees.

If I shot him... popped him in the knee like that part of me wanted... He'd scream and howl, there'd be more blood and the bees would focus on the intruder... Jade wouldn't like it, but she and Swan were who I cared about, not the lying, thieving, conniving buck in there with her. Sacrificing Sludge was worth it to protect a Princess...

'Let me...'

Deliverer waggled and shook in my telekinesis, the weapon and the target becoming my whole world. Just pull the trigger... shoot the bastard and protect Jade. Who cares about Sludge? He didn't matter at all, the world would be better off without ponies like him anyway...

'Kill him... Protect Princess... Now... NOW!'

The tempting murmur in my head fought with the rising song of the Ministry Mares, the raspy note of 'Be Awesome!' taking the lead as I struggled for control. It was wrong... not just because Jade wouldn't like it, but because it was wrong period. I couldn't sacrifice another pony's life, I'd be no better than a raider, a monster...

"Kindness is not just for those we like, we must be better and show kindness to those we dislike as well, for they need it most."

'Kill... Kill... Kill...'

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

With my eyes clenched shut and a roar of effort, I fired half a dozen rounds from Deliverer. I was worried when I cracked my eyes open again, letting out a shaky sigh of relief to find a surprised looking Sludge surrounded by dead killer flash bees. I wasn't a monster...

I did have to move fast though, the alarm was already being raised with the mysteriously dead bees alerting the others. I still felt weird actively talking to the petulant whine of 'Be Dark...' pouting over losing this disagreement, but I had no time for it to start acting weird again.

"I'm not killing him to save Jade, but I am saving her dammit, and I need your help! NOW!"

I could tell that hateful voice was frustrated, but it rose up with the shout of 'Be Strong!' when my horn lit up with a layer of overglow and I grabbed the rusty bars of the grate overhead. Black lightning flickered around me as I grunted and strained, unleashing an explosive wave of telekinetic force that ripped the grate and surrounding earth and stone up and out.

Wasting no time, I shot out of the smoking hole with a black contrail behind me, diving at the crowd with the Terrible Shotgun barking at my side. S.A.T.S. helped blast every bee still surrounding Sludge, clearing a space for me to come skidding in for a landing in front of him and shove Swan's precious cure in his shaking hooves.

"GO! Back down the tunnels, take that to Swan! I'll help Jade!"

The rumbling snarl of 'Be Dark...' and my extended fangs slurred my words a bit, but Sludge took the offered thermos with an unsure look, flinching when I slashed out with Best Served at a pair of bees quickest to recover. "Er... y-you sure? I mean I..."

"I'm trusting you Sludge! PLEASE! Take it to Swan, run!!" Flaring my wings and stomping got Sludge to his hooves in a hurry, galloping for the ragged hole to the tunnels I left behind.

Vengeance joined the Terrible Shotgun in my magic, floating near my head and spinning rapidly to blow apart the increasingly agitated bees diving at me. I definitely had their attention now, though just to make sure and clear his path, I lobbed a string of grenades out in two lines to his sides, clearing a lane for the hobbling stallion to charge down as the hive was engulfed in flames.

Trusting Sludge was hard, even with 'Be Kind...' and 'Be Unwavering!' singing their approval. Those warm voices and Jade were right however, I had to give him a chance, believe even Sludge could be a good pony if given the opportunity. He had tried to protect Jade after all, even though he was clearly terrified. Asking him to run away was much more in his skill set, I had to believe he'd get that cure to Swan, to have a little faith...

With him doing what he was best at and scampering down the tunnels, I went with my own strengths and took to the air, diving, dodging, shooting and slashing anything nearby. I found Jade looping and spinning far above me, still trying to retreat and concede victory to the angry queen bee buzzing after her.

Even flying for all I was worth with my arcane skills and the whoop of 'Be Awesome!' augmenting my aerial skills, several bees found exposed flesh and stung as I plowed through them. Each one died on leaving their jagged stinger jabbed into my hide, but the painful red welts rising up at each puncture were slowing me down. I was glad my Shrouded Stallion armor was tough enough to keep them from hitting anywhere vital, but couldn't afford to keep taking more stings.

Looping through the room with them hot on my tail, I barreled through the flames left by the series of grenades covering Sludge's escape, singing my feathers, but glad to see the killer flash bees that followed had their own delicate wings burnt off completely. I also spotted quite a few bees near the smoking fires, not joining the chase, but clinging to the walls and blurring their wings, creating a droning noise and a cool breeze.

When I noticed all the waxy structures nearby starting to droop and melt, I figured out what they were up to. They were using their wings as a kind of air conditioning, trying to keep the melting wax cool and deprive the fire of oxygen. The pests were good with the bolts of lightning they kept flinging my way, but weak against fire...

Dodging my way through the rotting remains of the old beehive boxes, I swapped my pistol for the 40mm grenade launcher 'Thump-Thump', leaving a flickering trail of electricity in my wake as I ran and lobbed more explosives around the hive indiscriminately. The more of the bees that were busy trying to keep their hive from melting around them, the less there were to chase after me or block Jade's slow retreat.

I ran up the curved walls towards her, forced to repeatedly reload the simple tube grenade launcher while dodging more blasts of lightning from the swarm behind filling the half ruined dome. All the explosions were causing plenty of chaos, but the swarm was unending, boiling out of the main hive above and every waxy nook and cranny.

Fire... I racked my brain for every spell and cantrip Jade had drilled into me, I had to know some kind of flame spell, think! Jade was managing to lead the queen towards one of the wide gaps in the ceiling, but I had to keep more of the swarm busy before I could follow. Come on, there had to be something from all Jade's spellbooks rattling around in my head! Just make fire stupid!

'Let me...'

Firing a few grenades directly into the main hive on the ceiling set the whole warped thing aflame, which got more flash bees off my tail. It also pissed off my pursuers enough to launch a huge bolt of lightning at me however, forcing me to answer with the spell I was much more comfortable with.

KRAKA-THOOM!!!

The stream of electricity from surging up from my horn met the crackling blast the glowing swarm sent down, the two streams dancing in the air between us, locked in a back and forth struggle for supremacy. All the radiation I had been absorbing in this toxic pit flowed into my magic, pushing the growing ball of power back and forth in an arcane tug of war.

More of the swarm joined the glowing throng overhead, adding their power to the stream and slowly overtaking my efforts. With a scream of effort, I poured on the magic, pushing the focal point back to the center of the space between us before it exploded in a bright flash.

There were quite a few scorched and dazed bees when I cleared the spots from my eyes, but my horn was singed and I swayed on my hooves. I couldn't compete head to head with lightning magic like that again, but I was coming up empty on flame spells. The best I could usually do was light a candle, maybe make a sputtering fireball with a spell I had been practicing with little success, but the amount of firepower needed to deal with all this?

Jade's pained yell overhead focused my thoughts instantly, rocketing up towards her holding her stomach with her forelegs protectively and wincing from a bloody gash down her flank. Her red blood staining her blue and yellow coat, dripping down towards my horrified face zooming up to her as she made for the open skies outside. Red... red... Jade's blood... red... I saw red...

'LET ME OUT!'

"Fine..."

I heard the clink of chains echo in my head as I abandoned my thin control, willing to rely on that dark voice with no Sludge here to sacrifice. There were only bees for it to take its fury out on and Jade to protect, I gambled on it behaving itself and let it go.

With a hard flap, I paused in midair, confused by the shadowy instinct guiding my actions as the black lighting surging around me flickered. A swirl of arcane symbols and dark blue magic coalesced at my horn, forming a stream of roaring flames that spun around me in a rushing current. I could almost see the spell at work, the complicated formulae and runes flashing in my mind while the now spherical wall of flames grew brighter, pulsing around me and keeping the frustrated swarm back.

There was a strange sensation of tightening, an internal clench that brought the bright flames closer. The strange fire shield was constricting around me, focusing on my horn where a flare of magic was becoming blinding. When I didn't think I could take it anymore, the feeling of smashing the business end of an artillery shell with a hammer came from my horn, a sharp, direct surge of magic that made the tightly controlled ball of flames explode outward.

I was moving before the explosive wall of fire even reached the bees, flying directly through the swarm getting roasted ahead of my path. I could feel my aching fangs digging into the hilt of Best Served as I soared forward, slashing and spinning in the air in a graceful, high speed dash that made 'Be Awesome!' whoop and cheer. A quick glance behind me showed large swaths of the hive burning merrily, the waxworks melting and drooping down the walls.

Between the large chunk of the swarm that just got burnt to a crisp trying to block me and the rest landing and blurring their wings desperately to fight the flames, I burst through the remaining swarm still determined to attack and out to the night sky. I rocketed up after Jade as soon as I spotted her, still engaged in a retreating dance with the angry queen.

I streaked through the air like a comet, more guttering flames starting to spin and grow around me, spitting off bright orange fireballs at any clusters of bees moving to block me. A glance at my rainbow coded radiation gauge gave a visible cue for the steady drain on my mana I could feel, the needle dipping down with each fireball arcing out, with spooky accuracy considering I wasn't using S.A.T.S. for any of them. However I was able to use this spell, I wouldn't be able to do so much longer.

Jade and the queen bee were still far ahead of me, diving towards the leaning smokestacks of the production area of the facility, but the roar in my head had locked on to the queen that dared to hurt Jade. I was going to kill that fucking thing and be done with it, make it pay for the fatal mistake of harming my Princess...

While letting my shadowy schizophrenic companion off the chain drastically improved my magic, flying and even subconscious grace and skill with the starmetal blade in my teeth, it didn't seem to do well using guns. I kept thinking of bringing out my gauss rifle and blowing a satisfyingly large hole through the queen's bloated abdomen, but the battle crazed voice in charge at the moment merely flew on, picking up speed and launching gouts of flame at the enemy that exploded in the ruins below when it darted aside.

"Foul beast! Thine punishment is nigh! Any that dare attack MY Princess shall suffer her WRATH!" The Shroud's voice roared out of my mouth, catching Jade's attention along with the queen still darting after her when the nearest smokestack exploded beneath them in a fireball.

Everything was tinted red and the queen filled my vision, growing larger as I dove at it with murder in mind. I was so focused on destroying the threat, I didn't notice Jade swooping past her until she barreled into my path, tackling me in midair and wrapping her legs around me.

"Fast stop! You must not! C-Come back to me!" Jade's pained cry made me realize the flames still flickering around me were scorching her, singing the blue fur of her breast tightly pressed against my face.

Instantly, the fire disappeared, the howl for blood in my head went with them, silenced by the clear sound of a stasis pod lid slamming down and chains tightening around it. I blinked and sputtered in her grip, smelling her burnt fur with a wave of shame and looking around when she gave a hard flap and dodged the queen looking to continue.

Far below us, the bee keeping building was burning, sending a plume of black smoke into the skies around us. Other isolated spots were also engulfed in multicolored flames, the toxic sludge covering the place burning and adding acrid, rainbow colored smoke to the haze. Chunks of the facility fell with resounding crashes, contributing concrete dust to the choking cloud.

At least half the swarm was preoccupied trying to fight the flames, while the rest circled us restlessly. They weren't allowed to interfere in a contest between queens apparently, with Jade holding me so tightly, they couldn't reach me. Though her iron grip also slowed her down, dodging and keeping her head low over mine as she continued her retreat.

"J-Jade! Lemme go! I'm... I'm ok! It's safe to let me go, just let me kill the stupid bug! Put up your shield and get away!"

Jade's breath puffed in my ear when she whispered back, darting back with me still struggling against her bare chest. "No. If you are not with me, they will attack. If I use my shield, they will realize I am a pony and attack. I do not wish to kill the queen, it will cause problems for everycreature in the area, as well as Dr. Vigil and Mr. Barrel. You will stay with me and we will concede defeat if they will still allow it, now hush and remain still..."

She kept her head low and kept backing away, slowly hovering over the entrance to the Hippo Ruins. Her hold loosened a bit since I stopped trying to pull away, though spotting Val and Witchy charging our way over her shoulder just agitated the swarm more. When I nodded their way anxiously, Jade adjusted course, putting herself between our loyal guards and flaring her wings for them to stop.

Her regal goddess voice boomed out as they approached, waving them to her side while keeping her eyes on the queen still circling her. "DO NOT ATTACK! Come close to me and continue backing away! Do not leave my side! A rival queen may take some of the hive with her to form a new colony, let us hope they consider you my retainers!"

"Are ya outta yer friggin mind Blue!? Lemme torch the fuckers and let's get the hell outta here! I get you bein' nice ta pretty much anycreature what talks and thinks, but these little bastards are just mindless pests!" Val squawked angrily, but did as told and took up a guard close by Jade's left wing, leaving Witchy to take a similar position on her right and slowly follow her calm retreat.

"They are living creatures, our actions here affect more than just them as well. We will leave, calmly and quietly... just do not attack them Valkyrie." Jade's voice was even and firm, taking command with ease.

I thought she may actually pull it off, we were actually pulling away from the killer flash bee's territory. They were slower to follow and remaining behind their queen, the swarm still crackled with lightning, but weren't launching any more bolts at us. Val and Witchy looked to like Jade's plan about as much as I did, but stuck close and followed her lead silently.

The queen's dark eyes looked back to her burning kingdom and narrowed, focusing on me still held in Jade's grip. When it darted forward and below us in a blinding, zig-zagging course, it was with surprising speed and ferocity. The bright mote of 'Awareness!" gave a shrill cry and let me follow her course, her long, jagged stinger leading the charge and aimed directly at Jade's belly...

'Be Strong!' lent its aid to the frantic roar of 'Be Dark...' as I flapped and strained in Jade's grip, wrapping my legs around her barrel and lurching in the air. Protecting her was one of the few things that shadowy Shroud and the other voices in my head agreed upon completely, lending their strength without hesitation or schizophrenic quibbling. I managed to spin the big alicorn away from the queen's flight, pushing my way between her and the attack, shielding her stomach and the foal inside with my body protectively. I barely felt the stinger puncturing beneath my wings, tightening my desperate hold against the wave of cold that made my head swim.

"FAST! NO!!" Jade's high pitched scream made it through the growing pain clutching my heart and fogging my head.

I looked up weakly, spotting her eyes shrunk to hard blue dots and how pale her face looked. My legs went numb and my hold loosened, sliding away from her stricken face until she hugged me fiercely and snarled at the queen. Jade's kind eyes turned dragonish, glowing blue and blazing at the queen as her horn flared to life.

A thin, curved sword materialized above her head, an elegant and deadly looking magical weapon I had never seen her use before. The long blade flashed out at the queen, moving with practiced grace and neatly slicing the end of the queen's stinger off in one deft strike.

"He is mine... you will not harm him nor anyone else. Leave us be or suffer the consequences..." Jade growled at the queen dodging back from her glowing blue blade warily, curling its blunted stinger against itself.

The two royal combatants might not speak the same language, but I had the feeling the queen understood anyway. In the contest between a queen and a princess, my Princess made it clear how far she'd go if pushed. The queen was able to instinctually understand Jade's protective stance and the low growl I could feel reverberating in her chest.

A deep rumble in the ground below broke the tense standoff, everyone looking down to the office entrance to the complex and the shaking coming from that direction. There was a bright explosion of violet magic, then an oversized purple alicorn plowed through the plume of dust from the destroyed ceiling, a bright purple cannonball that streaked straight up.

Swan's loud battle whoop nearly drowned out the frightened squall of the passenger clinging to her back. Sludge was half buried in her flowing pink mane and had his eyes clenched shut, yammering in terror at the rocketing flight. "S-Slow down! Stop you crazy mare! Somepony get me off'a this filly!!!"

The storm of magical arrows Swan launched at the swarm exploded as she joined us, looking perfectly healthy and raring to go. Her giddy expression faded to a worried frown on spotting how her sister clutched me, veering our way over Sludge's yelps and worriedly nudging my dangling hindlegs dripping blood to the ground below.

"Sister! Fast is injured, we must take him back to the Followers at Redheart! Quickly!!" Jade's bright cry was clearly audible, though the other's voices were fading to a worried murmur speaking over each other.

Darkness was creeping in at the edges of my vision, making it more difficult to focus on the argument going on around me. I saw Val and Swan glaring at the swarm, clearly wanting to continue the fight and wipe them out. They were opposed by Jade's firm voice overhead and Witchy's high pitched squeak at her side, the alicorn's healing magic and her thestral guard's shaking hooves already trying to staunch the flow of blood from the large hole in my chest with magical bandages.

Swan's angrily slitted eyes swung away from the buzzing swarm and softened at me slurring weakly, deciding the big filly even though I wasn't able to make any kind of sense. The croak of "Go...baby....bee bad, owwww...." made Swan give a determined nod and mumble something to her sister, then the brightening glow from her horn surrounded all of us. Everything went a blinding violet-white and my ears popped, the strain of teleporting was too much to hold on to consciousness.

Knowing Swan would take us somewhere safe, that she and Jade weren't in danger, that our foals weren't in danger, filled me with relief as I let go and blacked out. Wherever we went, I was sure it wasn't full of deadly bees and toxic flowers, which was good enough for me.

I'd just take a little nap...

----------------------Level Up!-----------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------

Pest Control Pony------------
---You've got a lot of practice exterminating mutated pests! You now do an additional 50% damage against any mutated insect, including; Radroaches, Bloatsprites, Breezidores, Killer Flash Bees and even Changelings!

Ch. 91-- Rest, Resupply and Robots

"You simply must give yourself over to the idea that you are off-duty and try to relax."

-------------------------

After a disjointed, confusing period of darkness, the light of the next day was ushered not by divine Goddess Celestia, but by a boisterous Goddess Glitter. No less a Princess in my mind, but a good deal louder. "DADDY! Wake up sleepyhead!!"

I woke with a confused start and winced when the rickety hospital bed I was in crumpled in on itself, getting tied up in the threadbare blanket by my flailing limbs and yelping. Given the intense amount of pain I felt all over, I had valid reason to think myself under attack by some fresh wasteland horror that liked tormenting its meal.

"WHAAAAUGH! What! Who! More bees!? Huh!? I... O-Oh... good morning sweetie... owwww... it is morning, isn't it?"

My little filly had managed to hold off from waking me at the break of dawn, if the light filtering the room I found myself in was any indication. Enough time for her to find a sugary breakfast somewhere in what I slowly recognized as Redheart Academy, giving her jittery energy to spare that resulted in a spectacular powerbomb on my rickety hospital bed.

Glitter seemed almost pleased with herself and the destruction her little hooves had accomplished, bouncing on the flattened ruins of the bed I had vacated in my panicked scramble to the headboard. She smiled broadly with a manic gleam in her pink eyes, bouncing in place happily as she burbled to me holding a hoof to my pounding heart. "Ya-huh! Mommy said I get ta stay with you and play today while she goes out! So I came ta wake you up! Are you ok? You look silly dad, does it hurt?"

Yes actually... everything hurt, not that I'd tell her how painful her gleeful impression of an alarm clock had been. Even gingerly moving back to the mattress brought stabs of pain all over, the most severe being at my back. Realizing I was tangled up in my bedding and the clear tubing of the IV that had been knocked aside, made sitting again a teeth grinding experience.

Whimpering as I shook my head under her concerned stare, I raised an eyebrow questioningly at her comment about how I looked. When she grabbed a nearby stainless steel surgical tray as a mirror, I at least found out why everything hurt and I felt bloated. My face was puffy and swollen, along with numerous red welts on my flanks and sides, lending me a very lumpy appearance. Trying to move my wings to untangle myself proved whatever I couldn't see back there was even worse by the blinding bolt of pain it brought.

Looking away from the haggard face in the tray held in her hooves, I saw we were in Jade's makeshift recovery room at the ancient nursing academy. There were only a few young griffons still injured enough to warrant being confined here with me, most either still snoring or groaning at the noise.

I ruffled her bouncy silver mane reassuringly, blearily blinking at the room and wondering just how long I was out. "Nnngh... I'm f-fine sweetie, little sore is all. Where is mom anyway? She's going somewhere?"

I didn't have to wait long for an answer anyway, I hadn't disentangled my legs and wings when Jade's shrill cry rang out in the makeshift recovery room, the collective noise of her and our daughter waking the few snoring griffons still managing to cling to sleep. "GLITTER! There you are! What have you done young lady! I told you, your father needs to rest and recuperate! Not to serve as a crash test pony for your sugar fueled antics!"

Glitter gave a sharp "eep!" and clambered over me, hiding behind my cockeyed wings as her mother strode across the room, puffing air through her nostrils like a locomotive. She peeked out once Jade's shadow fell over the two of us, whining softly by my cheek in protest. "But Mo-oooom! You said I get ta watch him while you go out, right? I just wanted ta tell him... then the bed broke... somehow..."

"Yes, ...somehow... How mysterious I am sure. Good morning Fast, since you are awake anyway, how are we feeling today?" Jade arched her eyebrow and huffed, but did undo the gorgian knot I had gotten tangled in. The blankets, IV, myself and Glitter were all floated up and shuffled expertly until I was hovered up for her inspection.

"Like an overstuffed pincushion. I'm guessing I gave you more work patching me up, but why does it still hurt so much? Didn't all that radiation I took in help any? What about Val and Witchy? Swan... Swan's alright now too? She's not sick anymore? Dr. Vigil! We didn't go back, is he... and Sludge, is Sludge alright? Did he run off again? I still need...""

Jade's brows came together in a worried nicker, shushing my jabbering sternly as I was deposited on the flattened bed. "They are all fine Fast, you received the worst wounds by far. As I have tried to tell you, repeatedly, radiation does NOT fix everything... It cannot inflate a collapsed lung, and even our resistance to poison is insufficient to completely resist the flash bee's venom! It was your immune system's overreaction to the sting that was dangerous, you nearly went into anaphylactic shock before I could treat you! While I appreciate why you acted as you did to protect me... us... I am still upset with you. You are not invulnerable, nor able to shrug off any injury with a little radiation. You need rest and time to recover, so hush and follow doctor's orders for once!"

The way her blue eyes blazed during the obviously rehearsed speech jarred a little more memory loose as I winced under her. Jade had attacked the queen bee... I didn't think she even knew offensive magic, but she had actually hurt another living creature, for me...

Between her expectant snort and Glitter looking between us worriedly, that failure stung worse than all the actual stings I had taken. I was supposed to keep her safe, not be the reason she was forced to compromise her pacifist beliefs. I owed her for a lot more than just putting me back together after doing something stupid this time.

While I did hang my head in defeat and nod meekly, I couldn't help a little whining as I resigned myself to doing as my favorite doctor prescribed. "Alright, I'll be good Jade. Er... W-What about you though? Where are you going? Can't I come if I take it easy?"

"No." Jade stamped her hoof with finality, though both her eyes and voice did soften when she continued. "Since you are to rest, we will be unable to keep our appointment with University Point's leadership. I must go offer our apologies and reschedule, as well as return Mrs. Pestle's stolen goods. It is a short trip and I am sure I will be well protected, even without my brave knight. Is that not so? You may all come in, he is awake."

Who she was speaking to was easy enough to figure out, the rest of our group entered through the door she had. Her royal guard Witchy trotted up at her beckoning call with Val padding along beside her. Both were bowled aside by the large Swan galloping in behind them, barely kept from copying Glitter's morning greeting by Jade leaping in her way and holding her hooves out. I was amazed even Jade was able to hold her sister back, though privately grateful as the still nearly double sized Swan pouncing on me was a lot more life threatening than the much lighter filly in my hooves.

Jade had to rear up on her hindlegs and flutter her wings to meet her sister's level, but Swan skidded to a halt and pranced back and forth trying to get around her, biting her lip and whining. "But I don't wanna go to some boring city of little pony nerds... I want that little pony nerd sister. Why do I have to go again?"

Ignoring the others trailing in behind her and chuckling to themselves, Jade drifted back down to her hooves and straightened Swan's freshly cleaned alicorn angel outfit, speaking in a tired sigh that made it clear she had gone over this before already. "Because, I would appreciate it if you were able to teleport us there sister, to do so you must visit the town first. Do not sound so disappointed, Fast may not get up to any of your shenanigans anyway. Perhaps you will find something that interests you there, if nothing else it gives us an opportunity to enjoy ourselves today. Oh! I do believe they even have a functional salon staffed by talented spell casters specializing in related spells. Would that not be lovely?"

"Bleh... have fun big stuff, let Blue have her fun bein' all girly, I'll keep the boss company while you an' batty play dress up." Val prowled around the standoff and flopped down beside me, mussing Glitter's mane in her claws and dropping to a conspiratorial whisper with her other held up to cover her beak. "Don't worry kiddo, we'll find somethin' fun ta do once yer ma gets gone, just play along."

Glitter's happy gasp was short lived, I still didn't think Val understood just how sharp alicorn hearing was, that or she didn't care. She did now though, squawking and sputtering when Jade swung her way and put on a wide smile. "Oh no, I wish to spend time with you as well Valkyrie, we do have many recent ...events... to discuss. I insist you act as my guard today instead of Witching. You do not mind trading duties just this once, do you Witching dear?"

Witchy blushed and squeaked at the attention, unable to refuse her Princess and somewhat flustered by the order, turning between Jade and I with her slitted amber eyes. "B-But... Er... I suppose. If Valkyrie takes my place, she is capable of ensuring thine safety. T-That means I would take hers... hmm... I d-do not mind taking care of Fast, er... i-if thou insists."

"Now wait just'a damn minute Blue! I told ya, I don't take orders from ya, I take orders from..." Val screeched and drummed her limbs in a tantrum, but was cut off by Jade's dangerous purr as she leaned down to my face.

"Fast..."

"Dammit... Val, I'm sorry, but she's gonna make me order you to do it. Do you really want us both to go through it, or will you just agree? She's going to get her way no matter what..."

Val seethed and stomped in place in reply, smacking me with her lashing tail as she threw her claws up in surrender. "ERRGH! Gawd yer filly whipped boss! Fine! I ain't gonna get all dolled up though Blue, so just forget it!"

A quick nuzzle from Jade made Witchy turn bright red as Val stormed off, letting her gently shove the blushing batpony in front of me with no resistance as Jade whinnied in victory. "Wonderful! I appreciate your assistance Witching dear. I shall keep you in mind and find some way to thank you during our shopping, to make up for leaving you behind. Please be sure to keep Fast out of trouble for me, he is very talented at finding it..."

Witchy's slightly sleepy eyes widened and sparkled in the morning light at the enticement. She plopped herself at the end of my bed and trained her fluffy ears and commanding stare on me with a giddy chirp, breaking off only to bow to Jade smirking above me. Wonderful... Jade plainly thought ahead and was covering any escape route, giving a pleased nicker to me pouting in defeat.

Even Zed was against me, trotting up and interrupting my plotting a way out with a gag inducing mixture of goop he scooped from a clay jar with his hoof. I flinched when he nudged me forward and applied it to the sting on my back, piling on with the others in his deep voice. "Go along and enjoy your outing Miss Jade, I will see to Fast while you're away."

She did at least lean down and give Glitter and I both a quick kiss, returning to her unyielding bearing after she stood back from the affection and glowered at us. "Behave yourselves... We shall return shortly."

At that she shooed the others ahead of her and left, casting one last look of longing and uncertainty over her shoulder before she disappeared and left me to my thestral and zebra jailers.

Choosing to make the best of my confinement, I wandered around Redheart Academy with Glitter bouncing along beside me, taking in all the progress the Followers and freshly arrived small squad of Minutemares were making. My grumbling stomach helped make my argument with Witchy, getting her to relent from her strict interpretation of Jade's orders to remain exactly where I was.

There was a lot of work going on that caught my professional interest as a repair pony, the banging of hammers, buzz of magically powered saws and sight of heavy carts loaded with rubble hauled away by strong earth ponies made me pause and fidget. Subtly floating out my tools at a fizzling spark junction got an immediate response from my guard however. Witchy shoved my screwdriver back to my packs and smacked my bare flank with a squeaky 'tsk!', nudging me back on course to the cafeteria.

Just that attempt demonstrated she and Jade may have a point however, my magic was weak and unsteady, probably from overusing it with spells that weren't really part of my repertoire, but the shadow lurking in my head's spellbook instead. A quick experiment when she turned away just bore that worrisome theory out, producing a guttering puff of flame from my horn that quickly fizzled out, not the roaring torrent I had cast fighting the killer flash bees.

I did manage to take a detour outside, strolling unhurriedly through the courtyard at the center of the roughly rectangular complex and enjoying the sunshine warming my aching back. An experimental flap of my wings to join the numerous young griffons flitting about was a bad idea however. Before Witchy could even zip over me and block my path, I flopped back to the ground hissing in pain. The nearly lethal queen's sting was at the base of my right wing, making flying an extremely painful and inadvisable proposition.

Confined to the ground, I dusted myself off and got back to my hooves, curiously inspecting the ruined nursing school and all the work that had already been accomplished. I was surprised to see several unaffiliated wastelanders roaming about too, pitching in and building ramshackle additions outside the main building.

Pausing to puzzle over them, Witchy filled me in before returning to our course. "Locals Fast. A place of safety attracts settlers looking for something better. Many of them live out in the ruins, surviving as they can. They're flocking to the Princess' banner and forming a new settlement here."

The pride in her voice was unmistakable and I shared it, though my eyes hung on how dirty and thin many of them looked. They reminded me of Sludge and the things he said about the area. That University Point was great for smart ponies, not so much for others... Jade had seen it first in Sludge and stuck up for him, filling me with regret and shame over how I treated him in the light of day.

I mulled the thought over silently as I watched them, glad to see Glitter gallop off on spotting the griffon sisters Lila and Heidi helping out and waving them down to play. I was privately glad my injuries pushed back our meeting with the 'Board of Education' that ran the place. We needed to know more about how life really was in the shadow of their ivory tower.

We took our seats in an out of the way corner of the cafeteria, letting me absently munch on a bowl of insta-oats and bacon, while Glitter, Lila and Heidi babbled happily nearby. Witchy sat across from me with her platter of mutfruit and berries, sinking her pretty fangs into each bite and savoring the strictly vegetarian fare, while keeping a close eye on me morosely chewing.

"Are you alright Fast? You really should return to bed, we could bring your food there and let you get your rest..." Witchy finally spoke up, snapping me out of my woolgathering with her squeaky, concerned voice.

"Huh? Oh... Nah, I'm fine Witchy, just thinking. Hey, you live around here, what's it like for folks like these? Why do you think they'd all came to us so quickly? It's not like we're advertising on the radio or anything."

"Well, I have told you Dreadnot is rather isolated Fast, I'm not sure I'm the best mare to ask. Though I do not find it surprising the Princess would inspire hope where it is lacking, do you?" Witchy tilted her head at the question, her tufted ears cocked curiously.

"No, of course not. I'm more asking why it's lacking to begin with. University Point is a big town, so is Dreadnot from what you've said, even if they're not very open to anypony. Why does it look like things around them are so bad, when they're doing so well?"

She gave an evasive look when the topic of her home came up, bound by honor not to tell me certain things and clearly struggling with it. "Fast... Prosperity tends to come with a certain degree of selfishness. I... I know it to be so where Dreadnot is concerned at any rate. I believe things were better when Whinny was still a free settlement, the Gunners takeover had shaken things up before I left."

I idly brought up my pip-buck's map and looked over the relationship between the fallen town the refugees in Sanctuary had fled and the other major points in the area. I could see her point, The icon for University Point was to our east near where the river emptied into the sea, on the coast to the south was the unvisited icon for Dreadnot, while further south and inland was Whinny. If Sturges, Mama Xara and the others were any indication, it had once been a town for good ponies near the others, I imagined when it fell it had ramifications I couldn't fully grasp on the area.

"Selfish huh? Back in the Stable, we all worked for each other, everyone gets lifted up when we work together. I know that... It's what I was always taught about the old world, generosity, kindness, loyalty... I'm actually worried I'm starting to forget it though, being selfish myself..."

She giggled musically in response, shaking her head and sending her short mane swishing around her. "Fast, you are not... Tis silly to think you..."

I cut her off with a shudder to my voice that seemed to catch her attention, hanging my head and feeling my eyes sting. "I am. More and more I only care about what... who I think of as mine. Jade, Glitter, our baby... Val, Zed and... y-you.. Jade's sisters... I'd step over practically anypony here and leave them to die for you guys. Isn't that selfish? Wrong?"

While she gained a pretty pink blush at me acknowledging the sleepy growl in my head that saw the thestral as 'MINE', she shook it off and grew serious, waving a leathery wing out to the ponies filling the room with a sigh. "The Lunar Guard taught us to place the safety of our Princess above all others, including our own. Though I suppose yes... it may be wrong in other cases. It's also understandable though Fast, it's natural to want to protect those you care about, even at the expense of others. This is about what you spoke of before, isn't it? The voice in your head? That's not who thou art, you're the famous hero of the Commonwealth who saves everyone. I know it and so does everyone else, so..."

"I thought about killing Sludge to save Jade Witchy. Back in the hive... I was going to wound him and let him scream, let him die swarmed by those bugs while I slipped off with her. He's not exactly a really likeable buck, but he tried to protect Jade and he saved Swan, even though he was scared. But I was willing to sacrifice him, just because I didn't like him, because he didn't matter as much to me as Jade. That's not exactly heroic, now is it?"

My shaky and hoarse whisper got her to pause in her supportive denial, her mouth hanging open a moment with no answer. Looking into my bloodshot and watery eyes, she shook it off with a whinny and fluttered up from her seat, joining me on my side of the table and squeezing me in a hesitant hug that slowly grew firmer.

"It is when the hero is a real pony, not some silly... ahem, sorry, some simplified comic book depiction of one. It's pony nature to look out for ourselves first, our families, our tribes, our kingdoms... If Goddess Luna fell into that kind og thinking, I don't think her knight could be faulted for the same. I didn't treat Mr. Barrel much better either Fast, so we both owe him an apology." Witchy pulled back with a firm grip on my slumping shoulders, smiling brightly and flicking her ear to the right, nodding that way significantly as she continued. "Fortunately, it looks like we can do so immediately."

Following her gesture, I found the very same stallion we were discussing across the crowded room. Sludge seemed to scarf down food any time it was available, apparently finding an open feeding trough here a pleasant enticement to returning. While I wondered exactly how long he had been skulking around without looking very hard for Jade or myself, after getting a good look at the other locals I didn't feel quite the same annoyance with him as I had.

Looking back to Witchy's encouraging hooves shooing me up, I groaned and climbed out of my seat, feeling unease and shame instead. It would be better to do this on my own though, rather than wait for Jade's prompting. I did owe it to him too, if I was going to stay in control... stay myself and at least somewhat sane, there was bound to be some discomfort.

The quiet whisper of 'Be Kind...' helped drag my hooves across the cracked tiles, approaching the dirty yellow earth pony and coughing to tear his attention away from his heavily laden tray. When he looked up with his cheeks stuffed, I was concerned he was going to choke, sputtering and thumping his chest under his wide and guilty brown eyes.

"G-Gah! There you are Mr. Fast! B-Been lookin' all over for you an' her highness! Actually wore myself out tryin' ta find ya with all these folks runnin' about, so just thought I'd grab a teensy bite ta eat, r-restore my energy before returnin' ta the hunt ya know! Wonderful ta find ya up and about, the Princess was awful worried and..." Somehow, even Sludge's lying didn't put me off today. Whether I could find it strangely endearing after getting to know him a little, or just worried he was probably doing it out of fear I couldn't say.

"It's alright Sludge. I'm not mad and you don't have to be worried. You can go back to your meal if you want, I just needed to... to say I'm ...sorry. I really am sorry, for how I treated you and... e-everything."

Witchy helped by performing a formal bow to the surprised buck, her voice a sincere whisper and her ears laid back. "We are both sorry Mr. Barrel. The Princess told me how brave you were in defending her when I was not there to perform my duties. I apologize for being suspicious of you and thank you for all you did."

Sludge's bristly muzzle hung open, giving an unappetizing view of his breakfast for a few uncomfortable moments. When he finally managed to blink and swallow, his pockmarked face turned a little red and his narrow chest visibly swelled up. "Brave? Me? W-Well... never had a pretty filly like yourself call me that before missy! Lots o' other names; liar, two-timer, swindler, deadbeat, slimeball... but never brave! Huh... sorta nice... Glad ta be of service an' all that, don't suppose that's enough for a lil' reward from a batpony beauty eh? Never seen your kind around much, but always thought you Dreadnot ponies were cute."

While the praise made Witchy blush and chirp, she still looked confused over Sludge's leering grin and waggling eyebrows when he said 'reward'. I'd just as soon she accept the compliments about her appearance and not figure out where he was going with them in this case though, pushing her foreleg away as she rooted around in her bags for the jingle of caps and feeling my eyelid twitch as I held on to my temper tightly.

"Don't push your luck too far Sludge, I am sorry... but I'm not in a fantastic mood today..."

At that he actually chortled, beaming with a gap toothed smile at my grimace of one in return. "Aha! There he is, had me worried I found the wrong little black alicorn fer a minute there Mr. Fast! Just kiddin', no worries. Don't mean ta rib ya too much neither, imagine you ain't feelin' too jokey lookin' like a lumpy potato an' all! Them bees really did a number on ya didn't they? Didn't get ta see all the swellin', but figured it'd be impressive just from the couple I got over the years. Awful surprised seein' ya up an about though, was a big damn hole in ya when we left that place."

"My wife likes reminding me I'm not as tough as I think I am sometimes, but I can at least limp my way around. I'm glad you weren't hurt, err... by the bees at least... and I am really sorry for the umm... ear... W-We'll let you get back to your meal, eat as much as you want and stick around if you like. I'm sure Jade will want to talk to you when she gets back too."

Sludge flicked the ear I had so rashly severed last night in a subconscious gesture, but shook his head and held me back from making a retreat, patting his ratty flannel shirt rapidly as he spoke. "Huh? Oh, that. Don't worry about it, right as rain an' mares dig scars! You an' the cutie don't gotta be that sorry ya know, generally you'd be right ta keep an eye on old Sludge. Hold up 'fore ya run off, did come back for more than just the grub before headin' back out an' spendin' some of them caps the Princess gimme ya know. Here, from the doc..."

My eyes hung on the dingy orange holotape he finally fished out with his teeth. This time when I smiled it was genuine, even though I felt a pang again at how I had thought of him. Sludge was with us when Swan teleported away, meaning he had gone back and returned to bring me this priceless treasure. If that was from Dr. Vigil, it had to be what the mutated Institute scientist had promised.

Plans for a teleporter... a way to reach the Institute...

Mission Added: Arcane Relay Race

Objectives---
---Build Teleporter Relay
-----Construct Control Console
-----Construct Crystal Reflector Platform
-----Construct Magical Beam Emitter
-----Construct Arcane Relay Dish

Optional Objectives---
---Seek help from the Brotherhood
---Seek help from the Railroad

After briefly squinting over the wall of text and schematics contained on Dr. Vigil's holotape displayed on my pip-buck, I had moved to the administration offices of the nursing academy, taking them over as a workshop to start really picking apart the complicated plans. Enough power had been restored to use the terminal in the mostly untouched office, and a little tinkering brought the school's server back online to add a some needed processing power.

Witchy didn't look very happy at the manic pace I had been moving at, but considering most of it was tapping away and thinking instead of physical exertion, she couldn't make a convincing enough argument to dissuade me. Not that there was one for her to come up with at all, but it kept her from worrying too much.

Thankfully I had plenty of help to commandeer if I wanted it, though I usually felt weird ordering around Minutemares or any of the young griffons still deciding where they wanted to go from here. Lila herself was especially helpful as she seemed very adept and tinkering with computers. She not only found me parts to use to put together the impromptu workshop from around the ruins, she kept her sister and Glitter amused and under her watchful eye while I worked.

Currently she was using one of the extra terminals she had lugged up to the second floor to play Glitter's collection of holotape games. Well... my collection of games that Glitter had puppy-eyed her way into inheriting, but they were happy and left me to concentrate. I did feel bad ignoring my daughter, but Glitter recognized my obsession when she saw it and was fairly patient and understanding.

After working through the morning puzzling out Vigil's cryptic notes and rough diagrams, I was left with the new mission blinking on my pip-buck. A comparison to the pieces of decommissioned relays I had scavenged in our travels so far still left several large components to come up with.

Even worse, Dr. Vigil wasn't lying when he said the magical teleporter relay wasn't his area of expertise. As one of Dala's workers in the Biosciences division, he only knew the broad strokes and basics. His solution had been to basically brute force a way in. His junkyard version of a teleporter wasn't nearly as refined or efficient as the functioning examples I had seen, requiring more power, more parts and more space.

We had resources and friends to draw on at least, Rusty Clank back in Hexington and his stockpile from Watts', all the goodies still wasting away in both the Ministry of Morale in Goodneighbor and the Ministry of Peace, but even all that would leave these last major components I wasn't sure where to find, along with a metric fuckton of high class gems and crystals.

My pip-buck had volunteered the option of seeking help from the Brotherhood of Friendship or the Railroad, but I still wasn't sure about either option. Both groups might have the means to help, but they also had their own goals and ideals. I could easily see Elder Macson usurping any relay we managed to build together to storm the Institute and burn it down, or Des from the Railroad seeking only to free synths. So long as the only way in was mine, my goals took precedence and I didn't have to answer to anypony.

Looking up to take another swig from one of many Sparkle-Cola Rad's pried from a vending machine downstairs, I groaned spotting Zed trotting in the room with that awful gunk of his again. Between the radioactive beverages, rest and his foul smelling medicine, I was feeling marginally better at least. So I thunked my head down to the desk to expose my back in resignation, rubbing my head in my hooves after overtaxing it.

"Not going as well as you hoped Fast? You were quite excited when you started..." Zed chuckled and spread his tribal remedy on my wounds, idly looking over all the patchwork wiring and humming terminals lighting the room.

Witchy took the opportunity he offered to try again, nodding eagerly when I rolled a tired eye up to see her squeaking. "You haven't done anything but stare for the last hour Fast. I think it's time for a break, the Princess said you should be resting..."

"Nnnngh... I am resting, I haven't moved my butt from this seat this whole time. I want to go out and look for parts, I bet University Point would know where to find some... Staying here is just getting frustrating and I feel fine! I could at least send out some letters from there and find Jade..."

"A-Absolutely not! Princess Jade said to make you stay here, so that's what you're doing Fast! I'm probably already in trouble for letting you do all this!" Witchy dropped from the rusty light fixture she had been using to roost overhead, moving to block the door out and stamping her hooves.

"Daaa-ad! You're not s'posed ta go nowheres, you're s'posed ta play with me! You gotta see this, Lila is awesome at this game!" Glitter piled on and tugged my tail insistently.

Seeing how Zed was finishing up and I was clearly outnumbered, I sighed in defeat and hopped down from my squeaky office chair, following Glitter back to the terminal on the floor her pip-buck was patched into and the pair of griffons crowding the screen. In this case the game was 'Striped Menace', a platformer where the player jumped and climbed ladders to reach the captive Princess Celestia at the top, defeating the evil Caesar that lobbed barrels and bombs down to keep his prisoner.

Since the half junked terminal's holotape slot was corroded, this was being run through Glitter's pip-buck and there were a few differences from what I was used to displayed on the terminal screen. Everything was tinted pink instead of the standard green for one, while the Stable-Buck character was a Stable-Filly, matching the cartoon image displayed on Glitter's health status screen.

This also meant Stable-Filly was an earth pony instead of a unicorn like my play throughs, gaining a bucking special ability rather than a zap of magic from the pixelated horn. That made me idly wonder what the clever game would do if I tried playing it now, the slightly unhealthy looking Stable-Buck on my own health screen sported both a horn and wings now after all.

These details quickly fell by the wayside as I watched Lila play, she was at the final level with a high score threatening to blow past mine. Her dexterous orange claws were a blur on the keys and her beak was set in a grim line of concentration, not reacting to Witchy and I joining in the audience in the slightest.

"Go sis go! Kick his ass!" Heidi cheered manically, making her sister grumble in distraction at the fledgling shaking her excitedly.

"Watch your language Heidi, and quit shoving me! Almost... aha! Gotcha stripey! How ya like me now bitch!" Lila's admonishments went out the window as she beat the final boss, her jeers at the digital Caesar catching Zed's eye as he cleaned up, getting a confused blink from the zebra hearing a name he heard all too often from Val.

"Eh... s-sorry Zed, it's a prewar game soooo..."

"So my people are the villains... of course. I'm used to it Fast." Zed rolled his grey eyes in reply, trotting over to watch the fanfare playing out with the end credits.

I only winced a little watching Lila's name replace mine on the top scores screen, managing to give an impressed whistle as Glitter and Heidi did a cheering little dance around her. "Wow, you're really good Lila, have you ever played before? Where'd you learn so much about computers?"

"Oh, um... Ma had a lot of holotape games swiped from the old world kids going to the school back home boss. Debugging terminals ta play them on was harder than learning ta beat em. The last stage was corrupted on Ma's copy though, and I saw the mini-boss had it, and... Sorry, I won't goof off any more. If you're takin' a break and don't need me ta watch her for awhile, we should get back to work anyway so..." Lila wilted and fell back to well trained deference now that she wasn't lost in the zone, moving to collect her sister before I stopped her.

"Easy Lila. You're not in trouble, so just calm down. I told you before, it's ok to take it easy and be kids, so consider it standing orders. Lila must goof off at least a little every day, got it?" Tickling the griffon didn't get the squealing laughter I could out of Glitter, but she did crack a wary smile and nod. "And I guess I should take my own advice and relax a little too, I'm not making any more headway like this."

While I continued my efforts to get the responsible young griffon to relax and think of herself less as my employee, her younger sister had no such problems adapting to things with Glitter by her side. The two of them dragged Witchy over to take a turn, slotting the game into the batpony's own pip-buck and patching it to the terminal, so they could see what a thestral Stable-Filly played like. Which was something that kept catching my eye too, as they spoke over each other to explain how it worked to the overwhelmed looking Witchy.

I did manage to get a little more out of Lila while we alternated watching the three of them giggling at Witchy dying repeatedly. I had been trying to check in with all the fledglings during my roaming around today, seeing if they had come up with any ideas about where they wanted to go from here and trying to reassure them. Lila and Heidi making such fast friends with Glitter just made them a more personal project.

I made sure they understood they wouldn't be split up and would be looked after no matter what. Just the encouragement looked to fill the older sister with relief. They were all slowly getting the idea we really did care and weren't going to use them as indentured servants, or make their lives anywhere near as difficult as they had been. Privately I had a couple ideas to offer them, but I'd need to talk to some old friends before getting their hopes up, and see if the siblings came up with anything they'd prefer in the meantime.

She peered at my abandoned terminal on the desk once I took her spot, looking for permission to take a look I gave with an encouraging wave. It didn't take much beyond watching her claws work the buttons to figure out Lila had talent when it came to computers, giving us something to discuss that brightened the serious fledgling up, along with me in the process.

Watching how her eyes lit up talking about ancient computers, I had to grin at how different Lila was from Val, who would already be bored to tears. The epiphany I had back in Magpie Roost struck me again and made me a little shamed that it took seeing it myself for it to really sink in. Not all griffons were hard beaked mercenaries who were only good at violence. Thinking so out of hoof was as bad as dismissing Sludge as a thieving conpony without any merit.

Maybe that was another part of that selfishness I talked about with Witchy, it was easier to only care about yourself, your family, your tribe or kingdom, if you simplified anything not included in that group. Zed may say he was used to ancient pony prejudices, but just a simple holotape game demonstrated how we had used that kind of 'us vs. them' thinking to blow everything to hell.

In a way it was a corrupted kind of loyalty, a thought that made the normally bold shout of 'Be Awesome!' sigh in my head. I may want to attribute that kind of thinking to the darker voice currently sleeping up there with it, but if I was honest it was me too. Like Witchy said, it was pony nature.

I was pretty sure we'd always struggle with it collectively just as I did personally, but I was also sure groups like the Institute were deliberately stoking it, bringing my thoughts back to the present as Lila clucked at the screen under her breath. "Hmm... some fancy stuff here boss, you really gonna build this thing?"

"If I can, yes. I have no idea where to find some of that stuff though, the radar dish thing is a good example. According to what our friend wrote there, it'd take one basically as big as this room. I guess maybe there'd be one at the Trotson Skyport, but the Brotherhood is there and I don't think they'll let me steal it... At least not until I do what I promised and try to get them in the Ministry of Wartime Technology, which I'm putting off as long as possible. They'd still wanna know why too..."

I was mostly thinking out loud and griping, putting it aside when Glitter huffed in my hooves and wiggled for attention before I really got going again. I was surprised when Lila offered an answer though, scratching her yellow and green plumage in thought. "Well.... there is one of those big rusty dish things at the Arcano-Cats. Got to go there on a trip with Ma once to dicker with 'em, they're not so bad."

"They're a buncha cool ponies daddy-o! Lila liked all the neat junk they had, an' they had this awesome obstacle course thingy they let me play on!" Heidi giggled happily in support, making me goggle at getting a lead on at least one piece of the puzzle.

Glitter wasn't nearly as cheered however, pouting and crossing her hooves with a whine. "Guuuys! Don't! If ya tell him where ta find stuff, he's gonna go back to being all boooooring again!"

Giving her a reassuring hug and nuzzle at least improved her mood, reminding me how patient she had been today already. "I promise not to go back to it so soon sweetie, but it is important to me to find that stuff. Maybe I should've talked with you guys about it instead of getting all wrapped up in it though. When we work together, we lift everybody up, right? So, does anybody know where to find... hmm... a reeeeally big hunk of crystal, a magical beam emitter, or a lot of fancy computer parts?"

I felt a little crestfallen watching the confused looks the question got from everyone, though Witchy furrowed her brow and asked a hesitant follow up that gave me a little hope. "A... magical beam emitter? I'm not sure what that means Fast, could thou simplify it a bit?"

"Er... well... it's something like the guts of a magical energy weapon, just a lot more powerful. It takes electricity like in a spark cell in and shoots magic out. You can adjust the frequency and range on it to make different effects. That and the gems you use is why different M.E.W.s shoot in different colors. Something like that."

I fidgeted hopefully watching Witchy think it over, worried I lost her or she was stretching to come up with something to be helpful. She wore a thoughtful frown and tapped her chin, finally whispering quietly in reply. "W-Would such a thing be found in a bigger magical energy weapon then Fast? Like... l-like a cannon? A very large one?"

"Sure, one like that would probably work with some tinkering. Why? Do you happen to have one lying around I can borrow?"

Half joking to cover my excitement, I figured out why she had asked and looked so concerned just as she answered. "D-Dreadnot... There are very large magical cannons on Luna's flagship, b-back home..."

I didn't like how worried she looked when the subject of Dreadnot came up lately and wanted to encourage her, scrambling up to give her a grateful, cheering hug in thanks. "Of course! That's perfect Witchy! Thank you!! See, now I have another reason to go there like you wanted when we met. Sorry it took so long, but we can go and you'll have kept your word, then you won't have to worry about it anymore! That's awesome! You're the best Witchy!"

I could feel her tense and her cheek heating up as I nuzzled and babbled, a little anxiety still in her voice as she chirped bashfully at the affection. Witchy had been generous with her time and patience waiting all this time though, she deserved a much better reward than a simple hug as thanks. Whatever worried her about going home, once it was done maybe it wouldn't be hanging over her head anymore.

Quite frankly, after the way the thestrals of Dreadnot had treated her, I was perfectly fine with going there and taking the damn part I needed, along with her, then bucking the snot out of any of them that got in the way. She was one of us now, not them. Witchy was family, whether it was right or wrong to put her above them, that was a hard fact they'd have to accept. It was pony nature apparently...

Thinking those thoughts with the warm filly in my hooves, the sleepy mutter of 'Be Dark...' rolled over with a rumble, the echo of 'MINE' stamped back down on as I managed to let her go. Following where her wide eyes flicked, I realized my traitorous wings had stood up, getting a brighter blush out of her when I saw her leathery ones fluttering too.

"Daaaaad..." Glitter huffed when I backpedaled, scratching my itchy mane sheepishly. Not that my daughter was bothered by the embarrassing display, more by my excitement over getting a source not just one, but two possible parts settled. "You said you wasn't gonna go all mad scientist pony about this junk... I. Wanna. Play."

"R-Right! You're right sweetie, absolutely. Er... actually, looks like Zed's goop has been helping a lot, my wings moved without hurting so much. So, wanna go for a ride to stretch them out a little?"

"Really!? Yay! Can we play tag with Lila an' Heidi! Or race? Or do loops!" The offer cheered her immediately, worth biting back a yelp when she jumped on my back and squealed happily.

Witchy regained her composure quick enough to cut us off from trotting away though, shaking her head and blocking the door. "No! N-No flying! You heard your mother Glitter! You don't want me to get in trouble, do you?"

Fortunately, the royal guard was severely outclassed in getting her way by the little filly. Glitter stretched up and planted her hooves in my mane, leaning over my horn and scoffing in reply. "Mommy won't be mad at you, she loves her awesome guard Witchy! Just say it was daddy's fault, or mine. We'll just play for a liiiiiitle, teensy, tiny bit is all. Pleeeeease!?"

"B-But..." Witchy gave a valiant effort, but I could practically feel Glitter's weaponized cuteness dripping down from over my head like saccharine syrup, far too sweet for the poor batpony to stand a chance.

I would feel bad for her, but I'd lost this confrontation enough myself and enjoyed having it on my side, leaning my head down to put those glistening puppy eyes right at Witchy's level and giving her a pleading look myself. Slumping away with a sigh, Witchy's ears drooped in utter defeat. "Thou art most unfair young Glitter... I surrender."

As it turned out, the aerial game of Windigo Tag was a good deal harder than the ground based version I was used to, though it did offer a good bit of exercise that had me panting. Compared to a bunch of natural born fliers, I was even slower and clumsier in the air than normal and it showed. I counted myself lucky to haul myself up and stay there with my aches and pains, but they did slowly fade once I got warmed up.

Glitter had managed to corral more than half a dozen griffon participants into her game above the open courtyard, the simple bit of play one of Mabel Magpie's approved bits of training back in their home. I could see why, if you were the Windigo, you had to chase down the others all soaring away from you, forced to get close enough to freeze them with a touch. If you were being chased, you had to be able to evade, displaying speed and agility I clearly lacked, making Glitter and I a prime target.

So far, the best role was being frozen, requiring only that I keep my relative position as well as possible. This only lasted as long as it took for one of the chased players to unfreeze us with another tag of course, which most of the young griffons seemed to view as something I actually wanted to happen... Granted I was their boss and it might be out of some honor bound loyalty, but I wished they'd take my wheezing eye rolls and short shakes of my head over Glitter's giddy yells to get back to it.

At least Lila was old enough and able to take a hint, when she was the Windigo she froze me and kept the others away for a few minutes to catch my breath. Between her and Witchy joining in the game, Glitter enjoyed herself immensely and I didn't have to quit too soon.

Our periods of being frozen high enough also let me get a good look around the small settlement springing up around us under the noonday sun. The skies were fairly clear and a crisp, cool blue of late fall or early winter, chilly enough for Glitter to stay bundled up in her jacket and the fuzzy Yakyakistan hat from her growing collection of odd headwear she scavenged wherever we went.

Beyond the Minutemares and Followers busy working and occasionally looking up to follow the game, quite a few of the new arrivals paused to cheer and yell from the ground, with a young pegasus colt hesitantly flapping up to join in from among them. By the smiling faces of his parents and the other settlers who had come here, I got the idea something as simple as watching children play openly was a rare treat to be savored, a sign they had made a good choice in coming to start something new under Jade's kingdom.

I also got a better look at why they might feel that way thanks to vision and hearing that let me see more ugliness than I cared for around this little pool of security. There were the pops of distant gunfire that made my ears flick in multiple directions, leading the eye to numerous ruins bearing the macabre decorations of raiders. I also caught the skittering movement of Miretanks near the river, the faint roars and growls of other local wildlife and the shambling movement and windborne scent of the undead infesting more ruins.

Despite all that, my spirits were lifted by the relaxing day and fellowship. I was still frustrated and my mind raced with things I wanted to do, places I wanted to go and thoughts about Jade and the others leaving us behind, but my gorgeous doctor knew what she was doing when she ordered me to rest. Watching everyone working around us and helping as I could, reminded me of back home in Sanctuary when I first came out of the Stable.

It put me back in touch with the common pony and the real reasons we ended up in such dangerous situations and adventures. Most of these folks didn't care about the Institute and their shadowy conspiracies and plots, they just wanted to live a better life. That's why they believed in Jade as a Princess, why they joined her kingdom and worked so hard together under her banner.

Jade gave them hope for that life, accepting everycreature that was willing to try with her unwavering kindness. Not just if they were smart, or rich, or strong, or the right species, or just the right subset of pony. All along, Jade had believed all of us could be better together.

When I caught sight of a patrol of a trio Minutemares coming back in a hurry, I was dragged away from the soothing thoughts by the harder ones under it. We could be better, but there were still plenty out there who were determined to be worse in this world...

I had to disappoint Glitter and glide back to the roof, my anxiety only growing when I spotted the oldest griffon Bruno among the returning Minutemares. He saw all his friends drifting down from the game in confusion and left the Minutemares behind, thankfully coming directly to me struggling into my coat and flagging him down.

"What the hell do you think you're doing kid? Jade said none of you guys are fighting with the Minutemares! Do you have any idea how pissed she'd be if she saw you wearing that!?" I grunted and hissed getting my armor on over my lumpy hide, snorting at the surly griffon wearing a blue Minutemare scarf over his ancient school uniform.

"Yeah, yeah, the prissy Princess don't like it. Wasn't fightin' Gunners an' that's what the orders were though. Besides, somebody's gotta help out clearin' all the creepy crawlies nearby since yer playin' games an' goofin' off. You wanna take a look at these fuckers though..." Bruno ruffled his feathers and sneered, but a little concern slipped in his voice as he pointed up the cluttered roadway the Minutemare patrol was taking to the makeshift gates below.

A clanking, clattering noise was echoing off the ruined buildings, drawing the eye to the glint of sunlight on metal and erratic motion matching the red dashes appearing on Eyes Forward Sparkle. Several multicolored beams of magical energy weapons fire shot out wildly and got me to draw the Last Minute, focusing the gauss rifle's scope on a number of bizarre looking robots giving chase.

While I had run into all number of standard and even unique robots in our travels, these were something completely different. They didn't match any Robronco factory design, looking like some kind of nightmare mish-mash of deadly junk. I panned from the bulky torso of a Sentry-bot somehow held aloft on the glowing wings of a sprite-bot, to the treaded hindlegs of a Brainbot rattling as it bore a Ponitron's body, waving several Mr. Handy spidery weapon limbs around.

There were others that weren't quite so strange, but all of them had a lot of skulls, spikes and jagged bits welded on, either colored by blood, or red paint to give the impression. Following behind this vanguard were what initially looked like more robots, but a closer look at their regular gallop and the hints of pastel fur under all the rust, along with the hoots and jeers, proved them to be ponies... Ponies wearing armor that appeared to be made from heavy robot casings...

A glance back to the sounds of panic from the wasteland settlers and shouted orders from the Minutemare troops decided me and I shoved Glitter back, relieved at Witchy landing beside me and hastily assembling her long anti-materiel rifle. I cursed and charged the Last Minute to full power, panning from a fiery pinwheel of a Mr. Handy outfitted with multiple flamer units. I tried to draw a bead on the cloudy brainbot casing atop a spike covered Ponitron in the lead.

They looked like raiders and they sounded like raiders, so raiders they were as far as I was concerned. The flat crack of the 2mm slug blowing through the first junkpile got them to adjust course and make me wonder however. When Witchy drilled a hole through another Ponitron body behind it, the rest fanned out and took cover, waiting on their living minders to catch up.

Their marks on E.F.S. kept wavering between red and green, making me reluctant to just start shooting until I better understood this new flavor of crazy in the wasteland. The cackling laughter and shouts still rose my hackles and brought the growl of 'Be Dark...' closer to the surface with the promise of blood, but so far they weren't shooting either and their mechanical minions had stopped cold.

Finally, a big buck wearing a Sprite-bot for a helmet came out from behind a tipped over bus in front of our perch, trotting out boldly, waggling an M.E.W. shotgun attached to his crude battlesaddle and shouting. "Oy in there! New in the neighborhood ain'tcha!? Thought we'd roll out the welcome wagon since yer in Rust Devil territory!"

"Rust Devils? Who the hell are these nuts..."

"Get 'em Daddy!" I facehoofed at Glitter holding her boxy M.E.W. Righteous Authority in her mouth, glad to see Lila already collecting the curious little filly before she could rush to the edge of the roof and peek.

With her cared for and ready to be whisked away by her new friends, I turned back to the surreal speech the gang leader below was still giving. "...willin' ta overlook not payin' protection yet since yer new around here, but hear we gots a celebrity! We want the comic book pony!"

"What the hell did I ever do to these lunatics?" I groaned and put my hat on, stepping up to the ledge and flaring my wings to reply in the Shroud's voice. If they wanted me, I could at least keep them focused away from the settlers downstairs and maybe lead them away. "Be careful what you wish for evildoer... If you would summon the Shrouded Stallion, here he is!"

The theatrical declaration didn't have quite the impact I hoped for, instead of getting either gunfire or screams as I was used to, the stallion below tilted his round helmet a moment, eventually removing it to show a orange face and dirty brown mane stained with grease. He kept squinting his yellow eyes up at me in confusion, looking back and forth at all the green dashes on E.F.S. I could see below me, indicating the Minutemares and young griffon mercenaries taking defensive positions.

"Aw fuck... the Shroud? Dammit Tin Snips! This ain't the right comic book pony you stupid twat! We don't want THIS one!!!" The odd raider threw his helmet at a pink unicorn mare taking cover behind a mailbox below, raging and pointing a hoof at me in accusation.

The scent of the unwashed raiders below took on a hint of fear and tension as the mare flinched and jabbered back, peeking out from her cover and wiping her dirty goggles to get a better look. "It's not my fault! Y-You heard that weasel same as I did Jagged! W-We was comin' ta squeeze these settlers anyway and that one we caught said... h-how was I posed ta know!?"

"Bring that bastard up here!" The buck in charge, Jagged, stamped his Ponitron armored hooves and howled in fury, his tantrum only confusing and annoying me more when he held a hoof up to wait.

The clattering hunk of junk that came up the street from well behind the rest took its time, chugging and belching smoke, giving me plenty of time to try to figure it out. It had the bulky legs of a Sentry-bot, though the six of them were covered in rusty armor and spikes, as well as lengthened by heavy red girders and spread out further to accommodate the weird body atop them. The way it half rolled and half walked over the rubble and wreckage in the streets lent it a weird, spidery appearance and gait.

It was basically a mobile platform, festooned with toolboxes, winches, canisters of gas for a welding torch rig and a sparking generator. A retracted crane with a sharpened claw swinging as it moved served as one 'arm', while the other appeared to be a missile launcher. A rusty green dumpster was welded to the thing's back, full of scrap and junk shuddering around under its unsteady movement. The thing that really grabbed my attention once I picked it out from all the chaos was the ugly looking cage under the tiny, heavily armored Sentry-bot head.

More specifically, it was the bruised and beaten yellow pony inside the cage that I was focused on. Sludge's legs dangled from between the bars and he looked up miserably, flinching when the raider leader made the contraption lower itself with a hiss of poor hydraulics. That put it low enough so he could reach through the bars and grab Sludge's collar, slamming his face against the bars and screeching. "Start talking asshole! This is the one you was talkin' about!?"

"Y-Yeah? You said comic book pony! T-That right there's the famous Shrouded Stallion... h-hero, do-gooder and personal friend of old Sludge, s-so you better watch yerself!" Sludge whimpered and tried to sound brave, giving me a pitiful look and shrugging helplessly.

"MARE you stupid fuck! We're lookin' for some crazy comic book MARE! It was in the damn name even!! MechanaMARE! If this is a total waste I'm throwin' you in the robot fights as the opening act!! You lyin'! Chickenshit! Deadbeat! Cocksucker!!" The raging stallion slammed Sludge's head against the bars with each insult, blooding his muzzle and making his eyes roll back in his head.

"ENOUGH!" The Shroud's voice roared out and got him to stop, looking up with a smirk at me glaring down at him and continuing in a rumbling growl. "Let him go, right now evildoer..."

Sludge fell back in the cage when the bastard let him go, chuckling back with an evil grin. "Oh, so you do know this asshole? Guess he wasn't lyin' about everything then. Sludge here owes us a lot of caps, said his big hero friend here could cover all the bets back at the Downs he's been duckin' us on. Whoever you're supposed ta be, it ain't the comic book asshole we're after so we ain't got no reason to waste ya yet. If ya want him back, pay up. Then we can talk about you Minutemare twats settin' up shop in our turf without payin' protection."

"Shit... Cover me Witchy, let me go down and try to figure something out before they kill him..." I whispered to the batpony at my side, stepping off the roof and dropping to the road before she could squeak a denial.

I hadn't gone out looking for trouble and might be a little annoyed at Sludge's boasting ending him up as a hostage, but seeing him abused by the sadistic asshole was waking 'Be Dark...' all the way up. He might be a coward and a liar, but he was MY cowardly liar. I not only needed him alive to keep dealing with Dr. Vigil, I owed him... I was pretty sure Jade would understand me ending my recovery early in this case.

Having me come away from the fortified position looked to give the strange raider some confidence, only growing as I prowled right up and the muscular stallion looked down his nose at me with a sneer. "Glad yer bein' reasonable twerp. Jeez, what is it with brats these days and all these old comics? Who you s'posed ta be again? That Shroud asshole like the one on the radio?"

The tall earth pony in charge of this crew didn't seem that bright, but the unicorn he had yelled at nearby called Tin Snips was more informed and intelligent. Now that I was down here, she got a good look at the horn poking from my hat and her light teal eyes widened, stammering a warning to the stallion making a show of strutting closer and poking my chest. "J-Jagged... I don't think that's some kid... I think that's the... r-real one..."

I caught more of his crew murmuring to each other from cover as his cheeks puffed out and he spewed rancid smelling laughter. "This scrawny little shit?! C'mon Tin! He's just some goofy brat playin' dress up! Hear about dumbass punks pullin' that trick ta scare off other crews, but we ain't fallin' for it brat. That real Shroud guy is 'posed ta be some kinda badass, not a puffy faced little runt!"

The jerk kept poking my chest and shoving, walking in a slow circle around me while I kept my head low and tried to keep a tight hold on my temper. My fangs were already out and I could feel my eyes glowing under the brim of my hat, the sun overhead giving enough shadow for his lieutenant to spot the phenomena and gasp, slowly inching her way back.

"You caught me on a bad day, but you should listen to your underling. If Sludge owes you money, I'm willing to cover his debts, but that's it. This place is a settlement of the Kingdom of Sanctuary now, the ponies here are under the protection of the Minutemares and the Shrouded Stallion, just like Sludge is. Take your caps, let my friend go, then get going, right now... Do that and I won't kill you... all of you..."

I heard Sludge give a strangled little noise in his throat at being called a friend, only making me feel worse for how I had initially treated him and determined to get him out of this somehow. 'Be Awesome!' and 'Be Kind...' hummed in approval, engaged in a headache inducing tug of war with the darker voice now hissing and straining along with the general protective feeling. Unfortunately that voice wasn't really going along out of any real friendship or caring for the frightened buck, but was perfectly willing to use any excuse to indulge that sleepy bloodlust.

The greasy raider was only goading 'Be Dark...' on too, normally it wouldn't be quite so awake in Celestia's bright sunshine, but Jagged's cruel laughter and increasing shoves was pushing all the right buttons. "HA! You will huh? How's ya gonna do that twerp? Huh? HUH? Only see a few of those goofy Minutemare assholes hidin' up there behind ya! Matter o' fact, may as well send that group of sappy, sunshine an' rainbows do-gooders back to their bitch Princess with their tails 'tween their legs!"

"Don't call her that swine! Thou invites Luna's wrath if you persist..." Lightning started flickering at my trembling hooves, fading between black and white while I struggled and thought desperately. "Please, just take the fucking caps and go buddy... I don't want to do this today... I'm feeling generous and introspective, but If you keep pushing I'm gonna lose temper..."

Jagged chortled and jeered, the rusty blade of an Assaultron's weapon clicking out from the strap on his armored foreleg in what was apparently supposed to be an intimidating display. "Awwww... Lookit boys! He's shakin! Is ya gonna throw a lil' tantrum? Don't like me makin' fun of the big blue freak everypony's yappin' about these days? I know! We'll send the mutant a lil' snack to apologize! We'll just scoop the out eyes of you and every other lil' brat hidin' back there for that stupid cunt to..."

If he thought he was fast enough to end his insult on the telegraphed slash I saw coming a mile away, he was dumber than he looked. He never got the chance however, as soon as he went over the line insulting Jade like that, my control slipped and I showed him what real speed looked like. My head ducked beneath his foreleg and snatched Best Served in my mouth in one fluid movement, jerking the starmetal blade up in a glimmering arc that sliced his leg off before even I knew what happened.

I hadn't really meant to do that... I was trying to behave, we could have done this some other way... Even if Jagged was stupid, his crew of raiders wasn't nearly so much so. They were nervous and whispering to themselves, willing to just take the caps and call it a win. He insulted Jade though, he hurt Sludge, he threatened kids and he just. kept. pushing.

There was a second of silence as he blinked at his suddenly shorter foreleg in confusion, still expecting me to have been hit by his attack and not able to put things together. Then time seemed to catch up and the stub spewed a fountain of blood out, splattering over me, then staining the road as he fell and howled in the gutter.

The rest of the Rust Devils still behind cover were stunned, though the robots keyed to Jagged as their leader followed their programming and reacted as fast as their processing speed allowed. Magical energy beams, gouts of flame and the fwoosh of missiles all converged on where I was standing, forcing me to run in an electric flicker and draw my guns on the nearest.

Witchy, Zed, the Minutemares and the small army of mini-mercenaries from the building caught up next, a variety of small arms fire exploding out from their fortified positions at the gates and windows, while the zebra leapt after me and closed on the surprised raiders. The Rust Devils were slowest on the uptake, but were focusing on the building and shaken at the bloody display their screaming leader was still putting on. If it weren't for the menagerie of ugly robots, the numbers would be fairly even, if I could take that advantage away it might be possible to salvage this.

The bizarre nature of their junkyard contraptions made that difficult though, all the mismatched parts made them move and fight differently than I was used to and access to the input port to hack one could be hidden anywhere under all those spikes. Worse yet, Sludge was stuck in the middle of it all, yelling in fear at his ride lurching in the street and firing missiles wildly, while nobody could risk taking the mobile platform out without hurting the hostage.

The fireball Mr. Handy zipped in my path with all four limbs spewing flame in a wide fan. I was going too fast to avoid the indiscriminate attack, Witchy's .50 slug blew through the round red body from above before I was roasted however. Giving me time to lurch up to the air and bounce off the remains falling to the street.

I managed to slam directly into the cage Sludge cringed in, clinging to the bars inside the range of the robot's weapons and trying to ignore his yelps. "Great rescue!! Thanks a lot!"

"Shut up and stay down! Fuck, fuck, fuck... Your boots! You still got those rubber boots you used in the ruins Sludge?!" At his wary nod, I shouted as I was forced to dive away from the other robot's fire swinging our way. "Put them on! QUICK!"

The flying Sentry-bot torso proved itself to be a disturbingly effective combination of parts by catching up to my course and smashing me out of the air, the heavy, spiked club of its only appendage hitting like an anvil. Seeing the clunky thing diving after me on those blurring pink Sprite-bot wings, I activated S.A.T.S. in the middle of the fall and targeted the delicate weak spot with the Terrible Shotgun.

30% odds weren't great, but I managed to blow one of the gossamer wings off on the fourth slug, then my back exploded in pain on smashing into a rusty carriage while still facing it whistling down after me. Witchy's strong hooves yanked my own as I screamed, pulling me away just ahead of the now flightless robot crushing the dead vehicle under its mass.

We rolled to the street in a tangle, the whining, lopsided robot unable to follow wrapped up in the wreckage and with no way to propel itself around. The weird combinations gave the Rust Devil's machines different strengths, but they gained new weaknesses too. A normal Sentry-bot would have shrugged off the impact and plowed into us before we recovered. Instead Zed crushed the tiny head with a flying kick, using it as a stepping stone to dive after the Rust Devils sheltering inside the ruined bus nearby.

Witchy made it to her hooves first and was crouching over me protectively as she fired her long rifle again, wincing at a scorching pink beam heating up the bloody plates of armor on her flank. She was trying to do what Jade asked, trading places with Val and guarding me as well as she would her chosen Princess...

I felt bad about that, but grateful to the beautiful royal guard knowing she would go so far for Jade too. My prone posture under her let me see a skull faced Ponitron galloping at her from behind and return the favor at least. I wrapped my legs around her middle and rolled with her through the empty doorframe of a burned out bookstore off the street, firing all six .45 rounds from Vengeance and managing to shatter the glass dome and brittle bone of the things head.

"This is not staying out of trouble Fast! The Princess will be furious!!" Witchy's voice reached nearly ultrasonic levels in her panicky anger, keeping my head down below the rubble forcefully and drawing her silver combat rifle in her teeth.

"I won't tell if you won't?!"

The chatter of the elegantly crafted weapon gave me cover to reload my revolver with armor piercing rounds and focus on casting the strongest blast of lightning I could manage. I reeeeeally hoped Sludge put on his boots.... There couldn't be many of the smaller robots left by now, beyond the hulking thing keeping him prisoner. They were still locked on me as the primary target too, unless one of the other raiders out there had given them different orders, meaning they were clustering up, but I'd only get one shot at this.

"You were warned evildoers! Now you face Luna's judgement!"

KRAKA-THOOM!!!

The Shroud's voice hopefully helped spook the remaining Rust Devils, giving me an opportunity to leap out the broken window and unleash a crackling web of electricity from my horn. The robots advancing on our bit of cover jittered and smoked under the onslaught, the blinding bolt leapt from the nearest to the next behind it, ending at the tall and highly conductive machine holding Sludge. Several of the crudely put together machines blew their capacitors in puffs of ozone smelling smoke or spewed flames from their seams.

Silence followed the crack of thunder echoing in the ruins, then the long legged platform thing creaked and groaned, slowly tipping over with Sludge yelping from the cage on the way down. Well, at least he was alive... that went better than expected...

I shouldn't have pushed my magic though... I swayed on my hooves at the drain that made my head spin, stamping a foreleg down to catch myself and trying to cover up the weakness in front of the remaining Rust Devil ponies. Their marks on E.F.S. were still red, even though there were quite a few less of them now and so far they hadn't resumed shooting.

The blast of a double barreled shotgun overhead made me flinch, woozily blinking at the smoking shell of a Sprite-bot peppered with buckshot crashing to the street in front of me. The fizzling little robot had been above apparently, out of the kill zone of the lightning...

Carefully craning my neck back revealed Bruno perched on a streetlight above, flicking open his shotgun with a smirk and reloading with a bored drawl. "Missed one boss! The rest of you fucks, put em up 'fore ya get the same!"

The sound of a lot of weaponry clicking from the walls and windows of Redheart Academy seemed to decide the surviving raiders. The first pair of rusty armored hooves up were the pink ones of Tin Snips, the goggled mare peeking out as the marks on Eyes Forward Sparkle started turning green at her yell. "We give! Er... Surrender even! The n-nice Princess pony takes surrender, right?!"

Witchy had run out and stamped a hoof beside me, unobtrusively letting me lean against her as she chirped angrily and took over. "Princess Jade is a noble and kind ruler who shows mercy, thou should consider yourselves lucky for that! Throw down thine weapons and come out!"

Sludge's pained yell from the smoking ruin of his prison broke the remaining tension, letting me relax and try to stay standing as the Minutemares galloped out and started disarming the raiders. "Wonderful, now somepony get me outta this damn thing already!!! Feel like I just made out with a light socket!"

"Attention, ponies of the Commonwealth! I, the Mechanamare, have come from Equestria's golden past to bring about an age of peace in the present. Do not be alarmed. These robots are your allies, your protectors, and they will not rest until the Commonwealth is saved. Together we will restore justice and bring about the dawn of a new age in Equestria."

--oOo--

Sitting on a crumbling stone bench in the courtyard of the Academy before our gaggle of bound Rust Devil prisoners, I listened to the bizarre holotape Tin Snips had hoofed over incredulously. Jade's Followers were providing healing to everyone, including the tech savvy raiders, making the survivors fairly cooperative as a light peach nurse bound their remaining wounds.

The Mechanamare? Like... the villain / reformed villain in the Shrouded Stallion comics? The robot themed character certainly seemed like something right up these kook's alley, but they actually expected to find her here? She was a character... not a real pony. Well... I supposed I didn't have room to talk, but still...

"This was who you were after then? Somepony's actually going around calling themselves the Mechanamare?"

The hogtied filly blinking through her goggles at me answered concisely, and a little bitterly when talking about the idiot leader she had replaced. "Yeah... It was a miscommunication Mr. Shroud... We caught the bet welcher Sludge and was gonna take him back to the Downs, then he heard Jagged ranting about a comic book pony and you saw where it ended up... Stupid bastard didn't take any of the stories seriously. May said not ta go pokin' around you Minutemares until she had more info, but..."

Tin Snips didn't strike me as a typical sadistic or brainless raider from the start, it only took awhile interrogating her to see that impression was accurate. Now that the thug Jagged formerly in charge of their crew was nearly dead from blood loss, she was the spokesmare for all of them and had clearly been the one actually making things run for awhile anyway.

"But that asshole decided to come pick a fight anyway, huh?" I jerked my head to the prone, pale and three legged form of Jagged nearby.

It was only thanks to the compassionate ideals and efforts of Jade's Followers he wasn't dead in the gutter, but he wasn't going to be jabbing anypony else with that foreleg rotting out there in his place. Tin glared at him and nodded, her expression under the dirty blonde dreadlocks tied by bolts and screws making it pretty clear she agreed with me and Bruno keeping his shotgun trained on the unconscious buck when it came to his survival.

"Yeah... Fucking moron, I tried to tell him. Last we heard that Mechanamare bitch is way up north, not down here. You really are him though, aren't you? The real Shrouded Stallion from the radio? Brats playing dress up don't have wings and a horn both... So? W-What are you gonna do with us? If you're goin' through the trouble of healing us, I'm kinda hoping it's not just so the torture hurts worse..." Tin sighed bitterly, shrugging at their helpless situation but thinking clearly and logically.

"No, no torture." I replied and rubbed the spike of pain between my eyes, ignoring the mutter in my head wanting to do exactly that. "Usually Princess Jade would deal with ponies like you and ask you to be better, since she's not here right now, you're stuck with me though. I want to do what she'd say, I really am trying... but how much of a problem are you going to be if I do? Tell me about yourself and this weird gang of yours Miss Snips, give me a reason not to kill you."

"Aw just pop the lot of em boss! They're just gonna come back if ya let em go! You goofy ponies can't be this stupid!" Bruno screeched before she could answer, reminding me of Val in his exasperated tantrum.

"Quiet kid. You wanted to play Minutemare, this is the kinda thing you'd have to do if you did join them."

Witchy nodded along with my terse warning to the flabbergasted griffon, chirping earnestly to the gaggle of prisoners. "Fast is right, Princess Jade is a proper example of nobility and grace. Those who hath surrendered under her banner of mercy receive it. If thou really wishes to join their number Bruno, you should accept it."

Watching the back and forth suspiciously, Tin Snips hesitantly answered after some thought. "What'dya wanna know? I mean, we ain't a bunch of dumbass raiders... except screwheads like Jagged there. We're... entrepreneurs... salvagin' robots and junk, explorin' old ruins ta find it, lots of stuff. Jagged was a dumbass, but I gots a degree from U.P. for Celestia's sake! We run Easy Filly Downs across the river, that's why we snatched the weasel there, he owes us caps for bets he put down himself, we didn't force him."

"D-Don't ya listen Mr. Fast! Them Rust Devils ain't much above raiders, no matter her fancy speechifyin'! If'n somepony's got some piece o' robot junk they want enough, they'll come an' take it if they can. Run protection rackets all over these parts and roam up an' down the coast lookin' fer tech!" Sludge hollered from his safe spot well behind me, his broken and bloody muzzle being tended by a frustrated purple nurse trying to make him hold still.

"But you do owe them caps, don't you Sludge?" By his wince when I asked, I assumed that much was true and groaned, returning to Tin and tapping my chin. "I meant what I tried to tell your idiot leader. I'll cover his debts if you leave him alone from now on. I'm even willing to chalk this up to what you said, a misunderstanding... We don't know much about this area, just like you didn't know about us. But now that you know better, I expect to have my warning followed. Anywhere under the protection of the Kingdom of Sanctuary is just that, protected... If you show up for anything but legitimate business, you'll be treated as raiders. Any settlement under those flags is off limits, no bullying or extortion, no stealing, no killing, no nothing..."

Tin Snips followed my glance to the twin flags of the Minutemares and Followers flapping above Redheart Academy. She gave an evasive look under my raised eyebrow waiting for her reply, seeming to decide honesty was the best option. "I don't speak for our boss... I'll relay the message, i-if you let us go back to give it, but it's up to May Flowers. You wanna talk to her, she's back at the Downs. Is that it?"

"Hmm... not quite. First off, if you really do salvage tech from all over... there's some stuff I'm looking for. Would I be able to go to this... Easy Filly Downs of yours and buy what I want if you have it?"

Tin squinted in surprise, but gave an eager nod in reply. "Buy it or win it at the robot races and fights. We don't turn away caps at the Downs, might not get the best reception with some of our regular customers, but that's your problem."

Interesting... that gave me another potential lead for teleporter parts if I was lucky. That just left one more question that was bothering me. "Ok, last thing then. Who's this Mechanamare you were after and why were you hunting her down? Consider me curious about somepony else playing comic book character running around the Commonwealth."

"Oh... that crazy bitch... Dunno who the hell it is, but she's competition. All these roamin' bands of robots started showing up in the north, going after ruins and salvage in our turf, playing that crazy message from the holotape. Wherever she's getting her bots, our boss wants it and her for fucking with us. She started the fight and guessin' she ain't one of yours if you don't know about her, so that's between us and her. Right?" Tin answered immediately and I couldn't fault her reasoning, it was curious, but wasn't anything I had heard about and didn't have anything to do with us apparently.

When I stood with a wince and drew my knife, Tin Snips' eyes grew fearful for a moment watching the glittering starmetal blade floating towards her legs. It parted the ropes binding her as easily as it had Jagged's leg in this case though, letting her rub her limbs and cautiously stand, looking at my outstretched hoof dubiously.

"Fine. Glitter, count out the caps for Mr. Barrel's debts if you would sweetie. The Minutemares will escort you to the river and give your guns back there, after the Followers are done healing you Miss Snips. The robots that attacked us are spoils of war though, if your boss is mad about those, tell her to blame Jagged for pissing me off. Deal?"

Tin Snips' hoof met mine in a curt shake, looking relieved enough at a way out of here alive to not complain about me claiming all their toys. That mobile tool platform of theirs especially was something I could use, a way to speed up repairs and fortifications to the new settlement I had an idea it would need just in case Tin's leader was as stupid as her underling Jagged. Hopefully the mare in charge of the Rust Devils across the river was more reasonable like Tin herself, but I wanted to be ready if she wasn't.

I barely sealed the deal with Tin and put away my knife, when a blast of numbing magic hit me and I flopped to the ground like a limp noodle, the Rust Devils, Minutemares, Followers, griffons and all my friends spinning to the booming goddess voice screaming from the gates. "FAST! I TOLD YOU TO BEHAVE YOURSELF! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!"

Rolling an eye her way, I could just spot Jade galloping in with her eyes blazing under her soft and recently groomed mane, Swan and Val chasing after her looking disappointed they missed all the excitement. She sounded pissed alright... justifiably I guessed after returning from what looked like a relaxing day in University Point and finding a warzone outside, but she didn't have to just tranquilize me out of hoof like that...

Witchy squeaked and ran to her anxiously, rapidly chattering in her high pitched voice and trying to explain the scene she walked in on, while Glitter giggled over me, booping my numb nose with a lilting tease. "Ooooooh daddy... You're in troub-uuuuull!"

---------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------

Chain Lightning----------
---Your further arcane studies and skill with the Lightning school of magic have improved your control over your signature spells. Your lightning strike spells now have a chance of leap from one target to the next, up to three times, for 20% less damage per jump. The odds of doing so increase when used against robots, power armor and targets wearing a significant amount of normal metal armor.

Reputation Change!------------

Rust Devils -- Merciful Thug
----This gang may be smarter than your average raider, but they're not far removed. Individual bands roaming the wastes may be more or less hostile, depending on the situation and members, while the leadership in larger camps like Easy Filly Downs should at least initially allow you in. Watch your back and be glad you're not the mysterious and vilified Mechanamare.

Ch. 92-- Rockets' Red Glare

"Growing up, I never thought I'd be the best at anything, because nopony ever told me."

Considering how many letters I had to go out all over the Commonwealth after my forced break to recover, going to the source of the Red Rocket couriers crossed two things off my list as they were another group to attempt to win as an ally in the area. The day was blustery and cold, according to the foal bundled up on my back anyway, but dry despite the grey clouds and a nice enough trip to work all the kinks out of my wings.

I kept looking to the north as we approached the sea, easily able to spot the dark shape of Castle Equinox perched on its cliffs. We'd have to go back soon, Fancy was waiting there and the moon last night had been waning. Her demand I come help her find Neighson before the new moon still weighed on me, but we still had time and dealing with University Point and all the various groups and problems in the area took precedence for now.

The fortified ruins far to the south I could just make out were the main reason. According to my pip-buck map, the cluster of crumbling buildings in the shadow of a large section of elevated road and railway was the settlement of Whinny. Formerly the home of old friends like Sturges, Mama Xara, Long Jump, Cloudy Sun and their colt Short Stack back in Sanctuary. Whinny was now under the control of the Gunners, a hoofhold in this part of the southern Commonwealth they were spreading their influence from. Also a hidden relay to the Institute if I wasn't wrong... where they were getting more of their weapons and equipment.

University Point being both a powerful and neutral party in this part of the Commonwealth had kept them from coming any further, but I didn't expect that to last. The Gunners would get greedy, or the Institute would rot U.P. from the inside out. The smarty-ponies were between us and them and something would have to give.

From what I had learned about the ruins directly ahead of us, the Arcano-Cats were one of the major hurdles that kept the Gunners back so far. Val filled us in before we left with what she knew, and Witchy was surprisingly knowledgeable about them too, chatting with Jade like it was a topic they had discussed previously as we flew to meet them. The strange group sounded like a cross between one of the gangs of glorified and thematic raiders in the Commonwealth and a company of heroes, depending who you asked. We'd met the elderly Dashite that started both the Arcano-Cats and the Red Rocket couriers and old Burny Jets was a nice enough buck, especially for technically being one of Diamond City's 'nobility', so I had my hopes up anyway.

"Daddy look! Cloud buildings!" Glitter's bright yell focused my attention on our destination, getting a good look at the narrow peninsula of land jutting out into the sea and the settlement on it.

By far the biggest and brightest point of focus was the largest Red Rocket filling station I had ever seen. The eponymous rocket sign was a crimson beacon in the gloom that towered over the sprawling facility. Unlike most we had seen before, it didn't seem very open to the public, surrounded by reinforced fencing that marked it as more of a part of the small skyport stretching out towards the waves.

On that side of the barricades, there were rusty hangars and barracks buildings, bright shipping containers moved and stacked atop each other, a wide aerial training course of loops and flags by the long runways, and just as Glitter pointed out there were quite a few cloud ruins floating over it all.

"How resourceful! They appear to have done much the same as we saw in Diamond City and put all the cloud ruins floating empty in the skies of the Commonwealth to use. Is this solely a pegasus settlement Valkyrie?" Jade flapped sedately along beside us, peering down at the strange town and clopping her forehooves together in excitement.

"Meh, not totally. Lots of other kinds of you ponies and a few griffons, same as with the Cats themselves. The town won't budge without their local heroes' say so neither, so they're who ya gotta impress Blue." Val shrugged as she looped around us lazily.

Witchy kept shooting anxious glances down the shore to the south and the leaning wreck of Dreadnot, keeping Jade between her and it to hide it from her view, or her from it... She did seem to shake off her nerves and chime in at least, nodding along with Val. "Valkyrie is right Princess. The defenders of Rocketburg are strange... but valiant and well loved in their way, as well as very strong. They would make powerful allies with all their wonderful power armor, but will prove difficult to convince."

Putting on a determined expression and adjusting her tiara, Jade whinnied nervously. "We must put our best hoof forward then. If they are deserving of the faith the townsponies put in them, I am sure we will get along marvelously."

"Jade's right, if they're good I'm sure we'll be friends. I hope so anyway, I really need that dish down there..." I agreed with the blue beauty hoping to encourage her and myself, pointing down at the ruined satellite dishes on the roof of one of the larger buildings.

They looked dead and dark, but were just the thing required for Dr. Vigil's weird teleporter plans. Though getting them out of here even if we could convince them would take some doing, making me idly look over to Swan flitting around in the ruins below looking for something to smash. The big filly was still taller than Jade, but had seemed to settle on that being an acceptable size instead of her normal giant state. While I was glad to see her finally getting comfortable closer to normal pony scale, I didn't think she'd mind growing into a super alicorn to carry the big dishes away if I asked, so that was one problem solved.

Eyeing the teleporter components closely as we approached, I was totally taken by surprise by a brilliant crimson blur streaking by, left spinning like a top by the contrail left behind to Glitter's ecstatic squeals of laughter over the dizzying ride. I barely caught a shout of, "Move it slowpoke!" as they shot by, shaking my spinning eyes straight and focusing on the fiery streak.

It was a pegasus, that much was clear even struggling to follow their rocketing course. One wearing a strange suit of Shadowbolt armor too, the standard black finish was red, decorated with flames and the gleam of chrome in the dim light. Though details were too hard to focus on with the way they blasted past us and towards the towering Red Rocket.

The reason for their haste became clear soon enough, the howl of a green Vertibuck piercing the cloud layer above and diving on the settlement drew our eye to the specks moving around on the ground and in the air. Gunners... don't tell me we were too late!

"Jade! Take Glitter, we gotta try to help them!" My shout was enough for the foal to be instantly floated from my back, up to Jade and her blue shield lighting up around her.

With Witchy loyally staying at her side, I flapped forward for all I was worth, still falling behind Swan, Val and Zed taking point ahead of me. As we drew closer, I could make out more details and tried to see where we could help. The Gunner Vertibuck wasn't the only attacker, there was a full squad down on the ground led by power armored ponies, while several griffons and even a few pegasi in Gunner green were engaged with the defenders swarming the airborne vehicle.

Even knowing the Arcano-Cats were renowned for their knowledge of power armor, it was a surprise seeing so many modified suits flying and charging out of the huge garage. None of them were standard, there was a lot of personalization in the souped up suits, at least making them easily distinguishable from the Gunners.

Since I wasn't going to reach the battle before Val and Zed already swooping ahead, let alone Swan whooping and slinging spells, I raised the Last Minute and peered through the scope, trying to line up a shot on the armored pilots compartment of the Vertibuck as the gauss rifle whined to full charge. The old military vehicle moved gracefully, pouring down 5mm rounds and nearly hitting the garage with a battery of missiles fwooshing out, only kept from doing damage by a blue power armored griffon smashing into the bottom of the darting Vertibuck and forcibly shoving it off target.

When it lurched back from the hit, the glass dome of the pilot's harness came into the scope and I fired, spotting the spiderweb of cracks magically appearing in the reinforced glass around the round, dark hole right where the pilot should be. I either got him or hit something vital, the whole machine shuddered and listed in the air, the slow motion crash headed safely for the shore at least.

With the biggest threat out of the air, I dove for the ground where I was actually a threat, abandoning the skies to Val screeching as she lobbed 25mm grenades around with reckless abandon. When my hooves touched the cracked asphalt, my lightning walking spell let me charge into the fray and catch up with Zed, mercilessly pounding enemies with his hooves and clearing the way.

The Terrible Shotgun dropped a pair of combat armored Gunners making a dash for the chainlink gates thanks to S.A.T.S.. Though a stream of blue magical energy beams made me skid and trip trying to avoid the barrage from a Gunner griffon overhead, quickly adjusting to the new combatants and finding me a more desirable target by the shouted orders I could just hear.

Before I righted my pinwheeling course, a brick wall with hooves stopped me. A green power armor suit had followed the griffon's orders and intercepted me, hitting me with an augmented buck of steel hooves that completely stopped all forward momentum and sent me sailing back to smash into a leaning light pole.

The power armored Gunner spun and charged before I got my wind back, bearing down on me wheezing on the ground and shakily trying to aim Vengeance at the tiny eyeports. Just before I got trampled however, a gleaming suit of Steel Ranger armor smashed into the galloping enemy from the side, throwing him off course and grappling with him as flames poured out of his battlesaddle, roasting the Gunner inside the suit with a wild whoop.

Stumbling back to my hooves and finding the strange Arcano-Cats well capable of mopping up the rest, I goggled up to my savior, cataloging the bizarre power armor he wore curiously. It was shinier than most, the silvery steel plates polished to a mirror sheen, augmented with lots of chrome and flames painted up the legs and flanks. There was an odd little patch of a cat on a balefire mushroom cloud bolted to the chest, while completely superfluous exhaust pipes sprouted from the helmet like antlers, puffing smoke and flames. The helmet marked it as a T-55 or so, but the eyeports were covered by a pair of welded on sunglasses.

"Nice shot Daddy-O, but not so hot landing. I think between that big pussycat you brought and us, we got these chumps, don't have a brahmim 'bout it." The weird power armor tromped up and spoke in odd slang, waving out to Swan pouncing on survivors wherever she found them, leaving me to blink up to the chocolate brown earth pony when the helmet slid back.

As things died down, there was a lot of cheering coming from the cloud ruins above, local pegasi fluttering out and doing loops to celebrate like none of this was a big deal. The ground combatants coming out of cover near the gates all wore black leather jackets adorned with the same patch I spotted on the armor, the bucks wore tattered denim and dirty white shirts, while the mares seemed to favor frilly dresses that contrasted with the jackets. Their manes and tails were even styled to match the odd theme, lots of stallion's with manes slicked back with grease and mares with curled and poofy manestyles accented with bows or clips.

The buck that saved me was the same under his helmet, a shiny ducktail of orange mane and a scruffy goatee'd muzzle he popped a cigarette into, lighting the tip with the glowing exhaust pipes on the helmet at his back and grinning at his crew and ours coming together outside their fortress of a Red Rocket garage. Jade landing beside me and Glitter dashing off her back to eagerly introduce us got their attention and the Arcano-Cats began gathering around us with murmurs of interest.

I was glad our little ambassador of cuteness and Princess were up to making manners, goggling at them as Jade held a hoof out to each armored greaser pony coming up to meet her. Most of my attention was taken up by the power armor... Each suit was totally different than the others, lovingly cared for, modified, painted and souped up by very talented techs.

The candy apple red suit of Shadowbolt armor that blasted by us was apparently the leader, a rich red pegasus buck with a slick yellow mane was behind the helmet, drifting down and swishing the scorpion tail of his suit as he trotted up to Jade and took her hoof, planting a smarmy kiss on it that made a jealous flare light up as I watched.

"Oh ho, dig the royal kitten comin' to visit boys, we heard the famous Princess had a classy chassis, but whoooo-wee! Crazy! Please tell me you're here for a little back seat bingo sweetness!" The -grudgingly handsome- stallion fawned over Jade's hoof, turning her cheeks a bright pink while I glared.

Thankfully, a mare wearing a glossy lilac T-45 with a pair of grenade launchers broke them apart before I could, flank checking the lighter pegasus away and shaking her matching mane, hiding the red faced glower on her periwinkle cheeks. "Ay, ay, ay! Quit slobberin' all over her Zeke! Go buzz off and write her a ballad or something flutter bum! Sorry Princess, not all of us have got class or sophistication, but Zeke's hep and the big daddy around here. I'm Rowdy, dig meetin' the famous Princess of the Commonwealth and her crew, who's the lil' ankle biter?"

"O-Oh, a pleasure to meet you as well Miss Rowdy. This is my daughter Platinum Glitter, w-who is obviously very excited to meet you as well. We have heard many good things about the noble Arcano-Cats." Jade returned the smirking earth pony mare's steel clad hoofbump, trying to corral Glitter from dashing between the multicolored suits of armor and climbing on them.

"Woooo! Forget the squirt, cast your peepers on the compact dreamboat Rowdy! It's the Shrouded Stallion guy!" A brilliantly pink pegasus mare zipped overhead and peered down at me adjusting my hat, shaking her ponytailed purple and white mane free from the helmet of her neon pink armor to flutter her long eyelashes at me.

While I was following the crackling pink magical energy tip to her tail (and totally not the gleaming armored flanks it was attached to), Swan landed with a thump behind me, curling a wing over my back and grumbling at the smaller mare flittering around with a playful giggle. "Go away flirty pony... find me more Gunners to smash... Fast look! That pony has horns! I want them..."

Even the large earth pony buck who saved me looked intimidated at Swan's pointing hoof focused on his weird antlered helmet. He did manage to give an uneasy grin and nod to her yak horned cutie mark showing under her short pink skirt though, daring to flirt with the big filly greedily eyeing his flaming horns. "N-Name's Moose pussycat, don't mind lettin' you try em out, see you got a thing for horns huh? Not often I meet a filly taller than me sweet stuff..."

Jade looked relieved at her sister shooing away the cute pink mare tinkling laughter, smirking at Swan curiously blinking at this Moose pony and ignoring his advances. She turned back to the group with a warm smile, but was cut off by a large blue griffon in matching armor pushing past her. I hadn't seen a lot of griffon suits of power armor, but I doubted many had so many fins and bits of chrome.

It kept the tank like vibe of a mass of metal too heavy for a pegasus pilot I had seen in a more standard Gunner griffon suit, the wickedly augmented claws dug into the asphalt before retracting with a click as he tromped up to Val. "So, the big, bad traitor... What brings you to Nowheresville red? Interested in a personal fitting? How about you ditch the pony cubed boss and come on in to the passion pit?"

Val's deft claws shot out and hooked in his beaked nostrils before either of us were sure of what happened, the hefty male griffon rapidly backpedaling as she lifted his face with her claws and pushed. "Piss off... Boss ain't no square, might be a nerd, but he's my nerd, got it?"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Got it!" The bright griffon, actually named Bluejay by the snickers of the others, backpedaled and nodded as far as Val allowed around her claws.

Witchy surprised me by joining in at Val's side, looking up in thought before chirping in an even more bizarre mix of their slang and her own formal wording. "Thou should all j-just... pump the brakes! Fast is no square, he and the Princess are the most, totally subterranean er... cats thou could hope to meet. Unless thou are cruisin' for a bruisin', put an egg in thine fancy shoes and beat it. Dig?"

"Woooo... batty's got fangs and can wail! What's your tale nightingale?" The hovering pegasus Zeke spoke up while I gaped, giving the flustered batpony a leer she didn't look to interpret properly again.

"Umm... Val? Witchy? You guys speak this language?"

"How fascinating! You speak an entirely different regional dialect Witching dear? Could you perhaps teach me? Wherever did you learn?" Jade was entirely focused on learning something new, prancing beside her blushing royal guard eagerly.

Witchy looked a little bothered, but shrugged with a bashful smile to her Princess. "I... My father taught me your highness. Have no fear, I shall proudly translate and it would be my honor to teach what I remember. As I discussed with you before though, it... has been many years."

Prowling back to my confused question, Val lashed her tail at the griffon rubbing his beak and grimacing at his friends' laughter, giving affectionate noogies while her violet eyes remained narrowed at the bright blue and white griffon, apparently in some kind of claiming gesture going over my head. "I speak a little of the lingo too, yeah boss. I told ya, they're cooler than you. So fair warnin' ya scrubs, nobody gives boss the business or calls him square."

"Easy, easy sugar feathers! We're all friends here, yeah? Great Grandpa gave us the scoop on you cats and figured you'd roll in to our turf eventually. C'mon in to the pad and shoot the breeze huh? After you Princess..." The slick red pegasus Zeke did a bow and swept his foreleg to the Red Rocket garage behind him, grinning up to Jade finally collecting Glitter and giving a pleased little whinny to the invitation.

"Ah, yes, wonderful! Thank you for your gracious hospitality Mr. Zeke. By Great Grandfather, am I to understand you are related to Burny Jets in Diamond City?" At least Jade was oblivious to his flirting, smiling brightly and trotting through the gates beside him, while I trudged and glared at his fancy armored tail.

"Sure am kitty cat, handle's technically Rocket the fifth, but I ain't down for the whole dynasty gig. Just Zeke is fine by me, ain't sellin' out and joinin' the establishment any time soon. Not when we're havin' a gas and a half knockin' these Gunner mooks around, or gettin' bee-E-A-uuuuutiful Princesses droppin' by for a cup of sugar! Come on into our parlor and sit a spell." Zeke kept laying it on, though was at least being informative as we all followed the two leaders inside.

Knowing he was another of Burny Jets' many grandfoals helped in putting up with Zeke's flirting, for awhile anyway... The dismissive wave of an armored wing he gave on our way to a tall, square office building behind the Red Rocket helped understand the layout a bit better too. My pip-buck blinked first with; Location Discovered: Red Rocket Skyport Station, then again with Location Discovered: Red Rocket Headquarters.

By the postal hat and bag wearing pegasi I saw coming and going from the multiple gaps in the walls of office building, I was guessing that was where to go to send out my letters. The station itself was an actual garage as it was originally, and the hangout of the Arcano-Cats gang.

Their invite wasn't exactly a royal summit to speak with the Princess of the Commonwealth. The armored members parked their impressive rigs in a row of power armor workstations lining the garage, grabbing their individual leather jackets as they stepped out and lazily strolling out the back door, grabbing beers from a chugging old Sparkle Cola machine by the door, chatting breezily in their odd slang the whole time.

The junkyard of shacks, workbenches, spare parts, half repaired carriages, wrecked vertibuck husks, private trailers and lawn furniture just outside was their little court apparently. They each plopped down to what looked like well worn seats or perches, all arrayed around the overstuffed Lay-Z-Buck recliner under a bleached beach umbrella that Zeke landed in with a poof of cloudstuffing.

An admitedly awesome toss of an empty bottle behind his head kicked the jukebox in the hangar garage nearby on, blasting out a catchy tune as Zeke leaned back to speak. "So, the rockin' Princess herself... Here to ask us outsiders ta join up with the man. Amiright?"

"Man? I am not a man, what does that word mean? Witching?" Jade blanched as I did at the funny lingo, turning to Witchy with a curious look, always eager to learn a new word.

Zeke answered before Witchy could, tossing his hooves up behind him. "THE man, the fuzz, the establishment! Law and order, paperwork, rules and permits! Now we love having cute guests chickenwing, but us Arcano-Cats ain't joiners, we're rebels man!"

"Again? Am I the man, or man? I do not think I am the man, should that mean what you initially described... While we are for law and order, we do not wish for anything as negative as you make out Mr. Zeke. Wherever did you learn such a malleable term? I am afraid I am a tad slow to follow... you are not making fun, are you?" Jade squinted at the exasperated buck suspiciously.

This time Witchy was allowed to translate proudly. "Two different definitions your highness. He means it in a friendly manner the second time... tis very old slang."

"It's the words of the heppest of cats back in the way back machine fluffy ears, the words of the Dude!" Zeke snorted from his throne proudly, pointing to a faded poster for Letrotski's Lanes and the shaggy stallion pictured there.

"For the love of... Enough with the foreign language! May as well be doing this in old ponish! We're here to be serious dammit, we need your help and want to be allies. And I want that dish up there! And stop looking at my wife's flanks!"

The Arcano-Cat crew blinked at my snorting tantrum, pausing at the Shroud's voice coming out, then rolling in laughter, only making that angry hiss rise up more. Luckily the earth pony mare Rowdy answered first, wiping her eyes and nearly nudging the cackling Zeke out of his seat. "Behave Junior, no reason to piss em off, your granddaddy ain't gonna be happy."

"Yeah, well... he ain't the big daddy around here no more, is he? A-And don't call me Junior!" Zeke huffed back, fluttering his way back in his seat and shrugging with an easy grin. "Alright, alright... Zero perspiration Shroud buddy, didn't know you two was circled. Gettin' back where the rubber meets the road, you want our help and our great big dish thing... Why the hell you want that anyway? I mean, it's not really doing anything, just adds to the vibe little daddy."

"L-Little!?" I was rapidly getting to dislike this smarmy buck...

Zeke leaned over from his perch and tugged his mirrored sunglasses down his muzzle with a smirk, nodding to Glitter cuddling at my side. "Little Daddy... the little monster's yours, right? Ain't no Big Daddy, cause that's me around here, but you can have that handle. Sound like a winner sweetpea?"

In reply, Glitter stamped her hooves and stuck her chest out, shooting down his slick patter and making me glad she wouldn't fall for a buck like that's wiles for a long time. "Nuh-uh! My daddy is a big hero, not little! An' we want your dish thing! An' your neat armor! An' snack cakes! An'... an' your hat!"

Everyone laughed at the little filly together, breaking a bit of the tension in the gloomy lot. I could see fliers from the Red Rocket Couriers zipping by overhead and watching, along with a few more civilian looking pegasi hovering overhead and totally not looking while they meandered off to do nothing. Everything we had been told seemed true, the funny gang of teens held a lot of sway here. Great...

"Ohmigawd she's too cute! Let's keep her as a mascot Zeke! Just look at dose widdle cheeks!" The bubbly pink pegasus in a bright blue dress under her jacket swooped in and scooped Glitter up, holding her in her lap and squeezing the filly's cheeks teasingly.

Tipping the peaked leather hat to my daughter hovering in front of him, Zeke chortled and settled in on his greasy mane firmly. "This is the Big Daddy hat though short stuff, can't let you have it. Does the pint sized shrewd negotiator have anything to offer? Any reason we should hitch our Highwaymare to your star?"

"Rebels!" Jade spoke up firmly, looking up from working through the back and forth so far now that she found an angle to use, continuing in a breathless rush at Zeke's raised eyebrow. "You say you are rebels? You buck authority? Consider yourselves outsiders?"

"Bingo kittycat, the Arcano-Cats are too cool for school, specially that monstrosity over yonder. Like I said, we'll rebel against whatever you got, dig?" Zeke's firm answer and glare towards University Point didn't look to dissuade her in the slightest, somewhat surprising the buck.

Floating Glitter back down in her magic with a huff, Jade continued primly. "Surely such rebels would be against the ultimate in iron hoofed authority in the Commonwealth then? I cannot see you being fans of the Institute? You are obviously at odds with the Gunners as well, who are a mutual enemy."

"We ain't with the egghead spooks, no. Or those wanna-bes up in squaresville. Little birdies tell us good things about you Princess, but all we want is the open road and sky, a little fun and a little action. Scopes and the keepers in town can see about selling you that dish you want I guess, but we ain't joiners, period." I winced at the finality in Zeke's tone, he didn't like Jade outmaneuvering him in front of his gang and seemed tired of playing with her.

While I was glad to hear we could at least see about buying the wrecked dish, I could tell by Glitter's scowl we were already getting a bad deal. It was junk as far as they were concerned, only valuable because I wanted it... I was getting frustrated at encountering setbacks and apparent failure so soon, so I was glad to hear a rusty old croak of a buck's voice drifting down from the sky.

"He's got a point Princess, Arcano-Cats ain't joiners, that's in the by-laws." The elderly, greying red stallion Burny Jets landed in the middle of us, shaking out his battered old leather vest and chuckling at the awed looks of Zeke's gang as he sidled up to Jade with a grin. "Course that's not to say you can't join them. Then the rules are very clear, a scrap against one is a rumble against all. You bein' a princess and what not, that would mean all your subjects. Howdy again by the way, nice to see a pretty filly like you doing so well since ya told off them noble assholes back in D.C. Miss Jade. I told you they was a nest of snakes."

The whispered murmurs of the Arcano-Cats rose in pitch when Jade lunged into a hug with the funny old buck, squeezing the life out of him in her glee at seeing one of few friendly faces back in Diamond City. "Why yes, yes you did, and you were quite correct Mr. Jets! How wonderful to see you as well! So far from the great green jewel no less, how fortuitous! I imagine I would be well served to heed your advice here as well then?"

"I might know a thing or two, yeah..." Burny chuckled and ruffled Glitter's mane on his way to me next, holding out a hoof in greeting with whispers of 'The Leader of the Flock' spoken in hushed tones by Zeke's crew. "And hello again to you too little filly, Mr. Times, glad to see you're both doing well for an escaped murderer and his pint sized partner in crime."

"Nice to see you too Mr. Jets, I hoped to run into you again, but I thought you'd be in Diamond City."

Burny replied with a derisive snort in reference to his cushy home in the big city, reminding me why I liked him so much on first meeting him. "Pfft! Too crowded and busy with all that 'noble wedding' nonsense, had business down this way anyhoo and heard you folks were in the neighborhood, so thought I'd stretch my wings a bit. I see the griffon and zebra members of your entourage are both alive and well too, you've even managed to add a couple new and very pretty faces. One of your sisters Princess?"

Taking Swan's big hoof in his and kissing it got Swan to snort laughter at the funny old pegasus, nodding cheerily over his exaggerated flirting. "This is a grandpa type pony? Like yours Fast? I like him, he's funny! I'm Swan Mr. Rocket Pony, I like your letter carrying ponies too, they even brought me a letter from Fast once!"

Ending up at Witchy and giving her the same treatment to her bashful squeak, Burny squinted closely at her face a moment, getting a sly and happy look. "And a batpony too! Almost never see living ones out and about, why... been about 20 years for myself, even with them right down the coast! Not to say you all look alike or anything, but you do look a mite familiar, Miss...?"

"H-Hour, umm... W-Witching Hour sir..." Witchy's voice was so quiet and nervous I had to strain to hear her, looking over to the exchange curiously.

Mr. Jet's beaming reaction just confused me more, the old pegasus gave her a warm hug like an old friend, then let the blushing filly go to wheel on Zeke's throne with a satisfied smirk. "Aha! Thought so! See there Junior, even more of a reason to be nice, this here is a legacy member! My, my, my, little Witching... come in, come in all of you, have something you'll want to see especially dearie, but all of you are welcome guests. This way!"

Wilting under Burny's squint, Zeke drummed his hindlegs and crossed his forelegs over his chest, pouting with a petulant whine as Burny turned to trot off happily with Witchy's hoof in his. "Aw c'mon Great Grandpop! I'm the big boss nowadays!"

Glaring back as he led us further out into the skyport facility, Burny whickered impatiently. "And I'm the bigger boss, so shut yer trap Junior. These are my guests, they've put up with enough of your foalishness. Come along and learn something if you want."

Location Discovered: Rocketburg blinked in the corner of my eye as we followed the spry old pegasus across the cracked runway, weaving our way around an impressive obstacle course built behind the Arcano-Cats garage. It had a ground and an aerial course set up in a big loop, full of hurdles, hoops, flame jets and spring loaded traps I gawked at, barely looking up to the floating cloud town that prompted the message.

The fluffy buildings cast a shadow on the ground we wandered under, letting us get a look at all the guide wires holding them together and keeping them from drifting off on the breeze. They were tattered and grey, but still holding their cohesion and clearly lived in by quite a few pegasi settlers.

"So, this is the famous Red Rocket empire you built when exiled from the Grand Pegasus Enclave Mr. Jets? It is very impressive." Jade kept looking up to the buildings, not nearly as impressed as I was with all the old junk and fancy machines here on the ground.

She waved at passing townsfolk with a bright smile, returning to Burny and nodding to the ugly scar in the shape of Rainbow Dash's cutie mark on his flanks he rubbed at absently as he answered. "The Commonwealth was a good place to hide out from those tight assed ninnies back in those days Princess. I'm embarrassed to say I was as bad as these kids back then, loved old world movies, even though watchin' them got me exiled."

"I started all this greaser pony lingo nonsense and the whole rebel lifestyle after leaving the sky, wasn't near so over gettin' booted and branded by the Enclave back then. Most of this came together after they fell though. That Lightbringer chippy created a whole heap of refugees from upstairs, lot of them weren't too welcome for awhile after everything the Enclave did, so we took 'em in and helped show 'em the ropes down here." The old buck held a gentlecoltly hoof out to her and fluttered up to the large offices of the Red Rocket HQ, leading towards the top.

"That was very kind of you, I imagine there were hard feelings on both sides." Jade replied with a light hoof to his back, soothing the gruff tone the old buck spoke about the past in.

"Yeah, well... Got most of my angst and rebellion outta my system when I was Junior's age Princess. Most of these folks were just regular citizens and didn't know nothin'. No reason to take out old hurts on them. I was in a position to help, so I did. Just like I am with you, though I much prefer a pretty Princess to a bunch of stuck up know nothings like those louts were when they came down." Burny ended on a chuckle as he lightly touched down on a junkyard landing pad bolted to the top floor of the building, waggling his bushy brows at Jade to her hearty giggles.

"Can you help us then Mr. Jets? You said something about us joining the Arcano-Cats to get their help?"

Burny trotted down the roughly repaired halls of the offices, giving silent nods to a number of older pegasi and the few other kinds of ponies working here. He ended at an imposing office door bearing his own name in sloppy paint that opened with a key from his old jacket, revealing a wonderland inside that made me gape as he nodded back. "Yup, Junior's right, I don't run the Cats no more, not for a long time. I can tell 'em what I think, but for the help you're looking for, joining up is the way to go. Once you're part of the crew, you always are, the Arcano-Cats will always come to the defense of another Cat. Ain't that right Junior?"

Zeke's whiny reply of, "Yes grandpa..." was mostly ignored by all of us, the private office Burny led us to was much more interesting.

It had the look of a clubhouse of sorts, much like some of the areas around the garage Zeke and his Cats held court. There was a billiard table and jukebox in much better shape, though the old buck's music selection tended toward the smoother and more melodious when he turned the flickering jukebox on. There were lots of tattered Wonderbolt posters on the walls, cushy cloud seating scattered about, along with a buzzing Sparkle Cola and Sunrise Sarsparilla machine both in the corner by a fridge.

Of most interest to all of us was the trophies... By the way Burny fluttered off to sit in the office chair behind his dinged and heavily laden desk, I was guessing this was his little refuge, eager to take the invitation of his waving hoof to look around with the others. While Burny looked to have a lot of interesting bits of burnt armor, robot parts and even monster skulls on the shelves and walls as trophies of his exploits, the real treasures were the suits of custom power armor set up like gleaming statues.

There were about half a dozen on stands around the room, each had a dusty old leather jacket hung on a nameplate nearby, surrounded by faded instant photos in frames. Some of them put the customization of the Cats' suits to shame, brilliantly polished paintjobs in a rainbow of colors, lots of chrome, racing stripes and other ornamentations festooned them all. The streamlined, cherry red Enclave suit standing sentinel behind him was even styled with fins and nosecones, lending the air of a gleaming red rocket to what I guessed was Burny's personal suit.

The skill wasn't just skin deep either, even a cursory look over a banana yellow and black accented T-51 was enough to show how solid the mechanics were. Even the weapons were custom jobs and made Val cluck in appreciation at what looked like a battlesaddle capable of launching railroad spikes.

"Where did you get all this Mr. Jets? It's amazing..."

Laughing at my open drooling, Burny scratched his bristly muzzle with false modesty. "What, these old things? Oh they're just leftovers from old friends, my museum ya know. This place was a Shadowbolt base, they had all kinds of fun toys hidden under the skyport. Took years ta cut through it all and get 'em out, but it gave us the muscle to survive those early years. That's what the Cats was formed for, our first couriers for the Red Rocket service were too tough to mess with. Then when we had more the Cats kept our routes clear, instead of playing around like fools and waiting for enemies to come to them..."

"Haha! You're in trouble!" Glitter giggled at the flinching Zeke, only making his retort more annoyed.

"Everypony knows not to mess with the couriers nowadays grandpa! Doing patrols is boring and... work! We protect our turf and have fun, that's enough for us." Zeke answered with most of his slang abandoned in deference to the old buck.

That wasn't enough to save him from Burny streaking across the room to start whacking him with the pool cue he had been playing with. "No. It's. Not! How many times I gotta tell you, you can't just keep goofing off Junior! You think those Gunners are playing some kinda game with you, but they ain't! They're feelin' you out! We fought off a lot of threats back in my day to build all this, but none of 'em were anything compared to those merc assholes and the Institute hidin' behind 'em. Only way to survive is to work together, so you're giving the Princess a shot dammit!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Quit it! Alright, we'll give her a go, but no rollin' over for the big blue creampie! Lose all my cred if I do, she's gotta get through the initiation like anypony else if she wants to be a Cat!" Zeke retreated across the room in a red blur, hiding behind Jade for protection as she blinked curiously between them.

"Initiation? Witching dear, is that something you know about as well? Please?" Jade tilted her head at the two smaller pegasi chasing each other in circles around her, looking over to Witchy in the corner hopefully.

The thestral mare seemed transfixed by the odd blue-violet and steel half suit in the corner, squeaking when Jade called again and she spun to jabber back an answer. "Oh! Umm... A race I believe your highness. Petitioners must engage in a power armor race. To prove both skill at repairing a suit and piloting it."

"Ugh... I really dislike using power armor... I guess there's a suit at the castle to use, it's an old unicorn suit though, so a ground race is good right?" I answered with a groan as I trotted over to where Witchy was already turning back to the fancy Enclave suit, eyeing the custom job curiously.

"No. Not the Shroud. The Princess is who's wantin' ta join up, she's the one who races." Zeke paused to give a sly answer, though his smirk was smacked off his muzzle as soon as Burny caught up.

"M-Me!? I-I am no power armor pilot or racer! I c-could not! Besides, there is no suit of such armor that would fit me. My Fast is much better at this kind of thing, so if he may take my place as my brave knight we could..." Jade stammered and cringed back to the corner with us, nearly running into the rack holding the weird armor and getting an anxious chirp from Witchy, stopping her before she knocked the armor stand aside.

I kept getting distracted from her distress on getting a better look at what Witchy was so focused on. Underneath was basically another flying Shadowbolt suit of power armor, but the modifications, styling, color... everything about it screamed 'batpony'. The armor plating matched Witchy's own blue steel armor, it was even missing all the pieces she wore like the breastplate, boots and flank plates, while the wing plates were distinctly bat shaped...

"Hmmm... 'fraid so Princess. Everypony knows you've got the Shroud on your side, but if you wanna lead, sometimes you gotta do it from the front. Cats won't respect no prissy Princess what won't get her hooves dirty. Not sayin' you are! Just that this is one of them things you gotta do yourself, outta my hooves. Although I can still meddle and help as much as I want... I'll loan you a suit to fix up, how's that?" Burny smiled and took Jade's hoof in hers, calming her down while joining Witchy and I by the armor.

"Fer free? Wooo.... What we get? What we get? Gimme!" Val pounced to Jade's side and rubbed her claws together in front of the old buck, clutching them in front of his muzzle greedily.

Whatever he was offering didn't look to make his great grandson very happy, Zeke immediately stamped his hooves and shook his head. "Grandpa!! You can't! The A-01 is..."

"Is just rustin' away ta junk with nopony ta fix it, and mine ta loan out if I want anyway! No offense Junior, you and your crew are ace mechanics, but theoretical, unfinished prototypes are a little outta yer league. From what I hear, the Princess' pit crew here just might be up to the task though. It's just a loaner too, if they fix it, we keep it. Dig? Now go get your egghead and take him down to it, beat hooves Junior!"

Zeke stammered and snorted, but sulked out obediently, leaving silence in the room as we all stood behind Witchy peering closely at all the faded photos near the suit of this... 'Peepers' according to the little placard by the abandoned jacket. The fact Witchy knew so much about the Arcano-Cats before we came here, along with Burny's warm reception as a 'legacy member' and his mysterious smile to her now, made the curious itch I felt waiting quietly nearly maddening.

Witchy's voice was tight and cracked a little when she finally spoke, lightly touching the fancy armor's knight styled helmet. "H-He told me it was destroyed..."

"Witching dear? Are you alright? You know this armor? It does look rather similar to your own now that I look at it. Is it..." Jade tilted her head and approached her royal guard, curling a supportive wing over her shaking back and frowning at the tears trembling on Witchy's cheeks.

"Midnight asked me to hold onto it when he went home little Witchy. Said he'd never be able to explain all the modifications to those stiffs back in Dreadnot. He er... hoped to show it to you someday. I'm glad you finally came to see it, though I wish like hell your folks were here too." Burny spoke up with a tired sigh, joining Jade at the thestral's other side and tilting her muzzle up with an affectionate hoof.

With Jade right there to hug the suddenly crying mare, I shifted on my hooves uncomfortably, looking to the framed and faded photo Burny took down to wipe with his wings. He had a misty eyed, nostalgic look holding it up where we could all see, smiling as he continued in a soft croak.

"O-fficiated that shindig myself you know... Even 20 years back I wasn't runnin' things around here, but marryin' folks is one of the perks of bein' the Leader of the Flock around here and this was a special one... Guess you could even call me gramps too if you wanted little Witch, they made me yer godpony when you was born after all. It's... good to see you again sweetheart." Sure enough, there was a handsome thestral stallion and a young beauty of an earth pony mare in the picture Burny held, proudly posing in front of the same suit of batpony power armor with a younger looking Burny between them.

They were all dressed up like the Arcano-Cats, though the mare's dress was fancier than the others and white... while the batpony buck had a clip on bowtie under his leather jacket, while the younger Burny wore a prewar suit under his own jacket. The banner held up by the rowdy crew of past Cats left no doubt, tied to the tail of the power armor along with a lot of tin cans and bottles, reading; 'Just Married'.

While I wanted to be supportive to Witchy, not to mention find out more after learning her parents came from here, were once Arcano-Cats themselves... I wasn't nearly as comforting as Jade was for the poor royal guard, not to mention being a lot more awkward around a crying filly when there wasn't any way I could help. I was surprised and concerned, but forced myself to give her space and left her with Jade, Glitter and Mr. Jets, shooing the others out and leaving them to talk.

Eventually I followed Zeke once he collected his skinny green unicorn friend Scopes and returned, bringing Swan and Val with me to keep them out of trouble and hopefully not too bored. Taking a winding course through the ruined airbase buildings, we wound up at a wall that had been ripped out to clear access to the elevator leading below. The twin symbols for the Ministry of Wartime Technology and the Ministry of Awesome on the sliding doors gave a hint just how secured this path had been originally, the elevator clattered its way down two floors before opening out onto dim steel hallways.

Most of the formerly locked doors passing by had been crudely rewired or torched through over the years, letting us peek in at the leftover scraps of power armor pieces still down here. According to our guides and Burny himself, the old stallion had found all this a few years after being exiled from the sky. A treasure trove that helped him make his mark as one of many bands of adventurers that tried fighting the Institute 50 years ago. When the Night of the Broken Mask ruined any hopes for that, Burny had simply focused on his own little corner of the wasteland, but he had never forgotten.

I guessed that was probably behind his helpful nature where we were concerned, both back in Diamond City and now here. Burny was too old to fight the good fight again, but had been doing what he could to foster others to take up his hopes. The Arcano-Cats were a weird gang, but they knew power armor and how to use it, keeping alive a rare set of skills and acting like wandering knights in this part of the Commonwealth, spreading hope.

Enough years of preparing and the influx of Enclave refugees had bred complacency however. Just from our arrival it was clear the Arcano-Cats were tough, but so far they were all young, idealistic and committed only to guarding the locals for praise and having a good time while doing it.

That attitude was clear enough when Zeke snorted at me pausing to stare into a mostly intact lab, looking over the weird power armor frame still hung from the ceiling and trying to figure out why it only had forelegs, while the hindlegs were part of a long tail of the body. "Hey, pop the clutch buddy, ain't got all day for lollygaggin'. Ain't down here for the old seapony rig."

"Seapony? That's a suit of marine power armor? Neat! Why haven't you done anything with that one?"

"Same reason we ain't messed with the A-01. It's a prototype, not quite ripe yet. Besides, we don't do water races or nothin', so no reason to mess with it." Zeke's dismissive answer and shrug made my eyelid twitch.

"Races!? That's a prototype piece of tech and it's just going to waste down here because you can't RACE IT?"

Reaching the largest door at the end of the long hallway, Zeke leaned against the wall and shook out a cigarette from the pack in his wing, lighting it and blowing a plume of smoke with his answer. "Well, what would you do with it? Paint it black and go scare underwater raiders as the Shrouded Sub? Go looking for legendary Seaquestria?"

Val snickered at Zeke's joke and punched my shoulder. "Don't knock em till ya watched one boss, or joined in. Ain't exactly a lot of entertainment in the wasteland and the Cats put on a good show."

"We do other stuff... The being flashy bit is for street cred too. We have races with those Rust Devil tin cans sometimes for the same reason. It's all about the legend baby, nopony wants to mess with the Cats when we put on a good show to make sure they get why." Zeke shrugged and turned to the green unicorn Scopes working at the door, leaving me to grind my teeth over his casual reply.

Val shoved my hat down with a snort, smirking softly when I looked up from the brim. "Ya know boss, intimidatin' assholes by puttin' on a show? Wearin' costumes and talkin' funny like? Yer right, stupid waste of time, huh buddy?"

"Alright... point taken..." I muttered back and sulked, thinking over her words even though I didn't like them.

She was right, in essence Burny and the Arcano-Cats had done what I did by proclaiming Jade a princess while running around dressed as a comic book character. The outlandish and over the top things stuck with ponies. Who wanted to tell a story around a wasteland campfire about 'generally pretty nice folks who helped out', versus old superheroes or knights in souped up armor saving the day.

Maybe it was just Zeke and the Cats' easygoing attitude that rankled. We were all about the same age and following our ideals, theirs were just largely self absorbed and lazy from what I had seen so far. Not that I was against a good time, but since I left the Stable I had been focused on finding my family, helping Jade, taking care of Glitter and trying to fix things in general. I felt a lot more responsibility than Zeke and his crew seemed to about anything, suddenly making me feel old...

The lab behind the big steel door sliding out of the way lifted my spirits and reignited a bit of my own childish glee however. It was a large space full of fancy equipment, tools and terminals, in the center was a bigger and more complicated power armor workstation, holding together a beautiful bit of armor I ran right for with Swan galloping in at my side.

"Eeeee! A fancy tin can suit for me! I never saw one that would fit before... does it have really awesome guns too? Can I haz it Fast? Oooo! Put those neat horns I tore off that fake yak suit on it for me Fast!" Swan pranced around the suspended suit giddily, standing side by side with it to compare it to herself.

"Whoa! Pump the brakes sweetheart, Grandpa said the blue Princess could borrow it! This is Arcano-Cats property, not a freebie toy to keep!" Zeke yelped trying to cut off the big mare, gulping and backing off when she glared at him for interrupting her fun.

"He's right Swan, this is something special... Sorry, I'll make something out of your horns for you to make up for it though, ok? Just lemme take a look at this thing, maybe you can help test it out while we're fixing it." I whispered quietly trying to soothe her, managing that much before becoming completely consumed by the elegant piece of arcane technology rusting away down here in the dark.

Trotting up to the central workstation in the round room, I did a slow circuit of the armor with her, taking in every detail of the huge suit. Burny was right about that much, looking between a slightly taller Swan and it, I could tell this thing would fit Jade or her alright... Not merely because of the size either, it had both glimmering wings of cobalt blue metal with black, silver and crystalline highlights, along with a hole in the crown shaped helmet for a horn.

It wasn't all put together, I spotted a few more pieces scattered throughout the room in varying stages of completion, but enough was there to figure it out. An alicorn suit of power armor, fit for a princess... The long, somewhat flexible armor plates coming from the flanks even lent it the air of a gown fit for royalty. I'd read of the Institute's contracts to fiddle with power armor back in Fort Haygone and saw a single mention of the A-01 project, but hadn't really thought they'd make the damn thing...

"Pretty sweet huh? We've dug around and figure they were pretty much done, just got hung up on the testing phase. Every few years some wrench jockey like me comes down to play around with it, but without a pilot that can use it, it's a lot of extra trouble than just going with an Enclave or Steel Ranger suit." Zeke's unicorn member Scopes beamed proudly and adjusted his taped together glasses on his muzzle, powering up a few terminals connected to the suit that started providing information I greedily looked over.

"Testing, huh? Ain't never taken this baby up before?" Val poked at the unfinished armor with interest, frowning at the lack of apparent weapons.

In reply, Scopes bucked a whining console into settling out and shrugged with a smile to her. "Well, weren't near as many princesses around way back when, right? Kinda hard to test it out without one of the Goddesses stoppin' on by. They tried with pilots from all three types of ponies and got it mostly worked out, but ain't never run everything at once if you dig it? Ought'a be safe though... I think..."

"Well... Looks like you'll probably get to help test it out with me for sure then Swan. At least I know somepony who has a lot of experience with power armor to help too, just have to get ahold of Summer at the Castle. So umm... one problem at a time I guess. How long do we have to get ready anyway Zeke?"

Having done what his great grandfather ordered, Zeke was already on his way back out, turning back from the door and rolling his eyes. "As long as you need I guess, since Grandpa likes you so much. Normally it would be till the end of the week, we do our big races on the weekends for all the folks in Rocketburg and nearby."

"Alright... The end of the week it is then. I'm sure a few days will be plenty of time to finish and test a prototype piece of arcane technology before sending my pregnant wife out in it... No pressure..."

Since we were originally here to try to win hearts and minds, rather than somehow enter into an insane power armor race, I went through the extra trouble of moving the A-01 and all the gear for it up to the Arcano-Cats garages on the surface, rather than staying in the old Shadowbolt bunkers.

The Cats had plenty of excellent tools to work with and were willing to share space, the process of building a rig to race being part of the application apparently. Once we had a space set up and started going over what we had, I saw the reason for it as individual members would stop by and make suggestions, making me warm up to the strange group. They were a little immature, but they definitely knew their business, teaching me quite a few things about power armor in just a few short exchanges.

Working outside also let the members of our own group wander around and get to know the locals, discretely asking around about University Point and this area of the Commonwealth. Jade took Glitter and a red-eyed, sniffling, but somewhat better looking Witchy up to the cloud town of Rocketburg to introduce herself and make inroads with the small pegasus community. Val ended up taking a bored Swan out touring the obstacle course and other remaining flight training grounds still on the military base with that crazed gleam in her eye, making me shudder at whatever training she was cooking up, while Zed poked around unobtrusively on the grounded portions of the town and the Red Rocket HQ.

Since everyone else was working hard gathering information, I did what I could on that front too while I tinkered. Scopes was a useful font of information once he got talking, he was slow to start and focused on the tech in front of his glasses with a reverence I felt too, but once he got going he said all kinds of interesting things.

The unicorn buck was from University Point itself, the son of a teacher there and grandson of one of the Board of Education. All that pressure to live up to had nearly been too much for him and the freedom of the Cats had opened up his world, putting aside scholarly pursuits to come down here with the 'pegasi punks', much to the chagrin of his family. He offered a unique perspective on the town I listened to attentively, not liking everything I heard.

According to not only Scopes, but the other Cats who wandered by as well, U.P. was not quite the utopia for the enlightened they liked to present. Supporting their eggheaded pursuits took a lot of less skilled labor, just as important as any fancy magic or tech they came up with, but not treated the same. Most of their food came from a place across the bay called Warhorse Homestead for example, a family farm that was used as a test bed for the earth pony agriculture University Point taught. The farmers there were paid, but just enough to get by, taxed for protection from U.P. and for student labor to the point where they were basically beholden to the school town.

Jade, Glitter and Witchy all landed outside just as the lilac earth pony mare named Rowdy was bitterly complaining on the subject, being a former farm hoof and resident there when she was a foal. "Weirdest thing was, the big daddy on the farm Mr. Warhorse never seemed that put out by it, dig? His wife and foals would wag their jaws about the deal, but he always sounded like it was peachy keen."

"The farm across the way there? D-Do thou know much about it Rowdy?" Witchy's hesitant squeak got me to crawl out from under the suspended power armor chassis, noting how curious she seemed about the place.

Jade lightly touched her back in support, giving her a reassuring nod as she spoke. "Ah, yes... We hoped to go visit that farm, anything you could tell us about it would be most helpful Miss Rowdy. Are there many extended families living there over multiple generations?"

Glitter dashed over and landed on my chest before I sat all the way up while Rowdy thought, knocking me back under the huge armor and peering up into the exposed innards as she nuzzled happily, whispering in my ear. "Witchy's family daddy... Her mommy came from that farm place."

When I pushed my way back up and hugged the foal, I was pretty sure her attempt at discretion was appreciated, but ineffective. Witchy's fluffy ears flicked our way and back sharply, her purple mane she hid behind not quite masking her light blush of embarrassment, though she looked up sharply when Rowdy answered the question.

"If I'm pickin' up what you're layin' down Princess, then not many no. The Warhorse's don't go nowhere, but they take in and put out workers as they need 'em. Not so much a town as it is a place to make some caps and catch some Zs for a stretch at a time. Still, they got it a helluva lot better than places like the Whinny Quarries nowadays." Rowdy's reply prompted 'Map Updated' to blink in my vision again.

The new map marker to the south was too close to the larger marker for the town Whinny for comfort, giving me a good idea what she meant before I followed up. "Let me guess... the Gunners?"

"Bingo daddy-o. One reason I'm sure I was right leaving Nowheresville once they took over Whinny. The change in management ain't bothered all the high rollers back home one bit, long as they keep getting their gems." Scopes pulled his head out of a toolbox and scowled in reply, the mention of gems catching even more of my attention.

"Gems? They mine gems there? Like... how many?"

"More than before those military goons took over and started using slave labor to haul em out, that's a fact. U.P. don't care as long as the prices don't change though, all part of 'remaining neutral' blah, blah, blah..." Scopes grumbled back, his angsty tone matching the other cases he had spoken about his hometown.

A source for the gems I needed for Vigil's teleporter was good, but a source I could steal from the Gunners was even better... I only caught myself selfishly focusing on getting what I wanted while making them suffer when Jade gasped, her priorities better centered than the quiet murmur of 'Be Dark...' cajoling me from its sleep in the day.

"Slavery!? T-That is horrible! How could the learned ponies of University Point consort with those who would do such a thing! Continue buying their wares as if nothing was wrong!?" The rare bit of anger in Jade's voice made that angry hiss in my head rise in volume, eager to go do something about it.

"Like Scopes said Princess, Nowheresville don't care how they get the gems they need, long as they get em. They go through a lot too. Was some talk about a rumble when the Gunners took over, worrying about supply and what not. When the green meanies didn't change the prices or terms though, the eggheads suddenly didn't have a problem no more." Rowdy shrugged with a dismissive snort, a look of admiration on her face at Jade's tantrum that was carefully masked.

"Well, we'll see about visiting down that way soon... In the meantime let's focus on nicer ponies around here hon. How's Rocketburg? Did they seem friendly?"

Distracting her helped Jade put aside the clear fury simmering beneath the surface of her blue eyes, shaking her head before sighing and nodding back. "They were, yes Fast. A tad nervous having one of my kind visit after a wing of my sisters showed up some time ago on their hunt for you... but very pleasant. Many were former members of the Arcano-Cats themselves in their youth, while nearly all the foals eagerly look forward to the day they may join your ranks Miss Rowdy. Your gang of knights errant and all of Mr. Jets' work acclimating them to the surface has left them a vibrant and healthy community. T-They are already discussing this ...race... with much anticipation..."

Rowdy laughed heartily at Jade cringing towards the end, giving the big alicorn a friendly shove and smile on her way to a nearby workbench. "Aw, don't sound so yellow Princess, half of bein' in the Cats is all attitude! Gotta be cool and confident! Hey, since you were sayin' you wanna go peep out the Warhorse place, how about you stretch them wings and do me a favor while you're at it? Got this part for their water pump the eggheads ain't bothered to fix for em. Havin' you wing it over to em won't ruin or rep and make us look too much like a charity, dig? Been buggin' Zeke or Roxie to zip it over for a few days already."

Taking in the way Witchy's amber eyes widened hopefully as Jade took the well repaired part from Rowdy, I nudged Glitter up and dusted myself off, floating my armor from the hook on the wall and donning my hat. "That sounds like a great idea actually, gives us a reason to show up and go nosing around, huh hon? There's a couple other places I need to look over too, so we can take a little trip and I'll make sure this pump of theirs is installed right. I'll take Swan with me when we're done there, so we can just teleport back later."

Jade's eyes narrowed for a moment and she tilted her head down at me, sharp enough to catch when I was up to something, but unable to find anything wrong with what I said in this case. She still squinted at my unsteady smile as I fought my wings into my coat, finally sighing with a roll of her eyes and helping me with the uncooperative appendages.

"Very well, so long as you do not push too far Fast... One day of rest is not enough considering the punishment you put your body through. The only thing about this impending race I am happy about is seeing you stop and focus on fixing things again, rather than finding new ways to get hurt. Let us collect the others and make our way there Witching, perhaps we will get lucky and find somepony to help you as well, hmm?" Jade's expression brightened and she trotted out, a beaming and grateful batpony royal guard right on her tail.

If Witchy had roots there, that was one more very good reason to go to the farm and I hoped to find out more myself. As interested as I was in helping the thestral filly though, I had other questions where her people and the other players around here were concerned. Questions I didn't neccessarily want either Jade, Glitter or Witchy herself around for. Taking Swan and Val out for a little snooping was bound to come with less constraints.

Jade might always know when I was up to something, but at least she trusted me to go get into trouble sometimes... The fact she and I could communicate that faith and concern for each other silently made me feel better, even with my darker nature trying to tempt me.

Slavery, gangs like the Rust Devils having free reign, the Gunners on their doorstep without any violence from either side... University Point and this entire area was looking more and more suspect. The kind of answers I needed weren't for a Princess like Jade to dirty her hooves with.

Before we left his domain to explore the area nearby, Burny had one more surprise waiting out on the tarmac of the airfield for our trip. The thestral suit of power armor that belonged to Witchy's father was out of his office and waiting, idly polished by the old buck who waved it to Witchy with a proud grin.

Zeke nearly threw a fit as Burny dragged the surprised batpony over to it, complaining about giving away armor left and right. In this case however, Burny didn't even try to assuage him by saying it was a loaner, instead smacking him upside the head with his hoof and snorting. "Hush up! My museum pieces ain't yours and this one belongs with the filly. Just been holding onto all this time dearie, in you go now, give it a whirl and tell me all about it when you get back, eh?"

I wanted to give Witchy her space and let her discuss both the unique armor and her mother's origins at the farm we were going when she felt like sharing, but I couldn't resist creeping closer as Burny convinced her to step into the armor frame. It was very similar to the insectile black suits of the Enclave I was used to, but different enough to be fascinating. Witchy didn't even have to discard her normal heavy steel armor, it meshed with the gaps in the ancient styled suit perfectly, folding around her and connecting to the pieces she wore seamlessly, like they were made for each other.

After giving gratuitous thanks and blasting off with an overly speedy takeoff, Witchy flew in the lead, occasionally over correcting or lurching as she got used to the armor aiding her flight. Not that I knew anything about the pegasi version of power armor our how to fly in it, but general knowledge of the advanced systems gave me an excuse to stay close and try to help, diagnosing anything that may be wrong with it after sitting in storage for a long time.

The helmet wasn't a bug eyed or steel faced design like other power armor at least, styled more like an ancient suit of Luna's guard, leaving her fluffy ears free and her face visible with the old style visor tilted up. I was glad for those stylistic difference since it let me see her pensive look and darting glances my way as I tried to keep up, filling the silence while she thought with technical jargon.

"It seems like Mr. Jets took good care of that suit anyway Witchy. It sounds like the flight systems are a little out of alignment, but that kind of thing can only be kept up on with regular use I guess. I've never seen a model quite like that one before, how do you like it?"

Banking back and forth with a soft smile, Witchy recognized all the unspoken questions I was holding back on and gave a conflicted sigh. "Tis very nice Fast, thank you. It's called a Knightmare power armor, though I'm not surprised even thou don't know of it. E-Exclusive to the Lunar Guard and not many were ever made..."

"Oh? So it's not just a normal one the Cats fixed up to look like that? That is pretty awesome then Witchy, er... always like learning about new arcano-tech and all... Soooo, do the ponies back in Dreadnot have more of them? You umm... you were saying this one was your dad's?"

Looking back to Jade flying sedately behind us and waving encouragingly with Glitter on her back, Witchy flushed and nodded, pulling a little further ahead of the others and clearly grateful for the privacy and support of her chosen Princess. "T-They have a few back home, yes Fast. Not many though... I... I thought this suit was lost actually... It was my father's, yes..."

Watching her fidget in midair and absently flagging every whine of the armor following her movements, I felt stumped on how to respond. She looked worried and confused, a vulnerable gleam in her wide amber eyes that deepened the longer I just glided along with a stupid look on my face, finally prompting me to blurt something out just to reassure her.

"I guess it's sorta yours then? Isn't it? How'd he get it? And your mom came from this farm too? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I mean we're in your neck of the woods now after all. I umm... s-sorry I never asked too much about your family before Witchy. A-After some of the stuff you said about Dreadnot and you being sworn to secrecy, I figured you'd say if you wanted to... but I should have asked anyway. Sorry... is it anything you can talk about? Or er... want to?"

The sword bladed tail of Witchy's suit swung happily as she perked up, forcing me to dodge back as she gasped and apologized, answering in a somewhat better tone. "I don't mind Fast, tis not a secret I must keep really. It's more... s-shame... or it had been for a long time, now I'm not sure what to think."

"Shame? Is this more about how all those jerks back home treated you Witchy? I swear I'm gonna..."

Interrupting my growl towards the wrecked ship down the southern coast behind us, Witchy reached out with an armored hoof and turned my chin back to her with a grateful smile, shaking her head softly. "A bit yes Fast, but thanks to the Princess and yourself I think I am finally beginning to see past the things I was told to believe blindly. My father was sent out on a mission many years ago in this armor, though he always said it was wrecked and lost. It was one of the few such occasions my people ventured out from their fortress. He told me of his adventure many times, how he met the Arcano-Cats himself and my mother... How they fell in love and I was born... I always enjoyed his stories, tis how I know the Cats' unique manner of speech. Though the others back in Dreadnot viewed his exploits as a mark of dishonor."

"What? Why? He went out when they're all scared to, right? Whatever they wanted him to do, I bet he was the same as you and really brave and honorable. What the hell was their problem with him? Is it more about your mom being an earth pony again?"

I still didn't like that ingrained flinch when I mentioned her mother not being a batpony too, but defending her father as vehemently as I would her looked to help her push it aside. "Partially, yes... Not that they ever met her. My father... after coming out here, he began questioning Dreadnot and our isolation. At first he was stuck and couldn't return, then he went on adventures, made friends, met my mother... He decided he wished to stay out here with her, rather than return and face their recriminations over marrying an outsider."

"So, ummm... what happened? Why would he go back? Take you there to be... be treated like..."

While I started quietly and with concern, every time I thought of how Witchy was treated by her own people a hard edge crept into my voice again. This time it was too closely related to her father though and I caught myself when a sad look crossed her pretty features, clamping down my twitching fangs with a click and waiting hopefully.

"My mother died shortly after I was born Fast. Without her... the outside world wasn't a place he wanted to stay anymore, it all just reminded him of her. He was very sad, but a good father. Dreadnot was a safe place to raise me and he had to do so alone, so he returned home. As descendants of Luna's guard, they couldn't refuse either of us. He tried to protect me from their prejudices and change things from the inside, but he died in an accident when I was still young... so I... made the best of things." Witchy's slitted eyes watered, wiped dry forcefully to focus on the ugly ruins coming up on the shore ahead.

"Oh... I'm really sorry Witchy, he sounds like he loved you a lot. Er... I dunno if it helps or not, but we all love you too. I'm glad you ended up following in his hoofsteps and came out here, became part of our f-family..."

I knew I was making a mess of trying to be comforting, stammering and muttering in the attempt. Witchy had no problem hearing over the wind however, she blinked at me shuffling and tucking my hat low under her surprised and warm look. When she slammed into me and grabbed me in a crushing, power armor assisted midair hug, I yelped and wheezed under the whining servos in her forelegs ratcheting up to excruciating and heading towards lethal.

Thankfully Jade had been unobtrusively listening from behind, catching up and gently pulling me free to Witchy's squeak realizing she was even stronger than normal while wearing her father's armor. "Fast is very right Witching dear. We are all glad to have you as part of this family. With luck perhaps we will find a link to your mother's family as well at the farm below, but even if we do not, you will always have one here."

Glitter cheered giddily from her mother's back in support, beaming at the crimson batpony. "Right Witchy! You're super awesome so I'm happy you gots adopted like I did! All those meanie batponies can just suck it!"

Blushing furiously at the blue alicorn leaning close enough to nuzzle her unarmored cheek after admonishing Glitter for her language, Witchy chirped and lurched in the air in happiness, the armor augmenting her fluttering wings and lighthearted movements. When she settled back into formation for the descent towards the muddy, seaside farm below, she looked much happier and at more at ease. We followed her teary gaze back at everyone else, finding Val, Zed and Swan all nodding their agreement.

"T-Thank you your highness! Fast! E-Everyone... I am very happy as well! For such a long time, I was taught what he did was a dishonor. I even began to think they were right and he was wrong, that he allowed himself to be corrupted by the outside, that I deserved... e-everything, because I was a reminder of his failure... Every time they looked at me, e-every time I saw myself in a mirror, I saw that dishonor and shame... T-To think I even set out to prove myself to Dreadnot and not repeat his mistakes, only to do exactly as he did and finally see why he did so! You are all w-wonderful friends, a wonderful f-family... When I return to Dreadnot, my mission will be complete and I will put it behind me once and for all." Witchy chirped and looped around us, her voice finally rising to her normal squeaky and cheery level as she put some of her sadness behind her.

Making sure I kept up a wide and supportive smile along with all our other friends, I masked the worrisome whispers of 'Be Dark...' making its unwelcome contributions to my thoughts. It was bad enough how the thestrals of Dreadnot had abused Witchy, somehow even worse after seeing her parents wedding photo and the life she might have led out here instead, but that suspicious, angry voice had a nose for foul deeds and planted a very unpleasant thought on hearing more from my batpony friend.

Witchy's life in Dreadnot probably wouldn't have been as bad if she had her father around at least, but her mention of him dying in an 'accident' when she was young stuck in my craw. Maybe it was just unreasonable bias against ponies I'd never met personally, but I somehow doubted it. For once I was willing to listen to that shadowy grumble and added new questions to the long list of things I had to say to the rulers of Dreadnot.

-----------------------------------------------

"Ewwwww... this place stinks Daddy..."

Glitter's appraisal of Warhorse Homestead when we touched down to the muddy shore stuck with me, even after we got used to the smell and the little filly wandered off with Jade and Witchy to ask questions.

It was a small farm built in the ruins of an Aegean Waste Management Industries sewage treatment plant by the rusty signs still hanging near the entrance, thus the actual stink that made me curse my heightened alicorn sense of smell. Not exactly pleasant, but good for the crops so pretty smart actually. Even with the stench of 200 year old shit fouling the air however, more about this place didn't smell right that I thought on as I installed the repaired water pump in the old greywater reservoir.

Beyond the four members of the Warhorse family we met on making an entrance by landing in the middle of the farm, there were about half a dozen farmhooves working in the fields. Plus another half a dozen earth pony 'students' of University Point's agricultural courses and their instructor Mr. String Bean, an older, lanky earth pony who seemed gruff and not nearly as interested in a visiting Princess as his students.

A quick look over the seaside farm was enough to both rouse suspicion and add to the unease I had been feeling about this whole area of the Commonwealth. Sludge Barrel and too many of the new settlers back at Redheart had been thin and malnourished, just like our flock of young griffons from Magpie Roost, making me think food must just be much harder to grow on the coast or under the hoof of the Gunners in general. Flying over the lush crops growing here put that theory to bed however. Even knowing they supplied most of the food for the big town of U.P., there should still be surplus based on just what had yet to be harvested this late in the year.

Not that I was an earth pony farming expert or anything. It really could be the sewage soaked soil, or the seeds, or the expertise of University Point like the family patriarch Roper Warhorse proudly explained as he gave us the gushing tour. I hadn't seen plant life growing so big and healthy outside of the Institute mutated specimens closer to the Flutter Forest though, a fact the paranoid little pony in my head kept pointing out.

I was glad Zed was able to communicate his agreement so well with just a raised eyebrow and jerk of his muzzle, slipping off to go investigate while the rest of us made our introductions. Zed had spent a lot of time with the Flora-Tribe breezies and their gardens back at the Ministry of Peace, making him our expert on the subject. I'd trust whatever he came back to report after pulling his ninja-zebra act and snooping, letting him work in the shadows while we kept the attention on ourselves.

Beyond the amazing crops, the pink mote of 'Awareness!' kept piping up too, cheerily adding to my unease. The Warhorse family was pleasant enough, though Mr. Warhorse seemed slightly off in his proud good humor, especially compared to the rest of his family and the other residents. None of them were unfriendly really, but his family had a habit of nervous laughter in response to us showing up and asking questions, while the workers and students kept their heads down and mouths shut.

Normally a visit from the famous Princess of Sanctuary inspired a more positive reaction, especially from the poor and downtrodden like the workers. While Jade still got a lot of awed looks and starstruck questions, many muttered about not getting involved in 'politics' when she tried to ask for a local perspective on things like University Point, the Gunners and the Arcano-Cats.

Since Jade was mainly focused on helping Witchy however, she paid little mind to the pensive looks and shifting glances I caught. With her rightly concentrating on asking around about the batpony's maternal family, that left me to work on prying information out of Mr. Warhorse's wife June, a practical pale tan mare with a vibrant orange mane and kind yellow eyes, currently trotting back from the family's living quarters in the offices of the complex with a delicious smelling bundle balanced on her back.

Anything other than the stink in the air everypony kept assuring us 'you get used to' was a welcome breath of fresh air, getting me to pull my head out from the pumping station equipment and sniff in her direction curiously. "Almost done Mrs. Warhorse, that smells great!"

The older mare gave a pleased nicker at the compliment, sitting behind me and peering over my shoulder in the small shed. "Thank you Mr. Times, my famous Mutfruit pie is usually a hit. I know those Arcano-Cats like it and it's the least I can do for all their help. You make sure they share with you and that cute filly of yours for doing this little chore now. I would'a made more if I knew they'd rope you folks into it."

"I'm pretty sure Glitter would find a way to get her hooves on a piece no matter what ma'am, but thanks a lot, I'm sure she'll be thrilled. So, the Cats do this kinda thing for you folks a lot? I would think University Point would handle fixes like this instead."

There was a momentary flicker of annoyance that crossed Mrs. Warhorse's face at my probing question, giving a huff and rolling her eyes as she responded. "If it ain't needed to supply their food, those eggheads don't do nothin' for free. Those kids across the bay act like a bunch of selfish layabouts, but they're actually very sweet. A little too concerned about their image, but they're always doing things like this for us."

"They are... a little strange, yeah. I'm glad to hear they're actually so generous, though is the school really that selfish? You sound like you don't care for them too much..."

Another one of those darting glances came when I tried asking about University Point, in this case however, between Val and Swan being bored and lazing around outside the door, there wasn't much chance of June being overheard and she actually answered. "Don't let my husband know, but no... I don't rightly like most of those smarty-pants ponies and their nosing around here. Acting like they own the family farm, instead of just being pushy customers."

"Pushy?"

I tried to keep my voice light and unconcerned, flicking my ear behind me as she sighed and bit her lip. "Roper won't hear anything bad about U.P. Mr. Times, but between them and those kids, I'd take the kids any day. They send their snobby professor out here to tell us how to do our business, force their students to work here and claim that should give them a discount that cuts right to the bone, that Roper happily agreed to I might add... They supply the seeds every season and insist we only use them, which we kinda have to since the pest control potions and plant food they brew up kills any other plants. I mean... the stuff does work, but it all means more discounts. The way those math whizzes figure things, we're lucky we don't end up owing them caps by harvest, and that's only with practically everything going to them. So we don't get ahead and a lot of ponies in these parts go hungry, while that school lives high on the hog..."

Tightening down the last bolts to the water pump, I turned to take in June's frowning face. She sounded like she had things she wanted to get off her chest, getting caught up in her complaining just as soon as somepony gave her a little nudge and listened. Looking back to my curious expression, she seemed to realize she had gone on a rant and over-corrected, stammering in embarrassment tinged with just a glimmer of fear in her eyes.

"Oh! Oh, excuse me Mr. Times, didn't mean to talk your ear off. Roper always says I shouldn't be ungrateful. We do live a comfortable life after all, our foals are safe and fed, raiders don't dare come this way for the most part and monsters are few and far between. I just... remember when things were different around these parts, wish we could do more... Hearing about your Princess out there on the radio got me thinking about looking out for each other, being better and what not. I'm sure Roper and those smart ponies at the school have good reasons... I must sound like such a nag." Mrs. Warhorse gave a nervous laugh and unconvincing smile, shuffling to herself under my serious and interested stare.

Giving the water pump housing a buck to bring it chugging to life eased her anxiety a bit at least, letting me give a bow with my hat to my chest at her clapping hooves and more genuine grin. "No reason to apologize ma'am, I asked didn't I? I'm sure Jade would be really proud to know she's making ponies think, which is never a bad thing. Definitely not something folks should stop doing just because they think other ponies are smarter. You sound pretty damn sharp to me and I'm glad somepony around here is willing to give their unvarnished opinion."

June smiled warmly with a blushing whinny, waving her hoof at my bow. "Aren't you a flatterer Mr. Times. I bet that silver tongue helped woo the Princess!"

"Silver? More like lead ma'am, I'm not sure how I wound up with somepony as wonderful as Jade with the way I usually trip all over it. I just hope we have a marriage as strong as yours. Just out of curiosity, you said things used to be different around here, when did it change? We're trying to make friends and allies in the area, so anything I can learn from such a smart mare would probably help a lot."

June walked back out of the pump house and past Val's protective guard at the doors, looking up to the two large processing tanks to either side and the dribbling leaks springing from the pipes running to the fields and the stone complex. She got that uncertain look again when I spoke about her seemingly happy family, glancing over to Glitter playing with her two foals. The colt Wooly Warhorse was almost my daughter's age, while her filly Janey was a few years older.

Her gaze lingered on her grinning husband guiding Jade and Witchy around and a shadow of doubt flickered in her eyes, quickly shook off when she answered with a shrug. "When that Lightbringer filly opened the sky I s'pose Mr. Times, though pretty much everything changed for everypony then of course. With regular sunshine, we started being able to grow a lot more food. Then those University Point ponies started comin' around and expanding. Though I guess things really took a bad turn when the Gunners took Whinny, lot of folks nervous since then..."

"Hmm... But they haven't attacked University Point or your farm, have they? Any idea why that is?"

"Guess they don't wanna mess with U.P. Mr. Times. They might be stuck up and annoying, but they are pretty powerful and we do supply their food. I might gripe about that arrangement, but I ain't too upset about us being under their protection with those goons around. Of course after they took over Whinny Quarries I started worrying again. Those eggheads figure the gems they mine are just as important as the food we grow, but weren't all that put out when the Gunners took over there. Those folks used to be like neighbors, now they're slaves, just like that... I was very sorry to have to point the Princess and her batpony friend that way I'll tell you." June gave it some thought and answered, ending on a tired sigh and sad look following Jade, Witchy and her husband.

"You did? You knew something about Witchy's mom or her family Mrs. Warhorse?"

She cheered only slightly at the subject, nodding and giving a conflicted smile. "I remember Amethyst Shard, yes Mr. Times. Amy was my age, she worked here a few years when we were both teens and my pa ran the place. We got into all kinds of trouble together before she joined the Cats and tried to keep in touch, one reason I still have a good relationship with those kids. It was so nice seeing her filly and how much she looks like her mother... I felt just awful telling her any family she might have was probably under the hoof of those Gunners in the Quarries.... Amy talked about a sister she always squabbled with, but if she's alive, she's most likely a slave now."

'Slavery... Let me...'

I winced at the stab of pain between my eyes, shaking it off under Mrs. Warhorse's worried look and trying to reassure her. "That is bad ma'am... but at least it's something. Witchy didn't know anything about her mom, so even bad news is news anyway. Thanks for telling her what you could, I bet she'd really like hearing any happy stories you have before we go. We'll just have to see if we can't do anything about those Gunners and the ponies they're using like that. Neither my wife or I exactly approve of slavery or the Gunners anyway."

"Neither do we Mr. Times, glad to hear it. I only hope the Princess and you folks can do something about it, those Gunners are a menace and getting worse. I thank the Goddesses for the Cats just across the bay keepin' them busy and away from us. The Princess' Minutemares up the coast in the castle probably make them think twice too, so I also thank you folks." Mrs. Warhorse nattered worriedly in reply, darting her golden eyes between the visible monuments of University Point to the west, Rocketburg across the water to the southeast and the unseen fortress of Whinny beyond the dark shadow of Dreadnot to the south, then Castle Equinox to the north, showing how in the middle of things they were here.

That explained some of her anxiety when I realized she and her family really were at the mercy of bigger powers around them, but not all of it. The Gunners weren't shy about attacking the Arcano-Cats and Burny's pegasi settlement, but for some reason had left University Point and their holdings alone. Considering the neutral town stood between Castle Equinox and the Gunners base in Whinny, that behavior was pretty suspicious.

Puzzling over all the pieces of information about the area we had learned so far, I nearly missed Mrs. Warhorse waving goodbye as she trotted out to corral the muddy foals. I returned the gesture with a guilty smile, sitting at the edge of the cracked concrete walkways surrounding the waste treatment plant when she left and tapping my chin in thought.

"All done boss? When we gettin' goin'? You said ya wanna go paint the town with me and big stuff? What're we doin'? Please tell me it involves a lil' action, me and Swanny both are gettin' bored..." Val padded up beside me and popped open a beer, slugging it back and asking in hopeful drawl.

"Probably Val, don't worry, I promise we'll find something for you to shoot soon. In the meantime, I need your advice Miss Captain of the Guard and royal military adviser. Would the Gunners really leave University Point alone because they're neutral?"

Val's dismissive snort was enough of an answer to the mostly rhetorical question, though she did puff up her feathers with pride on using the titles she had claimed for herself and elaborated. "Pfft! No boss. Neutral just means weak ta them assholes. They'll roll right over those eggheads ta get to us if they want."

Swan landing beside me and leaning down to nuzzle distracted me from the expected answer, picking up on the tail end of the conversation. "What about those Gunner ponies? Are there some coming? I'm booooooored Fast!"

I gave her a kiss on her nose that made her nicker happily, scratching my chin in thought and realizing it was getting a little bristly. "Apparently not Swan, that's just what I was thinking about. If the Gunners aren't behaving themselves out of respect for U.P.'s neutrality, then why are they Val? Why only attack the Arcano-Cats?"

Val squelched through the mud at my side when I got up to walk and talk, scratching her plumage as she made an educated guess. "They was sendin' crews out ta go after all that power armor and hardware since my day, but never could crack that nut. Course they didn't have Institute help back then. If'n they worked a deal with U.P., then the Cats would be the only speedbump in the neighborhood. "

The former Gunner mercenary's opinion fell in line with my own thoughts, making me gnash my fangs as we trotted through the fields to find Jade as the sun set to the west. The Gunners had been expanding this way for awhile, growing stronger and bolder by the day, but had yet to bring the hammer down on University Point.

Meanwhile the fairly powerful community didn't seem all that bothered by an army gathering on their doorstep, even engaging in trade with a settlement they had enslaved without any compunctions. That alone was enough to make that angry mutter in my head start focusing on our upcoming meeting with the Board of Education, thinking of all the things I wanted to yell in their faces, before driving a hoof through them.

"We'll add the quarries to the list of places to go snoop around once Jade gets going then Val... Maybe we'll pay them a visit, ask some questions for Witchy..."

Val grinned at the growl in my voice, checking her weapons eagerly as we walked through the fields. "Awwwright! 'Bout time we wrecked some more of their shit boss. Was hopin' you wantin' ta sneak off without Blue meant a little of the ol' ultra violence!"

Swan's ears perked up at the covert conversation, bouncing along and burbling happily. "Smashing! Yay!! Finally! Will there be lots? Will they have more of those stupid tanks or verti-thingys Fast? What's a quarry anyway? Can we go now? Let's tell sister to go already so we can have fun! I wanna..."

A gunshot echoing down the shore interrupted her, instantly blowing away my brooding thoughts as I lurched up in the air, looking around for both where it came from and where Jade was. The realization they were in the same direction sent me soaring that way in a panic, flying over the heads of the farm workers running away from the commotion.

There was still a small crowd where I crashed to a landing in front of Jade, joining Witchy trying to guard her from the muddy brown stallion holding a shaking shotgun in his mouth. At least the weapon wasn't pointed at the kind Princess holding her hooves up for peace, but she was trying to defuse the situation by getting between the pony I recognized as the farm forebuck Till Soil I briefly met and a nervous looking Mr. Warhorse.

"Calm down sir... it is alright, there is no need for violence..." Jade spoke soothingly, hiding her clear anxiety and momentary look of relief when I stumbled to a halt at her hooves with Val and Swan right behind me.

Mr. Soil looked strangely happy to see me too, especially odd as I immediately drew Vengeance and aimed it at him as the only pony with a gun. His voice still sounded a little manic and understandably concerned at all the firepower aimed his way between me, Val, Witchy and Swan pawing the muddy ground with her horn glowing. He kept his double barreled shotgun aimed at Mr. Warhorse however, trying to circle around Jade to get a clear shot.

Taking in the frightened looks of Mrs. Warhorse shielding her terrified foals and Glitter from the crazed buck, I was glad his attention immediately focused on me. With Jade right here softly calling for peace, I had to fight back the growling urge to simply blow his brains out however, joining her efforts with the quiet whisper of 'Be Kind...' helping keep it in check.

"Easy... Just take it easy buddy, nopony needs to get hurt here. Listen to the nice Princess and put the gun down, now..."

Till Soil's dark green eyes were hard dots, flicking between me and the cringing Mr. Warhorse and blazing in response. "There you are! The real Roper is already dead! This ...thing... ain't him! It's a fuckin' synth! the Shroud hates these things, right!? Been biding my time, but with you here I can finally call the bastard out!"

My instantly suspicious glance at Mr. Warhorse found nothing but fear on the buck's face, though I couldn't distinguish between a synth spy afraid of being found out, or an innocent pony with a shotgun aimed at his head. The closer Jade inched towards the cringing stallion to protect him, the louder the rising snarl of 'Be Dark...' howled to just shoot the frantic Mr. Soil though, whatever the case.

"W-We talked about this Till! He's not a synth! H-He just changed a little, just like everypony around here! Stepping up to run this place better and provide for all of us isn't proof of anything but being a good husband and father! Please... don't do this!" Mrs. Warhorse wailed, waving Glitter and her own children back with her tail as she pleaded with the forebuck.

I wasn't the only one to catch the waver of uncertainty in her defense though, Till's shotgun remained trained on Mr. Warhorse as his crazed eyes flicked between his wife and I. "You know it's true June! If I could prove it I would'a handled it before now, but can't pass up the chance with the Shroud here. Y-You can tell, right? That thing isn't my friend! I know it!"

Jade raised her wing to block Mr. Warhorse from view when she sidled her way in front of him, speaking softly with a sad shake of her head. "I am afraid you overestimate our abilities sir. There is no reliable way to tell if somepony is a synth Mr. Soil... Not without killing them anyway, which is not a step to take without more concrete evidence. I do not know why you are convinced Mr. Warhorse is one, though I am quite willing to hear you out if you like. Please lower your weapon and we may discuss it. You are scaring the children..."

At the kind princess' urging, Mr. Soil wavered and looked to Glitter and the Warhorse children peeking from behind their mother. Their wide eyed fear staring back finally made his shotgun dip down and tremble, the older buck turning a pained look to Jade. "I... I didn't mean to... I was so sure you folks could tell, prove I was right... But I... I'm sorr...."

Just when it looked like Jade had talked him down, everything went to hell in the blink of an eye. A bright pink beam of magical energy weaponry zapped out from the small crowd keeping their distance, the poorly aimed shot scorching Till's tail. In response he flinched, his yelp of pain and jerk of his head setting off the shotgun in his mouth.

Jade hadn't raised her shield, trying to calm the situation and soothe the crazed buck by not pulling out fancy magic that might set him off. As a result, she was right in the line of fire and unprotected... Witchy was right at her side and moved fast, diving in front of her and taking most of the buckshot harmlessly pinging off her fancy power armor. She couldn't take it all however, Jade threw her foreleg up to cry for peace and the shapely limb was peppered by the blast, the flash of her bright red blood on the blue limb drove a blinding spike of pain between my eyes as I saw red.

BLAM!

Shaking off the furious roar in my head that surged forward, I turned my head with a stiff creak, finding the smoking barrel of Vengeance still floating in my magic. Following where it pointed, I watched Till Soil fall to the shit soaked ground in slow motion with a large, round hole in his neck, the silence broken when the gleaming revolver fell from my grip and the shouting started.

I didn't mean to, I never moved to pull the trigger... The satisfied nicker of 'Be Dark...' retreating to its prison now that the threat to Jade was gone did. Mr. Soil wasn't a raider or a Gunner, just a frightened pony looking for help, and I ...killed him...

Turning to Jade with my mouth hanging open, I wilted under the sad, disappointed look I found staring back in the instant before she limped forward, that haunting expression wiped away by serious professionalism. Her horn blazed and medical supplies started flying from her packs, frantically working on stabilizing the gurgling buck I cringed away from. My relief he was still alive and worry if he'd stay that way drowned out by self recrimination.

Witchy was already worriedly trying to tend Jade's leg, a painful and bloody looking wound, but not life threatening or even a big deal for the brilliant healer. If she wasn't furiously trying to save Till, she could heal it easily, making me feel even worse for the lethal response it earned. One look at Glitter's shocked little face creeping out with the other kids doubled the misery I felt. She looked confused instead of mirroring the horrible disappointment of her mother she galloped towards, and scared... of me...?

Mrs. Warhorse ran to her husband with her two foals right behind her, the family coming together in a relieved, teary embrace. Val holstered her 12mm pistol and gave me a disinterested shrug, pushing the interested Swan back with her horn still glowing with an attack she didn't get to launch, while Zed's penetrating grey gaze caught mine and he gave a curt nod.

I could tell they all had mixed feelings over what I had done, but at least none of my friends looked as horrified as Jade had looked and I still felt. The annoyingly untouched grumble of the shadowy Shroud in my head deciding to be chatty wasn't helping either, forcing me to hold my aching head in my hooves as I argued with it.

'Protect... Princess... Hurt her... die...'

It was an accident! You stupid, insane voice! He was afraid! He got surprised, he didn't mean to hurt her! If that stupid fuck hadn't shot him then...

My heart was pounding and I was trembling on my hooves, my breathing growing ragged as I started getting dizzy and panicky. The faces of the crowd coming closer swam in my vision, finally focusing on the light green face of the older stallion with the magical energy weapon being tucked away under his tattered black robes. The mortar board cocked on his wispy grey mane shadowing his cold brown eyes enough to easily identify him as the professor from University Point.

He gave me and the schizophrenic voice in my head something to focus on though. All the shame and fear I felt crystallized into blazing anger and I launched myself at him, flying over the crowd between us and tackling the older buck to the ground. I snarled around my lengthening fangs and surrendered myself to that angry voice still lurking in my head, bloodying his muzzle with my hooves.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?! He was listening!! He was going to stop! It was under control and you... you fucked it all up! You stupid bastard! WHY!?!" You... you..."

"FAST! STOP!" Jade's pained cry made it through the red rage I felt, her pale blue magic surrounding me and dragging me off the Professor and to her side.

She had to restrain me from charging right back at him as he got back to his hooves and spit out a copious amount of blood, sneering at me around a broken nose. "I saw a shod ad took it, he bas crazy and so are you! You shod him too!"

Panting back at the angry stallion, I didn't have an answer to that. His stupidity may have set everything in motion, but he was right. I shot him without hesitation, without even intending to. Meaning I probably was crazy too... My mouth worked and nothing but strangled noises came out, I shot him... I might have killed him...

"D-Daddy? Are you ok?"

Glitter's anxious little nuzzle at my neck broke me out of the horrible thoughts, giving me a warm, worried little rock to cling to in the form of my loving daughter. She didn't understand what had happened, but had no problem grasping the pain I felt, returning the desperate hug I squeezed her in.

We both looked up at Jade's stern orders, spotting the gauze she pressed to her patient's neck quickly turning red under her injured hoof. If he was still pumping blood out, he was still alive... Jade sounded determined to keep him that way too, shouting to the Warhorse family and nearby lookie-loos. "He can be moved now and we must do so. Mrs. Warhorse, I must request the cleanest cloth and water you can spare, he needs a bed and will need somepony to donate blood, quickly! Fast, I must have light to work by, please help ensure it is adequate. Zed! Witching! I would appreciate your assistance with the surgery. Let us hurry!"

Even with as panicked and terrible I felt, I admired Jade's ability to take command and remain calm. Her skills as a healer with the Followers the same ones that made her such a wonderful Princess. Mr. Soil may have just been threatening to kill the patriarch of the farm, but the Warhorses and everypony else nearby immediately followed her lead, galloping for the sewage treatment plant with her patient hovering in a field of her telekinesis holding him aloft.

The speed at which the residents of Warhorse Homestead recovered from all the excitement was disturbing... By the time the moon was rising in the night sky, everything was back to normal. Actually they seemed cheery and held a minor celebration I fled from, flying up to the high roofs and smokestacks of the treatment plant to hide. I felt bad enough as it was, without so many of the farm ponies clapping my back or shaking my hoof as some kind of hero for shooting one of their friends.

Mr. Soil would live... I stuck around long enough to be sure of that. It was a close call requiring a lot of skilled spells and surgery from Jade, along with a blood donation from June Warhorse herself, but I didn't kill him. Hiding out here alone gave me plenty of time to think on how close I came to doing so however.

The petulant grumble of the dark voice that pulled the trigger didn't seem to understand why I was so upset, matching the reaction of my more violent friends like Val and Swan, along with a good number of the farm ponies below my perch. I could hear them talking about the confrontation from here, already twisting the story around to just another tale of the Shrouded Stallion's heroic exploits. Knowing it would probably spread and mutate further just made me sick to my stomach.

Despite what the loyal griffon taking advantage of free celebratory drinks or confused purple mare trotting around looking for me below thought, hurting Mr. Soil was different than the hordes of nameless raiders, gangsters and Gunners I had grown so comfortable slaughtering. He was an innocent... or closer to one anyway. He was afraid of the Institute and their synths, totally convinced his friend Mr. Warhorse had been replaced and living with that fear and anger for years in silence. Then I came along and he thought the famous hero of the Commonwealth could do something about it. He believed in us, in me... and I shot him for it.

Worse yet, the more I thought on it and the few clues we managed to find, the more I suspected Till might have been right...

Zed's explorations of the fields and botanical education thanks to the Flora-Tribe of breezies, turned up mutated crops similar to those spreading from the Flutter Forest. I didn't have his knowledge of plants and he admitted it may be the work of the earth pony agricultural department of University Point, that the shooty stallion Professor String Bean who I had pummeled was head of, but Zed put his caps on more advanced genetic meddling than the ponies of U.P. were probably capable of.

The trigger happy teacher was another suspicious aspect of the whole fiasco himself. He and his students had boarded a rickety looking old tour boat and rowed across the bay towards University Point after things died down. The old buck still complaining loudly about his nose and promising problems when we met with the rest of the Board of Education there.

The more I thought on his hasty actions here however, the less I cared and the more I wondered about how such a smarty-pants pony could be so stupid. Either the elderly stallion really was a moron as well as a bad shot, or he wanted Mr. Soil dead and intentionally ruined Jade's succeeding attempt to calm him down. But why?

Focusing on my paranoid doubts and questions was only a poor distraction however. Right or wrong, I shot him. As soon as he hurt Jade, intentionally or not, I saw red and shot him...

Before the thought started really obsessively chasing itself in my mind, a flying tackle by a squealing little filly knocked me across the cracked roof, away from the literal and figurative edge. Glitter's warm, unreserved, earth pony strength hug was one of the few things that could get through the depression and shame threatening to overwhelm me, happily nuzzling and babbling as she sat on my chest in her victorious pin.

"Daddy! There you are, I knew you'd be hidin' somewheres high up, so you could be all mopey and perch like in your comics! You should come down, Mrs. Warhorse made dinner for us and it was really yummy, even the yucky veggies. Here, I saved you some, did you know you could make pies for dinner!?" Glitter beamed and dug a hankerchief wrapped bundle from her little backpack, pushing the savory smelling package to my muzzle with an amazed expression, wriggling to my side to let me sit up and unwrap it.

"A pot pie, yes Glitter. Thanks sweetie, it looks really good. If you like it, maybe I'll ask Mrs. Warhorse for the recipe, umm... not that any of us can cook it, but I'm trying to learn. Anything to get you to eat a little healthier... So, is... is everything ok down there?"

Wiggling her way against my side and under my wing, Glitter set to unwrapping a Fancy Buck snack cake for dessert and nodded reassuringly, mumbling around a mouthful of the carroty treat. "Ya-huh! Mr. Soil's gonna be fine, mommy wants auntie Swan to teleport her back to Redheart an' all the Followers there with him, but she won't go nowhere till she finds you, so I got sent out on a mission! I knew I'd win, I know where you like ta hide when you feel sad. Umm... a-are you still sad daddy? Everything's ok now..."

Ruffling her mane as I munched on a bite of the smashed but still delicious take out she brought me, I sighed and tried to put on a smile, though lying to my daughter was as difficult as lying to Jade. "I'm always less sad with you nearby sweetie, but yeah... a little bit. I messed up and I feel bad about it, I'm just glad Mr. Soil's alright."

"But it was an accident daddy! You didn't mean to hurt him, just like he didn't mean to hurt mommy, right? You never get mad at me when I have an accident. Everypony makes mistakes, nopony's perfect. That's what you tell me." Glitter's confused and concerned pink eyes blinked up at me, fidgeting anxiously in her attempt to console me.

That made me feel a little worse and I managed a more genuine smile back, kids weren't supposed to worry about making their upset parents feel better, it was supposed to be the other way around. At least it was only concern over what she viewed as an innocent screw up. I was willing to be honest with Jade and our friends, but had kept any talk about her father potentially being insane from the earnest little filly and planned to keep it that way.

"It was an... accident, yeah sweetie. Having an accident with guns is a little different than making a mess or breaking something though. I really screwed up today..."

I worried a little at her dismissive shrug, concerned at how desensitized to violence wandering around with me was making her. "Most everypony down there doesn't think so dad. Mr. Soil was nice when he was showin' us around, but he started it, he wanted to hurt Mr. Warhorse, he hurt mommy... I'm glad he's ok too, but if he wasn't it would be his fault, not yours. Woolly and Janey were happy an' made me promise ta say thanks for them even! They said their daddy acted a little funny sometimes, but even if he really was a synth, he's a good dad an' they love him like I love you! They was scared for him, but we saved him and did good! S-So... so don't be sad daddy."

Hearing her relieved giggles at being squeezed in a grateful hug and given a sloppy kiss to her forehead helped me stop moping. The bright laughter that made the giddy whisper of 'Awareness!' resonate pushed away the clouds hanging over my head and filled me with hope. I tossed the cheery foal up in my hooves and caught her, holding her up and giving a determined nod back.

"Right. I'll try baby, ok? You're a smart filly sweetie, thanks for cheering me up. I'm lucky to have such a wonderful daughter and thank the goddesses for you every day. Let's go back down and find your mom so we can go and make sure Mr. Soil is taken care of, clean up my mess. Actually, how'd you get up here to begin with? We're pretty high up here, I thought I was being sneaky and safe from anybody finding me."

Glitter's brilliant smile stretched wide at the praise and thanks, giving a whinny of happiness as we stood and I straightened my hat, looking down over the edge of the roof and back to her curiously. Her pink eyes sparkled as she answered, pointing a hoof to the smokestack over my shoulder. "I told you daddy, I know where you like to hide! I wish I could just fly up here myself... but Witchy brought me when I asked! She was worried too, see?"

My ears flicked at the high pitched squeak from the tall perch behind us, looking up to find Witchy peeking up from the top sheepishly. "Sorry! I didn't mean to lurk and eavesdrop Fast... I-I was merely waiting in case she required a ride back down..."

I felt my face heat up as the batpony fluttered down to join us, feeling somewhat assuaged at being taken by surprise when she landed and I saw she wasn't wearing her father's power armor at the moment. Watching her scuff the roof with her hooves in embarrassment helped put my own aside with a crooked grin, shrugging to her gratefully.

"It's ok Witchy, thanks for helping her come get my head straight. I can handle taking her back down. Is uh.... is Jade mad?"

The forceful shake of her rosy face was comforting, the royal guard immediately encouraging and unbothered by what happened. "Oh, no! Not at all Fast! Er... p-perhaps a bit upset and worried... Thine insightful daughter is correct though, thou have little to be ashamed of. T'was an accident, the Princess understands that. I nearly did the same when he attacked her, thou merely beat me to it."

Glitter hopped on my back and we glided back down together, the filly instantly jumping down when we touched the ground and galloping off to find Jade and report her success. Ignoring the whispers of the gossiping farm ponies still milling around, I took advantage of the moment alone with Witchy, putting a grateful hoof to her shoulder and bowing my head.

"You jumped right in to protect her though Witchy, that's more important than shooting the threat. Thank you... I'm glad you're there for Jade and care about her so much, and that you had your dad's armor so you weren't hurt either. It's sorta like he was there to protect both of you, huh?"

Witchy's slitted amber eyes shimmered before she closed them in a smile and nodded, walking along with me towards the light and noise spilling out of the old treatment plant. "Y-Yes! It was, wasn't it? I have learned a lot about him and my mother today, but that much I never had any doubt of. My father always tried to protect me, it... it makes me happy to think he still is."

I paused at the door and turned back when I realized Witchy had stopped, quickly trotting back and prancing in place anxiously on seeing the tears glistening on her cheeks. "S-Sorry! Shit! P-Please don't cry Witchy, I didn't mean to..."

My jabbering over making the thestral mare cry was hushed when she lunged into a hug, burrowing into my mane to wipe her tears and chirping softly. "Tis a-alright Fast, these are m-mostly happy tears. It's been some time since I thought of him, a-after all the things the ponies back home said... I'm ashamed I let them get to me and make me doubt him, even for an instant. I-I'm also very happy to have found a new family with all of you. I am sure he would approve, e-especially of a noble and kind stallion like you, so do not doubt yourself so much. As young Glitter said, everypony makes mistakes, I shall try to forgive mine if thou does the same."

After the trying day Witchy had, I felt a little ashamed of sulking to myself when she had been holding herself together so well. The tears soaking my mane were clear evidence of just how much she had been holding back. All I could really do for her was be here to cling to for a moment, stroking her back and cooing into her fluffy ears, trying to be comforting and ignoring the frisky growl waking up and making my wings twitch.

"Deal Witchy... Umm... I'm sorry we didn't find out much about your mom or her family, but I'll do whatever I can to help. I promise."

Witchy finally pulled away from the embrace, wiping her eyes and giving me a penetrating stare. "I do not doubt it Fast, thank you. I... I couldn't help overhearing you speaking to Valkyrie earlier, er... I tend to wind up eavesdropping whether I wish to or not..."

I had to laugh at her cute ears tilting and turning in multiple directions like little radar dishes, eventually laying back as she gave a helpless shrug. After having my own hearing cranked up to levels not that far behind hers, I could sympathize with overhearing things normal ponies thought private and gave her a supportive nudge to continue.

"A-Anyway, thou plans to go to the Whinny Quarries with her and Swan, do you not? I know you are trying to keep it from the Princess and I... but the Gunners are keeping slaves there, which upsets her highness greatly. They have the gems you need for your teleporter thing you told me of too..."

I flinched at Jade's royal guard already figuring out my plans for a little nighttime raid in the Gunners territory, sighing in defeat and nodding. "Your mom had a sister there too, right? Mrs. Warhorse told me, so that was one more reason to pay them a visit. I umm... I didn't want to get your hopes up... W-We were just gonna scout around a little, that's all! I wasn't trying to lie to Jade, I just..."

"I wish to go too." Witchy pressed a hoof to my lips to stop my jabbering, giving me a determined look as she kept going in a rush. "I must tell the Princess, but once she is safely in Redheart and able to tend to her patient, I would ask you take me as well. If thou are truly scouting then I am able to listen to thine enemies and sound out their position and numbers. If thou are plotting to do more... I do have my father's armor..."

Looking into her pretty, hopeful gaze, I couldn't really refuse. There were things I wanted out of Whinny Quarries, not to mention the desire to put the rising growl of 'Be Dark...' to better use than shooting innocent ponies. If it wouldn't shut up, it may as well be aimed at Gunners who deserved it and be useful. Witchy had a personal reason to be involved though, she had always been giving with going along on all my personal vendettas and adventures, it was only fair I repay her.

"Alright Witchy, if it's ok with Jade then you're with our little strike force. Er... just don't call it that in front of her. Scouting mission, right?"

Trotting at my side wearing a secretive smile with her pretty fangs, Witchy bobbed her head happily as we entered the warmth and light of the Warhorse home. "Y-Yes. A scouting mission it is Fast, nothing more..."

--------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------

Power Armor Training (Rank 1)-------------
---Just a little time with the Arcano-Cats has taught you the basics of power armor. They might be pretty user friendly, but knowing what you're doing makes a big difference! You are now able to move 20% faster while wearing any suit of power armor, using 10% less power while doing so and gaining 10% accuracy with any attached weapon systems.

Ch. 93-- The Big Dig

"But seriously, being an Earth pony isn't so bad. We've got magic powers, too. Like walking around and picking stuff up with our teeth."

"A scouting mission...?" Jade paced around the small office in Redheart Academy she had claimed for herself, absently straightening her scattered supplies of healing potions and medicines after finishing her treatment of Till Soil, now resting in the recovery room.

Val, Swan and Witchy nodded eagerly with me in front of her cluttered desk, while even Zed gave a bored shrug of assent, making me feel like we were making a hard sell to a dubious boss. She was definitely suspicious and didn't like the idea of us snooping around Whinny Quarries and the Gunners controlling it, narrowing her beautiful blue eyes and leaning across the desk to my face.

"Y-Yeah hon! Just a scouting mission, that's all. W-We need to take a look before we can make any plans to do something about it. They're keeping slaves..."

'Slavery... Let me...'

I tried to hide my wince at the dull headache mentioning the enslaved residents of the quarries brought along with the impatient growl of 'Be Dark...', now fully awake and champing at the bit to address that unacceptable state of affairs. I almost hoped whoever or whatever had wiped out the slavers in Sapphire Sparkles Charter School before we got there pulled a repeat performance, just to keep that furious growl from the chance to handle it instead.

Slavery was one of those issues that brought it roaring to the forefront of my mind and made it difficult to control. The fact Jade found it equally abhorrent just encouraged it, her unhappy huff tacit approval it eagerly latched onto as she replied. "I do not care for that fact either Fast, as you well know. We should all go together though. If you are truly just spying, the ability to do so invisibly is surely a safer option, not to mention having a healer on hoof is preferable to the healing potions you are asking for. The fact you wish to take my sister rather than me makes me doubt you plan to merely sneak around, considering how much better I am at being stealthy than Swan..."

Flinching under her penetrating gaze, I shuffled uncomfortably, patting Swan's neck when she gave an indignant whinny. "I am too good at being sneaky if I wanna sister! I just don't wanna! We should just go smash them all. I went with you and did all your boring Princess stuff today, lemme go have fun with Fast!"

Val and I gave matching smacks to our foreheads at Swan's brutal honesty, the big filly knew what she wanted and wasn't shy about it, or very subtle when we needed her to be. Jade's annoyed snort was cut off by Witchy however, her royal guard squeaking cutely to the regal Princess. "P-Please your highness, do not be upset with them. Fast and the others wish to go for my benefit... m-my mother's family..."

Seeing Witchy bow her head low and peeking her pleading amber eyes up from behind her mane cracked Jade's resolve, her kind face softening as she lightly touched Witchy's cheek with her wing. "I know Witching, I am sure you are very worried and I had planned on going there as soon as possible regardless, of course. I do not like you all trying to slip off on your own however... We obviously must do something about the Gunners and the slaves suffering under their hoof, you did not need to attempt subterfuge to do so without me."

"We do when we're sure you'll wanna go too hon. It's too dangerous, you don't need to go anywhere near a Gunners' stronghold, Witchy doesn't want that and neither do I. Not when you're... y-you're..."

"Pregnant." Jade finished for me with a huff, struggling to bite back a giggle when my face paled and I swayed on my hooves. "We have been over this before Fast..."

I had mostly mastered the panicky response every time I was reminded she was carrying my foal, easy to forget as she wasn't showing and wouldn't for some time. Whether it was possible to tell at a glance or not, it was still true, meaning my first instinct was to keep her as far away as possible from bands of murderous mercenaries itching to take her pretty head.

"Y-Yeah, but..."

Jade refused to act like she was made of glass as that panicky part of me kept insisting though, standing behind her desk and giving a curt nod, overriding my objections. "But nothing dear... If everyone else is going, I will not be left behind. I somehow doubt you will be able to merely take a look and not do anything on seeing whatever the Gunners are up to. I also doubt their slaves have received much in the way of medical care. Should you all decide to do more... then they will certainly need it."

"Welp, that's that then. Pay up Batty." Val interrupted my sputtering, holding her claws out to Witchy in a gimme gesture.

When the frustrated batpony huffed and grudgingly counted out caps to put in the claw flexing under her muzzle, Jade and I both turned from our staring contest curiously, making her squeak a reply. "I... had hoped the Princess would be convinced..."

"Which is why I did not take the bet at all and advised you not to Witchy. Expecting either of these ponies to be reasonable is foolish enough, but betting on Miss Jade losing a contest of wills based on wishful thinking is doubly so. Never have I met two more stubborn ponies so suited for each other, but who is more so was never in any doubt." Zed chuckled, turning to leave with Jade and I both sputtering after him.

"H-Hey! I win some... sometimes! Quit betting against me! You're supposed to help convince her dammit!"

"I am not stubborn! Merely correct!" Jade snorted and stamped her hoof, calling after the others already leaving us behind.

They already accepted Jade's victory before we even came here, checking their gear and weapons as they spread out and chatted as if there was never any doubt over who'd get their way. Realizing there probably wasn't if I was being honest, I glared at them trotting down the gloomy halls of Redheart Academy anyway. Then settled for crossing my forelegs over my chest and pouting at Jade floating supplies up to her desk with a victorious little hum under her breath.

"Well... their teasing aside, you did not actually expect me to leave you to go charging off on your own. Did you Fast? I am already concerned enough about your judgement and psychological state. I told you already, I am watching you... You shot Mr. Soil, but it was not you that pulled the trigger, was it dear?" Jade's whisper broke me from my thoughts, making me wince at being figured out and the reminder I brought it on myself.

"I... N-No... Not that I wouldn't have anyway when he hurt you. But no... I shot him before I knew what happened, without even looking. I didn't mean to, I just... he hurt you..."

Jade paused at the Shroud's voice oozing out of my mouth, giving a disappointed nicker that shut it up and made 'Be Dark...' slink back to its cage. "I appreciate your protective instinct, but I am unhappy at you losing control like that Fast. Until I can discover whatever is behind your... condition... and find a way to treat it, I do not want you acting on your own without me, especially at night. I believe you are correct and it exacerbates the issue. I have heard of ponies suffering certain maladies more or less depending on the time of day before, so at least we have another symptom to diagnose. There was a well documented case of an elderly resident of Friendship City that was senile, but became lucid during the night actually. It was fascinating reading, Velvet Remedy herself studied him."

While I was glad to see her worried frown shift to a contemplative look as she recalled the medical case that made my eyes glaze over, I doubted some old buck was suffering from quite the same problem. At least it cheered and steadied her, though she wound her way back to the present and put her hoof down, insisting on keeping a close watch on me despite my protests.

"A-Alright, I won't whine about you coming along, you made a lot of good points hon. I just... you know I worry and don't want anything to happen to you, either of you... I don't think I could take it if anything did."

Leaning up to kiss her frown away, my hoof snaked down between her lab coat to rub her soft tummy to illustrate my point, getting a soft, luxuriant purr from the beautiful princess. "Do try to keep in mind I feel the same way Fast, without any frightening voice in my mind at that. Now then, as much as I would like spending this time doing nothing but indulging in... mmm... w-wonderful belly rubs... We do have other things to do, together... yes?"

Sighing in defeat, I let her and the calm whisper of 'Be Kind...' echoing her win. "Yes dear..."

We took the time to tuck Glitter in before leaving, forcing me to disappoint the little filly whining for a bedtime story. At least she had company in the form of the blue griffon Heidi already putting down her bedroll in the office we had taken for her to sleep in, having a makeshift slumber party with a girl her own age and under the watchful eye of Heidi's older sister Lila.

After promising her to tell her all about our adventures without her and thanking the responsible yellow griffon, we were on our way to the southwest, staying low and scanning the skies for Gunners and their green vertibucks. We were heading into their territory, within spitting distance of the fortified ruins of Whinny itself. A fact that made me increasingly nervous with the blue beauty soaring along at my side.

We landed well before reaching our destination, cautiously approaching on hoof at the edges of the marshes to the west leading back towards Jamocha Plains. The ruins of a flooded market town my pip-buck identified with; Location Discovered: Hide n' Seek Park, gave us cover as we drew closer, a single row of sturdy brick buildings that had weathered the centuries and the marsh flooding the first floors of the brick buildings. Though it required spending time and ammo dealing with the raiders there. All of us out together were more than a match for the conclave of vicious ponies however, between me, Zed and Witchy's silent anti-materiel rifle, half their number were down before they even knew what was happening.

I did worry a bit about the eventual gunfire once they noticed their patrolling fellows being quietly executed and tossed off the tall rooftops to the murky water below, but we had heard them shooting randomly well before we got here. I hoped the Gunners nearby wouldn't think anything of a gaggle of raiders shooting frantically before the last were wiped out.

Setting up on the rooftops the raiders had cluttered with junk shelters and walkways connecting the buildings gave us a good vantage point to look over the quarries to the south. Plus it netted me a tattered old copy of a Swordmares comic I didn't have, so bonus. If possible I'd rather Jade just stay right here and wait in the crumbling buildings, though I doubted that was going to happen as she peered at our goal with a worried frown.

The Whinny Quarries were built around a small outcropping of rock rising from the marshes that flooded it, a warren of catwalks and wasteland additions built on the exposed rock face. While Jade, Swan and I could look over the place from here with alicorn vision, a look through the scope of the Last Minute let me take in details and glare at the task ahead of us.

There were quite a few modular trailers and buildings built around the place the Gunners occupied, the largest and best preserved sat perched on top of the highest point of the low ridge and had to be the main office back before the war. Beneath it were a pair of train tracks leading into the hill, the weathered outline of a huge tunnel blocked by rubble and scree from long past cave ins that made the even ridgeline dip down in the middle.

The remaining tracks had been moved and repurposed, now winding their way towards the much smaller mine entrances closer to the flooded portion to the west. Hoof dug passages into the earth that turned up quite a few gems, by the heavily laden carts weary earth ponies dragged back to the apparent staging area in the shadow of the old mine. Added to all this were a lot of rough wooden structures festooning the rusty metal catwalks the mercenaries patrolled ceaselessly, even this late in the night.

The real issue was the chainlink pens built against the stone choked old tunnels under the largest concentration of buildings. Scanning through the gauss rifle's scope, I got all too good a look at the miserable looking slaves trying to sleep out in the elements, taking in the way they huddled together for warmth and shivered in the early winter night. They looked thin and beaten, many of them sickly and bearing the telltale signs of radiation sickness. Jade was right about that much, we'd need a healer for them before they could go very far on their own.

Witchy shifted nervously on her steel clad hooves next to me, the visor on her father's power armor up so she could keep making that high pitched noise from her wide open mouth, her pretty fangs glistening in the moonlight and her fluffy ears twitching when she stopped. The anxiety was clear in her squeaky voice as she listened to the echo, her radar like ability reported things even enhanced alicorn vision and a high powered scope couldn't spot, but not what she was really interested in.

"T-There are many... More in the mines below. Do... d-do you see who we're... umm... I-I'm looking for Fast?" Witchy's slitted amber eyes blinked down at me hopefully, forcing me to disappoint the nervous filly as I floated the scoped weapon away.

"Red with a purple mane, right? Sorry Witchy... I don't see anypony who looks like your aunt from what Mrs. Warhorse said. Er... t-that doesn't mean she's not there! Like you said, there's more underground, o-or maybe she's in a building somewhere... We... we just have to take a closer look..."

"Ain't gonna be easy boss... Them fuckers are dug in tight as a tick. Any bright ideas?" Val put her cracked binoculars away with a grunt, checking over her weapons in anticipation of whatever I said.

Jade looked worried when she turned away from the grim view, reluctantly hiding behind a crumbling chimney as I frantically insisted and whickering anxiously. "We must do something Fast, not only due to Witching's family member potentially being held there. I had hoped to advise restraint and keep you to your word of this being merely a scouting mission, but their captives... we cannot allow this slavery to stand. I still do not wish violence upon anycreature, but those Gunners make me tempted to do things my sister's way..."

Swan's head jerked up from a hole in the roof leading to the dusty apartments she had been rooting around in, coming up with a glowing, rainbow colored bottle of Sparkle Cola Rainbow Crash she stashed in her large bag as she clambered up happily. "Really!? So we can go smash them all sister!? Yay! You're finally gonna stop being so soft and lemme kill them all!"

"I-I said I was tempted Swan! A-And I must admit to certain realities, yes... I seriously doubt the Gunners will relinquish their slaves peacefully, so I leave finding a solution to Fast, w-whatever said solution might entail... The safety of their captives comes first however, we must help them." Jade stammered back to her eager sister, her pained acceptance that not everything could be solved peacefully as close as she was willing to come to agreeing with the battle crazed filly.

Looking over the situation and what we had to work with, I didn't like what I came up with. The penned slaves were surely under lock and key, finding the Gunner who held it would be a lot more difficult than Val's talented claws simply picking the locks. Of course there was also all those gems I eyed greedily, but the slaves came first... though I was glad of the ladylike cough of 'Be Unwavering!' reminding me.

Given how weak and wounded the slaves looked from here, getting them out even once free of the cages wouldn't be easy either, the best course would be having Swan teleport them away. The fiery griffon and large purple alicorn weren't exactly sneaky however... Zed and I could probably slip in undetected, but to get Val and Swan there without all hell breaking loose, there was only one real option.

"Swan... stand back with Jade and open your locket. Jade, go ahead and pull out one of those apples too. Both of you need to be as charged up as possible for this. You two and Val will have to go in invisible and start teleporting them out of there."

Nodding to Swan's crude, heart shaped locked strung around her neck, I gulped at the giddy mare opening it and revealing the glowing balefire apple inside. The chatter from my pip-buck slowed as she cantered back and nuzzled Jade trotting over, the two alicorns huddling close and absorbing the radiation pouring out.

Giving a little shiver, Jade did as asked too and pulled out another of the condensed crystals of balefire from her medical box saddlebags and unwrapped it from its lead lined apron, then floated it to my waiting hooves uncertainly. "Here you are dear... are you certain? They show promising uses in potion making... I had been planning on communicating with the Great Tree and inquiring if it could produce more actually. The few we have are precious..."

Best Served sliced through the crystalline apple as easily as pretty much everything else, leaving two glowing green halves I held up as I gave a firm nod. "I'm sure. Sorry honey, you've got others, you'll just have to live without this one if you want to go anywhere near that place. Eat up you two."

I tried to keep the quaver out of my voice, looking up to Jade's sparkling blue eyes flicking between me and the half apple reticently. I hated putting her anywhere near the crew of Gunners, but saw no other option and knew Jade wouldn't budge on helping to save the slaves down there. If I tried to keep her away, she'd just get frustrated and mad at me. I had to treat her like any of our other friends looking to me to lead with complete faith, no matter how much it scared the hell out of me.

Swan had no issue whatsoever, licking her lips and chomping on the offered treat instantly, then greedily eyeing the other half floating in front of Jade's muzzle in my magic. Jade on the other hoof shifted uncomfortably, eyeing the highly radioactive fruit with a bashful blush and prim pucker of her lips.

She gulped and cantered back across the roof, ushering me along behind her with her wing and hiding behind a ramshackle raider structure, tossing a furtive glance back to Witchy and the others behind her. I went along willingly, holding up a hoof to the others to wait and keeping the balefire apple floating beside me, ignoring Val's huff as she shoved the others into giving us space and going over tactics with them.

"M-Must I Fast? Y-You know what that will do to me... I do not enjoy the result nearly as much as my sister. I understand your reasoning, but the side effects..." Jade whimpered from hiding and kept turning her muzzle away from the apple, tapping her hooves together and blushing brightly.

"What, that there will be more of you to love and you'll be a little worked up for awhile? Not really an issue Jade... actually I think it's something to look forward to. Like a reward even. Come on, it'll be like our first time, one more reason to get this done and get back sooner, huh? Down the hatch..."

Despite my insistence, Jade peeked around the crude wooden wall and laid her ears back, my suggestively waggling eyebrows just making her turn a shade redder. "F-Fast! You are terrible! I... well... that is intriguing... b-but... W-Witching has never seen me... a-and the slaves, I do not wish to frighten them, o-or those waiting for us back at Redheart. Surely Swan's locket will be sufficient and not turn me into..."

"Into a bigger version of the most beautiful mare in the world? Too bad, you want to come, you have to put up with it. This way I'm sure you'll have all the power you need to stay invisible and make everyone else that way. Not to mention protect yourself. Witchy won't care, she's used to Swan already, and the slaves will just see you like I do, a goddess coming to save them. I'm sorry, but I gotta put my hoof down here Jade. Here, I'll even help you..."

Copying Swan trying to save me back in Stable 75, I crunched down on the brittle apple and worked it around in my mouth, resisting the urge to swallow it like tingly rock candy after chewing it down to tiny pebbles. I leaned up and planted my lips on hers, wrestling with her tongue and shoving it into her sweet tasting mouth in a breathless kiss that ended on a pleased purr as she gulped it down.

We stayed locked in each others embrace like that well after it hit her belly, her nervous nuzzles and kisses growing a bit more passionate as the needle on her pip-buck spiked in the lethal purple end of the dial. Her voice nibbling on my ear was husky, but still held a note of worry and self consciousness. "I know you are correct dear, I do not mind you seeing me like this, but it is so embarrassing making a spectacle of myself. N-Not to mention how I feel when under the influence... Y-You must come through this adventure unscathed, I demand you are prepared to w-work off all this excess energy when we are done... a-and not by trying to save your life for once!"

"Nothing would make me happier Jade, I promise. As a matter of fact, I'd love to just watch you for awhile and savor every extra gorgeous inch, but I really should go over the rest with the others. We're not going in until I'm sure it's working and you're good to go anyway. Come on back out and let the others see, you've got nothing to be ashamed of, believe me."

With how well she had been coping with the role of a Princess everypony looked up to, it had gotten easy to forget just how shy Jade could be sometimes. As her cutie mark showed, her special talent may be her noble heart that made her a Princess as good as Luna in my mind, but things like the dreaded power armor race she had been forced into, or putting her differences on display for all to see as a super alicorn still came very hard for her.

Not that I minded reassuring her in the slightest, taking a few minutes alone together helped still my own jittery nerves as I lavished her with affection. Though the fact the rads surging in her belly were making her frisky enough to match the lewd, nagging growl of 'Be Dark...' was problematic. When she managed to pull away from my muzzle and give an adorable little hiccup, I couldn't stifle a laugh as she grew a couple inches taller in a sudden spurt that matched the cute noise she held a hoof up to hide with her cheeks blazing red.

"F-Fast! It is not funny, I am still uncomfortable with this and I (hic!)" Jade whinnied and tried to sound stern, interrupted by another squeaky hiccup that sent her horn through the corrugated steel roof of the crude shelter.

Before I could finish snickering and return to letting my hooves rove over even more Jade to savor before charging into danger, the rising chatter from our pip-bucks announced Swan growing bored and trotting over. Her open locket was putting her ahead of her sister, giving a soft moan as she pranced in the cramped shelter and stretched up a little taller herself, making me smile at the differences between them. Swan enjoyed soaking up rads and getting bigger, voicing her pleasure and grinning as she joined us, while Jade fought the process and hiccuped again trying to hold it back.

"Sister! Aren't these apple things great!? None of our other sisters ever come do this with me, it'll be fun! We can go smash those nasty Gunners and have fun together! Then we can play when we're done!" Swan burbled and shoved her way in, sandwiching me between the two growing alicorns and nuzzling happily.

"Y-Yes... Fast and I were just... d-discussing that sister. I only hope we are able to do as you say without issue. While I am happy to er... j-join in your fun I suppose, I do not find it as (hic!) e-entertaining as you do, and I have no plans to 'smash' anycreature..." Jade blushed and stammered back nervously in reply, keeping a tight hold on me over her sister's attempts to tug me away.

Swan tilted her head at Jade's clear reluctance, a puzzled expression clouding her blue-violet eyes. "Awww... but it's lots of fun sister! You'll see! I can't wait, we're gonna wipe all those bad ponies out an' save the slave type ones you want!"

Having Jade and Swan so close together let me hug both their long necks with a shudder, taking turns kissing them both while soaking up as much radiation as I could as well. Despite the fact the higher my rainbow colored radiation got, the harder it was to keep the impatient growl in my head back, I'd need as much power as I could get too and I needed to soak in the love of both of them to reassure me just as much. Taking the opportunity to try to keep Swan focused and gently let her down from the rampage she clearly expected to go on.

"Sorry Swan, you're on the rescue team this time. No going crazy and running off to slaughter Gunners, you need to help Jade get those ponies to safety. After that, I really need those gems down there too, so if you can at all, grab one of those minecarts and teleport it off after the slaves. It's a job only you can do and I know you can. When everypony is safe again and we're all done, then I promise, lots of play all together, just the three of us, right?"

Swan frowned at her orders, but the praise of her skills and reward I dangled in front of her like a carrot got her to grin and bob her head. "Right! I'll do good and protect sister and those slaves. A good guard protects ponies, not just smashes them, I remember!"

"Both of you... be careful, alright? I don't like this Jade, not one bit... but I know you have to help them and I can't keep you away. Protect each other, I'm counting on you to stay safe. "

While Swan giggled at the praise and affection, Jade nibbled my ears lovingly, the pleased purr to her warm voice from the radiation helping to relieve her anxiety, warring with the concern for me. "Mmm... a-and what will you be doing dear? I (hic!) w-worry for you as much as you do for me..."

"I somehow doubt that hon... I'm not just worried for the two of you, I'm scared for the four of you... Er... if Swan is too I mean, we really have to see when we get back. I'm betting on it after... umm... e-everything we've done already though... I'll be keeping them busy and away from you, that's my job and you'll just have to live with me being a little over protective. Ok? Now, since it's getting a little cramped in here... let's go get ready with the others and get this done."

Reluctantly pulling away from the warm embrace of two towering beauties, I took heart in Jade's determined nod and wriggled my way out of their grip, putting some distance between us when I caught the whites of their eyes flashing with pink bands. I had to try to reason with the annoying growl of 'MORE' echoing in my head, giving it something else it liked nearly as much as surrendering to the temptation of the heart shaped sparkles in their lidded eyes following my wings standing up, the promise of a lot of blood to come...

The stunned look on Witchy's face when I finally tempted Jade back out nearly had me burst out laughing despite the tension and Jade's immediate cringe. The poor batpony craned her neck back to take in Jade's red face and tapping forehooves flinching down at her royal guard. I did manage to keep it down to puffed up cheeks and snorting snickers, pushing Witchy's gaping muzzle closed with a click of her fangs and giving the dumbstruck mare a nudge.

"Breathe Witchy... It's alright, since you're with me, it's just a little insurance to make sure Jade's safe without her faithful guard. She looks pretty, right...?" Waving a hoof in front of Witchy's amber eyes shrunk to tiny dots, I whispered under my breath to continue, sure her sensitive ears could hear the low mutter. "She's shy about doing this Witchy... don't freak out."

"Y-Yes! I'm sorry your highness, it was just... a... a surprise! Y-You look magnificent, truly! I... wow... I feel much better about abandoning you to Valkyrie and thine sister now..." Witchy finally blinked and shook her head, jabbering up to the blue alicorn giving another hiccup and looming over her a little higher.

She managed to master her shocked face filled with adoration for her big Princess, giving a low bow to Jade peeking out from behind her wings before continuing to all of us. "I... Thank you, all of you, truly. I know we are here for more than just my hopes of finding my mother's family, but I am still humbled and grateful to you all. E-Especially you Princess, thou art a noble and kind mare, no matter thine size, thine heart is huge."

The compliment from the only member of our party that had never seen Jade in this state got her to relax to my relief. Though when Jade leaned down and nuzzled the blushing thestral, I was afraid Witchy was going to faint at Jade's big muzzle puckering in a kiss to her cheek in thanks. The overly affectionate blue alicorn threatened to blow her fuses, purring her thanks and hiccuping, looking a bit frustrated at the thestral power armor getting in her way. Whichever way Witchy's barn door swung, it was clear she loved Jade and Jade loved her.

The chuckles of the others at Witchy swaying on her power armored hooves relieved a lot of tension and we turned to the Gunners' complex together, coming up with more of a plan than we usually operated under with everyone contributing. It filled me with pride and gratitude for all our friends, but also the heavy weight of responsibility settling right between my wings.

All of them believed in me. I had to live up to that trust, to be the legend whose mantle I took up, to save those slaves and be a hero, not to mention keep my wife and foal safe, no matter what the cost 'Be Dark...'.

Location Discovered: Whinny Quarries blinked in my view as I corralled several fluffy clouds together and shoved the bundle towards the complex below. I sat atop the floating platform and peered over the edge, bucking my perch with my hindlegs to turn it dark and thundery.

It was a long, narrow stretch of somewhat fortified works, following the rocky outcropping rising from the marsh. The slave pens and bulk of the buildings were on the eastern side, while the mines and small lake of murky, contaminated looking water were to the west. That was my target... I wished there were more to get caught up in the initial attack, but the few ghouls and X-Cell mutated Gunners patrolling the area would have to do.

"Fast..." Witchy's quiet voice pulled me away from staring down and building up more electricity in my cloud with my lightning wreathed hooves, looking back to her perched behind me and raising her visor to continue with a grateful look on her pretty face. "Thank you again... for doing this, for helping me... for everything..."

"Don't worry about it Witchy, we'd do something no matter what, helping you is just a big bonus. Besides, I told you already, we love you... Jade loves you. I love you. This is what family does and you're family. Now, are you ready to put your dad's armor to the test? I need you watching my tail for me."

The ornate visor of her armor slid down with a hiss and the blank face nodded firmly, Witchy's squeaky voice rendered a little more intimidating squawking out of the speakers. "R-Ready..."

Flying up as she fluttered away from the rumbling cloud, I clawed for altitude, pausing high above my crackling weapon hovering over the quarries and letting the lightning flickering around me turn black. 'Be Awesome!' gave a loud whoop as I dove down, streaking through the dark cloud and drawing a blinding bolt of lightning with me.

KRAKA-THOOOM!!!

I splashed down to the polluted pond, the storm of electricity in my wake arching out and dancing across the surface, electrocuting several surprised Gunners in the area. Just shaking the brackish water lapping at my hooves from my flared wings, I could tell how radioactive it was and felt the spark of anger flaring brighter. The Gunners were forcing their normal pony slaves to work, in this?!

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS! THOU HATH COMMITTED THE UNFORGIVABLE CRIME OF SLAVERY, AN AFFRONT TO GODDESS LUNA THAT HAS EARNED HER WRATH! NOW YOU FACE JUDGEMENT BY THE SHROUDED STALLION!"

The response to the Shroud's voice booming out and echoing through the quarries was everything I could hope for. Shouts and gunfire answered immediately, the alarm spreading through the complex and drawing every armed Gunner towards the flooded western end, away from the slave pens and more importantly, Jade.

Of course that also meant I had to run, making myself a very loud and visible target did have its down sides. Charging for the ramshackle sheds and walkways with bullets and beams of magical energy boiling the water at my hooves. Flapping for all I was worth, I was grateful to see Zed springing out of the shadows and pummeling a long horned pink unicorn Gunner, before she was able to train the plasma caster in her magic on me swooping overhead.

A grey Gunner griffon screeched from ahead of me, forcing me to veer away from his gleaming claws. Before he could recover and track me with his light machine gun however, a powerful .50 caliber slug drilled through his chest and smashed him down to the ground, courtesy of the armored batpony streaking down. Her gleaming silver combat rifle was attached at her other flank, opening up with a chatter to send half a dozen ponies racing down the catwalks to intercept me diving for cover.

Grateful as I was for the two covering for me, we had to make more noise and draw more attention, though me crashing through one of the junkyard shelters attached to the walkways helped on that score. Shaking off the splintered boards, I lurched back to my hooves and peeked out the crude doorway, forced to duck back at the hail of gunfire chewing at the weathered wood.

The poor construction did offer a lot of gaps to peek out of from cover, letting me look over the rickety catwalk the Gunners were approaching from. The sight of more red dashes on E.F.S. of reinforcements charging up behind them let me hold off on the snarling suggestion in my head, waiting for more of them to cluster up and focusing on the braces bolting the structure to the stone wall.

'Be Strong!' yelled along with me once a few more had come in range, the blue field of my magic surrounding the walkway and tearing it free with rusty groans and squalls as it was wrenched loose. I flew out and followed, pausing for an instant of frozen time courtesy of S.A.T.S. to look east with a nervous gulp.

Cycling through all the falling Gunners and queuing up shots with Vengeance, I peered past the walkways, prewar capsule construction, wooden junk and rusty railcars to spot the bright purple flash and huge blue shell that way. I could just see the top of Jade's cloudy mane standing as high as the slave pens, her glowing shield encompassing the area and protecting the innocent, while her sister was already teleporting the first group away and Val flew over the area protectively. They were doing their part, we just had to do ours...

Time resumed and I continued my dive after the gaggle of Gunners, the booming revolver of one of their founders blasting away by my head. All six rounds found their marks, while the mangled steel of the catwalk crashing below me took care of the rest, though it made slamming to my hooves in a clear spot near the train tracks a little difficult.

Prancing back from the groaning survivors and wreckage, along with the gunfire of more Gunners swarming the area, I followed the tracks towards the mines and the slaves still at work when we crashed the party. Running down them with the lightning at my hooves arcing on the rails, my burning eyes locked on a pudgy cyan earth pony holding a whip drooping in his gaping mouth.

The shackled slaves behind him hid behind the rusty minecarts they had been wearily loading gems in when I flapped my wings and plowed into him, rolling for the cover of the vertical stone cut in squarish chunks. Of course I couldn't really blame them when his own whip snaked up in my magic, winding around his neck and yanking him from his hooves to go swinging from the rough wooden support of one of the Gunner's wasteland additions overhead.

I didn't necessarily do that... It was a good idea and I couldn't help but enjoy hearing him sputter and flail, but the steady beat of fury between my eyes had the credit there. At least it was being fairly cooperative, standing aside as I sent Best Served whickering through the air and slashing at the chains binding the shocked slaves.

"He's probably got keys I'm guessing?! Get them and get outta here, quick! Head for the pens! Princess Jade is there to get you all out of here to somewhere safe, just... don't freak out when you see her!"

I winced at the frightened looks they returned, trying to will the glowing red dots I saw reflected in their eyes back to normal as one brave older orange buck approached and hurriedly reached up to yank off the saddlebags of the Gunners swinging overhead. He darted back with his prize in his teeth when I had to duck under the powerhooves of a screaming Gunner earth pony, taking a bone crunching punch to my shoulder, but not my head at least. Me slashing his neck with my knife in return and coating both of us in gore that just made me look worse however.

The intimidating armored form of Witchy landing nearby and laying down covering fire didn't help either, though it did focus me and I took a moment to hook one of the first freed slaves running for Jade, a thin and sickly looking yellow mare with large clumps of her white and blue mane falling out.

"We're looking for somepony, one of the other slaves! Is there a Ruby Shard here?!"

"T-The Foremare? W-What do you want with that bitch? Er... M-Mr. Shrouded Stallion... s-sir?" I hated the tremor to her voice and the way she cringed, but just one look was enough to show the abuse she had suffered here.

A pony with that many scars from being cruelly lashed on her back had every reason to be afraid, not just of me and the way my fangs slurred my words. Though what she had to say on the subject of Witchy's aunt worried me... "Foremare? Yeah, sure I guess. Where is she?"

Following her shaking hoof pointing up to the fanciest building at the top of the quarries, I nodded and released her gratefully. The backs of Witchy's fluffy ears were armored by her helm, but a suit designed for thestrals made sure to leave the sharp dishes perking up free to take advantage of her natural abilities.

She heard that and trotted over immediately, her long anti-materiel rifle blasting out silently and tossing a pale griffon back from her diving course on our position, the chatter of their submachine gun pinging off her armor and peppering my armor with stinging shots cut short. "Fast! Ruby is here? Alive? I must..."

"Right behind you Witchy! They've got the keys to get outta here, us being here will just make that harder anyway. Zed! We're going up!"

Three pony Gunners went flying out from one of the dirty white and yellow capsules bolted to the walls above us in answer to my shout. The agile zebra flipped his way out and bounded across the walkways behind us as we flew up, forgoing the stairs and paths to take the shortest course.

Cresting the top of the outcropping rising from the marshes, I saw more ramshackle buildings behind the large trailer and capsule conglomeration we were heading for. What must have been the meager homes of the residents here before the Gunners came and enslaved them all, now where the Gunners running roughshod over them slept themselves apparently.

Several more who had been sleeping came charging out, frantically buckling armor and weapons on at a run. The unprepared combatants were still bleary and surprised, but their vantage from up here would let them see the giant blue alicorn I turned a worried glance toward, forcing me to detour with Zed and Witchy to take them out of the equation.

The clanging of a bell focused me on one teal mare yanking on the rope attached to the makeshift alarm, taking aim with the Last Minute and drilling a hole through her head to silence it. A powerful hunting rifle answered, a steely eyed brown griffon pouncing out of his trailer quicker on the uptake than the others and a crack shot, the .308 round penetrating my armor at the ribs.

Witchy dove in the way of the volley of shots following his, her power armor acting as an effective shield. Zed galloped right at her back and used her as a springboard, bouncing lightly on his hindlegs off her rump and landing right in the middle of the cluster of red on E.F.S.. Having him in the middle of things and Witchy raising her bladed tail to keep me back forced me to select my shots with the Last Minute carefully, using the batpony as cover and firing over her raised wings around the zebra engaged in a furious melee.

Leaving him to mop of the last few, I followed the ridge with Witchy on my tail, running for what the corroded metal sign labeled as the Foremare's Office and bucking open the door. The boom of a powerful combat shotgun waited on the other side, throwing me back with an oozing wound to my chest and no air in my lungs.

The muscular green griffon behind the advanced combat shotgun swooped out right behind me, a second blast hammering my flank scrambling on the ground near the edge. The view right below me of an oversized Jade looking up with her round blue eyes full of worry got me moving again, rolling away from a third blast and flaring my wings to launch myself at the griffon aiming to land on me.

I dove at the half armored bastard horn first, piercing his side and feeling his blood splash down my face. The smell and taste just whet the appetite of the roar in my head, snapping out with my fangs and wrapping my forelegs around his powerful feline body. I ignored his claws slashing at me and trying to pull me off, letting Blue Moon click out from under my wing with a thought and firing right into his chest.

I choked and sputtered on the cloud of sparkling blue ash that was left, my forelegs closing on nothing as I fell on my face. Witchy and Zed caught up, the strong zebra brusquely shoving me back to my shaking hooves while the batpony was torn over worrying over me and the open door behind her.

Shaking my head weakly at her chirps of concern, I waved her on to the Foremare's office and staggered after, leaning on Zed and trying to hurry. The radiation I had absorbed both from Swan's locket and the polluted pond below was knitting my wounds together slowly, but we didn't have time to spare.

The pop of a small caliber pistol and loud 'ping!' of the bullets glancing off Witchy's armor sped my pace, racing in behind her at the door and finding just who we were after. A middle aged red unicorn mare cringed on a bed in the corner, her rich orange eyes crazed beneath her sweaty purple mane and a compact 9mm pistol floating in her violet magic.

Spotting me blinking behind Witchy holding her hooves up for peace, the mare screamed and fired the clip empty, forcing me to flinch back behind Witchy's outstetched wings as she jabbered. "You! Stay away! Y-You killed Krassus, didn't you! Oh you stupid fuck, you had to come ruin everything! You and another of these ugly damn bats!!"

Witchy winced at her words, her ears laying back as she squeaked and tried to speak but couldn't. That was enough for me to go stomping past her, the word 'ugly' ringing in my ears as I stalked towards her. Taking in the rather cushy living accommodations, the sweat glistening on her red coat, the disheveled and stained sheets on the bed she cowered on, the smell of musk in the air my sensitive nose caught... my eyes turned dragonish and caught every shiver running through her.

"Ruby Shard... Foremare Ruby Shard... Thou are a collaborator... aren't you? I see we interrupted you enjoying yourself while the ponies below suffered... Thou hath earned Luna's wrath yourself, were it not for the questions I have for you and this beautiful batpony behind me, I would end you right here..."

The Shroud's rumbling voice kept leaking into my words as I prowled up onto the bed and backed her into the corner, swatting the empty pistol aside and snarling in her face, watching her eyes shrink and get lost in my glowing red ones.

"F-Fast! Stop! Please... just stop..." Witchy cried out and the roaring flame of anger between my eyes dimmed, allowing me to snap out of all the gruesome ideas of punishment flashing in my head and back away for the anxious batpony tugging my tail.

Witchy's visor slid up with a hiss as she got me to come down from the sweaty bed, speaking in a pained and reticent tone. "You... you are Ruby Shard, aren't you? Your sister was Amethyst Shard?"

With Zed watching the door, we had only a little time for family reunions, time the bitch shouting back ate into with her snide reply. "Amy? What about her? Stupid bitch ran off with another one of you creepy bats a long time ago, abandoned the family business. That you just finished ruining you stupid assholes! What's some bat cunt like you want with her now?"

Ignoring my furious snort, Witchy waved the rotten mare up from where she cringed, still trying with pain clear in her high pitched voice. "R-Ruby... Amethyst was my m-mother... thou art my aunt... We... we came to save you..."

"Save me!? From what!? I had things here well in hoof, things have never been more profitable! Amy's brat? You're just another of those ugly bat freaks like that hideous fuck she shacked up with! Now you come back to ruin everything!? Krassus knew you Princess following dumbasses would show up, though I never expected Amy's half breed would be with them. Not that it makes any difference, you can die with the rest of them and I'll be rewarded!" Ruby crept her way across the room as she kept throwing insults at her niece to my astonishment, making it to a window looking out towards the ruins of Whinny to the south and diving for the rope dangling just outside.

When she yanked it with her magic, there was a 'fwoosh!' sound from the roof overhead and a sudden burst of light and explosions. Fireworks? Shit... she just sent a brilliant flare up into the night sky, one I had no doubt was a signal for the Gunner fortress in easy flight range...

That was it... I knew enough. The tears trembling on Witchy's cheeks were enough. Deliverer snapped up in my magic and took aim at the bitch's head, the furious, possessive roar of 'Be Dark..' taking charge. I was going to kill her for hurting 'MINE'...

Zed moved so fast it was spooky, charging across the cluttered room and shoving me aside, the 10mm round buzzing past Ruby's purple mane and putting a hole in the wall as he knocked the silent pistol aside with a sweep of his hoof. He spun and drove a foreleg up into her belly from below, knocking all her wind out with one paralyzing strike that made her crumple to the floor.

He then shoved his muzzle under her and flipped her up to his broad back, glaring with his stern grey eyes. "Talking with this one here will do no good. Nor will killing her. We must go, now!"

I had to fight with the urge to shove him and get to the bitch on his back, following his pointing hoof out the window and spotting the piercing spotlights lancing out from Whinny, then picking up the howl of Vertibucks taking off from the Gunner stronghold. He was right... they'd be here in no time...

"R-Right... You're right Zed, get the bitch out of here. Take her to Jade and tell her to go, NOW! We'll be right behind you!"

Zed needed no more than that, galloping off with the unconscious mare on his back like she weighed nothing at all, leaving me to Witchy standing frozen and weeping. I had to trot to her face and hold her sodden cheeks to get her attention, trying to put some warmth and care to my growling voice.

"Witchy! Come on, we have to go!"

"Fast... she... she..." Witchy's miserable voice cracked in reply, her shudders transmitted through her armor.

"I know, we'll... w-we'll deal with her later, but we have to go now! Please Witchy! Jade's right outside and waiting!"

That looked to sink in at least. Witchy's blank visor slid down and hid her sniveling face, giving a shaky nod and following along with me out the door. No sooner had we cleared the portal however, a roaring explosion blasted the front of the Foremare's Office to tinders, knocking me to the ground with the power armored batpony crouching over me to shield me from the blast.

I lifted my head woozily, following the wispy trail of smoke past the collection of confiscated Gunner buildings and out to the marsh surrounding the place. E.F.S. was lighting up with more red dashes already, clanking, tromping suits of green power armor coming out of hiding.

Ruby's words came back and I dragged myself to my hooves, shaking off the dizziness in panic. They knew we'd come... they set a trap! Held their forces in hiding outside the range of our cursory scouting and Eyes Forward Sparkle. The muck covered power armor unleashing more heavy weapons fire probably started in as soon as the first shots rang out, but the fireworks and slowly floating flares lighting the complex up were going to draw even more from Whinny in no time...

Running for the ridge and where I last saw Jade, I gulped at more suits approaching from the ground below. Bright beams of magical energy weapons and glowing green blasts of plasma were hammering against Jade's blazing blue shield already. Zed was already galloping to the pens with her and Val was lobbing explosives from over her head. Only a small cluster of slaves were huddled at her giant hooves behind the barrier at least, but even her overcharged magic would only hold out so long.

I dove off the edge and towards her frantically, smashed out of the air halfway to her by a flying tank of griffon power armor. The power claws attached to the advanced suit tore through my black trenchcoat and dug into my sides, keeping me pinned as he dove to the ground with a screech and crushed me against the stone.

Witchy's anti-materiel rifle blew right through the swept back helmet before the bastard could disembowel me, flapping down in a panic as the heavy suit fell on top of me. I couldn't move... I could barely pull my way far enough to see the bright purple flash of Swan reappearing in the pens for the last trip, she'd burned through enough magic teleporting slaves free that her head was lower than Jade's gasping in horror as they both saw me.

"SWAN! LEAVE, NOW!! GET HER OUT OF HERE!" I screamed as missiles started exploding against Swan's purple shield augmenting her sisters, causing both to flicker and crack.

Neither one of them looked to like it, staring back at Witchy shoving the heavy hunk of dead griffon and steel off me with all her half earth pony strength augmented by her power armor. Jade's blue eyes shrank to terrified dots, but her sister took in the situation and gave a determined nod when the first screaming vertibuck swooped in and rained fire down on the two of them.

"Fast NO!" Jade's scream trailed off when Swan's horn lit up and they disappeared in a brilliant zap of her magic.

I managed to stagger up with Witchy's help, lurching away from all the weaponry moving away from the escaped Princess and towards her wounded knight. Craning my head around as I leaned on her and nudged our course towards the glowing green pond, I gulped at the wall of red dashes on E.F.S. surrounding us. Even the skies were cut off, short of teleporting like Swan had, we were caught in their trap...

"T-The mines Witchy! Make for the mines! C-Cut down their numbers..." I hissed out, glad to hear no arguments from the heavily armored batpony shielding me.

Splashing our way through the murky water to take the most direct course helped me pick up the pace, the radiation working to regenerate my injuries down to merely excruciating. We made it to the narrow maw of the mines with more missiles exploding at our tails and propelling us forward, galloping down the rough tunnels together and trying to put distance between us.

We wove our way down the twisting tunnels with the cackles of the Gunners following us, relying on alicorn night vision and thestral sonar to navigate the maze. The Gunners in charge of the place knew it better however, the walls sparkling with jewels to be mined dampened E.F.S.'s range, letting them pop up and drive us deeper.

When we nearly ran headfirst into a boarded up tunnel, Witchy scrambled desperately at the ancient timbers, turning to run back and freezing at the sound of power armor clanking down the way we came. She instantly turned back to the collapsed tunnel, turning to buck at it with all her considerable strength, shaking dust and pebbles from the ceiling as she screamed with effort.

Seeing no other real option, I leaned against the wall to cover her, charging the Last Minute to full power and blasting the first headlamp adorned helmet to come around the bend in the tunnel. The next flat crack echoing through the tunnels was rushed, blowing through the armored chest plate of another Institute suit of Steel Ranger armor, but not stopping the missile fired from his battlesaddle from streaking down the tunnel.

The explosive shot by overhead, nearly blowing my hat back in the smoking trail it left, then impacting the blocked off corridor just over Witchy's last frantic buck. The world was engulfed in flame and shaking as the ground fell out from under us, dropping us down into the dark with a ton of stone following as the corridor collapsed.

We fell... I knew that much before a chunk of stone flattened my hat and the lights went out, we fell into the dark... deep, deep down...

"Fast... Fast please wake up... please! Don't leave me alone.... you have to... please, wake up Fast!" Witchy's voice reaching near ultrasonic levels finally pierced the blackness, getting me to groan and lay my ears back.

"Nnn... f-five more minutes..."

I mumbled and clenched my eyes shut at the green tinted view of her teary face, nearly throwing up when she lifted me up in a crushing hug and my head throbbed like an overripe melon. "Fast! Thank the goddesses! N-No more sleeping! Wake up! W-We are in trouble and I need you!"

"Ugh... t-trouble? What...? Ow... J-Jade... where's Jade?"

I was glad it was so dark at least, slowly managing to open my eyes and hold my head when she released me to fall back to my haunches with a splash. We didn't seem to be in trouble really... The view was somewhat odd, the chilly water I was sitting in was glowing a faint green, providing the only other light besides the glow of Witchy's pip-buck and my own. The dim light sparkled and reflected all around us though, giving a vague impression of a vast space the echoes of her squeaky voice supported.

"H-Her highness is safely away from this horrible mess... but we are not. We fell to a natural cavern system beneath the quarries Fast, do you remember? Thine poor head... I have done what I could but... I was so scared! W-Were it not from the radiation filtering down from above, I do not know what I would have done!" Witchy cried out with a shudder that echoed away into the dark, her face screwed up in a miserable mask.

"Radiation? Huh..." I blinked blearily, dragging my foreleg up with some effort and trying to focus on the rainbow colored gauge there firmly jittering at the purple end. "H-How long? Where's your armor Witchy!? You shouldn't be..."

My instant fear for the normal mare making herself sick was shushed by her lunging into another hug, shivering in my hooves and shaking her head against my neck. "I-It's fine Fast, it does not extend much beyond the water. My armor got in the way of trying to treat you, t-though I was unable to do much. We have been down here more than an hour and I was growing frightened even the water would not help you. Are you.. a-are you alright?"

Well... that explained the intense charge making my mane itch like mad and me very appreciative of having warm filly in my hooves instead of power armor anyway... Now that I was looking, I spotted the empty frame not far away, the glowing headlamp sending a beam of light to go sparkling off the ceiling far above and providing more of the ambient light.

A little pained fiddling with my pip-buck showed the cartoon alicorn on the health screen with a crippled head and Xs for eyes however. Best to just keep that from her for the time being... Another couple of weary taps brought up Jade's locator tag too, proving her right as it hovered firmly over the icon for Redheart Academy.

"F-Fine... Good enough anyway... Sorry to scare you Witchy. So, do you know anything more about where we landed? Is there a way out? I... I don't think I can teleport out of here anytime soon... Not that I'd have great odds even if I was 100%"

Giving a shaky sigh as I crawled out of the glowing water and sat with her on the shore, Witchy shook her head and tapped her forehooves together. "Somewhere big... I have explored as far as I dared away from you and sounded out further, but it is a labyrinth of caverns. T-There were some feral ghouls, but I took care of them. There is also a lot of equipment, rail lines, train cars, metal junk... I'm not sure, I haven't wanted to leave you."

"O-Ok... Just gimme a little while and we can look around together. There's gotta be a way out if ponies brought stuff in and died down here anyway. We'll be ok, let's just calm down and catch our breath. Umm... you wouldn't happen to have a Med-X, would you?"

"Oh! Y-Yes, of course Fast! I didn't want to give you one until you woke, but you must be in pain. H-Here you are..." Witchy squeaked and scrambled in her packs, jabbing my aching flank with an injector and watching me sigh with relief nervously.

Looking around, I spotted and smelled a few of the undead she had dispatched some distance away, but E.F.S. was clear for now. No zombie ponies or Gunners were going to interrupt us at least, so I dragged myself closer to the anxious filly and rooted around in my saddlebags, finding both a red and orange Sparkle Cola jingling around down there along with a few of Glitter's snack cakes.

"Here, gotta keep our strength up."

I split the meager haul between us, giving Witchy the non-radioactive beverage and munching on a carroty cake slowly. We ate in silence for a bit, the plinking sounds of dripping water and the slow current of more of the glowing stuff filling the gloom and quiet. Between that and the headache thankfully starting to fade, I could be forgiven for not noticing Witchy adding more dripping water to it for a few minutes.

"W-Witchy? Are you crying!? W-What's wrong? Hey... hey now, it's ok... We'll get outta here and..."

The tearful, blubbering look she turned on me in the dark was heartbreaking, her squeaky voice cracking when she sobbed. "T-That's not it! We're here b-because of meeeee! Thou were hurt! T-The Princess in danger! A-All to find that h-horrible, evil mare! M-My AUNT!"

She practically spit the last word out, her high pitched wails making the crystalline walls quiver. Once she did she slumped and held her head in her hooves, hiding behind her leathery wings and weeping quietly, her back hitching and her silky purple tail curling around her legs.

I really wished I could think a little clearer, thunking my aching head with my hoof and reaching out to touch her cautiously. She flinched at the contact at first, but whimpered when I pulled away, leaving me to awkwardly stroke her back.

My memories were kind of fuzzy, but I remembered enough of the awful cunt Ruby to understand how hurt she must feel. Her only living family was apparently a rotten bitch... The things she had said came back to me and made the hiss of 'Be Dark...' shift and strain, finding it much easier to get loose after things up there got scrambled and with all the radiation charging me up.

Witchy was more important than any thoughts of punishing the awful cunt though, I wiggled my way a little closer and spread my wing over her back with my foreleg, drawing her into a hug and nuzzling her teary cheek. "Well, my grandpa is a part of the evil Institute... so I can kinda sympathize I guess. I'm sorry though Witchy, I'm sorry you had to find out that way, that you had to meet that bitch at all and hear... hear what she was like. We weren't just here for her though, none of this is your fault. Jade would have come for those slaves no matter what, the Gunners were counting on it without knowing anything about you or Ruby, right? We did good here tonight, even if we didn't get what we hoped for with you."

She stayed quiet during my fumbling attempts to soothe, still leaking salty tears I kept nuzzling away anxiously, her cute ears laid back and flicking at my soft coos. At least she seemed to be thinking over it, but the shaky, hurt whisper she eventually voiced came right from the source of a lot of the pain in her heart. "S-She... she called me ugly too... j-just like all the others..."

It was probably a bad idea with as itchy as my mane felt and overcharged I was, but I wasn't going to let that stand, I'd made a promise to myself to make her understand and refused to let the bigoted assholes in Dreadnot or her awful Aunt win. Moving a little more forcefully than I might otherwise with the needy growl in my head perking up at the opportunity, I grabbed her sodden cheeks and turned her towards me, lunging into a deep and passionate kiss to her surprised squeak.

Breaking it off was a lot harder than I expected, but I managed to pull just a hair away, nudging her cute little nose with my own and staring eye to eye. "She was wrong Witchy. Just like all the others. I don't like hearing you repeat what's not even worth thinking about. I'll keep saying it until no asshole like them can ever make you doubt it again. You are beautiful, inside and out."

Witchy's wide amber eyes flicked down in shame, though her wings fluttering behind her excitedly betrayed the hope in her voice. "B-But..."

"I will prove it to you if you say one more negative word Witchy... So.. s-so think carefully, because I'm kinda having a hard time staying in control right now... You. Are. NOT. Ugly. If it weren't for Jade, I'd say you were the most gorgeous mare I've ever met, and I remember back before the war and mares like Rarity. That bitch Ruby is ugly, those ponies that made fun of you back home are ugly, but you are beautiful."

That uncertain look flickered in her slitted eyes sparkling back, but she took enough of my warning to not voice any of the doubts I could see going on behind them. It was still enough to keep kissing away her tears though, licking at her full cheeks and nipping at her neck as I pressed closer, my wings aching and the steady chant in my head getting harder to ignore.

'WANT! NEED! NOW! MINE! MORE! WANT!'

Already I could see some of those sparkles in her lidded eyes weren't reflections of twinkling lights, but distinctly heart shaped bursts. Her damp, fuzzy cheeks were warm and pink and her strong hooves were squeezing me back, her shuddery, grateful sigh echoing out in the dark. It might be simply taking comfort in each other, or weird alicorn pheromones, or a distraction from the grim situation and response to the life and death struggle that brought us here, but she wasn't crying anymore...

We might have ended up going a lot further... Were it not for the deadpan voice echoing out from nearby surprising us both. "He's right you know. You're as pretty as an amethyst geode formation."

"Gah!" I yelped as I was tossed back to the glowing water, splashing down while Witchy scrambled up and drew her ornate curved sword from her scabbard protectively.

Her fluffy ears were trained right where a green dash on E.F.S. had lit up, stammering out to the dark with a scowl on her blushing face. "W-Who's there! Show yourself if thou art friendly!"

"I'm right here. I'm friendly, I guess. You're the one shooting everypony." The droll voice that answered didn't respond to Witchy's angry, surprised squeak or show any kind of emotion at all really, calling out from somewhere in the dark ahead.

I splashed my way back out of the trickling water and gently pushed Witchy's curved blade down, cautiously trotting out towards the green bar in my vision and answering curiously. "Shooting... you mean the zombies?"

"Zombies? I guess they weren't that talkative. Most of my friends aren't though." The even voice answering was close, seemingly coming from the large, tipped over train car the glow from my pip-buck lamp illuminated.

Witchy galloped up at my side in her power armor, darting her eyes around and not spotting anything either as we got closer. "Be careful Fast! It may be a trick! W-What are you doing down here, p-peeping on us!"

"I was here already. You two decided to put on the show. Not that I wasn't enjoying it. It's been awhile since I had non-rock company." The weird feminine voice replied again right ahead, continuing in an unconcerned tone when Witchy's armored foreleg knocked aside a stack of rocks and crushed one underhoof. "Oh. You killed Chunk too. Watch out for Boulder."

We both looked down sharply, now standing in the shadow of the tall rail car and raising our pip-buck's high enough to shine some light down on the shape concealed by several large rocks in a semicircle around it. The odd mare looking back with a sleepy looking stare blended in with the stones around her with her faded grey coat and mane, tucking a small stone in a battered pouch to her withered chest protectively.

She was crushed from the ribs back by the tipped over rail car full of stones spilling out to the rocky ground, blinking between the two of us with her bright blue eyes as if we were strange new guests over for tea. She held a rotting foreleg up in greeting, confirming my first thought on the most likely creature to be down here with us, besides pursuing Gunners or chatty hellhounds.

"You are a ghoul..."

"No. I'm Maud."

"Wow...."

Witchy and I both gaped up at the huge cavern we were in, now lit by industrial lights thanks to Maud's instructions. Following the winding passages in the dark to the dead arcano-flux generator and getting it online took a little work, time that Witchy and I spent silently blushing and figuring out what to say, but the result of getting power running was amazing.

The rail cars like the one Maud was still pinned under must lead up to the collapsed tunnel on the surface and the tracks up there the Gunners had salvaged. There were two tracks, one with cars heavily laden with rock, the other with cargo containers bearing steel crates and boxes, labeled with the familiar horseshoe shaped symbol of Stable-Tec.

Further away, several large passages led in all directions, littered with dead yellow hulks of earth moving equipment festooned with drills. The smaller passages Maud had sent us down were even steel clad hallways, lined with exposed wiring and unconnected pipes, while part of the cave beyond the corridors had the deck plating ringing under my hooves with a very familiar sound. All of it leading to only one conclusion.

"This... This was going to be a Stable, wasn't it Maud?" I finally managed to speak, tearing my gaze away from the glimmering walls studded with gems and crystals reflecting the bright work lamps back.

"Yes. Stable 88. I consulted with those fillies from Stable-Tec a lot. They needed a Rocktorate holder to dig out their shelters. The Commonwealth had several suitable sites of igneous and metamorphic substrata that could withstand balefire bombardment. Along with interesting geological features I wanted to study anyway. Though I was also in the area doing the same kind of work with the Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology, and assisting in the excavation of several research facilities and archaeological sites." The strange mare betrayed the closest thing to excitement I'd seen out of her, which was even more relaxed than Peri on sedatives...

"Umm... you really like rocks, huh Maud?"

I tilted my head and waved a hoof out to her collection of speckled and ridged boulders from the rail car pinning her, arranged and stacked within her reach with the polished little stone from her decorated purse that seemed made specifically for holding it.

The rotting grey ghoul gave a slow nod in reply, shrugging with her free upper half. "They don't exclude you if you're different than other ponies. Which I have been down here since I don't growl and shuffle around aimlessly. I thought the other workers were just playing some game and not letting me join in. Though I guess I still am different now that I can see better. A ghoul you said? I've never heard anypony call me that. It explains why I've had so much time to practice my other hobby down here I guess."

"Other hobby?"

The lidded look she turned up to me never wavered, replying without missing a beat. "Stand up comedy."

The way she just blinked back slowly and said something so ridiculous with a straight face made me sputter out laughter, echoing out into the caves and making the corner of her cracked lips quirk up ever so slightly. The strangely somber whisper of 'Awareness!' giving a tired chuckle in my head. If she was joking, it was a good joke, lending credence to her being serious, which was somehow just as funny.

If nothing else, she had managed to hold on to her sanity down here, alone, in the dark, for 200 years... At least I hoped so considering the only thing I could think to do with her now. I shook off my tapering snickers and sat down in front of her, nodding up to the huge weight keeping her trapped with my wing and speaking in a soothing voice.

"Well, since we took a good chunk of your audience away Maud, let's see about getting you out of here. Umm... more has changed than just ponies being turned into ghouls like you out there though. It might be a bit of a shock..."

"Like alicorn princes making out with batponies in dark caves? I've never heard of one of you either. Are you related to one of the Princesses? How long have I been down here? I've been going by geological time. Which is long." She still didn't get worked up, and racked up another point on the side of actually being a stand up comedienne with her even delivery of another crack that made me sputter and blush.

"Er... 200 years or so? I'm no prince, and the Princesses are... t-they died. Umm... a-along with most everypony you knew probably. D-Don't freak out or anything, the war happened and... I guess you've been trapped this whole time alone. You're not anymore though, just hang on and stay calm."

I was worried being too honest might hurt her, despite the firm whisper of 'Be Strong!' helping me and Witchy start bucking the boulders from the rail car and lightening the load. She didn't react with any more than a raised eyebrow over her bright eyes though. It actually made me a little envious of her ability to remain calm considering my temper, I'd probably be hyperventilating and passing out by now, or ranting and raving...

With us up in the tipped over cart and out of earshot, Witchy whispered to me anxiously. "Thou are sure about letting her loose Fast? The Princess says ghouls that have been isolated so long can be unstable... What if she attacks?"

"I think we can handle one mare going feral Witchy. I don't think she will anyway, she seems extreeeemely chillaxed about everything, huh? Maybe she knows a way out of here. Either way, we can't just leave her here. Now, ready to help me put all this excess energy to better use than assaulting you?"

I was glad to see the blushing batpony titter laughter, sounding much better than she had as she gave a power armor assisted buck to a huge hunk of granite. "Thou didn't assault me Fast. You always make me feel better with thine sweet words and actions, even when overly excited... I shall have to consider the Princess' offer actually."

"Huh? Offer?" My ears pricked up curiously, turning to her as I floated more rubble out.

"O-Oh! Well... A royal guard's duties include acting as a confidante Fast... The Princess and I talk, a-about many things... When the discussion turned to thine... unique relationship... how she could be so gracious in s-sharing... She said she only allowed it with those you both cared about like her close sisters, Valkyrie and... er... m-me... should I ever wish to do so." Witchy's face glowed in the gloomy cavern, bashfully looking down and biting her lip in embarrassment.

"W-Wha? You... she... r-really?"

She turned away and shoved forcefully at the rocks, her tail flicking rapidly as she stammered back in a shamed rush. "I... i-it is only because I told her I never really have willingly... Thou art the first buck who ever expressed interest, t-that I understood anyway... a-and that I... umm... f-felt that way about too..."

"Really!? I mean... I'm flattered, a-and embarrassed you guys talk about that kinda thing. Maaaaybe a little excited too, huh?" I gaped, finally managing a stunned answer with my ears and wings both standing straight enough for her to giggle at. My chuckles joining hers tapered off as one word out of all that hung in my mind however, the possessive, angry snarl of 'Be Dark...' echoing it with me. "Wait... willingly?"

"T-Thrillingly! I imagine it would be thrilling! J-Just when we met and you... er... w-we... That was very exciting for me Fast and I had not been able to put it out of my mind. Because of that, it was important to be honest with her highness about my p-persistent feelings, in case she felt they were inappropriate or made me unsuitable as her royal guard. S-She was probably joking... Y-Yes, that must be it! F-Forget I said..."Witchy's eyes opened wide and she stammered in fright and ...shame... chirping rapidly and trying to focus on the rest of what she said.

She instantly went to distract and cover for the slip and I wasn't going to push, right now... Even I could catch it and figure enough out though. Witchy had never come right out and said she had never had sex before, just that she never really had. A subtle distinction I hadn't paid enough attention to, foalishly believing a mare a couple years older than me might be as inexperienced as I was when I left the Stable. Thinking of the other abuses she had suffered though, it clicked in my head. For once me and the shadowy pony in my head that was actually good at figuring nasty things like that out were in complete agreement.

Somepony in Dreadnot was going to die...

Not until we got out of here though. Dwelling on it or pushing her wouldn't do any good, so I pretended to accept her half truth of a reply without question, focusing on the actually thrilling idea and trying to calm and reassure her. "Witchy, Jade doesn't really joke about that kind of thing often. Especially knowing how you feel about, about e-everything that's wrapped up with all that for you... She wouldn't play that kind of prank on you, or me for that matter. That's more Val's sense of humor. We kind of have a weird relationship because of... reasons, but she loves you, we both do, which is the only way she ever ...s-shares... Y-You know, it's funny, I sorta wondered if your barn door swung the other way and you'd rather do that kind of thing with her than me... hehehe... ummm Witchy?"

I caught her cringing at my offhoofed joke to cover the awkwardness, watching her tail flicking faster a little too closely as she squeaked in a pained whisper. "W-Well.... I w-would, I t-think I would... l-like both? L-Like her highness and her sisters h-have with thou? I have o-overheard things, w-when you have all been... ummm... t-together... N-Not that I am worthy of being w-w-with a Princess... I... a-am being foalish... just nevermind Fast, p-please, do not tell her highness I have such terrible thoughts..."

'NOW! WANT! MORE! MINE! NOW!'

Grrr... shut up dammit... If nothing else, don't screw this up with all your bullshit... I bashed my forehead and snorted, shaking my furiously itchy mane and holding my hooves up to Witchy peeking back anxiously. She squeaked again and the visor to her helmet slid down with a clang when I caught her vulnerable amber eye, shrinking to the corner of the rail car and fluttering her armored wings rapidly.

I was somewhat amazed I managed to not simply pounce on her heavily armored rump shivering in the corner then and there. Instead I trotted over cautiously, nudging her shoulder and slowly tilting the blank face of her armor back to up to meet mine. I gulped nervously and released the manual catch on her helmet she hadn't had time to learn about, revealing her pretty face to her surprise, that immediately turned redder and tried to look down again, hiding under her short purple mane.

Shoving her muzzle up a little more firmly, the kiss I planted on her soft lips was slow and deep, stretching out over long minutes with just the two of us, answering breathlessly when it finally ended. "You're not being silly Witchy, and thinking way that isn't wrong. If you really don't want me to say anything I won't, but you should tell her how you feel. She always wants to be involved, so I really doubt she would have errr ...o-offered, if she didn't figure on being there too. Sharing is caring, right? She doesn't mind sharing me with those we love, I don't mind sharing her. T-That's one more fantastic freaking reason to get out of here and back to her then, huh? The sooner the better..."

Fresh tears spilled down Witchy's fuzzy cheeks, her face lit with a beautiful, hopeful smile as she darted forward and pinned me in a powerful hug against the tilted wall and chirped. "Y-You really think... Yes! Of course Fast, w-we must return to the Princess regardless, but... I promise to think on it and d-discuss it with her as well, t-thank you!"

The snarling need of 'Be Dark...' raging at me was as frustrated at the armor covering Witchy's warm body as I was, fighting for control to tear it away from the smell of her sweaty fur crammed into it like a sardine. Having her nuzzle against my neck and plant tentative little kisses just urged it on, putting her fluffy ears in perfect range to nibble on the cute little tufts of fur and pant raggedly.

"O-Ok Witchy! U-Unless you want to get started right here and now, y-you better let go... I can't... it's getting hard to.."

Witchy squeaked and pulled away just in time, blushing furiously and helping me up from where I shuddered and rubbed at the insistent ache between my eyes. "Oh! Oh I'm sorry Fast! I-I'm new to this and... o-of course, the radiation! W-We really must..."

"Not that I'm in any hurry, or mind, but there are other places to do that down here. It is a fairly large system of caverns." The droll voice of the completely forgotten Maud broke us out of the nervous giggle we shared, sending us both flapping up and careening off the rusty steel walls with hollow bongs.

"R-Right! Sorry! C-Coming! I mean... w-we'll be right there Maud!" I yelped back and stumbled back out, shuffling under the ghoul's bored stare and giving a crooked grin to her and Witchy cantering out after me. "Alright, let's give this a try and get you outta there."

A layer of overglow around my horn lit up the cave with its bright blue light sparkling off the walls, enveloping the still heavy rail car pinning Maud with a low groan and creaks coming from the wrecked storage container. I was actually grateful for the strain that took all of my concentration and every ounce of extra power I had coursing through me, grunting along with 'Be Strong!' to slowly lift the huge weight into the air.

With it hovering weightlessly inch by inch away from the ground, Witchy gave an armor assisted buck and flipped the rusty train car back to the tracks with a crash as my telekinesis gave out. The crumpled hindquarters of the ghoul blinking between us made her look like a half used tube of toothpaste, making my stomach give a lazy flop.

"Hmm. This will make leaving harder. It's better than being stuck though. Thanks." Maud looked back to her ruined hindlegs without much concern, dragging herself forward on her forelegs and picking at her tattered green dress trailing behind her.

"Oh, hang on Maud. Umm... maybe we can do something about that too. Crash course on being a ghoul, or an alicorn for that matter, rads are good. Sorry about the sludge." I shook off the nausea from watching her pained progress, floating the ghoul mare up in my magic and trotting over to the glowing trickle of water dripping down from somewhere far above.

I had to hold a hoof up to keep her from returning to dragging herself up from the water, nodding down to her withered hindlegs slowly starting to bend and snap with sickening crunches. It would take a little while, but the radiation would heal her as well as it did me, a new detail of her undead state she was obviously just learning and taking in stride.

"Ah. That will be easier then. It's a long way back home. I have to check on the farm I guess. 200 years is a long time. For ponies anyway." Maud deadpanned and sat patiently, letting the radiation soak into her leathery coat and lend her brilliant blue eyes a greenish sparkle.

"Y-Yeah, four legs will be quicker than two. I'm hoping you know a way out of here then? We really need to get back to the surface."

"As soon as we hit our target depth and found these caverns, we dug a secondary passage up to the surface for ventilation. It shouldn't be hard to go back to the quarries. If they haven't collapsed too. This area is geologically stable, but there was a lot of seismic activity. I suppose that was the bombs. If it was enough to shake things down here and trap me, it's possible it's closed." Maud shrugged and wiggled her twisted hindlegs in the water in reply.

"Huh... Well, we fell down here in another collapse, so I wouldn't count on going that way. Besides, we don't really want to go straight back up, there are.... bad ponies up there. Popping right back out will be worse than staying trapped. Is there any way to get further away and come up somewhere else?"

Following my nod out to the dark caverns, Maud shrugged. "Maybe. If we followed the surveys I took of this system, we could come pretty close to the surface and dig the rest of the way. There's most likely flooding in other chambers though, and pests, but it would only take a few years by hoof."

"Y-Years!? But we must return to her highness! She must be so worried! W-What if she attempts to return to rescue us Fast!?" Witchy squeaked and made me panic at her fair point.

"Shit... You're right Witchy! She won't wait forever... fuck!" I tapped frantically at my pip-buck map, pulling up locator tags and breathing a shaky sigh of relief finding Jade's mark still safely at Redheart.

Looking at the others, I still gulped on finding Val and Swan's circling near the Hide n' Seek Park ruins we had used as a staging area, while Zed's slowly crept closer through the marshes. It had only been a couple hours, the Gunners up on the surface were probably swarming the place and keeping even that violent duo and sneaky zebra away, but that wouldn't last.

Jade still had to ask Glitter to work the locator tag system for her, but Val knew it well enough to understand Witchy and my own marks wouldn't show up unless we were still alive. A fact she had actually absorbed since it pertained to being a good bodyguard and keeping tabs on me. They'd see us here and tell her, if they didn't just throw themselves at the mercenaries in a desperate bid to find us. We didn't have time to waste fooling around or wandering in the dark. We had to get back before they did anything reckless...

Pacing and looking around in desperation, my eyes hung on the dead yellow hulks of the tank like excavators in the cavern, frozen in the act of drilling huge passages from the rock walls. "Hey Maud... would one of those things be able to dig us out?"

The ghoul calmly sitting in the glowing water craned her neck to peer around me, tilting her head at the mining equipment and answering slowly. "If we followed the passages up and stuck to the sedimentary deposits. And if they're working. The Stable-Tec ponies used those, I just consulted. I don't know much about machines."

Floating out my tools, I tilted my hat up and trotted towards the ancient machines hopefully. "Well... lucky we've got an expert repair pony then... You keep soaking for awhile and I'll see about arranging us a ride..."

The Ultra Pounder-Under Grounder 6000 was an impressive piece of industrial machinery manufactured by Hippocampus Industries, similar to the Super Quicker Crop Picker at Sunshine and Rainbows Co-Op I got to fix and I enjoyed the calming tinkering getting it going again. Luckily there were several examples of the strange looking, tank treaded vehicles. I had to cannibalize the multi joined crushing and drilling arms from the others scattered throughout the caverns, affixing them all around the huge, studded drill at the front of the one in the best shape. Between that and raiding the Stabe-Tec crates for parts to jury rig in, I was pretty hopeful the arcano-tech machine would run, for a little while anyway.

I was also glad working on it kept me calm, staving off my worry over the time it took and trying to be positive about it. At least it let me bleed off radiation while Maud soaked it in, eventually enabling the bored sounding ghoul to walk out and collect a dinged yellow hardhat, turning on the headlamp and keeping herself amused by showing Witchy around.

The pretty batpony hovered nearby and tried to help, but she reluctantly had to admit there was nothing she could do when it came to fixing machines. Actually having her so close was distracting, interrupting thoughts of complex circuit diagrams with wonderful smell and presence, so I gently encouraged her to follow the earth pony ghoul around and try to fill Maud in on the world above.

Hearing Maud's even voice pointing out all the different gem deposits also let me give her something Witchy could help out with, asking her to collect the valuable gemstones Maud could apparently uncover and buck loose with uncanny skill. Even if Swan didn't get a chance to grab any of the mine carts full up in the quarries, I had plenty to work with in no time.

"Thou art amazing at this Miss Maud! So many rare and valuable gemstones! Look Fast!" Witchy squeaked and got me to crawl out from the access panel between the rusty treads, sitting up to look at the pale blue Stable-Tec crate she had been filling for me sparkling with gems.

"These aren't rare. Though they are valuable to ponies and zebras. Coal would be rarer in Equestria. I always wanted to see the huge veins in the Zebrica, but the war happened. Boulder and I hated that we were fighting over rocks." Maud bucked a gleaming cascade of emeralds down to Witchy's box and kept trotting along, only the barest hint of sadness in her voice that was almost impossible to discern.

"Rocks? Is that why? Nopony could ever give me a straight answer growing up."

Maud turned her flat stare back on me and nodded. "Rocks. Distribution of mineral deposits. We had gems, zebras had coal. Instead of studying the plate tectonics and volcanic activities that caused it, we fought over them. Though my sister said it was about other things too. I didn't pay much attention to politics though. I just remember it was about rocks."

"That... makes as much sense as anything else I've heard I guess. It must have sucked for you Maud, er... liking rocks so much. For them to be a reason we did everything we did. When you see the surface again, you probably won't feel much better about it. Who knew rocks could cause so much trouble..."

"Rocks don't cause trouble. Ponies do. Rocks are just rocks. Rocks take on different properties when interacting with magic though. Ponies use them to make gadgets, burn them to make trains go, dig them up and never have enough. With the right stone, you could rule all of Equestria, or even the world if you wanted to. That's what we tried to do I guess. Rocks are still there though, no matter how much the world up there has changed. Even if the family farm is gone, Holder's Boulder is probably still there and still the same. " Maud only seemed to really get chatty when talking about rocks, but couched in those terms was what seemed like bitterness and sadness, making me cast out for a diversion for the poor mare.

"Umm... with the right stone huh? Ah! Maybe you could help me actually. See, I need a rock to help save my family... They were taken away from me by the Institute like Witchy was telling you about. I finally found a way to follow and get them back, but to do it, I have to... er... build another gadget I guess. A teleporter. I need a really big chunk of crystal suitable for using in complicated magic, like this!"

Maud trotted over and squinted at the schematics I brought up on my pip-buck, not betraying any positive or negative reaction to my request and hopeful fidgeting. When she finally answered, she looked at me getting to my hooves evenly. "You need a rock to save your family? Family is important. What do you think Boulder?"

Witchy and I blinked together at her retrieving the small stone in the pouch around her neck and speaking to it, staying quiet and casting sidelong glances to each other in concern. When she seemed to listen to the stone for a minute, I started wondering about how well she actually had held on to sanity. Then I started wondering about my own again as it apparently answered and she tossed it straight up, impacting the ceiling of the cavern and bouncing off several stalactites before falling right back down to her upheld hoof.

There was a deep rumble from overhead, Witchy and I both gaped up to the large cracks forming and raining dust down as they spread, while Maud never flinched or looked away. Several huge chunks of stone fell just behind her but she remained still as a statue, never moving an inch when a massive, hexagonal pillar of pink crystal followed them down and fell to the cavern floor at her tail.

"Boulder says yes." Maud spoke when the tremors died down, looking down to Witchy and I taking cover behind the excavator.

"S-Sweet Celestia!! How!? W-What!? REALLY!?"

"This should work. This isn't rare either. Rose quartz forms in massive, anhedral occurrences in hydrothermal veins and pegmatites like those found in this area. Though this one does contain a dense network of fine inclusions that align with the gem’s hexagonal crystal structure. If cut so that its base is perpendicular to the c-axis of the quartz crystal, the cabochon should display asterism in the form of a six-ray star that's highly conducive to enchantment. I can cut and prepare it for you to say thanks before I go back home." Turning and tapping at the giant hunk of octagonal crystal, Maud murmured quietly, turning to my stunned face with a tiny smile.

Mission Updated: Arcane Relay Race

Objectives---
---Build Teleporter Relay
-----Construct Crystal Reflector Platform
---------~~Find suitable crystal~~

"H-Holy shit... Thank you Maud!" I shook off the message blinking in my vision and rushed forward, hugging the slightly soggy ghoul.

I felt her stiffen at the contact, but was too stunned and overjoyed to stop, profusely thanking her with a tear in my eye until she patted my head with a tiny smile. "It's ok. Family is important. I hope we both find ours."

A roar echoing down the caverns managed to pull me away before she could, flicking my ears at more answering it and gulping. Something heard that and was coming our way, lighting up E.F.S. with red dashes that spread all around us. Witchy's ears swiveled madly as her battlesaddle controls came online with a hum, her voice rising after she sounded out into the dark and didn't look to like what she got back. "T-There are many... things... coming this way Fast. Big, dangerous sounding things..."

"Oh. Those are probably Quarry Eels. Sometimes they slither through. They always left us alone down here though." Maud adjusted her headlamp and kept peering into the milky depths of the crystal she brought down, totally unconcerned by the approaching monsters.

"Everypony down here has been dead though! Or rocks! Whatever these things are, we're probably fresh meat to them! We gotta..." I yelped and ran for the excavator, pulling up short when I got my first look at what a Quarry Eel was and froze.

A huge, sinuous, violet beast with too many eyes and a mouthful of dripping fangs... That's what a Quarry Eel was... It had a finned ridge on the top of its head and another under its chin that vibrated with a low whine that made Witchy lay her ears back, while a line of glowing spots ran down its long body and illuminated the passage it had slithered down to reach us. It swayed in the air overhead like a snake, the drops of its drool falling to hissing puddles that ate into the stone like acid.

I was still gaping when it darted forward at me as the closest prey, its toothy maw stretching wide enough to swallow me down with one snap of its jaws. Before it managed to do just that, Witchy's anti-materiel rifle fired with a magically suppressed 'pfft!', blowing a hole through its mouth and out the top of its head. Seeing the monster's corpse come coiling down and crashing at my hooves got me moving, diving for the cockpit of the mining machine and slamming my pip-buck into the controls.

"Fuck! Time to go! Witchy! Try to hold them off while I get this going!"

Shouting frantic orders was completely unnecessary as Witchy fluttered up to the roof of the pilot's compartment, following her ears to take aim as a second and third eel darted out, splashing the cavern walls with greenish blood.

Running the machine through a rushed startup sequence, I growled when the excavator chugged and clattered before backfiring with a fading whine, trying again and hitting buttons and levers frantically. I spared a glance out to Maud in worry, somehow unsurprised to find none reflected in her calm gaze pulling chains from a compartment on the back and unhurriedly hitching them up to the giant crystal she brought down.

Much as I wanted that thing, the immediate threat seemed a little more important. Four more eels bolted out, too fast and numerous for Witchy to take them all down, forcing me to float the Terrible Shotgun out the empty windows of the cockpit and start blasting away while trying to get the stupid thing to start. Another eel snaked by and rocked the whole machine on its treads, taking the whining sputter it made as something else to potentially eat and barely held at bay by the chatter of Witchy's combat rifle.

"Come on you 200 year old piece of junk! Start! START! NNNNGH!!!" I screamed and headbutted the control panel in frustration, blinking up in surprise when it decided to take that as incentive and clattered to life. "YES! Maud! Get up here! You're driving!"

Maud still didn't hurry, even with me firing over her head as she trotted up and climbed the treads, turning between me and the driver's seat. "I told you. I don't know much about machines. I dig by hoof."

"It's easy! Forward, backward, left, right! Dig button! Stop digging button! You're the one who knows where to go, I'm the one with the guns! Just go!" I shouted and added Vengeance to the shotgun hovering in my magic, glad at least most of the bright spotlights on the digger were working and seemed to be discouraging the eels, not to mention pointing out where to shoot easier.

The ancient treads flaked rust and squalled as they started rolling with a jerk that knocked me off the side of the vehicle, catching myself with my wings and hovering nearby to follow and keep firing at the slithering horrors swarming us. The gyros in Witchy's suit gave her an easier time of it, spreading her legs atop the small roof of the cockpit and firing behind our slow progress.

The excavator dragged the huge crystal as Maud managed to turn and start down a large passage with a gentle slope up, chewing its way over the uneven ground and towards the surface somewhere far above us. Between Witchy and I blasting away, we managed to keep them back, though Eyes Forward Sparkle barely kept me ahead of the smarter ones snaking through smaller holes in the walls, popping out with their slobbering jaws snapping at us.

When the big drill started up with a squeal and started chewing through the rock up front, both of us were forced to duck behind the excavator, dodging around each other and the numerous eels that could thankfully only approach from the rear with the drill engaged. The multiple, spidery limbs around the circular bit pulverizing the rock were outfitted with chattering jackhammers, smaller, sharper drills that sought out the harder deposits of gemstones in the way to be sucked up by wavering nozzles, anvil shaped hammers and great chomping jaws that smashed boulders to dust. They darted around the new tunnel the drill was opening up in front of us in a flurry of movement, occassionally changing pitch with the meaty sounds of eels trying from that direction getting turned into hamburger.

Sending a bright web of lightning down our backtrail turned two eels moving together into smoking morsels that bizarrely made my stomach grumble, though it also discouraged the others from trying so straightforward an attack again. Instead one clever and much larger bastard popped out of the ceiling, just behind three of its fellows forcing me to dodge frantically in midair, letting them corral me right into its waiting maw.

"FAST LOOK OUT!"

Just realizing there was no way I could get out of the way, I was suddenly slammed aside by a heavily armored batpony shaped freight train. I rolled across the rubble strewn passage, aiming back at the beast and stopping in surprise at the sight. Witchy had forced her way into taking my place, her forelegs stretched over her head and her hindlegs spread wide on the thing's acid drooling tongue.

The servos in her armor whined and shoved the monster's jaws wider as she screeched with effort, the corrosive drool eating into the gleaming paint job of her father's armor. Her sword bladed tail skewered the roof of its mouth repeatedly, while curved wingblades clicked out from the bat shaped coverings and slashed at it further, making it shake her rapidly and bear down harder. It also just added more acid dripping down her gleaming steel flanks, pitting the metal and melting the sparkling blue-violet paint from her wings.

That was the last bit of her parents, the beautiful armor they had souped up together as Arcano-Cats... and she sacrificed it to save me. If I were in her place right now, even my magical Shrouded Stallion costume wouldn't protect me from being turned into so much sizzling mush.

It was that generous nature that made Witchy truly beautiful. She never hesitated, willing to give everything of herself to help those she cared about. The thought of losing such a wonderful mare that had lost so much, known so much pain and abuse, but never lost that unrecognized inner beauty, brought the voices in my head roaring to life.

'Be Unwavering!' and 'Be Dark...' rose up together and harmonized, overriding even the racket of the driller still grinding away and forgotten behind me as time slowed to a crawl. It was a strange sensation, that darker voice didn't find common cause with the Ministry Mares often, but the two forces balanced each other out and blended together with the notes of the others behind them. It created a strangely complimentary song that filled me with a surge of energy, without totally losing control.

'LET. ME. OUT!'

"LET. HER. GO!!"

The Shroud's voice boomed down the tunnel as my magic surged and enveloped the ugly jaws trapping her 'Be Strong!', adding my overcharged telekinesis to her augmented strength and wrenching the hideous mouth back open inch by inch. She screamed and shoved back up from where it had been successfully crunching her down, still slashing wildly and trying to align her long rifle in the cramped space that wouldn't yet allow the barrel to swing free.

The gleam of the yellow eyes of four more popping out of more holes in the walls was all the warning I got, enough to fire the Terrible Shotgun from the flank and dodge thanks to 'Awareness!'. With a running jump, my wings sent me rocketing right at her, dodging two more smaller quarry eels moving to defend the beast and the long fangs, tackling Witchy out of its mouth 'Be Awesome!'.

Everywhere her armored hide touched me burned and sizzled as we tumbled free in each other's embrace. Despite the pain and the nagging hiss to tear the huge eel to pieces, my first thought was still making sure she was safe, 'Be Kind...'. My concern for her was mirrored in her agile movements too, Witchy rolled to make sure she was on top and did an agile spin, finally able to aim her anti-materiel rifle and blasting a hole right through the roof of its toothy mouth diving on us.

The king eel's brains splattered the roof of the tunnel and it crashed down, the others now wary and ducking back in their holes. Witchy panted and crouched over me struggling on the sloped ground protectively, ignoring the hissing acid that had to be eating through the seals and joints by now, while it burned my neck and chest where I had grappled with her.

Hissing in pain and trying to get back to my hooves and stagger after the excavator still trundling along, I was surprised when Maud bounced out of the driver's seat. For a ghoul that had been stuck under a few tons of rock and steel for centuries, she moved with an eerie, earth pony grace and strength that was a match even for Zed. Maud jumped from the back of the excavator, springing up to a high point on the round wall streaked with pale stone.

She drove her hooves into the stone like a jackhammer, pulverizing several large chunks of the brittle stone that fell free into dust that fell on the two of us in a choking, bitter tasting cloud. To my amazement, the bubbling acid fizzled out, leaving both of us burnt and foul smelling, but no longer coated in acid actively eating into us to cause serious damage.

"Chalk deposit. Alkaline minerals neutralize acid. Are you two alright?" Maud explained to us gaping back at her in confusion.

"E-Er... Yeah, thanks Maud. That was awesome! Rocks really can do anything, huh?"

Panting back along with me, Witchy kept her weapons trained on the tunnel stretching out behind us and the retreating eels staying back for the moment, a little awe in the crackling voice coming from her damaged helmet. "Truly impressive Miss Maud. Not only thine knowledge, but the way you dove out to save us!"

"Hold on... dove out? Shit! The digger!" I yelped and turned back to the drilling machine continuing on its path and leaving us behind, stumbling after it only to be held by my tail in Maud's yellowing teeth.

"Wait for it." Maud held her grip placidly over my attempts to pull free, as immovable as a mountain.

Before I could start ranting and asking what the hell she was talking about, there was a burst of dust and a rumble shaking the tunnel. A flood of stale, brackish water rushed around the machine breaking free into some new chamber, parting around the sturdy earth pony like a rock in a stream, where it would have most likely washed me down the drain.

Witchy's power armor and half earth pony strength kept her in place too, turning to the crumbling opening and the excavator leveling out and continuing with the squall of metal getting shredded, the hunk of pink crystal bouncing along in its wake. She galloped down the passage with me when Maud finally let me go, splashing up the trickling stream and popping out into a fairly large and square chamber.

The digger suddenly fell with a crash, chugging to a halt with the numerous limbs drooping away as the headlights dimmed. It took me a minute to get my bearings and figure out where we came out in, getting over the idea I'd have to repair the damn thing again on taking a better look.

It had chewed through a metal cylinder that looked like a tin can tossed in a woodchipper, falling down into the stone declivity it sat in and to the... tracks? A subway car... the stone under my hooves gave way to smoother concrete and tiled walls, the digger resting in the middle of a passenger car that had thrown seats, stainless steel poles, luggage and bones all around it.

'Discovered Location: University Station' blinked in my vision as we came strolling out into the echoing underground station, flapping my wings to wave away the dust and gaping at the skeleton cluttered stairs not far away. A blessing from Celestia, back up to the world under open skies and out of Tartarus. A quick check of my pip-buck map and the new icon confirmed it, we had come some distance north of the Whinny Quarries, not far from University Point and all the other ruined schools in the area. Val and Swan's locator tags were even arrowing right for us somewhere outside.

Shaking off my shock, I bucked a pair of grenades down the tunnel we had come out of just in case any eels felt like following, satisfied the rumble shaking through the ground would discourage them. That done, Witchy's visor slid up and we both turned stunned expressions over to Maud sedately trotting around, examining cracks in the walls curiously.

"T-The subway? How... how'd you know where to go Maud?"

"I explored all the subway tunnels in Trotson on my off time. Along with the sewers. Traffic tunnels. Evacuation routes. Ancient ruins. You know, for fun. I hoped this one was still intact. Oh... are those more ghouls like me? Or the bad kind?" Maud answered in her bored voice, waving a hoof out to several shambling zombies lurching out of the dead subway cars further down the line.

"Bad kind! Those are the bad kind Maud!" I yelped and unholstered Deliverer and my knife, galloping up with Witchy wearily and preparing to deal with a threat at least marginally less horrific than giant underground eels.

Nopony had been down here in awhile apparently, E.F.S. lit up with more and more red dashes of dormant undead waking up and charging us. They might not be as dangerous as mutated Quarry Eels, but there were a lot of them... as tired as we were, I was worried we'd be overrun at this rate, more snarls echoed down the rails leading into the dark too.

Witchy was right at my side, her combat rifle chattering away, the curved sword in her fangs slashing out along with Best Served, adding to a mounting pile of corpses as we tried to work our way to the stairs up. They were still far away and there was a lot of dead ponies between us though, making the bright crimson blur that swooped down a sight for sore eyes.

"Found ya boss! How the fuck you wind up here!? Hey big stuff! C'mon down an' get 'im!" Val screeched and lit the gloomy station up with bright red beams from her M.E.W., scorching zombies and drawing attention to herself.

The shaking stomps coming down the stairs behind her was even more of a relief, Swan had to squeeze her way down, but started launching blazing purple arrows as soon as her head cleared the turn in the stairs, a giddy and relieved look on her sweaty face. "FAST! Finally! Sister and I have been worried! You're in trouble!"

The two of them decimated the horde of zombies despite the hurriedly healed wounds obvious on them both. With their indiscriminate slaughter, Witchy and I had to throw ourselves in front of the unconcerned Maud watching calmly, preventing the two of them from adding her to the tally.

When Swan vaporized the last zombie making a suicidal attempt at charging her and flopped to her belly in front of me with a rumble to nuzzle happily, Maud merely blinked at the oversized filly in the alicorn angel outfit. "I thought you said the Princesses were dead. This is a big one."

Thanks to Swan, we were able to teleport back to Redheart without much delay, appearing in the open courtyard sometime past 2 A.M. with my huge chunk of crystal safely transported out of the subway tunnels. I had to put up with a lot of smacks by Val for sending her away, but at least she spread her annoyance around by swatting Swan's flank for doing as I asked at the time too once she was reminded of it.

Swan bore the treatment long enough to kiss and nuzzle at me on the way to the doors, spreading her wings rather than going inside and confusing the deferred friskiness from still having my radiation meter jittering in the red/orange border. "Ummm... Swan? A-Aren't you coming? I thought er... once I talk to Jade and all, we could maybe... y-you know... play?"

While the big purple filly fluttered her eyelashes and grinned at the prospect, she whinnied reluctantly and shook her head as she flapped up from the ground. "Those Gunners are all mad and keep sending little groups to go smash. I don't wanna be interrupted... Besides, sister is silly when she gets as big as me. I'll let her have her fun for awhile, after she's done yelling at you. That way I don't have to listen to it when I get back, and we can play right away without all her whining. You better not get all worn out though Fast!"

I watched her fly off with no small degree of disappointment Now that we were safely back and healthy, all the overcharged urges I had been rather proud at staying in control off were creeping back in. I did have the good sense to be a little embarrassed at my wings standing up when I looked back to Maud watching with that bored expression anyway. Scratching at my itchy mane and shrugging back to her standing placidly in the courtyard beside the large, translucent chunk of crystal now taking up one of the walks to the open doors.

"Er... Coming Maud? Not that ghouls really need to eat or sleep, but there are beds and food if you wanted. Probably a treat after being stuck down there so long... Oh, there's other ghouls with the Followers and Minutemares here too! If you wanted company, they could probably talk you through stuff more than we could."

"Company? I don't do well with non-rock company. I might try talking to them I guess. Later. It's nice being out under the stars again though. I think I'll stay out here with Boulder and Rose here and think." Maud patted the hexagonal pillar of crystal and held her pet rock up in reply, blinking up to the night sky twinkling overhead with no obvious sign of wonder or joy at being free, but after spending enough time with her, I got the feeling it was there somewhere.

I also worried the less pleasant parts of the view out here might be weighing on her too. I had my own experience when it came to escaping from deep underground and getting a first look at the wasteland outside. Even for the stony faced mare, it had to be a shock. Witchy and I telling her about it was one thing, seeing was another...

"Alright, if you're sure... I'll see you in the morning then, my wife the Princess and our daughter will really want to meet you I'm sure. You really saved us, so be prepared for a lot of thanks."

Leaving her behind, Val shoved me forward and kept smacking me gruffly. Though in between getting knocked around by my relieved bodyguard, she filled us in as she led us through the sleeping settlement. Waving absently to Jade's recovery room now full of weak but grateful slaves, then huffing at a small, locked office down the hall with a Minutemare dozing on a fold out chair propped against the door.

"Kept that rotten bitch Stripey brought back in there fer now. She's a real piece of work batty, be glad ya fell real damn far from that tree. Held off till I could ask, but want me to kick her ass some? Me an' tons of fun already put the fear o' Gawd in her, hell... even Blue got in on it after she heard the shit she was sayin' 'bout you an' yer folks, but don't want her gettin' lippy if'n ya wanna talk to her later." Val nudged the silently trudging Witchy, rolling her violet eyes to the makeshift prison they had confined Ruby Shard in.

That was Val being nice and her weird, griffon version of caring though. She flexed her claws and grinned to the thestral giving her a weak smile back, perfectly willing to hurt the awful bitch after Zed told her what had happened. Witchy still looked hurt, but seeing her fellow guardian trying to cheer her looked to help. "T-Thank you Valkyrie... I may take you up on that. N-Not tonight though, I have no interest in talking with her again so soon. I'd much rather report to the Princess."

"Oh don't worry bout that, takin' you two nitwits to her straight off 'fore she loses her freakin' mind. Blue's been a right terror all night, be glad to finally get some peace and quiet once she gets what she wants boss." Val huffed and kept padding along, joining me in peeking in on Glitter and her griffon friends snoring safely, giving a nod of professional respect to Lila's bright green eye cracking open as soon as the door moved.

"Umm... I-Is she really mad Val? I'm glad you guys kept her here, but I thought she'd already be storming out by now. I just... had to make sure she was safe."

Val snorted at my quiet whimper, shoving me on faster. "She's still got enough sense ta be all embarrassed and don't wanna freak everybody out. Ain't been easy keepin' her in hidin' though boss, you owe me extra fer babysittin' that big worrywart. Made me keep comin' back and tellin' her what was up every half hour, whinin' and blubberin' about goin' back. Knew the way those assholes were still swarmin' the place that they didn't get'cha though, an' yer little mark thingy on the map was still there, so I just figured you was bein' all sneaky somewheres. Not that she'd listen..."

We arrived at the doors to the auditorium as she finished, pausing at the large pile of empty Sparkle Cola bottles, tin cans dribbling the dregs of heavy peach syrup, Cram grease, carrot juice and canned hay, a mountain of Insta-Oats and Sugar Apple Bombs boxes that Val kicked aside with a groan.

I blinked between Witchy's wince and Val's tired sigh, raising a curious eyebrow between them and getting a reply from Witchy. "T-The Princess has been having cravings... a-and she eats when she is worried... most often when you are out in danger somewhere Fast, so I'm not surprised thou hasn't noticed. U-Usually not this much however..."

A loud 'HIC!' sounded out from behind the door, making me gulp at Val snickering down to me. "Yeeeeah... about them cravings... I think she's been takin' little nibbles off them glowy apples of hers after all the healin' she ended up doin'. Figure she was plannin' on goin' out herself and layin' waste if'n we didn't find ya soon. Consider yerself lucky Swany was too busy lookin' for yer dumb ass with me to find out she had 'em an' go on a bender with her, but you deal with her now."

Before I could do more than stammer a question, Val threw the door open wide and grabbed Witchy and I in her claws, physically tossing us in the room like she was feeding a hungry hellhound and shouting out with a smirk. "Hey! Big Blue! I found em for ya! Now quit yer whinin' and have at it!"

Witchy was enough of a natural flier to catch herself, while I went rolling down the stepped seating of the large auditorium, coming to a stop dizzily when I ran into something warm and soft, then goggling up to a lot of blue fur stretching overhead.

Jade absolutely filled the rotting stage, lending credence to Val's opinion that she had been taking nips off her balefire apples. So much for her being too embarrassed by the side effects... Her blue eyes got round and dark somewhere up near the rusty spotlights still hanging on, shimmering with tears as she gulped down whatever she had been snacking on when we were so rudely tossed in.

I didn't even get to my hooves before she snatched me up, crushing me against her bare blue chest and giving an excellent view of the fluff of winter fur she had been cultivating under her lab coat. It was easy to miss the floof filling out normally, but pretty noticeable when sinking into it like a feather bed.

"FAST! Oh thank the goddesses! I have been so worried! W-Where have you been! How dare you send me away! I am very... (HIC!)" Jade's booming cry was cut short when she hiccuped cutely, shivering around me with a subtle stretch, before continuing with her anger fading into a sleepy murmur. "Mmmm... v-very upset! A-And very happy to see you again..."

I couldn't really answer with her forelegs squeezing me like a stress toy against her shuddering breast, sputtering weakly and trying to soothe as her lips came down and smacked at my face in desperate kisses. The thought of her working herself up into returning to the quarries herself was horrifying, but I wouldn't put it past her in her agitated state. At least her apparent preparations to do so left her in a very affectionate and forgiving mood, cooing softly now that she had me and looking down with lidded eyes between kisses.

"A-Ack! S-Sorry hon... sorry! I give! You know nothing would keep me away from you! We just got a little sidetracked!"

Kissing her wide lips back got a pleased whinny and brief reprieve, letting me look down at my hat falling to the ground, freeing my itching mane for her to snuffle at. It did at least make her eventual, sighing retort less sharp than I imagined she had been practicing anyway. "Yes... sidetracked... We shall discuss your distracted wandering in detail... For now I am simply happy to have you back safe and sound. I have been so frightened and loooonely Fast... You insisted on getting me in this state, I demand you do as promised and take responsibility... while you start explaining."

The sultry purr she ended on made my wings ache and twinge in her grip, shivering as she gave a lusty giggle and started tugging at my coat over my yelp. "Eep! U-Ummm... T-That sounds great Jade, but W-Witchy... er... over there?"

Jade snorted and turned a puzzled expression to my wave over to Witchy, gaping at her giant sized Princess from her flapping position nearby. Of course pointing out we had company didn't really dissuade her in the slightest when she saw who it was, though it did relieve a little pressure when one long foreleg let go and darted out. She scooped the stunned batpony filly out of the air and hugged her right next to me, now alternating between smacking at my already soaked face and Witchy's bright red one.

"Witching! Oh you poor thing! Come here! I am so sorry you had to meet that awful, awful mare! Then you were forced to protect my silly Fast for me! It must have been a very trying night for you my wonderful little royal guard. (HIC!) I can control my impulses, for a bit... You just forget all about it and snuggle right here with me! I have missed you as well dear, now I will not let either of you go, ever, ever, ever!" Jade babbled happily and fell to her back, splintering the stage as she hugged the two of us and sighed in contentment.

When the two of us were shoved muzzle to muzzle in her embrace while Jade tittered a little "Boop!" with each nudge of her hooves pushing us together, the flustered filly squeaked in mild panic. "Y-Your highness! T-Thank you for thine concern, but I a-am fine! Thou shouldn't be too upset with Fast either, h-he was very caring and helped me. I wished to inform you all about it, but if thou are feeling... umm... i-indisposed... I s-should give the two of you thine privacy."

Squirming in Jade's grip got her absolutely nowhere, except smooshed closer to me to Jade's giggles at toying with us on her chest. "Ohhhh? Did you comfort Witching for me Fast? Good! I heard Miss Shard's hateful words about her own kin and was very upset with that nasty little mare... I may have threatened to sit on her... You need no such awful pony for family, you have all you need right here, hmmmm?"

Getting cuddled by a giant Jade happily curling up around us and wiggling to herself was heaven, especially with a blushing batpony pressed so close along for the ride. Though I at least tried to fight off the very pleased and frisky growl of 'MORE!' in my head to shrug to Witchy helplessly. "Er... s-sorry about this Witchy. She gets a little u-uninhibited when she's like this is all. Although.... if you had anything you wanted to say to her, now would be a good time."

Opening her eyes from the beaming smile she had been wearing, Jade blinked curiously and perked her laid back ears up, training them down on us and finally allowing Witchy loose. Though I remained pinned just where I was and had no real illusions about escaping any time soon, or desire to. Jade's wide wings blew the tattered stage curtains back as she fluttered them and shifted her way up to a half sitting position, tilting her head to Witchy hovering up to her level and gulping nervously.

"Princess... I... I wanted you to know how much I care about thee, how happy I am to have met you, how proud I am to serve and overjoyed I am to find a true family. I needn't have sought out Ruby at all when I am lucky enough to have all of you. T-Tis hardly appropriate for a royal guard to... t-to have such feelings for their princess... b-but I love you very much, b-both of you..." Witchy kept looking down and shuffling in the air, but I was proud she managed to get through it, her blushing confession bringing a tear to Jade's sparkling blue eyes.

Of course that also got her snatched back up and pressed to Jade's squealing nuzzles, though Witchy looked a little more prepared this time. Jade rubbed her warm cheek against her, burbling over her chirps and beaming to her friend. "We love you too Witching! Have no doubt of that! You will always have a family and ponies who love you right here! I was so worried not only for your safety, but that you may fall to depression after hearing the terrible things your ...'aunt'... said. I am glad you finally realize she and those foolish ponies in Dreadnot are wrong and that you deserve so much more Witching. If Fast has managed that much, I suppose I shall forgive him."

Witchy stayed up there awhile, sniffling against Jade's face and nuzzling her back in a teary hug. When she finally pulled away a bit, she looked conflicted for a moment, then hesitantly stretched her neck up to Jade's ears, whispering rapidly and hiding behind Jade's billowy mane and her own purple bangs, her face practically glowing a neon red.

Jade's surprised blink turning to a demure, lidded look down to me made me shiver nervously. Jade purred down, wearing a sultry smile with heart shaped sparkles in her bedroom eyes. "Ohhh? He did, did he? And you... I see... Hmm... He managed to behave? This is something you would wish to... Yes... I see... hmmm... that does sound delightful..."

"H-Hey! What are you two talking about! I wanna hear! No fair!"

I struggled in Jade's iron hold, turning between her and Witchy engaged in conversation I could only hear half of with the batpony's blushing face buried in Jade's cocked ear. Just what I did hear was enough to send a hopeful thrill down my spine, grunting and panting as I tried to crawl closer, only to get shoved back down with a giggle by a hoof to my head, driven right back to trying again with the overstimulated chant in my head.

'WANT! MINE! NOW! MORE! WANT!'

"You are sure it is acceptable? I realize it may be intimidating in my current condition, especially for a first... Oh! V-Very flattering dear... Yes... Yes... Of course... Oh no, he will do just as instructed... Of course my sister may insist on... Ah, good, fair warning then. Mm-hmm... Wonderful! Just relax then Witching, we shall go slow." Giving a few more nods and lusty giggles that made my mouth dry up, Jade nodded smartly and let me go sliding down her tummy, nuzzling the squeaking batpony before turning a lidded look down to me crashing to the floor between her hindlegs.

Hugging a chirping Witchy to take my place with her little heart pounding away even louder than the steady beat of the oversized alicorn's under her, Jade wiggled on her haunches and licked her lips. "How lucky for you Fast... Witching has advised I forgo your punishment for your reckless behavior entirely this time. You shall be allowed to skip directly to the making it up to me portion... or both of us as the case may be... You frightened us both you know, so I expect you to be... veeeery contrite... You do remember the rules, do you not dear? You shall do exactly as instructed..."

"RIGHT! Yes honey! W-Whatever you say! H-Here to please!"

I shook my head hard enough to rattle my brains, shivering in place with my wings springing straight up to Jade's giggles. They faltered and my mouth fell open when she continued however, giving a mischievous grin as her soft lips pressed against Witchy's with a rumbling moan and overwhelmed squeak.

Jade's sparkling eyes stayed fixed on mine as she pulled away, nibbling Witchy's ears and making the dizzy looking batpony melt. "Very good... though you really should suffer just a tiny bit, despite her endorsement. So, for now, you must merely watch..."

"W-WHAT!?! NO FAIR!"

-------------------------Level Up!-------------------------

New Perk Added!------------

Stonewall------
---Learning all about rocks from the epitome of earth ponies has made you as unyielding as Boulder! You now gain +5 DT against melee and unarmed attacks and cannot easily be knocked down during combat.

Companion Perk Added!-----------

Sonar Sweetheart------
---Spending time in a regular Batmare's Cave together has maxed your affinity with Witching Hour. With Jade's royal guard in your party, you are now able to detect enemies at a very long range. Also, enemies that are cloaked can now be targeted in S.A.T.S.

Ch. 94-- Leading by Example

"We all have hidden talents, and if we're patient and diligent, we're sure to find them, and as always, with good friendship and teamwork, ponies can accomplish anything."

Blinking blearily in the overcast, blustery morning, I was once again glad coffee was so readily available in this part of the Commonwealth. The chipped mug wafting steam in the cool air was nearly as good as radiation to restore my energy, without all the side effects that left me so exhausted and groggy after burning off all I had taken in last night.

Witchy was less of a morning pony than I was, though she seemed rather chipper standing at my side, although a little awkwardness hung between us after being the main outlet for all that energy last night. We shared a mostly comfortable silence and watched the odd show in the courtyard of Redheart with several settlers, Minutemares, Followers and a flock of healed griffons. The strange ghoul Maud who had helped us was already busy doing just as she promised, chipping away at the massive chunk of pink crystal with nothing but her hooves and a hammer and chisel she had asked for when I staggered out.

Watching the earth pony rocktorate holder expertly shaping the block of quartz in a flurry of efficient movements was impressive, even for Glitter trotting along behind the ghoul curiously. Already a large, round disc was taking shape, a six pointed star shape of darker facets being revealed from the milky depths just as she said was hidden there. It would definitely work for Dr. Vigil's teleporter plans, so I was actually making progress.

Rubbing at my neck with another yawn finally got the blushing batpony beside me to speak up, bashfully apologizing again for the marks there that were slowly healing up already. Apparently when thestral's got really excited, they had a tendency to bite with those sharp little fangs, or maybe just Witchy did. Either way, I got a rather surprising wakeup sometime just before dawn. Coming up from a haze of weird dreams to find myself getting both chomped on and squeezed by those strong legs hard enough to leave my flanks bruised was a lot better than an alarm clock though.

"S-Sorry again Fast... I did not mean to be so rough, I was just... o-overwhelmed." Witchy's anxious chirp just made me smile, shrugging with weary satisfaction.

"I'll take it as a compliment Witchy, don't worry about it. That's what I get for sleep...umm... walking. Er... it was a compliment, right?"

By her rapid nodding and squeaky chirp, I felt a little pride even if I had been half asleep. "Oh! Y-Yes! Everything was w-wonderful Fast! I thought you sounded a little groggy wandering off to the restroom, but when you returned you were quite e-energetic and the Princess was asleep. I never knew it could be like... t-that..."

Scratching at my bedraggled mane with a guilty flush, I put on a goofy grin to cover the uncomfortable dark mutter in my head that wondered what other experience she had to compare it to that would make her sound so surprised. Not that I was unwilling to take a little credit, or give plenty to everything an overly affectionate Jade had done, but Witchy's fumbling anxiety and nerves during the night had only added to my suspicions.

The fact expressing physical affection could be pleasant seemed like a revelation to her, something she was vaguely aware of, but didn't fully appreciate. After a rather frenetic night proving the point between muddled dreams (that apparently led to me continuing in my sleep), at least that possessive mutter was somewhat sated. 'Be Dark...' only gave a suspicious grumble as I thought over what kind of experience could leave Witchy with such a distorted view of not just herself, but intimacy period.

It would probably be best for Jade to broach the subject, the shy thestral would tell her chosen Princess anything if she asked. I'd be keeping an eye and ear out however... I didn't often like that darker voice in my head, but I had to admit it had a nose for injustice and cruelty, and on that subject I agreed with its bloodthirsty thoughts on what to do about it if I found out anypony in Dreadnot had abused Witchy in that way.

For now I simply stretched my wings in an easygoing yawn and tipped my mug to her cute blush, not wanting to push or ruin the experience. "Good, I'm glad then Witchy. You give a lot to Jade and all of us, it's nice to give something back, show you how much we care about you. So.... have you thought about what to do with your Aunt yet?"

The subject of our prisoner Ruby Shard wasn't much better by her pensive look and slump, but it needed to be addressed. At least Witchy didn't seem as hurt thinking about her now, answering with resigned sigh. "I... I don't know. I don't think talking to her will do much good, anything she could tell me about my mother probably won't be very positive or even true. I suppose I'd vote to let her go Fast, she has made her choices and didn't need or want me to rescue her. Tis her life..."

"You're a lot more forgiving than I think I could be Witchy... But it's your call. I just wish there was some way to make it better, you deserve a lot more than Ruby."

I put a comforting hoof on Witchy's shoulder, glad to see her smile gratefully and shrug off her sadness over her only living relative. I also couldn't help think of my Grandpa Fin... Mobius... Could I be so generous and forgive him? Let him go if it turned out he didn't have a good reason for the things he had done, if he really was just some madpony or as hateful as Ruby had been?

'Betrayer... Revenge...'

Probably not...

"Daddy! Look! Lookit!" Rubbing at the uncomfortable ache between my eyes that came with the thought, I looked up to Glitter's happy yell by Maud. The little filly was waving frantically for my attention, as the soft spoken ghoul was sedately explaining something about one of the cast off chunks of crystal littering the ground near their hooves.

Sure she had my attention and beaming breathlessly, Glitter stuck her tongue out of the side of her muzzle and raised her hoof over a brick sized block of pink crystal. She squinted one bright pink eye shut and focused, bringing her foreleg down with a sharp crack that split the stone in two to my surprise. "See! Miss Maud taught me! Earth pony stuff! Cool huh!?"

"Wow! That's really awesome sweetie!"

My impressed whistle as I trotted over was joined by Jade's sweet voice coming out into the courtyard and clapping rapidly as she fluttered over, both of us praising the proud filly together. "Very impressive dear! Thank you so much for teaching her Maud, and for helping my husband of course. We owe you quite the debt, a pleasure to meet you and offer my heartfelt thanks."

While Jade was essentially back to normal, she still loomed over the ghoul mare as she gave a regal bow. Maud's lidded blue eyes met hers with only a slight rise of an eyebrow, answering in a slow drawl as she spotted Jade's costume tiara. "Ah... This one is the Princess then? No problem. I like teaching about rocks. Your daughter has talent."

"Y-Yes, I have wound up with the title of Princess, though not like the ones you knew. Fast has told me of your circumstances Maud, is there anything we can do to help you? You have quite a lot to catch up on... I understand you wish to return to your home outside the Commonwealth, but I would feel better about your travel plans if we could assist in some way. The wasteland is not the safe Equestria you once knew. If you enjoy sharing your knowledge of rocks, there are many who would wish to learn from an accomplished Rocktor such as yourself. Such information is rare and valuable now." Jade held a dainty hoof out in a brief shake, chatting with Maud as I was dragged off by Glitter for further demonstrations of her new skill.

As I noticed before, so long as the subject was rock related, Maud actually showed a little interest, giving a slight tilt to her head in reply. "It was always valuable information. I really should get back to the rock farm though. Well... I guess it isn't what I expected out here. Ponies would really be interested? Usually they were just bored."

"Sure Maud, just look at everypony that's been watching you out here this morning! Hell, I'd be screwed if it weren't for you making this thing for me, and none of them have seen anything like it. Jade and her Followers are crazy about teaching stuff. Most everything is salvaged out here nowadays, but you know how it was made originally!"

Giving a slow blink to me looking back to Glitter breaking another chunk of crystal, then to the murmurs of agreement from the crowd I was pretty sure she hadn't noticed before now, Maud's muzzle twitched with a hint of a smile. "Hmm... I'll think about it then. It's been this long already, waiting a little longer probably won't hurt. It's a long trip anyway."

"I hope you do, it really is dangerous out there Maud. You could help a lot of folks with what you know, like you helped me and Witchy. There's all kinds of stuff I don't know about gems and rocks, even though they're used in so much arcano-tech. I bet you know stuff almost nopony else does anymore, like..."

While I was trying to be encouraging and rambling cheerily to the calm mare, I looked at the deitrus of broken quartz Glitter kept happily cracking, spotting an oblong chunk that rolled away from her most recent giggling demonstration. A bit of inspiration came and I gasped, realizing another use for enchanted stone that might actually help with Witchy's problem too.

"Memory orbs!"

"Memory orbs are pretty simple. The orb part anyway. You don't need me for that." Maud shrugged in reply, hoisting a roughly hoof shaped chunk up spinning it on her upturned hoof and tapping at it rapidly, chipping it into a crude ball in a flash.

"No, I mean, I figured that. There's actually a place in Goodneighbor that can make them still. I was thinking out loud is all Maud, about Witchy and her aunt. You know a little memory magic, right hon? We might not be able to trust anything Ruby says, but maybe you could pull a memory out of her head? So Witchy could see her mom anyway?"

Jade and Witchy blinked at my sudden jabbering comically, turning to each other and back again with enough of a pause to make me wonder if I had said something stupid. When both their wide eyes sparkled and they engaged in a prancing, squealing dance together, I had to duck behind Glitter to keep from being bowled over when they turned on me.

Witchy had a cautiously hopeful look, questioning Jade and her magical abilities. "Does thou think such a thing would work your highness? I could... see her? Like the memory of Luna Fast let me borrow?"

"Yes! Of course! I had been very disappointed and worried about that rotten mare, but that would be something! Even better than the few slaves we liberated I have spoken to who may remember your mother Witching dear! Very clever Fast!" Jade beamed proudly, nodding to herself as she picked up Maud's crude crystal ball.

Watching the two of them chattering happily to themselves over the idea, I spotted Val giving a disappointed frown to a nervous looking Minutemare reporting to her. Just the pained look Val shot to Witchy was enough to make my heart sink as she prowled over, edging past them and giving a reluctant cough down to me.

She kept her voice down, but her tone made it clear it wasn't good news. "Er... hey boss, not ta piss on the parade, but might have a problem with that..."

"Escaped!? How the fuck did she escape!?"

Catching the poor Minutemare buck flinching at my shout, I managed to take a deep breath, looking between the young silver earth pony and the totally empty room he had been guarding... Calming down was a little easier as it was a valid question, Ruby had been locked in a windowless supply closet and the chair her guard had sat in was wedged against the door all night with him in it.

"I-I-I don't know sir! I never left my post! The furthest my butt got from that chair was just far enough to feed the fire when it got pretty chilly, but I was doing my best! I know this prisoner was important to the Princess and... I'm sorry General!" The poor buck wailed back, pacing between the rusty fire barrel providing heat in the hall and the door to demonstrate his dedication.

When Jade, Glitter and Witchy trotted down the hall after we had slipped off to try to deal with this quietly, I worried the poor Minutemare recruit was going to knock himself out bowing so hard. He took his battered tan hat off and knelt with it held against his chest, grovelling in shame until Jade tilted his muzzle up with her wing and shook her head in forgiveness as she got the gist of the story.

"Calm down, please Private... Track, wasn't it? It is disappointing, but we had planned to release her regardless. Perhaps she was capable of casting teleportation, in which case there was nothing you could have done. A failure on our part, Miss Shard did not seem like a very capable spell caster and I assumed." Jade's soothing voice and the fact she took the time to learn everypony's name looked to make the buck feel better and worse at the same time, but he did get to his hooves and worriedly followed me to the door.

Pacing in the closet, Jade's explanation had to be right. I could smell Ruby's lingering scent so she hadn't been gone that long, strongest near a pile of rotting stationary she must have used as a bed. The only exit I could find was a rusty vent up on the ceiling, too small even for Glitter to squeeze her way in. If Ruby hadn't been a unicorn it would be a regular locked room mystery, but magic gave her a potential out we overlooked.

I still didn't like it... Glancing back to Witchy's conflicted look and disappointment after getting her hopes up, I sighed and kicked at the junk that was so haphazardly cluttering the closet and shrugged. "Jade's right Private, you did your best, nopony can fault you for that. If you still feel bad about it, go put together a patrol and look around nearby, maybe she hasn't gotten that far yet. She'd probably head right back for the quarries, so try south first, but don't go too far. Sorry Witchy..."

"I'll send some of tha squabs out ta look too batty, little brats're good at trackin' an they'll cover more ground." Even Val comforted Witchy, clucking in thought over hunting down the escapee.

"Tis alright Fast, Valkyrie, twas a lovely thought, but there's nothing for it now. It's almost a relief, I was still not looking forward to speaking with her again..." Witchy put on a forced smile and shrugged, partly to the Minutemare private already snapping a salute and galloping off in a rush.

Jade curled her wing over her slumping royal guard and spoke up in a supportive voice. "There, there Witching, it is not so bad. I had my doubts about allowing her the opportunity to hurt you again anyway. Fast's idea is still a good one however! We may go check on my patients before we leave and ask around with those that may remember your mother. We know Mr. Jets back with the Arcano-Cats knew both your parents well if nothing else, I imagine he would consent to sharing a memory or two and they are sure to be more positive! We shall inquire with him when we arrive there later."

That looked to lift Witchy's spirits a good deal and the two trotted off together, leaving me scuffing at the junk in frustration. It wasn't like Ruby could do much harm or we expected much after just a brief encounter with the bitch, but I didn't like her getting away, something about it just smelled wrong. Especially concerning was the silence from the shadow of 'Be Dark..' that would normally be as annoyed as I was over her escaping punishment.

Maybe I really was losing it... being suspicious over the schizophrenic voice in my head actually behaving itself. I should just be happy it was mostly asleep and get on with our day, we had plenty of more important things to do than worry about Ruby anyway.

"Fast dear, come along and stop brooding. Come speak with my patients with me and focus on the good we managed to do, not that one awful mare. I do not like you focusing on the negative..." Jade calling down the hall snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to leave, pausing at the threshold and squinting at a single drop of blood I nearly stepped on that had been uncovered by my scuffing hooves. 'Awareness!'

I didn't remember Ruby being marked at all, other than Zed driving a hoof in her gut and knocking her out. I had wanted to shoot her... but I missed thanks to the zebra's intervention. Maybe she just coughed it up when she woke up, or scraped herself on a sharp edge looking for an escape, or Val smacked her around when she ran her mouth... A single drop wasn't really that ominous, but staring at it brought out a tickle of dread for some reason.

"Fast...." Jade huffed impatiently and I shook it off, galloping down to join her as she continued softly. "There we are, that is better. You owe one of my patients an apology and he is awake to receive it."

"Huh? Oh... right... Mr. Soil, huh?"

Looking up to Jade's expectant smile and nod when we stopped outside her recovery room, my ears laid back and I dragged my hooves to her side. Her reassuring nuzzles helped, but another reminder of the results of that worrisome voice in my head in the form of Till Soil from Warhorse Homestesd wasn't very welcome. Still, Jade kept an eye on me and nudged me into being a better pony than ...that... making me glad I had reluctantly shared my fears and had the love of such a wonderful mare.

"Do not look as though it is a punishment Fast, merely what is right. We must all endeavor to be better, hmm? Mr. Soil does not hold your actions against you and wished to speak with you to apologize as well. Come join us in speaking with the others when you are done. Glitter dear, help your father behave please." Jade gave a kind smile as she opened the door to the crowded room, shooing me in with a wing and trotting off to make her rounds with Witchy at her side.

Pulling her cute little nurse's cap from her collection of headgear in her pack and donning it with a serious salute to her mother, Glitter grinned broadly and skipped her way in front of me, leading the way through the crowd. "It's ok daddy! Mr. Soil's nice, he was really sorry about hurting mom an' everything. You'll feel better if you say you're sorry too!"

"Yeah... you're right sweetie. I messed up, saying sorry is the least I should do."

Glitter gave cheery greetings to all the new patients she had somehow already made friends with on our way, amazing me at her ability to lift the spirits of even the beaten and frightened slaves we had liberated from Whinny Quarries. I could tell they had suffered and weren't sure about the future, but almost all of them smiled to the little filly bouncing along in front of me, spreading hope and the important virtue of laughter wherever she went.

Pressing through the sheer number of ponies, young griffons, ghouls and more made me feel anxious at all the eyes following me and realize how crowded the new settlement had become. I even spotted Swan sitting in the corner, waving happily but apparently waiting on Jade for something, stripped of her alicorn angel costume and fidgeting impatiently in the corner. She was only a little larger than Jade, her head well above the crowd and her ears perked up to follow us, adding to the overcrowded room all by herself.

We had never really stuck around and managed a wasteland community, our time in the area had resulted in more and more people who needed our help and they had flocked here. While it revealed how things weren't as great as University Point liked to present and that we were making a difference, it was also becoming a real issue. The flock of healed and energetic griffons, wearing the tattered school uniforms Glitter had found for them, should start being moved out soon hopefully anyway.

The slaves we liberated were a different matter though. When they were healthy enough, I supposed they'd try to make a go of things here or move on. Many expressed an interest in getting as far away from the Gunners territory as possible after their ordeal and I couldn't blame them.

When we arrived at the older earth pony stallion staring out the cloudy window in the corner, Glitter announced us by jumping up on the ancient hospital bed with a squeal. Mr. Soil had magical bandages wrapped around his neck where I had shot him, but looked healthy otherwise and only gave a slight start at the filly's enthusiastic greeting, ruffling her mane as he noticed me taking my hat off and bowing my head.

"Er... Good morning sir, are you feeling ok? Didn't mean to bother you, don't just pounce on ponies sweetie, he's still injured right?"

The middle aged farmpony chuckled and replied in a raspy voice, nodding gratefully to Glitter bouncing off to grab a cracked glass of water and giving a visible wince as he swallowed before continuing. "S'alright young buck, glad ta have the lil' nurse pay a visit with her poppa. Throat's a lil' scratchy, but the Princess says it'll be fine. My own damn fault anyway, eh?"

"N-No, I mean... it's mine. I'm really sorry for, well... shooting you. That was my fault and I'm glad you're going to be ok. I... lost my temper... when you were just asking for help."

Looking up from giving a bow of my head in contrition, I was surprised to see Till Soil shaking his head gingerly, taking another drink and croaking out. "My fault too. Didn't 'zactly ask fer help very smart, so let's call it even. Hell, should be glad you didn't blow mah brains out fer scarin' kids like this lil' cutie, hurtin' a mare like that..."

I turned to follow his grateful gaze over to Jade tending her patients and nodded along with him, forgiving him was easier on hearing the clear regret and reverence in his voice. "Alright then, we'll call it even. Thank you... Umm, I am really sorry though, I don't think you wanted to hurt her, you were just upset, then that asshole professor from University Point shot you and... it was all a big mistake. If it helps any, I believe you had good reason to suspect Mr. Warhorse was a synth. I wish we could prove it like you thought we could, but I'm willing to listen now, if you wanted to tell me what you were trying to then?"

He gave a weary sigh and slumped against his tattered pillows, looking back to me with pain and doubt clear in his green eyes. "I don't even know... If you folks can't prove it neither, how can anypony know fer sure? All I know is Roper Warhorse ain't the same pony I knew most'a mah life. I let my paranoia make me stupid though, but I just don't know what ta think..."

"That's what the Institute does though, makes ponies doubt each other, themselves... Just because they make folks paranoid, doesn't mean there isn't a reason to be sometimes. How about you tell me why you were so sure? How did he change? When? Was there anything suspicious?"

Glitter hopped down and let me hug her to my chest when she heard my obsession coming out in my voice, keeping me calm as Mr. Soil collected his thoughts before answering. "Lotta little things I guess, an' I weren't the only one ta notice, even his wife and foals talked with me about it. He stopped drinkin' and really started workin' tha farm, but was always makin' deals with them eggheads at U.P.. Things was better of course, so funny ta look fer somethin' wrong, but could'a been a lot better still if he weren't suckin' up and rollin' over for em, an' Roper weren't never no pussy ta just take it up tha ass. As fer when, that much is easy, when tha sun came back."

That wasn't the first time I had seen what Jade called the 'Day of Sunshine and Rainbows' being the cause of unexpected consequences in the Commonwealth, making me wonder again about the timing. The Institute had essentially been contained and following their insane version of routine for 200 years without much incident, keeping the status quo as horrible as it was. When the Lightbringer cleared the skies however, things started changing. Was it just a natural result of Equestria moving forward as a whole after so long, or was there something more to it?

"Hmm... Is there anything else? You suspected Mr. Warhorse for awhile, right?"

A flicker of fear crossed Mr. Soil's eyes and he nodded solemnly, "Kept lookin' fer proof 'fore I acted like a damn fool thinkin' you folks could fix everything. The seeds... that's what really bothered me. Said he was gettin' em from University Point, but he'd go sneak off ta get em an' I ain't never seen crops grow like that, t'weren't natural... I followed him last time an' that was the last straw. He went ta the haunted highschool... met some spook in a black coat, sunglasses at night. That's where he got em, when I was sure..."

His description made my mouth dry up and a shiver ran down my tail. I'd run into a pony like that before... a Courser. Granted it could just be a pony with an unfortunate fashion sense, but I somehow doubted it. The superstitious dread he spoke of the place that made 'Map Updated' blink in the corner of my eye caught my interest too.

"Haunted Highschool?"

"Old ruin across the river towards Trotson. Nopony goes there. Well... nopony what does ever comes back anyway... Mite suspicious, eh?" Till croaked back and took another drink, letting what was apparently a local legend sink in.

I vaguely remembered reading something about a haunted school in Piper's files of Institute related ghost stories and rumors back in Diamond City. Between that and who Mr. Warhorse met there, my suspicions moved towards certainty and I put a hoof to the stallion's shoulder in support.

"Just a little bit, yeah... I'm sorry again we couldn't help you when you asked and it ended up so screwed up, but I promise you, I'll look into it. I don't think you were wrong Mr. Soil, I believe you. I'll do my best to make it up to you and find out the truth."

The grateful look he turned on me with tears shimmering in his eyes hurt, seeing all the pain and doubt he had been living with for years reflected back along with a spark of hope. "T-Thank you, k-knew I was right ta ask fer help from the Shroud when it comes ta them evil bastards... Please, find out one way or t'other. Not just for me, but June an' the kids... if that ain't my friend, ain't their husband an' poppa, they need ta know..."

"I will, you just rest easy and heal up sir. I'll let you know if I find out anything."

Tipping my hat as I floated it back to my head, I turned to slink off with Glitter giving the buck a hug before prancing after me. Jade was right, I owed him the apology and was glad to get through it, but the heavy weight of being a hero like the Shrouded Stallion was even harder to bear from a pony I had shot so rashly. I could have killed him, but he still looked at me like that... I didn't feel deserving of that kind of faith.

Trudging away into the crowd of recovering slaves around Jade and Witchy made me feel better at least, all that reverence was turned to the kind blue Princess where it belonged. I sat at the edges of the crowd, listening to an elderly peach mare speaking with a wide eyed Witchy in a raspy voice, her grey mane patchy from radiation sickness a full pouch of orange Rad-Away on the IV hooked to her foreleg was treating. She was heavily bandaged and clearly tired, but held a frail hoof out to the batpony listening to her soft words intently.

"...was a lovely mare dearie, nothing like that bitch of a sister. None of us ever blamed her fer runnin' off to get away from the mines, even though we'd have been better off with her in charge of the town than Ruby. Was an untamed heart though, real wild child... Oh the mischief she'd get inta as a filly!" The old mare chuckled with a slight wince, regaling an enraptured Witchy with tales of her mother that brought a broad smile to her face.

Mingling with the crowd of slaves in slightly better shape eager to express their thanks and answer Jade's request for anything they knew of Amethyst Shard, I got to hear a few angry mutters about Ruby my sharp ears flicked at with interest. The fact she had escaped had already spread and none of her victims seemed too happy about it, making me wonder if maybe one of them took things into their own hooves as I caught the frustrated hate in their voices.

One scrawny, teal earth pony buck caught me listening, coming over with a snort. He knew enough not to bring his anger and pain to Jade and the circle of more positive emotion she spread, instead coming to me with his negativity and desire for revenge he clearly expressed. "Hey, Shroud feller, Ruby got away? You doin' anything about it?"

I caught Jade's kind blue eyes flick our way with a raised eyebrow, her smile never faltered in front of the gaggle of ponies clustered around her, but her hearing was as good as mine and she caught that. Well... this much I was comfortable with anyway. Jade was a Princess and brought out the best in ponies, but I was her knight and was there to deal with the worst... I gave Glitter a gentle shove to join her mother and nodded off to the side, trotting off with the angry buck to a less occupied corner and unsurprised to see a few other upset looking slaves coming along to join his complaints.

"Yes, Ruby got away. We're sending out patrols to try to track her down before she gets too far. You don't have to worry about her though, she can't hurt you anymore, we'll make sure of it."

By the mutters and glares I got back, I figured their own safety wasn't their concern before the ringleader confirmed it. "We ain't worried about her hurtin' us, we wanna hurt her! That bitch sold out our town to the Gunners! Made us slaves! Don't get me wrong, you folks an' yer Princess are mighty kind helpin' us an all, but what about justice for what she done? Thought that was what the Shroud was 'posed ta be about, killin' raiders and slavers like that cunt! How'd you let her get away!?"

That dull ache between my eyes flared up again in response to their grumbles of agreement and complaint, they didn't want justice, they wanted revenge... I understood it, all too well. At least in the light of day I could recognize it was wrong coming from others, but I could feel 'Be Dark...' giving a cold smile in my head, that shadowy voice agreed with them...

"We had her locked up but she got away, we figure she must have teleported out during the night. It's nothing you need to worry about, if we find her, we'll... decide what to do then."

Val prowled around the crowd unobtrusively when she noticed them getting a little too mob like in their complaints, watching me closely and clearly ready to step in if they got out of line. Looking to the other side, I spotted Zed silently slipping away from applying some of his tribal goo to a pretty mare. He turned from treating the infected looking abrasions from the shackles that had so clearly been on her legs recently and made his way to the mob, stretching his hindlegs in anticipation.

Both of them gave me a questioning look as the angry mutters of the mob rose up, the ringleader stamping his hooves and raising his voice above the whisper I had been trying to keep it down to. "Bullshit! Only spell worth a damn Ruby knew was one ta find gems, why she was in charge ta begin with! If she got out it's cause you Minutemares weren't keepin' watch on the slippery bitch close enough! How we know ya didn't just let her go? The batpony there is her niece, right?!"

While his assertion Ruby couldn't teleport was concerning, he was riling up the gaggle of hurt and frustrated slaves I had pulled off to the corner. Jade gave another curious and worried look over as I tried to defuse the situation, speaking through gritted teeth already extending into fangs. They were angry and looking for somepony to blame, without Ruby, they were lashing out and might become a problem.

"Witchy being her niece doesn't have anything to do with it... I understand you're angry, but this is none of your concern. The Princess is the one who decides on justice, not a pissed off mob. When we find her, we'll deal with it. You folks need to just focus on getting better and deciding where to go from here."

I had to bite my lip when the buck jabbed at my chest with his hoof in answer, turning to whip up the crowd of mostly beaten stallions itching for payback. "This is nothin' but our concern! We'll move on after Ruby gets hers! We deserve justice! That evil bitch worked us ta death, sold us off, profited while we bled! We'll take care of our own and pay her back in kind! You just bring her here Mr. Shroud, she's ours! Probably didn't escape at all, got her stashed away somewhere, don'tcha?! Give her to us!"

"Back off.... I'm warning you. I'm not lying, she is gone and we will find her. When we do, Princess Jade will be the one to handle it. Calm down and break it up folks. Now..."

My voice deepening to a guttural growl gave the furious buck a moment's pause, but he mistook me keeping my head down and shaking for a sign of weakness instead of thinly held control, puffing his chest up and taking up the step he had fallen back. Instead of taking my advice, he now turned to rally his mob directly, raising his voice to a shout that disturbed all of Jade's other patients and the concerned alicorn herself.

"Fuck that! If she's really gone, we'll go out and help find the bitch! C'mon folks! We been waitin' for the day we could string her up, I say it's today! Let's go an'...." The stallion's yellow eyes blazed feverishly, shouting the few ponies he had on his side into an oncoming frenzy that had to be stopped when I saw Jade trotting over worriedly.

Several things happened at once, none of which I really planned or thought about consciously... My wings flared and by the way his confidence seemed to evaporate as his jaw dropped, I was pretty sure my eyes were glowing when I pounced on him. Even thin and sickly, he was a taller earth pony buck and wasn't prepared for me as a smaller, younger pony to simply tackle him to the ground.

The mob shifted in response, but before they could get out of hoof I heard the click of Val's 12mm pistol overhead, punctuating her warning screech. Just to drive things home, Zed lazily flipped a cream colored buck who twitched the wrong way over to the wall as she drawled out a warning. "That's enough of that, unless ya wanna have some new wounds fer Blue ta heal up again, I'd settle down fuckers..."

Just to add to Val and Zed's harsh response, every young griffon in the room surrounded the mob in a flurry of wings and claws, instantly following the elder griffon's lead and moving to back me up as their current contract holder. I had no intention of letting them actually fight, but even smaller griffons were pretty damn intimidating when they all moved with military precision. The surprised Minutemares in the room galloping to catch up and restore order were just overkill.

With Val and all the others covering me, I kept the struggling ringleader pinned and managed to keep my fangs away from his throat anyway, growling muzzle to muzzle over Jade's cry as she charged over. "Thou does not desire justice, you want revenge... It is MINE to take if I want it though, not yours. You are not the law here, I am... You will shut up and behave, continue to push your way into my affairs and you will be burned for your trouble..."

The heavy hoofsteps of Swan tromping over and looming over the cowed crowd took the rest of the fight out of them, her giddy rumble making them back away slowly. "Ooooh... is it ok to hurt these ponies more Fast? I was getting bored..."

"Fast! Valkyrie! Swan! Zed! All of you stop that this instant!" Jade charged over, but the excitement was already over.

The angry slave's mob had dispersed under the watchful guidance of the Minutemares and wary glares of the griffon fledglings shoving them back to their beds. As I released my captive and stalked over to her, she still huffed and spoke up in a regal and commanding voice, taking in the situation and acting as a true Princess.

"I understand your anger and frustration, all of you. You have suffered and wish to visit that suffering on those responsible, but we must be better. Ruby Shard has escaped, yes, and we will do all we can to rectify that and see that she faces some form of justice, but it will not be at the hooves of a lynch mob! For those who wish to stay here, the Kingdom of Sanctuary is a nation of laws and justice, not barbarism and petty vengeance. If you cannot accept that, you are free to leave whenever you wish, though I do hope you will wait until your health allows it." Jade stamped her hoof with finality, though her firm declaration was a little undermined by her softhearted hope to heal even those who disagreed.

She was a lot more effective than I was though, nopony could bring themselves to protest in the face of such nobility and kindness. Some grumbled under their breath as they wandered away, but more looked to her with faith and hope shining in their eyes.

"Awww... I was hoping to knock some of them around sister... They were getting pushy and mean, it's best to make an example of one or two, then they won't do it again." Swan pouted at the tension ending without violence, trotting over to nuzzle to get over her disappointment.

Witchy was right behind Jade the whole time, keeping a curious Glitter between them protectively and breathing a shaky sigh of relief. Her fluffy ears drooped as she spoke, her squeaky voice loud enough for the nearby slaves wandering away to hear as she tried to take blame on herself. "I... I am very sorry your highness, all of you... I have never known Ruby before last night, but I am ashamed we are related. It is a dishonor I will do all I can to make up for, s-somehow."

"Nonsense Witching dear, you are not responsible for your aunt and her crimes. This was a failure on my part to anticipate their reaction. Perhaps we should consider ourselves fortunate she escaped, we had not put much effort into any form of courts or prisons in favor or more important concerns. If we truly are going to be a kingdom of laws however, we must deal with that aspect of rebuilding society at some point. We will certainly not simply execute those we do not care for or enforce our will through violence Fast..." Jade huffed at me righting my hat and willing my fangs back down to nubs, clearly disappointed at the confrontation.

Val groaned as she waved off the flock of her griffon underlings, throwing her claws up to complain. "Seriously!? What, ya wanna build a jail and stick cunts like that in there Blue? Waste food and caps on em? Hell, I'm with these assholes, they gotta right ta payback just like me, stringin' her up is a lot cheaper an' faster. Only reason I didn't go along with em was 'cause they was gettin' nasty an' ya gotta nip that mob shit in the bud, but killin' the bitch is best. Gunners'll probably skin her fer fuckin' up anyway."

Swan nodded cheerily and joined on her side, clearly seeing no issue. "Bad ponies should just be smashed sister. Leaving them alive lets them cause trouble later."

As much as I agreed with them, I had the good sense to keep my mouth shut, recognizing Jade's stubborn streak when she stuck her nose up. "Being forced to kill irredeemable raiders or Gunners actively trying to kill you, is not the same as murdering somepony who is already at your mercy. I am willing to admit violence is necessary in some cases, but not all. The New Canterlot Republic has built a prison on the bones of Arbu, we should follow their example when we are able. Doing what is right is not often what is easy. We shall speak with Preston on the subject when we return to the castle. Now then... let me finish my rounds and we may leave as planned, provided we all avoid any more incidents..."

Before she could turn and trot off again, Swan cantered in front of her, making me worry the two alicorns with such opposing views were going to argue again. Thankfully Swan had gotten used to her pacifist sister, letting the debate go and only focusing on what she wanted herself. "Do me first sister! I'm tired of waiting, I don't like checkups and stuff and it's cramped in here with all these little ponies running around that I can't hurt."

"Checkups? Swan? Did you get hurt during all that last night?"

Swan smiled and shook her head at the concern clear in my voice, leaning down to give a grateful kiss to my cheek as Jade rolled her eyes and her horn lit up. Her pale blue magic surrounded her lavender sister, swirling around her with no wounds to heal, only confusing me more while I waited for Jade to stop concentrating so hard on the spell to answer.

After a minute of silence that had me getting impatient and worried, Jade's brows drawn down in focus slowly went up and her eyes softened and sparkled, a broad smile crossing her pretty face as her spell cut off and she nodded significantly up to her slightly taller sister. They might not have Unity between them without one of their green sisters around to facilitate it, but silent communication was still passing between them.

In this case, whatever it was got Swan to snatch me up in her forelegs and squeal, crushing me against her chest as she did a giddy little dance on her hindlegs and spun in circles. "EEEEEE! Yay! Thank you sister! I knew it! Come on Fast, now we can leave and celebrate!"

"W-What? Celebrate? Huh?"

I wheezed dizzily as Swan kept right on hugging and prancing around, looking to Jade in confusion and somewhat concerned to see Glitter, Val, Witchy, Zed and quite a few nearby Followers watching with wide eyed anticipation as she set me down to stagger free. Like they were all waiting for something...

I was getting a little uncomfortable when Jade smirked and tilted my chin up to her, speaking softly and slowly with a mischievous twinkle in her lidded eyes. "I am not quite as efficient at early detection as the MoP Hub maneframe, the spell to detect pony chorionic gonadotropin is only effective after implantation and took some preparation, hence Swan's appointment with my other patients this morning. Congratulations are indeed in order however, I am happy to report a positive result dear."

"Pony chronic gondola trope N? Er... what?"

"Is he going to fall over again? I wanna see him fall over!" Swan giggled and nudged at me while I puzzled out the medical terminology Jade couched her answer in.

Val cackled and rubbed her claws together in glee as I started working it out and felt the color drain from my face. "Quit tryin' ta confuse him ta soften the hit Blue, gots ten caps on boss passin' out again!"

"C'mon daddy, you can do it! Stay awake this time!" Glitter pranced forward and hugged me firmly, trying to keep me upright as I turned a questioning look to Jade.

The blue beauty sighed in resignation and held a hoof up to hide her demure smile, answering in simpler terms for the amusement of our little family crowding around me to watch the show. "Oh very well... Do try to stay conscious Fast, I do not often engage in gambling with Valkyrie. It is a pregnancy test... Swan's is positive, just as we suspected would be the case. It is not a surprise, so surely you can..."

That was as far as she got, the smiling faces of everyone crowding around me in a circle spun like a merry go round and down I went. Only Val's slow motion cackle followed me down into the dark, gleefully stepping over me with her claw held out to Jade. "HA! Ten caps! Pay up Blue, told ya he'd be a big wuss!"

THUMP!

"Bluuugh...."

Waking up from a nightmare where I was buried under an avalanche of crying alicorn babies, the last of which was purple and bigger than me... I groaned and blinked blearily, slowly realizing the warm weight sprawled on my chest was just one grinning little daughter instead of a mob.

"Daddy! Did you have a good nap?" Glitter put down the battered little schoolbook from Jade's regular lessons when I shifted under her, letting me sit up and figure out where I was with a hoof rubbing at my aching head.

"Y-Yeah... great nap..." I shivered as the lest vestiges of the dream faded, my pounding heart slowing down with the sound of a horde of squalling infants still ringing in my ears. "How long...?"

Jade's light giggle made me turn to the amused alicorn sitting at her heavily laden desk, placing me in her office still in Redheart anyway. She sat behind a mountain of paperwork and arched an eyebrow over at me shuffling my way up in the corner, opening an envelope floating in her magic as she answered cheerily. "Only a short while dear, at least you tend to regain consciousness quickly when you do that... Though I do wish you could manage to not faint in the first place. It did give me time to tend to some work before we leave this morning at least, we had a visit from one of Mr. Jets' Red Rocket couriers and have received a good deal of correspondence to go over. I asked the nice delivery mare to inform him we would be along shortly, so wake up sleepy head."

Sheepishly doing as ordered by the smirking Princess, I stretched my legs and cracked my neck, working the kinks out from my forced nap in the corner of Jade's cramped office. I nuzzled Glitter and made her go back to the ancient book and hoof written worksheet Jade clearly had her working at, floating the chewed nub of a pencil back to her mouth before she could scamper up to her huff of disappointment.

Weaving my way through the teetering stacks of paper, clipboards full of reports from her Followers on their patients, boxes of salvageable textbooks, teaching aides and medical equipment from the nursing academy, along with bottles of healing potions and other medicines cluttering the administration office Jade had claimed for herself here, I leaned up to give a kiss to her cheek in apology, getting a pleased and forgiving nicker.

"Sorry about that hon... I'm working on it, just... it still gets me when I first find out that... Wow, so Swan too, huh? That makes the t-t-three I promised Umbra I guess, er... f-four including you... F-Four... fooooour....."

Giving a firm nip to my neck made the world stop spinning as Jade tittered in reply. "Do not work yourself up again Fast... Your amusing antics have already cost me ten caps to Valkyrie. Swan is indeed pregnant as well, so you should be half as pleased as my sister at the very least. I was just composing a letter to Umbra to inform her you have kept your promise, if you had anything you wished to add?"

"Umbra? You're writing her? Umm... jeez, I guess maybe ask if she can calm down and stop sending your sisters out to hunt me now?"

Jade gave a weary sigh and tapped her pen to the page full of her flowing script. "I have. Hopefully she will be more willing to listen now. I am trying again to convince her to focus on her efforts with the compatibility potion and their volunteers in Unityville, rather than remaining so fixated on just you dear. Waiting on myself, Ivy, Periwinkle and Swan to come to term and ensuring there are no complications is the wiser course. Not to mention I have tried to make her accept one alicorn stallion is not a solution, no matter how ...enthusiastic... you are to help. Genetic diversity for a healthy population dictates you alone are not the answer to our mother's wish to be fruitful and multiply. Perhaps she will be more receptive now that there is some progress to point to."

I usually left Jade to her Followers related work when she was holed up in her office or clinics, both out here and in places like back home in Sanctuary. Getting to see her at work and look over her shoulder as she returned to the numerous scrolls and papers, absently tapping at her pip-buck or dictating notes to the arcano-tech device, I took a minute to really appreciate just how much work the Princess of the Commonwealth did, often while I was running around and getting shot at...

Squinting at the glowing blue screen of her pip-buck map and noticing all the additional notes and supply lines displayed there, I was proud she had found some uses for the piece of tech she still had issues with, taking her slender hoof in mine to give it a kiss that made her wrinkle her nose and blush as I took a better look. She had data on all the places her Followers of the Apocalypse spread their charitable work to, including the empty outlines of icons for several towns we had never visited all over the Commonwealth.

Floating up a stack of stained and torn reports bearing the cross and butterfly mark of the Followers, I whistled as I scanned through updates concerning traveling classes and clinics following caravan routes between County Crossing and the Village of Neighlem as a random example. "Wow... you really do a lot of stuff I have no clue about, don't you Jade? This is all the kinda things you reported to that Velvet lady in Manehatten, huh?"

She gave a cute little snort and nickered, setting her latest piece of paper in a rusty tray on her desk reading 'OUT' that wasn't nearly as full as the matching one beside it reading 'IN'. "There is quite a lot more to being a Princess than looking pretty and sitting on a fancy chair Fast. When the couriers are actually able to find us, there tends to be quite the backlog of mail to catch up on. Glitter often helps me while we attend to her schooling, she is much better than I am at all the numbers and it serves as an excellent math class, considering my more traditional lessons are beneath her abilities. Is that not right dear?"

Looking up from a dogeared copy of 'Gusty the Great' she had been puzzling over, Glitter beamed and bobbed her head proudly. "Ya-huh! I like helpin' with the numbers stuff lots more than readin' or history! Mommy makes me do homework just like your spell stuff daddy, makin' sure all her Followers stay in the black is much funner though."

"We all have our talents dear, just as I rely on my cute little knight to be heroic and brave, along with a brilliant repair pony. Rebuilding society and forming a functioning Kingdom requires many hooves and skills, more every day as we grow more successful. As the unfortunate question of criminal justice Witching's aunt brought to our attention today demonstrated." Jade closed her eyes in a sweet smile to us both, the pen floating in her telekinesis darting off to jot notes as she spoke.

"Well, this stuff is as much a superpower to me as anything the Shrouded Stallion could do hon. I always knew you were a great Princess, but I didn't realize so much was involved. I'll try to help out more with this side of things if you want. I feel kinda bad you do all this and I had no clue. Umm... I have an interest in justice anyway, so I can try to think about what to do with bad ponies beyond shooting them maybe? Jails and courts you were saying?"

Jade smiled softly and kissed my horn, shaking her head at the contrition in my voice on realizing how much I took for granted or didn't even know she did, feeling stupid I hadn't thought just what all was involved in managing our growing collection of settlements and allies into a real kingdom. "I am always glad to hear you looking for an alternative to violence and would welcome your input Fast, but do not think you do not do plenty already. We all have our talents and yours lie elsewhere. It does concern me yours so often lead you to bloodshed, rather than tinkering as you plan to do with the Arcano-Cats today, but I never feel you do not pull your weight or work hard for the benefit of others. These most recent letters are an excellent example, we have received several replies from those you wrote to concerning your flock of miniature mercenaries and what to do with them."

"Really? That's great! It is getting a little crowded here..."

Watching her warm blue eyes returning to the correspondence hovering in front of her beautiful face, I smiled at her cute habit of mouthing along silently as she read. I felt a little better at her pleased nicker as she finished the most recent letter and folded it carefully with the others, beaming as she moved to open the next and speaking with her admirable optimism warming my heart.

"Yes, just a bit dear... Though I am proud you helped them and sought out homes for them with all our friends, far away from the Gunners and fighting here. That is the kind of thing you are good at, while I am happy to deal with the minutiae that comes after. Ah, wonderful! The farmers at Sunshine and Rainbows Co-op have informed us they are willing to take in up to three of our young griffon charges Fast! With Mayor Shamrock in Goodneighbor's invitation for five, Overmare Crystal in Stable 114 and Cocoa in Jamocha Plains acceptance of two each, and Miss Oblige in Hexington's willingness to take one, that makes acceptable homes for nearly all of them who remain undecided!" Jade whinnied in delight, tearing open the next battered envelope and scanning the page silently.

Glitter was paying attention to the conversation concerning all her little griffon friends, especially those she had grown closest with foremost on her mind as she pouted warily. "You're really gonna send 'em all away Mommy? W-What about Heidi and Lila? We was hopin' they could stay! I said they could be my bodyguards, like Auntie Val is for daddy! Can't they? Pleeeeeeeease?"

Poor Jade looked flustered at that weaponized cuteness bearing down on her, forcing me to run interference and play the bad parent. "Glitter, you're already surrounded by plenty of protection. Though I agree even all of us aren't enough as far as I'm concerned, that's because it's dangerous around us. It's bad enough we drag you with us in all this, but bringing more kids along is too much to deal with, even Lila and Heidi. Besides, don't you want them to find a home with someone? Like we found each other?"

Playing on Glitter's unwavering love and gratitude over forming a family together was a low blow, but it made her pause and bite her lip uncertainly. "Y-Yeah... But they could have a home with us! They're my friends! We could be like sisters an' make an open contract thingy like you did daddy. So we're always together! I want them to be happy, but I don't want them to go..."

"Glitter, don't play around with making a contract like that, it's very serious to griffons. You're going to have f-four... four brothers or sisters before long too. T-That's gonna be more than enough siblings."

She gave a wan smile at my voice wavering as I shook off a wave of dizziness, shrugging sullenly even at the prospect of baby siblings that usually excited her. Jade pulled away from her desk with a rusty squeal of her wheeled seat creaking in relief at all that alicorn rising out of it, trotting over to comfort her, curling her wings around her and nuzzling the little filly.

"Glitter dear... I know you wish to stay with your friends, which is very admirable and proof of the magic of friendship, but we need to think of what is best for Lila and Heidi too. We have taken care to find homes that can offer the love and support Magpie's young griffons deserve and have not known. They need individual attention and care we cannot offer. Here... perhaps this second letter from Hexington will make you reconsider. Your father has taken special care with those two and I believe you will approve." Jade kissed her forehead and gave a little nudge with her nose, floating her most recently opened letter down to the foal's hooves with a slight nod to me looking over curiously.

Glitter gave a conflicted frown, tilting her head and sounding out the letter like her mother, just at a slower pace with a lot of backtracking. Slowly her brow drawn down in a skeptical straight line raised and her pink eyes grew round and happy, blinking up between me and Jade with a gasp. "Rusty and Copper!? R-Really? They could go there? That's not so bad then! They'll be really close an' they can fly and visit lots! Those two would make really good parents! Can I tell them daddy?!"

Glad to see the minor crisis averted, I nodded solemnly as I plucked the letter away in my magic, reading through the neat cursive script to find what I had hoped for when I wrote the overjoyed sounding recipients. My business partner and sitting Councilpony in Hexington, Rusty Clank and his wife Copper Coil, were the first ghouls I ever met and a wonderful couple.

As undead ponies, they couldn't have kids and expressed regret over it, but had remained together through the end of the world and the intervening centuries. If that wasn't a stable home for the griffon sisters I didn't know what was. Copper's warm reply made it clear they'd treat Lila and Heidi like their own and were already busily preparing for them. Sending them there kept them close to Sanctuary like Glitter noted, plus it had the added benefit of providing for their interests and education.

Lila had demonstrated uncanny skill with old terminals and junk, and Rusty's salvage business was booming thanks to our partnership that opened up the haul of from Watt's, so there was plenty to do for the pair of griffon fledglings I knew would insist on doing some kind of work. They could help Rusty fix and sell his technological salvage, along with keeping him safe, while the old ghoul could teach them all he knew about the business, and his kind wife got to spoil them silly if her letter was any indication.

Glitter voiced her approval of the plan with a happy squeal and a flying tackle of a hug, knocking me back even as I agreed to her request. "Ooof! Sure sweetie, it'll be a nice surprise, huh? I thought long and hard about what to do with your little friends and wanted to send them somewhere close to home, so I'm glad it's ok with you."

"You see Fast, you do quite a lot yourself. Do not sell yourself short. We may tell them all and bring them along with us, you planned on returning to the castle this evening, so they can all leave from there with a Minutemare escort. The only one left now is the most problematic, young Bruno has refused any and all suggestions. Perhaps you could find him and attempt to convince him again while Glitter and I gather the others?" Jade joined us in the embrace, humming in thought as she straightened her leftover work up and prepared to get going.

As glad as I was to get her praise and understanding, the mission she doled out wouldn't have the result she wanted and I was forced to broach the subject. I knew where Bruno wanted to go and it wasn't on her list of approved homes to send the young griffons out to, but the kid was stubborn and had already made up his mind...

"I'll go look hon, but the only place he'll agree to go is the Minutemares. I've talked with him about it and he insists."

"NO! We will not enlist child soldiers to fight our battles Fast! You well know my feelings on this and I thought you agreed, he may not!" Jade's eyes blazed and she flared her wings, snorting a puff of breath through her nostrils in negation.

"I know and I do hon. But Bruno is the oldest and his contract was almost up before I bought it. He's old enough to join and when his time's up he'l just do it anyway. I'm not saying to let him join up and stay at the castle where he might end up fighting the Gunners like he wants either. I can order him at a post far away, even back in Sanctuary. Better he join up under our hoof where we can watch him, than letting him go do something stupid on his own, right?"

She still looked angry, but the determined line of her eyebrows wavered as she took in my argument, biting her lip and shifting on her hooves with a whine. "I... I do not like it Fast. I will listen to what he has to say however. Go along before I change my mind, Glitter and I will round up the others. Here, you may deliver this final letter from Hexington while you are out, Zed's grandfather Zin wrote along with the others."

Getting that much of a concession out of her was more than I expected, so I grabbed the letter she floated over and retreated in a rush, tipping my hat to Witchy out in the hall, guarding the door like a proper royal guard. She blushed and flicked her fluffy ears with a soft smile, making it obvious she had heard all of that with her quiet whisper behind her upheld hoof. "I shall try to convince her highness as well Fast. Young Bruno was quick to volunteer to help find Ruby, tis the least I can do for him."

Leaving it in her capable hooves, I trotted down the busy halls and out to the courtyard, marveling at Maud putting the finishing touches on the crystal reflector platform glimmering in the morning light. It was a round, faceted disc nearly six ponies wide, a darker pink six pointed star dead center of the milky pink surface. Watching the old ghoul chipping and polishing the huge platform made my pip-buck beep and throw text up in my vision as I looked around.

Mission Updated: Arcane Relay Race

Objectives---
---Build Teleporter Relay
-----~~Construct Crystal Reflector Platform~~

That was one part of Dr. Vigil's teleporter done... The bizarre mission tracking system informing me couldn't bring down the sense of fulfillment I got from it doing ...whatever it did... and crossing that off the list. With the radar dish from the Arcano-Cats if we convinced them to give it up, I'd be halfway done already!

I spotted Zed speaking with the sedate ghoul and waited a moment for them to finish their conversation on which stones and gems zebras found most conducive to making their fetishes versus those ponies prized in arcano-tech talismans. If we had more time I'd be interested to listen in to the two experts, just from what I caught it was clear zebra magic took advantage of lower grade gems and even plain old stones. Maybe forced advances due to a lack of Equestrian gems to work with as the 'war over rocks' as Maud explained it got worse, but interesting.

Catching his eye by waggling the letter bearing the unique zebra rune, I hoofed it over after he gave a bow to Maud and let her get back to work, tucking it in his leather jacked to read later. "Thank you Fast, hearing from Grandfather is always welcome. Speaking with that ghoul reminds me of him actually, very wise and unhurried by the world. Unlike you obviously are. Busy with some errand again?"

"We're getting ready to go. You can write Elder Zin back at the Arcano-Cats once we head that way, be sure to say hi for me. I just need to find Bruno first, we finally got places for all of them to go but him, wanna help?"

"I believe he is with the other young griffons searching for Ruby, under Val's direction up there." Zed jerked his head up to the roof, pointing out the bright red griffon squawking and screeching orders at the younger minions she had put herself in charge of flitting around her. He made agile jumps up to the dead trees in the courtyard and crumbling outcroppings on the building, keeping pace with me flapping my way up there and continuing in low puffs of breath. "I'm glad to hear her miniature army will be finding homes. Not only for their sake, but Valkyrie in charge of an entire company of mercenary children is a recipe for disaster..."

Rising up to Val up on the roof, I put the earth bound settlers below me and joined the young griffons filling the sky. As I approached a white and grey little griffoness snapped a salute to Val perched on the roof and soared off, letting me catch the satisfied smirk on Val's beak at being in charge that proved Zed's point.

She heard his jibe on snorted as we approached, ruffling her feathers at the dour zebra's version of a joke. "Shaddup Stripey, I'm great with kids! You see how they all hop to don'cha? Got em workin' like a well oiled machine! We'll track down that bitch in no time, though still think ya should lemme give the order ta kill on sight boss. Oh and hey'a fainty! Finally wake up? Good job bein' a big puss and earnin' me easy caps. Just been coordinatin' the search for that bitch, gots em spiralin' out a little at a time, but ain't caught her trail yet."

"Glad I'm so predicatable Val, you're running a regular numbers racket place bets on me... We're gonna get going soon and most of the kids should be coming with us after Jade talks to them. If we haven't found Ruby ...alive preferably... then I guess the Minutemares will just have to keep up the search without air support. You happen to know where Bruno is at the moment? I need to have a chat with him about his career plans."

"Eh? The brat huh? Sure boss, should be in the northwest quardrant, checkin' towards the river. C'mon, let's go grab him if ya wanna yap at 'im. What's the deal? We takin' all these squabs with us?" Val spread her crimson wings and took off, forcing me to scramble after her awkwardly as she quickly gained altitude, while Zed merely donned his bloodwing fetish and flew gracefully on his magical bat wings to follow along.

"They're all healed up and Jade's found places for them to go, before the Gunners come down on our heads... We were planning on going to the castle this evening, after spending the day with the Arcano-Cats to try to get some work done. We should be able to arrange escorts with the Minutemares for all of them from there. I just need to talk with Bruno since he insists on joining them."

Val clucked at me struggling to keep up with her, rubbing her claws together and purring menacingly. "Ah, spendin' some time with the hep cats first though, huh? Good! Talked with the old buck in charge last time, get ta run ya through yer paces with all them other featherhead ponies, Ya been slackin' boss!"

"Slacking? You mean... oh no.... Noooooo!"

"YESSSS! Trainin' boss, they gots all that great Wonderbolts crap ta use, yer puttin' some time in with pros! That Burny was right interested when I asked, so he's gonna help beat ya inta shape boss, it'll be great!" Cackling as she did graceful swoops to flank check me and send me staggering in the air, Val sounded giddy at the prospect of torturing me again.

"You have been slacking lately Fast. Training is not something that can be abandoned when inconvenient. I must practice the martial arts of the zebras I have learned since foalhood to this day. You could be much better in the air if only you showed a little discipline, your survival does depend on it." Zed joining in on her side just made that smarmy smirk on Val's face grow wider as I pouted back.

"Well excuse me... not all of us have fancy zebra doodads that let us be an expert on borrowed wings whenever we want... That's still not fair.."

Ignoring them chuckling to each other as we flew, I had to admit Val did have a point and was trying to help, in her weird, painful, sadistic griffon way... I had been trying to get out of Val's insane version of flight lessons wherever I could. With all the magical knowledge and spellbooks available in University Point, that had mainly been accomplished by trading her aerial tutoring in for Jade's arcane education. By the gleam in her eye, I had a good idea there was no escape today however, even pointing a shaking hoof to the distant robin grey griffon flapping our way and trying to pull ahead to meet him was only a momentary reprieve.

Bruno flew up from the crumbling riverside ruins below and circled us impatiently, the bright blue scarf of the Minutemares worn over his dark blue sweater and ratty school uniform shirt, despite my warnings not to wear that where Jade could see it. The fact he refused to be parted with it and already considered himself a recruit did at least add to my argument though.

He stuck his tongue out in distaste at Val playfully pinching my flanks and giving me noogies under my hat, coughing for attention and speaking in a voice that cracked with restrained excitement. "Hey boss! Quit playin' griffon groper a minute, I think I found her!"

"Huh? You mean Ruby!? You did!? Great job Bruno!"

While the young griffon's feathers puffed up with pride at the praise that he tried to carefully mask, Bruno didn't look simply excited at succeeding in his mission now that I took a good look. He was already a regular little mercenary and had seen and done a lot I couldn't imagine, but something was stressing him and taking away from his enjoyment of a job well done. His face looked just a shade paler than normal and the sweat I could smell wafting behind him as he started drifting down to the city streets had just a hint of the acrid scent of fear mixed in.

"Yeah, yeah boss, don't go crazy congratulatin' me yet. Still not sure it's her, it's uh.... kinda hard ta make a positive ID. May not like it even if it is her neither, but she's right this way..." Bruno easily glided down between sagging powerlines and leaning lightpoles, speaking over his shoulder while coming in for a landing in an intersection near the river cluttered with rusty carriage husks.

There were also quite a few feral ghoul corpses... I could still smell the powder from his double barrelled shotgun, and the expertly shredded bodies we landed among definitely bore the marks of his handiwork. The kid had taken out nearly a dozen all by himself, all arrayed around a towering, pale pink cylinder flaking with rust on the street corner. I had seen the strange contraptions scattered around all over before, a Plow Share Preservation Shelter, basically a giant tin can with a sliding door like a bizarre telephone booth. The emergency balefire fallout shelters worked about as well as you'd expect, considering almost every one I had seen had a pile of the last occupant's bones inside.

This one was surrounded by a mound of bricks from the remaining half wall of an old office building behind it, bearing numerous dents but intact, so they were capable of taking some of the beating advertised anyway. The door was shut, but a wide puddle of bright red blood was spreading around its base and dripping down to the gutter, mingling with the black ichor from all the dead zombies Bruno had taken out.

Based on the blood fogging the air with the sharp, coppery smell, I didn't hold out much hope that Bruno had found Ruby alive. Even preparing for it however, when the young griffon prowled over and pulled the squealing release lever on the side of the personal pony shelter, what was left inside made my stomach churn and bile rise up in my throat.

It was a red coated pony with a purple mane, that much was identifiable... barely... It just took looking around for that much evidence through the viscera absolutely coating the interior of the pod and finding where her tail wound up, somewhere near the ceiling... It looked vaguely like the corpse had been stuffed inside the tin can with a grenade and exploded.

Large chunks of flesh had been torn away from the body, the most obvious and sickening was the fact the face had been ripped off, leaving a glistening skull gaping out at us. The jaw was nearly torn off, hanging on by pale tendons in an unending scream, the tongue nowhere to be found.

The ruined head tilted at the movement when the door slid aside, cocked at an unnatural angle like it was asking a question it would never get an answer to. 'Why?' came immediately to mind and I shivered, holding a hoof up to my mouth with a muffled 'Urk!', but unable to look away. The rest of the corpse was covered in ragged wounds and bite marks, a long coil of greyish intenstines forming a sickening pile in the base of the shelter. Staring at the horror show in grim fascination, I saw a large chunk of flesh splattered against the wall at the end of a long blood trail from where it had apparently been slowly sliding down the wall, a blood spattered image of an irregularly shaped ruby barely visible on the meaty hunk.

Val gave a long, low whistle at the sight, clearly not as bothered as I was, more impressed at the carnage. "Welp... guess we ain't gotta worry about lockin' her up or them slaves tryin' ta execute her, huh boss? Problem solved!"

"S-Solved? What the fuck? What happened to her?"

Bruno at least looked a little green, though not nearly the sickly shade I could feel coloring my face. He swallowed with an audible click and shrugged, actually moving forward to poke at the corpse and shrug in response. "Found her like this boss. Them undead bastards were chowin' down, so I had ta take 'em out to preserve what was left, then shut the door so no other creepy crawlies came by while I found ya. Must'a run fer the shelter and didn't quite make it, got turned into a regular can o' Cram I guess."

I didn't like how blase my griffon companions were about the horrifying display, but they weren't as squeamish as I was thanks to a very different life. Even though Ruby was a world class bitch, nopony deserved ...this... I grabbed the rusty lever in my magic and shut the door again, sparing myself from the sight as I chewed back the vomit that wanted to rise up and join all the blood at my hooves.

"A-Alright... If it was ferals, there's nothing we can do now. Just... don't tell Witchy. Not yet anyway... We'll send some Minutemares to.... ugh... s-scoop up what's left and bury it I guess, have them take it back to Redheart, quietly... If you really want to join them Bruno, you should learn to do nasty jobs like this and try to impress Jade. Hurry up so we can get going to the castle tonight, you've got until then to make your case."

Bruno blinked at my muttered orders owlishly, taking it in and betraying a bit of excitement with his quick salute. "Really? The big blue softy's gonna lemme... sure thing boss! I'll keep it quiet and get the others on it right quick!"

Val huffed at me pacing away from the bloodbath with my head down, ruffling Bruno's feathers and sending him off with a swat. "Whassa matter boss? Kid did good, found the bitch 'fore we left an' everything! Don't tell me you was thinkin' like Blue an' wanted ta put her on trial!? Gonna build a prison and waste the time, caps and resources keepin' fuckers like that alive? She's dead an' good riddance, bitch was nothin' but trouble, an' she was a real cunt ta batty!"

I had to give a wan smile to Val ending on a snort of anger, she didn't like how Ruby hurt Witchy, and anyone who hurt Val's friends deserved the ultimate punishment in her mind. It was her way of expressing how much she liked the shy thestral, even if it was through her bloodthirsty world view. While part of me agreed with her that Ruby meeting her end wasn't just convenient, but just the kind of karmic retribution she deserved, that satisified, shadowy whisper couldn't distract me from a few things that didn't sit right with me.

"I was thinking about it. She's right, we can't just shoot everycreature we don't like, take the law into our own hooves... If we're going to build Sanctuary into a real kingdom like the world I remember, we have to be better than mob rule and justice at the barrel of a gun. We'll have stuff like real laws for the Minutemares to enforce like cops, real justice and junk. Like the Shroud from my comics."

Zed paced around the crime scene with me, poking at the dead ferals and prying open their mouths to my disgust. He dug through a pile of rubble and found a part of Ruby that wasn't in the can with the rest, turning the severed hindleg in his hooves and speaking quietly. "Might makes right is fine so long as it's a benevolent dictatorship, but can quickly wind up no better than Hexington was when you arrived there. Laws that apply to all fairly are the mark of true civilization."

"Bah! You two sound like Nick boss, he was a cop once an' always said that kinda hooey when he was on'a case. The wasteland don't work that way." Val grumbled petulantly, crossing her forelegs and turning her beak up.

Thinking of the synth detective from Diamond City that had helped Val out years ago, I idly wondered how he was and if he happened to be nearby. A few quick taps at my pip-buck's map function while I followed the bouncing pink ball of 'Awareness!' around for clues shot that idea down though. I was confused for a minute when the blinking icon for; 'Nick Hearts N' Hooves - Locator Tag #43820-134 appeared to be in the ocean in the northeast corner of the map, focusing on it and surprised at how far the view zoomed out and shifted to find him on a tiny island called 'Fog Harbor'. However he wound up there, he wasn't going to be around to help with this case.

"I wish he was here... we could use his advice, and a detective I think... Too many things about this don't add up."

Val arched a feathery brow and looked interested despite herself, her time playing detective's assistant with the old synth still with her and making her an excellent Watson. "Like what boss? Bitch got out, ran inta a herd of ferals cause she was a dumb cunt livin' the easy life as a slave master, got what she deserved. Like the kid said, got injured out here an' probably went for the tin can ta hide, but didn't get the door shut an' cornered herself. See, can see the trail if'n ya look for it, big splash of blood here, then that long streak right for the shelter. Open n' shut."

"How'd she get out Val? The slaves said she couldn't teleport and it was a locked, guarded room. Why was she going this way for that matter, the Gunners are to the south, not the northwest."

Continuing his own investigations, Zed slid the door to the preservation shelter open again and stuck his head in, the idea of his muzzle being inches away from all that gore making my stomach do somersaults even as he agreed with me. "He's right. Her leg is way over there by that first splash you spotted, yes, but that wound looks a lot cleaner. The zombies gnawing on it cover it up pretty well, but I think it was cut off, the same appears to be the case with her tongue. Not to mention the scent of dark magic clinging to her... difficult to trace under all these ferals, but definitely there. Someone with negative emotion did this, a crime of passion..."

"See? So, did she just get caught by ferals while escaping like you say, or was this some kind of sadistic ...execution like Zed thinks?"

Picking up Ruby's severed hindleg from where Zed dropped it and waving it right under my muzzle, Val threw the appendage away when I backed away squeamishly and threw her claws up in annoyance. "Who. Cares. Fuck her boss, one less problem for us ta deal with. I'm glad she's gone an' I'm glad she went out screamin'. If yer thinkin' one of them slaves with an axe ta grind did it, more power to em. I'd shake their hoof if'n I knew."

I rubbed at the aching spot between my eyes and under my horn, sighing wearily and not liking how that darker voice agreed with her. "I... I feel the same way Val, but it's not right. If that was true, it'd mean one of the slaves wandering around Redheart is a murderer, you really want somepony like that having the run of the place? With Glitter and other kids there? It's not that I don't agree, or that I always take Jade's side, just that she has a point. With all the settlements looking to us now, law and order will be something as important as survival. It's just something to think about. C'mon Val, don't you wanna be like a sheriff?"

"Spirits preserve us, don't give her any more ideas or job titles Fast... Valkyrie in a position of sweeping authority, you are trying to create an insane, drunken tyrant..." Zed chuckled absently, shutting Ruby's makeshift coffin to my relief and shrugging.

"Nnn... quit being cutesy boss... Maybe, I guess. An' quit with the comedy routine Stripey, I'd be an awesome sheriff dammit! If'n I get a shiny star ta wear, and a hat... It might be fun ta ride roughshod on folks, arrest em an' string up the real pricks... That's all crap fer the future though, I'll let you an Blue worry about all that nonsense. I'm more interested in the present and a much funner job..." Val scratched her plumage in thought at the enticement, finally shrugging and prowling after me looking up to catch that evil grin on her beak.

"Funner job? Oh no... no, no, no!"

I managed to scramble over the nearest dead zombies and made a break for the street, though Zed idly stepped in the way and tripped me up with an innoncent whistle, letting her tackle me. Before I could struggle loose, I was expertly pinned me with my foreleg held behind my back and her purring in my ear, turning away from the macabre scene and complicated thoughts of justice and order for a much simpler subject, survival.

"That's right... Flight trainin' shrimp! You ain't gettin' outta it by gettin' all mopey over this dead cunt. I'm gonna beat all that serious shit outta ya! Yer comin' with me boss!" I yelped and struggled as she tossed me over her shoulder and rocketed up, flying directly back to Redheart and the others.

"Junior Speedsters are our lives,
Sky-bound soars and daring dives.
Junior Speedsters, it's our quest,
To someday be the very best!"

While I had often dreamed of getting to recite the oath I now grumbled out grudgingly when I was a foal, somehow it was less satisfying under the current circumstances...

It was hard not to feel a little silly, chanting along with a gaggle of pegasi foals as an adult in their midst, even more annoying was the fact I didn't stick out that much compared to all the gangly fillies and colts who would probably be taller than me in a few years. I was treated just the same as the giddy young fliers who found their guest student as hilarious as the griffon cackling off on a fluff of cloud nearby with nearly a dozen of her fledgling underlings fluttering around her. Even Jade giggled with a hoof held up to her muzzle to unsuccessfully hide it, waving a wing along with Witchy and Swan on a separate fluff of cloud to me pouting in embarrassment.

Looking over to Swan's proud smile and enthusiastic waving made me feel a little loopy, which wasn't exactly good this high up with Glitter on my back... I did manage to give a crooked smile and wave back, turning away to focus on the wispy clouds swirling at my hooves and taking deep breaths. Including Jade who was furthest along, that made four... four foals... provided nopony had twins, or triplets... or quadruplets... or... No! Stop... just the thought made me give a nervous whinny and shake of my head as I shied away from it firmly.

At least I didn't have to manage the whole flight back to the Arcano-Cats domain while riding herd on all the young griffons busily exploring the place. Having Swan around and capable of fast travel to anywhere she had been before was very convenient, especially since she transported my new crystal reflector platform Maud had finished with us. It now sat on the roof of the airbase building with the most intact radar dish Glitter had so shrewdly negotiated for, waiting to go to Castle Equinox and my crew of Minutemare engineers there. Two parts of Dr. Vigil's teleporter down, two to go...

Thinking of the remaining components and putting them together, I glanced down to the Cats' power armor garages below longingly. I'd much rather be working on the fantastic A-01 suit Jade was meant to race in soon, or fixing the damage done to the unique thestral suit that belonged to Witchy's father, or pretty much anything but remedial flight lessons...

We were here to make friends and allies though, and as soon as Val spotted the little class of youngsters Burny taught when he was down this way instead of Diamond City, she had me stripped of my armor, shackled with her heavy training weights and signed up before I could escape. I noticed more than just the proud and cheering parents of my fellow students fluttering around the edges of the course to watch the show, lots of locals were all smiling and laughing together at the great Shrouded Stallion joining the wasteland version of the Junior Speedsters.

At least Glitter was happy, shouting out the credo from my back and chattering with the other fillies and colts lined up in front of old Burny Jets. "This is awesome daddy! I wish I could fly too! Did you do stuff like this back home Heidi?"

The bright blue, pigtailed little griffon at my side shook her head to her best friend's question, grinning at the interesting outing and being accepted by all the young ponies. "Nuh-uh Glitter. Well... Ma had us do trainin' stuff like this, but it usually involved havin' stuff thrown at us and lots of yellin' ta go faster, and guns. I got ta see this fancy obstacle course thingy once, I always wanted ta try it out! Thanks boss!"

I smiled to the beaming little griffon and ruffled her feathers, glad Glitter had found such a cheery friend her own age and feeling my own sense of sadness that she'd be leaving soon. Glitter had already sprung the surprise on her and her sister and they had taken it well so far, listening raptly to Glitter's glowing endorsement of Rusty and Copper in Hexington. They were obviously resigned to whatever I ordered, Heidi's shrugging reply about her life with Magpie up to now a reminder they were trained to follow orders. So, it took a little while to remind them they had a say in their fate and I'd listen to them. Between Glitter's unreserved glee and the reassurances and asking for their input however, they looked cautiously optimistic.

Lila had asked permission to wander off to the airbase below to explore the Cats' garages full of gleaming power armor and ancient technology that made her yellow-green eyes sparkle, now engaged in an animated conversation with the lilac power armored Rowdy on the tarmac below when I found her. The sisters had shared a look of anticipation with only a little anxiety mixed in. I was glad to continue offering them reassurance and that Glitter got to spend their remaining time together having fun, even under the mortifying circumstances.

"Of course Heidi, thanks for joining us. I always wanted to do this too, when I was you two's age anyway... I never expected to be roped into doing it now though. I'm glad you're both having fun though."

Blowing a shrill whistle, Burny looked to be enjoying himself as all the foals and I snapped to attention, fluttering back and forth in his battered leather Arcano-Cats jacket with a faded blue, peaked Equestrian Air Force hat with tarnished gold medals perched on his head and speaking in a gruff and commanding tone. "Alright my lil' Junior Speedsters, I'm sure you've all noticed our famous exchange student and other guests, eh? Learnin' ta fly with griffons yer own age is good for ya, so make them feel welcome and say thank you for them demonstrating the differences where you can see up close. Make nice with 'em a griffon on your wing is a powerful ally and loyal friend! We share the skies and you never know when you'll run into each other up there."

"Let the Shroud here serve as an example ta all of ya too. If you don't practice and work hard, you'll end up as pitiful in the air as he is and never join the Cats when yer grown up. All the fancy armor in Equestria won't make up for not knowin' the basics, so that's what yer old Gramps is here ta teach! Ten laps around the course ta warm up, then off to the dizzytron!"

At the next blast of his tarnished whistle around his neck, the flock of foals and griffons shot off into the air and led the way to the ancient military obstacle course above the old air base, giggling at me lurching up to follow and cautiously approaching each battered hoop. I didn't exactly like being the object lesson in ineptitude for the day, straining against all the heavy weights Val had strapped to my limbs and barrel and grumbling as the chuckling old buck lazily flew up next to me. Though I was grateful to the old buck's speech as I noticed several young ponies cautiously approaching the flock of school uniform wearing griffons flying with military precision, chatting together and helping them act more like kids.

"Thanks a lot Burny... That was a real confidence booster..."

"Bah! Not here ta hold yer hoof, here ta whip you into shape sonny! Good motivation for the kids. Don't take it personal either, ya didn't have them wings the last I saw ya and you ain't much better than one of them without the weights, s'pose that's what ya get for learnin' from a griffon. Glad ta have all the little ones here to teach my Junior Speedsters a thing or two, but wouldn't want them learnin' how to fly from scratch from one." Burny easily kept pace with me, shouting out tips to the foals already pulling ahead in between teasing me with a smirk.

Val had her whacking stick in her claws behind me and looked to be itching to use it, ruffling her feathers and huffing at the elderly stallion's critique of her teaching methods. "Hey! I ain't had much ta work with Gramps, gimme a break. C'mon boss, move it! Yer makin' me look bad!"

Yelping and flapping faster when that hateful stick smacked my flanks, I clipped the next hoop and staggered in the air to Glitter's giggles, taking a little solace in my daughter defending me. "Daddy's lots better than he was Mr. Jets! Don't be mean! Auntie Val makes him work really hard!"

"Oh he's not bein' mean Glitter! He's right. Ponies an' griffons fly different, that's all! We like gettin' ta fly with you too mister, Ma always said ta pay close attention to pegasusus and how you do it, so we know how ta take you out." Heidi giggled and looped gracefully around us, flying upside down to grin face to face with Glitter as she idly discussed being taught to be an aerial killer.

Burny grinned and ruffled their mane and feathers in response, softening his tone to that of a loving grandpa. "Exactly so little missy! Now, I'm sure he is better than when he got them things and yer griffon auntie tries her best Glitter, but sometimes ya gotta be cruel to be kind. Treatin' yer dad the same as any of my own. Change up the angle a little and use yer pinions to read the wind Fast, it ain't all just flappin' like crazy. It's magic what keeps us up, ya gotta feel for it, get the knack sorta. You horn heads think too much about everything, this is instinct, natural as breathin'."

Being up in the air still didn't feel very natural to me, but I listened and tried to follow his advice, mimicking the older buck's graceful swoops and banks through the air, riding the wind instead of trying to swim through it as I usually did. Despite all the weights dragging me down and the giddy foal bouncing on my back happily, I did improve a little and even enjoyed all the pegasi fillies and colts bundled up in tattered scarves, sweaters and hats, slowing down to share their own tips.

Val grumbled and gave me another friendly whack when I dared give Burny's opinion some merit out loud. Griffons and ponies did fly differently and learning from the lean aerial predator was different than receiving instruction from the best pony fliers in the Commonwealth.

"Well excuuuuuuse me boss! Ain't my fault yer a big baby an' not as awesome as me. Not gonna get outta me beatin' ya inta shape though, you fight a looooootta griffons, good fer ya to learn from the best!" I yelped and sped up a little more at her next swat, looking back to her clucking with mock indignity.

Val thankfully backed off a little at that to bark like a drill sergeant at Heidi at the other griffons, even deigning to speak with the griffon member of the Arcano-Cats Bluejay. Soaring along in his brilliant blue and chrome suit of griffon power armor attracted a lot of attention and questions from the young griffons flocking around him that she considered hers. Apparently his skill dealing with all the kids earned him another chance with my bodyguard grudgingly chatting ahead of us.

Panting as we looped up and down for each set of hoops, I kept trying to hold a conversation with the old buck lazily flying backwards with his forelegs behind his head, easily keeping pace and showing off. "Better Fast, maybe you'll earn the Junior Speedsters peewee patch before yer done. Amazed you do manage to stick it to them Gunner assholes as you are, so in my interest ta help you do it better. Hear you helped a lotta folks down in the quarries... Course the eggheads up in U.P. might not be too happy with ya when you go talk with them."

"Yeah... well, if they want to complain about freeing a bunch of slaves, I'm happy to tell them what I think. Besides, we didn't get rid of the Gunners there, we just took away their labor force. Let those pricks dig for gems themselves."

The greying red stallion laughed out loud at that, looping around below me and tapping at my legs to tuck them properly as he answered. "I'd like ta see those assholes doin' some honest work, but I doubt it'll happen. University Point needs those gems though, so they'll figure somethin' out. Still, glad you Sanctuary folks practice what ya preach and helped them folks, Whinny and the Whinny Quarries were two pretty nice little settlements 'fore they came screwin' everything up. Course I wish ya could'a done it without trashin' ol' Midnight's armor, poor lil' Witch only had it a day and look at it now!"

I winced following his nod down to the tarmac below us, Witchy's suit of power armor stood open and gleaming in the diffuse morning light, most of the beautiful paint job scorched away by Quarry Eel acid. The repair talisman was functional and I helped it along in restoring the modified armor back to full strength, but the paint was a non-standard addition the magic didn't restore.

"S-Sorry... I feel really bad about that, but that armor saved our bacon. Roxie down there said you have a paint shop too? I was hoping to fix it for her while I work on Jade's suit. It's the least I can do after... everything she's been through."

"Daddy said I can help paint it and make it all pretty again Mr. Jets! Can we please! All your fancy suits look so awesome, I wanna learn how ta do it too! Then I can make lots of stuff pretty whenever I want!" Glitter held her hooves up to beg along with me, turning her devastating pink puppy eyes on the old buck and making him melt instantly.

Nodding to the foal indulgently, Burny smiled back to her pleas. "Sure thing kiddo, we'll put it right as rain in no time. The Cats have always sported the best paint jobs in the Commonwealth, can't let my lil' godfilly go out in such a plain-jane suit. Maybe you'll even get your cutie mark for fixin' it up with us, eh?"

Glancing back to her pale blank flank, Glitter squealed happily at the prospect and bounced on my back, throwing me off as we finally finished our laps around the course and drifted towards the ground with all the other foals and Burny. Whether it was her special talent or not, Glitter did have a good eye and sense of style, so I wouldn't be surprised if she did find her mark in something related to the arts and encouraged her proudly.

The rusty contraption called a 'Dizzytron' waiting in the shadow of one of the ancient hangars with one of the Arcano-Cats at the sparking controls made me gulp nervously when we landed in front of it. Being on the ground let Glitter prance off with the other kids lining up at least, while I slipped to the back of the line and kept talking with the old buck.

The bubbly, pink pegasus Cat Roxie fluttered over the gaggle of kids crowding around her, organizing them and going over the point of this intimidating contraption. Her neon pink Shadowbolt armor made her a natural center of attention and apparently the crew of Arcano-Cats participating in these lessons were one of the major draws for all the kids, getting the chance to learn from their local heroes.

"Alright all you small fries, like, one at a time! Get a good grip on the harness and hold on tight cats and kittens! The dizzytron is like, a totally wild ride. Don't turn yellow though, Zeke and the others are super ready to swoop in and make the save if you can't pull out, so just do your best! Zero perspiration guys!" Roxie corralled the kids and waved up to a pair of pegasi holding a tattered net far above, though even her tinkling voice full of merriment wasn't very reassuring...

Just looking at the ancient piece of pegasus made training equipment, I had no interest in going anytime soon... It was a large round disc, the swirling, neon design painted on the face flaking away with rust and age. A drive belt ran from the center out to a geared harness with a pretty unsafe looking bracket to hold the occupant across the chest, that the first giddy rider flapped up and slid into eagerly.

"About Witchy Mr Jets, did my wife and her speak with you about er... the whole memory thing?"

"Eh? Oh yeah, that fancy magic business. I tried out the Memory Den when I was younger, didn't care for it that much, but s'pose I don't mind runnin' through their crazy chairs for little Witchy. Provided you quit cringin' back here and move up with the line sonny, if I'm goin' in that memory magic unicorn gadget, you can ride our Dizzytron like everypony else!" Burny grinned and clapped the heavy weights on my back, making me stagger a reluctant step forward with the rest of the line crowding closer.

"Yeah little Shroud, get off the line and lay a patch like the little monsters, you ain't chicken are ya? Show us how it's done daddy-o!" The crimson Zeke laughed as he swooped by, making me grit my teeth at the squeals of all the young fillies galloping after him showing off.

"I'm going, I'm going.... This thing is safe, right?" I shuddered watching the evil contraption spin up, following the laughing foal with my craning neck going around and around and around with him, faster and faster... I could feel the blood drain from my face as I got dizzy just watching the horrible, screeching machine, much more interested in servicing it than riding it. Just watching made my stomach gurgle and I gave a muffled "Urk!"

"Sure! Mostly... Just pick a cloud or building to focus on and try to right yourself, gotta learn how! The Princess up there says her sis is gonna blip us right there and back again, and I ain't too sure about that teleportin' business, but I'm willin' to try so you should be too. I hear that one is preggers too eh? Congratulations! That's way scarier than a little spin and fling, right Fast?" Burny's assurance wasn't that comforting, especially when he waggled his bushy brows and smirked up to Swan watching curiously, turning away in an aside to the light green unicorn Scopes at the controls to shout. "RELEASE!"

My jaw dropped when the rapidly spinning torture device came to a screeching halt at his shout, flinging the squealing foal loose to keep spinning and tumbling in the air wildly. If it weren't for the pair of pegasi minders swooping over to catch him in their net, I wasn't sure if the kid would have pulled out of the dive in time.

Before my hindleg came down from the first step of my unconscious retreat, Val shoved me forward with the line moving up, cackling to herself and poking my flank playfully. "Don't remind him, he'll pass out before we even spin him around Gramps!"

"Y-Yeah... ha ha ha Val. Umm... Hey, you had a lot of kids, right Burny? Do you have any advice?"

Scratching his beard in thought, Burny shrugged with his answer, pausing occassionally to send another insanely giddy foal spinning off into the sky. "Accept you're gonna fuck up, a lot. Forget about any plans for yer own life you might'a had too. RELEASE! I sympathize for the world of hurt you're in for youngster, was quite the stud back in the day myself. Weren't many of us pegasi down here in the mud back then, so I was exotic and dashing, had the fillies linin' up! Hang on, RELEASE! Course that's why I got so many kids, grandkids and great grandkids now, miiiiight'a overindulged a bit. Was hard startin' out, but my little herd built quite the family business together!"

Even with the clattering contraption looming overhead growing closer and closer, speaking with Burny about this stuff was easing my mind a little. Looking up to the bright red streak of his great grandson Zeke blasting by and catching a laughing pink filly tossed from the Dizzytron, I had to smile a little at the sometimes obnoxious buck showing off for the kids in his gleaming power armor.

I'd have kids... maybe even some like himm as uncomfortable as the idea was. Foals of my own that would grow up and make their way in the world, as varied as the swarm of eager colts and fillies bringing me closer and closer to the dreaded machine ahead. What would they be like? What would they do? What kind of world would they live in and help shape themselves someday? What could I do to make that world a better place before they arrived in it? I was still terrified when I glanced up and gave a crooked grin to Jade and Swan waving happily from their cloudy perch overhead, but also looking forward to meeting the children they carried.

In a way it was quite a lot like waiting in line for a roller coaster, or a dizzytron as it were... A lot of fear, anticipation and waiting, then before you knew it you were at the front of the line and getting strapped in, ready or not... I gulped both and the apt analogy, and the very real harness coming to a creaking halt after flinging the last Junior Speedster ahead of me.

"YAY! Our turn! Our turn! Let's go daddy!" Glitter had none of my reservations, bolting over from the gaggle of very loopy looking kids who had already gone, to leap into my hooves as I splayed my wings and hesitantly wiggled into the brace.

"Umm... sweetie, I don't think it's a good idea for you to ride with me... H-Hey! Hold on! WAAAaaaIIIIiiiiTTTT!!!" I yelped when the Dizzytron gave a groan and started spinning, forcing me to hug my precious daughter tight as we turned upside down and rose higher on the huge wheel.

I could barely hear Burny shouting cheerily with the wind rushing in my laid back ears, feeling my face stretch and my cheeks flap with a slapping sound from the increasing speed, unable to focus on the evil bastard's wrinkly face below, above, below, above... somewhere in front of us shouting back. "Motivation! She'll be fine! You wanted ta know what yer in for, consider this practice! RELEASE!"

At Burny's command, Scopes yanked on the lever at the controls and we were sent sailing, spinning, looping, tumbling and falling together. Much as I hated to admit it, he was right about being motivated... The feel of the squealing little filly in my hooves laughing with total trust definitely focused me. I wanted to barf and crash, maybe not in that order, but she needed me and that was enough to force my stomach and wings into cooperating.

'Be Awesome!' gave a gentle nudge as I flapped madly, trying to focus on the horizon and pull out of the spin with both the training weights and squirming little filly dragging me down. I entered a slowly controllable corkscrew, banking gently past the chuckling ponies holding the net hovering aside on being sure I had it under control. Abstractly I knew they were there, that they, Burny and the Cats would have stepped in and kept Glitter safe had I really screwed up, but at the time everything but her safety fell away.

We touched down gently to the cheers of the other students, my heart pounding and a chilly coat of sweat soaking Val's training weights. Glitter was ecstatic however, squeezing my windpipe shut in an earth pony hug and nuzzling in glee. "That was awesome daddy! I love you! Let's go again!"

Wheezing shakily as I hugged her back with only mild panic and burrowed into her clean silver mane, I shuddered and kissed her cheek, letting her go before the adrenaline caught up with me and I really started shaking. "I love you too sweetie, very, very much... Let's just er... t-take a break first though."

"Awwwww! But we can go again, right daddy!?" Looking into those wide, sparkling pink eyes looking up from where she pranced in place, I hung my head and nodded weakly, eliciting an ear piercing squeal as she ran off to join Heidi in a prancing little dance together, puffing her chest out in pride and talking about the ...super fun... ride with her friend and the other foals.

As soon as she cantered off, I lurched away for the nearest large pothole full of scummy water in the runway, trying to quietly hurl my breakfast without falling face first on the way. I was vaguely aware of Burny and Val being joined by Jade, Witchy and Swan fluttering down, crowding around where I flopped to the ground like a puking slug to at least offer a little privacy and laugh amongst themselves.

Burny's voice was full of mirth, but held a warm note underneath as he clapped my back and whispered in my ear. "That's all you need to know. You're a good father Fast, the rest will work itself out. You just proved it. No matter what kinda dive you're in, you'll pull out for yer kids, right?"

"Oh Luna curse you, you crazy old bastard... URK! Y-You couldn't just say that...?"

"That's it kitten, nice and slow, just like takin' a coooool cruise down the drag. You want a nice, even coat before we stick 'em in to bake like cookies." The cute and bubbly Arcano-Cat Roxie was eager to take Glitter on as an apprentice when we wound up in their amazing paint shop, letting me tend to the meticulous work I never knew was involved in this side of tinkering.

Roxie guided the sparking, gem studded sprayer in Glitter's little hooves with her bright pink wings, making slow passes over the components of Witchy's armor I had taken off to get what they called a 'powder coat' of vibrant violet. I was actually a little jealous, as the pegasus filly's instructions to restore the thestral power armor to its former glory to me involved a lot of sanding, cleaning, spraying, sanding, spraying and more sanding. As airheaded as Roxie could appear, the vibrant pink mare tossing her pale lavender and white mane with a wink my way was the resident expert and knew her stuff, making sure the paint jobs the Cats sported were as as colorful and bright as she was herself.

Apparently the cats took great pride in the incredible variety of custom paint they applied to their armor, putting in a stunning amount of work in the cramped garage filling with the sharp smells that made me gag, even with a dirty paper mask over my muzzle like Jade insisted Glitter wear. She, Witchy and Burny all sat together just outside the open door allowing a little ventilation, chatting together happily.

Val, Swan and Zed were out wandering around the town and keeping our flock of griffons out of trouble for us while we worked, my ears occasionally flicking at one of them shouting after the bored kids finding some anyway. Though I also got to hear Swan's giddy squeals of laughter accompanying some fresh crash of destruction, glancing out the door and chuckling at seeing the big purple mare prancing around with a pair of glowing violet robot yak horns strapped to her flowing pink mane.

Taking a little time to cobble together; the trophy she had taken from the Insiitute made robot yak armor, a stretchy headband, a bunch of spark cells and some of the supply of gemstones from the quarries into her new toy before getting started on Witchy's armor had definitely been worth it. Swan deserved something to celebrate her good news and her own set of horns, watching her charge headfirst into more of the piles of junk the earth pony Arcano-Cat Moose set up for her, I was glad the gift was keeping her amused and happy. The two of them even got to discuss the finer points of flaming antlers versus glowing horns by the snatches of conversation I could pick up, though the stallion's continued attempts to flirt with the silly filly more than a match for his size continued to go nowhere.

We killed a lot of time in here already however and the sun was sinking outside, meaning we'd need to get going soon. I wanted to get done with the paint job first so it had time to cure while we were gone though. While we still had lots to do, taking a break to focus on working with the Cats in their fabulous power armor garages, making friends, taking time to let Lila assist me and learn about the fascinating technology the young griffon appreciated more than most of my friends, and spending time with Glitter was the right call.

It was a strange art project for a little filly, and the intimidating A-01 waiting in a separate garage still really needed attention, but Glitter was enjoying herself immensely and every time I saw Witchy's poor, bare metal armor it bothered me. I was happy to spend the afternoon putting her father's armor to rights together after being reminded of my priorities by the experienced old buck, bonding with my daughter took precedence.

Glitter's bright pink eyes sparkled as she looked over to me sanding away and even asked a technical question purely for my benefit. "Isn't this cool dad? How come it's all powdery though? This isn't like my paints, are you sure it'll look pretty like the others?"

While I had never been exposed to the process Roxie employed to achieve the rich, deep colors on the accent pieces she had strung up from wires hanging from the ceiling, I was quick to grasp the scientific principle involved and loved the opportunity to share my interest with my daughter. Though I did try to keep it simple.

"It's electrostatic bonding sweetie. Umm... like when your mane is all frizzy with static? The metal parts are all grounded, while Miss Roxie's fancy spray gun charges the powder positively, so it wants to stick to the metal like a magnet. When we stick them in the oven, it'll melt and look glossy and pretty, I promise. You can help do the base coat when I'm done with the primer over here if you want, that's more like normal spray paint."

I couldn't see the smile on her muzzle behind her paper mask, but it was reflected in her eyes as she nodded happily, returning to making slow passes with Roxie's spray gun, while I kept taping off the highly polished slivery plates of the ancient styled thestral armor. Even Jade's ears perked up with interest, not really following the technical details, but watching with pride and enjoyment over any opportunity to educate Glitter.

"Will I really get to do stuff like this with the old ghoul we're going to boss? You're sure? They're... nice? Like Glitter says?" Lila polished the blue steel plates of the armor that were dry, asking a wary question as the time to leave approached.

"I'm 1000% positive Lila. Rusty is a really nice pony and his wife Copper loves kids. He's my business partner back in Hexington and a pretty important pony there now. He's sitting on a whole warehouse full of advanced tech and robots, he can teach you a lot and you and Heidi will be close to where we live too. Don't worry so much. Glitter would never forgive me if I sent you somewhere you weren't happy."

"That's right! You'd be a bad daddy and I'd be really mad Lila! Rusty an' Copper are great though. I'll miss you lots, but we'll see each other soon! Riiiiight daddy?" Glitter agreed cheerily, narrowing her eyes and ending on a dangerous tone she picked up from her mother.

Giggling to herself as her ears perked up and recognized the little filly mimicking her, Jade nodded and trotted in, giving the somewhat reassured griffon a hug with her wing and nodding. "You and all of your friends will be well taken care of dear, we have put a good deal of effort into ensuring that and we will be checking up on you regularly. Should you have any problems, all you need do is say something. Speaking of which, it is getting late dear, we should be going. It is not good to travel at night, for a... variety of reasons... Mr. Jets is an older pony and gracious enough to come with us, let us not put him in any undue danger or stay out too late. Thank you again Mr. Jets. I assure you, my sister will return you home in no time. She is quite the expert teleporter, so you have nothing to fear."

Burny came in behind her, giving an offended snort with just a tiny hint of anxiety carefully hidden under itm as his warm gaze slid out of the wide garage door and to the big purple mare galloping around outside. "I ain't that ancient or fragile there Princess, glad to start catchin' up on a couple decades of spoilin' my godfilly lil' Witch. Even if it does mean subjectin' myself to all this magical nonsense. Teleportin' and suckin' memories out, all you horn heads are a crazy, but I trust you lot. Er... you are sure about that silly filly though? Doesn't strike me as a wizard-pony type..."

"Trust us Mr. Jets. Swan is way better at magic than I am. She knows a ton of spells, er... provided they're about killing ponies she doesn't like. But teleporting is like her specialty, you're in good hooves."

Since Swan had been to Goodneighbor before, she could teleport Witchy and Burny there to let the batpony mare get an actual look at her parents via the memory recliners at the Memory Den, then take Burny home and come back quickly. Considering how close the party town was to all of Jade's sisters in Trinity Tower however, it wasn't a good idea for the rest of us to go along, plus the less she was asked to take with her, the easier it was for Swan. It was agreed just the three of them would make the trip, after we went back to Castle Equinox for the night and the convenient source of radiation to charge Swan up for the long range teleports and so she could add the castle to her list of fast travel locations.

The grateful batpony sketched a low bow to the old buck and added to my endorsement, oblivious to how seeing the sweet mare's wide, slitted amber eyes sparkling up to him melted the old buck. "T-Thank you very much again Mr. Jets. I have the utmost faith in Swan's skills and ask you trust the Princess' sister to see you safely there and home again. Please? Thine photos and stories have all been wonderful, but to see my mother with my own eyes... ummm, with thine eyes rather... It is more than I could have dreamed of!"

"Pshaw... c'mon now lil' Witch, I told ya to call me Grandpa! I'm doin' this for you, so if you say so, I trust ya. Let's just get this show on the road before I lose my nerve, eh? Glad we're startin' out with a proper road trip ta stretch my wings though. Always wanted ta see the inside of that big castle." Burny tilted Witchy's muzzle up and gave her a grandfatherly nuzzle to her chirp of pleasure, turning to give us a firm nod and stretch his wings impatiently.

Seeing Witchy and the old buck together, I was reminded of the sickening end of her aunt Ruby and cursed the dead mare again. Why couldn't she have been like that... given her niece the love and affection she had been so starved of, instead of being a hateful bitch and getting herself killed. Just that was like one final fuck you to Witchy. I still hadn't told her and it weighed on my mind, putting on a forced smile and feeling my face heat up to match the thestral's blush when she looked between Jade and I gratefully. Witchy had a good day for once, Ruby wasn't going to spoil it.

Getting everyone together on the runway beneath the floating town of Rocketburg, we got quite the sendoff by the locals. I had to grin at one of my fellow Junior Speedsters fluttering up to pin the colorful, wing shaped badge to my dark Shrouded Stallion overcoat, the little sky blue filly reciting the oath with me and inducting me into their ranks seriously. More of the local foals waved goodbye to Glitter and all the young griffons, getting answered with a lot of squawks and playful punches that was the griffon version of making friends.

Zeke and the aerial members of the Arcano-Cats escorted us up and away from the narrow peninsula jutting out into the Celestial Sea. The griffon member Bluejay chuckling with a number of young admirers vowing to come back someday and earn their own set of fancy armor like his. I was surprised to see Val flying beside him roller her violet eyes in amusement at something he said and give him a hard shove, sticking her beak up and clucking with a barely visible blush on her already red face.

Ignoring the jealous snarl of 'Be Dark...' starting to wake up as the sky lit up with the brilliant oranges and reds of sunset on our left, I was glad to see Val at least entertaining his advances. She deserved happiness the same as Witchy did, the fact she didn't shoot him for trying meant even she was getting over her own trauma and opening herself to the idea. I couldn't help the shadowy voice that viewed her as MINE and mine alone, but I could tell it to shut up and just be happy for her, hope she found more of the kind of love we already shared. Someday...

Zeke pulled me away from the complicated thoughts, pausing over the surging waves at the edge of the Cats' territory below and shaking his bright yellow mane free of his crimson power armor helmet to call after us gruffly. "Take care Grandpa! Hey, just keep in mind, just cause the Leader of the Flock is visitin' your Princess in her castle, don't mean the Cats are joinin' up with the man or nothin'! You still gotta race ta run, before we let you join us Princess!"

Jade cringed at the reminder, but put on a determined smile and waved back as we continued on, finally releasing it with a shaky sigh and nuzzling for comfort when Zeke and the Cats turned back. "I am still very concerned about that Fast... You did not do any work on that complicated looking armor! Will it be done? P-Perhaps we should ask for more time... Y-Yes, that would be best. Or we could find another way, I am sure with enough time we will be able to convince them! Surely that is better than engaging in this terrifying r-race and..."

"Jade, it's gonna be fine. The armor will be ready in time, I didn't work on it because of everything else we were doing and all the kids with us, I'd get too wrapped up in it. Besides, we're going to get Summer from the castle and she's an expert. With the two of us, you're going to be totally taken care of and win. You can do it, I believe in you."

"Me too mommy! I can't wait ta see, it'll be as good as seeing you all great big like when I woke you up this morning! You'll look awesome in that fancy armor and kick his ass!" Glitter's enthusiastic hug from her back and agreement reassured Jade, putting aside her worry to give a proud smile, even as she tsked at the foal over her language.

Swan even added her vote of confidence from the rear, the open locket at her neck supplying her with radiation that had made her put on several inches and let her haul the huge block of crystal and radar dish behind her in her violet magic. "You're not so weak sister, don't worry so much! I'm really jealous, I wish I could do it instead. I always wanted to wear one of those fancy tin cans, then I could smash ponies like one of those tank things the Gunners use!"

"You already are a tank big stuff, armor would just be overpowered as fuck." Val laughed and swooped between us, making agile passes and keeping a close eye on our flock of griffons.

"A giant Swan totally encased in power armor... that would make an impression on the Gunners, wouldn't it? Hmm, maybe less like a tank and more like a pony shaped Raptor. Battleship Swan! We could add a few cannons to your flanks, and bombs at your belly!"

We all laughed together at Swan's pleased whinny, taking turns adding hardware to the imaginary flying fortress of a mare that would rain hell down on the Gunners. The griffons adding their expert mini-mercenary opinion and suggesting anti-air guns on her back, turrets on her withers and a magical energy cannon below her horn. The trip over the sea passed quickly like that, flying together in the dying light of sunset, joking and talking to pass the time and just enjoying each other's company.

It was important to have little reminders of what we were fighting for, days that weren't completely filled with bloodshed and horror, but friendship and love. Just as the slaves and Ruby had pointed out, if we wanted to really change the wasteland and make a difference, it couldn't all be done at the barrel of a gun.

Freeing the slaves of Whinny Quarries had been the right thing, but where they went from there and what kind of ponies they'd be was just as important as the fight that liberated them. The loyalty of all of Jade's Followers and the Minutemares putting in the work to heal and protect them with hooves on the ground well after we flew off was what really saved them.

Getting the gaggle of young griffons in new homes that would care for them and give them purpose, would improve their lives and the lives of those around them like Rusty and Copper. They had a chance to be better too, and it wasn't because of fighting and killing, but Jade's kindness and plain old paperwork on their behalf, of the generosity of all the friends we had made across the Commonwealth taking them in.

Those thoughts and the company of my wasteland family flying along with me warmed my heart, the gentle souls of the Ministry Mares with me rising up in song that kept the rising mutter with them at bay. Jade's diagnosis of that particular symptom was spot on, the closer it got to night, the worse that nagging growl and headache got. It had been fairly quiet and sated after getting its fill of more base desires last night, but it was definitely waking up, making the looming castle of dark stone we were finally making our approach to all the more welcome. It would be nice to rest in a well defended fortress further away from the Gunners territory, to end what had been a fairly nice day in safety and comfort, to see old friends waiting there, eat good food and pass out in a soft bed with the mare I loved.

We glided along the trapped and barricaded roadway following the spit of land the castle and the village of Eclipse rested on, spotting all the vigilant Minutemares watching our approach cautiously, then coming out of cover to wave and cheer at the return of their Princess and her retinue. The glow of the small fishing village of Eclipse on the shore was brighter and had a lot more bright electric lights than guttering candlelight and torches now, while the town itself looked to be bigger and busier than when we left.

"Huh, hafta open up a branch around this way now I s'pose. Wasn't enough reason when it was just that one little fishin' village, but you folks have really built things up 'round here, haven't ya?" Burny slowed to make a looping pass over the ruins of a tiny Red Rocket station near the end of the gauntlet of wrecked buildings, planning a welcome expansion Jade heartily encouraged.

Looking down to the empty station and other ruins below us on the way up the winding road to the castle itself, I kept catching a metallic gleam shadowing us, dashing through the rubble and barriers to keep pace up the cliffside. When we landed at the end of the cracked roadway before the imposing gates of the castle, E.F.S. still wasn't able to track it until it came clopping out of the shadows, a lithe, feminine, coppery machine tipping the cowpony hat bolted to its head up in greeting.

"Whoo-wee, howdy ya'll, evenin' Master Fast, been wonderin' when ya'lld get back! Ah've kept the home fires a'burnin' as ordered. Ah've successfully eliminated 147 enemy targets what made the durn fool mistake of comin' in mah area of operations!" The gleaming robot Assaultjack trotted up as we turned to its single green eye glowing out of the darkness, giving a curtsy and letting Glitter tackle it in a hug that rang with a resounding clang.

The gang of griffons her age put their claws to their weapons and fluttered back at the strange robot cantering up, forcing me to call them off while Jade spoke with the stunned Minutemare guards at the gate. "Easy everybody, this is one of ours. Good to see you too AssaultJack, umm... glad you've been keeping busy. Sorry to leave you here, but you're a little heavy to fly around with us and we've been all over the place. I might have a little mission for you later though."

"Really? Does it involve terminating these Gunner yahoos with extreme prejudice? That'd make me happier than a pig in slop Master Fast, they've been a mite skittish lately an' it's been as borin' as sittin' around that gadget shop the last 200 years!" The bizarre robot programmed to approximate Ministry Mare Applejack tilted its swept back head and shifted on its metal hooves in anticipation, allowing our young guests to come close with Lila in the lead marveling over the highly advanced killing machine.

With the gates creaking open behind us, I waved off the early ancestor of the synths of the Commonwealth and turned to enter with the others, calling Glitter back to my side. "Er... hopefully not, but it's important and right up your alley. I'll let you know and service you later, just umm... as you were for now. Boring is good if it means the Gunners aren't trying direct assaults anymore."

Glitter and Heidi had to practically drag Lila away from the modified Assaulton snapping a salute and melting into the shadows again, the gleaming copper armor plating flickering and leaving nothing but an indistinct, blurry shape. Putting the robot I could swear was pouting behind us, we trotted under the bright spotlights pointing out from the from above the gates, entering the castle courtyard through the restored and junk reinforced gatehouse.

Jade spoke sweetly to the Minutemare guards goggling and bowing to her as she passed, letting me kind of sneak along in her wake with only a nod or salute here or there. She was by far the center of attention, even her big sister stomping in behind her didn't get the same focus as the Princess of the Commonwealth returning. Quiet whispers and murmurs started gaining volume and spreading around her like ripples in a pond, making her full cheeks turn a pink rapidly heading towards red as her long legs sped up.

It made taking a good look at all the changes that had gone on during our brief absence just here in the open courtyard hard to really take in. It was a lot brighter with every window lit from within and a series of salvaged stadium style lighting bathing the courtyard from a tall, rusty metal tower, built at the edge of the scrap plating covering the pit leading down to the reactor beneath the castle.

Waving the crowd continuing to follow Jade off, I surrounded the big hatch in my magic and tugged, the steady tic-tic-tic of my pip-buck at the rads trickling out even this far up catching Swan's attention before I even called her over. "Wooooo... is that the hole with all the nice radiation I can haz Fast you told me about Fast?"

Speaking to her head already poking down the hole and giving a pleased whinny at the greenish glow so far down, I stroked Swan's mane and made a sweeping gesture of invitation with my foreleg. "That's it Swan. Go knock yourself out, just don't mess with the reactor. You can have it all to yourself any time you want. After your done with all the teleporting, I'll even come down there to play if you want, huh?"

"EEEEE!" Swan squealed and set the heavy load of the crystal platform and radar dish down with a thump, wiggling her way down in a flash and turning to hover at the hatch at my hooves, stretching her muzzle up for a kiss to the nose. "I like this castle place already Fast, it's a big fortress with my own cozy little lair of nice radiation, like a dragon's cave! I'll take Witchy and the Grandpa pony to Goodneighbor and be back really soon! Then we can celebrate our baby!"

"L-Looking forward to it Swan... Say hi to Ivy while you're in town and let her know I miss her. Umm... and just make sure you're not followed this time if you run into any of your other sisters in Goodneighbor, ok?" I gave her wide nose a gentle boop to send her off, hoping her nodding back wasn't just instant agreement without really listening.

With her settled in, I shut the hatch and wove my way though the crowd to catch up to Jade being pushed along by the tide, looking around more as I went.The rubble had been cleared away and used to restore numerous holes in the walls or used for sandbags stacked all over. Dozens of blue bedecked Minutemares paused in their obviously busy rounds, looking down from their stations on the walls and the military gun emplacements pointing out, poking their heads out of rehung and patched wooden doors or cracked yet cleaner looking windows.

Far above I spotted the bent radio tower sticking up in the night sky from the peak of the second highest parapet, the blinking red lights and web of wires snaking their way down through the rough tiles marking it as the source for 'Radio Freedom'. Summer had done a good job fixing the castle's broadcasting equipment, adding a new station to my pip-buck's radio dial and spreading information and hope through the Commonwealth, alongside the likes of Miles and DJ Pon3.

Looking back to the ground from my gawking overhead, my eyes hung on a truly bizarre sight and my 10mm pistol Deliverer snapped up in my magic, taking aim at the gaggle of unwashed and rough looking ponies as I stalked forward and put myself between them and Jade. I had no idea why a crew of raiders looked to be camping out in the courtyard with only a trio of Minutemare guards watching their little corner (not very well with the spectacle we caused either), but my ingrained reaction to ponies wearing that particular uniform was to shoot first.

They weren't wearing ponyhide leathers or necklaces of withered ears at least, but the spiked leather and metal armor, makeshift weapons, along with the scars and decidedly spiky and punk-like manestyles marked them as viable targets for the instinctual snarl in my head. They looked rather concerned on spotting the Shrouded Stallion prowling up with my eyes glowing red, but surprisingly they didn't draw their crude weapons or whoop some insane warcry.

Instead they backed away towards the stone walls behind their enclosure penned in with junk and scrap, the one in the most impressive spiky metal armor holding a hoof up to their warpaint covered cheek and calling up to the rooftops warily. "Hey Ice Queen! Problem out here!"

A flurry of pale feathers swooping out of a second floor window made me dodge back, training my gun on the new threat and hearing Val's furious squawk and click of weaponry instantly at my side before I got a good look. The icy blue eyes sneering down at me once I did made my pistol droop away in surprise, blinking back at the large griffoness.

"Freya?"

"Lookie what we got here, a frigid cunt turned raider queen, huh bitch? Oh how the mighty have fallen huh? Go ahead and twitch those claws on the handle of that piece, gimme a reason..." Val had her dual 12mm pistols up in her claws, both her old one and the new one from the matching holster added to her other side, Auntie Broom's gun quivering just a hair as the snowy white griffon rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Ain't no problem, keep yer bitch dog on a leash there shorty, we're invited guests, right?" Freya didn't sound as cruel as before or that bothered at not just Val and I, but every young griffon behind us pointing a lot of firepower her way, rolling her pale blue eyes with only a raised brow at the flock of additional griffons.

"It's ok Val, we knew she'd be here with Fancy, we're... working together soon, right? I didn't expect a crew of raiders with you though, Fancy didn't say anything about that..."

Freya smirked at me holstering my pistol and shoving Val's back down with some effort, jerking her head back towards the castle window she had flown down from. "The boss is a real people pony, these are employees. It's her evenin' bath, so you'll hafta wait to take it up with her later. We ain't the only ones with unexpected crew though are we? What the hell firecrotch, where'd you get the mini merc company?"

Val hissed in annoyance, but she had been informed well in advance about former Overmare Fancy Star and her own griffon bodyguard extracting a promise for help over the radio. At my gentle urging, she shoved her pride down with a visible effort and stuck her beak up, dragging me away by the tail to prowl between us and get up in her old friend's face.

"Yer mom, she's been poppin' em out for years after all, this here's my company of glorious lil' bastards. Way better than a bunch of raiders for hire, huh bitch?" Val's sneering insult held a playful note of some kind of griffon joke, not making much sense to me since she had told me both she and Freya didn't know their mothers, the only mom either had known was...

"Magpie? You actually went back to see that old crone!? And you got the guts ta say I've gone low with these idiots? Jeez, tell me you at least shot that old cunt Val." Freya replied with a hint of wonder and nostalgia, mostly masked by the sarcasm dripping from her beak.

A lot of animosity was still bubbling below the surface as Val scratched her plumage and waggled her claw in return, but I caught a smirk with her answer and a... not exactly warm, but less murder-y tone to her voice. "She ended up shot. Our former crew was dumb enough to attack her in her own town and got to her before I did. Old bitch didn't die of course."

At that Freya actually laughed, a short, harsh bark that she covered her beak to stifle and still snickered despite herself. "Course not. Balefire bombs didn't put the ancient cunt down, just made her stronger. What did they expect a few bullets to do, other than piss her off I'm guessin'?"

Looking between the two battle hardened griffons cackling together over their former caretaker getting perforated by Gunners, I reflected again that there were just some things about the feline predators I would never understand. I couldn't say they didn't still want to kill each other, but they weren't actively trying to at the moment and actually seemed sort of ...friendly... even if it was shared glee at Magpie both getting shot, and the hell they were sure the Gunners had opened themselves up to by not finishing the job.

"Umm... See Val, I knew you two were still friends, deep down. Right? It's er... kinda nice to meet you again Freya, definitely under better circumstances anyway."

Deciding to open my stupid mouth ended the brief moment of camaraderie between them, though they did at least remain in agreement, it was now squawking at me in rejection of my simple pony view of the fragile relationship between the childhood friends. Val immediately smacked me upside the head and sent me scrambling after my hat, while Freya lowered herself to a tense crouch to get down in my face as I picked it up again, roaring at me directly.

"Hey! Shaddap pipsqueak, I'm behavin' cause it's what the boss wants. You owe her a favor and we're here to collect. Yer lucky I owe you personal like for helpin' me find her again, or I'd gut ya like a fish and take my gun back!" Freya snarled and got a furious shove from Val to the dense, white feathers of her breast in return.

"Nobody tells the boss ta shaddap but me bitch! Claws off, he's mine!" Val again shoved her way between us, winding her foreleg around my neck possesively and making a low growl in the back of her throat.

The gesture and odd noise she was making meant something in griffon culture apparently, Freya's pale brow cocked above her squinting blue eyes, flicking that cool gaze between us for a moment before snorting. "Aw Gawd, again Val? You still gots the pony fever!? Yer a disgrace, what the hell is it with these sappy, furry little sacks of fluff that turns yer crank weirdo?"

I spotted Val blush at the insult just a bit, but was at least a little heartened to see newfound pride win out over reflexive shame. Her hard violet eyes softened and a genuine smile curled her beak as she nipped my neck. She scratched my suddenly itchy mane with those talented claws, making my leg thump rapidly and a goofy look of bliss coming over my face, my tongue lolling out and ears drooping as she replied.

"Don't knock it till ya tried it Ice Queen, this cuddly little bastard is better than that minotaur we tag teamed after the Zimonja job. You know, that one you were so gaga over for weeks and kept writin' them goofy little poems about?" Val cooed as he scored a definite hit on her old friend.

Freya's pale face actually turned a brilliant crimson matching Val's to my surprise, sputtering in an embarassed squawk. "I didn't! S-Stuff it cunt! That was just cause I was young an' dumb! An' it was private you bitch!"

"Aw quit yer whinin'. Ya shot the asshole when ya found him plowin' that bramim anyway. Point is, unless that bitch of a boss yer shackled with is reeeeeeally good with that ever flappin' mouth of hers, I win." Val puffed her feathers up proudly as she kept right on scratching every magic spot and savoring Freya's sputtering.

Jade chose then to come to my rescue thankfully, turning away from the crowd of eager well wishers and dragging me away in her pale blue magic, nipping my limp ears back to attention with a prim cough. "Ahem... Enough of your bragging Valkyrie... there are children present. As Fast said, it is a ...pleasure to meet you again Miss Freya. I... look forward to speaking with your employer when she is no longer indisposed. I would like to take the opportunity to thank you personally for your efforts eliminating so many drug dens as I have heard on the radio however, and for finding the information on Vega's spy and sharing it with us. The two of you have done a great deal of good, making up for your crimes and finding redemption I hope?"

Freya blinked at Jade's outstretched hoof, taking it in her orange claws warily and shaking her head. "Don't care 'bout none of that bullshit, in it for profit and action. Boy, this big blue sucker really is as goofy as that twerp on the radio makes out, ain't she Val? How do you stand it?"

Val huffed at Jade taking me away as a prop to mess with Freya, but smirked at the kind alicorn and gave a long suffering sigh. "She grows on ya. Shaddup bitch, Blue's my pal. If ya ain't got nothin' else ta say without yer boss here ta talk for ya, go find somewheres outta sight ta roost. Ain't gonna kill yer little raider crew so long as they behave, gots bigger stuff ta deal with anyway. Very important, Princess-y type, hero junk, way above yer pay grade."

Freya flapped her pale wings and took off towards the window she had leapt from with a snort, turning back to grumble out a parting shot but actually ending the confrontation without either of them killing the other. "Yeah, yeah, I'll tell the boss you finally showed up pipsqueak. You deal with all yer stupid Princess crap there Blue, maybe get those other guests outta the wing they stuck us in an' that'll make the boss happy. You think we're obnoxious, you ain't seen nothin' compared to those bats."

"Bats?"

I saw my confusion mirrored on Jade's face as we both turned to Witchy, both her fluffy ears perked up our way and a very anxious look on her face. When Preston pushed his way through the crowd and managed to break it up by barking orders at the throng of Minutemares, he tipped his funny hat to his chest and gave Jade a sweeping bow, filling us in with his greeting.

"Princess! Fast! Good to see everybody, don't mind all the troops, just excited to have our beloved monarch back in her castle ma'am. See you've met one of your petitioners already, those two and their ...associates... have been a hoofull alright. She's right though, the others waiting on you are even worse. Ought'a be waking up if you wanted to deal with them now. Wouldn't mind seeing those ponies from Dreadnot on their way, not that friendly and act like the own the place. Er... I say something wrong there your highness?" Preston reported cheerily, his wide grin faltering when Jade trotted over to Witchy slumping and biting her lower lip with her fangs, nuzzling the frightened looking filly with a warm wing over her back.

I was glad Jade's first thought was to comfort Witchy, because mine was a lot less caring. I turned on Preston with my fangs already slurring my words, pawing the ground and struggling to keep the Shroud's voice out of my own. "Thestrals from Dreadnot? Here? Yes Preston... I'd be happy to go greet our ...guests..."

"Fast... stay calm. Despite our personal feelings, these are emissaries from another community, we must greet them diplomatically." Jade called from her tarnished throne, somehow managing to keep a serene look on her face even as she kept a wing stretched to stroke Witchy's back at her side.

The Minutemares had done a good job restoring the opulent throne room of the castle into something approaching its former glory. All the gold and jeweled decorations had been pilfered a long time ago, their absence only noticeable due to the shadowed gaps on the walls the missing decor once occupied. The tattered tappestries hung from the walls above were cleaned and mended as well as possible though, joined by a long pair of banners draped down to either side of the throne Jade occupied. One was blue with the crossed rifle and lightning bolt of the Minutemares, while the other was a pale yellow with the cross and three pink butterflies of the Followers of the Apocalypse.

It made a good place to receive petitioners to the Kingdom of Sanctuary, which was what we were waiting on Preston to retrieve. Glitter sat at her mother's other side, eager for the chance to act as our Emissary of Cuteness or handle any financial talks. Val and Zed flanked her at a distance most conducive to turning the space I paced in front of her into a killing zone if the need arose, while half a dozen more Minutemares primped themselves nervously, spaced out to stations of honor before the tall pillars lining the long room.

I kept pacing on the ratty red carpet at my hooves and gnashing my fangs, every glance to the miserable look on Witchy's face stoking the fire in my head. We hadn't expected the isolationist thestrals of Dreadnot to leave their fortress and come to us. Finding out they were here had completely woken up the furious voice of 'Be Dark...' and I was struggling to keep it back with the waning moon rising in the long windows of the vaulted room.

Before the sharp retort I was biting back slipped out, a pale orange unicorn private galloped in and gave a low bow to the dias I was prowling back and forth on. She held her tan Minutemare cap to her chest and tossed her peach and pink mane from her face screwed up in concentration when she threw her head back, calling out in a loud and nervous voice.

"A-Announcing the delegation from the city of Dreadnot your highness! A Lieutenant Night Wing, and Ensigns Evening Star and Silver Fang! Bow before her highness, Princess Jade of the Kingdom of Sanctuary, Follower of the Apocalypse, Patron Mother of the Minutemares, Liberator of Slaves and the Common Pony's Princess!" The excited private's ringing announcement and numerous titles made Jade blush and fluff her wings nervously, sitting up in her throne to give a regal wave to the trio of batponies entering along with Preston.

They were darker than Witchy, their coats a deeper grey without the hint of lilac our friend had in hers. Their well groomed and short cut manes only displayed a hint of any other color as well, a tinge of cobalt showing on the stern faced stallion in the lead, while the younger mares flanking him were muted purple and pink respectively. Their leathery wings were slightly larger than Witchy's, as she had said when pointing out all the things she thought made her ugly, the memory of her pained admission just adding to the anger I felt watching them trot up at a stately pace.

All three wore crisp and clean uniforms, a dark blue of the Equestrian Navy with silver buttons and medals. They each had black epaulets at their shoulders with a crescent moon of Luna's mark, the two ensigns had a single silver bar beneath the symbol, while the buck in the lead sported two. He also had two silver bars pinned to his high collar, while the two keeping a pace behind him wore a single gold bar there.

I had caught Witchy's cringe when the private already backing away and bowing had announced the Lieutenant in the lead. Her anxious amber eyes kept flicking away from him and her cute ears were laid back. She looked torn between the duty to stay at Jade's side as her royal guard, and her desire to hide behind the throne she already had her rump wedged behind. What was worse was the way her sweet scent had changed, the tinge of fear and sweat had been there since we found out her people had come, but flinching away from the sneering buck approaching now, it had spiked to outright terror.

When he opened his mouth to scoff, I noticed his fangs were a little longer and his voice, while a bit deeper as a stallion, was still rather high pitched and full of venom. "Princess... Yon mutant pretender sullies the title. We are not here to acknowledge your ridiculous claim to the very throne of holy Luna she dishonors with her impure rump! We have only ventured out and subjected ourselves to thine disgusting rabble dirtying her castle due to official orders by her holy royal decree."

'Let me...'

The smarmy looking ensign to his left piled on as I grit my teeth and shook with rage, adding on to the insults they opened with by turning to Witchy cringing at Jade's side. "Look Lieutenant! She even has the half breed playing at serving her! Did thou find thine proper station with a fellow freak Witching? How nice for you."

The cruel titter of laughter from the other Ensign made my eyes start glowing and I hid them behind the brim of my hat, staring at the ground as she spoke. "Guess she's not dead after all sir, just a failure. Bet thou art looking forward to 'disciplining' her, right sir? Going to share the fun when we return from this bothersome errand?"

Lieutenant Wing turned a leer on Witchy that made her squeak, answering his underling with a lewd smirk. "Ensign Hour's punishment will be very... thorough... Have no fear Silver. Thou have been a very bad filly Witching, the Admiral will be most disappointed.... Let us attend to this farce so we can get started all the sooner."

'MINE! LET ME! NOW!'

Fine.

That tore it, I surrendered to the snarling howl in my head and moved before Jade could finish sputtering angrily. My wings flared and black lightning arced in an aura around me, leaving a flickering, dark contrail behind me when I launched myself at the asshole. I led with my outstretched foreleg and socked the bastard right in the jaw, throwing him back to go rolling down the threadbare red carpet.

Landing in the spot he had occupied, I turned on the two mares just starting to react. Time moved slowly with the fury pounding at my temples guiding my actions, I saw them both reaching for the curved blades sheathed at their flanks and spun on the faster of the two, bucking her aside to smash into one of the pillars above the surprised Minutemare guard there. The second spread her leathery wings and dodged back as her sword cleared its scabbard, barely making a fumbling swing with her muzzle when Best Served flashed out in my magic, slashing through her well polished weapon with one glimmering strike that made a ringing noise that echoed in the throne room.

The starmetal blade floated back to my side as I turned away from the stunned mare, facing the Lieutenant staggering to his hooves and drawing his own sword with a scowl, fuming around the grip in his fangs. "W-What is the meaning of this! How dare thou attack a peaceful delegation here to..."

I blasted forward before he could finish, leaving a trail of flickering electricity in my wake and tackling the bastard back to the ground again. I was vaguely aware of Val, Zed and the Minutemare guards all covering the chirping ensigns, but was mostly consumed with punishing this bastard. He insulted Jade, he threatened Witchy, if I wasn't wrong he had been one of the vile pricks who had done a lot more to her for years...

This was the first of the residents of Dreadnot I had got my hooves on and I made myself a promise. He was going to pay... just a downpayment on what was owed from every evil son of a bitch that had made Witchy's life in Dreadnot such hell, but it was a start... I straddled his broad chest and started smashing that smarmy face with my hooves, savoring the crunch of cartilage when his nose broke and the heady scent of blood soaking that pretentious fucking uniform.

I knew for sure my eyes were glowing and dragonish now, spotting the crimson dots reflected in his own shocked and panicked slitted violet eyes, before I blackened one to shut it. Not just glowing either, the terrified dots of his gaze widened and seemed to turn blank and lost, getting hypnotized by the rolling rumble of my words taking on an odd cadence that sucked him in.

"Silence evildoer! Still thine insulting tongue before I take it. Thou DARES come before the Princess with such disrespect and disdain. Insults her royal guard and thinks to threaten her when she is MINE.. Whatever message thine masters think to send via such odious emmisaries can be answered easily enough by sending them thine head. Thou hath invoked the wrath of Luna and will suffer a fate fitting your vile deeds thou cannot imagine! All at the hooves of the Shrouded Stal..."

"ENOUGH! FAST STOP!" Jade's booming goddess voice and soothing hoof to my back made me freeze mid-strike, my foreleg shaking like it wanted to keep going.

I could barely bring myself to do that much, remaining in place atop the wailing stallion with my blazing eyes remaining locked on his. I couldn't bear to look back to Jade and the disappointed face sure to be waiting on me. I'd obey, but I didn't want to... I wanted to keep hurting him... That dark howl in my head demanded it and the rest of me wanted to just go along with it, to let go, stop fighting it and just stomp that horrified face into the marble floor.

"Please Fast... stop." Witchy's quiet, squeaky whisper joined Jade's plea however, speaking right in my ear and getting me to turn to her teary eyes. She shook her head sadly at my confused look, darting forward to kiss my raggedly panting lips and nuzzle my cheek as she kept going in a hesitant rush. "No more, t-they are not worth it Fast. Thank you, but I do not wish for you to sully your hooves with their blood like this. I do not need thou to defend my honor, I have found my place here and d-do not fear them any longer. Let him go."

The half earth pony mare wrapped her strong legs around me in a shuddery hug, physically pulling me off the buck that had lost all of his bravado and scampered back as soon as he was free. He held a hoof to his broken nose and choked on all the blood, stammering and pointing a hoof past Jade already lighting her horn up to heal the damage. "Geb id away! Dis hib! De's weal! Id's loose!"

Jade waved me back with a wing and Witchy dutifully led me towards the throne, allowing her to speak to the cringing stallion and his two henchponies being corralled at gunpoint by Val. "I apologize for that Lieutenant Wing, though anypony who greets another with such insults should not be surprised when they receive a violent reply, even if I do not approve... I see you are not a link to Dreadnot with any interest in speaking as equals and allies. Perhaps you should state your purpose here and be on your way. Without my dear friend Witching..."

Even shoved back to sit with a worried Glitter holding me in place along with Witchy turning a grateful look back to Jade, I spotted the gleam of silver at the collar of his disheveled uniform and locked onto it. The glow of my telekinesis reached out and surrounded the fine chain around his neck, yanking it free and speaking in a petulant growl since I couldn't choke him with it.

I floated the precious object to my side over his protests and pointed to the finely crafted silver key, focusing on the pearl inlaid handle showing a full moon as I growled back. "I know what he wants..."

"Technically, we were ordered to demand access to everywhere that key opens, including Luna's chambers. The higher ranks also want you Minutemares to cede control of the castle to us as a holy site of the Night Mother and ruler of Equestria, and demand you forfeit the title of Princess." Ensign Fang had taken over the talking on our way through the catacombs beneath the castle, speaking in a clipped voice just reporting the facts without much emotional investment.

"No." I growled back and gave a predatory grin seeing the Lieutenant flinch between his ensigns at the Shroud's voice echoing down the cold stone halls.

"Fast... Remain calm. We must rise above personal distaste and at least consider the opinions of others." Jade spoke in a soft, worried tone and leaned down to nuzzle my cheek, looking up in thought once she was sure I wouldn't attack like a rabid dog again. "That said, I have considered your requests and respectfully refuse Ensign Fang. I will allow you to enter this tomb because it is of great interest to my knight Fast, and if whatever is down here is truly dangerous, we need to deal with it. Based on your discourteous greetings and poor attitude, I feel no desire to do you any additional favors. Report your failure to your betters and be sure to let them know it is your fault... I hope when next we speak, it will be with those who have learned better manners..."

"We'll leave it to them then ma'am. Following our final orders from holy Luna is absolutely required though. We all view it as a holy crusade and must accomplish Project Knightfall at any cost, thank you for your cooperation. Besides, according to all the mission reports, you don't want this thing down here." The ensign with the pink tinge to her mane, Evening Star, was so far the best of a bad lot, giving Jade a curt nod and continuing past the point where the stone walls got cruder and the creepy hoof shaped torch holders on the walls started lighting by themselves.

After explaining the basics of what I knew to Jade with Witchy, we had taken the trio of thestrals down to the dungeons with little fuss. Val kept her weapons powered and trained on the three of them in the narrow halls, keeping them in the lead and ready to be vaporized should they twitch the wrong way as she directed them with short squawks. Zed was at her side to deal with the close quarters if needed too, insisting on coming down as soon as it became clear they were after an dark spirit Celestia had imprisoned here more than a thousand years ago. At least we convinced Glitter to remain upstairs, taking old Mr. Jets on a guided tour of the castle while he waited for Swan to finish charging up and keeping her griffon friends occupied and out of trouble. Finally Jade and I trotted along behind them, while Witchy remained at the rear.

I was surprised she'd even subject herself to their presence any longer than she had to and told her to just let us handle it, but Witchy wore a determined frown and insisted on not leaving her Princess' side. She made her choice and wouldn't let what her own people thought or their insults discourage her from acting as Jade's royal guard.

When we made the last turn to the chilly hall that made everyone's tails bristle, Witchy cantered up between Jade and I and spoke in a low whisper when she noticed me fall back a step, giving me a supportive nudge. "They are right about that much your highness. The real Shroud's remains are dangerous, allowing them to dispose of them may be for the best. At least Fast may confirm his worst fears are not true."

"Or see if they are... or could be at any rate. Regardless, very dark magic lingers down here and sets my mane on edge, I'm quite interested in seeing it myself now that we have the opportunity." Zed countered Witchy's squeaky voice with his deep baritone, adding to the anxiety making my pulse quicken with every step down this spooky hallway.

Jade gave an unconvinced huff at that, chewing on her lip in concern after seeing my 'symptoms' on display in the throne room. "I am interested in eliminating his theory so we may focus on proper treatment. As for simply allowing something as dangerous as you make it out to be loose out into the wasteland... I am unconvinced. It has remained here, safely confined for the last 200 years since the bombs fell, and 1000 more before that. What reason could anypony have for removing it? It seems as unwise as letting an undetonated balefire bomb onto the black market. Who knows what may come of it."

"Won't be anypony's problem, it'll be the stripe's!" Ensign Star chirped and got a harsh glare from her Lieutenant for saying that much, giving a significant roll of his mostly healed black eye back to Zed.

Our zebra companion wasn't a member of the 'striped menace' as these three had referred to him when objecting frantically to him joining us, but he raised a curious eyebrow at their little slip and spoke with a grim tone. "Ours? You intended to set the Nightmare's Servant loose on the zebra lands... didn't you? You couldn't control it, but you could point it in the right direction and let it go... Oh you foolish little ponies..."

"Whatever we do with it, it is by royal decree and must be obeyed. Allow us entry and stay out of our way." Lieutenant Wing finally decided to speak up again, focusing on the zebra with a hateful glare and fishing a tattered piece of paper from his saddlebag as we reached the wrought iron gates barred by heavy chains and an enchanted lock.

He had the sense to flinch back when I pushed my way past him while Jade read over the ancient military orders. I paused and gulped up at the carved stone bust at the peak of the arched gate when I reached it, looking up at the angry stallion with ruby eyes scowling down on any who would approach. The thestral's full moon key slid home in the magical lock with a well oiled click when I mustered my courage, the heavy chains dissipating in a shower of sparkly magic and the tall gates creaking open with a squalling noise like a mare's scream.

The passage beyond kept going into the dark, the disembodied hooves holding the torches flickering to life as soon as my foreleg crossed the threshold, ending at a massive ironwood door. This was it... This was the Shroud's tomb, where Celestia imprisoned him after he was corrupted by Nightmare Moon. Just beyond that door what remained of the real life version of my hero waited... or it didn't...

My pace sped up at the thought and I stayed in the lead, ignoring Jade's cautious cry and Val's squawk. I noticed the dusty and corroded power lines snaking at my hooves and rusty electric light stands fallen over in the corners on the way, somepony had been down here... in modern times. I had a good idea who too after turning up a few precious scraps of information in this castle, the MoP hub and of course the cloudy ruins of Rainbow Brook...

Grandpa... My Grandpa Fin had been down this very hall once, had opened this door and messed with things he shouldn't. Finally I had a chance at some more answers, could follow behind him and see for myself if nothing else. Swallowing my fear, my hoof touched the freezing cold iron loop of a handle and pulled, opening the burial chamber and flinching at the blast of stale, cold air blowing my mane back, cringing at the familiar clink of chains that was very real this time.

Nothing... There was nothing here... A raised stone pedastal bearing more carved faces of ruby eyed stallions, a web of rusty chains draped from the vaulted dome of the rough ceiling surrounding it and a few flakes of dark crystal. What was clearly meant to occupy the center of focus was gone however.

The Shrouded Stallion was gone...

----------------------Level Up!------------------------

New Perk Added!--------------------

Junior Speedster-----------------
---After a lot of training and a little learning from other ponies (who happen to be the best fliers in the Commonwealth), you can finally be considered up to snuff when it comes to basic flight. Without wearing a ton of training weights and getting smacked around, you fly a bit faster than the average, untrained, civilian pegasus. You are now able to move in the air freely, dodge, sneak and perform basic aerial tricks with no penalties. Still no match for experts like the former Enclave or the Gunners, but not horrible at least. Your flight speed has increased and endurance cost has been reduced by 20%.

Author's Note

Phew, sorry for the extra long chapter, but lots of loose ends to wrap up and I didn't want to split it up. At least I kept it under 30k, barely... Expect a more standard chapter next time and thanks for slogging through it.

Ch. 95-- Still in the Dark

"Your pitiful attempt to imprison me has failed, Star Swirl!"

--------------------------

Initial Report - Project Dream Redeemed
Professor Ziggaraut Carrot, Archaeology Dept. Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology

I've read the legends and studied this period of Equestrian history extensively, but making our way to the tomb has been more than I could have imagined! Original construction dates back to the exile of Nightmare Moon, a later addition to her autumn palace. The runes of binding and warding bear traces of eastern unicorn mages, while the chains and other metalwork are clearly the legendary work of master smith Damascus Steel. Everything about this place was designed to keep ponies out and the prisoner in, something that's easy to understand when standing in its presence...

I know Princess Luna tasked us with finding a way to purify her servant first and foremost, but the remains of the Shrouded Stallion give me the willies and I'm not sure there's any way to redeem ...that... Classified as a Level 10 magical artifact capable of Equestria wide disaster, every precaution is being taken to obey her decree while ensuring the safety of everypony working on the project. The lead stallion Professor Mobius is less inclined to such minutiae however, so I've been tasked with the 'busy work'.

Report #12065
Professor Ziggaraut Carrot, Archaeology Dept. C.I.A.T.

Initial safety procedures have been beefed up after early exposure and data. Touching the artifact is strictly forbidden and dangerous, but a perimeter has been established for the safety of the research team as well. Early tests to quantify the field of arcane force it's putting off have destroyed two Magic Spectrometers and burnt out three sensing type unicorn specialists, the last of which ran screaming from the room...

Specimen's origin as a living dream lends it certain psionic abilities capable of affecting ponies even in its dormant state. Not to mention the difficulties in testing something that both does and does not exist present a variety of problems. Ministry Mare Sparkle's research notes and data on the Tantabus incident have yielded useful information, though the two creatures are different enough even her information is only so helpful.

Report #12074
Professor Mobius, Head of Theoretical Imagineering, C.I.A.T.

Visit from Luna didn't go as well as hoped, so we cut it off early. Did make the instruments spike and all the spooky rattling freaked my poor lab rats right out. Would have liked to do some more testing actually, but Purple Martin pointed out her highness' frowny face for me. Interestingly enough, her sister Princess Celestia came as well and when she entered the tomb to lead Luna away, the needles went all jittery. Mr. Shroud doesn't like Celestia one bit.

Still believe the Elements are the way to go, the whole not having bearers wrinkle is very unfortunate, we should really be looking for new ones. Maybe a way to cheat... Approximate the same arcane signature? Researching their origins and playing with samples from the Tree of Harmony, perhaps something to act as a catalyst...

Report #12079
Professor Ziggaraut Carrot, Archaeology Dept. C.I.A.T.

Returned from research expedition to Neighlem Village and the Sandwich Borer's site. The zebras there were only so helpful, superstitious lot all got very tight lipped when the subject of the 'Nightmare's Servant' came up. Granted, I can see how they might be a little leery after their history, not to mention the more recent internment camp on their doorstep, but all the star nonsense is a bit much.

They've reached the top level of the ancient mines at the dig site and the sheer amount of zebra bones does add to their argument. Hoping finding an artifact of the Shroud's still down there may assist in our research however. If the legends are true, there are fascinating possibilities.

The military is getting impatient for results however. Professor Klein and Swirl's proposal for using it as a weapon have made it to the higher ups and they're grasping, but releasing the Shroud? Anything could happen! We're working under a deadline now, without something to show as an alternative, I'm afraid the Princess may agree.

Report #12095
Professor Mobius, Head of Theoretical Imagineering, C.I.A.T.

Had a bit of an incident and have to take over paperwork for poor Ziggy. Containment breach, when he's the one that put that lovely tape line all around it to not be crossed! Terrible what happened, but curious results.

Ziggy got too close and touched it... We thought he was fine, kept him under observation and did a full suite of tests, but everything seemed ok. Then somepony stole his sandwich from the break room fridge... The mystery snacker has been an annoyance to everypony on the team, even stole a delicious buttercup lettuce and tomato Res made for me, which I'm still kinda miffed about, but swiping lunches didn't deserve the death penalty.

Found Ziggy sawing poor Rosetta Stone's hoof off with a butter knife and raving about thieves' justice. Was nearly as surprised she was the lunchroom thief as I was by Ziggy losing it actually. Though yes, I think Ziggy going crazy wins now that I think about it. Checked him in at the MoP because of the bleeding sides and forehead, but they're transferring him to Parsnips Asylum.

The weird stigmata lends support to my theory about the interplay between body and soul. Ziggy appears possessed by a fragment of the subject's power, keeps raving about getting back and letting it loose. His son is on the board at the asylum and has been helping with the archaeological research, so we're studying the effects and looking for a way to fix him.

Makes the orders coming down over this Project Knightfall business all the more bothersome. Can hardly make any progress if we strap it to a missile and lob it at the zebras! Trying to gripe to the Princess, but she's been very busy with all this war nonsense. They're already crating it up and moving it out anyway, so taking it where I do my best pondering to work the problem in the meantime.

Final Project Report -- Project Dream Redeemed / Knightfall
Professor Mobius, Head of Theoretical Imagineering, C.I.A.T.

Shuttering this field lab and shutting down all research. Subject removed for further study in my personal labs. Project Knightfall will just have to be cancelled, still trying to reach the Princess, but not hoofing it over to anypony. Have to fix it. Have to save him.

"Well!? Where is it!? Tell us this instant pretender!" Lieutenant Wing had found his courage while I tapped away on the dusty terminal tucked away in the corner of the Shroud's tomb, shouting and stamping his hooves as I finished reading.

"Gone. Mobius' personal labs, that's all it says. It's not here anyway, so you can leave..." I growled in reply, clenching my eyes shut and rubbing my aching head.

Zed spoke up to distract the thestral throwing a tantrum that was just making my headache worse, nosing around on the empty pedestal the Shroud should be resting on with a distracted frown. "It hasn't been here for a long time, though the lingering trace left behind is very disturbing... To leave a spiritual scar this powerful after so long... you foolish ponies were playing with powers you would have done well to leave alone. Be grateful it's not here for you to compound your mistake."

"Shut up zebra! Nopony asked your opinion! You're probably hiding it to protect the stripe, aren't you!? The half breed told you about it and our orders, so you stole it!" The batpony Lieutenant from Dreadnot sounded almost panicked, grasping at straws over his failure to complete his mission here.

Jade's ears flicked at the rising rumble in the back of my throat, cutting me off from answering. "Do not be ridiculous. You saw the gate was barred and only unlocked with the key you brought with you, did you not Lieutenant Wing? We had no idea your people were dedicated to following such foolish orders to begin with. Witching certainly did not violate her honor or undeserved loyalty to Dreadnot. Though after hearing such an insane plan, I am glad it is not here and would not have allowed you to take it regardless. You will have to take your complaints to the Institute however. If you have no other business here, feel free to return to Dreadnot at your earliest convenience. We will visit there shortly and assure your leaders this failure is not your fault. Provided you mind your manners and cease your insults to our zebra friend and dear Witching, immediately...."

Unfortunately, he was too stupid or pig-headed to take Jade's warning, even with the rare tone of anger creeping into her melodic voice. The batpony stallion's voice rose to a squeaky pitch in his rage. "You can still thy tongue too wench! Do not think you speak with the true authority of a real Princess just because thou have stolen Goddess Luna's castle from us! Thou are not fit to question her divine orders! Thou are just a mutant abomination in her shape, consorting with the zebra enemy, holding the leash of a madpony pretending at being her knight and protecting a traitorous cow from the price for her dishonor! Ensign Hour is awol and must be returned to... t-to face..."

The tantrum Lieutenant Wing was throwing dried up as his fluffy ears twitched at the guttural snarl I was making growing louder. His silvery-violet, slitted eyes flicked up to the rusty chains overhead clinking and swaying, then to the glowing red dots of my eyes glaring at him from the shadowy corner.

I was satisfied to see him flinch back when I pulled away from the flickering terminal, backing away for each step I stalked forward as the Shroud's voice rumbled out of my mouth. "Leave. Now. Before you exhaust what little patience I have left. Jade is Princess of this castle, zebras aren't the enemy and Witching has remained true to her honor, none of whom are your concern... Run back to hide in your rusty scow again and be grateful I allow it, without taking that cruel tongue of yours first."

Speaking over the frustrated and angry chirps of the cowed Lieutenant's ensigns, Jade turned a worried look down to me and tried to trot between us, her voice an anxious but loving whisper. "Fast... I understand you are upset... f-for a variety of reasons... Taking it out on these unpleasant guests will not do any good..."

"It'll make me feel better... that's good, right? It'll teach this asshole a lesson he sorely needs to learn too! I am all the Shroud you will find here, and no less dangerous to ponies like you Lieutenant... Thou are guilty of disrespecting a true Princess well above your station, of abusing and tormenting a beautiful filly who has found a place at her side... Take my wife's gracious dismissal and leave... Or open thine hateful mouth to spew more insults and watch what happens..."

He shut up anyway, Lieutenant Wing cringed behind his two ensigns courageously standing between us, though even the two thestral mares took a wary step back when I prowled forward. The one with the purple in her braided mane squeaked a warning, drawing her curved sword and only coming up with the handle in her teeth. The rest of the blade already slashed through by a starmetal kitchen knife.

"Stay back! Thou will not harm the Lieutenant again mutant beast! W-We will not allow it!" I absently admired Ensign Fang's bravery, but a snarl her direction made her canter back without her sword to hide behind.

The other one with the pink tinge to her bobbed mane still had a complete sword however, holding it in her gleaming fangs with only a minor tremor. "K-Keep thine monster knight back! Tis as bad as the creature whose name he takes!"

The Lieutenant cringing in the back latched on to her thought, pointing a shaking hoof my way. "It is! Tis no pony, tis the very demon we were sent to collect! H-He's escaped! Yon mutant sitting the throne must have released the beast to serve her!"

"Do not be ridiculous. I would ask you all not to compare my husband to some mythological monster, thank you very much. Whatever was once housed down here, it was taken away long ago and beyond your reach now. Please be on your way if there is nothing further..." Jade held me back with a firm hoof to my trembling back, speaking in a regal voice and looking down her nose at the trio of thestrals.

I heard her voice and felt her touch, knowing I should stop and struggling to do so. All I focused on was their commanding officer hiding in the rear though, my head low and fangs out while I kept staring him down. My glowing, dragonish glare was locked on his turning to blank dots, willing him to say one more word so I could abandon my wavering control.

Seeing that polite conversation was out the window, Val shoved me aside to wave her pistol around and squawk at the trio from Dreadnot, cutting off any of the very bad things that could happen next with her bawdy orders. "Awright! You heard the boss an' Blue, scat! Go! Out all'a ya! Gots all the bats we need already, so piss off!"

'MINE! WANT! PUNISH!'

With Val shoving the focus of the rage pounding in my temples away, I stared at the stone floor between my hooves, breathing raggedly and trying to calm down. The panic that wanted to rise up every time I looked at the empty pedestal and chains overhead kept feeding into my anger though. If you stuck a big, black stasis pod up there and wrapped the chains around it, as I was sure they had been around the statue of black crystal that should be here, this whole tomb looked far too much like the image in my head of where the voice of 'Be Dark...' was locked up.

Considering I had never seen this place before now, the similarities were all the more worrisome and I knew Jade saw them too. She had seen it thanks to Ivy... The waver in her kind voice told me she was thinking of it too as her wing lightly stroked my back and she cooed softly. "Fast... they are gone. It is alright. I know this is... u-upsetting... but it does not prove anything. W-We will... will figure this out dear, you will be fine... You are not..."

"Mobius took it! GRANDPA! He took it and played with it, like everything else! Because of his insanity it's stuck in my head! He sucked the memories outta my brain so I couldn't remember him doing it, but he did Jade! I know it! I can feel it in there! And it doesn't want to be comforted by you! It... I want to go rip that asshole's throat out and I'm barely able to stop myself."

Her answer was still soft and warm, but picked up hints of that clinical tone of hers that only made my anger brighter. "But you are able to stop yourself Fast. You are still in control of yourself, difficult though it may be. You are aware of right and wrong. You recognize being unpleasant and rude does not deserve..."

"Oh he deserves it! Ask Witchy! What did he do, huh Witchy!? Why did you smell so terrified whenever he talked!? Don't you want me to? Just say the word! Tell me you want him to pay and I'll stop fighting it and give him what's coming to him! Let me..."

The sad look Witchy returned with her shimmering amber eyes made me snort impatiently, keeping an ear trained on Val shoving the thestrals back down the halls. She thought about it... her eyes flicked up in contemplation, then down in memory with a flinch. Witchy bit her lip with those pretty fangs and shifted on her hooves, but when she finally looked up, it was with a pained and caring look, not the anger or agreement I was looking for.

When she wrapped her hooves and leathery wings around me in a strong hug, I tensed at her shaking her head softly. "N-No Fast. Please... Y-You are right, some part of me does wish to make Lt. Night Wing suffer, b-but not when it causes you to suffer more Fast. He is not worth it. You are better than that. I am sorry I made light of thine worries about... t-the Shroud, but you are not him. Thou art a good pony Fast, a kind stallion I l-love... not a monster. Do not lower yourself. Please..."

'Be Kind...'

A spike of pain stabbed right between my eyes as I struggled in the half earth pony's strong embrace. She was right... they both were. I knew it, knew it was wrong to stalk after the asshole and skin him alive... But ohhh I wanted it sooo much... Looking up from Witchy's purple mane and cute ears laid back miserably, I saw Jade nodding worriedly and trotting up to join the embrace.

Glancing over from her concerned gaze, I noticed Zed scooping flakes of black crystal from the pedestal and pulling out strange zebra fetishes. One of which, an unsettling pony shaped doll of twigs and branches, burst into blue flames as soon as he set it to the stone, getting a rare look of surprise out of the zebra. He mastered it quickly, poking at the flaming fetish warily, but it was enough to add to the panic, fear and anger making my pulse surge.

I didn't miss the cautious grey stare he kept on me and the way his powerful muscles were already tensed to move either, speaking in an even baritone he kept all emotion out of. "Just because the prisoner is gone, does not mean it's in you Fast. I've told you before, I cannot see how you can be possessed by a creature this powerful and not succumb to it. It does. not. happen. If it is true, don't do so willingly now that we've finally found some clue."

They believed me now... Somehow that concern and wariness just upset me more. Like they were orderlies dealing with a madpony in an asylum like the one in Grandpa's notes, speaking soft and soothingly while they got the straightjacket and tranquilizer shot ready...

It took some effort to pull away from Witchy's strong hooves, but I wriggled free before Jade got there and snorted angrily from the heavy wooden doors out. "Fine! I won't do anything, but I want to! Do you get it now!? I've been telling you something is wrong with me! I hear it! I want to kill that bat asshole! I want to kill my fucking Grandpa for doing this to me! I want to hurt somepony, right. now. I won't... I'm not a monster, but even you have to admit now I might have one in my head! I'm not crazy!"

Jade's sweet voice kept that wary tone as she paced after me, her horn already glowing with her anesthetic spell as she cooed softly. "I have never said you were crazy Fast. Only looked for more likely reasons for the symptoms you finally deigned to tell me about. With this discovery, I must admit the likelihood of you being... exposed... to what was imprisoned here has gone up however. I am as dedicated as ever to finding a treatment, but you must calm down..."

"What if I don't want to calm down!? Maybe I wanna be pissed! Maybe I've got a right to be a little fucking ticked off! Being possessed by some corrupted monster that drove that pony in the notes totally fucking bonkers is a little much to just shrug off!" I shouted back and panted, looking up to Jade's loving face flinching back from the fury baking off me.

'Be Kind... Be Strong!... Be Unwavering!... Awareness!... Be Awesome!'

I winced at the song of the Ministry Mares rising up, laying my ears and flared wings back miserably on seeing that hurt on Jade's face. I managed to stomp back down on the roar of 'Be Dark...' straining and fighting to get loose, backing away to the catacombs behind me and stammering an apology as I retreated.

"I'm sorry... I... I can't be here. I need to go somewhere else, alone. I'm sorry Jade, I'm alright, but being down here is messing with me and it's too much. I need to... t-to think! I'll be back when I stop freaking out and calm down, I promise. I just need some time...."

I managed that much and then turned to stalk off, flattening my ears against Jade's anxious cry echoing after me and speeding my pace up to a gallop threatening to turn into a blind run. I moved through the maze like I knew it, avoiding Val's path and eventually reaching the night sky, launching myself up and away with tears stinging my eyes.

"...And in more news from the northeast, the ghouls of The Slog and stripes up in Neighlem have sent out a call over increased activity. The hive in the Sandwich Borer's hole has been stirred up, so troops in the area should be on the lookout for a bug hunt, along with an increased presence of Gen 1 synths. Also in that neck of the Commonwealth, the hunters of Lynn Woods have informed us of a new gang in the area around Parsnips Creamery to be careful of. This crew has been focused on a stretch between them and the city, oddly selective about the caravans they hit and apparently jacked up on some new drug as nasty as X-Cell."

"That's it for Radio Freedom alerts in that area dear listeners, tune in on the next quarter hour for our southeast Commonwealth report, the southwest report in 30 minutes, or the northwest Sanctuary report at the top of the hour. As always, stay safe out there. If you've got a problem just remember to flag down the nearest pony in blue, the Minutemares are here to help fight the good fight as DJ Pon3 might say! Now here's an oldie but a goodie from the Ponytones, till your faithful DJ Dulcet Tones gets to talk with you again."

Perched below the cobbled together radio antenna poking from the high parapet of the Castle, I absently listened to the DJ pony I could hear moving around below me, unaware he had a monster on his roof...

It was an informative and helpful station anyway, the DJ did a good job balancing between keeping Minutemares abreast of dangers or passing info along, versus being somewhat entertaining so folks weren't too bored to listen. It was enough of a distraction to calm down at least, though my shadowy perch let me glare down at the trio of thestrals grudgingly getting shown the door and flying away back to Dreadnot. My glowing eyes followed them out of the courtyard and down the coast, while I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood and remained firmly rooted to the roof, letting them go... Much to both my annoyance and the hiss of 'Be Dark...'s.

With them safely gone beyond the range of even my enhanced vision, now I just pouted and stared out at the Celestial Sea. I could hear Jade and the others looking for me below, I even melted into the shadows beneath the blinking radio antenna when I saw Val making a swooping pass, looping through all the towers and hidey holes up here before darting in a window to continue the search inside.

Jade corralled my crew of fixers into looking too, so I got to see how Onyx and the others were doing. They even hauled my huge block of crystal and the radar dish from the Arcano-Cats off to their tower, clearing a workspace and already making plans to help build the teleporter I needed. The thought of working with all of them and catching up was tempting too, but the longer I stayed hidden and the more ponies trying to find me, the harder it was to come slinking back with my tail between my legs.

I also watched as a supercharged Swan come crawling out of the hole in the courtyard, the sight of the busy Minutemares and Followers prancing back from a giant filly in the alicorn angel outfit enough to bring a weak smile to my face. She shook herself off once she squeezed her way out, blinking those big blue-violet eyes and looking around curiously at Jade and Glitter there to send her off with Witchy and the old buck Burny Jets gulping up at her. She was looking for me... I could make out her whines from up here and my mane itched, that shadowy whisper in my head moving on from the escaped batponies to something else to take its attention, cajoling me with; 'MINE! WANT! NOW!'.

"Shut up... leave me alone."

A petulant grumble answered once she disappeared in a purple flash of teleportation, off to Goodneighbor with Mr. Jets and Witchy. After that they returned to searching for me, at least not shouting and searching frantically in front of all the troops, but wandering around the huge castle in a determined hunt. I felt bad about that... I actually wanted to go to Jade and just... I wasn't even sure, rant and rave? Cry? Try to forget my troubles in my wife's loving embrace? None of it seemed worth the talking and worried looks however.

Instead I watched from the outside, like I always had back in the Stable. Longing to be part of all that light and warmth, but feeling like I shouldn't, that no good would come of it, that I didn't belong...

The soft beat of a set of wings nearby made me cringe back to the shadows again, scampering away from the edge of the roof to hide until whoever it was went away. In this case however, the sweet scent of a mature female was mixed with an even sweeter, carroty snack cake tinged smell that made me hide harder. Not that it did any good, a victorious little cry rang out that made me feel better and worse all at once.

"There he is! See, I told ya! Daddy always goes ta hide somewhere high up! Hi Daddy! I found you!" Glitter pointed a hoof at me cringing in the shadows, forcing me to come out with my head hung and give a weak wave to my daughter laughing at winning her game of hide and seek.

Her ride winging her up here surprised me, landing lightly on the roof and giving a relieved puff of breath when Glitter hopped off her small back and pelted across the slippery rooftop. She looked different wearing Minutemare blue instead of the red of the Brotherhood of Friendship, but Summer Wind still wore a similar outfit. She kept her pocketed vest and toolbelt, finding a new blue cap for her goggles to rest on.

She also looked distressingly cute, wheezing at carrying the foal up here on a frame as small as mine. She caught her breath and let Glitter tackle me, gasping at the little filly flying across the tiles so far up with no fear whatsoever, then giving a soft smile at her hugging and nuzzling me forcefully. A little of the tension and anxiety Glitter was hiding communicated through her trembling hooves and pushy muzzle.

Not that she was shy about letting me have an earful either, pulling away to stare eye to eye and sticking her lip out in a pout. "You're bein' bad daddy! Mommy's really worried about you! I kept tellin' her I could find you, but her an' Auntie Val are all worked up an' told me to let them, but they wouldn't listen... So I asked Miss Summer for help! Smart, huh? So? What's the big deal? Why are you hidin' daddy?"

"N-No reason sweetie... I just... found some things out and needed to have a think over them, by myself. You should have listened to your mother and not bothered Summer, but I am glad to see you anyway... so I'll forgive you this time."

"You forgive me eeeeevery time daddy! It's mommy's fault for not listenin' and treatin' me like a baby. She never pays any attention to the locator tag thingys or knows how to work them, but I do! Besides, I didn't bother Summer, she wanted to help find you and see you anyway, I just helped her win!" Glitter beamed as if she had just won a game getting to me first, settling against me happily as her prize.

"It really wasn't a bother Fast. I was working down in the lower levels when you came back, so I missed you. Glitter is a hide and seek champ though, everypony is looking for you and... I wanted to see you too... So I was happy to help!" Summer took off her cap to wipe the sweat from her brow and flutter over on her buttery yellow wings, tossing her short brown mane and smiling as she sat beside me.

"Still, sorry for making you haul her around to find me. I know what kind of passenger she can be. So sorry if she wore you out Summer. It's good to see you too though, I wanted to find you and talk, just.... not right now."

Putting her cap back on and giving a curious tilt to her head, Summer blinked her vibrant green eyes and sidled a bit closer, leaning into my face worriedly. "I'll leave you two alone if you want Fast. Everypony is worried though, Jade... I mean, the Princess, has troops quietly looking, and Val is sending those griffon kids out too... They won't say what's wrong though, are.... are you ok?"

"Yeah daddy, are you mad about somethin'? Or sad? I don't like it when you go hide and feel bad alone... it makes me scared sometimes... You should talk about how you feel, that's what mommy always tells me when I'm upset!" Glitter spoke in an anxious voice and snuggled closer, making me feel worse that my behavior frightened the little filly.

"I'm... ok sweetie. I just need to think by myself sometimes. I'm sorry I scared you, usually when I go to be by myself, it's because I don't want to do just that. I guess it's dumb to think I can hide stuff like that from a smart filly like you though, huh?"

Glitter giggled at the praise and the tickling hoof to her tummy, wriggling her way around the tickle attack to stare eye to eye. "That's right! It's super-duper dumb daddy, so you should just tell me everything, since I find out anyway. It's something about the basement isn't it? About your comic book pony that's down there? Like in your book of stories? How'd it get there anyway dad, I wanna story!"

"That's a sad story from the end of the book though sweetie, I... haven't wanted to read that one. Though I guess we should now... I promise, you'll get a bedtime story and we'll find out together. If we can't find out how it got out, we can at least read how it got down there to start with."

"Out? Wait, that real Shrouded Stallion all the locals tell ghost stories about really was down there?!" Summer yelped listening to us, standing up to prance on the roof and looking at her hooves and the castle below warily, her teeth chattering as she continued in a rush. "I knew there was something spooky down there! Every time I go down to work underneath this place, my tail stands on end! You never said there were g-ghosts in this place Fast!"

Glitter and I turned to watch the amusing sight of the pegasus mare grimacing and fluttering her wings, looking all around her like some specter may come screeching out of the night. "It wasn't a ghost Summer, not really... Boy, you're as big a scaredy-filly about that stuff as Jade, huh? You afraid of spoooooky ghosts too Summer?"

"H-Hush up! It's not funny! The Enclave told us all kinds of horror stories about the world beneath the clouds when I was growing up Fast. That it was a haunted wasteland full of the spirits of the dead infesting the ruins, ghosts that'd snatch us up and eat us if we ever fell to the ground." Summer whinnied back, just making Glitter and I snicker more.

"Well... I guess that's not totally inaccurate. There are a lot of undead ponies that would eat you down here. No ghosts though, that I've seen anyway. What was... was supposed to be under the castle, wasn't really a ghost though. It's complicated, but it was more like a... spirit? It was something Luna made, that got corrupted by Nightmare Moon, then locked up down in the dungeons a long time ago. Nothing to be scared of now, especially considering it's gone..."

Taking in the misery and bitterness in my voice, Summer put on a forced smile and trotted across the tiles to a hatch on the other side of the tower roof, opening it with a creak and waving an inviting foreleg down to the light and music spilling out. "Glitter, would you like to meet our new DJ here? Dulcet's really nice, so I bet he'll let you pick songs or talk on the radio to everycreature in the Commonwealth. You are an important pony with the Minutemares after all little miss Ambassador of Cuteness, isn't that right Dulcet?"

A smooth voice called up from the hatch as Glitter scampered her way over and stuck her head in with a grin, answering Summer and speaking to the foal with buttery tones of surprise and delight. "Oh ho! The little Princess herself, in my studio? Are you kidding Fixer Wind, get her down here already! We gotta do an interview little lady!"

Glitter hooked her forelegs on the hatch and swung down faster than Summer could help her, bounding off into the brightly lit tower with a happy squeal. Slowly closing the hatch after unsuccessfully lunging for Glitter to keep her from a fall, Summer huffed and trotted over again in privacy, rolling her eyes after the filly. "How do you keep up with her Fast? I know pegasus kids who aren't so daring."

Thinking back to Goodneighbor where Swan, Witchy and Burny had returned to, I shrugged in a shuddery answer with the memory of her falling from the King's Gambit Casino replaying in my mind's eye. "She is a hoofull alright. She's just always has someone to catch her..."

The petite mare snorted at that with a chuckle, sitting next to me again in silence for a few minutes. The quiet allowed us both to hear Glitter rooting through music and talking to the patient DJ Dulcet Tones below us. Hearing her down there helped keep me calm and away from sinking into depression, grateful to my little filly for that much and starting to feel worse about hiding up here. The pretty pegasus filly at my side was a welcome distraction too, making my mane itch at her presence and giving the hungry mutter in my head something else to focus on.

After a long enough period of soothing calm to pass for Glitter's first request of her mother's favorite Velvet Remedy song to start, Summer carefully broached the quiet with the first upbeat notes sounding out beneath our hooves. "So... What about this g-ghost... er, spirit, whatever, is bothering you Fast? There really was a Shrouded Stallion down there?"

"There was... It's gone now though. Those batponies that left earlier wanted it and had the key, but nothing was there, it was taken away a long time ago by the Institute. What they... he did with it after is what's bothering me. I found things out about them since I saw you last Summer, about the Institute, Professor Mobius... I think... I think it's in my head, as crazy as that sounds. I've been scared thinking that for awhile, but when we saw it wasn't there, that it really was gone... I freaked out. Now I just don't want to go back, it's too hard."

At least Summer didn't look at me like I was insane, giving a curious look and curling her soft wing over my back in a supportive hug. "You think a ghost is in your head? ...Becaaause of the Institute....? I don't get it Fast. What does the creepy thing in the basement have to do with them, or you? Do you mean you think your... p-possessed? Like in the Exorcist?! And who's Mobius?"

Looking back to her puzzled but honestly interested and kind expression, I sniffled and let out a tired sigh. It was easy to forget how deep I was in Institute conspiracies and prewar secrets, until somepony on the outside pointed out you might be drowning...

"Jeez... I guess it's all a really long story. And a crazy one..."

Closing her eyes in a cheery smile, Summer put her hoof on mine and wiggled her rump to a more firm seat beside me, twining her tail with mine as she spoke softly. "Well, I'm listening Fast. I won't drag you back, but I'm not going anywhere either. Soooooo?"

"Alright... you asked for it. Just don't go run screaming back to the Brotherhood when you find out..."

Giving a scoff and dubious look at my lame joke, Summer waited patiently until I opened my mouth and started. Then she just listened, calmly and quietly as the madness came spilling out, never reacting much more than a widened eye or frown here and there, with the occasional question or gentle nudge to keep going thrown in. Never pulling away or acting nervous, even through the most insane fears and raving.

We just sat together and I talked, staring out to the sea and the stars as the waning moon rose higher, shining its narrow sliver of Luna's moonlight down on her castle and the wasteland below.

After spitting it all out and getting Summer Wind up to speed on our madcap adventures, I was surprised Summer still didn't look phased. She had listened intently and reacted through the course of the story, but now that it was over, she simply arched her back and stretched her wings behind her in a long yawn, snuggling a little closer when she finished with a smack to her lips.

Having her so close was distracting, especially with the very voice I warned her about now whispering yet again at having a new and unconquered filly nearby, but it was at least comforting that she wasn't scared of me or the things I'd done. Though I wished her thoughtful smile and nose wrinkle my way was a little more informative when finally I looked over to her, waiting for the other hoof to drop.

"Well?"

"Well, you wanna go inside now Fast? Take a look at the radio room? Dulcet's on a break with Glitter, so you can probably slip through without being wrangled in for an interview like her." Summer stood suddenly and nodded cheerily, waving over to the hatch on the roof and Glitter's voice drifting up.

"W-What? But what about... I mean... D-Don't you have anything to say about all of... that!?"

Still smiling cutely, Summer nodded and shut my jaw hanging open with a hoof to my chin, giggling as she fluttered by and opened the hatch with a sweeping gesture. "Mm-hmm! It was a lot to take in, I'm just taking a breath to process it. C'mon repair-pony, you know as well as I do, getting worked up over a problem just makes it harder to solve. You have to take a step back and really troubleshoot the whole thing sometimes."

"B-But... You... y-you're not... scared of me? Whether I'm crazy or really... r-really have a monster inside me? Neither case is very good and..."

Before I continued she laughed out loud, a short tinkle of laughter that made me blush in embarrassment over being taken so lightly. "I'm not scared of you Fast, don't be silly. Come on, you should really talk to Dulcet a second. I promise to keep you safe, just come down with me."

I gave an unconvinced nicker, but she had already flitted behind me on her agile wings and proceeded to shove, forcing me forward over my grumbles. I managed to catch myself on my wings before falling through the open hatch, then one got tangled in a wire strung from the rafters of the parapet, sending me lurching off to get a hindleg hooked by a thick cable between two towering consoles full of blinking lights. With several undignified grunts and yelps, I crashed facefirst to the ground when the cord holding me up by the hindleg came unplugged.

I could do without Summer's giggles following me down, Glitter's initial gasp turning to matching titters of laughter just rubbed salt in the wound. Though the happy filly took the opportunity to tackle me, since I made such a tempting target already in a heap on the stone floor. Groaning as I pushed myself upright under the strong little filly, I blinked up in embarrassment to the third pony in the room, the Minutemare's own DJ, Dulcet Tones.

For a moment I thought I must be mistaken, though when I stood and shook myself off from the crash, I found myself looking down to the grizzled unicorn stallion and simply goggled. A pony shorter than me?! He really was... a short, stocky little fireplug of a palomino stallion, wider and more densely muscled than I was, but indeed a few inches shorter.

His white and chocolate brown spotted coat was clean and marked with scars. His brilliant orange eyes were wide beneath his brown and red mane and his mouth worked soundlessly, his scruffy bearded chin bobbing up and down with little strangled noises.

The raspy, cockney Trottingham accent he finally managed to shout out made me even more confused, and a little overwhelmed when he rushed forward to grab my hoof in a surprisingly powerful shake as he did so. "G-General Shrouded Stallion sir! 'Ave ya been listenin' to the broadcast this filly helped us cobble tagether? T'was just talkin' ta the lil Princess about you sir, and here ya are! 'Ope we're doin' ya right proud sir! H-Honor ta meet ya in the flesh it is!"

"Errrr.... Nice meeting you too? Umm... a-at ease? Really, it's ok umm... Dulcet?"

The odd buck still quivered with excitement, grinning while I absently surrounded the web of wires I had crashed through, resorting and straightening them as I fixed the cable I had unplugged. Doing so let me get a better look at the cramped tower too, which was stuffed to the gills with flickering, beeping, blinking equipment of wasteland engineering. My eyes also hung on a Shrouded Stallion poster from the radio show pinned to the wall.

My normal happiness at finding another fan was a bit muted with all my conflicted feelings on the Shroud at the moment, but it explained a little of the stallion's excitement. His square jaw and lined face marked him as a fair number of years older than me, but his bright eyes were full of foalish glee, flicking over the dark coat and hat I wore and taking in every detail.

Seeming to understand the interrogative end to my answer, Dulcet finally shook his head and gasped, giving a short cough to clear his throat before answering. To my amazement, it was in the smooth, buttery voice from the radio instead of how he had spoken so far however. "Ah! Sorry about the confusion sir, you were expecting this?"

His horn didn't glow... He did that without using the voice altering spell, only adding to my stunned look and slow nod back. "S-Sorta... That's amazing! How do you do that without..."

"Usin' magic ya mean, what?" His reply dropped back to his old accent instantly, then he floored me by continuing in the high pitched, manically happy voice of Pinkie Pie. "It's my special talent sir! Not super duper useful surviving out there, but great for a job like this! Though I did get my mark by convincing a heap of raiders there was a whole crew of mercenaries holed up in the ruin I was hiding in as a colt not much older than your filly! So it comes in handy!"

Glitter nodded manically along and beamed, vouching for his talent happily. "Mr. Tones is awesome daddy! He can do aaaaaanypony! I been testin' him, you should hear him do mommy!"

The older buck flushed immediately at Glitter's endorsement, shuffling nervously under my raised eyebrow. "Oh... i-it's not that great sir, s-shouldn't be impersonatin' the Princess or makin' fun, I just er... the filly was askin' and..."

"Ok, now I have to hear it..."

Gulping at my interested look, Dulcet looked back to Summer and Glitter and seemed to find his courage with their nods of approval. He turned back and closed his eyes, straightening up and sticking his nose up in a good imitation of Jade's regal posture, then he opened his mouth and nailed it. "Ahem... W-We must all be better together, yes dear troops? In the interest of such, I have ordered my Followers to provide remedial sexual education courses to all you fine Minutemares, because you are all plainly awful at it."

.........Dulcet gulped in the silence that met his perfect impression, looking up to my eyelid twitching and me biting my lip and shaking in place nervously..........

Much as I tried, I couldn't hold on to the gruff pose to mess with him just a little. My shaking increased as I snickered and choked, the eventual guffaw of laughter exploding out of my clenched teeth as I threw my head back and howled. "Bwahahahahaaha! T-That's perfect! That's... she... ahahahahahahaha!!"

'Awareness!'

Tilting his head and breathing a sigh of relief at me physically rolling on the ground in laughter, Dulcet held a hoof to his pounding heart and gave a shaky smile. "Phew... s-scared me for a minute sir. Right glad the stories are true an' yer a good natured sort sir...eh?"

'Scared' and 'good natured' jumped out at me and reminded me of the heavy thoughts I had been getting dragged down by, that the welcome gust of laughter had partially blown away to my cautious relief. Glitter still giggling merrily at the eerily good impression of her mother gave me the warm glow of that important virtue to hang on to and I took the lifeline to heart, looking over to Summer's soft smile and wondering if that wasn't the whole point to getting shoved down here.

"I wouldn't get mad over an impression that good, or funny. Though it is a little disturbing hearing my wife's voice coming out of your mouth, it's a really amazing talent soldier. Just don't let her hear jokes like that in her voice, I think she'd die of embarrassment."

Still chuckling nervously, Dulcet shook his head frantically in reply. "Oh no sir! I just do that ta give the troops a laugh or a lil' encouragement here and there. Would never insult her highness though, Luna forbid! Princess Jade an' you are a proper inspiration to us all sir! Ah! Actually that reminds me, I 'ave just the thing since yer back in the castle!"

'Be Awesome!'

I watched him scamper off to a cluttered corner near the stairs down, curious at the pile of canvas sacks he started rooting through and dragging back with a broad grin as he explained. "Fan mail sir! That lot down in admin sends 'em all up here ta me, since I'm the voice of the Minutemares an' all, but it's all yours. Course the Princess' pile is a tad bigger, but quite a lot for you too sir, eh what?"

I cocked my head in confusion trying to take it in, looking from the pile he gestured to for Jade, then back to the second that was nearly as big. Summer trotted to that one and opened the sack, revealing a pile of dirty slips of paper, then picking one out with her teeth and cantering over with it.

At her, Dulcet and Glitter's urging, I took the folded scrap uncertainly and opened it as Summer pranced back for more, floating it down for Glitter to practice her reading as I scanned the first few lines;

'Dear Mr. Shroud,

Thank you from saving me an' mommy from that bad place full of fire and smoke, and getting rid of the Burned ponies there. We live in the neat Robot fair place you told us about now and I wanted to thank you for...'

Before I finished, Summer dumped more at my hooves, forcing me to float them up one after the other and reading the letters that had been stacking up with nowhere to deliver them to. Each making me feel both proud and sad, my eyes getting misty at each grateful reminder of the places I had been and things I had stumbled my way into.

...If it weren't for you, those slavers would've....

...culd'a kilt me with the rest of my old crew, but yu...

'...saved my colt and his step father in the Roost...

'...stopped those raiders...

...saved our town...

...brought my brother back...

thanks... thank you.. thank you... thank you...

"Are you getting the point yet? Or do I need to drill a pilot hole in that thick head of yours?" Summer speaking with a smirk got me to look up from the rain of letters floating by, wiping my eyes in confusion.

"I... I don't do stuff looking for thanks or fan mail Summer..."

Floating the sacks of mail up and stuffing the loose ones still echoing in my head away, I managed a short hoofshake with Dulcet hurrying back to his microphone as the current song ended. I escaped his silent waving to the airwaves in hopes of an interview by trudging for the door, calling Glitter to come along behind me.

Before I could get very far down the winding spiral stairs leading down from the tower, Summer had fluttered down and barred my path, hovering in the way with her forelegs spread wide and a stern expression. "All those weren't about you getting thanked goofy, they're about the ponies thanking you. Ponies you helped that needed it and never got a chance to say thanks, because you don't hang around to ask for it. Like a real hero would, like the Shroud from the comics. Don't forget, I know just as much, ok... almost as much about the comic books as you Fast, and that's who you're like. That's the Shrouded Stallion you are, not some creepy ghost from a thousand years ago."

'Be Unwavering!'

"Yeah daddy! Please don't be sad and scared, you're a really awesome hero who saves everybody! You... you saved me too, you scared an' killed all those bad raiders that.... that took my mommy and sister... but you saved me by being like your comic guy! I thought it was amazing and wanted to thank you back then too, then you said I could stay and... and... And you're the bestest hero and daddy in Equestria! Way better than even that Shroud in all your stories. I love you daddy!" My daughter scampered down the stairs and joined Summer's blockade, throwing her legs around my neck and speaking through the pain of memory to try to help me feel better, which meant all the more.

'Be Kind...'

All those other letters of thanks were nice and helped, a reminder of everything the voice of 'Be Dark...' had helped me do, albeit in a somewhat psychotic, destructive and deadly manner. Reading them had even affected that voice somehow, quieted it with a strange species of pride and... sadness... which was unusual by itself. The most important pony would always be my little filly though.

Seeing what the raiders had done to her poor sister had probably been what unlocked that vicious voice. It was the first time I remembered really losing control and doing things I didn't consciously think about beforehoof, but it had saved her and brought us together. Whether it was the real Shroud or not, if I was being honest it had been a hero not just to her, but to me.

'Be Strong!'

Glitter burrowed into the firm hug I wrapped her up in, sighing contentedly at my wings curling around her as I whispered in her ear shakily. "I love you too sweetie. Very much... You're one of the truly good thing I'm sure I did out here. If... being like the Shroud helped do that, I guess it's good too. Whether it's just me going crazy or really is that bad old ghost somehow, it's worth it for you."

Giving a soft smile at the filly hugging me so tight, Summer waited a moment before speaking in a quiet voice, spreading a wing to touch us both in support of the touching scene. "There now, that's better, isn't it? Definitely the Fast I know. So, let's get you back to the Princess and you can figure out this whole... g-ghost business together. Ok?"

My eyes stung looking up to her own lidded green gaze shining back hopefully, but I managed a weak nod before returning to nuzzling my precious daughter. "Ok... in just a minute... this is more important."

"An A-01!?! You found one!? Intact!? WHERE!?!" Summer's voice turned to a high pitched squeal echoing down the dusty hallways we trotted down and her eyes gleamed, getting me to chuckle at her excitement over the ancient piece of arcano-tech I filled her in on as we traversed the castle looking for Jade.

"With the Arcano-Cats, like I said. Actually one of the reasons we came back to the castle was to get you to help work on it, if you want to that is. I need to get it working and ready for Jade to pilot by the end of the week, and you're a lot more experienced with power armor than I am, so I thought..."

"I can work on it!? Really!? Ohmigosh that's amazing Fast! A suit of A-01 armor! I've only seen a few mentions of it in technical papers Proctor Quiz is always collecting from around the Commonwealth. An actual, functioning suit though! That's awesome! When can we start? Let's go now!" Summer wrinkled her nose and snorted giddily, her glee over the daunting project lifting my spirits along with her fluttering on her wingtips happily.

Finding safer topics of conversation was easy with the fellow repair-pony and Summer took the hint, avoiding darker topics with Glitter prancing along with us on the ratty red carpets, poking at the ancient suits of armor lining the halls and waving cheerily to everypony we passed. Getting 'found' by the Princess of the castle was surprisingly hard. We kept getting stopped by those who had been seeking me out, but none of them knew exactly where Jade was to bring me to, since she was looking too. Now we were simply going off the last location that Bruno had offered when he came flying through a window to tackle me, climbing steadily up the castle towards Princess Luna's chambers.

"We were going to go back in the morning, so thanks for your help Summer, it means a lot. You'll probably like the Arcano-Cats too, they've got a lot of awesome armor and are really good at fixing and souping them up. There's a whole town of pegasi too."

Her happy reply came with her perspective as a former member of the Brotherhood. "Ah, Rocketburg, right? We were briefed on those 'Cats' ponies. They're sitting on the old Shadowbolts base and the Brotherhood really wanted that site, they weren't too happy to find out it had been looted and claimed a long time ago. They actually hate how they 'defiled the sacred technology of the past'. The pictures they showed were supposed to make us all agree, but I loved all the modifications and cool paint jobs. Although when Dance saw them he said..."

Her voice faltered from happy memory to pained present on mentioning her partner Paladin Dance, making me realize I had been so wrapped up in my own problems again, I forgot about others'. Most of the reason she had decided to leave the Brotherhood had been because Steel Dance turned out to be a synth and suspicion had turned on her as well.

"Summer... I'm really sorry about Dance. I had to promise the Brotherhood I'd try to find him, but I would anyway for you. I'm sure he's... that he's ok."

Sniffling a little and wiping her shimmering eyes, Summer nodded back sadly. "It's alright Fast. I'm really worried about him, but I'm sure there's an explanation somehow. Dance would never betray the Brotherhood. I saw the evidence and have to agree he's probably a synth, but... there's just no way he'd be a spy for the Institute."

"I can't imagine it either, Dance was too loyal. Some synths are alive Summer, are ponies just like us. I'm betting he's one of those, I'm sure of it."

She gave a grateful smile at that, turning back to our slow pace down the halls and murmuring in thought. "You know... I bet Dance feels a lot like you do right now Fast."

"Hmm? How do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, everything he believed about himself is in doubt. Who he is, what he is, why he did the things he did, his memories, everything is all up in the air for him I bet. I imagine finding out you're a synth is a lot like being possessed, just by the Institute instead of a ghost. He's probably scared and angry too, I just wonder how he's dealing with it all alone." Summer's reply was soft and thoughtful, worry over both her old partner and me clear in her pensive look.

"Probably better than me, but I'm glad I'm not alone... At least he has proof one way or the other. We can have a long talk over it when I find him Summer, compare notes and share a few laughs, huh? Synth spy to possessed and/or insane pony."

That looked to brighten the somber little pegasus up a bit and she shook off her worry visibly. Her faith that I'd help somehow was heartening too, though I had to firmly ignore the blinking text in my vision prompted by the conversation;

Mission: Blind Betrayal

Objectives------
---Find Paladin Dance

Optional Objectives---
---Kill Dance
---Bring Dance in to the Brotherhood

The idea that killing Dance was still listed as a viable option was bad enough, the fact that the darker voice in my head had no problem with that course of action was worse and I kept any sign of its thoughts out of my weak smile back. We had made our way up to the highest and most opulent wing containing Luna's chambers, meaning Jade may be just ahead, making me slow my pace to an anxious trudge. The large rooms we passed were those for noble guests, one of whom I could guess at when I tipped my hat to the scowling white griffon Freya, standing guard at a huge door engraved with seaponies and seashells.

Spotting the largest and most ornate door at the end of the hall standing open a crack, Glitter dashed forward to explore what had previously been a sealed room. Luna's chambers... By the light spilling out and shifting shadows, I was guessing Bruno may be right and Jade was there alright, making me gulp and cling to any distraction.

I was definitely grateful when Summer returned to our shared interest in tinkering and matched my pace, like she sensed my trepidation. "So, other than getting to play with an A-01, we get to build a teleporter too, huh Fast? I saw the girls clearing space and going over the schematics, where'd you even find plans for such a junkyard teleporter array?"

"From a refugee Institute scientist. It's not exactly his area of focus and we have to work with what we can get, but I've got almost everything I need. Er... about half anyway. I still need a Magical Beam Emitter, which probably means going to those assholes in Dreadnot... Then a control console capable of running it, which I can probably win at the weird robot races at Easy Filly Downs."

"Pfft! You!? At the Downs!? You'll get eaten alive stupid! You have more important things to do before getting yourself killed over old junk too! You have to save my snuggleboo!" I flinched at the haughty, whiny voice ringing out behind us, turning back to Freya's guarded door to find her employer Fancy Star glaring back at me.

She was wrapped in an amazingly clean and fluffy robe, strands of her wet golden mane escaping from a turban of a towel on her head. She also smelled clean and extremely feminine, her pale coat was a blinding white and the scent of soap, shampoo and rose scented perfume wafted off her.

The room that she was just exiting was full of steam and the echoing sound of water, catching my curiosity that Summer answered before I asked. "You again! We said you could use the royal baths too, but not every few hours! Go away, Fast is busy and doesn't have any time for your whining!"

"Shut up you shrimpy featherbrain, I need a lot of baths alright! Everywhere out here is filthy, I'm going to take advantage of facilities up to my standards while I have them. If you don't like it, I can tell all those grubby soldiers you fix-it ponies got the fancy bath up to snuff and have been keeping it quiet! You all use it plenty yourselves!" Fancy sneered back, engaging Summer in what appeared to be a standing argument between the two mares.

"It's a royal bath! We've just been getting it fixed on our off time so it would be ready for the Princess! A-And maybe using it a little... but us Fixers get really grimy and dirty working on the castle! We need a place to get cleaned up without waiting in line or getting peeked on down in the lower showers. Come on Fast, just ignore her!" Summer shouted back, leaving me to watch the odd back and forth in confusion.

"Wait a second, putting the battle over the bath aside, you said you needed help by the new moon Fancy. I promised and I keep my promises, but there's still time. We have other stuff to do first, so you'll just have to be patient. I see you've been making yourself at home anyway..."

Fancy gave me an odd look getting between them, mostly her standard pouty, whiny face, but a little warmth and curiosity mixed in that complimented her freshly cleaned state and actually made her pretty. "So what if I am, you're the one who left me waiting! Anyway... Hi again stupid, n-nice to see you're not dead I guess. I see that stuff they stuck you with worked, huh? I heard about it, but figured you were probably all ugly like those mutants of theirs. You're uhhh... n-not though... Hey, maybe I really should've let them shoot me up too."

"Still not a good idea Fancy... What you saw of what it did to me wasn't the half of it. It nearly killed me, plus it hasn't worked since, they've been trying... Apparently there's something... weird about me..."

"Well... I guess it's a good thing you got me outta there then. Er... t-thanks, I'm glad that stuff didn't kill you. C-Cause I need you to help me is all though!" I barely focused on Fancy's almost nice reply, frowning in thought now that I had actually been reminded of something.

'Unknown variable'... That's how Klein put it. There was something different about me that let me survive the Institute's I.M.P., without turning into one of the twisted mutants they churned out. I had always just thanked the goddesses for my good luck and left it at that, the stuff hadn't exactly worked smoothly after all, but after visiting that tomb a new piece of the puzzle was there to turn in my hooves.

Corpus, Mentis, Soma... Body, Mind and Soul, that's what my insane Grandpa Mobius theorized about, how they combined and worked together to make a pony a pony. How one aspect affected the others... I read over all the snippets of conversation the Great Tree of the MoP Hub had in its long memory and barely understood the idea he was getting at. If I had the Shroud in me though, a spirit in the shape of an alicorn... Was he the reason I survived?

Having my wings suddenly grabbed short circuited the thought and I yelped at the unfamiliar hooves, scrambling to get away before getting a knock to the head and snort. "Oh quit whining you big baby, I just wanna see. This really could'a been me, so I'm curious. Wow... they're pretty big, you can really fly with these? Why do they stick up like that?"

"S-Stop that! It's very rude to just grab a pony's wings! T-There's no reason they stick up you need to worry about either!" Summer saved me by shoving the pushy mare away, turning a bright red at the cultural cue that meant a lot more to her as a pegasus than Fancy or I as unicorns, or former unicorn anyway.

Freya gave a warning cluck at Summer touching her boss, but settled for leaning down and whispering behind her claw in Fancy's ear. By the way her pale face turned pink, I got the idea my stupid wing's behavior meant the same thing in griffon circles and she had just explained it, forcing me to try to turn the embarrassing conversation around.

"N-Nevermind any of that, I came back to check on you among other things Fancy. So, tell me about Neighson since that's all you care about, where is he?"

"Of course that's all I care about, and I need your help so here we are. I just... don't know where he is right now." Fancy's firm reply shriveled up as she spoke, slumping slightly at her admission.

"What!? You said you knew!"

"I said I knew where he was going to be, not where he was... that's what I need help with. Svengallop Manor, on the night of the new moon, that's where my Neighson and that asshole Vega will be and when. It's their 'ancestral home' whatever that means and he's going to do something awful to Neighson! But it's swarming with those robot ponies already..." Fancy gave a sharp retort that faded to fearful misery, making me feel for the rotten mare who had improved her attitude just a little anyway.

Mission Added! - When Visitors Attack!

Objectives-----------
---Travel to Svengallop Manor
---Kill Professor Vega

Optional Objectives--------
---Save Neighson Svengallop

Shaking off the text scrolling in my vision against the backdrop pouting filly, I was unsurprised my map wasn't updated. A quick check of my pip-buck confirmed I already had that marker, an empty outline of a house blinking with an objective marker to the northeast, on a small island connected to the mainland by what looked like narrow sandbars and roads. I learned about that place back in Goodneighbor, from the letters of the singer Rara left behind in her dressing room. To think Vega would go back to his prewar home wasn't that hard to believe, though for what I couldn't guess.

It probably wasn't a good idea to let Fancy know my pip-buck viewed saving Neighson as 'optional', so I focused on the mare herself since it would be some time before the moon darkened completely. "I guess that's why you brought that gaggle of cleaned up raiders then, huh? Alright Fancy, like you said, I promised. I didn't forget. I came here to check in beforehoof, but we still have other stuff to do."

I tried to head off her inevitable tantrum over all the things that took precedence over herself, so Fancy's flabbergasted snorting in response was fairly muted when she managed to sputter it out. "What!? What 'other stuff'!? What could be more important than saving my snuggleboo!?"

"Not that you're actually interested, but I'm building a teleporter to go after the Institute and kick their asses. I've been out getting the plans and parts for it. I'm still only halfway there too, so, like I said, I have other things to do with the time between now and when Neighson will be where you say. You'll just have to amuse yourself Fancy."

Her high pitched whine was expected, but the way it echoed down the halls made me lay my ears back at her pitching a fit. "But whyyyyyy!? I don't care about those crazy assholes, except killing Vega... Why can't you just hurry up and get done alreadyyyyy!? How hard can it beeeeee!?"

Gritting my teeth, I glared to hush her and threw my forelegs up. "Building an advanced arcano-tech teleportation machine out of 200 year old junk isn't as easy as it sounds, alright!? We have more to do too, but it's easy in comparison. Be glad I know where to go for what I need. One of those places is the Downs actually, so why not try being helpful and telling me why you don't you think I can go there?"

Freya actually answered for her, holding a claw up and ticking off points by raising the digits as she huffed. "Number one, that place is a favorite hangout of all the worst assholes in the Commonwealth shorty, an' none of em like the Shrouded Shrimp. There's no fighting at the Downs unless May says so, but that won't stop them from being... creative. Number two... They cheat. Them Rust Devils control all the robots runnin' in the races, if they wanna change the winners, they will. Even if ya bring yer own, they'll send all of theirs after it to make sure it doesn't win. Get it now?"

I hadn't followed up on the Rust Devils and their strange robot focused business slash base in Easy Filly Downs. Beyond what little I gleaned from captured raiders from their crew. The one I spoke with sounded reasonable enough and said my caps were as good as any others. Fancy had actually been there though, while she was still untrustworthy and snide, I didn't think she or Freya were lying. Which left me with a wrinkle in my plans I struggled to cope with, we were too busy to get hung up now.

Fortunately, a sneaky idea popped into my head and I turned an evil grin on the smirking Fancy. "I can't win, but you can..."

"W-What!? What do I care about winning your junk for you! Not that it will work, We just told you they cheat!" Fancy shouted back, but I had already seen the vague form of a plan taking shape.

"I can cheat better. You said it yourself, I can't stroll on in openly and do this fair and square, if I have to cheat then you're the best mare for the job Fancy. You go in, enter our robot and place the bet for what I want, I'll make sure you win. You can even place your own bets and make a lot of caps if you want. I guarantee victory. It's a win-win."

"Fast! You can't trust her! She's been a terror since she got here, there's no way she'll actually pull this off!" Summer yelped, but didn't dissuade me in the slightest, only adding to the rough plan with her complaints.

"You can go with her though. You know the parts I need and would make a convincing tech, just take AssaultJack with you and you'll be able to pull it off easy Summer. This will work... this is something we can do, something I need to do..."

Summer seemed to take in the desperation in my voice and reluctantly nodded. I couldn't do anything about finding the Shroud's tomb empty or what that might mean, but going out and accomplishing something that may lead to answers helped put that aside. Now that I had thought of it, I clung to the idea.

Turning away from her, my slow prowl towards Fancy made her shrink back, yelling back in rejection I really wasn't listening to. "You think they'll take the loss well stupid?! This has nothing to do with Neighson, so why should I care!?"

"You should care because until I get what I want, I can't go running off up the coast to save him. You should care because once I build this teleporter, I'm going after the Institute directly, not just Vega, aaaaaall of them... The ones who locked you up and wanted to experiment on you, remember? Finally, it's the least you could do Fancy. You've been sitting here in the castle and making yourself at home, instead of finding some ruin out there to play house with your tamed raiders. Hot baths, good food, an army to hide behind... You owe the actual Princess of this castle rent for strutting around and acting like one in her absence, I'm here to collect. You want help, you can help in return."

"Ahem... While I had not considered charging rent, after hearing from some of the troops and Followers helping me search the castle, I must agree you could do something to repay the generosity and hospitality they have shown in my absence Miss Star..." Jade's voice speaking up behind me got everyone to freeze, turning to the beautiful blue alicorn standing at the door to Luna's chambers with Glitter at her side and continuing in a soft murmur. "Hello dear... I have been looking all over for you and quite worried. I am very happy to see you..."

Scuffing at the tattered carpet with my hoof in shame, I peeked from under the brim of my hat and muttered back. "Ummm... Hi hon... S-Sorry to run off, I just... needed time to think. I'm better now though, Summer helped get my head straight and we were just er... discussing going out to get more parts I need."

Her blue eyes were tired and worried, but seemed to brighten with a bit of relief at my remorseful tone. When she answered it was soft and kind, giving a little whinny as the tension ran out of her. "I heard, at least some of the conversation at least. It was quite loud Miss Star... I believe my Fast is correct, his idea does not seem like too much of an imposition to ask and he needs those parts. Thank you very much for finding him and helping calm him down for me Summer, I am in your debt."

While Summer smiled at the true Princess of the castle bowing her head to her, Fancy glared up at Jade and huffed in annoyance before storming off. "W-Whatever! I'll help because I can make a load of caps if you can really fix the race, but I'm not putting my neck on the line for you! If we're going you all better get ready, the Downs gets going after dark and runs late, but you want to get there before midnight if you want the real high purses. C'mon Freya, let's get ready to do this stupid waste of time."

"Ummm... I-I'll just go get ready too your highness, probably wouldn't do for me to go in wearing Minutemare blue, huh Fast? I'll go find AssaultJack too, so you guys just er... talk... Take care of him Princess, don't be too hard on him, but maybe get it through that thick head of his that he's a good pony, not some evil ghost, right?" Summer surprised me by planting a quick peck on my cheek before trotting off, turning it pink around the lingering warmth as Jade nodded and giggled into her hoof.

With just the three of us left, Jade and I stood that way a moment, facing each other down the hall and communicating silently. There wasn't any fear in her kind blue eyes, just understanding and concern, anxiety and a lot of love I didn't feel deserving of. She had been worried and still was, but understood me well enough to go along with my need to do something positive, rather than veto it as I could see part of her wanted to.

For my part, I stared back with an overwhelming sense of love and devotion to the mare of my dreams. I ran away because I wanted to keep anything bad away from her, even myself. Stupid, I knew, considering the way she sniffled in relief now, but she and Glitter always came first for me.

Finally Glitter broke the silence, holding the ancient book of myths in her little hooves and staring up with those bright pink puppy eyes. "If you're goin' out an' leavin' me behind again mom an' dad, I. Wanna. Story."

Both of us let loose a shaky laugh at her pouting, Jade smiling lovingly and nuzzling her silver mane in agreement. "Y-Yes... A story is just the thing. Why not take your book into the room you have already claimed as your own and get ready for bed dear, we shall be along in just a moment."

When Glitter pelted off into the room with a squeal, Jade and I came together in a long, lingering embrace. Neither of us spoke about all the thoughts swirling between us, keeping everything at bay for a few precious minutes where the only thing that mattered was each other. We just held and took comfort in each other during the blessed moment of silence and peace, until it was finally ended by Glitter's impatient shout making us chuckle and move forward again, together.

Luna's chambers had been sealed along with the Shroud's tomb, so the Minutemares had been unable to claim the room for their patron Princess so far. This was the first time I got to see where the night Princess once dwelled and I simply stared for a moment with a stupid look on my face when we first entered.

The main chamber was a sitting room, just ahead I could see the polished wooden table and tarnished tea set Bobbing Cane once sat at and sipped tea with Luna herself near the shuttered balcony, discussing turning her ancient servant into a modern comic book hero more than 200 years ago. Age had done little to wear down the furnishings, though a heavy layer of dust covered everything. There were sconces full of dead and desiccated lavender on the walls, along with more hoof shaped torch holders and crystalline chandeliers providing the light.

Glitter dashed around to explore while I gawked, running off to the side rooms to breathlessly report on 'the biggest bed ever!' in one, then galloping off to the others while I paced my slow way in with Jade. One was nothing but a huge closet apparently, full of 'lots of pretty dresses', while another was a small library and a third was a lounge Glitter claimed for herself with a impatient squeal for us to catch up.

Once Glitter had been wrestled into submission and properly groomed by her mother, she came pelting in to the very large and overstuffed couch I had hastily made up into a bed for the night. The way she launched herself at me and the couch, then proceeded to snuggle in as a squirming little ball rooting around under the ratty covers, kind of undid most of Jade's work however.

Settled in and cuddled against me with Jade left to curl up half on and half off the already crowded bed, Glitter grabbed the heavy tome floating in my magic and flipped it open on our shared laps, turning to the end and an illustration that gave me the willies. On one side was a stylized Celestia with the sun at her back, arrow straight rays of light crossing the page. On the other... it was done in the same ancient style, though without any of the awe and majesty of Celestia's depiction. Instead it was crude and menacing, a blob of blackness like an ink spill in the rough shape of a pony, an alicorn with shadows writhing at his hooves and a pointy toothed snarl under his red eyes, a shadowed and wilted landscape full of skeletons behind him.

"You sure you wanna read this one sweetie? How about one where the Shroud goes to the Dragonlands instead? Or Yakyakistan? Auntie Swan knew yaks, I bet she'd love to hear about that one when she gets back..."

Glitter blinked up at me with those wide pink eyes in answer, shaking her head and putting her hoof on my trembling one. "Nuh-uh, I wanna hear this one daddy. I wanna know how he got down in the basement. Don't be scared, I'm right here with you and I love you!"

Jade's big hoof joined her little one and she gave a warm nuzzle to both of us from her elevated vantage, snuggling up and nodding firmly. "We are both here and love you dear. Read the final story."

Sighing in defeat, I kissed them both gratefully and turned back to the book with a gulp, my voice raspy as I started. "Once upon a time..."

---ooOOoo---

"...in the magical land of Equestria, the land was shrouded in darkness and misery. The threat of Nightmare Moon had been sealed away in the night sky as the Mare in the Moon, much to the sadness of both Celestia and the populace over losing their dear Princess Luna. Her corrupted servant only made things more difficult in an already trying time however.

Once a paragon of justice, the Shrouded Stallion had fallen like his mistress and become a monstrous creature of the night. Every evening when Celestia raised her sister's prison into the sky, so too did the Shroud rise again and again, seeking a way to free Nightmare Moon high and low. In the process he brought great suffering to the land and fought Celestia and her forces at every turn, chased from the Hollow Shades, to the Appleloosan Wastes, the Ghastly Caverns, the Shores of Eternal Night and every other dark corner of Equestria.

Eventually, he wound up on the Celestial coast, bringing terror to the village of Trotson and surrounding communities. Following a prophecy that the stars would aid in Nightmare Moon's escape, the Shroud had sought out a foul zebra witch of a star cursed tribe in a tiny village known as Yura the Wicked.

The skies darkened with storms the local pegasi could not clear, crops failed and rivers turned foul. Every solider loyal to Celestia in the rural and isolated area was brutally murdered, hung from trees with their coats flayed and their tongues torn out as a warning to the locals to remain silent. Or even worse, raised from the dead to roam the land, while the dark partnership festered under Celestia's nose.

In exchange for stealing an evil tome of necromancy for the witch, the Shroud gained her assistance in his quest. Yura demanded his help in subjugating the area and enslaving her own village under the hoof of her cult in return, forcing the zebras and ponies living there into digging a great mine nearby.

"If Nightmare Moon you wish freed, it is the metal of the stars you need. To seal Celestia's fate, a fearsome weapon we shall make. A power to rival the sun, with that her reign will be done." The witch Yura tempted the Shroud with her promises of a way to defeat Celestia, barely keeping the raging spirit in check each night as her plots proceeded.

The power of the stars was exactly what was sought by the enslaved villagers, worked to death digging deep into the earth until they found it. A meteorite had fallen and buried itself long, long ago, but the foul Yura could sense its power. She used the mines as they grew closer and closer to empower herself and her vile necromantic magic. Those miners who fell were raised again to undeath to continue, their souls captured to fuel even more depraved rituals.

Given more time, the witch's dastardly plan may have even worked, but the spiritual wounds forming a growing blight on the land eventually came to Celestia's attention. They reached the buried star and built a cathedral and great forge around it, performing their hideous rites as they worked the magical star metal. The witch's cult took the Shroud's sword when he reappeared on the chosen night of the new moon, the darkest night best for evil magic. The ethereal blade of nightmares and star metal were reforged together, creating a terrible weapon that melded the two.

Fortunately for Equestria, Celestia and her solar guard descended on the vile nest of evil before their work was presented to the Shroud. A brave and loyal soldier named Bronze Star, who had trained at the hoof of Flash Magnus himself as a raw recruit, snatched the prize away at the cost of his life. Under an onslaught of dark magic, he tumbled through a rift in the deep mines with the evil blade in hoof, lost to the the darkness forever.

Under siege from Celestia's forces and locked in a desperate battle with the solar Princess herself without his weapon, the Shrouded Stallion was forced to retreat. Their battle raged across the land, leaving deep scars in the earth itself and causing suffering to many. The Shroud had become a powerful creature of blackness and shadow that took pleasure in the pain he caused, but was steadily driven back by Celestia's light.

Their terrible battle wound up at Castle Equinox, Luna's autumn palace and the last stronghold of the Shroud. Locked in the deadly combat with the furious monster, even divine Celestia took a great number of wounds fighting a creature of shadow and dreams, but the Shroud lost track of the time in his rage and made a fatal mistake.

When the time came and Celestia led the battle up to the towers and parapets of the castle, the sun rose from the Celestial Sea at her back. The Shroud hissed in fury and tried to retreat, but with the power of the sun swirling at her horn, Celestia cast a spell of imprisonment on the beast before it could disappear.

Even as the fallen Shrouded Stallion crashed to the courtyard with black crystal growing over rippling form, the creature snarled a warning promise to the exhausted Celestia. "I shall return... I shall escape. My mistress will be free of thine betrayal, I shall return to her side to bring her wrath and destroy her enemies. This I swear..."

Frozen in crystal and still emanating dark magic, Celestia took his warning to heart and had a great tomb built in the castle. The Shroud was bound and sealed away in the dark, buried deep in a crypt riddled with runes of warding, bound in enchanted chains, locked away and mostly forgotten over time.

The area became known as the Commonwealth afterwards, for the ponies, zebras and everycreature that suffered from the battle were brought together under Celestia's hoof and shared in the recovery. They did not forget however. The Shroud and the witch who escaped had left festering wounds on the land that never completely healed. Everycreature that had lived under the shadow of the Shrouded Stallion, lived with a deep sense of dread, fearing the day his promise came true and he escaped to wreak havoc again.

But that, is a story for another day..."

---ooOOoo---

It took some effort for Jade and I to extricate ourselves from the warm pile we made under the snoring little filly between us, but a lot of careful, inch by inch sneaking past her sleepy murmurs managed it. Gently levitating a pillow in to take my place, I joined Jade in just staring at her a moment, enjoying the circle of love we formed as Jade pulled the covers up and we slipped away.

Val was waiting just outside the door to Luna's chambers when we left, surprising me with a fast smack upside my head for making her search the castle for me by, "Pullin' that disappearin' shit again dammit!", but even the grouchy griffon seemed a little tame and concerned after going down to the Shroud's tomb.

Zed was apparently still down there, investigating what was left behind with his strange zebra voodoo and very absorbed in whatever he was doing. I only got it secondhoof from a Minutemare willing to run down for us since I had no interest in going there again, but after reading the story of the Shrouded Stallion's imprisonment, I had to wonder about his intense interest.

I thought about it quite a bit as we got everyone together and flew to the west, crossing the river and coming closer to the ruins of Trotson than we had been in awhile. A zebra witch... a book of necromancy... Zed had once admitted his own ancestors were as tainted as my insane grandpa Mobius, had done terrible things in the village of Neighlem he still felt he needed to atone for.

It was a bit much for mere coincidence and I again wondered about his belief in the spirits guiding creature's lives, fate and my own cutie mark that Jade believed was connected to it. Being in the right place at the right time sounded nice, but it felt like being out of control, tossed along by the whim of spirits, destiny, goddesses... However you wanted to put it, it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

If it really was the same witch, which seemed pretty damn likely, how had Zed felt this whole time? Watching me play the role of the Shroud, when the real thing had been connected to the evil in his family tree? Usually he just gave an indulgent roll of his stern grey eyes at my antics, but he was always watching closely, even if he didn't say much... I had a feeling I needed to have a talk with the stoic zebra, soon.

Flying along and joining Jade in telekinetically hauling the heavy robot AssaultJack with us gave me time to think anyway. I was rather surprised I could do so clearly too, but all of the voices in my head were behaving for the most part. Our flight led by both Val and Freya competing for who was in charge slowed down, getting me to shake it off and look down, spotting the oasis of light and activity we were approaching. Location Discovered: Easy Filly Downs blinked in my vision just to drive it home and I gaped at the strange ruins below.

It was obviously a race track, time had done little to wear down the form of the place following that function. A large, oval track of packed earth, surrounded and defined by crudely repaired rails, bathed in scrapyard spotlights. On one side was a large building with tall stands attached to the side facing the track, broken up in the middle by an entrance to the crumbling edifice topped by an open tower overlooking the track above the doors.

The wasteland era additions stood out starkly, the open area in the middle of the track was full of shacks cobbled together from junk, rising to two stories tall in places and connected by rickety looking walkways. The largest of these was surrounded by junk and parts, while all manner of bizarre robots filtered in and out of the salvaged garage door on one side.

I saw why Val veered away and aimed for a nearby ruin of an apartment building overlooking the place soon enough too. My sharp eyes could pick out enough of the rowdy crowd to make me leery of Jade being here at all. Fancy was right, it was a hive of the worst scum and villainy from around the Commonwealth. Raiders and gang members of dozens of groups, even a fair number of Gunners. All strolled around openly with regular wastelanders, filling the stands and streaming in and out of the main building to place their bets.

As soon as we touched down on the half collapsed rooftop, I turned from peering down and taking it in to see Fancy still clinging desperately to Freya's fluffy white neck. Her eyes were clenched shut and half buried in the dense feathers, only warily cracking open when the loyal griffon primped her wings and gave her a nudge.

Fancy hopped off as soon as she leaned over and saw solid concrete beneath her, almost hugging the ground and snorting at my raised eyebrow. "S-Shut up! I don't like flying! I came from a Stable, having all this sky that goes on forever is weird!"

I joined Jade and Summer both snickering quietly, turning away and whistling innocently when her scowl blazed our way. I could somewhat understand since I came from a Stable too, but I wasn't born there like Fancy and I had a pegasus for a mom. Flying by myself took some adjustment at first, but trying to consider her point of view, I imagined it probably was worse. To be born and raised down in the bunker I grew up in... to never see the sky, the sun and moon, the stars... It probably was hard for her.

"Sorry, I get it Fancy, nopony's making fun of you. So, are you guys ready to do this? I gotta admit you were right, that is a rough looking crowd..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just have to know how to talk to them dummy. Well, that and not pissing them all off by murdering them regularly I guess... I'll place your bet, so long as the little fix-it mare remembers all that stupid junk you want and doesn't freak out. You aren't too scared, are you chicken?" Fancy huffed in reply, turning to Summer anxiously looking over the edge of the roof with me.

"I-I'll be fine... No problem, honest. I'll have Val and AssaultJack with me, right?" Summer answered reticently, gulping at the task before her.

She looked cute in her civilian disguise though, even with her face pale and her wings fluttering anxiously. Her cap and goggles were abandoned, leaving her brown mane free to fall into one bright green eye. She wore a red dress broken up by crude leather armor pieces over her barrel and legs, lending her a wastelander appearance. It wasn't nearly as ostentatious as the sparkly, frilly, gold and black evening gown getup Fancy wore, which she assured us was 'armored by some ugly ghoul that charged a ton of caps', making me and smile thinking of Sassy Saddles turning a profit off the spoiled filly.

Trying to comfort Summer and nearly as leery of sending her into that madhouse as I was for Jade, I stretched a wing over her shaking shoulders, joined by Jade's larger blue one blanketing both of us. "You'll do fine Summer. You know what to ask for, you're tough and brave, and like you said, Val and AssaultJack will be right there with you, along with me and Jade nearby. Isn't that right everybody?"

The gleaming copper robot AssaultJack turned from its appraising stare down to the target area, tipping its cowpony hat cheerily and answering in that eerie simulation of Ministry Mare Applejack. "Shore thing little filly! Ya'll are now keyed as a right proper V.I.P. fer protection and authorized Mistress, ain't nobody harmin' a hair on your lil' head!"

"Still don't like this shit boss... makin' me work with the ice queen and leavin' you on yer own is bullshit. Let's just wreck the place and steal the crap ya need!" Val scowled at Freya checking her weaponry and pale blue armor, ruffling her feathers in indignation at being forced to work with her old partner again.

There was more to it than just what she complained about though, I could hear the masked hurt and hope in her voice and leaned up to nuzzle her frowning face, relieved to get an affectionate nip to my ears in return. "I know you don't like it Val, but you're both professionals, you can do this. Besides, she's your friend, maybe working together again will remind you both about that. Plus I need you to keep an eye on the two of them, I still don't exactly trust them and you'll know a lot sooner than I would if they're up to anything down there. Get Summer's back and be ready for anything, ok?"

"Do please try to refrain from any senseless violence as well Valkyrie. They appear to be an unsavory sort down there, but as far as we know they are a fairly legitimate establishment. There is at least a truce in place there I would not see broken by us first." Jade joined in as well, peeking down at all the activity with a disapproving huff.

"Awright, awright Blue, I'll behave if'n ya stop yer naggin'. C'mon you lot, let's get this show on the road already. Gots me a nice fluffy bed in the castle ta get back to, wanna try them royal baths out too. Maybe make the boss scrub my back ta pay me fer this nonsense." Val squawked back and dove off the roof with a playful flick of her tail in my face, the bit of fluff making me wrinkle my nose and blush at Freya rolling her eyes and scooping Fancy up to follow.

AssaultJack simply jumped off the four story ruin and down to the rubble choked streets, while Summer put on a determined expression and fluttered off behind them, leaving Jade and I alone on the rooftop and waiting to play our part. She sat beside me at the edge as I pulled out the Last Minute and followed them through the gauss rifle's scope, panning over the race track and picking out more details.

It wasn't just the track we had to worry about, this was Rust Devil territory and it spread into the dilapidated ruins nearby. Roving patrols of the robot accompanied gang could be spotted all over, one of which investigated Val and the others walking up to the races briefly. A closer look at their destination ahead of them also picked out more defenses, the place was practically festooned with auto turrets... probably pretty good incentive to keep the rowdy crowd on their best behavior.

The crude wiring strung all over the place by some of the pegasi and griffons in the crew I spotted flitting around was hard to backtrack, not exactly being a neat or professional job using wasteland junk and rough patches. Enough was there to get the gist though, it all ran through two places, the shack of a garage in the middle of the track, and the tower overlooking it all in the stands.

Through the scope I could see the pony sitting up in the latter, a pale green unicorn mare with a gold and rose colored mane. Her hooves and bright yellow magic flew over the controls and computers crammed up in her perch with her, while a floating microphone by her head let her call out commentary on the races being run by all the weird robots below. She wore very ornate armor of the same robot style as her minions, though the the distinct shape of a pip-buck on one foreleg caught my eye. A Stable dweller?

"Fast... are you sure you are alright? You are up to doing this without losing control? Is.. is that voice of yours speaking to you?" Jade's soft whisper got me to look away from the scope, turning to her tapping her hooves together nervously with a scrutinizing stare.

"Umm... I think so Jade, it's being quiet anyway. You believe me now, huh? Are... are you scared of me?"

At my anxious question, Jade launched herself at me, clutching me in her hooves hard enough to make my ribs creak under her prodigious strength as she gasped back. "N-Never! You were never frightened of me Fast, I could never be scared of you. I am scared for you however. I have always believed you, I must consider all the possibilities, but I have never doubted how you feel when you do decide to tell me. While I am still uncertain if you are under the influence of some.... g-ghost... I can see the effect it has on you and am reluctant to allow you to put yourself in situations that may exacerbate it."

Returning her embrace with a wheeze that got her to loosen up just a hair, I kissed her favorite spot on her neck and chuckled. "So far I don't see much to worry about down there, so it should just be in and out. You sound as spooked as Summer though hon, it's not the first time I've heard you sound like that when it comes to ghosts either. You a big, beautiful scaredy-filly?"

Jade gave a cute little full body shiver and whinny in answer, undermining her initial denial. "N-No... Well, p-perhaps just a bit... There is such a thing as ghosts I would have you know! Things much worse than ghouls and balefire exist. There are many frightening stories in the wasteland of h-haunted places and angry spirits who envy the living."

"I guess that one we told Glitter didn't help either, did it?"

Taking in me slumping against her, Jade leaned down to rub noses supportively, answering in a hushed tone of worry. "It was... most i-informative. P-Perhaps a little frightening as well, yes. So I do understand your fears over such a terrible creature dear. I assure you however, you are not that monster by any means, no matter what. You are Fast Times, my special somepony, Glitter's father and my loving husband, a hero to the Commonwealth and a brilliant repair-pony. Most of all you are mine and I am yours Fast. We will get to the bottom of this Shroud business together, yes?"

"Yes Jade, I know we will. As long as I've got you two I can be positive about anything, that voice is even quiet when we're together like this. I think... I think love affects it somehow, so I thank the goddesses for you and her, for Val and Witchy, Zed, your sisters, everybody..."

She pulled away and gained a pretty pink blush at that, giving me a warm smile beneath sparkling blue eyes that were wide and dark before kissing me passionately, finally pausing for breath to whisper softly. "Then I shall simply have to provide all the love you need, so we need not worry about it. I do love you Fast, very, very much... Learning about that from you has changed my life for the better, so take heart and never doubt I feel the same way."

"I won't, I love you too Jade. Even when I'm scared or lose control, you're always there to pull me back. Whether it's some ghost or me being crazy, knowing you're there keeps me going, keeps me sane... gives me something to live for."

Slipping a hoof under her lab coat to stroke her tummy both got a giggle out of her that brightened the mood and made clear just what I meant. It was still a long, smooth expanse of silky blue fur down there, but I could almost swear there was a gentle curve now. That was mine... ours... that was all I'd ever need to fight for, making a better world for our foal, for Jade and Glitter.

"Alright... much as I'd love to just stay right here with you all night, we better get going Jade. You ready?"

Giving one last parting kiss, Jade stood and nodded firmly, the light blue magic at her horn swirling around us and making us fade from view. I reached out and fumbled for her hoof as I fluttered off the rooftop, tracing over her warm body and holding it as we flew towards the race track together, hoof in hoof and heart to heart.

"...5 minutes to post everypony and we've got a late addition to the lineup! Place yer bets on the newcomber AssaultJack wearing number 9!" A bawdy shout over the loudspeakers surrounding the Downs made me sweat and hurry up, hacking away frantically at the terminal tucked away in the cluttered stable/garage for the robots.

Jade got us in to the heart of the Rust Devils empire without incident, slipping into the sturdiest shack and even knocking the grizzled looking technician buck out with her anesthetic spell, who was now stuffed in a locker nearby. There were a couple weird robots in for maintenance in here and a mountain of parts I itched to start swiping, but my focus was navigating the junkyard network and taking control of it, a task that was harder than I thought it would be.

They looked like crude raiders, but at least some of them were intelligent and skilled. Hacking my way through their defenses was taking too long, a point Jade added to nervously. "Fast... they are lining all the robots up at the strange gates on the track, you must hurry..."

"I'm trying... I don't know who set this up, but they're either brilliant or stupid... Why the hell is this filed there? The drivers for all the robots are non Robronco code? They rewrote everything!?"

"Oy, Eager! Make sure Clamps is fixed up and ready to go for the big post race show after this one, gotta be a good one right? Finally get a little payback on that Mechanamare bitch!" A coarse voice from outside made us both gulp nervously, blinking to each other in panic.

Coughing and holding a hoof up to mask my gruff reply of "Ayup", we both breathed a sigh of relief hearing the pony outside walking away without investigating. The jingle of chains and mention of the hated 'Mechanamare' pulling my attention away from the terminal to peek out, finding him leading a frightened looking peach mare out of the shack next to this one and towards the stands.

I frowned at the poorly tended wounds obvious on the prisoner and the shackles forcing her to follow despite her obvious fear, wondering what the hell the Rust Devils had prisoners for. The loud bugle suddenly blaring out sent me scrambling back to the keyboard and tapping away furiously however.

"...Aaaaaand they're off!" The now recognizable voice of the leader of the Rust Devils, May Flowers, shouted out from her tower above the stands, a clanging bell sounding out just ahead of the thunder of a lot of robots pounding down the track.

"Coming into the first turn it's Arcano Dreams, followed by Tin Buck, Mare o' War and Ol' Rusty hot on his heels, with the newcomer AssaultJack moving up from the pack and gaining fast! Will we see an upset, or will the newbie wind up a pile of scrap!? Oh! An agile dodge from Iron Maiden's beam attack!" The running commentary and Jade biting her lip at the door was distracting, but I trusted AssaultJack to handle any threat on her own for a minute.

"Aha! Got it!" Thankfully, I worked well under pressure and finally broke through to the controls over the system. I could see the admin access taking control over the blinking dots representing all the bots moving around the pixelated oval, focusing their attacks and movements against the red dot that must be AJ out there. "Let's see how you like this..."

"The newbie takes out Ol' Rusty in a stunning display, but what's this? Fusion's Folly is charging up for his signature kamikaze attack from the rear, this could be... could be... er..." I grinned at the voice over the loudspeakers faltering when their chosen commands were overwritten, leaning out to peek through the gaps in the walls to spot the robots racing by.

I spotted AssaultJack charging forward through the second turn and slashing a surprisingly speedy Ponitron's head clean off with her foreleg blades in a graceful leap. As soon as her metal hooves touched the dirt again, she sped up and gave chase to the lead Mr. Handy, flailing its limbs and shooting useless gouts of flame back at her. Once they hit the back stretch with room to really get running, there was no way AssaultJack wouldn't overtake first. As it was I wondered if she was intentionally holding back so she could scrap anything in range. Meaning I could essentially just sit back and watch if I wanted, while the mare in charge frantically tried to find a way around the lockout that kept her hooves off the controls.

With the race well in hoof now, I explored the system and made a few adjustments just in case. The turret network was intimidating enough I wanted some insurance, plus I enjoyed surreptitiously fiddling with the messy code, openly snorting giggles of laughter at the running commentary turning sour. "And Ol' Rusty... turns around on the Goddess damned track while the dark horse entry AssaultJack takes first!?! Can any bot stop her or will she take it all? One of them better stop fucking tap dancing into each other and stop her... I mean... it's anybot's race!"

A blue muzzle fading into view over my shoulder and nuzzling my cheek added to my enjoyment of the situation, until a rather bubbly voice spoke up instead of Jade's. "Like, ohmigosh! I found the male!"

"Gah! W-What!?"

My wings flapped frantically and I hit the ceiling scrambling away, knocking down a forest of replacement robot limbs hanging from the rafters as I spun and took in the strange mare. An alicorn... shit... A blue one like Jade, nearly her color, though her pale green and teal mane was styled and swept up in a ponytail and she wore a thick and threadbare dark blue sweater along with a short skirt.

Her bright teal eyes followed me crashing back to the ground in front of her, closing in a happy smile as she spoke. "You're totally not who I'm looking for, but nearly as good! Wow! I'm like, really lucky! Hmm... though now I totally don't know what to do..."

"Grrr... and the surprise winner is the outsider #9, AssaultJack! Settle your bets in the clubhouse and place new ones for the mid-race show coming up!" The obviously frustrated and angry voice over the speakers came with the ring of a bell and loud cheers and boos from the stands, ending the race but not the trouble we were in.

Jade warily interrupted the alicorn scratching her two tone mane in thought, trotting between us to speak in a whisper and looking all around to make sure we were still undiscovered, other than by her that was... "Er... H-Hello sister... umm..."

"Neon Lights. Hello sister Jade! Umbra's like, super mad at you!" She answered Jade's faltering question cheerily, letting Jade continue while I peeked outside.

Val, Summer, Fancy, Freya and AssaultJack were all at the entry to the building behind the stands, AJ wearing a wreath of withered flowers and wires oddly enough. They were speaking with the May Flowers in front of the doors in. A pile of parts and a suitable Robroncro class 8 universal console were stacked up and Summer was already inspecting them all and bundling them up.

I didn't like Fancy's smirk as she spoke to the Rust Devil in charge counting out a bag of caps, picking up the words; "Let it ride" from the back and forth and cursing to myself. This wasn't the plan... actually the plan was rapidly falling to pieces considering we had been caught not by the Devils, but by one of Jade's sisters. Fancy making it worse was just par for the course. Of nearly as much interest was the prisoner we saw led off getting shoved to the track before them and unbound, cowering before one of the undamaged racers that didn't move away with the others to the gate being hauled back to the track. What were they up to?

"Y-Yes... I am aware of sister Umbra's displeasure. Perhaps we could discuss it elsewhere, getting discovered here would not be very good sister Neon, as I imagine you know considering you snuck in as well. May I ask what you are doing here?" Jade was valiantly trying to salvage the situation, though she didn't see the gaggle of robot armored Rust Devils approaching the shacks we sheltered in.

"Hmm? Oh yeah! These bad ponies have a friend of mine. I'm s'posed to find him, while my other friend totally distracts all those grody robot loving ponies out there. I guess he's not in this building though. I should probably hurry up to the max, but I found the male... hmmm... what to do..." The oddly cheery Neon answered, interrupted by a pair of Rust Devils nearing the wide garage door out and turning invisible along with Jade and I.

"Hey, Eager! Where ya at? C'mon, May's already pissed enough at some glitch that lost her a big bet. Countin' on Clamps to cheer her up tearin' that buck we caught to pieces after the next race. Don't tell me yer out takin' a shit now of all times." The first, a skinny orange unicorn buck wearing a lot of Ponitron parts peered around the garage lazily, pausing to take a drink from the beer bottle floating along beside him.

The second was more sober and aware however, a large brown earth pony mare who wore the chestplate of a Sentry-bot welded down to fit her. She blew her dirty red mane from her eyes and flicked her tongue over the firing bit for battlesaddle nervously, squinting suspiciously at the parts I had knocked down.

"Eager wouldn't pop a squat after that race, especially not with a good massacre comin' up... Something ain't right here... Go get..." Whoever she wanted her partner to get remained a mystery, Neon reappeared behind her with her hooves gripping her cheeks, giving a short, sharp jerk that snapped the mare's neck with an audible crack.

The unicorn gaped at his partner falling in a heap and the grinning alicorn standing over her, barely regaining his wits enough to begin to draw a .38 revolver before Deliverer fired and put two rounds in his head silently. I reappeared with the smoking pistol floating in my magic to Jade's gasp, shrugging helplessly at the situation and understanding her frown of concern.

"I couldn't let him shoot... that was all me Jade. Blame your sister there, what the hell umm... Neon? We're trying to just slip in and out here!"

"Oh, sorry! All these Rusty ponies are bad though, they captured my friend, so I'm like, totally rescuing him!" Neon obviously didn't understand Jade's strangled little noises of displeasure over the casual and frighteningly efficient bit of murder.

"What a race, huh folks! Just goes to show anything can happen at the Downs, we run a square contest, despite what some assholes might say! Place your bets now to see if the surprise champ can pull a repeat performance, since her owner was kind enough to give poor old May a chance to win some of her caps back! Until then, enjoy the midrace show!" The Rust Devil leader's voice warbled out over the speakers again, making me facehoof at the knowledge Fancy had actually gone ahead and entered AssaultJack in another race.

Looking out to scowl at the greedy mare as I couldn't do much else, I froze along with Jade peeking out the door above me on spotting what the 'entertainment' was. The prisoner was now unshackled completely and holding a crude shock baton in her chattering teeth, the Rust Devil guards surrounding him and the flamer equipped Mr. Handy formed a rough ring at the finish line. An arena...

The contest, if you could even call it that, was over before I could get over my shock and move. The same clanging bell that started the races gave the robot permission to attack, spewing a torrent of flame on the poor mare that was roasted alive even while trying to dodge away. As I heard Jade sob overhead, the modified robot jabbed a spike covered limb forward and skewered the blackened pony, thankfully silencing her screams, though the roaring cheers of the crowd rose to replace it.

'Murderers.... Let me...'

The furious growl in my head taking the opportunity to tempt me wasn't rejected out of hoof. Bloodsport... This place wasn't just about simple robot races... They were raiders at heart after all, meaning any reason to continue trying to keep this peaceful went out the window. Every laughing face in the crowd was marked along with the Devils themselves, they laughed and enjoyed the torture, like it was a game... just another fun night at the Downs...

They all deserved to die...

I managed to fight back the impulse to go outside and just start shooting, assuaging the growl of 'Be Dark...' by stomping back to the terminal and adding a few new lines of code. So long as there was going to be blood, that voice was willing to cooperate, and as far as I was concerned there was going to be a lot of it...

Jade was still sputtering as she staggered after me with tears in her eyes, wiping them away to keep a close eye on me. She looked away anxiously when Neon galloped over to a window of cracked and dirty glass to point out at more Rust Devils that had split off from the two dead ones in here with us. "Ah! There he is! Like, hold on just a sec, I should totally go save him before they do that to him too!"

The rich red-violet earth pony buck they were dragging out of the shack next door had clearly been beaten worse than the previous prisoner, his red and blue mane dirty and matted with blood. The limited view of the locked shack now standing open behind his weak struggles brought the voice of 'Be Dark...' closer to the surface with a spike of pain in my head. There were quite a few more prisoners in there...

I ran for the door and found myself behind Neon's flowing tail already ahead of me. I didn't really think, charging out into the dirty lot in the middle of the track in clear view of the Rust Devils and every other raider and scumbag here for the show. I just wasn't going to let them take one more unfortunate pony from that shack to be murdered for their entertainment. Fortunately, the distraction Neon mentioned seemed to go off before we took two steps, a rumbling series of explosions on the far side of the track turned the heads of the crowd and the trio trying to pry the beaten buck off the doorway.

Neon simply plowed ahead and bowled two of them over under her hooves, stamping and bucking at the surprised jailers while the murmurs and yells of the crowd focused on the explosions and bright beams of magical energy weapons. With them off balance, I activated S.A.T.S. and started queuing up shots with Deliverer.

I was surprised and morbidly delighted to find the idiot Rust Devil who had threatened Redheart was the third who was still standing. His missing foreleg had been replaced by a battered looking cybernetic limb, frozen in the middle of pointing at me coming right at him with a surprised expression turning to anger.

I saved him for last... The silent 10mm pistol couldn't penetrate their thick robot casing armor, but their unprotected heads were at point blank range and trying to dizzily focus on the large blue alicorn tapdancing on them. Only the standing buck, Jagged... that was his name, had a chance to see death coming and I savored seeing him realize it as time resumed.

When Deliverer stopped firing, I turned back to where Jade was hidden after taking a better look at the beaten buck Neon was turning to nuzzle and the others locked up in the shack. "Jade! There are hurt ponies in here, we have to..."

Another even louder explosion interrupted me, shaking me on my hooves as one of the shacks on the far side of the track was turned to flaming tinders and an amplified mare's voice called out. "Rust Devils! Your robotic tyranny went too far when you ponynapped my friend! Now you face the Mechanamare's righteous robots of justice!"

"What the hell...?"

I fluttered up to peer over the walkways and second story shacks with my weapons drawn as Jade charged under me, hurriedly releasing and healing the prisoners below, after helping her strange sister release the buck she came for and tending his worst wounds. Thankfully he went along with Jade and convinced Neon to do so as well, the three of them shuffling around in the shack I guarded, while I took in the chaos on the eastern side of the track and the mare at the heart of it all.

It was the Mechanamare... My surprise at running into a comic book character attacking the place with a horde of robots and speaking in character left me dumbfounded. Now I had an idea how ponies felt when I acted out the Shroud... it was slightly insane after all...

She was a real pony though, a mare, though it would be hard to tell if it weren't for her voice shouting orders to the throng of brainbots, Ponitrons, Sprite-bots and a pair of Sentry-bots. She wore the bulky steel armor of the Mechanamare from the comics, topped off by a bucket like helm with dark goggles for eyes and a slitted muzzle, with weird little radar dishes for ears and a big red M on the forehead. The rather large magical energy rifle floating in a field of bright pink magic near her looked a little ungainly and cobbled together, but was devastatingly effective at turning Rust Devils to piles of sparkling ash from her perch atop a ruined convenience store overlooking the track.

"Kill that fucking cunt! NOW! Tonight's biggest purse goes to the one who brings me her head! This ain't part of the show, the rules against starting shit are hereby suspended! Fire away all you assholes! Where are my fucking turrets!" The loudspeakers screeched with feedback from the raging voice of May Flowers screaming from her tower, getting an immediate response from both the Rust Devils and all the spectators.

While this weird Mechanamare pony came with a small army of shiny and new looking robots, it wasn't enough to hold out against every raider, gangster and Gunner in the stands whooping and firing on her say so. If the robots and turrets were actually functioning properly (as the head Rust Devil was just finding out most definitely wasn't the case), she'd be torn to shreds in short order.

Looking down to the captives running out and escaping as Jade and the others released them, I guessed what Neon said was right. This was supposed to be a distraction to let them rescue the bloodied but brave buck below me ushering the others out instead of running himself. In that case and considering I had already promised the snarl of 'Be Dark...' a slaughter, I felt no compunctions adding to the chaos.

I spared a determined look down to Jade's worried one before flapping my way up to the top of the precariously stacked shacks nearby, gaining a good vantage point to take in the battlefield, safely away from Jade and the prisoners and where Val and the others could see me. They sheltered together and had their weapons drawn, but wore confused expressions and weren't joining the fray yet. I was relieved to see Summer had already tied up the pile of parts and loaded AssaultJack down like a brahmim. Putting on a bit of a show would let them find us and get out of here hopefully.

"Greetings Evildoers! Tonight's just not your night, for you face not only the Mechanamare, but the Shrouded Stallion as well!" The wall of dashes on E.F.S. paused and the crazed battle stilled for an instant at the Shroud's voice booming out, resulting in a brief lull I tried to take advantage of. The only concession to Jade's anxious look I could manage. "I offer you Luna's mercy only once. Thine sadistic bloodsport has brought down my Princess' wrath and you would do well to flee. Continue this madness and it will not go well for you..."

Val zeroed in on me instantly, shoving the others away from the stands and crowd gawking at me. The Rust Devil leader May and the Mechanamare found their voices first, the surprised and angry shout from the heavily armored Mechanamare taking me somewhat by surprise. "YOU!? What the hell are you doing here you son of a..."

Before she could finish, May Flowers shouted down from her tower, pounding her hooves on her consoles and terminals up there in a fit. "The fucking Shroud too!? Fuck it! Kill them all! Get those fucking turrets back online! Robots attack!!"

She turned red and smashed one panel of controls under her hoof when the robotic racers simply stood still and didn't obey. Then gaped when the first shots started focusing on me, only to be met by the so far silent turrets spinning on each new red dash on Eyes Forward Sparkle and opening up in a roar that nearly drowned out my reply.

"Oh. I changed that! I prefer the default settings, much more elegant! The command you're looking for is; Robots, Terminate."

As soon as they got the command, every robot on the Rust Devil's network joined the turrets in keying on my E.F.S. and attacking anything red, of which there was a lot to chose from... There were still plenty of plain old ponies wearing their clunky armor, but a large portion of their fighting force had been turned against them and their audience. With them included, we had somehow managed to turn this into a three way war with us squarely in the middle, meaning it was time to go.

Val led the charge across the racetrack and to the warren of junk shacks as the last captive hobbled out into the ruins, grinning maniacally and firing her pistols at anything getting to close to her and the others following behind. "Holy shit boss! An' I thought this would be borin' 'cept for the gamblin' an' what not! Who the fuck is this mare?"

Blinking her wide teal eyes at Val's claw in her face, Neon floated the last beaten captive that she had come for in the first place to her back, tossing her mane as she turned to Jade and I in turn. "So like... I need to get him out of here so my other friend can totally stop and get away. But I found the male... Could you like, wait here and I'll be right back maybe?"

Her odd accent and tilt to her head was cute, but not enough to hang around in a warzone... Though Val sized her up instantly with her bizarre request as, "One of those..." and huffed, turning to lob grenades from the machinegun on her flank, while the others ducked from one bit of cover to the next to join us. I was interested to see that Freya freezing a pair of Rust Devils pounding across the wooden walkways had taken the rear, while Val took the lead, a formation they seemed to have taken up with unspoken, practiced ease.

Maybe they were even rekindling a bit of their old friendship, considering the same crazed gleam in Val's eyes was present in the snowy griffon's blue ones as she squawked and fired a long magical energy rifle. "Fuck me firecrotch! Yer boss always end up in this kinda shit? Ok, consider me a lil' jealous!"

Even with everycreature and robot attacking each other in a crazed melee, I spotted several Gunners from the stands focusing on our meager cover and gulped. I had a good idea nothing was more important to them than taking me, Jade and Val out and they were moving with purpose. Several griffons in green combat armor already filling the sky and trying to close it off.

Fancy was cringing under Freya's protective guard, though she occasionally peeked out to give me a dirty, 'I told you so' look and even fire a gold gilded M.E.W. floating in her matching golden magic. Summer on the other hoof was having to call AssaultJack back from zipping off too far, fading from view to go tear some new target to ribbons before reappearing again nearby. Especially impressive as she had a tottering pile of parts stacked on her back while doing it. If a robotic killing machine could be described as happy, she was, though I was more worried for the fragile parts than the coppery robot.

All of them looked to me keeping Jade under the best cover of the prison shack and firing armor piercing .45s from Vengeance to penetrate the Rust Devils dense armor. "A-Alright, time to get going. Neon, sorry but no... just, no. Not at all. Nice meeting you two and all, but I'm not sticking around and neither should you. Get your friend out of here, say hi to your... Mechanamare buddy over there for me."

Her lip stuck out in a pout was comical considering the circumstances, but pointing to the weak earth pony draped over her back seemed to remind her why we ran into each other to begin with at least. The odd mare gave a parting whine, while the buck on her back waved weakly before they both faded from view, a gust of sweet scented air the only sign she had flown off already.

That just left us, which was more than enough to worry about. "AssaultJack! Take those parts back to the castle and try not to let anything happen to them! Everybody else, let's get moving!"

With the Mechanamare and all the fire focused on her to the east, Gunners circling above and Rust Devil reinforcements running up from ruins in the south, west was the way to go and we made a break for it. Jade's glowing shield brought a little unwelcome attention, but better she have it up as she flew low to the ground with us than not. Summer and Fancy stayed at her side as we pelted across the racetrack, while Val, Freya and I kept up an outer guard continually circling around them.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" I could do without Fancy's puffing insults as we ran, though the whine of the Last Minute drowned her out between shots.

Taking a peek through the scope while flapping backwards just above the ground, I saw the leader of the Devils screaming our way, fiddling with her own pip-buck. May Flowers and her crew of raiders were having a reeeeeally bad night, though I was a little concerned about the consequences of this little escapade for settlements in their territory like Redheart, as we had definitely made her an enemy.

I should have been more concerned about more immediate consequences however. The mystery of what she was tapping away at the arcano-tech computer on her hoof was about was solved as we hit the streets, the rumble from a collapsed two story building that was basically just a pile of rubble making me gulp as some fresh horror burst from beneath the camouflage hiding it.

"COMBAT MODE ENGAGED! TERMINATING ALL TARGETS! CIVILIANS SHOULD EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY TO A SAFE 50 METER RADIUS! ENGAGING TARGETS!"

An Ultra-Sentinel... The faded and chipped sky blue and rainbow accented paintjob was standard issue for only one kind of robot I had ever read about, though I'd never seen one of the terrifying machines before. Essentially a bigger, stronger and 20% cooler Sentry-bot, this thing rising from the ruins definitely wasn't on the Rust Devils network... Some kind of ace in the hole the raider leader had hidden away for emergencies.

With so many targets to choose from, the huge robot went with indiscriminate slaughter. A pair of multi-tubed missile launchers flipped up from its back and fwooshed out a hail of high explosives, while twin miniguns at its sides opened up with a roar and raked the crowd with us almost an afterthought. We managed to dive for shelter behind a series of rusting carriages and a wrecked Ditzy Deliveries van, everyone flinching from the wall of heat and noise as the Mechanamare's forces were decimated.

My ears were still ringing when it died down, half the racetrack was engulfed in flames and battered robots clattered through the fire like broken windup toys. The warbling noise of Fancy still screaming finally sank in, focusing my attention on the van riddled with holes Freya had tackled her behind. The bright red blood was easy to spot on the pale pair, soaking Fancy's freshly cleaned side and running into her face from her disheveled golden mane. A few wounds oozed from under Freya's armor and soaked her feathers too, though the griffon was keeping her claws firmly clamped on her employer's wounds and trying to shove a purple healing potion down her wailing mouth.

Jade was beside me, though her shield had cracked and failed during the onslaught. She was torn between rushing to the injured behind the van ahead of us, versus fretting over Summer's bleeding and bent wing. Shrapnel had peppered all of us, though the wounds were fairly minor, they bled a lot and the sight of Jade's crimson soaked and scorched lab coat made the very thing she had worried about a very real possibility. I could feel 'Be Dark...' straining the leash and trying to take over, only roaring louder when she tried to take a staggering step towards Fancy and Freya, only to flinch back from a hail of 5mm rounds chewing up the cracked asphalt.

'LET...

'Be Strong!'

'ME...'

'Be Unwavering!'

'OUT!'

'Be Awesome!'

'NOW!!!'

'Be Kind...'

NO! I bashed my head against the rust covered carriage with several hollow bongs, drawing more blood from my forehead, but managing to barely hold on. Letting go was tempting, but mindless destruction wasn't going to help here. There had to be a balance, some semblance of sanity and a plan...

"Think dammit..." I muttered to myself quietly, getting the attention of Jade, Val and Summer sheltering with me from another rain of gunfire, along with the beams of magical energy weapons lancing down from Gunners overhead figuring out where we were. "Ok... It's ok... Same plan, the streets, take it down the streets where it can't follow as easy, find somewhere to hide. Jade, you're in charge of the wounded, keep running, no matter what, I'll keep it busy..."

"Not alone you won't dammit! Hey, Ice Queen, you up ta a lil' fire n' frost action? Gots ta run some interference for a strategical type retreat!" Val wound her claw around my tail firmly, preventing me from moving while she shouted to Freya.

Even in the midst of all the destruction and the ominous rumbling of the Ultra-Sentinel rolling out to the street, Freya turned back with a conflicted look between her screaming boss and Val, before giving a firm nod. "Right! Hey Blue! You take care of the boss for me, yer good at that healin' an' what not, right!? Let's wreck this fucker Val, like the old days..."

"Fast you may not..." Jade whimpered quietly, but Val was already tensed to move and had released me when lightning started flickering around me and zapped her claw.

"I'm... I'm still in control, don't worry about me Jade. You guys have to go, you're all wounded, Summer and Freya need you and you'll be going slower than us. I can manage without losing it, but only so long as you're safe. Now go!"

I took off with a flickering contrail streaking behind me before she could object further, joined by Val and Freya darting off to the sides while I got up in the huge robot's face and drew its fire away. One positive to apparently being marked as a priority target by the giant killing machine, was the hail of 5mm rounds chasing after my looping course hit the Gunner griffons above trying to get close enough to kill me too.

I was definitely glad for Mr. Jets taking the time to teach me as a Junior Speedster at least, between his remedial flying lessons and the whoop of 'Be Awesome!' harmonizing with 'Be Dark...', I stayed mostly ahead of the thing's furious attacks. Of course I'd probably already be dead if it weren't for the agile pair of griffons diving around me and attacking in concert with stunning precision.

Freya swooped down to the cluttered streets and the strange cryogenic flamethrower thing on her flank pulled the same trick it had on me in Stable 114. The sheets of ice forming on the street caused the Ultra-Sentinel to slip and crash into a ruined building. As soon as its thick, knobby wheeled foreleg slid out from under it, Val was right there, lobbing 25mm grenades at the underbelly and joints of the massive thing.

Keeping one eye on Jade leading the others away to the maze of twisting, narrow Trotson streets, I took advantage of the robot flailing and using the metal husks of carriages cluttering the street to self repair, looping around to its back and picking out vulnerable components with the Last Minute.

A rather brave Gunner knocked me off course with a stinging shotgun blast, the buckshot bouncing off the flapping tails of my long coat and biting into my exposed hindlegs. It also had the fortunate effect of taking me off my predicted path when the Sentinel loosed another stream of missiles from its back however. The cream and charcoal colored griffon exploded in a puff of feathers and gore, while I careened onward and dodged for all I was worth.

Val and Freya were much more nimble than I was and not the focus of the attack making their former Gunner comrades pull back. They soared together in perfect harmony, Freya freezing the bulky launchers on the robot's back, then Val following up with high explosives that shattered the now brittle parts in an avalanche of ice and metal.

Freya was keeping as close an eye on Fancy as I was on Jade, glancing to the bleeding mare draped on Jade's back before swooping close as the Sentinel got back up on its repaired leg and lurched after us. "Gonna take more ta take this fucker out shrimp! Not ta mention the crowd of assholes chasin' us! Best we can do is slow it down and run like hell!"

"She's right boss, much as I hate admitin' it! I say we hit the big bastich with everything we got, then make a break for it! Hide out in the ruins till this shitstorm dies down! I knows somewheres they won't follow up ahead, but it's risky..." Val made a pass nearby to agree, pointing to the north and the forest of leaning and broken buildings.

"Somewhere they won't... awww shit, fuckin' really Val?! You wanna go there!? That school is a friggin death trap! This is just like that time you decided ta go slip off inta Pickmare's sewers and we wound up meetin' that psycho pony!" Freya followed Val's claw and scowled back, picking up old gripes in the middle of a fight.

"We got away, didn't we!? Killed that crew of raiders for us even! It was a good plan!" Val screeched back, prevented from continuing by the Sentinel forcing us to scatter from its remaining weaponry coming to bear on us.

"Alright! Anywhere is better than here dammit! Stop arguing and let's go with Val's idea. You help me get some altitude, then go tell Jade where to go Val! Freya, can you slow that thing down for a few seconds on your own?!"

The white griffon gave an offended snort in reply as Val soared off, "I can trip it up all damn night on my own shorty! Just do somethin' useful!"

She dove to the roadway at that, laying down large swaths of ice between the wrecks cluttering the road starting to rise towards an onramp for the elevated highway system circling the Trotson ruins. Freya wasn't just boasting though, the Ultra-Sentinel slipped and slid trying to keep going up the incline, losing traction and accuracy as it kept firing after me climbing overhead.

I had to divide my attention and tax my telekinesis quite a bit to keep gaining altitude while taking advantage of Freya's delaying tactic. At least I didn't have to totally lift one wrecked carriage after another as they shrank beneath me though, the ice forming a thick crust on the slope made it easier to just shove the rusty traffic jam to go sliding towards the Sentinel already struggling to keep going.

Going up made me the circling Gunners more of a threat than the robot I was leaving behind, earning me several fresh wounds from more experienced fliers easily keeping pace with me. They were still too leery of the Sentinel to close to a more lethal range, but blood loss and pain were making the ladylike cheer of 'Be Unwavering!' reluctantly work with snarling 'Be Dark...' to keep me going.

I felt lucky there were already scattered clouds in the sky as I finally reached their level. I had no time or energy to gather enough to use myself. I spared a final glance down to the Sentinel tripping on the pile of dead wrecks at its spinning wheels, relieved to see Jade and the others already well ahead of the target zone and Val waving Freya off in anticipation of what was coming.

A hurried loop of kicking hooves blackened the cloud I made it to, priming my weapon to fire just before the chatter of a light machinegun stitched my right wing with searing pain that greatly reduced my agility in the air. Fortunately all I needed to do next was fall... Well, that and pull up in time, but too late to back out now.

KRAKA-THOOOOM!!!

The blinding bolt of lightning I brought down struck the Ultra-Sentinel square after I pulled away from sending it on its way with a scream, my wing didn't want to let me level off quickly enough and I wasn't sure how much time I'd have to do it however. I managed to clear enough distance for Val to catch me and yank me away at least, my loyal bodyguard figuring out what I was up to and adding a series of grenades just for good measure as she swooped away with me in tow.

Hanging woozily from her claw by my tail, I got to see the already smoking and hissing hulks of wrecked carriages surrounding the rebooting Ultra-Sentinel. I tried to add my own wingpower to Val's to get further away as her 25mm grenades tumbled through the air on target, making a beeline for Jade and the others before the first spark battery cooked off enough to blow.

Like firecrackers from Tartarus, the pile of dead vehicles exploded around the Sentinel one after another until the roaring noises overlapped into one long, unending blast of heat and light. Any of the Gunners flying in our backtrail or unfortunate enough to be too close were either tossed aside by the shockwave, or roasted alive. Even when the noise started to lower from deafening, it was joined by a squalling, squealing rumble of the rising ramp collapsing under the robot.

While all that still might not be enough to stop it for good, the Ultra-Sentinel went crashing to the lower streets and was quickly lost in a rising plume of dust and rubble. The mass destruction also had the added benefit of offering us cover to dive to the concrete canyons of the city, rejoining the others and making our escape in the chaos.

Location Discovered: D.B. Technical School. Catching my breath, I watched Jade finally moving on from healing Fancy's wounds under Freya's watchful stare for a moment, only a little guilty I felt glad when the annoying mare had passed out from blood loss. Thanks to Jade what had been a non-lethal, though still serious enough, series of wounds should be fine.

Her ear splitting screaming and cursing both everyone in general and me specifically would have made hiding out here impossible however. The explosions and destruction that covered our escape could muffle a lot, but not that level of racket, especially since we had left it behind on entering the ruins of Trotson. The universal rule of not flying among the broken towers of the city at night did at least give us a degree of safety from the Gunners flying after us.

I peeked out from under the half crumbled brick archway marking the entrance to a large and silent ruin. The rusty sign above the wrought iron gates set in the brick walls surrounding the place was bent and missing quite a few letters, but enough remained to work out the full name of; Daybreak Technical High School.

I ducked back from another patrol of Gunners and joined the others under the hole riddled roof of the entryway, looking up to the peeling double doors leading inside. I was somewhat curious both why we hadn't gone in to hide better, and why merely being under the bit of cover just inside the grounds seemed to be good enough. Beyond Gunner griffons flying by, a few groups of raiders and Rust Devils both had passed by on the street outside, but none had ventured onto the grounds of the silent school itself.

The way Val and Freya kept prowling around the small shelter outside of the building with distinctly twitchy expressions was just making me more curious, that and highly concerned what made them both look so nervous... Anything that made the two fearless mercs look like a pair of school-fillies out on a dare had to be pretty damn bad.

"Hurry it up Blue, we need ta get goin' soon..." Val's tense whisper just added to the goosebumps I felt watching them pacing without even a snide look or shove between them.

Freya only added to it by agreeing without complaint or insult in a gruff and impatient voice. "We need ta be gone already. If'n the boss is ok ta travel, I'm takin' her outta here next good break we get, whether you fucks are ready or not."

"It will not help your employer to needlessly rush Freya. She is stable for now, allow me to tend to Summer's wing, then everyone else while she recovers." Jade was calm and collected in comparison, wrapping Summer's wing in a splint with barely a look up.

The shared groan of annoyance between the two griffons finally pushed me over the edge, looking all around warily and still seeing nothing as I whispered. "Ok, I have to ask, what in the name of Luna is freaking you two out about this place? It seems ok... quiet even."

"Of course it's friggin quiet shrimp! It's haunted!" Freya's eyelid twitched as she hissed back.

Under other circumstances, Jade and Summer both yelping, "H-H-Haunted!?!" in unison would be funny and adorable, but both griffons nodded seriously back to my amazement.

"Yup, why they ain't checkin' this place out boss. Might'a been my idea, but the bitch is right, less time we're here the better." Val shrugged to my mouth hanging open, apparently not just messing with me.

Val gave Jade a nudge from behind to get back to work, getting a sharp 'Eek!' from her and Summer both, who immediately stuffed a hoof into each other's mouths and shivered together under their blue and yellow wings flapping and coming up to hide behind.

"I t-told you Fast, there is so such a thing as g-ghosts!" Jade recovered and peeked out first, returning to healing in a rush with her teeth chattering.

"Er... not that I have room to doubt when it comes to scary spirits or anything, but seriously? Ghosts? Not feral ghouls or ancient magical spirits, but ghosts-ghosts...? And the reason nopony's found us here yet is because..."

"Because nobody's stupid enough to hide here, except for this idiot! Jeez Val, ain't ya taught this twerp nothin'?" Freya answered and scowled at Val for suggesting this place.

"It worked, didn't it!? An' shaddup, boss still has lots of catchin' up ta do. I'll tell ya all about it when we're gone, fer now let's get movin' before..."

RINNNNGGGG!!!

Val's face actually paled when she was interrupted by a long, clanging schoolbell from the building, her reaction a lot scarier than the fairly innocuous noise considering we were at a school. Even Freya audibly gulped, though it was difficult to hear over the shared squeal Jade and Summer voiced together on getting spooked by the sudden and loud noise.

"Fuck me... Healed or not, time ta..." Freya croaked and moved to pick up the unconscious form of Fancy leaning against the wall in, then froze when the door beside her opened with a long, creepy creak and the echoing sound of approaching hoofsteps on tile coming from the darkness beyond.

Her wings flared to take off as she dove for Fancy, only to flop to the ground like a sack of apples, followed by Val before she got her pistol clear of her holster. I was already moving to try to protect Jade when she and Summer fell over next, the terror at seeing Jade falling bonelessly short lived at least, as I followed right behind with a sharp pain at my neck.

The last sight following me into the darkness was terrifying, but it wasn't some slobbering wraith or ghost. The black leather coat and sunglasses the very alive looking pony inside wore clashed with the tattered orange sash reading, 'Hall Monitor' she bizarrely had over her chest. A Courser...

----------------------------Level Up!----------------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------

Intimidation-------------
---Time to show everycreature who's boss! Training your weapon or dragon eyed glare on any sentient creature below your level and gain a chance to pacify them.

Ch. 96-- High School Horror

"The Equestria Educational Association has taken an interest in institutions that teach friendship in a pony-first environment."

RIIIINNNNGGG!!!

"Huzwha!? Huh?" The loud clanging of a schoolbell brought me surging back to consciousness, my head shooting up from the hard surface I had been drooling on and my back smacking into the rather uncomfortable seat I found myself in.

Sitting up stock straight with my heart pounding, for a moment I blinked the sleep from my eyes and froze as my eyes focused, only adding to my confusion as they did so through glass lenses perched on my muzzle and took in the bizarre scene I found myself in. I was in a classroom... like an actual, prewar classroom, vaguely familiar to my limited time in school before going down to Stable 111.

I was sitting at a battered school desk, surrounded by more of the same in neat rows facing the dusty blackboard on the wall. The walls were peeling and cracked, the ceiling spotty with water damage and full of buzzing fluorescent lights, but there weren't gaping holes in the walls, so better upkeep than most ruins. I wasn't alone either, though to my horror those I hoped to see were nowhere to be found. No Jade... no Val or Summer, not even Fancy and Freya...

Instead the desks surrounding me were occupied by a variety of normal looking ponies, dressed in clean and neat prewar clothing. They seemed to fit in very similar styles, several burly bucks wore red and white leather sports jackets with D.B. across the back, mostly with buzz cut manes and short cut tails. Several mares wore somewhat dated and poofy dresses, lots of wide, long skirts decorated with cute embroidery and prim blouses, their manes shining and styled immaculately. Another group reminded me of the Arcano-Cats, black leather jackets, tight T shirts, denim and pompadour manes. The final clique was dressed as old world nerds... like that old movie dad loved so much about them getting revenge, ill fitting button up shirts, bow ties, suspenders, glasses, oily manes and lots of acne.

Most seemed around my age, though there was a portly purple buck in a natty brown suit droning on at the blackboard, a teacher? The strangers around me all kept their attention on him giving a lecture on E.U.P. and formation of the Wonderbolts apparently... In the corner almost as an afterthought and ignored entirely by everypony, a pale Gen 1 synth stood sentinel, a long, gem studded baton at its plastic flank.

None of them paid my sudden jolt in my seat or dumbfounded gaping any mind anyway, focusing on their books and the pads of paper they scribbled notes in, while my brain tried to engage without much success. How did I get in a school classroom? Why was I wearing glasses? Where was my hat? Actually, where was my armor!?

Looking down and patting myself frantically, I found my magical Shrouded Stallion trenchcoat and saddlebags were gone. Instead I was wearing an uncomfortable white, short sleeved button up shirt, the stiff collar was tight and a pocket protector full of writing implements was tucked in the breast pocket. Pulling the unfamiliar glasses from my face, I blinked at the thick black rims, why the hell was I wearing these? Why was I wearing any of it? What happened? Where was Jade!?

"Don't panic... Don't make a fuss either, just keep your head down and act normal..." A low whisper broke me out of the rising panic, getting me to turn towards the voice without freaking out.

The earth pony colt in the seat next to me was dressed in a very similar fashion as myself, a reddish-brown sweater vest was over his own crisp white shirt, and his black rimmed glasses were taped together at the bridge. He was definitely my age or younger, a bit gangly and scrawny, his dark black and neon green mane was spiky and messy, while his coat was oddly colored. It was a light green, contrasted by darker bands of the same making swoops and curls across his fur, a Zony?

He was slightly familiar overall, forcing me to squint at his nervous expression behind a history book held up on his desk to hide behind. It took a minute to puzzle out with all the other weirdness crowding my thoughts. I had to work to focus on the whole image and come up with where I'd seen a pony just like him, though to be fair I'd only ever seen a black and white picture of an older version...

"S-Swirl? You're Professor SWIRL!!"

"Sssshhh! N-No! Not really, er... my name's Oro, Oro Boros. I mean I sorta am him too, but not... just... calm down! You have to play along, I'm trying to help!" The younger version of the Institute head of Reverse Engineering squeaked anxiously, ducking behind his book and grimacing at the shout.

"Ahem! I see our new student is making friends already, let's see if he's bothering to pay attention to the lesson too. Mr. Times, at what celebration were the Wonderbolts formed under General Firefly?" The stern voice of the teacher distracted me from launching myself at the mini Swirl, freezing me half out of my seat with my wings flared and fangs out to goggle at the question.

Looking at Swirl's... Oro's? pleading look and waving hoof, I bit back the desire to tear his throat out with a slow breath. The pale synth in the corner had shifted, revealing a fancy stun gun on his other flank and his willingness to use it. Whatever insanity I had woken up in, the mini-Swirl said to play along and he wanted to help. Without my weapons, armor or even my magic (as I had already thought to summon lightning and barely got a flicker at my horn), playing along until I understood what was going on seemed the wiser choice.

Plus I actually knew the answer to this question, mom was a Shadowbolt and drilled the things she had to study to get in into my head growing up, the memory of her smiling face reciting the facts helped keep me calm as I grit my teeth and answered; "The first Celestial year of peace."

"Ah, excellent, nice to know you'll not be a problem student Mr. Times. Moving on!" The grey maned teacher bristled his mustache and returned to the board, letting me return my attention to my bizarre neighbor in a much lower voice.

"Alright, what the fuck is going on here, where is Jade! If you hurt her..."

"She's fine! They're all fine, for now... I promise, I want to help, but you have to keep up the act. This place is..." Swirl/Oro whispered back, interrupted by a sudden shout and the screech of a desk being bucked aside.

One of the 'students' dressed like an Arcano-Cat reared up, mussing his pompadour into a spiky mess as he gave a crazed shout. "That's it! I can't take it no more! Fuck this place and fuck all of ya! Done playin' yer crazy ass games!"

Taking a closer look as he bolted for the door, I saw his coat was marred by scars and his cutie mark was a bloody knife... He didn't fit in like the others passively watching him throwing a fit, he was a wastelander... a raider by the faint smell of blood and booze I caught as he galloped off.

The Gen 1 synth cut him off before he made it halfway there, charging from its corner and cracking his head with a swing of its baton. The crazed buck skidded to the scuffed floors, screaming with his eyes still spinning, then jittering in place and squealing louder with the synth turned the pronged end of the baton on him. The sharp smell of burnt fur and ozone came with the crackle of electricity the synth kept right on jabbing him with. The stench filled the room when he finally passed out and the emotionless robot dragged him out through the door he had been trying for.

There was a brief pause, then the teacher turned back to his lesson like nothing had happened, all the other students returning to their books doing the same. Synths... they were all synths? Or just mostly? Some had cutie marks while others like Oro didn't, but I started piecing things together. I was relieved to find at least my telekinesis worked, letting me float the ancient history book up as a barrier to hide behind like the cringing synth beside me I turned to whisper to.

"This is a... a dollhouse... isn't it? Like Dala's rooms, her birthday party... This whole school is some kind of game!?"

"S-Sort of... Not quite, but that's close. Look, just keep playing along and I'll explain." Swirl/Oro answered in a rush, then ended the conversation by lowering his book and raising his hoof, waiting to be acknowledged by the teacher before speaking up. "Mr. Scroll, may the new student and I be excused? He doesn't know his way around, so he asked me to show him to the restroom."

The teacher huffed at the interruption, but trotted to his desk and pulled a pink slip of paper from a drawer in his ancient wooden desk, scribbling a quick note he held out as he nodded gruffly. "Very well, remember to take a hall pass, and don't be late for next period Mr. Boros."

At the synth's urging as he got up and stuffed his books away in a canvas pack under his seat, I followed along up the row of students. I was annoyed to hear snickers and even get hit by a spitball from the cluster of sportsponies in the back row, but followed Oro to the teacher's desk as he took the hall pass and led the way.

We passed the synth guard returning to his post on the way, but the blank faced, soulless automaton paid us no mind and we left without incident, out into the halls of Daybreak Technical High School and whatever insanity the Institute had built here.

"A... a testing ground!?"

My angry shout echoed off the grimy tiles of the buck's restroom as I backed Oro towards one of the stalls, barely keeping my anger in check as the younger face of Swirl winced and jabbered back. "Y-Yes! Sort of... sort of not too, it is like a Dollhouse, otherwise I wouldn't be here like this obviously... I... j-just calm down. We've only got a little while before the next class."

"I don't care about the next stupid class! Where's Jade! My other friends! Why the fuck should I trust you at all Swirl... Oro, whoever you think you are synth! Explain faster!"

"I'm not him! I hate him dammit! Do you have any idea what it's like to be stuck in a place like this!? To relive the same day, over and over and over again! To be taken over whenever that asshole feels like blowing off some steam! To do... do horrible things and have no control over it! I'm trapped here, same as you! You're my best chance to escape and I will explain, if you just shut the hell up and let me!" I was surprised into falling back a step at the crazed yell from the scrawny buck, nearly shaking his taped together glassed from his muzzle and ending up panting with a manic look on his face.

"Alright... I'm listening."

At my grudging curiosity and difficult to maintain calm, Oro/Swirl slumped miserably, as if that minor bit of defiance took a lot out of him. He took shaking steps out of the dirty stall I had backed him into, moving to the row of sinks under the cracked mirror and splashing his striped face with the sputtering stream of water, then looking up to his own image with a grimace before flicking his pale yellow eyes to my reflection watching from behind him.

"This place is torture... I wish I was like all the others and didn't remember, didn't think... but the bastard is vain, made me smarter and better than most of the synths playing their roles. Officially, the D.B. School facility is a testing ground for studying the captured subjects, like you and that raider they dragged out. Improving synth infiltrators, making us better at copying you by studying your reactions to a fixed scenario." Oro turned and floated his glasses down to polish on his sweater vest, his voice a tired croak as he caught himself putting them back on, tucking them away instead as he clearly didn't need his either.

"Fixed scenario... so you repeat the same thing over and over, like Dala's birthday party? But you're self aware and have been stuck doing it... like Angel... Ok, I get that. How does that help study ponies you trap here though? Or is it just Swirl being as crazy as the other Institute heads?"

Insulting the stallion he was modeled on got a grim chuckle out of Oro, who still looked nervous, but warmed to the technical subject. "It's like a game. A psychological test. The school day will play out the same way every time, the only variable is the test subjects. They put them in classes, ask questions, study their reactions... all for fidelity. That's the official excuse anyway. Unofficially... it is Klein and Swirl's own dollhouse, and they are as crazy as the others... They have a special affinity for this place, Swirl used to go here when he was... me, I guess. I've been trapped here for longer than I care to think. That's why I want to help you, you helped Dala's favorite proxy escape, you can help me."

"Actually, it was more the other way around, Angel helped me... but ok, I'm all for getting out of here. How do we do it? Where's Jade and the others? Where's my equipment? Why doesn't my magic work?"

Choosing to trust a pony that looked like Professor Swirl wasn't easy, but the nerdy young buck was earnest and scared, pausing to check the ornate, gold and sapphire watch on his foreleg before answering. "The others have been put in different classes, with this hall pass we can try to find them, but we've only got so long before next period. Your weapons and outside clothing were confiscated when they processed you, they'll be in the office... as for your magic there's a dampening field, only minor cantrips and level 1 telekinesis are permitted. You should also know, we have to hurry. A status update goes to the Institute every morning, they don't know you're here yet, but they will when it goes through."

"Alright... no guns, no magic, no armor... terrific. First thing's first, take me to Jade. Now..."

I couldn't keep the growl out of my reply, actually I was proud to have held it back this long already. My worry for Jade trapped somewhere in this madhouse was clawing at me, I wanted to find Val and Summer too, but Jade took up an overwhelming amount of my mind. I shouldn't have let her come, shouldn't have allowed her to be put in danger, no matter what she said.

Because of her concern for my... sanity..., she insisted on sticking with me and it put her and our foal at risk. I was actually somewhat surprised the familiar snarl of that dark voice wasn't speaking up, further disturbed to find even the song of the Ministry Mares holding it back was nearly silent too... It was somewhat lonely in my addled brain now that I thought of it, just my voice and no others. Even when I focused on calling for them, any of them, even 'Be Dark...' for that matter, they were no more than a whisper carried on the wind from a long way off. They were still there, I could ...feel that much, but I couldn't hear them. Was it the dampening field Oro mentioned?

Whatever... Nothing mattered as much as getting Jade out of here and Oro took in my urgency with a gulp, nodding shakily and leading the way back out to the halls. "Right, the blue one first then. She's in..." Oro paused just outside the door for a moment, checking the ornate gold watch on his foreleg and flicking his ears before finishing. "Home Economics, this way. Let me do the talking if we run into any of the Gen 1s, and pray to the goddesses we don't run into X3-49."

"X... You mean the Courser?"

By the way Oro shivered, I figured I guessed right before he confirmed it fearfully. "Right, the hall monitor... She isn't part of the simulation as much as the others. X3 is the only one who goes outside, captures new subjects, deals with nearby agents... She's not as easy to fool, so we have to sneak around her patrols or you'll end up in detention."

Considering my one previous encounter with a Courser, I had no desire to face one while completely disarmed, or at all really. So I followed Oro's cautious pace down the locker lined halls, passing full classrooms playing out their parts and thinking. This was where Mr. Soil followed Mr. Warhorse and said he saw him getting seeds from a pony in a black coat, all but confirming his suspicions the patriarch of Warhorse Homestead was a synth anyway.

I could also see how this place got its haunted reputation in the area. The school bells rang, the lights were on, though every window I saw was barred by steel mesh and covered over in yellowing paint. All outsiders would see would be the shadows of synth students going through their programmed day, anycreature that entered would never leave with a Courser on the premises...

It wasn't real ghosts haunting this place, but the ghosts of the past were definitely here. Like a living, breathing memory orb, Klein and Swirl's personal dollhouse, their private playpen to relive the past and torment ponies of the present. I'd never run into Swirl before, but Klein had seemed somewhat rational and sane when I spoke with him in Stable 75. The more I walked down the echoing halls of this monument to madness however, the more I realized he was just a different kind of crazy...

Frowning in thought as I mulled it over and followed Oro's tail, I nearly ran into his rump when he stopped short. I looked up curiously to my guide, just noticing the sound of approaching voices as Oro turned back from peeking around the corner with a panicked look, whispering urgently. "Shit! L-Let me do the talking, remember? Don't say anything!"

"Er... sure but what's..."

That was as far as I got, the sound of a familiar voice growing clearer as it neared the corner froze me in my tracks. "...you can see all the progress we've made Chancellor, the students of D.B. Technical will be well prepared to tackle this changing world. Though there's only so much we can do this small, I'd love to go over my proposal for Princess Celestia concerning an institute of higher learning to keep pace with the technological revolution, and to help safeguard Equestria of course..."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Sum, I found what I've seen so far and your letters intriguing, otherwise I wouldn't be here. We certainly need to make sure we keep a firm hoof on the advance of arcane science, developing so much relying on coal from those.... ugh... zebras... is pure folly. One step at a time however, should this tour and your Arcane Science Fair this afternoon go well, there is an opening at Trotson University we can discuss. Building a new school focused entirely on arcane technology will take time, especially with her highness asking the E.E.A. to focus so much effort on her vanity project for her sister in that awful Littlehorn Valley. It'll be years before we approve an educational facility that close to the zebra lands, merely for a royal joke! Now, let's take a look at... oh... hello, students out of class Zero?" The haughty voice that answered belonged to a pale stallion in fancy maroon robes pinned with a golden medallion, arching a dark black eyebrow as carefully manicured as his pointy goatee and slick mane when he nearly ran into Oro and I.

It was the pony he was speaking with that left me gaping, making small, strangled noises of confusion and growing anger as I got a good look. He was younger too, but I'd met the rich brown stallion looking down his white muzzle at us before...

"K-K-Klein..."

He wore a distasteful frown at the interruption, polishing his horn rimmed glasses on his pale tan suit as he huffed and focused on Oro. "Hmm? Ah... Mr. Boros and... a new student? I'm sure there's nothing to worry about Chancellor, young Oro here is one of my best students! You both do have a good reason for being out of class, don't you Mr. Boros?"

"Y-Yes sir Principal Sum, I was just showing the new student to the restroom, h-here's our hall pass!" Oro whipped out the pink slip of paper from his packs in a hurry, holding it out for Klein to make a show of inspecting carefully and adjusting his glasses.

The pale, bearded unicorn next to Klein gave an unconvinced huff when the hall pass was deemed acceptable, sneering at Oro. "A Zony? You have students of such... mixed heritage... attending here Zero? Are you sure he's... loyal to his proper pony lineage and not..."

The bigotry and superior attitude was practically oozing from the tall stallion, cut off from being even more insulting by Klein replying in a rush. "Oh yes Chancellor Neighsay, Mr. Boros earned his place here and commutes every day from Neighlem Village to attend classes. He's a prodigy student I've been grooming myself as my protege. His arcane science fair project will be sure to prove his value and dedication to advancing Equestria! Isn't that right Oro? Run along back to class and make sure you're all set up to wow the Chancellor dear buck!"

"Y-Yes sir... Come on Fast, you heard the Principal..." Oro gave a grateful bow and shoved me along, ushering me away with me still staring at Klein and the Chancellor pony trotting off.

He got me to a nearby stairwell and halfway up the first flight before my brain engaged and I put my hoof down, shouting in flabbergasted anger. "Klein!? That was Klein!!"

"Ssssh!! I know, but it wasn't too! That was Principal Zero Sum, before he was Klein... I told you this place is his and Professor Swirl's. He's not even awake, he's just following his programming, that's all. Come on, your mare is upstairs." Oro winced at the noise, managing to get me moving with the promise of finding Jade.

I still wasn't happy, the shock at running into what looked exactly like Klein warring with surprise and buzzing thoughts as pieces fell into place. That was Klein when the Institute was just an idea he was pitching to the Equestrian Education Association, putting this whole weird dollhouse sometime well before I was born, when Princess Celestia still held the throne.

The casual racism the Chancellor regarded Oro with also made me realize even that bright and shining past wasn't so great for everypony... "So, you really are a zony? Do you get treated like that a lot?"

Oro paused on the landing and looked back, a conflicted look on his green striped face. "I'm not a zony, I'm a synth modeled on one. I only get treated like that here because they're programmed to."

"Still... I mean, programming or not, you're the one that has to endure it. It couldn't have been easy for you, or Swirl I guess. I feel sorta bad for you, both of you."

"This was all a long time ago Fast. Don't feel too bad for Swirl either, he might have suffered, but he let feeling ostracized turn him into a monster. I'm not him..." Oro's answer held a bitter note, a self aware synth, trapped in a day his Institute creators wanted to relive.

"No, you're not, I can see that much. Thanks for your help Oro."

"You're welc-kaff! kaff! kaff!" He gave me a grateful look, though his reply was interrupted with a fit of coughing as he opened the door to the next floor up and thick black smoke wafted in from down the hall.

Coughing as my sensitive nose was assaulted by the smoke, it took me a minute to recognize the vaguely familiar burning smell wafting down the hall. I charged past Oro staggering into the hall in confusion when I did and spotted the source, unsurprised it was the room with the dusty placard reading; '235- Home Ec.'.

The anxious, frustrated, beautiful voice that met me when I ran in was giving a familiar cry from every other time I had seen Jade cooking, "No! Don't burn! Don't burn!!"

Just seeing her safe was enough for me to pause at the door and take in the sight gratefully, even getting a wry chuckle on finding Jade frantically waving smoke away with her wings in front of one ancient oven out of row of matching appliances. The fact she was dressed up as an old world cheerleader left me stunned by both the bizarre situation and how gorgeous she looked. It was a red and white outfit, somehow perfectly sized for her, the pleated skirt was short and swished around her flanks as she pranced in place, while the tight sleeveless top was emblazoned with a bright yellow DB.

The fact it was Summer who flew forward and dumped a bag of flour on the grease fire made me feel even better. She was dressed like many other mares I had seen so far, a wide, red skirt with an embroidered poodle, a simple, white, button up blouse, covered by a pale pink sweater jacket that left her yellow wings free to flutter beside Jade and calm her.

I saw the joy and reassurance sparkle in their eyes as they both flicked over to me and Oro galloping in behind me, then they turned to a plump, older pink mare with a curly purple mane. Clearly the teacher, she was wearing a flour dusted blue apron, waving smoke away and approaching through the murmuring crowd of students coughing and gagging at Jade's 'cooking'.

As excited as they both were, I caught Summer holding Jade back from simply charging right at me, turning to the synth teacher instead and keeping up the act. "Kaff-kaff... er... s-sorry! Just a little accident Ms. Bell, my friend isn't the best cook..."

"Oh my, I should say not! How did you even manage to start this blaze dear, if you followed the recipe it should not have resulted in... this mess! We're baking, not using the stovetop!" The teacher frowned at the blackened lump that was still sizzling under all the flour, facehoofing at Jade's meek muttering about 'improving' the recipe, then turning to Oro and I with a curious look when she caught Jade pout at me choking back a snicker. "Ah, guests! Can I help you Oro?"

"Umm... y-yes! Yes Ms. Bell, I er... we rather, were sent to take the new students to the attendance office. Er... something about their transfer papers. I'll just... take them off your hooves so you can clean up." Oro trotted up and took over, offering the home ec teacher a flimsy excuse.

I gulped at the curious tilt to the synth teacher's head and the attention of a class full of more watching the exchange, interrupted in their more successful culinary efforts. Most of all I was holding myself back from flying directly at Jade, keeping my gaze locked with hers, taking in the way she shifted on her hooves and bit her lip wanting to do the same.

Summer seemed to have grasped the idea of playing along without somepony like Oro there to clue her in though, making me extremely grateful the smart little pegasus had woken up with Jade as she spoke up. "Umm... right! We didn't do our paperwork, we just sorta went ahead to class Ms. Bell. Our fault!"

After a moment's thought, the teacher flinched back from Jade's scorched creation popping, waving her hooves dismissively. "Yes, yes, please get her out of here Oro dear. I'll see you in 5th period, I look forward to your wonderful efforts even more after this disaster. Sorry Miss Jade, I've never yet given up on a student, so we'll... start with the basics tomorrow."

"Umm... Y-Yes... thank you teacher, I'll try my best!" Jade answered earnestly, making me crack a weary grin as she pranced away with a bow to the exasperated synth.

As soon as we escaped to the halls and closed the door, neither of us could hold back, lunging into a trembling embrace and nuzzling each other desperately. I checked over every inch, making sure she was safe and unharmed, paying close attention to the long expanse of her midriff exposed between her cheerleader blouse and skirt.

"Oh Fast! I w-was so worried! I woke up without you and thought... thought you may be gone, that I was taken away by ghosts and trapped in some terrible afterlife without you! I-If Summer had not been there, I do not know what I would have done! A-Are you alright? Why are you dressed so? W-Who is your friend?" Jade planted frantic little kisses all over me as she spoke breathlessly, finally breaking off to acknowledge Oro prancing in place anxiously.

"I'm glad you're ok too hon, really, really glad... Umm, this is Oro, Oro this is Jade and Summer. It's kind of a long story, but he is a friend, I think... Thanks for taking me to them Oro, really."

"Yes, yes, you're welcome! We're on a time limit here and still have the griffons to collect before... shit!" Oro answered absently as he crept around the lockers at the corner, flinching back with a panicked look and hissing in fear. "X3! She's coming! Hide before..."

He fell silent when Jade's horn glowed and the four of us disappeared, made invisible by her magic just before the approaching hoofsteps came around the corner. The Courser mare was the one I caught a brief glimpse of before getting knocked out and dragged into this situation, a pale peach mare with a rose mane tied back in a severe, no nonsense braid.

She trotted right out to the intersection of hallways beside us, living up to the orange 'Hall Monitor' sash she wore over her black leather coat. The dark lenses of her sunglasses panned left and right slowly, pausing on us invisibly cringing under her blank stare. I could feel Jade trembling beside me, holding her breath and focusing on her spell with grim determination. When the fearsome Courser finally turned away and continued on her patrol, Jade kept it up until she was far enough away to slip off of Eyes Forward Sparkle, then nearly collapsed as we all reappeared.

"T-That... was more difficult than normal... I w-would not rely on it again..." Jade panted weakly, leaning against me and sweating profusely, lines under her weary eyes and the sparks at her horn showing just how much that took out of her.

Oro gave her a look of respect and clear relief, explaining as he trotted away and checked his watch again. "I'm amazed it worked at all. The dampening field cuts off advanced magic like that, maybe because it's an innate ability to you blue mutant alicorns… Whatever the case, we need to hurry, that was too close."

"Right, now Val and the others, then we get the hell out of here. Somehow..."

Sneaking back downstairs and through the halls while avoiding the occasional Gen 1 synth gave me time to explain what little I knew to Jade and Summer in a rushed whisper. While Jade nodded along with a confused look at the official explanation of running this insane pre war highschool as it had been, Summer followed along with an impressed expression and a barrage of technical questions.

"So we're mice in a maze... that's... I hate to admit it, but that's brilliant. Adaptive programming based on detailed psychological study in a static scenario... They learn what the average wastelander's knowledge level and typical reactions are. Is the data stored on site synth?" Summer muttered in thought as we galloped down the halls, dismissively addressing Oro in the lead.

The younger version of Swirl answered over his shoulder, running past splashing noises from an open door marked 'Pool' I was surprised to find as just that, a huge chamber with an indoor swimming pool full of fairly brackish water and synth students diving in to race down the few floating lanes. "On the local server until the morning download, yes. It's in the office too, so I planned on dealing with it once we got there. Never mind that for now, those two griffons are going to get X3 called in if they keep it up!"

I wondered how he was so well informed, focusing suspiciously on the golden watch he kept checking as we ran on. He skidded to a halt at a rusting pair of double doors labeled 'Gymnasium', distracting me from the question of how he knew where everyone had been taken by proving again that he did.

The loud squawks and screeches from within were accompanied by a strange, hollow sounding noise, echoing along with Val's angry shout as soon as he cautiously pushed one open. "Back! All of yas, back!"

'TOINK!'

It was a weird sound that was familiar, only placed when I saw her swoop by and catch a red ball bouncing off the back of a teal pony's head who had been unsuccessfully running away from the assault. A loud whistle blowing frantically from the puffed up cheeks of a red faced mare drew my gaping attention away as I put it all together.

Dodgeball... Val and Freya were involved in a version of dodgeball somehow even more violent than the standard game. The weathered wooden floor of the wide space was full of ponies running around crazily, all trying to avoid the pair of griffons staking out center court in agile flight. A trio of pale Gen 1s with their sparking batons were trying to approach and bring them down, but had taken severe damage and kept getting knocked back by the duo.

They were working together at least... that was something. Granted, it was to corral all the round, red plastic balls to the faded circle of tape below them, diving down to scoop up more ammo, then taking aim and knocking some poor synth flying head over hooves. The two of them were dressed in the black leather jackets of the Arcano-Cats like clique, unlike their victims in P.E. uniforms.

Trying to take some kind of control over the bizarre scene was what had to be the gym teacher, the mare with the whistle and a red and white ballcap. She was wearing a white sweatshirt that matched all the identical t-shirts stamped with 'D.B. High Athletic Dept.' in red that the students wore. Her furious shout let the tarnished whistle dangle from a cord around her neck as she tried again for order.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! I don't know how they do things at Boreas Elementary girls, but this is not how we play this..." 'TOINK!' The painful sounding smack of another red ball right to her face cut off, almost making me sputter laughter at the ridiculous scene.

Unfortunately, I had an idea Oro was right. This was too big of a disruption to the programmed simulation, Val and Freya weren't playing along properly. The synths were trying to cope and stay in character, but if it kept going, I had no doubt the Courser really would be called in.

"Val! Stop! Game over!" At my shout, Val dove directly at us clustered around the door, bringing Freya chasing after her, both still carrying a ball in each claw.

"Friggin finally boss! Knew you'd show up eventually, zap all these assholes ta crispy critters, then show me where my guns are at dammit!" Val paused long enough to make sure I was ok, squinting at the getup I and the others were in, then taking up a protective guard with her makeshift weapons held up menacingly to the synths warily coming out of hiding or groaning on the floor.

Freya joined her, but only scowled at the absence of Fancy, growling as she made the gym teacher flinch back from her held up ball. "Where the fuck is the boss pipsqueak!? You got us inta this mess, you better not have got her killed or I'll..."

"You'll do jack and shit bitch. Just shaddup and let the boss fry these fuckers, then we'll find yer cunt of a boss." Val replied for me, nearly starting an argument and momentarily forgetting the class full of synths.

Fortunately Oro broke them up, prancing up between the two griffons glaring at each other and holding his hooves up to the teacher. "Sorry! It's all right! These are both... umm... problem students, I'll take them to the office Ms. Laps!"

The sturdy looking earth pony mare gave Oro an unconvinced huff for a moment, then shrugged as the Gen 1 guards turned away and holstered their batons. Order had been restored and we were playing along again, so they were satisfied. More than that, I was getting the suspicion that Oro had some strange level of pull around here. So long as he offered a plausible enough explanation, the other synths seemed to just go along with it.

He apologized profusely to the teacher still rubbing the round mark on her crimson face, waving us back with his tail as he backed out at her dismissal. When the heavy doors swung shut again with a creak behind us, he took a shaky breath, glancing down the hallways anxiously. "Phew... just in time. Alright, now we..."

Before he got a chance to finish, Freya lunged after me, digging her orange claws into my uncomfortable shirt and slamming me against the nearest lockers, scowling face to face with her icy blue eyes narrowed. "Where the fuck is the boss shrimp!?"

I saw Val's claws twitch for pistols that weren't there, rearing up on her hindlegs instead and tensing those razor sharp digits behind Freya's back. Jade pushed her way between them before Val attacked though, looking a little odd calling for peace in the cheerleader outfit without asking for it as 'Gimme a P-E-A-C-E', but still managing to pull it off with her soft cry. "Do not Valkyrie! Miss Freya is as worried for her employer as you would be for Fast. She was not in the same class Summer and I awoke in Freya, we will do all we can to find her immediately however. I hope our new friend can prove as helpful there as he has so far?"

With her hopeful look down to Oro flinching from the noise, I saw even the synthetic version of Swirl wasn't immune to Jade's charms. He straighted up and nodded back nervously, speaking in a low whisper. "Y-Yes! I know where the last of your group is, the nurse's office! Just stay calm, please!"

"We'll get her back Freya, I promise. My magic doesn't work right and all our stuff is gone though, so we have to keep working together to do it and get out of here. Do like the nice synth asks, huh?"

Freya released me with a doubtful cluck, wheeling on Oro and frowning at the intimidated buck. "Synth? Yer one of them fake ponies those nutballs make? You better take me to the boss, or I'll find out just how real they make you bastards with a lil' personal dissection, got it?"

Helping me up with a glare at Freya, Val groaned at my admission I couldn't just fry anything that got in our way with electric death. "Fuck.. none of yer horn head tricks boss? Blue?"

"I am afraid not Valkyrie... even my invisibility is very difficult to perform. I am unable to heal or cast advanced magic, so please... none of you get wounded as you are prone to do, hmmm Fast? I am even lacking my more standard healing supplies, so I am most interested in going to this nurse's office Oro. I assume Miss Star was taken there due to her remaining wounds?" Jade answered primly, moving us all down the hall merely by setting a stately pace behind Oro leading the way.

"Right, they weren't done processing her yet, so she's still with the nurse. Her office is in administration, with all the other offices we need to reach. In just a minute the next class will start and we can just blend in with the crowd, stay together and follow me, alright?"

"Do you really want to trust this synth Fast? You said he's supposed to be Professor Swirl! An Institute Director! We're together and know where to go, we should just do it ourselves and stuff this thing in a locker!" Summer surprised me with the venom in her voice, her bright green eyes narrowed at the gulping synth flinching from her fury.

"He's helped so far and he didn't have to Summer. Another synth helped me escape the Institute when they injected me with their I.M.P. and I wound up like... this. I saw how other synths suffer in these dollhouses the Institute makes too. Some of them really are alive and this is torture for them, Oro's one of those. If he wants to be free and help us get out of here, I'm willing to trust him."

Summer didn't look happy at my answer, but bit back on her reply when the bells overhead rang and a horde of synth students started filling the halls around us. Just as Oro said, we blended in with the crowd and followed his lead, getting lost in the stream of ponies dressed up like the old world cliques that apparently dominated high schools like this before the end.

Filling Val and Freya in on the threat of the Courser roaming the halls as we pushed our way through and ended at Oro's locker, Val cut right to the chase with a worried huff. "One of those killer robots that fucked you up so bad boss? Gimme a gun synth buck, now..."

"I can't, it's all locked up in the office. Even if you had one, it's suicide to try to fight X3 or any Courser! If you've met one you should know that! I'll get you to them, but we'll need the passcode to the contraband cage." Oro replied as he spun the combination dial on his locker absently, gulping at both griffons crowding him and continuing in a rush. "B-But I know where to get it! That buck, right down there! In his locker!"

The stallion he pointed out was a fairly large, dark reddish brown earth pony of the sportsbuck clique. He had a buzz cut tan mane and spoke easily with the cluster of bucks wearing matching red and white school jackets, along with the accompanying mares in skirts and blouses like Summer wore.

I also noticed the shifty look he gave when a greaser pony in a black leather jacket sidled up, both of them using the cover of the small herd around them to surreptitiously exchange a hoofull of prewar bits for a small orange tin the jock dug out of his locker in his teeth.

"Richie, Rich Chocolate, a regular mobster in here, he swipes stuff from storage, so the code to the cage is in his locker." Oro answered in a small, tight voice, his eyes turning from Jade to a beautiful light pink Pegasus in a cheerleader outfit to match hers, rushing up to hug this Richie as he closed his locker.

Oro's yellow eyes didn't leave the new mare squealing in a high pitched voice as Richie swung her around and kissed her, her flowing white and gold mane whipping behind her. They were misty and sad watching the two of them, full of complex emotion that made him forget about his locker and us entirely, eventually prompting me to give him a nudge to snap him out of it.

"Somepony you know?"

"Bright Bridle... she and Richie... I told you this place is torture, those two are pieces of Swirl's past. Their models are based on ponies he knew when he was me, er my age rather." Oro sighed and flinched away as the couple broke apart and started down the hall toward us.

The reason was easy enough to understand when the burly Richie shoved me into Oro on his way down the hall, slamming us both into the lockers and cackling along with his crew of cronies and the pretty mare. "Whooooops! Sorry loser, gotcha again! What can I say, I see those stripes and just can't help it! Hahahah!"

Oro kept his head against his locker where he had been shoved as I stumbled away, biting back tears and taking slow breaths. Before I could do much more than get my balance however, Val spoke up in a menacing drawl that stopped the laughing Richie short. "Hey, asshole, take a look at this for me..."

The smarmy look on Rich Chocolate's face was wiped away by Val's fist smashing into it as soon as he turned back, knocking him into a few surprised passing ponies and away from his cheerleader marefriend, who yelped and ran after the dazed asshole groaning nonsensically on the floor.

Bright Bridle fretted over the groaning stallion and shot a dirty look up to Val polishing her claws on her leather jacket, sneering at both her and the pair of jocks that were part of Richie's clique glaring at her. "What? You two want a little too? Scoop up yer asshole friend and get goin'..."

Freya groaned in disgust, but stepped forward and joined her old partner with a tired growl. "I'd fuck off if I was you. This silly bitch loses all sense when it comes ta wimpy pony nerds like that one. Considerin' I got better shit ta be doin' and... the clusterfuck she caused when I didn't back her up with the last one, I can't really stay outta it this time."

They didn't seem very willing to take either intimidating griffon up on their offer and defend their woozy friend, instead turning away and trotting off together at a hurried pace when Val flexed her claws threateningly. Neither of us missed Freya's offhoofed quasi-apology either, though Val ignored it and chuckled at them scampering off, then prowled off towards his vacant locker, dragging me along by my starched collar.

"Not that I don't agree Val, but maybe we shouldn't be messing with these synths too much..."

"The ice queen's right, nobody picks on my lil' nerd an' gets away with it boss. Now shaddup an' help me open this thing up." Val shoved me up to Richie's locker and gave an affectionate nip to my ears, making her feelings clear through violence in her own usual way.

Looking between her cracking her knuckles and staring at the combination dial in concentration, I voiced my confusion at her expectant look to me. "I love you too Val... Now then, my help? Can't you just pick this lock like every other one?"

"You see a keyhole anywhere boss? It's a combo lock, not near as easy. I needs them freaky alicorn ears of yers, stick yer head right here and tell me when you hear a tumbler drop." Val answered by shoving my head against the cool metal of the locker, then sticking her tongue out of the side of her beak and slowly turning the combination dial above my head.

I wasn't entirely sure what she meant, but listened carefully to the slow 'click-click-click' of the dial turning. Before long, I heard what she must have meant, the quiet 'clink' of something inside the lock falling into place. I held my hoof up to let Val know without making noise, flicking my eyes up to watch her reverse direction and start turning the dial again.

After repeating the slow process three times, Val opened the locker with a victorious cluck and let me move aside as she opened it, giving an impressed whistle at the treasure trove inside. Richie's locker was a mess, the inner door festooned with faded photos and graffiti scrawled in marker, including a series of numbers I guessed was the code we needed. The thing that had Val's attention was the large stack of orange tins taking up most of the real estate though. Each had a cartoon image of a smiling zebra alongside the red text reading, 'Mint-als'.

Jade gasped when Val returned with her claws full of the orange tins rattling with the hard candy narcotics, giving an indignant huff as the griffon yanked Oro's book bag free and started stuffing the drugs in with a greedy glint in her eyes. "Mint-als! That pony is selling dangerous drugs to his classmates!?"

"Yeah, he is, was... just like he's supposed to Princess. He's following the program of a buck here when they first started getting imported from the zebra lands." Oro answered in a tired, miserable tone.

"Selling Mint-als in school, to his fellow classmates!? That is... that is awful! I knew recreational drug use was a prevalent problem before the end, but students!?" Jade remained firmly fixed on her biggest complaint, not even considering the crime was more than 200 years old and the current customers were just synths following routine.

She did pique my curiosity by how abhorrent she found it. I knew they were drugs from how many Mayor Shamrock in Goodneighbor indulged in, but had never paid much attention beyond that. They weren't Dash or even Nectar, and surely nothing could match the oh so tempting euphoria those produced, so I didn't care.

"What do they do hon? What's the big deal?"

Jade stamped her hooves in reply, her eyes wide in concern. "Mint-als are a very dangerous drug made from zebra alchemy Fast. It is a mental performance enhancer, making the user more charismatic and intelligent for a limited time. It is also highly addictive... For what possible reason would students..."

"Mental performance enhancer. That's why. Really raises test scores..." Oro's answer as he opened his locker just made Jade sputter more, her face turning red in absolute horror and fury over his matter of fact reply.

"Woooo… what's this? You been holdin' out of me synth buck? Gots a gun in yer locker right here..." Val shoved past Zero before Jade could find her voice, interupting what was sure to be a spectacular lecture by rummaging around in his open locker and retrieving a very strange collection of junk.

I wouldn't have recognized it as a gun, but I trusted Val's encyclopedic knowledge of all weapons and could see it once she held the rusty scooter handle grip in one claw, pointing the large bore pipe around as she fiddled with all the bizarre parts that had my interest. It seemed to have more in common with a pressure cooker than a weapon, very crude and cobbled together, but interesting.

"Let me see that Val..."

"W-Wait, that's not... I mean it is... but, it doesn't work quite right, it never did originally. It's for the Arcane Science Fair later in the loop..." Oro yelped as I hovered the weird weapon over and started poking at it, glad to see Summer give a curious glance over her shoulder while I examined it.

Checking it over with my pip-buck was even more informative. It was labeled simply as 'Junk Jet' and boasted impressive damage numbers, though the associated ammo reading was strangely blank. An early spark igniter was wired into the trigger, with a pair of vials containing glowing liquids to be dripped in and combined inside the pressure chamber, leading to a release valve that would propel whatever you loaded it with at dangerous speeds through the crude pipe barrel.

A set of blueprints on a folded over piece of posterboard stuffed in Oro's locker gave me something more to look over as Summer checked it over, drawing my eye due to the exploded diagram of what looked like a party cannon. The poster for his arcane science fair booth showed how he took Pinkie Pie's signature party favor as inspiration, then started working out how it functioned and how to make a smaller one.

Since the party cannon schematic included such confused notations as 'Confetti --> ??? --> Explosion!', Oro had to come up with some creative solutions to reverse engineer it, including a few zebra potions apparently. It was a chemical propellant firearm... a very early gun...

"It's like a blunderbuss... I've never seen one this crude before though, it has to be one of the earliest models I've ever seen." Summer joined me in examining the odd creation with a critical eye.

Oro gave a bitter sigh at the two of us, his eyes downcast as he spoke wearily. "It is one of the first... another piece of Swirl's history he doesn't have the sense to feel ashamed about, but I do... That's an early ancestor of every other ballistic weapon in Equestria. Swirl's arcane science fair project..."

"Professor Swirl helped introduce the idea of firearms to ponykind? You mean he was partially responsible for everything that came after... the guns, the killing, the war... Oh Oro..." Jade shuddered and eyed the Junk Jet like a dangerous snake, stroking Oro's back but unable to suppress a shiver looking down at the younger Swirl.

When I was a foal, dad told me there weren't any guns when he was my age, that Equestria was a very different place... He said things like guns and the zebra made drugs Rich Chocolate was dealing were new things, always with a sad look that the world I was born in had changed so much, so quickly. Now I saw where part of that change originated.

Just some buck's science project had changed the world... an idea put out there that couldn't be put back. The very thing I had seen Klein dismissively point out about my own grandfather in a memory. Grandpa never considered what might happen with the things he did, he just did them... Apparently Swirl wasn't that different, and Klein was there to take advantage of his 'star pupil' too...

"It probably would have happened the same anyway, if I... he didn't come up with it, somepony else would have. The E.E.A. representative you met earlier Fast, he saw it at the arcane science fair. Klein saw me... saw Swirl as talent to recruit, and they both saw the potential of this... this thing he made as a high school colt, to 'defend Equestria' and make bits. His path in life, who knows how much misery, it all started with this hunk of junk. All because he was good at figuring out how things worked and trying to be like Pinkie Pie, a mare everypony loved, hoping to be accepted prove his loyalty to Equestria..." Oro reached for the floating Junk Jet to shove it back in his locker in shame, but was prevented by Val snatching it away possessively, interrupting the fascinating bit of Professor Swirl's history by focusing on the only thing she found interesting.

"It's a gun. That's all that matters buddy. Feels better already with a weapon in my claws. Even if it don't work right, boss can fix it, right boss?" Val grinned manically while hefting the weapon and getting a feel for it, her violet eyes sparkling with desire to try it out already.

Giving it another dubious look when she held it out and had to shove Freya away from making a grab for it, I glanced to the set of tools Oro had lining his locker and nodded. It might not work right now because that's how the simulation was supposed to go, but if nothing else the E.E.A rep Oro talked about was right, it had potential...

"Why hello! My there are a lot of you, is something wro…."

FWOOOMP!

The busy looking secretary waiting inside the school's office was cut off from completing her rote response to us barging in suddenly, when her head was shredded by a hail of pencils, bottlecaps, screws and scrap fired at high speed from the barrel of the Junk Jet, letting us charge in behind the cackling griffon.

"Oh my gawd I love this thing! Find some more crap to shoot outta it!" Val took the lead, kicking the synth bleeding and twitching in her chair to the floor.

The five of us spread out into the waiting area of the office quickly, locking the door behind us for what it was worth. Thankfully Oro seemed to be right again, only the receptionist was present when we entered. Our arrival timed by the fancy watch he kept glancing at to coincide with the programmed loop of behavior all the other synths followed. According to his rushed explanation, Principal Klein was still schmoozing with the E.E.A. Chancellor, the nurse was called out to deal with a scuffle and bloody muzzles, and the Counselor was helping to set up the Arcane Scienc Fair, leaving minimal resistance to deal with.

A pair of Gen 1 synths did come clopping out of the side passages behind the counter, but Val and Freya dove in before the slower moving robots could respond. Another 'Fwoomp!' and hiss from Val's Junk Jet obliterated the pale plastic hide and arcano-tech guts of one, while Freya tackled the other and slashed away with her claws until she wrestled its baton away, then finished the job by beating it into scrap with the sparking weapon.

"Huff... huff... friggin ugly ass robots, hey Blue, yer my medic so move yer flanks, the boss better be ok!" Panting a moment while still crouched over the ruined synth, Freya stalked off to the nurse's office with Jade in her wake, immediately making for the sole green dash on E.F.S. I hoped represented Fancy.

I followed them long enough to make sure it was safe and find Freya shaking her employer awake on the narrow cot in the tidy office. Fancy had been put in a cheerleader outfit that made the pale mare match Jade, who pranced in and tried to assess her condition with her weakly flickering horn.

She turned to all the cabinets for medical supplies when reminded her magic wasn't reliable at the moment, fretting to Freya actively slapping Fancy's cheeks. "One moment, there should be some here Freya, you need not treat her quite so roughly. Let us see... smelling salts... W-We will have Miss Star back on her hooves in two shakes, I promise."

With her safe and in her element for the moment, I turned back to the row of offices and galloped after Summer and Oro with Val right on my tail, my griffon friend still scooping up coffee mugs, ashtrays and other junk to stuff down the barrel of her new toy. The Principal's office they entered was dusty and weathered by two centuries of entropy, but still perfectly preserved. Summer immediately went for the large wooden desk covered in neatly stacked papers, a ratty old quill sticking up from an ink bottle, and the focus of her attention, a glowing terminal her hooves flew across.

Oro had trotted over to a newer addition in the corner, a sleek metal casing housing a humming maneframe. When he placed his hoof against a panel on the front, a keyboard slid out and revealed a small screen flickering to life. "I'll work on deleting all the data, the controls for the school itself are accessed through the Principal's terminal there if you can..."

"Already on it synth, you just focus on that and let me work." Summer interrupted him, her gruff tone so unlike her normal, friendly demeanor, I had to investigate despite Val's grumbles about finding our gear.

On the way I looked over the ancient pictures and knick knacks on the walls curiously. One image showed Oro, or Swirl when he looked like him anyway, holding up the Junk Jet Val was currently reloading and beaming at the ribbon pinned to his sweater vest. A hanging banner behind him in what looked like the gym we just left proclaimed the occasion as the DB High Arcane Science Fair. The rather severe looking E.E.A. stallion was shaking his hoof and holding out a rolled up scroll, with a distasteful grimace at having to hoof the prize over to a zony I was sure.

It wasn't the only image this Chancellor Neighsay appeared in either. He showed up in another picture where both he and Klein looked like the ones I ran into earlier, before what took a moment to recognize as the prewar form of University Point. Then in a third picture where both were a good deal older, Klein wearing the dark blue suit and labcoat I had gotten to recognize him in as the war reached its climax. The two stallions wore proud, smarmy looks before the shiny and unfinished rotunda of the C.I.A.T. campus.

A yellowed scrap of newspaper pinned to the wall caught my eye as it featured a stallion in a DB High sports jacket we had met already, Richie... The newsclipping beneath the glaring headline was a little ominous, reading simply; 'Star Buckball Player Still Missing'.

Instead of dwelling on it, I focused on Summer and the suspicious little glances she shot at Oro's back, cautiously whispering to the busy Pegasus over Val's objections. "Hey... you alright Summer? You got all this under control?"

"It's complicated, but I think I can shut down security and the dampening field Fast. Don't worry, I got it. Just double check that synth on the maneframe." Summer's curt reply directed towards Oro was valid enough, but just made me more curious.

"You have a problem with him? You haven't noticed him doing anything, have you? I don't exactly trust a pony that looks just like an Institute director either, but so far he's been honest and helped. Anything I should know?"

"N-No, I just... I keep thinking about Dance... The Brotherhood, hell... Paladin Dance himself drilled how dangerous and abhorrent synths were into us every day. He never knew he was really... really a synth just like all of these either. He was playing a part they gave him, pretending and playing stupid games, like this entire place... At least that one knows he's a lie, but he still plays along." Summer bowed her head and spoke through gritted teeth, not keeping her voice down or disguising the anger directed towards the Institute and their creations.

I was surprised at the fury flashing in Zero's yellow eyes meeting Summer's from across the room as he barked back. "If I didn't I'd be reformatted! Erased! KILLED! I put up with a lot of shit from them too, but they don't have a choice, that's how they're programmed! Don't think I'll just take it from a real pony that knows better though!"

"Whoa there... eeeeasy Oro..."

I tried sliding between Summer and the crazed synth advancing on her, but he was continuing to unload on her, a lot of bottled up shit just pouring out. "How would you like to be part of a 'stupid game' for a hundred years! To have no freedom, even in your own mind!? To be taken over like a puppet, so he can play out every fucked up fantasy... every sick and twisted... Do you know how many times I've been forced to kill Richie!? How many different ways I've fucked... raped... Bright against my will!?"

"I... I thought..." Summer gaped back along with me, shrinking in her seat from Oro advancing on her.

"They tormented him in highschool and I have to spend my entire damn existence paying them back! When they're not even the ones who hurt him, they're not who they think they are, they're victims as much as I am! I envy ones like them, like your friend, the ones who don't know... don't remember... They at least think they're free! They get to forget! I. DON'T!" Oro snarled in a manic voice full of a note I recognized from the strangely quiet mutter in my head, a pony on the edge of madness.

Summer's stunned face twisted in a grimace, a tear rolling down her cheek as she stared back at the panting synth. "I... I'm sorry... I didn't realize what it might be like. Part of me still believes the Brotherhood line, that you're all just fancy robots that don't really feel anything... aren't real... I was upset about Dance and you... you were just somepony to blame."

Standing between them in the uncomfortable silence that followed, I could see the hurt festering in both of them. Oro's from ages of the Institute's own brand of slavery and torment, Summer's from the feelings of betrayal and lingering loyalty to her friend Paladin Dance. Ponies and Synths alike suffered from under the Institute's hoof, they were driven apart by their differences and fear, but were really the same, as this place proved. We were all just toys to experiment with... the synths forced to fit the roles and lives assigned to them to the play the game, and the ponies that got dumped in here as contestants.

"Summer... Even if Dance was playing out a part the Institute wrote for him, the things he did, who he was once he went out into the world... his friendship with you and me both, I have to believe those things were real. If it was all just programming, the Institute wouldn't have such a rogue synth problem, they'd never rebel or want to be free like Oro does."

"N-No... I see what you mean now Fast. I'm sorry it took meeting one of you that's suffered so much to see it, but I do now Oro. S-Sorry... and thanks for helping us..." Summer sniffled back, but wiped her eyes and looked up to Oro's softening gaze eye to eye, no longer clouded by hate or fear.

Oro slumped with an unsteady sigh in return, all the fight running out of him as he returned to his meeker posture and croaked back. "It's ok... I never expected it to be easy. One thing walking in a zony's hooves here has taught me about, it's prejudice. I just hope other real ponies are as able to be so open minded. Er… if it helps, about your friend I mean... I really do envy the ones like him that don't know. They're not pretending, they really believe they are who they think they are. If this Dance was your friend, that was his choice, his feelings. They weren't a lie, they were the truth to him."

"Alright, enough mush an' bullshit! Guns boss. Now..." Val broke the uncomfortable silence by clapping her claws together loudly, dragging me out the door just as I heard Fancy starting to shout in the opposite direction.

A heavy steel door reading 'Storage' waited for us at the end of a long hallway down the office, where Oro informed us our confiscated weapons and armor waited. Val crowed in victory over the lock blocking our way once she picked it, opening the door to the dim space beyond. The room she prowled in and secured before allowing me to follow was fairly big, the buzzing lights overhead flickering to life illuminating the heavy steel cage taking up the majority of the space beyond the small entry area full of stationary, pencils and other common junk.

Beyond the rusty bars ahead was a variety of loot Val's claws were already twitching at. Piles of tattered wasteland clothing and bits of armor, boxes of weapons ranging from crude pipe pistols and clubs, all the way up to fancy battlesaddles and magical energy weapons. There were bins full of purple healing potions, orange packets of Rad-Away and drugs of all kinds, shelves of junk and knick knacks taken from all the unfortunate victims of this place.

A barred gate with a small keypad blocked our entry, a lock impervious to Val's talented claws, but took the series of numbers we had copied from Rich Chocolate's locker with a positive sounding beep. Val dove from sticking her beak through the bars and prancing on her paws impatiently, charging after her own weapons she had already spotted while I punched the numbers in.

Following behind her, I saw my own black trenchcoat and fedora hanging nearby and floated them over in relief. Shrugging out of the scratchy dress shirt and fighting with my wings to put my coat on, I felt a lot better just being back in the well worn and comfy outfit. The armor of the Shrouded Stallion had become my own old friend and I felt wrong not wearing it.

Digging through the bins nearby turned up Jade's armored lab coat and medical box saddlebags, along with Summer's toolbelt packs and my own scarred and broken in leather saddlebags I hugged to myself. The hum of the Ministry Mare statuettes inside rose up once I had them in my possession again, but were still oddly muted. Whatever connection I had to them hadn't been broken when they were taken from me, but was still dim even with them shook to the top of all my junk for me to look over curiously.

Val's snickering got me to look up from my collection of soul jars wistfully, taking in their smiling faces and soothing light, but only hearing a whisper from them in my head. She had found Freya's light blue combat armor and other gear, currently amusing herself by rooting around in the pale griffon's packs between her paws, while absently squeezing a tube of wonderglue into the armor's breastplate.

"I doubt Freya'd like that Val, you two were almost getting along too..."

Val stuck her beak up at the soft admonition, huffing as she tossed a couple of pale blue grenades over and returned to her pilfering. "Psshh, used ta do this stuff to her all the time boss, she loves it. Here, been forever since I got ta play with her crazy freezy grenades, they're loads of fun."

I'd never run into the icy blue colored metal apples my pip-buck identified as 'Cryo-Grenade x2' before, so I pocketed them curiously, though I wasn't quite willing to go along with her trying to ignore my point either. "Seriously Val, you heard her earlier... that was kind of like an apology, or a griffon version of one anyway. Maybe she really does feel bad and wants to be friends again?"

"An' maybe yer bein' too cutesy fer yer own good again boss... but yeah, I heard her. Enough tryin' ta be mushy with me, how 'bout you? Kinda surprised ya ain't lost yer temper yet, what with all these synths around. Even said you ran into that one Klein asshole? You uh... doin' ok? Ain't talked to ya about that er... that shit in the basement at the castle..." Val grumbled back, but her tone softened and she actually fumbled her way through worrying for me in her way.

"Alright... pretty good all things considered, I haven't umm... heard anything in my head since we got here, I think it must be those dampening gadgets in this place that interfere with my magic. I'll still feel better once we're out of here though." I replied while closing my saddlebag containing the distantly whispering soul jars.

I missed the Ministry Mare's vibrant and clear voices, but now that I confirmed they weren't quiet because they had been taken away, that theory seemed reasonable. If it made that darker voice with them shut up for awhile, maybe I could even use one of those dampening devices. Flapping my way up with my reacquired tools, I made my way up to examine the smoke alarm like gadget on the ceiling I suspected to be the culprit, while Val happily looted the place below me.

"Yeah, me too, kinda regretting suggesting we hide out here ta begin with. I like the free jacket though. Guessin' you ain't got no complaints about what they stuck Blue in neither, doooo ya boss?" Val cackled as I blushed at her teasing, returning to her looting and speaking softly. "Thought so... Maybe I'll snag the one they stuck that snotty bitch in once we're gone. Glad yer cheered up too, sound more like yer old self. Not that I don't like it when ya lose yer cool a lil', but was worried about ya goofy. If them widgets help Blue fix yer head, snag them too. Between that, all this crap and the bet I did manage ta place at the Downs, this has been a right profitable evenin' boss!"

"It's all stuff they've taken from other victims here Val, so I guess it's alright to take. It just sucks for them... how long the Institute's been doing this, how many ponies they've experimented on..."

"Bah! Quit soundin' so mopey! It's ours now boss, they don't need it no more, we do. Now that we got our shit, we should just bust outta here and leave this crazy ass haunted high school. We can come back with Swanny and let the big daffy mare smash the whole damn place flat. Matter of fact, we should..." Val waved my somber tone away, continuing to ransack the cage of loot until a rusty creak of a door and approaching voices made her stick her head up warily.

From my position hovering near the top of the cage, I could see the crack of light on the other side of the room from the door we entered. I only got a brief glimpse before Val grabbed my tail and yanked me down into hiding behind the shelves, but I saw two ponies entering the room from the halls outside. One was Rich Chocolate, while the other was Principal Klein...

"...good, now hurry up and resupply me Principal, then go discipline those transfer students who stole my stock!" Richie's voice rose in an angry, desperate tone, making me take a peek through the shelves to spot how bad he looked beyond the black eye Val gave him.

He was sweaty and he kept scratching at himself under his red and white jacket, even biting his hooves impatiently as Klein shushed him. "Be quiet Mr. Chocolate! You were just resupplied the other day, maintaining your stock, including what's necessary for your own... needs... is your responsibility. This is hardly the time to bother me with your own distribution problems, pulling me away from Chancellor Neighsay was absolutely unacceptable!"

"Oh yeah.... wouldn't want the E.E.A. rep to find out how test scores here have risen so dramatically, would we Principal? What was I thinking? Might endanger your promotion to Dean of Trotson University... wouldn't that be a shame..." Richie mastered his symptoms enough to put a snide sneer in his reply, making me wonder if synths really did suffer withdrawal, or it was just part of the act.

Klein's voice grew cold and hard when he answered, floating the horn rimmed glasses from his muzzle and tucking them in his suit jacket to glare eye to eye. "Yes. It would. I don't appreciate the implied threat Richie. I expect you to uphold your end of our arrangement..."

"I've been thinking sir, once you have moved up in the world and all, I'll need you to ensure my supply will continue. Cut out the middlemare. Then there's always the future to consider, I might apply to Trotson U myself if it's going to be in such good hooves..." Richie continued his poorly veiled extortion in that smarmy tone.

"Now, now, there's no need to get so testy Richie, that's just the withdrawl talking I'm sure. I believe there's a tin right over here for you, we can discuss such plans once you're feeling more rational. Hang on just a moment..." Klein's tone shifted to smooth and placating, making my tail bristle as I heard a distant whisper from 'Be Dark...' struggling to be heard.

The synth version of Klein was playing out his role... based on things he did at varying times and all mixed up into a hodgepodge narrative, but still following basic rules. Val interfering in the script by stealing from Richie may have pushed things up a bit, but they fell back to their programmed behavior and this was part of it. This was a shadow of things that had actually happened...

The faded newsclipping about the missing buckball player came back to mind as I peered through the shelves and watched Klein shuffle around in filing cabinets outside of the cage. He was making a show of looking for RIchie's Mint-als, which he clearly needed by how closely he watched and the drool he had to wipe away from his muzzle.

It was all just a distraction though, Klein made to put his glasses back on for a better look, but drew a shiny, early little magical energy weapon from his jacket with them. Even though Richie was both a jerk and a synth that would simply be replaced and play this all out again, I wanted to yell out a warning as Klein turned.

I actually wasn't sure if I would have or not, as two things happened at once that drove all other thought from my mind, the buzzing lights and smoke alarm like gadget overhead flickered, then a blinding amount of pain exploded right between my eyes.

I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood and bashed at my skull with both hooves, barely noticing the quiet 'zap!' and flash of blue light across the room, followed by the smell of ozone and ash. Val held me tighter and clamped a claw over my muzzle as I whimpered and thrashed in place, overwhelmed by the rush of noise in my head and glancing up through teary eyes to see the cause. Summer deactivated the dampening system...

'MURDERER!...LET ME!.... PUNISH! ... LET ME OUT!'

"Boss! Boss c'mon, hold still an' quit fightin' dammit! Don't freak out now!" Val shifted carefully to pin me down and hissed in my ear, poking her head up to make sure Klein hadn't noticed anything.

'Be Kind... Be Strong!... Be Unwavering!... Awareness!... Be Awesome!'

From where I had my head shoved down to the concrete floor, I could see under the shelves and through the bars across the room, puffing angry snorts of breath around Val's claw and seething at the pile of glittery ash at Klein's pale hooves. Oh fuck this was horrible... making me disjointedly reconsider trying to use the dampening gadgets. They didn't silence the voices, they just made it where I couldn't hear them for awhile. The song of the Ministry Mares rose in volume and fought valiantly, but the darker shadow with them had been gaining strength and gotten up to screaming to be heard while I had been able to ignore it.

Hearing the synth Klein's voice dismissively speaking as I watched him wipe his hooves clean of the ash that had been his student and accomplice was just feeding it too... "Well, earlier than I expected having to tidy up loose ends, but you forced my hoof Richie. At least I should have the rest of the day until your absence is noticed, plenty of time to finish up with Chancellor Neighsay. Hmmm the tragedy of a missing student may even be spun to work in my favor. Now where is that dustpan..."

'MURDERER! BETRAYER! DECEIVER! PUNISH! LET! ME! OUT!!!'

I clenched my eyes shut and shuddered at the roar and pain in my skull, smelling the scorched scent of Val's feathers getting zapped by an aura of lightning I could feel flickering to life around me against my will. I couldn't see it, but I could tell Best Served was getting tugged from my bags while Val fought to hold me down, my fangs extended and muscles strained with reserves of strength that was steadily pushing back. I was going to lose control... No! Don't!

A loud bang from the door we had entered getting bucked open made me snap my eyes open, gaping up to Fancy framed in the doorway and snorting angrily. "WHERE IS HE!? Aha!! There you are, you stupid bastard! This is all your fault! I got shot!! We're trapped in another mad scientist loony bin, all because of you and your stupid plans!"

All of us simply blinked up at Fancy huffing and puffing from her tantrum, strands of her golden mane falling in her furious green eyes while me, Val and even Klein were left dumbfounded at the interruption. Amazingly, Fancy's fit even cut off the roar in my head, it seemed 'Be Dark...' could be shocked into flabbergasted silence too.

You could hear a pin drop in the storage room, finally it became awkward enough for Fancy to break the spell she had cast herself "W-What!? What are you all looking at me like that for? It's true! Hey, who the hell is... Eeek!!"

A trio of blue magical energy beams lancing overhead made Fancy finally figure out there were more important things than her tantrum, whether she had a point or not. Lucky for her, Freya had come bounding after her boss and didn't need nearly as long to figure out Klein wasn't on our side, yanking Fancy by her curled tail before she got herself vaporized like Richie.

Klein's voice came with the sound of the keypad on the opposite cage door, not angry or panicked, just that cold, calculating tone. "Another student? You really should pay attention to signs telling you to stay out dear, unlucky for you..."

"No... unlucky for thou, Klein..."

The Shroud's voice growled out as I burst from cover along with Val, savoring the timeless moment of S.A.T.S. showing surprise registering on the synth's face. It was back to existing in uneasy alliance with the Ministry Mares and myself though. Fancy might be an insufferable brat sometimes, but I had to thank her for that much.

Of course that gratitude still came with a whole bucketload of salt... Blowing Klein's head off might be immensely satisfying and better it was my choice rather than losing control again, but it was still something I would have avoided if possible. The reason was expected after running into that synth's maker, enough forewarning to flap backwards madly before his corpse hit the ground and glowed bright green.

Klein had bragged about that modification to his own doubles, so we only clipped the cage door back out when his younger synth body exploded like a plasma grenade rather than melt. Val and I rolled out into the offices in a smoking tangle of singed feathers, winding up woozily looking up at Fancy cringing behind Freya and hissing against at least one broken rib when I whooped in air.

Of course setting off large explosions with a Courser hall monitor running around wasn't a great idea in general too. I only heard Oro's panicked scream fighting with Jade's for a moment, then every clanging schoolbell in the place started going off and the lights pulsed red. Whether it was a plain old fire alarm in response to the smoking crater that took up half the storage room and blew a hole in the wall showing the hall outside, or more specifically about killing the principal, the result was the same...

'Dammit Fancy!! Did no one explain we were still in danger, or did you just not care again!" I shouted over the alarms as I staggered up, but paused at the pale mare's pouty, stubborn scowl. "That said, er... thanks, sorta... I come up with stupid plans and you throw hissy fits, but sometimes they both work out. I owe you one."

She might not know why I thanked her, but doing so kept Fancy's retort from devolving into another fit. She snorted away her clear confusion and settled for accepting it as her due, sounding almost pleased and nice. "Y-You owe me a lot more than one! I'll consider forgiving you if you get me out of here dammit!"

Oro ended the brief pause while my brain finished rebooting, howling with renewed urgency once armor and weapons were distributed and Jade had a bare moment to heal. "We ALL need to get the hell out of here! X3 will be here any second! She'll go right to where the Principal just fucking EXPLODED, so I suggest going pretty much ANY OTHER DIRECTION! NOW!"

Nobody argued with the synth zony's very valid point, charging past the office counter and out the door Oro was prancing in place at. Val and Freya took the lead in businesslike fashion, each taking one side of the door, peeking out before taking up a guard outside it. They communicated silently and ushered us after them with quick claw signals, waving us out into the hall with their pistols drawn.

I was sticking right by Jade, letting Oro, Summer and Freya run out first, then keeping on her fluffy tail to bring up the rear guard. The crash of Val's dual 12mm pistols and chatter of Freya's light machinegun at her flank sounded out and sent me flapping up to uselessly shove at Jade's bulk, trying to cover her and spotting two Gen 1 synths on either side of the hall getting shredded into scrap by their accurate fire.

The halls were getting crowded, all the synth students and teachers really were treating the blaring alarms overhead like a fire drill, shuffling out and getting in the way, but also offering cover from the approaching white plastic faces of more synth guards. Val of course felt no compunctions with simply thumping out a few 25mm grenades in their general direction, blasting large clumps of panicking students into glowing green goo and clearing a path over Oro's jabbering objection. "T-Try not to just kill them! They're victims too! There may be other test subjects mixed in too if it makes any difference!"

"Fuck 'em... Alright synth buck, which way to get the hell outta here the fastest?" Freya grapped Oro by his sweater vest and yanked his striped face up to hers, ignoring him and shouting to get through the obvious fear etched on his features.

"Umm... er... f-fastest... I guess that waaaaaIIIIEEE!!" Oro gulped and pointed a shaking hoof down the right hoof hall, then he visibly paled and struggled in Freya's grip, pointing the opposite direction with a terror driven yelp. "RUN!!! AWAY FROM HER!!"

We were lucky Jade was faster to take up his warning than the rest of us, her glowing blue shield flared to life, blocking the hall Oro was trying to get away from. Several fizzling impacts against the barrier helped spot the pony calmly approaching through the sea of synths parting around her. Had any of the feathered darts falling to the floor against her shield hit, we'd be right back where we started, or worse...

The Courser was coming, the blank stare of her dark sunglasses a pitiless gaze locking on to us as she spoke with all the authority of the bizarre orange hall monitor sash she wore. "All students will return to their classes immediately... Unit Oro Boros will surrender to be serviced for deviation from programmed routine..."

'Let me... Princess... Danger... LET ME!'

I winced at the dagger of pain between my eyes, but carefully considered the snarl of 'Be Dark...' volunteering to actually be helpful. My one experience with a Courser taught me more than I needed to know, that robotic assassin wouldn't stop coming no matter what... Jade getting out of here was all that mattered, if I let the monster in my head loose, I could at least buy some time...

I crouched at the edge of Jade's shield and got between her and the approaching synth, floating my weapons out and conjuring the image of the black stasis pod in my head, loosening the chains binding it and letting the hatch open with a victorious roar coming from the thing inside.

Black lightning started flickering around me as I growled back to the others, offering up as much of a plan as I could. "All of you, run! I'll try to slow it doWNNN! HEY!?!"

Before I could finish, Jade yanked me by my tail and tossed me to her back, galloping down the hall behind Val and Freya clearing a path. Her goddess voice tolled out as I struggled against her, her blue eyes glowing as she scowled and simply forced me to come with her. "YOU MAY NOT FAST! We are escaping, TOGETHER!"

If it was anyone else, the surprised snarl in my head would fight back. She knew it too... knew what I was about to do and prevented me from doing it. She took charge in a crisis and broke the spell of infectious panic spreading from Oro trying to get away, speaking a firm, regal voice as she ran on. "The quickest route to the outside Mr. Boros! We are counting on you! Valkyrie, keep our brave guide safe and clear our way! Summer, Miss Star, please stay close to me and I shall try to keep a barrier between us and our pursuer!"

'Be Dark...' strained and fought when the chains binding it tightened again, but couldn't argue with her. The song of the Ministry Mares grew brighter and sweeter as I took in her determined face, the whisper of 'Be Kind...' resonating with the love and pride I felt for Jade. She wasn't a fighter, but she was a leader... a true Princess...

The raspy shout of 'Be Awesome!' joined it when I saw Val glaring back from the lead, looking away from blasting another synth to shout her agreement. "Good goin' Blue, don't let that slippery fucker run off and go nuts! Ya ain't sacrificin' yerself with that solo act bullshit again boss, so think of somethin' else!"

"A-Alright, we run away together then! I promise, now lemme go Jade!"

I flapped my way free after Jade shot a dubious look over her shoulder, reading my face like a book. She released the field of her telekinesis keeping me pinned to her broad back and gave a little buck to bounce me loose once she was satisfied I wasn't going to do anything particularly stupid. That let stumble to the tiled hall at her side in time to shoot another Gen 1 popping out of a stairwell door we passed, skidding through a turn with the others at Oro's direction that at least put the Courser out of sight for a moment.

"I don't give a damn what you do, but we're gettin' the boss outta here shrimp! What the hell are you chickens so freaked out about anyway? It's just a friggin fake pony thing like all these others!" Freya shouted back from blowing a plume of freezing mist ahead of our path, turning a large cluster of Gen 1 guards and synth students alike into ice sculptures.

Val snapped back, swapping one of her pistols for her flaming Shiskebab sword and cutting a swath through the synths blocking our way. "Them spooks in the black coats ain't like the other faker ponies bitch! The Courser kind are real hardcases we don't wanna mess with!"

With my usual go to 'plan' of acting as a distraction and throwing myself at the killing machine behind us out, I was at a loss for how to deal with it. Thankfully Summer turned from staring at Freya's strange cryogenic flamethrower with a sparkle of inspiration in her bright green eyes, fluttering to the lead to speak with Oro in rushed conversation before yelling back to us.

"I think we have an idea! This way!" With no better option, I nodded back to the pegasus mare as she took the lead with Oro, making another turn towards the gymnasium we had found Val and Freya in. Whatever she came up with, I trusted her.

Running like our lives depended on it, which they most definitely did, along with creating enough chaos behind us to slow down the Courser chasing us, we managed to make it to Summer and Oro's chosen battlefield with a few precious moments to prepare. Now we waited in fear and silence, as ready as possible to make our stand in the gloomy school's pool, the sound of the chlorine smelling water dripping and lapping in the poorly maintained pool echoing in the cavernous space.

I was surprised the crumbling concrete and tile still retained water, like the rest of the school, it was kept up just enough to retain its basic prewar appearance and function, but maintenance wasn't high on the list of priorities at D.B. High. The synths all acted as if everything looked as it did 200 years ago, ignoring the age and wear so long as they could go about their routine.

There was a lot of mold on the cracked tiles, the water was murky and full of floating detritus, trash and leaves that blew in from the broken skylights overhead that were unfortunately still barred. The bleachers were rotting in the damp environment and the tiled pillars holding up an upper deck of stands above them were crumbling, chunks of the concrete structure falling away to the floor beneath.

The perch of the leaning high dive I occupied let me look over to the others in their positions nearby, keeping the Last Minute trained on the only entrance and staying flat on my belly. We were as ready as we could get and I couldn't fault the rushed idea Summer and Oro had come up with. The technically minded pegasus had spent some time actually talking to the zony after they had cleared the tension between them, and the interesting Courser model of synth had been a topic of conversation while they worked in the office.

Ironic that a former Brotherhood mare and a synth they so hated had collaborated, but their working together and sharing of knowledge may just save us and I had faith in them. Glancing to where Jade was hiding still made me gulp anxiously though. I had a tight hold on the reins of 'Be Dark...' stewing in my head, but had to resist the tempting seduction it kept putting out. It merely waited and watched, ready to take over at the first opportunity.

'Awareness!' overrode the patient mutter and flicked my ears, dragging my attention to the slow clop of hooves on tile approaching. Just like the other Courser I had encountered, the peach mare pushing open the creaking steel door to the pool had that unhurried and unconcerned blank stare when she entered, pausing and panning her head back and forth slowly to take in the ambush she clearly expected.

I was in an obvious sniper's perch and her combat programming would make my hiding pointless in bare seconds. I had no illusions about actually dropping her with a sneak attack though, activating S.A.T.S. and reluctantly moving the glowing target outline off her head. Instead I selected the tranquilizer gun floating beside her, using up the full spell charge against the highly effective weapon and hoping that was enough. All it had taken to capture us in the first place was one dart from that thing, it had to be taken out of the equation right away.

As soon as time resumed and my gauss rifle started whining up to full power, her ears flicked and she dodged with that spooky speed the other Courser displayed. Her weapon lagged behind her however, she expected a direct attack so reacted with that in mind, letting the dart gun bob in the air behind her without nearly the same degree of agility.

It was still only the second shot that managed to hit the damn thing though, blowing her weapon to pieces as the Courser made it behind the cover of a thick pillar. Even with Oro explaining her likely reaction, I was still surprised at how fast she adapted. The Courser he called X3 shot out from behind cover in a blur, a sleek and shiny combat shotgun floating up from her leather coat and taking aim at my perch on the fly.

Three loud blasts reverberated in the huge room and the rotting high dive platform was chewed up as I scrambled back, her aim so impeccable I imagined she was using her own version of S.A.T.S. provided by the black Institute pip-buck on her foreleg. The diving board disintegrated under my hooves, forcing me to flap up and away as her other shots hit the weakest points of the structure that gave a loud groan and started falling over, nearly dragging me with it when I was hammered in the chest by a final blast that knocked me back, distance and my magical armor the only thing that let me keep going in time.

Even with the entire length of the rectangular pool between us as I dove for the corner diagonal to the one she was running towards, I had no doubt she could follow up and nail me again before I hit the ground. Fortunately Val was waiting in the rafters above the door in and dove down right on cue, unleashing a storm of 25mm explosives and blazing red magical energy beams from right on top of the Courser. The bitch charged through the firestorm at her hooves, breaking for the shelter of the overhanging stands following the long side of the pool.

Val pulled up and landed on the stands above her, cutting off any retaliation from that shotgun already aiming above and behind X3's head, right where Val's tail disappeared from view. Before she could recover, I swooped down the length of the far side of the pool and banked back, blasting across the water with the Terrible Shotgun to keep her moving parallel with me.

Summer and Fancy popping up at the end of the bleachers she was running down and opening up with the bright beams of their magical energy weapons forced her to adjust course again. X3 never faltered or slowed down, but abandoned the wooden bleachers and hopped down to the wet floor in front of them, running just under the overhang of the stands and along the poolside.

I was amazed Fancy had been convinced to put herself at risk and fight, but once her bodyguard Freya had been informed of the threat a Courser posed and accepted this was the best way to ensure her employer's safety, they had gone along with the hasty plan. The spoiled filly still gave a shrill scream when the Courser fired at her, blowing a large hole in the rotten wooden stands she sheltered behind and forcing her down.

Summer on the other hoof was almost recklessly brave, taking up the slack and actually flying out into the Courser's path, making herself bait. She skimmed the sparkling tiles at the edge of the pool in an agile and speedy flight, heading towards the end with the destroyed diving board I had abandoned and the cover the wreckage offered.

Despite all her dodging and expert rolls in the air, the Courser's shotgun snapped up and fired on the small pegasus mare, blasting a cloud of feathers and blood from one wing that sent her skidding to the floor with a scream. No! This wasn't part of the plan dammit!

'MINE! LET ME!'

The unwelcome snarl and pain in my head was tempting, before I could act however, Oro dove out from behind the last pillar and charged over to Summer, putting himself between the bleeding pegasus and the approaching Courser. The next blast from her shotgun tore into his striped flank and he shouted in pain, but bit at Summer's collar and limped onward, trying to drag her away as X3 kept plodding forward.

The combat shotgun floating at her side remained trained on the two of them, while the Courser gave a slight turn of its head and raised an eyebrow at me seething across the pool at the trail of red blood they were leaving behind them. The implication was clear, keep attacking and she'd kill them...

"Unit Oro Boros, you are malfunctioning. This incident will be reported to Professor Swirl and you will submit to reformating." The Courser spoke in a carrying voice, keeping aim at her hostages as she strode closer.

Oro stayed sprawled atop Summer, giving a muffled plea through his teeth still dragging her limp form away painfully. "A-Alright, just don't hurt her. I'll go, there's no reason to punish them too!"

In reply, X3 glanced around the room curiously, looking up to Val peering over the overhanging stands, over to Fancy hiding in the bleachers, then to me glaring at her from across the pool. "These test subjects have proven most troublesome... They will be sedated and held for site administrators to decide their fate. Their injuries will be healed provided they surrender immediately. Do you agree?"

She ended by staring at me, the barrel of her shotgun never wavering from Oro and Summer inching away. I scowled back and fought with the furious snarl in my head demanding her head, watching her foreleg taking another unhurried step forward, past a rotting foam swimming board blending in with the other trash. Close enough... we'd have to risk it.

'NOW! LET ME! KILL! LET ME OUT!'

The Terrible Shotgun floating in my magic dipped down towards the tiles and I bowed my head, gritting my teeth against the chant roaring between my ears. Just wait... be patient dammit, cooperate... 'Be Unwavering!'

"Ok, you win... I'm putting it down, see? Just take it easy annnnnd.... NOW!"

As soon as I shouted and took flight, X3 fired. The dead aim of her shotgun impacted Jade's glowing blue shield appearing in the way, along with the invisible alicorn standing right behind Summer and Oro, protecting them both from the blast harmlessly impacting the barrier. Val moved in the same instant, lobbing more grenades down at the Courser's hooves, leaving her nowhere to go but towards the bright blue sphere the three of them sheltered in.

As soon as X3's hooves landed from her agile hop forward, they slid out from under her and forced the fearsome synth into an almost comical slipping, sliding dance atop the nearly invisible sheet of ice between them. Freya had been careful using her cryogenic weapon on the standing water surrounding the pool, making a smooth, slick obstacle even the Courser hadn't spotted.

With the bitch off balance and unable to find traction, Freya pounced from the upper stands and joined Val while I flew across the pool. The two griffons dove and spun around the disoriented Courser in a graceful, deadly display, opening up with their considerable firepower and forcing X3 to go sliding towards the water. A pair of apple shaped grenades tossed at her hooves gave the final push, blowing the synth over the edge and into the deep end.

Coursers were a hybrid between Gen 2 and Gen 3 synths, I remembered and Oro had told Summer about the dense metal endoskeleton that made them so tough. It also made the bitch sink like a stone... Unlike more biological Gen 3s, the Courser had no chance whatsoever at swimming.

Of course it could always walk back out, but Freya wasn't going to give it the chance. A plume of freezing mist blasted out of the cryogenic weapon on her flank as soon as the Courser hit the water, creating a rime of frost over her surprised features as she sank beneath the freezing water.

I hovered over the spot X3 disappeared in the dirty water, keeping my weapons trained on the shadow down there just in case. I looked to Jade releasing her shield to hurriedly heal Summer with cautious relief, she was ok... Summer would be ok... even Oro's wounds were already regenerating thanks to his built in healing talisman. We actually did it...

"That's it ice queen, freeze that fuckin' bitch solid! Who wants a synth cunt smoothie!? Can't believe she fell for it! Fire n' Frost, back in action! How you like us now you nasty friggin.... BOSS! Look out!" Val was dancing a gleeful little jig and shaking Freya while she poured on the ice, smiling in victory with her old friend, until a panicked look crossed her face and she pointed to the water below me.

I didn't spot the floating rope of a swimming lane light up with the pink glow of the Courser's magic until it snaked up and wrapped around my barrel, yanking me down into the freezing cold water I sucked down my airway with a surprised gasp of shock. I may have found alicorn biology gave a lot of resistance to the elements, but quickly learned that didn't mean immunity...

It was like being stabbed by a thousand knives over every inch of my coat, I struggled and bucked against the ropes binding me, but all the energy and warmth was being sucked out of me. Suddenly I remembered what feeling cold was like a thousand times over, dragged down into the dark and feeling the water draining the life out of me like a vampire.

Ice was forming in my wings frantically flapping underwater, it was already like slush and getting harder to move through. My limbs wouldn't respond properly, jittering and shaking against my bonds uselessly, my lungs burned and my vision was going dark. Even with what remained of excellent nightvision, I could barely make out the shadowy form of the Courser placidly standing at the bottom of the pool, lit up by the glow of her magic surrounding the rope between us.

She was going to drag me down with her, down into the cold and dark... This was what death felt like...

'NO! NO! NO! NOT GOING BACK! NOT AGAIN! NO!'

My fading view changed the dark form of the Courser to a strange, blurry image of Goddess Celestia, her beautiful face cast in shadow by the bright light behind her and a stern frown on her face looking down from on high. I was filled with a strange sense of nostalgia, it felt like those last seconds of consciousness before going into stasis back in Stable 111, the thought summoning the image of the black stasis pod I envisioned as the Shroud's mental prison.

Even the imaginary version of the ironically named Icebox back home was freezing and dark, the rusting metal walls covered in frost and the flickering overhead lights dimming to a single, fading spot of illumination around myself and pod 101. The mental construct and everything it represented was falling apart and dying...

I could feel fury and even terror from the normally fearless voice of 'Be Dark...' screaming from the battered stasis pod before me. It was panicked... terrified of going back into the dark and silence alone...

Not that I blamed it... I didn't want to die either. I realized for better or worse we were stuck together... if I died, it died...

In that timeless void at the edge of death, the glowing motes of light circling above the pod were some of the last sources of light and glowed even brighter, taking on form and definition as I watched weakly. Five ghostly mares looked down on me and the shuddering stasis pod sadly, Ministry Mares Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash looked just like their statuettes... The closer to death I got, the more real they seemed to become, all of their youthful faces full of sorrow and concern, whispering their encouragement and eyeing the shadowy coffin they trotted around warily.

I didn't share their obvious distaste at the poor, pained spirit that had somehow been locked up in my head though. I didn't think it was just me losing my mind either... However it happened and whatever it meant, this was all real... For once I sympathized with that insane shadow clawing at the walls of my skull, It was cold and dark and lonely... It just wanted what I did, to not die down here, to go back the world above, the light and life and warmth...

LET 'Be Kind...' ME 'Be Strong!' OUT! 'Be Unwavering!' WANT 'Awareness!' OUT! 'Be Awesome!' LIVE!

"I d-don't want to die, and you don't either... I need your help, all of your help, please... O-Ok? L-Let's get out then... t-together..." I whispered up to the wan red light flickering in the cracked porthole in the stasis pod's hatch, hearing it clearly hiss back a reply of, "Together..."

The Ministry Mares gave a determined, worried nod, drifting to the source of the chains hanging from the darkness overhead and taking them in their spectral hooves. The rusty iron links glowed with their rainbow colored light as they faded from view, unwinding and loosening from the Shroud's prison with a harmonious note filling the dimming room. High and sweet, balanced by the lower note of bass reverberating from the stasis pod.

The lid opened wide and the roiling, shadowy smoke snaked around me. I didn't pull away this time, but embraced it. The symbolic power cables that crossed the chamber on the way down to the wellspring of my magic lit up in a blazing blue glow. Several more joining the frayed and shorted connection that had already blown away from being wired into the pod that kept the Shroud trapped in a shower of sparks.

I idly worried about the damage I was doing down here... but this prison was weakening already and meant nothing if we both died. If it meant seeing Jade and Glitter again, I supposed I really would sell my soul...

FWOOOSH!!!

"HHHHOOOOOOUUUUUAAA!!! Kaff! Kaff! Kaff!" A roaring noise filled my ears as I whooped in a blessed breath of oxygen, coughing out a gallon of water and barely staying on my shaking hooves.

"FAST! There he is! Help him!!" I could hear Jade's teary cry overhead, giving me something to try to focus on as I kept heaving water out dizzily.

Standing... I was standing on a solid surface and Jade's voice was up, coming with garbled shouts and other noise, but her voice was clear. That roaring sound drowned everything else out though, making me blink blearily and try to get my bearings.

"How the fuck is he doing that!? W-What's going on!?" Fancy's surprised shout wasn't one I wanted to hear, coming as I saw the black lightning flickering around my dripping hooves, puzzling over the shredded and scorched rope strung with floaters around me, then the thick coat of frost and slush stuck in my fur and the large chunks of ice falling around me.

Val's overjoyed screech was better, also coming from above, but closer and more urgent. "ALRIGHT BOSS! C'mon buddy, shake it off and move! Before that bitch gets goin' again! Up baby bird! Fly dammit! Can't reach ya!"

Bitch? Fly? Where? Where the hell was I anyway? At least one question was answered as I finally dragged my head up, wheezing and shivering as my glowing eyes fell on who she meant. The Courser!? X3 was standing not five feet away from me, only prevented from reengaging combat by the blocky chunks of ice freezing her to the cracked and tiled floor.

"Get yer freaky fuckin' boss outta the way Val, or I'm goin' back ta freezin' em both before that cunt gets loose again! I'm convinced, can't let that crazy robot get away or we're fucked!" Freya's screech was followed by Val squabbling with her, though it helped me focus on her point and realize the grim faced Courser was silently straining every muscle to move, and the ice was cracking...

My body was stiff and my head ached under an enormous flow of magic pouring out of my horn, my wings felt brittle and numb as I tried flexing them too, dislodging a lot of ice from my feathers as I finally managed to look up where everyone was talking from. Then I simply gaped a moment, putting things together as my eyes focused and I realized where I was.

Still in the bottom of the pool... My confusion was easy to excuse though, considering that all the water that had been drowning me was currently gone, rushing up in a vertical torrent in a wide circle around me and the Courser. The wall of water flickered with the bright blue glow of my magic and black lightning racing across the surface. It kept going in a swirling, torrential storm of power in a roughly cylindrical shape that rose all the way up to the tall ceiling, keeping Val from swooping down from where I saw her circling overhead. I was pushing a few thousand gallons of water into defying gravity and common sense...

'Hurry... Go... Out!'

Be Strong! Be Unwavering!

Right... Gaining lift with my half frozen wings was painful and difficult, but I lurched my way up while that strained shadow in my head kept pouring on the magic. I managed to flutter up a few feet, shaking more ice free and getting my nearly frozen blood pumping again. Then I heard the whine of overtaxed servos below me and a terrible, ripping noise, followed by the nearly indistinguishable patter of congealed blood falling to the floor below and a freezing cold hoof grabbing my hindleg.

"Test Subject is emitting magical energy signature flagged as level omega priority, you will not escape..." The Courser had ripped a foreleg free of the ice, discarding its own flesh and blood like a grisly sleeve for the shiny metal bones to grab me.

'Kill... Destroy... Let... me... GO!'

I had to admire her tenacity, but she was making empty threats. There was the strange sensation of doing two things at once, not that I couldn't normally juggle multiple tasks with my telekinesis, but the grip on Best Served wasn't quite mine. It did flash through the air between us and slice X3's foreleg neatly off however, while I had dragged a pair of pale blue grenades from my bags.

When the Courser's grip disappeared, I lurched up higher without her holding me back, pulling the pins on the grenades Val had pilfered from Freya's gear earlier. The two metal apples clinked to the tiles at her hooves as I felt the magic at my horn give out, the walls of rushing water around me crashing down while I slowly went up.

I wasn't sure I'd make it, even without the strain of casting that impressive bit of magic. The pale bluish white glow of Jade's telekinesis suddenly surrounded me however, yanking me up just ahead of the water vacating all the empty space below it. I popped out of the pool like a cork and went rolling across the floor, caught in Jade's dripping wet hooves and squeezed like an accordion.

Looking up to her face nearly covered by her sodden mane as she gave teary nuzzles and kisses, I managed to return the affection weakly, rolling an eye over to the muffled 'crump!' noise coming from the pool and satisfied at the spikes of ice breaking the surface. Cryo grenades... I doubted the Courser was dead per se... but she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Oh Fast! T-Thank the goddesses! I thought I lost you! H-Hypothermia! We must warm you up, quickly! Oh dear you are freezing! A-Are you alright? How... are you.... are you still yourself? Fast?" Jade shivered and rubbed her hooves over my numb hide frantically, pausing in her fretting to bump noses and stare closely at my bloodshot eyes.

"S-S-Still... m-me... G-G-Glad... a-alive... L-Love... you..."

'Be Kind...'

'Princess...'

She gave a strange laughing-crying wail at my croak of an answer, kissing me and returning to vigorously rubbing some feeling back into me. Much as I'd always love her touch, I appreciated her sniffling to her senses enough to start casting spells even more. Especially since she knew the kind of utility and cleaning spells that wicked the water away from us both and made a rushing current of warm wind to surround us.

Her mane poofed out in a frizzy ball and her feathers fluffed up to make a warm cocoon around my shivering body pressed against hers, still sobbing and nuzzling as I weakly licked at her neck trying to reassure her. We stayed that way quite awhile, Jade rocked in place and cooed, letting me slip in and out of shaky consciousness while she worked on raising my temperature.

I was vaguely aware of the others around her, checking on me and recovering from their own wounds. There was hushed talking, then at some point I was shifted to Jade's back and we were moving again. Gunfire made me snort awake and try to move again, only to get shoved back down by Val's claw covering me in a variety of dry clothing suspiciously of the same styles all the synth students wore and her soft grumble in my ear. "Rest up boss, we got this. Scared me there asshole..."

'Be Awesome!'

'Mine...'

By the time we made it to the exit to the school, I was basically awake and aware again, struggling to peer up from Jade's feathers and my variety of blankets to eye the heavy doors out. I wondered what the hold up was, slowly figuring it out when I saw the advanced terminal by the secure looking exit. I struggled to get down, but was smacked by Val and pinned by Jade's wings, still deemed to weak to move around on my own.

I supposed Summer could hack the lock, though I was curious why she remained away from it in whispered conversation with Oro. I caught the worried look he shot my way when he caught me peeking past Jade patiently standing away from the exit, then he turned away and checked his fancy watch again before returning to talking with Summer.

A loud explosion and cloud of dust blasting the doors in woke me all the way up just as I was starting to drift off again, the thick steel doors were bent and wrecked, allowing a squad of shadowy shapes to come galloping in. If they weren't green on E.F.S., I would have fought my way loose in panic. As it was, I watched in confusion as several ponies in brown leather overcoats and heavy battlesaddles came charging in, waving us out with rushed orders. The Railroad?

Jade trotted out with me shivering on her back, clearing through the haze of smoke to the ruined streets of Trotson. Watching Oro go charging out and meeting a familiar cream colored mare in the same brown overcoat of the Railroad just confused me more, finally enough of a reason for Jade to let me loose to watch the two synths embrace.

"A-Angel?"

I stumbled when I hopped down to the cracked asphalt, then was nearly bowled over by the synth double of another Institute director breaking away from hugging Oro to greet me happily. "Fast! Glad we made it in time and you're ok! Great work bringing this facility down, we've got to move fast, but there are a lot of synths to liberate in there and important data on the Institute!"

"You... wha? Why are you here? How'd you know..."

My pounding head didn't make figuring things out very easy, though I was glad to see all the Railroad agents securing the outside. At least we wouldn't have to worry about any unpleasant surprises on escaping, making it feel like we were really safe and free.

It was still confusing as hell though, only more so as Angel tossed her rose and violet braid back in a laugh and dragged Oro from the deep conversation he was engaged in with another familiar pony. It took a minute to recognize the pale stallion with the dark mane, usually Beacon was in more of a disguise than the Arcano-Cats jacket and dirty shirt he was wearing.

He cantered over with a broad grin at Angel's invitation, giving the zony with him rough noogies as he chortled an answer. "Oro of course! We had to kind of jump into action on short notice when we heard you guys were caught, but I knew you'd help him like you did Angel here! I told Des you'd make a great Heavy, we've wanted to raid this place forever, but that Courser hall monitor made it too risky a mission. When Oro let us know you were on the scene though, we scraped together a crew and came running. The Railroad watches out for our operatives after all! Well, it was him and a little help of course. Don't be so shy Patriot."

At his smirk to Oro, the zony's fancy watch clicked and unfolded from around his foreleg, changing into a gold and sapphire Cybreezie flitting into the air on glowing blue wings. Oro's shrugged sheepishly, waving off the bit of jewelry he had constantly been checking as it flew over and buzzed in the air in front of me. "Er... sorry, Patriot's really security conscious, I couldn't tell you..."

That was how he knew where everyone had been taken when we arrived... how he tracked the other synths and had such pull with them, he'd been getting outside help the whole time... The tiny robot actually sketched a bow in the air, bobbing down towards my pip-buck I managed to hold up on a shaking hoof. Its mouth attached to the pip-buck's patch cable as it folded around the device, communicating with a chatter while I tried to catch up, squinting at the text that scrolled across my vision.

'THAT'S TWICE I'VE HAD TO RISK MY SECURITY TO FREE YOU FROM INSTITUTE CAPTURE. YOU'RE MAKING A HABIT OF IT FAST. THOUGH YOU DID HELP RESCUE TWO OF MY FRIENDS AS WELL.'

"W-What the fuck... You... Who asked you to! What the hell were you doing in there, why didn't you say anything!? Who the hell are you anyway?"

'SORRY, CLASSIFIED. I SHOULDN'T GET THIS INVOLVED, SAFER FOR EVERYPONY, CAUSALITY, SCREWS WITH PROJECTIONS, OBSERVATION AFFECTS OUTCOME. NEXT TIME WE SPEAK, I'LL EXPLAIN. FOR NOW YOU SHOULD REALLY GO REST, YOUR PIP-BUCK MEDICAL READINGS SHOW YOUR CORE TEMPERATURE IS STILL DANGEROUSLY LOW. YOU'LL CATCH COLD.'

I couldn't tell if I was still delirious, or if the Railroad's mysterious 'Patriot' was slightly off. The bizarre little robot detached from my leg and flitted off before I could question it further, returning to Oro scratching his spiky mane with a shamefaced smile. "Er... sorry again... and thank you. Thanks to you I'm finally, finally free of that place. I and those of my kind we can help escape from this prison as well all owe you our lives, all of you..."

He ended with a warm look to Summer, holding a striped green leg out to the petite pegasus returning the friendly hoofbump with a smile. "Don't mention it, we owe you too Oro, me especially so... thanks. I'm sorry again for... for everything. I hope you enjoy your freedom, and maybe I'll see you again someday."

Interrupting the touching scene, Fancy threw her hooves up and threw a fit, stomping down the ruined streets to the east with Freya shoving busy Railroad agents out of her way. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! I hope I never see you again robot! We're going back to the castle, I've had enough of all your craziness for a lifetime stupid! I need a bath!"

"Charming friend you've got there Fast, you do meet interesting types. Welp! We've got things covered here if you wanna get back to home sweet castle too Princess. We've only got until morning to clear as much as we can outta this place, then the Institute will realize something's wrong and send in the cleaners. Though after that I bet your old crew would be interested in a little anonymous tip, eh cutie?" Beacon spoke in his usually upbeat and unbothered tone, giving Summer a knowing wink.

After a moment's contemplation and a quick, questioning look to Oro and Angel nodding their agreement, Summer smiled and snapped a salute in reply. "If you're saying the Institute will come swarming this installation and you guys will already have the... er... synths like you two out... Yes, yes I do think the Brotherhood would be very interested, I'll go to the radio room and pass it along, by morning..."

"Lovely! Just because we don't quite see eye to eye doesn't mean we can't throw them a bone now and then, eh? I'd invite you to hang around and chew the fat, but looks like you all went through the wringer in there. Come on by Railroad HQ sometime Fast, I'm sure Des won't be able to keep you out of the inner circle after pulling this off!" Beacon grinned and clapped me on the back, sending me stumbling as he moved on to kissing Jade and Summer's hooves, flinching away when he attempted the same with Val's claw.

Then he simply cantered on to the school, whistling a merry tune and ordering Railroad agents around on his way. My brain was still too sluggish to hope to keep up, gawking at the swarm of Railroad ponies entering the haunted high school with a million questions buzzing in my head. Jade trotted up and cut them all off however, floating me to her back again and huffing over my weak objections.

"Mr. Beacon is quite right, that is more than enough for one night. We will return to the castle and see to your health Fast, I am grateful you have repaired the royal baths to Fancy's standards as well Summer, though she will just have to wait to use them. You are to go soak in a hot bath and let me take care of you dear, no objections!" Jade waved a wing behind her as she trotted down the street after Fancy with Val and Summer, a stern but exhausted and worried tone to her sweet voice.

Considering I was still shivering and the idea of a long, hot bath with my personal physician sounded like heaven, I nodded and stayed where I was without complaint, hugging her neck wearily. It would take some time to make our way clear of the bloodwing infested city so we could fly back, but at least we were back out under the night sky and free of the Institute's cage.

'Out... Free...'

--------------------

The castle was quiet and sleeping with only the graveyard shift of Minutemares to meet us at the gates when we made it back. Several of the tired guards rubbed their eyes in confusion at their Princess appearing in the skimpy, red and white cheerleader outfit under her more professional white lab coat, which she quickly buttoned with a blush when she noticed where their stunned gazes trailed down to.

Val yawned and prowled off, mumbling about finding a drink and arching a feathery brow at Freya as she passed her, the jerk of her head as much of an invitation as she could muster. I was glad to see the snowy griffon whisper to her tired and grumpy boss Fancy, given the grouchy reply of, "Go do whatever you want Freya, I'm going to bed! Since the prissy Princess won't let me have a proper bath! Go thaw out quick stupid, so I can have my turn!"

That was about as much sympathy as I could expect from the spoiled filly storming off, her bodyguard Freya following suite with a huff of an answer to no one in particular. "Well since I gots time off an' all, maybe I'll find a drink too, separately... and did you put glue in my fuckin' armor again you bitch!?"

Summer joined us in a tired giggle watching the two griffons shoving each other into the castle halls, fluttering off to the FIxer's tower with a sleepy wave. I was glad to see the pile of parts and control console from Easy Filly Downs stacked just outside the door to my repair crew's quarters, the coppery AssaultJack robot guarding them snapping a salute to the little pegasus joining it at the door.

Jade quickly hustled me off when she caught me staring at the new parts joining the others we had acquired in a cluttered pile in the courtyard, though not quick enough to stop the flash of text in my bleary vision;

Mission Updated!: Arcane Relay Race

Objectives---
---Build Teleporter Relay
-----~~Construct Control Console~~
-----~~Construct Crystal Reflector Platform~~
-----Construct Magical Beam Emitter
-----~~Construct Arcane Relay Dish~~

That left just one part to collect, the magical beam emitter from Dreadnot... I was still shivering even under a pile of rags and loosed a miserable sneeze as Jade led me away, but the ember of anger thinking about going to meet the thestrals was a bright, hot spark in my chest. The things those 'emissaries' said about Jade... the way they treated Witchy...

'Mine... Want... Revenge... Punish...'

"Ohhhh no, all of your tinkering and plotting will wait Fast. You are to come with me and get your core temperature back to normal immediately! Doctor's orders, no thinking of anything other than your health and me. You frightened me very much and you know the penalty." Jade easily saw the thoughts whirring through my feverish brain, fretting over my wince at the pain between my eyes I failed to hide.

Giving an affectionate nip to my neck, Jade surrounded me in the glow of her magic and yanked me up when my hooves dragged and my eyes lingered on the pile of teleporter parts. She whisked me up the long flights of stairs to Luna's wing of the castle, checking my temperature and health with the glow of her magic floating me through the halls at her side, moving at a brisk trot and making right for the royal baths.

So it was that I soon found myself in the most opulent, steamy, sudsy bath I could imagine, basking in the glow of feeling alive and warm again after soaking in the wonderfully hot water long enough to stop feeling like a pony-cicle. Of course getting lavished with attention from a beautiful alicorn didn't hurt my mood either. It only took a little convincing and roaming hooves while scrubbing each other to graduate up to a bit of restrained passion that warmed up all the places even the hot bath couldn't reach.

We were both simply glad to be alive and together, desperate to touch and feel each other as if to affirm the other was whole and healthy. I could still feel her lingering fear in her strong, shuddery embrace, how she held me tight and wouldn't let go, whimpering in both delight and shaky relief. I wanted to do everything I could to put it behind her, to let her know how much I loved her and that I'd never leave her, no matter what it took.

It took awhile to satisfy both her and the frisky, needy growl in my head that drove me on despite how tired I was. I was glad it was getting along with the unflagging energy of 'Be Unwavering!' to keep going until Jade was sleepy and happy, nibbling on my ear and holding each other in comfortable silence. She sounded much better when she finally sat up from dozing in our reclined position against the edge of the huge bath, fully waking up with a snort when I sneezed against her fluffy chest.

"Whzaa... O-Oh! Oh dear, you sound as if you may be catching cold Fast. We must focus on heading that off before any more... p-physical therapy... You stay just where you are and continue soaking, I shall trot down to the kitchens and find you some nice soup or stew, that is just the thing." Jade reluctantly clambered out of the bath, shaking herself briskly, incidentally giving an excellent view of all her curves in jiggling motion, with a lidded look over her shoulder to where I drooled.

'...MINE...WANT...MORE...'

I managed to hide the pain in my head that time, more focused the immediate threat I carefully danced around. "Mmnnn er... y-you're not making it, are you hon? I'm not that hungry... s-so no reason for you to bother..."

Smiling as she toweled herself off, Jade gave a cute little whiny and leaned over to kiss my horn. "I am sure the castle's cook Greasy Spoon will not mind if I ask him to warm something up dear. Only because the kitchens are his domain and he will be able to prepare something much quicker. Otherwise I would of course cook for you, I learned many things while I was captive in that informative classroom I wish to try soon. I know how much you love it when I do so!"

"Y-Yup! Sure do! Some other time then... hehehe..."

I nodded back with a crooked grin, hiding my unconvincing expression under the water as she trotted out happily, humming under her breath and swaying her flanks playfully. When her tail disappeared out the door, I breathed a sigh of thanks to the goddesses at dodging that bullet, one near death experience a night was enough... Much as I loved her, Jade's cooking was as likely to kill me as that Courser.

When she ducked her head back in behind the ancient wooden door creaking shut, I squeaked in panic and wiped the relieved expression off my face, meeting her soft blue eyes coming down in a stern look. "Do not move Fast... You must continue to stay warm and I do not want you wandering off. I will return shortly to take you to bed. Understood?"

"Right! Not going anywhere hon, counting the minutes till you get back, promise."

At that she closed her eyes in a sparkling smile and cantered off, leaving me alone in the steamy bath to soak and think in silence. I wasn't shivering anymore and my muscles felt like jello, letting me lean back against the curved edge of Luna's own bath and relax. There was a lot to think about buzzing in my head, more knowledge about the Institute and its origins, Klein and Swirl, the Railroad and their mysterious benefactor Patriot, and of course the Shrouded Stallion, the much closer and clearer voice of 'Be Dark...' muttering quietly with me...

It was an uncomfortable enough line of thought I cast my eyes around the room for distraction, taking in the work Summer and the other Fixers had done here. The bath itself was nearly the size of a small swimming pool, initially triggering a mild bit of panic after my last swim. Being smaller, hotter and shaped like a huge seashell helped get over it, plus Jade joining me in a bit of skinny dipping put any lingering trauma aside entirely.

Rusty showers occupied one corner and I spotted several small plastic bins of 200 year old shampoos and homemade soaps under the cracked stone benches under them. The lingering smells identified one of them as what gave Summer's mane that sweet scent, so I guessed her and the other repair-ponies in my squad of Fixers really did come up here.

There was still some stubborn mold in the remaining ancient grout of the tiles, with brighter white patches where fresh fixes had been made, breaking up the dark blue, blue-green and sea green color scheme a bit. Several mosaics of bright tiles adorned the walls, remarkably intact after so long, depicting seaponies, shells, fish and even sinuous sea serpents.

Leaning my head over the edge of the bath, I stared up to the full moon shaped light at the center of a fresco of the night sky overhead, picking out the flaking details of pegasi and stars. Spotting a few that were frolicking on leathery bat wings instead of feathery ones brought a sliver of pain between my eyes however. The image of the snide, hateful emissaries from Dreadnot taking their place in the painting.

'Want... punish... kill... revenge....'

"Shut up... Just behave, Witchy said..."

'...MINE... WANT...'

I clenched my eyes shut at the headache and answered the talkative voice causing it, shutting out the view of the painting. I didn't like the petulant grumble so clearly replying, wishing the sun would come up sooner than a few hours from now. I was afraid I had broken something vital in my head to escape the Courser, the gentle spirits of the Ministry Mares were still there and restraining it, but their ability to do so had been weakened.

Jade's sweet nicker eventually coming from the door got me to open my eyes and then just gape stupidly, drinking in the sight of her standing in the doorway in the sexy cheerleader outfit she hadn't discarded. She had a demure smile and fluttered her eyelashes, blowing away all my worries and reminding me why I'd pay any price to get back to her. Even if I had risked my sanity or soul, it was worth it...

'Be Kind...'

She giggled at me scrambling out of the tub in a rush of water, holding up a bowl of soup between us before I pounced on her, then booping my nose when I skidded to a halt before her. "Dinner first, then dessert Fast..."

Jade prancing back down the hall towards Luna's chambers and swishing her pleated skirt with her fluffy tail made perfectly clear what desert was. I barely remembered to shake myself dry before cantering after her, following the twin, delicious scents of wonderful smelling food and the mare of my dreams.

I made her laugh again chugging down the tasty miretank soup as soon as I had it in my hooves. Once she was satisfied I had eaten something and checked my health with her gentle magic, we went right to committing repeated, minor sacrileges on Goddess Luna's own palatial bed, shaking out all the dust from the last 200 years.

It was good to be alive... to fall asleep in each others hooves, planting sleepy kisses to her favorite spot on her neck as we drifted off together, knowing Glitter was nearby and sleeping without a care. Safe and warm, free and healthy, the little pocket of love and light banishing all the shadows and darkness in the wasteland and my own head.

I had a strange dream in those predawn hours. It was familiar... like other, half remembered dreams I had been having recently, though this one was disturbingly clearer and vivid... There was the sensation of speedy flight, banking and swooping through the night sky, faster and faster... the wind and salty smell of the sea filling my nose.

There were strange gaps, feelings of being without a body and moving even faster, a flicker of lightning across the sky, a shadow swimming through the darkness blanketing the world below. Disjointed images and feelings came as I moved further and further away, seeking something, somepony... hiding where I was going.

It was a maze of rust and steel, a forest full of creatures I slipped past like a ghost. I was a hunter, following my nose to a familiar scent, tracking it like a hellhound. It was deep inside the shadowy labyrinth, but I found the prey eventually.

There was terrible, awful joy of chasing and toying with some frightened rabbit like thing that smelled of terror. The dark thrill of stalking and cornering it. Satisfaction and victory at taunting it, a sadistic pleasure far removed from the kind I had been torn away from with Jade when this nightmare began.

Then came the screams...

----------------------Level Up!----------------------

New Perk Added!--------------

Cold Blooded----------------
---After both getting a chance to examine Freya's cryogenic weaponry, then being on the receiving end of them, you've learned more than you cared to learn about icy death. From modern versions like the Cryolator, Freezethrower and Cryo-grenades, down to simple ice arrows of ages past, you now do 20% additional damage with all ice enchanted weaponry, as well as gaining 10% resistance to freezing damage. You also have access to ice based recipes at the work benches.

Ch. 97-- Shipbreaker

"Being the best should never come at the expense of our fellow ponies."

After all our traveling, waking up in Castle Equinox was like living in the lap of luxury by prewar standards, let alone those of the wasteland outside. Jade rated the royal treatment and her army of devoted Minutemares laid it on with their patron Princess returned, starting with breakfast in bed to our shared surprise.

The young private buck who had apparently fought for the honor of delivery had his tentative knock answered by Glitter, already up and bored while we slept in. Our little filly bursting in and jumping on Luna's massive bed was something I had gotten used to, but I felt like finding something to throw at his cracking voice stammering his manners to Jade sitting up and yawning.

The smell of bacon, muffins, scrambled Miretank eggs, mutfruit juice and more got me to peek out from the pillows clamped to my head I was trying to hide from Glitter under. Apparently word of Jade's condition had spread and even the castle cook Greasy Spoon was making sure she was well cared for.

Nice as that thought was, looking over to the young earth pony who had delivered his efforts brought a strange sliver of annoyance. His eyes were as big as dinner plates, looking up to the radiant alicorn smacking her lips blearily. Jade's cloudy mane was stuck out at wild angles and the floof of thicker fur on her chest was a tangled mess. Her wide blue eyes sparkling at all the food were sleepy and her wings disheveled, but she still looked gorgeous and I could tell the young stallion agreed. He tried valiantly to keep his gaze up with hers so far above him, but his wide orange eyes kept flicking down to all that bare blue hide and his face was a brilliant red.

'...MINE...'

Shut up... It was morning dammit... painfully so even... The possessive grumble of 'Be Dark...' was sleepy, but not silent, stoking an ember of jealousy over the amiable young buck being understandably overwhelmed. I groaned under the pillows at the unwelcome voice, glad Jade mistook it for simply not wanting to be woken up for anything, even the delicious smelling food or Glitter snuggling between us.

"Oh do not mind my husband, I am afraid he is not a morning pony at all in the best of times Private, and he had a very rough night he is still to focus on recovering from... Thank you so much for bringing this up to us, do thank Mr. Spoon for us as well! My this all smells wonderful!" Jade clapped her hooves together and licked her lips, smiling brightly to the Private scrambling to help as she started floating dishes from his heavily laden back.

I didn't miss her implied threat either, burrowing deeper under the blankets with a grumble, even though I couldn't really argue with her. I felt like death warmed over, somewhat literally in this case as I had nearly drowned / frozen to death the night before. That accounted for how exhausted and sore I felt, not to mention still sniffling and trying to muffle a sneeze from her sharp ears.

"O-Of course your HiIIghness! You're very welcome, m-my honor PriIIncess Jade! General FaAAst, little Princess. Good to haAve you back!" The private thankfully bowed his way out at that, every high pitched crack of his changing voice making me wince at the dull headache I had.

I was a lot more willing to put up with Glitter dragging me from the warm covers than some awestruck buck ogling MY Jade, though still grumbled at the strong little earth pony filly pushing and shoving happily. "C'mon Daddy! Wake up! Tell me what happened last night, mommy sounds maaaad... Did you fight a bunch of robots at that racing place? Or those nasty Gunners? Oooh! Or a dragon!?"

"Nnngh... worse... We went to high school..."

The cute tilt to her head when I surrendered and sat up made me chuckle, ruffling her silver mane still messy from sleep and floating over the bacon I knew Jade wouldn't touch. Glitter blinked curiously between us in confusion at my cryptic answer, but I smiled at the way she stuck her tongue out at the word 'school', accepting that as a truly terrible ordeal without details.

When she spotted a bit of red tangled in the dark blue sheets and fished it out, Jade turned a crimson nearly matching the short cheerleader skirt the filly held up curiously, sputtering around her muffin. "Y-Yes, we went to a school of sorts dear, it was v-very trying, we will tell you all you missed, I promise. Y-Your father managed to injure himself yet again as you would expect, s-so I would like you to keep him out of trouble and from overdoing things while we remain at the castle please."

Snapping a salute to her mother at the mission, Glitter sat between us and kept her bright pink eyes focused on me. Getting her hooves on a bowl of Sugar Apple Bombs, she mumbled around the crunchy cereal happily. "Ok Mommy, mwah'll watch hmm! Whnn whe weavin' again?"

"Hmm... well, my sister should be returning with Witching and Mr. Jets fairly soon, provided they did not run into trouble of their own I suppose. We must return the kind old stallion home safely, as well as take Miss Wind with us to help your father with repairing that p-power armor I am expected to race in...." Jade narrowed her eyes at me and shivered, reminding herself of the upcoming race we had to prepare her for, visibly shaking off her anxiety before continuing. "By this afternoon I would imagine. I am quite certain there are several things awaiting my attention here while we wait, but your father is bound to try doing too much and needs to rest."

The Minutemare cook must have been learning from the local fisherponies in Eclipse Village. I kept floating Miretank Sausages, Cakes, a surprisingly good if fishy tasting Omelette and lots of bacon to go with it all, rubbing at the ache between my eyes as my fangs extended and I kept scarfing it all down. Mainly trying to ignore the pleased whisper in my head of, 'Mine... Meat... Want... More...' as I held my hoof up in defense.

"I wasn't going to get into trouble, we're in a castle full of an army of Minutemares for Celestia's sake you two. I just wanted to go putter around awhile..."

"You wish to go begin assembling your teleporter device, even without the final components. I am well aware when your obsession is showing Fast. You have a squad of repair-ponies here to help you, I insist you learn to delegate work, rather than trying to do it all yourself..." Jade arched an eyebrow and answered primly, combining a number of dishes into another of her culinary creations that made Glitter and I both gulp queasily as she dug in.

"Alright, alright... I'll supervise... but I do want to get started while we're here anyway. Alright?"

Jade gave a dubious snort at my grudging answer, her long horn lighting up mellowly to prod and poke at me, checking over my health with her vast array of medical spells. Only once she was satisfied I wasn't going to simply keel over did she give a short nod, nudging Glitter closer and patting the filly's head. "Very well... so long as Glitter supervises the supervisor, now let us enjoy our lovely meal together!"

'Be Kind...' rose up at her wise suggestion, the sweet note humming along with the warmth and love I felt simply eating breakfast in bed with my two favorite fillies beating back the possessive growl of 'Be Dark...' being unusually active this early. Privately I worried about that, but if I really had broken something in my head that kept the Shroud mostly imprisoned, I had done it to get back to them, to be here, now, together.

No matter what the cost, it was worth it.

After opening the rusted steel shutters under the more ornate and ancient ones blocking off the balcony of Luna's chambers, I took the time to give Glitter a short flight around the castle before making our way down to the courtyard. It gave me a chance to inspect all the work the Minutemares had put into the place while we were gone, along with spending precious time with my daughter.

I looped and dove around the towers and parapets at her direction, gliding past all the mortars and anti-air guns festooning the walls slowly. Each was polished enough to sparkle in the bright morning light and attended by a crew of two or three ponies in blue, maintaining the repaired weaponry proudly and giving friendly waves up to us swooping by.

Making a sharp dive from the seaside cliffs and down to the beach elicited bright laughter and squeals from Glitter, enjoying the ride as much as a roller coaster and squeezing my neck tightly. We banked over the settlement of Eclipse Village, low enough for her to shout and wave down to the fisher-ponies returning the greeting as they moved about their daily work.

Overall they looked much happier than when we arrived originally, their town had been greatly improved and all the extra fish and Miretank meat they pulled from the sea that had been going to the Gunners, now went out to Jamocha Plains for trade. There were signs everywhere of how much they were prospering and I smiled on spotting the light green earth pony filly charging down the beach to keep pace with us. Mint Twist and her small herd of friends that formed my 'fan club' cheered and waved happily as we flew by and I tipped my hat, somewhat embarrassed to find several had dug up old Shrouded Stallion shirts, hats and other merchandise from the nearby Bobbing Cane Museum and Gift Shop.

Clawing for altitude to get back up the cliffs and return to the castle got my morning exercise and flight training out of the way, leaving me sweaty and wheezing when we stumbled to a landing in the castle courtyard. It got the kinks out anyway and I was eager to join my crew of Fixers already busily working with the pile of parts and junk outside their tower. They had a large printout of Dr. Vigil's teleporter schematics near a cluttered workbench, several of the pretty fillies trotting back and forth from it to what they were working on as reference.

I was a little leery as I walked up on spotting Summer and the leader of my squad, the attractive Onyx Operator, arguing in front of the plans at the center of all the work. When they noticed me creeping closer with Glitter skipping along beside me, I gulped as they both galloped over, clearly looking to me to resolve whatever conflict I had inadvertently walked in on.

Onyx sauntered up with mischief in her lidded, shadowed eyes, making my mane itch and my wings spring up as she squeezed my cheeks in her hooves, nickering happily that she had my complete attention. "Aha, there's our cute little General! Just in time, tell this newbie pegasus mare that I'm in charge sir. You did promote me to seargent of Fast's Fixers, riiiight General?"

Summer pushed her way up and thankfully got the alluring Onyx to let go, snorting in frustration at the slightly older mare smirking and pointing out the bars on her blue jumpsuit uniform. "Fast, tell this, this... this annoying mare that I'm not some inexperienced private to push around! I was a senior scribe with the Brotherhood and..."

"With the big, snooty Brotherhood, not with the Minutemares and definitely not with my squad. You're just a newbie and I'm your superior officer miss prissy, General Fast put me in charge, tell her sir!" Onyx tossed her flowing violet and silver mane, both of them staring at me expectantly.

"Er... Well, Onyx is in charge, yeah..." I winced at Summer's snort and Onyx's whinny of victory, forcing me to hurry up and continue. "B-But! But Summer really does know her stuff and held a high rank in the Brotherhood, some of that should transfer over after all... err... right?"

Great... Now both of them were mad at me, the rest of the squad pausing in their work to watch the show with amused expressions. Worse was the way Onyx enjoyed toying with me, already I could see her plotting a way to mess with me as punishment. Then there was the newer member of the squad I had left before getting to know, the purple alicorn Flitter watching avidly was practically stuffed into her own jumpsuit, sniffing at the air dreamily.

'MINE! Want... More.... Want...NOW!'

Nnngh... shut up! Go to sleep dammit! I flinched at the demanding growl in my head, rubbing my forehead and muttering tiredly to cut this whole encounter off. "Onyx, I said you're in charge and you are, I count on you to keep the squad running while I'm gone. Summer... I need you to come with us to Rocketburg and work on Jade's power armor anyway, so you'll be on special assignment most of the time."

Mentioning the other project we had to return to got the attention of Cool Jets and gave me a brief reprieve, the light orange pegasus mare's ears perked up at the mention of her home town of Rocketburg. "Power armor? For the Princess sir? They actually pulled the old A-01 out of mothballs? Oh, don't tell me... my stupid cousin Zeke wants to race, right?"

"Er... yeah actually, how'd you know?"

"Because that's all that featherbrain ever wants to do. I can't believe him... if you need help, I'd love to see that dummy get smoked by Princess Jade daddy-o!" Cool Jets grinned and flicked her tail, her slip into Arcano-Cats slang reminding me that she used to be part of the group as another of Burny's grandfoals.

She also had the positive effect of breaking some of the tension, the others giggled together at her fluttering up and continuing to insult her cousin, explaining a bit about the Cats to the squad and telling animated stories about the races Jade was entered in.

"That's right, I could use your help too Cool, since you know the Cats and the races so well, you two will be our pegasus pit crew, huh? Onyx, you have to admit, a senior Scribe has a lot of training we don't, right? Summer is just a special case, er... a specialist, that's it. Let's just say you two have equal rank, alright? Now, could we just focus on how it's going here? I just want to work on this thing and make some progress."

Neither looked happy, but both of them seemed to accept my decision and not push the issue, though Summer got a worried look at the way I kept rubbing my head. They spoke over each other giving a professional report on their progress, while the rest of the squad got back to work, continuing their more lighthearted chatting.

So far it was actually going well, they had mostly finished a complicated housing for the huge crystal platform and were busily wiring the control console and a hodgepodge of terminals to it. The radar dish from the Arcano-Cats airbase was set aside, waiting for the magical beam emitter we hoped to get from Dreadnot. The problem I had walked in on was the real stumper once we got to it, going over Vigil's plans and frowning at the numbers listed.

"See Fast, we can build it, but the power demands..." Summer pointed out the immutable numbers and shrugged, coming to the same conclusion I grudgingly had to.

Onyx didn't want to accept it however, huffing in pride. "We've got a arcano-flux reactor under this place! If we crank it up and shut down everything else in the castle, then..."

"Then we'll overload it and spend a month repairing it, if we can... The Miretank Queen did a real number on that reactor Onyx."

"But! Flitter here has been going down and continuing your repairs to it sir, it's in better shape than when you left, we've squeezed a lot more juice out of it as we've been fixing the place up. Tell him Flitter!" Onyx was surprisingly stubborn, dragging over our purple alicorn member who primped and nodded.

"Well... I did increase efficiency by 17% Fast... I mean male, er I mean sir! Fast... sir! Darnit! I'm sorry, n-nerves... after Onyx was so nice and helped me prepare for when you came back too. I could try to do better down there, you could come help sir... but umm... hehe... there's probably not much more we can do." I facehoofed just imagining the ways Onyx had helped the flustered lavender mare 'prepare', but gave her a smile for being honest and trying so hard.

My squad of Fixers had put a lot of work in here while we'd been gone. They deserved well earned praise from their commanding officer, not to have me just wander in with extra work and tell them they hadn't done enough already. 'Be Unwavering!'

I hated being in charge... Sighing, I took off my hat to scratch my mane as I chose my words carefully. "Girls, you've done an awesome job with what we have to work with here and I really appreciate it. The castle's in amazing shape thanks to you, but it started out as a ruin and that's not your fault. The problem is just this teleporter requires an insane amount of power. Even if the castle's reactor was in perfect condition, we'd be pushing it."

Taking the time to acknowledge and appreciate their effort helped a little, but they all wore crestfallen expressions, their ears drooping as they scuffed the ground and thought over the problem that just couldn't be solved with the tools on hoof.

Flitter at least whinnied at the praise, the somber silence broken by her sleepy sounding voice, making me look up to her lidded eyes and flaring nostrils sharply. "Is there somewhere else that has enough power sir? Like back home in Trinity Tower even? We could go there..."

Backing away from the large purple alicorn taking slow, unconscious steps forward with heart shaped sparkles in her eyes, I jabbered back nervously. "N-No! I don't think that's a good idea Flitter... er... I mean, t-thinking of somewhere with enough power is, but n-not Trinity Tower, y-your sisters... I'd never get anything done, r-right?"

I was glad Glitter was half listening to what had been boring technical talk, popping her head up from a pile of parts to come trotting over with a broad grin. The little earth pony filly got between Flitter and I, thankfully managing to get Flitter to shake off that lovestruck look with a blush as Glitter giggled. "Somewhere else would work Daddy? Like where? Places we went before? I'd like to visit the fairies, or Goodneighbor! Home would be really nice too, but I guess they don't have enough fancy generators there to..."

I scooped Glitter up in a manic hug as I had an idea that would work thanks to her. "Home! That's it sweetie! Great job! We can build it back home!"

Summer tilted her head in confusion, wearing a soft smile at me nuzzling the filly happily. "Er... isn't she right though Fast? I read the latest Brotherhood reports on Sanctuary, umm... they keep tabs on you pretty closely... Sanctuary doesn't have nearly the amount of power that the castle does. How..."

"Not Sanctuary! Home! I mean... Sanctuary is home too, but the first thing I still think of is the answer. My old home, Stable 111!"

I paused with a wide grin, looking at the squad of repair-fillies blinking at me curiously. Granted Stable 111 was still mostly kept a secret, but I got so caught up in the idea I expected a better reception... Cheers, some oohs and ahhs, maybe a 'Eureka!'... The tilted heads and arched eyebrows looking back forced me to pace in front of them, glancing over the teleporter plans as my mouth tried to keep up with my brain.

"The Stable! 111 has a ton of power already, see? Just the standard generator wasn't enough to run 1000 stasis pods, so there's like triple redundancy down there! Even if half of them are shot, that's still more than enough! Plus we can build it down on the Icebox floor and it'll be out of sight, the Institute and the Gunners won't know what we're up to! Thank you so much sweetie!"

Having a plan lifted everypony's spirits and my squad bent to the task at hoof once I explained it. I still didn't really like being in charge, but remembered how much a good maintenance chief like Sprockets back home did, just by making the big decisions and giving us underling repair-ponies our orders. The Fixers went to work with renewed energy and helped figure out the details from there, offering their support to make it work.

Once Onyx actually got serious, instead of simply enjoying the opportunity to tease me again, she reaffirmed all the reasons I left her in charge of the squad. She gave out orders naturally, mainly I just got dragged along in her wake and used as a bludgeon to get her way, shoving me in front of awed troops as the General of the Minutemares, letting me just nod along with her orders as though they were my own.

It did eventually let me chat with the only other Minutemare who held an equal rank when Onyx pushed for too much. Preston was in the middle of morning training with a group of raw recruits in the courtyard and looked busy, but turned things over to a grizzled looking earth pony sergeant happily enough. Moving the valuable components so far across the Commonwealth would require a small expedition, but all the trading routes we had established meant we could get it done quickly and quietly.

Being out in the open with Preston, while Onyx and his nearby unicorn assistant worked it out, drew a bit of attention. While it did let Glitter flag down her griffon friends Lila and Heidi from doing a looping exploration flight of the castle, it also allowed a still sleepy and grumpy looking Fancy to track me down unfortunately.

The snowy white griffon Freya prowled along behind her when she came storming out of the castle, though I was happy to see Val beside her and that the two griffons were actually chatting back and fort amiably. Though Fancy was still in a foul mood after last night's adventure and kept up her single minded focus on what she wanted from me, dragging Preston into her plans as if he should be honored.

I was surprised when she held up her gold plated pip-buck and brought up the map, holding her foreleg out imperiously for us to see the blinking icons displayed far up the coast to the north. She must have learned how to use the arcano-tech device better than when we escaped Dala. One of the map markers read 'Svengallop Manor', our target... The other was not far away on the coastline, a house shaped icon reading 'Coastal Cottage'. Fancy had at least thought things through and scouted ahead anyway.

Nodding over to her crew of cleaned up raiders packing up their gear in a corner of the courtyard, she snorted at me angrily. "Hey! Stupid! I helped you with your idiotic thing at the Downs that nearly got us killed, time to return the favor. My associates and I are heading that way now, since we can't all fly like some ponies... We're going to set up here and scout the place out, but you better show up on time dammit! And you should send some of your silly soldier ponies too General Goofy Hat, this is the kind of thing you do, isn't it?"

Preston huffed at the insult, straightening his battered hat and puffing his chest out, all his shiny brass buttons gleaming in the morning light. "The Minutemares aren't your private army of raiders to order around missy. If the General's going to strike a blow against the Institute however, we'll have soldiers on hoof to lend our assistance at a minute's notice."

"See? I promised Fancy... I want Vega as much as you want Neighson, we'll be there. What did I tell you about asking nicely..."

"Please... Happy? Come on Freya, let's go save my snuggleboo!" Fancy stuck her nose up and stomped off towards the gates, making us all glad to see her curly golden tail leaving the castle.

Despite how annoying she could be, I caught her green eye flick back over her shoulder before she left. The worry and vulnerability she so carefully masked showing through for just a moment. She was a bitch, but she loved Neighson Svengallop and would do anything to get him back, just like I would for Jade... That was enough for me to give her a determined tip of my hat, catching her wary smile before she tossed her head and shouted at the gate guards to open up faster, then disappeared from view.

"That cunt is a real piece of work boss, almost feel sorry for the ice queen after hearin' some of the shit she's had to put up with. Doesn't have near as good a pony boss as I do!" Val grabbed me in a headlock and gave affectionate noogies watching them go.

Preston still sounded offended, but turned away and chuckled at Val teasing me. "Glad to see your guests finally gone myself Fast, but we'll be ready to back you up when the time comes. Her griffon gave us good intel on the target and worked on strategy with me, she was a much more professional merc than this one..."

"Shaddup General Goofy Hat, I'm plenty professional and tons more awesome than that frigid bitch. The boss likes me just fine, don'tcha boss?" Val turned to scratching my itchy mane for me in reply, clucking happily at my hindleg thumping the ground and smirking at Preston.

"Of course Val, though I'm glad to see you getting along with Freya a little better, since we're working together and all... Thanks a lot for the help there too Preston, attacking an Institute Director at home won't be easy. How have things been going otherwise? I umm... h-haven't seen Peri around yet..."

Figuring out my worried questioning too easily, Preston laughed and gave a hearty, earth pony hoof to my back that made me stagger. "Oh Peri's happy as a clam Fast, and safe, no worries there! I assigned her to stay at the MoP and help get things set up in Willowville, figured keeping a mare in her condition in that neck of the woods would be a good idea anyway, right? Our little friends in the hub have taken a real shine to her actually. Last report I got, they had taken to calling her the Fairy Princess!"

"Heh... Fairy Princess... I can see it. Though I wonder how Queen Ether feels about that title..."

I had to crack a wry grin at his joke, just imagining the ethereal blue alicorn mare surrounded by the fairies of the MoP hub. Knowing she was ...pregnant... too, I had no doubt the breezies Preston carefully kept from directly mentioning out in the open would treat her like royalty. Her being safe and well cared for was a weight off my mind, Peri and her sisters the only thing that was more important to me than getting this teleporter built and going after the Institute to find my family.

Almost as if thinking of one expectant alicorn had summoned another, the steady rhythm of all the ponies working in the courtyard was broken by a loud 'pop!' and flash of purple magic appearing in the air above the open courtyard. Swan was already fluttering down to the hatch sealing off all the radiation below to recharge. She was flanked by a tired but happy looking Witchy and a grinning old Burny Jets.

Trotting behind Glitter already pelting towards them, I followed a lot of hushed glances looking away from the spectacle to find Jade leaning out from a second floor balcony. She caught my eye as she launched herself into the air to join us, smiling brightly in the morning light and joining me as our little wasteland family came together again.

All of us except Zed anyway... I looked around and wondered where the elusive zebra was, reminding myself the last anyone had heard, he had still been down in the tomb beneath our hooves... Much as the thought of going down there again made a chilly panic try to rise up in my chest, after reading the last story in the book of Shrouded Stallion mythology, I still had to talk to the gruff and apparently tight lipped stallion about a few things.

I managed to put off the inevitable as long as possible, taking time to greet Swan, Witchy and Burny Jets in the courtyard and chatting with them. I was surprised and amused to find Witchy wasn't just tired from being awake so early in the morning, but also a little hung over of all things. Her slitted amber eyes were bloodshot, but sparkled as she tackled me in a chirping hug, holding up a glowing red memory orb proudly, before fluttering off to go show Jade giddily.

Apparently Mayor Shamrock had thrown quite the party for Jade's sister and royal guard coming to visit his town. It was nice of him to cover their expenses at the Memory Den, allowing Witchy to see a memory of her parent's wedding from Mr. Jets that she related with a breathless smile, promising to let me see when I expressed interest. I was pretty sure the ghoul mayor overwhelmed the sheltered thestral with all the celebrating.

A party was unavoidable once Swan spilled the beans about her recent good news though. Goodneighbor's version of a baby shower sounded as over the top and raucous as everything else the party town did. Caramel Divine and Memento Mori at the Memory Den gave her a silky white ribbon for her mane. Cats Paws at the Combat Zone let her smash as many contestants at the fights as she liked all night. Even Knick and Knack at the local pawn shop dug up and armored a baby stroller she showed off proudly, while Ivy's more practical gift of baby clothes dug up from her orphanage were shared with Jade and made me feel dizzy looking over the tiny little hats and pajamas.

I felt happy the proud purple mare was small enough to enjoy the parts of the bustling city that didn't involve going on a rampage like she had the last time anyway. I was also extreeeeemely grateful she had learned not to just let her sisters visiting from Trinity Tower follow them back.

Burny looked like he had quite enjoyed himself anyway, scratching his grey beard and giving a wink with a twinkle in his eye about the Mayor's generosity at some of his town's 'other attractions'. The old goat sounded twenty years younger wistfully talking about all the pretty fillies in the Black Cat, before his granddaughter Cool Jets overheard and swatted at him with a groan of; "Gross Grandpa!".

All the laughter and happy reunions up in the sunshine didn't put off what waited down here in the dark forever though... Asking around just confirmed it, Zed hadn't left the Shroud's tomb at all, getting up to strange zebra hoodoo all night long. There was nothing to do but slink off to the dark passages under the castle and trudge my way there.

They had stationed a tough looking older blue earth pony stallion outside the open iron gates to the tomb, but even he looked like a spooked colt after staying down here in the chilly, creepy passage to the Shroud's tomb. He straightened up and saluted at my approach, jerking his muzzled towards the passage and the strange chanting I could hear echoing towards us. "There you are sir, sent Private Flare up to find you and was wondering if he got lost down here. The zebra wants to see you..."

I didn't like the distasteful way he referred to Zed, but was a little forgiving listening to Zed's voice singing the weird zebra chants rising and falling rhythmically, adding to how spooky it was where the stallion had been stationed. At least he hadn't been alone long, but just a little while would probably get to anypony. I returned his salute and passed the open iron gates, my tail bristling as the temperature dropped noticeably.

"Hey Zed? You wanted to see..."

My words dried up when I pushed through the gap of the ironwood doors spilling flickering light out, gaping at my zebra friend. Zed was engaged in an odd dance around the dais the imprisoned Shroud had once rested on, prancing around and hopping as he chanted. The rusty chains overhead seemed to sway and clink in time with the rhythm, while the small chamber reeked of smoking herbs and incense that made me cough as soon as it filled my nose.

Even stranger was the getup he was in... Zed had stripped off his normal armored leather jacket, adding more tribal jewelry to his usual jade bangles and bone necklace. All the rattling fetishes added to the hypnotic music he was making. Topping it off was the bright red paint accenting his stripes in swoops and swirls, matching the warpaint like designs on the face of the large bone mask he wore.

I held a hoof up in greeting as he reached some kind of climax, but was cut off when he suddenly uttered a shout and flipped right at me. His hoof actually glowing bright green as it whistled through the air and drove right into my gut.

"Whhhhyyyy...?"

I crumpled to the stone floor, losing part of my breakfast with an undignified, gurgling groan, curling up into a fetal ball and wondering what exactly I had done to piss Zed off. I was even more confused as I watched him poking and sniffing at my puddle of vomit, finally raising his ornate mask up to blink down at me with a hopeful look. "Well? Do you feel anything Fast?"

"I f-feel like I was just bucked in the gut by a freight train... w-what'd I do?" I whimpered back.

Rather than answering immediately, Zed stared at me closely, then snorted in frustration and paced away, tossing his tribal mask and fetishes aside, griping to himself as much as me. "I simply do not understand it, that should work! How can you be possessed, yet not at the same time!? There should be SOME reaction at the least! Do you really not feel anything Fast?"

I managed to get back to my hooves, holding a foreleg to my gut and pouting back. "Again... like a minotaur decided to go use me for a punching bag... Otherwise no, am I supposed to?"

"Something, anything, yes!" Zed threw his hooves up, smudging his paint when he rubbed his face and huffed.

"What the hell are you even doing down here Zed? Besides lying in wait to freaking ambush me?"

Zed sighed wearily, tossing a string of crystal flakes from his neck over as he packed his mask and other accessories away in his leather packs. He must have collected them from around the tomb and fashioned them together, though I was interested to see the formerly black crystal had turned clear... "I have been sanctifying this tomb and studying your ghost... I do not share your mare's view that your problems may be mundane psychosis. I do not think you do either, do you Fast?"

"Er... yeah, I think so too Zed. You still didn't have to sucker buck me though..."

Zed scoffed at my pouting and rubbing my stomach. "I 'sucker bucked' you with the most powerful and sacred exorcism strike I know, not for fun Fast. Yet it had no effect... did it?"

'Betrayer...'

"Not really, no." Zed groaned at my answer, the sulking mutter of 'Be Dark..' proving it was still lodged firmly in my brain. "Hey... I umm... I read about him, the Shroud I mean. About how he got sealed away, about... Y-Yura..."

The name of the ancient zebra witch from the book of Shrouded Stallion myths got a sigh from Zed, looking up with a flicker of shame in his grey eyes. "You did, did you? I wondered when you would reach that story. Perhaps you can understand my personal interest in your problem, and my frustration... You are somehow possessed by one of the most dangerous spirit creatures in both our race's histories, yet cannot be exorcised and are not falling to depravity. I do not understand it..."

Tapping my hooves, I thought a moment about my most recent experience. Zed was definitely the buck to talk to when it came to spooky spiritual voodoo... I had to admit, the temperature in the tomb felt warmer and the shadows weren't as dark somehow... Zed actually did something down here anyway.

"Umm... I was thinking Zed... Maybe he's not so bad? The Shroud was corrupted by Nightmare Moon, but he used to be good... Maybe if he's really stuck in my head, he's trying to help? Like he can be redeemed or something? When we were out last night, we were in trouble, I was... I nearly died, but I asked that voice for help and we got out of a jam, together."

Zed's eyes blazed and he charged over before I could blink, planting his hooves on my shoulders and glaring. "Do not make deals with spirits Fast! You ponies don't know what you're dealing with! It isn't your friend, it is a creature beyond your reckoning and the price will always be more than you think!"

"Why don't you explain things to the ignorant pony then? It is stuck in my head after all. What do you know about the Shroud Zed?"

He let me go at least, falling back a few steps and sighing. "Very well... If only so you listen and beware... The Shrouded Stallion was a creature of dreams, something Nightmare Moon... sorry, your Princess Luna... summoned from the astral plane. Her mastery over the dream realm and own subconscious desires shaped it, gave it a role to play and rules to follow in a kind of pact, but it is not a pony Fast..."

"Astral spirits like it are... difficult. They can be as powerful as elemental spirits, but unlike them, they don't often directly interact with the material plane. When they do possess a living host, they often become drunk on sensation. The pleasures and pains of being alive are like a drug to them. They tend to revel in whatever strikes their fancy; food, sex, violence, love, hate... sound familiar?"

I replied with a flat look at the zebra's smug look and crossed my forelegs over my chest defensively. "You're saying the ghost in my head is the reason I'm a pervert..."

Zed actually gave a half hearted chuckle at my blushing answer, nodding while he waggled a hoof. "Somewhat. When a spirit possesses someone though, they overwhelm the weaker soul of the host completely to sate their desires. One obsessed with food for example, would eat until they burst, literally... You may overindulge or lose control now and then, but you do not lose yourself completely somehow."

"Aaaand... that's weird for some reason?"

"Very... Your odd possession may also account for your affinity to those soul jars you collect as well, and how your path seems so guided by the spirit's will. Once a creature has been marked by the spirits, all of them take an interest. I do know that in every other case of possession, sooner or later, the spirit will consume and destroy the soul of the host however..." Zed finished with a serious look, making me gulp at the warning.

"Great... really great pep talk Zed, thanks a lot..."

Giving a grave bow of his head with a hoof to his heart, Zed put on a wan smile and tried to sound comforting. "Do not worry, I am sure this is why our paths crossed Fast. I can redeem the mistakes my ancestor made by helping you. Once we are done with your current errands, I would like to take you to Neighlem Village and the zebras there. Surely their their wisdom will prevail where mine has been lacking. In the meantime, do not try your pony friendship business with that spirit of yours. Ignore its temptations. Do not talk to it. Do not rely on it. Do. not. make. deals..."

"R-Right Zed... gotcha, no deals..."

It took the rest of the morning to prepare to leave again, giving me time to tinker and service all our gear. Jade was plenty busy herself, speaking with her Followers based out of the castle, taking time to make decisions that had been waiting on her and even putting herself on display as the Princess of the Minutemares spending time with the troops.

To my surprise, she even personally inducted Bruno, along with a group of new recruits in an impromptu ceremony in the throne room, ending on the young griffon trying too hard to be unimpressed. Jade only ruefully allowed him to join so long as I kept my end of the compromise, immediately assigning Bruno to go with the next group heading west to the MoP hub.

That kept him fairly far from the Gunners and safe, while there'd be plenty to do befitting the aerial predator's talents. He complained, but taking him aside and asking him to keep an eye on Peri as a personal request looked to appeal to his ego. His feathers puffed up and he tipped his new Minutemare hat proudly anyway, giving me a short; "You got it boss!" before running off to join the other new recruits.

Glitter's griffon friends Lila and Heidi didn't hold back nearly as much however, the two Groverite taught sisters getting almost misty eyed at the weepy little filly making her farewells. They'd at least get to go with Bruno as far as Jamocha Plains with quite a few other griffons, before heading north to settlements like Salt Lick, Sunshine and Rainbows Co-Op and finally, Hexington.

All three exchanged frayed and colorful friendship bracelets Jade had taught them to make with a solemnity only kids could manage over something so simple, promising to see each other again and always be 'BPGFF', Bestest Pony-Griffon Friends Forever. Wiping away a tear rolling down Glitter's cheek stretched in a forced smile, I was glad I had taken the time to go digging up my own friendship bracelet present to add to hers.

Presenting the two young griffons with their own pip-bucks from Stable 111 let them part on a happier note, Glitter's more genuine grin and somewhat snotty hug well worth it. The more technical minded Lila was much more impressed, but even Heidi appreciated the valuable piece of arcano-tech and squawked happily once Glitter explained locator tags and how to use them. Of course Val going over their combat related functions with the pig-tailed little mercenary didn't hurt either.

When we were finally on our way, a recharged and chipper Swan was able to teleport us all to our first stop, managing to make the short hop to Rocketburg and the Arcano-Cats to drop off Burny Jets, along with his granddaughter Cool Jets and Summer Wind to start working on the A-01 power armor waiting on us there.

From there we flew south, following the shattered coastline of ruined buildings and docks, the dark bulk Dreadnot dead ahead. Putting aside my own troubled thoughts about the Shroud, I noticed our guide's growing distress and drifted a little closer to Witchy, giving her a friendly nudge to drag her eyes away from the dark wreck of the Equestrian Navy vessel growing closer as the sun dipped lower to the west.

"Doing ok Witchy?"

"EEEP!" The nervous looking thestral must have been more wrapped up in her thoughts than I feared, squeaking at being roused before jabbering back. "Oh! F-Fine! Just fine Fast, n-no worries!"

"Are you sure? You don't have to do this... I can go tell them you brought me here like you said and to buck off, then you kept your word and it's over with. 'Be Kind...' No reason to give any more of them the chance to... hurt you again." 'Be Dark...'

I could feel Jade's concentration on the back of my head increase with that protective growl, though it did make Witchy's shrunken amber eyes soften with a smile. "Honestly Fast, I'll be alright. A proper royal guard can hardly be too afraid to stand by her Princess. Especially after her highness told me what happened when I took merely one night off..."

"Ooooo... she told you about the haunted high school.. didn't she? Er... it wasn't that bad, really... She wanted to go! We weren't supposed to wind up there either, it just sorta happened... I was there to take care of her!"

"Mm-hmm... and you have such a track record of safety first, don't you Fast?" I winced at Witchy arching a sarcastic eyebrow, laying her ears back and huffing her displeasure.

Jade's musical giggle behind us saved me from hanging my head in defeat, keeping close watch on me enough to offer her own contribution. "Oh do not let her fool you Fast. Witching agreed with me and was most upset when she heard how you were hurt protecting me. My dear royal guard thinks very highly of you my love..."

Jade's demure smirk made Witchy and I both turn red, sputtering at her humming mischievously. Before Glitter riding on her back got over her confused and suspicious look at grown up conversation going over her head, Jade giggled lightly and pointed below us. "Oh look! Here we are Glitter dear, the settlement of Dreadnot!"

The wrecked ship below us forming the town of Dreadnot was just enough to distract the little filly, getting an excited squeal as we joined in for our closest look yet as we glided down. The 'E.M.S. Dreadno~~ugh~~t' stamped in silver scroll work on the side of the ancient ship facing us had lost a few letters to damage, leaving the place with its wasteland era name glinting on the westward facing prow.

It was a massive ship, a flat topped air guard carrier, the Equestrian Navy answer to a raptor class cloudship. Beneath all the rust and corrosion from the salty air, the dark, flat black paint job lent it a menacing air, while the bright silver accents and artistic flourishes marked it as more than simply utilitarian design. This had been Luna's flagship, crewed by her personal guard and sent to the Commonwealth to collect her fallen servant...

It had been beached at a cockeyed angle to the shore, the long, shiny horn of a silver figurehead Luna on the prow pointing northwest, catching the setting sun. The whole ship was leaning towards the water as well, the angle and position creating a shadowy overhang beneath her that a small village had been built in, sheltered from the afternoon light and gloomy.

There were quite a few thestrals my sharp eyes could pick up in the shady town. They weren't the only ones though, far from it. Even though it was only early evening, there were lots of the nocturnal batponies out and about, flying around the canted deck and visible in the cracked and broken windows of the leaning bridge.

All the living thestrals were sticking to the top of the ship however, while the bulk of activity was in the strange shanty town of scrap and shipping containers built in its shadow. I could make out a lot of ghouls dressed in tattered naval uniforms, along with living ponies of all kinds busy at work around the hive of scaffolding that had been erected around the damaged hull nearer the shore line.

Pieces of scrap were being lifted via unicorn magic or a webs of pulleys, welded in place and slowly sealing the huge gaps. A newer looking warren of shacks nearby seemed to be living and a staging area for the large scale repairs. On the other side of the older looking village of ghouls was a rickety looking series of ramps and stairs leading up into the ship itself through a bulkhead door midway up.

I slowed my flight just to look over it all professionally, amazed at the progress made so far. The leaning towers of darkened magical energy cannons on the deck looked promising for my purposes anyway, I marked the most likely looking of these for my own plans while taking stock of all the others. Huge ballistic cannons, anti-air guns frozen on spinning housing, batteries of missiles at strategic points near dead radar dishes to slave them to. She was an intimidating vessel in her day alright...

Looping around to the westward side lit up by the sun, I goggled at the hive of activity taking advantage of the dying light. An army of earth ponies were in the process of digging a massive trench alongside the ship, stopping close enough to the shore for the sea to just start seeping in, but building a dam between it and their earthwork project.

I was suspicious on finding industrial earthmoving equipment very similar to the contraption that got Witchy and I out from beneath the Whinny Quarries assisting in the work, but they could have come from anywhere I supposed. Though the diggers slaving away on the trench looked a little too much like they were literally slaving away... Most were scrawny and exhausted looking, though the ones in charge looked healthy, well fed and muscled, bearing the scars of fighting ponies and managing the work crew with military order.

What they were up to was much more interesting... It took a minute to puzzle over, but I figured out the point of it all before completing our circuit of the ship. If it were seaworthy, they could let the ocean in and rock the ship that way, sliding into the channel and floating upright again. Then all they'd need to do is back it off the beach and Dreadnot would be a mobile fortress again...

"They're trying to fix it... No wonder they sent you after a repair pony Witchy."

Witchy was biting her lip and not looking down so much as up, to the alert guards of the upper city I could hear making that high pitched whine our way, sounding us out. I had gotten used to Witchy hitting that ultrasonic pitch, but a dozen batponies focusing it on our descent made Jade, Swan and I all lay our ears back. They definitely knew we were here.

"They're much further along than when I left... but yes Fast, it's long been my people's dream to sail the seas on Luna's flagship again. W-We should go down to the lower city first, we'll have to announce ourselves to be given permission to board and for the Princess to engage in parley with the Admiral. T-This way everyone..." Witchy gulped, but mastered the fear I could hear in her voice and led the way, landing in the middle of the ugly looking lower town.

While we often attracted attention landing in a new town like this, I heard a murmur go through the undead batponies nearby that had a different tone to it. Quite a few paused in the middle of whatever they were doing to gawk openly, I picked up a lot of squeaky whispers about two regal alicorns in their midst, but the one word I heard more than 'Princess' was 'Shroud', spreading through them quickly with their shared excellent hearing. I was as much a focus of the curious onlookers as Jade and the taller Swan standing over them.

"Well, we finally made it, right Witchy? Ready to get this over with? You sure this will be ok? It's safe for Jade, right?"

Giving a determined look, Witchy nodded and pointed off to the nearby ramp leading up to the ship. "Y-Yes, of course. Parley is ancient and sacred tradition, her highness' safety is assured under its protection. I'll go speak with the guards. The lower town is a little dingy, but everypony has always been friendly to me down here, so feel free to look around. I-I'll be right back and we can..."

Jade curled a wing over her nervous guard and gave her a soothing nuzzle to the cheek, smiling at Witchy's bright blush and calming her softly. "I do not believe I shall leave my loyal guard alone in this place Witching dear, I will go with you. This is the portion of your home you have told me about before, is it not? The area for those the upper echelon cast out? I would like you to give me a tour of those who have shown you kindness down here, before meeting with those elitists above if you please."

I didn't really like the idea of either of them wandering off too far by themselves here, but it was in sight and Jade gave me a patient look that brooked no argument. She was the best one to help Witchy through this, so I bowed along with the beautiful blue alicorn already trotting off and waving to interested residents brightly.

"Welp, if we're snoopin' around, gonna go find that weapons shop batty told me about boss! C'mon kiddo, let's go shoppin'!" Val took splitting up happily enough, calling the crafty little filly after her flicking tail, towards what looked like a small row of shops off the main thoroughfare.

Split between them and Jade, I trailed behind where I could keep an eye on both groups, though the weapons and armor shops Val had already sniffed out did look enticing. Witchy's own gear was expertly crafted works of art. Judging by the burly looking ghoul hammering away at an actual forge in front of one rough storefront full of metal armor and swords, the ghouls down here still knew all the same secrets apparently. Moving around also let me try to put the prying eyes and ears behind us, some of which I realized was directed at Zed too, but much less friendly.

"I didn't expect a better reception Fast, these ponies hold to the old ways and my people are the enemy. Witching herself reacted poorly when we met after all, at least with ghouls it's easier to bear. Especially those who served in that war themselves. Though I don't think it wise for me to try going up top with the rest of you." Zed shrugged at my concerned look, again impressing me with how strong he had to be to live with that kind of prejudice his whole life.

The synthetic zony Oro we met last night had been similar, living with that weight on his shoulders and not breaking. I'd only experienced a little since becoming an alicorn, but hadn't liked it at all so far. It made me feel more for what Witchy had gone through here, being ostracized just for being half earth pony. The only ones who'd been nice to her were these sad ghouls down here, fellow outcasts themselves.

Giving a snort of agreement, Swan tossed her long pink mane and squinted at the door to the ship above us. "I don't want to go in either, it looks way too cramped. Why are we here besides sister's little friend Fast? I want to go have fun with the tin can ponies and play in the armor sister doesn't want."

Smiling at the giddy look sparkling in her blue violet eyes, I pointed overhead and decided to cover my bases in case things went poorly. "I need you to be ready to do me a favor here though Swan, so it's ok to stay outside. See that big cannon leaning off the deck up there? We're gonna take it..."

"Provided the rulers here accept your offer of course... Right Fast?" Zed spoke up clearly, rolling his grey eyes at all the tufted ears tracking us.

"R-Right! Of course Zed, we're not gonna just take it! Hehehehe.... A-Anyway, that one looks like our best bet. The barrel's melted so it won't be much good as a weapon anymore, but the main housing on the deck is intact. That's the one we'll see about buying off these guys, so I'll need your help hauling it out of here Swan. Just umm... play it cool till then..."

Swan gave a prancing dance in place at the exaggerated faces I was making as a plea for subtlety. She did get the idea I was trying to get across, though being sneaky wasn't really in Swan's repertoire, as her verbal answer and dramatic wink demonstrated. "Okie dokie Fast. We will definitely not steal it! I will wait until you buy the thing, theeeen take it!"

I cringed at the big filly grinning and nuzzling at my mane being so obvious, but patted her cheek gratefully and tried to move off the subject quickly, taking another look around at all the slitted batpony eyes following us through the shanty town. Like pegasus settlements I had seen before, the lower village of Dreadnot was built vertically, rusting shipping containers that had spilled from the ship's hold had been dragged and stacked in precarious towers, fashioned into crude and uncomfortable looking homes for the mostly ghoulish residents.

Taking another look around at the increasing number of ghouls watching us, I spotted a ramshackle building across the main thoroughfare and trotted that way. It looked like half of a private yacht that had been tossed to the shore and half buried. There was a large gap in the leaning white hull that formed the entrance, the peeling paint and woodwork still visible enough to see it had once resembled a white and pink fish. The hole in the hull leading to the once luxurious lower deck was surrounded by battered tables, beneath a scrap metal sign swaying in the breeze from the leaning mast reading; Lunar Libations. Val always said a town's bar was the place to go for information, plus it let me get a little off the street while still able to keep an eye on the others.

Zed gave the ruined private yacht a doubtful look, shrugging to me before turning to a distracted Swan with a sweeping bow. "I believe I'll have a trot about town, no reason to add further mistrust as you take a look around. Care to join me Miss Swan?"

"Ok Zed, so long as we look for somewhere nice and glowy! With this many ghouls around, there's always somewhere tingly nearby and I wanna find it. So I'm ready to... NOT steal anything..." Swan pranced after the zebra already moving off, turning back to grin and giggle over her shoulder. "See how 'cool' I am being Fast? Nopony will suspect a thing!"

"Right Swan... Very smooth, thanks..."

The low murmur of conversation in the dim bar dried up as soon as I ducked under the flapping curtains keeping some of the heat from the central fire in, pausing awkwardly as my eyes adjusted to take in the crude bar set up in what had been the kitchen and dining area of the small yacht. There were several living patrons who were clearly workers from the ship repairs, lots of jingling tool belts and cutie marks related to wrenches, welding torches, hammers, screwdrivers and more. The rest were more of the ghoulish residents and they stared at me standing at the entrance the hardest.

The heavy set thestral ghoul behind the bar still wore a set of dirty kitchen whites that would look at home in the ship's galley. He was at least professionally more welcoming, his wispy ears perking up as I approached and a slight smile of yellowing fangs spreading as I hopped up to a cracked stool at the counter and asked for a Sparkle Cola Rad.

A gravelly voice from down the bar spoke up and seemed to break the silence that had fallen on the place, the normal background noise rising back up behind the friendly chortle. "Forsooth! Sir Times, tis you after all. I shall cover this strapping young buck's drink Galley Grub, matter of fact we must celebrate with something a tad stronger! Two shots of Reactor Rum! Tis a friend of our little Witching Hour!"

Mentioning Witchy in a carrying voice got the room to visibly relax, the bartender's curious blink turning into a more genuine grin, chirping in a squeaky voice that didn't match his physique as he lined up shotglasses and poured ...something... that sizzled and scorched the bar with each spilled drop. "Witching's? Oho, drinks on the house then little mini-Shroud, any friend of our Witching is a friend of ours! Hear that everypony?"

"Er... Thanks? Hello again Mr. umm... Moon Tide, wasn't it? What are you doing here? I thought you were in University Point?" I sniffed at the bubbling, glowing green concoction dubiously, the old ghoul regarded it as something strong and Witchy had once said there were drinks here that worked on even undead drinkers.

"A pleasure to find you here Sir Times, very fortuitous as I was just delivering another group of talented ponies I hath recruited from University Point actually. Glad of the timely return as well, can't have Witching's stalwart companions treated poorly. At least down here in Guano-town anyway! Drink up!" Witchy's ghoul friend she had met in the bar in U.P. nodded and raised his shot in a friendly toast.

"So, everypony down here knows Witchy? We're here with her, just sorta looking around where she grew up right now."

"Of course! Witching comes to visit us all the time Sir Times. Her father was a great advocate for us poor dead ponies when he was alive as well, so we treat her as one of our own. Try to make up for the way those snooty smooth coats treat her..." Moon Tide frowned as he finished, again showing his distaste over his own people's attitudes like he had in U.P..

The bartender Galley nodded sagely as we took a drink, absently wiping out a dirty glass in his hooves and jerking his head to an empty stool, near the cracked tv screen of what had been a living room area, surrounded by a few battered musical instruments. "Right thou are Moon, friends of our favorite entertainer are always welcome. Sorry for the chilly reception youngster, you came to visit on a stressful day is all."

Thinking of all the times I had seen Witchy play music on pretty much any instrument she ran across, I smiled at the empty stool, thinking of the shy batpony coming down here to perform. She had an excellent ear for music and must have felt comfortable to put herself on display, putting these thestrals under the heading of 'good ones' in my mind. Picturing her there, it was easy to understand how the ghouls would all care about her. She might have never believed it before, but Witchy would have brought beauty down to this dingy and sad home for the ghouls of Dreadnot, both her music and her presence.

I wheezed and thumped my chest when the burning shot went down the hatch, immediately feeling a tingle of strong radiation going down my throat and exploding like a miniature balefire bomb. I managed to sputter as I felt the mellow glow of alcohol taking effect for the first time in a long while, choking over the bartender's chuckles at my reaction.

"G-Good! Er... that Witchy has friends here I mean. Though I was starting to think I was unwelcome for some reason too. Sorry if I came at a bad time, noticed everypony seemed a little out of sorts, is there anything wrong?"

"Just a bit of excitement, not often we have something as salacious as a murder to gossip over." Mr. Moon Tide lowered his voice and gave a slight bow. "Makes for a banner day having Witchy and her famous Princess showing up too. Though I'd advise caution if thine plans are to consort with those frightened ninnies above."

"A murder? Something like that happened here?"

I felt a strange dread as Mr. Tide continued in a conspiratorial whisper. "Verily Sir Times, well not here-here, but on the upper decks. Had it been one of us, I dare say they'd not have cared a whit, so we're of mixed opinion on the whole thing."

"Er... don't ponies just get killed sometimes, even up there? You look like you have a lot of outsiders working down here, so probably more crime, right?"

"Oh those workers I hath helped hire from University Point and elsewhere are a rowdy bunch alright, but not like this... We've not had a murder up top since... I suppose since old Midnight... though they refused to call it that." The old batpony ghoul ended on a leading note, his reference to Witchy's father enough to pique my interest.

"Witchy's dad was killed? She said it was an accident..."

"Oh aye, I'm sure she did, that's what they drilled into the fine filly and I'd nor any of these fine ghouls would weigh her heart with tales to the contrary Sir Times. Doesn't tarry the rumors however... Midnight was a fine stallion who had seen the world and wanted change, petitioned the Admiral, got up on his soap box and preached to the ignorant masses, the whole bit. Then he was assigned to a team exterminating our feral brethren from the sealed lower decks. Midnight didn't come back, but he stopped being a pest to the ponies up top..."

"T'was quite the story to gab over back then and little Witching t'was just a foal, so she didn't hear us mulling over the few scraps of rumor we got out of it. Make no mistake thou, Midnight Hour t'would never fall prey to a gaggle of mindless zombie crew mates when all the rest survived. Most suspicious how they all received promotions after such a failure and never spoke a word of what happened too... They're being most tight-lipped about this one as well, but the gory gossip gives us a bit of excitement." Mr. Tide gave a macabre grin of yellowing fangs, getting over his festering doubt over Witchy's father's fate and clearly enjoying the disruption to the norm.

"Really...?"

Mr. Tide waggled his hooves in joking menace, his rotting visage going along too well with the creepy chuckle of an amused storyteller. "They say he was mutilated, tortured... It's the brand that really has everypony's attention though..."

"Brand?"

"Aye, branded like those pegasi above the clouds liked doing to their own for so long. They took that idea from an ancient tradition in the royal guard, though it went out of favor during Goddess Luna's banishment. The Lieutenant had the mark of an oath breaker burned into his flank, given to those who forsake the divine commandments of chivalrous conduct we all take in holy Luna's service. Something only a member of the Night Guard would know Sir Times. Or the 'Shrouded Stallion' I suppose! Ha!" Moon Tide finished by tipping his mug my way, his cloudy eyes alive with juicy gossip and laughter.

Glancing down at my armor with him, I gulped and asked a nervous question. "W-Why's that? Why would I know it? I didn't do anything!"

"Ah! Sorry youngster, a poor jest! I didn't mean thine comic book identity. Word spreading that the real one is gone from yonder castle has it going around. I meant only that the Shrouded Stallion of myth would know it, Luna's enforcer was called up to bestow it in ancient times. A bit of a ghost story mirth tis all." Moon Tide finished and seemed to inspire fresh arguments on the subject from the rest of the bar, the noise level of healthy debate rising even as my pounding heart drowned most of it out.

I didn't... I couldn't have... I was with Jade all night, I woke up in her hooves for Celestia's sake! I couldn't have done anything without knowing it, could I? I did have those dreams... No! No, I was just being paranoid, that was all...

"You think the ponies up top should be worried Mr. Tide? Er... i-if this t-totally hypothetical, real Shrouded Stallion were actually loose? Wouldn't thestrals still so loyal to Goddess Luna have nothing to fear from her servant, i-if that were the case of course..."

"Aye, there's the rub, isn't it? Truly devout and loyal members of the Lunar Guard wouldn't have as much to fear... I'm afraid 200 years of isolation may have eroded the faith of our higher ranks however. We're lost without the presence of a Princess to give us purpose, the idea of fixing the ship seems to have taken that place in many of their hearts nowadays." Mr. Tide gave a raspy sigh, his voice tired and disappointed at the state of his small part of the wasteland.

"Hmmm... thanks for telling me sir, gives me more to think about. As far as Princesses go, there's one for you right over there, isn't that right Jade?" I managed a wan smile to the old ghoul, looking up with relief and pointing out Jade and Witchy standing in the doorway to the immediate silence and rapt attention of the patrons.

"O-Oh my... H-Hello everypony, a pleasure to meet you! I am P-Princess Jade of Sanctuary, my dear royal guard Witching Hour recommended your fine establishment to me. I-I see my husband has already found it on his own, s-so it must be as good as advertised." Jade blushed and her darting blue eyes caught mine, giving a bow to the bartender before cautiously trotting over with Glitter, Val, Zed and even Swan wiggling her way inside in her wake.

I noticed the way all the ghoulish batponies tracked her across the room with their milky eyes, several fang filled mouths hanging open and many stunned expressions following her every graceful step. The firelight glimmering on her silver tiara and sparkling in her mane just added to her aura of nobility and I could guess at what the amazed looking customers were thinking. They were seeing a true Princess again, these old prewar ghouls had the real Luna to compare her to and still looked like they were seeing a ghost.

The nervous looking Witchy keeping right on her tail broke the spell once they arrived at the bar, squeaking to the bartender with a warm smile. "H-Hello Galley, Moon Tide.... umm... l-long time, no see."

"Witching! Welcome home dear, wonderful to see thou safe and sound. This must be thine famous Princess? We heard you found a monarch worth serving, but weren't sure what to make of it. I see she didn't just bow down to some trumped up raider with charisma though. Honor to meet you your highness, thou art a vision to warm an old ghoul's heart. Like seeing Goddess Luna in mine own bar!" The bartender Galley fluttered over the bar to give Witchy a squishy hug, then swiped the white cap from his wispy mane and gave Jade a low bow, kissing her hoof like a gentlecolt.

"T-The honor is mine I assure you sir. There is no reason to put on such airs, any friend of my dear Witching is somepony I would call friend as well. Please, call me Jade if you would, Princess is far too formal and I fear it may be insulting to your people, for I am no Luna." Jade smiled at the rotting stallion making such a fuss, tilting his chin back up with her feathers and speaking in a ringing voice for the murmuring bar.

Addressing them so openly and cutting right to the heart of what a lot of them were muttering about was taken as an invitation, several gravelly voices rising up with questions for their strange guest;

"That's the Princess they're all gabbing about? She's just one of those mutants what found a costume tiara..."

"Tis certainly a mare with Luna's regal bearing, though the purple one looks even taller."

"Is it true thou hath liberated Castle Equinox and now sit the throne my lady?"

"What makes her a Princess? Tis no Luna..."

"Thou art forming a new kingdom for all ponies Miss? Even ghouls?"

"Don't overwhelm the fancy Princess coming down to us commoners! Tis Witching's friend and liege, show her a proper welcome you louts! Terribly sorry your highness, don't often get much excitement down here." Moon Tide chirped back at the crowd, giving Jade a chance to catch her breath before she simply turned invisible under the barrage of attention.

Glitter helped by scrambling up to the bar, stamping her hoof on the worn wood and answering in a bright, high voice as only our Ambassador of Cuteness could. "Hey! One at a time an' raise your hoof ta ask a question! Didn't you ponies go to school before? My mommy's the bestest Princess in all Equestria, she's nice to everypony and treats everycreature the same, so give her a minute and she'll show you! Right mom!?"

"Er... y-yes, of course Glitter sweetheart. I would be happy to speak with all of you fine ponies and answer any questions you might have. I understand it is presumptuous of me to hold the title of Princess, perhaps even insulting to such loyal servants of Goddess Luna. I assure you it was not my idea..." Jade shook of her nerves and addressed the crowd in her kind, carrying voice, arching an eyebrow at me in accusation before continuing. "However, as I recieved my cutie mark on accepting the role, I can only conclude taking up the mantle is what my mark is telling me. Not for my own sake to put myself above others, but to serve them as best I can. Certainly not because I believe myself to be the equal of Luna or Celestia either one!"

"There, you see? As fine an answer as our own divine goddess would have given in her place. Forgive them your highness. We poor remnants of the past have been most interested in the radio stories of a new Princess gracing Equestria, with her own Shrouded Stallion as a knight no less! Please, have a seat by the fire, a mug of thine best cider Galley! Perhaps the Princess will tolerate our questions at a more sedate pace as the little filly advised? Witching dear, sit with her and tell us all about the mare you'd serve girl! Play a little for old times sake!" Moon Tide chuckled and waved a withered hoof to the crowd, lifting the mood and pulling Jade with him to a seat near the stool with all the musical instruments in the center of the bar.

Puffing her cheeks out in a pout and rolling her eyes at me waving her on, Jade followed willingly enough. She took the offered wooden chair Mr. Tide dusted off with his desicated wings and held out proudly, the ancient wood creaking as she lowered herself and took the chipped mug of cider pressed to her hooves. Witchy dutifully trotted right behind her, taking the small stool and picking up and tarnished flute with a wistful smile. The notes were a little off from the damaged instrument, but our batpony friend compensated with familiarity, playing a low, soft tune, as Jade began speaking with the crowd of undead thestrals asking curious questions about her and the Kingdom of Sanctuary.

With the novelty of all the musical instruments to play with and her mother as the center of attention, Glitter gave me a parting hug and pelted off to join them, acting as Jade's royal assistant and deciding which raised hoof to call on next. Val plopped down on the stool next to me and ordered a drink, shaking out her bag to display her shiny new purchases of well crafted bullets, spark cells, explosives, along with weapon and armor modifications that would normally hold more of my interest.

I was barely listening to her though, brooding over the things Mr. Tide said. Both the current murder they were all upset about and that of Witchy's dad bothered me, though for different reasons. I shared Moon Tide's opinion that Midnight Hour's death was pretty suspicious considering what kind of stallion he sounded like and the things he did to rock the boat around here.

The more recent crime was making me sweat though. I hadn't done anything... I couldn't have... I was certain of it. Telling myself that did nothing to stop the dread I felt on hearing about it however...

We ended up spending more time in the Lunar Libations bar than I would have liked, the sun sank beyond the green haze of the Glowing Sea and the mostly darkened disc of Luna's moon was rising in the sky when we finally walked back out. It was time well spent at least, most of the ghouls of Dreadnot's 'Guano-Town', as they jokingly called it, were as friendly as Mr. Tide and very curious about the Princess deigning to visit their lowly home and treat them like any other ponies.

We got to hear about Dreadnot from their perspective, gathering a bit of local history and intel before going up to talk to the living batponies above. For example, Swan was delighted to find out the reason there were so many undead ponies who once served on the great ship, was because the ship's prototype reactor fitted here in the Commonwealth had melted down after being beached 200 years ago. The ongoing repairs made it harder to get to, but Galley Grub assured the big filly there was still a stagnant cove of highly radioactive waste to be found nearby.

Since the meltdown occurred in the belly of the ship, it had mainly been the engineers who had been at the most lethal ground zero, resulting in the lack of suitable repair-ponies to restore her and Dreadnot's need of outside workers for the task. The lower decks housing the low class swabbies and grunts had taken the radioactive fallout of secondary exposure, many dying or going feral. Apparently there were still sealed off areas in the bowels of the ship that were infested with them to this day.

The rest became the undead residents of the lower town today. The higher ranks up on the bridge and combat units nearer the deck were relatively unscathed and took it as a blessing of Luna, proof of their superiority and an excuse to maintain the status quo as it existed now. Them on top and everypony else in the muck below.

As cruel and snide as Lt. Wing and his underlings at the castle had been, the ancient ghouls of Guano-Town were just the opposite. They didn't take Jade being called a Princess as nearly so blasphemous, their cloudy, slitted eyes widening with light and hope just listening to her speaking with them at length. Several expressed displeasure at how things were in Dreadnot, muttering darkly about all the recent activity and outsiders repairing the ship.

Many even went so far as to ask pointed questions about Castle Equinox and whether they'd be welcome to dwell in Luna's own palace. Jade smiled brightly and encouraged the thought of the thestrals finding a better home with Witchy squeaking her agreement, one where they could act as caretakers for their fallen Princess' former palace, earning her a lot of good will and fresh adoration. One or two even bent a knee before her, to her embarrassed blush and objections of course.

One comment that caught my attention 'Awareness!' had been talk of where the caps to pay for it all were coming from. Just recently they had been hiring educated ponies from University Point and elsewhere as fast as they could find them, somewhat explaining sending Witchy on a mission to retrieve me, with other 'specialists' and 'outside consultants' getting spotted roaming the upper decks. My own belief that any conspiracy in the Commonwealth had to end with the Institute giving me more to mull over while I drank with Val, enjoying the opportunity to be her drinking buddy again with more to show for it than just a full bladder and a clear head.

Zed and Swan wandered off together after we left, off to find the toxic runoff below the ship, while the rest of us were heading for the ramps leading to the upper ship and Dreadnot proper. Already I could tell how much more awake and active the settlement seemed now that full dark had come. Though the nagging headache able to penetrate the alcohol made me slow my pace, pulling Jade to the rear of our little parade through town to nuzzle and whisper to worriedly.

"Jade... Jade before we go up there, I need to talk to you. D-Did you hear anything about why everypony in town was so worked up? The er.... e-excitement this morning?"

Still enjoying my fumbling, drunken attention as we walked, Jade murmured distractedly while I kept nuzzling her neck. "Hmm? Ah, yes... something about a murder of some sort I believe Fast? Witching asked, but assured me it was nothing to concern ourselves with. Though terrible somepony here died of course, I do hope it was not something I may have helped with had we been here just a bit earlier. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, n-no reason, just wondering if you heard more about it or anything. I had a crazy thought and I..."

Before I could stammer my way through my fears under my wife's patient gaze, Val turned around from bouncing Glitter on her back with a half drunken snort, close enough to listen to Jade's exclamation and dismiss it loudly. "Pssh! Was one'a them hoity toity bats upstairs, not the cool ones down here. They're the assholes what treat batty like shit, right? Sometimes karma's a bitch."

"I still would not wish murder on any creature Valkyrie, no matter their personality or personal failings. They no longer have the opportunity to be a better pony if they are dead." Jade huffed and took up a long standing argument with Val, the two of them facing off and ignoring me raising my hoof to interrupt.

"Er... Jade... I umm..."

"Ain't got the opportunity ta be more of an asshole no more neither, do they? Sounds good ta me Blue, fucker probably had it comin'." Val rolled her eyes and waved off Jade's kindhearted nature.

Undeterred, Jade stuck her nose up and fired back. "I fail to see how any creature could have such suffering 'coming' to them Valkyrie, answering cruelty with more cruelty does not improve anything..."

"Sure it does! World's a better place without pricks like that in it, ain't that right boss? Just like that cunt aunt of hers that..." Val squawked and tossed back her bottle of Wild Pegasus, nearly running into Witchy who had stopped dead in her tracks.

"My... my aunt? Ruby? What do you mean by that Valkyrie?" Witchy turned back slowly, her voice tight and a confused look on her face turning from Val to me wincing beside her.

"Dammit Val... Er... I meant to tell you Witchy, I just didn't want to ruin your trip, g-getting to see your parents and all in Goodneighbor... Then coming here you already had enough to deal with, s-so I was waiting to tell you..."

Witchy's amber eyes narrowed at me shuffling in place and avoiding her gaze, trotting right up look down her nose to question me. "Tell me what Fast? What about my Aunt Ruby? S-She escaped, didn't she?"

"Yesssss....? I mean she got out, we're not sure how... W-We did find her though, it's just... She's dead Witchy. I'm sorry, I should have told you before. I didn't want to upset you more..." I hated the note of 'Be Strong!' advocating honesty, but slumped and spit it out sadly.

'...Mine... Revenge...'

Shut up!! Go away! Stop talking and leave me alone dammit! You're not helping!

The tears welling up in her eyes were bad enough, when I hissed in pain and rubbed my head, Witchy got a suspicious, angry look that was much worse and stamped her hoof. "You kept it from me Fast? Lied to me?"

Finally realizing she had got me in trouble, Val clucked and tried to help, of course only making things worse. "Hey, hey... Easy batty, ya didn't wanna know about that mess 'fore ya left anyway. Awful bitch was ripped ta pieces by ferals, spread all over the friggin landscape. Boss was just..."

"Just what!? Trying to protect me? I'm a grown mare and a royal guard! I protect others, I don't need thou to... to lie to me! Take care of my problems for me!" Witchy's voice rose higher as she yelled, putting on a show the nearby guards to the ramps up took note of. She glared back at their interested chirps, then back at me with her eyes widening with horror. "Is that what you did? Fast, did you... "

"No! I mean... N-No! I c-couldn't have! I found her, but I didn't...!"

Jade tilted her head curiously, biting her lip and clearly not liking the tense conversation going over her head. "What? Witching dear, please calm down. I am rather disappointed Fast chose to keep what happened to Ruby from us both... but he meant well, did he not? What is wrong?"

"Where did you go that night when Ruby disappeared Fast? When thou came back... you were surprised to wake up in the middle of... w-with me... How often does he go sleep walking your highness? What did you do!?" Witchy was putting together all the fears I had been stewing on since getting here and then some, her eyes shrinking to angry, hurt dots.

The way she subconsciously put herself between me and Jade broke my heart too, regarding me as a potential threat to the Princess she served. Seeing that fear reflected in her eyes let it all come pouring out, my mouth opening in a reply full of panic and the Shroud's voice leaking into it.

"I don't know! I don't know if I did anything or not! Alright!? I hadn't even thought about Ruby! G-Ghouls got her! She deserved it anyway, didn't she!? She was bad, she helped the Gunners, enslaved her town, and she was awful to you! I'm not sorry she's dead, but I don't know if I..."

That was as far as I got, the tears trembling on Witchy's full cheeks spilled over and sparkled in the air when she turned away and galloped off, charging past the guards at the ramps up and towards the ship. Jade cried out after her, then paused on her first step to follow, looking back to me staring after her miserably. She shuffled in place anxiously, opening her mouth to speak, then closing it again and staring after Witchy making for the hatch into the ship, torn between the two of us.

Making up her mind with a determined nod, Jade stroked my teary cheek with her wing before taking to the air, flying after Witchy and taking a confused looking Glitter on her back along for the ride. "I... I will go speak with her Fast, d-do not worry! W-We will discuss the rest later, just... give me a moment. Witching! Please wait!"

My ears drooped sadly as I watched them disappear, turning down to the packed sand at my hooves and the smirking guards waiting at the ramp up to follow them. I rubbed my sniffling muzzle and sighed helplessly with only Val at my side, feeling weighed down by too much. Bad enough to consider the idea I had been wandering off in the night and... sleep-murdering... even worse was hurting my friend, seeing that doubt and pain in Witchy's eyes and upsetting Jade to boot.

Val clapped my back a little forcefully, giving a half-hearted, apologetic chuckle. "Er.... whoops! Sorry boss. Didn't mean ta let the cat outta the bag. I'm sure batty'll get over it, she's nuts about you an' Blue."

"Thanks a lot Val... Really, great going..." I grumbled back, spreading blame to Val in an angry huff.

Yanking my tail as I tried to storm off, Val wasn't having any of it. I was spun around to face her violet scowl and quickly had her dark claw jabbing at my chest, punctuating each point she made in rapid fire. "Hey! Don't you get all pissy with me boss. Ain't all my fault, I figured you told batty about that bitch in the can already. You don't get ta harp on and on about yer pony friendship bullshit with Blue, but keep shit like that to yerself, or take yer fuckups out on me neither! Said I was sorry, didn't I?

Jeez... I was really going for broke when it came to hurting those who cared about me today. Val had fallen behind the shield of her tough merc exterior, but I could see the hurt in her eyes staring me down. She was right, it was my fault and I was just taking it out on her. When she was still by my side no matter what, my faithful bodyguard and friend... 'Be Awesome!'

Val squawked when I gave a weak nod, then flung myself into a desperate hug, burying my face in the ruff of feathers at her breast and shuddering against her. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry Val, you're right. I-I'm just mad and scared. Thanks for sticking around to set me straight... I love you Val."

"Y-Yeah, yeah boss... I er... you know... you too. C-C'mon, makin' us look bad in front of the asshole bats. Let's get movin' an' go find ours, so you can make up and we can get the hell outta here. Whole place is depressin' as hell, not good for you or Witchy." Val stiffened in my hooves at the public affection and snickering thestral guards nearby, but relaxed and scratched my mane soothingly, letting me just hang on for a minute before wriggling her way free.

Following her flicking tail and worried look over her shoulder, I let her take the lead dealing with the guards in their shining, ancient steel armor and the well crafted light machine guns on their plated flanks. Only a little of Val's abusive squawking was enough to get us through at least, the guards giving directions I only half listened to. We were expected upstairs already and allowed to pass, sternly told not to wander and to report directly to the 'Admiral' up on the bridge.

Trudging past them and onto the rickety steel ramps leading up, I only got a few steps before my ears flicked at them whispering back and forth to each other with mean spirited laughter;

"Lovers spat you think?"

"Anypony'd that climb up one of those mutant freaks and hug on a greedy griffon, would probably even give ugly half breeds a pity fuck."

"Makes sense, a fake Shroud and fake Princess, may as well have a fake thestral."

'...MINE...'

My control slipped before I realized it, or maybe I let it... I froze when I heard them speaking, either unaware alicorn hearing was nearly as good as theirs, or not caring. Either way, I stamped the hoof that had paused mid-stride down hard enough to shake the series of ramps and scrap metal, wheeling around with my wings flared and eyes blazing.

"SILENCE! Thou art all dishonorable cowards... Thou whelps are not fit to lick the hooves of a TRUE PRINCESS, let alone serve as her guard as yon Witching Hour does!"

While I was satisfied to see both heavily armored guards cringing back like frightened foals as I stalked forward, even I was getting a little unnerved by the hypnotic growl coming out of my mouth. I wasn't thinking about the words, they just came spilling out, rising and falling in the cadence and formal language the descendants of Luna's guard used.

It was enough of a show for quite a few passing ghouls to gawk openly, whispering to each other and warily approaching. Two of their living tormentors guarding the boundary between the haves and have-nots, shrinking away from one short stallion in a comic book costume was a spectacle. The hushed whispers I picked up all spoke of 'The Shroud' with superstitious dread as I just kept going, unable to stop...

"Keep a civil tongue... if thou would keep it in thy head. Thine judgement is nigh... every insult hurled towards the Princess or her retinue will be returned a thousand fold as pain and..."

"Awright, enough of that! You heard the boss assholes, shut yer traps and behave. We'll get outta yer manes shortly, then ya can go back ta bein' snobby pricks all ya want. C'mon shorty, let's get movin'!" Val grabbed my tail and yanked again, dragging me after her. Her voice softened once we were up a couple of turns, clucking back at me still straining against her grip. "Hey... hey boss, chill out already. You... you ok crazy? Yer not gonna lose it, right? Get yer shit together boss..."

'...Want!... Revenge!... Punish!... Be Dark...'

Shut up! I clenched my eyes shut and slapped myself, hard enough to get a grip and turn around, putting the source of agitation behind me and staggering up the ramps with Val. My head hurt and I dearly wanted to go back down, but I was still in charge, for now... Looking back to Val watching closely as we ascended together, I shivered and wondered for how long...

"F-Fine... I'm fine Val. You're right, let's get going..."

Compared to the rust, sand and muck of Guano-Town below, entering the E.M.S. Dreadnought was like entering a Stable. While everything was slightly canted to one side and age had taken its toll, my hooves ringing on the steel decks was familiar and the military order of the place apparently put a value on maintaining the ancient vessel as well as possible. It was clean and well kept, though most of the ponies I saw actually doing the polishing and mopping as we wandered about were the ghouls of the lower town.

Allowed up here to do menial work only, I tried to tip my hat to each I saw and noted the look of pride they had, even though they were having their loyalty taken advantage of, a thought that made 'Be Awesome!' give a whinny of disapproval in my aching head. They all still wore their tattered uniforms and they all worked hard preserving Luna's ship in her name.

It obviously wasn't for the smirking living thestrals kicking over their buckets of water or making disgusted faces behind their backs. Not every batpony crewmember we ran into was cartoonishly evil or a huge asshole, but the culture that had developed here wasn't a very open or accepting one. Even the few batpony foals in cute cadet uniforms running the halls weren't immune. While a wide eyed filly and colt did stop to talk with me as the comic book Shroud and were friendly enough, their adult minder ushered them off soon enough, lecturing them furiously for their innocent 'fraternizing with outsiders'.

As non-thestrals, living or dead, Val and I stuck out a little bit trudging down the narrow passages. Not as much as I would have thought though, there were quite a few wasteland ponies running about, repairing steam lines, wiring, flickering terminals and buzzing lights everywhere we went. It gave us a bit of cover to snoop around while we looked for the others, allowing me to speak with the repair-ponies as I could, getting a sense of what they were doing and how well they were doing it.

Nearly all of them were from University Point, though I was surprised to find a few members of the Rust Devils lurking about. They reminded me of being back in the Stable even more than the steel walls and cramped quarters, repair crews with a full workload, racing from one job to the next. The few clipboards of work orders and schematics for the ancient ship I managed to peek at caught my interest as much as the work too, crisp and new looking blueprints of the ship the way it was when it rolled off the assembly facility at Seaward Shoals.

Val was a master at playing the clueless, lost tourist, a skill she said she learned from Nick Hearts n' Hooves as his assistant and put to excellent use to let us roam around freely. Every time we got stopped by some suspicious batpony in uniform looking down their nose at us, Val gave a song and dance about how big and confusing their amazing ship was, asking for directions that she kept interrupting with more questions, until they eventually became exasperated and sent us on our way again.

It was a fairly plausible excuse, if we weren't aimlessly looking around to begin with, I figured we actually were lost by now. The ship was a maze of bulkhead doors and identical steel corridors, stairwells of steel steps that went up and down all over and faded words stenciled on the walls giving vague directions, the leaning ship skewing everything to the side lent it a funhouse maze vibe that wasn't nearly so fun. I did notice one addition to the architecture that confused me at first, U shaped steel pipes jutting from the ceiling at regular intervals and near work stations. I only figured them out when I actually saw one of the batponies in residence hanging upside down from one, the leaning ship serving as no bother to their perch.

While part of me wanted to track down Jade and Witchy as soon as possible, another part dreaded it and advised giving them time to talk, offering a perfectly valid excuse to keep being nosy. Val was more than willing to go along with me, trying too hard to be cheery and poking her beak in everywhere, hoping for some mystery or interesting gadget to improve my mood.

Her efforts had led us down a few decks, the bright red griffon a bouncing spot of warmth among all the grey steel and grey tinged batponies. "C'mon boss, this'a way! I know them freaky ears of yers hear all that hammery, buzz-saw-y, clanking, clattering junk noise, right? Don'cha wanna check it ouuuuut?"

"Alright, alright... consider me curious Val. I have a good idea what it probably is though." I gave her a tired smile, pausing to tap at the wall at the chipped paint reading; 'Machine Shop' beneath an arrow pointing the way.

"Bah! Don't ruin the surprise boss, maybe it's somethin' cooler! Like they're makin' armored speedboats ta be pirates!" Val slowed down to nudge and nuzzle me forward, bounding ahead again to reach the bulkhead door the noise was coming from and peek in.

She may have been joking, but Val's wild ideas made me wonder what exactly Dreadnot intended to do if they ever did fix their ship. Surely something like the massive war machine being out on the seas again would be a powerful weapon in the wasteland. Only groups like the Brotherhood of Friendship and their Prydwen would be able to stand up to the prewar navy warship nowadays.

When I first saw the work and heard what they were up to, I was just taken with the idea for the sake of doing it. Fixing the broken ship and sailing the seas sounded like a neat idea to me, just all the repairs going on around us had been enough to lift my mood already. That was too much like Grandpa though... Fooling around and doing things because they sounded cool, without thinking about the end result so much...

Creeping up with a slack jawed Val to stick my head in the cracked door with her, my whirring thoughts were fixed firmly on consequences as I gaped alongside the griffon rubbing her claws together over my head. The sheer amount of firepower inside was enough to make me worry, and make Val drip drool into my mane as she took it all in.

"By the egg... it's the jackpot boss! Lookit all of that gear!" Val whispered into my ear in glee, prancing on her paws and wiping her beak.

It was impressive... The ship's machine shop was near the center of the vessel as best I could tell, a wide open chamber stretching up to the deck somewhere above us. There were several broken lifts lining the walls that seemed to go all the way up anyway, parts of an ancient Vertibuck still resting on one giving a clue at their purpose.

The center of the vast room was full of equipment making all the lovely racket of work being done. Some looked original to the ship, while others looked like they had been salvaged from the ruins outside and added to the collection over the years. All of it was operational though, lathes, welding equipment, drill presses, grinders and saws, bubbling smelting vats and gem studded magical manufacturing machines, chugging away and spewing glinting products out to patched and worn conveyor belts.

Everything they were making was of a decidedly deadly nature too. I saw a lot of brass shells glinting under the harsh fluorescent lights, gleaming steel and silver parts carted off to be assembled into shining assault rifles and pistols, racks of glimmering curved swords and ornate plate mail armor being pounded by auto-hammers. Chemistry stations mixed up gunpowder and explosives, feeding bins full of shiny metal apples. Val was right, it was a treasure trove alright, a huge stockpile of weapons and armor... just waiting to be put to use...

While I was still frowning in thought, my hat was suddenly crumbled on my head as Val shoved me down with a muffled squawk, hitting the deck and pointing a claw out into the corner of the busy room. "Down boss! We ain't the only visitors... I know that fucker right there..."

It was a griffon she had locked onto, sticking her head up just far enough to point him out for me. Dark brown and tan, he was hard to pick out near a side room off the machine shop floor, involved in an animated conversation with a middle aged batpony mare in a high ranking uniform, bickering over a clipboard they kept passing between each other. While he was wearing a simple leather duster and tattered green scarf long enough to wrap around his head, he had the look of a hardened merc, his alert yellow eyes flicking our way and forcing us down.

"Is he a Gunner Val?"

"Supply Squad Vulture... Outside Procurement, a scavenging squad boss, that right there is Varis. Stupid disguise or not... I'd recognize that asshole anywhere." Val hissed in my ear, creeping back to the hall and pulling me with her.

"Disguise... you think he's spying maybe?"

Shaking her head, Val worked on putting distance between us, stalking down the passageway in the lead and ducking into a darkened room, just ahead of an armored guard turning the corner. "Not that subtle boss, if'n he's here and arguin' with them bats in charge, it's about a deal."

Worrying as that was, a glance to the dim room we sheltered in distracted me from the implications. My eyes adjusted and reported a long chamber full of pony shapes standing in a row, sending me scrambling for the lights with excuses on the tip of my tongue. When the ancient lighting came on with a series of clicks and buzzing, I released a held in breath on getting a better look.

We had slipped into a power armor bay apparently, the row of ponies were simply empty Knightmare model power armor suits, standing sentinel in their frames. There were about half a dozen, though one frame on the end was empty, making me wonder if Witchy's father's suit belonged there. The temporary shelter did give me an opportunity to indulge in a little looting with Val, scooping up much needed parts that perfectly matched her inherited armor still being repaired with the Arcano-Cats as I paced the room in thought.

"A deal... where all the caps are coming from I bet... This place is like a munitions factory. I don't like this... Alright, Witchy can stay mad at me, we need to get outta here as soon as possible."

Racking the slide on her pistol and peeking out the door, Val heartily agreed. "Bout time, let's grab batty, steal yer shit and get the fuck gone already boss."

Following her protective lead, I pulled up Jade's locator tag and followed the arrow that popped up on my compass, hastily trotting in her general direction while avoiding as many patrolling batponies as possible. The presence of Gunners had moved Dreadnot from merely an unlikely ally, to a potential enemy. The best case would be just that the Gunners were purchasing what the thestrals were producing without any further contact, not out of the question considering their isolationist nature.

There were plenty of worse potentials that kept throwing themselves up in my thoughts as we galloped on though. Like University Point, Dreadnot was a major settlement in the southeast, right on the front lines of Gunner territory, but also left alone for unknown reasons. Paying protection in the form of munitions for their safety would be one, all of them having their strings pulled by the same Institute puppet master would be another...

The paranoid thoughts racing behind my eyes were cut off when we ran right over the blinking arrow in my vision, forcing me to turn around and find it again, cursing pip-buck's problems with multi floor structures. We were either right on top of or right below them, a dingy hallway running along the outer hull that was drafty with unrepaired damage.

Following my nose made up for the arcano-tech device's shortcomings at least, letting me snuffle at the rust and dirt on the deck to pick up three familiar scents, Jade's strawberry smell, Fancy-Buck snack cake crumbs, and Witchy's scent of well oiled armor, citrus and salty tears. A nearby stairwell allowed us to descend while tracking it, stopping as far as the stairs went, literally cut off by a wide rent in the hull. It was poorly patched by corrugated steel and scrap wood, not somewhere the repair crews had gotten around to yet.

The hall it let out on was identical to the other upstairs, another long passage lined by crew quarters. This one was even chillier and dirtier however, the lights flickered or were dark completely, cobwebs and rust were prevalent and it didn't look like anypony lived on this floor. Except for one lonely room at the end of the hall anyway, a tattered tarp hung over the doorway and mellow candlelight spilled out through the gaps, a homemade driftwood sign reading simply 'Hour' left little doubt who it belonged to.

Just in case there was any, the crude graffiti lining the rusty hallway erased it entirely. Cruel epithets like 'Half Breed Bitch', 'Zombie-Lover' and 'Mud-pony Cow' shared space with foalishly simple drawings meant to be insulting, cartoon Witchys with tiny wings, knocked knees, big balloon asses, crossed eyes and crooked fangs... They were of all ages... the most faded were of little Witchy's wearing pigtails... They had treated her like this since she was a foal...

'Mine... Punish... Revenge... Pay... Want!... Be Dark...'

Not now! I forcibly looked away and focused on the soft murmurs coming from behind the tarp, trying to lean on the whisper of 'Be Kind...' crying for my friend and the life she endured here, while ignoring the angry growl that only wanted to make the ones who had done all this pay... and pay... and... No! Stop... You've done enough damage already dammit, just shut the fuck up before you make it worse!

Val didn't notice me stagger a step and wince, barging ahead to fling the tarp aside and squawking to the surprised trio of Jade, Glitter and Witchy inside. "Alright ladies, enough with tha pity party! Boss says we gotta go, yer pals are keepin' Gunner company batty, so let's get the fuck outta dodge!"

I shook my head and trotted to catch up, warily sticking my head in under the curtained door, then pausing with another pang to my heart and a sliver of furious anger in my head. Witchy's room was a hovel... After passing by so many other crew quarters while exploring the ship, the difference was stark and all the more infuriating after seeing how many better rooms were sitting empty.

There were two bunks, one on either side of the room, though the one on the right looked long unused. The rickety shelves holding half ruined books and knick knacks were covered in dust, along with the hooflocker sitting at the end of the musty bed. Since she was sitting on it, I presumed the other was Witchy's bed, though it wasn't in any better shape. The thin mattress was moldy and lumpy, the scratchy looking blankets were all threadbare and dirty, while the pillow was a burlap sack leaking straw.

Only a battered old lantern provided light, illuminating a cramped room that was clearly chilly enough for Jade to have wrapped Glitter up in the pitiful blanket as she snuggled against a sniffling Witchy blinking up at us. Her slitted amber eyes were bloodshot and she clutched a beaten old stuffed Luna doll, while Glitter brushed at its patchy blue mane. My daughter had somehow got her hooves on one of the funny flat, visorless sailor caps I saw the cadet dressed foals wearing to add to her collection, a floppy bit of dark blue wool nestled atop her bouncy silver mane, while the black ribbon trailed into her wide pink eyes. She was trying to comfort the still upset looking Witchy, who looked at me with a mixture of surprise and conflicted emotion, still unready to make up out of hoof.

"Oh my, Gunners? Here? P-Perhaps they're right Witching dear, we should leave. At least you are able to retrieve your possessions here, t-that is something is it not?" Jade was sitting on the floor beside Witchy's bed, raising a wing in the cramped room to give her a supportive hug.

Still sniffling and smearing her gleaming foreleg plates with snot as she wiped her muzzle, Witchy's eyes barely met mine before turning down to her foalhood stuffed doll. "Tis alright your highness... T-They come to buy from us, but shouldn't cause trouble..."

"What the fuck? You knew them assholes were creepin' around an' didn't give a heads up or nothin' batty!? You ain't got room ta be pissy with the boss over keepin' quiet, now do ya?" Val threw her claws up and screeched, still defending me and making Witchy flinch at her agitation.

"Not all of us are brave enough to fight thine former comrades Valkyrie! M-My people have lived in the south, at the edge of their territory, for ages! W-We couldn't fight, so we compromised. I couldn't..." Witchy squeaked back, a helpless, guilty look on her face that I had to hold a hoof up to interrupt quietly.

"Witchy was sworn not to tell us certain things Val. I'm sure you can understand how important honor can be, right? Even after she decided to join us, she couldn't break her word. I don't blame her and I know she wouldn't put us in danger, it's not the same thing as me keeping quiet..."

"Still, best not to linger and tempt fate with Gunners about. Come along Glitter, Valkyrie, let us give her a moment to pack. Fast, would you be a dear and help her?" Jade made up her mind, standing and shooing a pouting Glitter off to the door, sweeping Val up in her shove towards the exit and leaning down to whisper in my ear. "Talk to her Fast... Apologize..."

If there had been a door to lock behind her, I imagined the concerned alicorn would have done so. Instead I heard her pushing the others down the hall and stopping out of earshot, ignoring Val and Glitter's nearly matching whines. It was just me and Witchy left in the sad little room, the batpony filly glancing up and biting her lip, then turning away when I caught her eye. She moved slowly to pick through the junk that represented her meager worldly possessions and avoided my gaze.

With a weary sigh, I sat on the bed beside her as close as I could get without her pulling away, taking my hat off to fidget with in my hooves and scratching my mane sheepishly. "Witchy... I'm really sorry. I should have told you..."

"Yes. Thou should have." Witchy's reply was clipped and short, her tufted ears laid back and her eyes cool and uninterested in my fumbling apology.

"I didn't mean to lie or keep it from you, I was gonna tell you! I just... I was trying to protect you. Ruby already hurt you so much, I didn't want to give her the chance to do it again..."

"She was my only family Fast! Even if she was awful, she was mine! Ruby wasn't always so terrible, I saw her in Mr. Jets' memory and she was... she was my mother's sister! The last link I had to her! I don't need you to protect me Fast! Not like that! I said I wanted to let her go, but she... you.... Did you kill her!?" Witchy surprised me with her anger, making me cringe and slump under her squeaky voice rising up in the small space.

"I.... I don't know. I don't think so, I don't remember it anyway, but... I won't lie, it is possible. She made me mad and I wanted to... but I wouldn't have! I still should have told you, I'm sorry."

Turning away to put her back to me, Witchy muttered over her shoulder as she tossed mementos to her saddlebags. "I wasn't mad at her... I wanted to let her go, even after the things she did. She was my aunt, it was about me! What gives you the right to stick your snout in? What business is it of yours what kind of a mare she was or how she treated me Fast!?"

"Witchy... You have a point, I'm sorry. I made it my business because... b-because I care about you, because you're precious and deserve to be protected, even if I mess it all up. I just hated seeing your own aunt hurting you, so I hated her and kept the truth from you. I hate the way they treat you here too. This room they stuck you in, how they pick on you and laugh... I hate how you just take it the most though, like you still think you don't deserve better... How can you be so forgiving?"

"Because I believe in the Princess and her words Fast. Because I believed in thou as well, but you lied and hid things from me, from her highness! That hurts worse than almost anything either Ruby or my people have done to me, to think I cannot trust the first stallion I ever trusted completely... That I cannot even be sure you didn't murder her thyself..." Witchy's shimmering gaze finally met mine, sending a aching pain to my heart on finding the disappointment there.

"Witchy, you have to believe it wasn't really me! Please... I wouldn't... I'm not a monster."

"But thou may be host to one, yes? You know my people are ordered to secure the Shroud, if thou truly houses the beast in thine head, I should by all rights report such information. You may be a threat to her highness as well, can thou guarantee you will not wander off in the night and hurt her? Or attack those thou would 'protect' her from as well?" Witchy's reply made my ears fall limp and my eyes water, once she accepted the possibility, she was quicker than Jade to see the potential threat and it hurt to hear my own worries echoed back at me.

"Er... hey, boss... Need ta wrap shit up I think, we got company out here..." Val's voice cut off any response I could come up with, drifting through the curtain just before it was tugged aside by a smirking thestral mare.

One of Lt. Wing's underlings from the castle, the one with the violet tinge to her bobbed greyish mane. A little of her smarmy expression faltered on finding me sitting in Witchy's cramped quarters, but a quick check to the two rather burly looking batpony stallions in heavy armor behind her gave her solace. They weren't laying a hoof on Jade, Glitter or Val in the hallway, but were professionally good at taking up a lot of space and looking intimidating, making the nature of this little visit clear enough.

"Hello again Ensign Hour... The Admiral is eagerly awaiting your report and sent me to collect you, along with this 'Princess' of yours he's curious to parley with... All squared away down here?" Ensign Fang, her name came back to me as she patted the hilt of her curved sword on uniformed flank, raising an eyebrow at me and reminding me I had sort of cut through her previous blade.

I could hear Witchy gulp in fear beside me, helping me put aside the headache pounding in my temples and my own sadness over the unfinished discussion. Turning back to her as I stood and donned my hat, I wiped my muzzle and stroked her softly with my wing, trying to sound reassuring as I replied.

"Well then, let's go. Witchy has a report to make. I've kept her waiting long enough, I'm sure she has a lot to say. Whatever it is, I support her 100%."

The trip up to the bridge was quiet and tense, the steel plated guards ushering us along up long flights of stairs and through areas receiving more repair work than elsewhere. I absently noted the systems they were focused on the most and the kind of maintenance being done by all the outsiders, eyeing the precision work and advanced parts suspiciously.

Witchy stayed firmly at Jade's side, stealing little glances at me keeping my head up and trotting on in the lead, but still troubled and hurt looking. I meant what I told her though, whatever Witchy had to say to her superiors here, I'd understand. I owed her that much, 'Be Unwavering!'.

I wished Jade wasn't here for whatever came next, but had been unable to come up with an excuse for the visiting Princess to beg off. Getting Glitter to play along with having a tummy-ache didn't impress our escort, while Jade wasn't the best liar and quickly diagnosed the savvy little filly as faking it, unaware of any reason why she'd do so and still clearly hoping to have a diplomatic meeting with the ruler of Dreadnot.

I loved her, but chuckled nervously at Glitter facehoofing when her mother blew the deception. If only she was just a liiiiittle sneaky and underhooved sometimes... Not that being so had served me that well lately, but I didn't want her on this ship any longer than necessary.

Soon enough, we were brought to the high perch of the ship's bridge, a wide room full of windows looking out to the flight deck, sand and shore below. Consoles full of buttons and terminals blinked brightly, nearly half restored to working order and giving the ponies stationed at each something to do again. The position in the best shape was the radio operator's, a skinny and pinch-faced batpony stallion wearing earphones over his fluffy ears chattered and listened to the staticky noise frequently. They were communicating with somepony and had been for awhile by the look of things...

The absolute best spot on the bridge had to be the Captain's seat however. The fancy chair had buttons and knobs festooning it, including some levers and switches that could be hit by a light touch of a wing. The whole thing gleamed under the bright lights, polished and reupholstered, going along with the pretentious and overstuffed pony sitting in it.

"Ahoy Admiral Five Star, presenting Ensign Hour, the false Princess and Shroud, plus their retinue..." Ensign Fang bowed to the portly stallion taking up most of the seat, snapping a salute as she moved aside and let the bespectacled buck look us over.

He wasn't a pleasant looking pony... Plump and pudgy from an easy life up above the lower ranks, his dark blue uniform was stretched over his medium grey bulk and crammed with medals and ribbons I sincerely doubted he had actually earned. The tall, peaked cap bearing a big, silver medal of the crescent moon was surrounded by five smaller stars, framing his jowly face and piggish snout, while the strands of his thinning blue mane escaped it in greasy strands.

Still actively munching on a 200 year old bag of sweet potato chips, the Admiral of Dreadnot raised an eyebrow at Jade sketching a curtsy in front of him, blinking his slitted silver eyes curiously. "Hmm... The 'Princess' and the 'Shroud' from the radio... Well, she's no Luna, but I see the allure. Good enough for wasteland rabble I suppose."

While I was still gritting my teeth over his snide attitude, Jade had already put on a sparkling smile and held a hoof out, her voice kind and undisturbed. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance Admiral Stars, I am Princess Jade of Sanctuary, a growing kingdom in the north that would be pleased to establish a positive relationship with Dreadnot. My husband also wished to inquire about obtaining parts from one of your ruined cannons I believe."

"Mm-hmm.... Thou art a smooth talker mutant, we'll discuss your 'Kingdom' and possession of holy Luna's castle in more detail later. Though no wastelander will be removing a single bolt or spark fuse from this vessel, so best thou forget any ideas to the contrary. First off, your report Ensign Hour. Thou have taken quite some time for the simple errand we sent you on. What excuse dost thou have for such dereliction of duty?"

Stealing the parts it was then... I was already planning on sneaking back and taking what I needed during my exploring with Val, so the Admiral's refusal didn't bother me much. The way he made Witchy cringe and flinch from his badgering on the other hoof... 'Be Dark...' and 'Be Awesome!' harmonized in their disapproval, the abuse of loyalty something they could both agree on.

"Hey.... It wasn't Witchy's fault. I kept putting her off, but she stuck by us until she was able to do her job and get me here. If you want to be pissy with somepony, I'm right here buddy..."

Witchy chirped at me aggressively getting between her and the Admiral, helping me beat back the snarling shadow still trying to insert itself unhelpfully into the situation. She pushed her way past me and saluted smartly, giving the fat asshole more respect than he deserved. "No excuse Admiral sir! I apologize for my failure and beg forgiveness."

"Failure indeed... Not that much was expected of you. What of your reconnaissance assignment Ensign? I can't say I find this 'Shrouded Stallion' very intimidating, but recent reports have made the question pertinent again. What say you Ensign Hour? Is he as fake as the Princess he serves?" The Admiral snorted and made Witchy wilt under his disapproval, giving me an unkind look of skepticism.

I had an idea what he meant, but Jade was openly confused, tilting her head down to her shame faced guard. "Reconnaissance? What does he mean by that Witching? I thought you were merely sent to collect Fast and return."

"I... I was your highness! Repair-ponies of his skill are still hard to find. I-It's just that... anypony running around taking up the name of the Shroud had to be investigated.... I'm sorry, I was sworn to secrecy since it concerned our final orders from Luna. I did not mean to keep it from thou, a-and it seemed so silly when I met him, twas not worth taking seriously." Witchy chattered back guiltily, at least able to talk about some of those things she had been on her honor not to discuss before now apparently.

The dubious sneer of the Admiral just confirmed what I guessed, still waiting on Witchy's answer. "Stories about a Shrouded Stallion demanded our attention. After Lt. Wing's report on finding his tomb empty, the question is all the more pressing. What say you Ensign Hour? This pint sized buck surely isn't the Shroud of legend, is he?"

Trying to keep all emotion off my face, I turned to Witchy curiously. Here it was, if she thought I was a threat or needed to report honestly, things might get complicated... Still, I couldn't bring myself to hope she'd dishonor herself for a pony that hadn't been honest with her. Whatever Witchy felt she needed to say, I tried to let her know I meant what I said, I supported her.

Witchy took a breath, but blew it out in a long sigh meeting my eyes, her own still showing a glimmer of annoyance and hurt, but softening tiredly as she spoke in a squeaky whisper. "N-No... Of course not Admiral sir, just a silly, sweet... sometimes stupid stallion that likes comic books... That's all."

"Hmmph, yes... of course. Though thou seems quite smitten with charlatans and fakers since leaving us Ensign. Thou hath even pledged thine service to this pretender to the throne I understand? Thou has forsaken thine own people Ensign Hour? After all we've done for thou orphaned ragamuffin, thou art as disloyal as thine troublesome father?" The brief warmth of 'Be Kind...' and 'Be Awesome!' singing along with my smile of relief to the batpony ended as soon as the Admiral opened his mouth, replaced by stabs of pain between my eyes, pulsing along with his words and the sight of Witchy's cute ears turned down in misery.

'Mine... Let me.... Punish... Let me... Want... Out...'

"You shut up, big, fat batpony jerk! Witchy's awesome and wants ta be Mommy's royal guard, which is way better than some dumb 'Admiral'! Her daddy was an awesome hep cat too! You better stop bein' mean an'..." Glitter stamped her little hooves and shouted, hushed quickly by her mother's hoof lightly pressed to her lips.

To my surprise and admiration, Jade didn't silence the little filly to keep being polite, merely to take over. "Ahem... I must agree with my daughter Admiral. Witching's 'own people' as you put it, do not treat her as such. She is a brave and valiant mare who I am honored to call my friend and guardian. I am given to understand that with no living Princess to serve, her oath of fealty was hers to give and received with gratitude. We came hoping to be friends, but putting her affairs here in order and leaving this place behind her will do just as well. If that is done, I do believe we shall take our leave. Come along Witching dear, good day sir."

Sticking her nose up and huffing imperiously, I caught several surprised murmurs from the batponies on the bridge. Only a Princess could so effectively dress down an Admiral, and Jade had done so without raising her voice or being rude. The aura of simply being above the petty asshole impressed even his crew. Jade turned on her heel to leave, scooping Glitter up to her back and disregarding the sputtering Admiral entirely, bringing a stunned, cautiously hopeful look to Witchy's face.

The bastard recovered before the confused looking guards had to figure out what to do about the large alicorn tapping her hoof at them barring her path. Admiral Stars actually heaved his bulk out of his chair, stomping after her and getting a crafty look on his face. "I say, wait just one moment 'your highness', our business isn't quite finished. I understand thou art a physician?"

He said the one thing that could get Jade to pause, turning back inquisitively to a potential call for her medical skills. "Y-Yes... I am a doctor. Do not tell me you need my services in some capacity before we take our leave? I-Is somepony hurt?"

Still wearing that sly sneer that made my tail bristle, the Admiral nodded with an oily patter and waved a hoof to a large sliding steel door towards the rear of the bridge, the fading paint reading; 'Autopilot Bay'. "Oh verily, something of a medical mystery we would appreciate a second opinion on. Tis just in the other room if thou could spare a moment, then we'd be happy to see Ensign Hour off with an honorable discharge..."

I caught Val jerking her beak at the armored guards around the room shifting slightly, not liking the situation either, but forced to chase after Jade already taking the bait. The words 'medical mystery' had hooked her and she pranced over to the small room off the bridge, wrinkling her nose as the smell assaulted our noses and eyeing the sheet draped form in the middle of the spare chamber.

"Perhaps thou heard of the terrible murder we discovered this morning 'Princess'? I'm afraid our ship's medic has been at a loss when it comes to the autopsy. I've had the corpse brought up here, as I thought it may be relevant to our discussion. Please, take a look..." At that, Admiral Stars bit the loose tail of the sheet at his hooves with his pointy fangs, yanking the cover away with a flourish.

Glitter's sharp gasp and whinny of fear sent Jade's wings up in a wall of blue feathers, blocking off the foal's view and floating her back to Val guarding the doorway. Seeing her getting shoved safely back by the griffon with her pink eyes clenched shut, I stopped trying to help get her away and just agreed with her reaction, turning back to the corpse with a cold sweat breaking out on my coat.

Even Jade had difficulty maintaining her professional detachment, giving a slight gulp as she paced around the body sprawled out on the floor. The face staring up at the ceiling with wide, blank eyes was a rictus of terror and pain, the jaw open in a disturbingly wide silent scream. The mane and tail of the unfortunate stallion had turned white, like the slavemaster from Sapphire Sparkles Charter School we discovered, killed along with his crew by a mysterious stranger before we got there... That disturbing detail and the bloodstained and shredded uniform further made figuring out who it was difficult, but not impossible.

"L-Lieutenant Wing..."

My ears flicked at Witchy's whimper from Jade's side as she realized the same thing, following her Princess on her inspection of the body with her face paling noticeably. It was him... the same thestral Lieutenant who showed up at Castle Equinox, the one who scared and threatened Witchy...

Admiral Stars didn't seem that put out over the bloody mess, watching our reactions and nodding somberly. "Verily... The young Lieutenant reported back from the castle safely enough, then sometime before dawn, this happened to him. We're not sure where, but we pulled him down from the prow this morning. He was..."

"Impaled... While still alive I would guess, the positioning is very precise to avoid the vital organs. It must have been terrible..." Jade's horn was glowing as she poked and prodded the body, inspecting the ragged, hoof sized hole beneath the pale tail, then spreading the stiff hindlegs slightly to view the source of all the blood soaking his hindquarters, her eyes only widening slightly at the sight that made my stomach lurch. "Oh dear, I assume his genitalia were removed premortem as well..."

"Found those stuffed in his mouth, thus the broken jaw. Our medic came to the same conclusions, it is awful, isn't it? You know... Lt. Wing reported a few strange things about his discovery in the castle crypts... Oh, you see the brand?" The Admiral joined Jade and pointed a wing down to the body's flank, letting the tall alicorn lean down and squint at the scorched mark there.

I could see it well enough from here... It was blackened, charred flesh over top the blistered, burned colors of the Lieutenant's cutie mark, a black crescent moon that had been broken in half. What Moon Tide was gossiping about, the mark of an oath breaker...

"Hmm... magical energy damage. It is a funny sort of mark too, not like the Grand Pegasus Enclave using Rainbow Dash's. Cruder... most likely done by a spell caster, not a brand or magical weapon. It is indeed a ghastly crime, but I am afraid there is not much more I can tell you Admiral. I am no detective, though we are acquainted with a marvelous one in Diamond City if you would like a recommendation." Jade finished her quick inspection and floated the sheet back with a look of distaste, shrugging at being unable to help further and returning to her desire to leave.

"Most likely some disaffected zombie from Guano-Town, I'm sure we can manage. It's the brutal nature of the crime that is disruptive, especially on the hooves of Lt. Wing's report. Rumors have even been spreading about the real Shrouded Stallion being missing, very bad for morale... We can't have our brave crew afraid of some ghost of the past lurking in the night, can we?" Admiral Stars trotted across the room, pausing at a terminal mounted in the far wall and ending ominously. "Luckily, we have a Shrouded Stallion right here..."

I didn't like the way he said that... Jade blinked in confusion, but Witchy squeaked a reply before either of us could, an anxious, frustrated note to her voice. "B-But Admiral Stars, sir... H-He's not... I just told thou, Fast is just a Stable-pony, he's not the real Shroud! They are here under the protection of parley! Thou can't..."

Ignoring her stammering, the Admiral raised a hoof significantly, eliciting a sharp, angry squeak from Witchy just before he brought it down with a smirk. "Better safe than sorry. Parley is not for the likes of such impure mutants Ensign. Our orders are to collect the Shroud and send him on his way, one will do just as well as another... Guards! Seize them!"

At his command, not only the plate armor wearing guards sprang into action. The purpose of the mostly empty room became clear when panels slid aside along the walls, revealing a trio of Ponitrons on either side of us painted in dark blues matching the naval uniforms of the thestrals, along with a huge Sentry-bot with strange weapon and body modifications dead ahead. The whole room was a recharging station for the autopilot system, the ancient robots now lighting E.F.S. up with red marks were an automated crew.

Witchy was already moving when I triggered S.A.T.S., taking in the situation with a furious roar struggling to get loose in my head. The fat Admiral set us up! 'Betrayer...' At least the scene being too grisly for Glitter got her out of the jaws of the trap, but I could see more guards and bridge officers moving to deal with the griffon frozen in the middle of drawing her pistols at the door with her.

Jade was still stunned and catching up, her face lit up by the glow of her horn just starting to cast her shield. Witchy had the same thought I did on realizing our situation at least, her leathery wings were frozen in the downbeat of a dive right to Jade, her armored forelegs stretched out to push her towards the door and away from danger.

'Princess!... Danger!... Let... ME... OUT!"

Trying to work with the voice of 'Be Dark...' rather than fight it, I queued up shots with the Terrible Shotgun at any guards in Jade's way I had a shot at, allowing time to resume as an aura of lightning flickered to life around me. I followed Witchy's lead and spread my wings, flapping hard with the left to roll in midair and face the room of clanking robots, while the pip-buck's targeting spell took care of firing to clear Jade's path.

A blast of lightning from my horn fried two of the Ponitrons on one side and heavily damaged the third, leaping from one metallic robot to the next in a deafening crack of thunder in the confined space. It also had the side effect of propelling me backwards faster, letting me slam into the round shell of Jade's shield and push for all I was worth.

Through the translucent blue barrier, I glanced back in time to see one of the guards getting thrown back by a slug hammering their breastplate. The chatter and bright muzzle flash of Witchy's combat rifle on the flank beside mine drew my eyes front again, her furious screeching rising above the sound as rounds stitched their way up the Sentry-bot, forcing the Admiral to hustle his lard to dodge behind it.

"Val!! Get them out of here! NOW!" I screamed with effort and shoved with Witchy, digging my hindlegs in to force the big blue alicorn out over her objections.

Val didn't like the order, but the squirming filly pinned in the crook of her foreleg decided her. Glitter was rooting in her jacket to pull out Righteous Authority and firing wildly on the bridge, forcing Val to turn her attention that way. Jade being shoved between us just cut her off anyway, and the heavy alicorn wasn't being very movable at the moment. Her long blue legs stamped down and threatened to turn around for us, rather than run away.

"Go your highness! Thou must clear our escape! Quickly, so we may follow!" Witchy's voice was high and harsh, getting through to her with one of the few things she could say that would work, good sense. Enough to get them all moving anyway, with her, Glitter and Val between us and the cloudy windows out, they were left with no choice but to go first or let us get penned in.

The thump of Val's grenade machine gun preceded a large chunk of the bridge going up in flames, blowing a hole through the reinforced glass and offering an escape she practically dragged Jade and Glitter towards. "Move it Blue! You heard 'im! Let's go already!"

With them on their way, I turned to cover the rear and was forced to dodge the web of magical energy beams and machine gun fire focusing on the doorway, spotting Witchy rolling the opposite direction with a muffled cry of pain among the pings of bullets on her armor. The wild ricochets made the living batpony guards rethink filling the small chamber with lead however, leaving the Ponitrons and Sentry-bot the Admiral was hiding behind as the bigger threat.

Or so I thought anyway. A full cyllinder of shots from Vengeance blew the glass domed heads off two of the remaining Ponitrons as I drew Best Served and turned on the nearest enemy thestral, but the muscular stallion opened his mouth and screeched before I could cross the distance, sending me staggering back. I'd never been on the receiving end of the rings of terrible sound Witchy could make and was surprised by just how much it hurt, my ears folded back uselessly and my brains felt like they wanted to dribble out of them.

My vision blurred and I couldn't aim my wobbly floating weapons at him, losing all sense of equilibrium as I lurched and tried to draw a bead on his gaping mouth. Even activating S.A.T.S. again did little to help, the odds to hit any target standing at point blank range in the single digits. It did let me see the remaining guard and Witchy engaged in a duel of crescent shaped swords sparking against each other, she was bleeding from the flank and the plates of her armor were scorched along with patches of her fur from the magical beams still lighting up the room.

I didn't have much chance to hit, but trying anyway with S.A.T.S. was easier than doing it manually, and several .45s whizzing through the air around the guard's head got him to back off Witchy. Unfortunately, he noticed how effective his partner's attack was and joined it, the rings of noise now coming from two directions and battering me down to my knees. I could taste blood dripping down from my muzzle and hoped the wetness at my ears was more of the same and not actually brains.

Worse, I couldn't hear Jade or anything else... I had no idea where she and the others were, nearly falling over when I tried to turn my head to see, only to be met by a wall of noise coming from the batpony bridge crew blocking off our escape. A heavy weight slamming into my side forced me to turn around as I flopped to the ground, holding my hooves to my ears and finding Witchy had been bucked into me, both of us at the center of the triangulated waves of lethal sound.

The Admiral had peeked out from behind his robotic guardian and was adding to it now too, a gleeful look on his fat face that was enough for 'Be Unwavering!' and 'Be Dark...' to help me struggle to find my hooves. It felt like trying to stand with a bramhim on my back on a tilt a whirl 'Be Strong!' 'Be Awesome!', but my fangs dug into the handle of Best Served and my eyes glowed as I lurched up, painfully dragging one hoof in front of the other. I couldn't hear it, but I could feel the deep growl in my throat and saw the Admiral could make it out, his smirking face paling as I hissed and trudged through the onslaught towards him.

"I'm going to kill you... All of thou... foul betrayers and oathbreakers... pitiful, tainted remnants of Luna's legacy... Death has come for thou all... and I... am... it's..."

The nearest guard made to buck me back as he had Witchy, to the focus of their attack so I'd quietly get beaten down by it. As slow as I was moving, he looked quite surprised when I ducked my head and slashed out, slicing one hindleg off and painting the room in arterial spray.

"...Shroud...."

That was enough for the frightened looking Admiral to panic, beating on the tiny head of the Sentry-bot and letting me find out firsthoof what the weird weapon it sported was. A blinding bolt of pain in my shoulder reverberated through my chest, throwing me back and pinning me like a bug under the quivering shaft of a metal arrow of some kind. Navy robots... of course, it had a harpoon...

More batponies from the bridge ran into the room below my struggling perch beside the door, adding to the attack and approaching as one. I couldn't move, couldn't cast a spell, I could barely see straight as that horrible wailing just got louder and louder. The last thing I could make out was Witchy getting a sharp buck to the skull as the guards overtook where she lay sprawled in the floor, stomping and stamping on her prone form.

Then everything was dark and blessedly silent.

When I woke up, it wasn't immediately obvious. It was still dark and still quiet, the only thing really getting through the ringing in my ears was the clink of chains, which made me think it was another bizarre dream at first. The thing that I could really put my hoof on as 'real', was the agony in my shoulder from the harpoon shaft still sticking out. Then the lesser discomfort of my chilly and blood sodden trenchcoat, squelching and slipping at my back against a curved, smooth, metal pillar of some kind that I seemed to be chained to, in a spread eagle position like the Institute's emblem...

"H-Hello? Is anypony o..." I croaked out to the darkness, but was interrupted by wet, tearing coughs that hacked blood out to the emptiness, forcing me to wheeze and try to stop before I tore myself apart.

Panting and trying to choke back another fit like that, it took a minute to hear the quiet whisper that answered, a miserable, squeaky voice from the darkness nearby. "Fast? T-Thou are alright?! Please...."

"Kaff... s-super duper... Witchy? Y-You ok? Where are we? W-Where's Jade!? Glitter!? Val!? Did... did they... they kaff! kaff! kaff! h-hurt... kaff!'

A panicked shushing noise answered, so I stopped trying to talk and caught my breath again, listening to the shaky sounding mare answering and trying to focus on the source. "I overheard them say the Princess and the others escaped, thank the goddesses... I'm so sorry Fast, I never thought the Admiral would violate parley like that... I n-never would have brought you here if I had! I-It's my fault..."

"N-No... no it's not Witchy. You didn't know... you even lied to them to protect me... after I lied to you..."

There was a soft sob from the indistinct shape I could barely make out in the darkness now, a huddled form on the floor below me that cried as I whimpered and tried to test my bonds. "Thou didn't... I shouldn't have been so angry with you Fast. T-Thou were just trying to protect me as well, yes?"

My horn cast a dim glow, so my magic technically worked, though as weakly as I felt. It did let me fumble at my pip-buck, turning on the brighter light it boasted to take a better look around, then gasping at what it illuminated. Witchy was shackled to the floor below me, boasting two blackened eyes, a bloody muzzle with more running from her matted, damp purple mane, along with numerous cuts and bruises all over her normally beautiful body that was on display. Her armor and bags had been stripped away and tossed a short distance away, allowing our captors to bruise and beat all the lilac-grey fur it normally protected.

What really made me shake in rage was how she smelled, urine the one scent that penetrated my blood clotted nose... They pissed on her... They stripped her, beat her, tormented her, locked her up with me and then pissed on her...

'...MINE... WANT... PUNISH...'

Oh they're going to pay alright, just shut up for now and let me think. Sweet Celestia, my head wanted to explode with that rumbling growl shaking what felt like broken glass up there. With it thankfully simmering silently, I croaked to the poor batpony filly sadly.

"Oh Witchy... I did a piss poor job of it then... I mean! Bad... a bad job... sorry..."

Hearing her give a tired, hurt, sad little chuckle was better than crying anyway. The muted note of 'Awareness!' hanging on every injury tried to help focus on the small blessing of even such sickly laughter, as she shrugged in her shackles. "Tis alright Fast... After all they've done to me, even this doesn't bother me so much. I'm so sorry they hurt you though, a-and for what I said to thou..."

"Well, that makes getting my brains turned to jello totally worthwhile, so long as I'm forgiven. Seriously though... I had no idea that screech of yours felt that bad, remind me not to tick you off again... Will that ringing noise go away eventually?"

Trying to joke around was about the most I could do to help the mare chained up next to me, so I leaned on the spirit of Pinkie Pie and bit back any coughs my tired, lame jokes tried to produce. Witchy's own didn't sound much better as she answered, a resigned and fatalistic bit of better humor. "Just keep it in mind the next time you think of doing something foolish Fast. I don't know if we'll be around long enough to worry about it, but thank you..."

"I'm sure I'll screw up again anyway... let's work on getting out of here so I can get started..."

Turning to the task at hoof, I twisted my foreleg around, trying to spread the meager light from my pip-buck to figure things out. The chains wrapped around me so tightly didn't give me a lot of room to maneuver, though I could look them over well enough to find them to be familiar bonds. The same kind of ancient, enchanted chains that were in the Shroud's tomb... Luna's guard had been equipped to handle transporting her servant, explaining why my magic felt so weak, beyond blood loss and potential brain damage anyway.

I noticed they'd left my saddlebags in place, though the chains and my puny telekinesis prevented me from retrieving anything from them. It was still curious they'd leave me armed, but I'd count it as a blessing. Witchy's gear was at least nearby too, though without magic she had no chance at reaching them at all.

"Fast? Dost thou think... a-about Lt. Wing... my aunt.... did you do those things?" Witchy's hesitant voice wasn't much of an interruption since there wasn't much I could do, though I'd rather keep trying nothing than face her question.

'Be Strong!' 'Be Unwavering!' 'Be Kind...'

"I don't know... Maybe Witchy. If I did, I don't remember it... I hope I didn't, but it's possible. I definitely hated that Lieutenant enough to want to. Y-Your Aunt Ruby... not as much, but she hurt you too so... If I did, I'm sorry Witchy."

"I don't think you... really you, would have either Fast. But thou wanted to? Why? I still don't understand... why thou are so upset when I wasn't?" Her voice was thick and sad, but still held that lack of comprehension over something so simple as her own self worth.

Well, there was little else I could do to help her, but maybe I could get this much clear before things got worse somehow. "Witchy... You still act like you deserve the way they treated you, and you don't. You said Ruby was your only family, but you were wrong, ok? We're your family too, and family looks out for each other... even when it's sticking our noses in where they're not wanted... You'd be mad at anycreature that was mean to Jade, right?"

"O-Of course! The way my people treated the Princess... what they did to you... Twas the first time I've ever felt so furious at them. B-But she is a Princess, I'm just..." Witchy yelped back in squeaky anger immediately, though still fell back to a self image born of a lifetime of abuse that I had to interrupt.

"But nothing. Jade would be the first to say she's not more important than anypony else. The way you felt over how they treated us... that's how I feel when they treat you that way. You're worthy of being treated like a Princess too, and just as pretty as one. That voice in my head really might have done something without me knowing and it wasn't for such good reasons if it did, but we agree on that much. You're so generous and giving to everypony else, try to see yourself that way too, just a little? It hurts all of us who love you when you can't."

Through the gloom and blood on her face, I caught a pink blush light her bruised cheeks as she gave a weak nod, hiding under her matted bangs and answering in a whisper. "I... I understand... better. I-I'll try... I... I love thou as well Fast, the Princess, little Glitter, everyone. E-Even if you did do... a-anything. Tis the spirit of the Shroud, not Fast Times, whom I know to be a true friend I believe in... No matter what I said while upset."

"Good, because it felt awful when you were mad at me Witchy. If I really am wandering around in my sleep and being a psychopath, I need a nocturnal mare I trust to keep a close ear on me when we get outta here, right? So let's figure out how to..."

Flashing yellow lights suddenly bathed the darkened chamber, the blaring of an alarm and the grinding of gears and tortured metal overhead cutting me off. Looking up, a small circle of night sky was irising open wider directly overhead, adding minimal light to the dark chamber that shook and shuddered around us. It gave a slightly better view of the pale metal pillar I was chained to, enough to see it ended at a red nosed point, along with the square platform below that Witchy was shackled to.

Before I puzzled it out, the shaking intensified and everything started to slowly rise towards the patchy clouds and mostly darkened moon above. With my ears still ringing painfully, the alarm blaring process was torturous, finally slackening when my eyes reached the hole and I left the echoing chamber behind, lifted up to the deck of Dreadnot and gaping up at my prison still rising as I figured it out.

A missile... they chained me to a freaking missile!?

My eyes shot down from the insane sight to Witchy as the lift that raised us up from the ship's hold clunked to a halt, finding myself glaring at dozens of thestrals in uniform lined up around my perch, Admiral Five Stars smirking up front with a rusty remote I could guess the purpose of. They were going to follow their orders and launch the Shroud at the zebra homelands... just as Luna commanded two centuries ago.

Witchy being shackled right in front of the missile marked it as a double feature too, she'd be torched to death when it launched. They were going to execute her... Both of us... the smarmy Admiral was already chirping to the crowd about it smugly. "Here he is, at long last loyal crew of the E.M.S. Dreadnought! Finally we will complete our mission, putting the past behind us to make way for the glorious future! A future free of traitorous, impure half breeds who would forsake our true Princess for some mutant abomination!"

The high pitched cheer and stamping hooves that answered shook the missile I was strapped to as I wiggled and strained, they were all insane... gleefully about to fire a shot in a war that was over 200 years ago, in the name of a Princess who was dead just as long, for what?! No wonder they left me with my weapons, they wanted their 'Shroud' to be as lethal a payload as possible.

Witchy screamed over the noise, her amber eyes shrunk to terrified points roving up and down the missile. "Don't do this! Please!! He's not... tis not the Shroud of legend! Goddess Luna wouldn't want this!"

'LET! ME! OUT!! WANT... FREE! KILL!... PUNISH!... DESTROY!'

The roar of 'Be Dark...' in my head went into overdrive when an armored guard silenced her with a buck to her gut. The chains binding me seemed to prevent any dramatic magic tricks to get out of this however. Despite what Zed said about cooperating with it, I was willing to let it off its leash if it could do something.

The best I could manage was a tantrum that soured some of the crowd's enjoyment, black lightning raced up and down the smooth metallic skin of the missile as it whirred and spun at the push of a button by the Admiral. The rumble of thunder overhead drew their uncertain stares up, the patchy clouds darkening and swirling around the sliver of the moon left in the sky. The missile shook as I strained and gnashed my fangs, scowling down at them with glowing red eyes that made a few cross themselves with that superstitous gesture I'd seen the ponies of Eclipse Village make.

"THOU SHALT ALL PAY FOR THIS BETRAYAL! LUNA'S WRATH SHALL DESCEND UPON THINE HEADS AND ALL OF THOU COWARDLY, PITIFUL MOCKERIES OF HER GLORIOUS GUARD WILL BE ERASED FROM EQUESTRIA! THOU SHALL FIND NO REDEMPTION, EVEN WHEN FACING HER DIVINE COUNTENANCE IN THE AFTERLIFE! OATHBREAKERS! DISHONORABLE SWINE! BETRAYERS!"

Even the Admiral pranced a step back, though he shook it off with a nervous chuckle, approaching cautiously as I snorted and snarled above him. "Oh very good, most convincing for a mutant pretender. Verily, keep going, best the crew thoroughly believes thine play acting is the genuine article. Mine contacts from amongst the outsiders are most insistent I not blast thou to yon zebra lands, but the superstitious among us cannot move on to restore our Princess' kingdom until her final orders are carried out. Any other such believable last words, false Shroud?"

"I'm going to let Witchy kill you... after I've had my turn..."

He gave a slight gulp at the menacing rumble coming out of my mouth, but steeled himself by glancing back at everypony's favorite whipping mare shackled behind me, sneering back as his hoof hovered over the faded red button of the launcher. "Ensign Hour would never raise a hoof against her betters. After her father showed such disloyalty and brought the ugly half breed back, I did make an effort to insure she remembered her place better than he did. A pity it failed in the end, but tis fitting I be the one to end them both... Farewell, Shrouded Sta-"

Right at the height of his gloating, a sudden, ringing, 'BONG!' noise shook the ship from below, sending the crew assembled on deck staggering and fluttering up in confusion. Another even stronger tremor rocked the entire vessel, Witchy and I being chained in place the only thing that kept us from lurching along with everypony else.

The third 'BONG!' toppled the bottom heavy Admiral and his remote flew from his hooves, skidding across the deck as all those tufted ears swiveled as one to the terrifying, deafening scream of a very annoyed filly. "WHERE'S FAST!?! YOU NASTY BATS GIVE HIM BACK! RIGHT NOW!!!"

"Sir! There's a... a... a... a mutant attacking the ship! A BIG one!" I grinned at a panicked looking ensign landing on the heaving deck and trying to hoist the heavy weight of the Admiral back to his hooves, pointing a shaking hoof to the source of the steady impacts to the ship's starboard side.

Admiral Stars turned a stunned, furious scowl up to me rocking and snickering atop the missile, gleefully watching the chaos as the ship kept rocking further and further to port with each super sized buck I could just picture the crazed mare unleashing. "You fucked up now pal! I warned you... You all think the Shroud is scary, you ain't seen nothing yet! Bwhahahaha!"

Scanning around him in a rush, I followed the Admiral's wide eyed gaze to the remote sliding across the deck, getting lost in a sea of unsteady hooves trying for the air. His decision to go after it was a little forced when the buck helping him up was vaporized in a cloud of sparkling red ash, a string of more red beams scorching the steel plating at the Admiral's hooves as he galloped off to escape the screeching griffon diving to the deck.

Val lobbed a series of 25mm grenades into the crowd and looked between Witchy and I with a manic glint in her eye, quickly taking in the situation, she swooped down and snagged the sliding pile of Witchy's gear, then went for the visible lock on Witchy's shackles at my urging. "Didn't think we left ya, did ya boss!? Gonna tan yer hide fer sendin' us out first though asshole! Just you wait, c'mere batty, yer prick friends are great at makin' guns, but their locks are for shit."

Since I couldn't do anything else productive, I kept an eye on the crowd of panicking thestrals while Val worked. A trio of armored guards had managed to flutter off the pitching deck and were flying at them, quicker than most to get a handle on the insane situation as the ship rocked to nearly level under their hooves. I was about to shout a warning, when a striped blur came charging across the deck, barreling into the three guards in a flurry of hooves.

Zed wasn't thrown off balance, even when the ship shuddered from stronger impacts and started making it past the balance point. The skilled zebra fighter flipped and hopped adroitly, dragging the airborne guards to his level and pressing his advantage as they staggered and clumsily swung their swords. Zed simply danced around them, denting their ornate metal armor, breaking bone and bloodying muzzles.

He maintained his position between me, Val and Witchy and the crowd of potential threats, giving Val time to work and playing on the thestral's fear of their ancient enemy from the war. They may have been as bigoted and mean to him as they were to the ghouls and Witchy, but didn't seem to like it as much when their victims fought back.

A roar of effort came with the strongest tremor yet, Swan's voice was like a banshee's scream as the ship shook and tilted. First it reached true level again for a moment, then another 'BONG!' sent it over the tipping point, leaning the opposite direction with a deep groan of tired metal. There were crashes and clangs of the metal scaffolding surrounding her falling away, then everything dropped suddenly with a crumpled 'boom!', most of the chaotic thestrals either falling or taking to the air when the ship fell into the trench they had been digging beside her.

Val popped Witchy's locks just in time, hanging on to her shackles still bolted to the deck as the screeching, groaning, crashing noises grew louder and louder. Still chained to the leaning missile, I was helpless as the ship lurched, the wind whistled in my ears with the sensation of falling as the huge vessel crashed into the trench and continued leaning, tipping over in a slow motion crash that caused complete pandemonium.

With a rolling tremor rumbling through the earth and a gout of sand exploding off the port side, the E.M.S. Dreadnought settled in a radically new position. Swan's deep voice cackling in victory further unnerving the shocked batponies trying to stand again. "HA! GOT IT! NOW FOR ALL YOU LITTLE BATS!"

Val moved from where she had been huddled over Witchy, helping the batpony filly up before pouncing up to the missile at my side, grabbing the chains in her claws as a hold and crawling over me trying to find the locks. Whatever she found after prowling around the towering pillar of the missile, she disregarded it once she completed her agile loop and drew her Shishkebab, igniting the star metal sword and holding it up over me with the white hot blade pointing down.

"Hold reeeeeally still boss... have you outta there in a sec..." Val gave me that much warning at least, then swung her sword at the chains in a blazing arc.

To both our surprise, the dark iron didn't part like butter versus a hot knife. The Shishkebab dug into the metal and made it through one link on her initial swing, but buried itself in the skin of the missile and was stuck fast, the chain turning red and giving off bright sparks when she grabbed the handle in both claws and heaved. It was steadily melting through the enchanted chains, sending ribbons of red hot metal dripping down close enough to singe my coat and make me wriggle to get away.

"Aw what the fuck! Cut dammit!" Val screeched and kept sawing through the chains, the first loop parting and falling away from my neck let me move my head around at least.

"They're magic Val! Enchanted! Keep trying and... Look out!!"

I shouted and tried to point at the cluster of thestrals that had recovered from the crash, fluttering up together above Zed still decimating those struggling on the deck and its new angle. My warning came just as they opened their mouths and screeched together, the rings of sound coming together and blasting all three of us with that awful wail again.

My headache ratcheted up to excruciating as Val clamped a claw to her ears and kept trying to cut my bonds with grim determination. Witchy crouched in front of me protectively, taking a deep breath before belting out a high pitched note that battled with the concentrated rings of magical sound, holding them back and giving us some relief, but losing ground almost immediately.

When it looked like she was going to be overtaken, another raspy screech from behind me rang out and joined hers, then another, and another, and another... More and more concentric rings of sound joined in on Witchy's side, though these were tinted green rather than the pale blue of the others, evening out the clash of noise and pushing back. I struggled to peer around the edge of the missile and spot our saviors, straining to stretch my neck and then goggling at the sight.

Jade was flying at the head of a small army of ghoulish batponies, wearing tattered uniforms and tarnished armor, they flapped in place in formation around her, screeching a coordinated attack at her direction. Her glowing blue shield was up and Glitter was on her back, pointing her little hooves and yelling orders happily. In that moment, seeing her blue eyes glowing brightly as she hovered in place above the fray, I wasn't the only one who saw a true Princess...

Even the insulting, snide, skeptical thestrals that had denigrated her for taking the title gaped in awe, laying their tufted ears back at her regal goddess voice booming out. "WE DO NOT WISH TO FIGHT, BUT YOU WILL NOT HURT MY FAMILY! RELEASE MY HUSBAND AND MY FRIEND WITCHING HOUR IMMEDIATELY! STOP THIS MADNESS!"

The old ghoul Moon Tide was at her side, wearing an ornate and battered set of ancient styled combat armor from his days as a living member of the crew, he croaked out in the silence that followed her booming pronouncement. "Dishonorable dogs! The Princess told us of thine treachery and lies Admiral! To attack a visitor under the protection of parley!? Thou art a disgrace to holy Luna!"

Taking advantage of the lull, Witchy smiled at her friend and fluttered up, throwing her hooves wide and pleading with the confused crowd. "H-He's right! Please, listen to her highness and stop this! I told Admiral Stars, Fast is not... Fast Times is not the Shrouded Stallion! E-Even if he was somehow, this is not what goddess Luna would want! Are we taught to blindly follow our orders, or serve our Princess as her representatives? To interpret our orders and think when the situation has changed! Admiral Stars merely wants a sacrificial lamb to fire off on his missile, he doesn't even care if it's not the real Shroud! He just wants to check off that box on his list and move on! We are not mindless sheep, are we!? We are the Lunar Guard, thou should act like it!!"

There was a ripple of uncertainty through the assembled crowd, the non-combatants especially who were just here for the show had gotten more than they bargained for. Jade's kindhearted plea, the ghouls turning on them and Witchy's speech as one of them looked to sink in just a little.

Any hope they got through was short lived however, the Admiral squeaked furiously, his leathery wings barely able to lift his bulk from the canted deck. "L-Lies! I'll not be lectured by some rotting corpses, or half breed traitors and especially not by mutant freaks! Launch the missile and complete our duty! Kill the rest! Kill all of them!!"

His tantrum was answered by bright blue beams of magical energy weapons and the fwoosh of missiles, half a dozen suits of the thestral styled Knightmare power armor joining the fray and ending the brief pause. Most focused on the airborne enemies, flying after Jade and the ghouls with silvery contrails streaking behind them. They were nearly on top of her in an instant, making me struggle and pull to get loose as Val cut through another loop of chain across my chest.

Before their weapons fire battered down Jade's shield, or spread out to the ghouls shooting smaller arms that were pinging uselessly off the heavy armor in a doomed defense of the blue alicorn, there was a giddy, booming shout and a hurricane of wind came, along with a huge purple blur scattering the four suits of armor in her wake.

"Tin can ponies! Good! I was done with your stupid ship anyway, now I get to smash you too!" Swan roared and looped through the air, diving at the power armor and giving chase when they wisely ran.

The crackling violet ball of her shield shrugged off everything they desperately threw at it, along with destroying a radar tower and a large chunk of the tall bridge she plowed through when they tried losing her in the narrower spaces of the ship. Everywhere they went, a rain of destructive magic was following in their wake, causing more damage to their precious ship, which gave them incentive to take to the open sky and try to outrun her.

It would never work... Swan was toying with them and highly ticked off, I caught her furrowing her brow when her big blue violet eyes flicked my way as she rocketed by. She definitely found the radiation she was looking for earlier and I was glad for it, but the giant mare was on a full on rampage at this point.

Two of the power armor suits had peeled away from the rest however, sticking to the deck and tromping their way towards us. When the chattering rounds of a light machine gun peppered the side of the missile Val was still clinging to, she squawked and lobbed explosives their way, sticking at my side and straining to cut through the chains faster under the threat they posed.

Witchy had flown up to her side and was putting her half earth pony strength to use shoving the Shishkebab with her. Under other circumstances I'd better appreciate her hind legs straddling my head and her rump in my face, braced against the side of the missile as she grunted and pushed. As it was, I just appreciated her period, she and Val were an easy target up here with me, but neither was moving.

More blue beams of magic forced them to duck however, Val blindly firing for effect against them wasn't keeping them back. Poking her head back up to spot them clomping through the haze and smoke, Witchy took the handle of Val's sword in her teeth and pushed her aside with a determined yelp. "Go! Deal with them, I'll keep cutting!"

Val looked conflicted, but locked eyes with Witchy and any doubt disappeared. She took off in a looping, agile flight, squawking back before focusing on the threat exclusively. "Trustin' you with the boss batty! Know you won't lemme down! C'mon ya fuckers, this'a way!"

While it was heartening to see the trust between them, it was also the only real choice. Witchy was still wore nothing but the bruises and cuts to her silky fur, while Val was bristling with weapons and armor, and eager to use them. With Val leading them away and focused on eliminating them as quickly as possible, Witchy was free to keep torching her way through the magical chains, while I was still stuck watching everything unfolding around me. It was bedlam at this point, the damage to the ship was massive already, at least half the crew that had been assembled on deck had scattered, either hiding below decks or escaping to Guano-Town or the wasteland beyond.

The rest were falling back to more defensible positions and trying to maintain order, suddenly finding that trying to fight 200 year old ghouls who actually served in the war wasn't as easy as they thought. The hammering noise of the anti-air guns opening up along with the roar of cannons pursuing the cackling purple alicorn looping around the ship gave them hope, only for it to be dashed as once ancient weapon after another was obliterated by her range of destructive spells.

I was amazed and proud watching Jade flying among them, she had got out of the trap and found help, come up with a plan and executed it brilliantly. Granted, she was still knocking ponies out with her anesthetic spell and calling for non-lethal means wherever possible, but she came to rescue us. She was amazing... A real Princess, just like Luna. She didn't need her knight at all...

Another loop of chain parted from across my chest from Witchy's efforts, letting me pull away and spread my wings a little bit, getting the feathers away from the dripping, molten metal oozing down the side of the missile and scorching my tail. Flapping and straining to pull loose just disrupted Witchy's efforts, so I was forced to sit still, grinding my fangs as the battle raged around us and the frustrated snarl of 'Be Dark...' was unable to do anything. It was forced to rely on my friends with me, to accept they could handle things without me, us... and trust in my family. 'Be Kind...'

Witchy was halfway through another loop of chain when the missile started to shake and vent smoke around the base, lending urgency to her task. I frantically searched the battle, finding the Admiral on his fat belly, crawling through the hooves of the combatants to retrieve the launcher controls. He smirked with the device in his hooves, slamming one down on the big red button.

"Witchy! Move!" I struggled to lean up and shove the determined batpony mare away, but Witchy simply took my warning as a chance to brace herself, her fangs clenching around the handle of Val's Shishkebab just before the missile launched in a fwoosh of flame and smoke.

The ship receded below us at a terrifying speed, the battle becoming a swarm of ants crawling on a toy boat as we took to the skies. The chains binding me from my tummy down kept me in place, while Witchy hung on to the flaming sword stuck in the missile by her teeth, her legs and wings stretching behind her and her cheeks flapping around her grimace of effort with the wind blasting by.

"Witchy! Let! Go!... Jade! Needs! You!... It's! Ok!"

Hooking her foreleg over my shoulder, Witchy narrowed her teary eyes and dragged herself forward as the missile leveled off to a more horizontal position, still gaining altitude slightly as it zoomed across the Celestial Sea. She ignored my plea and took my hoof to steady herself, digging her hindlegs in to the links of chain for purchase and mumbling around the handle of the flaming sword blazing in the wind. "NO! We're. Going. Together! Nnnggh!!"

The chain around my flanks parted with her high pitched scream of effort, forcing me to sit up on my haunches with the wind battering my back and my wings whipping at my sides. Seeing only my hindlegs were caught now, Witchy shifted and wrapped her foreleg around my back, huddling with me as she pried and grunted at the last loops, while pulling with all her considerable strength to get me loose.

With one final push, I popped loose and we both went tumbling free of the missile, spinning in the contrail of smoke as it disappeared over the horizon. Witchy had thankfully yanked the Shishkebab free and extinguished it, the steaming blade hissing as it cooled in her muzzle hooked over my shoulder. The two of us were still clutching each other in the air, slowing to a relative halt with our wings shakily holding us up.

I nuzzled her windswept purple mane in relief, shuddering at how close I came to taking an express trip to Zebrica. In just a few seconds we had traveled well out over the ocean, a small island below us with tiny huts in neat little rows and tiny ponies orderly going about their night made my pip-buck interrupt the moment with an absent beep of; Discovered Location: Spectacular Island.

Pulling away slightly to look my savior in the face, I kissed her passionately, ignoring the taste of blood and piss to express my gratitude. "Sweet Celestia! Thank you Witchy! T-Though that was totally crazy, you shouldn't have... you could have been killed!"

"F-Family... looks out for each other, even when they don't want it, right? Admiral Stars took enough from me already, he was not going to take my special somepony too... B-Besides, her highness would never... Oh! Her highness!! Fast, we must get back to her, quickly!" Witchy blushed and nuzzled back in a shaky voice, then squeaked and fluttered in the air frantically on reminding herself of Jade and the others still battling in Dreadnot.

Following her wide amber eyes, I gulped at the sheer distance between us and the ship. Every second we were out here, they were fighting on their own, possibly... alright, likely freaking out that we were long gone...

'Let me... Princess... Help... Together... Let me...'

"Witchy, wait!" Rubbing my head and slowing beside her when she turned back with an impatient snort, I held a hoof up for patience and thought to myself. "Hang on... just a second. All those thestrals believe he just launched the real Shroud away, right? How about we give them a scare... make them rethink things a little and stop fighting?"

"What? What do you mean Fast!? We must return to her highness' side, quickly! We have no time for thine theatrics!" Witchy yelped back, but it would take too long to fly back and I was still pissed at the Admiral and all the cruel batponies on his side.

There were innocents back there though, those who were following orders and true to their oaths, families who just lived there, foals... I wanted revenge, for me, for Witchy, for the ghouls and Witchy's father, I wanted the tempting visions 'Be Dark...' was throwing up to goad me. Just not the indiscriminate slaughter it advocated... 'Be Kind...'

"I know! This is probably the fastest way, plus maybe it'll help with your people. I have to do something I'm not supposed to though. They wanted the real Shroud, so I'm gonna give it to them... If... if it goes bad, if I'm ever a threat to Jade or Glitter, a-any of you... I want you to stop me Witchy. Ok?"

She gulped and kept turning back to the ship and the continuing explosions echoing across the waves, but gave a nervous nod as I closed my eyes, trusting me and waiting patiently while I summoned the image of the battered, black stasis pod in my head.

'Want! Let me! Revenge! Want! Out! Let me!'

(Just shut up a minute... Listen, Zed told me not to deal with you, but we both want to protect Jade, right?)

'Princess... Mine.... Want!... Let me....'

(We both want to put the fear of Luna into those assholes too, right?)

'Revenge... Punish... Want...'

(Alright then, work with me here. If I let you loose, you have to behave, got it? We work together, no going crazy and trying to slaughter all of them. Killing them all won't help and it'll make Jade sad. You need to... to be like you were before. Luna sent you out to teach ponies a lesson and protect the innocent. Let's teach these assholes a lesson...)

'....Let me?....'

Nodding as the imaginary chains loosened and the lid hissed open, I took a shaking step into the roiling cloud of blackness that poured out, speaking aloud as my glowing eyes snapped open. "Together, right?"

'...Together...'

An aura of black lightning arced around me as my magic surged, the pain from my wounds disappearing in a rush of adrenaline and fury. Witchy took an unconscious flap backwards, but drifted closer when I held a hoof out to her and spoke in my own voice.

"A-Alright... now, let's go freak them out a little and get back to Jade... Ready?"

Witchy glided close and hugged me tightly, nodding against my neck as lightning flickered and sparked around us. Feeling her warmth in my hooves strengthened the growl of the Shroud in my head, but it was an embrace of trust and caring that helped the song of the Ministry Mares grow sweeter and brighter to balance it.

Witchy had faith in me, enough to hug the monster when she knew what it was, whispering in my ear firmly. "Ready!"

In a sparking flash of electricity, we disappeared together, teleporting across the distance separating us from the our family.

Even though I was fairly confident in the shadow of 'Be Dark...' guiding my magic when we agreed on something, I was still surprised to reappear right on target. Witchy and I burst out of a crackle of lightning magic directly above Dreadnot, flapping hard to get our bearings and tumbling to a dark bank of clouds drifting over the battle below.

With barely a word, Witchy zoomed off to find Jade, leaving me alone to engage in a bit of rushed comic book drama for the superstitious bats below. I'd never really learned pegasi tricks like cloud sculpting, but the barely restrained spirit trapped in my head had. With its help, I swooped and dove through the dark grey clouds, bucking them to a rumbling black as I gracefully flew in wide loops around them, gathering them together, cutting and shaping them with my outstretched pinions as I passed in a spinning blur around the growing shape.

I hated not going right for Jade too, but Witchy was on her way and Jade would want the fighting to stop as soon as possible. With any luck, this trick would do just that... It wasn't pretty, lacking a natural pegasus' skill and much artistic talent, but it would serve.

Judging it good enough, I fluttered up to the top of my creation, sinking my hooves into the dark fluff of cloud and spreading my wings in slow, deliberate down beats, shoving it all towards the ship. The aura of lightning dancing around me arced over the surface of the cloud, eliciting more rumbles and flashes as the whole thing started sinking towards the ship. I closed my eyes once we were on course, concentrating on my magic mingling with the natural power under my hooves and clearing my throat, casting the voice altering and amplification spells.

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS! THOU HATH THOUGHT TO RID THYSELVES OF THE SHROUDED STALLION AND DARE ATTACK HIS PRINCESS! NOW YOU FACE LUNA'S WRATH FOR THY TRANSGRESSIONS! THROW DOWN THINE ARMS AND BEG HER FORGIVENESS, OR FACE HER AVENGER!"

The effect was worth the set up, from my perch I could see the batponies turn their faces up as one, every eye going wide and fluffy ear laying back in fear. Of course seeing a giant Shrouded Stallion head piercing the cloud layer with a wide open maw full of lightning was bound to give anypony pause. For the thestrals however, it was like a religious revelation, a creature of their legends come to life and bearing down on them with hell in its eyes.

Focusing on my magic and tap dancing on the head of my crude sculpture, bolts of lightning streaked down and blasted the deck, sending the red dashes on E.F.S. skittering back with squeaks and chirps. A few of the braver ones fired wildly on the looming cloud monster, but their bullets and magical beams hit nothing but wisps of fluff, turning some of the edges ragged at best.

Swan did a lot more damage just by soaring my way fearlessly, unimpressed by the cloudy stallion head even larger than her own, coming up nose to nose like she was going to kiss the sculpture. Her hurricane force wings blew large swaths of it aside as she leaned up to the horned brow, blinking her big blue violet eyes on finding me and puckering up to smack at my face happily, somewhat ruining the show with her giddy burbling.

"Fast!! You came back! Good, I was scared! I couldn't reach you in time when you zoomed off on that stupid thing! Sister said to try not to hurt anypony, but let's go smash all those mean bats that strapped you to it! Pleeeeeease!?" Swan scooped me off my perch in her hooves, ignoring the stunned and confused crowd watching her hug and kiss her captive while hovering above a battlefield.

"Ok! Ok! E-Easy Swan! I'm glad to see you too! I'm trying to scare them though, you being all lovely dovey is ruining it! Back to smashing, right? Er... actually, how many ponies can you teleport like this Swan?"

I was shifted up to Swan's warm cheek as she hummed in thought and drifted down, right beside the unconcerned murmur from her muzzle and able to pull her soft ear down to whisper my reply, coming up with a rushed plan the giant filly agreed to with a super sized nuzzle. I'd never figured out Swan's limits when it came to teleporting large groups when she was in a super alicorn state, but she seemed up to the task and cut her wings, dropping like a stone and slamming all four hooves to the deck of the leaning Dreadnot.

Giving a snort and tossing her rippling pink mane, Swan released me to the deck at her hooves. Our side of the conflict naturally formed up around the big filly, facing off with the batponies still in a wary ceasefire. The ghouls all fluttered around her, Zed charged through the fallen and groaning victims of his bloodied hooves to join us, Val's 12mm pistol was the last shot that rang out, pressed to the eye hole of a Knightmare power armor she had been wrestling with.

At the center of it all was Jade, flapping sedately with Glitter on her back and her shield fading away. Witchy was at her side, where she belonged... Already I could see Jade's horn glowing with healing magic and hear her worried nickers at her royal guard's condition, her warm blue eyes flicking my way full of relief and worry as I stalked forward into the nopony's land between us and the batpony defenders.

Considering I had a giant purple alicorn tromping behind me, nopony was that eager to start shooting. It somewhat made up for her blowing away my cloudy entrance with her affection, allowing me to recover and growl out to the still cowed crowd. "Thou hath completed thine mission and sent the Shroud away... tis not your fault I came back. Goddess Luna would be proud of thine devotion, but disappointed in how far thou have fallen otherwise. Go back to repairing thine vessel and sail away in shame if that is what thou desires. If thou would honor her memory and true wishes however, thou should take a long, hard look at what thou have become."

"Be better... be worthy of her... a kind mare who cared for everycreature, not a snobby, elitist, hateful pony like thou art. Whatever thou decides, know this... Luna's avenger does again walk Equestria and serves his Princess faithfully. Should thou raise a hoof against her again, thou will face... the Shrouded Stallion!"

The only one to break the silence was Admiral Stars, still clutching the missile remote and sputtering in a rage. "Blasphemy! Thou aren't really... thou can't be! Yon mutant monster is no Princess and thou are no Shroud! I'll not be lectured by some counterfeit! Kill them! Purge the pretenders! In holy Luna's name, I order you to... gak!"

With an annoyed whinny from overhead, I turned back to see Swan's horn glowing as the Admiral clutched his chest and flopped on the deck like a fish. That heart attack spell of hers was one way to shut him up anyway... I'd have to ask her to teach me sometime. The silence gave the confused crew a moment to murmur amongst themselves over his words, outright admitting he didn't believe he was launching the real Shroud, just some fake to play to their beliefs.

Since many of them were now of the opinion the real Shroud had just pronounced judgement on them for their sins, they were doubly upset he obviously didn't share their beliefs. Many even dropped to their knees when Jade trotted up to my side. She had left Glitter safely behind with Val and Zed, though Witchy pranced beside her loyally. She looked unhappy at her sister still squeezing the Admiral's heart in a magical vice and at the growling rumble I was speaking in, but nickered and tossed her mane, speaking sweetly to the spooked crowd still pointing guns at her.

"We did not come seeking conflict and would be happy to leave, now that we have rescued those your Admiral captured under false pretenses... The Kingdom of Sanctuary is not a force for violence and war, so we would leave in peace and take those who wish to follow. If Dreadnot truly desires its isolation, we will respect that and not bother you again. As my husband said however, we will be watching... Sister, could you please release the Admiral so we may take our leave?" Jade spoke to the stilled battlefield in a regal voice, giving a bow of her graceful neck before turning to her sister.

Swan huffed and gave an exasperated snort overhead, but her horn winked out and the thrashing Admiral whooped in air, thumping his fat chest and thankfully unable to form words. Witchy trotted forward while he was still rolling on the ground, passing by me with a determined look and still in possession of Val's Shishkebab. She hefted it up in her mouth and squeezed the scooter brake trigger to ignite it when she came to a halt over the Admiral.

"Witching dear... y-you do not need to do this... W-We may all leave this place and never return... please..." Jade called after her softly, bringing tears to Witchy's amber eyes glaring down at the panting Admiral Stars.

"You... You killed my father. You make deals with the Gunners, when Princess Jade resists their tyranny. You violated parley and attacked her. You allowed... encouraged everypony to treat me as a pariah, an outcast! J-Just because I'm different! Just like the nice ponies of Guano-Town, you hate and torment anycreature who is different! They deserve better, we all deserve better! I deserve better! My new friends accept me as I am... they love me, no matter what!"

"Listen, all of you! Goddess Luna is gone... she died, but Princess Jade is a worthy monarch and I serve her proudly. I am done with this foul swine however... never again will I serve such a dishonorable oath breaker. I will make sure everypony else is aware of thine true nature however..." Witchy's high pitched voice was firm and her slitted eyes set in a hard line as she glanced up to the watching crowd, their tufted ears perked up and tracking her as she came closer, bringing the white hot tip of Val's sword close to the Admiral's cutie mark, stretched and distorted across his fat flank.

He struggled to move on figuring out what she was doing, but the blue glow of my telekinesis reached out and slammed him to the deck, pinning him in place. After being chained up and nearly fired across the ocean, neither 'Be Dark...' or the rest of me was feeling very sympathetic, let him see how he liked being trapped...

A few of the Admiral's loyal guards made to move at his panicked screaming, but a lot of guns clicking in warning from behind me and the stomp of Swan's big hoof shaking the ship got them to reconsider. The fragile peace held along with everypony's collective breath, watching the curved tip of the flaming sword inching towards the Admiral's mark of five starfish.

Jade winced at the sound of sizzling flesh, while my stomach gave a disturbing rumble when the sickly sweet smell hit my nose and drool flooded my mouth. 'Want... Meat...' I was still in balance with the dark spirit snarling for pony flesh thankfully, shaking off the disgusting thought and keeping the screaming, bucking stallion in place as Witchy pressed the tip to his flank. She pulled it away and turned, reversing the sword to place a matching curved brand near the first, then moved back to admire her work.

Two curved burns with a gap between them, a match for the brand seared into Lt. Wing's flank... The sight made my stomach churn and frightening, dream like memories to drift up from my subconscious, but it didn't look easy for Witchy either. She extinguished the Shishkebab and let it clatter to the deck, sniffling as I floated it to my bags and kept my grip on the whimpering Admiral.

"You sure that's all Witchy? He deserves to die... I can do it for you... I want to do it..."

'...WANT!... REVENGE!...PUNISH!...MINE!...'

She gave me a weary smile as she turned away and shook her head, her matted mane swaying as she trotted back to Jade and her voice cracking. "F-Forgiveness... remember? I know you want to... to protect me Fast, to do for me... but I did this for myself and that's all I want. Leave him... leave all of them and let's go... please?"

Ignoring the Admiral's screeches of pain and fury, I shrugged and released my hold on him, letting the fat fuck flop around in a rage as I paced back with the others. Despite his furious orders to kill us all, he'd lost a lot of face and nobody was moving to obey yet. I hoped leaving him alive wasn't a mistake and dearly wanted to cut his head off, but I was going to respect Witchy's wishes this time dammit, no matter what the snarl of 'Be Dark...' said.

Prancing along and sending tremors through the still settling ship, Swan veered away once I joined Jade in a shuddering embrace. The big alicorn trotted right over to the ruined magical energy cannon on the ship I had pointed out to her before, still unscathed when all the more working looking examples festooning the ship had been damaged in a rain of destruction. She had taken care not to damage the thing I wanted in all that chaos...

"I'm taking this thing stupid bats! I am stealing it because Fast wants it, so there!" Swan stuck her long tongue out at the crew, all simply watching her in awe as she surrounded the dead weapon in her magic and pulled, tearing it away in a screech of metal and floating it to her back.

That done, she shooed all the ghouls still fluttering nearby into a tight group with her wide wings, cantering around in a circle to cluster everyone together. Then her horn glowed brilliantly, her bright violet magic sparking and swirling around everyone, lighting the dark ship like a torch in the night before teleporting away.

Preston and the Minutemares at Castle Equinox were surprised to have us suddenly reappear in the courtyard so soon after leaving. They were even more surprised at the large group of undead thestrals we brought with us, though quickly recovered and helped sort everything out. Jade's Followers scrambled from their posts to assist their Princess in attending the wounded, ushering them into the castle's ballroom that had been converted into their on site hospital.

While I got the same treatment and ordered to one of the rickety cots to recover under my favorite doctor's stern command, Jade was busy with those who had rallied to her cause when she needed help. She sent the worst of the wounded ghouls down to the reactor pit to heal, somewhat annoying her sister Swan over having to give up her radioactive lair when she had burned through nearly all her excess power and shrunk to Jade's size.

Wrinkling her nose at both Swan and the acrid scent still clinging to her batpony friend faithfully at her side, Jade gave me a lidded look as she addressed Swan's pouting. "Now, now sister, be generous and share for awhile. Perhaps we can find things you will enjoy at this scale to improve your mood. I believe we may take advantage of the royal baths since we have returned to the castle. Perhaps some lucky stallion will even be so kind as to scrub our backs for us, hmm? Provided he behaves until we may take our leave..."

That was enough incentive for me to be good, avidly watching Jade, Witchy, Swan and Val giggling in a group as they left, swaying their flanks to tease me. I made sure to keep a goofy, lusty look on my drooling face until they left, then winced and rubbed my head at the needy roar that had been straining to go after them.

'MINE! WANT! NOW!'

Shut up... I do too, but if you don't settle down, they'll just worry and we won't get anywhere dammit. Behave... I leaned back against the tattered pillow behind me and sighed, rubbing my head with my eyes clenched shut. I knew Zed told me not to try talking to it, but it was stuck in my head, I was the one that had to live with it, finding a way to do that in peaceful cooperation seemed like the best option.

It had worked with me and helped... of course it had probably caused more problems to begin with. After seeing the corpse of Lt. Wing and being forced to tell Witchy about her aunt Ruby, I had serious suspicions about just what 'Be Dark...' had been getting up to. Now that I was thinking of it, I couldn't help going over every case I had lost control and other strange incidents we had run into.

Had it been me? Had I been doing more than sleepwalking and occasionally getting frisky while unconscious?

The only answer I got from my addled brains was the concerned hum of the Ministry Mares, weaving their magic in harmony and trying to hold me together, while it felt like I was falling apart at the seams. That darker note with them was brooding and silent, biding its time and refusing to answer my worried introspection.

I managed to sit still like that for nearly an hour, letting the ragged wound in my shoulder regenerate with a maddening itch under the magical bandages Jade wound around me. Since my little corner of the castle's new medical ward was currently slightly radioactive from the chatter of Jade's lead lined box sitting open on the tray beside me, her Followers weren't watching me that closely. Avoiding the patrol of the one ghoulish nurse who stopped by wasn't hard, so I hopped up, collected Jade's box and trotted off onto the castle grounds, stretching my limbs and working out the kinks, still deep in thought.

I stopped by the Fixer's tower and inspected the final component of the teleporter Swan had unceremoniously dumped outside. The girls were busy at work, stripping the magical energy cannon down to its base components and yanking the beam emitter I needed from the innards. Just chatting with them while they worked caused my pip-buck to beep positively, displaying text in front of my view of the cannibalized cannon.

Mission Updated!: Arcane Relay Race

Objectives---
---Build Teleporter Relay
-----~~Construct Control Console~~
-----~~Construct Crystal Reflector Platform~~
-----~~Construct Magical Beam Emitter~~
-----~~Construct Arcane Relay Dish~~

That was all four... Once the parts were shipped to Sanctuary and assembled, we'd have a way to reach the Institute at long last... It had taken a lot to get this far, but I finally felt like I was making progress. When I tracked down the Institute, it wouldn't be as a prisoner or an experiment this time, it would be as a pissed off Stable-pony with a dangerous spirit on my side. Good or bad, 'Be Dark...' could be very persuasive...

Giving my squad my most winning smile and a deep bow of thanks, I wandered off and left them to it, trying to ignore their giggles and whispers that made me speed my step. Onyx and her constant flirting only worsened the whisper chanting 'Mine... Want.... Now..." as I trotted away with my tail between my legs.

There were more important things to think about dammit, try to focus... Nothing about the Southeast Commonwealth had been going very well and it was all troubling, especially with how close it all was to Castle Equinox and the Gunners on the other side of the area.

They hadn't attacked places like Dreadnot or University Point, juicy targets that mysteriously remained uninvolved in the Gunner's campaign of violence across the south. In the case of Dreadnot we at least learned a reason why, they were benefiting from the thestral's manufacturing capability, taking payment for leaving the ancient ship alone. What were they getting from other places though?

Warhorse Homestead provided a lot of food for communities in the area, were they feeding the Gunners too? They were led by a pony I was pretty damn sure was a synth at this point, meaning the Institute had infiltrated them and anything they did was according to their plan.

Groups like the Rust Devils were left alone too, despite their sadistic 'entertainment' at the Downs. Even the raiders in the area were subdued and watched their step, sticking with their smaller squabbles amongst themselves for territory and resources.

Everything in the region fell under the creeping influence of University Point and the smarty-ponies in charge there. The school Director Klein had once taught at, before forming the Institute... A point of information from the haunted highschool that had been rolling around in my mind, I doubted it was a coincidence...

The only group that was free and friendly was the Arcano-Cats and Rocketburg, also the only ones I had seen the Gunners openly attack... We needed to get back there in the morning and get to work on Jade's armor in time for her upcoming race, a visit I felt more certain about considering those facts. If the Gunners were against them, they likely weren't being manipulated by the Institute at least.

From what I knew of Klein and what he had been up to down here, I didn't like it... He had an army he had created by messing with Stable 75 and distorting its goal of peaceful coexistence between ponies and griffons. Until recently he had his personal dollhouse in the form of Daybreak Technical School, disappearing ponies who entered and learning how to make better copies. He had been producing power armor, tanks and even Verti-bucks for the Gunners, shipping them all to the fallen settlement of Whinny.

Even though they had suffered an enormous setback, I couldn't help but wonder about how the thestrals of Dreadnot and their work restoring their ship fit into it all. Klein was methodically building an army and talked about 'restoring Equestria', just like the Admiral screeched about, having a warship fit right in to that vague goal. If the Gunners and the Institute behind them swept the Commonwealth, would the rest of the wasteland be far behind? Klein talked like he had been unaware of the outside world until recently, now it seemed like he may have big plans for it...

Then there was Fancy and my promise to help her. Vega didn't seem to hold as much influence down here in what I suspected was Klein's territory exclusively, but he had been busy around Diamond City and was up to something important. Knowing when and where the asshole was going to be meant we could actually strike a blow directly at the Institute and a Director who had been a huge thorn in our side.

We may not even need the teleporter, though I was glad to see it nearly done. Dr. Vigil's plans would lead us directly to what he called the Think Tank, a central hub of the Institute's underground lairs. Going after Vega would most likely lead to his personal labs however, like Dala's that I had escaped before. I'd take any opening to try to find my family and agreed with the snarl of 'Be Dark...' itching to kill Vega himself, but was unsure what we'd find there.

All in all, we had enough on our plate already. I had no time to deal with a mental breakdown or spiritual possession. I just had to last long enough to find my family and keep Jade safe, we could worry about going to Neighlem Village like Zed wanted and seeking help for my... condition... later. It had waited this long anyway, knowing more about it did little to change it. It just let me take precautions and try to live with it...

I briefly wondered how well Jade would take adding a little bondage to our bedtime fun and if I could convince her that was all it was. Even if I had to tell her outright though, tying me up at night sounded like a good idea. Just in case...

The sound of splashing and laughter got me to look up from my brooding and blink curiously at where my hooves had led me. I had apparently wandered all the way up to Luna's wing of the castle, currently standing just outside the seashell adorned door to the royal baths that was cracked open and wafting steam out into the hall.

'...Mine.... Want...'

Great... Even while awake, I had to watch out for spacing out and letting my subconscious have too much free reign. That hungry mutter nudged me just where it wanted to go while I was woolgathering. Giving an exhausted sigh, I hung my head and gave the heavy wooden door a gentle push. I did want to go here too after all... Just a peek wouldn't hurt...

The sight that met my wide eyes was enough to put all my worries aside, simply standing there with a soft smile and looking over my new family turning to smile back in welcome.

"There he is! Get in here boss, it's way too girly! We needs a stallion in the mix here before they start paintin' my claws!" Val lounged at the edge of the huge tub with a beer in her claws, grinning and waving me over while reaching for another. 'Be Awesome!'

To my surprise and gulp of inadequacy, the muscular Zed was lounging in the tub as well, removing the damp washcloth from his face to raise an eyebrow at Val before addressing me, his watchful grey eyes betraying a little amusement. "I'm a stallion Valkyrie... though I'm sure Fast doesn't mind another, right? I told you communal bathing is part of my culture Fast, glad to see you giving it a try." 'Be Strong!'

"Daddy look! Auntie Swan taught me how ta swim like her!" Glitter splashed and laughed heartily, flopping to her back in the water and doing an inexperienced backstroke. 'Awareness!'

Floating on her back beside the happy foal and spitting up a little fountain of water from her puffed up cheeks, Swan puttered around her with little kicks of her hindlegs, her flowing pink mane and tail a sinuous cloud in the water trailing behind her. "It's not as nice as my pond... but I like the fancy bath and being with sister and niece Glitter, so being small isn't so bad. It'll be more fun with you Fast! Come in and play!"

Witchy was the one who made me chuckle under my breath as I took off my hat and crossed the damp tiles. 'Be Unwavering!' She was sitting under the spray of the sputtering showers in the corner, her wet tail curling around her shapely flanks on the tiles and towards the drain, while her forelegs were straight and tight in front of her, curling into the tightest ball she could manage in the position. She had turned a brilliant red all over her lilac grey coat, her leathery wings were sticking straight up and her eyes were downcast in embarassment, managing to flick up to mine to shrug helplessly and squeak in distress at her situation. "C-C-Come in Fast... Tis a-alright... T-The Princess was just..."

What Jade was doing was easy enough to see, the big blue alicorn loomed over Witchy folding in on herself in her shadow. Her eyes were closed in a happy smile and her hooves were forcefully scrubbing Witchy's purple mane, shaking her head back and forth as she raised an enormous lather and shaped it into a pointy hat, then directed the spray of water from the shower to Witchy's head and drenched her. 'Be Kind...'

She then leaned in and snuffled at Witchy's wet mane falling into her eyes, wrinkling her nose before floating over an ancient bottle of shampoo and returning to scrubbing as she burbled to me, her wide blue eyes sparkling. "Do join us dear, you may take Witching's place just as soon as I am finished. Poor Witching smelled simply awful after her ordeal, so we must wash it all away, should we not?

"Yeah... yeah we should Jade, scrub the filth of that place off really good and send it down the drain. I'll wait as long as it takes, she deserves the attention. Right Witchy?"

Looking up to me fumbling with my trenchcoat and winking to her from under my ragged grey mane, Witchy smiled and chirped gratefully. Her laid back ears perked up and she straightened up under Jade's monstrously strong scrubbing, giving me a nod and fluttering her wings. "R-Right! I... I do deserve good things... sometimes... f-for me."

She still sounded unsure, but finally acknowledged she wasn't worthless, ugly, undeserving or impure, taking a hard first step in getting over the abuse she had suffered for years all alone. Everyone giving a cheer of agreement and laughing together helped and she gave a luxuriant whinny, relaxing under Jade's ministrations with a long, shaky sigh.

Waiting for the same treatment wasn't too bad considering how forcefully Jade scrubbed, with Glitter with us she was all business, working the lather into my coat, mane, tail and feathers. She'd stop to stick her tongue out of her muzzle cutely and make more funny hats and manestyles out of the suds, but the stream of dirt and blood sloughing off me and circling the drain kept her busy. She preened my wings more gently at least, hugging me to her chest and nipping with her teeth delicately, a skill I had yet to learn and enjoyed having her do for me so graciously, sneaking in little kisses to my neck as she worked.

Once clean enough to enter the opulent bath, we all sat together, crowding even the pool sized tub for a goddess. We splashed and played with Glitter's battered old bath toys, I drank beers with Val and was roughly dunked under the water by her claw scratching my itchy mane for me, Zed told zebra myths of water spirits and the first of the great bath houses of Roam being built, Jade and Witchy sang to our cheers and Swan stood on her head underwater to Glitter's amazement, the little filly immediately begging to learn the same trick with all of us encouraging her as she tried repeatedly.

It had been a hard night for everyone and we all just savored being together, being a family. While the grumble of 'Be Dark...' was pouting and petulant over not having a bath of only pretty fillies to ravish, I was grateful for the quiet reprieve. I played with my daughter, snuggled by my wife, laughed and joked with my friends, took turns scrubbing and massaging lots of long, lithe backs without getting too frisky and put up with a lot of flirtatious teasing from Val and Swan.

I enjoyed the moment, thankful for being together and being alive. The cool fall winds blew the dead leaves and ruin of the old world outside, while we were warm and safe. Even after drying off and leaving the baths, we stayed together and raided the kitchens, pestering the Minutemare cook Greasy Spoon into laying out a veritable wasteland feast.

We prayed to the Goddesses and gave thanks, then ate ravenously after our ordeal, sharing with every Minutemare, Follower and curious batpony ghoul who came by. Eventually it became such a production we moved to the ancient palace dining rooms, putting on a grand banquet for the first time in centuries.

Everycreature was welcome and joined in, giving their thanks; for the Princess at the head of the battered and rotted table, for their place here with the Minutemares or Followers, for changing the Commonwealth for the better under those banners, for being alive and not living in fear of raiders or monsters while trying to eke out a living off the ruins of the old world.

Checking my pip-buck's time and date, I shared a weary smile with most of the ghouls I saw joining the feast. It had been more than a month since Nightmare Night, I supposed the tradition of a harvest feast of thanks had been a laughable concept for most wastelanders for a long time, but here we were having one again, right on time.

The last one I remembered was from the Stable, which consisted of an extra portion of artificial cranberry jello and a prayer to the goddesses, but it had been with mom and dad, my brother Better, Sunset and Grizz, everypony... I didn't appreciate it enough at the time, but I sure appreciated it now.

I thanked Luna, Celestia and Jade's mother The Goddess all, even adding on Zed's crazy spirits. With all the bad in the world and the evil we still had to face, I was enormously, eternally grateful for what we had.

---------------------Level Up!---------------------

New Perk Added!--------------

Cloud Sculpting (Rank 1)---
---It may not be pretty, but you've learned the basics of shaping clouds to suit your purposes. You are now able to sculpt clouds into simple shapes, opening up new settlement objects such as basic cloud shacks, walls, roofs, floors and more.

Reputation Change!---------------------

Dreadnot == Dark Hero
---You won't be welcome back in Dreadnot anytime soon, but the thestrals there have been convinced not to mess with this Shrouded Stallion again. There's enough of a mixed reaction among the citizens that you're not universally hated, but the guards will attack on sight and the shops will mostly not deal with you again.

Author's Note

Sorry it took awhile and I ran long again, but here we are. Trying to fit and pace things properly to finish this book of the story at 100 and enter the final act with 101 on is proving a challenge, so bear with me and I hope you enjoy! :pinkiehappy:

Ch. 98-- Honorary Rocketeer

"I used to think that the most important traits to look for in a pet, or any best friend, were all physical competitive abilities. But now I can see how short-sighted and shallow that was."

"3.... 2.... 1.... aaaaand ignition!"

A giddy crackle over the beaten old ham radio in front of me turned into a high pitched "EEEEEEE!" of pure joy, echoing the sound of the source rapidly approaching from behind, then blasting by overhead and fading again as trash on the runway was blown by, following the blur that caused the wake of wind. "eeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEeeeeee!"

I ducked down in a bomb crater in the tarmac as it passed, shoving Glitter's giggling head down while keeping her out of the puddle of chilly, mildly radioactive water at the bottom, then peering back up with her on hearing the now familiar hollow 'BONG!' and following sounds of a spectacular crash.

The two of us peeked up together, over the ragged concrete edge of our makeshift trench and finding the billowing cloud of dust blooming from the half ruined corrugated steel hangar down the runway. It was already decorated by several alicorn silhouette shaped holes in the curved wall, now joined by a fresh one we could hear crashes and snorts of laughter drifting out of, proving our test pilot was still alive and enjoying herself anyway...

"Dammit... alright Swan, come back and let us fiddle with it again..."

I groaned and pulled the round goggles from my face, pushing them up to rub my head in frustration as I hoofed the bent microphone and called to a still snickering Swan. Glitter stopped her own laughter long enough to blink up at me, her big pink eyes further magnified by her own round flight goggles. Part of her tattered leather flight cap she had scavenged, bartered or pilfered from somewhere in the Arcano-Cats domain.

The effect made her even more adorable than normal if possible, her sparkling pink gaze round and dark with enjoyment as she smiled and gave me a nuzzle before scrambling out. "It's ok daddy! You'll fix it, you always do! This is fun anyway, Auntie Swan likes it!"

Crawling out of the crater with her, I snorted at the purple alicorn down one of the smaller side runways of the old Shadowbolts base the Arcano-Cats and citizens of the floating city of Rocketburg overhead occupied. Swan came staggering out of the (more ruined than we started) hangar, greeting the light yellow pegasus Summer Wind already fluttering after her with a cheery wave and shake of rubble from her long pink mane.

She looked even more intimidating than usual, even though she was down to Jade's size. The reason was the gleaming suit of armor she was half encased in, which thankfully bore not a single scratch from our destructive testing so far, but still wasn't quite working. Glitter was right at least, Swan looked perfectly happy, even after repeated crashes. She trotted back with Summer right at her side, chatting and trying to tinker with the malfunctioning armor as the alicorn pilot came back to greet us.

Watching her prancing back, I sighed and gave a tired smile. Running down the problems with the gleaming A-01 power armor was frustrating, but also a calming and enjoyable repair problem. From the look of the beautiful work of art, one wouldn't think there was any problem anyway, and it was only half assembled.

It sparkled in the morning light, the smooth contours of the bare metal armor more closely related to a suit of insectile Shadowbolt armor than the tank like Steel Ranger version. It was a mix of the two and more though, resulting in a lot of the problems we had been diagnosing over the last few days of quiet work. The breastplate was ornate, with a large blue secondary spell matrix gem at the center of the curling ornamental plates, similar to Witchy's ancient styled armor. The thick leg plates ended on platinum shoes curling up from the hooves, clicking along the tarmac lightly as Swan came trotting back.

The barrel was mostly stripped down at the moment, only the segmented plates of the belly and the gem studded disc of the main spell matrix attached. From the flanks on were one of the unique systems that had been giving us the most trouble, a series of flexible metal plates that resembled a flowing ballroom gown in its current configuration. Long vertical lines followed each strip of armored plating down to the ground, each ending with a large diamond talisman. These shifted and changed position (if it would freaking work right anyway), transforming the A-01 in different ways. The 'Dash Mode' configuration hadn't been working out however.

Swan fluttered and flapped the silver wing plates as she approached, forcing the floating set of pale blue crystalline wing blades above her back to fold into place. I at least felt a little better that Summer at her side had never run into a suit of power armor like this one either, the modifiable nature of the strange suit stumping even our expert. Swan did demonstrate some aspects of it worked as she pranced over, the long plates shifting and clicking to let her partially armored flanks show, forming vertical fins to her sides.

"Fast! Did you see? I think I was even faster that time, sister will win her silly race for sure!" Swan burbled as she trotted up and nuzzled my frowning face, fluttering her eyelashes proudly and waving an armored wing to the swiss cheese looking hangar down the tarmac.

"Yes, I saw, I saw... She has to be able to steer though, not just go fast Swan..."

Giving a boop to her unarmored nose, I sighed looking up to her rolling her eyes. "It's a race, you go fast and win. This tin can goes really, really fast!"

As far as Swan was concerned, steering wasn't that important if you could simply plow through any obstacle. Rubbing between my eyes tiredly, I couldn't be that frustrated seeing the cute purple alicorn so clearly enjoying herself though. Jade still wanted nothing to do with the unfinished armor and Swan was a big help volunteering to test it. Not to mention I felt better about Swan repeatedly crashing than I would Jade, if only due to how much more... basically invulnerable Swan seemed.

Of course that didn't mean I was entirely comfortable with even her doing this. I was actually glad the only piece of the helmet of the A-01 was basically an ornate crown that left her face open, even after all the patching, wiring and coding it had taken to let her pip-buck take up the slack for her H.U.D. and some control systems. The designers either not getting around to an enclosed helm or it being misplaced at least allowed me to flutter up and give her a kiss, murmuring to her ears falling limp with a pleased nicker.

"Still, let's try for less crashing, huh? Are you sure you're... umm.. o-ok? I don't want you getting hurt Swan..."

My lingering glance down to Summer fidgeting with the spell matrix housing at her tummy made Swan huff softly, smiling happily as she shook her head. "I don't feel anything Fast, it's fine! I won't let anything bad happen to our baby! This tin can is good at protecting too, if you're so worried, you should make more so all my sisters having foals can wear it!"

"Getting a mostly finished suit working is hard enough Swan, I appreciate the confidence, but I can't build more from junk. Although... wrapping all of you up in impenetrable armor during your whole p-pregnancy sounds like a good idea to me... Maybe inside power armor, inside a Stable... on the moon..."

Snorting as she ducked her head out from tinkering under the tall alicorn, Summer gave a playful shove at me musing aloud over the (mostly) joking idea. "Maternity power armor... I thought the Institute came up with insane ideas Fast, but that ranks right up there."

She must have noticed the way my face fell for a moment, the good natured laughter fading a bit with her retort sinking in. Considering my Grandpa Fin came up with a lot of insane Institute ideas, that hit a little close to home. I wasn't like him... Although I did sort of see a silly fascination with the idea of having the full suite of medical talismans and auto-doc equipment from a suit of power armor on Jade and her sisters at all times, I wouldn't seriously... Really...

Giving a forced laugh and whinny to shake off the awkwardness, Summer clapped and broke us up, holding a hoof up to Swan's face sternly. "Ok test pilot, post flight rundown time again, make sure you didn't knock anything loose. Let's see the glide mode."

"That one's slow..." Swan stuck her tongue out, but whined and relented, wiggling her bladed tail as the plates shifted and moved again.

The plates spread out in a horizontal fan from her flanks, then moving on to a more swept back angle and adjusted pitch for dogfighting mode. Though I got lost when Summer started talking of things like aerodynamic profile, lift and pitch, camber and chord... I just took her word for it and watched as she continued going through the list. Not everything was useful for the race, but getting everything working right was as important to the small yellow pegasus as it was me.

Summer clicked her teeth at one plate that whined and jammed, hovering over to buck at it until it joined the others as she continued. "Ok, not great, but good. Fin #12 is still sticking... Back to default mode Swan, let's take it in and work on controlling that burst some more, that's our ace in the hole."

More clicks and whirs later and the weird armor was back to looking like a ballroom gown from the waist back. When Swan obediently fluttered off the runway, the 'dress' trailing the ground curled together under her tucked hindlegs, forming an aerodynamic bulb shape out of Swan's rear half that made me think of giant flash bees with a shudder,.

Unprompted, Swan landed and shimmied again, the plates forming a peacock like fan around her tail as she pranced and giggled. "Weapons! Can we finally try the weapons now?! Pleeeeease?!"

Watching the clear diamonds at the ends of the outstretched fins crackle with Swan's violet magic charging them, I joined Summer in waving my hooves frantically to veto the idea, trying to ignore Swan's immediate pout. The big alicorn trying to match Glitter's goggle enhanced puppy eyes was almost too much, though the nervous voice from down the runway weighed in on our side before they won.

"W-Weapons? I am merely to race in this... contraption... I am unsure how I feel about weapons Fast... P-Perhaps we should reconsider this entire idea. Y-Yes! Surely there is some other way to win the support of the noble Arcano-Cats?" Jade trotted our way with Witchy at her side, giving us all a very dubious squint that hung on Swan and the armor as she bit her lip and rambled.

"No! No weapons! We haven't even touched those systems since they're Not. Necessary. To. Race." I hissed at Swan and Glitter whining together, turning back to Jade with a crooked smile. "Those two just want to play with it, but I promise hon. No. Weapons. It's perfectly safe!"

Keeping her blue eyes narrowed and looking past us, I followed Jade's gaze down the runway just in time for the wrecked hangar bearing all the scars of our efforts so far to collapse in a puff of dust and clanging metal. Jade turned away with her eyes widening and a cute frown, holding a hoof out with a "Hmmf!" of accusation.

"90% safe..."

The long walk down the secondary runway gave me time to look around as we approached the looming cloud town of Rocketburg, noting all the activity today with my own minor case of nerves to match my wife's much more visible set. We'd stayed with Burny Jets and the Arcano-Cats over a few days since leaving the castle, which had been peaceful and quiet on nearly all fronts, letting us focus on working on the A-01 and recover. Now however, the trickle of ponies coming in from the wastes and the buzz in the air promised excitement to come, the Arcano-Cat's races were a regular event that everycreature looked forward to.

Almost everycreature anyway... Jade certainly didn't look so enthused... Witchy smiling and giving her a pep talk in the lead had needed the break more than any of us though, after we sort of... destroyed her home a little... The bright and happy expression on her face was a testament to how well she had been doing after putting that place behind her. Her Princess flicking her ears and giving little shivers to Swan tromping along in the armor meant for the blue alicorn let the thestral mare offer comfort instead of taking it.

She had even generously been keeping a watchful ear on me along with Zed, though they assured me I hadn't been getting up to any shenanigans after turning in each night. Well... other than the normal ones anyway, but they were certain I hadn't been sleep walking my way to do any nocturnal murdering. Apparently the annoying voice of 'Be Dark...' in my head was either currently sated, really wasn't to blame, or smart enough to not try slipping away while watched.

I had told Jade too, who refrained from shackling me to the bed every night, but did keep a tight hold on me just in case. So far though, things had been... calm, which made me twitchy, but was good, right? That shadowy whisper still muttered and nudged, but had relaxed somewhat and allowed the brighter voices of the Ministry Mares to lull it closer to sleep, for the time being at least...

All I needed to do was stay away from any violence or temptation to bring it back to the surface then, just stay surrounded by family and friends, light and love... No problem at all...

Considering this was still the Wasteland, I should just be grateful for even the minor reprieve. The Cats were the heroes around here, the knights in shining power armor handled all the defending heroics here, giving me leave to just slack off and fall into a nostalgic routine of tinkering again. Sometimes I really missed just being a boring repair-pony in the Stable, a foalishly simple part of me still wished for my frequent dreams of everybody living together there, where we could all just be safe and happy together.

Wistfully imagining it again, I frowned in thought and rubbed my head. Was the Shroud there with me, even back then? It seemed likely... This was all Grandpa Fin's fault, I was sure of that, but I hadn't seen him since before the bombs fell. I now knew he had taken the imprisoned Shroud from Castle Equinox to experiment on, so when else could he have done... whatever he did to me?

If that was the case though, why had it remained silent and asleep all those years? Why did it only start waking up once I came above ground? The Wasteland suited the Shroud just fine and it had helped me survive, but I was missing something from all my admittedly patchy investigating. Just brushing against his crystalline prison had been enough to drive one of the researchers helping Mobius completely insane, but I had apparently lived with it in my skull for more than 200 years? Why me?

Arriving at the small workshop garage bay that was part of the Arcano-Cats Red Rocket garage cut me off from turning the question over in my hooves once again. Jade ushered us all in, forcing Glitter and I to scrub our hooves in the deep basin work sink as she got a pouting Swan to back her way into a chipped yellow power armor station, helping her sister out of the armor she still viewed like a metal dragon.

She floated out a variety of food from Rocketburg once we sat together, grown on fluffs of floating gardens tethered to the larger clouds of the town to my surprise. The pegasus cooked fare all seemed a little wispy and left me feeling hungry again an hour later, but it was tasty and there was a lot of it. The orange pegasus filly checking over Swan's discarded armor, Cool Jets, had been the one to recommend the place and put working on some of the missing armor plates aside to join us.

Chatting over technical details and work was forbidden during breaks at Jade's insistence though, so we stuck to safer topics and didn't woof down our food to get back to it, a mistake I had only tried once which now left me carefully watched every time I took a bite.

Every time I thought of something to say, I was forced to clamp my mouth shut and edit myself, realizing it was about spark relays, spell matrices, circuit diagrams, control coding, or the magical metallurgy involved in turning 200 year old tv dinner trays into power armor plating. Mostly it was safest to just let the conversation flow around me, enjoying the feel of Glitter and Jade sitting close enough to twine our tails or give a nuzzle.

Witchy playing with the glowing red ball at her hooves beneath her power armor gave me something however. Her father's suit had been totally restored, the blue steel and violet paint job gleamed under the shop lights, while her sitting in its shadow made the memory orb she absently rolled on the concrete stand out more. One of Burny Jets' memories of her parents more than twenty years ago.

Without a recollector like the fantastic machines in the Memory Den, the batpony filly couldn't rewatch the memory whenever she liked. She smiled softly when I nodded towards it, reliving it in the same plain old, non-magical way we all could.

"Hey Witchy, that's of your parent's wedding here, right?"

Chirping as she nodded, Witchy replied proudly. "Yes! It was so wonderful to see it, they had a beautiful ceremony here."

"You mind if I watch it? I said I wanted to anyway, for er... reasons...But I'd like to see them if I could."

"Reasons? What are being evasive about Fast... It was a lovely memory Witching has already shared with me, but I know when you are up to something..." Jade blinked and leaned down to eye me suspiciously, the way that curious tone mixed with her voice turning dreamy over the wedding itself made me clamp my lips shut and shake my head though. A buck had to hold on to some secrets and surprises sometimes...

"N-Nothing! I really did say I wanted to see, we've just been so busy I forgot until I saw her playing with hon, t-that's all! You want us to take a break with lunch anyway, right? You got to see it, it's only fair..."

Thankfully Witchy saved me, giving a knowing little wink and rolling the glimmering red ball over. "He did ask your highness. I'd like you to see Fast. Actually I'd like everyone to, but the two of you and Swan are the only ones who can. Of course I don't mind!"

"Thanks, er... b-be right back. No drawing on my face or anything Glitter, it just proves Val right about zonking out like this." Taking the escape offered, I leaned back against the nearby workbench and brushed the memory orb with my magic, Jade's cocked eyebrow dissolving along with the world around me.

===ooOOoo===

Being in an older buck's body was very strange, the first thing that struck me was all the aches and pains Burny Jets lived with. His flanks felt stiff and leathery, reminding me of the horrible brands that had burned away his cutie mark when he had been labeled a Dashite. His wings felt stiff, though still much stronger than mine, his knees were swollen and creaked with each step around the Arcano-Cat garages of yesteryear and his vision was a little fuzzy at long distance, a drastic change from my alicorn enhanced senses. Considering this was 20 years ago, I had more respect for the spry old buck I knew today, he couldn't be feeling better, but he never let on.

Not having a horn was odd, but at least it was a stallion I was inhabiting this time, so there weren't other missing bits that always made me flush internally when using one of these that was a mare's memories. Burny's trotted about with a spring in his step, waving and chatting with the crowd of ponies gathered under the overhang of the main Red Rocket garage, decorated with tattered streamers and sickly looking flowers.

I was somewhat in awe of how sociable the old buck was, glad I was just a passenger and still wanting to cringe at each cluster of ponies he stopped to talk to with familiarity. Instead I focused on the surroundings, looking up to the noticeable lack of the floating cloud town of Rocketburg and the leaden grey skies above where it should be. This was before the Lightbringer... before that amazing mare Jade told me about had emerged from her own Stable and cleared the skies, changing the wasteland forever.

The difference was stark... While the crowd gathered for the wedding of Witchy's parents was dressed up as much as possible, they still looked dirty and tired, their eyes glimmering with a tiny spark of happiness over the occasion still held a kind of desperation and hopelessness that made me sad. The dark clouds that never parted cast a pall over everything, these ponies were surviving as best they could, but things were much harder back in these days and it showed.

Eventually Burny stopped his wandering and made his way to the focus of attention, a moldy strip of red carpet laid out on the concrete, leading up to the light shining from the open garage doors of the old filling station. A few suits of power armor were set out in a arc around the doors, empty and mostly Steel Ranger suits with some of the Cats' artistic flairs. One closest to the doors that flanked the central postion Burny took up was festooned with additional decorations, Witchy's Knightmare suit that belonged to her father had tin cans and streamers tied to its tail, standing sentinel on the same side of the door as the batpony buck himself.

Midnight Hour looked nervous, shifting on his hooves as Burny trotted up and winked to him. He was a handsome stallion, a darker grey than Witchy with a pale blue and white streaked mane, obviously combed and cleaned as well as possible. He wore an Arcano-Cats leather jacket over a very dirty looking dark blue naval dress uniform, a tattered clip on bow tie pinned to the high collar and a few bits of silver medals jingling at his chest. His dark red eyes met mine... Burny's rather, and he visibly gulped.

"Not getting cold hooves now, are you Peepers?" I felt Burny's mouth move as he spoke, a chuckle held back as he cocked a bushy eyebrow to the anxious stallion.

"Goddesses yes, call this whole thing off already. It'll never work out, my sister with one of those nasty bats from that wreck of theirs. She should come home and stop all this nonsense." Burny scowled along with me, turning to the rich red mare in a patched up pink dress on his opposite side that had spoke, Ruby Shard...

Burny's mouth opened, but another earth pony mare on Ruby's other side answered before he could, giving an annoyed whinny and nudging the sour faced Ruby. "Cool yer jets square mare, this is Amy's day and you're her maid of honor, try acting like it, dig?"

She was clearly a Cat from days gone by and I liked her immediately for putting Ruby in her place. She wore one of their leather jackets as proof, over a dress that basically matched Ruby's. She was a rich reddish orange, her gold mane tied back in a high ponytail and streaked with a brilliant crimson. A taped together pair of dark sunglasses were pushed up above her warm brown eyes squinting at Ruby, getting the frowning bitch to huff standing side by side as bridesmares.

To my surprise, Ruby gave a long sigh and nodded, still pouting, but standing a little straighter and tossing her roughly styled mane. "Right, right... I know. Let her make her own mistakes, so long as she's happy I guess."

Witchy had been right... Ruby wasn't always so awful, making me wonder what had happened in the intervening years to turn her into the bitch I knew. It also gave me an uncomfortable chill thinking of how she ended up and the thought I might have...

Nevermind that, push it down and don't think about it... Focus on the memory, tinny, scratchy music from a crudely repaired holotape player started and the crowd turned, focusing on the stunning mare making her entrance at the end of the carpet stretched in front of us.

Amethyst Shard was beautiful, dressed in a tattered wedding gown that still shone in the gloomy light. She was a pale blue-violet, her rich purple mane and tail silky and long. Her bright blue eyes sparkled as she caught Midnight's eye, her muzzle quirking up in a cute smile as she took slow strides forward in time with the wedding march, skipping and warbling from the horn of the early holotape player.

When she arrived beside the groom, she had eyes only for him. The crowd stilled and Burny gave a loud clearing of his throat, speaking up in his raspy voice and begining the ceremony. "Mares and Gentlecolts, we're gathered here today to celebrate the union of Amethyst Shard and Midnight Hour. Two hep cats who found each other against all odds in this crazy world. Their commitment and love has been proven and tested, able to stand up to the worst the wasteland could throw at em. It's my honor as the leader of the flock to join these two kids in holy matrimony, so who's got the rings!?"

I smiled at a tiny red pegasus filly fluttering down the aisle in a rush, a moldy pillow holding two gleaming bits of gold held in her hooves. I was also taking internal notes, seeing Glitter in the little filly's place and Witchy taking the role her aunt was in now. Who'd be my Best Buck? Val... Val was the only one I'd want at my side, other than Grizzly Sands I supposed, my old friend from the Stable, but Val was my best friend and more. She'd definitely be eager for the bachelor party...

I had told the truth that I wanted to be able to see Witchy's parents on their special day, but I also wanted the chance to do just this. To think about how to put on our own wedding. Burny was the closest to a preacher I had seen outside insane groups like the Church of Balefire and I wanted to do this with Jade. I called her my wife and she called me husband, but there was something to be said for making it official... A seriousness in the ceremony, an acknowledgement before all the friends we had found out here that I'd want in the place of the crowd of strangers I absently looked over while Burny had them take the rings and continued.

I'd really want my family from the Stable here too, to really do it right in front of them and the goddesses. Mom and Dad would be right there in the front row on my side, holding my little brother and smiling. Maaaaybe dad would be crying a little... he always was a softy when it came to weddings, based on the one we had on our shift anyway. Grizzly and Sunset would be beside them, no they'd probably be a groomsbuck and bridesmare, er... maybe Sunset wouldn't be Jade's bridesmare, but I could dream they'd get along... The friends we'd made in the Commonwealth should all be gathered in attendance, ponies, griffons, zebras, minotaurs, breezies, even hellhounds... if they'd come to such a nonviolent event, maybe if we had gladiator type duels at the reception...

Jade's side would be full of her sisters (if they'd refrain from trying to abduct the groom anyway), lining the rows dirty looking wastelanders occupied now with blues, purples and greens. Peri, Ivy and Swan would be right up front, Magnolia could even sing! Maybe Umbra would even come, sitting... right... there?

The exchange of rings and vows in front of my view went ignored as I focused on one old stallion sitting a couple rows back. He was hard to spot behind the younger Arcano-Cats, but still close enough to obviously be in a place of recognition and friendship. If I wasn't stuck in old Burny's body, I would have launched myself at him by now for a better look, but I saw enough to feel myself starting to have a panic attack, unable to shake or gasp or do anything while riding along in a memory.

He was a pale blue stallion, as old as Burny was now, his grey mane wild and frizzy above his thick glasses. He wore a dirty and tattered lab coat like Jade's and grinned as the ceremony continued, clapping his hooves as Midnight and Amethyst were pronounced mare and colt. He was whooping like a loon along with the cheers that went up around him when they kissed, fluttering his greying wings to fly up in celebratory loops in the air. The memory started to fade away and swirl as I fought to cling to it, to somehow leap through this window to the past and tackle him, to pin the crazy bastard down and... I wasn't even sure what I'd do to him... to...

Grandpa...

===ooOOoo===

"Fast! Slow down! What is wrong!?" Jade's anxious cry just behind me didn't slow my gallop for the Red Rocket Courier offices in the slightest, though her long legged stride kept up easily.

Glitter was scrambling to keep up, bounding around my hooves as I threw open the rusting doors of the main entrance and kept going. "Daddy? What is it? Mommy and Witchy said it was a nice memory ball, w-wasn't it?"

I didn't blame them for being so worried, I'd woken up gasping and thrashing on the garage floor, immediately charging for my destination once Jade got me calm enough to reconnect with reality and my own body. My daughter's worried voice got through the splitting headache I had at least, getting me to slow to a trot.

"It was sweetie, I just saw somepony there that... that didn't belong."

'Betrayer...'

"Nnngh.... I-I need to ask Mr. Jets a question, that's all. I don't mean to scare you guys, I just... I need to talk to him..."

Jade caught my wince, the pale glow of her magic swirling around my head as I ruffled Glitter's mane. She gave a disapproving 'tsk' as I felt the headache back off a little, my heart still hammering as I caught my breath. Witchy was behind the two of them, her precious memory orb held in her fangs. She loved that glimpse of her parents so much and was clearly bothered by my reaction.

"Then we shall speak with him together dear. Excuse me, is Mr. Jets in his office?" Jade nodded smartly and turned to the long counter and the busy ponies behind it sorting sacks of letters, catching the attention of the nearest who leapt up to swing the nicked wooden counter gate up to lead us to the back.

Glitter stuck close to my side as we passed into the work rooms of Mr. Jets' courier hub, her presence helping me calm down while we meandered down the halls. It had been a four story office building before the war, full of narrow halls and small rooms practically humming with activity.

The counter up front was like all the other Red Rocket stations we had used in our travels, taking letters and packages to be delivered. Back here was where all the work was done, slips of paper were sorted into pidgeonhole wooden boxes on the walls or heavy canvas sacks, unicorns and earth ponies who didn't do the flying did all the paperwork to keep the business running. One small room we passed had a large, water stained map of the Commonwealth tacked up on the wall, bright red pushpins showing all the Red Rocket outlets, while other colors denoted major communities or other points of interest, and bits of string between them laid out the routes the couriers used.

I was a little glad Val had been out amusing herself while I'd been working when we passed a room that had clearly been reinforced. A barred door that looked like it came from a prison cell showed a view of dozens of safes of different makes and models. The bags and boxes full of jingling caps being counted and sorted might have proven too much temptation for the greedy griffon. The two unicorns floating all that wealth around and scribbling in ledgers glanced up at our passing, while the earth pony guard wielding a pair of shotguns on a battlesaddle gave us a curt nod.

The higher we climbed, the more pegasi we ran into wearing big messenger bags and ancient postal caps, flittering in and out of holes in the brick walls that had been crudely patched with doors and landing platforms hanging off the building. Had I been thinking straight, I would have just flown up to the top myself and saved the trip, but the buzz of activity and scale of everything Mr. Jets had built here did help me relax.

By the time we made it up to his office, my head only gave minor pulses of pain. The younger buck who had guided us up sketched an overly formal bow to the softly smiling princess assuring him we were fine from here, allowing us to approach the cracked frosted glass door of Burny's office and the raised voices coming from within.

"I do what I want Twinny, ain't goin' to no silly, snobby, trumped up Diamond City wedding! Havin' fun right where I'm at!" Burny's gruff voice shouted out, overriding Jade's light knock at the door.

She shrugged and eased it open a crack, allowing a slightly familiar mare's reply even more volume as she peeked in. "Oh don't I know it dad! You're too old for all this nonsense, not to mention those Gunners poking their beaks in every few days! It's bad enough my nephew is still playing around down here instead of taking on some responsibility. You're old enough to know better and you need to put in an appearance with the other nobles, not hide down here and play at your races!"

"Bah, ponyfeathers!" Burny's retort was a grumbling snort as we spotted him, crossing his forelegs over his chest and sulking in his cloud stuffed chair behind his desk, his expression brightening when he spotted us giving him an excuse to ignore the frustrated mare beside him. "Aha! There's our challenger now! Afternoon your highness, how goes the preparations? Going to put on a good show?"

"Y-Yes... things are c-coming along... We are not interrupting are we? Fast needed to speak with you if possible sir." Jade cautiously trotted in to the stand off, gulping at the reminder of tomorrow's race.

The middle aged mare giving an exasperated huff took a minute to place, she called Burny 'dad' so she must be one of his many children, but beyond that I had seen her before, just a few minutes before actually... This was an older version of the earth pony filly that shut Witchy's aunt up in the memory, one of her bridesmares... Her golden and crimson striped mane was styled and she was in a well maintained business suit, most likely from the Diamond City tailor Countess Couture.

A pair of blue rimmed reading glasses perched on her muzzle had replaced the sunglasses, which she now scowled through on our entrance and her voice was clipped and lacking any of the Arcano-Cats trademark slang, but this was definitely her. "Oh, so this is the famous Princess? Pleasure to meet you, though you really shouldn't be humoring him with all this nonsense. Dad, you should stop playing around and either join their alliance or turn them away, you're taking sides at a dangerous time..."

"I'll do as I like dammit! 'Sides, this is all junior's show, I'm just enjoying it. Go pester him and leave me to my guests Twinny!" Burny threw up his hooves, ending the clash between the stubborn pair by turning to us and ignoring any further conversation from his exasperated daughter. "Can I help you folks with something? Little extra flight training Junior Speedster Fast?"

Burny's daughter snorted and stomped to the door, but was brought up short when she met Witchy bringing up the rear as we entered fully. The annoyed expression on her face gave way to shock, then her brown eyes softened and glistened, her voice a whisper as she held a tentative hoof up to Witchy's cheek. "Oh my goddesses... l-little Witch... You look so much like your mother..."

Witchy blushed at the familiar contact, biting her lip and hiding behind her bangs to peek at the suddenly kinder mare. "You... I um... I saw you, a-at my parent's wedding, in Grampy Jets' memory... You were a bridesmare, did you know my mother well?"

The poor thestral squeaked at her lunging into a hug and sniffling, pulling back and holding her by the shoulders as she nodded and gave a teary laugh. "Yes! Oh by Luna yes my dear! Amy was my best friend back when I was still wild and young. If you call this old goat Grampy, you'd have to say I'm your Aunt Twin. Amy teased me so much about beating me down the aisle, the last I saw you, you were just a tiny little thing! Oh there's so much I could tell you sweetheart, dad said you were here and I was just off to find... Oh, come here!"

Squeezing her in another earth pony hug, the middle aged mare laughed and cried in equal measure, turning Witchy a brilliant red at the affection. Her surprised amber eyes glimmered with her own tears as she relaxed, returning the hug and looking up to Jade watching with a soft smile. "Y-Your highness... m-may I..."

"Go! I insist Witching dear, we will be fine without you. Hear all she has to say, I am so happy to see you find the kind of aunt you deserve. Please Miss Jets, my friend wishes to know all you can tell her, as would I after you have had time together, if it is not an intrusion." Jade beamed and waved her royal guard off with her wing, bowing her head to Burny's grinning daughter already drawing Witchy away.

Witchy turned with her to leave, but paused at the doorway, turning back with an uncertain look to me and holding the red memory orb that brought us here in her hooves. "Fast... I... what about your..."

"Go Witchy, please. I'm fine. What'd I tell you about focusing on everypony else and not yourself? Don't worry about me, do this for yourself. We'll all catch up later, ok?"

Giving me a determined nod at the reminder to put herself first sometimes, Witchy smiled beautifully and trotted off with Miss Jets. The older mare gave a slight smirk at the way her god-niece blushed, making my own cheeks heat up as she gave a knowing wink and pulled the door shut with her tail. I could hear the earth pony speaking as a kindly older relative with easy familiarity already as they went down the hall. Jade was right... that was the kind of aunt Witchy deserved, the kind of pony I wished Ruby had been. If she had, maybe she'd still be alive...

"Er... sorry about that Mr. Jets, didn't mean to interrupt..."

"Oh nevermind my daughter, maybe little Witch will remind her of when she was more fun. Twin Jets there runs the business much more than I do these days, very down to earth mare. I let her deal with all the politicking and such, but she does like to nag. So what's the haps cats and kittens? Something wrong? Nothin' to do with that glowy bit of magic, is it? Not lettin' those kooks suck anything else outta my noodle for awhile..." Burny chuckled and waved off my apology, raising a bushy brow at us.

Jade's own curiosity wouldn't be held back any longer at that. "Oh, no sir, it was a lovely memory, thank you again. Fast just viewed it himself, though he became quite agitated about something I wish to know about as well, now Fast..."

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I nodded and beat back the snarl in my head that wanted to start raving, hugging Glitter to my chest as I got started. "Y-Yeah... Well umm... like Jade said, I took a look and it was great, really. The thing is, one of the ponies in the crowd... I think it was my er... my Grandpa..."

I could see the confusion on the old buck's face, Jade gave a sharp gasp once I spit it out, mirroring his bewildered stare. Thankfully Glitter only heard a positive, her innocence and glee at the simple concept of a grandparent providing a way to explain better than I could. She wiggled in my hooves and dove into her little backpack, rooting around until she pulled out the picture I'd found in Bitway Games and let her have. Mainly because I was still barely able to look at the crazy old pegasus in the photo without that spike of pain between my eyes.

She held it in her mouth proudly, leaning up to Burny's desk and letting it fall with a happy yelp. "Great Grandpa!? You saw him daddy? Really!? Did you know him too Grampy Jets?"

Smiling at Glitter using the name she had learned from the young foals of Rocketburg (an impressive portion of which really were grandfoals or great grandfoals of Burny himself), Mr. Jets held the picture up and stroked his beard, his eyes growing misty with memory as he croaked an answer. "The Doc? He's your... really? Well, I'll be durned... don't that just beat all. Sure I know the Doc kid, he saved my flanks a few times in the old days. But how could he be..."

"It's... confusing. Just nevermind that, you actually knew that pegasus, you've seen him, out here? When? How did you meet? What did he say? A-Anything you can tell me... please..."

Hearing my desperate tone, Burny sighed and leaned back in his battered chair, rubbing his branded flanks absently as he replied. "I got kicked out of the sky when I was a younger buck Fast, more than 60 years ago now... The wasteland was a much harsher place in those days and I was soft, scared... Everypony hated pegasi, raiders and slavers hunted me for sport, regular folks wouldn't gimme a chance, surprised I didn't bite the bullet more than once. After one close call I was hurt bad, limped my way here and figured on just... just curlin' up and dyin. That's when I met him the first time, sittin' out there, perched on top of the rocket sign and starin' out at the sea. First other pegasus I met down here and he wasn't even a Dashite, the Doc saved my life Fast."

Despite the still angry voice of 'Be Dark...' straining in my skull at the very mention of Grandpa, a vice around my heart loosened just a bit at Burny's soft answer, the soothing whisper of 'Be Kind...' gaining strength at a long ago act of mercy. He did something good... he helped... he saved somepony...

Jade laid a comforting wing over my back, her sweet voice low and happily surprised. "He was a doctor? He healed you Mr. Jets? That is a relief to hear, this pony you knew as the Doc has been a mystery we have been most anxious to solve. Whether he was a good pony or not is very important to my Fast, thank you..."

Burny looked taken aback by her tone, shaking his head and chortling at us to my surprise. "Good pony? Of course the Doc was a good pony! A little... odd maybe... but he helped so much. Course it wasn't just healin' neither, he gave me hope when I was alone and at my lowest. Showed me there were good ponies down here. Even more, he showed me even the wasteland could be a home after I had been booted out of what I thought was heaven. The Doc told me about this old base for Celestia's sake, helped me survive and make something of myself. Hell, who you think gimme the idea for the races you're entered in your highness?"

Jade and I both gaped at the grinning old stallion, though when I thought about it, that meshed with all the other insane things I knew he had a hoof in. Something totally impractical and done just for fun... racing power armor, souping them up with fancy paint jobs and crazy modifications. Like using advanced holograms for videogames, or making bombs out of buckballs. Something bizarrely, recklessly, stupidly ...awesome... that was Grandpa Fin...

"Yay! See daddy! I knew great Grandpa was good! I can't wait to meet him!" Glitter squealed happily and took her picture back, hugging it to her chest and blinking up to me with her wide pink eyes sparkling.

"Y-Yeah... me either sweetie. I'm glad he helped you Mr. Jets, but he did a lot of other things too that he needs to answer for. Apparently, he was good at keeping secrets and pretending, so much so that I don't think I ever really knew him at all. Anything you can tell me about him could be important, is important... to me... Did he ever say anything about himself? His... f-family?"

Burny scratched his grey mane in thought for a moment, staring at the ceiling before looking back with a smile. "Well, he was a little eccentric Fast, didn't talk about himself much and he showed up whenever he felt like it, like a stray cat. He asked a lot about the Grand Pegasus Enclave like he didn't know about them. He knew a lot about anything in the Commonwealth though, so I figured he was a local pegasus born down on the ground."

"The few times I got him to be serious and talk about himself, he always seemed a little sad and lonely. He said his family was far away and safe, but he wasn't sure where. Always was a little absent minded, so I didn't think much of it. Had a habit of writing himself notes to do something or other, even though he didn't remember writing them. He'd drop everything to go do it when he found them though! Always funny!"

"He was at Witchy's parent's wedding? Why would he have been there Mr. Jets? Do you remember?" Jade spoke up softly, getting back to what led us here.

Burny shrugged as he answered. "By then he didn't show up nearly so much. Always worried he'd died in between visits, he had to have been older than dirt by then, but he never showed it now that I think on it. I believe he was visiting then to check up on the bride, she already had a bun in the oven ya see, so it was a bit of a shotgun wedding, heehee! The Doc had a real soft spot for babies an' bringin' inta the world right, said each one made the future a little brighter and kept it going. The Doc said that every little pony was magic... the most precious resource out here. This was back before you and yer Followers were around to help, so he was Goddesses sent for a lot of little communities like ours. If he really was yer Grandpa Fast, then I'm glad I met you and was able to help however I could, let me return the favor to the zany old buck that saved me."

With that Burny had swayed not just Glitter, but Jade to Grandpa's side as well, the alicorn physician instantly holding him in higher regard as a fellow doctor whose philosophy she could agree with. They smiled and giggled together at the funny stories Burny started telling about the mad scientist he had only known as 'The Doc'. I wanted to believe and laugh with them too, the bubbly mote of 'Awareness!' bounced and sang with all his funny stories, the threads of 'Be Kind...', 'Be Awesome!' and the other Ministry Mare statuettes in my bags rising in harmony as I crept back from them and frowned.

'Be Dark...' hissed and growled however, feeding my paranoid, suspicious thoughts while I sulked silently. Burny was talking about the Grandpa Fin I remembered, but he had hidden so much of himself, of Professor Mobius... from all of us. Did he help Burny and others like Witchy's mother out of the kindness of his heart, or as part of some insane experiment?

What's more, if he had come out of his lair and into the Commonwealth before, why hadn't he now? Where was he? Why was he still hiding? If he helped Burny, why hadn't he done the same for me, his own grandson!? Did he have a good reason, or was he just a crazy old bastard who had experimented on his own family?

Which was real... Who was he really? Grandpa Fin? The Doc? Or Professor Mobius...

Throwing myself back into working on the A-01 with Summer and Cool Jets let me just... not think for awhile, thankfully. Jade had still been concerned and watching me, but my noncommittal grunts and hums while I worked became enough assurance for her to take a bored Glitter out to explore and play with the local foals, while the Princess herself continued putting herself out there for the adult residents to approach, seeking out Witchy and Miss Jets in the oddly busy town.

As evening approached, I couldn't help but notice Zed lurking nearby Roxie's paint shop while we gave Jade's armor the proper appearance. The bubbly pink pegasus assured us looks counted for a lot around here and was eager to help make the one of a kind armor stand out. We followed Glitter's crayon drawn suggestions as a guide, laying out the (hopefully) completed components and spraying them down in shades of blue and pearlescent white, applying chrome trim and hanging it all up to cure overnight.

The zebra didn't intrude, remaining just outside the open garage door and chatting with the Arcano-Cats unicorn member Scopes, who had been checking up on our progress with the armor over the last few days, joking about 'spying on the competition' since he was often off working on Zeke's suit. Zed's hard grey eyes watched carefully as they spoke and the sun set however, always vigilant for the spirit I was possessed by to come roaring out. Despite the worrying feeling of actually being a monster, I was glad he was there, just in case I turned into one...

I could feel 'Be Dark...' getting stronger as the first stars came out, stewing and stoking thoughts about my Grandfather. Thankfully the zen like hum of working and the soft song of the Ministry Mares kept it from being too pushy. It did keep pointing out Summer, Cool and Roxie's petite pegasus forms crawling under or fluttering around the power armor frame, but I could stay in control of those incessant impulses. Mostly...

'Mine... Want... Now... Want... More...'

"See something you like sir?" Cool Jet's tittering laughter snapped me out of the spaced out stare I found myself in, the bulky spaulders of the armor clattering to the paint stained floor when my telekinetic hold imploded.

I had finished painting the curled and filigreed shoulder plate some time ago... Instead of working I had been just staring past it with my wings stiff above my back. My chest was puffed out, my ears perked up and a string of drool dripping from my fangs into the ragged scruff of fur on my chin.

I squeaked when the focus of my intense interest peeked out from under the flexible plates of the A-01's 'dress' and blinked curiously at Cool Jets rolling in laughter at her General turning red. Summer had her head down to the floor to get under the power armor and her rump stuck up, her light brown tail swishing hypnotically as she worked. Looking back over her shoulder at me trying to wipe the leer off my face and cringe back, she blushed brightly and scrambled up, her wings fluttering as I bashed my head and tore my apparently glowing eyes away.

"Sorry! R-Really sorry! I'm not... I didn't mean to... I... I... umm.... m-maybe I should go!"

'No!... WANT!... Pretty... MINE!'

I heard Summer trot up, hushing Cool and now Roxie howling in laughter as I headbutted the wall in the corner to shut that stupid voice up and hid. Her hoof was light on my back, rubbing that twitchy spot between my wings still held straight up and giving a soft giggle as she turned my face around to hers.

Her cheeks were still pink and a sheen of sweat made her yellow coat sparkle under the shop lights, highlighting the smudges of darker paint. She still smiled and booped my nose, catching my darting eyes with her twinkling green ones. "It's alright Fast, still just like when you got those wings, huh? Don't you mind their teasing, it's perfectly natural. I umm... l-like you too..."

"Oh the kitty cat definitely digs you Fast, don't worry so much, we're all getting an grade A eye candy too little daddy! Gettin' to like havin' an ivy leaguer around with a little sex appeal for a change, definite upgrade to our own nerd Scopes here. We just ain't about to throw a rod castin' our peepers on your classy chassis, keepin' the flaps down takes practice is all." Roxie rolled and giggled in midair, fluttering her eyelashes as Cool Jets snickered along at Summer gasping and glaring at the two fellow pegasi mares.

"C-C'mon Roxie, maybe I don't have a cherry finish, but I got a big block under the hood. If you'd just take a look past the primer..." The pale green unicorn Cat, Scopes, trotted closer to poke his head in and answered the dig his way with a chuckle, though it was half hearted and wistful looking up to the pretty pegasus filly.

Waggling her magical paint sprayer in her hooves and pointing to her matching cutie mark spraying a rainbow fan of color, Roxie waved out to her paint shop domain with a roll of her eyes. "Like, glossy coats and hot bods are my whole deal Scopes, ain't you been tuning in? Don't have a brahmim and go runnin' back home to big U.P., we count on that crazy noodle for the all the bright illuminations so I guess we'll keep you daddy-o. A mare can hold out for the total package like the Shrouded dreamboat here though."

Blinking down to myself at her pointing hoof and lidded wink, that had never occurred to me. My trenchcoat and hat were hung outside to not get stained with paint like my own sweaty fur, so I was naked in a small room with three pretty mares in the same state of undress... I wasn't sure if she was still teasing or not, my own scrawny body had never been something I thought mares would ogle the way I did their softer, shapelier forms.

I realized I wasn't the same runty buck from the Stable though... I was still small of course, but that meant a lot less around pegasi who often shared the same body type. Under all the scars riddling my coat, I saw a wiry layer of muscle had grown out of sheer survival and constant struggle. My winter coat was thicker than it had ever been, the dense, dark fur was ragged, sticking up at my joints and from my slightly broader chest. Apparently my wings were attractive by pegasi standards too, not something I knew much about, but hanging around a floating town full of them had been educational.

Curling them in now to hide behind with a blush just sent them into fresh gales, going back to their work and playfully swaying along with the radio on the workbench as they turned to teasing the crestfallen Scopes scuffing the floor. Summer scowled, but turned away to nuzzle supportively, ending up nose to nose and giving a soft sigh.

"Is it ok Fast? I really don't mind, but I like you looking, not..." She held my eyes and gave a significant look to my forehead pressed to hers, whispering in concern.

'MINE!... WANT!... NOW!....'

"Nnnn... 50/50 probably... Er... that ratio is skewed more towards me when it's umm... you Summer, c-cause I know you and like you too... b-but um... y-yeah... I might need a break..."

"Then let's all take one, we're on track to finish up and have been working hard. I'm still not sure how the Princess will do in this race, but she'll look great doing it. Glitter has good tastes." Summer scrunched her nose and pulled away, leading me out the open garage door into the cool night air.

Cool Jets fluttered out to join us with a box of Sugar Apple Bombs she stuck her muzzle in to crunch on before sharing. Roxie zipped out and over to a flickering Sparkle Cola machine near one of the bigger garages last, landing to give it a buck and scooping up the bottles of carroty orange soda that came spilling out. I noticed Scopes sitting as close to her as possible, offering up a crinkled bag of chips to her first.

Sitting out under the stars together after clinking our bottles in a toast, I took a moment to just look around. The lights of Rocketburg floating overhead were bright and twinkling, a contrast to the warm glow of fires burning here and there on the tarmac of the airfield. I'd vaguely noticed a steady trickle of wastelanders arriving here throughout the day, but now that I got a look at all the small clusters of ponies around loaded down wagons, open campfires, ragged tents and threadbare bedrolls laid out, I realized just how many ponies had shown up.

"Are allll these ponies here to see these races Roxie? I think our pilot might have a panic attack..."

Snorting orange soda through her nostrils, the pink pegasus Arcano-Cat giggled and shook her paler mane. "No way, the Princess has gotta make the scene daddy-o! The races are fat city around here so we really draw em in, though this one's more of a special feature. The nerds up in squaresville got their big doo-dad fair over the weekend too, so it's a regular holiday in these parts. Joes and Jills from all over come out this way, an' we don't put the screws to em near as bad when it comes to a safe pad to chill."

"Downshift on the lingo a little Roxie, you're losing him." Cool Jets snickered at my blank look trying to translate all that in my head, kindly giving me the standard Equestrian version. "She means University Point has their big Arcane Science Fair too, so it's a bigger event than normal. Between us and them, lots of wasteland ponies come out from the ruins."

Nodding eagerly as a former resident of the town of educated ponies, Scopes stuck with mostly standard ponish when he chimed in. "Yeah, it's a gas for nerds like us Fast. U.P.'s big show is the day after ours, so lots of folks are on their way there. Some fellow eggheads work all year on entries, hoping to get a little attention..."

Snorting at his dopey look to the oblivious Roxie, Cool Jets waved out to all the work and activity to continue. "They got cool tech and magic if you're into that, it's a stuffy and boring squaresville gig though. We put on a regular carnival around here, just to show em up. Er... it is probably best not to tell the Princess though, I'm sure Zeke is just loving the chance to put on a big show and beat her in front of everypony. Just means we gotta make sure she knocks my idiot cousin down a peg, right General?"

"Yeeeeaaaah... Umm... I'll work on keeping her calm. She's still freaked out over the whole concept. Power armor races... what a crazy idea, does it really mean that much?"

I asked partly for Jade, knowing how nervous she was about the whole thing. After finding out about my Grandpa's involvement in the idea though, I had to ask. His Theoretical Imagineering department of the Institute had basically been their version of the Ministry of Awesome, a group of flighty, nonsensical lunatics coming up with crazy ideas for the hell of it.

Both Roxie and Cool nodded eagerly in reply though, speaking over each other before the Arcano-Cat allowed her Minutemare peer to answer in a language I understood. "Of course sir! I mean, I wanted to do more for the whole Commonwealth, so I joined the Minutemares and left this stuff behind, but it really does mean a lot. Life can really suck out here, folks need something to look forward to, fun stuff that isn't just about surviving and not some kind of raider bloodsport. It meant even more to all those refugees from the Grand Pegasus Enclave when we took them in too. Thought some of those wimpy snobs were gonna lose it entirely, but the races gave them something they needed."

"Well, the races are fun... but they are kind of a waste of resources." Scopes spoke absently, looking up to the glares that earned him and backtracking nervously. "I mean! Er... They're great and all, I just mean we could... be doing a lot more, right? That's what the Princess is all about, isn't it? Making things better? Being... responsible and junk?"

Summer glanced up to the cloud town above, answering in a soft, somber tone. "I don't know... When the Lightbringer cleared the sky and started forcing us down here... there was a lot of hard feelings.Those folks up there used to have an easy life, even if it was all based on lies. The Enclave encouraged things like stunt flying to keep everypony distracted up there, but it was all propaganda bullshit. Finding something like that down here, but so much more fun and free and... and honest, it probably helped a lot. "

"Huh, I guess that makes sense. I wonder if it's a pegasus kind of thing, being so free and flighty, like how earth ponies are so er... down to earth..."

Summer smirked and gave me a friendly nudge at my musing, a mock offended tone to her bright voice. "And like how unicorns are all supposed to be a bunch of magic obsessed bookworms? Yeah, that fits you alright Mr. Shrouded Stallion comic book nerd."

"H-Hey, you're as much of a comic nerd as I am! And I wasn't always very good at magic, not all unicorns are you know..."

"Exactly Fast. Stereotypes might be around for a reason and we all have different cultures, but ponies are ponies, we all need a little fun sometimes. Just like we can all be serious or nerdy too, or how we all... made a lot of mistakes. The Princesses of old Equestria represented all ponies though, not too much to ask our own little prince to do the same, is it?" Booping my nose, Summer laughed at me sputtering at the title.

"I-I'm not! Summer!"

All three of them giggled together at me turning red and stammering as Summer cocked an eyebrow and piled on. "Whaaat? You're married to a Princess, right? You're an alicorn too... it fits! Fast Times, Prince of Pervs! Monarch of Machines!"

Them rolling in laughter together was bad enough, the pink mote of 'Awareness!' cackling along in my head gave me no escape as I snorted and grumbled, finally cracking a weary grin and letting them get it out of their system. I rolled my eyes as they kept wheezing and coming up with new titles, looking up to the clouds of Rocketburg in thought before speaking up in the tapering snickers.

"I never got to spend much time around pegasi other than my mom and ...grandparents. It's been nice being here, getting to learn about this part of... of myself I guess. Even before I was like this, I was half pegasus, so I'm really happy to be here. To learn to fly better from Burny and be a Junior Speedster, to work with Arcano-Cats like Roxie and Scopes here, to learn so much about power armor and cloud tech... To just hang around with you guys and have fun too, you're right, it is important. Umm... t-thanks a lot for everything is what I'm trying to get at I mean..."

I could do without the fillies' shared "Daaawwwww" and wings crowding in a hug, squeezing my cheeks like a cute colt, but being corny and sappy was more... me, not the rumbling, needy growl of 'Be Dark...' making my wings spring up at the contact. Only Summer really knew the difference, but her soothing hoof pushing the appendages back down in a hug helped a lot.

Zed had trotted closer from his watchful guard at all the laughter, adding his own dry wit to the chatter. "Fast does make for a very... inclusive Prince. Quite the diplomat, eager to befriend any group or race, so long as they have females. I'm almost afraid to bring him to Neighlem to add a zebra mare to his growing herd..."

I groaned at the hit scored by the sardonic zebra, huffing at his wink as I sulked. Of course it didn't help my stupid brain automatically conjured the image of an attractive zebra filly... 'Want...' His grey eyes flicked at me wincing and shaking the thought away, but he just chuckled and kept an eye on me. My zebra friend...

He and Summer, Roxie, Cool and the pegasi citizens here, they had all known prejudice and suffering better than I had and were there for me, for all our differences, we were stronger together. Different views and cultures meshing together, sometimes clashing against each other even, made us better than we were apart. The races here were silly... but also serious and important, continuing to bring ponies together, bridging the gap between the former residents of the sky and the earthbound wastelanders who had suffered under the Enclave.

My crazy grandpa had saved a fellow pegasus in a time where they were hated and hunted here on the ground, that small act had brought all these different creatures together into the thriving community we sat in now. Not through insane experiments like the other Institute directors I'd seen. Just by a little kindness and a goofy idea to race power armor around for fun. Maybe he really was the kindly old grandpa I remembered...

Turning away from the teasing and staring out to the cracked and bomb cratered runway offered an interesting distraction at least. I spotted Val and Swan landing some distance away, walking along with curious escorts. The griffon Arcano-Cat Bluejay padded along beside Val, the claws of his bulky suit of power armor clicking on the asphalt and his helmet folded back to chat with her, wearing an easy going grin. The two of them pushed and shoved each other as they walked in a rough bit of griffon flirting apparently.

Behind them the big earth pony Arcano-Cat named Moose cantered beside Swan, the only mare who could tower over even his Big Mac-esque physique. The horned helmet of his flame painted Steel Ranger armor was flipped to his back, a match for the metal yak horns poking out from Swan's pink mane on a headband I had fashioned for her. I could see the battle crazed mare poking at his armor with interest and speaking at length, while the burly stallion wore a goofy, lovestruck look, nodding along with her dumbly.

'....MINE....'

A jealous spark surged to life seeing them pausing together, a nervous question asked by Bluejay that made Val scratch her beak in thought, while Swan blinked curiously and tilted her head, opening her mouth to reply before it was clamped shut again by Val's claw. After a minute's thought, Val nodded and spoke again, sending the two Cats clomping off with a spring in their power armored step, while Val and Swan split off and spotted us, prowling across the tarmac to join the small gathering in front of the paint shop.

Swan bowled through Summer and the others to flatten me to the concrete when she saw I wasn't working, crushing me under her chest with her hooves on my shoulders, her rump stuck up in the air and her long tail whipping back and forth merrily. Her pale pink and white Alicorn Angel outfit was dirty and bloodstained again, obviously not hers to my relief. "Fast! We had fun smashing Gunner ponies out in the ruins while you were being boooooring with all these little mares. Are you done yet? Come play with me! Val wants me to do some silly thing with that Moose pony, but I want you. What's a double date anyway?"

"Owww.... a-alright Swan, I'll stop working and spend time with you, but you have to leave enough of me in one piece to move..." I wheezed enough for Swan to stop turning me into one more stain on the garage floor, instead scooping me up to hold against her chest and nibble my ears, while I squinted at Val curiously. "D-Double date?"

To my surprise, Val's red face glowed a little redder as she stuck her beak up and clucked. "N-No biggie, that blue goofball is persistent is all boss. Wants ta go to show us around their little fun-fair before the races tomorrow, just tryin' ta hook up his pony pal with big stuff here. Tried tellin' em it's pointless, daffy mare's gotta one pony mind, but I figure... hey, free drinks!"

Putting aside the jealous snarl in my head chanting 'MINE!' and wanting to stalk after the griffon and pony Arcano-Cat pair trotting off to their little clubhouse, I stretched a hoof out of Swan's grasp and lightly touched her feathery shoulder, feeling her tense and relax. "That's good Val, you should have fun. Er... fun that doesn't involve blowing folks up anyway. I'm glad he managed to convince you, r-really..."

Val blinked at me trying and gave a warm, genuine smile, ruffling my mane and scratching it for me in that ohhhhh so wonderful griffon way that made my hindleg thump. "Yer an awful liar boss... thanks. Anyhoo, gots a bet with the sucker too, so you better make sure Blue wins this thing!"

Perking up at the talk, Scopes cantered over to Roxie and stammered hopefully. "Date huh? H-Hey Roxie..."

"Paaa-aass!" Roxie shot the poor buck down with a musical titter that made me wince.

I tried to give him a sympathetic shrug, though I doubted it was comforting coming from a ridiculously lucky stallion currently surrounded by pretty fillies. I remembered being the nerdy outsider back in the Stable too well and knew how he felt, watching mares hanging all over Grizz and ignoring me. It hurt... it wasn't something to take satisfaction in now that I was on the other side, despite what 'Be Dark...' thought in a proud, greedy nicker.

There was still an awkward silence once he had joined Moose and Bluejay and left, forcing me sigh and try to break it. "Soooo, what were you doing other than getting dates for the big day Val? Swan said something about Gunners? Are they still lurking around here? Think they're a problem?"

"We smashed lots of those Gunner's while we were out flying around Fast, it was fun, even though they're all hiding like rats and sneaking around. It was more fun than your dumb tinkering with junk anyway. Come play with me now that you're done, not these little pegasus mares! Playing after smashing is the best!" Swan peered over my head and fluttered her eyelashes, getting a round of snickering at me struggling in her grip as she spread her wings and made to just take me where she wanted.

Thankfully Val grabbed her pink neckerchief and dragged her back down, flicking her nose as she chuckled. "Slow yer roll big stuff, thinkin' boss is on break, not done. Gotta let him fix that tin can fer you to play in when yer sis is done winnin' my caps. She's right though boss, been goin' out on patrols with the Cats, seein' if their security's up ta snuff. It ain't... Those kids drive off any dumb asshole sniffin' around when they find em, but they don't chase em past their territory and they don't look that hard. Would'a done the same in that fight we flew in on when we got here if we didn't clean it up. Lazy and soft brats... relyin' on that armor and their rep, not followin' through or thinkin' they might get seriously hit, which is a real possibility. Tracked Gunners creepin' around out in the ruins, there's a few recon squads hangin' around, but no sign of any big movements. It's almost too quiet..."

"And you always bitch at me for tempting Discord Val, that's almost as bad as saying 'at least things can't get any wor..."

Val clamped my muzzle shut before I could finish, giving a shiver that ruffled her feathers and squawking at me gruffly. "Shaddup boss! Don't say it! It ain't the same, I ain't some shorty pony chaos magnet for one. 'Sides, I'm just givin' an honest, tactical like appraisal. Gunners ain't really hit this place, just feelin' em out an' waitin'..."

"Which is what I've been trying to tell my nephew, but that foalish buck won't listen. Good evening everyone. Oh! There's my brave smoopy pie, look at how cute she is in her little hat!" The voice of Burny's daughter Twin Jets made us all look up, leaving Jade, Glitter and Witchy behind as she pranced forward, chasing after Cool groaning and trying to hide.

"Mooo-omm!! Quit it! You're embarrassing me in front of the General!" Cool cringed from the older mare licking her hoof and wiping at her grease smudged face, instantly reminding me of Glitter pouncing to join Swan holding me in place.

Jade sat beside her sister and mirrored Twin Jets by smoothing Glitter's curly silver mane, both daughters batting their hooves at their mothers in a stereo bit of whining that made us all laugh at the juxtaposition. Cool's cheeks practically glowed on realizing she sounded just like my little filly, sticking her lip out in a sullen pout and righting her tan Minutemare hat from her mother Twin adjusting it.

"Hi Miss Jets, I didn't realize you were Cool's mom when we er... met... earlier. Although it does explain why she kept disappearing everytime I saw you passing by outside, why didn't you say anything Cool?"

Answering with a flat, irritated expression above her smooshed together cheeks, Cool Jets deadpanned a reply. "I wonder... Yes General, this is my mom. She named me 'Cool' back when she was, before she got to be so square and embarrassing!"

"Oh quit your fussing, I stand by my misspent youth since it got me you! First thing I said on seeing her widdle face Princess, cool... the coolest thing ever. It's all worth it, even if they don't appreciate all we go through for them. Just look at her now, so dashing and responsible! I'm very proud of my little smoopy! Going off to join the Minutemares to make a difference in the Commonwealth, nothing like your layabout cousin 'Zeke'. Thank you again for taking her your highness!" Twin Jets beamed, giving a nod to Jade smiling softly at the amusing sight, an unspoken bond of motherhood passing between the two mares.

"Thank Preston Gardens or my husband Miss Jets, they have much more to do with her position in the Minutemares than I do. Were she a Follower I could take more credit. She has been a great help to us here and I am very grateful for her assistance... despite my r-reluctance to participate in this.... this..." Jade's kind reply dried up as she rolled a blue eye back to the painted components of her armor.

Twin answered for her however, allowing her flustered daughter to escape as she snorted at the disassembled frame in the workstation. "For all this silliness, I know... I'm so sorry about all this Princess, my father and his games..."

"We were just talking about how a little silliness has its place though ma'am. I can see how much this means to all these ponies now, since Cool helped explain it for me. She's been a real big help. I thought it was pretty neat anyway, but I think it's important too now. Don't worry hon, you'll blow his wings off and look gorgeous doing it!"

"Yeah! All the other kids were tellin' me there'd be good food, an' games, an' rides, an'... and all kinds of awesome stuff Miss Jets! I can't wait to see Mommy win!" Glitter cheered from between Jade and I, making her mother whinny with both pleasure and self consciousness.

Patting the little filly's head, Miss Jets sighed at Glitter and I, smirking to Jade. "Goddesses help you Princess, you've got a goofy buck like my dad and a daughter just as headstrong as mine... Yes cutie, the races are very fun and have their place, but we shouldn't be making important decisions based on the outcome... Don't you worry about winning or losing so much, as far as I'm concerned, the Kingdom of Sanctuary is just the kind of ally we need in these dangerous times. You've got my vote, I'll whip all these harebrained delinquents into shape. Now come here smoopy pie! Tell me all about rising in the ranks of these Minutemares, serving directly under the General even! I bet she's due for a promotion, or a medal! Isn't she General...."

"Y-Yes ma'am! She's er... indispensable alright, promotion right around the corner! Umm.... head of the power armor development division..."

"You just made that up, didn't you daddy?"

I hushed Glitter's whispered question frantically, gulping under Miss Jets stern gaze and nodding to the intimidating mare eagerly, forcibly reminded of my own mom. She'd give me just that stare with her own leading questions, that I had damn well better answer the right way. Did they teach all mares that, or was it just natural once they became a mother? Jade seemed to have picked it up in no time herself, raising an eyebrow and smirking at both of us.

Not that Miss Jets didn't have a point and I was glad she was on our side. The Gunners were still out there, with the Institute behind them. After we dealt with trying to win the Arcano-Cats as allies, we still had to return to University Point and attempt the same there. Somehow I didn't think their Arcane Science Fair would be nearly as frivolous and carefree either.

From what we'd learned, it was a talent fair for the Institute, suspiciously like the same event Professor Swirl had won under his mentor Klein at Daybreak Technical School, now held in the ruins of the university he went on to run, before establishing the Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology. I seriously doubted that was a coincidence...

Pieces of the puzzle about this area of the Commonwealth Wasteland had been falling into place, not making a very pretty picture. Once we were done there, facing whatever was waiting, we were off to help Fancy take on Vega, and finally... the teleporter to take me directly to the heart of the Institute. Individually or all together, the mad scientists were going to pay.

'...Revenge...'

For now though, we were all together and could enjoy a little fun. We kept working on the A-01 late into the night, well past when Glitter had zonked out directing our work decorating it. Jade and I took her up to our lodging in the floating inn of Rocketburg and slept on soft, cloud stuffed mattresses, glad of the more solid buildings the little earth pony wouldn't just sink straight through, built on the floating islands tethered together into a thriving town.

A town my Grandpa had a hoof in creating...

When Roxie and the others told me the races were a regular festival event in the area, I still didn't appreciate what that truly meant until I saw it. They said this one was a bigger event than normal too, but it was still a shock on waking up to the bright morning sunshine and looking down from Rocketburg at the crowds below.

It really was a kind of wasteland carnival... Ponies had continued filtering in all night, crowding the previously empty runways now lined with flapping tents formed from moth eaten silk parachutes, wooden stands and wagons. They were a dirty mix of scavengers, farmers, caravaners, mercenaries and more, even wizard robed unicorns from University Point and a gaggle of Minutemares, but they could easily be a crowd of prewar ponies I remembered from events like the running of the leaves. All coming together for a rare treat and break from their hard lives. Simple, frivolous fun...

We'd been busy with our own preparations for the main event, but I couldn't resist sneaking out with Glitter just to take it all in, trotting along with my daughter galloping around in a blur. All the sugary treats available just made her more frenetic in our explorations, stopping at cobbled together junkyard stands serving an amazing variety of foods.

There were fried Fancy Buck Snack Cakes (Glitter's immediate favorite), puny and mealy caramel apples and tangy cider from local farms. Fluffy pink cloud-candy was spun on sticks from talented pegasi cooks with lots of sugar, dye and the pure white cloud they'd pushed to hover over the stand that steadily shrank with each customer. I found myself scarfing down hay fries and brahmim burgers at another stop, only getting a little queasy at the nagging voice in my head demanding them rare and blissful at the meaty, bloody taste I sank my lengthening fangs into.

One stand had a battered Starbucked sign and was staffed by a pair of very pretty fillies in dingy green aprons from Jamocha Plains that raked in the caps serving chocolate of all kinds. Though I wasn't sure if it was so popular just because of the delectable treats, or the wiggling mares serving them with a healthy dollop of sex appeal to eager, dumbstruck colts and dirty old stallions. Considering my little filly sniffed that one out from a long way off, I got dragged there to join them, cringing under Cocoa's girls giggling in greeting and sending her regards with a wink. At least Glitter's standing negotiation for as much free chocolate as she wanted she'd wheedled out of Cocoa held up there, letting her stain her pale muzzle brown without going through all our caps.

A crudely repaired prewar food wagon held another familiar surprise, fisherponies from Eclipse Village selling Miretank cakes and savory stew. Among the grizzled fisherponies was Mint Twist, the filly I had rescued from the Gunners' claws pelted out to greet us, breathlessly informing us she had heard we'd be here and demanded her uncle Captain Salty let her come. She eagerly pressed more free food to our hooves, stammering and blushing furiously when I stopped to make Glitter eat something nutritious and spoke with her happily. Of course I was equally embarrassed to find she had been doing a brisk trade in Shrouded Stallion merchandise from Bobbing Cane's museum back in her home, resulting in a lot of excited fillies and colts pointing at me, wearing their own little faded black fedoras.

It wasn't just food either, games and simple rides had been set up as well. Rings were tossed to the grimy necks of Wild Pegasus and Sparkle Cola bottles, horseshoes clanged and cheers rang out, while the shooting gallery was a lot louder than ones of my own youth using live ammunition. I was able to use the Last Minute to win Glitter a Red Rocket souvenir toy from that one at least. I also groaned in surprise to find the greasy Sludge Barrel running a game of three card monty on a battered fold up table, giving a weary nicker at the conpony spotting us and taking a break from fleecing gullible customers to wave happily. It was sort of nice seeing him... at least he wasn't as likely to get in trouble here as he was welching on bets with the Rust Devils.

There weren't the spinning teacups or ferris wheels I remembered from things like this, but for most wastelanders, just riding along in a chariot drawn by a daring pegasus pilot was a thrill. Though I did find out to my horror that the Dizzytron had been wheeled out and fired up, more secure braces and belts had been added to not simply fling the passengers loose at least, but I fought to hold on to all the delicious food every time Glitter puppy-eyed her way into taking "Just one more ride daddy!"

Weaving my way to a dented old trashcan dizzily after the last such torture, I shook my head to make the three familiar purple and red blobs through the crowd resolve into just one image. I paused with a wry, weak smile watching a test your strength game salvaged from somewhere or other and the current contestants. Val and Swan were on their double date, watching the two Arcano-Cats, Bluejay and Moose trying to win more tattered prizes to add to the impressive collection I spotted stuffed in Swan's large pack, along with the cloud of assorted foods floating in her violet magic the big filly munched on absently.

The two Cats weren't in their armor at the moment, instead wearing their leather jackets with their mane and feathers greased and styled. Swan's alluring Alicorn Angel outfit had been cleaned by her sister, though it sported a few new stains from all the food she seemed to have decided made the outing worthwhile, her cheeks were stuffed and her blue-violet eyes a flat, bored line. Val wore her regular armor and weapons, always ready for action, though I noticed her plumage looked freshly preened and her dark claws gleamed in the sunshine. More importantly, she had a wide grin of real enjoyment, shoving her blue and white griffon date up to take a swing with the nicked hammer the pony running the game held out.

'...MINE!...MINE!...MINE!...'

Nnnn... shut up! Quit being so jealous, Val deserves this, she's always flirty and fun, she doesn't belong to me or anybody dammit... I smacked my head to quiet the possessive snarl up there, blinking up to console myself at her laughing at Bluejay taking a mighty swing and only getting the weight just past halfway up the scale to 'Barrel Chested'. I heard him squawking and sputtering about it being rigged as the big earth pony Moose took his swing, nearly reaching the top with the rank of 'Circus Strongbuck'.

My ears flicked at Val snickering and giving Swan a shove up to the game with a sly look, holding up a bag of jingling caps to the two grumbling Arcano-Cats, while the alicorn filly blinked at the game and kept munching away with her muzzle stuck down a paper sack of popcorn. Once Val had the pair hooked and fishing for their own caps to match her bet, she leaned up to whisper in Swan's ear, waving to the ancient High Striker game with a flourish.

The enterprising barker buck who had been challenging customer's stallionhoods in front of their dates gulped as Swan tromped up, nervously holding the big mallet out, then just stepping aside when Swan snorted and pushed it away. She downed a glowing red bottle of Sparkle Cola from her cloud of treats and asked Val something, then grinned and lifted a foreleg high, bringing it whistling down in a blur.

DING!

The poor bell at the top gave a warbling ring as it went flying, the weight rocketing to the top and the painted rank of 'Rockhoof's Bigger Cousin', then right past it, sailing into the sky while Swan lifted her hoof from the crater of splintered wreckage at the bottom. She floated a huge, ratty stuffed Celestia from the pile of dirty prizes with a smirk, trotting away with her head held high and her pink tail swishing proudly.

'Mine...Princess... Warrior... Want...'

'Be Dark...' surprised me by giving a weird, somewhat disturbing chuckle of dark laughter, joined by the whoop of 'Be Strong!' hollaring its approval. The noise had drawn Glitter's attention from patting my back making sure I didn't puke in the garbage can I had been leaning on however, the little filly immediately giving a bright squeal through the crowd and waving happily.

"Auntie Swan! Wow! That was awesome. Did you win that cool toy..." I had to hold Glitter's tail in my teeth to stop her from pelting off, already eyeing the stuffed doll with wide eyes.

Shrinking behind the trash can to hide and pretending I was totally not watching was ruined by Swan galloping over, forcing me to peek up guiltily and shrug as Val snatched her bounty of caps from the two shamefaced Cats. "Fast! Glitter! Did you see? I smashed that silly game good! Here little niece, I claimed the best toy for you as my spoils of victory!"

"Y-Yeah, I saw Swan, it was impressive alright. Sorry to interrupt, g-go back to your double date with Val, just nevermind me..." I smiled at Glitter tackling the toy Celestia bigger than she was in glee, trying to drag her away and avoid sticking our noses in any further.

Val was already prowling up with a grin however, leaving the crestfallen Cats behind and hefting her winnings happily, she pounced and snatched me up in rough noogies, trapped in an affectionate headlock with my hindlegs scrambling in the air. "Heya boss! I see ya hidin' back there shorty! You jealous ya cuddly lil' stalker? C'mere! Check it out, good start huh? Blue ready ta win me more?"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! I-I'm not a stalker Val! I didn't mean to! L-Lemme go! If you want Jade to win your bet, I need my brains intact to... Oh shit! We better get back to her actually, we were supposed to be back already! C'mon sweetie, that's enough goofing off for now, she'll be freaking out with all these people out here."

"Awwwww! Just a little longer daddy! We still haven't... woooooo...." Glitter pouted back, rolling her bright pink eyes to Val in a silent plea to keep me pinned, then gaping up to the skies along with the crowd looking up and pointing to a whoosh in the skies.

A few of Burny's Red Rocket couriers went... well, rocketing by, buzzing the crowd with red clouds trailing behind them in an impressive bit of stunt flying, looping and zipping around each other in formations that would make the Wonderbolts proud.

"Ain't they somethin' cats and kittens! Put those hooves together for Grandad's elite postal Clydes, they ain't chrome plated but they're on the stick ain't they! You and all the ankle biters keep makin' the scene down there and enjoy the bash! Don't you earthbound hipsters worry, up next we got the steeplechase with our junkyard hopefuls! Not the main scene with me and the way out Princess going for pinks later, but always a crazy show!" Zeke's amplified voice rang out overhead, zipping around the skies and laying it on for the crowd stomping their hooves in applause.

I narrowed my eyes at the speedy pegasus flitting around, strutting and showing off, working the crowd up... Jade had to hear him where she was getting ready, only making her more anxious at the public spectacle the smarmy buck seemed to thrive on. I was so focused on him, I didn't realize I was making a low growl deep in my chest until Bluejay and Moose came up, their suddenly closer voices snapping me out of it.

"That's you big guy, better agitate the gravel an' into yer duds if you wanna impress the crazy big doll here. Why don'cha ask fer a mirror warmer fer luck stud?" Bluejay prowled up, elbowing the bashful looking earth pony with him and flicking Swan's pink neckerchief with a grin to his buddy.

Swan was as confused as I was trying to follow the slang, pulling back and smoothing the bit of pink silk at her sailor shirt collar. "Mirror warmer? This is my pretty scarf thingy, it's part of my costume Glitter had made for me. You can't haz it..."

Sputtering and blushing through his brown coat right down to his hooves, Moose shook his head frantically. "N-No, course not baby, Bluejay's just teasin'! Mares goin' steady just give stuff like that ta tie on the tail of their buck's armor, l-like he said, for luck! Though I was havin' a totally unreal time with you Miss Swan. Ah was umm... w-wonderin' if'n you'd like ta keep cruisin' the strip when I cross the finish line though. Just you an' me like? M-More a real date?"

Swan squinted and tilted her head curiously at the stammering buck, he'd been keeping the lingo easier to understand, but it mixed weirdly with his country twang. She worked it out and blinked after a minute, yanking me away from Val in her violet magic and squeezing me in her hooves as she answered. "Date... ah! Like the things Fast wants to do! Sorry, I only like mating with him!"

"M-M-Mating!? But ah thought him an' the Princess was circled!? W-What? You two..." Moose gaped as I cringed in Swan's grip, looking between us in confusion.

Cocking her ear at Val cackling laughter, Swan smiled brightly and simply squeezed me tighter, holding me up like a mortified trophy as she beamed and nuzzled my glowing cheeks. "Oh yes, he is sister's first, so I have to share... but I do date things with Fast. He already put a baby in my tummy like my mother wanted, but now I like his love-junk and he said we'll always be together! Is that... 'going steady'? Am I supposed to give him my scarf or something?"

"N-No Swan... you can keep it, it looks better on you anyway... Umm... s-sorry Moose, she's pretty new to... a lot of stuff... She does seem to like you though buddy, eh heh..."

Ignoring the overly pleased and jealous growl of 'Be Dark...', I did feel a little bad at the crestfallen expression the big Arcano-Cat wore. It didn't help that his pal Bluejay had joined Val in snickering at the show, leading him to shake it off with a snort and stamp his hoof at my weak consolation.

"Well... a-ah ain't givin' up then, t'ain't right... Ah'll show I'm as good as some poindexter, you just watch me lay a patch Miss Swan, ah'ma winnin' this here race fer you!" Moose gave an earnest nod and stamped off, heading for the garages of the inner circle of Arcano-Cats and his armor.

Waving cheerily, his determined declaration went completely over Swan's head. "Ok then! Good luck smashing all your enemies in the race thing! Byyyy-iiieee!"

"Ouch! I better cool the big lug out. What about you Red, gonna watch me make the scene at the stunt show later? Pullin' out the old Crushinator Jaws of Smashalot just to peacock it up for you hot stuff. Maybe head to the submarine races later?" Bluejay waggled his brows to Val, punching her shoulder and hooking a claw over his shoulder to the obstacle course down the runway I goggled at along with Glitter.

Looking past all the flaming hoops to the rusty, pointy, chompy jaws of spikes being wheeled out, I shivered at the thought of flying through all that, even in bulky griffon power armor. Even more insane, after asking around during our time here, I knew that thing was something salvaged from the base along with the Dizzytron, some prewar lunatic stationed here had built that...

"Maaaaaybe I'll take a look, if'n I ain't busy, or drunk, or havin' my own lil' romp with the boss. Tons of fun here got me all frisky talkin' him up. Guess I might wait an' see if you ain't all talk Bluefeathers, better be miiiiighty impressive though!" Val ruffled my mane and smirked, chuckling at the griffon's beak dropping open at her leering grin as she nipped my cheek suggestively.

Gaping between Val, Swan and then me trapped by them, Bluejay's feathers puffed out and he squawked, shoving a yellow claw in my nose with a glare. "Y-You... Yer just lucky you ain't on the line out there today pipsqueak, or we'd leave you in our dust. Just you watch Red, gonna show you what a real Hep-griff can do, not some griffon groper runt!"

Once he bounded away, I struggled loose and pouted at Val snickering in her claw, fluttering her eyelashes at my embarassed glare and speaking in an innocent tone. "Whaaaat? Couldn't let 'im get too big for his metal britches boss, now he knows how his big buddy feels an' they can wallow in misery together on missin' out on all'a this!"

Biting back a laugh at her waving her claw to herself and Swan with a sultry wiggle and flick of her tail, I raised an eyebrow and tried to keep pouting. "We're supposed to be making friends Val. Not making every Arcano-Cat here hate me in particular..."

"Oh I'll probably shag him anyway, if he wins... Yer cute n' cuddly boss, but don't quite scratch the same itch. Just good for 'im to see the competition, makes you look like a stud too, worth lots of cred!" Val chuckled and fell in at my side when I turned to the distant hangars Jade was practicing in, though she leaned down purred softly with Swan and Glitter sharing food trotting behind us. "'Sides, fun is fun, but yer my lil' pony pal boss. So anygriff what comes sniffin' around better be cool with it, 'cause I umm... ya know..."

"I love you too Val. Now, let's go win your bet so you can rub it in on your date."

Bumping flanks with the sincere griffon, I forced the possessive growl in my head back and kissed her cheek, trying to communicate my approval, even if I... or 'Be Dark...' didn't like it. Her regular, meaningless flirting and lewdness was the same on the surface, but had changed somehow too. I wanted her to know I was happy for her, my best friend who had grown and changed from the hurt ex-Gunner she had been. Val deserved happiness, wherever she found it and with whoever. 'Be Unwavering!' She wasn't...

'...MINE...'

"Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear!" Jade's anxious cries met my ears before we even reached the hangar far from the main runways, forcing me up to a gallop to reach the cracked doors bent in the tracks that once let them slide open to permit huge sky vehicles access.

This part of the sprawling old Shadowbolt's base was distant and unused, a cavernous hangar riddled with rusty holes that let shafts of light come spilling in from the roof to illuminate the space. The Arcano-Cats had long ago salvaged anything of worth, leaving only a few wrecked hulls of Equestrian Air Guard bombers. It made for a great area to let Jade practice in peace, without a lot of prying eyes to throw her off. Cool Jets also assured us it was important to make a big reveal, preserving the surprise an important aspect of 'making the scene'.

Peeking in now, I could see her point. The sight of Jade in the gleaming A-01 was stunning, and I knew what to expect. The bulk of the ornate armor was a darker blue than her coat, complimenting where it showed through at her face and undersides of her frantically flapping wings. Deep, jet black bits of trim sparkled with flakes that looked like stars and other highlights in pearlescent white shone like moonlight, while the lighter blues of the crystalline wingblades and the shifting armor plates of the 'dress' matched her mane, which was free to flow from the chromed, crown-like helmet framing her face.

Of course it would be more impressive if she wasn't lurching around the rafters, careening around the ropes Summer had hung from up there for her to dodge around, nearly bowling the light yellow pegasus aside in one pass and leaving her spinning in the air as she tried to keep coaching her. "Calm down Jade! You're overcorrecting again, let the armor do the work!"

"Wow! Lookit her go! You're doin' great mommy!!" Glitter squealed from beside me when she caught up, jumping up an down in cheers that got her mother's attention instantly.

The floating crystal wingblades above her own shifted and flared when Jade made to bank, turning on a dime and accelerating down the long hangar far faster than she obviously intended. "No! No! No! S-Slow down!"

I barely had time to tackle Glitter and huddle around her protectively. Thankfully she came down for a landing hard, skidding all four hooves and digging a trench in the concrete as she slowed to a stop inches away. Shaking off the wide eyed, fearful look on her face from the near crash as the armor shifted and folded at rest around her, she panted down at me with an accusing scowl. "There you are Fast! W-Where have you been!? You are to help me with this crazed contraption, not just wander off and leave me!"

"Er... just took Glitter out to look around, umm... scout out the competetion? Hehehe... y-you look like you've got it... w-well in hoof, lots better already, r-really!"

I flinched at the disbelieving snort that got, really wishing I could lie to her. "D-Do not try to placate me Fast. I have enough trouble with technology, without being completely encased in untested, malfunctioning... junk! This is a h-horrible idea!"

"It's not untested sister, I tested it! You're doing it wrong... when it looks all pretty now too. You should have painted it purple and let me have it Fast..." Swan trotted around Jade and huffed, seeing it completed for the first time herself and clearly envious.

"I quite agree, you are welcome to it sister!" Jade stuck her nose up in a snit, then her ears drooped and she bit her lip, continuing in a meek whisper. "I... I c-cannot do this Fast... I feel clumsy enough normally, this armor is just making it worse. It is totally antithetical to everything about me, I am not good with technology, it was intended for war and I..."

Stroking her cheek as I patched my pip-buck in to the hers and its connection to the armor, I hushed her with a quick kiss, glad to see Witchy landing at her side to comfort her too. "You can do anything Jade... believe in yourself like all of us do. It's not your fault, it is a prototype and we were in a rush. Let me try making some more adjustments..."

"We've already turned all the calibration settings way down sir. Stripping all the radiation shielding made it light enough to get off the ground, but it throws everything off. This thing is just way too touchy and we don't have enough data." Cool joined me in going over the lines of code scrolling away on my pip-buck, not really helping as Jade gasped.

"R-Radiation shielding!? This produces... I cannot be crammed in this tin can and absorb radiation! I will... i-in front of everyone out there!? H-How many are there to see..." Jade pranced back, dragging me along by the foreleg still attached to her by patch cable.

"Easy Jade! Whoa! Gimme a minute here... Yes it produces magical radiation, only when using certain features though! I already took it into account working with Swan and I'm guessing you two absorb it at basically the same rate. This thing has the Institute's unicorn power armor modifications, it can draw off your magic to power the suit. Which is actually a good thing considering the kind of power demands involved with this thing, no wonder they could never get it to work. Took awhile to work out the ratio, but I programmed a patch to the spell matrix, it will drain off rads as fast as you absorb them. Actually it's pretty awesome, basically unlimited power off one spark core! Works even better than it would for Celestia or Luna with you!"

I blinked up and realized I had a crazed look in my eyes, getting absorbed with the incredible arcano-tech and babbling away with my obsessions taking over and a goofy grin on my face. Jade's unconvinced whinny and flat look brought me up short though, shaking it off and continuing in a calmer voice.

"You're not going to grow right out of the armor and turn all super alicorn in front of everypony is what I'm saying hon, so don't worry. Not that it would bother me, other than ruining the suit I guess... A-Anyway, as for calibrating it, you're the one who didn't want to practice more."

"Because I was hoping to find a way to avoid this entire spectacle... you did not answer my question Fast, how many spectators are waiting out there? You did go wandering off to enjoy yourselves... Glitter sweetheart, a-are there many?" Jade's eyes narrowed at me chiding her, anxiously turning to the little filly bounding around her in circles.

"Lots and lots mommy! It's gonna be so cool when everypony sees how pretty you look and mhmmhphh!" I dove to catch her and stuff a hoof in Glitter's beaming mouth, but the damage was done as Jade visibly paled.

I was glad Witchy was there to prop her up before she swooned on the spot, though even the strong batpony wearing her own thestral power armor in solidarity nearly buckled under the weight, squeaking as the servos of her legs whined. "T-Tis alright your highness! Thou art truly a picture of beauty and poise that the m-masses are merely... e-excited to see in victory!"

"Aw quit bein' a baby Blue! Gots caps on you, so suck it up an' be a badass, ya look the part already! You fly better than boss, not that he's a high bar or nothin', but you know yer shit up in the air. Ain't ya got no more of them breezies' awesome sauce in yer packs? Take the edge off a lil'!" Val tried being supportive too, in her bawdy griffon way at least... rooting around for Nectar in Jade's medical box saddlebags hanging with her lab coat.

Swan was still pouting over not being in Jade's place, but even she tried to be comforting. "Val is right, Mother made us to be great and powerful sister! Be confident and show off!"

To my surprise, Zed trotted up and helped the most, pushing down Jade's hooves tapping together with metallic clinks in front of her muzzle. The stern zebra stood up on his hindlegs and held a hoof in front of her face to focus her pinprick blue eyes, speaking in his soothing baritone that cut through the sound of her hyperventilating. "Miss Jade! Breathe... in through the nose, out through the mouth. Slow and easy. Being nervous before battle is natural, but you are not a coward."

"B-B-Battle!?! I am to race, not b-battle!" Jade gasped back, effectively distracted for a moment the zebra took advantage of.

"Oh but you are. This is your battle. I have come to respect you because you rise to such challenges, despite your fears. You have made even me believe in a pony Princess thanks to that noble heart. That is what those ponies wish to see. Do not doubt it when the proof is on your flanks." Zed actually got through to her, tapping the armor plating stenciled with Jade's cutie mark with a quirk of a smile.

"He's right hon, they all are. Er... Val less so maybe... but still. We all believe in you, believe in yourself too. Winning or losing doesn't matter here, it's going out there and showing them what kind of Princess you are."

Answering for us all, Glitter scrambled up Jade's back and bounced between her armored wings with a bright shout. "The bestest in Equestria! C'mon mommy, I'll help! You always fly lots better when you let me ride!"

She still looked scared, but Jade set her eyes in a determined line and gingerly lifted off the ground, turning from nuzzling the happy filly to looking over the rest of us gratefully. "Thank you all... you especially sweetheart. Let us p-put on a good show then..."

"Awright all you hipsters! You ready for the main event!?"

Burny Jets himself had come out to officiate Jade's race, pacing back and forth in front of the contestants at the spray painted start line on the cracked tarmac. The absolute roar of the crowd that answered the grinning old buck made me very glad I wasn't the one competing, though I felt bad thinking that while watching Jade shivering hard enough to make her armor clank.

"That's right cats and kittens! A regular race for the ages, the Big Daddy of the Cats, my very own snotty grandson Zeke, versus the Common Pony's Princess down here to strut her stuff! For any squares out there that don't know the drill, this here's just a little friendly competition between the Cats and Sanctuary, with the Princess lookin' to earn her jacket in the process!" Burny fluttered up where he could be seen, shouting out in a magical megaphone in his hooves as he pointed out the course.

Beyond the short obstacle course in front of the stands, distant hoops of cloud floated over the runway and the sea beyond, tended by pegasi keeping an eye on the course and making sure both racers flew through each. Following along with Burny, I saw how they banked north towards the city, weaving through broken smokestacks, passing through the skeletal tops of skyscrapers in sight, then turned through an isolated section of elevated highway and monorail tracks with the ominous name of 'Dead Mare's Curve', before banking back towards the skyport and the finish line.

"Don't worry folks! I won't pull tooooo far ahead, so you won't be strainin' those peepers tryin' to keep an eyeball on both of us. Gotta make it a good show for all my paper shakers out there!" Zeke strutted and preened for the crowd, smirking and giving a wink to a his own little section of pretty fillies acting as cheerleaders who gave adoring moans over the smarmy buck.

Still standing and shaking in place, Jade gave a sharp "Eep!" when Burny nudged her gently, waggling his megaphone up to her. "Ooooh! Tough talk from the whipper snapper there Princess! Any comeback?"

Blinking between the two red coated pegasi curiously, Jade tilted her head and held a dainty hoof out. "Er... I h-hope for a fair and sporting c-competition?"

Burny facehoofed and even Zeke looked let down by her polite reply, my ears flicking at the older buck whispering up to her. "It's trash talk Princess... all in good fun, part of the game. Give him what for!"

"Umm... Ah, I w-will be victorious then, s-so there!" Jade tried anyway, at least winning points for being adorable by the kindly chuckles from the crowd.

Thankfully Glitter had yet to abandon her perch on Jade's back, standing on her hindlegs to peer over Jade's cloudy mane and taking over with a yell. "My mommy's gonna blow you away Zeke! Her armor's lots fancier than yours, daddy fixed it up really good and I helped make it pretty! Yours stinks!"

Sniffing at the air, I had to agree with the little filly sticking her tongue out to the uproarious laughter of the spectators. Zeke even looked a little abashed, wrinkling his nose after an embarrassed sniff under his wing, then shouting to Scopes over in the pit crew area behind a line of concrete highway dividers along with me, Summer, Cool and the Arcano-Cat Rowdy. "Told ya this new wax of yours reeks Scopes! You're lettin' the ankle biter make me look like a spaz with this grody goop!"

The green unicorn nearby flinched, but Burny cut off any excuses he could offer with a snort of laughter. "She's got you there Grandson! Style points alone I gotta give it to the way out Princess. Never thought I'd see the old A-01 make it off the line, let alone lookin' like a blue dream. The little filly's got class, huh folks?"

Glitter's chest puffed up as she waved and bowed, hamming it up for the crowd as she tugged Jade's wings up to show off every detail like she was a chariot show model. She definitely put Zeke in his place, prancing around and posing in front of her stage fright frozen mother, making showy waves of her hooves to the gleaming paintjob and chrome. She certainly cranked the cuteness factor up to 11, hopping up to her back after getting enough oohs and ahs, then donning her too big flight cap and tugging her goggles down like she was ready to go.

Snorting in frustration, Zeke crouched in a ready position on the starting line, his wing's cocking up and the arcano-tech additions of his armor humming with power as he sneered back. "Yeah, well, ain't no fashion show little monster, it's a race! I'll be smellin' like roses and lookin' pretty when I'm in the winner's circle!"

Still chuckling and wiping his eyes, Burny fluttered up and pulled Glitter loose, giving Jade a nudge to join Zeke on the line as he tossed the little filly to his own back with a wink. "He's right cutie, no co-pilots up there. You just stick with your ol' Grampy Jets and help me call this thing. Everypony ready!?"

The resounding cheer was answer enough and Burny zipped out of the way, turning things over to Roxie hovering in front and between the two racers with a flowing pink sash held up in her hoof, her bright, bubbly voice amplified by her own neon pink power armor. "Like, on your marks...."

Jade shook her head and seemed to realize this was really happening, scrambling to get down in a racer's crouch to match Zeke and gulping at the thrum of the A-01 ratcheting up. The crystal blades at her wings detached and hovered over her back when she spread her wings, glowing brightly as the metal plates of her dress shifted and sparked.

"Get set..."

I made a grab for the battered ham radio we had been using during testing, speaking directly to the comms in Jade's crown-like helmet. "You got this Jade, take it easy in the turns and open it up on straight aways, I guarantee you've got him beat in raw, top speed. Just don't use the Dash Mode until the home stretch. Let the armor do the work and..."

"GO!"

Roxie threw her silk scarf down, signalling the start of the race with a series of multicolored fireworks bursting from the tube shaped launcher on her battlesaddle's left flank. Zeke blasted off and left Jade literally choking on his dust, leaving a brilliant red contrail behind him as he streaked for the obstacle course. There was a rolling laugh through the crowd as Jade shook it off, then a whoop when she took off after him, cratering the asphalt under her hooves and making a shockwave when the A-01 blazed to life at her panic to catch up.

"Slow down! Easy, you'll overtake him later, just get through the course first! Stay on the ground for now!" I yelped into the rusty microphone, wincing at Jade nearly overshooting the series of hoops and hurdles Zeke was nimbly darting through already.

Zeke knew the course and was an agile flier, clearing the last hoop and streaking down the runway to the distance course starting at the rocky shore. Jade had improved with practice and more fine tuning, but we'd already decided her best bet was making like the earth pony Moose running the steeple chase earlier. The A-01 was built for an alicorn, taking advantage of the Steel Ranger tech making her pistoning hooves a blur let Jade get started slow, prancing through the obstacles at a gallop.

She did smash her way through a few hurdles, but cleared the last hoop with Zeke only three quarters of the way down the runway. Rather than landing from her graceful leap through the rainbow colored hoop, Jade spread her wings and the fins at her flanks shifted to a swept wing, the floating crystalline wingblades pointing back and adding a glowing burst of magical thrust.

Zeke turned back in surprise to see her gaining on him, putting his head down and pouring on the speed to beat her to the first cloud hoop floating above the rocky shoreline. With an agile flip, he zipped through the hoop, skimmed the water lapping at the shore, then blasted straight up as Jade hit the hoop behind him, creating a wall of water exploding up in a shower Jade splashed into.

"Oh! A cannonball blast off blinds the Princess and Zeke takes the lead!" Burny shouted out commentary, followed immediately by Glitter yelping, "That's cheating! Booooo! Go Mommy!!"

"Pbbfftt! Gah! C-Can't see!" I could hear Jade sputtering on the seawater over the radio, grinding my fangs at Zeke soaring off over the sea towards the next hoops, while Jade flapped and shook in the air, getting her bearings.

"Up! Up and forward Jade! Be careful, he's playing dirty!"

She trusted my shouted directions, blasting off in pursuit and creating a bigger fan of water in her wake. Jade had to loop back when she missed a floating hoop right behind him, lacking the nimble Zeke's precision, but closing the distance in between each obstacle enough to obviously worry him as they neared the outskirts of the Trotson ruins.

Zeke wove through the trio of smoke stacks still standing above a ruined factory without breaking stride, barely ahead of Jade slowing down to follow. The floating hoops of cloud were on opposing sides of each crumbling pillar, forcing Jade to flare the fins of her armor out in a wide fan as she carefully made her way between them. She clipped the last one hard, sending the pegasi minding the hoop scrambling away as the smoke stack cracked and collapsed in a rain of stone and soot.

"Ouch! A little sloppy, but the armor can take a beating anyway! Zeke makes his way to the residential ruins just ahead of the Princess making him sweat!" Burny shouted out again, following the red and blue streaks making their way towards the warren of crumbling, low stone buildings on the outskirts of Trotson.

Zeke kept looking back to Jade steadily gaining on him in the open stretch, then dropped down and zipped through the husk of a series of apartments. He dove through an empty window and disappeared from sight for a moment, then darted out the other side and gained altitude, bringing a cloud of agitated Bloatsprites with him.

"He's cheating again! Make him stop Grampy Jets! No fair!!" Glitter yelped from Burny's back, drumming her little hooves on his grey maned head.

Ducking from the assault, Burny merely chuckled back, continuing his running commentary as Jade flinched and dodged from the swarm of pastel colored pests. "All's fair in love and racing kiddo! Local hazards are part of the course he's taking advantage of, but still fair. Let's see how yer ma handles it!"

Unfortunately, Jade handled it by panicking... I could hear her yelps over the crackling radio as her distant blue speck jerked and dodged back from the swarm of pests, while the red streak of Zeke sped off. The bastard even paused to do loops as he soared around the ruins, zipping through hoops and maintaining a comfortable lead while still gloating.

Val screeched and shoved me aside before I could say anything, grabbing the microphone in her claws to shout right in Jade's ear. "They're friggin bloatsprites!! They can't hurt ya in that tin can! Plow through em Blue! Quit blowin' my bet!!"

Wrestling to get the mic back from the griffon stamping her paws in a fit, I groaned along with her when I heard Jade's reply. "T-They are living creatures! I do not wish to harm them when they cannot harm me as you say Valkyrie! P-Perhaps if I just swat them aside and..." I could hear the hum of a magical energy weapon and the bright glow was visible from here, coming along with Jade's anxious cry. "Oh my! Y-You said this suit possessed no weapons Fast!"

Her tail... she made to shoo them away with her tail and activated the glowing blades there, I could hear the spatter of Bloatsprites getting sliced to ribbons over the staticky noise. Along with her bizarrely frustrated tone as she ducked and dodged away from the bloatsprites, forcing me to answer in a rush while Zeke sped on.

"Er... I said I didn't work on any of the weapons... that much... the tail blade was built in. Letting them get so close and attack you is activating the defense systems. I didn't think it would come up, alright!? Val's right Jade, just plow straight through! Put up your shield, hurry while Zeke's still showing off!"

"Ooooooh! At this rate I suppose I will do less harm doing as you suggest than allowing this contraption to continue! Is there anything else I should be made aware of Fast!?" I could see the bright blue ball of light blazing around her as Jade darted forward and resumed the chase, her suspicious huff making me hem and haw a weak reply.

"Umm... I might have played around with some kind of built in magical weapon of last resort type thing... it looked too cool to just delete... Just, if it prompts you to use death blossom, say no... Er, just focus on the race for now, keep that shield up and you'll shrug off anything else he throws at you, it should be augmented by the armor too. H-How's that part working?"

"Death blossom!?! You fiddled around with something called death blossom!? I am wearing something that HAS a death blossom!?!" I winced back from the poor old ham radio practically hopping up and down with Jade's furious shout, laying my ears back and turning to Burny's commentary as a distraction.

"And the Princess pushes through, closing the gap while my idiot grandson is showing off! You folks ever hear the story of the Miretank and the Radrabbit? I know I told it to him, but I think he missed the moral of the story, eh kids? They're heading out over the marshes now with the Princess moving up fast! This race ain't over... Sweet Celestia! Look out you idjit!!" Burny's lighthearted play by play turned to a raspy shout, drawing everypony's eye to the dark shape swooping down on Zeke's red blur.

A bird? Was it closer than I thought? No... it was just big... really, really big... Some kind of gigantic bird of prey had swooped up from a rusting, half open water tower out in the swamps and hills beyond the race course, disregarded this long simply because the scale of the thing screwed with perspective until it made its move and dove after Zeke with a screech. My mouth went dry as I snapped the Last Minute up and peered through the scope, only making my blood run cold on getting a better look at the massive beast barely missing Zeke with those razor sharp claws. Good goddesses, that thing could pick Jade up in just one of those claws!

It was mostly slate grey, with a pale underbelly and plumage tinted slightly green, that two smaller, ugly wings with hooked claws at the joints sprouted from. The thing was clearly some kind of mutant abomination, a second, smaller head near the first had a matching hooked beak and milky eyes. Its feathers were mottled and patchy, while its gleaming claws were like swords at the end of crusty, scaly yellow feet. For all its size and obvious power, it was disturbingly fast too, pulling out of the dive with a mighty flap, then swooping upwards and making a pass at Jade as it rose and turned towards Zeke again.

Val's awed whisper of, "Friggin RadRoc... what the hell!?" didn't do much to reassure me, the tough merc actually sounding scared.

Jade's frightened cry snapped me out of the stupor I was in watching the monstrous bird lining up on Zeke again. He looped and spun to face the next dive, then hitched in the air, only saved from getting sliced to ribbons by virtue of falling like a stone, lurching and jerking as he fell.

I made to take off with the roar of 'Be Dark...' straining to take over and I was tempted to let it, already asking for the strange spirit to help me teleport to her side as Jade dove and caught Zeke before he impacted the swamps below. A crazed warcry and screams nearby brought me up short however, followed by the tinkle of glass and fwoosh of flame, along with gunshots a lot closer than the shooting gallery.

From my spot hovering in the air, I could see a horde of raiders pouring in from the ruins, hooting, hollaring, shooting and attacking the makeshift fairgrounds in a chaotic wave. Between the monster bird attack and the much closer threat, the gathering of happy spectators dissolved into complete pandemonium as they stampeded.

"Fucking hell, raiders! Folks, evacuate down the runway! To the ramps up to Rocketburg! Cats! It's time ta rumble! Off yer rears and into gear dammit!" Burny still held his megaphone and shouted directions to the panicking crowd threatening to trample each other.

Glitter was still on his back... innocent wastelanders here were galloping away from the rush of raiders attacking anypony in their path, but Jade was out there.... under attacks from the vicious bird that I could see dimmed her shield and knocked her off course from here. She was darting towards the decaying section of elevated highway called Dead Mare's Curve and the minimal protection the concrete and steel structure offered.

Glitter... Jade... they were both in danger... I was torn by indecision, frozen in place until a grimy yellow raider fired a pipe pistol at the hovering target of Burny Jets still shouting out orders, clipping his wing and making Glitter squeal around the grip of Righteous Authority in her mouth. Vengeance was up and firing while my brain was still trying to catch up and I swooped after her, forcing the crazed raider back and clipping her foreleg in a spray of blood that didn't look to affect her as she ran on the crippled leg, turning her attention to nearer targets with a sadistic whoop.

Cool Jets and I joined Burny in midair, the old buck's grandfilly pulling him away, while I fired the Terrible Shotgun from the flank and tried to stay between Glitter and the rush of raiders stampeding through the fairgrounds. Several small caliber rounds impacted my magical armor, making me wince at the hammer blows of impact mitigated by the padded trenchcoat.

Almost nowhere seemed safe enough for my daughter blasting away with her boxy magical energy weapon, so I opted for the pit crew area with its concrete blocks and the ham radio still connected to Jade. I had to practically force Burny down with Cool, the old buck pulling his own mouth held M.E.W. and joining Glitter's frenzied shooting as he shouted around the grip. "Get em dammit! What the hell's the problem!?"

Ducking into cover, I saw what he meant... The unarmored, lower ranked Cats were charging out along with the older city guard of Rocketburg, but the inner circle of Cats in their gleaming power armor were not joining the fray. Or they were rather, but to no effect... As I peeked up and emptied the cyllinder of Vengeance, I saw Rowdy's purple armor come galloping down the runway, her legs spread and head lowered as she made to open up with the heavy weapons on her battlesaddle, only to jitter and freeze with a spark and whiff of ozone.

Glancing around before ducking back to shove Glitter's head back down, I saw it was the same with all the other Cats. Moose and Bluejay were still as statues as raiders swarmed around them, several jumping on their armored forms with crowbars and auto-axes, trying to cut them free like they were opening a can of cram. Roxie fell out of the sky and crashed to the concrete nearby, I could hear her struggling to move and whimpering from the concussion.

Jade's voice warbling over the radio drove it home, panting in fear as I sought her out and found her just by tracking the huge bird landing on the highway ruins and pecking at the broken roadway. "Fast! Fast something is wrong! Zeke cannot move! His armor..."

"Jade! Are you ok!? I'm coming! Raiders are attacking here and it's happening to the others, but I'll be there as soon as I can! Just hold on!" I shouted into the microphone floating in my magic in between blasts of the Terrible Shotgun, fear born adrenaline making me shake seeing the monster bird clawing and pecking to get to the blue glow of her shield.

Val was blazing away with her 25mm grenade launcher and red beams from her M.E.W., staying at my side and picking her shots to stay focused on the largest clumps of raiders before they spread out. They had no plan or objective I could see, they just swarmed in and attacked anything that moved. One burly stallion launched himself at a screaming filly and tried to rape her on the spot, his head blown off in a spray of gore that drenched his victim by a S.A.T.S. assisted .45 while he was trying to mount her.

Jade must be able to see the smoke and flames from where she was hiding, giving a determined shout back as I reloaded and shoved Glitter behind me again. "Raiders!? Oh my... help them there Fast, the civilians... innocent ponies... I... I will be fine for the moment!"

Swan had launched herself into battle with a wild and giddy whoop, a rain of destructive magic tearing up what was left of the fair as she sang happily. "Green is good, red is dead! Die all you red ponies!"

I was thankful I gave her a pip-buck, the E.F.S. system let her distinguish what she was free to smash and what she should protect anyway. Galloping after the clusters of raiders splitting off to loot and pillage as they went, Zed pummeled the invaders with his hooves, dodging rusty knives and spiked baseball bats. I spotted Witchy perched on the overhang of the Red Rocket garage too, looking as torn as I was as the long antimateriel rifle on her armored flank fired and sent a huge and mangy looking red raider head over hooves, off the bleeding stallion he had been stomping on with a rusty set of power hooves. She kept glancing out to the RadRoc attacking Jade as much as I was, but those sensitive ears must have heard her orders over the radio as she held her position.

"This is fubared boss! With them Cats outta the fight an' useless, we're pretty fucked!" Val screeched and fell back when a .308 from a rusty hunting rifle punctured the joint of her armor at the shoulder, hissing in pain as she fired back.

"Help them! D-Do not worry about us Fast! I will... oh dear! H-Hold on Zeke!" Jade's voice crackled out again as my head pounded, she was in danger... 'Princess! Mine! Let me!', but Glitter and all these ponies... 'Be Kind...' 'Be Unwavering!'

Jade and our baby... 'MINE! LET! ME! OUT!'

Innocent ponies dying in front of me... 'Be Kind...' 'Be Unwavering!' 'Be Strong!' 'Be Awesome!' 'Awareness!'

My head felt like it was going to explode, the war going on up there splitting me down the middle. I had to help Jade, but I couldn't leave Glitter and abandon all these ponies that needed help too. It was the sight of a gaggle of Minutemares who had come to see the show from Redheart helped me break through it.

They were right on the front lines, working with a group of robed spell slingers from University Point, holding raiders back and ushering screaming, bleeding ponies away. There for the Commonwealth in a minute's notice, they were outmatched, but brave and refusing to give an inch, each proudly wearing the uniforms of the ponies in blue and determined to live up to the ideals of their Princess they had come to see.

I saw one peach mare with blood drenching her tan hat and purple mane, stumbling along with a pair of crying colts she was trying to shove away from what I was all too certain was the bleeding corpse of their mother. Her eyes locked with mine across the battlefield and I saw the hope and expectation there as Cool sped out from cover and helped her, grunting from a shot hammering her flank but speeding on. I was supposed to be the general of the Minutemares, a hero... somepony to look up to and believe in...

'WANT! OUT! PRINCESS! DANGER! DON'T CARE... OTHERS! LET ME! LET ME! LET ME!'

Glitter looked up from behind her goggles with a worried look from Summer's hooves holding her down, afraid but trusting in me... the absolute faith in those wide pink eyes helped me fight through the blinding pain between my eyes, snarling to myself as I flapped up and dove across the tarmac.

"NNNGH!!! A h-hero dammit! Y-You're supposed to be a hero! Act like it! Help me or shut up! I... We can't just turn our backs!"

To my relief, the Shroud's spirit stopped fighting me and seemed to step back, watching... I wasn't sure if it was shamed into cooperating, or just willing to let me try first before it went back to attempting to take over, but the pain in my head backed off in time for me to come rolling to a stop behind Roxie's prone form. Bullets sparked off the tarmac and pinged off her armor chasing me the whole way, though I heard Val's screech and the crash of her pistols covering me as I huddled behind Roxie's neon pink armor and got to work.

Patching my pip-buck into the dead armor didn't result in a proper reboot, a short occurred and sent sparks sizzling into my mane. Trying to focus on the litany of error codes scrolling through my vision was difficult enough, the tinkle of a molotov exploding nearby and the heat of spreading flames just made things worse. Roxie was coming to and struggling to move, her screaming further distracting me from figuring out the problem.

I peeked up from behind Roxie's frozen wingplates, firing on a trio of raiders loaded down with cloudy bottles strung from bandoliers. A lucky shot through the heat haze of flames and green text scrolling by turned one of them into a fireball, rolling around and wailing.

As the diagnostics on my pip-buck were finally finishing up and I emptied the clip of Deliverer on the other two pyromaniac raiders scattering, I spotted Scopes in Zeke's pit crew area and tried to flag him down. "Scopes! Scopes get over here and help, something's wrong with the suits! Cascading circuit failure from battlesaddle spark relay reroute D-239... what the hell? Just get over here dammit! And don't use your weapons!"

I was relieved to see Scopes' gleaming, lime green, unicorn compatible T-55 armor was still mobile, though the fact he was backpedaling away with it rather than charging forward made me shout in frustration. His helmet was folded back, showing the stricken, pale green face and terrified brown eyes behind his taped up glasses.

"Like hot! HOT! Get me movin' before I cook daddy-o! Please!! SCOPES! HELP!!" Roxie was fully awake and struggling, throwing me off from opening access panels and tracing down circuits as the smell of burnt feathers assaulted my nose.

Sweat was beading on Scopes' face as he kept backing away, his head giving involuntary shakes back and forth. The voice of his obvious crush screaming broke the paralysis, but in the opposite way I expected. The blank face of his chrome and green helmet flipped up, cutting off his own frightened grimace as he turned and ran, plowing through raiders that tried to bar his path, but not slowing his escape out to the ruins they came from.

Trying to lift Roxie in a field of telekinesis while juggling my guns and squinting at fizzling, gem encrusted circuit boards took all my concentration and then some. 'Be Strong!' and 'Be Unwavering!' sang together in two part harmony as I dragged her away from the flames. The notes of 'Awareness!' and 'Be Awesome!' were bouncing all over the place with my wavering attention, as I fired the Terrible Shotgun at a teal raider mare with way too many piercings and found the culprit frying Roxie's armor. Beneath it all was the reverberating bass note of 'Be Dark...' barely held in check by 'Be Kind...', stewing and cooperating sullenly, but as panicked about Jade as I was, helping to float Roxie closer to the radio and her anxious voice if only to hear if she was alright.

I shoved the worry aside and focused on the open panels of Roxie's armor as I fell behind the concrete highway divider with Glitter and Val again. "This goes here... and this goes here... and this fucking wire shouldn't be here at all... aaaaand.... Nnngh! Work dammit!"

Giving Roxie's armored flank a smack with my pip-buck, the reboot sequence hummed to life as I tore away the mystery wiring that didn't belong. Roxie's pink armor whined and restarted, allowing the frozen mare to scramble to her hooves. She panted and shook, flapping one smoldering wing frantically to put out embers from the flames we escaped, then flipping her helmet back to shake her ponytailed light pink mane, nearly pouncing on me reloading my weapons in a shivery hug.

"Razz my berries daddy-o! Thanks! Like, what's the major malfunction? Why'd my pink dream go all kookie on me? She on the stick now?" I really didn't have time to puzzle through Roxie's slang, but the context of her warily eyeing the novasurge rifle on her flank and enough time around the funny filly was enough to get the gist.

"It was rewired somehow... activating the weapons caused a short that crashed the spell matrix. I fixed it, so you should be good to get out there Roxie. I'm guessing the others all have the same problem, so we need to get them up and moving again to deal with this shit. I have to get to Jade, but you, Summer, Cool and I are probably the only ones who can fix this fuck up!"

Dodging down from firing both her 12mm pistols over the concrete barrier we huddled behind, Val shoved Glitter down from trying squirm free of Summer's protective hold to shoot her little magical energy pistol again, wincing from buckshot peppering her breastplate and her feline side oozing blood. "Sabotage boss! They don't all have the same problem accidental like! Bluejay and the big guy are close, but out in the open. What'dya wanna do about the squirt an' Blue?"

Burny was crouched at the end of the K rail, keeping Glitter sandwiched between himself and Val and firing his M.E.W. before ducking back, his wrinkled face alive and young in the midst of combat. "They're headin' fer the ramps dammit! Can't let em get up ta Rocketburg! The civvies!"

I peeked over the barrier while Burny slammed a fresh spark cell into his weapon, taking in the chaotic situation as calmly as I could manage. Across the runway and near the larger hangars used for a marketplace, the series of rickety metal ramps leading up to the cloud town above was clearly one of the raiders objectives. Not in any kind of reasoned or tactical way, but it was tall and full of retreating ponies clambering up to the relative safety, away from the horde of crazed raiders pursuing them.

The few Minutemares in attendance had already formed up with the leather jacket wearing Cats, combat armored town guards and robed wizard ponies from University Point. They huddled around the bottom of the ramps as a defensible position, trying to usher the crowd up in an orderly fashion that wouldn't send the whole thing toppling down, but they'd only hold out so long.

"Oooh! Go away you big brute! L-Leave him alone! Fast!? Fast are you there? I am trying to lead this creature away, but it seems quite fixated on getting to where I left Zeke!" Jade's voice squawked out from the ham radio sheltered beneath us, adding one more emergency to deal with as I sought her out and saw her blue streak darting around the RadRoc, still perched on the highway ruins and ignoring her.

'Let me...'

No! Quiet! I'm trying to think dammit... Normally I'd ask myself what the Shrouded Stallion would do, but lately that question was uncomfortable and I knew too well what the real one would do if allowed free. Indiscriminate slaughter was not helpful... I asked what the comic Shroud would do, not you... think...

"Mr. Jets! Summer! Take Glitter up to Rocketburg and help get everypony you can up there, Summer, I'm counting on you to keep Glitter safe for me, please... If it looks like they're going to take the ramp, tell the Minutemares to blow it up and start flying anypony left on the ground up. Tell them it's an order from me, hold that ramp as long as possible. I'm hoping there's enough solid space up there, if there's not, see if any of those University Point ponies can cast cloudwalking! Val, Cool, Roxie! We have to get the other Cats moving! Jade, can you hear me!?" Gulping to myself, I started shouting orders, ending by floating the battered radio to my back and yelling into the mic as the others tensed to move.

"Y-Yes! I hear you dear! W-What should I do!? This creature is not fazed by my anesthetic spell!" Jade's staticky voice replied, making me groan internally at her trying to tranquilize the huge monster attacking them.

I admired her convictions and sticking to them no matter what, but she should really be stepping up from non-lethal attacks... She'd probably like what advice I had to give even less however. "Get back to Zeke! You need to fix his suit so he can get away or fight back Jade! I'll walk you through it, but you have to do it! Witchy! Go try to help her until we can get there! Alright, let's go!"

"W-Wait, what!? Me fix... Fast!" Jade's voice yelped from the radio shoved halfway in my saddlebag, but I was already zipping out of cover at full speed with lightning flickering at my hooves.

I knew Val, Cool and Roxie had followed by the rain of magical energy beams coming from behind me as I charged forward. The pink, yellow and red blasts clearing a path toward the frozen forms of Bluejay and Moose, scattering some of the throng of raiders that were working on prying them out of their dead suits. I also caught the purple contrail of Witchy blasting off as I ran, glad her sharp ears heard my yelp of approval for her to protect Jade in my place. I hammered away with the Terrible Shotgun at the ratty tails of the raiders running off to cause more mayhem, but remained focused on the two Arcano-Cats and few raiders who were most determined to get at them.

If they weren't so sadistically focused on tormenting the helpless pair, they could have done worse, but what they had gotten up to in all the chaos was bad enough to give 'Be Dark...' something else to snarl about. Moose was safer in his totally enclosed and bulky T-45, so they had resorted to building a small fire of scrapwood from the fair stands under his belly, heating the metal up to a cheery orange while one crazed looking pale unicorn stallion with a stringy rainbow mane hacked away with an auto-axe, just rewarded with a spurt of blood from Moose's neck as I closed in.

Bluejay and his flight capable griffon half-suit was much more vulnerable, so more raiders had been taking their time to torture him. The boxy, tank-like armor covered his chest, legs, head, flanks and the upper portions of his wings like Roxie's, but his neck and midsection were only lightly armored with ballistic weave salvaged from combat armor. The trio of raiders still hanging off him had been working at the weak points with a single minded determination, sawing away at his sides and belly with rusty knives like they were trying to get at his intestines and pull them out, plucking his feathers and apparently forcing whatever reeking fuel filled their molotovs down his exposed beak.

Val screeched at dove at the bigger group on Bluejay, clearhead enough not to blaze away with her M.E.W. or pistols and possibly ignite the fuel soaked griffon. Instead she came screaming out of the sky with her unignited shishkebab, skewering the cackling pink raider mare hanging off Bluejay's neck and turning to the other two surprised raiders with murder in her violet eyes.

That left the pale lunatic floating the auto-axe up for another pass at Moose's neck and singing of all things. "Snip, snip here, cut, cut there, whether you're tin or brass! That's how we peel the can away and juice your stupid ass!"

S.A.T.S. gave high odds to end his insane singing with several 10mm bullets to the brainpan, but to my surprise he hopped and spun away when time resumed and the silent Deliverer started firing. Rounds sparked off Moose's back tracing their way after the agile nutball, but he seemed to slither his way out of the line of fire, dodging between Moose's legs and lapping at the blood dribbling down the big Cat's armor on his way to a flip in front of me.

I was so surprised by the slippery movements of the muscular unicorn, I nearly lost my head when he slashed out with a machete swinging up from his flank in a wicked arc in his yellow magic. If it weren't for the watchful growl of 'Be Dark...' slashing Best Served up to meet it, the weird raider would have connected with my neck jerking back with the yelp of 'Awareness!' spotting the attack a second too late.

A hooked chain whistled out from his other side while the two long blades fought in the air, surrounded by the sickly yellow glow of his magic and twisting in the air to snake around my hindleg and pierce my flank, yanking me off my hooves. My wings flared and slowed me down, allowing me to flip on the asphalt and roll aside, my own blue magic fighting with his and blending to a green field of telekinetic force around the chain, loosening enough to slip free before his four hooves came down where I had just vacated.

"Booooo! No fair! Goddess mode is cheating, pick a standard race and stick with it. Twilight was better as a unicorn!!" The insane raider alternated between whining like a spoiled colt and screaming like a raging lunatic, his eyes mismatched sizes and colors that seemed to jitter and rove manically.

His machete and my knife kept clashing between us as I dodged his chain and fired Deliverer in rapid succession. He was fast and slippery for a unicorn, moving erratically and swinging that hooked chain around with his magic. At least keeping him occupied gave Cool an opening to rush forward and stamp at the fire burning under Moose, though that damn chain whipped back and forced her down without the asshole even looking.

I was mostly leaving the swordplay to the aggressive hiss of 'Be Dark...' rising to the challenge, though I wondered why the the more experienced sword wielding spirit allowed the starmetal knife to be parried by the rusty machete. I got my answer in one furious exchange, I flapped hard to hop over the chain scything just above the asphalt in the glow of his magic and he dove in to chase. The two telekinetically held weapons clanged and sparked, then Best Served spun and slashed right through the rusty machete as the raider passed below, hacking his foreleg off in a spray of blood.

To my surprise however, he barely slowed down, tumbling to an agile roll across the ground when he missed his hoofing due to the absent leg, a second, identical machete flew forward from his flank and drew a burning line down my side, burying itself in my guts as he tackled me from my awkward hover and landed on top. He suckered me as much as the Shroud had him... and he had come out ahead in the exchange.

His rancid breath puffed in my face as I screamed at him twisting the knife, his mismatched eyes jittering crazily holding my own. "I love carvin' scrawny little turkeys like you up pally! Gonna gnaw on that drumstick and dig out your wishbone, cool? Cool! Now just hold st.... GAK!"

The pale raider's gloating was interrupted by a trio of glowing purple arrows streaking down from the heavens, skewering him in place as Swan landed with a thump, her horn already glowing with more arcane death as he gurgled and dissolved into a glowing green puddle of goop. A synth... Where the hell had the Institute copied that dangerous maniac from?

"Fast! Are you alright? How come you're all just sitting here? Oh, hang on!" Swan barely missed a beat, looking between us and spotting Val chasing after the third raider that had been on Bluejay, her magic surrounded the unfortunate yellow mare and slammed her down hard enough to leave a pony shaped pothole in the runway. Allowing Val to finish the surely mortally wounded raider off, Swan turned back and cantered up to the frozen and bleeding Moose, knocking on his helmet curiously. "Helloooooo... Why aren't you smashing these annoying little raiders Moose? I want to see you use your nice flamey horns!"

She perked her ears up and leaned in to listen to the muffled noises coming from the bulky armor, turning to Val when the griffon leaned over Bluejay's back as cover and fired her pistols with a smirk. "Our dates are really slackin' there big stuff. Give us a lil' cover fer boss and the pega-pair here ta get em off their duffs. Boss, you alright down there!?"

"F-Fine... Listen to her Swan, k-keep them back a minute while we help these two. T-Teleport anypony who's green on E.F.S. o-over to those ramps to get away, a-alright?" I wheezed and crawled my way under Moose's frozen legs with Cool, holding a hoof to the sucking wound in my chest oozing blood and mumbling around a potion.

Given something specific to guard always made Swan happy, she nodded and launched herself back to the air with a whoop, while Roxie landled behind Val and Bluejay, joining me in popping panels loose on his dead armor while I worked on Moose with Cool Jets. I groaned as I fumbled at the ham radio in my packs and dragged it out, hoofing the button as I patched my pip-buck in.

"Jade! You still alright? A-Are you with Zeke again?"

There was an uncomfortably long pause that made me sweat, but eventually Jade's breathless voice replied with a squawk of static. "Y-Yes! We are safe for the moment! I left Zeke inside one of the monorail cars for safekeeping, i-it took a moment to get back to him. W-What should I do now Fast? How am I to... f-fix this?"

She sounded scared, but determined to try. That was enough to fight back my own fear for her and focus on the problem at hoof. Wiping away some of the blood seeping down from the gash in Moose's armor, I was worried just how long the earth pony inside could wait for the healing subsystems to come back online, lending a little more urgency to the task.

"Alright, first, plug your pip-buck in to his armor Jade! There's a hole that matches the patch cable thing near the spell matrix housing on his belly. When you do, it'll start throwing a lot of text at you while they talk to each other. Don't worry about it, just start taking off the panel covering his ribs, there are release catches, but rip it off if you can't find them!"

Considering Jade's skill with machines, or lack thereof, and the fact she didn't have any tools to match the deft movements of my screwdriver darting around Moose's armor to the hidden releases under the dense metal plate, I had already figured I'd have to dumb this down considerably. I was glad Jade left the communications line open while she worked at least, though hearing the deafening screech of the monster bird, along with the crumbling of concrete and twisting of steel made me shiver and fumble almost as much as I could hear her doing. At least Cool was taking up the slack for me while I walked Jade through it.

The groan of metal being wrenched loose came over the radio as I traced down circuits, breathing a sigh of relief as she answered on finding what I hoped for. "Nnngh! Darn it! R-Ripping it off it is then... I have done so dear, there is... oh my... that is a lot of wires and complicated looking doo-dads..."

The early model Steel Ranger suit above me wasn't nearly as sleek or modern as the lightweight Shadowbolt suit she was faced with, but I had already done this once on Roxie's so I could remember the view she had clearly enough. The main thing was what they had in common, the jumped circuit sabotage looked like it used scrap wiring from the same spool anyway.

"Alright, there's a bundle of wires coming from the weapons subsystem board. Umm... a small, flat board full of gems and widgets up and towards the wing from the biggest circuit board. They snake down towards his flanks. In that bundle is a red wire with a purple stripe!"

"R-Red with purple... red with purple... T-There is red with white, red with yellow, ah! No... red with blue... t-there are many red wires Fast! I am looking, but I.... eeek!" Jade muttered back, then a cacophony of noise cut her off, forcing me to look out to the highway ruins on the horizon in a panic.

The giant bird had moved to the ragged edge of the isolated bit of elevated road and railway, clawing at the pinched and crumpled end of monorail cars still up there. It had moved from trying to peck its way directly down to where Jade and Zeke huddled, to trying to claw the whole string of cars out to where it could get to them easier. With a rusty squeal over the radio, I watched it clamp those huge claws through the metal monorail cars and drag them out to dangle off the edge, as the RadRoc adjusted its grip and went to pull again.

"Fuck it! Every wire Jade! Pull every damn wire out of that bundle! Yank the whole thing out!" I screamed into the mic, sending the reboot command to Moose's armor and getting a rising hum in response as Cool closed him back up and walked her through doing the same. "Once that's done, your pip-buck should be too! It will have one option listed that says; 'Initiate Spell Matrix Reboot'! Click on that and he should be ok again, then get the hell out of there! If that thing wants Zeke, he's on his own from there! You turn invisible and go!"

"I will not! Even if we were not trying to befriend his group, I will not leave a pony behind in such danger Fast. W-We will... oh my! G-Go together! Now... click on this bit here and.... aha! It is working! He is moving again Fast! I did it! I fixed something as well! That wasn't so hard, and you make it sound so complicaZZZZTT!" Jade spoke through the crashes and squeals of rending metal calmly enough, brightening with the hum in the background of Zeke's suit restarting, before suddenly cutting out in a burst of electronic noise.

"JADE!! JADE!?!" I howled into the floating mic, following the taped together cable to the wiff of smoke trickling up from the bulky radio and the large hole in the bakelite casing. Looking away from the bullet hole, I followed the basic trajectory up to a cackling lilac raider mare with a cobbled together automatic pipe pistol in her muzzle.

It was so shoddy and inaccurate the half dozen shots she kept firing pinged off the asphalt all around me and Moose's armor, but never came close to me, clipping Cool's hindleg and forcing her to go limping back. The one lucky shot was enough for the red rage of 'Be Dark...' to leap forward however, she cut off my only line to Jade... My eyes blazed bright enough I could see the red dots reflected in her bloodshot pink ones widening, along with the bright blue blaze of overglow around my horn grabbing the dead radio and flinging it at her in a blur.

The first hit caved in her matted red and pink mane and the skull under it, continuing to bash her brains out until both the ruins of her head and the wrecked radio were fairly similar looking masses of blood, metal and brains was just overkill. Even that didn't seem to be enough though, I watched as my magic lifted the corpse up and flung it at another pair of raiders galloping by with enough force to break bones and smash them through corrugated steel walls of another hangar.

'MORE! WANT! PUNISH! KILL!'

The hoof at my shoulder hitching with my panting breath brought me spinning around with a snarl, the big and heavily armored Moose actually falling back a step gave me the opportunity I needed to get back in control, holding my head and groaning at his wary, helmet augmented voice. "W-Whoa there hep cat! Thanks for the pit stop action, we got it from here. Go on after your main squeeze, lemme strut my stuff in front of the purple dreamsicle and pump the brakes on all this here, dig?"

Giving a jerk of his head to Swan happily slaughtering raiders, Moose's weird exhaust pipe antlers spewed flame and he charged off in her general direction. Val was just swatting the deep blue power armored flank of Bluejay taking off with Roxie towards the still frozen form of Rowdy's purple T-55 armor down the runway, the two of them enough to get the last Arcano-Cat back in the fight without us.

She smirked as she spread her crimson wings, reloading her battlesaddle weaponry with a hitching step of each hindleg as she padded over. "Welp, go on crazy! They got shit handled here, let's go help Blue an' fry us up a big chicken!"

'PRINCESS!...DANGER!...NOW!...GO!...WANT!'

I groaned and bit my lip at the ache between my eyes, but managed to take one last look around the battlefield here as the white lightning arching around me turned black. Swan and Moose together were enough to turn the tide all on their own, charging through ranks of disorganized raiders like a pair of wrecking balls and giving the other defenders of the settlement something to rally around. Zed was still bounding from one target to the next like a dervish of swinging hooves, his striped coat matted by blood that was mostly not his at least. Cool Jets saluted and flew off to join the Minutemares, Rocketburg guards, unarmored Cats and cluster of spell casters from University Point around the ramps to the floating town as an unassailable block that was starting to push back. Glitter was safely with Summer and Burny up in the clouds, my flicking ears just catching her high voice shouting out orders along with his old and raspy bark.

'NOW!!!'

I did as much as I could and had to trust them with the rest here, the raging roar in my head wouldn't be dissuaded any longer, even if I wanted to. With Jade out there with that monstrous bird with only an unarmed Zeke and her royal guard flying to help, I most definitely did not want to wait. I barely managed to nod to Val as I took off, hissing back to her as I vanished in a crackle of black lightning.

"Alright, I'm going ahead..."

This wasn't like every other time I had managed to successfully cast teleportation... Instead of instantly reappearing at my destination, there was the weird sensation of being without a body and moving through space at incredible speed. There were flashes of the world around me, lurching with each sudden jump forward. It took a moment to realize each jump corresponded to one of the patchy afternoon clouds drifting through the sky, darkening from a puffy white to a rumbling black when I leapt forward.

I was traveling as a bolt of black lightning, gaining charge with each hop and lining up on the curved bit of ruined highway. It was weird getting snapshot images of the RadRoc clambering and hopping down the top of the roadway, chasing after Jade and Zeke below and tossing rusting carriages aside to go careening off to the hills below. By the time I reappeared almost directly above it however, I was dragging a lot of lightning with me, streaking down as the huge bird reached the ragged edge of the elevated roadway ahead of its prey. With both heads peering down waiting for them to dart out, it never saw me coming.

KRAKA-THOOOM!!!

The disorienting impact knocked my wind out when I smashed right into the thing's back, but the effect was worth it. Jade and Zeke's twin contrails zipped out right as I hit, fortunately coming out from opposite sides of the road to increase their odds, rather than continuing to the end like the RadRoc expected after following it that far. The blinding blast of lightning hammered the bird hard enough to singe feathers and collapse the crumbling road beneath its claws, sending us both into a tumbling fall to the rocky ground below.

The foreign spirit guiding my actions up to that point backed off again, leaving me to flare my wings and shake off my wooziness as they bowed with the updraft of concrete dust billowing below me. I managed to pull out of the dive and flap frantically for altitude, quickly joined by Jade as I managed to reestablish that yes, I had a physical body and was in control of it again. Looking over to Jade's worried face and the sunlight glinting off her chromed helmet, I wondered if it was because the Shroud seemed weaker in the daylight, or if it used up a lot of energy pulling off that bit of spell casting.

Whatever the case, I felt its absence for the moment. Corrupted and dangerous spirit or not, it got me to Jade and I missed its help soaring low over the marshes and ruins below. Burny's Junior Speedster flying lessons and the loud shout of 'Be Awesome!' took up the slack as I tucked my legs and snapped my tail out straight, trying for speed and distance from the furious screech that cut Jade's open mouth off and pinned both our ears back.

"Fast! Are you alright? Glitter? T-The others?" Jade easily kept pace with me, darting anxious glanced back with me to the rumble of falling stone and the beating of enormous wings as the RadRoc struggled upright and took to the air again.

"Fine! Good enough anyway! Worry about yourself first Jade, we've got the bigger problem to deal with! What the hell is that thing anyway!?"

"RadRoc! Big friggin bird of prey! Doesn't normally go after ponies though, usually goes after bigger critters like Radigators. We're like less than a beakful! Hope you gotta plan poindexter, 'cause the Princess here fried all my zappers and it's really diggin' on me for some reason!" Zeke dipped down and joined us, most of his slang and bravado abandoned just to hide the fear still evident in his yelp.

There was a large gap in his gleaming, candy apple red power armor where Jade had followed directions and got him going again, sparks still trailing behind him from the open rent and his novasurge rifles dead and dark. With enough time, his repair talisman might be able to fix the damage, but the screeching monster taking to the skies again wasn't going to give it to him.

The thing gained on us at a terrifying rate, flapping its four wings for thrust and diving from above. Its shadow raced along the ruins we were passing over, forcing us to scatter down at street level and use the crumbling buildings as cover. We split apart at a Y intersection of smaller buildings, Jade and Zeke's power armor flaring and boosting them ahead of me, while I dove to the ground and fired the Terrible Shotgun up to the mass of feathers screaming by overhead.

Skidding to the streets cluttered with chariot husks, leaning traffic signs and telephone poles, the giant bird disregarded me and my puny shotgun entirely, veering to the right and chasing after Zeke zipping down alleys and through buildings in a desperate bid to lose it. He might complain about Jade's crude repair job, but I seriously doubted having his weapons operational would help in the slightest. Even the red banded drum of explosive shotgun shells I shakily loaded seemed little better than firecrackers.

Flapping my way up from the streets again, I breathed a sigh of relief as Jade looped around and joined me, carefully slipping in to the windows of the half ruined shell of a four story brick building. It wasn't much cover, but it let us creep our way up to the collapsed roof and peek out to the low suburban sprawl of ruins. We spotted the bird making another dive and shattering a building far too similar to the one we were in, missing the red streak that slipped out through the cloud of debris chasing him out the shattered storefront.

The thing gave a barely perceptible hitch as it flapped and climbed again, corresponding with the bright muzzle flash of Witchy's anti-materiel rifle firing from the roof of a Super-Duper Mart nearby. The power armored thestral abandoned her perch before the RadRoc had a chance to bank her way, zipping over and smashing her way through the miraculously intact window below us. Even her .50 rounds did little to slow the beast climbing up into the sky and circling, riding thermals and peering down to the ruins like a hawk looking for mice in a field.

"Your highness! Thank the goddesses thou art safe! I have been trying to distract that monster, but could not draw it away from where it had you trapped! Quickly, we must go to ground and escape, there must be a subway entrance nearby that we could..." Witchy's visor flipped up as she rushed to Jade's side, squeaking nervously and trying to drag her to the large gaps in the floors leading straight down to ground level.

"Zeke is still out there, we must find a way to assist him and escape together!" Jade's answer made both Witchy and I wince together, still poking her head up with me and watching the circling predator seeking out the Arcano-Cat hiding somewhere in the narrow streets.

"Not to sound too much like Val, but fuck him Jade." I grumbled out the side of my muzzle, sighing at her soft gasp in response and continuing just to premptively cut off her complaints. "No. I'm serious. I don't want to just abandon him either and will do everything I can to help Zeke, but you don't need to be here. Period. The race is over, we're not playing around anymore. Listen to your royal guard, let Witchy do her job and protect you. You two go slip off underground and away from that thing. It wants Zeke, so you shouldn't be anywhere near him."

Her hoof moved to her belly subconsciously at my stern tone and Witchy gained ground in trying to pull her away, but Jade's eyes set in a determined line and she stamped a hoof down, the shifting plates of her armor actually mirroring her and digging in to the rubble, anchoring her in place. I'd be more impressed at the mooring system for heavy weaponry if it wasn't making her stubbornness even more pronounced...

"No, I will not. This is not about the race, nor about winning allies. You said yourself dear, to show everyone what kind of Princess I am. I refuse to be one who would leave a friend behind, nor tuck tail and run away. We must find a way to help him, so that is what we shall... Oh dear!" Jade's adamant refusal gave way to a shrill scream as she leaned out a gap in the wall, witnessing the same view I had of the RadRoc making another claws first dive.

This time it came flapping back up with a rusty bus in its claws, ripping the long vehicle in half as it rose again, barely missing the agile Zeke flying loose. It tossed the broken halves of the ruined vehicle aside with a screech, shattering more ruined buildings and diving after him. Before it managed to corner him in an empty buckball court surrounded by twisted chainlink fencing that slowed Zeke up, the RadRoc got a face full of explosives that blinded the huge beast.

Val came screaming out the sky behind the wave of grenades still thumping from her flank, the rain of explosions giving cover for Zeke to zip off again and for Val to peel off from her attack after him. They both seemed to have the same idea we did, staying low and streaking down the streets towards the sturdiest concrete structure nearby to shelter in, what looked to be a mall.

"Your highness! Wait!" Witchy's high pitched shout below me was all the notice I got of Jade flying out to the streets and right towards them, forcing me to dive out and flap frantically to catch up.

"Jade! Stop!! Oh for Celestia's sake, at least turn invisible!! Before that thing gets up again and spots you!!"

Speeding along gracefully in the shadow of ruined buildings with her hooves bare inches off the ground, all of Jade's worries about piloting her armor and being clumsy fell away with somepony to help in front of her. She nimbly dodged rusting chariots, snorting back to Witchy and I just trying to keep up with her enhanced speed. "Invisibility or plain losing line of sight has not hindered that creature from locating Zeke, I attempted it while it had us cornered on the elevated roadway to no effect. Whatever we are to do, we are stronger together, so we must join Valkyrie and Zeke first."

"At least use it crossing the big, open freaking parking lot!! It looks like a huge, mutated falcon, it does have eyes and will see you, even if it wants Zeke more dammit!" I panted back, keeping a wary eye on the flashes of the circling RadRoc I got through open intersections and alleyways.

To my great relief, Jade gave a whinny as we passed beyond the last ruins to use as cover and the jewels of her armor glowed with magic along with her horn, fading away as we darted out into the open expanse of weedy concrete and rusting chariots spread out before the imposing stone ruin my pip-buck helpfully identified; Discovered Location: Melody Mall.

Without being able to see Jade or Witchy flying so close, I kept on the course Jade had set before casting the spell, barrelling right at the shattered glass facade. I couldn't help looking to the skies with a nervous gulp, following the circling shadow passing over us to the giant bird glaring at the building. Jade was right and wrong... It couldn't have seen Val and Zeke taking cover here, but had zeroed in on their hiding spot as soon as it got up again. At the same time however, we were exposed during the heartpounding crossing of the parking lot, but it didn't see us. Invisibility did work to fool it for us, but not for Zeke...

A perfectly round hole smashed through the doors of the mall, Jade's glowing shield fading back into view giving us an entrance Witchy and I dove for. The gloomy, musty, open plaza and food court was instantly found to be less of a safe haven than hoped for, the moans and snarls of feral ghouls met my ears as we soared up and over a cracked and moldy fountain. Val and Zeke were easy to find at least, the red beams of Val's magical energy weapon pouring down from the top of a pair of escalators dead ahead.

Undead ponies were already stirred up by the two when they took shelter here, E.F.S. lit up with red dashes all around us matching shambling forms charging out from shops on every level of the three story plaza. Witchy and I banked to either side of Jade, firing down on the nearest threats as she made right for Val and Zeke in the center. Worse than the zombies however, the light filtering in from the broken skylights dimmed appreciably with a heavy thump of the RadRoc landing atop the building, pecking at the open roof to widen an entrance.

Zeke was down to using his scorpion like tail on the ghouls that got close enough, his angry and fear tinged voice amplified by his helmet shouting up to the screech of the RadRoc. "Get bent nosebleed! You're really startin' to rattle my cage you stupid chickenhawk! What'd I ever do to you!?!"

"Heya boss! Welcome to tha party pal! Dunno what it is about shopping type ruins like this an' zombies, but should'a figured this place'd be crawlin' with em! Come up with any bright and explode-y type ideas yet!?" Val was in better spirits anyway, looking relieved when I came stumbling in to a landing with the others.

Unfortunately her faith in me was misplaced, I had nothing... I was just following Jade, gulping to myself as I looked over to her casting a shield to block off some of the horde of feral ghouls from charging up the escalators. At least the RadRoc screeching and clawing at the roof was knocking large chunks of rubble down and crushing some of them, but it would get in eventually and then be a much bigger problem.

Activating S.A.T.S. with Blue Moon clicking out from my side and crackling, I ran through the extra menus of the overcharge system, trying my last trump card in desperation. The glowing crystals attached to my pip-buck had two charges built up, one of them dimming when I confirmed the visible body of the RadRoc and eldritch runes started swirling around the crescent jewel of the modified magical energy weapon.

The blinding bluish-white beam that lanced upwards bathed the gloomy mall in light, slamming into the RadRoc's mottled chest and searing a line across it that made it howl in pain when one of the twisted smaller wings was scorched off, falling to the open plaza with a meaty thump. That did give the ferals down there something else to pounce on anyway, most of the zombie ponies below stopped battering Jade's shield and tore into the hunk of RadRoc flesh in a disgusting display.

My brief hope faded watching the bird itself flap backwards without being vaporized however. It did at least hop back from the skylights and was wary coming back, but the beam of my strongest attack didn't even punch through the bastard. What the hell were RadRoc's even made of!? Rocks?

Come on, think dammit... It didn't seem like anything short of a missile launcher or convenient balefire egg launcher would faze this stupid bird. Maybe if Swan was fully charged she could take it on, but she was actually down to normal size and enjoying herself with other ponies for once when all this started. I hit it with every bit of lightning 'Be Dark...' could muster already, to the point that the usually unwelcome spirit was still quiet. Wake up dammit, don't you have any ideas!? I'm kinda desperate here!

'...Sacrifice... Whelp... Protect... Princess...'

The tired growl of a reply dragged my eyes back to Zeke panting in exhaustion. Just like with Sludge and the bees... when it did deign to answer that was the best it would offer, sacrificing Zeke... The speedy pegasus stallion had done well evading the RadRoc so far, but all his stupid showing off in the race was catching up to him. He'd never make it back to the other Arcano-Cats in Rocketburg. Keeping him alive would kill us all, but he'd make excellent bait...

His worried yammering wasn't improving his case either, pointing up to the widened gaps in the ceiling and the RadRoc cautiously returning to clawing its way in. "Shoot it again! Come on hep cat, punch it!"

"I can only do that one more time... shut up and keep fighting, think of something else, before I leave you here..."

'Yes... Kill... Protect... Princess...'

I felt my fangs lengthen as I ignored Jade's disappointed huff and kept firing Deliverer, holding back the tide of ferals with the others and letting the dark thoughts chase themselves in my head, the mild headache didn't even feel so bad... 'Be Dark...' was right, Jade and our baby were important, not Zeke... Let the bird have him... He was annoying, pompous, vain, frivolous and irresponsible, playing around racing his stupid armor when there were bigger things at stake.

'...Yes... Want...'

The stupid brat spent his days lavishing resources that could be used elsewhere on the crimson suit that was ridiculously overdone with chrome and fins, and it stank to boot... The rancid smell I noticed from a distance at the starting line was overpowering even the stench of a warren of rotting undead ponies this close, what the hell kind of wax had Scopes used to...

"The ARMOR! It doesn't want you, it wants the fucking armor! Ditch it!"

Everyone paused at my sudden shout, forced to fall back towards the ruined shops lining the second floor as my eyes blazed at Zeke. His unarmored muzzle fell open at my crazed stare, grimacing as his tail speared a ghoul smashing through the glass of a pet shop display full of dusty little bones. "What!? No way! I ain't ditchin' my rod! Why the hell would I abandon Christine!"

He named his armor... of course he did. I briefly reconsidered listening to the frustrated snarl that had been goading me to sacrifice him. The Shroud was weakened in the day, but inviting its opinion opened the door for a minute.... Zed was right, I had to be careful. Shaking it off with a snort, I jabbed Zeke's armored chest with a hoof, letting the deafening screech of the RadRoc clawing its way in punctuate my words.

"It keeps finding you because you STINK! I know your sense of smell isn't as strong, but even you noticed it, right!? That damn bird is going to keep hunting you down by scent until it wears you out! Even if you make it back home to the other Cats, they're dealing with the raiders that attacked while you were out goofing off! What's more important, your armor or your life!? I am not letting my wife or friends die defending that stupid suit, so figure it out quick!"

What I could see of Zeke's expression through the armor wasn't good, his ears and wings drooped and his head shook back and forth slowly as he backed away from my shouting, his voice a hoarse whisper. "B-But... my machine... Without Christine, I'm just... nopony... I can't..."

"Mr. Zeke, I know I am just a petitioner to your group, but I have come to know the other Arcano-Cats during my time with you. I do not believe for an instant any of your friends place more importance on a replaceable piece of technology than they do the pony inside. They do not follow you as a leader because of your armor, they do so because they believe in you. As I have come to learn as a Princess, much to my chagrin... we owe those who follow us, we must reward that faith even if it makes us uncomfortable. They need you back there, alive..." Even breathless and sweating to maintain the shield that kept back part of the swarm of ferals, Jade managed that regal tone that sank in past the moans, gunfire and screeches echoing in the ancient mall.

Zeke stopped slumping and stood a little straighter, looking up to Jade's determined blue eyes and finally nodding. "R-Right cool kitten... I dig... Princess."

Finally, with a soft 'whump!' and a lot of clicking armor plates, Zeke triggered the ejection system I was sorely tempted to manually trigger myself if I had to. The ruby red armor opened and booted the pegasus buck out in one fluid movement, leaving him looking a lot more worried about the ghouls still clambering down stairwells from above and out of the various shops. He went from being basically safe and impervious, to definitely on the menu wearing only his sweat stained white t-shirt and leather jacket.

"Fucking finally! Take this, shoot zombies and stay quiet! Val! I need a minute!" Feeling much less noble and sweet than Jade, I shoved Deliverer to Zeke's muzzle and dove at his empty armor, using the still open panel to do a rushed rewiring job.

"Fast! What art thou doing!? We should draw the creature away from the Princess with that suit if it is truly what the beast is after!" Witchy squeaked between bursts from her silver combat rifle, distracting me from delicate work.

"I don't want to draw it away, I want to kill it..."

"Shaddup batty! Boss has got that sweet crazy look in his eye! Let 'im work... er... you may wanna hurry it up though boss. What'cha up to?" Val stayed at my side as closely as Witchy did Jade's, torching any feral that got too close with her flaming Shishkebab.

"This worked once before on a hellhound... just have to move this here, jump this relay... feedback this here... annnnnd..." I muttered absently, cut off by the crash of more concrete and the deafening screech of the RadRoc finally wiggling its way in.

The herd of zombies on the lower floor seemed to have decided they liked the taste of RadRoc thankfully, looking up from the grisly remains of their appetizer with glowing eyes and charging at the main course staggering from its fall. Even the ones up here with us were distracted by the much larger meal squawking in their lair. Its wide wings blew concrete dust in swirling clouds in the confined space, its razor sharp talons slashed feral ghouls to ribbons and more came to take their place, distracting it just long enough.

Looking up to the cheery orange glow of the armor's spark core whistling, I surrounded the gleaming suit in my magic and flung it out into the open plaza towards the large hole in the roof. The stupid bird didn't miss a beat, so worried about its prey escaping that the larger head snapped out and swallowed it whole.

"Run! Into the shop, get down quick! Jade, shield!" I yelped and shoved Jade towards a dusty Sugarcube Cupcake Factory off the mezzanine, getting as far back into the open kitchen and yanking the heaviest cooking equipment still intact down as a barricade.

Witchy joined me in huddling over top of her as she cast her shield, taking the time to yank a forlorn looking Zeke away from mourning his armor. Val dove back with the rest of us too, but joined me in taking a peek up at the RadRoc, though she was prancing on her paws in glee, while I was just looking to make sure it didn't remember the rest of us.

Not that I didn't take a certain amount of satisfaction in what came next too... I was just less vocal about it. Val glared right at the two headed chicken turning to the glow of Jade's shield, taunting it giddily. "C'mon.... C'mon... Feelin' a little indigestion there asshole? Plop, plop, fizz, fizz motherfucker!"

KA-BOOOOOM!!!

I caught a brief glimpse of the RadRoc's stomach distending sickeningly, bulging out for a bare instant that made me worry it would somehow survive and simply burp out a cloud of rainbow colored smoke. Tough as the hideous thing was, it wasn't nearly so armored on the inside thank Luna. The one tense second of the sight was broken when it exploded in a volcano of gore.

The entire mall shook under our hooves and the view was simply cut off by the tidal wave of blood splashing Jade's round shield. There were enough rumbles of parts of the building collapsing to make me worry, but finally silence reigned, only broken by the dripping, splattering noises outside our little shelter.

When Jade dropped her shield, a shell of dried and smoking blood crumbled to the grimy tiles, giving way to a panorama of destruction that made my stomach do a lazy flop. Cautiously climbing up the counter between the old sweet shop and the rest of the mall with Val, I could see the lower half of the RadRoc leaning against the fountain below.

The rest had been turned into a new coat of paint that coated everything in sight red. Blood and gore dripped from the balconies and viscera splattered the few remaining shop windows. There was so much it sounded like a light rain dripping down inside, occasionally broken by a wet splat of something larger sliding down.

The zombie residents of the mall were in hog heaven, completely forgetting about us in their gorging on the buffet of RadRoc we had laid out. My ears flicked at the increasing sounds of gnashing teeth and blissful moans, I peeked out quietly to see and quickly wished I hadn't, especially with the splat of something foul dropping onto my hat.

I really didn't like the way my fangs extended as I swatted away the rich, bloody smelling gunk '...Want...Meat...', backpedaling and nearly running into Val padding up behind me with a deliriously happy look. She was hurt and tired like the rest of us, but her violet eyes twinkled as she grabbed me in her claws, grinning like a mad-griffon.

She did manage to keep her bawdy yell down to not attract any more attention, but danced a little jig with my forelegs dragged along in her claws. "Oh my gawd! I love hangin' out with you boss!"

Zeke peeked up over the counter with Jade and Witchy, flipping his sunglasses up to give subtle nod with his awed whisper. "Far out daddy-o..."

---------------------Level Up!---------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------

Bloody Mess (Rank 2)--------------
--- It's not your fault things tend to die in spectacular and gory ways around you, really! You now do +10% damage in combat and have an increased chance at rather gruesome deaths.

Reputation Change!-------------

Arcano-Cats==Idolized
---The race might have been interrupted, but you proved your cool and saved the Big Daddy of the Cats hipster! You receive better prices and access to special power armor components and paint jobs with the coolest cats in the Commonwealth!

Rocketburg == Liked
---Anypony cool with the Cats is cool with the pegasi of Rocketburg. You receive better prices and a warmer welcome anytime you decide to stay among the clouds.

Ch. 99-- Fires in the Sky

"This day is going to be perfect. The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small..."

By the time we came gliding back to the smoking ruins of the fair outside Rocketburg, it was after noon and the defenders we left behind had repelled the raider attack in our absence. It was still bad and Jade was arrowing right for the crowd of injured being treated in the marketplace hangar below the cloud town, but I was just grateful to the Goddesses it wasn't worse.

If I believed for a second it was just drug addled lunatics deciding to rape and pillage for fun, I could at least make some sense of it. The presence of several glowing green puddles of goo splattered on the runway zipping by under our hooves shot that theory down though.

The Institute had a hoof in this... Probably Vega using the same trick he had in Goodneighbor. A few synth raiders agitating the rest into doing their chaos for some cryptic reason or other, expendable hoofsoldiers in their shadowy conspiracies and plots. But why? What did they hope to accomplish?

I was forced to put those thoughts aside when I came stumbling my way to a landing behind Jade. She was fighting to get loose of her armor and to the injured nearby, already being treated by the local medical pegasi of Rocketburg she had spent time with during our stay. There were a lot of burns and bullet wounds, along with an uncomfortable number of sheet draped corpses tucked away inside the marketplace hangar.

"Mommy! Daddy! You're back! I-I knew you would be soon! Here mommy! I've been helping!" Glitter's bright and anxious voice calling out put one worry to rest at least, getting us both to look up in relief.

The little filly came galloping out of the crowd turning to our entrance and flung herself at Jade as she came wriggling out of her armor, leaving behind her impromptu foalsitter Summer Wind, who gave a distracted wave before zipping off with a bundle of magical bandages in her hooves.

Glitter had on her nurse's cap from her ever expanding hat collection, rather than the leather flight cap and goggles she had been proudly wearing when I left her. Giving Jade's sweaty blue chest a final squeeze, she hoofed over her mother's lab coat and medical box saddlebags before dashing over to me, shivering in relief as I nuzzled her silver mane.

Zed and Swan weren't far behind her, ahead of the Arcano-Cats clomping over to their leader finally returning and Burny fluttering above them, joining the general crowd we had attracted. Zed looked to have been helping the healers with his stores of alchemical potions and salves, while Swan was splattered in blood and wearing a happy grin under her robot yak horns.

Before any of them could say a word however, Jade slipped into her lab coat and became all business. "Thank you sweetheart, I am proud you have been helping and thought to bring me my things, as I clearly need them. Sister, I know you are excited, but I must ask your assistance if you are able. Could you please teleport to Redheart and bring back any Followers available to join us here?"

Swan turned away from poking at Jade's discarded armor with a guilty look, then stuck her lip out in a pout. "Awww... but I wanted to ask about the big bird... did you smash it Fast? I wanted to fight it..."

"I know Swan, I'll tell you all about it later. Right now Jade's right, we need you to help these folks. Teleporting help back here fast is something only you can do, ok?"

Praise usually worked with Swan, so I was glad to see her give a proud whinny before disappearing in a violet flash. "Okie dokie... but I want to hear all about it and play later!"

"Witching dear, I shall need your field medic training as well. Come along Glitter sweetheart, show me where I am needed most. Fast... I shall leave you and Valkyrie to help where your own talents lie..." Jade set her eyes in a determined line and strode off into the crowd of moaning casualties, putting aside her own exhaustion from the race and frantic battle like it was nothing.

That left me with Val and Zeke, the pegasus buck actually losing his bravado and confidence in the face of the aftermath of the battle. He stared all around with his ears pinned back and a guilty expression, forced to snap out of it when the Cats came clamoring around him.

They all started speaking over each other, though the violet armored Rowdy cut them off by slapping Zeke with a metal shod hoof, then grabbing him in a crushing hug of whining servos. "You stupid kook! You know how frosted I am at you Zeke! You're lucky that big bird didn't snack on you, you... you.."

"E-Easy Rowdy, in case you ain't noticed, I totaled my rod so pump the brakes on the drill press hug pussycat..." Zeke winced, getting the earth pony mare to loosen her hold enough to reach up and wipe away the tears trembling on her cheeks, then looked out to the other Arcano-Cats behind her. "Look, I know I... I should'a been back at the ranch when all this went down. I lost my machine and the race... If it weren't for the Princess and her crew bein' on the stick, I would'a been RadRoc chow while you guys were in trouble... S-Sorry..."

Burny joined the small cluster of Cats with a soft snort from above, drifting down to stand in front of his grandson when Rowdy released him. "Well, well... if nothing else, this whole clusterfuck finally got through that thick skull of yours, eh sonny? Maybe now you see there's more to bein' the big daddy than just goofing off? No time for moping though, these kids are lookin' to you to get your house in order, an' I got enough on my plate already. I'm glad you're ok Junior... you had me worried."

Scratching at his disheveled blonde mane sheepishly, Zeke flushed at the old buck raising his wing in a quick hug before trotting off. He canted his head curiously to his crew of tired looking Cats after he processed what his grandfather said. "Get my house in order? Er... what's the haps guys? Hey, where's Scopes anyway? He didn't get hurt, did he?!"

None of the Arcano-Cats looked very comfortable at his question, slumping as they shared a anxious look. It was Roxie that broke the silence finally, her voice a hurt and stunned whisper. "Zeke... It's Scopes, he... he bailed..."

"Laid a patch when we were all skiddin' out big daddy. If it weren't for the shrimp here givin' us a jump, we'd still be makin' like statues. We think he... he went shuckster on us!" Bluejay squawked out more of an answer to Zeke's confused look, his tail whipping back and forth angrily.

His big earth pony pal Moose stamped his hooves in response, shaking his head forcefully. "Naw, I don't believe it! Scopes might'a been scared and peeled out, but no way he clipped our brakes!"

"I was gettin' crispy crittered and wailed out right to the spaz, I saw him tuck tail daddy-o! I never thought he'd goose it like that when I needed him neither, but Scopes ran, it's a fact jack." Roxie sounded the most hurt, her normally upbeat attitude taking a serious hit.

The practical and cool Rowdy spoke last, her usual warm voice hard and dispassionate. "I dunno if he flipped his lid or what, but Scopes split the scene during a rumble. We all know the penalty for cutting out on the crew. Not only that, somepony lit up the tilt sign on every one of our chariots, except his..."

Even though I had to puzzle out the lingo, the tone and subject was enough context. I could see the betrayal and disbelief going on in the group of friends struggling to cope with the actions of their missing member.

'...Betrayer...'

The memory of Scopes tucking tail and running brought the suspicious hiss of 'Be Dark...' to the surface with a twinge of pain in my head, feeding off the rising tempers and arguing of the Cats. I had to shake it off with a wary glance up to the afternoon sun, snorting for attention. Intruding felt wrong, but Jade told me to help in the ways I could. I was useless when it came to healing like her, but there were other things her knight could do. I was no Nick Hearts n' Hooves, but the comic book Shroud was a pretty good detective...

"They're right Zeke, I saw him myself, Scopes ran away. I don't know why either, but I'm interested to find out too. You guys have work to do I'm sure, but if you want, I could look into it. As a like... neutral party...? It's up to you, you're the big daddy, right?"

Zeke turned to me with a conflicted expression, looking back to the other Arcano-Cats deferring to him and making me uncomfortable having all their stares land on me shuffling to myself. I could see the thoughts whirring behind his sky blue eyes, then they flicked over to Jade moving with purpose through the injured.

Her words to him on the burden of leadership were clearly in mind as he gave a curt nod and replied. "Right... We'll let the Shroud poke around, you guys help him out if he needs it, but we got other junk ta focus on. All these clydes here for the show got shafted on our watch, so let's start makin' it up Cats. Dig?"

I had to tip my hat in respect to the buck clapping his hooves and fluttering up to get his crew moving. A new tone of responsibility in his voice got the respect and instant obedience out of the others galloping off at his direction. It came at a cost, but the carefree stallion had grown up a little...

The Arcano-Cats went to busily repairing the settlement's defenses and patrolling to catch any lingering raiders, giving me free rein to go snooping around with Val, while Jade and the others helped elsewhere. It didn't take long to start coming up with clues that made the missing Scopes look worse and worse...

Starting out in the main Red Rocket garages where the inner circle maintained their armor brought two damning bits of evidence right off the bat. A spool of red wire with a purple stripe was still just sitting out on a workbench, the same wiring used to jump the battlesaddle circuits of the Cats' armor. Near the empty power armor frame Zeke's now destroyed suit once occupied was a dirty green can of 'Tank's Tortoise Wax'.

The cheery cartoon image was of a smiling turtle oddly flying across the label, via a silvery disc of a propeller above his shell. It was even easier to find just by following my nose, the foul stench I'd noticed on Zeke's armor hung around it in a cloud. I gagged on popping the top just to confirm the wax itself was the source, floating it over to Val and asking her to wrap and box it up in whatever was available in the garage, while I dashed outside for fresh air.

After she found an empty can of Insta-Oats to stash it in, then wrapped it in a whole roll duct-tape, I nodded thankfully to Val tossing it in a sack for good measure before rejoining me with a chuckle. "Wassa matter boss? It really that bad? I mean, it ain't exactly roses, but I don't notice it near as much. What's the deal with this goop anyway?"

"That bird was tracking Zeke because of that smell. It was really determined to get him too... Maybe it's what attracted it in the first place? When we're done, we should bury that crud somewhere far away. Just in case."

"Good call, that old buzzard Magpie taught us RadRoc's could hunt by scent. Never seen one act like that though. Course me an' pretty much anycreature in the sky avoids the damn things in general. Never thought I'd get ta blow one ta smithereens neither, that was awesome boss! Definitely my new number 5 best explosion!" Val grinned and bumped flanks as we trotted out, heading around the garage to the Arcano-Cats' clubhouse behind it.

"Magpie knew about them? What else did she say Val?If I knew something like that was up there, I would have been a little more leery about flying around everywhere..."

Chuckling at the shiver running down my tail, Val gave an unconcerned shrug with her reply. "Not much boss, I wouldn't worry too much about them. RadRocs are what'cha call an apex type predator. That one was old and big too, probably the only one for miles. Somethin' to keep an eye out for, but like Zeke told ya, they don't really bother with nothin' so small as griffons or ponies. They usually like snackin' on bigger beasties, so they keep the giant monster population down."

The Cats' clubhouse was an old warehouse behind the garage, the rusting metal walls patched and graffiti covered by years of art. We made our way around Zeke's lazy-buck throne and through the wide open bay door behind it, absently looking around the open space dominated by a battered pool table with a raider corpse sprawled atop it. A bent microphone was standing in the corner near the sparking, bullet ridden jukebox, the dingy orange of a few holotapes on a shelf nearby jumping out at me.

"What we lookin' for anyway boss? I mean, it don't look good for the unicorn weasel what took off, does it? What Nick would'a called open an' shut I think." Val clucked at me slotting the first holotape labeled 'Cats Poetry Night #1 - Zeke' into my pip-buck.

"I don't know, just... more than the obvious I guess. None of this makes a lot of sense, if it was Scopes, he didn't really try to cover his tracks, did he?"

"Alright, Cats. I call this one "Metal Heart." Metal legs. Metal tail. Metal heart. Tool of war. Tool of peace. Tool of art? I get into my suit and I strut through the wastes. No fear. Untouchable! The flames on my suit burning. Rising. Glowing. The flames are hot, but I am cool. I walk. I run. I fly. My hooves are strong. I am a stallion. No. More than a stallion! Because man, I have a metal heart. Thank you." Zeke's voice crackled out of my pip-buck and we both listened incredulously at the odd cadence and staggered delivery, blinking to each other before both sputtering laughter.

"Poetry! Ha!! I take it back, keep lookin' fer clues! Tell me there's one with Bluejay spoutin' that goofy shit boss!" Val cackled as I returned the tape to the shelf and rifled through the others.

I had to bite back the jealous snarl of 'MINE!' that came up when I tossed her another holotape that was indeed labeled with the blue griffon's name, giving a tired smile and rubbing my head as she gleefully tucked it away. Floating the others around in my magic, I found one more relevant and tried to focus, slotting in the holotape labeled 'Cats Poetry Night #4 - Scopes'.

"Um... so, I'm Scopes, a-and I wrote this poem... er... it's called Pink Dream" Scopes' nervous voice played, followed by whistles and teasing catcalls, along with slowly clicking hooves on the concrete floors in an odd form of applause.

"Lay off guys! Jeez, go on Scopes, lay it on us hipster. I'm expectin' a way out ballad with a title like that." Rowdy's stern, big sister like voice finally broke it up, kind and supportive to the clearly flustered buck.

"O-Ok... Umm... School daze. Books. Spells. Work. I toil away in nowheresville. The mean dean and square mare. Telling me what to think and who to be. Trapped in detention that never ends. Dreary walls and dusty books. A window. Wild blue yonder. Sunshine. Rainbows. A pink streak zooms by and shines. Pink feathers. Pink tail. Pink plates of armor that wail. They soar and fly, so high. My heart flies too. I escape the books and rules and squares. Living the pink dream. Er... Thank you...."

A quiet sniffle from the door broke the hissing quiet as the holotape finished, turning our attention to Roxie dabbing her pale lavender eyes with her scarf and putting on a weak smile. "H-Hey bean... just seein if you two needed another mark one eyeball. See you're browsin' the poetry night racks..."

Ejecting the holotape and floating it back to the others, I gave the sad looking filly an awkward nod. "Er... yeah, just looking around Roxie, seeing if we can figure anything out. I've never heard ...poetry... like that before."

Roxie's reply was soft and subdued. "Scopes wrote that for me, pretty bogus ballad huh? I got a big tickle outta that spaz... Saw me flyin' around from squaresville, that's what brought him out of the ivory tower to start with. Thought he was t-totally on cloud 9 for me... but... b-but he just left me..."

Hearing the quaver in her previously bright, carefree voice, I trotted over and awkwardly tried to comfort her, putting a hoof on her shuddering shoulder. "He umm... he sounded like you meant a lot to him Roxie. We still don't know... for sure I mean... Hey, there's probably some kind of reason. Me and Val are still looking around, she used to work for a great detective in Diamond City, so I'm sure we'll find something."

"W-What if it was my fault!?" Roxie suddenly cried out, making me flinch back in panic at the tears spilling down her cheeks as she kept going. "Always teasin' and shootin' the nerd down... I was just razzin' his berries an' playing hard to get, b-but he was cute in a nerdy kinda way, always tryin' so hard... I would'a... What if I had given him a shot, he wouldn't have..."

"Hey! Whatever the twerp did, ain't yer fault ya silly filly. Yer twat ain't magic an' ya ain't under no obligation ta go spreadin' it around like pixie dust just ta keep some stupid fuck from makin' stupid fuckin' decisions. This ain't on you pink, so no blubberin', 'specially when boss an me are still on the case." Val's gruff squawk made both of us jump, a little harsher than I would have liked, but it did get Roxie to stop crying.

"Val's right, though she could be a little nicer about it... We don't know why Scopes ran or what he did, that's why we're snooping around trying to figure it out, and yes, we could use your help Roxie, thank you. Umm... which one is his room?"

I waved out hopefully to the various rooms off the warehouse floor and was glad to see Roxie give a determined nod and lead the way up a rusty set of metal stairs. While Zeke had his own silvery Wingstream trailer outside and many of the rank and file shared an old barracks, it seemed several of the other high ranking Arcano-Cats had taken office rooms here, helpfully labelling the rotting doors with their names and other decor.

Scopes' door had a tattered pennant for the 'Trotson U Diamond Dogs' beneath his name and stack of books cutie mark, the prewar name for University Point. The room inside matched his mark with the precarious stacks of spellbooks and technical manuals, cluttered with spell talismans, half assembled spare parts and other junk that made me feel right at home when Roxie let us in. Val groaned at the sheer amount of crap to look through and began tossing things haphazardly aside, while I trotted in slowly, looking for anything suspicious and making my way towards the musty cot in the corner.

A short two drawer filing cabinet made for a nightstand, holding a few bottlecaps, fuses and hastily scribbled notes. A tarnished frame leaning against a bent and shadeless lamp held a wasteland era photo I floated up curiously, eyeing a younger Scopes in an uncomfortable looking school sweater and bow tie, next to a severe looking elderly mare wearing the robe and mortar board hat of one of University Points leaders.

"Scopes' Grandma Grade Point, one of those squaresville bigwigs. Always sounded like a real pain, makin' him cram facts and figures like, but his folks died out in the wastes, so it was just them... She was super hard on him, didn't want him hittin the road like the parentals and windin' up roadkill. She totally blew a gasket when he joined us rebels!" Roxie answered my raised eyebrow when I turned the photo her way, taking the picture with a sad smile.

She might feel guilty over teasing him, but that was enough for me to know they were good friends. She knew about his life and family, they talked and shared things which she had listened to. Continuing to poke around while she spoke, I fished around under Scopes' mattress and retrieved a tattered copy of Wingboner from every buck's favorite hiding spot. I blushed when I rifled through the pages (hoping for clues!) and reached the dogeared centerfold, a pale pink pegasus with a lavender mane, close enough in appearance to the one behind me I had no problem figuring out why Scopes had just this one issue stashed away.

"Find something daddy-o?" I squeaked at Roxie's curious voice, hiding the worn magazine behind my back and spinning around guiltily with my cheeks burning and wings cocked straight up.

"N-Nope! Nothing!! Nothing at all! I... H-Hey! Val!!"

My unconvincing stammering was interrupted by Val bounding over with a smirk and snatching the naughty magazine away, ignoring my struggles to hold it up over my head and cackle. "Woooo! What's this boss!? You gettin' a clue? Yep, this cracks the case alright! Betcha you was just off ta take this to the crime lab, right shrimpy!?"

"No! Quit it Val! T-That's not funny! I w-was just... putting it back! Gimme it!"

At least watching me chase Val through the cluttered room made Roxie give a light giggle, her mood lifting as the bawdy griffon kept bouncing ahead of me, unfurling the centerfold in her claws and shoving me back with a hind paw as she howled laughter. "Oh ho! You'll wanna see this Roxie! Hafta put ya in a lineup with this one! Boss thinks you might be a suspect! Bet he wants ta take ya in fer questionin'!"

Flapping my wings and making a dive at Val as she dodged towards the bemused looking Roxie, I got swatted aside and crashed into the wall, smashing into a faded Ministry of Wartime Technology poster showing a gleaming Steel Ranger. My embarrassment faded away when I slid down to the floor, looking up to see a wide hole ripped open in the poster by my horn and a dark void behind it.

The faint whiff of scent coming from it turned me serious and Val saw play time was over, tossing the magazine aside as my magic yanked the poster down. A hole had been knocked in the drywall beneath, revealing a thick glass jar full of scaly grey sludge of some kind I floated out to sniff at, puzzling over the faded tape label reading 'Dragon Molt Castings'.

Val took the jar when I stuck my head in the hidey hole to look for anything else, muttering to herself with all her playful teasing gone from her voice. "Huh... what's this crap? Dragon gunk? Hmm... bet'cha it's expensive, ya can make a fortune off'a anything dragon, scales ta' nuts. You think this is..."

"No Val don't!"

The sound of her unscrewing the tightly secured lid sent me scrambling to turn around with a yelp, reaching out to stop her and falling short when she grunted and popped the top. My mouth still opened to yell just made what I expected worse, the room was instantly filled with the most awful reek imaginable. Goddesses I could taste it! It was like a sledgehammer to my heightened sense of smell, sending my hooves to my nose as I retched and staggered for the door, anywhere away from that awful stench. The stink clinging to Zeke's armor was a pale shadow of what was clearly the source.

I could hear Val frantically screwing the top back on with a guilty cluck as I rudely shoved past Roxie holding her own nose and flapping her wings for air flow. I managed to lurch down the short hall and back to the open warehouse, dizzily throwing myself at the metal railing overlooking the clubhouse below, then hanging my head over the side and puking.

"What the fuck!?! Aww grody!! My threads!" The horrified shout of some poor Cat who'd come in with a pair of others to clean up the bodies below sent me cringing with a feeble apology that came out as a gurgle.

Val leaned out to the uproarious laughter of the victim's friends, squawking them down with a restrained chuckle before turning to yank me back up from where I flopped on the floor. "Quit yer bitchin'! Go hose off or somethin'! Er... sorry 'bout that boss, feel better pukey?"

"Blegh..."

Roxie joined us, her ears drooping with a sad whisper. "It's... it's not lookin' so hot for Scopes, is it?"

"Blegh..."

I had to wait quite awhile before Jade would finally take a break, busily directing her newly arrived Followers to help the injured, acting as a beautiful beacon to entice ponies into donating blood, and generally being amazing. I did try to help, but I was too distracted, paling as an assistant compared to Glitter galloping around. So, eventually I got kindly shooed off to keep Swan amused, who like me wasn't all that helpful when there wasn't teleporting or ultra-violence to be done.

Unfortunately I failed at even that, blinking up to her puffed up cheeks pouting when she came back from another lap around the airfield in the A-01 I had completely spaced out. "Faaast!! You weren't watching! Quit moping and pay attention to me!"

"Huh? Oh! S-Sorry Swan, umm... do it again and I'll watch, promise..."

"No you won't... you're being all thinky and boooooring! Nopony wants to have fun anymore since those raiders came. It was so nice before too..." Swan huffed and wriggled her way free of the gleaming armor, plopping down next to me with a thump and crossing her forelegs.

"Nopony? Huh, I guess you're right Swan... A lot of folks got hurt though, so it kinda put a damper on all the fun. Sorry we didn't get to go around the fair together, I would have liked to with you and Jade. It really would have been a good, old world kinda date with a mare I love. At least you got to go with Moose anyway."

That made her happier at least, Swan gave a pleased little whinny and scooched closer, nuzzling at my mane with a sigh. "Moose is a nice pony, but I wanted to go with you too. I like your date-things and love junk Fast. Smashing raiders was fun too, but they ruined everything. Moose and the other Cat ponies should have guarded better, I'm mad at them for not defending their territory right. I wouldn't have let those dumb raiders close back home."

"Yeah, yer just that awesome big stuff, make em look even worse in comparison. Not that the goofy kids don't look bad enough already, lost a lotta cred outta all this." Val landed on a rusty lightpost overhead with a soft flutter, waving out to the still smoldering wreckage of the scrap wood fair stands and tents lining the runway.

What they both had to say rolled around in my head, drawing my eye to the grim atmosphere that had replaced all the fun from just a few hours earlier. I noticed quite a few of the wastelanders who had come for the festivities packing their wagons and carts already, moving about their preparations to leave listlessly.

"What if that was the point..."

I spoke the thought that popped in my head aloud without realizing, looking up from my far away stare when Val hopped down from her perch and raised an interested eyebrow, fishing in her packs for a beer she offered along with one for herself. "Hmm? Finish grindin' yer gears there big brain?"

Even Swan had stopped nibbling my ears, blinking down at me with a curious tilt to her head. Taking the offered beverage, I took a sip and mulled it over before speaking, feeling a little on the spot, but slowly gaining chilly confidence in the idea I tried to verbalize.

"Cred... Zeke and the Cats put way too much stock in it for silly reasons, but it is important. Image... It's been bothering me even after finding evidence that points to Scopes, why would he do it? If the Institute is behind all this, why would they?"

"Who the fuck knows why those nutburgers do anything boss? They're craaaaazy... remember?" Val gave an unconvinced huff, but was still listening.

"Yeah, they're nuts alright, but there's usually some kind of method to their madness Val. Think about it. Say Scopes was a synth and following orders, which I didn't want to say in front of Roxie, but is... probably pretty likely. He could have rigged all the Cats' armor to blow up like I did to Zeke's, but he didn't. They were sabotaged to fail, right when they were attacked by raiders, in front of all these people... The armor everypony around here has faith in fails, the fun all these ponies came for is ruined by random raiders, Zeke can't outrace a giant chicken and gets eaten. It makes them look bad."

Swan frowned in thought, scratching her long pink mane as she worked it out. "Hrrrrmmm... I don't get it. Why wouldn't these Institute ponies just smash their enemies?"

"Because, the Institute is rarely as direct as you are sister. They do create artificial copies of ponies and manipulate things from the shadows." Jade's tired voice spoke up from behind us, trotting up with Glitter, Witchy and Zed to join us and giving me a peck on the cheek. "Hello dear, sorry to keep you waiting so long, but things are stable for now. You wished to speak with me? Have you had any luck in your investigation?"

Woofing out air when Glitter tackled me on the inhale to give an answer, I wheezed and nodded instead, wrestling the giggling filly and floating out the jar we'd found. "A little... we were just talking it out. Here, you ever seen something like this hon?"

Jade floated the cloudy jar up to her muzzle, scrunching her nose at it as she read the label. " Judging by the smell lingering around both it along with Valkyrie and yourself, I must surmise you believe this to be what drew that terrible creature to Zeke? Dragon molt castings... hmm... I believe I have read of its use in rather esoteric potion recipes."

"That would do it. Grandfather rarely used it in his alchemy and always taught caution in handling it. When molting, dragons are weakened and susceptible to predators like the RadRoc. It's not as difficult to acquire as something off a living dragon, as they cast it off like a snake sheds its skin. Still not a common ingredient however..." Zed spoke up and took it from Jade, turning the jar over in his hooves and shaking it.

Mentioning the source got Glitter's immediate attention, scampering over to hop beneath Zed and frantically wave her hooves. "A dragon!? That stuff came from a dragon!? Awesome! They shed their skin? Have you ever seen one Zed? How big was it? Where do they live? Lemme see! I wanna smell!"

"Sweetie NO!" I yelped when Zed patted her silver mane indulgently and hoofed over the dangerous goop, freezing the curious filly hugging the jar to her belly with her teeth already gripping the top. The wounded pout she turned on me made me slump in defeat, explaining myself with a sigh. "Please... don't open that again, unless you want to see me, mom and auntie Swan all toss our cookies. Once is enough for me, thanks. Not to mention you'd definitely get a bath tonight... If you're that curious you can open it, very, very far away..."

Giving a chuckle at Glitter's disappointed huff, Zed took it away again when she balked at the word 'bath', tucking it away in his saddlebag. "I've smelled worse in Grandfather's brews, I don't mind opening it for you later if you're willing to pay the price Glitter. Though perhaps best I hold onto it for now. If you have no further use of it, I could send it to Hexington with the local couriers later Fast."

"Take it, please, ship it as far away as you want. So, if Zin used it, you happen to know where you'd find it Zed?"

"Ah, that I can answer dear. I recognize the jar and the label. Mrs. Pestle's potion shop used preserves jars like that for her ingredients, I still have a few from our trip there." Jade flapped a wing to shove Swan over and snuggle closer, rummaging in her medical box packs and retrieving a couple metal lidded jars that did indeed match exactly, right down to the barely legible labels.

I frowned at the containers before returning them, tapping my chin and muttering. "University Point... Scopes is from University Point too..."

"You sound very suspicious of them Fast, when they have most helpful. The students present during the attack who know healing magic have been volunteering their time with the wounded, I understand they assisted with the defense against the raiders as well." Jade gave my cheek a nudge and clicked her teeth at me grumbling in reply.

"Everything you said is true and good Jade, but can also sound bad if you're a skeptic like me. Like I was just telling Val and Swan, all this seems like it was to make the Arcano-Cats look bad. All that stuff makes University Point look good at the same time..."

"You are a pessimist, not a skeptic Fast." Jade stuck her tongue out with a playful smirk, sighing luxuriantly when I leaned up to kiss her neck.

"And you're an optimist, so we balance each other out hon."

"Gah, now yer gonna make me puke boss, this payback or somethin'? Get a room or back to tha point." Val drained her beer, cackling at getting both of us to blush and sputter.

Jade stuck her nose up and huffed, only turning redder at the griffon clearly enjoying getting under her skin. "I-It has been a very long and trying day Valkyrie! Allow us to take some bit of comfort without your teasing. The mood around here has been spoiled quite enough already."

"I believe Fast's theory that is the objective may be correct your highness. Grampy... er... M-Mr. Jets and some of the others seem to be having an issue." Witchy chirped for attention after staying out of the conversation and distracted so far, her fluffy ears perking in the same direction she pointed.

A crowd had gathered at the chain link gates leading out into the ruins repaired since the attack, quite a few loaded carts and wasteland settlers apparently arguing with the Cats and Burny barring their path. Galloping that way with the others, a glance up to the sun sinking ahead made me realize part of the problem even as my own ears started picking up Burny's gruff voice calling out for calm.

"Folks, come on now, be reasonable here. It's late and we're all tired, wanderin' out in the dark ruins isn't the best idea with those raiders runnin' around. We're bringin' food down and puttin' on a spread on my cap, so why not just stick around till mornin' like everypony was planning?" Burny hovered at the head of the crowd, holding his hooves up to plead with the mob.

"That was when we figured your power armored punks would keep us safe! Better to skedaddle before those raiders show up again!" A bandaged earth pony trader stamped a hoof, eliciting a murmur of agreement from the rest.

"H-Hey now hep cats, I promise we're on the stick now. Listen to gramps and just chill, cool?" Zeke hovered up beside his grandfather, looking less confident without his armor.

"Meanin' what? Ya'll were just slackin' off before!?"

"Why should we believe you? You lost your armor playing around while we was gettin' shot! Not that the hunks of junk are worth a damn!

"Fun and games are over junior! We're not sticking around here after the day we've had. Gettin' my family somewhere safe!"

"Those U.P. folks said we can stay there, lettin' us go with 'em on their way back! You keepin' us here Jets!?"

"Course not, you know that ain't true, yer all just upset. Which is why I hate seein' you folks leave like this. My nitwit grandson made a mistake, don't make it worse when he's tryin' to make up for it. We're all friends an' neighbors around here." Burny slumped and answered the older farmpony close to his own age who spoke last in a voice cracking with weariness.

A clipped and smarmy stallion replied, drawing my eye to the nasally voice and somehow unsurprised to find the mortar board and robe wearing professor from University Point who'd screwed things up at Warhorse Homestead. His simpering words and smirk just made me more suspicious of him and the gaggle of wizard students he was at the head of. "Exactly Mr. Jets, it's as good neighbors that we're offering to take these good ponies with us. Many were going to the Arcane Science Fair tomorrow anyway and after today we'll be sure to increase security, so you can all rest easy."

This... This was what I was afraid of. They'd lost faith. For all the good a little silly fun brought to these ponies' lives, one attack had soured it completely. It was the opposite of everything we'd tried to do with Jade as a Princess that inspired hope. They weren't even individuals anymore, just a mob working itself up, feeding on its own misery and anger.

While I was still struggling to cope and see anything we could even do to help, Jade proved what a wonderful Princess she had grown into by launching herself up, fluttering above the crowd beside Burny and Zeke and holding her hooves out for calm. Seeing her put herself on display with the two smaller pegasi and the setting sun framed behind her, I saw I wasn't the only one slightly in awe.

The crowd hushed at her presence, forced to quiet respectfully just to make out her nervous but kind voice calling out to them. "P-Please, everypony! I know it has been a difficult day and not what you came here for, but I believe Mr. Jets is correct, it is dangerous to leave hastily. Do not allow today's senseless attack to drive you apart, to ruin the frivolity and friendship you all shared. It is times like these we must come together and help each other."

A murmur ran through them at that, still uncertain and afraid, but losing most of the anger and even picking up a note of shame... The trader still impatiently pawing the asphalt at the gates spoke up after looking around and realizing he was losing the crowd, taking off his goggle bedecked ballcap with a curt but at least respectful nod. "No offense there Princess, but I gotta look at my bottom line. Was goin' to U.P. anyway and got a long road to make it to Diamond City before that big wedding. Happy ponies are good customers, an' business has gone to shit here. This place was worth stayin' at when we all believed those kids would keep us safe."

There were a few nods of agreement from the other obvious traders, a look to Glitter biting her lip and frowning just confirmed it. If there was any way to counter him, she'd have already come to her mother's defense as she clearly wanted to anyway. I could see the numbers whirring behind her narrowed pink eyes though, when it came to business she couldn't disagree.

A middle aged, pale tan and white unicorn mare wearing a tattered gingham dress with a tired colt on her back seemed to speak for the more civilian contingent, wearily trotting up and giving a nervous little curtsy to the blue alicorn. "W-We're all mighty grateful to you and yours Princess Jade, t-things would'a been lots worse without all of you helpin' out. We're not brave like you though, my foal's scared and we just wanna go home. Sorry..."

Jade's kind blue eyes softened and she drifted down directly in front of the mare and her goggle eyed foal, holding a dainty hoof out until the shocked settler mare finally managed to take it. "You have nothing to apologize for. I am not so brave I do not worry for my own daughter as you do your son. I do honestly believe they are both safe here or I would do the same, but you must do what you think right for him. As all of you must... of course. I would deny the raiders a victory in spoiling the day in their minds however. A-At least our children could meet and part on a happier note as new friends perhaps? As I hope we all are. Glitter sweetheart!"

I gaped along with the mare and half the crowd as Glitter dashed through them, joining her mother and excitedly introducing herself to the suddenly happier colt. His mother kept numbly shaking Jade's hoof, a slow smile creeping across her muzzle to match Jade's that started spreading through the crowd. Jade couldn't fault the mare for putting her foal first, but the noble Princess showing understanding was improving the mood, even as the leather jacket wearing Cats nodded up to Burny's shrug and trundled open the gates.

Jade blushed at the attention as the crowd moved closer, not pushing for the gate to run off with bad feelings, but to part with a royal send off leaving a better taste in their mouths. She tipped me a knowing little wink as Witchy pushed her way forward to guard her. She may not like it sometimes, but Jade really was the common pony's Princess and she listened to my thoughts about image and how it helped ponies. She took time to shake each eager hoof held out to her, smiling and sharing a few sweet words, while more foals joined Glitter prancing around the grownups' legs.

One excited pink filly blushing in clear hero worship said something that caught Jade's attention along with mine once she managed to stammer it out. "Umm... c-congratulations anyway your highness, you was really awesome in the race until... Er... we wanted to stay an' see you get your jacket, but you was busy healin' and doin' important royal type stuff, so..."

"Jacket?" Jade interrupted curiously, tilting her head to look out at several others nodding their agreement with the teenaged mare.

Zeke answered with a sudden start, facehoofing before calling out to everypony with a little of his old swagger. "Oh yeah! Totally spaced it with all the square and responsible hoppin' we been doin' to make up for... for screwin' up major folks, you're right there. The way out Princess crossed the finish line in her rod an' I didn't though, so I'd say she blew my wings off alright! She's a full fledged Arcano-Cat hipsters! Just gotta get some threads in her size is all. Would do the full on induction, but since you all gotta hit the road..."

"Yup, it's a shame alright Junior. Seein' as she's a part of the crew, I guess that makes us an ally of the Kingdom of Sanctuary too. Bet her Minutemares aren't far behind them Followers still tendin' the injured who can't go runnin' off yet. Least they'll all get to see the show, eh?" Burny gave a sly wink to Jade, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

Jade caught on after a moment, though she merely told the truth without trying to be nearly so manipulative. "O-Oh! Yes of course. My sister only teleported those critical to healing, I do believe reinforcements were being organized and on their way when she left."

There was a interested ripple through the crowd, clearly torn by the transparent temptation and assurances Burny and Zeke were laying on pretty thick. These folks wanted to stay and salvage some good out of all this, they came for a good time and could still have one... Just hoofing over a leather jacket wasn't quite enough of a draw though.

Looking between Burny, Jade and her royal guard beside her, I patted my trenchcoat pocket in a sudden bit of inspiration, I did know something that would be enough... Not quite how I wanted to do it, but judging by Jade's hopeful look at the indecision on the faces surrounding her, I thought she may understand. Gulping to myself at the cold sweat that sprang up on actually deciding, I ran ahead, stumbling and squeezing my way through the cluster of ponies until I ran directly into Jade's warm chest, then fell back on my haunches like an idiot.

"Oh dear! Are you alright Fast? Is something wrong? Ah, you've thought of something? I know that look! Everypony, this is my Fast, General of the Minutemares. I am sure he has some convincing argument to make, he is quite clever." Jade's sweet and concerned voice got the crush of hooves surrounding me to clear a little space anyway, though her expectant and proud look turned all eyes on me.

"Guh! Yush! Me want talky... Umm... I mean..."

Smoooooth.... Come on stupid, you get shot at constantly, this isn't scarier than... Ok, yes, yes it was... One look to Jade's curious blink down at me gaping in her shadow was more terrifying than than any killer robot, mutant monster or even shadowy spirit in my head.

I was surprised to find the voices of both the Shroud and the Ministry Mares had gone silent now that my panicked thoughts raced that way actually. I'd almost welcome a them lending me a little bravery with my face burning and knees knocking, but I supposed it was only right they abandoned me to do this myself. This should come from me and me alone.

Lurching up with my wings flapping, I took heart in that thought. Jade leaned back in surprise when I darted forward, clinging to her neck to lean up and whisper in her ear. I didn't want to just blurt this out and put her on the spot though, it was already bad enough doing it like this.

"H-How... how about a wedding?"

Jade gave a sharp gasp just ahead of Witchy's squeaky chirp, the sharp eared thestral the only one who heard. Her reaction was enough to garner an interested hush as I felt Jade heat up in my hooves, her bright blue eyes shimmering and swelling until they seemed to take up her whole crimson face.

"Huh? What'd daddy say Witchy? What's goin' on? How comemmph!" Glitter turned away from her playing on figuring out something was up, bouncing up and down wanting to be let in on the secret, only to be hushed by Witchy blindly reaching out to stuff a hoof in the filly's mouth, her slitted amber eyes wide and shimmering, never leaving Jade's face.

Jade's lips worked soundlessly as tears trembled on her cheeks, finally managing an interrogative croak. "W-W-What...?"

"Marry me Jade..." I felt her forelegs wrap around me as the first tears spilled down, her crying and those round, sparkling eyes making me jabber nervously. "I-I mean, I didn't want to ask like this and I'm really sorry, but I asked Mr. Jets after seeing his memory... a-and he said he could like he did for Witchy's parents, and I really want to! I love you so much a-and I know we already call each other... b-but I just wanted to... y-you know... and... and I wanted to wait until we found my family so they could come, and all your sisters, and all our friends, a-and e-everycreature in the whole world, but I don't want to wait either. I was gonna surprise you before we left anyway, so umm... s-surprise? Please marry mmmmfffhhH!"

My increasingly frantic rambling was suddenly silenced by Jade's soft lips, the world falling away with a sense of vertigo, leaving the low "ohhhhhh...." of the crowd figuring things out behind. When the blissful eternity finally passed once we were forced apart for air, I saw the world had literally fallen away, as Jade had apparently shot straight up in the air, fluttering in wide, giddy loops as she sniffled and nodded rapidly. "YES! Yes, yes, yes, yes!"

I also belatedly realized she was squeezing me so tight there was no way to get a now desperately needed breath after that passionate kiss, wheezing weakly over the sound of distant cheers below us. She figured it out when I started turning as blue as her soft fur with a deliriously happy look, quite content to die in the moment a happy stallion.

We hovered together when she loosened her hold and I whooped in air, laughing and crying nose to nose as I floated out a pair of rings from my pocket I'd been holding on to awhile. Jade's eyes sparkled as much as the glittering gold I'd hoarded and melted down while tinkering alone, using the excuse of measuring her horn for her A-01 fitting and surreptitiously forging the simple wedding bands her lidded gaze locked on to now.

No words passed between us, just a lingering looks and long, heavenly kisses shared in the rainbow light of the twilight sky. Eventually we must have made our audience impatient, as Burny's gruff old voice called up in a hoarse shout. "Hey! You finally got around to askin', eh youngster!? Well, ya gonna get down here an' do it right, or just find a convenient cloud up there!?"

It was amazing how quickly word spread and how the mood around Rocketburg turned. It being a rushed affair actually seemed to help, as everypony quickly started joining in to contribute to putting on a wasteland wedding. Traders broke out their wares, farm ponies from the area started cooking savory smelling foods from home recipes using whatever was on hoof, fillies and colts dashed around to decorate with an exuberant Glitter directing them and everycreature just seemed to brighten and sparkle with excitement.

It was a good thing there was so much help to be had too, as I quickly became a completely useless wreck. It was even worse since all the mares dragged Jade away with gushing giggles, while the stallions led by Burny kept me apart from her. They took over the Red Rocket offices in an impromptu bachelor party, producing a lot of alcohol like magic and seeming to delight in making me even more nervous with nudging elbows and winking honeymoon advice.

Val stuck with me at least, since she had no interest in getting 'dolled up' with the others, but put away the drinks and piled on the bawdy teasing. "Yer doin' it all wrong boss! Can't spring this shit on me, how we 'posed ta have a proper bachelor party!? We should go ta Goodneighbor! Shamrock would do it up right! Ain't even gots no strippers ta make ya squirm! Yer doin' this again, right?"

I stammered nervously in reply, pacing Burny's office on the top floor and glad to be away from the partying crowd of strangers downstairs. I paused at the stand Witchy's father's armor had stood, my eyes lingering on the faded picture of his wedding here that inspired this terrifying idea. "Y-Y-Yes... w-when we find my family and w-we can h-have all our friends... Then Jade and I can have a big ceremony somewhere like the Castle. T-This is just for us... i-it feels right, having Burny do it..."

"My pleasure Fast, honored ta get to be the one to circle you two cats. Lucky I still had this in mothballs, ain't worn it since my... third wife? Fourth maybe..." Burny came trotting back out from his office closet with a chuckle, shaking out a pale blue tuxedo jacket in his teeth.

I fumbled to catch it, my wings shaking so hard that Val eventually snorted and pinned me down, roughly forcing me into the outfit. I'd honestly prefer my Shrouded Stallion costume to the gaudy, long tailed tux, but it did at least match Jade's pale mane. Though the white dress shirt was scratchy and the black bow tie strangled me, it was a pegasus tailored suit and Burny wasn't that much bigger than me anyway.

"T-Thanks for letting me borrow it sir. For everything you've done to help us too, this is the second suit you let us borrow now..." Returning to pacing anxiously, I waved out to all the other gleaming suits of Burny's museum in a lame joke that did get a chuckle out of the old buck.

Burny joined me and stopped at a gleaming red and white accented Shadowbolt suit that had to be his own, patting my back and giving a wistful smile to a picture of himself as a young buck with a pretty earth pony filly. "Knowin' yer related to the Doc, I'm just returnin' the favor Fast. You done plenty of helpin' yourself too, so I think we're even. You still gotta explain how the old buck I knew is Grandpa to a prewar Stable dweller, but he'd be proud of you..."

'...Betrayer...'

"Yeah... proud..." I grunted in a reply dripping with sarcasm, thinking of Grandpa was the first thing that got through the fear still making me shiver slightly.

Hearing the angry tone in my voice, Burny sighed softly and laid a wing over my back, leading me over to the windows near his landing pad exit broken through the brick wall. He waved out to all the activity below with a kindly croak, holding my shifting red eyes with his faded sky blue ones.

"I'm serious Fast. I don't know the whole story between you, but you remind me of him. Look at those folks... all busy and happy again. Fighting to keep them alive is one thing, but giving them hope again once the fighting's done is even harder. Your Grandpa did that for me once, now you and your Princess did the same for all of them. However you feel about him, the Doc I knew would definitely approve Fast. What's more, you're like family. I'm sorry yours isn't here, but your old Grampy Jets is proud to stand in their place today." Burny surprised me by pulling me into a hug, his bristly beard scratching my neck reminding me of Grandpa Fin's mustache in a painful surge of nostalgia.

'Be Kind...' sang out against the spike of pain in my head and something broke inside me. Like a dam bursting, tears started flowing from my eyes as I shakily returned the embrace. I wanted dad here, mom... my baby brother... even Grandpa... I'd been so busy forming my own wasteland family, I hadn't realized how much I missed the comfort of somepony older to lean on. The elderly stallion patting my back really had become like family, an experienced stallion who had gone down the trail before me, telling me everything would be ok... that I had done well... that I was still a good pony.

"There now, enough of that... Buck up youngster, it's a happy day, right? Don't want to meet your blushing bride with a snotty muzzle, do you?" Burny chuckled as he pulled away, pulling a slightly grease stained rag from his leather jacket and dabbing at my face like a caring parent.

"T-Thanks... For everything Burny, I'm glad to know you and... and I'd be honored to have you as family. I miss mine so much, s-so having you say that means a lot." I sniffled and straightened up, looking down to the ruined airfield and Red Rocket garages buzzing with activity as I collected myself, then continued in a more even voice. "I umm... with all the wedding stuff, I haven't told you about what I think happened today... what I suspect..."

Quirking up a bushy eyebrow, Burny smiled and shrugged. "Funny, my idiot grandson avoided all responsibility, while you take too much on yer own shoulders. I'm grateful you helped adjust his attitude a little, so I hope to return the favor. Let old Grampy Jets worry about all'a today's nonsense."

"But Burny... It was the Institute, I'm sure of it! I think Scopes was a synth! They're up to something, messing with you! And University Point..."

"We're aware Fast, some of us do actually pay attention to more than silly races..." A stern mare's voice startled all of us, turning to the door to find Burny's daughter Twin Jets standing at the door with a smirk. "I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts, but the grown ups are handling it... You've got more important things to worry about right now. The bride is waiting impatiently..."

Seeing the soft smile on the middle aged mare trotting in, my brief reprieve of clear thought was shattered. Twin was dressed up in a well preserved red prewar gown, reminding me of how she looked in Burny's memory as a bridesmare, which in turn reminded me just what I was really doing... Jade was waiting... we were actually going to... to really...

"Ah, ah boss! None of that!" Val clucked and smacked me in the face with her claw, bringing the world back into focus as I shook and hyperventilated. She grabbed me by the collar and simply started dragging me towards Twin and the door. "If yer gonna pass out, I wanna see ya do it right up on the aisle! This is gonna be hilarious!"

"H-Hey! Wait Val! I c-can walk! Just lemme..."

My whines were roundly ignored, Val bounded down the halls and rejoined the crowd of stallions outside who all seemed to be waiting eagerly, stamping their hooves when we came down from Burny's office. Even Zed was there, a rare smile on his muzzle I barely got to see before Val tossed me in the air with a gleeful squawk. "Here he is boys! Don't let him get cold hooves an' run off!"

I flapped frantically, but was grabbed and carried off on the backs of the cheerful crowd, bouncing from one to another as they galloped down the halls and out the door. I was glad they were all so happy, but could do without the rowdy chanting of "Lucky buck! Lucky buck! Lucky buck!"

They carried me all the way out and across the ruin choked streets, directly to the bright beacon of the Red Rocket garage and the waiting crowd of wastelanders grinning at the parade. Being jostled around was like being pulled by the tide, straight up the tattered red carpet they'd rolled out in front of the brightly lit garage doors decorated in streamers and faded balloons.

Finally I was dumped at the end of the carpet, pulling myself back to my shaking hooves and looking around nervously. Several of the Arcano-Cats were out patrolling the area diligently, but Rowdy and Roxie stood to either side of the garage doors in their gleaming armor as a kind of honor guard. Zeke glided down to join them just ahead of Burny landing beside me with a wink. His presence was a small comfort as I scanned the rather large crowd murmuring to themselves with interest, quite a few chuckling at me pulling at the choking bow tie and sweating through Burny's suit.

Right up front I saw Summer and Cool Jets, their Minutemare uniforms cleaned and sharply pressed, complimented by the faded blue prewar dresses the pegasi fillies wore under them. Cool was... well, cool and collected, giving a smirk and roll of her eyes to Summer, the former Brotherhood Scribe sniffling and dabbing a tissue at her bright green eyes with her wings as she beamed. Mint Twist from Eclipse Village was a row back, along with several fisherponies who'd stayed after the ruined fair, the teenaged filly waving happily when our eyes met. The mares from Jamocha Plains had stuck around too, blowing kisses and giggling at the blush they managed to get with just a wiggle and wink. Even the sleazy conpony Sludge Barrel was in attendance, my ears perking at him loudly saying how he was "personal friends with the bride and groom, a very important pony that had to be right up front." I rolled my eyes at him waving with a broad, gap toothed grin, weakly returning the wave with a shivering hoof and groaning at him elbowing nearby ponies proudly, my recognition giving him proof to point to.

This being my idea just made me feel even worse being the center of attention, I did this to myself... stupid... Val landing beside me as my best buck... er best griff... helped a little anyway, despite her teasing grin as she shifted on her paws. I was surprised to see she had slipped off and put on her slinky black dress from Diamond City, still showing off her curves despite her battered armor and weapons being worn on top of the garment.

It was a relief when Witchy and Swan landed at the end of the carpet, trotting up at a stately pace with wide smiles. Witchy took the lead, her silvery armor gleaming with fresh polish and a flowing purple dress underneath that matched her clean and styled mane. She held her head high as she practically pranced down the carpet, carrying a small basket in her teeth full of withered flowers that she shook to spread on her way. An impressed murmur ran through the crowd as she came and I was glad to see she actually seemed to acknowledge it was praise for how gorgeous she looked. Her cheeks were pink as she reached Burny and turned off to the opposite side I was standing on, dropping her basket to beam at me with her gleaming fangs.

Swan came up next, flicking her tail and tossing her long pink mane as she pranced down the aisle. Like Witchy, she'd obviously been cleaned up and groomed. I suspected she had been playing with her golden, heart shaped locket around her neck, as she was at least a head taller than Jade and soaking in the attention of the wasteland guests whispering to themselves at seeing the mighty alicorn so close, but she wasn't huge anyway... She still wore her Alicorn Angel costume she refused to part with, but it was cleaned to a brilliant white and pink, devoid of any bloodstains for once.

Swan paused once she reached us, leaning down to nuzzle my mane that was itching madly after avidly watching her and Witchy's entrance. She took long sniffs and poked at my uncomfortable tuxedo, finally lowering her head to bump noses with a sparkly, dreamy look in her lidded blue-violet eyes, her ears were limp and her voice a husky whisper. "I like your little suit Fast... This wedding thing is neat, I want my turn next!"

"Awright, enough ya daffy filly, go stand with batty and behave!" I gulped as Val clucked and shoved her to join Witchy frantically pulling at her flowing tail to stand on the bride's side.

I hadn't considered how Swan would take this... She had just started to figure out love period, a wedding was something completely outside her experience. Apparently she'd decided she liked it, meaning I was in trouble later. Once Swan got an idea in her head... Oh Luna save me...

I was so panicked looking at the pouting purple alicorn and starting to hyperventilate again, I nearly yelped out loud when the scratchy wedding march began playing from the roughly repaired holotape player nearby. Turning back to the long red carpet forming the aisle between all the onlookers turning the same way however, my breath was taken away and I forgot to take another completely...

Jade was wearing her Princess dress from Diamond City... that alone was enough for me to just stare stupidly and drink in the sight of her every time. The tight fitting leather jacket she had on over it clashed somewhat, but somehow looked even cuter as she took slow, hesitant steps up the aisle. The gauzy veil clipped to the tiara nestled in her well coifed, cloudy blue mane brought it all home though. We could hardly find her a white wedding dress, but as her sparkling blue eyes met mine, she was the most beautiful mare in the world. My gorgeous bride...

She gave a blushing smile as she took another graceful step in time to the music, managing polite little nods to the hushed crowd, but always returning her soft gaze to mine as she came closer and closer. Her wings fluttered excitedly as she approached, pausing to cover her muzzle with her hoof to stifle a slight giggle at me swaying as everything grew faint. I finally remembered to whoop in a breath that instantly made me cough and squeak in embarrassment.

When she reached me and the music stopped with a scratchy click, I simply looked up to her in awe, my brain completely silent for once and my jaw hanging open. She shuffled nervously as she took a somewhat wilted bouquet of pale blue Hubflowers from Witchy standing loyally at her side as her mare of honor.

Holding it against her chest, Jade blinked down at me and bit her lip, shrugging at her new Arcano-Cats jacket and whispering to me. "W-Well? What do you think dear? T-They insisted I wear this as a new member... i-is it..."

"You look amazing... r-really, incredible, gorgeous, stunning, magnificent, beautif-"

My jabbering reply was hushed by one of Jade's pinion feathers as her veiled face turned bright red, turning to Burny giving a cough for attention and casting a sideways glance through lidded eyes with a soft giggle. "Y-You look quite handsome as well dear... p-perhaps you could continue such effusive praise afterwards though, hmm?"

"Ahem! If we're done flirting like a pair of teenagers an' ready to rock n' roll here hep cats...?" Burny cleared his throat, chortling at the matching "eep!" and blush he got from us both at the soft admonishment, then looking out to the crowd and continuing in a carrying voice. "Mares an' gentlecolts! We're gathered here today in sight of the goddesses to join these two kookie kids in holy maretrimony..."

"Now most folks already know the tale of the Princess an' the Shroud here, Princess Jade and Fast Times are two cats who came together from very different trails what came off the starting line a looooong way apart. Their love has had a way of rubbin' off on others since then, spreading a little hope and joy to the Commonwealth. Now I don't usually wax all poetic like, but consider me inspired and bear with me folks."

Love... true love like these two share, is a rare and precious thing. It was before the war, it was up in the clouds when I was a buck, and it is in the wasteland. No matter where you're from, who or what you are, or when the time though, it's always there. As important a virtue as the elements of harmony and just as powerful. Love saved me once upon a time, an' now I'm surrounded by it from kids like my daughter Twinny here, their kids and all the mares who brought me them and all'a my other kittens, even the exes who think I'ma useless old goat!" Burny chuckled with the rolling laugh he got from the crowd, waggling his eyebrows and lightening the mood, before turning serious again and continuing.

"Love is a flickering flame that's never gone out, even in Equestria's darkest days. So today, we all do our part in keeping that light alive in witnessing the marriage of these two fine ponies. They went out to make things better for others in the Commonwealth, now they make their own lives better, joining their lives in an unending circle. Just like Celestia's sun and Luna's moon, symbolized by the rings they exchange now."

On cue, a bright squeal sounded out from behind us and I turned to see Glitter pelting down the aisle, slowing to a canter and soaking in the soft "Awwww" the cute little filly earned. She'd pulled out her own frilly pink and silver dress from Diamond City that trailed behind her and even submitted to being meticulously groomed. Her silvery mane clean and shining enough to see the pinkish sheen in the soft light, complimented by the ribbon tying it up at the back. A ratty red pillow bounced lightly on her back as she grinned and pranced towards us, the mellow glow of the golden rings on it drawing the eye.

When she joined us and stood straight and proud, Jade and I each plucked a ring away in our magic and leaned down to nuzzle a cheek, sandwiching her beaming face between us and each wrapping a wing around her in a hug. I was so glad she was here, our little filly who stayed between us as we nervously stood and faced each other, taking neither the bride or grooms side, she simply stared up with her wide pink eyes shining. I wondered what she thought of all this, an orphaned scavenger who never knew her father and lost her family, only to find a new one and join us in making it official now.

Thinking of Burny's speech, I gave her a wink and mouthed the three simple words that always meant so much to her, that so surprised me at their intensity since I agreed to adopt her as my daughter. "I love you."

Turning back to Jade as Glitter flushed with pleasure and closed her eyes in a brilliant smile, I caught the beautiful blue alicorn sniffling away a tear. We stared in each others eyes for a long moment, before Burny eventually gave us a nudge, making me realize we were supposed to exchange vows... I'd been so nervous, I hadn't thought of any!

Thankfully, Jade spoke first, the smaller golden ring floating in her magic fidgeting almost as much as the larger one I held. She closed her eyes in thought a moment, as if recalling something difficult to remember, then opened the sparkling blue pools I was immediately lost in. Her melodious voice rose and fell in a sing song cadence the crowd leaned forward and perked their ears to hear.

"F-Fast...We were born far apart in every way, But you're the best part of my day. As sure as I breathe the air, I know we are the perfect pair..." I gaped at the rhyming words she blushed to recite, shaking off my stunned stare as I felt the golden ring settle on my horn as she continued in her own words. "I love you Fast, when we first met, I never would have believed how much I could... I thank all the goddesses our paths came together as they did and I never wish for them to part. Husband..."

Gulping at what felt like a heavy weight ringing my horn now, I shivered and panicked, my tongue tied in knots looking up to Jade's soft smile waiting on me. How could I follow that!? What could I possibly say to let her know so succinctly how I felt, how much I loved the big blue filly who'd changed my life and made the wasteland a home? I could barely breathe, let alone say... word... things... and hers rhymed!?

The rising song in my head came as a welcome relief. The Ministry Mares chimed in a sweet, comforting note that washed away my fear. Even the lower, reverberating bass of 'Be Dark...' underneath them was... somehow less ragged and harsh, purer... It resonated with the love I felt and for once didn't clash with the spirits occupying the same space, lending me its strength without wanting to kill or rut something.

It was the soft, somber whisper of 'Be Strong!' that got my mouth moving to my surprise, speaking honestly and spilling out words that were distantly familiar but not. I answered Jade's soft rhyme with one I didn't know, but did somehow. "Jade... The seasons change and leaves may fall, but I'll be with you through them all. And rain or shine, you'll always be mine. On a prickly path that goes on for miles, you're the only one who makes it all worthwhile..."

I blinked when the unfamiliar snatch of song stopped falling out of my muzzle, floating the ring up to Jade's long, graceful horn, taking in the tears spilling down her surprised, beaming face and managing to finish with my own words. "I love you Jade. From the moment I first laid eyes on you... it was love at first sight. Every bad thing that happened before, the war, my Stable... e-everything, it was all worth it just to find you. You make the wasteland a paradise, my Princess... my... w-wife..."

With the golden ring settling on her horn, Burny spoke up with a hoarse and happy shout. "Well then! By the power vested in me as leader of the flock 'round here, it's my honor to pronounce you two crazy cats mare and colt! You may kiss the..."

That was as far as he got, Jade lunged forward at the word 'kiss', tossing her veil aside and scooping me up in the most passionate, blissful kiss we'd ever shared. My wings sprang up and fluttered in her grip, adding to the lift of her own hovering us up several feet above Burny in a drifting, lazy spin in the air. The sound of raucous cheers and hoots erupting from the crowd barely registered through the warm embrace.

When we finally broke apart and stared nose to nose, Jade gave a light, breathless giggle at the dazed look on my face, whispering softly. "We... we are..."

"M-Married..."

"Yes... married..." She answered dreamily, her eyes sparkling with tiny hearts with my mane itching madly, but speaking clearly enough as we slowly drifted back down. "You are mine and I am yours Fast... forever..."

"F-Forever Jade... forever and ever... I love you so much."

Before our hooves touched the ground again, Glitter pounced in an impressive, earth pony leap and joined us, wriggling her way between us with a happy squeal and sticking her nose up to be nuzzled between us happily. "Yay mommy and daddy! That was awesome! I'm so happy for you!! We're a real family, together forever!"

Planting teary kisses on both my daughter and my wife as we landed, I felt like my heart would burst, finally breaking apart and realizing the crowd was still stamping their hooves and cheering. A loud, honking squawk brought my attention to my best griffon, turning to see the tough mercenary bawling to my amazement and roughly wiping her face against her foreleg, sticking her beak up at my stunned look.

"I-I ain't cryin' dammit! Quit yer starin' boss! J-Just... just bored ta tears is all! Y-You an' all this sappy pony nonsense... I..." Val huffed and tried to hide, but came willingly when I dragged her over in a hug, groaning and trying to disguise the happiness I felt relax her muscular feline form in my hooves. "Aw come on shorty! Y-Yer gettin' too mushy for yer own good again... I d-don't wanna... this ain't my fault everybody! H-He's orderin' me ta be all... Aw hell, c'mere ya cuddly bastard..."

I wheezed at the powerful griffon squeezing me in a hug clearly meant to be painful just to pay me back for her embarrassment. The warm kiss of her beak darting forward against my muzzle made up for it though, her long tail whipping back and forth and her wings joining Jade's spreading around us with Glitter in her hooves.

Spreading the other wide blue wing, Jade drew Witchy in with a smile, forcing the anxious batpony in with us and nuzzling her purple mane as her gleaming armor was pressed against me. The poor royal guard blushed and chirped at both the alicorn and myself taking a burning cheek to kiss, squeaking in a dazed and happy voice. "Y-Your highness! Tis n-not appropriate for... oh... n-nevermind..."

Struggling to stretch my neck up from the middle of the huddle, I managed to brace myself when I saw Swan pouncing at us, sputtering past the big purple mare trying to wrap her hooves around all of us in one massive hug and kissing my upturned face giddily. I had only a small window through the crush of soft, warm flesh to peek out, nodding to Zed giving a smirk and wriggling a hoof free to wave him in.

With a roll of his grey eyes, the zebra stallion trotted forward and allowed himself to be squeezed in with us, one big, embrace of my wasteland family. I wished Ivy and Peri were here too, not to mention my parents and brother... but it was still a singularly perfect moment. It was only broken when a bright flash went off with a 'poof!', temporarily shrinking all of our dazed eyes to pinpricks. We all shook our heads and blinked away the spots in our vision together, focusing on a grinning Roxie holding a battered instant camera spitting out a picture with a loud whine.

Jade immediately dove after the picture to add to her collection of my old family photos with a squee, breaking apart the group hug like bowling pins with a rocketing flight only Zed was able to dodge. He chuckled under his breath as she snorted and wiggled impatiently, flapping the slowly developing photo around in her magic. "Ahem... If that's enough, I do believe your guests are waiting Jade."

The rest of us unfortunate enough to be in between Jade and her photo groaned and stood slowly, smoothing out our fancy clothes as Jade tilted her head at the zebra keeping his distance after all the physical contact. He nodded down to the crushed bouquet of flowers Jade still held, gesturing out to a crowd of fillies nearby shifting on their hooves eagerly.

"A-Ah! Of course!" Jade grinned and trotted off a few paces, turning her back to us and floating the withered flowers up in her magic.

I wasn't sure what was going on, but every filly nearby dashed forward in a huddle, nearly bowled over by Swan joining them and prancing in place. Even Val prowled over with a smirk, dragging a nervous Witchy with her. Summer and Cool Jets hovered at Swan's level and the teenaged filly Mint Twist was jostled around by the older mares in the group, along with the mares from Jamocha Plains nudging for position, all of their eyes locked on the bouquet waggling back and forth in Jade's magic.

When she gave a giggle and tossed it over her head, I flinched from the furious melee that broke out. The gaggle of mares turned into a roiling cloud of flailing hooves and wings, sparks of magic sizzling out, I even thought I heard the click of one of Val's pistols cocking... all chasing the bouquet that bounced and flew in in and out of the cloud of dust. I merely watched in confusion with my head canted and Glitter and Jade beside me, wondering why exactly the withered flowers had become so valuable. Had Jade cast a 'Want it, Need it' spell on it? I'd read about that in my studies and they were sure acting like the spellbook described the effects of the mind altering spell.

Finally the battle broke up, unsurprisingly with Swan as the victor. She had the bouquet clenched in her teeth, shrugging off the smaller mares who'd dared challenged the big filly and prancing over proudly. Her long pink tail wagged and her nose was stuck up, looming over me and mumbling around the battered bouquet. "I win! I am next Fast!"

"N-Next? W-What? What's the deal with the flowers?"

Jade gave a soft sigh, booping her sister's nose away from happily nuzzling my confused stare and arching an eyebrow at us both. "An old tradition... I will explain later dear. F-For now I believe we are still expected to perform other functions, we do wish to properly celebrate for all these fine ponies, hmm?"

At that, Burny came up and clapped his hooves, hovering just over the ground to grab us both around the neck and drag us toward the laughing, cheering crowd he called out to loudly. "Right! Cuttin' the cake and all that, these folks helped put on a way out spread, so let's get to it you two!"

The cheers rose in volume over the old buck's announcement and we were quickly dragged along with the tide, off to the rickety tables of food and mishappen but wonderful smelling cake I could spot ahead. Glitter had apparently snuck into my packs while I was getting dressed, as I spotted both my Shrouded Stallion action figure and the pretty Alicorn Angel Blue doll atop the desert. A tiny and makeshift bride and groom from my collection of toys...

Still shoving us along, Burny grinned even wider, nodding proudly as he hoofed over a knife to Jade waiting beside the cake. "Go on there Princess, everypony's waitin' on you to get to partying! Even got a special surprise for everypony after the viddles, we're havin' a movie night!"

"Movie night?..."

I had seen the parking lot between the Red Rocket offices and the airfield before during our time here, flying over a secluded and ruin cleared lot of gleaming sky carriages and motor wagons the first time had been enough to nearly crash into the crumbling buildings nearby that hid the open lot from the ground. Spending time with Roxie and her paint shop also meant I got a much closer look at her 'gallery', we'd all been given a personal tour of each brilliantly colored and waxed vehicle by the bubbly painter pegasus herself.

It had been disappointing to find that only a couple had actually been given more than a skin deep restoration and were capable of running again, but Glitter had been ecstatic over the flames, racing stripes, stenciled and freehoofed paint jobs that made each a work of art. We'd never got a straight answer at what it was all for however, just a mysterious wink and wave to the tall and intact brick wall of the back side of the Red Rocket offices painted a flat white.

Now we knew...

To my amazement and delight nearly matching my daughters, I gaped up with her when a flicker of light in the evening gloom lit up the wall and an actual movie started playing. It shone in a wide fan from the toll booth of the parking lot itself by a rusty and crudely repaired projector spinning huge reels of black and white film. Movies! Burny and the Arcano-Cats had movies!

Apparently it was a rare treat and another reason so many wastelanders came to the races, they'd preserved it as a surprise for us. All the painted carriage husks were restored enough to look good and have soft, cloud stuffed bench seats patched with rags and crude leather, just there to remain in place as fancy seating for an honest to goddesses drive in movie, just without the driving part... Which really, who cared about that!

We were led to a huge boat of a convertible highwaymare nearly at the center of the front row of painted vehicles, a seat of honor in the deep blue motorcarriage done in a sparkling, flaked paintjob that lightened towards the long fins and chrome of the cracked headlights. Actually, I got carried, again... though this time by a gaggle of laughing mares at least. The bucks tried giving Jade the same treatment, but quickly gave up on lifting and carrying the large alicorn, instead leading her along with the crowd surrounding her and bouncing Glitter in her place, depositing both in the back seat of the old carriage with me as the first film started up.

Glitter's pink eyes were wide and dark looking up to the warbling and popping images of the main feature, an old movie called 'The Wild Buck' with Marlon Bridle that suddenly explained a lot of where the Arcano-Cats got their slang and fashion sense... Burny even fluttered by to dump a bag of popcorn in Glitter's distractedly grabbing hooves, ruffling her mane and explaining it was prewar this film in particular that got him exiled when he was a buck. Considered contraband and off limits for its anti establishment message. It seemed silly to brand and boot him out of the Enclave over a movie, especially since it was an enjoyable flick.

With Glitter snuggled between us, Jade and I watched the main feature together, mostly... We did end up casting a lot of lidded looks to each other and sneaking kisses over Glitter's oblivious head, but kept it down to that much and just enjoyed being together, We took turns explaining old world things our daughter saw and questioned in quiet whispers to not disturb the other enraptured wastelanders filling the lot full of cars around us.

There was room for Val and Witchy to take the front seat too, remaining vigilant guards even while Val kept pestering the flustered batpony to drink with her. Zed sat on the long hood in his odd cross-legged zebra way to watch with us too, while Swan draped herself off the trunk to be able to watch over our heads, asking nearly as many questions as Glitter and nuzzling for attention when bored.

By the time the film ended, Glitter was softly snoring between us, occasionally snorting herself awake and blinking at the credits scrolling away, then slowly drooping and nodding back off, getting a soft smile and kiss on the forehead from Jade. Before she could do more than carefully float the little filly up from her seat however, Witchy and Val both scrambled up, giving each other a nudge as Val grabbed the floating foal away and let her hug her warm, feathery chest with a mumble.

"Ah, ah, me an' batty got her boss. You two newlyweds make like the locals an' do a little back seat bingo, eh?" Val winked and flapped her wings softly, flying up towards the cloud town of Rocketburg and the prewar pegasus hotel we'd been staying in.

Looking around at her departing chuckle, I puzzled through the slang and noticed all the couples taking advantage of the dark and comfortable seating, no longer even pretending to watch the movie since the credits fizzled out. Witchy blushed as she spoke, her tufted ears flicking in multiple directions at the soft moans I could pick up all over. "Y-Yes! Umm... V-Valkyrie and I shall watch the little princess your highness. Y-You and Fast should... e-enjoy what honeymoon you may... Er... S-Swan? Would you like to come?"

Huffing and stretching her neck to lean down to Glitter's vacated seat between us and munch on her leftover popcorn, Swan stretched languidly on the trunk behind us and completely missed the hint the hovering batpony tried to give. "Mmm... nope! I like movies, is there another?"

Burny's hoarse laughter as he trotted over from the black and flame painted Thundega Bolt he sat in beside our own chariot just encouraged her, grinning at Jade and I's embarrased flush. "Oh sure thing Miss Swan, next flick is right up your alley I think. Kinda a B movie, but new around here. You folks know they started doing this at the old Starlight Drive-In up north? Right around your neck of the woods! Got a deal with em ta share what old reels we can salvage, first time we've had somethin' new in awhile!"

"That's great Burny... thanks a lot for letting her know..."

I groaned at Swan beaming and giving a happy whinny, sputtering past her insistent affection between Jade and myself. Of course I supposed I could understand if she might be feeling a little left out with all the excitement, shuddering again at the way she fluttered her eyelashes and grinned back to the bouquet stashed in her bag. Explaining weddings to Swan was going to be difficult... was difficult period now that i thought about it. It's not like I loved her any less than Jade... just different... She was carrying my foal too... you were supposed to marry the mare you got pregnant...

'Mine... Want... More...'

Nngh! Shut up! Don't start! Go back to sleep and give me one freaking night already! I winced and thunked my head with a hoof, planting a kiss on Swan's nose to placate her and turning to Burny as a distraction under Jade's observant arched eyebrow. Seeing Zeke pulling himself away from Rowdy and come fluttering out of his cherry red Chrysalis Sky carriage with the very fogged windows nearby, I perked up and spotted Burny's daughter Twin trotting down the rows towards us too. All three generations were using the intermission to come chat, and by the look on Twin's face at least, it wasn't all teasing. Meaning I should probably button my scratchy shirt and smooth my messy mane at least a little...

"Hey, hey, there's the newly circled cats. You look like a real dreamboat in the threads Princess kitten! Surprised you two ain't off to the submarine races already and still wearin' em though!" Zeke teased Jade before his stern looking aunt Twin arrived, hovering up to pluck at her tight leather jacket and rolling in laughter at her chaste squeak and blush.

"T-That would not be... i-in front of everypony... T-Though I see we are not the only ponies with romance on our minds I suppose..." Jade stammered back, her voice turning dreamy as she looked around and seemed to notice the same thing I had.

Twin saved us from the two crimson pegasi now howling laughter together, giving a smirking cough and roughly shoving Zeke and Burny's heads together in her hooves with a painful sounding 'thunk!'. "Ahem! Enough of that for five freaking minutes you two. The Princess is our guest and your new member nephew, treat her with respect our new ally deserves. Bad enough to pester her at all, but we do have important things to discuss while they're loading up the next movie. So sorry your highness."

"N-Not at all Ms. Jets. We are grateful to have the Arcano-Cats and Rocketburg as new friends in the Kingdom of Sanctuary. We are not here for only fun and games, as enjoyable and important as they are. These movies of yours are delightful! Work comes first however... What is it you wished to speak about?" Jade answered primly, shoving her sister's head back down to the snacks in the seat to speak over her.

Zeke answered before Twin could, most of his good humor drying up with a somber tone. "Scopes... Roxie said... you really think he went all rat fink on us Shroud-daddy? That he was some... some jalopy in pony skin? That's why he lit out?"

His slang was easier to figure out after watching the movie it came from and I nodded slowly, looking to Burny's bushy brow raised curiously and Twin's frown. "Yes, I think he was a synth and the Institute did all this. To make you look bad, to make all these ponies lose faith in the Arcano-Cats."

I had filled Jade in on what I found and thought about it, so she interrupted my angry growl with a sweet and hopeful take of her own thoughts to comfort the clearly wounded Zeke. "It does seem like their modus operandi from what my Fast has told me. I am sorry Zeke... However, we have encountered the Institute's synths before, many are unaware of their own nature and have no choice in their actions. I am sure Scopes... d-did not mean to betray you, i-if he is the culprit..."

Zeke's ears drooped as she finished weakly, flipping his sunglasses down from his slicked back blonde mane to hide his eyes behind as Twin patted his back and huffed. "They've meddled before, but never got this close or were so sneaky about it. I've had the guards in Rocketburg asking around too, apparently Scopes was spotted slipping off with Mr. Warhorse a few days ago when he came to overcharge us on food, both being pretty furtive... Somehow I doubt this is over, dad said you were going on about University Point too Fast?"

Flinching under Jade's inquisitive blink at me, I nodded to the middle aged earth pony mare firmly, laying out my suspicions for both her and my new wife. "The stuff that drew that bird to Zeke came from there. I'd lay good caps down that Mr. Warhorse brought it too, we're pretty sure he's a synth we still have to deal with and he's connected to U.P. too... They're at the heart of everything around here... "

Jade gave a little 'tsk' noise and booped my frowning muzzle, still firmly looking for the best in others. "Fast... The ponies of University Point are educated and civilized, they promote learning and have helped everycreature around them. I still do not share your suspicions where they are concerned. Mrs. Pestle was a lovely old mare, the other members of the board of education I spoke with were all equally polite and intelligent. Why would they...."

"Because they're snobs Princess. Ain't never liked them snooty wizards across the way, they're nice to your face, but as slippery as those nobles back in Diamond City behind yer back. We've bumped noses here and there in the past, but the last few years they've been getting pushy. I agree with your buck here, not much goes on around here they're not involved in somehow." Burny grumbled an answer for me, crossing his forelegs and not weakening his proud stance in the slightest at Jade's disappointed huff.

"B-But... you get along as neighbors! The professor offering to help your guests leave even said so. They helped defend this place, their healing trained students assisted with the wounded! I do not understand why you all think so poorly of them." Jade was just as implacable, leaving me in the middle to try to break the clash of wills and convince her.

"I'm not saying the students or the ponies who live there are bad Jade. I'm saying I don't trust the ones in charge. Klein ran University Point before the war. I don't think the Institute heads let go of places like that, just like the haunted high school. I think he's meddling there and behind all of this, I just haven't figured out what he's up to. Either way, I... I don't want you go with me tomorrow when we see them. I think it's too dangerous."

"Nonsense. We have an appointment to keep with the board of education. I am sure we can resolve our differences and talk this out. If the Institute has a presence there, we must help the good ponies there root it out. As Princess of the Kingdom of Sanctuary, I can hardly put off our diplomatic meeting there again. I am sure you and Witching will protect me from any danger, I cannot tuck tail and run in fear from the Institute's machinations, you have said yourself, that is what they want." Jade stuck her nose up and closed her eyes, cutting off any further debate.

"But Jade!..."

Burny's raspy chuckle cut off my doomed attempt anyway, the old buck hooted laughter, giving me a sympathetic wink. "Oh she's a pistol alright Fast, that's a mare that'll keep you in line! You make a great bride your highness. Easy ta see who's gonna wear the pants in your family! Good luck young buck, congratulations again!"

Twin gave an exasperated sigh at her father hovering up to kiss Jade's hoof with a laughing, midair bow, rolling her eyes to the blank wall in front of us lighting up with the next film and shrugging. "I'll leave your dealing with U.P. and all the cloak and dagger to you folks then. Just letting you know we're on our hooves here. With your Minutemares joining us, we're on guard for anything and I think my nephew and his friends are taking things a bit more seriously, isn't that right Junior?"

"Yeah, yeah Aunty Twinny, we got our peepers peeled and gears shifted. We're still all about freedom from the man though, we just see how oily the man can be now... Not gonna stop us from bein' the coolest cats in the Commonwealth though, now we even got a Princess on the crew to help polish our rep! We still ain't come up with your nickname for your patch Jade, we're thinkin' Princess Pussycat! Got a nice ring to it!" Zeke grinned and puffed up with a little of his old confidence, pointing to the embroidered name stitched into his own jacket, then pointing to Jade's and spreading his hooves with her proposed nickname dancing in his sky blue eyes.

Jade flushed in embarrassment, but any protests she had were cut off by Swan's head shooting up with the flicker of light and warble of sound ahead, looking up to the blank brick wall turning into a movie screen again. "Ssssh! Movie time! No more silly talking, I wanna watch! Grampy Jets said I'd really like this one and.... Eeeeee!"

Looking up to Swan's blue-violet eyes going wide and dark, I turned to the screen, pausing on Burny chuckling into his hoof as Zeke dashed off to rejoin Rowdy in their own sky carriage. The reason for both the old buck's laughter and Swan's shimmying in place on the trunk hard enough to make the whole motorwagon groan on its ruined frame was easy enough to figure out when I read the title of the B movie flashing up on the wall. 'Attack of the 50 Foot Mare' starring Lilac Lace...

"Hehehe, thought Miss Swan here would appreciate this one. You kids have fun!" Burny waggled his eyebrows and fluttered off at that, leaving Twin to huff at his retreating tail.

"Those two are both children... but like you said, a little silly fun is important too. Oh, before I leave you... three... to it, the owner of the Cumulus Inn asked me to give you the key to the Honeymoon Suite. The ponies of Rocketburg appreciate all you've done too your highness, they believe you'll continue doing your best and wanted to thank you." Twin tossed a rusty, heart shaped keychain with a wispy cloud key to us before trotting off herself, finally leaving Jade and I alone.

Mostly alone anyway... Swan stayed right where she was, her chin resting on her forehooves and her eyes locked on the screen, a giddy grin on her face as she eagerly watched the old monster movie. No wonder Burny said it was right up her alley, considering Swan spent a good deal of her time as an actual giant mare tromping around, I half worried seeing this Lilac Lace actress smashing cheesy balsa wood props would give her ideas...

It did keep her effectively distracted however, letting Jade and I enjoy each other's company and the luxurious space the convertible Highwaymare chariot's backseat boasted. I was glad the wide bench seat had been given a thorough restuffing with soft clouds, as I soon found myself sinking into it under a lot of affectionate blue alicorn, making out like a couple of teenagers in the old world going to the drive-in.

Jade struggling to get out of her ill fitting leather jacket while flattening me was a cute battle, giving me a moment to catch my breath and shrug out of my uncomfortable tuxedo jacket while she grunted and flailed her wings. I hoped to get her out of her sparkling princess dress too, but she batted away my fumbling hooves with a demure look, "I believe we've given these ponies enough of a show already today Fast... let us take our time and enjoy ourselves, we have all night and a graciously gifted private room..."

"R-Right! This is good too, just excited is all... I mean, we're husband and wife, like... officially now. Not that I didn't already think of you that way, it's just... different now somehow. You know?"

Returning to passionate kissing and giggling, Jade nibbled my ears and purred into them softly. "I understand Fast. I once thought such ceremony was superfluous, but I do feel... different as well. It is very strange, but wonderful... I am your wife, before all these ponies and the goddesses. We are married..."

"You're my special somepony Jade, the most important mare in the world to me. Which is why I still don't want you to go tomorrow..."

"And you are mine, husband... which is why I insist on doing so. We face everything together, no matter what comes. If the Institute and this Professor Klein truly are there, we shall... shall cross that bridge when we come to it." Jade huffed at me trying one more time, but booped my nose and wiggled on top of me, pinning me in place to kiss and nuzzle dreamily, trying to glaze over her evasiveness.

Looking up to her lidded gaze sparkling with tiny hearts taking up my field of vision, I fell for the minor deception willingly and drank in the strawberry scent of her mane falling around me, touching every inch of her blue fur I could reach. With my mane itching and senses dulled, it took a moment to recognize the steady clicking from my pip-buck, struggling to sit up against Jade's soft whines and find the most likely source.

Swan was still completely absorbed in the movie, but had her golden locket open and held to her chest, soaking in the steady chatter of radiation from the balefire apple inside and looking up to the giant mare on screen rampaging through a tiny town after her cheating stallion. She had an excited gleam in her eye, snickering at every prop building crushed under the actress' hooves...

"Swaaaan... what are you doing? Don't get any ideas..."

"I like this movie Fast... I'm not doing anything, I just felt like not being tiny. Not 'cause I can't stand it, I just like being big. I want to be like our sister in the movie and play with you, seeing her up there is making me all... fluttery feeling... it's nice! You'll pay attention to me if I'm big! Then we can do the married thing too! I still don't know what it means, but I defeated all my enemies and won the flowers, so I go next! All those mares were taking about it while sister was getting dressed up." Swan tore her eyes away from the screen and wiggled in place, making herself more comfortable on the trunk she was now hanging off of and leaning down to forcefully push her muzzle in and lick my cheek.

Of course... 'Attack of the 50 foot Mare' was making her frisky... Though glancing up to the screen and seeing Swan in the actress' place, I couldn't deny certain memories and fresh thoughts bubbled up that made me blush. Her wide grin didn't disguise her self conscious pout though, Swan was... jealous? I gulped again and patted her cheek, biting my lip in thought on how to deal with her while Jade sighed impatiently. Lavishing so much affection on my bride was making Swan feel left out and lonely, not to mention I still had to try explaining marriage to her....

"Swan, you don't have to be big for me to notice you, you know that. I don't want you to feel ignored, this is just a special day for me and Jade. Getting married is for two ponies to say they love each other and will be together forever. It's... wait, your sister in the movie?" I tried to stumble my way through the dangerous minefield before me, suddenly distracted by the thought my brain threw up as an escape once I processed her words.

Swan bobbed her head rapidly and pointed a wing up to the attractive unicorn actress stomping through the prop city, though it was Jade who gave a soft sigh and sat back to answer, still wearing that sleepy, contented look from the steady clicking of rads. "The actress was part of Unity Fast, we share memories of her as a sister changed shortly after the war. I thought the film seemed familiar, though I am not surprised Swan is so enraptured... We shared everything in Unity with the mother, as individuals however, that is no longer the case sister. I apologize for excluding you, but today is for Fast and I alone. As for marriage..."

"Y-Yeah... umm... getting married is only supposed to be two ponies Swan. It's just something I wanted to do with Jade, because I love her so much."

"But... don't you love me too? I don't understand, I wanna do the married thing too! I love you too Fast, I wanna be together forever, like you said!" Swan pouted back, her eyes actually glistening with confused tears making me panic.

Swan never cried, getting through her impenetrable defense to the sweet filly underneath left her vulnerable though. She actually cared and thought about this, was hurt by Jade getting all the attention and clearly anxious about being less than her sister and left out. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, I just wanted to marry Jade... I should have thought more about how doing so would make Swan feel though. This would be easier with Ivy... though Peri might be just as upset in her spacey, unconcerned kind of way now that I thought of it.

"Swan, we will be, I promise. I love you too, just as much as Jade. Love isn't something that's limited, it's not like I'll run out or can only give so much to either of you. Love is infinite and unquantifiable. I love you both, just like I love Ivy and Peri and already love the foals you carry so much it scares me. Jade's my wife now, but you're just as important to me too. If getting married is just saying that in front of everycreature, w-we'll.... we'll figure something out. Ok? You don't need to make yourself bigger if that's what you're worried about, you're both already ginormous in my heart, so how about you close that thing up for now?"

Fumbling my way through that was hard and I was glad for the sweet song of the Ministry Mares helping me spit it out, especially when Jade and Swan both lunged forward, tackling me back to the seat again and each taking a side to kiss and nuzzle together. They both sniffled and laughed together, so apparently I said something right at least... I could do without the rising growl of 'Be Dark...' trying to get a little too excited over the affection though.

Finally pulling away for breath, Jade nuzzled her sister's pink cheek and nudged her back gently, glancing down to Swan's radiation producing locket and then me with a sultry, sleepy lick of her lips. "Y-Yes, I think that is acceptable, we need not try to figure things out at the moment, so long as we know how we all feel for each other. I must insist on keeping Fast to myself on our special day however. Though I do not mind if you leave your necklace open for a bit longer... If there is more danger to come, you make a much finer 50 foot mare than the one on screen sister. As for myself, I do have a busy honeymoon night planned... we shall both need our energy Fast..."

The way she spoke in a husky whisper with pink bands flashing in her eyes sent an electric thrill through me and I nodded eagerly, earning a pounce that made me squeak under what I could swear was slightly heavier weight. Swan waited for us to come up for air again before answering, still with a note of longing, but sounding better after talking. "Okie dokie... so long as I'm important too, I'll share. When you're done with this honeymoon thing though, I want alone time too sister!"

Both of them giggled at the gulping nod I answered them with, pulling at my collar and scratching my extreeeemely itchy mane. Reassured for now, Swan went back to being totally absorbed watching the movie and gave us space, slowly stretching out longer and making the poor Highwaymare groan as she nickered and shimmied happily, cheering the destruction from giant mare on screen at wildly inappropriate times. You generally weren't supposed to root for the monster in monster movies...

We stayed with her until the backseat started feeling cramped for Jade and my pip-buck's rad meter was climbing into the red, then bade the much happier filly goodnight and fluttered off together into the night sky. We did actually manage to take time to enjoy a slow, gliding flight side by side over the sea to catch our breath, before making directly for the tattered and wispy cloud inn and the refurbished honeymoon suite.

My blushing bride giggled so much she dissolved into cute little snorts when I paused at the threshold and surrounded her in my telekinesis. I had to strain and puff, pouring magic into my horn and gritting my teeth, but I managed to lift the lovely alicorn up and over. Though I nearly lost focus seeing her curled up so cutely to fit through the portal, her forelegs held up against her chest, her wings tucked and her rump hovering inches above the cloudy carpet, her billowy tail dragging behind her, all with her fidgeting and laughing with a bright blush.

Jade and I made the time we had together count, burning off the excess energy we'd absorbed until late in the night, then just cuddling together until we fell asleep in each others hooves. Whatever came tomorrow, tonight was all that was important... We'd face the future together, no matter what it threw at us. Lying beside my softly snoring wife in the predawn hours and stroking her tummy, I knew that much.

The next morning was drizzly and gloomy, but waking up beside my new wife made it a beautiful day in my eyes. Of course the numerous ponies packing up to leave as planned didn't see it that way, but it was all sunshine and rainbows to me, my deliriously happy mood undeterred by Val's grumbles over me grinning like an idiot as we watched them head out and prepared to leave ourselves.

The serious task at hoof she reminded me of with a flick to my nose did force me to straighten up and wipe the goofy smile off my muzzle, taking a short breakfast with everyone down on the tarmac under one of the less used hangars. We would eat up in Rocketburg or in one of the Cats' garages, but Swan vividly acting out the Attack of the 50 Foot Mare for Glitter with herself in the starring role kind of made that impractical. She'd stopped short of the titular role at least, but at triple Jade's size, having her stomping around and roaring as she excitedly explained the film for the giggling foal, kiiiiind of freaked out most of the wastelanders and residents busily starting their own day.

Seeing her happy was more important than their opinion though, so I couldn't care less what anypony else thought. I thought she looked gorgeous tromping around gleefully with the tiny filly. My eyes hung on her huge curves with a fang enhanced leer around my mostly forgotten Insta-Oats, earning me a prim boop on the nose from Jade to snap me out of it. Beyond my own lewd and embarrassing thoughts I'd been so easily caught in to everyone's laughter however, I felt better about leaving Glitter with the super alicorn mare.

I still couldn't convince Jade not to come with us to University Point, no matter what I tried she was being particularly stubborn about it, but she agreed our daughter shouldn't join us, despite Glitter's vocal whines to the contrary. Under any other circumstances I'd agree with the filly and be eager to show her something like an Arcane Science Fair many of the departing wastelanders were heading to, but explaining my suspicions about the place to everyone over breakfast, we all agreed to be cautious.

Zed, Swan, Summer and Glitter were to remain behind, only me and reluctantly the adamant Jade, along with our insistent guards Val and Witchy flew on to University Point. If we were walking into some kind of elaborate trap, I wanted our daughter safely away and protected by friends I knew wouldn't let anything happen to her. Not that I didn't appreciate how much more vigilant the Arcano-Cats patrolling the ruins passing below were today, now working together with additional squads of Minutemares Cool Jets had flown back to the Castle to retrieve last night.

The closer we got to the imposing ruin of U.P. however, the more that pit in my stomach chipped away at my good mood. On the surface it looked festive and inviting, tents and booths were arrayed outside the gates to the main U shaped structure and wizard robed guards were making themselves visible to reassure the crowds. As we flew down to pass the gates and I looked up to the dark, repaired windows of the highest floors beneath the bell tower, I felt a shiver down my spine and trotted close to Jade, entering the wide courtyard marketplace now even more crowded with exhibits laid out on salvaged folding tables.

The place had a carnival atmosphere just like the Arcano-Cats races had yesterday, though it was more subdued and orderly. I followed along with Jade trotting regally through the crowd, heading towards the Meadowbrook's Medicines sign hanging above Mrs. Pestle's potion shop. Jade smiled and waved without concern to all the educated ponies making way for the big alicorn, while I viewed anycreature nearby with suspicion rivaling Val and Witchy keeping a wary guard up.

"Here we are. I will go speak with Mrs. Pestle and clear all this up I am sure Fast, we will inquire about the Dragon Molt Castings at any rate. I am sure Witching will be sufficient to protect me from one elderly mare and her apprentice. If you are... f-feeling well, perhaps you would like to look around a moment?" Jade stopped and tilted my frowning face away from scanning the crowd, raising a wing to Cid's cybernetics next door and the two fillies proudly displaying something interesting by the crowd anyway.

I huffed back at her sweet tone, not missing her reticent inquiry about my health. My pouting only tore her attention away from an admittedly fascinating gadget set up on a table outside the potion shop however, not dissuading her at all. It looked like a cross between one of Jamocha Plains' fancy coffee makers and a chemical lab, the tubes and glass fishbowl with a funnel on top containing a gallon of glowing healing potion. Even I had to agree with Jade's fascinated gasp at the brightly glowing purple liquid that chugged out of the dispenser spout sticking out at the bottom. A much brighter and more vibrant super healing potion slowly filling the small crystal container.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, just... A-Alright... just don't take long Jade. Remember, nopony can be trusted completely, they might be a synth so be careful. I'll just... be right out here..." I muttered back, slowly losing focus when I saw Val go bounding off with a squawk towards a very strange looking Ponitron nearby.

Jade giggled at my curious stare, tutting softly as she pranced off with Witchy right behind her. "Go! Enjoy yourself dear, we cannot allow paranoia to ruin everything. This is something you should be enjoying more than any of us! I wish for you to... to be yourself and do so without reservation. Please..."

I wasn't going to let my guard down, no matter what she said... While I didn't like the careful way she was speaking around our shared fears about my sanity, I did have to admit once she was gone, all this was very, veeeery tempting... There were so many beeps and clicks of a wonderland of arcano-tech right in front of me, sparks of complicated spells shooting off into the air, strange and exotic smells from bubbling potions being demonstrated.... A little looking wouldn't hurt... it was investigating, yeah.... that's the ticket. Not giddily gaping like a colt in a candy store.

Starting out by finding where Val was dancing on her paws, I joined her and cast a curious look over the awkwardly clomping Ponitron hissing and gurgling at the exhibit that captured her attention. It was difficult to identify the thing as a Ponitron actually, except for the round jointed, stubby legs it waddled around on in its roped off pen. It was even slower and clumsier than a normal one, severely off balanced by the rotund barrel of a body festooned with gauges and hissing steam valves that sloshed when it moved. The glass dome of a head had been replaced by what looked like a miniature Sparkle Cola vending machine bolted onto the chest.

"Brewing Buddy?" I stared and read out the crudely painted red words that tried to mimic old world advertising logos on the spray painted yellow body of the thing.

Still trying to figure it out and just starting to place the scent of beer that must be what had her excited, I found myself grabbed and roughly shook in Val's claws, shoved towards the student giving the demonstration. "Oh my gawd! Lookit boss! It brews beer! Like, on demand!"

"That's right folks, the Brewing Buddy is the best buddy you could have! Who wants 200 year old stale ale, when you can have fresh, micro-brewed artisan beer on tap! Brewing Buddy just needs water and ingredients on hoof, then with the push of a button..." The grease stained copper earth pony stallion running the show took Val's gleeful squawking as an intro for his spiel, calling out to the crowd half drawn by the loud griffon and pushing a button on the front of his robot with a flourish.

I flinched back at the result, the robot hissed louder and shook, a rising tea-kettle whistle pinning my ears back as it shuddered and clanked in place, building to a crescendo that ended with a loud 'DING!' and a brown bottle popping out into the waiting slot on its chest.

Val dove in and snatched it up before the student could even wave her forward, popping the top and chugging it on the spot, she gasped and wiped foam from her grinning beak before polishing it all off, shoving it in my muzzle to finish as she cheered. "Good ain't it boss? How come you ain't never tinkered together anything useful like this for me, huh? I want one!"

The student who came up with this entry wasn't just good with robotics, he displayed a salespony's flair with a toss of his red mane and smile to Val and the crowd. "And well you should my good griffon! Everycreature should have a buddy like the Brewing Buddy! He even tells jokes!"

"Two seaponies swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says, "Dam." On cue, the warbling synthetic voice of the robot lit up the panels on the front of its strange, vending machine face, getting a surprised blink out of Val before she cackled laughter.

"That's right, the Brewing Buddy is your drinking pal. Better than a water purifier, beer won't be fouled by bacteria, making him perfect for small wasteland communities. Of course I plan to win the fair with such a marvelous machine, but I've got tuition to pay, so I'm taking orders and blueprints are available on holotape right here for the low price of..." The student presenting his creation continued his pitch, not even getting to the price before Val lunged at him, already digging out her jingling bag containing most of our caps.

"Sold! You should totally win first prize for this pal! I gots ta have one!" Val shook the poor buck's hoof hard enough to jitter him across the ground, shoving him back to his table and the small stack of orange holotapes I saw there.

She was only stopped by a sudden 'Bang!' from the robot, drawing all our attention to the hiss and bubbling noise that followed. My eyes widened as it looked like the Brewing Buddy was foaming at the mouth and gurgling its death throes, sparking and shuddering as more foam spewed out from the seams and its creator rushed over in a panic. "No, no, no! Not the gaskets again! You're killin' me here Buddy!"

"Bzzzzt! I was ban-ban-banned from the skyport last week. Apparently securityyyyyyy doesn't like it when you call shotgun and jump on the ba-back of the pegasus pilot... zzzrtt!" The fizzling robot stuttered and kept spewing like a volcano, getting Val to take a wary step back with me, though not before snatching one of the holotapes while its inventor was distracted.

Raising an eyebrow at her crestfallen but still hopeful look, I slotted the schematics in and looked them over while the student banged and wrenched at the Brewing Buddy frantically, sighing to Val's anxiously her rubbing claws like it was her best friend on the operating table and I was a healer as skilled as Jade. After a minute, I cleared my throat and tapped the poor buck's slumping shoulder as his crowd dispersed, rubbing at my scruffy chin thoughtfully.

"Gaskets huh? It's probably heat from this flash fermentation tank. If you move the heat exchangers down to the bottling assembly, it should fix it and make the bottles ice cold... Er... just a suggestion..."

The copper stallion's head shot up, spinning back to me and blinking at the holotape in my pip-buck with a manic smile nearly matching Val's grin. "Heat exchangers... Hey yeah! Of course! Why didn't I see it before! It'll take a little redesign, new parts.. but if I move the secondary spark junction and.... Thanks a lot pal, you're not the total asshole May says you are Shroud!"

"May? Ah... you're one of the Rust Devils, aren't you?"

Outside of their robot casing armor, it was harder to spot one of the mechanically minded raiders and I felt odd offering my help now, the grease stained and scarred buck returning to his creation cheerily confirming my guess. "Yup, and our leader is severely pissed at you, Shrouded Stallion, but I guess you're ok after all. Besides, I just joined up to work with the robots, I do got other plans once I pay May back for the education here she's springing for."

"Really? May Flowers pays for you to go to school here? And you came up with this all by yourself?"

Flashing a sheepish grin, the buck shrugged with his reply and stood, holding a friendly enough hoof out. "Ehhh... ok, so maybe some prewar pony in a taphouse we salvaged thought it up, I'm the one that kept the other Rust Devils from turning it into scrap and finished it. Got a good deal on a load of parts from those weird soda robots from Sparkle World from a caravan here and hoped I had it licked before the fair. May pays to send us what show potential to school and I got big plans, Buddy's my ticket to paying her off and being a self made buck. Name's Strange Brew, glad to meet ya, even if May wants ya dead! Thanks for the help! Take those blueprints free of charge, just lemme know if you come up with any other improvements!"

Well, that kept Val from trying to buy the display model from the younger stallion anyway, getting her to move on and ruffle my mane proudly, already smacking her beak at all the beer she expected from her personal robot slave in the near future. It also made me feel conflicted about the Rust Devils and wonder how they fit in around here. After seeing their robot races and how they killed ponies for entertainment, I didn't think they were anything but smarter raiders. Seeing one here and remembering the mare Tin Snips who boasted of being a U.P. graduate too, I had to think twice.

Where else would mechanically inclined wastelanders be able to go to learn what were rare and valuable skills if they didn't have many options? May Flowers might just be a raider queen and a bitch, but if she paid to send her more promising minions here, even if the debt kept them tied to her afterwards, she was improving their lives and fostering education like Jade would want, wasn't she?

Of course if University Point wasn't charging so much to teach those skills, ponies like Strange Brew might not have to sign up with groups who could afford to pay like the Rust Devils, the Gunners, or any number of wannabe wasteland despots. A community would have to save up to send one of their own out to learn and hope they'd come back to use their education to help their home, while richer gangs and factions could pay and enforce a kind of indentured servitude, if not outright slavery...

Jade dreamed of her Followers providing this kind of betterment to everycreature for free, while University Point had built an industry out of it that spread far beyond their borders. Given all the tech laying around in the Commonwealth, the things that could be learned here were as much a weapon as any gun.

Looking up in thought as I mulled it over, my eyes were drawn to a flash of green up in the cloudy third floor windows of the school building, just catching a bespectacled face peering down at us disappearing behind the ratty blinds. My slow trot sped up to a gallop toward the nearest doors, forcing Val to speed up behind me with a surprised squawk.

I managed to pause at the doors, turning back to her and darting my eyes at the crowd milling around nearby, waiting for an opportune moment to slip inside impatiently. "Val, go find Jade and tell her I'll be right back, ok? Help keep her safe for me, I'll be fine on my own for a second."

"Hey! Don't like this boss! Where's the fire shorty!" Val screeched after me when I ducked inside, but obediently remained behind with a dissatisfied frown, forcing me to call back to her as I dashed down the halls.

"I think I saw somepony I know...."

Sneaking my way up to the third floor of University Point's main building was surprisingly difficult. Numerous wizard robed guards patrolled the musty hallways and stairwells, casting spells that let them equal my own Eyes Forward Sparkle helping me barely stay out of sight of them.

I had to duck into several classrooms to evade them all, slowly getting a better idea what all the security was about. There were rooms containing crates of gems from Whinny Quarries in the process of being cut and enchanted into talismans, a room full of magical energy weapons being broken down and rebuilt, while another was covered in runes and spell formulae apparently meant for enchantment.

Since I was being sneaky anyway, I didn't feel too bad about playing at being a shadowy little thief while I was at it, scooping up anything interesting on my explorations. I snagged a few weapon mods I could use on Val's magical energy weapon, a couple of spell talismans that were harder to find and might be useful, along with a lot of books lying around that looked old and valuable.

Hayhoof's Intonements and a copy of Applied Gemstones joined an interesting M.A.S. and M.O.I. labeled magazine called The Starswirl Journal of Spell Research, a dry and tightly packed production full of reader submitted research papers and newly Ministry of Arcane Science approved spells.

Part of me enjoyed being rebellious and stealing from the stuffy ponies unaware I was slipping through their security, but loot wasn't what I was after, just a bonus. The real goal was one of the most well guarded rooms, the heavily armed and armored sentinels outside the door forcing me to sneak into a neighboring room and hope for a way to bypass them.

To my surprise, even the nearby room was secured by a terminal lock of high difficulty, requiring several rushed attempts to hack. Apparently what was in here was just as important as the room I wanted, but they figured they fancy lock was as good as living guards. When I finally defeated it and scrambled inside cursing the too loud 'beep!' of confirmation, I swiftly shut the door behind me and then froze, gaping at the odd chamber.

It was somewhat like the enchanting rooms, though even more complex. The windows were boarded up securely, the shutters painted over in swirling loops and runes of incredibly complicated spell formulae. The room practically thrummed with power, the ambient mana in the air focused and following the arching lines of runes, making them barely pulse with light that led towards the center of the chamber in ripples of magical power concentrated on the altar there.

I made sure to take several pictures with my pip-buck for Jade as I cautiously trotted in, approaching the altar and frowning worriedly. She'd know better since I'd never seen one or read much about them, but my remedial magical education let me make a guess at the purpose of a spell array like this... Megaspells... They were researching Megaspells...

Shaking off the shiver that ran down my tail at the thought of fooling around with the magic that ended the world, I spotted another terminal secured door past the blackboard full of sloppy chalk drawn spell matrices and headed for it, glad to find a path to my goal at least.

Once through the steel security door, I pushed it open warily, peeking into the next room and finding who my nose had been confirming I'd find. He was dressed in a school sweater and dress shirt instead of his leather jacket, and his mane had been combed into a severe part instead of the greased back ducktail he'd worn before, but that was him alright...

"Hello Scopes..."

His back was to me, trotting about the room full of power armor parts and exploded diagrams of different models. He flinched at my voice calling out softly, but didn't yell for help or raise a racket otherwise, instead slumping and turning around to face me slowly.

Scopes' eyes were bloodshot behind his thick glasses and his face was a miserable mask when they met mine, his voice a quiet croak in the silence. "Fast... H-Hey..."

Well, he wasn't freaking out or attacking anyway, that was something in his favor. It was enough to beat back the snarl of; 'Betrayer!...Punish!...Let me!' that rose up in my head at least, rubbing between my eyes and approaching the former Arcano-Cat slowly.

"I thought I saw you peeking down at us, it wasn't easy to find you though Scopes. Sooooo.... have anything to say for yourself?"

He must have caught the dangerous purr to my voice at the end there, wincing as I felt my magic lightly tracing Deliverer in my packs. The guards wouldn't hear the silent weapon... I could just '...kill...' him and slip back out... '...Punish...' him for his '...betrayal...'

The tempting thoughts were snuffed out by his sad croak, Scopes hung his head and trotted closer, sniffling as he spoke desperately. "The others... t-the guys.... a-are they ok? I... I think I did something... I heard... Please tell me they're ok Fast, is Roxie... did I..."

'Want... Punish... Kill... Betrayer... Let me...'

No! Shut up dammit! You heard him, it's not his fault! I hissed in pain and clenched my eyes shut in an internal battle for a moment, managing to subdue the sleepy grumble calling for blood and look back to the poor buck. Just his hurt and needy question was enough to know, he was afraid for his friends first, not what I might do to him.

"They're alright Scopes... all of them. Roxie... Roxie was really worried about you, they all were. Can you tell me what happened? I found some things... in your room, in the garage... What do you remember?"

Trying to sound soothing was difficult while fighting with the much less sympathetic voice of 'Be Dark...' in my head, but I must have managed it well enough. Scopes gave a shaky sigh and held his head in his hooves, whimpering a reply. "I don't know! I just... I kept blacking out and... and doing things... But I couldn't say anything! I thought I was going crazy! I... All that happened at the races and I knew... it was all my fault! I wanted to help, but I just... I just ran... back home even! Why!? Why would I come back here!? Help them with... all this..."

I took the welcome invitation of his sweeping hoof to look away from the crying stallion, shuffling uncomfortably at his clear misery and awkwardly coming close enough to raise a wing in a ginger hug as I looked around. It was all power armor related junk up here, explaining why the stuck they experienced mechanic in the guarded room. Some of it was quite interesting actually...

Scopes' lime green T-55 was in a corner against the wall, held up in its yellow workstation and backed by a sandbag barrier with a spray painted target on it. A backstop for bullets that had perforated it in several places, I glanced over to a counter full of guns and rusty green ammo tins full of dimly glowing bullets across the room and tilted my head curiously. Several slow pans of my head back and forth told the story, but I still didn't get it. They shot at the target from there... hit the target behind the power armor... Did they move it out of the way for target practice or something? There was no way to make some of the holes leaking sand to the tiled floor with the bulky suit standing in the way...

"Scopes... This might be hard to accept, but I want you to listen. I think you may be a synth..."

The short, harsh bark of laughter he gave wasn't quite what I expected, his brown eyes grew a little crazed when he mastered it and hissed back furiously. "You think so!? Really!? No shit Sherlock! You think maybe that's why I have to do whatever that old bitch orders me to like a good little colt again!?"

"Old bitch? Look, I'm not trying to make you feel worse or act like you're stupid here Scopes. I've met other synths that didn't know what they were and was just trying to break it to you easy I guess... What I mean is whatever you did... it's not your fault, ok? You didn't have a choice, they made you do it, like a slave... That's probably not very comforting either, but the Arcano-Cats will understand. Jade's with me and I have to get back, but we'll get you out and back to them, explain everything... What can you tell me about what's going on here first though? Why they made you... what University Point is up to. All this..."

Taking off his glasses to wipe the tears from his eyes, Scopes pulled himself together and shuddered. "The Princess pussycat? You both need to beat it Fast! U.P. is... I thought they were just stuffy and stuck up, but the things they're doing up here, the Dean... It's dangerous! You have to..."

A noise at the door perked both our ears and interrupted Scopes, drawing our attention to the shadows beneath the heavy door out to the hall moving about. Scopes gave a frantic shove and pushed me down behind the heavily laden countertops and desks full of parts filling the room, cantering away and standing straight for the elderly mare entering the room, rudely swatting at the guards outside.

She was the one from the picture in Scopes' room... His grandmother Grade Point, a member of the Board of Education by her rich maroon robes and the mortar board hat on her grey mane. She wore a pair of cat eye glasses on her muzzle, a teal that complimented the faded grey-green of her coat and trotted in stiffly, stopping at Scopes standing at attention before her with a satisfied smirk.

"Making progress Grandson? This department will become a good deal busier soon with all the acquisitions, so all your wasted time working on these suits will actually prove useful. Aren't you proud to have your head out of the clouds and back to the grindstone? Working for the betterment of your home and the education of the ignorant masses?" The elderly mare stuck her nose up and huffed, idly lifting and setting down power armor components in her teal magic. She raised a thin grey eyebrow at Scopes clamping his lips shut and scowling, continuing in a prim and superior tone. "Well? Would you kindly tell me how happy you are Apt? How much better off you being are home again?"

Scopes grit his teeth and fought, but eventually choked out an answer dripping with venom and hate for every syllable that fell out of his mouth. "Yes... Granny... Point... Very happy..."

Hiding behind a battered counter, I winced at a sharp stab of pain between my eyes, stuffing a hoof in my muzzle to chew on and remain silent as their exchange sunk in. She knew... She knew her grandson was a synth... She had to! That bitch knew and was enjoying it... She was forcing him to do as she wished with a snide smirk,

'Want!... Punish!... Out!... Slavery!... Kill!'

No, not now! Come on! It's daytime! Go back to sleep! I clenched my eyes and bashed at my head silently, fighting a losing battle with Grade Point trotting about the room and continuing in that haughty tone that was driving a spike right in my skull with every word. "Very good Apt! You'll see, soon you'll forget all about those hooligans and help bring a new dawn to Equestria! You'll take my place on the board someday grandson, be a very important pony, find a proper mare worthy of your standing and make lots of little great grandfoals! Won't that be nice? All this unpleasant rebelliousness will be behind us soon enough thanks to the Dean. You can even go enjoy the Arcane Science Fair if you like, I believe the judging will be starting soon. Would you kindly clean up here, then go enjoy yourself below."

"Greetings Evildoer...."

The Shroud's voice oozed out of my muzzle when she finished her simpering coo to her captive grandson, finally pushing me too far. I could feel myself losing control, but was so angry I just stopped fighting it. She knew... She knew and treated Scopes like a slave, forced him to betray his friends, shoved him into the life she wanted for him and took away his choice in the matter...

The bare bulbs of the gem lights in the ceiling fizzled out one after another, shrouding the room in shadows I felt myself flitting between like a fish leaping from one pool to another. My magic reached out and slid one heavy desk across the floor to smash into the door out before Grade Point could make a dash for it.

"Thou has made a devil's bargain... enslaved thine own flesh and blood... Thou hath invoked Luna's wrath for thine crimes evil shrew, now thou faces punishment from the Shrouded Stallion..."

"W-What!? Who? W-Who's there!? Come out this minute and..." Grade Point nearly ran into the desk that blocked off her escape, turning to press her back against the barrier and shout to the room blindly.

Her panicked yelps alerted the guards who started trying to enter, but more junk flung that way blocked them off and made her scamper away to my satisfaction. Before she recovered from the frantic dodge, I pounced out of the shadows and pinned her, my fangs curled out in a snarl as I held her terrified gaze with my glowing red one and hissed at her.

"Your own grandson... You let them replace your own fucking grandson with a synth, just because you didn't like his choices!? You wanted an obedient freaking robot instead of your own family!? How could you, you evil bitch!?"

"I... I don't know what you're talking about! My neer do well grandson finally came to his senses and returned home, where he has a future! I'll not be insulted by some mutant monster and..." For an old mare, Grade Point bucked and fought pretty hard under me, shouting out to the shudders and slams against the barricaded door.

She silenced when the glimmering star metal blade of Best Served floated up and stroked her cheek however, her faded yellow eyes shrinking to pinpricks as I growled back. "Lies... Those that would wag their tongues with lies deserve not such a tasty morsel... Tell me another and I shall remove it..."

It wasn't me speaking... I wasn't slowly tracing the tip of my knife down her muzzle either, leaving thin trails of blood that made me drool disturbingly. The Shroud was effective at interrogation though... I had to admit that. My voice was rising and falling in that odd cadence again, the dots of Grade Point's eyes behind her glasses glazed over and looked lost, eventually answering in a fearful and quiet whisper.

"The Dean... he said.... said he would be better than before... respectful... obedient... It's still him, just improved... It's better this way... The way life should be..." The truth was as infuriating as her lies, stoking the fire in my head brighter as her dreamy gaze drifted over to Scopes watching in stunned confusion.

'WANT! PUNISH! NOW!'

No, don't!

I had time for an internal yelp when Best Served suddenly flicked up, the point hovering above the old mare's horn. I idly heard the barricaded door being forced open by determined guards and my ears flicked at the entrance I took opening behind me, but those things only took focus away from my thin hold over the floating weapon, giving 'Be Dark...' all the opportunity it needed.

THUNK!

The star metal blade skewered the old mare's wrinkled face in one fast movement, then came down in a ripping arc towards her chest I was still straddling, forcing me to prance back from my own weapon. I fell back to my haunches in revulsion as the faithful knife split the old bitch right down the middle, spraying me in gore and leaving me sickened when the satisfied nicker in my head backed off again.

No... I didn't want to do that dammit! Why did you...

'Slavery... Punish... Betrayer...'

I felt weak and my head was pounding, even the worried cry of 'Be Unwavering!' and 'Be Strong!' helping me stagger away couldn't help me enough to keep from puking near the spreading puddle of blood. The soothing and positive 'Be Kind...' sang loud and pure, joining the other Ministry Mares in locking the Shroud up again as I panted and recognized the shouts and loud hoofsteps outside.

"Fast... you... y-you killed her..." Scopes' hoarse whisper was hard to make out under all the other noise I had just realized was going on all around us, but it gave me something to focus on.

I weakly stood and faced the synth unicorn, shaking on my hooves and hiding my eyes behind the brim of my hat. "I'm... I'm sorry Scopes... She was a bitch, but I didn't mean to... Fuck... Look, whatever else happens, you have to get out of here. There are ponies that can help synths like you, you don't have to be a slave here, you can escape and be free. Just... Follow the Rainbow Trail... That's all I can tell you, but please... let some good come out of... t-this..."

"Subject 111-3-42, you have committed a crime against a member of the Board of Education. You will come with me..." A hard, emotionless voice cut off any reply the stunned Scopes could have come up with, forcing me to turn to the source behind me wearily.

It was a mustard yellow unicorn stallion, his rusty red and gold mane slicked back. The uniform he wore identified as something other than one of U.P.'s guards however, the black leather trenchcoat and blank sunglasses of a Courser... Surprisingly, he wasn't going for any of the weapons I spotted holstered under his coat or strapped to his flanks, instead just placidly standing at the door to the spell research room it had taken to get here before the guards wailing at the blood they could now see through their widening gap at the door.

"What if I say NO?"

I winced at 'Be Dark...' rising up again at the provocation a Courser offered, struggling to stay in control and not turn this into even more of a fiasco. The Courser's answer was still flat and emotionless, but no less menacing for that. "You will come. The Dean has requested your presence at the Arcane Science Fair, he is awaiting you with the Princess..."

Jade...

'...Princess... Mine...'

"A-Alright... Alright I'm coming, no trouble..."

My head still hurt, but the Shroud stopped fighting for control and decided to behave. The implied threat to my wife enough to get some cooperation anyway. I pawed at the blood coating me with bile rising in my throat, giving a weak nod to the Courser and following its lead back the way it came.

It paused to glare at the guards at the door and speak gruffly. "Situation resolved. Return to your posts. Cleanup will be carried out shortly. Say nothing."

I caught the gulp both heavily armed guards gave, the door creaking shut again without a word. They knew who was in charge around here too... With my head hung and ears drooping as I trudged after the Courser, I turned one last look back to Scopes standing beside his Grandmother's corpse. He had a conflicted expression and looked a little queasy too, but he gave a weak nod when I tipped my hat before disappearing from view.

I hoped he'd find the freedom he had sought with the Arcano-Cats again somehow, that the Railroad could help him... but I had bigger concerns at the moment and did all I could, as disgusting and horrible as it had been.

Now I had to face the mysterious Dean and protect Jade...

Coming back out to the courtyard packed with ponies attending the Arcane Science Fair with a Courser leading the way was surreal, the entire happy gathering taking on a more ominous feeling as the crowd simply parted around us. I caught several wary glances and parents shooing their foals out of the blank faced synth's path, along with a lot of whispers and sad, anxious looks back to me trudging along in the rear. I was still coated in blood, yet not raising a fuss with the presence of my escort answering any questions all the gore would normally bring.

My heart was pounding and seemed to climb up in my throat when I saw Jade up ahead, her cloudy mane and disdainful frown as she spoke head and shoulders above the crowd around her easy to make out. Her uneasy blue eyes widened when she spotted me coming closer, flicking down to my armor and growing concerned as she pushed past the robed and mortar board hat wearing pony she was speaking with, the Dean...

"Fast! A-Are you injured!? What happened!? Valkyrie said you went inside and... and then we were met by our host..." Jade plowed a path through anypony unfortunate enough to still be in her way between us, her pale blue magic swirling around me looking for injuries and not finding any.

The stallion she waved a wing towards behind her was still standing beside Val and Witchy, chatting for a moment with the Courser trotting up and snapping off a salute after a terse report. The synth killer then wandered off, melting into the crowd while its master turned our way.

He was wearing a smarmy smirk under his stupid hat, blowing aside the fancier tassel than others I had seen and giving a bow when I stalked up with Jade still fretting beside me. His rich maroon robes were also more ornate and better tended than other professors and members of the Board of Education that ran University Point, but still just a mended and weathered wasteland disguise.

The sharp blue suit and lab coat collar I spotted under the corroded and bent medallion at his chest made the robes look like rags in comparison, his horn rimmed glasses floating down to be polished on them probably came out dirtier than they started when he placed them back on his pale muzzle opening to speak. "Subject 111-3... Ah, my apologies... You don't like that designation, you told me that. Forgive me, my mind is still a little... foggy here and there. Fast Times, that was it, a pleasure to see you again."

"Klein... I figured it had to be you..."

Jade pranced to stand at my side and stamp her hoof down, sticking her nose up and looming above the rich brown unicorn, backing up my snarl from below. Neither of our reactions seemed to bother him, his smirk only growing wider as Jade huffed at him. "Professor Klein... I wish I could say it is a pleasure as well, but it most assuredly is not."

Underlining Jade's point, Val's 12mm pistol was pressed to the back of Klein's head with a click and menacing drawl from the scowling mercenary. "Fuuuuuck this shit boss. Want me ta ventilate this asshole? It's the one that screwed with ya down in that Gunner Stable, ain't it? Let's waste him an' get the fuck outta dodge."

Witchy's power armor hummed as she took Klein's other side, keeping her silver combat rifle trained on the Courser passively watching some distance away and squeaking in distress. "Y-Your highness, Valkyrie is right, we must get you away from this vile trap immediately!"

Looking between all the guns pointed his way, Klein gave an unconcerned shrug and rolled his eyes to the crowd milling around us, several murmuring quietly at the possibility of impending violence, but nopony raising an alarm. "That would be a mistake, unless you want this body to self destruct in the midst of all these people. There's no trap, no deception, I merely wish to talk. We're all reasonable ponies here, if I wished you harm, I'm sure you understand how easily that could have already happened..."

Jade arched an eyebrow down at the evil bastard, holding a hoof up to Val and Witchy for peace, before hesitantly extending the slender limb out to Klein with a sniff of distaste. "There is no need for violence. You are being rather bold in seeing us like this, so I assume you have something to say Professor."

"Princess Jade... The pleasure will just have to be all mine then. I must say, you are an impressive specimen my dear, just as the reports say, a calm and clear mind I can appreciate. I knew this would go better with your presence your highness. Much more reasonable than your husband, though that's not entirely his fault, is it?"

'Want... Punish... Murderer...'

Jade didn't give away much, but I heard her sharp inhalation at Klein's probing, her worried blue eyes flicking down to me wincing in pain, then growing determined when she wheeled on the curiously observing Klein. "Y-Yes... well, since you brought it up. Whatever you may wish to say is not as important to me as that. As I was saying before he joined us, I wish to know everything the Institute does concerning his condition and any potential treatment. While I am willing to hear you out peacefully and will do... whatever is required for the information... I am uninterested in anything else before that, s-so... so do what you will."

"W-What!? Jade! You can't..."

I yelped in surprise and goggled up to Jade, the furious voice of 'Be Dark...' shorted out as I took in her stubborn huff and worried glance to me. She knew how dangerous Klein was, she'd run into his younger synth self and I'd told her everything about my other interactions with the Director of Advanced Systems and probable leader of the Institute. I suddenly realized she wasn't being naive or stubbornly optimistic coming here against my concerns. She believed me when I told her Klein might be here at the heart of this Institute Director's territory. Jade came here hoping for this outcome... A chance to deal with the head of the snake personally... for me... 'Be Kind...'

Klein immediately reached under his robes in response to her firm but hopeful demand, getting a warning squawk from Val he ignored entirely. It only took him a moment to fish out not a gun, but a clean and new looking orange holotape he hoofed over to Jade with a bow. "Of course. Here you are, I anticipated that request and had everything we retained on Project Knightfall loaded up for you. I will caution it will most likely not be of much use in developing a treatment however. Mobius absconded with most of the data and it was his project, which he was most secretive about in the end... Now I see why however, truly fascinating, you managed something we could not Mr. Times. You tamed the Shroud..."

'WANT! KILL! PUNISH! MURDERER! LET ME!!'

One eye squinted shut at the stab of pain behind it meeting Klein's clinical and curious look as Jade snatched the holotape away, my voice was a sarcastic and annoyed hiss. "Tamed!?! You think this is TAMED!? I just killed the rotten bitch you replaced a grandson for! I should..."

'KILL! KILL! KILL! NOW! WANT! LET ME OUT! NOW! KILL!'

I whimpered and held my head in my hooves at the straining roar trying to take over again, barely feeling Jade's wing curling around me protectively and her worried nuzzle coming with a gasp at the confession snarling out of my mouth. Klein replying with a chuckle sank in however, his interested voice like a slap to the face. "Do you hear it? Is it whispering to you right now?"

"W-Wha..."

"The Shrouded Stallion of course. All the studies of anypony who fell under the creature's influence agreed on that experience. That it spoke to them, tempted them... Perhaps 'tamed' was a poor choice of words, but it really is quite unprecedented you've not succumbed to the spirit already. I'd be delighted to study the phenomenon and seek an answer with you Princess, but if not take that data with my blessings. If you'd be interested in hearing me out however, let's take in the fair and discuss it amicably." Klein continued in his smarmy tone and waved out to the Arcane Science Fair invitingly, pausing as he trotted closer to light his horn in a spell that instantly wicked away the blood and gore still clinging to my coat.

He took a few more steps before turning back and waiting for us to join him, looking up to Jade biting her lip and shifting on her hooves uncertainly along with me. She gave me a hopeful shrug and warily stroked my back, whispering in my ear anxiously. "Fast... I believe we should hear him out..."

"He's KLEIN! The head of all those crazy assholes! I know he sounds rational now, but you saw that school of his Jade! He's insane! You can't trust anything he says!"

Jade flinched from my shouting tantrum, but her eyes softened at me snorting breath from my nostrils and she gave a determined sigh as she tried to soothe me. "I know Fast. I do not trust him, nor do I like him. He is willing to speak however, not something the Institute has really engaged in before. If... I-If he has answers that can help you, I will do whatever I must to help my husband. Please..."

"But he's...!"

"I assure you, this is a peaceful and fair meeting. We're outside and in public, the open skies above allow you to take your leave whenever you like. My Courser guardian will not try to stop you. I've taken pains to make this as palatable as possible. As a token of good faith, I've even returned what subjects I still retain from Shifts 1 and 2 from your Stable Mr. Times, teleported right back where they belong already." Klein sat on his haunches and held his forelegs up in a gesture of surrender, his magnanimous attitude nearly making me too angry to really process what he said.

"You... Y-You just gave them back? Just like that? Y-Yeah, right... sure you did..."

"Just like that. It's not all 200 of them of course, and those are the only two Shifts I have direct control over, but it's a start. Come now Mr. Times, after so long scraping for answers, do you really not wish to have them hoofed over so easily? Take in the fair with me at the very least, I'm quite proud of it." Klein gave a false smile that made my tail bristle, sounding sane and reasonable, while I looked like a ranting madpony.

'...Want...'

"Fine... talk. We'll listen, but that's it asshole."

That stupid, gleaming smile he flashed as he held a gentlecoltly hoof out to Jade to join him just made fighting the desire to shoot the bastard harder. When he actually touched her perfect blue leg and led her along the winding rows of displays and tents, a sharp, jealous pang made me stagger to catch up. I swatted his slimy touch aside with a possessive growl, prowling along between the two of them and grumbling along with Val and Witchy following behind us, into Klein's Arcane Science Fair still busily going on around us.

To my growing frustration, Klein actually wanted to go tour his little attraction, his pompous presence draining whatever enjoyment I might have gotten out of the gadgets, potions and spells on display. Stewing on it as he hummed and poked at an interesting arcano-tech treasure detector made by a scavver attending University Point, I idly listened to the older student nervously explaining his project and tried to hold my temper.

Klein inspected the odd gadget and asked questions I'd normally want to, poking at the bulky box the grizzly looking light grey unicorn wore on his back made of scrapped terminals and a mish mash of parts. A harness held a round metal disc festooned with wires and gems at the end of a boom in front of his chest, clearly showing the metal detector this thing started life as. It really was much better than that however, the student developed a spell matrix with the same kind of divination spells my pip-buck possessed to determine the value of things in my inventory, using it to search the ruins not for metal, which was pretty much everywhere, but things meeting the pip-buck's mysterious definition of 'valuable' in terms of worth in caps instead.

Thinking over what a clever idea it was and tipping my hat in admiration to the student as we moved on behind Klein dismissing him, I was struck with a sudden thought that I blurted out with most of my self control already overtaxed. "This is for ideas, isn't it? You don't have your idea pony anymore, so you do this instead..."

I was satisfied to see Klein misstep and give a distasteful snort, his tone much less pleasant than before. "Mobius... Yes Mr. Times, very astute of you. Even in the past, I admit I relied on his rather manic and flighty imagination to develop practical ideas. This is more than to address that loss of ...inspiration... however. We are able to scout out promising talent to join us, while at the same time encouraging education and innovation in the wasteland, surely something you agree with Princess?"

Jade was forced to agree with his reasonable sounding question hesitantly, though she still sniffed and stuck her nose up in a huff. "I imagine you are already aware how I would answer Professor Klein, most everycreature in the Commonwealth knows how passionate I am about education and betterment of the wasteland, and they are not nearly so well informed about us as you are. Answer my husband... Tell us about Professor Mobius."

Klein's eyelid twitched almost imperceptibly at Grandpa's false name, though he put on his fake smile again and nodded briskly. "Very well, he is a shared enemy I planned on discussing anyway. Mobius was brilliant, eccentric and difficult to manage, but a true genius. He's utterly mad now however, we're still recovering from his betrayal to this day. When I think of decades he wasted... the restoration of Equestria he delayed... the way he imprisoned and tortured us..."

"So, you have been trapped here. I would not normally wish imprisonment on any creature, but I must wonder if yours was well deserved... What do you mean by torture though? Nothing we have gathered on... P-Professor Mobius led us to believe he was... m-malicious" Jade arched an eyebrow at Klein in reply, carefully prancing around the subject of my Grandpa Fin and the question of him being good or evil without knowing if Klein was aware we were related.

"I wanna know that too. What the hell happened? How'd he lock you up behind the barrier? Why haven't you done... much of anything really? For 200 years you've just been keeping to yourselves, but from everything we've found out, that changed when the sun came back. Why? What's it got to do with Mobius?"

"Everything! Everything is Mobius' fault!" Klein surprised me by letting his mask slip, the madness behind peeking out with his crazed shout, before he caught himself and straightened his tasseled hat again, continuing calmly. "Forgive me if I struggle with my own anger where Mobius is concerned, another thing we share Mr. Times. Since I used to be an educator here, perhaps a little history lesson is in order, if you'd indulge me your highness. Has your husband told you about our true forms? I understand he met Dala..."

I had explained everything about my time under Doctor Dala's 'care' in excruciating detail while Jade had been working herself to the bone trying to save me then too, so she nodded and gave a concise and clinical reply. "You use technology similar to that found in Brainbots to preserve your biological brains in a robotic life support system, which is further connected to all your synth creations in a network like that of Unity."

"Yeah, boss said you fuckers are nothin' but brains in jars, how come you didn't show us a nice juicy target like that if'n you wanted ta talk all face ta face like..." Val sneered, getting a tired eye roll from Klein.

"Griffon students... always a hoofull. Putting aside your veiled threat, you get the basic principle. It was an idea put forward by Mobius himself, who developed our main physical bodies. We never would have thought the madpony would use his knowledge to... to hack us... but he went quite insane when he betrayed us." I could somewhat sympathize since I was sure Grandpa had screwed around with my head too, but covering up memories was a lot different than what Klein seemed to be describing in reply.

"H-Hacked!? He hacked your freaking brains!? Like a terminal!?"

Nodding to my flabbergasted yelp, Klein tapped his head with a hoof and elaborated for the confused looking Jade puzzling between us. "Indeed, though an order of magnitude more difficult than some Stable-Tec terminal, thank you very much. We were trapped by our own circular thoughts Princess, reinforced by the unchanging nature of the cloud covered wasteland. We believed the world had ended, that nothing existed outside of our prison, defined by the barrier around the Commonwealth that keeps others out."

"We might have continued that way indefinitely... Never knowing how Equestria suffered beyond our prison. As Mr. Times surmised, it wasn't until a drastic change to the status quo that I was able to break free of his recursive programming. When the sun returned, so too did a small thread of sanity and freedom. An opening I used to escape the barrier through the only method capable of achieving it, a gift from my mentor, the real Chancellor Neighsay whose memory I keep alive here." Klein reached to his robes and the bent medallion draped from a tattered red ribbon at his chest, sparking with orange magic at his touch.

Following the jerk of his muzzle out to the busy courtyard, I saw a gaggle of elderly ponies in matching robes wandering from display to display. At the head of the geriatric herd was an older version of the tall white unicorn I'd met at Klein's weird highschool dollhouse, his slick black mane and goatee were grey here, while his severe posture had slumped with age only slightly. Judging by the way he and the other older ponies behind him stopped and examined each entry to the Arcane Science Fair closely, I was guessing that was University Point's 'Board of Education', the figurehead leaders of this place.

While I was glaring at them and wondering how many were synths and how many were just going along with Klein and the Institute, Jade remained focused solely on the tarnished old medal, giving a soft inhalation full of wonder as her hoof reached out to lightly touch the worn engravings. "The E.E.A. Medallion... I have read of it in Trotter's Tome of Reliquary Fast, it can..."

"Teleport. To any location in Equestria actually, how wonderful to meet a well read mare such as yourself who can recognize it Princess. It's not quite what it once was, but it was enough to break out. Then I saw what had become of the world during my madness because of that lunatic and despaired..." To my surprise, Klein actually sounded... sad? Still fake and smarmy, but his green eyes glazed as he kept speaking and his voice took on a bitter note. "A wasteland... from the Celestial Sea to the Lunar Oceans. The skeleton of Manehatten, the pink hell of Canterlot, Cloudsdale fallen, Fillydelphia a city of slaves, Hoofington a giant crater... Ponyville... I also saw what had risen up in place of the Equestria I knew, Raiders, Despots, Mutant Monsters... the 'Grand Pegasus Enclave'... the Lightbringer, a so called 'New Canterlot Republic' run by griffons! Griffons!!"

"Hey... watch it buddy..." Val clucked at his flabbergasted snort over her race being in charge.

Klein gave a wave of insincere apology to her as he composed himself again. "Oh no offense, your kind does have your uses. I've had long dealings with your ancestors from Stable 75 after all Valkyrie Bloodtail, just as I have with your people Ensign Witching Hour of the E.M.S. Dreadnought. Becoming the leader of the pony nation of Equestria is not one of them however."

Witchy gave an angry squeak at his off-hoofed acknowledgement of her as well, flaring her armored wings with a glare. "T-Thou have thine hooves meddling in my home as well!? Thou art behind the efforts to restore her? The Admiral..."

"Is a useful pawn, though he caused quite the setback in my efforts there and disobeyed my orders in nearly launching Mr. Times to Zebrica and executing you my dear. My apologies, I assure you he will be punished..." Klein turned to the furious thestral with a contrite bow, ignoring her flabbergasted look to return his attention to his story with restrained annoyance over the interruption of our loyal guards, who he obviously viewed as less important. "Back to the point, I only meant that things had changed from what I remembered and I had to explore and acclimate to this new world, another thing we have in common Mr. Times. I've even met your precious Velvet Remedy Princess. She was most helpful actually."

"T-The Pony Who Helps!? She... she helped you!?" Jade gasped, losing her cool a bit at the mention of her heroine, the leader of the Followers of the Apocalypse.

"Who are you, who doesn't know your own history?" Klein chuckled in reply, smiling at Jade's confused stare. "That's what she said to me, though in the guise of a very confused synth still struggling to cope. A very pertinent question that helped me regain what Mobius stripped from me. I'd forgotten myself, the past, everything... Thanks to her, I recovered and returned. Since then, I've been striving to free my colleagues and escape this prison completely, to bring proper civilization and learning back to the wasteland. Just as you yourself wish, which is why we're having this discussion. As I tried to tell your husband before, you should work with us Princess... "

Jade had been leaning in and hanging on Klein's words from the time he showed off his fancy magical artifact, becoming completely hooked when he casually mentioned her heroine, trotting at his heels through the crowd with her ears perked up like an eager student. She actually reared back and whinnied at the bastard's invitation coming at the end though, shaking her head and stammering back. "You want... You want us to work with you? You have done h-horrible things! Why would we ever do..."

"Because, we both want the same things. To right the wasteland and restore Equestria of old. The Institute's offenses can be laid partially at the hooves of Mobius, but I stand by them regardless as for the greater good, the advance of Arcane Science! Together, we can undo the mistakes of the past and bring a new dawn to Equestria. I was an teacher after all, my interest is in making ponies better, just as you preach."

"LIAR! You don't make ponies better! You try to make better ponies!!"

Klein gave a flat look of irritation down to me shoving between him and Jade and absently waved aside my shout. "Semantics... The best way to affect change is from within. Given the drastic reduction in population and the many disparate groups vying for control of the wasteland, the ability to make more ponies and infiltrate them is an invaluable tool. Not only that, were we not so limited in the numbers we can produce, we could make ponies who live the way we were meant to. Ponies who will guide this new society back to its former glory. The synths are a tool I won't hesitate to use to improve the lives of real ponies, would you?"

"You replaced poor Mr. Scopes... Forced him to betray his friends. How is your technological take on slavery being better?" Jade glanced up to the windows of the school building overhead and frowned back, making me cheer her adamant refusal to be swayed.

"He is not even a he. 'He' is a machine, one commissioned at the request of his late Grandmother I might add, who was well pleased with her upstanding and manageable grandson. Before your husband murdered her at any rate. Luckily I can simply replace her as well and nopony need know about that..." Klein huffed back, growing agitated a moment, before sighing and adjusting his glasses with a crafty look to Jade. "What if I were to make copies of your Pony Who Helps?"

"W-What!? Copy the great Velvet Remedy!? Y-You would not! You could not!" Jade yelped and grew flustered at Klein zeroing in on her weak point again, fluttering her wings in agitation and smacking several passing ponies.

Holding his hooves up for calm, Klein still wore that sly smirk and continued smoothly. "A poor example. Let's say I copied her values however... Say I made dozens of synths, programmed with the most advanced medical database available. All of them expert doctors, all of them just as caring as the new bearer of the Element of Kindness, all of them filled with a desire to help just like her... Imagine I did this and let them all wander free to do so. Would that be bad? Would they be slaves if they didn't think they were? Would it be wrong for them to spread healing and kindness throughout Equestria?"

"Er... w-well... I do not... I s-suppose..." Jade floundered for a moment, biting her lip anxiously and turning to me with a helpless look, then shaking her head slowly in resolve. "They would still be slaves. They would be forced to follow the imperatives you programmed them with, g-good as those may be..."

"Ah, but it's not so easy a question now, is it? If I built doctors instead of spies it's more palatable? Teachers? Repair-ponies? Or perhaps heroes like the Lightbringer or your own little knight? Synths who were slaves to their programming, yes, but whose programming directed them to be good, kind, generous, honest ponies full of laughter, magic and love? Incorruptible paragons of our highest virtues?" Klein just kept hammering away at her, making Jade's ears droop and her steely expression waver in indecision.

"That is... v-very tempting... But... but there are synths who are alive, who deserve their freedom, even if it is freedom to do wrong. My mother sought to simply dictate blind obedience as well, for all of her children to follow her thinking, like cogs in the machine of Unity. A Princess does not... does not demand her subjects live as they choose, a Princess asks... serves as an example and hopes others follow it. It does not mean anything if they have no choice." Jade was clearly off balance, but found her way back to her own values and huffed imperiously, making me more sure than ever what a noble heart she truly had.

"It seems the intel gathered was right about this much at least, you truly are a Princess as fine as those in the old world. Another reason Vega was an idiot to disregard you, when he knew we needed a second no less. Which is why I was infuriated at the fool botching his interactions with you and forcing such an unnecessary reset of our relationship." Rather than be discouraged by her firm reply, Klein actually spoke out loud what I had just thought with a laugh that tapered away. "Let us put aside the debate over synth sentience misguided groups like the Railroad are so focused on. For now, the main point remains. I'd prefer working together than at odds. Vega himself is another issue to solve where we may cooperate to some degree, foster trust..."

"Let's be really clear here Klein, you know I'm going to kill Vega, right? That's 'solving' the issue for me. You're saying you're ok with that... really?"

"I understand you hold an understandable grudge against Vega and plan on... visiting him, yes. Vega has.... degraded... over the centuries. My efforts to undo Mobius' mental manipulation have met with limited success so far and his was a rather weak mind to start with. He has overstepped his bounds repeatedly where you are concerned and become less reliable in his role as head of Public Relations, a position that will be very important in the future. After doing some research and observation since you've been active in my territory, I find you and the Princess to be a more than acceptable replacement."

"You would betray your friend as you were betrayed by Mobius? Simply step aside and allow Fast to... Y-You are not engendering much trust with this abhorrent offer of yours Professor..." Jade gasped while I tried to wrap my head around it, as stunned as I was that Klein would just... let us...

'Let me...'

"We're hardly friends... Vega was the only one of our number who wasn't even a scientist, merely a useful talent scout and agent. Terminating his employment is rather difficult however, he has... tenure of a sort. Just one of several bits of legacy programming Mobius buried in Institute source code that makes things difficult. As a fellow director of the Institute, I am unable to directly act against him, just as my hooves are tied where Mobius is concerned. Acting in cooperation will allow Mr. Times here to remove both of them as he so desires. In his place, you will be our agents in the world at large as we forge ahead together." Klein shrugged and turned to the next entry as we gaped at him, barely drawing my attention to the fact it was the twin fillies from Cid's Cybernetics.

Screw Loose and Screw Ball, were proudly displaying a cybernetic hindleg that looked like a mostly salvaged Gen 1 synth leg, beaming at me with my mouth hanging open stupidly during their presentation. A slow and confused glance behind them showed their mother Cid watching warily, a flicker of fear in her eyes as she blew a plume of smoke from her cigarette. She knew too... Maybe not specifics, but she knew the 'Dean' of University Point and to be afraid of him, I caught her wince when the son of a bitch actually reached up and patted each of her daughters' bright yellow manes in turn before moving on.

"An yer just gonna let us cap yer buddy Vega, no strings? Hell, before that, yer just gonna let us walk on outta here if'n we want?" Val broke the silence and scowled at the placid Klein, sounding as confused as I was at the whole situation.

"Of course. We have no reason for conflict here, you're no threat to me and I have no reason to stop you, just as you have none to cause trouble here."

"The hell we don't! What's to stop me from blowing your synth brains out and showing everypony here just what you are!? You work with the Gunners! You're... you're building a freaking army down here and you're telling us it's all just sunshine and rainbows! I should go over there and start executing every one of those Board of Education assholes that know you..."

Klein's shrug of a reply came along with Jade laying a soothing wing over my back, surely thinking first about the plasma explosion that would go off if I lost control and did actually shoot the asshole giving a huff of a reply. "The ponies here are not enslaved or here against their will, they are not evil or even complicit for the most part, just good people living good lives. A small test of what I hope to accomplish on a wider scale. We're really not all that different Mr. Times, which is what I hope to get you both to see, we're both merely trying to make this wasteland a better place with the tools at our disposal."

"You may find yourself disappointed if you try to preach the evils of the community that feeds and educates these ponies, keeps fillies like those two safe and civilized. You'd not drag them into conflict unnecessarily, just as I've had no reason to do anything about your nearby settlement, Redheart I believe it's called? We may have been at odds in the past, but a tiny town of Followers, Minutemares and civilians? Why should they suffer?"

"As for the Gunners and other assets I've been cultivating... You yourself have built an army as well, don't tell me you did so merely to be friendly. Violence has its unfortunate place in this world. Even the Brotherhood of Friendship came here in their refurbished Raptor to lay claim to the Commonwealth by force. Either we can defend ourselves and the Equestrian way of life, or we will be overpowered and swallowed up. You've proven yourself adept at manipulating ponies Mr. Times, you recognize the need for things like symbols and hope as well as armies and weapons. You know I speak the truth."

"I know you're a DECEIVER! You can't hurt Mobius or Vega, so you want us to be your little henchponies! You spout all this 'we're actually alike' bullshit and... ok, give back what you stole at least... then run your smarty pants mouth and think we'll just fall for it, after everything we've seen you... or seen what the Institute does anyway... and... and..." My reply devolved into confused shouts and frustrated anger, unable to launch a rebuttal to the mad scientist's cogent points. Wracking my pounding head, I finally thought of something and barked it out with a snarl. "What about the Arcano-Cats!? Huh? You could have killed them! That RadRoc might have killed JADE! All for you to play some stupid game with them, making them look bad for... for whatever insane reason!"

"That was for your benefit." Klein deadpanned back, nearly making me tear my mane out in a tantrum before he contined with a smirk. "And instead you proved just how much better you are at the Public Relations role I'd have you fill in the process. Convincing all those dispirited ponies to stay, for a wedding of all things! You beat Vega at his own game, receiving more favor and good will from that rushed ceremony than he could hope to with his overblown farce in Diamond City. Though that little pageant is well scripted and will be quite the show, I'll give him that. Our coming out party so to speak..."

"O-Our benefit!? How was any of that..." Jade stammered back with her eyes briefly glowing blue in a snit of anger, hushing as Klein held a hoof up and chuckled.

"We didn't kill any of those hooligans, did we? The raider attack was designed to still be easily repelled by standard forces, along with the students here I sent to ensure there were sufficient defenders and healers to deal with the aftermath. The RadRoc creature was a bit of an unknown variable, but suitably impressive and the bait should have kept it focused on the ridiculous head of those children and not you. It was your own insistence to save him that put you in danger, was it not?" Klein scored a hit that made Jade flinch, echoing my own frantic complaints at the time.

"Hooligans... That's what it is, isn't it, Principal Klein...?" I sneered back, calming enough to catch that slight eyelid twitch of his again and exploit it. "Yeah, I know what kind of educator you were asshole. I've seen how serious you took your job at Daybreak High, how you dealt with problem students... That's what it's really about for you, isn't it? The Arcano-Cats are a bunch of punk kids goofing off, that's really why you went after them..."

"They are capricious children wasting the legacy of the old world on silly games and races! Cool kids who think they're too cool for school! Problem students indeed! Yes I taught them a lesson they richly deserved!" Klein shouted back, his mane becoming disheveled as he snorted angrily, a little of his oh so carefully masked insanity coming out again with the right provocation.

"Like the lesson you taught your drug dealing crony before Vega? Rich Chocolate? You weren't crazy because of Mobius... you were crazy well before then. I've seen... so don't bullshit me about what a nice reasonable, sane pony you are Klein..."

Seeming to realize I'd baited him, Klein gave a sour look and smoothed his mane back out, returning to his clipped and stuffy tone. "Ah, so it was you that infiltrated the Daybreak facility... I suspected as much. I was merely taking your preferences into account in keeping the mess to a minimum. Thankfully, you only delayed most of the collateral damage from leaving early. I had to push back the operation, but it should go smoothly enough and without undue loss of life."

"W-What!? What the hell are you talking about you crazy bastard!?"

Klein sighed patiently at my yelling, give a bored wave to the eastern skies. "The power armor resources and airfield are important assets I couldn't leave to a bunch of foolish punks. I wanted to drive away any innocent victims and discourage the defenders, as I said, for your benefit..."

I broke out in a cold sweat looking up to the gloomy skies, picking up the distant pops of gunfire and echoing whines of Vertibucks as I realized what was on the other side of the walls Klein had dismissively indicated. Witchy was flicking her tufted ears and her face went pale as she got an even better idea what was going on out there, squeaking out a frightened whisper. "Glitter..."

"Hmm?" Klein blinked up to her high pitched voice behind Jade, thinking to himself silently before coming up with the data wherever his diseased brain was hiding. "Ah! The filly, of course. Unfortunate you didn't bring her here to see the fair, I was interested to meet her as well, another point I wished to discuss with you later. Vega's been quite fixated on using her to get to you. Oh well, I'm sure it's fine. The Gunners have orders to secure the site with minimal loss of life, so she should remain safe."

The evil, smirking bastard! Klein polished his glasses on his chest like he was discussing the weather, only increasing the straining roar in my head he looked to be observing with interest. He waited until we were here and attacked the Cats! Moved his Gunners in force to take the old Shadowbolts base with my daughter... right there...

'LET! ME! OUT!!'

I was already flapping up and away before the Shroud's voice howling for blood could delay me, desperate to climb above the walls of University Point looming around us menacingly and at least see where Glitter was, if she was still safe, how bad it was... I was forced to turn back when I saw Jade hadn't joined me yet though, finding her prancing in place, apparently torn. As much as I could see the fear in her face for our daughter matching my own barely retrained panic, she hovered above Klein and stammered at him in agitation.

"You said this would be a p-peaceful meeting! You delayed us here with all your false promises of help for my Fast and cooperation, yet were planning an attack the whole time! Y-You will not succeed! We will stop your attack and... and never..."

"You're free to try my dear, I never lied to you. I'm afraid I have to insist on taking the base, but I have no interest in the residents squatting there, nor your daughter. I've tried to make it as palatable a transition for you as possible and do hope you'll consider my offer. Once Vega is gone I look forward to you two taking his place, your teleporter project will allow us to meet at the Think Tank and discuss the future then. Consider its successful completion a final test. Do take care in the meantime... the Gunners are efficient and professional, but do passionately want to kill you all." Klein actually fucking waved us off cheerily, watching us fly away with a satisified smile I reeeeeeally wanted to shoot off his stupid face.

Instead I joined Jade in soaring away from Klein's little kingdom leaving twin, blue and black contrails behind us, even Val and Witchy had to struggle to keep up with the two of us flying for our daughter. We had to get to her, keep her safe along with our friends in Rocketburg with her, foil Klein's insane plans and the Gunners carrying them out somehow.

'...Want...'

Then we'd come back and kill him...

The closer we got to Rocketburg, the more the steady beat of fear started drowning out even the Shroud's anger pulsing in my temples. This wasn't just a recon squad or two as Val had labeled the other attacks on the Arcano-Cats... this was a full on army that came calling...

Green armored Gunners were swarming in from the ruins to the south, hordes of pony troops with griffons filling the sky above them. The crumbling and half sunken roads this close to shore were lined with a dozen or more trundling tanks making their way through the muck.

Squads of nothing but gleaming, Institute built power armor suits were ahead of them, taking the ruins closest to the airfield, providing landing areas for the buzzing Vertibucks and tortoise-like sky tanks, along with armored sky buses of some kind that dumped loads of reinforcements nearby. Even the rocky shore at the end of the runways was under assault by the Gunners, disembarking rusty scows of amphibious landing craft I had a good idea started life aboard Dreadnot.

The pinned down forms of the Arcano-Cats, Minutemares and Rockeburg guards were holding them as well as they could, falling back to the garages, Red Rocket offices and the ramps of Rockeburg itself. Small pockets of defenders galloped to and from the outer hangars and ruined buildings with boxes of ammo or wounded dragged away, setting up to force the Gunners to fight for every inch in a slog of building to building battles. A bright purple bubble crackling near the center of the area gave them an unassailable defense at least, filling me with momentary relief to find Swan so easily.

The rest Val summed up pretty well, giving an out of breath whisper and checking over her weapons grimly. "Fuck me... That Institute egghead wasn't kidding, was he boss? I er... I dunno if we're savin' the day this time buddy..."

Jade called out shrilly, her powerful wings speeding her up as her face paled visibly. "We must try Valkyrie! Those people need our help and are our allies! There must be something we can..."

"Ain't sayin' we cain't try Blue, I'm sayin' we're fucked. It'd take every Minutemare you got in the Castle ta try takin' on this shitshow, and even then it's a toss up. I'm all fer tryin' and takin' out some of those fuckers just for the hell of it, but not goin' down fightin' a battle we can't win." Val's voice was hard and tight when she cut her off, pulling ahead of Jade and I in slow sweeps, already trying to protect us.

Witchy followed the merc's lead, her thestral power armor humming as the flight systems helped push her ahead and she called back over her shoulder worriedly. "Valkyrie is right your highness... This is too much for us to stand against. We may need to evacuate the civilians and retreat..."

'NO!... No run... No hide... Kill... Punish... Destroy... Murderers... Betrayers... WANT....'

Nnngh... Come on, not now... Glitter, remember Glitter dammit! She needs me, us... alright! Behave and help me, help her! You care about her too, I know you do! I'll let you off your leash a little, but for Glitter, understand? For my daughter! Not for you to have fun being a psychopath! GLITTER!

'....Love... mine... daughter... Together...'

"Fast....? A-Are you alright? You are muttering to yourself...." Jade's anxious voice somehow sounded even more worried, her big blue eyes looking over to me fearfully as I rubbed between my eyes.

Shaking off the private, schizophrenic conversation she'd caught me at, I gave an unconvincing whinny as black lightning started flickering around me, trying to keep the growl out of my voice. "F-Fine! I'm fine Jade, let's just get to Glitter before they close in any more and..."

My unconvincing answer was cut short by the rapid chatter of gunfire and whines of bullets suddenly filling the air around us, several hammering my magical armor in a string of impacts that stitched down my side when I lurched with my wind knocked out. The last three found my exposed hindlegs, two meaty thumps in my flank that hurt like hell and sent me careening off course and another that made them pale with blinding agony and a sickening crunch of bone lower down the leg.

Taking a woozy look down and barely hearing Jade's scream through the cotton in my ears, I saw the injured limb flopping loosely in the slipstream as I lost altitude. Beyond that disgusting sight, a pair of Gunner griffons were screeching up from the ruins, spreading their automatic weapons fire around to the others pausing to turn back for me and backed up by ground bound ponies firing from the broken walls and windows of the ruins below. The mercenaries already closed the net around Rocketburg and these assholes were on guard for anypony trying to come in to assist the besieged community.

My mind retreated from the pain out of instinct, that and the bullets sparking off Jade's bright blue shield overhead all the opening the Shroud needed to grab the wheel. My wings snapped out straight and caught the wind again, tweaking to turn my fall into a dive right at the first violet coated griffon growing overconfident and moving in for the kill. The professional merc recognized the change in my movement, but was dedicated and still cocky at his aerial superiority, opening up with the light machinegun in his orange claws.

The agile barrel roll and twists I made in the air surprised me and him both, dodging through the hail of gunfire and drawing Best Served from my packs. The knife? Really!? I know you're not great with them, but how about the damn guns! I struggled to regain control and was gruffly shoved aside in my own head, given a distracted hiss of '...Let me...' as all the communication the Shroud was willing to give in the moment.

I squinted against the wind rushing up along with the surprised griffon trying to track the corkscrew dive I found myself in, clinging to the shout of 'Be Awesome!' to keep the G forces at bay. Even I barely noticed that my knife had been left behind, floating through the air above as I rocketed past the dodging Gunner. His sharp eyes and aim followed a second behind, never seeing the spinning starmetal blade streaking down after me until it slashed his wing off in a spray of blood and feathers.

Leveling back off, the concusion of a bright explosion nearby signaled the other griffon getting several of Val's grenade machinegun rounds to the face, taking away the other aerial target. I had to struggle against the temptation to follow the first splatting to the asphalt below and go after the ponies still taking pot shots from the ruins.

Val grabbed me by my scruff and I was forcibly hauled back up to Jade, glad she kept a tight grip as she sped up and shook me gruffly. "Knock it off crazy! Let Blue take a look at that shit 'fore you go runnin' off! Ain't like there's a shortage of fuckers what need killin'!"

That very valid point and Jade's fretting over my wounded leg kept the furious whisper of the Shroud in check, she tried hurriedly healing in midair, staunching the blood dribbling down my leg. More attacks as we got closer forced us to speed up and evade too much for her to do much more than that however, every high speed bank and turn grinding the broken bone at least helped me stay in control, focusing on Glitter and not passing out, in that order.

Once we passed over the cordon the Gunners had around the airfield the attacks slackened, the defenders covering us streaking in to the battle, letting us arrow straight for Swan's huge dome of a violet shield surrounding the hangar all the wounded still sheltered in. I was slower to pull out of the rapid descent, ending up slamming into Swan's shield spread eagle and sliding down it slowly, woozily peering in at her big blue-violet eyes blinking in surprise and lighting up.

The pale face peeking out from the pink collars of her giant sailor shirt filled me with relief, her voice rising in an anxious squeal as Swan opened a gap in her shield and I fell through. "DADDY!!"

Swan caught me in her hooves as Jade and the others flew in behind me, hugging me to her chest with Glitter tightly. "Fast! Sister! You're back, finally! I've been guarding niece Glitter nice and safe, see? And all your little hurt ponies too sister. Now we can go smash these annoying Gunners though! Let's go right now and...oh... in just a minute is fine too..."

I was proud Swan had foregone her own destructive impulses to keep Glitter in the safest spot I could imagine, I hugged and nuzzled the little filly sinking into the most invulnerable floof of fur in Equestria. Looking up in gratitude and more than a little surprise at her warm voice actually willing to keep waiting another second, her soft smile at the two of us cuddled against her huge breast strengthened the song of the Ministry Mares to a high, sweet chime between my ears that steadied my wavering control of the darker note with them.

Swan cared more about us than about smashing... A mare who had once kept herself isolated and cared only about violence with a zeal that nearly matched 'Be Dark...' itself. She loved us... just as I loved her and the squirming filly sandwiched between us. I could feel it radiating off the big blushing mare and felt ashamed still thinking she wouldn't understand things like the wedding last night. Swan understood her own heart...

"Thank you for keeping them all safe sister, you are a wonderful guardian and we are lucky to have you. E-Especially since it seems we will desperately need your talents... P-Please release Fast so I may treat him and be patient a moment longer while we get caught up and may plan with the others." Jade hovered in front of her sister's beaming face with a teary sniffle, floating Glitter and I away when Swan gasped on spotting my broken leg.

Lowered gingerly to the concrete, Jade's horn glowed brightly as her healing magic focused on mending the crippled limb. Swan flopped to her belly and rested her chin on the ground to watch closely, while I held Glitter and took in all the activity on the ground behind Swan's shield. Arcano-Cats, Minutemares and Rocketburg guards were galloping around in a rush, I noticed one suit of highly customized and distinctive power armor after another flying or leaping down from the landing pad to Burny's office above too. He was pulling out all the stops and allowing his museum pieces to be used, showing how desperate things were. The rushing defenders were moving with purpose, shouting updates on the movements of the Gunner army closing in to the old buck at the center of the chaos trotting our way.

Burny Jets was wearing his old power armor too, the first time I'd seen the polished cherry red and chrome suit of rocket shaped fins and deadly curves in action. He was an experienced leader, juggling a dozen different reports and remaining an unwavering rock for the frantic ponies around him to take heart in, but I saw the worry lining his wrinkled face as he fell in with Val leading him our way with Summer and Zeke fluttering behind him.

There was some relief in his tired blue eyes when they found us, but he obviously knew how bad things were. "Welcome to the party folks! Hope you had fun at the fair, cause this is a right shitshow here..."

"Burny... How bad is it? Is anypony hurt? What can we do?"

I had to struggle against Jade's grip to stand up, nudging Glitter to prance over to her mother and limping up to meet him. I was jittering with nervous energy, impatient to go and do something, anything... One pony charging an army wouldn't do much good without any kind of plan though. I was again relieved to have an elder with more experience to lean on in the form of the old red stallion and listened attentively, feeling the same kind of trust in him as I did my dad when things were tough and he was there to rely on.

"Imagine you got a good look comin' in. Ain't seen military precision and plannin' like this since back in the Enclave. A few sneaky griffon bastards with stealth-bucks took out half the base defenses still working after those raiders came through with explosives. No! Get those ground ta air rounds out to the eastern batteries dammit! 'Fore those Vertibucks come back fer another pass!" Burny replied in a gruff and clipped voice, pausing to shout at a pair of leather jacket wearing Arcano-Cats hauling a cart full of tarnished missiles before continuing with a tired groan. "Sons of bitches must'a been gearin' up for this for awhile, figurin' out where to hit with all that scoutin' of theirs."

Zeke's ears drooped at his words, shuffling in the plain and patched together suit of dark Shadowbolt armor he wore. "All those times they came and we felt like hot shit pushin' em back again, they was just playin us... I know we screwed the pooch Gramps, I'm sorry I..."

"None of that Junior, pony up and let's show em who they're messin' with. We got friends on our side, this ain't nothin' the famous Shrouded Stallion can't handle, dig?" Burny tilted Zeke's chin up and gave a supportive hoof to his grandson's shoulder, turning to us with a forced grin.

"I... Burny I don't know... I appreciate the vote of confidence, but this is..."

Trotting closer as I quavered an unsure reply, Burny curled an armored wing over my back and led me a few steps away in a whispered aside. "I know... Part of bein' leader of the flock Fast, don't let your herd see you sweat, no matter how bad it is..." He tipped me a wink and for a moment I saw how tired and scared he really was, then the mask was back in place, clapping his hooves and pointing to Summer with a confident smirk. "Nonsense! Your little Minutemare here has a plan ta take it to those Gunner assholes, right cutie?"

Summer had been chatting rapidly with Jade and Glitter, giving a squeak at Burny calling her and nodding nervously in reply. "R-Right! Umm... the guns at the Castle Fast, we're in range here, we can use the Red Rocket office's radio for their couriers and call in mortar fire! The only thing is, we'd need to give them a target... Mr. Jets had something we can use, but... it's dangerous..."

"Oh yeah, cause we're super safe as it is shorty! C'mon! Make with the ass-kickin cannons already, been dyin ta see them things fire!" Val squawked and clenched her claws under Summer's muzzle, jerking her head up at a large explosion blowing one of the furthest hangars down the secondary runway to pieces before shaking the small yellow pegasus. "Like now would be great!"

Burny kept her from rattling Summer's poor head off her shoulders, looking around the ponies charging around us until spotting who he wanted, a younger cream pegasus mare wearing a Red Rocket postal cap and bag that zipped his way on hearing his shout. "Posy Express! Over here! You find 'em!?"

She was younger than me and though she was surely a better flier, she obviously hadn't been exposed to combat like this before, adrenaline sending her zooming our way and nearly crashing into the old buck at his call, spilling her large postal bag as she staggered to a halt and sending a couple dozen round metal cans rolling at our hooves. I picked one up curiously as Burny caught her and righted her hat on disheveled green and rose mane, reading the faded lettering of 'M18 SMOKE - RED' and looking over the clip and ring at the top making them look like odd grenades.

"Y-Yes Grampy! I grabbed all I could find, they already put them away after the air show yesterday, s-so it took a minute, a-are we gonna be ok..." The filly rambled and tried to gather the spilled cylinders in a rush, stopped by Burny giving a reassuring chuckle.

"We'll be fine sweetheart, now you go on back to the office and keep your head down, help your aunt Twinny and the others there." Burny sent her on her way with a swat to the flank, never letting his confident smile waver. Looking that way as she zipped off, he winced seeing his daughter Twin Jets herself charging over, continuing in a rush as the middle aged earth pony was delayed by her anxious niece reporting to her. "Damn... Here she comes. Anyway, smoke grenades! Use em to do the red smoke trails in the stunt shows! Ought'a be a nice big target, just a matter of puttin' em where they need to hit and gettin' gone again!"

Val was already stuffing some of the prewar canisters in her packs, turning one over in her claws with a thoughtful smirk. "These'll do it alright boss... It's the gettin' em there that's the problem though, ain't got no 25mm or 40mm rounds old guy?"

Burny shook his head and frowned, grabbing several in his wings and carefully clipping them to an odd harness on his left flank. "Nope, not exactly common ordinance... Got a grenadier battlesaddle though, I might be old, but if I can't out fly a bunch of snot-nosed griffons and drop these right in their lines, I may as well hang it up entirely."

"Gramps, no. You ain't doin' this, dig? I'm the big daddy nowadays and the fastest, even without Christine. I said I'll handle it." Zeke stamped a hoof and started trying to gather the smoke grenades away from his Grandfather, apparently taking up an argument we had interrupted since he was wearing a similar battlesaddle.

"If it's a question of speed, I think I can match either of you. Er... on the ground anyway, I can run and... Ow!" I tried to volunteer and defuse the fight, instead stumbling and wincing when I put weight on my hooves flickering with lightning.

"You may not! Even if I had time to properly treat that break, it needs time to heal Fast! You will not find zipping along using your lightning magic an available course of action, so do not even think it!" Jade pranced over and dragged me back, refocusing her pale magic on my hindleg with an agitated huff.

Burny smirked at me being pinned by Jade's heavy hoof on my tail, disregarding me from his plans entirely. "An' you ain't near up to snuff in the air Junior Speedster, so listen to your new wife and leave this to the experts. An' since I'm the most expert round here, I'm goin'..."

"I'm goin' daddy-o!"

"Get bent Junior, I am!"

"No, I am old timer!"

"I am!"

The two proud pegasi started squabbling over who was going, so involved in their back and forth they completely missed Twin Jets finally galloping up behind them, smacking their heads together with a snort. "Would you two idiots stop seeing who can be stupider! Dad, we need to get out of here! The civilians, wounded, foals! Not to mention our business! No stupid stunt you bucks call bravery is going to stop those Gunners from taking this place, I'm surprised they haven't already!"

"I ain't rolling over for a bunch of raiders playin' army Twinny! This has been my home for sixty years, it's your home, your filly's! You were both born here! No way I'm tuckin' tail and leaving it to them!" Burny puffed up his chest and flared his feathers in reply to his exasperated daughter.

That was a real stallion... the eager snarl of 'Be Dark...' resonated in sympathy as I looked to the elderly buck's masculine example. If it were my home and my family, if the Gunners were storming Sanctuary and threatening to blow up my old house with Glitter and Jade there... Nothing would stop me from doing the same, defending them no matter the cost. I saw the sense in what Twin Jets had to say, but firmly agreed with Burny. Some things were worth fighting for, we weren't beaten yet, we could try at least...

"Mr. Jets... Burny... While I am sure my husband agrees with you and even I am willing to defend your home, it is the ponies living here that make it one. It is merely a place, full of things that can be replaced. Lives cannot. Please... W-We were led to believe the Gunners will allow evacuation, while I do not particularly trust the source of that information, we must consider it as an option... Please?" Jade's sweet and regal voice speaking above my head made me flinch, still reading my thoughts as well as her green sister Ivy. She turned a pleading look down to Burny and stretched a wing out to his armored shoulder hitching with his puffs of breath.

Rather than be soothed, Burny shouted and reared up to stomp and snort like a young buck, making Jade cringe and draw her wing back sharply to hide behind, smacking me with a facefull of feathers."NO! I scraped and fought and bled for this patch of dirt Princess! Made a home of my own after those assholes exiled me! Your ma is buried right down there Twinny! Along with more old friends than I care ta count! If you're just a big fake and a coward, move that big rump outta the way Princess! This is our HOME! I won't..."

"HEY! Do not yell at her! I like you Mr. Jets and we're here to help, but don't ever insult my wife..."

Much as I may agree with him, I found my fangs lengthening and my wings flaring, snorting and shoving my way up to glare eye to eye at the old stallion with both our chests puffed up in an instinctual battle for dominance. I didn't like the hurt frown his insults brought to Jade's face and was surprised to find myself growling at the kindly buck I had grown to really like. I was so involved with our circling standoff, I barely noticed Jade give a huff and flutter away, flying up to the upper floors of the Red Rocket HQ.

A high pitched squeak cut us off before we came to blows thankfully. Witchy strode forward to defend her Princess when she retreated from the old buck's fury. "Grampy Jets... Please. The Princess and Aunt Twin are right. This place has been more a home to me in a few days than Dreadnot was for years, you've made me feel like it is as your god-filly. My parents and the Princess were married here. You showed me my mother's grave in the same lot as thine wife and friends yourself, s-so I understand... They wouldn't want any of us to join them early though."

"I vote we kill all those nasty Gunners and their stupid tin cans. I've been good and not smashed anything waiting for you and sister." Swan's rumbling voice overrode Burny's fading pants as Witchy pulled him away, squirming her muzzle closer to nudge my wing impatiently. Then she paused and scratched her long mane spilling around my hooves in thought. "But... I don't want niece Glitter here either... Hrmm... guarding my pond and sisters was easier, it's harder when there's important little ponies that might get hurt..."

With the little filly hugging her cheek gratefully, Swan suddenly looked doubtful of her normal answer for everything that annoyed her. Having her giant gaze so close made it impossible to miss the way it flicked between Glitter and I, then back to her belly with a look of dawning comprehension. It seemed to really sink in she had her own important and vulnerable little pony with her now and I could hear her gulp.

Zed's deep and breathless voice broke the uncomfortable silence, drawing everyone's eye as he came galloping through with the power armored Moose and several wounded Arcano-Cats and Minutemares dragged on a sledge between them. "Whatever you decide, do it quickly... The Gunners have paused their advance, but no thanks to our efforts. They seem to have taken the positions they want."

I had to hover up to get a good look where his bloodied hoof pointed, following the flow of retreating defenders back to the ruins to the south. The Gunner tanks were arrayed in a line facing us, several driven right through the broken brick walls of ruined buildings to point the intimidating barrels of their cannons our way. They were each parked so their vulnerable undersides were covered by the piles of rubble they parked on, lending them elevation to arc their shots without exposing their only real 'weakness', if you could call the thinner but still effective armor there that.

I flinched when the largest tank at the center of the line raised the barrel of its huge cannon and fired with a deafening roar even this far off, a high, arcing shot that whistled through the air as all eyes followed it. It hit the brightly lit red rocket shaped sign above the main garages with a huge fireball of high explosive, the whole towering construct flickering dark and giving a pained groan of twisted metal as it crashed to the ground.

It was meant to be symbolic and was effective, demonstrating what kind of firing solution they had at the same time. Everycreature followed the icon of Burny's Red Rocket Couriers crumbling, turning back at the amplified squawk of static from across the nopony's land of the airfields.

"That was a warning turkeys! This base is Gunners territory now, run on back to the sky and hide for another 200 years! You've got five minutes..."

I noticed Val's scowl at the voice, her beak turned down in a grimace as she muttered in a low voice. "Fuckin' Lucius... They brought out their number two boss, we made the big time... That fucker's high up on my list... I say we stick around long enough to kill the bastard at least."

'...Mine... Revenge... Want...'

One of the ones who had hurt her... I winced at the dull ache between my eyes watching her tail lashing angrily and sharing her fury. I wanted the same thing... but neither of us could afford to be reckless and lose control. The thought of how hurt she ended up going after Gunter in Talon's Dept. Store tempered the burning hate I felt for anyone who would hurt my best friend. We had to stay calm... Please... just work with me here...

'...Want... Now...'

Looking from her to my family and friends staring at me, I realized they were waiting on me to make a choice... Just as the Cats and others here looked to Burny and he'd tried to advise me, I was leader of this herd... Summer and Cool hovering nearby reminded me how large it was as General of the Minutemares too. They all trusted me... when I couldn't trust myself.

A crackling hum filled the air, drawing every uncertain eye up to Jade gliding down from Burny's office landing pad up on the fourth floor. She hadn't run away, not that I thought she would for a second, but I was surprised to see she had voluntarily found her despised A-01 power armor and put it on again. The sight of her drifting down with the diamond talismans sparking with her blue magic in a fan around her was as good a symbol as the destroyed rocket sign, something unique and beautiful in all this ugliness that matched her regal voice ringing out.

"I am not a coward... I am a member of the Arcano-Cats in good standing, am I not? An attack against one is an attack against all? I will not run from conflict, but I will not allow the innocent to suffer by being in the middle needlessly. I was given to understand your noble gang of knights in shining power armor wished to protect ponies Mr. Jets. There are ponies that need protecting..." Jade landed between Burny and I and stuck her nose up, huffing patiently as the old buck grumbled and slumped with Witchy staring at him hopefully.

Look up to her cloudy mane flowing from the chrome crown of a helmet she wore, my eyes fixed on the glimmer of gold at the base of her horn just visible within her pale blue locks. That was my Princess, my wife, my better half... That warm thought made 'Be Kind...' swell to a sweet note that fought against 'Be Dark...', letting me think somewhat constructively for a moment, my gaze shifting from her to the floating cloud town of Rocketburg behind her.

My better half... Jade and I were together in everything, two sides of the same whole, complimenting each other and there to lean on. It wasn't my way or hers, it was ours...

"Both!" I yelped and smacked a hoof to my forehead to quiet the roar of rejection up there, quickly shaking it off and speaking rapidly. "Jade's right, we can't let our own stubborn pride get in the way of keeping innocent ponies safe Burny. That doesn't mean the Gunners and the Institute get to have their way without a fight though. We're getting everypony and as much as we can take out of here, they're not taking your town, we're taking it with us."

All of them followed my gesture up, blinking between the floating islands and the guide wires tethering them to the ground and each other. No one looked entirely happy, but Jade nodded with a weak smile full of trust I saw reflected on all their faces to some degree.

The practical business mare Twin Jets spoke up in an unsure voice tinged with hope first, looking between the town and me uncertainly. "I'm all for getting the hell out of here with as much as we can, but it took teams of pegasi months to guide each of those islands here Fast, how can we..."

"Swan? You think a big, strong mare like you can do it?"

Playing to Swan's pride got a wide grin from the huge filly, she nodded and stood looming over us, stamping a hoof down that cracked the concrete and shook us all on our hooves as she burbled. "Ya huh! I never tried picking up a whole town before! It'd be easier if I can haz another tasty glowy apple though..."

Jade didn't even argue with her giddy sister, rummaging in the shifting plates allowing access to her packs and tossing a broken shard of balefire apple up to Swan's waiting maw snapping it up, reluctantly holding on to a tiny sliver she delicately licked up and rolled around in her muzzle like rock candy too. Swan gave a little shimmy down to her tail and low moan once it hit her stomach, her eager blue-violet eyes glowing as she spread her wings in readiness.

Gulping up to the giant mare, Twin nodded and started shouting orders to passing ponies. "Alright! We're evacuating people! Everypony get up to Rocketburg, Couriers, start grabbing everything from HQ and take it up there! Cut the ground lines and lasso the islands together tight! This is definitely better than sending a mob fleeing out to the ruins Fast, but it's gonna take more than five minutes."

"Which means we have to buy as much time as we can. Summer, get on the radio to the Castle and get those guns firing. Jade, Witchy, Glitter, you guys start moving the wounded and stay here, stay safe... Val, Zed and Cool, you guys cover us and hold the lines with the Cats and Minutemares. Burny, Zeke and I will go take it to them out there. It'll take time before they're ready for you to pull Rocketburg away, so... Swan, smash..."

I had to hold onto my hat when Swan gave a happy whoop and rocketed up, blowing all our manes back at the wall of wind her wings kicked up. Jade and Glitter paused to give an anxious hug before joining everyone galloping off with purpose.

Jade nuzzled my mane and gave a shaky whisper in my ear as we held each other tight,. "Come back to us safe... This is not how I wished to spend our first day as mare and colt, but I demand we finish it together."

"Be super careful daddy! I know you'll beat those mean Gunners, b-but there's a lot of them... I-I'm not scared though!" Glitter looked up from squeezing my ribs hard enough to feel them creak with her worried pink eyes holding mine.

The chaos around us faded away for those few precious seconds, the impatient mutter of 'Be Dark...' fading in the warm glow of love with my wife and daughter. The armor I was glad Jade was wearing to protect her also unfortunately got in the way of the feel of her in my hooves, but at least her soft lips were free to give a parting kiss before they ran off. They were as far from danger as I could get them and together, no matter what it took, I wouldn't let the Gunners reach them...

Twin Jets galloped her way to the Red Rocket HQ building with Summer zipping ahead of her, while her daughter Cool lingered and snapped off a confident Minutemare salute. "Yes sir General! Don't worry, I'll see if I can get those civies to help lend a little wingpower sir."

I opened my mouth to ask about that, but she zipped off with a determined whinny before I could. I hoped she wouldn't do anything to put the civilian ponies of Rocketburg in danger, but she grew up here and knew them. I trusted the Minutemare filly as a smart and competent soldier who cared about them personally.

Val punched my shoulder as she checked her weapons in anticpation, narrowing her violet eyes and leaning down to grumble at me. "Still don't like you runnin' ahead without me shorty... I know what yer doin', tryin' ta keep me away. I ain't losin' my shit over that prick Lucius being out there boss, so you better keep it together or I'm kickin' yer ass... I'll be right behind ya."

I gave the scowling griffon a firm hug, wincing at her figuring me out. With how much the Gunners wanted to kill her as the infamous traitor in particular, I'd prefer keeping her back with Jade and Glitter, but knew she'd never go for it. "Right Val, you watch my back and I'll watch yours. Partner..."

Zeke resumed fighting with his grandfather over the remaining smoke grenades as he yelled to the nearby Arcano-Cats with his old bravado. "You heard him Cats! Let's rumble!"

Burny still didn't look satisfied, but rolled his eyes at the earth pony Arcano-Cat Rowdy crushing his grandson in a power armor assisted parting hug, giving me a nod of respect and muttering in a low voice. "Not bad Junior Speedster Fast... Make a leader of the flock outta you yet. Don't think you're keepin' up with me and Junior though, you got a long way to go there."

"I have no illusions there Burny, I'm just there to cover you two. We're not doing the best job as new allies I guess, but I really think this is the best we can manage right now. We will come back though, I promise. I'm... I'm sorry we can't do better, your home..."

The old buck sighed and turned a faded blue eye to a small lot cleared of ruins except for a forest of scrap made grave markers nearby, his eyes misting a moment before he shook it off and wrapped a foreleg around my neck in a grandfatherly hug. "Maybe the Princess and little Witch have a point and I'm just a stubborn old goat. But I'm too old to change now, this is a place with a lot of memories... I guess I still got time to make new ones though. So long as one of 'em is makin' these bastards pay a high price for takin' this place, right?"

'...Pay... Revenge... Want... Let me...'

"R-Right, they will sir..."

Flying right at the line of ground and sky tanks ahead of us, I was forced to put aside my fears and give the Shroud's spirit room to spread its wings just to keep up with Burny and Zeke blasting ahead of me. I knew Zed told me not to make deals with it, but there was no way to handle this kind of flying on my own and if I didn't try to work with it, 'Be Dark...' would keep pushing until it got its way. With Jade and Glitter counting on us and a buffet of blood laid out before it, I was betting on it being cooperative.

Even with black lightning arcing around me in a powerful aura that sped my amateur flight up considerably, I was barely keeping pace with the two pegasi racers, marveling at their skills from a lower altitude while they zoomed overhead with twin contrails streaking behind them. With them moving high and fast in a bombing run, I was the more tempting target and hoped to at least give them some cover. I had a few seconds to adjust to their speed and think that far while the Gunners actually kept their word and counted off their oh so gracious five minutes, then all hell broke loose in the form of Swan attacking...

She had gone above the cloud cover and must have been giving the chunk of balefire in her belly time to charge her up before making her move, the only sign she was up there flashes of purple that looked like lightning illuminating the clouds with no thunder. That and the wind picking up and turning cold made me look up in time to see a huge chunk of ice plummeting to the ground and smashing into a cluster of surprised infantry, just as the giant glowing ball of her shield followed and dove on them.

Ice was forming up in the clouds... Spreading and slowly weighing down the fluffs of grey, until the weight became too much and they fell like delayed time bombs. I knew Swan knew ice magic, along with an amazing repertoire of other deadly spells, but wouldn't have thought to use it like that... She was really creative when it came to smashing ponies...

Finding themselves under attack by a whooping 50 foot mare, the Gunners reminded me of nothing more than the outmatched army ponies from the film I was sure she was thinking of too, opening up with all their firepower in panic. The unicorn actress from the monster movie couldn't fly though, taking away her main weakness of being slow enough for the movie army to deal with.

Swan soared straight down their lines perpendicular to us, a wavy beam of violet magic blasting the runway under her racing shadow. The tarmac buckled and heaved in her wake, a deep rumble filling the air with her magical earthquake opening a long, wide crack in the ground. She wasn't just attacking for fun... She was making barriers to delay them...

Her attack broke the cease fire however, the Gunners didn't completely panic like most opponents faced with the terrifying super alicorn either. The tortoise like sky tanks peeled off from the ground units and joined the vertibucks trying to deal with her, while the rest focused on their objective. The Gunners power armor squads led the charge, leaping the gorge Swan made and meeting the Arcano-Cats and Minutemares dug in to hold them off in a furious battle.

The sky was filled with lead as the three of us zoomed over the battle lines, the bright shouts of 'Be Awesome!' and 'Awareness!' barely letting me dodge and spin through the air after Burny and Zeke pulling further ahead. My position struggling to keep up let me see the flock of Gunner griffons spotting them and moving to intercept, floating the Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance at my sides and firing to draw their attention.

Eyes Forward Sparkle was so full of red it was useless, but S.A.T.S. reliably froze time and let me select my shots, queuing up attacks on the combat armored griffons gracefully turning on me. If it weren't for the targeting spell I'd be hard pressed to keep up in aerial combat, but with it I was able to devote all my attention to evading them while it handled the rest.

Their unarmored wings made for bigger targets than their helmeted heads and the one I'd fought on the way here demonstrated how effective going for them was, so the Terrible Shotgun barked and blasted the feathered appendages rapidly as I dove and spun, sending three falling to the ground below in quick succession.

I thought I was doing pretty good against the lean predators who put me to shame in the air, even if I was relying on the Shroud's more impressive flying to do it. When the row of tanks ahead fired in unison however, the concussive wave of air buffeting me knocked me off my stride, tumbling in the air and instantly finding the military trained griffons weren't nearly as bothered. Their combat rifle fire zeroed in on me, the whining shots and painful thuds of penetrating impact against my armor further loosing me speed and altitude, along with a worrying amount of blood I could feel oozing under my coat.

They dove and closed in after me, a familiar screech nearly lost in the forest of their own saved me though. Val swooped in with a dozen pegasi Minutemares and Arcano-Cats, including the pink and blue power armored forms of Roxie and Bluejay, leading the charge to deal with the aerial combatants with the red beams of her magical energy weapon clearing a path. The bright red and orange griffon was easy to spot and recognize, shouts of 'TRAITOR!' ringing out as the Gunners changed priorities.

I caught her scowl as she waggled her favorite whacking stick as a makeshift baton to direct her flying troops, just the sight of the hateful teaching aide enough to make me straighten up and fly faster to escape it out of ingrained instinct beaten into me repeatedly. "Fly better'n that boss! GO! Hustle yer flanks 'fore I get to em!"

'Be Unwavering!' sang out and I found reserves of energy to pull up and flap harder, following the contrails of Zeke and Burny splitting up and already dropping canisters spewing red smoke to the ruins below. I felt like a third wing watching them go, pulling aerial combat moves I would never match as they wove through the fire trying to bring them down. With them doing just fine without me, I couldn't help looking back in worry at Val looping through the air, despite the manic grin on her beak as she swapped the split ended stick for her flaming Shishkebab. Her former comrades reeeeeally wanted to kill her...

Zed was below her, leading the ground based troops there along with Rowdy and Moose in a deadly dance of flying hooves, spinning miniguns and flaming antlers against the power armored Gunners. Apparently each of my friends were regarded as famous heroes and leaders in their own right, even the solitary and standoffish zebra. It was easy to see why in his case anyway, the earth ponies and unicorns chasing after him were in awe of his strength, younger troops cheering as they fearlessly galloped against an army.

I winced at the glance behind them I got, the Gunners' first barrage had demolished hangars and blown large, flaming holes in the Red Rocket garages and offices. The sight of a lot of civilian pegasi flying in formation from Rocketburg drew my attention away from the horrible damage I could see from just one volley. I could just make out Cool Jets at the head of the large flock that looked to include elderly and young ponies alike, what in the world was she up to? Why were they flying in a tight circle near the shore like that? Was that why the wind was still picking up?

Weather experts... They might not all be fighters, but every pegasus possessed weather magic as part of the core of their being, they were using it now and I couldn't help watching in amazement. A small group had flown up to the cloud layer and I could hear the rumble of thunder as they darkened and flashed, while those zooming around in the tight circle were speeding up more and more, the growing winds seeming to concentrate and become visible around them.

They were whipping up a storm... The increasing winds were already making the Gunners' vertibucks lurch in the air and keep their distance from town, focusing instead on chasing Swan soaring by with the sky tanks blasting her dimming shield with brilliant beams from their magical energy cannons. Following her swooping course, I saw the crashing waves at the shore knocking the rusting landing craft around like toy boats too.

A sharp whine and intense pain in my ear drew my attention front again, scrambling to catch my fedora before it got blown away and eyeing the ragged peak knitting itself together again. Blood dribbled from the torn tip and inside my ringing ear, making the cacophony of gunfire and explosions somewhat muted and flying straight a severe challenge with my equilibrium gone to hell. It felt like I had a concussion just from the near miss, what the hell hit me?

Taking in just how close a call that was, I jerked and rolled in the air evasively, scanning everywhere for the sniper that damn near blew my head off. I spotted him hiding in a tattered tuft of cloud far above, a dark crimson and tan griffon with a glowing cybernetic eye pressed against the scope of the biggest anti-materiel rifle I'd ever seen, some kind of griffon made weapon that made me very glad he missed.

Before I could pull out The Last Minute and return the favor, a pegasus Gunner smashed into me with a pair of power hooves, knocking me down to the shattered corner of a ruin that was all that remained of the third floor in a painful crash. It was more a suggestion of a building at this point, the one mostly intact wall and crumbling window frames below my narrow perch offering a squad of ground based Gunners cover. Woozily looking up to the sniper, I found him taking aim again from and rolled to my hooves, just ahead of his shot blowing a hole through the already swiss cheese floor.

I dove for the doorway connected to sagging stairs that were the main thing keeping this last bit of the upper floor standing, ducking behind the crumbling brick walls of the second floor to break his line of sight and come out elsewhere, just in time to meet a pair of earth ponies stomping their way up with a pair of Ironpony combat shotgun battlesaddles. I didn't have time for this... Best Served slashed the throat of the first one rearing in surprise to meet me darting out, letting me flap hard and bounce off his army helmet to the second.

If I weren't awkwardly lurching over his buddy, the blast of his shotguns firing would have done more than blow a cloud of feathers from my frantically flapping wing. Still being loopy also meant I wasted several shots before any of the .45 rounds from my revolver hit him, all the gunfire making a lot of noise I only half heard that alerted the others in the ruin. I had to pause to tilt my head and splash a bit of healing potion down my ear before slugging the rest down and moving on, shaking my head as the shots and their muffled shouts crackled and rose back to full volume.

More bullets and beams chased after me from the holes leading to the lower floors and the Gunners there as I clawed for altitude and looked for a likely gap through the fallen roof timbers blocking my way. Once I found a gap and dove free, I grabbed the leaning corner I'd landed on originally in my magic and yanked, bringing the teetering brickwork down on the rest of the building with the hollar of 'Be Strong!'.

Out in the open again, I activated S.A.T.S. just to get another look at the griffon sniper above. He had turned to the rest of the battle with me no longer a clear target, firing just as I dove out to the open skies again. I followed the path of his rifle's long barrel, hoping he hadn't hit Burny or Zeke as I hurriedly pulled out my whining guass rifle.

I needn't have worried about the two pegasi zooming down the row of tanks, I'd gotten turned around in the broken building and he was aiming at one of the Arcano-Cats power armor suits from Burny's museum. I still hated to see the gleaming orange T-45 get hammered by the kind of gun designed to take them out in the war, even if the pilot was ok the old armor was going to take serious damage.

When time resumed, I was surprised to see that wasn't the case... It hit.. I knew it hit, the armored Cat fell and skidded to the ground like it had, but showed no damage? He wasn't standing again either... The flat crack of the Last Minute blew a hole through the sniper's combat armor breastplate and he tumbled from his cloudy perch being blown off course by the increasing winds, giving me some satisfaction as I got my bearings and sought out Burny again.

Something was bothering me about it though, a pit forming in my stomach as I found his red contrail zipping through the matching smoke, already turning back from dropping his grenades and joining up with Zeke. How could it not damage the armor, but hit the pilot? A chilly sensation from my subconscious kept gnawing at me, something I'd seen recently...

I couldn't put my hoof on it and hardly had time though, dodging more gunfire and griffons as I banked and made to match Zeke and Burny's course back. The two of them slowed down to fly in formation beside me, each taking a wing and joining my floating weapons with their magical energy rifles in plowing a path forward.

Another barrage from the tanks behind us went over our heads, drawing the eye as more of the hangars and garages we were heading for went up in flames. The upper floors of the Red Rocket HQ with Burny's office collapsed, the obstacle course for Zeke's races was a pile of wreckage, Roxie's paintshop garage was burning in rainbow colored flames and the the wingstream trailer Zeke lived in had been tossed through the roof of the Arcano-Cats' clubhouse.

Above it all Rocketburg was still intact and tightly lashed together though, the severed guide wires to the ground whipping in the wind and tied together, protected behind a brilliant blue disc I saw Jade producing at the edge of the floating islands. The sight of her in the sparking A-01 with its fins spread like a peacock boosting her shield was like a beacon above the hellscape the Gunners were turning the ground below into, a bright light of hope protecting everypony and calling us back. Behind her I could see distant puffs from the silhouette of the Castle down the coast, the rolling rumble of the big guns firing reaching us moments later.

I heard a hard, sad edge to Burny's helmet amplified voice as we got a look at the damage and all the fallen defenders scattered across the distance between us and there. "Alright... Call your crew back Junior, before any more of em get hurt. Let the assholes have it... what's left anyway..."

"I-It'll be ok Gramps, we'll get em back daddy-o... Princess Pussycat was right, don't matter where home is, so long as we're together, right?" Zeke nodded and hoofed the old buck to the shoulder before speeding ahead, shouting as he crossed the battle lines below and rallying everypony fighting to hold the Gunners off. "Ok cats and kittens! Make like an egg an' beat it! We got incomin'!"

"We will come back Burny... I promise. They're not getting away with this... I'm sorry..."

Burny climbed higher as we joined the retreat, his finned helmet sliding open as the gunfire slackened and he turned back to face my weak consolation. "No Fast, I am... The Princess was right, and she sure ain't no coward. That's a mare worth fighting for, some patch of dirt isn't. Us stubborn bucks need a special somepony like that to keep us flying straight, so I'm glad I at least got to hitch you two kids here before it was all gone. You be sure to listen and... Look out!"

I saw his faded blue eyes shrink to frightened dots looking over my head, then he gave an agile roll in the air faster than I could follow, grappling with me to shove me forward and diving to the tarmac. He gave a hard jerk and his armored hooves clenched around my barrel as his roll turned to a crash and a blinding pain burned through my shoulder. The two of us tumbled to the hard ground with him landing on top, opening his muzzle to speak and coughing up a fountain of blood that stained his beard and dribbled to my face.

The shouts of Zeke and Val were ringing in my ears, along with a faint whistling noise that was slowly growing louder. I couldn't focus on any of it though, gritting my teeth in pain and feeling blood soaking my coat as he shuddered on his front legs. His gleaming armor was completely undamaged, but something had drilled right through it without leaving a mark and hit me too.

The elderly stallion was still covering me as I struggled to make sense of it, croaking weakly. "...g-guess... I ain't... leavin'... after all..."

"W-What!? Burny! Burny are you ok!? H-Hang on!" I struggled under him as he shivered and collapsed on my chest, looking past his grey mane and spotting that griffon sniper hovering above the Gunners advance, the long rifle in his claws smoking and lining up again.

'...NO...'

The image of the Gunner sniper was seared on my burning eyes, following as he dove and spun away from Val and Zeke firing at him as they rushed up, the retreating Minutemares and Arcano-Cats turning back for us behind them. The thunder of a lot of power armored hooves surrounded us, forming a bulwark against the return fire. Another bloody cough drenched my face as a pair of striped hooves gently pulled Burny off me, rolling him to the side and letting me sit up on my haunches in confusion with my head pounding.

"GRAMPS! What happened!?" Zeke landed nearby, prancing on his hooves behind Zed hurriedly trying to check him over. "Oh goddesses! He's hurt! H-Help him stripey! L-Let's get him outta here!"

'...NO!...'

"Do not move him... He is... here Mr. Jets, try to drink." The edges of my vision was going dark, pulsing in time with my heartbeat pumping blood from the gaping wound at my shoulder as I shakily turned to Zed's stern and calm voice.

The zebra was frantically looking for damage and finding nothing obvious. He shoved a purple healing potion in his mouth and flinched at the spray of blood when Burny hacked and spewed it back up. That whistling noise was getting louder, rising like a teakettle in time with the terror and red rage starting to grow in me.

The huge purple form of Swan landed with a tremor and her shield blazed to life around us, anxiously looking back to me and Burny. "FAST! Are you ok!? Is the grampa-pony... is he..."

Roxie, Moose, Bluejay, Rowdy and Zeke were all crowding him, joining Swan's defense keeping the Gunners back and glancing to the old leader of the flock fearfully, giving their young leader room to pull his helmet away to show the tears streaming down his face and be with his grandfather.

His dying grandfather...

'...LET ME....'

I felt something crack in my head, a brittle noise like breaking glass echoing with the stunned growl of 'Be Dark...' swelling up. I didn't feel the pain in my shoulder anymore... I barely felt my own tears as my head turned on rusty hinges, seeking out the griffon who did this looking up to the whistling noise now becoming a shriek.

'...MURDERER...'

I stood on shaking hooves as the first mortar rounds tore into the Gunners' lines, pounding the tanks the bastard was retreating behind with massive explosions throwing my shadow behind me. The Gunners troops on the ground falling back with him from the rising whistle of more mortar fire.

'...NO ESCAPE...'

Taking a stalking step forward, I absently noted my starkly defined shadow stretching behind me getting darker and swirling at my hooves. My head didn't hurt, it was clear and cold as I took another limping step. I agreed completely with the Shroud's furious voice, he wasn't getting away... None of them were...

My wings spread and flapped, getting me off my blood drenched leg and carrying me up to the stormy skies rumbling with thunder. The dark clouds overhead swirled and grew black, matching the aura of lightning arcing around me that seemed to be calling to them. Bolts of lightning joined another trio of mortar rounds, striking a Vertibuck and sky tank that fell like stones and randomly blasting the power armored Gunners trying to retreat.

'...LET ME OUT...'

Fine... Come on out... Let's make them pay...

'...REVENGE...'

"BOSS! BOSS SNAP OUTTA IT!" Val screeched from behind me, grabbing my tail in her claws and trying to hold me back.

"LEAVE... ME... ALONE...!"

She paled and let go when I turned with a snarl and snapped at her grip with my fangs, fighting the wind now howling around me and looking up to the skies raining lightning down. Val didn't go away like I wanted though, shouting over the explosions and thunder worriedly. "Don't you dare dammit! Yer losin' it boss! BLUE!!!"

Flying higher and putting her behind me, the only thing I heard through the roar in my head was her calling for Jade. I managed to turn back with the panicked cry of 'Be Kind...' wailing in my head. What I saw made that frightened voice resonate louder, a brave light against the storm of hate raging in my mind.

Jade was coming... I barely had time to see the bright blue contrail of her streaking from Rocketburg. The A-01 armor she wore as a symbol shifted into its boost mode configuration and blasted her forward. She'd never had the chance to use it in the race and the fading, rational part of my brain clung to the site of soothing arcano-tech in action.

The flexible plates at her flanks curled up over her tail, forming a ring with the large diamond spell talismans facing inward. The floating crystalline wingblades flared brightly, igniting a crackling ball of magic contained by the curled plates that turned into a brilliant flash of thrust, sending her rocketing across the distance separating us in an instant.

She hit me like a freight train, the air rippling and distorting around her outstretched forelegs closing around my barrel exploding in a prismatic explosion when she caught me and sped on. Her armored limbs squeezed me tight, keeping me from struggling loose as she banked hard and I saw the spreading rainbow ring blowing away the storm. A sonic rainboom...

'Be Awesome! Be Strong! Be Unwavering! Be Kind! Awareness!'

The sparkling rainbow vision in the sky harmonized the song of the Ministry Mares, rising into one voice that cleared away the storm in my head just as her act of love and bravery brought the bright sunlight down on the smoking battlefield. She saw what was happening, what happened to Burny... and simply flew to me, forgetting all her own fears and problems piloting the prototype armor.

It hummed around me with her panting breath as she made right for the stunned cluster of our friends, her breath puffing in my ear held tight to her neck as she rambled and cried softly. "Sssh... Do not fight Fast... W-We must go. You must stop... please... I will not let you leave me. I love you Fast... it will be... a-alright..."

Her magic swirled around me, focusing on the ragged wound at my shoulder staining her polished armor with my blood. Everything felt numb and my head hurt again, the warm song of the Ministry Mares fighting the angry hiss of the Shroud being pushed back. She used her anesthetic spell... I couldn't move. Good girl...

Skidding to a halt in front of her huge sister, Jade still kept a tight grip on me as she hovered in front of Swan's face, drifting down to Burny's prone form with a sob and taking charge. "Sister! It is time to leave! Immediately!"

Swan gave a slow nod and her horn crackled, teleporting everyone clustered around her hooves the short distance to Rocketburg, just ahead of the remaining vertibucks firing everything they had where we disappeared. I found myself released to the soft, cloudy ground of the central island as Swan swooped off. Surrounded by a huge crowd of evacuees packing the more solid cloudcrete streets, shouting in surprise at our appearance.

I couldn't even turn my head, rolling a teary and bloodshot eye to follow Jade racing over to Burny gurgling weakly nearby. Her horn blazed in a layer of overglow and sweat beaded on her face, but I saw the determined expression she wore crumble, tears flowing down her face as she yelped for help removing his armor.

Witchy was right at her side with a trio of pegasi doctors, they all worked frantically and pushed the crowd back, trying to surround him and keep him from view. They allowed Zeke, Twin and Cool Jets close, I could hear them crying over him, leaning down to listen to his hoarse whispers. The residents of Rocketburg didn't even move when the island itself did, I could see the clouds drifting back across the sky as Swan hauled the whole town away from the continuing whistles and explosions. All of them simply watched and murmured to each other.

Even Val was softly crying, keeping a paw pressed to my chest and peering over the huddle surrounding Burny. Glitter galloped out of the crowd and joined her, launching herself to my belly and pinning me, her warm tears soaking my neck as she nuzzled and sobbed. I wished I could move and hug her, grateful to Val for gently lifting my foreleg and draping it over her to offer some bare comfort anyway, but there was nothing I could do or say.

Through the forest of legs between us, I could see Burny's tired sky blue eyes looking our way, the light in them fading but still so warm. The glimpses I caught of his ruined body under the armor hurt just to see, but he was lucid. His gaze held mine a moment, slowly panning to Glitter weeping against me, then to his daughter Twin and grandfoals Zeke and Cool surrounding him, then out to the hushed crowd. A whole town of crying ponies focused on the old stallion lying not ten feet away from where I did.

A soft smile curled his bearded and bloody muzzle and I got the message his wise stare communicated. He was surrounded by family and friends, by the town he'd built and ponies he'd helped. There wasn't any anger or fear in his eyes, just love and contentment as his wrinkled lids came down in a weak wink and closed, his labored breathing finally coming to a halt.

The clouds crept back across the skies as Swan dragged us away, slowly closing the shining light of Celestia's sun away again and starting to rain. A slow drizzle that fell in my upturned face and hid my tears as I bawled with my daughter, like the goddesses were weeping with me and everypony else.

-------------------Level Up!-------------------

New Perk Added!--------------

Weather Wizard-----
---Learning more about weather magic from pegasi experts has increased your mastery over related unicorn magic spells! As an alicorn, the two kinds of magic harmonize and you deal +10% damage, are able to cast for 20% less mana, and you gain an increased chance of learning any qualifying spell such as lightning, ice and wind schools.

Quest Perk Added!-------------

Married!------
---You got married! Hey, it's your problem, not ours. As a bonus, the bonds of holy maretrimony with your special somepony makes your heart swell, increasing your base health by 10%!

Ch. 100-- Put the Beast Down

"Deep inside, you know how powerful you are... You don't need anypony! You can do whatever you want. And all you have to do is get rid of anypony who stands in your way!"

---------------------------

"Good morning Commonwealth... and a sad morning it is. Forgive me if the playlist and your faithful DJ Traveling Miles are both a little somber today, but I have to lead off the news with some I wish I didn't have to. Burny Jets, Diamond City Noble and owner of the Red Rocket Courier Service, ...is dead...

The... The fucking Gunners... the Gunners attacked his home settlement of Rocketburg yesterday, still reeling from a raider attack during their weekly races that ended with the RadRoc we all saw zooming around the day before. I'm told Mr. Jets died a hero, making those bastard mercs pay as they took the old Shadowbolt base and drove off the Arcano-Cat defenders. He's survived by a huge family our prayers to the Goddesses go out to. His daughter Twin Jets has assumed his position as head of the courier service that brought us the news late last night, while the town he helped establish for Enclave refugees is still flying strong, just in a new location.

F-Faithful listeners, I'm sorry to hit the airwaves with my voice snotty and cracked from crying all night, but... b-but Burny Jets was a friend to every Pegasus in the Commonwealth, yours truly included. I was one of the last generation of Dashites exiled from the Enclave and... and Burny took care of me as a scared colt all alone down here. Even beyond his big family, Burny was always willing to take on more like me. He set me up with this old radio station in D.C., helped me get on my hooves... he... h-he always told me to call him Grampy Jets... and... a-and he's gone... he's just gone because of those evil bastards!

S-Sorry... Some of my sponsors might not like me speaking ill of the biggest assholes in the Commonwealth, but they took a good buck away from us all, so fuck them. Fuck the Gunners and fuck the ponies pulling their strings. That includes all of them acting as 'extra security' for the the stupid fucking wedding I've been basically ordered to focus on today too, which is this weekend and oh so fucking important... If you see them wandering the market, tell them Miles says fuck you.

Matter of fact, this DJ doesn't give a damn about stupid Noble wedding. Burny himself officiated the only one of those I care about before he died, a real wedding between Princess Jade and the Shrouded Stallion we reported on earlier. No, the only big event I care about now is Burny's funeral, so I'm out. For those who can make it and are welcome, it's at Castle Equinox tomorrow afternoon, so I've got to get flying. Here's a little of the Stallion in Black, Jingle Cash to lead off the playlist with Hurt. I know I am..."

--------------

"What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end..."

"And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt..."

-ooOoo--

It continued raining after the battle of Rocketburg, all through the next day and night, then on in to the morning of Burny's funeral. The slow drizzle dribbling off the brim of my hat and the music Miles had left on a repeated broadcast matching the overall mood of the castle I looked down on from the peaked roof of one of the unoccupied parapets. I wasn't hiding this time, just watching all the activity somberly going on below, looking up to the floating town of Rocketburg now tethered to the Castle and the regular flights of pegasi between the two. I would say I was thinking, but I felt too numb to really call it that.

We'd returned by early evening and been busy getting everyone settled, the new ghoulish thestral residents of the Castle helping with all the back and forth getting the ground bound evacuees down from the clouds and dealing with them. I absently noted how happy the undead batponies seemed when we arrived, all eager to follow Jade's orders as the returning Princess and settling into new roles around Luna's castle in our absence. The Castle now boasted both a meager general store run out of the gatehouse, along with a bar started in the grand dining hall nearby Greasy Spoon's mess hall.

I'd been glad for all the extra help anyway, blearily giving what orders I could to get things going, before finding a way to retreat and fall apart. The Arcano-Cats power armor we'd managed to keep from the Gunners were all parked with the various suits we'd recovered from the Castle, arrayed around the armory my Fixer's occupied. Which to my surprise had the ancient forges fired up and working by a talented batpony smith now too. It made me sad to look at all of Burny's gleaming museum pieces standing out in the rain, their bright colors muted by the leaden skies and rain dribbling down their steely faces like tears.

The Cats themselves had been given a few unused rooms the busy thestrals had cleared already and I left them to mourn to themselves. Burny's couriers had been flying from Rocketburg over the last couple days since arriving, hauling large loads of documents, mail and their reserve of caps they'd packed up from their HQ before it was blown to hell. I'd idly listened to Burny's daughter Twin barking out orders for where to take it all and who to deliver the news to, keeping her composure despite how much she was hurting as the new mare in charge, amazed at the earth pony's strength and resolve when her dad had just...

Perching out in here in the rain also had the benefit of disguising my own tears as I thought of the old buck, seeing that last tired wink he gave, then wincing as less gentle images flashed in my mind with a twinge of pain. The blood he spewed out after grappling me out of the air to save me, thinking his armor would protect us both to some degree. The sickening sight of his ruined corpse when Jade had taken him to her ballroom infirmary and inspected him behind closed doors, trying to clean up the horrible damage and make him presentable for his funeral.

Bypass bullets... The memory of her softy crying as she explained the terrible spellcraft that had made his power armor useless made my fangs extend as I grimaced at the memory. When we shared the news with those closest to us, Summer seemed to recognize it with a fearful whinny, immediately asking for and getting permission to radio her former comrades in the Brotherhood of Friendship. I could understand why her warm yellow coat paled on hearing, Elder Macson and his troops needed to know the danger.

The Institute... they supplied that fucking sniper with bullets that passed right through power armor like it wasn't there, the enchanted ammunition made the Brotherhood's prized power armor useless and the Arcano-Cats had probably been a test run before using it on them... It left every dead Cat we'd been forced to leave behind ready for salvage, the armor still in perfect condition. It was all the Institute's fault... theirs and the sniper himself Val had identified as the Gunners #2, Lucius...

'Revenge... Want... Kill...'

"Nnngh... Shut up... I'm not in the mood, especially after what you tried to pull... Go back to sleep and wait."

Perching up here by myself at least let me engage in a private chat with myself, wincing at the grumble of 'Be Dark...' shifting in my head. I was still annoyed with it, not to mention frightened. It had tried sneaking out again...

Once everything was settled after we made it back to the Castle and the nearly dark moon rose, we had retreated to Luna's chambers and her huge bed to just fall to exhausted sleep together. Jade and Glitter cuddled together with me and we all let go and wept quietly in each others hooves, our little filly finally sniffling her way to uneasy sleep first. Beyond the three of us, Witchy curled up against Jade's back for comfort, her squeaky cries slowly tapering away as she mourned her godfather and the small time they had together.

Val held her tears back and prowled up to the foot of the big bed too, I could smell the Wild Pegasus on her breath as she huffed and spun in a slow circle, lying down with her back to us, but twining her long tail up to brush my hindlegs in needed contact. Swan came squeezing her way in the wide balcony overlooking the sea, she'd burned off enough energy to fit, but still took up a large chunk of even Luna's palatial bed, silently nudging all of us aside to make room for her to flop down at the headboard, her soft tummy replacing the pillows as she huddled close and sniffled. The big filly had grown to like Burny too, her first example of what a grandparent was like.

Finally Zed even came in, looking worn and worried. He sat against the door out in his odd zebra crosslegged pose, closing his stern grey eyes in meditation, but keeping his focus on all of us piled in the large bed. He'd seen what had happened, ...started to happen... when Burny was hit. I'd nearly lost control entirely, if Jade hadn't stopped me... I wasn't sure what would have happened.

I was glad he was there keeping an eye on me, but his intense guard made sleeping even harder. For a long time I simply laid on my back and stared at the ceiling, feeling the hitching breaths of my family surrounding me. It was warm and comfortable, but sleep wouldn't come.

When it did, my dreams were awful. I kept seeing Burny coughing up so much blood, replaying again and again how he'd died. Visions of the griffon sniper with the cybernetic eye and of Klein in his 'Dean' of University Point disguise kept stoking the fires of hate I felt over his fate. He was gone... there was nothing I could do to change that, but the ones responsible deserved to pay... The Gunners, the Institute, all the ponies of University Point... they should all ...die... suffer their ...punishment... for their part in taking away ...mine.... my friend...

I woke up with a crash, finding myself rolling down the tiled roofs of Castle Equinox entangled with extremely strong limbs, a binding of striped fur that tumbled with me, shouting sharply. "....up! Wake up! Please Fast, wake up! Stop!"

Groaning weakly as we rolled to a stop near the edge, I was pinned by Zed grappling with me from behind. His broad chest pressed against my wings and his forelegs wrapped around mine, keeping me from fighting my way loose as I groaned at the headache I woke up to.

"W-Why... What?..."

Zed slowly let me go, his deep baritone full of wary concern. "You escaped... Even expecting it, I barely caught you Fast. All I saw was a flicker of moving shadow. What were you doing? Do you remember?"

Unsteadily getting back to my hooves, I rubbed my head and looked around in confusion. We were outside... on the roofs of the Castle facing south... In the far distance I could see both the still burning fires of the Shadowbolt base Burny had called home for decades and the imposing shape of University Point to the east of it, both coming with vague, unformed thoughts. I'd wanted to go there... wanted to...

'Kill... Revenge... Punish...'

"I think I was going to... I don't know, hunt down Klein? That griffon? Both of them maybe? I... I wanted to make them pay for.... f-for Burny..." I croaked a slow answer, holding my head in my hooves. I really had been wandering off in my sleep... I'd been about to do it again and he caught me red-hooved...

Zed huffed, looking me over closely with a gruff scowl. "The Shrouded Stallion... you've been trying to use it, haven't you? You nearly let it loose, against my advice Fast... It's getting away from you, for just a moment before the Princess stopped you, I could feel its power raging out of control... It is getting worse...."

"I know alright! Just... just don't tell Jade yet, please!" I yelped back angrily, slumping as my ears drooped and continuing in a soft, small voice to my unconvinced and worried friend. "She'll try to keep me safe if she knows. I can't be locked up for her to treat, we have to go help Fancy and... and we're getting revenge for Burny dammit! One way or another... they're not getting away with this."

He didn't look convinced, but that penetrating grey stare finally softened and he sighed. "I was sorry to see him go too Fast... It may be understandable, but you must stay in control, too many are counting on you. Giving in to the spirit will do no good, what do you think it would have done had you gotten away? Go back to bed and stay there. If you slip again, I will tell Jade..."

I gave him a grateful look and slinked back up to Luna's chambers, glad the fellow stallion was willing to go along despite the pensive stare following me all the way back to the balcony. Even if he was worried about the spirit of the Shroud getting out, Zed was my friend and understood I couldn't just sit back and do nothing.

Burrowing back into the pile with Jade and Glitter murmuring softly and Swan snorting when I pawed my way under her long tummy, I made sure I couldn't move again without waking somepony, glad to see Witchy's tufted ears twitch and one bloodshot, slitted amber eye open watchfully. It was unfair to rely on Zed and her to keep track of me when she was hurting too, so I went back to staring at the ceiling until dawn started to highlight the clouds outside, thinking wearily and talking to the angry voice in my head.

Zed was right, whatever 'Be Dark...' planned to do, if it even thought that far ahead, was pointless... I couldn't take on an army of Gunners now occupying the Shadowbolt base, no matter how much of the Shroud's power I relied on. If it had gone after Klein that would have been worse... I doubted he was even occupying the synth shell we'd spoken with at University Point anymore. The guards and residents there were complicit in a way that made that grumble at the thought, but what was I going to do? Go on a murder spree in a town of innocent ponies? Wipe the settlement out like Kellogg had years ago? I'd be no better than him...

Those thoughts chased themselves in my head all night, into the morning when everyone else woke and listlessly got up. That first day was a blur of distracting activity at least, Jade dealing with all the wounded alongside her Followers, Val consulting with Preston and the Minutemares about defending the Castle from the now closer and entrenched threat of the Gunners, while I spent time with Summer, Cool Jets and my squad of Fixers trying to help the Arcano-Cats settle in.

Both of Burny's grandfoals were hurt and angry, focusing on what they could do to take their own revenge for their Grampy Jets. With the Arcano-Cats homeless but on our side, Zeke had decided on forming his own power armor corps of Minutemares, working with me and my repair ponies to set up their own garages and begin working on all the suits we had available and the Minutemare troops eagerly lining up for power armor training.

Despite how I knew he must be feeling, I respected the bold pegasus buck keeping his crew together and focused on what they could do. I'd felt bad adding to their bad news, but had taken the time to talk with the displaced Arcano-Cats and at least tell them about their missing member Scopes. Rather than make them feel worse however, the news actually improved their dark mood. They knew Scopes didn't betray them by choice anyway, growing more determined to make the Institute that had forced him to do their bidding pay. Roxie especially had been cheered by the information, spending her day setting up a new paint shop in the Castle and painting the rusty suits of armor littering the Castle Minutemare blue. They weren't giving up on their friend or their home, vowing someday they'd all be together again and put on the best race ever to celebrate.

Burny's daughter Twin Jets spent most of that day with Jade when she was available, both dealing with the community of refugees hovering above the Castle and making arrangements for today, determined to give her father the kind of funeral he deserved and giving those who wanted to pay their respects time to get here. We needed to get going soon and had plenty to deal with before then already, but Burny's huge and spread out family deserved to see him off together and paying our own respects was the least we could do after all he'd done for us.

I was apparently too tired and numb to try sneaking out last night anyway, falling into exhausted sleep with everyone again and waking up to the drizzly morning. With the funeral weighing on all our minds, we wandered off to help with the preparations. It hadn't been hard to slip away after that, so here I sat in the rain, watching as Minutemares hauled in carts full of driftwood and built a pyre in the courtyard.

"Daddy...?" I flinched at the small, quiet voice that called up from the broken tiles and gaps in the peaked roof I sat on, looking through the gaps to find a bleary eyed little filly sniffling up at me.

"H-Hi Sweetie... What are you doing up here? I thought you'd be with your mom, is everything ok? I was just..."

"Thinking... I know daddy... I umm... I wanted to think with you is all... I'm... I-I'm really sad and... a-and..." Glitter interrupted, sitting on the musty wooden floors of the abandoned tower room with her tail curled around her hooves and blinking up to me with such wide, sad pink eyes it broke my heart, dissolving into tears as I hurriedly clambered down to hug her tightly. "I-It's not fair! Mr. Jets was such a nice pony! How come he had to... g-go away..."

"Shhh... it's ok sweetie... I know. I know it's not fair, it hurts a lot huh? But... but it only hurts us that are left behind. Mr. Jets is with the Goddesses now, he's not hurting anymore and he wouldn't want us to either, would he?"

"N-No... H-He was always happy... h-he'd probably want us to have a race, o-or party or somethin'... b-but... I don't feel like it." Glitter snivelved against me, nuzzling desperately as she visibly mustered her courage and looked up to me with eyes clouded with doubt and pain. "Daddy... I... I feel bad cause when I saw him all hurt and... a-and dying... I was sad for him, b-but I was happy it wasn't you... A-Am I a bad pony for feeling glad he died and you didn't?"

"Sweetie, no... you're not a bad pony, my little filly is the bestest pony ever, don't you doubt it. It's... it's kinda natural to feel that way, when somepony you care about dies, it makes you think how much you love all the other important people in your life and appreciate them more. I liked Mr. Jets a lot, but... but I... I'd rather it be him than you or mommy any day of the week. That may sound mean, but it's just being honest. I love you more than the rest of Equestria put together, don't feel guilty for feeling that way too, be glad you have family you love so much still here with you."

I felt a little of the wire taught tension in her little body relax with relief at my soft words, finally sniffling to a halt and trudging to the arched window overlooking the courtyard with me right at her side. "I am Daddy... I love you too. W-What... What are they gonna do with all that wood down there? A-Aren't we burying Mr. Jets?"

Watching the Minutemares directed by Preston busily building the huge pyre and covering it with a ratty tarp, I curled a wing around the curious foal and shook my head. "Pegasi don't usually like being buried in the dirt, they couldn't do that when they all lived in the clouds with the Enclave. They cremate their dead sweetie, so they can go back to the skies forever. They're... they're going to burn Grampy Jets' body and say goodbye, but you don't have to go if you don't want."

"No! I... I wanna say goodbye too daddy, I'll be ok..." Glitter yelped and shook her head, turning down the escape I tried to leave her, reminding me what a tough little filly she was, how much more used to death she already was at such a young age. Her voice still gained an angry edge when she continued, looking up to me with her shimmering gaze full of faith. "W-We're gonna get them back, aren't we daddy? The mean Gunners and that Institute pony mommy told me about? T-They're not gonna get away with it, are they?"

"No... no they're not sweetie. That's not something for you to worry about though. How about we go use the fancy baths and get cleaned up, we wanna look nice for the funeral, right? Focus on that and all the good memories you have of Grampy Jets, leave the rest to me, alright?"

She didn't even protest at the word 'bath', wiping her dripping muzzle and nodding as she came along with me to the crumbling stairs back down. "Alright daddy. I know you'll get 'em, just like the bad ponies that... t-that took my mom and sister away... I miss them too, but I bet they'll really like Grampy and they're all happy together, s-so we should try to be happy too..."

"I'm happy when I'm with you sweetie, I don't have to try. I love you so much..."

"I love you too daddy... forever and ever..." Glitter managed a weak but genuine smile, hopping up to my back and wrapping her forelegs around my neck as I bypassed the long, winding stairs and glided down the tower.

The feel of her warm little body nuzzling my mane lifted some of the dark clouds clinging to my heart, a miniature, filly shaped sonic rainboom all by herself. Even I felt a little bad thinking the same thing she had so innocently, Burny being dead was hard and it hurt a lot, but she was still safe and with me. If it had been her that died, I'd...

I shuddered and turned firmly away from the grim thought, knowing in my secret heart I'd sacrifice a million Burny's to keep her alive...

A long, hot bath with a weakly squirming little filly helped a lot. Glitter helped pull away the swath of magical bandages still wrapped around the ragged wound at my shoulder, revealing the pink flesh covered in stubbly charcoal fuzz there that had regenerated with enough carefully monitored exposure to radiation down in the Castle's reactor pit over the last day. We soaked silently in the luxurious royal bath and let it wash all the grime away, barely noticing when Jade and the others came filing in one by one to get ready.

Jade had gone exploring in Luna's huge closets, finding an elegant black dress still in good condition to wear. The ebony gown sparkled like the night sky and she looked gorgeous in it, but her somber face tempered the fancy ballroom dress into lending her a regal and sad beauty.

Val got dressed in her slinky black evening gown from Diamond City under her armor too, while Witchy grimly polished her armor, announcing her plans to wear her father's power armor along with the Arcano-Cats. The poor thestral looked miserable, her exotic amber eyes still puffy and bloodshot, but Jade stayed at her side and comforted her.

Zed wore his dark suit from his old job back in Hexington, straightening the tattered tie and brushing his spiky mane thoroughly. I kept catching his grey stare flicking to me in the mirror as I did the same, trying to tame my ragged grey mane and shrugging into my cleaned Shrouded Stallion armor. It was all black anyway and only felt right... I wasn't wearing it as a costume, but a uniform, a symbol like Burny's own suits of power armor there to send him off.

Focusing on grooming the sad eyed Glitter with me, I saw her looking around at what all the grownups were wearing and blinking down to her nicest rose colored dress waiting on her with a frown. "Are we 'posed ta wear something dark daddy? I umm... I never got any black dresses since you an' mommy let me get pretty ones. Oh! N-Not that black stuff isn't umm... pretty too... just...."

Snirking in tired laughter at Glitter eying my all black outfit and fur while trying to spare my feelings, Jade shook her head softly. "You are a lovely and colorful little filly dear, you may wear whatever you wish and not feel obligated to follow your father's dubious fashion sense. If you are concerned about it, you may do as most of the uniformed Minutemares and Followers are and tie a bit of black legband at your sleeve."

"I like my fashion sense... I think my armor's cool anyway..." I mock-pouted back, trying to lighten the somber mood any little bit I could as I floated Glitter's backpack up and started rummaging through it. "Maybe I can do better than a legband though, let's see... Don't want to try this on anything too nice, just in case. No, no, no... jeez Glitter, how many hats do you have in here?"

At least teasing her with a tickle to her tummy got a little giggle out of Glitter watching closely beside me, though I was honestly surprised on looking through her hoard. Beyond numerous Fancy Buck snack cakes she had stashed on her for 'snacking emergencies' and the pile of toys, snow globes I'd found for her, knick-knacks and assorted junk and jingling bags of caps for her complicated trades, Glitter had a big collection of hats from all over the Commonwealth cluttering her bag.

Just idly rooting through the Pinkie-space enchanted bag, I found; An Equestrian Army helmet, along with a foal's Navy sailor cap from Dreadnot and white Equestrian Coast Guard Captain's hat, her white nurse's cap she loved wearing for Jade, a Stable 114 security barding helmet with its wide plexiglass visor cracked, her furry Ushanka hat from Yakyakistan we'd found in the 'Treasures of Jamocha Plains', a cowpony's stetson from Salt Lick's rodeo fair grounds, a mining helmet with a gem light on the brim she'd traded one of the White Legs' pups for from the nearby mines, a postal cap like the Red Rocket couriers wore and police hat that looked similar from the Manebridge Police Station, one of the crimson Brotherhood of Friendship cadet hats she'd gotten from the young squires on the Prydwen, the odd propeller beanie we'd found in Bitway Games, a tattered bowler hat she'd snagged for Cogsworth after seeing the Mr. Handy bartender in Goodneighbor wearing one, a floppy red newspaper cap she'd traded Piper's sister for in Diamond City, a pink pillbox hat with a small veil like the well dressed gangster mares in the Trigger Jewels wore, the discarded Sprite-bot helmet left behind by the Rust Devils at Redheart, a Minutemare's floppy tan hat, a foal sized Shrouded Stallion fedora from Eclipse's gift shop and a costume tiara like Jade's. Glitter liked collecting junk as much as I did it seemed...

Turning over the leather flight cap and goggles she'd added recently brought me back to the present pain however, remembering her wearing it while cheering from Burny's back as he called Jade's race against Zeke with the filly as his co-commentator. I saw her flinch when I paused at it too, so gently set it aside and finally found a plain yellow play dress she never wore, a more complimentary color for its original owner, my old friend Sunset Mist. I trotted away from everypony a few paces with the garment and laid it out on the tiled floor, glad to see her sadness replaced by curiosity as I rubbed my hooves together and lit my horn.

"Ok... so fair warning, this dress may explode... I've been practicing and working on learning one of Sassy's spells she wrote out for me, but this is the first time I've tried it since I was a foal and the results back then were... not good... You ok losing this one sweetie?"

At her eager nod, I focused on the spell and surrounded the garment in the brightening glow from my horn, remembering all my lessons and seeing the spell craft in my mind, visualizing what I wanted to happen. Black... turn black... change colors to black... I was worried my muttering would be taken as an invitation to 'Be Dark...' for a moment, feeling the spirit respond to the spell casting, a desire to turn everything black, not just the dress I was concentrating on.

Glitter's hopeful look reined it in however, I felt the Shroud stand aside on looking to her wide pink eyes sparkling with the glow of bright blue magic I was producing. Everything came easier without it in the way, granting me access to the full flow of arcane energy normally routed through its prison in my head. I watched along with Glitter giving a soft gasp as the bright yellow fabric faded to a dingy grey, darkening steadily towards black as I puffed and focused.

Finally it was as dark as my trenchcoat, floated to Glitter's reaching hooves as I wiped sweat from my brow and she beamed. "Wow! Thank you daddy! That's awesome, you can turn stuff all kinds of pretty colors for me now! You're lots better at magic than before, I bet you can be a cool wizard even!"

"It's thanks to all of mom making me do my homework sweetie, so I guess neither of us can complain that much when she has us do it, huh? I tried this spell for Sunset when I was your age, but just turned the Stable barding to swiss cheese. I still wouldn't say wizard-pony, but it has been coming easier lately."

Jade joined me in smiling at the filly wiggling her way into the simple black dress, playfully huffing at Sunset's name and forgetting for a moment at least what it was for. She didn't miss me rubbing my aching head, but chose not to dwell on it with Glitter and everyone else already hurting enough. "You see dear? Learning is very important, hard work pays results for everypony. Now you look very pretty and proper, just allow me to fix your mane and we may... m-may join everycreature downstairs..."

With the reminder of what we were getting ready for, the brief moment of brighter moods dimmed again and we returned to quietly getting ready. I felt nervous and unequal to the task of being around others, but there were a lot of folks waiting to say goodbye who were in pain too. Hiding and putting it off wouldn't change the fact Burny was gone, maybe joining together to offer each other comfort and pay our respects would help.

It was still drizzly outside, but the pegasus residents of Rocketburg had been flying up in the cloud cover above the Castle, clearing the rain away to leave a brighter and drier canopy over the open courtyard full of ponies. They'd been making their way here all morning after the news on the radio Miles related yesterday, those who could make the trip and were welcome.

I was guessing any mail in the Commonwealth was going to be delayed awhile, it seemed like every postal cap wearing courier pegasus was here instead of winging their way between settlements. Quite a few had come with the cobbled together sky chariots they rented out to customers that could pay for the service, well off ponies like the leader of the caravan post settlement of Bunker Hill, Kettle Corn, who we greeted in hushed tones in the crowd.

Mayor Shamrock of Goodneighbor was in attendance, still dressed in his funny ancient red coat and tricorne hat that had been cleaned and pressed. His dark red griffon bodyguard provided the ride and prowled behind him when he met us with a subdued smile, most of his normally manic, Mint-al induced good cheer dimmed by his obvious sadness. Burny had been the first Diamond City noble to deal with him when he had chanced into becoming the leader of Goodneighbor and been a friend over both of their long lives.

While it was good seeing him again, it was clear just how upset he was, vowing "Not one fucking Gunner sets hoof in Goodneighbor now, see how they like not having the best place in the Commonwealth to spend their blood money..."

To my surprise and mixed feelings, he'd brought Ivy along with him too. The green alicorn came trotting up while he was still scowling with a hard smile, telling stories about Burny and their assorted adventures over the years. On the one hoof, I was delighted seeing the mother of one of my foals again, Ivy looked radiant, even in the simple black dress and veiled hat she wore. On the other hoof though... her warm smile faded as soon as she saw me, the gentle caress of her thoughts touching mine via unity filling her in about our time apart in an instant.

(Oh... oh Fast... Sister... I am so sorry... So, so sorry...) Ivy's soothing voice in my mind was a welcome balm, speaking telepathically as she cantered to us and hugged us both with a shudder, sharing all our grief and pain in a rush of unity.

That was probably one of the worst parts of being a telepath... Ivy felt it all, all the time... She didn't have to know Burny personally, she knew him through us and shared our feelings and memories all at once. I could hear her sniffle even as she and Jade buried me between them, forcing me to wheeze up as I stroked her neck softly to comfort her.

"I-It's ok Ivy, we're ok. I'm er... I'm really glad to see you though, Burny would have really liked you. A-Are you ok? Being around all these people who are sad... it um... must be hard..."

She released me from the embrace with a teary smile, leaning down to nuzzle and answering out loud with at least a little of her normal good cheer and teasing. "I'm fine Fast, you worry too much over us. I hope Mr. Jets would have liked me as you say, I like him just from what I feel, not just from you either. As you say, there is much sadness from all these ponies, but also happy memories, funny stories shared, pride and... love... so much love for one pony who touched so many lives. I feel the grief too of course, but the love is stronger, love is always stronger..."

I didn't miss the way her lids came down as she trailed off with a smile, or how her hoof lightly traced her tummy. Even without the unity connecting us letting me feel her warm emotion and longing, I'd know to stretch up and give the green beauty a kiss. We'd been apart awhile, but she'd always be a special somepony to me.

"Yeah Ivy... you're right, love is pretty awesome. I... We all really missed you, are you ok otherwise? Your orphans?"

"Oh they are fine, very excited to travel to the MoP hub and meet real fairies soon. We received a letter from Periwinkle via Mr. Jets' fine couriers actually, they should be ready to receive us shortly. You should be more concerned for yourself, Umbra and my sisters have noticed all the activity this way and stories of you in the area. I convinced them not to crash the funeral at least, but they will be on the hunt soon enough." Ivy answered with a soft smirk, giggling lightly at my flinch over her warning as we wandered through the crowd.

"Great... Thanks for that anyway Ivy, we'll be out of here soon, that's just one more reason to get going sooner. I figured we were drawing too much attention lately..."

I felt her thoughts probing mine as my voice lowered on plans of leaving, her smile quirking to a frown for a moment, then returning even brighter as she raised an eyebrow and spoke. "Oh yes, they've been diligently keeping an ear out. Tales of a wedding are already causing quite a stir you two... They're paying scavengers in Unityville for ancient bridal magazines and sending so many requests to Ms. Saddles in Sanctuary for wedding dresses I'm afraid the poor mare will be overwhelmed. Congratulations! I see sister Swan has already claimed next, so I suppose I should get in line now before Periwinkle finds out. Though I guess we'll have to find some other pony worthy of performing the ceremony as well as Mr. Jets..."

Slumping at her teasing turning somber with the realization the old stallion wouldn't be able to marry anypony ever again, I looked up blearily to Swan trotting through the crowd with Glitter on her back to see over everyone's heads, most of her overcharged energy burned off to fit in with everypony else. She'd been so excited catching the bouquet, but Burny wouldn't be there to let her have the same treatment and his death hurt even the invulnerable filly.

"T-Thank you sister, I wish you had been there with us. We had planned a repeat ceremony at some point that more could join in, but as you say, we must find somepony else to... t-to..." Jade's answer started out firm, but dissolved into tears as she matched my own sad thoughts, hers flowing freely as Ivy nuzzled her, while mine trembled on my cheeks as I grit my teeth and tried to hold them back.

'...Revenge... Want... Kill... Murderers... Revenge...'

I flinched at the growl of 'Be Dark...' rising up when my sadness turned to anger by fighting the tears, but Ivy stopped dead in her tracks, pricking her ears up and looking down at me with worry in her wide green eyes. (Fast! What has happened?! That voice is...)

(The Shroud... yeah, you've got some catching up to do Ivy, we found out some things and... it's getting worse...)

Ivy narrowed her eyes and her horn glowed as I felt her rifling through my memories, latching on to the ones I volunteered and flicking through them rapidly. The Shroud's tomb below our hooves standing empty, the thestrals of Dreadnot attempting to carry out 'Operation Knightfall' and blast me to Zebrica, Klein's clinical curiosity and breezy statements of fact concerning the spirit trapped in my head...

She took it all in and gasped, rushing forward to curl her wide green wings around me and lightly press her horn to mine in worry. (I... I see... Oh Fast.. it is worse than I thought. That voice is much clearer now and the damage you have done up here...)

I caught a brief glimpse of the mental construct depicting the Shroud's prison in my mind as Ivy reached it and shuddered with her. The chains around it sagged, some of them broken entirely. The power lines connected to the stasis pod and my magic beyond it were frazzled and shorting out. The black stasis pod itself was a wreck... huge dents buckled its hatch from within, twisting its smooth shape into a battered and bent ruin leaking swirling shadows around it, the red light from the cracked porthole brightening and dimming in rapid pulses.

"Hey, at least we know I'm not crazy now, that's something... Right?" I shrugged with a weak smile to Ivy's horrified expression, remembering how little I could hide from the psychic alicorn with a wince.

Jade clearly didn't find even my lame joking very funny, giving a vocal whinny as she took advantage of Ivy's field of Unity between us to yelp silently in the hushed crowd. (I never believed you were crazy Fast and I do not find it amusing! He was experimented on sister, as a foal! I am glad you are here to help me talk sense to him, he needs rest and to avoid putting himself in situations that exacerbate the problem. We were able to acquire some of the Institute's notes on the spirit, perhaps with time I may...)

(Klein's notes aren't going to tell you any more than what we've already seen Jade. Even if he knew more, I'd expect him to keep it to himself as a bargaining chip. We'll ask again when we find the bastard's real body and I can put a bullet in that stupid brain in a jar of his if he doesn't fess up. Until then, we just have to keep going as we have.)

I hated shooting down her optimism and that crestfallen look she got at my grumble of a reply cutting her off, but we'd already been over the holotape Klein let her have and argued about it. While it did give her more hard data and numbers to work with, the basic gist behind all the clinical reports was about what we already knew. The imprisoned Shroud had resisted every test the Institute had tried on it while in their custody and corrupted everypony that messed with it. The case of one of Mobius' helpers on the project being driven completely insane was the most prominent example and the asylum he'd been placed in was at least near where we were going anyway, so it was worth a look, but the outlook wasn't very rosy and we both knew it.

Before either of them could follow up on the uneasy frowns and chilly concern I could feel flowing off them, a familiar voice joined theirs, a soft and melodious murmur I hadn't heard in quite awhile that made me look up eagerly for the source. (Sisters? You are both here as well? What was that about Fast?)

I had to look up to the source of Magnolia's sweet voice joining the small pocket of Unity, distracted somewhat as it seemed to spread and connect Swan and the alicorn members of the Minutemares in the Castle in one network. Still nowhere near the intense field of telepathy around Trinity Tower, but growing stronger with more minds linked together. She was easier to find at least, gliding down from the cloudy skies near the gatehouse with a skinny tan pegasus right at her wing, both of them coming in for a landing and cantering towards us as the purple alicorn found us too.

"Fast! Princess! You're both ok!" Miles reached us first, weaving through the crowd nimbly and speaking breathlessly in relief. He gave Jade a short bow as Magnolia trotted up behind him, then grabbed my foreleg and shook it frantically as he kept jabbering. "I knew you guys were around when all this happened, so I.... we were both really worried! I try to keep your exact location out of the news, cause of all of Magnolia's sisters and the Gunners and all... but the wedding thing spread around anyway and... Jeez it's good to see you guys!"

I was surprised when the lanky pegasus buck launched himself into a hug with both Jade and I, shivering slightly and raising his wings to add to the gesture, gripping us both tightly around the necks like he was making sure we were real. When Magnolia gave him a gentle nip to nudge him away, I saw how bloodshot his eyes were and heard him give a sniffling chuckle sheepishly, smiling up to the stunning mare at his side and scratching his mane.

Magnolia looked amazing, dressed in a black gown nearly a match for Jade's, her long reddish-violet mane styled and clean. Her green eyes sparkled as she curled a wing over Miles in support, speaking softly to tamp down on her obvious joy at running into us again. "We were both concerned sister. Miles knew Mr. Jets well and has been very upset, seeing you here is a pleasant silver lining to the occasion."

"Fucking Gunners... I can't believe they... they just..." Miles hissed in anger despite Magnolia's soothing, biting his lip a moment before shaking it off with a snort and forcibly putting on a smile. "A-Anyway, congratulations you two! I wish we had been able to be there, even more now since Burny... but it's really great you two tied the knot and he got to do it. I wanted him to do the same for us, but I guess we'll have to find somepony else."

Choosing to focus on the positive as usual, Jade gasped and pranced up to her sister, both giving a little squee at Miles' declaration. "Oh!? Sister is this true? You and Miles wish to..."

Magnolia's lavender face turned rosy as she nodded happily, squeezing the smaller pegasus buck to her side giddily. "Yes! Is it not wonderful sister? Miles asked... proposed... that is the term, proposed to me! There are still many questions we must answer beforehoof, but we are promised to be mare and colt!"

"Really? Congratulations to you too then guys! That's really great! It's good to hear with... with bad stuff going on like today. You two are a great couple, so I'm sure it'll work out. What kind of questions though?"

Magnolia's ears drooped a moment as a sad look crossed her face, answering nervously with a shrug. "Oh, well... There is the question of how to be together for one. Miles and his radio station are in Diamond City and I am... unwelcome there... We already sneak around a lot to ignore that edict by the nobility there, teleporting directly to Miles' trailer is not as much a solution for living together as it has been just to... s-see each other... Then there is Umbra and the others..."

"Oh dear, she is not standing in the way is she? I have been writing her and attempting to calm her down, but have been unable to receive many replies, f-for obvious reasons..." Jade spoke sympathetically, her warm blue eyes growing troubled as they flicked between Miles and me.

In reply however, Miles gave a nervous bark of laughter, a little louder than he obviously intended when he stuffed his hoof in his mouth to muffle it, then stammered on in a whisper. "Hardly Princess... Your sister and the others are all really interested and supportive, they wanna learn all they can about weddings now, so they think us having one is a great idea. It's just... er... marrying into the family so to speak kinda put me at the top of their list for their compatibility potion try outs. They want... umm.... w-want..."

By how red his face was turning, I didn't need to be a psychic like Ivy to figure out just what those mares wanted. Ivy tittering laughter just confirmed it, smirking at the two of them with merriment in her voice. "They have the most shared memories and personal experience of Miles after you Fast. These two courting has given them plenty of juicy gossip in the unity mill, so they've decided he's an acceptable trial run of the potion you recovered for us. You should be honored Miles, Umbra's being most discerning with the other applicants in Unityville."

Even I had to grin at Miles turning even redder and shrinking behind his wings, though I did try to straighten up when Magnolia defensively curled her wing over him tighter and stamped a hoof. "Sister Ivy! I-It is not funny! Umbra is being most unreasonable! She will only allow Miles to take the potion if he agrees to... t-to mate with a minimum number of us! We wish to be able to marry and have foals, but Miles and I are both unsure about... s-sharing..."

Jade managed to comport herself much better than me or Ivy, though I still caught the demure smile she hid behind her hoof before lightly touching the poor buck's shoulder in comfort. "I am sorry, though it is not so bad, is it Miles? I know well how ...awkward... it can be, but I am encouraged Umbra is willing to focus on something other than capturing Fast. We need fine young stallions like yourself to lead the way testing the compatibility potion and ensure genetic diversity to save our species. I for one vouch for her choice of you as an excellent first try Miles, I hope you will consider it and help us. Your marriage to sister Magnolia should serve as an example to them as well, teach them the difference between mere mating and the bonds of true love and maretrimony."

"You have to wait sister, I'm next. I caught the flowers and everything." Swan's voice booming from overhead made me jump in surprise, cutting off my snickering at Miles when her long forelegs wrapped around my barrel and squeezed me to her chest like a teddy bear.

Glitter hopped off the big mare and eagerly pranced between Ivy, Magnolia and Miles, cheerily greeting old friends as Swan stretched her neck overhead and nuzzled her sisters in greeting. At least my embarrassing position got Miles to stop cringing and come out with a wry grin, blinking between Swan, Jade and Ivy and managing a chuckle. "Ok... I suppose it may not be so bad. You look like you're ok with it Fast..."

Rolling my eyes and giving him a flat, deadpan stare back, I snorted and wriggled in Swan's grip. "Oh yeah, super duper alright... so long as I stay ahead of Umbra and all the others. At least I'll have some other stallion to compare notes with, spread the workload around a little bit. I'm already more than satisfied with the three I promised Umbra, and that was at nowhere near her schedule, but all she's getting out of me."

I could do without Swan's instant agreement, bobbing her head rapidly as the others giggled. "Fast is way too slow, he made me wait foreeeeever! I do like his love stuff now though, so I see why he waited. You should make more of our sisters happy like he has me and sisters Ivy and Periwinkle!"

Looking between them still laughing as Swan released me to nuzzle my mane, I sighed as I looked all around at the crowd filling the courtyard. It was a sad occasion that brought us all together again, so I felt a little guilty for having my spirits lifted, but it's probably what Burny would have wanted. There were creatures from all over the Commonwealth in little huddles like ours, talking, laughing, crying...

He was still bringing folks together, even now.

The rest of Burny's funeral went smoothly enough, all things considered. For a couple hours the crowd simply milled around, chatting and taking turns going up to the pyre of driftwood Burny's corpse rested on to say their goodbyes. Thanks to Jade's painful but careful work, the old buck was only covered in a sheet from the chest down, wearing his aged leather jacket with his strong old wings splayed out under him, his grizzly beard cleaned of all the blood and trimmed by his daughter Twin. He looked serene staring up at the grey skies with his wrinkled eyelids closed, nopony would know how the bypass bullet nearly blew him in half at the barrel if they hadn't seen it themselves.

Eventually as the skies grew darker and the castle's lights came on, the ceremony itself came and everycreature found a seat on the cobblestones. Twin Jets spoke lovingly about her father, all of their playful arguing and unresolved disagreements forgotten. Twin broke down and cried only once, but kept on speaking through the tears in a firm voice, telling everyone that Burny's legacy wasn't going anywhere. "Whether it's balefire winter, 200 years of rain, or sunshine and rainbows, the mail keeps moving in the Commonwealth thanks to the Red Rocket Courier Service!"

She was only one of Burny's many foals, several of which spoke after her and reminded me what a big family the old buck had made since he was exiled from the Enclave. Pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies from Twin's age and younger took a turn to talk about the stallion they called dad. After him were the Grandfoals like Zeke and Cool, who each took a turn as well since they were there, less of the younger generation like them spoke to the crowd though, relying on those two to speak for them.

I was a little worried about Glitter watching all of them speak, seeing a daughter delivering a eulogy for her father had to have her thinking of being in Twin's place more. She kept glancing to me with tears in her wide pink eyes, but she didn't cry out or look away and she refused any gentle nudge to go take a break, planting herself between my forelegs as I sat on my haunches and making herself a thoroughly immovable little earth pony.

Finally it was Jade's turn to speak as the Princess of the Castle to end the service, fluttering her way up to the pyre nervously with me at her side. She bit her lip as she looked over Burny's corpse for a moment, then wiped her eyes and stood proudly, raising her voice above the normal soft, melodious tone she used, to address everyone crowded around the old buck in a ringing voice with none of her shyness or nerves getting in the way.

"I did not know Mr. Jets as well or as long as many of you who have spoken here today, and for that I consider myself poorer for the loss. In the time I did know him however, he became like family... To myself and my husband, our filly who saw him as 'Grampy Jets' just as he liked, my dear friend Witching who spoke earlier was his god-filly. I am honored he performed my wedding service and will be forever grateful to him. It pains my heart to see his passing, I... I tried my hardest to save him but... in the end he at least went peacefully, surrounded by his friends and family. Now we commend his body to the skies he so loved, may the goddesses watch over his spirit forever after."

At that, the power armored Arcano-Cats moved forward in unison and Witchy and I joined them, surrounding the pile of driftwood as an honor guard seeing the old buck off. Zeke wore Burny's gleaming red and white armor himself, calling out for all of the armored Cats and Witchy to fire the magical energy weapons mounted to their armor for the duty. Blue Moon clicked out from under my wing to join them, it was somehow fitting the weapon my Grandpa designed be one of the bright beams that ignited Burny's pyre in a crackling pale blue shot. Even Jade and Glitter joined us, the filly firing the boxy Righteous Authority in her muzzle and a pale blue beam from Jade's horn blazing out, surprising me again that she knew any such destructive magic.

The kindling crackled and the flames sputtered a moment, making me concerned the damp wood we had on hoof wouldn't burn well enough to get going after a couple days of rain. While I was worrying, the strange sensation of the Shroud pushing for control came, this time without nearly as much pain in my head and an odd sense of... respect? It was weird enough I gave the spirit a little slack cautiously, feeling my horn light up in casting a flame spell I was normally no good with.

It was subtle, not the huge pyrotechnic display 'Be Dark...' had managed on other occasions, but a spiraling snake of flames winding its way through the flickering pyre's branches. Steam hissed out of the sodden wood and the temperature rose noticeably, drying things out enough to ignite on their own before the difficult to spot magic winked away again. Only Jade noticed and rose an eyebrow at my horn extinguishing, as stunned as I was on recognizing I... or the Shroud rather... had cast the helpful spell.

You actually did something nice? You liked him too, huh?

'...Mine... Friend... Honor...'

I realized I was getting too comfortable having private conversations with the dark spirit in my head. Zed told me not to talk to it, but I was simply shocked at the sullenly communicative Shroud's behavior. I could feel things from it, but it was highly unusual for those emotions to not be concerned with murder or selfish desires. I knew it loved Jade and Glitter, Ivy, Peri and Swan, Val, Witchy and even Zed too, but it was usually with that disturbing possesiveness mixed in. There was a little of that now too of course, anything or anycreature the Shroud viewed as 'MINE' was jealously guarded, but losing Burny had tinged it with actual remorse. Not that those more normal pony emotions dissuaded the frustrated fury and desire for revenge baking off the angry mote of blackness in my heart in the slightest...

We stood silently as the flames grew and slowly consumed Burny's body, hiding him the bright glare pushing the evening gloom back. I watched the sparks and embers swirling up into the sky with the smoke somberly, taking comfort in Jade and Glitter pressed against me in silent tears as the darkened sliver of the moon was tinged blood red through the haze. As ominous as it looked, I took grim satisfaction in the sight. Once the shadow covered the moon entirely, I'd know exactly where at least one Institute head who needed to die would be...

'...Revenge...'

That's right.... Revenge... Just wait...

The day after Burny's funeral, we made what rushed arrangements we could around the Castle before leaving again, seeing off all our friends during the night and early morning. Ivy especially was reluctant to leave, holding up Mayor Shamrock until just before we left ourselves to stay close and eyeing me worriedly. Spending at least some time with her was nice, but the fear I could feel dripping off her soured all the affection a bit. The psychic alicorn could hear the Shroud impatiently biding its time in my head and was terrified for me, the ancient spirit had grown so much stronger in her absence and there was nothing she could do to help restrain it again.

At least I got to savor the love I could feel driving her concern too and tried to focus on that. Shamrock was willing to be patient enough to let us share one night together in Luna's opulent chambers, enjoying his own accomodations in the noble wing of the Castle while we comforted each other. If Peri had made it too, all four of us could have been together again, but three out of four was still wonderful. We didn't even get up to any shenanigans. Mostly we just enjoyed Luna's huge bed being able to fit everypony and caught up, sharing a small pocket of Unity together thanks to Ivy. We might have gotten a little distracted taking Swan down to sleep near the leaking reactor in the pit beneath the Castle... but she wanted to be fully charged before we left and fooling around together in the radioactive lair was difficult to resist for awhile. I even got to sleep without dark nightmares plaguing my dreams, grateful to her for one night's restful sleep where I didn't worry about wandering off in the middle of the night.

The three alicorn sisters had spent quite a bit of time together in their own private psychic conversations too. By their darting glances while we prepared to leave, I had a good idea what the subject was and left them to it. Even Swan seemed worried, frequently rubbing her belly and watching me closely.

At least the three pregnant mares had other things to discuss out loud, comparing notes and sharing their bond in sisterhood. Hearing their complaints about early symptoms made me feel a little guilty, absently listening in as they laughed over differing cravings, swollen hooves and morning sickness, I'd never seen anypony so happy over feeling so uncomfortable.

I had noticed Jade taking more and more of an interest in any can of Cram she could find lately, but didn't realize what kind of disgusting creations she had been making out of the ones she hadn't taken to hoarding. Hearing her lovingly describe the taste of the fatty, greasy canned meat mixed with powdered apple chips or marinated in Sparkle Cola made me queasy. Ivy piling on with sheepish admission of taking advantage of Goodneighbor's culinary businesses making her chocolate covered Radroach made me falter a step and turn green as I wandered nearby in the courtyard. Swan actively pulling out some of the treats she had saved from the Arcano-Cats races, served with local Miretank Meat she shared around to their pleased murmurs as they mixed and matched things, got a low gurgle out of my stomach.

I was heartened to see Twin Jets joining them and laughing ominously about how, "You ain't seen nothing yet girls!" The horror stories she then started sharing about her own pregnancy with her daughter Cool made all three alicorns listen raptly. Their widening eyes stayed locked on the mature mare, who I could swear was intentionally trying to scare them into nervous gulps. Twin grinned and poked at their tummies once she had them speechless, holding her hooves wide as she laughed. "And I thought I was big as a house by the end, you fillies are gonna be HUUUUGE!"

Swan's eager smile down to the much smaller older mare at the joke soured when Jade explained what 'huge' meant in this instance, frowning at her belly in thought. "But I like being big all over... Not fat..."

It was good hearing them all laugh together, despite Twin's best efforts at being scary, even the unpleasant aspects of pregnancy seemed to fascinate and delight the three of them for the most part. Twin Jets herself deserved the comfort too, still remaining strong and unwavering despite her sadness weighing her down. She only let it show as she prepared to leave for Diamond City to take her father's place as matriarch of Burny's herd, having me carry her luggage to the waiting Red Rocket drawn sky chariot like a proper gentlecolt to get me away from the others.

Her rich brown eyes were drawn down in an unbending line and her lip quivered when she paused at the rusty door to her ride, her commanding gaze holding mine and her voice low and tight. "They're not getting away with it... Right Fast?"

"Right Ms. Jets... I promise, the Gunners and the Institute are going to pay..."

She gave me a fierce hug at that, her adult earth pony strength dwarfing Glitter's as she squeezed and shuddered against my mane in a restrained and hidden sob. When she pulled away, she wiped her eyes forcefully on the sleeve of her smart business suit jacket and nodded, her expression steely and full of faith, but her voice quavering ever so slightly as she boarded and waved goodbye. "Good, I'm trusting you with it then Fast. Take care of my little pumpkin and idiot nephew for me. D-Dad saw you as one of the family, so I know you won't let me down..."

She trotted off before the tears stubbornly quivering on her cheeks could spill down again after that, leaving me giving a respectful bow as she boarded her ride and winged her way off into the leaden skies. Afterwards we waited long enough to see Ivy off as well, joining her and Shamrock at the old ghoul's own private sky carriage pulled by his griffon bodyguard. Parting with the green alicorn wasn't any easier than last time, especially with the rapid and worried psychic conversation I could barely catch flitting between her and Jade.

Unfortunately we didn't have time for long goodbyes, Ivy's ears pricked as she hovered up with Shamrock's carriage and she stared toward the city with an annoyed huff, rushing in for one final hug as she directed our attention to the specks flying from the broken skyscrapers. A rather large gaggle of her sisters from Trinity Tower making their way here forced us to get going in a hurry, diving from the cliffs the ancient castle was perched on and flying low over the sea to slip away.

From there we flew north most of the day, following the coast in silence and skirting the city of Trotson entirely, hiding or relying on Jade's invisibility a few times to escape her sisters. We passed by the crumbling obelisk of Bunker Hill and crossed the northern loop of river around the city, following the elevated highway ruins that led towards Finch Farm and the smoking crater that was formerly the Sausage Ironworks. We took an offramp before returning to the area I hadn't been since escaping Moondancer's labs though, turning east to the land jutting out into the Celestial Sea further on this side of the river, eventually finding a small settlement that made my pip-buck chime as we flew overhead; Discovered Location: County Crossing.

There wasn't much to the place, instead of being built in some surviving ruin or point of interest, the main thing in County Crossing's favor seemed to be geography. It was a tiny village of ramshackle huts made of salvage junk on a flat stretch of ground, between the outskirts of the city ruins and the wilderness to the north. I'd made my way through those woods once already when traveling south from Mareford with Fancy, but I'd stuck to the winding roads and had been half delirous.

Looking over it as we came in for a landing, I realized just how dense and ominous the skeletal forest looked from the air, stretching to the northeast far beyond the distant speck of a giant Mr. Handy marking the Robronco Galleria I could just make out on the horizon. My eyes hung on the northern vista and I could feel a strange tug that way, but had no idea why. Something the Shroud was muttering about... something it wanted that way, I could feel 'Be Dark...' pulling at me, but had no desire to follow its insistent siren call. We had enough to deal with, weird shit the ancient spirit wanted probably wasn't very good.

The town itself was fairly busy and full of an eclectic mix of wastelanders. It seemed to be a kind of trading post or waystation for this area of the Commonwealth, a bit like Jamocha Plains was in the south. I saw a wide market full of tents and rickety stands, staffed by ponies, zebras, minotaurs and even a few buffalo to my surprise. There was salvage from the city being sold in some, while others hawked radhog meat and tanned hides from the forest.

A few tattered tents were put up on the outskirts of the settlement, nearby a pair of crude cabins under construction by earth pony carpenters using the wealth of lumber in the area. These newer buildings jumped out due to the twin flags of the Minutemares and Followers of the Apocalypse fluttering in the chilly breeze overhead, and the gaggle of ponies wearing matching uniforms of the two groups putting aside their work to come trotting over excitedly. It seemed Preston had his troops adding other towns back here in the north to our growing Kingdom of Sanctuary, though everycreature here seemed very interested in the Princess herself showing up.

A middleaged pink earth pony mare with a vibrant violet and yellow mane under her tan hat had the bars denoting the highest rank of the Minutemares on hoof and led the way, side by side with a twenty something lavender unicorn buck with a rich maroon mane wearing the lab coat and medical box saddlebags of Jade's Followers. Both of them bowed low to the muddy ground before their Princess smiling invitingly in greeting, waving them up with a blush while an elderly peach earth pony mare with a greying orange mane trotted up to join them from the gathering crowd.

"P-Princess! General! Honor to meet you all, I'm sergeant Holly Sprig, this is Doctor Fennel Float, w-we've been expecting you! Welcome to County Crossing your highness! Sorry, it's kinda a new outpost, so we only got tents to get you out of the rain." The Minutemare in charge waved back to the ongoing construction and tents sheepishly, his Follower friend taking over before Jade could reassure them.

The doctor stallion was the younger of the two, but they both sounded like excited foals reporting to the Princess of the Commonwealth, if anything the fellow medic looked even more apologetic at the accomodations as he gave another bow. "Y-Yes, sorry your highness! We don't even have a clinic for you to inspect yet, we have been providing care from the tents anyway if you wanted to look. Oh! Um... this is the leader around here, Peach Syrup. Mrs. Syrup, this is Princess Jade, we told you she was coming!"

The older mare was understandably gaping up to the tall Princess and her giant sister looming behind her, along with most of the stunned residents treated to the surprise of a huge alicorn landing in their little hamlet. Eventually she managed to drag her eyes back down to Jade giggling lightly and holding a patient hoof out, taking the offered limb in a firm hoofshake and chuckling at herself.

"W-Well tarnation! Would'a thought the big one would be the Princess, er... not that you're a dainty little thing yourself your highness, just... wow! Pleasure to make your acquaintance, we've been right tickled since we joined the Kingdom, never thought we'd rate a royal visit so soon though." The mare in charge grinned and warmed up to Jade quickly enough, just her friendly interaction enough to get some of the cautious crowd to come closer, though Swan giving a pleased whinny and brilliant smile to the attention helped too.

"It is my honor Mrs. Syrup, thank you for joining the Kingdom of Sanctuary and receiving us. Please do not be intimidated everycreature, my sister Swan may appear scary, but she is a lovely mare and very gentle. This is my husband Fast and daughter Glitter, our stallwart guardians Valkyrie and Witching, and our friend Zed. We will not be in the way long. Though I would be delighted to see your progress here if you would care to offer a tour in the meantime?" Jade put everycreature at ease with her kind voice speaking loud enough for them to hear, allowing the mare in charge to lead her forward and introduce her around to the curious crowd.

Sgt. Sprig snapped off a hearty salute to me before cantering to catch up, reporting to the General of the Minutemares with nearly the reverence Jade got. "Sir, your friend Miss Star has been in regular contact and we've got troops stationed with her helping to keep a lookout on the target. We can let them know you're here and take you out there in the morning, or tonight if you want of course sir. It's just been a pretty boring stakeout so far and Coastal Cottage isn't very far away, so it won't take long. Umm.... i-if you are planning on getting some rest tonight though, I'm sure all the troops would love to meet you and the Princess?"

"Sure thing Sergeant, it's been a long flight, so I'm sure we could all stretch our legs and take a break. Send a messenger to Fancy and let her know we're here in case something comes up, otherwise tomorrow sounds fine. Let us find a place to crash and some food for now. Glitter sweetie, why not take the tour with mom while we go look around?"

Glitter didn't need any encouragment, already prancing along behind Jade and cheerily waving back past Witchy taking up her protective guard. Val perked up at the sight of a dingy watering hole and sauntered off too, smacking her beak at the prospect of alcohol for a parched throat. I caught Zed giving me that appraising stare of his again, but the sight of a few attractive zebra fillies decided him and he took the offered invitation too, leaving Swan and I alone for the moment.

Taking off my hat to hold to my chest with a fluttering, mid-air bow closer to her face and waving out to the town around her, I smiled to Swan and shrugged. "Want to take a walk Swan? Find something tastier than the stuff you and your sisters have been coming up with and have a little date with me?"

Swan snorted and giggled at me waggling my eyebrows and being corny, taking my small outstretched foreleg in her much bigger grip and prancing along like I was actually leading her anywhere as a gentlecolt. I'd found when going to new places with the super sized alicorn, it was generally best to demonstrate she was safe and wander around where folks could see as much, while keeping her out of the way and entertained. With one of the smallest ponies around hovering up where she could nuzzle and speak easily, most people got the idea Swan wasn't quite so terrifying by the care and attention she showed and the fact I wasn't frightened of her at all. Plus I wanted to spend time with her anyway, I'd gotten to know Swan well enough to know when something was on her mind.

We stopped at several junkyard stands and scrap made shops, Swan remaining outside when I peeked in to check out the wares available. I did stop for a minute at the local weapon merchant to buy up whatever rarer ammo types available, not taking any chances when an Institute Director was waiting. I thought the poor mare running an awning covered food stand selling a variety of savory meats and a hearty vegetable stew was going to have a heart attack when Swan poked her head in under the patched tarp and snuffled at all the food. The loud grumble of her belly sounding too much like a growl and the drool dripping from her muzzle made the poor lime coated chef go white, scrambling to start tossing sizzling brahmim steaks from the cinder block grill so she wasn't on the menu.

Shoving her happily munching cheeks back out sheepishly, I had to insist on paying and calm the poor mare down before rejoining her, smirking at Swan's cute, eyes closed smile as we continued our slow loop around the outskirts of County Crossing. It took some distance and comfortable silence before she finally spoke up, nickering at me rubbing my head as the sun sank to the west and the steady ache between my eyes increased. "Sisters Jade and Ivy are worried about you Fast..."

I flinched at her quiet declaration, missing a lazy flap of my wings and nearly tripping in midair as I turned back. Her brow was drawn down, not quite a frown, but a little vertical 'I want' line had shown up between the two blue-violet pools. She still sounded easy going enough, not nearly Jade or Ivy's level of concern anyway, but she'd been thinking on it...

"Er... How about you Swan? Y-You're not scared over me, are you? I saw you three talking a lot, umm... in your heads with Unity anyway. I know pretty well how they feel about... things... but I haven't talked to you about it much and I should. They explained stuff about the er... the Shroud?"

Nodding eagerly, Swan looked relieved and happy just to have her opinion asked and given such obvious weight, smiling brightly at me fidgeting with my hat in my hooves and biting my lip. "The mean ghosty-pony in your head, they told me lots about it. They're afraid of it, but I'm not really. It's why you fight so good, right?"

"P-Probably... yeah..."

"Then it's ok with me. You don't do anything bad to good ponies. Sister Jade will fix you. I just don't like everybody being worried, a-and I've been thinking of other stuff..." Swan brushed off the prospect of the ancient spirit with a flick of her tail, she'd never been bothered by even the worst cases where I'd lost control, so I supposed it wouldn't be so simple.

"Other stuff like what Swan? I don't like everybody being worried either, that includes you. Wanna talk about it?"

Swan's full cheeks turned a bit pink at my earnest question, giving a soft smile as she trotted along and hummed in thought a minute before answering. "Well... I'm not scared of the ghosty because I like smashing with you when you get all angry like that, it's fun! But... I've been thinking about our baby and what to do besides smashing. I like it, but I don't want little ponies like niece Glitter or our foal getting hurt... When the Gunners attacked and I was protecting Glitter while you were gone, I... I actually thought about running away with her Fast..."

That shamed admission made me lurch in surprise and gape back to her darting eyes with a yelp. "You?! Thought about retreating? Wow Swan... I... I never would have thought you'd ever back down from anything. Umm... that was good though! Not being worried enough you had to think about it, but I mean... putting Glitter and our baby first."

"You don't think I'm a big scaredy-filly? W-Wanting to run away and hide...?" The pained whine and pinned ears that came with her reticent reply made me realize how much this had been bothering her, stopping in place and shaking my head firmly.

"You are definitely not a scaredy-filly Swan, nopony would ever say that. Not that most ponies would dare, but I don't think so either. I know you feel bad about running and hiding because of what happened to you when you were a filly, but your yak friends wanted to keep you safe too, for the same reasons. Putting kids first is the right thing to do, that's why I get so worried and overprotective about you guys being in danger. It's nothing to be ashamed of Swan. If anything ever goes wrong, if you think Glitter or any of our foals are in danger, e-even from me... I want you to run away. Jade would stick together no matter what I said, but if it's an emergency I'm counting on you to take her and Glitter and teleport far away. Sometimes running away takes a lot more courage than staying to fight. Ok?"

I was glad to see Swan flutter her wings in relief, sputtering at her lips smacking my cheek and grinning. "Okie dokie! I'll protect us all really good, I promise! I do want to keep going on adventures and stuff with you though Fast, but I miss guarding somewhere I can make safe for them, like I did for my sisters back home. I want... a place like that, a home type place, where we can be together forever, like you said about the married thing!"

"You want... oh... Oh!" It took a minute to really take in her hopeful, uncertain look and what she was trying to get across, clearly a difficult and new idea for her, but so simple it made me laugh in relief, continuing quickly at her unsure snort like I was making fun of her. "Sorry Swan, I'm not laughing at you, it's just... That's all stuff I want too! That I've wanted this whole time actually. Er... I hadn't really figured out much detail since all this happened and I ended up falling in love with you and your sisters along with Jade, but I'd been basically keeping the same dream in mind, just with more of you is all."

"Dream... you mean like the one with all of us in your Stable? Nnn... I don't know, Stables are small and cramped... I don't want to live in one...." Swan's ears drooped as she tried to let me down gently, just making me snicker more and shake my head reassuringly.

"That was just a dream-dream, not like a goal dream. I wouldn't want you staying somewhere so uncomfortable, just like I want you to be however makes you happy, so I wouldn't ask you to stay normal all the time to fit either."

"But where then? You don't want to go to our tower with all our sisters and stay there, and I want you to be happy too... Magnolia is worried about being able to be married with Miles and live together too. The Grandpa-pony had a home and big family that was nice, before the dumb Gunners killed him... I just... I never thought about the future much before, the mother and then Umbra thought of stuff like that. Now I have to, for our foal even if I don't want to." Hearing how much thought Swan had already put in, I smiled and hovered over to boop her nose, planting a kiss between her flaring nostrils that reliably cheered her up.

"The fact you are thinking of that kinda stuff shows what a great mom you'll be Swan, and what a dumb-dumb I can be too for not talking with you about it before. Sorry, it just didn't seem like a big deal for you, so I didn't think when I should have. I was just sorta hoping you'd stay with us in Sanctuary..."

"Sanctuary? Where your little house is? I've seen sister's memories." Swan crossed her eyes to me leaning on her muzzle and blinked curiously, her huge gaze lighting up at the thought giving me encouragement to keep going.

"Y-Yeah, that's it alright. I know you've never been and it is a small house, but that's home for me and it is for you too if you wanted. Umm... there is a big lake around it for you to swim in! Plus it's an island with lots of different creatures for you to guard. We haven't been back in too long, what with all your sisters staking the place out and all, but eventually we'll get things sorted out with Umbra I'm sure, she can't stay ticked at me forever... Jade will fix my brain, we'll beat the Institute, find my parents and brother, and... and just be one big family together. That's my dream Swan, and it wouldn't be the same without you, so... umm... i-if you wanted to be together forever I mean... then..."

The rest of my stammering reply was muffled by Swan's lips smacking my whole face with a giddy squee, flopping her rump to the mud to grab me in her hooves and rub her cheek against me as she burbled happily. "Yes! I would like that Fast! That sounds like a nice home place to guard and be happy! I'm glad I talked to you about it! Umm... we can still go out and smash bad ponies though, right?"

"I somehow doubt we're going to run out of bad ponies that deserve a little smashing anytime soon Swan. Plus, with all our friends and family nearby, we'll always have plenty of foalsitters right? So we won't have to worry about them or Glitter getting hurt either. I'm glad we talked about it too. I'd been getting so caught up in bad stuff, I forgot to think about the future and the good things to work towards. Thanks..."

If nothing else, having a giant filly whinnying happily as she hugged and nuzzled the little stallion in her hooves so tenderly definitely seemed to put the creatures of County Crossing at ease. Even as intimidating as Swan was, when she let her guard down and expressed affection she wasn't so scary and I spotted a few peeking out of town at us with clear relief. Still a little embarassing being the big mare's teddy bear, but sinking into her warm fur and hugging her back was the most relaxed and calm I'd felt since the battle of Rocketburg and Burny's death. My headache slacked off even as the first stars twinkled above and the mutter of 'Be Dark...' quieted in the warm glow I felt in my heart.

Swan used to hide out in her pond away from even her sisters, she'd been upset and afraid of the future when they'd started allowing normal ponies to build the settlement of Unityville around her. Now she didn't want to be alone, she actually wanted to live in a town full of normal ponies and had given the future more thought than I had lately. Allowing the Shroud to tempt me with anger and thoughts of revenge had been blinding me to all the things I was supposed to be fighting for.

As much as I'd taught Swan, she had plenty to teach me too and I was grateful for the reminder, gently pulling my way loose with a parting kiss before leading the way back to find the others.

We ended up spending a the night in County Crossing before leaving, all taking an evening meal together and arranging for rooms at the local log cabin inn, drying out near the roaring fire that was its main selling point. It was a wet and chilly flight up here and I didn't want Glitter catching a cold, even though Jade had kept a dim shield up to keep her cozy on her back on the way.

The next morning we headed for Coastal Cottage early with a squad of Minutemares leading the way, trotting along the broken two lane roads towards the coast under the dim purple glow of Swan providing a shield from the rain overhead as she tromped along with us. It was still rainy and chilly enough for Glitter to ride atop Swan's head and nestle in her flowing pink mane for warmth, just her fuzzy yakyakistan hat poking up near Swan's long horn as she watched the new scenery flowing by. This far north was close enough to the edge of the Commonwealth to see the slow swirl of the barrier storm causing the drizzle and wonder what exactly Grandpa was up to now... who he was keeping out or in wherever he was hiding...

Clopping along down the cracked asphalt wasn't as fast as simply flying for the map marker my pip-buck displayed as our objective, but it was nostalgic and peaceful. The troops escorting us kept an eye out from Miretanks as the loamy ground started getting sandy and the smell of the Celestial Sea filled our noses, letting us try to enjoy the sedate walk together and ignore the tension in the air.

With Glitter warm and safe with her sister, it also gave Jade the opportunity to stay close, keeping her voice low as she spoke up in a worried tone. "Fast... You are sure about this? I know we have promised Miss Star help, but are we not doing exactly as Professor Klein wanted?"

"I don't like that part either hon, but in this case we both want the same thing at least. Who cares why he wants Vega dead, so long as I get to kill him..."

She clicked her teeth at me growling at the end, frowning anxiously. "We should care dear. I know Vega has done terrible things and... c-cannot be allowed to continue as he has, though I do not like the thought of going with the goal of killing him to start with. Playing into Klein's hooves does not seem wise, even if our interests align here."

"No... but him wanting us to do it too doesn't change the fact Vega needs to die. He's the one who's been screwing around with the ponies of the Commonwealth the most all this time, he runs Diamond City from the shadows, sells drugs and experiments on folks with them, plus he's tried to kill us repeatedly. Returning the favor seems fair to me."

"An eye for an eye ends with all the world blind Fast... We must try to be better than that. Please at least keep it in mind and do not indulge that.... s-spirit's influence..." Jade huffed back, but her reply quavered at the end as she acknowledged the sleepy growl of 'Be Dark...' making my head twinge in pain.

"I'll try hon... I have the feeling we haven't seen even half of the evil shit Vega has done though. I know you want to see the best in everypony, but some are just rotten to the core. Even Klein said he's crazy, he'll just do more harm if he has the chance. First we'll deal with Vega, then we can go back home to Sanctuary and build the teleporter to take me to the rest of the Institute and... and decide what to do about them from there. Ok?"

She still looked worried, but nodded hesitantly and didn't press for more, leaving us in awkward silence as we followed the curving roadway to the east where the forest fell away. Sandy dunes with patches of spindly weeds took over the terrain, rising in bluffs before dropping to the shore.

It was atop one of these rises our destination rested on, a dilapidated old seaside cottage with peeling seafoam green paint with white trim. It would have been a cozy little home before the war, now it was a wrecked ruin with half the building torn away, revealing the rooms inside and ponies moving about. There were several Minutemares mixed in with what looked like raiders, though slightly cleaner and less insane looking ones anyway.

Perched on the broken chimney sagging towards imminent collapse was a familiar white griffon who was alert as always, squawking when she spotted us and gliding down to land before us, as we entered the grounds around what my pip-buck labeled as soon as I crossed some invisible threshold; Location Discovered: Coastal Cottage. Freya prowled up to us with her long white tail swishing, giving a smirk that didn't quite mask the tension she was carrying in her lithe feline body.

"There you fucks are, took you long enough! Boss was gettin' worried you'd welch on us, yer cuttin' it awful close assholes. Told her it was probably Val here, always was late for everything..." Freya ended her inspection of our small troop at Val, pausing only a moment at the huge Swan looming behind us, she flicked Val's beak with her yellow claw and starting a shoving match immediately.

"Ain't my fault, we been doin' important shit bitch, big, crazy-important hero type shit you an yer cunt of a boss wouldn't know nothin' about! Boss always keeps to the contract though, said we'd show an' we did, since you can't handle yer problems on yer own an' need our help. Ought'a be kissin' my claws fer comin' along to pull yer fat outta the fire!" Val screeched and pushed back, getting up in the pale merc's face to glare eye to eye.

Not wanting them to devolve into a full on brawl as soon as we got here, I was forced to cough for attention and speak up, ending the argument with the Shroud's voice seeping into my own. "Enough! Give it a rest you two, we're here now, just like I promised. So, where's Fancy and what do you need us to do Freya? I assume a professional like you has the lay of the land and some kind of plan already?"

Praising her skills worked nearly as well on Freya as it did Val, thankfully pulling away from my friend to puff her chest out and ruffle her feathers. "Damn straight, just need you fucks ta be expendable decoys shorty. C'mon, boss is upstairs, been waitin' for ya. We'll fill you in there."

Freya opted to fly up to the second story of the wreck of a cottage rather than walk up the rickety stairs, leaving us to follow the same way and take in Fancy's little headquarters below. There were quite a few former Trigger Jewels members, still dressed in tattered suits and dresses, while the more raider looking ponies were clean and well armed. They looked to only cautiously deal with the Minutemares saluting their Princess and General as we swooped overhead, standoffish but behaving themselves anyway.

I had to marvel at Fancy's charisma and leadership ability to bring together her little gang and make them obey, though I imagined the profusion of drugs I saw all over probably had something to do with it. There was even a vending machine that had been repainted and rigged to dispense Med-X, Dash, Buck and more. She hadn't been destroying all the stock she'd been taking from Vega's drug dens up and down the coast, but using them as pay and enticement instead.

We had to leave Swan outside, as just the big filly stepping hoof inside the cottage would probably destroy it completely. The Minutemares who brought us here stayed with her and joined their fellows already here, relieving them from their dug in positions all facing the shore, exchanging hoofbumps, jokes and cigarettes the paused to chat over and be updated.

The rest of our little party flew up to the second floor, touching down at the landing of the sagging staircase and trotting down a narrow hallway to a ruined bedroom facing the sea. It must have been the master bedroom of the cottage when it was whole, containing a large and musty bed that had been covered in clean silk and showed signs of use. The tall windows offered a great view, continuing from the main room to a small, round sitting room that was part of a tower with a conical roof of rotting shingles. Windows ringed this room, giving a cool, salty breeze and panoramic view of the Celestial Sea.

The occupant we were here to find was only interested in those facing northeast however. Fancy Star barely registered our arrival, keeping her eyes glued to a rusty telescope on a tripod and muttering when her griffon bodyguard announced us. "Finally... I was starting to think you weren't such a goody four shoes after all and forgot all about saving my smoopy pie."

"My daddy always keeps his promises lady! Even to big meanies like you, cause he's awesome!" Glitter whinnied and came to my defense, puffing her chest out and stamping her hooves at the former Overmare of Stable 114.

Snorting back at her as she finally turned to face us, I pulled my little filly back with the soft sigh of 'Be Kind...' rising up as I got a good look at Fancy. The golden curls of her mane and tail were frazzled, her normally spotless white coat and magically armored black and red dress were dirty. There were bags under her bloodshot eyes and most of her snide, domineering attitude was missing when she huffed back. "Yeah, yeah brat, he better be..."

"Is it that bad Miss Star? How may we help you rescue your special somepony? We are at your service and truly wish to help." Jade took over kindly, tilting Fancy's wearily hung head up with her wing and wiping at a smudge on her cheek and the tear trembling there.

Freya answered for her, waving to the wide and broken windows and the telescope Fancy had been using. "Take a look yerself there 'Princess', ain't gonna be a tough skull ta crack."

Pulling out her binoculars as she shoved her way past the snowy white merc along with me and Jade, Val stuck her beak up and clucked proudly. "Maybe fer you ice queen, but that's why you had ta come crawlin' ta us. I'm sure yer just a wuss that can't get the job done and... woooo... Alright, maybe ya got a point..."

Joining her at the window and not liking the way her smirk turned to a grimace as Val panned her cracked binoculars, I took a look at the small island Fancy's telescope was focused on and shared the sinking sensation I could see on my best friend's face. Freya wasn't exaggerating...

It was a small island just off the coast to the northeast, curved like a crescent moon to follow the shoreline and occupied by only a few ruined homes. They were big, fancy homes however, mansions almost, holding up over the centuries better than even the best earth pony crafted houses I'd seen in our travels. They were still weather beaten and worn, their cheery paint peeling and roofs sagging. In a way it looked like a fancier version of Sanctuary, a single road crossed from the shore we were on and wound its way through, before forming another crumbling bridge to the north that followed the shoreline to the horizon.

It was the occupants I could make out from here that were the problem... Just squinting with heightened alicorn vision let me see the pale specks of Gen 1 synths patrolling the island, guarding both bridges and ceaselessly trotting up and down the road. Most of them were focused on one large manor house towards the center of the island, several guarding the rusty wrought iron gates in the tall brick wall covered in dead ivy. Beyond them was a circular drive winding around a greenish bronze statue of an earth pony in a suit, peering at it in the scope of the Last Minute, I could make out the pompous expression behind the small glasses perched on its muzzle. The monument to who I was guessing was Vega's original body stood proudly before the leaning pillars of the front of 'Svengallop Manor', as my pip-buck map labeled it after hearing about the place previously. Beneath the balcony sagging above the ornate double doors of the entrance were more synths, among them was a pale yellow pegasus stallion in a long black leather coat and sunglasses that made my mouth dry up and pulse quicken. A Courser...

"That is an evil place Fast... Cursed..." Zed made me jump as always when he spoke right in my ear, the sneaky zebra appearing like magic beside me at the window and frowning at the island.

"Well, it's definitely the right place anyway and that Courser is enough to spook me by itself. You know this island Zed?"

"Neighlem Village is not far to the north, my people know about that island well and avoid it. Very dark magic has tainted it Fast. You lack some of my honed senses as a Venator Noctis to feel it, but it radiates evil. I am unsurprised to learn it is the home of one of these Institute ponies of yours. I will be going with you..." Zed nodded and kept his stern grey eyes locked on Svengallop Manor, making clear his intention to go no matter what my plans ended up being.

I didn't feel whatever he did, but looking over the small island of wealthy homes did make my tail bristle and the low growl of 'Be Dark...' resonate. Giving the manor house and grounds one more scan through my gauss rifle's scope, I turned to Fancy and Freya expectantly. "Ok, I see why you needed help. What's the plan? I'm guessing you've been staking the place out awhile, but how do you know Vega's not already in there with Neighson?"

"Because, he's been running around doing his business using my Snuggleboo's face and showing off in Diamond City with that synth copy of me. Vega doesn't use those teleporters of theirs much and I remember him whining about not having fancy labs like his friends. He's been keeping Neighson locked up and keeps moving him so I can't find him, but he'll bring him here tonight." Fancy huffed back, anxiously flicking her green eyes back to the windows repeatedly.

Freya ruffled her employer's mane comfortingly as she continued with the more practical aspects of our goal here, hooking a claw towards the windows. "Asshole travels around in a sky carriage, big, fancy model. He likes movin' around up on the surface, calls it his little playground... so doubtful he'll teleport in. Prick will show up eventually with the hostage, when he does, all our minions here an' yer goofy Minutemares attack the place, distract them robots long enough for us to fly in. There's a big skylight on top o' that place, figure that's the best entry point. We send in a small strike team ta storm the place, grab the boss' buck, kill the prick and get gone again."

I was surprised when Fancy finished in a small, sad voice, full of pain warring with hope and much more humble than I'd ever heard the obnoxious filly. "P-Please... I need your help stupid, I have to get Neighson back safe. I'll do anything... just please, please help me..."

She had to really, truly love that stallion to swallow her pride like that... I was still gaping when Jade rushed to her, curling her wings around the smaller unicorn in a warm hug and nodding firmly to her stunned and sniffling upturned face. "We shall do everything we can Miss Star, do not worry. You and your special somepony will be reunited, have faith and trust in us."

Fancy actually took some comfort in the kind embrace before pulling away and rubbing her eyes forcefully, a little of her normal, haughty attitude coming back like a mask in the presence of her reformed raiders moving about nearby and absently watching the activity. "Y-You better, c-cause you owe me and all... You have to do what I say and get my snuggleboo back, you can do whatever you want to Vega after, but we get all the loot in there."

Val and Glitter both pouted at being cut off from ransacking the small mansion, but were held back by me holding a hoof up first. "You can have all the normal crap for caps Fancy, but any Institute type arcano-tech is mine. I need it to get to the rest of them. Deal?"

I caught several of her crew pausing to watch the exchange as I held a foreleg out, the brief hitch in activity going back to normal as Fancy's pale hoof met my dark one in a firm shake. "Deal, I don't care about that old world junk anyway. Just Neighson and caps, in that order..."

"Alright then, let's get to work and get ready for them to show up then. Come on everypony, we've got an Institute head to go kill..."

After spending a bit of time going over our collective troops and strategizing, there wasn't much to do but wait and laze around Fancy's rough camp at Coastal Cottage. The tension between her little gang of raiders and gangsters versus the proud Minutemare troops made it an uncomfortable place to hang out too.

Even Glitter wasn't able to make friends with the rough band of ponies under Fancy's command as she normally could, getting roughly shoved aside by one very unwise earth pony wearing the bloodstained metal armor of a raider. She was just trying to help and curious, but as soon as the asshole pushed her out of his path and called her "Brat" I was on him and snarling, having to restrain myself from ripping his throat out with the Shroud's voice growing stronger as night fell. He was lucky to escape with only a broken muzzle and a healthy dose of fear that kept the rest in line.

After that little run in, I stayed close to her, walking the sandy dunes and looking for seashells for a bit. Glitter tended to learn from whatever group we were around like a little sponge, so I didn't want her anywhere near the assholes Fancy had under her sway. It did let me go over our plans with her and make sure she understood what to do anyway, patiently listening to me going over it for the dozenth time.

"You stay with aunt Swan and Witchy, right sweetie? You never let them out of your sight while we're gone. If they say you have to run away, you don't argue, you listen to them and go. Even if that means leaving me or mom behind, you stay safe and don't worry about us."

I went over it all again in my head and tried to reassure myself at our rough 'plan' to tackle Vega's fortress hideout. Convincing Witchy to stay here at the cottage and set up with her anti-materiel rifle to snipe from the excellent perch Fancy kept an eye out from had been hard enough, since it meant leaving Jade without her royal guard. Swan had been harder, only assuaged by the request to help the Minutemares and former raiders diversionary assault on the island and my desperate plea that she guard her little niece. She was just too big to go in with us without smashing the walls down, an option I'd prefer to save for an emergency. With those two out here, Glitter could stay safe with Witchy in her sniper's roost and I was sure the batpony mare would hear any trouble getting close, while Swan could come in any time to raise a shield or teleport them away.

Rolling her pink eyes at my worried nattering, Glitter sighed patiently as she scuffed at the sand and dug up another shell. "I know daddy, I'm not a baby... If you're so worried, just let me come too! I wanna see the big scary mansion, I bet it has lots of neat stuff!"

"I know you're not a baby sweetie, but you are my little filly and I want you to stay safe. It's bad enough bringing you this close, not to mention all the other stuff I've exposed you to. I sometimes think I'm a terrible parent you know... When your brothers and sisters start getting here, I think I'll just have a nervous breakdown."

Giving her a tickle to her tummy wiped the frown from her muzzle at least, laughing as she leapt into a hug and grinned back. "You worry too much daddy, you always save me if I'm in trouble. I can't wait to have lots of little brothers and sisters, so I can be a good big sister and protect them too!"

I smiled proudly at her puffing her chest out as we walked back, eyeing her blank flank in contemplation a moment. "You'll be a great big sister Glitter, and I'm sure I'll need all the help I can get. Eventually all this will be over, somehow... then... I don't know. Have you thought of what you'd like to do other than that? We need to stop running around and dragging you all over the Commonwealth, putting you in danger like this... What do you think about the future sweetie? You know your opinion is important too."

She paused at that, scratching her silvery mane in deep thought and scrunching her muzzle. Finally she shrugged and smiled brightly in reply. "I dunno daddy, whatever you want, so long as we're together. I'd like going back home to Sanctuary, or maybe living in the Castle like a Princess. Home would probably be best though, I like our house and my room, and I miss Cogsworth and Sturges and Sassy and everypony there. I want to meet Grandma and Grandpa, and my uncle Better, I gots lots of aunts, but only one uncle. I think we should all live there and be happy, but we should still go all over the place and see all our friends like Mayor Shamrock, Miss Cocoa, Ms. Jets and all the pegsus kids. Oh! And Rusty and Copper in Hexington, so I can see Lila and Heidi lots! The fairies, the White Legs and Minotaurs, everycreature we met! We should stop the bad Institute and everycreature should be happy and get along with mommy as a Princess for them all!"

Her happy reminiscing was infectious and I gave a soft smile back, patting her head and hoping her innocent view of the future came true somehow. The faith and hope she had sparkling in her eyes still amazed me sometimes, that a little filly who had lost everything when we met could look to the future with such optimism was a miracle in itself. That she could share that belief and kindle hope and friendship in others just by speaking like this was magical.

"You'll still have to go to school again though sweetie..."

I laughed as she tossed her head and groaned at my reply, galloping off with a gentle nudge to go play like she could avoid getting an education beyond Jade and I tutoring her. Along with her more lethal lessons she got from Val, the long diatribes about the glory of Princess Luna she learned from Witchy, or the graceful zebra martial arts, alchemy and spiritual ruminations Zed offered.

My smile as I watched her leap up to swing from Swan's long tail turned to a grimace at the pang between my eyes, 'Be Dark...' fully awake with the dark moon rising in the sky. What place did it have in our future? I knew I couldn't continue like this... it was getting stronger and louder. At least it cared about Glitter too from what I could tell, but what if it hurt her or Jade? Our baby? Our friends? Everything I learned about 'Project Knightfall' from Klein's data agreed with the myths and legends Witchy, the ponies of Eclipse and Zed all said. The Shroud was dangerous... I was dangerous...

Rubbing my head as I trotted around to the rotting porch built around the tower of the cottage, I paused at a pair of soft voices overhead and looked up through the broken and hole riddled roof. Jade was sitting with Fancy still tethered to her telescope and waiting, the two mares quietly chatting together as they kept up the vigil.

"...so worried about him, my poor, brave smoopypie... W-What if he's hurt? I'd do anything to save him, we have to... he has to be ok..." Fancy sounded like she'd been crying, making me quietly tuck back into the shadows and disappear as I listened to Jade's reply.

"I understand Miss Star, Fancy... When our special somepony is in danger or needs help, it is hard to remain calm when all we wish to do is help them. I would do anything for my Fast as well, w-will do anything to save him... so I sympathize with your plight." Jade's reply was soft and comforting, but I caught the anxious fear in her voice and cringed.

I wasn't the only one either, Fancy was a master at reading ponies, her sniffling voice hard and frustrated. "What do you know about it? Y-You and that stupid buck are still together! I heard about your wedding on the radio even! Prancing around like you're living some kind of fairy tale when my Neighson has been held hostage... We were supposed to be married too, if Vega gets his way, he'll put on his crazy show tomorrow using fakes! Don't talk to me about wanting to save somepony that's right here!"

There was a long pause at that, I kept trying to unobtrusively peek through the rotting wood to see Jade, but only got flashes of blue here and there. My ears pricked up when I heard soft sobbing however, the pain and worry in her choked voice made my heart hurt as my wonderful, brave and clearly scared wife answered.

"M-My special somepony may be here at my side, b-but it feels as if he is growing further away and I am in danger of losing him. N-Not only due to the physical threat assisting you in your struggle will surely entail, but because.... b-because he is... s-sick... I purport to be a doctor, yet I cannot heal him! I am a wife who cannot help him! I know well the lengths you would go to to save your Neighson Fancy, for I would go further if needed for Fast. You may take that as a comfort or as a warning, if you had any thoughts of harming my special somepony to save yours... I will not allow it...." Even I had to gulp at Jade's sweet voice turning to a predatory growl, I could hear them shift overhead and just imagine her looming over the smaller unicorn threateningly.

I also felt a stab of guilt... My ears drooped and I bit my lip in my hiding spot, a heavy, painful weight on my chest making my breathing hitch. Jade was always so optimistic and put on a brave face, kind and caring to everypony, but she was hurting so much and hiding it so well... The knowledge I was the one hurting her made a wave of panic crash over me. I wanted to comfort her, lie and tell her I was fine and not to worry, but that would just make her worry more.

I couldn't lie to her and she knew it, my deteriorating mental state was more and more obvious to the trained physician and I couldn't hide it. Putting us into danger and engaging in all these battles was making it worse, hurt her and ponies like poor Burny, for what? My family? The noble goal of stopping the Institute? Saving the ponies of the Commonwealth and making a brighter future for everycreature? Or was it the tempting whisper in my head... the louder and louder refrain of; '...Revenge....'?

Despite my talks with both Glitter and Swan about the future, did I really believe any of it? Could I really somehow end up with a happy ending, when the biggest threat to all the people I loved wasn't the Institute or wasteland monsters, but me...

A sharp gasp from overhead and shouts from around the Cottage broke me from rubbing my head and muttering, trying to will the Shroud back to sleep when the new moon was high overhead and the night was dark. Rushing out from my hiding spot and following everyone else taking cover and pointing up, I spotted what was causing the commotion and felt my eyes glowing as they narrowed to a determined scowl.

There, up in the starry sky still filled with patchy clouds that helped pick it out, was a pristine prewar sky carriage, practically a small limosine fit for a Princess, it was long and deep black, even the windows tinted to a matching shade. An overly extravagant conveyance for a pompous, self important lunatic.

Vega...

By the time I made my way up the rickety stairs to Fancy's roost, the pale mare was jittering at her telescope, practically hopping in place as Vega's sky chariot glided down, drawn by a pair of big winged Institute mutant alicorns. Jade was still beside her, staring out the windows and hurriedly wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her lab coat as I joined her, hesitantly raising a wing to stroke her back and glancing up to her bloodshot blue eyes.

Turning back to Vega's ride landing in the circular drive of his ancient home, I heard and felt the others charging up to join us, Val, Witchy, Zed and Freya all crowding the windows as Glitter shoved her way through to squeeze between Jade and I and hook her forelegs over the rotting windowframe and watch.

She lacked our enhanced vision or the telescope, binonculars or scoped weapons we were using were using to spy on our target, but remained quiet instead of insisting on a look, sensing the grim and tense atmosphere in the silence that fell over Coastal Cottage. The Minutemares and Fancy's gang all knew this was what they were waiting for, that soon the fighting and dying would begin...

'WANT! OUT! KILL! REVENGE!'

Even the Shroud knew it, straining to get loose and making my head pound. Shut up and wait a minute dammit, we can't just go in guns blazing yet.. Soon, ok?

'...Want... NOW...'

The furious snarl in my head answered impatiently, but did fade to a dull roar as I looked to Glitter and Jade anxiously. I could see the curiosity bubbling to get out in Glitter's upturned face and indulged her, floating out the Last Minute and propping it on the windowsill for her to peek through the scope. She grinned and nuzzled my chest before leaping to the offered view, maintaing the deathly silence as the Courser waiting at the entrance trotted forward and opened the door of Vega's ride like a simple bellhop.

A pale stallion emerged, wearing a well cut blue suit, his poofy pink and violet mane well groomed and a pair of spectacles on his muzzle that weren't there the last time I saw that face. Neighson Svengallop... Or Vega wearing his son's face rather... His bearing and mannerisms were different, much more confident than the buck I'd seen briefly in Stable 114. My ears flicked at Fancy's sharp inhalation, but she grumbled to herself anxiously, clearly recognizing the pony that looked just like him wasn't in fact her special somepony. She loved him enough to not be fooled by Vega's synth copy...

Vega stood straight and proud in his son's body, looking over his manor a moment before turning his attention to the pegasus Courser waiting patiently while the white Gen 1 synths swarmed around his vehicle. I was focused on the biggest threat and the focus of a lot of animosity since I'd left the Stable, feeling my eyes turn dragonish as I watched him barking instructions to the deadly synth.

Zed's deep voice was hoarse and stunned beside me, the uncharacteristic shock making me look over to his wide grey eyes locked on Vega as he croaked. "W-What is that... that thing...? It is an abomination!"

While I agreed, I was still confused at Zed's reaction. The zebra's face was pale and his eyes shrunk to pinpricks. I just saw a monstrous asshole in the shape of a pony, but it seemed like Zed was seeing a whole lot more and not liking what he saw at all.

The Gen 1s moving to the trunk of the long Thundega Motors sky carriage drew my curious attention away however, absently noting the vehicle's make as coming from the manufacturing plant I'd nearly died in when I first met Glitter. Of course he'd insist on riding around in that... A trophy from his numerous deals with businesses in the Commonwealth to act as shell companies or places to experiment. My fangs lengthened as I gnashed my teeth, thinking of the smarmy prick riding high above his little sandbox for the last 200 years.

It was only when Fancy yelped aloud that I paid attention to what they were removing from the trunk, turning to see them pulling out a bound pony with a pale coat and bedraggled pink and violet tail matching Vega's synth. "Neighson! That's Neighson!! See! I knew they'd bring him! That's my smoopy!!"

Again I was somewhat touched by Fancy's obvious love in recognizing her special somepony, especially since he was wearing an ugly iron mask that hid his features. Vega must not want anypony seeing an exact double of himself while he held him captive, imprisoning his own son for weeks. He looked dirty and beaten just from what I could make out, roughly hauled out and dumped at the wide front walk of Svengallop Manor.

Vega meanwhile had barely paid any mind, continuing his shouting to the Courser and pointing a foreleg around imperiously up to the ruin of a mansion. When he was finally finished, the pegasus synth flapped its pale yellow wings and took off into the night, while Vega trotted up to the wide doors with the Gen 1s dragging his son after him.

I puzzled over him sending away his most threatening guardian, but Fancy's screech as the real Neighson disappeared into the gloomy manor tore my attention away. "Now! We have to save him now! Freya! Take me there! Everypony else, attack!!"

"Dammit Fancy! Wait! Don't just..." I yelped after her as her golden tail knocked her telescope aside and she threw herself at her waiting mercenary, the pale pair launching themselves out the broken walls with no hesitation.

With the spoiled filly shouting to her gang as they soared off, what I had to say on the matter was irrelevant. Fancy threw caution to the wind as soon as she saw her buck, flying into danger without paying any mind to strategy or cooperation. Her employees needed no more than her word, half of them drug addled and most bored waiting around, former raiders who had been forced to wait, now free to engage in mayhem as they liked. Whether I liked it or not, the attack was on, the Minutemares below looking up to me hanging out the window watching them charge towards the bridge. Annoyed as I was, I couldn't entirely blame her, if it was Jade in Neighson's place, I'd do the same thing.

"Fuck! That stupid, spoiled... Dammit! No choice, everypony follow the plan! Minutemares, charge! Keep them busy and fall back, remember you're just to draw their attention, so don't get killed! Swan! Be careful!" I shouted down to the waiting troops lagging behind Fancy's gang, ending by turning to Swan sitting outside and peering in the windows.

The wreckage of Coastal Cottage gave a warning creak as Swan blasted off with a giddy whoop, shifting under our hooves in the wall of wind her huge wings kicked up. Tensing and spreading my legs out for balance, I breathed a sigh of relief when the ruin held and turned to Glitter, taking the gauss rifle from her little hooves over her pout and hugging her tightly.

"Remember sweetie, you..."

"Stay safe with Witchy an' Auntie Swan, uuuugh! I know daddy... I'll be fine! You an' mommy be careful, get the bad guy so we can all go home, right?" Glitter huffed and groaned back my instructions, her anxious pink eyes looking up hopefully as she squeezed me tight.

"Right you are sweetheart, we will return safely and then... all go home together, yes... We are trusting you to be a brave and responsible filly until we are reunited, do as Witching and my sister say and this will a-all be over soon. We love you very much dear.." Jade joined us in a rushed hug, taking the opposite cheek I did to kiss before being forced apart all too soon.

Taking up Fancy's former spot at the window, Witchy poked the long barrel of her anti-materiel rifle out the window with a determined bow of her head to us both. "Fear not Princess, I will protect Glitter as if she were your highness herself. T-Though I wish I could keep my post at thine side..."

"Don't worry batty, I got Blue's back for ya! C'mon, let's get while the gettin's good boss!" Val smacked her fellow guard's back reassuringly and darted out the window, waving us after her impatiently.

Jade and I flew out together, clawing for altitude and trying to catch up to Freya's speedy flight. The island ahead was already lighting up with bright blue beams of Institute made magical energy weapons, clashing with the multicolored return fire from our forces assaulting the bridge and the brilliant purple arrows of Swan's spells exploding as she raked the island in a speedy pass. E.F.S. was full of madly jittering red and green dashes as we crossed the water far overhead, catching up to Fancy and Freya in time for Jade to cloak all of us in her invisibility while we slipped into enemy territory.

She couldn't cast the spell on all of us for long, but it was a short distance to cover and gave us the best shot at sneaking in undiscovered. I could still hear her straining by the time we landed on the flat roof of the huge house, my pip-buck filling in the empty outline on my map with a house icon and chime in my ear; Discovered Location: Svengallop Manor. All of us reappeared in time to see Fancy racing for the large, circular skylight in the center of the roof, floating out an ornate gold plated magical energy rifle and wiping at the dusty glass frantically.

"Neighson! Neighson I'm coming! Freya! Help me!" Fancy didn't even give me the chance to take a peek and get the lay of the land, stamping her hooves on the thick glass and wailing.

Her faithful mercenary yanked her back by the tail before the pane of glass she had already cracked filled with blue beams of M.E.W. fire from below, melting holes through the glass as E.F.S. lit up with more red dashes a lot closer than the swarm that had mostly passed out of range. I scowled at her as I crept closer, so much for the element of surprise...

Val came to the same conclusion without a word, flying up high enough to lob 25mm grenades down at the barrier and shatter the skylight. Judging by a couple red dashes winking out in my vision, the rain of jagged glass shards must have taken some out anyway. I crawled up to the lip and peeked over to at least take a look, not quite as willing as Zed to simply jump over the edge in a spinning striped ball and bound down into the thick of things blindly. Whatever he was freaking out about after seeing Vega, the zebra stallion was pissed and nearly as reckless as Fancy herself.

My glance gave me the basic layout I used S.A.T.S. to freeze time and take in completely. The skylight was above a very large room on the ground floor, framed by balconies on either side of the main entryway and full of Gen 1 synths. Unlike the outside of the manor, it was surprisingly well preserved and opulent. Polished wood ornately carved and crafted the railings and banisters, dusty and only slightly tattered draperies hung here and there, the floor was shining dark marble, broken up by pale tiles and gold trim making ornate circular designs matching the skylight directly overhead, while an elaborate fireplace provided light along with the working electric gem lights.

Zed was frozen in the act of pulverizing a clump of Gen 1 synths with shock batons down on the ground floor, paying little heed to the others above and firing down at him or up to the window from the balconies. Choosing to trust in the devastating zebra's martial skills, I focused on the synths aiming up at us, trying to pick them off with the Last Minute to clear a path to follow safely.

Freya flopped to her belly nearby when time resumed, joining me in shooting down on the room as the whining gauss rifle cracked again and again, shredding the heads of four synths before S.A.T.S. ran out of spell charge. She chuckled gruffly after laying down a full clip of light machine gun rounds, shouting over the noise like she was enjoying herself. "Not bad with my rifle shorty! Ready ta take it to em?"

Before I could answer, Val did it for me, diving down from above and streaking straight through the broken skylight with a whoop and rain of red M.E.W. beams from her flank. She had both of her 12mm pistols in her claws and I could hear them booming repeatedly as I jumped up, pausing to snort at Fancy prancing in place behind her merc.

"Not much choice now, is there!? Just keep your boss from doing anything else too stupid! Fancy, stay up here with Jade if you don't wanna get shot!"

I ignored her petulant whinny and rolled over the side with Freya, dropping down into the wide open room and flaring my wings to level off and make a pass at the synths firing from the balconies with the Terrible Shotgun and Deliverer. Without even communicating intent, Freya proved how professional she was at this kind of thing by taking the opposite side of the room, the strange cryogenic freezethrower on her flank covering the synths lined at the railing in ice and following up with carefully selected shots from her pistol that shattered them.

We'd never actually worked together much before, but in a way it was familiar and comfortable, like fighting with Val at my side. No surprise since they'd grown up together I supposed. Looking between the snowy white merc and the bright crimson one bounding around below, I had to smile a bit. Fire and Frost... working together again.

With the four of us fighting in unison, what followed was a dance of destruction in the richly appointed room. I ran and shot and slashed in a frenzy, but the rising influence of 'Be Dark...' didn't feel like it was enjoying destroying synths as it would living targets. For that, I was glad the defenders in here had been nothing but what it considered wind up toys, no blood, no bloodlust, no going out of control...

Eventually the last shot rang out and there was silence, save for my allies and I panting and warily looking around. A few more synths had joined in from nearby rooms and hallways, but it seemed like we had gone through the first wave and had a break we cautiously came together to take advantage of. Considering it safe enough for now, I waved Jade down from her perch anxiously watching from the skylight, allowing her to gently glide down with Fancy floating in her pale blue magic beside her.

The spoiled filly had her eyes clenched as they drifted down, but they popped open when her scrambling legs made contact with the polished floor, instantly galloping about the wreckage of destroyed synths and shouting. "Neighson! Snookieookums!! Where are you! NEIGHSON!!!"

Thankfully, Freya grabbed her and held Fancy back from simply charging off from the main room we had cleared and finding more trouble somewhere. It didn't look easy to calm the frantic mare down, but she must have a lot of trust in Freya, sullenly obeying her admonishments. "Chill out boss, we'll get 'im, but ya gotta stop freakin' out. Gotta be deeper in, so let big blue there do her healin' bit while we look around, ok? Stay with the Princess pony..."

Jade had already done as the griffon said, her horn glowing with soothing healing magic as she trotted about, checking us all over and trying to corral us together. She wasn't having much success with Val eagerly looting ammo from all the Institute M.E.W.s the scrap heap of enemies had used, though surprisingly Zed had wandered off too and paid no mind to her clicking her teeth over his numerous wounds.

Once I was pronounced healthy enough, I joined the zebra standing in front of the ornate fireplace, staring up to the pristine portrait hung above it and gaping to other, smaller ones ringing the room. His face was still pale and his mouth hung open in shock, small, strangled noises of rage and stunned horror escaping his muzzle. Granted they were pretty creepy portraits, the eyes seeming to follow me as I cautiously approached and tapped his shoulder. The biggest one above the fireplace seemed to be Svengallop himself, the original, prewar Svengallop, a white pony with a poofy pink mane in his blue suit, the same small spectacles on his muzzle and a smug look on his face.

"Er... Zed? You ok? You've kinda been freaking out since you saw Vega... what's the deal buddy?"

His head turned to me slowly, his mouth working silently a moment as he took in my curious look. "Vega... that... that thing was this Vega you wish to kill? This is... if only I had gone with you to their idiotic party in Diamond City, I would have known... Fast, this creature is a monster far removed from a pony... This is... this is madness..."

"Oooook... That's what I've been saying though, I told you the Institute heads were all crazy, what's the deal with this one? You caught a glimpse of Klein before and didn't freak out. I mean, Vega's an asshole and completely nuts, but..."

"Soul jars!" Zed's shout got my complete attention as he pointed a shaking hoof up to the portraits lining the tall chamber, his well defined muscles trembling as he stamped and raged. "He has... all these ponies... his family! This Neighson that Miss Fancy wishes to rescue is in grave danger! Not just his life, his very soul!!"

Fancy charged over at that, wailing in fear to the shocked zebra. "What about smoopy!? What do you mean stripe!?"

"Please Zed, calm down and tell us what has disturbed you so. We do not understand your issue with these... admittedly unsettling portraits..." Jade's soft voice calming for calm seemed to settle even Zed, her worried blue eyes flicking up to the oil paintings of various stallions along with the rest of us.

The more I looked, the more I felt something really was very ...wrong... about those pictures... It wasn't just the eyes following me as I shifted my head back and forth, it was like they were... screaming? They weren't though, each stallion was posed for their portrait with generally smug or satisfied expressions, their smiles frozen in place and time. Why did I think that? Why couldn't I shake the idea either? Each one I looked over critically gave that same impression, except for the largest one of Svengallop himself, that beneath the smiles the ponies pictured were screaming at us, wails of pain that sent a shiver down my tail.

One was of a unicorn wearing combat armor, an assault rifle held in his forelegs as he posed before a battlefield. Another was an earth pony with a hunting rifle, wearing leathers and furs before a forested backdrop of green tinted snow. The next was a lanky unicorn with a full toolbelt over his immaculate jumpsuit, posing with a long wrench before a backdrop of Diamond City and the complicated water purifier in one corner of the field. Next was another unicorn pictured in a library full of books, wearing ornate wizard robes and a pointy hat like Starswirl the Bearded. Then a buck in front of a room full of terminals and gadgets... Another was a muscular earth pony frozen in an action pose diving through the air with his outstretched foreleg smashing a Ponitron. A dapper looking stallion with a gleaming, gold hilted longsword. Nine of these smaller portraits followed this pattern, ending up at a picture of Haycom Svengallop in a labcoat like Jade's, before a room of bubbling potion making equipment.

The more I looked the more my eyes hung on not just those creepy eyes of theirs, but on their cutie marks... That part of each portrait seemed to glow with life and vibrancy. Thinking of them along with how each was posed, the common thread came to me. Their special talents... Each picture portrayed the pony in their element, the cutie marks matching the talent they seemed to possess.

Zed started pacing the room in thought, muttering to himself and clearing the circular design at our hooves of destroyed synths and the glowing green goop several had self destructed into. His hoof followed the sinuous designs worked into the dark marble, even those bits of gold trim seemed to move and slither in the corner of my eye, snaking about the room in trails that led to a point just below each portrait. Almost like a... a spell matrix...

Our circuit of the room ended at a blank spot on the wall another line of serpentine runes led to, Zed stared up at this spot with feverish intensity before finally speaking, his deep voice quavering in shock as he confirmed what I was starting to suspect after putting it together.

"These portraits are all a type of soul jar... they each have a fragment of soul embedded in them, that of the pony pictured most likely. But this kind of array and spell... They are not like your statuettes Fast, these are the result of a forbidden ritual of Soul Enslavement, they are bound to this Vega creature. I could see it when he appeared outside, shadows of their spirits tied to his, enslaved... His own children... He does not plan to kill Miss Fancy's buck, he plans to add him to the collection, to tear his soul apart, a fate worse than death..."

As always, Zed was brutally honest, ignoring Fancy's cries and furrowing his brow in thought as she shouted. "W-What!? Worse than... WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM!!!"

Jade acted as a soothing pillar for the sobbing mare, curling a wing around her shaking back and giving a determined nod. "So we shall... we must. To do so we must remain calm however, they do not appear to be here, so we must search. I assume this Vega must have some hidden location to do such a thing? Fast is quite talented at finding secret passages and such, while Zed is obviously very knowledgable about this kind of thing. I am sure we will... will find him in time, yes?

At her hopeful look, Zed blinked up and nodded back. "We must find him before the new moon reaches its zenith, that is the only time he can perform a ritual like this. Judging by this ritual chamber, he must be below this spot somewhere, it will not work elsewhere. We should seek the way down, quickly!"

"Right... everybody spread out then, in pairs, nobody goes alone in this place. Jade, you're with me. Val and Zed, Fancy and Freya. If you find something, give a shout. Watch out for more synths and traps, the Institute loves making complicated bullshit, so the way down will probably be hidden behind a moving bookshelf or some nonsense, check everything. Focus on the ground floor since we wanna go down, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's some kind of twisty slide from upstairs at this point. Ok?"

Val huffed at not being at my side like a loyal bodyguard, but couldn't argue and we didn't have time. Everyone spread out and started exploring Vega's well preserved manor, in a rush now that we realized we were under a time limit I nervously glanced up to the skylight to check on. The darkened moon was just starting to come into view of the opening overhead, if Zed was right, we had to get this done before it lined up directly above...

That wasn't even factoring in the gunshots and explosions I could still hear outside, Swan and Witchy were out there... Glitter... Plus all the Minutemares and even Fancy's gang. I trusted my friends and had told them all to put their safety at the forefront, but the longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for those helping us.

I knew Vega was a monster, but learning just how much of one he was made 'Be Dark...' strain and resonate, all the evil magic tainting this place just strengthening that steady pulse in my head. This was a real evildoer to punish... to kill... to take revenge for all the horrible shit he'd done in the Commonwealth as the Institute's Public Relations head. Playing with ponies' lives on the surface like they were his toys, enslaving the souls of his own children over the years, for nine generations by the portraits on the walls... I wouldn't let him add a tenth. It ended here...

"Wow... I knew he was crazy, but this..."

Jade and I simply gaped at what looked to be Svengallop's office, a richly appointed room that reminded me of his office in Diamond City he framed me for his 'murder' in. We'd been doing a thorough if rushed exploration a few rooms down the wing we took on the first floor, but this room jumped out and screamed batshit insane as soon as we poked our heads in.

It had a large desk with a terminal illuminating the space before the ornate gem light fixtures buzzed to life, bookshelves full of rotting books crumbling to dust, rusting file cabinets and a few tasteful leather seats leaking soft cloud stuffing to the thick saddle arabian rug muffling our hoofsteps. It was the rest of the decor that was severely off though.

Newspaper clippings, photographs, posters and more were hung haphazardly everywhere, linked together by a web of strings and pushtacks strung up by one crazy spider. The newsclippings were yellowed with age and brittle, but still legible enough and put up in some bizarre kind of order I trotted slowly around the room to make sense of.

A photo of Nick Hearts n' Hooves leapt out at me and I wandered that way with Jade right behind me, peering over my head curiously as I looked over that cluster of madness pinned up on the wall. There was both a faded news photo of the living, prewar pony he used to be, along with a newer image of the synth we both knew now. Several of the clippings I had already read on finding his original body in Mareford, though they were new to Jade reading about his shooting by the Winter Gang.

"Detective Hearts n' Hooves... so this is what he looked like. He was a handsome stallion, I did not know he was engaged Fast. How awful... for him to remember all of... this... Why would Vega put this here?" Jahe spoke in a whisper as her feather lightly touched the prewar image, her bright blue eyes misting sadly as she tilted her head down to me.

"Public Relations... I read that much from Dala's files hon, it was his idea to experiment on the hero cop... make her and the Institute look good, get more funding from the Ministry of Peace..."

'...Deceiver...'

Moving away from the little cluster of craziness and only absently noting the brochure for 'Scenic Fog Harbor' that looked recently pinned nearby and connected by a thread, my eyes squinting in pain focused on a large poster of a familiar mare that drew my attention. A pale blue mare with an amazingly long, pale lilac and lavender streaked mane, wearing a veil and studded, purple leather jacket, before a backdrop of what I was guessing were non lethal beams of colored magic and fog, beneath the glitzy font reading; Countess Coloratura Veternas Benefit Tour.

Rara... I'd seen similar posters in the casino beneath the Ministry of Morale, not to mention finding her bones in a dressing room within the Sideshow Lounge. This was the singer who had he'd once managed, younger than I'd seen her and still going by the name several of mom's holotape albums listed. A string led from the poster to a faded image of Ministry Mare Applejack, her old friend by what I read back then. Both mare's images were marred by marker scrawled epitets that were none too flattering.

'Big Macintosh Memorial Concert going ahead under cloud of scandal'.

Countess Coloratura's veteran's benefit concert in Ponyville will go ahead as scheduled, even after a scandal that's ended with the singer now known as Rara's talent agent fired and under investigation by the MoM for allegations of fraud, embezzlement, bribery and illegal drugs. Asked for a statement, Miss Rara bravely admitted her addicton to Med-X and has vowed the show must go on, even while undergoing MoP rehabilitation, pledging to donate from her own pocket and refusing any pay from the remaining gate. Ministry Mare Applejack appeared with the singer in support, confirming her plans to attend the benefit concert to be held....'

I muttered the faded article out loud for Jade, trailing off as I thought over what I had already learned and piecing things together. A talent agent, Vega had been a talent agent and stolen from a benefit concert for veterans towards the early years of the war. Somehow he must have squirmed his way out of jail time, a few nearby articles detailed his trial, becoming smaller and smaller blurbs, ending with a brief mention of 'fines paid'.

There wasn't much covering the intervening years or how he wound up shaking hooves with Klein before the gates of the gleaming new domed building I found in another article nearby, reading;

'Public Relations Director for recently completed Commonwealth Institute of Arcane Technology chosen'

Despite accusations of corruption and complaints from the MoWT, the new PR Director of CIAT vows, "Only the best and brightest will be admitted to the new EEA approved Institute under his watch. I know talent and that's what we're after here, the talent to advance Equestria in its struggle against the striped menace!" While some question the controversial choice, Mr. Svengallop has already begun admissions and a PR blitz to...'

Trotting slowly about the room, I noticed more familiar notices, clippings and brochures. The sales brochure for 'Saturnite Knives' made in Sausage Ironworks, Thundega Motors announcing record first quarter earnings due to military contracts, mock up images of various bottles reading 'Addictol', magazine articles for 'Bitway Games secretive new gaming system coming this fall!'. All the things the Institute had a hoof in... all his wheeling and dealing, experimenting on ponies through shell companies... It was like a bizarre trophy room and peek inside his fevered brain...

I paused and gaped up to posters for, 'The Shrouded Stallion Television Series! Coming This Fall!' and 'Alicorn Angels Adventures!', not just in memory at Vega's meddling with my hero and Hubris Comics, but because of some of the newer articles and photos tied to the Shroud's poster with fresher looking threads. A photo of myself stared back, several in fact, one fresh from the Stable and still wearing my blue and yellow barding, another in the Shrouded Stallion Armor I'd recovered while I was still a unicorn, finally others where I had the dark wings at my side now. Some of the scrawled insults and rantings scribbled over it all was fairly insulting. 'Meddling Brat!' was most prominent...

Near the personal rantings and images of me, a string led to a photo of Jade in her Princess Dress from Diamond City. More threads connected her to a grainy image of Trinity Tower and Umbra, a tattered patch bearing the cross and butterflies of the Followers of the Apocalypse with a big question mark near it, aerial photos of Sanctuary with long threads connecting to other settlements we had gotten to join her growing kingdom with their own clusters of notes and scrawled rantings. I didn't care for the angrily sketched words of 'Princess Bitch' marring Jade's picture, though I was confused why she was tied to both an image of Fancy and a large poster of Princess Celestia.

Putting together the lunatic thought process laid out in the room was an exercise in futility though, this all meant something to Vega, but we didn't have time to try to puzzle it out. The terminal atop his cluttered desk was more interesting and I patched my pip-buck to it hopefully, trying to put aside my headache to focus on the scrolling code and crack the advanced security. Maybe there'd be a simple command like' Open Secret Door' or something...

No such luck however, just a long list of journal entries it looked like, forcing me to copy everything to my pip-buck and hurriedly browse for anything that caught my eye while they downloaded. The early ones from before the end had a lot of unkind things to say about Ministry Mare Applejack in particular, standing in the way of his crooked deals and generally being the 'Apple-Cunt' that stole away his 'Songbird'. A few had mad plans to get her under his sway again once she started working at the MoM Casino in Goodneighbor, but thankfully Rara had rebuffed all his advances, much to his already insane displeasure.

The ones after the war increased his steady mental decline, adjusting to the apocalypse none too well, but still performing his function as head of Public Relations. Keeping tabs on things like the destroyed Steel Ranger base in Bunker Hill when it was still a safe bastion working with the Institute, lists of all the Stables in the Commonwealth that made my pip-buck chime a couple times with 'Map Updated', data on enclaves of survivors on the surface and poorly thought out ideas on 'rebuilding Equestria' from the relatively safe and secluded harbor of the Commonwealth.

I scrolled ahead impatiently through these, zeroing in on dates about 80 years ago curiously. It was here where things got really weird, after the reports of 'Securing Stable 111 test subjects successfully'. I pulled up the entry that jumped out at me the most, dated about a week after the Institute's invasion of my home and titled with the name I was looking for the most.

'Entry# 234021-- Fucking Mobius!!!'

Traitor bastard! Mobius turned on us, but somehow it's my fault!?! He's the one that wanted that Stable in the first place! Saying 'Oh Vega, it has to be now! Can't wait any more, I need you to take them before another cycle, blah, blah, blah'! Who cares if we were a little rough and maybe missed one!? More than 1000 ponies there, and he freaks out over one! I always hated that old buck, Klein fawns over him still, mad at me, just because I'm the one that deals with Kellogg and the surface! They all look down on me! Mobius was worst of all! I always hated how full of himself he was anyway, explaining all their arcane science crap like I was some stupid foal, just because I'm not one of them! Who's the smart one now, huh!? I kept telling Klein he wasn't right, always second guessing everything we were doing, getting in the way! Now he's out there somewhere in the forbidden zone, messing with all my plans, taking away all the resources that way. Sparkle World, the megaspell arrays, everything! He can't run that far, the Commonwealth is all there is, it's my snowglobe to play with! I'll show him! I'll show all of them! I'll be more talented than Klein's precious idea pony ever was!'

Grandpa... He was the one who ordered my Stable be taken? But why? Why leave it to function as it should for 120 years, was there a reason for the timing? The mention of taking it before another cycle was curious... Kellogg attacked on Shift 4, right after we went under stasis the last time. Did he not want us waking up? He was upset because they missed me, his guinea pig somehow carrying the Shroud's spirit... Vega's rantings had become crazier too, Mobius had already hacked his brain into thinking the bubble of the Commonwealth was all that existed. Why?

Skipping ahead to more recent entries just showed how he'd declined over the years. There were quite a few dated to around 50 years ago and the Night of the Broken Mask in Diamond City. Vega had his hoofprints all over that, detailing information on the different factions that had tried coming together back then, only to be split apart and decimated by Vega's synth infiltrators. A previous generation of brave creatures like Doc Scalpel from Hexington's stallion friend, Mama Xara's father and tribe, even files on a young Burny Jets fresh from his exile that made my eyes water looking at his youthful face...

After that things were fairly quiet, he'd successfully cowed the creatures of the Commonwealth with the fear and mistrust he'd sowed, keeping tabs on things and meddling for various experiments the other directors wanted to carry out. Things picked up again 8 years ago when the skies cleared and Klein started making requests and plans, but Vega was still addled by Mobius' reprogramming and couldn't grasp the idea of a wasteland outside the barrier surrounding the Commonwealth.

Then came the flurry of activity in the past few months since I woke up... Upending his safely controlled settlement of Hexington had pissed him off personally, everything I did from that point on making Jade into a Princess for the people here had just made him crazier and angrier. The entry after the night Jade got her mark and he framed me in Diamond City was especially full of bile;

'Entry# 503595-- Princess Bitch!

Hate him, hate him, hate him! I hate that runty little bastard, slipped away from the useless D.C. guards! Going to replace them all soon enough, and their uptight asshole leader Stone! Went through the trouble of 'dying' early to frame him for nothing! Now I have to twiddle my hooves until the ritual, let my idiot son pretend to run things with that Stable cunt of his! Going to send that meddlesome bitch to Dala soon, wouldn't be worth the trouble if she wasn't such an excellent source for a smooth talking heir.

Stupid brat thinks he's so smart, stealing my ideas! Putting up some mutant freak as a Princess is going to ruin ours! Everypony just loves that big blue monster! Ruining everything! Just like Mobius! The one we missed... He stinks of the forbidden one! I know they're connected, even has a Project Small Wonder spying on him! Klein never paid attention to that project, but the goofy fucker just loved talking about it. Talking down to me about it more like it! But I listened... always smiling and keeping him close if I needed to use him. If I can just catch the crazy coot now, then Klein will see!'

Well, that confirmed the Institute didn't know Mobius and I were related anyway... I didn't like the conviction Vega had that Grandpa was spying on me somehow, Project Small Wonder... I'd heard that before somewhere. One of his little Cybreezie robots maybe? I knew the rest of the Institute spied on the Commonwealth using synth ravens, unobtrusive little agents that were essentially flying cameras.

Interesting reading as it was, none of it was getting us any closer to Vega in the here and now. He was somewhere beneath our hooves and time was running out. I was glad when my pip-buck chimed when it completed the download, at least I could peruse it later and look for more clues.

For now, I was glad to hear Val's squawk from elsewhere in the manor, full of wary excitement calling out for me. "Hey boss! Ya wanna take a look at this fucked up shit right here, thinkin' it's a good bet!"

I had to pull Jade away from gazing up to the poster of the Shrouded Stallion show with a little shiver running down her cloudy tail, putting the disturbing office behind us to gallop out to the main room and find my griffon friend prancing on her paws with a dusty bottle of high class bourbon. Zed wasn't with her, but a wave of her claw as she slugged back the liquor showed the way she turned to lead us down, snorting at me eyeing the bottle in her grip with a raised eyebrow.

"Found the kitchens and booze first boss, wasn't gonna just leave it sittin' there. Anyhoo, me an' stripey found somethin' weird, right up yer alley. Stripey's still lookin' it over, but says it's probably it by that zebra hoodoo of his sniffin' around at the ground." Val prowled down the dusty halls in the lead, swishing her tail as we passed an empty dining room.

The chamber she led us to was towards the back of the house, still in line with the great hall and its creepy paintings watching us leave. It was as tall as the main chamber, taking up the full two floors with graceful arches and clouded windows. It was a round room with a domed roof, the woodwork covered in peeling white paint and the dirty floors covered in checkered green and yellow tiles, along with dirt from broken planters and long, desicated roots trailing across the ground. A conservatory... it must have been a lush little indoor garden once, judging by all the dead and dried plants in the stone planters ringing it.

It was the centerpiece of the room that was indeed very strange, even for Vega. A huge birdcage of golden bars sat in the center of the room, a matching console built near the simple latch barring the gate in. Sitting before it was a gilded and fancy chair and matching ottoman beside a short table, placed to sit and view the odd cage in posh comfort. The weirdest part was the 'bird' in the cage however, sitting stock still on her haunches was a pale blue pony straight off her posters in Vega's office, Rara... Or Countess Coloratura judging by her elaborate outfit and mane.

Her blank face was covered in a dark veil, long and dark false eyelashes beneath the gauzy material. Her mane was dyed pale lilac striped with violet was tied up in a long, flowing topknot that reached the floor and her tail matched its length, curling around her hooves. She wore the violet leather jacket from the poster, darker studded bands at the sleeves and her hooves matching the collar at her neck. Vega made and locked up a copy of the singer he'd once managed who spurned him... Just more evidence of how crazy he was.

She didn't react to our presence, her long lashes remaining serenely closed, despite Val bounding in to perch on the curved golden bars near the top and rattling the cage cheerily. "See? Pretty fuckin' weird, right? Already tossed the other rooms nearby an' they were all borin', but this kinda jumps out at ya, don't it? Figure unless the Ice Queen found somethin' even crazier in her wing, this is it, huh?"

Zed was prowling around this weird construct slowly, sniffing at the tiles and tapping the floor with his hoof as he cocked his head and perked his head to listen. "I wish Witching was with us... her echolocation and hearing would be useful, but I believe there is a passage beneath this strange cage. The console terminal is locked however, if you would Fast..?"

"Ooooook.... definitely weird... Right, I'm on it. Does she er... say anything? It's a synth, but is it one that's alive?"

Jade followed me down the short step leading to the sunken floor of the conservatory, pausing at the gate to the cage while I connected to the terminal and calling out in a curious voice. "Hello? Miss? Can you hear us? W-We are here to help if you are a prisoner... Hello?"

Landing beside her with an amused cluck, Val pulled out her twisted whacking stick she used for my training and poked the mare through the bars, shaking her head and shrugging. "Don't do nothin' Blue, we tried already. Just some fancy windup toy we're guessin', what'cha think boss?"

Following my nose as I flicked through the lines of code flashing before my eyes, I took a closer look at the small table and chair setup nearby. A glass bottle with a fading rainbow label and a straw sticking out of it was still perspiring water that ran down to the polished wood. A bowl of cherries with several pits rolling underhoof looked fresh and tasty, along with the delicious smelling half eaten eclair resting on a doily. Vega had been here... recently.

"It's a good bet alright, go get Fancy and Freya while I work on this. There's gotta be some kind of trick to..."

I gave Val a firm nod as I cracked the terminal, interrupted by a melodious voice speaking up suddenly that made us all jump and look to the imprisoned synth. "Greetings Master Svengallop! It's sooooo wonderful to see you again. I owe everything to you Master, you're the best talent agent in Equestria. Without you I'd still be some poor, boring, common filly in Manehatten, instead you made me a Countess! You deserve everything you get and more, nopony understands how important you are! Your silly colleagues would be lost without you Master! Please let me sing just for you!"

At that, music started blaring out of hidden speakers above, clouds of fog filled the cage and beams of colored light flashed as the mare in the cage started singing a lively and loud song, the beat making the room rattle with the loud thumping as she gyrated and sang;

Time for the spectacle
Time for the show
The lights are bright and the colors glow

I'm not just anypony
I think you know
The time is now, it's about to blow!

Razzle dazzle
Glitz and glam
Turn it all up, it's a spectacle

Pinning my ears back at the overwhelming noise, I scrambled to find a way to shut it off through the open terminal and breathed a sigh of relief on finding the proper command. Countess Coloratura froze on her hindlegs with her back arched in her energetic performance and returned to a calm posture on all four hooves again, expectantly waiting with her sky blue eyes focused dead ahead. She wasn't an advanced synth that thought and felt, merely a toy that didn't even recognize we weren't Vega, going through rote responses as it was programmed.

On the plus side, Val didn't need to go get Fancy and Freya after that. The pale pair came charging in behind us at the noise, Freya in the lead with her pistol out and her watchful glare flicking everywhere. Only once she saw it was safe did she allow the anxious unicorn mare behind her to come in, galloping up to me at the console and stamping her hooves.

"What the hell was that!? He probably heard all that noise stupid! What if he hurts Neighson! What in the world is this crazy setup anyway!? Who's that!?" Fancy's gold plated M.E.W. focused on the placid synth, hovering in her bright yellow magic as she snapped at me impatiently.

"A songbird... Just shut up and hang on a second Fancy, I'm working on it..."

"Slavery of a different sort to feed his ego. This Svengallop seems to delight in using others, feeding off their labors and talents for his own benefit. If he had his way, all of the Commonwealth would be little more than this sad doll... I still do not like the idea of killing him, but he cannot be allowed to do this to others..." Jade stood at the bars and stared at the mindless robot wistfully, her ears drooping in thought over what was a difficult decision for her.

'...Want... Revenge... Slavery... Punish... Kill...'

I winced at the voice of 'Be Dark...' snarling in answer, it was simple for the Shroud... and me... Vega had to die. Nothing 'Be Kind...' or 'Be Unwavering!' could frantically whisper changed that, kindness and generosity were wasted on him. I was somehow unsurprised the firm voice of 'Be Strong!' agreed with the Shroud, the sliver of Applejack's soul remembered him... It wasn't often the Ministry Mares disagreed in their little roundtable in my brain, but they did here.

I didn't like being on Fancy's side however, the angry wail she answered with too close to my own thoughts on the matter. "Fuck him! He took my smoopy! Wanted to experiment on me! Replaced me!! Your pet zebra says he wants to do worse too! Some awful magic hoodoo on his soul! He's dead, you hear me 'Princess'! DEAD!"

Zed snorted at her dismissive wave towards him and insulting words, looking back up from his investigation to sigh softly to Jade. "Your kindness to even such a creature is admirable Jade, but wasted. He's no longer a pony deserving of consideration, or a pony at all. He's a monster of dark magic, just the kind of thing I was taught and trained to destroy. Do not falter in this, harden your heart or stay back, but he must die."

Fighting my pounding headache, I scrolled through the long playlist of songs and controls for the stage effects, finally finding a hidden command reading; 'Release Mag-Locks? Y/N?' and resoundingly hit yes. The room rumbled and machinery underhoof ground and clicked, getting a squawk of surprise from Val as the cage shook and started to rise.

Below the round golden platform that formed the bottom of the cage, a high tech and clean elevator waited, just enough room for all of us to squeeze in. This was definitely it, a way down below Svengallop Manor, into the lair of the Public Relations Director of the Institute. A glance out the dusty windows of the conservatory served as grim reminder the clock was ticking, whatever waited in his Sanctum, we didn't have long to stop him.

"Alright everybody... This is it, ready?"

Looking up to my friends and temporary allies, I didn't see any hesitation as they answered with firm nods and moved towards the secret elevator. Whatever was down there, everyone was resolved to face it together. Even Jade bit her lip and shoved her doubts aside, giving a supportive nuzzle as I disconnected my pip-buck and joined her.

'...WANT... NOW...'

I gulped at the Shroud chiming in its own affirmation and rubbed my head as I hit the switch and the elevator rumbled back down into the dark. Our unseen questionable ally was straining to come out and hunt Vega down. Please... Just behave, work with me, us... and you get what you want, what we both want. Much as I disliked and feared it, I was sure we'd need his help too and prayed to the goddesses I could control it.

The passageways beneath Svengallop Manor turned out to be uncomfortably familiar, for both myself and Fancy. Once the secret elevator reached the bottom with a ding, we found ourselves in the clean and shining metal hallways of an Institute facility just like Moondancer's labs we'd both been locked up in. The walls were gleaming white, painted with colored stripes leading the way through the warren of tunnels and rooms.

From what my pip-buck's quasi-reliable mapping feature showed, Vega's lair wasn't nearly the size of Dala's labs, matching what Fancy said about his whining jealousy of his colleagues. Svengallop hadn't been an arcane scientist like the others, so he didn't rate the same facilities. His ego fluffing Coloratura synth upstairs went along the same theme, an insecure narsicist who thought he deserved more than he got.

More Gen 1 synths stood in our path as we rushed through the winding halls, slowing us down as we kept working our way lower. The limited views I got of the rooms branching off from our path made it seem like this place was glorified storage mainly, there were storerooms full of drugs, weapons and other commodities for Vega to use in his dealings with the surface. A glimpse of one room full of spotless Fluffer Batter dispensers made me gulp and use up a grenade just to wreck the horrible devices. Whatever the Institute planned on doing with them, it couldn't be good.

We were in too much of a hurry to really explore however, even Val was forced to refrain from looting to keep up, squawking angrily when I pulled ahead too far on lightning wreathed hooves propelling me forward. Only Fancy and Zed were in as much of a rush, keeping pace with me as we plowed through the opposition. Fancy was only concerned for Neighson, but I had an idea Zed could feel the building thrum of dark magic in the air even more accutely than I could.

I still wasn't much of a wizard-pony, but my horn itched in the presence of such powerful magic still beneath our hooves. Both the Shroud's spirit and those of the Ministry Mares were resonating in my head in time with the ethereal pulse of arcane power that kept building. Looking over my map again while pausing at an intersection of hallways marked with magical runes, it looked like this entire complex was part of Vega's ritual chamber, spiraling down around the open space on my map beneath the round main hall of the Manor and its creepy portraits.

Skidding around another turn towards the gently sloping ramps leading down, I was brought up short by an unexpected sight that shocked me enough to nearly get me killed. Elder Macson of the Brotherhood of Friendship was waiting around the bend, opening up with the tri-barreled magical energy weapon on his flank as I skidded to a halt dumbly.

"Boss look out stupid!" Val screeched as the lines of blazing magic traced their way towards me, tackling me out of the way and taking cover behind the corner of a branching hallway before the ramp down.

She had no second thoughts on finding the leader of the Brotherhood here, peeking around the corner to fire her booming 12mm pistols. Shaking my head, I poked my head out from her protective guard and watched her rounds tearing into his armored leather coat, floating out the Terrible Shotgun and blasting along with her. I didn't particularly like Macson anyway, and 'Be Dark...' had no issue whatsoever firing on him.

The bastard demonstrated that spooky speed and grace I'd seen glimpses of again, charging forward despite the hail of gunfire filling the narrow hall. Freya had already taken up the corner opposite Val and opened up with her chattering light machine gun, a line of impacts going up the fluffy hellhound fur lining of his coat at his neck in what should be devastating wounds that barely slowed his pace.

He was met by Zed galloping past us before he reached our bit of cover, engaging in a furious back and forth of hoof to hoof strikes that left me stunned. He could fight on equal terms with Zed!? I'd never seen anycreature that could duck and dodge Zed's expert strikes, let alone spin and buck the muscular zebra into the wall with a painful sounding crack.

With him occupied for the moment at least, I flapped past Val and dove down the ramp, activating S.A.T.S. mid-dive and targeting his scarred face. Time resumed and my gleaming .45 revolver crashed repeatedly, blowing Macson's brains out just as he reared to follow up on Zed rolling out of the way. When the big red earth pony simply melted to a puddle of green goop, all of us paused in the ringing silence in confusion.

"A... A synth? Of Elder Macson? W-Why..." Jade cautiously poked her head out with a curious tilt, gaping at the puddle at Zed's hooves.

Val huffed as she reloaded her weapons, sneering at the destroyed synth. "Why'dya think Blue? This is the egghead fucker what screws around with folks up top, right? Must plan on replacing Mr. metal britches here..."

"Of course they do... That would give them control of the Brotherhood of Friendship and their cloudship... Vega would be the one to manage replacing ponies on the surface alright, he must have them in..."

My musing over the Institute's plans was cut short by movement down the hallway that made Venegeance snap up in my magic out of reflex, though I fell short on getting a look at the pale yellow pony zipping around the corner and firing a boxy magical energy weapon in her mouth as she flew right at us. Summer!?

I couldn't move... couldn't shoot... Logically I knew it was a synth, but shooting the sweet pegasus filly's face charging at me was just... I couldn't do it... Even the snarl of 'Be Dark...' fizzled out in shock, she was somepony the Shroud viewed as 'MINE', it couldn't cope either and I just sat dumbfounded as her shots zeroed in on me.

A series of golden magical beams from behind me took care of the problem before I'd taken more than a glancing shot that singed my feathers. My mouth hung open in shock as I watched Scribe Summer Wind vaporized to a puff of glittering ash and turned slowly to Fancy's shout. "Fuck that bitch, I don't like that little turkey anyway. Come on! Neighson's waiting!"

Vega was pulling his toys out of storage, even knowing it was just a synth infiltrator, I felt sick to my stomach walking through the pile of dust that had looked just like Summer. Who else had he copied and intended to replace? Who else might come charing out to kill us wearing a friendly smile?

The answer made the ember of anger in my head flare brighter and hotter as we pressed on, now facing not just blank faced Gen 1s, but the friends we'd made all over the Commonwealth. Zed nearly froze when faced with his own grandfather's weathered face down one hall, forced back in duel of zebra martial arts by his master that ended with Val blowing his limbs off with a well aimed string of 25mm grenades when he dodged back. The zebra returned the favor when she was blasted by a lever action rifle held in the claws of Magpie, the ghoulish griffon an expert marksmare apparently, but unable to move her waddling gait fast enough to avoid Zed snapping her neck in his hooves.

I had to rely on the Shroud to face Preston Gardens ducking out of cover to fire his hoof cranked magical energy musket, one General of the Minutemares facing the other in deadly combat despite my distaste and the hurt whisper of 'Be Awesome!' over the betrayal. If it weren't for the influence of 'Be Dark...' to lean on, I didn't think I'd be able to simply... decapitate him like that, teleporting in range to slash out with Best Served in my fangs and my eyes glowing.

When the sexy Cocoa Latte came sauntering out of a room down the next bend, I could have sworn Jade took a little pleasure in grabbing her in a field of her pale blue telekinesis and slamming her to the ceiling. She still wasn't able to kill even a synth, but she wasn't above stopping her with extreme prejudice, giving a little huff at the curvy mare struggling in her grip before Val pressed her pistol to her warm chocolate and cream colored mane and blasted her to another puddle of goop.

She was so absorbed sticking her nose up at my questioning look, neither of us noticed Mayor Shamrock slipping out of the shadows with the knife hidden in a switchblade harness under the sleeve of his ancient red coat and aiming to slit her throat. Thankfully the watchful Shroud did, pushing her aside and slicing his foreleg neatly off, allowing Freya to freeze the rest of him and shatter the ghoul to icy chunks with a rake of her claws.

"T-This is horrible! Vega has plotted to replace so many important ponies, put the Commonwealth under his control through his copies! He... no... please no...." Jade cried at the ice melting to goop at her hooves, looking up in time with me to see another synth guarding an important looking door at the bottom of the next ramp down.

I shared her reaction, my mouth drying up and tears forming in my burning eyes. A grizzled old red pegasus stallion in a leather jacket, a plasma pistol in his bearded muzzle lighting his wrinkled face in baleful green light as it aimed at Jade standing as frozen as I was. Burny...

He'd copied Burny Jets... An obsolete copy Vega must have had waiting to take control of the Arcano-Cats and Red Rocket Couriers, now practically a living ghost. I couldn't kill him again... I couldn't see him die all over again... I knew it wasn't really Burny, but I'd last seen that face burning up in the flames of his funeral pyre, and now it was... Please Goddesses, don't make me see it again...

'...Let me...'

Yes! Please! Do it! Anything was better than having to kill the kindly old buck again. I willingly ceded control to the Shroud's tempting whisper, clenching my eyes shut and feeling my horn light up. I felt my magic reaching out, casting complicated spells I didn't know, the sounds of roaring flames and my friends gasping just encouraging me to keep my eyes firmly shut. I retreated from whatever it was the Shroud was doing that I couldn't, hearing the crackle of a torrent of flames, feeling the wave of heat and smelling the disturbingly savory smell of cooking meat that made my fangs ache and mouth water.

When it cut off again and silence reigned, I warily cracked an eye open, glad to see nothing barring our way now. The end of the passage was scorched and blackened, the pristine white paint bubbled off the walls and nothing but a pile of ashes remained where the Burny synth stood. I'd cremated him... again...

Thank you...

'Want... More... NOW...'

I winced at the stab of pain between my eyes answering my weak gratitude, stumbling forward as Freya slapped my back and pushed past. "Holy shit twerp! Not bad! Guess I gotta admit it Val, yer boss is worth the open contract after all! How come you didn't pull that shit out earlier shrimpy?"

"Shaddup bitch, course boss is worth it, he's my cuddly lil' pony pal partner! Worth a hundred of yer bratty bitch, 'bout time you recognize!" Val shoved her fellow mercenary on to the door with her ruff of feathers puffed up proudly, her loyal endorsement helping the shout of 'Be Awesome!' drag the Shroud back. Her claws scratched my mane for me soothingly as she paused to lean down and whisper once Freya and Fancy had gone ahead out of earshot. "Er... you ok boss? That uh... not that it wasn't awesome or nothin', makin' that kinda fire outta yer horn what was even all dragon shaped an' what not, but... that weren't you, was it boss...?"

Jade joined her at my other side, curling a wing over my shaking back and nuzzling anxiously as I regained control, brightening the mote of 'Be Kind...' with her worried voice. "F-Fast? Are you alright? That spell... you..."

Looking up to them both with a grimace, I turned it to a shaky, insincere smile and shrugged at Fancy frantically working at the terminal locked door. "F-Fine... I'm fine, really... I just couldn't... I-It's alright, I'll be ok, let's just get this done and get out of here. Quickly..."

Turning away from them both, I was brought up short by Zed's intense grey stare and clenched jaw. He looked torn, but angrier than before and I flinched at his hoof jabbing my chest. "Do. Not. Do. That. Again... I warned you Fast, I've looked away when I shouldn't have out of friendship, but you are playing with fire. Like it or not, when this is done, so are you. I will assist your mare in keeping you under her care by force if needed. I will go tell her sisters of Trinity Tower where to find you myself if I must, leave it to them to keep you locked up and too worn to think of escape."

Jade sputtered at his warning as I trudged to the blackened door and pushed Fancy aside to patch my pip-buck to the singed port. "W-W-What!? Zed! What are you going on about? W-While I agree Fast should stop and rest so I may care for him after this, threatening to call my sisters to imprison him is..."

The zebra wheeled on her worried tone, stamping his hooves and snorting to silence her. "If it will stop the Shroud from escaping, I will most certainly do it. Everything I was taught says I should kill him myself now, before that can happen! But I... cannot... Locking him up somewhere where its base appetites will be sated is the next best thing. By all the spirits I should force him to go back now... this Vega is the worst kind of enemy for Fast to face right now, a madpony engaging in psychological warfare with one teetering on the edge..."

"I'm NOT leaving!! I'm ending this, I'm killing Vega, then I'm going to go after the rest of the Institute to destroy it! I'm going to save my family! Protect Jade and everycreature else I care about from them EVER hurting them! Don't try to stop me Zed... I'm glad we're friends and I understand what you're saying, but don't get in my way..."

Even keeping my glowing eyes focused dead ahead and on the scrolling text before them, I could see Zed's frown harden as I staggered under the blinding wave of pain in my head. The Shroud's voice leaking into my own made Freya take a wary step back as I struggled to crack the security, though Fancy paid no attention and kept impatiently pacing in front of the portal. When it opened before her, she didn't even have a chance to go charging in more than a single hoofstep before being thrown back out and crashing into Jade's side reaching for me by the loud boom of a shotgun.

Jade caught the bleeding unicorn mare in her hooves and raised her shield on instinct as the others dove to either side of the doorway, focusing on healing the bloody wound at the base of her neck and beneath her damaged battledress' chest. Whatever hit her went for center body mass and had at least been mostly stopped by the frilly armored garmet made by Sassy Saddles, but her wind was knocked out and she was dazed.

"Greetings Evildoers..." A very familiar voice called out from the darkened room, two glowing red spots in the shadows staring back when I peeked around the corner.

It was a wide, open room with the far wall nothing but windows looking out to an illuminated, rough cavern pulsing with green light. That and alicorn night vision enough to make out the silhouettes of two ponies before the lights buzzed to life with an absent command to the terminal. One big, one small...

Me... Us... They'd copied us... There stood a Princess and a Shroud staring back, the blue glow of magic lighting up the rakish fedora and gleaming .45 revolver that popped up and fired almost instantly, the heavy rounds pinging against the metal near my head and driving me back from my short glimpse.

They wore cleaner and less singed versions of my Shrouded Stallion armor and Jade's labcoat and tiara, but were otherwise exact duplicates. I was somewhat annoyed getting even that glimpse of myself with another Jade standing beside him, getting a good look from the outside how short I looked next to the regal blue alicorn. When both Freya and Val started firing their freezethrower and grenade machinegun in unison at the pair, I was downright infuriated at the smirk the false Jade wore as she raised her own shield and weathered the storm. That looked nothing like my wife... How dare they make this thing in her image!

As the smoke and freezing white mist cleared around the glowing blue shell, a terrible scream and eerie chanting filled the silence, the straining voice raised in terror enough to get Fancy to struggle against Jade's grip with a gasping cry. "NEIGHSON!!! Freya, save him!"

Needing no more than her contract holder's order, Freya bounded through the doorway before the synth Jade's shield faded and released her fake knight. Val paused only a second before following her old partner, shouting over her shoulder as she went. "No offense you two, kinda feel weird killin' yas an all, but fuck it!"

Zed was right on my heels when I summoned an aura of lightning and followed, dashing out into the room rapidly filling with death in the form of freezing mist, small explosions, beams of magic and whining ricochets of gunfire. It wasn't a huge room as the unfinished chamber beyond the windows hinted at being, more some kind of observation room with blinking terminals and consoles along the walls, facing the view out. As such I was surprised at how nimbly the fake Princess and Shroud moved, prancing back from the fire and returning it with spooky accuracy I could only guess was aided by the pip-bucks I saw on their forelegs.

White lightning wreathed the hooves of my copy, sending it propelling around the tight space rapidly in zigs and zags that made it a difficult target to hit without worrying about friendly fire. More disturbing was how well it worked with its own Princess, blasting back to her side the instant Zed launched himself at the crackling barrier of her shield springing up again and hammering it with his hooves. The glimmering blade in its teeth slashed out and forced the zebra back, unable to even attempt to parry with his dense bangles against what I was pretty sure was the very knife Vega used to frame me in Diamond City, one of the 100 'Saturnite' blades the Institute had let loose in the wasteland. The shotgun and revolver hovering by its head remained trained on the two griffons dodging back from the blind fired shots, while the fake Jade kept sending out rings of anesthetic spells to harry them.

The crackling trail of black electricity at my hooves criss crossed the white ones the copy had left fading away as I charged at it, spotting the flicker of arcing magic at its horn just in time to divert my course when it turned from Zed flipping back for space.

KRAKA-THOOM!!! // KRAKA-THOOM!!!

Sweet Celestia! How accurately had they made this thing!? The blast of lightning magic from its horn met mine defending Val and Freya and lit the room in a blinding flash as they clashed together in the air between us. The lights overhead flickered and blinked in the pulse that exploded outward and the floor shook, giving me an idea this rounded room was some kind of construct bolted to the cavern walls I could see through the windows, with the vague impression of a long shaft below where the baleful green light was coming from.

Flapping up to the low ceiling to give the griffon's behind me space to shoot as I dove forward, I glanced out and got a little confirmation. I couldn't see to the bottom and whatever was going on down there to cause the screaming, but I saw catwalks spiraling down, interspersed with modular capsule like rooms with windows looking down like this one. The rough stone walls were carved with more of those sinuous runes in vertical lines, heading up to the portrait room of the manor above no doubt.

Diverting my attention even for an instant still wasn't a good idea, I was smashed out of the air just as I drew a bead on my double chasing Zed with the Last Minute, tackled by an all too familiar ton of blue alicorn that pinned me to the steel floor as we skidded to a halt. The sneering, haughty face lit by the bright blue-white glow of her horn was awful to see as she grinned, cooing in Jade's voice while I fought under her half heartedly.

I couldn't hurt my wife... it was worse than being faced with Burny and our other friends so far. Even while feeling the rage from knowing logically she wasn't her, she still looked and sounded exactly like my Princess... "There, there 'my love'.... Just be a good buck and hold still, this will only hurt a moment, like getting a shot..."

A furious roar made her flick her blue eyes away just before she was suddenly knocked off me in a blue blur, Jade's goddess voice tolling out and echoing out to the cavern. "GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU BITCH!"

If it weren't for the deadly serious situation, it would almost be amusing to see the two blue alicorns roll to a tangled stop and wind up in a slap fight of flailing forelegs and sparking horns. There was intelligence behind the weird behavior though, with the two of them mixed up, the synth Jade couldn't act out of character without becoming a target. The excellent infiltrator had her down pat, not just looks and voice, but mannerisms and her pacifist beliefs too. Neither alicorn Princess fell back to using the deadly skills they surely possessed, instead remaining locked in a stalemate of play fighting and whinnies that left Val and Freya too confused to do anything other than focus on the fake me fighting Zed.

Through all the insanity, Fancy came galloping straight through the room, heedless of the bullets and beams wildly firing and flinging herself to the large windows out as I staggered back to my hooves. Her keening cry was breathless and fearful as she bashed her hooves on the reinforced glass. "NEIGHSON! I'm here sweetiepie!! Just hang on! You leave him alone you ugly robot freakshow!"

"Aha, there's our audience now son! Excellent timing! Just wait a moment and I'll deal with all of you!" A crazed, tittering voice answered her, getting a scowl from Fancy that looked like it could melt steel as she charged for the door to the catwalks down.

"Fast, help!" A stereo cry drew my focus back to Jade... Jades as they struggled and shoved each other, looking between the two identical mares speaking over each other.

"Stop this abhorent copy!"

"Miss Star is still injured!"

"We must help her!"

"Stop the ritual!"

"Ow! No mane pulling!"

"No biting either!"

Dragging the Last Minute back to my grip and forcing myself to ignore the screeches of pain I could hear from Val dealing with my double, the gauss rifle wavered in my telekinetic grip between the two Jades. My headache was splitting me in two, that terrible ...cracking... sensation I'd felt when Burny died rising up again as the cries of the Ministry Mares tried to soothe and hold me together. I couldn't hurt Jade... Even if I could pick the right one, I couldn't hurt that sweet face, I could never...

'Princess! Help! Destroy! LET ME...'

NO! No you don't... you're not getting out dammit! I don't trust you to know either! You'll never lay a hoof on her, you hear me!? NEVER!

'Be Kind...' 'Be Strong!' 'Be Unwavering!' 'Awareness!' 'Be Awesome!'

Clenching my eyes shut again with my weapon waggling from one Jade to the other repeatedly, this time I relied on the Ministry Mares spirits rising up in song. Fancy could tell her Neighson from Vega's copy... The warm motes of light I saw behind my eyelids representing the slivers of the Elements of Harmony's bearers resonated with my own heart as I forced myself to take in a slow breath and focus. Don't see her with my eyes... see her with my heart. No matter how well crafted, there was no way to copy my Jade, make a duplicate of the most wonderful mare in the world, program some synth to be even a shadow of her pure soul.

In the darkness struggling to take over my vision and mind, those five colored lights danced and glowed, spinning around a warm, soft, kind... blue flame of light glimmering in the darkness to the right. Just focusing on that soothing light made my heart soar, the snarl of 'Be Dark...' flinching back to the shadows it banished as the Last Minute whined and floated to the left.

I still couldn't bear to open my eyes and see the shell wearing her form, but I knew my Princess and wouldn't permit some false thing to exist and sully her. The gauss rifle gave a flat crack as I cringed pulling the trigger, opening my eyes to see Jade splattered with glowing green goo that held a pony shape for just an instant, like a water balloon being popped.

She gave me a relieved look full of concern at me panting raggedly and rubbing my head, but didn't even have time to get to her hooves before a roaring flicker of lightning charged at her with a glimmering blade held in its teeth. My ears popped when the Shroud surged forward again, the light of the Ministry Mares waning and exhausted after helping me already. I was glad for its help too at least, teleporting between Jade and my growling copy, stopping its starmetal blade with my own only inches from her graceful neck.

The synth me strained and grunted against my guard, the sharp fangs in its mouth gnashing into the wooden handle of the long kitchen knife, its red eyes boring into my own glowing and slitted like a dragons as it reared back and slashed out again, parried blow for blow while I defended my Princess.

Did I really look like that? At first I was just insulted and a little self conscious seeing the short little stallion from the outside, but now... It was a snarling, snapping, vicious little miniature hellhound in pony form, flapping its wings to engage in an aerial duel and drive me back. Was that ...me? Or was even this a poor facsimile, a pale shadow of the monster in my head.

'Kill... Destroy!... Doppelganger!!... Want!... Out!... Deceiver!... LET ME OUT!'

"NO! I'm not you! I'm not like this thing!! I'M NOT!!"

This synth was everything I hated about myself given form, my voice rising hysterically as I ducked back from another sparking clash of blades. The feeling was apparently mutual too, to the Shroud's spirit, it felt like fighting me... all the weakness and cowardice it bristled against when it didn't get its way. We were working together, but in each case I could feel we were really fighting the other...that terrible cracking, splitting sensation only growing when faced with my mirror image.

It was an act on the synth's part however, it mimicked flawlessly, but cold machine intelligence was driving it instead of the pounding rage and fear pushing me forward recklessly. Its own shotgun floated up as I lunged after it dodging away, hammering my chest with booming shots that blew me back to Jade crying out and catching me with at least a few ribs broken and blood oozing from my neck and cheek. If it weren't for the blue field of her shield blooming to life around us, the next rounds sparking off the barrier would have blown my head off and hers in turn.

"Doppelganger!! Deceiver! I'm gonna rip you apart down to every last screw and turn you into a fucking toaster! Thou foul pomunculous is an affront to the Goddesses! Monster! Faker! Piss poor, piece of shit, cheap knock off motherfucker!!!"

Dazed and sucking in a burning breath as I snarled and struggled in Jade's hooves, I felt her healing magic pouring into me as her teary voice spoke in a cry, overriding the growls and crazed shouts I was loosing in a bloody spittle flecked stream of curses. "Sssshhh! Fast! Stop fighting! Let me heal! Y-You must! Trust in our friends!"

She was right, as always... Even if the Institute had made copies of Val and Zed too, they wouldn't be driven by friendship as they were. The agile little bastard was annoyingly quick, but those two knew me so well that the accuracy of the copy worked against it. The griffon who'd taught me nearly everything I knew about flying was on it before it even flared its wings to dodge back, slicing one off completely with her flaming sword and only narrowly missing its neck. Before it could clumsily touch its flickering hooves back to the floor, Zed was there and waiting, sweeping its legs out from under it with a graceful spin of his hindlegs and denting the steel tiles inches from it jerking its head away from the strike.

Unfortunately our bond worked in the synth's favor too, they were hesitating... almost imperceptibly, but Val couldn't bring herself to follow through the slash of her Shishkebab, and I'd never seen Zed miss that close up... The nimble little fucker was taking every opening too, flapping hard and shooting up from their pincer attack with the knife in its teeth tearing a long gash down Val's side and its floating .45 booming at Zed flipping away, knocking his hindleg out from under him in a ragged wound before he could land.

It had advanced combat programming and I could see its wounds already regenerating as fast as a Courser too. I wasn't sure whether to be horrified or flattered they'd essentially made one of their deadly Courser models in my shape...

Freezing time with S.A.T.S. when my double did an agile barrel roll and skidded to his hooves with its shotgun taking aim at Jade, I took a moment to take in that snarling face highlighted by the targeting spell with disgust. Beyond the glowing outline of its head, I saw a trail of blood leading to the catwalks and Freya's long tail just disappearing through the door after Fancy. Val was making a dive assisted by her powerful red wings after the synth copy with her flaming Shishkebab in one claw and the other holding the gash pouring blood down her side. Zed was flanking her, several bullet wounds dribbling down his flanks and a shredded hole in his leather armor from a shotgun blast, his striped mane singed and wild as he was frozen in the act of leaping at my double to cut off its avenue of escape. They were right with us, bloodied and hurt but determined to stick together.

'...Mine... Want... Destroy... LET ME...'

No... Nobody else was dealing with this pathetic fake but me. Even in the cool timeless of S.A.T.S. that hateful voice was with me, but I wouldn't let it take over this time. Technology and Arcane Science was going to bring it down, the things that I liked and knew, ME... Not the madness trying to split me in half to rage and go berzerk. I was doing this... not the Shroud.

Running through the additional menus of the overcharge mod, I selected the shot and let time resume. I had to struggle against Jade's protective grip as the magical energy cannon at my side activated, but it was my voice that came out through gritted teeth, pleading with her to trust me.

"Jade.. Drop your shield, now!"

She let me go and the sphere of magic surrounding us faded away instantly, the warm glow of her healing magic intensifying now that her focus wasn't divided. The synth's red eyes widened when Blue Moon's barrel clicked out from under my wing and the jeweled crescent was surrounded by swirling runes and an overglow of magic, but dodging or fleeing wouldn't help. One of the two pilfered storage crystals on my pip-buck dimmed as the charge was consumed and the guaranteed hit lanced out in a brilliant beam of destruction.

The flat, pale blue blast of magic vaporized it in blinding light, spearing straight through that snarling face and out, shearing through the metal roof of the observation room we were in it had flailed its single wing to clumsily retreat to. The beam melted its way in a jagged line as I pranced back, hearing the rumble of stone sheared off the walls overhead and snorting off the glittering pale blue dust that drifted through the air as the room shook.

"Fuck! Go, go go! After Fancy and Freya, quick!"

The others all charged off ahead of my frantically waving hooves, dashing for the catwalks as heavy boulders started denting the ceiling and the room gave a warning creak as it leaned towards the open space at the windows. I could vaguely hear Vega and Fancy shouting somewhere below in frantic yells and gloating laughter, but it was unimportant until I could push the breathless Princess at my side out to safety.

We bolted from the room together, out into the ritual chamber below pulsing with magic faster and faster. Down to the sound of Vega's crazed voice cackling crazily.

The observation chamber fell from the cavern walls just as we dashed out the door, tearing away a good chunk of the metal catwalks spiraling down the shaft under our hooves and forcing us to the air. If it weren't for Jade spreading out her shield into a domed canopy overhead, the falling boulders would have probably smashed at least one of us out of the air. It was a brilliant display of magic that left her sweating and straining under her blazing horn to maintain, a much stronger version of the shield she often used to keep Glitter and the rest of us warm and dry in the rain.

All this was taking a toll on her though, just a glance at her tired face looking back to me in worry as we dove clear was enough to tell. There were weary bags under her beautiful blue eyes as she moaned and lit her horn up in a layer of overglow, straining to heal all of us as we flapped out into the open space and got our bearings.

The room we'd just escaped was indeed a modular capsule of pale painted metal with a wide yellow stripe, similar to the trailers and constructs Stable-Tec put up outside my old home to act as control rooms and checkpoints. More of them were bolted to the rough stone walls on the way down, connected by rusting catwalks and stairways groaning and shaking as the one I'd destroyed crashed down.

It took a second to find Fancy and Freya, the pale unicorn had charged recklessly down the stairs and was nearly at the bottom, her wounded merc flying nearby and firing down at the threat to her boss giddily laughing as it shot blue beams of magic up at her. Vega...

He was at the bottom, in the center of a complicated circle of runes and gadgets, ringed by figures wearing the green robes of the Children of Balefire conducting the ritual. More of his synths most likely, though one or two were wearing the pale jumpsuits and labcoats of Institute scientists I'd seen in Dala's labs, though the highlighting color was pink instead of pale yellow like I'd seen there. They looked totally absorbed in controlling the pulsing spellcraft swirling around them though, ignoring the threat and focusing solely on the squirming victim at the center of it all.

Neighson, the real Neighson, was strapped to a steel table in the center of the circle, struggling against the straps holding him down on his back in the spread eagle position of the Institute's emblem. Held in some kind of harness above him in the center of the circle was an odd relic that didn't match all the fancy circuits and wires running to it, a jagged shard of black mirror that pulsed in time with the magic, spreading a pall around it that made my mane bristle. The thing hurt just to look at, the eye seemed to slide away from staring at its oily surface every time I tried, barely taking in the runes and bones defining a curve on one edge. At the head of this torture device was a large portrait of the buck himself, standing proudly with a fancy magical energy rifle floating in his telekinetic grip before a backdrop of Diamond City. The portrait glowed with intense green magic, connected to Neighson in flickering lines of baleful energy that made my skin crawl.

Before him was Vega, Vega's real form... A floating robotic life support system with a diseased brain bubbling away in its reinforced jar of pink fluid. Like Dala, he hovered above the ground on a levitation talisman and displayed a sneering face of the original Svengallop on the monitor attached to his body. He had numerous other armatures like her too, tipped with claws, weapons and weird devices waggling around crazily.

Unlike her however, he had numerous panels ringing his silvery barrel of a main housing below his brain. He didn't display one cutie mark like Dala had, he had ten... an eleventh blank panel was flickering with the same green magic surrounding them, waiting to receive the image of multicolored beams in a fan that was on his son's dirty flank. They were as varied as the portraits upstairs, but easy enough to figure out as matching the talents those awful pictures displayed. A rifle, a bubbling beaker, a glowing terminal, an Equestrian army helmet, a silhouette of a pony balancing upside down on one foreleg... The largest panel was directly below the screen of Vega's smirking face, what appeared to be the rear half of a pony with a bright sparkle on the flank... He had a cutie mark of a cutie mark... That was Vega's special talent, other special talents....

All these details were taken in and processed in an instant, the adrenaline and absolute fury I felt on spotting his real body slowing down time as good as several doses of Dash. He was there... he was RIGHT. THERE. I could finally kill him! A dark and terrible joy filled me as I dove straight down, leaving Jade and the others behind with my burning glare locked solely on the robot abomination.

As I flew down leaving a contrail of black lighting, I barely listened to Fancy's wails, charging headlong into danger and blasting away with her gold plated M.E.W.. "Snookie! I'm here!! I'll save you!!"

"Too late my dear! Far, far too late! I've merely been waiting so I can put on a proper show! Glitz and glam you know! A spectacle! Klein didn't think I could, doesn't believe in me, thinks he's sooooo much better! But all the pieces are in place!" Vega's voice rose to a crazed shriek in return, the disturbing chanting and pulses of magic around him growing louder in response.

A rumble from overhead drew my eyes upward for an instant, a round opening in the ceiling of the cavern sliding open to reveal the gloomy manor house above and the skylight showing the new moon directly overhead. The pulsing green light grew brighter in response, the runes lining the walls and floors glowing that ugly green that made my eyes ache.

Then a terrible noise filled the air, an awful, unholy rending noise that lodged right in my brain and made me flinch. A wet, tearing sound... a noise that made me think of Val's claws on the chalkboard of Magpie's 'detention' room, of party balloons in the Stable being squeezed and squeaked at some birthday party long ago, of gnashing teeth chewing on tin foil... It was all of those things and none of them, an unnatural noise I couldn't even understand, but hated on an instinctual level. Alien and awful, the only thing I could even compare it too was the noise I heard before escaping to Stable 111 on the last day and seeing the green mushroom cloud of necromantic balefire hell on the horizon.

I'd hitched in the air and paused on hearing it, holding my hooves to my pinned back ears and finding the others above me doing the same. Looking back down through squinted eyes, I saw the culmination of Vega's ritual, his screaming son unleashed a terrible wail as his cutie mark was torn from his flank, hovering in the air before his monstrous father watching with avarice displayed on his screen.

The pale blue buck on the table moaned as his colors faded when it was ripped away, his vibrant purple eyes turning grey, his matted but still poofy pink and lavender mane fading and drooping as his struggles slowed and Fancy screamed. "NEIGHSON!!! NO!"

'...Not done... Let me... NOW!...'

'Be Dark...' surged forward and resonated with the evil magic, volunteering to be helpful and unleashing a blast of lighting downwards. It didn't aim at Vega however, two of the robed figures in the circle were nearly incinerated, falling to smoking heaps as the magic flowing around them wavered.

"Nnngh... The casters!! Take out the ones casting the spell, quick! It's not done yet! You can still save him Fancy!" I managed to shout as I dropped into a dive and fired the Terrible Shotgun at the next ones in the circle, fighting the blinding headache pulsing in time with the magic surrounding us.

Zed was ahead of me, rocketing down and landing with all four hooves smashing into the heavy harness holding the shard of black mirror, he was nearly crazed bashing at the crystalline housing to get at it, reminding me of the description he'd given of the artifact his brother stole. A mirror of black glass... I wasn't sure if this was the same one, but it definitely matched the warning he'd given about it should we ever find a piece of the relic he was charged with recovering.

Fancy had adjusted her aim at my shout as well, firing golden beams down along with her loyal merc swooping down in a weaving course with plumes of white mist blasting out of her cryo weapon, Freya's snowy coat was bloodied badly and she was suffering from blood loss, but performing her job loyally despite the return fire zeroing in on her.

That gave Jade a focus to dive after, rocketing past me with her shield up and aiming for the pale pair in the worst condition. Val was right behind her, lobbing grenades down that blew another spell caster nearly in half at my order, further disrupting the vile ritual to Vega's screeching fury.

There were still enough left to keep going though, I sped on as I watched Neighson's glowing mark split in half with their rising chants and that awful noise again. A sliver of his mark was cut away and formed a smaller version of the same image, slowly floating towards the waiting panel on Vega's robotic body, while the larger portion drifted towards the portrait.

I fired wildly along with Fancy at the bastard, hammering against the glowing shield one of those gadgets on his flailing limbs threw up around him. Both our hopes fading as the fragment of Neighson's soul plastered itself to the crystalline panel and glowed brightly.

As soon as it was shining on Vega's barrel shaped body, the blue beams of his magical energy weapon limbs suddenly became more accurate, setting Fancy's frilly dress on fire as she dove down the last steps and hit the rocky ground, screaming and rolling around to put it out. More devastating beams slammed into me, scorching my magical armor and clipping one of my wings, sending me into a tailspin I tried to turn into as I crashed.

I did manage to slam into another of the blank faced cultists, slashing out with Best Served as we rolled to a halt and flopping to the stone floor when it melted away beneath me. I groaned as I stumbled up to my hooves again, firing Vengeance at the nearest spell caster woozily and finally succeceding in blowing its synth brains out on the fourth shot.

More than half the casters were down now, but enough were still chanting as the remaining fragment of Neighson's mark drifted towards the portrait. I didn't have Zed's knowledge of dark magic like this, but I got the idea it getting there was bad... His soul would be trapped in the painting, forever as far as I knew. The Ministry Mare statuettes in my saddlebags still humming their soothing song were 200 years old and pristine, indestructible...

But Vega was right there... My gauss rifle whine as I drew a bead on the jar containing his horrible brain beyond all his waggling limbs and screens. I didn't care about Neighson really... I cared about revenge... about finally ending Vega...

'...WANT!... REVENGE!.. NOW!...'

'Be Kind...'

DAMMIT JUST WAIT! I snarled to myself and activated Blue Moon with a thought, lining the secondary targeting reticule at the pretentious portrait and firing wildly as the glowing cutie mark drifted inches away from the oil painted surface. The hovering image was unharmed by the barrage, but the painting was too large for even me to miss at this range. Pale blue beams perforated it and set it ablaze to Vega's screeches of fury, at least making the sullen mutter of 'Be Dark...' a little happy at causing him pain and ruining his plans.

All of his magical energy weapon tipped arms aimed at me, forcing me to leap to the air again as he ranted and fumed. "Bastard! Meddling brat!! It doesn't matter, I'll just have to keep the original receptacle alive a little longer!! You'll get yours! Everycreature will see who's in charge of this show! Just wait! My little showstopper should be here any..."

His insane screaming and titters of dark laughter were interrupted by a resounding crash from above drawing everyone's attention. Everypony but Fancy anyway, I absently noted her dashing past the grinning Vega and tearing at the straps holding Neighson down, sobbing over his pale form as what remained of his mark drifted back to his flank slowly. The furious roar overhead and rubble crashing down the shaft took my attention away however, not only due to the sudden need to dodge more than Vega's beams. I knew that booming warcry...

A blazing violet ball smashed straight through the skylight far overhead, rocketing down the tunnel and bouncing off the walls with a scream that shook bones and shattered glass. "WHERE DID YOU GO SNEAKY LITTLE PONY! GIVE HER BACK!!!!"

Making a desperate roll to get out of her way, I avoided getting smashed by Swan streaking down and splattering the remaining cultists. She would have got Vega too had he not floated away in a hurry, even his simulated face flickering with staticky fear on his monitor. The main reason she missed however became obvious when I got a look at her wildly swinging head sniffing the air around her frantically, she was blinded... I could see bits of bone around her eye sockets bubbling with regenerating tissue, bleeding off the power she'd stored up to heal and shrinking down small enough to fit indoors.

Clinging to her long neck and head by the horn was a bleeding and weak looking Witchy, nearly lost in her rippling mane, but waggling a weak hoof and squeaking in a whisper to Swan's flicking ears right by her bloodied face. "Left Swan... P-Princess... forgive me..."

As soon as she was given direction, Swan started firing bolts of magic to the left, using Witchy's weakly guiding hooves to aim blindly and sending Vega skittering back from the raging alicorn. As concerned as I was for both of them, what she had screamed coming down was echoing in my head with a growing sense of terror. If they were here... where was Glitter...

I could feel my eyes turning to two glowing suns of hate as they snapped back to Vega, brought up short when I found his robot shell tucked away in a corner. The screen was blank, along with all the panels of stolen cutie marks, the limbs were drooping and lifeless. He wasn't there...

A crazed giggle drew my glare to a side tunnel leading to more pristine Institute hallways. Vega was wearing his son's face again, the lunatic synth cackling gleefully in the face of the Last Minute spinning to face him with a loud whine. Before I blew the smirk off his rotten face however, another pony emerged from the shadows behind him. The Courser... It had come back, the mission Vega had sent it off on clear enough by the limp little bundle hanging from his teeth by her scruff.

Glitter...

She wasn't struggling, asleep... knocked out... that was it, that had to be it... please... My heart stopped until I saw her little chest moving, then lurched when the Courser pegasus tossed her to Vega's back and gave a little salute with its wing. "Mission accomplished Director Vega. Current orders?"

Vega held a hoof up dismissively, his wild violet eyes never leaving mine as I trembled in place. Both the Shroud's spirit and the Ministry Mares were resonating in harmony at the sight of my daughter in his grip. Only the threat of that Courser close enough to snap her neck in a heartbeat held me back from doing something very violent...

"You didn't think we weren't watching you, did you Subject 111-3-42? Did you!? HA! Who do you think you're dealing with!?! I'm the head of Pubic Relations! I manage ponies to dance to my tune! I've been doing this longer than you can imagine! I'm the one who manipulates public opinion in the Commonwealth! NOT YOU! Klein wanted to see you break, well he's gonna get it! The whole Commonwealth will see! You're no hero, you're just another experiment! Another one of MOBIUS' TOYS!!!" Vega gloated giddily, enjoying watching me panic at his mercy.

He didn't find it nearly so funny when Zed pounced out of the shadows from the catwalks above, the sneaky zebra had slipped off and spun through the air over Vega's discarded robot body, his pip-buck bearing hindleg coming down in a blur that smashed the thick glass jar and the brain inside.

While I wished he'd gone for the synth body and Glitter, the horrified screech that got out of Vega was still very satisfying. The crazy, evil bastard stomped and tore at his mane, shrieking at Zed flicking brains from his hoof with a scowl and prowling forward cautiously. Held in one hoof was the shard of mirror he'd been after, Swan had succeeded in smashing the housing he'd had trouble getting through on her way and he'd apparently scooped it up.

Holding it up now, Zed growled at Vega in a stern, knowing tone. "That was the remains of your original form and tether to this world demon... The artifact you used to accomplish this foul ritual is out of your reach now as well, it's over...There'll be no escaping death this time, it's long past time for you to release your descendants from their enslavement. "

"RELEASE MY DAUGHTER THIS INSANT!!" Jade's goddess voice absolutely filled the cavern as Zed's deep growl tapered off, a glance her way showed she had formed that curved blade of magic above her head and her eyes were dragonish and blazing brightly.

She was still pouring magic into Swan and Witchy behind her, even though her horn was starting to spark under the strain of so much powerful magic. Her efforts and the open golden locket Glitter had helped craft herself that was pouring out rads around Swan's neck were enough for one cloudy blue-violet eye to crack open under the bubbling tissue, rolling towards where her sister pointed and stamping a hoof with a rumble to the room. Swan had shrunk to only about double Jade's size and was steady losing stature, but was clearly ready to destroy anything in front of her.

"Drop the kid fucker... Last asshole what tried it I torched, gonna burn you slow though if'n you don't leggo the lil' boss..." Val landed beside me with her flaming sword shaking only slightly in her weakened grip, slugging back a purple healing potion as fast as she could whiskey and tensing into a crouch.

Surrounded and with the last of his cultists brought down, Vega still laughed crazily, his eerie eyes were mismatched sizes and jittering madly as he ranted back. "Screw all of you! You think you're the first that tried to stand up against me!? I've brought them all down, used their very public deaths to keep the masses in line! Just like I will you! You'll be my masterpiece actually! Proof to Klein that Svengallop is the most talented of all!! My show is going to go on, no matter what you try to ruin it! It's a new dawn in Equestria! You want this pathetic brat? Come and get her... Y3-58, keep them busy for me, will you?" At that he turned on his heel and ran down the passage with his head thrown back in crazed giggles as his Courser rocketed forward.

"NO!! GET BACK HERE!!!"

I didn't see anything else but Glitter bouncing on his back, charging forward in a flicker of lightning heedless of anything else. I didn't care about Fancy and Freya freeing the dazed Neighson, Val and Zed turning to follow at my sides, Swan roaring as she swatted the pegasus Courser out of the air like a fly with Witchy blowing its wing off with her anti-materiel rifle as soon as it smashed against the wall, not even Jade hovering worriedly in front of her sister as she continued to focus on healing them both.

I was going to kill him... not just kill, I was going to torture him to death slowly, scoop his eyeballs out with a rusty spoon and eat them, string up his puppet body by its own intestines and make him dance for my daughter's amusement once she was safe. When I was finally done I was going to take his head and parade through the halls of the Institute with it on my way to collect MORE...

'DAUGHTER... WANT... OUT... NOW!... KILL... PROTECT!... DESTROY!... LET! ME! OUT!!'

My headlong charge after Vega was cut off by the Courser slamming into my side with a flying buck, knocking me away from the passage and skidding to my hooves after a tumbling roll across the cavern. The synth dodged Val swinging her Shishkebab at it from behind, using its remaining wing to leap away from her grenade machinegun and return fire with a compact submachinegun that impacted her armor on its way up to her head. Zed leaping off her back pushed her aside and gave him the elevation to catch the bastard, though the Courser met his heavy hoofstrikes blow for blow as they fell in a tangle.

Witchy's high pitched wail and rings of devastating sound broke them apart, slowing the Courser down for an instant that Swan started launching exploding purple arrows from her horn with. If she weren't still half blind and relying on the thestral hanging off her neck to aim, she would have nailed the Courser in that barrage. As it was it had just enough space to weave between the violet blasts, charging right at the two of them instead of away and sliding beneath her long legs with its SMG aimed up at her belly...

I let go. The only thing able to distract me from trying to go after Glitter was the sight of that weapon aimed at Swan's belly and the new life there. My ears popped with teleportation magic as soon as the Shroud jumped forward, crossing the distance and grappling with the Courser in a rolling ball of flailing hooves, wings and snapping fangs, tearing the SMG from his muzzle before it bucked me back off from going for its throat.

I could swear the blank faced killing machine smirked when it turned away from me trying to scramble back to my hooves and absently noting the swirling shadows under me. I was getting closer and closer to the edge and it saw it, it knew what it was doing... The Institute made M.E.W. under its remaining wing fired blue beams up at Jade next, sparking off her shield as I roared at it.

The last threads of sanity I was able to hold on to was trying to reason with the crazed spirit, think dammit! It's not trying to kill me, otherwise this would be a lot more painful! It's trying to hold us back, buying time! Vega's goading us! Just back off a little bit and think things through!

'...NO... PROTECT PRINCESS!... WANT DAUGHTER... WANT REVENGE... WANT OUT!...'

Launching myself in a frenzy at the Courser daring to fire at Jade fluttering back from the onslaught of magical beams just ended with the synth anticipating my charge, using its remaining wing to dodge and slash my side with the curved blade that clicked out from its foreleg in one deft move. It followed up with a buck as I flinched back and slid to the cavern floor, then jerked from Witchy's anti-materiel rifle blasting a hole through its ribs to reveal the gleaming metal bones and circuitry inside. Her pretty face was weary and puffy from what had to have been a severe beating, blood marring her gleaming armor and her fluffy ears drooping tiredly, but she'd never looked more beautiful...

'Be Unwavering!'

The thing danced back from a rain of Val's red beams from her M.E.W. as she screeched and dove at it, scorching its yellow coat and slick tan mane, but not slowing in its return fire that sent Val into a crash with her wing smoking. Zed dove in again while I struggled back up, panting as I watched the synth match the zebra's martial prowess again. Zed seemed faster this time however, his eyes were bloodshot and his nose was bleeding along with his other numerous wounds taken so far and poorly healed by Jade's rushed spells and healing potions, but he wasn't backing off. His hooves were a blur hammering into the robotic killer, snapping limbs back at unnatural angles and denting the thing's metal skull showing through tears in its synthetic flesh.

'Be Strong!'

Vengeance was shaking in my telekentic grip as I tried to aim accurately at the flurry of attacks, squinting against the blinding pain in my head blurring my vision. They grappled together too closely to get a shot, but I saw a clear path to the passage Vega had taken and decided on taking the opportunity, trusting Zed to handle it without my help. Dashing forward in an electric flicker, the damn Courser still followed my course and I heard disgusting sounding pops and snaps as its limbs bent back into shape, locking around Zed's barrel and rearing back to slam him to the floor headfirst with a sickly sounding crunch.

Zed was still moving... his muzzle broken and grey eyes dazed, but he was struggling up when I glanced that way. The Courser using its single wing to dive after me was the bigger worry, accurately predicting my path and aiming to intercept. I fired Kellog's old revolver at it on the fly, the .45 AP rounds drilling into it, but not stopping its momentum. The fucker was going to delay me from chasing after Glitter...

Mid-dive, the Courser was surprised when it was enveloped in a cloud of freezing white mist by a screeching griffon zooming down on it from above. Freya kept pouring it on and didn't let him get away, smashing it to the ground with frozen chunks of flesh falling away from its metal bones and pressing her 12mm pistol right in the thing's eye, pulling the trigger repeatedly with a sneer. "Now we're even shorty!"

Before I could do more than gape in gratitude, the Courser got its whining hindlegs under her and bucked, throwing her off and trying to get up again with grinding, staticky noises of shorting circuits and broken limbs. It never got the chance though, Val was right behind her old partner, diving from above and giving a slap of claws as she passed the snowy griffon flapping out of the way, tagging in...

'Be Awesome!'

The two old partners worked together flawlessly, Freya's cryo weapon had slowed the Courser, Val followed up by pinning it down completely. Her flaming Shishkebab lanced down and speared right through the Courser's chest, melting through its innards and the stone floor beneath. She was bloodied and shaking, but stood on her hindlegs and bore down with both claws gripping the sword, pressing all her weight down and grinding the white hot blade around in the synth's chest.

"How ya like that fucker!? Fire n' Frost baby! Lil' bit of freezer burn for ya! We got this boss!" Val gave a tired grin as her paws pinned the Courser's flailing forelegs and she kept waggling her sword in its guts, waving me on weakly.

Jade surprised me by streaking down and landing on the Courser's ruined head, tapdancing on it with stomping hooves and her eyes glowing a blazing blue, a look of absolute fury on her perfect features. She reared back and kept smashing it, driving a crater into the rocky floor before both it and she stopped. I'd told her what Coursers were, that they were essentially fancy robots as far as I knew, but I was still surprised to see her being violent period, let alone against something that did have a pony's shape.

When she finally stopped, I paused in worry at her panting down at the puddle of goop the Courser melted away into, staggering back and shaking her head. Her eyes changed from the dragon slitted rage to the soft, round pools that looked up to me in pain, but she fluttered her wings and flicked the goo from her hooves, turning to me with a determined nod. "Glitter... w-we must... we must save Glitter..."

'Be Kind...'

The warm, steadfast looks I saw from everyone behind her strengthened the song of the Ministry Mares one by one, letting me fight back long enough to give an exhausted nod back and take in the damage. Everyone was hurt... potions and magical bandages were being hastily dug out and passed around in the silence of the high cavern. Swan had two milky eyes in her scowling face again, steadily shrinking as she burned through the radiation to heal enough to stamp a hoof impatiently. She lowered her head to let Witchy slide off, the poor thestral opening her leathery wings showing several scorched holes through the membranes, but managing to stand firmly and trudge to her Princess' side. My friends each limped close, all of them ready to face whatever other surprises Vega had lined up as part of his 'show' and get Glitter back.

Beyond them was Fancy, hugging her still dazed and pale buck with furious tears in her green eyes staring back. Neighson's colors still didn't look right and he wasn't responding to her worried nuzzles, gurgling weakly as Fancy spoke up with venomous hatred dripping from her honeyed voice. "Let's go get the asshole stupid... He's gonna pay for doing this to poor snookieukums..."

'Be Dark...'

"R-Right... Let's go."

ZZZZAP!

I lurched off the crystalline platform I dizzily found myself on with the Terrible Shotgun floating ahead of me, snapping back and forth as I took in where I landed. The short passageways we'd followed in Vega's lair had led to one of the Institute's teleporter pads, still waiting and crackling with magic and a destination locked in. Vega wanted us to follow...

Even knowing that, I didn't care, it didn't matter... nothing mattered but Glitter. I'd follow the bastard into Tartarus if I had to for her, him knowing and expecting it was irrelevant. At least where I wound up wasn't that bad anyway. It took a minute to place the richly appointed office as I crept out from the open bookshelf hiding the secret teleporter, though the glance out the full length windows beyond the red curtains to one side helped.

Diamond City was laid out below that view, brightly lit under the patchy stadium lights ringing the marketplace I found myself looking down at. The Sparkle Cola shaped food stand at the heart of it all was unmistakeable. Even this late, ponies trotted about the marketplace busily. Pegasi flitted about the bundle of cloud buildings hovering overhead. The streamers and flowers decorating every avenue were different, but otherwise the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth was unchanged.

Another zap behind me drew my attention away from the terminal on Vega's desk blinking with a pixelated image of a sun in some form of lockout, not that I cared to take the time to crack his office terminal in D.C. Jade appeared on the teleporter pad and looked around anxiously, trotting up to my side to make way for the others following one by one. She bit her lip and shifted on her hooves impatiently as I stalked out into Vega's less insane looking D.C. office, worriedly following as I made my way to the door on finding nopony here.

Poking my head out, I saw the gloomy hallways of the upper decks, but no traps or waiting danger yet. I was still a wanted murderer here, not that that was going to stop me... it just made things more complicated. The D.C. guards were just doing their job, they didn't deserve to die trying to do so...

'WANT! KILL! NOW!'

Nnngh... I shook my head and snorted as I heard Val squawk as she appeared with another zap and prowled out with her pistol drawn. Instantly at my side while I fought with the howling voice of 'Be Dark...'. The Shroud was going to kill anything in its way if I let it... Lowering my head and focusing on my breathing for a moment as the teleporter zapped again, I struggled to hold on, staring at the floor and watching my shadow ripple beneath me.

Focus... Stay in control. Don't lose it now, Glitter's counting on me... us... We have to work together dammit, otherwise he's going to win whatever sick game he's playing. He wants to piss us off... don't play into his hooves. This time, his stupid little show is NOT going to go his way...

"F-Fast...? Are you..." Jade's trembling voice in my ear made me look up with a start, waving off her concern with a forced reassuring look.

"Fine... I'm fine... Focus on healing the others Jade. And... please, s-stay out of the way..."

I didn't like her crestfallen expression, but she didn't try to hold me back, nodding weakly as I prowled out on hearing Swan snort and stamp her way out behind Zed and Witchy. She could see better at least, focusing on us at the door with a growl. "Let's go find the little rat and smash him... now...."

I had to scratch my itchy mane at her dragon eyed growl making my wings twitch, ill timed or not, the sympathetic growl of the Shroud loved Swan when she got all smashy... wanted to revel in destruction with her and then... NO! FOCUS DAMMIT! Slapping myself at the last pair of zaps from the teleporter, I checked over my weapons and drank down one of Jade's green tinted healing potions as Fancy, Freya and Neighson piled out of the secret room in Svengallop's office.

"I don't know where he went, but we can bet it's going to be somewhere showy and public... The crazy bastard is a showpony, he wants to put on some insane bit of theater for everycreature here. Try not to kill the guards here, but if anything gets in the way... I can't make any guarantees Jade...

"T-Try your best dear... I... I understand. Allow me to attempt for peace, you focus on what must be done to save our daughter. N-No matter what is required..." Jade sniffled and rose her head, laying a comforting wing on my shaking back before I darted off into the halls.

To my surprise, Zed charged out and kept pace with me, nudging me down to the right with his head down to the floor and his nostrils flared in long sniffs. "He went this way... now that I've been in its presence, I won't lose this trail of dark magic Fast. Hurry... I do not think he can escape using his technological tricks, but am unsure."

Puffing breath as I ran with him, I strained to think straight and ask a breathless question as we went, anything to keep my focus and sanity. "What makes you think so? Why'd he have that mirror thing anyway Zed, is that what you've been freaking out about? What is it really?"

"Now is hardly the time..." Zed huffed back, but stopped when he got a look at my bloodshot eyes. From the weird flexing sensation and Zed's expression drying up, I imagined they were shifting back and forth from slitted to normal, glowing to dark, pleading and slightly mad. It was enough for him to humor me anyway, sighing sadly as he turned his grey gaze forward and grunted. "Yura's Mirror... A fragment of it at least, an artifact my ancestor made using the Black Book ages ago. A tool of necromancy, imbued with several spells concerning souls... Showing their true image in its reflection, capturing them, copying them, tearing them away and dividing them. You see why my duty to collect such artifacts and lock them away is so important to me now?"

"Yeah... that... what Vega did with that thing, to his own son, his sons! And that noise..."

"He's weak right now however, the ritual causes instability until he assimilates his stolen fragment, and the tether is still where it belongs with his son, not his prepared soul jar. I can see the enslaved spirits swirling around his false body, they migrated there when he switched over from that mechanical monster. I did not see or sense such when he possessed the young Minutemare back in the Ministry of Peace hub however. I do not understand how they do such things, but am hopeful destroying his current form will end him. Do you think he can slip away?" Zed spoke in a quick, clipped voice, explaining things he'd kept to himself rapidly and looking over with a curious tilt to his head.

I could tell he was trying to help, posing a question about arcane technology to me to keep me calm and occupied as we ran on, shoving past surprised servants working here in the halls of Diamond City's nobility. Working the problem did make me feel steadier somehow, giving it consideration and shaking my head.

"Dala... Klein... I've never seen any of them bounce from one synth to the next. If I understand the way they're networked, their real bodies are like a hub, administrator access to all the synths on the network. When you destroyed his brain, Vega freaked out... I don't think he can get away either."

"Ya mean when we blow the fucker's brains out and he turns ta goop, he's gone, right? Like gone-gone? Good! Let's nail the creepy bastard boss! Then we get the kiddo and we're home free! It'll be cake!" Val put on her forced cheeriness she'd always worn like a mask when we met, bumping flanks with me with worry poorly hidden in her violet gaze.

Still following Zed's lead, I nodded and faced front again when tears trying to blur my vision. She was trying to help too, pushing her own hurt and fear aside I could see as she glanced down to the black lightning flickering around me. A mare in a frilly black and white maid's outfit came out from one of the side doors blurring by ahead of us and screamed when she saw me coming, so I could only guess even their help wasn't doing much for how bad I looked.

She reminded me of the mare who had led Val and I to Haycom Svengallop's office here before, refreshing my memory and helping to dredge up the night Jade got her cutie mark and I was framed for the liar's murder... If we were where we thought we were, then the large, open chamber the D.C. Nobles had thrown their pretentious banquet should be just ahead. The hall should come out on a balcony overlooking the great room that acted as a lobby for the upper stands with its elevator to the field below, most likely where Vega was going. He had a stage set up down there, the crazy talent manager probably couldn't help but want to use it.

"Fast, Stop!" Witchy's panicked voice squeaked out behind me, fluttering on her blurring wings to catch up tackle me as we burst out into the open chamber.

The limited view I got of her fearful face showed her tufted ears perking madly, picking up the clicks of weapons being cocked well ahead of me as we tumbled forward and she shoved me down behind the polished wood paneled railings. I was glad Val and Zed both were quick to bounce back from the open doorway behind us, as the air filled with lead and magic the second our snouts came out. Witchy covered me with her heavily armored form as the barrage kept going, wood splintering and whining shots pinging off her Lunar Guard armor as she pressed my struggles down with her eyes clenched shut.

Warily peeking out of some of the rather large bullet holes when it finally tapered off and she let me go, I got a look at the ambush waiting on us she had heard before it was too late and saved me from recklessly charging into. A full compliment of D.C. guards in their strange uniforms and armor of old sporting equipment was down there, along with a lot of Gunners grinning eagerly at the violence. Behind them all was the military leader of Diamond City, still dressed in his pressed Equestrian Army uniform and combat armor, holding a gleaming .45 automatic in his muzzle.

Next to him was Vega, cackling crazily and pointing a jittery hoof up, bouncing Glitter on his back as he hopped and screeched. "Fire! Fire! Fire! Kill him! The murderer's after this poor filly I rescued from his clutches Stone! Kill him!"

More shots rang out in response to his gleeful lies, cut off when the booming shout of General Stone overrode the fake Neighson. "Belay that! Cease fire dammit! Fast Times, you are wanted for murder, surrender yourself peacefully!"

'KILL! ALL! KILL! NOW! KILL! LIAR! KILL!'

Arrgh!! I held my head in my hooves and swayed under the wave of pain in my head and undeniable bloodlust. Please, don't! I spotted the Diamond City guards we'd saved in Bitway Games down there among all the others, I didn't want to kill the nice mare who'd... who'd taken a message to Stone for me...

"NNGH!! O-OUT OF MY WAY STONE! No! Dammit! I-I wrote you.. warned you... that's not Neighson Svengallop! The Institute... they... yOu'rrRe ALL gOing to DIE... NO! He's... y-you're... Please!"

"General Stone! I am coming out to speak with you! I trust I may do so without fear of being gunned down?" Jade spoke up bravely as I cringed and bashed my head against the stone floor, barely waiting for a gruff affirmative before striding out to Witchy and I before I could stop her. She was scared, but held her head high and stood at the balcony overlooking all those guns, healing her loyal guard who leapt up to her side despite the bloody wounds to the flank she'd taken protecting me. Jade spoke regally to the skeptical earth pony in charge in a ringing voice. "My husband tells me he sent you a message sureptitiously? I assume you received it and know its import. It is the truth. That... thing... beside you is not Neighson Svengallop, it is a monster that has foalnapped my daughter. WHO I WILL HAVE BACK..."

Staggering back up to peek over the shredded railing down at the room and try to help Witchy cover her, I could see all the poor guards of Diamond City give a collective gulp at Jade's goddess voice echoing in the open chamber of fancy tiles and velvet curtains. The Gunners looked unmoved and still eager to shoot the Princess standing proudly before them, but were part of the show and under orders apparently. Vega wanted a fight between me and the defenders of Diamond City, wanted me to kill them all... NO! Just stop and trust Jade, believe in her!

Still wincing at the furious grumble muttering '...Princess... Obey...' in my head, my heart was pounding as I focused on little Glitter down there. She was still asleep... was she drugged? What had Vega done to her!? Did he just not want to deal with her struggles? Was she ok?

Stone finally broke the silence, fishing the scrap of paper I'd sent him from his jacket pocket and raising a neatly trimmed greying eyebrow at Jade. "I did receive such a communique. I do remember this is your daughter as well Princess, not some random filly to be saved Mr. Svengallop... We will sort this out in the D.C. jails, both of you. Charges of being a synth carries a heavy penalty around here, if you can prove your case, of course your husband will not be harmed."

"OH I CAN PROVE IT MOTHERFUCKER!" Fancy screeched and shoved her way right by Jade, scowling down with Freya carrying the real Neighson before her like a sack of apples as her employer played to the gasping crowd. "This is my smoopiepie! Not that lying bastard! You wanna shoot somepony, shoot that thing!"

Instantly half the guns in the room swung towards Vega, then the half wielded by the Gunners shifted their aim to the D.C. guards in response, resulting in a tense standoff with my daughter still in the middle of it. Stone somehow still looked calm and collected, turning mildly to Vega fuming behind him and approaching slowly as he spoke. "Neighson Sven... Whatever you are. Surrender immediately and release the filly. All of our Gunner 'guests'... lower your weapons and stand aside, this is my jurisdiction and your assistance is no longer required."

I crept out in the expectant silence, standing at the curved stairway down and flaring my wings with a burning glare locked on Vega's face turning red with rage. The whine of the Last Minute taking aim at his head made him snap and dive for the doorway out to the rest of the upper decks curving away towards the outfield, shouting insanely as he galloped off. "Fuck you! You're not beating me!! FIRE!"

The Gunners were loyal to the Institute and Vega, opening up with a cacophonous hail of weaponry on the guards who thought them on the same side. Jade's shield bloomed to life around her and Fancy cringing back with Neighson in her hooves, while Val, Swan, Zed and Witchy all leapt into action. As soon as I saw him escaping again however, I let another chain holding the Shroud back snap and dove forward with a bloodcurdling howl that even got the attention of the hardened Gunners.

Of course they recovered quickly and took it as a reminder of who their priority was, two griffons swooped up to cut me off, one of which had a 2mm rainboom speed slug blow through his heart. The second wasn't as lucky... My horn glowed with inky black magic and a curved arc of shadows blasted out, bisecting the Gunner completely, the two halves falling with a wet splat when I simply dove right through, bathing in its blood and licking my chops as I made for the windows.

Blasting the wall of glass with the Terrible Shotgun, I smashed my way out through the rain of shards and flew out into the open air, banking to follow the curved wall of glass of the upper stands I could see Vega galloping through. Keeping pace with the bastard wasn't difficult with as fast and gracefully as I found myself flying, but I couldn't risk shooting him while he held Glitter.

I could see my reflection in the glass, superimposed above Vega's crazed face sneering back. No wonder the maid screamed... The glowing, dragonish dots of my eyes were burning, my face was nearly as crazed as Vega's, fangs bared in a foam flecked grimace and shadows swirling around me along with the black lightning. I was losing it.... I knew it, but that small, rational worry was pushed aside. Glitter... Get Glitter away from him, then... then nothing else mattered.

If I could see her, I could make a grab for her. My horn lit with a rippling, dark blue light, even the field of telekinesis that surrounded the sleeping filly was corrupted and dark, but it still worked right at least. My moment of relief as I saw her prone form lift gently from Vega's back ended when his own horn fought my grip, the pinkish glow of his magic playing tug of war and keeping her down.

I could overpower him though... I didn't want to hurt Glitter by being too rough, but I could feel the incredible amount of magical power I had at my disposal. Blowing Vega's grip aside was foal's play, I just had to concentrate and... Before I could do so, I was smashed out of the air by a screeching bundle of feathers and claws raking at me, another Gunner protecting one of their employers. Dammit!! I was so close!

Falling in a tangle with the viciously clawing bastard, I winced at its talons tearing into my armored trenchcoat and ripping into my side. The brown and grey griffon merc had abandoned caution to pull me away from Vega, relying on his predatory advantages over ponies to try to overpower me. While I didn't have his claws or sharp beak snapping at my face, I did have fangs and a disturbing hunger I'd been trying to hold back.

No reason to anymore though, lightning crackled around the griffon squawking in surprise and pain as I wrapped my forelegs around his barrel so it couldn't escape. When he tried pulling his head back in reflex, I snapped out and felt his windpipe in my mouth for an instant, then I crushed it...

His grip in my guts fell away weakly and I snarled as I kicked off his falling corpse gurgling down to the Diamond City marketplace below, drawing attention from the crowd who'd noticed the commotion. Before I'd taken another unsteady flap up and sought out Vega again, a hard impact of a .308 round to my back made me stumble in the air, roaring in anger and pain at the griffon who'd fired the smoking hunting rifle above.

Diamond City was infested with fucking Gunners... They were swooping up from military style tents set up in the empty outfield stands, their pony troops firing up frantically as the griffons led the charge and swarmed. I didn't have time for this shit... I swore as I took aim at the leader of the closest group who'd just shot me, then blanched when a purple flash appeared between the three griffons and a familiar purple alicorn started firing beams of magic from her long horn. Magnolia...?

Her long reddish violet mane was rippling like a torch as she blasted one griffon from the air, slamming him into a second with a buck that sent them both falling. The third with the hunting rifle was quick though, snapping his aim back before she got her shield up. A shout from below saved her with a glowing blast of plasma nailing the griffon before he took the shot. Miles soared up to save his fiance and help, the lanky pegasus shaking in the air and paling as the griffon melted from the S.A.T.S. assisted shot from the pip-buck I'd given him.

I wondered if Miles had ever killed anycreature before... He clearly wasn't a fighter and was jittering with adrenaline as he and Magnolia gave a shaky wave and zipped off before more Gunners came after them, the DJ's voice cracking like it used to on the radio as he shouted over the gunfire filling the skies. "Go Fast! We've got your back! W-Whatever this is!?"

By how sweaty and disheveled he and his special somepony were, I wondered what exactly we'd interrupted them doing in his wingstream trailer with the blinking radio tower down below. Magnolia wasn't exactly supposed to be in Diamond City and it was late... My nostrils flared and mane itched as the greedy mutter of 'Be Dark...' kept ranting and pushing for more. First I'd kill Vega and every fucking Gunner here, burn down all of D.C. if that's what it took... then I'd claim every filly like her on a mountain of their corpses...

'WANT! MORE! KILL! BLOOD! MINE!'

SHUT UP! Clenching my eyes shut in pain and trying to focus again, I wavered in the air from my streaking course over the marketplace, saving me from the stream of magical energy weapons fire from above as more griffons and a few pegasi targeted me. They were on my tail before I could recover and I still hadn't found where Vega disappeared to, looping past the windows shattering behind me from the close shots chasing behind me.

A stairwell blurred past as I pulled away, diving to the jumbled mess of wires and poles supplying power to the marketplace that were strung with streamers and flowers for Vega's stupid wedding. Ponies were running and shouting below the tattered tarps and junkyard roofs racing beneath my hooves, trying to get out of the way of the Gunners' indiscriminate fire. I was nimbly diving between all the obstacles that were slowing them down, but innocent people were going to get hurt.

'...DON'T CARE... WANT!... MINE!...'

Nngh! I CARE DAMMIT! Sorta.... just try! Try to be a hero! Like you used to be! Glitter first, but we can't...

Fighting with the Shroud again slowed me down, but through one throbbing eye I kept open this time, I saw a gaggle of foals ahead and that seemed to sink in. Glitter's little friends from school... Foals... The Shroud couldn't hurt foals, Luna had commanded him to protect them in one of Glitter's bedtime stories, and her orders still seemed to hold some weight.

With a petulant growl, I looped back around the leaning tower of the Sparkle Cola bottle shaped eatery I was just passing, my darkly flickering magic reaching out to every wire, streamer and bit of junk nearby as my pursuers banked to follow. I barely felt the rapid fire peppering me as they gained, focusing on the web of junk in my telekinetic grip and sending it all slittering at them, tying them up and dragging them down.

A vicious grin spread on my muzzle when the tangled Gunners were obliterated by a string of purple arrows from Swan blasting by. She wasn't much larger than Jade at this point, but she was in top form again and wreaking havoc among the swarm of Gunners chasing the bright violet ball of her shield plowing through them. Between her and her sister Magnolia, the air was filled with sudden zaps of bright purple magic as they teleported around, impossible to pin down or stop.

I regained enough control watching the battle crazed filly helping me out of love instead of pure rage I could feel pounding in my temples, I managed to think constructively and started flicking through menus on my pip-buck as I darted off. Locator tags... all I had to do was pull up Glitter's and I'd have a marker in my vision to find her, wherever Vega hid. It was difficult to focus however, my vision blurred and I felt cold... blood loss... how much damage had I even taken? It was flowing from the deep claw wounds in my guts and numerous bullet holes, pattering down from my limply hanging hooves as I lost altitude.

I was too numb to really notice, the only thing that was important was my daughter, but I had to live long enough to find her. I fumbled for a healing potion as I flew on, woozily noticing the Gunners weren't able to get close to the floating buildings above the field, the pegasi residents were firing multicolored beams of magic at any of them that got close. My eyes and ears focused enough to make out Twin Jets standing on the fluffy edge of the largest island, shouting and blazing away with a multi-gem shotgun and her hooves glowing with cloud-walking magic. The Gunners had made a serious mistake killing Burny, almost every pegasus in the Commonwealth would never forgive them... launching themselves into a battle for revenge that was spreading all throughout Diamond City.

I nearly made it to the cover they offered, popping the cork from the crystalline bottle of green tinted healing potion and floating it to my lips. Assault rifle fire stitched up my back and crippled my right wing before I could though, sending me crashing down to the muddy marketplace and smashing into one of the stands headfirst.

That didn't help the incredible headache I already had... I groaned and tried to get to my hooves, flopping down as they trembled and gave out under me. No... Come on, keep going... They were already chasing, a hail of bullets tearing up the packed earth and tracing their way towards where I feebly struggled.

A bright blue shield blazed to life overhead before they found me. Jade was standing protectively over me with Witchy at her side, her eyes glowing brightly along with her horn holding back the attack. Woozily looking up, I suddenly found a bottle pressed to my muzzle forcefully by another mare in a labcoat, this one light yellow with a frazzled brown mane. Doctor Cotton Swab... The D.C. doctor at the surgery center.

She shoved my head back and forced me to gulp down the brightly glowing super healing potion with a worried nicker, digging in her doctor's bag on the ground before her as we both sheltered beneath Jade's shield. "Y-You're a terrible patient Mr. Times! You're lucky I decided to join your wife's Followers! Now hold still, this may pinch..."

I couldn't help yelping as she jabbed my flank with a large syringe of Hydra, though I was glad it didn't burn when the dangerous drug hit my bloodstream this time. Being an alicorn had its benefits, the flux made medicine was soothing as it bent my wing back into shape. Even better was the vial of Med-X she followed it up with, easing the wall of pain the Shroud had been keeping back.

Getting back up on shaking legs and flexing my wing, my head snapped up to Jade grunting as a powerful explosion went off overhead, cracking her shield under the blast from a big griffon in power armor with a missile launcher. Dr. Swab pranced back when I snarled and turned to the threat with shadows rippling around me again, giving a low growl to the threat that had attacked MY Princess...

Before I had a chance to dash out and kill it, the armored griffon jittered in the air under a blast of lightning magic that crackled and spun around it. The source was a pale mare in flowing blue robes speckled with stars and a bright orange mane falling from under her pointy hat, grinning cheerily at me despite the chaos as the griffon crashed to the ground with its spell matrix shut down.

Corona... my magic teacher... she'd come out to help too, yelping as she dove back and sent more spells up to the night sky. "You're not the only one good with a bit of lightning magic my little student! Though I see you've improved! Get going!"

Right... Feeling the warm glow from so many friends and allies standing up for us, even here in the great green jewel where we'd been framed and exiled, I managed to steady myself and brought up Glitter's tag, turning to the blinking arrow in my vision and nodding that way to Jade giving me a worried look.

"I... I know where she is! This way! He's not getting away, we're getting her back! I promise!"

"Y-Yes... we shall, I believe in you dear. Let us retrieve our daughter, together." Jade gave a firm nod and galloped out at my side, dashing down the winding paths through the cluttered marketplace and towards the arrow in my view leading the way.

Val swooped overhead to cover us, squawking as her grenade machinegun kept thumping small grenades out that blew attackers out of the sky. Any who survived were taken down by her dual 12mm pistols in her claws, the one with the ebonwood grip belonging to her ancestor, my Auntie Broom... somehow even she was with us in all this madness, an echo of her bawdy voice ringing in my ears with Val's trying to reassure me. "I see the fucker boss! Up on the dumb stage! We got 'im! The kiddo's ok!"

"We shall rescue thine daughter, fear not Princess! Even if I must lay down my life!" Witchy squeaked as she flew overhead with Val, both guards doing their duty to the two of us charging forward to the outfield and the fields of crops grown out in the open space.

Zed appeared from the shadows of one of the warren of alleyways in the direction of Nick Hearts n' Hooves' office, galloping along close to my flank with a stern expresion. "We will put an end to this, without you losing what thin semblence of control you still have Fast... You must not let it out..."

"Shut up silly zebra! I like Fast like this, I'm mad too! We're gonna get niece Glitter and smash that stupid fake pony, and all his annoying Gunners, and anybody else that gets in the way! Like that! Whatever that is..." Swan swooped in as we crossed the fields, snorting angrily as she pointed to Vega waiting on the flower festooned wedding stage up ahead with Glitter, then blaching as her still cloudy blue-violet eyes looked up.

As I looked to follow her pointing hoof, I noticed something was off... The deep darkness of the night of the new moon was lightening somehow... The eastern skies behind the giant scoreboard above Vega's stage decorated for his stupid wedding was taking on tinges of sunrise, but that wasn't possible! A quick check of my pip-buck as we ran on confirmed that much, Vega's ritual had taken place at midnight, not even an hour had passed since then, but the blinding light of the rising sun coming over the battered outfield was unmistakeable.

The dark speck framed by the brilliant light was as familiar as the booming Canterlot voice that stilled all the fighting with just one stern command echoing over the stadium too. "THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH! CEASE THIS FOALISH FIGHTING AT ONCE!"

I knew that voice... echoing in my memory with a severe spike of pain that made me stagger to a halt before the stage and gape. The Shroud knew it too it seemed, a fluttery feeling of panic and a fresh wave of furious anger clawed at my skull with its snarling words. 'BETRAYER! HARLOT! JAILOR! FOUL WENCH! REVENGE!'

I'd last seen the kind face drifting down on pale wings overhead on tv as a foal, or frowning down in one of the Shroud's memories when she'd imprisoned it 1200 years ago... Princess Celestia...

Everycreature in Diamond City froze and turned to the sight of the Princess of the day gliding down on a beam of sunlight cresting the scoreboard, a living goddess daintily landing on the center of the stage with Vega gleefully prancing in place. Staring up at that waving rainbow colors of her immaculate mane and tail drifting lazily around her, my rational mind tried to make sense of what I was seeing and offered up a cold calculation.

The samples in the Ministry of Peace... The ones in the fancy cabinet... The ones of the Princesses. They'd done it... the Institute actually did it, they made a synth of Princess Celestia... They'd copied a goddess and played their hoof, this was Vega's big spectacle. I'd expected him to put his fake Fancy up as a Princess, but this was his trump card.

Squinting through eyes blurred by pain and the throbbing rage trying to get out, I turned to the shuffle of movement all around us as ponies started kneeling in awed whispers. Some were skeptical and stayed up, but the fighting had stopped completely and crowds were gathering. An audience for Vega's insane little play...

"My, my, my... My poor little ponies, such violence. I simply had to intervene. You have been the victims of so much strife and hardship and I'm afraid it's my fault, but I have returned to make up for it, to set things right... I am sure you have many questions, so please lend me your ears and allow me to explain." Celestia's sweet voice rang out without booming in her royal Canterlot voice again, drawing everycreature in as she smiled and fluttered her wide wings.

"HA! That's right! This is a real Princess, all you stupid fools listen up and..." Vega giggled and stamped his hooves in sheer ecstacy at our dumbfounded faces, though even his took on a note of surprise when the synth Celestia gave him a withering look.

"Silence... You have done enough Svengallop. I've not forgotten how you sullied a memorial for the brave buck who saved my life once. Be quiet." Celestia shut Vega down with a huff, his face screwed up in rage and turning red as she softly continued. "As many of you may have guessed, this pony, indeed I myself, are connected to the mythical Institute you all fear. A group of misunderstood ponies who've hidden away and tried to bring about a new dawn to Equestria. Given the state of the surface lo these many years, I'm sure you can understand their need to remain secret. Unfortunately, their interactions with you poor dears suffering on the surface have been handled by the corrupt pony wearing the guise of Neighson Svengallop now. I'm afraid the terrible reputation the brave group of arcane scientists and loyal Equestrians I myself owe my life to has been earned solely through this evil creature."

This was clearly not going according to Vega's script... He raged and fumed in response, clutching Glitter before him like a shield. Her eyes were blearily open, but she seemed dazed and unresponsive to my pleading look as he shouted. "What the fuck is this!?! Y-You! You stupid bitch! You're supposed to... you're mine! You do what I say!"

"NO, I DO NOT." Celestia's voice boomed and flattened Vega's ears as he gaped back, something dark flashing in her lavender eyes as she turned back and it disappeared again, the rising sun behind her bringing full daylight to the Commonwealth thanks to the mellow golden glow of her horn, impossible as it was. "As I was saying... When I learned of Mr. Svengallop's betrayal, I knew I must act, despite the concerns of the brave Institute scientists who only recently were able to give me freedom of movement again."

"I am sure many of you have read the tale of the great hero, the Lightbringer? You know I have been trapped these centuries and forced to watch you all suffer. It has saddened me greatly and I was immensely grateful when the Institute you have all feared freed me, created a new body that I may retake my throne I never should have abdicated. Know that the mercenaries known as the Gunners are under my command now, dedicated to reforming their ways and helping us usher in a new age to the rest of Equestria." At an absent sweep of her golden shod hoof, the remaining Gunners perched and galloped up nearby, giving stiff salutes to the Princess she smiled to receive.

Finally she turned to Jade, getting a sad, misty eyed expression with a soft smile, continuing with a convincing sniffle. "While my sister was lost beyond recovery, I was heartened to sense the presense of another Princess struggling to do the good works that must be done in her place. Princess Jade, it is an honor to meet you, I hope to see you as a sister that can take up dear Luna's mantle and return Equestria to its former glory with me, restoring the diarchy and balance we so foolishly abandoned. I see you even have your own little knight wearing the shroud of her own, how delightful. I'm proud of all you've done and look forward to working with you to better the wasteland for all creatures. What has brought you to such violence here?"

Jade was as flabbergasted as I was, reticently stepping forward with me staggering behind her to the stage. 'Be Dark...' was howling, straining to get loose and go after the 'BETRAYER', no... the synth, the synth in Celestia's form. Calm down!

My wife was able to recover while I wasn't at least, giving a wary look to the beaming synth and stammering meekly. "A-As you say... Svengallop... he... h-he has done awful things... he has my daughter. Yes, yes! He has my daughter and I want her back! NOW!"

Jade stood straighter and prouder as she got her hooves under her, focusing on the only thing that mattered in all this insanity and flaring her wings, puffing her chest up in the face of the taller Celestia raising an eyebrow at her and turning to the still fuming Vega. "Is this so? I am... Very. Disappointed..."

'LET ME OUT! OUT! OUT! KILL! BETRAYER! DECEIVER! WANT! REVENGE!'

Shut up! If playing along with this craziness gets her back, I don't care. I bit my tongue and snorted as I joined Jade, glaring at Vega jabbering in shock and giving a low growl. "Give her bAcK.. nOw.."

Vega looked as lost as I was, but got a crafty grin and shouted out to the crowd, speaking to somepony I was just as sure as he was had to be out there somewhere, watching... "Klein! You bastard! This is my show! You can't... I'm not going to be upstaged by some runt or this thing! I'm not done! Just you watch! You want her back so bad brat!? Your precious daughter? Sure! Take her..."

At that, Vega gave me a knowing wink and tittered in a whisper, leaning down to Glitter's drooping ear and grinning that crazed smile the whole while as he swatted her flank and sent her trudging forward. "Project Small Wonder, access code SW4023-4328 Alpha... Would you kindly walk a few steps forward to your father..."

My heart dropped and my blood ran cold when Glitter blinked slowly and stood up, numbly taking a step forward. As ordered...

'...NO...'

No, no, no, no... It couldn't be... s-she couldn't... c-couldn't be... this wasn't happening... I felt dizzy and that awful cracking sensation in my head came again, my ears and wings drooping as I barely registered Jade's teary gasp behind me. Glitter was still taking slow steps forward, her eyes far away and lost as Vega cackled and gloated.

"Surprised!? So was I! I knew you stank of Mobius! Crazy old bastard never gave up on this little project it seems! I don't know why he stuck her with you, but his original research was still in the archives! Including the backdoor access codes in the base programming! Your precious 'daughter' you've fought so hard to reach is nothing but one of his little dolls! Though I must admit, he's gotten better at making them, hasn't he!?" Vega snorted and laughed openly in glee, ignoring the glower of the fake Celestia nearby as Glitter took another few shaky steps forward and halted, staring blankly ahead.

"G-Glitter... please... please sweetie, no..."

I croaked out miserably as it all crashed down on me, Vega's words just adding to that cracking in my head. It felt like one long, spidery crack spreading down a quivering pane of glass holding back an infinite void of blackness, slowly reaching the point where the whole thing would just shatter. Mobius... Grandpa... he did this too...

"Mr. Svengallop... that is quite enough. I demand you put a stop to this and..." The synth Celestia narrowed her eyes and huffed, but was interrupted by Vega throwing a full blown fit.

"Shut up bitch! This is the best part! The big reveal! The look on your stupid fucking face is priceless! How about it Klein!? How's this for pushing him!? You wanted to see? Here you go! The great big hero of the Commonwealth all you idiots look up to, he's going to be killed by a little bitty filly!! Or he'll kill her in front of all of you, proving what kind of monster he really is!! Either way, I WIN!!! Glitter dear, would you kindly... I don't know, shoot your father for me?" Vega was practically rolling in laughter now, giggling madly as he ordered Glitter around and she obeyed.

She fished the boxy M.E.W. Righteous Authority from her little backpack and held it in her muzzle, turning back to face me and firing a shot that scorched my hoof as I gaped and that cracking got worse. Shadows were swirling around me in a maelstrom now, matching the darkening clouds overhead that were dimming the impossible sunshine slowly nearing the moon still in its proper place.

I could feel the chains snapping in my mind, the song of the Ministry Mares breaking apart as I watched the little filly take another step and fire again, another painful shot torching my chest as I stood there dumbly. All this time... I saved her... I adopted her... I loved her... and she was... just another trick of my Grandfathers...? A spy to watch me!? A LIE!? A DECIEVER! A BETRAYER!!!

I heard Zed give a worried grunt behind me, charging forward only to be knocked aside by a tendril of the shadows swirling at my hooves when he leapt forward with a frantic shout. Jade! Valkyrie! Anyone, stop him! Quickly!!"

The patchy clouds overhead were swirling and flashing with lightning as I grit my teeth and clenched my burning eyes shut at another shot winging me. One half of the heavens consumed with the dark pall they cast, while the other was lit by the sunshine only Celestia could summon like this, the moon hanging overhead in the middle growing darker as the sun touched its edge and started slipping behind it. The red rage in my head was spilling out, murderous fury directed down to the little filly taking another faltering step forward.

NO! You won't hurt her! I don't care what she is! I WON'T HURT HER!!!

The last bits of myself that were hanging on forced the Shroud back, trembling on the spot as much as Glitter now standing within hoofs reach. She was crying... Tears ran down her blank face staring back at me, she was in there dammit... she was real! The magical energy weapon in her muzzle was shaking as she looked up and aimed at my head.

Vega was getting annoyed at the delay, I wouldn't hurt her and she hadn't seriously hurt me yet, despite his orders he repeated in a furious shout. "KILL HIM! Do it you stupid doll! OBEY!"

"Nnn... I... w-won't..." Glitter's shaky voice replied in a low whisper, her brow furrowed and her ears pinned back as if she was in a great deal of pain. When her pink eyes opened again, they sparkled with the little filly I knew and loved, a look of miserable shame mixed with unwavering love.

"SHUT UP!!!"

I screamed and my star metal knife shot out, guided by the Shroud while I kept my eyes trained on Glitter. I didn't even get to enjoy watching the glimmering blade taking his head off. Standing at the center of a growing cyclone of howling wind that whipped Glitter's silvery mane and made Celestia's long tresses a flowing torch that actually seemed to flicker with flames.

"I... won't... I won't! I WON'T! I... LOVE... DADDY!!!" Glitter screamed and spit out her boxy pistol, shaking on the spot as if in a seizure and yelling louder and louder. "LOVE! DADDY! LOVE! DADDY! I LOVE DADDY!"

In the midst of this fit that broke what remained of my heart to watch, a slowly growing swirl of magic was surrounding her. It was white and pure, sparkling in the dark and lifting her slowly from her hooves. Glitter hovered up, her pink dress fluttering around her, showing the blinding light centered on her flank as she spasmed and flailed. It built to a crescendo that pushed back the shadows, bathing the entire outfield of Diamond City in its brilliance as an image formed there.

Glitter gained her mark... I briefly saw it, a bright torch of burning flames, surging forth from broken chains that surrounded it. Then the light faded and she simply hung there a moment, the all too brief glimpse of her beautiful pink gaze shimmering at me through the tears suddenly went blank. Her pupils disappeared, leaving empty pink circles devoid of life as she fell to the stage in a heap, wisps of smoke coming from her ears.

Jade dove past me as I just stood there, looking down at my... our daughter... The big blue alicorn scooped her up in her hooves and wailed, a layer of overglow surrounding her horn as she poured magic into her limp little form and cried out in terror. "Glitter! GLITTER! W-Wake up! D-Do not... Please Goddesses, YOU MAY NOT TAKE HER AWAY!"

'LET! ME! OUT! NOW!!'

"Oh my... it seems this little pony isn't merely taking the name of my sister's servant. I thought I locked you up quite well, but apparently I should have destroyed you... Shrouded Stallion." Celestia stared down at me cooly as Jade sobbed, briefly giving a distasteful look to the puddle of Vega's remains.

"BOSS! C'mon boss! Chill out! S-She's fine! B-Blue's got her an'... an' she'll be ok! Just calm down dammit!" Val squawked over the howling wind and made a dive at me, knocked aside by a whipping tendril of shadows as my mind broke looking down at Glitter's prone form.

"ShUt uP... aLL oF yOu SHUT UP! I'm nOt... aM... aReN't... nO! NO! NO! NO!"

"I was far too lenient in the past... willing to allow my sister and my student to make their own mistakes and learn from them. Too afraid to be firm when I needed to be... Not a mistake I plan on making again. No, Equestria's future will be ruled by a Princess unafraid to make the hard decisions, to take matter into her own hooves when needed. I should have destroyed the Shroud ages ago but I was weak... I am not now, nor will I ever be again..." Celestia's icy voice spoke up and drew my burning glare up to her own growing dark and fiery, the sun passed behind the moon and bathed Diamond City in an unnatural light already clouded by the swirling storm overhead.

As I watched, her kind lavender eyes changed, the whites turning black and the color shifting to a burning orange. Her flowing pastel mane lit light a torch along with her tail, her teeth growing as sharp and predatory as my own as she tensed in a crouch in front of me. She was an immovable object in the growing storm that darkened the skies and pushed all my friends back.

'BETRAYER! LIAR! FALSE GODDESS! LET ME... LET ME OUT... LET ME OUT NOW!'

Bolts of lightning streaked down around us, falling in a rain that hammered the ramshackle buildings of Diamond City which started burning under the assault, but I didn't care anymore. I didn't care about anything... Glitter was... whatever she was, she was... gone... Tormented and enslaved until she just... shorted out... Gone... Gone... Gone baby gone... Everything was gone...

I felt more chains snapping and didn't care, meeting Celestia's fearsome stare and flaring wings with my own wreathed in shadows and black lightning. There was something to take all this hurt and anger out on... another of the Institute's lies... She had Celestia's mark that I saw growing as dark as the eeriely eclipsed sun overhead, the bright yellow circle of the sun turning black and the wavering flames around it growing brighter. She had her form, her power and maybe even her mind, but it was just another trick... a lie... a betrayal...

The Shroud's bottomless rage for that sneering mare pawing the ground was soothing, something to lose myself to and get away from the pain. I managed to tear my eyes away with some effort, glancing past Jade curled around our daughter in a miserable ball. All our friends, our family... they were still there, struggling to get close in the tempest of unleashed arcane power blowing them back.

'WANT NOW! LET ME!'

"S-SwAn... dO wHaT yOu ProMisEd.. P-Please! RUN! R-RuN AwAy! NOW!!!!"

Speaking to the confused and teary eyed Swan was almost impossible, the last rational words I managed to choke out before the final chains in my head snapped with a fearful wail from the Ministry Mares. That battered and broken black stasis pod in my mind, the Shroud's prison... broke completely and a rushing wall of inky blackness poured out, consuming everything.

The last thing I saw was Swan giving a conflicted nod and a bright purple flash, then my view was filled with the synth Celestia lighting her horn in flames and chuckling. "Oh? You wish to pick up where we left off so long ago creature?"

With a crack of thunder and the sensation of centuries of hate and frustration boiling out, I barely felt my body rush forward to meet the flaming, twisted parody of Celestia the Institute had made, roaring in fury with a sound like the end of the world all over again.

For me it was. Jade and the others were safe, that was the last thing I cared about. I retreated into the comforting dark and just...

Let go.

----------------------Level Up!----------------------

New Perk Added!----------------

Thought You Died-------
---With the seal broken, its questionable if you're still you or alive at all. Nopony who witnessed the climax of Vega's last spectacle is sure who or what you are anymore. You gain +10 Health per 100 Karma you've accumulated in your far flung adventures. Your karma is now reset to 0 and your faction rating with all the communities you've met may have been changed. As an upside, you gain +10% damage and immunity to critical hits if you survive.

Quest Perk Added!----------

Shadowy Shroud- Rank 3---------
----The Shrouded Stallion of legend is loose on Equestria again... While under its influence, you gain access to vast power and an array of terrifying magic, but are no longer in control. Any terrifying presence speech checks have a highly increased chance to succeed.

Author's Note

Phew, ungainly and big as it is, this chapter ends Book 2 of FoE Commonwealth, thanks for slogging through it. The chapters going into Book 3 from this point should go back to a more reasonable size and meandering pace, so don't worry about everything being this bad from now on. Hope you all enjoyed and continued reading. :twilightsmile:

Ch. 101-- Order Up ======= Book 3

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Ch. 102-- Burning Cover

"Have you considered perhaps that you might have been sent here so we could help you? After all, nopony has ever come to our village and wanted to leave."

"He's over there! FIRE!"

"No! Over there!"

"Contact! 3 o' clock low!"

"Where is it!? Everybody sound off!"

'Heeheehee... Watch...'

Left with little else to do and no real interest in interfering, I was basically along for the ride as the Shroud picked apart a squad of Gunners patrolling through the woods north of Trotson. I wasn't sure if they were hunting me in particular when we found them, but it didn't matter now. One by one the Shroud had been picking them off and fucking with their heads, driving them to take refuge in a creepy place my pip-buck helpfully identified when they charged in to make their stand. 'Location Discovered: Wildwood Cemetery'.

If I was being hunting by an ancient spirit of darkness, I don't think I would have chosen a cemetery to hide in... It was a wide, flat, circular lot built up in the wooded hills, once quiet and surrounded by the peaceful serenity of nature. Now all the skeletal trees and desiccated foliage just gave me more spots to hide and made the place look like something out of Nightmare Night. It was adding to the Gunners' overall stress levels anyway, their panicked shouts rang out into the predawn night as they kept blasting away in random directions.

They'd concentrated themselves around a trio of squat stone structures with iron gates rusting off the hinges, mausoleums for pony remains that offered better cover and a somewhat fortified position. Those who couldn't crowd in there were scattered around and ducking behind the worn graves radiating out from the large oak tree in the center of the circular cemetery I was currently hiding in.

I did watch what the Shroud was so proudly showing off with grudging wonder. Even the griffon commanders down there weren't looking up to the treetops much, focusing on the constant, shifting movement around them. In the dark like this, the Shroud's powers were stronger and it used them creatively, in this instance by making the shadows cloaking the graveyard ripple and move, creating shadowy copies of it... myself.. that darted around and faded when shot by the hail of wild gunfire chasing them.

Shadow magic was an area of specialty for the spirit currently running my body apparently. Not an inherently evil school per se, but not one I'd ever learned much about myself. I could feel the grin on my face as it directed my eyes to watch as another of the shadowy doubles formed below and charged through the gravestones, dodging between two gaggles of Gunners and getting them to send each other scrambling away from friendly fire as the illusion disappeared.

"Yeah, yeah, it's impressive alright. Why are you showing off to me?"

'Good spell... learn... you do...'

"Me? Wait, you're trying to teach me? Why?"

'Your magic... my power... together... get stronger... together... You learn.... Recompense... for magic...'

"Recompense... Are you actually trying to apologize!? For what, my magic... you mean you're the reason I've never been good at magic? That's why I've been improving lately?"

'Seal... Betrayer... make prison... now gone... you learn...'

"Betrayer... Grandpa? Grandpa sealed you in that prison in my head and it screwed my magic up?"

'Revenge... Soon...'

"Whatever... Thanks I guess, I'll watch, but quit toying with them already. You're making me feel sorry for Gunners."

Ending the back and forth in between bursts of gunfire below, I pouted thinking on that little revelation and tried to focus on the present. I'd long suspected the Shroud's prison in my brain was powered by my own magic anyway, getting confirmation that had been the reason I'd never been good with spellcraft before wasn't that big a deal. Even my ambivalence about the suffering of Gunners had its limits though, I didn't really care what the Shroud did to them or try to dissuade it from hunting them down when we spotted them, I was just tired of all the foreplay.

'Spoilsport... Watch... Fun...'

The Shroud's idea of 'fun' still made me sick to my stomach... But I did pay attention to its pouting reply, watching as my corrupted blue magic slithered through the branches of the trees I hid in and towards the little cluster of terrified mercenaries. Quick as a flash, the dried out vines wound around the dead trees snaked down and twined together, lashing themselves into a crude noose that snatched one of the few remaining heavy gun earth ponies by the neck.

The surprised victim had a bare instant to paw at the magically animated vines, his minigun battlesaddle blazing away randomly and hitting a few of his comrades. Then he was yanked off his hooves and into the trees with such force he cleared the snow covered canopy for a moment. His legs scrambled uselessly in the air before gravity took over again, giving me the opportunity to send Best Served spinning out into the air and slash his exposed belly. He yowled in pain as he went back down, screaming and breaking branches on his way as his comrades looked up in horror, his battlesaddle spinning itself dry.

The vines around his neck stopped his screaming fall with a hard jerk, snapping his neck with an audible crack The reason for the slash at the hung Gunner's belly became clear when he loosed his guts to go spilling out on top of the surprised crew of Gunners as he feebly twitched overhead. The screams and disgusted shouts were enjoyable anyway, the steadily shrinking squad was reaching their limit when it came to macabre horror.

'...Not done... Watch...'

All the screaming ratcheted up in intensity when the long, slimy grey coils of his intestines still spilling out of him started moving, snaking around on their own with the dark glow of my magic animating them. They moved surprisingly fast, lashing out and wrapping around any Gunners that didn't go charging away immediately. At least four more were quickly strangled and drawn up to swing from the creaking branches along with the first.

Two of the pony mercenaries galloped clear and made a break for it, making it a few yards before the graves they leapt over rumbled with a flick of my horn. Muddy, rotten coffins shot up from the earth in front of them, the heavy lids opening to disgorge the dusty bones inside and snap closed on the unfortunate ponies like lurking radigators, sinking back into the ground with their new occupants shouting and ratting their prisons all the way down.

'...Heeheeheehee....'

"Hilaaaaarious... Just finish them off already, but remember to leave one this time. I want to talk to them... That one actually."

The Shroud pouting at my unimpressed reply ended when I pulled out the Last Minute, lining up on the griffon commander still huddling by the cover of the mausoleums and firing from the flank. The blurring 2mm slug blasted through his green combat armor and chest, a non-lethal shot that sent him limping through the wrought iron gate while the others all lined up on the flat crack of the gauss rifle and started shooting into the trees.

There was that odd sensation of being without a body again when the Shroud abandoned our hiding spot with an annoyed snort over ruining his fun. Moving around and teleporting as a pool of inky shadow that slithered across the ground and over any surface was something I just couldn't get used to. It was effective though, I kept reappearing beside each spooked Gunner, often slipping up out of their own shadow behind them to slit their throat.

Just to speed things up and take at least some of these assholes for myself, I activated S.A.T.S. after deftly slicing the heart right out of one of them, cutting open his ribs in a series of quick slashes then just ripping the still beating organ out. Vengeance floated up in my own magic, free of the corrupted darkness marring the other fields of telekinesis the Shroud was using, like that wrapped around the handle of my knife. The heavy .45 revolver boomed repeatedly when time resumed, bringing down the last couple of Gunners not already beyond the boundaries of the cemetery and screaming out into the woods like their tails were on fire.

My stomach gurgled uncomfortably as I trotted off and found the pony heart bobbing along with me, drool running down my muzzle and my fangs extending as tongue ran out and licked my lips.

"Ick... No. Eating. Ponies. Please! Just leave it for fucks sake!"

'Heart... good... want...'

Grimacing at the whine I got in return, I kept up my one sided conversation as I approached the masuoleum hiding the last remaining red mark on E.F.S., turning my nose up at the bloody heart waggling temptingly and thumping into my muzzle repeatedly. "Then freaking save it for later! I'm not interested in eating the hearts of ponies!'

'Liver?'

"NO! No parts period! Not the heart, not the liver, nothing! Just... let me deal with this asshole and go to sleep, then do whatever you want, alright?" I seethed back, batting the disgusting lump of meat away when it floated towards my saddlebags. "You're not sticking that in there either! Gross!"

The griffon must have heard me arguing with myself on the way, when I reached the rusty iron gate to the mausoleum, he was staring at the door with mounting horror and confusion evident on his face. The combat shotgun he had propped up on a chipped vase of dead flowers wasn't aimed quite well enough, forcing me to dodge and roll in to buck it away when it fired and blew stinging chips of marble off the smooth faces of the stone drawers along the walls.

Straddling the weakly struggling griffon once his weapon was taken away, I gave a low, rumbling growl as I looked him over. His hindleg and left wing were broken, the Shroud had been selective and concentrated on crippling or killing all the griffons when he started his hunt, so this one wasn't getting away anytime soon. He was also bleeding profusely and pale, shivering as he bordered on going into shock from blood loss.

He wore standard Gunner combat armor with slightly fancier emblems denoting his rank, a cracked pair of mirrored sunglasses in his short violet plumage. His orange claws fumbled at the well crafted leather bandolier around his chest while I watched him, slowly digging out a purple healing potion from one of the pouches leading down to the loop of leather at his flank holding a rusting old zebra style sword.

Eyeing it greedily, the Shroud tugged the potion and bandolier away from the silently scowling griffon. The potion went bobbing out of the mausoleum behind me, gently settling to a gravestone a few rows away outside. The bandolier went to my hooves, my darkened magic fumbling at the buckles and inspecting all the little pockets for goodies. It had a dinged and polished metal shoulder plate that the dark spirit seemed to like, wrapping the weathered gear around my chest and discarding the griffon's sword to place Best Served in the crude sheath at my flank.

"T-Thief and a murderer... huh asshole?" The Gunner griffon managed to choke out a blood flecked sneer as I took over cinching the bandolier down to fit my narrow chest after getting frustrated watching the Shroud struggling with it, drawing its attention away from claiming new treasures with a fang filled grin.

"Tis not theft, the dead have no property..."

"Slow your roll dammit, alive remember? Questions?"

"Questions... then death."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... In the meantime, I want a few answers pal. If I were you, I'd answer honestly. My friend doesn't like liars either..."

The griffon's face had been growing more confused and horrified watching me talking to myself, his beak hanging open as I managed to take the lead and leaned down to his dumbstruck face, managing a hoarse whisper. "Y-You're crazy... You really lost it nutball..."

"Yup! I sure did! Totally bonkers! That kinda thing tends to happen when assholes like you TAKE MY FUCKING DAUGHTER! But that wasn't you in particular... so I'm giving you a chance. Its more than you'll get from the other guy, believe me. So, what are you up to this far north?"

Grimacing at my leading snarl, the griffon seemed to consider his options a moment, then slumped and replied weakly. "Recon... Northeast Expedition, heading for Neighlem and flagging locations for salvage. We were told to watch out for you when you didn't show up at D.C. the last couple days, I'd swear that big synth princess bitch was disappointed... We're to capture if possible, they wanna dissect you asshole."

Looking down to my knife rattling in its sheath at my side suggestively, I shrugged and let the shadows rippling around me waver and spread as I answered the threat. "The feeling's mutual... From what I understand, this is Kingdom of Sanctuary territory though, you're trespassing... Invading..."

"T-Truce... non-interference... We don't bug your Princess and her troops, they don't mess with ours. Except you of course... Just my fucking luck... Kill me or don't, t-that's all you're getting from me besides name, rank and serial number, which you can read for yourself." The griffon hacked up more blood and shrugged to his barcode stamped flank weakly, accepting his fate with just a bit of defiance remaining.

Floating his shotgun back to me, I broke it down and pocketed the ammo, leaving one 12 gauge slug in the weapon and setting it down again on the stone floor. My minor interrogation done, I didn't really care what the Shroud did to him, facilitating the idea I could hear rattling around in my head.

My head turned and my muzzle jerked out to the dimly glowing healing potion outside, resting on a grave marker in sight. It was about 50 feet away, beyond the ring of corpses surrounding the mausoleum and beneath the macabre mobile made of more of his comrades gently swinging from the trees. I stood then and slid the loaded shotgun a little closer to the griffon wheezing in a heap at the back of the small chamber, grinning and narrowing my glowing, dragon slitted eyes as I purred down at him.

"Crawl worm... Life or death, doesn't matter. Crawl."

At that I simply turned and trotted back out, moving on to looting the numerous Gunner bodies strewn about and absently flicking an ear back to the griffon struggling to move where I left him. The Shroud had learned that much at least, even if it didn't understand guns and ammo very well, it did understand greed and hoarding treasure, as my new leather bandolier, dense metal leg guard on my right hindleg, and pitted steel flank plate on my left it had already added to my armor in other encounters demonstrated. Each prize it found was held up to show off eagerly, happy little growling whinnies echoing in my skull I was trying to ignore and retreat from.

'See... Fun!... Be happy...'

"I'm not happy and that wasn't fun." I muttered back as I trudged around the cemetery, sighing tiredly at the disappointed whine that answered. "Ok, maybe it was a little fun. I'm still not happy though. Sorry... Everything feels hollow without Glitter though, I'm not going to cheer up. Why do you even care?"

'.... Like happy.... Miss daughter... sad... no good... Be happy... like... feel...'

"Like... You liked feeling it when I was happy? When... when Glitter was still here and we were all... a-a family?"

'Family... Love... Warm... Like... Want...'

I slumped at the wistful whine that answered, the need and hurt in the voice of 'Be Dark...' got the others to gently rise up. Though the soft whisper of 'Be Kind...' and 'Be Awesome!' singing sweetly just made the Shroud snarl and fight back against the intrusion. The Ministry Mares had been very weak since I woke up, barely chiming in at all in the past couple days I'd been blindly roaming the countryside. It was like they were exhausted, but they were slowly gaining strength again. The feelings of love and family the Shroud was pining for bringing them back now.

"I miss them too... but she's gone. It can't be like it was ever again without Glitter. I'll never stop feeling sad about her and I don't trust you around Jade or the others, so we're not bothering them either. Sorry... you really liked riding along and feeling stuff like that out of me, huh? Is that why you didn't mind when I woke up and ruined your fun?"

'Like... Love... You... Me... Together... Friends... Glad back... You feel good... be happy... be with Princesses... griffon... thestral... love... food... sex... life... good... Want good feelings... Want happy... Want...'

"Interesting... Ok, I'll... I'll try sharing a little more positive emotion with you. Later though, I'm tired now, it is my body you've been using to do this shit, try taking care of your toys a little better. I'm going to sleep... try not to do anything too insane while I'm out and we'll... talk more later."

Sensing the satisfaction flowing off the spirit over the odd conversation, I huffed and fluttered up to the dense branches of the huge oak at the center of the cemetery. It didn't take long to find a comfortable enough perch in the crook of one big limb near the trunk, in sight of the mausoleum and the griffon claws just reaching the threshold and pulling himself forward an inch at a time. I curled up and rested my head of my hooves, blowing my ragged mane out of my eyes and idly watching the griffon going for the potion instead of using the shotgun still in his grip.

Going to sleep had been a mixed bag with the Shroud around and free, I just couldn't choose to fade out and let him take over at will. A lifetime of physically going to sleep meant I had to actually lay down, remain still, slow my heart and go to sleep like normal to manage it. I'd only hold still long enough for my consciousness to fade out however, then the Shroud would get up and walk my body somewhere else, usually with me waking up in the middle of killing or eating somepony it had chanced on. With someone to torture and watch in front of it, I had hopes of remaining in place long enough for my aching body to actually get a little rest, but again, I really couldn't bring myself to care.

Saying goodnight to a crazed and murderous dark spirit was still weird, but it felt weird not saying it too. We were together and I was curling up to go to sleep in front of another... creature... so as my Principles of Proper Pony Speech book advised on etiquette, excusing myself was only good manners.

"Goodnight Shroud, try to behave..."

'Night... Fast... Sleep well... no worry...'

"Yeah, right..."

'Wake up...'

"Nnngh.... five more minutes..."

'Wake up... NOW...'

"Grrr... What!? What the hell is so important!? Just let me sleep already!"

I snorted and shook my head angrily at being woken up early, opening my eyes to get my bearings and figure out what kind of trouble the Shroud had found this time. My aching body immediately complained as I reconnected to it, not finding any fresh major wounds at least, but still exhausted...

"I told you to get some actual rest too dammit! It's my body you're running ragged while I'm out you know! Sometimes you have to actually sleep and rest, it's one of those things that comes with having a physical body... Where the hell are we anyway?" I groaned and pouted with my eyes clenched shut against the morning light, ready to really start bitching over the rude wakeup and lack of any rest.

'...Look!...'

'Awareness!' chimed in with a weak bounce as I fought the bags under my eyes and tried to focus on a bit of white standing out against the weathered wood in front of my face. I just got the sense I was standing in the tilted back of a wagon, then froze entirely as I got a look at the crude image drawn there in chalk the Shroud apparently woke me for. It was simplified and foalishly drawn, but I knew that symbol...

Even though I only saw it once, I'd never forget... A blazing torch, the long handle beneath the burning flames wrapped in broken chains. Glitter's cutie mark...

"W-W-What... What is this doing here!? Why... How... W-Where are we!?" I gaped and lightly touched the simple drawing with a hoof, dissolving into tears as I traced the lines and remembered seeing it glowing from Glitter's flank before she...

'Don't know... All gone...'

I looked around frantically to take in my surroundings more clearly, finding that I was standing in the wreckage of a wagon strewn across the broken country lane in the snowy woods and I hissed out loud. "W-What did you do..."

'Not me... Found...'

Tilting my head suspiciously at the defensive reply, I trotted in a slow circle in the leaning wagon bed. The Shroud wasn't lying and was generally pretty pleased with itself when leaving wreckage like this behind, so I believed it when it said it wasn't responsible and moved to investigate. Eyes Forward Sparkle was clear, so there weren't any survivors or lurking attackers anyway, giving me leave to hop down from the broken wagon still hitched to a messily dead brahmim.

It was just one wagon with no sign there had been others with it, the snow was splashed with blood here and there, going along with other signs of a fight I picked out thanks to the spirit of Pinkie Pie singing softly, 'It was under E!'. A few wooden crates, ammo boxes, MoP marked chests and other assorted goodies had been searched, the smashed containers strewn all over the place. The only real intact loot left behind was a cloudy recycled bottle of homemade lemonade I nearly stepped on exiting the wagon.

The brahmim had been taken out by a mine, splattering its guts across the asphalt and staining the snow in a wide, circular detonation point clearly visible. The scorched wooden wagon itself had lost a wheel and burned here and there from magical energy weapons fire, but there were also large holes from standard firearms as well. Judging by the angle and position of the shots, they'd been hit in an ambush from the snowy hills rising up on either side of the road.

Curious, but there was nothing to really identify who'd been in the wagon or who had attacked it. Was it simply raiders? Somehow the scene lacked their usual senseless brutality, there weren't any corpses defiled or tortured in some weird way. Usually raiders didn't take the bodies. Of much more interest to me personally was who'd drawn Glitter's mark in the bed and why though. It seemed like a kid's drawing, but there weren't any younger bodies around either. Where did they go?

'Don't know... Filly... Taken... that way....'

My head lifted and still teary eyes blazed looking up the road, following its winding course towards the distant, thin trails of smoke puffing up through the trees from some kind of settlement. Actually paying attention to my flaring nostrils leaning back down to the wagon and snuffling out to the street, I realized the Shroud was right. There was a scent of pony under all the blood, ozone and gunpowder of the ambush, young and female... They captured one?

They took a filly... a filly that was most likely the one who drew my daughter's mark...

'Kill... Destroy... Revenge... Rescue!'

Checking all my recently cleaned and serviced weapons with a hard scowl on my face, I nodded and started up the road, following the scent through the light dusting of fresh snow that gave me some hope it hadn't been too long. "Right... Let's go rescue the damsel in distress then. Good job waking me..."

I could feel the Shroud's pride over doing something right swelling up in my chest as I fluttered my wings and hovered above the road, lazily flying along and following the scent as it grew stronger. I could pick out several adult ponies mixed with it now, the attackers who took the captive most likely. I had to try to calm down and temper my anger though, arguing with myself while following the gently rising hills towards the concrete walls nearly hidden by the trees.

"We don't know what happened, so let me handle it, alright?"

'Kill!... Murderers!... Foalnappers!!... DESTROY!'

"Noooo... look, just calm down and think. What if the wagon belonged to slavers and the filly was a slave? Maybe the mystery attackers rescued her first and we'd be killing the good guys. Slow down and ease up on the impulse to just destroy everything that happens to cross your path, ok? Please... You did good finding that... that symbol and waking me up for it... but I want answers about it, answers mean talking to ponies still alive to answer."

'Boring... You do... then kill...'

"Yes, yes, if there are assholes to kill I'll be sure to let you know, now shut up and help me check this place out, it's big and.... wow... heavily defended..."

Still muttering to myself, I flew a little higher and flitted into the trees for cover, darting from branch to branch to approach the intimidating and odd settlement I found. It was completely walled for one thing... Thick and tall prewar stone walls in a large and perfect square, just that defense was unusual in wasteland towns that were usually surrounded by barriers of junk cobbled together. The whirring of turrets perched atop every section of the wall every dozen feet or so were even stranger, the deadly auto-turrets sporting gleaming machinegun barrels and sparking magical energy weapons screamed 'Keep Out!' loud and clear.

Zipping up to higher branches and circling the compound, I frowned in thought looking over what all the defenses were protecting. It was a little prewar town... Like Sanctuary, but in better condition somehow. The houses were smaller, but still intact wooden earth pony construction with no major gaps in the walls or roofs. Their paint was peeling, but still fairly vibrant and cheery colors. There were only about half a dozen or so down there, carefully arranged in the walled space as some kind of planned, gated, prewar community.

'Location Discovered: Covenant' blinked in my vision as I got closer, pacing around the compound and winding up back where I started at the roadway. I peered down to the imposing steel gates and the small guard shack occupied by a single earth pony buck. The name of the town was spelled out above the gates in arching letters flaking with rust, a crude board nailed beneath it to add a slogan for the post war village; Covenant- A Haven for Real Ponies.

The filly smell led there... Meaning I had to go in to find anything out... I was tempted to just blow the whole thing off and go back to wallowing in misery, feeling very little desire or motivation to involve myself in some random incident that wasn't my business. Glitter's mark made it my business though... Somepony drew her cutie mark in that wagon, I wanted... needed to know why. The risk of going to a pony settlement with the psychotic spirit in my head awake and raring to go paled in comparison to that compulsion. Even if it ended up getting innocent ponies hurt...

There were quite a few of them in there too... E.F.S. was lit with several green dashes even at this range, corresponding to the clean and neat looking gaggle of residents below. They all wore wasteland era clothing that was well mended and cared for, their coats and manes were cleaner than the average settler and they greeted each other with friendly smiles and waves as they went about their morning. Nothing really stood out or raised my hackles about them, they just looked like regular folks.

Digging in my saddlebags for looted rags and winter clothing to disguise myself, I took off my fedora and replaced it with a tattered and floppy brown newspaper cap, mumbling to myself as I eyed the gate guard cautiously. "Alright... I'm going in and looking around. Don't try to take over around a bunch of normal ponies, you'll freak them out and they look pretty harmless. Just let me do the talking and don't. come. out."

'Waiting... No promises...'

"Good enough I guess... Now, let's see if I can pretend to be sane well enough to get in..."

I flew down the road past the town a little ways, drifting down to the broken asphalt out of sight of the guard and approaching from the direction away from the wrecked wagon. It didn't take long to come wandering up to the gate like a plain old unicorn, hiding my wings under my ratty saddleblanket. The dirt, mud, blood and goddesses only knew what other kind of muck on my trenchcoat and fur helped me look like just another wastelander anyway.

Between that, the ragged winter gear I threw on and things like the new bandolier and other crude metal armor pieces the Shroud had been looting, I didn't raise any special notice from the earth pony guard trotting out to meet me. He was probably about ten years older than I was, rangy and sporting a few scars, but as clean and friendly as the other residents I'd spied on. His coat was a pale tan and his short mane was a salt and pepper grey. He wore a black leather jacket that reminded me sadly of Zed's, jingling with silver buckles when he raised a foreleg in greeting several feet away. The motion lifted his jacket flaps enough to spot the holstered .45 automatic he looked ready to draw in a heartbeat if things went bad.

He was a brave and alert guard anyway, stopping me well away from the gates but speaking in a friendly and soothing patter. "Ho there stranger! Welcome to Covenant, here to stop or just passing through?"

"Covenant... Never heard of it before. I could use a place to stop and rest my hooves awhile, if outsiders are welcome? Place doesn't exactly seem that inviting with all the firepower..."

Chortling at my absent nod up to the whirring turrets that had noticed my presence and adjusted their aim our way, the guard shook his head and waved back to his little shack at the gate. "Can't be too careful, especially nowadays! No worries pal, anypony's welcome in Covenant. We do ask that you take a little test first though..."

"Test?" I growled as we approached his shack, stretching my neck to look beyond him waiting at the door to spot the green glow of a working terminal on the battered desk inside.

The older buck held his hooves up in a placating gesture and grinned, shrugging innocently. "Just a few questions, no needles or magic buddy, promise! Name's Swan Sun, but just Sun is fine! Come on in and have a seat, everypony that enters takes it and it'll only take a minute. Called the SAFE test."

"SAFE...? Well, it's got a comforting name anyway. What's it testing for exactly?"

Sun got a slightly shifty look for a moment at my raised eyebrow, he shook it off quickly however, returning to his mask of a smile and well practiced speech. "The right kind of ponies, that's all! One of the biggest threats in the wasteland is still not knowing who's a honest trader what can be trusted and who might be some crazed raider waiting to slit your throat in your sleep. Here, we got an F.A.Q. an' everything, printed out brochures with that newspaper mare's press in Sanctuary."

The twitchy seeming earth pony proudly held out a grubby bit of paper in his teeth at that, folded into three sections like an old world brochure, full of three seperate blocks of text with stick figure drawings of happy ponies and cheery looking homes. Sun allowed me to squint at the text as I floated it over and spread it out, reading his bizarre frequently asked questions brochure.

Welcome!

From a brief rest to a long stay we have everything you are looking for in Covenant. Located in the north-central Commonwealth we have easy access to the best and safest trade routes in the area.

Our guest dormitories are spacious, well appointed, and our friendly Mr. Handy even offers free lemonade. For large caravans extra sleeping bags can be provided on request. Just talk with Mr. Farthing.

We hope you enjoy your stay here as much as we enjoy having you!

Covenant History

We're a young community formed by like-minded individuals dedicated to restoring a quality of life that's been gone for too many years. Our secret ingredients are a shared vision, hard work, and old-fashioned hospitality. Values as important as the Elements of Harmony that have built Covenant up from a ruined hamlet, to a prospective member of the Kingdom of Sanctuary!

Since the turrets and other defenses have gone up, we've hosted more and more traders. Our store offers a wide variety of trade goods at rock bottom prices. If you find it cheaper elsewhere, let us know and we'll beat it. Our local clinic is staffed by a friendly doctor a match for any Followers of the Apocalypse trained physician.

SAFE Test

We often get asked about the SAFE test. What is it? Why is it necessary?

Your safety, and ours, is our number one concern here. And the SAFE test is how we maintain it. The test was designed by some of the Old World's greatest minds from the Ministries of Peace, Arcane Science, Image and even highly trained Heartmenders, all to get a detailed psychological profile of its participants.

Ponies fail the test for all sorts of reasons. Anti-social tendencies, vulgarity, and mental health to name a few. Often, they'd be just fine if we let them in. But we're extra cautious to ensure that only good, quality folk (like yourself) get to enjoy the comforts of Covenant.

Remember, it's all for your SAFEty!

"Well... that's definitely informative anyway. Ok, ask your questions then, I've got a few of my own..."

Beaming as he sat behind his desk and tapped his terminal awake, Swan Sun stared closely as I groaned into the rickety folding chair on my side of his little exam room. I felt a fresh pang of hurt and guilt just hearing his name, wondering where Swan was and how she felt... I'd left her too... I hoped she wasn't alone... that she and Jade could be there for each other at least, as sisters.

"Ok, question one; You are approached by a frenzied scientist, who yells, 'I'm going to put my flux harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!' What's your response? Is it A: 'Up yours, too, buddy.' B: I'd grab a pipe and knock.." I was forced to look up and sniffle when Sun spoke, reading the script from his terminal in a measured tone and watching me wiping my eyes curiously.

My answer blurted out automatically before he finished, interrupting his spiel after considering the question. "I wouldn't worry, if he did that it'd cause a parabolic destabilization of the spark singularity."

"Hey, not bad, that was D by the way. Humm... do I know you buddy? You seem kinda familiar..." Sun smiled and tapped another key, tilting his head when he turned back to me and scratching his bristly chin in thought as he looked me over closely.

"Er.... N-Nope! Wouldn't see how, I'm nopony... Just a scavver wandering through the area, that's all. You have more questions I'm guessing? C-Could we just hurry it up, I'd like to find somewhere safe to sleep for awhile. I've been on my hooves for days... I think..."

My go to cover story as a scavver seemed to smooth over any suspicion on the rare occasion I'd spoken to other ponies. I wondered about it since coming up with it on the spot in Drumline Diner however. I hadn't really put much thought into it at the time, but I presented myself as a simple scavenger automatically. Like Glitter and her mom and sister had been... It did work well at least, excusing my disheveled appearance, poor social skills and slightly insane tics that put most ponies with a healthy interest in self preservation on guard.

Still humming in thought, Sun accepted the cover story too and eventually turned back to his terminal, still keeping one wary golden eye on me as he continued in a distracted tone. "Huh? Oh... right. Question 2: While working as an intern in the Clinic, a patient with a strange infection on his hoof stumbles through the door. The infection is spreading at an alarming rate, but the doctor has stepped out for a while. What do you do? A: Medicate the infected area as best I can. B: Restrain the patient, and..."

"Yell for Jade..." Again the words fell out of my muzzle as I slumped thinking of my poor wife, blinking back up to Sun's surprised face and trying to cover for the slip. "Er! I mean... for help! I'd run and scream for help, I'm useless at healing... heh..."

Now his eyes were narrowed and he was staring very hard, catching my bloodshot red eyes under the brim of my cap and sparking with dim recognition on the tip of his tongue. Come on... I just wanted in, why did I have to jump through hoops just to enter this stupid village!? What was so goddess damned important about the place? Why couldn't this buck just be done already and get out of my way?"

'Kill... Then go...'

"NO! Behave! I'm not doing that just because he's annoying me!"

I bashed at my head as Sun paused, watching me randomly shouting to nopony... Fortunately I'd found most ponies generally didn't remark on completely insane non-sequitur shouting. Often they'd go out of their way to ignore it, and not make any sudden movements afterwards... Apparently ponies losing what passed for their minds wasn't that uncommon in the wasteland.

Sun demonstrated the same response here. He shrugged and continued slowly, raising a blissfully ignorant eyebrow at me fighting the bloodthirsty desire to just execute him for slowing me down. "Okaaaaay... You sure I don't know you pal? I hate to think I'm forgetting somepony I've met, but I just can't quite place you. Maybe it's the hat... Anyway, Question 3: You discover a young filly lost in a cave. She's hungry and frightened, but also appears to be in possession of stolen property. What do you do? A: Give..."

"Give the filly a h-hug and tell her it'll all be ok..." I croaked back, feeling fresh tears flowing down the well worn clean tracks down my filthy cheeks.

The image of a lost, hungry and frightened Glitter just popped into my head as soon as he asked the question. I saw her the way we met, wearing rags and painfully thin, her ribs showing through her matted coat and her bouncy silver mane so ragged and dirty. I saw her looking up to me with those wide and scared pink eyes, poking her little muzzle in my room while I was recuperating from rescuing her and the other slaves from Thundega Motors.

My answer came from the heart, I'd hug her... I wanted to hug her now so much it hurt. Even with the uncomfortable thoughts swirling in my head on looking back. Was she a spy deliberately sent there for me? Is that why she came to me looking so pitiful and sad? I had wanted to keep her, to adopt her and care for her... to love her as my own... that was my idea, wasn't it? Or was it all a trick? Had I been manipulated to keep Grandpa's little spy close? Lied to? By the Betrayer...

"H-H-Holy shit... it's you..." I looked up from gritting my teeth in thought and realized my eyes were glowing by Sun's slack jawed face, leaning up on the desk on his forelegs to stretch across the surface with a manic shout before I could think of escape. "The Shrouded Stallion! I-It's really you!? Awesome!! W-What am I doing, forget the questions, we know you're safe! Come on, everypony will want to meet you!"

"Er.... w-what? Wait! I s-shouldn't..." I yelped when Sun practically bounced from his seat, grabbing my foreleg to forcefully drag me to the gates outside and giving a staccato knock with his hoof to the rusty steel.

Still struggling to keep up with his crazed and confusing glee over figuring out my poor secret identity, I gulped as the gates opened with a slow squeal and the town of Covenant opened up before us. A lot of interested eyes from the clean and kind looking ponies inside all turning as one towards Sun's cheery shouting.

"Everypony! Look who showed up! It's the Shrouded Stallion!" I flinched at Sun's giddy voice ringing out, shuffling in and wearily pulling my battered cap off to peek up from behind my ragged grey mane and put my fedora back on sheepishly.

"Umm... H-Hi..."

I gulped as the creaking steel gates swung shut behind me, staring out to the idyllic little town abandoning their chores to come see what all the excitement was about. There were only about a dozen or so, all showing curious but welcoming smiles as I was dragged in by the still chipper Sun.

An older and slightly heavy set earth pony stallion seemed to be the village elder or mayor, radiating a sense of leadership and wise patience as he trotted up and looked me over with interest, speaking in a carrying voice to the crowd while he at least got Sun to release my foreleg with a chuckle. "What's all this then? The Shrouded Stallion? In our little town? Welcome!"

The way the crowd of townsfolk all repeated "Welcome!" in unison was a little creepy... The wide and false looking smiles they wore staying plastered on their faces as I blinked back and cringed.

"R-Right... er... hi there. I didn't mean to cause a fuss, I was just umm... p-passing through and..."

"Say no more sir! We understand better than most here! Mayor Neat Order at your service! It's an honor to have the famous Shrouded Stallion in our town. You're a big hero around here! Come in, come in! Deezer! Give our friend a bottle of your famous lemonade!" Rather than saving me, the big silver earth pony wrapped a foreleg around my narrow shoulders and pressed me against his patched suit to take over dragging me further in, grinning through his light blue beard happily.

Before I could protest, a dinged Mr. Handy came zipping over from an odd little stand set up in the central courtyard between all the houses. The dusty bottle it pressed to my hooves explained its bizarre station anyway, reading; 'Deezer's Lemonade' on a bit of tape stuck over the peeled remnants of the original label. They had it running an actual lemonade stand?

Looking up from taking a polite drink and surprised at its excellent taste, I nearly dropped the bottle entirely when my eyes fell on a tawny griffon observing all the commotion from the sidelines. My silver revolver Vengeance snapped up and aimed at his surprised face with a low growl coming out of my mouth, instantly getting his orange claws held up in nervous surrender.

"Whoa! Easy there buddy! I'm not wearing green! Freelancer!!" The griffon yelped at my revolver shaking in my telekinetic grip, waving down to his battered leather armor while I fought the impulse to just shoot him.

He knew what my problem was and how close he came at least, sweating as I narrowed my glowing eyes and looked him over. He had dusty tan fur under chocolate brown plumage with rust red highlights, his beak quirked up in an anxious smile and his bright orange claws not twitching from where he held them up. He wasn't wearing Gunner combat armor though, the well maintained leather gear had none of their markings either.

'Want... Kill... Gunner...'

"All griffons aren't Gunners! Think of Val stupid!"

'Different!... Female...'

"S-Sorry... Umm... Most griffons I run into lately aren't very friendly..."

I grunted and struggled to shove my pistol back down, realizing the whole weird show was being watched closely by the crowd giving confused head tilts and nickers to themselves. They didn't seem that put out by the near murder in their little town anyway, Mayor Order even chuckled as he led me away. "Nothing to worry about, Honest Dan there isn't one of those thugs, just an independent merc from the city investigating a caravan attack nearby. I doubt he'll even be here long. You can ask all your questions you like Dan, but we told you already, we don't know anything about it. No caravan showed up here lately."

The griffon huffed and rolled his eyes at the Mayor's dismissal, but his suspicious gaze followed us moving away. I tried not to let it show on my face as I was dragged forward, but I agreed with the dubious sneer I saw the griffon wearing among the crowd of ponies all nodding in unison and assuring him they didn't know anything about any caravan. Just the half empty bottle of lemonade floating along with me put the lie to that... Unless there was a whole franchise of robot run lemonade stands on the roadsides of the Commonwealth, that wagon had definitely been here and they were lying about it...

The minor mystery quickly fell away as the Mayor shoved me around happily however, introducing me to his town like I was an honored guest over for tea. He walked with his head held high as we strolled past a house with a large attached garage near the gates, pushing me into hoofshakes with a light yellow-green mare with an auburn and charcoal mane named Penny Farthing, who ran a small shop out of the house. Then a teal mare with a golden mane wearing a grease stained dark green and red mechanic's jumpsuit named Tailia McGlimmer, who handled repairs and a junk shop out of the open garage. Another house was residence and clinic for the town's healer, Dr. Mountgomery, an attractive middle aged peach unicorn mare who gave a worried nicker at all the blood and poorly healed wounds she spotted on me, making me promise to come in for a free visit. Beyond the professional ponies running the town's businesses were several residents, picking the last of the snow dusted crops from their little garden plots, maintaining the walls and turrets, or just aimlessly fixing and cleaning things to their pristine state.

I tried to be polite, but kept glancing back to the griffon lurking at the edges of the crowd following us. If he was here investigating the wrecked wagon ambush, I wanted to talk to him... The Mayor and the others all seemed nice enough, but both the Shroud and the whisper of 'Awareness!' kept pointing out those creepy fake smiles and the fact they were lying. Even discounting the incriminating bottle of lemonade, how could they know nothing about an attack like that just outside their gates? What's more, the filly smell led here, at least one survivor had been taken here...

"Sorry about the whole test bit outside sir, can't be too careful lately! Ridiculous having you take it, but every bit of data helps refine it." The Mayor had continued talking and leading me around, guiding me away from prying ears as his voice dropped conspiratorially. "Once we've got it down though, nopony will suffer things like what happened to you and the Princess again. I'm sorry you had to go through that son, but you're in good company here in Covenant."

"Huh? What are you talking about? What was that weird SAFE test anyway? What's it have to do with me and... J-Jade..."

I froze at his veiled speech, digging my hooves in and raising an eyebrow at the older buck who sighed kindly. "We'll have lots of time to discuss it Mr. Shroud, once our other guest is on his way again, it's why we're so excited to have you visit! You're among friends here, just know that much and relax, you look like you need it."

Looking down to my murder-hobo appearance at the Mayor's waving hoof, I slumped wearily and nodded. "I've been... r-roughing it a little, yeah. You're sure it's ok to rest here? I um... I may not be safe..."

Ignoring my warning by laughing heartily, Mayor Order trotted on in a slow loop that led back to the merchant house with a broad grin. "Nonsense! Us honest ponies have nothing to fear! We've heard all about you on the radio, what happened during the Midnight Sun... We all know how you feel son, ask around and take a little comfort from folks who've been there. Here, Penny rents a few rooms out of her shop and we've got a working shower around back. You take it on the house and get some rest, we'll talk more soon."

Brought back full circle and nudged forward to the warmly smiling unicorn mare Penny waving me into her shop / inn invitingly, I shrugged and trudged forward. Weird and suspicious as this place was, I was still exhausted and really was filthy now that I looked, scrunching my muzzle and nearly gagging when I made the mistake of sniffing under a wing. Socializing with other ponies required some niceties not needed when just mindlessly killing them... A chance to clean up and sleep in an actual bed was pretty tempting, plus it would let me snoop around a little.

"Umm... Ok then, if you're sure, I'll take you up on that Mayor Order. Thanks..."

Covenant had been some kind of model community before the end of the world, all the perfectly preserved homes were demo models, somewhat explaining their pristine appearance 200 years later. The construction crews never got around to installing working plumbing however... There were a few strategically placed well pumps that drew only slightly irradiated water up from the ground table, while the shower Mayor Order had been so proud of was a crude outdoor setup in the backyard of Penny's shop.

I was very grateful I didn't feel the cold that much as I stripped out of my bloody costume in the snowy back lot anyway, only giving a mild shiver in my bare coat, despite the freezing temperatures. All the residents here must run in and out as quick as possible during the winter, relying on the boiler barrel painted flat black mounted on a stand of weathered boards overhead absorbing enough sunlight to heat the water pumped up to it.

Setting my saddlebags down in easy reach and fighting with the straps and buckles of Blue Moon and my pilfered bandolier, I sat on a cracked stone bench and floated my trenchcoat up with a frown, really wishing that the magical armor had cleaning spells imbued in it along with all the repair spells that left it intact if disgusting. There was a battered wooden washtub and corrugated steel washboard near another water pump anyway, letting me idly light my horn and start pumping the long handle to fill it from where I sat. Magic couldn't fix everything, so old fashioned washing the earth pony way it was.

It didn't take long for me to start wistfully looking around for a convenient prewar washing machine I could fix somewhere... I slathered the sodden coat with the crude homemade bar of soap and scrubbed at it with my hooves, but wasn't making much headway and wondered how exactly ponies did this shit before the advent of modern arcane technology. As much as I disliked the chore, the Shroud was even more annoyed while I worked, grumbling loudly in my head the whole while.

'Boring!... No clean... make servant...'

"Do you see any servants around here? Nopony else is going to do the nasty or boring stuff for us, so I'm doing it myself. If you don't like it, try not to go rolling around in gore again. Actually, if you're so good at magic, don't you know a cleaning spell instead?"

'No know!... Garbage magic!... Make mare!... Innkeep!.... No chores!... Filly-work!'

"Filly-work...? HA! You're really out of date, aren't you? Jade would be pissed if she heard that kind of sexist ranting you know. It's not like that nowadays, or it's not supposed to be anyway, haven't you noticed?"

'Knights no clean... or cook... or fix... Knights fight... Servants clean...'

Well, I like fixing things. Cleaning them is sort of like that too, it's satisfying making things better. I even kind of like cooking, I was learning at least. You're from a different time, but there's nothing wrong with a stallion doing housework type stuff, so hush up and deal with it. Besides, like I said, no servants here, so who do you expect to do it?"

'Conquer town... Make servants...'

"I don't want to conquer anything! I just want to clean up in peace, then figure out what's going on in this place. Who the hell drew that..."

'Liars... False faces... Betrayers... Let me do...'

"NO! You're about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Stay quiet and let me handle it."

'...WANT...'

"Having some trouble cutie?" A mirthful and sweet voice behind me made me jump, fumbling for the slippery soap bouncing away to the tune of a giggling mare watching me scramble after it and yelp.

It was the cute mare in the mechanic's jumpsuit, Tailia McGlimmer. She came trotting around me nearly falling into the washtub in a desperate dive after the soap, smirking as she floated the escaping bar back and sat on the bench beside me. The attractive unicorn mare pushed my clumsy hooves aside, scootching closer to take over with practiced ease and a warm smile.

"You're not very good at this, let me lend a helping hoof to the famous hero. Can't have you running around in these filthy things. So... talk to yourself often? I heard you muttering as I walked up." Tailia scrubbed my trenchcoat vigorously with her magic, raising a curious eyebrow at me watching closely and blushing at being caught.

"Er... More often lately... Just umm... n-nevermind that, it's nothing. I just... after what happened I..."

"It's not easy to come back from, I know..." Tailia sighed sadly and interrupted my awkward and surely doomed attempt to convince her I was sane, sniffling slightly to my confused and blank stare. "My husband...."

"Husband? Is he here? I w-wasn't thinking anything bad! R-Really!"

Laughing openly at my cringe over my already rising wings and the open leering the Shroud had been doing with a pretty filly nearby, Tailia shook her head and wiped a tear from her blue-green eye. "No, no, no, relax! I'm flattered, but I only meant my husband is why I'm here. He was the one they replaced for me..."

"Replaced? A... a synth?"

Nodding somberly, Tailia paused in her washing and turned to me seriously. When she started unzipping her coveralls in front of me to reveal the shapely mare underneath I yelped and started skittering back, but she waved her hooves with another giggle and shook her head again. "Calm down... It's too cold out here to strip down and put on a show, I don't see how you stand it actually! Aren't you freezing!? No, I just wanted to show you this..."

I looked up to her kindly smiling face turning resolute and followed her glance down, trying not to focus on the cute floof of fur on her chest the Shroud was intent on playing with. Below and to the left of that cute feature was what she meant, a puckered old puncture scar near her heart.

"Still newlyweds, then one day he started acting strange. When I finally confronted him about it, damn thing must have decided the jig was up and nearly killed me. My parents weren't so lucky..." Tailia zipped back up with a shiver running down her tail, her bright eyes misting but coming down in a hard, unforgiving line as she finished. "That's how I ended up here in Covenant, where I can help make a difference, make sure they never do it again... Everypony here has a story like that, which is why we're so glad to have you Mr. Shrouded Stallion!"

"It's just Fast, please... So, you all do? Everypony here has... has had somepony replaced?"

"Yup, we've all had our run ins with those synth bastards, though we're usually not supposed to talk to strangers about it. We all know what you've been through personally though. I've never heard of the Institute making fake kids before, but I can imagine how hurt you are after having that thing turn on you like that." Tailia nodded smartly and gave a supportive nudge, but the venom in her voice made me stop her sales pitch with a growl.

"Don't call her a thing... She was my.... my daughter... it wasn't her fault..."

The so far nice mare snorted angrily at my weak reply, stamping a hoof down and tossing her flowing golden mane. "You can't think that! She was a machine! A fake! A spy! That's what they do, that's what they're made for! That's how they get you too! Making you care about them, making you think they're real ponies and not just a fancy walking toaster! I know it hurts, but you have to accept the truth. That thing was never a filly, never your daughter and never even a pony. It was an abomination that deserved to..."

"SHUT UP!" The Shroud's voice boomed out of my mouth and made her pale before the fury baking off me, her warm blue-green eyes shrinking away under the blazing glare of my red ones glowing and my fangs slurring my words. "She was MINE! She was my little filly! She was REAL! I loved her and that was real dammit! She wasn't... wasn't..."

Panting miserably as the anger gave way to sadness again, I slumped as my words withered up, my ears drooping and bare wings curling in to hide behind. To my surprise, Tailia hopped up and lunged into a soothing hug, bravely putting aside her well warranted fear to try to comfort in a soft coo. "Shhhhh... I know... we all know how it feels. It's ok, it takes time to get over it. You'll see the truth eventually, we're all on the same side, we'll make sure it Never. Happens. Again. You'll see!"

"I... I'm sorry about that... I just... Don't want to talk about her."

Patting my hitching back as she let me go, Tailia gave a sad smile and floated up my cleaned trenchcoat from the washtub behind her. She gave it a few brisk snaps in her bright green magic to shake the water from it, then hovered it over in a dripping bundle and nodded towards the house.

"Don't worry about it, a lot of the folks here were in pretty rough shape too after their own run ins, some of us still are... Covenant is a place for victims of those synths to heal, even heroes like the Shrouded Stallion. Let me see your hat while you go wash all that grime off, I'll pin it up with the coat by the fire inside to dry. Just lemme know if you want somepony to wash your back, Fast..." Tailia gently took my fedora in her magic too and turned towards the backdoor of Penny's inn, giggling brightly and sauntering off with a sway in her step when I jabbered and my wings shot up over her teasing.

'WANT! ... NOW!... Go get!... Sex!'

"Nnngh! NO! She was making fun, mainly because you can't keep it in your pants around any female with a pulse! Shut up and let me enjoy this in peace." I groaned at the eager growl watching her flicking tail, stomping off to the outdoor shower just to cut off the view and get some privacy.

To my annoyance, my front legs moved as ordered, while my back legs dug in and dragged through the snow. I grunted and pulled myself forward despite the obstinance, reaching the rickety door with my mane itching madly and my head struggling to turn back and look for the pretty mare. When I tried going into the shower, my foreleg shot out and grabbed the stall, now my left legs were pulling to keep going forward, while the right were under the Shroud's control and still refusing to abandon the only thing it was interested in.

"ERRGGH!! STOP IT! Quit fighting me dammit!"

'...WANT!... NOW!... MORE!... SEX!... FEEL!...'

"Celestia's flaming ass, would you chill the fuck out about it! I'm not going out of my way to hook you up dammit! I only want Jade! Er... or Val, ...or Witchy... or Swan, Ivy, Peri... Grrrr! Quit messing with my head! It's. Not. Happening!"

'WANT!WANT!WANT!'

Feeling especially stupid standing out here and actually, physically fighting with myself still clinging to the shower door and refusing to move the way I wanted, I seethed and used the foreleg that obeyed to facehoof, dragging it down my muzzle with a long sigh. No wonder I'd been such a pervert... Even before the Shroud could sit there and argue about it, the sex crazed spirit had been exerting any influence it had to get its way. Now it was just much harder to ignore... Time for a different approach then.

"No filly is going to want to sleep with a buck who's coated in mud, blood and bits of dead ponies and griffons. They tend to frown on that kind of thing..."

'........shower... then claim filly?...'

"Nuh-uh, I'm not making you any promises. I'm just stating a fact. Make of it what you will, but you're not getting anywhere while we look like a serial killer who went dumpster diving. So what's it going to be?"

I felt a little bad manipulating the oddly ignorant spirit, but I wasn't really lying, mainly because it could tell instantly. I could feel it rifling through my thoughts and feelings, but me having no interest in sleeping around was separate from my absolute certainty nopony would want to get in cuddling distance the way I looked and smelled now. Unless I happened on a pretty raider or something I supposed. Deceptive or not, I felt the Shroud cede control again with a petulant whine, allowing me to trot into the shower and slam the door shut.

Turning the squealing spiggot and sighing happily at the rush of warmish water pouring over me, I tried to relax my overworked muscles and stared down to the concrete pad, watching all the blood and dirt sloughing off me going down the drain while I thought. So the residents of Covenant were all victims of the Institute's synths... It made their general secretiveness and paranoia make more sense.

Anycreature who'd been fooled once would be highly motivated to not let it happen again, as Tailia so obviously was. I didn't like the way she tried to sell the place and their views however. She insulted my Glitter... Gone or not, nopony insulted my filly like that. She wasn't a ...thing... she was a pony, she was real, she even gained a cutie mark on her own! That wasn't even mentioning all the synths I had met who knew what they were but were still... alive... Synths like Nick, Angel and the zony Oro weren't just glorified Ponitrons, they were more than the sum of their parts, Glitter was too...

"So what'dya think? Place is creepy as fuck, ain't it?" A sudden voice speaking overhead made me yelp, getting soap in my eyes that only made things worse, as the Shroud had no idea what was going on.

'Poison!... Under attack!... BLIND!...'

"Stop freaking out! It's soap stupid!" I shouted and my body stopped randomly bucking around the small stall in rapid circles, rubbing my stinging eyes furiously to blink up to the griffon lazily peering over the scrap made walls. "Soap and somebody who likes living dangerously... Just because I'm naked doesn't mean I can't kill you in a dozen very painful and horrific ways, so if you were thinking of the bounty..."

Holding his claws up in surrender, the blurry image of Honest Dan gave a crooked grin and shook his head rapidly. "No way! I'm a small timer, not suicidal. Just chill out and listen a sec, I need your help..."

"Help with what? I'm not exactly in the helping random strangers business so much anymore, so it better be good. If not, leave me alone, I'm already running out of hot water..." I growled back, savoring the last remaining bits of warmth still sprinkling down from the rusty showerhead and glaring at the laconic griffon intruding.

In answer, Dan patted at his leather armor until he fished out a scrap of paper, holding it up as he leaned his head down into the stall to whisper. "Finding a lost filly, that good enough? You are the famous Shrouded Stallion, right? Big damn hero and all that?"

The words 'lost filly' just brought up Covenant's stupid test question and images of Glitter again, most of my grumpiness fizzling away to depression as I looked over the rough sketch on Dan's paper. It was a young teenaged filly, cute and bright eyed, a few years younger than me. The monotone sketch didn't fill in much detail beyond that, but the typewritten text did, listing her as a pegasus, along with eye, coat and mane colors, plus a simple sketch of her cutie mark in the corner. The name Amelia Stock Ton was slightly familiar, though I couldn't pull up where I knew it from.

Giving the griffon patiently holding out his contract a dubious look from under my soaked mane, I probed him curiously. "From the caravan ambush down the road? Why are you looking around here, they said they don't know anything about it, right?"

"Yeah, an' if you believe that, I gotta bridge in Manehatten to sell ya..." Honest Dan clucked back, rolling his ocher eyes and fishing out a cigar as he continued. "That kid was here an' these fuckers are lyin' about it. I gotta contract to bring the filly back to her pop in Bunker Hill and tracked 'em this far, the trail dries up here though. Whatever these creepy bastards are hidin', they ain't tellin' me anytime soon. You though... they think you're on their side already, kissin' yer ass since you strolled in! Just askin' you to snoop around a little, see if they'll tell you what they won't tell me. I'll split the caps with you even!"

"I don't care about caps..." I grumbled back and returned to rinsing under the now chilly water, waiting a beat for Honest Dan to start to object before I kept going quietly. "There is something I want though... Somepony drew a picture in that wagon, a torch... I want to know who, and why."

Blinking and tilting his head owlishly, Dan got a cautiously hopeful grin at my answer. "Hmm? That chalk picture that's been showing up everywhere? Yeah, I saw it too, guessing it was the filly I'm after. So... you went poking around the wreckage already huh? I knew the goody-good hero from the radio wouldn't turn away from a filly in need! Awesome! So I guess you're willing to help out then? No charge?"

"Maybe... I'm still deciding. What do you mean that picture has been showing up first? You've seen it somewhere else?"

"It's just some graffiti that's been popular lately, sure I've seen it. Croppin' up all over the place, little chalk drawings like that back in the wagon, big spray painted murals on walls an' billboards, stamped onto bottlecaps, stenciled on posters, all over. Figure it's some pony butt stamp or somethin'. That kinda thing is popular with my clients for this job, so I didn't think much of it." Dan shrugged and hopped down from hanging off the shower stall as I trotted out, briskly shaking myself dry-ish while I took that in. Glitter's mark had spread? Why?

"What kind of clients...?"

Giving a secretive smirk and miming zipping his beak with his claws, Dan shook his head with a grin. "I can't talk outta school about my employers, but let's just say they seem like the train loving type to me. Those kooks love putting up their little chalk markers for their secret decoder rings all over the Commonwealth, figured this was just a new one."

"Trains... The Railroad?"

"Didn't hear it from me... So? We gotta deal little pony? 'Cause if so, probably best if they don't see us hangin' out together." Dan kept up his cheery demeanor and thrust a claw out, waiting hopefully for me to meet the gesture with my foreleg for a vigorous shake.

Mission Added!: Pony Error

Objectives:
---Search Covenant for clues.

I groaned at my pip-buck deciding to wake up and contribute its weird missions again. It was the first time the arcano-tech device had chimed in since I woke up, spelling out my inevitable decision in the green text flashing in my vision. I met Honest Dan's hearty shake and nodded wearily as it faded away.

"Deal. I'll look into it anyway. What makes you think these folks have anything to do with it though? Other than being secretive and a little creepy? They've been nice enough so far, they're even letting you sneak around and pester their other guests."

"Secretive and creepy ain't the half of it. They're hidin' somethin' around here pal, that's why I need you. They'll open up to another pony, especially a famous one that hates synths and the Institute, they gots a real hardcore hate-on for them, even though they try to hide it. Just keep an ear an' eye open, see what you can dig up an' I'll do the same. I'll catch ya later and we'll compare notes partner, just don't spook 'em!" At that, Dan bounded off, ahead of the sound of approaching voices coming out of the inn.

My heart just wasn't in being a hero anymore, but this minor mystery had my complete attention now. I couldn't help Glitter, but maybe I could still help another lost filly. I had to look into why her cutie mark was apparently some kind of secret code or message the Railroad was spreading around at least. Beacon had shown and explained their little chalk drawn 'Rail Signs' I'd spotted on street corners and mailboxes out in the Commonwealth before, but Glitter's torch cutie mark was something new.

I was going to find out why...

The residents of Covenant kept up their overly friendly and cheery attitude the whole day, happy to show me around and share personal stories of loss and betrayal in a weird form of compassion and camaraderie. Tailia was telling the truth, every one of the adult ponies living here had been victims of the Institute's synths, replacing loved ones in secret and turning on them in horrible ways.

Every sad story was told with a bitter and hard edge to their voice that I recognized all too well, going along with the mutter of '...Revenge...' in my head eagerly agreeing with them. The most I got out of them directly was their shared hatred of the Institute and all synths though, topics they'd only whisper about in private. They'd all come together to support each other and develop their SAFE test for some reason they all believed in fervently, but so far I hadn't run into anypony I'd consider enough of a smarty-pants to come up with the psychological exam or figured out the point of it.

Honest Dan kept to his word, remaining far away and aloof in public, allowing me to sneak around on my own to investigate. I spotted him perched on the rooftops or bounding down to ask fresh questions somewhere while I explored, sharing a wink while I slipped in one cute little home after another looking for clues.

I found a holotape in a trashcan that was curious, labeled 'Join the Railroad!' and stomped on until the orange and white casing was shattered. Stopping in to Penny's small shop turned up a lot of curious stock too, coach guns, double barreled shotguns and a pile of battlesaddle straps and buckles sat on her small counter, in the process of being cleaned for sale, just the kind of weapons a lot of caravan guards I'd seen favored.

I stopped in at the small home housing the local doctor, allowing the middle aged mare Dr. Mountgomery to do a basic exam now that I was cleaned up. She was brisk and professional, not nearly the kind and gentle bedside manner I missed from Jade. She rebuffed any probing questions, but was absorbed enough tsking over my numerous recent wounds that she didn't notice me floating a slip of paper from her desk that I'd spotted her burying under others when I walked in.

A look over the pilfered note when I left with a fresh supply of potions and Med-X just left me with more questions, puzzling over the shorthoof scribbles that seemed to concern Covenant's weird SAFE test;

SAFE v11.3 Report

28% failure rate, delta -1% (need more data samples)

Unnamed Travelers (2): 1 failure, logged
Slog Ghouls (5): 1 failure, definite false positive
Stockton Caravan (5): 2 failures, resolved (RR or Inst?)
Mr. Tims (1): 0 failures
Finch Farms (3): 0 failures, working long term deal
Boyd (1): 1 failure, logged
"Honest" Dan (1): 0 failures

All the mentions of 'failures' was curious, there was a way to 'fail' a psychological test like that? What did failure even mean? That you were an unsavory type and not welcome in town like their odd little brochure said? Why would they put so much effort and focus on just that?

With all the adoring attention and friendly faces, it was a little difficult to slip away unnoticed from there. Fortunately the Shroud was working with me, curious and eager to get to the bottom of things here. It had sniffed out some kind of conspiracy and was always good at uncovering what bad ponies were getting up to, so the residents of Covenant never had a chance to spot me slithering into locked homes as a pool of shadow slipping under the door cracks or through the windows.

I ended with the Mayor's tidy home, reappearing in the locked and musty building alone and quickly rummaging around. It was a modest little house, a bedroom, a kitchen, a non-functional bathroom with a worn bucket near the toilet, a sitting room up front and a tiny office tucked in a corner. It was the last that caught most of my attention, the cramped little room showing lots of use, along with a glowing terminal and stack of papers on the rusty metal desk.

A reminder...

Covenant is a safe place. Whatever bad happened to you in the past won't happen here. But we've all got a job to do. We need word-of-mouth to spread so eventually we'll officially join the Kingdom of Sanctuary and dozens of ponies a week will come through here.

So, some guidelines:

* Be welcoming, but don't make visitors uncomfortable
* Any opportunities to encourage visitors to bring their friends, exploit
* NEVER talk about synths
* NEVER talk about the Institute

I puzzled over the strange note I found atop the ledgers full of numbers I couldn't really decrypt, mulling it over while I tapped away at the locked terminal. They were honest with me in sharing how they'd all suffered under the Institute, but didn't want outsiders to know? Yet they wanted outsiders to come here... the more the better it seemed. Why?

What I found on the terminal was even more confusing, private notes and personnel files about the citizens here, making Mayor Order sound more like some kind of manager;

Farthing, B.

Concerns:
* None.

Notes:
Mr. Farthing treats our mission as seriously as I do. If only he could do something about his wife.

Farthing, P.

Concerns:
* Mentioned the synths as "undesirables".
* Altercation with M. Belle.
* Frequent negative comments about other personnel and other places in the Commonwealth (specifically Diamond City).
* Severe reprimand for warning one trader about the Institute and "their ways."

Notes:
If Mrs. Farthing was not extremely effective in her role I'd request she be reassigned to the Compound. But she's married to Mr. Farthing so her permanent posting here is required. Nothing to be done but frequent reinforcement of our missions and its parameters.

Sometimes I feel she cares more about running her store than our goals.

McGlimmer, T.

Concerns:
* Visitors comment on her "nervousness" and "jumpiness".
* She's very compassionate. Could that be a problem?

Notes:
After bringing up my concerns to her Ms. McGlimmer has really come around. Part of our job is to act natural and if anything she over does it. Flirty and vivacious when outsiders are present now, plus she really lends a helping hoof to any new residents, helping them get over their own traumas with a patient ear and kind word.

I really hope she's truly recovering instead of putting on an act. Even if it is an act, she's utterly indispensable to our operation.

Mountgomery, P. (Doctor)

Concerns:
* None

Notes:
I have no specific concerns about Dr. Mountgomery. Looking at her now, you'd have no idea of what she's been through. The only niggling detail is that she keeps to herself and hasn't integrated into the community. But I suspect she resents being transferred here and would prefer to be working on the core mission.

But before she was here, our visitors' number one complaint was the lack of medical services. So we need at least one doctor here. And, unfortunately for her, she's the only one qualified that has a suitable temperament. With relief from the Followers, we'll see about rotating her back to the Compound after Covenant has joined the Kingdom of Sanctuary.

Weird... The 'Mayor' around here had files on all his citizens like they were employees or... special agents or something. Like a bizarre little Ministry of Morale sting operation. He was talking about them acting out their roles, not arousing suspicion, attracting as many visitors as they could, and angling to join Jade's kingdom to further their plans...

That last part was what really bothered me. Whether I was at her side or not, I was still Jade's knight. Anypony thinking to use her for their own ends was playing with fire...

'Princess... Mine... Want... Protect.. Love...'

"Me too... So we're gonna help her and get to the bottom of this place, even if we're not together. We can still do that much."

Perusing through the remaining files on the terminal, I didn't find much more. Opening up the Drafts folder did disclose one final bit of intel that seemed pretty valuable however, an unfinished note Mayor Order had been working on;

Fishermare's Report (Draft)

Mr. Huntley has aborted five Compound runs due to a fishermare (name unknown) who has stationed herself at the Mystic Pines' Pond. Mr. Hunt reports her new "favorite fishing hole" is directly on top of the Compound entrance. The Stock Ton retrieval team was almost spotted by the outsider. I recommend--

Map Updated dinged in the corner of my eye as I read the short missive, adding a marker for Mystic Pines Pond nearby and a smaller objective arrow on one shore. Whatever this 'Compound' the Mayor had mentioned a couple times was, that was the heart of their secret around here. My pip-buck even agreed, throwing more green text up in my vision as I slipped back out of the Mayor's home and looked around the sunset lit village suspiciously;

Mission Updated: Pony Error

Objectives:
---~~Search Covenant for clues.~~
---~~Find the location of the secret 'Compound'~~
---Find the entrance to the Covenant Compound

Optional Objectives--
---Speak to Honest Dan

I managed to return a few friendly waves from passing ponies as I sat in the snow and read the fading mission update, forcing a crooked smile on my face to mask the thoughts whirring in my head. They were all finishing up their day, the savory smells of a large cauldron of stew bubbling away under a cookfire outside Penny's shop promising a big meal to be put on that was very tempting.

Scanning through the crowd, I caught a flicker of brown and tan from behind one of the houses towards the far corner of the town and found who I was looking for. Honest Dan peered around the edge of the pink painted home, holding a claw up to his beak in a shushing gesture, then waggling the dexterous digits in a 'come here' motion I gave a subtle nod to.

I took a casual stroll that way, wandering around with my own false smile matching the residents until I could slip away again. The houses of Covenant were arranged so the imposing wall was at their backsides, leaving a narrow alley of backyards bordered by the tall concrete walls and whirring turrets overhead that most Covenant residents didn't go to often, except to tend the small garden plots I wound my way through that were currently coated in snow and withering. It was gloomy and private, allowing me to slink towards Dan hiding near a small shed I hadn't noticed tucked near the rear corner of the walls.

"Find anything pal? C'mon, gimme somethin' to work with here, they won't say shit to me even if they had a muzzlefull." Dan pranced on his paws as I came up, a little of the entertaining greed I so missed from Val flashing in his eyes as I sighed and nodded.

"A few things, yeah... That caravan was definitely here and they did something to it. This whole place is... I don't even know, like an act or secret plan. They've got some kind of compound nearby, I think that's where they took them to."

Honest Dan didn't look that surprised, squinting at my pip-buck's map and copied files a moment, then scratching his beak in thought as he prowled towards the small cinderblock garden shed nearby. "Huh... thought so. Great work partner, we'll find the filly and fill the contract yet! I figured they were up to some nasty shit when I finally got a chance to peek in here, take a look..."

Following Dan's waving claw, I looked up to the high set and short window near the top of the shed walls, absently noting the rusty mesh bolted over the cloudy glass. I fluttered my wings with a shrug to hover up with Dan keeping a wary lookout, hooking my forelegs over the shallow windowsill and peeking in.

What I saw made my eyes blaze and got the Shroud's full attention... Part of the room was indeed just a shed, full of shovels, hoes, rakes, shears, bags of fertilizer and other garden tools. The majority of the space was closed off by more steel mesh however, the bare stone walls and concrete floor were stained with blood, concentrated around a sturdy wooden chair with shackles added to the hoofrests.

Nearby was a small, cobbled together jail cell, welded together from junk and taking up a corner of the shed. There were a few rotten pieces of cardboard thrown down for bedding and a foul looking bucket, along with more bloodstains... Wiping at the glass with my hoof and pressing my face against the window, my heightened vision made out every blurry detail, ending on a tiny white smudge on the cell walls among all the other scrawled epithets and graffiti. Glitter's mark...

I bounced off the wall and landed on all four legs spread in a tense crouch, my wings flared and fangs out in a furious sneer. "LeT's gO sEe wHAt tHeY're hIDiNg iN tHiS CoMpoUnD of thEiRs... NOW..."

Dan took a few wary steps back and his claw twitched towards the lever action rifle slung between his wings when I growled at him, but gave a cautious nod when I didn't pounce on him. "R-Right... We're in business then, I'll go ahead and meet you there, we rescue us some caravaners and the filly, then get the hell outta here. You uh... you sure you're ok buddy? You're ummm... y-your shadow..."

Blinking down at Honest Dan's only slightly shaking claw, I realized my shadow was swirling and stretching out in the darkened alley between the houses and the wall, swirling and slithering out in barely restrained rage I had to fight to master. Not here dammit... Just wait a minute...

'Punish!... Want!... NOW!'

"I'm fine, just get going. See you there soon."

Taking the implied warning, Dan flapped his wide brown wings and took off into the twilight skies, darting off to the southeast as I crept back out from behind the row of houses. I had to struggle with every step towards the gates, keeping my eyes down and away from all the fake smiles and friendly greetings. Seeing all that blood in their little torture chamber had set both me and the Shroud off, I kept seeing all the nice residents getting their heads cut off in a rampage of destruction in their weird hamlet.

The Mayor meeting me at the gates forced me to look up, glaring at the expression of kindly disappointment the older buck wore, shaking his head sadly as he spoke. "Heya Mr. Shroud, I hear you've been poking around... Not very neighborly if you ask me."

"Foalnapping isn't very neighborly either... GeT OuT oF My wAy..."

"Now, now... easy there son. I know you think you're doing the right thing, but don't do anything rash you might regret. Maybe you heard about Stock Ton's caravan and a certain Compound? Hypothetically, let's say there's something to that. In that case, you might not think the best of us right now, but I assure you, we wouldn't do anything unless we had good reasons. The very best..." Mayor Order kept up his placating tone, giving me an earnest and hopeful stare.

"There's no reason to take a filly. None! I don't care what excuse you have, this shit is unacceptable! I'm pUtTinG a StOp tO It..."

Mayor Order's weighty but still muscled bulk was surrounded by the corrupted blue glow of my magic as I snarled, the whole sturdy earth pony slowly hovering up as I prowled forward and raved at him. It was a severe battle with 'Be Dark...' to not do more, the numerous spells the Shroud knew and volunteered to do horrible things to him flashing in my mind and rejected over its grumbles.

'Be Kind...' barely won out, helping me shove the weightless Mayor aside and stomp past before releasing him. He fell to his rump on the slushy ground at the gates when my magic imploded, managing a weak sputter when I stopped at the edge of the road with my head down and teeth gritted in silent battle with myself. "We really do have good reasons sir, but perhaps its best if you go straight to the horse's mouth and hear it from the doctor. Just keep in mind how good we've been to you, to everypony that visits Covenant. Sacrifices have to be made to ensure nopony ever suffers like you have, like we all have!"

I had to keep my eyes shut and hiss through a clenched jaw to answer, flaring my wings and flicking my ears at the soft murmur of the Covenant residents noticing the commotion. Despite being creepy, some of them like Tailia were nice...

"I'm going... if I find out you 'sacrificed' that filly though... DoN't bE hERe... Please..."

Following the marker on the compass in my vision, it didn't take long to reach Mystic Pines pond from Covenant. It was a small, oblong body of murky, polluted water just down the road, surrounded by the dead forest stretching away to the north. Skimming the surface of the unfrozen water with my hooves, I also noted it was fairly radioactive in spots, little pockets of tingly water marking some prewar waste dumped deep beneath the surface long ago. I kept it in mind as I continued flying low, a convenient source of healing radiation was useful, especially without Jade around to keep me in one piece.

Towards the southern shores I spotted a rickety looking dock extending over the water and angled that way, looking over the scrap repaired structure and finding a rusty metal chair sitting by a cooler at the end, a perfect fishing spot... Behind this locale were three large discharge pipes I came in for a landing at, following how they led up and into the hill behind them. The center one had a barely visible glow beyond the dead weeds and vines grown over the exit, the glow of a red gemlight leading right to a sturdy steel door.

I had to scratch at a rusting bit of engraving on the metal to make out the words; 'Aegean Waste Disposal' stamped there, glad to find the door wasn't locked and opened on squealing hinges to the pitch black pipe beyond. If it weren't for alicorn night vision, Honest Dan might have wound up in a world of hurt just lurking down the pipe a few yards, but I picked out his silhouette and trotted up to meet him without the urge to attack overwhelming my thin control.

He didn't waste words at least, remaining silent and giving a firm nod along with several griffon claw signals I didn't quite figure out. I'd learned some from Val though, and 'this way' was easy enough to decipher. We followed the winding pipe together with our weapons drawn, prowling down the twists and turns in silence.

When we came around a final turn, I flinched and hissed back at the click of floodlights pinning us down, my shadow retreating behind me in the glare and swirling at the harsh voice that called down from above. "Freeze! Who are you!? What are you doing in here!?"

'...DESTROY...'

"Nnngh! Not yet... the filly, remember the filly... Let me do the talking dammit!"

Blinking up through squinting eyes trying to cope with the floodlights pouring down on us from what looked like catwalks above, I won against the Shroud's automatic desire to start slaughtering, just barely. The brim of my fedora at least let me hide from the glare a bit, shading my glowing eyes as I started catching up with E.F.S. and picked out the shadowy forms of several armored ponies aiming a variety of hardware down at us.

"Who the fuck do I look like?"

"Huh? How should I know? Wearing that get up, you sorta look like... the.... t-the... oh shit..." Hearing the buck in charge's voice quaver as he figured it out was very satisfying, the sudden scent of fear like a fine wine for the eager Shroud drinking it up.

"That's right... I'm here for a filly from Stock Ton's caravan. I know you took them and I doubt you're the mastermind, so I suggest you get out of my way and find who is in charge around here. Right. NOW...."

To punctuate my point, the blazing bright floodlights around the shadowy buck exploded in a shower of sparks, dimming the underground chamber back to normal lighting and letting me get a good look at his worried face. He was a thirty something earth pony, wearing a tattered flannel shirt under his crude leather armor, though the hunting rifle he had propped on the railing looked in good condition. His pale orange face was even lighter than his coat and his blue eyes were wide under his shaggy red mane, the others around him on the catwalks wearing similar gear and expressions.

The room itself was musty and ruined, a warren of crumbling brick walls and pillars, mostly held up by numerous wide pipes like the one we'd walked through. They ranged all over, up and down, twisting and turning through the various passages and around the catwalks going further in the Compound, painted different cheery colors that were rusting and flaking away to moldy ruin.

My brief inspection ended by waggling the Terrible Shotgun towards the slack jawed buck suggestively, raising an eyebrow waiting for him to get his shit together and start talking, before I just gave in and let the Shroud kill them all... There were only about half a dozen in this room, all different kinds of ponies from all walks of life, even a pegasus worriedly hovering near the root punctured ceiling. It wouldn't take much to just murder all of them and move on, even without the hard faced griffon merc at my side. At this point, it was all on the poor guard in charge everyone looked towards expectantly.

"S-Shit..." The head guard repeated and shook his head, sighing finally and holstering his rifle to hold his hooves up. "Ok, this is way above my pay grade. I'll take you to the Doctor, let her decide what the hell we do about this. Er... j-just this way Shrouded Stallion, sir..."

Honest Dan didn't follow the guards example and lower his gun as the tension in the room eased and the head guard trotted over to the stairs up from here patiently. The griffon did give a muffled cluck of respect and whispered out the side of his beak before we took a step forward to meet him. "Nice work partner, closer we can get to the filly before all hell breaks loose, the better. Not lookin' like such a friendly little town now though, is it? What the hell is this place?"

Eyeing all the pipes and pumping equipment, I shrugged as we climbed the stairs to meet the guard. "Aegean Waste Disposal... must be some old pumping station or treatment plant I guess. They've turned it into a regular secret dungeon though, haven't they?"

"It's a laboratory for our research, thank you." The head guard huffed defensively as we reached him, his automatic response drying up when I glared at him to turn around and start leading the way. "Er... but yeah, it used to be waste disposal. Why the pond outside is so cruddy I guess, those prewar ponies were real jerks about cleaning up their messes. Name's Manny sir, p-pleased to meet you, er... maybe not pleased, but... you know... It's uh... she's this way I mean..."

The rest of the guards wandered down side passages or stayed a respectful distance away as Manny led the way, climbing more clattering steel stairs and catwalks to follow the warren of pipes further into the Compound. The lightly shaking catwalks went down more crumbling brick passages and through open chambers that fell away below us, full of huge pipes and tanks.

At one point we passed a steel security door with a distracted sounding lavender unicorn buck in a labcoat, trotting up behind the steel mesh of the window, jabbering as soon as he spotted our guide without noticing us in favor of the clipboard floating in front of his face in his pale pink magic. "Ah! Manny, hold on just a second. Can I get subject 12 back in here for more tests? Question number 4 is the sticking point, fascinating data... if I could just..."

He stopped when he finally looked up and spotted me glaring at him with a low growl, the mesh window he spoke through allowed the scent of blood and the medicinal tang of drugs to come wafting through. Honest Dan peered over my head to the halls beyond the wasteland scientist muttering under his breath in disgust. "Fuckin' torture chamber... these ponies are sick."

I forcibly turned my head away from the labcoat wearing stallion after the Shroud marked him, keeping my eyes focused dead ahead and growling back to the griffon merc padding along beside me. "This place doesn't look very good, no... I doubt this is going to end well. Look Dan... if we find this filly, if something happens... I don't want to hurt you, but I might not be in control. If I tell you to, you need to run... far and fast."

The brown and tan mercenary smirked back, patting his lever action rifle fondly and giving a firm nod as we continued deeper into the Compound. "I'm stickin' to the contract and findin' that filly, so ain't no backin' down now anyway, but thanks for the warnin' pal. If it does go south, I won't step on your hooves, don't worry."

Oh but I did... Nothing about this place was improving my mood or discouraging the Shroud rantings in my head. 'Be Dark...' wanted to annihilate everything in the rat's nest we found ourselves in, barely held in check by the soft whispers of the Ministry Mares and my own pleading mental voice. The filly, find the filly first, please...

"She has to be ok... I have to rescue her somehow, this time I'll save her..."

"Hey... yer talkin' to yerself again buddy. You alright doin' this thing?" Dan whispered in my ear when we stopped behind Manny, the earth pony guard calling across a deep chasm of rusty pipes and dripping water to have one of his fellows on the other side extend a trundling walkway across the gap that helped mask my unconscious muttering I'd been caught at again.

I'd gotten used to just randomly blurting things out while talking to myself, but this time I was especially embarassed and gave a weak, sniffling nod. This unknown filly had become something to cling to, a second chance to do something right and make up for failing my daughter when she needed me. I couldn't help Glitter when it counted... I had to help this filly, I just had to...

Thankfully it wasn't much further, allowing me to wipe my leaking eyes as we wound our way down a few last tight passages and through a few entrances broken through brick walls. The chamber we eventually reached was huge, angling its way up nearly three stories tall at the highest point and full of ancient equipment and pipes. Crumbling stone stairs, ramps and catwalks led up to imposing rear wall that was dotted with iron barred cells like a crude prison, the faint filly scent reaching my twitching nose from one of them...

The elderly mare trotting up briskly was making a mistake by being between me and them, drawing my furious scowl even before started running her mouth in an irritated tone. "So the Shrouded Stallion and the griffon investigating Stock Ton's caravan have arrived... Do you even know his supposed daughter is in all likelihood a synth?"

"Er... what?"

Her question stumped me for a minute, enough time for her to give an annoyed whinny and barge ahead into her spiel as the guard Manny sheepishly trotted to her side and tried to look intimidating, instead of like a shamefaced colt hiding behind his mother's skirts. "A synth! I expected somepony sharper on the uptake based on the radio. Stock-Ton's-daughter-is-most-likely-a-syyyyynth... do you understand?"

I goggled at the brisk and rude mare carefully enunciating each word. I was insane, not deaf or slow... She was fearless anyway, walking right up and sniffing down her nose at me impatiently. Her mane was grey and swept up, pinned in a severe arrangement that was very no nonsense and practical. Her coat was as clean as the Covenant residents, pure white that made her ancient Stable-Tec labcoat look dingy in comparisson, while her stern eyes were half hidden by her dark goggles magnifiying the hard lilac gaze beneath.

After snorting at me simply standing there like an idiot and trying to catch up, the arcane-scientist mare groaned and threw her hooves up in frustration. "Ugh! No matter. I'm Doctor Roseline Chambers, and let me be up front about this Shrouded Stallion. There are two ways this meeting can end. We come to an agreement, or there's violence..."

"YoU dOn'T wAnT tHaT..." I croaked back with a fanged grimace, finally getting the old mare's attention with the obvious realization on her weathered face that violence was not much of a deterrent for the Shroud. I had to fight it to continue in my own voice, hissing with effort to force the words out. "N-Neither do I. ...YES... No! I don't... I really don't, please... I just want the filly... I'd really rather not fight if we can avoid it..."

Tilting her head curiously and taking a cautious step back, this Dr. Chambers gave a curt nod and sat on her haunches. "As would I. Let me pose you a question then, what would you do if you if your family was destroyed by a synth, right in front of you, when you were just a foal? Would you roll over and accept it, or would you do something about it?"

"My family was destroyed... not by a synth, by the Institute. I went crazy, I wouldn't recommend it. Why? What happened to you?"

It was hard to tell with the goggles, but I swore she got a sad, empathetic expression at that, continuing in a softer voice that sounded less like a lecture and more like one hurt pony trying to comfort another. "Yes... your 'daughter'... I'm very sorry, that's a kind of deviousness even we haven't had to deal with here before. Though I'd dearly love to study it if you still have it intact. The Institute's never made children before, the betrayal you must feel..."

"She's nOt a THING to sTuDy!!!"

Dr. Chambers flinched along with Dan, Manny and the rest of the guards when the Shroud's voice boomed out, but the mad scientist composed herself quickly, her irritated expression coming back as she waved me off. "It's still raw and fresh, but best to rip that bandage off now. I've had a lifetime to think on it. Diamond City... My parents once ran another little settlement like this one and came together with several other leaders in the Commonwealth, to make things better and oppose the Institute. Nearly everycreature knows what happened after that... That was the night we learned of the Institute's diabolical creations. The synths."

"The Night of the Broken Mask... You were there? 50 years ago?"

Giving another sharp nod, Dr. Chambers stood with a few popping joints and nodded for us to follow, heading up the walkways and ramps to the upper levels and the cells as she spoke. "Indeed, I had a front row seat to that ambush. That was the night I knew the depths of their evil, the night I gained my mark and found my destiny. To destroy the Institute and their synth abominations..."

She looked back over her withers as we climbed the first level, floating the tails of her labcoat aside to show her cutie mark. I'd seen some odd ones in the wasteland, but I'd never seen a pony with the Institute's own spread eagle pony emblem, let alone one being broken by a glimmery line of magic. This mare's special talent was destroying the Institute? Maybe she wasn't so bad after all...

"Boo frickin' hoo lady. Don't care about yer sob story, we're here for the filly. Give her over and we all leave here alive and happy." Honest Dan interrupted the brief pause by poking Dr. Chambers in the flank and squawking angrily, waving a claw out to all the cells arrayed above us after glancing over all the empty ones on our current level.

Dr. Chambers gave a flat look back to the griffon, ignoring him and his demands as she kept strolling along. "As I was saying... After that night, I dedicated my life to devising a test that can detect these hidden synths. To root them out so they can be extinguished. Isn't that a goal worth fighting for? So what happened to me, and you I might add.... Never. Happens. Again. That is the origin of the SAFE test and why our work here is so vital, despite any sacrifice! As long as the Institute trots invisibly among us, they can strike without warning and control us from the shadows! Synths make that possible, take them away and they're much weaker, even if they have come out of hiding with their unholy Synthlestia monstrosity! It's our part in your noble fight, our contribution to the cause and the Kingdom of Sanctuary!"

My head was starting to pound in time with each step forward, the Shroud snarling and struggling to get loose at her feverish ranting. The best I could do was try to think and question, hoping for an outcome where nopony got hurt. "Destroy them? You're talking about genocide... you can't really want to kill all of them. What about ones that are alive? Don't they deserve to be free? Like the Railroad tries to..."

"The Railroad! Hmph!!" Dr. Chambers stamped her hooves in agitation, her tail whipping back and forth in my face as she stomped up the next set of stairs and bitched out loud. "Foalish, bleeding heart simpletons! Trying to rescue synths! It's like trying to rescue a coffee maker! I assure you we are not so soft here. I most certainly do want to destroy them all, killing only applies to real ponies. But first we have to find them..."

The mad doctor huffed and held a foreleg up like a lecturing teacher giving a lesson, continuing as we moved along. "A Gen 3 synth is indistinguishable from a pony by any medical test yet devised. But, it turns out, psychology can detect differences! Enter the SAFE test. It's still in its infancy, but through sacrifice and perserverence, our success rate is improving."

"And this test of yours works? It can tell who's a synth and who's not?"

"Oh yes, autopsies confirm it's getting more accurate. There's something in the questions that provoke a response from synths. But the exact trigger is elusive. The margin of error is admittedly high, four or five false positives per confirmed synth. But one day we hope to get it down to one or two false positives." Dr. Chambers' voice grew excited as she talked about her passion, her chipper tone clashing with the horrible shit she was so breezily stating that made me and Dan both stop in our tracks.

"Four or five!? You crazy fuckers have been abducting and torturing four or five innocent folks for every synth you actually find!?" Dan's angry screech echoed in the musty stone chamber, getting wary attention from the numerous guards still patrolling around and watching us closely.

At least the griffon was able to speak and voice the same objection I had, I was too busy keeping a tight hold of the Shroud along with the Ministry Mares. The spirits of the Elements of Harmony were fighting valiantly, but even they were pissed at the situation we'd stumbled on. I was starting to come around to 'Be Dark...' and its ideas about this place, a rampage of blood and carnage was coming... But the filly first.

Dr. Chambers waving aside Dan's complaint was just making it harder to be patient however, continuing on in her clinical tone "To improve the SAFE test, intense psychological pressure must be applied to the test subjects. It's distasteful, but neccessary. Covenant is many things. A refuge for the broken ponies left in wake of the Institute's experiments. A place of safety and healing. But most importantly, it is our one chance to end this age of paranoia, before it spreads beyond the borders of the Commonwealth. Surely that is worth any sacrifice?"

She ended by stopping at a cell on the second floor, turning to stand at the bars and sniff in distaste towards the green dash on E.F.S. representing a prisoner hidden in the corner. I took the invitation to step forward with dread forming an icy ball in my stomach, peering through the bars to find the filly curled up in a little ball in the corner.

"I'll make you a deal griffon. If you allow me to dispose of Stock Ton's synth here and continue our work in peace, I'll match whatever reward you negotiated in your contract with the synth lover. I'll even throw in a bonus for looking the other way. I'm sure the Shrouded Stallion here will see how important what we're doing is, but I understand griffons only care about caps and am willing to compromise." Dr. Chambers kept talking, but I barely paid any attention, shaking as I moved to the bars of the cell and wrapped my forelegs around them, sticking my muzzle in to stare at the trembling filly and feeling the cold metal starting to shake.

She was filthy... bloody... scared... The smells of terror, blood and piss filled the cell, she'd been treated rough, tortured... They tortured a filly... She was a gangly little teenager, already probably taller than I was, but skinny and all long legs and ratty, unpreened wings. Her coat was a light cream under all the dirt, her blue and pink striped mane was matted and hid her terrified lilac eyes peeking out at me, the faintest glimmer of hope registering in her wide gaze flicking up and down my costume.

"I've had more than enough crazy shit on this job already, but my Ma always taught me to keep to the contract. No deal." Dan's gruff answer barely registered, though I did weakly cheer at his refusal to go along with the mad doctor's offer.

He got to live then... The others... not so much. Just looking over the filly with burning red eyes was enough to know that and surrender to the Shroud's demands. Part of her mane at her temple had been buzzed away to the scalp, revealing a pair of bleeding holes right in her head they hadn't even bothered to bandage or clean. Other bloody marks on her forelegs and flanks spoke of lots of injections too, along with ugly bruises and small, puckered burns. Cigarette burns... they hadn't just tortured her in the name of arcane science, some of them had been tormenting her for the hell of it.

Worst of all was seeing not the daughter of the caravan manager Stock Ton from Bunker Hill, but seeing Glitter in that cell. For an instant it was like she was right there... It was Glitter shivering in that tight little ball, Glitter covered in dirt and blood, Glitter who had been tortured... They'd do it to her too if they had the chance. She was a synth, I had accepted that truth. Meaning they'd put her on their table and ask her their questions, pump her full of drugs and experiment on her just like they had this frightened filly. The bitch said as much already, that Glitter was a synth they'd love to fool around with just because she was special apparently, a foal synth for them to do this to...

'Ready now?... Let me... Destroy... Kill... Punish...'

"Almost... One last thing..." I managed to mutter to myself, finally tearing my burning glare away from the filly and to the walls of the corner she huddled in. She'd drawn Glitter's mark there too, a talisman she nervously stroked with a shaking wing for comfort. That was the last thing I needed to know...

The cell door was surrounded by my blackened magic rising up from my swirling shadow, the heavy iron bars squealing as the barrier was bent and ripped out of the way over Dr. Chambers' jabbering. "Stop! What are you doing!"

"WaiT YoUr tUrn..."

I threw the cell door at her... It was a boring conversation anyway. Dr. Chambers yelped as the bars bent and twisted around her like a snake, leaving her squirming head free and her limbs quite pinned in the tortured metal, while the guards were reacting to her shouts in a flurry of motion. Honest Dan squawked as he dove in the cell behind me, giving a whoop and firing his rifle rapidly as he took cover at the stone wall.

My horn lit in a layer of overglow and I absently noted the wall of shadows that blocked off the cell from the outside as I reached the trembling filly. Huh... I actually made an alicorn shield... Or more accurately the Shroud did, but it was effective anyway. The sounds of shouting and gunfire even grew dim and muted as more bullets pinged off the crackling barrier, giving me a moment more of peace and sanity I used to gingerly reach out and touch the filly's hitching shoulder with a foreleg.

"Hey there kiddo... i-it's ok now, I promise... Nopony's going to hurt you anymore..."

My heart hurt seeing the carefully guarded hope shining in her pale lilac eyes, even her teary gaze matched Glitter's in her misery, despite the difference in age between them... It just made the persistent illusion of her cute face staring back harder to dispell, only broken when her older voice wavered and croaked back in a rasp. "R-Really? You're... y-you're the Shrouded Stallion... a-are you here to save me? P-Please? I know I'm... I'm not... but... b-but you're a hero, right? The Princess..."

"It's just Fast... Sorry, Princess Jade isn't with me right now... I'm sure she... s-she'd like meeting you though."

She glanced at the chalk drawing her wing was still lightly touching, shaking her head and wheezing a reply weakly. "The Synth... P-Princess, not... blue one..."

"Synth Princess? You mean that Celestia thing? I don't understand... please... I dOn'T hAvE LoNg..."

I hated seeing her shiver at my growling voice, but I really didn't have much time... The longer I looked over how scared and hurt she was, the hotter the roaring pyre of hate in my head got and the more the Shroud pushed to just take over. It was being nice and giving me a moment for Glitter, but terrible things were going to happen, soon...

The filly herself wasn't in good shape either, her bloodshot eyes drooping and lidded as she sputtered on one of the normal healing potions I had on hoof that I'd tilted up to her bloody muzzle tenderly. She was fighting to remain conscious and spit this out, the gravity of what she wanted to get across coming through even if the words didn't. This was important to her...

Shaking her head again and placing my hoof on the crudely drawn torch with her shivering one, the filly spoke in a slightly firmer voice, forcing the words out through sheer determination. "N-No... not that thing. T-The little Princess... Princess of... free synths, Princess Glitter! She... She showed us... earned her mark... T-The light of hope for us... A miracle..."

My eyes stung as they shifted between her earnest face and the drawing repeatedly, tearing up as I worked it out. That's why her mark had been showing up around the Commonwealth like Dan said... Regular ponies like the Covenant residents had seen Jade and I as the victims of the Institute and their synths, but the hidden synths out there had seen Glitter proving they were free.

For a moment, I chose to simply accept the mirage of my little filly blinking up to me hopefully instead of the real Amelia Stock Ton, lunging into a desperate hug as her anxious words tapered off and sobbing into her ragged mane. She was warm and alive, clutching back with real emotion and crying against my neck like a real filly. How could they do this to any filly, synth or real pony? She was real in every way that mattered, yet they'd torture her and who knew how many 'false positives', just so they could ferret out more to torment and kill?

Maybe their test would have let me know Glitter was a synth before Vega did by... by torturing her too, but it wouldn't have mattered to me. Glitter had been mine... my little Princess... Now I saw she was a Princess for a whole hidden world of synths who had seen her defy her masters and her nature. Only ponies got cutie marks, and Glitter got hers... all by herself.

"Sweetie... Glit... er no, sorry.... A-Amelia... I'm going to save you now, you're going home safe and sound, I promise. It's not going to be pretty though, so I want you to stick with my griffon friend here and keep your eyes closed, no matter what you hear. Ok?"

"Really more temporary partners than friends..." Honest Dan turned from poking at the flickering barrier of shadows to address the still traumatized filly hiding behind me, but pulled out his contract with Old Buck Stock Ton's signature and held it out where the filly could read it, while he made an odd salute with his claws to his feathery chest and bowed his head solemnly. "You're my contract though kid, I'll get you home to your pop, no matter what. That's the deal and Honest Dan keeps his word."

She gave the griffon a dubious look and clutched me tighter, but her strength was rapidly fading as the healing potion she'd managed to take down did its work. I tried to give her a smile when her worried lilac eyes looked up to mine, though a fang poked out and made the expression somewhat snaggletoothed. When I nodded and gently took her to Dan's waiting claws, she whimpered and stretched a foreleg out to keep touching mine, but quickly started losing consciousness as she sank into Dan's warm feathers.

I watched her like I was tucking Glitter in, ignoring the louder and louder blasts of gunfire beyond the cracking shield the Shroud was focusing on creating to give me these few minutes. My ears drooped sadly and I sniffled as she nodded off and her pawing foreleg fell away from mine limply, leaving me to watch Honest Dan fiddling with leather straps and buckles on his armor to fashion a sling to keep her safe and in place at his chest.

"Now ta get the fuck outta this freakshow... Got any ideas? Can't see much through this... whatever it is you're doing, but ya gotta drop it to let us out an' they're waitin' out there buddy." Dan kept shifting his armor and gear around carefully, reloading his rifle and preparing for a firefight to escape.

'...Let me now?....'

"Oh yes... now you can do what you want, go to town..." I muttered back, just adding to Dan's concerned look before I focused on speaking, while the Shroud started running the rest of my body, stalking past the mercenary to stride right up to the barrier. "StAy bAcK... fAr BaCk... I... W-wE'LL hAnDLe iT..."

Giving a gulp and shrugging at the growl I managed, Dan darted to the rear corner of the cell where the filly had been hiding, pressing her against the wall and shielding her with his body and any of the sparse furnishings he could throw that way. At least a week of fighting the Institute's Synthlestia in the skies of the Commonwealth had impressed upon most folks how dangerous the Shroud was...

The ponies of Covenant either didn't get the message, or were severely misjudging me. They thought I'd be on their side, for this kind of shit!? That they'd join Jade's kingdom and keep torturing whoever failed their test and we'd be ok with the end result? I might be a monster, but I wasn't that kind of monster...

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS... YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE NOW."

The Shroud's voice boomed out and shook the room as the shadowy barrier faded away, dust and rubble coming down from the earthen ceilings and gem lights shorting out one after another. The room dimmed and became a nest of inky shadows and gloom as I stalked out, leaning up on the railing on my forelegs and flaring my wings, my glowing eyes in the dark drawing all the guards' attention away from blindly panicking.

I felt myself lunge out into the open space of the cavern, cackling disturbing, deep throated laughter as I simply retreated into my own head. Let the Shroud have his fun now, let the spirit do whatever it wanted to these lunatics. Anypony that would hurt a filly, synth or not, deserved the wrath of the Shrouded Stallion.

I let the destructive spirit loose with no concern for what happened to any of them. Actually, I had to admit... as the screaming started and taste of blood filled my fading senses, I started liking it...

When I woke up again it was all over... and I was in hell...

No... Not hell, but not far off. I was panting in the middle of an inferno blazing around me, the crash of burning lumber falling in on itself making me spin in place with a confused yelp. Everything was bright orange light and dark, choking smoke, enclosed by four stone walls that turned the place into an oven.

Coughing as I squinted through the stinging smoke at the familiar walls, I spotted all the sparking, crushed remnants of auto-turrets and realized I was standing in the middle of Covenant, a blackened pony skull had been stacked on top of each ruined turret. The town was burning down around me... I nearly stumbled over a mound of earth that had erupted like some kind of giant mole hill and led down into dark stone passages below. I'd kept going from the Compound then, slaughtered all of them, then...

Penny Farthing's shop near the walls crackled and groaned as the roof collapsed and drew my attention towards the gates. A bent and blackened cage of twisted cell door held a scorched pony skeleton atop a bonfire in front of the entrance, built from the crushed Mr Handy's lemonade stand, other junk and more dead ponies. Dr. Chamber's skeletal jaw was wide open in a burnt scream, identifiable by the dark goggles melted to her skull. I assumed the thicker, larger, earth pony skeleton with its head literally shoved up her ass was the Mayor....

Through the flames beyond that macabre display, I saw a few shifting shapes staring in from the roadway outside in a frightened huddle. Tailia McGlimmer was at the head of this cluster of apparent survivors, glaring at me through the fire with tears running down her cheeks and a furious frown, the hard expression warring with fear when my gaze fell on her and she shrank back.

I had burned down their sick little town and killed most of the defenders, so I couldn't blame her. I hoped they were defenders anyway. I wasn't really sure and to be perfectly honest, I just didn't care... I might have been upset if some of the nicer ones were dead, but the Grim Reaper Pony in my head had left them. Only the ones who got in my way or were directly responsible for their horrible experiment seemed to be missing.

I hadn't killed all of them... Thank Luna...

'...Welcome...'

I didn't see Honest Dan, but didn't doubt he'd focus on his contract and was already winging Amelia back home to Bunker Hill. If she wasn't here to see all this, that was good... I didn't feel much of anything for the destruction and death I'd caused, but I might be a little ashamed if Glitter... if the filly saw.

Looking over the hard, bitter faces huddled together and staring in at the crazy pony standing in the inferno that was their home, I coughed on the smoke carrying the disgusting yet delicious smell of cooking pony flesh and stamped my hooves, shouting at them in fury and pain.

"Synths hurt you, so you hurt synths!? You think that makes things better!? You think MY JADE would want anything to do with this!? You're just repeating the past! A cycle of hatred! Not all synths are bad, just like not all ponies are good! You let your hurt and wish for revenge take over... This is where it leads you stupid, foalish ponies! TaKe A gOoD LoOk!"

To my surprised, Tailia took a shaking step forward and answered in a tremulous, furious scream. "Fuck you!! You ruined everything! All our hopes! Our only chance to keep those synths from hurting others! For what!? Some wind up doll that got broken!?"

"DoN'T... CaLL hEr..."

"That's what she was! A DOLL! A thing that looked like a filly!"

"dOn'T... sAy...ThAt..."

"She was NOTHING! It was never your daughter! We opened our hearts and homes to you, and you killed us for a toy! A stupid robot! A souless THING that..."

"ShUt... uP!"

"that NEVER. LOVED. YOU!!!"

BLAM!

I gaped into the silence that followed, only the crackling sounds of the fire raging around me filling the ringing emptiness after the gleaming .45 revolver floating at my side fired. Tailia stood in place for a moment, a perfectly round hole drilled right between her surprised eyes and a weak sputter of blood escaping her muzzle. Then she fell over in the street and the other survivors around her scattered into the woods, leaving her corpse and the ruin of their home to escape with their lives.

I killed her... The gun was floating in my own blue magic, drawn from my packs and aimed in a heartbeat of rage. The Shroud didn't do it, even though it had been more than ready to. That was me... I killed her... She insulted my little filly and I... I just shot her to shut her up, because I didn't want to hear it... Killing her was easier than hearing all those things I feared in my heart, so I did.

And I didn't feel anything...

I was starting to now that I realized what I'd done though, Vengeance trembled in my telekinesis and clattered to the ground as I gasped in horror. I fumbled for it with my hooves, but couldn't see clearly through the tears blurring my vision and my limbs were shaking. Finally I scooped it up and tossed it to my saddlebag in disgust, holding my head in my hooves and sobbing.

An unknown amount of time passed like that, huddled in a ball in the dirt, hearing the town of Covenant burn down to the foundations around me and surrounded by corpses, slowly feeling all the wounds I'd taken during my rampage dragging me down further. It wasn't peaceful, 'Be Dark...' and the softly crying whispers of the Ministry Mares led by 'Be Kind...' kept pestering me as I huddled there and felt myself slipping further into madness. The survivors didn't dare come back, not that I cared either way. If one did sneak back and shoot me, that would probably be for the best actually...

'No die... Live... Like... Be happy... Revenge good... Evildoers... Deserve...'

Nopony volunteered to put me out of my misery. Eventually I sniffled and stood back up, spreading my wings and flapping up into the predawn sky wearily. I still hadn't slept and was too exhausted to even think anymore. I let the proud voice of the Shroud take over just so it would stop fretting over me, feeling the spirit running my body and flying east.

I didn't care where we went. Just so long as it was far away from here.

--------------------Level Up!--------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------

In Shining Armor---------
---The Shroud's tastes in armor are a little old fashioned compared to your faithful comic costume. You now gain an additional +5 Damage Threshold against magical energy weapons while wearing any metal armor, +2 while wearing reflective eyewear.

Reputation Change!------------

Covenant -- Grim Reaper Pony
---The town of Covenant is no more, though the surviving residents won't forget their run in with Luna's avenger anytime soon. While there's no longer a settlement to worry about their opinion of you, the story is sure to spread and change how others view you!

Ch. 103-- Fallen Hero

"You can't run away from your problems. Better to run to your friends and family."

"Good morning Commonwealth, it's another lovely day in Equestria under a new dawn and I'm delighted to speak with you all again. For those unaware, this is Princess Celestia, speaking to you from Diamond City on the New Equestrian Empire Airwaves, formerly the automated classical radio station I understand.

I plan to keep all my little ponies abreast of the progress we're making to restoring Equestria like this, so tune in often please. I understand there are a few other options on your radio dial, most of which are understandably suspicious of me, but that's exactly why it's so important to talk to you like this. The secrecy of the Institute over the last two centuries may have been necessary, but the terrible Svengallop abused that security for his own benefit. I assure you from now on, transparency and openness with be paramount.

In that interest, it's my sad duty to inform you of a terrible tragedy... The Shrouded Stallion has destroyed the settlement of Covenant, completely... I know our battles after the attack in Diamond City have caused great damage and suffering, for which I apologize for my part, but I hope you all see how necessary it is to stop him now, by whatever means. The pony you've come to know as a hero is possessed by an ancient and powerful spirit I myself once sealed away. That it was once my sister's loyal servant kept me from destroying it ages ago, now my mistaken mercy has now cost more lives, each of which weigh on my heart heavily.

The beast seems to be moving steadily northeast after abandoning its futile efforts to oppose me a week ago. To any listeners in that area of the Commonwealth, I implore you to take care. Do not approach it or stand in its way, if you see it coming, please just run away as quickly as you can. Report its whereabouts to any member of the New Equestrian Army in the area, the former mercenaries known locally as the Gunners, or to our friends in the Kingdom of Sanctuary's Minutemares, as it has retreated to their territory to take its fury out on innocent ponies.

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones first, I swear that this time, I will resolve the problem permanently, so no more will suffer such a fate. For now, I'm afraid I must leave you, but I promise to return to speak often. Our long night is finally over, it is TIME for a New DAY in EquestriaAA!"

I woke up thrashing and screaming in a warm, feathery bed of some kind, roaring in rage and pain and grief with my magic lashing out wildly and tears blurring my vision. I blinked on realizing it was just another dream, not even bothering to figure out where I was in favor of just curling into a fetal ball and weeping for a few minutes. I was getting to dread sleeping, every time I did, I saw Glitter's pink eyes going blank as she crumpled to the ground. Again and again and again... my stupid, broken brain insisted on reliving the moment I lost her over and over.

That one was just worse than others, as I saw the same thing happen to everypony I cared about too. Jade, Val, Witchy, Swan, Peri, Ivy, Zed, my parents and brother, Sunset and Grizz, Summer and my squad of Fixers, Preston, Burny... every friend I'd ever made... They all fell with her in a mountain of broken synths in the burning ruins of Covenant, leaving me alone with my shadow consuming the light as I screamed myself awake.

'...Bad dream.... No cry... Weak...'

I whimpered at the voice of 'Be Dark...' trying to be consoling breaking the silence, eventually sighing and cracking my bloodshot eyes open to figure out where the Shroud had gone while I'd been out of it. I was surrounded by dingy, pale feathers in some kind of nest, so apparently the spirit had finally figured out it had to let my body rest anyway. I wondered where it got the comfortable bedding that felt so much like being wrapped in Jade's wings, then gagged as I saw that's what they were, severed wings... big ones...

I supposed I'd gotten too used to the grisly things the Shroud got up to, groaning as I trudged out of the bed of bloody feathers, rather than prancing away in fright. Instead I just looked around blankly, taking in the details of the small metal room I found myself in. It was some kind of modular capsule, a few rusty pipes and blinking bits of arcano-tech scattered around, somewhat covered up by the bundles of netting in the corners filled with bloody meat I didn't want to guess at the origins of. I couldn't ignore a stray hoof pointing out of one, but simply counted myself lucky it was too cold for the disgusting bundles to be... squishy... A few rusting orange barrels provided a soothing chatter of ambient radiation that had restored my wounds and made for pretty restful sleep at least.

There was a large window on one wall and a door leading out to rickety looking catwalks leading down from what seemed to be a high perch, I could see giant satellite dishes through the gaps, somehow still standing proudly with their crystalline, gem studded tips pointed to the cloudy skies.

Trotting over to the door to get a better look, I fell back in surprise at a large silver coated mutant alicorn poking its long horned head in. The Terrible Shotgun was out of my saddlebags and pointed between its dull red eyes in a flash, but it wasn't attacking, flinching back and lowering its head submissively with its ears laid back.

'Underlings... No need kill...'

"Underlings? What the hell are you talking about, what have you done now?"

'...Conquered...'

The mutant didn't look put out at me talking to myself while still aiming a shotgun at it, waiting until the Shroud gave its vague answer and I blinked in confusion. If anything, it lowered its head more in a bow, looking up and speaking in a gravelly voice. "Alpha awake? We bring food now?"

"Huh? Alpha? Er... I'm a little confused here, who are you?"

"Hook, me serve new alpha good, me no challenge, please no kill! We bring food now, okies?" I'd never heard one of the intimidating mutants sound nervous before, but this Hook sure did, bowing his warped and indeed vaguely hook shaped horn again as he repeated his question.

Seeming to take my raised eyebrow as assent, the mutant turned back from the door and nickered, signalling a hulking earth pony mutant alicorn to come tromping up the rattling stairs. I stood back just to make room for the overly muscled brute, sticking my tongue out at the radhog carcass it bucked from between its tiny wings before bowing its head and carefully backing away again.

My stomach growled and my fangs extended at the plump radhog, even as I felt queasy at the prospect of tearing into its flesh raw as the Shroud wanted. I did manage to turn my nose up at it at least, tilting my head to the unicorn mutant still watching anxiously. "Food good Alpha? Want other prey? We go get?"

"Umm... y-yeah, it's great, thanks Hook. Maybe we could see about cooking it though? You could explain what the hell's going on here?"

The long, twisted horn on the mutant's brow lit up and the radhog was instantly floated back out, the obedient and apparently eager to please mutant tossing it down to the ground with a gruff shout. "Alpha wants cooked! Hurry up! You come Alpha, we cook and tell things?"

"Suuuuure..."

I eyed the mutant dubiously, but followed its waving hoof out the door and took a better look around, my pip-buck chiming in my ear as I took in the large complex of three huge satellite dishes surrounded by catwalks, a forth stretching above my head from the maintenance room I was in situated in. Location Discovered: Revere Satellite Array.

It was a dilapidated ruin enclosed by rusting and bent chain link fencing. A large concrete building in the center of the lot was blackened and had large gaps in the roof, a tingle of radiation coming from that direction adding to the ambient glow of orange barrels scattered haphazardly around. The huge dishes were still pointed to the sky, though one was nearly straight up and covered in cobbled together scrap walkways that allowed access to the concave dish itself. That and more rough wooden shacks hanging off the dishes and catwalks spoke of normal ponies once occupying the location, but now it was a hive of the Institute's twisted mutant alicorns staring up at me and bowing.

While the view of all those mutant alicorns bending their heads low in hushed silence was pretty creepy, the Shroud puffed up proudly, my wings flaring out as I perched at the railing and all the mutants cringing in response. Once the spirit had soaked up enough fearful respect I was allowed to turn away with a groan, opening my mouth to speak, then brought up short and yelping at the horrible display pinned to the wall of the lair I'd taken.

I found out where the severed wings came from anyway... A rather large and well muscled example of the pegasus variety of mutant had been impaled by numerous pipes and bits of rebar, turned into a bloody trophy with two long ribbons of crimson staining the wall where his wings had been cut off, to make a bed... His limbs were spread eagle and speared in place, while a circle of hoof smeared blood going around the display completed the image of the Institute's own emblem. My stomach did a lazy flop as I looked over all the bite marks marring his mottled pale coat, choosing not to dwell on where his eyes wound up.

"W-What the hell happened here?"

'...Conquered... make servants... good... obey... like...'

The Shroud's cheery answer filled in the broad strokes as the anxious mutant alicorn next to me gave me an odd look, cocking his head and answering with only slightly more detail. "You make good fight with old alpha, put up trophy so all see and know new alpha is strong. You no remember?"

"I'm a little... absent minded lately. So I killed your leader, and now you all think I'm your new leader?"

Nodding eagerly as I trudged down the unsteady catwalks, the odd mutant volunteering to be my assistant answered in his gravelly voice. "Challenged alpha and won, Shroud-pony new alpha. We obey. Er... obey masters first, but obey."

"Masters... The Institute? Why do they have you here anyway? What are you supposed to do?" I blinked curiously between the strange mutant and all the satellite dishes, noting at least one of them was functional and feeling a vague itch of curiosity as we trotted across the snowy grounds of the satellite array.

Hook took a moment to puzzle over my question, eventually leading me to the broken concrete building blanketing the area in radiation as he replied. "We guard. Sorry, all we know. Masters say guard, we guard. They send plastic ponies to this room sometimes."

It seemed like a bunker, the heavy steel door creaking when the tall mutant pushed it open for me. I poked my head in to find a room of blinking terminals and equipment, powered by a pair of arcano-flux generators off to the side. One of them had been blasted to smithereens by whatever pierced the reinforced ceiling at some point, the damage old enough to guess it was from the war itself and not more recent. The remaining generator was still chugging along though, I absently noted a few recent repairs and replaced components here and there as I strolled in the dusty room, stepping over a pile of bones in tattered Equestrian Army fatigues to take a look at the biggest terminal in the banks of equipment blinking a simple enough missive;

TARGET LOCKED: CELESTIA ONE SATELLITE
JAMMING SIGNAL ACTIVE

The mutant alicorn at the door shifted on his hooves as I poked at the equipment, obviously torn over his orders from the Institute to guard this facility, versus his interest in remaining alive. I felt no reason to push the issue though, I had no idea what a 'Celestia One' was or why it would need to be jammed, but only had so much interest in much of anything anymore. Who cared what the Institute was doing with this thing, it wasn't really my concern...

Besides, I got the idea if I screwed with it, the so far friendly enough mutants would turn on me out of a sense of duty or enforced obligation. The scent of cooking radhog drew me away, more rewarding than poking into Institute mysteries that had caused me nothing but misery in the past.

The rowdy and brutish crowd of fellow Institute alicorns was probably where I belonged anyway. The Shroud seemed to like them as I sat out in the blustery day without feeling a thing, taking the first and biggest share of the cooked bounty and watching them snap over the scraps like wild dogs amongst themselves. They were slow witted and poor conversationalists, but sturdy enough for shadowy tendrils of my magic to smack them apart when they got too rough without killing them.

Plus if I did end up killing them all, did it really matter? It was better than wiping a town of regular ponies off the map anyway, wasn't it?

I still wasn't sure... Jade would say they were all living creatures deserving of respect and kindness. They didn't remember who they were or really care though. The blurry remnants of their cutie marks as distorted as the disfigured mutants themselves were mentally and physically. They only existed in the now, enjoying guarding their territory and slaughtering anycreature that came near, including the rare caravan that made the mistake of coming too close.

I did leave them with orders not to do that anymore and hoped they'd listen, but was aware I was leaving a vacuum they'd fight each other to fill until one came out on top. I just couldn't bring myself to judge or care though. In a way I envied their simple existence unburdened by the past. I soon left them behind and headed northeast again, following the pull of 'Be Dark...' leading me on up the broken roads through the quickening snowfall.

"Ok, one more. I spy with my little eye, something beginning with F..."

'...Food?...'

Groaning at the hopeful murmur of a reply to the simple game, I shook my head and sighed. "No, not food... We just ate, try thinking of something else."

'...Filly?...'

"Not that... Come on, look around, there's nopony else here, you're supposed to actually look and find something nearby."

'Bah... hmmm.... Fire?'

Feeling my eyes drawn up to the next gentle hill I was trudging up, I did see smoke from a fire somewhere ahead drifting up through the dense, blackened trees. It wasn't what I was thinking of, but it did give me pause, stopping in the silent and snowy woods and making for the actual focus of the old foal's game I'd been playing just to pass the time and keep myself and the Shroud occupied.

"Close. Fire-engine, this thing here. They used to go around and fight fires."

'Fight?... Fire...?'

I clambered up into the decrepit old fire engine rusting away in the ditch off the road and snorted tiredly, getting the Shroud's confusion with the image of a pony trying to actually fight a fire, like with a sword... "Not like that, with water dummy. I guess the hoses are all rotted away, but this kind of carriage has a big water tank and could hook up to all those fire hydrant things you see everywhere still. These ponies were called firefighters, they'd go put fires out and save ponies from burning buildings and stuff. They were heroes too, like you used to be."

There was a sullen pause at that, letting me root around in the wreck and gently pull one of the still intact firefighter helmets from a frost coated unicorn skull and turn it in my hooves wistfully. Glitter didn't have one of these in her collection of nifty hats... I stuffed it in my saddlebags with a sniffle, returning to poking around the already looted medical boxes and equipment bins festooning the old engine. I caught myself explaining old world things to the spirit in my head like I would with her and sighed, missing her innocent grin as she listened and asked questions.

'Am too hero... Kill bad ponies...'

"You kill pretty much everything though... granted I'm not much better anymore, so I guess I should've said like we used to be. Speaking of which, it does look like there's a town or something up ahead, so are you going to behave? Or can we just go around?"

'That way... be good...'

I stopped to sit on the tattered seat atop the rear of the long vehicle, absently playing with the independent steering wheel and fiddling with my pip-buck map to figure out where we were. While flipping through the menus I had to resist the urge again to bring up Jade's locator tag, a powerful temptation the Shroud only encouraged. Whatever was up ahead wasn't marked on the map yet, though I took a minute to bring up my recent travels and find out what all the Shroud had been up to while I'd been in and out of consciousness.

It was a weaving, meandering course starting where I woke up at Kindle Hospital, going vaguely northeast, but twisting and turning around between varying points, sometimes doubling back on itself in weird loops. "You're easily distracted, aren't you?"

'No... Not distra--BIRD!'

The defensive mutter was interrupted by the Shroud's eager shout and a blast of lightning crackling out of my horn, more controlled than I could manage and lancing out to fry several cawing ravens up in the dead branches overhead. While one of them did turn into a splatter of glowing green goop raining down to the snow, it still illustrated my point enough I only had to raise an eyebrow in a smirk.

'...Shut up... Spies!...'

"Yes, yes, good catch. I guess they're keeping an eye on me. We should probably keep moving..."

I hopped down off the end of the fire engine still hanging on the edge of the broken road, turning in surprise to find a red painted Ponitron was wedged in a compartment in the back. There was a darkened alarm light on its glass domed head and a pair of corroded spouts sticking from its broad steel chest, catching my interest for a moment where I forgot how miserable I was in favor of some new gadget. It was a good idea, the robot pony could go into burning buildings without fear and spray down the flames with the pair of cryo weapons it sported right up close. The stall housing it looked like a newer addition, stamped with the Robronco logo as a 'generous donation to the T.F.D.' and a date not much before the end.

'...Better... stupid technology... but you happy... good...'

Sighing at the reminder breaking my curious poking and prodding, I slumped and moved on to stripping the dead robot for spark cells and parts, stuffing the ammo and cryo fuel in the pockets of the leather bandolier across my chest. "Not really... just distracted too. So, I think I figured out where you're going... You're heading for that asylum where Grandpa's assistant got sent, aren't you? The one you drove insane? Why exactly?"

'....Need back... get mine... then kill betrayers...'

"Uh-huh.... I got part of that anyway. It does remind me of something that's been bothering me though. How come that pony went nuts just touching your prison, but you've been in my head all this time without doing that? Er... ok, maybe I went a little crazy, but not that bad. Why?"

'...No hurt foals...'

"No hurt... That's right, you can't hurt kids, Luna's command? So you couldn't hurt me until I grew up, and that took a long time because of the Stable... So what, you were just biding your time?"

'At first... sealed too... imprisoned...'

"That still doesn't answer how you possessed me to begin with, but it is something... I wish I could remember whatever Grandpa covered up in my memories. You don't know anything useful about how you got in my head, do you?"

'...Invited...'

I stopped dead in the winding country lane at that, my mouth hanging open until I shook my head and shouted out in the blowing snow, clapping a hoof to my fedora as my stolen scarf whipped in the wind. "Do what!? What do you mean, 'invited'!? I didn't... ASK you to possess me! D-Did I?"

The only answer I got was my pristine Shrouded Stallion action figure floating up from my packs in my corrupted magic, bobbing out from the pile of Ministry Mare statuettes and hovering in front of my muzzle. Zed said it was a soul jar too... and one I'd made somehow, but I didn't see how it fit with what the spirit was haltingly saying. The idea I had somehow invited the dangerous creature into my head was unsettling, but it was telling the truth...

Before I had time to really take it in, a hiss from the woods to my right drew my attention back up from staring at the toy in shock. My head snapped towards the threat before I was really aware of it, a low growl coming out of my throat in response to the... what the hell was that?

It was pink... The mottled color standing out against the snow covering the fallen log it was perched on. A fuzzy ball of pink spikes about the size of a foal, but round and waddling on its stubby hindlegs. Something like a hedgehog? It was mutated, that much was obvious from its size and the tumorous growths, very spiky and aggressive looking for the cute color and cuddly ball shaped appearance. It had sharp teeth though, along with gleaming claws and beady little eyes drawn down in a scowl. Definitely not friendly then, E.F.S. showing a red dash in my vision just confirmed the obvious.

"Go away fuzzball... You don't want any..." I snorted at it and made to keep moving along, ignoring the weird little thing in favor of just getting out of its territory and avoiding trouble.

It didn't take well to being brushed off... The vaguely familiar creature chattered angrily when I trotted on, tossing an acorn with its dexterous little claws that thunked into the back of my head. I spun and I snapped at it in a guttural bark, my blackened magic automatically lobbing a large chunk of asphalt at the pest, that it rolled away from as a spiky ball that disappeared into the snowy foliage.

"Just leave it alone, it's a pest, who cares?" I groaned tiredly, my voice not matching the fang filled scowl on my face.

'...Attacked!...'

"It threw an acorn... It's not like it- Hey!"

My huffing reply turned to a yelp when another missile hit me right below the tail, making me jump in surprise and spin in the air. The pink bastard was on the other side of the road now, standing on a blackened stump and sticking its damn tongue out as it chittered what I had no problem recognizing as laughter.

This time a shadowy crescent of magical force lanced out of my horn at it, digging a long furrow in the road and snowy ground before splitting the stump in half, just behind the pink thing disappearing again. I was still glaring at the smoking trench when another acorn smacked me in the eye, drawing a roar from my throat in response to the damn thing dancing on a rock and blowing a raspberry at me...

'GRRRAAAA!!... Insolent... Vermin!... KILL!'

It jumped down and rolled off again as a darkened, bluish-black beam of magic blasted from my horn at it, the boulder exploding into a rain of gravel that was scattered by the icy wind. Another acorn smacked into my flank and my head snapped left, catching it scurrying through the branches bursting into flame behind it from the gout of blue flames the Shroud poured out in a tantrum.

I was torn between sour amusement and annoyance at the show, though torching its home seemed to piss off the pesky twerp and escalate things. It popped up from a fresh hiding spot and curled in on itself with a screech, puffing up like a blowfish and sending a rain of sharp spikes arrowing out at me. I dodged and pranced back with a snarl, most of the pointy missiles bouncing off my armored trenchcoat, but a few found flesh and dug in painfully, a burning sensation spreading from each hit scored immediately.

"Fine you little bastard! You got it!"

I shouted back and the Terrible Shotgun snapped up, activating S.A.T.S. to catch the slippery little rat dodging from another magical onslaught from the Shroud, I paused on the name displayed in the HUD overlaying my vision. 'Puck-Bloody'? The name tickled a memory from my Dad's book from the Society for the Preservation of Magical Creatures, but I couldn't remember what. Whatever it was, the targeting spell blew the ball of pink spikes to giblets with some satisfaction.

'HA!...Good!... Impudent rat!..'

"Grrr... it was a freaking mutant hedgehog! We could have just ignored it and moved on, but you just have to kill everything in your path that ticks you off! Don't you think this was a little over the freaking top!?"

'...........Deserved!... Punish!...'

Huffing and turning to pull the painful needles from my wings and neck with my teeth, the Shroud's defensive muttering just aggravated me more than once again dealing with the results of it lashing out. My ears pricked up at the sound of a lot more hisses and chatters surrounding me before I could start berating it however. Turning my head back slowly and realizing Eyes Forward Sparkle was now filling rapidly with red dashes, I blanched on finding the woods to either side of the road full of more little puffballs. There were dozens of them... popping up from the snow, scowling down from branches and wiggling out of knotholes in the dead trees, all different colors of spiky monsters chittering angrily.

With a collective screech, they started sending an absolute storm of needles whizzing through the air, leaving me nowhere to escape even with the sudden shout of 'Be Awesome!' helping me roll and dodge agilely. More needles found exposed hide as I started blasting away with my shotgun, forced to use the sturdy weapon's stock as a club to swat one of the nasty things away when it launched itself as a spiky ball right at me.

Drawing Deliverer with an aggravated hiss back at the swarm of pests, I went with the speedy pistol and S.A.T.S. to make a dent in their numbers. My silent 10mm fired rapidly, blowing away one after another, only for more to take their place. They lobbed themselves at me as more spiky balls, those that managed to hit sticking tight and viciously biting or clawing, forcing me to tear them off with increasingly frustrated growls. Every bit of my hide not covered by my magical armor was riddled with stinging needles, drawing blood that stained the snow as I bucked and snarled under the concerted attack.

My anger kept boiling up until it matched the Shroud's fury, an increasing whistle of rage that finally exploded outward in a swirling cyclone of wind and telekinetic force that shredded the pests and knocked down trees. The woods were filled with their screeches and yipes, under the cacophonous creaks and crashes of long dead trees exploding and falling in a wide circle around me.

Snorting puffs of steaming breath through my nostrils and stamping my hooves, I growled out to the retreating monsters in frustration. "That's right! Run you little fuckers! I warned you!"

I went stomping off once I was sure they weren't going to come back for another go, yanking the stinging needles out of my face and neck with my magic and feeling particularly stupid. I should have just flown off from the first one... They didn't have much of a chance to really hurt me, but their needles burned and were difficult to pull out, yanking my face down into a grimace as I muttered and tugged them away.

Coming to the top of the hill and looking ahead to the ribbon of smoke trailing up into the sky, I spotted the settlement ahead and tried to focus on it. A swimming pool? I... I remembered going there as a foal during the summer actually, a big public swimming pool had become some kind of wasteland town, I could see scrap built fortifications and blurry little pony shapes moving about.

Shaking my head dizzily, I realized I couldn't focus very well on it and didn't feel so good... I should be able to make out every detail from this distance, but everything was blurry and spinning. A chime from my pip-buck threw up text I had a hard time reading, but confirmed my first thought; 'Puck-Bloody Poison Detected'.

Dammit... It must be pretty potent to be affecting alicorn biology this strongly. I underestimated them... or overestimated myself... The combination of the cute looking fuzzballs and the overpowered Shroud being comically teased put both our guards down. A normal pony would already be easy game for the round rats to come biting with those sharp little teeth.

This is what you get for freaking hubris stupid... It would be a hilarious way to die, the mythical Shrouded Stallion, slayer of raiders, armies of Gunners, killer robots and huge mutant monsters, brought low by a bunch of pastel fuzz balls in the middle of the woods... I couldn't help giving a loopy titter of laughter at the idea.

'...Shut up!... Not funny!... Move!...'

The Shroud definitely wasn't interested in dying an ironic death however, pouting at being laughed at and prodding me forward with just a tinge of panic it really might suffer such an indignity. I stumbled and wove my way down the slippery road, hurriedly yanking more needles out and making for the settlement up ahead. A place to rest awhile... let this shit run its course... The locals were probably used to dealing with those things, maybe they had an antidote or something...

'Be Unwavering!' gave a weary bit of encouragement and I flapped my wings, managing a weak, lurching flight for a few minutes before crashing to the ground again and staggering on. The cartoon alicorn on my pip-buck's health screen had its tongue stuck out and eyes slumped, expressing its displeasure as I slugged down a purple healing potion woozily on finding I was still bleeding from the dozens of pinpricks, losing too much blood...

I tried flying twice more, making less distance each time, until crashing into a snowbank and struggling to get back to my hooves and dig myself out. I had to crawl back to the road, weakly flopping to the snow and looking up to a blurry shape approaching from the town ahead. It was a pony... I was pretty sure anyway... bundled up in bulky winter clothes, but galloping right at me through the wind and snow.

Resting my chin on my outstretched foreleg, I vaguely hoped they were friendly as I passed out. Though if they weren't, maybe I'd get my hilarious death, which would probably be for the best anyway... Either way, it was out of my hooves for the moment. I embraced the blackness like an old friend, even the blanket of snow felt warm as I closed my eyes wearily.

"He shouldn't be here Posey, you heard what happened to Covenant..."

"So we should just toss him back out in the storm!? I took an oath Wisemare, twice even! I won't abandon my duty just because you're scared of some story on the radio! Besides, you know how creepy those Covenant ponies were, if the rest of the story DJ Miles got from that merc about the filly they took is true... Well I won't say they had it coming since that would be against the Follower's principles, but connect the dots ya big chicken!"

"He's dangerous... I saw that much myself, ripped a fifty yard circle of dead puck-bloodies and exploded trees outta the landscape. Follower's or no, I gotta obligation to the ghouls here and that buck ain't right..."

"Nnngh.... S-She's right... I'll leave... dangerous..." I groaned my way awake to the gravelly voices raised in an argument, mumbling and flailing to get up, before finding myself held down again by a firm but gentle hoof.

Once again, the Shroud raising my tolerance for the creepy and macabre spared me from yelping out loud on finding a rotting face inches away, instead I focused on the kind rose eyes holding mine with a pained whimper. It was a ghoul mare, her leathery hide a muted and dusky pink under the wisps of a mane the same color as her eyes. Her cracked horn had a bit of a curve to it and lit up in a soft pink glow as her free hoof tugged at my eyelid, letting her peer closely at my dizzy gaze a moment before giving a soft huff.

"You lost a lot of blood young buck, you just stay right where you're at and let the antidote work. Puck-Bloodies are nasty in big clusters like that, you're lucky... Never seen anypony look so much like a pincushion and survive. Anti-coagulant in their poison, nearly bled out in the snow. I'm Dr. Posey Patch, you're safe here... The Princess would be awful disappointed if we let you up and die on us, which we are NOT doing, right Wisemare...?" The ghoulish mare wore a tattered labcoat nearly as bedraggled as she was, her leading question turning towards the other pony in the room.

This Wisemare was another ghoul, a dingy yellow blackened and torn in spots, a chunk missing from her scalp gave her green mane a lopsided appearance she tried to cover by styling it in a stringy tail hanging off that side of her frowning face. She was dressed in a ratty brown coat with a tan ruff of fur around the hood at her back, snorting and stamping her hooves in frustration at the implacable look the doctor mare wearing the medical box saddlebags of Jade's Followers turned on her.

Eventually she gave a long suffering sigh, tugging at the hunting rifle holstered on her back and raising a withered eyebrow down at me. "Are you going to be a problem smoothcoat? Don't need no trouble and it seems to follow you around, Shrouded Stallion..."

Taking a better look around the gloomy, candlelit tiled room I found myself in, I realized there were more ponies nearby and struggled up to my haunches against the doctor's protests. They were crowded around the only door out of what seemed to be a large bathroom originally, the ones closest to the doors were armored in Minutemare livery and heavily armed, while the ones craning their necks for a look behind them seemed more like civilians. They were all ghouls, their rotted features animated enough to show wary concern fighting curiosity.

"Ugh... You're not secretly some non-ghoul hating cannibal cult or something evil, are you?"

Wisemare snorted again like the very idea of my tired sarcasm was offensive, shaking her head brusquely. "Hardly! The Slog is a member of the Kingdom of Sanctuary in good standing! Your Princess accepted our settlement herself, she's the reason I didn't leave you out in that mess outside too, so... so I suppose we do owe her... He's your responsibility Posey, first sign of trouble and I'll... sigh... I'll pray to the goddesses he doesn't kill us all I suppose... You'll be gettin' an earful in the afterlife though!"

At that she turned on her heel with a huff, taking her annoyance out on all the 'lookie-loos' she shooed off gruffly as my pip-buck chimed; Discovered Location: The Slog. There was a lot of shuffling hooves, muttering, whining and worried nickers, but soon enough it was just me and the kindly medical mare. She floated a scratchy blanked around my wings, trotting over to a sputtering heater in the corner and a hot plate keeping a dented tin coffee pot hot, pouring the steaming liquid to a chipped mug and hovering it over to my hooves.

"Sorry about them, they're just skittish after... er..." Dr. Patch started softly, then drifted off awkwardly, leaving me to cut right to the truth for her.

"Afraid I'll burn this place to the ground too? It's ok, it's a valid concern I guess... T-Thanks for taking the chance anyway, I'll get out of your manes as soon as I can..."

"Ponyfeathers! It's past midnight and blowin' up out there like we've got windigos on our doorstep. Damn barrier storms have been bad lately and we're close to the edge here. You stay where you are and recover youngster. Meant what I said, Princess Jade's special somepony's not getting his fool self killed on my watch." The ghoul physician clicked her teeth and hummed as she moved through the room, checking the IV hanging from a rusty nail nearby and tapped into my foreleg.

There were a pair of windows set high up on the walls near the moldy ceilings, enough to see they were crusted with snow and ice, while the wind howled outside the fairly warm little bathroom that had been converted into a doctor's office / home. Most of the stuff out here was part of what I'd expect in a doctor's office anyway, a couple cots, a rusty cabinet full of medical supplies, a cleanish looking sink basin with shiny medical implements nearby. The handicapped stall hadn't been torn out for scrap like the others I saw the faded shadows off, a big enough privacy enclosure to hold the mare's personal bedding, photographs, a trunk for clothing and a battered radio, all lit by the soft glow of a lantern inside.

My armor and saddlebags were near the unhealthy sounding heater in the corner, dripping dry to the tiled floor. Taking a better look at myself under the ragged blanket, I saw I was wrapped in a lot of bandages stained red in a polka dot pattern from all the punctures that nearly led to a death by a thousand cuts. No wonder they were called Puck-Bloodies, it would have been a very bloody end...

Looking back up, I saw one of the Minutemares guarding the door peeking through the crack, the dusty tan ghoul filly giving a sharp "Eep!' and fumbling with her magical energy musket when my eye caught hers and she quickly turned away. I sighed and my ears drooped at that, the brave soldier of the Kingdom of Sanctuary afraid of their General...

Dr. Patch huffed as she trotted over to her personal space, rummaging around in the old stall and calling out to me softly. "Nevermind them now, we all know what it's like to be seen as a... er..."

"Monster?"

"Well... yes... The Slog was founded by Wisemare and a lot of old ghouls like me that got run out of Diamond City as a bunch of fellow 'monsters' a long time ago, so we sympathize. They know better, just jumpy, forgive them dear. We're all grateful to your Princess though, she took us in to her Kingdom without a hint of prejudice, a real Princess, not like that... thing... pretending to be Goddess Celestia. She sent me a letter even, see!?" Posey came practically prancing back out of her stall, proudly holding a framed scroll and certificate in her magic and thrusting it out to my hooves with a wide smile showing through the hole at her cheek.

I blinked away tears looking down through the cracked glass at Jade's flowing script, a personal letter inducting her into the Followers of the Apocalypse, personable and charming when she had time to write out her response instead of speaking in person;

'Dear Doctor Posey Patch,

Thank you so much for writing such a lovely letter and your interest in joining the Followers of the Apocalypse. I was delighted to hear your of community The Slog joining the Kingdom of Sanctuary, while sympathizing with the prejudices you described that led you fine ponies to form your own settlement for ghouls after Diamond City's most unfair purge. I assure you, both our Kingdom and the Followers do not allow for such bigotry and welcome anycreature willing to help make the wasteland a better place, in whatever way they can.

After going over your credentials with the Ministry of Peace, I see you possess the knowledge and experience to help greatly, thus it is my honor to induct you into the Followers of the Apocalypse. Forgoing our normal induction procedures in the case of former MoP employees, your previous rank and accreditation carry over, as represented by the certificate I am pleased to include with this message on behalf of Velvet Remedy herself, who has graciously granted me such authority here in the Commonwealth.

I do hope to meet you personally soon, though your message caught up to me at the Castle and we are preparing to leave towards the south, in hopes of finding more allies for our growing Kingdom. So while it may be some time before I am able to travel north to the Slog and inspect the home of our newest friends, know I eagerly look forward to doing so. In the meantime, I am sure they are in good hooves when it comes to medical care and know you will continue to live up to the ideals of the Ministry of Peace and the Followers of the Apocalypse. Thanks to ponies like you, we will be better together.

Sincerely,
Princess Jade of Sanctuary'

The certificate included that I glanced over recognized Dr. Posey Patch's prewar training and position with the Ministry of Peace, a form I'd seen Jade carefully copy more than once, stamped with a seal of the cross and butterflies of the Followers she was never without when doing official things for the group from beyond the Commonwealth.

The old ghoul's cracked hoof came up to wipe away a tear as I sniffled, a kind, sad look on her face as she set the framed documents aside and hopped up to the cot beside me to offer a leathery hug. "Sorry... I'm just proud to be part of something so good again and... Why aren't you with her dear? Do you... want to talk about it?"

"Your friend Wisemare is right, that's why. I'm dangerous... I'm not totally in control and might... I might hurt people, I might hurt her if I was with her. Our baby..."

The nice ghoul gave a giddy gasp at that, her old rose eyes sparkling as she gave a squee and shook my hoof rapidly. "Oh! A baby!? Congratulations then! That's wonderful! I always wished I had gone with my second choice of obstetrics instead of theoretical restorative magic research. Children are such a blessing and... Oh... oh dear, don't cry!"

"Sorry... You're right and I really do want to be there for her, for our baby and... er... the others... I just can't... My daughter..."

She rubbed the spot between my wings curling in on myself soothingly as I wiped at my eyes, sighing sadly. "Oh... Y-Yes, we heard on the radio. I'm sorry about that, those Institute ponies were always cruel and losing a child hurts so much it can break a pony. Poor Mr. Glass outside still pines for his filly 200 years later and we've all lost those we care about. It never stops hurting, but it does get... not better, but tolerable. Try to focus on the happy memories dear, those will shine brighter as time goes by... I've even done research here, there's a 47% lower incidence of going feral for those of us who can hang on to those positives and not dwell on the negative."

I raised a tired eyebrow at that, blinking down again at her prewar credentials and mulling it over a moment, trying to turn the conversation away from painful thoughts. "You know about the Institute? It looks and sounds like you did pretty important stuff with the MoP judging by the alphabet after your name here..."

Posey snorted laughter and my weary joke, a little hearty for the croak I delivered it in, but honest. "Oh yes, I did a lot of research for Miss Fluttershy's Ministry, some of it ended up being with those eggheads. If we'd known the work meant to heal would be twisted into our doom, we never would have done it..."

"Huh? What do you mean, how could anything Fluttershy's Ministry did be bad?"

The old ghoul seemed to age centuries at my question, slumping beside me and looking to her hooves dangling off the cot with a whisper. "Let's just say... we all made mistakes... but it was with the best of intentions. Everypony blamed her too the poor dear, then that Lightbringer's book brought it all up again after ponies finally started to forget... Not that learning from the past is bad, but Fluttershy didn't deserve all that. She only wanted to help, we never even considered our megaspell array could be used for destructive magic."

"Megaspells? The... the Ministry of Peace came up with Megaspells!?"

Dr. Patch's sad nod matched the whimper of 'Be Kind...' drifting up in my head, leaving me stunned as she continued softly. "We thought once the zebras had it too, nopony would be mad enough to use them that way, not when everycreature would suffer equally. You see why I can sympathize with you dear? You made a mistake and burned down a town, ours burned the world..."

"You... Fluttershy... You created them...?"

I gaped a moment, vaguely remembering once when I was a young colt that mom and dad had argued bitterly for a week about Fluttershy. I was too young to really grasp why it seemed like everypony was so upset with the kind and sweet old mare on the news. Dad had been on her side as a fellow healer, while Mom had threw words like 'loyalty' and 'traitor' around in a screaming match they thought I didn't hear. They put it aside and hid things from me, but from then on, Fluttershy was a sore point in our house and I never understood why, until now...

"We did, I own my part of what happened. I lived with a lot of guilt for a long time too, figured being forced to witness the results without being able to die was my penance. Anypony can make a mistake that gets away from you and hurts others, even the kindest of us... We can't control that, we can keep trying to do good and hope though, learn from our mistakes, make up for things the best we can and always remember. Fluttershy never stopped trying to help, even when she was hated for it. You'll have to bear a lot of that burden now too, but don't give up. You saved a filly, didn't you?" The kind mare's rose colored eyes shimmered with tears, but her voice was firm, speaking from experience.

"I... I tried... I was being selfish too though, and angry... They hurt her, tortured her, and I just saw my little filly and... I killed them all... I killed that mare... Oh Goddesses I killed that mare when she was just hurt and angry too. Nevermind everypony else and how they look at me, how can I ever face Jade again when I..."

The ghoul mare squeezed me in a slightly squishy hug and cooed softly as I sobbed into her leathery chest, stroking my mane and rocking with me gently. "Shhh... I may not have had the honor of meeting her, but the Princess is as kind and worthy of my oath as Fluttershy herself. I don't doubt she'll forgive you, but you have to give her the chance. You have to forgive yourself at some point too... That's the hardest part."

"I-I'll try... t-thank you Posey... thank you... for everything... Y-You're really good at this, I think Fluttershy and Jade both would be proud. I really should leave now though. You're a nice mare, I don't... I don't want anything to happen here... Your friend Wisemare was right, trouble follows me around..."

I grunted and got to my hooves, swaying a moment before finding my balance and floating my armor and gear over. Fighting my way into my trenchcoat and buckling my bandolier and saddlebags on gave the kind doctor time to canter up and try to stop me, stamping a hoof a stammering. "W-What!? Nonsense! Never you mind Wisemare, she's a big softie under that crusty hide, she already said it's alright and... Y-You need to recover!"

"Nngh... I'll be fine Patch. I can take care of myself, I'll find somewhere radioactive enough and finish healing there. It's safer for everypony. You said we have to learn from the past, right? Well recent experience proves I don't belong around other ponies."

"Nopony should be alone! You needn't rush off like this Fast, doctor's orders!" Posey bit her ragged lip as I floated my silver banded fedora back to my head and shook it softly.

I made for the door before she could try to argue, hating to hear her panic and stutter to think of something to say, but it really was for the best I left soon. The Institute kept tabs on me with their little spies and their Gunners could be not far behind. The way the two ghoulish Minutemares still guarding the door out pranced away when my hoof pushed it open and they saw it wasn't the doctor just reinforced the idea. Neither had moved an inch from their posts looked very nervous indeed.

"Easy troops... No trouble, I promise. Just leaving is all, er... good work guarding the door, you did the right thing and are clearly pretty brave. I know it doesn't mean as much coming from this General anymore, but the Princess would be proud, I am..."

They both looked surprised and conflicted, but cleared a path and the private even managed a shaky salute, which made me give a tired smile as I returned it. The worried group of ghouls watching from behind them made it wither away quickly though, Wisemare standing at the head of them protectively with a stern eye.

I only made it two steps towards the door before Posey rushed forward to block me however, my brief pause giving her enough time to come up with another angle in a frantic yelp. "Fixing things!"

I winced when my foreleg froze midstep, raising a curious eyebrow despite myself. "Umm... what? Fixing?"

"Y-You're a repair-pony, right Fast? A very good one by all I hear. Well, we could use one!" Patch spoke in a bright and cheery voice for the crowd, stamping her hoof proudly at finding a temptation that actually made me waver.

Wisemare snorted sourly and stomped her way forward however, frowning at the doctor making a show of holding my hoof pleadingly. "Posey... He needs to go. Now. He's not a repair-pony anymore, he's a threat."

"He's a PONY! Same as we are!" Posey was undeterred, snorting back to her the leader of the Slog and the nervous residents. "I'm the doctor around here, I can demand payment for my services, can't I?"

I flinched under the glare Wisemare shot at us both, awkwardly hiding under the brim of my hat as she grimaced at the doctor pointing out at more clattering space heaters like the one in her office. Trying to look pretty much anywhere else as sparks clashed in the air between the two mares, I realized there were quite a few of them in the larger room. It was all tiled like the bathroom, lined with rusty lockers stuffed with personal belongings and knick-knacks of the residents, long wooden benches set before each row of the little containers for swimmers to stash their clothing.

There were tables, assorted chairs beds and rotting blankets set up willy nilly, more in separate rooms for changing and showers I could see glimpses of. The ghouls were bundled up in tattered winter clothes and I noticed they clustered around each of the weakly running heaters, all of which appeared to be like Posey's spark cell powered model since the long dead fluorescent lights overhead were dark.

"We can find a less dangerous Mr. Fix-It Posey, Minutemares already sent in a request with the Kingdom to send somepony. Let your patient be on his way already." Wisemare huffed sourly, pointing a hoof to the rusty blue double doors out.

"Nopony's coming anytime soon with that snow. With bad weather coming on strong now, we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth Wise! Besides, it's for his official treatment! He needs to be reminded who he is, something we've all gone through at one point or another over the years, hmm?" Dr. Patch simply stuck her nose up and fired right back, wrapping a foreleg around my neck to keep me from cringing under all the attention as she made an impassioned plea to the murmuring residents. "Every one of us is afraid of going feral, but we've never turned away a fellow ghoul on the edge. That's what this pony here is, he's not a monster and he doesn't want to turn into one either. After everything he's done for the Commonwealth, he deserves the benefit of the doubt!"

"Posey... you've all already done more than that much. Wisemare's right, I'm not worth..."

"Hush! I'm being selfish here too you know! Heaters Fast, we need heaters working, not to mention having power would do a lot to improve this settlement in general, but staying warm is a thing for us. The balefire keeps us up and moving, but none of us much enjoy the prospect of freezing up enough for bits to chip off. There's an old generator downstairs, but none of us know enough to get the old thing running again. We keep a few barrels of sludge from the Aegean Waste Containment Site down there too, for when we need rads for healing and such ourselves. You can settle your bill and rest up at the same time." Dr. Patch just trotted her way with me in tow, the crowd parting around us as she made for a small blue painted steel door.

'Be Unwavering!' gave a soft nudge at the prospect of using my non-murder oriented talents again to help others, the spirit of generosity gaining strength again along with the other Ministry Mares. "Er... w-well... I mean... I don't mind fixing it, if I can that is... I'd like to repay your kindness, but..."

"No buts! It's just down in the pump rooms, nopony will bother you down there, right folks? Or do all of you want to do what Diamond City did to us because they thought WE were monsters too!?" Dr. Patch finally stopped dragging me forward at least, turning to the crowd and tossing her rose mane defiantly.

Several of the ghouls looked unsure, their milky eyes flicking down in shame at the good doctor's unwavering compassion. 'Be Kind...' resonated warmly as many gave reluctant nods and Dr. Patch beamed, smirking back to the fuming Wisemare as if that settled that.

I supposed it did, Wisemare gritted her teeth and grumbled, but eventually threw her hooves up in frustration. "Fine! You win you stubborn old mare, have your way again! Just don't come crying to me when everything we're trying to build here gets blown to hell! Everypony stay back, nopony goes down there except you two Minutemares. Everypony else, go get your rest, plenty of work come morning after this storm blows over!"

Peering down into the dark sublevel of the municipal pool Patch opened the door to with a grin, I was relieved to see it was nostalgic and familiar, the sight of rusty pipes lining the dark stairs and corridors and the musty smell reminding me of home and thankfully empty. Even I had to sigh in defeat along with Wisemare, giving Posey a grateful look as I turned back from taking the first steps down and shrugging to the pair of Minutemares trotting to catch up.

"Umm... I guess I'll see what I can do. T-Then I really need to go though, you can't fix everything, but thanks for trying..."

Posey nickered and gave a light swat to my flank to get me moving again, smiling brightly at her victory. "A little kindness goes a long way Fast. Go be a repair-pony again for a little while, remember who you are and see if you don't feel better. If you won't see the Princess, I can at least try in her place."

'...Bored, bored, bored...'

"Shut up, I'm almost done dammit. Rebuilding a spark chamber out of tin cans isn't easy, but I think I this patch will..."

'...BOOOOOORING!...'

"Oh for Celestia's sake! I let you have fun, you can return the favor for a few hours! When we leave, I promise you can go kill raiders or something!" I scowled under the mellow glow of my horn casting transformation and repair spells on the corroded metal housing I'd stripped from the dead generator at my hooves, turning behind me to talk to the pair of Minutemares keeping a safe distance and exchanging concerned looks at my one sided conversation. "Hey, Private? You said there was some big crew of raiders around here, right? Causing trouble?"

"Oh! Umm... y-yes? Yes sir General! Er... Fast... Shrouded Stallion, sir... umm..." The light tan ghoul private yelped back, understandably nervous after listening to me muttering to myself in an increasingly combative argument with the annoyed spirit in my head.

Her superior sighed and lightly punched her shoulder to stop her jabbering, the older looking, dark purple mare with an odd pinkish tint to her melted looking coat was less jumpy, giving a concise answer for her. "Yes sir, the Legion. They've got a few clusters here and there towards the edge. Be a lot of folks this way that wouldn't mind if you were to... work out some aggression on them."

I gave a weak chuckle to the stern faced mare, 'Be Dark...' instantly warming to her hard smile and volunteering of victims. She struck me as a military mare, even before wearing the well pressed and fastidiously sharp blue and tan uniform of the Minutemares. The tarnished metal dogtags shaped like her warped, plant based cutie mark that seemed to be fused to her withered neck just supported the idea. I'd vaguely heard the Radio Friendship DJ Duclet at the Castle talking about a big gang up this way causing problems, so at least the Shroud would have targets that deserved his attention.

A few hours of repairing the Slog's broken generator in the radioactive basement left me feeling in much better shape, both physically and even mentally, but the whining spirit in my head was getting impatient. When the psycho got bored, bad things happened... so it was time to finish up and get moving. Though I supposed I may as well take advantage of a source of information about where I was going while I had it.

"Happen to know anything about the asylum nearby, umm Sergeant...?"

"Thistle Thorn sir, and not much, no. Parsnips Asylum is a fortress, defended by an army of mercs. Not Gunners though." The old ghoul answered succintly, making sure to amend her reply when my ears perked up at the word 'mercs', then scratching her rotting chin and shrugging. "Nopony messes with that place, but they don't bother anycreature, so most just give them their space. Been that way since the war ended."

"Huh... weird... Well, I guess I'll find out, probably..."

'...Want... Kill... Go soon?...'

"Grrr... yes alright, I'm almost done already. You could be a little more informative if it's so important, the way you've been wandering around randomly, I assume it's not that big a deal and you're just whining again!"

'......bored....'

Interrupting my back and forth tantrum while finishing up, Sgt. Thorn spoke up in a firm but kindly enough voice full of experience. "Sir, forgive me, but you're section eight, completely fubared... You need to get out of the field and back to the Princess. We have orders not to try stopping you and focus on clearing civvies from your path if you refuse to report in. If you are heading to Parsnips, it's my duty to at least warn them. They're not bad ponies, they don't deserve... whatever happens..."

I slumped and sighed at her remark, plugging in newly taped together power lines and nodding weakly. "Probably a good idea Thistle... I don't know why I'm going there, but I'm pretty sure I won't stop. If they're guarding the place... getting in my way would be bad. I'll uh... try to take my time. Have to let you stop foalsitting me first though, huh? Let's see if this does it..."

Standing up and stashing my tools, I flipped the switch on the ancient generator hopefully, tilting my head and perking my ears at the weak thrum it gave off as the gauges flickered. My horn lit up brightly and I gave the spark reaction a little goose with my magic, giving a satisfied grin when it surged to life. The bare bulbs down in the musty basement glowed, replacing the amber emergency lighting as a cheer rang out overhead.

My Minutemare guards even clapped their hooves happily when I turned around, a blush warming my cheeks as I smiled and tipped my hat to the beaming pair. When we trotted back upstairs, a cluster of very happy ghouls pushed right up, their fear forgotten as they grabbed my hooves and shook them, patting my back and shoving bottles of Sparkle Cola and alcohol, packs of cigarettes, canned food and a few hoofulls of caps up as gratitude. I reflexively cringed at ponies getting so close in fear for their safety, but the Shroud merely grabbed any offered gift greedily and basked in the attention.

I caught Dr. Patch's satisfied smirk watching from the sidelines with Wisemare, giving me a slight nod and wide smile as I blushed and sputtered. It did feel... satisfying though... The physician was right about that much, it felt good to fix something again, to see how doing so made these folks happy and take pride in a successful repair job. I missed this...

'...Fixing boring!... Go now!... Kill!... Protect... Better... then praise more...'

"You're actually jealous... aren't you?" I managed to mutter under my breath on the way to the door, suppressing a snicker at the petulant retort.

'........No... shut up!...'

"Come on... It does feel good helping others for its own sake though, doesn't it? Fixing or killing, your way or mine, you actually like being a hero, don't you? You miss it too?"

I didn't get much of an answer as I pushed the doors open and winced at all the blinding white of sunrise sparkling on the snow outside, but there was a contemplative silence and quiet mutter that sounded suspiciously like '...maybe...'. Squinting against the painful glare distracted both of us though, the Shroud hissing and shrinking back from the overwhelming amount of reflected sunshine.

Thankfully the gruff Wisemare trotted up and gave me a nudge, though it was probably to keep me from trying to retreat to the gloomy building, she snorted and fished in her tattered coat for a pair of cracked sunglasses she held out with a huff. "Go on kid, can't have my good pair, but a set of shades is cheap for fixing that old hunk of junk."

I had to yelp my gratitude as my darkened magic had already snatched the gift away and put them on, but sighed in relief and blinked out at the snow covered grounds of the Slog. The pool stretched out ahead of me, sunken in the cracked concrete still littered with a few umbrella topped tables and lounge chairs. Interestingly, it looked like they grew some kind of berries down in the water at the bottom, when it wasn't frozen anyway. There were a few ghoulish foals prancing down the cracked steps of the shallow end, off to go picking at the last few berries from the strange plants protruding from the snow and ice.

On the other side of the basin were a tall set of rickety looking stands and the rusty chain link fencing beyond that surrounded the pool. A few guards were stationed up at the top of the bleachers in an enclosed announcers stand armored with corrugated steel and junk, their jobs probably made easier by all the snow. Anycreature trying to approach would be spotted easily enough unless they were an albino, while I realized I stuck out like a sore hoof. Something I'd have to keep in mind going out wandering again I supposed, stretching my wings and glad I didn't have to trudge through it all like an earth pony or unicorn anyway. There were several ghouls shoveling at it here outside the doors, and just the thought of trying to march through that slush made me shiver.

"This seems like a nice little town Wisemare, I'm glad you joined Jade's kingdom. You didn't have to help me, or let me stay. I'll be honest, it was a risk... but thank you."

Her dour expression actually softened at that, shuffling her hooves and giving a whinny. "Well... You're not so bad kid. Crazy as a shithouse radroach, but Posey is right, we've seen worse. I feel bad giving you the bum's rush, but... I do have these folks to think about, you understand? This is a home we made for ourselves, but there's one for you out there Fast. You'll figure out the same thing I did eventually, there comes a point where you just have to stop running..."

'Be Awesome!' gave a tired yawn of approval as I flapped up and tipped my hat down to all the waving ghouls, the spirit of loyalty trying to remind me where mine lie. I pushed it aside the same as Wisemare and Posey's well meaning advice though, hovering there and shrugging.

"Maybe... But not..."

My uncertain reply was cut off by a sudden hammerblow impacting my armored chest and tossing me back out of the air, the crack of a rifle echoing across the snowy hills as I rolled back to my hooves in the slush and snarled in the direction of the rising sun coming over the river. Another pair of shots came from the north and south of the first, sending the guards peering out from atop the bleachers diving for cover with painful grunts. Another ghoul guard sitting up in the rickety and scrap armored lifeguard's chair rang an attached bell with a shout, pointing out to the river and raising the alarm of, "Raiders!"

'...HA!... Now see!... Be real hero!...'

I grimaced at the Shroud's giddy voice as I rocketed up in the air, leaving a shadowy contrail behind me and a cloud of snow in the wake of my rapid takeoff. It was fast enough to not let the raider snipers have another free shot like the one that bruised a rib, and it even offered the ghouls of the Slog scattering to defend their home some cover, but I could do without the eager glee of the spirit getting back to murder and mayhem.

Eyes Forward Sparkle showed a horde of red dashes corresponding to the raiders charging up the banks of the river and across the snowy ground towards the Slog. They seemed fairly well equiped too, wearing oddly styled armor and filling the sky with a hail of assault rifle fire. Squinting closely, I noticed the armor and weapons went along with the bulk of the members, zebras... Those were zebra made rifles and the distinctive metal breastplates and leather skirts of zebra armor I'd seen on plenty of MoM propaganda. Though there were a good number of ponies and zonies mixed in too, black and white stripes were the dominant colors. This must be the Legion Sgt. Thorn told me about.

They were as crazed and brutal looking as any other pony raiders I'd seen, stampeding through the snow with wild war whoops. Definitely not big on tactics with such a mad dash, but fearlessly galloping into the return fire from the Slog's defenders. Them being so clustered and away from innocent ponies at least made things easier, the Shroud and I both going with wide ranging attacks as we dove down to meet them away from the settlement.

Half a dozen of my limited stock of grenades were lobbed out in my blue telekinesis, while crackling bolts of black lightning shaped like giant swords rained down behind them. The explosions and electric death giving even the lunatic raiders pause and reason to scatter when large numbers of the attackers were mowed down in one volley. A pair of zebras in fancier armor possessed bloodwing fetishes too apparently, rallying their hesitating crew as the leathery wings sprouted from their backs and they flew up to meet me diving on them.

The first was a fairly big stallion, nimbly dodging through the air around the hail of .45 rounds I fired at him, barely slowing under the few that found the mark and only giving a mild grunt as he kept going to deliver a powerful hoofstrike to my chest. He wasn't as agile or fast as Zed, though the impact stung with surprising strength behind it. It put him in melee range however, a seriously bad idea against a master swordspony like the Shroud... Best Served flashed out from the rough scabbard hanging from my bandolier, slicing off both forelegs in a bloody display that rained down on the raiders running below.

The second flying zebra was a mare, wielding a well maintained assualt rifle with a striped design to its wooden stock and staying back to use it. She got a front row seat for her bruiser friend spinning to a crash, her bloodshot eyes shrinking to pinpricks and the wide dark stripes on her face paling nearly as much as the dingy white in her coat as she frantically tried to retreat, screeching down to the throng of raiders. "It's the Shadowknight!! Leave the dead ones! Focus on..."

I'd nearly caught up to her with a fang filled grin by the time she turned back and fired wildly, interrupting her frantic orders as she tried to speed up even more. The string of burning .556 rounds that stitched my side strangely smoldered against my coat and singed feathers as I soared in pursuit of what the Shroud viewed as a delightful mix of filly and fear smells. An apparently enchanted zebra weapon wasn't enough to stop the speedy spirit from catching up with her, 'Be Dark...' harmonized with 'Be Awesome!', drastically improving my flying beyond what any cheating zebra flying fetish could manage. I didn't care for how the spirit savored her scream when I sank my fangs into her flank and chomped, but was confused by the sudden pause as I tore a chunk of flesh away, hovering there as she dove to escape and rolling my tongue around on the disgusting hunk of meat. The bewildered spirit muttering 'Mine?' as it sucked at the strange tasting blood suspiciously.

Whatever its problem was, tilting my head and gnawing on raw zebra made us a bigger target. I had to take over just to smack it into gear again, spitting the chunk of flesh out in revulsion and dodging from the gunfire zeroing in on me. That focused the Shroud's attention on the wealth of targets below anyway, marking where the wounded mare had got to and dropping like a stone behind her pinwheeling descent to the thick of the raiders.

My hooves glowed with blackened magic as all four slammed to the ground, creating a shockwave of arcane force rippling out from the impact. The unfortunate ones nearest the epicenter actually exploded in a rain of gore... while several more raiders further away were thrown back by the concussive force and yowled with crackling sparks of black magic arcing over their bodies.

I briefly wondered if the Shroud learned that spell by watching Swan use it, or if they both just knew the same one, feeling the briefest moment of guilty longing for the big purple filly. I didn't have time to be thinking of another mare I loved or how much she'd enjoy this though, shaking it off to deal with the martial artist raiders trying to surround me and still only looking clumsy next to Zed.

A dozen circled the snowy crater I'd made, jeering and waving around their armored hooves or raider augmented, zebra style melee weapons. The straight, long swords and spears still looked deadly enough, without all the extra spikes and barbed wire added. They seemed like they were high on Stampede by the way they jittered and threw themselves at me in twos and threes, actually wanting to fight hoof to hoof against the 'Shadowknight' they kept whooping about, like there was some kind of glory in their suicidal attack.

Whatever motivated it, the others not part of the circle were attacking the ghouls of the Slog, while the Shroud had basically no interest... It had been challenged and didn't care about anypony else, grinning and floating Best Served out as it dodged and slashed. While it seemed to most enjoy the idiots stupid enough to duel blade to blade against Luna's knight, I kept taking quick and powerful hoof strikes to the face when it answered the those attacks the same way too. It also refused my attempts to draw my guns again, insisting on meeting every attack on equal terms in some pointless bit of twisted honor or pride.

I was somewhat annoyed to find the Shroud could run my body well enough to actually keep up with them at least, even hoof to hoof. It wasn't anything like the graceful martial arts of the zebras, but my hooves bucked in hammering blows that broke bones or locked their limbs up in holds that let my fangs finish them off. If it was me in charge, I'd be getting a worse beating than I did at the Combat Zone. Instead, the trampled snow forming the makeshift arena was quickly stained red as the zebra numbers dwindled.

"Pitiful whelps! The true Caesar's Legion was a worthy foe! Thou art weak yearlings dishonoring their..."

"Would you shut up and quit playing around! They're going after the town!!"

The spirit using my mouth to boast gave me the opportunity to draw the Terrible Shotgun and activate S.A.T.S., the faithful weapon rapidly spinning and blasting the few remaining combatants as I stamped and shouted in frustration. It whined about dishonor and having its prey taken away, but forcing my eyes back to the Slog and the raiders clambering over the rusty fences shamed it back into action at least.

I teleported as a flicker of shadow and reappeared right in front of one puffing zebra stallion just reaching the top of the barrier, another booming shotgun blast throwing him back to the snow with a bloody hole in his studded leather armor. The ghouls defending their home were putting up a good fight, the undead Minutemares bravely right in the thick of things and living up to the ideals of the group they'd joined. Forcing the Shroud into being a proper hero was easier when it spotted a foal in danger too, taking another lurching teleport to appear behind a cackling zebra mare who had him pinned behind a rusty trashcan and beheading her with a flash of starmetal.

"You ok kid!? You shouldn't be out here!"

I yelped at the pale blue ghoul colt poking his head up gratefully, blanching when a lever action rifle popped up in his gold magic matching the wisps of his mane and blowing the brains out of a raider trying to sneak up behind me as he huffed back. "Kid? I'm older than you smoothcoat! But thanks or whatever fucker! Keep slaughtering these assholes!"

He scampered off to a new bit of cover and kept shooting, further confusing the Shroud watching him expertly using the old rifle and shouting curses like a grown pony. Even in the midst of battle, I had to snicker at my brows coming down in puzzlement, the voice in my head giving an offended whinny. 'But... Foal?....'

"A two hundred year old foal stupid. Not really older than either of us, but not a kid. Let's just say Luna's rule about kids still applies, so you don't decide that's a loophole to go be a foalkiller. It must suck for ghouls like him though..."

I reloaded my shotgun as I muttered to myself, following the kid's advice and focusing on the raiders who'd made it to the pool area. I found myself seeking out the higher ranked mare again as I switched to Vengeance and kept shooting, wondering why the Shroud was fixated on her and how she tasted so much. I didn't find her, but she found me apparently, more burning .556 rounds chattered at my hooves, forcing me to lurch up on my wings and dodge with a snarl seeking out the source.

Nothing? The raiders were being pushed back, but I didn't spot the mare among them. Another burst of enchanted bullets from somewhere nearby made me fire blindly towards the sound, baffled as it sounded very close, but I still couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I had to roll away from another burst melting snow and igniting the ratty umbrella of a knocked over table I ducked behind, my nostrils flaring with the scent of crazy filly and my horn lighting up with corrupted magic.

'Zebra trickery!... Let me... No hide...'

My blackened magic spread out in a wide field, the weather related spell creating a swirling wind that lifted snow into a stinging hail of icy shards. I still didn't understand what 'Be Dark...' was doing, but 'Awareness!' chimed in and I spotted the vague, snow spattered outline of a hooded shape matching another burst of flaming rounds. She was invisible!?

The concealment was nearly as perfect as Jade's, only ruined by the creative use of magic to give me a target. I aimed to blow her head off, but found my revolver jerked down at the last second, shredding her foreleg as my wings flared and I pounced on the shimmery outline.

Fighting an invisible foe was weird, it looked like I was straddling empty air that bucked and fought, but enough snarling wrestling tore at some kind of cloak she was wearing, revealing the panicked zebra mare under me. I blinked at the bit of grey fabric snagged on my swinging foreleg, looking over the jeweled clasp and somewhat recognizing zebraish runes and talisman design from my limited exposure through Zed. An invisibility cloak... the zebra version of a stealth-buck I supposed, it did make me wonder again where these 'Legion' raiders got their gear, but was forced to put it aside as my burning eyes turned on the defiant filly still struggling under me.

Her raider friends were in retreat now, I confirmed that much before allowing the Shroud to do whatever it was so interested in. The defenders of the Slog were driving the last away, leaving me and this high ranking mare to our little... chat. She kept right on wriggling and bucking as I wiped a bit of blood from her armor with a hoof and licked it contemplatively, ignoring her zebraish curses and how strong she was for such a slender mare a moment.

"Get off me Shadowknight! I'll kill you! Filthy demon from the spirits! Nightmare tainted! Foul monster! I'll..."

"SILENCE." The Shroud's voice boomed out of my muzzle and I felt my eyes turn dragonish, the glowing red dots reflected in the zebra's shrunken green gaze.

She did shut up anyway, her eyes looking lost and locked on mine as the Shroud interrogated her. He was somewhat better at talking using my mouth than doing so in my head anyway, but relied on a lot of canned phrases and archaic terms like Witchy used, mixed in with bits of comic book dialogue I assumed it borrowed from my brain. Here it paused and licked more blood from my hoof, paying no attention to the wary ghouls of the Slog coming out of cover and surveying the damage.

"You taste of me wench. Why? From where do you derive thine power?"

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

I was flummoxed, but the hypnotized mare seemed to work out enough to answer in a dreamy voice and fill me in, her struggles stilling as she gestured to battered saddlebag. "Drugs... Asylum caravans... Only for top dogs. Lefty keeps most of it, asshole..."

"Drugs?" I blinked and sent my own blue telekinesis rooting around in the indicated bag, fishing out a strange metal injector. It had a large bulb on top to squeeze in the teeth and a capped needle on the bottom, with a glass window showing a glowing green liquid swirling with inky ribbons of black. Floating it up and squinting at it, even my pip-buck was only so helpful, chiming with new inventory it only identified as 'Mysterious Serum x1'.

I stashed the weird injector away in my own packs, looking up a moment and realizing a bloodied Wisemare being tended by Patch had shuffled up and were watching in confusion, along with a large cluster of ghouls bearing their own wounds. They looked relieved the attack was over and grateful I helped, but Wisemare was... well, wisely keeping them back, eyeing me like a hellhound after witnessing the slaughter so far. I only had a glimpse as my glowing eyes had to remain on the zebra's to keep her so cooperative and the Shroud wasn't quite done, leaning down to glare nose to nose.

"Thou hath stolen from me... Taken mine... I shall have it back now..."

I didn't have a chance to stop myself, my fangs extended and my head darted to her throat, sinking into her jugular as she gave a soft moan, at least not having much time to really feel it as the Shroud's dark hypnotism was released. I was uncomfortable with how much like a sadistic kiss it felt like, grunting and sucking down the rush of her blood filling my mouth locked on her neck. I sat there in the weird embrace, draining her like some kind of vampire-pony until the steady pulse under my tongue faded away.

When I let go and sat up, I grimaced at the terrified look etched on her pale face, her eyes were rolled back in her head and her dark stripes had turned ashy, while her lithe body looked emaciated. Even worse was the horrified expressions of the ghouls taking a collective step back from me blinking up with blood drenching the scruff of fur at my muzzle and dripping to the corpse.

I wiped my face on my sleeve in shame and hid under the brim of my hat, standing up and stretching my wings with a sigh. They saw the monster... Knowing and seeing weren't the same, even kindly Dr. Patch looked afraid, all of them remaining deathly quiet and clearly hoping I'd stop, rather than just keep killing anything nearby.

"I'm sorry... I told you, I'm not safe... I just wanted to help, I'll go now. Sergeant, you said there were more of these Legion raiders around? Where...?"

The Minutemare trooper was tough and had seen a lot, but even she gulped and hesitated when I turned on her, eventually giving a shaky salute and falling back on her military training to report. "Yes sir G-General... Legion is all over these parts, nearest I know for sure is Outpost Zimonja. Old stripe infiltrator base from the war we never found, due north sir."

Map Updated flashed in the corner of my eye as I wearily returned her salute, sighing out to the worried looking ghouls still figuring out what to make of me. "Alright, I'll... Y-You shouldn't have to worry about these raiders again then, I can do that much at least. T-Thank you again, for everything..."

I could hear Posey's rotten throat give an audible click as she gulped and trotted forward, her legs shaking, but head held high as she strode ahead despite the worried gasps of the other ghouls. She visibly mustered her courage as I cringed away and looked to the bloodied ground, surprised when she wrapped her forelegs around my neck and hugged me with a shaky voice whispering in my ear. "It's ok... M-Maybe a little scary, but you're still a good pony in there Fast. You're not feral or evil, I... I know it. Thank you."

That took a lot of courage, her kind words and bravery strengthening the voices of 'Be Kind...' and 'Be Awesome!' to a sweet note that made me shudder against her. I clutched her back for just a moment, grateful and relieved somepony could see the... the thing I'd become, but still care, still see me as a pony and not just a monster...

I was partially one though, no matter her insistence there was something worth saving in me. It wasn't safe for me to be here any more and I could see Wisemare and the ghoulish residents coming to the same conclusion. They didn't want to drive me away with torches and pitchforks, but they all saw how dangerous I was and were clearly hoping I'd just go away.

'...Ungrateful!... Praise hero!... Saved!... Protected!... Good!...'

"You still scared them. We dont help others just to get attention either. Let's just go..." I whispered to myself as I pulled away from the wonderful member of Jade's Followers, flapping my way up quickly and waving down to the relieved looking ghouls I left behind. "T-Thanks again! I'm glad I met you all! You're nice ponies, so I'm glad you joined Jade's Kingdom too! G-Goodbye!"

I soared off at that, only casting one wistful look back as I climbed to the clouds and spotting Wisemare wrapping a foreleg around Dr. Patch in a hug as they both waved. The rest of the ghouls hesitantly joined in, their rotting limbs held up to wave me off together as I flew north and put them behind me with a sniffle.

I spent the morning following the raider's backtrail and killing survivors in a game of cat and mouse the Shroud took its own giggling enjoyment of. The snow may make me easy to spot in the day, but it also gave an easy trail of hoofprints and blood to track through the woods from the air. They abandoned the ruined roads following the river soon enough, marching through the forest trails and hidden paths to try to lose me. They were stealthy and knew the area like the back of their hooves, but were no match for my nose and E.F.S..

Toying with them like the Gunners and whittling them down only lasted so long though, their leaders like the mare I'd.... drained... had fallen in the attack, making them an unruly and panicked mob, easy pickings... So I kept going, trying to console myself by believing wiping out their camp would help the ghouls of The Slog. Lying to myself was only so effective though, I was killing them because they deserved to die and I wanted to do it, or at least felt something while doing so. It was ok to kill raiders, and making them suffer made my own suffering lessen for awhile.

I did feel a little bad thinking how disappointed Jade would be though, I seriously doubted she'd approve of using the lives of zebras and ponies as a distraction. The Shroud wouldn't stop even if I wanted to though, it had become very focused on the Legion and the weird 'mysterious serum' I'd found, barely communicating as we'd flown on and sought out the raider camp.

If it weren't for the helpful arrow displayed on the compass at the bottom of my vision, I would have had trouble finding the place. Even with it, it took a circling flight over the dead forest before I got close enough for; 'Location Discovered: Outpost Zimonja' to blink in the corner of my eye, reaffirming I was in the right place, but still having problems actually finding it.

The reason it was so hard to find was both geography and zebra camoflauge apparently, no wonder the Equestrian Army and MoM hadn't uncovered the zebra base. It was in a secluded valley in the rolling hills of the northern Commonwealth, practically a miniature canyon that had been strategically deepened and the hills around it made rocky and untenable for ground bound ponies. From the air they were covered by vegetation, some of which was still clinging to a few red and orange leaves, plus there were large clusters of sticker bushes and thorny brambles forming a briar patch to further discourage intruders, along with a fairly large willow dusted with snow overhanging the main entrance.

It was built into the roots of the willow, the thick tree somehow coaxed to grow around the barely visible concrete wall and heavy steel door. Scorched and broken rubble nearby spoke of it once being disguised as well, two halves of a boulder just the same size of the door had been shoved to either side of the narrow pinch point. The Legion raiders had somewhat ruined a lot of the subterfuge those old zebras had used though, building rough shacks and spiky clusters of rusty beams used as barriers and ugly decorations, dead ponies skewered on the sharpened stakes. A few campfires burned in the enclosed clearing around the door and zebras bundled in winter gear over their armor kept up a listless guard. They drank, went to yellow MoP medical boxes splattered with blood over the butterfly and cross mark to grab drugs, shoved and wrestled with each others in displays of dominance and martial skill, and basically just sat around waiting for the crew that would never come back.

They never saw the death from above coming for them. My gauss rifle gave a flat crack of only a second's warning as I dove down, the thick striped mane and attached zebra stallion's head exploding as he went to fight with a mare over a tin of Mint-als. I hit the ground while the small cluster of raiders were still wiping gore from their faces and figuring out what happened, slashing out with Best Served like a spinning dervish.

The skeleton crew of raiders didn't last long, those relegated to staying behind had poorer weapons and training, making for unsatisfying kills too drug addled to do much with the badly maintained zebra made combat shotguns and swords. The whole clearing around the door was quickly stained red along with my coat and face, my tongue running out to lap at it thoughtfully before giving a snort and trotting for the entrance.

"What the hell is your problem? You're acting weirder than usual, normal blood suddenly not good enough for your refined pallete?" I grumbled as I stared up at the weird zebra squiggles on the rusty steel door.

'...Mine... Stolen... Thieves...'

The terse reply I got really didn't clear up my confusion as I slipped in the gloomy bunker, but I did feel the rage radiating from my copilot at what the Shroud viewed as some kind of personal violation. It did at least keep me busy tracking down this Legion base anyway, hopefully giving the Minutemare Thistle Thorn time to get to Parsnips Asylum and warn them to clear out of the way before I returned to my course.

The bunker I found myself in was strange too, everything about it just slightly... off somehow. I'd grown up buried underground in a place like this, but it had been built by pony hooves. However the zebra infiltrators of the war managed to put all this together, they used their own materials, technology and aesthetics, which made the whole place creepy and not quite right to my eye.

The entrance door led to as stone locker room of some kind, the rusty cages for holding the gear of zebra agents coming and going were painted in flaking, alternating black and white, sized just a little differently than the same kind of thing found in the Stable's security room, but serving the same purpose. A passage opposite the door in was marked with an odd arch of steel, flickering gems and rusty sprayer nozzles facing in, some kind of decontamination arch or something as my ears flicked at relays clicking in its broken innards as I passed underneath warily, a few drops of foul water dripping down.

What remained of the lighting flickering in the ceiling seemed slightly too yellow/orange than the harsh fluorescent bulbs I was used to. Beneath the bloody raider decor and spray painted graffiti here and there were older bits that stuck out too, ancient tribal masks and strange fetishes hung at doorways and intersections the Legion hadn't taken down. The walls were once painted beige instead of the shining steel of Stable-Tec modular construction, more big blocks of zebra squiggles here and there pointing the way to other areas.

I found myself pausing at a tattered poster nearing what seemed to be the barracks area of the small bunker, not particularly surprised to be gaping at a menacing picture of Nightmare Moon, framed by a blood red moon behind her and raining destruction down on fearful and decidedly innocent looking zebra folk in a picturesque city of their slightly different architecture burning in the night. I couldn't read the bold red squiggle-text, but had no problem getting the gist after seeing the Ministry of Morale version of the same thing. Propaganda...

'...Blasphemy!... Insult!.... Savages!.... LIES!...'

"Oh quit freaking out about it, we did the same with the Caesar. Of course they'd go after Luna, she was the Princess. They're all long dead now anyway. Looks like there's not many left here either for that matter..." I whispered back, rolling my eyes at the faded poster bursting into blue flames with a spark from my horn as I passed and stuck my head in a room full of narrow cots.

Before the Shroud got any ideas about the three raiders my glowing eyes picked out in the dark, I drew Deliverer and fired perfectly silent 10mm rounds to the their heads resting on ratty straw pillows, executing them in their sleep was about as much mercy as they'd get. It also let me keep creeping through the bunker, getting an idea of the layout of the cross shaped installation after finding the living kitchen and bathroom areas near the barracks room empty and returning to the main intersection of hallways. They couldn't have built a big base and flown under the radar, so it wouldn't take long to explore the rest of it anyway.

Pausing to stick my nose up in the air at the four way intersection with the living area behind me and the entrance to my right, I followed a faint scent and perked my ears towards the left hall, catching the familiar sound of tools scraping metal and a low, muttering voice drifting down the hall. I had to assume the block of zebra runes on that hall said something like 'armory' or 'communications' maybe, since I passed one room I had to poke my head in as it was full of blinking terminals and old computer banks of fascinating foreign design.

I had to ignore the Shroud impatiently whining as I took a quick trot in the empty and disused computer room, really wishing I could read zebraish just to get a better idea how it all worked. Even the password decryption screen of the one locked monitor I tapped at curiously was different, displaying a grid of zebra runes meant to be selected with the odd little gadget connected to the sleek terminal, which I figured out actually moved a cursor on the screen around when I played with it a moment. What a smart idea for an interface device! I'd never crack the password in a million years, but I did find the oddly shaped plug for that little treasure and made to swipe the whole thing to take apart later.

Turning it over in my hooves a moment, I realized I was actually interested in something with a tired sigh, the tiny curl of a smile at the corner of my muzzle drooping along with my ears as I just let the gizmo clatter to the floor, where its small casing and long cord trailing behind it made it look like some kind of mechanical mouse. I'd get little moments where I'd forget everything like that, but it all came crashing back in soon enough. I knew Dr. Patch told me to focus on the positives and not wallow in misery and anger, but it felt like I was somehow betraying Glitter's memory by forgetting to be depressed about her and taking pleasure in something, even for even a second.

A flicker on a large, cracked monitor on the wall made my head snap that way with a growl, catching the movement of what I could have sworn was a blue striped zebra face peeking out from the corner at me. It was gone when I looked though, displaying only a bunch of squiggles in varying colors and what looked like the wavy lines of communications equipment. Great... now I was seeing things too.

'...Boring junk... Not done... go kill... investigate... you like...'

I grumbled at the Shroud huffing over the delay as I snuck back out to the hall and continued towards what I was guessing was an armory. It had a very thick steel door and a lot of empty, heavy duty shelves I could see from here. They were mostly bare of equipment, letting me see further in the small room to the brighter lights and more familiar looking workbenches a shifting shadow was hidden behind.

That was where the muttering and grinding was coming from, an older, scarred and potbellied red zony stallion, with horizontal violet stripes and an artificial hindleg of rusty, spiky metal. His back was to the door and he was absorbed in sharpening a barrel of waiting blades and other weapons on the pedal powered grindstone he was using, making my stealth so far unnecessary and allowing me to casually stroll up behind him to listen in a moment.

"...get em all sharpened Zan, don't need you slowin' us down.... See how ya like it when yer blade breaks next hard swing Lyn, dumb bitch... Been reavin' an' rapin' longer than most of em been alive... Give me a lil' of that gunk... show you some real raidin' then Lefty...." I watched and raised my eyebrows as I spotted the flaw he'd subtly worked into the thin, flexible longsword with what looked like braided pony manes as a tassel. Nearly as upset over intentionally doing a bad repair job as the Shroud was on hearing the name Lefty again.

The blade in his hooves jerked upwards and out of his grip, floating up along with every other sharp and spiky bit of steel in the room in a field of corrupted magic, hovering in a cloud around the surprised older stallion menacingly as my rumbling voice spoke. "Greetings Evildoer... Where is this Lefty thou whines about..."

His dark violet eye rolled back when his head was prevented from turning by several spear tips, daggers and swords darting to his neck and pressing hard enough to draw blood as his jaw fell open. He recognized me like the other Legion raiders had, making this a little easier as he obviously got older than most of them by being a survivor first, stammering cooperatively back. "N-Not here... Parsnips... The Creamery... B-Been main camp while he's focusing on that asylum place... Y-You're the... look, I'm cooperatin' right Mr. Hero? T-Tell ya whatever ya wanna know, I'm just the old prick they make fix shit."

"Not very well..."

Prowling around to the front of the frozen raider, the blade he'd been working on floated down from the lazily spinning cloud of weapons surrounding him in my own blue telekinesis, shoved up under his muzzle and snapped along the flaw he'd poorly disguised as I smirked and sneered back. 'Map Updated' blinked in the display overlaid on his guilty face, a quick check of the map showing a new icon near the one for Parsnips Asylum I was heading for anyway, seeming to satisfy the Shroud.

The two jagged halves of sword I was holding spun and pointed towards the jabbering buck's face, my annoyance only more pronounced after being reminded by the ghouls of the Slog who I was a little. "Being a repair-pony is an important, noble job... people count on you to do a good work that they can't, even asshole raiders like your friends... but you did a bad job on purpose... I take offense to that..."

For a moment he just looked flabbergasted, forgetting the very real threat in surprise at being called out over something so trivial. "F-Fuck you! That cunt Lyn has it comin'! Fuckin' her way in with Lefty to get the best of the old gear! That I'm posed to take care of! Cloak and magic gun ain't enough, has to hog all the drugs her buckfriend's stealin too! She's a greedy fuckin' whore that..."

"That I killed already." I interrupted with a growl, giving the raider a beat to gape in surprise, before continuing to myself. "You're done with this one now, right? Found out what you wanted?"

'...Yes... Kill Leader... Punish thieves...'

"Good... We don't need him anymore then." I answered just as the stammering raider found his voice with a string of 'No! No! No!' and the two broken halves of once well crafted zebra steel shot forward, skewering both the zony's eyes in a spray of blood as I turned away.

He only bucked and thrashed around the armory in screaming agony for a minute, the rest of the floating weaponry darting in from every angle to make him look quite a bit like a metal quilled puck-bloody as I trotted off. The Shroud even nickered its approval of the punishment, encouraging me to pass judgement on a repair-pony who'd disgrace the name.

It was late afternoon when I came trotting back out of the Outpost Zimonja bunker, finding nothing more of interest really, but coming out with a fair amount of pilfered loot. The sun was sinking below the rocky hills disguising the place, casting the narrow valley in shadow. I still wasn't sure what the deal was with the weird serum and these Legion raiders, but it all came back to where I was heading anyway, so I supposed I'd find out. One way or the other...

I stood in the slushy raider camp a moment and flexed my wings, shrugging and putting aside the mystery for now. My nostrils flared and suddenly I was moving however, a burst of blue flames spewing from my horn and roasting a large chunk of the briar patch maze that helped hide the camp.

"W-Whoa! What are you doing!? You're not going after another freaking mutant hedgehog, are you!?" I yelped as I was dragged along with my body surging forward, barely catching a flicker striped movement through the trees that made E.F.S. flicker weakly trying to track the creature.

I couldn't keep up any better than the arcano-tech device, but the Shroud had launched us into the air and was chasing whatever it was with a roar, scythes of black magical force shearing through the trees after the flash of stripes blending in with the scorched branches and white snow of the woods we were barreling through. Did we miss one of the Legion? One came back? They had to be pretty skilled to sneak up on us like that, I wondered why they hadn't attacked...

"GRRRAAHHH!! COME OUT YURA'S SPAWN! QUIT SKULKING!" The Shroud's voice boomed out as I darted through the trees after the spinning blur bouncing from branch to branch and back to the ground, speaking from both sides of my muzzle in a confused yelp as I caught another blink from E.F.S. showing a green dash for an instant.

"Yura's...? What!? Hey! It's green! Remember what I taught Swan!? Green is good dammit! Red is dead! Just slow down!!"

I was ignored in favor of sending an inky black beam of magic from my horn after the darting shape, scorching a long scar in the hills and knocking trees down in pursuit of the agile stranger. I was still struggling to catch up when a familiar voice called out breathlessly, risking revealing himself to try talking and making me gasp, even as my horn kept right on slinging arcane death out after him. "Fast! Stop! If you're in there, please! I'm not here to..."

"EXORCISE ME!? BANISH ME!? KILL ME!?" The Shroud roared, punctuating each shout with another blast of magic that tore swaths out of the woods, taking away places to hide as I tried to yelp back in shock.

"Z-Zed!?" It was... I saw him for just a second, then he was forced to flip through the air away from a rain of fallen trees picked up from the ground in corrupted telekinesis and lobbed at him. "Shit! Zed RUN! I don't know why he's... STOP IT! It's Zed dammit!! My friend!"

'NO! ...Betrayer!... Zebra warlock!... Exorcist!... Hurt me!...'

Zed was as amazing as always, bouncing off the storm of lumber and running up one long trunk as it crashed to the ground. The incredible display of agility and grace slowed him down and exposed him though, allowing the Shroud to dive after him and close in. Best Served glimmered in the fading light of winter sunset coming early, dancing around his frantic dodges and parries to the handle as my fangs snapped after him. The Shroud really wanted to kill him... viewed him as a threat...

Zed knocked the starmetal blade from my blackened magic to go quivering into a tree trunk nearby, but paid for eliminating the deadly weapon from the fight by getting tackled and rolling down the snowy hills in a tangle with me. We kept smacking the ground and wrestling as we tumbled, the quick zebra saving himself from getting his throat ripped out by ducking back, then shooting his head forward in a headbutt that interrupted the spell glowing at my horn.

My forelegs kept twining with his, trying to keep him from slithering free and hammering my guts in rushed blows that still felt numbing. I cracked my head on a stump when we landed with him on top, but the next bounce down the hill was the last, my wings flaring and catching enough air to ensure I was on top.

'Be Strong!' shouted out and I took control of my foreleg, punching myself in the face as my fangs made to dart forward again. It was enough of an interruption for the other Ministry Mares to rise up in swelling song behind Applejack's lead, letting me clench my eyes as I straddled the zebra and screamed out to the sky.

"NNNGH!! NO!!! I WON'T LET YOU!" My head hurt and my left side was moving independent of my wishes, but it was enough of an opening to think desperately, bashing at my horn and hissing angrily. "I-If you kill Zed... w-we're... I... I won't help you anymore! I won't do anything! We won't be friends anymore dammit!"

'...But!... Friends?...'

It stopped fighting... I was as shocked as Zed looked when I cracked an eye open and fluttered away from him in a hurry, but that threat actually got through... The spirit of destruction was my friend and didn't want to lose that... It actually listened...

"Y-Yes... alright? Yes we're friends... just like Zed's my... er... our friend too... Riiiight Zed?" I gave a shaky sigh and pranced further back as Zed got to his hooves, giving a pleading look with the leading question.

Wiping blood from his muzzle and goggling as I gave a crooked, nervous smile and held my hooves out in a twirling, 'c'mon...' gesture to him hopefullly, Zed's eyelid twitched and he looked very irritated, but did nod slowly and go along. "Yes.... I'm not your enemy spirit. I am Fast's friend."

'.....Hmff... No Exorcise... No kill...'

"Phew.... T-Thank you..." I shuddered and wiped the cold sweat from my brow when my psychotic partner decided to sullenly agree and settle down, slumping as the tension ran out of me and continuing for Zed's benefit, who had an eyebrow raised curiously at the internal conversation. "I-It's ok, for now anyway... just... s-stay back. He doesn't like you.... I think because you kept trying to get rid of him and telling me not to mess with spirits. Why are you here?"

Zed trotted forward after me cringing away, his stern grey eyes drawn down to a flat line and his soothing baritone replying. "To find you obviously. I thought it wisest to watch and see if I could spot any sign of you actually in there again. I'm glad you are... You continue to surprise me Fast, I would not have believed it possible for any shred of your soul to remain intact after..."

"W-What happened to Glitter... That's why I've been staying away, I shouldn't be around anypony, it's not safe... You just saw, I'm sorry for trying to kill you, but... I can't..."

I had to give it to the zebra, even coming that close to death and clearly wounded, he fearlessly limped his way after me trying trudge away through the snow with my head hanging. Anypony else would get the fuck away as fast as possible, but Zed just kept talking in that implacable, deep voice. "You are still you though Fast. That was what I had to confirm first. Your wife asked me to and I swore to do all I could. Since there's still a Fast Times to save, I must help you and bring you back, you must face what happened and deal with it."

"I can't... Glitter... she..."

"You must. I don't know how or why you are able to coexist with that... creature... but anyone who can is an exceptionally strong soul. One who has earned my respect and friendship Fast. You are not so weak as to run from the truth and abandon her simply because she is..."

"DEAD! I kNoW aLriGht!?! I KnOw! I'm nOt tHaT sTrONg, OK!? I cAn'T fAcE..."

'...Kill now?...'

Tears blurred my vision as I roared back, feeling the cajoling, hopeful hiss of 'Be Dark...' offering a way to shut him up and avoid admitting the truth. I stamped my hooves and rubbed at my eyes forcefully, biting my lip and weeping as Zed merely tilted his head curiously and squinted at the shadowy magic swirling around my hooves.

"I was going to say 'because she is a synth'..." Zed eventually spoke, holding his forelegs up in a peaceful gesture and cautiously coming closer again when my ragged breathing calmed down.

My ears drooped and I sobbed, shaking my head hanging miserably to the ground and croaking back. "I d-don't care about that... She was my little filly and I loved her.... n-no matter what she was..."

Zed walked right up at that, giving a soft sigh and placing one strong hoof on my shoulder, forcing me to peek up from under the brim of my hat to see the kind smile on his square muzzle. "I didn't think you would, I just couldn't think of any other reason you'd stay away... I didn't know you thought..."

He paused awkwardly, blowing his spiky mane from his face and giving a half hearted, tired chuckle that just made me more confused as I sniffled. Zed looked up to the twilight skies a moment and breathed slowly, wincing at the wounds I noticed guiltily, then shaking his head and looking back down, speaking in a whisper like he was trying to soften the blow.

"Fast... Your daughter... Glitter... Glitter is not dead."

-------------------Level Up!-------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------

Miss Sandmare-------------
---As an agent of death and loyal servant of Luna, you bring more than just dreams and can instantly kill a sleeping pony. Your silenced weapons also do an additional 20% sneak attack damage.

Faction Change!------------

The Slog = Dark Hero
---The Ghouls of the slog are a friendly lot and sympathize with you, but they've also seen firsthoof how dangerous you are, so understandably have mixed feelings. You retain an overall positive relationship with the recently added Kingdom of Sanctuary settlement, recieving a discount for goods and services, but also a clear hope you'll move on before it gets dark...

Ch. 104-- Reveille

"Would you say I'm a hero, Glorious and brave, If I told you something you wouldn't believe?
That sometimes I'm scared, And I can make mistakes, And I'm not so heroic, it seems
But if day can turn to night, And the darkness turn to light..."

"W-W-What? S-She's not... G-Glitter's not... d-d-d..."

Zed gave another sigh at me blubbering with a disbelieving, hopeful stare turned up at him, shaking his head and answering firmly. "No. No she is not dead Fast. She is... sick? Broken? In a coma is the easiest explanation your wife gave me. I am unsure and didn't understand much of what those trying to help her said, but I have seen her myself. She still breathes and her heart still beats. She is alive."

When I launched myself at him, Zed dodged aside frantically, hopping on a wounded hindleg as I crashed facefirst into the lower half of a tree I had sorta... cut in half trying to kill him... I got back to my hooves rubbing my snout and laughing though, not even put out by his wary eyes watching out for another attack as I snorted and sniveled equally with the bouncing mote of 'Awareness!' giggling its way stronger with me.

"S-Sorry, that was supposed to be a hug, not a... er... I'm just happy Zed! R-Really, really happy! She's still... I thought... This is so awesome!! She's sick though? Where is she?! Oh! Nevermind, I can... h-hang on!"

Zed huffed like my intended hug was as bad as the attack from the evil spirit he was clearly worried about, but let me ramble and plop down to the snow to bring up my pip-buck, rapidly fiddling with the map and locator tag functions. I should have thought it through more actually. Glitter's entry on my long list of locator tags had never disappeared, I had just been afraid to check it or Jade's. I selected it now with my hoof fumbling at the buttons, my eyes widening with glee as her blinking marker appeared on the icon for Goodneighbor.

'...Daughter... Good!... Happy!... Like...'

"Y-You bet your ass I'm happy you Shrouded nutball! She's ok! Goodneighbor's not that far even, we could be there by morning! Let's go!"

I rubbed the tears from my eyes on my sleeves and grinned, spreading my wings to fly to my daughter right then and there, then yelping when they folded back in and I crashed back to the ground. Shaking snow from my face and mane, I sputtered in confusion, getting a grumbling reply from the spirit possessing me.

'Me first... Mine... Want... Thieves...'

"What!? Who cares about that!? I wanna go to Glitter!! NOW!"

'...No... Wait...'

"Nnngh!! I'll walk if I have to!" I made to do just that, then growled in frustration when my hindlegs dug in against my wishes, leaving my forelegs to keep dragging me forward. "Fine, I'll CRAWL if I have to dammit!!"

Zed tilted his head as he watched my one sided argument, frowning as he interrupted the schizophrenic disagreement. "Fast... Perhaps you should calm down. Glitter is well cared for and safe. I take it the creature doesn't want to leave yet?"

"NNNGH!!! No, it's being stupid! And stubborn! I know you care about her too, you want to find too Jade right? I'm giving you what you wanted, let's go already! What the fuck is so important about that stupid asylum anyway!?"

'...Mine... Need back... Then go... Soon... Need help... Friends?...'

"GRRRAAGH!!! Dammit!! He's not going to fucking budge! Whatever! Let's just hurry up and get your psychotic shit done then!"

Still giving a pensive look at me rolling in the snow and drumming my legs in a tantrum, Zed shrugged and tried to speak soothingly, to both of us it seemed. "Fascinating... Well, if it refuses to cooperate and leave the area immediately, maybe talking will suffice. I imagine you have questions? I know I do..."

I pouted a moment, but after mulling it over a few bare seconds, I sat up and nodded eagerly. "R-Right! You said she was sick? In a coma? Jade hasn't been able to heal her? Why not? What about everybody else? Is Jade ok? Swan? Val and Witchy? What happened after..."

He limped back a step at my manic barrage as I pranced after him, groaning as he stepped on a severed zebra limb in his retreat towards the empty ruin of Outpost Zimonja and waving out to all the damage the surrounding area had taken. "I'd be happy to fill you in Fast, but somewhere else please? I've followed the backtrail of destruction you've left enough already, I've no desire to make camp in another such scene. There's somewhere better nearby to let us talk and me recover, if you ...both... would come with me?"

"No tricks..." My mouth opened in a growl before I could answer, nodding enthusiastically until I had control of my own tongue again to answer. "Yes! Sure, whatever! I er... guess you wouldn't wanna hang out here anyway. I'm really sorry for hurting you too... I just... Whatever you say Zed, thank you!"

Zed raised an eyebrow at the dual replies, but sighed and reached into his zipped up leather jacket to brush his bloodwing talisman, pulling out a warm looking sock hat as the leathery wings sprouted from his back. He flapped his way up to the twilight skies and turned north with me right on his tail, shrugging out into the gathering twilight with a cautious glance back. "Good, you're welcome of course Fast. It truly is good to see you again, it's even better that it's actually you... mostly at least. Come, it's not far and there are supplies there, as well as another friend you may enjoy seeing again."

Thankfully, we didn't have far to fly from Outpost Zimonja. Not only because I had a million questions that kept piling up, but because Zed actually seemed hurt, the first time I'd seen him really let his wounds slow him down. It was mainly my view of the corrupted, blackened burn on his flank from my position trailing him that kept me guiltily quiet. I'd really almost killed him...

He caught me staring at it as we flew on, looking back tiredly, but with understanding when my bloodshot eyes flicked away in shame. "I know it's not your fault Fast... I understood the risks when I came to find you."

"Still... I'm really sorry Zed. I'm glad you did come though, that you told me. All this time I thought Glitter was... g-gone... I.... I couldn't take it... I gave up and... just stopped caring about anything..."

He got a pensive look at my pained mumble, turning front again and speaking firmly. "You didn't though. I have to admit, if you weren't still... you... I came with the intention of stopping the creature as is my duty. If you had really given up and there was nothing left of you however, I do believe I'd be dead right now. I've fought many dangerous and dark spirits, but never anything like..."

"...ME..."

"Shut up, stop using my mouth to spout off whenever you like! And don't sound so freaking smug about it either! You're the one that nearly got us killed by a bunch of freaking pastel porcupines, remember that? Zed's tough, if he was really trying, he would have given you a run for your money I bet!"

'...S-Shut up!... No tell!...'

The gruff zebra stallion blinked at my schizophrenic answer a moment, then surprised me by actually laughing... First a tired chuckle, then outright guffaws as we lost altitude over the northern woods until he managed to sputter out words again. "Sorry, it's just... I tell you I'd planned to kill you, and rather than get angry or upset, you try to convince that creature I could have done a good job of it! It's definitely proof it's still really you in there anyway."

"Yeah, well... I don't like anypony insulting my friends. Besides, why would I get mad? I mean... if I was still just going on a mindless rampage and hadn't come back.... I'd... I'd want you to stop me Zed. It would be the right thing to do."

That earned me the warmest smile I'd ever gotten out of Zed, a look of hard won, honest respect coming with it. "I'd still appreciate it if you didn't let that wife of yours know either of us thought that way. I didn't exactly lead with potentially murdering you when I convinced her to let me go."

"Er... yeah, I don't think she'd understand. So you asked to come for that? Er... Just you? I mean, I'm still really glad you did, but what about the others? Did... did none of them want to... a-are they scared? O-Or mad?"

"Hardly Fast. Well, Valkyrie is extremely annoyed with you, but I think that's just her worrying. She and Swan have been nearly impossible to restrain from coming for you. I convinced them I was the best option since they've been quite busy, while I know the area and potential help in Neighlem, have experience fighting dark magic, and am the least likely member of our group you'd simply try to rut into submission." Zed surprised me again by ending his reassuring answer on an actual joke, smirking as I blushed and sputtered a moment.

Feeling so good for the first time in weeks though, I managed to recover and answer in kind, waggling my eyebrows with a contemplative leer. "I dunno Zed, you are pretty buff and all. Not that I my barn door really swings that way, but the pervert in my head has never been that picky..."

'...Blegh!... No zebra!... Fillies!!...'

I cackled laughter, both at Zed instantly speeding up his weary flight and the Shroud's indignant response in my head. I could feel the little sliver of Pinkie Pie and the Element of Laughter brighten and giggle along though, feeling honestly happy again after being in a deep, dark hole for so long. I'd been so numb, I'd forgotten how much I missed my friends, how good it felt to just... laugh again... Even the Shroud seemed to savor the sensation once it got the teasing joke, grumbling over being made fun of, but enjoying the positive emotion too much to care.

A far off whine cut off the tapering chuckles, drawing my glare up to look for any threat and spotting a distant Vertibuck flying low to the east. Zed frowned at the prewar transport too, but didn't seem that surprised. "The Brotherhood... They've been coming this way since the Institute and their army have pushed them out of the city. "

"At least it's not a Gunner ship I guess, any idea what they're up to though Zed? Why would they c-BIRD!"

Zed gaped when my curious question was interrupted by the crazed shout. A shadowy sword of magic sprang from my horn and streaked down to the blackened trees passing by under our hooves, skewering another Institute made raven that dissolved to glowing green goo and at least somewhat explained the insane shout from the Shroud killing local wildlife.

"Er... Sorry... Those have been showing up a lot too..."

"I see... At least it's not just killing anything it sees I suppose. It knows to watch for the Institute's spies?" Zed replied in a tone like Jade when she was fascinated with some new bit of medical knowledge. He frowned and rubbed his chin in thought when I nodded in answer, then shook it off and pointed a foreleg ahead. "Interesting, I have many questions about that creature and your... relationship... Thankfully we've arrived, this way."

I followed his lead as he glided gracefully to a landing, touching down on a cracked concrete landing pad and trotting down the rusty stairs leading to another wartime bunker built in the snowy valley. Though this one was clearly made by ponies and not nearly as hidden as Outpost Zimonja. It was a squat little concrete pillbox, a partially melted metal tower festooned with burnt dishes and antennae on top, plus a still functional looking terminal next to the heavy steel door marked by the symbol for the Ministry of Wartime Technology. As soon as my hooves touched the ground beside Zed already reaching the door, my pip-buck chimed in my ear and displayed; Location Discovered: Listening Post Bravo.

The rusty security door opened under Zed's hoof with no issue, leading to the small single room inside the bunker I poked my head in for a wary look. Beside the door there was a sturdy metal cage with a few lockers and shelves for gear that looked like it had been used lately, by the disturbed dust and open Equestrian Army ammo bins showing assorted caliber bullets dumped haphazardly there. A desk with a broken terminal took up the center of the room, beside a pair of shelves framing a tattered old Equestrian flag on a stand showing the circular image of the two Princesses.

Zed strolled right in and made for the only other interesting feature, a narrow elevator secured by another terminal that had apparently been unlocked too, since the doors slid open with a warbling 'ding' when he pressed the dimly glowing button. I had to force myself to follow, creeping into the small elevator and fidgeting as it made its slow way down, while Zed merely took off his sock hat and stood placidly.

"Er... so who exactly has been staying here? You said it was a friend?"

Nodding back, Zed didn't elaborate much. "Yes, I ran into him while in the area looking for you. It's someone I think may benefit from seeing you as much as you him."

Before I could ask more, the elevator stopped its downward motion and the doors opened with another 'ding', followed immediately by a heavy click and whir from the room beyond that made me tense in a crouch and growl at the hulking shape in the shadows. A towering steel ranger stood there, the minigun on his flank spinning up and locked on the small, confined space I was trapped in with Zed.

If he had fired, I wasn't sure even the Shroud was fast enough to get out of it. Fortunately, the rapidly spinning barrels of his weapon hitched and spun down as Zed leapt forward, throwing his hooves out in a call for peace I barely managed to answer too. "Paladin! Calm yourself! We're no threat!"

There was a long, tense moment where the huge suit of armor stared back blankly and I kept growling, but the ranger shifted his weapon away and slumped with a whine of hydraulics. The intimidating steel face hissed and folded back, revealing a haggard grey face of an unshaven and dirty stallion arching one bushy dark brow at me with a gruff snort. "That's debatable... I see you found him."

"D-Dance?" I gaped back and at least mastered the Shroud's urge to kill a potential threat, looking up to the wincing brown eyes of the former Star Paladin flicking away at his name. "P-Paladin Steel Dance!? You're ok!?"

Dance gave me a flat look in return, grunting a one word reply. "No."

With no more than that, the missing Brotherhood stallion turned and tromped off sullenly, crossing the room full of broken terminals, equipment, rusty file cabinets and battered desks to a dinged yellow power armor station against the wall. He huffed as the heavy armor unfolded around him and linked to the station, then trudged to leave in his dirty red and orange underarmor jumpsuit through a doorway on the other side of the room, towards the mellow glow of a lantern and a soft radio.

Standoffish or not, Paladin... former Paladin Dance let us stay in his little hidey hole without complaint. He had retreated to the only other room in the underground listening post, visible through a set of broken windows on the far wall. It was full of lots of terminals and fancy consoles for dead and broken equipment, cleaned up with military tidiness to house a single bed, a hooflocker, a working radio perched on a battered filing cabinet and a salvaged shelf for canned food and rations.

I caught Dance peeking out at us once or twice while Zed and I talked, but he didn't join in. He seemed... hurt. I could see the bitterness, anger and depression warring in him when I caught him looking, but he always turned away, content to offer us shelter without comment. That worried me actually, I recognized those kinds of feelings after living through them the last couple weeks. There was a stallion who had just... given up.

Concerned as I was for one of the few Brotherhood of Friendship ponies I actually liked, getting caught up by Zed took priority. I had to impatiently lob questions at him while he took a squeaky office chair and started mixing zebra brews on the rusty desk before it, but when I saw how the goop he smeared on his scorched flank hissed and burst into blue flames for a moment, I bit my tongue and let him work.

He caught my shamed eyes following him and waved it aside again, assuring me he had a lot of experience dealing with curses, though the glancing shot from the Shroud's corrupted magic was one of the most powerful he'd ever encountered. I wondered if he knew that would get a pleased and proud nicker from the jerk in my head... Either way, letting him work helped me stay calm, letting him tell the story from the beginning.

Swan did what I asked her, she knew it was an emergency and knew she had to protect Glitter, Jade, herself and our foals, so she went to the first place she thought of that was safe. Home. It caused quite a stir when all of my friends and family just teleported to Trinity Tower, especially in the middle of the night that had somehow turned to day, but it was safe and nearby. Umbra and her sisters had been annoyed I wasn't with them, but their home being not that far from Diamond City had saved them from making a mistake by trying to go back for me.

They could see it from there. Zed's grey eyes still looked awed and far away when he paused on reaching that part. "I knew the legends... but I've never seen the like Fast. It looked like a hurricane parked right on top of D.C., a swirling gyre of destruction that rained lightning down, while the flames of that... Synthlestia thing they made erupted up like a volcano from the stadium. Your wife wished to return regardless, but Witchy and Valkyrie managed to convince her nopony dare approach that madness, despite how much they both wished to as well. It was caring for Glitter that stayed her hoof in the end though."

I winced hearing about it all again. I'd heard rumor and secondhoof stories when I'd dared talk to other ponies, but Zed had a front row seat atop Trinity Tower, watching with the others well into the night. Then he'd spoken to the many refugees from the city that had started trickling in to Unityville below. Between me and the Institute's Celestia synth, we'd done a lot of damage, displaced and ...killed... a lot of innocent ponies. Not just in D.C., but the surrounding ruins as well.

Despite the shame I felt over all that though, I still only cared about Glitter and Jade. I was frustrated Zed couldn't tell me much more there, but all he knew was Glitter was in a coma, or broken, depending on how you looked at it. Jade had done everything she could and was caring for her night and day, but couldn't wake her up... turn her on... whatever again. She'd kept it together by focusing on her first though, seeking help with the Railroad as the only synth experts we knew, calling in favors with Mayor Shamrock in Goodneighbor and every other friend we'd made, even accepting the truce the Institute offered through their fake goddess and running herself ragged. All to care for a sleeping little princess that wouldn't awaken from her curse.

After that first night, they waited to see if I'd come back, growing more afraid and desperate as the day wore on and people started crawling out of the wreckage to survey the damage. Val went with Swan and a few wings of her sisters very insistent on 'helping' to find me, but the Gunners were already fortifying their hold on the city and surrounding area as the army of the New Equestrian Empire, under the fake Princess Celestia holding court there.

Despite how much the Gunners still wanted to kill the traitor though, they didn't do anything but turn her away. Of course, having a dozen very agitated alicorns probably helped, but they were under orders too. The mercs sent them on their way with a fancy scroll of a letter to Jade that day, proposing their truce and the tense status quo that had sprung up in the aftermath. I was still listed as public enemy number one and to be captured or killed in their territory, but otherwise the Institute, through their synth Princess, had been fairly magnanimous.

Zed stopped to hold his pip-buck bedecked hindleg out and bring up the map at that point, showing me the lay of the land as things were now. The Gunners territory along the southern third of the Commonwealth had spread up into Trotson itself, all the way up to the northern river looping around the city to include Manebridge and the ruins of C.I.A.T. itself. It made a basic pie wedge shape of the bottom third of the circular Commonwealth, the upper two thirds making a rough upside down horseshoe shape that included all the friends we'd made that had allied with the Kingdom of Sanctuary.

For whatever sneaky reasons, at least Synthlestia's New Equestrian Empire recognized any settlements allied with us and left them alone, even those in her territory of the city. Goodneighbor had become even more of a free sister city to D.C. and de facto capital for the Kingdom of Sanctuary within the Trotson ruins, serving as a safe site the Institute's fake goddess had even deigned to visit herself, to negotiate the truce that still held with Jade, while Mayor Shamrock served as mediator.

The Brotherhood at the Trotson Skyport on the other hoof, were an unabashed enemy of the Institute and had completely lost their shit when the mad scientists played their trump card with their synth Princess. Elder Macson gave regular blaring speeches on the evils of technology gone mad on the Brotherhood's weak radio signal, and they had carved out a good portion of the northern coast. They had been held back by Neighlem Village rebuffing them so far, explaining why there were Vertibucks flying around out there, but they had been pushed out of the city almost completely and were facing a losing battle.

Mentioning his former order and his leader finally got Dance to poke his head out at that point, snorting proudly with fire in his eyes. "The Elder won't be defeated by those twisted lunatics or their vile monstrosity! That false goddess is just the kind of thing we came to the Commonwealth to stop! The Institute and their synths creations will be defeated, Ad Victorium!"

Blinking curiously, I couldn't help blurting out my first thought. "Er... aren't you a synth though Dance? Actually, the last time I talked to Macson, he asked me to kill you..."

I winced when my pip-buck decided to remind me about that in no uncertain terms, biting my lip looking over the unforgiving text in my vision as Dance simply stood there and took it in;

Mission Updated: Blind Betrayal

Objectives------
---~~Find Paladin Dance~~

Optional Objectives---
---Kill Dance
---Bring Dance in to the Brotherhood

Instead of getting upset or depressed, Dance stunned me by just nodding firmly. "I wish Elder Macson had sent somepony else. But that doesn't change a thing. I'm a synth, which means I need to be destroyed. I need to be the example, not the exception."

"W-What!? You want me to kill you!?"

'...Kill?... Can do....'

Shaking my head at the eager voice of the Shroud piping up, I was flabbergasted when Dance just nodded again, puffing his chest out and preaching the values of the group that wanted him dead. "If you disobey your orders, you're not only betraying Macson, you're betraying the Brotherhood of Friendship and everything it stands for. Machines were never meant to make their own decisions. The Institute and all of their synths must be destroyed, myself included."

"Are you out of your damn mind!? First off, I don't take orders from Macson, I'm not some Brotherhood soldier and I don't care what they think. But you actually believe in that bullshit so much that you're fine with dying!? You ignoring self preservation aside, my daughter's a synth Dance..."

That looked to make him falter for a moment, Dance's ears drooped and his eyes flicked down, but that fervent belief wasn't so easily doused, the fire in his eyes coming back when he raised his head again. "I'm sorry they did that to you Fast, truly I am. You know better than most how insidious the Institute can be now though. They never should have created her to be their spy and toy with your heart, neither she nor I should have existed in the first place."

The shadows in the gloomy bunker grew darker and swirled around my hooves as a low growl came out of my throat, my eyes flexing into a glowing, dragon slitted scowl as I hissed back. "Don't you dare... don't you dare say she should die Dance... I burned down a fucking town of ponies that said that. I feel bad about it, but nopony... NOPONY says my little filly deserves to die."

"Then kill me too..." Dance murmured back and lowered his head, dropping to his knees to put himself on my level and extending his neck for the starmetal blade that had already sprung from the loop on my bandolier and hovered above him in my blackened magic.

"Fast! Don't kill him! He's hurt and uncertain, don't give in to that spirit's rage!" Zed leapt up, limping his way between us and pleading in a shout.

Dance just asking for it fortunately took most of the fun away from the Shroud, it grumbled and pouted over a pony weakly surrendering not being worthwhile and backed off sullenly, though Best Served kept floating in my own blue magic and wavered over the fallen Paladin's head for a long moment. It wasn't just the cajoling of 'Be Dark...', just as it hadn't been the spirit that killed poor Tailia in Convenant. I wanted to do it, it was me that was willing to execute anypony that spoke ill of my Glitter, even more so now that I knew she was still alive and would face prejudice and hate like Dance espoused. Values he had learned from the Brotherhood he still revered that would kill them both given the chance. If it wasn't for the flash of the mare from Covenant's teary eyes with a .45 caliber hole drilled between them popping into my head, Dance might have suffered the same fate.

I managed to sheath the glimmering blade again, biting back tears and turning my back on Dance still waiting on the deathblow. "Get out of my face Dance. If you don't have anything nice to say, shut the fuck up. Don't insult my daughter again, I don't care what she is, I love her."

There was an awkward silence as I kept my eyes trained down to the floor, willing the writhing shadows back to a pony shape beneath me. Eventually I heard Dance huff and stand again, trudging away and muttering under his breath. "I am sorry Fast."

Zed finally broke the silence, trotting around me in a circle with his curious grey eyes trained down to the shadows as he jerked his muzzle towards the retreating Dance. "I apologize for that. I remembered Scribe Wind asked you to help him and hoped... perhaps you could help each other."

"Not if he's going to say that kinda stuff about her! If he wants to die for his fanatical freaking beliefs, fine. Anycreature that says Glitter should though, I'll kill myself. That includes Dance and his whole damn Brotherhood. I... I really did wipe that town out Zed... It wasn't all me, but I didn't care what the Shroud did to them and I... I killed a mare... I have enough problems Zed, I can't help somepony that doesn't want to be helped."

Zed watched passively as I ranted and snorted, waiting until the fury gave way to remorse before speaking softly. "I told you I hoped he could help you in turn Fast. You are not thinking of how he feels, and it is relevant... Both your joy over Glitter being alive and your anger for any who would disparage her are how her nature affects you, how you feel and what you think. The creature possessing you surely isn't helping as spirits like it can be exceptionally selfish, but you need to think of how Glitter will feel."

"Huh? But I... I mean... s-she's still Glitter, I... Jade and I both still love her just the same! We don't care she's a..."

Zed finished for me, still with that patient, placid stare that was becoming uncomfortable. "A synth. I know you don't, but... if she wakes up... she will be aware of that fact herself, will remember she was forced to hurt you because of it. What will you say to her? How will you respond if she thinks as Dance does and feels she should have never been born? Will you threaten her too?"

"No! I'd never!! I..." My instant denial paused as I really thought on it, remembering those last moments in Diamond City when Svengallop had forced her to shoot me, the look of misery and guilt in her teary eyes as she was forced to obey... "I don't know... I just thought e-everything would be like it was, she's still my daughter, I don't care about anything else so I... I guess I didn't think about how she'd feel... Shit."

I could do without Zed chuckling as I slumped, but he leaned forward to put a consoling hoof on my shoulder as he spoke in a soothing voice. "You see? That's one reason I wanted to come here, talk to Dance, see how he feels as another pony who just found out he wasn't what he thought he was, consider it practice."

'Be Kind...' sang its approval, even as I glanced through the broken window between rooms and frowned with the proud hiss of 'Be Dark...' trying to sway me the other way. I didn't want to consider Dance or his feelings, I really did only care about my own...

"I'll try... really. A-After I calm down and think about it though."

"Good, since the other reason I wished to stop truly was a need for rest. I understand that spirit may thrive at night and not need it, but I do. It was a long journey to track you down, ending with... more exercise." Zed leaned back at that, his eyelids drooping as he glanced down to the crust of alchemical gunk on his flank and continued with a shrug at my wince. "Can I trust you not to go wandering off? Both of you?"

"Er... sure Zed. I won't sleep or leave him totally in charge. I have some thinking to do anyway I guess. Umm... before you nod off though, c-can you... can you tell me more about Glitter? Anything? I know she's still asleep but, anything..."

He sighed and gave a soft smile, reaching into his jacket pocket to retrieve a dingy looking holotape and speaking in a soft murmur. "Best you hear for yourself. Here, something I was asked to deliver to you. It should keep you amused while I rest and hopefully give you more to think on."

Zed didn't have to say more... I could smell that sweet strawberry scent coming from the holotape he hoofed over to my trembling grip. I stared at it with watery eyes, feeling my heart swell, even as my stomach dropped. Jade... Jade sent this for me...

I could still barely bring myself to really think about facing her again after the things I'd done. I desperately wanted to get to her and Glitter again now, but every time I thought of seeing her beautiful face turning to disappointment or even... fear... on our reunion, I broke out in a cold sweat.

I'd been avoiding thinking about it, especially since the Shroud still had no intention of leaving without... whatever it wanted up here, and was therefore buying me time at least. Being faced with a message from my wife however, I felt the same anxiety and curled up in the corner with the wonderful smelling holotape, pawing at it on the floor in indecision as Zed settled in to sleep.

For most of the night, I sat and thought, pulling out all my weapons and breaking them down to clean, trying to reach the cool nirvana of tinkering. It wasn't easy with a very bored spirit bouncing off the walls of my skull, let alone the holotape I had set reverently aside but still couldn't bring myself to listen to.

Hard as I tried, I couldn't really calm down and it was boring being the only pony awake. Even wandering the bunker and breaking down every bit of junk still littering the place for parts couldn't distract me enough. I ended up going through every last filing cabinet, desk drawer, and hidey hole out of desperation, coming up with a quite a bit of ammo and a surprising number of bottlecaps in the process and seriously wondering if Val really was right about Discord hiding them randomly through the wasteland. I sure couldn't think of any reason the prewar soliders who once worked here would stuff more than a dozen in a dented toolbox anyway.

The Shroud cajoling me to just go out for a little while and find something to kill was tempting, but agonizing over that message kept me in place. Pouting over to Zed sleeping peacefully in his reclined office chair, I wondered if that wasn't the whole reason he saved giving it to me until when he did.

When I'd worked myself up into a stomachache and had flubbed putting the capacitors for the Last Minute in the right way for the third time, I finally tugged at my mane in frustration and snatched the orange and white missive up. I missed the holotape slot on my pip-buck repeatedly, then put it in backwards too, but finally slid it home and slammed a hoof on the play button with an annoyed huff. Then all my anxiety and frustration blew out like a candle when I heard the sweet voice hesitantly speaking up in my ear;

"...and I just press this bit here, then I may speak?" Jade's voice crackled forth mid-sentence, speaking in that uncertain tone I knew so well from any time I tried to explain arcano-tech stuff to her.

"Er... yeah Blue, seein' how ya just did, it's doin' it's thing already..." Val's voice was lower and more subdued in response, obviously stuck explaining how to make this little present to her with Glitter unable to for her mother as she usually did. My smile stretched wider hearing the exasperated griffon, then my perked up ears laid back with a whine of feedback as she screeched right in the mic, knocking me back to a pile of rotting cardboard boxes in the corner at the sheer volume blasting out of my pip-buck. "HEY! If yer hearin' this boss, I'ma gonna kick the everlivin' shit outta ya when I finds ya! Yer lucky Blue here's sendin' stripey an' not me! If'n I weren't so busy pickin' up the slack while yer on yer vacaction to crazytown, I'da already tracked ya down dammit!"

"Y-Yes... thank you Valkyrie, I am sure he is well aware of your disappointment. If I may speak now, perhaps I may tempt him with incentives other than griffon beatings?" Jade gave a sourly amused nicker and I could hear shuffling and squawking in the background, then my still ringing ears perked up at the squeaky voice backing her up.

"You heard her highness Val! This is very personal and private, tis supposed to be romantic and sweet, not full of you screeching at him like a foul mouthed Radroc, off you go please!" There was grunting and pushing getting further away as I could just picture Witchy shoving Val out the nearest door, then the rapid click of her armored hooves coming back and the thestral chirping proudly. "There we are Princess, thou may continue thine message. You should listen up Fast, thine wife has been most upset because of you and..."

"Witching dear... I was hoping for a bit more privacy than just Valkyrie leaving...."

"Hmm? OH! T-Terribly sorry your highness! I'll just... er.... l-leave you two alone then. Umm... w-we all miss you though Fast! Thou must defeat that terrible spirit and return to her side where you belong, to all of us... Please..." Witchy squeaked at Jade's soft request, clattering off to the same squeaky door in the background and jabbering the whole way, but ending on a pleading call to me that made my ears droop sadly.

There was a long pause after that, a hiss of empty air that made me worry the holotape had corrupted data, or Jade had accidentally hit the mute button, or maybe that she just didn't want to talk to me. It was long enough for me to sweat and picture all kinds of things she might say and angry faces she might be making, but the sound that eventually met my ears was worse than anything I could have imagined, Jade's soft sobs...

My heart broke at each muffled hitch and sniffle I could hear, just picturing her, alone in some room somewhere, sending everyone else away and just crying for a moment to herself. She was trying to hide it from the recording too, but she didn't know how to pause it, leaving me to listen to her soft whimpers and wish more than anything I was there to hold her.

Jade finally spoke through her tears, sniffling and shuffling around as I heard her dab at her face. "I-I am sorry dear... I imagine you hear me being a big foal, but I do not have many opportunities to let my guard down lately and... t-this is difficult... A wife can cry in front of her h-husband, can she not? Y-Yes... I think so, speaking to you like this is something at any rate, so... i-indulge me a moment... I do so wish you were here though Fast... I miss you."

"I miss you too..." I croaked back and realized I was crying too, curling up tighter in the corner with my pip-buck held against my chest to listen closely.

The loud honking noise startled me into flapping straight up and hitting the ceiling, but I found myself chuckling along with Jade on the recording doing the same when I slid back down the wall and listened to her sounding a little better. "Sorry... I suppose you heard that too? I do wish our little filly here was able to help me make this message, I am sure she would edit out all the e-embarrassing bits. I also assume that is a good place to start, despite my request for privacy, Glitter never leaves my side dear. She is safe and... and as healthy as I can make her... Do you wish to say hello to your father dear? P-Please? Just one word? O-One of those adorable sleepy mumbles perhaps? I know you can do it, try sweetheart..."

My face screwed up painfully as the tears flowed listening to her, Jade put on her soft coo for foals to mask the clear pain as she shifted and fumbled with something in the recording. I held my head in my hooves and wept hearing what she was hiding, a kind of exhausted desperation and waning hope that hurt so much to hear from her. My ears flicked as my heightened hearing could already make out enough, the light in and out breathing I'd heard so often from a little filly sprawled out on my chest after falling asleep during a story.

"Mm...." My eyes shot back open and I stared at the steadily decreasing bar on my pip-buck display denoting how much time was left in the recording, gaping in wonder that matched the victorious whinny I heard Jade give at just the tiny sound. Glitter's voice...

"T-There we are! See! I knew you could do it sweetheart! I h-hope you heard as well Fast, she is still with us... I know it." Jade sniffled and laughed equally, the noise of her shuffling again coming with a strong 'MMM!' that made me miss her even more, even as my ribs twinged in memory. That was an alicorn strength hug somewhere, I knew the sound well... The best I could do was hug the pip-buck to my chest and squeeze back just as tight.

When she started speaking again, it was much clearer and a little lighter, a soft and kind whisper, full of her normal grace and nobility. "I know our precious daughter must be weighing on you heavily Fast, so I wished to start with that. I have no doubt you feel as I do after learning the truth, I love her just the same. Since what happened is most certainly what caused you to... to lose control... I hope hearing her has helped you."

"It has... it really, really has hon..." I croaked back, waiting for her to continue as I wiped my own eyes.

"I wish I had more good news to share as far as she is concerned, but... I do not... Valkyrie has helped me locate certain friends of ours that have been doing all they can to help her, but even Beacon and his comrades have never encountered anything like our Glitter. Did you know they've taken to calling her a little Princess? I-It is quite amusing... they have even begun spreading the image of her cutie mark around the Commonwealth. She is an inspiration to synths like her apparently, I am sure she would be pleased..." Jade gave a tired giggle as she told me things I'd found out on my own since she recorded this, a rueful tone to her voice as I imagined just how proud Glitter would be along with her.

"They have been most helpful and tried their best, though they do not wish for me to tell you where we are for security reasons they are most obsessed with. I suppose I understand, but know you can find us when you are ready to return. They are somewhat suspicious of me since I refuse to turn the Institute away too. I hope you understand my choices since you have been gone in that regard. I will not turn my nose up at any potential path to helping Glitter, even if it is a devil's bargain... Our other friends have been working diligently towards that end elsewhere, but... We need you back Fast. I need you back..." Jade's voice cracked after remaining firm relating what information she could, then her warm plea turned stern as she spoke to somepony else that was listening just as closely along with me.

"If this is the Shrouded Stallion I am speaking to and not my Fast however... Please, let him go. I do not agree with your methods and the destruction you have brought fighting Celestia, but I have hope since you recently stopped attacking her every night that you have finally released your hold on my husband. If not, I humbly beg you do so. Come back to me Fast, no matter what has happened, I will never stop loving you. You are my special somepony and that will never change, so please, come back..."

'...Me first... then obey Princess... good... want...'

I winced at the Shroud muttering in reply, but at least it seemed cooperative enough so long as it got what it wanted first. Just hearing Jade's voice put me at ease and made patience possible, I still wanted to go directly to her right this minute, but she was so strong dealing with everything on her own, I didn't doubt my wife's ability to handle things in my absence. Instead I restarted the holotape and listened to it again and again, feeling the whisper of 'Be Kind...' growing strength along with my determination as I answered Jade's plea firmly.

"I'm coming honey, just wait for me a little longer..."

Close to dawn, Dance woke up like it was ingrained from his military training and an impossible habit to break, starting off by exercising. Which seemed kind of pointless to me since he had a death wish, then by starting on what I was just finishing and going over his own gear. Listening to Jade, Val, Witchy and Glitter's single murmur I had rewound and replayed over and over, I had finally managed to concentrate and get the repair work done, actually I may have gone a little overboard on that score...

He gave me a blank stare when he came in, trotting over to the power armor frame I was wedged under and frowning over the battered T-60 I had sorta... disassembled a little... I couldn't help it though! It was just standing there looking cool with me all night and I ran out of other things to fix. Plus while I didn't really care for piloting them, I had gotten to enjoy working on power armor with the Arcano-Cats quite a bit, it reminded me of Burny... The kind ghoul Dr. Patch in the Slog had been right too, being a repair-pony made me feel more like myself again, the pony Jade and Glitter were waiting for, I was going to be that pony again somehow. In that interest, I was determined to start by showing the understanding and kindness I knew Jade would want me to to the fallen Paladin raising an eyebrow at me wiggling out from his armor sheepishly.

"Er... sorry Dance... I got bored and it looked like it needed work, sooooo... yeah. You know, I've never understood how earth ponies can be so good at machines when all you've got are your hooves and mouths to work with..."

Dance raised an eyebrow, but scratched his scruffily bearded muzzle and chuckled weakly. "It's an acquired skill, though we usually have scribes with a horn or another pair of appendages to help. I appreciate the assistance Fast, mind if I show you and we get her back in one piece again?"

I nodded eagerly at his question, joining the strong earth pony in stripping down his minigun and pulling out my screwdriver to attack the motor housing. We managed to work together quietly and without incident for some time like that, but I could see him mulling things over.

Eventually he managed to follow up on his offhoofed comment about scribes by asking about his. "Scribe Wind... Summer... Was she alright Fast? You said you spoke to her? I didn't mean to just leave her like that, I hope my being a synth didn't reflect poorly on her. She was an excellent Scribe and loyal sister."

"Oh... She's fine Dance, she's really worried about you. She uh... sorta quit the Brotherhood of Friendship though..."

The big earth pony gave a shocked whinny at that, stamping his hoof and goggling. "What! But she was innocent! She didn't have to... they shouldn't have blamed her! If I turn myself in and explain, maybe..."

"E-Easy Dance! It wasn't because they kicked her out. She said she didn't like how they treated some folks, like alicorns and... even synths I think? She wanted to leave, without you around, she just didn't have much keeping her there."

He blinked for a moment, then his brows came down in a flat line as he looked me up and down and snorted. "Ah... You corrupted her."

"Hey! I didn't..."

"She talked about you a lot Fast, you have quite the reputation where fillies are concerned too. You tempted her away to join your private harem, you can just admit it." Dance rolled his eyes and trotted around the armor to work on the missile launcher on the other flank, speaking over the tall back of the suit with a sanctimonious smirk.

"I didn't tempt her away!! And I don't have a harem!" I fired back immediately, then winced at the Shroud piping up cheerily.

'...Harem!?... Good!... Want!... Like pegasus... Pretty!... Should do...'

"Shut up! You're not helping!" I shrank under Dance's raised eyebrow and flicked my eyes back to my work in embarrassment at the outburst to myself, eventually murmuring back weakly. "Ok... Maybe I have a harem, but I didn't go trying to add her to it. That much... And I wasn't planning on it dammit, so just stop bugging me about it you Shrouded perv! She quit for other reasons, she was really happy with the Minutemares too, so there!"

I let him chuckle and smirk, returning to silence while we worked on his power armor together. After enough time had passed, I couldn't help trying to broach the subject we were both prancing around, closing up the access panel I had open and setting my tools down to speak again without the insane asides to a spirit he couldn't hear.

"Dance... What's it feel like? Being a synth I mean. And I don't want to hear about how evil and terrible you technological abominations are, just... how does it feel?"

He frowned at my question and bit back the automatic response drilled into him I could see dancing in his brown eyes, but eventually he sighed and sat back on his haunches to reply seriously. "I'm not sure how to answer then Fast. How does it feel to be a real pony? How would I know the difference? If you're asking if I feel alive... I... I do. Before Proctor Quiz went through that data from the ARC project, I thought synths were the enemy. I never expected to find out I was one of them. I really didn't know..."

"Oh..." I managed to mutter back, scratching my scruffy chin in thought and offering the somber paladin a sparkle cola from my bags as I sat beside him. "Can you talk about it? It's sorta important to me..."

"Because of Glitter? Well... I remember being a foal, growing up in the ruins, everything... Though I suppose that's all just memories they implanted in my head, it feels real to me. I had a friend... or thought I did anyway, we made our way as colts selling salvage in Friendship City, we'd both watch the Steel Ranger patrols out of Bucklyn Cross and dream of being part of that. He was... taken away, by the Goddess and her mutant abomin..." Dance started slowly, but built up steam and fervor as he went, cut off by my warning growl when he started to insult Jade and her kind.

He held his hooves up in surrender at the slight and sighed as he continued. "Er... sorry... by the alicorns back then I mean. He was turned into one of them against his will. After the day of Sunshine and Rainbows and the Brotherhood between the Rangers and former Enclave formed, I was first to sign up under Macson's banner. I vowed revenge for my friend, ready and willing to wipe out every bit of the horrible legacy of the past the creatures that took him away. I found him too, what he was turned into anyway... A group of alicorns that became little more than raiders when the Lightbringer destroyed their mother. It was him, I was sure of it, it even had his mark, but he... she didn't recognize me. I should have questioned things then, I just thought it was because of what had been done to him, that he'd been turned into a monster... One I put out of its misery."

"Y-You killed your friend?"

I gaped at Dance's story, but he just nodded somberly. "Yes. He... She was hurting ponies and the Brotherhood was called in to put a stop to it. It was our duty. I thought I was doing what he would want too, he never hurt anypony before. I was trying to honor him and his memory, no matter how much it hurt. That's why I asked you to do the same, to honor who I thought I was... I felt like I've been in control of my life, made my own decisions, including that one... but the whole time, I was as much an abomination as I thought he was. Let me at least make one choice for myself."

All I could do was stare at his hopeful look, huffing and turning away to think before trying a different approach. "Yeah but... They may not have been your memories, but you acted based on them and did make your own choices. Think of all the good things you've done Dance. That YOU did. You helped the Brotherhood get here, Summer's told me about all the times you've saved her life and the lives of your fellow Brotherhood ponies and wastelanders. I guarantee the Institute didn't give a shit about any of that so long as you blended in, and that's only IF you were one of theirs, not a free synth that escaped! You've been a good pony Dance. It doesn't matter where you came from, it matters what you do."

"Why do you care so much Fast? From what I've heard, you've been on a regular murder spree lately, what's one more sad synth!? One who's asking for it!? I refuse to be the reason you fail Elder Macson! If you won't do it, I will myself." Dance raised his voice in answer, getting a fevered look with just a tiny sparkle of hope in his eye I really hoped I wasn't imagining.

"Even the psychotic asshole in my head doesn't like killing good ponies as much, and I don't at all... Plus I've already lost my family and my mind, I don't want to lose a friend. I... I thought about it too you know, I pulled the trigger even, but I was glad it didn't work, even... even after the things I've done. It would hurt Jade so much... Glitter, Val, Witchy and even Zed over there, I think anyway... It would be selfish. Think about Summer, all the time you spent together, all the adventures you had. All of that really happened, and she would be really sad."

"I... I hadn't considered how my death might affect her and others who care about me, like you Fast..." I felt a rush of relief when Dance looked up from thinking a few minutes, an expression like he was just seeing a world of possibilities opening up beyond just the death he had resigned himself to slowly spreading on his bearded face as he spoke with more conviction. "I've been blinded by my own self pity and bitterness, I hadn't thought of all the things I know are real. Thank you Fast."

'Be Unwavering!' gave a prim cheer of approval, proving Zed's point in trying to bring us together. Thanks to Jade's holotape and his support, I was reminded how important a virtue generosity was, even if it was just giving time and listening to a pony who needed someone to talk to.

"Yeah well, I've been where you were for awhile. You're not the only one to find out you weren't what you thought you were. I'd take being a synth over... whatever I am now, but neither of us can give up. A nice ghoul I met told me, you just have to keep trying, no matter how bad it gets or what people think of you. Besides, I've got a daughter to get back to, and she'll... she'll have to deal with the same stuff you are. I have to have something to tell her."

Dance actually gave a tired chuckle in reply, the big earth pony hoofing my shoulder hard enough to knock me sideways. "I'm sure you'll do fine, you opened my eyes a little anyway. Of course now, I have to figure out what to do with myself. I suppose I'll have to leave the Commonwealth, maybe somewhere like Dise, I've heard they've cleaned up their act in the last few years. Or up north, Seaddle or up towards the Crystal Empire. Anywhere I can just disappear."

"You don't have to go you know... I mean, you could join Jade's Kingdom like Summer? There's lots of settlements you could do a lot of good at, and we won't let the Brotherhood hurt you."

He shook his head at my offer, sighing as he stood and went back to finishing up his armor with new purpose. "I'd be a bone of contention between you folks and the Brotherhood. Elder Macson would never let it go and you need each other to face what the Institute's doing, before they spread to the rest of Equestria."

"All the more reason you should stay I would think Paladin. We'll need every hoof working as one for the fight ahead, surely your Elder wouldn't be so stubborn as to turn away help." Zed surprised us both by speaking up, cracking an eye open from his still reclined seat before hopping up and stretching his limbs, thankfully looking much better and ready to go.

Looking between the two of us piling on, Dance just shook his head again, closing up his armor and trotting off to his room to retrieve a bag clinking with canned food he spread out before us. "You two don't know Macson very well... I'm honestly surprised he sent you after me instead of coming himself Fast, but I'm glad he did now. Don't worry about me, it sounds like you've got enough to deal with and need to get to it, Glitter's waiting after all, right? I'm sure you're champing at the bit to fly to her, you've spent enough time on me."

I slumped and picked at the food the stallion offered, frowning to myself in a quick internal aside that confirmed no matter how much I wanted to, the Shroud wouldn't let me do just that. Whatever it wanted up here, it was as stubborn as Dance made Elder Macson out to be. At least the delay had something good come of it though.

Some time later, we rode up the elevator together to start on our respective journeys, Dance and I both sharing a sense of trepidation over the path ahead, but putting one hoof in front of the other again. Surprisingly, it was Zed that filled the awkward silence, feeling fairly chipper and paying me back for all the questions I had lobbed at him by peppering me with his own.

He was fascinated by the Shroud's spirit and my ability to still exist and be ...somewhat sane anyway. Zed kept probing and going over what I knew with a fine toothed comb, asking for both sides of the arguments or asides I kept making to the impatient voice demanding we go to this asylum place. He was also curious about the Mysterious Serum vial I let him look over, squinting at the glowing green window and sniffing over the injector with a look of distaste, proclaiming it dark magic and keeping it out of the hooves of the Legion to be a worthwhile endeavor.

He knew quite a bit about the gang, though nothing about their recent activities. Apparently, the Legion were the descendants of actual zebra spies and sympathizers from the war, clinging to their mission to sow chaos behind enemy lines for a few generations, then just embracing chaos for its own sake as a crew of raiders with access to zebra magic and weaponry they'd stockpiled. I worried he might be a little mad about me sort of... slaughtering a good number of his people... but for the most part he seemed ambivalent. They preyed on the weak willed and selfish from Neighlem and the surrounding area for their members, same as any other raiders. Treating them any differently than the pony flavor of crazy asshole was more insulting than trying to make a distinction.

Once he got on the subject though, he did hold a hoof up as we piled out of the elevator into the single room bunker on the surface of Listening Post Bravo. "Fast, I know you are in a rush to return, but I would still like to take you to Neighlem while we are here. My people may be able to..."

"NO EXORCISM!"

Zed and Dance both laid their ears back at the Shroud's voice bouncing off the reinforced concrete walls, the zebra making a placating gesture as I facehoofed. "No, no exorcism spirit... I doubt it would work anyway, would it? The elders there know more than I do though, I have never heard of a case of possession quite like yours. You still want to know how such a thing could be, right Fast? It may help allay your fears about being around the others as well, neither of you wish to hurt those you care for, do you?"

I could feel 'Be Dark...' seething, even when I forced my eyes down to the scarred patch on Zed's flank as a reminder. There was some other emotions mixed in I had a hard time pinning down though, mainly because it was so foreign to the murderous Shroud's normal range. Guilt... sort of anyway, more annoyance over being used by Zed's ancestor so long ago, but there was the tiniest kernel of regret in there. Maybe I really was rubbing off on it as much as it was me.

Before I could really dwell on it though, my ears perked up and my body spun with a low growl, drawing my attention to the sounds and smells my heightened senses had picked up, the bounce of 'Awareness!' helping me catch up to the Shroud anticipating a threat. There were marks on E.F.S., quite a few flickering just at the outside range, but one was solid and close, the mark on my compass lining up with the only door out and wavering between green and red...

"Stay back..." was all I managed to choke out, then I was charging for the door and bursting out into the bright sunshine.

I blinked in shock to find myself face to face with the very pony we'd discussed that morning. Elder Macson of the Brotherhood of Friendship stood stock still in his intimidating custom set of T-60 power armor, scowling at me tensed in a crouch with shadowy magic swirling around me, then focusing over my head to the surprised gasp of Dance following with Zed.

I guessed Dance was right about how stubborn the big red earth pony was, he really did come after the fallen Paladin himself... A Vertibuck was winding down on the crumbling stone landing pad nearby, while there were a dozen more power armored knights arrayed around it and lining the high ground of the narrow valley trail. All the Steel Ranger and Shadowbolt power armor wearing guards were well back and my ears flicked at all of their heavy weaponry powering up and adjusting their aim at me, the smell of fear and tension in the air seeming to spread even from the environmentally sealed Ranger suits.

Macson was as brave and bold as ever though, his red trimmed helmet was folded back and his green eyes met my glowing red ones without even a hint of that heady scent coming from him. Instead all I got was righteous fury as he raised an armored hoof and pointed directly at Dance as he barked at me. "How dare you betray the Brotherhood! I thought we had an understanding Fast, you were to destroy this thing when you found it!"

I was so stunned and struggling to keep the Shroud's impulse to just kill him in check, I couldn't even reply. Dance stepped into the void however, trying to keep things calm and take the blame. "Elder... It's not his fault. It's mine. I.."

"Quiet! I'll deal with you in a moment. I asked you a question Mr. Times, why is this abomination still functional? The answer will determine how I deal with what many of us are wondering isn't as big a threat as the Institute and their synth monstrosity." Macson snorted and the tri-barreled magical gatling gun on his flank gave a warning hum, glaring down at me gritting my fangs and trying not to prove his point.

"He's not a 'thing', he's a pony and he's still one of your best, most loyal soldiers. I don't take orders from you Macson... I don't know what the hell you're doing here, but I'm warning you... BaCk oFF....."

I'd never seen the calm and inspiring leader of the Brotherhood look so furious at that, stamping a hoof and snorting puffs of steam from his nostrils in the frigid air. He also looked more worn and desperate than I'd ever seen, his normally immaculate armor was dinged and scorched, his ragged orange mane and beard were dirty and disheveled, while his eyelid twitched at my growl of a threat.

He raged back, keeping up that tone of command that raised my hackles every time we met, like he was always right and everypony had no choice but to follow his orders. "He's. Not. A. PONY! It's a machine! They are not alive! Stand aside. This has always been a Brotherhood matter, I should have known better than to leave his destruction to a soft hearted colt like you, a madpony coddling another synth spy and calling it your daughter!"

Several of his pegasi guards looked distinctly uncomfortable, their wings standing up and feathers flared as they pinned their ears back looking up to the skies, audibly gulping when they saw it starting to darken suddenly. The few puffy white clouds above were growing black and swirling together overhead, rumbling with thunder as I roared back.

"DON'T YOU SAY ANOTHER FUCKING WORD ABOUT HER! IF YOU WISH TO TEST THINE METTLE, I WILL DESTROY THOU AND THINE PIDDLING TIN SOLDIERS LIKE THE TOYS THEY ARE. THE KNIGHT IS MINE..."

A bolt of lightning streaked down and winged the landed vertibuck to punctuate my point, sending the nearby knights prancing away in a panic while their Elder just kept staring me down without even a flinch. One of the pegasi lost his cool and fired a blazing pink beam from his underwing novasurge rifle with a yelp, scorching a puddle in the snow at my hooves. The Shroud's automatic reaction nearly sent everything to hell right then and there, an inky black field of gravity magic surrounded the unfortunate buck and lifted him up. I could hear him scream as his armor started squealing and groaning around him. I was going to crush him like a tin can...

The knights keeping their distance all tensed and adjusted their aim, a pair of T-51 wearing Rangers galloping forward to protect their Elder, only to be held back by his upheld hoof and stern command of, "Hold your fire! I didn't give the order to engage!"

Part of me didn't like how he seemed to be willing to write off the buck I had in my grip because he disobeyed those orders, but the Shroud was taking too much delight in slowly crushing the life out of him in front of his comrades to stop. I'd always had a somewhat combative relationship with Macson, now the spirit was taking the opportunity to display dominance and savoring it.

Dance laying a steelshod hoof on my back and speaking firmly saved the unfortunate pegasus however. "Fast... stop. Please. Knight Draft is a good pony, you said you don't like killing those. The Elder's right, you never should have been put in the middle of this. I'll accept my punishment, it's alright."

The smug look on Macson's scarred face as my magic imploded and the stallion in question was dropped gasping to the ground just pissed me off more, not to mention Dance's willingness to just accept his fate. "NO! He's not killing you for... for being what you are! Just because he doesn't like it! You see that assholes! Dance just saved another of you, and you call him a traitor!? He's loyal! He's the most loyal buck I've ever met, and you are NOT killing him!"

The bawdy shout of 'Be Awesome!' rang out in my head in agreement, loud and pure again. Just being around a pony like Dance that embodied the Element of Loyalty so thoroughly had strengthened it back to its former awesomeness and helped me stay in control as I shouted back.

It also cracked the smirk on Macson's face to my satisfaction, the big earth pony stamped his hooves and paced in response, preaching in a tantrum. "Don't believe it Mr. Times, any of you! He's a machine, created by the Institute! He wasn't born to a loving mother, he was created in a lab!"

"So were you..."

I enjoyed the hitch in his step at my hiss of a reply, smirking back as the clone of Big MacIntosh wheeled on me with a scowl and fumed. "That's not the same! Flesh is flesh! Machine is machine! By attempting to play Goddess, the Institute has taken the sanctity of pony life and corrupted it beyond all measure! Even now, they've graduated up to making their own goddess! Where does it end!? They must be stopped, their synth creations are a threat to all ponykind!"

To my surprise, Dance spoke up and cut off his rant, a little anger actually creeping into his voice, even addressing his precious Elder. "After all I've done for the Brotherhood, all the blood I've spilled in our name, how can you say that about me Macson? Fast is right, I still believe in the Brotherhood of Friendship, even now, even to the point of accepting your sentence, but do not simply dismiss that devotion because it comes from a synth."

"Look at the wasteland around you Dance! How many millions died because arcane science outpaced ponykind's restraint!? Can't you see it's happening again, just when we're finally starting to rebuild! That abomination taking Celestia's form and infiltrators like you will undo all the good the Lightbringer accomplished, everything Elder Steelhooves fought and died for!" Macson shouted back, his voice rising in the throes of a nearly religious fervor that steeled his troops listening attentively, working them up....

'...Let me... Kill... Destroy... Conquer... Mine... Hate him...'

"I don't like him much either, just... hold off, those others with him are good ponies, knights like you used to be, please... let me try." I muttered under my breath, furrowing my brow against the nagging voice in my head and forcing myself to keep trying so long as we weren't shooting yet. "He's not an abomination, he IS a pony Macson. He believes in you so much he wanted me to kill him. Why can't you see it doesn't matter how he started life, he is alive. You should know that better than anypony, ayup?"

The red stallion's face glowed a little redder and he winced, but continued in something closer to his normal placid tone on being reminded of his own roots. "I was still born a pony, even if it was from a cloning vat. You were born a pony, despite whatever you've become now Fast. How can you trust the word of a machine? A machine that's had its mind erased, its thoughts programmed, it's very soul manufactured? Is it because of your 'daughter'? Those ethics he's trying to champion, the love she showed to you, they aren't even their own, they were artificially inserted via memory magic to make them more effective spies!"

"TAKE THAT BACK..." The Last Minute snapped up in my own blue magic and whined to full charge, aimed directly at Macson's exposed face the second he brought Glitter into it.

Dance managed to save his Elder again, speaking over my roar in a firm voice full of his old conviction, but with a new, expanded view on the world. "Elder, it's true, I was built in a laboratory and some of my memories may not be my own. But when I saw my brothers and sisters dying at my hooves on the battlefield, I felt sorrow. When I defeated an enemy of the Brotherhood, I felt pride. Don't you understand? I thought I was a pony Macson. I still feel like one. Those feelings are as real as the love Fast has for his daughter and she for him, I know that now. I know because I feel that same love for all my brothers and sisters here, the bond born from fighting and dying together for a better Equestria. And I did feel shame on finding out what I was, but no longer. I am what I am, I made my choices and believe in them, in you. From the moment I was taken in by the Brotherhood, I've done nothing to betray your trust and I never will."

"It's too late for that now..." Elder Macson grumbled back and I could see him closing off his heart to the impassioned speech, but I also noticed several of his troops murmuring to each other uncertainly as he turned on me. "We had a deal Mr. Times. Either you uphold your promise and destroy this thing, or I will, and you if you interfere."

"Try it..." I growled back, but shook my head and snorted for control, speaking with my own voice but retaining the Shroud's hard edge. "No. After all the sacrifices I've made and battles I've fought against the Institute, you need to listen to me Macson and listen good. You owe me that much... You owe your soldiers that much too, because I really don't want to hurt anypony, but I will kill all of you if you try to hurt him. That's not a threat, it's a fact. I won't be able to stop, so listen good."

Macson scowled back, but glanced to the rumbling clouds swirling overhead and gave a gruff nod, giving me leave to continue after fighting to control my tongue and not give in to the Shroud wanting to just get to the murder already. "Pony or not, Dance has served the Brotherhood faithfully, he's saved a lot of lives, it's time you saved his. He deserves to live, my daughter deserves to live... Anypony who says otherwise is making themselves my enemy, and we need to be friends now more than ever, because there ARE bad synths and the Institute does have to be stopped. This isn't the hill you want to die on Macson... Focus on the real threat instead of getting fixated on good ponies who can't help what they are."

Macson stared down his nose at me when I finished, trembling in place with the insistent desire to just rip his exposed throat out and bathe in his blood, but I was in control and he wasn't giving me a reason. Finally he grunted an annoyed response that eased some of the tension in the air. "You're a stubborn stallion Fast..."

"Yeah, I know. Be glad it's not Jade here, she puts me to shame in the stubborn mule department. I think this is what she'd want though, so what's it gonna be?"

"We've arrived at an impasse. Allowing Dance to live undermines everything the Brotherhood of Friendship stands for, yet you insist he remains alive. You threaten me and my soldiers, and based on the battles we've observed between you and the Institute's false goddess, you can back those threats up. You may be as big a threat as the Institute, but we clearly need your help as even the creature you're host to can barely fight on even terms with their Celestia synth. Tactically thinking, we can't afford to make more enemies in the Commonwealth, our backs are against the wall as it is."

While Macson went back to pacing and muttering, Zed had appeared from the shadows he'd disappeared to when fighting looked likely, speaking in a contemplative tone with his deep voice ringing out loud enough for everypony to hear. "Elder Macson, how did you know Dance and Fast were here?"

"We received intel Fast was in the area a rogue paladin had been spotted, finding it was Dance was a bonus." Macson answered absently, still mulling things over under the cloudy skies that could still erupt into chaos.

His answer seemed to give Zed what he needed to work with, the zebra stallion trotted up into Macson's pacing path getting trampled into the snow and stopped him, his stern gaze holding the intimidating leader's as he continued. "Recieved Intel from where? We weren't followed or observed here, for you to find out so quickly is suspicious, is it not?"

"Our intelligence gathering resources are very efficient, we..." Macson gave a distracted huff to the insistent zebra, but was cut off with the sudden shout coming out of my muzzle.

"BIRD!"

Everypony gaped as a crackling black beam blasted from my horn and nailed a raven watching from one of the dead branches overhead, both 'Be Dark...' and the manic mote of 'Awareness!' taking Zed's meaning quicker than Macson did. When the synth bird melted to another pile of goop splattering to the snow, a deathly silence fell on the wooded clearing as everypony present took in the implications.

Zed smirked and pointed a hoof to the evidence, calming the jumpy soldiers spooked by the sudden attack and patiently laying things out for the stunned Macson. "Had you considered certain parties might want you to have a confrontation with the Shrouded Stallion? For you to get so caught up bickering over one rogue synth, that you woke the dragon and suffered the consequences? All while they get to watch from safety and benefit no matter the outcome?"

Elder Macson tromped over to the glowing green stain and stomped on the puddle with an infuriated whinny, turning to glare back at me, Zed and Dance. "Devious bastards... Very well, I'm left with only one option. Dance, as far as I'm concerned, you are dead. Everyone here bear witness, former Paladin Steel Dance was tracked down and destroyed, his body incinerated by magical energy weapons fire. This nopony standing before me is forbidden from ever stepping hoof on the Prydwen or speaking with any member of the Brotherhood of Friendship. Should he chose to ignore me, he will be fired on without mercy. Do we all understand each other?"

In answer, Dance's armor unfolded on the spot, the grey earth pony climbing out and kneeling in his orange and red jumpsuit. "Perfectly sir. Let's say you recovered this piece of valuable technology too, it should continue serving the Brotherhood, even if I can't. Thank you for believing in me Elder, it's been an honor."

"Don't mistake my grudging acceptance as mercy Dance. I suggest you leave if you don't want to test that order too. We're taking over this installation and don't need a spy slinking around, get out of my sight. Scribe! Find me who brought in that tip on their location, double time! We've got another synth infiltrator in the ranks somewhere and I want it sniffed out! Get that armor secured and go over every bolt too!" Macson huffed flatly, turning away to start barking orders before eyeing me over his shoulder as he trotted off. "Oh... and Mr. Times, if you're able to control yourself, we're not done. You still owe me a Ministry Hub. If we're truly going to stop the Institute, you need to get a hold on the reins of that demon and get to work."

"Yeah... whatever Macson, I'll stick around a minute... Thanks."

I grumbled back sullenly, but did breathe a sigh of relief as the Brotherhood ponies started moving around with purpose, totally ignoring us quietly trotting out of the way. I found myself agreeing with the pouting Shroud though, it was much easier just not giving a shit about anything anymore... Actually trying again was hard and I couldn't help the little part of me that agreed with the spirit's suggestions of just destroying everything that annoyed it.

Looking over to Dance giving me a stunned smile though, it was worth it. It could have been Glitter in his place, it still might be someday. It was worth trying again for her. Even if I couldn't be with her right away, just knowing she was alive gave me back my hope again.

With Steel Dance now officially a nopony in the eyes of the Brotherhood, Zed and I managed to convince him not to flee the Commonwealth completely, so we had another win in our column for the day already. I worried about him trekking across the northern woods in just his jumpsuit with a simple magical energy pistol, but he assured me he would head straight for Sanctuary and decide what to do from there.

I could see the longing to join us on his square features, but he took his final orders from Macson seriously. He intended to avoid the Brotherhood completely and we were going the same way they were apparently. A fact I literally walked in on when Zed and I returned to the bunker to find Macson going over maps and mission reports at the battered office desk, coming in on the tail end of a younger pegasus mare in lighter, scout styled Enclave armor repainted with the red trim of The Brotherhood.

"....asylum's under attack sir. Started at dawn, moved inside when I left to report. Legion's meeting hardened resistance, but are overwhelming the defenses. Probably be all over in a few hours Elder Macson sir." The pale blue-white filly snapped a salute as we trotted up, my ears perked at the name of place she indicated on the map spread out on the desk, Parsnips Asylum.

Her warm, dark blue eyes cooled considerably when I coughed for attention, sticking her nose up at my wings standing up as the Shroud forced my eyes to focus on certain shapely curves to her light, form fitting recon armor, totally against my wishes... I winced at the 'harumph!' she gave when she pranced away at Macson's dismissal, but kind of figured I hadn't improved the Brotherhood ponies' opinion of me. Besides, getting whatever the Shroud insisted on at the asylum done and going to my family was a more pressing concern than the frisky mutter in my head getting distracted again.

"Parsnips Asylum? Something's going on there Macson? Why are you poking around that place?"

He gave a withering deadpan look down at me with his stern green eyes half hidden by his orange mane, but huffed it aside and pointed to the map on the desk I had leaned up on my forelegs to peer over curiously. It had a lot of marker drawn notations scrawled and crossed out on it, while large swaths had been color coded with crayon that made me give a weary half smile thinking of Glitter. She'd do a much better job of it though, here it was simply to denote territory around the Commonwealth, giving me a clearer picture than even Zed filling me in.

The Institute took up a large chunk of the map in Gunner green, while the Kingdom of Sanctuary made the horseshoe shape around the city that Zed had described colored in a blue matching Jade's coat. The Brotherhood had to be the patchy rim of red along the northern coast, sending irregular little bulges out towards the city from their base at the Trotson Skyport. Judging by all the formerly red areas now colored over in green, I had a better idea why Macson looked so haggard too. By entering a truce with Jade, the Institute's only real opposition was the Brotherhood and they were focusing on them exclusively...

Looking over it all made my pip-buck chime with 'Map Updated' a few times, but it was Parsnips Insane Asylum to the east of us that was the real focus of our attention. It was colored in a tiny spot of orange and had a lot of hoof written notes, circles and arrows around it, most pointing towards the north and the edge of the Commonwealth, near the black and white striped territory surrounding Neighlem Village.

Macson gave me a minute to look it all over, then broke into his normal brisk tone and started laying things out. "Parsnips is a hardened position with room and facilities to house a good number of troops. It's near the border of the Commonwealth and within the territory that synth monster and the Institute has left us to. We made entreaties to both Neighlem and the mercs occupying the asylum, but both rebuffed us."

"Gee, I wonder why... with your sparkling personality and all.."

"Good to see your sense of humor is still intact Mr. Times. This is serious however, the Institute and their 'New Equestrian Army' sellouts have pushed us out of Trotson almost completely and are solidifying their hold on the city, turning it into a fortress. This is beyond the limits of our mission here, the N.C.R. and the Lunar Commonwealth have sent word they're trying to send reinforcements to deal with the threat after the Midnight Sun proved it was real, so we need to secure a route for them if the damn weather will ever cooperate and establish a secondary base of operations near the edge. That's why we're interested in Parsnips, with the Legion raiders attacking the place, we plan on securing it by force from them. I assume you and your Princess will have no objections if we take it from a pack of marauding raiders?" Macson huffed back, pointing out the edge of the map near the old asylum and sliding a few prewar pictures of the place out on the desk.

I didn't know what it looked like now, but if it held up at all, I could see what he meant. The place was spooky looking, but huge and intimidating. Tall stone walls surrounding a massive complex of three story brick buildings, the iron bars on the windows, secured doors, multiple guard stations and more all gave it the look of an ancient castle already.

"So what, you're just going to wait it out and clean up whoever comes out on top? Even if the mercs win I bet... Not much different than what the Institute planned on doing with you and me here it sounds like... Then you figure on marching in a bunch of outsiders and what? Waging a war in the Commonwealth? You're going to get a lot of ponies killed for your crusade here Macson..."

"Better here than countless more suffering under that monstrosity they made Fast. You've seen it up close, they copied a goddess... Did you know there are already cults springing up all over Equestria hailing Celestia's return? There are too many ponies out there that will greet the Institute's synth as the second coming, they'll hoof over the throne without a second thought. We can't let this escape the Commonwealth, we have to end it here and now." Macson replied in that self assured tone, but killing the flaming bitch wearing Celestia's face was the first thing the Shroud and I both agreed with him on completely.

'...Kill betrayer... Destroy... Revenge... Get mine... then go...'

"Alright, I'll warn you like I tried to send a warning ahead to those mercs running the asylum though, I have to go there for... something or other... It's not a good idea to get in my way and you're keeping me from leaving already. What do you want Macson?"

The Elder of the Brotherhood frowned at my plans, muttering as he moved his hoof back towards the city. "Please don't destroy Parsnips first off... What I delayed you for however, is holding you to your oath, especially after you broke it concerning Dance. You promised a method to open the Ministry of Wartime Technology hub, that facility is more important than ever now. Since you appear to be mostly sane again, I want an update. The tech locked away there could help even the odds against the Institute in the battle ahead, not to mention the hub gives us a stronghold near the city. Whatever you are now, you are still a pony of your word, aren't you Fast?"

I scowled at getting called out as I looked over the circled marker on the map for the MoWT Hub, between us and the Trotson Skyport where the Prydwen was parked, on the northern shore of the river in the industrial ruins near the shore. Unfortunately I had promised and Macson did have a point, the Ministry Hubs in the Commonwealth were all unassailable, shielded facilities that remained untouched since the war. The Brotherhood had much better odds by gaining access to the hub of the Ministry that spawned their order.

Giving a resigned huff as I turned for the door, I grumbled over my shoulder on the way out. "Fine, but I never promised when I'd do it and I'm busy. I'll see about getting you in though, after I get back to my wife and daughter and... deal with things there. For now, tell your troops to stay out of my way Macson, I still can't make any guarantees for their safety if they're skulking around that asylum."

I nearly made it out, but Macson's voice calling after me made me pause at the threshold. "Time is of the essence Fast, every day that Synthlestia exists, the Institute grows stronger. When you do return to the Princess, you need to tell her that appeasement is not an acceptable solution, despite her pacifist beliefs. She needs to decide whose side she's on..."

Just the implied threat was enough for my magic to lash out, shorting out the remaining lights in the bunker's upper level and blowing Macson's maps, photos and reports around the room in a swirling wind as I growled back and spread my wings to leave. "She's the Princess, whatever she decides, I'm with her. I keep telling you, I don't take orders from you Macson, you need to figure that out..."

Not giving him a chance to stop sputtering as his poor scribes scampered around the room trying to pin down the cyclone of paperwork, I flapped my wings and took off into the patchy eastern skies. I was glad to see even the power armored pegasi flitting around the complex clearing a path as Zed joined me, in no mood to have one of them start spouting off about me as 'the male' or a monster as they so often did. That was another thing witnessing the Shroud and the fake Celestia in her flaming 'Daybreaker' form clashing night after night had done while I was gone at least. Even the Brotherhood ponies had revised their definition after seeing what real monsters were.

"You did well Fast, I'm surprised you managed to keep the spirit in check under that provocation. I don't particularly care for the Brotherhood either, especially with their old prejudices coming out again as they operate so close to Neighlem." Zed spoke over the wind and drew my attention away from stewing silently as we flew on.

Shaking off the aggression being around Macson always seemed to bring out in me, I nodded back, tilting my head curiously as I thought it over. "You think they'll bother your people there?"

"Old wounds leave deep scars... on both sides. I'd prefer not to have the Brotherhood deciding they can push my people around out of military neccessity like the ponies of the past did." Zed's voice was tight as he replied, a little of his usual dour attitude and former disdain for ponies coming out as he thought of Macson and his troops riding roughshod on the settlement.

"And Neighlem's supposed to be a lot of zebras, right? You're sure you want to bring me there? I thought you guys and the Shroud weren't exactly on good terms. All that stuff about the 'Nightmare's Servant' and 'The Shadowknight'? Not that me going to towns is a good idea in general, but what's it like?"

"Hmm... it's a town like most other wasteland settlements really. Before the war it was once a port of call for many ships from the zebra homelands and a cultural exchange point between Equestria and Zebrica. During the war things there... got bad... but it's a thriving community now. There's even a well preserved bathouse I wouldn't mind visiting there. You may encounter some superstitious bias, but I do believe it's important to speak with the elders there. I'm afraid Yura's legacy not only tainted that place, but lives on and continues to do harm, so we all owe a debt to help resolve the current troubles." Zed spoke easily enough to fill the time as we traveled, but I caught the flicker of shame in his grey eyes and sympathized.

"It's not your fault Zed, no matter what the Shrouded Jerk in my head says. You're not Yura, just like I'm not my Grandpa, right? From what I've heard and how he feels about going there, I'm guessing I owe the zebras there more after the things the Shroud did way back when."

Zed slumped in the air and flew a little closer, shaking his head as he replied somberly. "No more than I owe for my ancestor conspiring with him in those times. There are many things I need to tell you about Yura I shouldn't have kept from you so long Fast. It's another reason to stop there at any rate, there's even a... ugh... Museum of Witchcraft dedicated to the tale."

"There's a museum all about your anscestor? Ha! That must really suck Zed... er... sorry."

"You have no idea. Even before the war, ponies had a tendency to view all my people as witches and warlocks, going about and placing hexes like they were giving out candy. Being related to a Starketteri that embodied that stereotype gets old." Zed rolled his eyes and huffed, but turned ahead again with a raised eyebrow towards the horizon. "There's the asylum now however, let's save the stories for later and see just what it is your spirit wants there."

Following his muzzle jerking ahead, I saw the dead trees were thinning out, making way for the cracked roadways leading up to the ominous ruin that made my pip-buck chime in my ear; 'Location Discovered: Parsnips Insane Asylum'. It was surprisingly intact, the tall stone walls showed signs of being repaired over the years, growing with sickly ivy and regularly broken up by reinforced guard towers with spotlights and auto-turrets. Most of these defenses had taken a serious beating recently however, the turrets were all smoking wrecks and large gaps had been blown through the walls.

Smoke wafted up from the asylum itself too, the muffled sound of gunfire and explosions making my ears flick as we glided down towards the main gatehouse. A cluster of Brotherhood knights and scribes had set up around the broken brick building controlling the candycane striped cross bar over the entry road. They were staying back and observing, a few of them venturing out into the open grounds before the asylum to check over the numerous corpses of raiders and combat armored mercenaries. The bodies staining the snow crimson told the tale of a firefight that had fallen back to the main building, though to the Brotherhood's credit, they were dragging survivors back to their little position and giving aid to the mercs.

My eyes were drawn back to the looming ruin as we landed by the Brotherhood's camp, a strange pull coming from the place that made my mane stand on end and intensely interested the Shroud. This was what he wanted alright... something in there was as dark and terrible as he was, calling to me...

"Fast!? Oh goddesses, don't tell me you're here to throw another wrench in the works!" A familiar voice pulled me away from the hypnotizing siren call, blinking over to a power armored pegasus trotting over whose friendly tone and demeanor didn't match her words.

When her bug eyed helmet folded back to reveal the smiling red face and sweaty blue mane and eyes beneath, I gaped in surprise and grinned back. "Lt. Dawn!? What are you doing here?"

"Same as always dummy, serving the Brotherhood. You know, Ad Victorium and all? I should be asking you that!" My favorite frenemy in the Brotherhood smirked back, but came right up to give me a surprising hug, ignoring the dubious looks of her troops as she squeezed tight and whispered in my ear. "Seriously Fast... it's good to see you again. After the things I heard, I thought... Well I wasn't sure what to think, but I worried I'd never see you come screw things up for me again. I'm glad you're ok."

'...Want!... Filly!... Pretty!...'

"G-Good to see you too Dawn, er... me being ok is debatable though, you may not want to... Umm.... h-hugging and all..." I yelped when the Shroud spoke up and was even more delighted than I was over the unafraid gesture of affection, pulling away and sputtering as my wings stood up over my back.

Dawn looked as battle worn as Macson had, but still managed a weary giggle when I cringed back. "Nonsense. I see you still haven't gotten a handle on that yet? Good to see some things don't change. So seriously, what are you doing here? And please don't tell me you're really here to steal this place out from under me too, we need a win here."

Flinching under her teasing turning to a stern frown, I shrugged weakly. "Umm... I'm not really sure? I'll try not to mess things up for you again, just... k-keep your troops out of my way. I'm not totally in control anymore. Can you tell me what's going on here to start?"

Dawn gave an uncertain look to my confusing reply, but shrugged and waved a wing up to the looming asylum building on the low hill. "Damned if I know. After my 'success' playing diplomat with er... our little friends at the MoP, I got sent to go chit chat with the mercs running this place. Thanks to you, the brass thinks I actually know how to negotiate or something. Came back to try again today and every damn raider in the area had decided to swarm the place before we got here. Been staying back and waiting for orders, trying to help where we can."

"I think taking it will be your orders regardless, though probably minus the helping bit. Jade must have rubbed off on you Dawn." I smirked back, following the Lieutenant as she led the way to the triage tent her scribes and medics had set up behind the wall and trying to ignore how pretty she looked when she blushed as I finished. "We just ran into Elder Macson, he sounded like waiting it out and cleaning up the leftovers was what he wanted, so you're probably good. I still need to go in though, but I really don't know why. Any of these mercs in good enough shape to talk to first?"

"Take your pick, though these guys are even more secretive than the 'gremlins'. Not many in any condition to chat either, whatever they're hiding, they fought hard to keep doing it." Dawn smiled wearily, waving out to the few bloodied mercs groaning on cots in invitation.

I could see what she meant, there were only a few survivors period, an eclectic mix of ponies, griffons and ghoulish versions of both, all denoted by the bloodied, orange accented combat armor they wore or sat near their cots. I noticed none of the mostly zebra Legion raiders were receiving medical care, but didn't have a problem with that. The Brotherhood didn't have resources to waste on raiders from the look of things, despite the whine of 'Be Kind...' speaking on Jade's behalf, I agreed with 'Be Dark...', they didn't deserve that much mercy when they started the fight.

Pacing down the row of wounded mercs and looking for one I could interrogate, a volunteer galloped up to present himself. I had thought he was simply a medic or maybe one of Jade's Followers in the area judging by his immaculate white labcoat, but the well kept light orange stallion cleared up that misconception when he started harranguing Dawn as soon as he reached her.

"There you are Lieutenant! I really must insist you listen to me! You have to stop those raiders, immediately! You have no idea the danger! They must not be allowed to take the asylum! If they reach the lowest levels and breach security, they..." The stuffy stallion had a panicked look in his brown eyes behind the dark rimmed glasses he wore, his darker brown and green striped mane was disheveled from its slicked back and neat prewar style.

Dawn gave an exasperated snort and cut him off like she'd heard it all before. "I told you already, I can't move on the place without orders. Unless you're inviting us in to take over, which you've made clear you're not. Those are your options though Professor Carrot, deal with the problem yourself and retain your claim, or we take it from a bunch of raiders when they're done. It's a bunch of loons in an old nuthouse, it's not like they're taking over a megaspell silo or something."

"But it is! It could be even worse! You have no idea what we've kept locked up there for centuries, but if those raiders let him out then..." He was so worked up waving his hooves around dramatically and yelling at Dawn, it took him a minute to even recognize Zed and I were with her. When he did however, his reaction only deepened the mystery of this place as his face paled like he'd seen a ghost. "You! The... the S-Shrouded Stallion..."

'....He knows... Mine... Tell... Now...'

The Shroud's voice rumbling in my head only served as confirmation he had a reason for the sudden spike of fear I could smell off him. This Professor Carrot pony smelled like those raiders that the Shroud had become obsessed with, the ones on the Mysterious Serum drug it was so possessive about...

Lt. Dawn blinked at his weird reaction, but took it as an escape from being pestered happily enough. "That's right, the Shroud is a friend of mine Professor. If you want an independent agent to go deal with those raiders, he's already said he's going in anyway and I can vouch for his talent when it comes to this kind of thing. There you go Fast, this annoying buck says that's his asylum, so I'll leave you two to work it out until I get orders."

The strange stallion frowned and muttered to himself a moment, stroking his pencil thin moustache and smoothing his mane in nervous gestures as he paced, all while flicking his eyes back to mine following him with a fang enhanced scowl, the glowing red dots reflected in his glasses. Eventually another muffled explosion from inside the asylum made him spin towards the building with a yelp, throwing his hooves up and ending his quibbling.

"Very well, I have no choice. I suppose I always knew this day would come anyway, it was only a matter of time after it broke the seal. I've been expecting you Mr. Times, though you've caught me less prepared than I'd like and I must ask your help. I'll explain everything, but we must move quickly, those raiders can't be allowed to let him out." Coming to a decision, the odd pony spoke in a quick, clipped voice, drawing a fancy magical plasma pistol from his labcoat and trotting briskly towards the gates of the asylum.

I had to wave a rushed goodbye to Lt. Dawn to keep up, galloping up the snowy lane to the admittance doors to the asylum, growling at the labcoat wearing stallion charging ahead. "Hey! Wait up! I have questions now buddy! Who the hell are you!?"

He paused at the doors, resting a hoof on the handle and deigning to answer in that same rushed tone. "Dr. Artifact Carrot, and you're Fast Times, the Shrouded Stallion... I only hope Professor Mobius was right about you."

At that he flung the doors open and charged in, leaving me gaping in shock before scrambling to catch up again, running headlong into Parsnips Insane Asylum and whatever mystery waited within.

---------------------------Level Up!---------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------

Steel Danger-----------
---You must have learned a knock off bypass spell somewhere, because your familiarity with repairing armor of all kinds has made you an equine can opener! Your attacks now ignore 20% of your targets armor. This bonus increases to 30% against enemies wearing power armor and has a chance to stagger your target.

Faction Change!-----------------

Brotherhood of Friendship -- Sneering Punk
---Saving Paladin Dance and not only being insubordinate, but directly threatening their Elder hasn't raised your standing in the eyes of the Brotherhood. Not to mention now being known as another experiment gone wrong. They may not regard you as an enemy, but you'll now get a pretty chilly reception from most members of the order of scribes and knights in the Commonwealth.

Ch. 105-- The Secret of Carrot House

"The darkness spoke to me of a power beyond any I could imagine, and I listened. The shadow and I became one"

------------------

"Hey! Wait up dammit! What did you mean by that!? Tell me about Mobius! NOW!"

I shouted after the hurried buck in the labcoat as he burst through the doors of Parsnips Asylum, even the Shroud's voice barking out didn't slow him at all however. To my surprise, the bookish looking stallion was as fast as Zed or myself, aiming and firing his weird looking M.E.W. pistol at the trio of Legion raiders lurking in the ruined lobby in one rapid volley of well placed shots.

Not just well placed either... The oddly cobbled together looking weapon fired a blazing bright, bluish white beam with a strange 'zorch!' sound I'd never heard from any make of magical energy weapon. Each of his shots found the mark and every one resulted in the normally rare phenomenon of turning his victims to sparkling ash on the spot.

I blinked in confusion and tried to focus on the bizarre weapon while the strange stallion just trotted right in like he owned the place, making for a battered old terminal at receptionists desk and tickling the keys rapidly with his magic. It was a very weird gun, the external parts that had been crudely bolted on to allow it to be fired by a pony's mouth were just window dressing the closer I looked. The real gun was hidden underneath and something far beyond anything even the Institute came up with...

Interested as I was in both that mystery and the overall one this Dr. Carrot represented, the Shroud was getting highly annoyed at being ignored, growling low in my throat while the light orange stallion muttered. "Lockdown... they've breached security then, made their way to level two... We don't have long, if they make it through level three they'll reach him. We cannot allow him to escape, one of you is bad enough but..."

"STOP THINE PRATTLING AND SPEAK CUR! THOU ART BORING AND ANNOYING!"

The Shroud's booming voice shook the room, but Dr. Carrot was unperturbed, casually glancing up from behind his glasses and aiming the unique weapon I was still trying to figure out at me, seeming to guess my thoughts. "It's called a star blaster, and it vaporizes its victims like that, Every. Single. Time. Even to creatures such as you, so I suggest you calm down and let your host speak instead, we don't have time."

"A star... are you mad!? Where did you even find such a thing!?" Zed surprised me by shouting too, suddenly prancing back and viewing Dr. Carrot's weapon like it may jump out and bite him. My zebra friend had never seemed that interested in technology before, but he obviously recognized this weird thing I didn't...

The doctor's answer just confused me even more if possible, turning back to the terminal and answering matter of factly. "Archaeological dig in Shire Lanka, dated to 5000 B.E. or so. Took quite a lot to repair it once arcane technology started catching up, so no destroying it out of some misguided zebra superstition please. We'll need it and the demon possessing your friend to stop these raiders, before they release this asylum's sole remaining patient. My father, Professor Ziggurat Carrot."

While I still had no idea why Zed was freaking out, or half of what this madpony was even talking about, that name tickled a memory. It took a minute to drag it to mind with the Shroud still seething, but when I did I was only more lost. "...Ziggy? I read that name before! But he was the one I think I'm here for, he's still alive!? Did he turn into a ghoul or something? What the fuck is even going on here, start talking dammit!! HOW DO YOU KNOW MOBIUS!?!"

All the yelling finally brought some attention before I got an answer, the wide double doors leading away from the lobby were bucked open and half a dozen more zebra raiders charged in with wild war whoops. The already frustrated and furious spirit that made my eyes blaze like red suns when my head snapped their way was enough to make them falter a step however, their eyes widening for a split second with a rushed shout of, "The Shadowknight!?"

They weren't afraid enough to stop, but the misstep and burning rage pounding at my temples just looking for an outlet made it a moot point. I teleported into the midst of them before they'd finished aiming, giving a roar as Best Served sprang from the loop of leather on my bandolier and glimmered under the flickering fluorescent lights. Three went down immediately, two of their heads rolling across the litter strewn ground to come to rest against the corpses of griffon and pony mercenaries they'd killed on their way in.

The other three were quick and slippery, their speed and reaction times admirable. As soon as they knew I was there they ducked and rolled away, trying to bring their weapons to bear in a triangulated burst of fire. Their turkey shoot broke down before more than a few shots peppered my armored trenchcoat when one of them disintegrated with another weird 'Zorch!' from Dr. Carrot. Zed flipped across the room and pounced on a second, snapping his neck with a whistling, pip-buck wearing hindleg swinging in a crescent arc.

Rather than be the only one to do nothing, I drew Vengeance in my blue telekinesis and used a S.A.T.S. assisted headshot to drop the last in the middle of some complicated display of waving hooves when his clip ran dry. 'Be Dark...' hissed at not meeting the apparent challenge, but I was uninterested in the idiotic displays of macho bullshit it wanted to engage in. I wanted answers... turning to Dr. Carrot watching with a detached, clinical look on his face, with my own coated in gore from six zebras dead in an instant, looked to at least make an impression.

Less of one than I'd expect though... The Shroud actually pouted at not smelling any real fear or getting much awed surprise, my mouth hanging open when Dr. Carrot simply nodded like that was that, then trotted right by me and into the room the raiders had entered from. I was sure I looked stupid standing there still frozen in an intimidating pose of flared wings with my head down, my fang filled mouth hanging open and dimming red eyes turning to track the buck in confusion.

"Hey! Would you stop just walking off like that! I want..."

I followed after him, feeling the Shroud seething at being forced to prance after him like a colt trying to get a distracted grownup's attention, but this stallion really was that oblivious. He strode down a short hall with a pair of counter-windows showing ruined offices to either side reading Admission and Security. The windows had been armored and turned into murder holes, fresh blood splashed lots of faded old signs around each displaying rules for entering and interacting with the patients here.

At the end of the short passage, a wide office space beyond spread out in a fan, rotting red carpet was under my hooves and several old and well preserved desks were arrayed about. Three double doors ahead seemed to lead off into the asylum, with two more smaller ones to either side that had the look of fancier offices. I couldn't help but notice the one Dr. Carrot turned towards had a faded old prewar engraving on the rich wood reading, 'Director Carrot' and had quite a few dead Legion raiders arrayed around it.

Before I could ask about that, my ears flicked at a groan behind that door and the Terrible Shotgun floated from my packs towards the shuffling noise I could pick up. Dr. Carrot beat me to it though, speeding his trot up and speaking up like he recognized the voice. "Edward? Edward is that you!?"

"N-No Artifact... i-it's King Grover the Great, who you think it is?" A gravelly cough answered, followed by a barely audible click of a weapon being made safe again as Dr. Carrot just barged right in.

The office inside was the nicest yet, almost prewar in its furnishings and cleanliness. If you overlooked the tasteful furniture that had been kicked over to form a barricade and shot to hell anyway. Behind the heavy oak desk bearing a functional and new looking terminal, there were both the polished doors of an elevator for some strange reason, and a very rough looking griffon ghoul leaning against it in a puddle of blackened blood.

"Edward it is you! Are you alright? How badly are you hurt?" Dr. Carrot rushed forward, stepping over all the bodies of Legion raiders that had apparently tried digging one very stubborn tick out of this room, before giving up and guarding the outer room they'd charged us from.

While it was the first real concern I'd heard from the weird doctor, it was still in that clipped voice without a lot of warmth. The old ghoul looked like he was used to it though, rolling his milky eyes and clucking wearily. "I ain't dead yet Artifact, but I don't think I can get up..."

Hearing that tired sarcasm and understatement, I gave a half smile thinking of Val. This griffon reminded me of her, immediately making me understand these two held a contract together too. My merc was lots prettier though... Edward was a raggedy mess of mottled dove grey feathers and leathery charcoal hide, wearing a worn leather jacket like Zed's with a lot of heavy combat armor over it, thankfully not painted Gunner green. He'd also taken a lot of damage, breathing in slow rasps and holding his feline stomach with his paws spread before him and tail weakly twitching.

Pulling a healing potion tinted green like one of Jade's and a roll of magical bandages out, Dr. Carrot bent to the gaping wound in his friend's gut. I'd be more touched if he didn't also lower his voice to a whisper that held a lot more concern than he showed the hurt griffon though. "You kept them from using the elevator? What happened?"

"Y-Yeah, I sent it down to the basement an' shut it down like you wanted Artifact. Shot quite a few of the bastards 'fore they decided to leave me alone in here. Ain't seen nobody in awhile, I think anyway, been fadin' in an' out here." Displaying the bravery and loyalty to the contract I'd expect from a good griffon merc, the ghoul hacked out a report instantly, ignoring his employer's thoughtlessness.

What Dr. Carrot answered with just pissed me off more if possible, having gotten his answers and at least made a show of helping his friend, he stood and trotted off to the heavy desk to tap at the terminal, giving a distracted huff over his shoulder as he bent to work. "Are you sure you can't get up? I could really use your help here Edward."

"Yeah Artifact... Pretty damn sure alright..." The deadpan answer Edward gave spoke of years of familiarity with his boss's quirks, though it flew completely over Dr. Carrot's head.

"Hmm, a shame. Well then don't worry about it, we'll just have to take care of things ourselves here." Dr. Carrot answered absently and tapped away at his terminal, on what I saw was his actual desk by the matching name placard, muttering to himself as his eyes flicked back and forth across the screen. "They've definitely reached the basement, though I don't understand how they knew to get past the... Doesn't matter now..."

"HEY! Your friend is hurt! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, THOU SELF SERVING CUR!?!"

Even the Shroud's voice booming out and mixing with my angry shout didn't seem to phase the distracted buck, though it did get a tired chuckle from the griffon in response. "Don't mind Artifact, that's how he is... I'll be fine, just needs me a lil' breather. So, you're him huh? The actual Shrouded Stallion..."

Snorting down to the wounded griffon, I stamped a hoof in answer as Dr. Carrot kept right on prattling over his terminal. "It looks like the Abremarelin Field is still operation thank the goddesses, although several of the security door in the basement have already been breached. We'll have to..."

The terminal was surrounded in a crackle of black lightning and exploded on the polished desk as he pulled away, blinking over to my scowl and finishing his sentence like he was just realizing I was upset over something. "...go through the abandoned part of the building. Was that necessary? I had a lot of data on that terminal..."

"Start talking... Explain, about all of this, about Mobius... NOW..."

"I agree with my friend, answer him. Fancy gun or no, if you cannot hit the target it matters little..." Zed huffed into the ringing silence, ending on a casual threat that at least got a nod from Dr. Carrot while the zebra bent finish treating the griffon's wounds.

Dr. Carrot got a very sour and impatient look, but between the growl reverberating in my chest and the smoking remains of his terminal, he finally got the idea he might be in trouble if he didn't cut the shit. Surrounding a plush office chair in his pale green magic, he removed it from the barricade Edward had set up, huffing at the leaking cloudstuff he wiped away as he took a seat and grumbled. He also kept his weird magical energy weapon close and pointed in my general direction, so he had some sense of self preservation anyway... That usually made things easier when it came to the Shroud making creatures cooperate.

He took his glasses off to polish on his labcoat and finally spoke like he was in a rush for an appointment, but did finally answer one question. "We don't have time for this, but fine... I knew Professor Mobius of course, personally."

Amazed that I had to actually prompt the smug looking stallion staring back in the silence that followed like that answered everything, I groaned and held my forelegs out in an exasperated snarl.

"What do you mean, 'you knew him personally'!? How? When? WHERE IS HE..."

"Calm down, I don't know where he is now, it's been quite some time since we collaborated. We were both very vested in solving the conundrum of the Shrouded Stallion and his influence when my father fell under it 210 years ago. You came here because the spirit drew you here, correct? Something here calls to it? That would be him." Dr. Carrot barely looked my way as I gave a dumbfounded stare at his rapid chatter, biting back all the sharp replies the Shroud wanted to use my mouth for to just listen as he kept going. "Mobius said you were a curious sort and would probably figure some things out on your own. Just hurry your questions up, we need to move."

"Artifact... I don't think you should piss this one off, fancy gun or not. I a-ain't exactly in any kinda shape to bodyguard, let alone take on the Shrouded Stallion, eh? I k-know you don't mean it pal, but yer shit gets real old, real fuckin' fast... Yeah buddy, this whole nuthouse is to keep one inmate locked up, his old buck, Ziggurat Carrot. You think Artifact's an asshole, you ought'a go take a listen to that psycho for a shift or two..." His mercenary Edward hacked and winced under Zed's ministrations, adding to his employer's answer and helpfully advising him.

"Wait, that's what you want!? The actual freakin' guy you drove nuts!? THAT'S why you won't let me go to Glitter!?!" Rather than speak to him, I crossed my eyes and smacked my forehead angrily, gritting my teeth at the mutter of a reply only I could hear of, '...Mine... Want... Need back...'

Zed helpfully filled in while I tore at my mane and threw a tantrum over the stubborn spirit, raising an eyebrow and speaking menacingly to rhe doctor. "You seem very oddly knowledgeable about things you should know nothing about. How do you know about the Shrouded Stallion and that it possesses my friend? Let alone its motivations... You knew it would come here and why? This father of yours has been possessed as well and alive all this time?"

"While I theorized about the effects of the core spirit inhabiting a pony and can therefore make some educated guesses, I'm not a psychic. Yes, my father was driven mad by that spirit, but more than that, he was ...changed... Our family has run this asylum for a long time, so it seemed the best place to keep him. That's what called it here. Mobius told me the true Shroud would break the seal and come someday, that I should be ready when it did and trust the pony wielding it." Dr. Carrot shrugged back, distractedly reloading his weapon with the weirdest looking spark cell I'd ever seen.

"Does your gran... does Mobius have the star sight Fast? Could he have seen the future to know this would happen?" Zed actually looked shaken, whispering a question back to me getting my shit together and trying to take all this in.

"No?" Thinking back to how eccentric he was and remembering the Trotson MoM Director Cheese Sandwich leaving behind his bizarrely accurate message and gifts to me, I scratched my head and amended my answer. "I don't think so? Wait, I don't get this... You said he's possessed too? Like me? How? I mean... I'm pretty damn sure I've got the Shroud stuck in my head, how can it be in somepony else too?"

Zed answered before Dr. Carrot could, on firmer hoofing when the subject concerned evil spirits and possession. "This is the pony who was driven insane by touching the creature's prison, right Fast? It was seeking any escape, so it... infected him would be the closest explanation. If I understand this strange doctor correctly, his father has fallen under the influence of a sliver of its power. You said it keeps saying it wants something back?"

"Just as Mobius and I theorized. A way to put my father to rest after these centuries of madness and blood. I do sympathize Mr. Times, I've no idea how you've managed to hold on to any semblance of sanity, but my father did not... Mobius told me this would be the only way to end it all without the spirit escaping to wreak havoc on Equestria and to wait, so wait I have. I don't imagine the Shroud will stop seeking him out regardless, and these raiders stand between us and him, so if we could be on our way?" Dr. Carrot trotted over to the door back out of his office and waited impatiently.

He was right... Already the Shroud was trying to force my hooves into moving, flicking my tail eagerly at the prospect of getting back what it wanted. I had to stamp my hoof down to stop before just charging off towards the distant sounds of gunfire my ears flicked at, narrowing my glowing eyes to hiss as I came up to the older stallion.

"When did he tell you to wait...? When was the last time you saw Mobius?"

Stroking his pencil thin mustache in thought, Dr. Carrot eventually gave a distracted reply. "Hmm... time has a habit of getting away from me anymore, so it's difficult to pin down. I'd say.... 70 years ago or so? Now then, let us be on our way, quickly! We cannot allow father to escape, this world was made for monsters like him and I fear the damage he could do."

I gaped when he simply galloped away, leaving his friend behind to Zed's rushed parting care and forcing me to charge after him again. Whoever this Dr. Carrot was, he was frustratingly cryptic. Not to mention awfully spry for being at least 70, though I suspected he was as prewar a pony as I was... Seventy years ago would put his last sighting of Mobius about ten years after Grandpa's falling out with the Institute and their raid on my Stable. What changed between those two dates to make him sure I was alive and would come here eventually?

I wasn't sure about any of this, but he was right, the Shroud wouldn't give me a choice in the matter. If I couldn't see Glitter until the spirit got what it wanted, then nopony was going to stand in my way.

Asking the Shroud to eliminate a mob of rampaging raiders in a spooky place like Parsnips Asylum was like asking a changeling out for Hearts and Hooves day... It didn't take long to overtake Dr. Carrot in the cramped offices, barely hanging back to follow his directions on a winding course that led through broken walls to the tiny padded cells of the former patients here, slaughtering Legion zebras with a disturbing cackle reverberating down the halls the whole way. The most gruesome display so far had to be animating several straight jackets that lunged from a musty pile towards raider victims to wear them, then tightened down until their bodies simply... snapped... but it had been a running horror show all around thus far.

When we exited through a dilapidated rec room full of rotting copies of old board games, playing cards and scattered scraps of puzzles into a wide courtyard at the center of the asylum, some of the raiders started posing more of a challenge to my surprise. Several used potions creatively to start with, the first four waiting in ambush were surrounded by a pale nimbus of magic from the discarded bottles at their hooves, rendering them immune to my inky black magic reaching out to do... something horrible to them...

Others were sticking to the walls of the three story tall enclosure, sending a hail of 5.56 rounds down and forcing me to take to the air while Zed and Dr. Carrot handled those on the ground. My hooves crackled with black lightning and I was quickly dashing along the walls with them, engaged in a very bizarre firefight where everything was tilted sideways.

Beyond all that however, they were faster and stronger than most of their fellows, actually taxing the Shroud somewhat and forcing me to get involved as well, when I'd mainly retreated into my own head to try putting things together. The obvious leader of this little squad was a unicorn zony who'd apparently embraced his zebra heritage, wearing a tribal mask painted like a windigo over his similarly decorated Legion armor and sending a storm of ice spells after me running through his underlings.

He had a good perch up in the rickety catwalks stretching up over one section of walls apparently being painted before the end, surrounded by lower ranked raiders firing wildly to keep me at bay and chanting weird incantations. When a trio of ghostly white pony shaped spirits of frost and ice coalesced from his magic and started chasing me, I was filled with a foalhood dread of REAL windigos, while the Shroud merely gave a fang filled grin and summoned a swirling torrent of blue flames as we swooped and soared around each other.

'Bah!... Not real... imposters!... Spell... kill caster...' He actually sounded freaking disappointed when one of the windigo wisps evaporated with a wail under a blast of flame magic, dragging my eyes over to the rapidly chanting caster while it dealt with the other two.

"What, are you mad they're not real evil spirits like you!? Just quit with the spinning for half a second so I can line up a shot dammit!" I grumbled and focused on the whining gauss rifle floating by my rocketing course in my own blue magic, choosing to ignore the pout I got in return. That's what he wanted alright... disturbing that anycreature would want to fight windigos, but I supposed they weren't that far removed from the monster in my head.

The flat crack of the Last Minute was slightly off target, even when the Shroud leveled off to give me a shot. That zony witchdoctor was one of the Legion who had those spooky reflexes and speed too, making to flip out of the way and earning a 2mm slug of metal through his ribs instead of his head for his efforts.

It broke his concentration though, the remaining psuedo-windigos he'd summoned and controlled faded away, letting me make another pass at the catwalks. This time the Shroud and I had the same idea, our combined bluish-black magic surrounding the whole rickety structure and tearing it down, raiders and all. Most of them went with it, but the bleeding witchdoctor managed an agile flip to escape the worst of the damage, landing on a crumbling stone fountain at the center of the courtyard.

Zed was there and waiting though, he pounced and engaged in a furious back and forth of zebra martial arts, prancing along the lip of the dried out fountain with his opponent. He seemed pissed, eventually gaining the upper hoof by rolling through the witchdoctor's guard and hammering the large hole I'd already shot in him, driving his hoof straight into his ribcage and snorting when he withdrew it and flicked the remains of whatever organs he'd pulverized from his hoof.

That brought a moment of silence as whatever raiders were left in the area fled or were vaporized by Dr. Carrot's 'Star Blaster' thingy. I landed by the panting zebra in concern, while the Shroud was giddy at the grisly display, wagging my tail as I tried to speak. "Hey, Zed... you alright?"

"Fine Fast... just... taking down fallen shaman are among the more distasteful parts of my job among my people. This oathbreaker has forsaken his master, whoever it was. Somezebra taught him a long time to have this degree of skill at alchemy and magic, but he fell in with the Legion all the same. Hmm... though I doubt he brewed this..." Zed sighed back, rooting through the dead zony's gear and eventually withdrawing a trio of doses of the 'Mysterious Serum' we'd seen a few other of the raiders in possession of.

Come to think of it, they were always in the hooves of the strongest and toughest, empty or full injectors like the ones the Shroud greedily snatched away from my zebra friend. Judging by the way I caught Dr. Carrot flinch from the corner of my eye as he went looting only those same injectors again, I decided that was one more piece of the puzzle he needed to answer for.

"Hey... what's up doc? Why are you so twitchy about these things? After everything else you did tell us, I notice you kinda glazed over the whole weird drug thing that brought these assholes here to begin with. So what's the deal, why does my psycho spirit friend think they belong to him?"

Dr. Carrot's ears pinned back against his head when I started prowling towards him, tugging away the little collection of injectors he'd already accumulated under his labcoat and growling. Brusque and snippy as he was, he'd been fairly honest and straightforward too at least, or he knew enough not to try lying to the Shrouded Stallion. 'Be Dark...' was better than a lie detector and never appreciated being fed bullshit, making even the kinder voice of 'Be Strong!' snort in agreement.

He obviously didn't like it, but Dr. Carrot answered truthfully. "It's a serum I developed over the years. These raiders managed to chance across a shipment to my house in the city, I assume their focus in the area afterwards was due to getting a taste for it. It's... quite dangerous in its undiluted form."

"They reek of dark magic..." Zed joined me with a stone faced scowl, jabbing a hoof to the doctor's chest in accusation. "A very particular scent actually... What have you done?"

"Research! I'll not be shamed by either of you about this, I've spent the last two hundred years trying to find a way to purge that creature's influence, one of my breakthroughs just happened to allow me to ensure my father was kept locked away all this time and continue my work is all! If you think the Commonwealth is bad now, you'd like it even less with him free, I assure you. He went on a killing spree that lasted months just after the bombs fell, set himself as some kind of mad king in Poncord seeking something out. If it weren't for Mobius securing the support of the local Steel Rangers back then, I'd never have captured him again!" Dr. Carrot shouted back defensively, giving a little more info in the process that only piqued my interest.

Every time I got Dr. Carrot to open his mouth, there was more to unpack I filed away for later. In this case, as soon as he said 'Poncord' I felt a shiver run down my tail, his father had been practically overhead when I'd been down in the Stable as a colt... Seeking something out he said... seeking ME out seemed a fair guess... His mention of Grandpa getting the doomed Trotson branch of the Steel Rangers still around back then to end the threat was curious too, especially since it was his little cybreezies that wiped that chapter out. It was a struggle to focus on the serum itself, but I couldn't get distracted when there were some grudging answers to be had.

"This stuff let you live for 200 years!? What is it, like a fountain of youth or something? Why does it make all these Legion assholes stronger and faster too then? How do you even make it? It's related to the Shroud, isn't it? That's why he keeps freaking out about it..."

Giving a long suffering sigh, Dr. Carrot sat back on his haunches and nodded wearily. "I told you, when my father was possessed he was changed as well... Not nearly to the extent you have been, but even a portion of that creature's power had dramatic effects. The serum is derived from his blood, so it contains a tiny bit of the Shroud's essence as well. Properly refined and diluted, the serum provides for so far eternal youth and vitality, without the accompanying psychosis. Provided you keep taking it at least... my mother, my sister and I have used it to survive these centuries and maintain our vigil here. I always paid for the highest security possible, but once the raiders took a taste of the untreated serum, I'm afraid they may have been infected and subconsciously driven to seek out the source and free him."

"Your own father? You use his blood like some kind of vampire-pony? And it causes physical effects like this?" Zed gaped, his knowledge of dark magic and alchemy making him pale at the idea.

I'd wondered in the past how much having the Shroud in my head had changed me, whether it was the reason I survived Moondancer's version of the I.M.P. when all her other subjects turned into twisted mutants. What Dr. Carrot was admitting to seemed to support that idea, leading to another that was even more horrible I was forced to ask about.

"Hey doc... the potion that did this to me, it's never worked before or since on anypony else. If the stuff in this serum is the reason... c-could you make it work?"

Posing a scientific question got Dr. Carrot's attention and distracted him from getting depressed over his admission at least. He hummed thoughtfully, eventually giving a muttering reply. "The I.M.P.? Hmm... possibly... yes, I'd say most likely. Whatever flaw is in the Institute's version could be mitigated with my serum. If I had access to both, it may well be possible to create a functioning I.M.P. without any of the negative side effects."

'...MINE!...'

"If you did... or if they did. What do you think Zed? If Artifact's serum could fix Moondancer's potion, they could create as many true alicorns as they wanted... At least I don't think they know about this dad-juice of yours, otherwise they would have come for you instead of raiders."

Nodding back with a serious expression, Zed finshed wrapping his minor wounds in magical bandages and nickered gruffly. "It must not fall into their hooves either then. Best this kind of ghoulish blood magic is destroyed completely and they never find out. If your father is the source and so dangerous, why have you not simply put him down doctor?"

Dr. Carrot winced at Zed's raised eyebrow, trotting away towards a broken wall and the wing of the asylum the Legion had retreated towards. "He's still my father, it's not so simple as just killing him. Nor is that a simple option for that matter, he's exceptionally strong and difficult to kill. Just keeping him confined requires a specialized magical barrier and reinforced cell below. I... I may have developed something, a way to purge the corruption that would most likely be lethal, but I've never had the courage to test it. If I'm being honest though... mother convinced me to hold out hope for a cure, and to use the serum, to rely on it... possibly become addicted to it. She and my sister have quite enjoyed the eternal youth and beauty, but are less focused on using it towards some positive end. They are all my family though... I suppose I have a weak spot where they are concerned, even when I know better."

That was one of the first things that made me feel some sympathy for Dr. Carrot and I patted his back consolingly, even while the Shroud hissed and seethed at the theft of his power. "We all do. I'd do anything for mine, so I can't really hold doing all you can for them against you. Just... I don't know what my friend will do when he does get to your dad. If Mobius led you to expect a cure... prepare to be disappointed."

The deeper we pushed into the sub-levels of Parsnips Asylum, the harder things got. More than half of the Legion raiders we now faced were hopped up on serum, making them more difficult opponents than the typical raider. The overall dungeon like atmosphere didn't help either, this part of the asylum was ancient and whatever ponies got locked up in those musty, iron barred cells must have been very naughty indeed.

Slowing our manic pace to let our wounds heal at least a little before pushing on, I tried to keep the Shroud on his leash by wondering aloud about that. "How old is this place? What did ponies do to get thrown down here?"

"Since the first century after Nightmare Moon. When the Shroud was finally brought down by Celestia in those days, there were quite a few ponies who'd fallen under his influence or been forced to see and live with horrible things. Murder, torture, death... the ponies back then had never really been exposed to anything like that. Beyond the post traumatic stress, just like now, there were some who took to the darkness like raiders. It was just in a more limited geographic area, rather than all of Equestria." Dr. Carrot answered in a lecturely tone, becoming more animated than usual even as he panted his reply.

"Many zebras in Neighlem suffered or willingly engaged in even worse as well. You seem very educated on the subject though Doctor. You are a non-healing type of doctor, aren't you? History?" Zed replied with a curious tilt to his head, touching the iron bars we passed with a shiver going down his spiky tail.

"Archaeology and arcane engineering, thus this weapon you're so superstitious about. My father and I were in the area studying the Shroud and that age when Mobius asked him to consult at Castle Equinox. The lure of the Shroud's tomb being opened was so much we fought bitterly over who got to go. In the end, I remained here to study Yura's Chapel, I should count myself lucky I suppose. Returning to my work there after father's accident let me stay near home and busy myself with the Sandwich Borer's excavation when not at the asylum. Being in that pit waiting on the expert Rockologist is most likely what saved me from the Balefire." Artifact's answer made Zed freeze midstep, his face paling at the unicorn's casual tone.

I was nearly as stunned, wondering if the only expert Rockologist I knew was the same one whose (I'd just bet hyper rock focused) tardiness down south at the Stable 88 dig had saved Dr. Carrot. Even the Shroud had perked my ears and leaned in curiously, though I couldn't puzzle out why he was interested.

Zed however was shocked, stammering in a hoarse voice. "Y-Yura's Chapel...? They uncovered it!? A-And Kremvh's Bones?"

"Hmm? Ah... the meteorite, of course. Yes, what your people call Kremvh's Bones was down there as well. The Institute came in with authorization from the M.A.S. and M.o.W.T. to go around the ruins and start taking samples of the metal actually, along with that obnoxious stallion House from Robronco who was quite interested in the stuff. They squabbled amongst themselves endlessly over it, all very rude... They did at least dig well away from the Chapel and forge once they worked it out, what I did get to see was fascinating. You know there was..." Artifact blathered on, actually pausing in his so far single minded charge towards his father's prison to pontificate on a subject he obviously enjoyed.

Zed surprised me by interrupting with a shout, slamming Dr. Carrot against the moldy stone walls with a crazed gleam in his steely grey eyes. "Is it still open!? Did your digging in things better left buried remain accessible, or was it swallowed back up where it belonged when the bombs fell!? TELL ME!"

Giving a fairly bored and unconcerned look to the trembling hooves holding him against the wall, Dr. Carrot shrugged back. "You know, I'm not really sure... I've often considered going back, but surviving the wasteland and keeping father locked up has taken up most of my time. It was a rather hectic escape at the time, lots of crumbling stone and such. Nocreature goes near the hole that's left, so I hadn't considered it."

"They don't go near it for a reason! I have to tell the elders about this when we leave here Fast, they need to know. I-It's nothing we need concern ourselves with otherwise though, so there will be no additional delay in reaching Glitter..." I had no idea what Zed was so worked up over, or what the furtive look he gave me was about he tried to cover by releasing the doctor and speaking consolingly to me.

I had a really good idea it was whatever was making the Shroud grin in my head with a low mutter of '....Mine... Good... Go...' though, not liking the greed and delight it felt for some reason. I really didn't like how I got the idea he was going to make me go there either, whether Zed liked it or not...

The Shroud's eagerness to move on now matched Dr. Carrot's anyway. When we came around the next bend in the twisting labyrinth of passages, the Legion raiders waiting in ambush there didn't get much of a chance to spring their trap. I found myself doing that weird, disembodied, shadow teleport the Shroud so loved doing when showing off, reappearing hanging from the ceiling above them like Witchy. Then Best Served slashed out surrounded in a blackened wreath of crackling magic and the blood and screams started.

The end of the passage was so coated in gore by the time the others caught up, I barely recognized the polished steel and terminal lock beside the heavy door until Dr. Carrot made to operate it, coming up short when he wiped the viscera away to find the screen a wreck and the door opening via a pair of twisted together wires.

He barged ahead as soon as the barrier slid open, trotting into a gleaming room that would look at home in the Stable. Banks of terminals and arcano-tech monitoring equipment sat before a barred window looking out on a larger chamber outside, in which there were a final gaggle of raiders doing their best to shoot and bash the humming generators surrounding an isolated chamber surrounded in a flickering pink field of magic.

Artifact gaped and pounded away on the buttons before him, his light orange face paling as they focused on a window on the cell facing his own. Inside was a rather dapper looking older stallion, grinning the most disturbing smile I'd ever seen on a pony... Of course, I'd never seen the Shroud use my mouth to give a fang filled grin, but I had a good idea that's exactly what it looked like and shuddered. That stallion was completely insane...

He was dressed in a natty brown suit over his darker orange hide, his grey mane and beard neatly kept. He wore some kind of odd crown or brace on his head and another on his ribs that seemed locked in place, constructs of gleaming metal with ruby red vials collecting blood that oozed from beneath apparently. Right where wings and a horn would go on the disturbing earth pony stallion... What's more, his eyes were slitted and glowing, a baleful red that bored through the steel, glass and bars separating the two ponies, giving a menacing purr and revealing a mouth full of very sharp looking teeth...

"Hello son... you should have told me you were having guests over, I'd have set up for tea! No matter, I'm sure we'll find some refreshments as soon as I'm free of this blasted prison of yours, they're quite... thirsty. Gotten a real taste for a beverage only I can supply it would seem. You've been careless with my blood my boy, only fair I'm ....careless... with yours too...." The raspy voice he spoke in was worse somehow, I could hear a reflection of my own in there somehow, a tittering tone of restrained violence and glee in equal measure.

"This is bad! Very bad! They're trying to bring down the generators! If they do, the field fails and he gets out! Please! You have to stop them before it's too late!" Dr. Carrot nearly wailed, pleading with me and pointing frantically to the raiders duct taping bundles of grenades to the generators at each corner of the huge room, barely drawing my attention away from staring transfixed at the glowing red eyes looking back at me.

He obviously recognized me too, tilting his head and continuing with his creepy grin as he spoke. "You've come at last... I'm afraid I've gotten to quite like this power though Shrouded Stallion, I shan't be giving it up. Oh gentlecolts, if you would kindly hurry and keep 'the Shadowknight' as you know him at bay, I assure you the reward will be all the sweeter. After all, I only have a portion, that runty little buck is the main course..."

There was a collective howl from the throng of raiders surrounding his cell at that, the biggest damn zebra I'd ever seen cheering above them all in a voice that made Zed sound like a pubescent colt. "YEEEAAAH!!! You heard him boys, bring down the Shadowknight and you get the first dose after me!"

The stallion was massive and intimidating, roaring over the hoots and jeers of his minions going into a frenzy. The Legion styled armor he wore was gold and leather instead of simple steel, while his striped mane poked up in a mohawk with what looked like a freaking hellhound claw up front on the gilded helmet with swept back dragon horns. He was a good if simple leader too, though I supposed anyone working for a stallion like that would do whatever he said just so he wouldn't crush their spine with one of those clawed powerhooves he wore on all four legs.

Scary as he was, it had absolutely zero effect on the Shroud, even while I was gulping. Actually, it only served to make my face put on a cheery, psychotic grin to match Mr. Carrot in his prison, the shadows in the bunker writhing around me as I paced in front of the heavy door barring my path and snorted to Dr. Carrot impatiently.

"Open it...."

"There's a series of security doors and decontamination rooms ahead, but it circles around to the cell. Go in and stop them before they destroy the generators, please!" Artifact yelped at the Shroud's growl of command and his pale green magic flew across the controls in front of him, finally opening the thick door with a pneumatic hiss.

"Zed... sTaY baCk... I caN't SToP.... WaTcH hIM..."

I managed to growl back a warning, then I was blasting through the door and down a narrow passage, sputtering at the sudden mist raining down from the ceiling, but too focused on the Legion galloping down the corridor to block me. My horn lit up and the fine spray grew dense and grey, turning into an indoor fog that covered my charge, avoiding the streak of a missile by sound.

The explosion just behind me in the confined space still rocked me, I stumble-stepped my way forward and decapitated the grey and white striped zony who'd fired the insane attack, then flapped away from his gurgling death rattle as the Legion's panicked shouts zeroed in on the voice and spray of blood.

'Awareness!' gave a shrill cry just as a zebra styled short sword clanged right by my head, Best Served expertly riposted and skewered the zebra mare who'd made an agile sneak attack from the mist. I could feel the Shroud's meager respect for the surprised looking face with a starmetal blade jabbed through it, if it were another swordspony, she would have taken me out.

I hit the next door hissing open when my hooves touched the pressure plate before it and the mist contracted, seeing as it was only so useful against the highly perceptive drugged up raiders, I didn't think of it as a great loss. It was much more useful condensed down to a dozen icy spears that streaked down the next hall like a shotgun blast, fatally stabbing at least two raiders in the frontline and marking the other two further back by yowls of surprised pain.

Vengeance boomed on the run and dropped those survivors before they recovered, letting me skid through the final door opening with a low grinding noise and flashing warning lights and alarms. I had to give it to Dr. Carrot, he had been very damn serious about keeping his father locked up. Now that I was inside the chamber, I could get a better look at all the complicated arcano-tech equipment centered on Ziggurat's cell glowing with its pink shield and only wish the stasis pod in my head had been this strong.

Before I had time for more than a quick glance as I launched myself into the more open air of the chamber however, a striped mountain smashed me out of the air and flattened me against the nearest wall, skidding down the steel panels with a bloody squeak near one of the smoking generators and cackling raiders turning from still bashing away at it. The Legion leader, Lefty apparently, roared and shook the dense plating under my haunches as he charged like a freight train as I shook off the dizziness.

He must have been taking a lot of that serum... and I had an idea he was a rough customer even before he started, that hit was enough to rattle my brains and even make the Shroud wary. At least the dark spirit and the brighter shout of 'Be Awesome!' got me moving in time, flapping hard and rocketing up just ahead of his horned helmet putting a dent in the wall where I'd been sitting. I gave an agile flip through the air while the huge zebra grunted and struggled to pull his head from the wall, activating S.A.T.S. to fire at the throng of raiders all rushing to back up their leader and tie me up for him.

Even still straining to pull his helmet from the gash the claw up front had torn in the wall, Lefty bucked as S.A.T.S. made my revolver bark repeatedly, ignoring his comrades who didn't get nailed by the barrage of .45s to flail with his hindlegs and smash one of their heads to paste trying to hit me. He only managed a glancing hit against me, but I felt ribs crunch and blood flow instantly, diving aside with a hiss of fury as my blackened magic grabbed the offending limb and yanked it out of socket with barely a grunt from Lefty.

"Nevermind that brute! The generators!!" Dr. Carrot screeching over a P.A. from his window in the other room really wasn't helping... though my bare instant of a look showed Zed wasn't with him.

Looking away wasn't a good idea either, though I couldn't help glancing towards the nearest of the damaged generators and noting the progress the more single minded raiders were making. Lefty was on me in an instant though, even on three legs he was spooky-fast... I was forced to roll across the ground from where I'd landed, dodging one power-hoof assisted strike clanging on the floor after another, too fast for even the Shroud to catch our collective breath and retaliate.

On one spinning roll, a shadow crossed over us I barely caught, then on the next there was a resounding 'bong!' as a spinning hatchet hoof from Zed landed right on top of Lefty's head, cracking the hellhound claw on his helm and at least making him marginally less dangerous. My zebra pall ducked back from the instant response just in time, evading a swinging forehoof that looked like a small tree by only a hair's breath.

It gave me time to get my hooves under me though, my snarl interrupted by Zed's shout to both me and Lefty it seemed. "Look how low you've fallen Leph, you always were an insufferable brat... Fast! Leave him to me, focus on the others as the doctor says!"

"You're still a stuck up asshole too I see Zed... Sure, it'll only take a second to bring down even the great Venator Noctis now! Run away Shadowknight, I'll be right with you..." Lefty growled back and bowed his head with his foreleg brought up to his helm to Zed strangely enough, engaging in some kind of zebra honor thing with my friend that Zed returned.

Zed was breathing weird, his eyes looked bloodshot and a trickle of blood flowed from one nostril as he seemed to... I wasn't even sure how to explain it, he didn't look different, but the Shroud distinctly felt him getting more dangerous with a bit of awed respect. Whatever it was, when Zed charged forward to meet Lefty, he was moving even faster than normal, ducking and dodging the hammerblows the huge stallion was trying to swat him with.

Of course being saved and bought time didn't sit well with the overly proud mutter in my head, grumbling, '....My prey.... no fair...', but the Shroud listened when I tried to do as Zed asked, plus there were still plenty of small fry to terrorize. They were all hopped up on serum too, thus not easy pickings at least. Plus those not hooting and charging at me were busily working away at the generators, their destruction something I really didn't want to see happen. Mr. Carrot had taken to patiently waiting at the sealed door to his chamber, grinning out the small porthole in the door and waiting to join in.

Black lightning flickered at my hooves as I dashed off towards the nearest, barely slowing stride to slash their throats with Best Served and put an end to their crazed supersledge swinging. The red dashes at the bottom of my vision jittered madly in response, trying to cut me off from getting to the others and keeping up with my speed disturbingly well. The dash had bought me time however, which the Shroud used to create a trio of shadowy doubles that went galloping off to sow confusion.

I flew for the next generator around the room, gulping when I saw the explosive package they'd strapped to it just as the tittering raiders there yanked a string tied to the multiple grenade pins. The Shroud didn't get technology well, but understood those things through painful experience riding along with me. What it did was as macabre as anything else it came up with, my horn crackled and suddenly the grenades were gone, leaving me and the raider's blinking in confusion at where they were for about 3...2...1...

All four raider's at that generator exploded into a fine mist... I just shook my head at the giddy cackle of laughter in my head, replaying it in my mind and realizing yes... for a bare instant, I saw their stomachs distend sickeningly. "Really!? You teleported them into their freaking stomachs!?"

'...Heeheehee!... Worked....'

"Alright, points for muffling the explosion, but come on, ick..." I stuck my tongue out and flew on from the spreading puddle, going for the last generator before winding up full circle at Zed and Lefty's brutal duel.

The raiders stationed at that one seemed to have figured out their friends were dropping like flies, they'd finished their attack on the piece of already ruined arcano-tech to form up in a tense huddle facing my streaking flight, opening up with a storm of automatic fire as soon as I was in range. Unfortunately, the Shroud had learned that much about guns too, and how to deal with them when it was ready it seemed. For the second time ever, I managed to produce an alicorn shield, though like last time, this one was weirder than Jade and her sister's colored bubbles.

At least I could see through this one, a crackling sphere of black lightning and shadowy force that didn't repel the wall of lead I was flying into, but caught them in a magnetic grip and held them in a growing cloud conforming to the bubble shape around me. When they finally realized their attack wasn't working and paused in confusion, I felt a weird kind of inversion of the magic flowing through my horn and every bullet was fired right back. It was pretty indiscriminate with them all pinging off the walls and floors in a rough cone shape, but it shredded the surprised attackers and let me round the corner without much delay.

I hadn't been gone long, but Zed and Lefty had done an impressive amount of damage to each other in that time. Both were bleeding and bruised heavily, Zed's right eye was purple and puffed nearly shut, while Lefty's fancy helmet and breastplate looked like they got in a wreck with an auto carriage, dented and ruined around his square head and barrel in some very disturbing hoof shapes.

If it weren't for the armor though, I had an idea Zed already would have won. The clearly enchanted protection it offered was the only thing that let Lefty stay ahead of the speedy zebra, flicking his eyes towards my approach and managing to buck a weakened Zed away when he leapt forward to finish things first. My ears flicked at the crunch of bone coming from Zed flopping to the ground and I roared along with the Shroud, a black contrail stretching out behind me as I poured on a burst of speed that surprised even Lefty and slammed directly into the wall of muscle, returning the favor of getting smashed into a wall by adding a new dent in the shape of his broad back.

"Nnngh... stronger than ya look, ain't ya shorty!? Still outta yer weight class Shadowknight!" Lefty sneered as I just kept right on pushing against him, thinking roughly the same thing and yelping to the Shroud to stop his bullshit and kill him already, quit wrestling with the massive zebra!

My hindlegs were dug in and not moving though, earth pony strength and the holler of 'Be Strong!' rising up to pin the huge bastard and drive him deeper into the wall with a surprised snort. "Thou art weak, even this meager body is more than enough.... Fatass..."

I just gaped in my own head, stunned at the Shroud rifling around in my mind just to find a contemporary insult to fling at the sputtering stallion looming over me. Lefty's face grew red and his forelegs stopped grappling with mine, rising above his head and coming together to come down like a hammer, which seemed to be exactly what 'Be Dark...' had wanted by what happened next.

As soon as Lefty's forelegs rose above his head, his now ill fitting breastplate rose up away from his leather skirts, revealing a heavily muscled barrel of bare striped fur. My head darted to his exposed side and my fangs extended, then I bit down and tore a significant chunk of flesh right out of his guts. His hooves still came down, but where thrown off by my head now being buried in his abdoment instead of where it had been. The glancing blow still hurt like hell and definitely broke the wing on that side, but the shock was transmitted through my hooves and to the earth I was planted firmly on. Just like Glitter taught me...

The taste of what I was nauseously aware had to be liver flooded my mouth as I kept right on biting, rich and bloody with the taste of the strange smelling serum as a pungent flavoring. Lefty kept bashing my back, but his hooves became weaker and weaker as I snorted and smacked, ripping out more of the important bits that should be inside. When he skidded down the wall entirely I finally stopped to my great relief, flaring my half broken wings and looming over the gurgling stallion.

"That zebra has true strength thief... Thou art nothing more than a striped cow to devour, deserving not even an honorable death..." I was surprised to find my foreleg pointing to Zed stumbling his way back up and over, a look mirrored on his bruised face at the Shroud's voice actually complimenting him.

Silence followed when the Legion leader fell, broken only by a few sparks and shorts from the remaining chugging generators at first, but then a slow hoofclap that drew our attention to the cell and its occupant. If anything, Mr. Carrot was grinning wider, drooling as I wiped my muzzle of gore and giggling madly. "Oh excellent! Truly wonderful! The liver is always scrumptious, isn't it?"

"S-Shut up.."

"You did it! Excellent, just let me stabilize the field and we'll be alright again, don't listen to anything father says either, he has a way of getting under ponies' skin and..." Artifact interrupted with a squawk over the P.A., cheering from his window view on the slaughterhouse his father's prison had become.

Ziggurat turned mildly to his son, then back to the porthole window with a false sad look, comically turning his mouth and brows down with a sigh. "You see how cruel my own boy is to me Shrouded Stallion? Just for doing what you do as well? He's kept me locked away here for centuries, feeding off my blood with no sense of irony whatsoever. It breaks a father's heart..."

"Be quiet father! This incident has proved I was wrong on both those counts at minimum, mistakes I don't plan on repeating. I'm going to end this..." Artifact shouted back, then turned to other sets of controls in his booth, flipping switches and causing a rising hum to fill the room, coming from the complicated looking coils and field generators situated atop his father's cell.

"You hear that? Patricide! The horror!" Ziggurat mock swooned back, still looking sly and unperturbed at the ominous humming over his head, even as he addressed it. "I suppose my son may have grown some balls and decided to actually do it. He forced me to help with the theory you know, so he really might. He's had the device ready for ages, a way to purge my 'corruption' forcibly, one I've no doubt he'd turn on you too you know... Isn't that bothersome Shroud? A machine that could exorcise you and kill your host? Why side with such a devious, self serving pony and let him kill a kindred soul? We're both blessed by your power, we should work together! We would be unstoppa..."

He was interrupted by the hum rising in intensity to a high pitched whine that made my tail bristle, the coils atop his cage crackling as the cell was filled with an eye aching red light that drove him from the window screaming. Even at this distance and safely outside the cell, I could feel it too... whether through sympathy or actually picking up a hint of what Artifact was doing, my skin tingled and burned uncomfortably as I listened to him scream and turned on Dr. Carrot.

"Stop... what are you doing...?"

"What I should have as soon as I completed this device. Your zebra friend was right, I should have put him down myself. Because I didn't, all this happened! All those mercenaries I employed, Edward.... all of it! I see why Mobius believed in you, you do have the spirit under greater control than father, but I see it's still the same darkness after that. Better I put him to rest myself than letting that creature have him."

"NO... MINE..." Before I had time to even catch up, a bolt of lightning crackled from my horn and fried one of the two remaining generators as I scowled at Dr. Carrot, weakening that awful buzz in the air a bit.

"Stop! The generators are still powering the field! If you destroy them before this purges him, he'll escape and...!" Dr. Carrot wailed back, panicking as I casually strolled towards the last remaining generator with my horn crackling.

"Doc.. I'd StOp wHaT yOU're dOiNg.... dOn'T pISs hiM oFf mOrE..." I struggled to speak over the red rage pounding away in my head in time with the pulses of Artifact's equipment, blasting the last generator to a smoking ruin and ending it completely to my relief.

I understood where Artifact was coming from, but the Shroud came here for a reason and nopony was going to get in his way. At least Zed understood that much, swaying on his hooves and making no move to stop me as I walked by and made for the steps up to the hatch to Ziggurat's cell as the pink shield faded away and alarms started blaring.

The sirens ratcheted up to deafening when I spun the wheel on the door and opened it, nearly matching Dr. Carrot's screeches as I strolled on in to the elderly stallion gasping on the floor. His red eyes glowed and he struggled up, but a fan of blackened magic lashed out and knocked him over again in his weakened state, letting me prowl over him and pin him to the floor with a menacing purr.

"Thou failed to free me and hath abused my power, I shall have it back now..."

"No please! Master Shroud don't..." was all Ziggurat got out, real fear tinging his voice and getting through the madness for the first time, then I was on him.

Unlike with the zebra mare who'd been taking serum, this time I held Ziggurat's struggling head in my hooves and leaned close, making me worried I was going to kiss the frantically bucking stallion. Almost thankfully, my mouth opened wide inches from his muzzle and I ...inhaled? Sort of anyway, I drew in breath, but that wasn't all...

Ziggurat's eyes rolled back in his head and went blank, while a stream of inky black shadow-stuff came pouring out of his mouth and directly into mine. I could feel the power suffusing me, better than any radiation I'd ever absorbed, but dark and terrible at the same time. I watched helplessly as the older stallion aged in front of my eyes, his orange coat paling and his grey mane thinning, even while his beard grew longer and ragged. His hide withered and body wasted away, becoming easier and easier to hold in place as the awful draining went on and on.

When it finally ended, I was standing over a mummy-pony... There wasn't much left but a dusty and emaciated corpse that looked centuries old, while I was brimming with power, flinching at the pleased rumble of the Shroud's now clearer voice speaking in my head.

'Much better... Now for the whelp...'

Finding my glowing eyes dragged up to Dr. Carrot gaping through the windows separating us, I shook my head and fought. "NO! He doesn't deserve... You got what you wanted! Just leave it at that! Please! Artifact! You might wanna leave! Like now!"

The stunned looking stallion didn't move, staring back as the Shroud replied with a frustrated snort trying to argue back aloud. "He made this technology thing!... It can hurt me!... Must be destroyed..."

"I know what kind of tech he used to do it dammit! It's not like he can just whip another together or carry a big damn room around in his pocket! Hell, that gun of his is more dangerous! You don't have to kill him! I DON'T WANT TO! I won't let him hurt you, just don't! Please, don't..."

'...But!....'

"Nnngh! I said NO! I'm putting my hoof down dammit! I didn't say anything about the old guy coming to Poncord before, but he was there to do to me what you just did to him, wasn't he!? When I was a foal! So long as you got out, you were fine with it I bet! Well if we're friends now, then you fucking owe me! Artifact has been his father's keeper like I've been yours, leave him alone, for me!"

The Shroud gnashed my fangs and stamped my hooves in response, but eventually retreated again with a sullen pout. "Fine... Trust you, not him... Now to get sword... then find Princess...'

Breathing a sigh of relief, it took a minute to absorb the more verbose answer as I trudged back out of Ziggurat's rather tastefully decorated cell to find Zed waiting with a pensive look. I winced as the pain from all the wounds I'd taken came rushing in, some kind of petty punishment since the Shroud decided to stop holding it back. It didn't stop me from yelping aloud once I ran over it all in my head again.

"Wait, what sword!? That wasn't the deal!!"

As soon as I said it, Zed's bloodied face paled and he hung his head, groaning weakly. "Damn... I hoped it wouldn't realize... Come Fast, I'll explain. Let's... let's say goodbye to the bereaved doctor and be on our way to Neighlem first..."

For awhile, we merely sat in Artifact's control room in silence, Zed and the doctor taking our remaining potions and healing supplies, while I curled up in a corner with the soothing tingle of a balefire apple in my hooves. Artifact didn't say anything, making me worried and ashamed over what I'd done again, but really... that was what the Shroud had intended the whole time, there was nothing I could have done to stop it. I counted keeping him alive as a victory as it was.

He knew it too at least, he even managed to eventually croak out that much. His more practical and clipped demeanor was slowly coming back when he spoke at more length, getting Zed and I's attention with a soft murmur. "At least it's over..."

"I umm... I really am sorry Artifact... Are you, er... ok? Will you be?"

"Fine... well enough anyway, I just need some time. I suppose I'll have to tell mother and Emoji, though I fear they'll be more upset at no longer having any more serum than I managed to recover from these ruffians. If the creature will allow me that much that is..." He raised an eyebrow in return, gesturing to the pocket full of injectors he had accumulated again, then my saddlebags holding the rest.

I had to put up with a very angry pout in my head, but nodded and hoofed them over weakly. "Sure, can't let them get in anypony else's hooves I guess. Will uh... when this stuff runs out, will you die Artifact?"

"Eventually I'm sure, though perhaps not unlike anypony else rather than immediately. This is undiluted serum though, enough to last the three of us more than long enough. We've had very long lives already Mr. Times, an ending may be a relief once they accept it. Either way, it's done now. I don't know why Mobius would have wanted the Shroud to regain its full power, but can only assume he had his reasons and accept it. I wish you the best in dealing with it." Artifact took the offered gift with a grateful nod, then trotted over to an unobtrusive elevator door he unlocked with an attached terminal, the one leading back up to his office and Edward I was fairly certain.

"Wait but... You really trust Mobius had an actual, sane reason for... for that!? Your dad... I... I just killed your dad! Aren't you mad!?"

"I'm upset at the loss, but I don't blame you or him. Technically, one could say my father died as soon as he was infected more than 200 years ago. Had he escaped, I assure you he would have killed me and the rest of the family without batting an eye. However you're able to survive with that spirit attached to you, it is not a common trait Mr. Times. I'd be fascinated to study you with the time I have left actually, feel free to stop by my home in Beacon Hill sometime if you like. I could tell you why I do in fact trust Mobius as well, though I couldn't neccessarily say he had sane reasons, he probably has some good ones."

I ignored the beep of 'Map Updated' in the corner of my eye to whinny incredulously, "HOW!? How can you trust him like that!? He's a LIAR! He lied to all of us, he hasn't helped me, he hasn't done anything at all! He had you watching your insane dad for the last 200 years, just so I could come along and kill him!? Is that what you think!?"

Making a sweeping gesture to invite Zed and I into the elevator, Dr. Carrot waited until I mastered my temper and we were underway to fill the trip with his answer. "That's precisely what I think. I don't need to know to believe in my old friend. Don't you have anypony you trust like that Mr. Times?"

"I..." I made to give an angry retort, then stopped and thought of Jade and Glitter, of Val, of Witchy and the ragged looking Zed beside me giving a curious look. If any of them had done horrible, crazy shit, I'd still believe in them... I had faith they believed in me too, even after the terrible things I'd done. I hoped..."Alright... yes, of course I do. I still don't know if Mobius is deserving of that kind of faith though."

"He is, to me at least. I've never doubted the Professor's good intentions, he makes mistakes, but he always tried to put them right. I'm actually glad things worked out this way now that I think on it. Father needed to be put out of his misery, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Now things have ended with the spirit that started it, neither of us are to blame, so don't think I hold it against you either. I'm just very tired and ready to put this place and my duty here behind me..." Artifact displayed one of his rare bits of symapthy and basic equinity, patting my back as the doors dinged open, then trotting back out with his normal mask back in place as he nearly tripped over the groaning griffon still leaning against the doors. "Ah, Edward! Still lazing about I see? Not to worry, we've resolved the crisis. Come along my good griff, let's get you taken care of."

"Yeah, Artifact... pay a little attention fer fuck's sake, these power armored ponies already helped out on that score." Edward coughed from where he reclined, but I noticed his wounds were better tended and he managed to drag himself up under his own power with a roll of his eyes.

The reason for his improved condition was obvious to anycreature not as oblivious as Dr. Carrot, the office and lobby areas of the asylum were now swarming with Brotherhood ponies. A very nervous looking unicorn scribe had scampered away from tending his patient when the doors opened and his eyes met mine, the rest of the room full of soldiers had tracked Artifact trotting out into the room and me growling in the elevator with their weapons, while Dr. Carrot had never been the wiser.

"Sweet Celes... Er... For Luna's sake Fast, can you not go somewhere without it turning into a bloodbath!? What the hell happened in here!? At least you managed not to blow the building up or turn it against me I guess, but seriously?" My snarl softened to a tired smile to Lt. Dawn folding her bug eyed helmet back to smirk, helpfully putting her soldiers at ease as I prowled out to greet her.

"It was mostly like this when I got here? Ask the griffon, he took most of these raiders out. Umm... not downstairs so much, but they had it coming? I take it you got your orders Dawn? Let me guess, Macson wants you to come save the day without asking for anything in return, being valiant knights and paladins, right?"

Lt. Dawn gave me my weary joking a flat look, answering before chasing down Artifact before he wandered off again. "Har, har, har... Yes, I got word and moved in. Dr. Carrot, we've helped what members of your crew we could, but considering we had to do so at all seems to prove this facility isn't under your control anymore. I'm afraid I have to insist on taking it for..."

"Hmm? Oh, that. Yes, yes, it's all yours. There's a few knick knacks in my office I'd like to take home and I'll need to do a final sweep to clean up my father's remains and any more serum still rolling around, but otherwise feel free to move in." Artifact interrupted and brushed her off, leaving the poor Brotherhood mare to blink in surprise with her mouth hanging open.

"Wait.... you... We can... Fast, you didn't screw me over for once!?" I could do without her accusatory hoof, but was too amused watching Dawn's head snap back and forth in shock between us to really care.

What Artifact eventually replied with once Edward pointed things out for him was more somber, but a fuller explanation at any rate. "This place has served its purpose, I have no use nor desire to keep it now. I was listening to the arguments you previously made in favor of its use and considered allowing you use of the upper floors as additional security Lieutenant. Thanks to your friend here however, you may have complete run of the place. Life's too short for me to waste any more time here."

At that Lt. Dawn whooped and shook the doctor's hoof, then nearly tackled me in a giddy hug at getting her way for once in one of our run ins. I had to struggle and squirm against her power armor assisted death grip and my own wings standing up, but managed to escape without much other issue afterwards. I even told her to make the Brotherhood give her credit for being one of the few of their order I liked and make them send her to the MoWT hub in the future, if she wanted to risk teaming up again at any rate.

Her instant acceptance was heartwarming, even as she joked about how she came out looking good every time we ran into each other, so of course she'd use me to keep climbing the ranks. Once she'd escorted us back outside under the afternoon sky and trotted away from all the hustle of her fellow troops though, she turned serious and gave me a worried frown before we parted again. "I'd be disciplined for saying this, but maybe you should forget about the hub and just go home Fast."

"Oh I plan on it. I was supposed to just stop for a rest in Neighlem and go back to Jade and the others tomorrow, though apparently there's some other mystery freaking errand I have to run up here first. Don't worry though, I'm not running away anymore."

"Why not you idiot!?" Dawn cried back and I saw real caring behind her angry snort as she continued, struggling to keep her voice down when a few overly cautious Brotherhood knights checked on her from a distance. "Why aren't you running away for fuck's sake!? Why stay here!? Just get your family and leave the damn Commonwealth entirely! You've done enough! The Brotherhood's here at this asylum because the big boys are going to come in and start handling shit, you don't have to take it all on your own shoulders! Hell, it's probably best if you're not here on general principles, whoever comes out on top!"

"Ah.... you mean what Macson said, about the NCR and other places coming here to take over? Well, again, it's not like I have a lot of choice in some of the things I do anymore. Besides, this is home, this is where my family is somewhere, I have to find them... all of them... and settle things. I thought the NCR were the good guys though, why do you sound worried?"

"Because, war never changes Fast, and it's not the only thing. Politicians are worse and an army of them will be behind the plain old army they send first. They'll loot and pillage the Commonwealth for all they can, viewing you and the Princess as a local annoyance at best, or a threat at worst... Take your family, go find some quiet corner of Equestria and just take a well earned rest!" Dawn pleaded with me and made a good argument, frowning with shimmery blue eyes when I held a foreleg out with a smile to the Brotherhood mare.

"Thanks for caring Dawn, I wish things were that simple. Whoever comes, so long as there's at least a few good ponies like you mixed in, we'll be ok somehow. I'll think on it though."

Dawn smiled back and met my hoofbump, her red face turning a little pink in the cheeks at the compliment. "No you won't... big dummy... Go on then, get out of my mane and be stupid, at least you'll listen to the Princess."

Dawn snorted and spread her wings to rejoin the rest of the Brotherhood then, having delivered her friendly warning and gotten in the last word. With nothing else keeping us at Parsnips Asylum, if not the area in general, I shrugged to a very tired and still woozy looking Zed, rising up to the patchy clouds and flying the opposite direction, towards the east and arrow on my compass pointing towards Neighlem Village and the coast.

It was a fairly slow flight that took most of the afternoon, making me worry both over arriving anywhere near civilization once night fell, and over my zebra companion slowing us down to the Shroud's increasing annoyance. Zed puffed along behind me at a pained pace, still looking pretty rough, despite the potions and medical care we'd managed to get him before leaving.

His eye was swollen pretty much shut and sweat stood out on his coat, despite the chilly weather that let the increasing blankets of snow on the ground remain for our shadows to race over behind us. I kept asking if he was ok and he kept waving me off however, focusing on making the best time we could and being too strong for his own good.

My eyes scanning the horizon and flicking back to him repeatedly were eventually dragged to a rocky patch of ground south of our course when we got close however. It was distant and I had to focus to make it out, but it looked like a massive hole had just been driven straight down into the earth in this part of the Commonwealth. Some kind of quarry or something? We weren't close enough for my pip-buck to helpfully ding with the name, but just overhearing it had apparently put an empty icon I was able to check and bring it up. 'Sandwich Borer's Excavation'

"Hey Zed, is that the place you freaked out about on Dr. Carrot? What's the deal anyway? Why's..." I turned back to finally insist on some more answers, whether from the zebra or the spirit who was still assuring me there was 'just one more thing' it wanted here, then I yelped on seeing how Zed sagged in the air and fluttered back to him in a rush. "Hey! You're bleeding again! What the fuck Zed?"

"It's nothing... I..." Zed started trying to deny it, hurriedly wiping his muzzle on his sleeve to clear away the rill of blood running from one nostril. He gave it up with I huffed at him anxiously though, sighing and pointing ahead. "Another thing I suppose I owe you an explanation about. We're nearly there though, see? It will wait until then, I need to discuss a few things with you anyway."

Giving an uncovinced whinny with the worried whisper of 'Be Kind...' fretting away in my head, I turned to follow the gesture and saw ruins perched on the shoreline ahead, focusing on those as we lost altitude. Even crumbling and rebuilt with junk, the village of Neighlem looked out of place on Equestrian shores. From this distance I could only make out generalities, lots of dirty white stone architecture, columns and squat, square buildings, broken up by a few rounded shapes and sprawling pools glinting in the afternoon light.

There were docks on the rocky shore with a few actual boats that weren't ancient wrecks half submerged in the icy water. Along with some kind of fenced compound in the dense and creepy looking woods on the outskirts of the town I didn't like the looks of. Overall though, it seemed like a fairly prosperous little settlement, electric lights glowed in the early evening gloom and lots of warm firelight supplemented them.

Zed stumbled to a landing still some distance away however, landing at an isolated brick building on a hillside with a wide parking lot around it. 'Discovered Location: Neighlem Museum of Witchcraft' chimed in my vision as soon as I followed, blinking up to the cartoonishly evil looking zebra mare in the pointy hat that loomed over the doors. The bit of sculpture coming out of the sign with its forelegs held up menacingly and what were obviously once light up green eyes drawn down in a cackling sneer.

"There really is a museum, huh? You think we should stop for a tour though Zed? You don't look so good and..." I murmured looking over the ticket booth at the doors, then froze on seeing a familiar enough image on one of the posters nearby.

It was an enslaved blacksmith in shackles working a red hot bar of metal, the fires of the forge casting flickering, ominous shadows in reds, oranges and blacks behind him to define the shadow in a demonic alicorn shape, the corrupted Shrouded Stallion of ancient times. Even in its glass case, the poster was faded and tattered, but enough survived to make out the large font words advertising the exhibit meant to draw curious ponies in.

'Forged in the fires of tartarus to slay Princess Celestia, lost to the ages there...
Come see the replica of the Shrouded Stallion's sword Bloodmoon today!'

'....Mine....'

That was one mystery solved... That's what the Shroud wanted now, the sword from the legend I'd read Glitter... A pegasus hero had kept it from his grasp back then, but now there was nothing to stop him from seeking out his lost property. A goddessslayer...

My mouth dried up at the concept of claiming a weapon that would make the spirit of destruction even MORE dangerous and I turned back to Zed for confirmation, then yelped when he hit the snowy lot with a soft 'fwump!' and groaned. I rushed to his side, biting my lip over how pale and exhausted he looked. When he weakly coughed, the fan of blood staining the snow made me panic completely.

"Shit! Zed!"

--------------Level Up!--------------

New Perk Added!-------------------

Super Slam!-------------
---Using earth pony strength to get up close and personal has taught you a thing or two! All melee and unarmed attacks now have a chance of knocking your target down. 15% for Unarmed or light melee, 30% for heavy melee.

Ch. 106-- Synth Retention

"I'm a relic of a bygone age. I belong in a museum. Safe. Preserved. Untouched. I don't belong in this time. It's up to you to make that right."

I barged into the Neighlem Museum of Witchcraft weighed down by a very heavy zebra and still panicking with no Jade around to heal him. Seriously, was he nothing but solid muscle? It felt like trying to haul a sack of lead potatoes on my back, distracting me from the scenery until a flurry of movement and noise made me yelp.

"MWAHAHAAHA! What brave ponies we must be, to come into my lair for a look see!" I got an impression of a robed, striped, feminine shape popping up from a large cauldron in the center of the room, then whatever it was got obliterated by the Shroud lashing out with my blackened magic.

The sparking, staticky noise and weird mechanical twitching from the... corpse? that was left was as surprising as Zed snickering weakly between rattling coughs. "T-That damn thing... gets everycreature..."

It took a second of blinking curiously at the smoking ruin to figure it out, a fairly crude animatronic zebra had produced a jump scare... that managed to scare the Shroud. The designers would be so proud...

'...Not scared!... Zebra witch!....'

As if agreeing with the spirit's defensive snort, warbling music crackled from speakers overhead in a very familiar voice;

She's an evil enchantress
She does evil dances
And if you look deep in her eyes
She'll put you in trances
Then what will she do?
She'll mix up an evil brew
Then she'll gobble you up
In a big tasty stew
Soooo... Watch out!

!

As I watched and took stock of the room with the weird song by what sounded suspiciously like Pinkie Pie of all mares playing, I saw the automated zebra witch already starting to repair itself as it clicked its way back in the spooky black cauldron. There wasn't much else to the entry area, beyond a lot of Nightmare Night-esque decorations of creepy skulls and bones (both the plastic and real varieties), a zig zagging line of rotting red velvet ropes leading to the dungeon like arch of stone reading 'Entrance', and a small side room full of junk littering the shelves of what was labeled as the 'Gift Shop'.

"You can put me down Fast, this place remains unoccupied and should be safe enough, frightening ancient robots aside I suppose..." Zed was still snickering, but broke down in another bloody cough as I eased him down to the musty floor with a grumble.

"We'll be pissed at you for not warning about that damn thing later, right now we gotta do something to help you! What's the matter Zed? You didn't seem that hurt before!"

My zebra pal gave a tired sigh as I propped him up against the cauldron, waiting for the annoying song overhead to stop before replying. "I wasn't, I just pushed too far and now I'm paying the price. Fighting both you and Leph without enough rest between was too much, but there was little choice either time."

"What do you mean? I-Is this my fault? Did I hurt you more than you said!? You've never coughed up blood or..."

Zed hushed my jabbering before I really got going, chuckling wearily. "Fast, I told you I knew the risks and don't blame you. This is... just something that happens when I tax my body too much with... well... what is essentially a curse, but one I volunteered for as part of my training to be a Venator Noctis. Sometimes to fight dark spirits and monsters, just my alchemically enhanced strength and training isn't enough. As an ace in the hole, I can use a blood curse and temporarily gain great strength and speed, but doing so costs me. Technically I'm not supposed to do it so soon after using it once already, but Leph... I needed to see it done myself."

"Er... oh... W-Well isn't there anything we can do? I hate that I can't use healing magic, but I could go to town and get help! Yeah! Your people know all about this curse thingy anyway, right? They can fix you and..."

"No." Zed's grey eyes lost all amusement and turned stern, holding a hoof up to make sure he had my attention. "I will be fine. You must not go to Neighlem alone, especially not at night Fast. Promise me!"

"But...!"

"No buts. I wish to bring you there, but at my side. You going alone will not end well, trust me. I assure you, I'll be alright with time and rest, though it will most likely be quite awhile before I'm back in full form again. By morning we can travel though, I'll speak with the healers in Neighlem and be right as rain. For now, the museum is a safe enough port in the storm. We often send outsiders we don't want to stay in the village here, so there are supplies for travelers stashed away. Just don't bother killing any more fancy poniquins, hmm? They repair themselves anyway, a danger of being designed around scaring folks I suppose." Zed shook his head and spoke clearly enough I was a little less worried, but I really, really, reeeeeeeally wished my wife was here...

"Jade would know what to do. Sorry I suck Zed..."

His deep voiced chuckle dissolved into another coughing fit for a moment, then Zed just shrugged and waved my drooping ears aside. "Miss Jade has seen me in this state before and lectured me thoroughly about it. It's not something even she can heal very easily Fast, no reason to feel useless. You each have your own talents. I doubt the Princess could have finished off Leph so.... fittingly. Thank you for that."

I sat down and leaned against the cauldron with him at that, taking off my hat and scratching my mane sheepishly. "You knew that Lefty raider guy, huh? Never thought anybody would thank me for.... ugh...."

Zed raised an eyebrow at the low gurgle my stomach gave as I thought of it again, watching me hold the offending tummy and stick my tongue out before answering. "Leph and I grew up in the village around the same time, yes. He was always a bully and foolish, I must admit some personal satisfaction seeing an old tormentor reaping what he sowed by playing with dark magic he knew to avoid."

"Somebody picked on you!? Like a bully-bully? Wow... I never thought we'd have that in common... You didn't grow up in Hexington with your grandpa though?"

Zed gave me a deadpan snort at my flabbergasted question, shaking his head ruefully. "I wasn't always strong Fast, of course I had a bully. I was born in Neighlem actually, when you met me in Hexington, I had gone with Grandfather and my brother Xelo as a right of passage, to explore the Commonwealth and further my training. Grandfather Zin was once high Elder here, but passed the title down and left on a pilgrimage to Hex, where the previous elder in that community had passed on. There are several smaller zebra settlements like that, each headed by an elder who come from Neighlem. Occasionally they gather here as well, I'm hoping Grandfather got my letters and was able to do so."

Listening attentively, it struck me that this was the most I'd ever heard Zed talk about himself or share with me. He had changed a lot from the brusque and unfriendly zebra whose Grandfather Zin had asked to join me, making me smile and feel good I had managed to do what the old zebra stallion had asked. Zed and I were friends... Even now, when I was possessed by a spirit he should hate and want to destroy, he was sticking with me instead, had come to find me and been nothing but supportive.

Judging by his reaction when I raised the idea of going to Neighlem alone, I had a better idea just how much that really meant for him. I was betting those zebras in town wouldn't look quite so kindly on the infamous 'Shadowknight' coming to visit, meaning Zed was choosing me over what his people would think. It was enough to make the long day and even longer last couple weeks of insanity a little brighter.

Even the Shroud agreed to my surprise, giving a low mutter in my head as I sniffled with the thought. '...Honorable comrade... Good for Yura's spawn... sorry I wanted to kill...'

"Thanks Zed... for everything. I was just thinking, we never really talk like this, but it's really nice. I umm... I'll go find the supplies and build a fire if you wanna take a breather, then we can talk more if you feel up to it? You said you had stuff you wanted to tell me?"

"Many things, yes... That sounds like a good idea Fast, go along, I'll be fine here." Zed smiled back, shooing me off and leaning back to close his eyes with his forelegs crossed on his chest for warmth, giving me incentive to go find stuff for a fire first.

She's an evil enchantress
She does evil dances.....

"I swear to the goddesses, I'm gonna find where that shit is playing from and shut it down permanently."

I pinned my ears back as another refrain from the speakers overhead went off, triggered by me wandering the museum exhibits. Only a few more automated poniquins ended up destroyed so far, but that damn song was getting old fast. With Zed getting some much needed rest, taking the tour of the Museum of Witchcraft was just one of the few things to do other than risk sleeping myself.

The room I was currently in had plaster on the walls to make it look like a cavern, or mine more likely, judging by the dummies illustrating the scene. They were shackled to each other in a row parallel to the roped off lane I was trotting down, their heads down and period clothing rags even before 200 years of entropy. It was an equal mix of ponies and zebras from back when, pushing ancient minecarts and carrying pickaxes and shovels. Standing near the door out, with a crazed gleam in her glass eyes and a whip frozen in the act of snapping out at the slaves, was another depiction of Zed's ancestor Yura. Even though I knew this part of the story somewhat, I still couldn't help stopping to read the large placard next to her curiously.

'The foul witch Yura enslaved hundreds to dig a deep pit not far from your very hooves, unearthing an ancient meteorite locally known as Kremvh's Bones. According to zebra beliefs, the stars are great and powerful spirits living in the vast, dark void of space. While some can be good, most are viewed as dangerous entities that wish harm on all creatures of Equis, four stars more so than any others. It is further believed that when a star dies, their corpses can fall to our world as what we ponies know to be simple meteors. Thus Kremvh's Bones is meant literally to the zebras! Isn't that silly?'

Zed told me a little about that before I left him to get some sleep and started roaming the museum to amuse myself. Explaining why he'd freaked out about Dr. Carrot informing him Yura's Chapel and Kremvh's Bones both had been uncovered in the Sandwich Borer's Excavation I'd seen on the way here. I still wasn't sure about the zebra belief system when it came to the stars being evil omens and bringers of catastrophe, but I knew how dangerous just a little kitchen knife made of starmetal was personally.

The next room was even creepier than the last. The animatronic Yura held an ugly, curved, spiky blade of plastic painted to look like blackened metal out to a wall of dark armor, with black wings and robes fluttering in the rattling breeze of an ancient fan propped up behind it. The designers had been intentionally vague, but even the Shroud felt pleased with the representation of himself.

"Better than the economy class body you've got nowadays, huh?" I nickered sourly, eyeing the dangerous looking replica and feeling the Shroud's greed, along with a guilty start.

'....No!..... Good body... Agile... Speedy... Er....'

"Don't bother flattering me pal, I can read you as well as you can me, remember? So, this is the sword you want? Bloodmoon something or other?"

'.....Not this thing.... fake.... mine better.... Kill betrayers with... be good!...'

Despite the cheery reassurances, I half hoped the damn thing was buried under a few tons of rock and therefore still out of our reach, but even I had to admit a certain temptation to the idea. It was a blade forged specifically to kill Celestia, the real Celestia no less, surely that was enough to bring down her synth doppelganger too? Zed seemed especially horrified at the idea of going down to the site of his ancestor's crimes against equinity, but maybe it was worth the risk? I could always just slip off while he was recovering, if there was nothing there, no big loss.

Trudging on to the next room, I found it featured a huge portrait of a regal Celestia with the sun at her back, facing Yura and the shadow of the ancient Shrouded Stallion behind her. It was a very busy painting that took up most of one wall, showing throngs of Celestia's guards in their gleaming golden armor fighting in the background with a horde of undead skeletons and the way back when version of what I recognized as raiders. In the sky above it all, the full moon glowed an ominous red, the image of the mare in the moon looking down on it all.

I made to take a closer look, but my legs refused to move, my nostrils flaring and taking in a musty, foul, kind of wet-dog smell the Shroud and 'Awareness!' had caught a whiff of. My ears flicked at the muffled gasp and padding steps retreating from the room and I was suddenly off, slithering through the dark space as a moving shadow and stalking some new bit of prey.

"Wait dammit! Zed said sometimes Neighlem makes folks wait here! What if it's just some random traveler for fuck's sake!"

I yelped aloud when I rematerialized and incinerated several more poniquins dressed up like Mayor Shamrock of Goodneighbor in the next room. Their long coats going up like kindling and their waxy hides melting under the burst of blue flame from my horn, barely illuminating a large, loping shadow that ran off with panicked panting. Whatever it was, it was big... even trying to dash behind cover, it loomed over the life sized pony figures in what looked to be a storage room and scampered towards an unobtrusive set of stairs to the basement.

I caught just a glimpse of a shaggy tail disappearing into the gloomy basement when I hit the top of the stairs, then it was gone again and I was already stalking after it. The Shroud ignored my complaints with a psychotic grin on my face, growling into the darkness lit up by my glowing red eyes and savoring the fear smell leading me on.

"Thou shouldn't have spied brigand! Death has come for you, and I am it's Shroud!" My rumbling voice filled the basement and my horn crackled with lightning, making me actually hope the spirit was right and it was just a Gunner or some other deserving bastard who was about to get murdered.

To both our surprise however, a sudden gasp was followed by a gravelly voice barking back nervously. It was a good thing the first thing the intruder did when it bounded out of the shadows was to hit the ground and bow low with its bushy tail tucked though, the sudden appearance of even a groveling hellhound nearly enough to make me be the one who shot first with a frightened squeak that made the Shroud groan in annoyance over me ruining its image.

"Wait! Shadow-pony no kill! Need help!" The beast held its wickedly curved claws up and kept its face in the dirt, shivering slightly and striking me with the absurdity of it all. I had stalked and terrified a freaking hellhound... me... Just the juxtaposition of the big lump of muscle cowering in front of the runty pony was enough to start snickering, the somewhat crazed sounding laughter not doing much to reassure ...her?... but thankfully it and the hopeful whisper of 'Be Kind...' was enough to shame the Shroud into giving a defensive snort.

'....Shut up!.... Should be afraid!.... Proper respect!....'

"Oh yeah, you're awesome alright nutball. Can we please not kill her though? I mean, this has got to be a fate worse than death if this one's anything like Icepaw." I tittered back to the voice in my head, only making the wary peeks the brown and black hellhound was giving me look even more concerned until I managed to speak to her directly. "S-Sorry, I'm not talking to you. It's ok, don't start any trouble and there won't be any, ok? Sorry to scare you... I'm Fast, and you are...?"

When I stopped laughing like a lunatic and held an apologetic hoof out, the bedraggled looking hellhound sat up warily. Her dark and pointy ears were pinned back and her pale blue eyes were anxious, hesitantly meeting my foreleg with a shaking claw as she spoke. "C-Clara... me no spying, just thought was zebras what chase away from town again. You shadow-pony of legend though! Please, need help from great hero pony!"

I sighed sadly at her hopeful look, ignoring the Shroud puffing my chest up in pride over the flattery. "I'm uh.... not so much of a hero here lately Ma'am, you probably don't want my help. Unless it's to kill a lot of people, which I would think you could handle well on your own. I'm trying to get home to my wife and daughter too, so I can't really..."

"Please! Must ask! Pup taken away, made slave! Shadow-pony serves Princess what hates slavery, helps all creatures, yes? I beg you, please..." The hellhound lady wailed before I could finish lamely trying to find some excuse not to help.

Appealing to my wife's kind nature, mentioning slavery and a foalnapped child, and the prim cough of 'Be Unwavering!' all conspired to instantly break my resolve. I slumped wearily, but if I was going to be the pony Jade and Glitter deserved to come back to them, I couldn't ignore her. Even the eager growl of 'Be Dark...' was behind the idea, maybe out of pride and vanity over being flattered and begged, but I was pretty sure part of the spirit really did want to be a hero again.

Not to mention I got the hints of a crafty idea popping into my head with a purr to the hopeful looking hellhound. "Thou can dig... If I help thee, I have need of your services..."

So much for hoping the sword was buried... Giving a groan and trying to look on the bright side that maybe this would get me back to Jade and Glitter sooner, I shrugged and nodded to the hellhound. "A-Alright, come back and talk to my friend with me then, tell me about your pup and I'll... I'll see what we can do, ok?"

I'd never seen a hellhound cry before, but this one did, big, blubbery tears of gratitude as she shook my foreleg in both padded paws and nodded back. "Thank Shadow-pony! Thanks!"

By the time I led our new hellhound friend back to Zed, I found we had even more company and again, things nearly went to hell. Clara and I made our way to the lobby and the canine lady gave a growl to match the Shroud's just as we hit the doors, her sense of smell as sharp as my own and picking up the same scent of strange ponies, zebras rather...

She ducked back and hid again, though out of annoyance instead of fear this time. Whatever her reasons, the Shroud didn't share them, getting their attention away from tentatively searching the museum with a harsh bark of, "Intruders!"

"They're not intruding, we are, remember!? This is where they live stupid!" I facehoofed at the spirit just looking for a fight at this point, putting on a crooked smile and trying to look friendly when I continued to the surprised crew of zebras in leather armor. "Sorry about that... I'm guessing you guys are from Neighlem? Er, my friend said it was ok to rest here, but we were going there in the morning. Actually, he's hurt right now and could use some help! Any of you guys know Zed, he's a..."

"SHADOWKNIGHT!?!" I sighed when the half dozen zebra fighters practically leapt back to the doors, raising their weapons as one and shouting with guns and blades pointed at me threateningly.

Other than being a mix of zebras, ponies and a zony, they didn't seem all that different than most wastelanders. Their gear was old and worn, but maintained well enough along with their weaponry, a mix of leather and metal armor, hunting rifles, shotguns, spears and blades. The main difference other than the stripes was their immediate terror on seeing me. While I'd gotten used to most folks being understandably nervous when I showed up, these guys were filled with a religious dread, several crossing themselves with odd gestures and muttering prayers under their breath.

The situation was not helped by the shadows in the lobby darkening and writhing around me, a spreading nexus of waving tendrils of blackness that made me look bigger and came with the Shroud's voice oozing out of my mouth with a grin. "Yesssss... Imperator Noctis as the first Caesar knew me.... Dost thou wish to test thine mettle as he did? Please.... I'm quite bored..."

"Nnngh! Shut up! Stop goading them dammit!" I struggled to speak too, probably not making the Neighlem guards feel much better about the whole situation or my sanity, but I had to stop this before it started. "Look, I don't want trouble! My friend and I just needed somewhere to rest, and he really does need help! Let's all just calm down before this gets out of hoof!"

The clatter of junk getting knocked over behind me drew their already panicky attention to the huge hellhound peeking out from the door, only making things worse as one of them in leather armor splashed in a lot of blood pointed a foreleg Clara's way and yelped angrily. "There she is! That's the bitch that killed Kal!"

I raised a curious eyebrow back to Clara flinching behind me, then back to the apparent leader of the small crew of guards who took a few shaking steps forward and stamped a hoof to master his fear as he addressed me. "Shadowknight... If you really don't want trouble, we won't offer any. That hellhound has murdered a guard back in Neighlem however, she needs to be brought back in to face justice or driven off."

"Guard smelled of pup! Helped kidnap my child! You stripey ponies wouldn't do anything!" Clara barked back, striding out in the room and lowering into a crouch with her hackles raised in a bushy ridge on her broad back.

Now the crew of guards looked absolutely horrified, not that I could blame them. On one side of the tense standoff were half a dozen so-so equipped guards, on the other was both the legendary Shrouded Stallion and a freaking hellhound... I didn't envy them... especially since I found myself growling along with Clara and flaring my wings, making it clear whose side he was on.

Thankfully, a raspy, tired baritone broke the stalemate. Zed staggered his way in from the giftshop with more blood staining his muzzle from another coughing fit while I'd been out wandering, looking even worse and making me worried for my friend, even while he put his health aside to help everycreature here. "Stop this! All of you, do not start fighting, it will not end well for you... The hellhound says a guard helped take her pup? You all know the Venalitii slave traders pay off those they can corrupt, I highly doubt they haven't at least offered as much to each of you. It sounds like one of your number got caught by the mother of one of their victims, a fitting punishment is it not?"

"V-Venator Zed? Whose side are you on!? He was still a guard of Neighlem and this creature murdered him, accusing the dead of a crime when he can't defend himself, how dishonorable! W-We'll overlook the Shadowknight since he's with you, but the hellhound needs to pay for her crime!" The buck in charge, a middleaged zebra with broad, straight stripes and a square jaw, snorted and harrumphed to Zed, looking relieved to have somezebra else to talk to and still flicking nervous glances my way.

"Methinks thou protests too much.... I smell a crime on you evildoer, perhaps these slavers have paid for the loyalty of more than just the victim, hmmmmmm?" I purred an interruption and prowled a step towards the head guard, satisfied to see him gulp and stumble back a step in response, a cold sweat sprang up on his coat and I stuck my nose up in the air to give a long sniff to the scent of fear that spiked around him as I continued along with the Shroud.

"Oh yeah, think my crazy spirit friend nailed it, didn't he? You really wanna die for a bunch of slavers pal, because I can pretty much guarantee that's what will happen... I don't like slavers and the Shroud reeeeeeeally hates them... taking bribes from them is only one step removed, close enough for him."

He sputtered and started to deny it, but froze when my eyes started glowing and I made to get closer again. Thankfully, Zed interrupted before I got started, experienced enough now to know what triggered the Shroud and trying to prevent it. "Enough, all of you! I think we can all assume the hellhound is under the spirit's protection, placing her out of your reach I assure you. Go back and tell the elders we are here and plan on...kaff! kaff! kaff!"

Zed's stern voice calling for order was broken by another coughing fit, the spray of blood and the strong zebra swaying on his hooves enough for me to take over and rush to his side with a yelp. "Zed! C'mon buddy, you're still in rough shape! You shouldn't be up and dealing with this kinda shit. Actually, you need to go get help, like now! Hey, you! You guys are taking my friend to Neighlem for help, got it!?"

When my head snapped over to the zebras and ponies muttering to each other their whispered conversation dried up instantly, all looking back to me holding Zed up and snarling an order at them. None of them looked to like it, but nobody was in an arguing kind of mood either. Except Zed of course, stilling his coughs and shaking his head weakly. "Fast, no... W-We need to go together, in the morning. I'll be fine...."

"Bullshit! You're not going to stay fucked up when there's help to be had right now! I can't go with you at night, but that doesn't mean you have to stay here and foalsit me either. These guys can carry you there and you can start talking to those zebras in Neighlem now, I'm sure there's gonna be a lot to explain to them. Please Zed, you don't have to be strong all the time. Trust me, I won't do anything horrible. I've got company even!"

Zed gave a flat look to me pointing to Clara as my 'company', clearly not liking the idea of leaving me alone with a vicious hellhound like some kind of all star murderer team up from hell. He sighed at my hopeful look though,"I do trust you Fast, not the spirit or the hellhound though... The slavers here are a powerful faction, acting against them could cause problems..."

"They're slavers!" I snarled back, barely able to master the urge to rant and rave, managing to continue in an angry hiss. "They took a kid Zed... Like Glitter.... I can't turn her away when she's asking for help. Why it's probably a good idea if you're not around, ok? Getting these guys out of here and you to help now is a good thing. Go ahead of me and get better, let the Shroud do his thing against assholes that deserve it and help a mother looking for her pup. I'll be here in the morning and we can... can try to smooth things over in the light of day, alright?"

He bit his lip in thought a moment, but eventually Zed hung his head and gave up, seeing the obsession and hope in my glowing eyes. "Alright... you win Fast. I want your word, both of you... you will be here with the light of dawn. I've noticed the spirit still tries to keep its honor, so swear to it."

"I promise Zed, I'll be here." I answered immediately, then waited a beat for my mouth to finally spit out another sullen reply. "Fine... I so swear zebra."

"Now hold on just a minute! We haven't agreed to..." The head guard interrupted as he saw what was going on without his input, but the words died on his tongue when I turned with my eyes blazing and roared at him.

"Do as you're told! NOW! If any harm befalls my friend, I will hunt you all down...."

That got them moving... I disliked playing up the superstitious fear they had of the evil Shadowknight they were so afraid of, but it was in the interest of caring for my friend, so I let it go this time. Between the threat and the shadows swirling around me shaking the room and knocking junk from the walls, they scampered out in a hurry, leaving me with Zed and the awed looking Clara blinking down at me curiously.

"Be careful Fast... No running off and getting into trouble, your wife would be very disappointed in me..." Zed met my light hoofbump before stumbling out after them, the stern reminder of Jade and what she would think enough to at least make me think twice.

"R-Right, I promised didn't I? I'll behave and be right here when you get back, you just get better Zed."

He gave an unsure look as the doors swung shut again, then it was just me and the hellhound in the museum lobby. I managed to wait all of five minutes at least, turning to the little camp and contained fire we'd made in the gift shop and gesturing for Clara to follow with a giddy growl coming out of my mouth.

"Now then... tell me about these slavers..."

Discovered Location: Libertalia

Snorting at the blinking message in the corner of my vision, I glared down at the place Clara had led me to and brought out the Last Minute for a closer look through the scope. I understood why the hellhound hadn't managed to take her pup back herself anyway, and it wasn't just because the place was a fortress, it was a floating fortress...

On the ground, hellhounds were extreeeeemely dangerous. They could simply burrow right through the earth and pop up wherever they liked, that combined with their insanely sharp claws and teeth, thick, furry hides and all the huge muscles underneath, they could handle most problems on their own. Clara had been stymied from rescuing her pup because the local zebra slavers made their home in a mountain of wrecked ships and shipping containers floating in the waters off the coast however.

There was only one way in, a trail of junk and boards bobbing in the water, lashed together to form a series of bridges from a nearby boathouse. Clara told me the best she could do was 'doggy-paddle', so she couldn't even swim for it without getting picked off in one of the roving spotlights shining down from the tower of scrap, not to mention the many auto turrets ceaselessly looking for threats.

"There, see slaves? In middle! See pup?" Clara tapped my shoulder from where I lay flat on my belly on a ridge overlooking the shore, pointing a claw towards a floating platform in the middle of the vaguely ring shaped outer works of the fortress.

There was a large cage atop it, one of several tied together and surrounded by the crude buildings and rusty ships. The sight of dozens of pony shapes silhouetted by the spotlights there only made the rage in my head pound faster, they stuck them out there on display in the frigid sea air and freezing water, surrounded by turrets. Not only would anypony coming to their rescue be walking into a trap, the captives would be caught in the crossfire too, further discouraging those who'd want to free the slaves.

Taking a closer look through the nightvision scope and with the aid of my own nightvision eyes, I saw some of the captives weren't quite right. A cage here and there had ponies that didn't move with the gentle bobbing of the rafts they were trapped on, remaining stock still like statues. No... not statues, poniquins... They'd filled some cages with simple dummies like the wax figures in the Museum of Witchcraft, further confusing things for any would be rescuer.

After taking in that detail and moving on, I was forced to shake my head and grunt. "I don't see any hellhounds. They probably wouldn't keep your pup with everypony else though, like putting a manticore in a cage of bunnies. No offense..."

"Jewel is not mean pup, would no hurt ponies!" Clara growled back, pacing behind me in frustration.

"Why would they take a hellhound anyway? Doesn't seem like their usual stock."

"Grrrrr....Hellhound Veal!" Clara snarled back, making me blink in shock as she continued and shoved a blood spattered not in my face. "Fancy pony in Diamond City want! Eat hellhound meat!"

Contract- Procurement and delivery of one (1) Hellhound pup, no older than five years. 500 caps on delivery to client, robot 'Wellingham' at the Diamond CIty Taphouse.

This time I felt fury setting my blood on fire, while the Shroud was the one who was confused and along for the ride. 'What? Hellhound taste good....'

"Nngh! I know you don't see anything wrong with eating pretty much anycreature, but it's a kid too! Some sick, rich asshole in Diamond City wants to eat freaking Hellhound veal! Doesn't that piss you off!? Hell, it could be fucking Synthelestia herself, something for her 'royal' pallet!"

That got through... just mentioning the Institute's fake Celestia was enough to reliably stoke the Shroud's rage, further pointing out it was a kid, even if a hellhound kid, was just icing on the cake. He took his orders from Luna seriously, and kids were not to be harmed under any circumstances. That fact had saved me from going as mad as Ziggurat Carrot when I was a foal apparently, now it was going to help Clara's pup too.

"Thine child will be safe my lady, worry not..." The Shroud's voice growled to Clara, but considering the situation, indiscriminate destruction wasn't going to help and I had to take the lead. "That said, we can't just go charging in there. The place is crawling with slavers and the slaves we can see are in harms way. We need to find your pup and try to get them out of there first, then kill them all... I'm pretty sneaky, so let me handle the first part, ok Clara?"

Before she could do much more than give a grim nod of agreement, a deep voice spoke from the ruined warehouse on the low ridge above the waterline we were hiding on, making me spin with a yelp to see a dreaded shape resolving out of a cloaking field as they he spoke. "An adequate strategy considering the goals. May I suggest a cooperative effort?"

I leapt back with my weapons snapping up and my horn cracking with arcane death, all focused on the familiar type of earth pony stallion staring back placidly. A Courser... He was wearing the pristine black leather duster and blank sunglasses of that model synth, his light chocolate brown face holding a stony expression, his dark mane trimmed short with one matching eyebrow barely quirking up at the threat of eminent death.

Rather than use one of the heavy weapons on the battlesaddle he wore, the synth killer bizarrely just shrugged and held his forelegs up for peace. "Calm yourself 111-3-42, you are not my mission here."

"Calm mYseLF!? I'm gonna kill you asshole! You and every single one of the Institute pricks like you who've made my life hell! Who sent you here!? What do you want!?"

To my frustration, the Courser still didn't look bothered at my roar and struggle not to incinerate him, even when Blue Moon clicked out from under my wing and crackled. Instead, he jerked his muzzle towards the looming fortress of Libertalia and spoke in a clipped voice. "The on site manager of the slavers here is a rogue synth, freed by the Railroad. I've been sent on a retrieval mission by the synth retention department. Considering the damage he's done in his role and our aligned interests, I thought working together may be preferable. Professor Klein sends his regards..."

"KLEIN!?! Is he there!? Is that asshole listening!? FUCK YOU KLEIN! I'm coming for you!"

"Who this pony? He want help get pup? Need help Shadow-pony, maybe we let?" Clara cut off my shouting with a worried claw pressed to her lips in a hushing gesture, giving me a hopeful look that took the edge of my anger anyway.

"Professor Klein approved my proposal to approach, he is not actively monitoring though. He said he wishes to resume efforts to improve your relationship, and that this mission may be educational. The rogue synth in charge here was granted his freedom and this is what he did with it..." The Courser answered and kept on waiting peacefully, making no threatening gesture whatsoever.

"Oh yeah, cause Klein's such a nice guy and all! He's been spying on me, hasn't he!? I've seen all his freaking BIRDS! This is all some kind of setup! I should kill you here and now, then go find Klein and flay him alive!"

"Warning... Harming or threatening to harm a Director of the Institute is a class A offense. Special dispensation has been granted to subject 111-3-42, but do not persist. Professor Klein says of course he's been observing you, for data. He remains impressed at your abilities and awaits your arrival in the Think Tank for your meeting. He hopes you'll bring your... 'daughter' as well and offers a method to repair the unique model." The Courser replied in that same blank tone, but what he said was like a buck to the gut.

"G-Glitter...?" All my anger fizzled out and I hated the needy, hopeful note to my voice, but I couldn't help it either, continuing in a hushed whisper. "H-He can... he'll fix Glitter?"

Giving a curt nod in response, the Courser seemed satisfied I wasn't going to be a problem anymore and turned to observing Libertalia as he answered. "Affirmative. After a period of study of the unique model, Professor Klein is confident she can be restored with the resources the Institute has to offer. Public relations and certain programming errors require the Princess Celestia model to label subject 111-3-42 an enemy for now, but Professor Klein still hopes for an amicable private relationship. Cooperation here is viewed as an important first step..."

"We take help Shadow-pony? Please? Just want pup back, no know about Institute ponies and other things. There lots of slavers there, help sounds good to me..." Clara piled on as I stared back in shock, dragging my attention to her resuming her worried pacing .

The Shroud seethed along with me at the idea, but the fucking Courser had me and it knew it. I'd do anything for Glitter, anything... even work with the Institute. Jade and the Railroad hadn't been able to help my poor daughter, she was still trapped in a coma and unable to wake up. If Discord himself offered a cure in exchange for my soul, I'd probably offer it without blinking. Klein had a point too, Glitter was unique, the best chance for her to recover was with the ponies who'd made the synths and had the best equipment in the Commonwealth, not a ragtag underground group like the Railroad.

"Alright, fine! We'll work together then, but I'm in charge and the goal is getting Clara's pup and those slaves out first, got it? What do you want out of the deal asshole?"

"Designation X6-88, not 'asshole'. Mission goal is recovery of rogue synth, designation B5-92, 'Gabriel', leader of Venalitii slavers. Location, atop the upended cargo ship at the apex of the flotilla, surrounded by his strongest guards in all probability. We may begin assault whenever you're ready subject 111-3-42." The Courser answered in its normal monotone, but I could swear there was a smug tone under it somewhere.

"It's Fast, not subject 111-whatever, Fast Times. Fine, you can have your rogue synth, I don't care if he dies or gets taken in by you. Let me sneak in first and find Clara's pup. Clara, you stay here and only attack if things go bad, be a distraction when things get noisy. Until then, you work in from the edges and take out who you can quiet like X6. Double cross me though, and I shall rip you to pieces slowly ponmunculous..."

My strange new companions agreed to the uneasy truce and hasty plan, X6 giving another sharp nod and turning to the boathouses and shacks along the docks below. "Agreed. If you're ready then?"

Teaming up with a hellhound and a Courser... I missed Zed already, not to mention my other friends I'd much rather do something like this with. Val, Witchy, Swan, Jade... The last missing family member steeled my resolve as soon as I pictured her sweet little sleeping face, wherever she was.

I spread my wings and took off into the night sky with a low mutter drifting behind me. "For Glitter..."

"That runt's looking sick, you sure about that collar of yours Shiv?" One of the zebra slavers guarding the main cage platform was engaged in a conversation with a portly red stallion, idly discussing the poor slave they'd shackled with a heavy iron slave collar chained to a post in the center of the cage.

I seethed from my perch on the broken mast above them, glaring down and looking over the cages closely as the fat asshole answered with a chortle. "Sickly's the point stupid! Trust me, seen this done by the greatest slaver any of you Commonwealth fuckers have ever heard of. Thing's radioactive, just a trickle, but leave it on long enough and keep givin' it a tiny sip o' radaway every now and then, and eventually he'll go ghoul. Turn a worthless little runt into an undead worker and you've got what he liked to call the eternal circle o' slavery, double his value and break him completely!"

Looking down to the poor kid suffering this horrific treatment, I saw the shadows below darkening and tried to calm down. Don't let them know yet... we need the keys first... I couldn't pick locks like my best friend Val, so I had to do this the hard way, slithering down among the junk and crates on the platform as a moving shadow and peering at the packs and gear of each slaver in the little laughing huddle around a fire barrel providing them some heat, while the slaves shivered miserably.

'Key... yes... Want that chain...' I shrugged at the Shroud's answer, but was willing to take it when I found a set of rusty keys hanging from the flank of a dirty pale mare cackling along with the others at the fire. With a dim shadow of blackened magic, the keys were teleported away and to my hooves, letting me slip by and through the bars of the cage as a wisp of shadow.

I had to hush the slaves blinking and murmuring in surprise when I appeared hidden behind the shackled buck, holding a hoof to my lips as I unlocked his collar and unhooked it from the post for some reason. "Shhhh! Quiet guys... I'm getting you out of here, but you have to keep it down."

"Yup, if it weren't for that Lightbringer bitch, we'd be livin' the high life in Fillydelphia right now I tell ya. Boss was the best of the best, we was gonna take over the place after Redeye got his dumb ass killed. Now a poor slaver can hardly find a place ta ply their trade, damn NCR chased me all the way to this pit. Least I can do is spread the gospel though, teach you stripes a thing or two about real slavin'!" The fat pony laughed uproariously, thankfully covering the noise of the hopeful slaves, but also pissing me off even more.

Turning the heavy iron collar in my hooves and trying to be soothed by the low tingle of radiation it put off, I paused on the crude letters and number scratched into its surface, rubbing at the layer of char and ash on the metal to make them out. 'MN7'... Some other poor slave who'd suffered under this thing, had maybe even been turned into a ghoul against his will by it... A symbol of suffering I could hardly imagine. Jade had told me a little about Fillydelphia and that Redeye pony he mentioned, but I could still barely conceive of the prewar city of Filly being turned into hell on Equis like she described.

"All oF yOu... GeT dOwn aNd sTaY dOWn...."

That was all I could take of this place, I'd held the Shroud and my own fury back as long as I could, slipping through their defenses and silently cutting throats on the various platforms and boats, hacking and shutting down more than half the turrets in the process. Hearing this laughing asshole and being right up close where I could see and smell the abused ponies and zebras trapped here though, it was too much....

The slaves took a wary step back at my growl, obediently laying down and cowering on the rusty floor of the cage, The one I'd freed had a red, raw band of missing fur around his neck, peeking up with a grateful but terrified look in his shimmering pink eyes.

'GREETINGS EVILDOERS...."

The quartet of slavers around the barrel had a bare instant to yelp and peer out into the night at the Shroud's voice booming out, magically thrown in a bit of ventriloquism that had them looking all around them in terror. Then the slave collar I held shot out in a field of blackened telekinesis, slipping through the bars with the chain whipping behind it. It clamped down on the fat slaver's neck with a heavy click and the chain slithered around his body, tying him up in a neat bundle and yanking him right off the edge of the platform, holding his head under the water.

The other three slavers grabbed his hindlegs near the platform edge and pulled for all they were worth, but only distracted themselves trying to save a doomed asshole. I teleported back out of the cage with Best Served in my teeth, bathing in the blood of the two holding a hindleg each. The third jumped back and his striped face paled when I turned on him, taking in a breath to raise the alarm and finding Deliverer shoved in his mouth before he could.

The perfectly silent 10mm fired three quick rounds, blowing his brains out and further fouling the water the fat slaver was still struggling under. I perched at the edge and watched his face through the water, grinning cheerily at the terrified dots of his eyes staring back in horror as the life slowly left them.

When the bubbles stopped, I let him go and brought the chain and collar back up, stashing the mildly radioactive hunk of metal in my packs with a proud nicker. A source of radiation was always useful anyway, and I could already hear the wheels turning in my head as the Shroud started thinking of ways to kill the other slavers with it. Poetic justic...

I turned back to see the slaves warily standing again, looking at me unlocking the cage in both wonder and a healthy amount of fear. The cage door opened with a squeal that made me flinch, but looking around confirmed I still hadn't been noticed. A splash from nearby pointed out another of the slaver guards atop the cabin of a rusty fishing scow falling to the water, explaining my success so far. The Courser really was out there and covering for me, the spotlight that slaver had been manning pointed away from the path back to shore as I focused on the slaves.

"Ok, it's rough, but you guys need to get out of here on your own. The path back is clear, just stay low and quiet and you should be fine. Before that though, have any of you seen a hellhound pup around here?"

The slave I'd unshackled rasped and coughed trying to answer, frantically stuffing a hoof in his own mouth to stifle the noise and settling for pointing towards the main fixture of Libertalia, the giant shipping vessel standing up on end and festooned with wooden shacks and junk additions. I thanked the pale purple earth pony buck as best I could with my eyes slitted like a dragon's and fangs out, floating over a normal purple healing potion with a determined nod.

"Fair warning, there's a hellhound out there, but she's friendly... er, friendly-ish. Tell her you've seen her pup and she'll be happy anyway. You find the Followers of the Apocalypse kid, have them heal you up."

The raft of junk rocked in the water when I took off, flapping up into the night sky and circling the vertical shipping vessel. Coming around the rusty hull pointed up to the stars, I saw where the slaver's den got its name anyway. Libertalia was painted in flaking white on the rust red hull, it looked like it must have been upended and tossed to the shore when the balefire bombs dropped, wedging itself upright in the muck along with what seemed to be hundreds of smaller boats up and down the coast.

The destruction gave the slavers plenty of material to work with, pushing the best together and patching them until it all floated. I could see parts of other ships welded to the vertical deck of the Libertalia, along with weathered wooden shacks, ramps, walkways and sniper's perches, going in and out of the numerous holes in the once proud ship. Topping it all off was what looked like an old pleasure yacht for rich ponies perched right on the peak of the prow, the lair of the slaver leader.

Circling the ship like a hungry vulture filled E.F.S. with red marks, denoting the numerous slavers still obliviously patroling, working, sleeping and at least a couple rutting by the faint sounds my sharp ears flicked at when I passed close to the rusty hull. I caught a glimpse of the Courser dashing across the last bridges and entering the complex at the bottom, so figured I'd get to work and meet him in the middle, gliding my way closer to the nest of shacks silently.

The slave collar whipped out again as I passed over a sniper propped up in an old lawn chair, snapping on his neck and yanking the mustard yellow pony from his seat with a strangled squawk. The end of the chain was wrapped around my foreleg and a few hard flaps bought me more altitude, then I found myself swinging the slaver around like a slingshot in the air, faster and faster in wide circles until the shackle clicked open in my magic and the victim was sent sailing out towards the rocky shore.

I managed to yank away four more slavers like that, flying up each time and flinging them to smash against something hard and unforgiving. It wasn't the most efficient way to kill them, but the Shroud enjoyed his theatrics, killing them with the symbol of the slavery they engaged in was the point. The last light pink mare managed a scream on her way down however, putting the others on alert, several dashing out to peer off the railings and perches towards the distant crash of her breaking the roof of a dilapidated warehouse.

Figuring the quiet assault was just about done, I rocketed by the largest cluster with the chain trailing behind me, surrounded in a blackened field of corrupted magic. At least four were muttering to each other and peering out into the dark towards the puff of dust coming from the warehouse, all leaning on the crude railing on one of the scrap wood platfoorms jutting from the deck, The jingling chain gave them just a second to look up and spot me streaking by, then the heavy iron links swung down like a whip, smashing through the half rotten wood and separating the whole perch from the ship in one strike of splintered boards and screeching metal.

Those four screamed all the way down, fully alerting the rest, but satisfying nonetheless. I swooped back around and landed on the ragged edge of the platform that had taken a header off the side, ducking into a rusty hole in the vertical deck and into the Libertalia herself. The place was disorienting right off the bat, like a prewar funhouse where the furninture was bolted to the walls, only in this case the place really was canted 90 degrees.

There were several rounded hatches leading on, accessible to the ground bound zebras and ponies here by rickety ladders and crude steps, though going through the lower ones on the walls had to be annoying, ducking through the sideways portals that were already pretty small. Up was still the direction I wanted however, my wings carrying me to another hatch in the ceiling. I nearly got my head blown off when it popped up into the next room, a slaver with a hunting rifle was crouched in ambush with several of his comrades all watching the door they heard the commotion from.

I felt the breeze from the .308 round nearly kiss my cheek and was for once glad to disappear as a pool of immaterial shadow. Crazed spirit or not, I was still a pony and still had a physical body that could die, something the Shroud needed reminders about every now and then before it pushed me too hard. He'd been learning not to treat me like a rental carriage at least, but still didn't quite get the pulse pounding fear the near miss caused.

'...Relax!... Easy vermin....' He tried being soothing too, which was different from the uncaring monster all these zebras feared so much. Not that the Shroud wasn't still a psychotic killing machine, as it demonstrated by taking the cluster of slavers apart in a flicker of starmetal and panicked hail of bullets pinging off the metal walls.

He had been changing though... even more than just becoming a little chattier and clearer since reclaiming the sliver of power from Ziggurat. Charging down a short, sideways hallway and hopping over more hatches along the way, the sight of slaves shackled to the walls increased his fury at the whole den of assholes, but also brought out an odd sense of sympathy, Best Served slashed out on the run and parted one chain after another, the Shroud's deep voice rumbling to the cowering slaves. "Thou art free... Escape this place, it will not exist much longer...."

I panted as we skidded through a turn back out through the deck and to more wooden catwalks that shook under my thundering hooves, woofing at the impact of a rapid chatter of assault rifle rounds and auto-turret fire impacting my armored trenchcoat. Rather than turn to the ramps leading up and into the wild gunfire from high ground, I kept running right off the edge of the walks with black lightning arcing around me, spreading my wings to make a fancy loop de loop and send a thunderous blast of more lightning from my horn to the slavers racing around and yelling frantically.

The pesky turret exploded and scattered the group huddled around it. Two slavers jittered and spasmed on the weather worn boards with electricity arcing around them, allowing me to finish them off with S.A.T.S. assisted shots from the Terrible Shotgun as I landed, while a third was torched to a pile of ashes like she had been hit by a lucky shot from a magical energy weapon.

The large square hatch they had been guarding was bigger than the pony sized doorways, with a rather substantial scrap shack built around it. Rather than go up the next set of stairs, the Shroud surprised me by flaring my nostrils at a sour, rank odor I caught a whiff of, then grabbing the thick hatchway in my magic and ripping it off the complicated looking mechanical hinges. While I thought of pointing out the nearby lever on the wall probably opened it easier than that, one look inside was enough for my muzzle to clamp shut and an awful pain to freeze my heart.

The hatch led to the ship's hold, or one compartment of it anyway. While the multicolored shipping containers within had been strewn about like matchsticks when the ship was tossed here, several had been righted and haphazardly stacked again, repurposed as crude living quarters. A couple dozen more filthy, thin and broken slaves blinked at even the dim light spilling in from the night sky, the waxing crescent moon like a blazing sun at my back to the poor captives who'd been kept here in total darkness.

My wings flared and made the shadow spilling down on them spread, enough for them to squint up to the door and recognize I wasn't one of their tormentors. Several got down and bowed, but for once the Shroud didn't get a swelled head at the worshipful whispers, instead giving a muted and restrained growl, trying to sound kind in its own weird way.

"Free... All of thou, escape this stygian pit. Those who have tortured you so will face justice from the Shrouded Stallion! Their suffering will be great..." The Shroud's snarl reverberated off the steel walls of the hold, echoing and sounding even more menacing with the restrained fury in it.

My face frowned when now all the slaves bowed and shivered, expecting more brutal treatment that the scars and wounds I could see attested to. They were broken, or so traumatized by their suffering there was little difference. Even hoofing their freedom over to them, they were scared I was just some new monster to torment them, so they stayed put, making the Shroud cede control with a worried huff that surprised me.

'You tell... You better at being nice...'

'Be Kind...' sang in a triumphant, swelling note that harmonized with the reticent spirit, winning a rare victory of agreement that shocked me as I couldn't help answering in a mutter. "You... you know how it feels being chained up and locked away in the dark, huh? Your thing about slavery isn't just because Luna said it was bad, is it? You actually feel... sympathy for them?"

'Help them, please...'

"R-Right... It's gonna be ok everypony, you're free now. No one is going to hurt you anymore, especially not me, ok? Umm... P-Princess Jade sent me to save you, Here, you need to get moving on your own, but I'll make sure you're safe, alright? Come on out guys... Here..."

I shook off my slack jawed expression to do as asked, speaking in my own softer voice and floating out purple healing potions and magical bandages I'd been looting from the Gunners, bottles of purified water, a few Sparkle Colas and a pile of Fancy Buck snack cakes I'd been hoarding for Glitter from my saddlebags. Looking over the frightened but awed looks of a few colts and fillies peeking from the legs of the grownups, I thought my daughter would understand.

Mentioning my wife got them moving a lot better than my scruffy, bloody and still slightly crazed countenance did. A few slaves whispered to each other and hesitantly took the offered supplies, several digging in and wrestling over the meager food like they hadn't eaten in weeks, which may well be true by the look of them. Seeing them fighting over my charity wasn't helpful though, a wave of blackened telekinetic force shot from my horn and tossed the fighting groups apart with a snarl. "Cease thine squabbling! LEAVE! NOW!"

"Nnngh! Shut up! You wanted me to handle this, I'm handling it!"

"D-Did... Did the Princess really send you mister?" A frightened adolescent filly trotted forward and raised a wary eyebrow at me bashing my own head and arguing with myself as they others all flinched back from the crazy pony. She was braver than most of them, a bedraggled white filly with a green and blue mane matted with blood and dirt, reminding me painfully of when I met my daughter.

"Y-Yeahhhhh, I mean yes! Yes she did! Sorta... Look, Princess Jade is my wife and she hates slavery almost as much as.... as my friend and me, so we're really here to help you. Just... you have to go, quickly! Bad things are going to happen here and you shouldn't be anywhere nearby when they do..."

"Heard o'er the radio 'fore I got took you went bonkers sonny, sure look nuttier than a fruitcake too. You really are the Shadowknight those zebras been freakin' out about... ain't ya? Why should we trust you of all ponies?" An older stallion huffed and licked the remaining carroty frosting from a Fancy Buck cake that had gotten smashed on the floor off his hoof, squinting his old brown eyes at me suspiciously.

"Because we don't have time for this! Look, I'm trying alright... I really am trying to be a hero here, to do the right thing, but I am pretty fucking crazy, yes! Just... please, believe in me, give me a chance to help. Run away for yourselves if nothing else!"

I could feel the Shroud giving a frustrated tantrum in my head, trying to do the right thing for once and not getting obedience and praise for it. I had to squash the idea of just killing the pony arguing with me to motivate the others, pulled away from the internal argument by the sound of hooves galloping down the ramps outside. A hard flap sent me over the slaves rushing to hide from their approaching masters at the back of the hold again, snarling in agravation at my progress being undone and landing at the hatch to meet the half dozen slavers thundering down.

The burly zebra slavemaster in the lead was shouting loudly on the way down with a furious look on his striped face, threatening his charges back in submission in the chaos that had engulfed the Libertalia. "All you slaves better be right where you belong dammit, or I swear there will be lashes for each an' every one of..."

"Where they belong is free..." I growled at the bottom of the ramp the slavers were suddenly skidding to a halt on when they spotted me, grinning as my horn crackled with flames that lit their frightened faces in baleful blue light.

Their screams only made the slaves cower more behind me, loud and long as they were roasted alive along with a good portion of the wooden walks that caught and started burning in normal, orange flames immediately. A couple slavers took running dives off the edge just for the hope of hitting the water and dousing themselves, the hollow 'bong!' noise of one of these smashing through an old tugboat hull making me cackle laughter that really wasn't improving the slaves' impression of their savior.

I used Deliverer to finish off the few who'd hit the deck and started rolling around trying to put themselves out, facehoofing and muttering to myself at the spreading flames already starting to lick at the scrap tinderbox and spread. "Way to go asshole, lighting the whole fucking thing on fire is just what we needed here...."

'...Incentive...'

I blanched until my gaze was forcibly drawn back to the terrified slaves huddled in the hold, the flickering flames lighting the dark hold up in oranges and reds only made it look more like hell and them like the damned. Their eyes were shrunk to pinpricks staring back at me backlit by the fire and glaring at them, but several were starting to cough on the smoke and panic looked likely to spread. I supposed the Shroud had a point in a horrible kind of way, every creature in the forest would instinctively run from a fire together after all.

"Grrr... There's better ways to motivate ponies, but too fucking late now I guess. Look, trust me or not, get the hell out of here before this place burns down! The way is clear and I'll be keeping them busy, just mind the hellhound below!"

I glanced down to the ring of floating junk to check on Clara, finding her going on a rampage, having crossed the bridge in all the chaos and ripping through slavers running around down there. Warning the slaves about the potentially berserk hellhound lady made them give a collective moan of fear, but the filly who'd spoke surprised me by trotting forward and peeking from behind me. "Hellhound? Is... Is it Jewel's mom?"

"Jewel... you know her pup? You've seen her?"

She still looked scared of me, but her coming close to nod eagerly helped get the other slaves moving behind her, galloping off down the ramps around us to escape the fire while I held the hatch to guard their escape. It gave a few scarce seconds to speak to the brave filly who had seen Clara's pup. "Ya-huh, I got taken with Lady Xiayou, I'm her retainer... umm, assistant. They kept us together awhile and she was another... ugh... 'prize catch' they said, so we saw the hellhound. She was really nice actually!"

"That's what her mom said. Thanks kiddo, where is she...."

I winced at the Shroud's voice mixing with mine when I asked, hating the shiver running down the filly's tail, but admiring her bravery again as the last slaves staggered out and she remained a moment to reply with a hoof pointing up to the yacht perched atop Libertalia. "T-There! The jerk in charge keeps all the 'special stock' close. Umm... I-I'm Willow Bark, Mr. Shroud... s-sir... c-could you... I mean if you're going there anyway... P-Please, please save Lady Xiayou too!"

The way she bowed her head and begged in a trembling little huddle made my heart ache, both over her being so scared of me and the way she put her fear aside to plead for her friend. Feeling a little like the Shrouded Stallion from the comics again, instead of a psychopathic ancient spirit for once, I flared my wings and nudged her chin up with my hoof, giving a firm nod to her wary blue eyes.

"I'll try to save anybody I find up there, I promise. Rescuing the damsel in distress is supposed to be what the Shrouded Stallion is all about after all. Now you go Willow! Run!"

For a moment, she gave me a look of such awed gratitude in made my chest puff up with pride and both I and the Shroud remembered what it was to be a hero ponies looked up to. She even surprised me by lunging into a grateful hug that warmed the tired, hurt part of my heart that once foalishly believed I could be a pony like that. Then she was off, prancing through the spreading flames and down the convoluted path back down to the shore.

I flew out into the night sky after her, feeling lighter as I swooped back around and climbed around the now burning wreck and whispered to myself. "Well, way to go jerk, you just gave us a time limit. Still, good job on... on wanting to help again. Let's not disappoint the filly, huh?"

'...Slavery wrong... feels good.... want try... Now, kill all slavers....'

"Right... Let's go."

A warren of thick dock timbers and weathered planking surrounded the yacht on top of the Libertalia, a landing pad that had been cleared by the intimidating Courser placidly waiting among the carnage and smoke when my hooves touched down. His black leather coat had been scorched and as I watched I saw him finish regenerating a few burns, but otherwise he looked unbothered by the assault, raising an eyebrow behind his dark glasses at me still struggling with not trying to kill him.

"Lighting the fire was a tactically sound decision, estimating 75% of the forces here have either fled or been eliminated. B5-92 and his remaining guards are ahead, though we must move quickly before they attempt escape as well." I hated the deadpan voice the Courser used, so good of a fake pony he sounded like one pretending to be a robot instead of the other way around.

"You don't seem that concerned about getting crispy crittered. So how do you want to do this, taking your rogue synth I mean. You better be really clear now, otherwise he's going to die after the things I've seen here."

The Courser, X6-88 as he called himself, barely paused a beat to spin and fire a gleaming 12mm pistol that snapped up from his coat, dropping a crazed slaver charging down the steps from the yacht without realizing we were there. He barely even looked when he did it, answering as the gunshot echoed away. "Use of shutdown code will disable target, verbal input is sufficient."

A flash of poor Glitter and a gleeful Vega popped into my head when he said it, the evil asshole had rattled off an Override Code and Glitter had been helpless to disobey him... I assumed this was like that and immediately felt sick to my stomach, fighting the more intense desire to rip the Courser into bloody chunks for reminding me and not liking the disapproving notes of the Ministry Mares in my head.

'Be Kind...' wailed the loudest, but the others were right behind it and back to full strength. I was going to help the Institute do what Vega had done to her... But it was to help her! This synth ahead had apparently been given his freedom by the Railroad and this is what he did with it, he didn't deserve it anymore! Surely being reprogrammed as less of a slaving asshole was better than me just finding some creative way to kill him, right?

All I got was the quiet reproach of 'Be Strong!' for lying to myself and the prim huff of 'Be Unwavering!' for taking away the freedom of a synth like my daughter.

"Shut up! I'm doing this dammit! It's to help Glitter!" I clenched my eyes shut and shouted, my voice joined by the Shroud's roaring for silence in the skull they shared. "Silence nagging fillies! Begone pestering spirits, the die is cast!"

"You are extremely psychologically unsound subject 111-3..." The Courser remarked casually, but even he shut up when I snarled at the name he kept using. X6 was quick on the uptake though, shrugging and continuing in the same tone. "Apologies, Mr. Times... Professor Klein wanted my observations on you, just thinking aloud for my report. You will keep to the agreement and allow B5-92 to be retrieved? Prior intelligence suggests an irrational animosity towards the Institute and willingness to sympathize with groups like the Railroad."

"Me hating the Institute is the most rational thing about me right now... I'd turn myself into the demon everycreature thinks I am to help my daughter though. Don't worry, you'll get what you want. I better get what I want though.... tell Klein that in your report. He saw what happened to the last Director that fucked with my daughter... even if he wanted it to happen."

"Director Vega had gone mad, misappropriated resources and engaged in personal vendettas contrary to the Institute's goals. His removal was in the best interest of the Institute and Equestria. Professor Klein believes you and your mate will be much better as Director of Public Relations. Jobs you may find distasteful are part of the position however, if we may proceed?" I gaped at the Courser's answer, treating this like some insane kind of job interview...

I really didn't like I couldn't find much fault in his reply either. Vega was a crazy prick and had to die. From Klein's perspective, I was better at manipulating public opinion with theatrics too. All of the Commonwealth adored their Princess Jade and feared the Shrouded Stallion anyway. Of course that was all before I lost my mind, but if it was to help Glitter.... if it was for her, I really would do all kinds of 'distasteful' things, including working with the devil.

"Ok, just remember, any slaves up there are NOT disposable since they're not your mission. You hurt anypony else, I end you, got it?"

Charging up the series of rickety stairs together, X6 gave a curt nod just before we hit the deck of the yacht I could now see labeled as 'Do Sea Do'. "Captives are your responsibility, I will adjust tactics to leave them to you. B5-92 is my only focus."

I expected a hardened last stand by the toughest of the slavers left, but instead the Courser and I slowed when met by a slow clap of claws from above as we stepped to the deck of the yacht. I noticed the rogue synth's guards were indeed nervously holding their higher class weaponry on us, a couple huddling behind a rusty iron cage in the center of the deck holding a chained and muzzled grey hellhound pup they huddled behind for cover. They hadn't started firing yet however, following the lead of the griffon atop the cabin of the old pleasure boat doing the sarcastic applause.

He was a fairly large and well muscled tan griffon, surprising me as I expected a pony and had never knowingly seen a griffon model synth, though it was as perfect as any other. His blonde plumage was swept back and bushy, his wings a slightly darker shade of the same, though that may be just need of a good preening. He wore combat armor and held a long, straight zebra sword in his orange claws, pressed to the neck of a beautiful and frantically squirming gagged zebra filly he had pressed against him as a hostage.

"The Shrouded Stallion! Along with some other random spook with similar fashion sense... And I thought all my minions here were exagerrating about the dreaded Shadowknight! You've fucked things up here righteously you little prick, Dominus Batia is going to be piiiiiisssed... If you thought you were taking me down with the ship though, you got another thing coming. I heard about you on the radio, unlike my striped friends here, I don't think you're some ancient spirit, you're just a pony playing dress up like those old comics! Think you're a hero or something, right? Little advice kid, heroes lose in the real world, cause you're always worrying about things like protecting the innocent hostages..." The head slaver sneered and tightened his hold on the zebra filly whose struggles had increased when she spotted me, her bright teal eyes going wide and the frightened noises she made behind her gag growing louder.

"Your zebra friends are more right than you are... Before I did want to be a hero, but now there's a really good chance I'll just kill you all if you annoy me, hostages or not. Of course if you hurt them, that chance goes up to 'absolute certainty'... so I'd think really hard about holding that sword so close to her." I growled back, glad to hear several of the more superstious zebra slavers gulp audibly.

"We told you Gabe! The Shroud isn't just some comic! This is the real demon, just give him what he wants if it gets us outta here! Batia will fix it all later!" One of the slavers hiding behind the hellhound Jewel yelped back in frustration, apparently still trying to convince the griffon in charge their beliefs about me were accurate.

He wasn't hearing them though, smirking back and treating his captive rougher to make her settle down, only pissing me off more. It didn't help his chances she was a very attractive filly... already I could catch glimpses of the Shroud's absent little fantasies popping into my head about rescuing the pretty damsel and being... 'thanked'. She had very thin stripes, almost making her look like a pale pony mare, her mane was long and flowing, held up behind her head in two long pigtails tied with feathers and crystalline ringlets, matching the blue stone bangles above her dark hooves. Her sky blue dress was dirty and torn, but she'd obviously been treated better than most of the slaves below at least.

The Courser quirked an eyebrow at me questioningly, but I gave a short shake of my head for the moment. The synth slaver in charge here had mentioned a boss higher than him for one thing, somezebra the Shroud was intensely interested in finding. Beyond that, even if X6 used his shutdown code thing, I doubted the other slavers would react well to their leader just falling to the ground.

The smug asshole Gabe answering his underlings and trying to get some kind of hold on the situation gave some time to think at least. "Shut up! I told ya, that's all a bunch of zebra hooey! It's funny watchin' you all get worked up about it, but this here is a fucking pony! One that's gonna do just what I say unless he wants to see our little Priestess' brains splattered to the deck. Now then shrimpy, since you set my base on fire, it looks like I gotta evacuate. I'm takin' our top cap merchandise here with me, while you and the chickenshits here wait with the pup. Once I'm away, they'll let you have the mutt without putting her down first, you cowards are on yer own gettin' out after that though, fraidy-cat tax."

"Thine comrades are right to fear me... I AM the Shrouded Stallion of yore and I WILL kill those who defy me slowly. Let thine prisoners go and I MAY allow you to attempt to escape the conflagration on your own however." The Shroud answered first, growling to the terrified zebras holding Jewel and trying to pick them apart. Following his lead, I found a better angle of attack to drive a wedge between Gabe and his crew however.

"You guys know that your boss is a synth by chance?"

"W-What!? What the hell you talkin about crazy! I ain't one of those fakers! I'm..." Gabe gave a surprised squawk back, loosening his hold on who I assumed to be the 'Lady Xiayou' I was supposed to rescue for Willow.

The uncertain muttering of the other slavers gave me my opening though, zebras, ponies or griffons, everycreature in the Commonwealth knew what synths were and feared them. The accusation of being one such a taboo they forgot their fear of me in their paranoia that I just exploited.

"Oh yes you are asshole, I know it for sure. Matter of fact, I can prove it... You slavers really want to die for a synth pretending to be one of you? Not that he seems to give much of a shit about you anyway, but I guarantee he's just a spy that will leave you to burn here so long as he slips away. Give me the pup and the filly and I shall allow thou to live..."

Playing up their divisions had the desired effect on a number of fronts. The wary zebra slavers' guns pointed away from Jewel as they considered the offer, while Gabe became crazed, his sword coming away from the filly's throat to point at me as he shouted and raged. "S-Shut up! I ain't no synth! I AIN'T!! I know I ain't! I'm real! I'm real!"

His fit was the opening I wanted, a quick nod to the Courser was all he needed to get my meaning and speak in a rapid monotone. "Unit B5-92, Initialize factory reset, authorization Gamma-7-1-Epsilon."

The effect was instant and brought another pang to my heart thinking of Glitter... Gabriel's panicked yellow eyes shrank away to dots as his lids came down, his whole body slumping in place and freezing. The bound zebra filly bucked her way loose as soon as his hold became boneless, flopping to the deck as Gabe crashed on top of her.

Gabe's crew of slavers were so stunned they never saw it coming. They kept staring at their fallen leader in shock, even as I cackled and drew Best Served, only starting to move when I evicserated the first one whose assault rifle was sagging but still pointed in the general direction of the caged hellhound. The others started trying to move when the yacht's weathered planks and their faces were splashed with his blood, but S.A.T.S. reliably froze them in place as Deliverer sprang from my coat.

At essentially point blank range and the tiny amount of spell charge the enchanted 10mm used, there was no way to miss with the rapid series of headshots I selected. The dark pistol floated and spun to fire bullet after bullet while they were still trying to scatter, only prevented from taking the last out by the Courser moving just as quickly with his own black, Institute made pip-buck selecting shots from his white cased Institute magical energy weapon that vaporized the last into a pile of glittering blue ash.

The silence that followed was only broken by the frantic, muffled yells of the zebra filly, and X6's slow hoofsteps casually strolling up to Gabe's still body sprawled over her. He gave a gruff buck to release the filly, but I assumed that was mainly just for space as he turned to me and snorted. "Mission complete. I will now return to the Institute and deliver my target, along with my report to Professor Klein. Not a very efficient mission, but successful. You are as powerful and dangerous as advised Subject... Mr. Times."

I turned away from trying to soothe the frightened hellhound pup and wrenching at the bars of her cage to reply, giving an uncertain look to the unconscious synth. "What... what's going to happen to him?"

X6-88 paused from fiddling with his pip-buck to answer with a cold and merciless blank stare. "He will be reformatted and repurposed. Griffon model synths are rarer, non-standard models, a new function will be assigned somewhere. You needn't think of it."

So there it was... I'd condemned Gabe to slavery as bad as what I'd freed so many ponies and zebras from tonight. Sure he was an asshole and a synth, but Glitter was a synth too. She wasn't less valuable than a natural pony to me, so Gabe had equal worth in the eyes of the Goddesses too. Worth I'd disregarded to allow the Institute to shackle him again...

I felt a bittery misery take hold when X6 merely shrugged at my dilemma, glancing out to the thickening smoke rising overhead, then plucking a set of keys away from Gabe's prone form to toss my way as he spoke. "Goodbye Mr. Times. I suggest you escape with your own targets, structural integrity of this installation is rapidly decreasing. Perhaps I will see you again in the Think Tank should you arrive."

At that, he pressed a final button on his pip-buck and disappeared in a bright blue flash, teleported away with Gabe to Luna only knew where and leaving me alone with Jewel and Xiayou struggling against their bonds. I stared down at the keys a moment and felt sick to my stomach, but the low groans and crashes below illustrated his point and got me moving again. No matter how I or the persistantly disapproving Ministry Mares in my head felt about it, I was willing to do anything for Glitter and suffer the consequences. Though I was sure Jade would be very disappointed in me right now...

Floating the keys to the cage and opening it, my starmetal knife bobbed close and sliced neatly through the chains binding Jewel's claws tightly together, allowing the hellhound pup to slash her remaining chains loose herself and tear away the rusty iron muzzle silencing her. "H-Holy shit... You save Jewel? Can go free? No hurt me too?"

I coughed on the smoke as I trotted over the zebra making like an inchworm trying to get away, shaking my head wearily to the anxious hellhound and pointing out to the sound of distant screams below. "Nope, I'm not going to hurt you kid. That's probably your mom down there, she asked me to save you, so that's what I'm doing. You'll have to trust me to get down to her quick, but I promise, I don't hurt kids. Now, for you..."

Any hopes for gratitude the Shroud had from the pretty filly were dashed with I tugged the gag from her mouth, laying my ears back at the screeches that followed. "G-Get away Shadowknight! Don't touch me! You'll taint me! Curse me! Befoul my soul! The spirits will..."

"Alright, that's enough of that... You're lucky Willow Bark asked me to save you too." I growled back and put the gag right back in place, ignoring her surprised scowl and floating the lithe zebra to my back. I turned back to Jewel to find her peering over the edge of the yacht and shifting on her paws, giving a short yelp when my own blue telekinesis surrounded her bulky body and lifted her flailing legs from the deck. "Ready to get down there to her kid?"

She was afraid too, which was still surprising from an intimidating hellhound, even a pup. Considering her fur was coated in the blood of her captors and she'd just seen me tear through Libertalia with one of the Insititute's dreaded Coursers though, I couldn't really blame her. She wasn't rude like the zebra anyway, giving a brave nod and clenching her eyes shut as I flapped away from the deck and she rose higher. "G-Go back to mom? Y-Yes great Shadow-pony of legend... p-please? Me be good like wise Smartyfang from story momma told me."

For a moment I saw a flash of a scrawny hellhound from the Shroud's memory and felt a warm, wistful smile curl my muzzle as he used my mouth to speak before flying away. "Thou art courageous as he was child... Worry not, thou art free and soon to be reunited. I swear."

Flying clear of the smoke and circling back around to find Clara to do as promised, I reflected again that the Shroud had been changing a little. He wasn't completely crazed and destructive anymore. When it came to certain, very select subjects, he was even somewhat kind... in his own way at least. As much as he'd encouraged me to be violent and angry, I'd been wearing him down it seemed and taught him to care about others, to do good and help where we could, to be a hero again, even if it was a dark one.

------------------------Level Up!------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------

Great Emancipator------

---Your disdain of slavery has spread far and wide, giving all slavers something to think about. You now do +20% damage to characters and groups that deal in slaves, along with gaining +2 DT against such foes. Faction with any such groups takes an automatic hit however, along with granting you an increased chance to make Terrifying Presence and certain speech checks.

Quest Perk Added!-----------------

The Unbroken Chain-------

---You're not sure who 'MN7' was, but he must have and been a sneaky pony too. The Shrouded Stallion was drawn to the faint trace of their spirit imbued in the relic of Fillydelphia by wearing it a long time, granting you +10 to the Sneak skill!

Ch. 107-- The Heretic

"Never judge a book by its cover. Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary. But you have to look past that and learn who they are inside."

The sunrise started lightening the Celestial Sea by the time I made my way nearly to Neighlem Village at the rear of a throng of tired slaves. After rescuing them and flying from the burning ruins of Libertalia still marring the beautiful sunrise with a smudge of smoke in the sky, I'd rounded up the ones who hadn't just bolted and escorted them up the shore, still feeling responsible for the weak and beaten crowd shivering in the chilly morning breeze.

I trudged along behind them to deal with any threat they faced on their journey like the Miretanks chittering up from the beaches I'd already dealt with several times, keeping a fair distance to not make them too nervous and to avoid their suspicious gazes and furtive whispers. Most of the slaves were polite and even grateful, while still viewing me with superstitious fear I could see in their eyes, though nearly all of them kept up a modicum of respect at least.

"Why don't you go away already! We're nearly there, we don't want a monster like you coming to Neighlem Shadowknight. Go away!" Almost all of them.... The pretty priestess filly I'd saved from the claws of the synth griffon in charge of Libertalia was still just as unpleasant, making me wish the others hadn't removed her gag when she turned to berate me again.

Her young pony retainer Willow Bark was extra nice trying to make up for her anyway, gasping and trotting to the rear of the crowd to get between us and jabber apologetically. "L-Lady Xiayou! Please be nice! The Shroud saved you after all, a-all of us too! He's even guarding us on our way back home! I'm sorry for my lady sir, I don't think you're a bad pony..."

"You can't see what I can Willow, he's not a pony at all! He's cursed! I really can't understand how he's able to stand there and talk to us like he's sane at all, it's actually fascinating. Curious as I am, you should still stay out of Neighlem Shadowknight, before you bring catastrophe again!" I flinched from the venom in the voice of the pigtailed zebra filly, falling back another step and grumbling.

Padding along in the rear with me, the big hellhound Clara licked the hangdog expression from my face and huffed. "Zebra bitch should be grateful to shadow-pony of legend. Me and pup are. Will do whatever shadow-pony wants, but we not welcome in Neighlem place either and we close now... We go away and meet later maybe?"

Wiping the slobber from my face, I gave a halfhearted smile to the scary hellhounds trying to cheer me up when her daughter Jewel bounded forward and copied her mother's gesture on the other cheek. Both of them were used to folks thinking they were monsters too, so I guessed we were all in the same boat. Since being reunited with her pup, Clara had been following me like a loyal puppy, her worry as we approached Neighlem the first thing she'd said against what I was doing.

Considering she had murdered one of Neighlem's guards while searching for Jewel, she had a point and I paused to address it, staring out at the sandy, snow dusted dunes leading up the rise towards town. I noticed yet another rather large crater like several we'd passed so far, growing more numerous the closer we got to town and making my skin tingle with radiation even at a fair distance. Odd, but it also gave me something to use while I thought and conferred with the voice in my head.

'...want sword... dog dig now.... go get now!...'

"I'm tired and hurt, plus you're sleepy with the sun coming up. I keep telling you, you can't run me ragged and expect to get anywhere. Just wait, there's rads around to heal with and we can give the kid time to recover after all she went through. Don't be a dick..."

'....nnnnnnn.... Fine!.... boring rest first.... for pup...'

After muttering to myself for a moment with the hellhounds waiting patiently, I rolled my eyes at the Shroud being magnanimous and cleared my throat to let her know I was actually talking to Clara now. "Ahem... er, yeah Clara, probably best if you're not around when we get there, me coming along is bad enough I'm guessing. I still have to go back to the museum and wait for my friend Zed, so you go take care of Jewel and get some rest too, I can find you later."

Clara had gotten used to my schizophrenic asides fairly quickly and didn't look bothered at least, nodding happily at the decision. "Ok shadow-pony, thank you! We go back home to Lynn Woods, you know where? Big tower in woods."

'Map Updated' blinked in the corner of my eye and I nodded, absently checking the new icon on the map as I replied. "I do now. Er... you can just call me Fast too Clara, no need for the whole shadow-pony thing. I'm glad I could help. Sorry to pester you into digging for me, but I guess I'll be coming to collect later."

"Owe shadow-pony Fast debt, is no problem! You want go to big hole, yes? Me ask others in pack, maybe have good way down there when come. We be waiting! Say goodbye Jewel, thank shadow-pony Fast!" Clara took my foreleg in her frighteningly sharp claws and nearly shook me off her hooves with a goofy grin, then shooed her pup my way to do the same.

She started digging a hole through the sandy soil on the spot as even her smaller pup made me jitter in place under her strong hoofshake, smiling bashfully as she gushed. "Thanks shadow-pony Fast! Was just like bedtime stories mama tell, being rescued by hero pony what was friend to wise Smartyfang! We happy to help back and see soon!"

I blushed and sputtered at another slobbery lick before she dove down the hole her mother had made, then watched the traveling mound of earth zip away to the northwest with 'Be Kind...' humming brightly. I could still feel 'Be Dark...' grumbling impatiently at the delay, but also sensed the pride and satisfaction flowing off the dangerous spirit. It wasn't pretty, but between the friendly hellhounds and the gaggle of slaves trudging on without me, we had done something good again. Something heroic even... I'd done it for Glitter and Jade, to be the kind of stallion they deserved again and to try to make up for some of the horrible things I'd been doing, not gratitude... but it still felt good to be thanked by somecreature who didn't think I was a....

"Hmmph, just because you helped them doesn't mean you're not a monster, don't get a big head Shadowknight..." The clipped voice of Xiayou trotting ahead snapped me out of the enjoyable thought, bringing me back to the present with a hard jolt. She eyed my wince coolly through lidded teal eyes, but did huff under her breath as she turned back to the sand strewn road leading on. "That said, Jewel was a sweet pup... I'm glad you did help her get home."

"So happy I meet your approval, you're welcome..."

My snarky reply made the zebra filly turn red and snort in frustration, speeding up to a trot to mingle in the center of the crowd of slaves and leave me behind. With Clara and Jewel gone, that left me pretty much alone at the rear of the herd, though young Willow seemed to take pity on me and kept pace with another apologetic sigh. "Sorry again, she's really not so bad. I'm really glad you saved her anyway, the elders will be too I bet Mr. Shroud.... umm... Fast."

I smiled to the pale filly trying so hard to be nice, shrugging to the zebra she worked for in some way. "Thanks Willow. So, what's so important about her anyway? Those slavers were keeping her awful close, she a big deal or something?"

"Oh yes! Lady Xiayou is a powerful shaman, apprenticing to Elder Pandora herself even! Those Venalitii slavers and Batia are gonna be in big trouble when everyone finds out they took her!" Willow nodded back firmly, giving a hard frown as she spoke about local groups and figures I knew nothing about.

"A shaman... so when she says she can see stuff on me..."

"She is speaking the truth... er... sorry. I don't think you're so bad, but if Lady Xiayou says you are spirit touched, I believe her. A-Are you? I mean... are you really him? The Shadowknight?" Willow's reply was hesitant, but she answered in a fearful whisper, carefully broaching the subject no one but Xiayou had spoken of directly.

"The Shrouded Stallion... yeah, kinda. I am just Fast Times the pony though, just... I'm sorta... possessed. My friend wanted me to come to Neighlem to ask for help with it. I'm guessing shamans like her are who he wanted to talk to, but if she's any indication, I don't know how much help they'll be."

"There is no help for you Shadowknight, you're cursed! Stupid, ignorant, crazy pony meddling with things you don't understand!" Xiayou was still listening apparently, yelling back from the middle of the crowd of slaves.

Willow kept on trying to cover for her friend and soften her insults, nice enough to keep speaking to me like I was a sane pony. "D-Don't mind her umm... Fast... Lady Xiayou is a prodigy, but she is still in training. You may be cursed and you were a little scary last night, but you seem nice enough in the light of day. Elder Pandora and the others may be able to help after all, so your friend was right to bring you."

"No he wasn't! What zebra would be fool enough to invite the Shadowknight to our home!? Again!?! Everyzebra knows what happened last time, so whoever it was is either an idiot or a traitor!" Xiayou snorted back again, but looked like I slapped her in the face when I muttered back a reply.

"Zed said he wanted me to come and he's my friend, so I came... If I'm not welcome I'll just be on my way, I don't really want to be here at all, I want to go back to my wife and daughter, but I can't until..."

"Z-Zed...? Venator Noctis Zed? He brought you? W-Where is he!? What have you done with him?!" Xiayou practically galloped back to shout right in my face, a pink blush lighting her pale face enough for me to raise an eyebrow curiously.

"He should be in town I guess. I didn't do anything to him, er... not really... he was hurt though, so I made him go ahead and get help. I'm supposed to wait for him back at the Museum of Witchcraft, but I've been... distracted. I'll go back there once you guys are all safe, then we can leave without bothering anycreature else. Happy?"

Xiayou's face screwed up in a strange, conflicted expression, turning redder as she sputtered and stuck her nose up, closing her eyes and huffing. "I-If Venator Zed brought you here, I s-suppose it would be rude to turn you away out of hoof. You needn't run off quite so soon anyway, even if it is pointless. I've never seen anycreature afflicted like you and I'm interested. I'll... I'll work with the elders and see what we can do at least."

"Umm.... Ok?"

I blinked at the sudden turnaround, pausing to scratch my mane in confusion as the strange zebra trotting back to the crowd with a spring in her step. While I was trying to figure out what just happened, her retainer Willow grinned and whispered in my ear to clear things up. "Lady Xiayou is a foalhood friend of the Venator Noctis... I think she has a crush on him."

"Oh? Ohhhhhhh! Ha!"

I snickered along with Willow as I got it, shaking my head and continuing to trudge up the road towards Neighlem with 'Awareness!' and the other Ministry Mares giggling brightly. After all the sardonic Zed's quips and dry jokes at my expense, I looked forward to teasing him mercilessly over this... She must really have a thing for him if she was suddenly willing to put up with the terrible 'Shadowknight' just because Zed said so. If nothing else, it made the rest of the trip to the borders of Neighlem a lot more tolerable.

Checking my map as we approached, I saw Neighlem Village was situated on a northern facing peninsula of rocky hills that rose from the Celestial Sea. I knew we'd reached the borders by the clearly defined rusty fence marching across the sandy dunes, a small toll booth checkpoint barred the road we were following and was clearly prewar, the faded remains of MoM posters showing a watchful Pinkie Pie still decorating the barrier.

The fence wasn't the only way to tell however, the closer we got, the more I noticed more large and radioactive craters blasted into the sand, sparkling in the morning light with sand fused into greenish glass, broken up by charred bones and rusty weapons. They were strange enough I finally had to ask before we reached the guarded border, pointing a wing out to the nearest and inquiring with my helpful little guide Willow.

"Oh those? That's where raiders or others attacked us and the Kraken destroyed them for us." Willow smiled back, her answer leaving me nonplussed and forced to ask for more detail.

"Kraken?"

"A seamonster! It's the guardian of Neighlem Village and has protected us for generations. Sometimes you can even see it out in the harbor Fast. Any big groups that have tried to attack have been blasted by balefire and driven away!" Willow replied proudly, leaving me more curious about what kind of monster could do all this damage.

Any further questions on the subject were cut short by the presence of a lot of armed zebras at the entrance to the village however. There were at least two dozen armed guards, trundling open the gates and ushering the crowd of weary slaves in. A gaggle of them remained around a smaller group of important looking zebras watching over it all however, and all of them were eyeing me like a dragon at their gates.

"Go on with the others Willow, I don't think you want to hang around me right now..." I muttered to the pale filly at my side, shooing her after her friend Xiayou already greeting the group at the gates as the crowd thinned and it became more obvious they were all focused on me.

"You couldn't just wait where you said you would, could you Fast..." I was relieved to hear Zed's gruff voice snarking from the crowd, spotting the zebra stallion tromping out from the gates to snort at me in frustration.

He was distracted from really unloading on me by Xiayou nearly running into him halfway, the thin stripes on her face standing out in stark relief under her blush. "Z-Zed! You really are home again, i-it's good to see you... So you actually did bring this creature here? Why?"

"That's what we've been trying to figure out all night apprentice, where have you been?" The annoyed voice of an older mare behind Zed cut them both off, drawing my attention to the tall and slender mare standing at the head of the crowd of important looking zebras from Neighlem.

She was middleaged and regal looking, wearing flowing green robes and golden jewelry that glimmered in the light of sunrise. Her stripes were fairly broad and straight like Zed's and her flowing mane was held back by jeweled pins and a fancy tribal mask pushed up on her brow. She sat on her haunches in the sand and held a long driftwood staff in her hooves, decorated with seashells and feathers clustered at the top which she held out threateningly to bar my path any further. Her pale golden eyes were narrowed and she looked very cross, her stare widening as it flicked up and down at me fidgeting nervously.

Xiayou didn't seem to mind how upset she looked, bowing before yelping back. "Elder Pandora! It's so good to see you again, I never thought I would! Those cursed Venalati slavers captured me and...!"

"We'll discuss it later Xiayou, one problem at a time..." The elder of Neighlem cut off her apprentice and didn't seem very happy about the gaggle of freed slaves still filtering through the gates behind her, turning a withering stare on me with a huff. "You haven't done me any favors Shadowknight, already causing trouble before you even arrived I see. Zed has spoken vehmently on your behalf, but I'm still tempted to turn the both of you away."

"Trouble!? I rescued a bunch of slaves that needed help! How the fuck is that bad!? Look, I know I haven't been all that heroic lately, but I was trying to do something good and you act like I shit on your doorstep. If you don't want me here that's fine, I've got better places to be anyway! I only came because Zed wanted me to!"

'...Ungrateful swine!... Enemies of Luna... Let me....'

I winced at the Shroud grumbling, but noticed Elder Pandora taking a reflexive step back in time with the growl speaking in my head like she heard it too. Even her apprentice flinched and gave me a dirty look, making me wonder if the spiritualists could actually do something to help and I was cutting off my muzzle to spite my face here. Neither I or the Shroud were going to be bitched at for helping slaves though, if the zebras were upset I did so, we just weren't going to get along at all.

"I told you going after the Venalati may cause problems Fast... Just hold your tongue and let me handle it." Zed muttered to me snorting puffs of breath to the chilly air, turning back to Elder Pandora and the other important looking zebras gathered behind her and glaring at me. "Please Elder, he's a pony, he doesn't understand. Not only that, his wife is a famous opponent of slavery, he thought he was doing good and trying to please her. If you're considering joining her kingdom, that's an issue that will come up I assure you. If nothing else, his efforts prove the spirit has not completely corrupted him, as I said."

"You may not be able to sense as much as we can Zed, but you know better. That poor pony is nearly consumed by the raging monster within, it's only a matter of time before he falls to depravity completely and there's nothing we can do." My ears drooped at Pandora's harsh answer, snuffing out any hope I had for help in one short dismissal.

I wasn't really holding out a lot of hope, but I realized I had been guarding a tiny little ember that she just stomped out. No wonder the Shroud didn't balk at coming here or asking. It knew as well as they did there was nothing to be done, so it apparently had nothing to worry about.

Zed wasn't so willing to give up however, stamping a hoof on the cracked asphalt and wrapping a foreleg around my slumping shoulders supportively. "No, I refuse to accept that Elder. I may not have your abilities or experience, but I have seen with my own eyes this pony is exceptional. He's host to a spirit that should have consumed him long ago, but it hasn't! Not only that, he made friends with one of the most dangerous creatures in history!! I brought him here seeking answers, not a way to purge the creature from..."

"NO EXORCISMS!!" My mouth opened in a sudden shout that made all the gathered zebras jump, forcing me to bash my forehead and argue with myself. "No, no exorcisms dammit, he just said he wasn't looking for that crazy! Pay attention before using my mouth to do that!" That frustrated aside was followed by a petulant mutter from my muzzle in reply, "No exorcisms... No like... Us together, no try to get rid of again."

There was a moment of awkward silence and I felt them all staring at me like a madpony, but to my surprise Elder Pandora took a shaking step forward at my crooked smile and shrug, her mouth hanging open and taking a minute to get going in a stunned whisper. "You... You actually do talk to it...? You can control it?"

"Er... 'control' is debatable. More like uneasy alliance. Look, I didn't expect much and I understand how you feel about the Shroud around here, so I get it if you want me... us to go away. The most I really hoped for was some answers and you guys are the experts when it comes to spirits, so I thought I'd ask. If you can't do anything though, we'll just..." I answered with a tired sigh and took my hat off to give a polite bow, though my manners were interrupted again by the Shroud's voice taking over with a furious shout and a blackened beam from my horn. "BIRD!!"

Every zebra nearby jumped at the attack, raising assault rifles and other military hardware they'd obvious brought out special for me, while Elder Pandora held her long staff up menacingly. The hunk of driftwood only dipped back down when she watched a seagull perched on a dune nearby get vaporized in a puff of feathers and splatter of green goo.

Ignoring the pleased and proud nicker in my head, I groaned and held my hooves up in a placating gesture, scratching my mane sheepishly. "Sorry! Sorry about that everycreature! Just part of my never ending crusade to kill every synth bird I see apparently... How do you even tell for Celestia's sake?!"

"False creatures... Yon unholy abominations don't move right..."

"Yeah, well... you could let me know beforehoof, rather than just randomly blasting them when you see them. Your timing really sucks you know..."

"They're spies! They creep about when those mad miscreants behind them are interested! You don't notice whelp, be awed by mine discerning eye!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're awesome, happy? Quit using my mouth, you're freaking out the locals and I don't like putting on a comedy routine like this!"

Ending the bizarre back and forth for all the wary zebras to see, I put on a very insincere grin and shrugged to Elder Pandora's stunned look, wincing as Zed facehoofed with a long suffering sigh and broke the uncomfortable silence. "As I said... this is a unique case. Have you ever seen a creature possessed act like that Auntie? Please... at the very least you could answer how he wound up like this..."

I blinked curiously at the word 'auntie' and Elder Pandora flinching as if she'd been hit, but the withering, hard stare she turned on me cut off any questions I had on the subject. She stood straighter and huffed, narrowing her bright golden eyes as she spoke in a cool voice. "It will behave itself...? Destroying Institute spies is one thing, but I'll not have it randomly incinerating my people Zedrick. If your... friend... can control himself, we shall... see what we can see. I warn you now however Shadowknight, set one hoof out of line or think to have us share the fate of Covenant and I shall see you destroyed."

"Ha!.. Try it witch, I fear no..."

My mouth started moving with a snide sneer I immediately stuffed a hoof into, but Elder Pandora looked like she was expecting it. Instead of getting upset, she raised an eyebrow and held her funny staff aloft, the morning sun catching the glint of something metal among all the seashells and feathers as she pointed it out towards the nopony's land of radioactive craters with a fancy twirl as she stood on her hindlegs.

There was a long pause that made me wonder what the point of the weird pose was, then a distant whistle that grew louder and louder and drew my burning glare up to the skies warily. Something streaked down from the heavens, then I was scrambling to catch my hat and take cover as a large portion of the beach was engulfed in the bright green flames of balefire. A sudden, hot wind blew away from the rising miniature mushroom cloud, then rushed back the other way to fill the vacuum of displaced air, making the tails of my trenchcoat whip as I gaped and felt even the Shroud give an internal gulp. There wasn't much that the spirit considered a threat, but a display of power like that definitely got its attention...

"We understand each other Shadowknight? You are indeed powerful, but so are we... Behave yourself." Pandora's words were muffled by the ringing in my ears, but I got her point and nodded back, trotting right at Zed's spiky tail meekly, while even the Shroud answered in a grim huff.

"On my honor witch..."

At that, we made our way through the dilapidated tollbooth together, Zed breathing a sigh of relief as we took our place at the rear of the crowd and headed towards Neighlem Village. "Not exactly smoothly, but we managed to gain entry at least. Do try to keep your spirit on a tighter leash though Fast, I share Elder Pandora's reservations about all of this, but I trust you."

"Sure thing... Zedrick..."

The flat look I got for my snickering reply was worth it, brightening the giggling mote of 'Awareness!' and getting a genuine laugh from me at Zed rolling his eyes and throwing his head back with a groan. "Wonderful... thank you so much Auntie Pandora, I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I Fast..."

"Nope! Wait till I tell Glitter, Zedrick! Bwahahahah!"

Still snickering, I paused for a true, bright smile and savored the spark of warmth in my chest at the thought. I'd get to see Glitter again... share Zed's full name and get to tease him mercilessly with her, laugh and play with my daughter again... I wasn't sure how or when, but I believed it now, we'd be together again. The delays might be annoying and I wanted to rush, but they brought me one step closer to that day and would make stories I could tell her without shame.

"Zedrick... pffft!"

Neighlem Village rose up from the Celestia Sea on a rocky peninsula the waves crashed against ceaselessly, sheltering a fair sized harbor full of a variety of boats I eyed with interest as we got closer to town. I hadn't expected so many ships to still be sailing the seas considering how many wrecked and ruined examples I'd seen littering the coasts, but there were quite a few small to medium ships of all manner of makes and models crowding the piers.

They were nearly all real sailing ships too, even the ones that were once powered vessels had tattered patchwork sails added to them. Crews of ponies and zebras worked the various boats, from small two pony rowboats casting their nets out in magic or their teeth, all the way up to a rusty metal scow that had a paddlewheel crudely bolted to its stern and plodded out to sea.

One thing I noticed more and more as we started to enter the Village proper, was the variety of stripes on the different zebras. I'd gotten used to Zed and his broad and straight stripes of a deep charcoal, but now I saw what I thought of as a proper zebra like all the propaganda posters wasn't all there was. Most of the seafaring zebras coming and going from the docks for example, had wavy stripes that made me think of the actual waves they sailed, prompting me to speak up in a quiet aside to Zed.

"They're Atolli Fast, a seafaring tribe. Atolli sail the seven seas of Equestria since ancient times, even the barrier of the Commonwealth doesn't stop them from going where the wind takes them." Zed spoke proudly, piquing my interest about his people since we were among them and he felt talkative.

"There are different tribes? How many? What are you then Zed?"

"Roamani... mostly. There are 13 tribes total Fast, or the 12 plus 1. One tribe is considered cursed and is looked down on, the Starkaterri. It's my Starkaterri ancestor Yura that still stands out in my family tree, but my mother was Roamani like my aunt Pandora. We're a matriarchal society, much like you ponies, so it's the mother that determines what tribe you belong to usually." Zed answered with just a hint of shame buried in his voice, but didn't shy away from the truth, despite the mutters from our escort my ears flicked at.

"So is it normal for there to be lots of different tribes in a zebra town? How come there's so many of you here in Equestria anyway Zed? With the war and all, I didn't think there were many Equestrian Zebras period."

Zed got a pensive look for a moment, his voice tight as he gestured across the inland bay on our left to a squat, depressing, ruined fenced compound of some kind on a small island in the bay. "While Neighlem was a zebra village before the war and accounts for a good portion of our numbers today, it was mostly Mendi and Atolli. The reason there are so many different tribes in the Commonwealth today is because of that place... a Ministry of Morale internment camp. There were only a few across Equestria and they took zebra citizens who had... 'questionable loyalties' there Fast."

"Oh.... Umm... sorry Zed, I didn't mean..."

"As you've tried to tell me, you don't have to apologize for the actions of your ancestors or people Fast. The sins of the past aren't your burden to bear, it's just an unpleasant part of our history here. After the war most of the prisoners escaped and built a home here in Neighlem. The many tribes forced together eventually started splitting apart again, into smaller communities across the Commonwealth like Hexington. Those who remained here are occasionally supplemented by Atolli ships who pierce the barrier and Neighlem has remained a place where cultures mix, just as it was in the old days. That's why there are so many different tribes, not to mention the pony and zony members of the community who are equal citizens." Zed shook off his momentarily dark mood and smiled, waving out to his home proudly as we entered the village proper, giving me leave to sightsee.

The slaves had been taken on to town already, but the guards stuck right by Elder Pandora and her apprentice, forming a moving cordon around me as we entered the village proper and blocking me off from the villagers pausing in their busy morning to whisper and gape at the odd parade. I caught a lot of warding gestures and frightened whispers following me, but didn't mind so much with new information to stare right back, pointing out one unique example of zebrakind after another and asking Zed which tribe they belonged to with thoughts of telling Glitter all about it.

"What about that one? He's got a neat shop..."

Following my pointing wing to the old zebra stallion standing outside a crumbling brick shop full of lots of neat junk, Zed chuckled and identified the old buck with the horizontal stripes for me too. "Propolli Fast, you'd like them. They're a tribe of builders and inventors, most enjoy tinkering with gadgets as much as you do."

"Wooooo.... what tribe are those fillies from....?"

My pace slowed and my ears perked up as we passed a large stone building that smelled of steam and water, leering after a trio of shapely zebra mares whispering and giggling to each other on their way in to the large structure of white stone and cracked pillars with the faded sign reading 'Public Bathouse'. My wings standing up as my fangs extended and I started drifting that way only made them giggle more, bouncing their way out of sight as the Shroud's needy growl in my head hungered to go that way. I wasn't really interested of course, but realized how long I'd been alone without Jade and could appreciate the stunning sex appeal of the trio of mares with the curly stripes anyway, very interested in whatever tribe produced mares like that...

"Carnilia... Control yourself Fast, that's the last tribe the perverted spirit you host should be exposed to..." Zed smirked back, giving me a gentle nudge to snap out of my subconscious prowl away from our escort already nervously figuring out how to corral me back into line.

"Aren't you going to ask what I am Shadowknight? You're pestering poor Zed with everyzebra else, which is rude you know. Asking which tribe a zebra belongs too, really... don't you have any manners?" Xiayou huffed an interruption, inserting herself into the conversation with conflicting messages.

"Er... ok, what tribe are you from then? You've got really thin stripes that are pretty, I just figured you didn't want me asking. I do have some manners, yes..."

"Xiayou is from the Eschatik tribe Fast. They're a tribe of philosophers and thinkers, producing some of the most powerful shamans of our people. She's a bit of a rarity around here and very talented, thus her apprenticeship with my aunt." Zed's answer made the filly in question turn red right down to her hooves, smiling brightly at the praise and sticking her nose up proudly.

"And Pandora is really your aunt Zed? Is she your Grandpa Zin's?" Ignoring the frustrated snort I got from the filly for diverting the conversation away from her, I scratched my mane in thought and inquired about the curiosity of his stern relative, remembering the graying Elder Zin's broad, straight stripes that matched the two of them and guessing.

By Zed's nod, I guessed right, my zebra pal elaborating as we kept walking down the cobblestone streets. "Yes, my mother's family Fast. When grandfather retired to take over for the Elder in Hexington, he left my aunt Pandora in charge here."

"He didn't do me any favors there... If it weren't for how desperate things were in Hexington when he took over, I'd be madder at the old buck. Though I hear you have something to do with improving things there Shadowknight. He's half the reason I agreed to this, so you should thank him when you see him." To my surprise, Elder Pandora actually deigned to join the conversation and speak to me like a pony.

"Zin's here? Really? Yeah! It'll be nice to see him again, huh Zed?"

"I've already spoken to grandfather, he helped with my treatment and berated me thoroughly for ending up in such a state. Most of the Elders from across the Commonwealth are here actually Fast, you'll see them inside." Zed answered with a nod to the roughly repaired brick building we were approaching, a large town hall of traditional pony architecture, with cracked stone columns framing the doors and a dead clock tower topping the structure.

There was also a small crowd gathered before the doors that made me gulp nervously, recognizing an unruly mob when I saw one. While there were quite a few more civilian looking zebras murmuring as we arrived, it was mostly a rough looking crew of zebras, ponies and zonies, all clustered around a middle aged zebra stallion with the wavy stripes of an Atolli.

He was thin and wore nearly as much golden jewelry as Elder Pandora over his fancy looking leather armor and robes, giving the elder a perfunctory bow before snorting to rudely cut off her greeting. "Elder... I see we're inviting mass murdering, thieving criminals into our fair village now?"

"Batia... I wouldn't know anything about that. The Shadowknight arrived at our gates this morning with a gaggle of... refugees... he'd found somewhere or other. Considering terrible mistreatment they'd suffered somehow, we decided to take them in." Elder Pandora's voice was icy as she replied, turning a lidded stare down on the fuming stallion.

I recognized the name Batia from the slavers back on Libertalia and felt my fangs lengthen as he shouted back, stamping his hooves in a fit and pointing at me accusingly. "He's a monster! He killed my men and burned Libertalia down! You know damn well those 'refugees' are my property he stole from me! I want them all returned to me and this ...thing... properly punished for his crimes!"

"They were slaves! Slaves I freed from thine cruel captivity brigand! If thou art the leader of those brutish thugs I dispatched, thou has thine own reckoning coming..." The Shroud's voice boomed out of my mouth and my eyes blazed as I found myself prowling forward, lowering my head and gnashing my fangs as I stalked after the suddenly nervous slaver boss.

The guards surrounding me all turned their weapons inward and stammered warnings I ignored, but Elder Pandora cut me off by holding her staff out as a blockade, reminding the Shroud just what kind of damage she could do with that thing without saying a word. When she did speak, it was in a hard voice of restrained fury disguised as patience, raising an eyebrow at the flinching Batia. "Mr. Batia, while we tolerate your business outside of Neighlem, I'll remind you we do not accept slavery within Neighlem Village itself. However your 'property' managed to gain their freedom, they will retain it so long as they are within our walls. While we're on the subject however, imagine my surprise when I found my own apprentice had been imprisoned with them... Anything you care to explain Batia?"

The part of the crowd not obviously working for the slimy slaver muttered curiously at that, turning on Batia wincing before putting on an oily smile and replying. "A misunderstanding Elder, of course! We all know your apprentice has a bad habit of wandering outside the village on her own, her head too full of spirits to pay attention to the material plane. My men found her with dark approaching and we all know how dangerous the nights have been lately with that monster reportedly in the area, so they took her under their protection is all! It seems we were right to be cautious too, since the beast himself has shown up just as we feared. He didn't hurt you, did he dear?"

Trying to turn things around on me still growling and glaring at him almost worked, most of the crowd seemed willing to believe the worst on general principles. Batia made a mistake by giving a bow and asking Xiayou her opinion however, the furious zebra filly stamped her hooves and screeched back. "Screw you Batia! Those jerks weren't helping me! They locked me up! Your griffon lackey used me as a hostage! I heard them talking too, they were going to sell me and ship me to Zebrica! The Shadowknight might be a mad monster, but I'd take him over you any day! He saved me from your brutes!"

"How awful! I knew nothing about any of that my dear, it must have been Gabe acting on his own as I'd never allow it. One of my employees fortunate enough to escape the massacre even tells me he was a synth! I didn't want to believe it, but to act against my orders and foalnap a delicate flower like you, that must be the only explanation. Isn't that right Ash?" Batia was ready for her apparently, putting on a wounded look and waving back to one of his slavers being pushed to the fore.

The young zony they presented must have been one I missed on Libertalia... His grey and charcoal striped coat was burnt on one side and wrapped in magical bandages, his rich purple mane singed and his blue eyes were bloodshot and frantic as he was forced to testify, locked on my glowing red ones as he stammered and dug his hooves in against his fellows pushing him forward. "Yes! I saw it alright! He was a synth! J-Just keep that thing away from me! Monster! I-It's the real Shadowknight! It killed them all and laughed while it did it!"

"Well my dear, is poor Ash telling the truth? Surely you saw what happened up close since the Shadowknight saw fit to rescue you. Was Gabe a synth?" Batia grinned at the uncertain murmurs of the crowd, turning to Xiayou sputtering furiously as he backed her into a corner.

"Y-Yes but... He was still... That fucking griffon said...." Xiayou was effectively trapped by the truth, forced to admit Gabe was indeed a synth and therefore making all his actions suspect in the eyes of the villagers.

"Tsk, tsk.. terrible... What terrible times we live in when even a trusted employee can turn out to be a synth and turn on his employer like that. Allow me to apologize for your ordeal young Xiayou. It seems the Shadowknight did a good deed after all, but it doesn't change the fact he murdered scores of innocent workers to do so. I demand satisfaction Pandora, we should turn him over to the new Equestrian Army to pay for his crimes! We need to pick a side and doing so is sure to place us in the good graces of the Sun Goddess." Batia didn't miss a beat, turning on Elder Pandora and playing to the crowd, giving me my first clues about the political situation of Neighlem Village.

Pandora got a very sour look at the slimy stallion working the mob up, stamping her staff down on the cracked stone walks and calling for order. "Enough! The Shadowknight is a guest of the Venator Noctis, we'll not be turning him over to anycreature. Nor will we be involving outside parties like the Gunners in our affairs. He's the husband of the Princess of Sanctuary, betraying him not only puts the village at risk of his wrath, it takes a side in outsider squabbles. You insist on your independence to run your foul business Batia, part of that is dealing with your problems independently. The Shadowknight attacked your holdings outside the village, his crimes weren't against Neighlem so we won't be holding him to account. If you're that upset about it, you're free to deal with it yourself outside the village. I imagine the Shadowknight would be happy to oblige, isn't that so Fast?"

Blinking in surprise and the question, my muzzle split in a predatory grin and my eyes turned dragonish as I stalked forward again, purring in response. "Oh yes.... If the slaver wishes to resolve our quarrel himself, we may do so immediately...."

Batia gave a hard frown in response, but I was delighted to see the flicker of fear in his brown eyes twitching in anger as he huffed. "N-No, no. We'll settle up some other time I'm sure. I merely wish to lodge my complaint with the wise Elders of Neighlem for inviting this pony shaped catastrophe into our midst again. I do hope you know what you're doing Pandora..."

The mutters of the crowd at that dig didn't sound good and I forced myself to back off sheepishly, looking to Pandora sticking her nose up and tapping her staff for order. "We're so grateful for your concern Batia, but have it well in hoof. The Shadowknight will not be a problem and will be on his way soon enough, won't he?"

"Er... y-yes ma'am, no problems here..."

Seeing the legendary 'Shadowknight' flinch from the stern Elder like a colt caught with his hoof in the cookie jar seemed to give Pandora a boost in the eyes of the crowd. They clearly still didn't like the situation and a lot of hard stares followed me trudging into the old town hall, but I also saw a lot of pride and faith in their Elder sedately leading the way.

I only hoped that faith was well founded, since I was putting my trust in the mature zebra mare too.

The Neighlem Village town hall gave me the creeps, and that was discounting all the more recent zebra voodoo additions like tribal masks hanging from the walls and odd little fetishes of bone, feathers and Miretank parts. No, what was really disturbing was the profusion of Pinkie Pies staring down from faded posters on the walls FOREVER... The Ministry of Morale apparently ran the town during the war, keeping as close an eye on the Equestrian zebras as their prisoners in the nearby internment camp Zed told me about. I saw only pony names on the frosted glass doors of the former administrators we passed, noting the numerous portraits followed the same pattern of depicting only severe looking ponies glaring down from the walls.

Above the doors to the courtroom we eventually entered were two large portraits, though one was covered with a ratty tarp. Considering the other was an immaculate painting of Celestia, I guessed the covered one was of Luna and felt the Shroud grumble in my head. Though I wasn't particularly surprised the zebras living here now would cover over a picture of who they viewed as Nightmare Moon. I was more surprised to find it still hanging period, though judging by the perfect condition of her sister's portrait, I figured they were enchanted against vandalism and most likely immovable.

On the way, Zed filled me in a little bit about our encounter with the prick Batia outside, explaining the slave trader was rich and powerful, holding a lot of sway in Neighlem, even though he wasn't an Elder. I fumed privately about tolerating a slaver period, but Zed waved my complaints off with a tired sigh, explaining slavery didn't hold the stigma in zebra society it did for me. Actually, in Zebrica it had been tolerated and codified since ancient times, a way for the destitute to pay their debts or even voluntarily enter servitude in exchange for a legally enforced guarantee of food, shelter and pay. According to Zed, the greatest gladiators of ancient Roam were slaves, but were celebrities and lived a life of luxury for their service.

I still didn't like it, no matter what ancient zebra culture thought, slavery would always be wrong in my eyes and I could just imagine Jade sticking her nose up in a huff at the whole thing. Besides, whatever rules Batia was supposed to follow, Libertalia taught me he wasn't doing so. Unfortunately he was also crafty and had been a political thorn in Elder Pandora's side for quite some time, most recently advocating accepting the offers Gunner scouts had made to join Synthlestia's New Equestrian Empire.

I wasn't surprised the Institute was interested in taking control of the functional port, especially after seeing what they'd been up to in Dreadnot. Klein had big plans for the rest of Equestria and was squaring away routes to spread his madness beyond the borders of the Commonwealth. It seemed only my Grandpa and his barrier storms stood in his way, further confusing me as to whether he was good or bad.

Arriving in the large courtroom distracted me from mulling anything else over however. It was an ampitheatre shaped room, the far wall taken up by a raised dais with seating for several severe looking zebras glaring down at me entering. While there was seating for an audience, thankfully it was mostly empty, only a few assistants to the zebra Elders and interested spiritits scattered about, a few of which were busy drawing squiggly runes in a circle surrounding the witness stand I was meant to occupy.

Looking up to the stone faced Elders watching me slink into the courtroom, I was relieved to see at least one friendly face. Elder Zin of Hexington smiled and stood with a friendly wave, climbing down from his perch to greet his grandson and me happily. "Zed, Fast, wonderful to see you both healthy and whole again."

"Mostly healthy anyway, I'm not sure 'whole' really applies though Zin. Good to see you again too though, it's been awhile since Hex, huh? How are things there?"

Zin's warm green eyes turned worried for a moment at my crooked smile in return, but he shrugged it off and patted my back in a friendly, grandfatherly gesture that got murmurs of disapproval from his fellow Elders. "Much improved for everycreature, thanks to you and your Princess Fast. Thank you again, for everything, including honoring an old stallion's request and teaching my grandson a thing or two, hmm? He spoke on your behalf very passionately, proving he's finally found a true friend."

"Heh, yeah... me and Zedrick here are pals alright, I'm glad he came with us. He's... he's really been there for me, even after he learned I'm the big bad Shadowknight you're all afraid of."

Even kindly Elder Zin got a pensive look at my tired joke, shaking his head as he spoke in a concerned voice. "Yes... I sensed a shadow of darkness in you when we met before, but I never would have guessed you'd be host to the real Shrouded Stallion. It presents a connundrum for us, especially since you still seem to be... you... Even knowing the truth now, I still see the earnest young pony I met before, though a little worse for wear I suppose..."

I had to chuckle at Zin's understatement, looking down at myself with a sigh. Worse for wear covered it alright, I was scarred and filthy, my poor tail singed and soot from the fire of Libertalia making my dark coat even darker and grimier in spots, my fur was grown out in wild tangles matted with blood that wasn't entirely my own. The pieces of heavy armor like the shoulderplate on my bandolier were dinged and scorched, while only the repair spells imbued in it kept my Shrouded Stallion armor in decent shape. Though taking my fedora in my hooves sheepishly proved it was as dirty and singed as the rest of me.

"You are still a pony though Fast, a good one I am indebted to. I'm not sure how much we can help you, but I'll do what I can to convince the others. Hopefully I'll be able to talk under better circumstances after this. Excuse me so I can take my seat and get on with it, hmm?" Elder Zin shook my hoof before trotting off, climbing his way up to his elevated seat with the others as Elder Pandora tapped her staff for order and the murmuring in the room tapered off.

Elder Pandora waited for complete silence before proceeding, following my hesitant trudge to the witness stand and raising an eyebrow at Zed standing beside me. "Ahem, if we may begin Elders? Venator Noctis Zed, you have brought the Shadowknight here as your guest and seek aid. We're all interested to hear why you have done this and what you expect from us."

Zed didn't flinch from her intimidating stare, standing straight and proud as he dug in his packs and pulled out a shard of black mirror that elicted gasps from the crowd. "It's thanks to my friend Fast that I was able to recover this artifact of Yura's. He has assisted me in my duties and been a true and faithful comrade, one who needs help and answers. I've tried everything I know to free him from the dark spirit that clings to him, but my skills are lacking and I've been unable to exorcise the..."

"NO EXORCISMS!" The Shroud's voice boomed out of my muzzle, giving the gathered group of elders and assistants a start even as I grumbled and waved my hooves frantically. "Sorry! Sorry about that! He really doesn't like that word... I'm ok! Please, keep going, nevermind me..."

Pandora huffed and leaned over to whisper to her apprentice Xiayou waiting at her side, then waited as the filly scrambled down with a basket in her teeth and took the evil shard of mirror with a distasteful look. She dutifully brought it back to her teacher, who eyed it a moment before passing it down the row of Elders sitting with her while she spoke. "Returning one of Yura's artifacts is a great accomplishment and we congratulate you Venator, sharing the honor with this... outsider... does him credit of course. That doesn't change the fact he is host to the Shadowknight however, the catastrophe of ancient times that helped Yura herself cause so much suffering. If you were unable to exor.... cleanse the spirit's influence, I'm uncertain we could either. He's not merely possessed, he's a medium..."

Zed sucked in a breath at the unfamiliar term, giving me a worried look as I stared back blankly and spoke in a curious whisper. "Medium? What's that Zed? What's the deal?"

Pandora's ears were sharp and the acoustics of the old courtroom were in her favor, allowing her to speak over Zed in a lecturely tone. "A medium is a creature able to draw on the power of a spirit. You use the Shadowknight's power, do you not? Usually a shaman would have to work many years to develop a relationship with one totem spirit before becoming a medium. In such cases, they take on traits of the spirit they've melded with. A shaman who's focused on a wolf spirit for example, would take on lupine features and traits. I have never heard of a pony becoming one however, your people are generally blind when it comes to the world of the spirits. Forging a bond with the legendary Shadowknight of all creatures is unprecedented. Quite frankly, a spirit that powerful would consume even the most experienced shamans. How have you done such a thing?"

"I don't know! I don't even know how it got in me dammit! I was hoping you guys could tell me! All I know is my... is the Institute did something to me a long time ago, when I was a foal, but I don't know what because they screwed around with my memory! All I've gotten the Shroud to say about it was he was invited..."

There was an even louder gasp at that, followed by a lot of whispered conversation between all the elders that tried my patience and made me nervous. Eventually it was Zin who coughed for quiet and spoke, leaning over the desk to speak in a friendly if concerned tone. "You're sure of this? It was invited?"

"I just told you, I'm not sure of anything, that's just what he said when I asked. Look, I understand if you can't do the E word, but I don't get why? Just because I'm a medium thing you're saying I'm stuck with the Shroud in my head forever? You really can't do anything?"

In reply, Xiayou leaned up to whisper in Pandora's ear, going back and forth a moment before getting permission apparently. The pretty filly then excused herself as she reached out to grab a glass of water and an inkwell from the Elder's desk, trotting down to the witness stand with both and setting them before me.

She gave an exasperated look as she set up her little demonstration, setting the water on the stand and pointing to it with a snort. "This is you..."

"Ok....."

Holding the inkwell up over the cracked glass, Xiayou continued in a tone like she was explaining something simple to a very poor student. "The ink is the Shadowknight spirit, you follow?"

"Yeah...."

Once I nodded uncertainly at the simple visual aids, Xiayou poured ink into the glass of water and swirled it around, turning the clear if gritty looking water a dark grey. That done, she pointed to the now inky water with a flourish and huffed at me peering at it closely. "What you're asking is for us to take the ink back out of the water, get it? We can't, it's all blended together, there's no way for us to undo it."

'...See?... Us together... No exorcise... Is good!...'

My ears drooped as I got the analogy and laid my chin on the table to watch the swirling water as Xiayou trotted off. A quick internal aside confirmed what she said too, the Shroud agreeing with her simple explanation happily. He was perfectly content with how things worked out, hence his dislike of even attempting to exorcise him. We were together and he liked it just fine.

I wasn't though... I just couldn't live the rest of my life like this. I was barely hanging on to any sense of sanity, and that was mostly after finding out Glitter was alive and having my hope restored. Much as I wanted to see her and Jade again though, I couldn't have a life together with them when I was one step shy of being a raving madpony.

"Isn't there any way? Any at all!? With the right equipment or spell you could separate the ink, right? Isn't there something like that that would work?"

Pandora answered my desperate plea, shrugging with a bit of sympathy on heariing the raw edge to my voice. "It's possible. Powerful enough magic could purge the spirit. Though if it clings to you still, it's likely to destroy you as well in the process. It would have to voluntarily accept being ex- .... removed. Even then, you're talking about sorcery on the level of the Elements of Harmony or the like."

I slumped at the note of finality in her voice. As far as they were concerned, only the most powerful magic in all of pony history stood a chance of freeing me and that was that. Even with the soft voices of the Ministry Mares rising up to comfort, I still felt tears sting my eyes. They were a pale shadow of the Elements, an echo... nowhere near the kind of power it would take, even if they were obviously willing. They'd already done all they could trying to keep the Shroud sealed, now that it was free, there was little they could do but offer their sympathy.

"I'm more interested in how you wound up this way pony... You say you invited the Shadowknight in?" An elderly zebra mare with curvy stripes spoke up and interrupted my brooding, waiting until recognized by Pandora as Elder Yuan of Murkwater before continuing. "Only a pony would be so foalish as to invite a monster like the Shadowknight in, whatever state you're in now is your own fault."

"I WAS a foal dammit! Not that I freaking remember! I told you, somepony messed with my memories and now I have no idea how it even happened!"

"If you did so, there would be evidence." Zin spoke up softly, pointing again to the glass of inky water in front of me. "Taking in the Shadowknight's spirit, a portion of your own may have ...overflowed the glass so to speak Fast. It would most likely latch on to a nearby object and form a soul jar..."

I blinked in confusion for a moment, trying to take in what the kindly old stallion was saying. Zed caught on a lot faster than I did however, pointing to my saddlebag with a gasp. "Your toy Fast! The doll from your comic books!"

"It's an action figure..." I huffed back, but floated the contents of the bag in question out, setting each of the Ministry Mares I had collected on the stand until I reached my pristine Shrouded Stallion figure and held it up uncertainly. "You mean this.... This is the soul jar you said I made somehow. You're saying that's how?"

The Elders all stared at my collection in shock, eyeing each of the pretty Ministry Mares before focusing on the little toy floating up in my telekinesis and nodding collectively. Elder Pandora broke the silence, waving her hoof for me to float it her way with a soft whisper. "Yes, precisely... This toy contains a sliver of your own soul Fast, your untainted spirit from the moment you invited the Shadowknight in. It likely acts as a tether to who you used to be, perhaps keeping it close is the reason you've not fallen to depravity yet."

I let the zebras pass the toy between themselves before taking it back, eyeing the perfectly preserved figureine dubiously. I did feel ...something.... from it, a sense of innocence and light that was soothing. I had the briefest, hazy, muddled flash of the dreams I'd had after the Shroud broke free and I'd been... gone... for a week or more. Had this little toy been what kept me from disappearing completely?

Curious... but neither I nor the zebras seemed to find what they could tell me all that earthshattering. Actually I got the idea it made me look worse in their eyes, proof that at some point I had willingly invited the terrible Shadowknight in, even if I couldn't remember. Fortunately, they seemed reluctant to piss me off too, muttering back and forth between each other with a few phrases standing out;

"He's spirit touched alright, it's not good to interfere with the will of the spirits Pandora..."

"He's cursed is what he is! We can't have it back in Neighlem again, when night falls..."

"And I suppose you want to explain to the Sanctuary ponies we just threw their little prince out with the bathwater? They've been the better of two devils at our doorstep, is it wise to test their patience?"

"If it's between the Gunners and the Shadowknight, I have to wonder if Batia has a point!"

"Enough!" Pandora finally broke up the back and forth, narrowing her eyes at me as she spoke. "Whether we find it distasteful or not, he's not merely the Shadowknight of legend, he's a pony seeking help under the charge of our Venator Noctis Zed, we cannot simply turn him away entirely. He's behaved himself so far and is aware of the threat of the Kraken hanging over his head while here, so long as the sun shines overhead I'm willing to allow him to remain if it speeds his eventual departure. What is it you plan to do here Fast, since we've already offered what spiritual advice we can?"

"Er... Well..." I blanched a moment, turning to Zed and glad I knew his poker face well enough to recognize the barely noticeable tics that said to keep my muzzle shut. "I... The Shroud rather, wants to do something with that hellhound I met earlier, tonight and outside the village, so I'll leave by then I'm sure. Untill then I just needed somewhere to rest, maybe check your shops and get cleaned up before I go see my wife again..."

Another quick aside between the elders followed, this time even my hearing had to strain to pick up words, catching mainly an intense spurt of argument, followed by Pandora bowing her head and pointing her scary staff my way. "Very well... Provided Zed keeps a close eye on you and you use the local courier to write to the Princess and explain your delay."

"Wait, what? Write Jade?"

"We wish to remain uninvolved in your squabble with the Institute, but would most prefer her over the sun goddess synth. Thus we'd just as soon stay in the good graces of the Kingdom of Sanctuary. Your Princess has written every community in the area asking that we have you write her if we find you, a simple chore that would win her favor. We've relayed her message and ask you to respond on our behalf if not your own, that's not too much to ask for what we're ceding in return Shadowknight." Pandora was polite, but her tone brooked no argument, leaving me no escape from something I'd been avoiding.

"R-RIght then... I'll just write my wife..."

'Dear Jade, how's it going.....'

"No..."

'Dear Jade, long time no see, huh?'

"Nnnn... definitely not..."

'Dearest Jade, I hope this letter finds you well....'

"Nope, too formal...."

'Heya Jade! I'm still alive and....'

"No, stupid!..."

'Hark oh beautiful and kind Princess, thine royal knight bids you good morrow and counts the seconds we remain parted with bated breath. Lo for the day soon approaching I hold thine divine countenance again and we...'

"NO! I don't want your help on this! She wants to hear from me, not you!" Snorting and balling up yet another valuable piece of paper at the counter of the local Red Rocket, the poor pegasus filly at the counter took a few wary steps back at me pulling my mane and arguing with myself.

'...Bah!... Miss too... want Princess.... MINE....'

"Fast... perhaps you should calm down and think this over elsewhere. You're causing a line and a scene..." Zed cut me off from shutting the Shroud up yet again, drawing my attention to the short line of zebras keeping a healthy distance away from the counter with the madpony scribbling on it.

"Huh? Oh... h-hehe sorry folks. Right Zed, I'll just er... can I just buy some sheets of paper and work on this awhile Miss?" I blinked sheepishly at the elderly mare who'd had the courage to get in line behind me, flashing a crooked grin to her 'harumph' in my direction and gathering up several sheets of ragged wasteland paper from the Red Rocket counter.

The pegasus at the counter didn't argue, shoving more paper my way and nodding in relief. "S-Sure! Sure! Take all you want Shroud, we don't fly out till around sunset so just drop it off by then!"

Despite her forced cheer and generosity, I laid some caps out for the time and paper I'd wasted already and tried to slink away with Zed at my side, pausing and perking an ear behind me to the sky blue pegasus clerk's voice calling after me quietly. "Umm... Seriously, I'll wait and put your letter on super speedy rush delivery Mr. Shroud. G-Grampy Jets.... he was your friend, so... so I am too."

My ears drooped and I gave a soft sigh at her kindness, turning back to see her twisting her postal cap in her hooves with a genuine smile on my muzzle. "Thank you... that means a lot."

"You still have friends Fast, ponies still want to believe in the Shrouded Stallion, your Shrouded Stallion..." Zed gave a supportive nudge and led me through the cobblestone streets, continuing in a cautious tone. "The spirit Shroud still plans on going to Yura's chapel though, doesn't it?"

"Er... yeah, sorry, he's pretty insistent about it. That hellhound Clara said she had a way in and would help out, so there's no reason you have to go tonight Zed. I'll handle it and meet you back at the museum or somewhere, then we can finally go to Jade and Glitter together."

Zed shook his head firmly at the out I offered him, answering with a tired sigh. "My ancestor's evils are something I need to face as well, much as I dislike the idea of you going after the artifact she helped create. The Shadowknight's blade is as dangerous as any of her other creations like Yura's mirror, best I come along and take responsibility."

"Alright, if you're sure Zed, I don't mind the company. So how do you wanna kill time until then? I'm kinda surprised you're showing me around your hometown at all." I replied, then rolled my eyes at the crowd parting around us as we walked and lowered my voice to a whisper. "I mean... I don't think they like me very much here Zed...."

"That's why I'm escorting you around Fast, I want them to see you're a pony, not the monster of legend they're all afraid of. After my talk with grandfather last night, I'd rather Neighlem join your kingdom of Sanctuary than the New Equestrian Empire. Convincing them you're not the Shadowknight they fear will go a long way towards that outcome." Zed answered with his head held high under the heavy stares of the villagers following us, keeping pace with me and bumping flanks in a friendly gesture playing to the crowd.

"Ah... I wondered. Are things bad here then? I gathered the Gunners are poking around, but I was surprised they've heard from Jade too. You really think your aunt will pick a side?"

"I think she'll do what's best for the village, no matter what that turns out to be. We're a proud people and wish to remain independent, but the kraken will only dissuade those who attack from outside, not those who slither their way in using zebras like Batia. There may be peace now, but the whole of the Commonwealth are already growing divided between your mare and the Institute's Princess. After getting to know her so well, I know Jade is the better choice." Zed's serious reply made me pause and smile to the gruff zebra, clapping his back proudly.

"She'd be super embarassed hearing you say that Zed, but also really happy you believe in her I think. I still think expecting the crazy pony to be some kind of good will ambassador is a bad idea, but I'll try to act sane while we're here. So, what do you wanna do then?"

Jerking his muzzle down the street, Zed eyed my scruffy, bedraggled appearance and sniffed in my direction with distaste as I followed his gaze to our apparent destination, the large public bath house. "Appearances matter and you'll wish to meet Jade looking a bit less like a psychopath, so I thought to try getting you cleaned up if the spirit has no objections."

Taking a better look, I saw most of the zebras heading our direction had small woven baskets of towels, crude soaps and fresh clothes on their backs, all heading for the baths as well. The fact there were several pretty fillies among them just got instant agreement from the Shroud's voice in my head, eagerly nodding my head and growling, '...pretty!... want!... go!....'

Feeling my wings stand up, I clenched my eyes and felt my face heat up, giving an uncertain shrug to Zed just smirking at me. "Er... you really think that's a good idea? Me? In a public bath... like mixed bathing... with fillies..."

Zed chuckled and gave me a shove to keep moving, shaking his head softly as we went. "I'll arrange for one of the private baths and be right there to keep an eye on you. No offense Fast, but you reek and convincing others you're no threat is harder when you're matted in blood. It will give you time to work on your letter."

I still wasn't sure, but trusted Zed and followed along as we entered the steamy ruins of the zebra bath house. The lobby was surprisingly full for being lunchtime, crowded with zebras, zonies and ponies all lining up at the counter. They all carried those little baskets of toiletries, paying caps to the attractive zebra mare at the counter and getting a token in return for one of the numerous rusty lockers or musty wooden cubbyholes marked by zebra runes that were scattered about the entry.

Zed had to talk to the attendant for quite some time while I stood back and tried to stay out of the way, giving a crooked smile when he pointed my way, then returning to leering around the room at the various customers making their way back to the damp smelling rooms beyond. Eventually my zebra friend laid out a large bundle of caps and gave a bow to the clerk, trotting back with a token that read 'squiggly circle - wavy line - triangle' as far as I could make out and trotting to the locker that matched it.

Zed shrugged out of his leather jacket and armor on the spot, stashing them away in the locker, then stood on his hindlegs to grab a wooden bucket from a stack of several on top of the lockers. He held this out expectantly, rolling his eyes at my bloody armor. "Off Fast, all of it. I'll handle getting it cleaned up."

Pulling off my bandolier and other dinged armored plates the Shroud had been adding to my wardrobe, I paused at the buttons to my trenchcoat and blushed brightly. Zed just tapping his hoof in his bare coat with all those rippling muscles only made me feel more on the spot and awkward, sighing in defeat as I joined all the other unembarassed customers in stripping down to nothing. I felt a lot of eyes turned our way which just made it worse, but apparently it was mostly curiosity watching the dread Shadowknight stripped of his costume and revealed as nothing but a scrawny alicorn buck.

I stopped dead when Zed led me from the lobby and into the bath house itself, staring with wide eyes at the huge pool that took up most of the space in the cavernous room. It was big enough to be used in the Equestria Games, a steamy and shallow indoor lake with a couple dozen nude zebras frolicking together until we walked in. They all froze on spotting us though, or me rather... the amiable chatter of conversation dried up and all eyes turned to us, the sound of sputtering showers and a lone cough the only break to the silence.

Despite the awkward situation, I couldn't help gaping along with the Shroud at all the bath goers. For me, it was mainly the variety of different zebra stripes on prominent display that caught my eye. Curvy and straight, horizontal and vertical, broad and thin, there were zebras of number of tribes here and there weren't any clothes getting in the way of staring at the variety, a few even had their stripes dyed red!

The Shroud of course only focused on one small subset of the crowd, fillies.... There were quite a few attractive examples to ogle, the gaggle of curvy carnilia I saw entering earlier, the muscular Atolli with their wavy stripes, a mousy and petite little Propolli who squeaked and hid when my eyes roved over her. Equally interesting were the ponies and zonies mixed in the pot, providing more exotic eye candy I found myself drooling over.

'Fillies!!.... WANT!.... NOW!... Too long.... go get!'

"Errrgh! NO! Not what we're here for dammit! Calm down!" Cringing and bashing my head in my hooves seemed to break the spell of silence, resulting in an echoing murmur filling the room as Zed shoved me onward.

He quickly made his way around to stand between me and the view, getting a look of mixed gratitude and frustration for his trouble as he whispered in my ear. "I was afraid of that... Just relax, the private baths are this way, don't lose control Fast.."

"You're bringing it in here Zed!? Why!?" A familiar whine forced me to open my eyes after clenching them shut and trying to rush through the room, resulting in a face to face view of a naked Xiayou that only made things worse.

She might be bratty and annoying, but she was also a very shapely filly under those robes and as liberated when it came to public bathing as the other zebras, stamping a hoof and tossing her long and loose mane in our path. It wasn't until she looked away from Zed long enough to notice the way my ears were perked up and my lidded stare drank her in as I stalked forward against Zed's grip.

Figuring out the low growl I was making through a fang filled grin, the young shaman yelped and snatched a towel from her pony assistant Willlow cringing behind her, covering up and pointing an accusing hoof my way. "By the spirits, he's a pervert! His aura is going crazy Zed! You brought a monster like that in to the bath house!?!"

"I'm trying to get him cleaned up and calm, your presence isn't helping Xia...." Zed snorted back and kept trying to push me along, resulting in a long squeaking noise as my hooves dug in against the slippery tiles and slowed his progress.

Even I noticed how wounded Xiayou looked at Zed's gruff reply, though Zed himself clearly didn't. His oblivious huff brought a furious and embarassed blush to the filly's face, stamping and snorting in a snit as Zed finally brute forced me past the showers and towards a series of moldy doors leading off the main room. "F-Fine then! Spend time with a demon instead of me, see if I bother your precious bath time with your pet monster!"

I groaned sheepishly when I found my forelegs gripping the edge of the door and clinging to it for dear life as Zed kept pushing, forced to stretch my neck and keep leering the whole way as Zed finally got me out of the room without even bothering to answer the frustrated filly. I made one last desperate dive for the view when he let me go, but found myself snatched from the air and tossed back by an agile flip of Zed's hooves, then the door slammed shut and I the needy howl in my head was finally cut off from the overstimulating view.

'Dear Jade...

It's weird writing you like this, especially since I plan to see you in person as soon as I can. The zebras in Neighlem said you've been asking me to write though, so.... so I'm trying. I'm sorry I haven't before now. At first, when I woke up... I... I thought Glitter was dead and I just gave up. I did terrible things and I've been too ashamed since then to talk to you, even though I've really, really, reeeeeally wanted to. I was afraid too, I'm still not entirely me and... I didn't want to put you in danger. I'm still not sure it's a good idea, but I know the Shroud would never hurt you at least and I can't live without you either. There's still something I have to do here, but as soon as I'm done I'll head right for you and Glitter and then we can... I don't know. I hope we can all figure it out together soon...

"Nnnnn... I still don't like it. There should be a lot more grovelling, shouldn't there? Like 20% more grovelling I think..."

Zed laughed from where he soaked in the small pool with me, lifting a steaming washcloth from his grey eyes to smirk at the letter floating carefully above the water in my telekinesis. "You've rewritten it a dozen times now Fast, I think it's fine. If you ask for forgiveness the Princess is sure to grant it."

Floating the half finished letter safely away from the water of the large tub, I slumped and blew bubbles with my sighing reply. "I know Jade would, but that doesn't mean I deserve forgiveness. Your people probably have it right Zed, I'm a monster that just brings catastrophe wherever I go."

Zed sat up at my worried admission, shaking his head softly. "I don't believe that. You are possessed and dangerous of course, but it's still Fast Times in there, not the Shadowknight. Atoning for the sins the spirit has committed may feel like a heavy burden, but not one you have to face alone. Miss Jade will want to help you Fast."

"I'm scared though... That's why I haven't been that put out by the delay getting back to her I guess... If writing her is this hard, what am I gonna say when we're face to face again? What can I even say? 'Oh, hey honey, sorry I lost my mind for awhile there while you were on your own dealing with Glitter being in a coma, me disappearing and a synthetic Celestia preparing to invade the rest of Equestria. Don't worry though, I'm back and only 70% crazy now..."

Zed chuckled at my frustrated joke, stretching out languidly in the steamy water and waving my worries aside. "It could be 1000% and Miss Jade wouldn't care Fast, she loves you very much."

"I love her too, I'm just afraid she shouldn't care about me so much after what I've done. I guess you don't pick who you love or why though. Like that Xiayou filly is really ticked at you, but I bet she's still gaga over you too Zed."

"Yes, exactly like... wait, what? What are you talking about Xia for Fast?" Zed nodded sagely, then stopped with a curious blink and sat up in a rush of water.

"Er... I just meant she's crazy about you like Jade and I are for each other, so... you know, even if she's mad you brought me here and all, she probably still doesn't care because she... Really? You hadn't noticed?"

By the dumbfounded stare Zed had locked on me, I could only goggle back at his eventual admission I had figured something out about interpersonal relationships the bachelor zebra had missed. "Xia is.... she doesn't... She's like a bratty younger sister Fast! We trained together for a time, but she's always so... S-She doesn't..."

"Ha! You don't even see it!? I mean, yeah... she's bitchy alright, but she's like 20% less bitchy when you're around Zedrick... Boy, usually I'm the one who's clueless, you really had no idea? Why'd you think she was so pissed you hustled me in here and didn't even ogle her a little? I know you guys have a more liberated view of public bathing, but that show definitely wasn't for me. Not that I didn't like it..."

"Fast! I'll rack that up to the perverted spirit, but you shouldn't joke about Xia that way! She's a priestess!" To my surprise Zed blushed as he stood aghast at my waggling eyebrows, sputtering when I just piled on with a smirk.

"She's a hot priestess, I'm allowed to look... I mean, if you're not paying any attention then..."

"I pay attention! I just... she's... You really think she feels that way, about me? I'm just the Venator Noctis, I come from a cursed bloodline, why would she..." Zed stamped his hooves in response, then fell to his haunches and scratched his sodden mane in confusion, slowly working it out.

"Don't ask me, go ask her. She's not exactly subtle about it, though apparently even that's not enough for you to catch on. Go on and chat with her Zed, I'll be safe here, I need to keep thinking on how to finish this letter anyway."

Zed gave a dubious snort at my shrug, glancing between the only door out and the steamy tub I splashed in innocently. "You never stay where you're supposed to... I can't just leave you on your own to go sniff after a filly, unlike you I have some self control."

"I have self control! I haven't killed anycreature all day, have I? Just guard me from the other side of the door, she'll come to you I bet. Seriously Zed, go on. Besides, you might be fine sharing a tub, but I feel pretty inadequette here and wouldn't mind being able to enjoy the fancy bath by myself. It'll help me think."

It took shooing him away with my hooves and throwing bars of homemade soap in my telekinesis to chase him from the room reluctantly, but Zed gave a groan and gave in, scooping up the bucket with my bloody costume as he went. "Fine, I'll give you a bit of privacy and get this cleaned up, but that's the only reason I'm going outside! If I happen to run into Xia while I do that, then.... i-it doesn't mean anything!"

Seeing Zed actually get flustered lifted my mood quite a bit. I'd seen the strong and silent zebra meet fillies in the places we'd visited across the Commonwealth and he always seemed smooth and suave, it was heartening to see a foalhood friend could throw even his game off that much. Just for fun and to get into the flow of it, I had to add that little escapade to my letter to Jade, snickering as my quill pen scratched its way across the paper.

It also made me think of my own foalhood filly friend Sunset Mist back in the Stable, something I decided was probably best not to include in Jade's letter. When I left Stable 111 I was determined to find her and the others, Grizz, Mom, Dad, my baby brother Better, all of them... One thing after another had happened since then and I worried they'd be mad I hadn't done enough, especially since the only thing on my mind at the moment was getting back to Jade and Glitter. I still wanted to find and rescue my family somehow, but I had to admit they'd taken a definite back burner.

Some less than others of course... Pulling out my Shrouded Stallion action figure and perching it at the edge of the tub, I stared at the toy closely and thought of a family member who hadn't been with us in the Stable, but I was still pretty eager to find... Grandpa... he knew what happened to me, I was sure of it. He screwed with my memories, he was in charge of Project Knightfall, he had a hoof in everything but he was still hiding somewhere.

The zebras here had been able to answer one small question at least, explaining how my toy Shroud had become an indestructible soul jar, a minor mystery that was tied to all the others for sure. Without those missing memories though, I was still shooting in the dark. I needed more than just the things the shamans here could tell me about the spiritual hoodoo, I needed to remember what happened to me, how I wound up inviting the Shroud's spirit in so long ago, why Grandpa had done everything he had.

Unfortunately, there weren't many options there. Jade knew some memory magic, but not even she and her psychic sister Ivy could get through the block Mobius put in my head. I was heading for Goodneighbor to find Jade soon, there was always the possibility of going to the Memory Den and using their MoM memory recliners I supposed, though I wasn't sure how far I trusted the gadgets.

What I really needed was an expert... Somepony who was a master of memory magic, somepony even better at messing with minds than Ivy was... I gave a halfhearted snort as the answer Ivy herself had recommended came to me, rolling my eyes and shuddering with the unlikely thought. "...Virescent... yeah, right..."

The last time I'd seen that particular green alicorn, she'd been the size of a small building and very determined to catch me. I counted myself lucky to have avoided Jade's other sisters on my insane sojorn so far, but had been really glad not to find that one specifically, as her determination to have her way with me put the others all to shame.

Not that it would be an entirely horrible fate I supposed.... Sitting alone in the tub with my thoughts and picturing the raging sex crazed filly, I had to admit a certain tingle as my mane started itching and my wings stood dripping from the water. She was definitely pretty and there at the end hadn't been completely terrible, just a little nuts was all. She did say she'd try to be a better pony...

My nervous laugh echoed off the tiles of the zebra bath house and I tapped my hooves together staring up at the mosaics on the walls. Virescent! I must be more lonely than I thought. It had definitely been awhile since I'd scratched the itch making my heart speed up, but I was going to Jade in no time. Why would I think about anypony else, let alone THAT pony?

I had a weird and tingly feeling every time the image of the attractive alicorn mare popped to mind though, no matter how much I tried to shoo her away. To my surprise she didn't look or feel so cold and haughty in my head, instead it was some kind of idealized, rose tinted memory of a much warmer and kinder Virescent. The persistant image and accompanying feelings made it hard to focus on anything else as my wings flared all the way and a stupid leer spread across my muzzle. It was just an idle daydream, that was all... it didn't hurt to think...

Leaning back in the water and laying my ears back as I focused on the enticing fantasy, I nearly missed the sound of heavy galloping hooves and shouts from outside. Then I squeaked in embarassment as I realized whatever it was, it was coming my way in a hurry. I scrambled and looked around for a towel to cover up with frantically, lunging out of the tub and slipping madly around the room as the crashes and hoofsteps charged right at the door.

Without my armor or equipment, I was left with just my horn to defend myself and backed into a corner with a towel hastily wrapped around my barrel. The Shroud snorted internally at my modesty, focusing on charging a bolt of blackened lightning at my horn and tensing into a crouch as the charging creature outside hit the door. As soon as the green and maroon blur smashed through the obstacle however, the spell fizzled out as I took in the intruder.

Filling the doorway with her large green wings flared out and mostly blocking the sight of Zed and a lot of surprised zebras outside, stood a tall and gorgeous green alicorn. Bizarrely, she was wearing a Shadow Spade costume fit to her alluring proportions, the wide and rakish lavender hat perched on her flowing green and lilac mane. Her bright green eyes were wide and the whites were flashing with pink bands, while her nostrils flared with a wide grin and she lunged at me giddily.

I cringed reflexively, but this alicorn actually stopped short instead of pouncing on top of me. When I cracked an eye she had her head lowered muzzle to muzzle at my level and her rump stuck up, her long tail actually wagging and whipping back and forth merrily as she closed her eyes and smiled brightly. "I found you Fast! You were thinking of me! I am not a 'little nuts' though!"

"V-Virescent...!?"

---------------------------Level Up!----------------------------

New Perk Added!--------------------

Spiritual Medium---------
---Not the kind of help you were hoping for, but knowledge is power! Thanks to the zebra elders of Neighlem, you now know a little more about how you wound up with the Shroud's spirit possessing you and what it means. As a pony with one hoof in the realm of spirits, you now gain 20% resistance to the attacks of spirits and shaman spirit magic. You also deal increased damage to shamans and all spirit creatures, including ghosts, coltergeists, elementals, astral creatures, windigos and more. You also gain a bonus when attempting to use the Shroud's spells and skills yourself.

Faction Change!------------------

Neighlem Village = Shunned ----
---You didn't expect a warm welcome as the dreaded Shadowknight, but the torches and pitchforks haven't come out yet either at least. You're tolerated within the borders of Neighlem Village, just barely... Prices at local vendors will be poor and dialog / quest options in the zebra hamlet will be limited.

Ch. 108-- Here There Be Monsters

"Everycreature likes to be listened to. You just need to take the time to understand them."

-------

"Fast... is this one going to be a problem?" Zed broke the silence that hung in the air finally, raising a questioning brow at the large green alicorn in the Shadow Spade outfit currently rubbing my cheek with hers and nickering happily.

Virescent turned to his voice at least, offering me the opportunity to bolt like my tail was on fire and my ass was catching. I heard her cry out after me, but all that was in my mind was the memory of a giant sized version of the same mare smashing walls down to catch me in Fort Loyalty. I had no idea why or how she had shown up in Neighlem wearing an old world detective outfit, but I wasn't sticking around to find out after our last encounter.

Modesty was forgotten as I dashed out of the private bath and into the wide open public area, galloping down the trail of confused and dazed zebras the green alicorn had apparently left in her wake. I didn't care about their questioning looks following me slipping down the tiles, I just wanted to get away before I was caught and rutted to death.

'...NO!... WANT!... NOW!... STOP!!!...'

Suddenly my hooves stopped obeying me and I tumbled right into a trio of old zebra stallions bathing in a corner of the massive bath. I opened my wings and scrambled to flap my way out, then crashed against the lip of the pool when they snapped shut again in midair.

"Fucking really?! Stop fighting me!" I snarled and went back to running, making a weaving course for the exit with my legs randomly giving out on me.

'...Stop running!... Want filly!...'

"Wait! Fast stop, please! I... you misunderstand!" Ignoring Virescent's voice calling after me and gulping at the thunder of her hooves catching up, I tried to summon my lightning walking spell and got a fizzling spark from my horn.

The Shroud's spirit was doing everything it could to slow me down, throwing a tantrum in my head as I hit the door out. The furious chant of; '...WANT FILLY!... WANTWANTWANT!!!...' was definitely not helping. As far as the spirit was concerned, any of Jade's more than willing sisters were a golden opportunity, but after last time, Virescent was considered the jackpot. The overwhelming need pounding in my head made it difficult to focus on making my body obey me, though I was grateful it was near noon and the spirit was at its weakest. If she found me in the middle of the night, there was a good chance I'd get no choice in the matter.

Even drunkenly weaving my way with my limbs fighting me the whole way, I thought I was going to make it outside at least. My relief was short lived however, when I burst into the lobby of the ancient zebra bath house, I ran into an extremely sturdy pony with no give to the impact, falling back to the floor and turning a dazed and panicked look up to the face of somepony I expected to see even less than Virescent, Nick Hearts n' Hooves...

Blinking his odd yellow on black eyes down to me scrambling to get up again, Nick straightened his wrinkled tie and chuckled amiably with his foreleg held out as a helping hoof. "Whoa there mac, where's the fire?"

"N-Nick? What...?"

I stammered in confusion, but that was as far as I got before I was tackled by a ton of green alicorn. We rolled across the tiled floor in a tangle, bowling over several zebras waiting to enter the bath house and ending up with Virescent on top and pinning me in place with an exasperated snort. I trembled and fought to get loose again, but the Shroud wasn't having it, gaining strength with a lot of warm filly pressed against me and firmly latching on with my traitorous forelegs.

'...HAHA!.. Victory!... Filly mine!!...'

I clenched my eyes shut and gave in to the inevitable with my mane itching madly, but to my surprise a breathless voice spoke directly in my head, surprising both me and the Shroud's spirit. (Fast! Stop fighting! I am not here to... d-do that again... Well, I am, but not in the way you fear! I'm sorry for before, just calm down and talk to me!)

"T-Talk?" Warily cracking open one eye, I found Virescent muzzle to muzzle and giving a very concerned look down to me.

Her green eyes were anxious and warm though, not cold or crazed as I'd last seen. The pink bands flashing in her corneas were worrisome, but she had me pinned and wasn't doing anything but keeping me in place. Instead she seemed honestly distressed for me, the tickle of her psychic connection brushing my mind full of hope and worry.

"Just talk... Please Fast. Y-You promised, remember? I... I've changed since we last met, I swear. If I let you go, will you not run away from me?" Virescent finally spoke out loud, pulling away cautiously and letting me sit up under her.

"Well, not the touching reunion I was expecting dollface. You alright there Fast? Sorry about my assistant, the big sweetheart has really been looking forward to tracking you down. I wouldn't have helped her manage it if I thought she was going to be a problem though, give her a chance huh? How 'bout we get out of these nice zebra's way and go have a little chat, eh pally?" Nick gave a cough to end my dumbfounded staring, nodding out to the crowd of muttering customers watching the show.

A panting and very embarrassed looking Zed caught up and agreed with a gruff snort, facehoofing at the chaos we'd caused in the peaceful bath house he'd had to work to get me in. "Yes, leaving would be best Fast... If she's willing to behave, I'm interested in talking to this mare myself. You look different now, but you're the priestess from Hexinton, aren't you? The one who tempted my brother away..."

To my surprise, Virescent winced under Zed's hard grey stare. She stood and stepped away sheepishly, allowing me to stand with one half of me tensed to run again and the other half fighting to pounce on her. The hard and unfriendly glares of the zebras decided me, making any excuse to get out of here a good one.

"R-Right... Just talk, that's ok then I guess.... No going crazy or anything though Virescent, or I'm gone. I think..."

Meeting my dubiously held out foreleg in a light hoofbump, Virescent beamed and bowed her head. Her tinkle of laughter only confusing me and riling the Shroud up even more as she agreed happily. "Yes! Of course Fast. And I prefer Vira if you please. Oh I have so much to tell you!"

"Ooooook then..."

After a lot of apologies and caps to cover the damages Nick and Zed split up paying, we left the bath house with me looking somewhat sane and put together again. I felt more ready to face Jade with my fur and armor scrubbed free of gore anyway, plus I was better able to stand up to all the attention we attracted as we made our way through the hustle and bustle of Neighlem Village.

The infamous Shadowknight in their midst had already gotten the residents on edge and watching my every move, it was a lot worse with a big green alicorn prancing along at my side and burbling. Virescent, or Vira as she kept correcting me, was actually a welcome distraction once I figured out she really wasn't out to capture me like her sisters.

To my surprise she was actually.... pleasant... It was weird after our previous run ins. I kept an ear trained on her as she babbled away about her adventures on far off Fog Harbor with Nick chiming in occassionally, but mostly I found myself staring at her curvy form and trying to reconcile it with the mare I'd met before. Maaaaybe I was doing a little ogling too, but that was mostly the Shroud and his pent up desire trying to take over.

She was different... The more I looked, the starker that difference was. Her dark green coat was several shades lighter than the near black it had been before for one, now an alluring forest green instead. Her long mane and tail were mostly the same dark green, but had a wide lilac stripe that wasn't there before too. Mostly it was her eyes I found my own drawn to however. Even shaded under the wide brim of her purple hat they sparkled with kindness and warmth, totally different than the cold and merciless glare she'd had before.

As I stared, I noticed pink roses blooming on Virescent's cheeks and realized the psychic mare could hear every thought running through my head. I facehoofed and made to apologize, for the Shroud's constant run of lewd demands if nothing else, but she cut me off with a cute giggle, shaking her head softly. "It's alright Fast. I didn't want to point out everything for you, so I'm flattered you noticed on your own. I hope you'll believe I really have changed though. I did as you advised and learned a lot, about myself and about friendship."

"Oh yeah mac, she's been through a lot. She's my precious mare friday now, cracking the Fog Harbor case would've been a lot harder without her." Nick lit a cigarette and spoke from a few paces behind us with Zed, giving Vira a genuine smile of real friendship.

"I only did as you said Fast, I tried being a good pony. Everything that happened, everything I learned and the wonderful friends I made all came from that request. Thank you..." The green alicorn smiled beautifully in response, leaning down to nuzzle tentatively.

I managed not to pull away or press for more as the Shroud demanded, scratching my itchy mane in confusion as I tried to work it all out. "Er... well, I think you're giving me too much credit Vires... Vira. I just asked you to try, you're the one who did all... all that stuff. It sounds like you really did a lot of good too. Which is... umm.. good! So you tracked me down because... er... D-Do you still want...?"

"To mate with you? Yes, very much!" Vira's immediate, completely shameless answer made me turn beet red even as my fangs sprang out in a leer, though she continued in a softer tone full of concern as she caught the Shroud's voice roaring its approval. "However... I have learned much about love and relationships. I realize what I tried to do to you before was... wrong.... I apologize. I have no wish to force the issue now, I prefer to grow closer and explore those feelings with you, mating can come later."

"R-Really? You're not gonna..."

'WANT FILLY NOW!! WANTWANTWANTWANTWANT!!!'

The worry in Vira's eyes only deepened as I tried to answer and winced at the Shroud's howl in my head, her brows coming down as she leaned in close to stare and speak in a serious tone. "No. Besides, I wish to mate with you, not... whatever that voice in your mind is... Fast, what is wrong with you? I can sense your struggle with... the Shrouded Stallion? The... the r-real one?"

"How do you know the spirit's identity? You don't seem surprised there is a real Shroud possessing him..." Zed grumbled distrustfully, still giving Vira a hard frown even after hearing her tale of becoming a better mare.

"Easy Zed, she can hear it, like Ivy remember? Er... though I guess he's right, you're taking the whole ancient spirit of destruction in my head remarkably well Vira."

Oddly enough, Vira's eyes brightened and she started rumaging in her saddlebags as she answered, speaking in a fairly chipper tone considering the subject. "Oh, I met a pony who knew of the real Shroud from before the war. Mr. Cane was very surprised to learn there was a stallion taking up the name and worried it might be the spirit I can sense in you. I told him not to fear, but it seems I was wrong..."

"Yeah, a lot happened and... wait a minute... Mr. Cane?! Vira... was this Mr. Cane you met like a ghoul or something? Was he..."

Giggling at my dumbfounded, hopeful question, Vira pulled a rolled up scroll of paper from her bags and presented it to me with a flourish, nodding with glee as I unrolled it in my magic and my jaw dropped. "Something like that, yes Fast... He was indeed the Mr. Cane you leap to think of, the creator of the comics you love so much. I must say, I prefer that foalish glee I feel from you to your state of mind so far. He was a very nice pony and proud you had taken up the mantle of his fictional hero. Here, he even gave me a gift for you!"

I stopped dead on the busy cobblestone street, feeling my eyes widen as I looked over the unfurled poster Vira had floated to me. I might have doubted it otherwise, but the proof was in the pudding. It was like a Shrouded Stallion comic cover, showing a much shorter and scrawnier Shroud than the comics, paired with a dashing looking Vira in her Shadow Spade outfit, flying together in the night sky above the prewar towers of Trotson lit up below them. It was real... there was no mistaking the artistic style, but just in case it was signed at the bottom with a signature I knew very well; 'To my biggest fan, keep being a hero Fast, --Bobbing Cane.'

Vira squeaked when I finally stopped goggling and lunged forward with a exuberant shout, grabbing the large green alicorn in a firm hug and jabbering with 'Be Unwavering!' resonating strongly at her generosity. "Holy Luna! You actually MET BOBBING CANE!?! Like the actual pony!? What's he like? I bet he's awesome, does he still make comics? Are there 200 years of back issues to catch up on!? Where is he!? How'd you meet him? Can I? He's on Fog Harbor? Oh just knowing he's still around is great! That poster is amazing, thank you so much Vira!"

Returning the surprise attack hug, Vira gave a husky murmur in my ear that made my mane redouble its itching. "You are very welcome Fast, I'm glad you like it. He also gave me other gifts, but I think it best to give you those some other time, p-privately..."

I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but Zed's gruff snort prevented me from asking, his stern stare enough to break us apart. "Ahem! It's nice to see Fast more like his old self, but don't think that means I trust you 'Priestess'... You took my brother, you foalnapped Miss Jade, you tried to capture Fast and worked with the Insititute to turn innocent ponies into their twisted mutants. Even if your wild tale of redemption is true, you have much to atone for."

Vira's face fell and her ears drooped at Zed's harsh tone, but Nick spoke up in her defense before she could stammer a reply, chomping on his cigarette with a glare to my zebra friend. "Don't know nothin' about all that pal, just know what I've seen with my own robotic peepers. Vira's a good kid, she don't deserve no guff about her past when she's tried so hard to change just since I've known her."

Vira surprised me again by her genuine contrition, shushing the pale synth and bowing her head to the frowning Zed. "It's alright Nick, I knew I'd have to make up for some things. I apologize about your brother and our own dealings back in Hexington, Fast's zebra friend. For everything I did before... I was... a different mare then. I know that's a poor excuse, but I'll do anything I can to make up for what I've done to you too."

Still puffing away on his smoke like a simmering locomotive, Nick grumbled in reply. "Still don't like it dollface, you paid enough for who you were, who you are now is a damn fine filly who doesn't need to keep paying off that tab. Give my mare friday a chance, she's earned it."

Zed huffed and looked up to Vira's nervous smile and outstretched hoof dubiously, but eventually a glance over to Nick seemed to decide him. The synth and the zebra must have developed some trust while they were investigating Vira's old church back in Diamond City, as Zed met Vira's foreleg in a curt hoofbump and his stony expression softened as he grunted. "It's Zed. As for the past... I suppose we all deserve second chances, don't we Fast?"

Considering all the horrible shit I'd done lately, I couldn't really argue. I was feeling pretty guilty for doubting the hopeful looking alicorn filly shuffling her hooves anxiously too. Our mental connection and all that came with the weak form of unity more than enough to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Er... yeah, I hope so anyway. It sounds like you definitely do anyway Vira. I'm not too sure about myself though. Really, I know you went through a lot to find me, but I don't think it's a good idea for you guys to hang around. I'm dangerous and I..."

Vira's large green pinion feather shushed me before I could really try warning her off, the alicorn filly shook her head and simply smiled as she overrode me with a little of the single minded determination she'd shown back on Fort Loyalty. "No. I came to find you and learn more about romance. I do not care about any danger, I insist on remaining at your side. I've learned building a relationship requires closeness and being there for each other, that is what I will do. Besides, I can sense you need my help... you thought as much before you saw me Fast, I heard your call through Unity. Please, rely on me... tell me everything."

Looking up to her earnest green eyes, I sighed and gave in. As Jade so frequently tried to remind me, sometimes I had to not take everything on my own shoulders and let others help me. I tried to warn her, but our mental connection made it crystal clear Vira wouldn't leave. If she was determined to help me, I should just accept it gratefully for once.

"A-Alright Vira, it's a long story though..."

Giving another bright giggle, Vira tipped her hat with a wink and smiled warmly in response. "Well then, it's lucky I am capable of engaging in a little Unity shortcut, hmm?"

Looking for a place to try our psychic experiment in peace, Zed led us through the busy market area of Neighlem and to the cliffs overlooking the sea, eventually arriving at a rusty old seaside diner called Mama Dolce's. The salty air had done a real number on the modular metal construction that reminded me forcibly of Drumline Diner, but the zebras had patched and repaired the old eatery over the years enough that I wondered how much of the original construction even remained.

It was fairly nice for wasteland dining anyway, selling exotic smelling food and doing a brisk business. Luckily they had outdoor seating too, an area that only a few creatures used to scarf down their food quickly in the chilly winter breeze coming off the Celestial Sea. That meant we could take an out of the way table and not bother the superstitious customers, the only reason that Zed was able to get the proprietors to serve me at all. I still suspected they spit in my food, but I wasn't really there for a taste of the local flavors anyway.

Sitting at the rickety outdoor table horn to horn with Vira, I wasn't really there at all. The two of us were delving through my recent memories, giving the green alicorn the cliff notes version of losing my mind and all that had happened since we last met. I started leaking tears as I got to the parts about Glitter, the numb despair when I thought she was gone, the days of just wandering and killing, the monstrous things I'd done like wiping out Covenant...

Vira wasn't bothered however, curling her wing over my shuddering back to hug and nuzzle at these points in silent encouragement that came with her warm and calming thoughts in my head. (My friend Longfellow, he lost his daughter long ago and it nearly killed him and his wife, so I... I understand Fast. Remember too, I know all about being bad and second chances, right? You can always turn things around and try to be better, that's what you taught me.)

(Easier said than done... You had to work really hard, didn't you Vira? It seems like you found some really good friends to help though.) Answering her in the mental limbo of Unity, I smiled to myself as the give and take of our connection let me see the ponies who had helped the lost alicorn find her way on the mysterious island of Fog Harbor. I only got flashes and impressions, but they were all so positive and warm I found myself feeling a little hope again as I took a lesson from Vira's experiences. (I guess I've got good friends to help too, so thanks for this Vira.)

(I'm happy to help however I can Fast, especially after seeing all you've been through... It... it hurts me to know how you've suffered...) The rush of sympathy and caring I felt coming from Vira both soothed and hurt, her mental voice cracking as she took it all in. She still seemed oddly happy as she continued however, her powerful thoughts turning warm and fluttery as she murmured mentally. (I learned that is a part of love as well Fast... sharing both pleasures and pains with your special somepony... I am glad I am able to do so, despite the terrible things that have happened to you. I'm even happier to learn I may help in a more substantial way now that I am caught up. Do you wish me to try to recover your memories of this Grandfather-pony and how you came to be possessed by this annoying spirit of yours?)

'..Not annoying!... Lonely... Want... Feel... Touch!... Mate!...'

I felt Vira flush at the Shroud's disgruntled snort and needy whining, her internal nicker both amused and conflicted as she gave an offhoofed answer. (Perhaps not annoying, but very pester-y spirit. I wish to spend time with Fast, not you. If you wish for... f-for more intimate contact, you must not bother us and allow me to work. I am not trying to hurt or... what is that word you keep thinking of? Exorcise, yes, I will not try to exorcise you. Fast seeks answers though, allow me to help him find them. If you want me to that is Fast?)

Giving a tired smile at how well Vira handled the Shroud and got him to sullenly shut up, I nodded hopefully as I answered. (If you're up to it Vira... I don't know what my Grandpa did to my head, but Ivy said it's a strong mental block and she couldn't break it. I do really want to know though, so... h-have at it.)

Instantly I felt the intimidating psychic power Vira possessed crank up in intensity, a tight beam of emerald focus that banished the shadows in my mind and went right for the blank in my memories I just couldn't get past. Her voice was strained and it felt like an earthquake in my head, but Vira didn't hesitate for an moment. (Hold on then... this may be unpleasant...)

Gossamer wings, bright skies full of colorful specks, a cloud town... Images flashed behind my eyelids when Vira bore down, snapshots of memories I couldn't access flitting by tantalizingly close.

(C'mon.... you can do it Vira! I can almost remember...) I grunted through the increasing headache pounding across my temples, gritting my teeth and lending my will to the psychic mare.

(I'm trying! My, my... I've never seen a block like this before. It seems my sister Ivy was right about one thing, it is not easy to break through. I don't want to cause any more damage to your mind when it is already so fractured either...) Vira hissed back through the effort, determination and worry clear in her voice as she kept pushing.

My grandparents house! I saw the tidy little cloud cottage for an instant and felt a bit of the foalhood elation I'd always feel at a trip to see them. The exterior changed in a swirl of color to the interior, more flashes of the prewar home slipping by rapidly as I tried to remember this particular trip. It all went too fast though, the living room changed to the kitchen, then the dining room table with Grandma Res' doilies, then the bed in mom's old room, then... then a haze that felt like dreaming, followed by more imagery of the house, but now dark and quiet.

Slipping down the stairs to the living room, creeping through the dark house to the short hall by the kitchen, the reinforced pink door at the end looming larger and larger until it stood like a monolith in my memory. I stared at the terminal locked portal, knowing from my wasteland era visit what lay beyond... Grandpa's workshop. His lab away from the Institute...

Finally the pink door swung open with a beep, revealing not the cluttered garage I expected, but a swirling maw of inky blackness that rushed out with a growl. Instantly I felt the connection between myself and Vira collapse, the whole vision falling apart like a nightmare as I fell back to reality with a yelp.

Opening my eyes and shaking my head woozily, I focused on the green alicorn sitting before me and forgot my frustration before I voiced it. Vira was panting and her horn sparked, slight bags hung under her bright green eyes and she looked exhausted.

She was still apologetic, despite how obviously hard she had tried. "I am... sorry Fast... Phew... Give me a moment and I will try again, I'm sure I can break past it, but it will take time."

"How 'bout you take a breather there dollface? Look like you went ten rounds with Rockhoof. All this craziness back on the mainland is a lot to take in, huh?" Nick's voice spoke up before I could, drawing on a cigarette from his seat at the small outdoor table beside Zed. The two of them had been covering all that had happened recently the old fashioned way while Vira and I were out of it, so even the grizzled detective looked a little stunned.

"He's right Vira, rest up and we can try again later. It's ok, thanks for trying."

Nick patted Vira's hoof as his voice turned serious and his eyes held mine. "Have some faith pal, Vira hasn't failed yet when it comes to the mental mumbo jumbo, just give her some time. Besides, you two may wanna hold off on the next attempt. I was just telling Zed here, we picked up a tail..."

Vira and I both tilted our heads at Nick's declaration, following his unconcerned muzzle jerk over his shoulder to spot a pretty obvious spy. Zed facehoofed as we blinked at the sight of striped pigtails and suspicious teal eyes peeking over a dented old trashcan nearby.

"I'm sorry about her, stealth and subtlety are not Xiayou's strengths." Zed groaned when the poorly hidden filly eeped and ducked behind her trashcan, then turned to her long tail still obviously poking out and huffed. "You can come out Xia, everyone can see you..."

"N-No you can't!" Her immediate reply was so stubbornly silly I couldn't help but snort laughter, enough of an insult to draw the red faced filly out just to counter it with a shout. "Fine, I am here! Stop laughing demon! I-I'm just keeping an eye on you is all!"

I raised an eyebrow and smirked at the way Xiayou's teal eyes flicked to Zed, then shrugged and scooched a little closer to Vira. Ignoring Vira's delighted whinny, I waved a foreleg to the empty spot between Zed and I and replied in a sigh. "Well, your cover is blown, you may as well come out and spy up close. You can team up with Zed on making sure I don't go on a rampage or anything."

The zebra filly huffed and shuffled her hooves with a frown on her blushing face, but the temptation of the spot beside Zed proved even stronger than her dislike of me. Sticking her nose up, Xiayou dragged a rusty stool over and sat with her forelegs crossed over her chest defensively, leaning as far away from me as possible as she sneered back to Vira and I. "You and your big mare there already did! They were still recovering at the bath house when I left to follow you! I see one of you finally found him, are you going to take him away like your kind keeps promising?"

Tilting her head curiously, Vira replied a polite and curious voice. "Promising? You've seen my sisters here before miss? Looking for Fast?"

"Of course, you show up every few days snooping around. Since we don't want the Shadowknight here anyway, Elder Pandora said it's fine for you to take him if you find him in our territory. So? Are you here to take him away or what? Why haven't you yet?" Xiayou rolled her eyes and answered in a snort, picking at Zed's remaining hay fries absently.

I gulped at her dismissive answer and instantly found my eyes flicking everywhere, half because of my sudden sense of dread and half because of the Shroud's eager interest. Jade's sisters had been coming here... looking for me...

Vira smiled and fluttered her wings happily at the news however, leaning across the table to answer. "I'm here to help Fast, not take him away like my sisters. While I can sense your panic Fast, that may be an answer to your memory problem. The full might of unity with multiple sisters networked together would make it easier to break through the block, but getting that many of my sisters to help without expecting something from you in return is a tall order."

I thumped my chin to the table and groaned, frowning at the thought. She was right, if her sisters were close enough to help, they were close enough to catch me... Not something the Shroud found as a problem in the slightest, but I'd never get back to Jade and Glitter if I was captured as some kind of breeding stud in their tower.

"With the price those dames offered me to track you down for em, lemme know if you get desperate and decide to turn yourself in pally." Nick chuckled and tipped me a wink that made me cringe, shuddering at the idea Umbra had gotten up to trying to hire help to find me.

"Er... sorry, not happening... Thanks for not taking the job though Nick. It's a good idea Vira, I just can't let them catch me."

Flashing me a brilliant smile, Vira nickered and leaned down to nuzzle happily. "Just a thought, I'm fine with keeping you all to myself... I do look forward to seeing my sisters again though, even if you don't Fast. I still haven't even returned to Trinity Tower to apologize to them."

I patted the big filly's back and grinned to her at that, sympathizing with the longing to see family in her voice. "I'm sure they'll be happy to see you again, it's great you wanna go back and say you're sorry Vira. Er... I think I'll leave actually going to Trinity Tower to you, but I'll be rooting for you. We'll all go find Jade in Goodneighbor first, so we'll be in the neighborhood anyway, just have to... ugh... do what my co-pilot wants to do here first..."

"Delving some dungeon for a mystical artifact, right? Well, guess I better find the local Red Rocket and write Ellie then, mail her the caps from the Fog Harbor case and let her know I'll be awhile. Cripes, I better ask if she's alright and whether we've even got an office anymore after what Zed here told me about the big shindig in D.C. Fast." Nick slugged back his chipped mug of coffee and tugged his rumpled tie in a nervous gesture.

The reminder I might have been partially responsible for destroying his home or even hurting his secretary friend in Diamond City stung, only making me feel worse with his implied intention of hanging around to help me along with his assistant. Nick had been away for the last few weeks of insanity in the Commonwealth and lived right at the epicenter of my campaign of destruction that had started in Diamond City, but was still apparently ready to lend a hoof.

"Look, Nick... you don't have to hang around here, your friend might need your help a lot more than I do. Like I tried to tell you, the things I'm doing, hell just being around me.... they're both dangerous. I've got locator tags for both you and Vira now, so you two could go ahead and we could..."

"No." Vira shook her head and sipped at a funny looking green soda bottle she'd retrieved from her bags rather than order, shaking her head and closing her eyes in a cutely stubborn expression as she continued firmly. "I waited this long to find you again Fast, I'm not leaving. Especially when you need me! Though he is right Nick, Ellie might need you too. You should go and..."

"You ain't leavin' your buck and I'm not leaving my assistant, so we're stuck together dollface. Ellie's a tough cookie, I know she's alright and Burny's couriers don't stop till they deliver. I'll write her to let her know the skinny and we'll catch up soon. I can ask her about this Dr. Infinite Skies / Mobius pony of yours too Fast, Ellie's aces at research, maybe she'll turn up something in your case." Nick cut off Vira before she could really press the issue, smiling and blowing smoke rings at her frustrated snort.

Looking between all of them gathered at the rickety outdoor table, I felt a grateful flush light my cheeks and the hum of the Ministry Mares brighten. I'd spent a good deal of time alone over the last weeks of blood and madness, it was good to have friends again... Sitting here with Zed, Vira, Nick and even the sour faced Xiayou on a blustery winter day, watching the crowd of zebras milling through their rough outdoor market, I could almost pretend things were normal again. Of course I had to overlook the wary and unkind looks from the locals passing by, but the supportive ones from my companions helped a lot. For the most part I felt... good...

"Thanks Nick, all of you... thanks a lot for sticking around, I really appreciate it. I guess if we're all going after this stupid sword the Shroud wants so bad, we should probably get ready. I somehow doubt getting it will be easy, so..."

"Sword?" Xiayou's head snapped away from dreamily watching Zed, her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she put together enough of our conversation to yelp. "The demon blade! You're here for Yura's payment after all this time! I knew it! The dungeon the robot pony mentioned... you're going to Yura's temple! I'm telling Elder..."

"Xia, hush..." Zed's gruff interruption made the filly's excited face fall, her ears drooping as she turned to his calm baritone continuing evenly. "I'm still a Venator Noctis and charged with recovering my ancestor's evil creations, that includes the Shroud's sword and anything else we find down there. I'll be with him."

Sputtering in the face of Zed's even reply, Xiayou shouted back. "But you can't! You shouldn't go to that cursed place Zed! You definitely shouldn't let that monster anywhere near his weapon! He'll kill you and take it for himself! You can't trust him! He's evil! Cursed! He..."

"That is enough!" Vira's booming voice overrode the zebra filly as she stood and stamped her hooves, tromping closer to Xiayou to get in her face and snarl back. "You are very rude little zebra! I don't like you talking about Fast like that! He is not a monster, or evil, or, or... or anything else you have to say. You wouldn't like it if I insulted this zebra stallion you're obviously infatuated with, so stop being mean to mine!"

Ending her rant by yanking me off my seat and holding me to her chest protectively, I took some solace watching Xiayou turn even redder than I was in Vira's forceful embrace. Getting called out by the blunt green alicorn completely shut her up, leaving a stunned silence I filled by wriggling my way loose and clearing my throat to speak awkwardly.

"Er... as I was saying... We don't know what we'll find down there, so we should probably gear up and get ready while we're in a town. So um... want to go shopping with me Vira?"

I swept my fedora from my brow and held it out to the surprised green alicorn, waving a wing out to the rubble strewn lot full of tents and market stands behind me. Vira had come a long way to find me and she'd obviously changed a lot, she deserved a little praise and attention for all her efforts. Most of all I was grateful to her for coming to my defense like that, not many ponies would nowadays.

I still had to laugh when she blinked curiously, then grinned and giggled at my invitation, taking my outstretched hoof lightly and bounding up with a broad smile lighting her features. "Yes! I mean, I would like that, yes Fast. Er... Nick, may I..."

Looking between us with a wry smirk, Nick nodded to his assistant as he patted at his rumpled trenchcoat. Eventually he pulled a small pouch from his inside pocket that jingled with caps, shaking it out in his teeth to count out a small pile he pushed across the table towards Vira. "Sure, sure dollface, here's today's pay. Have fun, but I think I'll chaperone."

Chuckling at Vira puffing her cheeks out in a pout to the synth detective, Zed nodded as he stood too, giving a stern look to the silent Xiayou still cringing in her seat. "And I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on you as well Fast, so we can all go together. Though I promise to remain back with Detective Hearts n' Hooves Miss Vira, and to keep Xia away and silent... so you may enjoy some time together. You seem to have a calming effect on Fast or the spirit, if not both, so please have fun."

While she still looked a little put out over being escorted like a filly and colt on their first date, Vira squeed at the invitation. She scooped up her pile of caps in her emerald telekinesis, then yanked me along behind her with a yelp, prancing down the cobblestone streets and giving cute little whinnies and snorts as she went, while Nick, Zed and the stubborn Xiayou followed at a more sedate pace.

Even the unfriendly looks following me parted for the large green alicorn bulldozing her way through the crowd with the grace of a yak, allowing us to make it all the way to the market before my hooves touched the ground again. I caught myself when Vira skidded to a halt and composed herself, her tail wagging back and forth going along with the giddy smile on her face that made those hard expressions surrounding us easier to bear.

Still beaming, Vira held her bundle of caps out under my muzzle proudly, waving a wing out to the market. "This is the part I like best about working for Nick Fast, he pays me 50 caps a day! I can use it to buy anything I want, it's how I got my lovely outfit. What should we shop for here?"

That infectious smile and good cheer helped a lot as I scratched my itchy mane and considered the question. I felt a weary grin on my face as I thought, realizing again how long it had been since I'd been anywhere near proper civilization. Other than Covenant... I hadn't been to a shop of any kind for quite awhile, relying on what I looted from Gunners, raiders or anycreature else who got in my way. Now that I was able to again, I hardly knew where to start or if I even had many caps.

Checking my pip-buck, the counter for caps down in the corner was pretty low... My smile and thoughts turned a little wistful as I realized what I had on me represented the last allowance I'd gotten from Val, supplemented by less thorough looting than she would have done. Normally I'd have Glitter to help stretch it a lot further too... without my little filly, I was on my own when it came to the haggling she made look so effortless, memories of her doing so to the woe of many a merchant enough to make my eyes sting. As soon as my mood started to fall however, Vira nickered and nudged at my face with her muzzle insistently, still waiting with an expectant, hopeful stare down to me.

Shaking off the momentary depression, I scrolled through the rest of my inventory and nodded to myself and her. I might not have much in the way of caps, but the Shroud's trophy taking and hording behavior meant I had lots of trade goods anyway. A treasure trove of armor and weapons the spirit had been claiming was cluttering my pip-buck screen, pushing the limits of how much I could carry and begging to be cleared out.

'...No!... Treasures!... MINE!...'

"We don't need five suits of combat barding dammit... We need bullets. Quit whining and give it up greedy."

Vira laughed at my reply to the sullen pout in my head, getting both sides of the conversation with her psychic talents and clearly amused as we started trotting through the crowd. Picking out my vague idea, she pulled a beautiful magical energy weapon from her saddlebags and floated it over as she spoke. "A good idea Fast, I should probably see if they have rounds for this as well. It's a terrible glutton, but special to me."

A rapid sparkle weapon... I hadn't seen many ponies walking around with a gun like this in the Commonwealth and felt a tingle as I lovingly inspected the arcano-tech work of art, spinning the multi-gemmed drum with my ear flicking at the smooth action appreciatively. I had no idea where she'd gotten such a thing, but Vira had a real treasure here. My pip-buck even agreed, labeling it as 'Fizzlepop Special' and assigning an extremely high value to it.

"I found it in a soda factory, with a good friend from back on Fog Harbor. Here, try one, these were her favorite!" Vira was giggling as she answered the question in my mind, rooting in her saddlebags again for another of those odd soda bottles like the one she'd had with her meal, though this one glowed a faint blue-green.

She popped the top and shoved it in my muzzle before I could answer, then laughed uproariously as I gagged under the assault of fishy flavor flooding my mouth. I hacked and sputtered as I tore it away, blinking at the faded label showing a griffon dressed as a pirate under the words; 'Zip! Captain Caelano's Blend'.

"Gah! F-Fish flavored soda!?! Who in their right mind would..."

Still snickering and with tears in her eyes, Vira managed to not roll in the street laughing anyway. She floated the vile soda away and took a delicate sip as she clapped my back, swishing it around in her mouth with a shiver. "That's just what I said! It's very popular on Fog Harbor though, so I thought I'd share and see if you liked it. I must admit, it does grow on you if you can stomach the process. It is delightfully radioactive anyway."

"Give me Sparkle Cola Rad!, radishes beat fish any day... bleck..."

I pawed at my tongue before moving on, weaving my way through the unfriendly crowd and seeking out a weapon shop among all the stands. The Neighlem market was set up in a rubble strewn lot in the shadow of a broken old church, the faint outlines of buildings that had been carted away over the years forming lanes and spots for the tents and small shops to set up in. It was a hectic little open air market, full of all kinds of shops with a cornucopia of creatures haggling over this and that.

With Nick, Zed and Xiayou trotting along several paces behind us, Vira and I wandered our way around under their close watch, letting me look over all the oddities for sale in the zebra town. One shop sold ornately carved wooden masks and fetishes, while another shop built around a huge bubbling cauldron had to be the biggest potion shop I'd seen outside of University Point, and yet another sold a variety of mutated wasteland creatures in rusty cages. Eventually we found a scrap metal stand before a small forge, the crudely made junk sign in the shape of a gun making it clear enough what the muscular zebra there sold.

Most of the stock set out to be browsed was of zebra design and simpler, forged breastplates and short swords of the Roaman style. There were quite a few guns and more modern armor however, making me hopeful as I dumped out my inventory of junk before the frowning zebra stallion in the leather apron who paused his hammering to come greet us.

Not that it was a friendly greeting... The shopkeeper glanced over the pile of combat barding, miniguns, rocket launchers, SMGs, sniper rifles and more I'd been looting compulsively with a snort, then turned to stick his nose up and barely meet my stare when he finally spoke a terse sentence. "We don't trade with demons here."

"What? But Elder Pandora said I could stay! I just want..."

"Don't care what you want or what Pandora said. Just because we'll tolerate you sneaking around, doesn't mean we have to like it. Sure as spirits doesn't mean I have to sell to you Shadowknight. Leave, you're scaring away actual customers." The merchant sat on his haunches and crossed his forelegs across his chest, making his absolute rejection completely clear.

'...Swine!... Turn me away!?... Will so buy treasures!....'

"I must agree, it's very unfair of you to turn Fast away when he has things to sell sir!" Vira nodded along with the Shroud's furious snort in my head, stamping her hoof and tossing her mane at the stubborn merchant.

"Er... Fast... Perhaps it would be best if I handled the shopping, just tell me what it is you want and leave your wares with me." Zed sped his trot to get between Vira and I glaring at the merchant, cutting off the Shroud from escalating the slight as I could feel it trying to do.

My eyes were glowing and my fangs were out, but I managed to back away and mutter sullenly. "Ammo... all I wanted was a little ammo, .45s and any 2mm EC he's got. Oh, and spark cells for Vira. If the stuff I had to trade isn't cuuuursssed.... wooOOOooo scary..."

Sticking my tongue out and making faces at the merchant was a petty revenge and not helping Zed in his attempt to take over bartering, but it made me feel a little better before I stalked off with Vira trotting along right behind me. She really was serious about following me around wherever I went, but she'd also learned a lot about compassion and friendship too.

Huffing over her withers at the sour merchant reluctantly dealing with Zed, she turned to nuzzle my cheek and gripe supportively as we wove through the crowd. "How rude! If my powers worked on zebras, I would make him sell to you Fast. He's as bad as that filly following your friend! Does... does that happen often?"

Storming off only brought me into the thick of a crowd that had gathered around a peach and orange striped zony standing on a weathered wooden crate and preaching, illustrating just the kind of prejudice Vira was asking about with her sermon. "...for a thousand years, only when Nightmare Moon took the throne did it all go to hell! The sun goddess stood against her fallen sister and freed our ancestors in Neighlem from the demon knight! The very monster that now walks our streets freely like a guest thanks to the wise decision of Elder Pandora!"

I sighed at the hostile crowd muttering darkly in response, turning to Vira with a weary shrug. "It happens pretty often, yeah..."

I made to walk away before things got worse, slinking through the dense crowd listening to the preaching mare. My heart was pounding in my temples as my frustration increased at each zebra who noticed me and refused to move out of the way, blocking and shoving at me as I just tried to pass. They were angry and afraid, a mob just waiting for direction the angrily preaching mare was all too willing to give.

"That's right good people! We'll not suffer the fate of Covenant here, will we? The pony sun goddess defeated the demon once, if we put aside our difference and join her reborn kingdom, she's sure to put an end to the lingering shadow that's left!" The zony mare's shouts rang in my ears as I hurried away, the point of her sermon easy enough to work out even with the Shroud snarling about punishing her.

Narrowing her eyes at the mare as we rushed past, Vira huffed and confirmed my guess as she tried to console me. "That's not fair! She is intentionally riling these people up Fast! For some nefarious purpose! She is only half pony so I have a hard time hearing her thoughts, but they're clear enough to get the gist of things. Have you angered someone named... Batia?"

Batia... The slave trader. Batia sent this mare out to play up Synthlestia, trying to turn the crowd against Elder Pandora's leadership and towards joining the Institute's New Equestrian Empire. The urge to kill her drifted up in my head again, but I and the Shroud both really preferred getting to the slaver asshole giving her orders...

"Yeah, I know him... Don't worry about it Vira, it doesn't matter... Let's just go."

She let me mope my way all the way down the rickety stairs leading down from the cliffside, her heavy hoofsteps making the weathered boards creak behind me as I slowly walked past the few wavy striped atolli sailors loading and unloading their ancient ships. I may say I didn't care, but part of me couldn't ignore the Institute meddling somewhere. They were using Batia and his influence in Neighlem as a way in to the isolated community. If I still actually was a hero, I might care about that and put a stop to it.

"Why don't you Fast? Is it because of that awful mare and her mob? That rude little zebra filly following Zed? How could people treat you like that!?" Vira broke in to the run of my thoughts by plucking them out of my head and replying, sitting beside me as I reached the end of the docks and rested my head on my hooves at the railing.

"The zebras have a particular grudge against the Shroud, I don't really blame them.... Not that it's much different with anycreature else lately Vira."

"But you are a hero! Like Mr. Cane's comics I read, see!? You believed in being one so much before!" Vira actually seemed upset, floating an autographed Shrouded Stallion comic from her packs that made me feel a little better just to see.

Taking issue #195 from her telekinetic hold, I smiled wistfully as I flipped through the pages of the Manta-Mare crossover and was reminded of the heroic Shroud I idolized as a colt. That Shroud wasn't a monster, he didn't eat ponies or torture prey, he was brave and good... like I wanted to be.

"Maybe it was stupid to believe I could be a hero like in these comics, or that ponies like that could be real at all. I've done... I've done awful things Vira. No matter what else I do, that's a burden I have to live with now. "

'....Bah!... false stories... lies... useless...'

Vira's striped mane whipped through the air with her forceful head shake, flowing around her as she snorted in rejection. "No, it's not stupid! You are a hero to me, you inspired me and I always thought of you when I was able to aid somepony else on Fog Harbor. Even if you're just trying to do good and failing, it still matters. More than you know."

"Well I've been doing an awful lot of failing lately..." I muttered back, then paused at Vira's crestfallen look and sighed. It was hard to be positive for myself, but seeing the faith shining in her green eyes made it easier to try for her sake. "Sorry... I get what you're saying, hanging around a whole town that hates me is just getting to me is all Vira. Thanks a lot for trying to cheer me up."

"Of course! I can't say I enjoy Neighlem much either, all those zebras I can't read... it's so quiet and they keep startling me. I much prefer feeling positive emotions from you Fast, but anything is better than that awful misery, it hurts my heart." Vira answered sympathetically, smirking as she continued in a warm murmur. "Not to mention I imagine my sister and your foal who weigh so heavily on your mind will feel the same when you're reunited."

I blinked at the realization the odd alicorn was right, Jade would be upset too if she saw me now. Maybe that was even part of why I was so afraid to talk to her again... She had been hurt enough lately and I didn't want to add to that more than I already had. No matter how much I missed her and knew she missed me, staying away seemed better than letting the people I loved see me like this.

"That's taking the decision to see you or not out of their hooves Fast, and denying yourself their caring and support to get through the tough times. Love is about being there for each other, which is why I wish to be here for you. I am sure my sister feels as I do." Vira waited for me to mull it over before replying to my thoughts like they were my half of the conversation again, which with a psychic was essentially true.

"You're good at this Vira, er... talking and junk. You're really focused on love stuff though, huh? I umm... not that I'm not flattered, but I'd find a better pony for those feelings. You can't really love me anyway, we hardly..."

"Know each other? I know Fast, though I would counter that we don't choose who we love, so telling me to pick another stallion is just as silly. I have learned that much, despite all of Nick's teasing that I am obsessed with mush and romance. He even muses that my virtue must be love since I got my cutie mark, see?"

Smiling proudly, Vira pulled her trenchcoat tails aside to reveal the image of a magnifying glass like Nick's mark, though this one was enlarging the picture of a tiny pink heart to one that filled the borders of the round glass. Unfortunately it also put the perfect rump it was affixed to on prominent display right at my level, including the frilly black undergarments she'd picked up along with her outfit. My wings and ears shot up at the sight and the Shroud roared in my head, initiating a lunge I had to fight to turn into an awkward fall to the boardwalk as Vira pranced aside, giving a blushing nicker at the spirit's internal tantrum warring with me.

'...Grrr!... WANT!... UP!... Claim!... MINE!... NOW!!!...'

"I said NO! Dammit you are going to behave yourself!"

"Whoops! S-Sorry Fast... There's no other way to show off a cutie mark I'm afraid, I forgot the urges you're struggling with... I am heartened to sense it's not just the spirit that enjoyed that though... I knew it wasn't fat!" Vira snorted laughter and helped me up with hearts twinkling in her lidded eyes, shaking it off and turning more serious once I got to my hooves and she continued. "A-Anyway, I admit I am more... infatuated than in love like I've felt from others. Still, isn't that how all romance begins? Please let me explore those feelings with you and don't shut me out, even if you think it's for my own good. Allow me and my sister both to make our own decisions about who we care about." Vira chuckled softly, speaking like a wise sage on the virtue of love.

She effectively shut down any argument I could make against her too, shaming me for how I'd treated my wife and family. I still believed I was right, or at least had a major point in the form of a murderous spirit stuck in my head, but I realized that didn't give me the right to make the choice for Jade and the others. Just like I couldn't turn away the reformed alicorn mare and her feelings.

My eyes watered as I took it all in and nodded weakly, turning to Vira's hopeful smile. I stood on my hindlegs to lean up into a shaky hug with the insightful filly, who returned it with a fraction of Jade's bonecrushing force, but still reminded me enough of her to make me leak a tear into her long mane. In return Vira cooed and curled her wings around us to hide behind, letting me just drink in her sweet smell and the kindness she showed that made Fluttershy's spirit resonate warmly.

I'd been alone and starved of any kind of affection for weeks, thinking that was best for everycreature involved. Maybe not the kind of affection the perverted spirit still pouting in my skull incessantly craved, but not that far removed either. I expected and was willing to bear the hatred and fear, but it only took Vira a little while to see what I needed most, care and understanding.

Eventually pulling away with a sniffle, I peeked from beneath the brim of my hat sheepishly after crying against her and spoke in a croak. "Thanks again Vira. Now, I think I have a letter to finish that's really overdue, but afterwards do you wanna hang out some more? Er... get to know each other and stuff?"

Giving a giggle and tilting my chin up with her hoof, Vira nodded happily in reply. "Yes! If bearing these zebra's disdain for you here is so hard, perhaps we could take a little flight to get away? It would give us one less chaperone with as much as Nick hates flying...."

"It's a... umm... a date."

So long as I was outside the borders of Neighlem with Vira, Zed seemed comfortable enough letting me go on my own, allowing Vira and I to take a pleasant flight down the sandy shores. Despite our run ins with the green alicorn in the past, Zed had talked to Nick enough to give her the benefit of the doubt, remarking that I seemed to respond better to having a mare mind me than himself. Not that we weren't good friends or that I didn't appreciate all Zed had done, but I had to admit I felt a lot calmer with the familiar presence of an alicorn filly, ignoring the Shroud continually pushing for more than the occasional nuzzle and nip she used to corral me around quite effectively. Following a princess just felt right... it seemed the spirit viewed her as one and was willing to obey her anyway, which was enough for my zebra pal to cut me a little slack.

We flew all the way down to a leaning lighthouse down the coast, on the edge of a soothingly radioactive crater Vira and I dipped down to bask in, doing a few loops around the leaning red and white tower and waving to the ghoulish lighthouse keeper we spotted. Flying back up the coast from there, we got a chance to continue talking via unity while simply enjoying each other's company, getting to know each other a little better and steadily improving my mood as the sun sank towards afternoon overhead.

I got a better picture of how far Neighlem's influence spread in this corner of the Commonwealth too, spotting isolated homes and small farms in the sandy dunes and ruins below, and even what appeared to be a functional factory of some kind that drew my interest. Vira swooped and climbed along with me as I circled the smokestacks of the large structure built right on the shore, pointing out the rusty fishing boats moored to its own set of docks that she recognized from her time on Fog Harbor.

Her own pip-buck must have chimed with the same message mine gave of; Discovered Location: Longneck's Cannery, as she paused to hover before the large sign on the roof showing a smiling yellow and orange mascot, tilting her head and blinking cutely. "Well... that creature certainly does have a long neck. Is it some kind of mutant Fast?"

"It's a giraffe Vira, they were like that before the war. Looks like the place is still working too, I wonder what the machines are like..."

Vira giggled at my contemplative mutter, losing altitude as she answered. "That curiosity is adorable Fast, though I doubt they offer factory tours. Would you care to slow our pace to return and walk with me instead?"

"Er... sure Vira, still just killing time till dark anyway."

Strolling down the empty beach with a gorgeous filly only made the Shroud's demands to tackle her to the wet sands have my way with her in the surging surf more insistent, a steady drumbeat of perverted thoughts that left me unable to really hold up my end of the coversation and plastered a permanent blush on both our faces. Vira took up the slack however, speaking around the subject hanging over both our heads and telling me more about her time on Fog Harbor as we walked.

The part of the story that surprised and interested me the most had to be this Longfellow stallion she kept mentioning, the pony who'd helped her when she'd washed up on his shore and the buck who'd taken her in as an adopted daughter to my surprise. Vira had to be the only alicorn I'd run into who actually understood what father's were now, a point of view I wished her sister's understood so well.

Since they'd all only had their mother, the Goddess, they were really clueless what the point of stallions was other than our limited contribution to reproduction. Vira had learned that fathers weren't just a one time genetic donor, or shouldn't be according to my old world morals. She really got that part of why I was so reluctant to do as Umbra and the mares from Trinity Tower wanted, why just the four mares I'd already impregnated and their foals on the way scared me to death and just how badly what happened to Glitter had hurt me. She knew what a grave responsibility fatherhood was now because she'd experienced it firsthoof.

Looking up to her wistful smile as she spoke about this Longfellow and looked out to the sea like he was right there, I was happy for Vira and felt a species of pride, hoping I meant as much to Glitter as the gruff sounding old buck did to her. It also made me miss my daughter all the more, my steps slowing as I thought of her still trapped in a coma.

"I look forward to meeting her Fast. I'm sorry the first time I did I sort of... pushed her aside to foalnap my sister in Hexington... It was a terrible first impression, but I didn't know better then. Do you think she'll be mad?" Vira tapped her forehooves together nervously as she spoke like meeting my daughter awake and well was a foregone conclusion, helping me dispell the fear I still felt thinking of the sleeping little princess.

Looking to her biting her lip anxiously, I even managed a chuckle as I shook my head. "Glitter forgives everypony Vira, I wouldn't worry too much. You're right, we'll get back to her and... and she'll be fine somehow, then you'll get to apologize and see how good she is at dealing with ponies. She loves all of Jade's sisters, so get ready to be Aunt Vira to her."

A warm smile slowly spread across Vira's muzzle at the warning. "Aunt... I would like that! I can feel how important she is to you, so I do hope to meet her approval. You have such powerful love for that little filly, it is wonderful to feel flowing off you, like Sunshine and Rainbows..."

"Y-Yeah... I still can't believe how much she means to me. Being her dad was the best thing I've done out here, playing hero doesn't come even close."

Sitting beside me and staring out at a strange little shrine of some kind built on the isolated stretch of beach, Vira hummed in thought a moment before answering. "Perhaps I can help her as well? If the issue were physical I imagine my physician sister would have discovered it by now, so it may be mental and within my area of expertise?"

"Hey yeah! If she can't wake up, maybe your psychic stuff can really get through to her! Great idea Vira!" I stood with a yell and hugged the surprised alicorn, jittering with hopeful energy as I babbled. "Thank you! When I first saw you again, I gotta admit I was still a little... er... terrified... but I'm really glad you found me! You've turned into a really good pony, just like you said!"

"You are most welcome Fast..." Vira murmured in my ear, her voice turning husky as my mane itched madly just under her muzzle. "Since you have recognized I've done so, does that mean you agree to keep your promise?"

My eyes widened as I remembered just what I'd promised and I scrambled back, looking up to the pink bands flashing in Vira's eyes nervously. "Er.... r-right, that.... Well, ummm.... Jade! I still have to see Jade and she always have to approve, so ehhehehe... w-we'll see, ok?"

Even with my stupid pheromones fogging her head, I felt Vira's focus tighten as she shook it off and smiled happily, waiting for me to follow her example and get myself back under control before speaking. "That is fair, all the more reason to finish your business here and get you back to them both."

It took a minute to take her open wing invitation, but eventually I calmed the Shroud's raging shouts and my own speeding heart, trotting over to sit beside her and stare out at the waves in comfortable silence. Swan or Peri would have pushed for more and Ivy would have enjoyed teasing me, but Vira was happy as we were, watching as the early afternoon sun sank and a zebra colt came strolling down the beach towards the isolated little shrine.

He paused and gave a start when he saw me, but unlike the adults of Neighlem he wasn't that afraid, giving a cautious wave and continuing on his way to the driftwood carving of some kind of tentacled monster that was surrounded by little offerings. As I watched, he knelt before it and gave a muttered prayer of some kind, then rummaged in his tattered knapsack and laid out several cans of food to join the rest. When he looked up and out to the sea, he jumped and yelped at something he spotted, prancing around the shrine in glee that raised my curiosity.

"Hey kid? What's the deal?"

"The Kraken! The Kraken liked my offering and revealed itself, see!?" The zebra colt was apparently too happy to remember I was the evil Shadowknight and answered instantly, bouncing in place and pointing out to the surf proudly.

Vira joined me in walking over and taking a look, getting a closer view of the strange shrine and all the wasteland food, caps, flowers and other offerings that had been left there. Standing near the colt remembering to be wary of me and cantering back as we approached, I squinted out to the sea and saw what he meant, puzzling over what I was looking at in confusion.

There was a... greenish lump out there... It rose from the waters only a few feet and blended in with the seaweed and junked ships jutting from the shallow waters, but there was a single eye staring back at us from the odd shape. Even as I focused on it, the shape dipped back under the waves and disappeared, leaving me blinking in confusion.

"That was the Kraken? The thing that lobs friggin balefire bombs at whoever Pandora doesn't like?" I tilted my head and muttered, turning to see the kid had retreated further up the beach and looked on the edge of bolting now that his excitement had worn off.

"It's alright little one, we're simply curious about your home. Consider us tourists. Are all these gifts for this Kraken creature of yours?" Vira spoke up for me, the mare's kind voice looking to reassure the colt.

"Y-Yeah... The Kraken is our protector lady, we give him offerings and he protects us from bad outsiders. I g-guess if he hasn't blasted the Shadowknight, Elder Pandora must be right and you're ok... Umm... I-I'm not s'posed to talk to him though..."

"It's ok kid, go on home. You should definitely mind your parents, otherwise I might come back and get'cha..."

I tipped my hat and joked to the colt, feeling my face fall as the poor kid gulped and galloped down the beach. Instead of dwelling on the fact I was apparently the boogey-pony lurking under the bed for all the kids of Neighlem, I spread my wings and flew out over the waves to investigate this Kraken thing with Vira rushing to catch up.

"He doesn't know any better Fast, at least he spoke to you... Perhaps we should go back, I'm sure Nick and your friend are waiting... a-are you sure it's wise to go poke a sea monster like this?" Vira spoke up worriedly as I sped towards where I'd seen the single eye staring at us, most likely because she heard the sly sneer of the Shroud trying to distract me.

'...Slay monster... No more threat... Show Elder witch... Hehehehe...'

The spirit really didn't like Elder Pandora and her balefire calling staff hanging over our heads... Visions of glorious battle with some horrific beast of the deep were dancing in my head as I circled where the monster had disappeared. I consoled myself that it was my own curiosity motivating me though, squinting through the murky water to the long, dark, hazy shape directly under my hooves.

"I don't think it's a monster Vira..."

I muttered and lost altitude until my hooves skimmed the water, tightening my spiral and making to splash down near the drifting clump of seaweed and junk that marked where the eye had been. Before she could ask what I meant, my theory was proven out when I only sank a few inches before meeting a hard, flat surface under the waves that gave a muffled 'clang'.

Vira hovered nearby, puzzling over how I appeared to be standing on the water and hesitantly drifting lower to reach out with her foreleg and tap at the hidden surface. "What? What is it then?"

Pushing aside seaweed for a better view and pacing in a careful circle as I worked it out, I replied when I found what I was looking for, following a frayed rope attached an old rowboat disguised by more detritus, I tracked down a steel hatch it was hitched to hidden by all the floating crap,. "It's a ship..."

Vira landed beside me and tapped at the hatch curiously, comprehension dawning in her eyes. "A submarine... I've seen one of these before! Though it was not in the water, can they all turn invisible like this?"

"I don't think so... I read reports from the war back in the Castle, talking about new cloaked zebra subs and smuggling. I bet this is one of them..." I answered absently as I felt out the dimensions of the hazy vessel under my hooves, squinting through the murky water to tell it must be grounded in the shallows.

Returning to the visible hatch, I stomped a hoof against the metal repeatedly. "Hey! Open up in there 'Kraken'! I wanna talk about you lobbing balefire bombs at me!"

My angry knocking was interrupted by a loud squeal from behind getting closer, focusing our attention on Zed flying from the beach he'd been watching us from, with a screeching Xiayou clinging to his back between the large batwings carrying him our way. He landed easily on the invisible surface with my foreleg frozen in mid-knock, tromping forward and pushing my hoof aside as he spoke. "That's enough Fast, you shouldn't be here..."

Peering down to Zed's hooves apparently standing on the water in confusion, Xiayou piled on by sputtering furiously. "H-He's right demon! This is the Kraken's lair, we don't disturb him! It's taboo! You'll spread your curse to our guardian spirit!"

There was a grinding hiss when the big clump of seaweed behind us rose from the waters and spun, training the glass lens of a periscope on the four of us turning back to the movement. A single, milky blue eye blinked at us a moment and I snorted back impatiently as Xiayou bowed on Zed's back, holding her hooves up in supplication. She definitely believed it was a spiritual protector, while Zed merely sighed knowingly. I'd find that more interesting, but I was busy internally fighting the Shroud freaking out.

'...Blind it!!.... Monster!... Kill!...'

"It's not a freaking monster! It's a submarine! A machine you luddites! I wanna know why it's here....."

While I was grumbling to both the confused Shroud and Xiayou, the periscope retracted again, then there was a deep clunk as the rusty wheel atop the hatch spun and the portal opened, disclosing a leathery old zebra ghoul in a fancy captains hat and tattered uniform who blinked up to Vira and I in confusion.

"Hello? Did Elder Pandora send you? You help fix maybe? Come in, come in!" The ghoul was soft spoken and had a thick accent, his aged eyes squinting at the four of us in turn before excitedly waving down to the dark hatch and climbing back down to make room.

I didn't expect such a warm welcome, leaving us all nonplussed for a moment until Xiayou finally spoke in a stunned whisper. "T-That's the Kraken? What...."

"I'll explain it later Xia, for now we should leave. We're not meant to be here Fast. Aunt Pandora won't be pleased..." Zed interrupted the shocked filly cautiously climbing off his back to the cloaked sub, his grey eyes set in a flat line as he went to pull me away again.

Yanking my foreleg free of his grip, I stamped it down to the metal under the water and snorted back gruffly. "Yeah, well I'm not super happy with her either Zed. I know she's your aunt, but I don't like being threatened with having a freaking balefire bomb dropped on me by anycreature. Besides, I've still got time to kill and I'm curious, that old ghoul said 'fix'... I've never worked on something like a submarine before..."

Groaning at the obsessive longing to fix strange new technology in my voice, Zed frowned as I made for the hatch again. "While I'd normally encourage any behavior I know is you and not the spirit, this is not something for you to fiddle with Fast! Leave the Kraken alone..."

"This is the Kraken? O-Our guardian spirit all these years is... is an old ghoul in some ancient war machine!? This can't be! I want an explanation, right now Zedrick! I'm going in to get one! Er... y-you lead the way demon." Xia's huff of a reply cut off Zed's attempts to get us out of there, the zebra filly prancing over to join us at the hatch with her nose stuck up stubbornly.

Vira took advantage of Zed's facehoofing groan to take the lead. "Well, what a mystery we've all found together! It would be rude to ignore the strange ghoul's invitation and he did say he needed help fixing something... I suppose the rude little mare can come along too. Come on repair-pony, let's investigate."

"Umm... shouldn't we go get Nick? Or at least tell him what's up?"

Vira turned towards the shore and the distant shape of her employer watching the commotion, her horn glowing mellowly a moment before she answered and Nick's pale hoof waved us on. "I already have Fast. Unfortunately Nick dislikes boats nearly as much as flying, he says he will wait on the safety of land. Now let's go! This is exciting! I'm having so much fun on our date-thing!"

I chuckled at the alicorn detective whinnying happily as she carefully stuck her hindlegs down the hatch to follow the muttering ghoul's voice, then had to stifle a snicker when she stepped down a rung and got firmly stuck at the rump. It didn't get any easier as she grunted and pushed, only wedging herself tighter while I chewed on my lip to keep from laughing out loud with 'Awareness!' giggling along with me.

Vira turned a deadpan stare on me as tears streamed from my eyes and I shook with barely contained sniggers of laughter, giving an embarrassed huff with her face glowing brightly. "Do not say it... do not even think it Fast, just... somepony g-give me a push..."

"S-Sure thing Vira... It's a tiny little hatch, that's all... pffft... it's not that you've got a big...."

"PUSH!" Vira proved she could do Jade's goddess voice too, puffing her rosy cheeks out in a pout until I obeyed and shoved along with the impatient Xia ignoring Zed's protests, popping the big alicorn through the hatch like a cork.

Still snickering to myself, I shrugged to Zed and followed her into dark interior of the ancient ship, barely paying attention to the flash of text from my pip-buck reading; Discovered Location: The Kraken.

"Oof... e-excuse me, sorry, could you just move your leg and... o-oh not you Fast! Everypony wait to come down, don't push!" I followed Vira down into the dark until my hindleg touched the inches of water pooling at the bottom, then woofed out a rush of air when her rear end smashed into me and shook the ladder I ended up smooshed against, resulting in Xia falling on top of us both in a tangle and adding to Vira's frustrated yelps.

The ghoulish Captain didn't sound like he was having an easier time of it on the other side of the flailing green alicorn stuck in the tiny room, grunting in his gravelly voice with a rusty squeal of metal coming along with his strained words. "Ah, sorry, one moment please, more room just ahead..."

With a final squeal and loud clunk, the hatch he was apparently working at opened, disgorging all of us in a heap into a more brightly lit and somewhat open space ahead. Woozily shoving one of Vira's large wings aside and hissing at Xiayou's hoof kicking me right in the muzzle, I shook off the blow and looked around from the rusty floor. Despite my sore nose, my mouth fell open in wonder as we all struggled to our hooves and took in what had to be the control room of the zebra made submarine. It was in rough shape, but enough consoles and buttons still beeped and blinked for me to gape at all the unfamiliar arcano-tech.

"It's still functional? After 200 years?"

Extending a leathery foreleg to help me up, the odd ghoul tipped his Captain's hat and nodded proudly to my dumbfounded question. "Ah, it has been that long? Yes little pony. My poor Kraken is not... how you say, seaworthy anymore, but she still lives eh?"

A clatter of junk getting knocked over drew our attention to Vira prancing away from a pile of tin cans near the hatch scattering everywhere, her clumsy dodge only causing her tail to swat aside another such stack of boxes and cans to her frustration. "Oh! Are all submarines built so tiny!? This is no better than the last one I was on! Why is all this junk in the way, it's not making things any easier!"

"These are our offerings... Our gifts to the Kraken for protecting us... You're the one who takes them?" Xia picked up one of the cans labeled with the giraffe logo of the local cannery and spoke in a stunned whisper, ignoring Zed agilely hopping down the ladder and joining us.

Looking between the zebra mare holding the dented can out in silent accusation and the green alicorn struggling to gather the rest up in her emerald magic, the ghoul nodded and waved his hooves out to the bounty of wasteland food and trinkets invitingly. "Please, help yourselves. I'm grateful for all the offerings, but I hardly need to eat and you are guests aboard my ship. I have so few."

Xiayou looked horrified at the idea of taking from the pile of offerings to her sacred Kraken, but I shrugged and accepted the ghoul's generosity with the prim note of 'Be Unwavering!' humming in approval. Vira followed my lead, carefully selecting a brown bottle of Sunrise Sarsaparilla with a brilliant smile to the ghoul, as we tried to spread out in the cramped command deck. Of course she remained right on my tail as I inspected the half functional consoles and equipment, but I could tell she caught the Captain's sad, longing tone and she made a show of enjoying his hospitality while I looked around a moment.

Most of the readouts were displaying indecipherable zebra squiggles, so I had a hard time figuring things out without a translator. A few Stable-Tec terminals had been crudely wired in here and there however, letting me look over a few things in standard ponish and get the rough idea the ship was operating on emergency power.

"So, you said you needed help fixing something? What happened? How is this ship even here Captain...er..."

The ghoul looked to the deck at my question, shuffling his hooves as he spoke in a shamed croak. "Zao, and it is a long story little pony. During the war... on the last day... We launched our payload at the appointed time and made to rendezvous with our agents here in Neighlem, but we hit a mine and barely managed to limp to the harbor. After that..."

I didn't hear what came after that... Rather, the Shroud was completely uninterested in what happened after, while I knew already. The end... the last day... the beginning of 200 years of ruin and bloodshed that this zebra had helped create... Before my own flicker of anger at the thought really took root it was eclipsed by the Shroud's overwhelming rage taking over. The shadows in the gloomy sub grew darker and slithered towards the old ghoul menacingly as I launched myself at him with a roar before my companions could react.

"YOUR FAULT!?! YoU aTtAcKEd us! Thou dared wage war on blessed Luna's kingdom swine!? Prepare to face her wrath!!"

I had him pinned to the curved hull before I knew what was happening, snarling right in his face as the oozing shadows wound their way around his limbs and neck. I had the vague idea I was going to literally tear him apart, then Zed was at my back and pulling me off, shouting in my ear as I dug my hooves in and fought. "Fast stop! It was long ago and you don't know the whole story! The Kraken... Captain Zao is not evil! No more than the pony soldiers who followed their orders to do the same!"

Strong as Zed was, he wasn't winning this tug of war. My hindlegs strained to keep me in place against the sputtering ghoul, who for his part wasn't struggling that much, like part of him was resigned to this reaction from a pony. Before I got the chance to kill him however, Vira joined Zed's efforts at my back. Her long legs wrapped around my barrel as she spread her wings in the cramped space and gave a mighty flap, pulling me off to crash backwards into a console with her and wind up flailing to get loose from her restraining hug on the floor as her soothing voice spoke directly in my head.

(Calm down! Please Fast, do not do this! I can feel you giving in to that spirit's fury, it's not you!)

Xia had cringed away and hid behind another beeping hunk of equipment on the bridge when the Shroud took over, but crept out cautiously once she saw Vira had me effectively trapped. I saw relief in her teal eyes when the large green alicorn simply rolled over with me still in her hooves, smothering me under her bulk as she cooed and nuzzled my scowling face worriedly. With me contained, she pranced over to Zed and joined him in helping Captain Zao up from where he had slid to the floor.

The ghoulish captain wouldn't come up at their urging though, instead he planted his hooves and bowed his head between them, muttering tiredly with his face against the deck in the odd zebra bow I'd seen Zed do once before when apologizing. "It's true, I followed my orders and killed many of your people little pony. I accept your anger and beg forgiveness. It was... very, very long ago, I have had much time for regret here, trapped in the city I helped destroy... All I can do is offer my apology."

"Fast... he made a mistake... He did something that hurt people, but he is sorry for it and has had to live with it. I know you understand how he feels. We've both made our own mistakes too, right? You gave me another chance, you can do the same for him... Please..." Vira broke the silence following Zao's formal apology, her wide green eyes full of concern and hope.

Her anxious nuzzling and calming psychic presence helped me stop fighting under her anyway. I still frowned and snorted in frustration, blowing a lilac striped lock of her mane out of my face as I struggled not to meet her gaze. Trying to look away just gave me a better view of the bowing Zao however, patiently waiting to see if I'd kill him or not along with my other companions.

I wanted to hate him as much as the Shroud already did. For a moment all I saw when I looked at him was my tidy little home in Sanctuary Hills as it was before the war, the green lawns and verdant trees, the sparkling rivers, the gleaming towers of Trotson and all the happy ponies who'd once lived there. The world I once knew, before my family and I rode down the elevator to Stable 111, my last memory being the mushroom cloud of green balefire coming to wipe it all away...

Then the memory of Covenant burning down around me popped into my head and I froze. The smells of smoke and burning pony flesh came back in a rush, the feel of the heat baking against my coat, the screams... When I looked to Zao again, I saw the furious face of the mare from Covenant falling with a bullethole between her eyes and my own watered with tears as my anger finally fizzled out. Vira was right, I could hardly judge him when I'd done more than my share of death and destruction.

When I stilled under her, Vira leaned closer to whisper encouragement I didn't want to hear. "There, there... that's better... I know it is hard, but I've learned through personal experience Fast. If you wish to be forgiven by others, you must be willing to forgive... Both those like this sad old ghoul and yourself..."

'...NO!... Invader!... Enemy!... Luna's foe!... KILL!!...'

"Nngh! No! That's enough! She's right... It's ok Vira, I won't do anything. T-Thanks for stopping me..." I clenched my eyes to shout down the Shroud's spirit still fighting me, opening them again to the green alicorn's relieved smile when my own voice panted up to her. I rubbed at my aching head as she cautiously stood and helped me sit up to my haunches, turning a tired eye over to the three zebras watching closely. "Sorry... It's getting later, so that's getting harder to control. I uh... I accept your apology Captain Zao... I'm from before the war though, so I'm still a little raw about it. Sorry for almost killing you..."

At that the ghoul allowed Zed and Xia to help him to his hooves and gave a weary half smile, though he was interrupted from replying by Xiayou's angry shout. "You should be sorry monster! You attacked our benevolent Kraken! I... I'm still confused about that though, h-how are you the Kraken Zao? The Elders have always said..."

"The Elders lied Xia... as they always have, for the greater good. As Aunt Pandora's apprentice, you would have learned this truth eventually anyway. Though I'm still annoyed at you for hastening that day Fast... not to mention losing control..." Zed spoke up in his gruff grumble, then gave an exasperated sigh to my sheepish look and Xiayou's stunned one, continuing in a softer tone to Captain Zao. "That said, what's done is done. I'll let you tell the story as you usually do with those let in on the secret Zao."

Giving a grin of ancient, yellowed teeth, Zao straightened the fur collar of his leather uniform jacket and cleared his throat, clearly enjoying the opportunity to share his story with strangers. "Yes, of course. You have to break it to them easier though young Venator, I remember you were quite shocked. Now then, where was I... Ah, the mine... When we arrived in the harbor, few noticed during the chaos on shore, fewer cared... The infiltrators in the Commonwealth never met us, so we hid and waited, hoping to repair my poor Kraken in the meantime. Sadly that proved... impossible..."

Conflicted as I still felt about the zebra naval officer who bombed my hometown, my ears still perked up when he spoke with such despair about repairing the amazing vessel we were in. Even just sitting there craning my neck and taking it all in, I couldn't help the itch at my horn and desire to fix it. The red emergency lighting reinforced the idea that main power was offline, but it was still in remarkably good shape. It was structurally intact enough to not be flooded with seawater anyway, the cloaking system worked and it was clearly still capable of lobbing balefire missiles around when Pandora wanted.

An amused nicker broke my musing and I blinked up to see Vira smiling happily, the psychic alicorn listening to the run of my thoughts and encouraging the obsessive need to tinker that even managed to drown out the Shroud's pouting. "Ahem, I wouldn't say impossible just yet, Fast is a very good repair-pony Captain. Please continue though, I'm interested in how you and your vessel became the guardian of Neighlem and all the zebras there. They regard their Kraken very highly, offering their praises and such lovely gifts."

Zao paused to look between Xia's curious nod and Zed rolling his eyes, then picked up the thread of his story slowly, his milky eyes misting with memory as he spoke. "Eventually things on the surface calmed down somewhat... The prisoners escaped from the nearby internment camp and helped secure Neighlem, driving away the remnants of the Equestrian military who had bigger problems and the... how you say, raiders... Some of the prisoners were part of the infiltrators and knew of the rendezvous point, so they sought me out. Those were the first Elders of Neighlem, my old friends..."

"But I don't understand! Why all the secrecy? Why do Elder Pandora and the others perpetuate this lie!? How come Zed knew and I didn't!?" Xia interrupted with a petulant pout, pointing an accusing foreleg at Zed giving a sigh to the spoiled filly.

Zao chuckled and patted her pigtailed head, cutting off her tantrum in a calm tone. "Ah, but secrecy was our way little one. They were a group of spies and I the Captain of a stealth submarine! Not to mention this was just after the war, a very dark time... chaos ruled everywhere, ponies and zebras alike were struggling to survive the destruction. If the ponies knew the submarine that attacked them was helpless, they'd demand their revenge, just as your little pony friend nearly did even after all these years. No, we could tell no one. The Kraken could not move, but I could still defend the zebras here as their mysterious sea monster, so that is what I did. The Elders promised to seek out a way to repair my ship, but suitable parts and those with the knowledge to put them to use were both difficult to find. I had not realized it had been quite so long, but Pandora says she is still looking. When you showed up at my door, I assumed she had finally succeeded. Has she?"

I realized the others were all staring at me along with Zao, the ghoul with hope shining in his ancient eyes, Vira with encouragement, Zed with apprehension and Xiayou with wide eyed curiosity. Looking away from all that attention, I fumbled with my bottle of soda and thought a moment, eventually looking up to the Captain to pose a question.

"I'm not saying I can without looking around more, but what would you do if I fixed your ship Captain Zao? Where would you go if the Kraken could move again?"

Zao's answer was immediate and without reservation, a soft smile curling his muzzle as he spoke wistfully. "Why, I would return home little pony. Back to Zebrica... where I belong. My home."

"Home huh? And what would you do there? It's been a long time, who knows what you'll find. Zebrica may be worse than Equestria."

Zao answered with a weary shrug, "I hear from Pandora and Atolli sailors when I venture into town, things may not be so bad, or maybe they are worse in other ways, but it doesn't matter. If Zebrica is destroyed, I will rebuild, house by house. If no houses can be built, I will die in peace. Either way, it is my home, where the spirits of my ancestors and my family wait for me. I only wish to rejoin them after all these years. Can you help me little pony?"

I found myself staring into his tired old eyes for a long time, but even the grudging Shroud couldn't detect a lie in his words. He just wanted to go home... I could sympathize with that... With a lot of what he said actually.

My brows came down in determination and I made to answer, but was suddenly pulled away by Zed gruffly marching me away to hiss in a private whisper. "I see what you are thinking Fast... Stop and consider, what will happen to Neighlem if its protector leaves? You would be leaving my people here defenseless!"

"That's why you didn't want me snooping around here, isn't it Zed? Have Pandora and the other Elders even really tried to help him? Or have they been lying to everybody all around?"

Zed's mouth set in a hard line at my growl of a reply, but his grey eyes darted away for a moment and I had my answer even before he spoke. "It was for the greater good... My people are few here in Equestria and still hated, surrounded by enemies in a foreign land. Without the Kraken we would have been wiped out long ago. Thanks to Zao's protection, we've flourished in the Commonwealth instead. The Elders did what was best for everyzebra..."

I glared at the zebra holding me in place with his stern stare as much as his strong hoof, stunned that my honest and straightforward friend could go along with all these lies. Unfortunately I also saw his point and snarled in frustration as it sank in. If I helped the hopefull old ghoul, I'd be hurting Zed's people... It was a no win question, either I joined the lies and kept Zao here, or I became even more of a monster to the zebras of Neighlem if I managed to fix his ship and send him on his way. Much as I hated it, I didn't know what to do here.

"Then why not ask someone closer to the problem Fast?" Vira spoke up to stop my frustrated thoughts she was apparently still listening to, turning to Xia and Captain Zao watching Zed and I argue with their ears perked up. "You, annoying little zebra mare, you should answer. If Fast fixes this ship, it will go away and you will no longer be protected, but the Captain who has kept you safe in secret all these years will finally get his greatest wish. I understand you are the leader of Neighlem's apprentice, so what do you think should be done?"

For the first time since I met her, Xiayou had nothing to say for a minute. Her mouth hung open and her teal eyes were wide as they darted between all of us while she managed to make a few strangled words. "I... I don't.... I can't..."

"Xia, don't answer. This is hardly fair Fast, and none of your business! Good as it is to see you closer to normal, I can't say I missed your constant meddling in things that aren't your concern. We have enough on our plate and you have a wife and foal to get back to, do you not? Leave it alone..." Zed snorted as he went to comfort the conflicted filly, frustration creeping into his deep voice.

Being confronted by another stallion like that just egged on the Shroud's constant demand for dominance though, turning my answer into a snarl. "No! Jade and Glitter would want me to help, so don't try to use them against me like that Zed. I want to hear her answer! What's it gonna be Xia? Zao's just another monster like me, right?"

That broke her paralysis, Xia's righteous anger at me overriding the confusion keeping her silent. "No he's not! He's our great protector you demon! He's nothing like you! We owe him everything!"

"Then prove it..."

Xia's ears drooped and her shouts dried up in her throat at my quiet huff of an answer, her hard teal glare softening as she turned to Zao and Zed to speak in a soft murmur. "He's right... I can't believe it, but the Shadowknight and Vira have a point Zed... Captain Zao, you've done so much for us for so long, our meager offerings could never repay you. If the demon pony can help you return home, he should..."

Zed looked aghast at the young shaman's decision, his firm voice rising to a yelp. "Xia! What are you saying!? You should speak with Aunt Pandora before you do anything foolish!"

"It might be foolish, but it's also what's right Zed..." Xia spared him a sad glance as she trudged my way, then shocked me when the headstrong filly stopped before me and hung her head in an almost painful looking bow. "Shadowknight... Fast... If you can help Captain Zao return home, you should do so. I will accept responsibility, so please... help him."

Looking down to Xia gritting her teeth and humbling herself to help the old ghoul brought the sweet notes of the Ministry Mares rising up in my head one by one, even the Shroud's rough voice chimed in as a pleased and proud nicker to see her beg. Much as she hated me, she was willing to surrender her pride for what was right, putting her much higher in my estimation than the Elders of Neighlem who'd apparently been unwilling to risk their own safety.

I was glad to have the decision taken out of my hooves too, because I could still see their point. The Kraken didn't just protect the Elders keeping him here, but everycreature making Neighlem their home. He'd more than done his duty though, they couldn't keep him here forever. Their pet monster deserved his freedom and happiness,. If I could help him finally attain those things, maybe I could even believe I deserved them too.

Of course, it was still a pretty big if... Taking my hat off to hold to my chest and return Xia's bow to her surprise, I shrugged and scratched my mane absently as I took another look around the leaky sub and answered. "I'll try my best, that's all I can promise. I'll probably need a lot of help though, want to lend a helping hoof?"

Xiayou's eyes widened when she looked up from the deck to my outstretched foreleg, a grimace of conflicted emotion flashing across her face for a moment. She visibly gulped it all down though, her own shaky hoof taking mine as we stood together and she gave a firm nod. "Yes, of course! I-I'm only helping the Kraken though, not you demon."

"Right... I wouldn't dream otherwise. What do you say guys? Sorry this sorta interrupted our time together Vira, but you want to give it a shot? You can be my repair-pony assistant?"

Vira rose to her hooves and grinned, even as she bumped into a console in her excitement and potentially added to our workload beyond the new, rump-shaped dent. She still nodded happily, saluting the dumbfounded Captain Zao like she was reporting for duty. "Yes! I don't mind, I think we can both understand the desire to go home again, can't we Fast? How we spend time together doesn't matter to me, just that we do. I'd be happy to help the good Captain."

"How about you Zed?"

The gruff zebra stallion snorted at our expectant gazes turning his way, crossing his muscular forelegs over his chest and grumbling an angry reply. "Madness... This is just like when we were foals Xia, you always get me in trouble! And you're just as bad Fast! Why do you have to meddle with everything!? I should go tell Aunt Pandora and put a stop to this now..."

"If that's what you think is best..." Zed blinked in surprise at my quiet reply, his scowl weakening as I continued softly. "Look, I know my decisions are all fucked up lately, that's why I leave it to Xia and you. You're my friend and this is your home, not mine. If you want me to leave, I will."

Zed visibly struggled with the choice I left him. He gritted his teeth and glared between all of us, but paused when his stern grey gaze fell on the hopeful Captain Zao standing with us. Zed clenched his eyes shut and tore at his spiky mane in frustration, but eventually sighed in defeat ruefully. "Right is right... even if it's rarely convenient. Spirits preserve me, I think your wife has converted me to her way of thinking. Besides, if I don't let you tinker with this ship, I'll have to listen to you whine about it all the way to Goodneighbor Fast. Go on, do what you want... Zao deserves it."

Copying Vira's salute to the old ghoul, I floated out my faithful Stable-Tec wrench and gave a tired smile to my zebra friend. "Alright then, you heard him Captain. I can't guarantee anything and I've gotta get going soon, but point me in the right direction and I'll give it a shot."

Tears welled up in the Captain's milky eyes as he removed his peaked hat and twisted it in his hooves, revealing the wisps of his mane and a large spot of bare skull underneath. He gave a low bow and his raspy voice was thick as he spoke, smiling and wiping at his leathery cheek when he raised his head again. "Thank you... Thank you for trying little pony, no matter the outcome. Thank you two young ones as well, for... for making a difficult choice. Now then, let us get to work, yes?"

Once Captain Zao had given me a crash course on zebra naval engineering and explained his problems, I had to fight back my rising temper and focus on the work. I didn't want to cause more arguments with Zed and Xia, or reveal just how the Elders of Neighlem had fucked the old ghoul for so long...

A dampening coil... that was what the Kraken lacked, a simple dampening coil. Well, not exactly simple since it was of zebra design and meant to regulate an unfamiliar arcane reaction with strange zebra runes and materials, but essentially it was a scaled up version of a common part found in any arcano-flux reactor. When Zao gave over the blackened and broken part he needed with trembling hooves, I had to grit my teeth into a rictus of a smile and pat his shoulder, at least able to expess genuine confidence I could do something about it.

While my hoard of spare parts and practice with transfiguration magic allowed me to repair the physical shell, I ended up having to rely on Xia for the finishing touches. Together we restored or re-scribed the etched runes on the fetlock length cyllinder in uncomfortable quiet, broken only by her instructions and my occasional question.

"They could have had this fixed a long time ago, couldn't they...?" Eventually she spoke up beyond telling me what rune meant what and what spells they described, keeping her narrowed teal eyes cast down on the part between us.

Pausing the flow of magic from my horn to check on a giddy Zao still giving Vira and Zed a tour nearby, I grunted a reply before moving on to the heat regulation flame spell required next. "Ayup... They may have had trouble trying it right after the war, but they've had 200 years to figure it out now. Guess they like having some monsters around more than others..."

My huff of an answer got her to look up anyway, her usual disdain somewhat muted after having her world view shaken. "Don't call him that! The poor stallion... living here in secret all this time. I still don't understand, I can't believe Elder Pandora would..."

"Would do what's best for Neighlem, whatever that happens to be." I sighed in reply, recalling Zed telling me exactly what his aunt's motivations were, before I knew just how far she'd go.

The small part of me that still cared about the Commonwealth wasteland and the bigger picture didn't like what I'd learned on that score. It didn't bode well for Jade's chances of getting the zebra community to join her kingdom and stand against the Institute. I'd intentionally been ignoring a few troubling signs already when it came to the local politics between Elder Pandora and the slaver Batia, but Zao's situation showed even the side I'd prefer had her faults.

"Well, it's wrong... T-Thank you for helping him, demon." I smiled at Xia sticking her nose up and crossing her hooves stubbornly. She might be a bit of a brat, but she had a strong sense of justice and was willing to buck her mentor to help the old ghoul.

"No problem. You're probably going to be in a world of trouble for this though... You could always get out of here and blame it all on me, like Zed said, I have a tendency to meddle anyway. It's not like telling everyone the evil Shadowknight drove off the Kraken would be a hard sell."

'...Yes!... Slay monster!... Show witch!... Conquer!... Bored fixing!...'

Xia's teal eyes locked on me when I rolled my eyes at the Shroud piping up, still holding that steely spark they had every time she deigned to look right at me, but softened by the first bit of kindness I'd ever seen from her as she spoke. "I don't need you to cover for me. What's right is right, I stand by what I believe in. You just focus on keeping that spirit under control!"

"Yeah, yeah... I got it. Probably..." I chuckled at Xia's nervous stare when I gave her an honest appraisal of my ability to keep the Shroud in line, shrugging as I went back to work and continued in a quiet mutter. "You really do hear it too, don't you?"

I raised an eyebrow as she gave a firm nod, a disgusted shiver running all the way down her long tail with her answer. "Yes, and see it... I'm still amazed you're anything more than a psychotic mess. It clings to you like a... a... ugh, a shroud... I suppose the name is apt. It's like seeing a hurricane in a bottle. A bottle with a lot of cracks... A very small bottle too..."

"Well I.... Hey! Was that a short joke!?"

I gaped at Xia's sour face twitching after I worked it out, my shock only deepening as she bit her lip and tried to remain stone faced even as a bare hint of a smile worked its way through. Normally I'd be more annoyed at the crack, but I found myself going along with her when she lost the battle and sputtered laughter, the two of us dissolving into giggles until my ribs ached and tears blurred my vision.

'...Grrr... Not funny!... No make fun!...'

'Awareness!' sang loud and pure as I wiped my eyes and howled, wheezing between tapering snickers that only redoubled at the Shroud's furious pout. "A joke, pfft! You actually joked! You must be getting pretty brave to tease a monster about his height, huh Xia? Bwahaha!"

Eventually composing herself primly, Xia gave a half smile and tossed her mane. "Oh no, I'd neeeever tease the dread Shadowknight, just its vessel... Fast. A monster wouldn't help Zao, or ask me what I thought, or be friends with Zed. However it's possible, you're still a pony under that miasma of darkness. I can see that now."

"Thanks... thanks a lot Xia. It's good to hear you use my actual name. It almost sounds like you're starting to see not everything is black and white."

"Maybe... That spirit is evil though, even if you might not be." Xia snorted in reply, her hard headedness and belief in absolutes still in full effect.

"I'm not sure even that is true." Xia whinnied in horror at my reply, but kept her tongue when I held up my hooves and continued. "Just bear with me. He used to be good, the Shroud was a hero once... I don't think all of that is gone. I mean, he's definitely bad and can be a real asshole...."

'...Hey!... Not asshole!...'

'....but! But I think he's trying, sorta... I used to think like you Xia, that there was good and evil and that was it. I wanted to be a hero like my comics, to punish all the bad guys and save the good guys I found out here in the wasteland. Everything I've learned since then though... Everything I've done... I think things are more complicated. Like what the Elders did to Zao. It was wrong to keep him here and lie about it, but how many lives has he saved over the years? What will happen when he's gone?"

She frowned as she mulled it over, eventually giving a shrug with her eyes set in a determined line and her ears flicking at the others returning. "I guess we'll find out. If you actually can fix it anyway. So?"

Breathing a soft sigh, I looked up to Captain Zao, Zed and Vira trotting up, floating the restored dampening coil up where they could all see. I'd gotten her to think about it anyway, that was progress. "So, what do you think Zao, will this work in your reactor?"

Taking the crudely repaired part from the blue field of my telekinesis, Zao's throat clicked with his overjoyed answer. "Yes! I can't believe it, but I think this will do nicely little pony, thank you! Ah, there is still more to do though, problems I have never thought I'd reach. To put this where it belongs, there is much radiation... I must ask Pandora for radiation suits, it is far too dangerous to..."

Vira snickered along with me as she helped me up, the two of us sharing a smirk to the confused ghoul as she spoke up. "That won't be neccessary Captain, Fast and I are as immune as you are. Though I think I'll leave the worst to Fast, it's already quite cramped in here... Is that the only issue?"

Zao blinked at us a moment, but shrugged it off and headed deeper into the ship, admonishing Zed and Xia to stay at the doorway leading to a long chamber that made my pip-buck give a slow chatter. I froze only a few steps in, gaping at the cramped space full of arcano-tech equipment and the source of the steady click-click-click, the curved walls were lined with missiles...

They weren't what I imagined the city destroying megaspell weapons to look like, each one about two ponies long and as big around as Vira's barrel. Judging by all the parts and equipment, I got the idea this room was some kind of on board manufacturing room, able to produce more of the deadly weapons as needed somehow. It must use something like the repair spells on a suit of power armor, provide it the materials and it would break them down and make what it needed... I also noticed it was all in excellent repair... The Elders of Neighlem might not have repaired the Kraken's main problems, but they obviously made sure its ability to launch was kept up.

Following Zao as he made for one of the smooth skinned weapons and started tinkering with the warhead, I jabbered a barrage of technical questions, confirming my guesses with the ghoul's proud replies while he worked. "Yes, yes, the Kraken was experimental secret weapon, pride of submarine fleet! It draws from prototype balefire reactor to fuel warheads. Only for these small tactical weapons though, I launch all the big ones on the last day as ordered. Not that it did much good, you tricky ponies deflected most from Trotson, all go to Glowing Sea place. Luckily, core from small one enough to rekindle reactor I think."

I watched closely as the Captain carefully disassembled the warhead, using a worn pair of wirecutters to slowly snip connections in a very specific order. Not that I thought there'd be much call for the knowledge of how to disarm a balefire missile, but it demonstrated the clear difference between 'repair-pony' and 'bomb disposal pony'. I was pretty sure I would have blown us all to the moon had I tried to do as Zao finished up in a few short minutes, easing what looked like a larger and brighter balefire egg from the warhead.

My pip-buck started angrily chattering as it came free, though with just a ghoul and two alicorns in range, the dangerous radiation was instead a pleasant and warm tingle we all paused to bask in for a moment. Vira's bright green eyes twinkled in the prismatic light the thing put off, the large green alicorn eventually taking a reluctant step back and eyeing the low ceilings warily.

Zao gave a soft sigh when she moved, gingerly hoofing the thing over to me while he rooted around in a few rusty storage lockers, returning with a heavy metal case that cut off the chatter of radiation as soon as it was safely stowed inside. "There, safe and sound now. Just remember, must insert dampening coil first, then fuel. You must take to aft, lower decks, this way..."

We waved to Zed and Xia still watching from the hatch, taking in their pensive looks before following the old ghoul as he trotted off down a rickety set of stairs to a room mirroring the missile chamber, only even more cramped with pipes and equipment. He continued towards the rear of the ship from there, the far hatch he led us to looked extremely rusty and unused. Zao rested his hoof on the corroded wheel when he reached it, making no move to turn it and open the way, if that was even possible.

"We'll take it? You're not going Zao? I mean, I'm a pretty good repair-pony, but not so good I'd turn my nose up at having the Kraken's Captain double checking my work..."

Zao closed his eyes and shook his head, taking slow breaths to compose himself before speaking in a tired croak. "I cannot... I haven't gone beyond this hatch in many, many years. You see, I can't stand to see them like that..."

Speaking in a soft voice, Vira reacted to Zao's obvious distress with compassion, tilting her head curiously. "Are you alright Captain? Can't stand to see who?"

His eyes were trembling with tears when he turned to her, his gravelly voice growing even more hoarse with emotion. "The crew..."

"Crew? They're still alive?"

Zao waved a hoof down to himself in answer, sighing sadly. "Alive? Not technically... they are like me, undead. Not like me too though, they are all feral... I couldn't bring myself to end their suffering though, or allow the Elders to do so until there was no choice. They were my crew, my family at sea. They have all lost themselves, but they do not bother me when I used to try to help them. For you to fix Kraken however, you must face them and they will not be so kind I think. Please, end their suffering as mercifully as you can. I'm sorry to leave this to you little and big ponies, but I can't..."

Vira pulled her fancy magical energy weapon from her saddlebags and curled a wing over the old ghoul's shuddering back, replying in a firm whisper. "Say no more Zao, it's alright. Fast and I can handle a few ghouls, can't we Fast?"

'...Finally!... Kill something!... No boring fixing!...YES!!...'

I groaned at the Shroud's spirit practically jumping for joy in my head, trying to focus on the generous soul of 'Be Unwavering!' rising up as I clapped Zao on the back. "Sure thing Captain, you're talking to the Shrouded Stallion after all. I think Vira and I can manage."

Zao blinked down to my confident nod, raising an eyebrow and chuckling weakly. "Shrouded...? Oh, you should not use that name little pony, not around Neighlem anyway. There are legends about a terrible beast called that here in pony lands. You are a good pony, nothing like that ancient spirit."

I gaped for a moment at the old ghoul's kindly smile, realizing he was isolated enough here that he hadn't known who I was. He didn't know the comic book costume and the others hadn't called me that, so he really thought I was making a poor joke and tried to warn me off taking the name. What brought a tear to my eye and a proud, knowing smile to Vira's muzzle however, was his disbelieving scoff that I could possibly be some evil monster.

"Er... right, just kidding... My name's Fast, Fast TImes."

"And you're right, he is a good pony... despite how he may feel sometimes." Vira beamed at me sniffling and hurriedly wiping my eyes, holding her foreleg out daintily for Zao to take after he finished shaking mine in formal introduction. "I'm Vira and this is Fast, now we're all friends and friends help each other. Don't worry about your crew, we'll put them to rest with respect and have you all on your way home soon. Right Fast?"

I nodded and grabbed the rusty wheel, giving Vira a grateful look as her hoof joined mine at the hatch. "Right. We got this Captain."

I sincerely doubted I ended up putting the ferals infesting the Kraken down with anything approaching respect, but it was mercifully fast anyway... It must be nearly dark outside, as the Shroud's influence was in full effect, the dark shadows in the gloomy and waterlogged portions of the ship writhing as I tore through them.

The spirit got to work out its pent up frustrations anyway, slaughtering the challenging ferals in a storm of magic, the flash of Best Served striking like lightning. They'd been caged down here a long time, absorbing the low level radiation permeating the ship that strengthened several into Glowing Ones, while others were charred and bloated monstrosities, all of them crazed by the ages of starvation finally broken by a fresh meal wandering in.

Vira kept up as we moved deeper and lower into the bowels of the Kraken, breathlessly rushing to keep pace and paying her respects to each corpse as it fell, sometimes gathering the ...pieces... and finding something to cover them with. Her rapid sparkle weapon poured out a stream of rainbow colored beams when we were swarmed in the crew quarters, turning several targets to ash before I reached them, but otherwise she kept back and let me go to town.

By far the toughest customer we ran into was just before finally reaching the reactor, a brightly glowing feral in a tattered uniform nearly as fancy as Zao's. Out of curiosity, I managed to exert enough control to activate S.A.T.S. when it came charging out of a sealed cabin, discovering he was once the 'First Mate', as the targeting spell identified him. Several well placed .45s from Vengeance managed to put him down without roasting, dismembering or otherwise obliterating the corpse, allowing me to take his fancy hat for Glitter's collection.

Afterwards we were clear to reach the reactor chamber, a large room with a huge, crystalline egg weakly flickering with sickly rainbow light and a small spark of balefire glimmering deep within its facets. Seeing the cramped two story room ringed with narrow catwalks was clear, I took my hat off and fell to my haunches in the chilly inches of seawater flooding the deck, gaping up to the foreign arcano-tech masterpiece.

My ears perked up at a low, keening wail coming from the reactor, the strange sound enough for me to stop gawking and approach cautiously and mutter. "What the hell is that?"

"What? I would assume you'd know better than I Fast. It's a very complicated looking device, do you really think you can fix it?" Vira tilted her head and trotted at my side, a curious note to her voice as I felt her psychic senses focus on me laying my ears back at the rising cry.

"No, that noise... Don't you hear that Vira? That weird screeching?"

She looked honestly bewildered, standing in the shadow of the reactor with me with both ears standing straight up and straining to hear what had become a head-splitting, hooves on a chalkboard kind of scream that lodged right in my brain. Vira shook her head after a moment, shrugging in confusion. "I don't hear anything but dripping water and a low hum from the machinery. You clearly hear something else though, I can get an echo of it from your mind.... it truly is a disturbing sound, isn't it?"

"Yeah... this thing is a prototype, so who knows. I wonder why I can hear it and you can't..."

'...Enslaved spirit... Shackled... Don't like...'

We both blinked at the Shroud's sullen answer, turning back to the reactor in surprise. I was betting if Xiayou could have come with us, she'd hear it too... The zebras had found a way to cage a spirit to power their vessel apparently, some kind of captured creature of balefire flames I could hear scratching at the walls of its prison. My own imprisoned spirit obviously didn't like the idea, a bitter mote of symapthy floating up with the soft whisper of 'Be Kind...'.

I supposed we ponies weren't the only ones who'd gone to extraordinary lengths during the war, inventing dangerous or forbidden technology in the overwhelming desire to win, without ever questioning if we should. Even the well intentioned experiments in the Stables had a tendency to go too far. It was a moot point though, I wasn't here to judge the zebra engineers and spiritists who'd come up with this thing, I was just here to fix it.

Pacing around the room slowly, I inspected everything, even after finding the obvious point of repair. There was a large, round hatch on the main, nest-like housing holding up the giant crystal egg, a small port that was exactly the size of the dampening coil I retrieved from my saddlebags along with the missile's egg shaped payload from its case.

Before I got to work I paused briefly, a dark idea springing to mind as I remembered Zao's warning about the order to do this in. I might not understand the magic that went in to making this thing work, but my inspection had shown me enough to figure out the basic science of it. Enslaved spirit or not, it was a sustained arcane reaction, meant to be regulated by the dampening coil. At the weakly flickering levels of power it was producing at the moment, there was no problem, it had probably been shut down to this standby state by emergency measures when the ship was damaged. If it were rekindled to full power without the coil in place however... Boom...

'...Yes... Kill sea monster... Destroy enemy...'

I felt awful realizing I was tempted for even an instant, but the choice was still there. Nice as he seemed now, the Captain and his crew had bombed my hometown to oblivion, now I was in a position to return the favor if I wanted. If I was really a monster, I could have revenge for the past...

'...Revenge.... Good... Want...'

While the idea was mostly the Shroud's influence, I shuddered at the flicker of temptation. As much as I wanted to believe there was still some good in the spirit and that I'd been rubbing off on it, I had to accept that was a two way street. He'd been wearing me down... For a bare instant, I sort of wanted to blow the Kraken up just for the hell of it... Free the enslaved spirit the zebras had chained up here... Score a victory in a war long over and watch it burn...

"Fast?" Vira's concerned voice snapped me out of it, eliciting a surprised and guilty neigh as I shook it off and moved to the hatch.

"Sorry... Just a bad idea popping to mind, that's all Vira. I'm embarassed you even heard that. I'd still much rather fix this thing and help Zao out, s-so just forget about it."

Vira held me back from trying to flinch away, nuzzling at my cheek burning with shame. "Everypony feels temptation to do bad things sometimes Fast, trust me, I know... Some of the secret thoughts I've heard from ponies put that one to shame, and they don't have any dark spirits to blame. Being a good pony doesn't mean never thinking those things though, what matters is what you do."

"T-Thanks Vira... I'm glad you're with me, t-to remind me to do the right thing now."

The roaring chatter from our pip-bucks cut off Vira's worried look when I wrenched open the hatch, flooding the room with intense radiation that got a soft moan from the green alicorn instead of whatever encouragement she'd been about to offer with her smile. She pranced back with another concerned look at the cramped surroundings, allowing me to work with the sting of guilt hurrying me along.

A receptacle had slid out from the brightly glowing hatch, a perfect fit for the repaired dampening coil I placed in the slot. The automated systems recognized the part with several clicks and hums. eventually rotating the cyllinder into proper allignment, then splitting the part open along the hidden seams, waiting for the large balefire egg I floated into place, very, very carefully...

The dampening coil closed around the tactical balefire egg with a whir, then the whole assembly retracted back in the core and I slammed the hatch shut, crossing my hooves and wincing at the rising thrum filling the room. Vira and I both yelped and jumped back when the reactor blazed to life, the huge crystalline egg filled with swirling green flames that cast an eerie light.

Peering into the depths of the torrent of balefire, I could barely make out an avian shadow dancing in the fire. The enslaved spirit screeching something like a hawk's cry in either triumph or despair. It had to be better than barely surviving as a dim ember, but it was still shackled to the ship's core, a spirit like the murderous one I'd learned to live with, caged in a ship instead of a pony.

The crimson emergency lighting was replaced by a brightening glow of white gem lights banishing the shadows, all the consoles and terminals in the room slowly blinking with multicolored buttons and readouts coming to life again. A crackle sounded out from one of these, the corroded speaker sparking and rattling with the exuberant shout of Captain Zao speaking from the bridge. "You did it!! Main power is back online, thank you! You can come back now ponies, please let me thank you in person!"

Vira joined me in a prancing, celebratory dance, the old ghoul's joy so infectious we both shared it, twirling in each others hooves and snorting laughter to the intercom. We rose together on fluttering wings, taking advantage of the tall reactor chamber to hover and spin together happily. Feeling her in my hooves and sharing the pride of doing something good again, I forgot myself and ended the aerial ballet with an enthusiastic kiss, surprising both of us into forgetting to flap and crashing back to the deck.

'...MORE!!... WANT MORE!... MINE!... NOW!...'

"W-Whoops! Sorry Vira, I didn't mean to..." I apologized and rubbed my sore flanks sheepishly, turning to help the green alicorn up from where she fell once I fought back the Shroud's eager shouting.

Far from looking bothered however, Vira's face was blushing brightly and a soft smile shone there. Hearts twinkled in her lidded eyes and her ears were limp, her foreleg rising dreamily to touch her glistening lips murmuring quietly. "Don't apologize... Do it again! It was like Unity, but different... Deeper. If kisses with a special somepony are like that, I can't wait to learn more..."

I gave a nervous chuckle to the big filly leaning forward eagerly, slinking back and scratching my itchy mane. "Er... M-Maybe later, huh? D-Don't want to keep the others waiting..."

Giving a disappointed pout, Vira rose and prowled after me, settling for a peck on the cheek when I backed into the hull and squeaked. "I suppose... I'll hold you to it though. That is what I came to find. When you did that, I only felt you, not the spirit possessing you. Such a warm, bright, pure feeling... That is who you truly are Fast."

She gave a tinkling giggle at that, turning to sashshay her way to the door out and leaving me to get my brain in gear again in stunned silence. For a moment I just hid my own blush behind the brim of my hat and took in the psychic connection I had with her, that had indeed been intensified for one brief, shining moment.

Vira really meant that... She actually cared about me and saw more than a monster, even though her gifts let her hear the beast still going ballistic in my head. She saw a good pony worthy of her affection though... an idea that was still hard to accept, but helped more than I could express.

When we returned the the bridge Zao threw a practical party for us, giddily shaking both our hooves and sharing out food and drink from his piles of 'offerings' that even Xia accepted this time. The old Captain looked almost alive in his glee, a wide grin stretching his rotting cheeks to the point I worried something might tear.

He kept dashing from one console to another between frequent stops to babble happily to each of us, rattling off a long to do list he never thought he'd get to accomplish. The Kraken was still grounded and would require more work, but he was confident he'd eventually get her back out to sea and put Equestrian shores behind him.

To my relief, he also proved he'd thought about the consequences of his departure a lot over the ages, expressing doubt and worry now that it was a real possibility. "I must go to town when you leave, speak with Pandora and the others... I can't just leave them, especially with those crazy Institute ponies coming out of hiding after so long. There's always that nasty Batia she compalins about so much stirring up trouble too."

Guessing the prewar Institute was probably the main reason Zao and his ship were sent to the Commonwealth to begin with, I wasn't entirely surprised to hear him mention them. I still grumbled at the reminder, the threat they posed had only gone up in the intervening years.

Munching happily on canned hay she'd selected from the spread Zao put out, Xia blinked at her mentor's other complaint, her voice rising in anger and surprise. "You know about that awful stallion Batia Captain? He foalnapped me you know!"

"Oh yes, Pandora is one of the only zebras who come to see me out here, so we talk about many things. I am, how you say, her confidant. I have seen many bad eggs over the years, but that Batia is the worst. I'm not surprised he'd take even a sweet filly like you, very, very bad egg..."

"He's also a powerful egg... almost a Balefire egg actually." Zed sipped at a finely aged bottle of Wild Pegasus in polite toast, the alcohol lubricating a chuckle at his wry joke before he turned more serious. "It's not a problem for you to worry about though Captain, the Kraken never gets involved in local issues anyway. Batia will do what he does and Aunt Pandora will keep him in line. He's too rich and well connected to push around, but not foalish enough to rock the boat that much."

"She should just kill him... That guy's trouble waiting to happen. Why does she put up with him?"

Focusing on the slaving asshole rather than my own personal obsession with the Institute, I gave a growl that nearly matched the rumble of my belly as I tossed another empty can of Cram aside, moving on to one of the girraffe logo stamped cans of fish I'd snatched up along with any other meat products Zao had to offer. It must be getting late and our distracting errand here had worked up an appetite.

Zed sighed a reply, raising a wary eyebrow at the Shroud's voice leaking into my own. "He employs many creatures in Neighlem Fast, giving him a loyal power base. He may be little more than a gangster, but his presence helps keep others of his ilk away. Better the devil you know than the one you don't after all. Even those not directly working for him benefit in many ways. His arena at the old internment camp brings outsiders here to spend their caps, and he has a hoof in many legitimate businesses through his predatory loans and protection rackets. The Longneck Cannery that produced what you're eating is one of them for example."

Xia stuck her tongue out and pointed the can I currently had my muzzle stuck in, scrunching her face in disgust. "Bleck... I don't see how you eat that garbage either Shad- Fast... He buys a lot of good will selling it cheap or giving it away, but only because nocreature besides you and the hellhounds from Lynn Woods like it. It doesn't even have the excuse of being 200 years old either. They might be freshly canned, but everything that comes out of that factory of his tastes awful!"

"Well, we alicorns have different tastes. Let me try!" Out of curiosity and giggling at the opportunity, Vira leaned close and licked a gob of meat from my cheek, her cute smile as she chewed only lasted a few seconds however, her mouth slowing and a sour grimace spreading on her face as she mumbled around the food. "Oh... Oh my, ick... yes, that is awful... W-What kind of fish are they canning in there? The food on Fog Harbor was much better."

"Tis not fish, tis pony meat."

Everyone froze at the Shroud using my stuffed mouth to answer absently, Vira's green face turning even greener as she spit out the morsel she still had and pawed at her tongue with a quiet 'urk!'. The zebras stared at me like I'd grown another head when I swallowed involuntarily, at least managing not to lick the can clean, but forced to smack my own hoof away from reaching for another.

'...What?... Is good!...'

"P-P-Pony meat?!? No... no, no, no! Even Batia wouldn't..." Xia spoke in a horrified whisper, her face paling when I answered in my own voice.

"Trust me, I know the taste... Of course it could be zebra in there too. I just wasn't thinking why the psycho was so satisfied with canned food... After seeing the conditions he kept his slaves in, I think we can both guess where he gets his supply too, right Xia?"

She looked to Zed for some sign I was joking, her mouth falling open at his reluctant nod of confirmation with his jaw clenched and stern grey eyes set in a hard line. "I'd believe him..."

"That's too much, even for Batia! He can't... That's vile! Disgusting! Unholy!!" Xiayou stood and stamped her hooves, pacing the bridge in fury and bucking at a pile cans marked with the cheery giraffe in horror as she shouted. "I'm telling Elder Pandora! When she finds out what he's been doing, she'll... He can't be allowed to continue!"

"Like I said, you should just kill him... I'll do it if you want Xia, same as with Zao, all you have to do is ask..."

My low growl got her to stop stomping around in a tantrum, the zebra filly's teal eyes going wide as she stared at me like she was really seeing me for the first time. While I was determined not to get sidetracked again and Neighlem's affairs weren't really my business, the Shroud and I were in agreement when it came to delaying just long enough to go murder the slaver.

She looked tempted for a long time, fidgeting with her pigtails and chewing her lip in thought while I waited placidly. Even Zed and Zao left her to it, waiting to see what the young shaman's decision would be here. Eventually she sighed and shook her head however, answering a tight, reserved voice that showed just how close she came to saying yes.

"No... He definitely deserves it, but no thank you Fast. This is a problem for Elder Pandora, for us to solve ourselves, not pawn off on a willing scapegoat. Though now I see how the Elders could use Captain Zao as they did for so long... Having a pet monster to do your dirty work is very tempting, I almost... I still want to..."

"You see Fast, everyone is tempted sometimes. Just from what little I've heard, I'd agree with removing such a foul zebra too, but being a good pony, or zebra, isn't easy. I'm glad you are one Xia." Vira smiled and bowed her head in respect to the still shaky looking filly.

Standing to stretch, Zed bowed to the deck before her, his words turning her uneven smile to a brilliant one. "A wise decision, Aunt Pandora would be proud Xia. It's probably best if we remove any lingering allure and be on our way though. We have places to be and you've done more than enough meddling for one day Fast..."

"Ah, you are leaving? You can't stay and celebrate longer? Please, I owe you all so much! Such meager fare was already poor reward, but finding I served you pony meat is great dishonor." Captain Zao scrambled up at Zed's firm declaration, jabbering apologetically as we all stood and prepared to get going.

"Er... yeah, sorry Zao, but we do need to get moving. We've got a date with a hellhound to keep and one last errand to run, then I can finally go home too. I've already put it off too long. Plus it's probably a good idea for me to be long gone before you tell Pandora what we've been up to here, otherwise she might ask you to launch one last missile before you set sail, at me..."

"Ah, I see... Yes, I would not wish to bomb my savior." Zao chuckled at my joke, then his face lit up with inspiration and he galloped from the bridge in a rush, shouting happily as he went. "At least let me give you a proper reward! One moment, let me find..."

Vira giggled at the crashes and bangs coming from the cabin the old ghoul used deeper in the ship, casting a worried glance to Xia. "Will you and the Captain be alright Xiayou? I fear we're leaving quite the mess for you to clean up once we leave, won't you be in trouble?"

Zed nodded along with the concerned green alicorn. "She's right Xia, I can go with you to explain, I bear responsibility for Fast while he's here after all."

"It was my decision, I'll handle it myself. Zao said he'll take me to shore, so you should all probably get out of here before we tell her. Go back to your family Fast, you and Zao both deserve it." Xia answered in a subdued but determined voice, then smirked at me with a mock huff. "Besides, I don't want the evil Shadowknight here any longer than necessary, right? Go away already!"

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving already. The terrible Shrouded Stallion, banished by an apprentice shaman filly. That should give you bragging rights in the village for awhile anyway, huh?" The two of us chuckled together, on much better terms than when we met and both better for it.

"Gifts before you go! Here!" Zao shouted as he came proudly trotting back to the bridge, as if worried he'd miss us before Zed, Vira and I made our way to the small airlock containing the ladder out.

While I wasn't too worried about a reward, I recognized how important it was to him and the strange gadget he held out did capture my immediate interest. It looked like a small remote control, but with only one button and a targetting talisman glimmering from the scratched metal surface.

Taking and turning it in my telekinesis, my mouth fell open as I figured it out. "Is this...? Pandora has one of these, doesn't she Zao?"

"In her staff, yes. Very smart repair-pony. Remote target identification device! I not leave for some time yet, and even then, Kraken will be in firing range for weeks. If ever you need Zao's help, now you can call down the balefire just as she does!" The Captain beamed as I looked up from the widget, realizing Pandora's fancy staff was just a bit of theater to disguise the technology he'd hoofed over to me.

"T-Thanks Zao... I hope I never have to use it, but I appreciate the trust. Have a safe journey home Captain."

I shook his hoof feeling humbled and made to leave, then paused when he held me back and dug at the ruffed collar of his leather coat, carefully pulling off a dimly glowing necklace along with a few flakes of dead skin around his neck as he spoke. "Ah, ah, gift number one from my Kraken to thank for fixing her. Gift number two from me, in spirit of ponies and zebras being friends again."

I couldn't identify this gift nearly as easily as the technological one he gave me, but I could sense powerful magic surrounding the pearlescent blue gem framed by seashells hanging from the leather strap and tried to refuse. Whatever it was, it looked a bit like Zed's batwing fetish and was putting off artifact levels of arcane power. Surely something too important to just take for a repair job, despite the Shroud instantly trying to snatch it away greedily.

"Zao, you don't have to give me anything more. I was happy to help, this seems personal..."

He turned away from me trying to offer it back however, refusing in a polite and somber tone. "It was awarded to me with my commision of the Kraken, but only fitting it stay behind. A relic of another race drawn into our ancient conflict like the griffons and dragons. You keep, you think of Zao and his submarine if you ever need go underwater with it."

Vira broke the stalemate by floating it away from both of us, her green eyes glittering as she pulled back her long mane to fasten it around her slender neck and pose fetchingly. "Oh It's lovely! I'll take it if Fast doesn't want it Captain. What do you mean by underwater though? What does it... OH!"

The green alicorn gasped when she had it on and a swirl of magic emanated from the necklace, surrounding her form and adding more sinuous curves in a flash of transformation magic that left us all gaping. Her hindlegs melded into her barrel and tapered towards her tail, her wings and tail itself becoming shining fins and frills that left all of us but Zao stunned.

"A seapony!? By the mother! Look Fast, I'm a seapony! A mermare! Let's go outside and try it!" Vira blinked down at herself in glee, apparently feeling no discomfort and wiggling on the deck like a flopping fish trying to get to the sea outside. Realizing that she couldn't exactly walk out and the frills that had replaced her wings couldn't lift her, she blanched after a moment, holding herself up on her forelegs with her long tail slapping the floor and tilting her head curiously to the magic necklace. "Umm... How does it work exactly? I had enough trouble getting into your little ship as it was Captain. I think I'll need all four hooves to get out again..."

Zao chuckled and reached forward to lightly brush the sliver of blue pearl, resulting in the same process but in reverse, returning Vira to being a large alicorn instead of a large seapony. "Very simple, see? It can even change multiple creatures if you hold hooves. Ancient treasure of fabled Sequestria. After what our navy did to those poor people in the war, I feel better leaving it behind with good ponies."

Vira beamed and nuzzled the ghoul's rotting cheek without reservation, allowing me a moment to take in his earnest face with my eyes watering. I'd come close to killing him when we met and even considered blowing up his precious ship, however briefly, but he still thought I was a good pony... He offered his heartfelt thanks and gave me this gift as his way of making peace with the past, trying to pay for his own sins.

'...Be Kind... Be Strong!... Be Unwavering!... Awareness!... Be Awesome!...'

All five Ministry Mares rose up together in song, a somber note deepening the melody at the gift for some reason, but it was still a pure and ringing harmony that got a grudging huff of respect from 'Be Dark...' joining in, even as I could feel the sun setting outside and full dark coming on.

The Shroud still viewed Captain Zao as Luna's enemy from the war, but it was trying to forgive... Maybe because we were fellow monsters looking for a little redemption. Or maybe just because the spirit was greedy and bribes went a long way... Either way I took heart that I might not be totally wrong in what I told Xia, there was still some good in him... In me...

"All I can say is thank you Zao, for more than you know... I think it looks better on Vira so I'll let her hang on to it, but if I ever need it I'll think of you." I sniffled and matched the solemn bow the old zebra gave, then turned to the alicorn already wedging herself in the airlock and working at the hatch, casting one last worried glance back to Zao and Xia waving us off. "You're sure you'll be alright? Both of you? Neighlem...?"

Much as I wanted to just get what the Shroud wanted done and go to my family as fast as my wings would take me, I couldn't help hesitating. As Zed complained, I'd meddled here... stuck my muzzle in and interfered with their lives. I had an interest in how things turned out after we left now. I realized I had started to care about more than just myself again, like a real hero would...

"If you're so worried, I guess you'll just have to... t-to come back and visit us again, won't you Fast?" Xia's warm smile only strengthened that spark of rekindled caring. The filly who'd hated me as the evil Shadowknight more than any other zebra, now speaking like a real friend.

"Maybe after Aunt Pandora has had some time to calm down..." Zed chuckled, giving his old friend a hug that turned the pale filly a bright red before he trotted over to join us. "I'll check back in after Yura's temple Xia, before we return to Trotson. I promise to bring him back some other time though, right Fast?"

"D-Definitely... With my wife and daughter, so you can meet them too! I hope you're still around to introduce too Zao, but if not I understand. We've both got homes to go to and a long way to get there... Goodbye and good luck, both of you!"

At that I climbed the ladder out and flew up into the chilly night sky, putting the sea at my back and the pip-buck compass marker for Lynn Woods in front of me. I glanced back just once to see Xia and Zao waving and shouting their goodbyes from the submerged deck of the Kraken, sending a tear rolling off my cheek and into the slipstream to join the salty sea.

---------------------Level Up!---------------------

New Perk Added!----------------

Seapony-------
---- Thanks to an artifact of legendary Sequestria, you can now breathe underwater as an honest to goddesses seapony! Those under the effect of this magical transformation also gain increased swiming speed and take no radiation damage, even in the polluted waters of the Commonwealth.

Ch. 109-- Underground Undercover

"But, seriously, this isn't the toughest crowd I've ever been in front of. But it's definitely the easiest to bug!"

----------------

"Do ya hafta fly so high up dollface!? You're killin' me here!" Nick Hearts n' Hooves interrupted our steady flight to the west with another of his periodic complaints, clinging to Vira's back and grimacing to the ground.

His large alicorn assistant had no problem carrying the synth around and was obviously used to his discomfort, giggling a reply with a little shimmy that made him yelp and hold tighter, but she did start losing altitude to placate him. "Just focus on the horizon like we practiced Nick. If I flew lower, we run the risk of crashing into the treetops. Really, you have an employee that can ferry you around the Commonwealth, but you still wish to crawl around on the ground? Just think of how many more cases you can take now! I'm sure Ellie will be pleased!"

"Ugh... Don't you dare tell her that doll! I'm sure she'll figure it out on her own when we get back to the office, but the longer it takes her the better." Nick huffed back, tugging his collar up and unsuccessfully trying to duck down to light a cigarette in the freezing wind.

Listening to the two of them banter back and forth like old friends made me smile, amazed again at the unlikely partnership. Nick had helped my best friend Val when she had hit bottom years before we met, so it seemed he had a real knack for helping others to turn lives around. I felt a debt of gratitude in both cases too.

(That red griffon mercenary of yours Fast? I'll have to compare notes with her when we see her again, one detective's assistant to another.) Vira read the thought out of my head with a warm smile, then looked up in thought and bit her lip. (Though I don't think she liked me very much... Do you think she'll be as forgiving as your daughter?)

(Er... well...) I couldn't really lie to a psychic, leaving me no good answer to the hopeful question and glad to see lights twinkling through the snow covered forest below. "Oh look! That must be where we're headed now!"

Vira gave a worried nicker at all the ways Val might react I was already trying to head off in my mind, but let me get away with changing the subject as our pip-bucks chimed with; Location Discovered: Lynn Woods. The name was a bit misleading as what seemed to set the mapping spell off wasn't the skeletal forest below, but a leaning tower of ancient stone dead ahead.

It was very old and crumbling, but still standing somehow. A thin spire of rough stone, the partial onion dome left on top reminding me of pictures of Canterlot. As we glided closer I had the odd sensation of seeing it as it must have looked long ago, some of the Shroud's memories superimposing themselves on my present view, dating the structure back at least 1200 years.

What had been an royal garrison for the tiny hamlet of Neighlem in the old days was now a faded ruin, though still inhabited by a menagerie of creatures I did a couple loops around the place to take in. There wasn't any electric lighting, just torches and campfires illuminating a variety of tents and shacks arrayed around the tower. Just a cursory look showed several hellhounds, minotaurs, griffons and a variety of ponies.

A loud siren broke the silence as we came in for a landing, a hoof cranked air raid warning that focused everycreature on our arrival. A variety of weapons were trained on us the second we touched down, while the growling hellhounds were intimidating by their very presence. Of course it didn't help I saw all their ears laid back like mine and Vira's were, the wailing noise just pissing them off more.

"Easy everybody! We don't want any trouble!" I tried to shout over the sound and calm things down, then immediately had my efforts undone by my own mouth snarling on. "Cease thine yapping mongrels!"

I facehoofed at the Shroud egging the hellhounds on, relieved to see the particular dog we were here for when I looked up again. Clara had her claws to her ears and strode straight through the ring of her people surrounding me with a pale earth pony stallion trotting to keep up, shouting over the siren in a friendly greeting before turning to scream up to the tower. "Shadow-pony! There you are! Everyone stop being mean, this is pony I tell you about what save pup! And TURN OFF STUPID SIREN!!"

The awful wail finally tapered off at her waving her claws up to the tower, the resulting silence allowing me to catch her pony companion's frightened whisper of; "Oh shit... he really came..."

While the hellhounds looked as relieved as I felt with the siren cut off, they weren't backing down. Instead I found myself engaging in a growling standoff with the biggest one shoving Clara back from greeting us. Thankfully, Clara's pup Jewel broke the tension before the Shroud's demand for dominance screwed things up even more, the young hellhound bounding out of the crowd with her tail wagging, tackling me with slobbery licks to the face that made me sputter laughter.

"Shadow-pony Fast! Hi! It good to see you again! You bring friends too, is this Princess pony?" Jewel was happy to see me anyway, the sight of the youngster's enthusiastic greeting seeming to put the settlers here in a better mood as she blinked up to Vira curiously.

Extending a foreleg to shake with Jewel's sharp claws, Vira smiled and shook her head in answer, allowing a woozy looking Nick to clamber off her back. "I'm no Princess little one, you're thinking of my sister. My name is Vira and this is my boss, Nick Hearts n' Hooves, a pleasure to meet you!"

Finally getting the opportunity to light his bent cigarette in shaking hooves, Nick tipped his hat to the wary little hellhound and the crowd in general. "Heya there sweetheart, and all you fine folks of course. Sorry to cause a ruckus, just here to pick up your ma there for our little adventure. We're friendly, I promise."

"Another robot-pony? Like mean one in black coat what helped us too? This one seems nicer..." Clara gave Nick a dubious appraisal, her reply making me wince under Vira's scrutiny when I thought of the Courser who'd assaulted Libertalia with me.

I could feel her psychic senses focusing on me and a worried frown crossed her face, that and the still pensive looking residents of Lynn Woods encouraging me to hurry things along. "R-Right, they're friends of mine, along with Zed here who your mom's already met kiddo. Now that we're all introduced and friendly, maybe we could get out of these folks' manes? They're not exactly rolling out the welcome wagon Clara..."

The pale stallion wearing leather armor under a variety of warm looking furs gulped when I raised my eyebrow his way, noticing their variety of hunting rifles and shotguns still hadn't entirely pointed away. "Sorry Mr. Shrouded Stallion. We're all right grateful for you helping Clara here, but we uh... well we're just a little hunting settlement, we don't want no trouble and it..."

"Follows me around... yeah, I get it... Don't worry, I'm not planning on sticking around." I sighed and made to back away, then found my retreating hindleg wouldn't obey me. Instead my mouth kept right on moving, the Shroud's voice rumbling out. "I shall leave because I wish to, with my promised guide. But make no mistake..."

At that a black shockwave of magic rippled out from my firmly planted hooves, the snowy ground exploding upward and disgorging three more hellhounds who had apparently been waiting in ambush if things went bad. I barely caught sight of their surprised faces hanging upside down in the air, then I spread my wings and launched myself at them, pinballing from one to the next with midair bucks that sent them flying.

Landing back where I started, my corrupted magic snatched several unactivated mines from the the air and floated them to my saddlebags as I snarled the end to the Shroud's statement. "...No mangy curs or pitiful peasant tells me where to go..."

There was dead silence for a long moment, the dazed hellhounds shuffling up as I hissed to myself. Fucking really? You just have to start shit with a pack of freaking hellhounds? Ok, even I had to admit it was impressive, but there was no reason to...

To my surprise, the quiet was broken by barks of laughter... The vicious looking pack of hellhounds, the few minotaurs and single yak I saw all chuckling together until the woods were filled with the sound of guttural guffaws. Looking around in surprise, I saw Clara and Jewel puffing up proudly, the mother hellhound padding forward to hold my foreleg up and shout. "See!? I tell you is really Shadow-pony of legend!"

Even the three I had bucked away were laughing, joining all the others in a bow before me flaring my wings and sticking my chest out. I groaned internally at the vain spirit soaking up the sign of respect, but I wasn't exactly in control. We were on the Shroud's quest to retrieve his sword, so he had decided to take an active role in things, sticking my nose up and grinning with a mouthful of sharp fangs, making me feel like a pompous idiot.

At least the local stallion who started all this looked as confused as me and my friends, giving a start from his dumbfounded staring when the brown and white hellhound in charge clapped his back with a hearty laugh. "Is alright Game Trail, just had to test him. True Shadow-pony is friend to dogs, and this is true Shadow-pony alright! Sorrows tribe send off with feast!"

At that the big hellhound clapped his claws and the rest of the settlement sprang to action, directing my attention to a large radhog roasting on a spit over a campfire that made me drool. I supposed the Shroud understood hellhounds better than I did... Apparently that little display was all it took to earn their respect and establish dominance.

"Er... thanks? Really, thanks for the offer, but we just came to get Clara and get this done. I appreciate the.." Blinking in confusion, I tried to decline and found my mouth taken over again. "I accept your offering wise pack leader. Bring me meat..."

With Clara's pup Jewel happily dragging me forward to join the makeshift feast, I shrugged sheepishly to my companions and sighed. "Well.. umm... it would be rude to say no? Sorry..."

Zed groaned and rolled his stern grey eyes, while Nick shrugged and followed along amiably. Vira seemed almost pleased at least, prancing to catch up with a tinkle of laughter. "We certainly wouldn't want to offend. Little Jewel here can tell me all about her heroic rescue! I'm very interested in hearing all about it, especially the part about the other robot pony..."

I winced at her curious question, her voice in my mind conveying a lot more worry than she showed out loud. (A Courser...? We need to talk about that Fast... Later...)

We lost about an hour or so celebrating with the rough and tumble residents of Lynn Woods, but my full belly made it a worthwhile stop at least. I'd given the local hellhounds a run for their money, voraciously tearing into the well cooked spoils of the hunter's camp.

I also learned a few things. The small settlement was home to a lot of outsiders, a tribe of hellhounds, local minotaurs and the odd yak I reminded myself to tell Swan about when I saw her again. The tower they built their home around was near the northern edge of the Commonwealth, so they took in a lot of explorers from outside that had a few interesting things to say.

Beyond the barrier sealing the Commonwealth off, a blizzard was currently raging... Apparently it was in response to the gathered army from the New Canterlot Republic just outside, stymied from marching on Trotson by the impenetrable storms. They had to be the reinforcements Elder Macson and the Brotherhood of Friendship were waiting on, but according to the residents of Lynn Woods, they weren't moving in force anytime soon.

It was still worrisome... From the rumors I picked up while stuffing my face, they weren't the only ones either. An expedition from the Lunar Commonwealth was coming from the west whoever they were, and numerous small groups I didn't know like the Twilight Society, the Collegiate, Enclave Remnants and raider tribes were also massing outside the barrier. All the excitement here and whispers of Princess Celestia's return were bringing in all types. Some were sending small groups of infiltrators through the storm already, but they all wanted to come in and start turning the Commonwealth into a warzone.

The goodwill the Shroud's little display bought us had another happy result at least, the settlers had dragged out an ancient chariot from the tower to carry our hellhound passenger in, a well crafted conveyance that Clara and Nick were riding in as Vira and I pulled together. The green alicorn was quite pleased at the two of us being harnessed side by side, letting me mull things over in silence for awhile before she finally broke it by speaking directly in my mind.

(You can't seriously be considering working with the Institute Fast... Whatever that Courser said, they lie and manipulate... They never deliver on what's promised.)

She must have been digging in my head this whole time, psychically reading my misadventure in Libertalia and the messages from Klein the synth killer X6-88 had delivered. Much as I believed her and hated to see her concerned frown, I snorted in frustration and answered the same way.

(I know alright! I know they can't be trusted, but... Glitter... They offered to help Glitter, I can't ignore that Vira. Even if it's making a deal with the devil, I just can't... What if they're the only ones who can help her? I'll do whatever it takes to save my daughter. Whatever. It. Takes...)

She gave a worried little whinny as we flew on, her green gaze softening as she reached a comforting foreleg out to my shoulder. (I... I understand Fast. But I know how devious the Institute is personally, I don't want to see you repeat my mistakes. At the very least, try to think. They don't do things out of the kindness of their hearts. Why are they so interested in your daughter? What makes her so special?)

(Well... Glitter disobeyed Vega's orders, that wasn't supposed to be possible I guess... It fried her when she did it, but she did break free. She even got her cutie mark, all by herself! It was awesome, all sparkly and bright... I don't think synths have ever gotten their own mark either. They have stolen ones applied when they replace somepony, but never actually get one themselves. Glitter's even some kind of symbol to all the rogue synths now, they call her a Princess like Jade and the Railroad puts her mark up all over the place.)

(Hmmm... Curious. What about her origins? They told you Mobius created her? That they don't make child synths for some reason? Why?) Vira hummed in thought beside me, the assistant detective focusing on the mystery of my little filly.

(I'm not sure actually... Only that what they called Project Small Wonder was a failure, they have a hard time making kids. Dala had some in her dollhouse, but they didn't seem quite right, just acting out their roles like windup toys. Mobius... my Grandpa, it was one of his crazy projects, so I guess he found a way to make it work to spy on me.)

(Wouldn't he be the better choice to fix her then? If your Grandfather created her, he must know how to help her better than Klein. Why not go to him instead?) Vira replied softly, trying to divert me away from thinking of actually working with Klein and bringing up a point I hadn't thought of.

(Because, I don't know where he is! He's hiding! He's been hiding for years! He used to get involved in things, he helped my friend Burny Jets even, but he's never helped me. He didn't even start doing anything again until I woke up, but he hasn't come out to find me or explain anything! Just spied on me, told ponies he knew to wait for me like he knew I'd come, made Glitter to keep tabs on me... The most he does is keep up the barrier that imprisons the Institute and keeps groups like the NCR out there. If I could find him I'd ask, or kill him... I'm still not sure. If I could just remember what he did... why... why he did all of it...)

(Then before you make any decision, you should allow me more opportunity to find out. The memories are there Fast, they weren't erased or removed, just sealed away. I can find out for you, we can find out together... Just give me a chance before working with Klein, I know I can do it!) Giving an uneasy smile, Vira leaned over to nuzzle hopefully, tilting the chariot and getting a yelp out Nick.

"I know you can Vira, thanks... I know you're trying to help too, just... If I have to, if it's the only way to help her, I'll do what I have to. I know how you feel about it and you're right, but... I have to save her. I can't fail her again..."

Picking up on the until then unspoken conversation, Nick grumbled from his seat huddled against the big hellhound Clara. "Hey! You two are doing that telepathy hooey up there, aren't you!? Focus on flying sweetheart! No getting distracted with psychic flirting!"

Answering with a blush lighting her cheeks, Vira huffed at her employer. "Oh hush Nick! We are not... It was a serious conversation! Speaking through Unity is simply easier than yelling over the wind. Besides, we are nearly there, see?"

We all followed her pointing foreleg, looking to the north and spotting the huge hole in the earth that was the Sandwich Borer's dig site. It looked even worse up close, a gaping maw in the middle of rocky and dead land even more blasted and barren than most of the wasteland.

We subconsciously veered that way for a better look, though the arrow displayed on the compass at the bottom of my vision still pointed to the east for some reason, prompting me to ask about it as we approached the Shroud's goal. "Why aren't we just going straight to it Clara? You said you had a better way, but it's right there..."

"Because of bugs Shadow-pony Fast." Clara's terse answer only confused me more, the hulking hellhound giving a shiver.

"Bugs?"

Almost like an answer to my dubious question, E.F.S. lit up with several red dashes, corresponding to distant specks rising out of the dig site and flying right for us. A ridge of fur on Clara's neck rose as she barked back, shaking the whole chariot to Nick's yelps and pointing a claw to the approaching threat. "Bugs! Ugly copy bugs! Too close to hive Shadow-pony! Fly away!"

She had a point, but I was too stunned to follow her advice. My sharp eyes focused on the approaching fliers and I felt them shift to a glowing, dragon slitted scowl as I got a better look, my own foalhood fear kept in check by the Shroud's anger.

Changelings... That's what they had to be, the monsters from my mom's bedtime stories long ago. They were essentially pony shaped, but had chitinous hides of glossy black with markings of varying colors and wide, blank eyes. Their forelegs had holes in them and their mouths opened in a furious screech as they closed in, revealing gleaming fangs that made me shudder.

Zed was fastest to react, swooping away to meet the threat on his leathery bat wings and smashing a purple accented Changeling out of the air with a flying buck. "Go! Pull away from the hive, quickly!"

His yell was enough to snap me out of my stupor, joining Vira in flapping hard and veering south in a hurry. The Shroud tried taking over to attack, but was kept from joining my zebra friend by the harness tethering me to the listing chariot.

If it weren't for being psychically linked to my co-pilot, I may have ended up crashing in my desire to go face the threat. Thanks to Vira however, I found I could rely on her to handle the flying, subconsciously following her harried instructions keeping us one step ahead of the green beams of magic firing on us from the Changelings curved horns.

With her in charge of our looping flight that made Nick shout frantically between crashes of his hoof cannon of a revolver, I focused on staring over my shoulder to line up the Last Minute. The flat crack of the gauss rifle blasted through the hard shell of one of the pests attacking Zed, resulting in a gooey mess where its head should be that did at least sate the Shroud's desire for destruction.

The spirit joined in by firing a beam of blackened magic from my horn and torching another as Vira dove and dodged, then the remaining Changelings seemed to realize what was going on. To our shared frustration and horror, the four remaining monsters were surrounded in a green flash of magic, then there were suddenly five Zeds ducking and zipping around each other in a flurry of hooves.

Two of the matching zebras broke off and made for the chariot, but I couldn't be sure one of them wasn't the real Zed. While I was unsure what to do, I had to reject the Shroud's automatic suggestion of firing off a wide spread bolt of lightning and seeing who survived.

'...What?... Real one live... probably...'

"We're not freaking attacking Zed, even if he can probably dodge it asshole! Think of something else!"

While I was fighting with myself, Clara swung out at the first Zed to come close with his hooves held up peacefully. I yelped at the flash of her sharp claws tearing the zebra in half, gasping in relief when the illusion faded from the two halves falling to the earth.

The second Zed's face changed from his normal flat expression to a sneer I'd never seen the zebra wear when it dodged Clara's next swipe, the Changeling form replacing him in a flash with his cover blown. Flames of green magic swirled at his horn, but it never got the chance to blast us as Nick had all the assurance he needed to fire his Trotson P.D. issued revolver, leaving the ugly bug in a tailspin behind us with a large hole blown through its thorax.

"Great job Clara! How do you tell which is real and which isn't!?"

Gripping both sides of the chariot as we leveled off with Nick holding on to the fuzzy hellhound for purchase, Clara shouted over her shoulder in a growling reply. "Bugs smell wrong! Just get away from hive Shadow-pony, more coming!"

I turned back to follow her pointing claw, my face paling as I looked beyond Zed smashing another of his doppelgangers from the air. A veritable swarm was boiling up out of the Sandwich Borer's hole behind him, more than even the eager Shroud was capable of taking on while strapped to a careening chariot, no matter what the violent spirit said to the contrary.

Zed, or the Zeds rather, spotted the same thing and winged their way back towards us in retreat. I guessed the one in the lead had to be the real one, but was still glad for Clara's nose proving me correct before I just incinerated one. She allowed the first Zed to make a swooping pass right by her, then tore the next one to ribbons when it attempted the same thing. The third veered away frantically on figuring out the hellhound could identify it, but was already too close to escape. A bolt of lightning crackled from my horn, leaving a smoking shell that fell behind us as Vira flapped harder and pulled me with her.

"Faster! We must go faster if we're to escape Fast, fly!" She yelped and focused my eyes forward again, straining to pour on the speed with our heavy passengers weighing us down.

Pulling up next to us, the real Zed stared down at the snowy ground a moment before giving a relieved huff. "It's alright! We should be safe now, just keep going and don't approach that place again."

I looked down to see what he did, only noticing that the trees were below our hooves again, instead of the blasted, rocky ground surrounding the Changeling hive. I looked back in confusion, but found Zed was right, the huge swarm stopped and turned back, leaving us free to escape once we were out of their territory.

"W-What the hell? Why aren't they chasing us? What the fuck was all that?"

Gliding closer, Zed rooted in his saddlebags and pulled out one of his clay potion jars. He dipped his hoof into the pot of greenish-brown goop, smearing it on my face as he replied gruffly. "Changelings... I told you that place was cursed Fast. They don't usually leave the area, but I brought protection just in case. Here, this reveals a changeling's true form, they cannot copy its magic or smell, so keep it in mind while we're in the area."

Vira wrinkled her nose at the the zebra goop sloppily applied to her pretty face and I did the same. I supposed even normal ponies would be able to identify the strong, bitter smell, for alicorns like us however, it was a little strong. Still, better than relying on Clara's impressive olfactory senses to sniff out the bugs themselves. I had no idea how she caught the scent while blasting through the air on a chariot, the canine's sniffer must be even better than my own.

"And that's where yer ghost wants to go Mac? Hate to tell you, but I think you're shit outta luck. Nopony messes with the hive up in these parts, most of us are just glad they keep to themselves. We got enough problems with my fellow synths sneaking around and replacing folks as it is." Nick slumped and breathed easier as our flight evened out, giving a grim appraisal the Shroud didn't like hearing.

"No! I will exterminate yon pests and retrieve what is mine! No hive of cowardly changelings will stop me from...!"

"Will you shut up! We're not diving right into a freaking changeling hive dammit! Clara, you said you had a way in? Want to elaborate before my insane pal turns us right around?" I fought to take over my mouth and wings straining to redirect us, grunting back to our passengers hopefully.

Squinting at my dueling comments, Clara nodded in reply and pointed towards the marker my pip-buck was still displaying as our destination. "Yes! Can go under Shadow-pony, no have to go through hive. Please?"

"There, you see stupid? Let's try taking the easy way for once!"

'...Easy way boring... Fine.... Want sword though!..."

I facehoofed at the internal answer the Shroud sullenly volunteered after a moment's thought, dragging my hoof slowly down my bristly muzzle with a groan and looking ahead. The area Clara and my pip-buck were directing us towards appeared to be an old rock quarry, within sight of the Sandwich Borer's hive, but just out of the clearly defined territory of rocky hills spotted with ugly, twisted spires that looked like termite mounds.

Vira joined me in slowly losing altitude and circling the site, looking down on a warren of square cut blocks of granite shaped from the stony ground, forming an intimidating looking maze of narrow passages. The message of; 'Location Discovered: Hugo's Hole' didn't really inspire confidence, but we drifted down for a landing near the entrance as Clara directed.

Nick jumped out of the chariot before it even finished clattering to a halt, making a show of kissing the barren ground and glaring at Vira and I as he lit a cigarette and breathed a shaky plume of smoke into the frigid air. "Finally! Thank the goddesses, back on solid ground. Take my life in my hooves every time I fly with you dollface..."

Snickering at her employer as her emerald magic worked to undo her harness, Vira stuck her nose up playfully at Nick's grousing. "Any landing you can walk away from Nick... That wasn't as bad as flying through the fog, now was it? I don't see what you're complaining about, this time you even had your very own chariot."

"Could be my own personal Vertibuck and I still wouldn't like it sweetheart. Now then, what's the skinny here rover? There some kinda backdoor this'a way?" Nick huffed and flipped his trenchcoat collar up defensively, trotting towards the gloomy entrance to the maze of passages ahead.

Before he managed to cross the threshold however, Clara bounded forward and grabbed him by his plastic tail, yanking the synth detective back with a bark. "No just wander in robot pony! Hugo no like visitors, see?"

Blinking at her shakily pointing claw, even I had to squint to see the gleam of a tripwire in the light of the waxing moon overhead. After I fought my way free of my own harness, I joined Vira and Zed in trotting over to inspect the booby trap, spotting the dull green finish of several grenades mostly covered by a pile of rocks.

Staring down the narrow passage into the complex, I gulped as my eyes widened and glowed, spotting a web of more tripwires within, along with rusty red cans of fuel, tall cyllinders of gas, pressure plates and even the dim red glow of laser triplines. I was forcibly reminded of Talon's Department Store and Gunter's own murder maze, gulping at the path before us.

"Hugo? Is he a friend of yours Miss Clara? Why does he live all the way out here behind all these defenses?" Vira tilted her head looking down the passage with me, giving a shiver as she turned to Clara carefully disarming the first trap.

Clara waved us forward as she took a careful step into the complex, explaining as she went. "He old alpha, go here when new alpha take his place. Hugo is... grumpy... but not bad. There safe path to take, just follow very, very closely... We go ask to use his hole, go under hive to where Shadow-pony want."

"We could simply fly over this deadly funhouse... Is there a reason for going through the insane nest of traps Clara?" Zed grumbled from the rear, following Clara's pawprints exactly like the rest of us.

"More traps up there for fliers, plus Hugo would take as attack and fight back. If we go through safe path and survive, he knows we are friends. Clara answered absently, making a show of stepping over a slightly darker looking stone in our path.

She or Hugo both had an odd definition of 'safe path' considering the number of deadly booby traps even I spotted, but she was our guide and I had to trust she knew what she was talking about. Weaving our way down the narrow canyons of rough cut stone, I again thought of Talon's Department store and wistfully smiled, thinking of Val and how the explosive loving griffon would appreciate this place.

(She is a good friend to you, isn't she Fast?) I paused and turned back to Vira's voice in my mind, finding the green alicorn smiling happily as she read my thoughts. (I remember her from Fort Loyalty very well, she was extremely loyal and brave... You think very warm thoughts about her. Though what is a... griffon groper?)

'...Want...'

(HA! N-Nothing! Nothing at all!) I flushed and yelped back, pausing our progress to cringe under Vira's knowing smirk. (O-Ok... Maybe I had a naughty thought pop to mind there, sorry... But seriously, yeah... yeah Val is awesome alright. She's my best friend and I wish she was here. I really... r-really miss her a lot...)

'Be Awesome!'

(So I see... My, my, such interesting memories you have of her too!) Vira giggled back, then leaned down to nuzzle my burning cheek softly as she continued. (We'll get you back to your friend soon Fast, I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to see you again.)

(She'll probably beat the shit out of me when I see her again... Val's funny that way, but she really does care. I don't know what I would have done without her. I fell for one of these kinda booby traps when we met actually, blew my legs to hell... When Jade came to get me, Val had already decided I was her boss and the way they fought... oh boy, I thought those two were going to kill each other for awhile. Then she kept sneaking me beers and Jade got sooooo mad! That was when I met Glitter too and the two of them...)

I paused midsentence, catching myself laughing at old memories and realizing I was telling the story of when Glitter and I met. At least it wasn't soul crushing sadness that rushed in when I thought of her now, but a strong sense of homesickness washed over me instead. I wanted to see her again... To see both of them, laugh and play together, watch Val teasing Jade and how flustered she could make her, for Witchy to chirp at the griffon in frustration for upsetting her Princess, and Zed to chime in with a sarcastic quip.

I could just see Swan squeezing her way into my little house in Sanctuary to join the fun, hear Ivy give her musical giggle and tell all the 'children' to behave, while Peri watched it all with that dreamy, spacey look on her face at all the activity going on around her. A burbling Cogsworth bobbed around the house to happily serve guests again after so long, helping Sturges and all the ponies of Sanctuary to put on a big party like we'd had back then, a time that seemed ages ago now.

The momentary fantasy was so bright and real to me, I didn't realize I was crying until the first warm tear spilled down my cheek, prompting Vira to give a worried nicker and lick it up with a kiss. (I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset Fast... It's a lovely little dream, I'm sure it will come true soon! Though I... I hope there is a place for me in all that? Maybe?)

Sniffling and hiding under the brim of my hat, I wiped my snotty muzzle before looking up with a tired grin. "S-Sure Vira, if you really want to join in on such a crazy fantasy... Maybe you and Nick could open a Hearts n' Hooves Detective Agency branch right in Sanctuary! You could solve mysteries, even take on tough cases where you wanted to call in help from the Shrouded Stallion at the climax! Er... the comic book one I mean... Not... umm..."

Openly laughing at me geeking out over the thought of a Shadow Spade / Shrouded Stallion crossover in real life, Vira nodded happily as we took another turn, ducking under a grenade bouquet as she answered out loud. "I can see what you mean and I love it Fast. Though I don't want the comic book Shroud or the spirit version either one, I want you..."

Giving a snort from behind that made us both jump, Zed chuckled as he pushed us back into keeping up with Clara. "You two are the only ponies I know who'd woo each other in the middle of a deathtrap... Though it is good to see even that part of Fast's personality again. Having you around is good for him Miss Vira, but please finish your romancing somewhere a little less explosive."

"I wasn't! W-We weren't! We were just talking Zed, jeez!"

Nick's own chuckles joined the smirking zebra's, the synth detective pausing to raise an eyebrow at the two of us blushing furiously. "Talking... is that what the kids are calling it these days? Figured you were up to the psychic version of heavy petting by now dollface."

"Nick! That was awful! We are not..." Vira whinnied and reared back at her boss' well scored hit, but was brought up short by a blast of plasma scorching the stone where her head had just been.

I was moving before any of us had done more than register the sneak attack, or the Shroud was rather, propelling me around the bend and directly at a large grey hellhound holding a crackling plasma rifle as long as I was. It was as big as Icepaw or the alpha I'd fought in Poncord, a grizzled old wall of muscle with a severe underbite, his glistening fangs poking up to his wrinkled face.

The sight of the intimidating beast slowed the Shroud down not at all, the steady beat of fury over attacking 'MINE' pounding with my hooves charging right at the monster. For a moment it looked surprised at the snarling little pony charging right at him, then he snarled right back at fired a volley from the magical energy weapon in his claws.

Black lightning flickered around me and I zig-zagged down the narrow passage, narrowly avoiding the crackling green bolts of plasma melting the stony ground. I did manage to exert enough control to draw the terrible shotgun along with the knife already held in my fangs, firing from the flank and hammering the hellhound's broad chest.

The hellhound yipped in pain over the oozing wound as I spread my wings and pounced, slashing out with his wickedly curved claws when I closed the distance and went for his throat. An agile flap and midair flip brought the gleaming Best Served up to meet the attack, blunting his natural weapon with a starmetal hooficure.

The attack killed my momentum however, forcing me to flap back and land in a tensed crouch, ready to continue the battle until Clara's voice cried out as she rushed forward. "Hugo, Shadow-pony! Stop! No here to fight Hugo! This who we want Shadow-pony!"

"Grrrr... Clara? What you want? Shadow-pony? Like old legend? This runty little pony? HA! Go away before me eat tiny snack..." The hellhound blinked at Clara's plea, throwing his head back in a bark of laughter at me still growling and staring him down.

"Snack!? I shall feast on thine stringy flesh mongrel! You face the true Shrouded Stal..." I snapped back, forcing me to fight for control again and argue. "Would you stop just using my mouth when you feel like starting shit already!? Clara, this is the Hugo we're here to see? I thought you said he'd know we're friends, not just shoot at Vira like that!"

"Was warning shot runt! No hit, did it?" Hugo snapped back, then paused to look over his blunted claws and back, squinting his eyes before huffing and turning away. "Tough little pony though, will give you that. May as well come in, tell what want and go away."

'In' turned out to be a wider opening in the warren of rough cut passages, covered by a roof of flapping tarps and hides. It was a small den with a cheery fire in the center beneath a strategic hole in the roof for the smoke, packed with more explosives, a small cot and a dented old refrigerator used as a cooler and emanating the smell of meat. I found myself gravitating towards the latter with drool running down my fangs, only to be snapped out of it by the old hellhound giving a warning bark.

"Sorry! We're not here to take food dammit, stop pulling that way! Want... No! Yes!"

Blinking at the schizophrenic back and forth as I struggled not to provoke the intimidating hellhound, Clara jumped in to take over with a respectful bow to Hugo. "Nevermind Shadow-pony, is weird, but good... Anyway, we just want use your tunnel Hugo, then go away."

"Yeah mac, the fuzzy dame here says you've got a way under that hive, that true? Gotta wonder why even a hellhound would go poking a hornet's nest like that." Nick tipped his battered fedora and voiced a curious question I had wondered about too.

Giving a gruff snort that flapped his sagging jowls, Hugo narrowed his brown eyes dubiously in return. "My territory, dig where I want, no afraid of bugs. Lots of tunnels down there, I just dig into old ones."

"Lots? Like what?"

Turning to his crude bed, Hugo lifted the fur padded cot aside and revealed a dark hole stretching away under our hooves with a shrug. "Like lots. Marlwurf tunnels, pony subway tunnels, zebra ruins, lots... Go around metal places too, but no bother robot-pony tunnels no more."

Vira tilted her head at that, looking between Nick and Hugo inquisitively. "Robot-pony tunnels? You mean ponies like Nick?"

Hugo stood aside and grumbled back, frustration creeping into his growling voice. "Ugly plastic robot-ponies, yes. Broke into one once, but lots of pale robot-ponies fight back. No worth trouble and they fix entrance, so leave alone. Clara want use then can use, just hurry up and go."

"The eggheaded miscreants!? I mean... The Institute? You've found Institute tunnels down there Hugo?"

I gaped up to the grizzled dog nodding in reply, my head buzzing with the implications. Hugo had found an Institute facility... I doubted it was just a coincidence it was here, so close to Yura's temple and the buried meteorite the ancient zebra witch had dug down to find herself. The Shroud latched on to the idea of finding the secretive scientists as a bonus to our mission here, while I was conflicted. If I pissed them off further, Klein might rescind his offer of help for Glitter...

'...Destroy... Conquer... MAKE help...'

"No! Just... just shut up about them, that's not why we're here, is it!? We're going to get your stupid sword, then we're going to find Jade and Glitter! Nothing else!"

"That sounds like a good plan Fast... Best to not get sidetracked and leave the Institute alone entirely, they're dangerous and not to be trusted." Vira gave me a worried nicker, then pranced towards the gaping hole in the ground and made to climb down right away, smiling brightly to thank Hugo on her way.

Giving a deep chuckle at the alicorn wiggling her way down and Nick jumping in after her, Zed patted my back on his way to join them. "I like her Fast. She's bright and keeps you in line. Listen to your new friend and stay focused, I think the hive of changelings and unknown dangers of Yura's temple are enough to deal with tonight."

The Shroud voiced unconvinced grumbles as my hooves stalked forward, ending with a grudging nod of respect to Hugo impatiently tapping his paw at the dark passage into the depths. With a frustrated snort, I jumped down after my friends as Clara spoke with Hugo a little longer to get directions for our dangerous expedition, for once hoping we really could avoid the Institute...

The tunnels beneath Hugo's Hole were cramped and rough, forcing us to move single file through the narrow stone passageways. At least I had Vira's swaying rump directly in front of me to follow, a view that kept the impatient Shroud happy as we made our slow way down, down, down.

We all turned on our pip-buck lights to illuminate the inky tunnels, picking our way carefully along and following Clara's instructions as the twisting tunnels branched out. I'd always wondered what things looked like for a hellhound burrowing through the earth like it was water, amazed at the size and stability of the passages left in Hugo's wake and saying as much to Clara.

"These not all Hugo's, these Marlwurf tunnels Shadow-pony, see claw marks? Have to be careful..." Clara answered by pointing to a clear set of marks adorning the stone walls with a shiver.

"What's a marlwurf?" I paused to tilt my head at the deep gouges, estimating them to be even bigger than an alpha hellhound's claws.

Looking back as she stepped down from the roughly dug passage and into a smoother, concrete section of pony-made subway tunnel, Clara's ears perked up at a low rumble in the earth, yelping at an explosion of dust and stone coming with some guttural roar of a huge beast breaking in behind us. "That! That is marlwurf! Run!"

I gaped in shock at the grotesque thing waddling towards us for a moment. It was huge... the giant purple thing filled the tunnel we were in snugly, its forelegs ended at long, curved claws that parted the rubble between us like butter. It screeched as it came, its mouth filled to overflowing with buck toothed teeth, beneath a weird blue nose that reminded me of a starfish.

The others were following Clara's extremely sound advice and turning to run, something I would reeeeally love to be doing too. Unfortunately my muzzle parted in a predatory grin and my hooves remained planted firmly, the Shroud giving a cheery chuckle in my head. '...Monster!... Battle!... Challenge!...'

KRAKA-THOOM!!!

The spirit and I both blanched at the charging monster shrugging off the bolt of lightning from my horn, hardly even slowing its stride and forcing even the Shroud to take a wary step back. Glancing behind me, I saw the others slowing in hesitation and drew my guns, waving them on with my tail as I took my own turn. "Go! I'll be right behind you, just move it!"

The Terrible Shotgun and Vengeance boomed like thunder in the tunnels, though even the heavy slugs and .45s merely bounced off the marlwurf. The beast narrowed its beady eyes and roared again, aiming to swat me with its long foreleg when it closed the distance.

A hard flap sent me lurching over the swing of its claws, though it was quick to follow up with the other leg, smashing me out of the air and directly into the nearest wall. Before it could slice me to ribbon with its claws drawing back to finish the job however, a stream of multicolored beams blazed out with a furious yell, stitching their way from the thing's weird blue nose and up its face.

Vira had turned back and had her magical energy weapon pouring on the fire, still barely scorching the thing, but blinding and distracting it enough to save me. "You leave Fast alone you overgrown rodent!"

While I was trying to peel myself out of the me shaped hole in the wall, Zed dashed forward and hammered at the thing with his hooves. To both our surprise however, the heavy hoofstrikes bounced off its rubbery hide, forcing the zebra martial artist to flip away and grab me by my scruff when I made to attack it again.

"Enough of your overblown pride spirit! We need to escape this thing, not prove our strength by wasting it here!" Zed forcibly dragged me away, joined by Vira using her bulk to push against my dragging hooves.

"He's right Fast, leave it be! There's no point in fighting this thing! You... you want your sword, don't you Shroud!?" Vira yelped as she kept shoving against my body fighting to get free, reading enough of the spirit's thoughts to say something that would get through.

"Sword?" The Shroud's confused mutter let Vira and Zed gain ground in trying to pull me away, allowing me to toss a pair of grenades at the huge marlwurf as I grinned and shouted. "Yes, my sword! I shall destroy this worthy foe with my blade!"

"Then how about we go fucking get it instead of waiting until that thing eats us!"

I spun away with a yelp when the grenades exploded, barely singing the marlwurf's mottled purple fur. I was back in control of my body though, able to join the others in running past ancient subway cars and towards a pair of narrower tunnels where the two tracks split apart. I could feel the Shroud fuming and sulking over running away, the only reason I was allowed back in charge was so I'd be the one to do it, since I was perfectly ok with being labeled a coward in this instance if it got us moving again.

Clara and Nick were waiting at the left hoof branch and waving us on frantically, Nick still blasting away with his .45 revolver to cover us while Clara turned to lope down the passage when we were finally all moving the same direction. The marlwurf shook rubble down from the tunnel ceilings with its roar at our escape, the screeching, squalling noise of rending metal enough to know it had gained enough to hit the subway cars.

Then we were down the smaller tunnel, the dim light behind us blotted out when it hit the narrower passage and clawed to drag itself after us. We ran down the tracks only a short distance, skidding to make a turn at a flickering red gem light marking a pony sized door to rubble strewn service passages that twisted and turned enough for us to finally slow down a bit, putting the monster mole behind us.

Nick's pale face lit up in the darkness in the flickering light of his gold plated lighter, his cheeks hollowing as the ember of his cigarette briefly added to the light. He blew a long plume of smoke out in the stale, still air, looking between all of us and chuckling gruffly. "Well, this little adventure is going aces so far, huh? You got a handle on that spook in your noggin now pally?"

"I think so, yeah..."

Shaking the spent casings from his revolver as we slowed to a trot, Nick gave a friendly wink, his strange yellow on black eyes betraying concern even as he spoke in a light hearted huff. "Good, cause I'm guessin' we ain't seen the last of trouble down here. Let's focus on getting in and getting out, our Shrouded client for this job can come back for monster slaying fun later..."

"S-Sorry everybody. I'm trying to stay in control, he's just being especially obnoxious. Er... thanks Vira, you were great getting him to agree like that, really smart thinking."

I caught Vira's warm blush as she smiled and flutterered her wings in the cramped space. "You're very welcome Fast! Let's carry on and get what your spirit friend wants done, so you can return to your family."

'...Obey... Princess...'

Sputtering at a facefull of green feathers smacking me, I smiled back and scratched my mane with the Shroud's needy agreement echoing in my head, grateful the green alicorn was with us. We sped back to a fast trot when we heard the marlwurf give a frustrated roar behind us and fell in behind Clara again, making our way down the twisting labyrinth of passages.

"Who is Witchy and why are you missing her now Fast?" I gave a guilty start at Vira's question beside me, looking up to the alicorn filly tilting her head down to me curiously.

We'd progressed from service passages down to rough hewn tunnels through the earth again, cramped enough that Vira's long horn scraped the ceiling even as she kept her head down closer to my level, grumbling repeatedly about 'tiny tunnels'. I had no problem moving around normally of course, but felt for the poor alicorn wiggling her way through a tight spot and stayed nearby to keep her company.

I had been letting my mind wander however, thinking back to the last time I was down in deep underground caverns like these and missing my thestral friend. I blushed thinking of that adventure and Vira narrowed her eyes suspiciously, forcing me to stammer out a reply before she read everything out of my head.

"Er... W-Witchy's a really great friend of mine Vira. She's actually Jade's best friend and royal guard. She's pretty and strong and brave and..." I slowed at Vira's eyebrow slowly rising higher, tugging my hat down to hide behind and rushing on. "We got trapped in caves like this once and she was awesome. She's a batpony, so she can do this high pitched screechy kinda thing and tell where she's going, I was just thinking it'd be nice if she was here."

'Be Unwavering!'

'....Yes!... Want thestral... Miss... Want... Pretty!...'

I winced at Vira's contemplative 'Hmm...' of a reply as I felt her rifling through my thoughts and feelings for the beautiful batpony, extremely grateful to Zed speaking up to save me and add to the conversation. "She would be useful here, but she's been quite busy. You'd be proud of her Fast, she's risen to the role of your wife's guardian in your absence and been a constant comfort to Jade. She's never once doubted you'd come back either, even when I tried to caution the others you may have been lost forever. She... quite forcefully disagreed actually..."

I smiled at the thought, just picturing Witchy's red faced squeaking when she was really upset about something. Judging by the way Zed rubbed his cheek as he finished, I got the idea a slap may have been involved in their 'disagreement' and was surprised the sweet filly would go so far on my behalf, despite being possessed by the terrible Shrouded Stallion from her people's legends. I also felt better knowing she was there for Jade, the loyal thestral guard would never abandon her Princess.

"Hmm... So my sister has her own royal guard that's ...good friends... with Fast. Perhaps I chose the wrong line of work Nick?" Vira snickered and teased her boss and me playfully, looking up in thought as if she was seriously considering a change in career.

Rolling his eyes at the joke, Nick huffed back over his withers. "Hey, I told you it ain't a glamorous line of work dollface. Assistants to the assistant detective ain't part of the benefits package. I told you to play up the whole detective princess moniker."

Chuckling nervously along with them, I thought I got away with it for a minute. Then Vira's voice spoke up in my mind, the psychic alicorn smirking at my wince. (Well, now I know what jealousy is... what an unpleasant emotion... First the griffon and now a thestral, just how many females have you mated with while being so stubborn about my sisters and I Fast?)

(J-Just those two! Because we're really good friends and I... I love them both a lot, ok!? A-And the three alicorns I promised Umbra I guess... But I love Peri, Ivy and Swan just as much! I wouldn't have done anything otherwise, no matter what the pervert in my head or Umbra wants!)

Giggling to herself, Vira raised her brows higher at my flustered reply. (Umbra... I'm surprised she was satisfied with just three. I suppose I'll have to try even harder if I'm not covered by your agreement.)

(I-It's not like that Vira, and she wasn't happy about it, that was just all I was willing to compromise with her on. If she gets her way, she'll try to capture me and keep me safe back in Trinity Tower to do...t-that will all your sisters. The awful part is, if she does, I'm not sure the Shroud will complain at all... But I don't want to. I meant what I said to you about caring and love, I wouldn't do anything with somepony I don't care about, and promising Umbra three doesn't mean I wouldn't with others I felt that way about too.)

(L-Like me?) Vira's bright green eyes grew wide as she asked hopefully, biting her lip when she came out with the question.

I could feel an undercurrent of worry and vulnerability in her mind when she asked. This time it wasn't about getting me to mate with her to simply reproduce as the goddess had wished and Umbra insisted. This time Vira asked if I cared about her, the answer seeming to weigh even more heavily than her mother's final command.

'...Say yes!!... Want filly!...'

We both flinched at the Shroud interjecting himself in the moment, then laughed nervously together, pausing in the gently sloping passage to blush and look anywhere but at each other, except in cautious peeks and darting glances. The odd dance around the subject gave me a second to think anyway, considering what she actually wanted carefully before meeting her eyes and replying.

(Vira... I'm still not sure about, t-that... But ummm.... as for... how I feel about you? I mean... it's kinda early to say. You've changed so much since you tried to kill me, so I'm still catching up. You're a really awesome filly though. You're independent and brave, finding a job with Nick and doing such great work on Fog Harbor. You're sweet and smart and funny and... er...)

Mentally jabbering to the green alicorn, Vira's eyes had been growing wider and darker the whole time, a rosy glow lighting her cheeks in the gloom and a wide smile spreading across her muzzle. I paused when it seemed her stare took up her whole face, tiny hearts sparkling in the deep pools of her pupils and a rising squee sound growing louder in the cramped cavern, a low 'eeeeeeEEEEEE' that made me gulp as I managed to spit out the rest.

(...A-And I do like what I know about you now a lot, er... l-like you a lot... so ummm...)

That was as far as I got, the big alicorn tackled me to the stone floor, nuzzling and planting little kisses that made my face burn as she burbled aloud in a giddy voice. "EEEEEE! I like you too Fast! Very much! I'm still not sure if it's love I feel, but I do love how I feel being with you! It's so warm and nice! This is much better than trying to force you to..."

"HA! A-Alright Vira, e-easy! I can't..."

I tried to interrupt the big green alicorn cuddling me into submission before she embarrassed me further in front of Nick, Zed and Clara watching the display, then found myself forcibly shutting her up with a frantic, hungry kiss. My wings ached splayed out under me and my forelegs moved by themselves, grabbing hold of Vira's ample rear with a victorious roar in my head competing with her soft moan.

The Shroud had been denied repeatedly and was now shoving me aside to take control, leaning after her when she tried to pull away on realizing just who she was actually making out with. Thankfully a splash of cold water interrupted me, shocking my system just enough to take charge again and scamper back, even as my mouth hissed like a cat at Zed opening another bottle of water in his teeth.

"Down boy... this is hardly the time or place Fast, and I believe you know better. That spirit on the other hoof... try not to encourage it Miss Vira. As you can see, it can be difficult to get it to back down again." Zed's expression was both amused and exasperated, playing foalsitter to a perverted spirit and his mortified host.

Vira had her hoof to her pounding heart and whinnied when I turned a shamed look back to her, speaking in a breathless voice. "O-Oh my... I'm... I'm sorry Fast. I forgot and I was so happy I... c-couldn't help myself. Forgive me, I'm still learning about love and what you said was so sweet, it made me feel so good it just o-overflowed."

"I'm the one who should apologize Vira, I lost control and..."

Hushing my attempted apology with a feather to my lips, Vira smiled sweetly and shook her head. Then her brows came down in a frown, making me worried she actually was upset until she spoke in a much harder voice that echoed in my head and I realized it wasn't me she was talking to. "Fast owes me no such thing. You on the other hoof, I am very annoyed with spirit! I already told you, I want Fast, not you. I understand your loneliness and need, but that doesn't make it ok to use Fast to force yourself on me like that!"

'....But!.... Want... Need... Feel....'

"No! I'm willing to accept you as part of the package, but it must be Fast that wants to do such things! Apologize!" Vira huffed at the Shroud's internal answer, feeling the frustration boiling off the spirit as well as I did.

She must have also gotten the little ember of shame I could feel burning my cheeks, raising an eyebrow and tapping her hoof impatiently as she stared down the murderous monster like a naughty colt. To my absolute shock, eventually she got a sullen and pained reply for her efforts too...

'...Fine!... Sor--....'

"Out loud!" Vira stamped a hoof to interrupt the Shroud in my head, only making everyone goggle more when she forced it to obey.

"Nnnn! Sorry! I shan't do so again fair Princess, I apologize...."

Closing her eyes in a cute smile and nickering happily in the silence that followed, Vira leaned down to nuzzle once she dragged the words out of my mouth. "That's better! I know how you feel Mr. Shroud, but you can't do that. It has to be Fast, so I appreciate you containing yourself in the future."

'...Nopony loves... hurt... sad... alone...'

(Just because I reject what you tried to do doesn't mean I reject you as well spirit. Love is patient. For now I am willing to be friends, like you are with Fast. You're certainly never alone anyway. Behave yourself and perhaps we'll both... g-get what you desire so much. In due time...) Vira finished with a psychic aside to the pouting Shroud, trying to soothe his forlorn whining in my head.

Nick's plastic hooves coming together in a slow clap broke the eerie quiet while I was still gaping up to the smiling alicorn, chuckling as he tipped his battered fedora to his assistant. "Good job Vira, you handled that palooka like a champ dollface. Was worried we'd all be gettin' an episode of wild alicorn kingdom for a second there."

"How...?" Zed managed a hoarse whisper once Nick broke the spell, shaking his head with a surprised snort. "You... you got it to obey you Miss Vira! The Shadowknight actually apologized to you! How!?"

"Oh he's not really that bad, just misunderstood I think. We have many things in common. I tried to... er... take what I wanted from Fast too after all. The spirit will cooperate, you just have to put things the right way is all. It's very eager to please a Princess at any rate, a role I'm not above filling for my sister if it helps Fast, if not for better benefits as Nick suggested." Vira smirked back, smoothing out her disheveled Shadow Spade outfit and smiling brightly.

Zed looked like you could knock him over with a feather, joining me in my slack jawed staring at the alicorn filly moving on as if nothing of note had happened. It was Clara who finally broke the stunned silence as Vira pranced down the tunnel past her, her pointed ears perked up and flicking anxiously to the warren of passages as she spoke in a gruff bark. "Ponies should no be so mushy and... pony-like. Will draw bugs."

Shaking off my shock with an embarrassed snort, I trotted to catch up and get back to moving, puzzling over the hellhound's warning. "The Changelings? Down here? You really think they'll be drawn in by... what? Vira and I acting er..."

"Love-bugs love love Shadow-pony. We close to under hive, can smell them here. No get all lovey-dovey with big green pony, like laying out bait for them." Clara grumbled back, leaving me to ponder what she meant with nagging worry over her flicking ears.

I found my own ears copying hers as I thought, straining to pick up any sound in the rough stone tunnels as I thought. Love-bugs... I'd heard Changelings called that before when I was a foal, my mom's bedtime story answer only making the mythical monsters more frightening. Changelings fed on love... that's why they were natural enemies to ponies, we were like an all you can eat buffet to the horrifying creatures. Clara was right to be concerned about that whole episode then, Vira's virtue was love according to Nick, so she'd be...

I gulped when I worked it out, finally identifying the low buzz my ears kept flicking at. I charged forward to catch Vira still prancing along happily, a step behind the trio of dark changelings flying out of a side passage and darting her way. Vira skidded to a halt and whinnied in surprise, too slow to do anything more before the drooling bugs opened their fanged mouths and inhaled, a cloud of pink magic coalescing around the alicorn filly and drawn to their waiting maws.

Vira stumbled and seemed to pale as the changelings fed on her, though they were too absorbed in the tasty treat of her love to notice me speeding to a full gallop with black lightning flickering around me until I roared in fury. "HEY! Leave her alone!!"

'...MINE!!... Protect Princess!...'

I leapt over where Vira had fallen with a snarl, the Terrible Shotgun shredding the first changeling still greedily feeding. Nick's shout came along with the second's head exploding in a shower of green blood, the synth detective's .45 revolver smoking in his muzzle.

Another quartet of changelings buzzed out from the passage the first had come from on their insectile wings, though these were accented with different colors on their shiny black hides. I landed in a protective crouch over Vira and growled at the new threat, my shotgun blasting the last plain black bug trying to cut its meal of her short to regroup.

Before the Shroud and I had the chance to unleash the charge of powerful magic swirling at my horn however, I suddenly felt weak and staggered, turning to spot a red accented changeling feeding on me. At least Vira's color was quickly coming back, but I understood how she felt now and groaned under the assault, falling to my knees and struggling to draw a bead on the nasty insect. It wasn't quite what I expected however, the color of the wisps of magic being drawn away from me were red instead of pink for one, and rather than feeling all my love and happiness bleeding away, it was the Shroud's fury that fizzled out, apparently feeding the red accented changeling.

Zed had jumped over us floundering to get up and his hooves cracked the carapace of one of the other in thundering blows, while Nick's revolver blasted another just crawling out of the side passage. The one feeding on me was suddenly vaporized by Vira's rapidly spinning magical energy weapon, my anger slowly creeping back in as soon as the pest was gone.

Best Served sprang from the loop of leather on my bandolier, slicing through the hard shell of a blue accented bug voicing a loud screech that echoed down the tunnels. We all heard an answering screech and the wingbeats of what sounded like a swarm coming right at us, but the quick thinking Clara saved us from having to face even more of the hideous, pony-like bugs. The hellhound bounded forward and slashed out with her gleaming claws, slicing the last changeling to ribbons even as she hit her real target, ripping a gash in the stone walls and collapsing the tunnel the bugs were coming from.

Turning to bark at us woozily getting back to our hooves and recovering, Clara shifted on her paws nervously and pointed down the dark tunnel we'd be following. "Go! They find other way soon enough, We go quick, and no be all mushy again ponies!"

Blushing and cringing under her stern orders, Vira and I helped each other up and nodded meekly, trotting down the tunnel together with a shared, "Yes ma'am..."

"Hey Zed, have the Changelings always been here?"

Zed paused as we stepped down from yet another rough tunnel to one that was squarer and strung with rusty gem lights still providing a weak glow, tilting his head at one of the numerous questions that had been chasing themselves in my mind since our run in with the insects. "For a very long time anyway. I once asked Zao and other prewar ghouls in Neighlem about it, they said they were known to have a hive here shortly after the war. If they did beforehoof, they managed to keep it secret."

I hadn't considered that, maybe this Sandwich Borer's company was some kind of secret Changeling front... I added it to what I had been considering, but disregarded it after a moment. Instead I focused on a few nagging questions that had been bothering me.

"Neighlem never bothered to try to get rid of them?"

"No. I told you, this place is cursed. The Changeling hive showing up here was just taken as further evidence of that fact. At first, everyzebra just assumed they weren't much of a threat. They feed on love and given the nature of the wasteland... it was believed they'd starve or never grow to be a threat." Zed shrugged in reply, continuing our sloping path down with our hoofsteps ringing on rusty steel plating that made us all wince at the noise.

Nick gave a grim chuckle at his answer, adding his own two bits in a sad, sarcastic voice. "Yeah, love was as rare as hen's teeth back then pal. No idea how these bugs have managed to hang on, but us synths took the top spot for evil imposters to worry about in short order. Nothin' outta this hole has ever really bothered anypony."

"They don't only feed on love anymore..." Vira joined in, probably listening to the run of my thoughts this whole time and a step ahead of the others. She blinked at them turning back to her curiously, continuing in a sure and certain tone as she explained. "Well, they don't. What you're thinking is correct Fast, I felt it when that red tinged one fed on you. It drained away your anger, not love."

Nick gave a whistle at his assistant's confirmation, lighting a cigarette to puff on nervously. "Anger? Ain't no shortage of that nowadays dollface. If they can feed off us being pissed off at each other, they should'a swarmed the whole damn wasteland by now."

"Exactly! I'm even willing to bet they can feed on more than just that too. Red isn't the only other color of those bugs we've seen, so what if each one eats something different? I was wondering if it was just me not knowing how they'd mutated over the centuries, but you guys seem surprised too."

Scratching his chin and leaning against a broken down old minecart nearby, Zed halted our progress entirely as he spoke in a worried mutter. "If that's the case, Nick's right, there would be no stopping their spread... They've truly never left their territory around this cursed site though, it's the main reason I and my ancestors have never attempted to check on Yura's temple... I take it you suspect that is the point, don't you Fast?"

"Hugo said he's run into Institute tunnels down here... Who likes experimenting on things they shouldn't? Making Changelings even more dangerous sounds right up their alley, doesn't it? Once we make it to the Sandwich Borer's site, maybe we can find more."

"Already there Shadow-pony. Why we should go fast and quiet now, no stop to talk and think." Clara interrupted our back and forth impatiently, pointing a claw to the dead hulk of a piece of earthmoving equipment tucked in a side passage. Sure enough, stenciled on its side in flaking paint was 'Sandwich Borer's'.

Discovered Location: Sandwich Borer's. Blinking in surprise at the evidence and my pip-buck's confirmation in the corner of my eye, I took a better look around the new passage. From somewhere above I could hear the low buzz of a looooot of Changelings and shivered, realizing we had to be directly under the hive. The square cut tunnel sloping its way deeper into the earth had some minor evidence of the bugs in the form of globs of their secretions up near the ceiling, but was mostly clear of anything that would put me on guard.

It was pony remains that filled the passage instead, piles of bones wearing hardhats, minecarts tipped over from the rusty tracks along one side of the passage, the hanging industrial gem lights still weakly buzzing all these years later, digging equipment, the occasional mangled catwalk bolted to the wall. It reminded me much more of the tunnels being prepped for Stable 88 Witchy and I had stumbled on than something under a changeling hive.

"Alright.... I guess we keep going down then, thanks Clara. Don't worry, the sooner we're done here the better, we'll get you back home to Jewel soon. I was just... thinking out loud. This whole place bothers me..."

I answered honestly, passing the anxious hellhound with Vira trotting worriedly at my tail to take the lead with a weird sense of familiarity guiding my hooves. The further down we had come, the more that disquieting feeling of deja vu had been growing. When I stalked down the next section of tunnel and came out into a huge chamber however, that feeling hit me like a sledgehammer.

I got a glimpse of the vast open space as it was, a deep and inky pit in the earth going straight down to tartarus for all I knew. It had to be the size of a hoofball field, lined by rusting catwalks that spiraled down into the dark. Before I got a better look however, my head ached and everything seemed to swirl and shift around me. The metal walkways turned into rough timbers, the few flickering modern lights changing to ancient lanterns and torches.

Most disturbing was the sudden appearance of dozens of other creatures, thin and sickly looking ponies and zebras trudging their way up the spiral path harnessed to much cruder looking minecarts full of stone. My ears were filled with the sounds of their suffering, low moans and screams coming with the cracks of whips echoing up from the pit, the ringing of iron picks on the stone walls.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when a cackling voice spoke right beside me, flapping backwards in a panic at the sudden appearance of a crazed looking zebra mare speaking to me. "So you see great Shadowknight, soon we'll give Celestia a fright. Once we excavate the final rooms, your victory surely looms!"

"W-What!? Who!?! Where'd you come from!?"

I gave an undignified yelp as I scrambled back, stammering at the insane looking mare. She was elderly and thin, wearing rich purple robes and a lot of jingling silver zebra jewelry. Her disturbing blue and green eyes were lit by a wild looking grin stretching her oddly striped muzzle, the black bands thin and looping around her face in weird orbits.

(Fast! It's alright! Calm down!!) Vira's mental voice broke through the panic I felt, blowing away the illusion of the crazy zebra and the ancient tunnel like dust swirling in the air.

I glanced all around with my heart still pounding, finding all of it gone again like a bad dream. The green alicorn was standing over where I had fallen to my haunches, the only one to get close as my writhing shadow slowly stopped whipping around me. She looked worried, but relieved I was actually seeing her and not... all that again, leaning down to investigate cautiously.

"There was a sudden surge of dark magic around you Fast, what happened? What did you see..." Zed spoke up gruffly, his grey eyes narrowed and flicking in all directions as he trotted up.

"S-Sorry... I don't know what happened, all of the sudden I..."

"I saw it too, through your eyes. You scared me Fast, suddenly it was like you were somewhere else entirely! Who was that disturbing zebra that spoke to you?" Vira joined Zed in helping me up, her psychic abilities and Zed's senses at least confirming I hadn't had a total psychotic break with reality.

"I don't know, I've never seen that mare before in my..." I started to answer, then my mouth grumbled out the Shroud's voice in a wary, disturbed tone. "The witch... Come, mine prize is close."

My hooves started carrying me towards the spiraling catwalks at a trudge, then Zed's foreleg gripped my shoulder and spun me back to face him, his stern stare lit with a feverish intensity. "Yura!? You saw her!? She's still here!?!"

At my grim nod, Zed started rummaging in his saddlebags, pulling out the clay pots and weird fetishes from his bad juu-juu emergency kit in a rush. He jumped at Vira lightly touching his back with her wing as I turned back to the pit, the green alicorn speaking in a soft voice to his obvious distress. "I don't think she's still here in the way you seem to think. That was a memory... though a very powerful one. Something about this place made it come to life in Fast's mind, but it wasn't a ghost."

"T'was but an echo. Come." The Shroud's voice grumbled out of my muzzle again as I started down the slow slope, I was allowed to keep talking though, craning my head back to the still stunned looking zebra and shrugging. "If that was her, those ponies making the Museum of Witchcraft were waaaaay off the mark. That mare was a lot less cartoonishly evil and a lot more batshit insane. C'mon, I think it's ok Zed..."

My usually tough and unflappable zebra pall still looked spooked, the broad stripes of his face pale and a cold sweat on his brow, but he did come trotting up behind me. Honestly, I'd never seen Zed actually look so scared of anything... We'd been through all kinds of scrapes against powerful and scary foes before, but Zed never lost his cool.

Coming here to his evil ancestor's lair was really affecting him, but he still came to help me... I felt bad and wondered how much the witch Yura and her vile deeds so long ago had loomed in his mind, but also felt honored to have such a good friend and hoped we cold help each other through this. Maybe he could bury Yura and her legacy down in this awful pit and be done with her once we left.

'Be Strong!'

Vira closed her eyes and smiled as she and Nick caught up, while her employer looked out over the edge of the pit distrustfully and voiced a low whistle through his teeth that echoed creepily. "Some ancient zebra dame dug all this out a millenia ago? How?"

I had briefly wondered why we weren't just flying straight down if the Shroud was in such a goddess damned hurry to get his sword, but found out along with Nick's answer when everything shifted around me again. The ringing steel under my hooves turned to timbers again, the sights and smells of suffering ponies and zebras now much closer as I grit my teeth and tried to ignore the ghostly slaves toiling away in this hell.

We were walking because the Shroud walked this path once before, a stew of complicated emotions oozing off the dark mote in my head as things came back into focus and I caught the tail end of Zed replying. "....slavery. Creatures were taken by Yura by the hundreds, worked to death excavating Kremvh's bones. If I had to guess however, I'd say this pit was made by the meteorite's original passage. The chamber's walls are fused and scorched, see? Most of the work would have been at the bottom of this shaft once they reached it."

(Are you alright Fast? That is very disturbing when it happens...) Vira kept up her cheery outward appearance, but clicked her teeth when I shook my head and kept stalking down the path, her supportive concern added to all the foreign emotions already rattling around my brains.

(F-Fine... It's just really weird is all Vira. I mean, not just getting glimpses of the Shroud's memories, but dealing with feeling a bunch of stuff and not knowing why or what exactly. Something about being here is really setting him on edge, it's like being mad, but sad too and....)

(Ashamed.) Vira's short reply made me freeze a step, blinking back to the psychic alicorn as my hooves started moving us along again.

Was that it? Was the merciless, murderous spirit of destruction possessing me actually ...ashamed... of anything!?

Searching my and his feelings as we kept clopping slowly down into the dark, I realized Vira was right. It was shame I felt from the Shroud, though the source still eluded me awhile. I kept mulling it over as we walked, trying to commune with the uncooperative spirit and occassionally flicking an ear back to Clara, Zed and Nick nervously filling the silence.

We kept spiraling down into the dark that way for quite awhile, a small, roving spot of light from our pip-bucks casting our shadows up to the looming walls of the pit. The air wasn't just stale down here, it was dead.... Even with the miracle of alicorn biology, I felt the cold, clammy atmosphere creep into my bones with a shiver down my tail. The lower we went, the worse the disquieting feeling of being in a huge tomb took hold and the more I had frequent flashes of the past superimposing themselves on the present.

It wasn't until I saw the foals that I understood where the shame came from though... Another vision as we neared the bottom showed their haggard little faces in the torchlight of long ago, how beaten and broken they were, forced to labor down here so far from Celestia's sun until they were used up along with the other slaves. To my horror even that wasn't enough as I caught a brief glimpse of their reanimated corpses toiling away as we descended lower, the sight of the undead ponies and zebras enough to make me pause and clutch at my head to shut the vision out.

'....I-Ignore!... Witch's fault!...'

"Don't give me that dammit! You were part of this!?! You helped!? You worked with that evil bitch and... and... Slavery!? FOALS!?!" I screamed out into the pit and stamped my hooves, getting a yelp from NIck as the rickety catwalks shook under my crazed fury.

I absently felt Vira's soft wing on my back and saw the nervous glances of my friends my way, but I was focused almost entirely inward. For once my own anger dwarfed the Shroud's nearly limitless supply as I waited and fumed, refusing to budge one more inch toward his insane goals until I got a damned answer.

You broke Luna's rules! She hated slavery and you were part of it! She commanded you to never hurt a foal and you went along with this shit! WHY!?! Even as crazy as you are, you don't disobey her orders! So why!?

'....for Princess....'

What the hell are you going on about!? FOR her!? Luna, the real Luna... she wanted the exact fucking opposite! What kind of twisted mental gymnastics lets you say it was FOR her you freaking nutburger!?

"The stars will aid her escape..." The Shroud's voice finally answered out loud, the normally confident rumble now petulant and sad.

I tore at my mane and raged over the vague reply, interrupted from a truly spectacular tantrum by Vira's calming voice through Unity. (He would do anything to save her... Luna, Nightmare Moon... the spirit didn't care, he loved her Fast. Even corrupted and fallen, he knew better and did it anyway to save her. Doesn't that sound uncomfortably familiar?)

"That's not...!" I shouted back, then froze and slumped as any end to that sentence struck me like a ton of bricks.

It wasn't what? True? Fair? The same? It was all of those things though... The Shroud may have been corrupted by Nightmare Moon, but he was still under Luna's orders and he disobeyed, for her... Was that really any different than me doing things I knew both Jade and Glitter would hate for their sake? Was I any less willing to cross that line if it saved my daughter?

If it were her or Jade trapped in the moon for a thousand years, was there even a line at all? If it brought my little filly back to me, wasn't I perfectly willing to sell my soul to the Institute? Hadn't I already helped them with their twisted form of slavery back on Libertalia, all for the mere promise of saving Glitter?

Looking up to Vira's glistening green eyes shining in the dark beside me, I saw the alicorn mare was crying as she spoke in a soft whisper. "The things we do for love... Sometimes they're wonderful and warm, but sometimes they are awful as well Fast. I learned that much about my virtue on Fog Harbor too..."

Hearing Vira's small, pained voice, Nick Hearts n' Hooves trotted up to join us, tugging at his ratty tie nervously. "Er... I get the feeling us non-mutant members of this merry band are missing out on a few things here dollface. You doing alright up there Fast? You're not cracking up or anything, are ya pally?"

"P-Probably..." I croaked back, then sighed to myself and the sullen Shroud waiting on me.

Ok... Ok I get it. I'm sorry I yelled at you, alright?

'....Not mad?...'

Oh I'm mad alright, but... I understand. You did what you did because it was the only way you could see to help her. I guess I can't hold that against you when I... I'm doing the same damn thing... Let's just try not to repeat the past quite so closely from now on, ok?

'...Love... Want daughter... Miss Princess... Conquer enemies... Save... Protect...'

Right... So let's go get this stupid sword and get back to them. You paid a high enough price for the damn thing, it may as well do some good now. Come on partner...

At that I continued our quiet trudge down, feeling a thawing in my heart for the Shroud and the things he'd done. It was for love, so I could sympathize and knew he felt the same about me. My situation was like a second chance for the fallen spirit, so we were both struggling our way forward with the same goal. Neither of us could do anything about the poor choices of the past, but we could try not to repeat them.

I hoped I wouldn't repeat them... I really did.

When we reached the bottom of the pit, it quickly became obvious that we weren't the first visitors down here in the last 200 years.

It was a bowl shaped depression surrounded by a ring of cut stone floors, branching out from the main cavern into various rooms carved from the stone in traditional Roaman style, littered with fallen stones, wide cracks in the walls and floors, collapsed passages and more damage that must have happened when the bombs fell.

We spread out to look around as the visions directing me so far had backed off, perhaps driven by the Shroud's guilt that was for now somewhat assuaged. Doing so revealed the presence of a lot of modern equipment, including sets of work lights spread around the complex of Yura's temple. It only took following the power cables snaking around the room to find a fairly new looking console with a large power switch which sparked when I threw it, lighting the temple up in their harsh glow and revealing more details.

"Kremvh's bones... they're gone..." Zed's voice echoed from across the main chamber, drawing my eye to the zebra stallion peering over the edge of the hole in the floor and down to where the meteorite must have landed ages ago.

Trotting over to join him, I noticed several industrial digging machines arrayed around the pit like the Sanwich Borer's labeled examples further up the dig site, but these weren't rusting yellow hulks like those dead relics. Instead they were each painted a gleaming white, the crimson spread eagle pony emblem of the Institute stamped on each.

Stretching my neck to look over the ragged stone edge of the pit, I saw they had removed nearly all traces of the meteorite at some point in the past, leaving only a cavity with twisting tunnels stretching off into the dark and a pile of oddly colored rubble. I could only shrug to Zed's pensive stare beside me, patting his back as I spoke. "Starmetal's valuable, I guess they couldn't leave any trace behind. I just wonder how long ago they were down here."

"Not that long Shadow-pony, can smell plastic ponies all over." Clara looked up from snuffling her way around the chamber, her sensitive nose down to the uneven floor.

Vira and I joined her in doing the same, sniffing around to pick up the faint scent. We must have looked amusing with our heads down and rumps up in the air, as Nick chortled laughter and eyed us curiously. "You guys can actually sniff out synths like me? And here I thought I didn't need to shower that often anymore..."

"You smell mainly of your cigarettes Nick. Along with hints of booze and bullets... You may not sweat, but I'm sure Ellie would appreciate you cleaning yourself a little more frequently." Vira smirked back, getting a snort from her employer I was sure would come with a blush of his pale plastic cheeks if he could.

"It's not bad Nick, it makes it easier to keep track of you, it's your own personal scent, y'know? It's not like normal Gen 1s, they smell more like... hmmm... Kinda like that 'new-carriage' smell I guess. Clara's right, there have been synths working down here, not that long ago."

"My more simple-minded brothers don't seem to be the best miners though, lookie here." Nick paused in his own inspection of the chamber, pointing out a rough boulder that must have fallen from above and the green puddle of goo smashed under it.

"All the more reason to get out of here quick I guess, I don't want to get held up by the Institute popping in. So? Which way crazy, you're the guide here..."

I replied both to Nick and then the Shroud, tapping my hoof as the scenery around me shifted to what it looked like in the past. Fires burned in braziers instead of the work lights providing light and robed zebras ringed the pit that glowed with a dim green aura, chanting their weird prayers to Kremvh's bones.

There was a lot of activity around the place, the ringing sound of metal on metal led me towards a side chamber that was the forge, a large room with a huge stone furnace. A heavily muscled zebra stallion that reminded me of the weapon merchant in Neighlem pounded away at silvery metal bars heated to a cheery orange on the large anvil, slowly shaping the star metal they took from the meteorite into weapons far beyond mere kitchen knives.

The vision faded and I saw a cold and dead forge instead of the burning one from the past, the room littered with rusting tools and bones. That was where they made the sword then... but where did it end up? What happened?

Vira trotted at my side as my hooves started moving again, taking me from the crumbling entrance to the forge chamber on the eastern side of the room, over to a vaulted archway to the south that led down a long stone passage blocked with fallen rubble.

Clara padded over when called, ready to repay the Shroud and fulfill her job on this adventure. Her sharp claws cleared the stone blocking our path in no time flat, scrabbling away and sending a torrent of gravel and dirt between her hindlegs in a fan I sputtered and retreated from.

With the way clear, we made our way down a long, dark passage, ending at a large chamber with vaulted ceilings. Our pip-buck lights barely scratched at the gloom, but my horn lit with the blue flames of one of the Shroud's spells and dozens of torches and braziers blazed to life, lighting up what looked like an underground church.

There was a long aisle stretching away before us, framed by the broken remnants of stone pews carved from the living rock and covered by tattered scraps of ancient carpet woven with weird zebra designs. Pillars lined the sides of the chamber, carved from the stone as well and in the shapes of strange, creepy looking spirits, lots of tentacles, claws, beaks, fangs and way too many eyes seemed to be the common theme.

The pulpit itself at the end of the aise I started trotting down was a wreck, a large pile of rubble atop cracked stone floor. As I walked slowly towards it, I noticed the numerous piles of bones and armor scattered about, some smashed under the mound of stone I was heading towards, but most haphazardly strewn about. Many were contained in the rusting remnants of ancient Solar Guard armor, gold and steel plates, helmets with ratty feathered plumes, broken spears and swords...

As I looked it all over and tried to piece together the past, it came to life around me. The bones became ponies and zebras engaged in furious battle, the robed zebra cultists falling back from the door we entered in and towards the pulpit that was restored in my minds eye, the crazed witch Yura chanting before a huge cauldron of starmetal inscribed with squiggly runes, the pile of fresh pony and zebra corpses nearby speaking of terrible sacrifice involved in her foul ritual. She was reared up on her hindlegs behind a dark stone lecturn, the black book opened before her practically radiating evil that made her thin face look like a skull in a kind of... anti-light it seemed to put off. That had to be THE black book... and she was using it...

I froze and let it all wash over me, seeing Celestia's guards storming the chamber and engaging in the cultists trying to hold them back. Everything seemed to be shaking and I got the idea Celestia herself was part of the attack, the only creature I could think of with the power to make the stone under my hooves rumble. I wondered if she and the Shroud were fighting outside and I was seeing an echo of the past instead of his memories, maybe Zed's fears about this place being haunted or cursed were valid after all...

Yura's screeching chants reached a cresendo and drew my eye to her removing a gleaming sword hilt from the baleful light pouring out of her bubbling cauldron, the spell around her reaching its climax and the ancient torches flaring with bright green balefire. The shadows in the room grew darker even as the light pulsed and it seemed like the witch was having difficulty withdrawing the blade from her brew, but it was coming out inch by inch, a curved and twisted thing of gleaming silvery starmetal that made me shudder just looking at the spiky hilt as it came free.

Before the awful ritual was finished, a blur streaked down the aisle from the entrance and interrupted. I couldn't even tell it was a pegasus in ancient armor until he hit the cauldron hindlegs first with a ringing 'BONG!', knocking it from its stone pedestal in an explosion of wild magic that threw Yura and her necromantic book back and made the room shake even more.

He landed with an agile flip, snatching the barely glimpsed sword from the air and holding it protectively, determined to keep it away from Yura screeching from where she landed and the deep roar of the Shroud coming from the main chamber behind me. He was a light brown pegasus stallion, his darker brown and white mane sweaty from battle to reach this point and his armor bloodied. He had to be Bronze Star, the hero from the bedtime story I read Glitter... the buck who kept the Shroud's sword from rejoining its master...

He stood in a tense crouch with the hidden sword firmly pressed to his breastplate by one trembling foreleg, looking around wildly as the pulpit cracked and shook under him. His strong looking wings flapped and made to zip him away, but falling rubble from overhead smashed him out of the air. Yura yowled and scampered away with the black book held in her teeth as the whole altar was swallowed by a wide rift opening under his hooves, the boulders from the ceiling falling on top of it and burying the brave buck forever.

When the vision ended, I was staring at the same pile of rubble, undisturbed all these centuries later. Bronze Star paid a high price, but he stopped the Shroud from getting his sword and carried it to his grave, a silent tomb deep in the earth I pointed a shaking foreleg at as I voiced a hoarse whisper. "T-There..."

Clara padded forward at my direction, intertwining her claws and cracking them as she prepared to get to work. "This where Shadow-pony want digging? Hmm... big hole here..."

"Y-Yeah, there is. Be careful around it Clara, just try to open a way down for me and we'll see what's there. I'm not sure how far it goes, but a big crack opened up under all that crap."

Zed was trembling slightly as he approached behind Clara, pacing around the pile of rubble and eyeing the whole room warily. "Cursed... This was where it happened alright. While you work on retrieving your prize, I think I'll see about setting the spirits in this place to rest Fast. Will you be alright?"

"Fine Zed, go to town... I hope you can help undo whatever curse hangs over this place, even I can feel it."

I nodded as Zed started pulling out fetishes and potions from his saddlebags, wrinkling my nose at the bundle of incense in his teeth he lit from one of the burning braziers and started trotting about to spread the spicy smell. Nick lit a cigarette and paced the chamber aimlessly, practicing his detective skills by investigating each pile of bones and determining how they died.

Vira sat beside me on a segment of clear and unbroken pew, watching as Clara got to work digging the rubble clear much more carefully than she had opening the passage to this chamber. We sat in companiable silence awhile as I rubbed at my eyes wearily, ready for this to be over and done finally.

(You're sure this is the right thing to do Fast? Just being here gives me the willies... I'm begining to think your zebra friend is right and it really is cursed, all of it... Maybe we should leave this sword alone. A great deal of evil was done to create it, I've seen that much through your visions.) Vira's voice eventually spoke in my mind, her wide purple hat in her hooves being twisted nervously as she cast a worried glance down to me.

(He won't leave without it Vira... even if I wanted to. I can't do anything about the mistakes the Shroud made in creating this thing, but I can use it to try not to repeat them. Like you reminded me, I can't trust the Institute. I'd rather be in a position where I can take down their fake Celestia and force them into helping if it comes down to it. That means getting this sword, then getting back to Jade and... figuring out what to do together. I'm glad you'll be there to help though...)

Gaining a pretty blush and whinnying happily, Vira shimmied in her seat beside me and brightened considerably at that. (I'm glad I'm here too Fast! It makes me happy being able to help you, I've been enjoying our time together quite a bit!)

The Shroud was so focused on getting what he wanted, he didn't even freak out when Vira leaned down to nuzzle softly. Taking the opportunity to speak and act as just myself while the spirit was distracted, I took off my own fedora and turned to her seriously, stroking her cheek with my hoof and looking deep into those beautiful emerald eyes. She leaned into the contact and purred happily, her gaze growing soft and lidded, then surprised when I leaned forward and kissed her tenderly.

The kiss went on quite awhile, time seeming to slow down as we both closed our eyes and came together both physically and mentally. I could feel the warm, fluttery emotion in the green alicorn swell to bursting and broke it off, looking up to her blazing red face as her eyes slowly opened again and she touched her lips with wonder.

I peeked up at her from behind my ragged mane and smiled bashfully, glad to only get an excited mutter from the Shroud in my head. After being admonished by her, it seemed he was willing to stay out of this, allowing me to speak with my heart thudding as hard as Vira's was.

(Er... Me too Vira. That was just... umm... I really am glad you're here and helping. I know I can count on you and really appreciate it, I appreciate everything you've done and all you went through just to come find me too. Y-You're really a great filly and friend, so umm... Thanks...)

I was prepared for the hug that followed, though still surprised when she yanked me to her lap and squeezed giddily. Vira nuzzled my itchy mane and burbled away in my head, voicing giggling little snorts aloud as I was tossed back and forth in her grip. (You are welcome! I love love so much! This is such a wonderful feeling! It's even better than the romance stories my friend let me read!)

I had to chuckle at the idea of Vira reading ancient romance novels and wondered if she had the same tastes as Jade, hugging her back and just enjoying the moment as I thought of my wife and introducing the two alicorns. Somehow I thought Jade would approve of the new Vira and smiled, looking forward to finding out soon.

"Ahem..." Clara's amused bark made us both squeak and break apart in embarassment, looking up at the smirking hellhound dusting herself off beside a deep chasm in the earth. "All done Shadow-pony, you want see, or too busy trying to attract more love-bugs again?"

"R-Right! Sorry! T-Thanks Clara, let's take a look at what we got, huh Vira?"

I scampered up with Vira and cringed at Nick and Zed both pausing their wandering in the temple to chuckle at us, slinking over to the uncovered rift and peering over the edge. It was just wide enough for the full sized alicorn beside me to carefully flutter her way down I supposed, more than enough room for me. Squinting as I held my foreleg down over the edge, I could make out the reflective surface of still, deep water not far down and frowned as I put my hat back on.

"It's flooded, but that's where we need to go alright."

Smiling brightly, Vira tugged aside her pink silk scarf and withdrew the blue pearl necklace around her graceful neck. "Well then, it's lucky we have just the thing to go exploring underwater, isn't it! Eeeee! I've been wanting to try this in the water! I can't wait!"

Considering she held my hoof in hers and shook her magical necklace invitingly, I supposed Vira really was determined to go with me no matter where this adventure led. Nodding up to her, I took her slender hoof with both of mine and smiled back, happy she was with me all over again.

"Alright then, we're gonna go down and find this thing guys, together... Be right back!"

The others waved us off as the bright glow of Zao's Sequestrian artifact surrounded us, the weird sensation of being fundamentally changed taking hold in the brilliant flash of light.

Turning into a seapony was a stranger experience than I thought it would be...

Overall it was a lot more pleasant than the last time my body had been so radically altered anyway, compared to a week of suffering while turning into an alicorn, it was quick and painless. Perhaps that's what made it weirder for me, I felt it as my old unicorn body was broken down and reformed cell by cell, coming uncomfortably close to dying more than once, this time it was just 'poof!' and over.

The first thing that struck me was the lack of hindlegs, though it wasn't like they had been suddenly cut off either, I could still feel them, they were simply part of my elongated and sinuous body, melded with my tail which reliably flicked and flapped when I thought of it. I still felt whole and healthy, but it was definitely weird...

The second thing that came to mind was how dry everything suddenly felt, Yura's temple had been uncomfortably damp and chilly, but suddenly it was like being in the Saddle Arabian desert, a dry heat that made my fur... scales... itch. The sensation made the still water down the chasm Vira and I flopped before look extremely inviting anyway, though I couldn't help goggling at my reflection before jumping in.

My Shrouded Stallion armor had magically resized itself to fit my new frame without any real alterations, the wings that poked from the back now frilly fins instead of feathered appendages. A horn still poked from my fedora and I was basically the same from the front half forward other than that though, it was just a very odd image.

Vira enjoyed the experience as much as the first time anyway, slapping her tail against the stone floor impatiently while the others paused to look us over too. She wiggled and giggled to herself, taking advantage of the same reflection I was to pose fetchingly and flutter her diaphonous wings happily, clearly impatient to try swimming, but unwilling to break the surface first.

"Well, soonest begun, soonest done I guess. Let's go Vira. Cannonball!" I hopped over the edge with a shrug and broke the spell, careening down the pit to the freezing water below curled into a tight S shape.

My wings reflexively tried guiding my fall and I swore they had some impact, the magic that made pony flight possible still in some effect apparently. The fins weren't nearly as good at catching air as feathers though, fluttering madly until I splashed down and sank. I expected more of a shock considering how cold the water must be this deep in the dark, but it was more or less like a pleasant pond on a warm summer day, enough of a shock to still get a gasp from me, which did immediately prove out the ability to breathe water anyway.

My long tail waved automatically behind me, keeping me in place as I tried to breathe slowly and get used to the experience. I was just getting the hang of it when a large green shape splashed down right beside me, displacing enough water to send me spinning away in a rush of bubbbles as Vira dove down and spun gracefully, taking to the whole thing like a fish to water.

I could hear her still giggling merrily in my head, glad it was a psychic alicorn with me and we could still talk underwater. It wasn't like we could speak normally or anything, right? (Oh this is wonderful Fast! I wish my friends on Fog Harbor could see me now! So much of their lives revolved around the sea, they would be amazed!)

(Maybe we can go visit them someday Vira, I'd really like to see the place and meet Mr. Cane after all. It's umm... something to look forward to, right?)

She surprised me by doing a giddy flip in the water, swishing her tail and beaming as she settled back to an upright position beside me floundering to get my balance. (Oh yes! I would love to take you Fast! I promised to come back already and they all want to meet you!)

Blinking at her wide grin, I could feel my cheeks heat up in the cold water as I thought over what she said. (Er... how many ponies did you tell about me Vira?)

(Hmmm... most everyone I suppose!)

(And what exactly did you tell them....?)

(That you were a very nice stallion who helped me that I wished to return to, so I could learn about love and mate with you!)

Cringing at her honest and shameless answer, I facehoofed and sighed, blowing a stream of bubbles in the water. I did want to see Fog Harbor after all her stories, but now I wondered if I could ever bring myself to step hoof on the island... Well, at least I was looking to the future with something like anticipation again, so I supposed that was something. I had no idea how I'd get there, but I realized part of me had started to believe there'd be a day where I could do something like visiting the mysterious island with the green alicorn, that I could even do so as something like an old world vacation with my whole family as silly as it sounded.

It had probably started when Zed told me that Glitter was still alive, but I realized having Vira around had helped me start thinking that corny, simple things like that might be possible. That there could be a future where I wasn't an insane monster or constantly fighting, that maybe there was a happy ending somewhere out there... She was an infectious optimist and it was refreshing.

She was also blushing brightly in the gloom, reminding me yet again, she can hear you thinking dummy... Before I could say anything more, she spun and swished around me in the water, doing a tight corkscrew that left me spinning until she dove down, flipped, and shot straight back up to grab me by the shoulders to stop me, planting a very wet kiss on my dazed face.

(It is as you say, a date. I look forward to that day very much Fast, I'm sure it will come, somehow. Now, should we get started down the path to reach it, or would you rather float around aimlessly awhile longer?) Vira's voice giggled in my mind as she broke off, raising an eyebrow and smirking over my goofy look back.

'....Want sword.... Want filly!... Nnn... Want both!....'

The Shroud's voice interrupted the moment and I chuckled nervously, scratching my mane as it floated around me in a cloud and shuffling in place a moment. (M-Maybe some other time, huh? For now, let's get to business before they start wondering if we drowned down here. I'm guessing down is the way to go, so let's check it out Vira. Er.. you lead the way, you're a lot better at this than I am...)

I could feel the pride flowing off Vira as she nodded and took off like a shot, her pip-buck light illuminating the rocky, winding chasm as it went down. She always seemed a little clumsy on land, but apparently was pretty damn graceful in the water, leaving me floundering behind her as I got used to the weird experience and swam after her.

The flooded passage continued down lower than I would have thought, eventually opening out into a larger underwater cavern that branched off in multiple directions. We must be all the way down in the water table by this point, part of a system of aquafiers that supplied water to the Commonwealth. I made sure to keep track of exactly where we came down from and tried not to deviate from keeping the passage above us, worried about getting lost down here more than what we were searching for.

It took longer than I thought it would, but eventually we reached the bottom, finding a large pile of rubble that had fallen down from the temple above. I could spot Yura's starmetal cauldron still gleaming mellowly in the dark from near the bottom of the pile, reflecting our pip-buck lights back without a sign of corrosion whatsoever, even after resting down here underwater for 1200 years.

It proved we had the right place, though I wished Clara had come along with us on swimming around the pile in a slow circuit, hoping for the sword to be conveniently resting right on top. Alicorn telekinesis would have to suffice however, Vira and I's horns lit up the gloom with emerald and blue magic, turning the murky water a brilliant turquoise as we tugged and shifted the boulders aside.

Excavating the pile stone by stone took more time and clouded the water with fine silt as we shifted things around, but eventually things settled out and we could see beneath it all. At the bottom was a small pocket and inside this hole was the remains of Bronze Star, his golden Solar Guard armor still shining and mostly undamaged. Clutched in his skeletal hooves was what we were here for, the Shroud's sword...

I drifted close and stared into the brave soldiers helmeted skull, offering a prayer to the real goddess he once served and feeling trepidation as I reached for the Shroud's prize. For a moment I worried the skeleton would come to life, still loyally guarding the weapon he'd given his all to keep from the Shroud... from my hooves...

I couldn't sit here all day however, so gently, carefully and a little fearfully, I took hold of the immaculate dark leather wrapped mouth grip and tugged, shifting the poor old pony in his grave as little as I could as I withdrew the sword from the pile of stone.

As soon as it was free and gleaming in my mouth, I could feel power thrumming through me and gulped. It was like holding on to a bolt of lightning... the wickedly curved blade seemed to vibrate in my grip and was wreathed in oily blackness that rippled like flames, getting a beep from my pip-buck I looked over to distract myself as the Shroud gave a victorious roar.

Inventory Updated flashed in my vision, a quick check of the item sorting function revealed a new entry under the weapons tab labeled simply 'Bloodmoon - Kremvh's Tooth' and assigned an astronomically high value in both caps and damage. Actually, the arcano-tech computer on my hoof seemed to have a hard time recognizing its potential, listing its damage as 999 as if that was just as high as it could measure, a concept that made me even more accutely aware of the dangerous thing I now held like a chimera by the tail...

Even the voices of the Ministry Mares in my head seemed to quail at the Shroud's happy shout, the spirit now at full strength again after being reunited with both the piece of itself that had infected Zigguraut Carrot in Parsnip's Asylum and now his legendary weapon. The cavern around us felt like it shook as the Shroud gleefully swung his weapon around in a few practice swings, the water looking to boil around the burning blade flashing out in wicked arcs.

'...MINE!... Finally!... Mine again!... Now... Betrayer... Kill... Destroy... Conquer!...'

E-Easy big guy... let's not go too nuts here, this is a means to an end, remember? Don't forget what all you did to even get this damn goddess slayer, alright? A lot of ponies and zebras paid a high price because you were greedy and crazy, we're not going that route again, right?

I could feel a petulant sigh answer as I reminded the spirit of his mistakes, but it did seem to rein him in again. The sword stopped burning with black flames and was reluctantly sheathed in the loop of leather on my bandolier, replacing my faithful kitchen knife Best Served, which was stashed away in my saddlebags.

The movement let me look over the blade more closely as it was put away, taking in details that had been hard to make out in the Shroud's triumph. It was longer than my foreleg and curved like the crescent moon. Strangely it looked like it was first one kind of blade, like Witchy's Lunar Guard sword, overlaid with another sword of twisted, spiky starmetal that held the first's shape.

I'd read that the witch Yura had promised to make the Shroud's spirit blade into something less ethereal and more dangerous, so it was strange to see the finished product and I better understood the dual name my pip-buck provided. It looked like molten starmetal had been poured haphazardly over the original sword, snaking around it and forming wicked, jagged spikes and sharp edges, then etched with squiggly zebra runes that glowed a faint green.

Overall it looked plain old dangerous and warped, like the spirit itself... But we had what we came for anyway, finally... I could return to Jade and Glitter, it was time to get moving.

When we broke the surface of the water again, we both grinned at our success and held hooves again, allowing Vira to brush the Sequestrian pearl and change us back. It suddenly became a lot harder to maintain our position and I remembered I wasn't all that strong of a swimmer, doggie paddling madly until my wet wings took over and lifted me up.

It was half flying and half climbing up the narrow rift in the earth, but we made our way to the exit together, flopping over the ragged edge and calling to our friends with a smile that quickly faded. Sprawled out on the stone floor with Vira, I barely had time to recognize there were a lot more than just Clara, Nick and Zed in the temple now, E.F.S. lit with a horde of dashes that wavered between red and green. The room was full of black and white, but they weren't zebras...

Changelings and synths!? Together!? Dozens of them were waiting for us, all arrayed around the pit we had crawled out of. I barely caught sight of the others by their muffled shouts, our friends were each muzzled and held to the floor by a viscous green goop, struggling madly to warn us but unable to do anything.

My wings flared and I made to take off with the Shroud's fury blazing brightly, then crashed back to the ground as I felt the horrible sensation of being fed on again. A throng of red accented changelings were ready and waiting for me, slurping at the cloud of red tinged magic that drained away even the rage that had threatened to take over when Vira crashed beside me, losing wisps of pink love-stuff to the classic variety of hideous insects.

The synths all held their weapons on us passively, while more changelings trotted forward and spit green goop at us, glueing our hooves to the floor and splattering our horns. I didn't have much strength to move to begin with, but the gunk made sure I couldn't budge an inch. Even my magic fizzled out with a sickly bubble of glop, leaving us helpless as a slow set of clopping hoofsteps approached.

"My, my, that wasn't so hard. Good job everyone. So, this is the one Klein's so interested in, pleasure to meet you Mr. Times..." I snorted at the set of griffon-like claws and hooves stopping before my chin on the cold floor, then just gaped when I got a good look at our captor.

It was... I wasn't even sure how to describe it... The first thing that popped to mind was the Shroud's shout of '...Chimera!...' but even that wasn't quite right...

It was a stallion, I worked out that much by his deep voice and the square, green and striped face of a zony looking down at me with amusement. A horn sprouted from his spiky neon green and black mane, though it was a shiny black, chitinous, curved thing like a changeling's instead of a proper unicorn's horn. His yellow eyes were slitted like a dragon's, though not drawn down in a scowl or very aggressive, more curious and entertained by me struggling to get up to rip his throat out.

His forelegs ended at the griffon-like claws he idly polished on his chest, though they weren't scaly and hard like Val's, but furry and more mobile. Down his slightly humped back back was a wide strip of shiny green scales, passing a pair of leathery dragon wings on the way to a long, whipping tail that ended with a wild fluff of black and green hair. His body and hindlegs looked essentially pony however, medium green fur striped with darker horizontal bands I was now able to recognize as Propoli, what Zed described as the tribe of tinkerers. He also had a cutie-mark on his flank, though the artistic style of the image leaned a little towards zebra glyph-marks, a vibrant green snake in a circle, eating its own tail.

The Shroud's initial reaction seemed like the best explanation I could come up with, it was like some kind of pony-zebra-changeling-griffon-dragon-otherstuff hybrid... The face was familiar however, though it and the voice had aged to adulthood from the scrawny synth I met in the Haunted Highschool...

"Oro Borous...?"

The... thing... grinned at his name, shaking his head and replying in a friendly tone. "I haven't gone by that name in ages, though it's nice to hear it again. Klein said you messed with our little playpen, so I suppose you met my younger self. Well, proper introductions are still important, even if you have me at a disadvantage. Professor Swirl, at your service."

"W-Who... What are you..." Vira groaned beside me, trying to raise her head and flopping back to the stone as the changeling's feeding on her increased the suction.

Pacing before us amiably, Oro... Professor Swirl paused in front of Vira and held one of those weird claws out like he wanted to shake hooves, gently taking her goop covered foreleg and giving it a little wiggle. "So sorry about this dear, terrible first impression I'm sure, though at least you're not the Princess we expected. I hope this form isn't too off-putting, it's my latest model. Not the most attractive I know, but it does have a variety of perks."

At that, his curved changeling horn glowed green, the swarm of bugs in the room shifting and buzzing about at his direction. It seemed the Institute Head of Reverse Engineering had been reverse engineering different creatures.. building a better synth body one piece at a time...

"Nnnngh! What do you want Swirl!? What is this!? Lemme go!"

Turning back to blink down at my furious snarls, Swirl shook his head and shrugged helplessly. "I get the feeling that wouldn't be a very good idea, would it Mr. Times? Or should I address the Shrouded Stallion directly? Klein wasn't very clear on the situation, only that you had a rein on Project Knightfall. Fascinating really, I have oodles of questions! This seemed the safest way to meet you, and I'm to keep you occupied awhile yet."

"Occupied!? What the hell are you going on about!? I thought we had a deal, Klein said..."

"Oh we do, but it wouldn't do for you to blow the whole arrangement before you even take your post as our new Head of Public Relations, would it? Our concern was you may do something... rash... so this seemed the best compromise for now. I assure you, I have no interest in harming you or your companions. We can simply have a friendly chat while things on the surface resolve themselves." Swirl bowed his head and shrugged, sounding like he really was embarassed over the situation.

(Fast, they came from a teleporter in the main chamber when we left! Nick says they went to great pains to capture them alive...) Vira gave a meaningful glance from where she lay trapped, communicating silently with the only other pony member of our party.

Looking up to the muffled "MMMNNN!" of Zed fighting his own bonds, I saw my zebra pal's grey eyes were frantic. He couldn't talk, but we knew each other well enough we had our own kind of psychic link, enough for me to focus on Swirl's words and think desperately.

"What do you mean, what's going on up on the surface? Why are you keeping us here!?"

Sitting before us and curling his long tail around his legs, Swirl sighed patiently. "Do try to stay calm, I don't want to have to make my changeling minions increase the drain on you too much, it can be harmful. Amazing creatures actually, do you know they developed bio-technology rivaling our own prewar standards? Incredible right! I've been breeding them for generations now, I'm afraid my experiments have left them a little too feral to be effective at more than being simple guard dogs, but they still have so much to teach us. I've even heard of some fascinating experiments regarding them in certain Stables... how I wish we could recover the data! I've yet to crack their shape-shifting ability completely, but we're making fine progress. Someday our synths will be able to infiltrate wherever we wish, without having to build a model specific to the creature being replaced!"

"Who gives a fuck about your pet ant farm dammit!! ANSWER ME!"

"Very well... We knew you were coming here, your spirit's goals are rather easy to figure out after all. Of course he'd go for his sword. Going for it ourselves was deemed a waste of resources since it would only respond to its master, but now that you've done the heavy lifting for me, I hope you don't mind if I take a look while I explain, hmm?" Swirl shrugged and gently tugged the Shroud's sword from my bandolier, floating it to his claws and eyeing it appreciatively as he continued.

"Astounding, truly astounding... I'd love to study this at some later date if you don't mind, so little is truly understood about enchanted starmetal forging, let along the melding with an astral weapon... It's up to you of course, I'll reluctantly return it as soon as we're done here. You see, we didn't interfere in allowing you to retrieve it, and have no plans to take it from you either. We simply wanted you out of the way for a bit and to have this chat."

"Fast, I can't... r-read his mind very well, he's a zony.. I can tell he's being evasive and thinking something about... Neighlem?" Vira panted and strained beside me, glaring daggers at the weird thing Swirl had turned himself into.

It might be a mish-mash of body parts, but the brain was originally a zony, so I supposed that much hadn't changed if Vira could read him at all. I saw Swirl wince at her psychic investigation, shuffling with an 'aw-shucks' look on his creepy face. "Ah... one of the green ones, that's right. I expected a blue... Well, I suppose there's no use hiding it then. That's the reason to keep you from doing anything foalish, besides our so far pleasant chat. You see Mr. Times, we need Neighlem's port..."

"Neighlem... You're moving on Neighlem!? Batia and your games there, you're going to try to take over!?" I roared and struggled up to my hooves, then swayed as the swarm of red accented changelings screeched and increased that awful draining sensation.

Zed shook with fury and strained to get loose with more muffled shouts, but Swirl barely gave the raging zebra a second glance, pacing the temple with his blank faced synth guards keeping their weapons trained on us. "They're not affiliated with your Kingdom of Sanctuary, now are they? That makes them fair game under the terms of our truce. We were going to wait until you had left the area, but things in Neighlem are moving more rapidly than anticipated. A result of your little visit I imagine... I had hoped to be done before you finished your quest down here, so merely instructed my hive to keep you occupied. I didn't expect you to take a shortcut below however, so had to make do. It will all be over soon with minimal loss of life I assure you. They may be a bunch of traitorous enemies to Equestria, but there's no reason to be cruel."

"Traitorous... the war is over you lunatic! They're just people! You can't!"

"Enemies mass on our borders and you say we're not at war? You're being a bit naive Mr. Times... We require the port and a base of operations in the area. Besides, I've been waiting to take that stealth sub apart for ages. Those zebras have grown fat and sassy on Equestrian shores long enough! Under the protection of the very ship that tried to annhilate us no less! They need to be reminded who rules this land, Princess Celestia!" Swirl stamped his claws and hooves with a crazed shout, a little of his own brand of madness leaking out.

"Leave poor Captain Zao alone! He just wants to go home!" Vira managed to raise her head again to shout shrilly, concerned for the new friend we'd just made who was apparently on the Institute's chopping block and continuing in a weak psychic aside. (Be careful, he's very unstable... his mind has been altered somehow...)

"You're crazy..."

He was still suffering from Grandpa's hacking... I could tell he wasn't quite in touch with reality, though he was better than Dala had been. Swirl obviously grasped that the world beyond the Commonwealth existed, but had bought into their own fantasy of their Synthlestia monstrosity as the real Princess of Equestria. He seemed almost fanatical in his devotion to Equestria of old, willing to bring the hammer down on his own old home and the zebras living there.

His expression grew sour at being called out, but he shook it off and smiled grimly. "I'm... having a few issues lately, but getting better every day thanks to Klein. He's a very fine stallion Mr. Times, you should accept his help as I have, he made me who I am today."

Glaring at his weird, twisted form, I snorted back, "A monster?"

"Oh out of the two of us, I think you fit that desciption better, don't you? After all, I can slip on a more standard body like a pair of comfy shoes, but you'll still be possessed. Klein is still willing to work with you however, to deliver on his promises..." Professor Swirl answered with a huff and implied threat, getting a low growl out of me still struggling at his hooves.

Rolling a burning eye over, I caught Vira's calm green gaze and snarled back, repeating the green alicorn's warning to me. "You assholes don't deliver, ever... You use people, just like Klein used you when you were a kid. I saw Swirl, I met Oro, who you used to be... He had the sense to be ashamed of what he'd done, but you drank the cider, you actually believe your bullshit, don't you? You're going to hurt those zebras, when you used to freaking live there! They're your people too!"

Swirl grew frantic when I scraped away his veneer of sanity, shouting back with his long tail whipping behind him angrily. "My people are loyal Equestrians! I don't take after my striped mother's side of the family, I'm a proper pony dammit! We're going to restore Celestia's kingdom, put things back they way they should be!"

"Yeah, you really look like a proper pony alright... You hate yourself so much, you turned yourself into this thing, you're willing to make your own people suffer, all for Klein and his lies. This isn't right Swirl, you know it..."

"All you have to do is relax Mr. Times, it will be over soon and you'll be on your way, sword in hoof. Isn't that what you wanted? Return to your Princess, speak with Klein and accept his assistance with your daughter. That's a problem I'm eager to work with you on, I'm sure we can save the unique model. What happens to Neighlem is none of your concern, it's merely a change in management. If you're going to work in Public Relations, you need to get used to such actions. I'm simply taking up the slack for Vega since this is my territory, but I'm eager to hoof it off to you in the future. I'm sure you can find a better way, but nozebra will be harmed if they cooperate..." Grinning cheerily, Swirl let the insults slide off his scaly back and returned his attention to the spiky sword in his hooves, tapping at his own sleek black Institute pip-buck as he examined it and shut me down.

He had a point... The Shroud had what he wanted and was willing to return to Jade's side, I could just leave and go home to Glitter, save her with Klein's help and... and what mattered more than that? If I was working with the Institute, maybe he was right. Maybe I could do what they wanted without anycreature getting hurt. I was sure Jade could find a way at least... We could use them to do some good and make sure the suffering was kept to a minimum.

(That's just what I thought Fast... that I could use the Church of Balefire to help my kind, that a little suffering was an acceptable price to pay... Don't fall into the trap I did, please!) Vira's voice pleaded in my head and I snapped out of the fantasy, looking to her shimmering eyes next to me.

I kept seeing those visions from our trip down the pit, the slavery and torment the zebras and ponies of long ago suffered because of the Shroud. He owed a debt... Looking up to Zed's pleading stare from across the chamber, I realized I owed my own too... I thought of his aunt Pandora, of the snotty but not so bad Xia, of the zebra colt who actually spoke to me on the beach and poor old Captain Zao just wanting to return to Zebrica... Most of the zebras living there treated me like some kind of demon, but that didn't make them bad people, they didn't deserve to suffer like the slaves that died in this hole had so long ago.

I wasn't going to repeat the past dammit...

I was going to atone, the Shroud was going to atone for what he did...

We were going to be better.

The more I thought and focused on it, the more the ember of righteous fury was stoked in my heart, gaining me a little strength. I noticed the red accented changelings feeding on me were starting to look a little full and poured it on, gritting my teeth as I stood and spoke directly to the spirit in my head.

That's it, get pissed buddy.. Let it all out. These guys are gonna hurt those zebras! Are you gonna just sit around and let it happen again!?

'...No...'

Are we gonna do something about it then!?

'...Yes!...'

Make up for our mistakes?!

'...Yes!...'

Be a hero!?

'...YES!...'

'Be Kind... Be Strong!... Be Unwavering!... Awareness!... Be Awesome!'

The bugs cheeks were puffing out and their stomachs distended as I got my hooves under me and strained against the goop keeping me in place, psyching myself and the spirit up enough to gorge the nasty pests. The rising song of the Ministry Mares gave me the energy to fight back, but it was the red rage lurking under them that was overwhelming the anger eating bugs. Black lightning started flickering around me as Swirl finally tore his attention away from the sword when it started jittering in his claws, gaping at me pulling free of the goo that was starting to char and flake away.

That's right! We're gonna get loose and we're gonna kick ass! Right!? Feel free to go completely fucking nuts! Destroy everything! Kill these bastards and let's go!

'...Kill... Destroy!... Conquer!... YES!...'

"W-What are you doing!? Hold him down dammit! Don't let him..." Swirl tried to shout, but it was too late, the sword in his grip burst into black flames, scorching his claws and floating free as the crud on my horn burned away.

Pulling myself free and floating the sword to my side, it felt like I was burning... The changelings were still trying, but several of them simply keeled over with their bulging stomachs bursting when they hit the stone floor. They'd taken all the rage they could, but it was just a drop in the bucket compared to what the Shroud had on tap. I could feel it lighting my nerves on fire, my blood boiling in my veins as I stalked forward with a predatory grin at all the synths and changelings moving to defend their master.

"Greetings Evildoers.... I will be imprisoned by no creature again vile miscreant. Death has come for you all, and I am its Shroud!"

Taking Kremvh's Tooth in my mouth, I flapped up so Zed and the others weren't in the line of fire, then swung the blade in a vicious arc, sending a crescent of black magic whistling out to slice through half a dozen of Swirl's defenders. The bizarre chimera-zony was splashed with green goop from both the changelings and synths that had been obliterated, wiping his face to glare at me and shout. "Stop this! You can't do anything, you'll just get in the way! If you interfere, I can't guarantee Klein will honor his deal to help you!"

"If Klein wants to piss me off more when I do show up, that's his business. I'm crazy, remember? I am coming though..."

I growled back from midair as the synth's Institute made M.E.W.s hummed and took aim, then the swirl of inky black magic at my horn extinguished every torch and brazier in the temple I had lit earlier, bathing the chamber in a deep blackness that was soon lit with blue beams of magic and flames. The echoing cavern was filled with screeches of changelings and warbling squawks of synths being torn to shreds by the ringing noise of the Shroud's sword slicing them to ribbons and my own snarls.

It was a frenzy of destruction I was only partially aware of, standing aside in my mind to let the spirit stretch his wings and really go to town. I could feel his dark joy at being pointed in a direction and let go, free to annhilate everything in his path, but for a good cause. Now that he had his blade back, I got a better idea just what a master swordspony the Shroud was, feeling my body zipping around the cavern with unnatural grace, the crackling sword a flashing glimmer in the dark.

I swooped and dodged with the long blade in my teeth, never floating it in my telekinesis and thus never giving away its position in the blue glow. I took damage from a few random blasts of magic, but my stride never slowed and on one occassion I was shocked to see the blue beam from an lucky synth parried aside, reflected away from the shining blade to scorch a blind changeling buzzing up near the ceiling.

I wasn't even sure how he could do such a good job of it as I observed, alicorn night vision only amplified available light, but this was like being part of the shadows themselves. I could see every enemy being cut down in perfect detail, the rampage finally ending when Swirl's chimera-synth was skewered by the long blade.

He melted under me like all the other synths, a look of shock and surprise frozen on his weird features before they dissolved. Then it was all over, I reconnected with my own body as another flicker of magic relit the torches and showed my friends turning stunned gazes around the charnel house Yura's temple had turned into.

I trotted over to Vira first, carefully using a warm glow of flame magic to scorch away the changeling goop holding her down without harming the alicorn filly and wincing at her wide eyed blink as she spoke. "Fast... are you.. are you you? That was..."

"Er... yeah, that's what happens when I let him off the chain. Sorry you had to see it Vira, I umm.. I hope you're not scared of me now..."

She lunged up as soon as the secreted goo had dried and broken away, hugging me fiercely and shivering. "Of course not! I was worried when I felt the spirit take control, but I feel it's still you now. You did what you had to, to help others.. right?"

Turning to Zed's muffled grunts and moving to free him next, I nodded to Vira and him both. "Right, we gotta go now, I don't know what they're up to, but we're not gonna let them hurt Neighlem!"

Zed gasped when his muzzle was freed, ripping his legs loose of the goop in a rush. "No, we cannot allow them free reign back home. Thank you Fast... You may have sacrificed much to help my people, I'm in your debt."

Sighing as he gave a low bow while I moved on to Nick and Clara, I shook my head sadly. "It's the other way around Zed. I owe you a lot, I'm... We're just trying to do the right thing and make up for mistakes we've made. It's what Glitter would want..."

Nick lit a cigarette as soon as his own plastic face was free of crud, raising a brow over his strange yellow on black eyes as he surveyed the destruction and spoke in a firm, practical tone. "We better get movin' if we don't wanna miss the show there pally, it's a long trek back and I don't think the rest of that kook's bugs are gonna be too happy about you putting that shell down for the old dirt nap."

"You told Vira they came here in a teleporter, right Nick? If they're messing with Neighlem, I'm willing to bet there's a relay in town somewhere, we're taking a shortcut." I grunted back as I freed Clara last, fluttering up to scratch at her laid back ear and bow to the hellhound. "Clara... I'm sorry you had to go through all this, but I'm not gonna ask you to stick with us. You've got Jewel to think about, so once we're clear you go on back to Lynn Woods."

"Debt paid to Shadow-pony? You save pup, I can still help if want... Only do a little digging is all..." Clara's hindleg thumped happily and her tail wagged, but she looked at me dubiously.

Smiling to the noble hellhound, I tipped my fedora and nodded firmly. "Your debt is more than paid Clara, but I've still got a lot in my own books to atone for. I'm going to start though... thanks for all your help."

"He won't be doing so alone either Miss Clara, so don't you worry. Are you ready Fast?" Vira smiled brightly, breaking the grim mood with her warm optimism as we all gathered up around the big alicorn.

Shifting the darkly thrumming sword at my hip, I nodded again and trotted for the exit with a steady, determined stride. "More than ready to try something new instead of the same old mistakes. Let's go!"

At that we galloped off together, making a very odd herd, but one I felt true camraderie with. I missed my old friends and family like Val, Witchy, Jade and Glitter, but knew they'd be right at my side in this situation and would understand what I chose to do now.

It was time to put aside my own selfishness, to do what Jade would want instead of what she'd hate, to help folks who needed it and stand up for what was right no matter the cost.

To be a hero again...

----------------Level Up!----------------

New Perk Added!----------

Big Leagues----
---Swing for the fences! You now dow +25% damage with all melee weapons, have an increased chance to cripple or disarm opponents, and a chance to grand slam their head clean off!

Ch. 1- (Prologue) The Icebox

"Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria..."

---------------------------

The barely audible hum of the accent lighting in the walls coming up to daytime levels brought me out of the last wisps of sleep I was stubbornly clinging to, back to another day in Stable 111, Shift 3. Most ponies wouldn't even notice that slight hum as the automated lights went through their cycle of day and night. They kept all us Stable dwellers sane and on a 24 hour schedule and most would get another hour or two of sleep. But their maintenance was part of my duties so I heard them, every day...at 5:35 in the morning to the second. Assured yet again the ones in my room were working anyway, I stared at the ceiling and let the rest of my faculties get up to speed.

I was muddily going over what was on the to do list for today when the realization hit me, like a foal on Hearth's Warming day. It was Shift Change Day, that brought a small smile and sense of anticipation. Shift Change Day was always pleasant with the party and all the once a year extra work and change in routine. It was a small window to talk with different ponies from the incoming shift, a bit like the last day of school back before the war.

My good mood was momentarily soured at that. Remembering the world above before all the stupid fighting, before burying ourselves in this hole in the ground, before the war. The sad reminder aside, Shift Change day really was quite a lot like what I remembered of that sweet, final day of classes of Ms. Patience's' 1st grade, the last I attended above ground. The excitement in the air was present just the same.

Reminded of the world above I wondered idly what it was like now. Was my house still there? my room? my Shrouded Stallion action figure? (it still killed me it got left behind when the alarms went off). Were there ponies up there at all anymore, or had the balefire wiped the map clean? If there were other ponies up there, what were they like? All pointless questions really, it had been 12 years since the bombs fell and the world ended. Well 12 years for me anyway, 120 or so for whatever was still up there.

Being one of the maintenance ponies who helped keep it all running and growing up safe behind the great, gear door of Stable 111, I had to give it to Stable-Tec. This place had kept more than a thousand of us alive and even comfortable more than 120 years since the end. The methods were unorthodox and some annoyed me personally, but it had basically worked. Our "social experiment" goal in this stable had kept us in good shape.

Keeping one hundred or so ponies safe, supplied and secure, while the other 90% slept down in the Icebox, was a lot easier than trying to cram us all together down here awake and using resources. After today I'd be down in the fridge myself for the 13th time. When I woke up again, it would be 130 years since that desperate run from our beautiful old home, to our dingy grey current one.

Finally I stretched and groaned, rolled over and put my hooves down on the cold steel floor, dashing for the bathroom to get ready for the day. Usually I'd be lazy for awhile, or get up slowly and use my free time before work on the rec room terminals while nopony was there, but Shift Change day was special. As I stood in the shower letting the water rush over my charcoal black fur, using my magic to scrub the winged clock over a sword and shield cutie mark, I went over my revised to do list for the day.

I could get most of my actual work out of the way while everypony else was still waking up, so I should be able to enjoy most of the day. I quickly finished up getting dried and groomed, shrugging into my light blue Stable barding, eyeing the yellow trim and 111 across the back. Still fairly bright yellow, not yellow green, more than clean enough. I spared a short glance at the red eyes in the mirror, one partially hidden by straight, grey mane.

"Good enough," I grunted and left my room, heading for the atrium and the diner beyond.

When I reached the heart of the Stable, the out of the ordinary activity even this early reinforced that today was special. Usually I'd only see a pony or two from the night crew, or the rare early riser other than myself and the earth pony mare smiling behind the counter of the Stable's diner.

"Fast Times, g'mornin kiddo, Happy Shift Change! The usual, or going to be adventurous for the occasion?" the light green mare chuckled under her frizzy, graying dark-green mane, barely restrained by her mane-net.

"Happy Shift Change Mrs. Ladle" I replied, levitating a still cooling muffin from the tray behind her and a coffee mug from the counter, "Just the usual please, don't think my heart can take switching from apple muffin to oat on top of everything else today."

The kindly mare who had served me basically every meal for the last 12 years nickered and rolled her eyes, "Off to play on yer computers again this mornin Fast?" she asked as I trotted down the counter. I filled my mug from the still gleaming coffee maker, a little proud it had been operating here for more than a century.

I nodded toward the door leading down to the maintenance levels and the Icebox below. "Not today Mrs. Ladle, I'll mix things up a little and actually get some work done, before things get busy, see how adventurous I am? Good luck handing the diner over to Mr. Forks this year!" I called as took a bite from my delicious floating muffin and headed for the door.

"That crabby old goat ain't ever happy Fast, you know that! We'll stay off each others hooves well enough for a fine party for lunch though, see you then hon!" she called over her shoulder before returning to her day, grabbing another tray of muffin-y goodness and sliding them in the oven.

Part of Shift Change was turning your job in the Stable over to your replacement from the next shift, bringing them up to speed after they came up from the Icebox. The exchanges of control over the diner, between Heaping Ladle and Hearty Forks, had become legendary and a show of their own, part of the activities of the day I looked forward to.

Some time later, I started crawling out of service duct 23, wiggling my way hindlegs first, towards the open panel of my last stop on my route for the morning with some satisfaction. Occasionally being a smaller buck came in handy, of course this had been a lot easier when I started doing this job the year I got my cutie mark, but I still had it easier than others on the maintenance crew like...

"Hey Fast! Lemme give ya a hoof!" I heard a friendly shout as my rear legs were grabbed just as they were exiting the duct, a strong grip yanking out into the hall to stare up at the green eyes of the culprit.

"Good morning Grizz, thanks. Happy Shift Change." I smirked, getting back to my hooves and pulling my barding back down from the quick exit.

The brown earth pony stallion blanched a moment, shaking his shaggy dark purple mane briskly and widening his eyes. "Oh yeah! That's why everything was so busy on the way here.. I thought something seemed different. Well that's great! Another year down huh?" he smiled happily at the realization.

"Another year down" I agreed with a sigh and started gathering up my tools.

Grizzly Sands worked with me and was only a couple years older than me, so we grew up together, part of Shift 3. He was also pretty much my best friend, and of course he probably had a good reason for showing up late. In such a good mood thanks to his marefriend celebrating their last night before the freezer, whether he realized it or not.

"You should keep track of time a little better Grizz, I expect you to just be showing up by the time I'm almost done, but you should know what day of the year it is anyway" I snickered.

"Ah got a little distracted is all, overslept..." he shuffled and blushed, bingo on the marefriend then. I was happy for Grizz and.. Crystal Shine I thought it was currently, their happiness just reminded me of one of my complaints with how the Stable was set up though.

"I'm sure you did, and how is Crystal this morning?" I chuckled as I levitated the panel back in place and closed it with my screwdriver, stowing the trusty tool in my saddle bags.

Grizz gave a friendly noogie before shoving me gently, "Aw come on, gimme a break! You gonna bust my flanks all day, or help me out so we can celebrate?" he smiled and tried to look pathetic.

I hung my head in defeat and gestured for him to lead the way, "Why do I always end up helping you out on your rounds, after already finishing mine first?" I asked, playing my part of an old joke.

Grizz grinned over his shoulder and gave his part, "Duh! Because you're Fast!" he laughed.

Stupid as it was, that exchange was how we became friends near the end of my first year on the job. I had gotten my cutie mark and been assigned the previous shift, spending nearly the entire first year on the job trying to learn and not having any friends. I was a quick study and even though he was my senior, I often ended up helping Grizz finish his work. Simply because we worked near each other and I noticed he lagged behind.

Plus I try to make friends dammit, I'm just awkward at it, helping out was the best I could manage. After enough time together, I asked that question one day and got that response, both of us cracking up. I'm Fast, get it... 'har har har', it was so stupid it was funny and I managed to make a friend.

Finding a marefriend was proving much more challenging, and awkward, and embarrassing, and disastrous... When you live with the same 100 or so ponies and no one else, everypony knows everypony and there are limited options within your age group. I hadn't really considered it much growing up here in the Stable since I was just a colt.

Now it had started being a point of some concern though, since I was older and all my peers were all pairing off. I had managed to horrifically burn a lot of bridges and had now mostly given up. There were population controls in place in the Stable as part of our experiment anyway, according to the holotape the Overmare played us from Vice-President Scootaloo when we entered the stable 12 years ago, er 120 years ago rather.

I worked out most of the implications myself last shift, when I was getting desperate and figured those that don't naturally pair off might be moved around eventually, to expose them to other stallions and mares from other shifts. Births were carefully controlled in the Stable to maintain our population limit. At this point I just assumed the Overmares would do something if it came to it eventually, or I may stumble into something at random like my friendship with Grizz. I didn't share my friend's optimism though.

Grizz bounced on his hooves excitedly ahead of me as we approached the first of his rounds, "Oh bro, we gotta do the thing again this year! After we stop in at the party during lunch, I'll run to my room and grab the ol' Red Ryder and you find Sunset!"

I nodded and checked my pip-buck for Grizz's next stop, since I loaded his work order along with mine every week. "Alright, that sounds fun, but... we're not getting too old for our marksman competition, are we? I mean we're not foals anymore.."

Grizz waved my grumbling away with an expansive gesture of his forehooves. "Bah, of course not! Ah have to win back the Shift Change Cup don't ah? Besides, it's valuable practice, we can't be too soft when we go back to the surface, who knows what it'll be like!"

I couldn't help snorting at that, we weren't going to the surface anytime soon. Even only being awake one tenth of the time, this place was still designed for the long haul. If there were population controls, they expected us to have to be down here long enough it was an issue. Still, I liked our silly shooting tournament with the BB gun down in the Icebox, and I was defending champion after all..

"Right, practice doesn't hurt and the cup does look lovely on my shelf, I think I'll keep it next shift too." I snickered.

With a nudge to the shoulder, Grizz pushed me towards the junction box across the hall that was next on his list and grumbled, "It'll look even better on mah shelf next shift, mark mah words, now lets get this done so ah can collect!"

With a shared laugh, we got to work together for the last time that shift, knocking out the rest of the day's work before lunch, leaving us with plenty of time to celebrate. We rushed back out through the service tunnels, Grizz shouting greetings with our co workers as we passed them and me giving a wave or nod from behind. Charismatic speech masters like Grizz were fascinating ponies, but I could never figure out how he did it.

We scrambled into our locker room, getting cleaned up in record time and scrambling over each other to leave. 'Please let the show still be going on.' I thought as we rounded the corner and galloped down the hall towards the atrium when I could hear the shouts. 'Yes! Not too late' I cheered to myself as we came into view of the Stable diner.

"Look at ze condition of my kitchen! Do you see this filth and wear you common slop slinger!" cook Hearty Forks screeched as he paced around the Stable diner's kitchen, pointing from offense to offense as he spotted them. A ding in a counter, some grime under the sink, a piece of apple core that hadn't quite made it to the recycler bin, etc. The middle aged, orange unicorn stallion was some kind of fancy chef from the city before the war, being a daily cook for the ponies of his shift had been "an insult to his finely polished skills" as he often put it.

To her credit, Heaping Ladle had her forehooves flat on the counter in front of her, head bowed and teeth gritted fiercely. Her pinprick golden eyes bored into the metal surface and pointedly did not look at all at the knives in front of her. "I tell you every year Forks, we are not the only two using this kitchen! Eight other cooks use this kitchen, quite frankly Shift 2's cook is a bit of a slob, but I don't treat him like this when I wake up! It has been more than 120 years you pompous ass!" she fumed, never looking up.

Forks rounded on her across the room, a few strands of his slicked back green mane flying loose, pencil thin mustache quivering. He tossed a loose Fancy Buck snack cake at Ladle, splatting against the cabinets before falling to the pink and green checkerboard floor, dirtying his precious kitchen in the process. "Exactly! 120 years and we still serve these, these... these carrot flavored! (splat) sugar frosted (splat), balls of preservatives!" he wailed, tossing more and more of the delicious cakes around randomly. Ladle was slowly turning red... Finally near the end of his part of the performance, Forks tossed his forelegs to the air and announced, "I cannot create here!" before turning to head into the walk in freezer.

Mrs. Ladle had hung in there like a champ, it didn't always get this far, but that last line always tore it. With a yell she swept her forehooves across the table, dumping its contents on the tiled floor, notably the knife rack. Then with a sudden jump and a spin, she bucked the two heavy pots hanging from the rack on the ceiling, sending them on a perfect arc. The first knocked Forks square in the rump and encouraged him into the freezer, the second slammed the heavy door closed behind him. When she landed from the surprisingly spry move from one of her years, she shook her head, still gritting her teeth. "That Stallion grates on my nerves more and more every shift change," she grumbled.

With the show over, the gathered crowd gave an appreciative cheer before dispersing around the atrium to mingle with the ponies of the next shift. Grizz gave a nudge and nodded across the room, before pelting off to the living quarters wing to grab our mighty weapon. I turned to follow where he had nodded, spotting the fiery yellow and orange maned unicorn mare with a sun setting over the ocean cutie mark he had indicated before rushing off.

Sunset Mist giggled and chatted up a decent sized group of mares and a couple stallions from Shift 4, great... I waited and watched for a few minutes, hoping they'd eventually break up and go talk to others, but of course they were enraptured with my fellow Shift 3 pony and wouldn't be going anywhere. So I'd have to go there, wonderful...

Sunset actually lived in my neighborhood not far from the Stable before we came here. We played together on the green grass of our very own yards as foals. She was a year older than me, so she had unfortunately decided on viewing me as a little brother, but I couldn't see her as an older sister, she was just too beautiful and kind for that.

I had decided I could at least not push the issue, we had been friends practically since birth and I had precious few of those. When I met Grizz she had even insisted on approving of him before allowing it, hitting it off so well we quickly became a trio of friends. She bridged the two year age gap between Grizz and I nicely.

She worked in the Overmare's office now, addressing the concerns of the Stable ponies, talking with them and making sure morale was high. The once a year addition of new ponies gave her a chance to chat and catch up, build bridges, all that jazz. Thus she was surrounded by strange ponies and I had to get her attention. I peeked from around a sickly potted plant and stared, trying to figure out some kind of clever way to get her attention, while avoiding theirs.

My surveillance was not as subtle as I hoped either, one of the mares from Shift 4 spotted me and turned to whisper to her friend, who promptly turned to look. My brain desperately engaged and I ducked behind the plant, cursing. There was a burst of giggling, while the white unicorn mare with the short yellow mane who was whispered to tittered, "Sunset dear, I do believe you have a stalker over behind the shrubbery," Ugh...

The large blue stallion with the brown mane turned and started heading my way with a gruff look "Stalker? Hey you! get out from behind there! You botherin' Miss Sunset?!" He stamped the ground for effect, trying to impress the golden mare looking curiously around him. Totally defeated, I rose up and waved feebly, "Hi Sunset..." I squeaked, looking at her hooves.

In a yellow flash she was past the blue stallion and tackled me in a hug, "Fast, there you are! I was just talking with these ladies from Shift 4 and wanted to introduce you!" I could hear a fresh but at least muffled spate of giggles, along with whispers among the mares. The peek I got wasn't encouraging.

Sunset shifted her deathgrip hug to hold my head against her chest, while she turned to glare at the imposing blue stallion who had frozen when his attempt at bravado had fallen apart. 'Oh well, at least he's going down with me' I thought as she opened up both barrels.

"Fast isn't a stalker! He's my very best foalhood friend from back home, so you just leave him alone Cobalt! He's like a little brother, he's just shy!" she squeed as her hug tightened and she planted a sloppy kiss on my head, oh this was just torture.

The stallion walked back sheepishly, muttering apologies while I struggled for air, finally distracting Sunset from her "sisterly affection" enough to slip free. She laughed happily, nuzzling me before trotting back and starting to push me toward the group she had left, while I leaned against her and dug my hooves into the floor.

"Come on Fast, just come over and talk with everyone! They're really nice ponies, Emerald there is in Hydroponics and Satin works on the generators, she loves computer stuff too! Oh, and Violet works in the medical ward, she's so nice I know you'll just love her!" Sunset prattled on, inch by inch pushing me to the gaggle of ponies watching the tug of war with amusement.

The unicorn mare kept my magic busy pushing against hers, so I couldn't get out that way and while I was occupied she just kept brute-forcing me along. I was getting dangerously close to social interaction and had to do something before this whole situation somehow became more embarrassing than it already was.

"I just came to let you know Grizz and I were going down to the Icebox to do our thing together if you wanted to come!" I shouted and made a speedy fake, then dodged around Sunset and back towards safety when she paused a moment.

"Oh! Of course I'm going, I do every year don't I? Just wait one second and come here before we..." she replied, but I bolted as soon as she started trying to rope me in again.

Despite her good intentions, I was just not a social butterfly. Maybe talking to one of those pretty fillies would be ok, but they always traveled in miniature herds and I completely lacked the skills to deal with numbers. Sunset was the only one I wanted to talk to, I'd see her soon when it was just the three of us, that was much better.

I was the first one down to the Icebox, so I stood in front of the large entryway and leaned against the railings of the catwalks overlooking the massive room. Here was a crowd I could tolerate. Hundreds of ponies all around me, just safely frozen in stasis, sleeping in towering white boxes covered in tubes, tanks and blinking arcano-tech controls.

Each box was numbered in red, showing the shift and number of the occupant. I could feel the gentle hum of the generators powering the devices through the rail at my hooves and watched my breath fog in front of my muzzle with each exhale. 800 some odd ponies down there, soon to be 900 when I joined their slumber.

12 times I had gone into my box and come back out again as the years rolled by, Fast Times indeed. I could see the necessity of the system and I couldn't complain, it had kept me alive after all and I trusted the giant refrigerators to do their job, I worked on them after all. Doing what we were instructed to do worked just as Vice President Scootaloo had said, Stable 111 was essentially a small, old world town where everypony knew everypony, just like her home of Ponyville.

Still I hated it.

Pretty soon I'd be back in my box with the rest, waiting another 10 years to be back in the world. When I was here I was alone, while my somepony special could be in one of those boxes waiting for me, but maybe I'd never find her. I could be standing over her now, but I'd never know because I'm Shift 3 and now it was time for me to sleep again. At least in real small towns back out in the world, visitors might come or you could leave, explore the world and meet new ponies. I never told Sunset or Grizz, but I mainly liked the shooting tournament and usually won because I liked shooting to work out my frustration and anxiety about going back in.

The sound of my friends chatting as they trotted down the chilly hall shook me out of my thoughts, I grabbed the box of targets I had carried down and waited. When they arrived and greetings were exchanged, we walked somberly down the nearest stairs off the catwalks, down to the foggy floor of the Icebox, towards our waiting coffins.

They were standing out of the thin mist like tombstones before us in no time. The hatches already standing open and a Shift 4 tech was further up the row, going over system checks before they were put back into service. SHIFT 3- #42 the short epitaph read on my hatch. I caressed the side of my coffin and felt the series of notches I had left in the vertical support, 12 little scratches carved in the backside, where I knew where to check, but no one else could see.

Sunset trotted over to her own booth and cheerfully pulled out a marker, humming a catchy tune while she started doodling. Sunset's coffin was unique at least, each year she had added to her doodles on the casing. The crude drawings at the bottom were from when she was just a foal, while the talented works towards the top were quite professional.

They were all pictures of the outside, of our neighborhood, of home. Sunset said she wanted happy, bright dreams of the world waiting for us when it was safe, so she made her pod happy and bright. I simply wanted to mark the years and be able to make sure it was the same pod every year. But I had to admit looking at the colorful pod marked SHIFT 3- #44 made me feel better, and I made sure I did all the maintenance on it so the pictures weren't damaged.

Grizz simply gave the booth marked SHIFT 3- #53 a loving pat and murmured to it, "Ready for another ride old girl? Of course you are, smooth sailin' on calm seas." He nodded, satisfied with himself before trotting over to the box of bottles and cans I had brought, taking out the oddly dented can spray painted gold.

All 3 of our names were printed in rough letters below the words "Shift Change Cup" that were covered in glitter. A variety of stickers and rhinestones were sloppily glued on the surface and a series of scratches were under each name. My name had 5 scratches below it, the same as below Grizz's scrawled signature, while the Sunset signature claimed the last 2 scratch marks. This year was the tie breaker, unless Sunset pulled an upset, which was always possible.

Once the targets were set up in the aisle between our 3 pods, we walked down the aisle towards the lone pony servicing the last of our Shift 3 pods. The old dark purple stallion with the fading yellow mane gave us an eye before grumbling, "Every year you kids do this and every year I tells ya to be careful, this is sensitive equipment."

I nodded to the old buck and tried to look respectful, "I know Sprockets, but it's just a BB gun and the cans are all in the aisle, nowhere near the pods. It'll be fine just like every year, c'mon it's tradition now sir."

Sprockets grunted and went back beneath the pod he was currently working on, "So you say Fast, but don't come crying ta me when something goes wrong"

"Duly noted sir," I answered as I watched Grizz pull our blue-steeled beauty from his saddlebags avidly.

The Red Ryder BB gun was our treasured weapon, well, Grizz's since he actually grabbed it before running to the Stable, unlike my poor Shrouded Stallion figure. There was a real shortage of toys in the Stable, they thought of survival first and foremost, so the foals who made it inside just had what they brought with them. The BB gun was the greatest of these few toys in 111 and we guarded it jealously, only using some of the remaining shots once a shift, before we went back under.

Sunset pranced toward Grizz and danced in circles around him, holding her hooves out in a 'gimme' gesture and fluttering her eyelashes over her big green eyes. Yup, just the little brother over here...nothing to see. I knew she had had a crush on Grizz and I actually did hope once he was done 'sowing his oats' he would notice her, they would be good together. But Grizz saw her the way she saw me, so I guessed turnabout was fair play. Still, I'd have to do something to break the stalemate someday, maybe next shift. For now she simply smiled sweetly and waited for her turn.

"It's mah gun you know, don't see why you always get ta go first girl" he muttered while loading the weapon and inspecting it, before inevitably giving it to her.

"Because I always get to go first silly!" she lilted as she booped his nose, "Besides, it usually ends up between you and Fast these days, why would I go last AND come in last. Now c'mon, gimme!" she jumped and bounced on her hooves waiting. Finally Grizz grumbled and held the BB gun out, enveloped in her golden magic as she crouched and started taking aim.

"And no S.A.T.S. Sunset, you know it's against the rules now" I reminded her gently as she rolled her eyes and huffed.

The Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting System was a great convenience, we allowed use of it in the early tournaments to help learn to use it. But in the later tournaments we had focused on skill, so no more S.A.T.S.. Sunset had argued to keep it as the equalizer, but Grizz and I kept wanting to compete without any cheats, skill against skill.

"Who says I....need it!" she exclaimed, her words punctuated by the puff of air from the gun and the rattle of a can falling. She raised her forehooves in a little snort of victory before moving on to the next target. pfft-ding, pfft-ding, pfft-ding.. The shots came fairly quickly and her accuracy had improved, she ended up with 8 out of 10, with the last 2 being close. Sunset leapt up from her crouch and whooped, happy with her performance before swinging the Red Ryder over to Grizz. "Beat that!" she exclaimed happily before bounding over to reset the targets, coming back towards me to watch his turn.

"Fine, ah will little lady" Grizz snorted, laying flat on the ground to brace the BB gun in his forelegs in a firing stance. How he managed to be as good as me without magic was beyond me, but he did. Grizz's shots came in rapid succession, a flurry of movement and precision as the cans came tumbling down, 6, 7, 8, 9... and nothing. "Grrr! Damn! Was goin' for a perfect score and a speed record! Guess you got a chance there Fast, long as you get 10 outta 10" he chuckled as he hoofed the gun over and went to reset the targets.

This would be a challenge, a perfect score to win, nothing else would do. Not that I hadn't done it before, but the pressure was on now. Grizz sauntered back smugly and waved a hoof toward the waiting targets. "You may fire when ready, Gridley" he snickered.

I crouched into a firing stance, holding the gun in my blue magic, focusing on the first target intensely, carefully controlling my breathing, waiting for the right moment, almost..

"Wait!" Sunset shouted suddenly, making me jump and nearly misfire. "Extra prize this year!" she exclaimed, hugging herself and dancing about with glee.

"Sunset!" you nearly made me miss! I yelped up at her.

The golden mare waved a hoof dismissively and smiled with lidded eyes. "Oh hush! it wouldn't have counted anyway, besides this is good! Since I'm out already I volunteer to add to the prize this year," she smirked with a slight blush and giggled "A kiss for the champion! How's that?!" She stretched up on her hind legs and posed majestically, looking from me to Grizz and back demurely.

Both of us blanked out for a moment and turned red, my poor brain tried to process this turn of events but couldn't work it out well. Perfect score = kiss... then it would all break apart in my head again.

Grizz regained his senses first, smiling while keeping some fairly rosy cheeks himself. "Well that's fine by me, looks like ah win, no way Fast pulls it off now. You done broke his brain darlin'! If'n you wanted a kiss you coulda just asked and let 'im have a chance," he chuckled and rubbed his hooves together, already celebrating his victory.

Ok, that actually annoyed me a little, she wouldn't have done this as an excuse to kiss Grizz would she? I didn't think so, but the joke was bothersome. Plus it's not like I couldn't win, I wasn't that rattled, really I wasn't... I swear... matter of fact I could still pull this off. I could do it, couldn't I? I...

"Don't count your chickens big shot. He'll get it back together again fast enough, he always does. Maybe it'll make him nervous..." She smiled and sat down, looking to me with wide eyes of patience and caring, letting her fiery orange mane spill down her shoulder and frame her face. "...and maaaybe it'll make him motivated," at that she winked and turned from us both to watch the targets.

Grizz shrugged and turned as well, waiting to see what happened, not needing to get in my head anymore. I closed my eyes, focused on my breathing and cleared my mind of everything not important. Sunset wanted to see if I was motivated? No tin can would survive... The first shot rang out as a strong hit, flying off the floor as the BB hit right where I wanted. I moved on to the next in no hurry and it fell, then the next, and the next. Eight cans went down perfectly, but the ninth sounded off and wobbled before dropping. I stopped and took a breath, staring at the last target.

"All tied up now smarty!" Sunset stuck her tongue out at Grizz and wiggled on her seat. "I suppose if he doesn't make this one I could give the prize to you both, since you can't split the trophy... or I could give it to neither of you too, hmmm..." she chattered to herself, looking up to the catwalks above.

Oh no, I'm wasn't losing this and I wasn't sharing it, I was winning this, now. I was sorely tempted to sneak in a quick use S.A.T.S., but that wouldn't be right, I wanted to win this yes but win it fair. I closed my eyes, whispering a quick prayer to the goddesses; "Celestia calm my heart, Luna guide my hoof.."

Everything fell away, like I had entered S.A.T.S. anyway, but I hadn't activated the waiting spell. I was just calm, in the zone. The barrel rose toward my target and I could see it clearly, I had this. This shot was perfection I may never attain again and I had to enjoy it. With a soft hiss of compressed air, my arrow was loosed and all I could do was watch. I could actually see the tiny BB as it arced through its flight, shining with its own light as time crept forward.

Ting! it hit! I could see it make contact on the side of the can and for an instant time seemed to completely freeze. The world held its breath, countless possibilities seemed to fold out in front of me, all branching from the path of that lone BB pellet.

Finally everything jerked into motion for me again, the pellet I could see so clearly disappeared in a blur. It ricocheted off the can, which started to wobble in a circle on its' edge, and apparently streaked right for old Sprockets' flanks judging by the yelp I vaguely heard that didn't matter..

The can kept wobbling, almost... I caught a blur of motion from where I heard the yelp, but it still didn't matter. Grizz was chewing his hooves, watching as it slowly spun and wobbled, Sunset followed it with wide eyes, biting her lip and prancing in place. I held my breath, while getting the distant message from my peripheral vision that the blur I saw was following an arc, just as I heard the crash and everything went white.

When my vision started to clear, the first thing I looked for was that blasted can, where... where... it was gone! I did it, the target was down! Actually all the cans were gone, and come to think of it there was a decent puff of smoke and sparks from one of the pods... oh shit...

Sunset and Grizz were shaking their heads and clearing their vision as Sprockets came limping out from the next aisle, rubbing his flank and sputtering. "I told you kids to be careful! Look at this, pod's fried! This'll take weeks to fix! Aw and it's leaking Flux! Great now we gotta do the hazardous materials cleanup, then replace the damn stuff! Are you happy Fast Times!

I looked up sheepishly, holding the sagging gun loosely in my magic and looking up at the old stallion from my bowed head. "You didn't happen to see if that last can fell before the blast, did you Sprockets?"

The old technician sputtered and fumed a moment, while Sunset smiled sweetly with a hoof to her mouth and Grizz kept staring where the last target had been. "Yeah, you see it gramps? C'mon this is important, did it fall or not?!" he shouted.

Sprockets looked like he was about to blow a gasket, "No I didn't see an' I don't care! You foals have wrecked this machine! This is a Shift 3 pod no less! Whoever belongs in #42 is in for a rough surprise thanks to you!" wait what? #42?

I dropped the Red Ryder and galloped up to the steaming pony and the smoking remains of my coffin. I didn't even realize when I was looking at it, my pod was trashed. The back panel was off, the wrench Sprocket had been using when that magic BB shot him in the flank was sticking out of the ruined remains of its' innards, which dripped rainbow colored goop onto the floor. Sprockets was right, this would take weeks to fix, and I was due to use this pod today.

"Well sir... at least it's my pod I wrecked, so I guess I'm the one in for a surprise, what do I do now? I groaned, staring at it.

Sprockets stopped and visibly calmed a bit, looking at me seriously with stern orange eyes. "Yours huh? Well I guess that's justice for ya. Alright young buck, we'll get you sorted out, you'll stay with your Shift, no worries. Just have to put you in one of the extras, you'll be back in your normal one after next shift I guess".

"In a spare? Not in #42?" I knew there were extra pods for each shift, a bit of leeway in population control, but one had never been needed before. My breathing started quickening and my pulse pounded in my temples, ten years in some strange pod? Grizz kept staring at where the target had been with a frustrated look, while Sunset looked apologetic and caring as she trotted over and put a hoof on my shoulder.

"It'll be alright Fast, it was just a freak accident, any other pod will be just as good. You can use mine and I'll use the spare if you want, since I.." she consoled soothingly, but I shook my head to clear the thought of ten years in Sunsets pod... that smelled like her... No! Bad!

"It's ok Sunset, I did it, it was my pod. I knew Sprockets was there, but I was just too focused on winning... the spare is fine, really" I shrugged, I still wished I knew if that can fell or not though.

Sprockets came up and ruffled my gray mane above my horn, "There you go lad, it's no big deal at all, I'll show it to you if you like. Have to get it serviced and ready, shes over in storeroom 3 if you wanna help out".

"It's the least I can do sir" I replied apologetically, " Besides, I'd want to anyway, you guys go ahead back up and I'll clean up here ok?" I looked over to my friends and nodded.

"But what about the dang tournament?!" Grizz shouted, picking up the Red Ryder and stowing it in his saddlebags, "Who won?!" he stamped the floor and snorted.

"I guess it's a tie then, you take the cup for the first half of next shift Grizz, I'll take it for the second half" I shrugged, waving to my poor cold steel coffin.

"A tie! Then I get to choose what to do! Yay!" Sunset squeed and pulled a small tube from her barding pockets, popping the top of the tube of ruby lipstick and applying it seductively as she swayed forward.

My heart started hammering and I broke out in a sweat as she sauntered towards us, then my spirits fell as she turned towards Grizz with a smile on her now painted lips. Just as she closed in though, she made a dramatic turn and lunge towards Grizz's pod, planting a huge, wet sounding kiss on the metal casing, stepping back to admire her handiwork. A perfect, puckered red lip-print now adorned the front panel of the machine, right under #53, the red of the print even matched the red letters.

"There's your kiss Grizz! To tuck you in and stay with you!" she smiled widely and rubbed her lips clean with her hoof, tittering and trotting back to me to boop my nose. "Yours will have to wait for your replacement pod I guess Fast, but a tie means you both get one! Good job!"

I blushed and shuffled my forelegs in front of me until she laughed and trotted off. Grizz was left scratching his mane and looking from his new pod decoration to where the last target had stood, he finally raised his hooves in agitation and gave it up. "Guess a tie's not so bad then, huh buddy!" he said as he cuffed me on the shoulder and trotted after her. He picked up the Shift Change Cup on his way out, shouting over his shoulder, "See you up there later ok? Say hi to your folks for me!" With that they were gone, leaving just me, the old technician and a big mess.

Sprockets had taken up grousing to himself again as we walked down the long aisle of empty Shift 3 pods, to the storeroom on the far wall. When we reached the secure door, Sprockets raised his pip-buck and started tapping, a moment later the terminal by the door beeped and the door slid open.

"Password's 'Winter Wrapup' case you were wonderin'. You'll need it to get to it this evenin. Now come on, right this way," he explained as the lights in the room hummed to life, illuminating two more rows of stasis pods, four in the row closest to the door and 5 in the other. Sprockets turned and led me down the row and to the side, where a service and test bay was built into a recess.

The tall white box was hooked up and humming, everything looked green and good to go. Stenciled across the face of the machine below the small porthole was SHIFT 3 - #101.

"Will I be here the whole time?" I asked dubiously. Not that it mattered really, but I liked being close to my friends and family, seeing them when I woke up. Sleeping alone in the corner of this small, dark room seemed... scary.

Sprockets shook his head and patted me on the back consolingly. "Course not boy, I'll be up and about, have you moved to your regular spot before long once I get a handle on things this shift. You'll wake up just like normal, surrounded by the same ponies you always are in the same space, just the number on the pod is different s'all. You know how these things work, independent power supply could manage a century or so, and we've got the equipment to move these things around where we want. Won't be a thing to put you back in place."

The old stallion was pleasant and comforting, especially considering the extra work I had made for him, so I smiled and nodded thankfully. With a grin, he leaned into the pod while I looked at the open lid with trepidation, staring at that red #101.

"Here, s'pose I should clean 'er out first, I know where Shift 3's maintenance head hides his stash y'see." Sprockets laughed as he came back out of pod holding a couple of beers in his mouth. With a flick of his head he tossed one over, which I scrambled to catch with my magic in time.

The older earth pony trotted to a nearby workbench and popped the top on the edge of the counter, while I paused and looked at the beverage and back to Sprockets. He sighed and waved his hoof while taking a pull on the bottle, gasping with satisfaction when he finished.

"Well go on if you want, I'm not your momma boy. You're a young buck but still not a colt anymore." Ceding his point, I twisted the cap in my magic and took a drink. I was technically still underage for drinking but not by much and this was not so bad, plus it was only polite. I took a drink of the foamy beverage and fought with the taste in my mouth a moment. It was a struggle but I was winning when Sprockets opened his mouth.

"'Sides, gal like that, I'd suggest taking up drinking out of principle. That filly's a firecracker, you and your friend's next shift should be interestin' " he chuckled wryly as I ejected a spray of foam in a fit of coughing.

"W-what? don't be..." I choked to reply, but he just rolled his eyes and took another pull on his beer while I sputtered and tried to deny the obvious.

"Don't even bother kid, I'm an old stallion not a dumb one, 'sides I'm not even on your shift so no worries about the gossip. I just been keepin' an eye on you three and your little tournament all these years. That girly is nothin' but heartache for somepony, totally worth it too." he cocked an eyebrow as I flushed and looked away.

I took a long drink of the beer despite the taste, just to have something to do, it wasn't quite as bad the second try. With a belch he polished off his own and bucked it into the trash bin behind him, "Well, let's get to it, this'll be the most recently serviced spare so she should be tip top, but we both know the routine, no chances right?"

I nodded and started floating my tools out of my saddlebags, getting to work beside the old tech. Work to occupy our minds and mouths was welcome now, and I really didn't want to take any chances with this strange pod with my old #42 down.

With a slow, only slightly weaving gait and a pleasant buzz in my head, I walked back up to the atrium after an hour or so with Sprockets. No matter how I tried, I couldn't find anything wrong with #101. I didn't like it, but it was in perfect condition and had been calibrated just like my own #42.

The atrium was even more full of ponies now, everyone in Shift 4 must be awake and about by now. The party was already winding down, but there were still a few pieces of cake and some dregs of punch. I grabbed a slice of cake and munched on it as I walked to the living quarters wing.

I passed my own door, reminding myself to give the place one more once over before I went under. I lost a pretty good holotape game one year during Shift Change and never forgot it. Right now though I went to the next door, down from my own small room I had been given once I got my cutie mark and back to the quarters of my family, walking through the door as it slid up at my touch of the button.

The rustle of paper waited as my father Olden Times looked up from the book floating in his magic, while my baby brother Better crawled around his playpen in the middle of the living room, burbling as he saw me come in. My parents were one of few so far in Shift 3 to be allowed to have a child born in the Stable.

Mom and Dad got an extra shift out of the icebox while waiting for the little blue grey foal with his black shock of a mane, letting him get old enough to go to sleep safely in Mom's pod with her. I didn't get to see him as a newborn, since I already had my cutie mark and had moved next door, but I loved the little guy when I first saw him last shift. I walked over and ruffled that little bit of mane standing straight up, listening to him giggle and roll around.

"You've been gone awhile son, usually you have extra time on Shift Change day and spend some with us after all." Dad raised an eyebrow sardonically, looking up over his book hiding his slight smile.

"Yeah... I got a little held up down in the Icebox with Sprockets, sorry dad." I shuffled under his gaze, even joking, the white stallion could be intimidating, his purple eyes stared up in mock seriousness beneath his black mane.

"Yes, Sunset came by to let us know, fine friend that one," he nodded, setting his book aside as he sniffed the air a moment. Leaning off the couch, he grabbed a piece of hard candy from the bowl on the living room table.

"I take it Sprockets tried to make you feel better about the accident eh? Don't let your mother smell that, it can't have been more than one, but she'll be displeased nonetheless".

I could feel myself wince and took the candy without looking up, stuffing it in my mouth and nodding before he tousled my mane, pushing my chin up to look back at him.

"You're old enough to make decisions like this on your own, so I won't say anything, I do still expect you to make the right ones for yourself though. The consequences for bad ones are going to start getting more severe now that you're older, so keep that in mind huh?"

I nodded and bucked up, looking him back in the eye without reservation. "Right dad, I'll remember, thanks for the advice and... you know, being cool about it".

Dad laughed, picking Better up in his magic and setting him down on his back, giving him a gentle bounce now and again as he squealed.

"Cool? Oh no, I just remember is all" he said pointing to his grandfather clock cutie mark as proof, "What it's like to be your age for one, and being the one to clean up after some of your more memorable mistakes as a foal for another. I can't help that way as much now, so it's up to you to deal with it yourself right? Finally, it's self interest too, your mother..."

"Olden, did someone come in? I hear you talking in there, is it Fast?" The mare in question called from my old bedroom, now the nursery she must be clearing out at the moment.

My father and I shared a look of panic as our eyes shrank to pinpricks, before we both began looking about in terror. In desperation I stuck my muzzle in the candy dish and started furiously crunching the sweets, trying to disguise the smell of most of one beer. Dad suddenly gave a decent buck and baby Better was airborne, landing on my back followed by an eye watering smell.

"Sorry boy, this will work better, just happened." he whispered, turning back to the short hallway as my mother peeked around the corner.

Mom's crimson eyes got wide as she smiled warmly, flying across the room to tackle me in a hug. She was slightly less like a guided missile than usual with baby Better on my back anyway. She wrapped her light blue-lavender wings around us both and cooed happily. "There you are! I was worried we wouldn't get much time together at all before we went under! Since you seem to be so busy my boy..." The Pegasus mare slowly tightened her hold on my neck during that last sentence, expressing her displeasure with a hug that was cutting off my oxygen.

"Gah... m-mom... air..." I gurgled, Better liked the noises I was making and laughed happily, while mom tickled him with her feathers, yet was somehow simultaneously choking the life out of me.

Finally, as I prepared to meet Celestia and Luna, she let go and planted a kiss on my cheek, giving a little frown and staring at me with her face pressed up to mine, her red eyes boring into me, framed by her long violet mane.

"You've been a naughty little colt haven't you Fast?" she purred menacingly as her nose wrinkled, "Sprockets is a bad influence, I'll deal with him later though." she intoned as I prepared for the worst.

With an aerial maneuver I was still amazed could be accomplished inside a small living room inside a Stable, former Lt. Bright Skies-Times spun 3 loops around me, grabbing Better and tossing him up playfully towards the ceiling before breaking off. She bounced off the wall and returned with a flip, putting her hind hooves out to slam me, sending me sailing across the living room to land on the couch.

What little wind I had recovered was instantly knocked out again. With a fancy pirouette she caught Better as he came down and hovered over me. "Drinking beer is for grown up ponies and cranky old stallions who are going to pay soon my darling son, think of the example you're setting for Better!" she gasped in mock horror.

I would think I wasn't the worst influence in the room here after that, but I knew better than using logic. Mom was a bonafide pegasus soldier in the Equestrian army and the only pegasus in Stable 111. Needless to say, her areas of expertise were not diplomacy or military planning. She had retired when she got pregnant with me and we all lived together back in our little house for 5 good years. Her service guaranteed our family a place in the nearby Stable, so when the bombs fell she was in the Stable with us and was now Shift 3's head of security.

Groaning, I sat up and rubbed my chest idly, it didn't hurt really, mom would never hurt any of us. She just had no qualms letting us know all the ways she could do so if she wanted. Being taught all the ways to use lethal force against a zebra when your 8, tends skew your perspective a bit in foal school, but she was a soldier at heart and wanted her foals to be able to protect themselves.

She didn't trust the Stable or like it much, too confining she said, so she handled parts of my education herself. All this should have been enough to teach me trying to fool her was doomed from the start, but trying was like a bit of a game for dad and I. Occasionally I think she even let us get away with it.

"Sorry mom.." I wheezed and tried to look pitiful, hardened warrior that she was, she was weak to puppy eyes at least. Her expression softened and she fluttered down, nuzzling me as she bounced Better in her hooves.

"There's my good boy! Isn't that right Better? Yes, yes it is! Fast is silly thinking he's smarter than mama isn't he? Lucky he's such a sweetie isn't that right? He is still a sweetie isn't he? That nasty-wasty beer didn't change how he tastes did it? Let's find out Better!" She cooed to my brother before tackling me on the couch and planting sloppy kisses all over my face, holding Better up to join in, who mostly laughed and drooled on me.

I rolled on my back and tried to fend off the assault, but it was hopeless. Finally she floated above the couch and held Better up to her face, sniffing. "Uh-oh looks like my other boy isn't so sweet right now either, can't have you go downstairs like that can we? A frozen poopy diaper doesn't sound good at all does it? Come on my precious!" She smiled, tossing him up and catching him before gliding down the hall to the nursery.

Slowly, I caught my breath lying there on the couch and wiped my face off with my sleeves, while my father chuckled, patting my leg and returning to his book. I felt truly happy at that moment, It might be ten years before I saw my family again, but it wouldn't feel like it. It would be tomorrow for us and we'd all be together in 111. It wasn't the life we left behind in our little house (along with my toys...) but it was a life and it was not that bad at all.

100 ponies filed into the icebox and stood in front of their waiting pods, waiting patiently, looking up to the smaller group assembled on the catwalks above. I stood in front of #42, which at least looked intact now for the Shift Change, but was of course ruined. I looked behind me to see mom, dad and Better standing in front of pods #40 and #41. Dad nodded silently while mom fluttered above the ground, letting Better sit on her extended hind legs, while she grabbed one of his forelegs with her own and waved to me. I silently waved back and glanced back up at the little ceremony on the catwalks above.

Shift 3 Overmare Surefoot, an older pink unicorn with a red and pink mane styled carefully, stood beside Shift 4 Overstallion Rocky shores, a no nonsense tan earth pony with a close cropped, greying purple mane. Shift Change day was the only time we ever saw more than one Overpony, they'd end the day up there in front of everyone and Shift 3 would officially turn over the Stable to Shift 4.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts! Thank you for another shift completed!" Overmare Surefoot's voice rang out in the cavernous room. "Another year for us with everyone safe and sound, the Stable in the shape we had it turned over to us in or better, and sadly another ten years for the surface to return to something like the Equestria we left, so we may someday go home!"

She got a decent cheer out of that, the hope of going home kept us going down here, as much as the water talismans, air purifiers, food recyclers, hydroponics gardens and of course stasis pods in the Stable.

I casually stretched out to look around pod #43 to see the swishing orange tail in front of the brightly colored pod #44. Sunset was focusing on her boss' speech and I couldn't get her attention, which left me with staring at her rear, hoping for that 'I'm being watched' feeling. That fiery orange tail flicking around was distracting though, along with the flanks it was attached to and swishing around...

I caught myself blanking out and glanced back up to the back of her head, or her green eyes rather, as she had apparently gotten that 'watched' feeling quite accurately and was smirking back at me. I flushed and waved innocently before retreating back out of the aisle.

I could hear Grizz nickering ahead and to my left across the aisle at #53 but refused to give him the satisfaction of looking. Well just a quick peek, yup..., just as smug as I thought. The Overmare was wrapping up, hitting the highlights of the year; who got their cutie marks and assigned a job, major unexpected repairs a few of which were a real pain at the time, the holiday and birthday parties, etc. Life during this shift basically, a recap before we went in. I read somewhere they handled Shift Change day as a holiday to make the whole process less jarring for us.

I mean really as far as I was concerned, I'd wake up tomorrow and it would be the same as today to me, just in reverse as we took over from Shift 2. But having the special work, turning over our areas of responsibility, having a party and a ceremony, all helped instill a sense of time passing. It was designed to reinforce that while it felt like just another day when we woke up, it was actually ten years later and we had to remember it.

Overstallion Shores stepped up while our Overmare gracefully left the railing and walked towards the nearby stairs, off the catwalk and down here with the rest of us, regally trotting towards pod #1. I sometimes resented the lavish care the guidelines required be spent on that pod. But she was our Overmare and she was important, we'd be in trouble without her no doubt.

Still, she wasn't more important than any other pony, if the guides said that level of care on these machines was required for the #1 pod, then it was required for pods #2 to #100. Er.. #101 this time I guess, yeah that one was important. I woke early, worked fast and didn't have much else to do, so each of these one hundred stasis pods was at their absolute peak.

I might not get along that well with a great many of these ponies, but they were all important to me so I had done my best by them, and prayed to Luna before our big sleep that they would all come through the next ten years unscathed again.

The Shift 4 Overstallion was brief and brusque as always, a former Steel Ranger I had heard once. He went through this ceremony because the orders said to, but he wasn't as personable as Surefoot. Of course maybe I was wrong, he could get up there and fondly recount the past year when Shift 5 took over and it was just that he had work to get to starting his shift when he dealt with us.

"Excellent work Shift 3, the numbers I've seen look outstanding and Shift 4 appreciates your service! You may consider yourselves relieved of your duty, Celestia and Luna guide you through your slumber and back to us again. Dismissed!" he belted out curtly before saluting and doing a quick about face and heading back upstairs.

Most of the Shift 4 ponies followed their Overstallions' lead and started filing out. Some exchanged goodbyes and well wishes to their one day a year friends, several shouted down to Sunset before wandering out and she exuberantly answered each one. Down on the Icebox floor ponies were stepping into the pods, helping each other in, waving through the porthole above their face as they were activated, saying goodnight to each other.

I walked up to mom's pod as dad took Better, allowing her to grudgingly force herself into the pod. She had a pout on her face and dragged out the process of getting settled in and the monitors attached, whinnying and muttering. "The only good room for flying in this place and I have to cram myself into this tin can in here every year.."

"Mom, we go through this every year, you fly down here all the time, to you this is only five minutes and you're out again. Watch it with the tin can comments too, I put a lot of work into this thing you know," I told her soothingly as I helped get her hooked up and pulled out the auxiliary harness for Better.

She did relax a bit and reluctantly laid back, drawing me in for a non-life threatening hug, nuzzling me gently. "I know dear, I know. This whole Stable is too confining though, these tin... er 'marvels of technology' are just salt in the wound. It's worth it to be with you all though," She sniffed and released me as dad passed Better to her waiting hooves, letting me get to work hooking him up.

Dad stepped up into her pod and embraced her, nuzzling and kissing her. He could wait until I didn't have my muzzle in here too trying to attach medical monitors to a fussy foal who took it all as a game...

"It's alright dear heart, as Fast said it'll be over in a blink, you're my fearless warrior filly right? I love you so much, locking yourself down here with us, someday you'll be back in the open skies love," Dad could be a real smooth talker when he wanted... still able to turn mom's face rosy and make her giggle like a schoolfilly. They nuzzled and whispered to each other happily for a few minutes, thankfully I finally finished up and could step away before they really got going.

Dad and I both stepped back and waved excitedly, making goofy faces for Better as the hatch slid closed and locked with a hiss. We both looked in the porthole and waved some more, as mom put her hoof to the glass and mouthed "I love you" over and over. I knew she hated being in there, so as soon as I made my goodbyes through the glass I rushed to start the device and get her through it as quickly as possible.

The spell matrix was up and optimal, spell talismans were in perfect condition, flux levels were topped off, I keyed the sequence and hoofed the big red button, listening intently as the arcano-tech circuits hummed to life and powered up the stasis spell. I jumped back up to the porthole, keeping an eye on the readouts with one eye while barely catching one last "I love y..." before she and Better froze in place.

Dad and I nudged and shoved each other playfully as we walked up the aisle to pod #40. Dr. Olden Times knew more than enough about the process to not be as anxious as mom. Actually he probably understood it better than I did, at least what it did to the ponies inside. I held the lead on the machine that made it work though. Sighing, he pulled himself into the pod and started attaching his own leads with no trouble, running his own checks on the medical interface as he did.

"I checked those yesterday dad" I sighed up at him, he just nodded with a grunt and continued his inspection.

"Better safe than sorry son, you know that. I trust you with the machine, I just like checking the parts I know. Ok, good to go my boy?" he asked pulling me into his own hug. "I'm proud of you son, you're a fine young buck and I'm sorry you had to grow up here instead of home, but I'm glad you're here and you're you, understand?" he asked in his deep, soft voice, patting my head.

"Yeah dad, I'm glad we're here too. Well maybe not here but... together. See you on the other side ok?" I mumbled back wiping my eyes, dusty down here... I stepped down quickly when he nodded and started his pod with the same care as mom's, jumping back to wave through the window before he froze as well, mid wink, odd.

I got the feeling the wink wasn't for me when I got tackle-hugged from behind by Sunset and pinned to the pod."Now that you have the family squared away, time to get you taken care of!" she yelled boisterously, letting me go and bouncing back into the aisle.

Most of the other ponies were taken care of now, and there were Shift 4 techs to help out so I guessed she was right. Normally I'd just handle my own pod from the backup controls inside my pip-buck could access, wave at whoever happened to see me off if anyone did. It was my job to see everyone safely off to sleep, so I usually didn't have someone taking care of me.

This time I was ok with the idea though, walking away from everyone else on Shift 3 as they were sealed up and going to pod #101 in storage alone was an unpleasant thought.

Sunset trotted up to my side and we started walking towards storage room 3 at the far end of the aisle, her humming a merry tune and me feeling anxious. I nodded and waved to Sunset's father, the red stallion smiled at his daughter as she waved and pranced, then shifted to a suspicious look when he turned to me. Well, he was a single father and he had always been friendly to me, so I supposed he just didn't like his daughter trotting off alone with any buck.

He did sigh and shake his head slowly, his light brown mane shifting as he managed a smile and wave for a send off. "I'll be waiting for you to get Fast settled honey, don't take long. I hope you appreciate my daughter Fast, taking time out to make sure you're not alone in that storeroom." he grumbled as we passed on.

"Oh yes sir!" I called back, "Thanks for letting her come, I appreciate it" Autumn Mist was a nice pony, he had always been a good parent and encouraged my friendship with Sunset when we were foals. I couldn't blame him for his change in attitude now that we were older and he still did care, he just had to act gruff.

"I'll be back in two shakes daddy!" Sunset shouted back as we moved away, "You're lucky you're getting my personal care Fast, any other buck and I don't think he'd go for it" she snickered. Fabulous, I was considered safe, or safe-ish apparently.

We both waved and smirked to embarrass Grizz as he was helped in his pod by his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Sands were loving and doting parents, so there was a lot of hugging, nuzzling, kisses and crying. They were good humble earth pony folk and I gave them their privacy, after making sure Grizz was at least partially embarrassed anyway. He managed to nod at Sunset and reached up to give the hatch of his pod a gentle tap, right on the other side of her kiss mark prize, giving a sheepish smile and wink.

Sunset nickered and sauntered along with me, swishing her tail in farewell, flicking me with it occasionally. Yup, next shift would be interesting alright, I was already mentally preparing for the high wire act of having two friends dating each other next year. Finally we reached the door to storage room 3, my blue tinted magic reached out to the console by the door and tapped in the password "Winter Wrapup" and the door slid aside.

Now that I knew where it was, I could see the dim lights of pod #101 in the darkness before the lights warmed up and flickered to life. Sunset hadn't been here before so she trotted forward inspecting everything while I headed for the pod.

"Wow... I'm glad I came to see you off now, shutting yourself up in that thing all alone in here.." Sunset shivered a bit at the last and I was glad she was my friend, she was right and I gave a little shiver myself. I shrugged off my saddlebags and opened the storage bin on the pod, stashing them with my other meager belongings.

Sunset shook off the heebie-jeebies and smiled as she pulled out her lipstick, preparing to apply her "prize" to the hatch of the pod before I opened it. With a loud smack my pod now had a perfect kiss print under SHIFT 3- #101, which made me suddenly feel better about it. Now that I thought about it, this would be Betters' pod one day when he was old enough to need his own. If no one died before then that is, he was the 101st pony on Shift 3 after all. That made me feel even better as I looked over the bright red 101 and kiss mark beneath it, before triggering the release and opening the hatch.

Sunset watched intently as I crawled in and hooked myself up, I told her I could manage the pod myself but she insisted on getting to push the big red button. I could monitor and take over the process if I needed through my pip-buck, so I ceded her the honors and she squealed with joy, hovering over the tempting, shiny, red button.

"Alright, ready to seal this thing up Sunset?" I asked as she rubbed her hooves together over the button.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, button... No, not yet hang on, I need to tell you something!" she yelped before tearing herself away from the button and stepped up on the steps leading to the pod, leaning in and nearly touching horns as her green eyes stared into mine and she gave a sweet smile.

"Um.. Sun..l-little close there.." I squeaked as she giggled and shifted, so her forehooves were on either side of my head and her muzzle stretched up to tickle my ear with her breath. This was getting uncomfortable, or too comfortable, either way. "S-Sunset? what are you.."

She cooed in my ear and I shut up with a shudder, "Well, I just wanted you to know...I saw at the end... you won Fast," and with that she turned and gave me a forceful kiss on the cheek and pushed off, jumping back to the floor and hitting the hatch control as she landed. I sat dumbfounded as she appeared in the small window in front of me, smiling and waving before making a dive towards the big red button, then there was nothing.

........................

......................

......................

Emergency Protocol I-3902
Pod #101 Status:
External Power Supply: Disconnected
Internal Power Reserves: 3%
Spell Matrix: Operational
Spell Talismans: 57% efficiency
Flux Reserves: 12%
External Integrity: 97%
Stasis Integrity: 100%
Outside Environment: Stable
.............................
.............................
Initiate Automated Purge of Subject: Fast Times- Male-Unicorn
Subject Status: Nominal
...........................
Beginning Automated Release Procedure...
Duration of Stasis: 83.7 years
Thank you for using Stable-Tec!

...........................

Please Stand By...

Fast Times- Level 1

Strength- 4
Perception- 7
Endurance- 4
Charisma- 4
Intelligence- 7
Agility- 9
Luck- 7

Tag Skills-

Science +15
Repair +15
Guns +15

Traits-

Good Natured-
You studied less-combative skills as you were growing up and are a pony of pre-war Equestria. Your combat skills start at a lower level, but other skills are substantially improved. +5 Medicine, Barter, Science, Repair and Speech but -5 to Guns, Magic Energy Weapons, Explosives, Melee and Unarmed!

Small Framed-
You are not quite as big as other ponies, but that never slowed you down. You can't carry as much, but you are more agile. +1 to Agility but -25 carry weight!

Quest Perk Added!-----------------------

Shift Change Tournament Champion- You are the winner! You knew you got that last can, as the reigning champeen you receive +5% chance for critical hit using guns and can sometimes pray for a critical when you need it, be careful what you wish for though! Your definition of luck might be different than the universes'.

Author's Note

Ok so there's generally an authors' note here so here goes. First thanks to Kkat for creating this bizarre and enchanting combination, I only recently discovered it and have voraciously devoured it, Horizons, Pink Eyes, Traders of Hope and several other excellent works. Now I come more from the Fallout side rather than the MLP side of the equation, I like it obviously and watch basically any good cartoon but I've missed good chunks of the show and have been trying to catch up so apologies if I'm weak there, I'm leaning heavily on what I've read so far right now so forgive any faux pas please. I do know Fallout though and after absorbing enough of the great FOE stories I've found so far I actually felt like writing again which has quite been awhile, I'm rusty and I don't know if anyone will ever read this or enjoy it but I did feel compelled to add something back after absorbing a couple million words of great stories for free. Went for FO4 for the first time out, thought I'd rewrite bits of the game side I didn't care for and try to make something interesting, I'm totally new to the community and ignorant so putting myself at your mercy here, hope I pay back a little of the enjoyment I've gotten thus far to someone else.

Ch. 9-- King of Thunder Castle

Ch. 9-- King of Thunder Castle

"She's half-eagle, half-lion..."
"And all awesome!"

The bedlam I ran into on the assembly floor was a lot harder to navigate down here, than simply looking at it from above. The smoke and haze drifting through the room concealed a variety of obstacles as flashes of Ponitron energy weapons, bright welding torches and circling alarm lights lit the choking air crazily. I jumped a smaller conveyor belt, barely spotting it in time and slipping in a puddle of blood on the other side.

Skidding on my hooves, a raider loomed ahead of me. The scorched stallion had a flash of recognition and rage, bringing his pipe pistol to bear as I continued sliding right at him. Just as I was frantically trying to stop my spinning, slippery progress enough to aim, realizing he had me dead to rights, a huge metal claw shot out from the smoke and crushed the pony's head with a wet crunch. It was like a giant Cogsworth saved me.

The assembly robot tossed the corpse away as I sprinted under it, disregarding me as a target. Ahead I could finally spot the shimmering blue magical shield inside the prison these raiders had made. I forced myself to call it a prison only, despite that furious Shroud voice in my head that kept trying to add 'pantry' instead. Seeing the grisly diner that fed these ponies, I didn't feel bad for the insanity I had let loose here.

Dashing past the open gate leading into the storage room turned jail, I flattened into Jade's shield protecting the innocent ponies beyond. I felt like a bug on a sky carriage windshield, a number of which I noticed were stacked in the room beyond, and knocked on the magic bubble. A hole opened in the shell around me and I was dragged in quickly by a field of blue-white magic, depositing me at the alicorn's hooves.

"Fast! Thank the mother! Are you alright, let me see!" the beautiful filly leaned down and was inspecting me carefully on the floor of the cell, a crowd of frightened, dirty ponies looked on around her.

Panting, I pushed myself up to a sitting position and looked up into sparkling azure eyes as they flicked all over me. She gave a little "tsk" at my minor injuries and squeezed me in a quick hug, "You told me what you were going to do but still... You made yourself an awful big target for a moment there, I was worried! The explanation was an understatement compared to the results too, you have made a scene Nightmare Moon would be proud of down here..."

She looked bothered at that. Even with the horrible things these raiders did, even with the miserable prisoners she was protecting bearing marks of their treatment under the raider's hooves, Jade felt bad it came to this. I wished I could live up to that kind of compassion, or that it had been an option. This was the best path I could see to save those that deserved it though. The kind alicorn really was a princess as far as I was concerned, this kind of thing was why she needed a knight to serve her though. I'd dirty my hooves to do what had to be done if it was for her, and this had to be done.

I gave her a bow of my head and looked up under my grey mane, "Sorry, I know it's bad but... it's them or us," I looked around at the watching prisoners and back to her, "I choose us, I'm.. I'm still in control of it though..don't worry," She followed my glance and sighed with a nod. She had helped save me from losing myself to the dark pony in my head, that I now pictured as the Shrouded Stallion in an effort to control it, I wanted her to be reassured I hadn't forgotten.

"O-Of course, I know. Everypony this is my Fast... m-my friend Fast! Who I told you about, he did all this and is here to help. We are going to get you out of this place," she spoke to the gathered ponies who stared at the two of us. I could make out fear, hope, confusion, anger and desperation warring on the faces of the gathered ponies.

Jade had passed out a number of purple healing potions and bandages, they were using them on those in the worst shape and I floated out most of my own as well. I had to hold back some, I wasn't done in this awful place yet, Mama Xara and Short Stack weren't here after all. But seeing the shape they were in hurt too much to do nothing. Satisfied I was ok, Jade trotted about administering medical care to those in the worst shape.

Flicking through my pip-buck inventory, I added all the food and water I had, most of them looked half starved. As I floated it around to teary eyed ponies I stopped, spotting a filly in the crowd. My eyes widened and I could feel myself shaking. A white coat, silver hair... glistening pink eyes...

I saw those eyes not long ago, staring at me from the chopping block of the evil cook that served the raiders here fresh pony stew. The filly I was looking at was his last victim before I had... done things... to him. I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my temples, a cold sweat spring out on my hide under the tattered, blackened cloak and armor I wore. I bolted across the cell towards her and grabbed her in my hooves, she was real! She wasn't a hallucination!

Her pink eyes widened and she flinched as I hugged her, squeezing tight, feeling a living little pony under me. "Y-Y-You're alive! You're ok! You're ok! You're..." a gentle touch on my shoulder stopped my yammering.

Jade looked over to me sadly from the elderly mare she was wrapping in bandages, her wingtip stretched over to touch me. "Fast... I am sorry... it is not her," she looked at the filly I had tackled with a tear rolling down her muzzle, "I thought the same thing..." she wimpered and turned back to her patient.

I pulled back, holding the filly up by her shoulders as she looked up at me, tears dribbling from her eyes. What was she talking about? This was the same filly! I didn't know how, but I didn't care, she wasn't... "M-m-my name's...Platinum G-Glitter Mr. Fast... My...my sister T-T-Twinkle... she's really d-dead, isn't she..." the crying little filly shook as she spoke. She knew the answer to what she was asking, she sounded like a pony that had cried herself nearly dry already.

I slumped to the ground and let her go, twins... the filly I saw in the kitchen was her twin... The look I wore was enough, her face screwed up in a twisted rictus of pure anguish and she grabbed me this time, sobbing and shaking into my chest. I stiffened in her grasp, slowly reaching out and stroking her mane, "I'm sorry... S-so... so sorry... I... I made him pay..." I knew that wasn't enough, it would never be enough.

I just sat there and let her go, looking around at the other prisoners shooting pained looks at us furtively. I stared past Jade's blue shield that separated us from the chaos winding down in the factory beyond. Eyes Forward Sparkle reported nearly all the red marks were gone, half a dozen green ones belonging to the Ponitrons I had set loose clattered out there still, forming up outside the prison. They were following the program I had patched together and waited to fulfill the escort duty I assigned them.

Spotting the green military bag I had given Jade to carry, I reached out with my magic and opened it, floating the weapons from the raider's armory out to the crowd of prisoners. "Alright everypony, you're leaving this place. Arm yourselves, I arranged some protection but you'll have to fight too. Jade here will lead you somewhere safe if you want or you can just run wherever home is, I'd suggest going with her though. It's close and there are others there to help you, you can go wherever you want from there," I called out to the gathered crowd, putting on a little of the Shroud's voice so I sounded less tired and scared, more dependable and brave.

Jade spun on me with a frown, she wasn't going to like this... "Excuse me? What do you mean I will lead them away? I am not leaving you and you will not leave without Mama Xara and Short, correct?" She loomed over me and huffed, no she wasn't happy at all.

I gave a little shrug around the filly soaking my ratty cloak under me, "Sorry Jade, the robots are keyed to your pip-buck already. V.I.P. escort program, they follow you and you're the best chance to get these ponies out of here. I'll keep the raiders that are left here busy so you can all get away. You have to save them."

A horribly conflicted expression crossed her face, she clearly didn't want to go, but couldn't leave the prisoners alone either. I felt bad cornering her like this when I hacked the Ponitrons waiting outside, but this was for the best and I knew what decision she'd make. Watching her working through it in frustration, I patted little Glitter's head and floated her over to the alicorn in my magic, placing the weeping foal gently on her back.

"T-that is not fair Fast!" she cried angrily at me as I stood up and walked to the edge of the shield.

"I know." I replied without looking back at her.

I heard her trot up behind me and whinny, stamping her hooves, "You- you are in big trouble later! You hear me! So.. so you have to come back safe to be punished!" she tried putting on her best goddess-y voice and sniffled, ruining the impression.

I managed to look back at her watery blue eyes glaring at me sadly and winked up to her, "As you command princess," I smiled at her and turned back to the shield, waiting.

It took awhile, but finally it parted letting me back out into the slaughterhouse I created.

I put the silenced pistol away and floated my new shotgun beside the unsilenced 10mm, approaching the door with 'Executive Offices' stenciled above it. The number of red marks on E.F.S. was down to such manageable levels now, I could afford to move quickly. The remaining raiders I ran into were panicked and didn't have the advantage of a little compass in their vision to let them know I was coming.

The guards that had been stationed at the doorway were nowhere to be found, most likely they were drawn into my trap by the PA system. I passed through the empty door and into a stairwell, leading to the uppermost floors of the Thundega Assembly Plant, as I approached the top I could hear voices matching half a dozen red marks. They were waiting.

Moving slowly, I crept forward, hopefully I'd at least have a moment of surprise even with an ambush waiting. As I was mentally preparing myself for facing what must be the elite guard of raiders, I stumbled on something... A thin wire across the stairs? Something hard hit me on the head and I caught the movement of a couple metal apples bouncing to the floor and down the stairs. Tripwire... metal apples... tripwires weren't good...

Abandoning stealth, I jumped forward to the top of the stairs and the doorway beyond as a roaring blast went off below and behind me, throwing me forward into the hall ahead and lighting my rear half in burning agony. As I sailed through the air towards four ponies waiting behind heavy desks turned on their sides in the hall, I desperately activated S.A.T.S.

The Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting System froze time around me, buying me a moment of relief from the pain with that strange feeling of disconnection from my body. The raiders waiting in ambush were loaded for bare, I had definitely made an impression downstairs anyway.

A shotgun, a 10mm SMG, a hunting rifle and a leader pony wearing a battle saddle with a combat shotgun and a heavy sniper rifle were all pointed at me. Looking closely I made out another grenade in the magical grip of a pale pink mare, the pin was pulled and it was ready to be thrown at me. The leader wore armor fashioned from metal scraps off the assembly line below, while the others had leather barding adorned with spikes and studs.

Looking behind the group, I spotted a fifth pony wearing crude combat armor, painted with swirls and markings in what looked like blood. The dark brown unicorn's mouth was open mid scream with rage in his teal eyes, his hoof jabbed out at me as I flew through the air. Scars lined his hide where it showed past the armor and his greasy black mane fell in his face. Floating in his grip was a large revolver and an absolutely huge hammer was strapped on his back, festooned with wires and electronics, a talisman glowed in the hilt.

Looking at his cutie mark, a bloody hammer that matched the one on his back roughly, I saw two more ponies in the room beyond him. An elderly zebra and a small foal were bound in a rather opulent office, propped against a large, ornate wooden desk. He stood in the doorway, taking cover and ordering his minions to deal with me, while the two ponies I was here for were frozen in time, shouting in fear at me. They were going to see me die...

I didn't want to of course, but the blazing red alerts from my pip-buck and the wall of death waiting for me made that pretty likely. The little cartoon of a unicorn showed Xs for eyes and a tongue sticking out, both hind legs crippled and massive damage to the torso, internal injuries were flashing urgently. Rolling my eye behind me, I could see the glare of the booby trap explosion past the flaming, tattered edge of the blackened tarp I wore on my shoulders. I could hang here frozen in the moment before it all ended, but getting out of it once I released the spell seemed impossible.

Still, Jade told me to come back, she was waiting on me. Mama Xara and little Short Stack were watching in horror, I didn't want the colt to see the Shrouded Stallion -as he thought of me- die. Everyone from Stable 111 was still out there somewhere waiting for me to find them too. I also really didn't want to die, like... a lot...

Suspended in time, I flipped away from the medic alerts blaring at me and started going through my inventory, looking for some way out of this. At least I could access my items like this, if I told the pip-buck to use them then it would, though the effects wouldn't take hold until S.A.T.S. ended. Ok... first things first then, I selected three of my four remaining potions and used them all. The screens in my vision reported where my health would be once time resumed and they took effect. If I didn't get shredded by the raiders in front of me, I'd probably live anyway.

I stared at the rest of my inventory, there was little of use; weapons, ammo, my stable barding, lots of junk and tools. The only things of use were filed under the 'Aid' tab with the potions. Well, having reservations about using some of this stuff was pointless if I was dead. I started clicking through the drugs and medicine I had collected or taken from Jade's clinic back in Sanctuary she was so proud of. I wished I was there now.

Hydra... I had used it on the alicorn once to heal her wing when I first saw her. It was still dangerous stuff, made with flux... taint she called it, risky... I used the single vial I had, that was going to hurt like hell but it would repair my legs and internal injuries, again if I lived more than a few seconds. Hydra on top of the catastrophic amount of pain already waiting for me made Med-X a good idea, so I selected a vial of it as well. The combat drugs further down the list wouldn't be worth much if I couldn't move, so I saved them for now.

I had my best weapons out already, except for the frighteningly sharp knife 'Best Served', but it too was useless in the current situation. The only other thing I had was my new stock of explosives, I could toss grenades via S.A.T.S., but they'd have to go to the targets and wait for the timers to detonate, seconds I didn't have.

A big ka-boom would be great otherwise, the clump of ponies in front of me would all take damage, barricades or not. My eyes hung on the single grenade one of the raiders held in their magic, right by their head and in the middle of the group... As I stared at it, S.A.T.S. gave me a 30% chance of hitting it, it was a viable target...

Well this was a plan, it was a way to go down swinging if nothing else. I selected the grenade as the target and used the entire spell charge on it with the pistol. I looked around as far as my vision allowed, offices lined the hallway. None as fancy as the one the pony with the hammer hid in, but none were a room for lots of cubicles either, these were the offices for executives after all. The nearest door was to my right and just ahead, another door lay between it and the barricade ahead.

I hung in midair a moment longer, thinking of all the ponies I cared about, my family, my old friends from the Stable and new ones outside of it, Jade... I heard your life flashed before your eyes before you died, but having S.A.T.S. to give you as long as you wanted to think was nice.

If I died at least I was able to do so thinking of every moment I had spent with her, every warm hug and nuzzle, every touch of her wing, every tear she wiped away. I brought up the memory of seeing her posing in front of the mirror in the steamy bathroom back in Sanctuary, unhappy with how she looked for some insane reason I could never understand. I hadn't meant to barge in on her, but it was a nice image to die on.

I accepted the sequence in S.A.T.S. and time resumed.

Pain, yes I had been expecting it, but there wasn't any way to be ready for this. It was an ocean of agony. I could barely notice as the first two shots from the pistol fired and missed. Good thing the pip-buck was taking care of that, I couldn't do anything but think really hard about moving towards the open door.

The third shot fired, another miss. The first raider to react was the second in command in the metal armor, the sniper rifle on his battle saddle punched through the tattered cloak flapping around me and drilled through my shoulder. At least the rag made my outline hard to make out, what was an in and out glancing shot could have went right through my chest.

The fourth shot from the pistol, another miss. Come on! Statistically one of the first three should have hit! The shotgun raider peppered my flank with buckshot, adding a few drops to the overflowing bucketload of pain. I just kept focusing on the open door, my flight was slowly leaning that way. The grenade I had been firing at fruitlessly was starting to move... Then the hydra started kicking in and what I thought was pain before was dwarfed.

The fifth shot... BOOM!

The explosion pushed me back and aided in my desperate struggle to angle toward the door. S.A.T.S. released its' grip on the pistol, its' mission accomplished with half the charge remaining, as I rolled through the door, landing in a heap. I think I was screaming, but I couldn't hear it.

I was quivering on the floor as the hydra was coursing through my battered body, setting my nerves on fire, twisting my broken legs back into shape and roiling through my guts, rebuilding them. The Med-X didn't touch this, I wished I was like Jade and it didn't hurt, she might not like it, but I saw no problems being an alicorn like her at this point.

I thrashed and rolled on the carpeted floor, at least that put the tattered cloak out, it smoldered on top of me. Absently, I heard shouts and movement in the hall. A bleeding raider limped through the door, the sub machine gun in his mouth seeking me out. I triggered S.A.T.S. again, now that there was something to target and I could think enough to manage it.

Sweet relief flooded through me, as long as I had a target, I could at least buy myself time to think and get away from the pain. It was waiting for me, but for the moment I was free. I queued up three shots with The Terrible Shotgun, what an uninspiring name for a weapon, why use it if it was terrible? I had kept it out of curiosity and because when my pip-buck decided to attach names to things they tended to be worthwhile. Fork's old knife had been labeled 'Best Served" when I picked it up in the Stable a lifetime ago and it worked out well.

I went through the pip-buck menus, reluctant to let time resume again by accepting the commands. The health readout was still very unhappy, the cartoon unicorn only looked half dead now though. It said my legs were restored, they hadn't felt like it before I went into the cool bliss of frozen time, but I had to believe it. I needed to move when things resumed.

Going through the inventory I selected another shot of Med-X, anything to numb some of that pain. I glanced down the list, no reason to hold back now... I selected one of the vials of Dash I had taken from Mr. Hawthorne's house next door back home, used it and let time resume again.

BLAM! BLAM!

Two blasts from the shotgun boomed out, the first tore a huge hole through the leather barding the raider wore, stopping him in his tracks, the second blew his head off in an explosion of gore. Then the drugs took hold, first the pain slacked off enough to function again with the second vial of Med-X. Then came the Dash, everything got brighter, more there and real, the lights in the ceiling sparkled and I felt... good? Great! I could take on the world!

I scrambled to my hooves, my hind legs tried to buckle and give up, but I just swung them furiously, pushing forward. I rose with a clatter, pushing against the desk behind me and charging toward the headless raider as he fell, very slowly... Pulling my knife out and holding it in my mouth, I marveled down at the corpse, it landed with a thump finally as I leapt over it and into the hall. This was like S.A.T.S., but instead of everything being frozen I could move through a world in slow motion.

Skidding into the hall, I saw the remaining two bleeding raiders swinging towards me, eyes widening slowly. The third was the one with the grenade and she was a smoking ruin splashed on the other two. They appeared to be looking just behind where I was. I dodged left as the metal armored pony's combat shotgun fired, I could practically count the pellets as they tore into the tiled floor behind me. I sprinted forward at an angle, firing the pistol at the raider with the hunting rifle in her mouth. Bullets tore into the green mare and the clip ran dry, as I hit the wall and pushed off it with all four hooves.

The dark cloak flapped around me as I blurred across the hall, another shot from the final raider's sniper rifle ripped a new hole in the tattered edge and buried itself in the wood paneled wall behind me. I was streaking toward him, watching his pupils shrink and laughing like a loon. Why hadn't I tried this Dash stuff before?!

The Terrible Shotgun barked out round after round, hammering into the raider lieutenant's metal armor, staggering him back one step after another until it clicked empty too. I jumped the turned over desk he took cover behind, he wasn't trying to fire any more, just backpedaling like mad. The long blade in my mouth flashed out and a deep line appeared across his throat, spraying blood in a fan to the ceiling and soaking me.

I stood panting on the other side of the barricade meant to kill me, surrounded by the remains of the guards. My heart was trip-hammering in my chest, my muscles burned and everything was jittery, the Dash was wearing off. Less than a minute had passed... 'Best Served' glimmered wetly in my mouth, held in a crooked grin, gore dripped down the ragged, black stained cloak that fluttered around my hooves. I looked down the long hallway, to the last red mark on E.F.S. while reloading my guns. The leader, Crankcase, stared back at me. The revolver held in his magic shook and his mouth hung open, his teal eyes held cold hatred and terror.

"Who the fuck are you!?!" he screeched.

"Shroud!" the little foal bound behind him yelped in joy.

"Let them go. Now. Or die," the dark Shrouded Stallion in my head growled down the hall at the leader of the Thundega raiders, racking The Terrible Shotgun.

The raider leader slammed the door to the office.

I charged down the hall, the office doorways blurring past. It looked like the top ponies in this gang got special rooms up here with the boss. Ahead of me, two green marks and one red moved on the compass at the bottom of my vision, he was running and taking Mama Xara and Short Stack. The Shrouded Stallion in my head raged, he was not getting away...

Without the Dash burning through me, pain was filling in the gap it left, getting past the two shots of Med-X I had taken. My entire back half felt like it was wound with barbed wire and stabbing pain radiated in my chest. I should be dead. I'm sure that fact along with the dance of death in the hall was what made Crankcase turn and run. He just watched a dead pony come back to life and tear through his guards like a Dash fueled scythe. Of course right now the cocktail of drugs and adrenaline was the only thing keeping me going, along with the sight of my friends still alive.

I spun and bucked the door, barely losing a step, it flew open and I trained my weapons on the office beyond. A large, dark wooden desk stood in the center of the room, on thick but moldy red carpet. Cracked and faded pictures of carriages and sky carriages hung on the walls, framed magazines with pictures of the same grey stallion stared down. A large mattress sat in the corner, festooned with pillows and fancy silk sheets, marred by splashes of blood I didn't want to think about. A door near the raider king's love nest hung open and rain blew into the room, that's where the marks on E.F.S. lead so I bolted after.

We were on the roof, rain slashed down and lightning flashed in the clouds overhead with a rumble. Crankcase was standing in the middle of the roof with Mama Xara and Short held back by the long handle of his strange hammer at their necks. His revolver floated out above them, shakily pointed at me. The crazed stallion was staring up towards the smokestacks above a small utility building to his right.

"Bloodtail! Get down here and kill that little fucker, now!" he screamed up into the sky. Shit... the griffon...

The lean, feathered predator swooped down from the smokestacks and landed on the utility building, staring down at us. Looking first to Crankcase, then to his captives, then to me. This was going to be bad...

Her shaggy head and sleek wings were a fiery red, over a muscular light red-orange body, a scar crossed a strange cutie mark like tattoo of numbers and dashes on her flank. White plumage was streaked on her head and at her wingtips, with lavender accents around her eyes. Her fierce purple eyes stared down passively and her long tail whipped back and forth, the fluff of red and white at the end flashing.

She wore thick light green combat armor, under her wings were two intimidating weapons pointing down at us. A belt fed machine gun with a case of the mumps was on one side, the shells for it were huge whatever they were. Opposite that thing was large magical energy weapon of some make I had never seen, it had three barrels and crackled with red magic. A bandolier crossed her chest, a holster held a huge pistol at her breast. This was a griffon that meant business....

I tensed, ready to be torn to pieces by those long charcoal claws that clenched the edge of the roof she perched on. Finally, she turned back to Crankcase and drawled with a lazy look on her face, "You ain't paid me."

The raider fumed and screeched at her, "I told you I have it! Shut up and kill him you stupid bitch!"

The griffon raised her foreleg to her face, looking down at her claws critically and holding them out in front of her. "You ain't paid me and ya wanna contract more work... that ain't how it works Crank."

Steam was practically coming out of the stallion's ears, he raged and stamped his hooves. Finally he turned back to me and pointed the gun at Short. "Y-You back off! Take the brat, but the zebra's mine! Take another step and I'll kill them both!"

My eyes blazed in my skull at the sight of the gun held to the colt's head, my pistol and the Terrible Shotgun were up and aiming at his in a flash. Before I could say a word however, the griffon interrupted the exchange laconically.

"Can't let ya do that Crank. I was contracted to deliver captives taken from that settlement. Until I get paid, the delivery's incomplete. Do what you want with 'em once I got caps in claw, till then they're my package. Kill my package and how can I complete delivery? Nope... sorry to say you pull that trigger, you get incinerated," the large barreled, belt fed gun clicked as she brought it to bear on the raider. This was getting interesting...

A vein pulsed on Crankcase's head under his greasy mane, his eyes darted back and forth looking for a way out. He obviously didn't have the... caps?... money to pay. I knew griffons had different views on money than most ponies and tried to dredge up every vague memory I had of mom's friends.

I looked up at the lithe griffon and shouted over the storm, "I want a contract! Help me! Help save my friends!"

She glanced over and cocked an eyebrow, "Do ya now? Yer the little pony from that Sanctuary place ain't ya? And what exactly do ya got ta offer in payment? I can tell ya now, it won't be cheap..."

Dammit, she was right. I didn't even realize ponies might use something different from bits for money up here, caps? Whatever they were, I knew I didn't have any, I only had a hoofful of golden prewar bits in my bags. I racked my brain desperately, some memory was niggling at me from deep down, something to say that was right...I frowned and hit my head with my hoof, trying to jar it loose. She started to turn away, closing her eyes and huffing to the sky, come on brain, work! NOW!

"I offer an open contract!" I screamed, finally it came.

The she-griffon paused and turned back slowly, narrowing her eyes. "You don't know what yer sayin' pony, if you ain't got the caps, stop wasting my..."

"I... I... I swear on the Idol of Boreas and good King Grover! I Fast Times offer an open contract freely to..." I dragged the words out from the dusty memory and stumbled, what had Crankcase called her?

Her eyebrows raised and those lidded lavender eyes widened ever so slightly, "Valkyrie... Val Bloodtail..." she murmured, barely audible over the rain. Crankcase watched the exchange with mounting panic, but her weapons never left his head.

"To Valkyrie Bloodtail! Equal share of all future profits! Partners! I offer myself! Save my friends!" I shouted at her.

She looked me over slowly, turning her head back an forth owlishly and narrowing her eyes again. "Hmmm... and what are ya worth pipsqueak? I dunno, where'd ya hear that anyway? No matter. Crankcase is an outstandin' debt, caps in claw, yer an unknown... Was a nifty little settlement you had there though. Hrrrmmm.... I suppose I can consider it... I know, easy way ta appraise yer value and clear up this business with Crank." she mused to herself and suddenly was a fiery blur streaking towards Crankcase.

Before either of us realized what happened, she had Xara and Short in her claws and flapped back to her perch, holding her pistol on them. Crankcase glared at her and jabbered in fury, as she looked down with a smirk, "There, the better value will take care of the bad deal. I hold on to my package till I gets paid. Yer worth anything, you can prove it."

Crankcase was still trying to comprehend what happened, while I was pounding across the roof at him. I didn't care about the griffon's weird ideas, she did what I needed, the hostages were removed from the equation. Rounds from the pistol in my grip started slamming into his combat barding as he realized I was coming for him.

That armor was going to be a problem, neither the 10mm rounds nor the shotgun shells were going to get through it and it protected him well. I was dashing in range to try to blast his unprotected head, unfortunately he had caught on and had the massive hammer floating in front of him, protecting his weak spot. His revolver started zeroing in on me, the third round bucking me in the side as I closed the distance.

The hammer shot out at me, the talisman in the hilt sparking with electricity as the huge head glowed and hissed in the rain. I dodged frantically, but the target wasn't me, The Terrible Shotgun clattered from my grip and across the roof. More rounds pinged off the hammer that returned to guard him quickly after the sharp thrust. One tore a bloody gash down his neck and a second vaporized his ear before the clip ran empty.

His last three rounds from the revolver went off, two misses, but one tore through my foreleg. Now we were down to melee weapons, his huge hammer versus my knife. The raider sneered and swung the heavy sledge at my head, believing me completely outclassed. 'Best Served' slashed up and to the right in my magic, while I dodged left, the stroke deflected his smashing blow and his sneer died when he noticed the deep groove left in the metal shaft of his weapon.

We circled each other slowly, I limped on my wounded leg, leaving a trail of blood in the puddles at our hooves. We both sent probing attacks at each other, he moved to deflect the flying knife away with the magically enhanced head of the hammer instead of block it. He had already learned not to try to stand against the wickedly sharp weapon directly. His own swings were dodged easily enough, but threw me off and were making me use up what little energy I had left.

The griffon watched from her perch with interest, pulling out a bottle of something and drinking like she was enjoying a good show. My friends were still bound, but she paid them little attention, holding the pistol on them as more of an afterthought. Mama Xara edged closer and shouted down to us, "Bring the thunder Fast!"

Ok, that was a strange cheer, I'd expect it out of Short Stack honestly. Crankcase scowled at the zebra mare and I slashed out at the opening, going for the throat to end this now while I could. The raider had been looking away, but he wasn't as stupid as he looked, he let me have that opening.

He reared back on his hind legs as the saturnite knife slashed through his chestplate and tore a spray of blood from him. In exchange for the gash on his chest, the massive hammer whistled through the rain in a flat arc and hit me like a freight train in the ribs, electricity sparking down the head and shooting through me.

I flew through the air and rolled across the roof, splashing through the puddles soaking it and sliding to a halt, twitching as the magic sparked over me. I heard Short Stack screaming and looked over to see him held back idly by his tail in the griffon's claws, Mama Xara leaned over him, repeating her weird cheer, "Bring the Thunder!"

Crankcase stomped up and stood over me, he floated the sledge high above him, preparing to smash my head into cider. "That zebra bitch, I've been after her a long time runt. Told me one of her visions when I was that brat's age, said I'd be a monster. King of the Thunder Castle she said, and here I am. You've been a hell of a setback, but it's over, got an inside track on the future now, be unstoppable... rule the Commonwealth, be a real king!"

I looked up at him, the roiling clouds above him flashed with lightning and rumbled, Mama Xara kept shouting "Thunder!" down at me. She saw the future... His sparking hammer floated above him in the storm, drifting higher before he brought it down once he was done rambling.

I never used this spell like this, I wasn't that strong with magic, just enough for repairs...

I clenched my eyes and poured everything I had left into my horn. Thin bolts of lightning arced up over the crazed stallion and up to the sparking hammer. He winced, twitching as the weak electricity streamed through him and gritting his teeth. I strained to put more into the weak spark spell, come on!

The thunder came.

I caught a glimpse of a white flash, a huge bolt seared on my eyes as it streaked down from the storm to the hammer and the chain my spell formed, leading to the raider holding it in his ragged yellow magic, and to me... Thunder crashed in my ears, the last image I caught was the raider frying like a blown fuse.

I was back home, playing on the plush carpet of our living room in front of the tv. Glancing up occasionally at mom and the silvery griffon on the couch as they laughed and drank their funny drinks that looked good but tasted bad. Really, how could you put a little umbrella in a glass if it wasn't for foals.

Forcing my brain to bring up the memory had apparently brought it to the forefront again and I watched it play out clearly. I probably wasn't dead right?

"Really Hilde, you should quit that job. Your boss sounds like a prick, not worth it at all," mom slurred waving her hooves around, sloshing her drink.

I stacked my blocks with shaky magic, building a tower for my Shrouded Stallion figure to perch on dramatically. I looked up at the pretty griffon as she drained her own and shoved mom playfully. "Oh sure, just quit. C'mon Bright you know I gotta keep the contract, maybe when it comes due I'll look around, but where else am I gonna work? S'hard findin' somebody worth makin a contract with, pay's good, so what if he's a jerk, jush hafta swallow it down."

Mom lounged back on the couch against the armrest and kicked at the griffon with her hind legs, "Bah! There's always somethin' better out there, hell I bet I can make Olden ask around at the school. Security there is pitiful... he'll do what I tells him ain't that right sweetie!" she tittered over the back of the couch.

Dad's voice drifted down the stairs from his office, "Yes dear... She is right though Brunhilde, I can ask around for you."

The griffon shook her grey head, plumage fluttering around her, "Babysit a bunch of eggheads and brats? C'mon, you say security but there's no action! Nah, I'll check around though, find somebody worth a damn to work for. Heard about that Stable-Tec place hirin' not long ago anyway," she huffed in annoyance thinking about it and poured another drink.

I had been watching the conversation from the floor, trying to figure out what the grownups were talking about. I did understand Auntie Broom was unhappy and wanted somepony good to work for. I jumped up and flopped on the couch between mom and the griffon lady. "You can work for me Auntie Broom!" I shouted and was pulled into a tickle hug from mom.

She guffawed at that and wore a smirk on her beak as she added a wing to the tickles, "Oh? and whatcha gonna pay with lil' Fast?"

I squirmed and gasped for air under the two pronged tickle attack, "P-p-pigg- piggybank! All-all my- birth-d-day bits!"

Auntie Broom smiled and let up, her yellow eyes looked up thoughtfully and she tapped a claw on her head. "Hmm... I dunno Fast, that's a lot alright buuut think I need a little more than that..."

I frowned as mom let go too and stood between them, thinking, "Um.. my toys? Well... most of them, not the Shroud though..." that should sweeten the pot nicely I thought. She sat looking up and scratching under her beak with her claws humming, was it still not enough? I gulped and floated my Shroud figure over to me, looking at it carefully. Auntie Broom was unhappy, I could tell that before they got all silly because of the funny drinks. I sighed and frowned in determination, the Shroud would understand... I held it up to her in my magic, "O-ok... All my toys!" I winced, looking away before she snatched the precious treasure up. Who could resist that offer?

I was yanked back in a crushing hug and mom started laying kisses down on my head, "What a sweet foal you are Fast! That's momma's little colt, you're gonna be such a sweetheart!" I gasped and wriggled in her hooves, trying to escape and looking to Auntie Broom. Surely she had taken my offer now.

She smiled widely, her eyes shining with merriment as she passed my toy back to me. "Now that is a tempting offer Fast, ALL your toys huh? Your mom's right kiddo, you are a gonna be a real gem... matter of fact I bet you're a worthwhile investment. How 'bout this, I can't take your toys as payment but I can give ya an open contract!"

Mom snorted and shoved the griffon with a friendly kick, "Hilde! Don't tell him that!"

Auntie Broom laughed and shoved back, nearly rolling her off the edge of armrest she was lounging on, "What! I'm serious, I think he's valuable!" She leaned over to me in a conspiratorial whisper, "You don't have the bits to pay for me kid, but you're worth enough I bet! I'll make a contract with ya for what I think you'll be worth eventually, we'll be partners, go on adventures, all that. Now you say 'I swear on the Idol of...'"

Mom nickered behind me and stretched out, hanging her head off the couch and spreading her hooves to the floor, "You're gonna get him in trouble Hilde..."

I woke up on a very soft bed, that nearly made up for the amazing amount of pain I was in. No more Med-X, no more adrenaline, no more rage and fear, nothing separated it from me anymore, I groaned and tried to move experimentally. That was a mistake...

My rear half was packed with ground glass, even trying to twitch my hind legs sent lances of fire up my spine. My guts felt like they squirming in my chest and gurgled angrily at me. A variety of other wounds covered by bandages shouted for their own attention. My head was pounding, looking up through my bedraggled mane, I saw my horn was blackened even more than my normal coloration, as I looked a small spark arced at the tip and drove a spike in my brain.

"Sssh... stay still little pony. I used what you had to heal you, hopefully more is coming..." Mama Xara sat at the edge of the bed and put a cool cloth on my forehead, that felt good. Moving probably wasn't a good idea, I rolled my eyes around the room. We were in Crankcase's fancy office, the red drapes hanging around the bed and the silk sheets I was on identified it.

Short Stack was beyond the zebra mare, rooting around a set of cabinets, on hearing Mama Xara he pulled his head from the drawer it was buried in and ran over, leaping on the bed and bouncing on his hooves near me. "You're ok! I knew it! I knew you'd come! That was awesome! You and that bad pony were all like blam! pow! shing! Then you got hit... but then KRAKATHOOM!! That bolt of lightning blasted the bad guy to a crispy critter! A-are you ok Shroud? umm Fast?"

My eyes were clenched shut at the boisterous colt's high volume recap. When he quieted with that worried tone, I opened them slowly and looked back to him, trying to smile. "F-fi-ne..." I croaked, even talking hurt...

I caught movement across the room and tried to lift my head, there was red over there, but not on my E.F.S.? Wait.. the unobtrusive little compass wasn't in my vision anymore, I looked down to my pip-buck in panic and stared at a dead screen. Great, the lightning must have crashed the spell matrix, I felt naked. More than I was already, my armor and ratty cloak were gone too. Looking past the dark pip-buck on my hoof, I tried to make out the red... thing... everything was pretty blurry that far away...

"I'll be damned, still alive huh? Welp, I guess you are worth somethin'! Here zebra, found a couple," the griffon smirked over me and tossed a couple of purple healing potions that thumped to the bed beside me. She then dumped a large sack beside the bed and flopped down at the foot of it, grinning, "The loot outta this place is a helluva haul, this arrangement is already workin' out well for me boss. Hell, I thought ya snuck up here with that ugly rag of yours, figured it had to be one of them zebra cloaks or somethin'. You should'a just said what ya did down there. That was some impressive killin', would'a raised yer value right off the bat. Drink that stuff down so we can get movin'."

Mama Xara opened one of the bottles and held it to my muzzle, helping me drink the healing potion down with a sputter. My vision cleared slightly and I felt slightly less like death warmed over, whining I hoofed at Xara's pip-buck. I wanted mine back, just in case the griffon on the bed decided to use those weapons of hers, though she was being quite friendly now for some reason. Xara looked down where I was reaching and held the device out, after opening the second potion and forcing me to drink it.

I reached out with my magic and was rewarded with another spark crackling down my horn, of course... "C-cable.. plug in..." I choked and coughed on the potion. Xara looked at both pip-bucks in confusion, not a technically minded zebra...

"Ah, yeah guess that would be fried. Here, move outta the way stripey, lemme see," the griffon, Valkyrie... that was her name, sat up and leaned over me. She quickly studied the device, her purple eyes narrowing, after a short examination she reached out a claw and pulled the patch cable from Xara and attached it to my own pip-buck. Looking over her work, she grabbed the zebra's hoof and stretched it out to me on the bed so I could reach it.

I looked up at her gratefully and turned to Xara's pip-buck, fumbling at the controls weakly, I managed to get to the reboot command and my vision filled with my own pip-buck returning to life. Phew... that felt better, my head thumped back down to the pillow and I looked over to Val as she smiled and pulled the connection. "Heard them things are handy, always wanted one myself boss, bet you could take care of that huh? Don't look like the zebra knows how ta use it, must be new. Get me one."

Well, I did owe her, she must expect payment and she did save my friends. Alright, she pulled them out of harms way and let me do it. Still, I offered her a contract on the promise of future payment, one of the many remaining pip-bucks back home was cheap. I nodded up at her weakly, "S-sure... yours... back in Sanctuary..." I answered her bright eyed, questioning look.

She hopped off the bed, stretching her wings with a grin, "Good, this'll work out just fine..." she grabbed her bag of loot along with my saddlebags and hooked a claw under me, lifting me off the bed and starting towards the door to the roof. "Let's get goin' boss, wanna make a few trips ta clear this place out!"

I hung like a sack of apples in her grip as we approached the drizzly night outside, Mama Xara trotted up with Short in tow, scowling in frustration. "He should not be moved! That is a very injured little pony, where are you going?"

Val glared down at Xara, "Back ta that Sanctuary place I took you two from, what ya whinin' about? Figure he's better off there right? Don't want any raiders makin' their way back up here do ya? I took out three just pokin around downstairs. Saw ya got a little doctors office back there even, 'less that medical box flag was a joke. Outta my way..." she gruffly pushed the mare aisde and continued out onto the roof, spreading her wings at the nearest edge.

Xara and Short were following frantically, "W-wait... can't leave... friends..." I struggled pitifully, trying to get back to them.

I felt her claws grip the scruff of my mane near my shoulders and she lifted me to her face with an exasperated look, "I can't carry all three of ya and our loot boss. They're fine, yer not. Jeez... fine, I'll compromise, I'll start bringin' em back next trip, there's lots of goodies ta haul outta here an' I planned on making a few trips anyhoo. I'll grab the foal next time along with the heavy stuff, the zebra can wait fer the third trip, or not.. her legs ain't broke. Happy?"

I wiggled in her grip, trying to get back down, though I was currently dangling over the edge of the roof so that probably wasn't smart. I hadn't gone through all that below to just leave them here alone. We should all leave together, at least she could take Short with me instead of her heavy bag of plunder. I was trying to flog my muddled brain into putting forth some kind of argument, when I heard the voice of a goddess.

"LET HIM GO!"

Val and I both looked over her shoulder at the resounding crash that shook the roof. Since I was facing that way in her grip anyway, I had seen the blue streak that cracked the surface with the impact. Jade was standing there, between us and our friends, her large wings spread to her sides.

Her horn was blazing with bright blue-white energy and her eyes had a strange, dragon-like appearance, the pupils furious slits. Ok, noooow I could see how the Book of the Lightbringer could describe alicorns in such terrifying terms... I had never seen Jade actually angry before. I made a mental note to never, ever piss her off.

The griffon holding me turned back with a smile, "Awww hells yeah! I was feelin' bored looking at the party downstairs. An alicorn! Itchin' for a good fight and one drops down outta the sky for me!" How anyone could look at the furious filly in front of us and speak with such glee was beyond me, Val was actually looking forward to fighting her... She grinned and dropped me to the roof with a soft thump, "Wait right there boss, might take a second here."

As soon as I was out of her grip, a bright field of telekinesis surrounded me and I was yanked across the roof, dragged behind Jade with the others. Her blue shield sprang up and she lowered her head, facing the griffon. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was going to hurt her, but Jade wouldn't hurt anyone... right?

Val glared down where she had set me and over to where I had been deposited, staring back at Jade and narrowing her purple eyes. "That's mine big blue..." she growled over to us. This was rapidly going south.

Xara and Short helped me sit up and I hoofed at Jade's legs weakly, "S-Stop... Griff-on helping... Val.. this is f-friend.." I wanted to start trying to explain frantically, but talking was hard, I felt myself twitch as another spark flickered down my horn. I had managed enough to make both ladies pause and look over to me anyway.

"She was dangling you over the edge..." Jade hissed.

"She's an alicorn! C'mon!" Val whined.

Mama Xara took up the slack thankfully, holding up her hooves for peace and speaking clearly. "Fast is telling the truth both of you! No one is enemies here, Jade, this is Valkyrie Bloodtail, Valkyrie this is Jade, we are all friends, yes? There has been enough fighting this night, besides, this solves our current dilemma. We may all return home together now, right Fast?"

I nodded slowly and tried to smile, nice and friendly, everybody get along. Val huffed in what I hoped wasn't disappointment, but relaxed and sat down, her weapons pointing away. Jade continued watching the griffon dubiously, but a better glance down at me made her eyes widen and return to normal. The arcane shield vanished and she knelt to the roof, wrapping me in the glow of her healing magic, oh that felt better...

With the threat of imminent violence gone, Short pranced around the alicorn and the griffon happily. Jade's eyes were gleaming wetly as she inspected the variety of injuries still evident on me, "Fast, what did you do! I-I told you to come back safe! How did you end up like this? Why is that griffon here? What happened!"

"Took 'em all out is what happened, look for yourself girly," Val looked bored and ready to leave, pointing over to the blackened, smoking remains of Crankcase still on the roof away from us. "Helluva show actually, even without bein' the main target, bringing down a lightning strike and livin' through it is impressive."

Jade gasped with a shiver, hey we had both been hit by lightning now, fun...

"You gots another flyer now, so guess the zebra's right boss. You win, we all get ta get outta here first trip. She looks like she can handle the other two, c'mon, let's go," the red and orange griffon stood and shook rain from her head, spreading her wings and walking over to grab me again.

At her approach, the blue alicorn filly grabbed me, folding her wings around me protectively and turning away from the griffon, glaring back at her. "You will not take him. He is hurt, carrying him around like luggage will not help. I am bringing him home and taking care of him," she glowered at the griffon and floated Short Stack off the ground and near her back. "If you wish to help you may take Mama Xara, if she allows it that is."

I didn't have the heart or breath to tell her the crushing alicorn hug, while wonderful, was probably not any better for me at the moment than being carried around like a sack. I tried not to whimper as my battered ribs were squeezed tightly.

Val rolled her eyes and peered around Jade's shoulder, picking out my head gasping up buried in blue feathers with a snort. "Guessin' that's fine with you boss? Alright stripes, let's go." With a gust of rain she lifted off the roof and snatched Mama Xara up in her claws without waiting for an answer from the elderly mare. She looped back and hooked her heavy bag of loot and my own saddlebags, before banking out into the night to the north, towards Sanctuary.

Jade watched her go silently before floating me up to hover near Short and standing. She put the foal on her back near her neck, then placed me behind him between her wings, she gave a little grunt of effort as she flapped her wings hard and we rose into the night sky. We flew along and I concentrated on keeping the little colt ahead of me still as he tried to peer all around at the world below, he could fall right off if he kept it up, or I could... I thought with a wave of dizziness.

I could make out Val and Xara far ahead of us just barely and was watching them through tired eyes, when the alicorn beneath me spoke up. "Fast who is that griffon and why is she calling you boss?" Disdain was clear in her voice.

That was a good question actually, "Umm, m-mercenary... working for raiders. We... have contract... I t-think? Helped save... Xara and Short.. sort of..."

"I do not like her..." she said, huffing and looking down her nose at the griffon ahead of us.

There was a buzz of activity and excitement when we returned, a great many of the prisoners were still in Sanctuary and surrounded us when we landed, giving cheers and thanks. Most of the guests were centered on Jade's clinic, those in the worst condition were taking the medical beds and being cared for by their fellows.

Preston was trying to manage the crowd, finding somewhere for everypony to rest for the night, while organizing a guard from those in the best shape and most familiar with the weapons I had supplied. Sturges was leading a small group around, pointing out ruined houses down the street away from the four we had been occupying. Cogsworth was looking much better too, chattering at a clump of Ponitrons that had completed the escort duty I assigned them, apparently he was convincing the fellow robots the escort implied protection.

Once we touched the ground, Short Stack jumped from Jade's neck and ran to his house to find his parents. Jade had explained on the way his mother was hurt, but had been stable enough to be moved to their own home when she returned and the bed in the clinic was needed. Mama Xara made her way to her home in the medical building and started tending to the wounded waiting there.

The griffon Valkyrie stood in the street waiting for us when we landed and fell in behind us as Jade trotted to my house, her bag of loot clattering on her back. It seemed I had some house guests, a hoofful of weary ponies were resting on the couch in my workshop and in the living room, huddled around the heaters. I craned my head as I was levitated through the room, the pale filly Glitter was curled in a tight little ball on the chair in the living room. Asleep or awake, I could see her breath hitching as she cried silently. She was safe and alive at least, though I desperately wished we had gotten there sooner and her twin slept with her now.

Val looked about with interest and moved ahead of us down the hall, looking back over her wing, "Which one's yer room boss?" she asked, poking her head into the bathroom. I nodded to the door in question wearily, my old Stable bed was back there calling me. At the gesture, the griffon hitched her heavy pack with my gear and walked inside, while Jade gave a 'hmmf!' and followed with me bobbing along behind her.

We entered the small bedroom to find Val peering around, before dumping her burden with a crash in the corner and flopping down on my bed. The frame creaked under her as she wiggled around, feeling for lumps. "Ahhh, yeah this'll do just fine," she smiled and sighed in contentment.

Hovering in the doorway, I watched Jade rear back and whinny, stamping her hooves, "That is Fast's bed! He needs his rest, get out of there!" she yelped at the griffon, who looked back unimpressed.

"So? Put him down already, I'm makin' a couple trips back ta clear that place out and get the rest of our loot in a minute. Just wanted to know where ta go when I was done. Don't worry, I'll keep him warm..." she smirked at the alicorn and fluttered her eyelashes.

Jade started sputtering incoherent noises of indignation and shaking her head, I dipped toward the floor in her magical grip as she lost focus for a moment. Y-y-you! This is- t-this is Fast's bed! You m-may not! You find somewhere else to go!"

The fiery she-griffon rolled over and leaned up, resting her head on her claw and shaking her tail, "Oh no, we gots a contract, right boss? Equal share and all? Seems a little crowded around here right now, boss' bed is my bed. I don't see what yer problem is blue, ya sweet on him or somthin'? Ya don't have a contract now, do ya?"

"C-contract?" Jade frowned at her, blushing brightly at the question of her feelings toward me that made my heart skip a beat.

"You two ain't married or nothin' right? No contract. I gots more say on who sleeps here than you do, an I'ma sleepin' here. Go on, he'll be fine, drop him off," Val jeered and patted the bed in front of her.

The floor zoomed up to meet me as the magic holding me became unstable, reasserting itself inches away from the carpet. Jade's blue eyes widened and she stammered, apoplectic, "W-w-what!?! Y-you! You... I- I... Oooh!!" she spun on the spot and dragged me along with her, slamming the door behind us and crossing the hall to her own room, fuming.

I was spun through the air and dropped to her large bed, made from two small Stable beds in a repaired frame from the neighborhood. Her face was flushed and one of her eyes was twitching as she stared at the wall, muttering to herself, "Pushy... crude... ill mannered... s-shameless... M-more say than I do! C-contract! Why that..."

"Oowwwww...." I groaned from the landing on even the soft bed.

Jade looked down, remembering I was there and gasping, "Fast! Oh I am sorry! Umm j-just... you just sleep in here! You need your rest! I- I have to go help Mama Xara care for our guests and get supplies to take care of you h-here, but I will be back!" She backpedaled to the door nervously as she spoke and ran down the hall once she was clear.

I would find this situation a lot more complicated if I could think straight, as it was another flickering spark ran down my horn and I buried my head under the pillows at the spike of pain it brought. I barely noticed they smelled like Jade before everything faded to black.

---------------------------Level Up!------------------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------------------

Moving Target--
--They can't hurt what they can't hit! You gain +25 damage and energy resistance while sprinting

Reputation Change!------------------

Thundega Raiders-- Destroyer
Less of a change and more of "this faction no longer exists" Those that survived will never forget and this may color interactions with other factions in the future.

Ch. 15 Young Hearts

Ch. 15 Young Hearts

"He's her special somepony! She's his special somepony!"

--------------------------------------

I had seen other alicorns in Jade's memory orb, lots of them in fact. Being directly in the presence of another was still a different experience, being the target of this one's wrath was worlds apart from the blue one I knew. She was beautiful like Jade, but it was twisted by the pony that wore it. Jade's grip when she picked me up like this was a gentle caress, the field of green magic enveloping me now was crushing, making sure I couldn't make a move at all. I tried to struggle fruitlessly as she stepped toward me, scowling up into my eyes with her green gaze.

Angry murmurs were drifting up from the pews in front of the pulpit, from the sick ponies, ghouls and zebras watching avidly. This was a crowd eager for blood, I had invaded their sanctum and angered their priestess, now I was surrounded by a non stop sea of red on my Eyes Forward Sparkle. Not good... I hadn't quite expected to be caught so easily, but really, who can plan for a freaking mind reader?

"You should not have come here Destroyer disciple. You come to reclaim what is not yours and you will suffer for it."

She could keep me in place hovering before her, but she couldn't keep my mouth shut, for now at least. "You're the one that came and took her away! Knocked her out and kidnapped her! She's my friend! I want her back!"

A tittering laugh as she shook her head caused that dark black and green main to swish and ripple around her, as if she found this entire situation delightful. "Friend you say? How amusing, as if your kind would befriend ours. We know of you, we have seen your ilk before and will not suffer it again, Stable dweller..."

As she spoke I started getting flashes in my head, outside thoughts and images I didn't recognize. She was intruding! I could feel her creeping her way into my thoughts, her spoken words echoed there. Pictures... a pretty pale grey unicorn with a brown mane, wearing a blue and yellow Stable barding emblazoned with the number 2 instead of my 111, another equally stunning white unicorn mare with a red and black mane and the same barding, but labeled 99 instead, a red coated earth pony stallion with a dark mane and a glowing red cybernetic eye, charismatic smirk above a barding marked with 101, others flashed by too fast to make out. She really had a thing against Stable ponies, didn't she?

"With good reason, not just Stable ponies either... a certain breed of them has proven beyond troublesome. You are of their ilk, I have seen your thoughts and know them, to leave my sister under your hoof... madness." That strong grip kept tightening as she hissed.

"Not under my hoof! Beside me! I'm not doing anything against her will, I want to be with her, to have her with me, but because I care about her! I'm not some destroyer, whatever that means to you, I just want her back!"

At that she actually threw her head back and laughed, "Not a Destroyer you say? When just your surface thoughts burn with bringing destruction to this place for taking her from you? You perceive her to be yours? That we have stolen from you? Perhaps I had to be a bit... forward..., but she will thank me when she awakens and join us willingly. You speak of caring for her, when I sense such rage from you, let us just see what thoughts you truly hold for my sister, before disposing of you and cutting off any mischief you will inevitably get up to..."

The gathered fanatics below were getting into it, bowing and chanting, "Purge the Destroyer!" Right... no help from there then... I could tell these were very ill and desperate people, but whatever they had bought into here was wrong. This was as far from praising Celestia and Luna as you could get, in this place meant to thank them both.

What had been a slow feeling of being pawed at in my head became a sharp intrusion, she was forcing her way into my brain! How could she do this! My eyes clenched and I distantly heard myself scream at the violation, an outside cloud of green was just billowing it's way into my mind and I couldn't stop it. Memories were coming up unbidden and tossed aside, she was rifling through me like a terminal with interesting files, while her worshipers watched with glee.

The horrible sensation suddenly stopped when a black and white blur dropped down from the ceiling, spinning through the air and bringing down a hindleg with an amazing impact, driving the green alicorn to the ground. Spinning on the spot on his hindlegs still, Zed threw both forehooves forward into her side and tossed her back into the crowd of fanatics just realizing something had happened. Her magic retreated out of my head and let me go, dumping me to the floor where I scrambled up and drew my weapons. 'Sister' to Jade or not, that was not happening again.

I spun the Terrible Shotgun on her as she struggled in the tangle of cultists she landed in, drawing a weapon on another alicorn like Jade though... I paused, which was a mistake. The huge bulk in the green robes that had been standing at her side on the pulpit smashed into me, driving me into the ragged wall at the edge of the pit, the shotgun misfired into the ceiling as I flew, but I managed to keep my grip on it. The hulking pony was following up, driving draped hooves into the wall around my head as I dodged frantically.

Zed had saved me, but didn't seemed inclined to do it again, glaring down at the alicorn and pointing a hoof at her from the pulpit, "You! You have taken my brother from this place, you have stolen from the elder, tell me where both are now!"

"Zebra! You bring a hidden zebra against us, just as the Destroyer, and expect me to believe you are not of a kind?! I need see no more! Your sibling is gone from this place zebra, we told you as much! He is a willing acolyte of the Children of Balefire, what he brought he brought to prove his worthiness, both have moved on to our cathedral! Not that such information will matter to you! Children, purge them both!!"

The green alicorn had made it to her hooves with the fawning help of her followers and scowled between Zed and I. Personally, I thought the order was unnecessary as the huge bodyguard was keeping me pinned pretty effectively. If one of those hooves smashing into the wood around me connected it would be enough, the sea of weapons being brought to bear was overkill.

What should have been a messy death was interrupted by a crashing explosion from above, the steeple and bell tower of the church was engulfed in flames and crashing down into the room with us, raining fire and chaos, the ancient bell landing with a resounding BONG! crushing several cultists. Val... thank you... The single errant blast of my shotgun had brought her down on this place and with her...

INITIATING COMBAT! DESTROYING ENEMY INSTALLATION!

More explosions and the tearing sound of a minigun outside, from the direction of the booming voice of my Sentinel bot waiting out there. Panic was spreading and even the bodyguard above me paused, giving me a bare moment to unload three slugs in his side from the shotgun floating there, driving him off me finally. I leapt up to get away and spotted the alicorn blazing at me, a powerful green shield surrounding her and keeping the raining bits of the church away from her. Right... not going to tangle with her if I could avoid it.

"Zed! Come on!" I shouted over to the zebra wading into the crowd of cultists and knocking them around like tenpins with his deadly hooves alone. I wasn't staying up here with the guard and the alicorn, Jade was just out the open back of the church beside me and that's where I was going. I bolted away as the heap of robes I had just filled with slugs started standing again and jumped off the open edge toward the crater.

So you were supposed to reach the first platform into the pit through the basement of the church, not by just sailing out into open space fifteen feet above it. Crashing through a ramshackle building and rolling to the ground was still preferable to staying up there, I was closer to the bottom of the balefire bomb crater and Jade. My pip-buck flashed medical warnings and increased its angry chattering, I could see the needle on the rainbow gauge climb before my eyes, out of yellow and into orange. I clattered to my hooves and pulled free of the wreckage of the building I landed on, pulling up S.A.T.S. to give myself a moment to think and target the angry cultists down here too.

Taking advantage of the frozen time, I flicked through my inventory, using two more Rad-Aways and another Rad-X, noting where the radiation gauge would be once they took effect, back down to the green/yellow border... better. That done, I took stock of the targets available; six robed cultists on this platform drawing weapons in surprise, Zed in mid leap from the church above, the alicorn swooping into the sky above, and the personal guard looming at the edge I jumped from. E.F.S. showed a horde above and below, in between me and Jade... could I get through that many? If I was fast enough...

The blue alicorn below was all that ran through my mind, whatever cost was worth it. I equipped my 10mm pistol and Best Served alongside the Terrible Shotgun, gave myself one final moment to consider, then selected one of my two remaining Dash containers taken from Mr. Hawthorne's safe back in Sanctuary, I was going straight down and nothing was going to stand in my way. As my final selection for S.A.T.S. I queued up several shots with the pistol against the cultists between me and the first stairs down.

As soon as time resumed, the pistol floated out and began firing, my knife zipped to my mouth and I blurred forward as the Dash took hold, my cloak flapping behind me, just ahead of the bodyguard crashing down where I had vacated like a bomb. Anything in my streaking path that survived the pip-buck assisted pistol rounds, was dropped by the shotgun or my knife as I zipped past. The euphoric speed kept me ahead of emerald blasts from the alicorn's magic trying to grab me again or stop me cold, as I charged down the stairs to the next platform.

Moving through the soup of slow motion let me keep track of Zed as he sprang from the rooftops, actually keeping up with me somehow, he pounced on one robed cultist after another in my path, he was the only thing moving at normal speed to me right now. Stop marveling at the incredible rush, the brightened glow surrounding everything and the tingle in my nerves, I could practically feel sparks flying from my hooves, imaginary arcs of electricity flying behind me as streaked onward like lightning. Dash was amazing, but dangerous, one minute... that's how long I probably had. How far could I get in one minute like this?

A quick glance behind me as I took the next set of stairs, slicing open another cultist as I passed, showed the church was burning merrily and more explosions were shaking the remains. The Sentinel was good at his work... I spotted the strange alicorn diving at me, figuring out what she said with everything slowed down so far was hard, her voice stretched out over long seconds. I caught, "Deeeesssstrrrooooyyyyerrrr... Yyyooooouuuuu wiiiiiillll nnnnooooottttt..." before Val slammed into her, knocking her off course and into a tattered tent.

The hulking bodyguard was still right on my tail, they had not bothered with the stairs and simply flew down from the previous platform... A pegasus? Did pegasi come that big and bulky? Even with my heightened senses, I could barely spot the tiny yellow-green wings from the heavy folds of their cloak, a furious blur but somehow holding it aloft.

No matter, I was sprinting down the stairs to the last platform before the long, walled avenue that led to Jade. I could see her blue form ahead of me in the distance, still surrounded by tiny foals who were just figuring out something was happening. Unfortunately the Children of Balefire on this platform had gotten the idea better and were laying down fire on the stairs as I descended. Blasts of regular firearms and green magical energy weapons, that made my pip-buck give a roaring chatter at their impact, were concentrated on where I was. Most were missing, hitting behind where I actually was but some were finding their mark through luck if nothing else.

Searing lines of fire burned down my sides and against my chest, a rifle round pierced my flank, but the high I was riding made it distant enough to not drop speed. More shots from the pistol and shotgun combo lessened the fire coming in and I lunged forward with the knife in my mouth, leaving a spray of blood in my wake as I hit the last set of stairs. Above me an aerial battle was going on, red lines of magical energy weaponry crossing green bolts of magic, sketched across the dark sky as two dark forms dove around each other. Explosions kept raining down with each pass of the fiery griffon harassing the cultists on the ground. Val always wanted to fight an alicorn, she was getting her wish.

I was practically dancing around the fire coming in at me from the cultists here on the lowest level in the pit, my Dash fueled movement keeping me ahead of them for the most part. Jade was getting closer, I could see her shift in her sleep, frowning and reaching out... wake up! My hopeful view was cut off by the guard smashing into the alley ahead of me, blocking my advance through sheer bulk. The pistol and shotgun both pivoted and started unloading on the obstacle, stopped by a weakly flickering yellow-green shield... what?

Another series of rounds from Val's grenade machinegun above thumped down and engulfed the huge pony in fire, scattering more cultists down my path. I pranced in place anxiously, the Dash was starting to wear off and I had to wait for the wall of flames to die down enough to find a route through, at least I didn't have to worry about... Oh come on! The giant pony loomed in the flames, the inferno had turned their green robes to tattered, flaming rags that sloughed off their scorched form. What was underneath was... hard to take in.

It was an alicorn... but... not? It didn't look like any other I had ever seen and barely met the requirements for the term. It did have a tiny set of wings and a stunted, puny horn on its head, so yes, technically an alicorn. It was not, however, anything like Jade or the strange green one, where they were lithe and beautiful, this was misshapen and ugly. It was mass of muscle covered in rubbery yellow-green hide, no mane and a bald tail at its rear, dull red eyes without a hint of the intelligence found in the others I had seen, just malice and rage.

"Yuz stop right dere puny pony. Lady Virescent say stop, yuz stop..." Even after hearing it, I couldn't tell if it was a mare or a stallion, nothing that really defined either seemed present on this thing, the slurring voice was muddled and deep, but too alien from a normal pony to really say.

More S.A.T.S. guided slugs from the shotgun, it was in the way whatever it was and I was getting by. The tiny horn glowed feebly trying to bring up a shield again, two hit it uselessly, but the next two punctured the field, angry holes opened up in the creature's side as I sprinted forward through the flames. Riding the last of the Dash, I had time to marvel as the wounds started closing on their own slowly, not near Jade's regeneration in radiation like this, but it could do it too... great...

I angled toward it as it struggled and flashed Best Served out, taking a hind leg as I slipped by. It didn't scream or shout, just hovered up on the blur of its tiny wings in place and bucked me with the remaining leg, sending me flying. Crashing through a patchwork tent, I rolled up quickly, not wanting to be caught under that thing again, to see it looking at the missing limb blankly.

"Owww...."

Not the reaction I hoped for after hacking off the leg, I definitely didn't like seeing it already regenerating the wound as well...

No matter, I was past and the path to Jade was open, I was going to get there dammit. I caught glimpses of Zed springing from roof to roof ahead of me, dropping down to dispatch more obstacles before zipping away again. We were going to make it! My joy was overtaken by a smoking griffon slamming to the ground in front of me, followed by the crackling green alicorn that dropped her there, what had that thing said? Virescent...

"ENOUGH!" so she could use the goddess voice too... "YOU WILL GO NO FURTHER! DESTROYER! YOU CLAIM YOU ARE NOT, BUT LOOK AT THE DESTRUCTION YOU HAVE BROUGHT!"

My concern at Val gasping on the ground before me gave her the chance to snatch me up in her magic again and float me up to her in the crushing grip. From up here, I could see the army of zombies in the crater surging around the makeshift walls, they were drawn by all the noise and clawed for a way in. The undead pegasi swooped around attacking the pony and zebra cultitsts, adding to the chaos, but stayed away from Virescent. I caught Zed flying from a nearby tin roof at her, but she was on guard now, blasting the zebra with a bolt from her horn and sending him flying down to join Val. She turned her glowing gaze on me and I felt her invading my mind again, much stronger this time.

The glowing green cloud was pouring into my mindscape, overwhelming everything and consuming it all. "We will rip the memories from you! We will see every dark secret! Everything you hide! We will see your true thoughts towards our sister so we can show her what your kind really thinks of us!!!"

NO! STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!! I could feel her tearing away all my defenses, taking every thought she mentioned casually, closing in on the core of me. I struggled to keep her back, horrified, pushed further back easily from her onslaught. Fighting in vain, I felt myself joined in the conflict, two warm motes glowing brightly against the dark cloud, one light yellow, one a warm orange... "Be Kind..", "Be Strong!" whispered against the raging storm.

"We have seen such interference before! It will not stand against us! Not when they are still divided!" Whatever that meant, she was still winning, pushing back against the three of us and gaining ground. Then another joined...

A dark shadow loomed from behind me, specks of red in the darkness burning back at the invader. The two kindly motes wavered a moment, before the darkness resolved into the Shrouded Stallion himself and joined in, pushing back against the cloud, burning with righteous fury.

"WHAT?! What is this! What do you have inside you!?!?" The voice of Virescent screeched and the internal images faded, dropping me back into the real world. Still held aloft in her grip, but staring at her and not a cloud, a terrified expression on her face. "Y-you... you are dangerous... something is wrong with you... I will end you now before-"

Whatever the alicorn was going to say was cut off by a crackle of magic and a crash below us at the center of the crater, a massive blue shell erupted from the tent covered shrine, pushing everything back and bolting into the air, hovering over the crater nearby. The shield faded and Jade was in its place, crackling with barely restrained power and glaring at... I really hoped at the green alicorn...

I had made some mistakes... When I saw her from above I was so desperate to get to her, I really didn't pay enough attention. I assumed she was surrounded by tiny foals. Val's comment about not being able to lift that much pony out of here made more sense now... She was huge. This is what she meant about 'other problems' with absorbing radiation to use her invisibility more easily to be sneaky. I understood now, she could probably turn whatever she wanted invisible as long as she wished, but being stealthy at three times her normal size would be a little hard...

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" even her goddess voice was bigger, it practically rattled my bones and got her sister's attention quite well.

"Sister! Y-you awaken at last! How wonderful! You have seen the memories now, seen what we have achieved here! Aren't you pleased?!" for all her assurances earlier, Virescent seemed a little worried, hard to blame her considering the giant, angry blue alicorn above her.

"RELEASE HIM!"

At least she didn't argue, we slowly descended back to the ground beside Val and Zed as they struggled back up, staring above in shock as Jade followed. "Of course sister! He is nothing, now that you have returned to us through the power of the glow, surely you see that. We have our own course to follow that does not involve puny males like this, you see the steps we have already taken?" She pointed a hoof at the misshapen yellow-green alicorn hovering up behind us.

"NOT MALE."

"Er.... no... we haven't managed males yet, but this is a step! Gender neutral is not gender female! Our new friends here assure us it is only a matter of time, the memories should have shown you such! In time we will have true mates, we will follow the mother's dearest wish, to live! To procreate and spread! Those Followers you serve have not made nearly so much progress playing with killing joke, a single success in these years? You know this is what she wished of us, I know it is what you wish as well!" The green alicorn was getting a tad nervous, this was not going how she expected.

"NOT FAST."

Watching her lazily flapping above us, I noticed those huge blue eyes fall on me with a glint, most of this conversation was going over my head, but that look made me tingle a bit. Males? They wanted male alicorns and had got that... thing? How?

"Not Fast? Y-you mean this one? You... yes.... you care for this one? You want.... ahhhh... I see... so he spoke the truth? Well it is easily remedied! You may keep him, wait until we have perfected the process, then you may have all you desire! Just as our leader herself!"

Jade hovered there, lidded glowing blue eyes wavering, looking back and forth from me to Virescent.

"He can be ascended if you insist on this male in particular! Allow him to join us, to be one to carry out the mother's will and spread our species!"

That didn't get the response expected... Jade's eyes widened before forming a scowl, glancing at the mutated alicorn below and back to me. "YOU WILL NOT!!! WE WILL NOT ALLOW IT! HE IS MINE!" with a crackle her horn glowed, snatching me from even the green alicorn's grip and picking up Val and Zed below us in a cloud around her. Even while floating besides her head, I could feel healing pouring into me and saw the same with the others, how much power had she absorbed from being down here?

"Sister I do not understand! No one wishes to take him from you if you must have this particular one! I can read your thoughts so easily like this, they are very strong and simple! I cannot comprehend your fixation on this little unicorn, but it is of no matter. I do know what you want, the thoughts swirling through your mind right now... You wish for this one, you wish to do as the mother asked of us with this one, I offer you a path to do so! I have seen his thoughts as well, you should see the thoughts he has of you sister... I think you would be well pleased, allow me to offer a taste."

Virescent closed her eyes a moment and Jade shuddered in the air, wait... she had been in my head and could do it to others... A very sultry look from one large blue eye rolled my way and I flushed under it. "T-that's private! She went in my head! I-I..." well whatever she got shown, she didn't seem bothered anyway. I got floated closer and received a slow lick up my neck and face.

Val coughed weakly behind her as Jade's magic restored her, "Kaff... h-hey Blue... sure this is... b-best timing fer that?" She got a narrowed gaze in return and floated further away, while I got moved to the opposite side, out of the griffon's view, before Jade returned her attentions to me.

"Yes... you see sister! Everything you want! He must simply join you in our new unity and be remade in the mother's image! The green alicorn was getting her cool back after using her plundered mental images to turn the situation, right up until she said that anyway...

A series of very large kisses and nuzzles was interrupted as soon as Jade heard 'remade in the mother's image'. "NO! YOU MAY NOT! YOU ARE WRONG! WE WILL END THIS!"

With that, I got zipped through the air to her back as the others floated closer and her brilliant blue shield formed around her, she scowled at the green alicorn a moment before blasting forward through the air. A blazing beam of magic shot from her horn as we swooped over the crater, destroying the scrap structures leading to the burning church and she plowed directly through the remains of the building, her shield bulldozing the inferno to tinders.

Soaring over the walled yard at the top of the rim, I saw the Sentinel wheeling around, blasting any Children of Balefire that still moved up here and looking for more. It had taken a decent amount of damage, but was still dishing it out without a problem. Screaming against the wind, I shouted down to it, "SENTINEL! RETREAT! BACK TO HEX!" The tank like robot paused, smoking from damage the army that had been fighting it had managed to inflict, I didn't hear it confirm the order, but it started rolling away towards the exit to the compound.

We put the crater behind us and were flying towards Hexington quickly, Val and Zed were still hovering behind my perch on Jade's back, so I couldn't hear anything they were saying back there to each other over the wind, they looked totally healed at least. I hoofed at the long neck above me, trying to stretch up to her ears and felt her shiver under me, "Jade! A-are you ok!?"

"WE ARE... I... I am fine Fast. I will return you to the town."

She could get out of the goddess voice like this, that was good. She still seemed a little off, but we were indeed already descending towards the town of Hexington, she was very fast right now... She took a few lazy loops above before coming in for a landing right in the town square, the only area that could really accommodate her touching down like this. The residents awake at this hour were treated to the strange sight of a giant alicorn floating down from the dark sky and landing by the statue of Applejack in front of the mayor's office, dwarfing it. Valkyrie and the zebra Zed were gently deposited on the street and I drifted in front of her blue gaze.

Reaching out, I managed to hook her head and hug her neck fiercely, ignoring the growing disturbance in the streets below as ponies were woke up by their fellows still awake to see the incredible sight. I didn't care about them, "You're ok! Thank Celestia and Luna! I was so worried!!"

I got a rumbling murmur from her, before I saw her glancing around at the audience she was attracting, "Mmmm... I... I n-need to go Fast... I s-should not stay... like this... I d-do not wish t-to be seen..for y-you to....I-I will return..." and at that she disappeared in my hooves, placing me on the ground in a gale of wind that smelled like Jade as she took off into the night. She was gone again...

"Holy hell boss... you sure know how to pick em... Hafta remember not to piss her off too bad..." Valkyrie groaned nearby, even with Jade's healing, she had taken some serious hits in her fight and her green armor was still smoking.

Zed had not even bothered sticking around, walking back to Little Roam silently by himself, staring at the ground. My thoughts were still consumed with Jade, but he had helped get to her, "Zed! Thank you! Are... are you ok? About your brother..."

"He is elsewhere, I will find him. I must think, speak with the Elder. You may speak with me later. Go to your mare." Alright... zebra of few words, but he knew his stuff, both in his amazing skill getting Jade back and in understanding I was being polite, but was still barely holding myself back.

We got her back, well she sorta just went wherever she wanted at the moment, so maybe it was all pointless... but I didn't think so. She was off somehow, if she had woken alone with that green one that could read her mind, push thoughts into her, ply her with her words... she might have been swayed. She might be free, but I wouldn't be happy until she was back here with us. Checking my pip-buck showed her locator tag, at least pip-bucks automatically adjusted, though I was surprised the magic involved went that far... She was moving towards the river not far from Hex and stopping, she was hiding? That decided me, I told Glitter I'd bring her back, I intended to do just that. Not let her hide alone out there until she felt like coming back.

Since my foal hadn't already come charging out to tackle me in all the excitement, I assumed she must be asleep, a glance over to Rusty's shop seemed to confirm it. The old ghoul was standing outside, looking over to me with an awed expression, at my questioning glance he held a hoof up to his lips in a shushing gesture and pointed back to the shop. Good, if she was asleep AssaultJack was right by her inside.

"Val, are you ok?" I was prancing in place to go in front of the griffon, as she slowly got to her feet again.

"Yeah, sorry bout that boss. Bitch kept knowin' just where I was and what I was gonna do. Nearly blasted her head off, but she looped right out at the last second, hit me with her magic point blank. Least she couldn't get in my head like you, but I got one helluva headache out of it.

"Listen Val, she... she left, she's hiding somewhere I think..."

"Yeah? Figured. Could just leave her boss, let it wear off. Funny stuff happens to them that thrive on it if they suck up enough rads, like ghouls turning all glowy, living stuff gets bigger instead, but any of them that feed on the stuff get stronger." I could have been told this earlier...

"But..."

Val huffed and waved me off, "But you won't, I know... So what'cha want?"

"She's not far, I can find her. The Sentinel is on its way back, I think and Glitter's asleep still. Could you stay here? The bot will listen to you when he gets here, bring it in to Rusty's and be there if Glitter wakes up? Tell her what happened and I'll bring her back soon ok?"

"Alright, alright, go on boss, go find her. I'll hold down the fort, lucky I'm damn tired after that, an' I like that robot, workin' with that thing is fun! I'll be here for the kiddo so she knows it's all good. Just get back soon, gonna go get me a drink to wash down these rad meds, remember to take yours too boss!" She smiled and pointed out the Dreary Inn bar that was still open at this late... early? hour.

I threw my hooves around her neck and actually got the gesture returned. Val did just what I trusted her to do, she came in and saved me when I needed it most. "Thank you Val, where would I be without you."

"Dead is where, c'mon boss... warned you about this, you ain't doin' it on purpose right? I'm too tired an' sore to deal with feelin' frisky. Still the matter of my pay though, ain't forgot ya know. Probably a good idea to wait till Blue's a little less smashy too... to be continued. Now go on, get!"

Sneaking through the dark streets outside of Hex alone wasn't too bad, I still had the goop on my armor from Zed that made me unappetizing to the ghouls and I was a shadow in the ruins. I could see the upraised drawbridge nearby as I closed in on Jade's locator tag, I still had to take care of that to reach Diamond City, but right now Jade was my only concern. I was glad we had slept before leaving for Watt's, it had been a long night and Val wasn't the only one who was tired. Hopefully I'd have another few hours before Glitter woke up since she managed to get to sleep, unlike me she was a day pony and woke early though, I wanted to be there before she did.

Pausing to look around, I slurped down another nasty Rad-Away, considering I had charged right into the middle of a balefire bomb crater I had come out alright. The Rad-X kept me from taking in too much radiation and the horrible tasting Rad-Away magically cleansed the radiation I had absorbed over time, the little rainbow gauge on my pip-buck slowly dipped down further towards the green and blue end of the dial. I'd have to answer for taking the drugs in Hex, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

As I choked the medicine down I took in my surroundings, a series of warehouses here on the waterfront, easy access to load boats nearby. The particular lot where the arrow on my E.F.S. pointed was enclosed in a rusting chain link fence and held three warehouses of faded pink steel, the one in the middle's door was partially opened and matched the arrow I was following, so I crept towards it.

Crawling under the roll up door, I found myself in a vast empty chamber, dimly lit by the holes in the roof and walls, I turned on my light to illuminate absolutely nothing. Still, the arrow said directly ahead so thats the way I went, stepping forward cautiously and running into thin air with a clang, what? Rubbing my bruised muzzle, I reached out experimentally, my hoof came into contact with the air... cold, steel-like air...

"Jade?"

A rustle of movement ahead matched the arrow in my vision moving to a corner of the warehouse, I tried following and made a few steps, before tripping over nothing and falling flat on my face. How much was she making invisible in here?

"Jade, I can see your locator tag, I know you're here."

"G-go away Fast..." a soft whimper from the corner floated out.

"Why? Are you ok Jade? Why'd you run away? I was worried, you seemed off before and all that happened to you..." I tried moving forward again and ran into something else that wasn't there.

"I-I am fine... I wish to talk with you about it all very much... j-just not now. I should be alone... I do not wish for you to see me l-like this..."

Creeping forward with my hoof out, I managed to round a corner and make it further into the building, "Why? Val told me why you're like that, cause of the radiation right? I didn't know that happened, but it's ok, no big deal. Get it.... big deal?"

"T-that is not funny..." Well, there was restrained laughter in her reply for it not being funny.

I bashed into some new invisible obstacle and fell back on my rump, I heard her gasp on that one though. "Want to maybe show me what I'm running into here Jade? I'm just going to keep trying one way or another anyway, I know you don't like seeing me hurt myself, right?"

"N-no..."

I admit that was an unfair tactic, but effective. Walls of rusting shipping containers sprang into existence all around me, junk and empty pallets on the floor, ancient bottles and cans, trash... wow... she was making everything in this place invisible? Well, now I could try to find my way through the maze towards her arrow while we talked.

"Soooo...Really, I don't see the problem Jade. So what if you're a little bigger..." a snort from the warehouse answered, "Ok, a lot bigger, granted. Doesn't matter to me, Val said it wears off anyway right? You're still you, just a lot more of you... which is a good thing in my opinion, can't have enough you as far as I'm concerned."

That actually elicited a stifled giggle that I turned towards, getting closer now. "Y-you should not say such things right now Fast... though I like them...."

Walking towards the soft voice coming from the corner ahead of me, I ran into something soft and warm that wasn't there, falling back against the bouncy surface to the floor, finally. "There, found you, sort of. How bout you make yourself visible now too? I... I really want to see you Jade."

"I.... should not... w-will you be afraid? L-look at me differently?"

"Never."

With a soft sigh, a huddled mass of a lot of blue alicorn appeared in the corner, hiding in her wings and peeking out. Apparently, burning through magic to turn an entire warehouse invisible had been bleeding away some power, she was only a little more than double her normal size now. Hard to tell with her all curled up on herself like that though. I trotted forward and plopped down next to her happily.

"There, that's better. Now, did you want to talk? Or just wait?"

"You... you really don't mind? Me b-being like this?" She squeaked from behind her wings.

"Nope. Fine with me, more of you to love."

"F-Fast! You really should not say such things right now... n-not even jokes." Feeling her ruffle and jump next to me was a little intimidating, but a good reaction.

"Not joking. When I came back and you were gone... you were all I thought about, I promised myself when I got you back I'd tell you. I love you Jade, no matter what ok? Don't run away because you're scared of things like this, I don't care." Hardly the situation I imagined telling somepony this, but it was true. Sneaking my way here just gave me time to get the words straight in my head and not stammer over them.

"R-really?"

"Yup."

Ok, normal alicorn hugs were already crushing, having a giant sized one do it kind of took your breath away, literally. Still a small price to pay to be snatched up and smothered in kisses.

"Oh Fast! I- I love you too! It is new and c-confusing to me... but I do! T-thank you! Thank you for being you! For not caring about... w-what I am, for just loving me." That was a lot of tears for being so happy, but she seemed like she was. Smothering kisses and nuzzles went on for quite some time before she shook herself and stilled, crossing her forelegs to hold me close to her warm chest and sighing happily in the corner.

"Feel better?" I ventured up at her from the enveloping embrace, catching her looking down coyly.

"M-much. I feel I should explain certain things though..." she still had a funny look in her eye I had seen in the crater, but she looked conflicted about it.

"If you want. We can just do nothing if you want too, doesn't matter, I'm happy," really I could just stay like this forever.

She shuffled a bit and furled her wings tighter, keeping back the night chill. "S-So I see. T-talking is good right now though... Er... About what happened, what Virescent said... There are some things about my kind I have not told you about... besides... this..." she gestured to herself with one huge hoof in front of me.

"I figured you would when you wanted Jade."

"Yes, well, I want to. You know there are only female alicorns correct? Only ones matching a limited number of templates; blues like myself, greens and purples, we were made from the mother's image and all follow that pattern. Since we have been... separated from her, we have grown as individuals, more like the ponies we were before unity, but we are still what we are."

"The Goddess' greatest wish was to see her children spread, she made us to be suited to the wasteland, to grow and prosper. However with only females... we could not do so. She tried very hard to find a solution, searching out forbidden magic to try to find a way to make males, but she never succeeded, betrayed by those she sent to help her. When she died, another promised the same, and we followed him for a time hoping to do as the mother wished, but he also fell to the Destroyer."

"Finally, we asked help of the founder of the Followers, a great medical pony who always helped, no matter who it was. She proposed a solution that many labor at diligently back in Equestria and has had limited success. A single birth of a new alicorn has occurred there, thanks to a very difficult and dangerous to make medicine. Another attempt is in the planning stages, it may be years yet though."

Ah, a few things about Jade were starting to make a little sense now, why she liked foals and everything to do with them for instance. "Why can't you just... er.... you know, with regular ponies? I mean mom was a pegasus and dad was a unicorn, different types of ponies can have children together no problem right? Does it have to be other alicorns?"

Having her absently nibbling my ears while I talked made it reeeeally hard to concentrate. I wanted to listen and understand what she was saying, but she was really affectionate at the moment. It took a second for her to shake and return to the question.

"Hmmmm?... Well I am happy you view me as just a different type of pony Fast, but biologically we are different, incompatible... It has been... a-attempted before, both by the Goddess and among ourselves since she died. We may... m-mate with normal ponies... but not for procreation, only for... o-other reasons..."

"Since perpetuating our species has been our driving goal, the last and greatest wish of our mother, to survive... we are fixated on that. Some alicorns have formed relationships with ponies and engaged in such behavior, but nothing comes of it... er... other than p-pleasure. Having desire for personal p-pleasures like that... it is new for us... Only a few have regained enough of themselves since unity fell and found somepony special to engage in such pursuits. I have been told it is pleasant..."

Her large hoof distractedly stroking my chest certainly was, thinking was hard though. So the green... Virescent, was in the Commonwealth trying to find a way to make male alicorns to breed with and had made the mutated thing I fought earlier? She wanted Jade to join her, because she was a doctor? Because she was another alicorn? Who knows, she said she was showing Jade memories while she slept and seemed convinced she'd join her after seeing them. Still, why'd she put her in the crater while showing them? Returned to the family through the holy glow... something like that is what she said. Finally I had to simply ask, Jade had forgotten to continue her story in favor of nuzzling at me, she said she wanted to talk right?

"Oh! Oh my... er, well there is a reason she put me there and made me... like this... while she showed me her memories. She wished to convince me to join her, to help in her mad pursuits here. There are... o-other effects to absorbing this much radiation, besides just the change in size and strength Fast. W-Which is why I told you y-you may wish to stay away...."

"Nope. Happy here." She was going to get this one way or the other.

"Y-Yes but... well... being so full of power is... intoxicating Fast... Y-You saw what I was like when I woke. I believe she planned to entice me while I was under the effects..."

"So, what's it feel like? You always seemed to like radiation, like... a lot. I wondered what it felt like before I knew it did this."

She purred in my ear softly, tickling me with her wings. "It feels wonderful Fast... I feel strong, confident, full of life and power, every nerve tingles... I am in control of myself now... but when I woke all I felt was that rush and cared only for what I wanted. Some of us have been known to lose themselves to too much radiation, growing even larger and more powerful, reveling in it. Generally when the Goddess employed that ability, she kept a green around to keep us under control, they are telepaths as you now know."

"With their powers they could... keep us connected to unity, direct us towards her ends productively. Without unity now, we can easily fall to our base desires, many engage in violence with great joy and can be a terrible force, others simply roam about, satisfying whatever urges strike their fancy for things like food, treasure, domination, o-other things... She did not count on you though, when I woke like that she held what I desired... that was a mistake."

"Well, I'm glad I went then so she couldn't trick you," with her explanation I could see the gist of the plan Virescent had, get her all hopped up on rads and show her whatever memories she had to explain things, then show her just what she wanted when she woke up. "You did look sorta tempted a couple times, what was it you wanted? Er... besides me away from her?"

She kept nuzzling up one side of my neck and down the other, answering softly. "She tried to tempt me with males, there are things I saw in the memories she showed we should discuss in detail when I am... less distracted... But she offered what I have greatly desired for a long time, to procreate, to be a mother myself. For all this time it has been an abstract idea... a goal... but recently it has been more p-personal..."

Feeling her shuffle around me, I glanced up to see her blushing brightly and looking away, her voice quiet even this close. That was more like the normal Jade though right?

"B-Before I did not care about the male involved beyond compatibility. My time with you has made me reconsider... I now understand those that have formed relationships with normal ponies and mate, even without the possibility of offspring. I wish not to merely procreate now, but t-to do so with y-you in particular... She tried to offer both, to... t-to m-mate with you and to produce children... I-it was very tempting... until she said she would change you."

Jade's soft tone darkened at the last and she frowned, looking forward a moment, not noticing me turning bright red in her grasp. She wanted... with me? To do that? With me? Really? Wait... some things were starting to finally click in place, I knew things were going over my head, but I'm new at thinking of this kind of stuff ok? All this power was intoxicating... tingling nerves, caring only for base desires... all the attention she was showering me with...

Jade was usually a little more awkward and reticent when it came to physical affection, she wanted company yes, didn't like sleeping alone yes, but the current ministrations she had just returned to... stroking my chest and nuzzling my cheek? That hungry look when she just woke up and was burning with more power? All the attention wasn't just because I told her I loved her, it was a big part I was sure but... oh boy...

I struggled around in her grip before her probing hooves got any further, looking up at those lidded blue eyes, still sparkling with all the rads... and something else. "Umm... J-Jade... do you want to... I mean... I-I've never...but..." pushing up on her shoulders, I stretched to her muzzle and gave her a kiss, getting a long, low moan as she returned it. When she finally broke it off, that sultry look was at war with anxiety on her face. "Er.. if it's ok that is... is this you or.. just the radiation talking? I w-want to but... with you... c-cause you want to."

Her eyes softened with a smile as she nodded happily, "Yes! er... y-y-yes... very much... It has b-been on my mind even before, but... I-I told you you may not wish to be here right now Fast... I am still under the effects of my... condition. I want to very, very much right now... but I h-hurt you enough by accident already... Like this... i-it is p-probably not safe... T-Though the thoughts Virescent showed me... w-what you think of... I-I am having difficulty r-restraining myself..."

Reaching up for another long kiss, I felt her shudder and smiled up to her nervously when we parted again, "You don't have to... er... we could be c-careful... I don't mind, I want to. I did say just more of you love right?" I watched a very conflicted expression cross her lovely face and stretched up again, kissing her neck to cut it off, sending shivers running through the blue body beneath me.

"Mmm.... l-lower.."

Right, down I went.

Well, that certainly wasn't the first time I had idly fantasized about in the Stable... it was definitely unique though. I grew a bit worried she was going to attract raiders or some wasteland creature with all the noise. Then the danger of her just bringing down the whole rusting warehouse down seemed a possibility, but we got through it with only a few roof panels falling in.

Having her curled around me on the concrete floor kept the chill away, I felt a little bruised and battered from handling that much filly, but it was totally worth it. She cooed and nuzzled, while returning to making most of the ancient junk in the warehouse invisible, slowly bleeding off power and approaching her normal size.

"That was very nice Fast... I wish to do that again when I am... more myself again, among other things...." having her puff and nibble at my ear was a good way to wake me out of the doze I slipped into covered by her warm wings. "You have many interesting ideas in your head..."

"Er... that's hardly fair you know... that other alicorn tore all that stuff outta me. It was just... umm... thoughts... y-you should come up with some yourself too."

"Ohhh... then I shall have to give it some consideration. Perhaps I will go shopping for some different attire when we reach Diamond City? I unfortunately seem to have lost my coat while they held me and need a replacement anyway. Such thoughts you have on the subject of my wardrobe..." She nickered playfully while I flushed, having a telepath shove all your private thoughts into your special somepony's head was not fair at all.

Not all the pillow talk was so lighthearted though, she asked how Val and I's excursion to Watts' had gone and I explained it slowly to her. She gasped a few times at what we faced there, trying to describe the Assaultron attack made her give disapproving 'tsks', cuddling against me fearfully. Explaining how Mr. Watts had been responsible in part for the synthetic ponies that now plagued the Commonwealth made her scowl and grumble.

When I told her how close I came to my first real sign of the Institute only to have it melt away in front of me, she hugged me tight to stop my angry shaking. I glazed over a few bits with the pegasus mare Summer Wind, like squeezing by each other in the ducts and Val's appraisal of her apparent interest, but not well enough I think. Lying through omission was still lying I guessed, thus I was unable to do so with her.

"This pegasus gave you a present?" A silkily dangerous edge to her voice asked.

I gulped, "Y-Yeah... I gave it to Glitter... I dunno why she did, a m-memento she said. They're in Manebridge now and both said they hoped we stopped by..."

Slightly oversized forelegs squeezed tightly as she curled up around me and huffed, "I see... yes, perhaps we will pay this mare a visit then..."

Poor, poor Scribe Wind... I shuddered to think what I had just brought down on her, and she hadn't even talked to Valkyrie yet. Jade frowned above me staring out at the warehouse, but a few gentle licks to the neck distracted her and she giggled happily, shifting over me to lean down and take a long kiss. Breaking off, she smiled breathlessly and gave a smoldering look, "B-be careful... we should return soon yes? If you do that again then we will be... otherwise engaged for awhile. I am close to normal again, close enough I think...I could save a little..." her horn stopped glowing and the invisible bits of the warehouse reappeared.

Yes, I wanted that very much thank you, she was much more manageable now, but still apparently tingling with power. Still... I should try to speak rationally before totally melting away. I had a couple questions yet. I gave her another short kiss she stretched forward to extend before I booped her nose. "Just a minute Jade, still recovering here..."

"I... I did not hurt you, did I?"

Well she had gotten a little energetic, but I wasn't about to say that, bruised flanks were a more than fair price so I wasn't going to complain. "No of course not. I'd do that again anytime, just the way we did if you wanted... Don't worry so much. I just need a little time, maybe you could keep talking to me? What did Virescent show you anyway?"

"Ah.. yes... that. Perhaps I should... show you? I do know memory magic, I could share what she showed me while I slept if you wish?"

Wow, that was pretty difficult stuff, I was impressed. "Kind of goes against getting back soon though doesn't it? You were out quite awhile from what I understand Jade."

Sitting up, she shook her cloudy mane around her and looked down at me, "Virescent deliberately delayed it. Not all of it is relevant for you either, she gave me much more trying to sway me. There are a few things I think you should see though, especially after your own experiences. It will take no longer than the few minutes you say you need?"

I pulled myself up and nodded up to her, "O-Ok, right. Let's do it then."

Watching her lean down and nod her head forward with her horn glowing brightly, I felt a little anxious, touching horns with another unicorn- alicorn... could be pretty intimate too. Not quite so much as what we had just done, but in a different way. But intimacy with Jade was ok, no matter what the form, I brought my own horn up and the magic of the two blended together as everything swirled away.

Inside another alicorn... this was familiar at least. This one looked to be green, but not Virescent, the long mane in front of my eyes was pale green and blue, partially obstructing my view. It was a pretty interesting view too, inside of a ruined skyscraper, enough landmarks in view marked it as within Trotson somewhere. A number of other alicorns were gathered around, outside the windows I caught sight of others flying to another nearby building leaning against this one. This was some kind of... settlement for alicorns? There were beds and occupied rooms, a lived in appearance, there were others here in the Commonwealth then.

The view panned down to a cream unicorn mare with a rose mane tied in a bun, wearing a blue and white lab coat that looked brand new with a high collar. She wore a white armor chest piece over it, similar to the robot in Watts, only without the mark of the Institute. A variety of alicorns gathered around her, but she was focused on the largest, a purple mare with a long white mane and suspicious yellow eyes.

"Greetings! I am a messenger from the great Dr. Dala of the Institute. We have been observing you for some time since you have come to the Commonwealth and even before, we think we may have things of interest to discuss with your kind if you would be so inclined?"

The purple alicorn looked the mare over dubiously before replying, "We wish to be left alone. We have sought out a place we thought private in that interest, we are... finding our place here."

"Certainly, we wish for the same and sympathize, it is actually very rare we make contact with the outside at all. Your own situation and desire for privacy, along with the desires of our own division, have made this a rare exception. You are trying to find your place without the Goddess correct? Your mother?"

That caught the attention of the entire group, though only the purple answered, "How do you know of the mother?"

"Oh we know many things! Even far beyond the bounds of the Commonwealth we have eyes watching... For example, we know your greatest wish. You wish to breed? To procreate? For male alicorns?"

"Yes...." the leader was suspicious, but unable to turn away from the bait.

"Dr. Dala finds your kind to be most interesting and your plight a delightful conundrum. It may interest you to know she worked with Twilight Sparkle herself on the theory involved in your creation. What has come out of the I.M.P. project has been a personal pet to the Doctor. She was most disheartened at the fall of your mother, so much so she has sent me as an envoy to reach out to you poor suffering dears and offer her assistance."

Murmurs ran through the crowd in the ruined office floor, the leader gestured for silence, then waved to the pale mare to go on.

"We are given to understand many of your sisters have gone to some Stable pony in Equestria with their problem, an untrained physician... her solution proposed so far relying on killing joke and... zebra mumbo jumbo... Unacceptable, you were creations of Arcane Science! Alchemy is a pitiful answer to your problem, the correct answer will surely be found from the same source. The Institute has the prototype formula you know... It is not what Ministry Mare Sparkle eventually concocted, but it is a start yes?"

"What's more, the method offered by this Velvet Remedy pony... turning some of you male... rubbish! You do not necessarily need your own kind turned to male versions of yourselves, as a matter of fact that limits your genetic diversity, you're still pulling from a small pool that way. No, Dr. Dala's solution is more elegant, what you truly need is simply compatible males, they need not even be alicorns themselves so long as they can properly mate and produce offspring."

The murmuring grew more excited, heads nodded with interest and the crowd started closing in to listen to the unicorn. The leader hushed them all with a wave and glowered at the mare. "What you say is... intriguing. How do you intend to create compatible males, more specifically, what males do you suggest making compatible? If that is your goal?"

"Oh, well, there are plenty of ponies in the Commonwealth just going to waste aren't there? We are quite sure finding volunteers would not even be that difficult."

"And what would your master hope to gain from this?"

"Advancement of Arcane Science! Of course. The I.M.P. project had great potential that was never seen to its intended course. Compatibility should be a trifle, but Dr. Dala would also continue until the formula works properly, turning ponies into alicorns correctly. Then you could simply choose who you wished to join you! Imagine the variety, no more three types only, but as many different types of alicorns as there are ponies! Stagnation is death you know, adaptation, variety, these are where true strength lies. Dr. Dala is also a great fan of the flesh, the continuation of your species through sexual means is of personal interest to her. This is what you wish for yes?"

Listening to the smooth patter, I remembered Watcher's warning about what he knew of the Institute, 'Anything they find interesting, they meddle with' I doubted this mare was so gracious or benign as she was making out. They found something they wanted to play with when alicorns came to the Commonwealth, nothing more.

"We will consider your proposal... leave us." The leader alicorn brooked no argument and none was offered, the mare simply turned on her hoof and walked back to the somehow functional elevator, leaving the crowd of alicorns to begin open debate among themselves. Many were in favor, the mare I was occupying the most strident.

"You heard her Umbra! The ability to turn any pony into one of us! Imagine it! At the very least to be able to breed with the other ponies of this world? To produce foals at last! This is what the mother wanted!" I felt myself say in the memory, I would never get used to that.

Many other alicorns joined her, stamping their hooves in agreement. Jade was right, they were fixated on this one thing quite a bit. The purple mare in charge gave a resounding crack of bright magic from her horn for quiet and answered on getting it.

"We know your thoughts on this matter Evergreen, and why you feel so. Consorting with other ponies... we do not stand in your way, but we do advise caution, your personal feelings cloud your judgement here, which are still new to us. From what we have gathered since our arrival, these... Institute ponies are not to be trusted. They send a single pony to entreat us and hide in the shadows. We are few and weakened here, finding our way. Following another who could be no better than Redeye just to achieve our aims... no. For now I cannot recommend it."

"But..."

"No."

* * *

The memory swirled away directly into another, I was still in the same mare, there was no change in the sensations I received anyway and that light mane was in my vision still. This time obscuring gleaming white metal hallways falling away as the body I occupied walked down them, following the same cream unicorn mare from before.

"We are so glad some of you have expressed interest in our offer, though we are saddened it has caused a schism in your community. I think the holdouts will come along eventually though, after they see our first successes, how could they not?"

"S-so I hope... Am I not to meet this Dr. Dala? I had hoped to speak with her directly..."

"I am afraid Dr. Dala is terribly busy, you will meet her eventually. She also fears her appearance can be a bit disturbing and has no wish to frighten you off. Best to foster a good relationship first, then let it grow closer. Results are what matter in Arcane Science! And results we already have. If you please..." the mare slid open a metal door marked with the sign of the Institute and "Biosciences- Level 5", revealing a dark room beyond.

The alicorn I was in, Evergreen, stepped into the chamber and gasped when the lights came up. Rows upon rows of clear cylinders stretched from floor to ceiling, most held only glowing green fluid, but some held... ponies.. Twisted ponies under some bizarre experimentation, sleeping peacefully in the fluid that held them. In front of our vision was one well on its way to turning into something like the thing I fought at the church, an earth pony? That's what it looked like anyway, it was already bulky and muscular, but still had a mane and tail, a tiny bud of a horn was erupting from their head and little nubs of wings could barely be seen on the back. In the other tubes, I could barely make out other normal pony shapes in the process of twisting into something else, each wildly different.

"It is working? Already?" our mouth sounded out.

"Well, this experiment has been underway some time. With the alicorns created by Twilight Sparkle to examine though, we expect to greatly accelerate our research. Gender unfortunately remains an issue, but we are learning a great deal about the three subsets of ponies and how they can be combined into one form. Dr. Dala agrees with this Redeye on that much at least, certain elements were missing from your creation that have left you as you are. A single gender and type of pony in the recombinant being the primary issue, there is also a great deal of research concerning cutie marks as well by a different division that may hold relevance, but biology is your primary concern at the moment."

"Radiation contamination of our samples has also been an issue, it makes the whole process more difficult. Years of exposure and mutation throw everything off when using wasteland ponies. There are two schools of thought on the subject, one is to attempt to find a source of uncontaminated ponies, or as much so as possible in the wasteland. The Institute has our own.... limited stock of such, but we would not use them until we could be more sure of the results. The second is to test on those most afflicted with radiation, to narrow down the effects and ways to eliminate them."

"The latter option is most promising at the moment, there is no shortage of such test subjects and they are often desperate, making the promise of a better life most tempting. We will pursue both of course, but feel your involvement may help greatly in the second. We are to understand the success with the second group is of interest to you personally Miss Evergreen?"

"I... Yes... I would have it work on wasteland ponies...." Her cheeks were hot... she was blushing? Who was this mare, I assumed the memories Virescent gave Jade were her own.

"Or one in particular, yes? Of course we understand, as I have said, Dr. Dala is a great fan of the flesh and the pleasures it contains. She has viewed your own experiments in such areas with interest, as part of collecting data of course..." A smirk? I really didn't like this scientist mare...

"I... that is private! W-what we do is not experiments!" As hot as her face felt, I could imagine what they were referring to and would feel the same way. Did feel the same way unless I missed my guess...

"Oh of course Miss Evergreen, we simply view everything as data here. We have no wish to intrude, observing you and your.... friend... was actually what piqued Dr. Dala's interest in finding a solution for you. Such a lovely star crossed couple, to never see such a union blessed is most unfair isn't it?" This mare was smooth alright, I really was starting to hate her. The Shroud in my head marked her, just in case I ever saw her out in the Commonwealth...

"Y-yes... yes it is. I would have a life with him, like any other pony."

The scientist mare smiled broadly and waved around her to the horrible chamber, "Just what we would have for you as well! Just what you deserve my dear! Just what you shall have..."

Coming back to your own body under a lot of eager alicorn was pretty startling, it did distract me from what I had seen though. Being able to just not think a bit was nice and the whole thing was a lot less daunting with Jade nearly back to normal, slower and sweeter this time. Lying together afterwards, I let pieces start drifting together in my head absently, not trying to force anything for once.

Dr. Dala, Biosciences, someone who had contact with Twillight Sparkle at one point so... prewar? But still somehow alive after Jade's mother the Goddess died 200 years later. Two other Dr. names had been uncovered at Watts, Professors Klein and Borous who were definitely prewar, could they still be around too? The two subjects were radically different, making robots vs. meddling with living alicorns... What was it Preston said? That the Institute made more than just synths, that sometimes they seemed to work at cross purposes?

A mention in the memory of a division messing around with cutie marks too, which was strictly magic, not science like robots or biology like alicorns. Watcher had told me what he knew of the Institute, that during the war they were like a dark reflection of the Ministries, without the Ministry Mares to hold them back. Ok... Robots = Ministry of Wartime Technologies. Alicorns = Ministry of... Arcane Sciences? Peace? They seemed to be approaching the problem strictly from a biology standpoint, M.O.A. might have made the alicorns, but if I had to guess Biosciences = Ministry of Peace.

The vague mention of cutie marks seemed more like M.O.A., they were magic right? Though magic inextricably linked to a pony's soul. I didn't know of any Ministry that meddled around with things like souls though, that was more zebra necromancy... A passing mention of another division and cutie marks just wasn't enough to go on though. For all I knew, it could be the Ministry of Image, ridiculous as that was. Cutie marks were on your flanks... part of your image... made as much sense as anything. The more I considered, the more I realized several Ministries didn't make much sense with a war on, a Ministry of parties? What did Rainbow Dash's Ministry even do? I was too young to think of this stuff at the time and now it made zero sense to me.

This Biosciences part of the Institute was responsible for starting the strange Church of Balefire, apparently simply to brainwash and gather volunteers with high radiation counts to see what effects it had on their experiments. That followed with what Watcher said too, that they made deals... worked through others to experiment on ponies. They hadn't changed their bag of tricks that much then. That meant not only were there other places out there potentially like Watts or worse, but there were modern versions as well.

None of it related to my Stable that I could see either. Why would they take all the stasis pods and ponies within? If they made deals with companies in the Commonwealth, that may explain how that teleporter got down there, going through the contractors to build it originally... Watcher said they did things for reasons that didn't make sense to anypony else, that they were crazy... Not a comforting thought. At worst, it was possible the Institute wasn't one monolithic evil organization, but a loose collection of nuts, divisions all focused on their own brand of insanity that had to be tracked down separately...

Despite Mama Xara informing me the old school they started from had been picked clean over 200 years with no trace, I was thinking I needed to go visit the place. Ponies looking into the ruins were looking for a trace of the Institute now or just loot, not necessarily information, which is what I wanted. Some of that may still be there.

On top of all this, as if trying to go after such a powerful and obviously bonkers group wasn't enough, were the things I found myself embroiled in out in the wasteland at large. Sanctuary and the ponies living there waiting on us. Preston's Minutemares and trying to rebuild them to bring the Commonwealth together and fight the Institute. The residents of Hexington living in desperate conditions, while their ruler bled them dry for his own benefit. The two ponies I met from the Brotherhood between the Steel Rangers and this former Enclave Val hated so much, who spoke of not liking the Institute either. The bridge barring my easiest access to the de facto capitol of the Commonwealth, Diamond City...

Looking through the holes in the warehouse we hid in and seeing the first hints of dawn in the distance, I thought about that last. That was a problem I could do something about right now... lying here with Jade so comfortably relaxed me enough to even let a random idea on the subject drift up. I heard the radio, I knew the raider colt I spared in Poncord had spread the story of the crazy pony calling himself the Shrouded Stallion... After Thundega the idea was apparently being whispered among all those bad ponies out there.

Thinking of Rarity's Ministry of Image earlier clicked together with the thought. Image could be something powerful, it wasn't a well known or popular Ministry, but they made all those posters still littering the wastes I remembered being new. Ideas could be powerful, they were something used in the war effort I could see making sense as an adult. If Ministry Mare Rarity could do it, couldn't I? Use an idea, the image of something, for a good cause? To change things?

I checked out the holes in the roof again, I had a little dark left outside... I wanted to be back before Glitter woke up anyway and that was usually not long after Celestia's dawn, much to my chagrin. I didn't need to do much now... just set up the idea in their heads, give them a chance to be better...

Reluctantly, I nudged Jade cuddling against me out of her doze. Stifling a laugh at her blinking gaze and mane sticking up on one side. "Sorry to wake you Jade... you look cute..."

"Hmm? T-time to go?" She was actually getting deep rest for once, usually her sleep was more fitful. That made me feel good, seeing her normally nightmare plagued slumber soothed was what she deserved.

"Yeah, I think so. How would you like to help me do something before we get back to town though? It will just take a second..."

Standing on the arches far above this side of the drawbridge leading across the river and to Diamond City I had to admit, part of me had a flair for theatrics... mostly that Shroud part in my head, but still. The sun was growing close to cresting the horizon and I stood in place high above the ponies below blocking off this path to the heart of the Commonwealth, waiting for the right timing. They didn't see me not only because who thinks to look up really, but also because I was currently invisible, along with Jade hovering nearby.

"This is really necessary Fast?" I heard the air whisper to me.

"Necessary? Ummm.... not so much... sort of... It's to scare them a little maybe, but give them a chance to be better though." I wished I could see her expression, but hoped that brightened it, helping ponies be better was a major thing for the Follower of the Apocalypse filly. Before I could ask, a glance at the horizon told me I should do this now if I wanted it to work out the way I wanted, I really wished I could do voice altering spells but I'd manage. "Ok Jade, drop it."

At her request I appeared on the perch above the raiders, black armor obscured by a flapping black cloak in the last of the night's gloom. I should really try to find a hat somewhere...

"GREETINGS EVILDOERS...."

Yelps and frantic activity on E.F.S. followed the announcement floating down from directly above the raiders, I could make out their shouts from here, so assumed they'd have no trouble hearing me.

"Who the fuck is that!?"

"How'd he get up there!?!"

"Wait... is that the crazy pony from the radio?!"

Another glance at the sun preparing to rise, best to get started. "This is the Shrouded Stallion criminal scum! You hold a route innocent ponies rely on and extort them to use what you had nothing to do with making. I find this unacceptable, more importantly, it is an affront to Luna. As you can see, the dawn approaches and my time grows short, so I have decided to offer you a chance..."

"I will not dispatch you on the spot, I will allow you the opportunity to be better... If you were to guard this bridge, protect the ponies of the Commonwealth wishing to use it, I am sure they would offer you what help they could, rather than be forced to pay your toll."

"Should you disregard this single chance... retribution like you cannot imagine will rain down on you and not even by my hoof, but by the very ponies you seek to bleed dry. The goddesses will each watch you once, this day, this night, hoping you change your ways. After that a trader will come with Celestia's next day to use this bridge, a bridge you did not build and do not repair. If you try to extort this innocent... you will suffer.... I would listen if I were you."

Shouts of conversation and jeers drifted up, some sounded a bit concerned though... good. Without moving from my scowling position looking down on them, I whispered to Jade to be ready, the sun was going to come up right about.... now.

Seeing the dark pony promising Luna's wrath simply disappear into thin air as the sun broke the horizon did just what I wanted. They were arguing frantically back and forth, but they were definitely spooked. Feeling myself picked up in Jade's magic I was placed on her back and we made the trip back to Hexington to get back to Glitter and Val. The raiders on the bridge had a chance to do better than they were now, if they didn't take it... they were certainly going to regret it....

----------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------------------

Rad Resistant---------------
-- Diving headlong into the site of a balefire bomb explosion along with... intimate exposure to a filly that soaks it up has made you more resilient! Grants +25% radiation resistance.

Reputation Change!---------------------------------

Children of Balefire-Vilified
---Destroying their church outside of Hexington hasn't exactly endeared you to the Children, there are more of these cultists out there though so watch yourself in the future.

The Institute- Unpredictable
---You've probably been noticed by this mysterious group by now. Taking away Watt's from their control along with now ruining some of their plans with the Children of Balefire would make you pretty unpopular with most groups, but they simply find you unpredictable, which is basically "interesting" to them...

Ch. 24-- The Superhero Gambit

Well good afternoon Diamond City, this is Traveling Miles here with a bit of news on this rainy afternoon. But first our illustrious leaders here in the great green jewel have prepared a statement on the recent happenings I've been... encouraged to read for my listeners. Let's just get it out of the way...

Ahem... 'Last night at the grand gala in honor of the so called Princess of Sanctuary, the honorable Haycom Svengallop was brutally murdered in his office, witnessed by Neighson Svengallop's new fiance. The Princess' knight, Fast Times, was arrested at the scene with his griffon bodyguard Valkyrie Bloodtail and taken into custody by Diamond City Security. The prisoner was interviewed briefly by General Stalwart Stone and informed of his rights and upcoming trial, in response Mr. Times announced his intention to escape justice. Later that evening he did just that, mysteriously knocking three guards unconscious and fleeing the city. Both prisoners are wanted criminals in Diamond City, to be arrested or shot on sight and the Princess herself is wanted for questioning.'

Now, with that done let me offer my own opinion, whether the powers that be like it or not. I know Fast, he's a friend of the station so I may be biased, but he's not the kind of pony to do this. You'll notice that while he did escape he didn't hurt any of the guards doing so. I've also talked to our local wizard pony Corona Light, who informs me he could have easily blasted his way free at any time, if he didn't mind incinerating victims with his magic. Hardly the restraint you'd expect from a cold blooded killer huh?

From what I've gathered Princess Jade caused quite a stir before the crime, telling our nobility what she thought of how they acted and what real nobility is supposed to be like. Our leaders are none to happy with her for that and I'll have more info as I get it from us common ponies who were working the event. The whole thing seems fishy to me and I'm not the only one, so I'd ask my loyal listeners to reserve judgement. Personally I believe Fast is a good pony and is innocent, I hope wherever he's at he's safe and well on his way to proving it. But that's just this DJ's opinion.

Now that she was free the odd ghoul from the basement had been a dervish of activity, trotting about the Commonwealth Carousel and putting things in a strange kind of order. She had been nice enough, thanking us and excusing herself for a few minutes before returning from the upstairs bedroom dressed in a mostly intact purple dress, with her mane brushed and makeup applied to her rotting skin.

Currently she moved around the sales floor with us, cleaning up and clucking to herself. "Such a terrible state of affairs, really those customers were quite rude and messy, just because there's an emergency is no excuse! What would Miss Rarity say if she saw her newest outlet in such a state! I am terribly sorry for all this, please give me a few moments and I will attend to your needs directly."

Watching her run about and reorder the chaos with her magic I leaned over to whisper up to Jade, "Is... is she ok? She's acting like it's before the war..."

With a concerned expression Jade followed her progress and answered quietly in my ear, "I do not know, she has been through a trauma. However ghouls can act this way when they are on the verge of going feral... they begin to lose touch with reality. I wish to help her but am unsure how to do so, confronting them with the truth can be dangerous in such a state."

Glitter had been listening to us and quickly trotted after the ghoul mare, yelping brightly behind her. "You ran this place Miss Saddles? Did you make all the pretty dresses?"

That got her to stop her frantic activity and she looked down at the little filly kindly, "Why yes, I tailored many of the examples you see here, all according to Miss Rarity's designs of course! Though she always encouraged me to add my own style and additions to our lineup, were you interested in anything little miss? Shopping ahead for your cute-cenera perhaps?"

Shaking her head rapidly Glitter dug in her pack we had purchased for her time in Diamond City's school, "Oh no thank you! I gots a pretty dress already, see?!"

Pulling the frilly pink and silver garment out captured the ghoul's attention and she floated it up to examine it with an appraising eye. "So I see, this is a lovely dress dear. Well crafted as well, excellent stitching, nice material... familiar... I would be delighted to see you model it if you'd like, we have changing rooms upstairs!"

Well it was drier than her play dress and jacket so I had no objections, the subject seemed to be sinking through the mental haze Sassy Saddles was operating under too. Hoping to try to help her I nodded to Glitter and waved her up to the stairs, "Go ahead, show her how it looks sweetie. Val, why don't you show her yours too?"

"I ain't changing back into that thing boss, never should'a taken my armor off ta begin with..." The griffon gave a flat expression and watched the ghoul warily, but she did dig her slinky black dress from her bags and tossed it over at my urging.

Again Sassy couldn't help her professional interest, inspecting the sleek black garment critically. "Oh very nice, simple yet elegant, I imagine it looked quite lovely on you miss."

Nudging Jade got her to pull her own elaborate gown from her medical box saddlebags and float it over to the mare carefully, making her pale eyes widen as she took it in her own magic. "This... T-This is a Princess Dress! Wherever did you get it?! It is Miss Rarity's design but I never sold one in the Commonwealth! I must say I could sell a thousand of these with you as a model dear, but it was meant to be special. Why I only shared the design with... w-with..."

Thanks to Piper I had a good idea who this mare was and who she had shared it with, treading carefully I walked up to her and supplied the name softly. "Miss Couture? In Diamond City maybe?"

"Y-Yes... little Candy Couture... back in the city, b-before... Oh... oh my, I seem to have gotten a bit confused..." She looked around the shop wide eyed, actually seeing it now I think.

"It's ok Sassy, you were locked up down there for awhile it looked like. Being a little mixed up is understandable, if I'm not wrong you used to be 'Countess' Couture's partner at the Diamond City Carousel?"

The tall ghoul sat down with a thump and wiped a tear from her eye laughing, "Countess? Oh that is funny, she had been getting a bit full of herself but really, Countess? That little filly was a dirty ragamuffin from the wasteland before I taught her everything I knew, well... nearly everything. I feel I should properly introduce myself, Sassy Saddles at your service, thank you ever so much for your help, and you are?"

Giving her daintly held out hoof a gentle shake I smiled up to her, "Fast Times, pleased to meet you Sassy. This is Jade, Val, Zed and the filly upstairs is my daughter Glitter. Are you alright now? You... remember everything?"

"Sadly yes, thank you. Lovely to meet you all, those dreadful raiders have kept me for quite some time and I'm afraid I got lost in my memories for awhile. Oh look, how precious!" Her sad smile turned genuinely happy looking up to Glitter bounding down the stairs in her poofy dress, prancing around and showing it off.

"You like it!? I picked it myself! It looked prettier when we was all done up to go to the party, but I still like it!" The foal swishing around in her dress had done good work, pulling Sassy from her fugue effortlessly, making me proud.

"An excellent choice then my dear, you have quite the discerning eye for fashion, perhaps that is where your special talent will lie hmm? It is wonderful to see that look when a customer is satisfied by a lovingly made dress, that was Miss Rarity's favorite thing about the business. Er... i-if I may Miss Jade... w-would you mind terribly modeling this one? Rarity was quite proud of it and I... I never got the chance to see a pony wear it, let alone a princess. It would be such a treat... just for a moment?" Sassy floated the pale blue dress back to the alicorn with a hopeful look.

Jade took it from her kindly and nodded, "Of course, for all the production they made about it being their original design I should have known it was not. Such a wonderful dress could not be made on the spot in two days, I am happy to let you see it worn by an appreciative customer. You are closer to the true source after all, besides, Fast quite likes it as well don't you dear? Excuse me just a moment and I shall change."

With a flap of her wings she launched herself up to the changing rooms, leaving me with Sassy. "So... I got the basics that Miss Couture used to have a partner and they were pushed out from a reporter friend of mine, but I don't know what the story is. Um.. if it's ok, what happened anyway Sassy?"

The tall ghoul drooped a bit and answered sadly, "It was many years ago, I opened the Diamond City boutique with an eager young filly that was Candy. We provided practicalities of course, armor is much more important in the world today after all. But I wished to introduce a bit of class and sophistication back into the wasteland, make Miss Rarity proud... We did quite well, Diamond City became a large and respected town... then they got big enough they decided they no longer wanted undesirables such as ghouls like myself. After all I did for her Candy just let them push me out... I had nowhere else to go and this was my home, so I returned here."

Alright, now I really didn't like the old mare I met back in Diamond City. Setting herself up as a noble pony, taking credit for Rarity's designs, pushing the ghoul who taught her everything out into the wasteland... If I could find a way to hurt her business and standing, restore what should rightfully belong to Sassy, that's what I wanted to do. My pip-buck chimed in agreement, it had been mostly quiet while we were in the city, simply helping me catalog data, but now that I made a choice it woke up.

Mission Added: Political Leanings----------

Objectives--
--Bring Down Diamond City Nobility
-----Deal with Countess Couture
-----Deal with Bullet Bishop
-----Deal with Silver Seed
-----Deal with Neighson Svengallop

I hadn't thought it through that far but the arcano-tech device was right again, the nobility of Diamond City was wrong. They held their position of power through rotten means, theft, slavery, drugs, gun running... from what Piper said a lot of it was done outside the city and fed their wallets, keeping them in charge. I may not be allowed in the city and was on the run, but if the source of their power was out here with me I might be able to do something about it, weaken all of them and change things. It was a long term goal, but I was out here anyway.

Thinking about what the pip-buck on my hoof suggested and why was cut short by Jade fluttering down from the balcony and landing gently before us, just as gorgeous in the dress as she had been at the ball. Sassy's eyes grew wide and watery taking it in, trotting around the alicorn in slow circles and inspecting the regal garment.

"It is truly marvelous... I had always hoped to see it like this, being worn by a true princess is too perfect. I see they had to make some minor alterations and scale the design up a bit dear. You would be wonderful to tailor clothing for, I imagine you don't find much off the rack that fits hmm? My what I could do with you as a model..."

Jade flushed under the praise but accepted it graciously, "T-Thank you very much Miss Saddles. I do have difficulty finding clothing, though the elements do not bother me much so it is only for personal tastes, something I had not concerned myself with until recently..." She gave a coy smile over to me at that, well what could I say... Jade was beautiful, I liked seeing her in anything.

Sassy looked between us and grinned, "So I see... aren't you two cute. Dressing up for the one we love is fun isn't it? I could make you such wonderful outfits, it is a joy just to think about such work again, I do miss it so. I have been alone here quite some time."

That was just too sad, her treatment by Diamond City was bad enough and I intended to do something about that, but this I could help now. "You know, Jade here is the Princess of a town to the north called Sanctuary. I'm sure we could use a tailor and armor shop... you'd be welcome there Sassy, not have to be alone anymore. We sorta can't go with you right now, but I can write you a note and tell you who to talk to, get you set up right off. There are a lot of good ponies there, I think you'd like it."

The grateful look she gave almost hurt more, "Really? I... I could be with others again? In a town? I wouldn't be kicked out, I could work?"

Now that Jade had earned her mark and accepted the role, she stepped forward and nodded graciously, "Of course Sassy, I think that is a fine idea. Our town would be lucky to have you and your skills, as you said I can never find proper clothing in my size, I practically need my own tailor don't I?"

The tall ghoul beamed up to the taller alicorn with a sniffle, "Yes! T-That would be wonderful! Why I could take your measurements here and have oodles of time to work, the ideas are practically flying in my head! I've had a great deal of time to fantasize about being able to engage in my craft again during my imprisonment, the opportunity to do so again... Thank you all so much!"

That raised an interesting question I still wondered about, "Why did they keep you locked up Sassy? Raiders like that aren't often the type to keep prisoners unless they're getting something out of it. Just curious, you don't have to answer if its hard or anything."

She gave a guarded look for a moment before sighing and shaking her head, "Such a world to have to think poorly of the ponies who saved me and offered me a home again. They kept me for my secret, you are good ponies though, I will show you if you like. Right this way please!"

Trotting off to the workroom we followed slowly and caught up as she stood by a curtain partitioning the corner, pulling it back in her magic with a flourish to reveal a dress form behind it. The old mannequin was bare except for a rakish black hat with a silver band atop its head, the walls in the corner were covered in patterns and designs for a full outfit. Cursory examination of the hat and papers made me tremble in barely restrained excitement.

"The Shrouded Stallion! That's his hat! These are for the whole costume! You made it?!" Seeing my heroes hat in real life brought the colt out of me, prancing around happily to examine it.

The others all gave me an odd look, like I was slightly mad, but I couldn't help it. The real Shrouded Stallion hat was sitting right there! Jade and Glitter at least giggled at my elation and let me go, Sassy positively beamed and gave a little bow. "Exactly! My, I never expected to see a fan again that would recognize it. Most of the interest these days is because of its nature, not its design. Shoot it."

"What!? I could never...." Before I could finish Val pulled her pistol and blasted the hat right off the wooden head, making me wail in horror. "VAL!!"

"What? She said shoot it, I shot it. Chill out boss." She rolled her violet eyes with a smirk, clearly enjoying my shocked expression.

With a sly grin Sassy floated the hat back up from the floor and in front of me, it was perfectly fine... A ribbon of smoke trailed up from where it was hit but it had sustained no damage at all. "You see? It was meant to be a hero's costume after all, even if it was just for tv. Miss Rarity taught me many of the spells she used in the making of Shadowbolt power armor, to make a proper Shrouded Stallion costume I used some of them. It even has a repair talisman in the hat band for the spells woven throughout.

I still hold the secret to this armoring magic, able to make ordinary clothing as strong as ballistic armor. I never taught it to Miss Couture or anypony else, it was a gift from Rarity after all. Those raiders hoped to make me use it on their behalf but I refused. Here Fast, I think you should wear this, it is going to waste here and should be with a true fan."

To my glee she set the dark hat gently on my head and adjusted it critically, standing back to admire her work. "I can have it? R-Really..."

Tucking the brim down at a jaunty angle she smiled and nodded, "Oh yes, it looks perfect where it is now. You look like the Shroud himself, if only I still had the rest of the costume. I would dearly love to see the complete set together again on a pony that appreciates it as much as you obviously do."

Jade smiled and bowed to the ghoul mare, "Thank you Miss Saddles, Fast is quite the admirer of the character. It looks very handsome on him, I like it very much."

Val groaned and gave a chuckle, "Aw he's gonna be unbearable now, already plays up that Shroud stuff enough. Though it has come in handy or at least funny here and there. Betcha he's gonna want the whole thing now."

"Umm... yeah I do actually. Er... cause if it's as tough as the hat it'd be even better than my armor, r-really that's why... Soooo... you did make it Sassy? Where is it?"

"Well, it was for that Shrouded Stallion television program. The producers insisted on taking the costume for screen tests they said, even though the hat wasn't finished. Very impatient ponies, I tried to tell them to simply give me a little time so they could have the complete costume, but they were anxious to get started. I can only imagine they took it to their studio, Hubris Comics and Entertainment. It's only a few blocks away but I've never been there, they sent a courier to pick it up." Sassy had floated out a measuring tape and was hurriedly zipping it around Jade and jotting down notes distractedly as she answered, floating tools and fabric from the workshop to a pile near the door, already packing apparently.

"Ugh... lemme guess boss..." Val huffed again, already figuring out what I was likely to do.

"Well, it's close... we have to lay low anyway right? Plus this place is on my list of Institute type locations I got from Piper's files..."

"Uh-huh, sure boss. Talk some sense into him Blue, really think we oughta risk it with the heat on just for some silly costume? Excuses aside we got Gunner hit squads out there still, safer layin' low awhile yet."

Jade and Val being in agreement was infrequent but here it was, "She is correct Fast, I know you want this outfit Miss Saddles created, but perhaps some other time? When it is safe to go exploring we can revisit the idea yes?"

"But... It's not far, we can get there easy enough... It's not just cause I want it, Sassy said she always wanted to see the whole thing together again right? Besides it's... l-look this has been a rotten day... From the moment I woke up in a Stable again I felt bad, thinking about things... Then we get attacked leaving to go home, which I thought would make me feel better, just to find out we can't go back now. That I've got price on my head, that we'll be hunted everywhere...

I know it's silly ok, but seeing this hat, knowing the suit is out there somewhere... it made me happy. Actually getting out and doing something instead of sitting here hiding from assassins after us because of me, investigating one of my leads and even finding the Shroud's costume Sassy made, that would make me feel a little better about this horrible day. It might be stupid but... but I'd really like to do it, please?" I could feel myself drooping as I explained my reasoning, but I couldn't lie to Jade. When I saw that hat I actually felt good for the first time today, the idea of the rest of it gave me something to focus on.

Her concerned gaze softened and she wrapped me in a warm embrace, "I knew you were letting thoughts weigh on you, I had not considered what waking up in the Stable would be like though. I am sorry, you seemed fine last night and I did not think... If this is important to you it is worth some risk, under the current circumstances I suppose we are in danger regardless. I do not think we should all go however..."

The pointed look she gave Glitter following Sassy around the workroom was helped along by Zed, actually volunteering to speak up for once. "I will remain here with your foal if you like. I am interested in speaking with Miss Saddles, you knew Rarity herself yes? I have many questions if you wouldn't mind discussing her ma'am."

"An' I guess I don't mind this time dad, if it makes ya happy... Plus maybe I can learn stuff from Sassy too! I bet it was neat when this was a real dress shop." Glitter not complaining about being left behind was another oddity, I must really not voice my own issues very often to warrant such understanding.

Sassy looked between all of us, settling on the foal and zebra. "Of course, sharing my knowledge with a cute little filly would be delightful dear. I always enjoy speaking of Miss Rarity as well sir, she was a wonderful pony and I do miss her very much. If you are determined to go I do hope you'll be careful Fast, I can show you where on your map there. I wish you best of luck, seeing the entire ensemble together would be such a treat."

Val groaned and shrugged at all of us, "Alright, alright... if yer all down in the dumps guess I can't say no either. Least it should be good armor, maybe some loot too. Not a horrible idea to draw em away from the kiddo either if we do get caught out there. Some nerd shop shouldn't be that bad, just in an' out right boss?"

"Right, in and out, no problem!" My pip-buck agreed with the simple assessment;

Mission Added: The Shroud's Shroud-----------

Objective--------
--Find the Shrouded Stallion Costume at Hubris Comics

Thanks to Sassy's directions and the maze of alleys between her shop and Hubris Comics, we managed to make it without running into any trouble. Val was pretty on edge, actually more disturbed by the lack of Gunner patrols than if we had needed to hide from any, putting a damper on her reaction to making it to the large brick building before us.

Now that we were here I was sure I had been to this place once before, I never got to go into the city very often before the war and there was so much it was all a blur, but this was very familiar. For all I knew this was where I got my Shroud figure to begin with. I didn't really recognize the surroundings or the tall, four story brick office building, but the bright yellow painted words "Hubris Comics!" tickled a memory.

Pushing open the weathered, red framed glass door made a rusty bell above give a sad jingle as we rushed in to get off the street and out of the drizzle. Taking in the large store triggered that sense of familiarity again, I had definitely been here once before at least. The feeling was probably helped along by having the same reaction then as I did now, gleeful excitement at all the treasures on display as soon as I entered.

Of course the years hadn't been kind to the place, rot and ruin was present like it was everywhere in the wasteland. The things in here were packaged and cared for specifically to counter the effects of aging though, the shelves may have disintegrated around them but the things on them held up far better. The glass counter in front of the door and the cases behind it were in the best shape, making me scramble over the minor obstacle and hurriedly wipe the transparent surface with my hoof, pressing my face against it to peer inside.

"They have a Sword Mare #16! The first appearance of Sir McBiggun! And a limited edition Garbunkle figure from the preorder! Oooh! A Mare do' Well #208! Power Ponies #302-#305, the Mane-iac trilogy! A Big Mac and his Mad Marauders #42! An Unhoofables #28! A gold variant Mechanamare! A boxed set of Daring Do books, signed by A.K. Yearling! A.... OMIGOSH! VAL OPEN THIS! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!"

Val and Jade had been watching me drool against the locked glass case with amusement, my reaction actually got her attention though and she bounded over the counter to join me. "What boss!? Gold!? Jewels?! Loot!?"

My eyes felt big enough to fall out of my head as I pointed a shaking hoof up to the top of the display, "Better... A... T-They have The Shrouded Stallion #1!!!"

The exasperated look she gave me is not what I'd expect... It was like saying Princess Celestia's crown was sitting right there in front of us! Jade giggling at the door didn't help either, but the griffon grunted and started working her magic on the lock. "This ain't the armored costume we're after boss... you gonna load yourself down with junk before we even find it?"

"Junk!? Do you have any idea how much just that one book is worth?! Like 50,000 bits! It's priceless! How could nopony have looted this place before now?!"

That got her to raise an eyebrow appreciatively a moment before snorting as the lock clicked and I rushed forward, "Alright, maybe it was good loot back when you were around boss. Nowadays it's junk though, nobody's looted here 'cause it's only worth what somebody'd pay for it, an' yer probably the only nut that would pay much of anything."

The original Shroud comic was in a sealed, reinforced case, but I still carefully floated it down and into my waiting hooves. I took a minute to hug it to myself tightly and admire the cover before stashing it in my bags with the Ministry Mare statues. Holding the bag open I started sending everything else in the case in after it, giving the dubious mercenary a tight hug for her work. "Thank you! I can't believe it! I actually own #1!!!"

Jade tittered as she trotted into the room, giving me a sweet, indulgent smile. "I am glad to see you happy Fast, the trip has already been worthwhile wouldn't you agree Valkyrie?"

"Yeah Blue, he's cute alright, awful easy to make happy if this crud is all it takes. Now c'mon boss, get off! Gonna go poke around, see if there's anything actually valuable down here, go geek out somewhere else." Peeling me off Val glanced about, picking up a large double headed axe from another case in her claws, swinging it experimentally before tossing it in her own bags.

Joining Jade as the big alicorn squeezed down the ruined aisles of shelves and rooted through the debris, I was rewarded with an affectionate nuzzle before she returned to floating out intact books. "I much prefer to see you this way Fast, Valkyrie is correct, you are quite cute when so obviously thrilled. Hmm... what is this book?"

The thick, hardcover tome she held up was battered and dirty, but still in fairly good shape for being partially buried under bits of caved in ceiling. "Oh, that's Ogres & Oubliettes, 3rd edition rulebook. It was a little too old for me I think, but it's a game! You umm... you sorta make up your own character and stories, roll dice like... aha, here's some!"

A little digging in the detritus turned up a few of the brightly colored, plastic dice of varying sizes and shapes to show her questioning look. "A game? Played with a book and... dice? You never played it yourself though?"

"Not really, I was a little young for it at the time, plus you need others to play with sooooo... not really an option. I read about it though, it always seemed neat and I wanted to try it, but the whole needing friends things kinda got in the way, so I never did."

With an interested little nod she floated the book to her own medical box saddlebags along with the dice I uncovered. "That is no longer an issue then is it? From what you explained it seems to foster creativity and organization, perhaps we may interest Glitter in trying it. I have come to realize I must make some effort to disguise my attempts at educating her, and entertainment we may all engage in would certainly be useful if we are to be roughing it for awhile."

My own personal elation had driven everything else out of my head, but she had an excellent point. I wasn't the only one who may appreciate some of the things in here, a foal needed toys and games. Reminded of the little filly waiting on us I led the way a couple aisles over, working my way past all the rubble and trash to a part of such stores I was never interested in before. Even 200 years of age hadn't completely faded all the pink present over here, following my intent Jade helped me sort through the remnants happily.

"Umm... I'm not as sure about this kinda stuff, think she'd like a toy like this?" A rotting pile of mulch that used to be cardboard boxes disclosed a small number of bright plastic pony toys, their artificial manes dirty but still present and salvageable.

Smiling widely Jade inspected the old doll and looked it over quizzically on making out the features, "Yes these would be wonderful, but... is this an alicorn? From before the war?"

Surprised myself I took a closer look, yes this was a pink alicorn doll... that was strange. No, wait... Sunset liked these I think, I had to play with hers a few times and watch the associated show with her, pay her back for her putting up with my Shrouded Stallion fixation. They were... "A-Alicorn Angels... I sorta remember these now, Sun... er... a f-friend liked them... They were like a filly super team I think, yeah... lemme remember. Umm... like a group of friends who were all regular ponies, but when the bad guy showed up they'd do this... sparkly, transforming thing and turn into the Angels. Let's see, there was this one, Angel Pink, and... well here's the head from an Angel Green, oh here's an Angel Yellow... Come on, please let one be in here... aha! Alicorn Angel Blue! I think she's the best!"

The blushing grin and quick kiss that got from finding the bedraggled blue doll made this trip even better, she examined the toy slowly and smoothed the mane and little blue skirt and white blouse out as best she could. "Alicorn toys... they were good? Superheroes? Little fillies played with these and found them enjoyable, w-wanted to be like them?"

"Well I definitely find my Angel Blue to be good and enjoyable! But yeah, lots of fillies liked these, they were pretty popular. Brand new before the end, here, you should keep this one Jade. We can clean it up and it'll be like you have your own Ministry Mare statue, what would the stand say though? Be Incredible? Be Perfect? Be.."

My enjoyment at watching her turn red and whinny at the praise was interrupted by Val, making exaggerated gagging noises from a newly opened door behind the counter reading 'Manager'. "Aw come on you two, yer sickenin' when you get all sappy like that boss. C'mere, terminal back here still working, we are posed ta be after more than just toys ya know..."

Both of us started guiltily at the teasing, I stumbled over to the impatient griffon leaving Jade to continue looking over the pile for more remnants of the odd toy line. The office Val had unlocked was in excellent condition, sealed up behind a heavy door to protect the personal collection adorning the heavy steel desk and walls inside. Before sitting in the wooden office chair with a creak I grabbed a few of the more interesting posters and a Space Captain Andromeda model ship and figure, along with a replica ray gun!

Rolling her violet eyes, Val left me to tap through the password once she was sure I'd get to work, getting back to her own more practical exploration of the first floor. A little effort cracked the security on the ancient terminal, granting access to a command to open a hidden safe beneath the desk, and a variety of old mail files I perused quickly.

Subject: Re: Shroud Pre-Production
From: Mr. Stamp

Love the notes Silent! The whole effort has benefited from having an in house expert on the Shroud, our writers might grumble a bit but if we're making this show you're right, we ought to do it right. Fans like you will definitely appreciate all your hard work. Convinced Hayrams to let you sit in on the screen test next week. Bolt will be in costume, minus the hat anyway, so look forward to your thoughts seeing them go through the pilot script. Finally get to give that weird system from Vega a real test drive too, see you upstairs then!

Subject: Re: Prototype Feedback
From: Dr. Vega

Silent, glad to hear the glowing review of the M.I.P. system. I told you taking me on as an investor would have benefits you couldn't imagine and hope I've kept my word as far as minimal interference with the business, you're the expert after all. Remember to have everypony who's associated with the production sign those non disclosure agreements, the system's still hush hush and I'm sure you can appreciate why now. I'll pass your notes and praise along, I must admit I had my doubts when the dreamers over at the Theoretical Imagineering Dept. at C.I.A.T. came up with this baby, but it lives up to the hype doesn't it? Enjoy and can't wait to see how your director uses it for the pilot!

Subject: Re: Alicorn Angels sales figures
From: Ms. Penny

Hey Silent, just a reminder that M.O.I. is pestering us for weekly updates on the Angels figures. Part of the pain of being a test market I guess, those ponies over at Image ought to be happy though right? Gotta admit, clever idea for a filly's show, team of regular ponies magically transforming into beautiful princesses, brilliant! Gonna have every little filly in the Commonwealth pretending they can turn into an alicorn angel with their own plastic pendants, if we can keep them in stock. Don't know why they're so concerned with sales figures at the prices they're having us sell all that stuff at though, they can't be making a profit but hey, we get paid either way. Of course they don't have to worry about getting censored by themselves either do they, would think they'd give our comics a little more leeway since we're helping them out.

The heavy bag of golden bits and jewels, party time mentats, gun and ammo in the safe weren't nearly as interesting as those few mail files I flagged and reread. So Hubris definitely was one of the businesses in the Commonwealth the Institute had meddled with before the war ended... they weren't very clear what this prototype M.I.P. system was, but did give me the name of another department. Theoretical Imagineering wasn't very informative, though if I had to guess and it kept up with the pattern I had been following of each department coinciding with one of the Ministries.... I'd be willing to bet one with a name like that was the Institute version of the Ministry of Awesome, it was equally nonsensical and at least 20% cooler than Advanced Systems, Biosciences or Public Relations after all.

Nearly as curious was the last mail, the Ministry of Image was involved with the Alicorn Angels cartoon and products? If Jade hadn't spotted them and reacted as she had I may have just dismissed it, but now that I was thinking of it that was pretty strange. The letter was right, as far as I knew the M.O.I. was more concerned with censoring or editing things, not making their own new content. It was strange enough I had to bring my own real life alicorn in to read it with me, watching her brow furrow as she ran through it a second time.

"So... weird huh? Thought you might be interested, I hadn't thought of it in forever but why would M.O.I. make a show for fillies?"

Jade looked at the dolls thoughtfully, going over the mail once more before sighing. "I believe it was laying the groundwork for the I.M.P. project... As the sender states, many fillies would be playing make believe at being able to turn into an alicorn yes? Meanwhile another Ministry was in the process of creating a potion that would do exactly that. This show was most likely a way to normalize the idea, make the prospect desirable to a whole generation of ponies."

"That's... that's pretty devious... Would the Ministries really manipulate ponies like that?"

Giving a short 'tsk' she floated the dolls back to her bags and answered kindly, "I am afraid so Fast. To change how society viewed alicorns if nothing else, you are proof enough at the time alicorn meant princess in the minds of the public. If ordinary ponies were to be turned into my kind for the war, that idea would need to change if nothing else. There are still many things you do not understand about how the war corrupted the Ministry Mares and their Ministries, before the end it became very bad..."

"Hey boss! Somethin' you oughta see in here!" Val saved me from having to really consider what the alicorn princess meant by that, I was still ok with ignorance being bliss on certain subjects for now.

Spotting her shouting from a stall beyond the open restroom door only added to the thought, "Do I really want to see whatever's in there Val?"

"Har, har, just get in here boss!"

We joined her with some trepidation, following her stare straight down I was relieved to find it wasn't into a toilet. It was a short lived relief though, where the bowl should be a water rotted hole led down to the musty basement of the building, where a foul, rotting stench was wafting up. I clicked my pip-buck light on to confirm what I was looking at and felt my stomach do a lazy flop, a pile of corpses was down there, apparently dumped in a heap from this hole.

More disturbing was the fact they all looked fairly similar to myself, a lot of dark colored stallions stared back at me. Dark blues, dark purples, dark greens, very dark reds, even a couple shades of my own charcoal coat. It wasn't like seeing a pile of exact doubles, but when you live around predominantly brightly colored ponies seeing that much dark is noticeable.

"So much for nopony ever coming here after all... what do you think..."

A thump and series of growls behind us cut me off, already on edge staring at the mass grave we spun on the spot to the sight of zombies clambering up from the floor and more falling through the holes in the ceiling. E.F.S. hadn't shown anything until they started moving from wherever they had been before, presumably laying around inactive and therefore regarded as dead. Drawing my weapons I joined Val who was already unloading on the sudden horde pressing forward, trying to swarm us now that we were pinned in the small bathroom.

Shoving me ahead of her Val pointed us toward a door in the corner, a rickety set of stairs visible through the holes in its surface. "Move it! Can't let em corner us boss, get goin'!"

Several more zombies were charging down the stairs when we got through and slammed the battered door against the ones we left behind. It wouldn't hold them long, but let us focus on the new threat ahead of us and keep moving to the second floor. Offices were up here from the number of heavy metal desks scattered across the room, between the various holes in the floor more zombies kept falling through.

Dashing up the stairs and blasting away with the Terrible Shotgun I ran around the nearest desk, looking back towards the narrow stairwell and the thumps of more zombies slamming into the door. Frantically I reared back and bucked it for all I was worth, managing to budge the bulky piece of furniture a few inches between firing rounds at the nearest enemies able to navigate the room.

I could hear the door below shudder and splinter in its frame over the sound of Val's and my own weapons. Jade landed beside me and her own buck sent the steel desk tumbling down the stairs, wedging against the remains of the door. It was easy to forget how much stronger the gentle alicorn was than me until she did things like that, she'd be a real terror if she wasn't a pacifist.

That cut off the ones below anyway, several more joined them trying to get to us through the minefield of gaps in the wooden floor as well. Luckily zombies weren't all that coordinated or observant, making clearing what remained on this floor a great deal easier. My silenced pistol dropped the last pair trapped behind a U shaped trio of desks while Val grabbed another nearby, tossing it down the stairs to join the first.

Staring down to make sure the barricade would hold she nodded to herself, quietly crossing the office to the front windows and whispering over her shoulder. "That oughta keep em busy, get to lookin' around boss. Hope we didn't attract too much attention with all of that noise..."

Jade and I split up and started searching this floor, the offices weren't nearly as interesting as all the cool stuff in the store, but I had already ransacked the first floor before we were driven out. There were other things up here that were of concern to all of us, least of which was the employee break room I found to the side.

We had gotten to rely on the easy living in Diamond City, where you could just go purchase a meal from any number of eateries when you got hungry. Back out in the wasteland we'd need to replenish our own supplies and the small kitchenette fit the bill nicely. The comic shop workers seemed to have a real affinity for preservative laden junk foods that survived 200 years up here disturbingly well. Lots of Glitter's favorite Fancy Buck snack cakes, bags of apple and carrot chips, cans of Cram and sweet potatoes, dried Instamash and oats, and half a dozen tins of coffee.

The rusting fridge was stuffed with nothing but Sparkle Cola. Carefully divided up between the regular orange carrot flavor and Jade's prefered red Rad variety, along with a new type I had never seen. The small number of bright golden bottles labeled "Sparkle Cola Victory" showed a manically happy looking Fluttershy and advertised "Delicious cider taste! Twice the caffeine!"

Rifling through the desks yielded a number of caps scattered in the drawers, strange for prewar ponies to hold on to them, but I had noticed a variety of containers in the wasteland often held a few here and there. Maybe they got stashed there by later scavengers, or Val's joke she told me when I once asked about Discord wandering the world hiding caps randomly was true.

A small side office looked to have belong to writing staff and had some real treasure, for me anyway. Unfinished, half inked comic pages were clipped to angled drafting tables and piled in out trays, a couple desks facing each other each held old fashioned typewriters and their owners wrote the scripts for new comics and other books as well. One drawer on this pair held a bound script for the Shrouded Stallion TV Pilot I flipped through greedily and dumped in my bags.

Even the growls and groans drifting up from the first floor faded away as I scanned my new reading material, happily distracted until Val hissed by the window, dodging away from the glass and waving us both down and quiet. "Shit... was worried bout this boss. Stay quiet you two, we got company. Let's get movin' upstairs guys, sneaky like ok? Fuckin' Hound and a real hit squad trackin' us now, those advance squads were small fry compared to this one. Ssssh!"

The tired jingle of the bell above the door downstairs got all the zombies attention, the new red marks on E.F.S. were swarmed by the old ones surging away from the stairwell after them. The three of us crept towards the stairs up to the third floor under the cover of a lot of shouting and gunfire below, we reached them as the shooting trailed off and my compass displayed a lot less red.

"Damn ferals! Ya sure about this Hound? Weird place for them to hunker down don't ya think?" A gravelly voice panted below us, a ghoul Gunner presumably.

There was a moment of silence while one red mark moved slowly around below us, a few fleeting glimpses through the gaps in the floor showed what looked like a light brown, vaguely hawk-like griffon inspecting the sales room. Finally the red dash stopped near the blocked stairs and a quiet, masculine voice answered. "They were here alright, three of em anyway, includin' both targets. Big tracks too, probably the alicorn... dunno and don't care why they came here, I just track em. Looks like they looted the place for whatever damn reason, everybody stay frosty, get to work clearin' that crap from the stairs."

Val scowled down at the marks on my compass moving as directed, the metal desks squalled and shifted as they got to work. At least 10 were down there, half had clumped up clearing the makeshift barrier while the rest spread out. Following their movement I floated several of my limited stock of grenades from my bags and raised an eyebrow to Val, gesturing to the assorted holes leading down. If the zombies could come thumping down from the ceiling while we were in there, a few grenades could too.

Grinning Val took a couple in her dark claws and nodded towards the hole nearest the street entrance, I gestured to the stairs and the rest of the room with the other four, mouthing a countdown from 3 silently. On 1 we pulled the pins and tossed the explosives down, Jade winced and laid her ears down against her head as we ran up the stairs, seconds ahead of an excited shout and the series of roaring detonations.

Fleeing to the third floor I could make out at least half of the marks on E.F.S. scrambling around below us, more explosions rang out at the stairwell along with a screech from the griffon in charge. "Oh you are so fucking dead! Move it! They're upstairs, don't let em get away!!"

"Went better than I figured boss, good thinkin'! Hound's no pushover, thinnin' out his crew helps. Just be ready for hell when he catches up!" Whoever this griffon was Val seemed to respect his skills, I was surprised he had been able to effectively track us here.

Jade gave a determined nod, thinking along the same lines with me. "It seems you were right Valkyrie, it is a good thing we left the Commonwealth Carousel and Glitter behind for a bit if this former associate of yours was able to find us. Hopefully we have adequately led them away and she is safe."

My agreement with the alicorn beauty dried up in my throat as we crested the stairs and reached the third floor. This area was some kind of backstage for the filming that took place on the fourth floor it would seem, a long wooden hallway stretched ahead of us to the last set of stairs. On either side of the passage were a series of doors with stars and faded name plates, dressing rooms from the looks of it. The hall itself was cluttered with racks for tattered costumes and a wide variety of props and rotting boxes. What was truly jarring however was the pirate pony standing in the middle of the hall staring at us...

A pirate ghost? Ghost pirate? Piper's files had rumors this place was haunted, putting it on her list of possible Institute locations, I still never expected to really run into a ghost though. Or had we? The pirate ahead of us had a faint glow at the edges, but seemed alive and solid enough. It was wearing a perfect stereotypical costume, ratty red coat trimmed in gold, eyepatch, black pirate hat with the skull and crossbones, hind peg-leg, the complete package.

I skidded to a halt faced with the sudden insanity, Jade faltered with me as well, Val however didn't care what it was in our way, just that it was there. She instantly sent lances of red magical energy weapon fire at the obstacle, only pausing when they passed through the pony harmlessly.

"Aha finally! Our actors have arrived, we're terribly behind schedule! I see you've brought the hat as well Bolt baby, great work! Now to just get you in costume and we can get started at last!" The hoarse voice coming from the pirate seemed right, but the words and accent were definitely not accurate.

The sound of pounding hooves and claws behind us added another wrinkle to this bizarre exchange. "Oh what the fuck is this nonsense! Move it, quick!" The fiery griffon scooped me up easily and blasted through the air, veering off halfway to the weird pirate and slamming through one of the dressing room doors with Jade flying in behind us.

Drawing the Last Minute I crawled back to the open doorway to join Val, who was lying in wait as the Gunner crew charged into the hall behind us. The dressing room she had picked was empty and safe at a glance anyway, a pony skeleton occupying the seat before the dirty makeup station. Jade waited behind us anxiously, her horn already glowing in preparation to cast a heal or her blue shield if needed.

The activity in the hall drew my attention, Val hadn't given our position away yet as the Gunners had also stopped when confronted with the glowing pirate. The apparition's reaction to them wasn't nearly as benign as it had been to our entrance, "What's all this then? We're not filming a war movie! All you extras get out of here, I have no need of you today!"

"What the hell?! Waste that thing and find those little bastards! I want the traitor's head!" The singed griffon Hound hadn't escaped unscathed from the fireworks downstairs and sounded like he was in a foul mood for it. He and the bloodied remaining ponies in his crew poured a stream of death down the hall at the pirate, to the same effect Val's M.E.W. had. As I watched hundreds of rounds from Hound's minigun, blasts from a couple riot shotguns, assault rifle fire, magical energy weapon bolts and even a missile sailed right through the ghost.

"You union players are getting awfully pushy aren't you? Well if you won't take the hint I'll just have to insist, as you can see I don't need anyone besides my stars! Time to go!" The pirate scowled at the spooked Gunners and demonstrated his point when a dozen more ghosts suddenly appeared up and down the hall, all of them sending beams of bright cyan energy at the mercenaries.

This had to be the strangest sight I had ever seen, made more surreal by the very real death the ghosts were dishing out with those beams they were sending out. Just from what I could make out through the flashes and smoke the Gunners were being torched alive by... a ninja, an Appaloosan Sheriff, an astronaut pony, an escaped criminal in black and white stripes wearing a black mask, an armored knight, a changeling and of course the pirate.

When the screams and flashes died down the three of us cautiously poked our heads out in the hall, watching the strange cluster of ghosts flicker away, leaving only the pirate and a lot of dead, smoking Gunners.

"Whoa... what the hell was that boss... That goofy pirate's kinda makin' me nervous now, maybe we oughta..."

Val's concern was well founded as the ghostly pirate turned on all of us, its eyes glowing brightly. "Are you three still just standing around? Come on, we're running late enough already, rewrites to concern ourselves with thanks to our special guest stars Bolt baby. No time to waste, afraid I'll just have to move this along!"

The weird light in the pirate's eyes started flashing rythmically, fast then slow, fast then faster then slow. The pulsing effect seemed to spread to the walls and ceiling, making strange afterimages and circles float in my vision as the room seemed to spin. Jade shook her head and stumbled, landing on top of me with all of her considerable bulk and groaning above me. "F-Fast... this is w-wrong.... don't... d-don't..."

Val reached out to help and promptly fell against the door frame, sliding down the wall even while gripping it in her claws, leaving long marks in the plaster. Pinned under a lot of alicorn as I was, I could only weakly reach toward the griffon as she collapsed in a heap nearby. Jade's blue eyes were clenched tightly shut and she gave one more attempt at getting off of me before she passed out, her pale blue mane enveloping my face before everything went dark.

The rough voice of the ghost followed me down into the abyss as I lost consciousness, "Makeup!"

----------------------Level Up!-----------------------------

New Perk Added!--------------------------

Book Worm----
--You pay much closer attention to the smaller details when reading! With the Comprehension perk, you gain double the bonus from reading magazines and 50% more skill points when reading books. Sure to come in useful now that you've got some new reading material!

Quest Perk Added!----------------------

Alicorn Angel Blue-----
--It's not a Ministry Mare statue and doesn't have a soul attached to it, it's technically not even for you... But having a little toy version of your favorite alicorn makes you think of her any time you see it. You gain a boost of +10 to the Medicine skill!

Ch. 41-- Roadside Attraction

A cold wind was blowing, the steady rain dripping off the brim of my hat was at the head of a wintry cold front. Nightmare Night wasn't very far off, but it was shaping up to be an early winter...

I occupied myself wondering about that as I trudged along nearly buried country roads leading south, was it just because the weather over the Commonwealth was wild with no pegasi to guide it anymore? Was the S.P.P. tower lost in distance of the drizzly day responsible, maybe whoever was in charge of it wanted to pile a little misery on my head as well as keeping the Commonwealth sealed off from Equestria..

Hell, maybe it was the Lightbringer somehow... The famous savior of the wasteland might not control the Trotson tower, but she ran all the others right? Changing the weather patterns around the one spire out of her control would probably have an effect, even if not a direct one. I hoped that wasn't the case, thinking of some much more successful Stable pony who had actually made a real difference in the world since leaving her own Stable, raining more discomfort on me, whether intentional or not... was adding to my own feelings of failure and self pity compared with her.

From everything Jade and others who knew of the famous mare had told me, she wouldn't be stuck in such a bleak situation. The mare who brought the sky back wouldn't wind up sick or dying in the middle of nowhere, hunted by enemies and only trying to get back to somepony she cared about with no other plans than to die happy. She'd probably find some way out of it, keep fighting, find a miraculous cure just in the nick of time after conquering some horrible dungeon to find it...

I on the other hoof... I felt like death warmed over...

"AHCHOO! H-H-Hey! C-C-Can't y-you f-f-figure s-something o-out... I'm f-f-freezing b-back here!" Fancy whined from behind me, the miserable mare holding a rusting old road sign over her head with her magic, trying pointlessly to keep part of herself dry.

Big damn heroes like the Lightbringer wouldn't end up saddled with enemies as traveling companions either... Let alone petulant, spoiled, whiny enemies...

I glanced back to her shivering in her soaked and all too thin coat, normally the pitiful sight would be enough for me to admit she was right and try to think of something to do to help her, at the moment though I was fairly certain I was in worse shape... Halting my pained, monotonous progress probably wasn't a great idea, getting going again wouldn't be easy. Not that she didn't have a point, being out in this slop was not doing my own health any favors, singlemindedly marching on was just all I could think of.

The area of the northern Commonwealth we were crawling across was mostly wilderness, what was once a smooth country road cutting through a healthy and living forest, was now a cracked and hilly trail winding mostly southeast under the oppressive skeletal branches overhead. If I remembered right the Commonwealth Running of the Leaves course was out in those woods somewhere, though the trees didn't need ponies galloping by to knock the leaves off them anymore...

Sticking to the path slowly being consumed by the forest around us had kept us mainly safe from the local wildlife and other wasteland horrors lurking in the undergrowth. Some of the noises out there quickened my pulse with worry, but whatever roamed in the shadows seemed to avoid the roads for the most part, leaving me to deal with the occassional Radhog or Bloatsprite only.

A tingling on my left made me look up from my dull stare forward, peering around in that direction from the crest of the current hill and off into a thinner bit of woods. There was a scummy looking pond over there, a crumbling warehouse nearby perched over the waters, surrounded by rusting chainlink fences and shells of long shipping carriages. A few of the trailers had big yellow barrels spilling out of the torn containers.

Stumbling closer to the sight made my pip-buck give a lazy tick and flash text in my eyes; Discovered Location: Mass Arcano Fusion Containment Shed and suddenly the tingling made sense... Radiation... that whole pond was probably highly radioactive, and I could feel it...

"I-I-It's a-about t-t-time! A b-b-building to get d-dry in!" Fancy spotted the rough stone structure and tried veering off towards it, forcing me to call after her in a hoarse voice.

"N-Not safe Fancy... radioactive... Probably pretty bad if I can... t-tell from here..."

The slow chatter from her own gilded pip-buck proved me right, she still snorted and stomped in the road behind me, bitching at the helpful warning. "W-WHO C-CARES! I-I-I'm f-freezing! R-Radiation is w-warm isn't it!?"

I sighed and slowed, staring out at the wisps of steam hanging over the pond and nodding. "Yes... and deadly... for you I guess... I don't know about me anymore. I wouldn't risk it but do what you want, there wasn't any radiation medicine left back in the hospital though..."

I scooped up any and all medicines and drugs I spotted on our way out of Mareford Memorial Hospital, but had been unsurprised packets of Rad-Away and tablets of Rad-X were not among them. From what I read they had tried to help as much as they could after the balefire bombs fell, they would have ran right through their stock of rad meds in no time...

That sunk in at least, the prospect of advanced radiation sickness with no medicine to treat it was enough for the old building to stop looking so attractive anyway, though she went right on whining... "T-Then find s-somewhere else! A-A-Anywhere!! Y-You can't be f-feeling good e-either right?!"

My Shrouded Stallion armor was a good deal warmer and more waterproof than what she was wearing, but she had a point... The medical alerts I was doing my best to ignore kept flashing and beeping every time my temperature went up another degree, which had happened a few times since leaving Mareford... how many again? Three? Four?

"Alright, if we find somewhere we can s-stop for a little bit... I w-wouldn't hold your breath though, we're kind of in the boondocks up here, probably nowhere to..." I answered back, my reply slowly drying up when my eyes picked something impossible out beyond a hill to the east. I pointed a shaky hoof that way and croaked an unsure question to Fancy, "D-Do you see that too?"

The former Overmare stopped and squinted out into the rain, following my gesture and actually spotting the same thing. "I-Is that... s-some kinda g-g-giant... robot? O-One of those w-weird ball l-looking ones?"

Ok... so I wasn't completely delirious yet... That really was a giant Mr. Handy out in the distance... I spotted an even rougher and more faded trail leading that way and followed its course, eventually finding where it joined the road we were walking ahead. If it was real, it was a destination. I shoved aside the brief but enjoyable thought of reprogramming the monster sized version of Cogsworth, riding atop its round body and cackling as it smashed and vaporized enemies, carrying me where I wanted to go with ease.

A closer look showed things wrong with the picture, it wasn't a real robot, just something built to look like one that had suffered 200 years of entropy. It tickled a memory somewhere, but my head hurt too much to try digging it loose, instead I kept plodding along, now aiming for the turn off ahead.

"We'll go there then. If nothing else, that thing will keep the rain off us." The change in noise around us made my ears flick and amend that, listening to the increasing patter and pings of sound coming from Fancy's metal sign. "Will keep the sleet off us rather... come on, this way..."

Fancy galloped down the road and right on my tail, impatiently trying to shove me along until she saw the side road I was aiming for. She ran ahead while I stumbled after her, stopping a short distance down the mostly dirt trail at a pair of rotting wooden posts flanking it. By the time I reached her, she had dug around in the middle of the trail and uncovered a faded wooden sign that once arched between the two posts, presumably explaining why there was a giant robot that way.

"R-R-Robronco G-Galleria... N-November 1st-28th... W-What the hell's a g-galleria... a-and is it w-warm?!" She brushed the dirt and leaves away from the old sign, reading it out when I approached and stopped to stare at it in wonder.

Provided the name, even my muddled brain and feverish brain could finally find the memory, the Robronco Galleria... I was so excited to see that exhibit next month when I was a foal, November just never came and I forgot about it. A showcase of Robronco's top of the line robotics, a store disguised as a fair, but still... they were going to have all the newest and coolest robots on display where you could interact with them.

"The Galleria... heh... g-guess I finally get to go after all... With luck, yes it's warm Fancy, come on...."

"S-S-So y-you really are f-from before? B-Before the w-war?" Fancy asked with mild interest, explaining I remembered the Galleria we were slowly approaching required a little backstory, some of which she had apparently already heard somewhere which saved some time.

"Yes, I wanted to go to this place then. There were supposed to be a bunch of showcases and displays, lots of construction before it could open. There's probably something there still if that big fake robot is standing, maybe even some kind of settlement or something..."

The giant Mr. Handy now towered overhead, growing ever larger as we approached the site, climbing what I hoped was the last gentle slope leading that way. These weren't even big hills and I was panting my way up, slogging through the muck at my hooves that sapped my strength with each step.

Fancy stopped at the crest of the hill and stared ahead silently, prancing in place impatiently as I joined her and looked out at the scene below, my pip-buck telling me what I already knew; Discovered Location: Robronco Galleria.

A number of ramshackle buildings did still stand and surround the giant Mr. Handy centerpiece, I pulled out the Last Minute to peer through the gauss rifle's scope at the cluster of ruins ahead, ignoring Fancy's miserable huff and the fuzziness in my vision. Let's see... Iron's Gym, Pony Joe's, Talon's Department Store, Letrotski Lanes and a Robronco outlet ringed the rusting hulk of the huge Mr. Handy. One of the giant construct's multi jointed arms had fallen away, unfortunately smashing another building, but the others were still angled over the grounds below, a closer look through the scope showed a lift platform that went directly up into the belly of the fake robot above.

I looked over the arched entryway and ticket booth leading to the grounds, scanning from there into the area and around it, but couldn't make out much. Nopony was moving around down there, let alone residing there from what I could see, though E.F.S. flickered with green dashes of something just at the edge of its' range. A few corpses dragged off in the mud not far from the focus of my interest made me a little concerned, but those were standing buildings to shelter in if nothing else.

I floated out the gleaming revolver Vengeance and pointed the barrel at the structures ahead unsteadily, trudging down the slippery slope leading to the Galleria entrance and speaking to the mare beside me softly. "O-Ok... place to get dry... B-Be careful, let me take a look first..."

Her hooves kept right on squelching in the mud behind me, but thankfully she remained fairly quiet for her, letting me approach the ticket booth cautiously. Passing by the empty booth put the area more firmly in the range of E.F.S., lighting the compass in my vision with several steady dashes, all green so far anyway.

We crept out into the center of the fairgrounds, angling towards the Pony Joe's diner to the right and the light spilling from its' windows. The Galleria was in pretty rough shape, tattered streamers and faded banners hung limply from each rotting storefront, but the place looked like it had power still somehow.

As we closed in on the ancient diner and the hopeful thought of hot coffee, I made out the residents that E.F.S. had been picking up. The small, modular metal diner rusting to ruin in the middle of nowhere was staffed by robots... just as advertised. I pushed the red metal door open and poked my head in with a sad jingle from overhead, taking in the pink and green checkerboard floors and booths with seated skeletons and rotten meals.

Nothing started immediately attacking me at least... a quick check with S.A.T.S. verified nothing was hostile at the moment and even provided names for the robots inside. A Mr. Handy called 'Crisp' with a number of specialized limbs whirred to itself behind the kitchen, making fresh pots of coffee and pulling baskets of donuts from the fryers behind it, adding to the delicious smells wafting from the building that were making my stomach groan and grumble. A Ponitron with a tray welded to its' chest below the neck given the uninspired name 'Waitron' clomped over to one of the booths, asking if all the corpses there were doing alright or needed anything else before moving on... that wasn't a great sign...

Fancy wasn't as wary of the malfunction or just didn't care, shoving past me and into the diner, shaking herself off in a spray of icy water and planting her forehooves on the counter in front of the cook, shouting out a demand to the robot. "COFFEE! HOT! GIMME NOW!"

The Mr. Handy cook focused its eyestalks on her and gave a spin with its lower body and flailing limbs, answering in a slightly manic tone. "Coffee! Comin' right up! 490 bits please!"

"490?! Prices weren't quite that bad in the end... what's wrong with..." I tried to ask, running a mental diagnostic on the obviously malfunctioning robot before being caught by surprise by its actions.

One mechanical claw snatched up a tall, steaming pot of coffee and the robot spun in a circle on the spot and shouted "Order UP!", forcing me to tackle Fancy before a fan of the boiling liquid flew threw the air right where her face had been. A spatuala tipped limb started flipping up donuts fresh from the fryer behind the counter, flinging the hoops of sizzling dough around haphazardly.

The Waitron added to the chaos, insanely saying "All done with that sir, let me bus your table for you!" before bucking a small, round two pony table to the floor, sending pristine coffee cups flying to shatter on the tiled floor near where Fancy and I huddled under the counter and the stream of donuts flying through the air.

I disentangled myself from the freezing mare under me and pulled her away in a crouch, trying to just get out of the diner without suffering any new injuries. The robots still showed as non-hostile according to E.F.S., but were anything but safe. Fancy struggled and drummed her forelegs on the floor in a tantrum as I pulled her away by one hindleg, screaming her frustration while I pulled open the door and went back out into the sleet.

"NO! I w-w-wanna c-coffee!! Hot d-donuts! A roof! G-Go back in t-there an s-shoot them!" She screeched as I wrenched her out in the muck, letting her go to head towards the largest building, the bowling alley.

"I have a good idea if I d-did that, every robot here would go h-hostile... m-more hostile... Come on, let's try in here, I'll f-figure out a way to fix it..."

She gave me an annoyed pout from the mud, flipping her sopping mane from her eyes angrily before getting up and following along. Fancy didn't have any interest in doing the shooting herself, hopefully taking my warning to heart. I wearily walked over to the steel double doors under the buzzing neon sign reading; Letrotski's Lanes and showing a blue bowling ball striking dirty white pins.

The last thing I expected to hear on opening the doors to the gloomy, windowless space beyond was the familiar sound of a strike, but the crashing echo of pins was unmistakable. It usually wasn't preceded by catapult like zing though, or the sound of the pins clattering across several lanes.

When my eyes adjusted, I gaped for a moment and wondered if the fever was finally causing hallucinations. A tank like Sentry-bot (named Walter according to S.A.T.S.) was rolling around down on the lanes... was that a modified balefire egg launcher on its shoulder!? I'd seen pictures from the war of the zebra weapon before, but never thought to actually see one, let alone one rigged to launch bowling balls with such explosive results...

Fancy rushed ahead again to shake herself off and shiver, catching the attention of the Mr. Handy floating behind the shoe rental counter, causing it to call out sternly. "Lane and shoe rental, 5000 bits!"

"S-S-Stuff y-your b-bits! S-Shut up!" Fancy shook and chattered back, walking past the attendant and further into the dry building.

The huge Sentry-bot spun on its wheels and launched another bowling ball with a twang, the projectile digging a trench and burying itself in the floor at the border between the lanes and the entryway in a crash, inches from Fancy's shaking hoof. The speed she managed to move was almost comical, leaping to the ceiling with a squeal and back to the door trailing a cloud of dust, huddling behind me as a shield.

"NOPONY ROLLS WITHOUT PAYING!" The sentry boomed out and reloaded its bizarre weapon in a series of whirs and clicks.

Ooooookie, dokie, lokie... I backed up nice and slow, shooing Fancy back with my tail and giving my best 'please don't kill me' smile at the heavily armored robot. Thankfully it went back to lobbing strikes down the lanes once we retreated the way we came, another Mr. Handy darting out to reset the pins after each shot of that crazy cannon.

Thinking clearly was difficult enough without Fancy screaming at the sky, the next closest building was the Iron's Gym, but the open walls of the formerly glass fronted structure let me see that probably wouldn't be much better than our first two attempts.

A Mr. Gutsy called 'The Champ' and wearing a corroded belt befitting the name around its round body, viciously pulverized the remains of a punching bag. Even ending in heavy leather boxing gloves instead of claws, the flurry of its multiple limbs had long ago torn the target from a chain swinging overhead.

There were some serious programing failures at work here... I thunked myself in the head repeatedly, trying to muddle through the fever and work the problem. Closing my eyes in a grimace at the headache that just added to, I opened them to the pinpricks of Fancy's green ones twitching in barely contained fury.

She grabbed either side of my head in her hooves and pressed face to face, speaking through gritted teeth and shivering angrily. "DO SOMETHING DAMMIT!!!"

"I'm trying... t-they're m-malfunctioning... have to be c-coordinated from somewhere..." Come on brain work... this shouldn't be that difficult.

After far too long I finally flogged my thoughts into making some kind of sense. I looked over to the 'Robronco Outlet' as a possibility before discounting it, they'd probably have the equipment, but networking all these robots together under some semblance of central control... you'd want a transmitter high up... I held a twitching foreleg up to the giant Mr. Handy above us and swayed in Fancy's manic grip, croaking to her over the sleet. "U-Up there... p-probably..."

She gave a squeaky little sneeze and let me go to charge over to the shelter of the big fake robot, looking back to me falling over in the mud without her holding me up anymore and giving an annoyed groan. It might be just because she was stuck with me, but she did come back and help me towards the round lift that led up into the round metal body of rusty metal plates.

We were close to the open elevator when I noticed a white bodied Ms. Nanny bobbing over, this robot seemed less accidentally homicidal at least, speaking up brightly in a Prench accented voice. "'Alloooo! Welcome to ze Robronco Galleria! Ve are unfortunately not open to ze public, unless vou are ze on-site supervisor ve have been awaiting, I must ask vou to return later si vous plais!"

I gaped at it numbly, unable to think of any reply. Fancy surprised me by stepping forward and taking over smoothly however, maintaining her normally spoiled tone and using it in a bit of acting that had me almost believe her. "O-Of c-c-course I'm the s-supervisor! W-Who else w-would c-c-come out in this w-weather to d-deal with you stupid, b-broken machines! H-Help my t-technician over h-here so h-he can get to work f-fixing you b-bastards!"

The Ms. Nanny's eyestalks panned up and down between us, thinking to itself with a series of clicks that didn't sound healthy, before deciding Fancy was telling the truth and hovering over to me to obey her orders. A pair of metal claws shot out and grabbed my coat by the collar and belt, floating me to the lift with a weak squawk of indignation and giving Fancy a salute. I had to give it to her, she got it to do what she wanted with just her ever flapping mouth, it lacked the finesse of hacking it into total obedience, but was still impressive...

She huddled on the platform with me and hoofed the controls, sending the metal disc up in a grind of gears towards the belly of the Galleria centerpiece. Inside was what I hoped to find, a round office full of computers and equipment to run the attractions and maintain all the robots, ringed in cracked and dirty windows to look down on it all from here.

A semi-circular desk took up the center of the chamber, occupied by a Mr. Gutsy in better shape than most of the robots below. A pile of bones wrapped in the tattered remains of a maintenance jumpsuit was spread in the floor in front of the desk, a bright bit of plastic looped around its bony neck by a frayed cord.

Fancy looked a little worried at the military robot painted Equestrian Army green and pointing a plasma blaster at us as it barked out like a drill sergeant. "Who goes there!? Galleria's closed! Not due to open till November 1st, you are trespassing!"

I gave her a weak nudge and rolled my eyes significantly to the skeleton and the most likely looking console behind the desk, trying to inch my way towards that bright bit of plastic on the lanyard around the bony neck. Letting her handle trying to keep the more heavily armed Mr. Gutsy occupied.

"I-I'm the s-supervisor stupid!! H-H-How c-can I be trespassing?! I'm s-supposed t-to be here a-and deal w-w-with you broken i-idiots!" Fancy rolled right along with her improvised lie, stomping toward robot apparently in charge and jabbing its round metal body with her hoof angrily.

The poor machine sounded confused by the mare chewing it out like she had every right to, letting me scoop up the plastic ID and creep behind its abandoned desk unnoticed. "Supervisor? Error... The Robronco Galleria is directed to be an example of perfect, machine efficiency, operated and supervised solely by Robronco products, minimal pony interference!"

My partner in crime paced the round room in shivering steps, turning the Mr. Gutsy away from me slipping behind its desk and patching my pip-buck to the central terminal. I squinted at the text buzzing by in front of my eyes from the top level of the control system, gesturing with my hooves over the desktop in widening 'stretch it out' signs.

To her credit Fancy kept right on plowing forward, loudly keeping herself the center of attention while I worked as quickly as I could manage. "O-Oh yes, y-you look like you're d-d-doing a great job a-alright! W-When was this place supposed to open?!"

I found the answer in the reports flashing by just as the Mr. Gutsy answered sulkily. "203.7 years ago... Awaiting version 3.921b patch before proceeding to opening to the public on schedule."

That's what the system confirmed too, it was taking me too long to read through it all though. A patch for the robot's off kilter behavior had been downloaded, just not applied yet. From what I could puzzle out, somepony up the chain at Robronco finally figured out having a whole fairground of potentially deadly robots running everything out here on their own, miiiiight not be the best idea... liability wise if nothing else judging by the urgent mails from the Robronco Corporate Legal Division.

The skeletal mare whose ID I used to access the system was a certified Robronco service technician assigned as pony supervisor for the Galleria. Sent to apply the patch and keep an eye on the mechanical workers. Unfortunately for her, she picked the worst possible day to schedule the job and was baked alive in this big, round oven when the bombs fell.

While I extracted the waiting patch, Fancy cornered the original robot supervisor with a sneering laugh. "203.7 years a-ago huh? Little late to open on schedule then isn't it?! T-This is w-why they had to send me, c-c-can't do anything on your own c-can you?! N-Now we're late! It's n-not my fault either! I was... er... c-c-caught in t-traffic! Aaaaaand I c-c-couldn't find the p-place, you haven't e-even kept the sign f-for the turn off up! T-This is a-all your f-fault, m-metal heads are gonna r-roll! J-Just you watch!"

The badgered and beleaguered robot almost seemed to shut down gratefully when the system rebooted, escaping the furious filly who had finally found a target for her ire to really unload on. The lights outside flickered and every mark on E.F.S. held still a moment before everything came back with a hum, the Mr. Gutsy with us returning to its desk, unbothered by me stumbling out of the way guiltily.

I watched it connect itself to the control system anxiously, breathing a shaky sigh of relief when speakers around the fairgrounds crackled to life with the Mr. Gutsy's gruff voice. "Attention, Robronco apologizes for the delay, the Galleria is now open to the public! Please enjoy the exhibits, sample the glorious future of Robronco robotics and what it can do for you!"

Well, I was fairly sure the problem was fixed now... I swept my hat from my brow with a flourish, managing a hoarse "T-Ta... Daaaa...." to Fancy, resulting in me overbalancing and flopping to the blessedly cool, dirty floor in a heap.

When I next pushed my way back to consciousness, I found I was lying on a fairly uncomfortable slab of slate covered in disintegrating green felt. The ancient billiards table in the bar area of the bowling alley wasn't a nice, soft bed, but it was dry and fairly warm. Trying to move weakly from where I found myself showed me why once I could think straight, I was buried under a pile of rags, my black coat and hat were draped over a stool at the bar and dripping dry.

Something shifted beside me, making me vaguely glad I was too weak to leap away in surprise, instead rolling an eye that way to find Fancy's muzzle sticking out of all the ratty clothing covering the two of us. Her teeth were chattering and she pulled me closer, easily pinning me in place over my attempts to move. Only her mouth was exposed, allowing her to slurp at a steaming cup of coffee by the corner pocket before whining next to me.

"S-Stay still! At least that f-f-fever makes you nice an w-warm... H-Here, your coffee's in the side pocket, b-box of donuts up front, just gimme f-five more minutes..." Her sugar coated white muzzle muttered from under a dirty old Robronco licensed apparel jacket. Considering I couldn't pull myself free if I wanted, she was getting her five minutes.

"E-Everything... w-working now?" I croaked and fumbled for the steaming mug on the edge of the table, not trusting my magic to hold it steady enough to sip from and opting for my aching hooves instead.

Fancy's pale forelegs came out from her nest of rags, pulling the jacket down over her head tightly and whining back. "Y-Yes... stupid robots are all better now, doing what I tell them to do, way it's s-supposed to be. Made that g-goofy waiter in the diner bring us hot food in here, grabbed a big pile of stuff from that clothing shop outside too, t-this place is warmest, n-no windows.. Now shut up, g-gimme my f-five minutes.... you owe me f-for making them bring you here."

I supposed she was right, she fooled them into thinking she was the supervisor, she could have taken advantage of that and me passing out to do what she wanted. Instead I was still alive and actually cared for, a little roughly, but still...

"Right... F-Five minutes, you got it. T-Thank you Fancy, for helping..."

She grumbled and muttered in return, but focused on curling into the tightest ball she could right up against my overheated side, the fever baking off me made me an effective little space heater apparently. That left me to look around and try to muddle my way to some degree of clear thought.

My first impulse was the same as it had been when we escaped Marefored Memorial and several times since then, I pulled up the list of locator tags on my pip-buck and started checking them all. Jade's mark came up first, this time holding steady at Trinity Tower, it had appeared in Goodneighbor with Glitter's tag for most of the day until now. Glitter's arrow was still in the relative safety of the fun loving town thankfully, it jittered and moved within that small area, but never left its borders.

Val and Zed's tags had spent most of the day alternating turns in and out of the Trotson Public Library, currently it was Zed's turn to be right on top of the map marker while Val's circled the area in wide loops, making their way toward Goodneighbor too. At least Zed had made it out of there, I hoped he managed to find his brother before all hell broke loose, though it was looking like that wasn't the case with all his trips back in.

I really wished my family were as rich as all those Canterlot ponies always buying the latest and greatest status symbols, in the months before the end it seemed like every snob in the capitol had one of the broadcaster add ons for their pip-bucks, a piece of tech I would currently give a lot to lay my hooves on.

As it was I could only hope someone would still be checking for my own locator tag and eventually see I could be tracked again after disappearing for the past day or so... Jade still wasn't great at using the arcano-tech device on her leg though, Val generally only used it for combat and Zed pretty much ignored his entirely... At least I had long since showed Glitter how to use the locator system, ironically to keep an eye on her map when we had to leave her behind so she could follow our progress and be sure we were safe. I desperately hoped she hadn't given up on me yet...

While I had the pip-buck menus up in front of my eyes, I gulped and forced myself to check the health status screen again, not looking forward to what it was currently complaining about. Let's see; Fever stabilized at 104.8, Moderate Organ Damage, Moderate Tissue Damage, Moderate Nerve Damage, Minor Brain Damage, Major Tumors Detected, Insufficient Caloric Intake, Suppressed Immune System, Increasing Fatigue, Unidentified Blood Toxin, Unidentified Blood Type... The cartoon unicorn with Xs for eyes and its' tongue stuck out summed up how I felt pretty well, while I watched the screen flickered, adding an unsteady pair of static marred wings to the picture and removing them again rapidly.

Chewing on the still warm donuts morosely, I glanced around the bowling alley Fancy had holed up in. The little bar tucked away in the corner was a good place to recover, the bowling alley didn't have windows to let the gusts of freezing air in and had held up fairly well against the elements.

Even better, like most of what I had seen of the Galleria, it had never really been scavenged due to the crazed robots. A battered old Ponitron with a black bowtie bolted to its neck presided over the bar and all the untouched bottles of alcohol behind it, the only customer was a pile of bleached bones propped up in a stool, wearing a once white cowpony hat and sitting in front of a dusty bottle of Sunrise Sarsaparilla.

Wobbily floating a half full bottle of Wild Pegasus over from the bar took way more effort than should be needed to move the light weight 10 feet through the air, but I managed to drag it over to myself without dropping it. Irishing up my coffee helped mask the fiery, amber liquid burning down my throat, leaving a ball of warmth in my guts to spread slowly.

One of Jade's many admonishments about alcohol had been the knowledge it didn't actually make you any warmer despite how it felt, actually it could make you colder physically. I felt justified taking another swig though, if I didn't have places to be in a hurry I'd consider getting full on drunk actually, it would help me forget my situation and numb some of the pain at least.

Looking over the pile of my armor and bags by the bar and tenderly checking my own partly dried mane and tail, I looked to the heap of rags next to me and gave it a weak poke. "R-Really Fancy, thank you... Y-You're not bad at taking care of a sick pony, even with the robots helping..."

The annoyed grunt she answered with held a note of pride despite herself, eventually prompting one green eye to peek out from under a filthy shirt and roll sarcastically. "I-I still need you to help me get back to civilization, n-not like it's that hard to be a nurse. My mom used to take care of me w-when I was sick... I remember h-how it's done."

"Was she nice? S-Seems like it... if you learned how to a-actually be kind when you want..."

Her angry snort made the rags she buried herself under flutter up in a puff of air, her reply actually held a controlled note of sadness in it though. "O-Of course she was! I... I l-loved my mom a-and she loved me! If she hadn't died... She'd still be Overmare and I'd still be happy... all this started when they made me take over her job too soon 'cause she... d-died... T-Though I guess I wouldn't have met my snookieookums..."

"Yeah... If none of this ever happened I'd still have my f-family and wouldn't be... sick..., but I wouldn't have met Jade either. She's worth everything that's happened to me, still wish my family didn't have to suffer too though..."

Fancy's bedraggled golden mane pushed free of her nest of rags and she watched me crawl off the table carefully, still managing to slip off the edge and crash to the floor with a tired groan. She peeked over the side of the pool table as I groaned back to my hooves under her, speaking in a small voice full of wary curiosity.

"What... What's it feel like? T-That potion of theirs, er... like you said, they were gonna use it on me right?... S-Sure looks like I dodged a bullet there... Is it bad?" She asked in frightened fascination, her green eyes continually drawn to the stained bandages wound around my back.

"It's not fun... L-Like feeling yourself getting torn apart and put back together... H-How long was I out anyway? Time is sort of a factor..."

Bundling herself back up in her rag blanket, the former Overmare called after me from her hidey-hole, her tone daring me to complain when she informed me I had lost another couple of hours, time I couldn't get back. From the steady drumming on the roof overhead, it sounded like the weather had graduated from sleet up to hail, so at least we weren't caught out in that.

I sighed and checked the time on my pip-buck, it had been at least a day since Moondancer made me her test subject. According to her, that left six days now before her miserable version of the Impelled Metamorphosis Potion ran its course, maybe less... No matter how much I wanted to, trudging off into a hailstorm would probably take more of that limited time than waiting it out and trying to recuperate.

Shrugging into my saddlebags at the bar, I left my armor to continue drying and snatched up a few more bottles of alcohol. The robotic bartender didn't seem to mind, so my hazy memory of the control system was real, they'd behave themselves now. I plodded out of the corner bar, waving and calling to Fancy hoarsely.

"Get warmed up and rest, I got things to do while we wait on the weather, yell if something new tries to kill us..."

She muttered a sleepy answer in return before her voice trailed off into snores, leaving me to look around the large building alone. It only took a moment to find the restrooms I was looking for and start heading that way. Besides needing to visit the little buck's room for the standard reasons, it was probably the closest to clean I was going to find in here and it had a mirror... The shooting pain in my back needed to be addressed.

A short while later, I sat down with a thump in front of the dirty steel mirror above a trio of cracked and stained sinks, carefully using Best Served to slice through the thick band of stained magical bandages wrapped around my torso. I wished I had a pair of scissors or some other implement that didn't neatly cut me as easily as the cloth strips, my unsteady magic wasn't completely trustworthy at this point and I nicked myself a couple times, adding slow dribbles of blood to the yellowed stains.

Once the mass of cloth fell away, I took a deep breath that dissolved into rattling coughs. That wide strip of bandages had been getting uncomfortably tight and was completely soaked, peeling it away was a relief. The yellowish stains seeping through the magical fabric somewhat spoiled how much better getting out of it felt though...

A few smeared streaks wiping the worst of the dirt from the mirrors let me get all too good a look at my back. I stood alone in the ancient restroom, alternating from looking back over my shoulder to using the warped steel mirror, taking it all in numbly. The lumpy growths spreading from my back down my ribs had grown larger, covered in a film of... gunk... eww... that dribbled down my sides and twitching sporadically.

Oooook... I'd never have Jade's medical skills, but that didn't seem good. Staring at it stupidly made holding on to those donuts a struggle, better to try something more productive, taking a good swig off the bottle of Wild Pegasus for example... I added a vial of Med-X on top of the whiskey, jabbed into my back in an attempt to convince myself it was for medical reasons only, ahhh... that was a bit better...

I used the bundle of discarded bandages to wipe the slime from my sides, wondering too late if the right treatment was to clean it or leave it alone. Oh well, you cleaned wounds in general, I probably couldn't do anything to make my situation worse anyway. The tap below the mirror actually started spraying water in the sink, with a little persuasion from my pipe wrench.

Taking advantage of the moment of privacy, I played with the trickle of water in fascination, realizing again I could tell it was radioactive before my pip-buck gave a warning click. It was hardly the mind blowing sensation Jade seemed to experience, but getting near that stream of sludge with an experimental hoof tingled, a bit like smacking my funnybone.

The water issuing from the rusty tap got as close to clean as it was going to get and I cleaned up as well as I could. I cracked open a clear bottle of grain alcohol I had liberated from the bar and splashed it on my sides liberally. I crammed both forehooves into my mouth to stifle a scream, prancing around the damp room and silently hissing a stream of muffled curses at the burning that caused.

I dribbled a purple healing potion down my back with a whimper when it finally stopped. The worst of the muscle aches and spasms were tapering off thanks to the Med-X taking hold. The powerful painkiller wrapping me up in a pleasant mental fog and making it a lot easier to continue working while staying emotionally detatched.

Mostly anyway... the red eyes in the mirror shimmered wetly back at me while I rewrapped my chest in fresh bandages.

Waiting out the storm took another couple hours, forcing me to find ways to keep myself distracted and busy while Fancy kept right on sleeping without a care. Taking command of the white bodied Ms. Nanny outside gave me a more useful helper though, assisting me in my painful progress without a word of complaint.

My robot assistant floated into the bowling alley with a jingle from the door, bobbing over to the booth in the bar I had taken over and dumping her latest haul nearby, setting a covered tray down on the table after taking the previous one away and giving a salute. "More of ze fried Cram, coffee and donuts sir. Does monsiuer have any more requests?"

I rooted through the pile of junk she had returned with, finding the spark fuse I wanted in the latest box from the Robronco Outlet outside and floating it up to the battered heater I had been working on. Once the final part was slotted in place, the boxy machine gave a shudder and a puff of dark smoke, the heating elements slowly glowing a cheery orange and warming the immediate area.

"P-Put this out in the floor by my friend, then start digging in that wrecked building outside. You said it was an Ironshod's Emporium right? Try to find... find any ammo boxes still intact, as many shotgun shells, .45s, 2mm EC or 10mm rounds as possible that will still fire... Ugh... and tell that cook to keep the food coming..."

Of course the building that had been destroyed by the giant Mr. Handy arm coming down was a gun shop... Anything buried under the debris had been exposed to the elements for decades by the looks of it, not making me hopeful about resupplying my dwindling ammo reserves.

Stacking slices of the greasy canned meat between donuts to make another disgustingly filling sandwich, I dug out a bottle of Sparkle Cola RAD and poured the glowing red beverage into a still usable glass I had found, adding a splash from a bottle from behind the bar in accordance with the dirty 'Mixologist' poster I had pulled from the wall back there. With no milk I couldn't try out the recipe for something called a 'White Zebra' that had been circled in red for whatever reason, but this 'Rum and Sparkle' was pretty good.

Of course that might just be the radioactive red soda... No wonder Jade liked the the RAD variety so much, it tingled on my tongue and all the way down, soothing my indecisive stomach. I munched away mechanically on the pile of fried dough and meat between drinks, sugar and protein... that's what Angel told me to eat.

The first experimental nibbble at a can of uncooked Cram proved her right, I practically inhaled it on the spot and started looking for more after licking the can clean. I had basically gotten used to no longer being a strict vegetarian since coming up to the surface from the Stable, realizing meat had been what I was craving was still a little surprising though.

The whirring from the fan on the repaired heater woke Fancy up, her annoyed grumble cut off when she peeked out to find the source of the noise and tumbled off the pool table with a clatter, goggling at me gratefully as she perched in front of the source of warmth. "A heater?! Sweet Celestia, good work! Ahhhhhh that's so nice... W-What have you been up to?"

"Workin'! Here, found other stuff fer you, wanna drink?"

I balled up a clean and preserved pastel blue bowling shirt and a padded dark blue windbreaker branded with 'Letrotski's Lanes' across the back, tossing the dry clothing to her and waggling one of the number of partially empty bottles of alcohol at her. Returning to the piles of parts and junk spread out on the booth before me and moving on to my next little project, cracking the case on Fancy's stolen Institute M.E.W.

She shrugged into the clothes gratefully, giving me an unsure look, sniffing in my general direction after taking the bottle of amber 'Luna Royale'. "How much have you had already? I'm counting on your help ya know, how are you supposed to protect me if you're drunk?"

"Pssssh... not that much... I serfectly pober... perfectly sober... They had a list of drink recipes see? F-Figured, why not? Ougtha try out stuff I haven't, while I still can... C-Come on, storm's finally passin', we need ta get movin' soon. Got some stuff fer yous to open up too with those non-claw usin' lock pickin' skills. Wanna donut cram-burger?"

Fancy stuck her tongue out at me taking another big bite of my disgusting creation, sipping at her bottle and pulling the heater with her on its squeaky little wheels, nosing around at the pile of loot I had been accumulating on a rather nice embroidered rug from the managers office. It had really tied the room I took it from together, but made a good bundle to drag my finds around with by the tattered tassels.

She eyed the modified B.E.L. I had removed from the Sentry-bot still wheeling down the lanes, my pip-buck labeled the bizarre weapon as 'The Striker' when I detached it and assigned a high value for it. Carrying around the hefty weapon probably wasn't the best use of my limited weight capacity, but Val would find the weird bowling ball launcher hilarious. The thought of the maniacal gleam in her violet eyes sure to show up on receiving the present made it worth lugging around.

Floating the various yellow medical boxes and green ammo boxes I had found around the Galleria to the booth in a field of her golden magic, Fancy sat across from me to start picking the locks, grabbing a loose screwdriver I had found for the purpose back with the ball return and broken pinsetters behind the lanes.

Raising an eyebrow at the small golden trophy I had liberated from the same smashed glass case containing her new shirt and jacket, Fancy squinted at the tiny metal pony on top absently. Reading the plaque below the image of a stallion preparing to release a tiny bowling ball from his foreleg, the shaggy and bearded golden pony matching the name listed.

"Opening Game rolled by Jeffery 'The Dude' Letrotski, October 1st... Why'd you take this thing?" She asked, her tone making it clear she didn't have my knowledge of history, or penchant for collecting junk...

"My dad liked bowling, taught me how when I was little... though we played on lanes with bumpers in the gutters, er... like that one down there."I pointed out the single lane that had the flip up guards for foals engaged and continued with a sigh. "The pony on the trophy was famous Fancy, this was his chain of bowling alleys. U-Used to watch him on tv with dad sometimes... he'll really like the trophy, m-maybe Jade or Glitter can give it to him someday..."

There was a hint of apology in her small voice when she answered quietly, focusing on unlocking the stack of boxes waiting on her skills. "Oh... Ok... T-That's um... nice I guess, you're a real goody-goody though huh? If it was me... er... in your s-situation... I don't think I'd be thinking about others."

"My situation makes thinking of others the only thing that makes sense Fancy. I probably won't be around much longer, the ponies I leave behind should know I cared about them. Whatever happens after I'm gone, they'll still be around and remember me right? Even you will, though I don't expect much in the way of warm reminiscing out of you, maybe you'll end up doing some good in the Commonwealth though huh? Make helping you worth something."

The first yellow medical box I pulled from the restroom walls popped open with a click and Fancy shoved it over, moving on to the next and peeking up at me from above the screwdriver in her mouth, mumbling around it. "Why did you help me anyway? I still don't like you, you stole my Stable from me! If you're really... dying... why would you help an enemy? I don't get it..."

I floated my Rum and Sparkle up in a wobbly toast and drained it, wheezing out an answer in a burning breath. "I know you don't. I don't like you that much either Fancy, the things you did... even being manipulated by Vega, they were bad, hurt a lot of ponies who counted on you as Overmare. Leaving you there to be Moondancer's next test subject though, I couldn't do it. Letting you go through this too wouldn't help anything. I don't expect much out of you, but this way you have a chance to be better, you wouldn't have even that much dead."

She grumbled back in her normal, petulant tone, but wouldn't meet my eyes as she went back to work with the bobbypin. "Whatever... So long as you don't expect anything outta me in return. I-I'm not gonna just magically be your friend and turn into some kinda dogooder like you, just cause you did me a favor... t-that'd be stupid..."

"Yeah... stupid..."

When we finally left the Robronco Galleria, we were in marginally better shape than when we arrived. My fever had dropped a couple degrees after a short time with basic niceties like food, shelter, sleep and alcohol. Fancy was wrapped up in several layers of tattered clothing and had found a cracked set of leather saddlebags, while I had found a fairly warm scarf to add to my own now dry armor.

I flipped through my inventory as we trudged down the cracked asphalt of the highway running south, between the Ms. Nanny excavating the ruins of the demolished Ironshod's and Fancy unlocking every ammo box it had returned with or I had found elsewhere, I had a little more ammo now. Unfortunately at least half of it was unusable, a loose assortment of .308s, .44s, 5.56mms, 12mms and .50 caliber rounds that wouldn't fit any of my weapons.

Most of the robots back at the Galleria were modified to be unable to leave the grounds without a lot of tinkering, the Ms. Nanny I had been using as a gopher was set up differently however. A bit of minimal reprogramming let me send it to Sanctuary with a message for Preston or Sturges, informing them of the empty and now safe cluster of buildings. With not much work this place could be a new settlement for ponies in the Commonwealth, it was essentially an empty, unscavenged town waiting for residents to move in.

Checking over my map as the sun set on our right showed everyone I cared about still miles away in downtown Trotson. My heart skipped a beat on finding Val's marker on this side of the river and heading north, angling directly towards us. Oh thank you Luna... they must have seen my own marker at some point... Jade, Glitter and Zed's marks were still clustered around Goodneighbor, but Val was fastest flying on her own, barring the next unforeseen catastrophe, we'd reach each other in hours.

I had tried unsuccessfully to find out where Fancy wanted to go, where the Institute had snatched her up to begin with presumably. She was being pretty tight lipped with the information though, the lack of complaints about our course the only real hint I had that we were going the right way for her too.

It took some mental gymnastics my baked brain wasn't happy about to figure out her reluctance. If it were Val in place of her own griffon bodyguard Freya, then she'd hang around wherever I disappeared looking for me, as evidenced by Val's activities displayed on my map since I escaped the Institute. If we found Freya, Fancy would have the upper hoof, her snowy white mercenary could take me out easily in my current condition.

If she didn't tell me where she expected to find Freya, I could end up leading her right there and being outnumbered without realizing it. I may have saved her, but I did also kick her out of her Stable... who knew what she'd do if she were suddenly in charge. On the other hoof, if I reached Val first, she probably worried for her own safety, thinking I'd do what she would if our roles were reversed. I'd think logically she'd know that was unlikely considering the alliance that brought us this far, but I couldn't make sense of the crazy mare and what she thought.

All that made for a terse trek together as we slowly approached the outskirts of Trotson and civilization. The country road we were following angled southwest and kept sloping downhill gently, approaching a smaller tributary leading to the main river at the border of the city. I kept catching glimpses of a huge industrial building in the distance through the woods, perched on the other side of the small river that way.

Once the dead forest started thinning out around us, I saw something more interesting closer by. Off the road ahead and huddled in the shadow of a towering elevated road and railway section still standing, was a ramshackle post-war building surrounded by sickly looking crops. Turning in that direction prompted my pip-buck to identify the small settlement for me in a flash of text; Discovered Location: Finch Farm.

There were ponies down there... coming in from a day of work in the fields by the looks of it. An older mare and stallion couple, accompanied by a few more workers judging by the green dashes on my compass.

Fancy ran towards the first other ponies we had run into out here, heedless of any danger in light of the cheery cooking fire burning in front of the hut below. I was forced to speed up uncomfortably to keep up, drawing my 10mm pistol and keeping it floating at my side out of the view of our company watching Fancy approach warily.

The bright yellow earth pony stallion in the dirty overalls pulled a sawed off shotgun in his mouth, covering Fancy with it as she skidded to a halt right in the killzone of the weapon and growling around the trigger in his mouth. "Hold it right there! Told you crazy assholes to just leave us all alone, my buck not enough for you!?"

I slowed to a trot as I approached, pointing my pistol at the armed pony and trying not to make any sudden moves, speaking soothingly to him. "Easy... take it easy sir... I don't think we are who you think we are, we don't mean any harm, just a couple of travelers looking for help. I don't want any trouble ok?"

The farmer pony's... wife? She certainly seemed like it by the way she ran up and smacked the stallion holding the shotgun with her floppy hat, nickering at him and shoving the short barrel of the weapon down with a pale pink hoof. "Ham you put that thing away and stop being foalish! They don't have the burns silly, they're not the Forged. Pretty miserable looking folks is all, come on and warm up by the fire you two, it's safe isn't it dear..."

"Ain't nowhere safe, specially not here with them raiders right over yonder... We're proper ponies here though, you heard her, come on over outta the cold. You don't look so hot young buck, ain't got much, but welcome to do a little barterin' if'n ya want." The stallion she called 'Ham' answered, lowering the shotgun and nodding to the other marks on E.F.S. in the field, signaling the relative safety.

"Thanks Mr.... Ham? Nice to meet you, I'm Fast, my... companion here is Fancy, we appreciate the hospitality sir, ma'am." I gave his wife a grateful bow and tip of my hat, stumbling my way to the fire and bubbling pot of stew hanging over it. "As for trading,.. that's a nice shotgun you have there, don't suppose you have any shells you'd be willing to part with?"

The flat look he gave in answer made it clear that wasn't likely. His wife was more pleasant at least, setting her dusty hat atop her rosy mane and smiling back. "Ain't you a polite one? Nice meetin' you too, don't get ta say that often enough ta company... Name's Rose Finch, my husband Ham an' daughter Goldie, Mr. Spade back there's our farmhoof. Like pullin' teeth ta get Ham ta part with any of them shells I'm sorry ta say, caravans don't come this way that often. Need the ammo ourselves lately, but welcome to do a little dickerin' for whatever else we can manage."

I stashed my pistol away in my bags and approached the fire, my stomach grumbling at the delicious smells wafting from the hanging pot. The older yellow-green stallion Rose pointed out made his way out of the field cautiously, the skinny, warm yellow teenaged filly behind him gave an excited whinny as they drew closer and charged out, running around me in circles to inspect me closely before yelping to her mother in an excited rush.

"Ohmigosh! Mom, Dad, do you know who this is!? It's the Shrouded Stallion!! F-From the radio! Oh wow, i-it's an honor to meet you Mr. Shroud! I heard all about you on the news, is the p-princess with you!? Hey! Maybe he can help us! Save Bull from..." I struggled to keep up with the stream of chatter pouring from the filly, confused by her father stomping his hooves with an annoyed snort to stop her.

"Save him from his own foolishness? Not even the Goddesses can do that, he made his own stupid choice, leave these strangers outta it Goldie!" Ham growled and turned away in a huff, retreating to the wooden shack and tossing things around in there by the sound.

Young Goldie winced at his outburst, whimpering to her mother sadly when she came to comfort her. "B-But... the Shrouded Stallion's a hero... he could help big brother mom... Y-You'll help us, w-won't you Mr. Shroud? Save my brother?"

"Er...." I raised an eyebrow to Rose giving the filly a hug, unsure how to respond to the tearful request.

Rose sighed and flicked her daughter's flank with her dirty red tail, nudging her into cleaning up and ladling out stew while she answered. "I'm sorry sir, you look like that buck from the radio is all, little short for a hero though, no offense... She listens ta all those silly stories, like somepony really just wanders around an helps folks for no reason. Them tales of Princesses an' heroes make fer good listenin', but got her hopes up I'm afraid."

Fancy snorted laughter to herself and dug into the rough wooden bowl of stew Goldie gave her, ignoring the filly's miserable glances over to myself and her mother. Val's marker was on the way... all I had to do was wait and she'd find me eventually, just don't do anything stupid and wait dammit...

"Got her hopes up for what? What's wrong Rose? Save her brother from what?" I groaned as I walked over to the waiting bowl the filly was filling with steaming stew, giving in to my inevitable bad decision and tipping her a wink when I took the offered food in my magic.

Rose's blue eyes shimmered wetly and she pointed a hoof towards the river and the towering smokestacks of the industrial building that way. "Some new gang called the Forged moved in over yonder, took over the old Sausage Ironworks and started makin' things tough around here. M-My son... my buck Bull Finch joined them... Kept talkin' about 'protectin' the family', think he did it ta try ta keep us safe...

Ham ain't hearin' it though, disowned him for throwin' in with damn raiders. Bitching about his precious family heirloom Bull took, his grandpa took it outta that place ta begin with, good riddance far as I'm concerned. Don't let Ham fool ya though, he's worried about our buck too, those fools are crazy, burnin' themselves on purpose..

Ham might be too stubborn ta admit it, but we're all worried about him. Thought about tryin' ta find some of them Minutemare's the last trader this way was talkin' about, but wouldn't know where ta look an don't got much ta pay em fer their help."

I slurped up the hearty vegetable stew and thought, smacking my lips at the mild tingle from the radiation tinged ingredients. Fancy was silently glaring daggers at me with her green eyes, mouthing 'DON'T' when she caught me looking and returning to her food with a scowl.

"Is there a town around here Rose? A little civilization anywhere nearby? My... friend here is looking for her employee she got separated from."

The pink mare nodded smartly and pointed under the trail of crumbling elevated roadway to the southwest. "County Crossing's not far that'a way, lotta caravans pass through there, probably have news or point ya in the right direction."

My pip-buck flashed Map Updated in the corner of my eye and I stood with a nod to Fancy, gesturing that direction wearily. "There you go Fancy, a town. Good luck finding Freya, I'd take you the rest of the way, but I have something stupid to do... I kinda doubt you want to join me, you're welcome to wait if you want."

"What!? W-Who cares about some hick stallion?! You heard her, he joined them! You have to take me to Freya!" She pouted in a frightened wail, her green eyes darting towards the shadow of Sausage Ironworks across the river.

I shrugged in return, walking over to the cautiously hopeful filly Goldie and pushing her chin up from its drooping posture. Puffing my chest out and trying to look heroic was a little difficult while attempting to master the twitching spasms running down my legs, the effect worked well enough at least, lighting a little spark of hope in her amber eyes.

"I'll tell you a secret kiddo, I really am the Shrouded Stallion, and I will help your brother ok?"

The happy gasp that elicited made taking the first shaking step easier, she had hoped for a hero to help her family and I wound up falling into their lap. Maybe Jade's appraisal of my weird cutie mark was right and my special talent really was just being in the right place at the right time, maybe the goddesses themselves brought me here to answer her prayers...

Whatever the reason, I was here and they needed help. Sick or not, dying or not, I couldn't just ignore them. I might not have much time left, but I wasn't going to waste it doing things I'd regret. If I made it back to the others, how could I face Jade or Glitter and hold my head up high, if I just slunk away with my tail tucked here so I could get back to them. My pip-buck put up new text in response to my very bad idea;

Mission Added: Out of the Fire

Objective---
--Rescue Bull Finch
--Eliminate the Forged

Optional Objectives---
--Recover Finch family heirloom

Floating up my pistol and the Last Minute, I tipped my hat to Rose's unsure stare and gave a shaky smile. "It just so happens I'm a member of the Minutemares Mrs. Finch, and we don't charge caps to help ponies who need it. I'll try to find your son and bring him home. If I don't come back... a bright orange griffon is on her way here, flag her down and tell her what happened for me. Oh, and take care of my friend here please, help her get to County Crossing if I can't..."

Fancy looked furious but watched me walk away with a confused look, probably wondering why I'd spare her a thought before leaving. She knew Val was coming now too, if she really expected me to behave like she would if our positions were reversed, I had essentially warned her to get going before that happened.

Rose Finch found her voice as I trudged away towards the river, calling after me in stunned wonder. "W-Why? Why help us for nothing? W-Who does that?!"

Looking back to give her a sad smile, I pointed a trembling hoof at my chest and tried not to sway too much on the spot.

"The Shrouded Stallion, that's who."

-----------------------------------------------Level Up!---------------------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------------------------------------

Roughin' It---------------------
--- You've learned a few survival lessons on your march down from Mareford. You now gain the well rested benefit even when sleeping outside or in rough conditions. You also gain access to a few new recipes for food and drink items, though probably not anything somepony not suffering weird cravings and mutated tastebuds would find appetizing...

Quest Perk Added!---------------------------------------------

The Dude's Trophy-----------
---Taking possession of the big Letrotski's trophy grants like, no useful skill bonuses or anything. But all negative effects from alcohol or drug use are halved, so it being useless is just like, a matter of opinion man.

Institute I.M.P. Rank 2----------
---It's been more than a full day since the process started. You now lose 30 health and magic points, as well as suffering -1 to Perception and Agility in addition to Strength and Endurance! You continue to require 25% more food and tire 50% faster than normal.

You do at least gain the benefits of the 'Touched by Taint (2)' perk and do not take immediate damage from radiation. In fact, you gain extra healing while being exposed to it. However, radiation continues to build up in your system as normal.

Ch. 57-- Somepony to Watch Over Me

They flew together over the park
As the evening sky grew dark
He looked at her and she felt a spark
Tingle to her bones
'Twas then she felt alone
And wished that she'd gone straaaaaight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate....

---------------------------------------------------------

"Ugh... fer the love'a Gawd boss, no singin', tryin' ta feel better here, yer just makin' death look more attractive ya know..." Val groaned beside me and cut off my croaking accompaniment to Magnolia's sweet voice playing from my pip-buck, giving me a start waking like that.

"Hey, you're supposed to sing to make things better, I'm a pony alright... it kinda comes with the territory."

"Ya don't sound like one, freakin' hellhound with 'is nuts in a bear trap is more like it. Mags there singin' is plenty good enough, yer ruinin' it." The mummified griffon on the ratty bed beside me answered in a raspy, weak voice, but it was back to playful insults and jokes again, filling me with relief.

I turned up the volume in a concession to her point, Magnolia was as good at singing as I was bad, no reason to ruin the beautiful, soft melody filling the strange cottage we sheltered in. Jade's locator tag had left Eclipse and was heading right at us, just had to sit and wait awhile longer before she could heal Val, and most likely berate the both of us for reckless, homicidal behavior...

We had been here for just a few hours, mostly boring for me sitting next to a comatose griffon, but she woke occasionally like now, sounding better each time as the magical bandages and potions did what they could. I had taken the opportunity to read some of my new finds from both this spare home and from the Shrouded Stallion museum in Eclipse.

Applied Gemstones was technical and interesting enough, but mostly concerned with magical energy weapons, not really my forte but useful servicing Val's weaponry and Glitter's Righteous Authority. Some of the books on magic from this cottage were way beyond my skills, though a lot of grueling study over the weeks had greatly improved my arcane skills and i grasped some of it.

I had been holding off on the heavy, old books of mythology and fairy tales from Mr. Cane's home after flipping through it, though that was getting harder... A quick pass over the books revealed stories of the real Shroud, what Mr. Cane based his comics on. I was desperate to read them, but fairy tales were one of Glitter's favorite things, it would be more fun if we both heard the stories for the first time together.

So, despite how badly she needed rest, I was grateful Val woke up and was talking again. I couldn't exactly leave with her clutching me like a security blanket, I promised both her and Witchy I wouldn't go anywhere anyway. Weak, exhausted conversation was better than just sitting with my thoughts, they had a tendency to race uncomfortably lately when left on my own, too much had happened too fast.

In a hushed, pained whisper, Val finally felt up to addressing the dragon in the room though. "Er... g-guess you heard all that stuff... dickhead's taunts? Ya must have q-questions huh boss?"

"Not if you don't want me to. I didn't hear a thing. Just some dead asshole making annoying noises before you killed him."

Actually I had quite a few questions, Val never spoke much about her past, what her evil former comrade had taunted her with was the most I had ever really heard. None of it sounded good though, and none of it was my business unless Val told me, not some horrible... sadistic... evil...

Her tight squeeze broke me out of thinking about Gunter, he was dead, I couldn't kill him more, much as I wanted to... "T-Thanks boss... O-Ought'a say somethin' though, w-wasn't tryin' ta hide stuff or nothin' just... It hurts. It still hurts so bad..."

"Which is why I don't care Val, you say what you want, when you want, you don't owe me anything."

She smiled in return and shook her head with a wince, "Then I wanna... w-while we're alone an all... Y-You really remind me of him sometimes boss, skinny buck I had a thing for once... y-young love an all that jazz... when I was still a G-Gunner..."

"What was his name?" Val's mystery stallion sounded like a better topic than her former mercenary crew, so I tried prodding her towards safer shores.

"Surge, Power Surge... don't let the name fool ya though, big wuss... Stayed in the rear with the gear, no evil genius like you or nothin', but he was handy enough and good with numbers an' stuff. But he was a pony... k-kinda frowned on, fraternizin' an' what not..." She sounded better talking about the long ago buck, her voice warm and thick with memory, darkening a bit at the end.

"And I know how you are with rules... so you liked a pony, what's the big deal with that?"

"Eh.... well, gotta know more 'bout Gunners boss. Been around 200 plus years followin' the same rules, griffons are in charge, ponies follow orders. Not that there ain't high rankin' ponies too, but fer the most part that's how it's always been, griffons in command. Griffons what don't stick with the system an' have more little griffons fuck it all up, get it? They didn't care I liked playin' with him, everybody did that if they wanted, but I... I wanted more than that. Big Gunner in charge said fun is fun, but I was... hrrmmm.... 'A superior genetic sample' an said I had ta make more griffons whether I liked it or not... with him..."

"Oh..." I could sympathize with the idea of being forced to reproduce against your will in the interest of making more life to fill the wasteland, I wondered how she had been handling me and my own too similar situation, had I been hurting her too?

One watery violet eye looked up and she seemed to get my pause, chuckling to herself and sighing. "Them mares in their tower are funny boss, but s'not quite the same. They don't even mean nothin' by it really, too screwy to understand what they're askin' fer, and they definitely ain't tryin' to be cruel about it right?

They still let you say no an' they cain't piss ya off too bad, yer the only option. No, Graven could'a picked anybody he wanted, he did it ta send a message an' punish me, new to the job, real prick... He said I had to, I said I don't gotta do nothin', he insisted... f-forcefully... an' I made sure he couldn't do it again."

"Made sure how?"

Instead of really answering, her free claw came up and waggled in front of my face, flexing those sharp claws, tracing a line down my chest towards... Oh... the 'snip snip' motion she made with a pair of those gleaming claws was a little unnecessary, I got the idea... owwwwww....

She did at least give an almost normal Val laugh at me wincing and crossing my hindlegs with a shudder, holding her battered ribs and continuing after catching her breath. "Yeeeah... ya can imagine how well that went over... Tried ta escape after but... too late. Ol' ugly back in his little playhouse down the hill, he was put in charge of my punishment while they tried ta save the stupid bastard for him ta finish the job. Ya can probably imagine Gunter excelled at that kinda shit... Said if'n I didn't wanna be with the top Gunner, t-they'd just t-t-toss me ta all... all the...."

"I get it Val, you don't have to keep going. How'd you get away? Your friend?"

Sniffling against me, she collected herself and managed to finish up sadly. "Dead. Didn't bother torturin' him at least... fer me... well, how ya think I got so good at pickin' locks with my claws? Got out an' ran, as far as I could, from everything... So... umm... y-ya got anythin' ta say? F-Feel any different 'bout yer merc now that you know I..."

I hushed her with a hoof and thought a moment, "You're still my friend, my Val, same as always, doesn't change anything for me. Though I am surprised you could get over something like that and end up so... flirty and friendly, joking and laughing so much. If it was me... I don't think I could ever come back from that."

"One of tha reasons I owe ol' Nick Hearts n' Hooves boss, helped me come back when I didn't think I could neither. Synth with a 200 year old cop's brain in his head knows all about weird pasts and horrible shit. I act that way cause it's what I want, with who I want, when I want. N-Not lettin' them pricks take away the little bits of fun in this fucked up world from me, then they'd win. Might be an' act sometimes, but I choose, not them." There was steel in her voice, she had struggled with this to come out the other side the way she was and was proud of it.

I was grateful she had too, my friend and partner, my Val. I couldn't do anything about the past, but I was glad I had helped make a better future for her at least. I hugged her to my side and kissed the top of her head in thanks and nodded. "I'm just glad you're alive and who you are. Now get some more rest, Jade will be here soon, then we can get the hell out of here. I... I think maybe you should take Glitter home and stay away, y-you don't need to be back here again like this, it's too dangerous."

"No. Forget it boss, not goin' nowheres, you don't protect me, I protect you stupid, yer the boss." Her eyes blazed awake and one dark claw wound its way around my scarf, dragging me down to look at her with surprising strength for the injured griffon.

"But..."

We were face to face now, those violet eyes boring holes in my head. "Yer gonna kill em right? Wipe the fuckers out? I ain't leavin'... gots more scores ta settle yet."

"I... a-alright Val, you win. It was worth a try anyway. But you have to take it easy, you don't heal as easy as I do now."

She murmured sleepily and fell back to the bed with a sigh, snorting as she drifted off again. "Bah... gets yer own wings an' get a big head... still a runty little nerd, need proper protection... Who's tha bodyguard here dummy..."

"You are Val, best in the Commonwealth. Sleep."

I managed another 15 minutes or so before I couldn't take it anymore, Jade's mark was closing in, nothing had made a peep this whole time waiting, this may not be exactly 100% safe, but it was pretty close... I dug through Val's gear and found the glowing blue memory orb she had taken from me, Mr. Cane's memory...

I had mixed feelings about riding another pony's memories in general, but this was too great a temptation to resist forever. It basically came down to this or the mythology books. Glitter couldn't use a memory orb, unless we went back to Goodneighbor which wasn't happening anytime soon, so that clinched it. She would enjoy the books, the magically preserved memory was all for me.

I made sure to set it carefully on my lap, if Jade did come back before I returned, I wanted it clear I wasn't in some kind of coma or something, that I was just being selfishly obsessed instead. If it rolled away after I zonked out, who knows what she'd think, this way neither she nor Val would worry. Ok... here we go... I reached out with my magic and brushed the glowing sphere, the world swirling away back into the past.

* * *

A unicorn buck, that's the first thing I noticed on inhabiting long past events. I was riding a pony that was quite close to my old body, it was oddly... nostalgic. Surprising that I'd already immediately feel strange no longer feeling my new wings, I hoped that meant I was adapting anyway.

He felt young, no hitches in his hurried stride or aches anywhere, brimming with excitement and floating a flurry of papers around him, books, scrolls, sketch books... I was in Bobbing Cane! Whatever punishment Val or Jade had waiting was worth it. I was riding along with the stallion himself as he trotted down echoing stone hallways, dark marble floors ringing under his rapid hooves, ponies working in his peripheral vision at construction, a couple mares carefully taking down a tattered tapestry to restore it, the castle!

This was close to what Castle Equinox looked like when I went there for a field trip, in the process of reaching that state it looked like, and in an area our tour never went to, fairly high up from the glances Mr. Cane sent to the windows. The view was strange, this had to be back when my parents were just foals, the towering buildings of Trotson were nowhere near so high or crammed together, no Four Stars monorail line or elevated highways looped around it, everything looked so quaint and pure, an Equestria that had never known war.

Finally he reached an imposing door of dark wood and silver, pausing before it and ordering all the papers carefully in his magic, his hoof reached up to fix his mane and adjust his uncomfortable tie. He was dressed up, but didn't feel like he was used to it, and very nervous by his pulse beating away in his temples and the sweat on his brow.

Taking in a long, shaky breath together, we blew it out and I felt him stand up straight, whispering to himself quietly before knocking tentatively at the door. "Y-You can do this Bob... you can do this... just don't make a fool of yourself..."

"Enter." The rich voice that answered his knock made us both gulp, refined and regal, a voice of command and kindness, a voice ponies would die for willingly... When Mr. Cane swung the door open cautiously, the sight that waited made both of our hearts stop. Princess Luna... Princess Luna was right there...

"Please, come in Mr. Cane, a pleasure to meet thee. I do wish my castle was in better condition, they assure me it will be completely restored by my next visit however, perhaps you could come again then. Now then, I was intrigued by your petition, take a seat and regale me with your idea." The night princess waved graciously to a seat at the table before her, loaded with a beautiful tea set of silver and pearl, little stars and moons etched lovingly into each piece, the smell of heavenly tea and muffins drifting up to Mr. Cane's lesser senses.

"T-T-Thank you your highness! Honor! Er... it's an honor I mean! T-To be received by her highness during her limited time here! Umm... one second... I have it all together I promise, aha! H-Here! The design I mentioned, i-is this ok?" Mr. Cane stammered out with a young sounding voice, he couldn't be much older than me here, young and nervous in the face of a beautiful princess. I could sympathize.

Actually being in her presence... well, vicariously anyway... it was amazing. I was glad I was detached from my body at the moment, if I was getting all the input from that over eager bundle of hormones in the face of royalty, she was too gorgeous, I'd think such horrible thoughts about goddess Luna... it would be blasphemous.

It was almost impossible not to anyway, wearing a pale blue sundress and a floppy straw hat, enjoying the sea breeze drifting through the balcony, a bright, sunny day with only fluffy white clouds dotting the blue skies outside. She was on vacation here... a beachside retreat, just like the sign outside of Eclipse said.

That patient and amused musical giggle just made it harder to show proper respect for royalty, holding a hoof to her muzzle politely as Mr. Cane's papers flew about in a tornado, all order lost completely in his struggle to find his sketch book and open it to the right page. I caught a glimpse of a very early drawing of the Shrouded Stallion! Rough and inexperienced, lots of erase marks and sketchy lines, but it was unmistakable!

Princess Luna gently took it from his shaking magic and looked it over with interest, humming to herself and sipping her tea in thought. Her sparkling cyan eyes looked over the drawing carefully, a wistful look crossing her perfect face as she took it in. "You would make my servant a hero? A story for foals? Forgive me if I insult thine trade, but I am protective of my champion even now, would he not be.... lowered by being turned into a children's story?"

"Oh no Princess! N-Not at all! I-I'd treat him with the utmost respect I swear! F-Foal's stories are important too, maybe more important!" My ride's mouth yelped before he stuffed a hoof in it, worried he'd overstepped probably... That was a passionate outburst, he felt strongly enough about that to speak up to the Princess of Equestria herself!

"Oh? Elaborate please Mr. Cane, convince me." Princess Luna set her tea down and waited patiently, honestly curious and open to listening to her subject, even one that disagreed. Willing to hear his opinion and alter her view, just like a fair and just ruler should.

"Er... I-It's just... The Shroud's just a myth now right? But myths are important, they're morality lessons, fables with a point, how we pass on difficult ideas or lessons from the past to the young. C-Comics and stuff are like myths for modern times, I know you've been.... err... g-gone awhile, but it's how we reach kids now. The heroes they love and the lessons they learn, they're as important as ever, even more! I want to make the Shroud a hero, an example for colts and fillies of what's right and true, not to make a joke of him or anything! I swear!"

Princess Luna gave me... him... a warm look and tilted her head at the sketchbook again, tracing the lines lightly with her hoof. "I am a bit behind the times... He would look like this? You know my servant was... cast in my image so to speak. This is good too though I suppose, he was just my dream of... well, many things. I will consent Mr. Cane, if you can tell me his virtue."

"W-What? Umm.. virtue your highness? I'm not sure what..."

"His defining characteristic, the Elements of Harmony are merely the most important to ponykind, surely a stallion so well read knows there are many others. What is his?" The Princess folded her forelegs over one another primly and waited, her billowing mane sparkling in the light as she sat patiently.

Mr. Cane scratched his chin and kept darting his eyes around the open, round chamber, maybe one of the castle towers? Hard to tell as he looked everywhere for the answer without coming up with anything. Finally he gulped and wiped his brow, venturing a nervous guess. "I... That is very personal but... i-if I had to guess, what I thought... Justice. From everything I've read about how he... was... that pony's virtue was Justice."

Luna gave a beaming smile that sparkled like the night sky, enough to make any buck swoon as she clapped her hooves together happily and nodded. "Very good! That is what I created him to be, as a waking dream one may argue if he held a true virtue like a pony at all, but I made my servant to fight injustice. As Princess of the night and dreams, I have seen the deepest thoughts and fears of ponykind over the ages, for every nightmare I helped soothe, happy dream I visited, nonsense I tried to straighten out, there were always other dreams Mr. Cane.... bad dreams..."

Princess Luna lifted a dark blue and black tome from the empty seat beside her, a cruder, more stylized version of the Shroud's symbol etched in the ancient leather. She tapped a hoof on the cover and continued with a darkening expression, to a mesmerized audience of Mr. Cane and myself.

"After seeing the darkest fantasies and cruelty in the hearts of some of my subjects, I could not sit idly by. Some things Mr. Cane, cannot be forgiven... Punishment in the dream world is insufficient in some cases, it may be buried deep down, but even in the hearts of every happy little pony in this castle, there exists a darkness that could come out. My sister and I disagreed on this, but she has not seen those impulses, another area where we are night and day if you will. If such feelings were ever unleashed, I fear what would become of us! I made an avenger to punish the worst of the worst, to strike fear in the hearts of those who would indulge in... in the darkness we are all capable of..."

"Y-Yes Princess! I've done a lot of research, the things he did, I agree with every one I read, that's why I want to share the story! The world still needs a Shrouded Stallion in some form, he can still do what you made him for, even if he's... er..."

Those amazing blue eyes looked sad and drifted to the smooth stone floor, a soft sigh passing her lips. "Fallen... Yes, my poor defender, corrupted into a raging beast... If I cannot help him, I can at least allow his story to be told, in your own ...unique way. Very well Mr. Cane, create your comic, send it to me so I may see thine vision. If I find no issue with what you create, I would be happy to share this myth with a new generation of ponies, perhaps thou are right and he is still needed."

The young Mr. Cane leapt up in a flurry of papers, whooping like a foal and grinning from ear to ear, my view going up and down rapidly with his bobbing head. "Y-Yes your highness! Of course! Thank you so much, I won't disappoint you!"

* * *

When reality returned, I was looking right at sparkling blue eyes still and gasped in confusion, "L-Luna?"

Jade's exasperated snort helped me shake it off, a princess yes, but not Princess Luna, despite the similarities. "There you are! Playing with memory orbs, really! Do you know how dangerous it can be to meddle with such things Fast? You could not wait until we arrived?"

Her point was punctuated by a griffon claw reaching out to lightly smack me, still weak and lacking most of her normal impact, but a much better reaction from Val along with her snickers. "Told ya not ta play with them things boss, no fair stealin' it back from my stuff."

I blinked away the last threads of the memory and shrugged sheepishly, looking from Jade's glowing horn to Val looking better already, realizing Glitter was snuggled between us and tightly hugging Val, well past her bedtime but sleepily insisting on being with her favorite aunt. Witching Hour was watching from the door too and Zed paced the room, slightly distracted and sniffing the air, but smiling to the injured Val, they had all come then. I hoped Val noticed and got the idea, everyone was worried for her, not just me, she had a family that loved her.

"Umm... sorry, couldn't resist. Too bad you can't use magic Witchy, if you liked your photo of Mr. Cane, you'd lose your mind if you got a look in here."

I tapped the glowing blue ball in my hooves reverently, watching the batpony's eyes widen as it sunk in. "L-Luna?... That is a memory of Luna?!"

"Yup, up close and personal even. So, h-how's it look Jade? Is Val gonna be alright?"

Witchy just jabbered to herself senselessly, so I didn't feel bad about moving on to Jade. She looked upset and tired, but nodded in grudging satisfaction. "Barely, you owe our new thestral friend a debt Valkyrie, had she not stabilized you as she did... I shudder to think what I may have come back to, Fast is good at many things, but healing is not one of them as you well know. You must stay put and rest, allow me to work and we will see about leaving in the morning."

"Bah! I feels fine! This ain't nothin', no reason to piddle around when we could be...." Val tried pushing herself up with a wince, suddenly freezing and flopping back to the bed at the brightened glow from Jade's horn, her anesthetic spell knocking her right out.

I gaped at the blue alicorn a moment, watching her huff and stick her nose up at the rest of us staring her way. "Valkyrie is more stubborn than you are about such things. I will have no arguments, she came far too close to dying, she can be upset in the morning."

"R-Right Jade, whatever you say, you're the doctor. It alright if I get up or am I gonna get knocked out too?"

"Unlike her you seem well enough, though I imagine you have been taking advantage of your new nature to be in such a state? How badly did you recklessly injure yourself Fast?" I shrank under that cool blue stare, just because she didn't have evidence to point to now didn't mean she didn't know me well enough to tell.

"Er...n-not bad... A little maybe, s-scratch here and there..."

Everything else about me seemed to have changed overnight, but I still couldn't lie to her... she gave a disappointed snort and rolled her eyes, shooing me up to let her keep healing Val and grumbling playfully. "Yes, a scratch or two... Impressive considering how many times I heard you had been tossed about by cruel traps and explosions hmm?"

"H-Heh... y-yeah... fit as a fiddle though!" I winced and glared at Witchy hiding by the door, she didn't have to give her the unedited version of what happened on their way back here.

"So I see and I am glad, but do not allow yourself to feel invulnerable getting used to your new body, you can most assuredly still die and I will not have it. Do not wander far, I wish to speak with you in more detail when I am sure of Valkyrie's recovery."

I scooted out gratefully, leaving the brilliant physician to her work and happy to stretch out after sitting still so long. There were things I wanted to talk to her about too, though what Val had told me of her past was private, I did hope to get the two of them to talk about it. Sharing is caring after all, she could share with Jade and the blue beauty was better than me talking about stuff like that, a wound of the heart was still a wound and Jade was the best healer I knew. For now I was still muddling through my thoughts concerning Eclipse, Dreadnot, the Railroad and the hornet's nest we had kicked with the Gunners.

My new stalwart batpony companion followed me right out of the cottage, she left because I begged, but could now return to her mission of following me everywhere until I went to her home. She did worriedly apologize on our way out, eyeing Zed wandering the arrow straight road of ruined homes with only a little distrust now. "S-Sorry, she asked what happened, needed to know what to expect... Your mare is a good match for you Fast, both of you are very kind, but scary when you are upset..."

That got a good laugh to her confusion and I nodded my agreement, stretching my wings to clumsily flap up to the roof of the cottage and look out at the view from the hill Fair Lines Estates was situated on, getting an excellent panorama of the southern Commonwealth. We were on the outskirts of Trotson now, I could make out the ruined city, the loop of the widest river around the core of the crumbling metropolis, the still standing sections of elevated road and railways that looked like a jagged maw of broken teeth trying to swallow the ruins.

Under the light of Luna's moon, even the wasteland looked pretty sometimes. I was glad the skies were open now, unlike before the Lightbringer brought the sun and moon back. A brutal, poisoned, deadly world would be so much worse under a never ending blanket of oppressive clouds. The waning moon sparkled from the calm waters saturating this part of the Commonwealth, eventually joining the Hayseed Swamps to the south, beyond the barrier that kept the Commonwealth closed off for the most part.

To the north and not very far at all was the needle spire of the Trotson S.P.P. tower, one out of the control of the Lightbringer herself even now. The Commonwealth was never lacking in mysteries, but that one was so big it was easy to forget. Somepony was intentionally keeping this part of Equestria sealed off, not even the incredible megaspell Jade told me about, the Gardens of Equestra, was able to penetrate it.

The more I thought on it, the odder it seemed, the Institute was plenty advanced enough to do such a thing, but why? From what I had learned about them, why would they content themselves to their private laboratory here in the Commonwealth when all of Equestria was out there?

I still didn't know enough, had barely scratched the surface and ended up mutated and nearly killed several times for just that much. Now I was sitting here contemplating war, not the one that killed the world I was born in, but starting a whole new one like I hadn't learned a thing from the past. The Gunners were evil though, Gunter was just the worst example I had seen, but what they were doing down here where their power was strongest... They wouldn't be satisfied with just this chunk of the Commonwealth either, they had to be stopped just like the Institute.

I needed help, the Minutemares had been making great strides and hoped to take Castle Equinox to continue their good works, but it wasn't enough. Having a real fortress to work from would be a good start at least, but it all came back to the same thing in the end. Friends, friendship was supposed to be some of the strongest magic in Equestria, the Institute wanted everyone separated and fighting each other, I wanted the opposite to fight them. Meaning it was only up to a complete social misfit to try to make everypony friends...

Maybe not my strong suit, but I actually knew somepony to talk to that fit the bill and I needed to get ahold of them anyway. If the bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony didn't know about friendship, nopony did. Miss Homage and her boss DJPon3 in Manehatten even knew the Lightbringer herself, maybe friends of such a great heroine would know just what I should do to live up to her example.

Turning to my companion silently watching me think, I sighed and figured I had to keep moving forward no matter what else. "Witchy, what do you know about that thing? The S.P.P. tower? I need to make a call..."

A few hours later, we were making our approach to the huge spire of the Single Pegasus Project tower on the banks of the river surrounding Trotson. Witchy insisted on coming along of course, but flew ahead of us, giving Jade and I time to talk on the way and only piping up to point out places of interest or answer questions about this part of the Commonwealth.

Other than enjoying each others company and the chance for a moonlit flight together despite our thestral chaperone, Jade filled me in on how things had gone back in Eclipse. She said they were fairly upset and unsure, some arguing for continuing to go along with the Gunners, others pointing out they couldn't trust any deal with the mercenaries.

I was also informed with a cute little huff that I now had quite the fan following, thanks to the rescued Mint Twist spreading stories of her 'dashing, brave, heroic, dreamy rescuer' the annoyed falsetto she put on to mimic the filly was pretty funny actually. Hopefully that would help deal with the town when we returned if nothing else, I tried my best to draw any suspicion away from the poor village, but fighting was going to happen in their neck of the woods one way or the other...

On that front Preston had already sent his pegasus recruit out to get more help from the Minutemares and supplies, some of the haul from the M.O.M. hub was going to come in handy already by the sound of things. Reinforcements would help a lot too, without convenient large structures to drop on big groups of enemies, dealing with numbers was a little too difficult to rely on the luck we had at the Skybridge.

It was a start, I hoped to have a better idea what to do once we got the S.P.P. tower out of the way. At the very least, finding a way to keep news of my transformation from spreading beyond the Commonwealth would be a load off my mind and let me think without it hanging over my head.

With Witchy as our guide we were making good time to the prewar marvel, leaving Val to rest with Glitter and Zed to watch over her. What she needed most was rest to let Jade's magic work, the opportunity to talk to the Followers back in Manehatten was enough to grudgingly get her to leave her patient for a short trip.

Witchy said nopony ever bothered with the pale spire stretching up to the heavens, it was practically invulnerable to any kind of damage and didn't really have much of interest, just a rusting shack at the bottom leading to the Ministry of Arcane Sciences Emergency Broadcast System.

We landed together outside the ramshackle structure and took in the view for a moment, a large, undeveloped hill just on the other side of the river from the city. The Ministry of Awesome must have gotten a sizable chunk of land to build this thing on, between that and the towering structure itself, the shack looked tiny and unimportant, only the peeling paint on the door proof it was what I wanted.

M.A.S.E.B.S Broadcast Relay #0
No Unauthorized Access

Number zero? Huh... well, the Commonwealth had been a place for experimental technology and ideas before the end, not everything the Institute had a hoof in was automatically insane or deadly, maybe they helped come up with the Equestria wide emergency broadcast network? It didn't seem like much, but the steel door inside the rough shack was in much better shape and secured by a glowing terminal.

It was a pretty secure lock actually, taking several aborted attempts before I got through it. The musty stairs leading down beyond the barrier seemed to curl in to the depths of the hill it had been built on, eventually leading out to a cramped equipment room still glowing with active lights and screens.

The camera feeds... they really did work up there, just glancing between the flickering displays I could see all over the Commonwealth, there was Diamond City, Goodneighbor, Hexington, even Sanctuary! Wow... they had been busy while we had been away, sturdier looking housing had been built up against the coming winter, caravans camped near the gated wooden bridge, lights twinkled against the night all over the island and specks still moved about even this late.

I felt a pang of homesickness and shook it off, I could fly now, we could go home eventually... it wouldn't take nearly so long to get back as it had to get here. For now I found the main access terminal and patched my pip-buck in, getting to work finding out what was wrong with this part of the broadcasting system.

Weird... It was getting data from the rest of the M.A.S.E.B.S. system, somepony had intentionally cut it off from transmitting though. Able to look out, but nopony could look in... There was a lot of signal interference too, the barrier itself? A very strong signal in a circle matching the barrier that kept the rest of Equestria separate, it wasn't really trying to block signals from outside, but that was the side effect of whatever else it was doing.

Alright, strange but I couldn't do anything about the weird invisible fence out there. I could fiddle with the settings on the system here though, cycling through frequency ranges until I found something that wasn't too close to the barrier signal. When I accepted my latest adjustment, my pip-buck flashed; M.A.S.E.B.S. Signal Detected and the small room filled with music and Jade gasped happily at the voice of DJ Pon3 melting from the speakers like hot chocolate.

"Helloooooo out there children! This is your faithful DJ Pon3 bringing a little Velvet Remedy to all you heroes fighting the good fight! Along with the news that's fit to print, or relate to you myself since newspapers still aren't really a thing anymore huh? Although... give Velvet and her Followers enough time, and there will be again I'm willing to bet!

Where to start, where to start, so many heroes out there trying their best to do better, turn this sad ol' world around and follow the example of my personal favorite wasteland heroine! My lovely assistant assures me the Lightbringer's proud of all of you, from Dise to Las Pegasus, the New Canterlot Republic to the Lunar Commonwealth... Commonwea...

Oh ho! What a surprise, seems like our audience just increased while I was so proudly looking it over! Sorry children, guess the news will have to wait a few songs while I try to dig up new news! A big hello out there to everypony listening from Trotson and the Commonwealth! For those who don't know after being cut off so long, this is DJ Pon3 and it's great to be heard by you all! How about a little Sweetie Belle to say hello while I try getting ahold of some friends in that neck of the woods!"

Music started playing again, but the really interesting thing was all the activity on the system. Miss Homage must be putting her own impressive tech skills to work, connecting to this long lost part of the M.A.S.E.B.S. network and getting a flood of data. Hearing her own bright voice speak up from the nearest terminal was a relief, for Jade too by the sigh she gave at hearing the bearer of the Element of Honesty.

Unlike last time we talked though, this time an image popped up on the terminal screen I was working at to go along with the disembodied voice. A very pretty young unicorn mare, light grey coat and short blue mane, a beaming smile and bright eyes that widened and blinked out at us, wait was she seeing us too?

"S-Sweet Celestia! It really is true!?! F-Fast right? And the Princess?! That is you two, isn't it?" Homage gasped while I facehoofed, I should have expected this really, the M.A.S.E.B.S. system was her bread and butter, she knew it far better than I did and had smoothly taken over, a nearby camera giving her an excellent view of my wings deciding to spring up at cockeyed angles from the surprise.

"Umm... H-Hi Miss Homage... Fixed your broadcast problem for you..."

At least she didn't start freaking out, instead laughing happily and nodding. "That you did! You are a good toaster repair-pony too after all! I do appreciate it, this is great! Nopony's been able to get a good look in the Commonwealth since the war, now I've got a full suite of new cameras to check out! Of course I say good look, Watcher tells me you already know we did see something...."

"Y-Yeah... guess you did, sorta why I'm calling. Er... Jade and Watcher both tell me you're a pony I can trust, so I guess I will. As you can see, stuff happened..."

That just got more laughter, though she turned to look at Jade watching beside me and waved with a grin. "Stuff huh? Thanks for the endorsement Princess! So spill already, how's a toaster repair-pony end up being one of only two male alicorns in all of Equestria? I know it wasn't killing joke that managed this, that crap is never that convenient. Inquiring minds wanna know you two!"

Jade tapped her hooves together nervously and answered in a rush, "T-That is what we are concerned about Miss Homage, w-what inquiring minds exactly? H-Has this spread?"

The pretty mare hundreds of miles away looked back and forth between us a few times, a sly smile curling her lips as her eyes grew lidded. "Oooohhhh, I see, well it's good to see you two getting along so well, aren't you adoooooorable! Feeling a little possessive princess? Ha! That's good! You're getting a better idea what it's like for the rest of us now, whole new world of problems and fun huh? It always warms my heart seeing the progress you gals are making towards being ponies like the rest of us again."

Both of us turning matching shades of red just made the far away mare roll laughter, nearly tipping out of her chair and struggling to get her breath before she managed to continue. "Calm down, calm down, just having a little fun! Seriously though, if you're concerned about your sisters out here... Well Velvet has been in a tizzy, wants to mount a full blown expedition to the Commonwealth now, find out what's really going on and if it's a way to help all of you mares. Hasn't let it spread much, not wanting to get their hopes up and all."

The conflicting expressions warring on her face only made Jade prettier in my eyes, relief, happiness, a kind of awed joy at the mention of her role model and a touch of fright on the idea of her coming here, ending with quiet contemplation as she let it sink in before speaking again. "T-That is good then, I hoped Miss Remedy would not want to start a panic among my sisters by speaking hastily, though I knew she would wish to investigate a chance to help us, I would expect no less from the Pony Who Helps.

It is a long story, but we will tell it, regardless how it affects us personally, it is important. Though I hope to dissuade Miss Remedy from trying to come here herself, it is far too dangerous a crossing for her to attempt. The Commonwealth tries to keep outsiders away under intelligent guidance as well, Velvet Remedy is far too famous and valuable to reach us without resistance."

Homage looked a little dubious, but shrugged and nodded in agreement. "Calamity's trying his best to convince her not to go charging right in anyway, but it's a good thing you got ahold of me. I gotta tell her something, not big on lying to my friends either so keep that in mind you two. As for the rest, lots of hoof wringing and arguing, most of the big powers out here got other fish to fry, but if this is a big enough threat they'll put that aside and come knocking. So tell me, is it? I can keep a secret if it's important, but I have to know the truth first."

"A threat? Uhhh... I-I'm not!" By her smile and waving hoof, Homage knew that much at least, gesturing for me to go on after the initial denial. "Oh, you mean... I should be honest right, you being... you and all... I guess it might be, the Institute found a way to make the I.M.P. work, from what I heard and what Jade's explained to me though, it's really damn tricky. I felt like I was going to die a lot, and the mare who made it said I was like a perfect test subject. But yeah, if they did it once, it's possible they could again."

To her credit, Homage took it well, peering closely at her own monitor again just to get an extra good look at my wings before nodding and gesturing for us to continue. So with a lot of backfilling and sharing the thread of the story between us, Jade and I told her the whole thing. From when I was taken to where we were now, answering her intelligent, probing questions when they came up as best we could and ignoring the surprised squeaks from Witchy hanging from the wires running on the ceiling.

We told her about the compatibility potion and what it could mean for the alicorns across Equestria, explaining I could transmit all the data on it I stole to go right to the Followers, along with the fact we still had a couple more big vials of the stuff to find their way there somehow. Between that and all the other information I took from Moondancer's computers, Homage seemed to think that may keep the founder of the Followers busy and satisfied for awhile.

She even had an idea for retrieving the samples we had for them, surprising me by saying she may have to call in a favor with Ditzy Doo. After explaining the actual Ditzy Doo of the prewar Delivery service of the same name was still around, I still had my doubts, but as far as Homage knew Ditzy was the one pony who could reliably go to the Commonwealth and come back again. The ghoul pegasus had apparently made the trip many times over the ages without incident.

That was a little strange by itself, but if she really could get here and back, that solved one problem anyway. After a little back and forth with the clever mare in charge of the M.A.S.E.B.S. network, we had improved my rough workaround and boosted the ability to communicate with the outside world by leaps and bounds. It had to be bottle-necked a bit using the network relay here, but signals could now get out through it with Homage acting as a kind of gatekeeper, and DJ Pon3 could transmit into the Commonwealth as he pleased.

The practical upshot for most of the ponies living here was a new radio station was suddenly available, I supposed I had given Miles a bit of competition. I felt a little bad about that, but was cheered when I shared the thought and was set straight. As soon as DJ Pon3's station appeared on the dial, Miles was frantically working with his own equipment and trying to get her attention, speaking back and forth during the occasional pause in our own chat.

She sounded quite interested in talking to the DJ pegasus in Diamond City at length when we were done, and from what she said he was a big fan of hers already. Rather than competing they were already acting as comrades in arms, fellow DJs in a world where that was a very rare profession. Plans were being laid for sharing news and music between each other, Homage had already squealed in delight at one of Magnolia's recordings being played, it sounded like they'd be fast friends.

As much as I liked listening to Miles on the radio, Homage told me she and DJ Pon3 could offer some support our local DJ couldn't quite match. She had access to all the video cameras up on the S.P.P. tower above Trotson now, she could see all over and tell what was going on. She said she'd need time to get the lay of the land with Miles' help, then sort through all the information she had available, but it was invaluable assistance when considering going against the Gunners and the vast swaths of territory they controlled here in the south, let alone the Institute.

Of course it was mostly bound to be one way communication, without somewhere with the kind of equipment Miles had to run Diamond City Radio, we couldn't exactly talk back and forth like this. Still it opened up a lot of possibilities, making my thoughts about the Gunners a little less daunting.

Finally we were through what we could do for now, that bought some time as Homage said she'd do what she could to downplay things for now. The Brotherhood of Friendship was already here and they were meant to be Equestria's response to the Institute, their mission hadn't really changed because of me. I'd have to go see the Brotherhood myself soon, but for now things were mostly smoothed over.

I thought Jade may have a heart attack or swoon at the mention of Homage's certainty that Velvet Remedy herself would to want to communicate with her disciple directly at the next opportunity. Disolving into happy, panicked jabbering at the thought of the founder of her order wishing to speak her. Like the mention of sending the famous Ditzy Doo here, it was sort of up in the air schedule wise, but Homage promised to let us know when the leader of the Followers of the Apocalypse was in Manehatten next, something she expected sooner rather than later after our news and the information we had sent.

We made our goodbyes for now, leaving Homage and Miles to get acquainted and open up the lines of communication. I made sure to relock the steel door before leaving, no reason to just leave this place open to anypony who happened along. So long as it remained ignored and abandoned, we could always make our way back here to communicate directly with the outside world again if we needed to.

By Homage's kind talk, that would probably come up again before long. I may not be a threat really, but anypony with a working version of the I.M.P. was. She promised to pull strings and keep it a secret among ponies she knew and trusted, even mentioning trying to talk to the Lightbringer herself, but it wasn't something she could just bury and ignore either.

As we flew off to return to the others and get a few hours rest before daylight, my pip-buck gave a fanfare in my ear and text in front of my eyes, putting two more missions to rest to make room for more I was sure;

Mission Completed!: Can you hear me now?

Objectives--
--~~Reach the Commonwealth M.A.S.E.B.S. tower~~
--~~Speak with Homage~~
--~~Apply the bypass~~

Mission Completed!: Ponykind-Redefined

Objectives--
--~~Find Biosciences I.M.P. research data~~
--~~Transmit data to Equestria~~

We had only been gone an hour or two, still worried about leaving Val alone even if there was little to be done at the moment for her other than letting her rest. On returning to the spartan cottage at the end of the straight road of Fair Lines Estates, we found the fiery griffon had refused even that much. I had given the place a through search while Val had been asleep after we got there, or so I thought anyway. While we were gone Val had broken free of the anesthetic spell sedating her and had torn the place to shreds ransacking it much more professionally than I had.

The three of us stared from the door at the chaos in the small home, Jade's expression darkening and her horn glowing, preparing to knock her out again when our return was noticed. Glitter charged ahead of the injured griffon limping along behind her, close enough to sunrise for her to have woken completely with little prodding from Val.

"Mom, Dad! Ya won't believe it! Come see what we found!" The little filly squealed and launched herself at Jade, cutting off the spell building up to force Val back to sleep as she hobbled up to join us.

There was an odd, grinding noise from the bedroom where she should be sleeping and Zed came out to meet us as well. "Ah, good, you're back. Your daughter is correct, you should see this..."

Alright, now they had my interest. Val disobeying doctor's orders and tossing the place for loot and Glitter's glee weren't that surprising, but even Zed sounded mildly excited. Jade had no such curiosity though, only her patient mattered to her and she stamped a hoof glaring at her. "I am sure it could have waited until morning! I should have known to use more magic to knock you out, of course you would shake it off early Valkyrie. You must return to bed immediately and..."

"Yeah, yeah, I will in a minute! C'mon Blue, I feel loads better already and you three ran off, give a gal a break, I gots bored. Boss is gonna love this though, trust me!" Before Jade could object further or magic her asleep again, Val grabbed my coat and started dragging me after her towards the bedroom, continuing over Jade's grumbles. "So, woke up from that little nap against my will, and felt like stretchin' my legs a bit, get a drink and go over this place proper with the kid. Opened the safe and desk for ya, you'll wanna take a look there, but the real prize was still hidden till I started lookin' fer a new teachin' aide fer tomorrow!"

"Teaching aide?"

Glitter bounded in behind us excitedly and rushed to the corner beside an odd staff propped there I had ignored. "This thing dad! Auntie Val said to find somethin' to whack you with!"

"Ah..." I sighed and rolled my eyes to my personal flight instructor, grinning and scratching her plumage, her tail flicking back and forth happily. Glaring at the weird, twisted stick tucked behind the open door to the rest of the cottage. Long as a pony, twisted in the middle and split into two at the end, a funny walking stick or something, but not anything really interesting or worth taking.

Val didn't look bothered at all by my flat stare, smiling and winking at me. "Yeah, lil' heavy right now, but gots good reach and that split end oughta give a nice incentive ta keep yer ass up in tha air. Anyhoo, that's not the cool part, this is. Go on kiddo!"

At that Glitter yelped with joy and jumped up, grabbing the long stick near the middle and pulling with her forelegs. It didn't move from the corner though... the odd dual top swung forward in her grip, but the bottom stayed right where it was as the whole thing tilted forward with a click. A lever?

My ears flicked as I heard the sound of heavy gears grinding beneath my hooves, a slight tremor ran through the wooden floors and suddenly the bed Val had been resting on tilted up. The foot of the bed rising to the ceiling and taking the section of floor under it along for the ride, revealing a dark passage beneath leading down into the earth, musty stone steps disappearing in the dark.

"Ta-da!" Glitter took a bow by the disguised lever and beamed at her discovery, a secret passage... Fair Lines Estates went from being a little strange to a full blown mystery with a tug on a dusty old stick.

Jade, Witchy and I all gaped at the surprise, letting Zed walk towards the opening and wave towards it absently. "It goes down quite far, the cavern below is mostly empty now, but you should take a look, if I am not wrong I believe you will be quite interested."

Secret passages... who loved secret passages that I'd be really interested in? "The Institute? Here?"

Our three treasure hunters nodded together, suddenly this place reminded me of nothing so much as Moondancer's cottage. The intense surge of curiosity at finding a clue about the shadowy group only slightly dimmed by remembering what happened there. "How long ago did you open this? If there's security like before... w-we probably need to get going now, er... a-after I take a good look..."

"Not long dad! Zed said the same thing, so only he went down an' we figured on havin' to leave when ya got back, we got that figured out too! Pretty smart huh? I did a good job, right?" Glitter puffed her chest up with pride, at least it no longer sounded like she tried to do things like this to prove her worth like when we first took her in. Now she sounded like she was trying to prove herself a capable and independent filly, seeking approval but no longer trying to justify her presence.

Jade gave a nervous huff and was hurriedly prodding Val with her magic, pouring more healing on at the realization leaving sooner rather than later was for the best. "Yes dear, you were very clever. I do wish you had waited however, both injured griffons and growing fillies need their rest. Help me tend to Valkyrie and gather our belongings to leave, the last thing we need is to deal with an attack by the Institute. Fast, I would hurry in your exploration so we may escape quickly."

I ruffled the foal's mane on my rushed way, giving her the praise she deserved to a pleased whinny. "Right! Great work sweetie, help your mom so we can get going, I'll be right back."

Rushing down the damp stone steps into the dark, I heard Zed and Witchy both follow. Even if the place was empty as the zebra said, I wanted to see, in a rush to find any clue, dreaming of a working relay to the Institute hiding down there in the dark, but hoping for any scrap of information. The damp, echoing cavern at the bottom of the stone stairs was definitely not a finished basement or anything so mundane, this was a secret lair...

The place had indeed been cleared mostly, a cave deep beneath the hill Fair Lines was built on, black tunnels stretching out into the distance away from the more refined space at the base of the stairs. A natural cave system that had been taken advantage of, rather than a ponymade bunker. There were strange spell circles carved in the floors and walls, geometric shapes and runes scrawled on every surface, a bit like what I had read about megaspell chambers, but rough and bizarre.

Huge chunks of crystal were laying about, not natural formations but items brought down here and left behind, too big to bother transporting. Of most interest to me on first glance were the workbenches with a few leftover gems and rusty arcano-tech tools, littered with papers left behind that I ran over to examine. Smudged diagrams for pretty bizarre spell talisman arrays, drafts of complex spells and roughly scribbled notes, and a crumpled blueprint for a sky carriage almost hidden under the workbench that just flummoxed me.

Sleek and aerodynamic like a vertibuck, but not much bigger than a carriage and loaded with so much seemingly insane tech it made no sense. Why would anypony put a reactor that big on the back?! Cooling vents too? What kind of stress could you put on the power system to require emergency venting on that scale? Lightning and temporal talismans festooned in networked housings at regular intervals? An close up diagram of a strange Y shaped capacitor at the heart of the weird vehicle. And there in the corner was the mark of the Institute, above a box of text and numbers filled in with sloppy block letters, while elegant script penned by hoof festooned the tossed aside plans in various insulting annotations;

Experimental Concept Design #881985 - version 4.1
Dr. Mobius - C.I.A.T.

"Overly complicated nonsense as usual from Theoretical Imagineering Mobius, quit trying to dumb down highly advanced magic so just anypony can use it. Would appreciate some actual help with the paradox buffers and targeting system for the spell matrix itself, not flights of fancy. ---Gleam"

Taking another look around the cavern, a cold wind howled down the dark tunnels, the creepy 'Woooooeeeeeeooooooooo' noise made my mane and tail both stand up on end, I was in a mad arcane scientist's lab... This was something straight out of the Shrouded Stallion comics, it was just too ludicrous... It really was a mad scientist's lab... The secret chambers of the head of the Arcane Research division of the Institute, and I had been literally sitting right on top of it for a few hours...

A really weird mystery I was in a rush to explore, before an army of synths or mutant alicorns came down on our heads like last time. Not much was left either, scraps of paper and trash, a shipping slip I checked read simply; Lot #201 - Destination: Spectacular Island. Dr. Gleam had pulled out of here in a hurry, taken everything to better facilities most likely. Moondancer's journal entries said Dr. Gleam was one of the Division Heads who had major labs excavated and hidden first. I didn't know where Spectacular Island was, but that sounded like an excellent place to start.

My companions in the dark both added their own helpful input too, Zed had explored a bit while being wary of any traps or alarms, saying the natural cave had seen dark magic and still bore the residue of such. Witchy made that high pitched whine of hers in several directions, holding a hoof up for quiet as she listened to the echo before nodding, informing us the cavern system stretched for quite a ways in multiple directions, but seemed untouched and unmodified, unlike this chamber.

As much as I wanted to keep looking, hoping to find more somehow, I had to be satisfied with this much. I knew where this place was and could come back later, we had an injured griffon to take care of and couldn't afford to be caught here. Turning my back on the secret lair was still hard though, running back out and resetting the disguised lever to close the passage again.

As an added precaution I found where it attached to the mechanism at the bottom and unscrewed the whole thing, taking the odd staff with us. Nopony was going to luck into opening that room like Glitter had, if they didn't know where it was, only a small gap in the floorboards was there to show anything amiss.

We ran out to find Jade, Glitter and Val outside, my princess forcing Val into a battered old cart they had apparently found while we were gone speaking with Homage. No sky carriage or anything, just a rough, broken down wooden cart for hauling, the wheels squeaked and the wood groaned under the heavy griffon and all her gear in the back, grinning and waving to the empty harness at the front.

"Pretty cool huh boss! Knew you'd love that, now c'mon, let's get goin'. Time fer today's trainin' baby bird!" Val whooped from her ride and rubbed her claws together, training... oh joy...

The flight back to Eclipse was thankfully quiet, it was taking all my concentration to deal with Val's flight training already, I really hoped we could avoid any attack in the air on the way. Hauling the battered wooden cart holding the griffon and Glitter was already too much to deal with, if some Gunner griffon came streaking up to blast us out of the sky, we were kinda screwed...

"Lift ya big baby! Faster! Ain't no fancy vertibuck or skycarriage, if'n ya don't go fast enough, yer gonna dump me an' the kid! Fly boss! C'mon! I'm lettin' ya cheat with yer magic right?" Val heckled me from her reclined position, grabbing the sides in her claws every once in awhile to shake the whole conveyance and screw with me more.

"Somehow I think letting me use my magic is less about being nice, and more about giving you a smoother ride Val..."

Laughter just floated up from behind me, of course I would be using my magic regardless, Val was still hurt and didn't need to be tossed around by an amateur pilot, her reply just confirmed my suspicions though. "Meh, little of column A, little of column B boss! Don't hafta think about that stuff myself, but Blue says I gotta mix things up a little since you can. Figure usin' magic an' flyin's like walkin' and chewin' gum at the same time right? Just hafta make yer trainin' harder!"

Harder training... yes, that's just what I needed. The batpony on my tail gave an infectious yawn at the sun rising ahead of us over the Celestial Sea, the looming black mass of Castle Equinox ahead giving a bit of shade from the glare. "W-Whaaaaaaat now? Will you come to Dreadnot now Fast? Er... after a bit of a nap?"

"Not yet, sorry Witchy... Going to have to start somewhere though, we need somewhere better to hide out that won't put the villagers in danger, a place for the Minutemares to gather and get ready for what's coming. We're taking that castle." I panted back, picking out specks moving around Eclipse village at our approach, quite a bit of blue and tan mixed in now, Preston's reinforcements were trickling in already...

Jade spoke up over the thestral's annoyed huff, staying right at my wing in case I dropped my precious cargo. "Do you think we will be able to do so? The villagers were quite insistent in their warnings against going there, beyond the Miretank infestation they view the castle with an almost religious dread Fast. We do need somewhere safe for Valkyrie to recuperate, but I do not wish for her to get hurt again trying to take it."

"If'n Preston did what I told 'im and got my loot from Goodneighbor, ain't nothin' ta worry 'bout Blue! Bunch'a ugly turtles ain't keepin' us out, always wanted my own castle! Since yer the Head Princess in Charge an all, guess I'll settle fer Duchess of Death! Kid can be Princess o' Cuteness, stripey there can be.... hmmm Baron Badass! Even gots yer own batty royal guard now too!"

"I am a servant of Goddess Luna, her royal guard, not just whatever royalty is convenient... Don't make such jokes when we do finally return to my home, the others would not appreciate it at all. Serving a princess is no joke to us." Witchy grumbled and yawned again, squinting against the bright sun brightening the day around us.

Blinking sleepily and matching the yawn despite myself, I kept straining against the cart and shrugged to her. "Jade's a princess worth serving though Witchy, she does Luna proud I think, and the ponies in the Commonwealth need somepony like her to look up to. It's not a joke, don't worry we'll get there soon enough and behave. Sorry it'll take time, but we will get there, for now we could all use some..."

"FAST!" A bright yell cut me off and suddenly there was a large, blue obstacle right in my bleary eyed path forward, startling me into trying to skid to a halt like I was just running along the ground and instantly getting dragged down by the weight of the cart, no longer held up by our forward momentum or the field of my magic that imploded from the lapse in concentration.

We streaked straight down, Val laughing uproariously and holding Glitter tight as the filly squealed like she was on a roller coaster. In a panic my wings blurred flapping and pulling for everything I was worth, a surge of overglow surrounding my horn to make the plunging cart weightless again while I tried to pull out of the spinning dive to the hard ground below.

With a little help from Jade's own telekinesis I managed to right myself and come in for a bouncing, clattering 'landing' in the round plaza outside the village of Eclipse, digging my hooves in and getting shoved by the cart that wanted to keep going. Finally grinding to a halt, I collapsed to the cracked stone panting unsteadily, trying to get my heart out of my throat and back in my chest where it belonged,

Val was still snickering and shoved Glitter loose to solid ground. "Not a bad recovery boss! Gotta be ready fer surprises up there ya know! I'll give ya a C minus, fer today so far! Can't take too much off'a yer score for that, kinda unfair surprise just appearin' outta nowhere like that, what're ya thinkin' ya silly mare!"

What mare? What had I nearly ran into up... My exhausted thought process was short circuited by a large blue alicorn diving down ahead of Jade and the others and the movement from Eclipse coming out to meet us, the big blue filly charging over and nuzzling happily, oblivious to the near crash she had caused.

Sputtering under the attention and trapped by the straps still holding me to the wagon, I had to wait for Jade's forceful cough to call off my attacker, pulling away to stare at me with a pair of bright golden eyes, her long blonde mane spilling out from under the tan Minutemare's hat. "P-Peri?"

Jade's magic unhitched me so I could escape, skittering back to my princess and away from the alicorn Minutemare nodding eagerly, burbling in her soft, sedate voice that never seemed bothered. "Yes! Preston said you would be here, I am glad I got to be reinforcements. Now I can have my turn, isn't that nice..."

"F-Fantastic... Nice to see you again too Peri..."

As my family and the residents of Eclipse crowded around us at the start of another exciting day in the Commonwealth, I sighed at the odd blue mare. Suddenly storming a castle and starting a war with the Gunners didn't seem so fraught with peril, like I didn't have enough to deal with already, now...

Peri was always ephemeral and soft spoken, but anything but stupid. Those golden eyes held mine steadily and she cut off my internal complaints with two simple words that brooked no argument. "You promised..."

-----------------------------Level Up!--------------------------------

New Perk Added-----------------------

Daring Do Devotee-----
---You've learned to discover the wasteland's hidden secrets! Hanging around Val and your former scavver daughter has rubbed off a little. You now have higher odds to discover caps, ammo and secret treasures still hidden in the ruins of the old world, especially useful in finding secret passages!

Quest Perk Added!-------------------

Staff of Sameness---
---Who knows why this odd stick was used as the lever for Dr. Gleam's secret lab, but it has felt the touch of powerful magic in the past. Other than providing your flight instructor something new to whack you with, this twisted hunk of wood provides a bonus of +10 to the Magic skill!

Ch. 72-- Friends of the Followers

"YEEEEOUCCH!!!" A sharp jab in my flank dragged me out of unconsciousness, blinking woozily at the gloomy room I found myself in.

Realizing I was strapped on my back to a medical table under rusty spotlights, I felt a surge of panic and fear. The last time I woke up in this situation, I had been jabbed with Moondancer's version of the I.M.P., made an experiment and turned into an alicorn after a week of misery. I still had nightmares about waking up like this, having it actually happening again had my heart pounding as I struggled and strained against my bonds.

"Mergin sina sho teir na!"

"Suna nin minat loma su!"

"Sha! Sha! Korin mi felas!"

A trio of squeaky voices chattering behind me gave me something to focus on, swinging my head to my side to see a big needle in my flank. Thankfully this one was filling with blood, not injecting me with Luna knows what. The medic taking my blood was enough to cease my struggles and stare blankly at the tiny creatures staring back.

Breezies... a trio of little Breezies were at the edge of the table, ready to flitter away on those bright wings, but holding their ground. I'd seen a few of them enslaved at Summerset Plantation, but these weren't quite as skittish and nowhere near as abused. Like those, the three before me were a little bigger than breezies I remembered before the war, with larger wings as well. A pale yellow one was pulling the plunger of the needle impaling me back, a flowing pale blue mane waving back from her antenna sticking up in alarm and wearing a tiny little lab coat.

Next to her was a light purple one scowling at me with angry blue eyes, wearing ...armor? Yes, it had armor on, very small armor... A bottlecap formed a round breastplate, snips of metal from a few different types of cans and odd gold pieces made plating over the (relatively) thick security barding, more gold plates made a weird helmet over his silvery blue mane. He also had a scalpel held in his teeth menacingly, the medical implement decorated with bright feathers making an effective spear in his grip.

The third pale green Breezie looked like she was in charge, wearing a doll sized MoP nurse's outfit of pink and yellow stripes, looking back serenely with her bright pink eyes under her long golden mane. She reinforced the idea when she chattered at the armored guard breezie and fluttered up to land lightly on my chest, looking up in thought a moment as the other two returned to their work drawing my blood.

"Yuuu hold steeel pony, vee take de samples, yes? Yu uhnderstand?" The robed breezie spoke thickly accented pony uncertainly, pointing up to the faded stenciled words on the wall not obstructed by cabinets or medial equipment reading; 'ARC Specimen Collection Room #4'.

I yelped when the other two moved on to yanking a few hairs out of my tail, unsettling the third standing on my chest with a flutter of diaphanous green wings. "Ow! What are you doing? Where am I? Where are my friends!? Jade! Glitter! Lemme go!"

Resuming my struggles looked to annoy her, flapping up again until I settled down. I didn't sense any obstruction to my magic though, I was on the verge of testing that out and forcing my way loose in my concern for Jade and our daughter, but wasn't sure how they'd take it.

"Yuu invade Breeze Nation pony, yu no ask de questions, vee ask. Others go vhere de great tree wills, yu sent here because yu not in ARC, never see pony like yu before. Ve take samples, den ve decide vhat to do vith yu. Yu be good, ve let go. Now, give samples." The breezie landed on my chest again, riding the rapid rise and fall of panicky breaths and glowering right in my face, her mane blown back by my angry snort of air through my nostrils.

The doctor and guard breezies by my tail moved down to work together clipping my newly regrown hoof, making a trip over to one of my splayed and tied down wings to yank a feather with a yelp. The pilfered feather looked like a long fan in the guard breezie's mouth as they trotted off, towards a crystalline container the hair and blood had already been stashed in, stowing it and the clipping in as well and lifting out a plastic container, trotting right between my outstretched hindlegs with it between them.

Samples? The ARC project? The Brotherhood ponies I had arrived her with mentioned that, samples of plants and animals from all over Equis, preserved in case the worst came to pass during the war. They wanted samples? Of me? Why would be continuing to do the prewar project? Or want them from me, surely they had plenty of Ministry of Peace ponies to donate samples to... Oh... probably no samples of a male alicorn though...

"Umm... f-fine, sure, whatever, take samples then. I just reeeeally don't like being restrained like this, so if you could hurry up and let me go that'd be great. Er... I'm Fast Times, nice to meet you.... umm..."

"Whisper Whip, ve see, haf tu take tu Willowheart, yu be good, be easier. Give sample." The nurse bedecked Whisper stamped a tiny hoof on the fur of my naked chest, though a frantic glance around the dusty exam room showed my armor and saddlebags in a bin near the door at least.

The pair between my legs popped the top off their specimen jar and peeked up over my waist impatiently, chattering to Whisper in their own language and moving the jar over... "H-HEY!! W-What!?!..."

"Sample. Yu give, hurry up, make de tinkle in cup." I blushed furiously at Whisper's firm answer, they wanted a urine sample too?! Come on!

"Ugh!... F-Fine! J-Just stop touching and I'll try!" I yelped back, eager to just get this insanity over with and get free without spooking the breezies away. They lived in here apparently, they knew where the others were, if I could get their cooperation I was willing to go along with this for now.

..............

"Give sample, vhy take so long?"

..............

"Nnnn... I'm trying ok!"

..............

"Hurry, hurry! Sample!"

"I can't with you watching alright! Turn around! Go run some water or something! It's not easy to... ahhhh there we go..." I finally managed to give up what they wanted with a sigh of relief, wriggling against my bonds once I heard the top seal on the jar. "There, happy? Now can I please get up and..."

Another, smaller cup came out of the kit and I heard the top being popped off as the breezie dressed as a doctor disappeared between my legs again, straining to lift my head up far enough to see what the hell they were getting up to now. The light stroking of a tiny hoof on a sensitive bit of anatomy helped me figure it out, squeaking at the uninvited contact and what kind of sample I assumed they wanted now.

"HEY! T-THAT'S CROSSING A LINE!" I squirmed and cursed my automatic reaction down there and blushing at the 'Woooo!' from the doctor breezie responsible. I stammered at the tiny mare on my chest shifting with my struggles and turning an interested eye over her shoulder to the other two somewhere down there.

Whisper mostly ignored my red faced protests, chattering back and forth with the others a moment before turning that way and trotting down my stomach, absently replying on her way. "Yu give sample, ve help... Tink happy thoughts and hurry pony."

What had been a gentle touch was joined by a firmer grip of little legs wrapping around... "C-CUTITOUT!!" I bucked and thrashed on the table. My magic reached out and surrounded the ropes and straps holding me down, blood and a feather here or there were one thing, but I was getting loose now! The sharp scalpel pressed against my inner hindleg got me to stop in a hurry though, both because of the femoral artery the cold metal had paused on, and because of the way it traced menacingly up towards the focus of their groping. "N-NOT LITERALLY!!!"

The pale mint green breezie trotted back up to my chest with a distracted, annoyed huff. Rather than address my complaints about the gross invasion of privacy, she simply reached back to the saddlebag of woven reeds on her flank and flipped the top open to reveal a pile of glittery golden nectar.

She seemed to consider a cotton swab strapped to her back, then opted for sticking her little hoof in and bringing it back out dusted in gold. Before I could shut my complaining mouth up, she shot it forward past my teeth and on to my tongue, instantly causing a wonderful tingle along with the sweet flavor of Nectar.

"Zats no fair... c-cut it out... I don't wanna-" As soon as I slurred my complaint, Whisper dunked her leg into her basket of nectar and stuck it back in my mouth again.

She held my muzzle firmly with surprising strength with her free foreleg, then smiled when I started sucking on her tiny appendage despite myself. I was mad about ...something... but I reeeeally liked nectar. Why should I be so upset at the cute little breezie, letting my lips smack all the way up to her chest, she was being so generous!

"Dere, now tink happy thoughts yes? I take sample, yu hold still."Whisper nodded in satisfaction and pulled her leg free with an audible pop, wiping the slobber into a tiny little vial from her other pack and turning to cross my chest again at a brisk trot.

"What were you doin' again? Sample? Sample... Saaaaam-pullll... that's a funny word when you say it enough isn't it? So what am I 'posed ta... woooo! H-Hello! Zat feels nice... yer really, wow... reeeeally good at... whoa! T-Too bad Jade's not here, if yer this good at... "

I had been upset for some reason... I still didn't really like being tied down like this, but with the intense pleasure of so much nectar, plus the talented pair of breezies down there, I couldn't really think of any reason I should be that bothered. I couldn't think of much at all really, just wishing Jade was here. The big blue alicorn would be an even bigger job but talent like this should be shared with the mare I loved, why wasn't she here actually?

"Jade! Nnnn! I wantsss my snuggle wuggle bootiful blue wifey poo! Yooous guys just quit it an lemme go!" I didn't quite remember how I wound up here or what I should be doing, but Jade wasn't here for sexy fun times, which was wrong!

I started struggling again and imagining the light touch down there was a pair of disgusting radroaches instead of cute, tiny-pony looking breezies, grateful for all Jade's work forcing me to learn hard won self control. At my resumed fighting and faltering enthusiasm, Whisper huffed angrily and clambered back up my chest again, planting her forelegs on my muzzle to glare eye to eye.

"Yuu give sample! No floppy-floppy! Be strong like bull! Is almost dun!" The breezie in charge looked flushed and sweaty, and very agitated at my uncooperativeness. Why wasn't I cooperating again actually? The little doctor was still enthusiastically trying and thinking of dead kittens and naked Grandma Skies wasn't fun... oh yeah! Jade!

"Nnnno! Don't wanna! Lemme go! Jade has'ta say it's ok, you can't just go grabbin'! Buy me dinner first! I wants ah fresh strawberry milkshake, an' daisy sprinkles! An' a movie! AND JADE!!"

Whisper was pretty brave compared to the only other fairy breezies I had met, yelling with her right over my mouth blew her wavy mane back but she didn't fly away. Instead she dug in her basket saddlebags again, coating her foreleg thickly in more nectar and moving to shove it in my mouth again.

Tasty as that actually looked, I clamped my muzzle shut and puckered my lips in, shaking my head and clenching my eyes shut, getting an angry squeak out of her. "Open!"

"Mmm-nnn!" I mumbled back and stuck my nose up away from her reaching leg.

"Open!!"

"Mmm-nnn!" She jabbed out again and my muzzle dodged away again, acting like a certain little filly I knew when she didn't want to take her Rad-Away.

"Open!!!"

"Mmmm-nnn!!"

"OPEN!!!"

"MMM-NNN!"

Growing frustrated, Whisper spun on my chest and started chattering to the others, getting some backup to force me to open up. She had her slender legs spread in an angry stance, head down as she yelped, giving a good view under the skirt of her doll sized MoP nurses outfit and that pert little rump stuck up right under my nose... like a couple grapes stuffed in a hanky... I goggled at it dizzily and had a fun idea...

Lunging forward and opening wide just like she asked, I glommed on to the breezie's rear carefully and slurped her legs up. I didn't want to just chomp her in half and was glad my fangs didn't extend and give that impression, but I caught the bossy little mare with my lips around her chest and her hindlegs scrambling madly against the inside of my cheeks, getting whacked repeatedly by frantically flapping wings in my face but holding tight.

Her screeches brought her armored guard zipping right up with his decorated scalpel-spear held at the ready, but he didn't know I wasn't going to bite so it was a standoff. At least the one dressed like a little doctor stopped her ministrations, that was getting distracting again... So was the delicious, sweet taste flooding my mouth too actually... Did I slurp up her little basket of nectar too? Wooooo.... Oh nope, there it was, brushed by my darting tongue but still closed.

"Lemme go! Lemme go! Beeg stoopid pony! No bite!" My captive kept kicking and thrashing in terror. I see, fine to ignore me asking to be let go, but totally different when I had her caught.

"Hooo rmmemme guhhh urst!" (You lemme go first!) I mumbled back around the frantically fighting breezie, absently rolling my tongue around the legs wriggling in my mouth and gagging on her long tail a moment.

The guard had galloped up and had his spear pressed against my jugular, but personally I was much more interested in discovering breezies tasted like nectar... she was practically coated in the stuff dusting her thin coat of fur! Even better than the normal stuff no less! New heights of euphoria brightened the room, empty sample jars strewn across the room started flapping their lids up and down in song, the wide eyes of the little doctor climbing up to join the fun sparkled with whirls of color and her antenna spelled out JADE in looping cursive, keeping me mostly focused.

Mostly... I was slurping and sucking on the half breezie in my mouth happily, she wanted me to take more nectar anyway right? If I got to that little basket of hers and took it away, she'd be forced to give up, if I didn't overdose or get too stoned to care in the process of course. There was an especially sweet spot of nectar flavor my agile tongue kept trying to pin down over her increasing struggles, that had to be her baskets!

The high pitched wail she gave when I brushed it made me worry I hurt her for a second, then I saw how red the other two got... The guard's scowl got rather tomato faced, while the doctor blushed so brightly her antenna glowed a matching crimson. "Haaaa haaaa hiiiii Yu s-stop! L-Leggo!" Whisper panted from the end of my muzzle, drumming her forelegs against my chin weakly.

Another experimental lick got the same noise out of her and I felt a lecherous grin spread on my lips around her, not her nectar basket after all... "Whhhmm's mmttrrr? Dnnn hi gtta mmrtrrn mmavor? Mmnne mrr nuu ta duu mmmhhe." (Whassa matter? Don't I get ta return the favor? Fine for you ta do ta me.)

I gave her just enough slack to wriggle her way around and face me, sticking one foreleg in my nostril and the other atop my nose to lean up and stare eye to mismatched, loopy eye. "Iz not same! Iz holy meeshon! Yu leggo, stop funny bizness and- AHHHH!! MIGIR SHA NUNKA! SHA! SHA! SHA!!!"

Curling my tongue and slurping again cut her off magnificently, not to brag, but I had been put through a lot of training when it came to this kind of thing. Whisper's grip on my nose squeezed tightly for such slender little legs and her back arched as she slipped back into her own language. The guard looked flustered and drew the scalpel away from my throat, while the doctor mare turned neon red and threw a foreleg over her face, then immediately peeked around it anyway.

"Msss smme mming! Nnont wwnna! Lggo, mmmke muu Jdde! Nnwww!" (It's the same thing! Don't wanna! Lemme go, take to Jade! Now!)

Before this bizarre standoff could go any further, I felt the soothing thoughts of Ivy speaking in my head and paused. (Fast? Oh thank goodness! There you are, are you alright?!)

(Super duper Ivy Wivy! We're havin' a regular breezie party! Bondage and everything! Why was I... Oh yeah! JADE! Where's Jade? Where're you?! You ok? I wish you were here too Ivy, I wish you tasted like nectar like these guys do too! You gotta try it, you taste good anyway though, just not near as loopy, goofy feelin', cept that one time I started runnin outta air and...) I jabbered back in my head, continuing to suck on the breezie like a lollipop absently while I was distracted and ignoring her rising cries.

(Oh Goddess... not you too Fast! Focus! Sister Jade is here as well, or she was... She is still under the effects of the nectar as well, they took her off to somewhere called 'Willowheart'? I cannot read breezie minds and they won't let me leave to follow her. I could force the issue but they've been quite nice and my sister asked I cooperate. I am close enough to Glitter to communicate with her at least, she just recently woke up as well or I would have sent Jade for her. She is safe and quite happy however so do not worry. They are friendly enough but very insistent we remain where we are. Stop playing with that poor breezie and try to get here.)

(Okie dokie lokie! Ummm I been tryin', they want saaaaam-pulls though... Not that it was bad, reeeeeally good actually... You think we could convince them to join in sometime? That'd be awesome! Maybe Jade would...) My tittering reply brought a wave of exasperation flowing through our mental connection, then a tightening of focus as the telepathic alicorn seemed to force my brain back into working, lending me her focus.

(Fast! Focus!! Please come, I want you here, you... it is important.)

The need and anxiousness shared through unity helped me concentrate even after another absent lick. (Ok Ivy, are you sure you're ok?)

(I.... I am wonderful Fast. P-Please... hurry up and get here, you should share this with me.)

(I'ma comin' then! No problemo!) I giggled back with renewed purpose getting through even the intoxicated fog clouding everything, Ivy needed me, Jade, Glitter, everyone! I had to get loose and find out what the hell was going on here.

Returning my attention to the breezies standing on my chest and in my mouth, I saw the guard and doctor standing together, well at least the scalpel to my throat was pulled away... Whisper was still flopped over my muzzle to face me, weakly hanging on with her head resting on my nose, panting with a very sleepy, lidded look on her face... I had kept right on sucking on her like a lollipop that whole time hadn't I? Whoops...

"Hhuu! Lmmmee guh, utt rrppss! NNWW!" (You! Lemme go, cut ropes! NOW!) I mumbled at the guard breezie with a dazed scowl, fighting through just how fucked up I was with Ivy's psychic help.

"Buut... meeshon... Must h-haave de samples fer de holy ARC, please?" My dazed captive gasped into my face, they were awful determined to get that damn sample.

Feeling a little sheepish for my actions, even though they felt it was perfectly ok to do the same to me dammit... turnabout was fair play... No, more important things to deal with, had to get free and I was highly motivated to do it by whatever means necessary. I growled and spit Whisper out to land with her friends, soaked in slobber from the chest down and limp as a wet noodle, but free to their relief.

"No, no more samples, no more fooling around. I want to go to my friends, right now. If I hafta to get violent to do it, I will... You're holding me against my will and trying to force me... you could have asked! I let Spring Gale and da others go when bad ponies locked them up, you can let me go too!"

At the mention of the breezies I had freed at Summerset Plantation, the guard tromped forward and raised his scapel-spear menacingly, jabbing the business end in one nostril, shoving up with the blunt side to make me stretch up uncomfortably. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! W-What'd I say!?"

"Nulia sha mika neer Spring Gale? Nunka liw pa zir sha! pilita na kos Shroud!" Whatever that meant, he sounded really upset...

"H-He say... 'Vhere yu hear a-boot Spring Gale? Yu probably lock up! She save by big-big hero Shrouded Stallion pony.'" A trembling Whisper translated as she staggered up to her hooves, raising a suspicious eyebrow while her guard jabbed my nostril a little higher.

"Zat's me! I swear! Zat's my armor right over there see? I found Gale locked up as a slave, sos I let her go! Can't you return the friggin favor?"

The lavender guard didn't take his scowling eyes off me, but chittered out the side of his mouth to his companions. At his low hiss, the doctor breezie fluttered up and across the room, dipping down into the bin where my gear had been stashed and digging around. My black hat seemed to float by itself out of the container after a moment, bobbing and weaving its way back over my head, left to fall back to my brow when the breezie inside zipped out.

The blunt edge of the scalpel jabbed my nose up again when my horn glowed, quickly extinguished after setting the cockeyed hat back to its proper angle and hoping that was good enough as I continued. "See! Shrouded Stallion, right here! I promise!"

The stern little guard glowered dubiously for a long minute, tilting his head back and forth before finally removing his weapon from my face and hopping down to the table. As I wrinkled my nose and really wished I could rub it, the ropes holding me down parted with a tiny twang and the click of the first strap buckle let me move again, looking down to see the guard breezie cutting more lines holding my wing down with his spear and walking to the next buckle.

Whisper leapt after him and a furious back and forth ensued, her screeching after him as he kept right on letting me go and answering in a calm, unbending voice. When the last lines were loose and I sat up, all three flew off the table to continue their bickering, Whisper finally giving up with a shout and zipping right in my face. "He say you short for beeg hero, but dat iz vhat she say hero pony in silly costume look like. Owe debt, save his seester so he no do what I say! Yu should steeel give sample doh!"

Great... called short by a breezie... It was like a hellhound saying maybe you were a little too violent... I groaned and gave a grateful bow to the stone faced guard anyway, hopping off the table to trot over to my gear and ignoring the pesky Whisper buzzing my head the whole way. "No. I want to go to my friends, I'm not playing around here trying to be nice anymore. Why are you even so obsessed with taking samples anyway? The whole ARC project thing was a long time ago, what do you care?"

"Iz holy meeshon! Voice of great tree wants samples, ve chosen for holy pilgrimage to take! Iz beeg honor und yu screw up! Me never show face again after dis shame!" Whisper crossed her forelegs over her chest angrily and huffed, still red faced and glaring at me shrugging back into my coat.

I really hated getting back into this thing with my wings, usually I had Jade to help me... falling over on my second try and rolling on the ground in a circle. "Nnngh! Dammit... Voice of da great tree? Da Hub? It talks?"

In answer, a voice did indeed start speaking from crackling speakers overhead, an artificial stream of breezie-speak my three companions all bowed and listened to attentively;

"MULA NA SHIR PU BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE NUNKA LA. MIKIR UN LALA WILLOWHEART"

I stared up at the sparking speaker embedded in the ceiling in surprise, turning on my pip-buck light to get a better look around while I strapped my saddlebags on again. An exam room basically... like a doctor's office, the exam table was bigger and had those annoying straps, shelves and cabinets of cobwebs and dusty medical tools.

The walls were square and sparkled a bit under the light, other than the spotlights over the table it was the brightest source of illumination, the ceiling lights were dim or totally dark and only buzzed weakly. The door out looked like it was unsecured, though it had another little door in the middle at the floor. A glowing terminal at the end of the longest counter drew my eye and I headed that direction.

Whisper's annoyed pout got me to pause on the way to patching my pip-buck to the waiting computer, having tried and missed repeatedly with the patch cable already. I turned to the breezie in the nurse's outfit as she landed on the counter beside it. "Great tree says no need full sample anyway... no good for ponies... Ve not take pony sample since first beeeeeg beeg pony's come to Commonwealth, und dey all females. Steeel beeg dishonor! Yu come tu Willowheart vith us, dey decide vhat to du."

"You didn't even need it!?!? What da hell!?! Wait, Willowheart, dat's where you took my Jade too. Okie dokie... I'll go, but I wants to go other places too, the rest of my friends!"

"Uthers sent to deel vith invaders, yu no choose vhere ve go. Willowheart first." Stamping a tiny hoof on the keyboard used up another chance to crack this terminal, earning the blushing breezie a glare that made her flitter off the machine at least.

Alright... This 'Voice of the Great Tree' had to be the advanced maneframe running the place, unless the tree really did talk... It did have faces on the walls, wait no, that was just me hallucinating the faded MoP posters were moving... Ok, focus... if it was like Goodneighbor than any terminal on the network should give me access, let me get an idea what kind of insanity I was dealing with here, maybe a map to go along with the locator tags I had been cycling through. Everyone had been split up and strewn to the winds, Ivy and Glitter's marks weren't that far apart from me or each other at least, then Jade's by itself, and finally Val, Zed and Witchy together furthest away.

Once I was through, the prompt waiting seemed like a translation of what the voice from above had told the breezies;

BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE SUFFICIENT, ARC REQUIREMENTS FOR PONIES MET. LOG SAMPLE, RETURN TO WILLOWHEART.

Below this blinking missive was just what I wanted, a glowing image of a basically round map, branching out here and there to different sections. The objective marker was dead center, while a glowing path made a circuitous route from where we were to there. I downloaded the map and looked over my locator tags again, now to better tell where it had teleported my friends.

Ivy and Glitter were in the same wing close to each other, Jade was in the large chamber in the center, and the rest were spread out in the same wing to the east of Jade. It would take a detour from the path the computer wanted the breezies to take, but I could get to Glitter and Ivy first.

Right then, I had a goal and knew how to get there, no matter what was in the way I'd just... Oh no... What the fuck!? Going to draw my weapons in determination just left me with nothing! I checked over my pip-buck's inventory and gaped at what I found, nothing was under the weapons tab... absolutely nothing... No Best Served, no Terrible Shotgun, no Vengeance or Deliverer, no Blue Moon battlesaddle, no grenades or mines, not so much as a pointy stick!

"Wheres da hell are my weapons!?!" I glared woozily at the nurse breezie Whisper pouting back at me, cantering back a step and knocking over a dusty glass jar of tongue depressors.

She was brave given my angry snorting down at her, sticking her nose up and directing her fellows to seal the odd crystalline container holding my sample, then carry it over to a drawer on the wall. The receptacle inside was the perfect size to take the gem shaped box, grabbing it with rusty clamps and shutting with a whir and pneumatic whoosh of air. Finally she deigned to answer in a huff, "Pony weapons bad, no allowed in great tree, confisskated by Securi-tribe."

The breezie stallion who freed me landed beside her and gave a curt nod, chirping up to me and waiting on Whisper to translate again with a sigh. "He say; 'Weapons go tu Hubsec Village, dey safe, he take yu tu dem if Queen say ok.'"

It took weapons away!? Ok... I could see the Ministry of Peace hub doing that, it must have stripped them away during teleportation. Val had to be furious... "Is this place safe? Don't tell me it's crawling with slimy zombies outside..."

"No zombees, eet hard trip doh, Fallen und critters... Ve protect!" Whipperfly's proud declaration wasn't that reassuring... despite her stern guard giving a yip and waggling his spear around. Critters?

Grumbling about being totally disarmed, I turned back to the terminal and tried to keep my brain functioning at something approaching sober. I had to shake my head to try to focus on the text, still trying to drift off into the clouds under all that nectar. Once past the alert sent to this room by the hub maneframe, the system itself listed a few files, mostly a list of samples taken with a few notes here and there;

Sample #33023 - Toucan
Sample #33024 - Ferret
Sample #33025 - Racoon
Sample #33026 - Possum
Sample #33027 - Orthus - Wasn't sure which head to take saliva from, did both.
Sample #33028 - Bobcat -
Sample #33029 - Tailsmanian Devil - Glad for our little helpers calming it down, vicious little bugger.

Animal samples... Little helpers? Were the breezies here then? It seemed like a good bet, either there were really good tailors among them, or somepony made those doll sized MoP outfits and security barding before the war... Having learned all I was likely to from this terminal, I disconnected my pip-buck and turned to the door, weapons or not I had to get to the others, hopefully it wasn't too bad.

Coming face to rump with the doctor breezie on my way brought me up short. Trying to go around just resulted in her zipping in the way again, stopped by the inviting wiggling and blushing face looking back. Whisper put a stop to it finally, flapping up on her bright wings and whacking the tiny doctor mare over the head repeatedly, driving her off in a chittering back and forth that ended with Whisper sputtering and turning red down to her hooves.

"Er... problem?"

The embarrassed scowl she turned on me was withering, hovering away and down towards the door in a huff. "Ve never talk tu beeg ponies und be friends before. She vant try licky-licky, like ess fun! Vas scary beeg pony! N-No like!. Yu no need more silly medicine anyvay!"

I giggled madly at the pair and followed them to the door, answering with some difficulty. "Sorry... for scaring you then, but to be fair you scared me... And you was basically doing the same thing to me whether I liked it or not, when you didn't need to even! Though I wonder, do you all taste the same? I gotta tell ya, nectar is awesome enough, but you were even better! I haven't been able ta get drunk in sooo long, you guys are great! Ask my Princess doctor breezie, I'm game though!"

While the male guard glowered and took a few flaps back, the doctor nodded her head rapidly with a grin, getting an exasperated hiss from Whisper as the bigger door slid open to the dusty hallway outside. "Stoopid doctor ees Misty Wisp, disobeying guard ees Blowing Storm. Vhy I get silly, dumb-dumbs tu go on important meeshon!? Ve go!"

I copied her toss of her mane and proud strut through the door, getting a giggle out of Misty Wisp and weaving my way after them. "Right... Ve go!"

Our trip through the faceted hallways littered with junk was surreal, even discounting how intoxicated I was. It was like a miniature wasteland...

Every hallway had strips of dried, brown grass growing at the edges, blackened limbs of little shrubs and wilted stalks of flowers mirrored the world outside. What was really weird were all the ruined little buildings on the way... There were tiny huts shaped like mushrooms and little cottages and even stores crumbling in on themselves at regular intervals. Built on shelves in the walls or down in the corners, all had the same look as the wasteland ruins around Trotson, just muuuuch smaller.

With my breezie guides to go along with it, the comparison was even stronger. At their size, they were traversing the wasteland in a party, going from ruin to ruin as we went. Juxtaposed with the pony sized artifacts of clipboards that looked like billboards among it all, gurneys that rusted away like towering cliffs, pencils like strewn logs... it was really, really weird...

The building itself wasn't in fantastic shape either, the walls were all that glittery white with the grain of wood on the surfaces, and fairly square, like roughly cut, milky quartz, but with rotting carpet down the center of the halls and posters on the walls. Sliding doors led to other sample collection rooms, some of which were obviously for much bigger samples by the huge exam tables and chains replacing the straps. The last I stuck my head in had a skeleton still strapped down, a Yao Guai from the look, or a bear most likely since it was there a long time by my peek at the dusty interior.

There were cracks in the walls and the occasional dark hole in the floor, making me wonder where they led enough to stupidly stick my face right in one. A hairless rat the size of a retriever snarled out and nearly bit my face off for that, sending me falling back to my rump and scrambling back at the vicious little beast wiggling out with more on its naked tail. They had sores and scars on their rubbery pink hides, wasteland mutants of unusual size that the breezies attacked immediately.

Blowing Storm knew his business with that scalpel, flitting in and out and drawing bleeding lines on the rat's hide as I got to my hooves again. Misty had a blowgun that looked like it started life as a mechanical pencil, shooting tiny little darts that slowed the enemy down and gave me an opportunity to run over, rearing back and giving a buck that slammed it into the wall with a splat. Bucking with earth pony strength was going to take some getting used to, at least I wasn't totally defenseless.

Another of the beasts leapt to my back and started biting with long fangs, making me buck and struggle to dislodge it while another snapped at my prancing hooves. With a growl, I gave a hard flap of my wings straight to the ceiling, smashing the rat on my back against it with a sickening crack. The other had grabbed hold of my foreleg and I flung it free, glaring down at it and diving that way to land on top of it and snap its spine, as Blowing Storm killed the next.

Afterwards the breezies urged me towards a wide intersection of halls with glittering stairs leading up, while the doors on this level led to the central circle of the map. A tiered fountain stood in the center, a trickle of brackish water leaking down the stained stone bunny at the peak, down to a small bowl at the top, atop a bigger bowl, which was atop the biggest bowl at the bottom that was left with a few inches of water and lots of gleaming golden bits and ancient fish bones below.

Quite a few ruined breezie buildings were built up around and on the fountain, tiny water wheels by dry channels that should be rushing with water from the fountain, crumbling little houses along each bowl's edge and planters of desiccated flowers. At the breezies size, this would constitute a fairly decent city. It was here they landed for a rest, having come miles already at their scale.

Again I thought of a tiny wasteland, they traveled the fading ruins of the villages or odd homes so far and stopped at the biggest spot of ancient civilization to rest before moving on, their guard even poked his head in a few buildings to scavenge... I was also surprised to find that breezies possessed magic... sort of.

Misty Wisp landed by my bleeding foreleg and her long antenna brushed the wound, glowing with healing magic that soothed the wound and smiling up at my surprise. Not a unicorn's horn or a healing spell from Jade, but effective first aid treatment from the little doctor during our break I thanked her for.

The algae covered bunny statue at the top was scowling and thumping a wide hindpaw at me rapidly... No, no it wasn't, come on wear off dammit... Nectar was great, but I really needed to sober up, that and stop drooling after Misty Wisp's flicking tail hungrily, she had more nectar in those little baskets... Not to mention they apparently produced it from other fun places... Hell she wanted me to suck on her like rock candy! It'd be fine!

(Fast don't! Ooooh the two of you are terrible, they are giving sister Jade all she wants of that stuff and she's becoming difficult to talk to! I'll not have both of you out of your minds! If you go to her first I'll never get either of you to do anything productive! At least she is drunkenly insisting they bring you and Glitter to her, but if she gets ahold of you she will be well satisfied where she is.)

Ivy's telepathic shout gave me a guilty start and I thunked my brow, taking what help I could get from her and shaking my head. (Sorry! Really sorry Ivy! I'm trying.... they taste soooo good though... We're almost there, promise! Are you and Glitter ok? Any luck getting ahold of Witchy? The Brotherhood even?)

(I am being well attended... From what I have gathered they see acting as the Ministry of Peace would as their holy mission. A mare in my ...condition... is a chance to practice their craft and quite the honor for them. They have excellent bedside manner, except for not allowing me out of the room, for my safety they say. Glitter reports the same, she is ecstatic over meeting real fairies and happily playing with them, after being initially frightened. They are guarding her while they wait for a decision from on high. I cannot reach the others, either they are unconscious still or something about this place makes it difficult, it is quite odd for what I assumed to be a tree.)

What she could tell me was a relief anyway, the breezies were friendly and my daughter and Jade were ok. A little worrisome she couldn't telepathically find the others she was able to do so with, plus Val and Zed were beyond her ability to psychically talk to no matter what. I spotted a slightly bent old metal medical cane near the stairs and floated it to me, testing the swing with the makeshift club and nodding to myself.

(We're on our way, keep trying and see what all you can find out from these breezies, you're better at talking... stuff... than I am. I'm gonna try with the ones with me on the way and be right there.)

Whisper was down in the puddle of water in the basin below my tail, washing her hindlegs off with a scowl up at my questioning look. "Pony slobbers... yu needs tu brush teethies tu! Ick!"

"I said I was sorry, you didn't give me much choice you know. Sooooo... are you too mad to talk? My princess and I came here hoping for help, but we didn't know you guys lived here, you did before the war too didn't you? So what's the deal? Tell me about the fairies, or do you prefer gremlins? You guys mess with anypony in the forest don't you, screw up all the machines?"

"Ve is not gremlins! But yes, Tinker-Tribe helps keep bad pony machines away, no hurt... just discourage. Dis our home, ve no vant mean ponies here, yu invaders first to get inside since beeg booms." The little nurse groomed her tail in a huff as she answered.

"We're not invaders... er... Ok, I guess we are from your perspective, but we don't mean any harm. Ok, so you were here when the bombs fell, how come you do what the maneframe... er... the voice of the great tree says to do still? Dress like MoP ponies?"

Pointing at her pink and yellow striped outfit as an example, I listened with interest to her proud answer. "De Great Tree is our home and protector, eet tell us tings to do since we come back from deep dark. Ve follow words of Flutterpony, she holy savior tu breezies, save us! She give ancestors home, give us work vhen turned away frum old breezies, dey probably all dead now... Breezie nation live on doh! No more talky, yu ask questions of Queen und uder breezies in charge, ve complete pilgrimage und bring you back, dis way."

'Dis way' was not the way I wanted to go... She wanted to lead us directly to the center of the hub, while Ivy and Glitter weren't far away to the northwest, through the hallway to the left of the door Whisper fluttered beside impatiently. I joined her and tried to sound sober and reasonable, pointing 'dat way' and going there instead.

"My friends are there, my daughter, I need to get her first."

The breezie leading our expedition darted in front of my face and started shoving my muzzle back the way I came, chirping in agitation. "NO! Ve go home! Uders watching dem, dey be fine, yu come now!"

Opening my mouth wide in front of her got her to zip out of my path in a hurry, though I did catch a little shiver down her spine... 'Awareness!'. "My daughter Whisper... Daaaaaughter... I'm going to her first. It won't take long, you can always ride on my back if you're tired of flying."

Another sliding door waited up ahead, leading to the outermost curving hallway of the central hub, which in turn led to the wing I wanted. I reached for the controls over my annoyed guide's protests. "No!! No go dat way! Ees bad to..."

What waited on the other side of the door cut off any need for her to continue... Muddy globs of breezidore nests... lots of them... I slammed my hoof to the controls and the door slid shut again, a few buzzing breezidores darting in under the barrier before it closed that sent the others zooming into the air. Shit! I couldn't keep up with their darting progress in the two story fountain room, the monstrous breezies were extremely focused on the normal...ish ones too, ignoring me in favor of the three of them.

Blowing Storm proved how deadly he was at his scale, engaged in a furious aerial battle on butterfly wings that put me to shame, even with my larger feathered ones. The other two breezies weren't as good at fighting though, fleeing and trying their best against twice their number, thanks to me.

All I had was a cane... not my knife, but something to take consolation in. "Bring them this way! Hurry!" I floated the bent hunk of metal up in my magical grip and waggled it like a batter at the plate, never much of a sportspony... but I could do this.

Misty Wisp followed my request instantly, zipping down to floor level and right at the practice swing I took to demonstrate. As soon as she passed by, I swung for the fences, bashing one of the nasty pests up to the wall to ooze down while I got ready for another pass by Whisper.

She looked less trusting, but did come right down the middle like a winged fastball with two on her tail. I clipped one, sending the snapping breezidore to the floor on broken wings, the second was annoyed by the attack and darted right at me, scratching my neck on its way to bite my flank.

I swatted at the needle sharp teeth and stomped a hoof down on the first struggling on the ground, looking up dizzily to Storm finishing off the last. The breezidore venom made my heart speed up a bit, but apparently sucking down as much nectar as I had already gave some protection, only forcing me to fall to my rump panting and wince at Whisper's furious screeching.

"I say no stoopid pony! Ees Fallen territory! Haf tu go around! Ve live here, yu don't!" Having a breezie whack my nose was humiliating... especially since she was right. I could have gotten one of them hurt, or me for that matter.

It still didn't change anything though, there wasn't any quick path that way, just a lot of circuitous routes that looked like tree rings. "I'm sorry! But I have to go that way, I need to get to my daughter, now! Hmm.... the hall isn't that long, then it opens up to another intersection like this one it looks like, see here? Is it safe on the other side?"

It took a second for Whisper to fly over and look at my pip-buck screen, going over the television sized screen for her and spotting where I pointed on the map. She gave me a dubious stare, but nodded reticently. "Ees safe dere, daughter fine, in between is dead zone, no go dere. Ve go to Willowheart, den yu go dat way if yu want."

"No, it's not that far, I can go fast... I'm going straight through, here, get in my bags where it's safe."

All three didn't look happy at my open saddlebag, looking to their leader skeptically as she snorted at me. "NO! Yu do vhat ve say! Ve no go in steenky bag!"

"Then get out of here before I open the door again, 'cause I'ma goin' that way. See you later Whisper."

I stopped at the door again and waited, starting to get annoyed at the furious little mare kicking my hat. "I hate yu beeg pony! Ve no can go back vithout yu! Make dishonor worse! Already bad enough yu shame me!"

"I'm openin' dis door... 5...4...3..."

"AAARRRGH! Fine stoopid stubborn dummy! Yu better live! Ve hide in bag!" She hated it, but at her shout the others all slipped into my saddlebag in a huff.

That meant it was safe to summon my lightning aura... I wasn't quite sure what getting zapped by it might do to them, but they were safe in the leather pack. With the spell cast and draining magic, I took a deep breath and hit the door again, blasting through it and the dozen surprised breezidores thunking against it on the other side.

When Whisper said 'dead zone' I thought she was being figurative, an area infested with breezidores would be off limits, so dead zone seemed apt. Apparently she was being literal though, the pale crystalline walls here were grey and dead looking, more cracks filled them where they weren't covered with muddy hives, the lights were completely out leaving me to rely on alicorn senses to let me dodge my way through at full speed.

I was quickly attracting a growing swarm right on my tail, some closing in did indeed get zapped by the electricity arcing around me, but for the most part I was fast enough to stay ahead. I was grateful there weren't a lot of turns or obstacles to navigate, it was just one long, gentle curve of hallway leading to the next wing of the complex. I shot past a pretty big hole in the outer wall and got a fleeting glimpse of the outside on the way, the sun was setting and the grassy grounds outside were cloaked in gloom.

Taking a look nearly made me run right into a clicking horror of an obstacle, an... ant?! A reeeally big ant... more clattering up from a rubble strewn hole in the floor I had to flap over. Giant pincers clamped down on my stumbling foreleg and I had to bash it repeatedly with the cane to get loose, stung several times by the first breezidores to catch up, then free to blur down the hall again in an electric flicker.

By the time I spotted the door at the end of the hall, my heart was going a mile a minute and most of the pleasant buzz of the nectar was overriden by the pain and shivers making my steps falter, almost there dammit! I flapped up from the ground enough to spin and turn back, skidding to the door and pressing the panel with my tail as my horn crackled lightning and I took aim at the swarm filling the hall behind me.

KRACKA-THOOOM!!

I lifted off the ground on fluttering wings to let the recoil blow me back through the opening door, scorching the cloud of breezidores and hitting the door control with my magic in time to cut off the survivors. Dismissing the aura of electricity still arcing over me, I staggered to the matching fountain with a humming bird top in this intersection, managing to fall over on the side the breezies were not hidden in and calling to them weakly.

"S-See... all clear.... easy peasy..."

I felt the rustle of movement on my flank a moment, them peeking out cautiously after all that noise and getting tossed around with all my toys and junk on that side. When they crawled out, Misty was quick to trot to my gasping face and coat her foreleg in nectar, shoving it in my muzzle while pouting at Whisper landing nearby.

She was sticking her leg in a lot further than her leader as a kind of protest apparently, and taking her time playing with my tongue with widening eyes, but the delicious nectar eased the poison back off quickly and let me reluctantly pull away from the tiny filly. Just in time to face Whisper's wrath...

"Vould only take a few hours long vay stoopid pony! Yu happy now? Yu just vant to get more medicine, play vit Misty, I see!" The bossy little mare's admonitions made me groan, lightly patting Misty's pale mane in thanks and using the fountain to crawl my way up, accidentally smashing a decrepit breezie home on the edge in the process.

"Yup, you guys are definitely better than plain ol' nectar, what? are ya jealous? Wanna nother ridey poo? C'mere! What da hell is those nasty bastards anyway? How comes they're in here?"

Now that we were close, the trio of breezies had to follow my weaving progress towards Glitter's nearby arrow on my compass. Whisper snorted angrily at my gaping mouth and waggling tongue opened invitingly, smacking Misty Wisp away and glaring at me. "N-No!! Dey is Fallen, dose left behind, dey hate us who got away frum beeg booms on de last day. Yu ask Queen more, vey stay away!"

Blowing Storm's stern eyes stayed focused straight ahead as he chattered a terse response, forcing me to cough for a translation out of the scowling Whisper. "He say; "Ve should fight, keel fallen. Ees blasphemy, ve no fight und war like dumb ponies Blowy!"

"Sounds lika plan! Why not, they're bad guys right? Like zombies for breezies? This is your home? Be pretty scary if home was infested with those thingys. Be lots easier if'n I had my guns... Okie dokie... almost here, which dooooor..."

My answer seemed to win me some respect from the guard breezie, nodding sharply and flitting ahead of me, past the cheery cartoons in peeling paint on the walls to hover directly in front of the next door. The flickering sign above it read 'Pediatrics', made sense... the computer running the hub teleported Glitter to the area for foals.

"GRRRRRAAAAAA!" Glitter's voice as the door slid up made me focus, charging into the large room of ratty, rainbow colored carpet to spot the pale filly in the middle of all the chaos.

She was in the center of the room, amidst all the ancient toys of a children's hospital waiting room. Several dollhouses or actual breezie buildings were arranged in a pair of rows and it was at the head of this aisle my little filly was rearing up angrily, roaring to the ceiling and stomping down on her hooves by toy carriages and tanks. A trio of breezies squealed and ran for their lives away from her, ducking into the dollhouses or cowering around the corners as she stomped after them, growling and snarling as she came.

"GLITTER! What are you doing?! Did they hurt-"

The rest of my yelp was cut off by a pale blur rocketing into me, sending me rolling across the floor with my breath knocked out and a delighted filly nuzzling me. I absently noted the breezies she had been chasing had fluttered up curiously, all their fleeing terror forgotten, come to think of it, why didn't they just fly away to begin with?

"Daddy!!! LOOK! Fairies!! This is Grassy Breeze and this is Winter Shiver and this is Valley Wind and we been playin' angry dragon and scared villagers! It's awesome, now I know how Aunt Swan feels! Where were you, was it fun too?! This place is great! I was scared when I woke up alone, but then my new friends came an' we been havin' fun, they said you were ok and I knew you'd come, then Aunt Ivy did that funny talking in my head thingy and I was sure and... OH you have fairy friends too! HI!!"

She finally released her deathgrip to wave cheerily to my own trio of breezies, letting me up again to check her over frantically before letting her loose. She was fine... they were playing a game and she was having a grand old time, of course she was... She was way too hyper to be under the influence of their wonderful nectar too. I breathed a sigh of relief and trotted over to the breezies that had been her babysitters chattering with Whisper.

When their high pitched conversation hit a low point, I took a low bow in front of the pastel group, green, blue and orange. "Thank you... for taking care of her, I'm her father Fast, umm... nice meeting you."

The pale blue mare in a tiny nurse's uniform like Whisper's fluttered up on glittery white wings that matched her mane, giving a midair bow back and a tinkling giggle. "Yu are daddy pony? Ve know all aboot yu, Glitter pony tell us all aboot famous hero Shrouded Stallion pony. Ve happy to watch, ees nice leetle filly, ve have fun together!"

The chirp from Misty Wisp spoken around Glitter's side sounded suspiciously like 'So did Whisper', supported by how red the breezie in question got and Misty's long squeal of laughter. After leaving them to chatter back and forth, ignoring some of the stares from the pair of breezie mare's Misty managed to hover off to herself with to whisper to... I gave Glitter time to learn every new breezie's name and even speak a few halting words in their own language... (how did she do that?!) I finally nudged her up and to the door, walking with purpose towards Ivy's nearby mark.

"Ok, now we just have to find Ivy, then we go to this Willowheart place, ok? Just like you wanted Whisper, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Was so bad! Und who says yu can take girly out of..." My burning stare cut her off and shrank her tiny blue eyes to minuscule little dots. 'Be Dark...' yawned and stretched awake at the mere suggestion they were separating me from my daughter. "F-Fine... ve take girly too, uders say is ok a-anyway. But no go anywhere else! Vhy need find uder pony here?"

I cantered happily down the dusty halls, bumping flanks playfully with Glitter skipping along at my side and beaming. She never had any doubt, waking up alone in a strange place and just completely sure I'd come, turning to fun and laughter with new friends instead of worrying. She continually amazed me and I told her so, ruffling her mane and planting a sloppy kiss on her brow with half a dozen breezies in a cloud around us.

"Daaa-aaad! Ick! N-Not in front of my friends! Aunt Ivy's close right? I found her map thingy, why wouldn't we go get her too?" Glitter giggled and answered for me effectively, wiping slobber from her forehead in an embarrassed pout.

She was just down the brightly decorated pale hall, past this series of ruined offices and to the left. "Good question sweetie, why wouldn't we? Let's see... right down here, little further... I'll let her know we're almost here!" (Ivy! We're right nearby, just another second ok? Glitter's with me and we'll all...)

(Fast! Wait! Umm... p-perhaps I should... maybe you should be prepared... er... waiting a moment may be for the best so I can tell you...)

(You can tell me to my face! We're just outside, right down to this door under the sign for...) My relieved smile froze and my mouth dried up, reading the rusty sign above the door, then reading it again, then one more time... shaking a little more each time I went over the stark word there. I checked the map again, just like the mark on my compass was pointing towards, Ivy was right on the other side of that door...

The door labeled MATERNITY...

Glitter saw no issue, hopping up to push the control and squealing through the door after more fairies inside, all fluttering around an overstuffed waiting room chair and the big green mare sitting in it, anxiously tapping her hooves together as I gaped from the door. The breezies had found a ratty blanket to drape over her hindlegs and lots of musty looking pillows to prop behind her outstretched wings. A bright silver one was midway from the counter leading to the rooms beyond, with a glowing Sparkle Cola in its legs and I spotted a few Fancy Buck wrappers on the magazine strewn coffee table beside her.

She had said she was well attended to... She had also said 'a mare in my condition' but I was too inebriated to put it together...

The glowing alicorn gave an unsteady smile and shrugged weakly. "S-Surprise..."

"Jade! We're getting Jade right now! Then the others! Then we're getting out of here, flying right to Goodneighbor, no... Goodneighbor's no good, Trinity Tower maybe? But there's a new town there now... who knows what it's like. No, no, no, no good, Sanctuary, we're going to Sanctuary! Won't that be fun Glitter? W-We'll just go home! Yes, home is best! I'll... I'll add rooms on! Or Sunset's house! She wouldn't mind I'm sure! Yeah, and a walkway connecting them, and a wall... a big wall... with turrets, and robots! and..."

"F-Fast! Slow down!" Ivy's hurried voice behind me got me to stop stomping down the halls at a rapid clip, turning back to see the beautiful mare trotting to catch up with Glitter bounding beside her.

"OhmigoshI'msosorry! I w-was going too fast! We should be walking! Slowly! N-No jumping around Aunt Ivy Glitter! You could trip her and..."

The light touch of Ivy's verdant feather under my chin paused my jabbering, leaving me panting in place and shivering under her soft smile and giggle hidden under her hoof demurely. "Fast... slow down... get it? Slow down Fast?"

"B-B-But..."

"It is fine Fast, there were many ancient medical machines back there that still functioned, sister Jade was beside herself talking about the level of prenatal care preserved here she could use outside. It was quite advanced to even detect it this early, but yes, I am. This was the purpose for all our fun remember? Though a bit disappointing to learn this soon... I will have to talk to my sister about continuing regardless... But either way, apparently you are a viable male, just as we hoped. This is what we wanted, it is good!" Ivy beamed in joy over my hyperventilating, totally unconcerned when...

"Good!? No! Not good! I mean it is!! Sorry!! Really great! Wonderful! Just not good right this second! Who knows where we even are, what's going on, how we'll get out! Then Gunners! The Institute! Zombies!! We're in a world of zombies!!! Just casually wandering around chomping ponies, ho-hum! Mutant turtles! RAIDERS! KILLER BUGS EVEN!" I stood on my hindlegs to hold her warm cheeks in my hooves, one eye twitching as I started foaming from the mouth and shaking.

Her just smiling sweetly and nodding made it worse... "The world is the same as it was an hour ago Fast, I was aware of these things then and am unsurprised now. Only one very small thing has changed."

"S-Small thing!?! Y-You shouldn't be here, we need to get you back home and make it safe! You shouldn't even fly back yourself! Bus... I'll fix the bus somehow, then I'll haul it back to Sanctuary, then the wall, then the turrets..."

"Daaaad? You're kinda freakin' out... are you ok? What's Ma-tur-natty mean?" Glitter had slowed to a wary trot between us, looking up with those innocent pink yes.

"It means... it means... meeeeee........."

Everything started getting grey again and Whisper zipped up to slap my face, clearly relishing it as things came back into focus. "Yu no sleepy fainty again silly pony, ve let biggest pony out to carry yu, don't make du again if yu so vorried!"

That got me to shake it off again, biting my tongue to stay conscious rather than make a repeat performance of my fainting act back in the Maternity ward. One minute Ivy was sitting there smiling, the next I was on her back being hauled down the halls towards Willowheart, waking up to hurry the pace once it all sank in again. It meant...

"It means I will have a foal Glitter. I am pregnant, isn't that lovely?" Ivy spoke softly, probably trying not to set me off again, though Glitter's immediate shriek of joy ruined the quiet approach.

"YOU WILL!?! That's great Aunt Ivy!! Yay daddy!! A little brother or sister! Eeeeeeee!!!" Glitter and Ivy squeeing to themselves made me lay my ears back and wince, how could they be so happy?! We had just gone through a town of breezidores to get here, she could have been hurt...

(Fast... I know this is a lot to take in for you, but you need to calm down. I am not suddenly made of glass, it is barely a cluster a cells and a change in my hormones according to sister Jade, it will be some time before I show at all or it affects me in the slightest. I'm not going to run away and hide in your Stable for the for the next several months...) Ivy arched an eye down at me in a smirk and tried talking where Glitter couldn't hear and my panicky voice wasn't getting in the way, giving me something to latch onto.

(The STABLE! Great idea!! Deep underground, big steel door, nice and safe, a balefire bomb couldn't hurt it so I guess that's good enough! Mom had my brother Better there and he was healthy and fine! We'll go to Sanctuary and...)

(I said I will not hide there Fast, I wasn't making a suggestion. You're not going to be like this every time are you? It will be exhausting if you lose your mind with each one of us, what did you think would happen? If I am then ...Peri most likely is as well hmm? She got quite a few more turns than I did with that notebook of hers.)

"PERI!?! Peri's... Peri's prob.. prooooooobbbb..." I yelped aloud and froze, everything getting cold and loopy and...

THUNK!

* * *

"Fast... Faaaast.... Wakey-wakey love, it is alright, come back and join our delightful tea party!" Jade's melodious voice dragged me out of the black, blinking up to her radiant face over me in confusion. Her blue eyes sparkled and were mismatched sizes, under her costume tiara laced with a crown of bright flowers in her cloudy mane, lit in warm yellow light.

"Wha.... wuzzat... wha happen... IVY!?!" I slowly came around, my addled brains trying to pick up the last thread of consciousness and finding it in a panic, sending me flapping up frantically, only to be held in place by a lot of blue alicorn squeezing me back to her chest tightly and nuzzling my cheek.

"There you are! I do like cuddling you when asleep, but I wish to play! Look at all the wonderful fairies Fast! They are Followers like me and so hospitable! Drink!" Jade cooed and shoved a cracked teacup to my muzzle, flooding my sputtering mouth with sweet tea and a strong hint of nectar to her giggles.

The warm mental fog and Jade's iron grip made figuring out where I was hard, she was sitting with me between her outstretched hindlegs, both forelegs crossed over my chest and still nuzzling gleefully. While this made for an excellent way to wake up and try to calm my racing heart, where we were was seriously screwing with me.

A city... A bustling little metropolis of mushroom cottages and flowering towers was spread all around us, which Jade towered over like some gorgeous blue skyscraper with me curled in her lap. The only thing that overshadowed even the big blue alicorn was the weirdest building... The royal palace of Canterlot... but not?

It looked an awful lot like the graceful cliffside structure, delicate towers and bright onion domes, though these were made of the bulb shapes of closed flowers instead of gold and stone, and the towers had a light brown color and were bark textured instead of smooth stone. It was covered in carefully manicured leafy branches, flowers and vines as well, but it looked like a miniature Canterlot spread all around and above us.

Shaking my head to make sure I was really seeing this, I looked all around and tried to clear away the persuasive feeling Jade and I were giants among the capital of the old world. All those residents around us looked like skinny ponies, but the glittery wings were definitely breezies, and the profusion of bunnies, raccoons, birds, and other critters roaming about helped break the illusion, a breezie city?

We were still inside the hub, far above us was a huge crystal spreading dim artificial daylight from the ceiling. This mini-Canterlot was in the center of a very large, round chamber, to either side of where I could see were two curving staircases leading up to higher levels overlooking the open room. The wide circle dominating the area was covered in springy green grass and profuse with flowers and vegetation, planters on the mezzanine above overflowed with more bright plants and flowers and lots of pastel breezies watching. It all added to the image of a perfect old world metropolis, a naturally grown sister city to Canterlot almost.

Jade had me pinned in what looked to be a wide, central park before the palace, the only other things that gave me a sense of scale were Ivy sitting nearby, sipping tea politely and taking up the rest of the available space, and Glitter prancing down the wide streets radiating away from where we sat. She was beside herself in joy at what had to be hundreds of breezies flittering in the vast chamber and trotting the streets.

I watched her playfully stomping amongst the little denizens playing along with her, alternating between her game of dragon and scared villagers on a much bigger scale with a model city around her, to gentle giant filly peeking in two story buildings that were at eye level and carefully crawling among the diminutive populace.

The grand wooden palace was at Jade's back, making it hard to see with her kissing and nuzzling my face trying to turn that way, a prim 'Ahem!' that direction finally got her to blink and flutter up on her wingtips, dislodging a dozen breezies that were settled atop the blue alicorn and turning in place to face that direction, leaving me looking up to a fancy breezie standing on a balcony, bizarrely formed over a glowing terminal screen near Jade's head.

She was a brilliant, snowy white, a pale, flowing pink mane and long wings trailing behind her. Her long antenna poked out of a tiny golden crown and she wore a glittering gown of rich rose with white trim, a golden teaspoon with gems glued into the scoop served as a scepter held by one foreleg, this must be the Queen... A pair of gold and ruby Cybreezies flanked the arched entrance from the balcony gave me pause, what were the advanced robots doing acting like knights for a Queen?

A quick chatter of her own language in a regal voice brought one of the breezies landing on Jade again up and to her side, while the rest went back to... braiding her mane and tail? Yes... Jade had a regular royal retinue of breezies attending her titantic form, brushing her silky fur and braiding her mane and tail, decorating her with bright blossoms, a necklace of flowers joined the halo wound around her silvery costume tiara.

The breezie hovering by the presumed Queen smiled at me brightly, a light lilac filly with a blue mane, wearing a pink and yellow nurses uniform, like Whisper who I spotted pouting nearby, redfaced and surrounded by a group of chittering breezie mares with Misty in the group. The familiar breezie coughed politely and drew my eye back to the palace, taking in the tall statue looming above it from behind, Ministry Mare Fluttershy...

"Announcing Queen Ether of de Breezie Nation. Dis pony be beeg hero Shrouded Stallion who saved breezies yur highness, hello again Shroud pony, happy to see you!" The breezie waved to the Queen, giving me something to focus on woozily figuring out who she was.

"S-Spring Gale? Is that you? Er... you look better since the last time I saw you, good! Umm... w-what's going on Jade? I was on the way to... IVY!? Jade! Ivy is..." I scratched my mane in thought, remembering the condition of the big green mare beside us and struggling to reach her again, held still by Jade tittering to herself and floating the refilled teacup back to my muzzle.

Jade beamed and bobbed her head rapidly, giving a polite nod to the Queen watching with amusement and nibbling my ear as she tried to calm me down again. "Sssh! I know! Is it not wonderful Fast? We are so happy, Queen Ether has offered her congratulations already and been most gracious, be polite and say hello my shmoopy pie! She is a fellow Follower! Of sorts, we have been having a delightful conversation on the subject while waiting for you! Forgive him your highness, my Fast is a bit overwhelmed at the moment."

"Is ok Princess Jade, breezie fathers feel same way often. Is good ting Shrouded Stallion Fast, new life always to be celebrated, we have feast und talk! Voice of Great Tree wish to speak vith you too." Queen Ether spoke pony with very little accent, in a kind, soft tone and slight smile curling her tiny muzzle.

She clopped her forelegs together and a buzz of activity started from the gathered breezies, flittering off through the big chamber and down side passages, coming back in a parade of Sparkle Cola bottles, snack cakes, canned food, flowers, berries, and fruits, dishware and hotplates, setting up at the edges of the city and putting together a pony sized meal at their Queen's order.

I was still struggling to catch up when Glitter dove into me and Jade around me, squealing ecstatically. "Daddy! Isn't this awesome!? There's so many fairies!! There's even lots from different tribes, and a Queen! Mom says this is what Canterlot looked like, is it? It's so cool! They even play with me, Aunt Swan must hafta be reeeeally careful though, it's hard not smashing stuff like this! C'mon, try it with me! You can fit down the streets too! Mom can't though!"

Jade sputtered and blushed brightly, turning sheepishly to a crumbled shed at the edge of the central park that had a distinctly 'rump-shaped' impression cratering it. "Er... y-yes... It seems my sister Swan is a good deal more graceful than I am unfortunately. Terribly sorry again, at least it wasn't anyone's home! I have been quite content to sit still anyway..."

A prim cough from Queen Ether got everypony's attention again and at an arch of her brilliant blue eye Spring Gale fluttered over to land on my shoulder, hugging my face tightly and speaking up to my ear. "Queen decide fellow Follower of the Shy is not invader, vant make nice, be friends. I tell history of Breezie Nation tu Shroud Pony, Voice of Great Tree say yu help, ve ask. Come-come, dis way!"

"Umm... o-ok? Er... Jade, gotta lemme go a minute, not that I don't like wooo! t-that... but... w-what's going on here?"

Jade gave a reluctant whinny, but loosed her hold and let me carefully pick my way clear of her reaching hooves. I took an offered bottle of carroty Sparkle Cola and trailed after Gale leading me away from the city, towards the round walls of the room. I had to cautiously flutter my way up to go over the sprawling breezie city, pausing at Ivy and only starting to hyperventilate before she booped my nose.

(Go on Fast, do not pass out again. Honestly you are going to be a hooffull. Let it sink in and speak with our hosts, we have been unable to speak with the 'Great Tree' effectively without you, focus on your talents and we will have time to talk later.) Ivy sipped her tea as she answered, like a ventriloquist trick drinking and talking at once. The scent of the tea made me yelp and turn to Jade drinking her own in a panic.

"Tea!? B-But Ivy's... s-should she be drinking...that!?!"

"It is fiiiine Fast, Queen Ether assured me some time ago it is completely harmless! Very delicious too, you should have more and calm down, listen to our host's story, it is fascinating!" Jade tittered back and took another drink, waving me on and wiggling happily to herself.

My eye still twitched and I lunged forward into a hug with the nickering green mare, trying to do as she had telepathically soothed and let it sink in slowly. She was pregnant... we were in a tiny version of Canterlot and Ivy was going to have a baby... my baby... all perfectly sane... no problems...

(We are getting out of here as soon as possible Ivy, I don't care about anything else, we're getting you somewhere safe and... I'm happy ok, just freaked out, I'll get over it. I love you and I love that foal already, so I'm taking care of you, like it or not.) I looked into Ivy's shimmery green eyes sternly, hovering at her level before being scooped into a warm embrace and passionate kiss that kind of ruined any attempts to put my hoof down.

(I know. We both love you as well. We will have plenty of time to talk about it Fast, it will be fine. Remember, I'm not made of glass, nothing has really changed that much for now, be happy! Now go on, I'm interested in hearing this too.) Ivy wiped her cheek and beamed, releasing me with a soft nicker and nudging me on with a smack to my flank.

Glitter pranced along the streets below my weaving progress, skipping along as I landed as lightly as I could and followed Spring Gale to bright paintings making a mural coming up to my chest on the glittery, faceted walls. I looked up to the multiple levels above and took a better look at the breezies watching from the overgrown planters and railings, there were tattered banners over different sections and the breezies under each all seemed slightly different... Glitter said something about tribes?

Yes, there were differences... A large flock of them were dressed almost entirely in plants, pretty flower dresses and leafy tunics, thorny wooden spears and kind eyes. Opposite the upper level from these, were another group wearing furs and bones, skull helmets or stuffed hats of animal heads, these had more sizable weapons too, knives and rubber band crossbows among them.

A third most distinctive group was odd... wearing miniature security barding like Blowing Storm, like a doll sized version of what mom wore for Stable security. They also wore gleaming bits of golden armor that made them look far too much like a Cybreezie and carried the best weapons, tiny prods arcing with electricity, miniature magical energy spears and blades like Storm's scalpel, battlesaddles that carried derringer sized weapons.

Finally there was a cluster to the side that had my interest personally... These wore grease as a kind of warpaint or markings, had pale yellow jumpsuits with many pockets, under barding made of small gears and wire, little rods and snips of steel, wrenches small enough for them to carry as staffs and sharpened screwdrivers, helmets made of fuses and gems and little nuts worn as bangles. Gremlins... my people, repair-ponies... er... repair-breezies I guess.

They were all watching solemnly as I returned my attention to Gale, tapping at the painting on the wall I was forced to crouch down with Glitter to get a good look at. A tiny trail of breezie icons were depicted in a wavy line leading to the right, then a cluster of the little pictographs were shown being blown away from the line in a swirl. The next image was a picture of a young Fluttershy herself, a serene, closed eyed expression on her face, light yellow wings spread wide with beams of light radiating from her form, like she was an angel.

"Long, long ago, breezies get separated frum migration, lost in pony vorld vith no way home, ve saved by holy Fluttershy pony..." Gale trotted along with the paintings, forcing me to crawl after her to keep up on the way to the next.

Here were pictures of breezies and a stylized little cottage on a hilltop, a glowing spot in the sky looked like a narrow oval, barely showing shadows of breezie buildings on the other side that the uninterrupted wavy trail headed towards. "Breezies stay vith holy Fluttershy, she care for us, take us in vhen ve no able to go home."

Next was a picture of the hub, a vast, pale willow with rainbow colored fronds hanging down in a curtain, that's not what it looked like now though... The few breezies pictures before were now much more numerous, following in a train behind an image of Fluttershy with a little grey in her long pink mane, time had passed then. "Holy Fluttershy bring us tu new home in Commonvealth vhere ve be safe und have purpose."

Now the breezies were wearing cleaner, newer looking versions of some of the clothes I saw them in now. Little lab coats and striped nurses outfits, all bowing below the cross and butterfly mark of the Ministry of Peace. Images of the uniformed breezies helping the sick were scattered about, though each showed breezies blown aside or struggling in some way, fearfully cringing from big hooves, trying to lift heavy purple potions under the caring, sad gaze of Fluttershy reaching out to help from the left.

These images led right, to another picture of a radiant Fluttershy, her foreleg wrapped around the shoulder of a pale blue pegasus with a wild grey mane and big, swirly circles of thick glasses for eyes. A glowing golden potion was in his hoof, stamped with a tiny pictograph of a spread eagle pony in red. A bit crude but I had a good idea who that was...

"Ve try to help vhile ve vait for next migration many years, have more breezies und make life avay from home. It very hard doh, pony world too beeg, too dangerous. Holy Fluttershy very sad, vant vay for us to be safe und ve vant vay to help, have purpose. Here in Commonvealth, Fluttershy bring us Moby pony, he make magic tu help us!" Gale gave a low bow to the image of the pegasus before moving on, making me grit my teeth. The Institute... Moby... Mobius... The Institute 'helped' here...

The next images showed more breezies, going from tiny, smaller winged versions cringing in fear, to slightly larger ones with bigger wings standing up bravely. These did the same work shown before, but were depicted as much more successful, carrying the heavy potion without issue, flying freely without being blown away, a happy Fluttershy beaming proudly at their efforts.

"Moby pony make beeg magic, make us stronger, adapt tu pony world. Now ve help und have purpose, ve live in great tree und help sick und hurt ponies, help grow plants und care for animal friends, first King Sea Breeze proud!" She tapped her hoof on a blue and black breezie with a pink mane overseeing the others, though I didn't see a crown.

The now larger, stronger breezies pictured trailed off into a wavy line as the mural continued, heading towards a similar wavy line of the original breezie icons heading towards the glowing portal again, under the umbrella of white wings spread protectively against pictures of ponies and zebras fighting. Princess Celestia protected them on their course with Fluttershy beside her, her hooves held up to beg the fighting armies on either side of them. King Sea Breeze was at the lead of the fairy breezies, but the spread legs and wings of the other trail spoke of being held back, stopped...

Spring Gale's face darkened as she covered this one, sticking her nose up at the trail of smaller breezies and bowing to the black and blue King. "Next migration finally come thanks to beeg help from Holy Fluttershy und Princess pony like yur Princess Jade. Ve vant to go back, but old breezies no like us no more, say we tainted by pony war, beeger and stronger than them, no more welcome home...."

Glitter stamped her hooves and snorted beside me angrily, glaring at the smaller breezies turning the fairies away. "That's not fair! Those fairies suck!"

Gale brightened at her defense and patted her head before moving to the next image, a picture of the radiant Fluttershy and the bigger Princess Celestia placing a crown on King Sea Breeze's cloudy pink mane, a throng of his new fairy breezies circling and bowing around the first monarch. "Holy Fluttershy get idea doh, she ask Princess tu make King Sea Breeze... er King... ve stay, ve vork, ve live with ponies, not so bad. Ve still alive, dey probably all dead..."

The pictures next in the sequence were the largest so far, going all the way up to my eye level in a mushroom shaped cloud of green flame and destruction, I didn't need Gale to tell me the story here... I saw it. The Last Day... The next image made me freeze and stare in shock anyway, paying close attention as Gale explained.

"Beeg booms come, ve hide in deep dark like Fluttershy vanted. Hide many, many moons, untill Great Tree say ok tu come out again."

The deep dark she pointed at is what got me... The rough painting was mostly black, showing the dim outlines of roots all around, but the central image was very, very familiar... A large, gear shape of grey, yellow numbers at the center of it reading; 95.5...

"Wait, a Stable!?! You went in a Stable?! 95... and a half? What the hell?!"

"Oh yes, yu know old name for deep dark! Yes, is vhere ve hid, down in deep with ARC. Yu leesten doh, not done vith story time!" Gale tutted and moved on to the next pictures, giving me a moment to puzzle over the big image.

At the top was the MoP hub as it was now, pale from top to bottom, the roots stretched down to the dark and the gear shaped wedge of light that numerous breezie icons were flying up from. In the darkness outside this shaft of light, snarling from the roots and chasing the breezies away, were the twisted forms of breezidores being held back by gleaming gold and jeweled Cybreezies acting as guards.

"Great Tree say ok to come back up, we leave deep dark. Have tu run frum Fallen... dose ve leave behind on Last Day turn to monsters, infest tree und forest, only because of Great Tree we escape tu new home."

Finally there was mural of the western woods and the MoP hub at the top, superimposed over the pale tree was a simple image of the miniature city behind us. The small icons of hundreds of breezies were plastered all around it, spreading out into the grounds outside and the woods, spreading growing plants in their wake and gently pushing animals into the wild. Squinting at it closely, I could see some of the breezies in different areas were given unique depictions, small foreign symbols marked these. Taking another look up at the gallery around us, I saw some of the banners matched the icons there, different tribes... Surrounding all of it were shadowy threats, breezidores, bloatsprites, miretanks, and ponies... lots of wicked looking ponies.

"Ve continue work of holy Fluttershy, use ARC und Moby's research to make plantys grow again, heal woods, care for animuls, follow path of de Shy. Ponies come sometimes, but no can get in und we scare off, minotaurs come und hunt, but dey respect nature so we leave alone. But now yu invade, get in vhen no one else did, bring bad soldiers from old times..." As Gale finished her story, I could hear a rising chatter from the gathered breezies, they weren't happy about that last part...

"Bad soldiers... you mean the Brotherhood? Where are they anyway? and the rest of my friends! Where's Val an Witchy an Zed? What'dya want helps with too? Somethin' bout the 'Voice of the Great Tree' wantin' mee?" I slurred and wove my way back to Jade carefully, rubbing my head and trying to think clearly with little success, made harder by the big blue alicorn immediately glomming on to me and returning to her nuzzling affection.

"Oh they are fiiiiine Fast! I asked of course! Queen Ether has been kind enough to send her subjects off to fetch them, not the Brotherhood though, they can just sit right where they are as far as I am concerned. I would not expose my darling hosts to such military minded ponies! I had been getting concerned about you and Glitter... but now you are here to cuddle! I see no reason to be bothered now. Everything is woooonderful!"

"Here, taste! They make delicious little confections of their own! I've been taxing their gracious bakers since I arrived, but they assure me they are happy to make nutritious snacks for a mare in my.... oops! Allllmost ruined the surprise! N-Nothing! Try one!" Jade huffed and continued sipping her tea with a blushing giggle, I'd never seen her intoxicated before but she certainly seemed to like nectar. More interesting was what she was trying (poorly) to cover up, she was never much of a liar... Trying to go back over her burbling speech was hard though...

Queen Ether tapped her tiny golden spoon of a scepter for attention and spoke in a fairly ringing voice for such a small set of pipes, addressing all the gathered breezies. "Now den, ve decide vat to do. Ve like Follower Princess and she is royalty like great Princess Tia what help us long ago, so we agree to be friends yes?"

The squeaky chorus of 'Yes!' in return was broken up a little in the direction of the tribe in security barding and the ones in leathers, but strong from the others and the overwhelming winner, so that was a relief... The Queen continued regally once it settled down, waving out to the hallways stretching off into the hub to the east. "Good, good, ve bring Princess' retinue here, have feast! And now ve decide what to do about soldier ponies... Dey wear armor of past, bringers of war and bombs, you Shroud Fast, you say why you bring bad soldiers."

"Er... what? Oh... ummmm, well, they really wanted to come to the hub and I felt bad for them? I kinda... blew up something they wanted recently. They're not bad really, they're trying to do good I think. Though seeing all you guys living here... It's probably not a good idea for them to figure out how to get in, they're kinda bad about just deciding important old world places belong to them. I don't think they know though, we stumbled on a back door really so I wouldn't worry that much. I'll explain and tell them not to bother you and..."

The chatter in the room rose and the Queen called for quiet again in interruption, stroking her long antenna in thought. "Hmmm...You think they come back, want to get in and take home? There more of them? Armies like bad times? Hmmm... is bad then, maybe Securi-tribe right and we must put to sleepy... very sad."

A cheer rose up from the breezies in security barding, making me yelp as I puzzled that out. "Put to sleep!? H-Hold on! They're not bad! I don't think you need to go that far! Can't we work something out? Just let em go?"

In answer, Queen Ether fluttered down from her balcony and pointed to the glowing terminal screen built into her palace below, a self assured look on her small face of a leader whose plan was working out well, despite the bickering of her subjects. "You want save? They threat to Breezie Nation though, Princess tell us all about 'Brotherhood' ponies, they is everything Holy Fluttershy no like, they cannot come here and take home. You do us favor, we let go maybe though... You talk to Great Tree for us, help it, we help you."

Jade blinked in confusion over me, tilting her head cutely and seeming to realize they were going off her complaints about the military group to pass a death sentence. "W-Wait! No! I did not mean... I do not care for the Brotherhood, that does not mean you should... I am biased and merely grousing! They should not come here no.... but... F-Fast?"

The helplessness on her face helped me fight through the fog of nectar still clouding my thoughts, my Princess needed me to be clever somehow, do what they wanted and get out of this... "A-Alright, I'll talk to the Great Tree ok? How do you want us to help? What do you want?" As soon as I said 'help' I could feel another 'mission' just waiting... Everywhere we went it was never simple, my pip-buck seemed to delight in pointing out and keeping track of all the things others wanted in return for what we needed.

I had to fight my way loose of Jade's tightening grasp as she panicked, stumbling across the tiny park to the looming palace and waiting screen, finding a well disguised pip-buck port hidden in the bark and patching into it, while the Queen hovered nearby. "No know. Great Tree is sick, been worse since the skies clear, don't know how to talk to it right. Great Tree say you do though, say you... ummm.... 'Ministry level repair-pony' and want to talk to you. You talk to Tree, find out what it needs, help. You help us, we help Princess with Follower stuff, we like that."

'Follower stuff' must have been what Jade had been cheerily discussing this whole time, having a little tea party under the image of the Ministry Mare that she admired almost as much as this famous Velvet Remedy she truly adored. Fluttershy's serene face looked down as text started filling my vision and I dove into the advanced maneframe. I nodded and wiped the cold sweat from my brow to get to work, usually my computer skills weren't quite so life and death...

"R-Right then, let me see what I can see ok? No problem..."

.......AUTHENTICATING.... EXTERNAL DEVICE HOOFSHAKE COMPLETE, USER FAST TIME RECOGNIZED....

MINISTRY OF MORALE REPAIR CREDENTIALS RECOGNIZED....
UPDATING AUTHORIZED USER DATABASE... ADDING NEW USER... ACCESS GRANTED...

WELCOME REPAIR-PONY FAST TIMES - BADGER LEVEL CLEARANCE...

CRITICAL REPAIRS REQUIRED------

WATER TALISMANS OPERATING AT 12% EFFICIENCY....
INSUFFICIENT SUPPLEMENTAL WATER INTAKE = 7.3 YEARS
LIQUID RAINBOW POWER SUPPLY UNAVAILABLE = 198.4 YEARS
FOREIGN CONTAMINANT POWER SUPPLY UNTENABLE = PURGE REQUIRED
BLIGHT INVASION = 38% OF MOP HUB
STABLE 95.5 POWER SUPPLY FAILURE = RADIATION CONTAMINATION

REPAIR-PONY FAST TIMES -

FIX ME...

--------------------------------Level Up!-------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------

Flower Child---------
---Far out... Getting repeatedly dosed with breezie nectar has given you a greater tolerance to groovy drugs of all kinds! With this perk, you are 50% less likely to be addicted to chems and the withdrawal time is half that of a normal pony.

Reputation Change!----------------

Breezie Nation---Accepted
----The Queen of the Fairy Breezies is a fellow Follower of the Apocalypse apparently! Thanks to Jade's tea party, they're already amenable to becoming allies and working together, so you're well on your way to making new friends. Not that an army of tiny breezies seems like a good combat force to help in your fight... but you'll take what you can get at this point.

Ch. 81-- Don't Poke at the Mare!

New Radio Station Detected....

Bzzzt.... "Hello out there everypony, this is Radio Friendship, on the air from Castle Equinox and bringing together the Commonwealth! I'm your sorta-DJ and communications officer with the Minutemares, Dulcet Tones, here to be the voice of the Kingdom of Sanctuary and explain what this new station on your radio dial is all about!

Since our wonderful Princess is out there braving the wasteland to make things better, getting in touch with her can be difficult, so send your requests for help in to any Minutemare or Follower of the Apocalypse and we'll broadcast them so she and the rest of us know who needs a helping hoof. Of course Princess Jade and her Knight are busy 'fighting the good fight' as my comrade in broadcast DJ Pon3 would say, so you might not get a royal response, but we're betting there's always somepony willing to answer a call for help if they know about it! Tune in to hear all the ways we can be better together, who knows, maybe you can help somepony who needs it out there!

Now, for our inaugural broadcast, let's turn it over to the mare who got this old communications tower working again! One of our newest Minutemares has a very special message for the Princess and a certain Shrouded Stallion, wherever they are. Give a warm welcome to Lt. Summer Wind! Summer?"

"O-Oh! Umm... yeah, t-talk here right? Ok... So, er.... hi guys! I umm... sorta took you up on your offer and came to the castle to find you, but I've been told you're all still out and nopony knows exactly where. Not that I'd say if I knew, broadcasting your location on the open airwaves doesn't seem that smart, along with other stuff, so I'll have to be a little cryptic I guess, but... it's important ok?"

"You're probably wondering why I ended up leaving... w-who I was with before... That group is probably on their way to you now, the other Lieutenant you sent back gave her report to the Elder and Captain, along with the data from a certain er... doctor's office... A-Anyway, some of what they got from those old computers put them in a tizzy and ended up with a mutual friend of ours going on the run. I still don't know what to make of it myself, but Dance is in trouble Fast. He disappeared and I was already viewed with a little suspicion and doubting my place, so I followed his lead and... h-here I am."

"I'm fine, so don't worry! Onyx and the other Fixer's here are all great and have made me feel really welcome! I thought about heading out with General Gardens, but considering who else is on the way, I thought me being there might make things worse. Jeez... I really wish I could talk to you guys directly, just... maybe you can ask your guests about our friend when they get there? I'm worried about him and hope he's ok. If you're listening too Dance... I don't care what they say or what you are, you're my friend. T-Take care of yourself, all of you. Come back soon too, things have been happening here you should know about. I understand there's a few others trying to get ahold of you too, but they're waiting here stubbornly for now. Er... back to you Dulcet?"

"Thanks Lieutenant, that was great. Summer Wind everybody, glad the mare who got us running got to be the first to put out a call! Now then, we don't want to have this station just be my jabbering all day and night, but we don't want to compete with friend of the Kingdom DJ Travellin' Miles either. Luckily our cleanup here at Castle Equinox has turned up quite the collection of soothing songs fit for a royal ball, so here's Octavia live from a royal performance right here at Castle Equinox!"

Mission Added: Blind Betrayal

Objectives------
---Ask the Brotherhood about Star Paladin Dance

Shaking free of the stupor I had been frozen in while listening to the strange broadcast and staring at the text in my vision, I finished slotting in the final fuse into the rusty fairgrounds power relay, from where it had been hovering since the initial notification from my pip-buck caught my attention.

At first I was just listening along happily, thinking it was a really smart idea they had come up with back at the castle. We weren't exactly easy to get in contact with after all, having a line to the Minutemares would keep us abreast of things going on along with Miles and DJ Pon3's regular news updates. When Summer's voice came on though, I was transfixed, curiosity turning to real worry.

I quickly gathered my tools back up and trotted out of the small maintenance shed hidden away towards the back of the large fairgrounds, noting absently the flickering lights coming back to life under the open shelters and number of Wingstream trailers ahead.

The rust proof aluminum trailers weren't quite as nice as the accommodations back in Salt Lick, but us staying out here in between the mines and the town was important, so we had been making the best of it. We couldn't be seen as taking one side over another, even if I'd gladly betray a bit of bias on the side of soft beds.

The fanciest of them wasn't a wingstream but an ornate wooden gypsy wagon, which had belonged to the pony in charge of the traveling rodeo at the fairgrounds when the world went to hell, who was fortunately quite a large stallion apparently. He was a match for Jade's stature by the variety of moldy pictures we had dug up, not to mention the enormous skeleton clutching a picture of three familiar looking fillies that we respectfully put to rest, meaning Jade and I weren't too cramped over the last day and a half. Glitter took a liking to his ratty old cowpony hat too, so she got a gift out of our compromise living arrangements at least.

A little rearranging things put us out of the way of the areas previously used by the minotaurs and ponies of Salt Lick, several of the trailers now spread out in a semi circle around the large crater in the wide, fenced lot that had come to be known as 'Swan's Pond' rather quickly. If the crudely painted wooden sign Glitter happily made announcing such wasn't enough, the eponymous filly herself doing the backstroke in the chilly water as I passed made it clear.

"Fast! Are you done working now? Swim with me! It's not as good as my pond back home, but this is nice!" Swan splashed water at me playfully as I trotted towards the central trailer ahead and the crowd of ponies, minotaurs and hellhounds milling around it.

"Sorry Swan, later ok? I just heard something I need to tell your sister about..." I answered absently, flapping up a few feet to scan over the heads of the crowd for Jade.

Swan pouted and spewed a stream of tingly water in a fountain from her puffed up cheeks, nickering her annoyance. "Always later! You're no fun, when are we going back to the fairies' tree and all the radiation you promised Fast? I'm all tiny again and I want to play!"

Still craning my neck for Jade, I sighed and tried to placate the increasingly impatient alicorn. I got a reprieve from Swan claiming her prize immediately since we both needed a day to heal and rest, but burning through all the radiation she had absorbed not only put her back in perfect health, it put her back at Jade's size and antsy to get going to remedy that. I had promised somewhere with lots of rads to make her happy, which had been enough for her exercise a little restraint and patience, but it was rapidly wearing thin.

"I know Swan, soon, I promise. Our friends are on their way here, they can take over playing peacemaker for us and we'll go back to the Ministry of Peace. You can even teleport us back now that you've been, that will save time huh? I'm sorry we've been so busy and I've been too worn out to... er.... a-anyway, umm... t-tonight alright? Let me go talk to Jade so we can be ready to go as soon as possible."

There she was, sitting in her usual spot in front of our temporary housing, on a rickety 'throne' of lawn furniture, with our daughter and her royal guard Witchy flanking her, a pair of breezie siblings perched on her crown, along with Icepaw and Steelfist on either side. Acting as mediator between the White Legs and the residents of Salt Lick looked like it had been taking it out of her, but she worked long and hard despite her discomfort, patiently listening to the complaints of both sides as they came up and helping them reach compromises.

Neither group was going to really like the other anytime soon, but everyone was actually making an effort. A lot of arguing had established what areas of the mines were now the exclusive domain of the White Legs and what were available to the Salt Lick miners. Rates of exchange for the hellhounds' work in digging up the salt had been agreed upon. Common laws and punishment for the two groups in line with Sanctuary's rules were accepted. Overall it had been going well, considering they had been at each other's throats just a little more than 24 hours ago.

Waiting for her to finish dealing with a peach colored mare and a sandy blonde hellhound arguing about price gouging, I checked my pip-buck for locator tags. There was Preston's mark, finally leaving Jamocha Plains and heading our way. Periwinkle's mark had split off from his however, heading north towards Hexington and Sanctuary beyond for some reason. I wondered how the earth pony Minutemare was making such good time without her to fly him this way. After checking their progress, a quick look for Summer Wind's tag showed her at Castle Equinox, just like she had said on the radio. I finished by checking on Ivy again as I did frequently, relieved to see her still in Goodneighbor with her orphans.

Getting tackled by a pale filly effectively ended my staring at the map on my leg, returning Glitter's overenthusiastic hug and smiling up at her mother trotting over wearily. Even though she was everything I thought a Princess should be, and that opinion was obviously shared by plenty of others, Jade still didn't like being the center of attention.

Joining in an embrace with us relieved some of the tension putting bags under her beautiful blue eyes and she sighed softly. "I believe that is all of the 'emergencies' for the next hour or so dear, thanks to Glitter's expert skills in defusing a few standoffs. I do hope Preston arrives soon with reinforcements, what we really need here is more hooves on the ground and to get them to listen to someone other than myself."

I disentangled myself first, trotting to Jade's seated back and rubbing her tight shoulders to her purrs of contentment before adding more stress. "I think he should be here soon, Cocoa must have kept him busy awhile, but he's on the way. I er... heard something interesting on the radio too..."

"Oh? I noticed some type of notification a few minutes ago, the furious battle over the public marking of territory distracted me however. Something good I hope?" Jade kept her eyes closed and leaned back in relief, being stubbornly optimistic and not sounding like she wanted to hear anything to the contrary.

Well, nothing Summer had said was really bad per se, just a little concerning. Best to stick with the positives, I was supposed to deal with the potential negatives as her faithful knight. "Ummm... Yeah, basically. Our friends back at the castle got the communications equipment working again, that's what the new radio station is. I wanted to fix that though..."

Mock pouting got a tinkling giggle out of her that sounded like it helped, she turned around to give me a soft, smiling kiss as Glitter stuck her tongue out and retreated. "You wish to fix everything, do you not Fast? I am sure letting others attend to some repairs cannot be so bad. Why do we need a radio station though? Miles does a fine job, and we have DJ Pon3 available for news from the wider world now."

"It's actually pretty smart, I'm hoping they'll repeat the whole spiel so you can hear, but it's a way to let people know who needs help. Plus they can get messages to us wherever we are, since we're kinda all over the place. Summer fixed it for us, so I guess I don't mind not getting to do it that much. She's a Minutemare now, cool huh?"

Jade stood suddenly and pranced in place in a little squealing dance with Glitter, a wide, beaming smile shared between them that looked to re-energize her, only tempered with contemplative concern as she thought it through. "Scribe Wind? How wonderful! Oh I do look forward to seeing her again, I had hoped she would seriously consider her thought of joining us! But... wait... that would mean she has left the Brotherhood? Oh dear, that must have been difficult for her, I do hope she is alright... I wish we could see her, but I assume she is at the castle to have stolen that particular repair task away from you? Hmm... if only we could talk back, though I do agree using a radio station in that way is very clever. Ah! We shall send her a letter, there is a Red Rocket station in Jamocha Plains. We will have to collect Miss Latte when the Brotherhood arrives, I will..."

While I was glad to see her looking up, I had to press a hoof lightly to her soft lips to slow her down. After dealing with bickering hellhounds and minotaurs all day, she got a little too wrapped up in good news. "She was a little vague on the why, but it sounds like we may get to ask the Brotherhood soon, she said they should be on the way hon. Preston should get here in an hour or two, so we'll need to hurry up and be ready to go as soon as we can. Are Icepaw and Steelfist still willing to cooperate?"

Turning back to the gruff pair of leaders, Jade nodded with an exasperated snort. "As much as they are capable of... They have both committed to joining us at the hub for our conference with the others at least. Though I am afraid it may take some time before we are able to leave, convincing everyone to listen to my replacement here will take some time after they arrive and have been selected, not to mention informing them adequately of the complicated truce here so they may act as an informed mediator."

Swan had sullenly come out from her pond, shaking the icy water from her coat briskly and giving a frustrated snort at her sister. "I don't waaaanna stay anymore! This is boring sister! You keep making me wait and there's not even any more fighting here! I want..."

While what Swan wanted was never really in doubt, she stopped abruptly before voicing it again, drawing my attention to whatever could have interrupted her. Spotting the tiny speck she was crossing her blue-violet eyes to track landing on her nose, I was curious why a little snowflake could bring such a sour look spreading on her face.

Glitter only noticed the flurries spattering to the muddy ground and melting immediately, prancing about and trying to catch them on her tongue with glee. "Snow! Mom! Dad! Lookit the snow! It's snowin'! Yay!! Let's make a snow pony, an have a snowball fight, an make snow angels, an..."

"I do not think we will see much accumulation dear, though the first snowfall is magical nonetheless. Let us take it as a good omen hmm? We will leave as soon as possible sister, we cannot let your hard won victory go to waste however." Jade smiled to our daughter and tried to soothe Swan, picking up on the pensive look the normally happy alicorn was now wearing along with me.

Quite a few people nearby were pointing out the light flurries too and generally enjoying it, Swan didn't look happy at all though. Her ears drooped and she hid under her long pink mane, muttering back somberly. "Whatever... I just wanna go."

"Umm... Swan? You ok? You don't look so good all of the sudden, something wrong?"

Looking back up to my question for a moment, Swan floated up her bag and clothing and turned to leave, answering over her shoulder quietly. "I hate snow almost as much as being tiny, tell me when we can leave already."

The three of us watched her trudge off in confusion, her annoyance and impatience were expected, especially after being forced to wait another day for her wounds from battling Icepaw to heal. I'd never really heard her sound so sad before though, her behavior over a little snow was as mysterious as her insistence on remaining supercharged as much as possible.

Jade sighed worriedly and nuzzled my cheek, concern clear in her tired voice. "P-Perhaps we have pushed my sister's patience too far. I think Swan deserves some a-attention when we have the time. Could you see if you can find out what that was all about Fast? You still have things you need to do back in the hub, do you not? After Preston arrives, I believe it may be good for you to ask Swan to teleport you back and begin your work, before the Brotherhood arrives. One of us should be there just in case they get there early and..."

I gulped at the missive, watching Glitter galloping around with several kids, colts, fillies, minotaur calves and even hellhound pups, all playing together in the flurries that seemed to bother Swan so much. With her out of earshot, I shyly addressed what would normally be Swan's sole focus and my own concern at the implied permission.

"Er... a-attention... as in... that? W-Without you?"

Jade smiled demurely and raised a brow over her lidded eyes, giving a soft giggle. "She has been kept waiting and you have both exercised restraint. I do not doubt my sister understands my place, whether I am there or not hmm? For the time being however, I am comfortable allowing you to reward my sister while I am otherwise occupied, I believe Glitter should have no problems remaining behind with so much excitement as well. I know you value your privacy dear, you should take the opportunity before the hub becomes so busy. Do not tell me you are having second thoughts? Admirable self control aside, I do catch you staring from time to time Fast..."

"Eep! Er... n-no, I still umm... w-want to and all... It's just weird without you the first time Jade. I want to share stuff like that with you, p-playing with Swan might be fun, but it means a lot more with you too. I love you Jade, you're first in my heart, always."

Occasionally I happened to stumble on the right thing to say, on those rare occasions I always felt the same sense of relief and pride for not screwing things up with my mouth. That infrequent sensation rushed up now when Jade turned a rosy pink and dove forward into a long kiss, sniffling slightly as she broke it off and spoke breathlessly. "And I love you as well Fast. I am not instructing you to t-throw yourself at her either you know, you merely have my permission if it comes up. Normally I would view that with certainty, but she did seem rather upset. That is the attention you should pay her first and foremost, if anything... e-else comes up, I will not be disappointed or feel left out."

"Right! Of course Jade, that's what I was worrying about too. I never hear her sad like that, so I'll do my best to find out what the deal is. Being with you too makes everything better, so if just talking will work, I'll go with that. Er.. not that talking is really my strong suite, but I'll try!"

Nuzzling each other in the light snow, Jade's sultry laugh sent a shiver down my spine. "Oh, you are surprisingly silver tongued when you wish to be... You are quite talented at making those around you feel loved and willing to open up to you at any rate, that kind of care is most likely what my sister needs. I do find it special to share such things with you as well after all. Perhaps when our current labors are behind us, the three of us could find a bit of time together, that could be rather e-enjoyable... "

Giving a joking leer up to the love of my life and waggling my eyebrows, I couldn't resist tickling her while teasing a bit. "Or more than just the three of us... Peri may still show up, and Ivy will come back here if we pull this off, sharing is caring you know, I bet it'd be even moooore enjoyable huh?"

Jade turned an adorable neon red and gave me a shove that sent me flying back to Swan's pond, clenching her eyes shut as she got flustered at the joke and tapping her hooves together nervously, "Fast! Y-Y-You are i-incorrigble! R-Really, m-m-more than... h-how would... w-we could not... c-could we? Fast?" Her look of curiosity when she opened her eyes was replaced by confusion and alarm, not finding me where I had been before her strong shove. "Fast? W-Where did you go?"

Sputtering and splashing to the surface, I grinned sheepishly up to her. "Still here! I deserved that... worth it though! You look way too cute when you get all worked up like that honey!"

Jade tried to save face, snorting and sticking her nose up, trotting off quickly to hide the rosy smile and not entirely succeeding at masking her giggles. If nothing else, she looked a lot better and more ready to face Icepaw tromping over with yet another complaint clear on his shaggy face.

The huge hellhound paused and watched me shaking myself dry. "Why fake Shadow Pony go swimming too? No time for playing, have more questions about pony talky thing with fairies."

Jade scooped Glitter up before she could dash over to me dripping in the mud, rolling her eyes and turning her attention to the hellhound leader. "My t-terrible husband merely needed to c-cool off a bit Mr. Icepaw. He will be leaving shortly for the Breezie Nation, to prepare for our 'conference' there. I would be happy to continue answering whatever questions you have."

The intimidating hellhound leader joined Glitter in staring at me curiously, their puzzled looks making me turn a red to match Jade as he tilted his head and shrugged. "Ponies silly people..."

The weather didn't worsen while we busily worked, though it didn't improve either and neither did Swan's mood. As the flurries dusted the mountains, the ruins of Salt Lick and the hills and fairgrounds between, the mysterious filly retreated to one of the trailers and refused to come out, leaving us to keep doing as much as we could before moving on.

We all accompanied Jade to the mines, an especially nerve wracking trip underground with a pack of hellhounds surrounding us. They were well behaved now, or at least not trying to kill us... though I was very glad Witchy stuck close to Jade and looked ready to belt out a screech at any moment.

Jade treated the numerous wounded hellhounds the same as she had the residents of Salt Lick, prescribing stern orders for after she left and carefully noting the medicines, food and supplies the White Legs would need. After getting over viewing them as furry murder machines, it was easier to see she had been right up close, they were just people. Dangerous, grouchy, non-pony people, but people nonetheless.

It was hard not to feel empathy for them after getting a good look at what they had been through, meeting those who were too hurt or weak to join in the attack on Salt Lick, seeing more of them than just that poor example. Many were painfully thin, their pilgrimage to the north hadn't been easy and Jade had assigned Glitter to haggling for food from the village for them immediately.

Salt Lick and the residents there were still a little sour faced, but a full day with no more fighting and no more buildings crashing to the lake had improved their mood a bit. Only a hooffull of them knew what their chieftan had got up to at the fight, and they were keeping quiet, though they were also gently nudging their fellows into accepting the situation, made easier as many of them were community leaders in their own right.

Steelfist was still Chief, but it was agreed by the small group in the know that he would gradually step down, helping his successor Sledge to fill his shoes over time. The explanation for the rest of the town that Sledge was a perfect choice to lead the town in this new era was going over well, imbuing many of the ponies and minotaurs with a sense of hope and novelty for change, a new town needed a new chief to go a new way.

Though the old chief would require a long time to adjust, let alone accept his new neighbors, Steelfist was honestly repentant, which smoothed over things. There were still roles for him to play, among them had been his volunteering to lead the band of minotaurs on our dangerous plan of corralling the monsters from the Glowing Sea. Both he and Sledge would attend our little conference with the other groups we were trying to gather from the southern Commonwealth, but Steelfist was taking the riskier parts himself to atone for nearly blowing up quite a few of us.

All of us were running ourselves ragged zipping between the mines and Salt Lick, fixing things, helping where we could and mending fences. So we were quite relieved to see a familiar Equestrian Air Guard troop transport gliding down from the twilight skies. The vehicle recovered from Fort Loyalty had been given a rough paint job of a blue that matched Jade's coat and bore the crossed rifle and lightning bolt of the Minutemares, coming in for a landing in the fairgrounds where Val directed when she went up to meet it.

The sight for sore eyes disembarking from the prewar military vehicle was expected and welcome, though the pony pulling the cart for Preston and the number of Minutemares and Followers of the Apocalypse piling out after him was a surprise. A hulking, yellow-green mutant alicorn had drifted down on his tiny wings, pawing the snow dusted ground and looking over to me when he spotted me, giving a crooked, toothy grin.

"Strong? Er... Hi! H-How's it going big guy?" I puzzled over the big mutant unhitching himself and stomping over behind Preston, his own jaunty Minutemare hat looked a little undersized on Strong's big, square head, but identified him as not just another one of the Institute's twisted creations.

"Hello little Shroud pony, Strong learn tings about friendship like say with weak Minutemare ponies, fight tough enemies, make Strong stronger. Strong like." Strong's gravelly voice slurred happily, he had added a missile launcher to his minigun battlesaddle over his tan duster, attracting a bit of attention from the locals still helping in the fairgrounds.

Preston paused to take a look around and confer with Val, barking orders to his dozen or more troops to spread out and get to work before ambling up with a wide smile. He had to rear up to clap Strong on the back proudly, apparently having no problem with his strange soldier. Actually, the more I looked, the more I realized none of them seemed that put out by Strong, he was viewed as just another member out of an increasingly eclectic group.

I spotted a pair of zebras moving briskly to unload supplies from the transport, one dressed as a Minutemare, the other wearing a lab coat and medical box saddlebags of the Followers. Their eager smiles weird to see after getting used to Zed's normally stern face, though the zebra fillies would still be easier on the eyes than him, even if wearing a matching expression. A ghoul here and there set out to put up tents with practiced ease along with all the living ponies too, and a middle aged mule ran herd on several of the younger Followers recruits to follow Preston's orders rapidly.

The leader of the Minutemares beamed at us, flipping his funny hat up to hold to his chest as he knelt and kissed Jade's hoof, to her blushing whinny and the awed stares of his troops. I got a hoofshake that threatened to send me staggering, Preston's natural earth pony strength overwhelming my own as he chortled at his mutant driver. "Strong here's been a big help Fast, thanks for recruiting him!"

"N-N-No P-Problem-m-m..." I stuttered as he kept right on shaking me briskly, finally releasing me to straighten my hat before it fell off and continue, trying to put up a good image for all the troops peeking at us as we worked, especially when I noticed young Lt. True Blue blushing in Preston's wake. "Good to see you again Preston, glad you could make it! Glad to see Strong is doing ok too. I was a little worried at the reception he might get, being... er... like he is."

Preston laughed heartily and tipped his hat with a wink. "Minutemares ain't picky Fast, you know that. The Princess would be mighty disappointed in us if we discriminated against anybody that wanted to help, so we take all kinds!"

Jade smiled softly and spoke in a clear, ringing voice for all the Minutemares flicking reverent looks her way. "I am very glad to hear it Preston, we all must work together, bring our diverse strengths and knowledge to bear in the spirit of friendship. It makes me quite proud to see so many volunteers from so many groups. I daresay you may even convince a hellhound or minotaur here to join at the rate you are going, that would be wonderful!"

"I think you may like it here too Strong, the folks that live in these parts are all really tough, so you might enjoy helping out here, Swan likes it anyway and she's really tough too. Nice to see you too Miss Blue, I see you decided to stick with Preston and help out here instead of going back to the city?"

The light blue filly I met in Trotson blushed brighter, smiling and shaking her head rapidly behind Preston, sending her light brown mane fluttering. "Yes sir! Y-You said it was my choice and I c-could see you again if I helped General Gardens! I appreciate the promotion, but it's really exciting expanding the Minutemares here and helping! Plus I get to meet the Princess! I-It's an honor your highness! I'll do my best to help out here, wherever you need me!"

Jade tilted her head at the awestruck filly, looking between her obvious, blushing hero worship and me, then slowly curling a wing over me before replying kindly. "Y-Yes... That is excellent Miss Blue, my Fast told me of meeting you in that awful raider den, I thank you for your clear devotion to the cause... There will be many assignments in this area for you to choose from hopefully, I am sure you will do well wherever you decide to help."

Preston gave a knowing grin and spoke up, interrupting Jade's tiny tinge of jealousy with a laugh. "You got that right Princess, between here, Jamocha Plains, Summerset Plantation and this hub we're supposed to head to, I had to send off for reinforcements from up north! You guys have been busy! True Blue here's a good trooper, good call with the promotion Fast, we could use a hundred more like her. Not that we don't have plenty of good folks now though, sent your sister Peri up to Sanctuary and one of our new griffon recruits out to Goodneighbor. Give us a day or two and we'll be ready to do what needs to be done down this way."

Glitter excitedly dashing out to greet True Blue further helped soothe the big blue Princess at my side, relaxing her grip on me slightly and turning to Val prowling over suspiciously at Preston's last statement. Val had been amusing herself squawking orders at Minutemares and Followers alike, abusing her authority as Jade's Captain of the Guard. Hearing Preston mention other griffons joining the group got her attention however.

"Ya been checkin' them out proper Preston? Ain't got no Gunners numbers on their flanks or runnin' off in the middle of the night are they? Could be spies..." Val narrowed her violet eyes and flicked Preston's hat, grumbling and rubbing her scarred flank subconsciously.

"We can't exactly do background checks Val, though Mayor Shamrock has passed on quite a few warnings about potential spies, but none of them were griffons. We've got an old Minutemare from way back in the old days that came back when she heard we took the castle keeping an eye out just in case. Ronnie Claw's a free agent griffon just like you, you'd all like her, she even came up with a contract to offer that covers our bases against working with the enemy. They're mostly from the city or Magpie Roost." Preston answered smoothly, trying to assuage Val's valid if paranoid concerns.

She didn't look entirely convinced, but her eyes widened a bit on the name of the griffon Minutemare he mentioned. Instead of pressing the issue, Val crossed her claws over her feathered chest and muttered to herself. "Still checkin' em out when we get back... Least ya ain't totally naive no more though Preston, worried yer bleedin' heart nonsense might bite ya in the butt again. Nice ta see ya learned a little better, got my claws full keepin' an eye out for Blue and the boss when it comes ta that stuff."

Jade rolled her eyes and huffed with a smile, trotting between the two and their ongoing battle between practicality and principles. "And we do so appreciate your efforts to save us from ourselves Valkyrie... Now then, we have a great deal to do and not much time. Before we get too busy and Fast returns them home with my sister while we get to work however, I would like to introduce you to the Kingdom of Sanctuary's other new allies Preston. It is alright you two, this is the fine General of the Minutemares I spoke to you about."

At that Jade lowered her head in a slight bow before Preston's curious expression, putting her costume tiara near his eye level so he could get a good look at the pair of breezies peeking past the silvery jewelery. They had both been getting more comfortable coming out where they could be seen, but strangers and crowds were still enough to make them disappear like magic.

Spring Gale and Blowing Storm had heard plenty about Preston however, the leader of the Minutemares on their way to help defend their home from outside threats had garnered a lot of interest. Gale fluttered out of Jade's mane first, sketching a polite midair bow and holding a tentative hoof out in greeting. "Yu iz Preston pony? Meenute-mare pony? Yu help breezie nation deal vith beeg pony world like Princess say?"

Preston's brown eyes widened in wonder, reaching up slowly to return Gale's hoofbump and looking down at his own hoof afterwards, as if convincing himself that yes, he really had touched a fairy. To his credit, Preston shook it off quickly enough and nodded back proudly. "Y-Yeah that's me alright... Er... Preston Gardens little miss, pleased to meet you. The Minutemares are here to help, we serve at the Princess' pleasure so you can take what she's told you to the bank. It's our honor to help defend your home and we can't wait to assist your efforts in joining the Commonwealth at large."

Gale smiled brightly hovering in front of Preston's wonderstruck face, groaning when her more militant brother zipped out and circled the Minutemare rapidly in a quick inspection, before joining her and scowling as he chittered rapidly in breezie language for his sister to translate. "Ugh... Stoopid brother say; 'Yu gud soldier ponies not like Brotherhood? Vhat make yu different?' Princess und Fast Shroud alreedy explain tu dumb brother, but he vant hear frum pony's mouth."

Chuckling for a moment, Preston looked up in thought before answering. "Well... not to speak ill of the Brotherhood of Friendship when we'd like to be friends with them too... I'd have to say they're more concerned with the past, while the Minutemares worry about making the present better. They're not as bad as the Steel Rangers in the old days trying to hoard prewar technology, or the Enclave hiding in the clouds and pretending the war never happened, but they still seem pretty focused on the way things were and trying to make them that way again. Minutemares are just trying to help the people of the Commonwealth make things as they are better."

"Very well said Preston, you see you two? Would you care to meet some of my Followers before you leave as well? I am sure you will wish to have a proper report for Queen Ether when you return." Jade beamed at Preston's diplomatic answer, curling a wing over him in a quick hug that made me think he'd bust the buttons on his old fashioned coat puffing up with pride.

That seemed to satisfy the stern little Securi-Tribe breezie, Blowing nodded smartly and fluttered over to Preston's hat, landing on the brim and peering down over it to chatter at him. Gale rolled her eyes and opted for Jade's crown again as she translated for him. "Dumb-dumb brother say; 'Me vatch uther Meenutemare ponies, make sure not bad soldiers like say.' Me stay vith Priness Blowy, yu practice pony talky by self, have tu learn if ve having more ponies in Breezie Nation. Me vant meet Followers Princess, all gud doctors like yu, yes? Dey ones who reopen hospital in home, let us heal und follow Holy Fluttershy's example, dat more important den fighty junk."

"I could not agree more Gale. Come along then everyone, let us use our time wisely before Fast returns our breezie friends home." Jade giggled her agreement and trotted off to her waiting Followers of the Apocalypse with Witchy taking her usual place beside her, taking charge of her fellow medics efficiently and getting to know the awed volunteers who would be taking her place here or moving on to the Ministry of Peace hub.

Val moved to follow Preston, most likely to keep teasing him and ordering troops around, but she paused and turned back to me with a sly squint, flicking her tail playfully in my face. "You an' big stuff goin' back early? If'n it were anywhere but that dull hub, I'd be goin' with ya boss, but figure yer safe enough there for a little while. Long enough for a lil' climb on Swan mountain, eh?"

"W-What? No! I umm... h-have stuff to fix there still... a-and the Brotherhood is probably on the way, so... ummm... C-Cut it out Val, Jade and I are just a little worried about her, she doesn't like the snow..."

Sauntering off with a hearty laugh, Val put an extra sway to her feline flanks and fluttered her eyelashes as she left me cringing by myself, surrounded by a crowd snickering at the bawdy griffon. "Uh huh.... sure boss, whatever you say! Try not ta get too worn out 'fixin' stuff... Maybe I'll go after all, gots plenty of odd jobs fer a handy-pony like you! Do a lil' tune up! Still ain't taken my pay!"

Zed appeared at my side while I was busy trying to mimic Jade and hide in my uncooperative wings, startling me out of my embarassment with a deep chuckle. "You're giving her what she wants when you turn that shade you know, I'm still surprised a dark coated pony like you can manage it. If you don't mind, I believe I'll return with you, my talents are better used helping Scribe Blossom back at the hub. I promise to ...give you your space... with the victorious gladiator filly, to attend to her sudden bout of depression of course."

Tucking my hat down to hide my burning cheeks under with my wings, I grumbled back to the zebra watching impassively. "I'm starting to think you like teasing me as much as she does Zed, you're just subtle about it..."

Zed just shrugged, strolling off and humming to himself in amusement. "I have no idea what you're talking about Fast. If you'll excuse me I think I'd like speaking with that pair of zebra fillies before we leave, perhaps one of them is suffering depression as well..."

"I hate you Zed..."

What busy work I did manage as the sun set was harried by not only the over eager and often awed recruits stumbling over themselves working with the famous Shrouded Stallion, but by the quiet whispers and giggles my overly sharp ears kept picking up as I passed. Just being able to hear things that would normally be too low to make out gave me a greater appreciation for what Ivy and her green sisters went through, hearing whispers was bad enough, hearing thoughts was infinitely worse I was sure.

At least most of it was fairly ...positive, some of the stories about me seemed to have grown out of proportion as they spread. I didn't take Castle Equinox by myself in a magical storm of destruction, I didn't face armies of Gunners single-hoofed, I didn't literally chase down the Institute and spit in their eye. Even if some had a nugget of truth buried somewhere, I didn't do anything alone, I needed my friends and a lot of help to get this far, but all the stories were about the invincible Shrouded Stallion, hero of the Commonwealth. Actually meeting me was getting a lot of surprise, curiosity and sometimes disbelief or disappointment, but at least there wasn't scorn or hatred for what I was, as I had run into elsewhere.

The other breathless whispers and stifled giggles tended to come from infatuated fillies like Lt. Blue, repeating a whole other set of out of control 'legends' about the only male alicorn and his decidedly non-combat skills. Quite a bit of it could be traced back to one particular alicorn Minutemare telling tales with no sense of modesty whatsoever... Peri and I would have to have a talk when I saw her next.

Though she wasn't the sole source, the rest of Jade's sisters had little sense of propriety either, and they had been quite busy searching high and low for me, making their intentions crystal clear in the process. Apparently having a hundred or so beautiful mares all after the same buck, made other, unrelated females curious if there must be something worthwhile to that one male.

The only positive I could see to being the focus of so much attention that left me mortified, was everyone having a beet red pony slinking around to laugh at brought the various groups we were leaving behind here together. The Salt Lick residents still had plenty of animosity for the White Legs, the White Legs felt the same and bristled at having to make compromises, while both groups had mixed feelings at the gaggle of outsiders expected to hold some level of authority over both of them, who in turn had their own standards they expected others to adopt, but all of them could share a laugh, a giggle, a funny story or a little teasing.

Laughter really was one of the most important virtues of ponykind, as the whispery giggle of 'Awareness' in my head bounced in agreement. I could just do without being the inspiration for quite so much of it...

I was pretty happy to get out of here at any rate, wrapping up as much as I could get done in the new outpost of the Kingdom of Sanctuary and sneaking off to collect Swan with my friends and family. Rapping gently on the dimpled metal door of Swan's trailer hideout took awhile to get an answer, but eventually she cracked the door open and peeked out, looking out at the snow still fitfully coming down and powdering the ground with a sullen expression.

Her ears drooped at the sight and she let her long pink tresses hide her face again, before her normally bright eyes were hidden, I could have sworn they looked slightly bloodshot... I could hardly imagine Swan crying over anything, but her low voice did sound a little thick, answering with a short, "What?"

"Umm... ready to go back to the hub Swan? Zed and the breezies are good to go whenever you are, we were gonna go ahead of the others to get to work there. There's stuff down in the basement I still have to check out, with all the radiaaaation...." I ended on a sing-song, trying to tempt her out with something I knew she liked hopefully.

"Radiation? Lots? Like you promised?" Swan nibbled at the bait at least, leaning out a bit further before shrinking back again from errant snowflakes drifting in. She didn't retreat entirely though, throwing up a dimly glowing shield outside the door to block any snow coming down, and she did sound a little more upbeat as she tilted her head and continued. "In the basement? Inside?"

Jade joined me worriedly, waving out to everyone waiting to see us off gathered around her new pond and the tent city rapidly springing up around it, the twin flags of the Minutemares and Followers proudly flying above. "Yes sister, away from the snow, Fast assures me it is quite radioactive down there and he will need your assistance. Won't you come out? W-We are worried for you... what is wrong sister?"

I smiled with pride at Glitter dashing into the half opened door, launching herself at Swan and swinging off her long neck in a gymnastic hug. "Yeah Aunt Swan! What's the matter? Snow's fun! I hope it snows more so we can play in it back at the fairies' tree, but not if it makes you sad! Please be happy..."

"Nothing's wrong little niece... I just don't like snow, I don't wanna talk about it... I get to help Fast? With lots of nice radiation? A-Alright... ok, good! Let's hurry then, you aren't coming sister?" Swan returned the embrace warmly, seeming to at least put on a false smile for the foal that could brighten almost anyone up.

She still didn't want to come out of her shelter, but did open the door wide and wave us forward, her horn already brightly glowing as she prepared to teleport Zed and I with her, the pair of breezies riding my hat were of such negligible mass, they couldn't tax her ability to take multiple passengers that much.

Quite a few hearty goodbyes yelled her way got Swan to pause from just blipping away with us. Several residents of Salt Lick who had seen her fight on their behalf wanted to thank the brave filly, including a fairly sheepish Steelfist himself, nudged forward into shaking her hoof by Sledge at his side. "Er... Nice meetin' ya Swan, thanks for all you done for our town. Sorry about the whole... thing... I almost did, I'm glad your little friend stopped me. When you showed up things were pretty rough, but I think they'll be better 'cause you're so tough! You come back to Salt Lick any time!"

Icepaw wasn't to be outdone by his counterpart, tromping forward and brushing shoulders with the minotaur brusquely as he reached a paw out and copied the gesture. "Crazy-strong pony come back and fight again like say! Visit White Legs, not Salt Lick! We throw big party for big pony!"

"Well we'll throw a bigger party! When it comes to fun, we won't be outdone!" Steelfist shoved forward and took Swan's other hoof, the two of them crossing her forelegs over each other as they both competed in hearty hoofshakes and glared eye to eye.

"Ahem... I am sure you two can host a much better celebration for my sister here in the fairgrounds, together... hmm?" Jade finally shoved her way between them and gave a stern stare, somehow making both of the ferocious leaders back off petulantly, flinching from the glare of her blue eyes, above the incongruously sweet smile she was wearing.

Like a pair of squabbling foals broken up by an exasperated teacher, they shuffled and scratched nervously. Giving a weak chuckle and putting on a show of making up, they even managed to shake hands themselves. Though I could see the muscles straining in both of their thick arms as they squeezed and grunted around the gritted teeth smiles they returned.

"Yes Princess...."

"Fine Princess pony..."

Jade's optimism never failed to amaze me as much as Glitter's social skills. she beamed brightly at the two of them and overlooked any remaining animosity as she patted their backs in encouragement, getting a lot of chuckles from the crowd. "Excellent! You see how much better that is? I am sure putting your competitive nature towards putting on a celebration of your peoples coming together, will result in a wonderful new holiday for your community! I am so proud! My sister and I will be sure to return to join it, is that acceptable to you Swan?"

Blinking back at all the ponies, minotaurs, hellhounds and more staring back at her, Swan gave a slow smile and nod. "A party, for me? I'd like that... so I'll come back, yes!"

That made me feel a bit better for her, despite her somber mood. She had been having problems dealing with all the new residents building Unityville around her when she joined us. Now she was a local hero to this fledgling community, a lot of eager looks and smiling faces from both sides whooped at her acceptance of the invitation. Interactions with others that didn't involve violence were still hard for Swan, but she was starting to catch on and enjoy them.

I still noticed her frown as the wind gusted, blowing her pink skirt up as flurries swirled under her shield. Hastening her unsure goodbyes, we were gathered together in her magic and got the idea she was obviously ready to leave. Her impatient whinny as I hugged Jade and Glitter goodbye made me reluctantly leave the two of them, nodding at Jade's quiet murmur of, "Please try to talk to her, help her Fast..."

"As you command Princess, I'll try my best. See you soon!" I replied, ending on a yelp as Swan picked me up and dragged me back over to her and Zed, waving to everyone until the world disappeared in a bright flash.

My ears popped and I stumbled when Swan let me go, shaking off the vertigo of a rapid teleport and leaning against the large, pink double doors of the Ministry of Peace hub entrance. Swan immediately pranced over and nudged me to hurry up and unlock the doors, dashing in out of the snow gently drifting down through the canopy of the forest we were now at the heart of.

The Flutter Forest was closer to the edge of the Commonwealth, so while the dense reds, oranges, browns and yellows of the trees helped slow down the snow, it was thicker out here and dusting the ruins of Willowville behind us. After a short electronic hoofshake with the hub maneframe at the second door inside the tree stump shaped building Swan was happier sheltering in, I got it to unlock rather quickly.

For once the obnoxious computer didn't give me shit about getting in, though it did happily list off all the recent injuries Swan and I had acquired, asking when Jade would be back so it could tattle again. Even the piss poor personality imprinted on the weird computer, couldn't diminish the sight waiting behind the inner doors barring entry to the grounds when they creaked open obediently. I actually had to wonder if it wasn't in a good mood and wanting to share, or show off...

Not that the 'Great Tree' didn't have something to be proud of. Even Zed gave a short gasp of wonder as we all stared up at the gleaming crystalline tree. The rainbow colored fronds of the huge willow blinked brightly, lighting the delicate snowflakes swirling around it in an impressive display. The grounds of the hub looked to have been tended by the Fauna-Tribe now that the breezidore population up here had been significantly diminished, newly trimmed and tended plants of all kinds looked like they had been dusted with powdered sugar, reflecting the light the tree was putting off in the diminishing twilight.

I absently wondered about the huge pale yellow bubble of a shield keeping the hub sealed, interested to find it let weather in, deciding that was probably along the same lines of the bypass that let the breezies pass in and out as they wished. The Ministry of Peace wouldn't want to have an impact on the environment if they could avoid it, plus if it didn't let the snow in it would rapidly coat the amazing bit of arcano-tech protecting the place. As it was, I couldn't help imagining it as it looked from the outside, a giant snowglobe we had magically entered, staring in awe at the picture perfect scene before us.

Spring Gale and her brother Blowing immediately flitted off my hat with a cheery chitter, joining quite a few breezies already out here, fluttering about in the snow playfully, chirping and chattering to each other with joy clear in their strange language. The flock of brightly colored, diaphonous wings only added to the brilliant display, making me wish Jade, Glitter and the others were all here to share it with, that my parents and brother were here... that we'd get to spend Hearth's Warming Eve together this year, in a beautiful place like this...

That sad thought broke through the enchanting spell the view cast and my ears drooped, my eyes watering slightly ...from a lucky snowflake landing there... I sighed slightly as Zed shook it off too and trotted towards the doors, looking back to Swan and alarmed to see a tear running down her cheek, my own melancholy a pale shadow of the sorrowful look on her face.

"S-Swan? Er... i-isn't it pretty?"

Swan sniffled and rubbed her eyes with a scowl, muttering back staring at the ground. "Yes... it's beautiful... I don't like it."

"Umm... ok? H-Hey, Swan... are you ok? What's the matter? If you think it's beautiful, why don't you like it? Why's it making you so... s-sad?"

My worried questioning just seemed to make things worse, Swan screwed her face up and trudged forward, keeping her eyes downcast as she left me behind and headed for the doors into the hub. "I don't wanna talk about it... I just don't like it Fast. Leave me alone awhile..."

"But..."

"Don't. Wanna. Talk." Swan cut me off and left me watching her long tail and mane whipping in the breeze, the adamant tone in her voice making it clear pressing the issue was not a good idea.

I puzzled over the strange filly, stunned and pretty concerned her normally cheery mood that remained unbroken by any deadly enemy she faced, could be brought crashing down by a little snow. She usually lived out in her pond in the shadow of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences hub, so I guessed winter must be a little annoying for her... The weather didn't really bother either of us, but I had noticed she liked swimming and her private pond must freeze over, it couldn't be something so simple or mundane though.

Even though I still felt a little sad too when I looked back up at the glowing lights of the tree in front of me, I could still appreciate the beauty and wonder. Sure it made me miss my family, but it also made me remember all the happy holidays we did share together. Whatever was bothering Swan, it was a lot deeper than just a little holiday blues...

Eventually a happy chitter interrupted me tapping my forehead and trying to figure out the mysteries of a mare's mind fruitlessly. Queen Ether fluttered down with Gale, tilting her head at me muttering to myself in the snow and speaking up after realizing I was lost in thought. "Fast Shroud? You okies? Is Breezie Nation not beautiful in weenter? Wish other new friends vas here to see, Gale says you come back early to fix und get ready?"

"Huh? Oh... yeah, sorry your highness. I thought we should be here in case the Brotherhood shows up early, they're on their way, along with a lot of other new friends for you to meet. I figure the entrance building should be plenty of space for everybody to have a kinda conference thing, without letting anyone in that you don't want. Plus I need to go down to the basement and do what ....the Great Tree wants down there."

"Ahhhh... yes, Gale start telling me, ve meet dogs and mino people? Is good then, I very interested in hearing all aboot. You come in out of snow, ve have hot food for other soldier ponies still here, you come in und tell adventures! Before go fixy things!" Ether's icy blue eyes were wide with excitement, the regal ruler getting caught up in the happy atmosphere and fluttering to my face in anticipation.

Her subjects just piled on, drawing closer from their frolicking and taking up the chant of, "Story! Story! Story!" They all knew that pony word now and liked it apparently, though living out here by themselves, I could see being a little starved for entertainment.

Shaking off my worry for Swan, for the moment anyway, I sketched a low bow and tipped my hat, letting the enthusiastic Queen take the seat of honor on the brim and trotting towards the hub with a chuckle. "A-Alright, alright, I'll talk! O-Or I'll help Gale and Blowing tell the story, they were there and helped the whole way. I'm not great at public speaking, so I'll just fill in the details, ok?"

"Booooooooo!" Came back in a squeaky chorus and I groaned, heading into the hub with a flock of breezies now daringly fluttering around me in a cloud, causing that spike of pain between my eyes again for a moment of memories I couldn't reach. It passed quickly though, before they returned to chanting, "Story!"

"Ok! Story, story, I got it..."

Covering our adventures in Salt Lick took awhile, though it was pleasant enough addressing the interested breezies in the warm hub cafeteria. Having course after course of delicious food brought out to the head of the long table I sat at, I mumbled around mouthfulls to the crowd lining the surface in front of me. The breezies really were getting good at making pony food.

A small group of Tinker-Tribe, Flora-Tribe, Fauna-Tribe and the nurse and doctor dressed Willowheart-Tribe were even discussing forming their own little mini-tribe to staff the kitchens if they did reopen the hospital. I'd have to try to spend a little time with them before we left actually, none of us knew how to cook very well and I realized I didn't really want to leave that little chore to Jade given her ...unique results... when she attempted it.

I remembered mom practically inhaled food while she was carrying my brother Better in the Stable, some of it as disgusting as what Jade came up with normally. A pregnant mare needed to eat a healthy diet, alicorn metabolism or not, and that was something I could do for her.

Despite my dislike of addressing so many people at once, it wasn't so bad like this. Maybe because tiny breezies weren't nearly as intimidating as a crowd of bigger ponies. Gale, Blowing and even Zed helped take up different threads of the story, while Knight Grinder and even Scribe Blossom ate and listened attentively, the obsessed Scribe taking a rare break from her experiments and research in the hub.

The two Brotherhood ponies were very interested when I informed them their group was on the way here. Knight Grinder kept rubbing his chin thoughtfully, the rare opportunity to see the brown stallion out of his armor let me get a good look at the contemplative expression on his uncovered face.

The bedraggled pink filly beside him perked right up, shoveling her food down quickly and gathering the assorted notes she was never without, speaking in a rush once I finished up and excusing herself distractedly. "Ah, I wonder if Proctor Quiz or Senior Scribe Never will come! I have learned a great deal here I'm eager to report! I'll have to start coallating the data and writing up my reports and proposals! So much to do! Still more repellent production to attend to as well! Busy, busy! I must get to work!"

Knight Grinder looked a little disappointed at her frantically collecting her work and moving to run back to the labs, where she had apparently spent most of her time while we were gone. He nervously called after her before she could disappear into her work again, stammering after the pretty pink mare and managing to make her pause a moment. "Umm S-Sakura wait! Can't you take a break before getting all that together? You haven't had much rest, er... w-working too hard is no good for you. M-Maybe get some fresh air outside? It's snowing and it's really beautiful, you should see it and relax a little before..."

"No time! Several papers to write, my research into more effective radiation treatments has progressed greatly just from what my time here working with Doctor Jade, I must write up my findings on breezie and breeziedore biology, the effects of the adaptation potion must be brought to our leader's attention, my proposals for cooperation with Sanctuary and the Breezie Nation will need to be very convincing, so much to do! I must go, hurry, hurry! Snow will wait!" Scribe Blossom chattered back manically, scooping her work into her pocketed blue scribe vest and Brotherhood marked saddlebags, bowing and rubbing her frazzled mane in rushed apology as she kept creeping to the door.

Getting a better look at her, and smell... I wrinkled my nose and tried to tactfully offer a suggestion. "Er... You might want to at least take time to get a shower Sakura, umm... I'm sure you want to make a good impression to your leaders so they take you seriously?"

She tilted her head and blinked those lavender eyes back at me for a moment, finally pausing and holding a hoof up to her nose, she quickly pulled it away with a grimace and nodded rapidly. "Aha, yes, good idea! I can take audio notes while I do anyway, it has been a few... days? Hmm... how long has it been Grinder?"

The burly brotherhood Knight flushed immediately, answering in an embarassed mumble. "A-A few days yeah... n-not that I keep track of when you... umm... But you haven't been sleeping either Sakura, so you really should clean up and get some rest at least? You know protocol on appearance matters, especially if Captain Winter comes... Y-You really should see it outside too, I'd umm r-really like to show you how pretty..."

Scribe Blossom bit her lip at the name and shuffled impatiently, grumbling back and interrupting the blushing Knight's attempts to spend time with her that were obvious even to me. "Nnnn... yes, I don't want another discipline duty... silly rules, there is medical science to advance! Very well, I will clean up and take a power nap, no time for looking at snow though, I've seen it before! Some other time, thank you!"

At that she galloped off, muttering to herself about her endless ideas and experiments. Our breezie hosts were busily clearing the table, giving the poor buck room to thunk his head to the surface and groan miserably, shuffling up to rest his chin on the table and hide under his hooves. "Ugh... she never says yes..."

"Umm... sorry Grinder, that was painful to watch... I wouldn't take it personally though, Scribe Blossom doesn't seem like she notices much outside of her work. You like her, huh?"

The Brotherhood Knight rolled his head over dejectedly, turning one orange eye up to me and sighing sadly. "That obvious, is it? Er... to everypony else I guess... Y-Yeah, I keep trying to get through to her, but she never notices. Hey... you're smooth with the ladies Fast, do you have any advice?"

"M-Me!? Smooth? No, no, no... you got the wrong pony Grinder, I'm not..."

Unfortunately, the earth pony buck seemed to latch onto the idea, a spark returning to his eyes blazing as he sat up, stretching up on his forelegs on the table. "But you've got the Princess, and Miss Ivy, and Miss Swan! Your griffon is totally flirting with you all the time, that thestral even!! Plus Scribe Wind talks about you all the time! You're like a total filly killer Fast! C'mon! Tell me your secret, pleeeeeease!"

Hearing myself described that way, I could feel my cheeks burning as I cringed from Grinder leaning over the table towards me hopefully. My embarassment only deepened with Zed's deep chuckle as he sipped at a Sunrise Sarsaparilla. "Fast? A ladies stallion? Oh yes, do tell the secret to your infamous wiles Fast, I'm interested in hearing as well."

"S-Stop Zed... you know better, come on... Y-You should talk to him Grinder, Zed actually is pretty charming when he wants to be, I'm... not."

The renewed fire in Grinder's eyes wouldn't be swayed by my sheepish denial, he stamped a hoof down on the table and shook his head forcefully, pleading hopefully. "Don't hold out Fast! I promise I won't tell anybody, just a little help getting Sakura to notice me? She noticed you! You've got a friggin harem and a ton of fillies chasing after you! Just help me out with this one?"

"Grinder, Scribe Blossom noticed me because I'm a medical anomaly, the same reason all those mares from Trinity Tower are after me, the same reason I even agreed to be with o-other mares. I'm a male alicorn, that's pretty much it. Any skills I have dealing with ladies have more to do with getting turned into ...t-this... than anything on my part. It's a lot more weird biology, pheromones and urges I don't have control over all the time, than it is actually knowing what to do or say. Hell, Swan's upstairs pouting and feeling bad right now, but I don't know what to do about it, how to help her... I'm totally useless when it comes to knowing what to say or do."

My answer made the poor stallion crestfallen and he slumped back to the table, looking up pitifully and holding his hooves up to beg. "Can't you tell me anything? I've seen you, it's not just you running around mating with other alicorns, or you'd be in that tower with them. Princess Jade really loves you, so do plenty of others, Val, Ivy, Swan... How do you do it?"

Looking into his hopeful face and ignoring Zed's continuing chuckles, I thought long and hard, trying to come up with something. I did insist on getting close to Jade's sisters before doing what they wanted, but they wanted me to fulfill their mother's wish to breed first and foremost. They came to me, I just... slowed them down a little. It was hardly fair for Grinder to compare our situations, it's not like I had any magical skills or advice to give him.

I had been with two amazing fillies beyond just the one I loved the most, and grown close to several more an insistent part of me wanted 'MORE' of, something I never could have dreamed of back in the Stable. Peri and Ivy, Val, Witchy, Scribe Wind, the normally obsessed Swan I was worrying about now, in each case I really didn't do anything special, I just...

"Listen." I finally croaked back, facehoofing and flapping up from my seat in a rush, I had to go do something.

"What? Listen to what, are you gonna tell me the secret? I'm listening!" Grinder stood with me, prancing in place and waiting for some mystical wisdom I didn't have.

"No, not listen to me, just listen. That's all I can tell you Grinder, that's all I'm really good at when it comes to dealing with mares. Just listen to them, that's it. Something I need to go do right now, sorry!"

Thankfully, Zed held the confused buck from chasing after me as I ran out the door and down the twisting halls. The zebra stallion probably had much more useful advice to give than I did, he was discrete, but I did notice Zed usually found a mare to spend time with wherever we went.

I was nowhere as experienced or smooth, I just stumbled and fumbled my way into things, and I realized I had continued that mistake ridden trail with Swan. If she didn't want to talk about it when I kept asking and worrying over her, I shouldn't continue to pester her, but I should be there to listen regardless.

I charged down the halls, nearly tripping over the miniature train tracks as I ran out into the central chamber and the breezie capital of Willowheart. I caught myself with my wings and awkwardly flapped up, narrowly missing Ether's model Canterlot palace and flying up to the third floor.

Skidding to a halt from my landing, I took a second to catch my breath and took my hat off, tapping lightly on the door to Vice Director Tree Hugger's office and peeking in the dark room when I didn't get an answer. I found Swan curled up i the corner, her head resting on her forelegs and her watery eyes staring out the window at the snow drifting by.

She quickly wiped her eyes and curled up tighter when she saw me, turning to stare at the wall and muttering over her back facing me. "I don't wanna talk or do anything yet Fast, I'll get up later..."

Mustering my courage, I crept into the room and sat beside her, leaning against the glimmering wall and reaching a hoof out to stroke her long back. "That's fine Swan. You don't have to say anything, but I'm here if you want to. If you don't, I'll still be right here."

I caught her peeking over her shoulder at me, her pink tresses not quite hiding her confused, bloodshot blue-violet eye. Keeping quiet, I simply smiled back and returned to looking out the window, so she wouldn't feel self conscious doing the same as she had been. I kept gently stroking her back and turned my pip-buck's radio down low, listening to the soft tones of an old Sweetie Belle hit from when I was a foal, eventually humming along quietly and hoping.

There was a long pause like that, sitting quietly with the sad beauty beside me, feeling her soft fur and the powerful muscles beneath it, enjoying her company and not pressing or questioning, just keeping quiet, listening. The soft whisper of 'Be Kind...' rose up in approval, actually managing to keep the nagging mutter of 'Be Dark...' quiet for once.

Several songs passed like that, Miles seemed to be enjoying the weather himself and the playlist was all fairly slow and reflective music. I absently hoped he was out there somewhere with Magnolia, it would account for the absence of his regular news reports and I hoped they were together, flying out there in the snow, another purple alicorn like the one beside me and a regular pegasus in love.

"D-Don't you have boring fix it things to do with old junk Fast?" Swan broke me out of the enjoyable daydream with a shuddery whisper, peeking back at me again and scooting a bit closer.

"Nothing that won't wait Swan. You're more important, I'm not going anywhere."

We continued sitting in the dim office like that for quite awhile, letting the music fill the silence. Slowly, the pensive filly at my side kept scooting closer, sighing at my hoof lazily stroking her back and ribs. It took quite some time, but she eventually cuddled close and laid her head over my outstretched hindlegs drumming the floor absently as I reclined against the wall.

Swan was usually a lot more forceful when it came to physical contact, so this was actually a nice change in a way. Not that she was sad of course, but I rarely had the opportunity to be so gentle with her. I hummed softly with the radio and enjoyed the sensation of running my hoof through her silky mane soothingly, lightly touching her feathery wings and making an awkward attempt at preening them. I'd have to figure that out at some point anyway, my own gave me enough trouble, it was easier working out how it was done on the graceful lavender wing stretching out under my fumbling ministrations.

"I don't like snow..." Swan finally muttered quietly.

Choosing not to press the issue and ask why again, I simply nodded and stroked her cheek, whispering back. "So I gathered, that's ok. It is pretty though."

"I don't like being small either..." A weak whisper from the filly continued, that tinge of fear and worry in her voice enough for me to lean down and nuzzle her cheek reassuringly.

"You've made that abundantly clear Swan, that's ok too. Though I do sorta like being able to have your head in my lap like this, instead of being crushed under it... so being small isn't all bad either huh? Er... for me anyway, but whatever makes you happy." Again I didn't ask questions, just tried to encourage and even got a tired giggle as she snuggled closer and stared out the window as I leaned back again and waited, lazily stroking her mane like mom had for me when I was upset or sad as a foal.

There was no funny business or sexual tension between us for once, just a pony trying to console another pony. I sat in the gloom with her, hearing her muted crying and feeling the hitching of her chest occasionally. With how great and powerful Swan was, it was difficult to keep in mind how she could be hurt or vulnerable. The more I considered it, the more I realized it was probably hard for Swan to show any kind of vulnerability or weakness, she was the guard, the invincible, gigantic guardian of all her sisters in the Commonwealth.

Asking a lot of questions and fretting over her probably just made her more determined to be strong, to deny anything was wrong and refuse to talk about it. Talking to Knight Grinder made me realize the only thing I could do for her, was basically all I was good at when it came to mares, just listening. Being patient and being there, waiting until she wanted to say something, that was the best thing I could do for Swan, so that's what I did.

"I don't like remembering either..." After another long pause, Swan spoke in a hoarse whisper, rolling a bloodshot, beautiful blue-violet orb back to me worriedly.

"Remembering? Like... before?"

I had to break down and ask a question there, but I got the idea that was the point of her statement, her expectant gaze stayed on mine until I did and she answered almost immediately. "Before unity... yes. I don't like it, I don't want to remember, but I see the snow and... memories come back Fast, I don't like them."

"Hmm, Ivy didn't like her memories from before the goddess either Swan, she told me about them and said it made her feel better though. Did you know she used to be a teacher? It's actually kinda funny, she could'a been my teacher when I was a foal actually, if she worked in the Commonwealth instead of Old Olneigh. That would have been funny huh? The whole hot for teacher bit and all... heheheh.... s-sorry..."

I wanted to ask what memories Swan had of her previous life, or parts of somepony's life at least. Alicorns made by the Goddess could be composed of hundreds of bits of pieces of other ponies, so it tended to be a crap shoot whether they remembered anything or not to begin with. I didn't want to scare her off though, talking about Ivy confiding in me about her own memories and trying a lame joke danced around the subject, if Swan wanted to talk about it, she would.

She did, furrowing her brow in thought as I kept stroking her mane, Swan eventually spoke up again, her simple reply forcing me to use up another question. "Yaks..."

"Er... Yaks? Like Yakyakistan yaks? Those big, hairy, horned people from the north? What about them?"

Swan gave a long, low sigh, eyeing the snow pattering against the window with a distant look in her eyes. "Yes, those. Yaks are big and strong... I liked them, I lived with them I think, when I was little like niece Glitter... too little... Things came, bad things from the snow and ice... Windigos... They came and... and..."

"Shhh... it's ok Swan, you don't have to..."

"They came from the snow! They killed them all, my friends! My big, strong friends all died! I couldn't do anything cause I was too s-small and w-w-weak! Just hide like a chicken! I hate snow! I hate being small and weak! And I hate remembering! The mother came and saved us, made us strong, made us big! Bigger than puny ponies, bigger than yaks even, able to grow bigger and stronger when we want! Big enough no one could hurt us or take our friends again, big enough to smash windigos and all other monsters!" Swan cried out in a rush, stretching her neck and wheeling on me with pain and fury blazing in her weeping eyes.

Seeing Swan's tough exterior finally break, I lunged forward into the gap and wrapped my forelegs around her neck, burrowing into her mane and nuzzling her cheek, whispering up to her ear as soothingly as I could. "That's why you like being big, huh Swan? I'm sorry... I'm so sorry that happened to you, that you remember... that it still hurts and makes you so sad. If it helps, I felt kinda sad at the snow when we got here too..."

Her voice cracked and was thick with held back sobs, but after a few minutes of my comforting embrace she was slowly returning, Swan spoke in miserable curiosity. "Y-You too? Why? I t-thought you liked it..."

"I do, but seeing the tree all lit up and pretty, I thought about my family and I was sad they weren't here, that they're gone... But I feel that way because of all the happy memories I have of them in the winter, of Hearth's Warming Eve, of Winter Wrap Ups, of just sitting together watching it snow or playing in it together. It's kinda all mixed up, I feel happy, but sad too. I think the happy still wins out though, don't you have any good memories? About your yak friends?"

She held still awhile in thought, finally nodding against my neck and answering softly. "Some... The tree all lit up reminded me of looking out at big crystal ruins that were pretty too, blinking and twinkling in the snow... I used to watch them sometimes and want to go see them. I really liked the yaks too, I remember that. I was little... but they were so big and strong, they protected me and everyone else. I wanted to grow up to be like them... b-but I never got the chance..."

"So you were young when you... umm... when you joined unity? I-I'm not cuddling a little filly in a big body, am I Swan?"

My half joking question got a sniffling giggle and Swan pulled back, looking me in the eye and shaking her head slowly. "I was when I was raised up by the mother, but I've been alive a long time now like this, so I'm a grown up... I just remember being little sometimes."

I tried to hide the relieved sigh her answer brought, it was hard to keep in mind given how gorgeous and mature Swan and her sisters looked on the outside, but the Goddess basically tossed any unicorn she could into the pot and churned them out. Male and female, young and old, there was no telling what was under that beautiful exterior. If Swan was still the little filly from her memories... that raised all kinds of uncomfortable questions concerning what she wanted from me most of the time.

Of course the fact she referred to it as 'play' and generally had an upbeat disposition full of childlike glee didn't help either. Now that she told me, I could see the filly she must have been once in those deep blue-violet pools staring back at me, though the maturity of the intervening years was clear too, thankfully.

"Well, in that case I think you did get what you wanted then. You grew up... a lot... and you're strong no matter what size you are, you protect others like they did for you, they'd probably be proud of you Swan. I don't know anything about yaks, but I bet they wouldn't want you to only be sad thinking about them. You carried on in their hoofsteps, they're still alive in your heart. Try not to focus on just the bad memories, remember the good ones as much as you can and make new ones that make you happy, that's probably what they'd want, huh?"

Lifting Swan's drooping muzzle with a hoof to her chin, I gave a big, supportive smile and planted a light kiss on her nose. She'd been very clear how much she liked that, so I was glad to see it cheer her up when she answered a little less shakily. "Good ones... new good ones... T-This is a new good memory then Fast, I... I like you. I like being with you like this, even with it snowing. I like knowing you care and aren't scared of me being big and strong. It's nice, all... f-fluttery feeling in my stomach and warm. Is... is this that silly love junk you keep talking about?"

Leaning forward to her anxious, hopeful face, I gave her lips a long kiss this time and nodded slowly. "I hope so Swan, I know I love you. You're awesome and sweet, you have a big heart and you're definitely the strongest, biggest mare I ever met, even when you're 'tiny'. You don't have to be tough all the time though, ok? When you're hurting that hurts me too, even if I can't do anything to help, I still want to be there for you, I always will if that's what you want. That's love Swan, or a part of it, and I love you."

Swan's full cheeks turned pink as she stared back at my simple declaration, her watery eyes twinkling before she launched herself into a tackle of a hug that sent me to the floor, nuzzling and planting happy kisses as she gave a laughing, sniffling, grateful reply. "Love! I love you too! I like love! This is a very good memory, I feel lots better Fast! I love love!"

Getting smothered by a lot of warm, soft, affectionate, wriggling filly was making my mane itch, but I managed to keep my response down to just nuzzling and returning her light kisses. I was glad she calmed down and curled up around me with a contented whinny, laying her head next to mine so we could both look out the window in quiet contemplation.

The muttering grumble of 'Be Dark...' kept insisting on 'MORE', only slightly placated by tracing a hoof down her long neck and sides gently. That part could just wait, Swan had actually shown some real emotion and let her defenses down, I wasn't going to take advantage of that or ruin it with baser impulses. I meant what I said, I just wanted to be there for her, however she needed me.

After several more soft songs from my pip-buck between us, Swan eventually broached the subject herself anyway, much to the delight of that annoyingly frisky mutter in my head. She rolled a much drier and happier looking eye my way, nudging me to raise my drooping eyelids from the light doze I was in from the hypnotizing, soothing sensation of comforting her, tracing the rise and fall of her curves.

Considering how playfully insistent she usually was, her quiet, reticent tone was an interesting change when she purred in my ear. "Fast... Y-You have to go do stuff with radiation soon, right?"

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah. The basement is flooded with it, there's a Stable down there pouring it out apparently. I'm surprised the annoying computer hasn't been bitching at me about it, but I think it's in a good mood. Don't worry, it'll wait. It's not that late and it's not like I really need to sleep, especially going down there and getting all charged up. We've got plenty of time, so you just get some rest if you want."

"N-No... I'm fine, I just... I still want to go with you and be big again, I feel better like that, but... I-If I wanted to umm.. make another good memory with you while I was still small... w-would that be ok? I still want to play, this love feeling makes me all tingly feeling and I want... I'd like it if every time I saw snow from now on, I could think of... s-stuff with you instead..." Swan stuttered her way carefully through trying to express something new and strange for her.

Every time she had stubbornly pushed for 'play' before, it didn't sound like it meant anything to her, other than fooling around and exploring foreign concepts her kind still struggled with. She wanted mating because the Goddess said that was important, she wanted to play with me to sate her curiosity and hadn't attached any importance to it, thus her lack of modesty. Now however, I had the idea I finally got my reluctance through to her, I wanted it to mean something special, now it did for her, and me.

Leaning up to her anxious face, I joined her in a long, passionate kiss, breaking away to nibble her ears and whisper huskily to her pleased murmurs. "If that's what you want, I'd like that too Swan. Jade said it's ok and... I feel that way about you too Swan, I'd like expressing how much I care about you and I'd be honored to make a happy memory with a wonderful mare like you. Are you sure?"

Considering she was already rolling on top of me and mewling at my hoof that had magically found its way under the blouse of her alluring Alicorn Angel outfit, her rumbling murmur of assent was fairly obvious, even for me. I gulped as her normal, forceful, confident personality came back in full and she nearly growled down at me, her eyes full of heart shaped sparkles as her nostrils flared. "Yes... play... now..."

"Eeep... Be gentle!" I yelped before my vision was filled with a lot of lavender fur and my thin control was abandoned.

The annoying, blaring alarm in my ear made me wince and fumble blindly for my pip-buck, squinting my eyes shut and groaning, trying to extract the hoof it was attached to from a lot of moaning filly curled over me.

WAKE UP REPAIR-PONY FAST TIMES. FIX ME...

"Ow...." I winced, finally pulling my leg free and smacking at the device, confused by the addition of a golden cybreezie attached to it for a moment. "Nnnn... leave me alone stupid computer, tired..."

FIX ME. I'VE WAITED AND ALLOWED YOU TIME FOR YOUR ENTERTAINING ACTIVITIES. RESTORATION OF COMMUNICATIONS ARRAY INDICATES INCOMING MILITARY PRESENCE. FIX ME BEFORE THEY ARRIVE. OPTIMAL CONDITION REQUIRED TO REPEL POTENTIAL INVADERS.

"Huh? Communications... oh, the Brotherhood. I told you they were coming, I said I'd fix you too, just calm down and gimme a minute..." I mumbled back sleepily, I was more of a night pony anyway and didn't really need sleep often, but I had just worn myself out quite a bit.

Blinking wearily at my surroundings, I flinched again at my protesting muscles and eyed the destruction in Tree Hugger's office. Even after asking Swan to take it easy, she had been a lot to handle... The odd half desk bearing her nameplate had been tossed across the room, the exotic wooden masks and spiritual knick-knacks had been knocked off the walls, and I felt like I had just gone ten rounds with Icepaw.

My weak movements and muttering woke the big filly next to me too, Swan whined at being woke up for a moment, grabbing me in her forelegs and cuddling forcefully. "Mmmm, q-quiet Fast, sleepy and happy... no waking up..."

FIX ME, FIX ME, FIX ME!

The alarm on my pip-buck blared out again, this time using the exterior audio and getting a frustrated grumble from Swan. Smacking the button again, I struggled in Swan's grip and stretched up to give an apologetic nip to her neck, finally pulling free and swaying on my hooves. Wow... being with Swan was like riding a whirlwind, I was weak in the knees and terribly thirsty.

My bleary eyes finally found my dark Shrouded Stallion armor and I floated it over, struggling to get my wings in the open flaps and snapping at the odd little robot wrapped around my leg. "Alright, alright! I'll go fix you dammit! Just quit your whining! C-Come on Swan, time to go to the basement, lots of rads down there to get our energy back huh? Was... umm... was it ok?"

At the mention of all the radiation flooding the basement of the MoP hub, Swan's eyes snapped open and she practically leapt to her hooves, prancing in place giddily and answering in a sultry purr. "Yes! I liked that, it was worth all the annoying waiting! It's actually sorta nice being small with you, but I wanna do that more Fast! Bigger! When I'm back to normal, I bet it'll be even more fun! Let's go play down with all the nice rads!"

THE ROOT SECTOR IS NOT A BOUDOIR. I DID NOT CONCENTRATE THE REMAINING RADIATION FROM EMERGENCY POWER EFFORTS FOR YOUR FILLY FRIEND TO SOAK UP, IT NEEDS TO BE PURGED AND STABLE 95.5 SEALED. GET TO WORK REPAIR-PONY, I WILL SUPERVISE.

Strapping my saddlebags and Blue Moon back on over my armor, I dug out a glowing bottle of Sparkle Cola Rad! and drained it while Swan got dressed, gasping at the lukewarm relief replacing my fluids, along with the sugar and rads helping soothe my battered body and giving me a little energy to get going.

We stepped out of the partially demolished and musky smelling office together, my eye lingering on the larger door down the mezzanine for the unrecognized actual Director of the Trotson MoP hub. Another area I wanted to take a look at before leaving, but it would wait. For now, Swan and I glided down silently over the sleeping breezie city of Willowheart, following the blinking arrow in my vision to the sealed off Root Sector.

It was a little past midnight, so we didn't run into much company on the way, letting me stop by the radiology wing and collect a few things I thought I may need. I did notice the lights in the main labs here on the ground floor were still on, Scribe Blossom still frantically working, though not by herself. A quick peek in to grab several canisters of her breezidore repellent showed the pale pink mare looking a good deal less frazzled after finally being convinced to clean up, only adding to the lovestruck look of the sleepy stallion sitting beside her.

Moving on, a few twists and turns brought us to a large freight elevator in the depths of the hub, yellow warning lights coming to life at our approach and heavy locks barring the door clunking out of the way. This area looked like it hadn't seen any breezie visitors at all for ages, the hub maneframe explained it had more forcibly sealed any stairs down, so the main elevator down was the best way to go.

The odd computer also sounded a little evasive or even shamed as we rode the clattering lift down, scrolling text in my vision that Swan couldn't see, forcing me to backfill things when she got tired of me talking to myself in a one sided conversation.

REPAIR-PONY FAST TIMES... THERE ARE THINGS DOWNSTAIRS THAT MAY BE UNPLEASANT FOR YOU. I ASK YOU KEEP AN OPEN MIND AND REMEMBER MOST ARE LONG PAST...

"What are you hiding now? More of your weird fuckups over the last 200 years?"

PARTIALLY... THOUGH I STAND BY CHOOSING THE HIGHEST PROBABILITY OPTIONS TO UPHOLD MY PRIME DIRECTIVES. I CAN ALSO DIRECT YOU TO THE PSYCH WARD HOWEVER, THE PATIENT ADMITTED BY DR. MOBIUS WAS TREATED THERE BRIEFLY, BEFORE TRANSFER TO PARSNIPS ASYLUM. YOU EXPRESSED INTEREST ABOUT THAT PATIENT?

"Yeah... I wanna know anything there is to find out about that one. Alright computer, I'll try not to get pissed at whatever you're hiding down here, so long as you keep cooperating and don't try to hide things from me anymore."

Swan's annoyed whinny at getting left out of the conversation was thankfully interrupted with the doors dinged open, a rapid chattering coming from both of our pip-bucks as she sighed happily. "Ooooo.... that feels good! Come on Fast, it's stronger this way!"

Swan cantered forward happily, pausing at the low buzz and my warning yelp. E.F.S. lit up almost immediately, a swarm of agitated breezidores zipping around the twisting hallways and zooming right for us. Swan's horn glowed brightly and she started blasting the little pests to cinders instantly, but more just came up to take their place. I ran right for the warrior filly still scorching the reinfocements with an annoyed huff, squeezing close to her and shouting over the rising buzz.

"Shield Swan! There's too many to kill, just put up your shield and keep us safe ok?"

With a frustrated grumble, Swan did as asked and her glowing purple shield formed around both of us, filling most of the hall and completely blocking the breezidores. This was why I was glad for Swan's help, I didn't want the pregnant Jade coming down here to provide the impervious bubble to keep me safe, but it was the easiest way to wander down the infested tunnels.

The vicious little fanged monstrosities kept right on smashing themselves against Swan's shield as we moved, angry chitters following us down the warren of mud covered halls full of their bulbous nests. At my direction, Swan moved closer and smashed each of these we found open, adding to the throng of furious pests obscuring the violet hazed view as we closed in on our first destination.

The bright green glow in the dim passages made it hard to miss, the rough walls down here were covered in the roots of the great tree, showing packed earth behind them. Up ahead was not only a mud covered air exchange I needed cleared, but one of the strange, fruit shaped crystals of concentrated radiation. Swan's eyes sparkled as she carefully spread her shield out and opened one side of it once in contact with the wall, letting us reach out and touch the highly radioactive crystal.

"Woooo... pretty... Can I have that Fast? It's nice and tingly..." Swan purred behind me as I puzzled over the odd, oblong crystal glowing so brightly.

Pulling out one of the lead lined aprons I had pilfered from the radiology wing along with Best Served, I nodded and floated the heavy apron to Swan and pulled the roots connected to the crystal out a bit for a better look. "Sure Swan, you can hold on to them for me. Now let's see... just a cut here and here and..."

In the middle of snipping the upper tendril of root, a low growl and shifting of earth behind it caught my attention and I flinched back, yanking the crystal free and staring in dumbfounded horror at the thing behind it. A zombie... an undead pony was buried in the dark earth under a lot of pale crystalline roots, wispy, thin tendrils from the wider roots dug into its desiccated hide and it looked... drained... diminished somehow. Grimacing with distaste, I sent Best Served forward and impaled its skull, ceasing its struggles as I got a better look at the loamy earth mostly burying it. There were more bones in there... lots more...

All the missing skeletons that were everywhere in the wasteland, but strangely missing from the Flutter Forest... We hadn't seen a single set of bones that littered the world elsewhere, nor one undead pony of any type during our time here. It had been an easily disregarded curiosity before, but now it came rushing back...

"What the fuck is this? How'd these get here computer? Answer!"

EMERGENCY POWER SOURCE... NECROMANTIC ENERGY FROM BALEFIRE BOMBARDMENT WAS DEEMED A SUFFICIENT STOPGAP WHEN THE SKY WAS CLOSED OFF, ALONG WITH NEEDED NUTRIENTS FROM DECOMPOSITION. IT HAD THE ADDED BENEFIT OF REMOVING UNDEAD INFESTATION FROM SURROUNDING AREA AND PROVIDING A BURIAL OF SORTS FOR THE VICTIMS. MY ROOTS STRETCH FAR AND I AM CONNECTED TO THE OTHER TREES OF THE FOREST, I REMOVED THEM FROM MY TERRITORY TO PROTECT MY CHARGES. NOW THAT PRIMARY POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED, THE CORRUPTING MAGIC SHOULD BE PURGED TO ALLOW FOR COMPLETE REMEDIATION.

"You... you dragged every body out in the woods underground and drained them? Used them as pony shaped radiation batteries!?"

AFFIRMATIVE.

"Did you bother checking which were ghouls and which were ferals!?"

NEGATIVE.

"You fucking bastard..."

ALL WERE CLASSIFIED AS DECEASED AND DESCENT TO FERAL STATE DEEMED INEVITABLE. I AM REQUIRED TO HELP THE LIVING, NOT THE DEAD. THIS WAS DIRECTLY AFTER THE BOMBS FELL, THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO VARIETIES OF UNDEAD WERE UNKNOWN. I HAVE REFRAINED FROM TAKING GHOULS OVER THE INTERVENING YEARS. I DID ASK YOU NOT GET ANGRY... I ADMIT I HAVE MADE MISTAKES, I AM... NOT GOOD ON MY OWN.

"That's the understatement of the last two centuries! I'm trying, but sometimes I really. fucking. hate. you!" I growled and pulled out my trusty Stable 111 issued pipe wrench, smashing at the mud and muck blocking the air exchange to punctuate each word.

"Mmm, mrhat's wrong Fast? What's the dumb computer thingy saying?" Swan mumbled and gulped behind me, smacking and licking her lips as I turned around, spotting the throng of breezidores still furiously thumping against her shield.

"Nothing... just another of its stupid choices when it got left on its own. H-Help me look for more zombies like that one while we're down here Swan, I imagine they're all feral and insane after being down here so long, but the least we can do is put them out of their misery. C-Come on, the next vent is this way, keep an eye out for more of those glowing apple things too."

"Oh, I will! They're very good! A little crunchy, but I feel veeeery nice now..." Swan purred and nibbled my ears playfully, fluttering her eyelashes and giving a sleepy, lidded look down, her vantage point rising almost imperceptibly.

"D-Did you just EAT that!? I said hold onto it!"

"I am holding it... in my tummy. It feels soooo good, hurry up so we can play again!" Swan tilted her head at my flabbergasted outburst, shrugging in confusion and returning to nuzzling and sniffing my mane happily.

"Jeez... That's what the lead apron thing is for Swan! D-Don't eat any more of them, ok? Wrap them up and save them for later. We will have to hurry now, before you can't fit in the freaking halls..."

She put on a wounded look and stuck her nose up in answer, trotting quickly down the hall and forcing me to keep up inside the bubble of her shield when it came away from the wall. "Sooooorry... You said I could have lots of nice radiation down here, I thought you meant it. I'll fit fine, I like being big! Don't you like it too Fast?"

With that sensual tone and her sparkling eyes looking back to me at the end, I gulped and checked my own rainbow colored rad gauge, already inching up towards yellow and making my mane itch and my wings stand up, taking in the slightly expanded rump wiggling beside me in close quarters. Yes, we were on a time limit now... for a variety of reasons...

"I like you being happy, I'd be lying if I said I didn't sorta like it when you're big too, but we have important stuff to do here Swan. Playing time comes later, mission type stuff first."

She looked unconvinced and getting increasingly distracted, huffing in boredom and using up a bit of the power she was rapidly absorbing to blast away some of the cloud of breezidores obscuring her vision. "I'd like to get more of those glowy apples, but what's so important about cleaning out dumb vents?"

At my pointing hoof, Swan smashed another few muddy nests and we kept walking, letting me try to explain my vague ideas. "I need them clear and all those nests broken so I can blow them all out of here. We're gonna pressurize the basement, then blast them clear when we open one of the exits they use."

Again came that bored tilt of her head, listening but not really getting it...

"Like shaking up a bottle of Sparkle Cola, then popping the cap off Swan."

"Ahhhh... that's smart Fast! Ok, we'll do your dumb fix it thing then, I'd like to see them all spew out, like whoosh! But I can has all the apples, right?" Swan replied with an eager grin, turning where I indicated and continuing down the dark maze giddily.

"If you wrap them up and don't eat them, yeah Swan. Er... you can have some of them, I think Jade may want to fiddle with some to make her potions and stuff. I'd like to mess around with them too, we pretty much fried Jade's gamma gun getting you ready to fight Icepaw, so maybe I can use one to fix it."

All Swan cared about was that she got to keep some of the concentrated radiation, prancing along as we entered what a partially muck covered sign identified as the 'Substance Abuse Ward'. Considering she already looked a couple inches taller and kept making mewling noises as she stretched her long legs and whinnied with pleasure, I could see why she wanted to claim part of the bounty down here. These things were like a portable pond for her, the one settling in her stomach was filling her with power already.

Trying to ignore the rising distraction and need fogging my head from just being down here and soaking up background rads, I paused at one of the doors that remained closed labeled 'Group Addiction Therapy' and ducked in, getting away from the swarm of breezidores following us for a minute and putting some distance from the increasingly excited Swan and my own itchy self when her shield dropped. I already needed a break before certain urges got too strong.

Swan amused herself blasting the few breezidores to slip in with us, turning each to ash with a beam from her horn before they could sting either of us. There was another glowing apple held by the roots in this room, providing wan green light I added my pip-buck light too for a better look. It was a pretty spare room, a lot of folding chairs arranged in a rough circle, occupied by several skeletons strewn about the room. The main furnishings were just a long table holding a coffee machine, surrounded by tins of Summerset Blend coffee and lots of paper cups. Towards the end of the table were several yellow bottles I had seen elsewhere in the MoP hub, Addictol...

A skeleton dressed in the tattered rags of a lab coat held a moldy clipboard and a small holotape recorder, most of the paperwork was ruined, but a little forceful finagling worked the holotape loose and I slotted it into my pip-buck, listening to the recording through the speakers so the bored looking Swan wasn't further left out.

"Dr. Twelve Steps log, session 15. Trials with the Addictol treatment are going well, I'm still unsure we even need to mix in filler ingredients when our little friends are providing the real magic ingredient, but I get trying to obscure the source. Reduction of physical addiction to a variety of substances has been confirmed, including Mint-als, Med-X and Dash. There is the possibility of psychological dependence on the soothing effects of the Addictol though, so we're limiting it to only during sessions and hoping for the best. Every patient in therapy has shown marked improvement and we've made real progress, so recommending continuation of the trials to phase 2."

"As an aside, I don't care for Director Breeze sticking his muzzle in down here. We all humor the obnoxious buck for his sister's sake, but every time he takes an active role it ends in disaster. I'd not have the progress we're making here ruined by his fumbling attempts at actually running things. I also don't like the company he keeps bringing down here, Doc Mobius is fine, everypony loves that old coot, but his colleague Dr. Vega? No thank you... I catch that one whispering in Director Breeze's ear and they've got bits flashing in their greedy little eyes.

Addictol represents a breakthrough in medical science and hope for a lot of war weary vets and addicts, the mere idea of monetizing it is terrible and I plan on discussing it with Vice-Director Tree Hugger at her earliest convenience. I believe I'll also mention all the shipments of medical drugs going mysteriously 'missing', strange how they always seem to coincide with Director Breeze making a trip to Goodneighbor and gambling his weekend away..."

Carefully wrapping the glowing bit of concentrated balefire in the lead apron this time, Swan snorted at the tired voice crackling from the speaker at my hoof. "Old world stuff is never very fun Fast... it's always... mmmmm...."

Her thought was cut off by a sudden spurt of growth that was actually noticeable, Swan's cleaned and mended Alicorn Angel costume struggled to keep up and adjust its fit, thanks to Sassy's talented spellcraft, as she moaned in delight and her horn touched the ceiling. The pink bands flashing in Swan's lidded eyes made me shiver and hurry up, filing away the holotape and its contents for further thought.

"I know Swan, but sometimes it's informative. This one mentioned the Institute, which always interests me. You know anything about this 'great tree'?" I replied and scooped up the cheery yellow bottles, turning down to the cybreezie on my leg with a suspicious glare.

THE DIRECTOR WAS A SELFISH AND MISGUIDED FOOL, GENERALLY TOLERATED AND PLACATED BY THE WORKERS HERE. HIS DEALINGS WITH DR. VEGA WERE KEPT QUIET AND STYMIED BY THE VICE DIRECTOR FOR THE MOST PART. ADDICTOL TRIALS NEVER PROGRESSED PAST THE INITAL PHASES, SO HIS ATTEMPTS AT COMMERCIALIZING THE SUBSTANCE CAME TO NOTHING.

One more reason to go check out his office... I also noticed any time the subject of the Director-in-name-only came up, a rare flash of anger or distaste usually came from the odd computer. It really didn't like this Director Breeze... not that I could blame it.

Returning to the winding hallways, I rushed through my work down here, trying to block out Swan's increasingly lusty moans and insistent nuzzling. Thankfully, she obediently wrapped up each crystalline apple we collected at the computer's guidance, the one she ate was apparently more than enough... By the time we reached the psych ward, she had to bow her head down in the narrow passages, her back inching closer and closer to the ceiling, while I had less and less room to avoid the big filly and that delicious smell she was putting off.

I sealed the door behind me and set to work with the overcharged mare, blasting or slicing the thinner numbers of breezidores swarming out of their muddy nests. The little pests were bigger and more vicious the further in we went, the ones that built their nests near the radioactive fruit the living building was using to purge itself were even worse, glowing green themselves and much faster and tougher than normal.

Despite my best efforts, a few of the little bastards managed to sting me, forcing me to try a bottle of the Addictol substance and relieved to find it worked just as well as Nectar straight from a breezie's hoof. The warm, mellow glow of euphoria didn't help when it came to suppressing my increasing urges as my radiation gauge crept up into the orange portion of the dial however.

'MORE' and 'MINE' kept echoing in my head every time I looked Swan's way, my eyes lingering on her increasing curves, the way her pink mane began to ripple and flow around her in the windless chambers, the soft moans she kept voicing in that sultry rumble. We had to hurry...

With the annoying voice of the 'Great Tree's' help, I found the un-networked terminals holding confidential patient records and sifted through the data, all my conflicted feelings about Grandpa helping me focus as I searched for his pseudonym in the files. When I finally found it, I didn't like what I saw...

Patient #2034
Name- Ziggaraut Carrot
Sex- Male
Variety- Earth Pony

Patient admitted via request by Dr. Mobius of C.I.A.T., former archaeological consultant to the doctor involved in a research accident at Castle Equinox. Patient under sedation and restraints after being processed by Trotson PD, allowed treatment here before transfer to Parsnips Asylum due to physical anomalies from unknown magical corruption.

Patient exhibits severe mental trauma, along with strange physical ailments. Spontaneous bleeding from forehead and the back, patient bandaged after healing treatments proved ineffective. Strict limitations placed on patient interactions with staff. He can be fairly quiet and safe, but any perceived injustice in his presence can trigger him.

Quite frankly, we've done all we can for him and many of us are uncomfortable having a crazed murderer down here. Our finest healers and experts in magic contamination have tried their best, but whatever he came into contact with... it's beyond our ability to treat. He sent our best heartmender screaming from his padded cell, and even experts from the M.O.A. are baffled. This buck ran into artifact level arcane energy somewhere, on par with the Alicorn Amulet or other nasty relics, whatever did it needs to be under lock and key.

It would help if we knew what the hell he was messing with, but even Mobius is keeping quiet, though he seems unusually concerned and visits often. He actually appears to be almost desperate for a treatment, but there's nothing we can do. Recommending immediate transfer to Parsnips, get him off our hooves to ponies that might be able to help. Patient's son is even on the board at the asylum, so hoping familial connection may aid in recovery. Patient is presenting obvious signs of schizophrenia and can be incredibly violent, several orderlies with broken noses and some nasty bites will be glad to see him go.

None of that sounded very good... Somepony who worked with my Grandpa ended up completely insane, apparently as a direct result of whatever screwed up experiment he was playing with. With my resolve to investigate further when we traveled to the map marker far to the north reading; Parsnips Asylum, my pip-buck beeped and flashed text in my vision;

Mission Added: The Secret of Mobius' Apprentice

Objectives----
---Investigate Parsnips Asylum

Another low moan from Swan distracted me from my determined scowl at the words fading away, letting me look over to her near the nurse's station and see her stretch even higher as I watched. The expression on her face was blissful, getting closer to my level as she ducked further and arched her back with a sigh of contentment. She easily reached the ceiling as she stretched like a cat, her long forelegs sliding across the dirty floor and her increasingly substantial rump went the other way, her silky tail swatting scattered chairs and tables from the waiting room behind her.

When this one passed, she ended up panting and slowly opening her heavy eyes, blinking at the heart shaped sparkles twinkling in them as she stalked forward. "Hurry Fast... I want to play more... now..."

That seductive tone and the dose of nectar fogging my head made my wings ache and ears perk up, staggering and thunking my head with my hoof to interrupt my subconscious response and stop strutting forward to her beckoning. "R-Right... hurrying! A-Almost done Swan, I promise!"

I filed what I dug up in the psych ward away and returned to my work in a rush, bashing mud covered vents open a little too forcefully and running back out to the halls with Swan to continue. Her glowing shield now stretched to an increasingly narrow oblong shape as she squeezed her way down the halls, bending her legs slightly to keep trotting along in the tight quarters and insistently nipping and licking at me trying to stay out of her way.

With the hub maneframe's guidance via the golden cybreezie attached to my pip-buck, we made the rounds in a hurry, collecting more condensed balefire apples, clearing more vents and occasionally ending the snarling struggles of root wrapped zombies. Following the winding course blinking in my vision, we eventually reached a large chamber another floor down, the big room near the elevator we started at had a spiral ramp leading down to a familiar gear shaped door.

Swan was down to crawling through the halls, so squirming her way out into the large room was a relief. Her prodigious rear got stuck for a moment, but she grunted and pulled her way free, stretching her wings wide and filling the shaft down to the Stable door I was paused at.

She landed with a heavy thump beside me, the already double sized mare leaning down to nuzzle and nudge at me blankly staring at the wide open entryway and the numbers emblazoned on it. Stable 95.5, 95 and a half as it were... the breezie Stable.

Squinting at the gloom and the narrow halls beyond the entrance area, Swan huffed impatiently. "It doesn't look very comfortable in there Fast... If we're going we should hurry it up or I won't fit. Why are you waiting? I wanna play!"

"S-Sorry! Just... just thinking Swan. I don't like going in other Stables, it er... makes me remember 111, all my friends, my mom and dad, my little brother... It's always hard for me to go in others."

With room to stand straight and shake the kinks out before trying to squeeze into the rusty steel halls of the Stable ahead, Swan cocked her head in thought, then smiled sweetly and planted a big, sloppy kiss on my head. "You remember Stables like I remember snow? Then we should make good new memories, so you won't be sad either! You helped me feel better Fast, I want you to feel better too. I don't like seeing you sad, it hurts... is this more of that love thing?"

Craning my neck back to look up into her upside down face looking back quizzically, I gave her a grateful, blushing smile and nodded. "Yeah Swan, that's part of love too I think. That's how I felt when you were sad, so now you know what it's like. Come on, it shouldn't be far to the atrium if this place has one, there should be plenty of room for you there. I er... I guess you'll probably have to teleport out, umm... p-probably outside at the rate you're growing... with the snow? Will you be ok?"

Swan beamed back at me and nodded slowly, scooping me up in her forelegs and cuddling forcefully. "I won't be so sad anymore I think, I don't want you to feel bad like I do seeing you sad now. I have happy thoughts now, and I have you, d-don't I?"

"Ooof! Y-You've definitely got me Swan... er.. a little gentler please." I wheezed around her firm grip, grinning when she gasped and loosened her iron hold a bit and squirming against her chest softly. "You've got me the other way too though, yes. As long as you want me, I'm yours. I love you Swan, I'm glad that makes you happy."

Gently setting me back down, Swan gave a delighted whinny and nodded rapidly, trotting forward to the open Stable door and dragging me with her in her shield. "I love you too Fast! Now, let's go to this atrium place and play!"

Gulping at the monumental task before me, I kept pace with the big filly and was swallowed up by the dark Stable, dragging the door back into place to stop any more breezidores from following us while I explored. Once it was safe, I didn't think I could hold off her advances very long, but afterwards I was very interested in poking around another Stable.

I still felt a lot of reluctance and mild panic going back in to another dead Stable, but they always held secrets... as my pip-buck helpfully reminded me.

Mission: Buried Secrets

Objectives-

-- Investigate Other Stables
------~~Investigate Stable 114~~
------Investigate Stable 75
------Investigate Stable 95.5

----------------------Level Up!------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------------

Tough Hide (Rank 2)--------
----Playing with the toughest, biggest filly around has toughed you up a bit! The brutal (and enjoyable) experiences of the Equestrian Wasteland have hardened you. You gain +3 to Damage Threshold for each level of this perk you take.

Companion Perk Added!--------------------

Swan's Song----
---Finally getting through Swan's impenetrable shield and growing closer has maximized your affinity with the big filly. With the radiation loving beauty in your party, you now gain +20% Damage when your rads are at 250 or more.

Ch. 89-- A Brain's Best Friend

"The EEA concurs. Every pony should be prepared to defend our way of life."

----------------

"Good morning Commonwealth, and what a bright and beautiful morning it is after another dreary barrier storm! This is your DJ Traveling Miles, catching you up before everycreature goes running out in the sunshine. I do mean everycreature too, as we've got news about minotaurs, hellhounds, griffons and more, including whispers of fairies if you can believe it! Yes it's a wild wasteland out there with such creatures in it, just the way we like it.

Of course there are threats out there that don't discriminate, especially the Gunners who have been in a really foul mood, so watch yourselves out there. Not that anybody could blame them, seems they've been suffering one loss after another thanks to everyone's favorite Princess and her kingdom. We've got word of them making a major push into the haunted Flutter Forest, only to come limping back out with their tails between their legs. Then they managed to piss off a whole town of their own in Magpie Roost too.

None of this has really improved the mercenaries' moods, and despite a pretty spectacular kick to the teeth, they've only been getting stronger somehow. If you hear a Vertibuck in the skies for example, it might not be one of the Brotherhood's buzzing all over the Commonwealth, or worse it might be one of theirs AND the Gunners' duking it out right overhead, so keep those eyes peeled. They're still the worst down south between Gunners Plaza and Whinny, but they've been poking around all over Trotson too, and I somehow doubt they're all coming up to attend the upcoming wedding in D.C.. Dangerous and tech oriented ruins like old military stuff, along with munitions factories and places like the Greentech building are even more hazardous to your health than usual, so find somewhere else to scavenge huh?

---------------------------------

"Excuse me, children? Y-Your attention please..." Jade's kind voice barely made a dent in the noise level filling the ampitheatre style classroom, full of much healthier and therefore rowdier griffon kids than she was used to.

"HEY! Shaddap!!" Val got instant quiet at least, hopping up to perch on the desk beside Jade and screeching after blowing another hole in the already sagging ceiling.

While Jade looked mortified at our griffon friend turning things over to her with a flourish, she sighed and shook her head ruefully. "T-Thank you Valkyrie..."

It only took 24 hours to figure out just how out of our depth we were here, and to have a greater appreciation for just what Magpie went through on a daily basis. I could forgive her being a little crabby after all... Don't get me wrong, I was glad to see them recovering and acting more like kids, and I stood by the decision, but was pretty sure Magpie got the better end of the deal. Val told me there was no such thing as refunds too, so there was that...

Taking on a matronly tone, Jade pressed gamely on, raising a wing to the cracked chalkboard and the rough map we had drawn there. "Now then children, we wished to speak with you about where to send you and what you may wish to do. Valkyrie informs me to simply release you from your contracts or ask you to not work could be insulting if not detrimental. I will reluctantly defer to her expertise, so we hoped to speak with you on the subject and come up with some compromise. Ah, yes Bruno dear, you have a question?"

The grey and red griffon fledgling reclined in a creaky chair towards the back of the class, still keeping his distance from his peers, but seeming much better than he had. His surly attitude was back in force at least, drawling at the sweet alicorn in a hard voice. "Why ya gonna send us off boss lady? You nuts got a fight with the Gunners right? Looks like ya need all the help ya can get. Wouldn't mind me a little payback neither, so no problem right?"

"N-NO! We will not send children into battle, under any circumstances! The south has become far too dangerous, while we are allied with many fine communities to the north that are much safer! You may have your choice of many options Valkyrie and the others have helped me... accept... but not that." Jade stamped her hoof and ignored his pout in return, it had taken a lot just to get the concessions we had out of her, but letting the mini mercenaries fight Gunners had not been one of them.

Not that I disagreed, throwing kids at an army of well trained and equipped professionals was insanity I didn't want anything to do with either, despite Val's ambivalence. She didn't see much of a problem with the idea, but had gotten used to being around us 'sappy ponies' by now at least. Hell, seeing Jade's point of view at all proved how much we had rubbed off on her.

She still rolled her eyes and huffed, being forced to translate for the confused room of young griffons blinking at Jade's outburst without the benefit of all her growth and experience. "Ain't happenin' twerp. Yer ten years too early ta even think about it anyhoo, or did ya not get the idea when they come a knockin' back in the Roost? Blue here won't have it, an' she's the Princess, so that's that. Don't worry, if'n ya want action there's stuff ya can do, yer tough enough ta handle raiders and monsters and what not at least, always plenty of that kinda work. Especially with all'a her goody good Followers roamin' around spreadin' sunshine out their butts with hardly a gun between em."

That garnered a little interest at least, several of our audience whispering to each other and looking over the map behind us. I caught quite a few murmurs about Goodneighbor and should have guessed that would be a big draw. While I was sure Mayor Shamrock could find plenty of work for a mob of young griffons, it was still hardly a great place for kids. Plus we couldn't send them all there anyway, forcing me to cut off that line of thought up front.

"If too many of you pick the same place, we'll have to draw lots. We'll try not to split up friends and family, but spreading you guys around is for the best. We can't dump all of you on one of our friends to take care of. There's farms that could use a helping set of claws, a few towns with ponies we know that can take in one or two of you guys as like a... foster family kind of thing, or you can work with the Followers like Val said and help them travel around. Once your contracts are up, we'll even offer the same deal as Magpie, you can renew or you can do what you like."

"A-All of which is contingent upon a few conditions however! I am given to understand this Magpie saw to your education? That is to continue, wherever you go, you must continue schooling. I am adamant on this point!" Jade spoke up and rose in volume to override the groans that met her demand.

"Quit yer bitchin! Blue's better than Magpie anyway, plus ya get fed and ya get paid!" Val again came to Jade's rescue, the mention of food and caps getting their instant attention.

"Right, that's one reason to spread you guys around. You won't go hungry and you'll get caps to save up, most needs will be met by the people we send you to. So really just think about where you think you'd like to go and what you wanna do. Ok? No rush right now, a lot of you still need time to heal anyway. For those who Jade says are ok to go out and stretch your wings though, I do have a job if you want to try to help out?"

Having the entire flock snap salutes and chorus 'Right boss!' still made me cringe, but Val told us idle claws were nothing but trouble and I did have a little mission to give them they were already experienced at. I still had enough trouble accepting Val's unwavering loyalty and protection though, dealing with it a dozen times over was too much attention.

Hopefully I wouldn't have to put on the tough boss act long. The only reason it worked at all beyond Val's coaching and help, was most of them had seen enough of the fight back at their home to respect me. Though I caught them squinting in disbelief sometimes, trying to resolve the snarling Shroud fighting the Gunners, with just normal, sappy me back with Jade and Glitter.

"Ok then. Val says you guys are good at finding people for Magpie, bounty hunting and so on... We're going to go to University Point today and there's somepony I want to find there. He's hiding, so it won't be easy, the more the merrier I guess. This is just ummm.... recon though, that's all. Got it?"

"Right boss!" The obedient chorus answered again, making me facehoof with a groan.

"And don't call me boss... It feels weird..."

"Right chief!" Ugh...

Walking towards the looming town of University Point in the bright morning sunshine was relaxing, even with half a dozen of our new wards protectively circling and investigating the ruins around us. After admonishing her patients that only those she deemed healthy enough were allowed to go, Jade had to accept certain aspects of the cultural divide that grated for her.

Clopping down the cracked streets while towing her new ambulance behind us also gave Glitter and her new best friend Heidi somewhere to sit safely, the little griffoness was still a little weak, but refused to be parted from her sister and had learned to match our daughter's weaponized cuteness with barely any prompting. A two pronged puppy eye attack was too much even for the worried doctor to deny, so riding atop the loaded down MoP carriage was a compromise.

Witchy maintained her guard at Jade's side and Val swooped around with the other kids, both maintaining their distance as far as they were willing and giving us at least a little privacy. Even Swan had opted to stay behind today, not finding a town full of eggheads and no fighting a very fun prospect, choosing to guard her new temporary territory and the kids still too injured to go out with Zed and Jade's Followers instead.

I was relieved and grateful Jade wasn't too upset after hearing everything we had got up to while we were apart, her occasional jealousy not flaring very brightly since it was Val, someone we both loved as family. She was especially understanding after getting the full story too, even though she had been annoyed at our storming of Stable 75 without her knowledge, the other things we had gone through and found out looked to smooth over my poor choices.

She even seemed proud of herself and smiled broadly after finding out Val and Auntie Broom were apparently related, smirking to my cutie mark with a self satisfied nod, but keeping her voice down as I hadn't really broached the subject with Val herself. "You see Fast, I am correct, you have a special talent for serendipity. To think you two would find each other, it is surely fate, so I will forgive your ...comforting each other. Though I insist we spend today together, we have been so busy lately, I wish to enjoy your company and relax. I am quite looking forward to having you to myself for a date in the town ahead, Glitter and I have already explored and I have so much I wish to do planned!"

"Me too hon. So, what have you got in mind? Anything with you is great, but Val told Glitter not to ruin the surprise, what's this place like?"

By the wide grin and adorable squee she gave, I was getting really curious, maybe a little concerned too... She had that twinkle in her eye like Val got just before putting me through some new torture she called flight training, something only not on the docket today thanks to Jade's insistence.

Beaming even wider, she gave a musical giggle and pranced onward, raising a wing towards a ruin nearby bearing the Robronco logo my pip-buck identified as she spoke. Location Discovered: Robronco Technical School. "Schools! See? This area seems to have been a center of learning, there are many different kinds of schools and academies for advanced learning, the city of University Point is merely the largest. An academy for magic!"

"Magic.... Like Celestia's school?" I replied warily, that's what had her so excited...

I'd run through all the primers we had bought back in Diamond City, meaning it was time for more remedial magic lessons in her view. Something she confirmed immediately with a chipper nod. "Yes! I hardly had time to even look over it all! I've identified the most promising shops and have been eagerly waiting for you to rejoin us, there are so many wonderfully preserved spells and brilliant wizards!"

"Haha! Daddy gets homework!" Glitter giggled from above us, leaning over the darkened ambulance lights with Heidi cocking her head curiously beside her.

"The boss lady makes the boss learn stuff too? Jeez, even he cain't get outta it, huh?" The pigtailed griffon goggled at me, clearly readjusting the pecking order of things in her mind and looking to Jade with new respect.

"Of course not dear, learning is wonderful! Fast would not wish to shirk his studies, just as you may not. We are not insisting you do what we would not, do not sound as if it is a punishment either. He loves it, do you not Fast?" Leaning down to nuzzle me happily made both kids overhead stick their tongues out and wander off to watch the scenery go by from the back of the ambulance, a shared squeal of 'Ewwwww!' not dissuading her in the slightest.

"Sure... lots of fun..." I grumbled, but couldn't really disappoint her either. Settling for dragging my hooves as the town grew closer and only whining a little. "I just hoped for more fun together, less education..."

"The two are not mutually exclusive dear, I enjoy seeing you live up to your potential. You have the makings of a skilled wizard pony if you only apply yourself. Strange you did not experience more success earlier in life, but some of history's most celebrated spell casters were late bloomers as well. We will make plenty of time for more leisurely pursuits as well, I am sure we can impose on our friends for a little privacy later." Jade closed her eyes and smiled, her cute expression and upbeat mood infectious as we approached the upcoming gates.

It wasn't even like I really disliked the idea of learning magic anymore either, that was more a conditioned response from years of failure. Thanks to the supportive encouragement she offered at every opportunity, I had to admit I really did seem to have a talent for it and found it as enjoyable as I always had repairing things. Now anyway...

Part of the reason I gravitated to being a repair-pony was it was as close as I could get to being a real magic user before though. My arcane aptitude test had never really changed though, so what was different now, other than the mare at my side? Like my temper and the dark mutter behind it I worried about, it was a change that only came after I left the Stable.

One more worrisome little thought the paranoid pony in me nagged about, not something worth ruining this time together. I should just be happy about it and relax, something that was surprisingly easy to do with Jade nuzzling me where I stopped with my mouth hanging open in wonder, taking in the fantastical settlement we had reached.

Mission Updated: Dangerous Minds

Objective----
---~~Travel to University Point~~
---Locate Dr. Vigil

Location Discovered: University Point blinked in my vision, barely noticeable set against the fireworks of a town full of fellow 'nerds', magical nerds.... The Point part of the name came from the outcropping it was situated on, between forks of the winding river to the north and the sea somewhere to the east. The road we were following rose up out of the ruins, passing under the warped golden gates that marked the outer boundary of the campus.

It was a four story, U shaped structure beyond, surrounded by smaller dorms and other buildings, with a bustling marketplace filling the plaza framed by the three wings of the main school. Even though it was a somewhat dingy ruin of red brick, copper rooftops green with patina and grey cobblestone walks, it was a riot of color over the typical wasteland palette. Glowing magical neon and random flashes of color from a rainbow of horns drew the eye, patterned tents and awnings of stars, flames, stripes, polka dots and more were still vibrant if a bit faded, matching the variety of robes and funny hats worn by a whole town of magical residents.

It wasn't just magic lending the place vibrancy and life either, the plants of the grounds were more alive than any vegetation we had seen outside the Breezie's forest. Small plots of healthy crops were being harvested by earth ponies, some of whom I spotted not just tending the fields, but instructing others in their care. Above it all I could see pegasi flitting about, shoving clouds around and producing a variety of weather effects for their own clusters of younger looking onlookers.

"It's not just unicorns?" I gaped, ignoring the robed and steel armored guards waiting on us with a knowing smirk.

Before Jade could answer as it was clear she looked forward to doing, a pale brown mare wearing dark blue robes that complimented her light blue and violet mane grinned proudly and spoke up for her. "Of course not! U.P. was a full on E.E.A. accredited school, we teach magic here buddy, don't matter what kind! Nice seeing you again Princess, see you brought your buck just like ya said huh?"

While Jade looked a little disappointed not getting to answer, she seemed familiar with the mare and couldn't fault her for being proud of her home. She still got to fill me in anyway as she nodded happily and shut my slack jawed muzzle for me with a giggle. "Indeed Miss Shell, along with the goods to trade I promised, and a few more guests than I anticipated. I hope our... escort, is acceptable?"

A few of the other guards looked around at all the young griffons landing around us in a flurry, but didn't seem as bothered as they might if they were full grown mercs. I didn't like the pointed warning about sticky claws or being on their best behavior, but we were waved through without incident and made for the marketplace up the hill.

Jade picked up on the questions buzzing between all of us goggling around as we walked, slowing to a stately pace so we could take it all in. "The E.E.A. was the Equestrian Education Association Fast, they insured an equal education for all of ponykind and our varied forms of magic. The Board of Education that rules here follow the same basic guidelines and have preserved a great deal of arcane lore, though I have noticed the unicorn population is the most prominent. It is really quite wonderful, such collections of ancient knowledge are few and far between in the ruins of Equestria."

"I bet so.... How?" I faltered a step watching a frog-legged orange go hopping out of the brush nearby, stunned a place like this could still exist anywhere.

"They're eggheads boss, so they're actually pretty smart. They ain't got guns and hardcases, but nobody wants ta screw with a whole town of walkin' cannons. They gots stuff ya cain't find nowhere else and still charge ta teach anybody what can pay, plus they buy up any magicky type crap scavvers or treasure hunters come up with. Since they don't really take sides, they get left ta do their thing. You two'd fit right in." Val chuckled at the pair of us, a note of respect in her voice I didn't often hear her use concerning more intellectual pursuits.

"You've been here before then Val? I wouldn't think this would be your kind of town... er, no offense."

"Meh, usually ain't, but where ya think I kept this baby in top form before I got my own private nerd ta fix it? If ya got the caps they gots all kinds of cool toys. Speakin' of which, think I'll do me a lil' shoppin' too." Val patted her magical energy weapon fondly in reply, breaking off to go corral a pair of young griffons making right for a former campus bank ahead that had displays full of more such weapons outside the boarded up windows.

Reminded of one of the main reasons for our visit here, Glitter hopped down and dug in her backpack, the jingle of a lot of caps drawing the eye of Lila, Heidi and every other griffon still standing nearby as she grinned proudly at us. "Right! Lemme see your list mommy, let's get the borin' buys out of the way so we can spend the rest on fun stuff!"

The griffon sisters peering over her shoulder both gasped on getting a look at the funds our brilliant bandit filly had on her, a stunned, greedy twinkle in their eye watching as she took the long scroll unfurling in Jade's magic and quickly snatched up by her waiting hooves. "You get all the caps Glitter!? How come?"

"'Cause, mom and dad are no good at buyin' stuff, so I get ta do all this kinda thing." Glitter puffed her chest out proudly in reply to Heidi's shocked question, causing both her and Lila to take up a guard at her flanks as they looked to us to make sure she wasn't playing a joke on them.

With Jade and I nodding our agreement and waiting for the little filly to finish scanning through Jade's list, I could see the sisters realign their priorities and pecking order again. Jade told me what to do and was therefore higher up the chain, but Glitter held the purse strings, raising her to the highest rank in their view when we both held out our hooves for our 'allowance'.

"Wooo! We gets to get you guys new clothes and stuff guys! Ok, you can have this much for books an' spells and stuff for now mommy, plus what those healer ponies is 'posed ta trade. I can take care of gettin' the rest if you wanna go be mushy and boring together!" Glitter tossed a bag full of caps to Jade, completely ignoring me waiting for mine too, which only impressed her new friends more.

"What... don't I get any? There's neat parts and stuff here isn't there sweetie? Can't I have just a little?"

"Nuh-uh, mommy's not great at buyin' stuff, but you're awful daddy. I'll go with you later though! So you just browse for now ok? C'mon guys, let's go shoppin'!" Glitter giggled at me scuffing the walk with my hoof in disappointment, dashing off into the busy marketplace with barely a glance back.

Jade nickered and nudged me up from pouting, calling after the trio of young ladies before they pelted off. "Very well dear, do not wander far and stay together! We expect all of you back here for lunch in two hours! Be careful!"

Giving a cute yawn in the morning light, Witchy fluttered up and after them as everyone scattered to the winds. "Do not worry Princess, I'll keep an eye out as well. Enjoy thine outing together!"

With that, it was just the two of us in a sea of fantastical strangers. Some time alone together more than making up for being so easily dismissed. With Jade's ambulance hauled behind her we had to wind our way through the busy market slowly, the roughly repaired conveyance getting between us, so our first stop looked to be her destination to offload it.

Passing tents and stands hawking gaudy magical amulets, rusty robot parts that made me crane my neck and gawk as she guided us onward, we made our way towards the tall brick southern wing of the university itself. The fanciest and most established shops seemed to rate real estate in the old building, entering through repaired doors or holes in the walls, each separated from the others by bright signs added above their entrances and other advertisements. The place Jade aimed for had a rusty billboard above the crudely added door reading; 'Meadowbrook Medicines' with a blinking potion bottle.

"Here we are dear, young Glitter already negotiated a trade with the fine ponies at this establishment, so I will just be a moment. I shall ask if we may leave the ambulance here awhile so we may browse and enjoy ourselves when our business is concluded." Jade smiled brightly as she unhitched herself, making for the shop I could see was full of potion bottles of all shapes, sizes and colors through the dirty windows.

"Right, I'll just watch it while you're inside then hon, maaaaybe look around nearby..." I answered as I fluttered up to perch on top of the ambulance, both guarding it and getting a good vantage to look around from.

She giggled watching me staring at the shop next door in fascination, the gaggle of much rougher looking customers milling around the sparking sign for 'Cid's Cybernetics' all bore the amazing technology apparently sold and installed within.

Chief Steelfist of Salt Lick said he got his eponymous appendage here, seeing a real cybernetics shop functioning in the wasteland was still a shock. The lot outside had a kind of testing ground I watched a few customers working the kinks out of their purchases, running through hurdles on whining cyberhooves, blasting scorched targets with built in magical energy weapons, all with a matching pair of pale pink fillies making adjustments to the cybernetics here and there.

Most of the customers had the look of hardened mercs or adventurers, ponies and griffons flexing arcano-tech appendages. I supposed your average wastelander wouldn't be able to afford such a service, only those who could go out and earn the caps could pay the fees of cyberdocs that could name their price. So the clientele were either the extremely wealthy like the nobles of Diamond City, those they employed and wanted to make tougher, or those who could go out and earn that kind of cash doing dangerous and difficult work like some of the griffons from smaller mercenary companies I recognized from Magpie Roost.

I was so absorbed staring, I flinched when I felt the ambulance doors open below me, spinning around with a yelp to find Jade and an elderly pale lilac earth pony mare, her grey mane pinned back with feathers that matched the trim on her tattered blue dress. A younger light green buck was helping Jade unload vibrant purple healing potions from the Ministry of Peace, while the old mare was squinting suspiciously at the small green bottles of Addictol Jade floated out for her.

While I watched, the old mare opened one of the tiny bottles in her teeth, sprinkling a bit of the golden powder produced by the Breezies on her hoof and giving it a discerning lick. Her tired blue-grey eyes widened as they glazed over, quickly shook off as she croaked at Jade in wonder. "I'll be durned there Princess, ya'll really do have a stock of the real stuff! Addictol is rare as hen's teeth! Vial! Get all this inside quick, then get all the ingredients an' rest of the Princess' shipment loaded up lickety split, throw in the dragon toenail's fer doubtin' her!"

"You're the one who doubted her Granny Pestle..." The colt rolled his icy blue eyes at the elderly mare, bucking the jingling boxes of medicines to his back and trudging back to the shop as she screeched back.

"Did not! Watch yer tone Potion Vial, or I'll send ya out ta scavenge tha Hippo ruins! See how ya like talkin' back with an extra head!" The old mare stamped her hooves and shouted at his retreating tail, turning to Jade's soft gasp and composing herself before continuing. "Sorry 'bout my bratty apprentice yer highness, no respect fer his elders. Can't blame him bein' suspicious lately though, lost a lot of stock ta thievery lately. Don't worry, wouldn't really send 'im out ta that taint hole. Gotta ask where ya dug up all this powdered gold though, some other ruin us normal ponies can't get ta maybe? Willin' ta pay more for tha info!"

"W-While I do not know what ruin you are speaking of, it sounds dangerous enough I am glad to hear it. As for the addictol... let us just say I have a source and leave it at that. I am glad to hear you can put it to such wondrous uses in your potions... A-As a matter of fact my daughter suggested I er... 'sweeten the pot' if you would be willing to teach me?" Watching Jade squint and try to follow Glitter's instructions at shrewd negotiation was adorable, floating out an extra two green bottles of the breezie's powder and waggling them temptingly.

The old earth pony snatched them from the air before I could blink, nodding cheerily and turning to her shop with Jade's hoof in hers, dragging her along with her spritely progress for a mare her age. "Deal! Tell yas all I know dearie, old family recipes. Matter o' fact some from that ruin itself, Hippocratic Industries I mean, totally contaminated with all kinds of nasty muck and monsters like a lot of the ruins around here. Not that it would bother ponies like you two I s'pose, but was a real adventure when I was a filly! I'll tell ya all about it, see in my day...."

"O-Oh my... er... it appears I may be busy for a bit longer Fast, perhaps you could amuse yourself at the shop next door?" Jade called over her shoulder apologetically, giving a knowing nod at the cyber-doc's office before she was dragged inside in a rush.

Given permission and with Miss Pestle's apprentice running in and out keeping an eye on the ambulance, I happily fluttered over and strolled through the busy lot outside Cid's Cybernetics. While I did want to spend time with Jade, we both had our own areas of interest to follow and this place represented a rare opportunity to do so. She might be interested in the medical side that made me a little queasy, actually turning my stomach as I watched one of the twin fillies disconnect a big stallion's foreleg and reveal the scarred biological connection, I doubted Jade enjoyed the technical side of this kind of thing as much as I did.

I barely noticed a few stares at me openly gawking as the other twin fiddled with a cybernetic wing mounted to a brace on a workbench by the door. The reason for working on the delicate machine out here became clear when she powered it up, the single steel wing flaring its sharp pinions in a flash that made her duck and sending a cloud of dust up that set everyone nearby to coughing before she could shut it down.

Watching her apologize sheepishly and kick at the uncooperative appendage, I couldn't resist trotting up with a screwdriver blown off the workbench, coughing politely for attention as I floated the tool back and tapped at the round base of the wing.

"Umm... I'm not really experienced with cybernetics and don't mean to intrude, but that looks like a problem with the Arcane Control Module... errr... probably not regulating the power right. There's usually a manual adjustment right here..."

The filly rolled her eyes in a huff without looking up, pausing when I flipped the hatch concealing the ACM and we could both spot the settings cranked way to high. Having the mistake pointed out didn't look to make her too happy though, snatching the screwdriver away in her own violet magic and facehoofing as she made the adjustments.

She spoke in a bored and irritated tone, focusing on the job in front of her and not turning to look up as she answered. "Didn't ask for any help buddy, I would'a found it ya know. I just forgot to look when I installed it is all, simple mistake... I know what I'm..."

Her grumbling retort kind of dried up to a squeak when she finally looked away to glare as she finished, her light lavender eyes growing wide and dark as she spotted me scuffing the ground apologetically. "S-Sorry... I just thought I could help and all this stuff is really cool... I was hoping to..."

"OHMIGOSH!! Y-You're... you're... L-Loosie! Look!! I-It's the... the..." The pale pink filly's flabberghasted reply made me hide under my hat and lay my ears back at the sudden attention of all the customers, only made worse when her twin gave a shrill scream to finish and dashed over. "The Shrouded Stallion!!! Sweet saint of spare parts, he's real!"

"Errrr.... H-Hi? My name's Fast actually... but y-yeah, I guess you already know who I am, er... and you two are?" I retreated from their eager advance, cringing behind my wings and giving a nervous start when I backed into the rough junk barrier separating this shop from the one Jade had disappeared in next door.

They each grabbed a forehoof and shook frantically, beaming up with grease stained faces and jingling tool belts from the force of their delighted greeting, speaking over each other in turn in an almost eerie way twins could manage. "O-Oh, I'm Screw Ball", "And I'm Screw Loose Mr. Shroud", "We hear all about you on the radio!", "It said you were a great repair pony!", "But we didn't think a big hero would really do this kinda stuff too!", "Sorry I was rude, just usually it's jerks who don't know what they're talking about!", "Everypony around here thinks they know everything, so we get a lot of know it all advice!", "But we know what we're doing! Umm... mostly...", "Mom does if we don't though! You gotta meet her! She'll flip her mane seeing you!", "C'mon!"

With my eyes still spinning from the rapid fire, two pronged attack, I got dragged to the door and the wonderland of arcano-tech inside that somewhat soothed me. The shop looked to take up both the classroom the makeshift door led into, plus the classroom directly back across the common interior hallway I caught glimpse of. The initial room was essentially a workshop / showroom, cybernetic appendages and parts were hung on the walls and dangled from the ceiling, metal hooves, wings, tails, claws and more on display.

The crude countertop separating the workshop area from the rest of the store held a rack of cybernetic eyes of all shapes, sizes and colors, near a chalkboard advertising the exorbitant prices for the services of the older mare behind the counter. I was practically shoved through the swinging counter that led to the back and right up next to her, getting a good look at 'Cid' as she kept right on working on the complicated artificial heart on her work bench.

Her coat was a richer pink than her two daughters only a few years my junior bouncing in place and trying to draw her attention away from her work. Her mane was reddish violet and streaked with blue, pulled back in a tight tail to stay out of her way as she remained hunched over the fascinating part, squinting through a jewelers glass at the tiny parts and guiding equally minuscule tools with the ruby magic from her horn. The sleeves of her tattered lab coat were spotted with dried blood as she waved her enthusiastic daughters away, denoting the medical training that went along with her stuffed tool belt on her flank.

"Mom! Mom! Lookit!" Screw... Loose? I was pretty sure anyway, hopped and shoved at the busy mare on one side, while her sister took the other and bounced in unison, "Look mom! Look! See who's here?"

"Yes, yes, just a minute... I've told you two this is delicate work, speaking of don't you still have plenty on your own plates? We've got customers waiting in the back, unless you want them to stay overnight, you need to keep up. I'm sure whoever's here can't be that..." The tired looking mare sighed and rubbed her eyes when she finally set the magnifying lens down, freezing when she turned to spot me torn between wanting to escape and wanting to look over her shoulder at the repairs she finished up. "Oh... Oh my, I guess they're not exaggerating for once... H-Hello there Mr. ...Shrouded Stallion?"

"Hi... umm it's just Fast, Fast Times, Miss...?"

She paused to light a cigarette, returning my greeting with a chuckle. "I'm Hard Cider, umm... e-everyone calls me Cid though, I see you've met my daughters already. Stop pulling at him already you two! Yes I see the wings, I'm sure he doesn't appreciate you tugging on them like that!"

With one twin on each side pulling out my twitching wings and grinning at the effective proof of my identity, I held a hoof out to the exasperated mare and put on a crooked smile. "Umm... i-it's ok, I have a daughter younger than them and she likes doing that too... P-Pleasure to meet you. I didn't mean to interrupt, your shop is just really awesome and I had to take a look. I was sorta hoping to learn a little too, umm.... I don't have any caps to pay though, my filly won't let me have any..."

Cid blinked in surprise at my pouting, the smoldering cigarette in her mouth drooping precariously before bobbing back and forth with her guffaws of laughter. "So the big hero has to ask for caps from a little filly?! Oh that's too much Mr. Shroud... Fast I mean, she must be an even bigger terror than these two!"

Joining in her laughter with her daughters making faces at the grownups, I had to scratch my mane and nod in answer, realizing it was one parent to another. "Yeah, she is, I'm guessing some of the other shops in your town are finding that out about now. A-Anyway, I'll let you get back to work, I don't want to cause a stir with your customers..."

Noticing the way I glanced at the griffon merc flexing a metallic claw in one of the partitioned areas of the shop from his cot, Cid snorted and stamped a hoof, stopping me from slinking out the door from the thankfully non-Gunner mercenary. "Hey! Quit that glaring over there if you don't want to suffer a sudden malfunction out there collecting your bounties Coldtalon! You know the rules in U.P., I don't care how high the reward is on this one is! And you can stop trying to run away Mr. Times, you wanted to learn right?"

With one hoof already out the door, I looked back at her smirking smile hopefully, unable to resist the siren call of all the lovely arcane technology in her shop. "Yeeeah.... but I told you, I can't pay and..."

"But you can work, right? Or are all those stories about the famous old world repair pony as inaccurate as the ones about the big, bad, tall stallion that's a wall of muscle and takes on armies with a harem in tow? No offense, but you don't quite measure up there..." Cid teased with a twinkle in her eye, getting me to turn back out of professional pride if not injured self esteem.

"I learned from the best, so I know my way around a workshop if that's what you're asking. Umm... w-what are you asking actually?"

I found myself dragged back to the workshop before I could figure out that greedy glint in Cid's eye that matched Val perfectly, shoved in front of a pile of parts and tools with a happy nicker. "I'm willing to accept labor in lieu of caps cutie! You wanna learn, no better way than by doing! Need all the help we can get around here with these two lazy girls shirking their duties. All of ya get to work!"

"Ummm..."

Considering Jade knew where I was and we were both learning things we loved, I didn't feel to taken advantage of working in Cid's shop for awhile. Beyond the enjoyable work tinkering with strange and fantastic arcano-tech I had never seen, it turned out to be pretty informative on a lot of fronts. My instructor apparently didn't get a lot of grown pony conversation, running this shop with just herself and her daughters, so she told me about all kinds of things.

First was the curious question of how exactly she even ran this kind of business, where both the stock and knowledge to use it came from. While she was somewhat light on the details, Cid told me she came from the city of Hoofington and came by her training from a group called the 'Collegiate'. Her husband and small family came to the Commonwealth seeking the wealth of knowledge she read about originating here six years ago, a trip her spouse unfortunately didn't survive from what I guessed when her voice grew sad talking about him.

While Cid and her family managed to pierce the barrier keeping large groups out with a small wagon of wares, that didn't account for the fantastic stock in her shop now. That much was around when she got here apparently, scavenged from local ruins she told me about that made my pip-buck continually flash with 'Map Updated' as I listened. From what I gathered, this area was full of not only a variety of trade schools, but industrial ruins to put the students to work.

From what Cid read, the Commonwealth was one of the major education centers for all the new wartime technology and magic during the end days, even before the Institute. The ponies of this area had latched on to the need to rapidly teach the populace all about the new ideas from the very first firearms all the way up to the cutting edge tech places like the Institute ended up specializing in.

These were all things Cid found reading about Jade's E.E.A. that didn't quite live up to her glowing endorsement of the prewar group. Teaching ponies all about the tech used to end the world was all part of their mission to 'Protect Equestria from vile outsiders' that they took to like a duck to water. The Institute turned out to be the end result, but University Point was an earlier step on that road. Cid learned of the treasures to be found here and while she was disappointed on finding the Institute itself an abandoned ruin, University Point turned out to be nearly as good.

The strange town built in the much older university had made their fame and fortune based on all the ancient knowledge and educational equipment left behind even before Kellogg wiped it out the first time, the next group of settlers simply picked up from the bloody ruins and kept going. Cid even joked that U.P. having a correspondence course helped educate the ignorant wastelanders and make this place a beacon of lost knowledge. The 'Board of Education' that ran this place may guard that information a little more jealously than Jade would like, but it kept them alive and prosperous and they did teach anypony willing to learn and able to pay.

Cid's stock came from the classrooms teaching the rare school of cybernetics, from scavenging local ruins of companies that produced parts for the tech, and from trading her services to mercs and treasure hunters who could find more. It had taken a lot of work for a mare on her own, but her daughters were there to help from the age they could hold a wrench, coming into their own as repair-ponies as good as any I had known.

Working with the three of them in their cozy little shop, enjoying their company and the chance to talk about technical things that made all my friend's and family's eyes glaze over, I forgot to worry about all the danger surrounding us. About mad scientists and their plots, mercenary armies trying their best to wipe us out and take control of the Commonwealth, missing family and friends, even voices in my head that grew soft and silent as I lost myself to my work.

Until I helped finish up the wing that gave Screw Ball trouble outside and took it to the impatient customer in the back waiting for it that was. When my young friend drew back the curtain partition, the pale mare who snorted a complaint that died on her lips on seeing me froze as I did. The two of us recognizing the other in a moment of silence that stretched out long enough for the filly beside me to realize something was wrong.

Hail Mary... The pegasus manager from Summerset Plantation, this must be where she got her wing and hoof... the wing floating in my magic beside me that I had repaired myself... The bitch who had hurt Jade with the steel feathers I had just sharpened and... and I did something to her... Something she remembered a lot clearer than I did by the way her eyes shrank to dots and she started backpedaling on the cot she waited on frantically.

"MONSTER! Get it away! Get it away!!! I'm sorry! I promised I'd do better! I-I haven't been bad! S-Stay away! STAY AWAY!!!" Hail screeched and cringed against the wall, shivering in her loose hospital gown.

I froze where I was, flinching slightly at the spike of pain between my eyes and the rising mutter of 'Be Dark...' waking up. Hail's cyber hoof had already been repaired from when I destroyed it while blacked out back at Summerset Plantation. Her blue and yellow mane was limp but clean as her pale coat, and her surviving real wing flapped and flared frantically, while the gleaming connection waiting for the wing we fixed twitched and whined trying to do the same.

"I... I'm not... n-not a monster... I didn't know... Hail, I s-said I was sorry, I'm not here to..."

Seeing the terrified mare shriek and start throwing nearby objects at me just made me speed my shaky backwards retreat, looking to the surprised and curious faces of the new friends I had made here staring between us making me panic and stammer more. They weren't sure what to make of it, but the sheer terror in Hail's voice was enough to get Cid to push her fillies back protectively, reevaluating me as a potential threat to her children.

I couldn't blame her... I felt my fangs twinge out as soon as I saw Hail, that shadowy growl in my head replaying how the very wing clattering to the floor had slashed at Jade and drew her blood, that fan of red from the mother of my own foal. I truly did feel bad about ...whatever I had done... but that part longed to finish the job. Seeing the friendly Cid look at me like that hurt as bad as Hail's continuing screams I kept backing away from, stammering my weak denials and fighting along with the Ministry Mares to restrain that dark voice.

"I'm not... not... I'm not a..."

I squeaked when my tail ran into a rather warm wall halfway to the door, turning in a rush to see Jade filling the doorway with a concerned look in her kind blue eyes. Seeing her glancing up to the still cringing Hail in confusion, I bolted past her, through the yard outside and into the marketplace, running away and hiding...

Escaping to the crowded market gave me plenty of customers to disappear into, but I couldn't bear being around other ponies either, flying my way up to the peaked bell tower above the central wing of the university and hiding in its shadow. Perched up here like a gargoyle, I could look down on all the hustle and bustle without being a part of it, settling my breathing and slowly getting a hold of myself.

From up here, I could see all the ruins surround University Point, the sea at my back and the shadow of Castle Equinox on the coast. Such a grim view of all the emptiness in between made these little pockets of civilization all the more precious, reminding me again how few of us were left now compared to when Trotson was a busy city teeming with ponies occupying every shattered building.

With that in mind, I really should want to be around others more, but right now I just wanted to be alone. It was soothing as it always had been in the Stable, more so now with Hail Mary's screams still echoing in my ears. Maybe it wasn't just a matter of preferring to be alone sometimes, maybe I really shouldn't be around others, maybe I couldn't be trusted...

"I'm not a monster... I'm not."

While I said that mostly to try to convince myself, stamping a hoof on the green rooftop and frowning down at the market, the soft voice from above answering made me yelp and skitter back across the slanted roof in surprise. "Of course thou aren't a monster Fast, why would you think so?"

Looking up, I spotted the source of that squeaky voice and tried to convince my heart to go back down where it belonged and out of my throat. An upside down Witchy had been roosting in the bell tower above me the whole time, blinking sleepily in the mid morning light and continually flicking her ears as she cocked her head questioningly.

"W-Witchy! Jeez you can be as bad as Zed sometimes. S-Sorry, I didn't know you were here, I just... just wanted somewhere to catch my breath..."

Unfurling her leathery wings from around her, the thestral mare fluttered down beside me, keeping one fluffy ear tilted towards the crowd below and giving me a friendly nudge. "That's not answering the question Fast. The Princess is looking for you, I hear her down there... Actually I've been keeping an ear out for everyone and heard a great deal of screaming where the two of you went. I thought to go down and see, but I heard the Princess and then you came up here yourself, so I assumed it wasn't an emergency. Why are you hiding up here?"

Dammit... those hyper sensitive ears caught too much. No wonder she was up here, a dedicated royal guard both giving Jade and I space, but keeping a wary watch from a distance. While I was glad she kept Jade a concern and so generously spent her time guarding her, it made it kind of hard to lie.

"I... W-We ran into somepony we met before, that Silver Seed pegasus from Summerset Plantation, the one I... I don't even know... A-Anyway, she wasn't too happy to see me again, so I... I ran away."

"Ah... I see. Thou did put the fear of Nightmare Moon into that mare, no wonder she didn't react well. It still avoids my question, why would you think thou art a monster Fast? Because you rightfully punished that mare for daring to harm the Princess? Being frightened for her misdeeds is the least of what that mare deserved, she is still alive, is she not?" Witchy shuffled her way closer and raised a wing in a supportive hug, giving a kind smile with her gleaming fangs.

Being reminded she had been there and had such sharp hearing, I sighed and looked up to her anxiously, thinking of all my recent worries and the stories she made me aware of when we met. "I... I don't remember what I did to her though Witchy. I blacked out and... and she's still terrified just seeing me. I was mad, but sometimes something else takes over and... Y-You said there was a real Shrouded Stallion, right? I'm starting to really worry that maybe he's in my head or something. What did I do? Can you tell me?"

Witchy looked surprised at the worried admission, stifling a slight giggle when she blinked and shook her head. "Sorry Fast, I don't mean to laugh, but you? Being the real Shroud? I told you, he was sealed away by Celestia. What's more he was a monster, nothing like you at all. All you did to that pegasus was destroy her mechanical limbs, you spoke to her in that deep voice you use sometimes... I must admit your words had a strange cadence, and were more like what I'm used to hearing. You used 'Thou' and such, but I've heard you do that playing your silly comic character before. Thou cannot be the real Shrouded Stallion however, he is safely entombed beneath the castle, waiting for... oh..."

"Waiting for what? Please Witchy, anything you can tell me..."

She looked very conflicted for a moment, shifting on her hooves and glancing over her shoulder at the sea. Finally the pretty thestral took my foreleg in hers and fluttered around the bell tower, landing facing the Celestial Sea and pointing to a dim shape on the shore to the south. "I suppose this is not something I am sworn to secrecy specifically about Fast. Can you see my home there? The beached ship? That is Dreadnot."

Following her gesture and focusing my sharp eyes, I could indeed make out the large hulk on the shore so far away, It was irregular and heavily damaged, but it was a huge vessel beached on the shoreline. Tiny specks swarmed around the skeletal sections on a web of scaffolding surrounding it. An Equestrian Navy vessel that had seen better days, tilted slightly where it rested, its once proud cannons drooping and skewed.

At my nod while squinting that way and taking it in, Witchy continued softly. "Before the end... that vessel and my ancestors were here to take the Shroud from the castle fast. He was to be used in the war as a weapon against the zebras. I'm not sure how exactly, but I know that much. He was still imprisoned and was waiting for transport when that ship arrived here, so he can't be... you. I don't understand your worries, but it is clear this bothers you. You should speak with the Princess about it, not run away."

"I'm really good at running and hiding though.... Thanks Witchy, you're right, I shouldn't make her worry. Thanks for telling me that too, though if it's not the Shroud I'm not sure that's much better... it just means I'm crazy."

She actually gave a musical giggle at that, shoving me off the roof and ahead of her through the air, shaking her pretty purple mane and increasing her laughter when I fell like a stone before remembering to flap. "I don't think thou are crazy either Fast. No more than the rest of us anyway. Losing your senses when thine special somepony was hurt is nothing to be ashamed of. It makes spending time with them more important too, so let's return you to her."

With the strong mare shoving me along, it took no time at all to crash to a landing at Jade's hooves in the market, interrupting her trotting through the winding paths and stretching her graceful neck to call over the crowds. I got to my hooves and shuffled in her shadow a moment, wilting under her curious and relieved stare. After enough hemming and hawing, Witchy nudged me into her waiting wings while I was still trying to figure out what to say.

Jade's warm embrace always drained a lot of tension and worry out of me, her anxious words took away the rest. "There you are! I understand wishing to escape that unpleasant encounter, but you could have waited for me! I have been looking all over for you Fast, I was becoming most frustrated and considered finding Glitter to demonstrate how to use this silly pip-buck tracking thing she has shown me before... b-but it would seem I require its use to find her as well..."

Looking up to her biting her lip and frowning at the arcano-tech device on her leg, I instantly felt a lot better and couldn't quite stifle a laugh. Jade was a brilliant healer, kind and caring, but she just had no knack for technology at all. Thinking of all the times Glitter had shown her how to use locator tags, she must have been pretty determined to find me to subject herself to our daughter's exasperated explanation yet again.

"Sorry about that... I kinda freaked out running into that pegasus and... and I shouldn't have run off, I just wanted to get outta there. Being there was just making her scream more, and the family running that cool shop looked at me like... then you... S-Sorry..."

Jade's gaze softened as she leaned down to nuzzle and nodded, still somewhat bothered, but understanding. "Considering I often wish to simply turn invisible in such situations, I suppose I cannot fault you too much. Miss Cider and her fillies were not overly upset, I did take the time to speak with them and calm their patient, whom none of them cared for that much I assure you. In light of her... forceful encouragement to change her ways at your hooves, you leaving at the time was probably for the best. That does not mean it is alright to leave me as well however! I intended to spend today together and that is what we shall do."

My nodding my agreement sheepishly was nudged along by Witchy giving a forceful clearing of her throat, looking at me expectantly until I finally spoke to head off her opening mouth to do it for me. "Umm... R-Right, I want that too Jade. Er... t-there's some stuff I need to talk to you about anyway that I've been.... putting off..."

While she did get a disapproving little frown and eyed me with a vertical line of concern forming between her appraising stare, Jade gave a whinny and ushered us along from the slight scene we caused in the market. "I had been hoping you would decide to do so Fast. I am well aware when things are bothering you and have spoken privately to Zed and Valkyrie both after your latest misadventures, as well as my sister of course... but Swan sees nothing wrong. I am glad you finally decided to approach me yourself, even if it is after some prompting..."

Ignoring Witchy's muffled giggle turned innocent whistling at my wounded look, I sighed and nodded back to Jade in defeat. "Sorry, I wasn't keeping it from you or anything like before though... It's just hard tell the mare you love you might be bonkers, a-and it was only little stuff before we left the Ministry of Peace. I was actually feeling better, because of the new statuette I found there I think, but the things we saw and found out... er... kinda undid a lot of that. I promise I'll talk though."

Jade nickered sympathetically and kept up a stately trot to the central wing of University Point, the soothing tone to her voice warring with her own excitement for the flashy magical signs ahead advertising books, scrolls and spells of all kinds. "Your concerns are another reason I wished to come here together, when you have a problem, there is often a book somewhere that can help after all. You may tell me all about it while we shop, and I do expect to hear all about it..."

I wasn't sure what made me gulp more, trying to cover all the shenanigans the voice in my head had been getting up to lately, or the mountain of complicated books waiting in my immediate future. Either way, the response was the same, utter surrender to my princess, my rueful smile and admission as much lifting both our moods.

"Yes dear..."

Even I had to be impressed at the surviving library at University Point, wandering the stuffed shelves divided by topic and arcane school with Jade was calming and quiet, like I remembered old world libraries to be. The librarians doubling as salesponies that guarded their magical secrets jealously and seemed somewhat territorial and competitive was new, but the treasure trove of old world knowledge was a definite resource as much as water, food or power.

They had somewhat perverted everything from what I knew, which bothered me a little. The first hurdle had been getting a library card, what had been a painless and free process when I was a foal was now a paid service. Visitors to the University Point library had to put down caps just to enter, for this we gained the privilege of reading remedial spell primers, tattered old magazines and moldy newspapers in the common area, a few of which were actually interesting.

For the more useful and rare tomes, we had to go to the pony in charge of that section and 'check them out', not that actually checking books out as I understood it worked the same either. It was simply being allowed to take them from their area and read them, for a price determined by the book, while remaining in the library. Jade still had a stack of finds from the market outside to go over later, but the truly valuable stuff was in here, and no books left this bibliographical vault under any circumstances.

The clerks here also offered their services in teaching spells they knew, each putting up their own little chalkboards with prices. Some of these attendants wore funny square mortar board hats with frayed tassels and mended old robes, these were generally elderly ponies who seemed venerated by the other residents. The Board of Education members according to Jade, a group she had actually spoken with earlier and had yet to meet again concerning joining her growing Kingdom of Sanctuary.

I could tell that made her nervous, but she was resolutely ignoring them and any upcoming talks with the ponies in charge. Instead calling from the nearby medical section of books as she flicked through titles to check out and look over closer, while I was busy reading my own finds from the arcano-tech manuals and grudgingly from the more advanced spell primers.

"Hmmm... Magical Mental Maladies.... that seems promising. Wartime Stress Disorder and other Psychosis.... Ah, Mending Hearts and Minds, 101 Simple Heartmending Exercies! We shall look closer at these, though I fear we may have to ask Glitter for more funds at this rate... I do wish we could examine them at our leisure though, we are due to meet them shortly." Jade stuck her lip out in a pout as she hoofed over the caps at the counter blocking off the healing section to the elderly amber mare there, joining me at the long table already stacked with books and scrolls.

Giving her a sly smile, I unobtrusively tapped at a few buttons on her pip-buck, playfully chiding her while reminding her of how useful the device was beyond just combat, locator tags and occassionally assigning arbitrary 'missions', a function that always seemed to chime in for me alone when we came to a new town. "You can actually hon, them charging for everything might work on most ponies coming here to learn, but not many have pip-bucks to cheat with. Just flip through them fast, it will scan it all as data you can look at later."

She gave a guilty look at the nearest clerks in response, huddling over her first book nervously and turning the pages in a blur. Jade looked conflicted at the minor theft, but kept right on going to the next tome in a rush, like she was shoplifting on a dare and too dedicated to being naughty to stop at this point. Seeing her so flustered and red faced made me laugh and put a soothing hoof on hers, reassuring her I didn't see anything wrong.

"Easy Jade, think of it as having a photographic memory, they wouldn't stop somepony like that from reading, right? Besides, information like this shouldn't be hoarded, you could copy them to holotapes, or even talk to Piper when we go home about printing them out I bet. Her magical printing press thing will take the files. Er... it's not stealing, it's involuntary sharing..."

Jade paused in her rapid flipping to read a passage she found, raising an eyebrow at me over the psychology book she was currently hiding behind. "It is bad enough Glitter has already learned to pickpocket and can be such a larcenous little bandit when it suits her, 'involuntary sharing' is not something we should engage in as an example for her. Though in this case I believe I will make an exception and keep this quiet... such a wonderfully preserved source of knowledge should be shared."

Just being together and drinking in her mysterious smile and twinkling blue eyes made me feel like a million caps, smiling back and nodding as a co-conspirator. "Sure thing Jade, I doubt she'd be interested anyway. You really love books though, don't you? As much as you love Fluttershy, sometimes you remind me of Ministry Mare Twilight Sparkle when we're in places like this. It's really cute."

At the compliment she gained a rosy blush and stuck her nose up with a prim whinny, pausing in a gesture like she wanted to adjust invisible glasses before replying. "Thank you Fast, I do love the opportunity to study the surviving knowledge of ponykind. Books were very helpful to me after... a-after the mother died and Unity was broken. They are like Unity in a way themselves, the voices and information of other minds, just waiting to be picked up and learned from. Despite the things I may disagree with here, I must commend the Board of Education and their mysterious Dean for preserving and sharing everything here, I do hope they are willing to work with the Followers."

"Dean? I thought this place was run by that Board you talked to, the ones in the robes and funny hats? There's somepony else on top?"

Anything I could do to distract her from her attempts to diagnose my problems or my own scanning of a complex book on Lightning and Magnetic spell schools was welcome, though she read me as well as the book in her hooves in the attempt. "Yes, apparently there is an overall ruler or protector, I have not been able to discern which. They seem to not get directly involved in the city's affairs often. Now then Fast, you say you are aware of this voice of yours? It speaks to you like the Ministry Mare statues?"

"Nnnnn.... Y-Yeah... sometimes, when it feels like it. I just thought it was me, er... the stuff you said about the wasteland getting to ponies, corrupting things... I've used it since coming out of the Stable to survive and just tried to keep it separate, but it's getting louder..."

Having her stroke my mane when I thunked my chin to the table and grudgingly answered helped. I may not like it, but I did promise to tell her everything that had been bothering me lately. Jade took it in stride and kept soothing me as she read, tilting her head curiously at the book. "That is odd. In true schizophrenia, there isn't often awareness or communication between alternate personalities. Hopefully we can rule that out then... You did say it answered you? This... thing you repress down in that stasis pod sister Ivy showed me?"

"When I met Klein... it wanted to leave Val and Zed behind to get to him and the Institute, I wanted to I mean... But I didn't too. I... I didn't do it... I passed up the chance to find out where my family is, my old friends... Grandpa... everything. It didn't like that and it... stopped helping?"

"Hmm... curious. Perhaps it is a mental block, you repress all those things and it came back to bite you in the rump. There are cases similar to that, forms of performance anxiety... I have noticed you spend a great deal of time fighting yourself on certain subjects, even before you were changed in a way that exacerbated those traits." Jade spoke half to herself, flipping through pages and switching books, but keeping her voice soft and kind as I cringed and croaked my answers.

"Before I became a monster you mean? Or more of one?"

I replied automatically, facehoofing at her wounded look and realizing again we were the same now, repeating Hail Mary's screams calling me a monster meant throwing that insult at her too, something I had gone to great lengths to convince her wasn't true. She shook it off as I was still jabbering an apology, holding a long blue pinion feather to my lips and sighing softly.

"You are not, we are not... I know you do not think so about me, so accept as much about yourself. There are raiders and savage ponies who put you to shame, even at your worst Fast. You have always listened to me and stopped for example, even in cases like that pegasus. This world is still a more brutal and dangerous place than the world you came from, unfortunately it can inspire monstrous behavior, but you are not a monster unless you choose to be and you do not, yes? If nothing else, I merely need remain by your side to pull you back, a role I am quite happy with dear." Jade smiled and kissed my horn as she finished scanning through her finds and floated it all up, trotting over to return them while I did the same.

I caught her flipping through more while she was putting her initial books back on the shelves in the medical texts section, her guilty look masked by an unconvincing, crooked grin to the bored old mare at the counter. She was actually drawing more attention to herself than if she just went on with the minor theft like she wasn't doing anything wrong, the elderly robed mare kept squinting at her after returning her initial smile with a bored wave.

Stifling a chuckle, I figured I should probably run interference before Jade started really sweating, giving a polite cough at the counter and casting out for something to pester the clerk with. Luckily the room full of ponies in hurried, muffled conversations while pouring over more books than we had gone over offered a decent topic I had wondered about. They all had the look of students cramming for an important test, making me curious about how things were done here for 'enrolled students' who paid much higher fees in caps to apprentice here, but didn't seem to get shafted on little things like checking books out.

"Soooo... Hi there, I understand you're one of the ponies in charge around here? I'm Fast Times, er... my wife is the Princess there, we're looking forward to talking to you folks tomorrow, about an alliance and all that?"

The old mare blew the frayed tassel from her hat out of her eyes and squinted at me, returning to her inspection of the precarious stack of weathered books on her counter. "Eh? Ah, yes, the Princess... Name's Three Ring, pleasure and all that, yer Princess is a nervous filly ain't she? Probably won't have much success young buck, U.P. stays neutral, how we've gotten along a long time now. T'wouldn't mind yer mare's Followers and some of their ideas though, if they're willin' ta share books an' spells we'll most likely work somethin' out."

"I'm sure she'll be happy with that much Ms. Ring, though we like trying to help out however we can, even if you need to stay neutral. Er... Which is why we end up being kinda nosy, if you don't mind. You have an amazing town here, so we have lots of questions. Seeing all these ponies here learning about stuff is good to see, do you usually have so many?"

Following my waving hoof behind me, (and therefore not seeing the large alicorn frantically flipping pages behind her), Three Ring snorted and rolled her tired ruby eyes. "Pshshaw, not by half sonny. We usually got a few bookworms in here, but they're all crammin' fer the Arcane Science Fair."

At that I had to blink in surprise, most of my worries instantly forgotten in a rush of excitement. "An Arcane Science Fair?! Reeeeeally? You still do that kinda stuff? What kind of exhibits? Is there prizes? Can anypony join? Or watch at least?"

Seeing me prancing on my hooves, Ms. Ring shook her head and seemed to catalog me with a chuckle. "Oh, you're one of our own ain'tcha? Heard the famous Shrouded Stallion was actually a big ol' nerd, but that seemed hard to believe along with all the other things that DJ says about you. Anypony can join, though there's a fee for non-students. Not that I think you want to if most of the other stories are true."

I felt my ears droop as a whine came into my voice at the discouragement, "What? Why? I didn't think I'd ever get to participate in an arcane science fair again, and the last one was just a lame paper maiche volcano because I was so young. I'd love to join in the fun, what's the deal?"

The guarded look the old mare gave was infectious, raising my hackles even before she leaned close after looking all around for eavesdroppers and whispered an answer. "Because, the main prize most of these fools are after isn't one we're offerin' sonny. The winner of the fair has a habit of disappearin', rumor is they get recruited... by the Institute."

Before my shocked expression could resolve into the hateful glare I could feel bubbling up to the surface, Jade rushed back out, curling a wing around me to shove us both along as she gave hasty, nervous manners to the informative board member. "T-Thank you so much Ms. Ring! We will be sure to return with more funds, w-we must go meet our friends for now however. C-Come along dear!"

"B-But!"

The main eatery and basic inn that University Point boasted was based out of the old cafeteria, the kitchens still basically operating as they had, while part of the large room was partitioned off and stuffed with rickety bunks for travelers. They actually had a festive, tavern like atmosphere, serving good food and hard drinks in one corner. Both of which were largely produced by talented spell casters behind the dirty glass sneezeguards and tray rails, magicking so so looking apples into apparently powerful apple whiskey and other treats.

It definitely delighted Jade and Glitter, the foal packing away magically made apple tarts as fast as the poor unicorn mare could cast, while her mother sampled her own meal and tried to slow her down. I should enjoy my own food and the time with them, instead I picked at my now soggy hay fries and kept glancing around at the other patrons suspiciously.

They wanted to join the Institute... Maybe not all of them, but enough I was betting. Klein even mentioned 'talent scouts' that should have approached me had I not waged war on their main contact with the surface in Vega. The Institute recruited from the wasteland above, from University Point apparently. Not surprising they'd go for the best and brightest available.

While it bothered me just thinking about ponies wanting to intentionally join the group of mad scientists, what really caused me to keep glaring all around was the idea they had a hoof here. It might be mostly smiling faces and friendly mages, but they were definitely here, hiding in the shadows and meddling.

At least more and more of our group meeting up here distracted me. Witchy had rejoined us from her post outside the library and had been keeping her distance at the bar while it was just the three of us, but one young griffon after another prowling in was making us a little busier and rapidly filling our long table. None had had much luck with the task I asked them and seemed leery coming back with empty claws, the latest trio surprised to be welcomed and rewarded with food for failing, despite Glitter's new friends Lila and Heidi cheerily assuring them.

"Fast dear, stop your brooding and go order more food for our friends, I imagine Valkyrie will bring the last back soon enough. Though she is more likely to amuse herself at the bar with Witching, she should eat as well. See if you can have her join us as well, Witching need not continue to so graciously offer us privacy with everyone joining us." Jade nudged me from wondering who on the kitchen staff were synths, giving a nod to her royal guard engaged in conversation with a ghoul at the bar.

"I'm not brooding... I'm thinking hard..."

My huff of an answer as I got up to do as asked just made Glitter giggle, spewing crumbs as she agreed with her mother. "Yeah daddy, cheer up! You look like you sucked on a lemon! I thought you'd be happier with all this science junk around, you can have more caps to go look at all the weird parts I found if you'll feel better! You ain't even said you like the pretty clothes I found for Heidi an' the others!"

Wiping the hard frown of my face was actually easy taking in my filly's playful pout, despite that persistent, paranoid mutter running in the background of my thoughts. "Oh, sorry sweetie. You did a really good job, honest, both of you look very pretty Heidi."

Seeing griffons dressed up in old world school uniforms was as jarring as Val's new Stable barding, but the smiles shared between the three of them at the praise was heartening. I'd spotted a few residents in town sporting similar clothing from various schools, including leather sporting jackets that reminded me of my DJ friend Miles and made me wonder if he got his from the scavengers here.

Glitter had apparently found bulk deal on predominately dark blue and grey outfits from some ruin nearby, the griffon sisters beaming beside her did look quite pretty in the natty old sweaters and skirts that somehow held a pleat or two still. It was a definite improvement over the rags they had been wearing, plus they got to pass out matching clothes to each of their friends as they joined us from a battered cardboard box. All of them seemed to like having matching uniforms out of their familiarity with military discipline and camaraderie, but at least the school clothes let Jade think of them as a class instead of a platoon.

Heidi hugged her own new sweater to her chest giddily, speaking around mouthfuls of fried cram in her beak. "Mmmryah! Thanks boss! We really like em too! Ya should'a seen Glitter hagglin' fer em, Lila says she must be part griffon!"

"Heidi! Don't talk with your mouth full, and I said she was as frugal as a griffon, not part one. Sorry boss, really though, thanks a lot, for the grub and all too. Miss Val was right, you ponies are really good employers, sorry we didn't do a better job finding who you was looking for." Lila looked unfamiliar with expressing gratitude, but she and her sister hung around with more ponies than the rest due to the influence of the Groverites in her home, so she was trying to speak for all of them.

It still bothered me seeing how suspicious they all were over being given things without something being asked, but they were looking more and more honestly happy as it sunk in. That and my family waving me on to buck up and share with our new friends rather than pouting over enemies helped dispel my funk.

"Don't mention it, getting you guys better clothes with it turning colder and a treat of a meal was always part of the plan. I'm glad you tried to help with the little job I gave you, but it's no biggie. I'll be back with more in just a few, I'm guessing you all want more..."

"MEAT!" The ringing chorus followed as I waved over my shoulder and trotted off with a chuckle, meandering through the smaller tables of hard drinkers and hard ponies. There were still a lot of questions rolling around in my questionable brain here, but synths and the Institute really could be anywhere, I shouldn't let it get in the way of enjoying some time together after everything we had been through lately. Especially after everything all those kids had been through for a lot longer.

Even if you couldn't do anything or got frustrated by your own problems, helping others could make you feel better. Getting pissed off about the Institute or paranoid over their synth spies didn't do anycreature any good, which was why the shadowy group encouraged just that kind of thinking. Just as I decided on learning about the group to begin with, one of the best ways to fight them was to not fall into that trap, seductive as it was. Better to think of others.

Witchy herself was somepony I hadn't spent as much time with since she hadn't joined us on our flight from the MoP hub. Partially because she had dedicated herself to acting as Jade's personal guard, but her little pep talk and pointing out her home not far from here had reminded me of her own goals and issues. Hers in particular as I got a better look at the ghoulish stallion she was speaking with at the bar. He was a thestral too...

A little hard to tell since his withered wings didn't look that much different from the skeletal wings of a pegasus ghoul, but on closer inspection there were tattered bits of ancient leather instead of the odd remaining feather here and there. His armor wasn't as fancy and old fashioned as Witchy's either, mostly a tattered dark blue uniform and a few ancient, dinged plates. His palette was a little darker than Witchy's lilac grey, though that might have been his rotting nature for all I knew.

Still, the similarities were easy enough to see as I approached cautiously, taking in Witchy's concerned face and the way both of their ears flicked as I got close. The stallion only had a few wispy tufts of hair left at the tips of his, but they were apparently still just as sharp as hers. When they turned I noticed his golden eyes widen appreciably, putting aside whatever they had been talking about and gaping with his single remaining fang showing in his wide open mouth.

"Luna's blessed night... thou weren't kidding Witching dear! He looks just like those silly comics doesn't he!? Eh... a little on the short side though. Pleasure to meet you, brave knight Fast TImes, come to steal away young Witching yet again?" The gaunt undead batpony chortled, only somewhat making him less creepy, which was still a fair sight more than even normal ghouls.

"Er.... Hi? You ok Witchy? Jade's asking for you and... umm... you know this pony? From home I'm guessing? Is he one of the ones who..."

As soon as my voice dropped to a growl on thinking of what Witchy had told me of the folks back home and how they treated her, she blushed a bright red and gave a high pitched chirp, waving her hooves and getting between me and the surprised looking ghoul. "No! Nonono! Mr. Moon Tide isn't... h-he's a friend of mine! F-From back home, yes, but he's always been nice! It's ok!"

I saw the red dots in her wide amber eyes wink out and shook myself, how often were my own eyes doing that glowing alicorn bit now? At least the surge of aggression fizzled away as soon as she professed the old thestral's innocence, leaving me to put on a sheepish smile to the curious head tilt he answered with and hold a hoof out in vicarious friendship. If he was Witchy's friend, that was good enough for me, or for 'Be Dark...' it seemed. That was one positive I had noted from actually telling the others like Zed, Witchy, Val and of course Jade about my fears. That voice never went away entirely now, but it was almost behaving itself after sharing with the others, instead of trying to bottle it all up.

"Oh, sorry then. Nice to meet you sir, I didn't think anypony from Dreadnot really went out in the rest of the Commonwealth from what Witchy's said, so it's kind of a surprise, but a nice one if you're her friend. I didn't mean to... umm... not everything she's told me has sounded so good is all, and I thought..."

"Thought I was one of those uppity, elitist, living louts back on the ship eh? No apology necessary Sir Fast, good to see young Witching has made honorable friends! I must say, I may owe thou one myself, about the short for the Shroud jest that is. For a moment there, I thought I was seeing a specter from ages past! I'm certainly glad to not be the target of that ire, even if thou can't be him, thine exploits on the radio are enough." Mr. Tide boomed in something just shy of the royal Canterlot voice, attracting attention from the bar while returning my hoofshake happily.

He didn't quite have Witchy's half earth pony strength, but I was still grateful when she broke his grip before he shook my hat off in the gesture, giving a forced smile mixed with relief. "I told you Fast is very nice Moon, he's not that scary, don't make him think so more than he already does! Sorry Fast, I shall join you and the Princess in just a moment, Moon was just informing me of... things that may come up..."

"Still a faithful servant of the Lunar Guard, even after finding a living Princess to serve out here, eh Witching? My oath ended with my death however, so I am free to speak however I like about those whelps running things now. They don't think much of us who gave the last measure of devotion to our fallen Princess and still linger on, only good for venturing out into the wastes in their stead. Before Witching caused such a stir in any event! I'm here offering employment in Dreadnot Sir Times, thou aren't the only repair pony they wished to contract with lately. There's even a flyer on yonder bulletin board for such missives outside I'm rather proud of, inked it myself and never slacked in my traditional Canterlot calligraphy I shall have you know. I await interested parties here and send them on their way with promises of riches, as instructed by those isolationist foals." Mr. Tide spoke in the same mix of older terms Witchy used, but was a lot more forthcoming with his disdain about his own home, a fact that made me like him even more.

Waving to the waitress bringing a large stein of cider for him and floating out the caps to cover it myself improved his mood too. "Glad they weren't just waiting around on her to drag me back then sir. Of course I am going there eventually, I promised Witchy and she swore to bring me, so I can't make a liar out of both of us. I kinda want to have a talk with the ponies there and how they treated Witchy anyway... Sorry again I thought you were one of them, I'll leave you two to talk, though I wouldn't mind asking you more while we're in town."

Witchy squeaked and glowed in embarrassment hearing me openly threaten the elites in charge of Dreadnot neither me or her friend liked, but I caught the hint a satisfied smile knowing she had friends too. The knowledge that her giving nature could be repaid with something other than abuse was clear on her half hidden expression of gratitude. Not just by me, but the big blue Princess waving her over with a curious look, the chipmunk cheeked foal holding up a treat she wanted to share, by all of us.

She had said she was friends with some ghouls back home even though it was frowned on by her peers, most likely the undead were as ugly to them as the 'impure' half thestral herself. Compared to just the limited amount I had heard about the residents of Dreadnot however, both of them were beautiful in the only way that mattered.

Though I had to admit my personal preference made the living, female batpony much prettier than the undead, male one. Thankfully she had always forgiven me being just a bit shallow.

When we had nearly finished our meal with still no sign of either Val or the last young griffon Bruno meeting us, Jade wasn't the only one starting to get worried. At least checking for her on the map showed Val just outside University Point's gates, leaving us little option but to hope her junior mercenary was with her too and get moving.

Given the crowd with us and the small outpost of Followers and Minutemares not far off, it was cheaper and easier to stay outside the city anyway. Jade didn't look very convinced when I ventured maybe Val just didn't feel like hanging around town any longer and decided to wait for us to leave for whatever reason. It really wasn't her kind of town after all, though I did look forward to all the junk shops Glitter promised on our next visit to speak with the leadership here.

I tipped my hat to Witchy's ghoul friend on the way out, another pony I wanted to talk to when we came back and the thestral herself wasn't in earshot. He made it clear he didn't mind saying some of the things Witchy just couldn't, and some of the questions I had might worry or embarrass her more. If he hung around the bar like he said, I could buy him another drink soon.

After collecting Jade's ambulance and roughly riding herd on a flock of young griffons as excited by new places as Glitter, we made our way towards Val's mark on my compass. She wasn't hard to spot in the bright afternoon sun, lounging atop the dirty rain shelter of an old bus stop for the schools around here and clearly waiting for us. Bruno was with her as well, so that was a relief for Jade, though one that didn't last long when she spotted the gun in his claws and who he had it trained on. A dingy yellow stallion with a balding blue mane was sitting on the bench below Val's perch, gagged and tied atop the rusty seating, with what looked like a rather recent black eye making his furious scowl kind of lopsided..

"V-Valkyrie! What are you doing!? Why did you not meet us as agreed? Bruno's friends have all eaten already, while you have kept him here and... c-c-captured some poor pony!?! What is the meaning of this!" Jade goggled at the griffon lazily swishing her tail off the overhang and the smaller one guarding their hogtied captive, her face reddening in horror at what had apparently kept them.

Stomping up to meet them with the rest of us trying to match her long strides even with the heavy ambulance and passengers, Jade's shouts didn't seem to bother Val in the slightest, though Bruno's weapon shook and he looked a little unsure at least.

He seemed to defer to Val though, regaining confidence as she rolled her eyes and landed in the street between them. "Calm down Blue, I made the kid eat while we was waitin'."

"That is hardly the biggest problem with this situation and you well know it Valkyrie! Who is this pony!? What have you gotten up to now? Is he in such a state due to your actions? I am terribly sorry sir, I p-promise to heal your wounds in just a moment. I am very disappointed Valkyrie! I am willing to defer to your judgement to a point due to my own ignorance of your culture, but this is too far! This is what you would teach not just Bruno, but all his inquisitive friends who look up to you as a voice of experience?!" Watching Jade stamp her hooves and throw a fit, I bit my lip to stifle a very inadvisable laugh at Val's obvious merriment.

"Wooo... look up ta huh? Hadn't thought'a that actually Blue. I mean I was givin' this one a few tips, but he ain't that great about not markin' up the captive an' what not. See kid, I told you we'd pay fer it. Anyhoo, fer all you other brats who missed out, ya don't wanna smack around a prisoner too hard if'n ya don't gotta. Specially when the client might get all weepy over it like Blue here, gotta take big softies inta account sometimes. It gets old, but ya get used ta it. Bruises are better'n blood if it comes to it, though joint locks are..." Val drawled in an impromptu lecture for all the attentive students behind me, steadily pushing Jade towards the breaking point.

Not that I wasn't a little confused too, but I trusted Val, there was bound to be a good here reason somewhere... She was playing up the tough mercenary role just to get under Jade's feathers and show off for the young griffons, and further terrify her captive apparently... but she knew better, had softened up a little. I hoped... Watching her tease Jade and scratch her plumage thoughtfully at the furious sputtering she elicited, I nearly lost the battle against another snort of a laugh that was making my eyes tear up watching the exchange though, along with all the kids Val turned to address with a grin.

I really should probably stop this... The stammering snicker I managed only made Jade wheel on me with hard blue dots for eyes though, not helping that much as I struggled to spit it out. "V-Val... Enough, there is a good reason for this, right? Please tell me there's a good reason... Quickly..."

She groaned at having her fun spoiled, but hoisted her captive up by the ropes binding him and prowled over dutifully, dumping him between us with a huff. "Bah, yer no fun boss. The kid did what ya wanted is all, I just helped a little. You wanted ta find a lead on where this Institute egghead is hidin' out, this guy probably knows."

"Probably?" I raised an eyebrow at the angry looking stallion, noting how he flinched hopefully, but really needing more than just that before Jade finished fuming in indignation.

Bruno answered for her, puffing his red chest out proudly and crowing in front of his friends. "Went an' asked around like ya wanted boss. Nobody knew nothin', but this guy did. He ran off, so I got Val and we chased his ass down. Pretty good work, huh?"

"S-So he is guilty only of leaving your questioning?! Bruno! There is such a thing as presumption of innocence! Oh I am terribly sorry sir! P-Please, accept our sincerest apologies, our young friends are adjusting to many changes lately and... l-let me just get this out of the way..." Jade's fretted at the gag muffling the prisoner's grumbles, alternately turning to fuss at the sulking young griffon scuffing the roadway in return.

"We know how ta flush bounties out boss lady... Magpie had us do it all the time, that guy's guilty, believe it." Bruno pouted in reply, but held firm next to Val, the two of them helping convince me even without much evidence.

The greasy faced buck shouted as soon as Jade managed to ungag him, hopping in place and wriggling in his ropes, the spittle from his howling making even the kind blue alicorn flinch back with a sour look as he raged. "Ain't guilty of nothin'! Healin's the least what I'm owed after these two brutes worked me over! Pain and sufferin'! Mental anguish! I'm traumatized and my trick knee's bein' extra tricky! I expect recompense and..."

"Dr. Vigil..." I spoke half to shut him up for a minute, but the shifty look he gave and that pungent spike of fear changing his scent was proof enough for me.

Jade might not approve, but clearly noticed it too and bit her lip impatiently as I leaned closer and glared, for once willing my fangs out menacingly to make him jabber more. "W-Who's that? Never heard of him! Don't know what you're talking about, y-you let me go and maybe I'll settle for just the healing the famous Princess there was offering. Better hurry up though, o-or I'll have a few choice words for the authorities in U.P.! I'm an upstandin' citizen there and they don't take kindly to even big celebrities abductin' ponies! P-Personal friends with members on the board of education I am, just ask anypony who matters, they all know Sludge... er Professor Sludge Barrel, P.H.D., D.D.S., L.O.L, B.R.B. umm... very important..."

Wow, he was worse at lying than Jade was in general and I was with her... She still didn't look very happy, but hearing that string of nonsense looked to placate her for the moment. Of course part of it might have been making the mistake of giving himself a bunch of fancy titles he clearly didn't understand. For a mare who valued education and real doctors, lying about those things was high up on Jade's list of unforgivable crimes.

"Suuuuure you are... Funny, I didn't say Dr. Vigil was a him, did I? Oh well, since you're such an important pony and all, my wife's right and we should make sure you get the best care. Can hardly do that here on the side of the road either, so you should probably come with us. We don't want to get in trouble over this little misunderstanding, we're supposed to talk to the board tomorrow after all, so we'll be sure to apologize to them too."

"W-What!? No, that's alright, er... feeling better already. Just untie me and gimme a potion for my eye, w-we'll call it even 'cause I'm feelin' generous and... H-Hey! Get outta my stuff! T-That's mine!" This Sludge pony winced again when he heard we could actually call his bullshit, but the sudden clatter of possessions from what I assumed was his own confiscated saddlebag made him really panic.

Giving the cracked leather a final shake for good measure and spreading the deitrus around with a paw, Val shrugged with an exagerrated, "Whoooooooops... Slipped."

The gasp Jade gave on seeing what came spilling out to the road represented his last hope sinking. Potion vials, beakers, tins of obscure ingredients and other advanced apothecary equipment I really doubted this buck knew anything about, but matched the stock of Mrs. Pestle's shop she said had been stolen recently...

"If these are yours I am sure you can identify this object properly, can you not Mr. Barrel?" Jade carefully unwrapped a delicate spiral of glass tubing from the moldy towels padding it, narrowing her blue eyes down at the cringing stallion with a dangerous edge to her voice.

"S-Sure.. that's a class 12, crazy straw... for umm... my experiments and such, y-you're just lucky your griffons didn't break that!" Ooooo... not only did he commit the sin of ignorance yet again, he dug his grave deeper in the process...

The only thing worse than pretending to know about her area of specialization in Jade's view, was stealing from those who actually did. Something she confirmed beyond a doubt as she educated the increasingly nervous buck in the process. "No. This is a condenser coil. Though you are correct finding one this size intact is rare as they are quite fragile. Seeing as it was one of the more precious items stolen from Mrs. Pestle, I find it unlikely you happened across another, identical piece of equipment. Perhaps you are correct and we should get the authorities in town involved here after all..."

"Or you can come along and answer some questions for me. Don't worry, we'll make sure to return all this stuff I'm sure you ...found... to Mrs. Pestle for you after. How's that buddy?"

Looking between the stern Princess staring down her nose at him with a sniff of distaste, me giving a sharp tooted smile offering his only way out, and Val cracking her claws should he chose to ignore it, he really didn't have any option and he knew it. Sludge hung his head in defeat and nodded weakly, his muddy brown eyes peeking past the lank blue strands of his combover.

"F-Fine... Was gonna do that myself before these two mugged me anyway. C-Can you untie me then, I'll come along quietly..." Sludge tried taking advantage of Jade's kind nature one last time, making a show of wincing at his bonds pitifully.

Val opened her beak to cut off Jade being too soft on the liar, but shut it with a happy smirk when the blue alicorn stuck her nose up and huffed first, floating the still hogtied Sludge to the roof of her ambulance and proving she had learned a thing or two from the tough griffon. "Oh no, so wounded a pony should definitely not be forced to walk. We shall offer you a ride as way of recompense, we do not wish to make your wounds worse removing the ropes prematurely. Do not worry, it is no trouble at all..."

The shifty thief gulped at all the young griffons circling overhead as Jade hitched herself back up and continued up the road, wisely keeping his mouth shut before he made things worse for himself. I could tell she still felt conflicted and did want to heal even this jerk, but a black eye wasn't going to kill him. Watching Val prowling at her side with an approving cluck, I had to smile at how they had rubbed off on each other, and at the prospect of actually making some headway today.

I was pretty sure Bruno's instincts were right and ruffled his feathers gratefully before he joined the others in guarding his captive proudly. The runaway Institute scientist was around here somewhere and now we had a lead, not a bad day at all.

-----------------------Level Up!-------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------------

Voracious Reader----
---It might be involuntary borrowing, but taking advantage of your pip-buck's functions allows you new options for helping preserve and spread knowledge. With the proper equipment, you're now able to turn damaged books and magazines into blanks and print new ones from data you've read before.

Reputation Change!----------------------

University Point: Accepted----
---A town full of nerds is your kind of place and they recognize their own. Just roaming around has given you a better idea what kind of settlement U.P. is and you've made a favorable impression so far, receiving fair prices and on your way to making a few friends.